#[the grass is greenest after the rain - stormy - yang jian/erlang shen]

[funnel-webbed-au]

Tenebris

Tag List: @skellebonez, @caxycreations

Riley's Notes: The title is a song reference to an Ultrakill OST. Catch it if you can. PS, I kinda struggled to write this one. Summary: Yang Jian leaves his palace for the first time in a long time in a desperate attempt to stop the Snake Zodiac from wreaking havoc in her search to find Nezha.

He had to find her before she could snap.

Yang Jian dashed through the streets at such speeds that it was as if he had never been there. No one even had time to register his presence, or any trace of it, until after he had passed them. Every movement was fitting of his godhood, yet the purpose that clung to his heel flew in the face of the monster he'd used to be.

The notion was one of few that took the edge of that guilt off.

The ancient Deity skidded to a halt as he caught the sight of vivid teal around him. That couldn't have been a good sign, he thought to himself, and he quickly pursued the figure, taking care not to be seen. The closer he got, the colder his blood grew.

Bai Xian hissed, wrath and determination clawing at every fiber of his being. They weren't making any progress yet. They hadn't found a damn clue as to what had happened to their lotus, why he wasn't home yet. As the serpent staggered, leaning against a street lamp, she couldn't help but stare into the pavement, wondering what it would feel like to paint the concrete with the ichor or those damn pricks on their high horses... those damn fools who thought they were above accountability.

As Xian rose to her feet, the Deity pursuing them inadvertently locked eyes with the serpent as she turned to him. The air that clung to the Viper Lord was completely different than what Yang Jian was used to. He'd been afraid of this.

Bai Xian's circlet manifested around his disheveled hair, and the robes the serpent wore were quickly stained with powerful elemental magics, turning them from black to a deep blue. The elemental markings that befit the Zodiac of the Snake covered the fabric that he wore, staining it with the colors of the forces of Nature themselves.

Even so, Yang Jian had to try.

"Please, Bai Xian, my dear, come home with me. We can talk about this over tea, but your haste, and your craving for violence, will not do us any favors. I miss him, as well. Have you forgotten that he is my son?"

The serpent turned to face him, her mascara having dripped down her face and dried there. The sight of the serpent's redone winged eyeliner combined with the mascara tears and eye bags made Jian's heart freeze.

There weren't a lot of reasons why they let this happen.

"You of all beings should know it is unwise at best to get in my way. I must find him." The serpent dug his claws into his cheeks; any harder and he would have drawn his blood. "Every moment away from him is torture. I am decaying in his absence, I rot without his embrace. I feel my own mind slipping away from me without him here. I must find him, and you will not stop me."

Jian's eyes widened. He could almost hear the church organs playing now as the Viper Lord gathered their power, more than prepared for a confrontation. He refused to draw his spear, unwilling to wield it against someone he held so dear.

And yet.

"Xian, please, you must see reason. There is nothing for you here, he will come home in due time. There are no forces conspiring against us, for who would have such nerve? There is no one in this world who has that kind of audacity anymore."

The Viper Lord stared Yang Jian dead in the eyes, summoning twin cursed blades that the Gods had prayed to never witness again. "You should not even try to underestimate the horrific deeds your kind is capable of, Yang Jian. The atrocities that Celestial Animals and Demons alike have suffered at the Divine's hands are innumerable and unforgivable, and for that... for that..."

Jian watched as icy claws dug into his heart. The pavement beneath his feet seemed to cling to them, all while his heart beat faster to an unheard rhythm.

"I will bathe the land in the blood of its false idols."

Footnotes: The fight was intense, and on a scale I'd compare to the s3 special finale. Yang Jian was eventually able to subdue Xian, as shown in The Great Devourer drop, and spent the next several months wearing himself thin in order to repair the damage to the city.

[funnel-webbed-au]

Soul of Silver, Heart of Tarnished Gold

Tag List: @caxycreations, @skellebonez

Nezha pushed open the gates to the garden of Erlang Shen's palace, the weight of his past clinging to his heels with every step he took beyond the threshold.

He could still hear their voices ringing in his ears, tripling the intensity of the migraine he was being forced to endure. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open in the harsh, unforgiving sunlight that always followed with His Highness's contentment.

For all of the ungodly things he had been forced to go through that day, at least it wasn't going to ruin Yang Jian's mood. Nezha knew the old dog was too optimistic for even this to shake him up too much.

The oddly soothing silence of the garden drowned out the scathing words in his head quickly and efficiently, thought not so much so as Yang Jian's reassurances. The thought of the retired general's hands behind his ears gave the weary Celestial the courage to press onward, searing sunlight be damned.

At last, he could sense the sudden change in material as his boots came into contact with the marble steps to the palace itself. A sigh of relief escaped the Deity, and without even thinking, he knocked on the gold-edged double doors.

The same person he'd hoped to see was the same one who opened the door for him. Nezha's strength finally caved, and he staggered into Yang Jian's arms, too tired to notice his guardian's concern.

The Illustrious Sage frowned. What could have worn his son out this severely? It wasn't as if he was inclined to any particularly exhausting activities. If any of the other Deities had attempted to coerce him, he decided, there would be Diyu to pay, but that could wait. Now, he had to take care of his beloved son.

"Oh, Nezha, my boy." The older Deity cooed, his voice pleasantly quiet. It was a sound the shorter Celestial had missed deeply. Yang Jian set his hands on his son's shoulders, gently working out the tension that had settled in his muscles over the course of the day.

"Before you even ask..." Nezha started, then shivered as he relaxed in the storm Deity's arms. "...yeah. I had a rough day. I'm not making dinner tonight; too tired."

Yang Jian ran his hand through Nezha's silky black hair, which was a bit of a mess from rushing through hallways so much. Gods, if Nezha couldn't survive without air in his lungs, they'd let him rest, but alas. Perhaps being a Deity was as much a curse as it was a blessing.

The storm Deity sighed. How could the others feel it was alright to overwork an already sick Deity? It was beyond him, and it would have made his blood boil had he not had something, or rather someone, more important than any grudge ever could be in his arms.

Sensing Nezha's knees were about to buckle, he picked up the shorter Deity, taking him inside to rest. Yang Jian made sure to scratch behind the other's pointed ears, drawing heart-melting purrs out of the one in his arms. A smile overcame the old dog as he nuzzled his son gently, further reminding him that he was loved.

Nezha muttered something in Mandarin under his breath, and the words made Yang Jian's heart skip a beat. If Nezha was really comfortable enough to admit it, he'd done his job right. He'd taken much better care of the younger Celestial than he'd initially thought.

Yang Jian's own purrs filled living room, joining Nezha's.

[funnel-webbed-au]

The Fangs of the Great Devourer

Riley's Notes: Bai Xian has an obsessive attachment to Nezha. Separation can make her violent. He loses his mind and it forces the hands of others to restrain him.

Yang Jian braced himself for the scathing words that he knew would come from one of his beloved housekeepers. It had scarcely been a year since Nezha's disappearance, and the ancient serpent was already a danger to herself and everyone around her. As Yang Jian approached the cave where the serpent had resigned himself, he couldn't help the tension in his body.

The vicious teal eyes that peered through the darkness only served as a warning and a threat delivered without a single spoken word. Erlang shivered, and fought the urge to reach for the Tri-Tipped Spear he had strapped to his back. Such a powerful artifact was perpetually charged with energy, especially now, and the lightning arcs on it only emphasized it.

"Bai Xian. Calm yourself, I do not need any more blood on my hands, especially not yours. Do not force my hand. Nezha will return to us, in due time. Patience-"

"And what do you know of patience, pray tell, o' storm warrior of the bloodstained mountain?"

The way Bai Xian's voice tore through his mind like the same lightning he'd used to punish Sun Wukong so long ago felt painfully familiar. The serpent had some nerve to remind him of such a mistake, one he still regretted to this day.

Erlang turned around with a maelstrom at his heel, and stopped right in front of the barrier that kept their combined animosity at bay. The electric sparks that arced across his armor would have had any Deity shaking in their boots. This was Erlang Shen, after all, and one of his recent titles was the Arbiter of Justice. He wasn't just an illustrious sage, but a warrior Deity and a master tactician.

And he made that known to everyone who crossed him.

“It is not your place to judge me for my mistakes, Bai Xian, and it is not your place to rub venom in the wounds that they've left behind.” The tone of voice he'd taken on was one rarely heard by the outside world. He was sick and tired of having to use it, of having to bring his spear to bear.

Yet, he wielded the Tri-Tipped Spear with a sense of vengeance clawing at his heart, one he hadn't felt since his family had been torn apart for the first time, when he was very young. The blood he had shed in his grief and fury was unforgivable, and here he was… ready to do it again.

History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

Yang Jian paused, shivering as he realized the mistake he was about to make. The old dog strapped his spear to his back, then released a shaky breath, all while the Indigo Death simply stared at him, a smug sense of triumph plastered on the serpent's face.

Before the serpent could attempt to take their frustrations out on the ancient storm Deity, Erlang Shen raised his hand, casting a restraint spell that anchored the serpent to the floor of the cave with golden chains. The Indigo Death released the screech of a specter, one with unfinished business in the world of the living.

“You cannot keep me here forever, 'Your Highness'. If this world wants to take my darling from me, then I will burn in it the same cleansing pyre that my darling must suffer bearing. You know that it's only a matter of time until I escape.“

Yang Jian knew damn well. He recalled when he had been summoned to help tend to the East Sea Dragon King, who had been poisoned by one of the servants that he had employed. That was a long year, alright, especially since the only evidence that servant had ever been there were deep, indigo scales sprinkled throughout the places Bai Xian had frequented leading up to the incident.

”I know. I also have faith that my son will return, in due time. You cannot claim to love him if you do not trust that he will come back to us as soon as he can, no matter how long that takes. Patience is a virtue you are lacking in, Viper Lord, and I thought snakes were ambush predators.“

Bai Xian released a horrible hiss, filling the cave that would become his prison with the sounds of hatred, of wrath, anger, and longing.

”Nezha will come home… he always does.“

Bai Xian fell deathly still, for even Yang Jian himself no longer sounded certain.

[funnel-webbed-au]

Flashing Signals

Nezha sighed as he sat down in the armchair across from his adopted father, then took a cup of tea off of the tray Kui Mulang brought for him. It tasted sweet, unlike anything he'd ever been allowed in the memorable past. There was a lot he had missed, and a lot that he hadn't. There were a lot of memories made, a lot of changes, a lot of growth and shifting tides.

He still wasn't ready.

The Deity swallowed harshly, setting his tea town while Erlang Shen only passed him a confused, curious glance. He didn't understand why Nezha was so uneasy. He'd cultivated this palace to be a place of respite, of reprieve from whatever some of the courts were prone to do. So why was Nezha still nervous, still restless?

"I don't... I don't understand." Nezha finally spoke, unable to hold it back any longer. "You're never mad at me, you never take anything out on me. I'm not... I'm not a target, I'm not a disgrace. Why... why weren't you mad at me when I dropped that vase?"

Yang Jian had to do a double take when he heard those words. It was all so startling to here those words from the younger Deity, and it was... it was also painful to hear him speak like that. He swallowed uncomfortably, but forced a smile anyway.

He'd always been a great liar.

"Because, Nezha, that incident was an accident. You were overworked, and neither of us accurately gauged your exhaustion and stress levels that day. I could never lay a hand on you." The elder Deity took a sip of the tea he had on the table next to him, then stared into the cup. It was his favorite, most soothing blend, and yet, it did nothing to dethrone the pit that had been dug in his stomach. The realization of the truth wasn't something he was ready for, even in all of his years of life. He'd never encountered this before.

Nezha wasn't acclimated to being loved.

At least, that's what Erlang Shen suspected. He sighed, setting the cup back down before he approached Nezha. His heart sunk when he saw that guarded look on the other Deity's face, controlled and unreadable, and the tension in his body was evident of his distrust. Even now, there were many things the younger Deity wasn't ready to share, to show his adopted father.

So be it. Erlang Shen patted Nezha's shoulder gently, but didn't speak to him. Instead, the old dog went to prepare dinner, Nezha's favorite. Hopefully it could take the edge off.

He knew he couldn't make Nezha trust him, but he knew he'd taken some of the right steps in recent years. One day, he knew he'd hear the Deity call him his father. He knew that one day, the Patron of Children would trust him.

He handed Nezha a bowl of noodles a while later, and the Lotus Deity passed a nod of appreciation towards his superior before he dug into it. While his companion was eating, Erlang could only wonder what the extent of the damage to Nezha's psyche had been, and hope that it could largely be mended. Time would tell.

If only he had to foresight to know what the future held.

If only he hadn't been so naive.

[funnel-webbed-au]

Hindsight's 20/20

Tag List: @skellebonez, here. Have some notes on this AU's iteration of Erlang Shen, in lore drop form.

Riley's Notes: Shorter piece, as it came to me spontaneously. Hopefully it sheds some light on how both Onyx and I write Erlang. There are some differences between the way we write, but the overview is the same.

The palace was too quiet in the so-called Prince's absence. He was Erlang's prince, after all, recently adopted thanks to the changing rules of Heaven's courts. The ancient Deity sighed as the eerie silence, only breached by the tap of his cane on the tiles, left him alone with his thoughts.

He was once quite a cruel man in the past. None of his attempts to justify his actions could soothe him now, as he knew better. It was a blessing and a curse, for he missed being that deluded, and yet knew it was better now that he wasn't, now that he could feel those nails digging into his heart. It had once been ashen and black, but now, it bled the golden, pure ichor of a man who loved and lost in equal measure.

A painting on one of the walls caught his attention. A single glance made his heart quietly fall to ruin within his chest, and the Deity approached it, every step labored as if forced. He remembered the monkey depicted on the canvas all too well.

The paint put into excruciating detail what he had thrown away so carelessly in the name of his 'justice' in the name of his so-called 'law'. What good was the law when it broke apart relationships?

What good was it then?

Yang Jian rested his hand against the frame of the painting, then closed his eyes. Mistakes like these weren't something that healed in a millennium, much less overnight. Perhaps he was a fool to hope, but hope was all he had at this point.

He could only pray that this hope wouldn't destroy him as utterly as it had Kui Mulang.

[funnel-webbed-au]

Mirrored Minds

Onyx's note! Be prepared for angst, bitches. Riley's Notes: Here comes the them! We are alive!!!

It was hard to breathe. Hard to think, hard to remember... and hard to see. The tears clouding his eyes were completely uncharacteristic of him, but they still plagued him on nights like that one. Evenings where the memories were too vivid to be ignored. He couldn't help but wonder where the subject of his heartache was at that moment, his brief periods of complete lucidity just filled with even more suffering. Perhaps even enough so to make it that he wanted to remember rather than live in the present. He was suffering, and it was at his own hands.

Punch after punch, blow after blow. Saying that the monkey was angry was a complete and utter overstatement. If he could just get his hands on that damn, entitled Deity, he'd never have to feel that angry ever again, finally able to seek freedom. If only it were that simple, eh? Unfortunately, it wasn't, so he simply kept taking his ire out on the punching bag that he didn't feel quite as guilty about mauling. Yeah, he had a heart (even if it was small, shrivelled and locked away) and he did feel inclined to use it occasionally, with exceptions.

If you asked Erlang, it wasn't really his fault. He shouldn't have felt as guilty about it as he did. Yet... he still sobbed, cried and ached like he was experiencing that fateful day several millennia later. It hadn't been a choice... he hadn't had a say in the matter, was just following orders, but still got the blame as if he had decided to kill all of those innocents. If only Wukong knew... he had stalled, stuttered and hesitated for as long as he was physically able to in the hopes that someone could be saved. He was wrong.

Shi Hou was not known for his anger. His blatant disrespect for superiority maybe, but not his rage. He was usually... playful. Kind, perhaps not, but certainly wise and loyal. Those were basically his only redeeming qualities... but they still weren't any excuse to do what Erlang Shen had done to him! Anyway. He wasn't usually so violent and volatile, and only one man was stupid enough to invoke those feelings in him. That man was the same person who burned his home down, killed his family and broke the bonds that they had both thought would last forever.

What had he done? Why had he done it? Well, those questions were easy to answer, albeit somewhat loaded. He had ruined one of his best relationships, severed one of his most important bonds, and he had done it because his uncle had ordered him to. How foolish could one man be? He had trusted that the judgement of someone who was a stranger would be the right one, because of class, because of status, and that trust had been misplaced. Not even by just a little. It had been so sorely misplaced that it had fallen off of a cliff and burned with the majority of the happiness he had at the time.

He hated that man. Could he even call that imbecile a man? No, he was an otherworldly being who acted high above his station and ruined everything... yeah, that felt better. Sounded better. Made more sense. If it fueled his rage… well, that was just an added bonus, wasn’t it? Sun Wukong had needed a reason to release years of built up frustration and hurt, and the reminder that Yang Jian still wanted him was enough to finally break the chains that had been keeping his heart under lock and key. He was due a rage session… and an apology.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry!"

Too bad his apology fell on deaf ears. Or, at least, the ears that needed to hear it were deaf. The vague voice of another person rang in his ears and, although he couldn’t make out what they were saying, it was enough to draw him away from the horrific memories. A moment of focus pulled him completely back to the present, and he could finally make out what his beloved daughter was saying. “Ba… Ba! Kiki and I are here. It’s okay. You’re okay. There’s no need to cry any more.” Oh, nothing was more comforting than his family.

“Yes, yes, Lanhua and I are still here… brother. You are not alone in your sorrows.” It took him a moment to register the soft words that were quiet enough to be a whisper, but when he did it was inevitable that he reach up to wipe his own tears. They were right. He was loved and cherished; perhaps he’d one day feel as whole as he knew he could be. Yes, he had lost a lot, but he did not know where life was meant to take him, or that people outside the palace cared as well. 

The time was drawing near. The Lion could feel it. The infinitely loud whisper of want and love, amplified by the fact that there were two Celestials calling out to him. Soon enough, he’d be able to act. The solution was in his hands, and not even the emperor knew how desperate he was to provide it. His patience was not for nothing, however, because he knew that if he made his moves too soon he’d reopen wounds that weren’t yet healed. So he waited. Nothing would force his hand, not even thousands of lonely years. He couldn’t let it.

He would fix it all. For them... and then he'd say thank you. Nezha deserved that much, at least. His job was nigh thankless. Perhaps Azure could change that.

[funnel-webbed-au]

Sanctuary

Riley's Notes: A long time ago, I wrote a oneshot for Father's Day where Erlang Shen adopted Nezha. It's high time I rewrote it. Also, I project the general character arc of my actual dad onto Erlang Shen and y'all are gonna have to deal with that for as long as this blog exists. Welcome to projection central, bitches, where you'll find traits that I like/have/have met people with in every character that's here.

Nezha sighed as he crossed the threshold into the place he wished he could call home. There was no such luck, however, and although he frequented this place, he had no choice but to return to the Li palace every so often. It was a burden he wished he could shrug off.

Desperately so.

Erlang Shen closed the book he'd been reading, setting it on the end table next to his recliner. His visitor raised an eyebrow, confused, but followed the elder Deity anyway when he beckoned for Nezha to follow him.

"Nezha, my boy. I have prepared something that may catch your interest." The storm warden faltered, releasing a heavy sigh as his usually inviting smile disappeared into a hurt frown. "...I am well aware of your plight with your kin. What if I told you that they need not be your kin any longer?"

"...that's... a scandalous offer. Is it even legal?" Nezha swallowed, lowering his gaze to the floor as they approached Yang Jian's office, a space the elder Deity rarely allowed others into. Nezha jumped when he heard a soft chuckle from the war Deity in front of him.

"It was recently made legal, and I fought for it to become such in the courts for decades, my boy, and it was approved faster than I expected it to be. It didn't take sixty years, but I took the chance when I saw it... and it's become legal in a rather unfortunate time, what, with the Nazis running their course through Europe." Erlang Shen sighed. "It is a shame we are not allowed to intervene. My damned uncle would have us all crucified if we tried to help... but on a different note."

Yang Jian gestured for Nezha to sit across from him at the desk, and as the younger Deity did so, he noticed a sheet of paper alone on an otherwise clean desk. The first few lines of kanji made him raise an eyebrow. The following lines made his heart stop.

"...I... need to hear it from you." Nezha raised his head, swallowing nervously as he faced Erlang Shen, the man who would... who had presented the paperwork to permanently take him under his wings, right in front of him. He had some audacity, Nezha realized, and the two were more similar than they thought.

Erlang Shen released a soft chuckle. He could understand the younger Deity's disbelief. After all, one gets used to being mistreated after a certain point. It's only human, and after all, immortals still have human minds.

"If you sign here, the rest of the Li bloodline will no longer have any jurisdiction over you, and if you wish, you may drop your surname and take another in its stead. It is the final step to cutting them off, to cutting those that hurt you out of your life for good... and if you wish, to take my surname formally, the rest of Heaven will tread lightly in your shadow, as my authority is one of the most respected - and rightly feared - that any Celestial here has to offer."

Nezha stared at the sheet of paper as a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. This was his out, right in front of him. He could take his freedom, or stay in that hell. He could see what the future might hold, or remain trapped in a hell that was familiar, and therefore easy to navigate...

Nezha gripped the quill on the desk firmly. No. He wasn't letting this opportunity slide. He knew that there were better places he could be, kinder people he could meet. He knew that there was more than this, more than the mistreatment he'd endured. He'd learned that from His Highness Erlang Shen, from Lady Guanyin, from Chang'E, and from Sun Wukokng, to name a few.

With a shaking hand, the Deity signed the document, and his inhibitions failed him only moments later. He'd never hugged anyone so fast before, nor with such force, and Erlang Shen barely moved from it, only adjusting to wrap his arms around his adopted son in return.

"Welcome home, my boy."

Nezha only produced a soft, exhausted whine. It was a testament to how much he dreaded what the future might hold, but anything was better than what he'd dealt with for most of his life up to this point. Anything was better.

He had a sanctuary now.

A real one.