WARNING: none.
CHAPTER 03 — RED RIBBONS
❝ABOUT THIS BLOOMING SPRING, WITHOUT THE WORDS FOR EVERYTHING,❞
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"OW!" YOU YELPED, landing against the cold, hard ground of the sky pavilion. You held the yo-yos in your hand tightly to make sure they wouldn't fly away (not that they would in the first place). Thankfully, you didn't seem to hit your head — which is good, because he wouldn't know what to do if you got concussed.
Oh well. If you did get concussed, it would become Erlang's problem, not his!
Nezha gracefully skated over to your side, extending a hand for you to grab onto. His other hand held his spear, his weapon of choice.
"You're so clumsy, you know?" he sighed, hoisting you up from the floor. "How are you supposed to be my sparring partner if you can't take a hit? Where are your defenses?"
"Well, sorry," you pouted. "You're not the one seeing the Gates of Heaven during this spar, Nezha... I feel like I'm gonna die when you charge at me!"
"My training isn't that brutal..."
"That's a lie, and we both know that."
He doesn't know how the two of you fell into this routine. It's not like the two of you had frequent encounters, in fact, you barely saw each other. So, how did he become your sparring partner? At what point did you start meeting monthly, weekly, or more?
He's not sure.
What he does know is that you've changed again from his memory that night. Like before, you're taller. The innocent, youthful features you had years ago had matured, marking your transition into what Jinzha dubbed, "teenagehood." Or in Muzha's case for Nezha, "angsty teenagehood," though the former claimed it was going on the moment Nezha developed a personality.
It was NOT true, by the way!
You wiped your hands on your outfit, getting rid of any dust from your encounter with the ground. Your eyes lingered on his boots that held his Fire Wheels. "Now you use cool fire-wheel skates..."
"I mean, they're not really skates." His finger traced the golden sole of his boots before removing the wheels. "The Fire Wheels let me move at great speeds, that is true, but they also let me fly—"
"Which I think is so overpowered!"
"—so I don't think you can classify it as just skates, since at its core, these are just normal boots."
"What kind of normal boots have attachable wheels..."
"Oh, shush."
"Besides, I kind of miss your ankle bandles. Remember when you used to walk around bare-footed, aha?"
"Augh, don't remind me."
"You changed your makeup as well!" You leaned in closer to examine his features, poking his forehead. "I suppose your gravity-defying sash is the only thing that has remained the same throughout the years... You won't change the pant cuffs of lotus petals, right? Or the lotus-shaped collar? Your outfit only gets more and more intricate, but I hope those elements stay..."
"Well—"
"Waaah! Don't say anything! I don't want to be let down right now, especially since I don't see those lotus petals growing from your skin anymore unless you just pluck them out." You frowned for a second but quickly regained your smile. "Either way, don't tell me!"
"...Fine."
Nezha spun on his definitely-not-skates, twirling his spear while gaining distance from you. Pink fire crackled with every movement.
His movements were graceful, like a ribbon dancer moving with silk. There was a certain level of fluidity and precision that came with using the Fire Wheels, and it certainly didn't come naturally. He might've called you clumsy earlier, but in reality, he was far more clumsy when he first used these things. But now? It's become second nature.
You sulked as you watched him. "You're such a showoff, Nezha."
He rolled his eyes. "Sounds like to me you're just jealous you don't have sick-ass roller skates or pink fire. It's not my fault I'm so captivating."
"So they are skates!"
"Hmph."
You braced yourself when Nezha charged — his Fire-Tipped Spear aimed in your direction as his Fire Wheels burned at full speed. He wasn't going to go easy on you (even if you were friends), as that would defeat the purpose of a spar in the first place.
You parried it with a flick of your wrist, the speed of your yo-yo launching the spear back. The heat of his flames passed your side as you successfully evaded this attack.
His wheels skidded to a halt as he circled the perimeter of the pavilion, launching right back into another jab toward your torso.
Left. Right.
Miss, parry, parry.
"Jeez, you never hold back, do you?" you laughed. You sounded a little breathless, but that was no surprise, considering his relentless attempts at knocking you down.
"You've gotten better—oomph!"
A ribbon wrapped around your leg pulled you under, your back hitting the floor again.
When your eyes shot open from the impact, you saw the tip of his spear pointed against your neck.
"Tsk, can't say the same about you."
"Oh, you're the worst."
Ah, the taste of defeat. Something you probably got used to during these spars, considering he would always win.
"You know, talking to your opponent during a spar is a stupid idea," he said, extending a hand to lift you again.
"Aaaah, it's hard to stay focused though when it's you, Nezha."
Immediately, he retracted his hand. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Hehe."
You lay on the floor, letting out a tired sigh. "You definitely went easy on me. You didn't even use your pyrokinesis! Or lotus petals!"
"Now why would I do that?" He raised an eyebrow. "I can't use those tricks on a novice like you. You'll just go crying to Ao Jie about 'how cruel Nezha treats me' or something."
"Ghhh—! You grow taller than Ao Jie, and suddenly you think you're such a hotshot... If you weren't sooo pretty and carried the scent of flowers and strawberries wherever you went, I would beat you up."
"That's a lie, and we both know that," he parroted, repeating the words you said earlier.
He almost laughed at your pouting face.
Mindlessly, you coiled the string of your yo-yo around your finger. He never understood why you made a yo-yo your weapon of choice, considering it's... well, it's a children's toy. Not the most effective in battle unless you channel some other kind of power with it, like pyrokinesis.
"Hmmm, why are you giving me that look, Nezha?"
"It's... nothing."
"Don't say that. If it's on your mind, then it's definitely something!"
"Well, I was just wondering why you decided to use a yo-yo as a weapon."
"Because it's cool!"
"It's not the most practical weapon."
"But it's cool!"
There was no going back once you made up your mind, I guess.
"Here," he offers you his spear. "I'll teach you how to use it."
Curiously, you looked at him, then the spear, then at him again. "I'm never going to use a spear. Or a staff. It's not really my thing, you know?"
"Just take the offer!"
"Okay, jeez—! You truly are cruel..."
You clumsily grabbed the spear, attempting to mimic the position he usually took when starting combat.
It would be endearing if your form was more accurate.
"Here, let me help."
He stood behind you, guiding your hands. "Your dominant hand should be grabbing the rear, while your other hand is grabbing the forward part."
Nezha placed his hand over yours, sliding them into the correct position.
"Your main source of power is the rear hand, while your left hand exists to stabilize the spear. Do it as naturally as possible."
Then, he placed his hand against your thigh, nudging to the side. "This foot would be put in advance to your other, and you'll rely on your weight on that foot for maximum reach. This is the most common and effective two-hand grip, I'd say. Of course, it really doesn't matter how you hold it, or what weapon it is. How you handle it is far more important. Any 'one trick pony' will get you defeated."
You were silent. He raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to speak — before quiet laughter bubbled from your throat, a closed-eye smile on your face.
"Thanks for the tips, Nezha! I don't think I'll ever wield a spear, nor will I remember what you said, but I really appreciate it."
He paused. A warm, comforting feeling settled in his chest.
"Yeah," he let out a soft chuckle of his own, "Sure, I guess."
Your eyes snapped open and widened with surprise. "What."
"What?"
"Oh my god. You LAUGHED?!" Your jaw dropped. "A genuine laugh... Not one out of mockery?!"
"No, I didn't."
"This is revolutionary. Ground-breaking progress. Does this mean my marriage proposals actually have a chance—?!"
"No."
You dramatically fell backward, fisting the part of your shirt where your heart would be located under. "His cruelty knows no bounds..."
"Is that going to be your running gag for the entire time we know each other? You're such a phrase-catcher."
"Gaaah! Whateverrr. Why do you even use the spear anyway? Isn't the Universal Ring enough? You used it when you fought against err... what's his name... Ao Bing!"
"As I said, any 'one trick pony' will get you defeated."
You sighed, sitting back up.
"Let's do it again!"
"Hell no. If we train any longer, you're gonna pass out."
"Wow. Where is your faith in me, Nezha?!"
MAYBE IF HE PAID CLOSER ATTENTION EARLIER, HE WOULD'VE NOTICED YOUR HEART SKIP A BEAT.
01 — SUMMARY
Sparring 101: Nezha becomes your teacher and folds you like laundry.
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02 — NOTICE
it was always my intention to have mc fall first (but also like it's so obvious that mc is gonna fall first. look at him)
now we gotta get to the point where nezha falls for him!! and then get to the point where a confession happens!! my goodness. this fic is gonna take a year if i keep doing monthly updates
i spent some time revising parts of the outline which HOPEFULLY makes this fic even better!! some of the chapters will be longer i promise
— PROMPTS: "You've gotten better!" "Tsk, can't say the same about you." + "Let's do it again!" "Hell no. If we train any longer I'm going to pass out."
— VOTES & COMMENTS GREATLY APPRECIATED! thank you 🪷