Chapter Text
Jiang Xichen cannot help the triumphant smile that blooms on his features as Lan Qiren tells him of the elders' decision. He’s waited for that day since the moment he first set foot in Cloud Recesses and met the "Pearl of Gusu," praised among disciples of all clans for his propriety and beauty.
At first, Jiang Xichen hadn't given much thought to the rumors about Lan Wanyin, the younger brother of the perfect Jade of Gusu, Lan Wangji, believing that he would be just as stuffy and boring as his brother. However, as soon as Lan Wanyin was formally introduced to him, Jiang Xichen soon realized that the siblings were different enough for the younger one to catch his attention.
While Lan Wangji—whom Jiang Xichen will have to deal with regularly as they are both the future leaders of their respective sects—is stoic to the point of looking like a dead fish, his younger sibling lets even his slightest thought show on his face. Jiang Xichen doesn't need to look at Lan Wanyin's nose and mouth (hidden behind a white silk veil trimmed with pearls) to guess what he's thinking, for his gray eyes and thin eyebrows are expressive enough to tell him everything he keeps quiet about.
So when Lan Qiren announces that the clan elders have consented to their marriage, Jiang Xichen can read on his fiancé's face that he's as happy about the decision. Of course, Lan Wanyin has to maintain his composure in front of his uncle, currently busy arranging the ceremony details with Jiang Fengmian. Still, the sparkle in his eyes is not lost on Jiang Xichen, even from the other side of the room.
"I can't wait to call you Jiang Furen," Jiang Xichen says once they’re alone in the snowy gardens of Gusu. “I had a pavilion built in one of Lotus Pier's private docks just for you,” he adds at his companion's silence. Jiang Xichen is aware that they’re being watched, but unlike his fiancé, he doesn't care about appearances. He’s talking to his future furen, so he can touch them freely, right?
“You shouldn’t have. I don't need such frivolities,” Lan Wanyin says, gently letting go of Jiang Xichen; even holding hands is improper if they’re not married.
Lan Wanyin altered his voice so that no one could infer his gender and to prevent other clans from pursuing them for political purposes. As a result, Jiang Xichen will be the first to hear his authentic voice on their wedding night and the first to know his gender. Not that he cares; Jiang Xichen said so to his father, Jiang Fengmian, when he brought up the matter. Jiang Xichen loves Lan Wanyin, regardless of what’s under the various layers of clothing he regularly wears.
“Perhaps you don't need it,” Jiang Xichen says with a smile, daring to reach out to touch one of his fiancé's strands of hair. Even his hairstyle makes it hard to guess his true gender, as Lan Wanyin wears his hair in a bun, with two long locks framing his face. “But I still want to give it to you. I want to see you with the lake in the background, surrounded by beautiful lotus flowers, just as you deserve, my heart.”
"Xichen..." Lan Wanyin says reprovingly, taking a step back. “We can not.”
“I know,” Jiang Xichen says with a sigh. However, the smile returns to his face when he thinks that soon he will possess the most exquisite pearl of that boring place. Every second that passes brings him closer to the ceremony day, something he didn't even think possible when he realized his feelings for Lan Wanyin.
Jiang Xichen fell in love with Lan Wanyin during his studies at Cloud Recesses, where he could see his profile all he wanted if he tilted his face slightly to the right, listening intently to his uncle's lectures. It was then that Jiang Xichen realized how expressive Lan Wanyin’s eyes and eyebrows were, for the Pearl of Gusu didn’t hold back from rolling his eyes when someone spouted nonsense, nor could he control his frown when someone broke the rules.
Fascinated by this contrast between the Lan siblings, Jiang Xichen had approached Lan Wanyin like someone poking an animal lying in the forest with a stick to see its reaction. So poor Lan Wanyin had had to put up with Jiang Xichen’s nonsense until the latter had fallen in love with his every reaction.
“Come on, let me see what's under the veil,” Jiang Xichen said one afternoon while they were in the library. Jiang Xichen had followed the youngest of the Lan siblings all day, impeding all his attempts to study with increasingly shameless questions, but the latter had taken the prize.
“No!”
“Why not?”
Lan Wanyin had looked away, focusing once more on the book in front of them, but his ears had turned crimson. Jiang Xichen felt his stomach do a flip then.
"Only my future husband or wife can see me," Lan Wanyin said, giving him a fleeting glance.
Since then, Jiang Xichen had intended to marry Lan Wanyin, and his dreams have come true after several years.
“Is something the matter?” Lan Wanyin asks, snapping Jiang Xichen out of his memories. Memories of moonlight walks, long (and tedious) afternoons alone in the library, and countless banquets where Lan Wanyin had tolerated his company before eventually accepting Jiang Xichen's feelings after deeming them genuine.
“No. I was thinking how good you'll look in red and gold. And," Jiang Xichen says, lowering his voice as he approaches his fiancee, "when you don't have anything on anymore.”
Lan Wanyin turns red; his ears, forehead, and the part of his cheeks not covered by the veil take on the color of ripe apples.
"You have no shame!" he says, trying to silence Jiang Xichen’s laughter full of affection. But since Jiang Xichen doesn't seem to have the intention of keeping quiet no matter how much Lan Wanyin asks him to, Lan Wanyin decides to take drastic measures. “You'll have to wait, gege. Remember that the marriage ceremony will last a week,” he says with his best cold tone, similar to his older brother and uncle's. “And the consummation also requires a special ceremony, so don't get ahead of yourself.”
Lan Wanyin puts his fingers, as white as the surrounding snow, on Jiang Xichen's chest, pushing him aside firmly but tenderly. Then he walks away with a flutter of his white robe, leaving behind his scent of lilies of the valley and a stunned Jiang Xichen.
"Wait, what do you mean?"
.
The celebrations for the marriage between Jiang Xichen and Lan Wanyin last a week at Lotus Pier, so the city changes its traditional purple and black colors to the red and gold that such an occasion requires. The leaders of the most important sects in the region, their wives, concubines, children, disciples, merchants, politicians, and scholars, are among the guests. With so many guests (not to mention ordinary people who also want to be a part of the festivities), Jiang Xichen barely has time to lament the rigid customs of the Lan Sect that prevent him from spending his first married night with Lan Wanyin. And on the last day of the ceremony, he’s so impatient he borders on rudeness.
As the door to the bridal chamber closes behind the newlyweds for the first time, Jiang Xichen sighs.
"Is something wrong, husband?" Lan Wanyin asks, turning around to face Jiang Xichen after taking a few steps into his new rooms. The privacy that the place gives them and the bond that now unites them allows Lan Wanyin to reach out and put his hand on his husband's cheek.
“Nothing, Wanyin,” Jiang Xichen says, leaning on his partner's hand and closing his eyes. “It's just that I couldn't wait for us to be alone.”
"Yes, I noticed your impatience. I think everyone did,” the youngest Lan says, furrowing his brow. However, his eyes spark, and his voice has a hint of amusement as he chastises, “For someone who copied the Lan rules at least a hundred times, you forgot the one about having patience.”
Jiang Xichen laughs, and taking advantage of the fact that he’s holding Lan Wanyin's hand, he pulls him closer until their bodies mold to each other. The fabric of his red and gold robe whispers as Jiang Xichen wraps his arm around his husband's waist, finding it so tiny that he can easily encompass it even under all the layers that make up his clothing. It’s the first time they are so close; it's the first time Lan Wanyin has touched him, and Jiang Xichen can't hold back a groan.
"I've waited too long," the Jiang heir says in his husband's ear. “Don't you think I deserve a reward for it, Wanyin?”
Jiang Xichen draws circles on Lan Wanyin's waist with his thumb while rubbing his cheek against the veil covering half of his husband's face. Jiang Xichen has never seen him without it, and the thought that he will be the first to do so (as well as the only one, since Wanyin will continue to wear it outside of their rooms) makes Jiang Xichen feel his robes are a bit tight. However, before he can remove Lan Wanyin's veil, he releases himself from his embrace and takes a couple of steps back.
“We must follow the traditions, Xichen.”
“Really?” Jiang Xichen asks with a pout. “Or we could make our own rules, Wanyin,” the man says, approaching his husband. When he heard the customs of the Lan sect regarding the consummation, he didn’t give them much thought, thinking that he could ignore the ritual with Lan Wanyin's collaboration. But now, Jiang Xichen realizes that it will not be easy to convince him. “I promise not to tell anyone that you've broken the rules if you promise not to rat me out either.”
Jiang Xichen winks at Lan Wanyin, whose face is the same color as his outfit.
“No, Xichen. This is important for the prosperity of both sects; we must follow the ritual.”
“Fine,” Jiang Xichen says upon seeing the same determination on Lan Wanyin's face that he shows on the battlefield or whenever he witnesses injustice.
Lan Wanyin is so protective of the integrity of Gusu Lan's rules and its traditions that it has earned him the name of the Pearl of Gusu Lan—something bright and beautiful that never loses its luster no matter what. Jiang Xichen loves him for that (and many other reasons), so he will respect his wishes even if it means delaying fulfilling his own.
The Lan tradition establishes that the marriage consummation takes place over five days, in which the newlyweds will gradually become familiar with each other's bodies. The first night...
"Xichen, could you help me with this?" Lan Wanyin asks, snapping his husband out of his thoughts. His eyelashes tremble at the embarrassment of making such a request, but he keeps still with his arms raised, offering himself on a silver platter. “But remember that you can only look, not touch.”
"I'll try, sweetheart. I promise,” Jiang Xichen says, stopping in front of Lan Wanyin.
Jiang Xichen removes the ornaments from Lan Wanyin’s hair, letting it fall loosely to his shoulders, giving off a clean smell. The combs and ribbon that held it in place have pearl decorations that tinkle against each other when Jiang Xichen places them on a nearby table, but they are not as beautiful or bright as his husband's eyes.
"Shhh, Wanyin. Everything will be fine,” Jiang Xichen says upon seeing Lan Wanyin shiver when he puts his hands on his shoulders. Then he leans down to kiss Lan Wanyin's forehead and scoops him up into his arms to carry him to bed. “Hold on to me if it makes you feel safer, my heart. I'll take care of the rest.”
Lan Wanyin complies, staying very still on Jiang Xichen's lap while Jiang Xichen busies himself undressing him. The task is tricky with Lan Wanyin leaning against his chest, but Jiang Xichen manages to accomplish it by tackling it methodically. The only things that betray his true feelings each time a new expanse of skin is revealed to his sight are his trembling hands and the increasing tightness of his pants.
Lan Wanyin's skin is so white that Jiang Xichen is dying to mark it.
“Wanyin, let me see you,” Jiang Xichen asks when both his cloak and the top of his hanfu hang around Lan Wanyin's waist, still held by the sash.
“O-Okay.”
Lan Wanyin puts his hands on Jiang Xichen's chest, leaning back, and when he’s far enough away that his husband can encompass his torso with his gaze, he rushes to cover his chest. However, there’s not much to cover, not in the sense that a woman would have to since Lan Wanyin is a man. Still, there’s something about how he hides his nipples that Jiang Xichen finds more enticing than any female breasts.
"How beautiful you are, Wanyin," Jiang Xichen says, gently taking the young man's wrists to get them out of the way. Lan Wanyin offers no resistance, allowing him to observe his buds, the color of dark cherries.
Jiang Xichen inhales loudly upon noticing that they’re erect and doesn’t hesitate to use their position to his advantage. Still holding Lan Wanyin's wrists tightly, Jiang Xichen gently lays him down on the bed and straddles him.
"X-Xichen, remember y-you can't touch me," Lan Wanyin says, noticing his husband’s dark gaze.
"I promised I wouldn't, and I intend to keep my promise, but this first night is about seeing, isn't it?"
Lan Wanyin nods. Then Jiang Xichen gets rid of the sash that still holds his outfit in place, impatiently setting it aside. Once it’s out of the way, the rest of the hanfu opens like a flower around Lan Wanyin's naked body.
Lan Wanyin covers his eyes with his arms as he feels Jiang Xichen's gaze linger on his half-erect cock.
“A man,” Jiang Xichen says aloud as if he needed to confirm it once more.
"Do you dislike the idea?" Jiang Wanyin asks, still hidden behind his arms.
“No. No, Wanyin, I told you before: you are beautiful.”
Jiang Xichen lets his eyes wander over the lines that make up his beloved’s body. Lan Wanyin has prodigious arms due to his rigid training at Gusu Lan, but what draws Jiang Xichen's attention the most is the curve of his hips. His ass is so plump that it emphasizes the gap between his lower back and the bed, naturally making Lan Wanyin's body assume a semi-arched posture. His calves are well defined, his ankles are narrow, his thighs could crush a watermelon easily... Jiang Xichen's fingers are tingling, and his dick is fully erect, pressing painfully against his hanfu.
Still with Lan Wanyin lying in front of him, Jiang Xichen begins to undress.
"Look at me, Wanyin, please," the man asks with his sash half untied. “You also have to look, and I hope you like what you see as much as I like looking at you.”
Lan Wanyin removes his arms from his face and gazes at Jiang Xichen just in time to see him toss aside his sash and how the various layers of his hanfu lose their shape, revealing the skin beneath. Jiang Xichen smiles as Lan Wanyin blushes again at the first glimpse of his bare chest, but since he doesn't close his eyes, Lan Xichen hurries to give him something else to look at.
His hanfu slips off his shoulders, revealing his arms and chest, before falling to the ground. But Jiang Xichen isn't done yet; he wants to present himself to Lan Wanyin in his entirety, so his underpants soon join the rest of the outfit on the ground.
"Do you like what you see, Wanyin?" Jiang Xichen asks, placing both hands on the sides of his lover's head. Lan Wanyin looks away from Lan Xichen's erection upon hearing his question. “Wanyin, you're supposed to look at me.”
“W-What's there to see? We’re both males.”
Jiang Xichen laughs.
“Don't you find me attractive? Is that it?” Jiang Xichen asks in an amused tone, devouring each of his lover’s gestures that reveal his true feelings. Lan Wanyin’s hands are clenched into fists at his sides, his chest rises and falls quickly, and his eyelashes tremble so much that he squeezes his eyes shut.
“It’s not that.”
"Then why don't you look at me?"
Lan Wanyin opens one eye.
“From your reaction, it seems like I'm forcing you, Wanyin,” Jiang Xichen says, backing up to a sitting position on the bed. He can hear the crickets and frogs singing in the lakes of Lotus Pier, but other than that, his home is silent. He doesn’t mind not consummating the marriage, but his husband's discomfort makes him worry. “Maybe we should sleep. Tomorrow we can try again.”
“No!” Lan Wanyin says, sitting up and taking his husband's hand. “No, Xichen. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad,” the youngest Lan brother says without ever breaking eye contact. “It's just that I'm not used to seeing other bodies. We have very strict rules regarding nudity at Gusu Lan.”
"Glad to be your first, my love," Jiang Xichen says, bringing Lan Wanyin's hands to his lips. “But I'm serious; it’s fine if you don't feel comfortable. We have time, remember? A lot of time.”
Lan Wanyin shakes his head.
“I want to see you now,” Lan Wanyin says, frowning, and then, realizing how shameless he sounds, he adds, “It's only fair since you already saw me.”
“You're right. Then watch as you please, my love,” Jiang Xichen says, smiling before standing up. Unlike his husband, it’s not the first time someone has seen him naked or in underclothes, as he used to swim with his adoptive brother in the lakes surrounding Lotus Pier during his childhood. However, Lan Wanyin's gaze is special. “I'm yours.”
Lan Wanyin nods gravely. The newlyweds face each other, naked except for a few ornaments in Jiang Xichen's hair, the veil that still covers half of Lan Wanyin's face, and his forehead ribbon. In the dim, flickering light of the candles scattered around the room, they examine each other's bodies, discovering scars, moles, and birthmarks that might have gone unnoticed if they had indulged in the debauchery of their wedding night as ordinary couples do.
Jiang Xichen can't help but ask his husband if he likes what he sees after a long silence, though that may spoil the atmosphere for a second time. To his surprise, Lan Wanyin nods.
“You are very handsome, Xichen.”
Jiang Xichen's heart skips a beat.
"Do you really think so?"
“Lans don't tell lies.”
"Of course not," the Jiang heir says, daring to close the distance between them with a couple of steps. The way his hand molds to Lan Wanyin's cheek feels very natural, and he gasps loudly at his touch but makes no move to withdraw. “Now, will you let me see your face, Wanyin?”
Lan Wanyin places his hand on top of Jiang Xichen's.
“Not yet. Not until...” Lan Wanyin blushes again, but he’s getting braver with each passing second, so his voice doesn't tremble. “Until the last day.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Xichen intertwines their fingers and guides Lan Wanyin to the bed again, where they lie down beside each other. Only their hands touch, resting in the middle of the bed, but Jiang Xichen doesn’t mind—after all, what he told his husband earlier is true, they have the time to get to know and get used to each other.
"What are you thinking, Wanyin?" Jiang Xichen asks after a long silence in which they just look at each other.
"I was wondering where you got that scar," the Pearl of Gusu says, pointing the finger at a patch of white skin on his husband's tanned chest.
“Oh, it's a long story. Do you want to listen to it, or do you prefer to sleep?”
When Lan Wanyin assures him that he’s not sleepy, Jiang Xichen begins to recount his childhood adventures at Lotus Pier in the company of Wei Wuxian, whom he considers his younger brother despite not being related by blood.
Lan Wanyin listens carefully, asking questions about things he doesn't know and pointing to other scars on his husband's body to hear where they came from even though it's long past his bedtime. However, eventually, Lan Wanyin can’t fight his heavy eyelids anymore and falls asleep under Jiang Xichen's adoring gaze.
“Good night, my love,” Jiang Xichen says before blowing out all the candles with a wave of his hand. “See you tomorrow.”
.
Jiang Xichen doesn’t see his husband when he wakes up, but he’s not surprised, given the Lans' habits. Wanyin must be working somewhere, trying to be helpful to his husband's family, so Jiang Xichen has nothing to fear. So, he also leaves his rooms after getting ready and goes to the main hall to meet with his father and younger brother to discuss daily matters.
Jiang Xichen doesn’t see Lan Wanyin until the afternoon when he comes to the main hall with Jiang Yanli to serve them food. Although the marriage consummation ceremony is not over, Lan Wanyin is not wearing his wedding hanfu, but rather a lilac-colored robe similar to that of Jiang Xichen's older sister, with white accents to remind everyone where he comes from and golden accessories. His face is hidden, as always, behind a veil that matches the rest of his attire—purple and lilac colors suit him so well that Jiang Xichen can't take his eyes off his husband from the moment he enters the hall until he leaves after depositing a tray with food in front of him.
He’s so mesmerized by the sight, by how Lan Wanyin conducts himself in front of everyone, with dignity, seriousness, and even a particular pride, that only Wei Wuxian's voice manages to pull Jiang Xichen out of his thoughts.
“Is everything ok, brother?” the young man asks, elbowing Jiang Xichen’s ribs.
“Yes,” Jiang Xichen says, blinking away the sight of his husband's wrists from moments before when he offered food. Of course, he's seen more of Lan Wanyin than that, so Jiang Xichen can easily imagine the rest of the skin under his husband's robes, from his increasingly muscular forearms as they get closer to his shoulders to his chest and what lies beyond. “Yes. All right, let's eat before the food gets cold.”
Jiang Xichen brings the chopsticks to his lips, but his mind is focused on the certainty that he will see Lan Wanyin's white skin again that night, and he will also be able to touch it.
.
The first night’s experience makes it easier for Lan Wanyin to undress for Jiang Xichen, even with Jiang Xichen's hungry gaze following his every move.
“I like how you look in purple,” Jiang Xichen says, holding out his hand. “Although I prefer you like this.”
“Shameless,” Lan Wanyin complains, but he accepts his invitation, allowing Jiang Xichen to wrap his arms around him. “Remember that you can only touch certain parts,” the youngest Lan says, trembling slightly in Jiang Xichen's arms.
“Certain parts? Which ones?” Jiang Xichen asks in an amused tone. His hands roam his lover’s shoulders and arms before settling on his waist. Lan Wanyin's skin is so soft he wonders if it’ll have the same texture under his tongue. Furthermore, Lan Wanyin also seems very sensitive, judging by how he flinches at his touch, as innocent as it is.
No one has ever seen him naked, no one has ever touched him, except Jiang Xichen... and no one else will.
"Xichen?"
"Hm?" Jiang Xichen asks.
“You're… hard,” Lan Wanyin says, taking a step back to prevent Jiang Xichen's erection from touching him. However, what Jiang Xichen sees in his eyes is not disgust but the caution of someone who knows that he could fall into a trap if he is careless.
“How can I not be with you in my arms, Wanyin? But don't worry, I'm not going to touch you outside the established limits,” Jiang Xichen says, breaking free of the embrace to prostrate himself at his lover's feet. “After all, I still have a lot to explore.”
Jiang Xichen examines Lan Wanyin's feet, white as freshly carved jade pieces. He raises one foot and then the other, brushing the instep with his fingers, following one of the many curves that make up his beloved’s body. Jiang Xichen is so focused on exploring him that he pays no attention to his husband's countenance and how it changes with each caress and the vision of having future Sect Leader Jiang at his feet. However, Lan Wanyin can't hold back a giggle after a while.
Jiang Xichen looks up quickly, not wanting to miss the smile on Lan Wanyin's features. His husband's eyes crinkle slightly at the corners every time he laughs (an infrequent occurrence), and it's the most adorable sight. Jiang Xichen feels his heart swell with love knowing he was the cause of such a musical sound, and he doesn’t hesitate to do it again like someone playing an instrument to get more of his laughter.
"Enough," Lan Wanyin says, doubling over with his hands on his stomach. “Enough, Xichen.” His eyes shine like stars when he looks at Jiang Xichen, and a few tears hang from the corners of his eyes.
Jiang Xichen hurriedly puts his arms around Lan Wanyin.
"I like your laugh," Jiang Xichen says, enjoying Lan Wanyin's warmth. “I want to make you laugh a lot more,” the man confesses in his husband’s ear. “I wonder where else you feel ticklish. Maybe here?” he asks, as his hands rest on Lan Wanyin's sides.
Lan Wanyin squirms, trying to free himself from Jiang Xichen's grasp while still laughing, but seeing that it’s impossible, the youngest Lan doesn’t hesitate to fight back. Unfortunately for Lan Wanyin, Jiang Xichen isn't ticklish, so his touch doesn't have the desired effect—although that doesn't mean it doesn't have any effect. Instead, being touched by the person he loves only increases Jiang Xichen's desire, redirecting his attention back to the ceremony.
As Lan Wanyin throws his head back in laughter, Jiang Xichen seizes the moment to place a kiss on his neck.
“Is this okay?” Jiang Xichen asks, noticing how Lan Wanyin stiffens in his arms and his laughter abruptly cuts off. Jiang Xichen separates from his husband to look into his eyes, and though Lan Wanyin's dilated pupils tell him everything he needs to know, Jiang Xichen still waits for confirmation.
“Yes,” the younger Lan says, wrapping his arms around Jiang Xichen's neck before tilting his head to give him better access to his neck. “B-But just a little, okay?”
“I know.”
Lan Wanyin lets out a sound midway between a moan and an exclamation of surprise as he feels Lan Xichen's tongue teasing his left earlobe. He’s surprised to learn that such a hidden place, which he barely thinks about in his day-to-day life, can give him such pleasurable sensations, forcing him to cling to Jiang Xichen to keep from losing his balance. Jiang Xichen's warm breath caresses Lan Wanyin’s skin, distracting him long enough for his husband to take him to bed.
“Hmmm, Xichen,” Lan Wanyin calls in a broken voice.
“Yes, my love?”
“The rules…”
“I'm not touching anything I shouldn't, Wanyin,” Jiang Xichen smiles, glancing at Lan Wanyin's erection. “Although if you give me permission….” Jiang Xichen lets one of his hands go down Lan Wanyin's chest, and wander on his abdomen, which contracts at the touch, until reaching his hip bones. If Lan Wanyin already moans and squirms so beautifully with a couple of kisses, Jiang Xichen is dying to see his reaction when he makes him come.
“Tomorrow, you can….”
“Tomorrow is so far away,” Jiang Xichen says, resting his forehead on Lan Wanyin's. “But I'll behave myself, Wanyin. I know how to wait.”
Lan Wanyin isn't sure Jiang Xichen knows the definition of good behavior, but he can't blame him when he's too busy squirming with pleasure. Jiang Xichen’s tongue descends from Lan Wanyin's neck to his collarbones, chest (but not touching his nipples, as they are off-limits) to stop at his abdomen. Jiang Xichen traces each muscle with his fingers before inserting his tongue into Lan Wanyin's navel.
His husband's navel is so narrow that Jiang Xichen can pretend it’s the ring of muscle protecting his hole, a thought that turns him on even more. Jiang Xichen's cock is so hard it aches, and even the slight brush of the sheets against his length sends sparks of pleasure up his spine, but the man doesn't give in to the urge to touch himself. If he’s going to come, Jiang Xichen wants to do it inside Lan Wanyin, marking him as his.
Jiang Xichen growls at the thought. His tongue grows even more voracious, exploring Lan Wanyin's navel as if it were his hole, licking the walls, tracing its circumference, and trying to reach deeper even though it’s impossible. But since he can't touch Lan Wanyin's hole, not yet, not until the next day, Jiang Xichen unleashes all his desires on that part of his husband's anatomy.
Lan Wanyin breathes heavily and bites his lips to avoid letting out any embarrassing sounds.
Lan Wanyin is about to come, Jiang Xichen can feel it in his taut body, which he holds tightly by the hips, and Jiang Xichen won’t let him just yet.
"Wanyin, can I kiss you?" Jiang Xichen asks, pulling away from his husband's abdomen with a wet sound.
Lan Wanyin frowns.
“But the veil….”
"I'll close my eyes," Jiang Xichen says.
"Okay," Lan Wanyin says.
As Jiang Xichen leans in to kiss him, Lan Wanyin places his hand over his husband’s eyes in case he cheats and then removes his veil.
Jiang Xichen sighs when he feels Lan Wanyin's soft lips against his. It's their first kiss, which is surprising considering how long they've known each other and that they're married, so it's awkward at first. However, Jiang Xichen is a patient man (hasn't he proved it enough already?) and doesn’t mind guiding Lan Wanyin, showing him how to move his lips to reciprocate.
“Hmmm.”
“Wanyin, I love you, Wanyin,” Jiang Xichen whispers against his husband's lips. True to his word, he doesn’t attempt to look at him, but there are other ways of knowing what lies behind the veil. Jiang Xichen traces Lan Wanyin's jaw and high cheekbones with his fingers. Lan Wanyin’s nose is not quite straight, but rather aquiline, yet that doesn't make him any less beautiful, while his lips are long and thin.
“I love you too, Xichen,” Lan Wanyin says, lifting his head to kiss him again.
Jiang Xichen hugs Lan Wanyin tightly, devouring his lips to make up for all those times he was denied the chance, but he stops before deepening the kiss.
“Let's stop for today,” Jiang Xichen says, using all of his willpower to sit still, allowing Lan Wanyin to put his veil back on.
“Very well.”
When Jiang Xichen opens his eyes again, Lan Wanyin smiles at him behind his lilac veil. It’s a gesture full of gratitude, love, and amusement, no doubt at the thought that the always troublesome Jiang Xichen is following Gusu Lan's rules. Jiang Xichen doesn't mind—he could spend his life on his knees before Lan Wanyin if he asked him to—so instead of reproaching him, he pulls Lan Wanyin into his chest.
Lan Wanyin runs a hand down his back, then closes his eyes.
.
It’s forbidden to talk behind people's backs in Gusu Lan, but that rule doesn't exist in Lotus Pier, so no one is safe from gossip. Jiang Xichen is aware of the rumors circulating among the population and the sect's disciples regarding his adoptive brother, calling him Jiang Fengmian's bastard in a low voice. Although such statements are intolerable to his mother, Jiang Xichen doesn’t give them any importance.
Since Yunmeng Jiang is one of the five great sects, it’s to be expected that people will speculate about the family that runs it, making up outlandish stories of the most insignificant things. However, what Jiang Xichen didn’t expect, although he should have anticipated it, is that people would start talking about Lan Wanyin within days of him joining the family.
Jiang Xichen is halfway to the library when the wind brings his husband's name to his ears, spoken by one of the sect's new disciples. Yet instead of reprimanding him so he goes back to his tasks, Jiang Xichen stands very still and waits to hear what the new members of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect have to say about Lan Wanyin. The fact that the disciples are as new as Lan Wanyin in the place seems to give them a certain recklessness that Jiang Xichen will see how to reward or punish depending on the rest of the conversation.
"I heard Jiang Furen is male. What a shame," one of the voices says. “That means he won't be able to give the Sect Leader any heirs. Although, of course, there are always concubines.”
“I don't think Jiang Furen will accept Master Jiang bringing a concubine home,” a second voice replies. “The Lans are very strict about such things.”
"Yes, but Lan Wanyin is no longer a Lan," the first voice says.
Even though Jiang Xichen can’t see him, for he’s hidden behind one of the large columns that support the main house’s corridors, he can easily imagine the young man's disdainful gesture. Of course, the boy is right, Wanyin no longer belongs to the Lan Sect, and therefore, he’s no longer tied to its traditions and customs, but something in how he pronounced it doesn’t sit well with him. The worst, however, is yet to come.
"Also," adds the first voice after an interval of silence. “I heard that Master Jiang Xichen used to sleep with whomever he pleased a few years ago. How could Jiang Furen stop him if he starts looking for a concubine who can give him children?”
Never, Jiang Xichen thinks, clenching his fists. The man is about to come out of his hiding place to order the disciples back to his activities and punish them with five hundred laps around the training ground, when the conversation resumes.
"I heard that Jiang Furen is a peerless beauty," the second voice says. “If so, I doubt master needs any concubines.”
“Maybe he's horrible, and that's why he hides his face behind a veil.”
"I don't think so," the second person says. “From what can be seen from his forehead and eyes, I would say that he’s quite a handsome man. Ah, I would give everything to see under that veil just once.”
Jiang Xichen hears the sound of a punch, followed by a recrimination from the second voice.
"You'd better stop thinking about Jiang Furen that way, or you could get in trouble," the first voice says. “Even if Jiang Furen is the most handsome man in the world, you can never even hope to touch his hand, much less see what is hidden under his veil. Although I admit that he looks perfect in Yunmeng Jiang's colors….”
Jiang Xichen leaves his hiding place, taking long strides that scare away the whispering disciples, but he doesn’t head towards them. A dark, ravenous feeling twists in the pit of his stomach, prompting him to go in search of Lan Wanyin regardless of his duties for the day.
Jiang Xichen doesn't look for his husband just because he heard how good he looked that day, but because someone else saw his husband first after Lan Wanyin left their room at dawn and found him as attractive as Jiang Xichen does. Luckily, the disciples aren't shameless enough to try to see under Wanyin's veil, but if by any chance Lan Wanyin's face was revealed to everyone... Jiang Xichen can't bear the thought.
Lan Wanyin has just left the kitchens when Jiang Xichen comes out to meet him.
“Husband,” the man says, bowing slightly. “How can I...?”
Jiang Xichen doesn't let him finish, pinning him against a pillar while taking his hand so Lan Wanyin can cover his eyes with it. Lan Wanyin barely has time to process everything when Jiang Xichen's lips crash against his, demanding his attention. The kiss is different from the one they shared the night before—needier, hungrier, making Lan Wanyin feel weak on the knees.
The rest of the world disappears, leading them back to the privacy of their rooms on Lotus Pier and to that night's part of the ceremony. The third night is designated to test the sexual compatibility between the couple, for which they’re encouraged to experiment with each other's bodies but without reaching penetration. Anything other than that is allowed, which explains why Jiang Xichen doesn't hesitate to invade Lan Wanyin's mouth with his tongue and kneads his ass through the fabric of the blue and purple robe he wears that day.
"Xichen, wait," Lan Wanyin says, placing his hands on his husband's chest to pull away, making the veil fall back over his lips, hiding the trickle of saliva that the assault had caused. “What's wrong?”
Jiang Xichen doesn't know how to explain his outburst of jealousy and possessiveness without sounding crazy, so he just shakes his head. He feels much calmer now that he’s ascertained that Lan Wanyin belongs to him and no one else, so much so that the Pearl of Gusu has allowed him to kiss him in public. As if that weren't enough, Lan Wanyin's gray irises have shrunk, making room for his pupils, and either his mind is playing tricks on him, or Jiang Xichen can also feel something hard poking his leg.
“I missed you, that's all,” Jiang Xichen says with his best smile. “See you tonight, my love,” the future Sect Leader says, caressing Lan Wanyin's hand before walking towards the Lotus Throne room, leaving his dumbfounded and stunned husband behind.
Luckily, Jiang Xichen has a lot of experience ignoring his boners (Lan Wanyin has trained him well, even if he did it unintentionally). Still, the same cannot be said for his husband. Jiang Xichen smiles as he remembers how quickly Lan Wanyin melted in his arms with a simple kiss, and he plans to make use of that knowledge later.
.
Once the sliding doors to Jiang Xichen's rooms close behind them, Lan Wanyin registers nothing but his husband's lips on his. The man maneuvers the Pearl of Gusu onto the bed as he strips him of his robe, so thin and form-fitting that it's no wonder others have taken notice of Lan Wanyin's charms.
As Jiang Xichen imagined, Lan Wanyin is very sensitive after several nights of foreplay, so it’s easy to distract him with caresses and kisses to get him on all fours on the bed. The sight of Lan Wanyin, always so proper and pure, propped up on his forearms and knees with his ass exposed, is so erotic that Jiang Xichen immediately gets hard. Unfortunately, he won't be able to make Lan Wanyin his that night, but there are other ways to make him remember him during daylight hours.
Jiang Xichen caresses Lan Wanyin's plump ass, kneading and squeezing it. Lan Wanyin has such sensitive skin that Jiang Xichen's fingerprints get easily imprinted on it, satisfying his dark desire to mark him even if no one but him can see it.
Jiang Xichen spreads Lan Wanyin's asscheeks to reveal his pink hole, and Lan Wanyin lets out a gasp when he feels something wet and warm tracing his entrance. Immediately, the youngest of the Lan brothers tries to stop his husband, trying to grab him to no avail—Jiang Xichen licks his hole from top to bottom, making Lan Wanyin shudder and forget everything else.
“X-Xichen, w-what are you doing?” Lan Wanyin asks. With his head buried in the sheets, Jiang Xichen can't see his expression, but his tearful voice and how he throws his hips back, seeking more of his touch, tells him all he needs to know. “I-I thought today we could touch our….”
Jiang Xichen stops his ministrations for a second to look at his husband. Lan Wanyin's back is painted an inviting shade of pink that follows his spine until it reaches his ass. His black hair falls on both sides of his head, in a profusion of curls where he braided it in the Jiang manner interspersed with his straight hair (the only thing straight about him, Jiang Xichen thinks with a smile).
“Hm? Our what, Wanyin?” Jiang Xichen asks, pinching one of his partner's thighs. Immediately, a bruise appears on the spot, prompting the man to go over it with his tongue.
Lan Wanyin groans again.
"Wanyin?"
The Pearl of Gusu keeps a stubborn silence.
"Ah, could it be that you want me to touch your...?" Jiang Xichen asks as he gently slides his hand from one of Lan Wanyin's cheeks to a spot near his erection. Lan Wanyin stiffens and inhales loudly, anticipating a pleasure that never comes.
"Yes," Lan Wanyin says, putting his hand on his husband's. His breathless voice tells Jiang Xichen that he’s tired of playing games. “Touch me, Xichen, please ,” the young man asks, bringing Jiang Xichen's hand to his cock. The warmth of Jiang Xichen's palm makes Lan Wanyin groan.
"Oh my love, I'll make you feel so good," Jiang Xichen says before closing his lips around Lan Wanyin's hole again as he molds his palm to the shape of his dick. Although Jiang Xichen barely exerts any pressure, Lan Wanyin trembles, overwhelmed by a pleasure that he never thought possible and hasn’t yet reached its peak.
Jiang Xichen traces Jiang Wanyin's hole several times, pumping his cock with torturous slowness until his fingers are drenched in precum. Then, when he feels that Lan Wanyin's rim has stretched enough, he sticks his tongue inside, testing its resistance and looking for the nerve endings that will light fireworks under his husband's eyelids as soon as he finds them.
“Oh! Hmm!”
Lan Wanyin's moans overlap the wet sounds Jiang Xichen makes as he eats his husband's hole.
“Ah, Xichen! Xichen! It feels so good….”
"Have you never touched yourself, my love?" Jiang Xichen asks with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. I can make you feel even better, he thinks. He wants to surprise his husband at every moment, rendering him useless in his arms so that Lan Wanyin thinks of him all day, every day, just like Jiang Xichen does ever since he fell in love with him.
"I-It's forbidden by the rules," Lan Wanyin replies. He throws his hips back without realizing it, matching Jiang Xichen's movements. Though sparks of pleasure shoot up his spine with each thrust, his hole begs for more; Lan Wanyin wants Jiang Xichen to go deeper, to fill in that void inside him that he hadn't noticed until then. “W-We must not let ourselves be carried away by earthly desires.”
“And yet look at you, Wanyin,” Jiang Xichen says, running his hand down his husband's back. “Legs spread, shaking and moaning so beautifully just for me. And we haven't even properly consummated,” the man says, taking Lan Wanyin by the hips to lay him down on the bed. Thus, they face each other. “I'd say following the rules has only made you needier.”
Jiang Xichen descends on one of Lan Wanyin's nipples, absently licking it as he puts a hand on his husband's waist, holding him in place.
“What ah-about you? Ah,” Lan Wanyin asks with great effort. “People say you used to sleep with anyone who caught your eye.”
“Oh, so you heard the rumors.”
“Y-Yes.”
“That ended when I met you, when I decided that I wanted you to be my Jiang Furen.”
“But first, you learned a lot.”
“Does it bother you?” Jiang Xichen asks, stopping to look his husband in the eye. However, one of his hands goes to Lan Wanyin's hip, tracing circles to calm him down.
"It's just that I want to make you feel good too, and I don't know how," Lan Wanyin says, frowning. “I'm afraid you'll get bored of me if you keep doing all the work yourself.”
“Never.”
"Even so..." Lan Wanyin directs his glassy eyes, which sometimes take on the same shade of blue as the sea, from Jiang Xichen's erection to his face. “Teach me how to make you feel good. I want to learn.”
"Oh, Wanyin," Jiang Xichen says, brushing a strand of hair from his husband's face. “Then let me kiss you. After that, I'll show you how I like to be touched.”
Lan Wanyin meekly nods, and Jiang Xichen closes his eyes so that his husband can remove his veil. However, on this occasion, Jiang Xichen goes a little further with his kisses, so after brushing his husband's lips for a while, he asks him for entrance to his mouth by pressing it with the tip of his tongue.
Lan Wanyin squirms at the intensity, at Jiang Xichen's expert movements as he caresses his palate and tongue before momentarily withdrawing, leaving him wanting more. The chase leaves Lan Wanyin impatient, making him writhe on the bed seeking more friction on his sensitive body. Thanks to those sudden movements, Lan Wanyin ends up rubbing Jiang Xichen's erection with his thigh, making him growl against his lips and giving Lan Wanyin an idea.
Lan Wanyin places the sole of his right foot against Jiang Xichen's chest and throws him back until the man is sitting on his calves. At first, Jiang Xichen doesn't know what's going on, but before the idea that Lan Wanyin is rejecting him settles in his brain, his husband caresses his erection with his foot.
"Ohh," the man murmurs, furrowing his brow.
"Does it feel good, Xichen?" Lan Wanyin asks, sliding his foot up the length of his husband's cock.
"Yes, Wanyin. Although…” Blindly, Jiang Xichen gropes the bed, searching for his lover's leg. As soon as he finds it, Jiang Xichen doesn't hesitate to place Lan Wanyin's foot on his member so that it’s squeezed between his husband's feet. “Fuck,” Jiang Xichen says, starting to pump against the soft soles of Lan Wanyin's feet. “Touch the tip, Wanyin. Yes, just like that. Apply a little more pressure. Mmm.”
Although Jiang Xichen cannot see Lan Wanyin, he can imagine how he looks at that moment. With his legs spread as wide as possible, his erect cock resting on his abdomen, and his hole in display, fluttering in search of being filled—it must be a far better sight than anything Jiang Xichen could conjure up in his mind.
If Lan Wanyin's uncle, Lan Qiren, could see him, he would have a heart attack. Jiang Xichen is aroused by the idea that he’s revealing Lan Wanyin’s true self, so needy of pleasure, so open to giving and receiving it, that it doesn't take long for his breath to catch in his throat.
“Wanyin.”
“Yes, Xichen.”
“Ah, Wanyin,” Jiang Xichen feels how all his blood rushes to his cock, but he stops himself before he can come. Jiang Xichen leans back, out of reach of his husband's feet, breathing as if he had run around Lotus Pier five hundred times. “Not yet, my love,” he says apologetically before leaning back on the chest of a bewildered Lan Wanyin. “I want to come inside you. Tomorrow.”
Jiang Xichen's comment makes Lan Wanyin groan under his breath.
“Inside?”
“Deep inside you, my heart.”
“Hmm.”
“Believe it or not, there are more pleasurable things than what we've done so far,” Jiang Xichen says, forcing himself to touch Lan Wanyin in the most innocent way possible. He won't be able to vouch for himself if his husband keeps responding to his caresses and asking for more. While there's no penalty for not following Gusu's rules (plus no one else would know they broke tradition except them), Jiang Xichen wants to do things right. “You'll see tomorrow.”
To Jiang Xichen's surprise, Lan Wanyin frowns.
"Tomorrow is a long way off."
“I know,” Jiang Xichen smiles. “So go to sleep, my heart. That way, tomorrow will come faster.”
Lan Wanyin doesn't seem very convinced, judging by his frown, but finally, he sighs and closes his eyes.
"Good night, husband."
“Good night, my heart.”