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The moon hung low in the sky over the misty landscape of the Cloud Recesses nestled deep inside the mountains outside of Gusu. Its hazy light cast long shadows over the sect below as it dipped closer to the horizon and toward morning. Sleeping disciples slumbered in their rooms, relishing the last few precious moments before their daily 5 a.m. wake up call.
Hidden away in a quiet corner of the dewy landscape, surrounded by vast rows of bamboo sat the Hanshi, home to their current sect leader Lan Xichen. Like his disciples, the First Jade of Gusu was curled up in his bed, lightly dozing on and off as the time drifted closer to morning. Silken sheets in shades of pale blue and silver thread draped over his nude body like the gossamer wings of a butterfly. Next to him, tucked away safely inside his warm embrace, laid his lover whose soft, sleepy breaths ghosted over his skin while Lan Xichen’s fingers drifted down his long hair and onto the bare skin of his back. The muscles beneath his fingertips shifted like a contented cat as his hand glided down his spine and around his sensitive hips. Dusty purple bruises littered the otherwise flawless pale skin, a reminder of their activities from the night before. A peaceful sigh fanned over his chest and Lan Xichen leant down to press a kiss to the man’s forehead.
“My love,” he whispered, a touch of regret coloring his words. He really didn’t want to disturb his lover from his light slumber, but the time was getting late and if they didn’t get up soon their secret would be revealed. Lan Xichen pressed another kiss to his head then moved his lips closer to his ear. “My love, you must wake up now. The morning bell is going to ring soon.”
His lover grumbled and slithered his long limbs beneath the blankets to wrap more firmly around his warm bedmate. Lan Xichen chuckled and patted the muscled thigh that now rested over his hip.
“A-Cheng,” he sang, fingertips dancing up the length of his leg, “You must wake up, my lazy lotus.”
“Don’t wanna,” he fussed, words slurred with sleep and the First Jade couldn’t help the fond smile that curled the corners of his lips.
“I don’t want to either, but if you don’t get a move on then you will surely be spotted.”
Jiang Cheng frowned, but didn’t open his eyes. “What time is it?”
“The morning bell will likely ring within th–” Suddenly, the bright, crisp echo of the morning alarm bell resounded around the Cloud Recesses announcing in no uncertain terms that it was time to wake up . Lan Xichen closed his eyes and visibly cringed. “Now. The morning bell is ringing right now.”
“Shit!” The volume of his curse all but drowned out the deafening ring of the bell. Jiang Cheng sprang out of their warm cocoon, crawling over Lan Xichen like a madman. In his haste, he didn’t notice the blankets tangling around his legs until he went toppling to the floor with an undignified yelp. It all happened so quickly that even Lan Xichen didn’t have enough time to catch him before he was already leaping back to his feet, hopping around while trying to kick the blankets off his ankles.
“Goodness A-Cheng! Are you okay?” Lan Xichen swung his legs over the side of the bed, hands outstretched to help.
Instead of an answer, he gets a faceful of what appeared to be some sort of white fabric. Sputtering, Lan Xichen inhales through his nose and pulls off the inner robe that had just been thrown at him, sending the other man a truly unimpressed look. Unfortunately for him, Jiang Cheng had already disappeared around the privacy screen in search of his clothes. The First Jade felt a twinge of remorse thinking about how the Hanshi must be littered with their discarded robes. In his defense, it had been nearly a month since they had been together and were too busy devouring each other to care where the items landed at the time.
“Hey!” Jiang Cheng’s sharp voice cut into his musings, “Hurry up and get dressed so you can help me find my clothes. Shit, I can’t believe we both slept in!”
Lan Xichen sighed heavily, guilt rising in his chest. He stood and shrugged on the white robe, stepping out from behind the screen while tying the ends together. His tawny eyes instantly landed on his lover frantically scrambling around the room in search of his clothing.
“I’m sorry, my lotus, this is completely my fault. I should’ve been paying more attention to the time.”
“Shut up, you big loaf,” Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, though a smile played at his lips. “We are both at fault here. Although, I have to say that if someone hadn’t been so greedy maybe we would’ve gotten more sleep and been able to wake up on time.”
The First Jade raised an eyebrow. “I don’t remember hearing any complaints about my stamina last night. In fact, if I remember correctly, you were the one waking me up for another round not two hours ago.”
“Yeah...well– I missed you,” the Yunmeng Jiang sect leader muttered lamely in reply. Lan Xichen paused in his path to pick up a discarded article of clothing.
“I missed you too,” he murmured, catching the other man’s eye and sharing a sheepish smile.
They had not yet revealed the status of their relationship to anyone as of yet. Not because either leader felt that their families or sects would disapprove. Honestly, it was more that they wanted to find the right time to let it slip that they have been courting for more than half a year at that point. At their age they really didn’t want to make it a big deal, but their positions and sect duties made that difficult. Not to mention the matter of a certain – person – who would undoubtedly go apeshit when he found out.
Now it seemed that their hands were going to be forced in the matter. Still, Jiang Cheng would rather it be in a more dignified way than running into Gusu Lan disciples while doing the walk of shame out of their sect leader’s home. So, the sooner he found his clothes, the sooner he could get dressed and slip away hopefully unnoticed.
The problem was that he just could not seem to wake up. He had always thought the Gusu Lan rule about waking up at dawn was unnecessary and, quite frankly, annoying. His status as a sect leader thankfully meant that he wasn’t normally required to wake with the rest of the Lan disciples, unlike his teenage years studying with the sect. However, it also meant that his nights spent at the Hanshi were always cut short and lazy mornings spent tangled in Lan Xichen’s warm bed were non-existent.
As he wasn’t used to waking up with the sun, and coupled with their long night that involved very little sleep, Jiang Cheng could barely keep his eyelids open. He grumbled lowly to himself as he fumbled around, trying to distinguish the difference between a pile of dark violet silk and a seat cushion on the floor. His limbs felt like they were moving on their own volition, awkwardly knocking into vases and his feet tripping over themselves.
Lan Xichen chuckled as he watched him blearily stumbled around the room, handing him pieces of clothing as he rushed passed. His stormy blue eyes were still so misty with sleep that it was any wonder the man was standing on two feet at all. The clothing he did finally manage to find was hopelessly wrinkled after spending a night on the floor. He watched as Jiang Cheng instinctively flicked his long black hair behind his shoulder so he could bend to grab one of his bracers that had somehow landed under the table where he kept his guqin. Unfortunately, in his sleep-clouded mind, he misjudged the distance off the raised platform and his foot slipped off the smooth wooden step. With a loud curse, he floundered in an attempt to right his footing before crashing towards the hardwood floor. He braced himself for the painful impact, but it never came. Quick as lightning, Lan Xichen was at his side, catching him about the waist and hauling him back to his feet.
“I know you are late, but you will hurt yourself if you keep rushing around like that.” Lan Xichen scolded, though there was no heat in his voice. He bent and grabbed the bracer that Jiang Cheng had dropped, handing it to the Yunmeng Jiang leader with an indulgent smile.
“Thank you,” Jiang Cheng hummed with a sleepy grin of his own. Taking Lan Xichen’s smile as an invitation, he wrapped his arms around the older man’s neck and pulled their bodies flush while Lan Xichen’s hands settled on his hips . The First Jade’s hands settled on his hips and he chuckled, heart clenching with affection at the positively adorable actions of his lover. He couldn’t help but lean down and place a chaste kiss on those smiling pink lips. Sometimes his love for the other man was so great he wasn’t sure his heart belonged to himself anymore.
“You’re very welcome, my lotus,” he replied softly, giving into temptation and bending for one more press of their lips. A happy sigh escaped the younger sect leader, and he pressed in closer, turning his head to deepen the kiss. Before things could get too out of hand, Lan Xichen was pulling away and turning him by the hips back towards the bed.
“Go. Get your ribbon and tie up your hair before you get us into even more trouble.” Jiang Cheng sent him a pointed look over his shoulder then let out a small yelp when he felt a firm pinch to his backside. “Go.”
“You’re lucky I love you,” he muttered, not even trying to hide the smile on his lips on his way to grab his ribbon on the bedside table. He had foregone his usual silver headpiece when he had snuck into the Hanshi last night. Instead, he wore nothing more than a simple violet ribbon in his customary bun, it’s long ends trailing behind him as he walked. A heavy accessory such as the one he typically wore would only get in the way. If he was being completely honest, it didn’t really matter what he stuck in his dark locks. As long as it was easy enough to remove before his back hit the mattress, then all was good.
A massive yawn suddenly cracked his jaw wide open, stopping him momentarily in his tracks. Even with all of his frantic running around, he still felt blurred around the edges. He scrubbed the heel of his palms over his eyes, trying to soothe the itchiness that plagued them from having to stay open so early in the morning. Jiang Cheng continued to scratch at his heavy eyelids as he shuffled over to the bedside table that held both his hair tie and Lan Xichen’s forehead ribbon. With one final hearty scrub of his palms, he pulled his hands away from his face, not even waiting for his vision to clear before grabbing the first length of silk that his fingers landed on. Shoving it between his teeth, he flipped his head upside down and gathered the long black strands of his hair into a high ponytail at the top of his head. Straightening, he twisted the thick mass into a somewhat presentable bun on the crown of his head, hooding it with one hand so he could secure it with a few expert wraps of the ribbon. Jiang Cheng didn’t even bother to open his eyes during the process. After doing the same thing every morning for more years than he could remember, the skill was like second nature to him.
Jiang Chen tightened the last knot while walking back into the main room of the Hanshi. Lan Xichen was sitting at his low table with his back facing him in the process of preparing his morning tea. Jiang Cheng took a deep, appreciative inhale of the nutty aroma of the strong buckwheat tea that the First Jade liked in the mornings, and sighed.
“That smells so good. I really wish I could stay and at least have breakfast with you.”
“One day, my love, but until then you must hurry,” he placed the lid onto his pot and placed it onto the small burner on the table, “The disciples are no doubt already moving around the grounds.”
Jiang Cheng let out an irritated huff, but didn’t argue. Sitting back on his knees, Lan Xichen stood gracefully from his seat and turned to face the other man. Tawny eyes swept over the Yunmeng Jiang sect leader he was hopelessly in love with, taking in his disheveled appearance and adorably tired gaze. They slid to the desperately messy bun on the top of his head, and he smiled, ready to walk over and help make it a tad more presentable when his gaze landed on the ribbon peeking out from the dark mass.
Lan Xichen froze, eyes widening as the breath in his lungs was snatched in one fell swoop.
Jiang Cheng, unaware of his lover’s sudden change in demeanor, sauntered over with a smirk, wasting no time in pulling the other man into a searing kiss. Groaning, Lan Xichen instantly melted into the heated embrace, letting the younger man take the lead. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew they didn’t have time for this. Jiang Cheng really needed to get a move on before the whole of the Cloud Recesses awoke. Yet, he didn’t want to ever stop kissing the other man. Memories of last night washing over both of them like a flood, drowning them in reminders of hot skin sliding sinfully together in a dance that left them breathless and forever insatiable for the other man’s touch.
Nipping at his bottom lip, Jiang Cheng leaned back and shot him a smug look. “I’ll be seeing you later, sect leader Lan.”
Then, before Lan Xichen had time to recover from the sensual assault he just endured, Jiang Cheng swept out the door, the ends of his ribbon trailing in the wind behind him. Lan Xichen stood dumbly in the middle of the Hanshi for a moment, eyes transfixed on the empty doorway. A million thoughts raced through his head, trying to filter through the lustful fog that clouded his mind. He knew that he should go after the Yunmeng Jiang leader. Stop him before all hell broke loose
And yet...
Lan Xichen turned on his heel and padded back to his tea, his lips turned up in what was definitely a satisfied, though mischievous, smile.
Outside, Jiang Cheng hurried along the footpaths back to his guest quarters. He tried to maintain a level of decorum expected of a sect leader in case he ran into any disciples. Jiang Cheng wasn’t stupid, however, and knew that with the sun already broken over the horizon a clean escape was futile. Still, as long as it was a minor Lan and not someone like Lan Qiran or, god forbid, Lan Wangji, then he would be okay. At least it was still too early for that gremlin to be awake. If Wei Wuxian caught sight of him out this early he surely would weasel the information out of him somehow. Jiang Cheng figured in that case he might as well marry Lan Xichen the next day since there was no way Wei Wuxian would be able to keep his big mouth shut about it.
A tiny smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Marrying Lan Xichen didn’t sound too bad at all, actually. There would, of course, be complications with their shared statuses as sect leaders, but they would work it out somehow. He bit his lip, failing to stifle the grin that threatened to spread across his face. The idea of being able to go to sleep and wake up with the First Jade everyday, not just the occasional night made his heart flutter. To be able to take their time waking up, waking each other up, without the ominous countdown to curfew. It would be like a breath of fresh air. Wonderful and exciting and warm. Something that filled Jiang Cheng with so much happiness, he felt like he might burst from it.
So caught up in his musing, he almost bumps straight into a disciple making their way down the opposite path. Jiang Cheng muttered a quick apology, trying to move past the man before he could get a close look at who he almost collided with. Unfortunately for the sect leader, the young disciple’s eyes immediately brightened with recognition. Oddly, as Jiang Cheng awkwardly shuffled around him, the young man’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in what could be described as utter bewilderment. Baffled but unwilling to stick around to see what the hell was wrong, Jiang Cheng quickly turned on his heel and scurried down the pathway.
When he ran into another disciple a few seconds later, the same thing happened. Then again when he was spotted by a pair of students passing by with their arms loaded with books borrowed from the Library Pavilion. A loud crash echoed around the courtyard as their belongings fell from numb fingers onto the ground. Jiang Cheng didn’t even try to help them pick up their belongings before rushing past, trying to ignore the twin looks of horror sent in his direction.
Panic began to bubble up in his chest with each passing shocked gaze or horrified gasp. With every Lan disciple he encountered, Jiang Cheng noticed with increasing dread that all of them were looking at him as though he had broken more rules than Wei Wuxian had inadvertently created. Still, he was at a loss as to what exactly was happening. Sure, he didn’t look as presentable as he usually did, but it surely didn’t warrant the reactions he was getting. It wasn’t like he was running around stark naked or had snatched a Lan ribbon and was parading it around.
Then, just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, the echo of laughter that chimed a little too loud drifted down the path and straight in his direction. Spitting out a curse, Jiang Cheng braced himself as the owner of the annoyingly loud laughter appeared around the corner.
Wei Wuxian stretched his arms high above his head while his jaw cracked around an equally obnoxious yawn. Lan Wangji padded silently next to him, one arm bent behind his back while the other reached out to steady the brunette. Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth knowing that there was no room to escape. He would have to think on his feet if he had any hope of getting out of this unscathed.
He knew as soon as the brunette had spotted him because the air lit up with an excited gasp and Wei Wuxian rushed over. His husband followed at a much more sedate pace, keeping well within the “no running” rule of the Cloud Recesses.
“Jiang Cheng! What an unexpected surpri–”
Wei Wuxian went still, his face paling. Perturbed, Jiang Cheng took an unconscious step backwards, his eyes sliding from the brunette to Lan Wangji who also looked about as white as his robes. The Second Jade honestly looked as though he was simaltanenously going to be sick and also murder the Yunmeng Jiang leader with his bare hands. Dread dropped into his stomach like a heavy weight.
“J–Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian raised a shaking finger and pointed at something just above Jiang Cheng’s head, “why do you have Lan Xichen’s forehead ribbon in your hair?”
A full minute passes by. Then another.
“WHAT?”
On the other side of the Cloud Recesses Lan Xichen strolled leisurely to his first lesson of the day, one arm bent behind his back in a graceful pose. He ignored the shocked gazes that followed him as he made his way to the classroom. A cooling breeze caressed his bare forehead, picking up the long violet strands of the ribbon he had tied around his wrist.
What a wonderful morning.