Archive of Our Own ^beta

From up amidst the clouds, Dan Feng unleashes a furious tempest that sweeps away the horde of borisin in a roar of crashing waves and thunder. Every last drop of his power expended, he plummets towards the ground.

“Dan Feng!”

Dan Heng races towards him, tearing through the beasts in his path.

Panic claws up his throat—he is too far, he won’t make it in time.

But someone unexpected comes to Dan Feng’s aid.

A crimson slash clears the field and then Ren is rushing forward, catching Dan Feng in his arms just before he hits the ground.

Relief washes through Dan Heng and he turns his focus to culling the remnants, drawing them away from the other two.

When he glances over to check on them later, Ren is carrying Dan Feng in one arm as he slaughters the borisin with excessive brutality looking...extremely aggravated.

~

Welt looks from Dan Heng’s broken arm to Ren’s murderous face as he holds Dan Feng in his arms.

“...Would you like me to carry Dan Feng?”

“No. It’s fine,” Ren refuses curtly.

Probably for the best. Welt would throw out his back again if he tried to carry Dan Feng back to the Express—that tail is extraordinarily heavy.

~

After Welt casts his arm, Dan Heng guides Ren to their room.

“Last door on the left.”

Ren steps through the doorway and stops dead in his tracks. Dan Heng nearly runs into his back at the sudden halt.

“Ren?”

Oh—their nest.

Dan Heng peeks around at Ren’s expression, feeling the slightest bit...shy about Ren seeing their nest; a carefully molded ring of pillows and blankets on the bed with a few items of clothing folded in amongst the textiles.

The scrunch of Ren’s brows is perplexed as he moves again, going over to lay Dan Feng down in the center of the pile. He guides the tail to coil around Dan Feng the way he prefers when sleeping.

Dan Heng feels his ears warming as Ren fingers one of Dan Heng’s shirts in the heap and side-eyes him.

“...Are you fucking him?”

“...I am. He—he’s my mate.”

Ren stares at him very blankly. Unmoving.

...

…Is Ren thinking about them together?

Ren clears his throat. “Sit down. Where’s your med kit?”

A basin of warm water and a towel go on the bedside table as Ren seats himself on the edge of the bed. He undresses Dan Feng with the ease of long practice, motions habitual. Dan Heng sneaks a white robe near Ren’s hand and he automatically wraps it around Dan Feng.

While Ren works, Dan Heng takes Dan Feng’s wrist and sends forth a pulse of Cloudhymn magic the way Bailu had taught him. He did a quick scan in the field, but he has never seen Dan Feng go down like this.

Then again, Dan Feng had never managed such a feat in his memories. Whenever Dan Feng had cast a spell of this caliber, it had indiscriminately wiped out both friend and foe. But this time the crushing waves had run up against a wall when it surged near the Express crew and the Hunters...Did Dan Feng double cast a ward in tandem?

If that is what he had done, then it is no surprise that he is out cold.

Would Ren know?

...That grumpy expression does not seem open to questions.

From Dan Heng’s scan, it does seem to be just profound exhaustion and these few injuries.

Done wiping down Dan Feng’s body, Ren hands the towel to Dan Heng and gets the bandages. Dan Heng runs the cloth over the tail which curls sweetly into his touch.

After seeing to Dan Feng’s wounds, Ren turns to Dan Heng and does the same for him, equally businesslike as he cleans his wounds dousing them with stinging antiseptic, and bandaging them neatly after applying a layer of salve. Ren sits close enough for their knees to touch as he tends to him. His rough hands on Dan Heng’s skin makes his heart beat a little faster, his breaths a little short.

Finishing up, Ren tidies the area putting the kit away and then seems to stall. Just—standing there. Next to the bed.

“Thank you, Ren,” Dan Heng prompts him.

He gets a noncommittal grunt.

Dan Heng doesn’t know what to say—some irrational part of him wants to invite Ren into their nest, but the rest of him is embarrassed to have their...ex-husband? see them like this. Dan Heng doesn’t remember Dan Feng ever making a nest and Ren’s reaction seems to confirm it never happened with Yingxing.

He can’t tell what Ren thinks of their...primitive behavior.

Maybe he could get a hint?

Dan Heng climbs into the nest curling into Dan Feng’s chest while watching Ren closely.

“Nn,” Dan Feng murmurs breathily, tail slithering around Dan Heng’s waist when his weight presses on him, clingy even in his sleep.

...The silent eye contact is uncomfortable as Ren’s face makes a weird expression.

Disappointment drops his stomach as Ren turns away to leave.

But Ren only takes a single step before he jerks to a stop. He growls under his breath, spins back around and—reaches for Dan Heng?

Then starts to strip him.

“Ren.” Dan Heng is too startled to put up any real protest.

Ren is scowling but his large hands are gentle as they help ease the shirt over and off of Dan Heng’s casted arm. Scarred fingers hesitate for a second before stroking firmly over Dan Feng’s tail coaxing it to loosen enough for Ren to undo Dan Heng’s belt. His touch lingers over the jade token as he sets it aside.

When those hands move to the fastenings of his trousers, Dan Heng’s breath stutters. A tiny shiver goes through him as warm palms slide over the backs of his thighs drawing his pants down and off.

“You...” Ren is staring, very rudely, between Dan Heng’s legs—at what is not between Dan Heng’s legs. The material of his underwear is so thin as to be nearly transparent.

Damn Dan Feng for distracting him this morning. He had hastily thrown on his clothes before rushing out the door. This is not what he usually wears.

Face flaming with offense and embarrassment, Dan Heng snaps a hard kick at Ren’s face. It smacks into Ren’s palm which clamps down, encircling Dan Heng’s ankle in a tight grip.

The hot flare in those crimson eyes lights an answering heat in Dan Heng, their gazes locking for a long second, before Ren remembers himself and releases Dan Heng’s foot.

Ren shuffles to the closet with a chastened hunch to his shoulders and comes back with a robe—Is Ren running on autopilot? These are all in Dan Feng’s size, too large for Dan Heng who wears the pajamas neatly folded right next to them.

Helping Dan Heng into the robe requires some more prodding to get the needy tail binding him to cooperate. Ren ties the sash and then swiftly escapes out the door without meeting Dan Heng’s eyes again.

Ren...didn’t know?

...He can ponder over it later.

Dan Heng pushes himself up to his knees so he can look over Dan Feng again. He touches his face tenderly, thumbs brushing over high cheekbones.

The image of Dan Feng falling still plays in his mind and he wonders if the same thing had prompted Ren’s unusual behavior.

A small furrow between Dan Feng’s brows has him leaning down to kiss it away. Dan Feng’s breathing is reassuringly even so Dan Heng lies down and squeezes him tight, the steady beat of Dan Feng’s heart against his ear as he gives in to exhaustion.

~

Dan Heng wakes blearily to the rattle of the door.

He is about to summon Cloud Piercer when Ren shoulders through with a tray in his hands, two bowls of fried rice on top. The tray goes on the bedside table as Ren comes over to check on Dan Feng.

When Dan Heng goes to gently jostle Dan Feng awake for dinner, Ren catches his hand.

“Let him sleep. He needs that more than food.”

“...Okay. What are you—!“ He clutches the front of Ren’s jacket as the man lifts him with an arm around his waist and sets him on the edge of the bed.

Pulling up a chair, Ren takes one of the bowls. He spoons up some rice and holds it up to Dan Heng’s mouth.

Ren only seems to realize what he is doing when he registers Dan Heng gaping at him.

He stiffens rigidly.

...

The spoonful is shoved into Dan Heng’s open mouth.

Dan Heng chews and swallows reflexively.

Yingxing didn’t do this that many times for Dan Feng. There had been maybe four occurrences where Dan Feng had injured his dominant hand and elegantly whined until Yingxing fed and spoiled him.

...Dan Feng had played up the injury for awhile each time though.

Truly shameless. Dan Heng cannot believe they have the same genetics.

No eye contact occurs as Ren feeds Dan Heng in awkward silence. Heat gathers at the back of Dan Heng’s neck while Ren’s cheeks pinken slightly. The redness climbs to his ears as he notices Ren’s gaze straying to his lips a few times.

After finishing with his own bowl, Ren dawdles at the side of the bed. He paces away and then back before stopping in front of the bed again.

A moment later, Ren unbuttons his coat, bulky muscles of his chest and shoulders flexing as he shrugs it off.

“You want this?” He asks gruffly, holding it out to Dan Heng as he gestures vaguely at the nest.

Dan Heng immediately snatches the coat out of his hands, surprising himself as much as Ren.

These damned instincts.

“…Thanks.”

He shuffles around on his knees, tucking the coat around the upper edges of the nest. A small smile curls his lips when Dan Feng makes a soft sound and buries his face in the collar.

Ren glowers at the sight, but doesn’t voice any protest.

And continues to make like a stone statue by the bed.

“There’s room for one more,” Dan Heng tries.

Ren seems to be wavering so he adds, “I won’t tell him.”

Dan Feng will still know though—he would be able to smell Ren’s scent in the nest.

Ren studies him consideringly.

“…Budge over.”

“I’ll get a pillow for you.” The ones in the nest are too soft.

As he clambers over Dan Feng, Ren reaches over and lifts him out again.

That was...completely unnecessary, but Ren is already climbing into bed so Dan Heng closes his mouth and goes to the closet. He comes back with a memory foam pillow and a lumbar support pillow, handing them to Ren who takes them after a prolonged pause.

Dan Heng lets Ren arrange the three of them to his comfort, ending up with Dan Heng in the middle.

Once they have settled, Dan Feng’s tail slinks over their waists—Dan Heng sometimes wonders if the thing has heat-seeking properties, but it is certainly as clingy as its owner.

He peeks over his shoulder at Ren. The man has his eyes determinedly closed ignoring the tail winding tightly over him.

Ren seems fine with it, so Dan Heng snuggles in. With Ren here, their nest is finally complete, a haven of perfect contentment.

He drifts off with his head lying on Dan Feng’s chest and Ren’s heat warming his back.

~

In the morning, Ren and his coat are gone.

But tucked into a corner of their nest is a long red ribbon.

Dan Feng is holding Ren’s pillow, nose pressed into it as he tries to catch a trace of his scent, tail trailing sadly off the bed.

Dan Heng hugs Dan Feng’s back. “Ren carried you here yesterday and tended to your wounds.”

“He stayed…” Dan Feng’s voice is a whisper.

Dan Heng twines their tails together comfortingly and kisses his shoulder.

“Mmhm. He still cares for you. So let’s just take it a step at a time.”

As Dan Feng lolls back against him, Dan Heng leans down to give him his morning kiss, sweet as sugar with a hint of spice.

[End.]