TIAN GUAN CI FU Fan fic stories

SEE IT WITH THE LIGHTS OUT

The interior of their bedchamber at Paradise Manor is lit up with the light of a dozen lanterns, scattered about the furniture and bathing the room in a soft, warm glow. Xie Lian crosses the threshold with Hua Cheng at her side, veil still in place, but the blush on her cheeks must surely give her away regardless. It's the good kind of nerves that turn her stomach into a fluttering bird, her heart beating in her chest like it longs for release from the cage of her ribs. There is no need for her to be nervous at all—He is no untouched bride, after all, and knows what lies ahead for her, but the anticipation makes her breath quicken all the same.

He lifts her veil at last, hoping that the night air will cool her warm cheeks, let her regain some of her composure.

Their marital bed drowns in a sea of red—the finest silk in the land that Xie Lian knows will feel like a whisper against her body, hand-picked by Hua Cheng just for the occasion. No expense was spared on this, even though Xie Lian knows that Hua Cheng would marry her in rags just as readily, as long as they could call each other husband in the end.

"Gege, come sit," Hua Cheng says, directing Xie Lian to join her on the bed, where a bronze tray polished so smooth it might as well be a mirror sits among the abundance of red linens, laden with an assortment of fruit and two cups of wine, tied together with a red string. "We should drink, for luck."

I don't need any more luck when my San Lang is with me, Xie Lian wants to say, glancing down at the red thread that wraps around her finger. But it is better, perhaps, not to openly defy tradition lest it bring them more misfortune than even Xie Lian can attract on any given day.

They drink, then—the wine fresh and fragrant, spilling honey-sweet across the tongue. Their arms are linked, their faces almost touching, and when Hua Cheng breathes out, Xie Lian can feel her sweet breath fanning over her cheeks.

"Will Gege allow me?" Hua Cheng asks next, reaching for a lock of Xie Lian's hair, pulling it out of the elaborate style that Shi Qingxuan put it in earlier. When Xie Lian nods, He cuts a piece of it with a small, sharp knife whose handle, inlaid with gems, glints and glistens where it catches the light. Then, Hua Cheng passes it to Xie Lian. "Your turn."

Once their hair is tied together, Hua Cheng reaches for a piece of longan fruit, half-translucent in the soft light of the room.

"Gege should try this," He says, pressing the fruit against Xie Lian's lips until He gives in and opens her mouth, letting her tongue brush against the tips of Hua Cheng's fingers just to watch her eye grow dark and wanting. "Isn't it very sweet?"

Xie Lian chews and swallows, then licks her lips before saying, "Not as sweet as my San Lang."

"Gege," Hua Cheng breathes. Her head falls forward, and Xie Lian can see the shiver that runs through her.

"What?" Xie Lian tips her chin up defiantly, but she's laughing, too. At least it helps to settle the nerves. "Can't I speak the truth on my wedding night? Can't I tell my beloved how good He is to me?"

"Gege can say whatever He wants," Hua Cheng parries, pulling Xie Lian closer on the bed, until their knees are touching, "but He should have mercy on her most devoted servant."

"My most devoted husband," Xie Lian corrects her, letting the pleasure of the word's shape curl around her tongue. He gets to call Hua Cheng husband now. It makes her giddy in a way He never expected. It's not like anything will change between them, but to have their union acknowledged by the Heavens makes a bright, airy feeling settle inside her chest. He feels weightless, like her happiness could make her fly away if He wasn't firmly tethered to Hua Cheng by the red string tied around her finger.