Chapter Text
Zhao Yuanzhou placed the tray of sundries on the table, then sat down next to Li Lun. He watched him for a bit, then suddenly pulled him into his arms.
Li Lun was in the midst of painting some details onto a piece of paper, but Zhao Yuanzhou’s sudden embrace made him lose his grip. To avoid ruining the painting, he quickly lifted his hand just before the ink could smear across the canvas.
He turned to Zhao Yuanzhou, his tone inquisitive: “Zhu Yan, just what are you trying to do?”
Zhao Yuanzhou rested his chin on Li Lun’s shoulder, his arms embracing the other’s waist, which he swayed back and forth.
“A-Lun.. pay attention to me…”
He buried his face into the crook of Li Lun’s neck. “Just pay attention to me, won’t you?”
A long silence fell. Zhao Yuanzhou was not met with a response and turned his head, only to see that Li Lun’s gaze was still lowered, having not left the portrait one bit.
Zhao Yuanzhou squinted at the painting, which depicted a man holding an oil paper umbrella. He assumed a tall stance; and as he stared off into the distance, he gave off a cold, untouchable air.
That pencil traced every inch of Zhao Yuanzhou’s face, going from those slightly upturned eyes to the slight grin at the corner of his lips. He mapped every one of those features, one by one, transferring it straight onto the paper.
Despite being a rough sketch, the person on the page was incredibly well-drawn, looking almost lifelike. Every little detail, from the delicate shadows cast on his cheeks to the small cinnabar mole near the canthus of his right eye was captured in minute detail, as if the person in the drawing was about to spring to life and start reciting the lines: “He’s a bastard who cannot see the light of day”— just like how he did during their confrontation earlier that day.
Zhao Yuanzhou pointed at the man in the portrait with a confused look, asking: “A-Lun, was I smiling the entire time?”
The felt brush in Li Lun’s hand didn’t stop moving. Without turning around, he nodded: “You did.”
Zhao Yuanzhou frowned, clearly displeased: “Nonsense. I put on such a convincing performance, how could I have possibly slipped up?”
Li Lun turned his head slightly, looking at him with an amused expression. Seeing this, Zhao Yuanzhou quickly straightened up, puffed up his chest, and raised his chin in the air.
“Li Lun, haven’t you wanted me to settle my blood debts all along?”
He paused, then continued, “How is it? I now carry blood with malicious energy. Isn’t that great?”
Li Lun raised a brow, watching in amusement as Zhao Yuanzhou went to strike yet another ridiculous pose. This time, he picked up one of the stylus from the tray and pointed it straight ahead, uttering slowly:
“You chose the umbrella. It was.. also your choice to part ways.”
Zhao Yuanzhou suddenly clicked his tongue, jeering: “Who would’ve thought that little lord Zhuo could be such a romanticist?”
“I think his lines were not bad,” Li Lun chimed in.
Zhao Yuanzhou suddenly changed his voice, adopting the edge of little lord Zhuo’s tone of speech, then said: “‘That’s why in the mortal realm, we never give our good friends umbrellas— because umbrellas mean to ‘part’.”
He rolled his eyes. “If you hadn’t asked me to spare his life for the sake of our plan, I would’ve long since pulled out his tongue for uttering such words.”
Saying this, he slowly leaned into Li Lun’s face and whispered: “Isn’t that right, A-Lun?”
Li Lun looked at the other’s expression with a faint smile. But as if having realized something, he suddenly turned away, coughing lightly: “What? Did those words weigh on your heart for so long that you only chose to say them now?”
Zhao Yuanzhou chuckled softly. “Is A-Lun doubting my sincerity?”
Li Lun smiled. “Naturally.”
“A-Lun mustn’t misunderstand me,” Zhao Yuanzhou smiled, whispering against his neck: “I can deceive all else, but when it comes to you— am I willing to lay myself bare.”
Saying this, he gently nipped at Li Lun’s neck, causing the other to tremble slightly. He suddenly pinched the back of Zhao Yuanzhou’s neck, pulled him away, then watched the other, who was like a wolf cub being held by its scruff, silently.
Li Lun saw Zhao Yuanzhou going to lean in slowly, but before the other could close the distance between them any further, he lifted a finger and placed it on his lips.
“No man’s words are worth believing,” he whispered.
Zhao Yuanzhou froze, then raised a brow. “Oh?”
He suddenly inched a bit closer, his tone low and dangerous: “Then.. how should I make A-Lun believe me?”
Li Lun stared at Zhao Yuanzhou’s face, which was only a few inches away from his own, and fell silent. He was just about to think about it a bit more until a hand enveloped his waist.
Zhao Yuanzhou’s hand slipped under his robe, caressing his waist. He then leaned in even closer, whispering against his lips: “If words aren’t worth believing, then how about..”
His hand trickled down Li Lun’s abdomen. “I show you instead?”
Before that hand could travel any further, his wrist was captured.
Zhao Yuanzhou looked up to see Li Lun holding a brush in front of his face with a steady look.
He was surprised. “This is..”
Li Lun cut him off: “Paint me.”
Zhao Yuanzhou didn’t know if he heard him correctly. “‘Paint you?’”
Li Lun met his dazed look, chuckling softly: “The recent string of murders in the capital had those at the Demon Hunting Bureau running in circles for three days in search of a certain ‘Great Demon’ who could be behind it all.”
He used the tip of the felt brush to outline the curvature of Zhao Yuanzhou’s jawline.
“The Royal Court ordered you to seek out the Sophora Ghost. Those who manage to get his head gets recognized by the emperor, who will bestow them merit and a grand title..”
When that brush landed on Zhao Yuanzhou’s chin, Li Lun used the tip to gently raise it.
“We’ve prepared such a grand show..” he said slowly, meeting those eyes: “Don’t tell me that you forgot how to act it out?”
Zhao Yuanzhou stared right back at him, his gaze unfathomable and profound. Seeing this, Li Lun drew even closer, whispering into Zhao Yuanzhou’s ear:
“What? After last night’s rendezvous, have you completely forgotten that the man in your bed was supposed to be handed to the authorities?”
Li Lun lowered his voice even further— leaving a low, bare whisper: “Or could it be that.. after indulging in him for an entire night, you were reluctant to let him go?”
Zhao Yuanzhou grabbed his wrist, landing a delicate kiss on it. “What does A-Lun think?”
Li Lun thought about it, then stretched a finger out towards Zhao Yuanzhou’s forehead, tracing his hairline.
“I think…” he began, “Just as you’ve taken him, he’s also.. taken you.”
Li Lun smiled. “Completely. And utterly.”
Zhao Yuanzhou’s eyes reflected the other’s expression, which was fervent and undisguised.
“We’re spinning a narrative here, A-Yan,” Li Lun sighed, “A minor slip-up, and we won’t be able to see it to the end.”
He smiled. “Tell me. Wouldn’t that be such a pity?”
Zhao Yuanzhou met Li Lun’s eyes, and the two seemed to have reached a silent, yet tacit understanding.
Li Lun suddenly adjusted himself, expertly straddling Zhao Yuanzhou’s lap. Zhao Yuanzhou smoothed out a blank sheet of paper on the table, took the felt brush from Li Lun’s hands, then proceeded to dip it in one of the ink jars.
His hand hovered above the paper, but he didn’t start painting right away. Instead, he simply looked at the person before him, as if entranced.
Li Lun felt the weight of his gaze and tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”
Zhao Yuanzhou continued to stare at him. Seeing this, Li Lun said teasingly, “If you can’t do it, then.. forget it.”
He reached for the felt brush in Zhao Yuanzhou’s hand, but before his fingers could touch it, his wrist was captured.
Li Lun saw that Zhao Yuanzhou had his eyes closed. He was about to question what exactly the other person was up to until that grip on his wrist loosened, where that hand fell on his face.
Those fingers lingered at the corner of his brow for a moment before going to move on their own— tracing the length of his brow and eyelid. At the same time, the felt brush in his hand stopped twirling mindlessly. It began to jot down every one of those features as he began to trace them with his fingertips.
The moment those fingers fell on the bridge of his nose, Li Lun was pulled back to his senses and tried to back off. But at that moment, he heard Zhao Yuanzhou say: “Don’t move.”
Li Lun froze. He was driven to a corner like this, but the other wasn’t even looking at him. It made him a bit curious about what exactly they were up to.
“What.. are you doing?” he asked, cautious.
Zhao Yuanzhou’s fingers slid down the soft arch of his nose before tracing its tip, which held a soft curve. With a smile, he began: “It is said that, if one is stripped of a sense, it causes the other ones to become more acute.”
Those fingers brushed across Li Lun’s cheek, relishing those soft curves that, at this moment, were visibly flushed.
“In the absence of sight..” he lowered his volume, whispering in a tone laced with ambiguity: “Let my touch fill in the rest, all right?”
Li Lun looked at him in surprise.
Zhao Yuanzhou didn’t waste any more words on him, continuing along the rest of his features. He outlined each of them with one hand and transferred his findings onto the blank canvas with the other. It was as if the sensations branded on those fingertips— the roughness of his brows to the sleek, jade-like finish of his skin— painted a vivid portrait in his mind only he could reproduce on paper.
When those fingers made their way to Li Lun’s lips, Zhao Yuanzhou gently kneaded one of the corners in circular motions. His touch was light at first, but the closer he got to the center, the other could no longer keep his lips pursed. Those lips parted slightly, inviting him in.
Zhao Yuanzhou applied a bit of pressure to approach that singularity. They deftly pried open those lips and began to play with that soft, red tongue. Li Lun’s scalp tingled the moment he felt Zhao Yuanzhou’s fingers enter and tried to evade, but his attempts carried with them a hint of feigned resistance.
Zhao Yuanzhou, having seen right through his act, chuckled before anchoring two fingers on the back of those lower teeth, where he proceeded to yank that face towards his own.
Li Lun gasped, reaching out to grab Zhao Yuanzhou’s wrist. But in the end, he was unable to push him away.
Zhao Yuanzhou slowly opened his eyes, capturing the other’s dazed expression, his own gaze growing increasingly more explicit.
Those fingers hooked around Li Lun’s tongue. The last bit of resistance was gone, leaving cooperation to linger in its wake. That muscular organ softened under his touch, allowing him to mold it how he saw fit. At some point, those lips unconsciously closed around his fingers and began sucking at their length.
Li Lun gasped. Zhao Yuanzhou’s fingers were slightly bigger than his own and when they plunged into his throat, the fleshy inner walls of his oral cavity welcomed their presence. They wrapped around the tips and sucked them as if alive, producing wet squelching noises.
Gazing at the person before him, Zhao Yuanzhou completed the last few strokes. He finally pulled out his fingers, which left the other’s lips with a loud ‘pop’.
The restraint was loosened, causing Li Lun to stagger forward a bit. He opened his eyes to find the other looking at him, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
Zhao Yuanzhou held up the portrait in his hand and clicked his tongue: “Not bad. If we paste this all over the capital, it’ll keep the Demon Hunting Bureau busy for the next few days.”
He tilted his head slightly towards Li Lun, saying with a hint of a smile, “Isn’t that right, A-Lun?”