Chapter Text
Sharing a room wasn't new to them, but the last time they did was.... if they didn't consider the time they got married it would be that time they were mated. It seemed like they were also repeating that day. Jin Ling had asked for wine and they brought it to the room as asked, much to the Lan' s chagrin. Lan Jingyi didn't join him, but he did move over to the window.
The evening air was cold and it helped him cool down. It was a bit warm. Probably, due to the soup, there were some spices in it and it had him hissing from the pain his tongue had to endure. Jin Ling had some mercy and drank the rest of his soup. Lan Jingyi tried not to think about it.
The night grew deeper and the noise from the dining area off the inn eventually died down. By then Lan Jingyi had moved to his bed, his back was on the wall, his legs raised on the bed and a book held up to his face covering his view of his companion in the room. It was late. Lan Jingyi knew this just by the difficulty of keeping his eyes open, and each time he shut his eyes for more than a second he would be startling himself awake then trying to find the line he had been reading. This happened a few more times before he heard a snort come from Jin Ling's direction. Lan Jingyi lowered the book to his lap and with heavy eyelids looked at Jin Ling, who was holding a cup to his lips.
"Shouldn't you be going to sleep?" Lan Jingyi said.
"I should be asking that question," Jin Ling said, pouring more wind into his cup. "You sleep at a specific time, while I don't."
"No wonder you're shorter than me," Lan Jingyi said.
"There's not as much difference to our heights," Jin Ling argued.
"Yes, yes, tell yourself that Young Mistress," Lan Jingyi nodded. The drowsiness was getting to him and his words were partly slurring.
"Just go to bed already. You're not making any sense," Jin Ling said, scowling at him, and being around the alpha so much this was a scowl he used when he was worried or had a concern.
He should do that, but he's been feeling warm and there was a nagging feeling in his head that he was forgetting something. Shrugging it off he got to his feet and picked up the teapot on the table, but it was empty.
"I'll go get some water," Lan Jingyi made a step to go around the table, but before he could pull the door open Jin Ling slammed his hand against it keeping it closed. He snapped his gaze at him and glared, "What do you think are you doing?"
"I'll do that. I was getting a little thirsty. You should just stay here," Jin Ling said smiling. A smile that was a little too forced to be genuine, but he wasn't going to stop him from getting water.
Lan Jingyi stepped back into the room and sat down on his bed, before he stood back up to stand in front of the window. The cool air touching his cheeks wasn't helping and it was getting too warm for comfort. A following pinch to his gut had him folding and at the wetness between his legs, only then did it dawn on him what he forgot. His heat.
He glanced at the door, fear spiking in his chest that it wasn't locked, and Jin Ling could enter any second. The short distance walk between the door and the bed was agonizing to him. It required too much of his energy and his golden core wasn't going to help with his heat.
Cultivators could use a bit of their golden core to either slow down or hasten their heats or ruts. It helped them find a safer location to spend their heats or ruts in. Lan Jingyi had slowed down his heat. He thought, at least, he would be back in the Cloud Recesses, but he miscalculated. A knock came on the door. Lan Jingyi groaned, while his omega side howled at him to open the door. Jin Ling's scent was coming from behind the door.
"Jingyi, you can have the room. I'll make sure the door's locked and have food and water brought to you." Jin Ling paused, "Do you need anything, right now?"
You , his omega side screamed in his head, but he pushed it down. No. They might be mated, but they're not, not by a long shot. Still, his heat would pass easier if— Youyouyouyou , his omega continued distracting him.
"C-can I have your robes?" Lan Jingyi said between shaky breaths. He was leaning against the wall to keep himself on his feet.
"Okay," Jin Ling said.
The door opened, but not fully. The gap allowed only Jin Ling's arm through together with his gold brocade robes. The robes were dropped to the floor and the door was closed again. Lan Jingyi walked over, picking up the robes and holding it close to his chest. The pine scent filled his senses and it was enough to calm his omega, but it won't take long for his omega to whine.
"Sorry, I can't do more for you," Jin Ling said through the door. If Lan Jingyi could see through the door, he was sure the alpha was frowning with his head down, as if he had failed. He sometimes saw it when Jin Ling thought he wasn't doing his best as the Sect Leader or when the pressure was too much for him to bear.
He was Jin Ling's confidant within Koi tower for a good while when his uncle wasn't there. Currently, with how sincere Jin Ling sounded, there was probably more to those words than just their current situation.
Food and water was brought to his room at specific times of the day by the innkeeper. Sometimes he would hear Jin Ling knocking on the door to check on him and even ask if he needed anything else. With as much self-restraint the Lan had he had to stop the urge to ask for Jin Ling to hold him. The robes were not enough like he thought, but he was not going to cave in. He wasn't.
His heat did end before a week passed. A bath was in order. He had worked up a sweat. Partly submerged in water he scrubbed himself clean with the soap and the cloth.
"Jingyi?" Jin Ling's voice was just behind the privacy screen in the room.
"You could have knocked!" Lan Jingyi froze before he shouted and glared from his side of the screen.
"I did. You didn't answer," Jin Ling said huffing.
"And how about my privacy, Young Mistress?" Neither of them entered the room when one of them was using the bathtub for privacy and due to his secondary gender before they were mated. Besides that, Jin Ling never entered his room in Koi Tower either.
"I'm behind the screen," Jin Ling said. Lan Jingyi should have just shouted for him to get out.
"Fine, then make yourself useful and grab my robes on top of the drawer by the bed," He could hear Jin Ling's footsteps against the floorboards while he submerged himself under the water then came up splashing Jin Ling with some water.
"Really?" Jin Ling stared at Lan Jingyi flatly. There were dark spots on his purple set of robes that can closely be mistaken to be the Jiang sect’s robes, if it wasn't for the twinning embroideries of vines on it. He couldn't feel any protection spells on the robes either.
"You look better in brighter colors," Lan Jingyi said. Didn’t Jin Ling bring spare robes with him? Lan Jingyi shook his head. Well, that isn’t exactly his problem, was it? But he did ask for his robes that time.
Jin Ling walked over to the nearby table and left a light blue qiankun pouch above it.
"I'll ask them to bring us some food," Jin Ling said walking back behind the privacy screen. The sound of the door closing told him he was alone.
By the time Jin Ling returned helping the innkeeper with the food, Lan Jingyi was all set. His forehead ribbon was tied around his head and he was in a cleaner set of robes. He already stored his robes away, but as for Jin Ling's he wasn't sure if Jin Ling would want it back.
"Jin Ling, did you still want your robes back?" Lan Jingyi said while they were eating.
Jin Ling paused and his brown eyes met with Lan Jingyi's greys, "Do you want to give them back?"
Lan Jingyi frowned, "It's yours? Why wouldn't I return it?"
"Because I hope you want to hold onto them," Jin Ling said. Lan Jingyi stared back. There was something else Jin Ling was saying. Just like a few days ago when his heat started. "Like how I want to hold onto you and have you beside me forever."
"What?" Lan Jingyi's head was spinning. What was he even saying exactly?
"Jingyi, I should have said this months ago, but I was afraid you would reject me." Jin Ling said. He took a deep breath in and out before he continued, "I want to have a family with you. I want to have a child to call ours."
"Jin Ling if this is about an heir," Lan Jingyi started, pain filling his chest and his face twisting, but Jin Ling was quick to shut his words down.
"It's not, Jingyi. I swear on my life," Jin Ling said with his hand to his heart. "I swear to you everything I say is my truth, and nothing to do with the sect. It was my mistake to say I couldn't have feelings for you. Even if my uncle would come to visit, I still felt alone to deal with everything. There’s as much my uncle can do for me, but ever since we got married, it was only then did I finally have an ally and I didn’t feel alone.”
“You're annoying when you tease me and get under my nerves," Well, that's hardly news to them, "but you always make me feel better. You make Koi tower as home instead of a suffocating prison where snakes surrounded me. You gave me happier memories to recall. You gave me more reasons to smile. You're my reason I can look forward to another day. I want to make—have more memories together. I want to see your smile even more. I want my memories to be filled with your happiness reflected on you." Jin Ling smiled, a fondness filling his eyes.
Lan Jingyi's eyes were wide open, and as he listened to Jin Ling tears slipped out from his eyes. He bowed his head and covered his face with his hands. He tried to swallow down the sob rising from his throat, but his heart was bursting. His hands were gently pulled off from his face and callused hands would try to wipe away his tears.
A low chuckle escaped from Jin Ling, "Crying doesn't look good on you, Jingyi."
Lan Jingyi glared. Finding an insult to his words, he said, "It doesn't look good on you either."
Strong arms and the scent of pine were wrapped around him. Squeezing him close in a warm embrace, while a blow of his breath met his ear, "I know, but happiness would look better on you."
"And if my happiness is to return to the Cloud Recesses?" Lan Jingyi whispered.
Jin Ling tensed holding him close, and while he did relax he heaved a sigh, "If that's what you want.. I can't stop you, but I selfishly hope you change your mind."
Lan Jingyi lifted his arms and squeezed Jin Ling close. He said, "You'll have to work for it."
"Okay," Jin Ling whispered. "Maybe, that’s for the better, we don’t have a lot of memories outside of Koi tower. We can go where you want, but tell me ahead of time."
Lan Jingyi smiled, hidden from Jin Ling's eyes. He too would do the same for him. To give him memories to hold close to his heart.