Solstice Souls

The Duel of Duals

Lan Zhan POV

The sharp, incessant knocking was what caught his attention first. His eyes blinked open to find a weight resting on his chest. The scent of lotus flowers rose up to tickle his nose. And there was a drooling mess of silky black hair, loose and just as unruly as its owner, laying there, holding him tight.

What was worse, was that his own arms were locked around the slim waist of the man just as tightly.

Lan Zhan was shocked.

The door burst open, the person who was knocking losing all patience with having to wait, and out of all the people in the world he wished it wasn't, it was indeed his brother.

XiChen stared at him, just as Lan Zhan hurriedly pushed away the deadweight that was Suibian, a look of intense anger and guilt on his face. Why?? How? What made this incredibly forward man think that it was alright to share his bed?

Lan Zhan felt violated.

And to make it even worse, XiChen was staring at him with an accusatory look.

Suibian chose that moment to rise from his stupor.

Lan Zhan watched as silver eyes sparkled to life, and seemed to grasp the situation they were in, far faster than he had, because a mischievous smile appeared immediately.

"Good morning, Master Zewu-jun!" Suibian exclaimed, bowing.

Lan Zhan realised he had forgotten to, and hoped his brother had not noticed, given the even more shocking scene he had walked in on, but judging from the disapproval radiating from him in waves, it didn't seem likely. And, as the seconds ticked by in that too silent room, it became increasingly more awkward to suddenly bow, just out of courtesy.

Suibian looked from one brother to the other, assessing his place there.

"What exactly is going on here?" XiChen stared back at both of them, harder at Suibian than his own brother, with ice tinged words.

Lan Zhan could feel Suibian looking at him with added interest, especially because his ears were on fire.

"Why, Zewu-jun, whatever in the world do you mean?" Suibian shamelessly went ahead and draped an arm around the first Jade.

Lan Zhan could feel agitation like acid churning in his stomach at the sight. This whole morning was confusing...and he didn't understand anything...except for the fact that there was no way he had been in that compromising position out of choice. Which meant, it all came down to the culprit vexing him now.

Suibian was batting his eyelashes at his brother, and Lan Zhan could feel his temper rising with each flutter.

"Please explain yourself." XiChen subtly shrugged off the extra limb.

Suibian looked uncertain just for a second.

"I must have rolled over in my sleep!" He said, unfazed and staring back at Xichen.

There was a challenge in his eyes.

Lan Zhan was still shaking off the fuzziness in his head, although the gradually increasing onslaught of anger, combined with irritation at his predicament, in particular, the person with whom this whole mess had been created, was going a long way to clearing his mind.

He bowed to his elder brother then.

"I must apologise. It will not happen again." He stated.

"Are you sure about that?" Suibian slunk past in a voice that was impossible for his brother to have overheard.