The King's Mate - Part 1: Banyue

Chapter 19

Heads up for medical bullshit lol

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By the time the sun had fully set, Xie Lian was still sitting in the garden just behind the infirmary.

At first he'd been too shellshocked to go anywhere else, and his only thought was that he needed time to sit down and process the news. And then, once Shi QingXuan's verdict had fully registered in his brain, he'd been too scared to go home and face his husband.

Of course he knew he shouldn't doubt that Hua Cheng would be supportive and deal with the news much better than Xie Lian could, but how was he supposed to tell him? Hua Cheng was always the perfect husband; they loved each other, they trusted each other, they-... so how was Xie Lian supposed to face him, knowing full well his own body let him down so much?

Obviously Xie Lian knew he needed to go home at some point, preferably soon, if he didn't want his mate to worry, but ... Hua Cheng already had a stressful day meeting with his court, he knew that. He'd told him this morning before he left that he expected news from County Magistrate Wang to arrive today and Xie Lian knew how serious Hua Cheng took that issue. He didn't really need another heavy issue piled on top of that, did he?

He really didn't, Xie Lian decided. If he told him the news tomorrow, it would still be soon enough.

Finally having decided on his course of action, or inaction, Xie Lian thought cynically, he forced himself to get up and go home.

By the time he arrived, Hua Cheng was already in their bedroom, reading. Though when he saw Xie Lian enter the room, he immediately put his book down and stood up to greet him with a hug and a kiss on his forehead. It was all Xie Lian could do not to burst into tears right this instant.

"I missed gege so much today", he murmured, and all Xie Lian could do was to lean into the embrace and let his alpha's familiar scent calm him.

"I missed you, too", he mumbled into his mate's chest, and promptly realised that he wouldn't be able to talk to Hua Cheng for very long before he would no doubt notice Xie Lian's distraught state of mind.

So he did the first thing that came to his mind in order to distract Hua Cheng, and pressed himself against him in a more, well, needy way.

It made Hua Cheng chuckle in warm amusement.

"Gege, shouldn't you eat dinner first?", he asked, and was about to pull away.

Xie Lian couldn't care less about dinner in that moment, and kept clinging to Hua Cheng while shaking his head.

The action made Hua Cheng laugh, before he grabbed the back of Xie Lian's thighs and hoisted him up so that Xie Lian could wrap his legs around Hua Cheng's waist.

"If gege is this impatient, this San Lang will of course be of service", his husband said in mock seriousness, and started walking towards their bed.

Once there, Hua Cheng threw Xie Lian onto the bed with enthusiasm, before he made quick process of ridding both of them of their clothes, though of course it was Xie Lian who made sure that the eyepatch was removed as well. Once they were both completely naked, Hua Cheng came crawling over to him with a predatory smirk on his face.

"Since gege is so eager today I'll make sure to reciprocate in kind", he purred, and promptly made good on his word.

At first Xie Lian's strategy worked, and Hua Cheng's caresses and kisses felt so good that they indeed managed to distract him, and he could feel himself getting properly into it as well.