Ship/Member: Seokmin/Minghao Major Tags: N/A Additional Tags: AU typical violence, mention of character death, spoilers for events in manga Permission to remix: No
***
Minghao sees Seokmin’s body first.
After—because Junhui meant something to him too—there will be horror, regret, shame. In the present, all it takes is seeing Seokmin’s crumpled body to shake an ancient rage out of Minghao’s bones.
Seokmin is not meant to lie prone. Seokmin is not meant to bleed into stone floors. Seokmin is not someone to be touched, but the piece of filth grinning over his body has managed it somehow.
“You will die for this,” Minghao swears, summoning his strongest and his worst curses. The ones that plague the nightmares of grown adults.
They hover over Seokmin’s body, the right hand of Minghao’s wrath. And Minghao tries his best, he does, puppeted by everything left unsaid where Seokmin is concerned, stiff limbs, one half of the strongest duo.
It is still not enough.
Minghao remembers little of the world fading to black. Little of the blade that crosses over his torso. He does remember crawling to Seokmin’s body, bleeding out. Reaching for Seokmin’s hand. Untouchable, even in his last moments. Two halves of something, at least.
When he comes to, Seokmin’s face is haloed over his.
“You look different,” Minghao croaks.
Seokmin smiles. It’s gentler than Minghao remembers.
“I figured it out.”
“What?”
For a beat, Minghao is afraid. Perhaps Seokmin has finally sifted through the mass churning in Minghao’s gut with his all knowing sight—nothing escapes it after all. That past the curses, deeper, something more twisted lies.
That love is the heaviest curse.
“Reversed curse technique.”
Minghao can see it too. Six Eyes, Limitless, reversed curse technique, another block to Lee Seokmin’s strength.
Minghao laughs. It sounds derisive to his own ears. “The honoured one, huh?”
“Don’t say that,” Seokmin swats him. “I don’t want to hear it from you.”
“What do you want to hear then?”
“That you will meet me. That you will join me.” Seokmin swallows. His hands are so, so warm, inches from Minghao’s.
If there is anyone with the strength to change their world, the very fucking fabric of their reality, it would be Lee Seokmin. A shift in the scales to offset the brilliance of light. In all of his dreams, Minghao is a half-step behind Seokmin. Reaching out for that which he can’t touch.
For the first time, Minghao reaches out. Limitless lets him through. “It’s us against the world. The strongest.”
“The strongest,” Seokmin repeats. Meets Minghao’s eyes as he twines their fingers together. “Us.”
The darkest part of Minghao churns.
They don’t talk about it. About what Seokmin saw after. All Minghao knows is that there is viscera on the walls of the temple. A crater. A missing body. Purple. He hears it from Jihoon, an edge of reluctant praise in his voice.
In the aftermath, there is a funeral on the beach. Junhui’s body, free as a bird. The last days of summer on Minghao’s tongue, Seokmin, a beacon of strength, the light at the end.
In another world, there may be a chasm between them.
In this, they are marked by the same blade. Chest to chest under the moonlight—they can only sleep next to each other now—wounds healed but scars still meeting. Marked treasure, the center of Xu Minghao and Lee Seokmin.
Love.
There is a child. Two, actually. Dark haired. They remind Minghao of the man who stood over Seokmin and Junhui’s body. Dark blood in an ancient place. Unnervingly green eyes. Power in the boy’s bones that Seokmin shivers at. A touch of destiny.
Hope, too.
Seokmin is across the country when Minghao finds the twins. Shivering, clutching at each other, underfed. Bile, anger, so much anger he could unleash all his curses. Wipe out the town. No more blood, not after Junhui. It takes one ring for Seokmin to teleport to Minghao.
For Seokmin to gather the twins and Minghao in his arms, to be the untouchable protection they need. Seokmin has always been stronger than Minghao in some ways. Has the strength to do what is right, what is asked of him, what is wanted of him. Has the strength to carry the burden of the title of the strongest sorcerer, of Minghao’s anger, prop up their mismatched family.
Seokmin has the strength to do it all, climb to the top, rebuild the world in his kindness. A safer world. A happier world, where children live full lives.
Love is Minghao’s heaviest curse, and his strongest one. Special grade shit, forged from every memory that connects them, galvanized in love.
In another world, Minghao dies four deaths. Once in an ancient temple. Once in the streets of Hongdae. Once in a small village. Once in an alley, Seokmin the executioner. Maybe Seokmin saw that ending.
In this, Minghao stands by his side. Half of the strongest, tied together.
[FILL] honoured one
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: AU typical violence, mention of character death, spoilers for events in manga
Permission to remix: No
***
Minghao sees Seokmin’s body first.
After—because Junhui meant something to him too—there will be horror, regret, shame. In the present, all it takes is seeing Seokmin’s crumpled body to shake an ancient rage out of Minghao’s bones.
Seokmin is not meant to lie prone. Seokmin is not meant to bleed into stone floors. Seokmin is not someone to be touched, but the piece of filth grinning over his body has managed it somehow.
“You will die for this,” Minghao swears, summoning his strongest and his worst curses. The ones that plague the nightmares of grown adults.
They hover over Seokmin’s body, the right hand of Minghao’s wrath. And Minghao tries his best, he does, puppeted by everything left unsaid where Seokmin is concerned, stiff limbs, one half of the strongest duo.
It is still not enough.
Minghao remembers little of the world fading to black. Little of the blade that crosses over his torso. He does remember crawling to Seokmin’s body, bleeding out. Reaching for Seokmin’s hand. Untouchable, even in his last moments. Two halves of something, at least.
When he comes to, Seokmin’s face is haloed over his.
“You look different,” Minghao croaks.
Seokmin smiles. It’s gentler than Minghao remembers.
“I figured it out.”
“What?”
For a beat, Minghao is afraid. Perhaps Seokmin has finally sifted through the mass churning in Minghao’s gut with his all knowing sight—nothing escapes it after all. That past the curses, deeper, something more twisted lies.
That love is the heaviest curse.
“Reversed curse technique.”
Minghao can see it too. Six Eyes, Limitless, reversed curse technique, another block to Lee Seokmin’s strength.
Minghao laughs. It sounds derisive to his own ears. “The honoured one, huh?”
“Don’t say that,” Seokmin swats him. “I don’t want to hear it from you.”
“What do you want to hear then?”
“That you will meet me. That you will join me.” Seokmin swallows. His hands are so, so warm, inches from Minghao’s.
If there is anyone with the strength to change their world, the very fucking fabric of their reality, it would be Lee Seokmin. A shift in the scales to offset the brilliance of light. In all of his dreams, Minghao is a half-step behind Seokmin. Reaching out for that which he can’t touch.
For the first time, Minghao reaches out. Limitless lets him through. “It’s us against the world. The strongest.”
“The strongest,” Seokmin repeats. Meets Minghao’s eyes as he twines their fingers together. “Us.”
The darkest part of Minghao churns.
They don’t talk about it. About what Seokmin saw after. All Minghao knows is that there is viscera on the walls of the temple. A crater. A missing body. Purple. He hears it from Jihoon, an edge of reluctant praise in his voice.
In the aftermath, there is a funeral on the beach. Junhui’s body, free as a bird. The last days of summer on Minghao’s tongue, Seokmin, a beacon of strength, the light at the end.
In another world, there may be a chasm between them.
In this, they are marked by the same blade. Chest to chest under the moonlight—they can only sleep next to each other now—wounds healed but scars still meeting. Marked treasure, the center of Xu Minghao and Lee Seokmin.
Love.
There is a child. Two, actually. Dark haired. They remind Minghao of the man who stood over Seokmin and Junhui’s body. Dark blood in an ancient place. Unnervingly green eyes. Power in the boy’s bones that Seokmin shivers at. A touch of destiny.
Hope, too.
Seokmin is across the country when Minghao finds the twins. Shivering, clutching at each other, underfed. Bile, anger, so much anger he could unleash all his curses. Wipe out the town. No more blood, not after Junhui. It takes one ring for Seokmin to teleport to Minghao.
For Seokmin to gather the twins and Minghao in his arms, to be the untouchable protection they need. Seokmin has always been stronger than Minghao in some ways. Has the strength to do what is right, what is asked of him, what is wanted of him. Has the strength to carry the burden of the title of the strongest sorcerer, of Minghao’s anger, prop up their mismatched family.
Seokmin has the strength to do it all, climb to the top, rebuild the world in his kindness. A safer world. A happier world, where children live full lives.
Love is Minghao’s heaviest curse, and his strongest one. Special grade shit, forged from every memory that connects them, galvanized in love.
In another world, Minghao dies four deaths. Once in an ancient temple. Once in the streets of Hongdae. Once in a small village. Once in an alley, Seokmin the executioner. Maybe Seokmin saw that ending.
In this, Minghao stands by his side. Half of the strongest, tied together.