Chapter Text
“Shizun—!” Mo Ran startled, his voice trailing off the moment he got a proper look at Chu Wanning.
“What?” Chu Wanning snapped, surprise and discomfort making his voice sharp. With Mo Ran in front of him, his fear was swiftly pushed to the back of his mind.
“Are you okay?” Mo Ran asked carefully, taking in his disheveled appearance.
“I’m fine. What are you doing here?”
Nevermind the fact that Chu Wanning had just been about to go looking for him. If Mo Ran had come to Red Lotus Pavillion on his own, there must be a reason for it.
“Nothing, I just heard that Shizun came back from the village sect early, so I wanted to come check on you—”
“Who needs checking?” Chu Wanning frowned, crossing his arms. This stern image was promptly ruined by a sneeze.
Mo Ran’s hand darted out, aiming for his wrist. He was fast (so much faster than he had been five years ago), but Chu Wanning was just barely faster and managed to snatch his hand back in time. The movement still brought Mo Ran closer. The two of them were now face to face. Chu Wanning’s breath caught in his throat.
“You’re flushed.” Mo Ran said, quietly. His eyes roamed over Chu Wanning’s features, examining him carefully. “Why are you flushed?”
“I’m not.” Chu Wanning insisted mulishly, whirling around on his heel to hide the evidence to the contrary.
Mo Ran was not having it. In a flash he darted around Chu Wanning and stepped in front of him again, blocking him from storming away. In the same motion, he reached down and managed to finally get his hand around Chu Wanning’s wrist. His eyes bulged at what he felt in his pulse.
“Shizun!”
It was then that Chu Wanning noticed, Mo Ran’s face was red too. His eyes narrowed in concern — he looked hardly better than Chu Wanning felt. Flyaways curled out of his normally neat high ponytail and his robes weren’t lying quite right, like he’d been pinching and tugging at them.
Instinct took over. He reached up with his free hand, pressing the back of his palm to Mo Ran’s forehead. It was alarmingly hot.
“You’re being affected too.” He murmured, brow furrowed in thought. This was precisely the outcome he had feared.
“What are you talking about?” Mo Ran asked, confused and anxious. “Shizun, what's going on? This looks like….” He trailed off, eyes widening in realization.
They both had powerful golden cores; it may have been delayed, but now the illness was advancing at breakneck speed. Chu Wanning shivered as he felt a thick bead of sweat trail down his spine. He’d been freezing on the way back to Sisheng Peak, shivering hard enough that he’d almost fallen off his sword. Now, he tugged at the high collar of his robe uncomfortably. He wished Mo Ran wasn’t here so he could tear it off.
“It’s the pollen.” Chu Wanning confirmed, ducking his head and staring fixedly at his feet.
“How?” Mo Ran demanded.
“The ceremonial marriage delayed it, but it wasn't enough to stop it altogether. I found out in the village today, there was another case like— like…” He swallowed, unable to finish that sentence out loud. After a moment, he tentatively looked up, meeting Mo Ran’s eyes. He needed to make sure that he understood. “Two cultivators there got married two weeks ago just to avoid getting sick. It didn’t work. The sect leader said it was because they never— they didn’t consummate the marriage.”
“So that means…” Mo Ran said in a low voice, a question in his eyes.
Chu Wanning swallowed again. With his free hand, he reached up and readjusted his collar. Mo Ran’s eyes tracked the movement. “It means we’re not immune,” he finished in a hoarse whisper.
Mo Ran inhaled sharply. He froze in place, the hand on Chu Wanning’s wrist tightening into a deathgrip. Chu Wanning’s legs suddenly felt unsteady.
For a long moment, they looked at each other in silence. Then Mo Ran sprang into action. He blinked several times and shook his head a little, like he was waking himself up out of a daze, before jerking upright. His hands came up to brace Chu Wanning’s forearms.
“Shizun, we need to get you treatment. You can’t just ride out the symptoms, your cultivation is too advanced, it would be too dangerous. You haven’t found an alternate cure, have you?”
“No,” Chu Wanning shook his head. He was starting to feel a little light headed. “No, we’ve only identified one cure….”
“Then we need to find someone to help you as soon as possible.” Mo Ran replied urgently.
The smell of him was stronger than usual, Chu Wanning thought. Perhaps it was the pollen amplifying his olfactory sense, because right now he felt completely surrounded by Mo Ran. They were standing so close together, Mo Ran’s face filled his entire field of view, his whole world narrowed down to this one person. Then what he was saying registered.
“What?”
“This disciple….” Mo Ran swallowed, eyes wide, “This disciple knows Shizun has his pride, but please. Please, Shizun, I’m begging you. This could kill you—”
“What about you?” Chu Wanning interrupted.
“What?”
“You’ve been infected too — your core,” He twisted one of his arms out of Mo Ran’s grasp so that he could get his fingers on his pulse point. He blanched at what he found.
The pollen worked by amplifying the cultivator’s spiritual energy, creating a runaway feedback loop. He had known that Mo Ran had grown up a lot in the last five years, that he’d become a powerful cultivator, but the violent torrent of yang energy rushing through him now was more than Chu Wanning could have ever imagined. If this carried on unchecked, Mo Ran was going to burn up from the inside out.
“You’re even further along than I am.”
“What? No, no I’m fine, I haven’t….” Mo Ran trailed off, taking stock of himself. He coughed, a full body shudder running through him.
In an instant Chu Wanning darted behind him, a palm at the base of his spine. He started channeling energy into him, trying to cool him off.
“Stop that.” Mo Ran snapped, frowning and stepping out of the way. In the next moment he paled, remembering where he was and who he was talking to. He started again, hands held out placatingly, practically stumbling over himself to insist, “Shizun, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. We need to get you help first.”
“Then who will take care of you?” Chu Wanning scowled.
“Don’t think about that now, it's not important.”
Chu Wanning ignored him and ducked back around with a well-timed feint. He replaced his hand, restarting the stream of spiritual energy.
“Shizun, you can’t.” Mo Ran insisted, trying to spin around. Chu Wanning deftly mirrored him. “Think of yourself, you’re in no state to be lending energy to anyone—”
Stubbornly, he tried to knock Chu Wanning’s hand away. This was quickly countered by a block. Before either of them knew it, a dozen moves had been exchanged. Then two dozen.
A roaring white noise rose up to fill Chu Wanning’s ears, like he was standing next to a massive waterfall. With each strike, he felt the superheated tension in his body grow.
Chu Wanning was the sort of person who couldn’t help but give into the urge to fight when it came over him. That being said, he couldn’t tell now whether what he was feeling really was a desire to spar or if this too was an effect of the pollen.
It didn’t help that Mo Ran had grown into a truly formidable opponent. Even after several minutes, they seemed to be evenly matched, neither of them able to get one up on the other. It was frustrating, but much more than that, it was exhilarating.
He ducked and weaved, striking out when he got the chance. Neither of them reached for their spiritual weapons; they were still in Red Lotus Pavillion’s entrance hall, after all. Moreover, under the growing effect of the pollen, neither of them were at their best. He blinked rapidly as his vision vignetted, pivoting just in time to dodge Mo Ran’s outstretched hand.
Chu Wanning’s heart was beating a mile a minute and he was sweating through five layers of fabric. Still, whether it was the influence of the pollen or not, his eyes burned with satisfaction. His whole body was alight with the sheer joy of the fight.
“Stop this! Shizun!” Mo Ran gasped out between moves, dancing back as Chu Wanning lunged at him. “You need help.”
“Help me then.” Chu Wanning retorted, going on the offensive.
Mo Ran startled at that, freezing in place. Chu Wanning bowled him over.
They landed hard on the wooden floor, Mo Ran flat on his back, Chu Wanning straddling his torso, his hands coming down hard, thumping against the ground on either side of Mo Ran’s head.
It took him a few seconds to realize what had just slipped out of his mouth. Mo Ran was staring up at him in shock, mouth agape. The wind had been knocked out of him. Chu Wanning’s eyes flew wide in panic. For an infinitely long moment, neither of them moved. Then—
“What?” Mo Ran croaked out.
Chu Wanning scrambled off of him, or he tried to. Before he could get away, Mo Ran’s hands darted out, wrapping themselves around the curve of his hips and holding him down.
“You don’t mean it like that.” Mo Ran said slowly.
“You’re right, I don’t.” Chu Wanning snarled. His ponytail had been knocked during the fight and his hair took that moment to tumble free, waterfalling down around them both in a thick black curtain. His face flushed violently red.
Mo Ran was staring up at him, flabbergasted. His mouth opened, then closed.
“Let go of me!” Chu Wanning demanded.
“If I let go, will you agree to let me take you to the medical hall for treatment?”
“Let go!” He writhed in Mo Ran’s vice-like grip.
“Wanning.”
Hearing his name stunned Chu Wanning into stillness. He froze where he was, hovering over Mo Ran, his knees on either side of his stomach.
“Wanning.” Mo Ran said again, quieter now. “Did you mean it?”
Chu Wanning swallowed, throat bobbing. The world spun around him. He was losing his grip on reality. Surely Mo Ran hadn’t just said—
Mo Ran’s thumbs started moving in a stroking motion up and down the sides of his hips, tracing the edge of bone. It was a small gesture, but it jarred Chu Wanning back into the present.
“You…” he tried to say.
“Would you let me help you?” Mo Ran asked again, his voice a hoarse whisper.
Chu Wanning studied his face. Mo Ran… didn’t look like he was joking. His eyes were huge and anxious. He was staring up at him desperately, his jaw clenched. It wasn’t the sort of look Chu Wanning imagined for someone propositioning a paramor. No, instead Mo Ran looked terrified.
Chu Wanning wanted to reassure him, but he didn’t know how. He’d always been deficient when it came to things like this, and now with his head foggy and his body burning up, he was worse than useless.
Mo Ran’s pupils were almost completely dilated, his eyes huge and black. Looking down at him, Chu Wanning felt like he was leaning over a tiger.
This was stupid. It was foolish. If Chu Wanning continued on like this, he was going to get eaten.
Mo Ran’s chest was heaving, his breathing audibly labored. Chu Wanning couldn’t forget that they were both infected by the pollen. It wasn’t just himself in danger. Mo Ran was staring up at him steadily and he… he needed to decide what to do.
He knew that a good person would say no. What Mo Ran was asking — dual cultivation — between the two of them, it would be wrong. He couldn't say yes.
But then, the pollen was advancing at such a rapid rate. If he said no, would there still be time to get Mo Ran to someone else? Chu Wanning swallowed hard. If he said yes, it wouldn’t mean what he secretly wanted it to mean, but at least he would make sure that Mo Ran was okay.
This grown up Mo Ran was so different from the one he’d carried up the mountain. He’d always been stubborn, but now he was sticky, too — always following Chu Wanning around, wanting to do things with him, wanting to do things for him. It wasn’t just a matter of getting him to a brothel in time. If Chu Wanning denied him now, would he be able to convince Mo Ran to leave and go seek treatment for himself? The more he thought about it, the more he realized there really was only one choice.
“Fine.”
Mo Ran sucked in a breath like he was taking in air for the first time after coming up from a deep dive. Chu Wanning had a split second to doubt himself, and then Mo Ran’s hands were sliding up his back, over his shoulders, coming up to cup the back of his head and the cover nape of his neck. Then Chu Wanning was pulled down.
Mo Ran dragged him down to his level and captured his lips in a fierce kiss.
Chu Wanning was the one to gasp now. Mo Ran took advantage of it and immediately deepened the kiss, tilting his head just so and licking his way into his mouth. Then his hands started moving.
First, they came up to cup Chu Wanning’s face, firm enough to keep him in place, but simultaneously cautious and achingly gentle. Even as his sharp teeth worried at Chu Wanning’s bottom lip, Mo Ran held him like he was some sort of rare and delicate treasure. As Chu Wanning started to relax into the kiss, Mo Ran’s hands explored further. They slid down his back, gripped at his shoulders, carded through his loose hair.
Chu Wanning’s hands, meanwhile, were palms-flat against the floor, his arms shaking as he barely managed to hold himself up. His knees dug into Mo Ran’s sides, instinctively trying to squeeze together under the onslaught of pleasure. Completely overwhelmed, it took him a moment to realize the low, whining moan he was hearing was coming from himself.
Mo Ran’s lips moved sensuously against his and it was so intense, so far beyond the scope of what he’d known to expect, beyond anything he could have ever imagined. He had thought Mo Ran would take things slow. Instead, it was like the instant he’d been given permission, he’d turned into a feral animal.
How powerful the effects of the pollen were, to make him so enthusiastic with a partner as ugly and unpleasant as Chu Wanning.
It’s the pollen, it’s the pollen, he repeated to himself over and over again as scorching hot spiritual energy roared down his throat. Still, it was hard to focus on that fact when Mo Ran’s mouth was moving like he wanted to consume him.
Dual cultivation wasn’t supposed to be like this. There was a technique to it, a process for coaxing the flow of qi along, for guiding it in the right direction. This kiss was artless — maybe not from Mo Ran’s end — but for Chu Wanning who hardly knew what he was doing, he was practically subsumed. Still, in the face of the extreme surge of energy that had built up in both of their bodies, apparently no art or skill was needed to make this dual cultivation work.
As Mo Ran’s tongue licked across his own, Chu Wanning’s meridians opened up like a flower to the sun. He whimpered into the kiss and felt rather than heard Mo Ran’s responding groan, a rumble vibrating through his chest.
“I’m sorry, Shizun,” Mo Ran muttered as he pressed heated kisses over Chu Wanning’s cheeks, his forehead, his chin. “I promised I wouldn’t, but I can’t let you die….”
He promised he wouldn’t what? Chu Wanning wondered. He didn’t have time to ask, with Mo Ran’s capturing his lips again the moment he stopped talking. Dazed as he was, the thought vacated his mind soon after.
Mo Ran’s hands only became more desperate as they went on. He started clutching at him, bunching the fabric of his outer robe in his fists. He curled his fingers around his waist and gripped so hard Chu Wanning absently wondered if he was going to have bruises tomorrow.
It was impossible not to be affected by it — would have been impossible even if he hadn’t been dosed with what was essentially an aphrodisiac. By now, Chu Wanning was achingly hard, harder than he’d ever been in his life. With the way he was stradling Mo Ran, if he rocked forward a little, his cock rubbed against his firm stomach, a perfect friction that he couldn’t help but chase.
Mo Ran must have noticed because after the third or fourth time Chu Wanning rolled his hips, he reached down and grabbed his ass, guiding him into a rolling grind.
“Ahhh,” Chu Wanning helplessly cried into Mo Ran’s mouth. Mo Ran sealed their lips together, eating the noise. His other hand slid up until he was once again holding him by the hips. He got a firm grip and dragged his body backwards until—
Chu Wanning’s back stiffened when his cock slid up against something equally hard. Mo Ran bucked up a little and instantly Chu Wanning felt like his brain was melting.
If this was how good it felt when they still had their clothes on, how was it going to feel when—
“Wanning,” Mo Ran said against his lips, his voice breaking. Just that — just his name. “Wanning.”
Something about the sound of it made Chu Wanning want to cry. Wholly without his permission, tears started to well up in the corners of his eyes. This kiss, the pollen, Mo Ran being here — something about the situation had obliterated the normally tight seal he kept over his deepest emotions. His stomach dropped out as he realized just how out of control he was.
He swallowed his fear down. If he ignored it, maybe it would go away.
Chu Wanning tilted his head forward, breaking the kiss so he could press his forehead to Mo Ran’s. There was a lull in the fervor as they both paused for a moment, catching their breath, raggedly breathing the same air.
Taking stock of himself, Chu Wanning could hardly believe what was happening. He wondered at how they had even gotten here. Sure, they were infected, but Mo Ran could have his pick of anyone he wanted. What on earth was he doing in Red Lotus Pavilion? Why had he taken Chu Wanning’s slip of the tongue so seriously?
These were pressing questions, but he had no choice but to set them aside for now. Chu Wanning could still feel the wave of spiritual energy rising up in his body, threatening to overwhelm him. Kissing had helped attenuate the flow somewhat, but it was never going to be enough.
Beneath him, Mo Ran looked wrecked. He was gazing up at him, panting and sweaty, eyes roaming Chu Wanning’s face with an awestruck expression.
The pollen must be making him hallucinate, Chu Wanning reasoned. He had certainly never done anything to earn such an adoring look.
A long moment passed and it became clear that Mo Ran had gotten distracted, Chu Wanning realized it was up to him to get them back on the right track. Thickening his face, he took initiative and bucked his hips forward. It drew a surprised, desperate whine out of Mo Ran. Then, without warning, he sat up.
Chu Wanning startled, but Mo Ran’s arms came around to press flat against his back, stilling him and pushing their bodies flush together from pelvis to chest. He slotted his mouth back over Chu Wanning’s and resumed the kiss.
Chu Wanning had only just gotten used to their new position when Mo Ran started to stand. Carefully balancing Chu Wanning’s weight, he wrapped his hands around his thighs, then hoisted him up. Chu Wanning desperately clutched at his shoulders, trying not to fall backwards. He wrapped his legs around Mo Ran’s waist to stabilize himself. It pressed his cock firmly against Mo Ran’s torso. The sudden pleasure of it was nearly enough to make him black out.
Once on his feet, Mo Ran shifted him so that one of his arms was a bar under his legs and the other supported his back. Holding him tightly against his chest, fingers digging into flesh, Mo Ran didn’t break the kiss even as he started to walk them towards the bedroom.
By now, under Mo Ran’s wordless instruction, Chu Wanning had started to get the gist of kissing and had started to conceptualize how his lips were supposed to move. With Mo Ran’s attention partially diverted, he tried putting what he’d learned into practice.
He began by rolling Mo Ran’s lower lip between his own. When this yielded a shaky gasp, he sucked at it, pressed a kiss to it, then parted his lips for Mo Ran to lick his way back in. Being held up like this, he was half a head taller, so his face was tilted down, eyes closed.
Their position didn’t change when Mo Ran finally made it to the bed. He carefully bent at the waist, the hand on Chu Wanning’s back sliding up to cup the back of his head. He gently laid him down on the clutter-free part of the mattress that Chu Wanning slept on. Setting him down freed up his hands, and Mo Ran used it to shove the rumpled comforter (and everything on it) aside, clearing up more space.
With him having finished these necessary steps, Chu Wanning tilted his head back a little, letting his eyes fall shut, ready for the kiss to resume. A long moment passed and it did not.
Chu Wanning opened his eyes, frowning in confusion. Mo Ran was still leaning over him, supporting his weight on his elbows. His face was smooth, brow unfurrowed, but something about the curve of his eyes looked almost… unsure.
Chu Wanning didn’t like that one bit. A bolt of ice shot down his spine at the realization that, having come this far, Mo Ran could be having second thoughts. This immediate anxiety must have shown on his face because Mo Ran’s expression suddenly transformed, the uncertainty melting away.
“Shhh, shhh.” He soothed. He pressed a quick, indulgent kiss to the corner of Chu Wanning’s mouth. “You’re doing so well, Wanning. It’s only that, before we go any further, I need you to be sure.”
As he opened his mouth in outrage, Mo Ran stunned him into silence by leaning down and biting his cheek.
“Don’t scold me, don’t scold me, just say it honestly.” His tone was laughing, but underneath that, Chu Wanning could tell that he really was nervous. “I know you don’t have a choice, so please just tell me that you’re sure you won’t regret this.”
Regret this? Chu Wanning thought in disbelief. Of course he wasn’t going to regret this. It was Mo Ran that would have something to regret afterwards, when he looked back on these insane, pollen-fueled moments. How could Chu Wanning regret stumbling his way into receiving one of his heart’s deepest, most secretive desires?
Mo Ran was waiting for an answer, though, so, mutely, Chu Wanning shook his head. Perhaps it wasn’t the direct verbal confirmation Mo Ran had asked for, but that didn’t matter because he seemed to understand him perfectly in spite of it all.
It was like another thread in Mo Ran had snapped. Surging forward, he kissed him once on the mouth, luxuriously, and then started sucking a trail of wet kisses along his jaw and down his neck. With his hands, he began wrestling off Chu Wanning’s clothes. Pinned underneath him, Chu Wanning helped as much as he could, wiggling to the side to pull his arms out of his sleeves.
First, his outer robe was tugged off, then the top layer. Mo Ran’s hands were swift and precise, unknotting all of the ties and belts like he undressed Chu Wanning every day. When he finally made it all the way down to his inner robe, shucking it to reveal Chu Wanning’s pale chest, he sucked in a breath.
Chu Wanning squirmed underneath him. Not knowing what to do with his hands, he clenched the soft fabric beneath him. The air was shockingly cold against his overheated skin. It was embarrassing to have Mo Ran’s eyes on him, but he was also so woozy from the pollen, it was hard to fixate on that part.
Mo Ran was kneeling between his thighs and every place they were touching was bright and hot, lit up gold in his mind. He raised a hand and delicately traced a line down Chu Wanning’s skin, from clavicle to navel. Glassy-eyed and feverish, Chu Wanning shivered underneath him. It made Mo Ran’s expression turn dark. He looked even hungrier, somehow.
Mo Ran pulled at the ties of Chu Wanning’s pants and then hooked his thumbs under the waistband. Chu Wanning tilted his hips up accommodatingly and Mo Ran pulled them off.
Now that he was fully naked, wasn’t it Mo Ran’s turn? Chu Wanning thought, reaching up to pull at his sleeve. He tried to tug off his clothes, but his hands were fumbling and useless. It clearly got the message across, however, because Mo Ran started hurriedly stripping.
Laying back on the bed, Chu Wanning was transfixed. Layers of clothing were peeled back to reveal what Chu Wanning had already known — Mo Ran’s body was perfect.
His chest was sculpted and broad, his skin tan and unfathomably soft. As he unfastened the ties of his pants, Chu Wanning’s mouth went dry.
Mo Ran’s cock was… it was large. That horrible book hadn’t been lying. For a moment, his brain went utterly blank as he contemplated the task at hand. In a moment they were going to dual cultivate and that thing was going to go in—
“Look at me,” Mo Ran interrupted, his hand at Chu Wanning’s chin, gently tilting his head up until their eyes met.
Carefully commanding his attention, Mo Ran leaned down, moved in closer, and the heat coming off of him was enough to make Chu Wanning moan.
One of his knees shifted, spreading Chu Wanning’s legs further apart until he was lying just so. Mo Ran took himself in hand then. Without breaking eye contact, he aligned their hips and pressed their cocks together. It startled a shout out of Chu Wanning.
Letting out a filthy groan, Mo Ran started to move — not much, but enough to slide them against each other. It felt a bit like the grinding had earlier, but so much more. Mo Ran’s skin was unbelievably soft, his cock unbelievably hard, harder than steel where they were pressed together. The almost painful pressure, the feeling of Mo Ran’s hot fingers wrapped halfway around him — it left him delirious.
Precome weeping out of the head of Chu Wanning’s cock started to wet the place where they were sliding against each other. Looking down, Chu Wanning was relieved to see that Mo Ran’s cock was leaking just as much, slicking up his hand.
They hadn’t been at it for more than a minute when something in Chu Wanning snapped. His vision went white, and then he was spilling everywhere, coming all over himself and Mo Ran and Mo Ran’s hand.
“Baobei,” Mo Ran gasped, sounding like he’d been suckerpunched.
Chu Wanning hardly knew what was happening, but he felt so good he didn’t care. Mo Ran immediately let go, leaning back a little and wrapping his hand fully around Chu Wanning’s length, scraping off as much of the cum as he could. Then he moved his hand back to his own cock and did the same thing, scooping it up where it had spilled over him. His other hand tucked itself under Chu Wanning’s knee and pulled his leg up, giving Mo Ran access to—
“Can I?” Mo Ran asked, meeting his eyes, his fingers hovering right over Chu Wanning’s entrance.
Chu Wanning was nodding before he even processed what was being asked.
Mo Ran pressed inside with a finger, using Chu Wanning’s cum to ease the way.
It was all so dirty, so completely shameless. If he could have, Chu Wanning would have orgasmed again on the spot.
Chu Wanning had never fingered himself before. He’d never even touched himself there, and it seemed that Mo Ran could tell. He proceeded carefully, slowly inserting the tip of one wet finger and just holding it there for a moment, rubbing gently at the outermost ring of muscle. It felt good, but it wasn’t enough.
“More,” he choked out.
Mo Ran sucked in another stuttering gasp, but he obliged, pressing his finger in up to the first knuckle. Again, it wasn’t a bad sensation, but it was strange — not quite how Chu Wanning had thought it would feel.
It was invasive almost, and startlingly vulnerable, to have someone touching a part of his body that had never been touched before. He was so wired, every hair standing on end, that even the smallest shift of Mo Ran’s finger felt devastating. When he started to pull back out again, Chu Wanning clenched down in surprise.
“Shhh, shhh,” Mo Ran soothed, even though Chu Wanning was pretty sure he hadn’t made a noise. A moment later, Mo Ran pushed his finger back in. Chu Wanning relaxed under him and he started rocking his hand in a repetitive arc.
It was almost like he was a fruit, ripened on the vine and finally being peeled apart for Mo Ran to consume, Chu Wanning thought dazedly. Mo Ran got him used to the feel of one finger before adding in a second. Then a third.
He kept his fingers slick with Chu Wanning’s cum, but after a while it started to dry, growing tacky around his rim, where it was exposed to air. Mo Ran had a solution. Moving his clean hand to the base of Chu Wanning’s back, he tilted his hips up, leaned down, and spat directly onto— onto—
Chu Wanning’s brain whited out again. His cock twitched, but he didn’t come this time — he couldn’t. Mo Ran, watching his face, had seen it coming and gripped a hand tight around the base of his cock. A moment later, when it was clear the risk had passed, Mo Ran let go.
As the hand fingering him started up again, tirelessly shoving saliva into his increasingly slick hole, he relaxed a little. His first orgasm had left him loose limbed, and as Mo Ran worked him open, he started to feel tingly pleasure surging rhythmically down the back of his neck all the way through to the small of his back and down his legs. His toes curled.
Glancing up at Mo Ran’s face, Chu Wanning was startled by how pleased he looked. His eyes were sharp and focused, but his expression was relaxed. The corner of his mouth curled up, ever so slightly.
If he could have, he would have stared up at Mo Ran’s handsome features forever, but they still hadn’t completed the dual cultivation. Underneath the wash of endorphins, Chu Wanning could feel the energy in his meridians rising back up to a dangerous level. He knew that for Mo Ran, who hadn’t come yet, it was surely even worse.
“You need to—” he started. It came out embarrassingly breathy, an octave higher than usual.
“I know.” Mo Ran replied absently, still concentrated on where his fingers were scissoring him open, making room in Chu Wanning’s body.
“So why aren’t you doing it already?” He snapped, trying to speed up the process by pushing himself down onto Mo Ran’s hand.
“Stop that,” Mo Ran commanded, grabbing him roughly by the waist with his free hand. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“If you don’t want to, just say so,” Chu Wanning complained, growing irritable.
“No,” Mo Ran inisted, sounding exasperated, “It’s not that, I just have to get this right. I can’t let you—”
Chu Wanning’s temper quieted down on hearing that. This grown up Mo Ran really was so careful with him. If the only problem was that he was worried about Chu Wanning getting hurt, then it was of no consequence.
He propped himself up on his elbows, sitting up a little.
“What?” Mo Ran asked, confused. He drew his fingers back a little, and then pulled them out completely when Chu Wanning started folding his legs and shifting his weight so that he could get on his knees.
As he moved forward, Mo Ran moved back, eyes wide and compliant. He leaned back until he was the one propped up on his elbows with Chu Wanning towering over him, knees straddling his waist.
Mo Ran’s cock loomed tall between them. It was a menacing size, really, but Chu Wanning didn’t let himself think about that long enough for it to phase him. Absorbed by a single purpose, he reached down and wrapped a hand around the base of that cock, steadying it.
“Add the…” fighting back a blush, he nodded towards Mo Ran’s hand, the one still wet with Chu Wanning’s spend. Obediently, Mo Ran wrapped his hand around his cock, stroking once, twice, getting himself wet. When this was done, Chu Wanning lined it up with his entrance and started to sink down.
“Ah—” Mo Ran tried to warn him, but it was too late.
Chu Wanning’s eyes bulged. For a wild moment, he doubted whether dual cultivation between them was even going to be possible.
He kept pressing down, however, until the head of Mo Ran’s cock popped in.
“Wanning,” Mo Ran gasped out, sounding strangled.
Chu Wanning shuddered at the sensation, his eyes involuntarily falling closed. He took a moment to compose himself.
After a few seconds, the stretch didn’t feel quite so intense. He opened his eyes again and looked down at Mo Ran, who was gazing up at him like he was a god.
Mo Ran’s hand came up and stroked briefly at the junction of his hip and thigh. “You’re so…” he started to say, before trailing off.
Chu Wanning waited for a moment, curious. When it was clear that Mo Ran wouldn’t finish the thought, he decided enough was enough. Taking a deep breath in, he started sliding down.
“Easy,” Mo Ran warned.
Chu Wanning had made it maybe an inch before it was too much and he had to take another break. In the short time it took, Mo Ran had devolved into mindless babble, “You— I really never imagined you would— seeing you like this is more than—” It was all obviously pollen-fueled, none of it worth paying attention to.
With the single-minded focus that had earned him the title of Beidou Immortal, Chu Wanning kept at his task and made it all the way down to the root.
It had been a trying process, one that had driven both of them to the edge several times. If Chu Wanning hadn’t already come once, or perhaps if the sensation had been less foreign, less bizarre, he would have undoubtedly come again, stretched out on Mo Ran’s thick cock, trying to make space inside himself for it. He couldn’t come yet, anyhow. Mo Ran still hadn’t.
Sweaty and shaking but satisfied, Chu Wanning finally let himself relax.
About a third of the way down, the painful stretch became overshadowed by a shockingly potent pleasure when Mo Ran started pressing up against some pressure point inside of him. Now, every little shift of his hips and every twitch of Mo Ran’s cock sent sparks shooting up his spine.
“Wanning,” Mo Ran said again, sounding awed.
Chu Wanning ignored him. They had to keep going.
Adjusting his weight so he could push up with his thighs, he lifted himself up, just by half an inch. Then he sank back down.
Mo Ran’s responding moan was the lewdest noise he’d ever heard anybody make. Chu Wanning’ expression took on a determined slant. This was going to work.
Turning his attention to his meridians, he concentrated on the place their bodies were connected, visualizing energy passing between them. He felt something within him shift. Then Mo Ran was moaning again, shamelessly loud, and bucking his hips up. Chu Wanning gasped.
Losing his balance, he fell forward, his hands landing on Mo Ran’s muscular shoulders. Taking advantage, Mo Ran bucked up again. Chu Wanning’s spiritual veins were all lit up now, the energy in his body hurtling towards a crescendo.
“No,” Mo Ran growled when he looked up into Chu Wanning’s face and saw that he was close to finishing. “Not like this.”
In the blink of an eye, Mo Ran had hooked his arms under Chu Wanning’s knees and tumbled him backwards, back to their previous position. Chu Wanning was left lying back on the bed, his legs held up, leaving him exposed with Mo Ran looming over him. Somehow, Mo Ran had managed all of this without pulling out.
From this new vantage, Mo Ran’s hips started pistoning with force. Chu Wanning’s next breath turned into a stuttered moan as he was battered by the wave of new sensations. The wet sound of their skin slapping together was obscene.
It seemed that this was what Mo Ran had been saving himself for. Quickly, he lost himself in chasing the pleasure, thrusting relentlessly into Chu Wanning’s receptive body. One of his hands was fisted in the sheets, bracing himself. The other, hooked under Chu Wanning’s knee, started stroking at his hip, a gentle motion completely at odds with how hard he was fucking him.
The sounds Chu Wanning was making now, little high pitched groans, were completely involuntary. He had already been close, but now Mo Ran was driving him forward, pushing him towards an inevitable conclusion.
“Even if it wasn’t enough for this—“ Mo Ran panted, his eyes feverish. “Even if it didn’t count to the pollen, you’re still my husband.” He was ruthlessly, slamming into Chu Wanning with seemingly endless energy. “You’ll say it, won’t you?”
“What?” Chu Wanning gasped out.
“Say what I am to you. Tell me.” Mo Ran ordered. On the next thrust, instead of pulling out again, he pushed further in, angling so he could slide in even deeper.
He leaned forward, pressing his chest down against Chu Wanning’s. It brought them eye to eye. Mo Ran’s gaze was fiercely possessive. It trapped Chu Wanning immediately, leaving him unable to look away.
Mo Ran was hotter than a forest fire and they were both dripping with sweat, but the added skin-to-skin contact, the feeling of being even closer to him was so delicious, Chu Wanning didn’t care. If he passed out from heat stroke, so be it. The only thing that mattered now was getting closer, getting more of him, becoming even more entwined than they already were.
Mo Ran brought his hand up and gripped Chu Wanning’s jaw. Staring him down, he demanded again, “Tell me.”
In a sudden movement, he drew back and snapped his hips forward. The strike of pleasure was like a hammer up Chu Wanning’s spine. It immediately drove the last vestiges of reason and dignity out of his head.
“H-husband.” Chu Wanning choked out breathlessly. Mo Ran repeated the motion and Chu Wanning whined, “Husband!”
“What a sweet wife you are.” Mo Ran cooed, letting go of his jaw so he could straighten back up. His hands found their way back to his hips and with this new leverage, Mo Ran proceeded to shred what remained of Chu Wanning’s nervous system.
When Chu Wanning came the second time, it felt like his soul was being sucked out of his body. The overwhelming wave of energy that had built up in him was suddenly released, pouring out in a torrent. He immediately lost his grip on all of his other senses.
When he came back to, Mo Ran was still pounding into him, rocking his entire body with every thrust.
Already, he could tell that it had worked. There was a tingling sensation in his limbs, a feeling of draining almost, like the pollen-induced poison was trickling out of his body.
Mo Ran, still in its thrall, was gone to the world.
“Wanning, Wanning, Wanning.” He gasped. Then, with a final jerk, he came, shoving his cock as deep inside Chu Wanning’s hole as it could go.
Why is he still saying my name? Chu Wanning wondered as he took in the strange, somewhat heated feeling of being filled. With the fog of illness dissipating, he was becoming increasingly lucid. He’s only doing this because the pollen pushed him to, I’m just a body to him right now, so why—?
Mo Ran had squeezed his eyes shut when he started to come, his mouth slack in ecstasy. For several long moments, Chu Wanning was able to look up at his face unabashedly.
He scanned over his features desperately, committing them to memory. How rare it was to have Mo Ran this close, to be able to look at him this freely. In a minute, reality was going to come crashing down hard around them, so he had to take this opportunity now, had to make the most of this moment while he still could.
Eventually, Mo Ran’s body stilled. His cock twitched once, twice more, and he slumped forwards. Mo Ran caught himself on his forearms, but the added weight was still enough to force a quiet huff out of Chu Wanning. Mo Ran’s face ended up tucked into the divot of his neck.
For a long moment neither of them said anything. They were both breathing hard, coming down from the intense high.
A second later, Mo Ran froze. Slowly, he moved back, raising himself up on shaky hands. They both winced when he slid out. It felt quite different now that the act was complete.
Chu Wanning quickly squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't bear to see the expression on Mo Ran’s face. He had known this moment was coming, but that didn’t make it any less uncomfortable.
Mo Ran paused for a beat, then silently got up and moved away from the bed. Chu Wanning listened carefully to the sound of his footsteps, tracking him as he crossed the room. When he heard him leave the bedroom altogether, he opened his eyes, confused. That lasted only a second, however, because no sooner had he done that than Mo Ran was ducking back in with something in hand. Chu Wanning hurriedly closed his eyes again, trying to force his tense body to relax, as if he had fallen asleep.
Mo Ran walked all the way back to the bed and knelt down in his previous position. The mattress dipped under his weight. Then there was something cold and wet wiping across his stomach and Chu Wanning had to gasp because what— oh. Mo Ran was cleaning him up, he realized belatedly. He was wiping away the mess on his stomach with a wet towel.
The small towel dipped between his legs and there was a flash of discomfort as it rubbed across oversensitive skin, but Mo Ran was gentle. The whole time, Chu Wanning continued to play dead, not sure what else he could do. His stomach twisted itself in knots.
When he was finally done, Mo Ran stood up again. It sounded like he set the towel down somewhere, and then there was a rustle of fabric, like he was putting on his clothes. It made Chu Wanning keenly aware of his own nakedness. He wondered for a moment if he could get away with tugging the comforter over himself. …Probably not.
After that, the air stilled. There was a long pause. Unable to stand the uncertainty, Chu Wanning peeked out from under his lashes.
Mo Ran was fully dressed now, standing a couple of paces from the bed, turned away. He took a deep breath in and started to speak. “Wanning— I, no— Shizun.”
Chu Wanning froze, holding himself even more still than he had been, not even daring to breathe.
“Shizun, I’m sorry.” Mo Ran said, facing away from him. “This disciple only wanted to save your life— I never wanted to disgrace you.” He took in another long, rattling inhale before continuing. “I understand if you don’t want to see me now. I… I can leave the sect for a while, Shizun won’t have to be uncomfortable. Now that we have, ah, consummated the marriage, the pollen really shouldn’t be able to infect you again. But that doesn’t have to mean anything!” Mo Ran sounded nervous. His words were rushed. “Obviously it's only a technicality, Shizun shouldn’t feel bound to this one in any way.”
Chu Wanning sat up on the bed, staring at him with a frown.
“Shizun shouldn’t have any other problems after this.” Mo Ran continued. “I can talk to uncle before I leave. I won’t tell him the truth, of course, but I’ll make sure he stops bothering you with questions. I….” He paused his nervous rambling for a moment, running a hand over his face. “I’ll go now.”
And then, without looking back, Mo Ran actually started to leave.
“Mo Weiyu!” Chu Wanning snapped before he could take even a single step.
Mo Ran froze. Slowly, he turned around.
“Where are you going?” Chu Wanning demanded, meeting his eyes with a glare.
“I… I don’t know just, just— away from the sect for a little while. To give Shizun some space? You shouldn’t have to be uncomfortable because of how I feel about you. Sisheng Peak is your home, and I won’t make you uncomfortable in your own home, especially not after you were in seclusion for so long. Shizun has suffered enough, so of course I will go.”
“Because of how you feel about me?” Chu Wanning wondered out loud. To his shock, it made Mo Ran flush. He ducked his head.
“This disciple knows it's wrong. I’m sorry, Shizun. I can’t help it, but that doesn’t make it alright.”
“You’re apologizing because you can’t help that you dislike me.” Chu Wanning said slowly, uncertainly.
Mo Ran was talking as though his feelings for Chu Wanning were obvious. He supposed that could be true enough for a person who wasn’t as defective as Chu Wanning. Before the rift, Mo Ran had never made a secret of how much he regretted his choice in teacher. Still, ever since Chu Wanning had come back to life, Mo Ran’s behavior had been so different… but that must just be the result of Mo Ran growing up. Of course a respectable zongshi would perform basic filial piety for his shizun. Of course Mo Ran, who in spite of his disdain had always seen Chu Wanning as unfailable, would have expected him to see through to his true feelings.
Mo Ran’s head snapped up.
“What? No. Shizun, I— you think what?”
It was Chu Wanning’s turn to flush now. Mortified and angry, he turned his head away, looking pointedly off to the side. “It’s fine. This shizun understands. There’s no need to make such a big fuss and leave the sect, I’m not made of glass.”
“I don’t dislike you.” Mo Ran said, clearly taken aback. “Shizun, I love you.”
Chu Wanning’s head jerked back to stare at Mo Ran, his eyes bugging out.
“I know what I said when we were dual cultivating was unacceptable.” Mo Ran continued, as if he hadn’t just shattered Chu Wanning’s reality. “This disciple lost control of himself and forgot where he was, but… but of course Shizun doesn’t actually think I dislike him. Surely not after I got him back from the underworld.” He stopped talking, noticing the dumbfounded look on Chu Wanning’s face. “But I gave you my letters. And I cooked for you. I… I bought you your favorite milk candies when we were in the farming village.” Mo Ran’s brow grew more and more furrowed. “Shizun, this whole time, you thought I hated you?”
Chu Wanning swallowed, mind reeling. “Not— not hate.”
Mo Ran took two swift steps forward, towards the bed. His hands twitched, like he wanted to reach out and touch him, but he stopped himself. Instead, Mo Ran swept his sleeves back and knelt on the ground in front of where Chu Wanning was sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked up and met Chu Wanning’s eyes.
“Didn’t I already tell you? In this lifetime, all I want is to stay by your side. I want to protect you, and take care of you, and make sure you never suffer through anything ever again. Or, at the very least, that you don’t suffer alone.”
“But you love Shi Mingjing.” Chu Wanning insisted, frowning. None of this was making any sense.
“I’m grateful for Shi Mei’s kindness.” Mo Ran corrected. “I have never truly loved anyone, except for you.” Then, before Chu Wanning could say anything else, he asked, “If Shizun didn’t know, then what does he want me to do? I can leave the sect, so you don’t have to see me—”
Chu Wanning’s hand darted out and grabbed Mo Ran by the wrist, holding tight. “Don’t leave the sect.”
Mo Ran swallowed. “Then, I can still keep my distance. You won’t have to see me if you don’t want to. I’ll do anything to make you comfortable.”
“Don’t stay away, either.” Chu Wanning commanded, swallowing as he looked down into Mo Ran’s sincere eyes.
For a long moment, Mo Ran didn’t say anything. Then, “Shizun, how do you feel about me, exactly?”
Chu Wanning let go of his arm and stood up so abruptly that all the blood rushed from his head. His vision spotted, he swayed on his feet, and he realized all at once that he was still naked, that this whole time they’d been talking, he hadn’t been wearing any clothes.
He dived for his robes, crumpled in a pile on the bed.
Mo Ran looked on quietly as he stumbled his way through pulling them on, hastily fastening the ties. He could tell that he’d tied some of them wrong by the time he was done. The layers weren’t sitting flat like they usually did; some of them were bunched in weird places, the lapels lying crooked and gaping open.
He was standing with his back to Mo Ran now, so he heard rather than saw him get up. Mo Ran’s presence always filled up a room, and he could feel that presence move towards him now, the weight of his gaze heavy on his back.
“Shizun doesn’t want me to leave,” Mo Ran said slowly, thinking out loud. “And he doesn’t want me to keep my distance, even knowing that I’m in love with him. Is it possible that… that Shizun might love me back?”
Chu Wanning swallowed hard again. He couldn’t say anything. Mo Ran took another step closer.
“Earlier, Shizun refused to accept help for the pollen, but then he asked this disciple. Then, when this disciple tried to go slow, to make things easier for him, he knocked his hands away and took charge. When this disciple asked, Shizun even was willing to call this one husband.”
Chu Wanning shuddered when Mo Ran stepped into his personal space, leaning over him, his chest just millimeters away from pressing against his back. Mo Ran’s head dipped down a little, his mouth right next to Chu Wanning’s ear.
“Shizun, I need you to tell me no. If you don’t want this, if you don’t love me, then I need you to say that. I can’t—” Mo Ran’s voice broke then, “If you're disgusted by this, I can’t tell.”
“Mo Ran.” Chu Wanning breathed out. Hearing Mo Ran’s distress, his hands acted on their own, reaching back and grabbing at him, keeping him there. He had to reassure him, even if his face wasn’t thick enough to turn around. “Don’t leave.”
The tension in the air snapped, and Mo Ran pushed the rest of the way forward. His arms came up and enfolded Chu Wanning in a tight hug.
In his ear, voice thick, Mo Ran whispered, “Wanning, if you let me, I won’t be parted from you for the rest of my life.”
This was more than Chu Wanning had ever imagined. It was something out of a wild, fantastical dream. He couldn’t believe this was real. Perhaps it was all an elaborate fever dream, perhaps he was still sick and the pollen was taking his most terrible desires and playing them out before his eyes.
But no, the smell of him, the heat spilling off of Mo Ran’s body was too real to be a dream. The way Chu Wanning’s muscles ached, the soreness between his thighs, all of these sensations were too clear for them to have been imagined. Mo Ran was here with him. He was real, and he was waiting for Chu Wanning to say something back.
“Yes.” It spilled out of him. “Mo Ran, yes.”
Chu Wanning sighed as Mo Ran placed another egg into his bowl. When his eyes flicked up however, they couldn’t help but soften on seeing his husband’s satisfied expression. He really wasn’t sure that he could eat all of this food, but if it left Mo Ran looking that pleased, then he was going to have to try.
They were sitting across from each other in Mengpo Hall. Dual cultivation and all of the revelations that followed had left them exhausted and unwilling to part; they’d ended up falling asleep together in Chu Wanning’s bed. When they’d woken up early the next morning, they’d both been ravenous.
Mo Ran had offered to sneak into the kitchens and whip something up, but at this time of day, it was sure to be crowded with all of the cooks preparing the morning meal. Moreover, Chu Wanning still couldn’t bear for Mo Ran to leave his side. This was their compromise.
Mo Ran’s face covering, truly just for show now, was neatly folded at the side of the table while they ate. When Chu Wanning met his eyes, he smiled at him so warmly it was reminiscent of looking into the sun. The corner of Chu Wanning’s mouth twitched up.
“Yuheng!” A voice called from behind him and they both stiffened. Turning around slowly, he saw that Xue Zhengyong and Madame Wang were standing behind him. “Mind if we join you?” The sect leader asked.
Unfortunately, there was only one way he could respond. Chu Wanning inclined his head and the two came over and set their own bowls down. Xue Zhengyong took the open seat next to Mo Ran, while Madame Wang, somewhat apologetically, sat down next to Chu Wanning.
For the first few minutes, they had simple small talk. Chu Wanning kept his mouth shut, letting Mo Ran take charge. It didn’t take long, however, for Xue Zhengyong to circle their conversation around to the one question he just couldn’t seem to let go.
“Really now, Yuheng, I get that you’re shy, but this is getting ridiculous. Whoever it is, whatever the situation was, it surely can’t be as bad as you’re thinking. Just come out with it — who are you married to?”
Even expecting it, the bluntness of the question left Chu Wanning choking on his congee. Coughing into his sleeve, trying to get himself under control, he glared across the table. Then he made the mistake of looking over at Mo Ran.
Seeing Chu Wanning’s aggrieved, murderous expression was apparently too much for his husband to bear. Throwing his head back, he burst into laughter.
“Ran-er! What’s so funny? Why are you—”