Through dried tears, he mustered up the courage to demand what his body had been humming for since he kissed Zhou Lieren earlier.

 

“Now,” he said. But why is my body shaking so much?

 

Zhou Lieren lifted his two large hands up to his face, cupping his cheeks in a gentle caress. His hands made him feel small and fragile by the way Zhou Lieren would touch him like this. His trembling only stopped slightly.

 

“Huli, we don’t have to do anything tonight. It’s--”

 

“No,” he shook his head lightly, not wanting to move away from the rough palms that felt pleasant against his skin. “Now. I...my heat is coming soon, and I want my first time to be important.”

 

He wanted to be conscious, not in the throes of some carnal, blissed out frenzy that his heats had increasingly become. Zhou Lieren slid his hands down to his waist and shifted to sit up, moving him along as well. He slid down into Zhou Lieren’s lap, his thighs around his tapered waist and hands on his shoulders. In this position, he was slightly taller than Zhou Lieren and had to look down. While his robes were long and still covered him enough. In all this time, he just now realized how thin the measly two layers of fabric separated him from Zhou Lieren.

 

“What are you thinking that is making you blush?” Zhou Lieren purred. He stiffened in the alpha’s loose embrace, and he refused to answer. At his silence, he just smiled softly. “You want me to be your surrogate as well?”

 

“What? No.” He blushed harder and squeezed Zhou Lieren’s shoulders. “A surrogate implies you are a replacement for something...you aren’t a replacement. It’s just you.”

 

Zhou Lieren’s eyes went through a change then. When he had said no, his eyebrows furrowed lightly and his eyes widened, but as soon as he reminded Zhou Lieren that it was only him, a dark glimmer slid over his golden eyes. His hold tightened, and he couldn’t brush off the feeling like he’d just been caught in a trap somehow despite wanting to be in this.

 

Those strong hands lightly caressed his back, brushing his wide palms against the lower part of his torso just like dream Zhou Lieren would. Could it be possible that Zhou Lieren can travel through dreams? No, Zhou Lieren wasn’t a demon...He frowned and reached up to take down Zhou Lieren’s hair by undoing the ribbon and patted his head all around.

 

“What are you doing?” Zhou Lieren angled his head away slightly, looking up to meet his eyes.

 

“I’m checking for wolf ears,” he answered with sincerity. He wasn’t willing to put anything past Zhou Lieren, even if he was unafraid of him.

 

The biggest laugh he’d heard from Zhou Lieren came out of him, his open mouthed grin making him look a few years younger. He smiled along, happy to see this side of him. Zhou Lieren rocked him lightly in his lap during his short burst of laughter, and once he settled, Huo Huli ran his fingers through the black tresses. As he played with his curtain of hair, the faint apricot scent slipped from it. 

 

He took a deep breath in and let out a breath with a shudder.

 

“If you are still worried, Huli…” Zhou Lieren’s hands rested back down at his hips. “It won’t be like back then. You know you could strike me down easily.”

 

That was true, even though his energy was acting up and it was a risk that something unpredictable could happen. He wasn’t that little anymore, and he was stronger - stronger than Zhou Lieren, even.

 

“Does that...bother you?” He understood alphas had a need to be at the top. Even in their sect, showing off was a thing that seemed to come natural to any alpha regardless of how liberally they were raised. Zhou Lieren was a strong alpha, that much he could tell, but he did not throw his weight around as much.

 

“Why would it? I said I would not question why a flower exists.” A slight, devilish smirk curled the corner of Zhou Lieren’s mouth. He leaned in and brushed his lips along the edge of his jaw in not quite a kiss, more like he was just hovering close to inhale deeply. “The fact you are stronger than me makes you even more attractive, Huli.”

 

On cue, he could feel the erection beneath him twitch against his thigh, making its presence known. He almost jumped from the sensation, but managed to remain steady. Images of his dreams and what that member did to him floated through his thoughts like an intrusive fog. He swallowed down the little moan that he wanted to let out and pulled his focus back down to the real life Zhou Lieren at his fingertips.

 

“H-how can that be?”

 

“You are powerful,” his hands began to knead soft circles along his hips and thighs, “You are so majestic with your fire, I still think you are a celestial fox.” His hands slipped further back and both of them took hold of a cheek and he gasped. They didn’t squeeze, just rubbed slow circles that bunched up his robe. “I wonder where your tails are.”

 

His back arched, first to push his hips back into his hands then to quickly jerk away, startled by his own reaction. However, moving forward just pressed him harder against Zhou Lieren - he was caught between a literal hard place and a rock.

 

“You...you keep saying things like that,” he mumbled and pushed a hand through Zhou Lieren’s hair. His heart did a pitter patter when Zhou Lieren turned his head towards his hand, leaning in to nuzzle it. He slid his hand down to his face and delicately wiped at his chiseled jaw.

 

“And I mean them.” There was that gleam in his eye again, and that pitter patter turned into a harsh beat of a drum. He shut his eyes tight, willing his heart to slow down. “I take it as an honor to be the only one to do these things with you, Tianshanghuo-jun.”

 

Each syllable carried a ripple that shivered through his body. Then he was suddenly lifted into the air and his eyes flew open. Zhou Lieren had stood up and held him to bring him along. He lowered Huo Huli onto his feet and stepped back. When he tilted his head up to look at Zhou Lieren, that edge in his gaze was still there.

 

“Would you let this one undress you?”

 

His request was so polite and formal that he nodded without thinking of what Zhou Lieren had just asked. The next thing he knew, Zhou Lieren slipped around him and was behind him now, his hands reaching around his waist to undo his robe. There was only one tie, since he did not take the time to lace the other one when he heard Zhou Lieren knock. This one was flimsy and took only a light tug for it to come undone.

 

As the robe was pulled over his shoulders, he could not tell if time was moving slowly or if Zhou Lieren was purposefully taking his time and dragging out the process. Every shift in the fabric grated against him, acting like extensions of Zhou Lieren’s fingers which had yet to touch his bare skin.

 

For his sleeves they were taken out one after the other, finally leaving him in his linen under clothes. There was a moment where he could not feel Zhou Lieren at his back and so he turned his head to peek over his shoulder. Zhou Lieren was folding his robe properly and setting it on a small stool next to the bedside table. When he turned, their eyes met and he quickly jerked his head forward and looked down at the ground.

 

His skin began to prickle when Zhou Lieren approached and continued to undress him in that same slow, methodical manner. His fingers brushed along the hem of his pants before reaching up and around to the ties of his shirt. Those went with a simple flick of Zhou Lieren’s wrist and then Zhou Lieren delicately gathered his hair and draped it over one shoulder. He thought the gesture strange until his shirt was pulled over his shoulders and he realized that his back would be completely revealed.

 

He heard a catch of breath behind him as the garment came further and further down and he had to drop his arms so the sleeves would slide off. There was a pause and he could still feel Zhou Lieren by him. He didn’t dare look over his shoulder when he felt a breath by his neck.

 

“Huli...you smell very good,” said Zhou Lieren in a low, throaty rumble.

 

He sucked in a harsh breath and pressed his thighs firmly together as his body, after numerous dreams of such a voice, reacted on instinct and became wet. Have I been releasing my pheromones? Zhou Lieren came closer than he had before but was barely touching his back. The heat from Zhou Lieren’s palms hovered near his hips and a puff of air tickled his hair from a faint chuckle.

 

“I am glad you’re excited.”

 

With just his linen pants, he couldn’t hide his erection or the slight dampness in between his legs. Zhou Lieren took a hold of his pants, one hand still holding his shirt, and slowly lowered them until they caught at his thighs and he let go. He bit his lip and parted them so they would fall. Zhou Lieren’s free hand came into view from his periphery, offered to him in a show of support. The gesture intensified the blush already on his cheeks and he reached out to clasp Zhou Lieren’s firm hand.

 

He slowly stepped out in front of his pants and let go of Zhou Lieren’s hand. There was some shuffling behind him and he assumed that Zhou Lieren was folding those aside as well, though he almost spoke up to tell him that the pants were soiled, but his embarrassment made him keep his lips shut. He...he probably saw it.

 

“Huli…” The voice came out of nowhere so suddenly that he jumped a little. He turned around to face Zhou Lieren and was surprised by how his face morphed into a slack jawed stare. His eyes roamed over his body, not staying on any one particular spot for too long. Red stained Zhou Lieren’s cheekbones and temples. 

 

Is he...blushing? Seeing him blush made Huo Huli feel warm all over and...dare he think it, bold. He let Zhou Lieren take his fill as he stood up a little taller, though his fingers fidgeted at his sides as he didn’t know what to do with his hands. He didn’t want to cover himself, but he needed to do something, so he reached out to Zhou Lieren.

 

His eyes met with his like a final ask for permission, which he nodded yes to. Zhou Lieren closed the gap between them in one large step and gathered him up into his strong arms. He didn’t know who initiated the kiss first but their lips crushed against one another in an aggressive push of tongues.

 

He was guided back to the bed with slow steps that were interrupted whenever Zhou Lieren or he would delve too deep into the kiss. When his calves hit the bed, he finally let go of Zhou Lieren and plopped down unceremoniously, sitting at the edge. Zhou Lieren stepped out of reach and started undressing at thankfully a faster rate than he did with his clothes.

 

Zhou Lieren didn’t slow down until it came time for his shirt and he locked eyes with him once again. His mouth went dry at the memory of the torso underneath the fabric. He replayed that scene dozens and dozens of times in his fantasies that he probably knew every dip and crevice on Zhou Lieren’s abdomen and chest.

 

The shirt parted, revealing his body with a flex of muscle that he knew was meant to impress him. It was stereotypical but it did something for Huo Huli’s cock because it leapt up and poked his own belly. Unlike his clothes, Zhou Lieren simply dropped his in place as he went. His pants came next and his eyes fell onto the thumbs he hooked into the waistband. This was it, the thing he’d never seen in his dreams in real life.

 

The pants slowly lowered down and the fabric caught on his erection for just a moment. When he pulled them away, a line of precum clung from the head of his cock to his pants only to be separated once his pants dropped. His stomach clenched.

 

Zhou Lieren was tall in more ways than one it seemed, and he stared at the thick shaft that jutted out from his body with a flush that made the skin dark along the length. The head glistened and more precum pearled as they stared at one another.

 

“I’m glad you’re excited,” he said back to Zhou Lieren, unsure what possessed him to say such a thing.

 

That teased a smile out of Zhou Lieren and he knelt down on the floor in front of Huo Huli. Zhou Lieren’s roughened palms touched his ankles and slid up to his knees then his hips, pulling him more towards the edge.

 

“May I touch you as much as I please, unless you say to stop?” He ran his fingers back down and he rubbed his hands lightly on his knees, his voice dropping to that rumble again. “I would like to see you.”

 

He slowly nodded his head yes, unable to speak. His toes curled as he felt the light pressure on his knees to part. He shut his eyes and opened them willingly, his thighs trembling. It was difficult, knowing all the various ways to have sex and to dual cultivate from years of studying and not knowing what to anticipate was next. Zhou Lieren was more experienced than him, which meant he knew how to do things - but what things?

 

Zhou Lieren growled when his legs parted. There was no mistaking the noise, and it was identical to the one in his dream. He liked that noise far too much for it to make sense. He shook and bit the heel of his palm to keep himself quiet while his muscles twitched inside.

 

“This…” Zhou Lieren was so close his breath was on his thigh and the air heated his already flush skin more. Two fingers slid against the juncture of his thigh and followed the path around his sack which pulled closer into his body like they were trying to scuttle away from the hot hand. Zhou Lieren’s fingers dipped between his wet curves and hovered along his hole. He squeaked and bit into his hand harder.

 

“Huli,” the sound of his name made him open his eyes and he looked down at the kneeling Zhou Lieren, face close against his cock and fingers teasing at his entrance. He locked in on Zhou Lieren’s heated gaze, unable to tear away his gaze. “Does this mean you’re excited?”

 

Then, as if experimenting, the tip of one finger pressed against the slick ring and entered easily. He dropped his hand from his mouth in order to catch himself by bracing his hands on his side so he wouldn’t fall back against the bed. He let out a yelp and dug his heels into the floor and arched his hips closer to the edge of the bed.

 

A smirk that he wanted to wipe off Zhou Lieren’s face appeared, but he was helpless and it made his insides flutter. The finger inside just slowly rubbed in and out at the same leisurely pace just like he did with removing his clothes.

 

“This is nice, being able to take my time and watch you.” Zhou Lieren purred and kissed the inside of his closest thigh. The kisses were not gentle or sweet, but like the fierce kisses where their tongues met. Each kiss left a stripe of wetness that gleamed off his skin as the light hit it, and as it dried it tickled his nerves. “In a lot of ways, you are a first for me too, Huli.”

 

He opened his mouth to say something but it was lost in a groan as Zhou Lieren wrapped his lips around the head of his cock. His searing hot mouth slid down easily to the root while his single finger pushed deeper in at the same time. His arms trembled and he fell back against the bed with a thump and his legs fell further apart.

 

Zhou Lieren’s mouth was far too skilled for Huo Huli to be the first in it, but he couldn’t form a coherent argument or complaint. His thick, broad tongue swept at his length when he’d pull back, then flattened to help his cock slide down to Zhou Lieren’s throat when he went back down.

 

His voice sounded foreign to him as he moaned and called out Zhou Lieren’s name. The finger inside him was probing around as it followed the same in and out motion that Zhou Lieren sucked him down in. It wasn’t until a second finger joined the first did the slick between his legs start to leave lewd sounds from each push in. He wanted to clamp his hands over his ears but that meant he wouldn’t be able to hear Zhou Lieren’s content noises as he sucked.

 

He managed to get on his elbows and look down, staring at Zhou Lieren’s face that watched him intently, his eyes calculating his every response. The moment their eyes met Zhou Lieren’s fingers went even deeper and hit a spot that shot energy up through his stomach and followed the moan that came out of his throat.

 

The energy that came up crashed right back down and he came. He came with barely any stimulation and without warning. I came...in his mouth! His mortification gave him enough sense to bolt upright into a seated position and apologize.

 

“I--!” His breath caught as Zhou Lieren pushed on that spot inside him again and forced a few last spurts as he softened in his mouth which was still on him. Zhou Lieren’s lips slowly slid off him and he caught the traces of his cum that dribbled out from the corner of his mouth and clung to his chin. However, there wasn’t any in Zhou Lieren’s mouth when he spoke.

 

“You taste so good, Huli.” Zhou Lieren purred and pushed his fingers in deep again. The pleasure that coursed through him was almost enough to drown out the fact that Zhou Lieren swallowed. “Did you feel good?”

 

What sort of question is that? He groaned, tossing his head back as he lifted his hips up to meet the fingers penetrating him. Of course I feel good! He felt better than good - the knots that had his abdomen in a twist were gone and though he felt like he was melting, his brain had more clarity. 

 

Zhou Lieren joined him on the bed but never took his hand away. He laid on his side next to him, his torso pressed against his side and he leaned down to whisper in his ear.

 

“Feel how wet you make me too.” He nipped at his earlobe, another soft spot that made him tremble hard. Having sensed this weakness, Zhou Lieren obviously meant to exploit it again because he bit down again and his back arched up off the bed.

 

Like he asked, he hesitantly reached a hand out to touch the hot shaft pressed against his hip. True to his word, Zhou Lieren’s head was slick and it jumped when his fingers brushed against it. He could feel the dribble down the length and a strange pleasure in knowing he made Zhou Lieren this hard and wanting filled him.

 

Zhou Lieren acted calm until he wrapped his hand around the top of his cock, right below his head. He could just get his hand around it, but as he brought his hand down to the base, his fingers barely touched. Zhou Lieren shuddered and pressed his hips into his side, almost pinning his hand between them awkwardly. His breath became a pant against his ear, and he could make out a hint of a moan when Zhou Lieren said his name and pushed a third finger inside.

 

“Huli…”

 

He whimpered when the three fingers scissored him, filling the room with more of his scent. Zhou Lieren started to rut against his hip and hand, creating a friction that made him hiss. He wasn’t content to be like this anymore.

 

“Lieren…” He turned his head towards Zhou Lieren’s lips, only able to reach his chin in this position. He whispered against his jaw, “Lieren, please…”

 

He was thankful that Zhou Lieren knew what he was asking for without having to ask. Soon his hand was gone, leaving him empty and he whimpered. When did I get used to his hand being there? Zhou Lieren lifted him higher onto the bed so they were both fully on it and positioned himself over Huo Huli.

 

Suddenly an image came to mind of one of the Gong brothers, his body stiffening when Zhou Lieren began to spread his legs. He reached up and covered Zhou Lieren’s face with his hands and shut his eyes tight. Zhou Lieren stopped and let him tremble for a few moments before softly taking his hands into his own.

 

Zhou Lieren kissed one of his closed eyes and then his temple. Guilt washed over him, wishing he hadn’t stopped. He wanted Zhou Lieren, he wanted to feel that close to him again. His rich, husky voice soothed him as he whispered.

 

“How about we try something different?”

 

Before he could ask, Zhou Lieren’s arms slid underneath his frame and the world went topsy turvy and rolled. He blinked his eyes open and looked down. Now he was on top and sitting on Zhou Lieren’s belly with him on his back, smiling up at him. In the dim light, he could see the lust in his eyes still, and the evidence that his arousal was still there poked at him from the back. I didn’t mess up.

 

He breathed a sigh of relief and his hips tilted back, instinctively reaching for his cock. Zhou Lieren’s fingers dug into his hips for a moment before he quickly released Huo Huli and grabbed the sheets underneath him instead.

 

“This is alright?” He asked, his voice wavering slightly. Zhou Lieren’s tight face smiled and he reached up to brush some of his hair from his forehead. He nodded and Huo Huli lifted himself up and took hold of Zhou Lieren’s thick cock. If at all possible, it felt even hotter than when he touched it last.

 

He was slightly awkward and fumbled a little, but he managed to get it. Slick dribbled from his hole onto Zhou Lieren’s already wet cock, the flared head grazing against his entrance. His hips dipped downward, pressing against it with a slow stretch that didn’t burn, but it brought his entire awareness to his body down below. Tingles went up his spine as he was breached and the rest sunk in as he lowered himself down in one swoop. He let out a sound like he’d been punched in the stomach, which wasn’t inaccurate. It hurt, just a little, but his shaking body was accommodating the sudden penetration quickly like his biology had taken over now.

 

He rested his palms on Zhou Lieren’s chest, his fingers pressed into his shoulders. He wasn’t even all the way to the bottom and he felt full. Are all alphas this big? This must explain why they are always posturing - he would too if his cock was this large. His own twitched back to life when the head brushed past the spot that Zhou Lieren reached with his fingers. It stood at attention, leaking almost as much as his hole was.

 

When he caught his breath, he lifted himself up halfway, then slowly sank back down. He repeated this several times and around the third time he pushed back down, his body started to vibrate. He could feel every inch of muscle he used to move up and down, every twitch of Zhou Lieren’s cock inside him. He tossed his head back and let out a moan that he didn’t think he let out even in his wildest dreams.

 

It was hard to think about technique, to recall the various texts he read growing up because it just felt so good. His mind could only focus on the way his body felt like it was shedding a second skin, releasing things that had been built up.

 

“Lieren…” He moaned then dropped his head down to finally look at Zhou Lieren’s face.

 

He looked pained, his head pushed back against the bed and his lip caught between his teeth. His eyes were shut tight and the muscles in his chest and biceps were taught. He glanced back down at Zhou Lieren’s hands which clenched around a fistful of sheets in a white knuckle grip. Huo Huli slowed his rhythm as he watched.

 

He’s...he’s still trying so hard. He thought about how much Zhou Lieren held himself back, made himself small. He knew there was so much self-discipline and fortitude in a man who could wield a powerful blade but never brandished it about. He didn’t want Zhou Lieren to feel like he had to restrain himself, to be seen and not heard with him.

 

He wanted Zhou Lieren to feel free.

 

He took a deep breath and leaned forward to try and bring his face as close as possible to Zhou Lieren’s lips, but he couldn’t reach. Instead he drifted his mouth to one of his dark nipples and placed a wet kiss on it like Zhou Lieren had put on his thighs. Zhou Lieren shuddered underneath his tongue and a trickle of excitement swelled inside him.

 

“Lieren…” he whispered gently, but when he didn’t open his eyes he stopped moving and sat up a little. He called to him again. “Lieren…”

 

Zhou Lieren’s eyes fluttered open, his eyes glossy and full of heat when he looked up at him. He lifted a hand to Zhou Lieren’s face and traced the line of his brow that had sweat clinging to it. He spoke softly, but not in a whisper so his words wouldn’t be confused for something else. 

 

“Take me, Lieren...I don’t want you to hold back. Please, touch me.”