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Luo Binghe paused at the edge of the clearing to make himself presentable. The fight with the sentient plant earlier had been relatively brief, but he’d been forced to wade into its vines and hold it down in order to slice through the central mass that functioned as its brain, and the slimy, sap-like substance coating the thing had leached into his skin. He could feel it cycling through his system trying to do something, but he hadn’t noticed any significant effects yet.
His position in the demon realm wasn’t secure enough that he could afford to show up while under the effects of some unknown substance– his fair-weather allies likely to turn on him the instant they sensed weakness– and he had no official base in the human realm at all, so it was better to find somewhere relatively safe and isolated where he could meditate until his system cleared it.
Thankfully, he’d stumbled across a small cottage not far away. Hopefully the inhabitants would be willing and able to help him. Better still if no one was there, but he ought to try to look more like a hapless human traveler, just in case. Demonic traits hidden and Xin Mo’s aura masked, Luo Binghe approached the cottage with deliberately solid footsteps and knocked politely on the door. “Excuse me, is anyone here?”
He heard a shuffling inside. Damn, he knew the place looked too tidy to be unoccupied.
“Just a moment,” someone called, and after some more shuffling the door swung open. “What do you want?” Luo Binghe lost his breath.
The man who answered the door was perhaps a handful of years older than Luo Binghe, and looked average in nearly every way. Short, stocky build; unremarkable features; sturdy, practical clothes– nothing about him could be noted as extraordinary, except perhaps for the keen glint in his dark eyes. He had no air of power or charisma around him. Even so, there was something about him, some intangible aura that captivated Luo Binghe.
He took a step closer on instinct. The man tensed slightly, and Luo Binghe froze.
“Yes?” the man prompted, and Luo Binghe realized he’d been staring. “Apologies. I was wondering if you might– that is, I’d been hoping…”
The man’s eyebrows crept higher, and Luo Binghe felt a horrifying heat in his face. Was he blushing? Gods above, what was wrong with him?
The man seemed to take pity on him. “Are you lost?”
“...yes.”
The man squinted at the sky. “It’s probably too late for you to make it to town before dark, unless you fly really fast. You can stay here overnight, in return for news and anything you might be willing to trade.” He threw a stern look at Luo Binghe, who had stared down house-sized beasts that had shaken him less. “Just don’t try anything: I have nothing worth stealing. Nothing that’d be worth the consequences of taking it, anyway.” He smirked a little, and Luo Binghe’s stomach squirmed.
“I won’t! I won’t take anything, I swear it.”
“Sure.” The man waved him in, and Luo Binghe stepped over the threshold, still reeling from his own words. He hadn’t made such a reckless vow since he was a child. What was it about this person that drew sincerity from him so effortlessly?
“I’m Shen Yuan, by the way. What’s your name?”
“Luo Binghe.”
Shen Yuan stumbled. Luo Binghe caught his elbow.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah, sure, I’m fine.” Shen Yuan waved him off distractedly, and Luo Binghe made himself let go. His hands tingled from the contact. He forced himself to take a step back, ignoring the way his body ached to touch.
Shen Yuan cleared his throat. “So, what brings L-Luo Binghe here?”
Luo Binghe’s lungs seized. The way he said his name… Did Shen Yuan recognize him? That shouldn’t be possible; he was only known within the demon realm, and Shen Yuan was a human cultivator. They didn’t deal with demons, and they didn’t tolerate them. He wouldn’t be so friendly with Luo Binghe if he knew what he was.
That thought hurt more than usual, for some reason.
Actually… something wasn’t right. He felt… odd. Shaky, stomach fluttering, heat pooling in his face, hands, abdomen, groin. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. The air smelled like books and dried herbs, and faintly of dust, and also of something warm, human. Shen Yuan himself. Luo Binghe inhaled greedily, mouth watering, itching to lick and bite–
“Luo Binghe?”
His eyes snapped open. “Yes?” He’d drawn closer to Shen Yuan without realizing it.
Shen Yuan frowned. “Are you ok? You seem… like something’s bothering you.”
Luo Binghe wasn’t all right. He was drowning, desperately trying to stem the rising tide of his own feelings. What was happening to him?
“I…” What could he say? “I think maybe…”
“What is it?” Shen Yuan stepped closer, face full of sincere concern. Luo Binghe’s heart flipped over. He’d never felt this way in his life. Shen Yuan somehow seemed more significant, more real to him than anyone he’d ever met. It was almost as though…
“I think I’m in love with you.” The words felt right. Good. Something settled within him.
Shen Yuan choked. “What?!”
“I’m in love with you.” High on the exuberant flush of discovery, Luo Binghe smiled down at Shen Yuan, who looked shocked.
“That– no, what? That makes no sense. We just met, and–and I’m not a woman!”
“I know?” Luo Binghe shook his head. “It may seem sudden, but from the moment we met I simply couldn’t ignore how extraordinary you are.”
Rather than looking flattered, Shen Yuan paled. “No, no, you’re–” he spluttered. “This doesn’t happen. You’re probably cursed, or under the influence of something–”
Luo Binghe’s newfound confidence crumbled into a profound anxiety. He crowded closer, hands clenching and grasping at nothing. “You don’t… believe me?” He was going about this all wrong. He knew he was coming on too strong, but he couldn’t hold back the truths tumbling from his lips. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, but I could never mistake it. Please, don’t you–” He was struggling to breathe through the tightness in his chest. “Don’t you feel anything for me?”
Shen Yuan stared at him, uncomprehending, and Luo Binghe closed his eyes.
He should have known. The course of his life was always thus– scorned, forsaken, abandoned. No one would ever choose him willingly; only through bribery and deception. So what if he had found his heart’s beloved? In every way that mattered, he’d always be alone.
He could feel hot tears welling in his eyes, and he let them fall. It wasn’t as though he could be humiliated any further.
Something touched the top of his head, and his eyes flashed open.
Shen Yuan patted him again. “Hey, it’s ok,” he said awkwardly. “I’m pretty sure this is just– temporary. But, for what it’s worth…” He shifted uncomfortably. “I, uh, like you. As a person! You seem… admirable. And I’ll help you figure this out, ok? It’s going to be alright.”
Luo Binghe leaned into the warm touch. He inhaled the heady amber scent of Shen Yuan’s body and tried to calm himself. Shen Yuan ushered them both over to a nearby bench, and allowed Luo Binghe to rest against him.
“Can you think of anything that could have poisoned or infected you? Do you sense any disruption in your meridians?”
Luo Binghe frowned. “That shouldn’t matter. I’d love you no matter what, because…” Because meeting Shen Yuan had felt like a needle being magnetized: before, he’d been aimless, and now there was the bone-deep pull.
Shen Yuan waved his hands. “Just– humor me, please?”
Reluctantly, Luo Binghe confided to Shen Yuan about the plant he’d slain that afternoon. He was surprised when the man paled.
“A Fairy’s Heartsease? But that shouldn’t even work on– men. This never happened in… any of my research.”
“You’re familiar with this creature?”
“Yes. If the effects are already this strong, you’ll probably need to… cure yourself. Maybe we can fly you home after all?
Luo Binghe’s heart dropped. “You said I could stay the night.”
“But you should be cured as quickly as possible.”
“I can’t be cured here?”
“No!” Shen Yuan was turning intriguingly red. “No, you should definitely go home for this.”
Luo Binghe’s eyes narrowed. “What does the cure entail?”
Shen Yuan looked away. “Ahaha, well, I might have some herbs we could try first? Then if that doesn’t work, you can go home in the morning.”
Luo Binghe took Shen Yuan’s hand. “Shen Yuan,” he called. “Yuan-ge.”
Shen Yuan spluttered. “What are you–”
Luo Binghe leaned in until he could see Shen Yuan’s gleaming dark eyes, ignoring his own pounding heart. “Please. Tell me.”
Shen Yuan looked away first. “...dual cultivation,” he mumbled.
Shock ran through Luo Binghe like lightning.
He shouldn’t be so surprised; this wasn’t even the first time he’d encountered a poison with this kind of cure. No, it was Shen Yuan’s involvement that had tingles of energy zinging through his whole body.
“Yuan-ge,” he breathed. His grip on Shen Yuan’s hand tightened, and he ducked his head to look up at him through his lashes. “Yuan-ge, I really want– That is, would you please–” He tripped over his words in his eagerness.
Shen Yuan turned his head away. “I’m sure you’d be much more comfortable with someone you’re familiar with. Don’t you have some wives at home or something?”
“I don’t,” Luo Binghe blurted. “I haven’t married anyone. Yuan-ge, you would be my first spouse, and my only one if you wish–”
“No wives?” Shen Yuan sounded incredulous. “How old are you, Binghe?”
“I’m of age,” Luo Binghe assured him. “I can provide a proper household for you.”
“No no, that’s not what I was asking. You really don’t have anyone else?”
Luo Binghe brought their joined hands up to his heart. “No one I’d choose over you, Yuan-ge.” Then something occurred to him. “That is, unless you aren't willing…”
“That isn’t the issue here,” Shen Yuan grumbled lowly.
“It isn’t?”
“No!” Shen Yuan pulled away. “The point is that you’re making a mistake, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.”
Luo Binghe held his breath and made himself let go. Shen Yuan seemed so inconvenienced by his feelings; reluctant even to accept their existence. Luo Binghe wished he could bring himself to leave, to give him some space. Instead, perversely, he only wanted to cling tighter.
If he’d thought about it before, Luo Binghe supposed he would’ve wished to be the kind of person who could respect his beloved’s needs and serve them before they ever had to ask. But then again, knowing himself as he did, he wasn’t particularly surprised to find his limit here.
Luo Binghe had never been settled, content in and of himself the way some people seemed to be. But never had he been so unsettled, so needful and grasping, as he was today with Shen Yuan. He wasn't sure he liked the feeling.
Luo Binghe tried to keep his voice steady. “You believe my love isn’t real because of this plant?”
Shen Yuan blushed. “S-Stop saying it like that! The poison’s effects mimic infatuation and obsession. You just had the bad luck of meeting me while under its influence.”
“So if I still want you after the poison is cleared, you'll consider my suit seriously?”
“That won't happen,” Shen Yuan assured him. “Don't worry, I won't hold you to anything you say today.”
Luo Binghe let out a humiliating, animal whine, thankfully above human hearing range. He cleared his throat. “Suppose for a moment that it did. Would you… could you ever…” He dug his claws into his palm. “Come with me,” he blurted. “Please. You’d want for nothing, I swear. Or,” he barrelled on, made frantic by Shen Yuan’s uneasy expression, “Or let me stay, and I’ll help you with whatever you wish. I’ll be useful; you won’t regret it–”
“Okay, okay, listen,” Shen Yuan held his hands up. “If you really wanted me to stay with you, I wouldn’t say no. You seem– very capable; I’m sure you have plenty to offer a… partner. But let’s not talk about that right now! We can come back to that after you’re cured, alright?”
Biting his lip, Luo Binghe nodded.
Could he actually be under the influence of some mind-altering poison? Luo Binghe considered. It was true that his heart didn’t usually open so swiftly and fully for another. Rather than a flower blooming, his heart was like an oyster at low tide; hard-shelled and self-protective, requiring a deft hand to crack. He felt gratitude and admiration easily enough, but devotion, adoration, trust… he’d thought those feelings had been burned out of him in his youth.
Yet at the very sight of Shen Yuan, Luo Binghe’s heart had unlocked and spilled out at his feet, soft and raw and helpless. It was as though he was a young boy again, earnest and hopeful and simply, genuinely happy.
It was terrifying. It was exhilarating. If it was a trick, he needed it to end this instant, or to last forever.
Shen Yuan disentangled himself. “Let me just see if I can find something…” He started to rise.
Luo Binghe felt a surge of panic, and his hand clamped itself around Shen Yuan’s wrist. “Don’t leave!” It was both a command and a plea.
Shen Yuan flinched back towards him, eyes wide and shocked. Then he waved his free hand. “No no, I’m not leaving! I just want to check my storage. But, uh, you can come with me if it makes you feel better?”
The panic receded as quickly as it had come, and shame welled up in its place. Luo Binghe dropped Shen Yuan’s arm, and the other man rubbed his wrist absently. “Sorry, Yuan-ge. I’m sorry.” How many years had it been since he lost control like this? He’d frightened Shen Yuan, maybe hurt him. “I don’t know why…”
Shen Yuan patted his head, and Luo Binghe’s heart leapt. “Ah, it’s alright. Don’t worry so much. You’re, uh, not yourself right now.”
Face and heart both cracked open like an egg, Luo Binghe stared at him. “I think right now I’m more myself than I’ve ever been.”
Shen Yuan laughed uncomfortably, and grabbed Luo Binghe’s sleeve. “This way.”
Luo Binghe stood– and stumbled.
Something was… off. His balance was different. He felt– a cramping? A dampness..?
One hand went thoughtlessly to the nexus of his legs. It was smooth, flat. Luo Binghe’s stomach lurched.
The gods truly hated him.
“Are you all right?” Shen Yuan supported him by the arms, and Luo Binghe leaned into him gratefully.
Sending his blood parasites to investigate, Luo Binghe realized that he hadn’t been rendered fully barren. Instead, his cock seemed to have been replaced with a fully-functional cunt. It must have been the work of that plant-monster’s sap; the origin of some of the odd sensations he’d been feeling. He had been so distracted by Shen Yuan that he’d barely noticed the change.
I can work with this, Luo Binghe thought.
“Yuan-ge,” he barely had to play up his breathlessness. “Something feels strange. I think… something’s happened to me.”
Shen Yuan’s brow furrowed. “What’s wrong? I don’t remember any other side effects.”
“Something is different,” Luo Binghe insisted. “Will you help me check? Please.”
~*~
Perhaps by virtue of being newly transfigured, Luo Binghe’s cunt was utterly hairless, bare in a way he'd never seen on a human woman. Luo Binghe’s thighs tensed with the impulse to draw together and hide himself, and he glanced shyly at Shen Yuan’s face to gauge his reaction.
Shen Yuan’s eyes were wide, his lips parted slightly. One hand rested slack on Luo Binghe’s thigh, seemingly forgotten. He did not appear to be unsettled by Luo Binghe’s appearance.
Experimentally, Luo Binghe thought about how those soft lips would feel against the naked skin of his cunt. He felt himself clench wetly around nothing, and Shen Yuan’s mouth dropped open further.
“Yuan-ge?” he called sweetly.
“Hmm? Uhh, yeah,” Shen Yuan muttered distractedly.
“So you’ll do it?”
“Uh huh…” Shen Yuan’s eyes refocused on his face. “Wait, what?”
“You’ll fuck me, won’t you?” Luo Binghe looked up at him through his lashes.
Something like panic crossed Shen Yuan’s face. “Um. Uh, I don’t think I really– I mean, you should probably–”
The bottom dropped out of Luo Binghe’s stomach. “You don’t really want me.”
‘That’s not–”
Luo Binghe struggled upright. “What’s wrong with me?” His voice cracked. “Am I not beautiful enough? Is it because I’m too desperate?” He swallowed. “I can’t help needing you, but please. I’ll do anything. Just tell me, and I’ll make it good for you–”
Shen Yuan leapt up and grabbed his shoulders. “Hey, no, stop. Obviously you’re beautiful; anyone would want you.”
“I only care about whether you want me, Gege.” Luo Binghe pressed his lips together to keep them from trembling.
Shen Yuan’s face twitched. “Well, obviously you need– help. From a man. And if you want me, then I– well. I don’t mind. More than that.” He took a deep breath. “I’m honored by your trust.”
Luo Binghe threw himself into Shen Yuan’s arms.
~*~
Shen Yuan’s finger slid across Luo Binghe’s folds– too slick, a barely-there touch against the hot, swollen flesh. He canted his hips up. Shen Yuan brushed hesitantly down the crease of his lips again, and Luo Binghe grabbed his wrist, bringing his hand up and pushing Shen Yuan’s thumb into his clit.
It was like touching a raw nerve. He jolted, curling forward involuntarily against the sensation, and then again, and again. His palms and the soles of his feet tingled with some kind of warm energy; his toes curled. Finally he pushed Shen Yuan’s captive hand away and down.
“Inside,” he murmured. He could feel himself dripping.
He separated out three of Shen Yuan’s fingers and slid them down the crease of his folds, then back up, gathering up the slick wetness.
Shen Yuan tore his hand away. “No!”
Stunned, Luo Binghe could do nothing but gape. He felt tears prickle in his eyes.
“Aah, sorry, just– you’ve never done it like this, right? Obviously. You have to be careful when breaking the… maidenhead.”
Instead of saying that’s just a figure of speech, Luo Binghe managed, “alright.”
Shen Yuan probed one slim finger down his slit, letting it rest in front of his hole. Then he hesitantly pressed forward, carefully breaching Luo Binghe’s opening by increments. His muscles fluttered helplessly, desperate to draw him further inside but unable to do more than kiss his fingertip. Shen Yuan sucked in a breath and pushed further in. It was an odd sensation, unlike anything he'd felt before, but somehow it was deeply satisfying. Luo Binghe shifted his hips, tilting down into the touch, and felt Shen Yuan’s finger slide over something inside him that made him shiver hard.
“More,” he breathed. “Please, more now.”
Shen Yuan pulled his finger out and added a second, and Luo Binghe couldn't stifle a gasp. The stretch, the feeling of being filled– it was addictive. He suddenly understood why someone would beg for this.
Shen Yuan moved his fingers experimentally, alternately spreading them and curling them downwards. They slid around easily inside him with lewd little wet sounds, and the stimulation was maddening– good, but not nearly enough. A tease.
Luo Binghe sat up to meet Shen Yuan’s gaze. He was flushed, and he couldn't quite seem to keep eye contact.
“Yuan-ge, I need you.” Luo Binghe was pleading, and he didn't care. “I want to feel you.”
~*~
Shen Yuan’s cock slid deep into Luo Binghe, slowly enough that he could feel every cun of their joining. When he finally bottomed out, he hit something that made Luo Binghe break out into gooseflesh all over, and he cried out in shock.
Luo Binghe rocked his hips, and gasped, and did it again. The feeling only got more intense, ringing through his whole body like a struck gong. A wave of need crashed through him, and he squeezed his thighs around Shen Yuan and pulled him in. The man let out a gasp of his own and started thrusting in earnest, lighting Luo Binghe up from the inside with every motion.
And suddenly, for the first time, Luo Binghe felt truly frightened.
He hadn't known he could feel this way. He hadn't known anything could feel like this. Shen Yuan was reaching deep into the core of him and wringing pleasure from him, and it was overwhelming, unendurable. Luo Binghe thrashed. He would be unmade, transformed; he could not feel this and go back to being the person he was before. He cried out again, uncertain.
Something touched his face, and he flinched, eyes snapping open.
Shen Yuan was right there, dark eyes searching his face. He cupped Luo Binghe’s cheek, brushing away the tears he hadn't noticed. “Shh, easy. It's all right. We can stop anytime you want, just tell me.”
Heart squeezing, Luo Binghe wrapped a hand around the back of Shen Yuan’s neck and drew him into a kiss. Shen Yuan made a soft, shocked sound, mouth rounding out into a little O of surprise, and then he pulled Luo Binghe closer, mouth moving hungrily against his.
Shen Yuan broke away to breathe, and Luo Binghe chased him, pulling him back into the kiss with a bite to his lower lip. The new position changed the angle of him inside into something that sent lightning up Luo Binghe’s spine, and he couldn’t hold back a moan.
“Don't stop,” Luo Binghe murmured against Shen Yuan’s mouth, and gave himself over to the gentlest man he'd ever met.
~*~
Luo Binghe drifted into awareness slowly. He was warm, and comfortable, and more relaxed than he had been in a very long time, so he let himself have a few more moments of peace as he reoriented himself. Someone was wrapped tightly around him– no, he was wrapped around them, clinging as though he'd drown otherwise. Why had he..?
The memories hit him then, and Luo Binghe's eyes flew open.
The first thing he saw was Shen Yuan’s face, turned towards him and lax with sleep. His features no longer held that strange, bewitching aura they had yesterday. He was just another man.
Just another man, yet Luo Binghe had humiliated and debased himself for but a scrap of his regard.
He should be furious. He should kill Shen Yuan, or at least press him into silence with threats and perhaps bribery.
Instead, Luo Binghe felt strangely hollow. He studied that quiescent face. Shen Yuan slept deeply, like someone who’d been safe all his life. He was not canny or ambitious, either, despite his obvious intelligence and high level of education. Not once had he tried to turn Luo Binghe’s situation to his own advantage; he had only offered sincere aid, and then finally entrusted his own body to him without apparent reservation, as he continued to do in sleep.
Before this, Luo Binghe would have bet on his own life that no one alive would do such a thing without expectation of recompense. If he hadn't been poisoned, he would still believe so; even if he'd met Shen Yuan, he never would have allowed himself to be put at his mercy.
Perhaps there was someone in the heavens looking out for Luo Binghe, after all.
He smoothed a lock of hair back from Shen Yuan’s face, and the man stirred, brows furrowing as he fought his way to consciousness. He struggled against Luo Binghe's hold, and he released him with reluctance.
Shen Yuan’s eyes opened, clouded with sleep and guileless confusion, before realization dawned and he scrambled to sit up.
“Ah,” he rasped, and cleared his throat. “How–how are you feeling?”
Luo Binghe smiled, slow and predatory. “Much better thanks to your care, Yuan-ge.”
Shen Yuan gulped visibly. “Glad to hear it.” He started to rise, and Luo Binghe rose to follow. “Well, I don't have much in the way of breakfast, but–”
“Shen Yuan,” Luo Binghe broke in. “How do you feel about the demon realm?”
Shen Yuan’s face closed off, but his spine straightened in obvious interest. “It's… the realm where demons live,” he hedged.
Luo Binghe snorted. “Indeed. Would you travel there with me?”
Shen Yuan’s eyes sharpened. “Why?”
“I currently reside there, and I would have you come with me as my companion.”
“Companion..?” Shen Yuan’s brow creased in confusion.
Unexpectedly nervous, Luo Binghe took a steadying breath. “I stand by what I said last night. You are exceptional, and I would be honored to call you my friend.” He wouldn't repeat yesterday’s mistakes; he could be patient.
“...you aren't angry?” Shen Yuan eyed him warily, but his posture was already opening up to Luo Binghe. He was so endearingly transparent.
“Why would I be? You did your best to help me, without taking advantage.”
Shen Yuan blushed scarlet. Luo Binghe couldn't hold back his laugh. This is going to be fun, he thought.
With a huff, Shen Yuan threw aside the blankets and made for the door. Luo Binghe followed and caught his wrist.
“Perhaps you could show me your kitchen? I can start to thank you by making breakfast.”
“O-Oh.. uh, if you really want to.” Shen Yuan couldn't seem to look away from Luo Binghe's smile. “It's, um, not much to work with.”
“I don't need much. I'm sure I can make something adequate.”
He let Shen Yuan watch him for a few moments more, before the man looked away and cleared his throat.
“I, uh, do have a question, if you don't mind.”
“Ask.”
“If you live in the demon realm…”
Luo Binghe carefully didn’t tense.
“...how do you keep your kitchen stocked? The crops there are totally different. Do you have to substitute with the plants that are edible for humans, or do you have some kind of supply chain?”
Luo Binghe surprised both of them by laughing again, rough and genuine. “That’s what you want to know?”
“It's a reasonable question,” Shen Yuan sniffed.
Still laughing, Luo Binghe started forward and tugged on Shen Yuan’s wrist, encouraging him to follow.
I was right after all, he thought. He's perfect.