─┈ in which the cloud general of the xianzhou luofu finds peace in how you smile.
ㅤ─┈ jing yuan x gender neutral reader. a small drabble to kick start this blog!
❪⠀themes : fluff & romance!⠀❫
as the general of the xianzhou luofu and the most important man present in the ship, jing yuan has always been surrounded by people who were related to his work. yanqing, his young and dutiful retainer. fu xuan, master diviner of the divination commission. yukong, helm master of the sky—faring commission.
it isn’t uncommon to see jing yuan surrounded by extremely important people; asides, when he’s leaving work to find a good place to nap. the general of the xianzhou luofu is also a member of the seven arbiter general of the cloud knights and the six charioteers.
what was uncommon, though, was to see jing yuan be accompanied by a perfectly normal person that resided in the xianzhou luofu. commonfolk would clamor you once the general left your side to attend his duties, questioning why the ever so elusive and mysterious cloud general spend time with you.
though your answer— “he finds my presence enjoyable! we play chess often.” — would often leave them unsatisfied, only jing yuan would be able to answer that. perhaps fu xuan too, if she dared to rely on her divination. she wouldn’t, though. not after jing yuan himself warned her not to.
jing yuan found peace in your smile.
the first time he saw you smile, he was out with yanqing, surveying the busied streets of the ship. people parted for the general, offering their respects and well—wishes, which he was immensely grateful for. no matter how many times the people in the ship thanked him, jing yuan found it heartwarming all the while.
and yet—nothing could quite compare to your smile.
optics of molten gold catches sight of your smile—his eyes, ever so charming yet meticulous, hidden behind curtains of white. the cloud general found himself stunned; rooted to the spot, as he gazes at your smile. perhaps for others, it was another smile in the sea of other smiles, but it was different for the dozing general.
he finds himself drawn to it—to the way your eyes sparkled slightly in the sunlight, how your smile made the corners of your hues crinkle. the full cheeks, dusted by roses blooming ethereally, partnered with the soft laugh you let out—his favorite melody, unbeaten.
it was not a question of “why?”, but a statement of “because.”
why was jing yuan drawn to you? because he found your smile utterly captivating, he loves seeing you smile, he loves hearing you laugh—like the first taste of iced cold tea after a long day of training, akin to the sweet—sourness of lemongrass steeped into it. or, maybe even the first beam of sunlight after tedious cold nights. if jing yuan was a retired soldier who became a poet, he’d compare your smile to the first glances of light after a long battle, to the glow of a healer’s ability after suffering from an arduous wound.
for jing yuan, your smile was light itself; and as the cloud general of the xianzhou luofu, he found peace in it.
