Chapter Text
The transition from the Northern Desert to the void was not a fall; it was a violent spatial wrenching, like being pulled through a keyhole while still being the size of a door. SVSSS Shang Qinghua hit the ground with a sound like a wet sack of flour.
"Ow! System! System, what the hell was that? My spinal cord is definitely a 'S' shape now, and not the sexy kind!"
Before he could even scramble to his feet, a familiar, heavy weight draped over him. The scent of frost and expensive incense flooded his senses. SVSSS Mobei-Jun was already upright, one hand gripping the back of Qinghua’s collar to haul him up, the other hand vibrating with a lethal, icy blue light.
"Qinghua. Stay behind me," the demon king commanded, his voice a low, protective rumble that usually made Qinghua’s knees go weak—though right now, they were mostly weak from the impact.
"Yeah, yeah, hiding in your shadow, my favorite hobby! But My King, where the—"
Shang Qinghua’s voice died in his throat. Across the dim, crystalline chamber, two other figures were rising from the floor.
It was like looking into a funhouse mirror that only reflected trauma.
Standing there was a version of Mobei-Jun that looked like he’d been carved from a glacier and then told he was never allowed to feel joy. This Mobei-Jun didn't reach out to steady the man beside him. He stood alone, radiating an aura of such absolute, crushing apathy that the air itself seemed to crack.
And beside him... PIDW Shang Qinghua.
The original. The traitor. The man who looked like he hadn't slept since the day he was born and spent every waking second calculating which of his "allies" would be the easiest to stab in the back. He was currently scrambling backward on his hands and knees, eyes wide with a frantic, feral terror.
"Who are you?!" the PIDW Shang Qinghua shrieked, his hand shaking as it gripped the hilt of his sword. "Illusions? Some kind of demonic trick? My Lord! My Lord, kill them! They’re mocking us!"
PIDW Mobei-Jun didn't even glance at his servant. His gaze was locked on his double. "Explain," he said. The word wasn't a request; it was a death sentence wrapped in a frost-breath. "Are you a skin-walker? Or a mirage from the Abyss?"
SVSSS MBJ didn't flinch. He stepped forward, his grip tightening on his husband’s shoulder, pulling the smaller man flush against his side. "I am Mobei-Jun. And you are trespassing in the presence of my spouse."
"Spouse?" PIDW MBJ’s lip curled in a way that suggested the very word was a poison. "You claim a human as a mate? You’ve grown soft. You look like a king, but you smell like a pet."
"Oh, wow," SVSSS SQH chimed in, finding his courage now that he realized his King was in 'Overprotective Mode.' He leaned out from behind his MBJ's arm, pointing a finger at the original version of himself. "Look at you! You're so stressed you've got a twitch in your left eye! And original-flavor-King? 'Soft'? Please. If you think this is soft, you should see him when I forget to bring him his favorite snacks. That is a crisis."
PIDW SQH stared at his counterpart, his face twisting in a mix of horror and disgust. "You... you're touching him. Voluntarily. You're leaning on a demon like a common whore! Do you have any idea what he’ll do to you once he’s bored? He’ll break your bones just to hear the sound!"
"Sweetie, the only thing he's breaking is the bedframe," SVSSS SQH shot back with a sharp, crass grin.
He reached up and patted SVSSS MBJ’s chest shamelessly. "And trust me, I'm the one who encourages it. Maybe if you spent less time plotting how to sell out the Northern Realm and more time appreciating the view, you wouldn't look like a prune that’s been left in the sun."
PIDW MBJ's eyes glowed with a dangerous, violet light. "I do not know what 'bedframe' you speak of, human, but your tongue is far too long. I think I shall freeze it to the floor."
He raised a hand, ice crystals forming in the air like jagged daggers.
Before he could strike, SVSSS MBJ let out a growl that shook the very foundations of the cavern. A wall of solid black ice slammed down between the two groups, a physical manifestation of his possessiveness.
"Touch him," SVSSS MBJ hissed, his voice dropping into a register that made even SVSSS SQH shiver—mostly with excitement—"and I will turn your entire world into a graveyard of ice. He is mine. Every hair, every breath, every scream."
SVSSS SQH let out a shaky, delighted breath. "Ooh, 'every scream'? My King, you’re being so dramatic today. I love it. Keep going, maybe the 'original' will actually learn what a libido is."
PIDW SQH just stared, his jaw hanging open. "This is a nightmare. I’ve finally snapped. I’m trapped in a cave with a version of myself that has no shame and a version of my Lord that... that... actually likes him?"
"He doesn't just like me, buddy," SVSSS SQH said, winking at his horrified double. "He adores me. Now, wrap your head around that while I figure out how to get us out of here. We have twenty-three hours left, and I am not spending them watching you hyperventilate."