Hi, Tin! I love your writing and I have a prompt for you, if you are interested) what if Tang family is too afraid of Tang Bo leaving permanently and eloping with Cheong Myeong? So they initiate marriage negotiations with Mount Hua. It can be angst (CM is socially isolated and insecure about his position) or romantic comedy (awkward situations and protective Cheong Mun), up to you). Thank you in advance!
It was a well-established fact that the Dark Saint of the Tang Family was one of their generation's best.
So it came as no surprise when an influx of marriage proposals flooded their family's estate—because rumors started flying around that the Dark Saint was in search of a partner.
The Dark Saint held a reputation for being cold and ruthless. To cultivators and martial artists, he was someone they feared making into an enemy due to his sheer battle prowess and poisonous abilities. To normal civilians, he was a genius who wielded the Tang Family's techniques with cool precision and intent; to them, he was just another mysterious cultivator that they would only ever know of through gossip and stories.
However, in recent years, something shifted. His reputation among common folk was slowly altered. It started off with a supposed battle between him and the Plum Blossom Sword Saint which turned into a sudden and unexpected friendship.
Whereas in the past the Dark Saint would only go around Sichuan and closeby villages, he was now found going around different major cities and unknown ones.
He was often in the company of Mount Hua's Plum Blossom Sword Saint, who worked with him side-by-side to eradicate groups from the Demonic Cult and the occasional bandits and thieves.
For supposed Taoists, the two visited different establishments to drink alcohol and talk cheerily. It was during one of these moments that the first rumor began its spark.
"Ahhhh," The Plum Blossom Sword Saint groans in satisfaction. "That sure hits the spot!"
The Dark Saint chuckles as he tosses back his own drink. "If only I could enjoy everyday like this. Alcohol really is the best."
"What would your future wife think?" The Plum Blossom Sword Saint jokingly and dramatically shakes his head in disappointment. "To have a husband who loves alcohol more than his own wife...!"
The Dark Saint wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. "Trust me, I would make sure that my wife knows full-well just how much I love them."
The two of them share a silent, private conversation with just their eyes alone, that none of the other restaurant's customers could decipher, before they leave a generous tip and went on their way.
It snowballs from there.
All of a sudden gossip went around about the Dark Saint's interest in finding a wife. And so several people came to the same conclusion.
The reason why the Dark Saint is travelling around more than usual is because he's looking for a prospective wife.
Clearly, the Plum Blossom Sword Saint was there to provide moral support. How truly admirable and strong their brotherhood must be!
On the other hand, the head of the Tang Family was fully aware of their Dark Saint's single-minded interest in Mount Hua's Chung Myung.
Seeing all the stacks of letters that ranged from proposing strategic alliances and general marriage offers brought the current head of the Tang Family to a very different conclusion.
Tang Bo was trying to slowly draw himself away from their family by leaving their estate. He might be on the hunt, jumping from village to village, trying to create a dowry befitting for the hand of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint and scouting out all the best locations to settle down in.
It really wouldn't be too surprising of an idea if one day a letter turns up from the man with an intent of permanently moving to Mount Hua or some backwater village.
The Tang Family head shakes the thought of losing one of their best and genius members to one of the Ten Great Sects. If he wanted to maintain their family's reputation, he'll need to strike the first move.
And so he begins to pen a decisive letter to the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.
%%%
Chung Mun's hands tremble as reads the letter sent to him by the Tang Family.
'Who did they think they were?' He would have bit out if he had any less self-restraint. The paper crumples in his grip and he receives a questioning glance from Chung Myung who was sprawled eating mooncakes on the opposite side of his desk.
"What's got you so worked up?" The subject of the letter askswithout a care.
Chung Mun takes a deep breath. "The Tang Family wishes for you to transfer into their estate."
He refuses to say out loud the marriage proposal that came along with this request. His Chung Myung was too young! The man might be a sixty years old, but that round face, cheeks carelessly bulging with mooncakes with crumbs littered on his chin, screamed too young for marriage!
"Oh." Chung Myung nods in understanding.
Chung Mun is glad that Chung Myung agrees that this was nonsensical. To think, they thought that Chung Myung would even leave Mount Hua for—
"After the war is over, Tang Bo and I were planning to be roommates and travel the world a bit."
—?????
"Roommates?" Chung Mun's voices comes out slightly strangled.
"Yup. It's going to be great."
"No."
"'No'?"
Chung Mun tries to run through his previous conversations with Tang Bo. He knew that the man was capable of being underhanded, but he was also well-aware that Tang Bo respected him enough to not blind-side him with something like this. Especially since it concerned Chung Myung.
...
...Oh no.
"Fuck." Chung Mun says, full of feeling as he recalls Tang Bo off-handedly asking permission to live together with Chung Myung in the future.
"...Sect Leader?"
Chung Mun had thought that was a joke! He thought Tang Bo wasn't being serious! They were talking with alcohol in their systems!
The alarmed look that crosses Chung Myung's face informed Chung Mun that the way he felt his blood drain from his face was a visible, physical reaction.
"He asked for your hand in marriage." Chung Mun says faintly. "I said yes."
Chung Myung blinked at him. "Yeah? He told me?"
Okay. Tang Bo, to his credit, hasn't been leaving Chung Myung in the dark at least.
If Chung Myung knows and isn't reacting violently that means that he isn't completely against this. Even if Chung Mun was, he had to reorganize his priorties.
And his number one would be to make sure Chung Myung was happy.
((And to make sure that the Tang Family doesn't think they can step on Chung Mun and pull his little brother away.))
"I'll have to recheck the sect's budget and my own savings to make sure we have enough for the wedding preparations..." Chung Mun mutters as he begins drafting a response to the Tang Family with what he thought were better marriage agreement conditions.
But then, a flash of dread causes Chung Mun to pause writing and leave a dark ink blot on the paper. He suspected, but he really wishes that he was wrong—!
"Huh?" Chung Myung gives Chung Mun a confused look. "We already got married though?"
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part five: Eddie
Eddie has always been impulsive. Most of his tattoos were impulsive, starting a band was impulsive, flirting with Steve was impulsive, introducing him to his friends was impulsive, and kissing Pricilla was impulsive…
But falling in love with Steve? That was slow, tortuous, against every impulse on his body, and impossible to resist.
But again, Eddie has always been stubborn too, he gets an idea in his mind, and suddenly it cements in stone there, unmovable, unbreakable. And the idea of Steve liking him back was so preposterous he had never even thought about it.
He is impulsive and stubborn and he acts without thinking about the consequences because he thinks he is inconsequential, he thinks there won't be repercussions to his actions because no one cares about him.
He’s wrong, he knows that now. He’s been working on it.
He apologized to Lucas for making him feel left out just for liking sports, to Dustin for leaving him alone and scaring the shit out of him, and to his uncle for not going to him for help.
And Steve had been the one who, during their heartfelt chats late at night, had helped him see how important he was, how the things he did mattered.
Which made the fact that his latest impulsive mistake had hurt him of all people so much worst.
So Eddie is impulsive and stubborn and when he gets an idea in his head is hard to make him change his mind. And when he wants to do something, he needs to do it now.
This is why, after Gareth, Frank, and Jeff came to talk to him and told him Steve thinks Eddie doesn't care about him and that he needs to fix that, he standing here outside Steve’s home at 11:10 at night throwing pebbles at his window.
Even though Jeff told him it could wait until tomorrow, that he waited this long already, and that Steve was probably sleeping.
But Eddie made a mistake and he knows how to fix it now so he needs to fix it now.
At 11.11 Steve opens his window and glares at him, then sighs and drops his chin on his chest and takes a deep breath, like he’s praying for patience, and it's something he’s so used to Steve doing when Eddie says or does something dumb, it makes him smile.
Steve moves from the window and Eddie walks to the door, hoping Steve is going to open it and not ignore him leaving him outside.
When he opens the door Eddie has to suppress a gasp because fuck he missed him. Steve is just wearing sweatpants and a tank top and he’s rubbing his eyes, glaring at him, not angrily, but annoyed, at being woken up probably. And he looks fucking beautiful. He is so fucking beautiful.
“You were sleeping,” Eddie says stupidly.
“What do you want Eddie?” Steve questions, but moves away from the door, an invitation.
“I’m sorry”
“It’s fine Eddie, I wasn't sleeping”
“No, I'm sorry,” Eddie says again standing in front of Steve as soon as he closes the door.
Steve cocks his head confused but then frowns “I- I don’t need you to apologize for that” He scoffs but he looks embarrassed and he hugs himself like he’s putting a barrier between himself and Eddie.
“I’m not. I’m apologizing for the after, and the before,” Eddie tells him, “I’m sorry it took me so long to come and talk to you. I thought you were mad at me and I didn't know what to do. I was scared because I don’t know how to explain myself and I’m sorry I made you feel like I didn’t care, or like you didn’t matter because you matter so much to me, Steve. To the boys too if the amount of shit I’ve received this last week is any indication.”
He pauses to smile shyly at Steve when he hears a faint chuckle at that, then takes a deep breath and keeps going,
“And I'm sorry about the before because I should’ve been paying more attention, I was so lost I’m own little world where you are too good to be true, too good for me and I didn't even think about how you felt. How you could’ve felt about me and I should've realized that you liked me back and I should’ve kissed you, Steve! When I saw you there, looking like a fucking dream in those jeans, wearing a shirt with my stupid band name on it, I should've kissed you”
He’s panting when he finishes his rant, not from lack of air but from the amount of passion in his speech. He’s been looking anywhere but at Steve as he talked, but now that he’s done he finally looks at him.
And Steve is looking back, mouth slightly open and eyes huge and unblinking, and then he abruptly surges forward, grabs Eddie’s face, one hand on the back of his neck the other on his cheek, and kisses him.
Eddie instantly melts into it, he kisses him back with all he has, and pours everything he feels into it, and Steve moans when he licks inside his mouth and it’s absolutely wonderful but then, just as suddenly as he kissed him, he pushes him away. It startles Eddie so much he stumbles and almost falls.
“Fuck!” no- just”
“Steve?”
“Just wait, because I need to make sure, Eddie,” Steve says crossing his arms again and staring him in the eyes, “What exactly are you saying?” he asks.
Eddie looks at him praying he says the right thing, “I’m saying I love you and I want to be with you and I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you”
“And?” Steve says but there’s a hint of a smile on his lips and Eddie feels hopeful he’s on the right track.
“And… I’m sorry I kissed that girl?” He tries.
“Damn right you are, and?”
“And I’m not going to do something like that again?” Eddie says smiling back.
But then Steve’s smile is gone and looks seriously at him, “If we are doing this Eddie, if I’m going to give you my heart, you need to promise, promise you’ll be careful with it because-” And he stops talking, leaves the rest unsaid but Eddie understands what he means.
And he’s impulsive but not about this, not about loving Steve and he’s stubborn and so very determined to treat him right.
He moves close again and puts one hand on Steve's cheek, feeling him nuzzle into it as he places his other hand on his chest, right where his heart is.
Looks him in the eye when he says. “I promise” and this time, when they kiss, Steve doesn’t push him away but closer instead.
fin
part one
part two
part three
part four
part five (you are here!)
☕🥐💕 cafecito?
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