if you want music while reading, look up the title of the chapter

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Ling Yao was a greedy bastard.

It was an understatement he never bothered denying. There was a reason he'd accepted a homunculus into his body.

Albeit, he preferred taking the high road, curbing the troublesome trait by having a sense of duty and moral integrity. T'was an important history lesson from all the great leaders of the past. So many had fallen by allowing greed to consume them without warrant. Being a good person came easily to Ling Yao, along with wanting everything that was available to him within reason. Was it truly impossible to be greedy and a nice person? Ling was proving otherwise.

The thought of greed evoked nostalgia so strong, Ling was certain he could still hear the annoying fellow in the back of his mind, Look at that hellcat, Ling. That ass is ours!

Ling smirked, responding to his own delusions despite the hole Greed no longer filled. Her body, her fealty... doesn't belong to you, Greed. Just me.

The Xingese Emperor imagined the red masked figure would sneer; a mixture of humor and stubbornness, and laugh at him. Too bad you can't keep from sharing with me, piss-ant!

A smile spread across his face like a disease, because thank all the gods in the world Greed wasn't around for these particular moments.

Standing as subservient as ever, surveying the gardens, one couldn't deny the truth in the imaginary conversation. Lan Fan had filled out in every womanly way possible. Sometimes, she caught him ogling her when they were alone and it would take hours for her to look at him again. Whatever caused her to avoid him never deterred him from continuing. He had no qualms with staring at his bodyguard. He couldn't care less who caught him either and she was lucky that's all he had done so far. Ling knew if it were any other man, any other emperor, they would have used his bodyguard for more than protection by now.

Respect and consideration for her mind, body and emotional wellbeing held him back from taking what he'd wanted for years.

Whether Lan Fan realized, she was the only woman the emperor dared to trust with his mind, his heart, his throne and this carried a certain amount of weight - more than just serving as his Shadow. Sometimes, it seemed as if that meant nothing to her. As if the throne were no better an honor than being a Shadow for the Xing Emperor. It was an insult, but what more could he expect from an orphan?

She didn't feel worthy of the station. Most of his court would think the same if they knew of his intentions, but to hell with what they wanted for him.

In Ling's humble opinion, if she wished to honor her Clan she would become his wife. The First Empress fit to be a true leader of his people. What could be more valuable than a battle-ready Queen? One who could defend herself and her King; who did so frequently. A Lady who was already so faithful, had given up so much for him. This female proved time and again to be completely and utterly his; mind, body, and soul. Lan Fan held unforgiving loyalty from beginning to end unlike so many of these nobles, these servants.

Being a constant companion, his closest friend [literally], commanding his personal guard with an iron fist, literally. In court aspects, Lan Fan was a shy individual, only speaking when spoken to, even as a child. Her natural composition fit perfectly. What more could anyone want? What more could be said in her honor? If this did not compete with any other silly land contract or trade a noble lady could offer, Ling Yao wasn't sure how anything worked.

It was a shame Lan Fan ignored the feelings between them to the extent she did. Not only could she benefit his heart and his court, she could aid in the sweeping changes he was fighting to make. The First Empress to keep an Emperor's attention and release his need for the Hall of Fifty Wives. He truly despised it. His childhood held proof of the horrors it wrought.

Too bad the woman's discreet rejection held him back. It cut him in a way that was worse than feeling a physical knife slice through the flesh.

He may or may not have given her the cold shoulder for several months after he suggested she marry him; as a joke, of course. Eventually, the tension between them waned upon realizing the obstacles he was placing on her duty to protect him, but that memory still kept him up at night. The pain lingered in the worst way over the past few years, until now.

One could debate whether she had taken him seriously from the humor in his voice, but a small part of him knew Lan Fan understood his true meaning. How could she not? The woman rarely took anything lightly.

The worse part, that should have been the easiest part, was that Ling had tried to move on. It didn't work, it didn't help one bit. He never wanted to see Lan Fan in the state he had during those months ever again. He'd courted alady of his mother's hall until the point that intimacy was due. Everything had been mediocre for a few weeks until Lan Fan's energy ceased upon seeing his arm wrapped around another female last year. It was not something he wished to experience again in his lifetime. Ling was positive his actions had pushed her further from him until their recent vacation convinced him otherwise.

The situation truly confused Ling Yao.

Having her guard him within his personal bathing quarters made things worse.

Honestly, am I trying to kill myself? Ling mused as he watched her hip cock to the side before spinning on a heel. Yes, he grumbled, I am.

It'd been close to a month since he'd seen Lan Fan without the thick tunic of her uniform courtesy of the festivals and mild travel, but her form had been committed to memory since their early years. Even with the bulk of her armor that concealed her gender upon a glance, the curve of her waist and breast could be seen if one knew how to look at her. Staring is what he did best.

Maybe it was his memories from the days of sparring without her gear on filling in for him.

Maybe he was going insane with lust-filled daydreams.

Whichever, he grew tired of the stagnant situation.

They'd occupied the hot spring for at least ten minutes, but she'd made a round every two just to keep busy. Ling refused to make this new task easy for her. He had decided several weeks prior he would no longer be the only one suffering.

With years of observation under his belt, Ling had built an idea of how to drive Lan Fan wild and he was using it to his advantage. He'd resembled a grown man in his teens and as much flack as he got for it, Ling found his bodyguard had a hard time looking away from him sometimes, too. He utilized his discoveries thoroughly every chance he could. Especially during their last trip to Amestris.

Familiarity came easily in that country. Having friends and little personal space was the norm. That atmosphere was what drew Ling into alliance with the Elric brothers from the start. With the intimate energy and close proximity, things happened. Eyes gazed, hands grazed and he found Lan Fan to be much more relaxed in a different setting. It was odd. Her preference of location spoke volumes of the atmosphere in his home. It was something he was working to rectify.

That vacation was what solidified this new routine.

Lan Fan glanced back at him before blending into the shadows, no doubt feeling a tad bit like stalked prey under his watchful eye.

The man turned around to prop himself against the edge of the pool with satisfaction. Good, he thought, let her feel uncomfortable. Let her feel as I have over the loneliest seven years of my life.

Closing his eyes, Ling inhaled deeply as he assessed the qi signature flickering in the back corner. Blue energy quivered nervously. Lan Fan was still uncomfortable with her new guard post [as personal as it was] even though she'd been set to the task for several days now.

Uncomfortably horny, Greed chuckled from the recesses of his mind.

Ling agreed, for the sake of his own sanity.

It'd taken a while to muster the courage, to gather all of the lonely nights he was sick of. Now, the time had come. To hell with her for denying such a union; for taking this away from him, from herself, from them. He wouldn't back down without a definite answer this time around.

Cue, the personal bath guard.

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if you wanna read an AH-MAZING post-canon novel of our fav pairing, here's your ticket.

Swallows on the Beamby Shu of the Wind.

highly, highly recommend even though it's been on hiatus for awhile. the wait is definitely worth it!