Second Time Around

28. Books

"Lan Zhan..." Wei Ying concentrated on a small snarl. "Where will you sleep tonight?" He tried to keep his voice light, as if the answer didn't matter.

Lan Zhan met his eyes in the mirror. "I missed sleeping next to you." It was a raw admission, full of hope.

"Lan Zhan... I missed sleeping next to you, too," came out in a whisper. Do you love me? Do I love you? The kiss was gentle, as fragile as a piece of spun candy and almost as sweet. It was also awkward with Lan Zhan twisting his neck around more than his body. "Lan Zhan... I missed this. I missed you." He moved sideways, almost sliding into Lan Zhan's lap. "Don't stop, please. It's been so long."

"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan whispered. "I missed you so much." The kiss turned more potent, tongues tangling, teeth nipping gently, then lips caressing the small sting away. Hands came into play, sliding across muscles encased by sleek silk.

Wen Qing's warning against playing games and exerting himself flickered into Wei Ying's mind and were dismissed as easily. Kissing wasn't going to rip his stitches. Touching like this wasn't going to rip his stitches. Being lifted like a new bride and carried to his bed wasn't going to harm anything. Lan Zhan half laying on his non-injured side and threading their legs together wasn't going to harm anything.

On the contrary... not doing this would cause irreparable harm.

And so might Lan Zhan's hand sliding under the blanket and dislodging Wen Qing's book. "What's this?"

Wei Ying wondered if the human body was capable of spontaneously combusting. It certainly felt like it was a possibility. "QingJie left it here." He buried his red face in his arms. "She said I should read it," he mumbled.

"Wei Ying... Is this something you might want to try someday?" Lan Zhan's voice sounded very weak and hesitant. "With me?"

Yes, with you. Only with you. Only ever with you. I can't imagine doing any of this with anyone else anymore. I only want your kisses, your touch. I want only you to be with me when I reach for heaven. Is this what love is? Do I love you? I think I love you. I think I want to feel you inside me. I think I want to be inside you. Do you love me, too? I think you do. I love you, Lan Zhan. Love me back, please. Forever. You've promised me forever so many times. Give me your forever and I'll give you mine. He realized with a start that some of that came out in actual words. Oh shit!

Lan Zhan jolted to a half sitting up position, their tangled legs preventing him from sitting all the way up. "Wei Ying? When did I promise you forever? I do. Of course, I do. I will. Will you? Yes? Yes. You can have all of my forevers. Every lifetime from now until eternity ends."

If there was a part of that verbal blathering that made any sense, it was simply the last two sentences. It took a bit of effort for Wei Ying to sit up. Part of it was the untangling of legs, but the other part was his stomach muscles protesting. "Lan Zhan, I'll take your forevers only if you take mine."

"Be mine," came out muffled against Wei Ying's lips. "Be mine forever."

"I'm yours. I've always been yours," was silenced with a brutal kiss that shoved Wei Ying back down onto the mattress. "Since the very first day that I saw you, I've wanted you to look at me. Look at me, Lan Zhan. Since that first night we played on the rooftops together. Yours, forever yours."

"I can't stop looking at you, Wei Ying." Lan Zhan had followed him down, slipping into the open space between Wei Ying's legs which curled up slightly to clasp his hips. "I've never been able to stop looking at you. Yours. Only ever yours."

"Lan Zhan... that book. I want it. I want you. I want all of you to belong to all of me." He rocked his hips up with a groan of pain.

"Shhh.... Let me do it," Lan Zhan whispered and answered Wei Ying's aborted movement with his own hips. "Let me take you there." His movements were restrained and careful. He had to somehow make his love fly without marking up that beautiful body and without damaging Wen Qing's work. He found a rhythm that had Wie Ying gasping into his mouth, pleading for more, clutching his back until he could feel sharp nails biting into his skin. "Shh... my love," he keened against Wei Ying's neck. "Don't move," he pleaded when Wei Ying tried to respond. "Let me do it. Let me... Are you almost there, love?"