Chapter Text
“Junshang thinks we should be less formal,” Zhuzhi-lang said. A faint blush lit up the tips of his ears and only worsened after Wen Ning chanced to meet his gaze.
They were out on an evening stroll through a nearby forest. Zhuzhi-lang had suggested it after hearing one too many innuendos from Tianlang-jun. Thankfully, Wen Ning was largely unaware of the strange vernacular Junshang had picked up from his outings with Immortal Master Shen. Heavens forbid if Zhuzhi-lang had to explain what ‘tagging for necrophilia' meant…
The two of them hadn’t even – ah, never mind! It didn’t matter!!
“Um…less formal how?” Wen Ning tilted his head. The movement caused a lock of his unruly dark hair to slide over his shoulder.
Zhuzhi-lang thought about brushing it back behind his ear but managed to bite down on the urge. People didn’t tend to react well when Zhuzhi-lang was too forward. The two of them walked close enough that the occasional shoulder brush was inevitable, but anything beyond that would surely be a step too far. Zhuzhi-lang decided to keep his hands clasped behind his back for good measure.
“Pet names and the like, I assume.” Zhuzhi-lang immediately added, “But as much as Junshang pretends to, he doesn’t know everything. He shouldn’t be the reason we – ah, please forget I mentioned it.”
“Is that something you would like?”
“Mn?”
“If I, if we…called each other in a more familiar way?”
Zhuzhi-lang couldn’t help thinking of the only other couples he knew: Junshang and Maiden Su, Master Shen and Luo Binghe. Su Xiyan hadn’t been one for diminutives and Tianlang-jun tended to call her intimately by given name. Perhaps if their relationship had been allowed to grow and flourish past that initial whirlwind romance things might have been different, more like the characters in the stories Junshang liked so much…more like their son and his beloved. The names Master Shen and Luo Binghe used to refer to each other could certainly make a listener blush.
The mere remembrance made Zhuzhi-lang feel the need to turn his face away in order to hide the flush creeping up his neck. He wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to such things. But it just so happened that Wen Ning already called him by the name and address Tianlang-jun had gifted him all those years ago. The number of people who bothered to refer to Zhuzhi-lang as such were abysmally few, so the thrill of hearing his name spill easily from Wen Ning’s hesitant lips was better than anything else.
But he couldn’t just say that.
“Perhaps,” Zhuzhi-lang finally said, shrugging one graceful shoulder in a bid for nonchalance. “Though I wouldn’t presume to address you casually.”
“No, please do! Zhuzhi-lang can call me A-Ning. Oh, only if…if he wants to, of course,” Wen Ning assured haltingly. Though his body could no longer fill with blood, Zhuzhi-lang had the distinct impression that Wen Ning was blushing.
He was terribly cute.
Zhuzhi-lang stopped in his tracks, surprising Wen Ning who had continued forward and awkwardly doubled back once he noticed his companion was no longer at his side.
“No,” Zhuzhi-lang said, desperately hoping he sounded normal. “Keep walking.”
“???”
“Please. I’d like to try something.”
Confusion practically dripped from Wen Ning as he slowly turned to do as asked. He had only taken a couple of steps when Zhuzhi-lang’s quiet voice called:
“A-Ning.”
Wen Ning’s head whipped around, the corners of his lips quirked up to form a wobbly smile.
“How was that?” Zhuzhi-lang asked with only a hint of the shyness that permeated his entire body.
“Good!” Wen Ning nodded with enthusiasm. More hair fell out of place with his movement.
Zhuzhi-lang could no longer hold back the urge and reached a stiff hand out, giving plenty of time for Wen Ning to move away if the action was undesired, to meticulously push the strands back behind his ear. The tip of Zhuzhi-lang’s index finger brushed against Wen Ning’s cold skin. Zhuzhi-lang didn’t know what reaction he expected but all Wen Ning did in response was look at him happily.
Zhuzhi-lang cleared his throat. “I think I like the sound of A-Ning better than Wen-gongzi.”
“You do?”
“Mn,” Zhuzhi-lang confirmed. He took a deep breath before continuing, “Aren’t you going to ask how I want to be addressed?”
“Oh. I didn’t think I needed to?” Wen Ning’s expression hardly changed but shyness crept into his low voice. “You like it when I say Zhuzhi-lang.”
“Of course I do. That’s my name.”
“No, no – I mean, you um,” Wen Ning faltered. “You always blush when I refer to you like that so I, I just assumed.”
Zhuzhi-lang was struck speechless. He had no idea that was something he did.
And Wen Ning paid enough attention to him to notice.
“But if I’m wrong–”
Zhuzhi-lang didn’t give him the chance to finish. He cupped Wen Ning’s face and pressed their lips together in a rushed attempt to show the feelings he was finding inordinately difficult to convey with words alone. Wen Ning moved to grip Zhuzhi-lang’s waist, pitch-black pupils focused entirely on him.
Zhuzhi-lang had enough presence of mind to realize that the number of kisses they shared could now be counted on two hands.
“A-Ning,” Zhuzhi-lang said once they’d broken apart. “You are quite observant.”
“N...no, not really…” Wen Ning waved his hands, a complicated expression on his face.
“It’s true, you are.”
“...Only in certain cases,” Wen Ning conceded.
“Like with me?”
Wen Ning’s lips parted but no words came out. He ended up bobbing his head in a jerky approximation of a nod.
Zhuzhi-lang was pleased; the corners of his eyes crinkled happily. It was nice to know he was at the forefront of Wen Ning’s mind instead of a mere afterthought; Zhuzhi-lang was well-versed in being the latter. He took a quiet breath in an attempt to calm his rapid heartbeat before placing a hand on Wen Ning’s shoulder.
“Shall we continue our walk? There’s a place I want to show A-Ning before it gets too dark.”
“Mn.” Wen Ning carefully covered Zhuzhi-lang’s hand with his palm. “Lead the way.”