Tantai Yi’s wine was indeed strong, yet compared with modern spirits that could reach eighty or ninety per cent alcohol, it was hardly enough to trouble anyone.
Song Pu could not handle such extreme strengths either, but he found Tantai Yi’s wine quite agreeable. A few cups were little more than a drizzle to him.
Tantai Yi’s intention to get him drunk was painfully obvious, and Song Pu did not dare be careless. His conduct when drunk was abysmal, and after the last incident, how could he risk it again? Thus, while drinking to give Tantai Yi face, he also made a point of urging him to drink.
In front of Song Pu, Tantai Yi’s resolve always softened somewhat. Before he realised it, he had drunk quite a bit, his stomach warming, his whole body growing heated.
He watched Song Pu finish his cup, then poured him another, his voice slightly hoarse. “When did Lord Song acquire such a tolerance? You are nearly my equal.”
“Your Majesty, it is likely inborn,” Song Pu replied.
His reaction to the drink was rather pronounced. Though he was nowhere near drunk, his fair cheeks were already flushed, a bloom like sunset clouds spreading from his face to his ears, then faintly tinting his neck. As Tantai Yi spoke, his gaze drifted unconsciously from Song Pu’s lips downward, lingering at his slightly loosened collar.
Song Pu noticed his gaze resting on his lapel and glanced down. A patch of fabric was damp with spilled wine, likely from a careless moment while drinking. He wiped at it, and Tantai Yi’s eyes flickered faintly. Affecting nonchalance, he said, “How have you managed to spill wine upon yourself? It is quite soiled. I shall have someone bring a fresh garment. You may remove this one.”
Song Pu said lightly, “It is nothing, Your Majesty need not trouble.”
Tantai Yi looked at him. “Your face is so red. Are you drunk?”
Song Pu had not even finished half a flask. How could he be drunk? Tantai Yi clearly knew his tolerance, yet still said this, which gave him pause, though he answered honestly, “I am not drunk.”
Tantai Yi rose and moved to sit beside him, his voice growing huskier. “Then I shall kiss you.”
Song Pu did not quite see what his sobriety had to do with being kissed, yet when Tantai Yi leaned in, he hesitated only briefly and did not avoid him.
Tantai Yi easily took hold of his chin, angling it as he pleased, and lowered his head. No sooner had his lips touched Song Pu’s than he heard a soft cry of pain and was pushed away. “Your Majesty, gently. That hurts.”
Tantai Yi looked at him, puzzled. “Where does it hurt?”
Song Pu pointed to his chin. At that single touch, a pale mark had already flushed red, blending with the colour in his face.
“I hardly used any force,” Tantai Yi said, then added, “Then Lord Song should take the initiative. Do not always wait for me to attend to you.”
Song Pu scoffed inwardly. Since when did a kiss count as being attended to? Even so, he could not quite bring himself to take the lead. His mindset had yet to fully adjust, and such things still felt awkward to him.
Tantai Yi, unaware of his thoughts, saw him remain still and simply reached out again, cupping his face before kissing him once more.
The mellow fragrance of wine passed between their lips and teeth. Tantai Yi could taste the sweetness in Lord Song’s mouth, not merely the faint sweetness of the wine, but his own natural flavour, like an overripe peach brimming with juice.
He loved kissing, loved the intimacy of lips and teeth entwined, and loved even more the way he could command Lord Song’s reactions. A little more pressure, a little more, and Lord Song’s eyes would redden, gaze misted with tears.
He did not know why he found those tear-bright eyes so captivating. Even while kissing, he kept his own eyes open, intent on watching Lord Song. Even when they were closed, the faint tremor of his lashes was enough to pluck at something hidden deep within him, sending a shiver of pleasure through his body.
Perhaps it was the wine dulling his restraint. Certain impulses, long concealed even from himself, surfaced at last. Almost instinctively, he learnt how to tease and torment with lips and tongue, his tongue moving restlessly within Lord Song’s mouth, pressing deeper, stirring soft, muffled sounds from his throat.
Song Pu felt his throat fill with saliva he could scarcely swallow. It spilled from the corners of his mouth and trailed down his neck, leaving him thoroughly discomposed. At the same time, Tantai Yi’s grip on his face tightened, the pressure beginning to ache, until he could not help but push against his chest.
Tantai Yi, however, would not allow him to pull away. With his other hand, he drew him onto his lap, one arm circling behind to hold the back of his head, pressing him closer as the kiss deepened.
Song Pu could not push him off. He could only try to fend off that insistent tongue with his own, muffled sounds caught in his throat, unable to form words.
Tantai Yi had no further interest in wine. He simply lifted him and carried him towards the dragon bed.
For a moment there was space between them, yet Song Pu’s mind was still hazy from the kiss, and he failed to react at once. Only when they reached the bed did he start, words slurring slightly, “Your Majesty, what are you doing?”
A darker light flickered in Tantai Yi’s golden eyes, an unmistakable desire beneath his otherwise composed tone. “Lord Song has made such a mess again, your clothes damp with it. I feared you might catch a chill, so I have brought you to rest.”
Song Pu: “…”
His tongue was swollen, his lips stinging, though still bearable. He managed to speak, “Is it not somewhat early to rest, Your Majesty?”
Tantai Yi frowned. “Time always seems too short when I am with you. Why do you find it early?”
Song Pu’s gaze dropped, and what he saw made his heart jolt him fully awake. Though panic surged within, he forced himself to remain outwardly calm. “Your Majesty does not appear to be intending to rest.”
Tantai Yi glanced down, then smiled brightly as he began to loosen his robes. “I shall rest with you.”
There was something in his gaze unlike usual, though Song Pu could not quite name it. Clutching his clothes, he looked almost like some virtuous soul cornered by a ruffian. Swallowing, he said, “Your Majesty, I can scarcely manage even the smallest. I am far from able to serve Your Majesty. You must not force matters.”
Tantai Yi rebuked him, “Lord Song thinks too little of me. Do you take me for such a man?”
Even as he spoke, he had already shed the last layer. The sight was so striking that Song Pu felt a phantom ache and nearly lost his composure. Drawing a sharp breath, he hurried to speak before matters went further, “Allow me to serve Your Majesty.”
He offered his hands first, employing the steady, practised technique of a craftsman, hoping to bring things to a swift conclusion.
Yet this time Tantai Yi was unusually slow. Song Pu endured for a full quarter of an hour, to no effect, and could not help but complain, “Your Majesty used to… finish within that time. Why is it now…”
Tantai Yi’s voice was low and rough, his usual clarity softened into something altogether more enticing. “I have grown accustomed to Lord Song’s hands. Were you to change approach, I might be quicker.”
Song Pu dared not reply and continued his efforts in silence.
After a moment, Tantai Yi spoke again, guiding him with studied casualness, “If Lord Song is weary, lie down. I can spare you the effort.”
Song Pu’s breath came hot and uneven. In a hushed voice he said, “I am truly not prepared. If Your Majesty wishes me dead upon the bed, then so be it.”
Tantai Yi frowned. “I have already said I am in no hurry, yet you persist. Do you distrust me so greatly?”
Song Pu found it difficult to place any faith in Tantai Yi’s restraint. He had been shocked enough when he first learnt how such matters worked between men, and had yet to grow accustomed to it. Yet Tantai Yi, who had once known nothing of it, had grasped and accepted it with alarming speed. Clearly, he possessed very few boundaries in this regard.
How could such a person be trusted to stop where he said he would? Song Pu knew all too well how such things progressed, from mere curiosity to tentative touch, from there to testing limits, and finally to abandoning restraint altogether.
As he thought this, Tantai Yi continued, “Though I am not in haste, I do pity Lord Song’s delicate hands. Let me suggest this. You might imitate the posture on the thirty-sixth page of the Rainy Night Illustrations I gave you. What say you?”
Song Pu had barely glanced at those manuals, leaving them locked away. How was he to know what the thirty-sixth page depicted? Seeing his confusion, Tantai Yi frowned. “You have seen those volumes, yet learnt less than I? Where has your attention been? Have you applied yourself at all?”
Under that string of questions, Song Pu felt both guilty and ashamed. Lowering his posture, he said modestly, “I ask Your Majesty for guidance.”
Tantai Yi leaned close and murmured something in his ear. Song Pu’s already flushed face deepened at once.
Tantai Yi, however, kept his gaze fixed upon him. Those beautiful eyes, bright with a sheen of embarrassment, his lashes trembling as he lowered them, lent him a delicate, indescribable allure.
It was a sight that stirred Tantai Yi profoundly. Heat rose through him, his voice dropping further as he asked, “Does Lord Song agree?”
