#[dragons and glass - collab between mun riley and mun onyx]

[funnel-webbed-au]

The Parents™️

To say he was nervous would be an understatement. He had realised some time ago that his daughter's future happiness rested on his shoulders, and he couldn't quite come to terms with it enough to reduce his anxiety. Yang Jian, Erlang Shen, the Arbiter of Justice, was worrying about meeting someone new. How silly. Never had he once been more nervous in all his years, and he had seen the battlefield several times.

The reason why this particular person made him so nervous? Well, she was none other than Zhīzhū Jīng, the Spider Queen. Not many people were taller than him, but she definitely had at least a few inches on him and he was quite intimidated by it. He didn't know her personally, but he knew full well that she could take him down within moments if they didnt get along.

Even still, he couldn't let that fear stop him, not when the spider was the honorary mother of the one his daughter adored. He had to make an effort. For her. Not even his extreme slight fear would convince him to back out of it, not when he was so stubborn and brave. Where had the young Deity he'd once been gone, hm? That idiot's foolishness would have served him well in that moment.

He checked his clothes, makeup and hair one more time before he exited his chambers, making sure that there was not a thread out of place. He wanted to make a good first impression, and he'd been raised to believe that a person's clothes often tainted everyone else's view of them. Whether that was true or not was another question, but anything that was believed in could have been the truth, so he didn't mull over it for too long.

Lian seemed incredibly excited to see him looking so prepared, and the way her face lit up brought some hope to his own expression for a brief moment before he schooled it into a pleasant smile that would hopefully win over the spider he was about to meet for the first time. He could vaguely hear the Princess talking, but her words became muddled when they mixed with his own sea of thoughts.

He inhaled one last deep breath through his nose before he set one hand on the door and used what little strength he had to push it open. The sight he was met with was certainly not the one he had been expecting, but he refused to let it show on his face so the smile stayed. Not just one massive spider, but a second one who looked to be somewhat human and a giant Water Demon.

Hoo boy, they were intimidating.

Still, he smiled and shook each of their hands when given the opportunity and greeted them in the most cleanly spoken Mandarin any of them had heard in years. He was setting the standards incredibly high (he hoped) and wanted to see if they would meet them and become his extended family. He... sort of wanted them to. As much as he had opposed the idea of his only daughter marrying a Demon at first, she had not given up and somehow managed to convince him. She was stubborn like that.

After Zhīzhū had gotten over the initial shock of her Mandarin name being pronounced nigh on perfectly, the conversation went almost incredibly smoothly, with many shared interests being discovered between the two parents and a close bond being formed almost instantly. It was honestly surprising how quickly they got along, especially for the engaged couple that were watching.

This... this was beauty, right there, in Jian's living room. He adored her protective personality, and she enjoyed his passion for his family. What better combination could either of them have asked for? They both knew that they would most likely work fantastically in a team together, and they were going to work hard to make that goal reachable. For the sake of their kids.

It was amazing what a parent would do.