Work Text:
Wen Kexing sent everyone else out of the room, as he continued to gently comb through Zhou Zishu long black hair. Beneath his fingers, the strands were silky soft. The question he’d wanted to ask for a time now finally came out. “A’Xu why weren’t you surprised at all when you saw me after leaving the prison? I was looking forward to your expression.”
“What was there to be surprised about? I didn’t know when you would come or how you would come, but I knew that you would definitely come.” Xu’s reply spoke of a deep trust, one that moved him more than he could ever hope to describe.
Wen knew what he’d planned to do when he entered the room, but those words meant that the time was truly right. He would have no regrets or second thoughts. Fearlessly, Wen removed his hairpin and, with careful reverence, he placed it in Xu’s hair. He could see the other man smile fondly in the mirror.
Wen’s heart was bursting, but he did his best to hold in his overwhelming relief and happiness as he knelt beside Xu’s chair. Although his token hadn’t been rejected, he needed to hear that Xu would accept him. “Will you be mine, A’Xu? I’ve been yours for quite a while now.” He fluttered his eyes and smiled, hoping to convey his affection in his usual flirtatious manner.
Leaning forward, Xu cupped the back of Wen’s head drawing him closer and kissing his brow. When their gaze locked again, Xu’s own smile was impossibly sweeter. He didn’t say a word though, and that made Wen a bit nervous.
“A’Xu, I pledge my eternity to you and all you offer is a peck on my forehead? That isn’t an answer, and not quite what I’d hoped for.” He hoped his expression sufficiently relayed his annoyance. He knew his pout usually had an effect on the other man.
“Old Wen,” Xu said, “you are ruthless, greedy, and beyond hope, but I don’t know that I could live without you.”
“That is a ‘yes?’” Wen asked, needing clarity. “Do you care to spend the rest of our lives away from the world, training precious disciples, and growing old together?”
“It’ll be my utmost pleasure to bicker with you for the rest of my life,” Xu said decisively.
“Our life,” Wen corrected. “You will not go anywhere without me. I will follow you through this life and any and all that may come after.”
A momentary sadness flickered across Zhou Zishu’s soft features, but it was fleeting. His smile returned like the sun, and this time when he leaned closer, he closed his eyes. Wen Kexing did as well, wanting to focus all his awareness on what he knew would come next.
The sweetness of the kiss, the taste of Xu was dizzying. Soft and yet insistent, full of promises and tomorrows. Full of adoration and devotion. It was heavenly.
Afterall, they had eternity, didn’t they? And what did it matter that Zhou Zishu knew nothing of the hairpin’s true form? Wen was certain no one else in this world or any other was a better protector of that priceless relic or of his own heart.