bakerstreet | hey, there's at least one redeeming quality about me, you know!

[ooc: the one who forgives and accepts.]

(haven’t watched the new series and it’s been a while since i saw the original, but sango’s canon-point is after naraku’s defeat—though she doesn’t settle down with miroku.)

( the one in serious need of redemption )

( Those sins from his past left stains that might never be erased. )

[ooc: Well ... ]

[The redeemer.]

[Either role.]

[The redeemed.]

[Care for more of these two? Seems like a good meme for them.]

[ooc: This would definitely work for these two. Assuming we're back in Jinlintai? He's pretty redeemed in the other threads.]

[For sure, I was thinking further back when he was still needing redemption. If that works for you let's roll with it!]

Meng Yao had been sick to his stomach for days after Madam Qin had confronted him. He had confined himself to his rooms feigning illness. He did not need to work hard to feign it. He was pale, he ate little, and sometimes he even vomited. His brother had even shown concern, sending Meng Yao a doctor. But, this was not a regular illness. It was mounting panic.

He was doomed. For once in his life, he saw no way to scheme his way out of this. The truth was too awful to tell to anyone. His father's friendship with Qin Su's father would be ruined, Meng Yao would be blamed even though it was not his fault, but how could he go through with it? She was his sister! Oh gods above, the person who loved him, who he thought he might come to love was also one of his father's bastards, damn the man, damn him to the lowest depths of Diyu.

He was breathing hard. He grabbed the bottle of tonic that the physician had left behind. For 'nerves'. Nerves. He laughed wildly. Then he sobbed. What he needed was poison. He downed the medicine anyway.

It had been many days since the goblin had seen his patron and it was quite unusual for that. Meng Yao was often secretive and scheming, but never in such a way that he avoided Kim Shin to the tune of almost a fortnight. Whenever he'd gone looking for him, he'd been turned away with the excuse that the man was ill. Somehow, it didn't make sense. He knew the goblin could heal him and sickness was no exception, so why would he turn him away?

At last, he managed to clothe himself in invisibility and slip past the guards, finding his way into the chambers where the peony had shuttered himself. "A-Yao," the general said as he dropped the shroud of transparency, fading into view while he watched the shaking, panicked man down nearly the entire bottle of liquid while nearly crying. "What on earth is going on? Why have you been avoiding me? And why do you look like you're about to have an absolute meltdown?"

As usual, he had no tact and cut directly to the heart of the issue. Stepping forward, he knelt down next to the shuddering figure, brushing a lock of hair from his face in concern. "Tell me what's going on."

"I'm contagious ... you should leave," Jin Guangyao said in a wooden voice. "I didn't send for anyone."

At least the medicine had kicked in enough to stop him from full-on hysterics. But, he knew he looked awful and the last thing he needed was for someone in his employ to see him weeping like a woman. Even if it was Kim Shin and he liked him. Actually, it was worse that he liked him. Guangyao didn't want anyone he liked seeing him like this. Though if he didn't weep, he might destroy things. Or someone. In fact, he had a very clear vision of who he wanted to destroy.

"I just need rest," he said, forcing a smile, though it trembled.

He couldn't let anyone know. People already treated him like something dirty. He'd lose everything. He could not go back to how things were before his clan took him in.

"You know I can't become ill with human sickness," the god said, clearly not at all put off by the attempt to make him leave. He remained down where the other man had fallen, still gently lavishing attention on him. "Come here," he said softly, pulling the not-quite-hysterical scholar into his arms.

With a soft sigh, he held him for a long moment. "You're not going to tell me what's wrong, I can already tell," he said while his hands began to rub circles into the other's back in an attempt to help calm him. "But I'm still not leaving you." This was not the first time he'd been told to leave and had dug his heels in; in fact their sleeping arrangement had come about after he'd been told to leave and ended up carrying the bookworm back to bed. Now they spent the evenings together with Meng Yao refusing to let go of the goblin's robes even in his sleep.

"Then I shall carry you to the bed," the guardian said, moving to lift the weakened man.

Guangyao knew. It was a weak excuse born of exhaustion and emotional fatigue. Butt he wondered if Kim Shin would still be being so kind to him if he knew the sort of mess Jin Guangyao had gotten himself into or what he was considering going through with. The circles rubbing into his back grounded him somewhat.

He didn't struggle when the other scooped him up. Though the way that he clung on to the robes of the other all but screamed 'save me.' He was trembling. Though he supposed he could blame that on sickness too. Guangyao was loathe to admit it, but his guardian was probably the only reason he got any sleep at all in Jinlintai. When he was nestled against the other man was the only time he felt safe.

As much as he'd been hiding away in his room, now that Kim Shin was here he realized how much he did not want to be alone. The man's stubbornness almost made him smile.

Edited 2021-05-08 16:54 (UTC)