And indeed, they had time – not an eternity, but certainly enough time to figure this out. Àiyǎn clearly seemed keen on taking the initiative though, so Jixue readily allowed it, staying put as the other reached up towards the crooked hair crown. Without further ado, the other then pulled out the hairpin holding it in place, and once the cord was gone as well, Jixue’s hair quickly cascaded down his back.
Then, the Demon King promptly got up, placing the jade crown down onto a nearby table before reaching up to loosen his own. Soon, he placed it right beside that of Jixue, then reached up to undo his own topknot.
It frankly didn’t make all that much of a difference though, since the topknot had contained only a small portion of Àiyǎn’s hair – which was such a lovely red colour, and curly in a way that Jixue’s hair definitely wasn’t.
Amongst demons, there were obviously far more unusual colours, and far more unusual looks as well. However, to someone who’d spent most of their time in the Human Realm, that shock of red hair would undoubtedly make an impression.
Jixue had never really touched it though – not intentionally, at any rate. Seeing it now however, he did want to touch. For now though, he could only look, and soon, he couldn’t even do that, averting his eyes as Àiyǎn began to undress.
What was the matter with him, honestly? It wasn’t as though he hadn’t seen naked bodies before – human or otherwise. But⸺
Reacting to his emotional state, Jixue’s feathers puffed up, shielding him from view – and although Jixue hated the implications that he was hiding, he didn’t move them away, not even as he noticed Àiyǎn’s approach.
“Still too much?”
Jixue didn’t intend to dignify that with a response, but the way that his wings trembled probably told the other more than enough.
“Okay,” Àiyǎn murmured, leaning in. “Let’s try this then.”
Something dark appeared in Jixue’s line of vision, and before he really understood what it was, Àiyǎn had already secured it in place.
A blindfold, Jixue thought, letting out a breath as he tried to calm his racing heart. Because suddenly losing his vision was alarming. At the same time though, it proved strangely calming.
“Still too much?”
It was honestly difficult to tell, but⸺ “It’s fine.”
Well, maybe not completely fine but definitely better, so⸺ “Just one question: Do you have any sort of experience with... this sort of thing?”
Because obviously, the question needed to be asked.
“Nope,” Àiyǎn readily admitted. “No practical experience whatsoever. I mean, I’ve read up on a few things and I have asked a few trusted and more experienced acquaintances for advice, but...”
Oh, Gods.
Despite being blindfolded, Jixue looked up towards the unseen Heavens and fervently hoped that they were not watching.
Surprisingly, Àiyǎn did seem to have some semblance of an idea as to what he was doing.
Getting Jixue out of his robes proved no greater challenge even with the wings; it went down surprisingly smoothly, with only a few ruffled feathers. Àiyǎn still took his sweet time straightening them out however, carding his fingers though the wings before sliding his hands inward, against the natural direction of the feathers.
Soon, his hands had reached the spot where the wings attached to Jixue’s back, and once there, his thumbs dug in, tearing an undeniably needy gasp from Jixue’s throat.
“So sensitive,” Àiyǎn crooned, leaning in. “I always thought you were a bit touchy, but now I understand. I wish I’d known about it before.”
Jixue wanted to ask him what he would’ve done with that information, but the stroking and the kneading left him unable to produce more than a vaguely inquisitive noise.
“Well,” Àiyǎn responded, clearly getting quite into it. “For one thing, I would’ve been a bit more careful – not just of bones but of pride, you know? I might not have been officially courting you then, but...”
He trailed off, and then finally said: “I asked around, you know, after, and got pretty chewed out over everything. I honestly thought I’d never be hearing the end of it...”
The Demon King paused, and then his voice changed, clearly imitating that someone else.
“Birds are very sensitive and very particular,” he cited, his tone one of exasperated disapproval. “You don’t touch them without their consent, and anything below the neck is basically out...”
Àiyǎn paused, one set of fingers sliding up Jixue’s spine to brush against that very neck, and then said: “Touching a bird’s back, especially the area around the wings, is basically a proposition. So⸺”
He shifted, moving to envelop Jixue completely from behind, pulling him in until he was pressed quite firmly to the other’s chest, wings pressed flat against his back. It proved quite uncomfortable too, and Jixue dug his claws into the arms holding him to make his feelings known. He didn’t retaliate though, and soon, the grip relented, shifting.
“⸺tell me, Jixue,” Àiyǎn purred. “Do you accept?”
Honestly⸺ “Such questions... are best asked before, and not after you’ve already⸺”
Besides, hadn’t Jixue already⸺?
Feeling the other’s hot breath against his bare neck, Jixue immediately grew quiet and still, intensely aware of the other’s presence. Then, the other’s lips pressed down, and Jixue’s breath hitched.
“Yes or no,” Àiyǎn crooned, shifting slightly. “Pick one.”
But hadn’t Jixue already⸺?
“Don’t worry,” the other murmured. “No matter which you choose, I’ll still take care of you. That System of yours was pretty insistent on that.”
Huh? “Since when do you take orders from Systems?”
“Since never,” Àiyǎn hummed, rubbing his cheek against him. “But I do take recommendations.”
Recommendations? “What sort of recommendations?”
Àiyǎn didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he moved back slightly.
Soon the blindfold came off, and Jixue took in the renewed visual input, blinking as his vision began to clear, then sharpen. It didn’t feel quite as overwhelming as before though.
“Oh, nothing much,” Àiyǎn said. “You okay now?”
Jixue nodded once.
“And your answer?”
Ugh, honestly⸺ “You’re not getting an answer before I get an answer out of you. What did the System tell you?”
“Well,” Àiyǎn said, leaning in. “I was told to clear my schedule for the week, and to keep you... sated for the duration of it.”
Hearing this, Jixue twisted, and Àiyǎn immediately let go, giving him adequate space to turn around to face him, which he did, making sure to keep his gaze from straying downwards.
“Is that so?” Jixue finally said, grabbing hold of the Demon King’s face, holding it in place as he leaned in. “And if I decide that I’d rather eat you?”
“Well,” Àiyǎn said, smile widening. “That would certainly sate your appetite, but what then? Who’d take care of you afterwards?”
Jixue was relatively sure that he could probably take care of himself – or at the very least knock himself out for the duration of it. Provided the wards held, he wouldn’t even have to worry about any outside threats in the meantime. But⸺
Àiyǎn’s hands covered his, and his eyes locked firmly with Jixue’s. This made Jixue unwittingly lower his gaze, causing him to get his first very good look at a certain portion of the other’s physiology.
Wetting his suddenly quite dry lips, Jixue dragged his eyes back up and finally asked: “Do you... even know how to properly use that?”
“Well,” Àiyǎn said, leaning in. “Are you bold enough to find out?”
As it turned out, Àiyǎn did know how to use his equipment, and by the end of it, he seemed invigorated rather than exhausted, purring up a storm while Jixue lay atop his chest, too exhausted to do much else, his wings fanned out and the rest of him an outright mess.
Honestly, what had he gotten himself into? Or – as evidence would suggest – what had System 225 gotten him into?
Jixue internally cursed the thing, along with the fact that the thing was already firmly out of reach, because if not, then Jixue would’ve definitely⸺
“Are you hungry?” Àiyǎn suddenly asked, and indeed, Jixue was hungry – for revenge, that is.
“What time is it?” Jixue asked instead, trying to rid himself of the lingering daze. He was only marginally successful however, still too awash with hormones and the other’s pheromones to really think straight.
“It’s late,” the other said. “Or early, depending on the perspective. How are you feeling?”
Well, other than the hormonal situation, Jixue was definitely sore in places not usually sore and quite exhausted on top of that. That said however⸺ “I’m pretty sure I’ll live.”
“Hey.”
“You were heavy.” And quite energetic once he’d gotten started. Still, nothing that accelerated healing wouldn’t fix, right?
“Hey! I was careful!”
Yes, very. Initially.
“Ugh,” the Demon King finally said, moving him aside. “Well, I’ll take more care not to crush you next time around – but from what I picked up, you didn’t really seem to be⸺”
Jixue swatted at him with one of his wings, earning himself a definite look. It was quickly replaced by amusement however, before Àiyǎn slid out of bed and pulled on a robe.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, stepping out.
Several moments passed, and eventually, Jixue got up as well. And once on his feet, he quickly located a nearby set of robes, but found himself much too unsteady on his feet to really continue standing. Instead, he used just a touch of qi to bring the robe to him, using it to cover himself up. Never mind the fact that it was one of Àiyǎn’s, because the Demon King had plenty to spare.
And true to his word, the Demon King soon returned, and as he came back, he brought along a tray stacked with a decent selection of food.
“I didn’t know what you wanted, so I grabbed a bit of everything,” Àiyǎn said, picking up a bowl. “I got you some soup. You should probably start with that.”
Jixue didn’t particularly appreciate being told what to do. But when Àiyǎn handed him the bowl of soup, Jixue took it and cradled it in his hands.
The soup was warm and strangely fragrant – smelling of sweetness rather than salt, sweetness that undoubtedly originated from some sort of berry and fruit – and as he sniffed it, Jixue thought that it definitely smelled vaguely familiar somehow.
Jixue ultimately opted not to think of it however, taking a cautious sip to determine not just the taste but if the soup was at a drinkable temperature. Because while he typically had no problems dealing with the cold, dealing with heat was another issue, and he’d rather not burn himself by being careless.
Àiyǎn meanwhile grabbed a piece of raw flesh that he’d apparently brought for himself, devouring it without further ado. Then, upon noticing Jixue’s glance, he promptly picked up another piece and held it up, clearly offering it.
Jixue quickly averted his eyes though, looking instead at the wide selection on the tray that lay well within his reach. None of it really appealed to him though, and Jixue inevitably found his mind drifting towards other things – things such as his nape, as of yet unmarked.
“Why haven’t you done it yet?” Jixue asked, because what more was there to keep waiting for, honestly?
“I was waiting for you,” the Demon King finally said, wiping his hands and mouth.
For him? For him to ask or...? “It’s not like I’m planning on fucking anyone else. We might as well make it official.”
“Hoh?” the bastard said, leaning back in. “Does that mean I should tell them to start preparing for two ceremonies, not just one?”
Jixue narrowed his eyes at him, before finally deciding that it wasn’t worth it. Instead, he got up himself.
“Enough,” he said, turning his back on the bastard. “If you won’t stop fooling around, then I’ll deal with my own way.”
Yes. It might not be the best method, but soaking in icy water until he became hypothermic would probably do it – it would probably keep him steady until his hormone levels dropped. Mingyue could help him – Mingyue would probably love to⸺
A low growl promptly derailed that train of thought, and Jixue snapped his head around and then turned just in time before the Demon King caught him and promptly dragged him back, tossing him onto the bed.
The mattress then shifted, dipping in places as the other moved into position above him, straddling him, caging him in – and unlike previous occasions, where Àiyǎn had retained a careful balance in-between touching and not touching and clearly tried to keep from crushing him, there was little such consideration now.
Instead, there was pressure – physical, spiritual and mental – and Jixue quickly submitted to it. Then, the other’s lips and tongue pressed against his nape, and Jixue’s breathing hitched.
“No,” the Demon King growled. “Mine.”
Yours, Jixue simply thought.
Soon, that slightly abrasive tongue was followed by an unmistakable graze of teeth right before Àiyǎn finally bit down properly, piercing the skin.
“Barbaric.”
This was the first word that Jixue properly picked up as he finally resurfaced an unknown period of time later. He wasn’t overly surprised though – neither by the harsh judgement nor by the presence of the one who’d uttered it.
“Mingyue.”
And indeed, it was Mingyue, and although agitated, the other quickly put these emotions aside when he reached out to take Jixue’s vitals. There was honestly no need though; Jixue was perfectly fine.
“Master,” Mingyue said. “This is not fine.”
It was though, honestly. “I asked for it.”
At this, the brat sent him a thoroughly exasperated look, and then promptly directed a positively murderous one Àiyǎn’s way – almost as if blaming the other both for the mark and for making Jixue ask for it.
Honestly⸺ “Don’t you have wedding robes to prepare?”
For this, Jixue received a quite venomous look himself.
“This isn’t over yet,” Mingyue then said, as if there was even a need to clarify that – because obviously, this wasn’t over.
There was still a wedding to attend though, and once Mingyue had swept back out of the chamber, Jixue turned towards his mate, giving him a definite look – and when the latter hesitated, Jixue couldn’t help but display his exasperation more openly now, motioning for him to get closer.
And predictably, Àiyǎn came, even though he didn’t seem very keen on looking Jixue in the eye – which was undeniably annoying. Because honestly, this shameless bastard⸺ “Look at me.”
He finally did, and Jixue cupped his face to stare right into his eyes. The other’s pupils were initially slit, but soon, they widened, becoming quite round.
Then, Àiyǎn finally took some initiative, pulling their bodies more firmly against one another, and Jixue in turn puffed up his feathers and then finally burrowed closer.
“A wedding, huh?” the Demon King murmured.
“Their wedding,” Jixue corrected him, because frankly, what was the need?
“Their wedding,” the Demon King agreed, and once again, his fingers slid into Jixue’s feathers, and Jixue, well⸺
It was a good thing that they hadn’t been left in charge of any wedding preparations.
As for the wedding itself, it went off without a hitch – courtesy of the efforts of others, certainly. It was a nice enough ceremony, Jixue supposed, but he really saw no need to have one for himself – and neither did he see much need to act all dignified, and Mingyue muttering that it was disgraceful only made Jixue want to indulge in it even more.
Also, having that altar set up for Limao and that fool was a bit much, and Jixue instinctively knew how both of them would’ve reacted to it.
Granted, he hadn’t known Limao all that well or all that long, but he knew for a fact that she would’ve called it a farce and violently upended it.
Zilei meanwhile wouldn’t have taken to such extreme measures, but he would’ve definitely gaped at the sight and repeatedly muttered ‘What the fuck? What in the actual fuck?’ under his breath, and while that would’ve probably been funny in its own right, Jixue was glad that neither of them was actually present – and he was especially glad that Zilei wasn’t around, especially in any physical capacity, because the other would’ve undoubtedly insisted upon playing some music.
“Venerable Uncle,” the masked Youming Jun said, cupping his hands together in a greeting as he bowed. “Venerable Grandmaster.”
Technically, they had no such relationship, but⸺
“Venerable Master Bai, Venerable Master Jiao.”
Then finally, Youming Jun turned towards the altar, addressing that as well: “Venerable Mother, Venerable Father⸺”
Neither of them was named by name, but everyone there obviously knew.
“⸺This humble one has come to ask for your blessings.”
It was distinctly out of order, but what else could honestly be expected? This was the Demon Realm after all.
“Is that so?” the Demon King said, while Jixue slid down from his seat.
“It is indeed so,” Jixue said, reaching into his sleeves to withdraw a pair of exquisitely decorated gold bracelets.
Dragons and phoenixes, Jixue privately thought, stepping down to hand them over to Youming Jun, who in turn quickly slid them onto Yue’s wrists, one on each – like shackles, or⸺
“Venerable Grandmaster,” Yue said next, cupping his hands and bowing, his face still obscured by the red veil. “Venerable Demon King.”
Then, he turned towards the altar, repeating the motions. “Venerable Mother-in-Law, Venerable Father-in-law.”
Then finally, he turned towards Mingyue and Jiao Ziyu, and visibly hesitated. “Venerable Master Bai, Venerable Master Jiao⸺”
Mingyue didn’t stand still though. Instead, he stepped forward, and soon, there was a red umbrella in his hand. It was adorned with a golden pattern of dragons chasing tigers, and the masked Youming Jun definitely got the connotations. He certainly didn’t flinch though, and instead grinned as he reached out to take it and hold it over Yue’s head.
“Youming Yue, Youming Jun,” Mingyue finally said. “Go and come back.”
And with permission given, the young pair finished with their bows and then quickly made their exit, hand in hand as they retreated through the falling petals before they finally vanishing back out the doors. And even from afar, Jixue could tell that they were happy and that this was indeed a blissful union – and for this, Jixue was immensely relieved, because he might’ve had to resort to murder otherwise.
Sure, technically, he had no deeper relationship with his new grand disciple, but⸺
“Prepare the feast!” Àiyǎn called out, so, it was done.
