Work Text:
Aventurine grins. He's in his favorite position in the world. The game is set, the odds are in his favor and he can taste his victory is just around the corner. He took the gamble, sitting down at this betting table, knowing who exactly his opponent is and he knows he will win.
Across from him, Arbiter-General Jing Yuan sits. His expression is unreadable, serious like he's giving this game his full attention. It's an honor to Aventurine. He didn't think he would hold up so well to a man known as the Divine Foresight.
It's been a long hard game thus far but Aventurine knows he is set to win. The cards in his hands confirm it.
So he lays out the first bait.
“Shall we up the ante?” Aventurine asks.
Jing Yuan looks at him, an amused smile flickering across his face. “Oh?”
“A favor between friends,” Aventurine says innocently.
“An interesting proposal,” Jing Yuan says. “If I lose, I'll owe you a favor and if I win, you'll owe me one. Is that what you're suggesting?”
“Yes, of course,” Aventurine says. “Within reason. You can't ask me to do something that will go against the IPC for example. Just like, I won't ask you to do something that goes against the Xianzhou Alliance.”
“A personal favor,” Jing Yuan says. “I knew you had an ulterior motive when you sat down at the table. Few wish to play against me.”
“A small one,” Aventurine admits with a grin. “It's harmless, I promise.”
“Is that so?” Jing Yuan says. “Well then let us make this the final hand of the game.” His golden eyes sparkle. “I call.”
He unfolds his cards revealing a straight flush.
Aventurine grins and reveals his hand. A beautiful Royal Flush.
He sits back satisfied.
Jing Yuan lets loose a bark of laughter. “Well done,” he says. “Your favor?”
“A date,” Aventurine says.
Here, Jing Yuan blinks at him, surprised. “A date?”
“Harmless, right?” Aventurine says innocently. He's not interested in keeping the favor in his back pocket for a rainy day. No, it's more important to build the connection. It's not every day a Stoneheart gets to meet an Arbiter-General. If he plays it right, makes a good first impression, then Jing Yuan will hopefully remember him for years to come.
Jing Yuan hums but he doesn't outright reject Aventurine.
“Very well,” he says. “A date as long as you don't mind something as simple as staying in and a good meal. I have little desire to venture into Penacony’s golden sweet dream tonight.”
Aventurine weighs his options. On one hand, a public date is better because then people see that Aventurine has made this connection and no one can accuse him of making it up. But on the other hand, a stay-in date is more… intimate. And Aventurine can admit, Jing Yuan is easy on the eyes. If it ends with a little tumble into bed, Aventurine won't complain.
“That's perfect,” Aventurine says pleased.
“Well then,” Jing Yuan says. He leans close and whispers his room number in Aventurine’s ear. “I'll see you tonight at 6.” He winks as he pulls away.
Aventurine feels his cheeks heat up. Oh, he's a smooth one. Aventurine is going to have to step up his game.
-.-.-.-
At quarter to 6, Aventurine is heading towards Jing Yuan's room. The room number surprised him. It's one of the most expensive suites in The Reverie Hotel. It's obvious that despite the fact the Aventurine is a Stoneheart and an IPC representative, The Family has little love and respect for the IPC. The same apparently cannot be said for the Xianzhou Alliance it seems.
If Aventurine recalls correctly, the rooms on this level are full-on apartments with a full-sized kitchen and a separate bedroom.
He knocks on the door and waits.
It's not Jing Yuan who opens the door.
It's Dan Heng of the Astral Express.
Aventurine blinks and discreetly checks the number on the wall next to the door. He's in the right place and he knows, given how he had “helped” the Astral Express crew when they arrived, that none of them have rooms on this level.
Dan Heng looks at him, equally confused.
Aventurine tilts his head, calculating his options. Dan Heng looks… comfortable, so to speak. Aventurine has only seen his picture from the profile that is passed around the office regarding the Astral Express. But his coat is gone, his black sleeves rolled up and he's hilariously wearing an green apron that says, “Kiss the Cook.”
“Aventurine…? Correct?” Dan Heng says.
“That is correct,” Aventurine chirps, not letting any of his confusion slip out. “I've met the rest of your crew, Dan Heng.”
“Yes, Stelle has mentioned you,” Dan Heng says. “What brings you here?”
Before he can answer, Jing Yuan chooses that moment to show up. He presses a kiss to Dan Heng’s cheek who simply huffs but accepts with tenderness in his eyes. Jing Yuan then wraps his arms around Dan Heng's waist and rests his chin on Dan Heng’s shoulder.
“Hello, Aventurine,” Jing Yuan says with a smile. “You're right on time.”
Ah. Aventurine has been played.
The humiliation burns. It's not a loss. He's gained valuable information. After all, no one knows that the Astral Express and the Xianzhou Alliance are now connected if one of the Express crew members is dating the Luofu’s General.
Aventurine simply hates how he learns this tidbit.
“I'm hurt,” Aventurine says, pressing a hand to his heart. “General Jing Yuan, you could have asked me to change my favor from a date if you were already taken.”
Is it petty to throw what looks like a happy relationship into chaos like that? Yes. But given how Aventurine was toyed with, he doesn't care.
He's not here to gain the reputation of a relationship breaker and sour things with the Astral Express. Nor did he think that Jing Yuan was such a sore loser.
Dan Heng shakes free from Jing Yuan’s grip to face. “Date?” he asks.
Good. Aventurine awaits the fight that's about to break out and then will make himself scarce.
Jing Yuan smiles. “We made a bet. If I lost, I would owe Aventurine a favor. His favor was a date.”
Alarm bells went off in Aventurine’s head. Jing Yuan sounded too calm, too pleased as he said that. There was no groveling, no begging or pleading. He didn't even throw Aventurine under the bus.
Dan Heng tilts his head slightly. “Ah,” he says, “You lost on purpose.”
What?
Dan Heng turns his attention back to Aventurine and tugs him inside. “Come on in then,” Dan Heng says. He pushes Aventurine into Jing Yuan’s open arms. “Dinner will be ready shortly,” he says.
Jing Yuan scoops up Aventurine and wanders over to the couch. The TV is playing the latest Clockie movie. “You're in for a treat,” Jing Yuan says with a smile. “Dan Heng is cooking today and his food is wonderful.”
“This explains why you showed up with enough food for three people,” Dan Heng calls out from the kitchen.
All Aventurine can do is stare in shock. He has nothing to say, doesn’t even struggle, as Jing Yuan settles down on the couch with Aventurine on his lap.
Aventurine has been played.
“You planned this?” Aventurine asks with disbelief.
Jing Yuan looks entirely smug, like a cat that got the cream. “I had been fishing for a while. Imagine my surprise when you offered up the exact prize I was seeking.”
Aventurine does not pick up his jaw from the floor. He doesn’t. It never dropped in the first place. He totally saw this coming!
(He did not.)
“And your boyfriend is okay with that?!” Aventurine yelps.
Jing Yuan laughs. “Oh you misunderstand. It was Dan Heng’s suggestion in the first place.”
What.
Dan Heng wanders back with three plates of food that he sets on the small coffee table in front of the couch. He then sits down on the couch, leaning into Aventurine’s personal space.
“I happen to think aventurine stones are the prettiest gemstones in the galaxy,” Dan Heng says. His green eyes flicker at Aventurine. “And I’m a very greedy dragon.”
Aventurine feels his cheeks burn red.
“A sharp mind is the cherry on top,” Dan Heng says with a slight smile.
“This… is not how I foresaw my night going,” Aventurine admits.
Jing Yuan laughs.
“Hopefully, we’ll make it a memorable one,” Dan Heng says.
Aventurine has been played.
And he cannot say he minds.