Title: Eye of the Storm
Characters/Pairing: Ba Ye|Qi Tiezui/Lt. Zhang Rishan
Fandom: The Mystic Nine
Author notes: Set in the aftermath of the final episode, which ends with the first attempted invasion of Changsha by the Japanese Imperial Army in 1939.
Rating: G
Challenge: Washing, also for Party on my bingo card.



It was a small, wounded and bloody party that eventually made its - slow, agonisingly slow - way to the Zhang mansion for patching up and general recovery. It was not the best way to find out that Yin Xinyue hadn't evacuated after all, but at that moment in time Ba Ye couldn't find it in him to be dismayed, not when he had an injured and barely conscious Lieutenant Zhang leaning against him and not with Fo Ye only being kept upright with support from Er Ye and Jiu Ye; in fact, her brisk organisation was something of a relief. He gladly left Fo Ye in his wife's capable hands and focused on getting his own Zhang idiot to his rooms.

Someone had run a bath for the lieutenant already and Ba Ye hoped it wouldn't get too cold in the time it took to get the silly donkey out of his blood-caked uniform and checked for injuries. And really, military uniforms were ridiculous and fiddly, he thought, settling the other man on a handy chair; definitely not clothes you could get out of easily. Who'd come up with them, anyway? Such a bad idea.

"Had to be a hero, didn't you," he muttered, tipping the younger man's head back and checking for any other injuries aside from the one that had knocked him almost senseless. "Can't just take shots from safe places with cover, no, you have to throw yourself at the biggest guy with the biggest bayonet instead. Who are you showing off for, huh? Ridiculous."

The lieutenant smiled faintly, then winced as Ba Ye gently ran a damp cloth over the gash on the side of his head. "Worth it."

"Fo Ye won't thank you if you get killed trying to save him."

"Not the point."

Ba Ye sighed and shook his head, for once words failing him. "No, I suppose not." Running his eyes over the younger man he supposed it could have been worse: while there wounds aplenty, none of them were fatal or debilitating and given time to rest and heal, heavens willing, he should come out of this none the worse for wear. The question was, though, whether he would get that time. The Japanese had been pushed back for now but there was no telling when the next assault would come. "Can you make it to the bath, do you think?"

The lieutenant gritted his teeth but nodded, reluctantly holding out a hand to be pulled to his feet. Keeping his surprise firmly behind his teeth, Ba Ye carefully tugged him up, wrapping an arm around his waist to keep him upright. "Okay, nice and easy now," he said. "It's not far."

"I know," was the pointed, though somewhat muted, retort. "I live here."

"Impudent child," he shot back. "Just see if I help patch you up next time, ungrateful little-"

"'m not that young."

"Mmhm."

"You're just old."

Ba Ye sputtered in outrage, almost letting go before remembering not to. "I am not old, you smart mouthed little brat."

A weak laugh was the only reply he got, but they had reached the bath so Ba Ye supposed he could let it go in favour of getting the lieutenant into the warm water to rinse off the dried blood and grime of the battle. "Come on, lieutenant. In you get."

"Rishan."

"Hm?"

"My name. You can use it, I don't mind."

Startled into silence for a moment, Ba Ye stared at him. The lieutenant - Zhang Rishan - stared back up at him steadily.

"Huh," Ba Ye managed. "Zhang Rishan. Zhang Qishan. You and Fo Ye must be more closely related than I thought..." His voice trailed off as dark lines spread across and down the other man's torso. "Is that a qilin?" he asked, tilting his head to follow the movement of the lines. He couldn't recall seeing it before and he and the lieutenant had spent a significant amount of time in tight quarters over the last eighteen months, he was sure he would have noticed. Maybe it was new?

Zhang Rishan looked down, then back up, lips quirking up in a faint smile. "Yes. It's activated by heat, usually it's not visible."

"Huh." Ba Ye stared a moment more, then realised what he was doing and dragged his gaze away, reaching for a fresh cloth. "Here," he said, clearing his throat. "Do you need a hand or...?"

"I can manage."

Ba Ye nodded and passed the cloth over, almost shoving it into Zhang Rishan's hands. This is ridiculous, he scolded himself. Pull yourself together. It took a moment to find something to talk about but it didn't take long for the words to start flowing more freely and talking was something he could probably do all day if necessary.

"Oh, don't be a fool," he interrupted himself when Zhang Rishan tried reaching for his back. "Are you that flexible, hm? You're just going to pull something trying, let me do that."

There was a quiet huff of laughter as Zhang Rishan passed him the cloth. "Ba Ye is always so good to me, even when he's scolding me."

"And don't you forget it," Ba Ye agreed, dipping the cloth into the water and making his way to the head of the bath. He bit his lip at the sight of Zhang Rishan's back, all scraped and bruised where he'd been thrown into rubble. "Anyway," he managed, "I wouldn't need to scold you if you'd just be sensible about things."

"Of course not."

"This Zhang family, honestly," he continued. "Reckless, all of you. Can't ever be sensible. This is why you need people like me around, to remind you how dangerous things are." He stopped abruptly as a hand closed around his wrist, pausing his ministrations as well as his words.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Zhang Rishan said, tilting his head back to look up at him. He even seemed sincere about it, which Ba Ye had no idea what to do with.

"Who was worried?" he replied a moment later, poking him in the forehead gently, not wanting to meet that searching gaze. "Who'd worry about you, anyway? You're always fine. Even when you do stupid things."

"You only fuss this much when you're worried."

"And this is why you're still learning," Ba Ye said sourly. "There's no reason to say things like that to people." Especially when it was, unfortunately, true.

"True, though."

"Or that."

Fortunately for Ba Ye's peace of mind, they were done not long after that and he could leave Zhang Rishan to towel himself off. Getting him to bed and into clean night clothes, however, was more difficult, as between the warmth of the bath and the effort of drying himself he was all but asleep on his feet.

"Stay?" he asked around a yawn, fighting to keep his eyes from drifting shut and Ba Ye reached out to smooth his hair out of his face.

"Yes," he agreed, wondering what on Earth was wrong with him and why he was feeling so soft. "I'll stay."

He was rewarded with a smile and Zhang Rishan stopping fighting the need to sleep. He looked heartbreakingly young in sleep, Ba Ye thought. Even when they'd been searching for Fo Ye before, Zhang Rishan had always been awake before him, typical soldier and their early rising, getting things done at hours people should properly be sleeping at.

"Survive this war, Zhang Rishan," he mumurmed, fingers combing through his hair carefully. "The young are the future, you have to live."

"You too."

Ba Ye blinked in surprise, he'd thought Zhang Rishan had been asleep, but his eyes had opened enough to give him a bleary glare and he reached up to tug Ba Ye's hand away from his fringe, twining their fingers together at his side instead. "Well, naturally me too," he managed eventually. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"Good."

Zhang Rishan's eyes slid shut again, but his hold on Ba Ye's fingers didn't loosen, as if he were afraid Ba Ye would leave if he let go.

"Zhang men," he muttered to himself, looking around for a chair he could pull over to sit on if he was going to be held in place. "So unreasonable."

Not that he'd have them any other way.