#jengarts

I saw this super adorable picture of Okubo Satomi (Usagi) and Shiotsuki Shuu (Haruka) and had to draw a little Harusagi fanart for it 💖 (Photo under the cut; drawing has alt text)

I know it's not the 9th anymore where you live but HAPPY BIRTHDAY @cenedrariva! 💖

Xue Yang has a very special gift for you! 😇 (Be careful, though, it may or may not include some severed tongues 👅)

He carefully unwrapped what looked like a small piece of candy, about the same size as a medicine pill, and stuck it in his mouth with closed eyes. After a moment of relishing in the taste, he opened his eyes again and a single tear slipped out and ran down his cheek.

Xue Yang slumped where he sat and nodded with resignation. "Go ahead." The candy in his mouth slurred his speech a little.

Song Lan almost laughed. Here the monster was, on his knees, about to die, and he wasn't even going to fight it. Lights almost completely out.

He gripped Fuxue tighter as he stepped closer and let his eyes — Xingchen's eyes — sweep over Xue Yang's body until they settled on the spot where his heart had to be. One firm stab through his ribcage, and it would be over.

Somewhere Deep Inside of These Bones, Chapter 1: "The Beginning of the End"

When he looked up after he'd finished, a blurry white silhouette caught his eye for a moment across the stream, but it was gone as soon as he blinked. He shook his head slightly as if to get rid of dizziness. Was this a side effect of his consciousness being his own again?

[...]

He sat down on a tree stump once the container was sufficiently full and, after putting it down, pulled out the spirit-trapping pouch. The object was painfully light in his hand. The remains of Xingchen's spiritual consciousness barely gave any resistance as his fingers explored the fabric with the utmost care. He reached out with resentful energy to probe the inside of the pouch, and almost choked on a dry sob when all it found was a dull, shredded glimmer of light.

This was all that was left of the bright moon and gentle breeze.

He stayed there for a while, crying non-existent tears, able to properly mourn his cultivation partner, his friend, the love of his life for the first time in seven years.

Somewhere Deep Inside of These Bones, Chapter 2: "Wounds"

Made some more art for my fic, for one of the more emotional moments. 🥲

Another lightning strike and he could finally see it, latched onto one of the inner rows of teeth. He squirmed further inside and reached out with his hand, trying to get a hold of it.

The apparition stared at him from inside the beast's throat, only the head visible.

"Come ... on!" he exclaimed. One of the muscles in his neck overextended and cramped up, causing him to hiss from the sudden pain.

Then finally, miraculously, his fingers brushed the slimy pouch and closed around it. He pulled it free, careful not to rip it on the rows of teeth, and extended his qi sense to feel inside. As far as he could tell, the dull glimmer of Xiao Xingchen's remaining spiritual consciousness had about the same mass it'd had the last time he'd checked on it. It hadn't been devoured yet.

Somewhere Deep Inside of These Bones, Chapter 4: "The Storm"

Xue Yang slid to a halt. Before he had the chance to get more than "Now, Song-daozhang, this isn't what--" out, Song Lan had already raised his free hand and blown it across Xue Yang's face in a violent arch. For a moment, the exploding pain robbed him completely of his breath, causing him to lose his footing and collapse on the grass.

"I'm not ... I'm not running away," he managed to huff when he'd somewhat regained his composure, and raised his hand to point behind his Fierce Corpse.

Face still clouded by burning resentment, Song Lan slowly turned and let his eyes follow the direction Xue Yang's finger was pointing to, settling on the Jujube trees.

Xue Yang let his hand drop again and rolled onto his back. "I was just gonna get a couple to eat. If that's alright with you, Song-daozhang." He tried to keep his voice from shaking from the pain, but barely succeeded. It was a far cry from the mocking tone he would have loved to use, had he been able.

Somewhere Deep Inside of These Bones, Chapter 3: "Down in the Mud"

Xue Yang's body shivered as the heat started to break through the cold around them. Song Lan grabbed the pouch of herbs and then took another close look at the monster's injuries by the firelight.

The shoulder stump was by far in the worst condition. Whatever recovery it had made in the last day and a half had been completely reversed and even worsened. The skin around the wound was enflamed and the flesh looked close to getting infected. Small trickles of blood oozed from the veins and dropped to the ground where a pool had formed already.

Xue Yang had lost a lot of blood in the last couple of days, losing any more could prove fatal.

Somewhere Deep Inside of These Bones, Chapter 5: "Decisions and Little Pleasures"

Been a while since I made one of these. Whump scenes are half the fun in an enemies-to-lovers ship, of course. 😏 Xue Yang's been through a lot in his life and has the recent injuries and old scars to prove it. 🥲 At least now he has Song Lan to take care of him, albeit reluctantly.