In a city you know quite well, a sudden downpour has forced you to take cover under an storefront awning. Perhaps this fills you with annoyance, or perhaps you are simply content to wait out the rain -- but as you stand there watching the rain, you find yourself with company. A young man, cursing softly to himself while he holds a green jacket over his head, scurries under the awning; perhaps you're not normally one to notice the clothes and looks of other people (or perhaps you are! There's nothing wrong with being a bit of a clothes horse ;3) but as the young man fixes his clothes and hair, it occurs to you that he's young, fresh-faced, and perhaps...Not entirely from around here?
2. An Astonishing Coincidence
Maybe you were just passing the time, or perhaps something about this young man charmed you, or maybe you were secretly teasing him. But at some point after he's told you his name (Shen Something, wasn't it? Shen Yuan, or Shen Luguang, or maybe even Shen Qingqiu?) but before the rain's entirely let up, he mentions that he's come to this city pursuing a job -- in fact, he's answering a help wanted ad from someone you know! Perhaps it's a domineering parent, or a busybody sibling, or even your own employer or liege lord! Regardless this person seems to be seeking a personal assistant, and Shen Whoever is supposed to meet them in person for the very first time today!
How does this make you feel? Will you be nice and help Shen Whoever make his appointment? Or will you laugh and bid him good luck. You won't...surely you won't try to sabotage him somehow! ...Will you?
Well, assuming you didn't sabotage that poor man (though it's not necessarily the end of the story if you do: the multiverse is infinite, after all, and there are endless paths to love, uwu) the next time you see your brother (or lord, or parent, or employer!) it will be together. Either you'll enter together or you'll come in on the two of them talking; either way that person who thinks they're the boss of you will be surprised and suspicious when they realize you already know each other -- but once you've explained the situation they'll nod thoughtfully, and finally say, "It's definitely not what I'd planned, but this might work out even better. It's good that you two seem to like each other, anyway; spouses are supposed to get along --"
The rain, oh, it was a wonder Limgrave wasn't drowned the same as Liurnia! Thank heavens this rectory had been built more sturdily than its church. Either the more modest construction had made it sturdy, or Marika's priests had seen fit to keep themselves more comfortably appointed than their god.
He couldn't imagine the church had ever been a warm and inviting place, not with the weather here. Its roof had long ago fallen in, and thus Marika's dour statue was getting rained on above her altar, while he... well, he could at least aspire to drying out again one day.
The road here was rarely-traveled these days. It turned south, away from the Erdtree. Of no particular use to the Tarnished, certainly, though The Lord's devoted had interests here.
And so it was quite a surprise to see a stranger approaching, through one of the broken windows. He'd be hospitable, then, long enough to take the measure of this one.
The old door stuck in its frame for a moment as he opened it, the wood swelled by damp. "Goodness, I thought I was the only one on the road today," he called. "Come now, inside, before you catch cold."
There'd been a time when he'd had a very nice oiled raincloak, green like the rest of his wardrobe, with a jade clasp for good luck. Well, arguably it had served its purpose: it had snapped suddenly, several weeks ago, whilst he found himself pinned down by a drooling madman whose scrawny arms belied a terrifying strength. The sudden surprise of the cloak falling off his shoulders had given him a much-needed opening to roll free and run: he'd escaped, but ever since he'd had naught to rely on but his silk and cotton robes for protection from the elements, and frankly, they had failed in their task.
That was then: by now he was dressed in little better than rags, and the call of a kindly voice makes him nearly lose his footing in shock before eagerly picking up the pace. "Th-thank you," he gasps through chattering teeth as he reaches the doorway, his long black hair stuck to his face and neck while his sopping rags scarcely preserve his modestly. "I thought all kindness had been drained from this land long ago," he says ruefully, and politely bows his head through his shivering. "If it pleases you, please call me Shen Yuan."
What a marvelously pathetic figure. He can scarce believe anyone in such a state could survive long here, but looks can be so very deceptive. "When the gods do not grant mercy, we need not heed their example." He shoulders the door shut against a gust of wind, its howling like a petulant reply to his apostasy.
"What could take you down this road? There's very little one could want in the Mistwood." The fort, the minor Erdtree looming over the Siofra well, and countless, hungry wild things among the tree-split foundations of villages that had burned so very long ago.
The interior of the building is scarcely warmer than outside, but at least it's reasonably dry, and when Shen Yuan pushes his wet hair out of his face it stays where he puts it, instead of getting picked back up by the wind and slapping him in the eye. A small but important improvement.
"Ah, it's a poor story I'm afraid," he sighs, stifling a groan as he lowers his aching body to the floor. "Although I don't mind telling my benefactor, if he really wishes to know." As his shivering eases, he manages to smile up at Varre's inscrutable white mask, returning its look of serenity with one of shy embarrassment and just a touch of self-deprecation. "I'm no Tarnished, you see -- and yet, I came to these lands seeking my fate, much like they did." He sighs again, letting his eyes slip closed while he tips his head back against the cold stone wall. "I suppose one way or another, I'll find it quite soon."
It is not quite suicidality, that makes him present himself so passively to a person of unknown motivations and beliefs. Rather, he is simply too tired to care about the consequences. He's walked his feet nearly to the bone crossing this land; if Varre wants to hurt him then he's welcome to try, but won't he be nice and let Shen Yuan rest for a moment first?
Not a Tarnished? And not part of some retinue of hangers-on, nor obviously a frustrated Maiden--the Golden Order was very particular in who they blinded with the promise of a cause.
"What rotten luck," he seemingly commiserates, kneeling to look the man over. Lips painted pale blue with cold, but still shivering. Not yet succumbing to the elements, but it could be a close thing. Perhaps mercy would be the way of it, regardless of whether the Dynasty's security required it.
"Hm?" Oh right, his story. Shen Yuan forced his eyes open again, and said with a tired, unsteady laugh, "It was a dream, if you can believe it. I dreamt of a rose garden, over and over...the loveliest, reddest, sweetest-smelling roses you can imagine...with terrible thorns like daggers, but there's a path between the bushes...I always felt quite safe, so long as I stuck to the path..."
He found it necessary to force his eyes open a second time. He shouldn't fall asleep while he's still all wet like this, he'll feel miserable when he wakes up. Although it might be worth it anyway, because -- "For a time, after waking from this dream, it's as though a crimson flame hangs before my eyes. In my home country it was a mere blot on the horizon, but it awoke a desire in me to follow it...and ever since I passed through the mists, it's grown larger every time I wake from the dream...larger and stronger..."
How easy it was to coax stories from benighted travelers. It was a part of his calling, and his Lord had been eminently logical in his selection.
Behind his serene mask, his eyes had never shed the lustreless amber yellow of common blood from the plateau. A useful thing now. It made him less distinctive, more approachable, and yet still knowledgeable. A blessing in and of disguise, in a decrepit land still plagued with gold-worshiping zealots.
But as he listens, he goes very still. Roses and flame? Truly? Such lovely things seemed too pure to be true. He reaches out, taking Shen Yuan's wrist and finding his pulse. "Stay awake for a while more. Where do you see this fire?"
Knowing each other is a bit of a strong way of phrasing it. Shen Yuan had attended lectures in the Cloud Recesses a few years back, and Xichen had spoken with the young man's second brother a number of times at various functions. The only time they had spent anything resembling time together was briefly during a conference where Lan Xichen had accidentally consumed a mouthful of wine, and Shen Yuan had been kind enough to make his excuses for him while Lan Xichen retreated to the solitude of the gardens until its effects wore off.
He couldn't say he disliked Shen Yuan - rather the opposite - the young man had done him quite the service and saved him embarrassing himself and his sect. It's just... well.
They don't really know each other all that well, shufu!
It is a great relief when Lan Qiren steps outside, and from where he's seated across from Shen Yuan, his shoulders visibly sag.
"I am... very sorry about this. It would appear our families were conspiring behind our backs."
His face is effused with a gentle, assuring warmth, a radiant smile blooming on delicate lips with just a hint of humour to take the edge off the awkwardness. Lan Xichen's fame almost always precedes him and it is not undeserved - not moments ago he looked utterly mortified at the surprise betrothal. Now, he was working overtime to reassure the young man across from him.
"I have no objections to the arrangement -" which is true. The Shen family's reputation as merchants is impeccable, and they still maintain their old cultivation traditions from the days they were a proper sect. He cannot muster any serious objection - it is, by and large, a very agreeable match. "- but if you do, please tell me now truthfully. I would not force the matter if you have any discomfort with it. Ultimately you and I are the ones with the final say here."
And as well meaning as shufu is, Xichen has no desire to go through with any betrothal unless his spouse-to-be is also on board. He has seen what marriages foisted upon two unwilling parties do to people; he would not let this sweet-faced gentlemen live in bitter resentment just to appease their family. If shufu thought relations with the Shen family were valuable, there are surely other ways of cementing such an alliance that didn't involve marrying their unwilling son to a man he barely knew.
Shen Yuan had thought he'd done quite well at maintaining his composure up until now: he'd stayed calm and serene under Lan Qiren's intense scrutiny and the painful embarrassment of Lan Xichen's confusion. Even now he was careful not to show any of the outrage and sympathy he felt on the other man's behalf, lest they be mistaken for unfilial sentiment. But Lan Xichen's earnest kindness, coming from that famously beautiful face...it was really more than Shen Yuan's face could bear! He could already hear er-ge teasing him for being such a softy, but he doubted Shen Jiu could do any better! Lan Xichen really was too good for this world, too pure!
Still, he made an effort to moderate his reaction, for the sake of his own and his fiance's dignity. "If Lan-zongzhu is alright with it, then I don't see any reason to object either," he says shyly, feeling his own face warm as he greedily studied every inch of Lan Xichen's face from the corner of one modestly-averted eye. "In truth I was very pleased, when da-ge told me we'd received a proposal from the Lan. I only regret my future husband did not receive the same opportunity." That much had to be okay, surely?
He suspects it has something to do with his adamant refusal to even consider Wen Ruohan's proposal to arrange a marriage between Lan Xichen and one of his sons (Xichen does not know who he dislikes more; Wen Xu and his cold, calculating cruelty or Wen Chao, a callous and fickle philanderer). Lan Qiren must have said there was already an arrangement in the works to avoid inciting Ruohan's ire, and then quickly threw this together.
Altogether, it is a rather agreeable arrangement. Xichen is certainly more familiar with Shen Yuan's older brothers, as they are closer in age, and more frequently in attendance to the same functions as he is, and while the middle brother is brusque and acerbic and difficult to get along with, the eldest is of a similar disposition as Xichen.
"I suppose shufu would want me to at least be properly introduced, or I might have made a terrible mistake and rejected the proposal outright."
In this case, he is very, very glad of his uncle's little deception.
He catches Shen Yuan's eye as the other man is trying just as hard to study him surreptitiously as Xichen is trying to do the same. He flushes, both having caught each other in the act, but there is relief that there is some spark of attraction there.
He has no illusions that, as sect leader, he will probably never marry for love, but he would at least like, if not friendship then some level of comradery between himself and his future husband. The possibility of mutual attraction would be... far more than he'd ever dare to hope for.
"Would you care to walk with me for a while through the grounds...? The weather is pleasant yet, and there is no reason to stay cooped up indoors."
Those two spots of warmth on his cheeks blossom into open flames as he finds himself caught staring -- as he retreats, mortified, behind his silk fan, it occurs to him that Lan Xichen was staring too, wasn't he? Or is he just indulging himself in some wishful thinking?
"That would be lovely," he says demurely, but on the inside his mind is calculating and assessing harder than ever. If Zewu-jun is into him, that would be...that would be really lovely, honestly, it would definitely make fulfilling, ahem, certain matrimonial duties a lot easier, and...well, honestly the idea that someone like him could be attractive to Zewu-jun is so intensely flattering that Shen Luguang immediately decides it would be better and safer to pretend that it's an impossibility, so as to avoid disappointing himself later. And with that in mind, it was much easier to get ahold of himself and focus on behaving appropriately.
After all, he had no reason to suspect Zewu-jun, Lan Xichen, would be anything less than a kind, gentle, and dutiful husband, regardless of anything else. And really, who could expect anything more?
So by the time they've walked some distance outside, long enough to reach one of the Cloud Recesses' many scenic views, he's able to sigh and say, quite calmly, "Surely the Cloud Recesses are one of the loveliest and most serene places in this world. I've always envied those who get to live here."
Xichen is sure coming out so far they would require a chaperone, and in any other situation he would think it not just appropriate but necessary. But a streak of mischief has gotten into him, and really, it's not like they're completely alone.
"They are, indeed, tranquil. Though I'm afraid many who haven't grown up here might find them a bit dull and stifling."
Shen Yuan should have a fair warning of what he's getting into. It's true that Lan Xichen is among the most eligible and desired of bachelors for his gentle and patient disposition alone, but with him comes the Cloud Recesses and with the Cloud Recesses comes the Lan Sect.
And with the Lan Sect comes the wall of discipline and it's many, many rules.
They may as well have saved themselves some trouble and just chiseled "no fun allowed" into the stone.
But Xichen is also not one to follow the rules to the letter. He leads Shen Yuan off the beaten path to a small clearing, dotted with wildflowers. Another of the disciples is kneeling in the field, elegant even when hunched over, and quite tall when he stands to face the approaching company.
There is no mistake that the young man is related to Xichen - they are of a similar height, with the same regal bearing, and handsome features, though where Lan Xichen's neutral expression settles into a serene smile, this other man seems stern and dour.
The effect is rather offset by his armful of rabbits which are everywhere around the little grove, nibbling greens and hopping to and fro, quite carefree.
"Wangji," Xichen greets his brother with warmth and affection. He knows his brother has a... reputation for being difficult to get along with. He would very much like Shen Yuan's first impression of his beloved didi to be of his true nature; that he is, truly, as soft-hearted (if not moreso) as his older brother.
"I am glad I found you. I would like you to meet Shen Yuan."
A gentle hand covers the one Shen Yuan has rested on his arm, a reassurance that all is well.
Wangji sizes up the other man, and looks slightly miffed that he can't find anything to nitpick beyond Shen Yuan being a potential marriage candidate for his brother (the nerve!)
"Your betrothed? Shufu mentioned something of the sort," he asks brusquely.
"We haven't finalized the arrangement," he says and smiles at Shen Yuan. "But it is looking that way."
"Hm," is Wangji's only response to this besides a curt nod to Shen Yuan. It could mean anything, but is most likely both a welcome and a warning. Younger siblings just be like that sometimes.
Shen Yuan would have liked to assure Lan Xichen that on the contrary, he thought he might like nothing more than to live somewhere quiet and peaceful, where he could focus on his studies with minimal interruption...but that conversation will have to wait for another time, as apparently they've arrived at their destination...
Oh, and what a destination it is! Shen Yuan has to bite his tongue not to squeal out loud and risk scaring the bunnies, because they are so cute he can hardly stand it. Even the dour look on Hanguang-jun's face can't curb his enthusiasm, although he remembers himself well enough to bow his head respectfully and say, "It's an honor to meet Hanguang-jun at last. My second brother speaks highly of you." And then his gaze immediately drops back down to the bunnies; he bites his lower lip for a moment, wrestling with it, before asking nervously, "Are your rabbits friendly?"
Can he pet one?? Please, please let him pet one ;.;
Whatever trepidation Wangji seems to have from his perfunctory curt bow to his older brother's fiance fades when he sees Shen Yuan's pure delight at the sight of the rabbits.
He gives a quiet "Mn" and hands one over for Shen Yuan to hold.
Xichen gives into the urge to poke the little critter in it's wiggling nose, beaming impishly between his brother and fiance, delighted to see the two getting along.
(Well, for any given measure that Wangji gets along with anyone).
"It's a secret from shufu," Wangji warns. "So long as you remember that, you can come visit."
Xichen nods solemnly.
"Indeed, it's forbidden to keep pets in the Cloud Recesses," he explains as Wangji, seemingly having exhausted his capacity for conversation, turns on his heel and heads off. So much for having a proper chaperone. (Chaperone yourself! says the look Wangji casts back at his brother.
"But I know some of the junior disciples come up this way to relax after difficult lessons."
Xichen is not renowned for being stingy, but he doesn't give gifts lightly either. From him, they must be things of significance; things both wanted and needed and not just some fancy baubles to be marveled at and then tucked away in a jewelry box or put up on a shelf to be forgotten.
And this is for the man who is going to be his husband! He should give him things that convey the depths of his affection. Something beautiful, austere, but not ostentatious.
It's a month before he and Shen Yuan are reunited. During that month, they wrote each other, of course, and the occasional carriage arrived from the Shen Estate with many of Shen Yuan's possessions so that he might have an easier time settling into his new home once he's properly wed.
And goodness, the many silent dinners, and only marginally quieter meetings they both have to sit through as Shen Jiu and Shen Qi speak with Lan Qiren about matters of the ceremony, and the dowry, and a lasting alliance as the Shen family returns to being a legitimate sect.
(They sit through the whole ordeal, prim and proper -- or at least mostly so. Xichen cheekily links their pinkies under the table, and though he doesn't smile with his mouth, his eyes are positively sparkling.)
Night has fallen by the time everyone is finished putting each agreement into print, signed and sealed, Qiren permits his nephew to see Shen Yuan to what will, eventually, be his official living quarters (though Xichen suspects they will likely be occupying whichever house the other is in). The Cloud Recesses are never particularly noisy, but even the sounds of the day-to-day bustle are absent, replaced by the trill of night creatures. The weather is cooling quickly at these altitudes, the leaves taking on shades of gold and crimson - the peaks will be blanketed in snow when they wed, and Xichen cannot imagine anything more beautiful than the striking contrast of their red robes against the fluffy white snow.
He walks arm-in-arm with Shen Yuan, elated by this reunion. He will miss him when he has to return home once more, but he consoles himself with the knowledge that the third time he returns, it will be to stay.
"Will you miss your home...?" he asks, a breeze rustling the bamboo leaves as they take a meandering pace along the many walkways of the Cloud Recesses.
"If my lord husband is willing, I hope to visit frequently," Shen Yuan teases him affectionately. He's figured out by now, although he isn't sure why, that something about the idea of keeping him here in the Cloud Recesses troubles Lan Xichen somehow; that he wants Shen Yuan to have as much freedom of movement as their ranks and reputations allow, even to the point of ordering the construction of a carriage for him, something previously unheard of in the Cloud Recesses, after Shen Yuan had reluctantly confessed that his cultivation was too weak to allow swordflight over any great distance.
"But no, I don't think I will," he continues more seriously -- but also tenderly, pausing their progress for a moment to carefully pluck a scarlet leaf gone astray from of Lan Xichen's hair. He holds it between two fingers like a miniature fan, twirling it slowly and smiling at the light in his husband-to-be's eyes as he holds it up next to his face. "My brothers have many admirable qualities, but if it's a quiet life one prefers, they aren't perhaps the most desirable of housemates." His lips twisted slightly into a small, but rueful grin. "Especially since Qi-ge is to be 'Sect Leader Shen' soon...I can only assume the bustle and noise will get worse before it gets much better."
Gently patting Lan Xichen's hand, he added, "A quiet life with books and music, and someone who treats me tenderly...that's what I dream of."
"Of course I am --!" Xichen blurts, a blush high on his impressive cheekbones. "You'd be my spouse, not my prisoner."
His eyes dart to the side because really, for some there is no difference between two. His own mother could attest to that if she were still alive.
(And he does his damnedest not to think about why that might be, why his mother died so abruptly.)
His anxious mood settles quickly when Shen Yuan says what it is he wants out of their marriage - to hear such a thing warms Xichen's heart because it means they are of one mind about their desires.
"...I too wish for that kind of life," he says, idly thumbing Shen Yuan's knuckles, turning his soft gaze to his betrothed. "I'm happy it gets to be with you."
"As am I." Shen Yuan's smile grew for a moment before he modestly lowered his gaze, a blush coloring his own cheeks as he added, "And I hope one day...my husband will trust me enough to share his troubles with me, as well as his joys."
He turned away, abashed by his own boldness. Who did he think he was, speaking so to Zewu-jun...? But he meant it, though. His father and mother had always shared the burdens and triumphs of their business with each other -- and when they'd passed, his brothers Shen Jiu and Shen Qi had done just the same. It seemed only right and fair that he should support his own husband, in whatever way he needed.
He feels a rush of warmth and affection for the man next to him, and he ducks his head, cheeks still tinged red.
"Consider it far less a matter of trust, and more a matter of time," he says. "If things continue as they are, then I cannot imagine there will be anything I would not trust with you."
He turns so that he his facing his husband-to-be, taking his hands in his own.
"I hope too that you will find me to be as a friend, an ally, and confidant."
And that is no false promise. Even if marriages in the Cloud Recesses were leagues more egalitarian than their counterparts in the Jianghu, Xichen has no intention of letting Shen Yuan be viewed as subservient to him. This will be a partnership of equals.
He gives Shen Yuan's hands a gentle squeeze.
"I... have something I would like to give you, if it pleases...?"
Well, something other than than what Shen Yuan and the rest of his family received upon their arrival in the Cloud Recesses.
In the Gusu Lan sect, there is a famous idiom about how similar weddings and funerals are. Both are equally solemn. It's a staid affair, everyone rigidly playing their part when Xichen and Shen Yuan make their vows and bows.
The banquet is what one would come to expect of Lan cuisine. Bitter and medicinal at worst, bland at best. Barely anyone exchanges a word since there is no talking allowed while they dine.
If there is one thing good about Lan weddings, they have a very definite end point thanks to the strict Lan bedtime. By eight o-clock, the bride and groom are escorted to the Hanshi, and left to their own devices. No one sticks around to make sure Shen Yuan loses his virginity and no one will check in the morning. Chastity is no grounds for annulment in the Lan sect, unless they're starving for heirs - and at the moment they are not. They have an heir, a spare, and a handful of cousins with some nieces and nephews on the horizon. The Lan tend to reproduce quite prolifically once they've found an agreeable spouse.
Thus, Shen Yuan and Lan Xichen are afforded all privacy.
The door shuts behind them, and a Xichen's shoulders sag with relief and a weary sigh escapes him.
"Shufu really didn't have to recite all 3500 rules," he chuckles, straightening his back and taking Shen Yuan by the hands.
He can see his beloved's face through the translucent red silk veil, and his smile grows warm and soft. They've waited so long for this, had (relatively) behaved themselves and now Xichen can't take his eyes off of Shen Yuan. He didn't think this affection could grow any deeper, but here they are, with his heart beating in his throat, and Shen Yuan there and so beautiful he could cry.
"There is ...one last thing," he says softly, giving Shen Yuan's hands a squeeze.
"Maybe he wanted to scold us one last time," Shen Yuan suggests, the teasing as self-deprecating as it is directed at Lan Xichen. While it's true that they never quite crossed that final line into true impropriety, it certainly wasn't for lack of trying on their part. Sadly their purity had more to do with luck and efforts of their hard-working family members than any special interest Lan Xichen or Shen Yuan had in remaining virgins before their wedding night -- and to think there'd been a time when Shen Yuan believed he'd be fortune if Lan Xichen simply tolerated his presence! He could laugh at his past self, but instead he gently (lovingly) squeezed Lan Xichen's hands and smiles at him through the gauzy veil.
"What more does my dear husband require?" he asks, teasing again even as his heart begins to throb in his chest. "Another ritual, perhaps? A set of rules just for dutiful spouses? Husband need only say it and this humble Yuan will see it done."
"It's only a small thing," he assures, bringing Shen Yuan's hands to his lips and pressing kisses to his lovely knuckles.
Whatever his uncle's intent reading off the litany of rules (as if Xichen didn't know them by heart), he is ever so thankful the man brought Shen Yuan into his life. They are here, their long lives now stretching ahead of them full of peaceful days and long, passionate nights.
He releases Shen Yuan's hands and with great care, pushes back his veil. Ah, his husband really is lovely, clad in crimson silk and bathed in the moonlight streaming through the window. He'd sit through a hundred thousand dull ceremonies for this moment alone, where he bows his head, untying the red ribbon from his brow, and then winding it carefully around the fine bones of Shen Yuan's wrist.
He gazes up at him, lips pulled into a cheeky smile.
Shen Yuan can feel his face heating, a shy yet eager smile playing on his lips as he watches Lan Xichen tie that precious ribbon around his wrist. (Unlike certain persons, Shen Yuan actually did his homework on the Lan Clan and its traditions, and so he knows exactly how precious this gesture is, how it's a moment to be treasured and committed to the annal of his heart forever.)
He considers and discards teasing comebacks -- is it really such a small thing? Doubtful -- and instead catches Lan Xichen's hand before it can be withdrawn, lifting it instead to his lips.
"Anything," he whispers breathlessly, hoping the look in his eyes convey even a small fraction of his feelings, his desires, as he pins Lan Xichen's gaze with his own.
Edited (fixed a typo) Date: 2023-07-13 12:11 pm (UTC)
Xichen could hold that gaze forever. He'd really like to as well, because Shen Yuan has the most beautiful eyes. But he also has the loveliest lips, and really, they have not been properly kissed in months and that's just unacceptable.
They'd been about as appropriate as could be expected within reason. It had left Xichen's self-control frayed to bits.
It finally snaps.
The kiss is strong, hungry, achingly tender, as Xichen's hands rest on Shen Yuan's hips. The veil falls over both of them as he seems intent on figuring out how to both probe and devour his husband's mouth.
There are certainly Lan rules for coupling on the wedding night - steps to be taken, things to do. If he had any intent of following them, it would be another hour before they could even touch. He wouldn't in a million years blame the weak wine they had shared, but it had left his inhibitions in a state where the little voice in the back of his mind urging him to do this all by the book was utterly silenced.
This was their night, and theirs alone. He'd followed through with the most important custom, the one that truly meant something.
They would have to find their own meaning in the maelstrom of passion.
It isn't long until he's crowded Shen Yuan up against the edge of the bed, coaxing the other man's tongue into his mouth where he can suck on it.
Kissing had been a revelation. He's so glad they at least got to know each other so intimately; it was only a pity that their virginity was such a sticking point for their families. He'd have loved it if he and Shen Yuan could have experimented a little more.
"I confess," he says breathlessly between kisses, "past this point," and more kisses, "I have no idea what I'm doing," and yet more kisses! "and only have some dubious educational texts to go by."
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timeasmymeasure
How to Get a Boyfriend in 24 Hours or Less (Open RP Prompts)
Date: 2023-05-09 12:04 am (UTC)In a city you know quite well, a sudden downpour has forced you to take cover under an storefront awning. Perhaps this fills you with annoyance, or perhaps you are simply content to wait out the rain -- but as you stand there watching the rain, you find yourself with company. A young man, cursing softly to himself while he holds a green jacket over his head, scurries under the awning; perhaps you're not normally one to notice the clothes and looks of other people (or perhaps you are! There's nothing wrong with being a bit of a clothes horse ;3) but as the young man fixes his clothes and hair, it occurs to you that he's young, fresh-faced, and perhaps...Not entirely from around here?
2. An Astonishing Coincidence
Maybe you were just passing the time, or perhaps something about this young man charmed you, or maybe you were secretly teasing him. But at some point after he's told you his name (Shen Something, wasn't it? Shen Yuan, or Shen Luguang, or maybe even Shen Qingqiu?) but before the rain's entirely let up, he mentions that he's come to this city pursuing a job -- in fact, he's answering a help wanted ad from someone you know! Perhaps it's a domineering parent, or a busybody sibling, or even your own employer or liege lord! Regardless this person seems to be seeking a personal assistant, and Shen Whoever is supposed to meet them in person for the very first time today!
How does this make you feel? Will you be nice and help Shen Whoever make his appointment? Or will you laugh and bid him good luck. You won't...surely you won't try to sabotage him somehow! ...Will you?
3. Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!
Well, assuming you didn't sabotage that poor man (though it's not necessarily the end of the story if you do: the multiverse is infinite, after all, and there are endless paths to love, uwu) the next time you see your brother (or lord, or parent, or employer!) it will be together. Either you'll enter together or you'll come in on the two of them talking; either way that person who thinks they're the boss of you will be surprised and suspicious when they realize you already know each other -- but once you've explained the situation they'll nod thoughtfully, and finally say, "It's definitely not what I'd planned, but this might work out even better. It's good that you two seem to like each other, anyway; spouses are supposed to get along --"
Wait a minute, did they just say spouses??
What the heck???
1. Meeting the cute. C:
Date: 2023-05-09 03:23 am (UTC)He couldn't imagine the church had ever been a warm and inviting place, not with the weather here. Its roof had long ago fallen in, and thus Marika's dour statue was getting rained on above her altar, while he... well, he could at least aspire to drying out again one day.
The road here was rarely-traveled these days. It turned south, away from the Erdtree. Of no particular use to the Tarnished, certainly, though The Lord's devoted had interests here.
And so it was quite a surprise to see a stranger approaching, through one of the broken windows. He'd be hospitable, then, long enough to take the measure of this one.
The old door stuck in its frame for a moment as he opened it, the wood swelled by damp. "Goodness, I thought I was the only one on the road today," he called. "Come now, inside, before you catch cold."
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Date: 2023-05-09 05:03 am (UTC)That was then: by now he was dressed in little better than rags, and the call of a kindly voice makes him nearly lose his footing in shock before eagerly picking up the pace. "Th-thank you," he gasps through chattering teeth as he reaches the doorway, his long black hair stuck to his face and neck while his sopping rags scarcely preserve his modestly. "I thought all kindness had been drained from this land long ago," he says ruefully, and politely bows his head through his shivering. "If it pleases you, please call me Shen Yuan."
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Date: 2023-05-09 01:37 pm (UTC)"I am Varré." He bows his head slightly, not entirely returning to his full height when the gesture's done. He has a tendency to slouch while talking to others, and, to be frank, it is cold. He guides Shen Yuan over to the least drafty corner of the rectory. There's no chance for a fire, but at least there is protection from the elements.
"What could take you down this road? There's very little one could want in the Mistwood." The fort, the minor Erdtree looming over the Siofra well, and countless, hungry wild things among the tree-split foundations of villages that had burned so very long ago.
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Date: 2023-05-14 04:46 am (UTC)"Ah, it's a poor story I'm afraid," he sighs, stifling a groan as he lowers his aching body to the floor. "Although I don't mind telling my benefactor, if he really wishes to know." As his shivering eases, he manages to smile up at Varre's inscrutable white mask, returning its look of serenity with one of shy embarrassment and just a touch of self-deprecation. "I'm no Tarnished, you see -- and yet, I came to these lands seeking my fate, much like they did." He sighs again, letting his eyes slip closed while he tips his head back against the cold stone wall. "I suppose one way or another, I'll find it quite soon."
It is not quite suicidality, that makes him present himself so passively to a person of unknown motivations and beliefs. Rather, he is simply too tired to care about the consequences. He's walked his feet nearly to the bone crossing this land; if Varre wants to hurt him then he's welcome to try, but won't he be nice and let Shen Yuan rest for a moment first?
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Date: 2023-05-14 10:34 am (UTC)"What rotten luck," he seemingly commiserates, kneeling to look the man over. Lips painted pale blue with cold, but still shivering. Not yet succumbing to the elements, but it could be a close thing. Perhaps mercy would be the way of it, regardless of whether the Dynasty's security required it.
"What drove you so, to cross the fog?"
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Date: 2023-05-15 12:25 pm (UTC)He found it necessary to force his eyes open a second time. He shouldn't fall asleep while he's still all wet like this, he'll feel miserable when he wakes up. Although it might be worth it anyway, because -- "For a time, after waking from this dream, it's as though a crimson flame hangs before my eyes. In my home country it was a mere blot on the horizon, but it awoke a desire in me to follow it...and ever since I passed through the mists, it's grown larger every time I wake from the dream...larger and stronger..."
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Date: 2023-05-16 01:11 am (UTC)Behind his serene mask, his eyes had never shed the lustreless amber yellow of common blood from the plateau. A useful thing now. It made him less distinctive, more approachable, and yet still knowledgeable. A blessing in and of disguise, in a decrepit land still plagued with gold-worshiping zealots.
But as he listens, he goes very still. Roses and flame? Truly? Such lovely things seemed too pure to be true. He reaches out, taking Shen Yuan's wrist and finding his pulse. "Stay awake for a while more. Where do you see this fire?"
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From:Congratulations!
Date: 2023-05-09 07:40 am (UTC)He couldn't say he disliked Shen Yuan - rather the opposite - the young man had done him quite the service and saved him embarrassing himself and his sect. It's just... well.
They don't really know each other all that well, shufu!
It is a great relief when Lan Qiren steps outside, and from where he's seated across from Shen Yuan, his shoulders visibly sag.
"I am... very sorry about this. It would appear our families were conspiring behind our backs."
His face is effused with a gentle, assuring warmth, a radiant smile blooming on delicate lips with just a hint of humour to take the edge off the awkwardness. Lan Xichen's fame almost always precedes him and it is not undeserved - not moments ago he looked utterly mortified at the surprise betrothal. Now, he was working overtime to reassure the young man across from him.
"I have no objections to the arrangement -" which is true. The Shen family's reputation as merchants is impeccable, and they still maintain their old cultivation traditions from the days they were a proper sect. He cannot muster any serious objection - it is, by and large, a very agreeable match. "- but if you do, please tell me now truthfully. I would not force the matter if you have any discomfort with it. Ultimately you and I are the ones with the final say here."
And as well meaning as shufu is, Xichen has no desire to go through with any betrothal unless his spouse-to-be is also on board. He has seen what marriages foisted upon two unwilling parties do to people; he would not let this sweet-faced gentlemen live in bitter resentment just to appease their family. If shufu thought relations with the Shen family were valuable, there are surely other ways of cementing such an alliance that didn't involve marrying their unwilling son to a man he barely knew.
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Date: 2023-05-09 07:58 am (UTC)Still, he made an effort to moderate his reaction, for the sake of his own and his fiance's dignity. "If Lan-zongzhu is alright with it, then I don't see any reason to object either," he says shyly, feeling his own face warm as he greedily studied every inch of Lan Xichen's face from the corner of one modestly-averted eye. "In truth I was very pleased, when da-ge told me we'd received a proposal from the Lan. I only regret my future husband did not receive the same opportunity." That much had to be okay, surely?
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Date: 2023-05-09 08:44 am (UTC)Altogether, it is a rather agreeable arrangement. Xichen is certainly more familiar with Shen Yuan's older brothers, as they are closer in age, and more frequently in attendance to the same functions as he is, and while the middle brother is brusque and acerbic and difficult to get along with, the eldest is of a similar disposition as Xichen.
"I suppose shufu would want me to at least be properly introduced, or I might have made a terrible mistake and rejected the proposal outright."
In this case, he is very, very glad of his uncle's little deception.
He catches Shen Yuan's eye as the other man is trying just as hard to study him surreptitiously as Xichen is trying to do the same. He flushes, both having caught each other in the act, but there is relief that there is some spark of attraction there.
He has no illusions that, as sect leader, he will probably never marry for love, but he would at least like, if not friendship then some level of comradery between himself and his future husband. The possibility of mutual attraction would be... far more than he'd ever dare to hope for.
"Would you care to walk with me for a while through the grounds...? The weather is pleasant yet, and there is no reason to stay cooped up indoors."
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Date: 2023-05-12 05:23 am (UTC)"That would be lovely," he says demurely, but on the inside his mind is calculating and assessing harder than ever. If Zewu-jun is into him, that would be...that would be really lovely, honestly, it would definitely make fulfilling, ahem, certain matrimonial duties a lot easier, and...well, honestly the idea that someone like him could be attractive to Zewu-jun is so intensely flattering that Shen Luguang immediately decides it would be better and safer to pretend that it's an impossibility, so as to avoid disappointing himself later. And with that in mind, it was much easier to get ahold of himself and focus on behaving appropriately.
After all, he had no reason to suspect Zewu-jun, Lan Xichen, would be anything less than a kind, gentle, and dutiful husband, regardless of anything else. And really, who could expect anything more?
So by the time they've walked some distance outside, long enough to reach one of the Cloud Recesses' many scenic views, he's able to sigh and say, quite calmly, "Surely the Cloud Recesses are one of the loveliest and most serene places in this world. I've always envied those who get to live here."
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Date: 2023-05-12 07:10 am (UTC)"They are, indeed, tranquil. Though I'm afraid many who haven't grown up here might find them a bit dull and stifling."
Shen Yuan should have a fair warning of what he's getting into. It's true that Lan Xichen is among the most eligible and desired of bachelors for his gentle and patient disposition alone, but with him comes the Cloud Recesses and with the Cloud Recesses comes the Lan Sect.
And with the Lan Sect comes the wall of discipline and it's many, many rules.
They may as well have saved themselves some trouble and just chiseled "no fun allowed" into the stone.
But Xichen is also not one to follow the rules to the letter. He leads Shen Yuan off the beaten path to a small clearing, dotted with wildflowers. Another of the disciples is kneeling in the field, elegant even when hunched over, and quite tall when he stands to face the approaching company.
There is no mistake that the young man is related to Xichen - they are of a similar height, with the same regal bearing, and handsome features, though where Lan Xichen's neutral expression settles into a serene smile, this other man seems stern and dour.
The effect is rather offset by his armful of rabbits which are everywhere around the little grove, nibbling greens and hopping to and fro, quite carefree.
"Wangji," Xichen greets his brother with warmth and affection. He knows his brother has a... reputation for being difficult to get along with. He would very much like Shen Yuan's first impression of his beloved didi to be of his true nature; that he is, truly, as soft-hearted (if not moreso) as his older brother.
"I am glad I found you. I would like you to meet Shen Yuan."
A gentle hand covers the one Shen Yuan has rested on his arm, a reassurance that all is well.
Wangji sizes up the other man, and looks slightly miffed that he can't find anything to nitpick beyond Shen Yuan being a potential marriage candidate for his brother (the nerve!)
"Your betrothed? Shufu mentioned something of the sort," he asks brusquely.
"We haven't finalized the arrangement," he says and smiles at Shen Yuan. "But it is looking that way."
"Hm," is Wangji's only response to this besides a curt nod to Shen Yuan. It could mean anything, but is most likely both a welcome and a warning. Younger siblings just be like that sometimes.
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Date: 2023-05-21 07:35 am (UTC)Oh, and what a destination it is! Shen Yuan has to bite his tongue not to squeal out loud and risk scaring the bunnies, because they are so cute he can hardly stand it. Even the dour look on Hanguang-jun's face can't curb his enthusiasm, although he remembers himself well enough to bow his head respectfully and say, "It's an honor to meet Hanguang-jun at last. My second brother speaks highly of you." And then his gaze immediately drops back down to the bunnies; he bites his lower lip for a moment, wrestling with it, before asking nervously, "Are your rabbits friendly?"
Can he pet one?? Please, please let him pet one ;.;
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Date: 2023-05-21 08:47 am (UTC)He gives a quiet "Mn" and hands one over for Shen Yuan to hold.
Xichen gives into the urge to poke the little critter in it's wiggling nose, beaming impishly between his brother and fiance, delighted to see the two getting along.
(Well, for any given measure that Wangji gets along with anyone).
"It's a secret from shufu," Wangji warns. "So long as you remember that, you can come visit."
Xichen nods solemnly.
"Indeed, it's forbidden to keep pets in the Cloud Recesses," he explains as Wangji, seemingly having exhausted his capacity for conversation, turns on his heel and heads off. So much for having a proper chaperone. (Chaperone yourself! says the look Wangji casts back at his brother.
"But I know some of the junior disciples come up this way to relax after difficult lessons."
Bunny therapy is extremely effective, it seems.
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From:Gifts for the Betrothed
Date: 2023-05-25 06:38 pm (UTC)And this is for the man who is going to be his husband! He should give him things that convey the depths of his affection. Something beautiful, austere, but not ostentatious.
It's a month before he and Shen Yuan are reunited. During that month, they wrote each other, of course, and the occasional carriage arrived from the Shen Estate with many of Shen Yuan's possessions so that he might have an easier time settling into his new home once he's properly wed.
And goodness, the many silent dinners, and only marginally quieter meetings they both have to sit through as Shen Jiu and Shen Qi speak with Lan Qiren about matters of the ceremony, and the dowry, and a lasting alliance as the Shen family returns to being a legitimate sect.
(They sit through the whole ordeal, prim and proper -- or at least mostly so. Xichen cheekily links their pinkies under the table, and though he doesn't smile with his mouth, his eyes are positively sparkling.)
Night has fallen by the time everyone is finished putting each agreement into print, signed and sealed, Qiren permits his nephew to see Shen Yuan to what will, eventually, be his official living quarters (though Xichen suspects they will likely be occupying whichever house the other is in). The Cloud Recesses are never particularly noisy, but even the sounds of the day-to-day bustle are absent, replaced by the trill of night creatures. The weather is cooling quickly at these altitudes, the leaves taking on shades of gold and crimson - the peaks will be blanketed in snow when they wed, and Xichen cannot imagine anything more beautiful than the striking contrast of their red robes against the fluffy white snow.
He walks arm-in-arm with Shen Yuan, elated by this reunion. He will miss him when he has to return home once more, but he consoles himself with the knowledge that the third time he returns, it will be to stay.
"Will you miss your home...?" he asks, a breeze rustling the bamboo leaves as they take a meandering pace along the many walkways of the Cloud Recesses.
Re: Gifts for the Betrothed
Date: 2023-05-25 07:46 pm (UTC)"But no, I don't think I will," he continues more seriously -- but also tenderly, pausing their progress for a moment to carefully pluck a scarlet leaf gone astray from of Lan Xichen's hair. He holds it between two fingers like a miniature fan, twirling it slowly and smiling at the light in his husband-to-be's eyes as he holds it up next to his face. "My brothers have many admirable qualities, but if it's a quiet life one prefers, they aren't perhaps the most desirable of housemates." His lips twisted slightly into a small, but rueful grin. "Especially since Qi-ge is to be 'Sect Leader Shen' soon...I can only assume the bustle and noise will get worse before it gets much better."
Gently patting Lan Xichen's hand, he added, "A quiet life with books and music, and someone who treats me tenderly...that's what I dream of."
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Date: 2023-05-25 11:19 pm (UTC)His eyes dart to the side because really, for some there is no difference between two. His own mother could attest to that if she were still alive.
(And he does his damnedest not to think about why that might be, why his mother died so abruptly.)
His anxious mood settles quickly when Shen Yuan says what it is he wants out of their marriage - to hear such a thing warms Xichen's heart because it means they are of one mind about their desires.
"...I too wish for that kind of life," he says, idly thumbing Shen Yuan's knuckles, turning his soft gaze to his betrothed. "I'm happy it gets to be with you."
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Date: 2023-05-25 11:42 pm (UTC)He turned away, abashed by his own boldness. Who did he think he was, speaking so to Zewu-jun...? But he meant it, though. His father and mother had always shared the burdens and triumphs of their business with each other -- and when they'd passed, his brothers Shen Jiu and Shen Qi had done just the same. It seemed only right and fair that he should support his own husband, in whatever way he needed.
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Date: 2023-05-26 02:16 pm (UTC)"Consider it far less a matter of trust, and more a matter of time," he says. "If things continue as they are, then I cannot imagine there will be anything I would not trust with you."
He turns so that he his facing his husband-to-be, taking his hands in his own.
"I hope too that you will find me to be as a friend, an ally, and confidant."
And that is no false promise. Even if marriages in the Cloud Recesses were leagues more egalitarian than their counterparts in the Jianghu, Xichen has no intention of letting Shen Yuan be viewed as subservient to him. This will be a partnership of equals.
He gives Shen Yuan's hands a gentle squeeze.
"I... have something I would like to give you, if it pleases...?"
Well, something other than than what Shen Yuan and the rest of his family received upon their arrival in the Cloud Recesses.
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From:Wedding Night
Date: 2023-07-06 02:41 am (UTC)The banquet is what one would come to expect of Lan cuisine. Bitter and medicinal at worst, bland at best. Barely anyone exchanges a word since there is no talking allowed while they dine.
If there is one thing good about Lan weddings, they have a very definite end point thanks to the strict Lan bedtime. By eight o-clock, the bride and groom are escorted to the Hanshi, and left to their own devices. No one sticks around to make sure Shen Yuan loses his virginity and no one will check in the morning. Chastity is no grounds for annulment in the Lan sect, unless they're starving for heirs - and at the moment they are not. They have an heir, a spare, and a handful of cousins with some nieces and nephews on the horizon. The Lan tend to reproduce quite prolifically once they've found an agreeable spouse.
Thus, Shen Yuan and Lan Xichen are afforded all privacy.
The door shuts behind them, and a Xichen's shoulders sag with relief and a weary sigh escapes him.
"Shufu really didn't have to recite all 3500 rules," he chuckles, straightening his back and taking Shen Yuan by the hands.
He can see his beloved's face through the translucent red silk veil, and his smile grows warm and soft. They've waited so long for this, had (relatively) behaved themselves and now Xichen can't take his eyes off of Shen Yuan. He didn't think this affection could grow any deeper, but here they are, with his heart beating in his throat, and Shen Yuan there and so beautiful he could cry.
"There is ...one last thing," he says softly, giving Shen Yuan's hands a squeeze.
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Date: 2023-07-13 11:12 am (UTC)"What more does my dear husband require?" he asks, teasing again even as his heart begins to throb in his chest. "Another ritual, perhaps? A set of rules just for dutiful spouses? Husband need only say it and this humble Yuan will see it done."
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Date: 2023-07-13 11:58 am (UTC)Whatever his uncle's intent reading off the litany of rules (as if Xichen didn't know them by heart), he is ever so thankful the man brought Shen Yuan into his life. They are here, their long lives now stretching ahead of them full of peaceful days and long, passionate nights.
He releases Shen Yuan's hands and with great care, pushes back his veil. Ah, his husband really is lovely, clad in crimson silk and bathed in the moonlight streaming through the window. He'd sit through a hundred thousand dull ceremonies for this moment alone, where he bows his head, untying the red ribbon from his brow, and then winding it carefully around the fine bones of Shen Yuan's wrist.
He gazes up at him, lips pulled into a cheeky smile.
"One small thing."
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Date: 2023-07-13 12:06 pm (UTC)He considers and discards teasing comebacks -- is it really such a small thing? Doubtful -- and instead catches Lan Xichen's hand before it can be withdrawn, lifting it instead to his lips.
"Anything," he whispers breathlessly, hoping the look in his eyes convey even a small fraction of his feelings, his desires, as he pins Lan Xichen's gaze with his own.
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Date: 2023-07-13 12:25 pm (UTC)They'd been about as appropriate as could be expected within reason. It had left Xichen's self-control frayed to bits.
It finally snaps.
The kiss is strong, hungry, achingly tender, as Xichen's hands rest on Shen Yuan's hips. The veil falls over both of them as he seems intent on figuring out how to both probe and devour his husband's mouth.
There are certainly Lan rules for coupling on the wedding night - steps to be taken, things to do. If he had any intent of following them, it would be another hour before they could even touch. He wouldn't in a million years blame the weak wine they had shared, but it had left his inhibitions in a state where the little voice in the back of his mind urging him to do this all by the book was utterly silenced.
This was their night, and theirs alone. He'd followed through with the most important custom, the one that truly meant something.
They would have to find their own meaning in the maelstrom of passion.
It isn't long until he's crowded Shen Yuan up against the edge of the bed, coaxing the other man's tongue into his mouth where he can suck on it.
Kissing had been a revelation. He's so glad they at least got to know each other so intimately; it was only a pity that their virginity was such a sticking point for their families. He'd have loved it if he and Shen Yuan could have experimented a little more.
"I confess," he says breathlessly between kisses, "past this point," and more kisses, "I have no idea what I'm doing," and yet more kisses! "and only have some dubious educational texts to go by."
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