Jiang Cheng's karma, part 2

"What are you afraid of?" Xian TaoQi asked softly, standing still in front of Jiang Cheng.

"I'm not afraid of anything!"

"Then why won't you let me love you?"

"I hardly know you!" Jiang Cheng said, flinching at the word 'love'.

"Let me stay, then, so we can get to know each other," Xian TaoQi said. "Maybe you learn to love me, too."

"No. Everyone I love dies. My parents. My sister. Even Wei WuXian."

"But he came back."

"He died first. I don't want to... ever go through that again..." Jiang Cheng's breath came in gasps.

"Oh, my sweet rabbit," Xian TaoQi murmured, reaching out a hand to touch his face.

Jiang Cheng bristled at the endearment and dodged the hand. "Don't call me that!"

"My darling Jiang Cheng, then. I know loss, too. But I promised my mother on her deathbed that I would not give up on love, would not give up on you."

"Me?!"

"I told her about you. Of course I did. She was so happy that I had found love. She told me that death is a part of life and we will grieve many times, but that we can't let our grief for the loves lost stop us from loving again. So my darling Jiang Cheng, I won't go anywhere, not when I finally have you. I promise."

Despite himself, Xian TaoQi's words had touched Jiang Cheng, but still, he doubted. "You can't promise that, you can't know. Everyone dies. Everyone."

"Well, then we just have to be together every day so that you can protect me, hmmm?" Xian TaoQi hummed. "And I will never let anyone hurt you, either."

Jiang Cheng scoffed. "Can you even protect me?"

Xian TaoQi smiled a lazy, confident smile. "Let me prove it to you."

Two days later, Xian TingBa was taking his goodbyes in the main courtyard, their business in Lotus Pier completed. "I heard my youngest son has decided to stay here to learn from you. Good. He is a good son, dutiful and loving. He will be an asset to Lotus Pier. If he doesn't give you full satisfaction, you can send him back home."

Jiang Cheng kept an impassive face with difficulty, but his eyes flicked to Xian TaoQi, standing a little apart from his family. Xian TaoQi's eyes crinkled in amusement and Jiang Cheng flushed. He didn't need Xian TaoQi to say anything to know what he was thinking. Full satisfaction. Jiang Cheng scoffed. Over my dead body. Yet, he let Xian TaoQi stay. It was only to prove him wrong, Jiang Cheng told himself. Jiang Cheng was not going to let Xian TaoQi kiss him again.

A month later, they were in a forest not too far from Lotus Pier, in a thick of fierce ghosts, fighting for their lives. Jiang Cheng's Zidian sang and cut through the throng of the walking dead like butter. Suddenly he heard a grunt behind him and when he turned to see, a head flew past him, spattering blood behind its wake. Jiang Cheng took a hasty step back to avoid the bloody spray and saw Xian TaoQi standing over a headless corpse, only a few steps away, his face cold with intent and rage. Jiang Cheng shivered. He had never seen Xian TaoQi look anything but amused, focused, or amorous. To see him now like this was sending shivers down Jiang Cheng's spine.

"Are you alright?" Xian TaoQi asked him, his face flooding with concern. His eyes roamed over Jiang Cheng looking for any signs of injury.

Jiang Cheng flushed at the feel of those eyes on him. "I'm fine. Thank you." The last was added reluctantly.

Xian TaoQi flashed a relieved smile and took the two steps to Jiang Cheng, and grabbed him by his neck. The kiss was hurried but passionate, and for a moment it took Jiang Cheng's breath away. Then he pushed Xian TaoQi away and looked around them. They were in the thickest part of battle, surrounded by trees and fierce ghosts, and everyone had their own safety to think about. 

Jiang Cheng turned to growl at Xian TaoQi, but he had already turned away to face another wave of their enemy. Jiang Cheng pouted a moment, then raised his Zidian to fend off the walking dead approaching on the other side. So they fought, back to back, for the rest of the battle, until all the attackers were lying dead on the ground.

They took care of the bodies and flew on their swords back to Lotus Pier, tired and victorious.

"Baths!" Jiang Cheng ordered and the servants scattered to heat the big tubs in the main bathing block for his disciples, and Jiang Cheng's own big, wooden tub in his quarters. He was sitting on his bed shortly afterwards, after the servants had completed drawing him a bath, taking off his shoes when the door slid open and Xian TaoQi stepped in.

"Don't you ever knock?"

"You knew I was going to come," Xian TaoQi just said. 

He eyed the big wooden tub, steam rising from it gently, and then Jiang Cheng, sitting frozen on his bed, and turned toward the nearby chair. Xian TaoQi hands untied the sash at his waist, and before Jiang Cheng had time to more than open his mouth in protest, the robes slid off Xian TaoQi, revealing hard muscles, smooth skin, and several battle scars criss crossing his back. The training they had done and the battle today had proved that Xian TaoQi's mother had indeed been an excellent cultivator who had trained his son well. Xian TaoQi must have been diligent in his protection of his home and his mother to receive such scars despite his skills.

Jiang Cheng swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. His eyes slid down Xian TaoQi's perfect body and he could hear his own heart beating loudly in his ears.

Xian TaoQi turned around and Jiang Cheng had to close his eyes. "Still not undressed? Let me help." Jiang Cheng's eyes flashed open when he felt Xian TaoQi's hands on his sash.

"I didn't say yes!"

"You didn't say no, either," Xian TaoQi purred, and his strong hands stripped the weakly protesting Jiang Cheng of his robes.

An hour later...

How had this happened? Why did he let Xian TaoQi do what he wanted? And why did it feel so good? Jiang Cheng couldn't answer any of these questions, his mind blanking with pleasure, as the younger man thrust inside him, forcing moans of pleasure from his lips. And how in the world had he ended up taking it rather than giving? Jiang Cheng wailed in his mind.

His mind helpfully flashed him images of Xian TaoQi's big hands lifting Jiang Cheng into the wooden tub, and washing him thoroughly, Xian TaoQi's eyes hot on his skin. Then the kiss, and the feel of Xian TaoQi's wet, naked body against his, and a feeling of vertigo as Xian TaoQi carried him to the bed.

Xian TaoQi's lips found Jiang Cheng's again, and his scattered thoughts fled. Jiang Cheng was on his back, his legs wrapped around the hips thrusting into him, his hands demanding on Xian TaoQi's behind, pulling him deeper, harder, faster, his whole body arching into the thrusts.

Xian TaoQi 's eyes were blazing with emotion, but he still had to tease Jiang Cheng. "So eager..."

"Shut up...! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Jiang Cheng chanted in time with the thrusts.

Xian TaoQi laughed, a delighted, low laugh, that made Jiang Cheng's stomach tighten. "As you demand, my sweet rabbit."

"Ridiculous," Jiang Cheng grunted, but the endearment made him shiver.

Xian TaoQi shifted his position and suddenly what had felt good escalated to amazing. Jiang Cheng gasped and bucked into the thrusts, his voice growing breathy, his mind singing no no no no, but it was to no avail. The thrusts were too keen and too deep, and stroked something inside him he hadn't known existed until Xian TaoQi's fingers had found it a little while earlier, and Jiang Cheng shook as he was carried toward something climactic. 

 Xian TaoQi growled with triumph and joy when he felt the hot wet release splash between their bellies."Jiang Cheng, my darling, at last!" Xian TaoQi cried out as his own release raced through him and into the shuddering body enveloping him.

They lay limp for a moment, still joined, trying to recover their breaths.

"Get off me!" Jiang Cheng demanded, pushing Xian TaoQi by his shoulders.

Xian TaoQi paid him no mind, but kissed him deeply, then again, then pulled away enough to look into his eyes. "You're perfect, Jiang Cheng."

"Wh—what?" No one had ever looked at him like that or said anything so... sweet to him. Well, he had never been quite in this position before, either, Jiang Cheng had to admit.

"Perfect," Xian TaoQi repeated and turned over. He stretched sensuously on his back on the bed, and pulled Jiang Cheng to lay against his chest. His hand caressed Jiang Cheng's back with contented strokes, his lips pecking little kisses on Jiang Cheng's hairline.

"Stop that!" Jiang Cheng muttered, but he didn't have the energy to push Xian TaoQi's face away. He would, as soon as he got his strength back, he swore. He was just momentarily tired. They had had a battle earlier that day, after all. Nothing to do with what had just happened. Nothing at all.

"Why? It feels good, doesn't it?"

Jiang Cheng murmured a curse. "I'm older than you."

"Mmm? So?" Xian TaoQi said lazily, his hand drawing circles lower on Jiang Cheng's back, sending pleasant shivers down Jiang Cheng's legs.

"So why was I the one... taking it?" Jiang Cheng couldn't look Xian TaoQi in the eyes.

"Because I knew what to do. And I wanted to."

Jiang Cheng blushed when he remembered Xian TaoQi taking out a jar of something, and then his slick fingers inside him, persistent and knowledgeable. By the time something bigger and hotter had replaced them, Jiang Cheng had found he was ready to take it. 

"How did you know—" he gasped. "You've done this before!" Jiang Cheng pulled away, appalled for reasons he would rather not examine.

"No, silly rabbit. You're my first. I had a lot of time to research," Xian TaoQi said, a little sadly.

"So you never —?"

"No. I was in love with you, how could I have?" Xian TaoQi said, the simple statement making Jiang Cheng flush. Xian TaoQi pulled Jiang Cheng back against his chest. "And you?"

Jiang Cheng flushed and turned his face away. "I was too busy. I had no time. All these people —"

"You had to be the one in control, taking care of everything," Xian TaoQi said softly, and tilted Jiang Cheng's face upward and kissed him gently. "Not anymore. Let me take care of you."

Jiang Cheng jerked. "I don't need anyone—!"

Xian TaoQi's lips robbed him of his words. "I know you don't. But isn't it nice when someone does? Hmm?" Xian TaoQi kissed him again, and Jiang Cheng found himself responding to the kiss, his whole body responding, in fact. Purring with pleasure, Xian TaoQi flipped them around and spread Jiang Cheng's legs, settling in between them.

"Xian TaoQi! I didn't say you could—"

"Do you want to do it, then? It's alright with me, if you do," Xian TaoQi murmured, his lips latching on Jiang Cheng's nipple, making him gasp. "Let me see if you're ready," Xian TaoQi said, and his lips traveled downward, making Jiang Cheng squirm.

"What are you—?" The mouth had found Jiang Cheng's already erect member, and the wet tongue was doing something new and unbearably nice. Jiang Cheng's hands latched onto Xian TaoQi's shoulders, intending to push him away, but the traitorous things grabbed tight and pulled Xian TaoQi closer, and the mouth swallowed him almost fully, and Jiang Cheng cried out. The mouth was doing indescribable things to him, stripping him of his resistance, and Jiang Cheng's fingers wound themselves in Xian TaoQi's hair, tightening, as his pleasure built. 

Slick fingers entered him and found that spot inside him that made stars burst behind his eyes and Jiang Cheng groaned. He arched into the fingers, his breath coming out in strangled gasps, his hips moving of their own volition, and he was almost there, so close, he could feel it coming, and then the fingers were gone.

"No—!" Jiang Cheng's eyes flashed open and he saw Xian TaoQi rubbing oil on his own hard member. The sight made Jiang Cheng's stomach clench.

"So did you want to...?" Xian TaoQi said, his smile smug.

"Shut up and give it to me," Jiang Cheng grunted, and Xian TaoQi laughed and did just that.

--

A/N:

Gif and photo is from the het show 'Dr. Cutie' and that gorgeous man is Huang Junjie, here used in the role of Xian TaoQi. The saucy minx.

The gif of Jiang Cheng is from another moment in The Untamed, but it works as his reaction to Xian TaoQi disrobing.