These two melt my heart, honestly. I obviously don't own these characters or profit from this, I'm just fulfilling my shipping dreams :')
Ling wasn't sure she knew it, but the fiercest warrior in Xing was an even fiercer cuddler. She would be rigid when she first lay down, her arms pressed to her sides and her back flat against the mattress, but once she had actually fallen asleep, it was mere minutes before she had curled herself into him. Her head would slot in against his neck while she tucked a leg over him, one arm occasionally slinking across his abdomen. He would pretend to be asleep until she did it, then drift off for real with his arms just as tight around her.
Once upon a time, the idea of sharing a bed with Lan Fan would have been ridiculous, something so impossible it wasn't worth thinking about. They had huddled together as children, when the storms or shadows found them, but even then Fu would chase them apart. Lan Fan hadn't slept in Ling's presence since she was officially sworn in as his guard, either vanishing into the darkness or slinking into another room to rest. He had missed her.
Then, after the horrors of the Promised Day had passed, things changed. For one, Lan Fan became infinitely lonelier, and Ling always heard no matter how much she muffled the crying. For another, the assassination attempts became infinitely more frequent; not so much in the desert, where the biggest threat to his life was an annoyed May Chang, but when they returned to Xing. Shockingly, his tens of royal siblings weren't thrilled he had secured the crown for his clan, and they didn't all believe his promises of protection as quickly as Chang did. He needed Lan Fan to be closer than ever, because his life well and truly rested in her hands.
"Lan Fan," he asked one night, rolling over in his bed to face the corner he thought she was in, "can I ask you for something?"
"Of course, my lord," she replied automatically, stepping straight to his side.
"Good." He smiled. "I'm a little cold. Could you help me warm up?"
He was sure she was blushing under her mask. "O-of course. Should I get you a-"
"No. Don't go anywhere." Ling stretched a hand out and leisurely waved her over. "Just come here."
She approached hesitantly, looking incredibly uncomfortable. He waited until she was right at his bedside before he snatched hold of her flesh arm and dragged her down. Her little shriek was drowned out by the sound of the bed creaking, unadjusted to the sudden extra weight.
"My l-lord!" She gasped, struggling to get free without hurting him.
"Shhhh, it's okay," he murmured into her ear. He kicked the covers off and pulled them up over them both. "You don't need to worry, Lan Fan. See, isn't this warmer?"
"This is s-scandalous, my lord," she replied shakily.
"Is it? All we're going to do is sleep." Ling rolled onto his side, tipping her around so she was facing him. "And anyway, it's probably best to keep you close. There are a lot more people trying to kill me lately, so I'd prefer to have my guard on hand at all times. This way, if anyone tries to get me in my sleep, they'll get a face full of kunai. And they won't even be expecting you to be there!"
It had been a stupid argument then and it still was now, but it did the job. She stopped fighting him, shifted as far away as she could, and fell asleep. Ling had then woken up in the very early hours of the morning with his legs tangled in hers and her arm wrapped around his neck, her face at his ear. Not exactly unhappy with the result, he had shrugged and gone back to sleep.
She was gone when he woke up for real, but that was understandable. The poor girl was mortified when he finally confronted her about it, but he just smiled. "Sorry about that, Lan Fan. I seem to be more of a cuddler than I thought."
Lan Fan seemed content to let him take the blame, and when he requested her presence that night, she argued much less. From there, it became something of a routine. A 'security protocol', he deemed it, although it was really sheer indulgence for them both. Well, for him at least; he assumed it was for her, too.
One night, Ling was particularly tired. It had been a long day of stressful decisions and stupid advisors, and all he wanted to do was turn his brain off for a while and sleep. For the first time in their little arrangement, he fell asleep before her.
He was woken up when something jostled him. When he opened his eyes, Lan Fan was scrambling off him, her face a furious red. She had stopped wearing her mask to sleep a little while ago, and seemed to be regretting the decision now. For a moment Ling didn't understand the problem, until he realised: he'd fallen asleep too quickly to hug her back. He couldn't be blamed this time.
"I-I'm so sorry, my l-lord," she stammered, her eyes wide. "I-I didn't know I- i-it w-was-"
Ling scrambled over the bed to catch her, holding her close. "Quiet, Lan Fan, it's late. Someone will hear."
She shook her head frantically, opening and closing her mouth without releasing any words. He ran a hand through her hair to still her. When she stopped hyperventilating, he pressed a kiss to her temple. Her eyes widened even more.
"Quiet," he repeated, gently guiding her back down.
He brushed a trail of kisses down from her temple to her jaw, savouring every little gasp or hitch of her breath. Lan Fan snatched his hand in surprise as it slid down to her waist, but she merely cradled it instead of pulling it away. Her hair drifted into his face and tickled him; he shook his own locks into hers in revenge.
The fingers of her flesh hand twisted into the tendrils, tucking them behind his ear. "My lord," she chastised, but her voice was light and breathy and she had something almost like a smile on her face.
In response, Ling cupped her face and kissed her on the lips. She let out an adorable squeaking sound, and he felt her cheeks grow warm against his with the blush blooming on them. His heart ached in his chest. Carefully, he placed her automail hand over it, the cool metal calming the heat in his skin. She hesitated a moment, before her mouth finally moved against his.
He could have shouted for joy, but he settled for a pleased hum as he pulled her closer. When her lips first parted, she quickly overcame her cautiousness and battled his tongue for dominance. Ling had never loved her warrior spirit more. Clutching her around the waist, he twisted them so she was lying flat with him atop her.
"N-no," she gasped, without really meaning to. He noticed though, and shifted back.
"Are you okay?" He whispered. When she didn't reply, he asked instead, "Is this too much? Don't worry, we can stop here."
She bit her lip, then bowed her head. "Thank you, my lord."
"Oh, hush with all that." Ling slid down onto the bed beside her, collecting the discarded covers. "Goodnight, my dearest Lan Fan. I'll see you in the morning."
Lan Fan made to get up, but his arm stayed her. She curled onto her side, facing him, and said softly, "Goodnight, my l- uhm, Ling."
"Ah, now that I don't mind. Call me your Ling all you want. Why are you blushing again?" He gave her a devilish grin, hugging her to his side. "Promise you'll be here when I wake up?"
His poor, mortified little vassal nodded. "I promise."
"Good." He kissed her again and she squirmed. "Come now, Lan Fan. We've slept together before, haven't we?"
Her face darkened to the most remarkable red colour, and she began to stammer incoherently. Ling laughed aloud and dragged her up to his chest, his lips drifting across her face and settling on the shell of her ear. He nibbled at it gently; she swatted at his face until he captured her hand.
"Go to sleep, Lan Fan," he whispered into her ear. She stopped her shaking and obeyed, curling into him.
Cuddling wasn't a quality one typically looked for in a bodyguard, but Ling had to admit as she buried her face into his neck, it was a quality he definitely appreciated.