A drink for the past

Above the‍‍⁠‌‌⁠‌​⁠‍‌‍‍‌‍​⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠​‌ ruins, fireflies filled the night sky.

The silver-haired omega lay affectionately against the young man’s back, as he walked forward step by step, snuggling together in such an intimate posture.

At that moment, the Legion Commander, who was far away on the stationed aircraft carrier, was quietly taking in this scene.

He pressed his lips tightly for a long silence before closing his eyes and letting out an almost inaudible sigh.

Zhou Jiuya rarely missed anyone.

Partly because he was always too busy, and partly because nostallgia made one vulnerable.

But in that moment, he found himself thinking of his late older brother.

—Jiang Jinsheng.

Zhou Jiuya had once despised the blood in his veins and abhorred everything about the Jiang family. He saw himself as a blemish, which led to an intense inferiority complex and hypersensitivity, shutting himself off from the world. Yet every time they met, Jiang Jinsheng would greet him with a gentle smile.

[Xiao Jiu, you’re such a dishonest kid—you see your brother yet can’t bring yourself to say a word.]

Zhou Jiuya had never called Jiang Jinsheng his brother, even when they both served under Huo Chao; he still treated him as a stranger.

Until the end, when his dying brother, bloody and desperate, entrusted him with a final plea.

[Xiao Jiu… Xiao Jiu…]

That night, as the man’s life faded, he clutched Zhou Jiuya’s hand with what strength he had left. Each word he forced out spilled from his mouth in a stream of blood, soaking Zhou Jiuya’s hands red, the warmth and redness of it searing like hot oil.

[My dear A-Ci… my child with Minmin…]

[Please… I beg you…]

Kneeling beside the bed, under his brother’s pained, hopeful gaze, Zhou Jiuya nodded firmly.

He didn’t dare to meet Jiang Jinsheng’s eyes and knelt beside the bed, grief-stricken. The usually stalwart and strong alpha’s back made Zhou Jiuya look like a weeping beast.

[I will… I will protect him with all I have.]

[Brother… I swear, I’ll protect him with my life.]

That day, Zhou Jiuya made an oath to his brother with every part of himself, promising over and over again.

[B-Brother… I will… I swear I will…]

But after saying those words, he received no answer, because when he finally raised his head, struggling with fear and pain, his brother’s eyes had already closed and his life had already quietly slipped away.

To this day, Zhou Jiuya still doesn’t know if his last words were heard. It felt as if he was fated to be unlucky, always a step too late in the moments that truly mattered.

At this moment, standing on the stationed aircraft carrier, Zhou Jiuya clearly knew that the two people were walking in his direction, but at the same time, he could also feel that the child who once liked to hide himself in the cabinet was moving farther and farther from him.

Jiang Ci had never shown such closeness to anyone.

Not even Jiang Jinsheng.

So, he must truly be in love with the other man.

Zhou Jiuya understood he’d never truly been a proper guardian and knew that one day, Jiang Ci would grow up, break free from under his wings and shadow, and eventually leave.

— In fact, it was inevitable.

As an uncle, he’d never been close to that child, yet it seemed they had never fully severed their bond.

And now, the silver-haired alpha guardian watched the two figures approaching slowly under the field of fireflies, with a complex gaze—a mixture of regret, sadness, a bit of bitterness, and yet also relief, acceptance, and blessing.

“Brother…”

“It seems your dear A-Ci has truly found someone he likes.”

Tap—

Just then, a faint footstep stopped behind him.

“What’s wrong, Legion Commander?”

It was Ye Shu’s voice, laced with a sharp, unabashed mockery.

“What’s this, crying because the family’s little one ran off with some wild man?”

Any trace of melancholy was gone in an instant. Zhou Jiuya was silent for a few seconds before he turned around, his face already back to its usual stern and authoritative look as the Legion Commander.

“What do you want?”

Ye Shu, wearing the terrifying half-skull mask, held up two wine jars in front of him with a grin.

“Hey, Little Zhou Bird, want to grab a drink?”

Zhou Jiuya gave him a cold, steady look, furrowing his brow.

“Ye Shu, you know military personnel are prohibited from drinking.”

“Yeah, yeah, annoying,”

Ye Shu waved his hands impatiently,

“Laozi is not one of your soldiers, yet I am so oppressed here!”

He strode forward, looping an arm around Zhou Jiuya’s neck, roughly pulling him down.

“Don’t think you’re so high and mighty just because you’re a Legion COmmander. Remember, when you were a prisoner, you answered to me.”

Ye Shu’s tone was playfully vicious.

“Now, give me a straight answer. Are you drinking or not?!”

The Legion Commander awkwardly bent over, his whole neck was locked in Ye Shu’s grip—a position especially intolerable for an alpha, especially with an alpha of lower rank.

Yet, for some reason, Zhou Jiuya didn’t resist. After a moment of silence, he squeezed out  four words.

“…It won’t happen again.”

“Great! Lead the way.”

Ye Shu finally released him with a condescending  smirk. “Now don’t say I didn’t look out for your Legion Commander’s face.”

Zhou Jiuya pursed his lips, straightened his collar, smoothed out the wrinkles, and took large strides forward. Ye Shu wasn’t fazed by the cold exterior—this guy had been stiff and fussy since the day they’d met. With his wine jars in hand, Ye Shu sauntered after him.

Naturally, they headed to the one spot on the aircraft carrier where they’d be out of sight from any subordinates—the Legion Commander’s quarters.

Just as Ye Shu expected, the decor was a pure military style —precise, rigid, not a single detail out of place. Beside them was a large floor-to-ceiling window with one-way glass, offering a clear view of the drifting fireflies and the ruined landscape outside.

They sat by the window, facing each other, with two cups on the table, each filled to the brim.

Zhou Jiuya wordlessly lifted his cup and drank.

Ye Shu didn’t drink; he just sat there watching him down cup after cup until his pace slowed slightly.

“So I heard… you got beat up on the training grounds today?”

Zhou Jiuya paused and replied in a muffled voice, “That guy… is exactly as Marshal Huo said.”

—Very strong.

At first, Zhou Jiuya had doubted it. He had only ever fully submitted to Huo Chao’s strength, as he’d once been utterly defeated by him on the battlefield.

But back then, Huo Chao had used the Forbidden Abyss.

Today, however, Huo Xianfeng had only used Bai Ze.

Ye Shu propped his face on one hand and took a leisurely sip.

“So…feeling ashamed?”

“Of course not.”

Zhou Jiuya wasn’t the type to care about pride. He downed another sip and said,

“I admit when I’m outmatched. A loss is a loss; there’s no point hiding it.”

—He was more concerned about something else.

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There was some truth in that, but more than anything, he’d heard what Huo Xianfeng had said to Jiang Ci through the relay of the Forbidden Abyss.

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Until today.

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Zhou Jiuya kept drinking in silence. He hadn’t had alcohol in years—it dulled judgment and weakened reasoning, luxuries he hadn’t allowed himself in his role as a Legion Commander. His duties had kept him far too busy to even think about the child, let alone drinking.

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The Lord City Lord said slowly,

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He’d been level-headed earlier, but under the influence of alcohol, it wasn’t that easy.

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“Look at that! Just…such a show!”

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He trailed off, sat down, and took another drink. The burning sensation of the alcohol made him tug roughly at his collar, undoing his meticulously fixed uniform in frustration.

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Ye Shu poured him more wine.

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“I thought protecting the child would be enough, but now…I realize it’s not.”

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“Something…else?”

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Something was strange. Very strange.

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“Yes, besides Jiang Ci, did Jiang Jinsheng entrust you with anything else?”

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“I…”

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It had been difficult for Zhou Jiuya to be close to Jiang Ci, let alone He Zhun. But the latter was different. From a young age, he was well-behaved and knew how to get along with others, making things much easier for Zhou Jiuya.

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Zhou Jiuya felt that he was really not suitable to be a parent.

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Ye Shu’s hand clenched.

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He’d always assumed He Zhun was a relative of the Jiang family, never paying much attention. But now…

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“He Qichu… he knew too many secrets. We tried to protect him but were too late… Of the family of four, only He Zhun survived… only that child made it…”

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Ye Shu closed his eyes briefly. It seemed everyone had kept a lot of things hidden from him.

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“It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault.”

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Zhou Jiuya didn’t resist, though he no longer wanted to drink; his mind was muddled, and he felt the urge to sleep. But Ye Shu moved quickly, pressing firmly on his neck so that Zhou Jiuya, barely able to refuse, took a mouthful.

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The silver-haired alpha immediately broke into a severe coughing fit.

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Ye Shu patted his back to ease the coughing and asked again, “Have you completed all the tasks Marshal Huo gave you?”

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“Ye Shu, you… put something… in this drink.”

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With that, Ye Shu poured himself a full glass from the same cup he’d used to serve Zhou Jiuya and drank it in one go.

Thud—!

The City Lord slammed the glass on the table, his voice turning frigid.

“Zhou Jiuya, if you didn’t want to drink, you could’ve just said so!”

With that, he stood up to leave.

As expected, Zhou Jiuya immediately got up and grabbed his arm.

“…Sorry, I lost my composure. I didn’t expect that after all these years of not drinking… it would be like this.”

Crisis averted, Ye Shu yanked his arm free, causing Zhou Jiuya to stumble to the floor, his brief moment of clarity slipping back into confusion.

Ye Shu sneered.

“I can’t fathom why Marshal Huo Chao would ever choose you. You really are hopeless, Zhou Jiuya—there’s not a single thing you’ve done right.”

“Marshal Huo Chao… no, I tried my best.”

“—What did you do?”

“I… I… can’t say.”

Zhou Jiuya was barely holding onto his last shred of reason, sensing that something was off. But he trusted Ye Shu too much. In this, he and Jiang Ci were uncannily similar—their defenses dropped entirely around those they trusted.

—Not one bit.

Ye Shu looked steadily at the man curled up on the floor for a few seconds, then crouched down and softened his voice.

“It’s okay; you can tell me. We’re the closest of comrades, aren’t we? We’ve fought side by side for years—don’t you trust me?”

He reached out to pat Zhou Jiuya’s head, attempting to break down his final defense.

Though the Legion Commander always projected an image of the coldest, most formidable alpha, his hair was just like Jiang Jinsheng’s and Jiang Ci’s—silver, smooth, and soft.

It was kept short for his authoritative look, but it still felt fluffy to the touch.

Ye Shu couldn’t actually feel it himself, though, because he was using his mechanical arm.

“You know, Little Zhou Bird,  a large part of the reason why I lost this arm was because of you.”

His voice seemed to carry a strange magic at that moment.

“You remember, don’t you? I was saving you when Leinster’s attack hit and the deformed and twisted cockpit stuck my arm. Then, you watched Marshal Huo Chao amputate it with your own eyes, right?”

In truth, it hadn’t been Zhou Jiuya’s fault alone; Ye Shu had made a critical misjudgment, and he knew it. But he’d been trying to save Zhou Jiuya and had paid the price with his arm.

For that, Zhou Jiuya had always felt a deep guilt and silently tolerated him.

Ye Shu knew it was his fault, so he never mentioned it, and only now did he use such despicable means.

At this moment, the Legion Commander was in pain so much that his back was shaking.

“I… I’m sorry, Ye Shu… I’m so sorry…”

“So tell me—”

Ye Shu removed the mask from his face, revealing his ferocious left side of his face, and forced Zhou Jiuya to look, to confront his scars and disability.

“Zhou Jiuya, as long as you just tell me, I’ll forgive you.”

For the first time, the Legion Commander showed such pain and vulnerability.

“It was a…sacrifice…He had prepared for it long ago…a sacrifice…”

“Earth is the altar… He didn’t detonate the nuclear bomb… Pei Changyun was destined to become the new leader…”

“I…wait…”

Zhou Jiuya’s brow furrowed, as if realizing something was wrong.

“No, no, Ye Shu, you must have put something in the drink…”

Ye Shu couldn’t hold back any longer, his eyes red as he grabbed Zhou Jiuya’s collar.

“What do you mean?! Sacrifice?! What do you mean the nuclear bomb wasn’t his doing?”

“Explain yourself! Zhou Jiuya, you’d better make it fucking clear!!”

Ye Shu fumbled with the winer jar, trying to force another drink down his throat. Zhou Jiuya snapped to his senses and shoved it away.

“You—!”

Zhou Jiuya felt his strength draining as he strugged to stand up.

“Ye Shu, did you actually… drug me?!”

Bam—!

And then the Legion Commander was hit squarely in the face. The table was upended, and the jar shattered on the floor.

Ye Shu knew he wasn’t Zhou Jiuya’s equal in a fight, but after years of yielding, it was a relief to get a solid hit in.

“You know, Zhou Jiuya, you’re just so stubborn! Marshal Huo Chao is gone, and you’re still lying to me!!!”

Ye Shu punched him again.

“How could you—how could you all lie to me!!!”

“Cough…”

Zhou Jiuya, shaken awake by the blow, was furious, his disbelief intensifying as he repeated,

“You drugged me… Ye Shu?! You really… drugged me?!”

The two began wrestling, neither using any formal techniques.

Just then, Lieutenant Li Ya stood outside the door, unsure whether to enter or leave. The soundproofing was excellent, but even so, he could feel the faint vibrations through the walls.

After a moment, he pressed the intercom at the door. “C-Commander, there are a few urgent files…”

“Get out!” came Ye Shu’s voice.

Inside, there was a ripping sound of fabric and a series of heavy thuds, as if they were fighting.

“Zhou Jiuya, I swear I’ll beat you to a pulp tonight, if not I’m not surnamed Ye!”

Lieutenant Li Ya: “…???”

He looked utterly dumbfounded, his face slack with shock as he backed away, swallowing hard. He thought he might finally understand why the Legion Commander had been single for so long.

At that moment, he crossed paths with two new recruits who were running down the hall. Li Ya’s expression immediately turned stern. “What are you running around for?!”

The two recruits paled, stammering, “Major General Jiang…Major General Jiang Ci is back, and we…we wanted to see him…uh, that…”

Li Ya understood without them saying more. Everyone had seen the events at the training grounds this afternoon, and many were extremely curious about Huo Xianfeng.

“Lieutenant Li Ya, is it true that Major General Jiang Ci is really with the Zerg?”

The recruits knew Li Ya had a good temperament and wasn’t particularly strict, so they dared to ask such a question. “A cross-species relationship? That’s way too taboo.”

“… Nonsense! Get back to your duties!”

“Yes, sir!” The recruits slinked away, dejected.

Li Ya rubbed his forehead. “Tch, taboo…”

As he walked off, he sighed inwardly.

A romance between two alphas was already forbidden and challenging enough.

When he thought about it, Major General Jiang Ci’s love life wasn’t that impossible after all. At least his partner seemed to be an alpha and not an omega.

M1zushi: my heart aches so much for this potential CP ><

the angst and the enemies to rivals to lovers potential that they could have ;w;

author whyyyyyyyy

ye shu always get the short end of the stick, everything happened without he knowing, it’s like you’re a part of a circle of friends but everyone treats you as the younger child who can’t do anything by yourself ;w;