First and last time
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AN: At long last, I got this out. 

Woo!!

*****

Elsewhere, Xieren was doing his work as Xuejie paced around the room. While the king wished he could spend more time with his lover, he did have things he had to do. Besides, he knew Liang Fei had gone to town this evening.

While Xieren wanted to chase after him, he recalled his vow to be more trusting of his partner.

Yet this also meant he was stuck with Xuejie, who seemed to be going through some kind of existential crisis.

“You are wearing grooves into my office floor, Xuejie.” He grumbled, peeking up at the human.

“You can just have it filled.” The human muttered back, his scowl deepening.

Xieren had no idea what his problem was as of late. Since the day Shizun fell asleep, he’s been like this. Fidgeting and wary, often avoiding He Qing despite their initial closeness. When pressed, Xuejie denies having a problem and He Qing promises to deal with it.

Neither had shown any progress and it was annoying.

He’d even sunk to asking the brat, Suyan, about it. But his words were just as annoyingly vague.

“His conscious mind and unconscious mind are in conflict so he’s probably just dealing with that.”

Xieren could come to a few conclusions with that statement but it wasn’t his place to pry.

“Since you are so keen on moving, how about you do a small task for me?” Xieren stated, watching his friend grimace. It was clear he still wanted to mope but he knew better.

“Same as before?”

“No, there seems to be some trouble up north. Divine beast running rampant and making trouble.”

At this, the human frowned with confusion, his thoughts briefly distracted by work.

“That's weird. Why would they be making trouble this time of year?” Divine beasts were generally pretty tame outside of mating season. The only other way to rile them up was by trespassing or attacking them. While there was a lot to gain from doing either, the costs were higher. “Moreover, why ask me?”

Xieren didn’t bother to look up. “You know why.”

“…Oh.” Xuejie’s expression fell as he realized the connection. “So you noticed?”

“I’m not an idiot.”

Perhaps when it came to Shizun, Xieren was slow to the uptake but on other matters, he was sharp and observant. He’d have to be an idiot to not notice why Xuejie was peculiar.

“Apparently.” Xuejie grimaced. “Damn it. And just when me and He-ge are having a fight.”

“You could make up with him.”

“Absolutely not!” He snapped back, briefly forgetting they were king and subject. “I’m dealing with a lot right now! You might be cool about it but this is a shock to me!”

At that, Xieren rolled his eyes. This guy dared lecture him about trust and rationality but got all bent out of shape after realizing he’d slept with-

“Sire!”

Two pairs of eyes landed on the hidden guard that had entered the room. There were few who dared do so and of those few, most would still ask permission to enter. The fact that this one had entered with no words meant only one thing.

It was the guard Xieren had placed on Shizun.

He might trust the man but he wasn’t about to let him run about with no supervision. Especially after he ran off before.

“Report.” Xieren’s words were swift and to the point. If Shizun was in danger he had to-

“His lordship was in a fight with a wild beast, sire.”

“And you let him do so?” The growl that rumbled from his throat sent shivers through the guard, who lowered his head meekly.

“I-I assumed Lord Han would run away.”

Yes, that is the rational thing to assume. Why would someone who has only just now barely stabilized his core get into a fight?

This, however, was Liang Fei they were talking about. He, when pressured, was not rational!

If he got so easily fooled by Xieren how could anyone think he’d run away when people were in danger.

Yet Xieren wasn’t concerned. If he’d been injured, the guard wouldn’t have delayed that news. So there was something else he had come to report.

It was mildly concerning that the thing he started with was Shizun being attacked.

The guard sweated a little, nervous about his next words.

There were few things that truly made his master upset and all of them had to do with the human he’d grown attached to.

It was just his bad luck to have to be the one who reported the news this time around. The guard lamented his ill-fortune.

“L-lord Han was rescued by Masters guests.”

“Elder Fang?” Xuejie guessed, but felt unsure when seeing the sweat on the guard's brow.

“No, the human elder… brought their sect leader as well.”

“That sneaky fuck!”

Ah, there it is. Both men thought as Xieren jumped to his feet. His face was twisted with rage as the guard expected. He hadn’t gotten to the news he was expecting to set their king off yet but the outburst was not surprising.

“I knew that cheeky bastard would pull something to get back at me.” He growled under his breath. He had no doubt bringing Zi Shuren was his way of messing with Xieren.

They both knew Zi Shuren had feelings for Shizun, even if neither of the involved parties knew it themselves.

While he was sure Shizun had no interest, the man was also very dense so he’d probably fail to notice anything strange until it was too late. Who knows how his man would be taken advantage of!?

Xuejie watched Xieren fume to himself, knowing he’d be ordered to do something soon enough. The only curious part was the timing.

“Why are you only reporting to us now?” Xuejie asked, pointing out the window, where the ‘sun’ was just peeking over the horizon. “This happened a while ago, right?”

“Yes, my lord but we were occupied with Lord Han, so we couldn’t leave him be.”

This got Xieren’s attention once more, his mind drifting from his fantasies of beating his former sect elders to a pulp.

“Was Shizun doing something dangerous?”

“Uh… I am not sure.” the guard looked away, grimacing. “He was doing…things we couldn’t understand so we worried that leaving would make it harder to keep him safe.”

“Things you couldn’t understand?” Xuejie was now even more curious. “Then why did you leave now?”

“Lord Han has been secured by authorities so it was deemed safe to make a report and-”

“W-w-wait, secured by who now? Was that guy arrested?!”

“Y-yes, but it was just to keep him from doing anything else.” The guard was quick to reassure Xuejie, lowering his head. There was a bit more to it than that but he really didn’t want to be the one telling that story. “The guards are mostly composed of his majesty's men.”

“I’m more concerned about the arrest! What did he do?”

Xuejie covered his eyes, just trying to image what was being unsaid. If it made these men who had seen the worst of the worse nervous, it must have been quite the evening.

“I… cannot say.” He mumbled, looking like a cornered animal just then. “There were a lot of people involved and we didn’t keep watch on them so it's hard to say how far his actions reached.”

…Seriously, what the hell happened?!

Xuejie glanced at Xieren, whose expression showed equal amounts of confusion. That their master, the cold and stoic Liang Fei could cause enough trouble in so few hours was shocking. More so that it was confirmed to be caused by him.

“What happened to bring this about? Shizun isn’t the type to cause such a major incident.” At least on purpose but the way he was being told this report, made it seem like Shizun had a proactive role in this.

“Lord Han and the human cultivators started drinking and then invited-” He tried to explain but Xieren angrily

“Shizun drank?!”

Eh? The guard wasn’t sure why this was the part he was getting upset about. He hadn’t even gotten to the crazy part yet.

But he’d lived this long under their king's command because he was quick on his feet.

“Yes, your majesty. None of the drinks were poisoned or laced with anything to cause problems.”

“How much did he drink?”

“That, I don’t know. We just made sure the drinks were clean. We didn’t get close enough to count.”

Those human cultivators, drunk as they were, would definitely sense them if they got any closer than they did. It was only after they were bleary-eyed that it was safe enough to get close.

And by that time, it was clear they would have probably tried to get the shadow guards to join in on the chaos.

The guard shuddered at the thought.

Meanwhile, Xieren became even more worried. Shizun was a rational man but drunk him was… Ah, there was no telling what he’d do! He’d done all kinds of things to Xieren when drunk so he knew best how crazy a man he was.

That was why he made sure to keep the man from anything alcoholic. While it was exciting, it was worrisome how open Shizun acted. If they were alone, it would be fine but in the castle, there were few times they could go uninterrupted.

Moreover, what if that bastard sect leader who clearly had an interest in Shizun tried something?! He might think Shizun’s clinginess was an invitation and-

“I’m going!” He declared, stepping from behind his desk. He moved with confidence and purpose, making the two men briefly step back.

“Eh?” The guard looked surprised while Xuejie just sighed.

“Considering all the damage he caused, do you really think it's wise for the king himself to show up?”

His words were only a mild warning. It would look strange for him, the demon king, to pick up his boyfriend after a drinking binge. Shameful even.

Yet there was no shame in Xieren’s demeanor as he walked ahead.

“Wise or not, I’m going to collect my boyfriend.”

***

At the same time, said boyfriend was in jail for public intoxication, disturbing the peace, and multiple instances of property damage. There were other charges that could be listed but there was no evidence it was even possible to enact such things, let alone proof of it occurring. In spite of all this, the calmest of the trio was the inciter of it all.

Liang Fei sat in the corner of their ‘jail cell’, writing down notes as if there was nothing going on. As if mere hours ago, he wasn’t standing on the back of a horse with a fishing line attached to his sword and a dozen cultivator's pants hanging from it like a banner of a conquering army.

His two companions, dragged along for the ride, could only stare at the wall in shocked bewilderment as sobriety started to return to them. The memories of their evening shocked them both.

How did a simple drink between friends lead to this?

Fang Zhihao was the most shocked, cradling his aching head in his hands as he groaned in pain. His companion, sect leader Zi Shuren, was nursing a cup of water as he tried to regain his senses.

This was not how he expected his evening to go.

“I never thought the day would come that I would be jailed for a drunken rampage through a city.” He groaned.

“I never thought that the day I did end up in jail for a drunken rampage, it would be with you two.” Fang Zhihao tiredly chuckled. “Yet here we are.”

While they couldn’t remember all the details of the last few hours, the list of their crimes had painted quite the picture, vague though it was.

They had run up a bill so enormous it made them clutch their chest as they imagined just how long it would take to pay it off.

In the hour in which they had been awake, they had had only a few visitors.

A few shop owners mad about their stores being damaged by a herd of cats that was supposed led by Liang Fei. How this had been accomplished and for what reason was lost to the fuzziness of their memories.

A few cultivators who were equal parts impressed by their Shidi’s swordsmanship (as they had lost to him despite him never drawing his blade) and furious as they wanted the ‘trophies’ back. Apparently, Liang Fei had stripped them all of their pants and hidden them somewhere. Neither of them knew this had even occurred so those garments were lost for all they knew.

Lastly, was a strange one. According to the man in question, he was Liang Fei’s new business partner. Something about them coming to a deal about ‘stuffed animals’ or something.

The jovial man had said he’d wait until they were released so they could fill the world with cute things.

Gods, would they have killed to recall the context of that conversation.

Unfortunately, the only one still drunk was Liang Fei, who had not fallen asleep. On the other hand, Fang Zhihao and Zi Shuren had to suffer the aftereffects of an entire evening drinking wine made for demons.

Cultivators bought liquor from the dark lands for a reason after all.

The blissful feeling of being drunk but the hellish hangover that came afterward.

Liang Fei had spoken to the man with ease, his inebriation only making his words come out a lot more freely. If one didn’t know him well, they might assume he was always like this. It was impressive, if not a bit scary.

If Fang Zhihao knew just how much Liang Fei could do with little to no rational thought, he wouldn’t have been as surprised. This was a man who made it through finals with 3 hours of sleep and a single cup of coffee. A mere drinking binge was nothing!

“Ah, my lord is so smart.” The business partner beamed, his eyes glowing with excitement. “To think I could make stuffed versions of people as well as animals?! Such a thing, could it truly be done?”

Like a noble master imparting wisdom upon his pupil, Liang Fei nodded sagely.

“As I said, there are a lot of people who like certain men from around the continent.” He reasoned. “How many orders could you gain just by utilizing that market alone?”

“But won't the men in question feel a sense of violation? Having their image sold like that?”

“Who’s gonna tell them if we do it?” These were the words that were so casually spoken by Liang Fei.

At the time, Fang Zhihao could only watch in shocked horror as the devil's deal was made before his eyes.

Eh!? Was this their stoic and polite Shidi?! Using the vastness of the continent and the inability to communicate ideas long-range to make money?! Wasn’t he pure of heart?!

Fang Zhihao felt his world shatter as the realization hit him.

His sweet Shidi was planning on using the cultivation world to line his pockets. The worst part was, he very well succeeded!

How was it that he’d only been with his Shidi for a few minutes and already felt like he was going crazy? Why was it always this guy who came to the strangest conclusions!?

These had been Fang Zhihao’s thoughts hours prior to them being retrieved from jail. He’d been so naive back then, thinking his Shidi was a simple drunk.

He was anything but.

The man was insane.

How he did such things with no change in expression was… It was like nothing he’d ever seen before! Even Zi Shuren had a hard time keeping up with his antics.

Now he was watching the man make a list of supplies he’d need to ‘take the plushie world by storm’ with a cup of water by his side.

Everything was crazy~

Zi Shuren felt the same, watching Liang Fei with a deep look. It was a look he’d held on the young elder for years but was never noticed by the man in question. Like always, Liang Fei thought nothing of it.

Fang Zhihao glanced at his friend and sighed.

“What do you think about what our Shidi said?” He asked, looking away. There was no need to explain his words. There was only one thing it could be.

While they had very few memories of the night before, one stood out from all the rest.

It had happened just before they’d been caught by the guards.

Liang Fei, in front of the crowd he’d attracted with nothing more than a pair of fireworks and a dozen cats, had declared he’d be getting married to the king of demons himself. Somehow, despite shouting at the top of his lungs, his words were steady and decisive.

As expected, many doubted his words, calling him a drunken idiot.

“The man I love is going to marry me!” He had retorted, his response was so confident that there was a moment where no one could argue. Like it was a fact.

The sun rose from the east, the oceans crashed upon the shores and this man would be the spouse of their king.

Then everyone came to their senses and property damage from a prior ‘incident’ had given weigh beneath the trio.

Zi Shuren gritted his teeth, snatching a bottle off the table nearby. The action caused some noise, the sounds echoing through their lavish cell. He peeked over at Liang Fei, who was still writing by himself, humming a lively tune under his breath.

Even now, he pays no mind to anyone else. Zi Shuren thought with a bitter snort.

“What can I say?”

Fang Zhihao grimaced, a mild pity showing in his usually jovial eyes. Zi Shuren’s feelings were well known to him.

It just came to be that it remained one-sided.

A guard came close just then, offering the trio a small meal. Despite the damage done to the city, the three weren’t tossed with the lower ranks. They were still cultivators after all.

That and it was clear that Liang Fei was getting special treatment. Their ‘cell’ was less of a dungeon and more like a nice room with guards outside the door. They even had a window that overlooked a nice wooded area.

It would have been a pleasant sight if not for the hangover that left the two sitting in the darkened corner.

“Lord Han?” The guard called out, peeking over at Fang Zhihao and Zi Shuren. As if fearing they might stop his line of questioning but going forth anyway.

“Mn?”

“Is what you said before true? That you’ll wed our king.”

“Of course! Xieren is my lover and loves me. It's only proper we wed.”

The guard looked astonished. To say such things so casually was… shocking.

“B-but have you told his majesty?”

“…Ah!” A look of realization flashed across his face before lowering his head in silence.

Ah, so he hadn't? Liang Fei told the entire city before the person in question?!

That was very much like him.

Zi Shuren, despite himself, couldn’t help but chuckle. It was a hollow sound.

***

The demon king's arrival was both expected and unexpected. The guards who had imprisoned the trio had not believed the rumors and rambling from them. The lover of the king being a man? Who would dare speak such words?

Yet here he was demanding their release like he didn’t have other things he should be doing at the crack of dawn.

The townspeople who were still awake from the chaos the night before could only watch from afar, stunned. How could they not stare? Not only was this their feared and beloved king but a handsome one too.

Women felt their hearts race as they looked upon him with desire while the men could only marvel at the strength that radiated from him.

This was, truly and undeniably, a king.

A king that came to collect the human who dared speak so casually about taking his hand in marriage.

Many wondered if the human would be killed for his insolence but a few thought that perhaps it was true what he had said.

There were rumors of an engagement but surely it wasn’t going to be human, especially a male!

How were they to continue their line? Was their noble blood to end just like that?

Inside, the shadow guards bowed low as their king stepped inside, his steps so quiet they might have missed them if not for his noble presence hitting them.

“Shizun!” Xieren called out, his eyes falling on his master as soon as he stepped through the door. He paid no mind to his former sect leader, as that person was no one compared to Liang Fei.

Zi Shuren didn’t bother to get offended. He felt his hangover hitting him hard. He was in no mood to scold the younger man.

Worse, the object of his affection took notice of the new arrival and finally looked up from his list.

“Xieren!” the tone was light but any who knew Liang Fei well enough could tell the difference in his voice. It was a subtle tenderness that slipped in whenever his usual cold front melted even slightly. “I was waiting for you.”

“I didn’t keep you waiting long, right?”

“Mn… a little but it's fine.” He said with a yawn. “I wish to sleep with you in my arms as compensation.”

These casually intimate words could only be said when Liang Fei was drunk. A sober Liang Fei would never say such spoiled words but alcohol loosened his tongue in many ways.

Seeing his exhaustion, Xieren pulled him into his arms, letting his head rest against the younger man’s shoulder. The cold and serious man looked to have melted in Xieren’s arms. As if there was no need to worry as long as he was held by those arms.

He looked very cute just then.

Xieren, after a few moments, gave a brief nod to the other two in the room, who watched this shameless display in silence. Zi Shuren said nothing, pouring himself another cup of brew. Fang Zhihao glanced between the two, his eyes glowing with curiosity.

Without a word, Xieren left with Liang Fei nestled in his arms.

Silence fell between the two as Fang Zhihao watched his friend swallow a cup of brew with an anguished expression. Fang Zhihao, as his friend, couldn’t stay quiet anymore.

“Is this okay?” He whispered, watching another cup being filled.

“It can’t be helped.”

“Can’t it? You could be the villain and steal your beloved away.” He pressed. “Shidi is soft-hearted so he’d most likely forgive any transgressions you-”

“Stop it.” He snapped, closing his eyes.

Stop tempting me. He thought, clenching his fists. He already had to see the man he loved and lost return only to find him in the arms of another. To see his eyes gleam with love and happiness when looking away from him.

To tempt him with such poisonous words was just cruel.

Seeing that his tease had pressed a bit close, Fang Zhihao relented, pouring himself a cup of wine. The once succulently sweet wine now tasted bitter on his tongue.

***

“Shizun, if you spend the night with another man, I will get jealous.”

“Good.” He mumbled as he was carried to the nearby carriage. Had he been aware, he might have bawked at the winged beast, knowing they’d be flying back. Luckily, he was drunk so this was of no concern. “It's only proper we have such things occur. How else can we move forward?”

Ah, right. Drunk Shizun will say such shameless things. This man would suck the dick of his student due to mere curiosity so why wouldn’t he think it proper to be jealous? His master's thoughts were only clear to him at times like this.

Xieren continued to question him, amused by his answers. “Did you have a fun evening without me?”

“Hm… It was normal.”

Causing a riot and fighting off a run-away beast was ‘normal’ was it? Xieren briefly wondered what would have been considered ‘interesting’ if that was the standard.

They entered the carriage, secluded from everyone outside who was gawking at their naked display of affection. While Xieren liked showing off, he really wanted to know about his master's evening.

The shadow guards had been strangely vague about what he’d been doing outside of stirring up a ruckus. That and he had heard whispers of a marriage. Somehow, his presence seemed to have ‘confirmed the rumors’.

He really wanted to know why such things were being whispered about.

He pulled the sleepy elder onto his lap, kissing him awake.

“Xieren, I’m tired!” He complained, though he didn’t push him away.

Xieren chuckled.

“Were you not going to tell me about your evening?”

“Was I?”

“Yes.” Xieren smoothly lied.

“Mn…” Convinced, Liang Fei reached into his robe sleeve and pulled out an object. “I went out to get this.”

A… block of brass?

It was nothing special. No magical elements or even a marking to make it usable as a talisman. For a moment, Xieren recalled his master's random question about his favorite type of metal but how could this mean anything at all?

His master's thoughts, as always, were unfathomable.

“Shizun, what is th-”

Liang Fei took back the block, stroking it tenderly as he laid his head on Xieren’s chest.

“In a few days, this will be a ring.” He proclaimed with an air of pride. “No, a pair of rings! I’m gonna put it on your finger and ask you to marry me.”

“!?…” Xieren’s hands tightened on Liang Fei’s shoulder, unconsciously pulling him closer. The elder, however, didn’t seem to notice as he continued to explain.

“I once read that brass can stain skin but it's probably fine, I think.” He mumbled, his bleary eyes staring down at the metal. “Even if it stains the skin, that just means that even when you remove it, the mark will remain. Which is good.”

Xieren was still reeling from the admission, his head filling with white noise as the realization hit him.

H-his beloved master… was making a pair of rings for them? He went so far as to pick Xieren’s favorite metal and even sought to make the rings himself?! His master was not a blacksmith, so the rings would surely be badly made but he still planned on it.

“D-did you tell anyone else this plan of yours?!”

“Yes, but they didn’t believe me.” The elder sighed, looking like he wanted sympathy for his woes.

So this was what everyone in town was whispering about?! Yet he was the last to know? Xieren had no idea how to feel about this but his joy was starting to overwhelm him.

Liang Fei continued to list his grievances but Xieren heard nothing else as he came to terms with the news.

This was the best~

Liang Fei continued. “-and then you’ll say yes and-”

Xieren cut him off with a fervent kiss, cutting off his tirade for a minute straight. Drunk Liang Fei didn’t know how to kiss and breathe at the same time so Xieren eventually had to pull away. As the elder caught his breath, Xieren showered him with small kisses.

“Oh?” He purred into the man’s ear, knowing he was sensitive there. “Are you sure I’ll say yes?”

Distracted as he might be, drunk Liang Fei was not going to ignore a challenge.

“Absolutely!” He grumbled, wrapping his arms around Xieren’s neck “Why not?”

Ah, he’s so cute~

“What if I ask first?”

“No!” The elder was quick to argue. “There's a proper way of doing things. As your elder, I should make the proposal.”

Ah, is that what he meant by proper? Right, normally marriages were arranged between the elders of a family. Few young people got to choose or propose marriage themselves unless they eloped.

Neither he nor Liang Fei had family, so as the eldest, it was only proper for him to propose to Xieren. It made sense in a roundabout way.

How very like him.

“Can't you ask me now?” Xieren pressed, wanting to hear the words he dreamed about at once. Who knew what kind of conclusions his master would come up with once he woke from this? If this was a one-time deal thought up in a drunken haze, he couldn’t miss his chance to hear the words. “What if my mind changes after tonight?”

The elder gave a bewildered look, like his words were just plain ridiculous.

“But I don't have a ring!”

“I can wait for the ring later.” He cooed, trying to persuade him. “I want to hear Shizun’s words now.”

All the while, Xieren rained down indulgent kisses upon the man before him, marking his skin flush. It was a dirty tactic, as he knew his master's will was weak when caressed but he’d been underhanded from the beginning.

Lying and manipulating just so he could have this man in his arms forever.

He swore this would be the last time if he could just hear those three words just once.

Just as he made that promise, he felt a familiar hand tug his hair back.

“Ngh.” Xieren felt a shiver run through him from the jerk. He loved that feeling but it was distracting him. “S-Shizun, I-”

“There's a proper order to things, Xieren.” He scolded as he kissed Xieren, surprising the youth with his fervor. Those violet eyes were misty with desire and Xieren felt the heat rising within him responding in kind.

Xieren grabbed hold of Liang Fei’s waist, undoing the ties in his robes even as the elder pressed his finger to Xieren’s trembling lips.

“I want to do right by you so please be patient.” Those words, said so sensuously, made Xieren almost explode with lust.

P-patient!? Why was he saying such a thing while striping?!

Xieren wanted to argue but he also was struggling with his arousal just then. He loved Shizun and the object of his affection was overtly seducing him right now.

Even as the carriage flew through the air, the inside was thick with heat and desire. Xieren was pressed beneath Liang Fei. Whether he or his master was the one taken, Xieren didn’t care. He loved this man regardless.

He just wished he could get those damn words out of the stubborn man first.

Xieren opened his mouth to ask again but he was silenced once more by a kiss.

“I won't let your impatience ruin my surprise for you.” Liang Fei insisted, giving the younger man a scolding look.

Xieren briefly considered reminding him that the ‘surprise’ had already been ruined but he liked how dominant his master was being just then.

“Is your surprise as nice as this?” He growled, letting his arms be tied above his head. If they were caught like this, it would be mortifying but Xieren couldn’t bring himself to care with how hard he was.

“Better but only if you’re good.”

Ah, don’t say such things or I won’t last! He thought, squirming. He wanted to beg but past experience made him bite his tongue.

But Xieren had always been a bit naughty so he couldn’t stay quiet for long.

“Oh?” He teased, hooking his leg over Liang Fei’s, forcing him a bit closer. “And what if I was bad? If I have been bad for a while?”

“My Xieren isn’t bad but-”

“But?”

“If my Xieren has been bad, I’ll have to punish him properly.”

“Oh?” Just as he liked~

At the thought, he let out a groan as the elder grinded down on him, pressing their erections together.

“Then again, seeing how hard you get when I mention it, it can’t be called a punishment. So we’ll have to get creative.” A small mischievous smile graced those perfect lips even as Xieren struggled to keep from spilling so early. “Punishment involves begging, right?”

“O-oh!”

“So since my Xieren has been so bad, I’ll make sure you’ll be begging me for…” He stopped, that small smile becoming cute once more as he brushed Xieren’s hair back. “let us keep that a secret for now.“

“Shizun!”

“I’ll give you a reward as well.”

“Eh?” What else could be better than this?!

“Since you admitted to being bad, it's only right to reward you. I’ll make sure the reward is worth all the noise you’ll be making.”

A lot of noise followed, though those nearby enough to hear it knew it was best to be deaf. While they couldn’t say what they heard, it was clear a lot of activity was happening within.

***

The two stayed in bed even as the sun rose for the second time. The exhausted elder slept with his head resting on Xieren’s chest and his arms around him.

They were the picture of intimacy.

While the elder had fallen asleep long before, Xieren stayed up, watching the man with tender eyes.

Even as Xieren begged for everything he could possibly imagine, his master insisted on not ruining his surprise.

The thought of it still made Xieren laugh.

Should he tell him that his surprise was already ruined by his own lips?

No, his master was a silly man who would definitely forget about their conversation upon awakening. It was a shame but learning early left him with such a good feeling.

This man - this kind and peculiar man who took his heart with nothing more than a soft touch and deceptively cold eyes - him of all people chose to stay with Xieren. He was sure if he learned about his underhanded methods, the punishment would be worth it.

And the reward for being good and honest would be even better if the night before was any indication.

So he’ll let this be a ‘surprise’ and wait for the ring made by his beloved master's hand to be placed on his finger as was proper.

He’d waited more than a decade to have this man to himself so what was a few more hours?

*****

AN: And with that, I'm done. Thank you for sticking with me on this journey. Things got a bit... weird toward the end but I stuck with it!

In all honesty, this is actually the first story I've ever finished writing, so I'm pretty happy~

Also, some people were asking for extra chapters, since I mentioned before that there were parts that had to be cut out of the story. If you guys are still interested, I'm willing to post them, though it's mostly just dialogue and the like. I'd use them in other stories but most of them only suit this story.

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