His heart was thrumming like a bee as he was scooted back a little more by that strong arm around his waist.
"Shui-ge..." Lian Zeishen whispered as his other hand drifted over his warm skin until it settled, squeezing gently, against his throat.
Shui swallowed, feeling his adam's apple brush against Lian Zeishen's hand as it rose, then fell within his throat. He could feel the man's warm breath as he leaned away the slightest amount and turned his head, its faint mist warming the spot right beneath his ear every few moments.
A shiver eventually shook his shoulders, the movement immediately drawing Lian Zeishen's attention, because the faint breaths abruptly stopped.
Refusing to even turn around to see what the man's expression had changed to, Shui, instead, swallowed down more nerves and looked over toward the vanity.
"L-let me clean up your hair," he said quietly, right before wincing and jerking his left shoulder as he felt a hot tongue press against his skin.
His sudden reaction was evidently hilarious, because the man behind him began laughing as he pressed his face into the crook of his neck. He seemed to have a bit of trouble controlling his little fit, too, because it took him nearly two full minutes before he was able to stop.
"Shui-ge, my patience is limited. If you do not wish to fulfill our deal upon the agreed terms, perhaps you would consider a different option?" Lian Zeishen said before his darn tongue slipped out to swipe at Shui's neck again.
Thankfully, this time he was able to hold back the shiver it caused, but he didn't doubt that the guy knew how he was affecting him, anyways, considering he heard him chuckle again right afterward.
Pursing his lips, Shui hesitantly looked over his shoulder as Lian Zeishen lifted his face away from his neck, a cold look in his dark eyes.
"What other option?" he asked hesitantly.
He had no doubt in his mind that the guy wouldn't let him off easy if he broke their deal, so whatever he had in mind was probably much worse than a simple call tether.
When he felt the man's hand slowly begin to trail upward along his thin robe from where it had been settled at his waist, Shui couldn't hold back a third shiver as he tried to lean away, but simply pressed himself closer against Lian Zeishen.
"T-tether," he hurriedly rasped out as he turned his face away and reached up, intercepting the man's hand right before it could slip in between the fabric crossing his chest.
He heard Lian Zeishen hum for a moment before he, thankfully, withdrew his hands and scooted away.
Not wanting to risk frustrating him further, Shui quickly turned around to face him as he crossed his legs, then slowly reached out one hand, palm-up.
To his surprise, Lian Zeishen simply stared at his hand for a few moments before lifting his narrowed eyes up to his own.
"I don't want to put my tether there," he said with audible restraint in his words.
Hesitantly retracting his hand, Shui looked down at his wrist, then back up at Lian Zeishen, confused.
"Your tether is on your wrist..." he said quietly, then looked at his other wrist before holding it out to the man.
Perhaps he just wants ours to match sides?
When Lian Zeishen slowly reached up to grab his wrist, Shui let out a tired sigh of relief. Except, when the man simply tightened his grip and glared at him, he felt his stomach drop.
"Shui-ge, I want my tether to be visible to anyone who looks at you. Not hidden behind a sleeve," Lian Zeishen said as he slowly pulled him forward by his wrist until he was sitting right up against the man's own crossed legs.
He then dropped his hand and blurred forward, knocking Shui down onto his back before he could even blink. Little shocks of static began to zap his throat as the man leaning over him began to dig his thumbnails into his skin there, drawing a crackling line of blood from its center, around to either side.
The pain wasn't bad, but the sudden jolts of frantic spiritual energy that were slipping through the cut skin had Shui's muscles quivering and his jaw clenching.
He only noticed where exactly Lian Zeishen was carving the tether when he had finished, his thumbs joining at the back of Shui's nape.
It's too high!
There was no way in hell he could ever hide it!
"Lian Zeishen! Why the heck did you put it so high?" he growled as he shoved the stubborn man, who had begun licking the settling spell, off of him!
The guy allowed himself to be pushed off, flopping over to the side with an excited giggle that really didn't suit his personality... except, somehow, it did. Perfectly.
"Shui-ge is mine!" he yelled as he grinned at Shui psychotically through a partial veil of messy hair that had fallen in front of his face.
I feel like I've just put a harness on a dog, but it put a full collar and leash on me.
It didn't seem like a fair trade, at all.
"Yuen Shui, come here!" Lian Zeishen said as he stretched his arms open wide.
At the same time, Shui felt an abrupt weight settle against him from the opposite direction, making it feel as if gravity suddenly pulled him toward Lian Zeishen, instead of downward toward the ground!
Before he could even try to stop it, he was flailing into the guy's arms!
Thankfully, the spell was completed the moment he touched the man's still-bare chest, allowing him to hurry away right before he could be caught in the tight hug that had been clearly waiting for him.
The guy didn't seem to mind his abrupt escape, at least. He was way too excited about his new tether's ability. He was grinning like an idiot and giggling as he hugged himself and wiggled about on his side, eventually looking back up at Shui with too-wide eyes.
This man is exhausting.
Shaking his head, Shui moved back to the edge of the large bed, then grabbed the other complimentary robe and threw it right at Lian Zeishen's face.
"Get dressed and get up, I'm fixing that terrible hair of yours," he said, truly at his wits ends with how poorly it looked when it could be absolutely gorgeous.
Being hit with the light robe seemed to snap the man out of his revelry, because he immediately quieted as one dark pupil stared at him from between the folds of cloth and strands of long hair.
God, that hair...
He wanted to say that it was wasted on such a person who refused to take care of it, but he knew that it wasn't likely all Lian Zeishen's fault. It was clear that he'd been spoiled, at least to some extent, since he was always traipsing around, doing as he wished with whomever he wished. He'd also had a very nice room at their last in, and servants who were clearly worried that he might run off again before they could return to wherever they were heading.
Which he had.
Sighing, Shui dug through one of the drawers in the vanity and smiled when he finally found a nice-looking hairbrush. Turning, he held it up, then nodded sideways at the chair that was settled in front of the large mirror and desk.
Unsurprisingly, the man on the bed simply shook his head, but Shui was undeterred.
"You need to take care of your hair," Shui grumbled as he folded his arms over his chest and gave the man a pointed look.
Lian Zeishen stared at him for several quiet moments before he looked off to the side. Confused, Shui followed his gaze to where he'd dropped his single bag earlier.
What does he want with that? Does he know that I bought him swe— wait a second!
Shui was about to bribe the guy with the pastries in his bag when Lian Zeishen looked back up at him and spoke, though it was muffled by the clothing still settled over half of his face.
"I want to use Shui-ge's comb, not that one."
Oh?
He didn't even really use his much anymore since his hair was so short, but he had brought it out of habit.
"Uh, sure, I guess. I don't mind using that one instead," he said as he returned the pretty one in his hand to its rightful drawer, then walked over to his bag.
He heard Lian Zeishen moving about on the bed as he pulled out his comb and untied a bag of pastries from one of the straps.
When he finally stood back up and turned around, dark eyes were staring directly at him.
"What are you looking at?" he asked as he began walking back over to the vanity, not sure if he really wanted an answer to his question or not.
Lian Zeishen met him at the edge of the bed, thankfully clothed.
"You," he answered as he finally got up and walked over to the padded stool in front of the vanity.
Shui shook off the man's response with a quiet mumble as he settled his hands on his shoulders and guided him to sit. He, of course, fought him on it every inch of the way, but eventually, he had the man seated.
"Here," he said as he pressed the bag of pastries against Lian Zeishen's chest as he stepped around behind him, eager to get started since he knew that he had a very limited amount of time to complete his task.
Basically, as long as it took the guy to eat all of the pastries he'd bought.
The excitement of the sugary treats was thankfully enough to completely distract him well, allowing Shui to carefully go through his messy, matted hair bit by bit. He honestly liked brushing hair, and had spent quite a bit of time on his own. It was a fantastic stress reliever... if it wasn't an absolute bird's nest!
This man...
Shaking his head, Shui worked until finally got to the worst of it and wasn't surprised in the least when he had to retrieve a small knife from his bag in order to cut off a few pieces that weren't salvageable.
I swear I went through his hair not but a few days ago, and yet it's already this bad.
"Shuge?" Lian Zeishen mumbled around a mouthful of pastry as he looked up at him with clear, soft, non-cynical eyes.
Shui had to do a double-take to make sure that he was still looking at the same man.
"Yes?" he asked as he gave his hands a rest for a moment.
When Lian Zeishen reached up to press a tiny bit of pastry to his lips, Shui clamped his mouth closed tightly. He might have been able to stomach little bites of his mother's pastries, but the ones at the stall had smelled way too sweet. Even their bread had smelled of sugar and molasses.
Thankfully, Lian Zeishen withdrew his hand after only a moment, then tucked the little morsel between his own lips to join what he was already working on chewing. He then gave a quiet grunt as he pointed back over toward Shui's bag.
"Huh?" Shui questioned, hesitating for a moment before going back over to it.
Does he know that I have more sweets?
When he knelt down and put his hand on the top compartment, Lian Zeishen shook his head, gesturing for him to move his hand lower on the pack. There weren't too many compartments, so it only took a moment before Shui was guided to the right side pocket. It was honestly tiny compared to the others and he rarely used it.
Since he was being told to open it, however, he did so.
Huh?
Pulling out a little crumpled bag, Shui curiously opened it. Taking out one of the items inside, Shui felt his mouth begin to salivate at the sight of the little pepper. He could faintly smell its spice through the thin layer of breading that had been cooked around it.
After sparing Lian Zeishen's excited face one more glance, Shui slowly stood back up as he slid the little pepper between his lips.
Oh wow.
It was hot, of course, but not hot enough to make his nose run or anything. It was just the right amount of heat, flavor, and crunch. He finished savoring the little treat before turning to walk back to a waiting Lian Zeishen.
"Let me taste a tiny bit?" the man asked as he looked up at him with his dark eyes.
Shui gave a small nod as he reached back down into the bag he'd brought with him, but before he could pull out a pepper there were firm fingers grasping his jaw and tugging him downward until his mouth connected with Lian Zeishen's.
The kiss, thankfully, didn't last long... at all.
Lian Zeishen broke it almost immediately as he made a face while shaking his head and squinting his eyes. The childish reaction actually had Shui chuckling a little, though he tried to stifle it.
He didn't seem to do a well enough job, however, because his face was grabbed a moment later and their mouths returned to pressing against each others'. Unfortunately, this time Lian Zeishen didn't hesitate to force his tongue into Shui's mouth.
Oh god.
The sweet flavor from the sweets he'd been devouring quickly spread through his mouth, mixing with the taste of the spicy breaded peppers! Shaking his own head hard hard, his jaw was thankfully released and broke their contact, allowing Shui to quickly shove a few more peppers into his mouth to push back the disgusting sweetness.
The sound of the other man's laughter in the background of his agonized groans didn't make the situation much better.
Shui scowled as he put a few more into his mouth after swallowing the ones he'd already chewed, then tossed the bag on the vanity table before grabbing a good handful of Lian Zeishen's untangled hair and giving it a tug.
"Behave already. I want to get some rest but I need to get your hair fixed first," he chastised as he began working his way through the remaining parts that still needed tended.
"It's just hair. I like Shui's, anyways. You can just cut mine off," Lian Zeishen grumbled as he started nibbling at the last pastry.
This man...
"Behave... and don't you dare cut it. It's beautiful. You just need to take care of it better," he said as he hurried his pace a bit, having noticed the other man going through the pastry quicker.
"I won't cut it if Shui-ge takes care of it."
Shui gave the man's hair another tug, this time putting a bit more strength into it.
"I know you have servants to do that for you," Shui replied as he got busy on the last portion of hair that needed untangled.
He could see the man's expressions change drastically from excitement, to frustration, to aggression, then back again, but he knew better to react to every single emotion now. He was so confusing with his emotions that it was best to just wait and watch for his actual actions before reacting.
"I don't want my servants. I just want Shui-ge."
Shui was going to ignore his words again as he finished working out the last tangle, but his hands paused where they were as he caught the man's eyes in the mirror.
"You don't want me, remember? You want to kill me," he said as he turned his attention back to the comb in his slightly-shaky hand.
He tugged the last few tangles from the man's hair and finally straightened back up with a quiet groan, then yawned. When he opened his eyes again and closed his mouth, he nearly choked on his own saliva.
I didn't even hear him stand up!
Lian Zeishen was staring at him from only a few inches away, making Shui take a step backwards. When the man matched his action, Shui backed up again, then again. They only stopped their odd little dance when a hesitant knock sounded on the door to their room, making Shui jump and Lian Zeishen scowl.
"M-my lord?"
That voice...
It was the person who had been looking for Lian Zeishen last time.
"Your ser—" Shui's eyes widened when a hand pressed firmly over his mouth as he was shoved backwards onto the bed!
He grunted as he landed and tried to get back up, but Lian Zeishen didn't give him a single second of freedom as he pressed his hand down harder over his mouth, while at the same time holding him down with his other hand firmly in the middle of his chest.
When Shui stopped struggling against him, the man seemed to calm slightly, though his eyes only darkened as he finally sat himself down atop Shui's abdomen, then looked toward the door.
"What do you want, Jun Bo?"
That voice...
Shui felt his blood nearly freeze in his veins at Lian Zeishen's tone.
No wonder his servant stutters a lot.
"Oh, thank the heavens you are here. I-I just wanted to make sure that you were still returning. His highness, e-emperor Yuen will be coming to Yan soon and I was tasked to make sure that you are present during the initial meeting."
Shui felt Lian Zeishen's hand tighten around his mouth as his nails began to dig into his skin, but bit his tongue on trying to move away. He had nowhere to go, anyways, and he doubted that trying to yell would do him any good.
He seemed to have done something to get Lian Zeishen's attention anyways, because the man was soon looking back down at him as his long hair tickled Shui's face. His hand slowly relaxed enough to keep from harming him further.
"I will be there. Is there anything else you're disturbing me for?" he asked, his tone nothing short of dismissing.
The person behind the door hurried to respond, his voice growing more and more nervous.
"N-no, my lord. Please enjoy the rest of your evening."
The sound of the man's footsteps hurrying away made Shui's heart pick up speed as he stared up at Lian Zeishen, who was, in return, staring down at him.
"Enjoy the rest of my evening..." he mused, repeating what his servant had just said as he finally moved his hand from Shui's mouth, only to begin running it along his cheek gently.
He looked like he was about to literally devour him, but somehow, someway, his expression changed to a surprising calm as he carefully got off of Shui, then moved toward the head of the bed before lying down beneath the blankets.
Slowly sitting up, Shui looked over his shoulder at him, confused.
"Shui-ge looks very tired," he said as he snuggled against a pillow, even though he didn't look tired in the least.
I... won't argue. I am exhausted.
Knowing that he was limited with his options, he decided to take the man's good will to heart and slowly climbed beneath the blankets beside him. He wasn't surprised when he felt Lian Zeishen's eyes on him as he closed his own and used a tiny flicker of his ability to smother the one flickering candle in the room, but when nothing else happened, he finally managed to relax enough to drift off to sleep.
He didn't doubt that he'd wake up in Lian Zeishen's arms, but at least he was being given a little space to truly rest before that happened.