The coronation ceremony was bustling with so many guests that he couldn't keep calm. Zen stuck to his master like glue as they mingled within the large crowd celebrating the kingdom's new ruler, Yuen Shui.

The man hadn't technically been interested in the throne, as his other young brother, Yuen Ren, had been next in line, but a mishap on the battlefield had unfortunately ended his life days before he could be summoned to discuss the situation at hand. It had probably been for the best, since the man had been much more like his father than his other two brothers, but the blow had still clearly hurt Shui and Huang, as well as the empress.

With their brother's passing, the title fell to Shui, and while he had immediately declined to receive it, since his home had always been the battlefield, Qi had somehow managed to convince him, after two weeks of constant discussions and meetings, that he was the best suited for throne.

Their mother had also been supportive of the idea of awarding the crown to Shui, even though she knew that Qi was the rightful ruler. She also doted on him as if he were her own son now, too. Everyone agreed that Qi ascending the throne would cause far too much of an uproar, and in all honesty, he did not wish to sit upon it. Even back in his own little proxy country, he hadn't really wanted to take over once his master eventually passed. He had even recently renounced his title as prince of Han, and the weight that had come off of his chest that day had been visible to every person in attendance.

Looking at the man now, Zen couldn't help but smile. The worry lines that had been present between his master's brows for so many years were now smooth and his eyes shone with a relieved excitement.

"My Zen, you seem contently distracted," Qi said abruptly, snapping Zen from his little bout of staring and bringing a blush to his cheeks.

He quickly bowed his head and took Qi's hand, worried that he might just wander off if he got distracted again. Even though the man was no longer a prince, and had even told him that he no longer needed to be his personal guard, Zen hadn't thought of leaving for even half a second. There was nowhere else he wished to go and no one else he wished to be with but his long-time master.

"I believe we have stayed long enough," Qi said, making Zen's tense body finally begin to relax with hope that they would be retiring back to their Laughing Crow pavilion soon. The building had recently been officially gifted to them by Yuen Huang.

They had stayed for the ceremony, as well as the following feast. Surely they would not be missed during the evening festivities. Zen let himself be tugged along, his smile returning to his face the farther away they got from the bustling area. The moment they began traversing the little bridge leading back to their pavilion a familiar figure stepped out from behind a large tree to their left.

"Prince Yuen," Qi said as he nodded his head in acknowledgement.

The man must have just left the gathering, too, as they had seen him silently sitting beside Lee Shaan at the feast earlier. He also looked slightly uncomfortable as he walked forward, but Zen bit his tongue on questioning if he'd gotten injured somehow. It wasn't his place to comment, even though he was no longer considered a servant.

"Good evening, Qi," Huang said with a tired smile. "Are you both well? It seems like everything is finally settled. The throne is in good hands and my mother and sister are both doing well."

Qi gave him a firm nod and returned his smile.

"I am pleased with how everything has turned out. Is your highness sure that he doesn't mind us using his pavilion, though? We don't mind moving to a different one or leaving the grounds altogether," Qi said, always the one who didn't want to bother others.

Huang gave a light chuckle and walked over, tugging Qi into a strong hug that forced Qi to release Zen's hand, making it slowly curl into a fist as he tucked it behind his back to keep from acting out.

Thankfully, Huang released his master quickly before his eyes turned to him with a knowing smirk and he shook his head slightly.

"You are both welcome to live there for as long as you'd like. And you, little guard..." he said as he walked up to him, looking like he was about to wrap him in his arms, too.

Qi quickly stepped partially between them, though, making Huang give a louder laugh and step back, lifting his hands up in surrender.

"I understand, I understand. I'm still a little jealous, but I can't say that I've drawn a bad lot for myself now," he said before taking one more step backwards and shrugging.

"Take care of yourselves and if you need anything, you know where to fine me and my brother. I'm going to get going since Lee Shaan has requested help with settling his father into the home Shui had granted him within the palace grounds," he said before giving a formal bow and dismissing himself to disappear back into the darkness around them.

Qi shook his own head and chuckled quietly before he was abruptly startled when Zen reached forward and firmly grabbed either side of his face, then leaned in for a kiss. When he was finally released a minute later, Qi was panting quietly, but instead of raising his sleeve to cover his blush, an evil smirk spread across his lips, making Zen fidget in confusion.

"Zen Zen..." Qi said in a cheerful voice that made Zen slowly move opposite to his currently-advancing steps until his back bumped against the railing of the bridge. He was about to move again to try and sidestep away, but that's when Qi quickly smacked a hand down onto the railing on either side of him, making him jump a tiny bit and quickly lift his eyes to meet his master's.

"My sweet, sweet Zen..." Qi whispered as he leaned forward.

Zen expected another kiss and braced himself for his master's intentions, but when Qi tilted his head and leaned farther down, until his lips pressed against Zen's neck, he realized what he was doing.

Master, this...

The man knew that he was terribly sensitive to attention upon his neck, yet when he tried to voice his concerns about doing such things out in public, Qi pressed a finger to his lips without the need to even look up to guide the digit!

Zen felt a strong shiver race down his spine as Qi finished tending to his first mark, then immediately nudged his way beneath Zen's jaw to begin a second one!

By the time that mark was nearly done Zen was panting with his head tilted backwards, his lips slightly parted. His master had removed his finger from them, but the request to be silent was still firm in his mind, except, he couldn't manage to quiet his breathing in the least.

It didn't help that Qi, who had finally finished his second mark and was now licking softly on the other side of his neck, no doubt looking for his third target, was also now nudging one of his legs between Zen's, parting them gently before leaning his body forward, pressing them against each other at almost every possible point!

Zen's lips began to quiver as Qi finally relented his assault on his poor neck a few minutes later, but instead of leaning away, or even lifting his head to kiss him, he actually began to dip lower!

"Q-Qi?" Zen gasped and squirmed for a moment before freezing in confusion.

He suddenly felt very uncomfortable between his legs...

Sensing his sudden nervousness, Qi finally leaned away and took a step back to give him some space. Zen immediately straightened and glanced down. He couldn't see anything through his thick robes, but that didn't change the fact that his body had reacted, hardening as if he had just woken up on one of those rare, embarrassing occasions when he was younger.

He'd thought he'd gotten better control of his body over the years, and those situations had become quite rare, and yet here he was getting uncomfortably-hard in front of his master!

"My beautiful Zen," Qi whispered as he stepped closer, brushing their bodies together just enough to make Zen realize something else.

Master Qi is also...

He had never seen his master's body do such a thing. He'd thought that it was only his own that sometimes became uncomfortable in such an area.

"It is natural, my love. And I am overjoyed that you react to me in such a way," Qi said as he gently sifted his fingers through Zen's hair and tugged the tie that bound part of it free with his other hand.

Licking his lips nervously, Zen leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against Qi's, then leaned back, still a little uncomfortable about his body's reaction.

"Come, love," Qi said as he took his hand and calmly began tugging him the remaining distance to their pavilion.

Relieved to at least be able to duck into the building, Zen gladly followed Qi up the stairs and inside. His master didn't hesitate to guide him directly over to the bed, but when Zen tried to sit, he quickly reached out and grasped his belt, stopping him from descending.

"My Zen, are you alright with me undressing you?"

Zen was about to respond that he would never go against his master's wishes, but Qi gave him a stern look that made him immediately swallow his words and rethink the question asked.

"I do not want Zen, my former servant's, response. I want Zen, my love and my most trusted friend, to reply," Qi said, making Zen quickly nod as he went over the question a third time within his mind before deciding on his words.

Meeting his master's gaze after looking away briefly to think, Zen straightened his shoulders and reached up to settle one of his hands against the side of Qi's face. His skin was warm and soft to the touch, making him want to guide him closer.

"Pardon my speech, as I am not used to thinking in such a way, but master or not, lord Qi has been by my side since the beginning and has shown nothing but kindness and love towards me," he said, feeling his face warm as he glanced away again for only a brief moment before returning his full attention to the man before him.

"I am not sure how to m-make love, but I am more than willing to learn. I want to learn. I want to see you look at me the way you have been recently. I also want to see you blush beneath my attentions, as well..."

Qi smiled sheepishly at those words as his own cheeks began to tinge pink.

"This lord would love to teach you anything you wish to learn... but you forgot to answer my original question," Qi said with a quiet, pleased chuckle and wide smile.

Zen felt his heart immediately jump into his throat as he hurried to bow and apologize for his mistake, but couldn't do so because he was so close to his master, so he quickly stepped backwards... and caught the heel of his foot against the bottom support for their bed and fell backwards with a startled yelp.

Qi immediately burst out laughing, even though it was clear that he was trying to stifle it behind a hand. Zen watched in silence after having pushed himself up onto his elbows and waited until the man was just about recovered from his little bout before lunging forward and grabbing his right arm and swinging him abruptly downward onto the mattress, shifting his weight as he did so in order to maneuver his way onto his hands and knees above the man now staring up at him with wide, surprised eyes.

"Master—lord Qi," he corrected, then continued as he leaned closer. "You may remove my clothing... if I may remove yours in return?"

Zen's purple eyes slowly lowered as he leaned back on his heels on Qi's legs and nervously reached for the man's belt at his waist. Thankfully, Qi let him take as much time as he needed in order to complete the simple task of removing the length of fabric, and when it was finally undone and left unraveled on either side of the Qi's waist, Zen felt like he'd just done something far more strenuous than simply untying a knot.

"My turn, love," came Qi's quiet, eager voice as he reached forward and expertly undid the decorative belt at Zen's waist.

His outer robe immediately slid open without the device restricting its movement, revealing a small portion of his chest, but Zen wasn't paying attention to his own growing disheveled appearance.

Master Qi's chest is visible...

He'd seen him naked many, many times before, and yet while the man was definitely not even close to naked at the moment, and he knew that It wasn't appropriate to stare, he couldn't manage to avert his eyes.

Feeling his master's warm hands slide beneath the open edge of his own robe, Zen processed the touch and realized that, while it did send an uncomfortable shiver down his spine, he also found that he actually liked the attention.

This is so odd... but perhaps if I like it, then maybe Qi would, too?

Curious, he nervously reached forward, himself, and settled one hand gingerly against the man's warm skin.

I want to touch him more.

"Do as you wish, love. I will guide you if you are unsure about anything," Qi said, making Zen's eyes widen the slightest amount before his eyelids lowered and he leaned forward and down to press a kiss right above his master's bellybutton. It was an extremely personal place that he'd never dreamed of touching, let alone with his lips, but now that he had been given permission to do as he wished, that little area had been the first to catch his attention.

He carefully settled his body lower and began to move upwards along Qi's abs as he hesitantly licked and nuzzled, his feline side letting out quiet purrs every few moments, as if it, too, was content with his actions.

Fingers slowly sifted through his hair as he moved, gripping here and there as his master's body shivered every so often beneath his own. He liked it... a lot.

Qi was panting by the time Zen's mouth had finally traveled high enough along his body to be able to press their lips together again, and this time, he pushed his own hips downward against his master's as their tongue's danced together. The jolt of sensation that came from that simple movement made him growl against Qi's mouth and repeat the action immediately.

It was so odd to think about what he was doing to the man who had guided him for so many years, but his body didn't seem to mind as it got into a rhythm. Qi, also didn't appear upset with his actions, in the least. The man was smiling even as he panted up at him once their mouths finally separated so that they could both regain their breath.

"My Zen, are you feeling good?" he asked, earning an immediate nod in response as the man's hands wandered farther beneath his robe until they settled against his clothed backside.

"I am, but master, should our positions not be reversed?" he asked as his hips slowed to a stop, honestly a little nervous about pinning his master beneath himself. He should definitely be the one on his back, pleasing the other man.

"I want you to learn, first," Qi said, making Zen blush deeply.

Qi seemed pleased with the simple action and leaned up to press a faint kiss to his lips before the hand he had settled against his backside squeezed gently. He then allowed his head to drop back down to the blankets with a quiet, content exhale of warm breath.

His hair is so messy now.

"My sweet Zen. Will you allow this humble lord to teach you how to love and be loved?" Qi asked with a smile that lit up his warm eyes like the night stars.

Unable to hold back his own smile, though still also a little embarrassed, Zen ducked his head and dropped his gaze, pressing his face into the crook of his master's neck a moment before leaning back up and glancing down at him sheepishly.

"Yes," he whispered as he reached forward with one hand so that he could twist his fingers within his master's beautifully-messy hair.

"Please teach me everything, Han Qi. I want to learn how to love you, and I want to learn how to please you, too. I want to stay by your side for today, tomorrow, and if you will have me, for the remainder of our days."

Qi reached up with a look of excited wonder on his face as he gently grasped either side of Zen's face and leaned up in order to gently press a single kiss between his brows.

"I will have no other, my sweet Zen," he whispered before lowering his lips to ghost over Zen's. "I love you."