A Small Safe Heaven

-Yunlan-

They swam back to the shore, shivering to the bone even more so with the gelid air of the icy mountains, as they walked close to the shore. Zhao helped Shen Wei to get out of the water, knowing his man was still tired for whatever power he used inside the cave, then swimming a considerable distance. Later, he would ask to the damn dragon for an explanation of just what happen to them both while facing the demons… if they manage to survive the coming hypothermia, that is.

"Chief!" Zhu yelled, coming to their aid, so did Old Chu.

"For the gods, you are freezing…" Zhu whisper.

"Please just tell me the damn guardian portal you here with the whole equipment." Zhao said, not seen Lóng Hún anywhere.

"Fortunately…" Chu said.

"Then get something warm for Shen Wei…." Zhao whisper as Chu supported the professor for him.

"And for you too…" Zhu added, helping him, but Da Qing already had a pair of compact emergency silver waterproof thermal blankets for them and he hurried to give one to Zhu for Zhao and another to Chu for Shen Wei.

"I will find something warm for you to drink." Da Qing whisper as he went to look something inside a bag.

"Wang, this is your area of expertise." Chu said, moving so she could have a look at Shen Wei.

"You both need to get rid of those wet clothes, or these blankets will be useless to you." Wang said and Shen pass his thermal blanket back to Chu, so he could at least take off the now heavy wet jacket with the help of the odd healer, which pull it off him.

"Hey, I know he is strikingly handsome, but don't go stripping down my Wei in front of everyone! That's my personal privilege." Zhao joked, making Shen Wei blush even more. Good, Zhao thought, because blushing represented an increase in body heat, which was exactly what he needed now.

"Yunlan, please… this can't be called public stripping." However, he didn't deny the personal privilege for which he blushed just for the thought of Yunlan claiming such pleasure, which make both Zhu and Wang laugh at the cute professor shyness. It was obvious the two of them were now more than what they had initially thought. Chu by the other hand, eyed Shen Wei with a knowing smirk, clearly understanding his old friend admittance by no denying such claim on him.

"He charmed you so fast Shen Wei… did you even try to resist him?" Chu added more wood to the flame, helping him walk out of the shore, moving away from the others.

"Old Chu… not you too." Shen whisper and Chu smiled.

"Don't be shy now, it was you who kiss him first after all…" Old Chu whisper back, making Shen Wei cough. They just have no idea of how much he did kiss Yunlan in the last few hours. The fact surprised him more so as he had been the one making the first move in both occasions.

"You did it again, right? You were a bit far to be doubtless, but it kind of looked like you two were kissing when we were thrown ashore." Chu curiously asked him.

"It's a long story… you just had no idea." Shen blushed.

"I'm sure it is… so are you lovers now?" Chu asked further, but before Shen could answer him, Da Qing came and offer him a cup, which Shen accepted gratefully.

"So? Yes or no?" Chu insisted, not giving the professor a way out.

"Yes." Shen Wei admitted drinking a mouthful of his drink without really tasting it, but as he swallow it, he begin coughing with the alcohol mixed in the drink.

"Wait you lazy cat, what did you gave him?" Zhao asked alarmed, coming closer and taking the cup from Shen, smelling it, already confirming his suspicion even before the idiot say it.

"A bit of baijiu (white wine) with juice." Da Qing said forgetting a very important detail about the professor.

"Idiot! Did you forget he can't drink, not even a little?!" Zhao asked angrily, letting the cup fall to the ground and held Shen Wei before he fainted again.

"Yunlan, don't be mad with him, alcohol does warms the body…" Shen whisper, passing an arm over his shoulder, already feeling dizzy.

"Yeah, in common humans, but you are not exactly common." Zhao said, once again taking him on his arms, bridal style.

"Call for him… we need that safe heaven with no demons now…" Shen whisper to his ear, just before he passed out on his arms.

"Ahhhhh, this is so mess up. Lóng Hún!" Zhao yelled. "Lóng Hún!" He yelled again looking at the darkening sky. Was his imagination, or time didn't pass the same way here than in the rest of the world? It was morning when they enter the ice tunnel and they spent there more or less half a day, but it was almost nightfall now. "Lóng Hún, damn it! Show yourself!"

"Is that the name of the strange man that portal us here?" Lin asked.

"He is no man." Zhao corrected.

"Huh? Isn't he the guardian of these mountains? That's what Wang told us." Zhu asked.

"Still, he is no man, look up." And so they did and to everyone's surprise, there was something huge coming their way. Instantly, Wang kneeled in the sandy ground.

"Is that a dragon?" Sang whisper in shock behind his wife.

"No freaking way… some one slap me." Lin manage to say, not sure whatever to be amaze or frighten.

Zhu, however came out of her own shock as the beast approached and slapped the back of Lin' s head.

"Ouch..."

"Yeah, it's real..." Zhu said, hugging herself.

"Impossible…" Guo whisper backing away in fright, but was stopped by Chu, who firmly held him in place.

"Little bunny, don't get scare, I'm here." Chu said to try calming him down. Then the huge black dragon descended close to the shore, splashing some cold water on them.

"Hey, stop getting us wet! If we die from the cold, it will be your doing! Then you will have to find someone else to deal with the demons and the seal." Zhao yelled and to the immense surprise of the others, they watched eyes widen as the dragon changed form.

"My most sincere apologies, Lord Kunlun… but both you and the one you carry will never die from cold or illness of any kind in these mountains. You are the owners of Mount Kunlun, the gods in charge of these lands." The dragon calmly said.

"Said what? You are kidding me right?" Zhao asked back.

"I don't make jokes. I will explain it to you later, now… let me warm you up first." He touched Shen Wei's shoulder, who stirred in Zhao's arm holding his shoulder a bit tighter, but a few seconds later, both his clothes and hair were dry. Then he touched Yunlan's back and he felt the instant heat, although not a single part of him burned under the intense temperature nor felt painful.

"Satisfy, my Lord?" The dragon asked back.

"Da Qing… I need that drink now, as strong as you gave it…" Zhao whisper. He just had enough of weird, for that one day.

"Then we can go now." The dragon said, opening a portal to the only place the demons could not get even closer. The long lost temple of the gods.

-Shen Wei-

Shen Wei moved under the warm cover to meet with a strong chest. He knew before opening his eyes that Zhao was with him and he smiled, opening his eyes to be face to face with the handsome Chief, staring at him while he slept.

"Yunlan…" He whisper, but his man simply moved his head down to kiss him, which he of course, responded in return.

"How do you feel? Headache?" Zhao asked softly, caressing his temple and hair.

"Actually, no. I feel fine… wait!" He suddenly said, sitting over the sleeping bag, looking around the place he didn't recognize. It was a solitary large room, barely illuminate with the moonlight coming from a small glass window at the end wall, that had a view to distant snowy mountains, while the floor was nothing more than darkened cold stone, with traced of frost. An abandon place no doubts.

"Don't worry babe, it's safe here." Zhao said, sitting by him.

"Where are we?" Shen asked, feeling completely lost.

"An old temple. Apparently, the demons can't come near here. It's protected by an ancient barrier created in the times of the gods." Zhao explained.

"And the others?" He saw no one else but them in the room.

"Exploring…" Zhao said so casually, that it took Shen Wei by surprise.

"Yunlan… you let them go explore in an unknown place on their own? Had you gone mad? What happen to that rule of no exploring on your own under any circumstances?" Shen asked in reproach.

"Babe, don't get angry. The dragon himself is guiding them around, so they are not on their own. I told them to ask him as much as they can about the place, the history and why it was abandon. We are supposed to join them when you wake up." Shen sighed.

"For how long have I been out?" He asked.

"An hour more or less…"

"Yunlan, so long and they had not…" Zhao quiet him with another heated kiss.

"Shen Wei… I trust they are in good hands, I mean claws, otherwise I wouldn't allow them to go. Besides… I had the feeling Lóng Hún want us to be alone."

"Huh? Why?"

"There is something calling for us in here. He said this was a place of gods at the beginning of time, so there are still some remnants left behind from such times. As I watch you rest, I felt it urging me to walk around toward a particular place."

"Okay… then, shall we go?"

"Yeah, are you better or you need more rest?"

"No, let's just go." He said completely removing the sleeping bag. Zhao was on his feet first, so he helped Shen Wei despite what he said about feeling fine. He took Wei's hand on his and guide him out of the room toward a long corridor. There were stone stairs that lead down to another corridor illuminated with torches.

"It's down there?" Shen asked curiously. He didn't have his eyeglasses at the moment, because he lost them in the lake, but as it was already dark, he could see fine.

"Yep, it kind of always comes to creepy corridors down the stairs…" Zhao joked.

"Well, at least I have the god of good luck with me." Wei joked back looking at him.

"Damn, you look hot in the darkness, more so without the glasses." Zhao said pervertedly while he squeezing his hand.

"I had a feeling you had not change in centuries…" Shen smiled.

"Same here, you should have been equally lovely back then…"

"Do you remember? Our past lives?"

"Not much, just the feeling, the love… I loved you unconditionally." Shen blushed yet again. "You?" Zhao asked back.

"The same… I remember loving you with a kind of devotion it's hard to overcome." Shen whisper and Zhao couldn't help but to go on and kiss his lovely neck, just below his tinted ear, which make Wei moan.

"Yunlan, please…"

"Yep, I seem to remember that weak spot of yours too…" He smiled quite pleased as his Wei blushed even more.

"Just let's go down…" Shen avoided his intense gaze.

"Alright, down we go…" Zhao said more seriously now and as both of them put their boots down the first step at the same time, a mild wind came up the stairs, changing the color of the torches to bluish white. They look at each other for a moment.

"Like I said, creepy stuff never fails in old temples…"

"Do you think there are demons hidden down there?" Shen asked.

"No, no demons... but ghosts, maybe?" Zhao asked looking at his lover.

"I can deal with ghost, don't worry. You called me Ghost Slayer once, remember?" Zhao smiled.

"I did... then, let's go..." And still holding each other hands, they gave another step down to the unknown.

AN: Thanks for reading.