Chapter Text
"I..." Yanqing sniffled, his face looking even younger with tears building in his eyes, "I promise I'll come back for you, General!"
Today was Yanqing's 15th birthday, and also his first mission expected to take longer than a few years. Being sent to another planet on nearly the opposite side of the Universe to help defend one of the Xianzhou's allies from centuries ago that they could've forgotten about if not for ancient record's words. Yanqing had reasonable fears, as this new terrain was nothing like the bustling markets of Aurum Alley, the mountains and sea of the Scalegorge Waterscape, or the forests where the abundance gathered.
"Yanqing, don't come back for me. Come back when your mission has been completed, and come back with honor." Jing Yuan smiled, placing his hand on Yanqing's head, "And maybe, when you come back, you'll finally be at my height?" He teased.
"General..." Yanqing sighed. He was still only at the General's shoulders, but the joke did make him feel better. He smiled, "You'll eat your words when I come back able to beat you in a duel! And, I predict that I'll be even taller than you!"
"Hmph, well I can always send you back if you still don't reach my nose." The General ruffled his hair. Yanqing pouted, but then hugged Jing Yuan.
"But, General, to be serious, I'll miss you." He muttered.
"I'll miss you too, Yanqing." Jing Yuan seemed to suddenly remember something, "Ah, here. I got something for you as a farewell gift." Yanqing backed up, eyes trained on Jing Yuan's hands as he suddenly pulled out a sheathed sword from his back.
"What?! How did that get in your hands? I've seen you all day, even from the back and you didn't have that!"
The mischievous General only giggled, handing it to the boy with both hands. "Don't worry," He closed his hands around Yanqing's as the boy accepted the blade. "Just maintain it well when you're away, and don't worry about encasing it with too much ice and eroding it like you do with your other swords. This one is special."
The design of the sheath itself was beautiful, with quarrels of sparrows and a color of icy blue. On the back, Yanqing felt an engraving and turned it around. The writing spelled out, "願狩獵的祝福永遠留在你的劍中."
"May the blessing of Lan forever reside in your sword..." Yanqing muttered, reading the inscription. "Thank you, General! But now, I feel bad for not getting you anything in return. I promise, I'll bring back as many souvenirs as I can pack from my mission!" He had the determined look in his eyes that he always did when he set a goal for himself. The gold in his eyes seems to swirl, maybe even picking up more light reflection. The gaze that made Jing Yuan know that raising this boy was worth every part of it.
"As long as you return safely, I am fine with this little splurge." Jing Yuan smiled, "Although, it would be nice if you brought some foreign, century-aged liquor, maybe brewed with..." Jing Yuan realized he was drifting off, dreaming about booze when his own retainer was standing in front of him. "Ah, just stay disciplined and safe. Okay, my sparrow?"
"Yes, of course, General." Yanqing flourished at the nickname, his ice element activating silently to cool his cheeks down. "I will make a name for the Xianzhou Luofu and stay true to virtue. You have my word." Yanqing paused for a second, "But I'm still confused on where you got that sword from!"
Yanqing looked down at his hometown through the starskiff's windows, amazed at its vibrance that he had not seen in a town in years. His first mission went great, he had solved a year-long conflict over food rations when he was only sixteen, only to be sent to help defend a planet in a new solar system, fighting in a two-year long war. His first respite being when he resided in Penacony for a few months during his eighteenth birthday.
Finally, he came back for the New Years, as a twenty year old. He had certainly grown a bit taller, gained a little bit more muscle but he still was more lean than big. Stepping off the ship and smelling the crisp air, he felt like he was melting. So many years of standing strong, fighting for days at a time, coming up with military strategies, and now he was home.
A familiar figure walked over to him, and Yanqing barely had the time to take in his surroundings before the figure was embracing him tightly. Yanqing breathed in, and with that, he knew. "General?" He felt like his voice went up an octave, like how he used to sound before he'd finished puberty.
"Yanqing. I've missed you very much." Jing Yuan whispered. Yanqing really felt like he was melting now, his eyes beginning to water.
"I've missed you too, General." He muttered, wrapping his arms around the other man tighter.
After a few seconds passed, the General let go of Yanqing, but kept his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I want you to tell me all about your adventures. But, I can't keep you from the rest of your companions who've missed you, so we can talk later." Right before letting him go, Jing Yuan whispered into the boy's ear, "By the way, you're only up to my chin now." He laughed.
Yanqing pouted before Jing Yuan patted his back and pushed him towards another group, full of people. His friends, his coworkers he had not seen in ages, and even people he had helped in the past.
What surprised him most was Feixiao's arrival, she stood cross-armed and sipping tea from a disposable cup. Alongside her was Yunli, the hotheaded girl he met several years ago, before his departure. Her hair looked around the same length and she’d grown a few inches.
"Yunli, I wasn't expecting to see you here today." Yanqing greeted her.
"Lieutenant Yanqing, you sure look different." She mused, before continuing, "Jing Yuan sent an invite for Feixiao to welcome you home, and asked her if she wanted to bring me along since we met a bit ago."
"Ah, I see." Yanqing smiled, "Can you believe it's been six years since we met? Time flies like crazy... you're still shorter than me, though." Yunli actually did only reach his eyebrows now.
"Excuse you?! I was taller than you when we met!" Yunli countered, "And it's not like you could even wield Old Mettle, and you still probably can't." She pointed a red-painted fingernail at him, grinning yet still irritated from his earlier comment.
"Oh, please. Let me," Yanqing reached out, as Yunli extended the weapon on her back. Yanqing grunted slightly grabbing it, his confidence a little shaken by the effort taken just to hold it, but he quickly used both hands to grab the handle before lifting it.
"Pfff!" Yunli tried not to laugh as all of Yanqing's energy went to holding it barely a foot off the ground. "That's what I thought." She said, grabbing the blade with ease from Yanqing's hands. She hoisted it onto her back, now openly laughing at him.
"Yunli, come on, he just got back from a three-day long trip, he's probably taking a bit to get all of his energy back." Feixiao walked over, finally intervening after their bickering. Yunli scoffed, leaving to go talk to someone else. Feixiao shook his hand, "Yanqing, you look great! You maintained your complexion, you got muscle, and you got taller-- oh, shit, you're as tall as me now." She said, looking at his forehead and realizing they saw eye-to-eye.
"Ah Feixiao, there's no need for the compliments, I would be disappointed in myself if I didn't improve my physique all these years later. Honestly, I'm kind've bummed I didn't get any honorable, tough scars. Maybe one right here," Yanqing pointed to his right jaw, "After a fight with a giant sea beast."
Feixiao laughed, "C'mon now, just be glad you didn't get too hurt. I've got some nasty borisin claws stuck in my arms, but y'know, it lets the other foxes know that I've dealt with them before, and I'll rock their asses just as hard."
Yanqing grinned, "Thank you for coming here, I know you're busy, General Feixiao. I was honestly only expecting to see General Jing Yuan and a few cloud knights, maybe Fu Xuan or Yu Kong if they were feeling sentimental."
"Don't put yourself down, kid. You've been a huge help both here or on some other random planet fighting on the frontlines. You couldn't believe how surprised I was when Jing Yuan was telling me over a cup of wine about how you managed to solve interplanetary conflicts whether you had to fight a war or not." Yanqing grinned abashedly, "You weren't very specific with your messages, I noticed." Feixiao continued. "So I hope you can recount them to Jing Yuan so he can talk with me about it, hah!"
"He showed you our messages?" Yanqing asked. He didn't mind at all because they had very typical General-Lieutenant conversations, but he didn't think Jing Yuan was the type of person to do that.
"Oh yeah, bragged about them practically." Feixiao recounted, taking another sip of her tea. "He's super proud of you, even if he doesn't always show it. Honestly, I don't blame him; having a pupil like you is any General's dream." Feixiao raised one of her gloved hands to Yanqing's forehead, "Now don't let that get to your head, but be proud of yourself." And flicked him. "See ya."
Yanqing really didn't expect the last part of their interaction, but it did make his heart soar a little. The thought of Jing Yuan bragging about just having him as a disciple and Feixiao agreeing... it was any soldier's dream.
"Yanqing," The boy jumped at the mention of his own name, turning around, he saw Jing Yuan. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to spook you."
"No problem at all, General, just got lost in my own thoughts." He answered swiftly. "It appears the ceremony is coming to a close,"
"Indeed," Jing Yuan said, not knowing what to say next.
So many years apart, even if they had communicated through text, created a strange barrier between them. It wasn't discomfort, nor was it fear. Just knowing that their relationship wouldn't be the same as it was when Yanqing was still only fifteen. That Yanqing wasn't the same after his years abroad, and Jing Yuan only knew that he was supposed to be close with him, without really understanding what changed.
"Why don't we have a drink? You're past the age limit now." Jing Yuan offered, trying to break the silence.
"I'd love that. I'm only sad that my first drinking experience wasn't with my General." Yanqing responded, his tone carrying a soft sorrow. "Though, we can talk all about what's happened since I left. I don't even know where to start," He smiled.
{A Few hours Later}
"And I told you that I would just have to send you back if you didn't reach my nose when you came back." They chuckled, "But, please don't leave so soon." Jing Yuan took another sip of his glass, a wine that Yanqing had bought from a merchant claiming that it was hundreds of years old, made with a fruit that no longer exists. True to his word, the taste was great, yet indescribable.
"I don't even want to think about leaving, and having to get back into that dreaded ship to fight for another week straight." Yanqing sighed.
"Then don't." Jing Yuan said abruptly. "I could have you stay or leave with my permission. I am the general, you know."
"Yeah, but what would the public think?" Yanqing swirled his wine glass, the exotic blue liquid moving around. "If I became content with lazing about, bossing soldiers around instead of winning battles and creating a name for the Luofu. Ah, it would be such a shame." Yanqing finally took a sip and set his glass down, settling his chin on his fist. His cheeks were slightly flushed, an homage to his low alcohol tolerance that he had unfortunately found out on his trip to Penacony and eighteenth birthday.
"I suppose you're right." Jing Yuan took much more to become inebriated, for now only his tongue was slightly loosened. Trying to think of something new to talk about, he spoke, "So, any special people catch your eye on your trip?"
"Ah, a mix of all kinds. Though, I couldn't commit to any of them as my travel was demanding. Most specifically, I encountered a flashy gambler in Penacony. He was most spectacular, and I played a few low-stakes games with him. I lost every single one, yet I kept playing just so I could talk to him; it was truly strange. When I asked to get to know him better, he advised me not to, and that I would be disappointed. He was nice and funny, but what can I say to that?" Yanqing smiled at the memory, then turned to Jing Yuan who seemed lost in his own thoughts. Maybe it was his naptime already.
Yanqing continued, asking, "What about you, General? Surely you have lots of girls and guys begging for your attention. Ting Yun certainly knew." He said the last part under his breath and combed his thin fingers through his blonde hair which had reached his waist now.
Jing Yuan thought for a moment, "Well, I've considered very few people throughout my entire life." He began, "I mean, hell, I'm still a..." He paused for a moment. "A-- you know."
Yanqing furrowed his eyebrows, "A what?"
Jing Yuan's cheeks noticeably reddened, "A uhm... a virgin."
"What?!" Yanqing jumped out of his seat, almost spilling his own glass before he caught it. "Ser--Seriously?!" Yanqing leaned on his fists over the table.
"You aren't?" Jing Yuan raised his eyebrow.
"I-- Well, I..." Yanqing's cheeks flushed. "Well, I told you that there was a lot of self-discovery on that trip. And it's not that crazy of an age! I was nineteen."
"I suppose," Jing Yuan nodded. "Please don't tease me for this." He requested sheepishly, taking another sip from his glass.
Yanqing sat back down, taking a sip himself. "I won't, I won't." He said, though he had a grin on his face reminiscent of someone who definitely would make fun of their General for being a 726-year virgin. "I won't say this to anyone else, definitely." He clarified.
Jing Yuan groaned, rubbing his eyes.
{An hour later}
They had both finished the bottle, eyes glazed over and cheeks flushed. Mouths spewing anything they wanted to say, and hearts beating languidly.
"So, you've never even considered having sex with anyone?" Yanqing asked, finally finishing his glass, the translucent blue finally clearing from the bottom.
"Well, I've certainly thought of it, but its never been significant in my life. Though many have criticized me in the past for not having a wife to bear children, there's really no need. Fu Xuan is younger than me and is fully ready to step up to my role once I croak. What about you, my sparrow? Who took yours?"
The way he spoke was intoxicating, Yanqing felt his heart thrum at the nickname that he had not heard in ages. "It was-- uhm. It was a very beautiful man, I must say. Penacony, of course, it felt like a fever dream over there. He was a halovian, which I had never encountered before, and he used his harmonic powers during it, it was pretty hot."
"From The Family?" Jing Yuan wondered aloud.
"Ah, no. He was from a lesser known faction of Halovians not from Penacony, but he was visiting for a festival." Yanqing explained, almost sipping from his wine glass again before realizing it was empty.
"Which of you bottomed?" The General suddenly asked.
"Ah-- uhm." Yanqing felt his face get hotter, and his thighs instinctively pressed together. "I did."
Jing Yuan leaned forward, his alcohol-stained breath tickling Yanqing's nose. "Would you like to teach me? Just as I used to teach you all those years ago?"
By now, the Lieutenant's face was burning, yet for some reason that even he did not know, he nodded. They both stood up, Jing Yuan quickly grabbing his hand to lead him to the bedroom. Inwardly, Yanqing's mind was spinning with doubt.
They had a near 700 year age difference and this had to be morally wrong in some way, let alone that Yanqing had known this man for the majority of his childhood years. Yet, Jing Yuan's intense, desiring gaze, his shortened breaths, his allure. . .
"Take--take off your clothes," Yanqing quickly instructed, already shedding his jacket onto the floor. Though they were in no rush, Yanqing did like the idea of seeing his completely nude, muscular General. Aeons, what was in that wine?
Jing Yuan pulled off his armor and flung his shirt off, exposing his chiseled chest muscles and glaive-wielding arms. The blonde felt his mouth get a bit wetter, but he quickly blinked himself out of his stupor, taking off his pants next.
Yanqing crawled onto the bed, patting the spot next to him. “Sit down, I can take care of this.”
Jing Yuan, almost completely naked except for his boxers, laid down, relaxed eyes gazing at Yanqing in his entirety.
“I—I’ll have to prepare myself, then we can get to the uhh, the next part.” Yanqing assured, scrambling over to wear he threw his pouch on his pants realizing he needed the lube he kept on him.
Though he rarely used it, a brave solider would occasionally ask him for it, and being the great Lieutenant he was, he decided to carry it on him since then.
Finally, Yanqing got back on the bed to sit on his knees, unscrewing the lube and taking off his black underwear. He was semi-erect after pumping himself a few times, then poured several drops of lube over his middle finger.
Breathing in slowly, Yanqing inserted the finger inside himself, carefully watching the shock flash on Jing Yuan’s face. It seemed he’d been zoning out for a bit before watching his retainer finger himself and snap back to reality.
“It’s been a bit since I’ve done this,” Yanqing admitted, face completely blushed as he began pushing the finger in and out. “Surely you understand what you’ll have to do when I’m done, right?”
The room felt much hotter than before, as Jing Yuan felt like he sweating before doing any kind of physical activity. “Yeah,” he nodded, nearly salivating.
“Good.” Yanqing added more lube onto his fingers then began trying to cram his ring finger inside. “How big are you? Just so I know how many fingers I should add.”
Jing Yuan quickly took off his boxers, revealing his half-erect cock. Jing Yuan had never taken the time to actually measure it, but he’d guess that it was around seven inches.
Yanqing stopped thrusting his fingers for a moment, mouth agape. “Seriously?” He whispered. “This might ta—take a while.”
Two more fingers and Yanqing felt himself getting tired already, though he’d convinced himself that it’d be worth it to take the General’s dick.
”That should be enough.” Yanqing breathed in sharply, finally climbing on top of Jing Yuan.
By now, just watching, Jing Yuan has grown to full length. His entire body was lightly dusted with pink. “You’re going to…” Though he had been alive long enough to learn plenty of terminology for different sex positions and even some toys, he could barely get the words out. “You’re going to ride me?”
“Yeah, do—do you not want me to? I just figured that since you didn’t have much experience…” Yanqing began.
“Ah, no, it’s perfectly fine. If anything, I am glad my old bones don’t have any work to do.” He smiled.
“Oh, General, you aren’t that old. You are still the leader of the Xianzhou Luofu military after all. And besides, you’re still handsome for your age.”
“You flatter me, my sparrow.” Jing Yuan groaned softly as Yanqing spread lube over his cock.
“…” Yanqing giggled softly, “All these years and you haven’t changed. Never do.”
Yanqing lined up his hole with the older man’s cock, hoping that the preparation had been enough. Resting his hands on Jing Yuan’s abdomen, he sat down slowly.
Both men moaned in unison as Yanqing took inch after inch inside. If not for the extra lube, Yanqing knew that he likely wouldn’t have been able to go down as far as he did.
“Are you good?” Yanqing asked, now completely full. A slight burning sensation appeared when he first sat, but it slowly subsided.
”I should be asking you that.” Jing Yuan said breathily. “You feel,” He grunted, “Really good.”
Though Yanqing had not particularly targeted his prostate while fingering himself, he felt the tip of Jing Yuan’s dick press into his subtly in every movement.
“I’ll start moving now,” He announced, slowly exercising his thighs upward.
It was only when he fell back down did he immediately feel a heat erupt inside of himself and hear his General moan.
Looking back at his General’s face after staring at his chest, he saw the blush immediately invade. “I apologize, my sparrow…”
“It’s okay, it’s your first time.” Yanqing quickly assured him. “If you want to stop here, we can.”
“No, no, let’s keep going.” True to his word, Jing Yuan’s cock barely softened even after he came. Truly pent-up.
Yanqing merely nodded. Though he didn’t mind Jing Yuan coming inside him, he hadn’t expected it. Typically his partners lasted longer and he could get a heads-up so they could pull out. Though an STD wasn’t a risk with Jing Yuan, so he allowed it.
He began to lift his hips again before slamming down, at the perfect angle so that the tip of the General’s cock hit directly on his prostate every time.
With Yanqing’s extensive training, his thighs could handle the continuous strain, continuing to ride Jing Yuan with no abandon until the man beneath him came yet again.
He grasped the younger man’s hips as he did, calling out, “Yan-Qing!” Seperating the syllables as he released.
“Come on, General, you’ve come twice but I’ve none at all.” Yanqing wasn’t actually irritated, but it was nice to have something to tease Jing Yuan about for a change.
Jing Yuan’s hands had landed on Yanqing’s hips at one point and now they were squeezing. “You feel too good, my sparrow.”
Yanqing tried to hide his smirk, internally fanboying over the General’s praise. His own behaviors had not changed in those five years after all.
“You can come as much as you want, but we’re going until I finish as well. I won’t listen if you tell me that you’re too overwhelmed to keep going. Deal?” Yanqing offered. He knew that if Jing Yuan wanted, he could throw the boy off of him with ease.
But to an old pervert like Jing Yuan, being controlled by his young, beautiful retainer was perfectly fine with him.
“Deal.”
Yanqing’s thighs finally began their pace of up and down on the General’s cock, slightly faster than before. The sound of skin slapping against each other reverberated each time Yanqing let his hips fall, meeting Jing Yuan’s.
Hot, breathy whimpers occasionally escaped the boy’s lips and his eyes collected a small amount of tears that he forced not to fall.
Yanqing adjusted his hair with one of his hands, running his fingers through the blonde strands. And by the aeons above it was as if he had become an emanator of beauty; the light from a moon outside the window framing onto his lean body.
The Xianzhou Alliance of boats sailed endlessly, though they were docked fairly often. This night, a particularly large moon’s orbit of another planet had perfectly lined up to shine upon the Luofu as well.
With the spectacle before him and the continued squeezing soft entrance moving up and down his dick, Jing Yuan came for the third time. Yanqing’s eyebrow slightly quirked but he didn’t stop in the slightest. He felt Jing Yuan slightly soften, but still hard enough to be fuckable.
Some cum had began dripping out from the sheer amount being pumped inside. It was a little gross, though Yanqing seldom cared when that fat cock kept rubbing against his sweet spot.
“Close.” Yanqing murmured, trying to prevent his voice from falling into a moan. By now his mouth hung open, trying to keep his breath steady with the strain of his riding and the constant stream of pleasure. He’d tried to prevent drool from spilling out but a small dribble dripped from his cheek onto his mouth.
And by god, if a drooling, blushing, and watery-eyed Yanqing hadn’t sent Jing Yuan over the edge, who knew what would.
Luckily, they came at the same time, Yanqing’s insides being painted as he erupted onto Jing Yuan’s chest.
Exhausted, Yanqing let his upper body fall onto Jing Yuan’s, his entrance still housing the older man’s cock. Soon, the only sound in the room was their panting breaths.
Yanqing’s head rested in the crook of Jing Yuan’s neck for a moment before raising to kiss him. Jing Yuan’s hands move from his hips to his back, gently stroking him.
“Have you ever kissed anyone before?” The Lieutenant asked.
”One. Though we didn’t last long. It’s a long and tragic tale I’d not like to get in now.” Jing Yuan answered.
“Am I the best kisser?” Yanqing questioned teasingly.
“Certaintly.”
Jing Yuan cupped Yanqing’s face with one hand and pulled their faces together again.