The Demonic Clan of Yiling (MDZS Fanfic)

The Ghost Conference (Pt.11)

As they trailed behind they exchanged a look of confusion. Both of their brows furrowed as they watched their two friends string together awkward conversations and shoot forced smiles at each other.

What the fuck had happened between Jin Ling and Jingyi while they were gone?

"Do you think they fought?" Zizhen whispered into Sizhui's ear a concerned look in his eyes.

"Either that or they've both realised they have a crush on the other and don't know how to deal with it." Sizhui replied, already taking note of the blush dusting Jin Ling's face and Jingyi's ears.

"Noooo!" Zizhen gasped in surprise. Then stole a glance at the younger two to make sure they hadn't heard him before dropping his voice again.
"Those two? Together?... I never thought about that..."

"Well they clearly are." Sizhui snorted and they both looked up to watch as Jingyi and Jin Ling tried to speak at the same time, freeze and then turn away.

"Oh fuck this is going painful to watch." Zizhen groaned.

Eventually they all made it to Jin Ling's room. The older two standing slightly behind and watching as the younger two struggled. Just as they expected, it was painful to watch, but also extremely amusing. Whenever they tried to talk they fumbled over their words like a baby deer learning to walk. It was all Zizhen and Sizhui could do not to burst out in laughter.

"I can't wait for today to be over..." Jin Ling groaned, throwing himself onto his bed as Jingyi collapsed at the other end. Zizhen sat down next to Jin Ling, stroking Fairy's ears and nodding sympathetically. 

"Try being on the receiving end of Su She's dickheadedness." Sizhui grumbled, also slumping down on the bed.

"Sorry about my father by the way." Zizhen sighed.

"Not your fault. We all know your father is an asshole." Sizhui said, earning voices of agreement from everyone else.

"Yeah, but still, even I wanted to hit him at one point." 

Jingyi frowned at looked over at the two and even Jin Ling lifted his head to show his own confusion.

"The fuck happened while we were gone?" Jingyi asked. However, at his words, Zizhen and Sizhui exchanged a look and had to look away before they started laughing. They should be the ones asking that.

Instead, the steadied themselves and summed up the last hour of the conference for the other two. How Su She had continued his little jibes. How other clans got involved. How Zizhen's father had gotten harsher and out of line in what he was saying, because not a lot of people were agreeing with him. Other clans had stepped up to defend as well, but all in all it was stressful and counterproductive and they had to do it all again the next day.

They sat in silence after everything was said. All of them letting the mental exhaustion take over and settling to just enjoying each others presence. Fairy had moved away from Zizhen, going over to Jin Ling and letting him run his fingers through her long fur. Sizhui was the first to talk after a while.

"Wanna sneak out and get drunk?" He asked. The others chuckled.

"As long as Qiren-Shifu doesn't catch us." Jingyi agreed.

---<~>---

Hours later, they sat under the same tree they always did, watching the sun set over the Lanling buildings. All of them felt the light buzz from the alcohol they'd had. It was nice, sitting there with each other. Sizhui's legs dangling down from the branch he was perched on. Jingyi's gentle tapping of a rhythm on his lap. Jin Ling running his hands through Fairy's fur again. Zizhen laying in the grass, cloud watching...

"Baba and Hanguang-jun are a couple now..." Sizhui said out of the blue. "And I'm scared that when I die they'll just forget about me."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Zizhen mumbled.

"Not really. I just wanted to tell someone, no questions asked." Sizhui replied, swinging his leg a little as the wind breezed past them. 

Jin Ling looked ahead, taking in his friend's words. He also wanted to say something, no questions asked...

"When I passed out earlier... I saw my mother and little brother. She told me that; they'd both be waiting for me and Papa, so we can all be a family in our next lives." The words left him softly. The hand brushing Fairy's fur stilled out of nervousness when all of his friends looked over at him, but none of them said anything. They just smiled or nodded in understanding and Jin Ling appreciated it.

"I still wake up some mornings and expect A-Die to tell me he doesn't want me anymore over breakfast." Jingyi spoke. The gentle tapping coming to a stop as he clenched his fists and stared down into his lap. Without thinking Jin Ling reached over, taking one of the fists in his hand and intertwining their fingers. Not daring to look at Jingyi once while they sat there.

On the grass, Zizhen stared up at the sky, mulling over his own thoughts in his brain. He knew the others didn't expect him to share anything like they had. He knew they all just wanted to get something off of their chests. He had no obligation to tell them. Yet these were the only people he had ever wanted to tell. And so the words spilled out like a river. It felt so refreshing.

"I might not be my father's real son. but if I am, then Taio is my brother."

They all sat in silence, like they had every other time someone had said something. The unspoken agreement that this wasn't going to be discussed at that moment was understood by all. Slowly... they all felt themselves relax that little bit more. Smiles blooming on drunken faces as they slowly started making eye contact with one another. Unspoken words exchanged in those looks. Then, they started laughing uncontrollably.

"What the fuck is wrong with us!?" Sizhui snorted, almost falling out of his tree branch.

"We're all fucked in the head, thats what!" Jin Ling answered, leaning fully against Jingyi as he tried to escape Fairy's happy kisses. 

"I think this is what novels mean when they call it trauma bonding." Zizhen wheezed, earning a great cackle from Jingyi.

Sure, they were drunk, fucked up, teenagers with completely different lives. Sure, anyone who passed by would think they were insane. Yes, none of their clans really got along with the others'. But who cares? Who cares that these four boys had the world against them? They had each other and that was enough.

"Am I really fucking drunk or do you hear singing?" Jingyi piped up while the others kept giggling...