Chapter 2: Where introspection reigns king
Han Wenqing wakes to the morning sunlight hitting his eyes. A part of him flinches and wants to go back to sleep, but the slight movement he is feeling tells him that Ye Xiu is waking up as well, so he doesn't. He opens his eyes and glances down at Ye Xiu's curled form in his arms.
It is absolutely adorable in his eyes.
Ye Xiu's hair is mussed from last night's activity, his bangs falling into his eyes. His lashes, which are surprisingly long, flutter against his cheeks. Han Wenqing makes a note to feed Ye Xiu more, as his cheekbones are a bit too defined and his jawline a bit too sharp to be healthy. He'll just have to make sure Ye Xiu works up more of an appetite.
Han Wenqing's fingers twitch, but he restrains the urge to run them along said jawline. He doesn't want to move and wishes he can just immortalize this moment—with the haze of bliss lingering over both of them, he feels more relaxed and lethargic than he has in a while. A quick glance to the digital clock on the nightstand reveals that it is twenty to one, which meant they have practically slept the morning away.
Exhaling softly, he continues his quiet observation of his lover, who is now mumbling adorably as he wakes from his dreams. Ye Xiu's skin is paler than he expects of a sharpshooter. But then again, he reconsiders, Ye Xiu teaches primarily in the indoor gun range. He doesn't know how Ye Xiu has secured that teaching location so well, but he isn't complaining. Seeing Ye Xiu's pale skin flush a bright red, the color perfectly complementing with their pale blue cotton sheets...Han Wenqing deliberately forces his impulses down, as his body is not quite ready to do anything at the moment.
He remembers the day after their first night together and how Ye Xiu complained endlessly about the aches and pains. Ye Xiu had prepared him well last night, but—he moves his body slightly and barely conceals a wince. Yeah, he definitely is not up to much after last night.
The slight movement he made rouses Ye Xiu a bit. Ye Xiu shifts even closer toward Han Wenqing's chest, so close that Han Wenqing can feel Ye Xiu's hair tickle his chest. A lock of hair brushes against his sore nipples, causing Han Wenqing to tense slightly. With a fond look, he maneuvers his arm under Ye Xiu's head so he can stroke it. Ye Xiu scrunches his nose and makes an adorable mewling sound at the sensation, which makes Han Wenqing uncharacteristically want to sigh at how cute it is. What has he done to deserve such an adorable lover? How come no one had ever seen past Ye Xiu's sarcasm and shamelessness to see the gem hiding beneath?
Well, their loss, my treasure, Han Wenqing vindictively thinks, recalling how exactly he met Ye Xiu. It is a long tale for another time, but it essentially culminates in Ye Xiu dropping his mask for a split second and causing Han Wenqing to be smitten by the heart beneath the bastard persona.
His dark brown eyes linger on bruised pink lips, which matches his own. He doesn't remember biting Ye Xiu's lips, but a small cut has scabbed over since. Ye Xiu's back has a few irregular bruises blossoming, and Han Wenqing does not know whether to be proud or embarrassed of those. Those are...from when his heels dug into Ye Xiu's back last night.
His gaze shifts away from Ye Xiu's back to skim along the rest of Ye Xiu's body. For once, Ye Xiu is relatively unscathed from their activities, whereas he is the one with a chestful of love bites and aches everywhere. It...is not something unpleasant but equally not something he is willing to do often. Han Wenqing frowns; not having control...is still a sore point for him.
"I can hear you thinking from here," Ye Xiu murmurs as he reaches up to pat haphazardly at Han Wenqing's face and only partially succeeding.
Han Wenqing closes his eyes and waits until the hand patting his left cheek, nose, and part of his forehead has withdrawn. "Go back to sleep, kitten. We don't have anything planned for today."
"But—" Ye Xiu yawns, "all the lost time. You head back to the base tomorrow." Ye Xiu really looks like a small kitten at the moment with how his whole face scrunches up as he yawns. Either that, or Han Wenqing is heavily biased.
"Only for the week. I'll be back for the weekend." Han Wenqing's voice softens even further at this.
"Mnnnnnn." Ye Xiu pouts slightly and then sighs, knowing there is nothing either of them can do.
Both of them are decorated officers, but from different divisions. Ye Xiu went into the army and exited a decorated but honorably discharged major now sharpshooter instructor, all because a jealous subordinate deliberately tampered with mission parameters. Ye Xiu had ended up being a prisoner of war for a week that felt more like a month. It had been Han Wenqing who rescued him, having been on a scouting mission in the area and spotting an unusual configuration in the landscape. No one had expected Ye Xiu to still be alive, but there he was, descending on the base like a vengeful god and completely tearing the military base apart to reformat it. His immediate superiors did nothing, as they had discovered the treason during Ye Xiu's investigations.
Ye Xiu had, after seeing a therapist, been honorably discharged then. Since that incident, his state of mind is always on a hair-trigger during a charged situation, which is not what the army needs. Ye Xiu has been military for over a decade, however, and can not part from this facet of his life. Thus, when faced with his honorable discharge, he chooses to take up the responsibility of instructing the next generation of sharpshooters...though Han Wenqing takes some offense to this decision.
As he often comments scathingly, The brats are practically our kids with how often they are over.
The 'brats' in question being a delightful young lady named Tang Rou who had found her place amidst the harsh brutality of the army; a quiet, reserved young man with one of the best marksmanship scores Ye Xiu has ever seen, including his own, named Zhou Zekai; an enthusiastic blonde who works with the machinery named Bao Rongxing, who Han Wenqing still has no clue why Ye Xiu likes considering he is not active military like the rest; and several others.
Their house may be moderately large, but it does not have enough space for an entire team of kids (though to call them 'kids' when Han Wenqing and Ye Xiu are barely three years older than the oldest of them, Zhou Zekai, may be a bit too much).
Han Wenqing sighs and shifts Ye Xiu out of his embrace. He winces as he sits up, because the stabbing pain up his spine is not something he will ever get used to.
Ye Xiu, seeing this, smirks slightly and sits up as well. He presses a kiss to the corner of Han Wenqing's mouth and slips off the bed. "Stay there, love. I'll get a washcloth. It's the least I can do after running you ragged last night."
Han Wenqing narrows his eyes but says nothing.
A few minutes later, Ye Xiu returns with a small bowl of water, an empty bowl, and a washcloth. Ye Xiu has already cleaned himself briskly, while Han Wenqing is still covered with their fluids. Gently, Ye Xiu began wiping Han Wenqing clean. A more thorough cleaning will need to be done later, but for now, Ye Xiu soaks the washcloth in water before rubbing away at Han Wenqing's body. He then wrings the cloth of the dirty water and soaks it again in water, repeating the motions.
Han Wenqing relaxes underneath Ye Xiu's ministrations. Some part of him muses that this sort of care would normally have had him roaring for a second round, but he's too tired for that now. It feels...nice to be taken care of for once.
Ye Xiu smiles softly and keeps at his task, ignoring his own arousal because he is just as wrung out, if not physically, then emotionally. He's still shocked that last night happened. It felt natural for Han Wenqing to take the lead back when they first got together. Han Wenqing is not been broken like he is, all cracks and shards barely held together by his resolve. Ye Xiu can't even give an estimate to the breadth of his love for Han Wenqing, but he has fully acknowledged that Han Wenqing is his entire world now. There isn't anything Ye Xiu won't do for him, and submitting is thus of no importance in the grand scheme of things.
Despite him having been held captive, Han Wenqing, this beautiful specimen of mankind, still wants him, still loves him despite the scars and vulnerability. Ye Xiu can't begrudge him for having his own reservations of giving up so much control.
Sex, to me, is a level of trust beyond that of comrades in the military. It's beyond the trust of being in love, because you can love and distrust someone equally. It is, as Ye Xiu once explained to Han Wenqing, a faith that transcends the boundaries of love; this is me giving you my entire body, my heart, my soul...all of it is yours. So stop asking if I'm okay because those bastards used me like a sex toy last year. Just fuck me already, Wenqing. I. Want. This. I'm not a fragile, porcelain doll. Give me your best.
Ye Xiu inwardly shakes his head. He doesn't know what he did to deserve Han Wenqing's love and attention, but he will do anything to never lose it.
"I think you're done, " Han Wenqing wryly comments after seeing Ye Xiu begin a third round of cleaning.
Ye Xiu blinks and realizes that he has been lost in his thoughts for a while. He drops the cloth into the nearly empty bowl of water and sits down on the bed to pull Han Wenqing into a kiss, which Han Wenqing accepts without any resistance. For once, Han Wenqing doesn't demand control of the kiss and simply lets Ye Xiu guide him back onto the bed, their naked bodies once more pressing against one another.
Ye Xiu weaves a hand through Han Wenqing's short, cropped hair as he pulls Han Wenqing closer. A simple, languid kiss escalates drastically when Han Wenqing parts his lips to allow Ye Xiu's tongue entrance all of a sudden. Ye Xiu finds himself closing his eyes as he leans into Han Wenqing's body, until he is practically laying on top of the air force lieutenant colonel. He sinks into the kiss, taking time to map out the entirety of Han Wenqing's mouth.
Han Wenqing feels as if some of the high from last night returning, a rush of love and pure need coursing through his body. One hand grasps Ye Xiu's longer hair while the other rests at the small of Ye Xiu's back, that hand pressing Ye Xiu toward him. His eyes have been closed since Ye Xiu first seized his lips, but when Ye Xiu's weight starts falling on top of him, Han Wenqing's eyes flicker open slightly.
Making a quick decision, Han Wenqing twists his body so that Ye Xiu falls onto the bed, stunning Ye Xiu and causing his eyes to fly open. Han Wenqing smirks and leans down to continue their kiss. Ye Xiu's eyes narrow.
It seems that Han Wenqing is done playing passive.
Ye Xiu reaches out, only for both his hands to be grasped by one of Han Wenqing's hands. It's moments like this that makes Han Wenqing pause and wonder at how slender Ye Xiu's hands are, as normally he's too focused on how enchantingly beautiful they were when paused over the trigger of a rifle.
Pressing Ye Xiu's hands above his head in parallel to how his hands were tied up last night, Han Wenqing barricades Ye Xiu against the bed. Leaning in so his breath tickles Ye Xiu's ear, his lips brushing against Ye Xiu's skin if he moves just a sliver closer, Han Wenqing destroys Ye Xiu's fantasies for this afternoon.
"If you had forgotten, Su Mucheng and Su Muqiu plan to visit in two hours. We have no time or energy to spare." Ye Xiu feels as if cold water was poured over his head. Shit, he thinks, having forgotten this point entirely.
"Don't worry, kitten, there is always tonight, and I do plan to repay the favor."
Ye Xiu shivers, gulping when he feels Han Wenqing nip at his ear before backing away. He watches as his lover makes his way over to the wardrobe to grab clean clothes before heading to the bathroom, the limp surprisingly unnoticeable. Ye Xiu's eyes darken a bit. Next time, he thinks, I'm making it so he can't even get out of bed.
Ye Xiu stares up at the ceiling, drowsiness seeping back into his amber eyes. Lulled by the sound of running water, his eyes close.
Meanwhile, Han Wenqing melts under the hot shower water, a wave of exhaustion suddenly hitting him as well. With a sigh, he lathers his hair clean of sweat and splatters of his semen and rinses all the suds and filth away. Once that is done, he grabs a loofah and begins the arduous task of washing the rest of his body clean. With each pass of the sponge, he has to physically restrain himself from wincing because his body is apparently very sensitive after last night. If not because of Ye Xiu playing with it too much, then because his body has been bent and stretched in all sorts of new ways. No wonder Ye Xiu has become so flexible and limber.
He stretches his back and groans at all the kinks he can feel. Slowly, he works at undoing all the knots as best as he can, because Ye Xiu cannot give a massage to save his life. For someone unusually talented with their fingers, Ye Xiu fails at anything that working directly with a living thing—specifically, at cooking. Han Wenqing wonders how Ye Xiu has survived on his own for so long and then makes a mental note to thank Su Mucheng and Su Muqiu for keeping the reckless idiot alive for so long. He honestly can't imagine a life without Ye Xiu in it, to where his life is divided between 'Before Ye Xiu' and 'After Ye Xiu.'
With a grimace, he reaches down and presses his fingers against his rim. Even without looking at it, he can tell that his ass is completely wrecked after last night. He...is not looking forward to what he has to do next. Breaching his still slightly loose hole with a finger, he begins slowly stretching himself, just so he can open himself up wider to clean out all of Ye Xiu's cum. Because apparently Ye Xiu had been too lazy last night to grab a condom, and he himself had been too wired up to even consider having Ye Xiu grab one. Each time his fingers brush against his inner walls, Han Wenqing slowly feels himself harden and the heat radiating off his face intensify.
By the time he stretches himself open for two fingers, then three, he is near full mast. Han Wenqing crooks his fingers and begins digging out glob after glob of semen and lube for what seems like forever but is only five minutes at most. He sticks his hand under the running water and watches as the half-congealed mess is blasted off by the pressurized water.
Han Wenqing stares blankly into space for a moment before resignation sets in. He takes down the shower head and changes the pressure settings until water shoots out like a jet stream. Inwardly cursing Ye Xiu's laziness and inability to read a situation, as he clearly did not realize that Han Wenqing was inviting him to join him in the shower, Han Wenqing swears to make Ye Xiu suffer for all this. Then, he braces himself against the shower wall and washes out the rest of the remnants.
With a sigh, he limps out of the shower and throws a towel over his shoulders. Han Wenqing mentally swears to never bottom again if this is what he has to deal with, especially alone since—he glances at the mattress—Ye Xiu won't be of any help. He gazes at the sleeping brunet with a bemused smile and shakes his head.
Luckily, Han Wenqing thinks, I lied about Su Mucheng and Su Muqiu visiting. Although, I can't believe that Ye Xiu forgot the two were off on their annual fashion show circuit run.
Actually, he can. Ye Xiu can barely remember his own birthday, let alone his friends' plans for globe-trotting trips. Su Muqiu is a world-famous designer known for his Myriad Manifestations of Rain fashion line, which has everything from casual clothes to formal attire to wedding dresses and tuxedos. His younger sister, Su Mucheng, is naturally his signature model, often nicknamed the 'Rain Goddess' for both her beauty and cleansing personality. Talking to her is soothing; it makes people feel as if all their worries have been washed away.
Han Wenqing still has no idea how Ye Xiu became friends with them, as he doubts that the crazy tale involving water bottles, an umbrella, twelve different weapons from swords to claws to even a shield and scythe, and a mechanical box is actually true.
He stares at Ye Xiu for a while longer, tempted to join Ye Xiu back in bed, but he just reminds himself that he has just finished taking a shower. It will be redundant to head straight back to a very substance-stained bed. He uses the towel hanging around his neck to quickly wipe his body dry, ignoring the lingering aches with the familiarity of years of ache and pains from martial arts, and shrugs on a thin black bathrobe with red lining.
He'll just start on making food before waking Ye Xiu. Ye Xiu will need the energy for what he has planned for tonight.
Notes:
Special thanks to my beta, hundredblossoms, for her wonderful work!
Also, the lovely Synoshian's birthday is coming up (March 9th!), so this entire fic is dedicated to you, darling
*kowtows to Goddess Lies*
Cross-posted under MTKiseki at AO3
Beta'd by hundredblossoms at AO3
Gifted to Synoshian at AO3
