Hi. Can I ask you for a couple of headcanons for reader and Shan yu spending time together.
You can ignore the request if you are not comfortable writing it. Thanks in advance.
Sure thing dear! Hope you enjoy 💕
Pairing: Shan Yu x Reader (Gender Neutral) [Mulan (1998)]
Warnings: Mentions of war, violence and injuries
Genre: Fluff, Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Summary: see request above
It is on rare occasion that you and your partner Shan Yu can spend quality time together
Due to his duties, it's either a matter of not seeing him for days on end
Or even when he does come home after a long venture, you don't see much of him before he's out like a light, probably gone as well by the time you wake up in the morning
He leaves a not or two behind, but it never manages to quite fill the void his absence leaves in your home
Which is why the days you spend unseparated are the best days of your life
And I mean you're completely inseparable
Neither one of you bothers to leave the bed, enjoying the warmth and comfort you bring to one another
At least until hunger overtakes you and you're forced to venture to the kitchen where you join efforts to make breakfast
You sit and eat together, taking that time to fill him in on what he's missed out on while he was away
He never speaks of his own occupations and you know not to ask
The topic of his job is left outside the doorstep, he never brings it into the paradise of your home
The same paradise that you find impossible to let go of when its end inevitably comes and pries your lover out of your arms
To soothe the ache of your heart, he always promises you:
Summary: An AU/canon divergence mashup between the animated movie, and what has been shown from the 2020 movie. After doing some research on the Huns and their tendency in those days to take slaves, with some able to earn their freedom by fighting alongside the Huns, I wondered-- what if the Huns had taken Mulan in after the battle on the mountains, instead of her going back?
This is a one shot, for now, but may evolve into a longer series in time.
The title is a play on the name Shan Yu-- 善意 in Mandarin means benevolence, or good will.
Rating: T+.
Tags: Canon divergence, death mention, hurt/comfort of sorts, enemies to friends, not explicitly shippy but a little wlw if you squint, queer Mulan, shapeshifting, witchcraft.
Word Count: 978.
The sun was setting. The air was growing colder.
She was going to die on the mountain, Mulan thought absent-mindedly as she huddled against her horse, trying to stave off the encroaching chill. She'd been left there with her sword and armor, a few scant rations of food, and a thin blanket; it was more than she'd expected, considering Shang should have executed her by law, but it wasn't enough to survive. Not with her injuries. And with the snow so deep all around her thanks to her clever trick, and who knew what sort of sharp weaponry buried with the dead under it all, simply riding out wasn't possible. Her faithful companion had gone as far as he could, but they had only made it far enough to get out of the direct wind.
It wouldn't be enough to save them.
Mulan felt a brief stab of bitterness. Sparing her life was meaningless. It just traded a quick death for a slow, painful one, and the worst part is that she would never be able to tell her family goodbye or that she was sorry. Would they ever know what happened to her? Would anyone tell them? Would they be okay?
Tired. Mulan curled into a tight ball, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders and closing her eyes. She was so cold, and her entire body ached. Maybe if she just rested a moment, they could try again to find a way out...
She was starting to drift when a faint rustle overhead stirred her. Mulan struggled to open her eyes. In the fading light, there was a shadow circling along the sparkling snow; she only had a moment to register the shadow as a bird before the falcon landed mere feet away. Mulan didn't try to stand or fight as the falcon's body began to transform, feathers melting in some haunting, almost beautiful way. There was little point in trying to escape the woman now standing in the bird's place.
Xian Lang stared down at Mulan, her wispy clothes billowing in the wind, and the last rays of sunlight glinting off the golden crown that graced her head. She didn't speak at first, and when she did, her voice was both so soft that Mulan barely heard it-- and sharp enough to cut to the bone. "I told you."
I told you they would betray you.
I told you they would leave you for dead.
I told you it was for nothing.
Those three words, and everything they meant, rested heavy in Mulan's heart. She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She had no answer. She had no argument, nor any witty retort. All she had was that singular truth laid bare, and Mulan couldn't deny it. "I know," she answered, finally. "I know that, now."
The witch didn't blink those dark, amber eyes. "So, what now?"
Mulan stared up at her. What now? What else was there to do, except die?
"Do you expect me to leave you here, to suffer?" Xian Lang continued. "Or perhaps you'll ask me to end it quickly, before you freeze or starve?"
Shifting her gaze to the woman's sharp talons, Mulan wondered what it would be like, to have them carve into her throat. "I killed your people." She winced as she drew her sword, laying it in the snow between them. "Whatever punishment you deem fitting, I suppose, would be fair."
Xian Lang looked at the sword. She moved forward then, slowly, before kneeling and picking up the sword. For a long moment, she studied the weapon, before closing the distance between them and offering the sword back to Mulan. "You should keep this, I think."
"But..." Frowning, Mulan took the sword back. She glanced at it, before lifting her eyes back up to the witch, who was so close that Mulan could feel the warmth of her breath. "I don't understand."
"I wouldn't expect you to, yet." She stood, extending a hand. "But maybe you will. Why don't I make you a different offer? Come with me. I will lead you safely off the mountain, and away from this place."
"Why? Why would you do that?"
"Because my friend survived, and he wishes to look into the eyes of the soldier who defeated his army."
"Ah. So he can kill me instead."
"Maybe." Xian Lang smiled, then, a wretched sort of smile that held little mirth. "Maybe not."
Mulan eyed the witch's hand before reaching out and taking it. There was no point in refusing. She had no other chance for survival, not that she could see, and if she died at the hands of the Hun leader... Well, so be it. Dying on her feet was preferable to dying in the snow like some abandoned dog. Xian Lang pressed her other hand to Mulan's cheek; a pleasant sort of heat moved through her muscles, and the pain of her injuries dulled just enough to be bearable.
"Get on your horse, and follow me. It won't be long if you trust my guidance."
Nodding, Mulan did as she was ordered. Her horse huffed in protest at wading through the deep drifts in the dark, but Xian Lang wasn't waiting. She was already walking away, moving on top of the snow as if she was weightless, with a soft glowing light in her hands like a tiny star among the night sky. Mulan had expected to feel some sort of reserve in following her, but there was none. Wherever she was leading Mulan, surely it couldn't be any worse, and loyalty was no longer any concern.
Last time the witch offered help, Mulan had ignored it.
Can you do a Shan Yu x M!Reader headcanon or fanfic! Maybe with some fluff and romance in there!!
Sure thing hun! Enjoy 💕
Pairing: Shan Yu x Reader (Male) [Mulan (1998)]
Warnings: Mentions of injuries (nothing graphic)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort (minor), Romance
Shan Yu is an emperor
A leader, a boulder of a man who cannot allow weakness in his life
He’s always refused life’s most banal pleasures, the things that make it worth living, the things that bring a smile to one’s face and warm one’s heart
And yet, with all his walls built up so high, all the barbed wire fences and guard dogs, he didn’t manage to scare you
You climbed over his walls, gracefully avoided the prickly fences and befriended the rabid dogs
And man, were you rewarded for it
Because at the end of that journey, you saw him
The real him
The one whose eyes don’t sparkle menacingly, the one whose grin doesn’t chill a person to the bones
You saw the Shan Yu he’d never let anyone else see
The one who’s so broken inside, the dread seeps into his gaze
The one that drops to his knees at the doorstep, weakened by exhaustion and open wounds
The fighter who’s fought too long and is nowhere near seeing the end of it
That’s the man you wrap your arms around in bed
The man whose face you litter with kisses and who you profess your love to
The man that holds you so tightly in his strong arms that many see as weapons in and of themselves
Unknowing that they’re your safe haven
You’re his anchor to humanity, reminding him he’s deserving of those life pleasures he’s been denying himself
You’re his reason to keep fighting when he feels like everything has lost meaning
You’re his meaning, his reason, for everything
And he never shies away from telling you that himself
Summary: After fulfilling his plan of taking over China Shan-Yu and his army have made it to the palace of Empress Y/L/N Y/N. However, one obstacle the warrior still fails to overcome is swaying the Empress herself, getting in her good graces. Unable to kill her, he is left to do all he can to have her spare him as much as a civil word.
Requested by Anon. Hi lovely! Thank you so much for such and amazing and so different request from what I’m used to. This is my first time writing for a Disney character, a villain even, so I hope to have fulfilled your expectations even with it being so late in posting. Please enjoy! Love, Vy ❤
She refuses to eat or see the light of day. She’s been hidden away in a single room of the palace ever since China fell. She attempted to fight and gave her all when her eyes met his poisonous ones and her sword’s blade collided with his. The fight was a difficult one, he had to admit. She would’ve won had she not had a heart of gold. Putting her right-hand man’s under the sharp dagger in his merciless hand left her no choice. She loved that man, he could see it in her eyes. And he wasn’t going to kill the pathetic excuse for a member of the Empress’ council, but seeing that look of devotion and adoration in her gaze when her eyes met with his drove him in a fit of absolute rage. He couldn’t restrain himself and let the blade slide across the man’s neck only after the Empress had surrendered.
“NOOO!“ She had shrieked in terror and sorrow, all her pain audible in her cry that echoed all throughout the palace, piercing the monstrous warrior’s ears. He couldn’t bare to see her so distraught, over another man on top of all, so her ordered his men to take her to one of the chambers and leave her to collect herself. She still had fight left in her though. She escaped from his men’s grasps and overpowered them both until a third one knocked her out cold with the handle of his dagger. A choice of action that landed him the second dead body to be thrown out of the palace that night.
He specifically instructed the man taking Y/N to her chamber to be gentle and caring with her and to leave the door unlocked, maybe even open a crack. He didn’t want her to feel trapped in her own home.
He sat by one of the windows all through the late dark hours of the night and even met the sunrise at dawn. He contemplated so many things, scolded himself even. He had become the ruler of China and yet he had never felt so low and defeated. He even let his mind wander to the option of killing the Empress for his own peace of mind but he knew he wouldn’t be able to the second he realized he wasn’t even able to picture himself doing it. The very though sickened him to his stomach and he was disgusted with himself to have ever allowed himself to think such a thought.
The main thing troubling him was the fact that he didn’t know where such admiration came from. He had never admired nor respected a woman before but he felt the need to bow before her instead of the other way around. He wanted to be her loyal servant, tending to her every need at the bat of her eyelashes. He could barely believe himself either way - killing her or adoring her, they were both thoughts bordering into insanity, he couldn’t tell which was worse. Of course he could, he just wanted to lie to himself. He knew he could never lay a hand on her.
Shan-Yu had fallen under the spell of the very Empress he was supposed to end in order to fulfill his evil plans.
He should want her dead while he’s prepared to kill whoever dares even wish her harm. Funny how destiny works. Or perhaps this is karma punishing him for his evil ways by putting one bump in the road right in front of him - one so easy to get rid of in theory, but he could never commit to it.
It has been four full days since that fateful night and he hasn’t heard nor seen her. He’s not willing to disturb her peace and earn himself an injury from the infuriated Empress but the hours of overthinking, contemplating and self-battling are weighing heavy on him. His men are beginning to notice, although they’d never say anything - they may be cruel, dumb fools but they respect their lives enough to not put them at a risk like that. Not even a risk, more like certain death. They all obeyed his orders of bringing the Empress food three times a day every day and they all witnessed the defeat and worry that washed over their leader’s face whenever they brought back the dishes untouched hours after they had delivered them.
So, after a lot of self-convincing and doubting, Shan-Yu has bitten the bullet - he is walking the halls to the Empress Y/L/N Y/N’s chamber. He makes it to her door sooner than he’d like, his confidence is not fully built. His composure could easily be shaken. His words are scrambled and even if he could form coherent sentences, he knows they die in his throat.
‘Pull yourself together, you pathetic mutt‘ He scolds himself for the hundredth time in the past hour. Easier said than done, though. She’s a woman of incredible strength, power and character. She was respected by every individual in China, not a single soul looked down upon her. They had already hated him, but now that he has allegedly put their dear Empress in misery, he’d be dead along with his army if they weren’t so strongly feared.
Shan-Yu brings himself to knock on the chamber doors, his voice a faint echo through the massive hallway when he calls out, “Empress, may I enter?”
No answer, as he expected. He is half expecting to not even be there, to have escaped. He knows her better than that though.
Cautiously pushing the door open, he’s met with a dark room only lit by the moonlight seeping in through a small rectangular window directly opposite the door. He sees her silhouette in the windowsill. She’s sitting facing away from him, looking out of the window at the rooftops underneath the clear, starry night sky. She doesn’t bother to turn her head to acknowledge his presence, also as expected.
A small detail he notices sends shivers down his spine - there are metal bars on her window. Why?
“I was a rebellious child. I knew my destiny before even understanding what it meant. All I knew was that I didn’t want it. I didn’t want to be Empress. I wanted to be one of those brave souls who were prepared to leave to a front knowing they might not return.“ Her voice rings through the cold, dark space, bouncing off the walls in a haunting manner, enchanting him. “My father knew I would be more than capable of running away so I was frequently spending plenty of time here, locked up. As I am now.“
She is still facing away from him but he still shakes his head as though she could see him. “You are not locked here, Empress Y/N. The door is always open. This palace is still yours.”
“That you are right about.“ Y/N’s head turns finally and his heart drops.
She is pale, eyebags weighing heavy under her tired eyes. Her hair is covering her face but her pale complexion is more than visible even from behind her locks. She looks like she has been crying, not that she’s a woman who cries often. A tear of hers has the same value as a bar of gold.
She continues. “Chu Bao, the man you killed in front of my very eyes, was the only man I’ve ever loved and the only person who saw me as more than my title. I’m not just an Empress! Everyone forgets that!“
He feels hurt by her remark, “Y/N, I know. I know better than anyone. I have overtaken all of China and yet you are my greatest prize...”
She cuts him off, her shaky hands pushing her hair to the side so she can look directly at him, her crystal eyes meeting his menacing yellow ones with such intensity he feels it almost like a physical presence. “I am no prize, you monster! I’m a person who destiny played wrong! I given a role I have never been happy with. But I had to play it to maintain the honor of my family and of China as a whole. It taught me a valuable lesson: No matter the tries, one can never escape destiny. So...” she trails off, her eyes losing their feisty glow as she turns back to the window, “I embraced it and became one with my land, this palace, my title. And I will stay one with them till my death. Now, leave! And don’t bring me food anymore. Don’t check on me. I want it all to end the way it started - in this palace, in this chamber. I want to go out with the last bit of dignity I have. If nothing, I will die without ever bowing to you. I may have surrendered, but consider this me prolonging the fight.” He hears her scoff, a humorless chuckle, “The moment I die will be the moment I win.”
Shan-Yu has never been a man to live to face defeat. He always defeats the defeat, stands up taller than ever whenever he’s been brought down. Now is different, however. His defeat is inevitable. It hasn’t even happened yet, but he knows the battle’s lost. His hands are tied. He would never disobey a wish of Y/N’s nor could he live with her slowly dying. He cannot keep her alive against her will, and he can’t end it all quickly for her either.
She has already won, but she’s not aware.
Empress Y/L/N Y/N has defeated the monstrous, villainous conqueror Shan-Yu twice in her life: once when she had him fall in love with her and again when she chose to put an end to her life, leaving him powerless.
All he can do now is accept his defeat and allow for Y/N to become nothing but a battle scar on his heart.
