Chapter 106: Don't bare your neck

tw: mild sexual content

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Xi Zirui is at a loss for words, paralyzed by Han Yu's arms around him.

Han Yu leans forward, nuzzling along the tense line of Xi Zirui's neck. "Xi Zirui said something about having been choosing me for a long time. How can that be, when we've known each other for only weeks?"

Again, Xi Zirui doesn't have an answer for him, and his proximity isn't making it easier to think.

"Have we met before?" he asks, in a small wounded voice, as if it pains him not to remember. "I've been having dreams-"

Xi Zirui's eyes fly up towards Han Yu's. "What dreams?"

He had no idea Androids could dream, but this isn't the first time Han Yu has told him about dreams.

Su Xueyi, too.

And he had that odd dream, about the plum orchard. 

What is going on here?

Ni Ni is conspicuously silent on the matter.

Han Yu's eyes meet Xi Zirui's, his arm tightening around Xi Zirui's waist. "They don't make much sense, I think they're the result of all the dramas we've been watching." He shakes his head with a self-deprecating scoff. "Just fanciful flights of the imagination."

Xi Zirui's hands crawl up the front of Han Yu's chest, his fingers tightening on the fabric of his jumpsuit. "I want to know."

Han Yu ducks his head, suddenly shy. "It's impossible, but I think I've been dreaming about meeting Xi Zirui back on Earth, living our life there as equals," he lets out a small chuckle. "In the dreams I think I'm even human."

"Are we in a city with thousands of tall buildings, as high and far as the eye can see?" Xi Zirui asks, thinking of their year of bliss living in Chongqing. "Is there a great river cutting through it?

Han Yu's eyes widen. "Has Xi Zirui been having the same dreams? What do they mean?"

How can Xi Zirui explain it, when he doesn't understand it himself?

One thing he's certain of, and he's confident telling Han Yu as much, "I think it means we are connected, other than that...it's just guesswork."

Han Yu seems doesn't question him further, resting his cheek on top of Xi Zirui's head and inhaling deeply. "Do these dreams feel fraught to Xi Zirui as well?"

"How so?"

Han Yu takes in a shuddering breath, but against Xi Zirui, his chest doesn't expand. "I wake up feeling very sad, as if there's a part of me I've lost forever."

Xi Zirui hides his face into Han Yu's neck, breathing in his clean scent, trying to ignore the prickling in his eyes. "Yes, that's what it feels like."

---

He takes Han Yu's hand and leads him back to bed.

There's a new charged quality to the atmosphere between them. Han Yu switches out of his jumpsuit. Xi Zirui is slow to avert his eyes, and Han Yu catches him looking.

When they get into bed Xi Zirui faces the wall, his back to Han Yu and his heart racing madly inside his chest.

Despite Han Yu's earlier heated words, Xi Zirui is still unsure around him. He had no problem taking charge in the previous worlds, but he still feels like he's threading on unsteady ground due to Han Yu being an Android.

He has accepted that Han Yu's choices are his own, but he won't push him either way.

He'll wait for Han Yu to take the initiative, no matter how long it takes.

His breathing still comes up short when one of Han Yu's arms snakes around his waist to pull him flush against his chest. Xi Zirui's ass slotting against the cradle of his hips.

Han Yu sighs in contentment and drops a small kiss on Xi Zirui's nape, where his hair is shorter and the skin smooth and sensitive.

"Goodnight," he says, the words brushing Xi Zirui's skin. "Sleep well."

The intimacy of their position is making Xi Zirui heat up under the covers, he has to bite down on his lower lip not to let out a whine of frustration when he wishes Han Yu goodnight too.

---

Over the next few days, Xi Zirui proceeds with the deliveries as usual, meeting yet more sour-faced stationers who look down on him as if he isn't worthy of breathing in the same vicinity as them.

Xi Zirui is glad to leave them behind and return to the Irregular, but once there he's been experiencing a different kind of struggle.

Han Yu has grown more handsy since their conversation, and takes every opportunity to plaster himself to Xi Zirui's side. Like Little Thunder rubbing his head all over the ship to mark his territory.

As soon as Xi Zirui gets back Han Yu wraps his arms around him, nuzzling his neck. "I've missed Xi Zirui."

"I've only been gone two hours," Xi Zirui says, choking on his next breath when Han Yu's hands slide down his waist and brush across his ass before settling on his hip. 

"That's a long time," Han Yu says, the corners of his lips turning downwards. "I've made snacks, let's watch another episode of 'Love among the Stars'"

Or 'Earth Girl Anna's misadventures' as Xi Zirui thinks of it. Han Yu is oddly fond of the drama, and Xi Zirui doesn't have the heart to suggest they watch something else.

Especially not after the stupid fight they had over it, and which was entirely his fault.

The problem is that, along with hating the damn show, watching it has become a sort of prolonged torture.

Han Yu now likes to sit with his back against the wall, with Xi Zirui on his lap.

Each time Xi Zirui tries to take a seat next to him, Han Yu picks him up as if he weights nothing and deposits him on his lap unceremoniously.

And Xi Zirui is too horny after being manhandled like that to risk changing positions.

Ever since their conversation, Han Yu has been showing some more of his Android side. The other day, something fell under the kitchen table and he effortlessly picked up the entire table one-handed. 

That wasn't even the worst incident. A day after that, Xi Zirui was bringing up the cargo from the hull, when he slipped on something wet on the floor - most likely Little Thunder's vomit - and would have fallen down, if Han Yu wasn't there to pick him up.

Lifting him up in his strong arms.

That night, Xi Zirui had a very embarrassing dream where Han Yu fucked into him with abandon, just moving him up and down on his cock like a ragdoll. 

Things have not improved since.

Right now he finds himself once again seated on Han Yu's lap, with the aggravating factor of having the bowl of crispy rice treats Han Yu made for them sitting on his own lap, with Han Yu frequently reaching into the bowl to pop one into his mouth.

The episode they're watching is almost halfway over, and Xi Zirui hasn't payed attention to five minutes of it.

Too preoccupied with the warmth of Han Yu's chest, and the way his arm rubs against the side of his thigh when he reaches into the bowl.

"Is Xi Zirui not hungry?" he asks, picking up a treat and holding it in front of Xi Zirui's lips. "He usually likes these."

It's not that Xi Zirui isn't hungry, it's just that being horny takes precedence.

He has barely opened his mouth to answer when Han Yu shoves the entire treat inside it. 

"Xi Zirui is so skinny, he should eat more," Han Yu says, his tone light.

Yet he doesn't remove his fingers from Xi Zirui's mouth.

It makes Xi Zirui heat up, just feeling the weight of them against his tongue. The rice treat melts in his mouth and still Han Yu doesn't take his fingers out.

Xi Zirui gives them an experimental lick, just running the flat of his tongue over one of the pads.

Han Yu has no reaction, still engrossed on what is going on in the holo screen. It's as if he has forgotten his fingers inside Xi Zirui's mouth.

The thought sends a frisson of arousal down Xi Zirui's spine. 

He can't help giving Han Yu's fingers another lick, and another, and then sucking them deeper into his mouth when his self-control finally snaps.

His hands come up to wrap around Han Yu's wrist, to keep his arm in place as Xi Zirui sucks the sugary sweetness from his skin.

Fingers wrap around a few strands of his hair, pulling his head backwards.

Xi Zirui's mouth comes away from Han Yu's fingers with a wet pop and their eyes meet upside down.

Han Yu grins down at him. "Is it tasty?"

He looks so sweet, so guileless, it's doing terrible things to Xi Zirui.

His throat works as he answers. "It's tasty."

Han Yu's smile deepens. "I'm happy to give Xi Zirui other sweet treats to suck on," his fingers tighten on Xi Zirui's hair. "I was wondering what would finally whet Xi Zirui's appetite."

So Xi Zirui hasn't been imagining that their new level of proximity was deliberate on Han Yu's part.

"Why didn't you say something?" he asks, growing unbearably hot under his jumpsuit.

Han Yu's smile is devastating. "I thought Xi Zirui deserved to suffer a little for his bad behaviour." 

The hand still wet with Xi Zirui's saliva slides down to wrap around Xi Zirui's distended throat. "But I'm done teasing now. I want to make Xi Zirui mine."