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English
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Published:
2023-10-06
Completed:
2024-08-05
Words:
1,034
Chapters:
2/2
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17
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It Was You I Chose

Summary:

Just a quiet moment at home and Stelle is willing to tell the General something she thinks he needs to hear.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

How had it happened that she found herself here, sitting with one of the most powerful men of the Xianzhou Alliance? Stelle couldn’t really say where it had started. Not really. Perhaps it was only her notice of the sadness behind the perpetual smile and the knowledge of the friends he had lost that had called to her and urged her to do something about that loneliness . Or perhaps it was, as she had told March early on in their visit, that he was simply a good-looking man. She hadn’t thought she would have been weak for just that reason, but she was still learning much about herself as well as the rest of the universe.  

Still, did the source of how this all started matter all that much? Did past dealings, casual in their beginning, require thought now? Not likely. What mattered was that she was here right now, perched just behind Jing Yuan and running a brush though his thick hair. From what she could see of his face, he looked entirely relaxed, appearing much like the dozing lion he kept as a pet.  The Dozing General he was called. Here, at least, he looked not so much tired as at peace. The Trailblazer was content with that. He likely didn’t have a chance to get many moments like this.  

“I do have to wonder what keeps you here with me.” Jing Yuan’s voice shook Stelle out of her inner thoughts.  

“What do you mean?”  

“You’ve never taken a lover before, have you?” He turned slightly to look at her.  

Perhaps some girls might have blushed at that pointed question, but she wasn’t embarrassed. Instead, she shrugged. “Not that I remember.” She paused, considering what little she had learned about her past. “It’s not likely before that either.” Not with being what she was...whatever that was.  

He laughed, turning to look at her squarely. “And yet, despite all your choices, you have chosen the General of the Luofu. Perhaps I should be concerned about your intentions.” He was teasing her again. That glint in his eyes told her that much. She never minded, usually perfectly willing to tease him in her own way.  

But this. No, this required something a bit more sincere. He had confessed to her that getting involved with her was frightening. At his age Mara was an ever-present threat. And yet, he still chose to risk things to be here with her.  

“I didn’t fall in love with the General of Luofu.” Stelle stated, her voice soft but implacable. This was the truth in her eyes and no one could convince her otherwise. Before he could do more than blink in surprise, or question the lack of affection that her words implied, she continued. “I fell in love with a man who is devoted to his people; one that would give his all to protect if necessary. I want to be with the man who raised a lion thinking she was a cat and an orphaned boy when it would have been far easier to pass that responsibility on. I love a man who has lost so much in his life and yet is strong enough to move forward well enough to smile and tease those around him relentlessly.”  

She kept her eyes on him, her golden gaze calm but firm, as she reached out to place a hand against his cheek. “I didn’t choose the General, Jing Yuan.” She murmured, leaning close enough to brush her lips against his. “I chose you .”  

 

Chapter 2

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Jing Yuan stared at the woman who had just kissed him, her soft yet determined words still echoing through his mind.  Perhaps it was because he had been Jing Yuan, the General of the Luofu, for so long that he had forgotten what it was like to simply be Jing Yuan the man.    The Ambrosia Arbor crisis had made him realize just how much distance and years stretched between the two.  

The speech Stelle had given was long for her, the Trailblazer rarely stringing more than two sentences together at a time.  Honestly, he was just as surprised at the length of her explanation as the subject matter.  Despite all his years and his usual quick thinking that had let him become the longest serving General of the Xianzhou, his wits temporarily deserted him.  

Stelle smiled again and straightened, the expression mixed both affection and a cat-like pleasure at striking him speechless.  “Try to remember that even when I have to be gone.”  It wasn’t often that she could make him stop in his tracks for more than a breath, the man usually being able to predict much of what she was going to do with reasonable accuracy.  With the title of the Divine Foresight that should be no surprise.  

She gave a brief yelp of surprise as he reached out to her, pulling her into his lap with his arms wrapping around her in an embrace.  From the strength of his hold, it told her that he wasn’t intending on letting her go anytime soon.  

He sighed into her gray hair before he kissed her forehead.  She felt him speak more than she heard it; his voice a rumble in his chest.   “I have forgotten many things, Stelle.” He stated quietly. “Over the centuries eventually everything becomes the same.  I am used to stagnating and those that saw me as myself are...no longer present.”  For any number of reasons. Even Yanqing, who was closer than most, still called him by his title.    

Only Stelle had bypassed that formality without much thought, accepting his insistence that she call him by his name without any protest or hesitation.  “You are the breath of fresh air I didn’t realize I was missing.  I am glad that out of all your options it was me that you chose.”   He smiled; the expression clear in his voice as he knew his lover couldn’t see it with how close he held her.  

“I am an old man, but I’ll do my best to remember why you love me.  I hope that you can remember that wherever your journey takes you that you will know that I love you.”  

Notes:

This chapter is for @vganimefanatic for the inspiration. Even if it did take me a while to get back to it.

Notes:

Inspired by a dream I had, and dedicated primarily to Mysty who got me into this silly game and ship in the first place. I hope you enjoy.