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The water was lapping gently at the sides of their boat, the relaxing sound guiding their breath. The tinkle of Fairy’s collar, chasing butterflies on the shore, sounded like wind chimes from afar. ZiZhen sighed in pleasure at the serenity of the moment. He was laying on his back, eyes closed, head propped on Jin Ling’s thighs, their hands intertwined on ZiZhen’s sternum. Jin Ling caressed his hand with his thumb at the sound.
This was the first quiet day they were allowed to enjoy together in months. Before that, it had been a hustle of meetings with other Sect Leaders, the planning of the next cultivation conference that was to be held on the eve of Summer, and too many night hunts in the areas surrounding their respective clans. At last, Jin Ling had been able to untangle himself from his duties for a visit to his uncle at Lotus Pier. He promptly wrote to ZiZhen to come along and admire the lotus blossoms together. The latter was too happy to oblige.
ZiZhen frowned when something feathery fell on his face. He opened one eye, only to see Jin Ling drop another lotus petal on his face, which fell at the corner of his mouth. ZiZhen smiled and blew at the third one, which landed on his chest.
“About time you woke up, I was getting bored.”
“I wasn’t asleep,” said ZiZhen, sitting up and leaving a kiss on Jin Ling’s cheek.
His face reddened considerably, and ZiZhen left another kiss on the blush before pulling away and snaking his arms around his waist. It had been a while since their mutual confession. Although Jin Ling still wasn’t comfortable with their relationship being known to the whole world, here, in the middle of a secluded area at the end of a private pier, he was able to relax and return the embrace. ZiZhen dipped his head onto his shoulder and nuzzled his neck, smiling at the way Jin Ling’s arms tightened around him.
They silently held onto each other, basking in the warmth of the late afternoon sun, until the position became uncomfortable for Jin Ling and he wiggled to find a better one while keeping ZiZhen close. ZiZhen lifted his head up to relieve him of his weight, and suddenly, they were looking into each other’s eyes, the tip of their nose itching with the almost touch of their closeness. Jin Ling stared, cheeks on fire, as ZiZhen eyes slowly drew down the lines of his face and settled on his lips for a few seconds too long. They remained motionless until it became too much for Jin Ling and he bent forward, unable to repress the need to feel those lips on his.
The first kiss was hesitant. The second, eager. Before Jin Ling could even think of pulling back a third time, ZiZhen was moving his mouth and Jin Ling answered back with everything he had been too afraid to say yet. “I love you”, “I want you”, “I’m afraid I’m not good enough for you”, Jin Ling silently spelled it all, deepening the kiss, pulling them up until they were both kneeling in the rocky boat. ZiZhen was the first to pull out for air, hands moving up Jin Ling’s back, one stopping behind his neck, the other moving to caress his cheek. He smiled then, and was pulled in for another kiss. He couldn’t help the low moan that escaped him.
Their movements became a frantic mess of hands tugging at the fabric on their backs, slipping through their hair, exploring body parts they never dared touch yet. In his excitement, Jin Ling pressed ZiZhen backwards, intent on having them both laying down. But when his hand touched water instead of wood, he could only yelp as they tipped over in a loud splash.
Fairy’s loud barks were muffled by the water and the lotus flowers floating over their heads, and ZiZhen was coughing when he emerged. One look at Jin Ling, hair askew and irritation written on his face, had ZiZhen burst out in laughter. Jin Ling softened at that and swam the short distance towards him, seeing how ZiZhen could barely keep himself above water in his hilarity. He put his hands around his waist and pulled him closer.
“You’re not allowed to be so pretty when you laugh.”
That cut ZiZhen’s laughter short and he looked at Jin Ling, momentarily flustered, before smiling softly at him.
“You’re not allowed to steal my lines,” he answered back, refusing to pout as Jin Ling smiled smugly at him.
“That’s not stealing, I’ve been learning.”
ZiZhen shook his head with endearment and pulled Jin Ling for another kiss, enjoying this precious moment for what it was. It was cut short by the arrival of Fairy, who had swam to them to make sure they were both okay and started licking at Jin Ling’s face. ZiZhen kissed him one last time on the forehead before they agreed to flip the boat right-side-up so they could go back to their quarters to get changed, and perhaps kiss some more.