Mixed Robes [FengQing]

Smile

*slight spoilers*

Waking up, Feng Xin didn't even know he had fallen asleep.

The last thing he remembers is staring into his beloved idiot's eyes, slowly getting lost in them. They held each other, not speaking, yet speaking a foreign language. 

Now, staring at this familiar sleeping face, he was caught in between emotions. 

This man, who he didn't even know he loved after disappearing from a woman he previously loved. This man, who he once did not care if he lived or died, regarded him as a liar, thought him disloyal, hated him deeply... 

Thinking of this, it was truly hate turned to love. He was slightly embarrassed to regard Mu Qing in such ways, yet now, he knew Mu Qing's true intentions.

Over 800 years ago, before they ascended, Mu Qing and Feng Xin hated each other. Mu Qing was an aloof and sarcastic person, not hesitating to roll his eyes at anything weird. Feng Xin was a straightforward person, not hesitating to speak his mind right then and there, and was a person of low patience. They were the opposites of each other, and naturally, they didn't get along too well. 

Mu Qing was too much of a stubborn person, yet he did have principles. He was often described as someone who would spit in someone's cup, but not malicious enough to poison it. Surely, the man himself was disgusted by the thought of spitting into someone else's up literally. He is a caring and thoughtful person, a stark contrast to his old sneering demeanor.

Feng Xin's eyebrows were always knitted as if something was irritating him, but it wasn't always the case. He'd feel happy for someone, yet still have that same expression glued to his face. He was courteous, polite, and deathly honest [of course, not afraid to speak whatever shit is on his mind], yet he's not one to speak of one behind their back. 

They both worked under Xie Lian, [who was the crown prince of Xianle at the time] Feng Xin being his imperial bodyguard and Mu Qing being his personal attendant. Both Feng Xin and Mu Qing had entirely different jobs, but Mu Qing was skilled at the sword. The bow was Feng Xin's specialty. 

One incident that went down in the history books was the Burning of the Heavenly Capital.

 Feng Xin refused to leave the Capital on his own, staying put. Mu Qing had knocked him unconscious to carry him out, yet Mu Qing was accused of trying to murder Feng Xin. Looking back, Feng Xin was grateful that Mu Qing had dragged him out, or he wouldn't even be thinking of this today. 

Mu Qing used to keep false conceptions of other people.

He was convinced that Xie Lian and Feng Xin both despised him and wouldn't believe the true intent of his actions. 

Was it trauma, or was it just who the man was?

Feng Xin couldn't see the reason why Mu Qing was like this back then, and his lover is still a slight puzzle to him today. He couldn't help but feel a little empathetic towards Mu Qing for the few seconds that it lasted. 

To be honest, Feng Xin didn't see him smile as much 800+ years ago...

Whatever, that was the past. Feng Xin had reprimanded himself for not dwelling too much on the past, yet he couldn't help it. Feng Xin didn't want to wake up Mu Qing, so he decided to get ready for the day. He quietly sat up on the bed, and as he tried to stand up, a hand gripped his wrist.

"Stay?" A meek voice said from below. It was Mu Qing, still looking a little exhausted. Feng Xin nodded with a small smile and lay back down next to Mu Qing. He ran a hand through Mu Qing's hair, combing through those ink-black locks. 

"Are you hungry?" Feng Xin asked, trying to satisfy anything Mu Qing wanted.

"I'll eat later. I don't want you to leave right now," Mu Qing replied, clutching Feng Xin's wrist. Feng Xin nodded.

"We'll have to get you cleaned up. You're a heavenly official, but you can't skip baths," Feng Xin said, wrinkling his nose. 

"Fine, alright. Just a little longer here? I don't want to move too much," Mu Qing replied. Feng Xin patted Mu Qing's head. They lay there for a little bit, staring at each other. This wasn't their normal body language, but it worked. After a while, Feng Xin stroked Mu Qing's back.

"I'm getting your bath ready," Feng Xin said, sitting up. Mu Qing nodded in thanks and pulled the blanket over him. Feng Xin went to bring out a large wooden tub and went to boil water. Mu Qing's eyes watched Feng Xin's every move, looking at every curve of his body. His black inner robes remained tightly tied, and they flowed with every step he took. His loose chestnut hair was soon pulled back up into his usual bun, this time adding a short ribbon of red. Feng Xin continued to boil the water. Feeling Mu Qing's eyes on him, he turned around. Mu Qing was blankly staring at him with an unreadable expression, startled when Feng Xin turned around.

"Why are you staring at me?" Feng Xin snapped, lightly blushing.

"Who's staring at you? Am I allowed to have eyes?!" Mu Qing snapped back waving a hand around. The water that Feng Xin was boiling nearly poured over, and Feng Xin took it off the stove on time. He poured it into the tub and added room temperature water to fill the tub, yet the water still steamed on the surface. 

"Alright. Strip and get in. Hurry it up," Feng Xin said, grabbing some cloth to clean Mu Qing with. Mu Qing nodded and proceeded to remove his inner robes. Walking over and plopping himself into the warm tub, he sighed and blushed. His beloved was right behind him, getting ready to scrub his back. Feng Xin removed Mu Qing's hair ornament and set it aside. He let Mu Qing's long hair fall in random areas, scooping it back into the tub when locks fell outside of it. He parted Mu Qing's hair and gently scrubbed his back. The pale, milky skin shone back at him. Mu Qing's skin was rather unblemished for a martial god, but really, what god couldn't keep up appearances? 

"Does this hurt?" Feng Xin asked, scrubbing a little harder. Mu Qing cringed at the preposterous question asked by a martial god to a martial god. 

"No? Why would you ask that?" Mu Qing asked.

"Eh. You're weaker than me now, 'cause you're frail and sick right now, so I'm just looking out for the weakling," Feng Xin commented with an indifferent face. Mu Qing made a sour face.

"Shut up, you shrew. Once I get better, I'm beating the hell out of you for this," Mu Qing said, turning around to flick Feng Xin on the shoulder.

"Stay right there. Let me clean the front of you," Feng Xin said. 

Mu Qing listened and stayed put.