[曦澄 | XiCheng]: The Fear Of Falling In Love [~PART 1~]

[20.] Black and blue.

Lan Xichen woke up early the next day, feeling differently. He was happy  –  fully, perfectly happy. He gazed at his sleeping husband for some time. Jiang Wanyin was snuggling into him, and there was a smile on his flushed face. He let him rest, and after kissing his cheek gently, he went about his work.

The servants were instructed to prepare good breakfast and hot water for their Master, so that everything would be ready for him when he woke up. He himself went for a swim; he needed to get his mind clear and meditate.

***

This was how Jiang Cheng found him  –  sitting with his legs crossed, hair still wet, eyes closed and deep in thought, the sunshine hitting his back and giving him a pale halo, a glow. He had woken around noon, terrified that his husband had let him oversleep so much, and afraid that he would be angry with him. 

But as he put on a robe and went to search for him, the housekeeper told him that the Master wanted him to rest. 

He was smiling when she told him:

- Master, it is so good to see Zewu-Jun being his old self again! He has been so unhappy and angry lately... This is not his nature. But now he seems content. Thank you, Master, for bringing him happiness.  –  she bowed low. – He deserves it... his life has been so hard...

She sighed and prepared the bath for him. He was listening, speechless, wondering what it all meant. He was trying to remember some stories about Zewu-Jun he might have heard during his school days at the Cloud Recesses years ago, but could not. The First Young Master Lan had always been a very private person; they didn't really know each other, not before they got married. Most stories he remembered were connected to Wei Wuxian, and his messy and confusing love story with Lan Wangji, but Lan Xichen had always been the polite, but distant Gusu Clan Leader.

Now he knew him. He knew him too well. 

Jiang Cheng was sitting in the warm bath water, relaxing, and blushing, remembering last night. Was his husband disappointed in him? He didn't remember all of it, but was now dreamily caressing the big bruises on his hips before they disappeared –  his mind was replaying the scenes where those hips were grabbed by two strong hands, pulling him in, claiming him, possessing him. 

He sighed happily; his body was aching in different places, but he was so so happy.