Broken Bones are Fixed With Love {Beefleaf//2xuan}

Traveling Together

(4041 words)

"Hello, Lord Wind Master."

Shi Qingxuan's eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw, noticeably, was He Xuan's figure. Sitting with a graceful and harsh air of poise and dignity, he was close enough to touch. Shi Qingxuan sighed, closing his eyes once more, "Not this again. Haven't you hallucinations haunted me enough?"

The voice let out an equivalent sigh, "I'm not a hallucination, Qingxuan."

Hallucinations of him haunted the Wind Master? What kind of hallucinations?

"That's what they all say," Shi Qingxuan replied, eyes still closed, "You're lying. Ming—He Xuan would never refer to me so casually."

It was true, hallucinations of him had haunted Shi Qingxuan before... several times, in fact. There were so many times over the past two weeks he'd thought he'd seen the Ghost King, but it was just some shrine-goer.

After a few more minutes of silence, long enough for any of his hallucinations to disappear, Shi Qingxuan opened his eyes. Sitting at the edge of his sleeping mat was a tall man with long, onyx hair and handsome features. The eyes fixed on his face were icy and sharp, almost as dark as his attire, undertones shifting between a fiery gold and piercing blue. Shi Qingxuan had seen those eyes so many times before. They've appeared in his dreams, in his memories, in his wishes, and they were never the exact same. Sometimes they burned with emotion, other times they were as dull as an unsharpened knife.

Shi Qingxuan reached out with his hand, the hallucination so much more vivid than those before. It didn't move out of the way. It seemed so lifelike. Well... as lifelike as a vision of a ghost could be. The hallucination remained stationary, eyes moving to stare at Shi Qingxuan's outstretched hand. Then, in what can only be interpreted as exasperation, it leaned into the touch, just lightly enough to make contact.

Shi Qingxuan's fingers brushed the apparition's clothing. He could feel the fabric, the coarse material so unlike what he was used to He Xuan wearing, but somehow it still managed to convey a feeling of familiarity. It seemed more in line with the immortal's tastes. Shi Qingxuan's fingers traveled along the edge of the sleeve, before gently brushing against the skin of He Xuan's arm. It was so, so cold.

It's a wonder, Shi Qingxuan thought, that I never once suspected him before .

What god would have skin that cold, that pale? No god, but a ghost. Wait... pale skin, glacial as marble. Sure, hallucinations came with all manner of symptoms, but this just truly felt too real. Could He Xuan truly be there?

"Believe me now?" He Xuan asked, voice icy, but somehow it sounded more human than Shi Qingxuan had ever heard before.

He lowered his hand, processing, before bolting upright, "Ming-xiong?!"

He exclaimed the nickname automatically out of shock, and He Xuan's face darkened. It was almost enough to scare Shi Qingxuan... until he realized the lack of pain. Such rapid movement should have felt like he was perishing all over again.

"Am I dead?" he asked, stunned. He Xuan sighed, surprisingly tolerant.

"No, Lord Wind Master. You're not dead."

He didn't deserve the title anymore. He was no Wind Master, "Just call me Qingxuan."

His voice was quiet, small, embarrassed. Thankfully, He Xuan didn't press the matter. They sat in silence for a few moments, before he returned to the previous topic, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"I gave you medicine," He Xuan stated frankly.

"What kind of medicine could bring back the dead?! It must be some miracle cure."