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The night was rather young, the moon only beginning to rise from its slumber to its comfortable throne in the sky. Your shoes thump on the steps of a safehouse in Daguanyuan, your brows furrowed in frustration. You towed behind you a cart filled with velvet red gift boxes before stopping before the Mao Branch Heishou which you identified as Zilu.
“Zilu!” You greeted and she greets you politely, a curious gaze focusing on the cart behind you. She tilts her head to get an eyeful of the contents when Zigong appears behind her, effectively scaring her. She jumps with a squeak of surprise and you can’t help but laugh at their antics.
“What brings you here to our abode, oh renowned one?” Zigong asks and you huff, even though you were a popular fixer around Daguanyuan and have done your part in securing the safety of most citizens, you were still just some ordinary fixer. Still, the title that Zigong addressed you with only stuck because of their lord.
Jia Qiu.
Which is who you were seeking out, though it seems that the leash-holder isn’t in the premises and the thought alone makes you sigh as the two women look at each other with a glint in their eyes. You explain that you would like to meet with Jia Qiu and ask if he was the mysterious sender of the many intricate and definitely pricey gifts you have been receiving as of recently. You had no clue what events would transpire prior to this confrontation but you needed an explanation because Jia Qiu must’ve spent time planning and buying these gifts that you did not deserve.
“Oh dear, our Lord isn’t here at this time…” Zigong says sadly, but you can make out the smile that forms on her lips and you feel slightly uneasy. The retainer has a way with her words and expressions that you have learned to read because of your frequent visits and the smile that she wears now isn’t something good…
“Would you like to wait? Jia Qiu will most probably be back in half an hour.” Zilu follows up, her expression neutral and unreadable. The Mao Heishou has her hands still stiffly folded as she looks at you, awaiting an answer. You sigh and nod at them and the two women allow you to step in, the door creaking with a loud resounding ‘boom’ as it shuts behind you.
The cleanliness of the stronghold will still amaze you as you can’t imagine how much time it took to scrub the Lord of Hongyuan’s blood off the floor. You make a beeline for the door at the end of a long hallway and push it open, revealing a neat but spacious room in front of you. Jia Qiu’s bed is neatly made and you flop on the silk sheets with a heavy breath. You have been here more than once and have made Jia Qiu’s bed your sleeping place when missions were too tasking to return to your own. (You know that there is a guest room but you do not know why Jia Qiu refuses to let you sleep on your own.)
You roll onto your back and stare at the lantern illuminating the room with its warm glow to try and force yourself awake. You have to focus on the task at hand. Begrudgingly, you heave yourself up from Jia Qiu’s soft bed and walk over to the cart and pick a large box at the top of the pile. You had already opened each gift and have read through each cryptic message which had no pen name so there was no need to open it again.
You carefully set each velvet box onto the Lord’s massive desk and when you were done, the desk was piled up with boxes of different sizes and shapes. Realising that there were only a few minutes before Jia Qiu was back, you sit on the edge of his bed, bouncing your leg anxiously as you waited.
You were zoned out by the time Jia Qiu pushed open the doors to his room, His eyes widen as his gaze moves from you to the gifts he had bought stacked high on his desk. Anxiety and worry begin to bubble deep in him as he muses over possible outcomes of this interaction
Are you going to reject him? Or accept him? Will your relationship with him break apart forever or was this just a little misunderstanding?
The Lord had encountered Zilu and Zigong in the hallway as he was making his way to his room, the two women informing him of your arrival and that you were in his room, waiting for him. When he tried to ask further, none of them would answer him.
You loudly cough, eyes staring at Jia Qiu’s sturdy form as you see the man snap from his trance and walk up to you in two long strides.
“What brings you here?” Jia Qiu asks and you swear his voice is gentler and softer but you ignore it, reasoning to yourself that it was just because he was tired.
You explain that you suspect that he was giving you gifts and that you wanted an explanation for them.
Jia Qiu looks…confused? Shocked? Surprised? You couldn’t make out the emotion that flickers in his eyes before he stares at you, his brown eyes boring into yours and you look away hastily, the eye contact making you nervous.
“Do you truly not know the reason for these gifts?” Jia Qiu asks and you nod as sincerely as you can and he lets out a light chuckle before sitting next to you, the mattress dipping from his weight.
“I was trying to court you…it’s..a custom here.” Jia Qiu explains slowly as he sees your expression slowly change from one of confusion to one of embarrassment and realisation. You look at him slowly, your cheeks warming and you can hear your wildly beating heart in your ears.
“You…what? Me?” You stutter, pointing to yourself then to him then to yourself again, unable to comprehend the fact that Jia Qiu the Tiangang Star of the Pinky wants you. Thinking that this is just a dream, you quickly pinch yourself on the cheek, but when the pain registers, so does the realization that Jia Qiu wants you. He chose you out of who knows how many potential suitors.
“Yes you.” Jia Qiu replies, taking your trembling hands into his large and warm ones, looking at you with a soft and gentle expression that you are sure is reserved for you. Tears start welling up in your eyes and you pull away to wipe them off, looking away from Jia Qiu.
“Do you accept my advances?” Jia Qiu asks before hastily adding on: “I totally understand if you choose to not reciprocate my affection for you and would like to part ways in the futu-”
You cut him off with a sharp “Yes!” sniffling as he gazes at you worriedly. “S-sorry…” You whisper as more tears fall. “I just can’t comprehend why you would choose me…” You continue as you bury your face into your hands. Jia Qiu gently nudges you down onto his bed until the flat of your back hits the mattress. The man gently pries your hands away from your face as he peppers kisses onto your tear stained cheeks.
“Don’t worry…i’ll convince that empty little head of yours.” Jia Qiu whispers as he presses his lips gently onto yours, one hand cupping your cheek as another steadies him above you. You wrap your arms around his neck as he pulls you up and onto his lap, not breaking the kiss.
Pulling apart, you are sure that your hair is disheveled and your face is red but honestly, you couldn’t care less. Snuggling up closer to him, you bury your face into the layers of his clothing as he wraps his arms around your waist, rubbing mindless shapes soothingly as you shake with emotion. He eyes the boxes stacked high on his desk and reluctantly detaches himself from you. You look up at him questioningly but he just strides over and picks up a box from the desk, setting it down beside him.
“Have you opened any of them?” Jia Qiu asks and you nod. You’ve opened all of them, hell, even read through the letters. You were too afraid to try on any of the jewelry or clothes Jia Qiu had bought in fear of breaking them. Opening the box, Jia Qiu took out a simple gold ring. The piece of jewelry looked small in between Jia Qiu’s thumb and index finger as it shimmered with a gentle glow.
You place your hand in his open one and he gingerly slides it onto your middle finger before pressing a kiss to each knuckle lovingly, making you giggle. He then produces a similar ring and hands it to you. You quickly catch on as you shakily slide the ring onto his middle finger too and he makes a sound akin to a cat purring that makes your chest bloom with warmth.
“I love you.” Jia Qiu whispers as he laces his fingers with yours, his whole hand covering your smaller one. “I will search the whole city if it means finding you again.” The confession makes the butterflies in your stomach flap their wings harder and you respond with a kiss, shutting your eyes as you feel Jia Qiu bring you down onto the bed with him, a steady hand on your lap as you barrage him with endless kisses.
Jia Qiu chose you. He will always choose you.
In the end, you decide to stay the night with him, his embrace like a warm, weighted blanket on your body. You felt secure, safe and most of all, loved.