Chapter Text
The next few hours pass in a blur, with royal guards charging into the courtyard to escort Yibo and Xiao Zhan up to the palace and servants bringing them to the royal healers. The last thing Yibo remembers before sinking hesitantly into a deep, enchanted healing sleep is Xiao Zhan in the bed next to his, face slack and peaceful in slumber.
Yibo wakes in bouts, his hands searching and frantic, before healers pull him back to his bed. Dreams of Yichao dragging Xiao Zhan away and Yibo powerless, helpless to protect him, dance on the backs of his eyelids every time he closes them.
It takes Yibo touching his fingers to a sleeping Xiao Zhan’s cheek, his forehead, to confirm for himself and his demons that his nightmares are nothing more than wild imaginings borne from worry.
Days must pass before Yibo wakes in familiar surroundings. They come into focus slowly, like the ripples of a lake coming to a still.
Dark wooden beams, gold-lined walls. Rays of morning light stream in from the large, circular windows he used to sit at, a slight breeze ruffling papers at the low wooden desk where he once burned the midnight oil, studying till dawn.
This is his childhood bedroom, the one he grew up in before running away to join Hengdian Academy. He wonders what his parents must have thought, flinging open its double doors at the behest of servants to find that their second son had truly left. Not much, likely, given that they hadn’t sent anyone or any letters after him.
Still, to see it untouched, that everything is just as he left it those months ago feels completely uncanny. He turns his head only to find the bed next to his empty and his heart gives a terrible twist. Where is Xiao Zhan?
Yibo sits up at once, the world swinging around as he lurches off the bed desperately. If his parents had found out that Xiao Zhan was a Soul Beast, or wished to continue Yichao’s experimentation-
The possibilities flood into his mind, and his voice is hoarse even as panic causes it to grow in volume.
“Xiao Zhan, Xiao Zhan!” Yibo tears back the wooden partition to the room’s sitting area. Empty. A long shudder runs through his body as he looks in every corner, fear rooting itself in his stomach and multiplying with every passing second.
“-Yibo, I’m here, Yibo!”
Yibo turns to the source of the voice, tremendous relief washing over him.
Xiao Zhan stands in the doorway holding a tray of food and a cup of freshly-brewed tea. His eyes are wide, fixed on Yibo’s face, little pants leaving his mouth. He must have rushed here after hearing Yibo’s yells, the rise and fall of his shoulders slowing and his white-knuckled grip on the tray easing as he ascertains that Yibo is alright.
“Xiao Zhan, are you alright?” Yibo stumbles over to Xiao Zhan, looking him up and down. His hands rest on Xiao Zhan’s shoulders, smoothing down his arms. “How are you- are you-”
“Yibo, please, I’m okay.” Xiao Zhan sets the tray down on the table and leads Yibo back to the bed with a gentle push to his back. “I’m alright.”
“You woke up first,” Yibo looks around, turning his head left and right. The room is devoid of servants and healers. It’s just him and Xiao Zhan. “We’re alone? No one has come to- come to bother you, right?”
Xiao Zhan brings Yibo’s hand to his mouth and kisses it gently, thumbing at his red ribbon that still lies wrapped around it. “No one has. They only came to make sure that I was fully healed, and I’ve been awake for a few days now. You’re the one who had his Soul Rings forcibly removed and then returned to him within a few minutes.”
Xiao Zhan’s tone grows sombre, his mouth curving into a frown. “It’s a wonder you’re still alive, Yibo.”
“I’m alive, baobei, I’m okay,” Yibo breathes, holding Xiao Zhan’s face in his hands, prompting Xiao Zhan to meet his gaze.
Xiao Zhan’s long lashes are flecked with tears that refract the sunlight like dewdrops. Yibo wipes them away, gently thumbing at his cheeks. “It’s you who suffered at my brother’s hand, Xiao Zhan. You had something forcefully revealed and- and for that I can’t forgive myself-”
“-No. What your brother did is not your fault, Yibo,” Xiao Zhan cuts in, brow knitting together. His grip on Yibo’s hand is firm, anchoring. “You could not help his actions. And he got what he deserved in the end.”
Yibo takes in the slowly lightening, purple bruises at Xiao Zhan’s neck, the cuts on his hands, and wishes he had the power to summon Yichao back only to cause him the pain he inflicted on Xiao Zhan.
Yibo’s face must darken, because Xiao Zhan shakes his head fondly at him, mouth curving into a smile. Yibo wants to kiss that mouth, kiss the mole beneath his bottom lip. He wants to drown himself in Xiao Zhan, in the fact that they are alive and safe.
“Yichao is gone, and he won’t hurt you or anyone else anymore. For that, though he is your brother, I am immensely glad,” Xiao Zhan declares gently, kind voice pulling Yibo out of violent thoughts. Then he ducks his head, tone turning anxious as he fidgets at the curling ends of his long hair. “But I am sorry, Yibo.”
“Why are you sorry?” Yibo asks hurriedly, then breaks out into a coughing fit that has Xiao Zhan dashing for the tea. After Yibo’s had a few gulps of it, Xiao Zhan places the cup back onto the tray and returns to his seat on Yibo’s bed, tangling their legs together.
Xiao Zhan has nothing to worry about, nothing to be sorry for. In fact, Yibo should repay the harm he went through at his brother’s hand tenfold. He resolves to do that for the rest of his life.
“I meant to tell you,” Xiao Zhan says urgently, voice pleading. “I wanted to, so much. That night, when you said you loved me. I was going to tell you.” His breath hitches as he lets out a small sigh, and Yibo draws him closer, lets Xiao Zhan rest on his chest and curl up against him like the small white bunny he used to be.
“But this is my secret for as long as I’ve been alive. I have some memories of when I was a full-fledged Soul Beast, but a hundred thousand years is a long time,” Xiao Zhan’s voice is a little distant, faraway as he recounts his memories hesitantly.
“I was found as a human baby in the forest near the Southern Kingdom and my mother, the Queen that you know, raised me as her own. Since I can remember, it has always been my dream to unite Soul Beasts and Soul Masters through the sharing of Soul Power. But my mother always cautioned me against letting people know, because she was scared it would cause harm to Soul Beasts if people hunted us for it.”
He shakes his head, pressing his face into Yibo’s neck as he takes in a long draw of Yibo’s scent. “I suppose she was right. People like Yichao exist, but more Soul Beasts will die if we don’t teach Soul Masters our ways. Hengdian offered me a place to grow stronger in my abilities. And it also had you.”
His mate has truly been the best from the very beginning. “Your dream is beautiful,” Yibo says, running his hand through Xiao Zhan’s hair and his back. “Just like you. You’re amazing for wanting to change the world like that, Xiao Zhan.”
“I knew that you would feel this way too, so I wanted you to be the first to know,” Xiao Zhan whispers, lips moving against Yibo’s neck. He pauses, and Yibo gives him an encouraging nod, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “But so few Soul Masters have known the truth and stayed true after. They end up seeing us as lesser beings, as the animals they kill, even though they promise to love us.”
Xiao Zhan closes his eyes briefly, visibly struggling to let the words out. “I know you’re not that kind of person, Yibo. But I was just- scared that right after I had finally gained your love, your regard, I would lose it. I was afraid that you wouldn’t love me anymore.”
“Xiao Zhan-” Yibo’s chest hurts at Xiao Zhan’s anxiety, the tension in his shoulders. Tipping Xiao Zhan’s chin up with a finger, Yibo waits till he captures Xiao Zhan’s wandering gaze in his before saying his next words.
“You will always have my love. From that night in the courtyard, I knew what a mistake it’d been to lose you. I promised myself that I would spend the rest of my life showing you, if you’d let me. And as Yuehua’s ruler, I will never let your people get hurt. We will work together to reconcile Soul Masters and Soul Beasts to each other.”
Xiao Zhan is silent for a moment, eyes searching Yibo’s face. Just as Yibo’s about to wonder if he’s said the right thing, Xiao Zhan flings himself at Yibo, hands cradling the back of Yibo’s neck as he kisses Yibo hard.
“You- you really-” Xiao Zhan stutters, blinking hard as he takes a few deep breaths to steady himself. Then he smiles, radiant, the loveliest thing Yibo has ever seen.
“I really love you, Wang Yibo,” he declares, relaxed and confident, secure in a way that Yibo’s never seen before. It is a privilege to be the cause of it, the one who can hold Xiao Zhan in his arms and promise him the world. “Kiss me again.”
And Yibo does.
==
After finally waving off the rowdiest of his family members, Yibo firmly shuts the doors to their wedding suite. He locks it for good measure, not putting it past his youngest, cheekiest baby cousins to return unknowingly and ruin this night for him and Xiao Zhan.
It had been a whirlwind of a few months, with Yibo crowned as successor to Yuehua’s throne and then its ruler, overthrowing decades of his parents' laws. No longer will strength be the only way to determine a ruler’s eligibility, for as they have learned, that way lies only pain and death.
Instead, with Xiao Zhan at his side, they have set up a school in Yuehua for burgeoning Soul Masters, partnered with Hengdian, for anyone, of any rank, to join and learn. All human Soul Beasts are likewise welcome with open arms, and the school is leading the change in how Soul Masters gain their power—by sharing it with Soul Beasts instead of harming them for it.
Through these courtly matters and tedious, long-winded meetings-turned-arguments that had sometimes only ended when Yibo threateningly activated his Soul Power, he’s also had to plan their wedding for their auspicious date.
With Xiao Zhan, everything is both easier and more difficult. Yibo wants only to give him the best of what they can afford, while Xiao Zhan is agreeable to anything so long as they get to spend a happy day together; a topic that they will never come to an agreement on.
But the day has finally come. Yibo and Xiao Zhan braided their ribbons into each other’s hair after their hair combing ceremony and performed their three bows together.
Their banquet had been a lavish affair, lasting hours, during which Yibo hadn’t been able to talk with Xiao Zhan as much as he’d wished. Even placing food into Xiao Zhan’s bowl had been a challenge, with every distant member of the nobility coming forward to admire Yuehua's new rulers. Frustratingly, both of their attentions had been constantly stolen by family members or members of the court.
Chuyue had also attended, with a retinue and gifts enough to pay respects to Yibo and Xiao Zhan and then some. Yibo'd seated him at a seat of honour, and had purposefully allowed him the chance to step over and greet Xiao Zhan as an old friend after completing his bows.
He had watched Chuyue smile and congratulate Xiao Zhan and then turn, his mouth curving into a wrought, twisted line once he had moved out of Xiao Zhan's sight. Part of Yibo still believes that Xiao Zhan might’ve had a good life with Chuyue, someone who would love and cherish him. Whether Chuyue would have responded well to Xiao Zhan being a Soul Beast is another unknown.
But Chuyue would never have been able to love and cherish Xiao Zhan as much as Xiao Zhan deserves. No, that’s for Xiao Zhan’s husband to do.
Now, in their marital bedroom, Yibo’s finally able to catch his breath for the first time since the morning. He lets out a short sigh and turns to a sight that makes his heart stop.
Moonlight filters in through the closed paper windows, enough to cast a celestial glow upon Xiao Zhan, who sits neatly in the middle of their large bed. He’s waiting patiently for Yibo, his hands clasped tight in his lap. On the side table, the pair of longfeng longevity candles have been lit, smoke wafting from the flickering flames.
A red wedding veil covers Xiao Zhan’s head, hiding his face. Yibo hasn’t been able to see Xiao Zhan the whole day, resorting to sneaking slow caresses and kisses to the back of Xiao Zhan’s hand when they were able to find snatches of time alone.
Swathed in robes of red silk and gold brocade, Xiao Zhan is a majestic sight. Hands trembling, his heartbeat in his ears, Yibo lifts Xiao Zhan’s veil. It slides back, revealing a delicate gold headpiece decorated with jewels and Xiao Zhan’s ears shining with gold chains and pearls.
His neck is long, tilted in Yibo’s direction. Yibo can’t help but stare at the unmarred skin there, knowing that by morning, he would’ve left his mark on Xiao Zhan, and Xiao Zhan on him.
Xiao Zhan’s doe eyes flutter open, wide and shining. They’re lined with black, and on the curve of his eyelids sit gradients of shimmering red and gold. His lips are painted in deep maroon, the lower lip slightly indented. He must have been chewing on it while waiting for Yibo, dragging it in between his teeth.
The sight causes Yibo to swallow, and he breathlessly sets Xiao Zhan’s veil aside. Xiao Zhan looks like he belongs in the paintings of great beauties, amidst flowering trees and running water. Surely, surely, such a goddess-like creature could not be his.
“Yibo,” Xiao Zhan says, and Yibo barely drags his eyes away from the moisture on Xiao Zhan’s lips where he’s wet it with his tongue. His voice is sweet and mellow, practised like he’s rehearsed saying it again and again in a way that makes Yibo’s head spin. “Is everything alright, zhangfu?”
“Fuck,” Yibo breathes hoarsely, stalking back over to the bed and watching as Xiao Zhan’s eyes grow darker. He’s toe to toe with Xiao Zhan, Xiao Zhan meeting his gaze head-on with a challenging look. “Say that again.”
“Zhangfu,” Xiao Zhan repeats immediately, looking up at Yibo from under his lashes, and Yibo groans aloud, rushing over to the table where two cups sit. He picks up both with one hand, the other unwilling to let go of its hold on Xiao Zhan’s sleeve.
Yibo never imagined that this part of his wedding night would be conducted in haste, but here he and Xiao Zhan are, smiling at each other helplessly as they cross arms and almost knock their cups together as they complete their wedding toast. They throw the wine back quickly, Xiao Zhan’s nose wrinkling at the taste as Yibo flicks out a claw to cut off sections of their hair. Xiao Zhan knots the locks with trembling fingers and tucks the symbol of their bond onto the side table.
For a moment, as their gazes meet and they grin at each other, they aren’t heirs of their kingdoms, or rulers in authority. They’re just Yibo and Xiao Zhan, a Soul Master and a Soul Beast who love each other. Yibo never thought that he’d have this, that there was a future for him past his brother and his own inadequacies. He’d always thought this life, his life, was one that he would walk alone.
And yet, Yibo found someone he can laugh together with for the rest of his life.
Their laughter soon fades as Yibo sets the cups back on the table and turns back to Xiao Zhan, whose smile evens out as well. His cheeks redden as Yibo slowly reaches for his hand, eyes cutting to the bedspread.
Despite the winter chill that Yuehua’s entering into, it feels as though someone had just stoked a furnace in their room. Xiao Zhan’s hand is smooth and soft from the wedding preparation rituals. He smells heavier than usual, his natural flowery milk honey scent underlaid with tones of anticipation and want, and Yibo can’t wait any longer.
“Xiao Zhan,” Yibo starts, gesturing at the tie to Xiao Zhan’s robes. “May I?”
The moment is so still, so silent between them that when Xiao Zhan gives a short, quick nod, Yibo’s hands rustle the fabric loudly with his eagerness, betraying him terribly.
That embarrassment is soon forsaken for how easily the tie comes undone. With a roll of Xiao Zhan’s shoulders, one side of his crimson robes slips down his upper right arm, collecting at his elbow and displaying the elegant slope of his collarbone for Yibo’s eyes alone.
Slowly, reverently, Yibo slips his fingers beneath the left collar of Xiao Zhan’s robes. The silk is smooth between his thumb and forefinger, and Xiao Zhan stills as Yibo’s knuckles brush his nipple. His gaze darts down to the hand Yibo has at his chest, his cheeks colouring as he swallows twice.
Taking his time, Yibo pulls down his robe fully, revealing smooth shoulders and skin.
Xiao Zhan’s bare chest is exposed, his dark nipples stiffening as Yibo brackets his chest in his hold, running his thumbs over the twin peaks. He still won’t look at Yibo, but he bites down heavily on his lower lip, muted groans slipping from his throat.
There’s a moment when Yibo thinks that Xiao Zhan might curl up or turn away, but desire must win over his self-consciousness, because all he does is push his chest towards Yibo, presenting it to him.
The scent that Xiao Zhan’s emitting is addictive, making Yibo’s mouth water as he gazes down at Xiao Zhan’s chest and rubs little harder. He wants-
“Ah, Yibo!” Xiao Zhan finally breaks, mouth opening to moan wetly as Yibo admires how the little buds harden under the rough pads of his thumbs. “Don’t play- so much-”
Tears form at the edges of his eyeline as Yibo toys with his nipples relentlessly, his legs jerking under the part of the robes that Yibo hasn’t touched yet.
“I’m not playing, baobei,” Yibo says, low, into Xiao Zhan’s ear, and Xiao Zhan gasps as Yibo sweeps his robes apart fully. Lying in the middle of lengths and lengths of crimson and gold silk, Xiao Zhan looks almost tiny. He’s completely bare before Yibo, and Yibo can’t drag his gaze away.
Xiao Zhan’s chest is red from Yibo’s ministrations, his nipples dark and puffy. Right in front of Yibo, locked tightly together, are Xiao Zhan’s long, slim legs.
His head is tucked against his chest, and his adorable bunny ears are peeking out under his hair. He probably hasn’t even realised that they’ve appeared.
“You’re beautiful,” Yibo whispers, and Xiao Zhan’s ears lie even flatter on his head. He’s evidently pleased, his cheeks tinted rose. He holds out his palms, hovering them face down over Xiao Zhan’s knees. “Is it alright if I touch?”
There’s a short pause before Xiao Zhan takes a deep breath and nods quickly, eyes screwed tightly shut. It isn’t an emphatic yes, and Yibo starts to be concerned.
“Baobei, can you look at me?” Yibo asks, and Xiao Zhan’s eyes open to his, wide and shy. “I love you. I want to make you feel good, and I want to see you happy. Could you look at me?”
Xiao Zhan clears his throat, then nods again, jerkily. For some reason that Yibo can’t figure out, he looks nervous, his fingers tapping rhythms into the bedspread. Holding Yibo’s gaze, he lets Yibo part his thighs, and oh-
“Many Soul Beasts can carry young,” Xiao Zhan says in a rush, stammering as if Yibo hasn’t just been graced with a god-given sight and has to take time to remember how to use his lungs again. “I don’t- I mean, I hope-”
“You’re beautiful,” Yibo says again, feeling punched in the stomach, and Xiao Zhan’s mouth snaps shut before his lips part again slightly. He looks hesitant now, but not as worried as before. Heat flares through Yibo at the thought that Xiao Zhan might see himself as anything less than irresistible in Yibo’s eyes. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Smoothing his hands down Xiao Zhan’s thighs, Yibo gently ghosts a finger down the dark pink slit, barely touching Xiao Zhan’s cunt. Even that is enough to come away with a line of slick down his knuckle, something Xiao Zhan blanches at till Yibo brings it to his mouth.
Xiao Zhan tastes musky, heady, and so, so delicious, and Yibo hasn’t even really touched him yet.
Yibo traces his hand up this time, exploring his cunt’s thick, chubby lips as Xiao Zhan squirms, letting out small, pretty sighs. He takes his time with it, running his fingers in between the folds, just narrowly missing Xiao Zhan’s entrance with every round.
Xiao Zhan’s stomach tightens and loosens every time Yibo rubs two fingers past his hole, as if Xiao Zhan’s reminding himself to breathe. Yibo watches Xiao Zhan’s face for any signs that there are spots that his body likes more, memorising them. After all, Yibo wants to keep Xiao Zhan satisfied and happy for the rest of his life. It’s his duty to serve his husband.
And it’s not like Yibo’s done this before either. But when he lifts his fingers a little bit higher, Xiao Zhan’s whole body jerks like he’s been stunned. There’s Xiao Zhan’s flushed clit peeking out from its hood, begging for Yibo to suck it into his mouth. He’s about to do just that when Xiao Zhan presses a hand to his chest, and Yibo pauses, eyes questioning on Xiao Zhan’s face.
If Yibo has done anything to hurt him-
“I know this is going to sound so silly,” Xiao Zhan says wetly, and Yibo panics as a tear runs down Xiao Zhan’s face, his heart dropping to his stomach.
Xiao Zhan doesn’t like it after all- Maybe- even though Xiao Zhan’s said he’s never really done anything like this before he meant kissing, or maybe someone else, Chuyue, has-
“But I just wanted to say that I- I’m sorry if I’m not as-” Xiao Zhan breaks off to take a shuddering breath, and his smile is a bit lopsided. “Not as good as the other people you’ve been with.”
Wait, what?
“What people?” Yibo questions, feeling like how he does during training when Xiao Zhan accidentally kicks him in the head. “Xiao Zhan, what people?”
This is not the turn he’d expected his wedding night to take. Especially not tears from Xiao Zhan, who’s never expressed any doubt about this before. Maybe he’d thought Yibo would find it foolish or weak of him, which has Yibo even more worried.
“All your- your court officials were always talking about you being with others,” Xiao Zhan rushes out, ears drooping, and Yibo has never wanted to exercise his rights as a new ruler more than he does now, to exile the guilty parties for making Xiao Zhan feel like he has anything to be insecure about.
“Growing up, I thought that maybe you weren’t interested in me because maybe you-” Xiao Zhan’s hair swings over his shoulder as he turns away from Yibo, eyes shutting briefly. “I thought maybe I wasn’t good looking enough, or you’d maybe found someone else more attractive to you-”
“-There’s no one!” Yibo interrupts, heart aching at the ruefulness in Xiao Zhan’s voice, the hug of his arms around his knees like he’s trying to tuck himself away from Yibo’s view. “Xiao Zhan, it’s only ever been you. My whole life has been consumed by defeating Yichao. I’ve never been with anyone else.”
At this outburst, Xiao Zhan looks back at Yibo cautiously, hope in his eyes. Yibo continues, emboldened by the slow relief in Xiao Zhan’s shoulders, his easing posture.
“There will never be anyone else,” Yibo vows, touching gentle fingers to Xiao Zhan’s chin so that he meets Yibo’s gaze fully. He wipes Xiao Zhan’s tears away with his thumb, presses soft kisses to Xiao Zhan’s cheeks, his forehead, his eyelids which have fluttered shut. “You are the only one I’ve ever wanted.”
With that, Yibo pushes apart Xiao Zhan’s legs again, settling in between them. Above him, Xiao Zhan wears nothing but his golden headdress, his long black hair spilling over his chest and back. He looks like a fairy, deigning to grace Yibo with his presence, to lie in his arms.
Yibo’s going to show Xiao Zhan exactly how much he wants him. Bending down, he parts Xiao Zhan’s lips with his fingers, pulling them as far apart as possible. Pink, twitching walls are exposed, flexing open and closed under Yibo’s gaze.
He can feel Xiao Zhan fight the urge to put his legs together, so Yibo lays a comforting trail of kisses to the inside of his right knee, slowly up to the crease of his thigh.
Xiao Zhan gives a muted sob, and Yibo’s eyes widen as slick dribbles out of his cunt onto the bedspread, staining it darker. He holds Xiao Zhan’s gaze, dark and predatory as he leans down to give Xiao Zhan’s open pussy a wide, deep lick. Dragging his tongue into Xiao Zhan’s folds, he goes as deep as he can, drinking down Xiao Zhan’s fluids as his body wracks and he cries out.
“Fuck, you taste amazing,” Yibo groans, his dick twitching under his robes. Xiao Zhan’s cunt is so warm and inviting, clenching around his tongue as he alternates between flat, wide licks and quick laps over his hole. The thought that Xiao Zhan’s cunt would squeeze around Yibo’s dick like that makes his mouth run dry with lust.
Moving to Xiao Zhan’s clit, engorged and seeking Yibo’s attention, Yibo rubs a tentative finger over it, flicking it as Xiao Zhan lets out choked gasps, fingers gripping tight to Yibo’s shoulders. Under Yibo’s long fingers, every touch punches a sob out of Xiao Zhan.
Yibo wants to draw back Xiao Zhan’s fleshy mound and taste, the strong desire to please Xiao Zhan magnifying. So he does, wrapping his tongue around Xiao Zhan’s clit and licking it.
“Yibo, I can’t- ah-”
Xiao Zhan cries out as Yibo begins relentless ministrations on his clit, closing his lips around it and sucking loudly. His dripping cunt is so slick that Yibo makes lewd noises each time he kisses it, tongues it. Xiao Zhan’s thighs are shaking on each side of his face, only held steady by Yibo’s hands tight on his hips.
Yibo rubs his face into Xiao Zhan's cunt, which gets thoroughly messy with the slick that seems to be trickling endlessly from Xiao Zhan’s hole. His tongue keeps catching on its rim as he laves over Xiao Zhan's wet pussy. With a startling moment of clarity, Yibo realises that he wants to, needs to be inside him.
He presses a kiss to Xiao Zhan's quivering thigh and holds two fingers at Xiao Zhan's leaking entrance. Rubbing slowly, Yibo pushes past the slight resistance into Xiao Zhan's wet heat.
Xiao Zhan immediately seizes Yibo's shoulders hard as Yibo’s fingers sink deeper into Xiao Zhan, groaning with the stretch into the bedsheets. Yibo's reminded to be grateful that Xiao Zhan doesn't have claws of his own as one of his hands rake down Yibo’s back.
"Baobei, is this okay? Let me know if it hurts," Yibo says, and Xiao Zhan shakes his head hurriedly, eyes bright and teary from exertion.
His snow-white bunny ears are curled inwards as he whimpers at the penetration of Yibo's digits down to the last knuckle, his walls moulding to Yibo’s long fingers.
"Move, please," is Xiao Zhan's only reply, hoarse and desperate. Yibo does as he's told, drawing out and thrusting his fingers back into Xiao Zhan. Buried deep inside, Yibo crooks his fingers around, pistoning his arm till he finds the sensitive point that makes Xiao Zhan' head tip back, mouth open in a silent scream.
Squelching sounds fill the room as Yibo batters Xiao Zhan's pussy, stretching his walls as he adds another finger, then another. Four fingers move in and out of Xiao Zhan fast, blurring with speed as Yibo activates his Soul Power. Xiao Zhan shifts up and down the bed with the force of each thrust.
Xiao Zhan moans so beautifully, his cunt flexing so hard to stop Yibo's fingers from slipping out that Yibo can’t resist what comes from his mouth next.
“You like it baby, is this how you touch yourself? Alone at night in your room, you slide your fingers into your slutty pussy?” Yibo goads, feeling a little mean as Xiao Zhan stares up at him, taking a few seconds before he can speak past the gasps that are being wrenched from his mouth.
“I haven’t- uh- no one has ever touched me, ah- there before except you,” Xiao Zhan cries pitifully, and Yibo can't resist teasing him a bit more, watching as he struggles to accommodate the foreign feeling of Yibo within him.
"Impossible, don't tell me you haven't gotten this wet, you're practically dripping with it baobei," Yibo says, pretending to be disbelieving. Xiao Zhan's only ever going to be wet for him from this point onwards, he'll make sure of it.
"I didn’t- Yibo, just you, ah-" Xiao Zhan gasps out, throwing his head back as Yibo pummels his sensitive walls. They hold tight to his fingers as Yibo pulls out and pushes in.
Xiao Zhan's barely listening at this stage, eyes trained on where Yibo's fingers are disappearing into his body, mouth hanging open, dazed.
He only starts when Yibo whispers in his ear, "Naughty bunny," but all that does is cause him to jerk in surprise and spill even more slick, his legs falling open even wider.
Yibo's glad to find out that Xiao Zhan is exceptionally vocal in bed, moaning with every movement of Yibo inside of him. His whole hand is drenched with clear, sticky webs of fluid from Xiao Zhan's cunt as he ruthlessly drives into Xiao Zhan again and again. Xiao Zhan, who’s usually more soft-spoken, more cautious, lets out another loud moan, his voice echoing out into the royal compound outside.
Everyone should know that Yibo is fucking Xiao Zhan like he deserves.
Xiao Zhan's cries begin to get louder and higher, and his legs cross behind Yibo's face, pushing it into his clit with his hand buried up Xiao Zhan's cunt.
Then, a gush of Xiao Zhan's come hits Yibo in the face, wetting his arm, spilling into his mouth. He tastes heavenly, and Yibo could live on nothing else, spending his days drinking up whatever Xiao Zhan's body gives him.
Xiao Zhan arches beautifully as he squirts around the fingers that have him plugged up, his fluids spurting weakly, then out in a rush as Yibo draws out from Xiao Zhan. It causes a mess on the bedsheets, ruining the robes beneath Xiao Zhan too.
Now Yibo has to keep these wedding robes, with Xiao Zhan's scent embedded in them.
Xiao Zhan's laboured breathing fills the air, his body slack with his first orgasm as Yibo steps off the bed to shrug off his own wedding robes.
He takes a moment to admire Xiao Zhan, now completely unashamed of his nudity, his wrecked pussy on display with dark red lips and looser folds from Yibo's finger-fucking. Yibo's cock thickens further at the sight, curving up against his lower belly.
As he returns to the side of the bed, he sees the moment when Xiao Zhan spots his dick swinging between his legs, Xiao Zhan's eyes growing as wide as saucers.
Yibo's always been naturally longer and wider, his size matching that of his hands and feet. But it was only when he'd grown into his Tiger Spirit that his body reached full maturity. Tiger Spirits are known to be generous lovers, and Yibo is no exception.
“Yibo, you-” Xiao Zhan swallows as his eyes try valiantly to stay on Yibo’s face, but tear away back down to the hefty weight of Yibo’s erect cock and balls, marking a trail of precome on Yibo’s lower belly. “You-”
“All for you, baobei,” Yibo says, looking over the sticky mess of Xiao Zhan’s pussy, running his fingertips in the slick there. Xiao Zhan’s eyes are still wide, fixed on the head of Yibo’s cock that’s leaking white. “You can touch if you want.”
Xiao Zhan blinks rapidly at Yibo as Yibo takes his hand and guides it to his dick, wrapping Xiao Zhan’s small palm around its girth. His fingers can’t even close around Yibo’s cock fully as he takes hold of it hesitantly, hand trembling. Xiao Zhan resorts to two hands as he inspects Yibo’s dick, gaze heavy on the thick, pulsing vein along its base.
Yibo tries not to come on the spot at Xiao Zhan’s exploratory touches, breathing in and out steadily as Xiao Zhan sits up and leans forward on his knees, eyes shining. He lets Yibo’s balls sit in the curve of his palm, feeling their weight. Then, his attention moves to the head of Yibo’s dick, fingers sliding against his foreskin and drawing it back in a move that punches a moan out of Yibo, who seizes Xiao Zhan’s wrist.
“Does this- it- it doesn’t feel good?” Xiao Zhan stammers, brow furrowing, and Yibo shakes his head quickly, letting out a deep breath.
“I almost came,” Yibo admits, and chuckles at the victorious smile that spreads on Xiao Zhan’s face.
Good. He should know what he’s doing to Yibo, how Yibo feels about him.
Yibo doesn’t realise what the shift in Xiao Zhan’s eyes means until Xiao Zhan lowers his head and swallows the head of Yibo’s dick. Instinctively, Yibo pushes up into the wet, warm suction of Xiao Zhan’s mouth.
But then Xiao Zhan wrenches his head back and gives a few weak coughs, strings of Yibo’s precome spilling from the side of his mouth and Yibo feels like he's been punched in the gut.
“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” Yibo says, frantically rubbing down Xiao Zhan’s back, who waves him off.
“Don’t be, it’s okay,” Xiao Zhan says, but then he’s staring down at Yibo’s dick with a look of resolute determination on his face. “I want to.”
And then he guides Yibo’s dick back into his mouth.
Yibo’s mind instantly blanks with Xiao Zhan’s lips stretched tight around his dick, barely up to the first few inches. He sees the realisation in Xiao Zhan’s face that he isn’t going to be able to take Yibo’s dick all the way for their first night together, and runs an encouraging thumb over the apple of Xiao Zhan’s cheek.
Xiao Zhan isn’t experienced at all, his only education likely the vague erotic art every royal household has stashed somewhere in their library. But he makes up for it in enthusiasm, his wicked tongue running down Yibo’s slit, under his foreskin. He bobs on Yibo’s dick, taking it as far as he can down his throat before letting off and continuing to suck on what he can reach.
Yibo buries his hands in Xiao Zhan’s luxurious lengths of hair, resisting the urge to fuck Xiao Zhan’s throat. Xiao Zhan isn’t ready for that, and the imprint of Yibo’s dick against his cheek and the blissful look on his face as he sucks Yibo’s cock is enough wet dream material for years to come.
Yibo’s going to come, he can feel it, his balls drawing up, tightening and his climax building in his belly. Frantically, he taps at Xiao Zhan’s shoulder, signalling him to pull off. But Xiao Zhan shakes his head, continuing to lick a wide stripe up Yibo’s dick and rub its length against his cheek before swallowing it down again.
As Xiao Zhan looks up at him through his eyelashes pleadingly, mouth stretched around Yibo’s cock, Yibo’s orgasm hits him like a tidal wave, whiting out his vision. He’s wracked with a full-body shudder, clinging to Xiao Zhan for support as his knees almost give out. All he can think about is how Xiao Zhan’s lips are still sealed around his cock, his hands stroking the base of his cock relentlessly.
When his vision clears, he opens his eyes to see Xiao Zhan pull off his cock with a pop, Yibo’s come all over his lips, collected in a pool on his tongue. A thin line of it trickles slowly down his chin as he lets out a few hoarse coughs.
“Baobei, fuck, sorry, spit it out,” is all Yibo’s able to say before Xiao Zhan’s closes his mouth and swallows, licking his crimson, bruised lips. Yibo’s stunned as Xiao Zhan then bends down to suck the remainder of Yibo’s come off his barely softening cock. “Xiao Zhan-”
“I like the taste,” Xiao Zhan says playfully as Yibo’s eyes darken territorially. His mate swallowed his come, orgasmed at his touch. The Tiger Spirit in him roars, desiring more and more.
This mate should be carrying his babies, should feel soft and round and satiated by all Yibo has to give him. His fertile bunny should be plugged with Yibo’s come, full and drunk on it every day. Yibo will keep him stretched and warming his cock, never wanting for anything.
Xiao Zhan must sense the change coming over Yibo, because his eyes dart to Yibo’s and his head tips, questioning. His bunny ears tilt with the motion, flopping over sweetly, and Yibo kneels back onto the bed, running his palms possessively over Xiao Zhan’s inner thighs.
“I’m going to fuck you,” Yibo growls, and Xiao Zhan’s pupils dilate, his mouth falling open. “I’m going to claim and breed you, bunny.”
In one swift move, Yibo has Xiao Zhan on his back as Yibo crouches over his front. His palms lie flat on the bed, on either side of Xiao Zhan’s head as Xiao Zhan stares up at him, looking oddly vulnerable in the flickering candlelight. His skin is painted with a warm glow, enticing and delicate.
Yibo’s bite marks decorate his chest, a few bruises on his thighs from when Yibo’s kisses became a little too uncontrolled. And yet, his neck remains untouched, as if calling out for a mating bite, a claim from a worthy mate.
“Tell me now,” Yibo whispers as he guides the head of his dick to the pulsing warmth of Xiao Zhan’s cunt, watches as Xiao Zhan swallows hard, colour blooming on his chest and down his neck. “Do you want this?”
The thick, round head of Yibo’s dick dips into Xiao Zhan’s slick cunt languidly before pulling out, and both of them groan in tandem, Xiao Zhan’s hands wrapping around Yibo’s shoulders like he’s preparing himself.
“I want to be yours,” Xiao Zhan says, as he leans up to press a tender kiss on Yibo’s lips. “For the rest of my life.” He presses another kiss, deeper this time to Yibo’s open mouth, sliding his tongue against Yibo’s before drawing back. “I want to carry your children. I want them to know what true happiness, what true love is like. I want them to know that it’s what I have with you.”
Yibo’s speechless as Xiao Zhan sinks back into the mattress, a look of absolute trust on his face. There’s only one thing to do.
He plunges into Xiao Zhan’s cunt, parting his walls with a powerful thrust that causes a scream to leave Xiao Zhan’s lips. And then Yibo starts pounding into him with an animalistic fervour, an uncontrollable desire to breed Xiao Zhan, to open him up and keep him pregnant on Yibo’s cock.
As he gets speared open wider on Yibo’s dick, Xiao Zhan pushes his hips up to meet every thrust, their lips meeting in hungry, frenzied kisses. Yibo drives himself deep into Xiao Zhan, pushing his thighs back so there’s no telling where Yibo’s body ends and Xiao Zhan’s body begins.
“I thought about you,” Xiao Zhan chokes out as Yibo plunges back into him, bruising the opening to his womb. “I used to think- think about what it would be like if you, you ever wanted to fuck me. Back in Hengdian.”
“Yeah?” Yibo says, mind clouded from the feeling of being surrounded by Xiao Zhan, rocking into him, his scent. He mauls Xiao Zhan’s neck, licking and sucking at the pale skin there as Xiao Zhan gasps. With all his might, Yibo resists the pounding urge to claim and claim and claim. “What would you have had me do?”
“I would take you any way you wanted,” Xiao Zhan rushes out, crying and panting on Yibo’s dick and Yibo fucks him harder, faster. “Anywhere you wanted. You could’ve asked me to open myself up for you in front of the class and I would have done it.”
“What a slut,” Yibo breathes, dark and heavy into Xiao Zhan’s ear, and Xiao Zhan cries out, pussy squirting out juices that run down Yibo’s length, easing the way further into Xiao Zhan’s channel. “I’ll fuck you in front of the entire court next time. Just flip up your robes and fuck you. Or you can sit on my cock and keep my come inside of you.”
These are all fantasies, something that Yibo’s jealousy would never actually allow him to do. But still, the image of a wanton, mewling Xiao Zhan bouncing exhaustedly on Yibo’s dick in front of everyone makes for a pretty picture.
Yibo traces the seam where his dick is stuffing, stretching Xiao Zhan’s cunt in a way that looks almost painful. His pussy is red from Yibo’s thrusts, yet it’s still leaking slick, and pulling on Yibo’s dick with every motion like it’s greedy for Yibo to stay inside.
Xiao Zhan is beautiful in the throes of sex, lips red and bruised, pussy swollen and leaking, and Yibo can’t get enough of it. It’s heaven being buried in him, almost like his cunt was made to take Yibo’s cock. He noses at Xiao Zhan’s neck, then sinks his teeth into the untouched skin.
Xiao Zhan cries out, body going limp as he shudders, clamping down hard on Yibo’s dick. Yibo’s heard stories of what a mating bite feels like, but he barely registers the pain as he detaches from Xiao Zhan’s neck and Xiao Zhan reaches up to bite him in turn, puncturing the skin with his small fangs.
He’s finally, truly connected to Xiao Zhan, and for a brief moment he feels all the emotions running through Xiao Zhan’s head; happiness, desire, and most of all, a deep and unconditional love for Yibo.
He’s winded, barely able to breathe at the strength of it, of how much Xiao Zhan feels for him. Everything that he’s been taught, every time he felt like he was worthless and unloved, has been ground into sand and blown away by the wind. Xiao Zhan loves him so fiercely that Yibo doesn’t have to be afraid anymore. He’ll never be alone again.
He hopes Xiao Zhan feels the same as Yibo pushes his love over and over again through the bond, as he fucks deeply into Xiao Zhan’s cunt.
All it takes is for Xiao Zhan to cry out, coming in waves as he tightens around Yibo’s cock like a vice. In turn, Yibo comes long and deep in Xiao Zhan, continuing to fuck Xiao Zhan through his orgasm as come sloshes around in him, spilling out as Yibo thrusts into him.
When Yibo feels like he’s finally caught his breath, Xiao Zhan’s laboured breathing in his ear, he puts a pillow beneath Xiao Zhan’s hips to elevate them, easing out slowly after. Xiao Zhan whines as some of Yibo’s come still slides out of him, white visible in between his folds.
With a wince, Yibo realises that he’s shredded the bedsheets with his claws. He doesn’t even know when that happened. In fact, the whole mattress probably has to be changed.
Coming back to Xiao Zhan with a bowl of warm water and a cloth left outside the door, Yibo sponges Xiao Zhan down thoroughly, taking care to pat gently around fast-forming bruises and indentations from his teeth.
Xiao Zhan stares up at Yibo, bunny ears relaxed on the bedspread, eyes hopeful and shining. “Yibo, we’re mated.”
“Yes, we are,” Yibo says, brushing back Xiao Zhan’s hair to kiss him soundly on the forehead. He can’t believe he has a mate now. It seems like only a few months ago, he had nothing and no hope. With Xiao Zhan, everything has changed.
“Do you think it’ll take?” Xiao Zhan asks, gesturing at his stomach, and Yibo shrugs, smile curving into a wicked smirk that Xiao Zhan rolls his eyes at good-naturedly.
“We can try again, as many times as it takes.” Yibo nods seriously, and Xiao Zhan swats at him, laughing. His smile makes Yibo feel warm, down to his toes.
As they catch their breaths, grinning back at each other so wide it hurts, Xiao Zhan hides his face shyly in Yibo’s neck. “That was the first time I’ve done anything like that,” he mumbles, and Yibo’s arms tighten around him possessively.
“In a hundred thousand years, huh, gege?”
“A hundred thousand years of my life without you,” Xiao Zhan reminds, and kisses the fresh mating bite on Yibo’s neck.
“Guess I’ll have to make up for lost time,” Yibo says, and Xiao Zhan’s bright smile can rival the sunrise outside of the window as it breaks over the horizon.
==
“And now, open your eyes,” Yibo whispers into Xiao Zhan’s ear, pulling his hands away from Xiao Zhan’s shoulders as Xiao Zhan blinks them open.
He turns on the spot, a soft smile gracing his face as he admires the yellow field of canola flowers, stretching out as far as the eye can see.
Yibo steps back to watch as Xiao Zhan bends down to smell a flower. Contentment rolls over him at the radiant look on Xiao Zhan’s face, the way his eyes flutter closed as he breathes in the fresh air.
Every day, Xiao Zhan only gets more beautiful to Yibo, and Yibo makes sure to tell him so, to kiss it firmly into his skin.
“Careful, baobei,” Yibo cautions as Xiao Zhan does a few spins in the meadow and wobbles a little. Yibo catches him in his arms before he can stumble. “You’re getting big already, you can’t do things like that.”
Xiao Zhan’s stomach is round, two trimesters along under his light robes and another outer robe that Yibo bundled around him before they left the palace. His belt is wound high on his waist, above his belly. Hanging from one of the intricately beaded tassels is the bunny pendant Yibo bought for him, polished to a gleam.
It's one of the new robes that Yibo had commissioned for him since they realised he was expecting their first child. They’re still wondering if the baby will be a Bunny or a Tiger Spirit, with pure white ears to match Xiao Zhan’s, or tiny claws to match Yibo’s.
You can never be too prepared, Yibo reasons. That’s why he’s also lugged along a satchel of robes, comfortable walking shoes if Xiao Zhan deems his too scratchy, some water and an umbrella. Even on a quick walk to get some fresh air, there’s no telling what Xiao Zhan might need.
“Don’t worry so much, Yibo,” Xiao Zhan chides, but Yibo stubbornly holds on to him. His new favourite thing to do is to wrap his arms around Xiao Zhan, and if he’s lucky, to feel their baby kicking.
Xiao Zhan doesn’t need shelter, but Yibo would like to give it to him. He wants Xiao Zhan to relax when he’s around Yibo, knowing that Yibo will give him everything. Yibo’s never had anything of his own to protect before. He’s startled by the ferocity of it, the need to be a reliable mate that Xiao Zhan will feel safe around.
“Of course I’ll worry,” Yibo protests, laying a kiss on Xiao Zhan’s neck where their scents intermingle. Xiao Zhan’s eyes soften as he continues, smoothing a hand down Xiao Zhan’s bump. “You both are the best things that have ever happened to me. If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t- I wouldn’t know how to go on.”
Yibo shuts his eyes briefly. Sometimes dreams of Yichao come back to haunt him, causing him to bolt upright in bed, hair to stand on his neck every time they go out in public. Even though he’s gone, his memory still lingers, an ever-present fear that the good Yibo has might be wrenched from his grasp. He’s always afraid, his body trained and unable to relax when he has his family to defend.
He’s working on it with Xiao Zhan’s help, but he can’t erase the scars of the past as quickly as he wishes he could.
“I know, baobei,” Xiao Zhan says, gentler now. He knows exactly what’s causing Yibo to spiral, the demons that haunt him in every darkened room. Turning in Yibo’s arms, Xiao Zhan faces him, touching their foreheads together. “Nothing will happen to us, okay? You’re a great baba, I love you so much.”
He brings Yibo’s hand to his stomach, letting Yibo feel its weight, the curve of a healthy baby. Their healthy baby, growing in Xiao Zhan. “Your Suo-er is going to be alright, and the three of us will always be together.”
“I love you,” Yibo says, every word ringing as true as the first time the declaration fell from his lips. “I love you, Xiao Zhan.”
Walking up the small path in the middle of the field, they reach the large magnolia tree, its white flowers starting to drizzle to the ground. It’s as old as Yibo remembers, still upright despite the crack that’s begun to run up its trunk. But still, it stands firm, the only tree in sight for miles.
A hefty number of flowers decorate the tree and its branches, low-hanging enough that Yibo can reach up and pick one that has blossomed fully. Drawing Xiao Zhan to his side, he tucks the flower into Xiao Zhan’s hair, behind his ear, and hears the audible hitch in Xiao Zhan’s breath.
“This is where I used to hide as a child from Yichao,” Yibo says, gesturing to the large tree. “Yichao didn’t know about this meadow, and I could easily lose him in the flower field when I was smaller.”
Xiao Zhan regards the tree seriously, then bows to it. He offers Yibo a smile full of understanding, taking Yibo’s hand and kissing it softly. “This tree deserves my thanks for taking care of my zhangfu when I could not.”
Yibo’s heart swells at his mate’s words, and he runs a hand down Xiao Zhan’s back in gratitude.
“I want to see the forest where you grew up too,” Yibo says, a lump in his throat as he stares at their linked hands, the way Xiao Zhan’s thumb runs in a comforting circle over his knuckle. “I want to be in every moment in your life, and I want you to be in mine.”
“Xiao Zhan- all these moments,” Yibo continues, feeling tears spring to his eyes, his chest tightening in regret. He looks out at the flower field, and everything they could have been had Yibo not been young and foolish runs through his mind. And yet- “I can’t take them back. I always wish that I could do it all over again, but I can’t.”
When he turns back to Xiao Zhan, Xiao Zhan’s shaking his head at Yibo’s self-reproach, but he waits patiently for him to speak.
Just like before, when Yibo was a young and haughty prince, knowing nothing of the Bunny Spirit who thought of him and cared for him endlessly, Xiao Zhan is the only one who’s chosen to be in his life and stayed.
“I know you’ve always said that you’ve forgiven me, but I want to promise again that I’ll make it up to you,” Yibo says, and Xiao Zhan’s head dips a little, a tear running down his cheek. Yibo cups his face, bringing his head back up so he can see the truth in Yibo’s eyes. “I’ll make every first as good as it should have been.”
Xiao Zhan’s looking back at him, his steady support, his anchor, his everything.
“Starting with this,” Yibo whispers against Xiao Zhan’s lips, and kisses him against the magnolia tree in bloom.