Neither Xio nor Kirihito paid the surrounding world any mind. Xio was desperately trying to save his poor, throbbing neck, while Kirihito was wholly preoccupied with showing his weird affection—sharp, yet strangely sweetest fangs. The white snake around his neck, finally sated, retreated to coil contentedly.
"It's just a bite. You should have smiled for it, because I usually play with or kill things instead of just tasting blood," Kirihito hissed, not quite satisfied with Xio's terrified, scarlet reaction. He licked his own lips clean, a subtle, predatory gesture. "And why are you so red from my yelling?" He wrinkled his nose. "Also, stop bringing dragon fruit into every matter... you insects love eating the sweet parts of flesh the most... you promised you'd feed me those if I stay at this place and... kill less." Finally, he fully let go of Xio's neck after sucking a few more drops, his own cheeks flushed with a giddy warmth.
Xio exhaled sharply, a ragged sound as if life had just rushed back into him. He clenched his teeth, struggling to sit up. Hand clutching his neck, his tone was a mix of annoyance and trembling pain: "I said... not to kill... not 'kill less.'"
"Same thing," Kirihito dismissed him, already bored with Xio's constant protesting. He finally moved away from Xio, and for the first time, truly noticed the crow yokai. His eyes, usually half-lidded, focused on Xì, barely registering Xio's last words.
"Ooh, birdie turned into a man!" Kirihito said with genuine excitement, as if he'd found a new, intriguing toy to play with.
Xì acted expensive, a complete switch from the crow who had rubbed his face into Kirihito's robe earlier. He held himself as if he were untouchable—a stark contrast that Xì hoped would appeal to the snake yokai's love for novelty. Smirking smugly, he winked, his heart pounding in a chaotic mix of excitement and something deeply unsettling. Kirihito sensed the shift, an intoxicating change in the atmosphere. The addiction to novelty kicked in, and he immediately sat a little closer to Xì.
"Hi, Xì is happy to meet Kirihito-sama~" Xì purred, a sound overly smooth and overtly flirting.
The other crows, witnessing this, burned with a jealousy they were too terrified to act on.
Kirihito grinned, a smug look mirroring Xì's as if they were already playing a fascinating game. He seemed slightly impressed by the use of the honorific "Sama" and the remembrance of his full name. Mirroring the crow yokai's style, he replied, "Kirihito is even happier to meet with Xì~"
Xì dramatically overacted, clutching his heart as if mortally wounded. He held his chest, raised a hand towards Kirihito, his eyes half-closed, and his cheeks flushed. "Ah, my heart... it's singing for you~"
"Oh, really~ let me hear!" Kirihito whispered eagerly. He crawled even closer and gently placed his ear over Xì's chest. His mouth parted softly, and his cheeks flushed with raw excitement. He could feel the heartbeat instantly picking up speed under his ear. Kirihito chuckled like a person drunk on a potent pleasure and mumbled, "Now that's called a heartbeat..."
Xì hummed, a sound that bordered on a purr or a moan, as he inhaled the clean, cool scent of Kirihito's hair.
Xio had known the crow yokai would transform sooner or later, so the appearance wasn't a surprise. What was surprising was the overwhelming level of flirtation. And Kirihito—Xio felt he had no filter at all. He couldn't decide whether to call him genuinely stupid or brilliantly feigning ignorance.
His bloodshot eyes snapped between the two of them—first Kirihito, then Xì. He didn't know why, but the sight felt like rubbing spice into an open wound. He was already annoyed, and this made his blood boil. He was absolutely not in the mood for their antics. He gave Xì a sharp, cheap glare, then huffed, "What is happening here, may I know, snake and... crow-Sama??" he echoed mockingly, the honorific thick with sarcasm. He was also trying to discreetly stop the bleeding at his neck. He was lucky this time; the venom wasn't as potent—Kirihito hadn't truly tortured him.
"Oy, human... Xì isn't cheap to give that kind of glare," Xì retorted to Xio, his voice husky and full of sassy annoyance.
"It's my place... You can't do those... unholy things here. Get out... with your fellows..." Xio growled, his control completely slipping away.
"What if Xì don't? Xì doesn't hear any human's order... Also, Kirihito-sama isn't yours, at least," Xì shot back, barely focusing on Xio, his body feeling warm from Kirihito's proximity.
"Yeah, I'm not yours~ I'm only a beautiful snake," Kirihito added innocently, still listening to the loud, entertaining heartbeat.
Xio's eye twitched. He looked around wildly. He had to drive those crows away, or he would completely lose control. He couldn't handle their insults anymore. Forgetting his pain for a moment, he grabbed his sword, the seriousness of his intent instantly changing the atmosphere.
Xì looked at Xio from the corner of his eye. The moment Xio started to wave his sword, Xì quickly moved away from Kirihito. Kirihito gasped softly, too lost in the heartbeat to react immediately. He steadied himself on the bed, huffing as his precious moment was ruined. "That insect Xio..." he growled, the relaxed tone gone, replaced by a momentary flash of pure malice.
Xio began to swing his sword fast and threw several dark talismans, named Yán Mòchén (颜墨尘) / Ink Dust Face. These talismans transformed into demonic faces that grabbed their targets like chains.
Xì's eyes widened. He hadn't thought Xio would genuinely get serious. Kirihito, however, was now thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. He cheered for both of them as if watching a magnificent battle. "Xìxì! Black-gold butterfly! You can do it! My heart sings for the winner!" Kirihito echoed excitedly, clapping and grinning wildly. The white snake huffed at the behavior of both Xio and Xì and retreated back to Kirihito's neck.
Xio's heart skipped a beat at Kirihito's words. His heart sings for the winner? Then it must be him—not for what Kirihito had promised, but to prove himself the strongest, even against a fellow yokai. As for the implied prize? He wasn't entirely sure if he really... cared about it. He just knew the annoying, sappy snake yokai was his to protect, regardless of the chaos and the fangs.
"Xì was just teasing you, weird human! Stop using those talismans on Xì!" Xì yelled while dodging the attacks, his black wings flapping behind, his black and white hair flying everywhere.
But Xio kept attacking until his arm ached. When he stopped, suddenly, one of those talismans' demon faces captured Xì by his two arms into its mouth. Xì looked at the faces, struggling like a trapped bird.
"I won't lose! These faces are sucking Xì's beautiful hands!" Xì cried out, struggling against the talisman's grip.
Xio kneeled down while holding his overused, injured arm. He panted while glaring at Xì—a glare which screamed: Don't you dare try to act tougher than me.
"We've found our winner! Black gold butterfly is the winner!" Kirihito cheered, grinning.
Xì stayed silent, his expression annoyed yet strangely jealous. His own ego was bruised by Xio's victory, and now Kirihito had just so carelessly declared the winner, not at all like their intimate exchange earlier. Kirihito naturally moved to those who entertained him, not caring who it was, but he also noticed who was entertained or showed warmth "from the heart." And normally, Xì was only drawn to his stunning beauty, by the pull of his curse, to mate, to have heirs. It wasn't any serious care... just yet.
On the other hand, Xio didn't only entertain him in his own intense way but also nurtured him—saving him from "insects," offering him precious, beautiful things, and dragon fruit, and praising him in the most beautifully pure, poetic way, which others usually couldn't.
"Butterfly deserves another mouth on neck." Kirihito paused. He got ready to give another bite to Xio, his eyes shining with possessive admiration.
Xio looked at him tiredly. He had, in his exhaustion, finally given up on trying to save himself from getting bitten. He had learned that since he had tangled that snake around his neck, there was no escape from those soft, sharp bites. He really had to get used to them.
"Ah… mhm…" Xio let out a weak whimper as the fangs now sunk into the other side of his neck. He felt Kirihito's slender arms wrap around him in a tight, protective hold. He turned to him, his eyes weakly half-lidded. "I've won... so you'll do... as I say... like a good Snake," Xio murmured, the words slurring as if he were drunk.
He blinked tightly, struggling to stay conscious. He really couldn't last much longer. Four or five bites with such light venom, the energy drain from the guqin attack on his arm, and lastly, the fighting and struggling. The fact that he was still conscious was already a testament to his sheer will.
"Your heart is pounding loudly. Is it singing for me, Xio Zhan?" Kirihito purred softly with a satisfied, lazy smile as he watched Xio struggle. Xio's head finally fell over Kirihito's shoulder, his glarey eyes staring blankly at nothing.
The demon faces faded, leaving Xì alone. He huffed, dusting his body. "Xì is really annoyed by this human." Xì murmured, a spoiled gadfly whose toy had been snatched.
Kirihito's long, white hair tangled around Xio's body almost tenderly, with soft, possessive purrs filling the room. The remaining crows, seeing the intimate end to the spectacle, looked at each other and flew away back to the forest. Only Xì, Kirihito, and Xio were left behind. Xio, in his fading consciousness, noted that Kirihito hadn't called him 'insect' for the first time.
Xì lay down at the edge of the bed as he committed to himself, "Xì will wait for his turn, no matter what... because Xì needs beautiful hair."
"Eh... shut up... get out too... or next time my demon faces are going to chew your beautiful skin," Xio murmured in a raw, threatening tone, even in his condition. He genuinely disliked that selfish, shiny, flirty personality.
Kirihito chuckled childishly, playing with Xio's hair like any bored, nesting creature. "Kirihito will say to do what Xio says," then his tone changed a little, deeper, heavier, and adult-like. "For a while."
Xio didn't notice the sudden, dark shift in his tone as he finally drifted into unconsciousness. Xì blinked thoughtfully at them. But Kirihito just smirked faintly—a look that was calculated and silently darkened, before it turned into a psycho-like childish grin. His black vein throbbed faintly at his neck before fading back to normal.