Title : Sweet Titbit
Summary: Kijin, over-worked and sex-deprived, is pleasantly surprised when Reishin makes a late-night conjugal visit to his office.
Time-Fit: After Twin Irises.
Disclaimer : I do not own the characters. They and Saiunkoku Monogatari belong to Sai Yukino.
Rating : PG13 for theme
Genre : Drama/Humour
Warning : Yaoi, mild - nothing happens on-screen
Pairing : Kijin/Reishin
Notes : The sequel to this is Seedless Lychee.
italics = thoughts
Kijin heard the familiar footfall. He looked up, surprising himself by how just the sight of his Dumpling soothed his nagging headache. Reishin visited his office frequently at this time of the year; short little late-night visits, often with a sweet titbit, and always with the promise of a much-anticipated massage of his temples, neck and shoulders.
And, uncharacteristically for Reishin, he would hardly speak at all on these visits. Kijin noted and appreciated the silence. Over-worked, and reeling from numbers and budgets, Kijin's mind was just too tired to follow any conversation.
Reishin padded silently past the piles of budget proposals on Kijin's desk, ending up behind Kijin's chair. Sighing softly, Kijin leaned back into Reishin's chest, luxuriating in the comforting presence. He welcomed the cool fingers brushing lightly against his temples as Reishin untied the strings of his mask.
Fifteen minutes later, Kijin reached up and took hold of Reishin's hand, and pressed it against his lips.
"Thank you, Dumpling. What's my sweet titbit tonight?"
"Me."
Kijin felt Reishin's hand curl around his jaw, and Reishin's hot breath against his ear.
"What's different tonight, Dumpling? What about your rule of 'No Office Trysts during Budget Month'?"
"Tonight, I attempt to corrupt you."
Kijin stared, speechless, his flawless jaw slack.
Reishin produced a scroll from his court robes.
"You returned my Department's Budget Proposal this afternoon, unsigned. Now, sign it, put your department's seal on it, and you get your sweet titbit, Secretary Ko."
"You can't be serious, Hong Reishin."
Secretary Hong hoisted his hips onto the desk, removed his shoes, and with his stockinged feet, kneaded the Finance Minister's crotch.
"Is this serious enough for you, Minister Ko?"
Between waves of pleasure, Kijin struggled to read Reishin's inscrutable face. He looked desperately for a glint in those hazel eyes, a secret smirk on those lips, anything at all to tell him that his lover was teasing.
The kneading stopped. Reishin unrolled the scroll partially. He dipped the writing brush in the inkslab, dabbed off the excess ink, and held the brush out to Kijin.
His groin and heart aching, Kijin took the proffered writing brush.
Stunned, Reishin watched in mounting disbelief as his lover signed, dipped the Finance Department's seal in the red paste, and pressed it down firmly against the document.
He couldn't have … it's not possible …
Not Kijin!
Reishin reached for the scroll.
"DON'T TOUCH THE EVIDENCE! SEIZE THAT DOCUMENT!"
The doors burst open, and Kijin's office filled with imperial guards.
The young emperor felt sick to the stomach.
Corruption. An ugly word. Especially when it involved two Ministers.
Ryuki didn't want to be sitting on that throne, flanked by his two ill-looking Twin Irises.
As Royal Advisors, his irises were useless. Koyu couldn't possibly advise on a case involving his adoptive father, and the latter's lover. Shuei, being Koyu's lover, was in no better position.
Ryuki looked at the two accused, kept apart by imperial guards. Such proud men, both of them, standing ramrod straight, silent and stoic. Reishin's ashen face was as expressionless as his lover's wooden mask. Ryuki's gut screamed their innocence. But events indicated otherwise.
General Haku, and six of his men, were passing Kijin's office when he caught the word "corrupt". Kijin and Reishin's conversation and actions, as detailed in Haku's report, were damning. And Haku had no reason to be not objective.
Sighing imperceptibly, Ryuki picked up the final piece of evidence, the Personnel Department's Budget Proposal. He unrolled the scroll fully, and almost dropped it.
Whaaaaaat?
Chibi pornography?
Three-quarters of the scroll were painted with adorable caricatures of Kijin and Reishin, performing the most acrobatic acts of fornication. Only the first foot of the scroll resembled a budget proposal.
Ryuki stared at the three written characters next to the red seal of the Finance Department. There, in Kijin's elegant flowing script, were the words FUCK YOU DUMPLING.
"General Haku, would you please read this document?"
Haku's ruggedly handsome face turned crimson above his neatly-trimmed beard.
"Well, General Haku?"
Haku glanced at the two accused, and announced in a voice loud enough to carry to the ends of the court.
"Apparently, I interrupted some very elaborate foreplay between those two old-timers! As the saying goes, ginger gets hotter with age!"
Haku burst out laughing.
"Forgive me, Your Highness! I was over-zealous in my duties. I drop all charges."
"Thank you, General Haku. Would you do the honour of returning the document, please? And release the accused."
Haku called off the two sets of imperial guards. Grinning broadly, he returned the scroll fully unfurled, allowing curious eyes to feast on the contents.
Ryuki noted Kijin's silent response, amid the suppressed giggles and outright guffaws.
I was right.
That's the first time Kijin has seen the chibi paintings.
So, Kijin, at the point of writing on that document, truly believed that it was the real Budget Proposal.
He observed how Reishin, in rolling up the scroll, scanned the first segment of the document with his eyes.
There it is.
Reishin NEEDED to see what Kijin wrote.
He thought Kijin had really signed his name to the document.
Ryuki leaned back in his throne, pondering on the significance of what he just deduced.
So that is how it is.
They were both certain of their own innocence, but not of their lover's.
The contents have cleared their names.
But they will surely realize the implications, sooner or later.
How will that affect their relationship?
They sat at the edge of the bed, contemplating each other.
"Kijin, why didn't you speak up to clear your name?"
"The same reason you didn't."
Kijin paused.
"I'm sorry to have doubted your innocence, Reishin."
"Me too."
They smiled at each other, a little sadly, as their fingers intertwined.
"Thank you for your ridiculous gesture of love. But really, Kijin, how would it have helped matters if we were both in prison?"
"That applies to you too, Dumpling. And indeed it wouldn't have helped matters. If we were both prisoners, who's going to come for our conjugal visits?"
They laughed, softly.
"You do realize, don't you, Kijin? There was a glaring difference. By your assessment of the situation, you couldn't have cleared my name even if you had spoken up. Because you thought I had handed you the real Budget Proposal."
Reishin unlaced his fingers from Kijin's.
"I, on the other hand, knew the contents of the document. Even though I thought you really did sign the scroll, I could have lied that you saw the chibi paintings before you signed. From General's Haku's perspective, it would be difficult for him to be certain if you did see the contents. In other words, Kijin, I chose not to lie, not even to save you."
"Yes. I did deduce that."
Kijin fell silent.
The silence became unbearable.
"Say something, Kijin."
"Fuck you, Dumpling."
Reishin blanched.
"Would you have done differently?"
"Yes."
"I see. So what do you want to do now, Kijin?"
"Fuck you, Dumpling."
Despite everything, Reishin half-smiled.
"And how would that resolve anything?"
"There's nothing to resolve. You and I are different people. We do things differently. That's all. Now, please, may I?"
"What?"
"Fuck you! Dumpling … Secretary Hong … sweet titbit …"
[later]
"Kijin, are you still awake?"
"Uh-huh."
"I'm sorry …"
Kijin turned his back to Reishin.
"I'm no longer awake."
Reishin dug his tapered fingers into Kijin's ribcage.
"Idiot. Turn back. I'm apologizing for something else!"
At that, Kijin did turn back.
"Oh?"
"I'm sorry I broke the No Office Trysts rule."
"It wasn't my rule."
Kijin stroked Reishin's cheek.
"So what happened, Dumpling? All that elaborate preparation and foreplay, were you that horny, Secretary Hong?"
Pressing his face into Kijin's palm, Reishin mumbled.
"I was painting the chibi because I missed you. That led to fantasizing about seducing you. One lustful thought built upon another …"
Reishin sighed into Kijin's palm.
"Am I losing it, Kijin? I've survived so many Budget months. Why am I falling to pieces this year?"
Pulling Reishin into a tight embrace, Kijin spoke against the red ear-stud, nuzzling the pretty ear.
"This is the first Budget month after Koyu moved out. I can talk to Koyu and Shuei. I'm sure they wouldn't mind spending the evenings with you for the rest of this month."
"Out of the question! I would rather DIE than have them babysit a sex-starved parent!"
Kijin chuckled.
"Alright then, undo the No Office Trysts during Budget Month rule. Come fornicate in my office! By the way, I've never asked, why the rule?"
"I don't want to take up too much of your time and energy."
"I can afford a break. And I would rather expend my energy on you, than jerking-off under my desk after you leave!"
"Do you?"
"What do you think? After being kneaded and prodded by you for a full fifteen minutes!"
"But it's only a neck and shoulder massage!"
Kijin laughed.
"I'm one BIG erogenous zone!"
He stroked Reishin's hair.
"So, please, stay after the massage, my sweet titbit."
Kijin examined Reishin's hands minutely.
"Empty. So does that mean you are the sweet titbit tonight?"
Reishin's giggles were cut short by Kijin's office doors bursting open.
"STOP! Don't do anything that I would hate to interrupt!"
Haku walked into the office with a food carrier.
"Here you go, old-timers. Glutinous rice dumplings in a sweet ginger broth. My wife used the very hottest of old gingers!"
Kijin laughed.
"You needn't have done this, General Haku."
"It's my apology. For making those chibi paintings the hottest topic in the civil service!"
Reishin's cheeks turned a pretty pink. At which General Haku grinned broadly.
Haku winked at Kijin meaningfully.
"Enjoy your sweet titbit, Secretary Ko."
[The End]
NOTES:
Haku's "ginger gets hotter with age" is a rephrasing of the Chinese saying姜还是老的辣(ginger is hottest when old). The saying is used to mean that experience counts, when it comes to skills/abilities.
The way Haku used the phrase is his own corruption of the meaning! ^^;
FOR THOSE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE SAIUNKOKU MONOGATARI FANDOM
Kijin is a weirdo that wears masks all the time when he is in public. His masks are made by Reishin.
It is a tradition for the emperor to present flowers to mark his trust. To accept the emperor's flower is to pledge everlasting loyalty. Koyu and Shuei were the first two officials to earn the new emperor's trust. They were each presented with a Japanese Iris.