#m. chordbound

[baijingshen]

@chordbound​ sent: Mouth - One of our muses going down on the other – WN being good to JC B) [NSFW]

      “You’re still so tense,” Wen Ning notes while his hands stroke Jiang Cheng’s arms, up his biceps and even further up to his shoulders, over his collarbones and down again to his chest. His skin is WARM and smooth and Wen Ning doesn’t ever want to stop touching him again. It’s peaceful here with him in the quiet hours of the night, when it’s just the two of them and the soft splashing of the waves against the pier somewhere outside. It’s the most at home Wen Ning has felt in years. His eyes wander up from Jiang Cheng’s bare chest to his face, the expression on it unusually soft and relaxed for the young Sect Leader. If only he could always be at ease like this, but during the days the burdens he carries grow heavier and heavier until every muscle in his body is tense and stiff and he falls into bed like that, trying to sleep it off until morning.

Ning does what he can to help take the weight off his shoulders, but besides making his daily routines a little easier and being there when he needs someone to lift him up, there isn’t much he can do. He’s not a member of the Jiang Sect, isn’t even a proper outside disciple. He can’t take the worries from Jiang Cheng’s heart or share his duties with him, only try to be a SUPPORT where he needs it, a reminder that he’s cared for and loved no matter what. He hopes that it is enough - and most days he feels like it is.

It’s easier to distract Jiang Cheng and help him relax when they’re alone and undisturbed by interruptions or pressing issues that promptly bring the little crease back to Jiang Cheng’s forehead that appears when he’s concerned about something. This, right now, is Wen Ning’s favorite time of the day, when the sun is gone and the world falls asleep around them, and he gets to have Jiang Cheng to himself for a little while. They’re not always adventurous, sometimes all they do is lie next to each other and Wen Ning listens when Jiang Cheng needs to talk, sometimes they’re both so tired they fall asleep right away. Tonight, however, Wen Ning doesn’t feel tired yet. For the last half hour or so he’s been running his hands up and down Jiang Cheng’s body, kneading out the knots and tensions, and watching him get more relaxed and sleepy by the minute. A little longer and he’d probably fall asleep.

He’s tired, so he won’t keep him up for long. There’s just one more thing he wants to do for him.

He shuffles lower on the bed between Jiang Cheng’s legs, pushing down the blanket that covers his legs in the process. He’s too quick about it for Jiang Cheng to protest or stop him, but slow enough he can watch the BLUSH blossom on his chest, shoulders and cheeks. It’s not the first time he sees him without his clothes on, but Jiang Cheng still manages to be shy about it - just like Wen Ning still feels as excited about it as he did the first time they spent the night in each other’s arms. He’s beautiful all over, all defined muscles and smooth skin despite years of hard training, a few scars here and there but none big or deep enough it disfeatures him.

Wen Ning’s hand caresses Jiang Cheng’s stomach, slowing down as it moves lower and lifting off his skin until only his fingertips brush through the patch of dark hair at the base of his cock. He doesn’t miss how Cheng’s thighs tense up under his touch, or how his breath halts for a moment when his fingers wrap around him, sliding smoothly over his skin with the residual oil on his hands. He wants to keep his eyes on Jiang Cheng’s face, watch the small changes in his expression while feeling him harden under his touch, but there’s still a red tinge to the Sect Leader’s cheeks and Wen Ning isn’t one to take joy in embarrassing his lover. Besides, he has a better idea.

He removes his hand to shift once more on the bed until he lies on his stomach in the space between Jiang Cheng’s toned thighs. His arms curl around them, pushing them up until Cheng’s soles are flat on the bed and Wen Ning’s hands rest on his upper thighs, the skin hot to his touch like he’s burning up from the inside. Ning’s eyes flutter up to find Jiang Cheng watching him with a bewitched look on his face, before he lowers his head to place a kiss to his inner thigh. Just one, brief and gentle, more of a gesture of AFFECTION than an actual tease. He could stretch this out, would love to do so in fact, but he knows what Jiang Cheng wants and tonight should be about him.

His next kiss is placed on the head of Cheng’s cock, another right beneath it and a third one beneath that before he finally wets his lips and wraps them around him, engulfing him in the wet warmth of his mouth. Sliding lower he takes as much of him into his mouth as he comfortably can, his hand curling around the base he can’t reach, squeezing gently. If there’s an expertise to this Wen Ning does not possess it, but he lets Jiang Cheng’s responses guide him, every sigh and moan it draws from him, every tremble that runs through his limbs. He changes up his speed or pulls away a few times, using just his tongue to trace the slit on his tip, licking away the first drops of his PLEASURE.

Jiang Cheng can last quite a while but tonight it seems his body is eager to find release. Before long his hips are twitching with the urge to thrust up so Wen Ning holds his legs down more firmly, but in return takes him in a little deeper each time he bobs his head. He’s surprised by the feeling of fingers curling into his hair, but the touch is gentle, only the faintest push or pull in it displaying Jiang Cheng’s self-control even now. His breath is getting faster and more shallow, the sound of it thankfully loud enough Wen Ning can focus on that instead of the wet sounds he creates with his mouth around Jiang Cheng’s cock that would make him blush if he acknowledged them.

He can tell that Cheng is close by the way his legs start to push against his arms, trying to close around him, but unable to do so as he holds them open. He keeps a steady rhythm, feeling the small but notable movements of Jiang Cheng’s body trying to match it, his breath interweaving with soft moans-- and then the hand in his hair moves to his shoulder and gives him a light nudge. “A-Ning..” comes Jiang Cheng’s breathless voice from above and it makes him pause and pull off to look up. Jiang Cheng looks UNREAL like this, his pupils wide and his face flushed, beautiful and sinful all at once. As he admires him he removed his mouth but not his hand, which still massages him with gentle pressure, and it turns out that it’s enough to render the little warning useless.

With a barely muffled gasp Jiang Cheng comes undone, the reward of Wen Ning’s work spurting out of him and right onto Ning’s face, who has just enough time to close his eyes. He feels it dribble down his cheek, warm and sticky, and he opens his eyes again to look up at Jiang Cheng, who looks back with an unreadable expression. A moment of SILENCE spreads between them, then Wen Ning lowers his head back down onto Jiang Cheng’s thigh to hide his laugh. His shoulders are still shaking with it when a pair of strong hands pulls at him, urging him to move. “Come up here..” Jiang Cheng mumbles and Wen Ning can hear the blush in his voice before he even looks up to see it.

[taleofwomen-a]

pt.2 of somehow plotted but not really ig - @chordbound​ grandpa wangji & jia li

a’li had arrived in gusu several days ago and had already spent most days in lecture and the library. if there was one thing she loved about cloud recesses it was the huge library they had. not that the demon subdue palace did not have any books it did have a lot, just not as many as them. and to be honest, she could stay here there during her whole stay. jia learned a lot when at cloud recesses. naturally smart from a young age she was able to write and read at the age of four and soon took a great interest in the things her father practised. whether it was cultivation or medicine, she had a broad knowledge, that was for sure, but she could never outsmart her grandpa.

the last lesson with uncle xichen had just ended and they all had ate lunch together but she was far from not being hungry anymore. three bowls was simply not enough for her. so as always, she was looking for her grandfather. lan wangji, hanguang jun, one half of the twin jades of gusu, lan zhan, however you wanted to address him, for her it was a simple yeye.

“yeye! -- “ a’li loved them, both of them, they were very important to her while one was more strict, the other was fun. one was quiet and one was loud. she’d be devastated if one of them left her anytime soon. approaching him rather quickly, breaking yet another rule in cloudresses by running over to him and being loud. a happy but warm smile formed on her features as she pulled on his sleeve.

another rule broken, if taken literally. “ three bowls...it’s not enough. “ round violet eyes that resembled a’yuans mixed with golden ones from her mother a’yue as she pouted, a trick learned from grandpa wei when she was younger, a toddler. big eyes, pouting and pulling on his sleeve. it had worked wonders, he always had something to give her, if it worked now was questionable but it was worth a try. --- it did work with uncle xichen from time to time though.

[ofwindsweptpines]

( starter for @chordbound​ - Wen Ning)

༺🌕༻ Lan Wangji had been mindful not to fall idle around the Burial Mounds, conscious of presenting himself as not simply another mouth to feed, burdening the already strained conditions of a people far less fortunate than he. It was true he’d lived a comparatively spoiled life to this, unfamiliar with much of the work that was to be done to make life here easier, and yet he would do it without complaint, purposing himself to each task with the intent to learn and enact; to be a support where needed.

  The day was drawing to a close but the work did not finish here, and he had asked Wen Qing if there was anything further that might need his assistance. She’d suggested he help her brother with dinner, and to that end he would find himself in the kitchen, looking rather out of place with his straight-backed stature and his scholarly visage, both impressive veneers that utterly failed at making him not appear awkward within his skin.

  “May I assist you with dinner?” he asked dutifully, though there was something uncertain in his tone and demeanor as if still not quite sure how to approach Wen Ning. He was alive in the very basest sense of the term, and yet his existence felt unnatural, instilling a sense of unease in Wangji that he came to expect when facing things he’d been warned against from a young age. His uncle had failed him in his education by not instructing him on how one should conduct with ‘evil’ when that ‘evil’ was wearing an apron and cooking dinner for the elderly. ༺🌕༻

[goldencored-arc]

⤷ M o  X u a n y u   ⤷ @chordbound​ ( jgy )

     ⤷  ❝ But if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams. ❞

Wide eyed and full of awe, Xuanyu takes the little glass bauble, twisting it just as his Er-ge instructed. Perhaps it’s a trick of the light, or perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but he does see— everything he dreams of and more. 

Acceptance, love, happiness.

A faceless man, with robes of ever changing colors— sometimes purple, sometimes blue, sometimes lanling’s gold, sometimes black as shadow— holds his hand, a red string tied to their pinkies.

A home with a garden full of flowers, bright and blooming, where petals fall from blooming trees and land in his hair, in the lovely little ponds. A place full of peace, a sanctuary away from politics.

Could he truly have these things? Or were his dreams simply that— dreams.

[baijingshen]

@chordbound​ sent: “It looks worse than it is. I’m sure it’ll be gone in a couple of days…” //JGY to JC, also hi!

     “It looks pretty bad, Meng gongzi--” Jiang Cheng doesn’t want to overstep and force his help on Meng Yao when he really doesn’t want it, but at the same time it feels wrong to simply acknowledge his injury and then leave him alone with it. He can relate to the wish to be left alone after hurting himself, especially if it was an ACCIDENT, understanding that it comes with a certain feeling of embarrassment. There’s blood on Meng Yao’s sleeve which partly covers the arm he holds close to his body, protectively, enough of it to be worrying. Did he fall? Cut himself during training? Or is there a more sinister explanation for this wound?

     “Let me go with you to the HEALER at least? It looks like something that shouldn’t be left untreated.” Even now Meng Yao is smiling, bowing his head politely as if he’s worried about being a bother despite the state he is in. Jiang Cheng doesn’t know much about the general tone in the Unclean Realm but he he can’t imagine it to be a place where a man must fear to ask for help when he needs it.

[baijingshen]

@chordbound​ sent: Motor - Our muses having sex in a car – modern nieyao B) [NSFW]

          They were just going to talk BUSINESS, that was the plan, the whole intention behind this meeting. Maybe Nie Mingjue is lying to himself a little bit when he thinks that - but it really doesn’t fucking matter what his intentions were at any point of the night when Meng Yao is sitting in his lap, grinding down on his already growing erection and whispering sweet obscenities into his ear. He could be saying just about anything; when they’re together like this the sound of his voice alone is enough to get Mingjue’s blood pumping. His hands are roaming, stroking over the smooth fabric of Yao’s shirt and feeling the heat of his skin underneath it. It makes him want to tear it off, just rip it to shreds and ravage him.. but that’s not so simple.

     “Back,” Mingjue grunts as he breaks away from kissing Yao for a moment, deciding, after hitting his knee on the steering wheel - twice - and his hand on the gear shift, that doing this in the driver’s seat is simply IMPOSSIBLE. Meng Yao says something that sounds suspiciously like ‘bossy’ but complies regardless, demonstrating a noteworthy flexibility by climbing out of Mingjue’s lap and into the back of the car through the gap between the driver and the passenger seat without any trouble. Nie Mingjue only considers following suit for a second before he decides that he is too old for this and gets out of the car through the driver’s door to join Meng Yao on the backseat the old-fashioned way.

He’s over him in a heartbeat, pressing him down into the leather seats with the weight of his own body, their lips back to kissing HUNGRILY, like they’ve both been craving this for months. (It hasn’t been months, but weeks. What else but intense longing could make them behave like horny teenagers, getting it on in a car in the relative darkness of the company’s underground carpark?) Meng Yao’s hands are moving over Mingjue’s body nimbly, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it from his pants after opening the button there too. Mingjue is far less elegant about it, just tears Yao’s shirt open after failing to open the last few buttons without looking down. It earns him a scolding look and a sigh but he only counters it with an unusually mischievous smile.      “I’ll buy you a new one,” he whispers against Meng Yao’s lips and for a moment he feels the other’s hand on his arm tighten. “I can buy my own shirts, Mr. Nie,” Yao says and a shiver runs down Mingjue’s spine at the way he addresses him. Meng Yao is doing it on purpose and he knows exactly what it does to him. Nie Mingjue is sure of that, mostly because he’s heard his first name from Yao’s lips before - albeit gasped and barely intelligible. (A good memory.)

Meng Yao’s hands are in his hair, his lips on his jaw, and Mingjue tries to get out of his pants, at least partially, bumping into the driver’s seat with his elbow and into the door behind him with his foot. A frustrated groan escapes him that makes Yao pause for a moment and look up.      “Something wrong?” he asks and Mingjue swears the look on his face is the same one he’s seen there whenever a point of disagreement comes up in the negotiations and Yao goes straight into fixing it mode. It’s equally as entertaining as it is impressive. “I’m too big,” he explains, pushing himself up a bit by resting his hands next to Yao’s body. The look on Meng Yao’s face turns into a lewd smile. “I’ve found you to fit quite perfectly, Nie Mingjue..” he says with the voice of an angel and Mingjue’s cheeks heat up with a blush that the darkness inside the car luckily swallows.

     “For the car,” he explains even though he has no doubt that Meng Yao understood exactly what he meant. “Oh.. we could--” Yao starts but Mingjue doesn’t let him finish. Moving one arm under his body he pulls him against his chest while shifting from hovering horizontally into sitting on the backseat the way it was actually designed, with Yao in his lap.      “Much better.” Nie Mingjue takes a moment to admire the man sitting on him, his mussed up hair and his big dark eyes that catch the glow of a faint light outside the car. He’s so beautiful it makes Mingjue’s heart roar with love and desire and an ugly violent need, somewhere deep down, to POSSESS him. He shouldn’t feel this way. This can’t be more than what it is now; a string of stupidly careless meetings somewhere in the dark, a temporary weakness, an indulgence. And yet.. to think that this is going to end and he won’t be allowed to touch Meng Yao anymore.. it makes Mingjue’s heart sting.

     “What are you looking at?” Meng Yao asks, his hand brushing over Mingjue’s cheek, thumb stroking over his lower lip. Mingjue opens his mouth and takes it between his lips for a moment, brushing his tongue against the tip. Everything I ever wanted, Mingjue thinks and, “You,” he says. Meng Yao smiles and withdraws his hand as he leans in. The kiss they share is sweeter than the ones who came before, slower and gentler somehow, but the heat and desperation returns to their touches not long after. Mingjue’s hands tug at Meng Yao’s pants until he lifts off his lap to slip out of them (and his underwear), pushing them down his legs until he can get one of them free. As tempting as it is to sit back and watch the show, Nie Mingjue uses the time to push his own pants down to his knees, finally freeing his cock, which is achingly hard by now. Meng Yao seems PLEASED by the sight, judging by the smile that flashes over his face as he moves back on Mingjue’s lap, not quite sitting down yet but being close enough their bodies touch and draw a gasp from him.

He seems to consider teasing Mingjue for a second, his hand reaching between them to curl around him and give him a few slow strokes, but it’s apparent he doesn’t have the patience for it anymore either. Remembering something, he reaches for his discarded pants and produces a bottle of lube that brings back memories of their last encounter.      “Planned ahead?” Nie Mingjue asks and Meng Yao shoots him a look that implies he, too, is thinking of last time. Yao shuffles closer, his knees on the seat next to Mingjue’s thighs, and pours some lube onto his palm. Mingjue notices some of it dribbling onto the leather between his legs but can’t find it in himself to care. His mouth goes a little dry when he watches Yao’s fingers, slick with lube, move between his legs and push inside him without any hesitation. It’s not the first time they do this and realistically neither one of them has the patience to draw this out, but Mingjue can’t help feel a light pang of disappointment over the fact that he won’t get to watch Meng Yao prepare himself properly. It’s just his fingers pushing in and out a few times before his hand withdraws and wraps around Mingjue’s dick instead, the gel nice and warm from Yao’s hand as he spreads it on him. (His treatment is equally short, Meng Yao’s impatience quite palpable.)

The hand is wiped clean on Mingjue’s shirt - some kind of payback he assumes - and then finally - Meng Yao sinks down on him and Mingjue’s head falls back against the car seat. He stays still until he’s bottomed out, Yao’s thighs flat on his, but his hands move to his hip and ever so slightly pull him down more. Meng Yao is hot and tight and the way he arches his back is driving Mingjue crazy. He’s not sure if Yao actually needs the time he takes before he moves or if he’s doing it just to TORTURE him, but it’s all he can do to stay still and wait. When Yao finally moves again it draws a breathy curse from Nie Mingjue’s lips.

     They move at a steady but fast pace right away, the car moving comically beneath them, but neither of them care. Mingjue’s fingers dig into the soft flesh at Yao’s hip, pulling every time he comes down to thrust up a little harder. He’s not the one who sets the pace but it gives him some semblance of control - not that he NEEDS it. Meng Yao’s hands grab the edge of the backrest behind Mingjue, fingers digging into the leather as he holds on for better leverage, riding him hard enough it takes both their breath away. The air is filled with their gasps and the sound of skin on skin, the windows of the car fogging up around them. If anyone walked by them in this moment there would be no doubt about what’s going on inside, but that thought is not a conscious one in Mingjue’s head at this moment.

He doesn’t need long to feel hot white pleasure building inside him, every time Meng Yao sinks down on him bringing him closer to the edge, but he barely pays attention to himself. He’s mesmerized watching Yao move in his lap, the way his body moves and his muscles tighten, seeing the little crease on his forehead that forms when he closes his eyes with that look of concentration on his face that he gets when he’s chasing his own pleasure like this, fucking himself on Mingjue’s cock as determinedly as he does everything else. It’s almost better than reaching his own climax, watching Yao lose his composure for a moment and his movements lose rhythm when Mingjue’s hand slips between them and curls around him, giving him a few rough dry strokes, just enough to push him over. His back arches and the sweetest sound comes over his lips as he spills himself all over Mingjue’s stomach and chest, clenching down around him involuntarily.

     “Fuck..” Mingjue groans, his hand moving back to Yao’s hip. If it were anyone else he’d expect them to slow down now, float on their own high, but Meng Yao is not anyone else. He only takes a moment to collect himself before he picks up where he left off, riding him as if he didn’t just come, and Mingjue finds himself lost in thoughts about HOW LONG Yao could keep going like this, when he’s gripped by his own orgasm that hits him like a train. His hands pull Yao down as he thrusts up one last time, a low moan on his lips as he comes. It feels better than it should to come inside Meng Yao and Mingjue is aware that he is going to have to make up for it somehow.

They’re both left panting and slowly coming down from their high, Mingjue’s heartbeat beginning to normalize again. Meng Yao falls forward against him and Mingjue’s arms warp around his back. He places a few kisses on his neck, tasting a bit of salt on his skin.      “Maybe.. some day I’ll actually get to have you in my bed.”

[baijingshen]

@chordbound​ sent: “  how did you get this scar?  ” from JC to WN, any verse!

          Wen Ning freezes mid-movement, his robe hanging open, revealing a clear view of his stomach and chest. He follows Jiang Cheng’s gaze and looks down although he already knows which scar the other is referring to. There are several small reminders of faded cuts and scrapes on his skin, but only this one would catch enough attention to be asked about. Not answering right away he finishes wrapping the robe around himself and closes it with the belt at the side. The thought of changing his clothes in front of Jiang Cheng didn’t faze him before but now he suddenly feels SELF-CONSCIOUS. Not because his body is scarred by battle and death, the scar being one thing, the black lines on his skin another, but because he didn’t expect to be asked about it. The question surprised him and he isn’t sure he wants to answer it.

     “It’s.. it’s how I died.” Memories of that night flood his mind; memories of pain and fear and infinite hopelessness. He remembers begging for MERCY and asking for a reason for their senseless cruelty, and only getting more pain in response. They beat and kicked and humiliated him, all while laughing in his face, telling him how this was all he deserved. His last chance to be useful, they called it, and he remembers not understanding what that meant at the time. He’d called out for Wen Qing, for Wei Wuxian, for anyone to hear him - but none of them did, no matter how often he whispered their names as he lay alone in the darkness, feeling the life seeping from his body.

He remembers his fingers slipping on the rod of the flag, wet from his blood and the rain, trying to pull it out of his body. It hurt so much, the memory of it enough to make the scar sting uncomfortably. It was then that the name on his lips changed and he stopped crying for his sister, but asked for DEATH instead, for its merciful embrace, the only thing left for him then. It didn’t come quickly. It made him wait, alone in the cold and dark, until he feared it would go on like this forever. Wen Ning pulls his coat over his shoulders, his fingers brushing over the rough fabric.

     “---Forgive me, Jiang zōngzhǔ.. but I don’t want to talk about it.”

[taleofwomen-a]

@chordbound asked: 🧡 for wkx to hold a-xiang!

gu xiang barely fell sick but this time she had caught a rather terrible cold and usually even if she was sick, she did tell nobody but this time there was no hiding it. she was paler than every ghost, burning up and coughing. small sweat pearls formed on her forhead as she slept in the bed she had been confind to for the last few days and it did not seem to get any better.

though plagued by several fever dreams about losing the only person in her life that was wen kexing did not help to a fast recovery. soon sweat pearls were mixed with salty tears. it was no secret she was boldy emotional but had learned to hide it well from others she was not close with or saw no reason for exposing her own weaknesses for advantage.

however, what confused her when she woke up was that she was curled up against her master. effectively holding part of his robes with a strong grip even after waking up and trying to focus. it was the smell of food that woke her but senses were still a bit mushy from the cold and fever. sleep ridden and exhaustes features were faced by her master's face, which seemed to be rather worried. sure their bond was close, as a kid she had no one but him even know she relied on him too but it was a little odd. the last time she was held like that she was probably five or six years old after a bad dream.

"master.. --- what's the matter ? " her voice hoarse as she spoke shook by a rough cough afterwards as she tried to sit up, letting go of her grip on her own. it was a wholesome moment that did not come often nor lasted very long.

[taleofwomen-a]

somehow plotted starter for @chordbound​​  uncle jiang cheng & a’li

the sun had barely risen over lotus pier as tiny bare feet tapped along the wooden ways towards her uncle’s chambers. it was still slightly foggy as it had rained the night before. the warm ground and the cold air making the morning air humid. but it was the rain tapping the roof top that made the four year old little girl from yiling fall asleep quite early after dinner. and though she was known to be a very deep sleeper and was hard to wake up, the excitment that she got to spend a few days by her uncles side was keeping her filled with energy.

pushing the doors aside she entered his chambers, no shame much like her mother, as she jumped onto the bed, a smile so innocent and bright like only a child’s smile could be, nevertheless, a hint of mischief always in it, after all she was a wei.

“ shushu  “ a quiet but steady whisper “ --- are you awake yet? “ violet eyes that had hints of golden pecks in them, carefully watched his face as she sat next to him. shamelessly waiting for him to wake up. 

[baijingshen]

@chordbound​​ || MENG YAO

          Meng Yao is everything a man should hope to be. He never forgets his manners, not even when faced with a lack thereof, he’s punctual, diligent, RELIABLE, smart but not cunning, intellectual but not condescending, patient, modest, diplomatic.. there isn’t a trait Nie Mingjue dislikes when he looks at him. He named him vice general to prove a point, to award his perseverance and to show him that he’s seen but also to make the others aware of their wrongdoing. Be that as it may, he hasn’t regretted this decision even once since that day. Meng Yao continues to prove himself to be the kind of man Nie Mingjue admires, the kind of man he told him to be: good and virtuous to a point where no one will dare to say a bad word about him. Deeds matter more than the circumstances of one’s birth and Meng Yao is living prove for that.

It’s not often that someone succeeds in moving Mingjue’s heart in this manner. He trusts and loves all his brothers in arms, would fight and die for them without a second’s thought; but Meng Yao is SPECIAL. Over time he’s grown more fond of him than he expected to and though he tells himself that it cannot be a priority it becomes harder and harder to deny what he feels. For the first time in a long time he wants something for himself, something that isn’t related to the legacy of his ancestors or the good of their family. A true heart’s desire that isn’t as easily pushed aside as the meaningless pleasures found in drinking and idle talk. It rests heavy on his chest and accompanies his thoughts whether Meng Yao is in the room with him or off somewhere else. When he’s there Mingjue is distracted by the way he moves, by the sparkle in his eyes and the dimples in his cheeks when he smiles. When he’s not around he wonders where he is, what he does, if he’s smiling or not.

There’s rarely a chance to do more than THINK about him. Just as Mingjue always has one or another matter to attend to Meng Yao is an expert at keeping busy making himself useful. The irony of his eagerness to be as important to him as he can be being the reason he gets less of him in the way he craves is not beyond Nie Mingjue.      Today, it seems, the fates are merciful. It is a slow day without any pressing matters or emergencies to deal with and Mingjue actually has the morning to himself. The usual routines still have to be performed, but they carry no weight.

Mingjue’s mind and temperament, for once, are at peace, and the soft expression on his face mirrors that as his eyes follow Meng Yao through the room, stowing away the maps they looked at earlier with the same precision and naturalness he does everything else. Mingjue’s lips part to say something but it never comes over his lips. He knows what comes next. Meng Yao will finish his task, turn to him and inquire if there’s anything else he can be of help with. If the answer is no, he’ll excuse himself to do one of the seemingly countless things he always finds that need to be taken care of and Nie Mingjue won’t see him for the rest of the day until he calls for him. It’s become a comfortable CONSTANT - but today he doesn’t want to see it happen just yet. Instead of calling for Meng Yao he gets up from his seat and walks over, stopping not too close to him.      “Thank you,” he says as soon as the other turns around and suddenly those beautiful warm eyes are on him, and him alone.

Outside the disciples are training, their shouts coming in through the walls albeit muffled. It’s anything but silent but for a moment everything feels calm and timeless.      “I..” Nie Mingjue starts, his eyes flickering to Meng Yao’s lips and back up to his eyes. “I appreciate the work you do very much, Meng Yao.. Any general would count himself lucky to have a man like you by his side.” It’s an honest compliment, a true reflection of his feelings, but it’s also a pitiful attempt at STALLING while he musters up the courage to say what he really wishes to say. Mingjue looks as if he has more to say but falls silent for a moment.

Maybe saying it won’t bring him the relief he hopes for anyway. Strangely it also requires more courage than what he does NEXT.

Taking a step closer he presses his lips against Meng Yao’s, his arm curling around his waist to pull him close. An unknown euphoria spreads inside his heart like warm oil poured into his chest. Yao’s lips are soft, as is his skin, the little sound he makes, when his breath hitches in his throat, maddening. He smells flowery and spicy sweet, gentle but enticing and Mingjue wants to never breathe anything else again in his life. But their moment doesn’t last long. Just a few heartbeats pass before Nie Mingjue remembers where he is and what he is doing. He pulls away with a step back, lowering his eyes with a twinge of SHAME and regret sprouting in his heart. He overstepped, and greatly so.

     “---Forgive me. I shouldn’t take what isn’t mine.” There is more to be said, more to ATONE for but for once the ever upright Nie Mingjue cannot face the immediate consequences of his actions. What brought him such uncharted mirth a moment ago now feels like a TREASURE he reached for undeservingly. Unable to bear looking at Meng Yao again he steps away and out of the room, his feelings in a turmoil.

[baijingshen]

@chordbound​ || JIANG CHENG

          “I-I don’t know about this, A-Cheng, maybe.. maybe we should just do this another day--” Nie Huaisang pleads, sorely regretting agreeing to this earlier today. It sounded like a FUN IDEA when Jiang Cheng suggested it during breakfast; an actually useful skill taught through fun and games that even his brother wouldn’t be able to call a waste of time. (He still might. After all, what good will it do Huaisang to know how to swim in Qinghe, the driest place he knows, wich no lakes anywhere near?) The small waves on the water, created by a gentle breeze, that looked so peaceful and serene the other day have gained something threatening now, their quiet splatter against the pier calling to Nie Huaisang like the ominous whispers of a demon. No, no, no, this is really not a good idea at all.

He tries to back away, but Jiang Cheng’s hand is around his - another thing Huaisang has no one to blame for but himself - and he’s marching on towards a small stretch of land beside the main pier that leads directly into the water. They’re both down to their pants and inner robes and while Huaisang was relieved about not having to lose all his clothes at first, he now fears they’ll soak up the water and drag him to the bottom of the lake.      “Why don’t we go back inside, there was tea and CAKE and ah--! A-Cheng!!” Another step and another one and suddenly they’re knee-deep in the water. It’s cold and very wet and it immediately starts creeping into the fabric of his pants, its clammy fingers reaching up Nie Huaisang’s thighs.

His fingers closer tighter around Jiang Cheng’s, his other hand coming up to clutch at his arm. If he doesn’t let go of Jiang Cheng he can’t let him drown, can he?      “It’s so cold..” Huaisang laments, pressing a little closer to Jiang Cheng but missing his usual body heat. “Why isn’t the water warmer? It’s summer!” Two more steps and the water reaches Huaisang’s hip, cold biting into his skin and making goosebumps spread all over his arms. His hold on Jiang Cheng tightens as he digs his heels into the sandy ground beneath his feet.      “I- I don’t think we have to go further, A-Cheng-- this is far enough..”

[taleofwomen-a]

@chordbound - continued from here

a giggle filled the hall of lotus pier when she was standing on his lap. the kiss was simple but effective. a’li loved her family and never wanted to see them sad, ever, but lately it seemed her uncle always frowned. no matter if she was watching him walk by her, dealing with the disciples or when she was playing near the pond with some of the female disciples.  it was not acceptable, so love had to be shared and thus kissed away the bad mood. a soft but warm kiss, which was meant for the forehead ended up inbetween his eyebrows. at least that is what she had been taught by the people in yiling, the grandmas and aunties were all very happy to teach her such little nothings and incorporated these into sweet little stories for her. but she would happily report to them it worked. she had first hand proof.  “ if you were fine you’d not look like that! ----  ” a tad of stubbornness. not sure which side of the family this came from. “ what made you upset? “ she questioned.

however, at the mention of lunch and his reasoning she had to admit defeat. “ yes! --- cloud recesses only gives you three bowls. three! ” her chubby hand holding up three fingers shoved into her uncles face, voice slightly raised. “ just three bowls. that is not enough. --- maybe that is the reason grandmaster is always annoyed? maybe he does not eat enough. “ it was the only rule she did not understand and probably wouldn’t. hands rested on his shoulder as she looked at her uncle, suddenly a serious gaze forming on her face. “ are we having meat for lunch? and can we go to yunmeng and buy some candies afterwards? you said i did well today during archery practise. ” food was a serious business in her young mind, even much more if she could make it to an advantage for herself. just like right now having changed the topic completely. grabbing his face again she spoke in all seriousness. “ i do think i deserve a reward! i worked hard. ” a nod accompanied her words, still standing on his lap as violet eyes were so innocently passionate about her demand.