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Jing Yuan's face is flushed bright pink, his eyes glazed over as he looks up at Dan Heng's eyes. He rests squarely in Dan Heng's lap, the sound of rushing seawater in his ears as Dan Heng holds his imbued fingertips over the side of his head. Jing Yuan had done water therapy with Dan Heng for aches and pains before, but never like this.
The Dragon King looks down at him with his resting frown, all of the love in the world in his eyes as the water invades Jing Yuan's ears. He sits as still as possible as an unpleasant, stuffy sensation fills his head, and a gentle blue glow emanates from the sides of his face.
Jing Yuan had woken the previous day with a bad case of the chills. He assumed it was his body's way of recovering after his bout of sparring sessions the day before and carried on business as usual, but he knew something was wrong when he woke up today with a whole slew of symptoms not synonymous with any kind of muscular strain.
Jing Yuan had never been afflicted with anything like it before. He didn't know the sore throat of a persistent cough or the fullness of a face with a sinus infection. He didn't get sick, which could only mean one thing.
His time had finally come.
He was surely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, dying. His weak, feeble body could no longer fight off a measly infection.
The Dragon King was a busy man, but he had dropped everything to rush to Jing Yuan's side in his final hours. He'd stripped off his sweat-soaked clothing and helped him to the bathroom where he could run a cool tub and let Jing Yuan soak in his special concoction of salts and scents. It did wonders in clearing up his sinuses, but the chills and fever persisted.
"Dan Heng… If I don't live to see tomorrow… Just know that I l–"
"Stop talking like that! You have the flu, not the plague."
Dan Heng would only resort to this kind of magic in dire circumstances. He said it was always better for the body to fight off any infection itself so that it could come back stronger, but Jing Yuan's repeated insistence that he was, in fact, at death's door, may have been the catalyst for his change of heart.
The water that flooded his skull must have had some kind of mystical property to it, one that tricks Jing Yuan into thinking for just a moment that he's been cured. That is until he realizes that he was too distracted by the explosion of pressure around his brain to notice that his physical condition remained the same.
Dan Heng holds his head gently in place. It was vital that Jing Yuan not move a muscle during the magical procedure, or else he'd have a very unpleasant time spouting water from every orifice.
The pressure in his ears is suddenly released and he can finally breathe and hear normally again. Dan Heng's fingers guide the water back into the bucket he'd pulled it from.
"There," he announces, putting his fingers back beneath Jing Yuan's ears to push his hair back. "How do you feel?"
"Water-logged," Jing Yuan mumbles, his voice hoarse and nasally.
"That will go away shortly," he assures, tenderly caressing Jing Yuan's cheek. He leans over his face, his hair draping over his shoulder and tickling Jing Yuan's bare skin. "It'll have been worth it, once you wake up tomorrow morning feeling better…"
Jing Yuan leans into Dan Heng's hand with a smile. "That's good to hear," he replies. Dan Heng leans down, the tip of his nose brushing against the bridge of Jing Yuan's.
"...And until then, I'll be right here taking care of you," he says, punctuating with a kiss atop Jing Yuan's forehead.
Jing Yuan let out a deep sigh, clutching onto the arm of his lover. "You must be a gift from the celestials."
Dan Heng smirks. "Something like that," he says. "My benevolence comes at a price. I expect you'll be squeezing a romantic getaway into your schedule, sometime in the coming weeks."
Jing Yuan shuts his eyes and turns his head to the side, stifling a cough. "If I survive this, I'll do anything for you."
Dan Heng shakes his head. "Must you be so dramatic?" he chides.
That magical water therapy had done a serious number on him. He had felt tired all day, but he couldn't shake the throes of sleep off his back any longer. Dan Heng's fingers gently stroked his sweat soaked hair and massaged into his scalp, and if he really listened in closely, he could hear a low hum from behind his lips.
Jing Yuan drags his arms over Dan Heng's waist, burying his head in his thighs and drifting to sleep to the sound of his serene melody.
Much to his chagrin, he doesn't wake up completely cured of all ailments. When would he be vindicated from this terrible curse…?
He lifts his head off the bed and drags himself up on weak, trembling arms. The bed was vacated by all but him. Dan Heng was nowhere to be seen. Was any of it real? Was it a hallucination wrought by his feverish brain? Was Dan Heng even real?
He frets over death some more, totally convinced that he wouldn't wake up the next time he shut his eyes, and then the answer to all of his prayers walks back into the room before he could spiral any further into madness.
"Oh, you're awake. Good," Dan Heng says, closing the door with his foot while his hands are occupied, carrying a large tray towards the bedside table.
Jing Yuan exasperates, flopping back down on the bed. His whole body was burning up. "I thought you were gone," he mumbles.
"I only went to brew some tea. It should help clear up that cough," he says. He sits on the edge of the bed facing away from him, and Jing Yuan takes it upon himself to crawl behind him and wrap his arms around his waist. His body was nice and cool. Oh, to be cold blooded, right about now.
Dan Heng lifts a teacup to his lips and blows over the top of it, steam billowing out.
"Try it," he says, twisting back and holding the cup with the tips of his fingers. He carefully brings it to Jing Yuan's lips and tilts it back so that he can take a sip.
The reaction is immediate. Jing Yuan's nose clears, and he gets the strongest whiff of lemon and ginger he's ever experienced in his life. It's so strong he gags on the tea before hacking up a lung.
"Too strong?" Dan Heng asks.
Jing Yuan sticks his singed tongue out of his mouth and nods.
"Good. That's how it's meant to be," he grins, placing the cup back down. His torso twists unnaturally to accommodate Jing Yuan's iron grip on his hips. He places the back of his hand on Jing Yuan's forehead and his grin shrinks. "You're still a bit warm…" he remarks.
"I thought that water magic was supposed to cure me," Jing Yuan becries.
"It will. By tomorrow."
Tomorrow, he repeats to himself. "How long was I asleep?"
"...Twenty minutes, give or take."
Jing Yuan groans and flops down onto the bed, arms hanging over the edge. "I'm–"
"Don't say it."
"..." He contemplates. "Nevermind," he sighs, a pout on his face.
Dan Heng rolls his eyes and scoffs. "I take it you're finished with that tea?" He asks.
Jing Yuan grimaces. "Yes…"
"Okay," he responds, picking himself up off the bed. "I do have one last idea to aid with the fever. If you're so insistent that you won't make it to tomorrow, I may as well exhaust all avenues."
Jing Yuan nods his head. "Do what you must," he says, placing his hand over his forehead.
Dan Heng clicks his tongue and stands over Jing Yuan, grasping his shoulders and flipping him onto his back. Jing Yuan blushes, looking towards the upside-down face of his lover as he towers over him.
He blushes.
"Is this what I think it is?"
Dan Heng crosses his arms and frowns. "It depends on what you think 'this' is."
"Er… I probably shouldn't say it out loud…"
"Good choice," Dan Heng says.
He seemed peeved that Jing Yuan could even think of anything dirty at a time like this, but if that were the case… Why was he taking his clothes off!?
He strips his robe off, leaving his chest bare as he walks around the bed to climb over Jing Yuan and straddle his waist.
"Am I… Allowed to touch–" Jing Yuan stiffens as Dan Heng drapes himself over Jing Yuan's bare body. At first, he freezes up, much like Dan Heng's skin. He was cold. So cold he swears he can hear the hiss of steam from between their bodies… Or perhaps that was just tinnitus.
Jing Yuan's shoulders eventually relax, and he relishes in the coolness of his skin. It was heaven against his feverish limbs, a cold cheek pressing against Jing Yuan's and taming the heat oozing from his pores. His hands snake down Jing Yuan's arms, and he laces their fingers together, the tips of their noses touching before Dan Heng leans in for a kiss.
Even his lips are cold. It's like kissing a tumbled stone pulled up from the bottom of a river. Jing Yuan can't get enough of them.
"Won't you get sick, too?" He mumbles into Dan Heng's lips.
Dan Heng shakes his head. "I'll be fine," he says, tilting Jing Yuan's head back and lifting his arms over his head. He pulls his head back, a blue blush dusted over his cheeks and a small smirk on his lips. "Feeling better?"
Jing Yuan swallows and nods.
"Good," Dan Heng says, leaning down into Jing Yuan's neck, hair tickling his chin as he curls against his chest. He was too beautiful like this.
"You're a godsend," Jing Yuan hiccups, wrapping his arms over Dan Heng's back and pulling him closer. "What have I ever done to be graced with the presence of such a divine creature?" He's practically sobbing, hysterical as he clings to the man on top of him.
"You're getting too worked up," Dan Heng cooes, placing his hand under Jing Yuan's chin. "There'll be plenty of time to worship me and my divine beauty and transcendence after you're feeling better. Try to relax."
Jing Yuan bites back on his lip and stifles a whimper. He didn't deserve Dan Heng. He was a lowly peasant receiving the unwarranted blessings of a merciful deity. He received the gentle, loving touch of an iridescent god without having served in his temple for a millenia. He was–
Falling asleep. Halfway between reality, and another fever dream cooked up by his mind. He felt a pressure on his temple, the pad of a thumb pressing into his skull, lulling him towards the edge of unconsciousness, one last gift bestowed upon him by the gods. He staves it off for as long as he can, soaking in the sight of the ethereal Dragon King lying on top of him before he finally succumbs.
If tonight were to be his last night, he'd die a happy man.
Surely enough, he wakes up perfectly fine the next morning, as if nothing had ever gone awry to begin with.
He's entangled in the arms of the Dragon King, the heat of their bodies indistinguishable from one another. He tries to carefully peel himself away, but it was inevitable that the slumbering man beside him would be alerted by his sudden movement. He always was a light sleeper.
"Good morning, love," Jing Yuan says, sitting up in the bed. Dan Heng slowly rises beside him, back falling against his chest.
"Glad to see you made it," Dan Heng teases, stretching his arms up over his head. "I was starting to think I'd lost you."
Jing Yuan chuckles. "Of course I made it. I had the best healer on the Luofu taking care of me."
"...And a ninety nine degree fever that lasted less than twelve hours," Dan Heng chimes. A moment later, he shields his mouth using his forearm to let out a quick cough.
Jing Yuan shrugs. "Life happens so quickly, you never know when…" His voice trails off.
Dan Heng turns around with his brows furrowed. "When what?" he asks.
Jing Yuan blinks. "When, um…" Was he hearing things? "Nevermind. I'll go make breakfast."
He starts to move away from Dan Heng, but the dragon is quick to throw his arms over Jing Yuan's neck and hold him down. "Wait!" He exclaims, crawling into Jing Yuan's lap.
Jing Yuan raises an eyebrow.
"I'm chilly. Give me a few more moments here," he says, leaning his chin into Jing Yuan's neck. He was shivering like he was cold, but…
Jing Yuan crosses his arms over Dan Heng's back. He didn't feel cold anymore. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was scorching hot.
Jing Yuan leans back and puts his palm over Dan Heng's forehead. Surely enough… He was burning up.
Dan Heng's eyes look up at his hand. At the same time, he covers his mouth for another cough. "What are you doing?"
Jing Yuan sucks in a breath. "Er… Nothing. Let me go make you something to eat… And maybe another pot of that tea from yesterday…"
Jing Yuan plucks Dan Heng out of his lap and sets him down gently on the bed, covering him in layer upon layer of blankets hoping to emulate the comfort of human warmth in his brief absence.
Dan Heng turns over onto his eyes with his eyes shut, his jaw strung tight as his teeth chatter together.
This was going to be a rough couple of days.
At least he had that romantic getaway to look forward to after it was over…