Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! My beta and I came up with this fix-it after lamenting the death of the poor shellfish at Zhang QiLing's hand in Season 2 Episode 17. She helped Wu Xie! These will be separate scenes rather than a long continuous story, but we hope you enjoy :)

Co-author & beta: jeangirlmy

- Story Start -

"Kan Jian, turn off the lights please."

The room plunges into darkness. Wu Xie switches on his torchlight and approaches the statue, careful to keep the light trained on her. She stands there, as still as... well, a statue.

He moves around to her back, peripherally aware of the others watching. Wu ErBai even takes a step closer to the statue.

Wu Xie is just reaching out to part the long hair when something leaps out from her head and lands on his chest. Sharp pinpricks dig past his shirt and into his skin. He freezes. His heart, already thumping in anticipation, skips a beat. Slowly, he tips the torchlight down until it illuminates a pinkish hand-shaped shellfish.

Kan Jian utters a cut-off scream. The room is flooded with light as he hits the switch.

Taking a step closer, Zhang QiLing unsheathes his knife and holds it up at shoulder height. The shellfish scuttles up Wu Xie's shoulder and hides behind his neck. It feels cool and damp against his skin. It's also trembling.

Or maybe Wu Xie's the one who's shaking. Having been caught by these creatures before, he's pretty nervous too.

Zhang QiLing takes another silent step closer and raises his left hand, long fingers lightly curled.

Wu Xie gulps as the shellfish slips under his cardigan and begins to make its way down his back, moving along his spine one vertebrae at a time. It's still shivering.

With another silent step, Zhang QiLing stands in front of Wu Xie, well into his personal space. Him with his perfect profile and those oh-so-pretty eyes that one can drown in. He opens his arms and keep them curled inwards, like he's coming in for a hug.

Wu Xie's poor heart now alternates between skipping beats and rushing them, pounding away in his chest and likely deafening the creature stuck to his back. His gaze flicks around the room, from Pang Zi's face set in tense lines, to Shades inching his way around the room to provide backup, to Liu Sang who looks worried with a knowing look in his eyes thanks to Wu Xie's traitorous heart.

Wu Xie glares at him before his gaze flicks back to Zhang QiLing who inches even closer. The shellfish starts moving quicker as if sensing the killing intent. It reaches the small of Wu Xie's back.

Of course. It's terrified and trying to escape. It'll try to find a hiding spot and the closest one is-

Oh. No.

A drop of sweat trickles down Wu Xie's cheek as a nail slides beneath the waistband of his trousers.

"Xiao-ge. Stop." He grits out.

Zhang QiLing freezes.

"Shades, you too."

Shades stops creeping around and holds up both hands with a shrug.

Wu Xie breathes out through his nose and decides the whole situation is ridiculous. For Heaven's sake, there's only one small shellfish compared to eight grown men!

"Right. C'mere, you." Reaching inside his cardigan, Wu Xie snatches the creature and brings it out.

Everyone takes a collective step back except for Zhang QiLing who holds his knife higher.

"Xiao-ge, wait." Wu Xie switches off the torch and tosses it Wu ErBai. Keeping a firm grip on the shellfish, he turns it over to display its underside. Two bulbous eyes stare up at him, blinking in the bright light. There's a vertical mouth with parted red lips, displaying crooked teeth. It's still shivering.

"So you're the one pretending to be Princess Mute?" Wu Xie's voice comes out softer than expected. "Right. I'll flip you over, but don't bite me, okay?"

He places it on his right palm where it turns around so it can stare up at him with one eye. He lifts his hand to his eye level.

"You helped us before and you wanted to follow us up. Do you want to stay here? With me?"

The shellfish scuttles up his right arm and perches on his shoulder. He doesn't have to see the flabbergasted faces around him to know what it must look like, a dismembered hand gripping him.

"Alright," he says, striving to keep his voice steady. "You can stay with me if you promise not to harm me or my friends."

It presses closer to him.

"In return, no one will hurt you."

Wu Xie looks up at the ring of faces staring at him.

"No killing this creature, alright? It's a friend."

The shellfish gives a little wriggle with its fingers.

"Now I've seen everything," Shades says, shaking his head.

"A-Xie, are you sure?" Wu ErBai asks.

Wu Xie grins at him.

"Er-shu, I'm a dying man. Surely you won't deny me a pet now?"

His words break the tension in the room. Zhang QiLing leans in to give a very stern look to the shellfish who presses closer to Wu Xie's neck. It smells somewhat briny, but not too bad.

"Huh." Pang Zi comes closer. "Trust you to get the strangest pets, Tianzhen. Are you sure you wouldn't want me to make you a shellfish soup?"

Wu Xie reaches up to stroke his new companion.

"Thanks, Pang Zi, but I'm sure."

"Up to you," Pang Zi says and narrows a glare at the shellfish. "Tianzhen here is my best friend. My brother. One wrong move and you're soup, you hear me?"

"I don't think it understands," Wu ErBai says, sounding resigned.

While the others joke about a crustacean's ability to understand human speech and tease Kan Jian about his earlier scare, Wu Xie carefully parts the statue's long hair. There's a hole at the back of her head and a black metal piece hanging from a string.

"Alright, it's late so let's get some sleep," Wu ErBai says. "Kan Jian, Liu Sang, keep the statue in that box. Be careful not to damage her."

Wu Xie can't help wondering if the black metal piece is similar to the ones used in Mute Village. He doesn't see the shellfish staring at Kan Jian and Liu Sang as they carefully pack the statue, or the slight drooping of its head when they finally shut the lid.

"Come on," Wu Xie says. "I'll find you a tank with some water to sleep in."

Perched on his shoulder, the shellfish continues to stare at the box until the door closes behind them.

- Chapter End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it and want to read more :)