Once A Tale (MXM, BXB)

The White Dragon: Bonus Short

As a dragon and a spirit, of course Quan had business to attend to in the spirit realm or whatever-you'd-call-it.

Still, Wu was annoyed whenever he had to go away. So much so that he wondered how he worked alone to begin with. These days, since Quan had found what he would be master of, he had always stayed with Wu. He said that he wanted to be nowhere else and here was where he was required most of all.

He said, with that shy yet sneaky little smile of his. Hmph.

It just about screamed Wu would be lonely without me.

And now he was. So he supposed Quan was too correct.

Sighing irritably, Wu glared down at the clothing he was working on. A fine robe indeed, fit for the emperor. He had been meticulously stitching the embroidery edging the sleeves, but his heart truly wasn't in it. Surely he wasn't bereft of talent without Quan here? He had always been able to make clothes before, come up with poetry or stories or what have you, but now all he wanted to do was curl up in bed and yell into the pillow.

"You seem very despondent, Wu son of Yin," a familiar voice said from the doorway. Jerking his head up, he saw the thunder dragon Cao Guanyu.

"What, thunder dragon," Wu muttered petulantly, "here to visit the Emperor, are you?"

"Not today," Cao Guanyu said enigmatically. "There is an honourable student in this city that has snagged my attention as of late. And I thought of you while I was here."

Wu just stuck out his lips, bad mood not improving. He wasn't interested in what the thunder dragon did but seeing him reminded him again of Quan's absence. His chest ached, empty and not even the presence of another person could improve it.

"So despondent." Guanyu shook his head, his fingers lifting to idly fix the collar of his clothing. It was what Wu had made for him, but on the thunder dragon the embroidery took on a life of its own. The clouds and the rain moved in ways regular clothing should not. "Here. I shall call for tea and snacks and perhaps your mood will improve enough for you to converse."

"Mnngh."

Admittedly, his mood lifted some after drinking the lu'an melon seed tea and sesame seed balls filled with thick, sweet black bean paste that a servant brought.

Guanyu enjoyed himself far too much when Wu was miserable, however, the clothier thought, but Guanyu was absolutely impossible to argue against or to strike down anything he said. At all. Was it Guanyu's thousands of years of life? Hard to say.

"You know that he will be back in the day after next, yes?"

"Of course," Wu said. "He told me."

"Hmm. Yet still, a mere five days and what a marvellous sulk you are in."

"Why are you picking at me today?" Wu groaned and flopped backwards dramatically. Guanyu chuckled. "I do not find it near so amusing as you! What if others are being mean to him? You know what Quan is like."

"You worry overmuch. He is quite capable of taking care of himself."

Wu pouted at the ceiling.

"Rather, I am more concerned about you. Are you capable of taking care of yourself without Quan?"

Wu raised his head to glare at the thunder dragon who looked back, unaffected. "Of course I am! I always am. What are you even talking about, thunder dragon?"

"Who knows." Guanyu shook his head with the unhelpful answer. "Well, at any rate, finish your tea and your snacks and do try to cheer up. I must be off."

Wu sat up, squinting at him. "To talk to your student?"

"Who knows," Guanyu said again with a chuckle. With a wave of his hand, he swept elegantly from the room, so composed that Wu was envious.

He sat up, pillowing his arms on the table they had eaten on, his chin perched on them as he sighed. His eyes closed and he thought again how quiet it was when Quan was not here. Oh, sure, there were still the sounds of the palace and such, but none soothed the aggravated itch. Not even his favourite activities could. He clenched his fingers on his arms and he buried his face further, nose smushed into the crook of his arm.

Quan would be back soon.

It would not be the day after next, either. It was that very night when Wu awoke, the skin on the back of his neck tingling sharply. He shot out of bed in his underclothes, rushing to the large window of his room which he threw open to greet the night air.

A long, beautiful white dragon wove through the air as though it were swimming, making its way straight toward the now-open window and the terrace that Wu had emerged on. He boldly stretched open his arms and he heard the dragon laugh in his head in a soft, sweet voice.

Quan changed mid-air, instantaneous, his light body falling straight down into Wu's—

And knocking him prone. Wu was not a strong young man, not near as strong as he thought he was.

"I'm so sorry!" Quan spluttered, panicked, reaching down to cup Wu's cheeks and urge him to lift his head. "Are you all right, Wu?"

"Mmm," Wu grunted, raising himself up. Quan straddled his midsection, fretting, but then when Wu was up he leaned in and kissed him. His lips were cool from a night's flight but his kiss was anything but. Wu always found himself taken aback by the passion the normally shy and mild Quan held in him, and now he melted as Quan bit his lower lip gently.

"I missed you very much," Quan whispered into his mouth.

"Me too," Wu replied gruffly, trying to cover that he felt... embarrassingly emotional. As though he would cry at any moment. That was silly. He had to get used to Quan going away for days and, as though reading his thoughts, the dragon smiled at him slightly sadly. "Thunder dragon said some nonsense about me not being able to take care of myself without you."

He shrugged jerkily, cheeks flushing when Quan's eyes widened.

"Is that so? Haha..."

"Don't laugh," Wu huffed.

But Quan kissed him and he melted again, hugging Quan tightly around his middle. His back smarted from being knocked back, but he was blissfully happy to have Quan in his arms. Happy and relieved.

He didn't like when Quan went away, but...

He did so love it when he came back.