Lan Xichen was the first one to wake up the next frosty morning, mostly because he was way too hot.
Jiang Cheng was sprawling on the bed, truly exhausted, sleeping deeply, taking in shallow breaths, sweaty. Lan Huan smiled; he looked very flushed, but he was smiling in his sleep too, and he looked pleased, somehow...smug.
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He removed the bed cover slightly, with every intention of kissing that amazing body a little more, maybe even risk waking him up? Maybe even getting a scolding for that?
It was worth it. Every second they spent together was worth it.
But when his hand slowly removed the covers, his breath hitched. He felt his blood rise to his head, and tears filled up his eyes. The delicate, marvelous body he knew so well now bore all the consequences, all the traces of their brutal pleasure from last night.
He almost sobbed, he dared not even touch. The pale skin was a canvas, a cruel paining by a cruel artist, who had left too much of his reds and purples on the pristine white.
The ropes had dug too deep last night, and what he had considered just reddish marking in the darkness of their bedroom, now turned out to be bruises, shades of purple, clearly defining the outlines of every strip, of every cord. The tender skin on the neck was covered in bite marks, as were the hips, the wrists...
- Dear god... - he whimpered weakly, forgetting all his joy of seeing his lover sleeping so peacefully today.
The sound made Jiang Wanyin stir and even in his sleep seek for him, grope along the bed and reach out for him, pull himself closer and hug his waist.
Lan Huan lay down again, doing his best to swallow his tears, to stifle his sobs, and not move any more, as not to cause any more pain.
This was awful. And Wanyin had begged for it.
The shorter man snuggled into him, closer, and he murmured, mostly to himself:
- Forgive me. Forgive me, my love...
***
When Jiang Cheng woke up an hour later, he frowned a little at some dull pain – mostly in his back; his hands being tied behind his back was going to cost him today, as his muscles still hurt because of the unnatural position, but his frown deepened when he blinked and stared up at his loved one – Lan Huan had turned his head to the other side and would not look at him.
