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Chapter Text

The moon shone down onto two lovers sitting at a pavilion, empty alcohol bottles lying around them yet it seemed they were still sober.

The dark saint brushed his hand through the plum blossoms' hair, a lovestruck look in his eyes, his beloved held a sleepy expression, Cheong myeong was sitting with his hair down and drinking wine.

Twirling a strand of his hair Tang bo admired the way Cheong myeong’s hair fell on his shoulders, the way his bangs framed his face, the way a haze of sleep showed in his eyes, his soon-to-be fiancè looked so alluring he might fall in love a second time, how could a man be this pretty? And how lucky could he be to have the man's heart intertwined with his.

With a gentle hand he snaked his way to caress the older man's cheek to gain his attention, he had prepared for this moment in advance, he would give it to him.

Cheong myeong blinked before he leaned into the hand caressing his cheek oh so gently, he raised his eyebrow with a questioning look as he noticed Tang bos gaze.  

“What is it?” Mount Hua's sword man spoke, his voice breaking through the comforting silence Tang bo could only smile adoringly at the man. 

Standing the dark saint extended his hand to his lover to which he took, exiting the pavilion they walked under the moonlight a serene atmosphere in the air. 

“I prepared something for us this time. ” The dark saint skipped behind him.

The older man simply gave him a suspicious glance, sure gifts from the tang elder was not a rare thing but so weren’t his pranks.

Cheong myeong was used to Tang bo occidentally playing pranks on him and so he did not bother turning around to look at him expecting someone to be thrown or dropped on him.

Tang bo expecting that to happen ran in front of him and held out the box for him grumbling.

“I'm seriously not pranking you this time, it's really just a gift just take it.”

He stared at the guy who was fuming and yet smiling so brightly at him and he looked away, ears flustered and let out a grumble before stretching out his hand making a motion that said ‘Hand it over.’ Tang bo smiled in excitement and placed the box on his hands before walking next to him waitIng for him to open it. Cheong Myeong swore he could see a tail behind him wagging overly excited and sighed to look back at the box to open it. He opened it to find a long green ribbon to tie up his hair. 

“Oh? I didn't think you would keep your promise, you brat.”

“Hey, did you think I would forget a promise like this?!”

“Maybe. With that brain of yours I was expecting that.”

It was a long time ago when they were drinking at the pavilion, he remembered Tang bo promising to give him a gift signifying his ‘family’ to the tangs, he said it so sluggishly cheong myeong thought he was rambling in his sleep the sword saint could only scoff. 

“So mean..”

The blossom saint ignored Tang bo and turned to look at the ribbon feeling the texture and testing the strength of it and liking how durable it felt, like it wouldn't break under harsh fights. He was about to ask how he got it made before tang bo cut him off.

“Bo-ya-”

“Hyung.”

Cheong myeong, startled  with his serious tone turned to him, confused he knew Tang bo never used that tone unless he was treating people. Squinting his eyes, he asked.

“Yeah, whats wrong?”

“After the war, let's get engaged alright? we will make it through together.”

And here he thought something serious happened, turns out it's just that. But..

“Aren't we engaged already..?” He asked, confused. He swore Tang Bo proposed to him another time when he was drunk out of his mind and he took it seriously thinking he was actually proposing. Was he not supposed to hear that?

“Eh? You're kidding right.. When and what did I propose with…?” To say Tang bo's mood was down to zero was like saying he likes wine, he looked so heartbroken by the fact he doesn't remember when he proposed made the blossom saint start giggling.

Tang bo who was so confused when he had proposed, froze at the sound of cheong myeong giggling, it was really rare to hear him have a genuine laugh and not the evil sounding one he always let out. It was really a sweet melody. Tang bo really hoped to hear more of it in the future.

Cheong myeong froze realising what he was doing and coughed before standing back up, looking away, face flushed and feeling flustered, reaching into his sash he took out the box with tang bos gift he prepared in advance

Originally, they had both talked about engagement about two months ago in the same pavilion setting the conditions they would like and what not, contrary to popular belief he was as good with a knife as he was with a sword.

He had personally carved a hairpin out of ironwood, and dyed it in mount huas colors, it had an elegant curve at the top of it and a sharp tip, he knew his fiance would often use sharp hair pins on the battlefield be it for medical procedures or catching the enemy off-guard.

the older man held out the black rectangular box towards the dark saint, lidded eyes and a smirk on his face.

“open it”

Tang Bo snapped out of the trance he was in and took the box from him admiring the plum blossom carvings that were on it, eagerly he opened the box.

inside it laid a pretty hairpin, a plum colored hairpin, he reached to hold it as if it were made of glass. 

the dark saint gazed back into his hyung-nims eyes, dark blush adorning his face, the plum blossom could clearly see his love-struck expression despite the night's darkness.

“hyung-nim..” a soft wind carried both of their hair softly, and damn had cheong myeong never looked prettier under the moonlight

“Survive the war, and let us get married, a wedding can't have just one person.”

Tang bo walked forward towards his fiance and interlocked their lips together and whispered “I promise.”

Tang bo would dream of this moment for years to come.

Chapter Text

Cold sweat coated his body and he jolted awake, his hand clawed on his clothes that covered his heart. The same dream, the same scenario, the same god-forsaken moment that kept haunting him for as long as he lived.

Sitting up, the dark saint covered his left eye with his hand caressing the scar that rendered him blind, the sign of weakness that ate him alive, it was still dark out.

Would it be alright to say he started to hate the moon? He hated the moon that used to shine so ethereally on his beloved. He hated the moon that carried the memories of night-long laughter, memories of two lovers that drank the night away.

It held too many memories Tang bo wished he could erase from his memory, yet he wouldn't dare to. With heavy footsteps he shuts the curtains aggressively.

Fuck he keeps going in circles, each thought leads to the same thing over and over

A hundred years and some more filled with grief, regret and rage, he wishes he could let go of such thoughts.

His hand reached into his clothes, pulling out a pretty green colored ribbon with patterns of a snake and plum blossoms in white adorned it. He held it close and sat at the foot of the bed, dark circles and a dead look in a dead man's eye.

“Ha?! since when did this leech start getting so weak?”

Tang bo could feel his muscles straining refusing to look at the distorted image of a man in mount hua’s uniform and long black hair, he could only stared at the floor.

“Tsk.. look at how messy this room is.”

The voice felt berating, taunting and mocking. The carcass of his soulmate mocking him.

The dark saint refused to acknowledge such horror and stood up , feeling as though all of the sins he’d committed in his pathetic life were dragging him for punishment.

He exited his room ignoring the various covered painting he had hanging around, eyes lingering on a certain piece, a huge canvas hung proudly at the center of his wall.

It showed a handsome man with hair as black as the night, a dark green ribbon in his hair, holding a sword with a smile.

He slowed down stopping in front of the canvas, for a second he could hear the painting as if the symphony he chased half of his life after was echoing through the walls, he could almost hear his laughter.

A longing filled his senses, his hand raised ghosting over the painting, he wouldn't dare touch it. Who knows if the paint would chip, would he ever see that face again? 

He could only admire from afar.

A swordsman was sitting on the edge of his bed, it was barely dawn, yet he was wide awake, hair cascading down his shoulders like a waterfall, an empty gaze in his eyes while he gazed upon a dark green ribbon.

It was plain, no engravings, no details. just a plain old ribbon that looked so familiar to the one he used to have.

It felt wrong, so wrong that he was wearing such a horrible imitation, such weak, plain, dark fabric doesn't suit him or his taste.

He preferred a lighter, much stronger material, one that wouldn't come undone in battle or get battered easily.

Something more long lasting, one that he used to own, a precious gift given to him by his beloved.

‘After the war, let's get engaged alright? we will make it through together.’ 

A passing memory flashed in his mind, voice long in the past, of someone he didn't know whether they lived or not.

‘Survive the war, and let us get married, a wedding can't have just one person no?.’

Such naive words, a naive flawed sentence.

‘I promise.’

He could almost feel his lips on his, the kisses of an empty promise lying on his lips, holding the place of a man long gone with the winds of time. 

Mount Hua's divine dragon stood up, tying his hair up with the dark green ribbon and exited his room, he needed to pull himself together. The past is the past, the future is what’s important, mount hua is what’s important.

He had a duty to fulfill, one he neglected long ago, a mistake that won't happen again.

The same mistake won't happen twice, he will make sure of it, he will nurture those kids to become stronger, he will make sure no losses will make its way this time around.