Past

The next morning, Xian doesn't wake up at dawn. He doesn't go to the window. YiJun, however, does; he wakes up at dawn and looks at the rising sun. He holds up a locket. It is golden and shaped like an oyster shell.

The sun rays fall on it, making it glimmer. 'Beautiful and perfect.' YiJun thinks, turning to look at the sleeping boy. Without waking Xian up, YiJun walks back to his table and starts studying. 

It's almost midday when Xian finally opens his eyes. He sits up and rubs his eyes," Jun?" he asks slowly.

YiJun walks over to the sleepy boy and ruffles his hair, "Someone missed looking at dawn today."

Xian's eyes widen, "Really?" He looks out the window, "You should have woken me up."

YiJun hugs Xian, "I wanted to, but you looked like you needed to sleep. And I was right; you are looking like your old self again." YiJun says, letting go of the younger boy.

YiJun fetches the Golden Locket lying on the table and shows it to Xian, "I have a gift for you."

Xian snatches it immediately and looks at it lovingly. He traces it's shape lightly, "It's our shell, you made it into a locket."

"Mn. Do you like it?"

Xian looks at the locket, mesmerized, "Mn. How can I not? Everything Jun touches becomes beautiful." The younger boy states, and looks up at YiJun, who had tears in his eyes. 

'How can someone be this beautiful and pure?' YiJun wonders, pulling Xian on his lap and hugging him.

After holding each other for a few minutes, YiJun takes the locket and ties it around Xian's neck, "I filed the edges, so it doesn't hurt your skin."

Xian puts his palm on the shell and closes his eyes. "It feels like us."

YiJun looks at the younger boy, questioningly. "How so?"

"I found it, and you made it beautiful and perfect," Xian answers, turning it between his fingers. He notices the small latch on it and questions, "Can I open it?"

"Of course, you can. It's yours, after all."

Xian opens the locket and finds a small black pearl inside.

"It was inside the shell. So I put it back there when I modified it. You can remove it and put whatever you want inside it."

Xian smiles mischievously, "No, I like it. And I know what to do with it."

 Xian pauses and caresses YiJun's face, "Thank you."

There is love and longing in the way Xian looks into YiJun's eyes. 

Smitten, Yijun kisses Xian's palm, "I love you."

He closes the distance between their faces and kisses Xian's lips lightly. He wants to do more, much more, but he stops for Xian's sake. For, there is a dull ache in his chest; He knows Xian is feeling it too. 

YiJun tries to pull away, but Xian holds him there and orders, "More." 

 YiJun tries to resist, "It will hurt you... It will hurt me." YiJun knows that he can bear any pain if it means he can remain close to Xian, but he doesn't want Xian to experience any discomfort. 

YiJun expects Xian to move away, but the younger boy stays firm, "More. Now." He demands.

YiJun feels powerless. He calms down his emotions and brings their lips together once more.  'As long as I keep my heart steady, I can do this.' He decides. 

 Xian pulls himself closer to YiJun and teases the older boy's lips with his tongue till YiJun starts reciprocating. Xian takes control of the kiss and doesn't let it end.

YiJun's heart begins to race. The dull ache in his chest increases. 

Xian sucks on YiJun's lips, and an involuntary moan leaves the older boy's mouth. The pain in their chest intensifies as both boys lose themselves in the heat of the moment. 

 YiJun snakes his arms around Xian's waist and pulls Xian closer. They continue to kiss till tears start rolling down their eyes. 

When YiJun tastes salt, he opens his eyes. 'Nooooooo!' 

He breaks the kiss. 

"I am sorry for hurting you, Jun," Xian says, wiping tears from YiJun's eyes, before YiJun can wipe Xian's tears.

YiJun had not realized that he was crying too. They had both been in pain. But what had made them stop was not their pain. Both had stopped crying for the other. They couldn't bear to see the other in pain.

"Jun, I will try not to hurt you again," Xian says, feeling guilty.

"I am sorry for letting things get out of hand again," YiJun replies, wiping Xian's tears.

Xian gets off YiJun's lap and looks at the locket around his neck, "Jun, there is something I need... Will you give it to me?"

"Mn." YiJun answers without hesitation.

"What I want will hurt you."

YiJun smiles confidently, "Whatever it is that you what, it's yours, just like how I am yours." The Prince says, ruffling Xian's hair once more.

Xian smiles brightly. "Jun, I am feeling much better now. I think I will go to Senior Tao now. He will not ask for my help as the king has ordered him. But I know he needs me. I will see you at dusk."

 With that, Xian runs off to find the physician.

Present 

 *Lan Mansion*

 *Early morning*

When Zhau opens his eyes, the first thing he notices is that he is not in his bedroom. He panics a little and tries to sit up. He winces, feeling a sharp pain in his shoulder; the events of the day before come flooding back to his mind. 

'Why did I throw myself in front of Shen? Why did I not think about myself?' Zhau wonders, looking around the room. His eyes fall on Shen, who has fallen asleep with Zhau's hand between his.

'Did he sleep here?' Zhau contemplates; he looks at Shen, and a need to touch the sleeping man's face takes over him. He tries to remove his hand from between Shen's, but the movement causes Shen to open his eyes.

Shen sits up and gives Zhau a once over. "Officer, how are you feeling?"

Zhau smiles, "Like I got shot; I think I need Zhu Shen to kiss it better."

Shen's heart starts racing at the officer's words, "Can I take a look at your wound?" he asks.

Zhau smirks, "You can do anything to me, Mr. Zhu."

Shen wants to do things to Zhau. He would have probably done inappropriate things to Zhau already, had it not been for the fact that Zhau had been unconscious for the past twenty or so hours.

"I take it that you are ok with it," Shen says, sitting on the bed. He gently removes the bandage covering Zhau's wound.

Zhau winces, pulling himself closer to Shen. 

The scent of Zhau's blood hits Shen; something moves in Shen's heart, and before he realizes what he is doing, he pulls Zhau closer and starts licking the wound. 

 "Ahhhhh! Fuck!!" Zhau moans. He buries his face in Shen's neck as Shen continues to lick the wound. Zhau's grip on Shen tightens as the pain subsides, and a warm feeling starts spreading over him. 

Shen stops licking and starts placing light kisses over Zhau's almost healed wound; Zhau pulls away from the embrace and cups Shen's face between his palms, "Mine!" He states, before capturing Shen's lips between his. 

Shen moans into the kiss, inviting Zhau's tongue into his parted lips. When Zhau deepens the kiss, he hears a voice. 'I want him. I am his. Only his. What am I doing? I should stop. He is injured. I don't want to stop. I want.. '

Zhau is dragged back from where he had lost himself in kissing Shen. "Wait." He says, breaking the kiss. 'What am I doing in his lap? How did we end up kissing?' Zhau wonders, removing himself from Shen's arms and putting some distance between them.

Shen looks as startled as Zhau feels. He looks away from the officer, 'Why did I do that? I want to do that again; I want him to kiss me. I want to kiss him. Damn it! Get a grip, Shen. What is wrong with you!?' 

Zhau hears every single word of it. 'I can hear him. Can he hear me too?' Zhau wonders. He smiles mischievously and thinks as loud and clear as he can, 'Shen, I want to do the dirty with you. Did you hear what I just thought? I want to get you naked and ride you.'

Shen continues to blabber in his mind, without looking at Zhau. 

'He can't hear me, but I can hear him.' Zhau realizes. "Shen, did Lan Wangji kill those men?" Zhau asks.

Shen looks at Zhau and frowns. He doesn't speak, but his thoughts reach Zhau loud and clear as he starts thinking, 'Someone is trying to frame him. Who can it be? Was YiJun the target yesterday? What else was there in the bullet?' Shen's expression softens, 'Why did he take the bullet for me? Why did I kiss him? Why did he kiss me? Why does my heart feel so full? I want to kiss him. I want-'

'YiJun?' Zhau has never heard this name, and yet, it sounds familiar. He knows that a man can lie, but his thoughts can't. 'So my gut feeling was right, Lan Wangji is innocent. But they are definitely hiding something.'

Zhau touches his almost healed wound. 'I got shot. And yet, there is no pain. My skin-.' He walks to the mirror and looks at it, 'It's like my skin has regenerated on its own, like magic. It happened when he licked me, yet he is confused. It has never happened to him before.'

Zhau gets lost in thought as he tries to connect all the dots when all of a sudden, he finds himself in Shen's arms. 

Zhau's brain tells him to protest from being carried bridal style. It's unmanly! Yet Zhau's is happy with being in Shen's arms. He wants to throw his arms around Shen's neck and pull him closer. However, Shen puts him in bed and covers him with a sheet instead. 

Zhau wants to protest, he doesn't think he needs to be in bed like a sick child, but before he can voice his thoughts, the door opens, and Wangji walks in.

Wangji's eyes widen as he looks between Zhau and Shen. The tip of his ears turn red. He gulps, "Uncle, I will be leaving first. I will be going to the Club tonight." Wangji doesn't elaborate. 

Shen looks at Wangji disapprovingly, but refrains from voicing his thoughts.

Wangji lets himself out and closes the door behind him. Once he is outside, he takes a deep breath, 'What were they doing before I entered? Why were their hearts racing and... ' Tips of his ears turn redder, and he doesn't complete his train of thought. Then something else comes to his mind, 'Officer Zhau's scent is familiar but different.' he thinks to himself.

Then he remembers that today will be Xian's first day at The Emperor's Smile, and he forgets about the scent. He goes to his room and gets ready. He kisses the sleeping man's cheek before leaving for Lan Pharmaceuticals.

*Shen's room*

Zhau sits back up as soon as Wangji leaves the room. "Shen, what is happening?" 

 Shen shakes his head, "I don't know." He sits next to Zhau and leans in as if to kiss the officer but stops just inches away from his face and searches the officer's eyes, "Who are you to make me feel this way?"

"What way would that be?"

"Like I want to hold you close and never let you go... Like I want to kiss you- " Shen says, putting his lips on Zhau's almost healed wound once again.

 Shivers run through Zhau's soul. Zhau lifts Shen's face with a finger under the older man's chin, "You are mine, Zhu Shen, aren't you?"

"Mn." Shen nods, confirming Zhau's suspicion.

Zhau doesn't know how, but he is sure that Shen is his and his alone, and he needs to protect him no matter what the consequence. He knows there are things that Shen and his nephew are hiding, and he knows that he needs to know everything if he is to protect them.

"Shen, tell me everything," Zhau commands, and Shen obeys. He knows that the man in front of him can never harm him. With that belief, Shen tells Zhau everything.

{Note:- Word count 2104

Please Vote to show your support for this update if you have enjoyed it. 

So some readers are confused if Wei Xian can see and touch Wangji, or is he just feeling him. 

 So I thought to clear it up. 

The first night when Wangji / Dawn / Jun visits Xian, Xian reads his mind and realizes that Jun doesn't want to reveal his identity. So Xian respects his wishes and doesn't ask Jun to show his face. But Jun is there with him every night. It's just that, since it is dark, Xian can't see Jun's face. 

 I hope this clarifies things.

Thank you for reading. 

 Have a nice day.}