Notes: This chapter contains considerably more boy-on-boy action than the previous. You have been warned.
Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.
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Gan Ning was not glad that they had that talk. What was supposed to fix what troubles Ling Tong was having with him, had made things a hell of a lot worse.
He wasn't sure how to react anymore. At least with Ling Tong giving him the cold shoulder, he could concentrate on getting mad at Ling Tong. Now that the blame was put upon him, he was at a lost of what to do.
Not that anyone else would fare better than him. What do you say after you best friend springs a surprise like confessing that he's gay for you? He could handle chicks throwing themselves at his feet; not that it happened a lot, but he could handle it. Nowadays when him and Ling Tong crossed paths, he'd find himself gripping his sword for support, looking straight ahead nervously. It was awkward. At least Ling Tong was better off than him, he had lots of practice before this.
He took another swig from the bottle in his hand.
Ling Tong wasn't better off than him.
He was probably hurting a lot.
And for some reason, after the shock wore off, thinking about that made it hurt for Gan Ning too.
He finished off the bottle in one go and haphazardly tossed it away.
This whole thing was a strain on their friendship. He wasn't sure how he was ever going to fix it, but it had to be done. Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, he headed to the dining hall, where he could hear drunken singing and catch the waft of food.
He scanned the tables and quickly found Ling Tong seated at his usual spot. …Their usual spot.
"….Hey."
Ling Tong was close to dropping his cup. He turned around stiffly, reluctantly meeting Gan Ning's gaze.
"Got a minute? Need to talk to ya."
Ling Tong turned back to the table, still loosely clutching the white porcelain cup.
Gan Ning tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder. He felt Ling Tong flinch, again. Somehow, it hurt him even more. He vaguely wondered if the bruises from his fingers were still there.
"C'mon, let's go outside."
He allowed himself a small breath of relief when Ling Tong gingerly stood up, and followed him to the patio.
It was empty outside apart from a few men puffing on pipes at the dark corner far down to the left. He leaned back against the railing next to Ling Tong.
"So, I uh…"
A soft laugh from his right.
Ling Tong was smiling into the distance.
"I must have really pissed you off for you to come and confront me."
Gan Ning turned to rest his elbows on the railing. "That's not it."
"Oh?"
He scratched the back of his head; a habit of his when he was feeling uncomfortable.
"Look, just so you know, I'm not pissed. And I'm sorry about what I said that day. I'm cool with it. Seriously."
Ling Tong laughed again. "What's up with you? I think you're sick, this time. Stop saying all those disgusting things."
"Tong, would you listen? I'm serious!"
He turned, and their gazes locked.
"I'm always listening." There was no longer despair in his eyes, but a calm, confident flame burning silently. A flame he was used to seeing in Ling Tong. Something fluttered in his stomach, and this time he was the one who turned away.
Ling Tong stared back into the darkness outside. "Anyway, thanks. Sorry I put you through this mess." He lifted a hand to rub his neck; habit.
Gan Ning tried not to stare and swallowed nervously. "Yeah, yeah. Forget about it." Ling Tong returned his smile.
"So hey… what's it like to kiss a guy?"
Ling Tong blinked. And then frowned.
"What kind of question is that?! I don't know, I've never done it before, asshole."
He never thought he'd feel so relieved to hear Ling Tong calling him foul names again. It was kinda confusing. …Wrong time to get distracted. He turned his attention back to Ling Tong.
"…so you know, I am not gay." Ling Tong actually looked offended.
"The hell? Of course you are. Stop being confusing."
"For your information, before all this happened I was arranged to wed a lovely lady from Jiang Zu. …My father's wishes."
"What? I never heard about this?! You never mentioned it!"
"I cancelled the marriage when…. Well. Also, you were the last person I wanted to know about it."
They both fell silent.
Gan Ning shifted uncomfortably. The fluttering in his stomach had returned, and it was making it very hard to think. So Ling Tong liked him; that was old news. Only now did it really sink in what was really going on. Apparently Ling Tong liked him a lot. Surprise dramatics aside, it was actually quite moving.
A soft breeze was blowing; Gan Ning looked up to see Ling Tong in the dark, his cheeks glowing orange from the lanterns in the dining hall, dark eyelashes fanning out from half-lidded eyes, raven strands gently blowing against the pale wash of his neck.
Driven by curiosity, or drunk from the waft of wine in the breeze, Gan Ning couldn't find an answer, but he reached out and grasped Ling Tong's arm. The shorter man swerved out of surprise, and, throwing caution to the wind, Gan Ning leaned forward to kiss him.
Ling Tong gasped against his lips and was tense beneath his fingers, but didn't pull away. Gan Ning allowed himself to savour the lingering sweetness of jasmine tea on Ling Tong's lips, pulling him closer as he felt the other's body relax under his touch. He deepened the kiss, one hand traveling across the bare patch of skin around Ling Tong's neck, eventually settling behind his head, pulling him in. Ling Tong was warm against his chest; Gan Ning's heart raced when soft moans breathed against his lips, and he broke the kiss to bury his face into Ling Tong's nape, scattering kisses onto his neck and shoulder, head swirling as he took in the scent of jasmine and soap.
Ling Tong was so warm, so warm, smelled so sweet. His arms tightened around the lithe body; as Gan Ning's hands came to rest on his back, he realised Ling Tong was trembling.
The shorter man was still gasping softly; gentle whispers against his ear. "……..Ning… haa..Ning….."
"Tong…" He tightened his embrace instinctively, taking in each tremor of the body pressed against him, each breath caressing his face. He felt Ling Tong's hands rest weakly on the small of his back, his fingers icy cold against Gan Ning's bare skin. When the warmth seeped back into Ling Tong's touch, and their heartbeats had slowed, Gan Ning released his arms and pulled back. Ling Tong clutched onto the railing beside him, still slightly breath-taken.
He looked up weakly at Gan Ning. "….W..why?"
"I. I dunno." He honestly didn't.
Ling Tong glared. Gan Ning always found it amusing how quickly the man was at changing expressions. It was quite a show.
"You find that FUN?"
"I—"
"You bastard, don't do that to me when you know-- Go play your fucking pranks on someone else if you're so curious about what it feels like to kiss a guy!"
Gan Ning rubbed the back of his head. Ling Tong was seriously taking this the wrong way, and was getting dangerously angry.
Ling Tong turned, prepared to march off, and Gan Ning quickly caught him by the arm. "Hey, hey!"
His reply was a nasty glare that chilled him to the bone, but he pulled the shorter man back, firmly but carefully keeping his grip.
"Listen, okay? Thought you said that you always listen."
"………"
"…Oi…"
"What?"
"Always so cold."
"If that's all you have to say, I'll be taking my lea—"
"WAAAAIT."
Sighing, he stepped before Ling Tong and rested both hands on the railing on either side of the man, effectively caging him.
Ling Tong's face flushed pink when Gan Ning leaned in.
"Hey."
"Explain."
"Right. I don't know why I did that, but I guess I was curious."
"…….."
"Lemme finish. I think I wanted to know how it feels like with YOU."
"Stop it with the disgusting stuff already."
"I'm not joking!"
"………………….."
"…Hey."
And with that, Gan Ning leaned in carefully and briefly pressed a soft kiss onto Ling Tong's lips. He pulled back, grinning.
"I like how that feels."
"Wha—" Ling Tong blushed furiously.
"Hey."
"WHAT?!"
"Maybe we could try it. You know, the gay thing."
"……………………………………"
"…Yeah?"
"………………………………………………………."
"Hey, say something."
Ling Tong buried his face into his hands. "I can't follow what you're thinking. I give up."
Gan Ning burst out laughing. "I'm serious, okay! Besides, it's only awesome that it turns out this way."
Ling Tong peered intently at him. "In case you haven't noticed, I happen to take this very seriously. I have no intention of letting you play games with me."
"I'm offended. You don't think I can do this?"
"I don't think you can do a lot of things."
Gan Ning sighed loudly. "Cut me some slack, man."
"I'm starting to regret all of this. What the hell did I see in you…"
"Hey, that really hurts!"
Ling Tong leaned back into the railing and sighed.
"………..I don't think I have a choice."
"Is that a yes?"
"...I am in love with you, you know."
"I know!"
Ling Tong smiled softly and closed his eyes. Gan Ning seized the chance to steal another kiss. Pinewood and jasmine mingled in the gentle breeze, as the moon bathed the two figures in a silver light.