Lunar Silverdawn Xing

“Haven’t I killed you before?”

Lunar rolled his shoulder and stretched, looking at himself in the mirror. He tried, really tried, to feel prepared about this, but if he was completely honest, years of training in disguise and deception didn’t come in handy at all right here. He couldn’t look into his Imprint’s eyes and lie to him.

Xi looked up nervously (worriedly?) from his own perch on the counter in the corner of the kitchen. Fluidly, though, as if he weren’t bothered by any of this, he pushed himself off, bringing a cup of the tea to the other silver.

Cyrus yawns at the stove, cooking some food for them all. He serves them the food and after washing the dishes, sort of droops on the table.

“Well…” He trailed off, rubbing his hand over his face, “Anyway. Thanks for the tea.” Lu took a sip, feeling the warm liquid travel down to his stomach, feeling slightly less ill. He hesitated a bit, thinking about where to start and sighed.

Something in his chest stopped, and before he could even realize it was his heart, it had started again as if there was nothing wrong, nothing going on. Nothing to see here, not at all. Xi attempted a smile back, heart now hammering yet faster.

Cyrus watches them quietly, munching on the sandwich.

Lunar opened his mouth, wanting to counter Cyrus, but realizing that he really was a dense idiot. The silver phoenix feigned a cough before he replied to Xichen, “no no, I’m the one who should apologize. I wasn’t…at my best behavior that day either.” He clenched at his mug, feeling genuinely awkward at this situation.

Xi winced at the rising emotion, shooting Cy a glare before conjuring a tiny ball of ice just above Cyrus’ shirt collar and dropping it down the other’s back.

“In a way, yes,” He ruffled his hair, finding it hard to explain what Imprint is, “well, our souls are linked, really. Which is why, uh, you can feel my emotions and vice versa.” He smiles a little when they both emphasized that it was no trouble, feeling a bit of a relaxed vibe coming from the Imprint bond. He curled up a little, knowing how much stress he was causing for his Imprint.

Xi stilled. “Huh, that is… that is interesting. I wonder how that even works…” he trailed off. This was a lot to take in, but honestly, he was grateful they were talking about it. It was much easier to deal with when Lunar looked and felt just as nervous as he was, though his own was subsiding for more curiosity, and when he was getting straight answers.

If Lunar could use one word to summarize what in the everloving hell he was feeling, the word would be turmoil. His own nervousness entangled with everything Xichen was feeling and Gods if that didn’t confuse him, the thought of explaining this whole Imprint bond would end up giving him a headache anyway.

Xi pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and just… breathed, for a second; moons. He really needed to get this under control. He reached with one hand back to the counter, grabbing his tea and taking a long drag. It wasn’t as warm by now, but that was fine. He set the mug down and wearily took his hand from his face, unconsciously mirroring and shifting towards Lunar. 

“I get that,” He sighed, “Well, anyway, yes, Imprint is a type of bond, as you already know. It’s…think of it as a Link, but a Link between two, or sometimes more than two, souls.” He struggled to get his words out as he thought of ways to explain this.

“Ah…” he murmurs, daring to glance up at Lunar’s eyes. Eyes that he’d been disgusted at in his own face, but were beautiful as the sacred moons in Lunar’s. 

“It means…anything, really. A guardian, a protector, a companion, a brother…” he trailed off when he thought of the last most common categories, hesitating a bit before he continued, “sometimes even a lover. The Imprint brings both ends a higher understanding of each other, if you will.”

Xichen grinned for having made the other laugh, and nodded along. All of this made sense at this point, at least. “That should all be fine. We live together, anyway, and I can’t see us having such a huge falling out and not speaking…” 

“I can share that sentiment.” He hummed along, thinking about his sister and wondering how things were with her. It had been only a few weeks, but he already missed her loads.

Xi blinked a few times, shaking his own thoughts from his head before Lunar placed a hand on his arm. Almost instantly the thoughts were gone, replaced with - 

He looks to the floor, his cheeks glowing faintly with his cursed silver blush. He cleared his throat, willing his eyes to pretty please not glow with whatever-the-fuck emotion he was being assaulted with now.

A small smile climbed up to his face when he saw the glowing blush, but he knew better to point it out. No need to push it. His inner phoenix chipped with satisfaction as he leaned against the counter.

“Some people feel like they don’t deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past.”

Lunar stopped midphrases when the magic anon wore off. In a mysterious light he turned back to his usual self. He felt slightly disoriented at first, but then the memories caught up with him and-

xi bolted upright at the shot of pure panic that raced through him as Lu changed back to normal.

He falls off the couch and startled awake when he accidentally hits himself. He sits up and rubs his cheek, looking at them both in confusion.

His breath became more and more rapid as he almost dashed out of the room, unable to look back to either of them. And for the Great Fire he already made his Imprint feel bad! He tried to shut off the bond, to cut off the connection, but his magic wasn’t in his control at all. He stumbled back to his room and locked the door, trying to squash down his panic. The poor Phoenix was hyper aware of everything and anything that was passing through the Imprint bond, making his emotions even messier.

okay. okay. he could do this.

Cyrus gives him a small smile before cleaning up the living room. He puts the blanket with hot chocolate on it in the washing machine and sets the mug in the sink before going upstairs to join Xichen.

Lunar couldn’t make up anything that Xichen tried to send through the bond, but he could tell the other was trying to calm him down. He leaned his head against the doorframe, trying to regulate his breathing pattern. It was okay. If his sister could go through this, he could do that too.