You Raise Me Up
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 全职高手 | The King's Avatar (Cartoon), 全职高手 - 蝴蝶蓝 | Quánzhí Gāoshǒu - Húdié Lán
Rating: General Audiences
Relationships: Sū Mùchéng & Yè Xiū
Characters: Sū Mùchéng, Yè Xiū
Additional Tags: platonic, happy early birthday su muqiu, QAQ, Kind of a songfic, smc is singing, You Raise Me Up, Betaed, Set Before Canon, su mucheng-centric, su mucheng pov, Feels
Series: Part 3 of 2018 QZGS Rarepair Collection
Summary:
Seasons have come and gone, but some things last eternal.
Who I am today, is because of your efforts.
The me standing before you, is all due to the faith you have in me.
Notes:
Prompt Fill for QZGS Rarepair Week 2018:
Day 3: Seasons | Birthday | Kingdom
Thank you to eringeosphere for beta'ing this short rarepair fic~
The specific cover of the song You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban that I had in mind is this one → You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban - cover by Elena House. It's the closest to how I imagined SMC to be singing in this fic.
You Raise Me Up
Her voice is soft, gentle, hesitant. Yet, it reverberates with a strong chord of resolution, determination. She will get him to understand that she is thankful for all the has done for her, for all that he has sacrificed.
When I am down, and, oh, my soul, so weary
Seasons have come and gone, and now it is just the two of them, hidden away in this small clearing shielded away from view.
October 21st—his birthday.
The first year without him, she hadn't known what to do. She was used to getting up early to bake a small cake or some sweets, a tradition that she and her brother had long established.
Ye Xiu had found her standing in their small kitchen, tear tracks down her face, bowls and ingredients laid out in a messy spread across the kitchen counter. Flour decorated the front of her apron, her hand having shaken too much after that first cup.
He had taken her into his arms and just held her silently, allowing her tears to seep into his shirt.
When troubles come, and my heart burdened be
Ye Xiu…he had helped her finish making the small cake, decorated simply in vanilla frosting. When her hand had hovered hesitantly over a half-diminished candle, his hand covered hers, and both their hands reached down to grab the bright red candle and insert it into the middle of the cake.
That night, neither of them ate it, simply lost in silence and grief.
Her in his arms, warm and safe, but still mourning for what had been lost, what had been stolen away.
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence
The next morning, they had taken the cake and carved out a slice, one to offer to the small altar, incense cloaking the room heavily, as smoke shrouded the plain urn like it had been for the past few months.
The rest of the cake…they both left it for another day. It still hurt too much, the first birthday of his that passed by without him.
Ye Xiu was the one to slide the knife through the yellow sponge again, the one to offer a small bite on a silver spoon, to one to press the fruits of their hard labor into her mouth, the one to cradle her in his arms again when those tears began escaping once more.
Until you come and sit awhile with me
A kingdom of just two, that's what it feels like.
Just them against the world, against the others who see two teens on their own and judge, against those who see the dissimilar looks and make assumptions, their eyes refusing to accept reality.
Just them, just the two of them.
But it's enough, she and him.
All she needs is him beside her, guiding her, until she can reach the skies herself.
He is her light, her northern star.
She is his anchor, his home.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
She remembers the first time she walked out onto stage, the deafening roars as the sole female player of the team made her debut, on the main roster at that.
She remembers the whispers, the disbelief, the skepticism.
She remembers when they fell—seconds, minutes later—beneath her cannon—her borrowed power, the light of his that she cherishes, devoured them whole till not even ashes remained.
Devouring Sun.
Both of them, with her.
One, her light; one, her sun.
Both of them, working together, protecting her.
She stood tall on stage then, her smile beaming, although fake.
It shouldn't have been her on stage, the rains and winds under her control.
But it was her, and she would bring alive his legacy the best she could.
She hadn't known why his smile had been sad, when he greeted her off stage.
She knows now.
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
He wants her to be herself, to play for herself.
That is why he never pushed her to play Glory, after her brother died.
Her love for Glory should be pure, not influenced by anyone else; that's what he believes.
It takes her a while to understand.
That night those years ago, with the fireworks exploding in the background and the moon shining bright, she had asked if she could play Glory too, if she could join him.
He had said yes, something else on the tip of his tongue but left unsaid.
She knows now what he wanted to say then.
Does she plan to play because she wants to, or because it's another way to connect to him and her brother?
If he asks her now, she would say both, and for herself.
She loves Glory now, too.
Why wouldn't she, when he has shown her how beautiful it is through his eyes?
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
Her voice starts fading, the song nearly coming to an end. His eyes, normally dancing with warm sunlight—as if her brother is still within him, his spirit having never left—are watery, long eyelashes deliberately shielding his gaze. Yet, his hands remain loose upon his lap, body relaxed, slouched still. A bittersweet smile graces his face, matching hers, trembling as it is, but joy also exudes from them both.
Years have passed, brother, but we've moved on, have continued standing tall, raising each other to greater heights.
Best Partners.
He doesn't leave her side, like she doesn't leave his.
A silent vow, to be together.
No matter what, they'll have each other's backs.
His spear facing forward, a God of Battle.
She, bullets ricocheting, cannon in hand, his eternal shadow.
She's the moon.
He's the light.
She makes him shine as brilliant as she can.
He makes her be the best she can be.
One day, she will start taking her own path, for she knows, just like he does, that this path must fork at some point.
One day, he will leave the stage, leave her behind to stand alone under the spotlight, but she knows it is simply a switch.
She, the light.
He, the shadow.
He will never stop supporting her.
She will never stop supporting him.
You raise me up to more than I can be
Her heart aches, the last words barely a whisper when they leave her lips. She presses a hand to her mouth, taking deep breaths to calm down.
At some point, he has stood up from his seat and pulled her into his chest, his head resting on her shoulder. Her body slumps back against his, the rollercoaster of emotions finally taking its toll on her.
His soft reply to her song, to her confession, to her thanks, makes her smile the brightest it has been all day.
She turns around, arms looping around his neck, his arms wrapping around her waist.
For a moment, the world is just the two of them.
For a moment, they can feel wings—as soft as clouds, smelling like the warm, sunny morning after a night of cleansing rain—unfurl and rest around both their shoulders.
It's a cloudless day, and if they look up, they can see the sun shining brightly down on them, see the way the sunlight filters through the canopy of leaves above and dance around their forms.
It's a perfect day to celebrate a birthday, a perfect day to celebrate memories and love, a perfect day to celebrate how far they have come.
His words ring in her ear, etching themselves in her heart like so many of his other words have.
Glory is never meant to be played alone.
Glory is not that simple.
Treat everything as glory.
Until the end, do not make a judgment lightly.
Glory, I can play this for many more years to come and never feel tired.
But, she thinks this line rings the loudest within her.
He will always be here, with us. I will always be here, with you.
Don't forget, Mucheng.
We're all the stronger, together.
You raise me up…to more than I can be
Crossposted on AO3 under MTKiseki