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A few golden strands of Luocha’s hair tickled his lily white cheeks as they danced in the rhythm of the breeze that blew by. The sound of the heavy downpour was pleasant; a soothing white noise that was accompanied by the no less enthusiastic song of the sparrows hidden amidst the trees and the dense bamboo forest he could observe from the wooden veranda where he stood, sheltering himself from the rain below its roof. The humidity was a less welcome factor, but the gentle wind that accompanied the storm offered a delightful contrast to it.
He was not there by chance, albeit the tempest had been unexpected. Luckily, however, he had arrived at the mansion right before the sky unleashed its fury, cleansing all that stood beneath its magnificence with its unmerciful torrent; not unlike his own power, he mused with a little smile.
The merchant let out a distracted, quiet sigh, but his muscles tensed up immediately at the faint noise of the wooden flooring creaking from the other room; he hoped it was no one but the owner of the letter that had brought him there in the first place, and why, thankfully, he was right.
“I deeply apologize for having made you wait,” the general offered a courteous bow of his head along with a gentle, fond smile. “As you may well see by my terrible presentation, I came shamelessly unprepared to face such a storm.”
Jing Yuan was, incontestably, drenched from head to toe; his silver mane was utterly soaked, clinging on his moist cheeks. His garments, too, dripped thick droplets of water on the floor where he stood. The white fabric in his top had even become sheer due to the amount of water it absorbed, and Luocha had to avert his eyes lest he allowed the display to distract him from the bigger picture.
“…I thought the general oversaw the Divine Foresight.” Luocha at last remarked, his choice of words making his teasing intent all too clear. “To be caught under such a predicament begs a reasonable explanation, wouldn’t you agree?” He offered a short-lived smile. With his gloved, manicured fingers, he also offered the general a clean, white handkerchief, delicately embroidered with equally white lilies at one of its four corners.
“Indeed.” Jing Yuan let out a small, almost abashed laugh. Unbecoming of him, the merchant thought, and yet he could not deny that his smile tugged at the strings of his heart with unparalleled mastery.
His olive green eyes observed the general attentively as his hand reached for the piece of cloth that lied in offering above his own; his slightly rough fingers brushing faintly against his covered ones bringing a shiver down the blonde’s spine. It was incredible as it was dubious how every act that parted from Jing Yuan felt deliberate, and yet, Luocha could not help but give the man the benefit of the doubt. For albeit his body language was veiled in occasional theatrics, there was something incredibly sincere in his golden amber gaze… and in the charming smile that adorned his lips.
“I am afraid my explanation will only shame me further, for the reasoning in it was undoubtedly lacking,” Jing Yuan remarked as he gently skimmed the fabric on his humid cheek, repeating the action on the other to remove the excess of water; the handkerchief carried Luocha’s scent, and that detail alone was enough to bring yet another distracted smile to the general’s mouth. He had no intention to give it back – not before having it properly washed, at least – and so, he tucked it away at his discretion inside one of his bracers. “Thus, I hope you will forgive me if I decide not to disclose the details at this time.”
Luocha wasn’t fazed; that response was very much like the general he knew, and as much as his curiosity lingered, his actual purpose had never been to be truly graced with an answer.
“Very well,” he said simply then, arms resting one above the other before his chest. “Would you be so kind, however, to disclose the meaning of this meeting, then? As you are aware, general, given my Path of choice, it was not without risks that I have crossed forbidden areas in Luofu to reach this temple as per your own request.”
“Yes, of course,” Jing Yuan smiled; his steps, heavy with the weight of his soggied clothes, took him closer to the merchant who did not avert his gaze from him. Ah, he was so endearing in such a guarded, yet composed stance. “I do appreciate the high regard in which you held my letter, even without my signature. I thought it unnecessary to add it – you are rather familiar with my writing by now, are you not?”
Luocha’s eyelids narrowed faintly, his blonde brows furrowing skeptically above his green eyes. It was the first time he moved from where he stood since Jing Yuan had arrived, and he did so only to draw closer to the other; his piercing gaze unwavering in its inquisitiveness – the general was considerably more endowed in height, but the merchant was hardly intimidated by such trivialities.
Jing Yuan could not help the faint sound of amusement which escaped through his lips – Luocha was making himself much harder to resist, which was an achievement in its own right. “Lest you accuse me of stalling, I am genuinely appreciative. This place is commonly guarded by Cloud Knights, although you might not be familiar with that fact, for you have encountered none on your way here, isn’t it so?” It was not a real question, but it was enough to make the merchant’s expression shift and the invisible walls which surrounded him crumble piece by piece. “I would never put your safety at risk, or your business, for that matter.” He saw no reason to doubt his words.
Jing Yuan’s fingers reached out to hold Luocha’s chin softly; his digits were cool, cooler than the blonde remembered, and the contrast of temperature made him suck in a small breath. The wind combined with the rain that had drenched Jing Yuan and his garments were undoubtedly the ones to blame for it, and yet, Luocha was left impressed that the general displayed no sign of feeling cold.
Oh, but the warmth he could witness in his amber eyes as Jing Yuan marveled at him as he drew his face just a bit closer was so intense that perhaps the cold he felt was as insignificant as the tempest outside had become; apart from the current set of events, a mere detail in a bigger canvas.
“… You still haven’t elucidated the meaning of this meeting,” the blonde remarked, but his voice wavered. His heartbeat drummed in his ears, the rush of blood in his chest spread like wildfire. Jing Yuan’s face was only a few centimeters away from his— the pads of his fingertips on his jaw tickled his skin.
“I most certainly could,” his voice was low, quiet; a murmur almost lost in between the natural symphony of the torrent and the chorus of the birds above the roofs. “But if my actions fail to translate my intent, I am afraid words would do no better at conveying it.”
A slightly entertained exhale parted from Luocha’s flushed lips; his olive green eyes slowly rose, lidded, to meet Jing Yuan’s gaze. “I see,” his soft voice replied. He offered a delicate tilt of his head, one that did not withdraw from the general’s hold. “Then, by all means, do make your intentions known the way you see fit, general.”
Jing Yuan required no encouragement, but Luocha’s request did bring a smirk to his lips as he closed the distance in between them completely, having his other arm lacing the man’s slender waist to pull him against his broader figure once his lips pressed on his. The merchant’s scent intoxicated the general in a way his best brew could not, the warmth that emanated from his body against his being far more welcoming than any blanket or hearth fire — although, he did feel a tad apologetic for wetting the man’s delicate vests. If anything, he had full intention to compensate him, and he was confident that the blonde wouldn’t oppose his methods.
He deepened the kiss slowly, savoring the sweet bouquet of Luocha’s lips, of his mouth, of his tongue against which he brushed his own, toying with it, caressing it with an evident craving in his actions. Jing Yuan could feel the blonde quivering faintly in his hold, the pair of his gloved hands pressing softly on his strong chest through his soaked clothes; the weight of his garments was starting to become a nuisance, one he would soon see himself getting rid of.
“–I missed your scent, Luocha,” Jing Yuan confessed hoarsely onto the merchant’s lips; his tone was heavy with longing, his mouth mapping kisses of unquestionable adoration down his jaw, his lily white throat. Was it twisted of him to desire to see reddish and purplish colors blooming on his neck, painted by the mastery of his own mouth? “I missed your taste, your warmth, your body–”
“–G-General, please—,” Luocha’s voice was but a small, abashed murmur; his pale cheeks flushed in pink like the bouquet of peonies that blossomed in the garden outside. “Y-You sing of worship– If anyone in Luofu could hear you—”
“Oh, yes, a most grave crime. But I have drunk from this fountain before,” he murmured onto the blonde's skin, his nose brushing along the curve of his throat with his hand skimming under his vests. “And I would do it again, and again, and again.”
Luocha could hardly contain the utter sheepishness that washed over him, his body inflaming almost immediately in response to those words, even more than to his touches. The general was impossible , incorrigible. And yet, he knew he spoke the truth. And perhaps it was the utter candidity in which he exposed his heart that rendered the merchant so abashed, unable to counter his praise with either scorn or wit.
That was, in fact, why Jing Yuan’s reputation preceded him; why one should never lower his guard in his company, why one should ever be wary of his words and intention— yet, how does one respond to honesty if not with the selfsame virtue?
Jing Yuan, however, left little room for further musings. His skilled mouth on Luocha’s neck drew gasps and sighs from the merchant’s parted lips, forcing his hands to close around the damp fabric of the general’s vests to ground him in place. He did not understand Jing Yuan’s interest in him — one which he knew, however, that went beyond his physical appearance —, but he could not pretend it was not mutual to an extent, not when any and every touch of the general’s fingers or lips threatened to make him melt like dew in a spring morning under the mercy of the man’s mouth.
Thus, it did not take long until they found themselves in the adjacent chamber, one that was furnished with a bed proper and other facilities one could encounter in any home of an upper rank militar; undoubtedly, that room was reserved to Jing Yuan alone for military campaigns in the region. It wasn’t uncommon to use temples as such in times of conflict. A convenient detail, the room – too convenient, perhaps, but not unwelcome.
Jing Yuan blindly guided Luocha to the wide bed, his mouth only parting from his out of sheer necessity. He indicated the mattress behind the blonde with a smile and a gesture of his head, silently inviting him on it before himself; he wouldn’t dare soaking those immaculate sheets with his drenched garments – no, not with rain or water, in the very least.
As he began to undress, however, Luocha shifted, wandering to one side of the mattress and turning his back to Jing Yuan. The general’s gaze followed his silhouette as he proceeded to discard his own vests, intrigued by the merchant’s course of action — until, that is, he noticed that the blonde had simply opted for some subtle privacy to remove his own clothing. His gestures were adorned with such effortless grace and modesty that Jing Yuan had forgotten, even if for a mere moment, about the rest of his own gear that still clung on his body, uncomfortably wet and cold in equal measure.
Even then, though, the general was unable to avert his gaze as Luocha bared his skin further bit by bit, piece by piece with nothing but the gilded hair pin remaining at the end of his luscious golden locks that draped over his back and his behind like a sheer, silky curtain; one that Jing Yuan desired to peek through and uncover its secrets more than any other possible hidden treasure in the myriads of galaxies present in that vast universe— as if it were his very first time doing so.
Having quickly discarded his remaining garments, Jing Yuan approached the blonde from behind, bringing his fingers to his long hair, tenderly brushing it aside just so he could plant a kiss on the nude skin of Luocha’s shoulder; his free hand found the curve of his waist to hold onto, briefly tracing an area of his hip with a digit idly, appreciating the softness of his complexion beneath his touch.
The caress was feather-like, but enough to make Luocha quiver let out a quiet gasp; the contrast in temperature lingered, it was true, but the merchant was certain that it was not the only reason why his body reacted the way it did.
“I desire nothing but to offer the appreciation you are owed,” Jing Yuan’s warm breath fanned on the blonde’s temple, bringing further goosebumps down his spine. His voice was like velvet, it stroked the shell of his ear like a tender, loving caress. “Yet, I might not have enough composure to restr—Mmph?!”
Oh, but Luocha did not want to hear the rest of it. Facing the general, he had sealed his mouth with his own, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and above his moist silvery locks, requiring to prop himself on his toes to do so, but it did not matter. He knew his ways to be efficient; this moment asked for no further verbal explanation, and Jing Yuan promptly understood the message.
He responded to the kiss with an even greater intensity, his strong hands cupping each side of Luocha’s face for but a moment before they began to descend to his neck, his shoulders and arms, skimming all the way to his waist and hips and at last to the back of highs thighs, where they added enough pressure only to lift him up and lay him on the mattress above the white sheets, resting the blonde on his back as his own larger figure towered over his.
His lips withdrew from the other’s only so Jing Yuan could grace other areas of Luocha’s body with them, returning to his throat first to leave his mark – one that gained small, stuttered moans from the blonde as he suckled on the skin. He had full intention to paint the merchant with the colors of his desire, to make him the canvas of his passion and his most adored masterpiece when all of it was done.
One of his arms made its way in between their bodies and a sigh of delight tumbled from the general’s parted lips the moment his fingers reached the blonde’s member, wrapping around it like a tight-fitting vest. Luocha stuttered a small gasp at the touch, his limbs squirming below Jing Yuan involuntarily, his cheeks flushing softly like a blooming rosebud.
The general’s thumb caressed the length languidly, feeling the slight spasms against his palm even more keenly once he fully began to move his hand. He wanted nothing more than to marvel at the sight of the blonde’s visage contorting into utter, unabashed, raw pleasure, to hear the most lascivious sounds of sheer bliss tumbling from his rosy lips—
Ah, was it vile of him to want to toy with him a bit first? With his best intentions in mind, of course.
With an unmeasured abundance of kisses, suckles, nibbles on the pristine skin of Luocha’s chest and stomach, Jing Yuan lowered himself further to offer himself enough space to reach the area of his desire. He was greedy as he was patient, and had no intention to cut to the chase so soon— not until he could catch the glimpse of just the kind of desperate need he wanted to see adorning Luocha’s beautiful facial features.
Arriving at his navel and at the delicate cloud of golden strands, almost translucent, that adorned the blonde’s intimacy, he proceeded to grace him with the faint yet continuous touch of his lips, allowing the tip of his nose to skim ever so faintly above his alabaster skin, adding an extra sensation to the stimuli of his kisses.
He observed the merchant’s hips rising ever so slightly, which immediately brought a sly smile to Jing Yuan’s visage. Ah, growing eager, wasn’t he? Stealing a glance upwards, the general had to take an inward breath to maintain his composure, for the expression which Luocha possessed now was far too bewitching, enticing him far swifter than he had anticipated. If only he could show the other the way his green eyes burned with such an exposed desire—
“Y-You mock me with your teasing, general–,” the blonde remarked in an all-too-offended tone in his quivering voice; his manicured fingers buried in Jing Yuan’s silver mane to push his fringe away from his face; his hair was still faintly humid to the touch. “Y—! A-Ah —!,” Oh, but Luocha did not expect Jing Yuan to refute him so quickly, and albeit he did use his mouth, words had been pushed to the side to make his point across.
The merchant’s free hand flew to his lips in a futile attempt to mask the surprised moan that he nearly choked on once he felt the warmth of Jing Yuan’s mouth on his mildly-hardened cock; the general’s tongue provoked him deviously, forcing his back to arch above the mattress in an idle, immediate reaction to the unexpected pleasure that washed over him. His grip on Jing Yuan’s hair also tightened by the selfsame reflex with a light tug of his hand amidst it.
“–I would never dare mock you, Luocha,” his deep voice said, his mouth leaving kisses down the blonde’s length. “Yet, as the saying goes, actions do speak louder than words, and I have every intention to show how misplaced your accusation is–”
And Jing Yuan was always true to his word.
—
Soft, yet candid sounds of lust filled the room along with two distinct breaths that grew heavier by the minute. The downpour from before was but a vague memory, albeit the tempest still raged on outside those walls. If anything, it served only to muffle the noise that echoed in the main chamber, even if there was no one but the two to hear it.
Luocha could not prevent the sounds which left his lips at every single thrust of the general’s hips; he was atop of his lap, straddling it rather elegantly as Jing Yuan remained sitting in between the disheveled white sheets. His large hands held the blonde by his delicate waist, firmly enough to leave reddish prints of his digits on his alabaster skin.
He himself couldn’t control his groans or moans against the merchant’s ear as he aimed to slide himself deep and deeper than the previous time, intensifying his actions only to feel the blonde’s walls squeezing him further, so tight around his well-endowed girth regardless of how thoroughly he had prepared the other to receive it.
Luocha’s hands rested on Jing Yuan’s shoulders for support, albeit he was ever mindful not to wound him by gripping excessively on his skin — he had no desire to contribute to the general’s wide collection of battle scars. He recognized a few, even, when Jing Yuan was towering over him moments before; some of them he had healed himself, and he could not resist the urge of tenderly brushing his fingertip alongside one in particular – the one that had marked the beginning of their “private meetings”.
Now, however, he was overwhelmed by pleasure in a manner that rendered every reasonable thought impossible to formulate; the way Jing Yuan moved inside him deprived Luocha of all his eloquence, which seemed to be replaced by blind and deep longing, a thirst that would not be so easily quenched. He wanted—
“–G–General,” Luocha moaned softly against Jing Yuan’s lips as he kissed him, slender fingers grasping gently at his silver mane. But he hesitated, not daring to voice his request – his sense of shame would not allow him.
“Mm?” Jing Yuan murmured in between his heavy breathing, never halting his actions. “Tell me what you want, Luocha,” he cooed in his velvety voice, kissing his jaw.
Oh, but the merchant’s face flushed immediately at the general’s words. The fact that he could already tell that the blonde desired to request something simply displayed how skilled he was at reading others – even in such moments.
“—More,” Luocha managed to say, quietly so, with lidded olive green eyes meeting the heated amber of the general’s gaze. “I-I want more—Mmph!”
Jing Yuan had heard enough, and the manner in which he claimed Luocha’s lips made it clear; he could not resist such a request being accompanied by such a look that adorned Luocha’s visage. His good composure was gone, almost immediately, as there was no reason to keep it now. He desired nothing more than to fulfill the blonde’s heartfelt plea, and albeit he was inclined to make him beg for it, he had already taken upon himself to do exactly as he was asked.
He was quick to lay Luocha back against the mattress, his hands shifting from his waist to his thighs and to his legs, grasping at each of his calves. He kept his hold on only one, for the other he hooked above his shoulder as he lowered himself further above the blonde, never separating their bodies in full.
“How can I deny you anything when requested in such a manner?” Jing Yuan said onto Luocha’s soft, pinkish lips. “There is nothing that you would ask of me that I would not feel prompt to comply with.”
His hips began picking up a considerably faster pace, his thrusts sinking as deep as they could, harsher, rougher, but not absentmindedly. Not yet.
“A-Ah, g-general—!” It was truly the only coherent phrasing that managed to escape through Luocha’s parted lips. He could not even conceal his bashfulness anymore; it was visible on the merchant’s cheeks, on his lidded eyes, on the way he tried to conceal his sounds with the back of his hand.
“–I want to hear you, Luocha,” the general said tenderly after a husky groan, grasping at the merchant’s hand with his to take it away from his mouth. He entwined their fingers together once he pinned Luocha’s hand above his head on the mattress. “—I want to hear my name from your lips.”
Their bodies were veiled in a thin layer of sweat, and Jing Yuan’s mouth brushed on Luocha’s jaw, cheek and all the way to his lips, savoring the salt he tasted on his skin. His tongue skimmed on the flushed plush of the blonde’s mouth as it slid inside past his lips, exploring the moist heat within with uncontrolled lust. He never ceased his pounding hips, grinding harder, swallowing around Luocha’s moans that were muffled into his mouth, claiming them for himself.
In the way his body began to respond, with occasional shudders and tighter clenching around Jing Yuan’s cock while the blonde’s own stiff member rubbed on the general’s Herculean torso, it was clear that Luocha was drawing close to his limit — and likely faster than he thought. Even his free hand now possessed a much harder grip on the general’s back, and there was no doubt his fingernails would leave their mark upon his skin — and since the blonde was ever careful not to, it showed well how intensely drunk he was with Jing Yuan’s indulgence.
Thus, to say that the general was delighted with that feat would be an understatement. Elated, perhaps, would be more appropriate, yet it would still fail to convey how deep such sentiment went.
“–Won’t you say it?” Jing Yuan insisted in a hushed murmur, his breathing wavering, his lust-hazed eyes glimmering as he gazed at the other beneath him; his lips brushed on his tentatively. “–My name.”
“…” Luocha could barely process his request due to how hazy his mind was in response to Jing Yuan’s actions and how near he trod to his own release release but he– “Jin–”
“–No,” he murmured hoarsely with a smile; but the look he had now was the face of unabashed debauchery, and once again, Luocha’s heart skipped a beat amidst its race in his chest. “My name. ”
The general moved, his face nestling in the crook of Luocha’s throat, gracing it with deep kisses as both his arms wrapped now around him in an embrace, keeping him rooted with the sole intention to fuck him harder. The blonde winced, pending his head against the bed as his back arched immediately in the other’s hold, a loud moan parting from his lips. Both his hands clenched against the general’s broad back as if his life depended on it—
“A-Ah!” he cried, “– Y-Yuan !”
Oh… The manner in which Luocha voiced it had been too much for Jing Yuan. Were he any more inexperient, he would have reached his climax the moment his name had left the blonde’s lips. Yet, in all these centuries, it would be extremely unbecoming, not to say shameful, if he did not possess more self-control than an average adolescent — even if he did possess the stamina and drive of one when Luocha was involved.
“Ah, you truly are the most endearing,” the general murmured with an enamored chuckle, lowering his head to smear the blonde’s lily white chest with the symbols of his adoration, with mouth, teeth and tongue– “I have not known greater greed than when I am with you, nor greater hunger, greater thirst—”
Luocha gasped, stuttering on a soft mewl that followed it caused both by Jing Yuan’s relentless thrusts and his very words; the blonde’s head was starting to spin with the utter abundance of pleasure, of lust; his eyes were starting to overflow in an attempt to let some of the excess out. The general’s confession resonated in him — he felt the same as he did and in equal intensity, but he would dare to voice it.
“—Yet, you are the only one who can quench it, my hunger, my thirst—,” Jing Yuan continued, his confession being accompanied by a groan; he himself could feel his cock dripping with precum inside Luocha’s walls, moistening them further, urging him to sink himself even further in, until he could go no deeper. “But my greed– my greed is amplified by you. I– desire you. And I desire you and I cannot cease— desiring, craving you–”
The fog in his mind was becoming thicker, but he wanted to gaze at the blonde as they both dangerously approached their limit; he caught the tears which ran across Luocha’s flushed cheeks with a finger, then with his mouth, once again savoring his taste in his tongue.
“T-The things you say, general—,” Luocha’s faltering words had a hint of disbelief, but he responded to them by claiming the general’s lips himself with a urgency that, not usual coming from the merchant, bewildered Jing Yuan for a moment.
He could seldom prevent the smile which formed into that kiss and at the manner the blonde’s arms embraced his neck. “–Won’t you call me by my name–?”
Luocha gasped; Jing Yuan had slowed the pace, but in turn had made his pounding deeper, which immediately emptied the blonde’s mind; his entire body quivered like the string of a harp under skilled fingers. “Y-Yuan,” he complied, whispering it onto the general’s lips.
“Good,” he praised with a delighted little chuckle, which was met with a mild frown from the merchant, though not for long.
Jing Yuan grasped at each of Luocha’s arms, pinning them against the bed, catching the blonde by surprise. “–Open your legs further for me,” he asked and the merchant followed. “I want to see you come for me, Luocha,”
“–!”
And the general made no measure of effort to achieve what he desired. Turning the blonde into a disheveled, pleasure-driven mess in the process had been the best consequence Jing Yuan could have gotten, and he did not take it for granted. On the contrary; he admired every aspect of it in a rather enamored manner, from the way Luocha shuddered violently beneath him to how his voice sounded when he cried out with his release, spurting his climax in intense jolts against the general’s stomach.
In that moment, the blonde clenched so wonderfully against Jing Yuan’s cock that he could not have prevented his own apex from following suit, filling Luocha to the brim as he came in continuous, short jerks. He had had to be careful not to tighten his grip on the blonde’s arms overmuch as his mind had gone blank due to the utter bliss of the highest peak of his pleasure. He let such a deep growl out that it made Luocha blush by itself.
He did not immediately cease his movements, though, allowing Luocha to squeeze him dry first as he slowly thrusted his hips for a tad longer. Only when he had his fill did he finally allow his body to grow lax, relaxing his muscles and loosening his grip on the blonde’s wrists, though without withdrawing from his body. For a while nothing but the unceasing rain outside and their ragged breathing were heard in the room; the humidity caused by both the torrent and their previous actions clung to their skin, making it glister under the dim illumination that came through the window.
“I do wonder if the privilege of witnessing you in such moments is mine alone,” Jing Yuan’s voice was the first to break the silence, his warm amber eyes displaying the heat of a comfortable hearth now, rather than the wildfire from before.
“–Would you really like to know?” Luocha’s gaze met his, and there was a very subtle ounce of defiance in his green eyes.
Jing Yuan smiled bitterly. “Perhaps not, for my pride’s sake.”
The general shifted, gently removing himself from Luocha so he could sit down by his side; the blonde sighed softly, feeling oddly empty with the distance and the lack of Jing Yuan’s warmth and size inside him… as embarrassing as it was to admit it even to himself. Thus, the merchant gently reached to grasp at his wrist, gaining the general’s attention.
“… It is… yours alone, if you must know.” The blonde averted his gaze. “For I do not search for this kind of—”
Jing Yuan had gently shushed the merchant with his thumb on his lips, cupping his cheek with his hand; his finger began to stroke the slightly swollen rosy plush of his mouth before he spoke: “I know you don’t.”
“…” His blonde brows furrowed softly. “Then why ask?”
The general smiled; it was obvious, and Luocha would soon know why, though he’d likely not enjoy the answer. “I wanted to hear it from you.”
Luocha sighed heavily in annoyance, turning his head to free it from Jing Yuan’s hold. He slowly sat up, feeling his tired muscles protest as he did so– ah, they had clearly overdone it, it seemed. Nonetheless, he made a motion to leave the bed, but the general was quicker to stop him by reaching for his waist with his arms, tenderly pulling him onto his lap.
“—Why are you in such a rush?” He asked in a murmur close to the blonde’s ear; his warm breath brought shivers down the merchant’s spine. “Have I offended you with my response? I didn’t mean to.” But there was no real apology in his voice.
“–I am afraid that if I stay any longer I might indulge you beyond repair, irreversibly so,” he remarked sincerely, turning his head to steal a glance at the general, who observed him curiously in turn. “And more than you deserve.”
The general chuckled. “My, such harsh words,” he embraced Luocha’s waist fondly from behind, resting his chin above his nude shoulder. “As far as indulgences go, however, I am not certain you can spoil me any further.”
“Oh?” His brow arched. “Did you not say that I made your greed greater? Have I quenched it so easily as to have made you come inside me, general?”
Jing Yuan blinked in surprise— to hear such a remark from Luocha’s lips… He wouldn’t have believed such crudity, not even if he had witnessed it in one of Fu Xuan’s visions. He couldn’t help but laugh, charmingly so, before he lovingly brushed the tip of his nose along the blonde’s cheek.
“No, not quite. If I did not fear bruising you in excess, despite bearing witness to your exceeding healing abilities first hand numerous times, not even exhaustion could prevent me from getting such sounds out of your lips again, my name included. I could display my adoration to you unceasingly, in the most distinct ways, if you wanted me to,” His remark and the honeyed tone in his voice set Luocha’s cheeks ablaze in a matter of seconds; ugh, he was deeply regretting having said anything at all. “But in the matters of the soul, and not that of the flesh, I feel as satisfied as I can be. Unless you decided to profess your love for me, nothing else could please me further at the moment.”
Luocha did not have the heart to offer a quip or a retort in response to such a genuine declaration. It made him uncomfortable, the emotional intimacy, and yet he did not find himself repulsed by it.
“… I would say that I would have never expected a general of your caliber to be so prone to sentimentalism if I did not know you better,” Luocha remarked, but there was no hostility in his voice; if anything, he was intrigued, admired at the ease in which he bared his heart to him like this. “… But I don’t dislike it. Nor the fact that you… trust me with such a heartfelt confession.”
“I know not whether to take that as a compliment or otherwise,” Jing Yuan chuckled. “But I have lived for too long to continue shying away from my heart’s desires. You would never know if I did not make it clear to you, either, for time has also taught me to conceal its truths just as well.”
“–I am well acquainted with that fact,” the blonde responded in a quiet voice. There was a brief moment of silence before Luocha decided to turn in Jing Yuan’s hold, facing him properly: “Thus, won’t you confide in me why you failed to foresee or prepare yourself for the storm at your arrival?”
“Ah,” he let out a short, bashful laugh. “I see you won’t let me off the hook this time,” he sighed with an embarrassed smile. “The reason is rather simple, yet you will agree it doesn’t befit a man of my station… or experience.”
“Why, it would not be the first time now, would it?”
“Ah~, you wound me with your scrutiny, my darling,” he remarked in an overly dramatic fashion, which only managed to reinforce Luocha’s point. Nonetheless, the general cleared his throat, taking a moment before continuing: “Well, when I was certain that not only you had received my letter but that you were also on your way here, I had no desire to make you wait. And, why, perhaps I was also overcome with an unusual rush of excitement and remarked anything parallel to our meeting as devoid of importance.”
“… Oh…” Luocha could feel the warmth rising to his cheeks once again upon understanding the meaning of Jing Yuan’s intention. So, the general had purposely overlooked any precaution because… he wanted to see him… desperately enough to disregard not only his own image as a political figure, but his own well-being.
This was… bad. The manner in which such a realization made him feel was overwhelming; his heart drummed in his ears so loudly that he was concerned that Jing Yuan himself could hear it.
“I know it was pitiful of me, but I hope you—” Jing Yuan’s sentence was halted in its tracks by the touch of Luocha’s palm against his lips, silently interrupting his speech.
The general gazed at him with intrigue, even more at the sight of the blonde’s cheeks blushing so profusely, perhaps more than he had ever seen before — even amidst actions that, why, always made him fluster the most.
“–I hope that the general will not dare dismiss his own health for my sake in the future,” he lowered his gaze, allowing his hand to gently slip away from Jing Yuan’s mouth. “As a healer, I am afraid I cannot condone s— Mmph!”
It was the general’s time to halt Luocha’s discourse, but with his own mouth, kissing him with a seemingly permanent smile on his lips. That the blonde would concern himself with his well-being first rather than his lack of composure just reassured himself of the veracity of his feelings – even if they were unspoken from Luocha’s part.
“–I am aware,” he murmured against his mouth, bringing a hand to brush some stray strands of his golden hair away from his visage, tucking it behind his ear. “Yet, should any illness befall me for my carelessness, I suppose I can count myself lucky for having a most skilled healer that would be willing to nurse me back to health.”
“… You are getting ahead of yourself, general.” But Luocha offered no retorts. Instead, he left a modest peck on his lips. “… Yuan ,” he corrected himself in a light whisper.
“A possibility,” he chuckled; the elation in his face was as visible and earnest as that of a child who had just been greeted with an unexpected gift, and only because Luocha decided to call him by his name. “One which I happen to be willing to risk my life upon.”
“Despite your flair for theatrics, I would not allow it.” Luocha’s face had darkened, but Jing Yuan soothed it with his fingers tenderly caressing his cheek.
“I know,” he responded easily, softly with a gentle chuckle. His eyes were warmer than summer’s midday sun. “Which is why I do it.” He touched his lips with his. “Fearlessly so.”