Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 12, Part 2)

308 A Sad Appearance

Qiu Ling stood there in a daze, hardly following what had just happened. He had feared for the worst but ... it seemed like Jing He had no intention to distance himself. Yes, he had indeed chosen him.

His thoughts finally caught up with him and Qiu Ling tightly wrapped his arms around his lover, kissing the top of his head and his temple. "It's alright. Don't cry, my love." His own heart hurt seeing him like this but apart from trying to calm him down and comfort him, he didn't know what else to do. Just what had happened at the Spring of Fate?

He rubbed Jing He's back, all the while murmuring appeasements, hoping that it would help. Without knowing the cause for his current distress, it was hard to do though. Right now, he could only mention his general sentiments, waiting for him to calm down a little more to tell him what exactly the issue was. "My love, I am here. Whatever it is, we'll solve it together. Don't worry. There is nothing to worry about. You're already back ..."

Mentioning this, Qiu Ling hugged him more tightly, his brows furrowing together. He had heard from Jing He during this time so he hadn't felt as bad. Still, each period of waiting was agony. He never knew how Jing He was doing at a certain moment or how much longer they'd have to be separated, whether that was until they met again for a short moment the next time or genuinely reunited because Jing He's situation had turned for the better.

He had hated that period but he couldn't say anything about it because obviously, Jing He had it much worse and his problems should be the focus. Thus, he had to pretend that he was alright with everything and patient enough not to go half-crazy as he was waiting for just the next word of his beloved.

Now, it seemed that maybe the wait had been just as harsh for Jing He. Not just because of everything he had to deal with in regard to suddenly being a fallen god and not knowing how to make a choice but even just being separated itself had clearly weighed on his mind. Otherwise, he wouldn't cling to him this desperately right now.

He should have known that this was the case. This whole matter was related to him and Jing He had struggled with their relationship several times in the past. Most likely, he would have felt better if they could face this together but instead, he had to go through this alone. It had seemed insignificant next to everything else so he hadn't thought it would be this much of an issue but now, he also saw how aggrieved Jing He was. Not that he could have changed anything even if he had understood this earlier.

Qiu Ling kissed Jing He's temple again, his lips lingering on his skin. "Everything is going to be alright. I am here. I always will be. Going forward, no matter who says what, I'll stay right beside you so you don't have to face anything alone. I'll be there next time something happens and I make sure you won't have to feel bad." He quietly murmured next to his ear, even though he still wasn't sure if most of this wasn't nonsense. But then, Jing He indeed seemed to calm down a little. At least his fingers didn't tremble as much any longer, although they were still digging into his robe as if he was afraid he'd fly away if he didn't.

Closely watching his beloved's behavior, Qiu Ling felt distressed. Whatever he had seen at that Spring of Fate must have spooked him or maybe something else had happened even after that. Come to think of it, the news of Jing He's return had come from the demon realm. Maybe that had something to do with his current state?

He looked up but even though he was sure that he had seen him earlier, he couldn't spot the demon king anyway. Realizing that the guy had apparently sneaked off, his brows immediately furrowed further. Just what had happened?

He knew he probably shouldn't pry but he finally couldn't hold back. He reached up and cupped Jing He's face, making him look up. Seeing his tear-stained face, he felt a pang in his heart. He had always wanted to make Jing He happy and see a smile on those lips. Seeing him like this ... was really the worst.

His own expression turned downcast and he lost the words to comfort him. Jing He was already like this, what else did he have to say? He simply wiped off those tears and leaned closer, kissing his forehead. "I am here." The words seemed lacking but then, he had nothing else to give apart from his presence right now. Even if Jing He only wanted to cry in his arms, he could at least give him that.

Jing He's tears still spilled over, especially when he heard Qiu Ling's soft voice. Of course, the other didn't know what he had seen and couldn't understand why he was so flustered. He didn't know how to explain to him either. He could only continue to look at him and hold onto him, reassuring himself that he was still there and doing fine at that. He didn't have to be afraid.

He continued looking at Qiu Ling, his gaze slowly trailing over the familiar features that hadn't changed at all since he last saw him. The only difference was that his expression seemed sad but this was probably his own fault. He shouldn't have cried so much just now.

Jing He reluctantly let go of Qiu Ling with one hand and dabbed at his cheeks, trying to get rid of the remaining tears. He didn't want him to worry. No, after what he had seen at the Spring of Fate, the only thing he wanted to see was Qiu Ling doing well. He would give anything for that.