XiChen smiled at the family sitting next to them.

"Start from the beginning. What happened after you left Cloud Recesses?"

"Did you miss us at all?" JingYi asked, from under the baby pile. The question was directed at SiZhui.

The dragon babies had curled around him so only his face was showing.

"Yes, I did. But at the same time, this was special. For all of us." SiZhui smiled shyly.

Li XiWang took his free hand in hers, smiling back. Jin Ling was sitting next to him again, after his Uncle XiChen had helpfully pulled his Uncle Cheng into his lap and creating space. Jin Ling could handle the scowls at his back.

"There were lots of villages." Li XiWang said, smiling at her fathers now.

"One of them had strange noises happen at night, but we didn't hear anything," SiZhui continued. "The innkeeper asked for fathers' help."

"What was it?" Jiang Cheng asked.

When neither parent answered, SiZhui spoke.

"A woman had been accidentally killed, and then her body was thrown down a ravine. My fathers saw her ghost and what she was trying to say."

At this memory, Lan Zhan's grip tightened around Wei Ying's waist. He didn't seem to notice, staring into the fire.

"The innkeeper was told to make offerings, and hopefully that will give her some peace." SiZhui finished.

"And then, there was the best town, with the best decorations, and it was lovely and they were having a festival because they were celebrating the day the Dragon Kings came to live in the sea." Li XiWang had started off excitedly rattling off her thoughts, bringing smiles to her uncles, but she sighed when she got to the last bit.

Lan Zhan rubbed her back comfortingly. He sneaked a look at Wei Ying, but he was still looking at the fire, unblinking.

"Show them the shell!" SiZhui said, also excited now.

Jin Ling kissed his cheek. His boyfriend could be so cute.

Li XiWang pulled it out from her pouch.

"This was my father's."

They all stared at her then, including Wei Ying.

"What did you say, little rabbit?" He whispered.

"Oh, not yours." She laughed awkwardly, a blush creeping into her cheeks. "I mean the seventh dragon king."

They all started talking at once then and it was Jiang Cheng who stopped it.

"Just shut up for a minute. How did we get from a pretty decorated town having a festival to...to this? It doesn't make sense. What happened at this festival?" He scowled at everyone else, effectively shutting them up.

XiChen rubbed his arm affectionately, and the scowl transformed into a shy smile.

Jin Ling rolled his eyes.

"Well, that's the strange part," SiZhui continued from Li XiWang. "We were wandering around the stalls because the day before, a resident had told us merchants from all over the country would come with different things to see and while we were here, it would be worth us staying. And then my sister saw a conch shell, that one, and she picked it up and played it. Then the merchant who was selling it gave it to her for free. And he said he only knew of one person who could play it."

"Really?" Jin Ling asked him, looking at Li XiWang. "Who else can play it? And can you play it now?"

"That comes later, if you want us to tell you in order!" Li XiWang smiled.

"The townsfolk had all bowed to her too." SiZhui continued. "It was very strange. And the air changed, that's for sure."

"Mn."

"Then we found that temple." Li XiWang said, enthusiastically waggling her eyebrows at SiZhui. "There was a swan and-"

"It's not at all interesting. We can skip over that bit." SiZhui rushed in, getting red faced again.

"But you remembered everything, even though you haven't been there before, and-" she continued, knowing why he did not want to her to divulge anything.

"No please, it's boring." SiZhui tried again.

"I don't think it's boring." Jin Ling murmured in his ear. "Not at all."

"But...but you'll get upset!" Fear tinged his words.

"That's my problem. I still want to know. More, because you don't want me to." Jin Ling smiled...but it felt predatory. He turned to Li XiWang. "Tell me everything."

"Absolutely." She beamed at both of them, hardly able to contain a laugh. "It was his past life and he remembered the location perfectly. But do you know what happened?" She didn't wait for any answers. "The swan turned into a man. And, what's more, he recognised SiZhui!"

"Really? How interesting." XiChen said, appraising the boy.

"And he called him Wen Jun, and he said, Ge-ge was a Princess-"

SiZhui stood up and brushed the sand off his clothes as he walked away. He couldn't bear it if...if Jin Ling really thought....

Jin Ling watched him go, torn between going after him and a need to know more, because SiZhui didn't want him to know.

"Princess." Li XiWang enunciated every syllable, clearly enjoying herself. She told them everything, how he was a past lover, wanted to reignite their relationship, how he'd been cursed by SiZhui in that life, and why. But she made sure to tell him that SiZhui had outright rejected the other man.

By the time she had finished telling them, Jin Ling was already standing up to go after SiZhui, his eyes blazing.

The group became silent then, either trying to hear them or lost in their own thoughts.

Jin Ling found SiZhui past the curvature of the cliffside, sitting by a rock pool. He was stirring the waters with a stick he had found, but his eyes were glazed over, mind elsewhere. He went to sit next to him, letting him have his peace.

"I'm sorry." SiZhui said, after a while.

"For what?" Jin Ling took his free hand.

"I didn't...I didn't encourage him! I told him I couldn't love him, that I was different in this life."

A lone tear plopped onto their joined hands. Jin Ling gave it a tug, to gain his attention. Twice more before SiZhui would look at him.

"What exactly are you worried about?" Jin Ling asked. His calmness surprised even himself, but since that afternoon, he knew SiZhui was his. Nothing was going to change that.

"I didn't want you to get the wrong idea."

Jin Ling laughed softly, under his breath. "And what is the wrong idea?"

"Don't make me say it! I-I can't!" SiZhui pulled his hand away and stood up.

Jin Ling stood up too, determined that SiZhui face his problem head on.

"You don't have to worry, SiZhui. Your sister told me everything." Jin Ling took both his hands in his and touched their foreheads. "What I am worried about, is your reaction to all of this. Why do you think it would matter to me? Well, it does matter, but not in the way you think." Jin Ling cupped his face and kissed him gently, mostly to reassure.

SiZhui held onto his wrists, comforted by the solid pumping of his blood in that one place.

"I don't want you to think less of me." He confessed, closing his eyes.

"I would never! SiZhui, even if I didn't know that you can't lie, I would always believe you. I don't care what other people say, I only care about you. I know, if it was something important, you would tell me yourself." Jin Ling looked deep into chocolate eyes, smiling at the golden flecks. "Why don't you trust me?"

SiZhui gasped and threw his arms around him. "Of course I trust you! How could you say that?"

"But you were worried I would think something else, right? Without even talking to me?"

"Only...only because my father suggested I tell you to make you jealous, but Jin Ling, I'm not like that!" SiZhui told him anxiously. "I'm not!"

Jin Ling laughed.

The sound was sudden, loud in the stillness of the night.

"It's not funny." SiZhui pulled away, but Jin Ling held onto him.

"Uncle Wei is unbelievable!" Jin Ling said, calmly wiping the tears from his eyes. "And, I'm not laughing at you. It's just, it's funny that only he would think of that."

SiZhui looked at him uncertainly.

"Come here." Jin Ling tugged on the hand encased in his. He wasn't going to let go, not this time.

SiZhui let himself be pulled into a hug. Jin Ling held onto him tightly.

"I love you. Absolutely and completely. You can tell me anything." Jin Ling kissed his hair. "I don't want any misunderstandings to come between us, and I certainly don't want any of my uncles to, either. Do you understand?" He felt SiZhui nod.

"Good. Now let's go back, because I'm dying to hear about the rest of your adventures." Jin Ling made to go but SiZhui stopped him.

"Wait, I...I have something I want to say."

Jin Ling came back to him and waited patiently for SiZhui to gather his thoughts. He was looking down at first, but when he raised his eyes up to look at Jin Ling properly, Jin Ling was stunned at fiery passion brewing in their depths.

"I love you. So much, maybe more than how much you love me, but...but that's okay. I can wait. I never got to tell you, you know, properly, and...and I just wanted you to know. There'll never be anyone else for me. Just you."

Jin Ling barely waited for him to finish speaking before hauling him into his arms. Their teeth clashed with the force of their emotions, hot lips searing in an urgent dance, impatient to convey their love, and yet it was laced with a sweetness that SiZhui hadn't felt before. His lips became softer, slower, tasting the uniqueness of his lover, expressing every wish, every desire for more.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake! Get a move on, we're all waiting for you two!" Jiang Cheng stomped off, disappearing behind the rounded cliff.

They had pulled apart at the noise, and now it was SiZhui who laughed.

"Are we okay?" Jin Ling asked him sincerely.

"Yes. Yes, but..." SiZhui hid his face inside Jin Ling's robes, ears blazing.

"But what?" Jin Ling patted his back.

"How will we face them?" SiZhui thumbed towards the suspiciously silent crowd, waiting for them to return.

"We own it. Come on." Jin Ling took his hand and marched them back.

Wolf whistles and cheers greeted them as they sat down properly, between both sets of uncles.

Jin Ling held a hand up while SiZhui covered his face, blushing furiously.

"At least we didn't take ages confessing to each other." He looked pointedly at both couples.

That earned him a clip around his ear.