Work Text:
Could things go in a different way? What could have been? If they never appear in Wuling, would fate be different?
Heavy thoughts clouded Endmin’s head when he went back to his cabin at Dijiang. The automatic door let him come in, but what or rather whom did he see was unexpected at the very least.
Ardashir was sitting on a chair, with loose hair laying on his shoulders and with a quite depressed look on his face. It changed a little when their eyes met, but it became even more sorrowful.
What happened recently was…
"You came."
"Why are you in my room, Ardashir? Why are you in Dijiang!?"
He was ready to summon his sword to his hand for self-defence, but the man on a chair didn't even move. A bitter smile was the only answer.
"I'm not going to hurt anyone. I was just waiting to see you."
Endministrator frowned in disbelief and looked Ardashir up and down. His posture and body language gave no sign of threat, his tail demurely curled around his own leg, and the handle of his cane rested on his hip. It would take them both the same amount of time to prepare for an attack under these circumstances.
He decided to make the first move.
"The cane is your weapon?"
"Correct."
"Then put it away."
Ardashir grabbed the weapon just below the hilt and rose from his chair, leisurely walking to the opposite corner of the room, where he'd left it. Driven by habit, he stood in place, one hand tucked behind his back.
"A knife, a pistol, poison?"
Ardashir's eyes widened for a moment in shock, which seemed surprisingly sincere, before his expression returned to its former regret.
"If I really wanted to kill you, wouldn't I have done it the very first time we met?"
This question made Endmin frown even more. Ardashir indeed had many, many opportunities to kill him, but he hadn't taken any of them. Was Endmin part of his plan, requiring him alive? Or was something in the blond man's past still weighing on him, something he couldn't let go of to this day.
"Sit on the bed. Right now."
Ardashir obediently walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, his tail politely curled at his side. Unable to bear the tension, Endministrator plopped down on the bed next to him and spoke louder than he had intended.
"Why? Why did you let Ruan Yi die?!"
"There's no one to blame for his death but himself. Blinded by hatred, he'd never seen the full picture."
"You could have stopped him at any moment. Tell him he was wrong, that there was another way! Then Tangtang..."
"Do you think there is another way, 'Endmin'?"
His silver-blue eyes immediately turned to Ardashir, his gaze brimming with indignation.
"Are you ready to accept the natural order of things? The end of the world?"
"Never."
"Ruan Yi thought so too. He knew no other life, no other solution. Besides..."
Ardashir's face softened slightly, his smile warming.
"When the seed of discord is uprooted, a new sprout can emerge. If a rebellion had occurred, it had the soil. People who cannot forgive will never do so. Tragedy would have occurred, sooner or later."
After these words, Endmin felt a sudden movement on his thigh, and, looking down, saw the black ring of another's tail on his leg. It wasn't pressing, just a mere touch, causing no discomfort.
"Why are you doing this? What is your purpose?"
Ardashir pulled the hand closest to Endministrator back, as if inviting him into an embrace. With a heavy sigh, he moved closer and leaned his shoulder against Ardashir, a hand gently was put on his waist. The sensation seemed strangely familiar, but Endmin remained silent. Ardashir's voice was calm, almost resigned.
"A promise from the past that I cannot break. You will understand when the time comes."
He shifted strangely, changing their position, and Endmin's head rested so comfortably on his shoulder that for a moment he felt uneasy. Like an old, forgotten habit, like riding a bike again for the first time in five years. The body remembers what it once learned. White hair on his neck felt ticklish, but Endmin decided to stay still.
"I'd really like to be selfish, if you'll let me."
"Another mission?"
"I'm glad you're having fun," he carefully moved Endmin onto his back closer to the middle bed, using his tail to help him pull off his shoes. "Trust me a little more, if you can."
Endmin pouted and snorted, looking away as pillows were carefully placed beneath him.
"Just a little."
That one phrase was enough to make Ardashir's eyes sparkle with genuine joy. He pounced on Endmin like a child on a gift box under a Christmas tree, and began to kiss his face vigorously wherever he could reach.
"Wait, that's enough–"
Endmin tried to push Ardashir away, effortlessly, but his wrists were quickly pinned to the pillow on either side of his head. The next target was his lips, and that immediately clarified the situation.
He wasn't in this position for the first time. It wasn't the first time he'd felt himself kissed. The same natural sensation, like using Originium energy, washed over him like a veritable tsunami. Endmin was stunned, forgetting all resistance and any attempts to move. A long, slippery, and strangely tender tongue plied his mouth, simultaneously caressing and stealing precious air.
It was a kiss one gives to another after a long separation.
"Ardashir–"
"Shhh... I know. I know."
A soft hiss made his insides turn over. His body sang with the familiar feeling, and his mind gradually accepted the physical reactions. For a moment, he forgot all his whims, sorrows, and resentments. As if someone were with him, holding him in check if he made a mistake.
To prevent the tragedy of Ruan Yi from happening once more…
"That look again. Be here, with me. I beg you."
Blinking a few times, he met Ardashir's gaze, who gently cupped his cheek with his hand and stroked it softly with his thumb. With a sigh, he leaned into the hand caressing him for a second, after which it reluctantly pulled away.
Ardashir climbed out of bed, followed by the sound of the cabinets under the bed. Surprisingly, of the twenty-odd drawers, he only opened two or three before returning to bed with a white tube in his hands.
"Right where we left it last."
Endmin's face turned redder than a ripe tomato as the realization of the other man's words hit him full force. Ardashir had really been telling the truth all this time? Had there really been something between them?
"Who were we to each other?"
"It doesn't matter if you don't remember. We can start over as many times as you need."
Deft hands undressed him, carefully setting aside his clothing to avoid wrinkling. When Endmin was left with only his shirt pulled up, he didn't feel any more vulnerable.
As if it was meant to be.
Ardashir settled between his legs, throwing them over his shoulders, and began tenderly kissing his soft thighs. His lips lingered a little longer in places, leaving reddish marks on the skin, but this strange act of worship stirred Endmin's insides.
Slowly, Ardashir began kissing his legs, moving closer to his crotch, paying attention to every delicate spot he'd never even suspected was so sensitive. Ardashir knew how to treat him.
At that moment, the sound of a lid opening was heard, and a gentle voice flowed like honey.
"Do you want to know how our last time went?"
Endmin's eyes widened and he tensed, instinctively drawing his legs up.
"You knew you wouldn't come back. You kissed me like the world was crumbling before our eyes. That night, you begged me so hard to take you, to take every last drop, to destroy you so I wouldn't have any regrets about what we didn't have time to do."
A warm, lubricated finger touched his anus and gently moved it, spreading the lubricant across the muscle.
"You were saying goodbye, but I didn't. I would have plucked you from the very clouds of heaven or from the darkest depths of hell. No matter what happens, I truly can't let you go."
Ardashir took Endmin's hand with his unstained one, intertwined their fingers, and squeezed it tighter in a soothing gesture. As soon as a warm, wet mouth covered his cockhead, one lubricated finger pushed inside his tiny hole. Endmin kicked out, which was immediately grabbed by a black tail, holding it in place.
"Wait–"
His insides burned with a multitude of sensations: the unfamiliar stretching of his anus, the delicious mouth on his cock, and the unbearable arousal from being so desired, appreciated, and loved. Soon a second finger joined the first, forcing him to clench even harder, to which Ardashir took the hard length even deeper into his mouth.
He compensated for any discomfort with pleasure so skillfully it was frightening. Endmin felt a bit like a trained dog, one who knew dozens of commands but hadn't seen his master in a long time. Ardashir's fingers skillfully twisted and pressed against something inside him, sending a jolt of pleasure through his spine. A short cry escaped Endmin as he squeezed Ardashir's hand tighter in their grip, covering his mouth with the other one in shame. The blond pulled away from his cock and moved closer, continuing to stretch his insides. He looked as if the deity he always prayed to had found itself in his hands. His long ears twitched slightly, and his eyes sparkled with happiness.
"Hide, if you're so afraid your team will come to check. Next time, you won't be able to leave or hide. I will remind you who you belong to. You will be where you truly deserve to be."
With a trembling sigh, Endmin spilled white onto his stomach, his head spinning with excitement. Ardashir's gentle laughter sounded distant, as if in a haze. A moment later, he felt a tongue on his stomach, soaking up the spilled liquid. His muscles trembled from the tickling, but the feeling stopped before he could even say "Enough".
"You're still the same as you were."
The fingers left his stretched entrance, then were replaced by something more substantial. Endmin was so relaxed from the skillful preparation and orgasm that his hole barely resisted the intrusion. Just when Endmin was about to start fidgeting, the soothing voice enveloped him again.
"Every person is a puzzle. Every bit of knowledge you have about someone is a piece of that puzzle. The pieces can appear very close, revealing the full picture. Or they can scatter chaotically, giving no idea of the final outcome. Some pieces are there just to confuse. It’s a lot of work to do for a satisfying result. That's why I love you so much."
Ardashir knelt and grabbed his hips with both hands and his tail, lifting Endmin's pelvis even higher, causing him to clutch the pillow. The very first thrust sent his entire lower body shuddering, and the all-consuming sensation only grew. He wasn't new to this; he apparently knew the pleasure Ardashir could bring him, and Endmin let him do so. His massive, hot cock seemed to be breaking him from the inside, unearthing something long forgotten. He didn't avoid the spots where stimulation squirted the most pleasure; he mercilessly crushed them, bringing Endmin to a second orgasm with astonishing speed.
Between the short sighs, moans, and other shameful sounds, he didn't even notice how they formed a name. That's why he was surprised when, through the haze before his eyes, he saw Ardashir's loving face.
"...Ah?"
"You called me. Did something happen?"
Ardashir didn't stop for a second even while asking. One hand skillfully grasped his dick and began to stroke it, caressing it to the point of exhaustion. It was all too much; he couldn't bear it when the overstimulation reached him before he came a second time. The feeling of heat in his lower abdomen scared him.
"Stop, ah! I can't, I really can't, d-don't–"
Endmin was kissed on the lips with the same tender love as before, and then he understood. His hands gripped Ardashir’s strong shoulders, his legs wrapped around his waist, and in that moment of embrace he felt a relief he had never experienced after awakening. His hole trembled and clenched, milking the length inside him until they both reached their climax. Immediately after, Ardashir carefully pulled away and laid his Endmin back on the bed.
He felt as if he were floating. Many people were grateful and appreciative of him, many craved his attention and support, but for the first time, Endmin felt at home. Loved to the point of exhaustion, caressed and comforted. He didn't feel obligated to anyone; quite the opposite, in fact. Unable to move, he simply allowed Ardashir to dry him with a soft towel and cover him with a warm, heavy blanket. This time, he clung to the hand pressed to his cheek, not wanting it to disappear. Fatigue and drowsiness quickly overcame him.
"Sweet dreams. We have no need to rush. We never did."