A Notorious Lesson

"What will you do when I start playing back?"

Ji Haoyu tilted his head, watching him with that infuriating smirk. "Then play, A'Xian." His fingers traced the rim of his wine cup lazily.

"I'd love to see how you handle losing."

A'Xian chuckled, defiant, his black eyes flickering with anything but interest. He held Ji Haoyu's gaze for a lingering second before turning away. Without another word, he walked out of the study.

Ji Haoyu's smirk deepened.

He had expected A'Xian to bite back, perhaps with a sharp remark, a glint of anger. But that..that silence was far more dangerous.

It was like a challenge.

Ji Haoyu let out a slow breath, amusement curling at the edges of his lips. He liked watching A'Xian's resistance. Liked it too much.

So, of course, when A'Xian didn't return even after Ji Haoyu summoned him again, that amusement twisted into impatience.

He waited. And waited.

Yet the doors to his study remained shut. The flickering lamps dimmed with the passing minute.

Ji Haoyu set his cup down. Enough waiting.

If A'Xian refused to come to him, then he'd simply go to A'Xian himself.

To the A'Xian's chambers~

The moment Ji Haoyu stepped inside, the scent of freshly drawn water filled his lungs.

A'Xian was there, standing near the low table, his upper robes loose, the damp silk slipping from his shoulder, revealing the smooth lines of his collarbone. His long, dark hair dripped slow, glistening trails down his back.

Ji Haoyu shut the door behind him.

"You seem comfortable, A'Xian." His voice was deceptively light, but the weight behind it was unmistakable.

A'Xian barely turned his head, as if he'd been expecting him. "Should I not be?"

Ji Haoyu took a slow step forward. The floorboards creaked softly, the sound filling the quiet space between them.

"Too comfortable."

The warning in his tone was subtle, pressing against A'Xian's skin like a blade. Yet, instead of shrinking away, he turned to face him, his expression calm, but his eyes held something more.

"You called." A'Xian's voice was smooth, deliberately indifferent.

"I chose not to come."

Ji Haoyu let out a slow chuckle. He closed the distance between them, his presence commanding.

"Then I'll make you come in another way."

Ji Haoyu didn't move immediately. Instead, he let the words settle, watching the way A'Xian's jaw tensed, as if itching to strike him but holding back. The flickering candlelight cast golden shadows over the damp silk still clinging to his skin, drawing Ji Haoyu's eyes lower, to the way a single droplet of water slid from A'Xian's collarbone to his chest.

Ji Haoyu lifted a hand slowly and brushed his knuckles against that drop, smearing it away.

"You're quiet, A'Xian." His voice was amused, "Planning your next move?"

A'Xian scoffed, tilting his head. "Unlike you, I don't waste time playing games."

"No?" Ji Haoyu chuckled. His fingers wrapped around A'Xian's wrist in a swift, fluid motion, tugging him forward until their bodies aligned.

A'Xian didn't flinch. If anything, his lips curled sarcastically. "Is that an order?"

Ji Haoyu's grip tightened.

"Call it a lesson," he murmured.

He pushed and A'Xian's back hit the wall, making the wodden planks sound under brisk moment. His back hit the wall with a thud and the position left both of them in close proximity.

A'Xian looked at him in the eye. His eyes of pure defiance and indifference, somehow casted a faint hue of wicked glee.

A'Xian felt his breath running fast. Maybe it was the closeness that had made him nervous?

He excused himself again with the thought of not being in touch with any man for long.

Ji Haoyu tilted his head, smirking at his oddly satisfying reaction, "Hmm?"

The man in front of Ji Haoyu smelled like a beauty in his arms. A crisp, clean scent, like rain-soaked silk lingered in his damp hair, carried by the cool breeze.

Ji Haoyu was triggered enough.

He grabbed his shoulders while looking deep into A'Xian's confused gaze, running his hands down A'Xian's arms and gripped his delicate yet frim wrists in a slow, commanding movement.

This fcker_

A'Xian flinched being in his devouring gaze and imprisoning grip. As Ji Haoyu pinned his wrists behind his back, he saw that his chest had been rising and falling too noticeably.

His hands clenched into fists, debating whether to push Ji Haoyu away or let him be.

Why.. Am I even considering that!

A'Xian tensed up and Ji Haoyu's body pressed close, heat running between them.

Was he actually anticipating something?

From Ji Haoyu?

Ji Haoyu kept staring at him in the most suggestive way A'Xian could have imagined. But it didn't help him come to a decision.

He kept still, despite Ji Haoyu's closing distance.

But he didn't kiss him yet. He let his lips hover just close enough, his breath warm, teasing, forcing A'Xian to crave more.

And as he saw A'Xian clenching his fingers at his sides, his breath uneven, a smirk covered his mouth.

"You can fight me all you want," Ji Haoyu whispered, his fingers brushing over the damp silk, grazing bare skin beneath.

"But your body doesn't lie."

Snap

A'Xian moved. He shoved Ji Haoyu back, hard enough to force a step between them.

Ji Haoyu's breath caught.

"Good." He licked his lips. "Show me how much you hate this."

A'Xian did.

His mouth crashed against Ji Haoyu's in a kiss that wasn't soft, wasn't gentle.

It was war.

Ji Haoyu grabbed his waist, pushing him back against the wall. Fingers tangled into silk and skin, muscles flexing under the pressure of the fight.

It all happened so suddenly- A'Xian bit his lip, Ji Haoyu shoved the silk robe off his shoulders, letting it pool onto the floor.

Ji Haoyu's eyes smiled as he saw A'Xian shaking under his touch. He let his breath brush against A'Xian's neck, overly stimulated as his fingers skimmed across A'Xian's chest, tracing the curve of his ribs.

He circled a fingertip over the peak of his chest, watching as it stiffened beneath his touch. His feather-light fingers drifted lower, grazing over flushed skin. He was taking his time, too leisurely, drawing out the moment with maddening slowness.

A'Xian's breath hitched, but his pride kept him from breaking so easily. He clenched his fists at his sides, refusing to give Ji Haoyu the satisfaction he had been wanting to see.

Ji Haoyu smirked. "Still acting tough?" His lips ghosted over A'Xian's throat, pressing the faintest of kisses before biting down, hard enough to make A'Xian inhale sharply.

"I'll make sure you remember this," Ji Haoyu murmured against his skin. "Every single second of it."

Ji Haoyu's kisses trailed down to A'Xian's navel, the hands caressing his back. A'Xian let out an unruly moan, his head tilting back from the drunken influence.

Those frantic fingers sneaked down from his back lower to his hips, romping around. Ji Haoyu groaned, his body pressing more into A'Xian when something firm fattened against his lower stomach.

A'Xian let out a ragged breath, his patience wearing thin. His hands, once idle, grabbed Ji Haoyu's wrists, pushing to force him to stop playing around.

"You started this game, remember?" Ji Haoyu reminded him in a playful voice, his lips tracing the line of A'Xian's jaw "Don't rush me."

His delinquent fingers found a way inside A'Xian, the insides soft and hot. A'Xian arched slightly, muscles tightening as Ji Haoyu's fingers entered further, teasing when he knew A'Xian was already growing impatient.

"Tch. So eager, A'Xian."

A'Xian bit his lip, having a grown man explore him in that way had made him eager for real.

Fck_ahh.. It's so....f_ck..

A'Xian held his breath, his lower body refusing to keep him standing anymore. He glanced at Ji Haoyu, his cheeks were flushed, his loud panting and eyebrows arching as if he was focused onto something important.

A'Xian put his arm across him, pulling him closer. His nails dug deep into Ji Haoyu's back, relentlessly scratching him in revenge.

He came close, resting his head on Ji Haoyu's shoulder. There were so many things he wanted to say, like how shameless the crown prince of Yonglan was, how he had no dignity and touched him inappropriately.....all he wanted was to curse him badly in his ears..

Ji Haoyu saw that coming. But there was more important trigger- the way A'Xian had pulled him closer, supporting himself against his whole body.

He groaned once, then stuffed his face inside A'Xian's neck.

He kept moving himself against A'Xian's leaning body, brushing against heat and left a trail of kisses on A'Xian's shoulder, smirking as he felt A'Xian's skin shudder under his lips.

A'Xian bit down on his lower lip, determined to spit something cruel. But then Ji Haoyu twisted his fingers just right, and the breath he had been holding shattered.

He made a low, unwilling sound sufficient to make his pride slip away. His nails dug deeper into Ji Haoyu's back, a desperate attempt to hold onto the last shreds of defiance.

"Ah… that's better," Ji Haoyu murmured, tilting his head as if savoring the moment.

A'Xian's face burned. His body had betrayed him, the way Ji Haoyu had pressed against him, the way his breath brushed against his throat, made the words choke before they could leave. Now he trembled as Ji Haoyu pressed closer, unable to stop himself.

Ji Haoyu held him tighter, his ears pressing onto A'Xian's lips as if wanting to hear even the slightest sound he makes under his touch.

Ji Haoyu pushed deeper, relentlessly.

Ji Haoyu felt the exact moment A'Xian stopped resisting. The shudders against his skin, the way A'Xian's nails clutched his back instead of pushing him away, it was the answer he needed.