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Nezha and Ao Bing have always practiced the 3 day rule.
It was something they both agreed on when they first decided to travel together. In the case they were to get into an argument, either party would have to come looking for the other within 3 days to make up, or it would be considered that their friendship was forfeited as a result of misalignment of values.
Though, even after years together, this rule was almost never practiced. Each time they disagreed with the other, just seeing the teary face of Nezha would spur Ao Bing to apologise, and vice versa. The longest they could spend angry at each other was a few hours, tops.
Nezha was staring at him again.
It was the dead of the night, but none of them was sleepy. Ao Bing had opted to reread some letters from his father, while the other entertained himself by playing with his wind and fire wheels. After a while, though, that turned to peering at what Ao Bing was doing.
Instead of asking directly, Nezha begun making a silent ruckus- kicking at the air, floating upside down beside him, sighing dramatically to see his reaction, and even messing with a part of Ao Bing's robe. All this while, Ao Bing tried his best not to smile, barely concentrating on the words on the paper.
What was he doing? It was so hard to resist not laughing at his gimmicks.
Nezha was raised in a crude manner, yes, but that made his mannerisms simple and no-nonsense. Ao Bing rarely had to guess what was on his mind, and right now, it was all too obvious that Nezha wanted to talk to him.
"If you wanted attention, you could simply have said so." He murmured, putting down his letters.
The other stopped yanking at his robe. "Hah?! Who said anything about wanting attention? I was just stretching. Stretching!" He held out his hands, as if to prove his point. "I just happened to touch your robe, okay?"
Ao Bing gave an all-too-fond smile and pulled Nezha's head onto his lap, instantly quieting the other.
"What were you doing?"
"Looking at my father's letters. It's been a while since he sent them." Ao Bing explained, slowly starting to comb through Nezha's hair with his fingers. His father used to do this to him when he was younger, and though Nezha's hair could hardly be tamed, he didn't seem to hate the sensation.
"Does he talk about me in them?" Nezha asked expectantly.
"Of course."
"About my heroic prowess and earth-shattering strength, right?"
"..."
"... About my heroic prowess and earth-shattering strength, right?" Nezha repeated, making a face. After receiving no response, he sat up all of a sudden, pouting at the sight of Ao Bing attempting to hide his laughter. "Come to think of it, how does your father send you those letters anyway? We're constantly travelling."
"Dragons are sensitive towards sound. My father makes a certain noise as signal whenever he has something for me. In response, I let him know where I am by blowing into this." Ao Bing cradled the conch shell in his hand, his touch so cautious one might have mistaken it as exotic treasure. "Once he hears it, he sends one of our kind to deliver the letter to where I am."
"Huh. So that's how you showed up so fast the last time."
"I'm more curious about you. You couldn't tell when I was behind you the last time, but you seem to be able to notice nowadays." Ao Bing pointed out.
"That's all thanks to this." Nezha huffed, picking at the Qiankun Hoop on his wrist with his free hand. "Now that I'm in my full form, it's easier to detect a lot of things. This is especially prominent for the Spirit Pearl though. I can sense even your distress or anger when you are nearby."
Ao Bing faltered, his eyes widening slightly. Is that so? He thought it had been a specialty of dragons because of his hearing, but come to think of it, it was true that he was especially keen towards Nezha's presence and emotions as well. It was almost as though a bond had been formed between them, linking them inseparably to each other.
Was that the reason behind the discomfort that plagued him when he initially went with his father, rather than with Nezha?
"Do you think that's... strange?"
Ao Bing blinked, confused at the sudden change in his mood. "I don't follow."
"Being linked to the demon orb reincarnate like that. Does it upset you?"
Guilt. Hesitancy.
Those emotions seemed clear in an instant. Ao Bing's heart twinged, and he shook his head immediately, his tone urgent to convey his thoughts. "Of course not. You're really, really great."
"You mean it?" Nezha asked again. Feeling Ao Bing gently cup his face with his hands so that their eyes were meeting, Nezha's breath caught.
"I don't think this is strange." Ao Bing reiterated.
Before Ao Bing could say anything else, Nezha leaned in. Their noses brushed for the briefest second, and then his lips pressed against Ao Bing's in a fleeting, experimental kiss. It was light- a chaste press of lips on lips, yet heavy in the way it sent a strange feeling down Ao Bing's chest.
Ao Bing sat frozen. His mind blanked, unable to process what was happening fast enough. And then-
His hands moved on instinct, shoving Nezha back. Not hard, but with enough force to break the contact. Covering his mouth with his robe, his heartbeat hammered in his chest. "What are you doing?" His voice came out sharper than intended, tinged with something close to alarm. "That's preposterous. I- we shouldn't..."
Nezha blinked at him, caught off guard by the reaction. His lips parted slightly, as if only now realizing what he had done.
Two guys, sharing something like that? It was unheard of. It wasn't something that could be done. No matter how natural it had felt with Nezha, no matter how effortlessly he had acted on it, Ao Bing's mind couldn't catch up.
This was Nezha. Nezha. Of course he would do something so reckless, so incomprehensible. He always did whatever he wanted, without regard for consequences, without stopping to think.
But Ao Bing thought. Ao Bing had spent his whole life thinking, calculating, keeping himself composed. And right now, his entire being was in chaos. He wasn't sure what he was feeling right now. His face was burning so much that he might as well be on fire.
"I need to go." He muttered, his voice tight.
"What?" Nezha spoke in disbelief.
But Ao Bing was already turning away, his pulse thrumming loud in his ears. He didn't even wait for a response. He just needed to leave, to put distance between them before Nezha saw how shaken he was.
"Ao Bing, wait-"
A firm grip caught his wrist, and Ao Bing nearly flinched at the warmth of Nezha's touch. His first instinct was to lean into the familiar sensation, of what he was used to. But Ao Bing caught himself, and kept his face taut with pensiveness.
"What is wrong? F- fine, I'll admit it, I like you. I don't think there is anything shameful in kissing someone I like. Or do you not like me? In that case-"
Ao Bing shook his head. "You don't understand."
Nezha was trying. He's staring hard at Ao Bing's eyes, wanting him to look back at Nezha's own. But Ao Bing did not relent this time, and kept his gaze averted.
"Then explain it to me." Nezha's voice was lower, now, calmer.
Everything was too close, too suffocating. Nezha's presence was overwhelming, filling every part of Ao Bing's senses.
"Give me some time." He decided.
Nezha didn't move to stop him again. He only stood there, watching as Ao Bing turned and left in the sea of darkness.
The water was cold, but it didn't burn.
It didn't remind him of the scorching heat of Nezha's, or the warm kiss that made his chest flutter.
Ao Bing swam deep, further and further until the weight of the ocean pressed around him like a cocoon. Here, beneath the surface, the world was silent. No Nezha. No burning questions. No overwhelming emotions he wasn't ready to face.
It was just him.
He took in a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.
"Ao Bing."
That familiar voice caused him to turn around. Instantaneously, a bout of relief so strong came over him, that Ao Bing felt himself tear up at the sight of his father. He practically threw himself forward into those steady arms, hugging him so tightly it was as though he would disappear otherwise.
"I came after hearing the conch shell." Ao Guang returned the gesture. "Are you hurt?"
Ao Bing shook his head. The words felt as though they were tangled in his throat, and his eyes burnt from the feeling of his tears.
Ao Guang seemed to sense that this was no ordinary situation. "If Nezha has dishonored you in any way-"
"He didn't," Ao Bing cut in, his breath unsteady. His fists curled on his father's armour, voice lowered to a whisper. "Father. He... he kissed me."
Silence.
"He said he likes me. I don't know what I should do."
The arms around him remained firm.
Ao Bing was almost hesitant to look up. When he took a peek, Ao Guang's expression was unreadable, his sharp eyes scanning his son's face as if searching for something.
His father exhaled slowly. "I see."
Ao Bing's heart pounded. That wasn't the reaction he had expected. All along, he's always followed his father's command, and he had thought that Ao Guang would give him some advice, at the very least.
"Ao Bing. Do you like him?" His father finally asked, wiping the stray tears from Ao Bing's face.
That question struck him harder than any reprimand could have.
What had he come here hoping to hear? He knew that a romantic relationship between two men was not something he saw on a daily basis. In fact, he's never heard of something like this transpiring in his years of living.
But was it... possible? Was it something not morally wrong, something which he had a choice in?
"I don't know." He admitted, his voice quiet.
Ao Guang sighed, his grip tightening briefly on Ao Bing's shoulders. "My child, you are not the first to question such things, nor will you be the last. But whether you get my approval or my condemnation... that is not what you truly need."
Ao Bing looked up sharply. "Then what do I need, father?"
"To listen to your heart." Ao Guang smiled. "It is as I said before, isn't it? It shan't matter how I feel, or what everyone else thinks."
His heart...?
But what was it that he so desired?
Ao Bing stayed with his father beneath the sea after that, allowing the weight of his confusion to settle. He spent hours wandering with the other refugees, whose aim was just to get as far as possible from where the fight with Wuliang transpired. His father looked at him often, but never pushed him to speak. He only remained present, a steady force in Ao Bing's life as he always had been.
Making sculptures out of ice was a good distraction. Ao Bing tried detailing events which made him happy when they stopped for rest in the underwater sea caves, only realising that he's ended up with many Nezha sculptures after a while.
He missed Nezha.
Not just the presence of him. He missed Nezha's certainty, his ability to say and do things without hesitation, without being weighed down by the expectations of the world.
And the truth was, Ao Bing did not mind the kiss as much as he thought he would be.
He cupped the face of the ice sculpture, staring at it silently.
He had just been... surprised. It wasn't something that he expected from Nezha, that was all. But he didn't hate it.
"Ao Bing." Ao Guang appeared at the entrance of the room he was resting in. "Still awake?"
Ao Bing gathered his ice sculptures to himself, his face pinking. "Yes."
"I presume you've made your decision?" His father murmured, looking at the humanoid figures he was holding with an almost amused expression.
Ao Bing nodded, rising to hug him. "I'll come back when I can. I promise."
Ao Guang hummed, sounding pleased.
"You should go now. The sun is setting on the surface. It would soon be almost three days since you came back."
"What?"
Ao Bing surged through the waves, his heart pounding in his chest. The sky had darkened by the time he emerged from the sea, the last sliver of the sun dipping below the horizon. Almost three days. He didn't know the exact moment their time would be up, but he knew he was cutting it close.
The shoreline came into view, and his breath caught. A figure sat at the seaside, alone.
Nezha!
He wasn't moving, but his stance was tense, arms crossed tightly as if bracing himself for something. Even from a distance, Ao Bing could tell Nezha was waiting for him.
He flew forward, unsure of what expression to make when the other turned towards his direction. Nezha stood immediately, watching him as he silently landed on the sandy floor.
"Cutting it close, aren't you?" Nezha muttered. He let out a scoff, his lips curled into the slightest smirk. Despite all that, his body language was relaxed. Relieved.
"I'm sorry," Ao Bing begun. "I left because I was confused." His voice was quieter than usual as he admitted this. He swallowed, watching Nezha's expression carefully.
"I thought it was unthinkable," Ao Bing continued, his fingers clenching at his side. "Not because of you, but because this wasn't something that's ever spoken of as possible to me." His gaze dropped for a moment before he forced himself to meet Nezha’s eyes again. "When you kissed me, I didn't know how to react. I ran because I didn't understand what I was feeling."
Ao Bing inhaled deeply.
"But I know now," he said firmly. "I like you too, Nezha."
It was the first time he had said the words out loud. They felt foreign and terrifying, but also right.
"I just… I was afraid," he admitted. "Afraid of whether this was right. But I don't want to lose you because of fear."
Ao Bing's heart pounded in his ears. Did he word it correctly? Did he say too much?
"You like me too?" Nezha asked, incredulous. Ao Bing grew alarmed upon seeing the tears forming on the corners of his eyes, quickly moving forward to comfort him. "Nezha..."
In an instant, Nezha moved forward to squeeze him into a fierce embrace, his voice both unsteady and fiercely affectionate. "You nearly scared me to death."
"I know," Ao Bing admitted. "But this wasn't something I could decide on a whim."
"And now you've decided?"
Ao Bing nodded. "I like you too. Please don't cry."
Pulling away slightly, he brushed his lips against one of the red markings around Nezha's eyes. Something flickered across Nezha's face- something that made him melt into his arms.
And then, with all the certainty in the world, Nezha kissed him back.