Flying Swords, chapter 27

I think this is the end—for now. There are a number of threads hanging, but none are easily tied up. They would require another book, and I do have a bunch of ideas. However, let’s see how this one does.

At the end of the chapter, you tell me if there’s anything you want to see in an epilogue or if you think I”m finished.

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When Leander walked through the double gate into the first courtyard, Shanlin launched himself at him.  Leander caught Shanlin, wrapping his arms around the boy. He was surprised at the desperation in his heart, but it made him cling to Shanlin.

“I was worried about you. Grandmother Huiling said that evil people had tried to hurt Uncle Heng and that the police were talking to you but the police are scary and it took so long for you to come back.”

Xi walked past Leander. “Nie Xiaobo, Nie Huiling. I am glad to see you again.”

“Qidi of our second son’s qidi, welcome home,” Father Xiaobo said, and Leander tried to hide his wince.  “And qidi of our second son, father to our grandson, we are grateful you have returned unharmed.”

“Most grateful,” Mother Huiling said.  “Grandson, your father is safe, but he and his qidi are dirty from the road and likely tired. Come, let us work on your sciences while they have a moment to soak away the griefs of the road.”  She gave Leander and Xi such a salacious look that Leander felt even more stupid than ever. No brothers ever inspired that sort of knowing expression, but Leander had seen what he had wanted to see.

“Yes, Boon Lian and Hu Xi need time alone after being in the company of others so long. Auntie Daiyu can test the most patient of men,” Father Xiaobo said.  At least he wasn’t giving Leander knowing looks. He seemed more focused on his frustration with Auntie Daiyu who had made a number of comments about the Nie family and their dedication to pursuits other than fathering children. She had made it sound like compliments, but Father Xiaobo had been red-faced and seething before Auntie Daiyu had taken to the sky to fly the rest of the way back while the rest of them had driven.

“Auntie Daiyu is not the only one who can test the patience of others,” Mother Huiling said as she ushered both Shanlin and her husband toward the inner courtyard.

“What about the bad guys?” Shanlin asked.

“They’re gone,” Xi said. “You don’t need to worry about them.”

“You don’t need to worry about any of this,” Father Xiaobo said. “Go with your grandmother and after I have finished my bath and have a cup of tea, you can recite today’s lesson for me.” He patted Shanlin before heading for the bath house at the side of the main house.

Mother Huiling gave Leander and Xi one more knowing look before she took Shanlin into the main house.

“Do you want a bath?” Xi asked.

“We need to talk first,” Leander said, and he turned to head into their small apartment in Heng’s wing of the house.  Shanlin had left several books in their small sitting room, but Leander moved toward their bedroom.

Their shared bedroom with one bed.  All the clues were there. Leander took off his jacket and draped it over one of the chairs as he struggled to find the right words to start this awkward conversation.

“Are we going to talk about whatever you were avoiding telling me in Yaan?” Xi asked. He took off his own jacket, hanging it on a peg inside the clothing cabinet.

“Was I that obvious?”

“Obvious? No.  But I can tell that you’re hiding something. Are we still in danger?” Xi’s was tense.

Leander ran fingers through his hair. “Likely.”

“Likely? What kind of answer is that?”

“We have enemies, so we are likely at risk,” Leander said. They had Druwolf’s organization, the American government, and whatever enemies Xi had gathered all gunning for them, but all that would have to wait. “But that’s not what I found out in Yaan.”  He paused, struggling to find the right words. I’m sorry I accidentally trapped you in a marriage felt too jarring.

The silence dragged on. “I understand you’re not talkative, but this is–”

“This is embarrassing,” Leander said.

Xi frowned.

“I should have seen the truth, both ten years ago and now.” Now that Leander knew the truth, he could see all the clues.  He’d been carried to the Nie house in a sedan chair. The Nies had asked him to serve tea. They had given traditional gifts. These were all elements of a Chinese wedding Leander rarely felt stupid, and looking back, he had been an idiot.  No Chinese family threw a celebration that large for a visiting guest, but wedding feasts were famous for their extravagance. Yes, he was an idiot.

“Leander?” Xi sounded confused.

Leander rubbed a hand over his face.  

“Is it that bad?”

“It’s not bad… just awkward,” Leander confessed. “When you use a translation pill, the magic associates words you know with words you’re learning in your new language.”

“I know,” Xi said. “That’s why words are harder to learn if they don’t have an equivalent in English. You explained it.”

“Apparently I forgot that rule, which is embarrassing. I told you about qidi and qixiong–little brother and older brother.”

“Yeah,” Xi agreed.  “Heng is your older brother and you’re my older brother. Those relationships are why we have a place here.” Xi tilted his head to the side. “But now I’m wondering what you mistranslated because it’s clear something is going on.”

“It doesn’t mean brother.” Leander couldn’t get more words past his teeth. He hated feeling like a fool. He had long ago accepted that he was unkind and unlikable, but his intelligence was his fortress.

“Are you going to tell me what it means or make me guess?”

“Husbands. It means husbands.”

“Wait. What?” Xi stumbled back and landed on the end of the bed. “What do you mean ‘husbands’?”

“I mean husbands.  Qidi is the younger husband who is joining a new family. When Heng called me his qidi, he was taking me as a husband. And when Shanlin and I showed up in town relying on that relationship, I announced to everyone that I was the Nie family’s daughter-in-law. The welcoming feast was a wedding feast.” Leander grimaced once he had blurted the confession.

Xi stared at him, blinking and opening his mouth like a dying fish trying to breathe air when some fisherman dumped it on shore.

“That was my reaction,” Leander admitted.

“But if you’re married to Heng… and then you said I was your qidi…” Xi’s voice was a horrified whisper.

“Leaving Heng to father a child is apparently very normal,” Leander explained, “and taking another husband after that means I’m not obsessing over Heng, so that’s normal too. Now if he wanted to stay married and I slept with other people, I get the feeling it would be more problematic.”

Xi blew out a breath. “Problematic.” He gave a rough laugh. “That would be one word for it. If the Nies thought you were married to me, why did they have a wedding feast for a marriage you had ten years ago with Heng?”

“For a grandson,” Leander said. “And that may pose a danger. We’ve just put Shanlin in line to inherit from a powerful family.” Leander sat at the small game table.  “I am so sorry. I feel like I keep dragging both you and Shanlin into messes that I’ve made. This was my mistranslation.” He rested his head in his hands, unwilling to even look at Xi.

Xi crossed the room in one large step and put a hand on Leander’s shoulder.  “You’ve never tried to do anything other than protect us.”

Leander snorted. “I’ve spent most of my life protecting myself.”

“And yet you walked away from everything to keep Shanlin safe.”

“Leaving kept me safe, too.  I think you’re giving me too much credit.”

Xi caught Leander’s hand and pulled him to his feet before backing up to the bed. “And you have never given yourself enough credit. We’ve all made mistakes. The ones you and I have made are worse than most, but even though I was part of a government that tried to hunt you down and take away all your rights, you never blamed me. You never hated me, not even when I hated myself.”  He sat on the end of the bed and pulled Leander close enough to wrap his arms around his waist.

Leander wanted to lean into Xi’s strength, but he felt too exposed, too raw, too vulnerable.

“I don’t know if I’m brave enough for this,” he confessed, his voice a whisper.

“Do you want a divorce?” Xi scoffed. “I’ve been married under five minutes and I’ve already driven my husband to ask for a separation.” His lips twisted in a mockery of a smile.

“I don’t want to separate,” Leander said, “but you didn’t have a choice in this. You have a right to walk away.”

For a long time, Xi was silent, and Leander’s fears multiplied.  “I’ve avoided dating my whole life because relationships are what handlers use to trap you,” Xi said. “It’s worse when children get involved. The government can take them away any time because people with magic don’t have rights. I always wanted a relationship, but when I was back there, I couldn’t have one. Now I’m terrified I’m going to fuck up what we have because I never got to practice. Everyone else spent high school ruining their reputations with a series of bad choices, and I’ve never been brave enough to choose anyone.” He tightened his arms around Leander.

“I drove away the only person I ever chose,” Leander admitted. Looking back, he could see that now. He’d been so afraid of being hurt, of coming in second to Tecca, that he had shoved Finn out of his life, but maybe it had been for the best. Finn had never loved as deeply or as obsessively as Leander. 

“So we can’t make each other promises, even if we are married.” Humor colored Xi’s voice.

Leander pulled back enough to study Xi’s face.  “I promise that even if we don’t work out, you’ll still be my friend. I could have had that with Finn, but teenagers are so fucking dramatic.”

Xi laughed. “You talk like you’re a hundred and sixty and fed up with anyone who hasn’t reached retirement age.”

“Sometimes I feel that way.”

“We’re both screwed up an a little pathetic,” Xi said, and Leander didn’t argue.  “I have no idea how we’re going to make this work, and I’m terrified, but I’m more afraid of losing you.”

“You’re my only friend,” Leander said. “I just don’t know the rules for being a husband, and so far I think I’ve been a terrible one, even if Heng said that leaving in order to have a child is normal.” Leander traced circles on Xi’s neck, just below his ear.

Xi shivered violently before bringing his hands up to cover Leander’s. He stroked the knuckles and stared into Leander’s eyes. The gentle touch sent tingles down Leander’s arms. Despite the fact that the touch was almost innocent, Leander’s cock started to harden.

Leander had never been good with words. He’d never known the right ones to reassure his mother when she was having delusions. He’d never been able to explain to Finn why he was lashing out, so he didn’t rely on words now.  He rested his palm against Xi’s cheek. 

Xi curled his fingers around Leander’s hand, his dark eyes never leaving him.  Leander caressed Xi’s neck and then slid his long fingers under Xi’s shirt.

Xi smiled honey-slow.

Leander curled one hand behind Xi’s neck, pulling his head closer so he could press his lips to Xi’s.  He started slow and gentle and careful, but Xi’s mouth opened, and he fisted Leander’s shirt. A half second later, Xi pulled Leander’s shirt out of his pants, yanking at it hard enough that buttons pinged against the walls as they were torn free and flung away.

Leander caught Xi’s lower lip between his teeth, nipping playfully before he kissed a trail down Xi’s chest, opening his shirt with far more care than Xi had shown. Xi squirmed, and Leander lifted the man enough to push him farther back onto their bed.  He crawled on top of Xi, kissing a trail over his exposed chest before he abandoned his own torn shirt.

“Husband,” Xi whispered, and lust rolled through Leander. He’d never thought he had a kink for marriage, but he did. Leander tasted the salt from Xi’s skin until Xi’s clever fingers found his exposed nipples and pulled at one.

Leander cursed and arched his back, which gave Xi the perfect opportunity to roll Leander to one side so they lay next to one another. Xi rolled Leander’s nipple for a moment before he leaned in to suck at the pebbled skin.

Leander threw his head back and cursed… or he tried to curse. The sounds that escaped were more a jumble of noises that had no meaning in either English or Chinese. Xi paused to fumble at his belt.

“You are evil,” Leander said.  “Stop distracting me.”

“I thought this was the point, not the distraction,” Xi said.  His cock was pressed against the crotch of his pants, straining the seams.  

Leander smiled at the evidence of Xi’s desire. He ran his finger across the stretched fabric, and Xi’s chest heaved.  “Fuck,” he whispered.

“Getting there,” Leander promised. He kneaded the muscles of Xi’s thigh while Xi fumbled to get his pants open.  Leander captured both his wrists, and Xi twisted helplessly for a moment before his gaze focused on Leander.  Leander slipped one hand inside Xi’s pants before he unzipped the fly.  Xi hissed and leaned back to give Leander room.  A second later, Xi’s cock pressed out, stretching the fabric of his underwear.

Leander’s own cock was still trapped inside his pants, and the trapped feeling made Leander moan in lust.  He wanted this slow. Painfully slow.

Xi reached for him, his fingers brushing across Leander’s nipples before one hand pressed on Leander’s hard cock. All coherent thought abandoned him. Xi gave a wicket smile and untied the crossed waist of his traditional pants.  Leander found himself gasping and helpless, his legs tangling with Xi’s and the silk sheets. 

Xi slid down Leander’s body, peppering his exposed skin with kisses until he reached Leander’s hard, weeping cock. He took it in his mouth with an obscene slurp, and Leander bit down on a scream.  Xi sucked hard and then gave the tip a kiss before he came back up to kiss Leander’s lips.

“I’ve dreamed of laying in a bed and holding someone, loving someone, knowing that we could hold each other with handlers setting rules and using time together as a motivational tool.”

“Leave the government out of our bed. It’s bad for my libido,” Leander told him. He bent down and took Xi’s cock in his mouth until the head knudged the back of his throat. Xi’s cock twitched, and Leander felt a perverse pride in being able to please him. When Xi’s cock thickened, Leander’s balls drew up as he slid toward his own climax.

Xi fisted Leander’s sock, and Leander bucked into that tightness, forgetting his own task for a moment. Xi’s cock slipped free, and Leander had to bend awkwardly to reclaim his prize, sucking and bobbing as his own body tensed. The tightness in his balls sent warning shocks out to his thighs, and Leander knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back his orgasm for long.  He curled his fingers around the base of Xi’s cock and sucked harder, running his tongue along the vein on the underside. 

The aching in Leander’s balls was almost unbearable and Leander thrust his hips, driving himself into Xi’s tight grip. His orgasm crashed through him, overwhelming him until he was gasping and arching and struggling to reform the pieces of reality that had shattered.  Salty bitterness spilled across his lips, and Leander pulled away, coughing before he collapsed onto his back.

His arm was still under Xi, and one of Xi’s legs was now between his so they were tangled and sweaty. 

“I have a very sexy husband,” Xi said.

Leander chuckled. “You have an idiot for a husband. The Nies had a wedding feast and I couldn’t figure out I was confirming the marriage, which is still not as bad as Heng who didn’t show up for his own wedding feast.” The words came slowly as Leander was still breathing hard.  He blinding reached for Xi, catching a hand and bringing it to his lips so he could kiss the palm.

“If we ever lose our minds and decide to invite several hundred drunk idiots to celebrate our marriage,” Xi said, “I promise to show up.”

Leander chuckled. “I don’t. I never want to get that drunk again. Just… just tell me you want this marriage.” Leander hated how desperate he sounded.

Xi rolled onto one elbow and stared down at Leander.  “I want this marriage more than anything else in my whole life,” he said.  Looking up in his eyes, Leander even believed it.  He held his hand up, tangling their fingers before he pulled Xi closer for a kiss. 

Whatever life brought, they’d face it together.