What a Simp Gets in the End: Everything - Night God

[This is an if extra, not an extra, and is separate from the main story. If you like extras about couples, you can read it. I'll be writing some more if extras from time to time. If you don't like them, just skip them.]

[Also, some of the content is a little... proceed with caution.]

Had you heard?

The Moon God and the Night God were together.

To trace the beginnings of this romance, one had to mention what the Night God had done in those years to win the Moon God's favor.

His efforts had been nothing if not persistent and unyielding.

The gods of the divine realm had all been impressed when they heard of his unwavering perseverance.

People often said that a simp ended up with nothing.

But others said that a simp could end up with everything.

Reality, however, had always been cruel.

If a simp had no looks, no power, and no money, then he really would end up with nothing. Especially those whose looks left something to be desired: in the eyes of onlookers, they were simply toads lusting after swan meat, indulging in wishful thinking.

And they were disgusting.

Without knowing anything about a simp, people might not care what his character was like or how sincere his feelings were. Sometimes, they made the most malicious assumptions based on his face alone.

Fortunately, though, the Night God had the looks.

Not only was he handsome, but his status was also comparable to the Moon God's.

So, after all that simping, he could be said to have ended up with everything.

Though the other gods were unwilling to accept it, when they searched their hearts, none of them could match the Night God's dedication to simping.

In the end, they could only heave a long sigh and silently offer their blessings.

The most dissatisfied throughout the whole affair were the Sun God and the Star God. One was obsessed with his younger brother, and the other with his older brother. As things stood, it was as if a pig had rooted up the little cabbage they had so carefully tended. It was simply unbearable.

Granted, with certain others as a contrast, the Night God seemed reasonably pleasing to the eye.

But the resentment in their hearts was impossible to dispel.

How they regretted it!

They should never have listened to their younger brother/older brother and left, giving the other party an opportunity.

Ever since the Moon God and the Night God had gotten together, they had barely been able to see their younger brother/older brother.

The Night God called it "going on a honeymoon."

The mortal expression was quite fitting.

So why had the Moon God and the Night God gotten together?

It all began with the Night God's confession.

As everyone knew, the Night God was a quiet god who only kept watch silently behind the Moon God.

Those days went on for a long time.

Long enough for the Star God to grow almost accustomed to the extra shadow behind his older brother that he couldn't shake off, long enough for the Sun God to occasionally greet the Night God, long enough for the Night God himself to think that such days would continue forever...

Until that day.

That day was the Moon God's birthday.

The gods of the divine realm gathered at the Moon God Palace.

The Sun God sat to the Moon God's left and the Star God to his right, occupying all the space at his sides.

But their display of brotherly harmony fell apart in less than the time it took an incense stick to burn.

The reason was simple: the Star God complained that the Sun God's sleeves were too wide for a formal occasion and were crowding him, even though the Moon God was sitting between them.

The two gods began bickering on the spot.

The Moon God was boxed in so tightly that he didn't even have room to get up and pour himself more tea.

He raised his hand, intending to take the cup of plain tea that had been sitting on the table for some time.

As soon as he reached out, his older brother, the Sun God, brought the teacup to his lips ahead of him. His younger brother, the Star God, immediately followed suit, pushing a freshly replaced plate of refreshments in front of him.

In truth, the two gods were competing with each other in secret, neither willing to let the other show off any more in front of their younger brother.

The Moon God lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea from the cup in his eldest brother's hand.

However closely the two brothers kept guard, they couldn't hold back the endless stream of guests at the Moon God's birthday celebration.

The gods gathered.

Some had come to offer sincere congratulations, some to use the occasion to cultivate connections, and quite a few were gods who admired the Moon God.

The Ice God arrived, walking down steps of ice.

In his hands, he held a teacup carved from thousand-year-old cold jade from the deep sea, which he said was a birthday gift prepared especially for the Moon God.

The Ice God walked up to the Moon God.

The water in the cold jade cup he held was just as cool as the Moon God liked it.

The Moon God accepted the cup and nodded his thanks.

The Ice God took the opportunity to stop at the Moon God's right, at just the right distance to make conversation without seeming intrusive. He spoke with the Moon God about the relationship between the waterways of the Sea of Stars and the tides governed by the phases of the moon.

It was a subject the Moon God found quite interesting.

The Star God's purple eyes narrowed.

Before he could react, another god stepped forward.

This time it was the Flower God, who governed flowers. She carried in her sleeve the delicate fragrance of an epiphyllum watered with moonlight for ten thousand years, a variety she said she had put a great deal of thought into cultivating.

It bloomed only on the night of a full moon and had come especially for the Moon God.

The Flower God held the flower out to the Moon God, a smile on her lips and a glimmer in her eyes, her manner a few degrees gentler than the Water God's.

Next came the Music God.

Holding a qin, the Music God walked straight up to the Moon God and said he had composed a new piece and wanted the Moon God to appraise it. Even as he spoke, he set up the qin and placed his fingertips on the strings, looking ready to play on the spot.

One after another, they took turns stepping forward.

Some gods offered treasures, some offered music, and one held a scroll of ancient writings, saying it was the only surviving copy and had been transcribed especially for the Moon God.

The gods who brought gifts really had put some thought into them.

The Moon God's attention was divided several ways.

Though he remained as cool and aloof as ever, speaking little and wearing a faint expression, he looked at every god who stepped forward and gave each an appropriate response after they had finished speaking.

The Night God stood in a dark corner.

He watched the Moon God surrounded by a group of gods, watched their attentive smiles, those...

He picked up the cup of wine before him, which he hadn't touched all this time, and tipped his head back to take a swig.

The instant the wine went down his throat, he frowned.

Too strong.

He never drank such strong wine normally.

The Night God set down his cup and looked at the Moon God again.

He felt this period of time was harder to endure than the ten thousand years he had spent alone in the darkness.

The Love God was also present. When he saw the Night God, he felt phantom pains in certain parts of his body.

Those places were evenly distributed.

They were mainly concentrated on the back of his head, his back, and his knees and shoulders, where the Night God had left his mark while chasing and beating him for three days and three nights.

He no longer randomly tied red threads for gods.

He had more or less turned over a new leaf and mended his ways.

But when the Love God saw the Night God sitting alone in the corner, he followed his gaze to the Moon God surrounded by the crowd, then glanced at the red ribbon hidden in the Night God's sleeve at his wrist.

In his experience, one look was enough to tell that the Night God was troubled by love. If he gave him a little guidance, wouldn't he meet his quota for the day?

The Love God went over and sat down beside the Night God.

"You still haven't told him?"

The Night God said nothing.

The Love God wasn't counting on an answer. He picked up his own cup and took an unhurried sip, as though talking to himself.

"Back then, I wanted to tie a red thread for you, and you beat me until I ran away.

"Later, I heard you had the God of Time mend a red ribbon and wore it every day, nourishing it with divine power every night.

"Before, the Evil God destroyed your red ribbon. You beat him up, then went out of your way to find the God of Time and have him turn back time for it to restore it.

"At first, I wondered what kind of red ribbon was worth you treasuring so much. Turns out it was just an ordinary red ribbon the Moon God gave you.

"Since you like him so much, why don't you confess?"

Why didn't he confess?

The Night God's answer was simple. His lips moved.

"I'm afraid."

He looked down at the wine rippling in his cup and fell silent for a long time before speaking again.

"He has no shortage of people around him. The Ice God, the Flower God, the Music God—every one of them is better than me. I'm not good at anything. I can't talk well or make people happy. All I can do is... sit somewhere he can see me. I'm afraid that if I speak up, he won't even let me sit there anymore."

The Love God had seen countless entanglements of love and hatred, heard countless reasons to confess and excuses not to, but the taciturn black-haired god before him had expressed the deepest sense of inferiority in the flattest tone.

For a moment, he actually couldn't think of a reply.

But he had finally seen a god showing the first signs of love, only for the sprout to be unable to grow.

The Love God sighed inwardly, set his cup on the table, and leaned closer.

"I suggest you drink. And don't use divine power to dispel the effects of the alcohol. Once you're drunk, you'll understand everything."

The Love God left after saying that.

In truth, he wasn't sure himself.

Wine gave people courage. Perhaps the Night God would go confess to the Moon God once he was drunk, or perhaps he would retreat even further into his shell. Who knew?

The Love God knew only one thing: if he didn't give the sprout a push soon, it would probably rot in the soil.

The Night God sat where he was, looking at the cup of wine before him without moving for a long time.

Then he picked it up and drank.

One cup after another.

He never drank normally, and his tolerance was absurdly low. After a few cups of strong wine, his head began to spin.

Suddenly, the Night God set down his cup and stood up, his gaze hazy.

He raised his hand, and the red ribbon around his wrist dangled before his eyes.

He tilted his head slightly as he looked at it, a smile appearing on his lips.

Then the Night God untied it. Pinching one end between his fingertips, he pulled it from his wrist, raised it to his lips, lowered his eyes, and pressed a kiss to it.

The instant his lips touched it, it was like a flame licking across a page, utterly restrained.

After the kiss, the Night God raised his eyes, and when he looked at the Moon God, another smile appeared.

I like him.

The Night God looked at the Moon God and raised his hands to tie the red ribbon in his hair.

He began looking around, his gaze falling on the gods still lingering at the banquet.

All he could think was that every last one of them was swaying back and forth, terribly annoying.

These gods really are annoying.

So the Night God did something he would never have done while sober, no matter what.

He stood up, walked over to the group of gods, and beat up every god except the Sun, Moon, and Star Gods.

That included the Love God, who had just given him advice.

As the Love God was sent flying, he stared in disbelief at the expressionless Night God below, who was withdrawing his fist.

Only a few thoughts remained in his mind:

Brother, you normally look so quiet. How did you turn into a violent god as soon as you drank?

That contrast is way too absurd!

And I came over especially to give you advice just now!

You can't repay kindness with enmity like this!

The Night God succeeded in driving away all the other, unrelated gods.

The Moon God Palace fell silent, with only flower petals, shattered teacups, and broken qin strings strewn across the floor...

The Night God stood there, his black hair slightly disheveled, his red ribbon askew, and his chest heaving violently. The alcohol had brought a faint flush to the corners of his eyes.

He turned his head toward the Moon God.

The Moon God stood there, and it was impossible to tell how long he had been watching.

The Sun God and the Star God stood on either side of the Moon God.

The expressions on the two gods' faces were extraordinarily colorful.

The Sun God's mouth hung open, and it took him a long while to force out a sentence. "...He's actually that fierce when he drinks?"

The Star God paid no attention to anything else. He only thought the Night God had done rather well.

Those gods had been annoying to look at, so it was just as well they had been driven off.

Now the other fellow just needed to hurry up and get lost.

Once he was gone, the Star God would only need to drive away his eldest brother too.

Then it would be a world for just him and his older brother.

Unexpectedly, just as the thought occurred to the Star God, the Moon God turned and looked at them.

"Older brother, younger brother, go back first. Something isn't right with Night. I'm afraid he might hurt you."

Under the Moon God's gaze, the Sun God and the Star God left, deeply unwilling.

Today was their younger brother's/older brother's birthday, so he had the final say.

Damn that Night God!

But if they had known what would happen afterward, they would never have left, even if it killed them.

After the Sun God and the Star God left, the Moon God's face remained as cool as ever. He walked up to the Night God and stopped.

The Night God raised his eyes to look at him, his gaze hazy with drunkenness.

The Moon God's outline was both clear and blurred, like the moon in the water or a flower in a mirror. The Night God reached out to touch him, but his hand fell halfway up.

His whole body pitched forward.

Moon God reached out and caught him.

Night God's head fell against Moon God's shoulder, his burning forehead pressed against Moonlight's cool clothes.

He gave a muffled grunt, then went still.

Moon God looked down at the black-haired god in his arms, who had just beaten up every god there and was now dead drunk. He raised a hand and gently stroked the top of Night God's head.

"Night, you're drunk."

Night God held Moon God in both arms, his voice so hoarse it was barely audible:

"Moon, today... they got too close to you. I wasn't happy about it at all."

Night God would never have said such a thing to Moon God while sober. But now he was out of his senses, and simply said whatever was on his mind.

Moon God held him, his palm moving up and down his back as he gazed at his hair.

The red ribbon was tied in it at an angle.

Moon God thought it looked familiar and reached out to take the strip of red from his hair.

"This... is the one I gave you many years ago, isn't it? I didn't expect you to have kept it."

Before he had finished speaking, Night God abruptly let go of him.

He reached out to snatch it back.

It was his. No one else could touch it.

But just as his fingertips brushed the red ribbon, he suddenly stopped.

No, the one in front of him was Moon.

His hand hung in midair, unable to reach forward or draw back.

In the end, their hands clasped together.

The red ribbon wound between their fingers.

Night God lowered his head and looked at their joined hands.

"I... I, Moon..."

The wine had turned his tongue soft and muddled his brain into paste. He didn't know what he wanted to say.

"...Don't go. Moon, I've fallen for you. I like you best. The very, very, very best... But you deserve someone better... I can always stay by your side and watch you... We can always be the closest of friends... I don't want to lose even that."

Night God told Moon God a great, great deal. He seemed to pour out everything he had kept bottled up all these years.

Moon God listened the whole time, occasionally murmuring an "Mm." Only the faint blush at the base of his ears quietly gave something away.

Night God rambled on for a long time, until his drunkenness wore off with the passing of time.

He sobered up.

Night God froze like a stone statue struck by lightning. Everything he had just said came back to him, sentence by sentence, word for word. He closed his eyes, wishing a crack would open beneath his feet and swallow him whole.

I'm done for.

What did I say?

"They got too close to you, and I wasn't happy," and "every time you smile at them, I want to drag you away," and "I like you."

I said it all!

Will Moon hate me? Will we not even be able to stay friends? Will he start avoiding me tomorrow?

Night God didn't dare raise his head.

But Moon God let out a laugh and slipped his fingers between Night God's.

All ten fingers interlaced, fitting snugly together.

With his other hand, he picked up the red ribbon and wound it around their joined hands, loop after loop.

He wrapped it loosely, but tied a knot.

"Night, this is my answer. Do you like it?"

Night God's breath stopped for a whole moment.

He stared at the red ribbon around their hands, then at Moon God's face, without blinking.

There was a little blush on that face, and a pair of eyes reflecting his own image.

Night God murmured in disbelief, "I... must be dreaming, right?"

He knew this feeling all too well.

Dream God loved nothing more than to toy with him using the things he wanted most.

Night God stared at their entwined hands, terrified that if he moved, the dream would shatter.

Moon God brought his free hand to the side of Night God's face and caressed it.

He was not the sort to like competing for things.

But perhaps Night God was his exception.

Night God had finally managed to make things clear just now, only to retreat back into his shell.

Moon God felt that if he didn't do something, Night God would act as though nothing had happened, staying by his side as his closest friend.

Night God's entire body went rigid.

He saw Moon God draw close, saw his own reflection grow larger in those eyes, saw Moon God tilt his head up slightly.

Then...

Their lips met.

Night God trembled.

In that instant, everything receded like the tide.

The drunkenness, the hesitation, the fear, the high walls he had built in his heart over the years—all of it was swept away by this kiss. The warmth on his lips was impossibly real, so real that he could feel the rise and fall of Moon God's breath...

It was real.

He confirmed it to himself again and again.

At a time like this, if Night God still hid in his shell, he would practically have to beat himself up.

After all, Moon had already gone this far. If he still held back, what did everything he had bottled up all these years amount to?

What did all that drunken babble amount to?

Since when had he, Night God, become a god so cowardly that he didn't dare reach out and catch the moon offered right in front of him?

He closed his eyes and kissed him back.

The two gods' breaths tangled together until neither could tell whose was whose.

They kissed for a long time.

Somehow, the two gods later found themselves in a room.

Somehow, the door closed.

Somehow, quite a commotion came from the room.

An unknown time later,

When the two gods came out, numerous wounds had somehow appeared on their bodies, as though they had fought all night.

Night God lay with his head on Moon God's lap, the back of his head resting on his warm knee. He gazed up at the rafters, but the scenes from earlier kept playing over and over in his mind...

His cheeks suddenly burned.

Night God raised a hand to cover his face. It was no use; heat spilled out between his fingers and spread from his ears down his neck.

In all his years of life, his face had never been so hot. It was so hot that he felt if he stood up now, white smoke would rise from his head.

As he thought about it, he suddenly let out a foolish chuckle through his nose, without even noticing it himself.

Moon God's hand paused as he turned a page. He looked down at him, the corners of his lips lifting slightly:

"Night, thinking about it again? It's still early. Let's wait a little longer."

Night God's eyes flew open, and his face grew even redder.

"I-I wasn't..."

He snatched the quilt beside him, pulled it over his head, and curled up into a large bundle.

But under the quilt, he was still chuckling foolishly.

Moon God didn't expose him. He lowered his head and went back to his book, unable to suppress the smile on his lips. Some of the attention that should have been wholly devoted to reading drifted to the bundle under the quilt.

After a while, the lump under the quilt stirred.

Night God emerged from the quilt, his hair disheveled and his face still red. He sat up and moved to Moon God's side, raising a hand and letting it hover for a moment, his fingers curling slightly before relaxing.

After hesitating for a long while, he finally put his arm around Moon God and drew him into his embrace.

Shoulder against shoulder, their breaths mingled.

Night God tensed, waiting for Moon to push him away, or frown, or say, "Night, what are you doing?"

But Moon God turned a page and remained leaning in his arms.

Night God breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing. He held him for quite a while, long enough to think he had finally calmed down.

But when he turned his head, Moon God's profile was right before his eyes.

The curve of his brow, the faint shadows cast by his lashes, and the line of his lips...

Night God's Adam's apple bobbed.

Unable to resist, he leaned over and gave him a light peck.

It landed on Moon God's cheek.

He was stunned himself after the kiss.

He had hesitated so long just to hold him earlier, yet now he had actually kissed him like that. It seemed lust gave one courage; the ancients had not deceived him.

Moon God used to like reading, tranquility, and...

Now a few more things had been added to the list.

He liked seeing Night God at a loss. Though they had already been intimate many times, every time he came a little closer, Night God's ears still turned red against his will. He didn't know where to put his hands, and his gaze wandered before finally returning to Moon God's face, as if checking something.

He liked seeing Night God grow bolder bit by bit, from hesitating for ages over a simple embrace to daring to wrap his arms around him from behind while he read, resting his chin on his shoulder, his breath brushing the side of his neck, a little tentative, a little greedy for more.

He liked seeing Night God let himself go little by little, his kisses moving from the corner of Moon God's mouth to the hollow of his neck, his hands slipping beneath his clothes, his breathing ragged as he mumbled Moon God's name.

He liked...

In short, he seemed to like everything Night God did.

Once, Night God suddenly asked him something.

The two had just spent some time fooling around. Night God lay beside him, his fingers still winding the ends of Moon God's hair around and around.

He stared at the rafters for a long time before speaking. "Moon."

"Mm."

"What is it... that you like about me?"

Moon God turned his head to look at him.

Night God didn't look back. He merely stared upward, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, as if he were pushing something back down.

A moment later, he spoke again, his voice even lower:

"Even I think... I'm not good enough for you."

As he said it, his fingertips were still tightly wrapped in the ends of Moon God's hair.

Moon God turned over and propped himself up above Night God, looking down at him.

Night God finally met his gaze. There was a little panic in his eyes, and a little longing.

Moon God leaned down and kissed him between the brows.

Like the kiss Night God had earlier pressed to the red ribbon around his wrist, he rested against Night God's forehead and said softly:

"I've read many books and met many gods. Some were clever, some beautiful, some interesting. Some were more forthright than you, some had sweeter words, and some knew better than you when to advance and when to retreat..."

Night God listened, his throat tightening, and turned his eyes away.

"But they wouldn't stand outside my door all night just to give me a pot of wine they'd newly acquired. They wouldn't silently brighten the lamp when I lost track of time reading, and they wouldn't...

"You say you're not good enough. But what do you use to measure whether you are? Those foolish words you can't bring yourself to say? The way your face turns red whenever you see me? That red ribbon you've kept all these years and secretly kissed countless times?"

Night God's breathing grew uneven.

He had rambled about that when he confessed to Moon God while drunk.

Ever since then, Night had always liked getting him drunk.

"Night, I love you."

Night God lay there, his eyes wide, their rims slowly reddening. He turned his head, trying to hide, but Moon God caught his chin and turned him back.

"Don't hide," Moon God said. "I'm not finished yet."

"There's more?"

"There is." Moon God lowered his head, his lips almost touching the corner of Night God's mouth. "I like you the way you are right now. I like watching you believe me, then doubt me, then be unable to stop yourself from believing. I like seeing you flustered, seeing you in a mess, seeing you hesitate to death yet still reach out to hold me..."

With that, he kissed him.

Bit by bit, Moon God's kiss shattered all of Night God's self-doubt and the clamor of whether he was good enough.

When they parted, Night God's eyes were red, and so was the tip of his nose, but his lips curved into a smile.

His voice was hoarse as he said softly, "Moon."

"Mm."

"Could you... say all that again?"

Moon God gave a very faint smile. In Night God's eyes, it was more beautiful than anything.

"No." He rolled over and lay back down, picked up the book beside him, and opened it to the page he had been on. "If you want to hear it, trade me something else."

Night God stared at his profile for a long moment, then suddenly leaned over and kissed him.

"Will that do?"

Moon God's hand paused on the page for an instant, and the curve of his lips lifted a little higher.

"Yes."

A god who had tasted such pleasures had the hardest time enduring.

Once he had tasted that sweetness, it was like a drop of rain falling on ground that had been parched for thousands of years.

It did nothing to quench his thirst. Instead, it only made him thirstier.

The Night God had once managed to keep up appearances, but he couldn't anymore.

The way he looked at the Moon God was different, and so were his hands. He was always trying to sit close to him, lean against him, touch him...

The Moon God let him, his lips curving slightly.

One day, the Sun God and Star God came to the Moon God Palace together.

Before they even entered, the Sun God was still laughing and joking, while the Star God wore a sullen expression, annoyed by his chatter.

The two gods crossed the threshold and looked up.

Then they froze.

Inside the hall, the Moon God reclined against a couch, his robes slightly open at the front...

The Night God leaned over him, one hand braced beside the Moon God's ear and the other holding his chin, kissing him as though no one else were there. The Moon God tilted his head back, his eyelashes half lowered, his fingertips resting loosely against the back of the Night God's neck.

The space between them was so narrow that not even a ray of light could slip through.

Sun God: "Ah—!!"

The scream nearly lifted the roof off the Moon God Palace. He pointed at the two gods, his vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.

The Star God attacked without hesitation.

A long whip formed from Starlight sliced through the air, streaking toward the Night God's back with killing intent.

The Star God's eyes had turned red. "What are you doing, you damned pest?! Don't bully my innocent brother!"

Before the whip could land, the Moon God moved.

He wrapped an arm around the Night God and turned sideways, drawing him behind him as he reached out and pressed his palm against the Star God's wrist.

The whip hung in midair, its Starlight shattering into tiny fragments.

The Moon God moved away from the Night God, released the Star God's wrist, and brushed a fingertip across the corner of his own mouth, wiping away a trace of moisture.

He turned to the Star God and said, "Star, calm down."

The Star God glared at the Night God behind the Moon God.

The other god was slowly straightening up, raising a hand to smooth his rumpled collar, a hint of something on his lips...

A hint of what?

Satisfaction?

The Star God felt blood rushing to his head.

Damn the Night God.

He and his eldest brother never should have left a few days ago.

The Star God had been certain that the Night God didn't dare confess to his brother. All those years as "dear friends," all those times he'd started to speak and stopped, all those times he'd stood a step away only to retreat.

The Star God had seen it all.

That god was a coward. He didn't dare.

He would rather remain a dear friend for life than take that gamble.

That was why the Star God had tolerated him at the Moon God's side.

With the Night God standing beside his brother, the gods who coveted the Moon God scattered of their own accord as soon as they saw them from afar.

After all, with that face of the Night God's on display, he could drive half the gods away just by staying silent. The other half saw the understanding between the Moon God and the Night God, an understanding no one else could intrude upon, and gave up on their own.

And of course, there was one more thing, the most infuriating thing of all.

The Night God relied on his status as his brother's dear friend, and no amount of shooing could make him leave.

He had tried.

He had tried openly and subtly, thousands upon thousands of times, but the other god stuck around like a stubborn plaster.

Once, he had moved the Night God's chair to the most remote corner of the Moon God Palace, only for his brother to carry it back himself and admonish him afterward.

Damn the Night God!

The Star God ground his teeth and decided to ignore the Night God for now.

He strode over to the Sun God and slapped him several times.

"Eldest brother, wake up. If you keep sleeping, brother will run off with the Night God."

The slaps jolted the Sun God awake. He opened his eyes abruptly and sucked in a sharp breath, clutching his face. He rubbed his temples, his gaze unfocused as he muttered:

"That was terrifying... I never thought I'd have such a terrible dream. How could my own little brother possibly be rooted up by a pig?"

As he spoke, he frowned and touched his stinging cheek.

"Sss—wait, why does my face hurt so much?

"Wait, why am I still in the dream?"

The Sun God raised his head and looked around.

He knew the furnishings of the Moon God Palace better than anyone and remembered exactly where every object stood. But now, all those familiar things had become a backdrop. What truly caught his eye were the Moon God and the Night God.

And their slightly red and swollen lips.

All of it told the Sun God that this was no dream.

The Sun God's expression cracked inch by inch.

His eyes rolled back and he fell backward, nearly fainting from anger all over again.

The Star God grabbed his eldest brother by the collar and yanked him back, then gave him several more slaps.

"Eldest brother, don't faint."

The Sun God's face was numb from the slaps. He held his cheeks, and his eyes finally began to focus.

"No, it wasn't a dream?"

The Star God sneered. "What do you think?"

That day, the Sun God and Star God felt the terror of being dominated by the Night God.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine years later

On this day, the Sun God and Star God finally reached the end of their patience and stormed in. They kicked open the gates of the Night God Palace, golden and purple light intertwining as they burst through, fierce and plainly spoiling for a fight.

Even after nine hundred and ninety-nine years, the sight before them still nearly made the two gods steam from every orifice in anger.

The Night God and Moon God were sitting together on a cloud couch.

The Moon God leaned against the Night God's shoulder, his silver hair cascading down like a waterfall. He held a book in his hand, his posture relaxed and at ease.

There was also a little black cat on his lap.

It lay sprawled across his legs, fast asleep.

The Night God, who had once dressed entirely in black, had taken to wearing plain white robes after getting together with the Moon God. Perhaps because the white bore the hue of moonlight, it made him look better matched with the Moon God.

At the moment, he had one arm around the Moon God's waist.

The Moon God was reading, while he was watching the Moon God.

The Sun God's anger flared at once, his golden eyes almost spitting fire as he roared:

"Night God! Take your claws off my little brother's waist!"

The Star God followed close behind, his purple hair almost bristling like a hedgehog.

His purple eyes were full of anger too.

All right, he had seen it many times before, but as someone utterly devoted to his brother, he still couldn't accept it.

"Move your hand. I've never even held my brother like that."

Neither the Night God nor the Moon God seemed particularly surprised by the arrival of the Sun God and Star God.

The Night God's attitude toward the two of them remained very sincere. He answered nearly every question they asked.

"Probably because you're shorter and smaller than Moon, Star God, so you can't hold him like this."

The usually scheming Star God was left speechless by that retort.

Because it was true.

The Sun God looked at the perfectly matched pair before him, then at the Night God's hand, which hadn't budged from his little brother's waist. He felt a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat, unable to rise or fall.

Every time he saw such a scene, he regretted having left back then.

The Moon God put down his book and was about to rise to greet them, but the hand at his waist suddenly tightened and pulled him back.

The Night God wrapped his arms around him from behind, resting his chin in the hollow of his shoulder. His voice was low, tinged with reluctance.

"Moon, can I hold you a little longer?"

He truly couldn't bear to let go for even a moment.

He had to hold the Moon God while they slept, cling to him while he read, and even when they walked, he insisted on holding his hand... In short, whatever the Moon God did and wherever he went, the Night God clung to his side, like a shadow he couldn't shake off, or a patch of night that wouldn't go away.

The Sun God watched, a vein throbbing at his temple. Striving to maintain his dignity as the eldest brother, he said in a deep voice:

"Night God, the three of us brothers haven't seen one another in a long time. Surely you can let us talk."

The Night God lifted his eyes and glanced at him, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Go ahead. I won't get in the way."

You won't get in the way? Then what do you call holding my little brother and refusing to let go?!

The Star God's purple eyes filled with grievance as he muttered:

"Brother, you used to dote on me most, but now you don't even look at me..."

Hearing this, the Moon God turned his head, his silvery-white hair brushing the Night God's cheek.

The strand of hair made the Night God's heart tremble, and his arms tightened a little more.

The Moon God sighed helplessly and patted the back of the Night God's hand, his voice touched with indulgence.

"Night, let go for now."

The Night God slowly released him.

The little black cat on the Moon God's lap immediately jumped down.

I don't know whether everyone still remembers it.

Its name was Shadow, a shadow the Night God had separated from himself.

Back then, it was only at the Moon God's request that the Night God had reluctantly allowed Shadow to appear again.

Shadow was so grateful to the Moon God that it wished it could lie on his lap every day and let him pet and rub it.

Shadow was very satisfied with this.

Originally, whenever the Moon God came to the Night God Palace, it never got to see him.

Because its original self, the Night God, was a complete and utter jealousy fiend. Even though it was part of him, he stubbornly refused to let it appear.

Come on, I'm a cat.

Why does my original self have to compete with a cat like me for favor?

Still, Shadow understood this very well.

After all, whenever it appeared alongside the Night God, the Moon God always liked to hold it and pet it again and again.

He rubbed its ears, its head, its belly...

He even cradled it in his arms and rubbed his chin against the top of its fluffy head.

Every time, a gentle smile would appear in the Moon God's cool eyes, and his lips would curve upward.

And the Night God would stand beside them, his expression growing darker each time.

But before their relationship had a name, its original self had been a coward. Every time, he dared to be angry but not to speak of it, and he didn't even dare let the Moon God see his anger.

Only after its original self, the Night God, had finally gotten together with the Moon God—Shadow still remembered that occasion: the Moon God had held and petted it for too long, and this time its cowardly original self had lifted it from the Moon God's arms and dropped it on the ground.

Then the cowardly original self it remembered had sat down beside the Moon God, laid his head on his lap, and looked up, offering himself instead:

"Moon, stop petting it. Pet me. My hair is softer than its fur."

The Moon God had stared blankly for quite a while before laughing aloud.

The memory ended.

Shadow swished its tail and licked the fur that had been mussed when it was dropped.

Forget it. He's my original self, so I'll let him have his way.

After all, without him, there would be no me.

I'm not a little jealousy fiend.

Now, Shadow jumped down from the Moon God's lap and stretched. It glanced back at the murderous pair of brothers by the door, then at the Night God's instantly darkened expression.

Sensing it should make itself scarce, it gave a "meow" and darted beneath the cloud couch.

But even beneath the cloud couch, Shadow didn't remain idle.

Lying on the floor, it watched as its original self rose the moment the Moon God did and took his hand.

Tsk, tsk. My original self is still so clingy.

The Moon God walked over to the Sun God and Star God.

The Night God stood at the Moon God's side, his white robes almost touching the Moon God's silver ones.

Seeing that there wasn't even room for a finger between the two gods, the Sun God grabbed the Moon God by the wrist and pulled him toward the exit.

"Little brother, come stay at my Sun God Palace for a few days."

The Sun God had barely pulled the Moon God two steps when he felt resistance. He looked back and saw that the shameless, detestable god was holding his little brother again.

The Moon God felt the grip around his waist tighten once more.

The Night God wrapped an arm around the Moon God's waist from behind and drew him back, enclosing him entirely in his embrace.

He lowered his eyes to the Sun God and said mildly:

"Eldest brother, the Star Lotuses in the Moon God Palace have bloomed. Moon said some time ago that he would enjoy the flowers with me."

Star God: "..."

Sun God: "..."

The Sun God and Star God had never imagined that the Night God could be so clingy and so infuriating.

The Star God's hands tightened behind his back.

Perhaps, back then, he shouldn't have relented and agreed to this for his brother's sake.

Then things wouldn't have come to this.

The Night God tilted his head and rubbed his cheek against the Moon God's, then met the Sun God's nearly blazing golden eyes and offered a sincere invitation:

"If you don't mind, you can enjoy the flowers with us."

The Star God threw himself into the Moon God's arms, his purple hair brushing his chest. "Brother, you haven't spent time with us in so long."

The Moon God looked down at the younger brother who had followed him around since childhood and raised a hand to stroke his purple hair, his fingers passing through the strands.

He turned his head and looked at the Night God.

The Night God pressed his lips together. He said nothing, but the look on his face was harder to withstand than anything he could have said.

The Moon God was amused, and his expression finally softened.

He tilted his head and leaned close to the Night God's face, pressing his lips to his cheek.

"Night, I'm only leaving for a little while. I'll be back soon. Be good and wait for me at home, all right?"

Even after being with the Moon God for so long, the Night God still couldn't help blushing and feeling his heart race at a single kiss from him.

The faint blush spread from the tips of the Night God's ears to his cheeks. Against his white robes, it gave him an almost boyish look. He lowered his lashes, concealing the surging attachment in his eyes, then raised his hands and cupped the Moon God's face, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek in return.

His lips were warm, and the kiss was tender.

"All right. I'll wait for you to come back, Moon."

The Moon God's lips curved into a smile. He drew back from the Night God's hands, turned around, and took the Star God's hand.

The Sun God watched from the side, his expression changing again and again.

In the end, he merely snorted and strode ahead.

The Night God stood where he was, his white robes stirring in the breeze.

He watched the Moon God's retreating figure fly farther and farther away, and only when that streak of silver-white had vanished completely beyond the palace doors did he slowly lower his lashes.

Shadow emerged from beneath the cloud couch, flicking its tail as it looked up at him.

The Night God lowered his gaze and said flatly, "What are you laughing at?"

Shadow tilted its head but said nothing.

It jumped onto the cloud couch and curled up where the Moon God had just been sitting, the tip of its tail lightly tapping the indentation that still held a trace of warmth.

The Night God walked over and sat down beside Shadow, his fingers brushing the page the Moon God had just turned.

Outside the palace, dusk deepened and moonlight began to appear.

He gently closed the book and murmured, "Come back soon."

END.