What if Shi Yue and Xie Yi messed up, turning into two little children with no memory of their adult selves?

“Wife, look at our adorable children!”, Mingtian bellowed as he threw the door open.

Xue Hua stared back at him with completely blank eyes, the brush in his hand slipping out and dirtying the table.

He didn’t know what to comment on first…

Mingtian was absolutely not allowed to randomly barge into his room. Also, since when had he been his wife and…

What exactly was up with that?!

Seeing Xue Hua take on the stance of blatantly staring in response to a completely ridiculous appearance, Mingtian did not hesitate to show his explanation.

He raised his two arms and the two little figures, their small heads still covered in snow, stared up at Xue Hua with wide eyes.

Both were perfectly silent, but it was of a different type. One was silent because he had nothing to say, the other because he didn’t know what he could say. He looked quite adorable with his dumbfounded, confused look.

“They’re adorable!”, Mingtian exclaimed, holding them up with slightly quivering lips.

“I mean, I agree, but what in the world-”, Xue Hua shouted, jumping up as his brain processed who Mingtian was carrying there.

Tiny Xie Yi and tiny Shi Yue were maybe barely four years old and staggered a bit when Mingtian placed them on the ground.

The black-haired little thing looked around in obvious confusion, then used his short legs to waddle over to the other child and reached out to grasp his sleeve.

The small Shi Yue looked like a little prince as opposed to the messier Xie Yi and stood quite calmly, even though his eyes showed the same confusion.

“I don’t have the slightest idea”, Mingtian uselessly commented. He squatted down and pulled them both into his arms, squashing his cheek against his partner’s head. “I found them like this. I think they might have fiddled with an ancient array but I can’t help them because they don’t seem to remember anything.”

“What do  you mean, don’t remember anything?”, Xue Hua worriedly asked and hurried over to peel Shi Yue out of Mingtian’s clutches before looking into the bright eyes.

Shi Yue and Xie Yi both still had the auras of cultivators and the mutated colours of Shi Yue’s hair and eyes suggested that their core had not been changed. They had simply been turned little.

“Hello”, tiny Shi Yue mumbled and gave an awkward bow.

Xie Yi twitched at seeing Shi Yue do so, then struggled free from Mingtian’s grip and repeated the movement before continuing to stare at Shi Yue.

“I mean that they don’t recognize me. They seem to kind of recognize each other? Not really, though. More of a familiarity. Look at this”, Mingtian squeaked.

He placed his hands under Xie Yi’s arms and pulled the boy away from Shi Yue.

Shi Yue made a small, shocked “Ah!” before immediately trying to catch up with Mingtian, who was retreating.

The beast stood up, raising Xie Yi up high.

The black-haired boy looked down for a moment, then began to struggle with a hurt expression on his face.

“Waaah…”, he cried out, his eyes turning watery. The small hands desperately reached downwards, where Shi Yue was tugging and pulling at Mingtian’s pants. When that didn’t help, he first tried to hit him and then climb up, the frantic face turned upwards to Xie Yi.

“Look at how adorable this is!” Mingtian could barely hold himself back from squealing.

Furious, Xue Hua reached out for the figure in his hands and set him downwards. “Stop this! You’re making them cry!”

Once Xie Yi had the floor beneath his feet again, his expression turned a bit stupid. Shi Yue, however, let go off Mingtian and ran right over to pull him behind Xue Hua, glowering at Mingtian in the process.

Xie Yi reached out to hold onto Shi Yue again, sniffling quietly.

“There, there”, Xue Hua hummed soothingly as he reached out to caress their heads. “The bad guy won’t hurt you.”

“Oh my god, look at them”, Mingtian squeaked. “Look! Mini-Yue is protecting Mini-Yi! This is the best start into a new year, ever!”

Xue Hua turned a complicated gaze at the minimized versions of their partners. Well, they were indeed adorable. And seeing Yue so openly attached to Xie Yi was quite cute, too.

“The sect leader is returning in a few days, no? Their cores and health are fine. Let’s allow them to play like this for a while. Neither of them ever had a common New Year’s as a child.” 

Mingtian’s face was starting to turn a bit more doting as he tried to coax Xie Yi out from behind Xue Hua.

“I… Why not.” They were in one of Shi Yue’s private homes, anyway. It wasn’t like there were any sect members around who could see the situation and cause trouble.

“Do you two want to play in the snow?”, Xue Hua asked quietly, unable to keep his lips from tugging into a very light smile at the sight of the children.

Xie Yi’s eyes lit up and he nodded hurriedly. His lips were pressed together and he stared at Shi Yue.

The other child hesitated but ultimately nodded. His small hand took Xie Yi’s, holding it tightly, before he looked up at Xue Hua in a gesture of expecting the other to lead them out.

Xue Hua patted their heads and stood up, shooing Mingtian out first.

The world was white. Except for the yard that was regularly cleaned out, the snow was piled almost as high as the children and was still falling. Everything was quiet.

“Did their clothes adjust automatically or did you dress them?”, Xue Hua asked. He watched the two of them closely - Shi Yue looked around comfortably and Xie Yi stared at a small bump of snow for a while before jumping on it, crushing it under his shoes.

Both were dressed in thick, warm robes with animal fur and high boots. It made them look quite round. Shi Yue even pulled out gloves from his robe, putting them on by himself, and Xie Yi mimicked him.

“Automatically”, Mingtian responded. He was already beginning to roll up snow for a small snowman.

Attracted by the weird thing the beast was doing, Xie Yi snuck up at him from behind. Mingtian grinned broadly but did not react so as to not scare him off.

“Should we light the lanterns already? Can the kids even stay up until midnight?”

“No way. We should start an early celebration for them. We do have firecrackers somewhere… Give me a minute. Don’t tease them!” Xue Hua took the situation very seriously and already ran back inside to search for something to light up the lanterns with and the firecrackers.

There were dozens of red lanterns with signs on them placed around the building but none of them were lit. Besides, the sun had only just started to set.

Mingtian’s body was shaking with held-back laughter.

Xie Yi wanted to see what he was doing without appearing on his vision, so his glorious idea was to climb onto Mingtian’s back and look over his shoulder.

Because, obviously, Mingtian couldn’t notice him that way.

Then someone began to tug at Xie Yi’s feet, trying to get him off and the boy made unhappy noises.

“Oh my”, Mingtian said very slowly and drawn out. “Hmmm, my back feels so heavy today. I wonder if snow fell on it?” 

He turned his head deliberately slowed down, waiting for Xie Yi’s sound of shock and the hurried footsteps away.

He glanced over his shoulder.

...The pile of snow at least hid most of their bodies. Not the top of their heads, their arms, their brightly coloured sleeves and Xie Yi’s giggles, but they were trying.

Mingtian was swooning.

He hadn't thought he would like children this much, but these two were tugging at his heartstrings.

It was funny to see how they, despite their currently locked memories, were still acting a lot like themselves.

Only that little Shi Yue was a bit more introverted and little Xie Yi a bit of a coward - nothing he would hold against three or four-year-old children.

“I think I heard something behind that pile of snow”, he said loudly and moved his foot to make it crunch on the ground. “Maybe I should check?”

A kid-sized snowball flew at him. He almost evaded it out of habit but decided against it in the last minute.

He gasped. “What! Oh no! I was hit! Where did this come from!”

Two more balls flew at him and two pairs of eyes peeked out from behind the snow.

The two balls hit him after he moved right into them. He went down to his knees again.

“I am being attacked! How fero-... uh, brutal? Mean? I am hurt!” He hissed dramatically and let himself fall to the side. What kind of words would kids that age understand? “Oh no! I hope no one comes to attack me while I am weak!”

Xie Yi giggled and ran right out with a pile of snow in his hands.

He threw it at Mingtian, who was starting to laugh, and then himself right after. At that point, with a little figure having thrown himself at his stomach, Mingtian couldn’t hold it anymore.

Even when Shi Yue came afterwards, throwing a second pile onto his face, he couldn’t stop laughing.

Besides, Shi Yue joined the fight by trying to keep Mingtian’s legs down.

The beast raised one and heard the delighted sound coming from the white-haired boy when he was suddenly being lifted up.

That was the scene Xue Hua came out to.

He stopped in the doorframe and watched for a while. He made his way to light up the lanterns as quietly as possible.

A few minutes later the boys were exhausted. Mingtian picked them up and hugged them against his chest, to Shi Yue’s chagrin.

“This looks comfortable”, he commented with a grin.

Xue Hua had brought out the lounge and a number of blankets. Before it was a table with a steaming tea-set and some smaller pastries.

Xie Yi’s eyes lit up at the sight of it. “Candy!”

“Almost”, Mingtian laughed. “Do you want some?”

“Un!” Xie Yi was sat down on the lounge and wrapped in a blanket with Shi Yue, who was eyeing the tea.

Xue Hua gave Xie Yi a pastry and lovingly looked down at his partner. “Do you want to drink some?”

“Yes, please”, Shi Yue politely mumbled, his short arms extending up.

Xue Hua handed him aa high cup with only a bit of tea so that he wouldn’t spill it. “Careful, it’s a bit hot.”

Shi Yue nodded seriously and began to blow at the tea before sipping at it. He drew his legs to his chest and made himself comfortable.

Xie Yi snuggled up to his side, yawning.

“They don’t even reach my waist. I’d keep them exactly like this”, Mingtian lamented. This shouldn’t be permanent.

“I don't think Yue is interested in getting raised by you”, Xue Hua quipped with an amused glance at the white-haired one, whose nose would scrunch up every time Mingtian approached him.

“I’m not forgiven for taking Xie Yi away from him. Sheesh, it was only a second”, Mingtian complained with a pout.

Shi Yue’s eye wavered. He looked at Xie Yi, then back at the man and opened his eyes.

“Not allowed!”

“Not allowed what?”

“To take him!”

Mingtian squatted down again and leaned on his arm. His turquoise eyes were twinkling. “Not allowed to take him because..?”

“Mine”, Shii Yue declared righteously.

“So he belongs to you?”

“Un!”

“What if he doesn’t want to?”

Shi Yue showed a hint of shock on his face and hurriedly glanced at Xie Yi. The other boy finished his pastry with wide eyes and began to smile foolishly. “Want.”

“See! He is mine, so… so… You are not allowed to take!”

Mingtian snickered, his mischievous expression staying. Xue Hua rubbed his forehead.

“Do you like him that much?”

“Like!”

“Mingtian. If Yue remembers this, he will kill you for making him say such things.” Xue Hua sighed and fed Xie Yi another pastry.

Mingtian stole one from himself and winked at his future mate. “This is the only chance I’ll get to hear it in the near future. Isn’t it funny?”

Xue Hua refused to admit that, in fact, it was kind of amusing to see his partner being played so easily.

“Shi Yue, Shi Yue”, Xie Yi chirped. He tugged at the other’s arm to catch his attention. “Eat one, too!”

He held out a pastry that Xue Hua had given him.

Shi Yue’s face relaxed again and he nodded with a happy expression.

“Aah… It’s depressing to think that they’ll go right back to being complicated again once this is over.” Mingtian grumbled for a while. He joined them on the lounge and placed Xie Yi on his lap.

Xue Hua came up to sit beside him, taking Shi Yue.

“Hm…” Xue Hua was getting a bit distracted. Children were so much more adorable than he remembered… Just that if Shi Yue got together with Xie Yi, he’d never see a little one.

Uh, so there was another possibility. He was only deliberating it for a bit.

“Drink some tea to warm up.”

“Mingtian. I can be considered an ice-phoenix.”

“I know. Drink some tea to warm up.”

Xue Hua sighed and took the cup.

Night was falling. Stars were beginning to appear in the cloudless sky and the light of the lanterns shone gently.

Shi Yue moved to get off Xue Hua’s lap and forced himself into the gap between the two adult men. Xie Yi, seeing him do that, made a pitiful face at Mingtian.

Mingtian endured it for five seconds before he scooted over and left his little brother a gap to sit in.

Squished together and with pastries and tea, both boys looked the happiest in all of the evening.

Somewhere down the mountain, the first people were beginning to launch fireworks.

Both children twitched at the high whistling and the following explosion, then exclaimed in delight.

“It’s so pretty!”, Xie Yi shouted, pointing at the sky and standing up. Leaning on Mingtian, he hopped up and down. “So pretty! Me too, me too!”

“I want, too”, Shi Yue added hurriedly, turning to see the doting expression of his partner.

“Of course you can”, Xue Hua hummed. “Let’s light some fireworks together.”

There really was no danger doing that with two high-level beasts around. They could play as much as they want.

“Happy new year”, Mingtian said a bit early as hee handed Xie Yi a sparkler to light the fireworks.

“Happy new year”, the kids echoed and started their fireworks.

Flowers bloomed up in the sky in all colours.

They refused to go inside until they were so tired that they fell asleep curled against each other on the lounge, the white of their breath making small clouds in front of their flushed faces.

Xue Hua carried them inside with a hushing motion and Mingtian followed with a warm heart.

When the array naturally ran out a day later, Xie Yi found himself unable to remember the past day but in an inexplicably good mood.

Shi Yue, on the other side, sat outside drinking his tea and glaring at Xie Yi’s beast who was rolled up on the ground.

For some reason, he found the sight of him really annoying today.

Owl

This was a joy to write. It's too damn fluffy. It's not canon, but their behaviours are~
Chinese New Years is not at the same time as in other places, so this is the Western New Year :) Happy New year, everyone!