#(hypotermia)

"I'm sorry." was the first thing nie mingjue said as he entered the council room and zonghui looked up from the papers, he looked tired. "The storm blocked us in the village and I wanted to keep all the strength for the return. I should have sent you a butterfly." 

ZongHui leaped on his feet, tiredness instantly forgotten as he crossed the distance in the room and took in the general appearance of his sect leader. His outer robe, the heavy, warm one, was nowhere to be found, his clothes and hair wet, a strand of hair, in the left side toward the back, hardly hidden in the mass of black hair, was white. 

"it's taking its toll in the end." he whispered, twisting the fine hair in his fingers. 

"you don't like them? I can always ask Mother to teach me how she conceal them." it wasn't a big deal for him, he never made it a problem, he knew it would happen, sooner or later, it was connected to the purification rituals he had been taught. Sure, it would be strange, maybe even a bit hard to explain to others without giving it away but nie mingjue didn't mind them. 

"No… I actually like them, I was just considering that now it's showing. I know it's a proof of your real strength and kindness." he moved closer and kissed him before moving back shocked. 

"you're freezing!" he took the face in both hands, then he took his hands and held them close. "mingjue why didn't you say something sooner?" he dragged him toward his room ignoring his complaints about not being that much cold and that he had things he should take care of as soon as he could.

"you'll deal with them later. Heavens, you're so cold! How can you not feel it?" he dragged him by the bed, forcing him to sit down and stripping from the wet clothes. 

"zonghui. Zonghui. - he called as the other man ran around the room to get dry, warmer clothes and towels. - acting sect leader Nie zonghui! you surely have more important things than undressing me." it was meant to sound joking but his voice dropped slightly, like he suddenly grew tired. 

"part of my important thing to do is taking care of you, master, Since you’re very much neglecting it.”

“I’m not neglecting it, you’re really exaggerating ZongHui. If you wanted me on this bed to make up for not having been back last night as promised you should have just—”

“Stop.” ZongHui turned, a blanket warmed up next to the fire held in his hands. “I… I’m not in the mood for that, Sect Leader. I’m not.” He crossed the room and put the blanket around his shoulders. Nie MingJue sighed briefly at the warm touch before stretching out and grabbing Nie ZongHui, forcing him to take a step closer, arms wrapped around his waist.

“I never wanted to worry you. I’m sorry. I am, I swear.” He grasped the fabric of his robe, holding tight until he felt ZongHui's arms wrapping around his shoulders, his face resting over MingJue's hair. “It really doesn’t feel too bad, I’m just a little cold and tired, not freezing.”

“That’s because you’re too cold. - He moved and grabbed a robe before sliding it on him and placing the blanket back on his shoulders. - you don’t realize the dangers here.”

“If I promise to rest will you stop worrying and go check on Huaisang?”

“No.” He helped him lay down on the bed and burrowed him in more blankets.

“ZongHui. Go check on Huaisang.” It was an order, not really. His voice was too low and soft to be taken as an order, and MingJue stopped ordering him around like that in private long ago.

“Fine, but I won’t stop worrying. Are we clear?”

Nie MingJue gave him a small, tired smile and breathed out letting his eyes close. ZongHui remained in the room a little longer, he quietly kneeled beside the bed and brushed some hair away from his face.

“Just because you’re not exactly human it doesn’t mean you're immortal. You're not. I can’t risk losing you because you're too reckless.” He brushed his lips against his forehead, feeling the skin still cold, before standing to go check on the second master, and fetch some more warm water.

"how's Da-ge?" was the first question coming out of the bundle of blankets on the bed. Nie huaisang let his head slip out, only the head, and looked at the man entering the room with a bowl of soup. "and don't say fine just because he said that." he sat up and took the bowl from him. 

"he's stubborn, just as always." not like nie zonghui had any intention of saying anything different in truth, and out of everyone, huaisang knew what he meant by that. 

"then run back to him before he decides to take a walk to his study chamber. He talked about making sure the villages had enough to survive this winter and he seemed really set on dealing with that immediately." 

ZongHui sighed as he reminded Huaisang to go back to rest after the soup, which the younger nie was already going to do but it was good to have someone remind him. 

He balanced the tray 2ith 2arm water and soup on one hand as he opened the door. Mingjue was still on the bed, seemingly asleep, for once. He lowered the tray in a table and moved closer with just the water, he could heat the soup later when he was awake. 

That was when he noticed. That was when he knew things weren't as good as he hoped, and he didn't keep his hopes even that high. 

His breath was slow and shallow, no shivering, but he hadn't been even before, and still his skin was cold. 

Climbing on the bed zonghui slid next to him before changing position so that nie mingjue was now half laying on him, and he wrapped his arms around his body. Sure, he was smaller, almost like huaisang, and it had always been strange when he tried to embrace him, ever since they were younger, but he prided himself in being physically stronger, despite the difference not being excessive. - people usually didn't believe him when he said that, not even the disciples that regularly trained with him, but he needed strength to wield two sabers, and it wasn't all spiritual power. He could defeat mingjue if he wanted, and he didn't. He could definitely carry him, was it not for mingjue being bigger and making the whole ordeal harder. - 

"if you freeze to death because you've been stubborn and gonna be mad, I warn you." he whispered, holding him a little closer. Nie mingjue didn't move and zonghui signed. It was going to be a long night and he couldn't let fear have the upper ground on him, he couldn't let his thoughts slip in his mind, little whispers telling him how he was going to fall asleep at some point, how he would wake up only to find his sect leader, his lover, dead in his arms. He couldn't let them in but they were hovering close with every slow breath he took. 

In the end zonghui actually fell asleep at some point. He woke up startled at a rumbling sound, the door of the room rattling with the wind and the body still held in his arms shivering slightly, face red and a lot warmer than he remembered. 

"mingjue?" he called softly, shifting their bodies in a better position, mingjue moaned, face buried against his chest before opening his eyes a little. 

"Now I'm cold, zonghui…" he whispered, barely looking at him. Zonghui didn't have to touch his forehead to know, part of him wanted to be glad the cold hadn't been excessive as he first feared, but mingjue had never been great at dealing with fevers. They got out of control even faster. He should probably call for a healer without waiting longer, before it grew worse and worse, and zonghui saw it happen way too many times. But when he moved to get out of the bed mingjue held tighter on his robe, a soft, moaned "no, don't go." whisper coming out of his mouth. Maybe… MaybeMaybe he could lay there a little longer. 

-He sent a messenger all the way to gusu only a couple of hours later, requesting their healing abilities to help their sick sect leader. When lan qiren showed up with his older nephew in tow, xichen worried about his older sworn brother, it took him only a look before turning to zonghui. 

"Did he go roll in the snow again?" he asked, shooting the younger man a look, like that was the actual reason someone like nie mingjue would get so sick in such a short time. "I thought he would've learned by now." 

"uncle?" Lan xichen called confused, MingJue's skin felt on fire under his hand, zonghui slipped in the bed again, holding him close. 

"No rolling, I hope. He's a stubborn being who'd make me go gray before time." 

"seems like he started for himself already… I always say he reminds me of zhenxiang but now he looks all like his mother."