Chapter Text
“You’ll never get away with this, Shizun!” Luo Binghe gasped as he strained against the silken cables that bound him to the chair.
They pulled taut against his skin, crimson strands bright against reddening skin. Luo Binghe himself was flushed with exertion, strands of hair clinging to skin damp with sweat.
Shen Yuan laughed low and dark. “No matter how you struggle, you won’t break free of those,” Shen Yuan traced Luo Binghe’s cheek with a white gloved finger. “I’ve made them specially for you. They’ll bind your mutant powers. You’re as helpless as any mortal now.”
Luo Binghe turned his face away, trying to hide. Shen Yuan grabbed his chin and forced Luo Binghe to look at him. “So helpless,” Shen Yuan murmured. “You don’t stand a chance at stopping me.”
Luo Binghe’s eyes flew wide as Shen Yuan bent his head to nip at the delicate tip of Luo Binghe’s ear. “Shizun!” Luo Binghe cried out. The sound should have been outraged, but instead Luo Binghe’s arousal leaked into his tone.
“I know what you want, deep down,” Shen Yuan purred with a sinister smile. “Let me teach you how to take it.”
“Excuse me!” Sha Hualing shouted as she slammed open the door. It hit the wall with a thud. “But can you not do this right now? We’re supposed to be at the museum dedication in twenty minutes!”
Shen Yuan groaned from his perch atop Luo Binghe’s lap. “Get out! This is none of your business!”
Sha Hualing predictably did not get out. She stood in the doorway and crossed her arms. “You’re going to make us late.”
Luo Binghe tipped his head back to look at her. “Five more minutes?” He asked, giving her a pleading look that made Shen Yuan’s heart melt. How could anyone resist?
Sha Hualing looked at them contemplatively. Then she drew out her phone. “Only if I can record you,” she said.
Luo Binghe turned his hopeful look on Shen Yuan, who found that he could resist it after all.
“Nope, nope, nope,” Shen Yuan said, scrambling off Luo Binghe and straightening out his hero costume.
And then both of them were pouting at him.
“Nope!” Shen Yuan grew a little more shrill, and then left the room before either of them could persuade him not to. His dignity was at stake, here!
The museum had been condemned after the attack; that many abyssal creatures in one place had wreaked havoc on its hallowed halls, inside and out. But after a great deal of time and money, it had been renovated to its former glory–and its purpose had changed. Instead of celebrating the glory of Luo Binghe alone, it now highlighted the lives and accomplishments of the Heavenly Pillars: the town’s new hero team.
They had compounded the already criminally awful architecture by adding themed decorative pillars supporting the roof, one for each new hero of the team. Shen Yuan cringed to look at his; they had used photos from the great battle with Xin Mo for reference, and the sculptor had paid particular attention to Shen Yuan’s ass. Surely the costume hadn’t been that tight?
Shen Yuan was holding out hope that the museum would be attacked once more. He was going to go back to working there when the museum reopened, and the thought of walking past that enormous marble derrière every morning was too unbearable to consider.
He was reformed! Several court cases had failed to prove him guilty of anything more than misdemeanor loitering, thanks to the lawyers Shen Jiu had hired. Shen Yuan had been assigned hundreds of hours of community service, and hero work counted towards that total. So Shen Yuan was not only an ordinary citizen now, but a fully fledged hero!
Only, perhaps, just a little bit of vandalism would be fine?
Shen Yuan made sure to face away from that particular pillar during the museum’s dedication ceremony. This meant that every time Luo Binghe looked at him, Luo Binghe got a good look at the pillar as well. But Shen Yuan could delude himself that the gleam in Luo Binghe’s eyes was for him alone. It wasn’t too much of a stretch.
And Luo Binghe did look over often, because the museum dedication ceremony was long and boring. Shen Yuan stood there in the sunlight watching Ming Fan go on and on at the podium, and wondered if he should have been arranging to arrive even later than they had.
Yue Qingyuan and Shen Jiu were not there. They had joined the Heavenly Pillars on a reserve basis only, and were traveling the world to celebrate Yue Qingyuan’s effective retirement. Yue Qingyuan was theoretically keeping Shen Jiu out of trouble, but in reality seemed to be getting into trouble with him. But at least he seemed to be having the time of his life doing it.
Everyone else was here to celebrate the formation of their hero team. Mobei-jun stood tall at Shang Qinghua’s side, acting as air conditioning while also subtly groping Shang Qinghua’s butt. Shang Qinghua probably thought his staring at Mobei-jun’s chest was subtle. It wasn’t.
Shen Yuan scooted closer to Shang Qinghua in hopes of getting some of that sweet, sweet cold air. Luo Binghe scooted closer to Shen Yuan, and then grabbed Shen Yuan’s arm to cling to it, radiating heat as he usually did. Shen Yuan wanted to whimper.
Sha Hualing and Liu Mingyan were standing solemnly beside them. Liu Mingyan was taking advantage of the way her face was covered by a mask to keep up a stream of commentary to Sha Hualing. Sha Hualing’s lips were pursed but occasionally her cheeks puffed as she choked with suppressed laughter.
Gongyi Xiao had finished his training at Meng Mo’s School for Gifted Children, and had joined the team only a month prior. He had settled in well, particularly since he was actually capable of talking sensibly to the press. (Shen Yuan had thought Liu Mingyan, being a reporter, would be good at it. He had been so, so wrong.)
As the designated PR person of the team, Gongyi Xiao was working overtime with Ning Yingying and Liu Qingge at his side to uphold the reputation of the Heavenly Pillars. They weren’t goofing off, but were standing solemnly beside Ming Fan and nodding along. Since they were at the front of the stage, they had absolutely no idea of the shenanigans going on behind them.
“Over a lifetime, there are only four or five moments that truly matter,” Ming Fan was blathering on. “Moments that decide who you are. Because you make a choice.”
And then suddenly the ground opened up before them, pavement cracking. Smoke hissed out from between sheets of concrete.
“We just finished resurfacing that!” Ming Fan moaned, looking ready to tear his hair out.
“Never mind that, run!” Gongyi Xiao shouted, dragging Ming Fan away from the podium.
From the smoke, three figures emerged. The one in the center, a slim young woman, had a stern look and arms crossed. The other two were men who had struck dramatic poses, arms flung out like they were actors in a trashy play. The taller one was making finger-guns.
“Look at this crowd! Here to celebrate fakes and liars and murderers. They think you’re heroes, and they don’t care about the truth. Why can’t they see what I see, why can’t they hear the lies?” Qiu Haitang raised what looked absurdly like a magic wand. “Pillars of the community? You’re a plague on society!”
And it was Qiu Haitang. After seeing that face slack in death, Shen Yuan could never forget it. Her domino mask couldn’t hide the truth from him.
Not so dead after all, apparently.
“How did you -” Shen Yuan blurted. Had it been an illusion? Clones? The mutant superpower of immortality via reincarnation?!?!
“How did I survive you murdering me?” Qiu Haitang accused bitterly. “It was fake. But really, no one investigated at all? And here you are, being lauded as a hero. And A-Jiu, too! No. I’m here to drag you down to the hell where you belong.”
Around Shen Yuan, the Heavenly Pillars slid into battle stances and drew their weapons.
“And the rest of society as well!” Tianlang-jun announced, doing some sort of strange arm movements that were almost, but not quite, a dance. “We’re not picky! Right, Zhuzhi-lang?”
Zhuzhi-lang was also doing the arm movements. But where Tianlang-jun had committed fully and enthusiastically to the bit, Zhuzhi-lang was cringing with embarrassment as he performed. But he still stood by Tianlang-jun’s side.
Tianlang-jun continued. “Because we are the Villain Alliance Gleefully-”
“We’re the League of Villains,” Qiu Haitang said, quickly cutting him off. “And in the name of justice, we will punish you!”
“Heavenly Pillars! We’re up!” Luo Binghe shouted.
And everyone leapt into battle.
Art by k0mmari