These Side Characters Have More Important Things To Do

Rating: mature

 

---

 

Gary stood to attention outside the door to their rooms. “Your Highness, is there anything I can do for you this evening?”

“No, you’re dismissed,” Rian said.

“Have a good night,” Ren Xiyang said.

Gary bowed. “Good night, Your Highness. Good night, my Lord.”

Ren Xiyang and Rian entered the rooms and closed the door.

“Are you sure you’re willing to attend the magic combat practice classes?” Rian asked.

“I said I would,” Ren Xiyang said.

Rian leaned in; Ren Xiyang also leaned forward and they kissed briefly.

“Did anything depart from your schedule today?” Rian asked. He turned around, letting Ren Xiyang help take off his outer coat.

“Nothing,” Ren Xiyang said. “I heard from Kel that the group from the Lavender fief have been settled into the new migrants’ area already, and Maria had a mirror-call meeting with Cassiopeia.” He took off his coat too and went to hang up their coats together. “Did you annoy Alexius today?”

Rian pouted. “Do you love me more, or Alexius more?”

“I’m going to be Alexius’s eldest brother. It’s my responsibility to care.” Ren Xiyang quirked his lips and poked Rian’s puffy cheek. “Don’t act so cute.”

“I’m handsome, thank you very much.” He slung an arm around Ren Xiyang’s waist. “My Imperial Mother likes you more now, I can tell. And my Imperial Father is slowly admitting defeat.”

“Hm. I’ll still marry you whether they like me or not.”

Rian pushed him, and the two collapsed onto the nearby sofa. With his arms braced on either side, Rian lowered his head and kissed him, nibbling at his lips, his tongue sliding against Ren Xiyang’s.

“Hah…hah…”

Rian blinked and pulled back. “Huh? You’ve getting harder faster than usual.”

Ren Xiyang: “…” He pushed Rian back. “Forget sex for a moment, we need to compare research ideas.” He took out his notebook.

The broken look on Rian’s face was priceless. “Yangyang—”

“Come on, we can discuss while cuddling.”

Rian’s lips curled up. “Hehe, did you just say ‘cuddling’?”

“It’s a good thing your adoring public can’t see you like this,” Ren Xiyang said.

“This me is only for you,” Rian said. He stopped bracing himself over Ren Xiyang and laid down on the sofa next to him, resting his head on Ren Xiyang’s arm. “Well?”

“I’ve been thinking about the sustainability of work and change,” Ren Xiyang said. “You know I want to do plant research at the academy.”

“Everyone expects you to do plant research,” Rian said. He quirked his lips. “Oh? Are you starting to feel some teenage rebelliousness?”

“No,” Ren Xiyang denied.

“Maybe that’s why you became hard so quickly before,” Rian mused. “You’re growing up!”

Ren Xiyang: “…”

“I still intend to research mushrooms and fungi some more. But I believe it would be more sustainable and long-lasting if I set up a dedicated scientific research institute,” Ren Xiyang said.

“Very well, when is your projected start date?”

Ren Xiyang tilted his head, pressing closer to Rian. Rian never hesitated when it came to Ren Xiyang’s ideas.

“After we graduate from the academy. It’ll take time to determine where the institute should sit, and then building it and gathering researchers and so forth,” Ren Xiyang said.

“Not in the Rosewood fief?”

“It might be better located in the Capital or the Sage fief,” Ren Xiyang said.

They started brainstorming about new research institute together, until Rian realised that the more they talked about work, the less time they had for sex!

“—Yangyang, you haven’t told me what you want for your academy research project,” Rian said sternly. “You were meant to keep us to the agenda.”

Ren Xiyang blinked innocently. “Was I?”

“Forget it, let’s just have sex now,” Rian said. He went to grab Ren Xiyang’s notebook, but his hand encountered a shield instead.

“Let me be quick. Mushroom farming, cold-chain logistics, magic-automated taxation system, gender transition magic, magical levitating trains, wind-energy extraction, earthquake-energy extraction, synchronised calendars in our notebooks, growing meat directly cell-by-cell, automatic plant monitoring and care system, chemical composition analyser spells, and magic-powered agricultural machinery. What about you?”

“Sex spells,” Rian said with a wink. He slung a leg over Ren Xiyang, and his groin pressed up against Ren Xiyang’s hip; his cock was half-hard.

Ren Xiyang looked at him.

“Or a new clean water initiative, self-sustaining energy-absorbing magical shields, next-generation invisibility, automated road-construction, and natural disaster prediction.”

Ren Xiyang’s eyes brightened. “What if I worked on earthquake energy extraction, and you worked on earthquake prediction?”

Rian raised his body, climbing on top of Ren Xiyang. “Yangyang.” He started unbuttoning his shirt. “Don’t you like looking at my chest muscles?”

Ren Xiyang coughed. “But we still need to talk about the Lavender-Dravite-Coral fief issues—” He was cut off when Rian kissed him.

They linked up telepathically.

When you look so serious and cute, I want to mess you up, Rian thought, as he slid his tongue into Ren Xiyang’s mouth. There are so many things I want to do to you—

Images flashed into Ren Xiyang’s mind, of Rian fucking him, of Rian thrusting into his mouth, of Rian tying him up and putting his notebook out of reach, of Rian sucking his cock while Ren Xiyang was trying to work—

Ren Xiyang felt a bit helpless at some of Rian’s fantasies. But nonetheless, heat flooded into Ren Xiyang’s body, and his cock hardened at lightning speed, especially as Rian grinded his hips down.

Rian—

Rian kissed Ren Xiyang’s mouth, his cheek, his nose, and then nibbled on his ear lobe. “Xiyang,” he breathed, his breath sending a shiver across Ren Xiyang’s skin. “I love you and I’m really, really aroused.”

Ren Xiyang dropped his notebook on the nearby coffee table. “Fine, let’s go to bed.”

Rian’s excitement showed loud and clear on his face and in his thoughts.

That night, they had several rounds of sex before Rian’s pent-up energy was released. Ren Xiyang indulged him; such were younger men.

(He ignored the fact that his own cock remained hard for the same duration of time as well.)

 

---

 

The next day, Ren Xiyang and Rian continued their conversation about research topics.

They both had many ideas, but most of them wouldn’t be suitable as an academy research project. They had to choose a project that they could successfully complete by the end of the academic year, make a big impact, and make the case for continuing the alternative study stream into the next year.

Unfortunately, earthquake detection and energy absorption weren’t ideal 6-month projects.

So they made a short list of projects each, which they’d discuss with their chosen supervisor. Ren Xiyang wanted to work with Anya Rose, so in the end, he indeed shortlisted several farming-related projects. Rian planned to work with a pure magical-development academic at the university, who had volunteered (or had been forced to volunteer) to be a supervisor for the academy program.

This was done on time, for Ren Xiyang’s meeting with Anya the next day.

 

---

 

Anya was working, so Ren Xiyang went to the university to meet her. Anya waited for him near the university gates.

“Have you been to the university before?” she asked after they greeted each other.

“Yes, a few times,” Ren Xiyang said. “But I hadn’t known there was magical herb research here.”

“The magical herb research division sits inside the medical department,” Anya said, as they walked through the university campus. “We used to be in the plant-magic department, but the previous dean felt that integration into the medical department would improve collaboration with the healer mages.”

It was the time in-between lectures, so there were many students and staff walking around.

“Oh, hey, Ayden!” several students waved to them.

Ren Xiyang nodded back.

“Tch, why is he here?” a different group of students glared him.

Anya glanced at Ayden. “Do you know them? Do they know you?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I defeated them in a duel previously, and they’ve been annoyed ever since. If they’re brave or foolish enough, they might even duel me again. I wouldn’t mind more money.”

Anya laughed. “I must attend one of your legendary duels!”

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t been challenged recently,” Ren Xiyang said.

Anya laughed even harder. “Perhaps you’ve been too busy.”

“You’re right,” Ren Xiyang said.

They reached the secondary medical department building, where the magical herb research academics sat. Anya pointed out the offices of a few people and introduced Ren Xiyang to a few others they encountered in the corridor.

“—And this is my office, and that is my attached laboratory,” Anya said.

Anya’s office was filled with books, papers, and potted plants.

“Have a seat, do you want a cup of tea?”

Ren Xiyang sat down on one of the chairs by Anya’s desk. “No thank you. Did you receive the agenda that Kel sent?”

Anya quirked her lips. “I did.” She picked up a piece of paper on top of a pile on her desk. “Academy supervision, academy research project, current research, speaking at the academy,” she read.

Ren Xiyang rest his hands on his thighs and said seriously, “Dr Rose, will you do me the honour of being my academy research supervisor?”

“I agree.”

“I have some research ideas for the academy project,” Ren Xiyang said. He took out his notebook. “Mushroom growth magic, automatic plant monitoring and care system, and chemical composition analyser spells. Are you interested in any of these? Do you have a different research project in mind for me?”

Anya looked at him. “Are any of these hard for you?”

“The process of these projects are fairly straightforward, though I’m sure I’d encounter unanticipated challenges.”

“You could work on them by yourself.”

Ren Xiyang hesitated, then nodded.

Anya smiled gently. “My brother would be sad if you chose to do something easy. The research stream is meant to challenge you and push you.”

“Then…should I study earthquake energy absorption?”

Anya’s eyebrows rose. “If that’s what you’re interested in, I’ll ask around for a different colleague who would be more suitable.”

“…Growing meat directly cell-by-cell, in a laboratory?”

“And what is the purpose of that?”

“To supplement the diet with less environmental impact compared to raising livestock,” Ren Xiyang said. “You must have some project ideas too.”

“When you’re as old as I am, your research ideas would fill out volumes of books,” Anya said. “You have never grown magical herbs, and you’ve never made potions, have you?”

“No.”

“And I noticed you didn’t have any healing research projects on your list. Your healing method has spread. I heard you even taught Duke Schauss’s daughter.”

“I have a healing project idea, but Cassiopeia is working on it. Well, she was the one who came up with it. So I want to leave it to her.”

“Is that so?” Anya thought for a moment, then stood up. “Come on, let’s talk more in my lab, and I’ll show you what my group and I are working on.”

Ren Xiyang followed her into the laboratory next door. In order to enter, Anya cast a shield around both of them, to prevent them from being affected by the potent magical herbs inside.

The lab had two sides: one side grew magical herbs, and the other side synthesised potions.

When they entered, one of Anya’s group members was there, mixing and grinding leaves.

“One major area of magical herb research is increasing potency of known important herbs,” Anya said. “In addition to physical fertilisers, we also adjust the magical environment. The increase of fire-type magic in the ambient air can completely change a magical herb’s properties, as opposed to a predominately water-type magic environment….Another major area is the discovery and analysis of new magical herbs. Here are the herbs I collected on my recent research trip. This here mimics the original environment I found them in. But over here, we’re testing out modified environments.”

“Can I magically scan them?” Ren Xiyang asked.

“I’ll show you some that you can analyse,” Anya said. “Magical herbs can be much more delicate than non-magical herbs. Use of magic can affect them in unexpected ways.”

Anya showed Ren Xiyang to a section with hundreds of neat and orderly herbs. “We grow these for medical use.” She picked out a small pot that contained a plant with deep red leaves. “Here, you can have this. This is a yaarre plant, its leaves have blood clotting properties. We make it into a paste for topical use on wounds.”

“Thank you.” Ren Xiyang held the plant pot and swept his perception-healing magic over it. The immediate difference was the fine magical structure inside the leaves and stem.

To Ren Xiyang, even more ‘non-magical’ plants contained some magic. But it was roughly equilibrium with the surrounding magic in the environment.

This magical plant had control over its internal magic, via some unknown process. The pattern of the magical structure was not exactly aligned with its physical structure.

Ren Xiyang raised his head. “How do magical plants become magical?”

“There are two main methods that we have discovered,” Anya replied. “Some plants absorb magic directly from the ambient environment. Others use a modified photosynthesis process to synthesise magic from sunlight.”

“Can they release synthesised magic back into the environment?”

“They can.”

Ren Xiyang’s mind started to tick. How much magic could magic-synthesising plants release? Were they responsible for the majority—if not all—of the magic in the air, analogous to how non-magical plants released oxygen into the air?

Were magical plants the first mages? Were there magical micro-organisms? How did certain people become mages at all, and why didn’t other people become mages? Was it a case of exposure to certain symbiotic magical bacteria?

Ren Xiyang didn’t want to touch the research about why some people were mages and some weren’t. But he wondered about how exactly magical plants turned sunlight into magic, and how they used magic to acquire different properties that made them desirable and useful in potions. Were they sentient? How did healing potions work? What was the extent of a magical potion’s ability? Could they one day synthesise a “gender fluid” that would make gender transition a breeze?

 

 

 

---

 

Ren Xiyang: More research! ৻(  •̀ ᗜ •́  ৻)

Rian: Oh no…There goes my love life!

 

 

---

 

I’ve been reading more BL romance lately (as opposed to plotty stories) hence the increase in more domestic scenes >w<

 

 

 

_{website | tumblr | twitter | email newsletter}