Tian Ya Ke Week 2022 - Day 2
~ Prompt: Canon Divergence
Story where Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing already met and fell in love with each other before Zhou Zishu left Tian Chuang.
This is kind of a prequel to another short story I wrote for "Kinktober on the Mountain" last year. You can read the next part of the story here:
PART 1:
https://www.wattpad.com/1142245026-of-soulmates-and-love-tian-chuang
PART 2:
https://www.wattpad.com/1143919300-of-soulmates-and-love-ghost-valley
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Human's heart was as fickle as a flickering candle. A wavering will might swirl into persistence when circumstances pleaded for it. Likewise, an iron-hard determination might sway in the face of unprecedented happenstance.
A little town at the foot of Mount Feng Ya fell into slumber as darkness fell upon its roofs. The bustling crowd wandering the streets during the day was nowhere to be seen. Save for the lanterns of guards patrolling the night, most houses had been engulfed in shadows, their inhabitants had long retired.
There was an inn standing at the center of the town. It was neither grand nor in shambles, just an ordinary tavern where passing travelers could stay to rest their exhausted legs and fill their empty stomach. There were rooms lining on the second floor, partly empty and partly occupied. As for what matters the visitors inhabiting those chambers were engaging in this late in the night, nobody was idle enough to care about it.
It was one of the rooms in this guesthouse. Though it couldn't very well be seen from outside, there was still a faint light glowing within, a lone candle just enough to ensure that it would not be pitch black in the room. The cool breeze whirling from the hills sometimes seeped through the gaps between the tightly shut windows. Nevertheless, though it should be more than enough to make one shiver and curl under the blanket, apparently the inhabitants of this particular chamber were too occupied by something else to notice the cold.
Behind the humble gauze canopy, two shadows could be seen overlapping on the bed; the sound of moans and panting leaking through the curtains.
One hovering above, the other lying below with both legs spread in resignation, a pair of men was so deeply submerged in pleasure that it looked as though the whole wide world mattered little more than nothing in their eyes. The one above appeared to be not so much older than thirty years old; his features were sharp and handsome, with a wan complexion and a pair of unnerving dark eyes that made him look rather inhuman. The other was only slightly younger than him; the lines of his face were striking, the slope of his nose elegant and his lips thin. Beneath his long and thick eyelashes, there was a pair of black spheres, the color deep and undiffused. He was no less handsome than the first one, yet in the visage that clearly portrayed everything there was to be had in a man, there was an inexplicable charm that—when combined with his pale complexion—made him appear surprisingly delicate.
On their bodies, various scars old and new were carved, never to disappear.
They were kissing deeply, the one lying below had his arms wounded around the other's back as he let the older man ravish his inside to his heart's content, while the latter earnestly embraced him as though afraid he might slip away from his grasp. Locks of black hair were scattered and tangled; despite the fact that their intercourse defied the law of nature, it was evident that they were just a pair of lovers immensely infatuated with each other.
Relationship between men was something frowned upon by society, but in this era there were ultimately no laws banning the practice; the engagement would only result in gossip and mockery at the very worst. And yet when one of this love-struck couple was the master of a den of vicious criminals that was the Ghost Valley, while the other was the leader of the Emperor's secret assassination and espionage organization that was the Window of Heaven, things wouldn't be as easy to accept as if they were to be a pair of commoners.
Wen Kexing held his lover dearly, raining kisses after kisses on his body until a vivid painting of scattered plum blossoms was drawn all across that pale complexion. He spread the other's legs apart. Taking hold of a certain member between his lover's thigh, he began to stroke said member while at the same time accelerating his pace, sending his own heat to violate the deepest part of the beauty lying beneath him.
The beauty nearly cried out from the pleasure.
"L...Lao Wen–"
"Mn. I'm here, A-Shu," he said, caressing the other's face tenderly, "There's no need to hold back. I'm also close."
Zhou Zishu bit his lips and threw his head back. Tears were dripping down his eyes, bullets of sweat trickling from his temple. The more he tried to hold back, the more his moans were leaking and he so desperately struggled to muffle himself, pressing his arm to his mouth.
But Wen Kexing removed that arm, in its place replacing the seal with his own lips. Their kiss was fervent and unbridled; although their hug was momentarily torn apart before, it did not take long for Zhou Zishu to cling onto him again, and Wen Kexing embraced his lover so close they were about to melt together. The bed creaked as their movements grew more intense, the peak of pleasure evidently no longer so far off.
It was then that Zhou Zishu's body curved into an arc, and at the same time Wen Kexing thrust his hips forward to plant his seeds deeply inside. Their climax lasted for a long time, neither seemed to be willing to separate. By the time their kiss ended, both were panting and wheezing, but there was a trace of smile shared between the two, tender and delicate.
The more one was forbidden from the act, the more one wished to engage in it. Such was the nature of human beings, and these two were not exempt from its grasp. No matter how taut their determination was, no matter how rigidly they carried themselves, once their hearts were drawn to one another, all thoughts and reasons crumbled into dust. They had since abandoned their fears and worries, wanting for nothing more than to spend the rest of their lives together.
How unfortunate it was that they were bound by both duty and curse, as even a mere rendezvous to see one another could only be done in absolute secret.
The lone candle flickered and eventually died down. In the room now swallowed by darkness, the two lovers remained embracing each other, hands joined under the quilt. For what almost felt like an eternity, they only lied side by side in silence, but neither wished to fall asleep. Of all people, the two of them must understand it the most.
They were allowed just a short time to spend together. When the sun rose in the morning, it would be time for them to part again.
"Are you going back to the capital tomorrow, A-Shu?" Wen Kexing asked in a soft voice, brushing the stray hair from his lover's face to the back of his ear.
Zhou Zishu gave him a small nod.
"We've accomplished our mission in this area. I should report back to His Majesty at once," he said.
"To think that my A-Shu still thinks of me even when carrying out an imperial assignment... This humble one is truly delighted, even if we could only meet for one night."
"That mouth of yours can really speak some incorrigible nonsense. When have I ever not thought of you?"
As he said this, Zhou Zishu pinched the other's cheek while admonishing him. Wen Kexing caught his hand, then he planted a kiss on the joints of his fingers.
"Yes... My A-Shu is the most thoughtful in the world."
He played with Zhou Zishu's fingers for a while, kneading and rubbing that palm calloused from frequently holding a sword in long fights and strenuous practices. Though he said not a single word, even in this darkness Zhou Zishu could still notice a certain emotion flickering within those dark eyes, quiet like a pool.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"...Say, A-Xu..." Wen Kexing held his hand, "One day, when you are no longer the leader of Tian Chuang and I am no longer a Ghost, let's travel the world together, just the two of us."
Zhou Zishu was taken aback into muteness for a brief second. Those words sank into his heart like dew dripping in the early morning, seeping into the soil. Before he knew it, a smile bloomed on his face, and he closed his eyes, nodding in agreement.
"Mn. Let's do that."
***
The Four Seasons Manor stood amidst the snow. In the courtyard, a cluster of plum blossoms was just beginning to flourish, painting the gloomy residence in its soft and delicate color.
The manor had few people residing in it. Both disciples of the sects and servants alike, their numbers had dwindled over the years, steadily going towards extinction.
Through the silent halls and corridors, the Manor Lord's chamber was engulfed in a solemn atmosphere. Zhou Zishu was the only person inside. Sitting in front of a bronze mirror, his robes were undone, revealing the finely toned body hidden within, carved from years and years of rigorous training. His handsome visage bore a grave expression, yet if one were to look closely, there was resolution emanating from his startling bright eyes.
There was a small wooden box sitting atop the desk in front of him, just beside the bronze mirror. Zhou Zishu carefully opened the box, putting away the lid as he took out the objects that had been kept inside.
It was a set of nails—seven nails—in fact, each one of them giving off a chilling pressure despite not looking any larger than a person's palm.
He took one of the nails into his hand.
"......To wander the world together with you, it would be a blessing that a sinner like me does not deserve," he muttered under his breath, "But if I could have even just a glimpse of it, no matter how brief, then I would regret nothing even if I have to pay for it with my life."
With that said, he looked straight into his reflection in the mirror. Raising his hand, in one swift movement, he jabbed the nail into his body, driving the sharp point into his flesh until it was buried beneath his skin.
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