During the final battle, Zou An lay at the bottom of a crater.
The battlefield was silent. Only the tattered federal flag fluttered in the wind, heavy with the stench of blood.
"Just my luck, dying alongside you." Zou An punched the person lying beside him, who was just as good as dead.
Guan Ze lay in a pool of blood. At that, he tugged at the corner of his mouth and smiled. "It's my honor."
Reborn, Zou An returned to the day he came of age. He stared blankly at the prosperous world around him.
This was another timeline, one in which their country had never fallen into the quagmire of war.
He had meant to put the past behind him and start over. But when he left home and turned right, a familiar face appeared before him.
The man sat in a wheelchair, waving at him leisurely.
Zou An's mother called out, "An'an, go say hello to your big brother Guan. He's back from the Tower. Weren't you always attached to him?"
Standing at his own doorstep, Zou An gritted his teeth. "Hello there, my Guan. Big. Brother."
Guan Ze nodded, his smile gentle. "It's been a long time, my An'an."
Zou An: ...
You bastard. Who's your An'an?
*
The sentinel Guan Ze had wanted to make his own all his life had, in the end, died alongside him.
As the other's mental landscape crumbled, Guan Ze could do nothing but feel the warmth in his arms slowly fade away.
Guan Ze turned his face and, though he had never crossed the line before, pressed a kiss to Zou An's forehead.
"See you in the next life," Guan Ze whispered.
The other man didn't react. Apart from the streaks of blood on his face, he looked peaceful, as if asleep.
"If there's a next life, I'll keep you locked up at home," Guan Ze said fiercely. "I won't let you get anywhere near war, death... or any other guides."
He stubbornly held Zou An close and watched the fire of incoming shells sweep across the sky.
*
Reborn into another world, Guan Ze found the family politics and power struggles a real headache.
To avoid attracting attention and give himself time to recover, he deliberately pretended to lose the use of his legs in a training accident.
He hadn't wanted Zou An to see him pretending to be weak, but when Zou An saw him in this sickly state, he unexpectedly started speaking to him in a gentle, tender voice.
Zou An: "I'll push you. Where do you want to go?"
Guan Ze: "..."
"Sorry to trouble you. I need to wash up." Guan Ze chuckled and looked up. "Will you help me?"
Zou An blushed and stammered, "O-okay."
"Can you help me get dressed?"
"Sure."
"My family is pressuring me to marry. Will you register our marriage with me?"
"Like registering as war buddies? Sure."
"I'm going into heat. Can you help me?" Guan Ze put his arms around him, his eyes brimming with amusement.
"What are you even asking for? Of course I'll help!" Zou An thumped his chest, looking utterly dependable, then suddenly froze.
Wait, what just went in?
Why did you suddenly stand up??!
Aren't you disabled?!
"An'an." Guan Ze breathed warmly against him. "You fall for things so easily. What am I going to do with you?"
Zou An: "#*/@*???"
#They're brothers who've faced life and death together, it's fine#
#Even when the other guy gets inside, he thinks he's just warming his buddy's bird#
A sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, clueless, straight-laced sentinel bottom x a seemingly disabled, frail, gentle, scheming guide top
One-on-one romance, both are each other's first, happy ending
Click to see a scheming guide's elaborate plans
P.S. The reason the top's character card shows him as a wheelchair-bound schemer is... the author can't draw the look they want (annoyed).
Theme: Savor the beauty in everyday life
