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Night has always had the ability to bring many unexpected encounters. At night, they used to chase demons, chase ghosts, and chase away evil from this world while protecting ordinary people. The night was always magical, though it had nothing to do with cultivation. It held a spell that seemed to stop time, if only one was willing to pay more attention to it. It was no different now, as the full moon reigned in the blue firmament, surrounded by a stellar entourage. No cloud dared to obscure its stolen radiance, allowing plants and animals to enjoy it.
"A-Cheng?"
A quiet question, not much louder than a whisper, cut through the night air. It bounced off the trees, flitting between them into the distance, before finally disappearing completely unanswered. It left only silence, not even broken by the hooting of an owl. The moonlight illuminated with its faint glow a small clearing near the hanshi and a figure in white robes looking around him. It was the man who repeated the man's name again and again, as if to summon someone to him, to lure him to enter the clearing, to submit to his will.
Lan Xichen stopped as soon as he spotted the so familiar purple robes with lotuses embroidered between the trees. He noticed the long dark hair, now partially undone, moving gently in the wind along with the purple ribbon. In the movements of the man hidden in the shadows of the trees, there was much of the natural elegance that also characterized wild cats. Although it was he who had been summoned to this place, he acted as if he was the one surrounding his prey, waiting for them to either call him closer or come forward on their own.
It was no different when a gentle smile stretched across Sect Leader Lan's lips. He extended his hand towards the trees, encouraging the man to come closer. He felt a wild desire rise in his chest, hidden at the bottom of his heart for far too long. A desire that made him say Jiang Wanyin's name again - softly, trembling with anticipation.
"I summoned you, please come to me..." he added in a half-praying and expectant tone, hoping to lock Jiang Cheng in his arms for a moment, to dip his fingers into his hair, to untie his robes. He could feel the desire growing within him with every heartbeat, every breath. He wanted to hear similar desires in the other man's voice when he said his name, to see them in his gaze.
Lan Xichen wanted to see that he wasn't the only one who wanted something more than a simple bond between leaders, a simple friendship between sects. He didn't know at what point it stopped being enough for him, and he wanted more, feeling that the other man felt the same way. For that reason, Lan Huan had beckoned him over, offering to meet in the middle of the night when they didn't have to keep up appearances in front of others, just being themselves.
However, Jiang Cheng didn't utter a single word, nor did he take a step towards him. He walked slowly between one tree after another, moving his hands gently over them, as if he was luring Lan Xichen. As if he wanted to make the older man take the first step, to catch him and steer him towards what they both wanted. By his behavior, he seemed to be pointing out that they had the whole night to themselves...
Lan Huan finally moved ahead, in pursuit of his beloved. At that moment, no rules mattered and all that mattered was what had begun to bring them together. He himself didn't know when exactly it began, what events had given rise to the feeling he had secretly nurtured. However, he couldn't deny that his former affection for Jiang Cheng had turned into something deeper that he wanted to fight for. Ever since he realized that the two of them viewed each other in similar terms, he wanted to meet even more in private, without the eyes of the senior council or students following them.
The moon high in the sky lit his way between the bamboos, around which Jiang Wanyin was pacing with a faint smile. It seemed as if he was whispering the older man's name, beckoning him to him, as Lan Huan had done earlier. The night, being steeped in silence, allowed the two of them to circle around each other, mingling with the promise of a rapprochement while prolonging the wait for it.
Eventually Lan Xichen got close enough to look at his eyes, gray as the cloudy sky that darkened easily in anger. They shone with joy now, but also with mystery, as if Jiang Cheng was hiding something, waiting for the other man to figure it out by playing with the knowledge that he was the only one who knew something. In the darkness, his skin seemed lighter than it was during the day, and it was also impossible to see the small freckles adorning Jiang Wanyin's face. It was also surprisingly cool as Lan Huan moved the top of his hand carefully across his cheek, leaning carefully towards him.
"Say my name..." he asked quietly, pausing in mid-motion as he waited for his answer. He could feel the coldness beating off the younger man's body, which might seem unnatural if he just focused on it. But Lan Xichen was thinking of something else entirely, he wanted the younger man to say his name, to call out to him as if he needed him. He wanted to hear in Jiang Wanyin's voice what he had seen in his gaze, what he had long suspected and now had the opportunity to confirm.
Nothing of the sort occurred, however, and Jiang Cheng merely raised an eyebrow, as if asking if Lan Huan really thought he would. The man turned around gracefully, disappearing between the trees again, and the robes around him danced without making a sound. He seemed to flow between one log after another to the beat of music he knew.
Lan Xichen followed, finally grabbing the man's arm to turn him in his direction. He hadn't realized how much his dark eyes betrayed the thirst consuming him, how they were even screaming for them to end the climb already. He didn't need to say anything, though. In an instant, he felt Jiang Cheng's cool lips on his mouth, contrasting sharply with the hot kiss that the older man immediately reciprocated. Lan Huan felt the flames flare up in him anew through that one gesture, as he put his arms around the younger man, drawing him tightly to him. He craved only him, knowing that they didn't really have much time to themselves, that as soon as the night was over they would have to return to their duties as leaders. They only had the night to themselves.
They fell to the grass, rolling sideways, no longer paying attention to anything. When Lan Huan untied the purple ribbon, his lover's dark hair fell in a curtain over his chest, tickling his skin. The ribbon was followed by his belt and outer robes, tossed aside, deemed unnecessary at this moment, merely in the way. The night seemed to pulsate, just waiting for what was about to happen in the small clearing they found themselves in, not interrupted by any mysterious sound.
More layers of clothing fell to the ground around them, almost creating a nest for the lovers as they lost themselves in the kiss, reaching further and further, wanting more and more. Their bodies were marked by more kiss marks, by fingers digging into their skin as the pleasure seemed to be more than they could bear.
"Lay me down"
The words rang out between them, though Lan Xichen couldn't see that Jiang Cheng had actually said them. It didn't matter, however, when all his senses wanted was to experience the younger man's closeness. He set him down on the ground, hovering over him a bit, wanting to admire his face, to see the contentment painted on it with each passing moment. He wanted to hear the whisper he used to say his name, to feel him tremble under each successive caress. The surrounding darkness seemed to come alive with them, as if every existence was watching them. Even the clouds had moved away, allowing the zenith moon to illuminate the pair of lovers.
In its light, Jiang Cheng's skin began to disappear. Slowly, piece by piece, it became transparent, melting into the air. With a slight, slightly sad smile on his face, the man didn't take his gaze off Lan Xichen, as if he wanted to convey something to him this way, as if to say that they were late. Although the older man tried to stop him, he didn't know how he should do it. None of Gusu Lan's melodies could keep the spirits from blurring. Lan Huan lifted his hand to Jiang Cheng's cheek, but his fingers could no longer touch his beloved. Before he could do or say anything, he was left completely alone in the clearing.
"Jiang Cheng!"
His own scream woke Lan Xichen, who sat up on the bed, putting a hand to his face. His heart was beating like crazy and his breath was rushing as he tried to control the strange fear. He didn't know where he was, what was going on, and it took him a moment to realize that he was safely inside the hanshi. He slid his hand across the bed, coming across a parchment wrapped in purple ribbon. Inside was an assurance of arrival the next day along with the hope that they would have a moment to themselves without the company of ghosts. Apparently he had thought too long about what they would be able to do once Sect Leader Jiang arrived that he had nightmares.
Trying to shake off thoughts of sleep, the man stepped out in front of the hanshi, wrapped in a blanket, looking up at the sky. It was the middle of the night, the full moon illuminating everything around with a faint glow, adding to the beauty of the area. A lot could happen in the middle of the night, and Lan Huan was looking forward to Jiang Cheng's arrival. Who knows, maybe part of his dream could come true...