Extra 3 Part 2

Lian Ai sat on the stool while Bu Nian stood behind him, helping dry and comb his freshly washed long hair.

His hair was thick and dark. If it wasn’t combed through properly, it would take a long time to dry.

Because of Lian Ai’s injured hands, Bu Nian had been returning early to the general’s residence for the past three days. At night, he handled his official duties in the study, all to prove to Lian Ai that he was capable of looking after someone.

The thought was sincere. The problem was, Bu Nian had grown up pampered. Even though he mimicked the motions well enough, his skill could never compare to that of the servants. He didn’t know how to control his strength, and every few strokes tugged so hard it made Lian Ai’s head throb.

Lian Ai let out a sharp hiss and placed his hand over the spot that had been yanked. “General, that really hurts…”

Bu Nian paused. He clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. “You’re too delicate.” But when he resumed, his movements instinctively softened.

The pressure felt like clouds brushing against his skin, light and gentle. It was so soothing, it made Lian Ai sleepy.

“Do girls have to comb their hair before getting married?” Bu Nian’s voice came from behind him. “How does it go again? First comb from beginning to end. Second comb… till gray hair and wrinkled brows.”

With each line he spoke, the comb swept from the crown of Lian Ai’s head down to the ends, as if he really were the bride preparing for her wedding.

“Third comb…” Bu Nian, having never married, didn’t know much about these rituals. He got stuck midway. “Eh, what was the third one again?”

He asked Lian Ai, but Lian Ai didn’t know any better than he did.

“Third comb…” Lian Ai hesitated. “Third comb means staying together in life and death?”

The comb lightly trembled atop Lian Ai’s head, followed by the sound of Bu Nian’s muffled chuckle.

Lian Ai knew he was laughing at his nonsense. His face grew warm. Just as he was about to turn around, Bu Nian spoke again.

“Let’s go with that. Life and death together.” The third stroke was set. “Third comb, life and death as one. Fourth comb, buried in the same grave. Fifth comb, together in every lifetime.”

With these five strokes, Bu Nian had brushed not just this life, but even the afterlife into the vow.

By the last two lines, it wasn’t just Lian Ai’s face that felt hot. His eyes had grown warm too.

He had never dared to imagine being buried with Bu Nian. The man was of noble birth, a pillar of the court. Lian Ai was neither his wife nor his kin. To live a lifetime like this was already more than he deserved. He never dared to think about what would come after death, let alone hope for eternity.

Once the five strokes were done, Bu Nian looked with satisfaction at the neatly combed long hair before him.

“Forget what others say. We’ll do it our way.” He rather liked the two lines he had made up himself.

Lian Ai asked hoarsely, “Does the general want to meet me again in the next life?”

Bu Nian’s fingers traced the soft skin of Lian Ai’s neck. At the question, his brow twitched ever so slightly. He raised his hand and turned Lian Ai’s face toward him.

“What, you don’t want to see me again?”

Lian Ai quickly grabbed Bu Nian’s broad hand and held it tightly in his own, shaking his head. “No, I do want to meet The General again. Even if I’m reborn as a dog, a flower, or a butterfly, I still want to see you.” He stood and wrapped his arms around Bu Nian’s neck, pressing close like a spoiled child. “When that time comes, don’t get annoyed with me.”

Bu Nian placed a hand on his back. Through the thin inner robe, he could feel the warmth of his skin against his palm.

Anyone else, hearing something so soft and devoted from their lover, would have responded with comforting words, maybe something sweet. But Bu Nian was not like anyone else.

“I won’t,” he said simply.

Then he lifted Lian Ai by the hips and carried him straight to the bed.

Lian Ai wrapped his long legs around Bu Nian’s waist as he was brought over, falling back onto the mattress with his still-damp hair fanned out across the sheets.

Bu Nian leaned over him, the back of his hand brushing gently along Lian Ai’s cheek. “Now that the hair’s been combed, isn’t it time for the bridal chamber?”

Even if he had never married, Lian Ai still felt the order of things didn’t seem quite right. But this was just the two of them playing around in bed. It wasn’t a real ceremony with matchmakers and formal rites. If Bu Nian felt like indulging in the moment, then he would go along with the mischief.

“I think so,” Lian Ai said with a smile tugging at his lips, lying through his teeth.

Bu Nian looked at him, then smiled as well. He reached out his long arm and pulled the bed curtains down, drawing them closed around the two of them.

Bu Nian had always known the kind of man he was deep down. Brutal and violent by nature. He worked hard to keep it in check in daily life. But sometimes, when faced with certain people or certain situations, it was like trying to hold sand in a clenched fist. That temper of his would always slip through the cracks.

Like when facing an enemy. Or when he was in bed.

When facing enemies, he unleashed everything without restraint. But in bed, he allowed only a sliver of that temper to show. No more than a third of it.

Still, that third was enough to make Lian Ai tremble.

Bu Nian pinned him down, lips crashing onto his with heat and possession. His tongue pried its way in, stealing the breath from Lian Ai’s lungs. He bit down at the corner of his mouth, not hard enough to bleed, but just enough to hurt. Lian Ai gasped softly, fingers tightening around Bu Nian’s shoulders.

He was never gentle at the start. His hands wandered with greedy precision, tugging robes open, pushing cloth aside, lifting Lian Ai’s legs with rough urgency. Every movement said he had waited long enough. The only softness came from how he touched his injured hands. He never gripped them too hard. He never forgot.

His mouth left a trail down Lian Ai’s jaw, down his throat, until it closed around a nipple. He sucked, hard, until it tightened under his tongue. Then he bit it lightly. Lian Ai cried out, twisting beneath him, body twitching with pleasure and the sharp ache of sensation.

The slick sound of preparation mingled with broken moans. When Bu Nian finally pushed in, it was with one hard thrust that had Lian Ai arching back, tears springing to his eyes.

“Too much?” Bu Nian asked, voice low, breath hot against Lian Ai’s neck.

Lian Ai shook his head, barely able to speak. “I can take it…”

That was all the permission Bu Nian needed.