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A whole season had passed ever since Luo Binghe made his way out of the Endless Abyss.
At first, his plan had been different. He’d wanted to go back to Qing Jing Peak and enact his revenge; wanted to show himself to his former Peak Lord and rub it in his face that he was still alive and stronger and faster and he could easily snap him into two if he wanted.
Instead, he’d dragged himself out of the Endless Abyss, bloody and battered and with Xin Mo in hand, and he’d come across a lone, wandering cultivator with stunning green eyes and a dark green sigil on his forehead to match.
The cultivator had looked him up and down, as if assessing him, and then he’d simply nodded to himself and said, “Come with me,” and that had been that.
“Who are you?” he’d blurted out, even as he followed him mindlessly. His green eyes made it difficult to look away, so he didn’t.
He’d ended up being taken to an inn and forced to bathe, and when he’d finished the cultivator had laid out a new set of robes for him.
“Why are you helping me?” he’d pressed. “And who are you?”
“You remind me of someone I know,” the cultivator had said, averting his eyes; Luo Binghe stood fully naked before him, skin damp as he took the clothing the cultivator had left for him. “My name is Shen Jiu.”
Luo Binghe had made things very clear to Shen Jiu; his plan was to return to the jianghu and climb to the top. Shen Jiu convinced him to stay a little longer with him. Just until he fully recovered from his time in the Abyss.
A little longer had ended up being a whole season, and now… Well, now Luo Binghe’s plans were slightly different.
Now, Luo Binghe’s plans consisted of nothing but finding a way to stay by Shen Jiu’s side as long as he possibly could, preferably on a deeper level.
After all, Luo Binghe was in love.
After years spent in misery following the death of his mother, scraping by on the streets before making his way to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect in order to become a cultivator only to be blindsided at every turn by the pompous Peak Lord of Qing Jing and his head disciple, Luo Binghe could finally say he was happy. Content.
There was only one problem. While Luo Binghe was perfectly aware of his amorous feelings for Shen Jiu, the experienced cultivator who had taken him under his wing and allowed him to keep him company, he didn’t know whether Shen Jiu felt the same.
Shen Jiu was certainly fond of him, despite his propensity to hide his expression behind his fans and the way he excelled at keeping his expression even. Luo Binghe could see it in the way he’d read poetry to him at night, when they weren’t out night hunting, or in the way he’d patiently teach him small spells he’d picked up over the years.
“Were you in a sect?” Luo Binghe had asked him curiously, early on in their time together, watching as Shen Jiu masterfully crafted a flower from thin air.
“No,” Shen Jiu answered, shaking his head. “I came across two demons many years ago and they took me in. They were the ones who taught me everything.”
That certainly explained why Shen Jiu was so tolerant of him despite his obvious status as a half demon.
Still, it didn’t really confirm whether his tolerance and overall fondness that seemed to grow in the course of their days together was more than that.
He had time, he told himself. All the time in the world, really. They were both immortal and willing to travel together; as long as Shen Jiu allowed him to remain by his side, Luo Binghe would simply do everything in his power to show him he could trust him. To show him he loved him.
Of course, all his patience promptly went out of the window the minute someone threatened to come between them.
It happened one night.
Luo Binghe and Shen Jiu had just arrived at a small port village after having spent the past few days in the countryside chasing after a flesh eating demon that had snuck into the mortal realm. They aimed to find work to keep them busy and fed for the next few days but, for that night, all they wanted was to eat and rest. And, of course, to have some fun.
Somehow, Luo Binghe convinced Shen Jiu to accompany him to the local tavern.
It was only a couple of streets down from their inn, the only tavern in town, and they’d been hit by the strong smell of spilled beer and spicy food the instant they stepped foot in it.
They sat at a small table, keeping their distance from what appeared to be the regular crowd. Even though they planned on sticking around for a few days, they always preferred to sit back and observe the comings and goings of the town during the first night to see what the dynamic was like instead of jumping right into the action.
A child – a teenager, by the looks of it, probably the tavern owner’s son – went up to them shortly after, asking what they wanted to drink and eat, and in a few moments there was a jug of huangjiu set on the middle of the table, along with two cups.
Their food came along not long after. There were noodles, rice, steamed vegetables and crispy, fried fish – local, from what the teenager told them – and a small portion of pork, and Luo Binghe made sure to order some sweet dishes as well so they’d be ready by the time they were done. Shen Jiu, as he well knew, had a sweet tooth, and Luo Binghe loved to indulge in it, even when they were low on coins.
A group of girls took the stage at one point, one playing the qin and another a pipa while the third one sang, and the son of the tavern owner whispered to them that they were a local group from the brothel two doors down.
“I can put in a good word for you, after,” he whispered to Luo Binghe, conspiratorially. Shen Jiu glared at the kid and Luo Binghe promptly waved him off, plying Shen Jiu with a plump piece of tangyuan.
The evening was pleasant, with Luo Binghe and Shen Jiu tucked away in their own little corner, watching the girls and chatting amongst themselves. Luo Binghe looked at him fondly, a warm feeling growing in his chest every time he thought all of his nights could be like this, imagining how different it would be when one day he finally confessed to Shen Jiu and they could slide into bed together after nights like these.
Until, of course, they were rudely interrupted.
“You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen,” the drunkard slurred, clumsily leaning forward across the table to gaze sultrily at Shen Jiu.
One of the locals had apparently gotten a bit too drunk, and he’d decided to wander over and make friends with the new faces in town. When he’d taken a seat at their table without waiting to be invited, he’d been stunned at the sight of Shen Jiu.
He’d also confused him with a woman.
Luo Binghe thought that, by now, Shen Jiu would have already gotten rid of the drunkard and kicked him on his ass. If there was one thing Luo Binghe knew he never had to worry about, it was the fact that Shen Jiu could hold his own in a battle. He’d beaten him in spars more than enough times for Luo Binghe to have learned that lesson.
That day, however, it seemed Shen Jiu was in a relatively good mood, because aside from the permanent scowl on his face, he had yet to tell the drunkard to get lost.
“Perhaps you should return to your friends,” Shen Jiu finally suggested, hiding a snort behind his fan, after the drunkard asked him if he could walk him to his inn room. As if. “I believe they are looking for you.”
“Li Wei! Stop bothering the young masters!” one of the drunkard’s – Li Wei, apparently – friends shouted from across the tavern, grimacing apologetically.
Li Wei waved him off, turning right back around to keep staring at Shen Jiu. “Young miss, you–”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Luo Binghe finally spoke up, letting some of his demonic aura roll out in subtle but powerful waves. “Get away from him.”
“Him?” Li Wei asked, puzzled, but that only served to aggravate Luo Binghe further.
Luo Binghe was out of his seat and holding Li Wei by the scruff in no time, walking him menacingly to the backdoor.
“Are you out of your mind?” he heard Shen Jiu ask, but it was too late; Luo Binghe was already too wound up, busy knocking out the drunkard in the small, dark alley behind the tavern. It was surrounded by the back of other houses, which meant at that time no one was likely to see him.
When he was done, he dragged the scruffed up Li Wei back inside, unconscious, and tossed him onto a chair near the table of his other drunk friends. “He was feeling unwell,” he explained, at the shocked look on their faces. Li Wei was slumped against the table, looking like he was taking a nap. “I just helped him with some natural medicine.”
Tossing a few coins to the tavern owner for their food and drinks, Luo Binghe slid out of the tavern, unsurprised to find Shen Jiu already waiting for him with his trademark scowl on his face.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he immediately asked.
“Let’s talk back at the inn,” he said, not wanting to wake the rest of the street.
Shen Jiu nodded stiffly at the inn owner when they arrived, refusing to look at Luo Binghe the entire time they went up the stairs.
Fortunately, they were sharing a room – had done so from the very beginning, since sects usually took on the most well-paid missions and wandering cultivators were left to take the ones from the poorest regions –, which meant neither could avoid the topic for very long.
“We just got here,” Shen Jiu hissed, as soon as the door slid shut behind them. “Did you really have to beat up a local the very first night? How the hell do you expect us to get any work now?”
“Don’t worry, Jiu-ge,” Luo Binghe said, trying to appease him. “They were all drunk, nobody’s going to remember it.” Then, remembering the reason he’d had to beat someone up in the first place, “Jiu-ge, you were letting him get away with too much,” he accused, crossing his arms. “Of course I had to beat him up.”
“I truly fail to see why,” Shen Jiu said, icily. “Are you saying I can’t take care of myself?”
“Jiu-ge can definitely take care of himself,” Luo Binghe said, soothingly. He took a step closer to Shen Jiu, discreetly, much like one would in an effort to not scare off a hissy cat. “It’s just that that drunkard was taking far too many liberties and Jiu-ge wasn’t doing anything; I was just worried.”
“You take too many liberties, you little beast,” Shen Jiu hissed, eyes narrowing in fury when Luo Binghe shamelessly stepped forward. “Like right now. What exactly do you think–?”
And then Luo Binghe kissed him, and Shen Jiu stopped talking.
Luo Binghe knew he was definitely in over his head, kissing Shen Jiu so brazenly and without any prior permission; but he looked far too enticing, and since he’d apparently not gotten the hint yet that Luo Binghe was head over heels in love with him, he decided there was no time like the present to do something about it. Even if there was the very real possibility that Shen Jiu would (try to) kick his ass afterwards.
Shen Jiu’s lips were soft and warm under his own, slightly chapped from the way he bit his lip when deep in thought, and Luo Binghe slid his tongue over his bottom lip only to feel the slight metallic tang of the blood still clinging to his lips from when he’d chewed on it earlier that day.
To his surprise, Shen Jiu’s lips parted easily under his, letting Luo Binghe expertly lick into his mouth.
“Jiu-ge,” he breathed out, slightly winded when they parted for air. He didn’t know why Shen Jiu hadn’t kicked him off yet but he wasn’t about to complain. Instead, Shen Jiu looked dazed, like he hadn’t expected to like kissing him so much, so Luo Binghe took the chance to lean in and kiss him again before he came to his senses.
He just wanted him near for a little longer.
A little longer, however, turned out to be the whole night.
Shen Jiu was soft and pliant when Luo Binghe walked him back towards one of the beds, staring down at him as he caged him between his arms. His Jiu-ge was always beautiful, but like this – spread out under him with dazed eyes and kiss-bitten lips, long black hair fanned out over the pillow – he looked like something out of the purest fairytale.
“Jiu-ge,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss him again, slowly and deliberately. “Jiu-ge, I’ve wanted you for so long.”
“You have?” Shen Jiu breathed out, as if in wonder. “Why?”
Luo Binghe chuckled. Brushed another kiss over his lips. “You’re beautiful, Jiu-ge,” he told him, leaving a trail of soft kisses over his exposed neck. “You’re the best person I’ve ever met.”
Shaking his head, Shen Jiu’s breath hitched in his throat when Luo Binghe’s fangs grazed over his collarbones. “You must not have met many people yet, then.”
Pulling back so he could look him in the eyes, Luo Binghe held his gaze before speaking. “Oh, Jiu-ge,” he said, quietly, shifting his position so he could free one of his hands to run his thumb softly over his cheekbone, “if only you could see yourself the way I see you.”
He kissed him again, one of his large hands sliding unfastening Shen Jiu’s robes, slowly revealing his pale skin. Shen Jiu was as beautiful as he’d always imagined he would be, all lean muscle and soft but defined lines.
Luo Binghe felt drunk on Shen Jiu, eagerly running his hands through every inch of uncovered skin. He pressed wet, open mouthed kisses everywhere he could reach, mapping Shen Jiu’s body with his lips.
When he finally reached the drawstring holding Shen Jiu’s soft pants up, he hesitated. “Jiu-ge,” he asked, softly. “Can I…?”
Shen Jiu nodded and Luo Binghe slowly pulled them down, swallowing heavily when Shen Jiu’s small cock bobbed free. It was cute and delicate and Luo Binghe didn’t fail to realize Shen Jiu was trembling in his arms, something vulnerable lurking behind his eyes.
“Let me take care of you, Jiu-ge,” Luo Binghe whispered, throwing the last of his clothing to the side so he could settle comfortably between Shen Jiu’s legs, holding them open with his hands. “I promise I’ll make it good for you.”
Before the Abyss, Luo Binghe had one single experience. It hadn’t been particularly good, since he’d done it mostly to comfort Qin Wanyue, and it didn’t necessarily help him much seeing as Shen Jiu was vastly different from Qin Wanyue. For starters, Shen Jiu was a man; secondly, Luo Binghe cared about Shen Jiu to the point he was worried he’d even be able to do much to him, much less make it good for him.
If there was one thing his experience with Qin Wanyue had taught him, it was that he was… too big. Shen Jiu seemed to be of the same mind, from the way his eyes widened in shock once Luo Binghe took off his robes and pants too.
“I’m sorry, Jiu-ge,” he told him, rutting against his leg pitifully, “I promise I’ll be good.”
“There is absolutely no way that thing is coming anywhere near me,” Shen Jiu told him, pushing himself backwards a little.
“Jiu-ge,” he pleaded, pumping Shen Jiu’s cock slowly, “I promise.”
In his defense, Luo Binghe truly tried to make it good for Shen Jiu.
He procured some oil he knew Shen Jiu always carried around with him and used it to open him up, slowly and teasingly, until there were tears in Shen Jiu’s eyes and his gege was begging him for more, please, Binghe–
“Just the tip,” Shen Jiu commanded, trying to appear composed even as Luo Binghe folded him in half and pressed his bent legs to his chest. “More than that and you’ll never touch me again.”
“Of course, gege,” he acquiesced, starting to push into Shen Jiu.
He should have known, of course, that the tip wouldn’t be enough. For either of them. The heat surrounding his cock was heavenly, so much better than he could have imagined.
“So tight, Jiu-ge,” he breathed out, legs shaking with the effort of holding himself back and keeping himself from doing something stupid. “Jiu-ge, I need–”
“–more,” Shen Jiu mewled out, looking up at him with half lidded eyes and shiny, wet eyelashes, “Binghe, I need–”
Luo Binghe fucked into him with gusto then, filling him in one smooth movement, only for Shen Jiu to yelp under him.
“T-Too much,” Shen Jiu stuttered, but Luo Binghe was far too gone already. “Slow down!” Shen Jiu tried to say, but Luo Binghe couldn’t hear him; all he could hear was the sound of skin slapping against skin, blood rushing to his ears as he fucked into Shen Jiu over and over again.
Shen Jiu tried to hold onto him at first only to give up, arms falling to the side of his head as he let Luo Binghe do whatever he wanted with him. Luo Binghe took that as his chance to press deeper into him, keeping Shen Jiu’s locked into place as he fucked him with short thrusts, using his hands to keep Shen Jiu’s wrists pinned to the sides of his head.
“Binghe,” Shen Jiu gasped out, a strangled moan leaving his throat at a particularly harsh thrust, “Binghe, I’m–”
Luo Binghe didn’t even have to do anything. Shen Jiu came just like that, spilling warm cum between their bellies from nothing but the stretch of Luo Binghe’s big cock and the friction of his small cock against Luo Binghe’s firm abs, and Luo Binghe was so over the moon he came too, burying his face in Shen Jiu’s neck as he spilled his load into him, grinding his hips deep into him as he did.
Afterwards, Shen Jiu passed out.
He looked so peaceful under him Luo Binghe could barely stand to move him, but he did anyway. He knew Shen Jiu would be upset if he were to wake up the next day with sticky cum between his thighs and on his belly, so even though he wanted nothing more than to stay right there, cradling Shen Jiu to him, Luo Binghe still got up and cleaned both himself and Shen Jiu up with a towel and the basin filled with water that had been left there by the innkeeper’s wife earlier.
He picked up Shen Jiu gently afterwards, careful not to jostle him lest he wake up, and settled behind him on the second bed, not wanting him to sleep on the soiled sheets. Holding Shen Jiu to himself with a firm arm around his middle, Luo Binghe was out like a light.
☾
When Luo Binghe woke the next day, it was to Shen Jiu shaking his shoulder violently, cheeks dusted a light pink.
“Wake up, you little beast,” he hissed, looking clearly embarrassed.
“Jiu-ge,” he mumbled, looking at him with a dumb smile. “Good mor–”
“Let me out,” Shen Jiu snapped, pushing at the arm Luo Binghe still had around his middle.
Confused, Luo Binghe slackened his hold on him and watched as Shen Jiu scurried away, covering his nude form with a simple robe as he rushed to the small private section of the room where he could relieve himself.
Luo Binghe settled back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as he waited for Shen Jiu to return. He didn’t bother to put any clothes on, so Shen Jiu was quick to throw a robe on top of him when he returned, cheeks pinkening further when he realized the robe was tenting on a particular spot.
“Shameless,” he hissed, but Luo Binghe was more so focused on the dark red and purple marks littering his skin, sprinkled all over his body.
“Come back to bed,” he drawled out, trying to act seductive, but all that earned him was a snort from Shen Jiu.
Instead, Shen Jiu remained standing, arms crossed in front of his chest as he looked down at him with suspicion. “Last night,” he started, voice stilted. “Did you mean it?”
Luo Binghe blinked, taken aback. “Which part?” he asked, helplessly racking his brain for what Shen Jiu could possibly mean. “When I said I’d wanted to do this for a long time?”
It was clear Shen Jiu didn’t particularly want to answer him, but he still managed to muster out a small, “Yes.”
Heart swelling in his chest with affection, Luo Binghe sat up in bed so they could be more eye level. “I meant it. Jiu-ge, remember when I said I was only going to be with you for a few days until I recovered? Why else do you think I stayed?”
At that, Shen Jiu’s eyes narrowed, an icy glare being sent his way. “So you could sleep with me?”
Eyes widening, Luo Binghe jumped up from the bed, uncaring that the robe fell to the floor, so he could put his arms around Shen Jiu and keep him from assuming wrong things any further. “No no no no no,” he was quick to say, ignoring the way Shen Jiu was squirming. “Jiu-ge, I like you so much; of course that’s not why I stayed. I stayed because I want to stay by your side forever.”
Shen Jiu’s face was so red now Luo Binghe couldn’t hold back a small chuckle, loosening his hold on him so he could shift him to make him look at him, a large hand cupping his cheek. “Say you believe me, Jiu-ge,” he prompted, fondly. “Say you want me to stay by your side too.”
Instead of answering, Shen Jiu chewed on his bottom lip pensively, so Luo Binghe ran his thumb over it to get him to stop before he drew blood. “Jiu-ge,” he repeated, quietly. “Do you?”
Turning his face away so he wouldn’t have to see him, Shen Jiu reluctantly admitted, “I do.”
“Really?” he asked, face opening into a grin. “You mean it?”
Annoyed, Shen Jiu shoved him off him, going back to the bed with a huff, simple robe swaying behind him as he walked. “How many times do you want me to say it?” he asked, sliding under the plain sheet. Then, looking at him inquisitively, “Well? Weren’t you the one who wanted me to come back to bed? Don’t you want my help taking care of that?”
Eyes darkening, Luo Binghe stalked over to the bed, looking at Shen Jiu like he was his prey. Shen Jiu really had no idea the sort of person he’d just awakened in him.
All the better, then; he had all the time in the world to find out.