Heaven's Sea 天涯海国 (BxB)

Episode 41

"Ah... Xu..." Lao Wen called in a weak voice as he came to his senses. He realized he was now fully clothed, except for his outer robe that was hanging by the fire to dry. Ah Xu must have dressed him after he fainted. The air smelled good, like grilled shrimps. He felt hungry right away. He walked towards the fire, where the shrimps were grilling, and noticed ZiShu standing outside the cave.

"Ah Xu..." He called.

ZiShu turned and gave him a warm loving smile. Lao Wen smiled back.

"Why are you standing there? Come eat with me, I'm starving."

ZiShu sat down and they ate shrimps together. Lao Wen was still weak, so Ah Xu was peeling the shrimps for Lao Wen to eat.

"I didn't know my Ah Xu could cook shrimps and peel them this well. You'll have to serve me from now on." Lao Wen teased.

"As soon as you are fully recovered, you're cooking for me." ZiShu teased back. And they both laughed heartily.

"Can I have some wine? I miss drinking wine with my Ah Xu."

"There is no wine. Just water. Maybe you could ferment the tree syrup and make alcohol for me?" ZiShu asked.

"Why am I the one that has to do everything? Cook, clean, and now ferment alcohol?" Lao Wen argued.

"Because you owe me that much. For leaving me 20 years ago. How could I not punish you for that?" ZiShu meant every word he said, despite he knew his words would hurt Lao Wen. He needed Lao Wen to understand that what he did was wrong, and he could never do that again, ever.

"I'm sorry, Ah Xu. That was selfish of me. But I couldn't watch you die." Lao Wen explained with teary red eyes.

"And you thought I could watch YOU die?" Ah Xu yelled.

After a moment of silence, they gave each other a look that they both understood. A promise that they would never leave each other again. From now on, they would live together, or they would die together. But one would not live without the other.

"You can never leave me, promise?" Zi Shu went to reach for both of Lao Wen's hands.

"What if I find somebody better looking than you one day?" Lao Wen teased.

"Then I will disfigure him." Zi Shu said with certainty.

"What if I'm in love with a nice woman one day?" Lao Wen asked.

"Then I will cut your ...  thing ... off. And she would not want to be with you after that." Zi Shu warned with a deadly look. 

"What if I want to get married one day?" Lao Wen continued.

"Then I'll be your groom."

"... You... would? You would marry me?"

"I would. I might not tell the whole world about it, but I would make sure you know that you belong to me and only me." ZiShu's serious tone confirmed he was not kidding around.

Wen Kexing knew he loved his Ah Xu, so much it was not possible to love him anymore than he already did, but right at his moment, he discovered that his Ah Xu actually loved him more than he thought he loved his Ah Xu. It hurt him to know that. The one who loved more was always the one who hurt more when a bond ended. Not that their bond would ever end, but people grow old, people get sick, people die. This was not avoidable. And if he did die 20 years ago, as much as he hated the thought of it, he would still want his Ah Xu to find somebody else, another companion, somebody to grow old with. He would not want Ah Xu to be lonely all his life.

"Ah Xu..." He moved over to kiss him.

Ah Xu kissed him back, but kept it short and sweet. Then he pulled away and Wen Kexing frowned.

"What is it, Ah Xu...? You don't want to kiss me?"

"That's not it, Lao Wen. I just need to keep some distance between us. I don't want to repeat what happened last night. You were weak and I took advantage of you. I nearly killed you. Please forgive me."

"Shhh...." Lao Wen put a finger on Zi Shu's lips.

"As soon as I recover, I'll be the one on top of you, and making mad love to you until you beg for me to stop." Lao Wen teased.

And then Ah Xu blushed and looked away. His Lao Wen was back, flirty as always, he thought to himself, shook his head, and smiled.

Lao Wen smiled back, enjoying the pink cheeks on his Ah Xu when he blushed. He missed that smile, those dimples, the soft cheek... He was daydreaming for a moment until he realized ZiShu was talking to him.

ZiShu explained that they must have found Heaven's Sea when he jumped off the cliff. Curious about this place, they decided to go around and explore once Wen Kexing fully recovered.

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