The Wandering Samurai and his Beloved General (BL)

A hot tear landed on Haruki's face, breaking him free from the painful chains that threatened to drown him.

Frantically yet gently, he wiped away Lanling's tears.

"Don't cry. Don't cry. I won't—I'll stop. Just... don't cry."

Haruki had no idea why his throat was so dry, the pain of it making each word a struggle. But he paid it no mind as he kept pleading for Lanling's tears to stop.

There seemed to be no end to them.

Exhausted, Lanling let himself fall into Haruki's embrace, burying his face in his neck. His back visibly relaxed as he inhaled the familiar scent of his own soap on Haruki's body.

The winds stopped. And the world was silent.

A wordless prayer for everything to freeze echoed in their minds... But time was relentless.

It had only been a few minutes when the distant sound of armor clanking began to grow louder. From outside, Baili's concerned voice pierced their world.

"General, are you still awake? I have some troubling news."

Haruki subconsciously tightened his hold around Lanling and didn't move. He had barely begun to feel their warmth merge as one, and now Baili had to come and ruin the atmosphere. He was really vexed.

Lanling seemed to have no intention of standing either. He merely shifted away from Haruki's neck to avoid making any muffled sounds. "Is it urgent?"

His voice was still hoarse, and a trace of irritation clearly expressed his desire for the answer to be no.

There was a moment of silence outside the tent, as the other person seemed to have noticed something.

"...It can be discussed tomorrow, as long as the imprisonment spell stays intact for the entire night." Baili carefully phrased his words.

Swiftly, Lanling took out the exact scroll he had used earlier when they were in the air from his ring. And with precise movements, he tossed it outside. They both heard a loud thud as it hit something, followed by a nervous cough.

"That... General, do you know where Haruki is?"

Haruki blinked.

Before he could announce his presence, however, Lanling covered his mouth. And his eyes widened.

"No. We have plenty of mages. Figure it out yourselves."

"O-Oh. Alright."

Then, before long, silence filled the tent once again, making the hustle and bustle outside the tent sound a little more vivid.

It wasn't until Lanling felt Haruki's moist lips that he realized he was still covering Haruki's mouth. He hastily withdrew his hand and balled it into a fist, feeling as if it had been struck by lightning.

Haruki's cheeks were flushed.

All this time, Lanling had been straddling him, their chests close enough for him to feel the other's heartbeat, and it was as loud as his own. He even felt it skip a beat when Lanling stopped him from making a noise earlier.

Haruki hadn't been sure if Lanling was simply playing with him all this time because of how calm he usually appeared, but in that moment, he seemed to have woken up, and found that his dreams had turned into reality.

"Lanling?"

"...Mn."

"You told me not to remember—"

"Don't!"

Lanling abruptly met his gaze, pursing his lips to stop himself from saying more.

Haruki only wanted to confirm it. Hearing his insistence, a doting smile appeared on his face.

"Okay, I promise I'll stop trying. But, Lanling..." He paused, tracing Lanling's face in his mind before encouraging himself to speak.

"Do you like me?"

His voice was a whisper, as fear and nervousness mixed. His eyes darted all over Lanling's face, hoping not to miss a reaction.

He saw a familiar reluctance and fear... but also a burning desire.

"I... can't tell you."

Lanling whispered back in despair. He thought his tears had dried, but a few managed to squeeze their way through. His hands, still on Haruki's chest, reached out and clung to his robe like a drowning man.

I can't tell him.

No matter how much he wanted to say it, he wasn't allowed to.

He knew the consequences.

And he knew his heart couldn't take it.

Haruki watched as Lanling's calm facade completely broke, going through multiple stages of grief, as if he planned to lock himself in his negative thoughts.

Hastily, Haruki caught his chin and made him look up. The sudden motion pulled the other out of his depression for a moment, and before he could fall again, his eyes widened as Haruki's face came closer.

A soft kiss landed on Lanling's forehead.

It was filled with reverence and pampering, along with extreme caution, as if Haruki feared he would startle him.

It completely shattered whatever thoughts had been about to drown Lanling.

Absentmindedly, Lanling touched his forehead. The warmth lingered, and tears threatened to fall once again, but he bit his lip to stop them. He didn't want to appear too sensitive.

It had been three years since they had last seen each other. Haruki's warmth almost made him throw caution to the wind.

Haruki silently took note of all the expressions Lanling showed. Perhaps it was because Lanling had just cried, but the other had forgotten to wear his usual calmness. He appeared incredibly adorable with his tear-stained face, absentmindedness, and gradually reddening cheeks.

His heart ached with fondness as he forced his mouth to stay quiet so he could keep observing him.

He no longer felt rushed to know Lanling's answer.

With such a response, how could the man in his arms really not feel anything?

If Lanling couldn't tell him, Haruki planned to continue probing—using actions to guess Lanling's heart.

"...You asked me a question the other day," Lanling began, trying to distract himself.

"What question?"

Their gazes met, and a teasing smile graced Lanling's face. The impact appeared greater with his flushed cheeks, Haruki's hold suddenly tightened.

"Didn't you asked me if I wanted you to sleep with me?"

It was Haruki's turn to be flustered.

"That was in the moment! I was innocent!"

"Oh, so you're not anymore," Lanling nodded knowingly.

Haruki gasped in shock. "Don't read my mind! I'm not responsible for whatever you see!"

Lanling laughed. Then, he placed his arms around Haruki's neck.

"I can't read your mind, so you'll have to behave if you want to keep your innocence."

"...Behave—why??"

"Well, there's a pretty good empty space on my bed, no?"