The sun's rays infiltrating through the soft silk curtains of Ying Lei's room filled it with light, warmth and golden, heralding the start of another day and Ying Lei stirred in his sleep, feeling refreshed and strangely rested despite the many things that had happened the night before that had deprived them of lying down fully for more than just a few hours. To be honest with himself, although he remembered feeling inexplicably drowsy all of a sudden, he did not remember falling asleep in his bed, as he had been trying to reason with Bai Jiu, not enter Zhuo Yichen's room, from where everyone could sense the presence of a god.
Basically, he dragged Bai Jiu to his room and restricted him with a seal, trapping him there. Bai Jiu, ever since declaring himself Zhuo Yichen's younger brother, had taken this new role very seriously, wanting to protect him even when the younger of the Zhuo brothers didn't need him to, being one of the strongest in their unit just after their commander. Thus, convincing him that his Ge was fine, that Zhu Yan wasn't hurting him, and that there was probably a good reason for the great demon to be in his room had become quite difficult, as the only option left was to restrain him.
After that, he tried to calm the young healer down, telling him that he would let him go after he promised not to interfere in whatever was happening in that room, as it seemed quite serious, when the rain came down falling hard at first, bringing a feeling of sadness that made him want to cry for some unknown reason, to a drizzle that became so relaxing that he felt sleepy and then everything else turned into a black void.
His head ached for a few seconds as he tried to move to remove the blankets he didn't remember using to cover himself, but then, an arm that didn't belong to him landed on his chest and Ying Lei heard a soft groan so close to his shoulder that make him freeze in panic, before slowly moving his head to look to his left side, finding himself almost face to face with Bai Jiu's, who was starting to open his dark eyes and then....
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" A very loud shriek assaulted his ears and Ying Lei covered them in pain as Bai Jiu screamed even louder, moving away from him in shock of waking up in someone else bed and Ying Lei of all people, making his heart race like he was been chased by a demon.
That scream of course woke up all the guests of Zhu Yan's mansion, including the host along with the young Zhuo who was once again using him as a pillow before waking up with a start, sitting up in bed slightly dizzy, unable to recognize where he was for a few seconds before everything rushed into his mind, but Bai Jiu's screech made Yichen move on instinct and jump out of his bed, despite Zhu Yan's protest and he charged out of his room towards the source of the screech, finding himself, along with Wen Xiao and Pei Sijing right in front of Ying Lei's door.
"What's wrong?" Yichen asked the two women, and Wen Xiao laughed softly coming closer to him.
"Oh, I guess those two got caught in the rain spell last night and woke up... well... where they shouldn't have been." Wen Xiao said as they watched Ying Lei's bedroom door open and the young healer, his face as red as fire, rush out and away from the tall, blond man who was massaging his forehead, wondering if he would lose his hearing after those consecutive shrieks so close to his ears. Seeing Yichen there, Bai Jiu ran over and hugged him tightly.
"Ge! You're okay, I'm so glad." Bai Jui whispered, while a great demon breathed with a deep wave of annoyance, seeing the teenager hug his Xiao Zhuo so tightly. Something that didn't sit well with him, even though it was nothing more than a hug between brothers, because well... there were not.
"What do you mean, you're glad I'm okay? This is probably the safest place in the world, so why wouldn't I be okay?" Yichen asked the young man who refused to let him go.
"I thought you were in great danger." He tried to explain, burying his face in Yichen's chest.
"Danger from what, Xiao Jiu... there's nothing to fear here." But then Bai Jiu pointed to where Zhu Yan was standing, visibly annoyed.
"But he was inside your room! He even sealed it, and then there was the presence of a god, and I thought you were in trouble. That perverted monkey... he was trying to take advantage of you, wasn't he?" Bai Jiu accused the great demon, and everyone stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter, with the sole exception of Yichen, who was now blushing like mad. Pei Sijing tried to hide her laughter with her hand, Wen Xiao didn't even bothered, nor did Ying Lei, and Zhu Yan grinned as he looked at Yichen with amusement.
"Xiao Jiu! Don't say such things!" Yichen scolded, but the young man simply clung to him.
"I know he doesn't have pure intentions towards you, not by the way he looks at you. You're my Ge, and I'll protect you from his claws." He said, letting go of Yichen and turning to face the great demon, although he felt his knees weaken in fear. Zhu Yan approached the young healer and lowered his head to stand face to face with him.
"Kid, you said he's your Ge and that you're going to protect him, but just so you know, his real brother has already given me permission to pursue him as long as he consent it and we're fated, which we are, so who are you to interfere in your Ge's private life? Back off or else..." Zhu Yan warned as he snarled at the young healer, making him squeal again as he backed away, almost falling to the ground if Ying Lei hadn't caught him.
"Zhu Yan! That was rude, unnecessary, and out of line! Apologize!" Yichen scolded, and Zhu Yan put on an innocent face, almost pouting.
"But he accuse me of things I'm not. First, I'm not a pervert, and second, I'm not a monkey, I'm an white ape."
"You scared him and threatened him at the same time, whether seriously or not. He is our youngest member and had been severely traumatize by demons when a kid, so he had reasons to fear them, reason to believe they cannot be trusted and he only worry that you may be taking advantage of me, which is not entirely false, although not fully truthful either. Also, you have no right in asking others to back away from me, that's for me to decide. So please, apologize to him." Yichen insisted earnestly, while the others held their breaths from the sudden tension.
"Xiao Zhuo..." Zhu Yan whisper in protest.
"Alright, I'm leaving this mansion, then. This is my unit, and we stick together. If Bai Jiu messes up things, he will apologize for his mistakes as he should, but so will you." Yichen ordered, and Zhu Yan panicked as Yichen turned to walk away, so he grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving.
"Very well... I'll apologize if he does too." Zhu Yan said, and Yichen looked at the young man Ying Lei was still half-holding.
"Will you, Xiao Jiu? This is the great demon's home, one he built exclusively for us with his demonic power, so that we'll have a nice place to stay while he teaches us. Therefore, it's rude to accuse him without having all the facts. There was a reason he was with me last night, something I'll tell you myself later, so you were also in the wrong." Under his stern gaze, Bai Jiu felt a little embarrassed, so he lowered his gaze in shame for his childish behavior.
"My apologies, great demon. I got too carried away... He means a lot to me. He saved my life once when I was younger, and I've admired him ever since. I made a promise to myself to repay his kindness if one day our paths cross again and protecting him is the least I can do in return." Bai Jiu said as he bowed slightly to Zhu Yan.
"I apologize too. I shouldn't have scared you, since you're my guest and a cherish member of his unit. To be honest, I am glad that he had such loyal comrades that will go that far for his sake. You are in fact a good kid, so let's get along and protect him together." Zhu Yan said as he offered his hand to Bai Jiu, who took it, though his trembled slightly when they touched.
Ying Lei saw it all and almost whistled at Zhuo Yichen's bravery, for no one else would dare to scold a great demon in his own domain, let alone have enough power over him to convince him to do as he asked. Their Xiao Zhuo was just way too cool and his admiration for him just grew a lot more. Even Pei Sijing though that he had Commander material, the same as Fan Ying which was standing on the stairs of the third floor and Yixuan's unit, standing on the ones in the first floor.
"Zhu Yan, let me give you a friendly warning of my own. Acting possessive of me won't bring you any closer to me. I may be young, but I'm too used to being my own, not anyone else's property." Yichen whispered into the great demon's ear, after gently taking his arm and walking back to the door of his room so only he could hear the warning. Zhu Yan smiled.
"Of course, Xiao Zhuo, but having dragon blood mixed with my original white ape one, along with the teachings of two dragon god parents, makes me act like one. That's why, as a demon, it's ingrained in me to be possessive, because dragons choose only one partner for life. Only one Yichen, which means I've waited for you for centuries, whether you want it or not, you can't expect nothing less from me. It's in my nature, after all." That small fragment of information was like an explosion of energy in his face, for he thought he understood Zhu Yan's nature, even if only partially. But now it was clear to him that the nature of this great demon was more complex than he had ever imagined.
"Wait, does that mean you have two forms? Two different demonic energies at once? Is it even possible to be two demons in one?"
"Why do you think so few demons try to cross the gate from the demon world to confront me? If it were another demon guarding the rift, you wouldn't have a world right now. White ape demons are very rare, and there is even an old legend that says white apes are born from the blessing of both gods and demons, and there is only one in existence so far, and that is me. So I am an anomaly even among my kind, two beasts in one fine body, and with the blood of a god to boot." At this, Yichen's eyes widened in genuine surprise, having underestimated Zhu Yan's power, believing him to be a simple, yet powerful great demon, when in fact he may be a new type of species of his own.
His true power was incredibly overwhelming, even among the sealed great demons on the other side of the gate, to the point that most didn't dare face him in battle, which truly explained why more great demons hadn't crossed worlds to conquer them before. Zhu Yan was, in truth, more of a god than a demon, and one with an unknown power that was apparently feared among other demons.
"Did that impress you, Xiao Zhuo? Wait until you see my true form. As I have more than one form, it cannot be seen with the Truth Eye, but I assure you, the combination of my two blood types is breathtaking, and upon seeing it, you won't be able to resist touching it, just like my two godly parents couldn't resist when they first saw it. The fur is very soft..." Zhu Yan whispered into Yichen's ear, making Yichen blush as he imagined how his hand could run along the spine of a white dragon covered in soft fur instead of hard scales. He even closed his eyes subconsciously in his fantasy, making Zhu Yan laugh.
"Go back to your room, Xiao Zhuo, change your clothes and comb your hair. You look like someone kept you busy all night. No wonder others have a bad impression of me..." He whispered to the still-blushing Yichen, then turned around to leave him stunned, while the others tried to hold back their laughter once more.
Yes, Zhuo Yichen could obviously tame the great demon as easily as he breathed, but so could Zhu Yan, with the impulsive young man, who was just as easy to tease. As Zhu Yan walked down the stairs to the first floor, he passed by Yixuan's unit and patted Yixuan himself lightly on the shoulder to let him know that everything was under control.
"That's enough entertainment for one morning. Gather everyone, along with Fan Ying in the living room and let's talk about serious matters. Bing Yi visited me last night, we have serious problems coming." He said softly to Yixuan, who understood the gravity of his words and forgot for a moment the commotion of the morning, doing as he had asked.
AN: Just for further information, Zhu Yan had three forms, one his ape one, his dragon one and his mixed one, all pure white. Thanks for reading, I hope this one wasn't too hard, as Zhu Yan need to make boundaries around Yichen, and that will push Bai Jiu more into Ying Lei in turn, please don't hate me for that, they will still have their cute monuments.