Watching Love Between Fairy and Devil should come with multiple warnings.
I recently finished watching the series and it’s my duty to warn you.
Side effects may include:
Putting your life (family, friends, work, paying bills) on hold to watch all episodes in 3 days
Feeling alone because no one you know has watched it and you only want to talk about the masterpiece that this series is
Obsessing over Dongfang Qingcang and subsequently over Dylan Wang
Wondering why men you know don’t have long, sleek, butt-length hair and wear majestic robes
Daydreaming about all the times Dongfang Qingcang pulled Xiao Lanhua close to him to kiss her
Searching all social medias for BTS, interviews, Dylan and Esther singing and being cute together
Re-watching all the scenes where Dongfang Qingcang rolls his eyes, tilts his head, uses hellfire and has blue eyes because he is simply irresistible
Crying. Lots and lots of crying. And then when you think you are done crying, you’ll cry some more
Binging Meteor Garden pretending this is one of Dongfang Qingcang’s tribulations in modern world
Craving to write fanfiction with all the juicy details of their relationship, even if you have never written one before
Creating a dedicated Tumblr account with a silly name (like I don’t know, Moon’s Orchid?) though you watched it almost a year and a half after it was released and the fandom has half died. But you swear you’ll keep reposting all the awesome gif posts hoping for a miracle
Having no option but to re-watch over and over again fully aware your heart will bloom, break and then be destroyed repeatedly
Changheng’s life, since he had started sleeping with Xiao Lanhua and Dongfang Qingcang, had taken a much calmer turn than he could have ever imagined. His routine at the Moon Palace, his duties as a former god of war, and his relationship with both the Moon Supreme and the goddess Xi Yun had been the happiest - and most peaceful - phase of his long life.
Everything changed, however, that morning when the Moon Supreme overslept.
CHAPTER 2 | Read on ao3
The water temperature was perfect, Dongfang Qingcang's body slowly relaxed. The scent of oils and incense was comforting and he couldn't resist closing his eyes and tipping his head back as comfortably as possible. He was struggling not to surrender to a peaceful sleep that threatened to overwhelm him when Changheng broke the silence that hung between them with a question that had been forming since the still inexplicable event earlier:
“About what happened this morning… Do you know what it was?” – the former god of war did not stop his hands, but he waited anxiously for an answer.
“I don't know” – he sighed as he closed his eyes again, tilting his head slightly until he was resting against one of Changheng's thighs. "But I don't feel like there's anything wrong with me."
After the morning's incident, Dongfang Qingcang decided to leave his brother in charge of palace duties for the day. Shang Que would accompany and assist him, meanwhile, the Moon Supreme decided to help his wife prepare for the mysterious journey she revealed in the morning. And also try to get some more information out of Xiao Lanhua.
Which turned out to be a much more difficult task than he imagined. The goddess of Xishan spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon with Jie Li, getting ready for the trip. She practically threw her two husbands out of the room, saying that they both hindered rather than helped the organization.
After completing the last tasks and organizing her trip, instructing Jie Li about the period she would be away from the Palace, Xiao Lanhua went to meet Dongfang Qingcang and Changheng to say goodbye. Both men were dissatisfied with their wife's sudden resolution, but even without understanding, the two silently agreed to comply with her request and trust her.
The farewell was long, between kisses, promises to take care of each other and the commitment to tell each other in case something bad happened. Xiao Lanhua insisted, after Dongfang Qingcang's sixth suggestion, that it was not necessary to take Shang Que with her, that he would be more useful assisting in the Palace, and that Jie Li would never forgive her for taking her dragon away from home, even for a short time.
After leaving, with the sun almost setting, Dongfang Qingcang and Changheng decided to return to the palace by walking through the Pine Forest. The walk was deliberately slow, they took considerably longer than usual.
There was a thick tension between the two men. Furtive glances and unspoken words hung in the air. However, the walk was not unpleasant. Despite all of their past animosity, Changheng and Dongfang Qingcang reached a point of shared comfort. At the beginning of this new arrangement between the trio, it was Xiao Lanhua's presence that balanced everything between them, she was both the catalyst for the feelings between both of them and the balancing point between their egos and emotions. Coming to terms with their attraction to each other was the easy part, even. But understanding that the thing burning between them wasn't just desire, but something turned into love, took longer, and in that sense their relationship was still new. They had never been without their wife for any longer period of time, or even slept together without her until this night.
Before they reached the palace, Dongfang Qingcang subtly approached and grabbed Changheng by the arm, who immediately turned to his husband, both momentarily stopping.
“She'll be fine. I know neither of us was pleased with this situation, but I know she knows what she's doing."
The Moon Supreme's words were not surprising, but they were comforting. Changheng had learned the hard way that the man in front of him was capable of doing the unimaginable to protect the ones he loved, and even if there was something that in everyone's eyes seemed impossible, Dongfang Qingcang would still be able to do it.
They arrived at the palace after sunset, and found Shang Que waiting for his master, as usual. The dragon greeted both men and approached Dongfang Qingcang, making a brief report of everything that had happened in the palace in his absence.
Changheng, who had silently followed the two a few steps away, stopped after a certain point, causing Dongfang Qingcang to turn towards him.
“Excuse me, but I'm very tired and I feel that this conversation is only going to get more boring” – the former god of war said with a faint smile, without ceremony. “I'm going to retire for the night” – he completed, saluting Shang Que and then, getting closer until he could put his hands on the Moon Supreme's shoulders, he addressed the other man – “and you don't take too long, you also need to rest”.
The fairy did not wait for an answer from his husband, and went to their bedroom.
Dongfang Qingcang stood still, one eyebrow arched at what, coming from anyone but Xiao Lanhua, would be unforgivable boldness.
"He is right, my lord" - Shang Que said, in his brutal and almost naive honesty. Dongfang Qingcang glanced at the other man, and found that he was indeed very tired, as he was unable to retort as he usually would.
It had been a few centuries since his tree of emotions had blossomed again, thanks to his Orchid. Even so, Dongfang Qingcang still sometimes felt overwhelmed by his emotions. At first, he feared that anger was the most difficult one to control, the one capable of doing the most damage, but as time went on, the Moon Supreme found that dealing with the fact that there were people who loved and cared about him so genuinely was something even more intense than any hatred he thought he was capable of harboring.
“Perhaps he is” – Dongfang Qingcang sighed, allowing himself this small lapse of sincerity.
“You could take the day off tomorrow, sir” - Shang Que suggested, excited. "Lord Xungfeng can take care of the day's schedule, and I can assist your brother while you rest."
“No” - Qingcang interrupted, dryly. "I will retire early today, but tomorrow I will continue with my appointments as usual."
Shang Que wanted to insist that his master rest, but he knew it would be useless to try to convince him, so he simply saluted and left, without another word.
Dongfang Qingcang headed towards his quarters, where Changheng would be already waiting for him. A small feeling of anxiety formed in his chest, and he didn't know exactly why he was so restless. Perhaps it was Xiao Lanhua's absence, after all, she had been, from the beginning, the balance point of this relationship. As he approached the room, his heart was pounding and Qingcang tried to control his breathing. At times like this he almost regretted getting his emotions back.
But upon entering the room, a pleasant aroma of flowers invaded his nostrils. Changheng was indeed waiting for him.
"I've drawn a hot bath," the fairy said, as he unceremoniously reached over to remove the other man's outer robe.
“How did you know I wouldn’t be long?” - Dongfang Qingcang asked, genuinely intrigued, even as he didn't show any resistance to being undressed and taken to the bathroom. Changheng just smiled and shook his head.
They were both completely naked when they reached the sumptuous bathtub. Changheng helped him into the water, sitting on the edge and making room between his legs for Dongfang Qingcang to settle down.
Moments later, embraced by the warmth of the hot water cradling his body, the scent of flowers that unceremoniously entered his nostrils, and also by Changheng's thighs and his hands gently massaging his scalp, Qingcang had practically forgotten the anxiety of before, when for for some reason he thought it would be strange to be alone with his husband.
The water temperature was perfect, Dongfang Qingcang's body slowly relaxed. The scent of oils and incense was comforting and he couldn't resist closing his eyes and tipping his head back as comfortably as possible. He was struggling not to surrender to a peaceful sleep that threatened to overwhelm him when Changheng broke the silence that hung between them with a question that had been forming since the still inexplicable event earlier:
“About what happened this morning… Do you know what it was?” – the former god of war did not stop his hands, but he waited anxiously for an answer.
After a brief moment, Qingcang opened his eyes and stared at the other man. He made an immense effort not to think about this matter all day, and Xiao Lanhua's sudden leave was the perfect pretext for both him and the others who witnessed the scene to be entertained with another topic of conversation.
Honestly, he didn't know how to respond. He couldn't remember exactly, but the last time he had been sick was probably in childhood, many thousands of years ago. Long before he became the most powerful being in the three realms, bearer of hellfire.
He knew he hadn't felt a simple malaise, precisely because he wasn't a mere mortal or a child.
But he couldn't say for sure what had happened. All day he focused his energy on trying to detect anything suspicious, but he didn't feel that there was anything wrong with his body or his mind. But there was something, a strange, different feeling or sensation that he couldn't recognize or name or put into words.
“I don't know” – he sighed as he closed his eyes again, tilting his head slightly until he was resting against one of Changheng's thighs. "But I don't feel like there's anything wrong with me."
It was Changheng who was silent after his words. He pondered for a while what he could do in this situation. The promise he had made to Xiao Lanhua earlier still loomed over his head, quiet but firm.
“I'm here to take care of you anyway” – was all he said, continuing the gentle massage of his husband's scalp.
After some time, Dongfang Qingcang opened his eyes again.
“Why aren't you in here with me yet?” – he asked, and like someone who was just waiting for the invitation, Changheng got down from the edge and settled in the bathtub, positioning himself on the other man's back, despite all the available space there was left.
Dongfang Qingcang leaned back onto his husband's chest, finding that only now was he truly comfortable and relaxed. He took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth, feeling his heartbeat. He could also feel Changheng's body finally relaxing against his. He could spend the next 30,000 years in that bathtub without complaint.
"All good?" – Changheng asked softly in his ear, almost a whisper.
Dongfang Qingcang no longer wanted to talk about what happened in the morning. He didn't want to worry about that right now. He just wanted the comfort of that tub and that warm body against his.
“Yeah… great ” – he said, after a few moments, as he took one of his husband's hands to his semi-hard cock. Changheng sighed.
“That's not what I was talking about” – the former god of war whispered again in Qingcang's ear, as he curled his fingers around the other man's rigidity, causing a shiver that went up his spine and culminated in a low moan.
“But that's the only thing I want to talk about right now” – Dongfang Qingcang insisted, leaning his head even more on Changheng's shoulder, giving the other man access to his neck.
Changheng didn't resist, as he kept one of his hands in smooth movements on the other man's dick, he took advantage of the access given and kissed Dongfang Qingcang's neck and shoulder, which started out gently, but soon turned into lustful and passionate kisses.
His hand movements didn't stop, and Qingcang was already completely hard, groaning unceremoniously, eyes closed and immersed in the sensations in his body. His neck was already reddening from the bites and he could feel Changheng's erection against his back in the water, which made him even more aroused.
When Changheng reached one of his nipples and squeezed lightly, Dongfang Qingcang groaned loudly. He tilted his hips to increase the friction on his cock, until he finally placed one of his hands over his husband's and guided him to gradually quicken the movements until he felt that tightening in his lower abdomen telling him his orgasm was close. He laced his fingers with Changheng's on his chest, and after a few more synchronized movements, he came, collapsing his weight onto the other man's chest.
The two stayed motionless for a few minutes, panting with their eyes closed, until the Moon Supreme turned and kissed the former god of war. Dongfang Qingcang could still feel the other man's erection, now against his thigh, and he got up quickly, taking Changheng's hand and walking him out of the bathtub towards the bed.
Changheng let himself be led, as usual. Dongfang Qingcang liked to be in control, and he himself spent so much time fighting so irrationally for something he didn't even understand, that letting himself be led was ultimately liberating. He simply closed his eyes and felt Dongfang Qingcang's hands on his chest, gently pushing him against the bed, his back hitting the soft mattress, the pleasant weight of his beloved on his hips, his restrained moans, the heavy breathing of they both mingling, his hands flat on the other man's hips, following rhythmic up and down movements, until he felt the tightness in his lower abdomen getting more and more intense and his orgasm more and more close.
Changheng didn't remember ever falling asleep so quickly, but sleep overtook him almost at the same time that Dongfang Qingcang got off him. The first night they spent alone was, thus, the sweetest possible.
The next morning, Changheng woke up alone in their bed. The Moon Supreme had already gotten up and was certainly in the middle of some official engagement, if only to make up for the fiasco of the previous morning. The former god of war smiled, still embraced by the warmth of the sheets and his lover's phantom presence and decided that the wisest thing to do would be to sleep a little longer.
His XLH | Episode 26 | 1 part
Like two bright lights wandering in the middle of the dark night, disturbing the peace of the dark, sleepy night landscape, DFQC carrying in his arms his most treasured treasure - his Xiaohuayao. Every step he takes inexorably drains his strength, , and HE, who once wore heavy armor, a powerful mage,, can barely move her legs now.
He looks so vulnerable that it is even impossible to imagine that he is the one who is called the most powerful in all three realms.
Every step is given to him with such difficulty, but he will never lighten his burden if that means he has to leave it. She is not a burden to him. Never was. It's just that right now he's hurt and weak, and he can only blame himself for that. It's all because of him. It's because he couldn't defend her from everything that happened. Because of him, she cried again, choosing between "hating him - fulfill an order from the damned celestials" and "what she did". He had almost lost her today when he let his anger overwhelm him and thus left her out of sight.
Oh no! He feels a sharp decline in strength, and HE, who is the greatest immortal, touches the earth.
The sudden fall shakes his entire body, and without that, DFQC's already rattled breathing becomes louder and even more heavier, from which XLH wakes up and opens his eyes.
XLH: What happened to me?
Blissful relief visits his soul, from the fact that she woke up, but to her question, he can only answer with his intermittent and heavy breathing.
XLH: What is this place?
Despite the hairpin and ring holding back the emotional part of Xilan curse, her fear, anxiety and worries are transferred to him. Yes, he wants to take her back to his domain without asking if she wants it, but how can he tell her?
DFQC: You're fine. We're about to reach the Oblivion River. After we cross the river, we'll be able to go home.
He used the word "home." He subconsciously veiled the word "Canyang Sea". This is where he wants to take her, this is the place he has in mind, but he can no longer tell her directly about it. As if he afraid, that if he said the full name of the destination, she would refuse to go with him… And then what should he do? After all, he can no longer … No, he does not want to control her, as before, imposing his opinion against her wishes. He no longer wants to force her to share her presence with him. He knows, that she doesn't love him… She does not even like him. He has good hearing and a great memory to hear and remember her conversation with Jieli. The Shoufen sword that struck and split his spirit, thus sealing him away 30,000 years ago, was not as painful as the realization that he is the one she would most hate to stay with.
He knows she got the meaning of his words right, and to his relief, she doesn't resist and nods positively at that. For the moment, this will be enough for him, even if the thought that she is with him now, due to the fact that she simply has no other choice, does not leave him.
Being dressed in wedding clothes, they both give the impression that they really just got married, but the way they support each other right now paints a picture that they seem to have been married for more than one year.
Together, they get to the rescue boat, which obediently waits for them at the Oblivion River.
Weakness overcomes him so much, that even a slight sudden gust of wind seems to easily can to knock him off his feet, but he doesn't care. He does not care that he is now experiencing a catastrophic decline in strength.. For him, nothing is more important than ensuring that his XLH has a safe and comfortable journey home.
DFQC: Xiaolanhua. Sit down.
He decided that he would do everything himself. He will bring them home himself. He was about to move the boat, but his body treacherously and uncontrollably becomes soft and limp. He falling again.
Through the dull sound of his fall, he hears a voice that is sonorous and so sweet to his ears.
XLH: Da Motou! Are you all right?
His XLH, who is so dear to him, runs up to him, grabs his arm. After all, he did not leave plans to destroy Shuiyuntian, to kill all those who disagreed and kill everyone who, in his opinion, deserves it, so why does she keep worrying about him like that? The emotions that he acquired not so long ago are still not subject to his mind and understand, or, he deliberately does not want to reassure himself with illusions in relation to her...
He planned that he would now restore his strength and fulfill his plan, but the sky decides otherwise … This is the domn sky and its damn celestials!
Suddenly, a thunderstorm breaks through the canvas of the peaceful night sky, replacing the sleeping clouds with menacing black clouds, and and in this bewitching spectacle appear such hated figures appear for DFQC and all of his Moon Tribe. They are not only here for him, they are not only eager to deprive him of immortal bones. They also intend to harm his XLH. These hypocrites are smirking. Had they been waiting all this time for him to become hurt and vulnerable? Ha, of course. There was no way they would have dared to appear in front of him a day earlier. Definitely. They chose this moment for their appearance, revealing their true nature, which personifies pure hypocrisy and meanness.
DFQC: What a bunch of losers.
This is the softest thing he can say about them now. They clearly underestimated him. Even if he is wounded, but what can they oppose to his strongest element - hellfire? Shuyuntian's chief hypocrite gives the order to prepare to attack with a smirk on his face. Gathering all of their remaining strength, DFQC builds a barrier of hellfire. He's ready to take the hit.
Thousands of celestials in one gulp unleash all their might and all their destructive potential on them. Millions of heavenly lightnings are trying to break through the body of his shield. It is not the first time that he holds back his defense against them, moreover, he then always repays them with a double amount. He'll do it this time too… He… Why can't he control the hellfire like before? DFQC is inexorably losing control of its element. From the top of his head to his heels, he feels that there is no element in his body that could make the fire obey him as before. The shield of hellfire disappears in the blink of an eye, and he has no choice but to take the whole flurry of heavenly arrows on himself.
In an instant, hundreds of thousands of Shuyutnian lightning strike his body and his immortal foundation. All this takes away from him all the possible remaining strength before that. Now, not only can he not try to summon hellfire again, he can't even get up to stand on his feet.
XLH: Da Motou!
His XLH with his name on his lips again rushes after him. He is now in unbearable pain from physical injuries, but even more unbearable for him are the thoughts that have just visited him about what will happen if he continues to do nothing.
Smugly and unhurriedly, the formidable vile voice of the main celestial is heard again.
Yunzhong: Dongfang Qingcang is at the end of his rope. Kill him.
He is not afraid of death, it does not frighten him, but how can he die now like this? He has not yet fulfilled his promise to his people and father - to restore the former glory of the Canyang Sea and avenge the oppression of his people. Wouldn't he even be able to protect his beloved?
Hearing the last words of the order given to the heavenly soldiers, XLH instantly jumps up, standing between him and the stormy sky, arms wide open.
XLH: NO!
Pitiful helplessness, various thoughts and emotions that immediately dry up his consciousness at this moment, do not allow him to do anything, let alone say something intelligibly. From the words and letters scattered in his head due to her actions, he only manages to form one word.
DFQC: Xialanhua.
CH: Stop!
Like a bolt from the blue, the God of War suddenly appears. He disputes his older brother's order for the first time, while looking at XLH with a slight hint of resentment. Then his gaze falls on Dongfang.
XLH: Lord Changheng. Did you pass your tribulation?
He meets Changhyun's eyes. They are no longer brothers, they are enemies for each other as before. How happy she must be that the God of War, who is so dear to her… He is the Moon Lord Supreme Dongfang Qingcang, lying on the floor so ingloriously, allowing himself to be looked at from a height, now, on top of everything else, he is forced to burn out from a sudden fit of jealousy. CH here to take his XLH away up from him, isn't he? But no matter how much he wants to oppose something to his enemy, all he can now is with the last of his strength to remain conscious and wait for his final death sentence and its immediate execution.
Yunzhong: Since Changheng, the God of War, has returned from his tribulation, it's imperative to destroy Dongfang Qingcang.
CH: Who dares to harm her? Xiaolanhua is a fellow immortal, not a traitor to Shuiyuntian. Anyone who harms her will make an enemy of me!
After the bold and persuasive words of the God of War, there was complete silence. Everyone was frozen in anticipation of the reaction of the head of Yunzhong. Without waiting for the first words of the chief celestial, one of the venerable immortals decided to be the first to speak on this statement, as if he predicts what will happen, but wants to add one more weighty reason in favor of a future answer.
Venerable immortal : Since the God of War vouches for her, I guess there must be a misunderstanding.
After a few more seconds of silence, the conclusion is heard.
Yunzhong: Fine! After killing Dongfang Qingcang, Xiaolanhua can return to Shuiyuntian, safe and sound.
CH, after listening to his brother's satisfactory conclusion, delicately extending his hand to XLH, softly and affectionately says what he would never have dared to say before.
CH: Xiaolanhua, come home with me.
It was not difficult for DFQC to guess the reason for the appearance of his "brother". When did his "non-rival" even manage to become so bold in front of these hypocrites? And how did it happen that he, Moon Supreme, is now a prisoner of his helplessness?
XLH: Although I haven't left Shuiyuntian for long, my life in Si Ming Dian seems like thousands of years or tens of thousands of years ago. Even in my dreams, I want to go home.
Deep in his heart, he knows that for her, her real home is Shuyuintian. All this time, he wanted so much and tried so hard to make the Canyang Sea become her home. So that she would be cozy and comfortable there and that she would no longer want to run away from him. Well, of course, what did he expect? He once brought her there against her will. She must hate this place.
XLH: I miss the flowers and plants at Si Ming Dian, Aunt Sansheng's nagging , and celestial Danyin's loud voice.
He built a replica of Si Ming Dian, but it's just a replica for her. She misses her old life so much. Is there really nothing he can't give her in return?
XLH: I had always thought I could live peacefully in Yujing, gradually growing into an old celestial.
XLH utters every word about her life before she met him with such longing and sadness. She tried so many times to get away from him. And now she has such a chance, and of course she will do it. She will leave him. She needs to do this, because the only way she will be safe.
What indescribable pleasure he feels now, when she tightly squeezes his hand. Her hand is so warm, her skin is so soft and pleasant. Even if by some miracle he survives this night, and can return to the Canyang Sea, without his "clear sun", ahead of him there will be only wait cold loneliness, dead silence, hopeless darkness. No brilliance of victories and achievements can illuminate his future without her. He carefully lifts his gaze to her, so as not to interrupt this fragile moment, squeezing her hand in response and enjoying every last moment of touching her.
CH: Come back with me. Nothing will change. If you return to Shuiyuntian, whether you go back to Si Ming Dian or come to Fountain Palace, it will be your choice. I promise, that no one in Shuiyuntian will treat you badly.
No no no!!! He's not ready to give him his XLH… She… But is she his? No matter how many times he repeats that she belongs to him, but it is not. Even if their lives are connected. And besides, what can he offer her now? In the stillness that hangs in the air again, he hears her exhilarating breaths. And now she takes air into her lungs to answer the God of War …
Everything shrinks inside him, the world in his eyes darkens. Physical and mental pain deplete the last remnants of his vitality, depriving him of the opportunity not only to keep his head straight, but even to open his eyes. XLH is his life. When she returns back in Shuiyuntian, Dongfang Qingcang will cease to exist in the three realms and his name will be forgotten and erased by the celestials.
XLH resolutely makes his choice, using his divine powers to push the boat off the shore.
XLH: I`m sorry. Lord Changheng.
CH: Xiaolanhua
Half-conscious, her words crash into his mind and he realizes what she just did. She...chooses...him. She chooses him again. But she wanted to go home… And didn't she always want to stay with Changheng?
Oh no! Having chosen him, she is now in danger, and he cannot even open his eyes, let alone protect her.
Meanwhile, unstoppable anger builds up in the sky.
Yunzhong: Obstinate. Kill them!
Through the barely remaining consciousness, the Supreme Moon hears the given order and the approach of a huge amount of lightning. He does not fully know what is happening around, he can hears only an endless noise, and a sudden splash of water that hits the boat, thereby rocking it.
And he cannot help but feel how at this moment, the warm hands of his beloved, gently and carefully press his head to her chest, because of which his ears are filled with the sound of her anxious heartbeat, drowning out the reigning noise outside.
Thoughts are carried away from him like a boat that has already gone a considerable distance from the shore. His consciousness leaves him, and the remnants of his mind dissolve in her so warm and desirable for him embrace.
His XLH | Episode 26 | 2 part
I don't even know what kind of format it is and how it can be called. But I just wanted to write about them. And again, I apologize for any errors in the text.
His XLH | Episode 26 | 1 part
Like two bright lights wandering in the middle of the dark night, disturbing the peace of the dark, sleepy night landscape, DFQC carrying in his arms his most treasured treasure - his Xiaohuayao. Every step he takes inexorably drains his strength, , and HE, who once wore heavy armor, a powerful mage,, can barely move her legs now.
He looks so vulnerable that it is even impossible to imagine that he is the one who is called the most powerful in all three realms.
Every step is given to him with such difficulty, but he will never lighten his burden if that means he has to leave it. She is not a burden to him. Never was. It's just that right now he's hurt and weak, and he can only blame himself for that. It's all because of him. It's because he couldn't defend her from everything that happened. Because of him, she cried again, choosing between "hating him - fulfill an order from the damned celestials" and "what she did". He had almost lost her today when he let his anger overwhelm him and thus left her out of sight.
Oh no! He feels a sharp decline in strength, and HE, who is the greatest immortal, touches the earth.
The sudden fall shakes his entire body, and without that, DFQC's already rattled breathing becomes louder and even more heavier, from which XLH wakes up and opens his eyes.
XLH: What happened to me?
Blissful relief visits his soul, from the fact that she woke up, but to her question, he can only answer with his intermittent and heavy breathing.
XLH: What is this place?
Despite the hairpin and ring holding back the emotional part of Xilan curse, her fear, anxiety and worries are transferred to him. Yes, he wants to take her back to his domain without asking if she wants it, but how can he tell her?
DFQC: You're fine. We're about to reach the Oblivion River. After we cross the river, we'll be able to go home.
He used the word "home." He subconsciously veiled the word "Canyang Sea". This is where he wants to take her, this is the place he has in mind, but he can no longer tell her directly about it. As if he afraid, that if he said the full name of the destination, she would refuse to go with him… And then what should he do? After all, he can no longer … No, he does not want to control her, as before, imposing his opinion against her wishes. He no longer wants to force her to share her presence with him. He knows, that she doesn't love him… She does not even like him. He has good hearing and a great memory to hear and remember her conversation with Jieli. The Shoufen sword that struck and split his spirit, thus sealing him away 30,000 years ago, was not as painful as the realization that he is the one she would most hate to stay with.
He knows she got the meaning of his words right, and to his relief, she doesn't resist and nods positively at that. For the moment, this will be enough for him, even if the thought that she is with him now, due to the fact that she simply has no other choice, does not leave him.
Being dressed in wedding clothes, they both give the impression that they really just got married, but the way they support each other right now paints a picture that they seem to have been married for more than one year.
Together, they get to the rescue boat, which obediently waits for them at the Oblivion River.
Weakness overcomes him so much, that even a slight sudden gust of wind seems to easily can to knock him off his feet, but he doesn't care. He does not care that he is now experiencing a catastrophic decline in strength.. For him, nothing is more important than ensuring that his XLH has a safe and comfortable journey home.
DFQC: Xiaolanhua. Sit down.
He decided that he would do everything himself. He will bring them home himself. He was about to move the boat, but his body treacherously and uncontrollably becomes soft and limp. He falling again.
Through the dull sound of his fall, he hears a voice that is sonorous and so sweet to his ears.
XLH: Da Motou! Are you all right?
His XLH, who is so dear to him, runs up to him, grabs his arm. After all, he did not leave plans to destroy Shuiyuntian, to kill all those who disagreed and kill everyone who, in his opinion, deserves it, so why does she keep worrying about him like that? The emotions that he acquired not so long ago are still not subject to his mind and understand, or, he deliberately does not want to reassure himself with illusions in relation to her...
He planned that he would now restore his strength and fulfill his plan, but the sky decides otherwise … This is the domn sky and its damn celestials!
Suddenly, a thunderstorm breaks through the canvas of the peaceful night sky, replacing the sleeping clouds with menacing black clouds, and and in this bewitching spectacle appear such hated figures appear for DFQC and all of his Moon Tribe. They are not only here for him, they are not only eager to deprive him of immortal bones. They also intend to harm his XLH. These hypocrites are smirking. Had they been waiting all this time for him to become hurt and vulnerable? Ha, of course. There was no way they would have dared to appear in front of him a day earlier. Definitely. They chose this moment for their appearance, revealing their true nature, which personifies pure hypocrisy and meanness.
DFQC: What a bunch of losers.
This is the softest thing he can say about them now. They clearly underestimated him. Even if he is wounded, but what can they oppose to his strongest element - hellfire? Shuyuntian's chief hypocrite gives the order to prepare to attack with a smirk on his face. Gathering all of their remaining strength, DFQC builds a barrier of hellfire. He's ready to take the hit.
Thousands of celestials in one gulp unleash all their might and all their destructive potential on them. Millions of heavenly lightnings are trying to break through the body of his shield. It is not the first time that he holds back his defense against them, moreover, he then always repays them with a double amount. He'll do it this time too… He… Why can't he control the hellfire like before? DFQC is inexorably losing control of its element. From the top of his head to his heels, he feels that there is no element in his body that could make the fire obey him as before. The shield of hellfire disappears in the blink of an eye, and he has no choice but to take the whole flurry of heavenly arrows on himself.
In an instant, hundreds of thousands of Shuyutnian lightning strike his body and his immortal foundation. All this takes away from him all the possible remaining strength before that. Now, not only can he not try to summon hellfire again, he can't even get up to stand on his feet.
XLH: Da Motou!
His XLH with his name on his lips again rushes after him. He is now in unbearable pain from physical injuries, but even more unbearable for him are the thoughts that have just visited him about what will happen if he continues to do nothing.
Smugly and unhurriedly, the formidable vile voice of the main celestial is heard again.
Yunzhong: Dongfang Qingcang is at the end of his rope. Kill him.
He is not afraid of death, it does not frighten him, but how can he die now like this? He has not yet fulfilled his promise to his people and father - to restore the former glory of the Canyang Sea and avenge the oppression of his people. Wouldn't he even be able to protect his beloved?
Hearing the last words of the order given to the heavenly soldiers, XLH instantly jumps up, standing between him and the stormy sky, arms wide open.
XLH: NO!
Pitiful helplessness, various thoughts and emotions that immediately dry up his consciousness at this moment, do not allow him to do anything, let alone say something intelligibly. From the words and letters scattered in his head due to her actions, he only manages to form one word.
DFQC: Xialanhua.
CH: Stop!
Like a bolt from the blue, the God of War suddenly appears. He disputes his older brother's order for the first time, while looking at HLN with a slight hint of resentment. Then his gaze falls on Dongfang.
XLH: Lord Changheng. Did you pass your tribulation?
He meets Changhyun's eyes. They are no longer brothers, they are enemies for each other as before. How happy she must be that the God of War, who is so dear to her… He is the Moon Lord Supreme Dongfang Qingcang, lying on the floor so ingloriously, allowing himself to be looked at from a height, now, on top of everything else, he is forced to burn out from a sudden fit of jealousy. CH here to take his XLH away up from him, isn't he? But no matter how much he wants to oppose something to his enemy, all he can now is with the last of his strength to remain conscious and wait for his final death sentence and its immediate execution.
Yunzhong: Since Changheng, the God of War, has returned from his tribulation, it's imperative to destroy Dongfang Qingcang.
CH: Who dares to harm her? Xiaolanhua is a fellow immortal, not a traitor to Shuiyuntian. Anyone who harms her will make an enemy of me!
After the bold and persuasive words of the God of War, there was complete silence. Everyone was frozen in anticipation of the reaction of the head of Yunzhong. Without waiting for the first words of the chief celestial, one of the venerable immortals decided to be the first to speak on this statement, as if he predicts what will happen, but wants to add one more weighty reason in favor of a future answer.
Venerable immortal : Since the God of War vouches for her, I guess there must be a misunderstanding.
After a few more seconds of silence, the conclusion is heard.
Yunzhong: Fine! After killing Dongfang Qingcang, Xiaolanhua can return to Shuiyuntian, safe and sound.
CH, after listening to his brother's satisfactory conclusion, delicately extending his hand to XLH, softly and affectionately says what he would never have dared to say before.
CH: Xiaolanhua, come home with me.
It was not difficult for DFQC to guess the reason for the appearance of his "brother". When did his "non-rival" even manage to become so bold in front of these hypocrites? And how did it happen that he, Moon Supreme, is now a prisoner of his helplessness?
XLH: Although I haven't left Shuiyuntian for long, my life in Si Ming Dian seems like thousands of years or tens of thousands of years ago. Even in my dreams, I want to go home.
Deep in his heart, he knows that for her, her real home is Shuyuintian. All this time, he wanted so much and tried so hard to make the Canyang Sea become her home. So that she would be cozy and comfortable there and that she would no longer want to run away from him. Well, of course, what did he expect? He once brought her there against her will. She must hate this place.
XLH: I miss the flowers and plants at Si Ming Dian, Aunt Sansheng's nagging , and celestial Danyin's loud voice.
He built a replica of Si Ming Dian, but it's just a replica for her. She misses her old life so much. Is there really nothing he can't give her in return?
XLH: I had always thought I could live peacefully in Yujing, gradually growing into an old celestial.
XLH utters every word about her life before she met him with such longing and sadness. She tried so many times to get away from him. And now she has such a chance, and of course she will do it. She will leave him. She needs to do this, because the only way she will be safe.
What indescribable pleasure he feels now, when she tightly squeezes his hand. Her hand is so warm, her skin is so soft and pleasant. Even if by some miracle he survives this night, and can return to the Canyang Sea, without his "clear sun", ahead of him there will be only wait cold loneliness, dead silence, hopeless darkness. No brilliance of victories and achievements can illuminate his future without her. He carefully lifts his gaze to her, so as not to interrupt this fragile moment, squeezing her hand in response and enjoying every last moment of touching her.
CH: Come back with me. Nothing will change. If you return to Shuiyuntian, whether you go back to Si Ming Dian or come to Fountain Palace, it will be your choice. I promise, that no one in Shuiyuntian will treat you badly.
No no no!!! He's not ready to give him his XLH… She… But is she his? No matter how many times he repeats that she belongs to him, but it is not. Even if their lives are connected. And besides, what can he offer her now? In the stillness that hangs in the air again, he hears her exhilarating breaths. And now she takes air into her lungs to answer the God of War …
Everything shrinks inside him, the world in his eyes darkens. Physical and mental pain deplete the last remnants of his vitality, depriving him of the opportunity not only to keep his head straight, but even to open his eyes. XLH is his life. When she returns back in Shuiyuntian, Dongfang Qingcang will cease to exist in the three realms and his name will be forgotten and erased by the celestials.
XLH resolutely makes his choice, using his divine powers to push the boat off the shore.
XLH: I`m sorry. Lord Changheng.
CH: Xiaolanhua
Half-conscious, her words crash into his mind and he realizes what she just did. She...chooses...him. She chooses him again. But she wanted to go home… And didn't she always want to stay with Changheng?
Oh no! Having chosen him, she is now in danger, and he cannot even open his eyes, let alone protect her.
Meanwhile, unstoppable anger builds up in the sky.
Yunzhong: Obstinate. Kill them!
Through the barely remaining consciousness, the Supreme Moon hears the given order and the approach of a huge amount of lightning. He does not fully know what is happening around, he can hears only an endless noise, and a sudden splash of water that hits the boat, thereby rocking it.
And he cannot help but feel how at this moment, the warm hands of his beloved, gently and carefully press his head to her chest, because of which his ears are filled with the sound of her anxious heartbeat, drowning out the reigning noise outside.
Thoughts are carried away from him like a boat that has already gone a considerable distance from the shore. His consciousness leaves him, and the remnants of his mind dissolve in her so warm and desirable for him embrace.
His XLH | Episode 26 | 2 part
I don't even know what kind of format it is and how it can be called. But I just wanted to write about them. And again, I apologize for any errors in the text.
Best Kept Secrets - Maybe There’s No Making It Now (Chapter 13)
Characters belong to Pixelberry.
Summary: An unforeseen encounter with the past proves that even the best-kept secrets eventually make their way into the light.
Title inspiration: It Is What It Is - Lifehouse
Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x F!OC
A/N: I ended up splitting this chapter in half because there was a lot going on. The good news: I split it after I wrote the entire thing, so the next chapter is already done. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading. Please excuse any errors.
Rating: M • Warning: This series will contain NSFW material. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+
Synopsis: Having decided to also leave Edenbrook, Ethan is now racing against Charlie to see who can leave the hospital first. But as they're barreling towards self destruction, they have a chance meeting by the vending machine...
Chapter 40 of the “with and without” series
Previous Series: “a weekend with dr. ramsey”
Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x MC (Charlotte “Charlie” Greene)
Words: 3.0k
Rating: Teen (language)
Also available on AO3 & Wattpad (link in Masterlist)
Ethan hated goodbyes.
He hated drawn out farewells and lingering endings. He’d never been one to hesitate when it was time to go. Ethan hadn’t noticed the change until now – the hesitance in his limbs and the dread in his chest. He wasn’t comfortable on the precipice because he had too much to lose now.
Or maybe he had too much to lose.
Perhaps for the first time since he’d met Charlie, Ethan was free from the shackles of indecision. He knew exactly what he had to do, and as he barreled towards self-destruction, it felt like the only right thing he’d done in a long time.
Naveen told Ethan to give it a few days before acting on his decision to leave Edenbrook. You might regret it, Naveen politely cautioned. Until now, Ethan’s devotion to Edenbrook had been unrelenting, unforgiving, and undying. He sacrificed everything to the altar of his career.
He'd sacrificed Charlie in the name of saving her.
It was a cautionary tale as old as man’s arrogance.
But now it had an ending.
The final chapter had been written, and there was ease in certainty. Even if the conclusion was devasting, at least he knew when it would happen. His ego destroyed him, and now it was a quiet, sneering companion in his grief – reminding him of all he could have achieved if he’d been brave.
Faced with mutual destruction, Ethan had the pleasure of pulling the trigger first. As long as Charlie maintained her corresponding threat to destroy her career, Ethan would gladly do the same. It was a small consolation, but it was his to seize. A final sacrifice – his magnum opus of self-sabotage and poor conflict resolution. Ethan ruined Edenbrook for Charlie, and if he could do nothing else, he owed it to Charlie to give her the dream back.
Stubbornness was their chosen vice. Together, they’d buried themselves in the name of burying the other. Now, there was no escape.
The worst part was that, despite the fights that preceded these lonely nights, they’d never stopped loving each other. Neither saw the other as irredeemable – foolish, inconsiderate, and frustrating, maybe, but not irredeemable. Circumstances ruined them, but the relationship itself was still painted in streaks of gold.
Gold that seeped into the red rage and gray despair.
Gold that kept Ethan up late into the night – pacing a lonely apartment until he could no longer look at the space he once shared with Charlie. Ethan was a man on the run, but he didn’t know where he was going. So, he worked until he didn’t have enough energy to think.
Ethan gazed at the Boston skyline and wondered if any other skyline would feel so lonely. New York? Chicago? San Diego? Dallas?
He had offers from every city. All it would take was a mild display of interest, and he would be whisked away to a new life. His Rhode Island roots recoiled at the possibility of life in the blazing heat, but the broken pieces of his soul longed for anything unfamiliar and untainted. Change could be good, he thought, if for no other reason than it would let him sleep at night.
Idly, his eyes drifted to his laptop screen – waiting for the email he knew was coming. He’d sent out his interest. Now, he just had to wait for an eager recruiter to claim the fist interview. Wherever it was, he’d go – sunny, dark, rainy, hot, whatever. Selectivity required too much from his frayed mind.
For a moment, he imagined a world where the email never came. What would feel worse – the blow to his ego or his failure to make the grand sacrifice?
But of course, the email arrived. To those followers lucky enough to admire him from afar, Ethan was still a god. By the luck of the draw, a hospital in San Diego was the first to claim him. Only a few minutes later, it would have been a medical school in Chicago.
Hot and sunny, Ethan frowned. Not his comfort zone. But who was he to challenge fate?
When Ethan finished reading the email, he didn’t feel relieved. It just felt … final. Sad, even. Like the final chapter of a book he never wanted to finish.
For a moment, he allowed himself to picture a new life in sunny San Diego, but the vision was just as cold as a bitter Boston winter – colder, even. Because she was here. And nothing could ever come close to the warmth he felt when she stood by his side.
Ethan pressed “reply” but typed nothing. Again and again, he started to draft a polite yet brief acceptance, but no words came.
Ethan frowned, wiping his face with exhaustion. It was too late to write, he thought. It was too late to do anything. Realistically, he should have been home hours ago. A wise man would have tried to get what little sleep remained before he commuted back to this dark office, but Ethan recoiled at the thought of going home alone. So, he decided to stay. Hopefully, he’d work himself into exhaustion and be too tired to think.
Encouraged by the promise of something sugary to get him through the slump, Ethan gave himself a well-earned break to visit the vending machine. He traced the familiar path quietly, appreciating the gentle hum of the night shift. He liked how the hospital ignored him at night. It was a welcome reminder that Edenbrook would outlive his legacy.
Even on an empty night like this, Charlie was a specter lurking in every corner, but he never expected to actually see her there – tiredly straightening a crumpled dollar bill so she could trade it for a box of Sour Patch Kids. The same candy he’d intended to buy, a bad habit inherited from many a long night by her side.
Ethan froze, watching with wide eyes as she just … existed. How long had he been standing there? A second? A lifetime? Danger prickled at his skin, reminding him of the sins they’d shared in these hallowed halls.
“For fuck’s sake,” Charlie groaned, ignorant to her observer. Giving up on her unsalvageable dollar bill, Charlie pounded her fist on the glass, hoping for a miracle. Of course, the machine stared back at her, unmoved. Her candy was still out of reach.
Without thinking, Ethan stepped toward.
“Let me.”
It wasn’t until Charlie turned around that Ethan realized he’d been the one to speak.
Charlie stood, mouth agape as Ethan placed a crisp collar bill in the machine and punched in the code for her favorite candy. When he turned to hand her the box of sugary gummies, Charlie still hadn’t moved. Equally shocked at the sudden proximity, neither stepped back. She was so close he could smell the coconut on her hair…
They were silent – consumed by the closeness. Charlie breathed him in, cataloguing every new line on his face. It didn’t occur to her that he was doing the same. What would it feel like years from now, when the contours of their faces had changed without the presence of the other?
Finally, Charlie spoke, “I can’t.”
Ethan chuckled quietly, “Yes, you can.”
Charlie’s lips parted, prepared to put up a fight, but then she decided she wanted the candy more than she wanted to yell at Ethan – though, admittedly, it was a close call.
“Thanks,” Charlie mumbled as she clumsily accepted the cardboard box. Once it was in her hands, she knew it was her turn to leave, yet she lingered. The longer she stayed, the harder it was to pull away.
Ethan felt her growing absence like a bleeding wound. Just before she was out of earshot, he blurted out, “I’m sorry.”
Charlie froze.
Accept it, a voice demanded, let this be the end.
But she didn’t. Instead, she bitterly coughed out, “You should be.”
“I know.”
Charlie whipped her head around, unsure if she was shocked or angry. Could it be both?
“You know?” she repeated quietly.
Clearing his throat, Ethan awkwardly explained, “I’ve always respected you and your career, Charlie. I just… I just wish my actions showed that.”
Charlie’s jaw tightened – of course he was fucking self-righteous enough to give a speech like that. Ever respectful Ethan who couldn’t fathom her making her own decisions about her career. A thousand angry retorts populated her mind, each fighting for the honor of being the biting remark to remind him of his sins. Yet, she delivered none of them. They were each too vulnerable, touching a part of her too raw to unleash without opening a door to her soul. She’d found safety in distance, and she didn’t trust herself to test the depths.
“You’ve been an asshole,” Charlie crossed her arms.
Despite himself, Ethan chuckled.
“I know,” he smiled bitterly, “I’ve always been an asshole, but I never meant to be one to you.”
A sharp, sudden intake of breath. And an unmistakable smile creeping across her lips. She stared at himself for a long time, so long that Ethan almost forgot they’d been engaged in a conversation moments earlier. How could she respond to that? She didn’t want to punish his apology with cruelty, nor did she want to reward it at the risk of undoing all her hard work to distance herself. And could that even be described as a real apology?
“I know,” she whispered to both of their surprise.
She didn’t absolve him, just acknowledged him as something other than a mythical enemy – rather a misguided and damaged man bumbling through unfamiliar love. And fuck that might have been worse.
He is close enough to touch, she thought. She indulged in the fantasy where she ran into his arms. It doesn’t have to mean anything, a tempting voice whispered, You can still hate him in the morning.
But she wouldn’t. It was a dangerous game – one she would always lose.
One she was probably already losing.
Charlie was caught between a desperate desire to forgive him and an insistent shame that she was so easily drawn back to him. With equal measure, she wanted to curse his name and drag him back to her bed. Before she could do either, she turned on her heels and raced through the halls – retreating to her hidden corner where she’d been working late into the night to avoid the memories haunting her empty bed.
Ethan watched her go. It wasn’t a surprise, yet some part of him expected her to turn around. When he realized she wasn’t coming back, he gazed at his reflection in the vending machine light. It was the same empty expression that followed him back to his office, where he spent an ungodly amount of time trying to will himself into productivity. Any attempt to work himself into a stupor was ruined when she broke through his haze.
He left the hospital in defeat, entering his apartment like a fallen fighter. A drink in hand, Ethan milled about his home, touring a thousand possibilities of what could have been.
This is the end. So why doesn’t it feel like it?
He heard the clock tick, but only now did he realize that it had always been lurking in the wings. Ethan was always going to fuck this up, if just because he didn’t trust himself to do anything else.
A lifetime of “what if”s flashed before his eyes – what if he hadn’t pulled away in Miami? What if he’d picked her over Edenbrook the first time? Or the second time? Or any of the days that followed? His many regrets flashed before his eyes in a torturous but fleeting succession. But one remained, whispering his deep-held shame until his ears rang.
When he couldn’t handle it any longer, Ethan downed the rest of his glass and dialed a familiar number.
“Ethan?” Naveen’s voice was tired on the other line. For a brief moment, Ethan was embarrassed he’d woken his friend at such a late hour, but curiosity killed any courtesy he may have bestowed by letting Naveen go back to sleep.
“Hey, sorry to wake you,” Ethan grimaced.
“No worries… is everything okay?”
“Yes,” Ethan swallowed.
Just ask, he hissed at himself.
“I wanted to warn you,” Ethan began, ignoring the angry roar when he evaded the real reason he’d called. “I’ve been offered interviews. I’m going to accept them.”
“Oh…” Naveen’s voice fell.
“I wanted to tell you first. I know how gossip spreads.”
“Right, of course,” Naveen murmured.
“Well… I should let you sleep then,” Ethan cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“Oh, I suppose,” Naveen’s voice was detached. He didn’t know how to be present in such an unexpected conversation. It was one thing to lose his friend of ten years. It was quite another to watch Ethan march himself to exile and ruin the best relationship he’d ever had. Despite all the theatrics, Naveen never thought it would come to this.
Ethan didn’t hang up.
His heart pounded.
His chest ached.
His throat tightened.
If I don’t ask, I’ll never know, he thought.
But maybe it was best that way.
“Actually, that wasn’t why I called,” Ethan blurted out.
Naveen’s eyebrows raised, too shocked to mutter out a polite response.
“A year ago, if I’d come to you and said that I was in love with Charlie and wanted to be with her, what would have happened?”
“A year ago?” Naveen thought carefully. His friend deserved honesty. Brutal honesty. “I would have asked if you were sure. Told you to think about it for a few days. The board would have hated it. The legal liability, not to mention the public scandal, would be debated for weeks. But I would have been at every meeting, fighting for you both. In the end, I think I could have talked them into a compromise – Charlie reassigned to different supervisors. On a good day, I could have kept you both on the diagnostics team. On a bad day, one of you would have had to step down.”
“But we would have been together?”
Naveen knew he should have hesitated. Softened the blow. But Ethan needed full impact.
“Yes.”
Deep down, Ethan already knew. That’s why he never asked.
“Even with Bloom?”
“You can never plan for Bloom, but with the right HR paperwork, I don’t see what he could have done.”
Ethan winced.
“Do you think… Would it have ruined her career? To be marred by my scandal?”
“Maybe,” Naveen confessed, “But it’s a long career, Ethan, and people have survived worse.”
“Ten years ago, would you have let me do it?” Ethan clenched his glass, “If I’d been Charlie, would you have let me risk it?”
“Ten years ago, no.”
A bit of redemption, but it felt hollow.
“But ten years ago, I made a lot of mistakes. I built a champion, but if I had to do it over again…” Naveen sighed, suddenly weighed down by decades of mistakes, “I wouldn’t have made you in my image, Ethan. And if I have any parting wisdom, I beg you not to make Charlie in yours.”
Ethan flinched.
It was one thing to know that he was a monster made by his own hand. It was another to hear another acknowledge it.
A lineage of damaged mortals begging to be gods. It was fitting that they rose so high only to fall from the stars.
Then there was Charlie – the last of their line. Still growing. Still forming. Still making the mistakes that would fracture her. Perhaps Ethan would be one of them.
“You always said we’re insatiable,” Ethan shook his head, “You. Me. Charlie, too. We always need more. Do you think we could be satisfied with anything less?”
“Maybe not,” Naveen frowned, “But I like to think so.”
A long, clouded silence enveloped the duo.
“You still have time, Ethan,” Naveen’s sentence was more of a plea than a reminder.
Stay, he urged, Stay for her.
Ethan shook his head, “I’ll assign Tobias to my cases in the morning. I’ll stay for the transition, but…” I have to go, he thought.
Naveen didn’t try to hide his sigh, “Alright. Good night, Ethan.”
A few moments later, when Ethan contributed nothing else to the conversation, Naveen ended the call, but Ethan remained still. Seconds dragged to minutes. Hell, they probably dragged to hours.
A lifetime in each passing moment.
A better ending to the story.
Devastated but finally convinced of his role as the villain in Charlie’s epic, Ethan sent an email accepting and scheduling an interview in San Diego at the end of the week. He spent the rest of the night shoving his current life into a suitcase, praying that there was some semblance of a new life on the other side.
Separated by more than distance, Ethan and Charlie wandered through the dark night, evading their grief and wishing they could have one more night together. One more call. One more smile. Longing and grief went hand in hand – lovers in a past life.
If Ethan had gone quietly into the night, Charlie still violently stumbled through it. All she could think about was Ethan. Seeing him awakened something she’d purposefully tried to bury. She didn’t trust herself to be close to him, and she certainly didn’t trust herself to spend one last night in his embrace. But the idea consumed her. She needed him like she needed air. It was a punishment and a pleasure. She had to have him close to her, if just to scream in his face.
Losing but the battle but perhaps winning the war, she abandoned the safety of her secluded nook and marched straight to his office. With only a moment’s hesitation, she knocked twice – once insistently, once timidly. No answer.
Twice more – both insistent.
No answer.
Frustrated by his apparent silence and their continued separation, she barged into his office and found the space empty. He had already left…
Embarrassment and rejection stung Charlie’s eyes, blurring her view as she hurriedly closed the door behind him and retreated to the safety of her quiet, empty bedroom miles away.
As she showered off the feeling of his presence, she told herself this was a single moment of weakness. She’d be gone before she had her next relapse. Yet, even as she climbed into bed, she knew that wasn’t true.
[Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley Masterlist] [Malia Lahela]
Pairing: Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley (F!OC)
Other Character: Malia Lahela (F!OC)
Book: Open Heart
Word Count: ~600
Rating/Warning: General (all the family fluff)
Prompt: @aprilchallenge family; @choicesflashfics #3 (in bold)
Synopsis: Bryce and Olivia enjoy the morning with their daughter.
Art by the incredible and always wonderful ArtbyAinna (Insta). I can't stop staring at my beautiful family. THEM!!!! 🥺😭😍
She pried open her tired eyes at the sound of Malia's cry.
"I'll get her," Bryce offered, pressing a kiss on his sleepy wife's forehead. "You rest."
Olivia nodded, the darkness in the room already drawing her back to sleep. "She probably needs to be changed. She ate not long ago," Olivia mumbled, settling back into her pillow with a giant yawn.
"I can handle that. Try to get some rest."
The heaviness of sleep overcame her quickly. Her lips curled up in the corners as she drifted off, listening to Bryce's soothing tone as he doted over Malia.
"What time is it?" Her eyes widened. The once-dark room overflowed with warm, golden sunbeams. She popped up in worry, but Malia's soft coo beside her pulled her back.
"We're right here." Bryce's fingers threaded tenderly through her hair. "We're okay."
Olivia relaxed, turning into Malia, her smile growing.
"We got cleaned up, changed, and even did some reading," Bryce reported proudly.
Olivia stroked her daughter's arm softly, kissing her little nose. "And, what fun book did you read?"
"I thought our future doctor should get started on her research—" Bryce smiled, gesturing to Malia's choice of onesie. "We were reading Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy. Our future surgeon needs to know where to cut."
"Bryce!"
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? It has pictures!"
"Oh, Malia, what's daddy trying to get you to read?" Her head shifted to the sides softly. "There will be plenty of time for that when you're older."
"How much older?" Bryce questioned, his brow raising in concern.
Olivia hummed in consideration. "Five."
"Fine. Five," he agreed reluctantly. "But, if she happens to glance at the book before then, I'm not stopping her."
She laughed at his insistence. "Sounds reasonable." Olivia couldn't help but marvel at their precious daughter, who had wrapped her tiny hand around her mother's finger guiding it into her mouth.
"Someone needs to write better and more medically accurate children's medical texts."
"That would be fun, wouldn't it." Olivia beamed, unable to take her gaze off Malia, who stretched out comfortably between them. "Maybe we'll have to make one for her."
"Luckily, she has two rockstar doctor parents to show her the way," Bryce boasted.
"Is that true?" Olivia cooed. "Yeah, it is! And just so you know, we'll love you no matter what, even if you're not a doctor."
"Right," Bryce agreed, kissing the crown of his daughter's head. "But we all know these are surgeon's hands, and it'd be a shame to waste them."
"Don't worry, sweetheart. You can be anything you want." Her gaze narrowed at her husband.
"What?" Bryce feigned innocence.
Malia's eyes closed, lulled by the warmth of the sun and the sounds of her parents' voices.
"A dad can dream, can't he? Besides, we both know she's a daddy's girl. Aren't you, Lia?" His gaze drifted back to his sleeping daughter.
Olivia stifled her giggle, "looks like she's already ahead of you. I wonder what she's dreaming about."
"Us," Bryce decided, unable to look away from his daughter. "And how loved she is and always will be, no matter what."
"No matter what," Olivia repeated.
The three of them rested, enjoying a short moment of peace and quiet beneath the glow of the morning sun blanketing the room. The future could wait. It would solve itself in time. Right now, all any of them needed was this— being together and being loved. And, that's all any of them would ever need.
I love them so so much 😭😭😭😭 Thank you for reading and supporting this family. I hope you enjoy your first look at Malia. She is the most precious angel and I love her so much and her beautiful parents too!!!
Also, shout out to Olivia's future side hustle as a children's medical book author based on this HC ❤️
Pairing: Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley (F!OC)
Book: Open Heart
Word Count: ~500
Rating/Warning: General; Angst (hurt/comfort)
A/N: This is for @jerzwriter's request of this prompt "Person A noticing person B is getting overwhelmed and helping them out", but I guess I didn't read the "getting" part, so poor sweet Bryce is already very upset and overwhelmed.
Prompt: @aprilchallenge love
Synopsis: Olivia comforts Bryce after a difficult day at the hospital.
She heard it in the hesitation of how he entered their apartment, his hand grasping the knob, yet the door not opening for another minute.
She heard it in his quiet sigh as he leaned back against the closed door, searching for the strength to carry him forward.
She heard it in his footsteps, slow and uncertain, a contrast to his typically sure gait.
She saw it in his heavy expression, dark circles under weary eyes.
She saw it in his shoulders, hunched forward, the weight of loss bearing down on him.
She felt it in her heart when her eyes met his, a wordless plea filling his haunted gaze.
The death of a patient was never an easy thing. It didn't matter if you knew them for a few minutes from the ER or if they were a long-term patient. Loss was loss, and with loss came a wave of emotions and questions: the 'what ifs', the 'maybe if I had', the 'did I make a mistake', the 'where did I go wrong', and on and on, a war raging inside, leaving you wishing you could have done more. It was a feeling she knew and one from which she wished she could save him.
Olivia offered him her hand, gently squeezing his as she took it in her own and led him to the couch. She guided him into the warmth of her embrace, holding him safely in her arms. Her hand traced slowly over his shoulders and down his back, rubbing a soothing path back and forth.
Her lips parted in whispers of support as he nestled his face into the crook of her neck, but no words came. There was nothing to be said.
Bryce would never forget today, but this pain would fade. He would review the case with a clear head another day and determine for himself that he did all he could. That information would help then, but not now.
Right now, there were no words to say that would take his pain away. All she could do was be there for him, and remind him that he would never be alone.
Olivia turned her head, pressing a kiss to his head. Her fingers wove softly through his hair. She held him in her arms, allowing him the space to grieve. An unspoken conversation between them, saying more than any word ever could.
She heard it in his breathing that slowed and quieted in her embrace.
She felt it in his body, his muscles relaxing beneath her tender touch.
She saw it in his eyes, glassy but grateful as he looked up and met her gaze.
She felt it in her heart, and she knew he did too. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, brushing back the soft strands of hair clinging to his cheeks. She rested her forehead against his, letting the moment hold them there. Every day wouldn't be easy, but together they could face whatever the days would bring.
Thank you for reading! I know this isn't soft and fluffy like usual Brylivia, but I hope you still enjoy it. 🖤
Bryce and Olivia stealing a moment together on the fire escape outside his apartment when Keiki moved in (before they get a bigger apartment together).
Always blown away by the talented irdeinfierno on Instagram and how she can capture these two in such beautiful and tender moments.
