tw death

hmm but what if each of hua cheng’s butterflies is the soul of someone who’s died & for 13 years there’s one particular butterfly that sticks to his side & works extra hard for him. he finds out its soul belonged to a man named wei wuxian

wwx is smart & energetic even in this limited form, & hc quite likes having him around. he becomes able to tell wwx apart from the other butterflies bc of his energy & the way his wings occasionally appear a light red at the tips in certain light

ofc, bc hc is a ghost king, he’s able to find out what wwx was like when he was alive. wwx’s story resonates with him & he finds himself wanting to protect him. he keeps him close, talks to him on quiet nights when the distance between him & xl feels infinite

then one day, that tiny butterfly disappears. it’s easy to tell that he’s gone, for there was no other butterfly like him. at first, hc fears that wwx simply gave up or grew too weak, & his soul dispersed

but then he dreams of soft music & a mountaintop, intertwining ribbons of red & white. & he knows—wwx has found his way back, not only to the world of the living, but to his beloved.

it gives hc hope that he might be able to do the same

& what a delightful coincidence it is that he, too, is reunited with his beloved on a mountain, enveloped by song.