Chu Yun gave Xiao Zai a narrow-eyed look before making good on his threat, and removing his robes.
For his part Xiao Zai mirrored his movements and got his inner robes the rest of the way off.
Both of them where standing by the tub, just a few paces away, looking each other in the eye as they turned disrobing into a competitive sport.
Chu Yun was the first to get all his clothing completely off, even though he started after Xiao Zai, which filled him with a great sense of accomplishment.
He could feel Xiao Zai's eyes raking over his naked body, taking in the eyeful he hadn't at the hot springs.
His gaze never left Chu Yun as he dropped his underwear to the floor, leaving it to pile on top of his discarded robes.
Now was Chu Yun's turn to stare. Xiao Zai's skin was smooth all over, his muscles lean and defined, showing the diligence of an exhaustive training regimen. Chu Yun's eyes drifted lower, to the neat thatch of pubic hair leading to a surprisingly big...sword.
Chu Yun's eyes widened. This sword measuring context wasn't going in his favour.
Then again, a sword's size didn't mean anything until it was fully hard, he thought, fully loosing track of the metaphor.
Xiao Zai smirked. "Big enough for you?"
Chu Yun rolled his eyes. "For all I know that's as big as it gets." He sat on the edge of the wooden tub and looked up at Xiao Zai. "I bet I'm still bigger."
Xiao Zai's smug smirk remained in place. "Fine, there's only one way to find out."
He sidestepped Chu Yun and got into the tub, siting down in the warm water and stretching out his arms over the edge.
Chu Yun followed him inside and sat down at the opposite end, mirroring his pose.
Xiao Zai glanced down at his own crotch, concealed by the soapy water, and then lifted his eyes to look back up at Chu Yun, making his intentions clear.
For a moment, Chu Yun considered throwing the wash basin at his head. "I'm not touching you."
Xiao Zai shrugged. "I guess we'll never know who has the biggest sword then."
"I guess," Chu Yun echoed, lifting his chin in the air and looking at the side.
"Which means that in this one category, I win," Xiao Zai said, grinning wolfishly.
Chu Yun dropped his hands from the edge of the tub at once, letting them fall to the water with a splash.
If this was how Xiao Zai wanted to play, then Chu Yun had no problem indulging him -- he was still not touching him, though.
Glaring, he wrapped one hand around himself under the water, and keeping his grip tight, stroked his fist up and down.
---
At first, Xiao Zai thought his eyes were tricking him, and that the rhythmic shift of muscles on Chu Yun's arm meant something else, but then he bit his lower lip, and a powerful wave of pheromones hit Xiao Zai's senses, unmistakable for anything else but an alpha's lust.
Chu Yun's fresh orchid scent left him feeling dizzy, and slightly overwhelmed, just as it ought to. An alpha sent out mating pheromones with the purpose of lowering an omega's guard and heightening their desire, or to debilitate any alpha who might be competition.
Right now Xiao Zai was experiencing the full force of Chu Yun's pheromones, and while it made him disoriented, the feeling wasn't nearly as unpleasant as he remembered.
He took a deep breath, inhaling some more of Chu Yun's scent, but instead of fighting it, he let it wash over him. In a few moments, his head cleared, just in time to hear Chu Yun's choked off gasp.
His eyes were open, narrowed in spite and fixed on Xiao Zai, his lower lip caught between his teeth.
When Xiao Zai wrapped his own fist around himself he found that he was already hard.
"I thought the point was seeing who had the biggest sword," he asked, panting through his arousal, made headier by his desire to beat Chu Yun at whatever game they were playing. "Are we trying to see who'll come first, or who'll last longer?"
Chu Yun scowled. Something told Xiao Zai he had lost sight of what they were even supposed to do.
---
Xiao Zai's intoxicating scent was making it harder for Chu Yun to focus. Just smelling it made him feel drunk.
His rhythm grew faster, his grip tighter. He wanted to look away from Xiao Zai but couldn't, the sight of his gleaming skin captivated him, as did the jumping muscle along his jaw, proof that he was just as affected as Chu Yun.
That was when Chu Yun realised what was the point of all this. He wanted to see Xiao Zai lose control. He wanted to show him who was the fucking alpha in this marriage.
He slowed down his movements, but tightened his fist. "I bet this is the hottest thing that has ever happened to you."
Chu Yun could hear Xiao Zai's sharp intake of breath, and it only made him bolder. "In Xin we say that all wolves are repressed, is it true? I bet you've barely fucked your fist, let alone an omega."
"Shut up," Xiao Zai growled, his teeth gritted.
Chu Yun sped up his hand, his smirk delighted. "Why, are you close? I bet you want to come really bad," he teased.
Xiao Zai cursed under his breath, the muscles of his upper arms bunching up with the speed of his strokes. "Yeah, all over your fucking face." He closed his eyes, and came with a rumbling moan.
The sight of Xiao Zai's face slack with pleasure and the sweet thrill of victory brought Chu Yun over the edge.. He came smiling around his moan.