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More than anything, he wanted the smile on Luo Binghe's face to never fade.
He traces over the little scar on his chest as they laid together, bodies tangled. He inhales Luo Binghe's scent as much as he could, burrowing further in his embrace as the cold morning makes itself known. It’s one of those rare mornings where he finds himself waking up earlier than Binghe, so he makes a pact to himself to treasure it as much as he can.
He knows he has to leave this comfort sooner or later—Luo Binghe would soon go back to his own world and his own harem, after all—but he would like to have it now while he still could.
He thinks back to the beginning. A Proud Immortal Demon Way convention he was definitely not planning to go to (he just wanted some of that limited edition Luo Binghe merch, that’s all! And he happened to pass by!), and a swarmed cosplayer of said character breaking into a bolt once they met eyes. Needless to say, his fascination with how obviously realistic and detailed the cosplay was even from afar was quickly broken by the utter fear of having a 6-foot man barreling towards him at top speed while holding a too-realistic to be fake sword.
And frightened he rightfully was! Maybe tasing the protagonist outside a packed convention building wasn’t the most rightful thing when the man made no move to harm him, but come on. Luo Binghe had stated—yelled, really—that he was Shen Qingqiu, the scum villain who was definitely not Shen Yuan, and he loved his life. Let a man live, people!
Naturally, the tasing didn’t affect the protagonist with something more than a tingling feeling of shock (The protagonist. Has. Magical. Tits!), but it had at least bought him some time to book it out of there.
And book it out of there he did, until Luo Binghe presumably knocked on his door a day later, a bouquet in one hand and a big lunch box in the other.
(The lunch was mouthwateringly good. Of course, he was dragged into Luo Binghe’s world for a second before returning back to his own so Luo Binghe could prove that he really was Luo Binghe, and no, Shen Yuan does not need to call the cops or a therapist, but. It was a good lunch.)
Somehow, they got from that to...whatever they had now. Shen Yuan had made it clear that he wasn't Shen Qingqiu, but Luo Binghe had stayed for who knows what. He cooked for him again. And again. And again.
He listened to him ramble about nothing and everything. Answered his questions about the world of PIDW he missed out on because Airplane was too busy describing one of Luo Binghe’s wife’s boobs. Sang him to sleep.
If Luo Binghe had an incredibly soothing, beautiful voice despite being a scary, demon emperor, no one but him needed to know.
He places a hand on Luo Binghe's cheek now, his touch featherlight. He knows that Binghe is a light sleeper, but Shen Yuan had also noticed that Binghe's defenses were slowly crumbling as their relationship progressed. He tucks this little detail in the palm of his hand and weaves it there, making sure he will never forget.
"I love you." He whispers, his voice as quiet as it could be, and he finds that he feels more vulnerable saying that than when he first undressed for him. It is a different kind of undressing; a vulnerability that he doesn't know where to put and so it flies out of his lips not knowing where to land or to go.
A small twitch of Luo Binghe's lips has him clamping his mouth shut.
"You're awake, aren't you?" He accuses, pushing the man with a gentle force. His embarrassment makes itself known his cheeks heat up, reddening. He half-hopes that the rumble of the air-conditioning was enough to mask his voice, but he knows it’s more of a wishful thought than anything.
Luo Binghe's eyes flutter open, and not for the first time Shen Yuan finds himself struck with how utterly beautiful he is. His long lashes serve as a kind of curtain over his eyes, undeniably soft for Shen Yuan.
All the more reason to let him go, his mind whispers. You don't deserve something as good as this.
He pushes it down with as much nonchalance as he could, but finds himself surprised when his hands come out empty.
"Good morning, A-Yuan." Luo Binghe's morning voice is definitely one of the things he's going to miss, hands down. When a hand brushes away a stray piece of hair on Shen Yuan’s face, he feels himself smile despite his best efforts, and plants a soft kiss on the tip of the demon lord's nose in retaliation.
"Morning." He delights in the surprised look on Binghe's face, his nose scrunching up in an adorable way.
"A-Yuan." His...lover whispers and pulls him closer until they can't stare at anything except each other's eyes. It's an incredibly cheesy move and Shen Yuan would like to laugh, but his heart is slamming against his ribcage, making it hard for him to think. He just hopes that Binghe can’t hear that too. “A-Yuan."
"Ge," He mutters back, and it sounds more like a statement than a question.
"A-Yuan." Luo Binghe's lips curl into a smile—a real one, not one of his self-deprecating grimaces, or even a smile that was more smug than sweet—and Shen Yuan is gone, starstruck.
"Ge." He giggles, half-out of it. He’s drunk on Binghe’s presence, as he feels himself become engulfed by his arms. The sound of his name coming from Binghe's lips soothes his treacherous thoughts like a balm.
When Binghe kisses his forehead, Shen Yuan’s eyes flutter shut. He doesn’t need to see it to know that the smile on Binghe’s face still hasn’t faded away. "I love you, too."
It is only when Shen Yuan visits Luo Binghe's own world once more on his own volition that he realizes that that smile, just like Luo Binghe's heart, was one that only he was lucky to receive.
(The day Luo Binghe became Husband, he also realizes that he’ll be the only one to receive that smile for a long, long time.
Of course, Shen Yuan doesn’t mind.)