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Jing Yuan kept staring. And staring. And staring some more, as if he had never seen Luocha in his entire existence.
Normally, Luocha’s hair was tied very loosely at the bottom, golden locks flowing down his back. That’s how it always has been, how Jing Yuan always saw him.
But today? Oh no, today was different.
Today, Luocha’s pretty blond hair was tied in a low bun. And Jing Yuan seriously wished he could just die in peace because holy shit, Luocha was ethereal.
Why is he acting this way?! He was the General, he wasn’t supposed to lose his composure just because some pretty boy merchant decided to do his hair differently!
Unfortunately, this pretty boy merchant happened to be the object of Jing Yuan’s affections.
He cursed Yaoshi. Not out loud, he wasn’t about to risk being struck down where he stood, that would be extremely embarrassing, but still. The Aeon was the reason why Jing Yuan couldn’t just experience a normal death.
Suddenly he felt a hand on his chin, pushing his jaw up so that his mouth closed. “General, quite staring at him like that.”
The silver haired man turned his head and looked down at the source of the voice.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Diviner Fu,” Jing Yuan defended. Fu Xuan simply raised a brow, and he couldn’t blame her.
He wouldn’t even believe himself.
The pink haired woman sighed, “Normally I would encourage you to go up and talk to him, but you’re terrible at that.”
“I’m not terrible.”
She scoffed, “Yes you are. You follow him around like a lost puppy under the guise of keeping surveillance over him. And if you do decide to talk to him, you make at least ten rounds around his area before going up to him and saying something absolutely pathetic. It’s a wonder how he hasn’t figured anything out yet.”
Now, no one else would dare say something as bold as that to the general’s face, but this was Fu Xuan. She was one to speak her mind, and Jing Yuan did respect her for that.
But he really wished she would shut up for just this once.
“Go. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle seeing you stare at him any longer,” Fu Xuan grumbled, and Jing Yuan laughed airily at the woman’s words. He sighed in amusement, “Well, then I’ll ask for your luck, Diviner Fu.”
And with those words, Jing Yuan steels himself for his interaction with Luocha. Honestly, he was tempted to start doing pushups just to release the extra energy and nervousness pulsing through his veins, but he’d look like an idiot.
Sucking in a deep breath, the general carefully approached the blond merchant.
“Fancy seeing you here, Mr. Luocha,” wow, very smooth Yuan. Very smooth. He watched as Luocha turned his head to look at him, surprise relaxing into a small smile. “General, good to see you as well,” he said politely.
But all Jing Yuan could focus on was the fact that Luocha’s hair was bound. With a red fucking ribbon. Just like the one the general wears.
He was dead. He was so dead.
“General? Is everything alright?” Luocha asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. Jing Yuan snapped out of whatever trance he was in and rushed to give a reply, “Yes, I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”
Great going, Jing Yuan. Very convincing.
The general cleared his throat, “You’re wearing your hair differently.” Luocha’s eyes widened just a fraction before nodding, “Ah, yes. It’s hot outside so I thought it would do me some good to tie it up.”
“I see… It looks nice,” Jing Yuan tried to sound nonchalant, but Aeons above he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t close to fainting. Luocha smiled, “Oh? Thank you, General.”
That damn smile. Jing Yuan swore that the merchant’s smile just made the sun shine brighter and the air so much fresher. But he also felt like he was suffocating.
How could a man like him, one who commanded armies and appeared victorious in numerous battles, be defeated by someone like Luocha?!
(But then again, this was a war of emotions, not of bloodshed. And Jing Yuan still wasn’t as familiar with his feelings as he was with physical battle.)
The general realized he was staring at Luocha much longer than what was deemed appropriate, and he wracked his brain to think of something to break the tension between the two of them.
“General, you’re staring. Is there something on my face?”
Oh fuck, he noticed.
“No! No. I was just… admiring the architecture,” the silver haired man blurted. What a pathetic excuse. A small smirk adorned Luocha’s lips, and Jing Yuan felt like he was struck by lightning and then resurrected in the span of a second.
“Hm? I wasn’t aware that I was now considered architecture.” There was a teasing lilt in the merchant’s tone which caused Jing Yuan’s heart to beat just a bit faster. He cleared his throat, “Of course not. You’re much prettier.”
WHAT. WHY WOULD HE SAY THAT?! THAT WASN’T SUBTLE AT ALL!
Luocha blinked in surprise before his expression morphed into one of amusement, “Do you often compliment merchants that come aboard the Luofu?”
Jing Yuan returned the smile, “Anything to help the economy, hm? Though I don’t often find myself enjoying idle chatter with them, so consider yourself special.”
“How bold.”
The general chuckled lightly, trying to ignore the way his heart was throwing a tantrum inside his chest. Luocha was so close, Jing Yuan could just grab his arm and pull him in. He could kiss the merchant and run his hands through that gorgeous blond hair, feeling the silken locks between his fingers.
If Luocha were some kind of alcohol, the general would be well and truly drunk by now.
Jing Yuan found his gaze constantly straying to the red ribbon keeping Luocha’s hair tied. Against his will, heat began to settle in his gut. Luocha most likely didn’t do it on purpose, but Aeons be damned if Jing Yuan didn’t feel just the slightest bit of possessiveness swirl in his heart.
It was almost like Luocha really was his.
But he wasn’t, and Jing Yuan knew that. His heart clenched painfully in his chest, he wanted so much.
The general cleared his throat once more, “I should return back to work, Diviner Fu will surely scold me if I don’t focus.”
The merchant nodded in understanding, “Of course. I can’t keep the General from his duties any longer. I also have some work to take care of.”
And with that, Jing Yuan waved goodbye to Luocha, his heart doing painful little twists in his chest.
For some reason, he already missed Luocha’s presence.
“General with all due respect, what the fuck is wrong with you?”
Jing Yuan laughed in amusement and shook his head, “It’s nothing, Stelle. I just have some things on my mind.” The gray haired Trailblazer narrowed her eyes, obviously not believing him.
She scoffed, “If it was nothing, you wouldn’t be sitting there all quiet and sad looking. Spill, what’s going on? Maybe the Astral Express can help.”
The golden eyed general sighed, there wasn’t any point in hiding it. “It’s about Luocha.” Stelle raised her eyebrows before bursting into a fit of giggles, which only caused embarrassment to creep onto Jing Yuan’s face. Normally he was very good at keeping himself calm, but even the mention of Luocha had some sort of power to break all of that.
“I knew it! Seriously General, you’ve been pining over him for months now, don’t you think it’s time to do something about it?” she asked. He knew the girl meant well, her words should be considered advice from a friend, but Jing Yuan really did not want to take it.
“If it were that simple, I would have told him already,” he argued. Stelle just shook her head, “I don’t see what’s holding you back. You two are already past that weird enemies with sexual tension stage,” Jing Yuan averted his eyes at that, “so what’s the problem?”
“It… I suppose there isn’t any problem,” he resigned. “But he may not feel the same.”
Stelle rolled her eyes, “General please, don’t even. What happened to bravery and all that jazz that people associate with you?”
Okay, brutal.
But Stelle was right. He had to do something about these feelings. Jing Yuan really didn’t want to go back to staring at his chessboard lonely and lovestruck for the rest of his stupidly long life. That would just be pathetic.
“Alright, alright. I’ll try to say something,” he chuckles nervously. Stelle nodded in encouragement, “Goodluck.”
What did Jing Yuan get himself into?
Okay. Today.
Today, Jing Yuan was going to do something about his growing feelings for Luocha. He was going to say something.
At least, that’s what he thought, until he spotted Luocha still wearing that bun tied with that red ribbon and crashed face first into a pillar.
“General! Are you alright?” Luocha stood next to Jing Yuan, one hand on the latter’s back and the other on his shoulder. The older man looked at the blond dazedly before shaking himself out of his stupor.
“Yes…” he cleared his throat, “Yes, I’m alright. My apologies for worrying you.” Jing Yuan managed to regain his balance, shaking his head slightly to make the slight dizziness dissipate.
That was so embarrassing.
A man of his status should be more graceful than that! Ahh, but Luocha had a way of making Jing Yuan incredibly stupid.
Well, now that the merchant was right here, it was now or never. Jing Yuan turned to face Luocha properly, and he just couldn’t keep his eyes off of that goddamn red ribbon. Before he knew what he was doing, Jing Yuan reached and gently took the ribbon in his hand, rubbing it between his fingers.
It was much softer than his, no doubt made from very good quality silk. He heard Luocha’s breath hitch, “General…?”
Jing Yuan snapped out of his trance and let go of the ribbon, “Ah, sorry. I was just… curious.” He glanced away for a moment, not wanting to make eye contact with the merchant. What the hell did he just do?
“Curious about what?”
He gave an embarrassed laugh, “Your ribbon.”
Luocha’s eyes widened and he turned his face away from Jing Yuan.
Interesting.
“Is something wrong, Luocha?” Jing Yuan tilted his head slightly.
The merchant avoided eye contact, “No, everything’s alright. I just—” He broke off suddenly. Amber eyes looked at the younger man in curiosity, “Please, continue.”
“I may have bought this ribbon with you in mind…”
Oh.
Wait, what?
“Sorry?” Jing Yuan breathed. Luocha huffed out a laugh, “Will you really make me repeat it?”
The general was at a loss for words. Luocha really bought that ribbon while thinking of Jing Yuan? That was a dream come true.
Jing Yuan took Luocha’s chin between his fingers and turned the other’s head so that they made eye contact. A soft smile was present on the general’s face, “If you really wanted my ribbon, Luocha, all you needed to do was ask.” He leaned in closer, now next to Luocha’s ear, “I don’t mind giving it to you.”
The merchant’s breathing was shallow, and it only made Jing Yuan’s smile widen.
“I like you, Luocha.”
There was a pause, and finally Luocha spoke softly, “I as well.”
Jing Yuan was extremely thankful the two of them were hidden behind the pillar. He stood up straight, and his hand wandered down until it met Luocha’s waist. The general pulled him closer.
“Can I kiss you?”
“Do you even have to ask?”
Jing Yuan chuckled, “I don’t abandon courtesy, even if I’m with the one I love.”
Luocha smirked in amusement, and the general only gripped his waist tighter. “May I?” he asked gently
The merchant’s smirk softened into a contented smile, “Yes. Please.”
And Jing Yuan kissed him with the desire of a thousand flames. Flames which could burn brightly for years, flames which could destroy the entire Luofu.
It was beautiful.
They pulled away after a moment, and Jing Yuan toyed with the red ribbon in Luocha’s hair. He left another kiss on the merchant’s forehead before speaking, “Please refrain from tying your hair up. I’m afraid it’s making me lose my self control.”
Luocha raised a brow, “I think that only convinces me to do it more often.”
“Then at least use my ribbon.”
“Fair enough.”
Their lips met again, and Jing Yuan kissed his merchant with the ferocity of a lion’s bite.
Well, no wonder he was associated with such an animal.