Pretty much everything that the pterodactyl touched was thrown away over the cliff.
Zhang Han thought that it was unfortunate…maybe he should have checked the creature with his scanner first. Perhaps it hadn't been edible to begin with.
So they ate the deer instead. It's meat was lean and chewy, game-y with a hint of grassiness. Good, much better than the pterodactyl. Anything was better than that. Zhang Han was not sure he could ever forget the sight of its slimy and gooey flesh.
Vaien was in a sulk after that, too. The leisurely, flippant arrogance he usually boasted was subdued and he didn't have much to say for the rest of the evening.
It made some sense that he was disappointed. After all, Vaien had mentioned that he'd wondered for a long time what a pterodactyls would taste like. Zhang Han, too, would be disappointed if he'd been the one looking up at those birds flying far out of reach, only to one day realize they weren't really worth looking up to at all.
But alas, reality is cruel. He had already experienced such disillusionment one-thousand times over on Gaojun, it was nothing new to him.
And shouldn't Vaien be decades old by now, anyway, based on what he'd told him about the aging of the people here? Why is he acting like this...
...such a man child.
…
Zhang Han was getting ready for bed when he felt a hand slide down his back.
Vaien was without clothes, who knows when he'd slipped them off, and his eyes were gleaming with intent. He leaned back into the faint glow of torch light as though to show-off his honed figure.
His tone was both rumbling and low. "Let's do it?"
"..." Zhang Han had been helping out Vaien with 'venting his desires' more and more frequently. That big cock of his apparently had a lot of stamina despite his efforts.
How troublesome.
He had been thinking about going to bed early today so he could subsequently wake up early the next day and work on all of his projects again. This is what he'd been doing for the past weeks regardless. Plus he was going to store away the fruits that had been gathered and dried. Every time Vaien insisted on nighttime activities, naturally he'd lack sleep the next day.
So Zhang Han made a vague sound in response to Vaien's suggestion.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Vaien gave a vicious sneer. "Shouldn't you be used to this by now? Or are you really tired or something?"
"..."
It wasn't as though Zhang Han disliked sex with Vaien, but, well, it had its limits. They weren't romantically involved, so the amount of passion he felt for it was all invested during 'the act'. Outside of 'the act' he didn't feel particularly passionate. Yeah, it was just a thing they did together that felt good, a means for his survival and venting desires.
He didn't feel wrong in thinking that way.
And why should he? In the end Vaien was someone who sought him out for a sex deal. Not really a stellar personality. Moreover, their difference in power didn't help alleviate the situation.
Thoughts like 'If I don't grant sexual favors, maybe Vaien would throw me out' were exactly what made Zhang Han treat their casual affairs as nothing more. How could he invest emotions in a person who did not even view him as an equal?
To be fair, Zhang Han didn't hate Vaien. There were signs now and then that Vaien actually cared about him a little. Maybe he didn't actually have to worry about Vaien kicking him out at all.
But all of that is far from love.
Vaien, noting Zhang Han's lack of interest, suddenly came over and wrapped his arm around Zhang Han's lower back. He whispered with hot breath into his ear, "...if you're bored of what we usually do, want to try something different?"
Zhang Han blinked dully. "Like what?"
"How about you let me be on…"
"Nope."
Now the mood was a little ruined. It had been obliterated, actually, by Zhang Han's hard rejection.
Vaien's lips pursed into a thin line. "...w-why not?"
"Because I don't want to."
This was true, but Zhang Han also had another reason.
It was that, logistically speaking, there was no lube.
Vaien's huge member + a high sex drive + no lube = OUCH.
Mark these words, painful sex is not fun.
Vaien's hole was just as superhuman as the man himself. So what if there was no lube and Zhang Han shoved into him with rough and wild movements? He was always fine.
Zhang Han's backdoor was not superhuman. It was just a normal hole that could not stand a chance against monstrosities. But he didn't want to explain any of this to Vaien because then he might simply try to find solutions while assuming that Zhang Han was more than willing to take the place of bottom.
And in general, Zhang Han simply didn't want to give Vaien the privilege of 'topping' him. Even if in all other aspects he was helpless in this world, at least with this one matter he'd put his foot down.
So Vaien was left stranded with the painful words of 'I don't want to' from Zhang Han.
At a loss, he stared at Zhang Han's unrelenting expression.
...why doesn't he want to?
Vaien had never suffered a straightforward rejection before in his life. But he was a pestersome bastard, his nether regions wanting for their daily dosage, and he wondered if there wasn't a way to get around it.
At first he tried curling his naked body onto Zhang Han's lap in a seductive manner. His eyes were a mix of vicious irk and playfulness, as though his toy had suddenly grown disobedient and he was deciding between punishing it or coaxing it.
"Hmmm…" he ran his fingers over the front of Zhang Han's tunic. The fabric was soft and thin, his fingers searched for and then started tracing over the bud on Zhang Han's chest. "Are you sure? ...even if I ask nicely?"
"No."
Vaien stopped playing with Zhang Han's nipple. His brows creased into a thin line.
At this point Vaien had nothing left at his disposal except force or threats.
But Vaien wasn't that scummy. He could somehow recognize that there was a thin bond forming between him and Zhang Han. They may not fully trust nor care about each other, and they certainly weren't a pair of affectionate lovers, but there was still a thread of camaraderie that had grown between them.
Vaien had only glimpsed Zhang Han's first genuine smile yesterday.
If he went and ruined things between them, he probably wouldn't get to see it again.
Yet his heart was pattering against his chest restlessly, in a way that made him feel irked and dissatisfied, objecting to the turn of events. Vaien couldn't help but fantasize what it would be like when he was inside Zhang Han. During sex Zhang Han was often flustered in a way outside of his usual character. His eyes would water from pleasure and he'd groan so sweet and helplessly.
And that was when Zhang Han was the one on top!
Naturally, if Vaien were the one fucking into him...wouldn't Zhang Han's expressions be even more attractive, his voice leak out even more uncontrollably? But those were just all just the raunchy and exaggerated thoughts of a horny mind that was left in the gutter for far too many hours.
Today was not the day for those fantasies to be realized.
Vaien gave a huff of resignation then puffed out his cheeks. He was pouting.
"Fine..."
Oh well. What was there to do about it? The atmosphere had already been spoiled. No is no.
Vaien just felt bored and dissatisfied now. He idly stared up at Zhang Han's jawline, at that dark hair that had grown slightly longer after the days spent here.
He suddenly asked, "Ever think about growing out your hair?"
Zhang Han was still on guard and a little irritated from before, and so his next words were not the most patient ones.
"I haven't."
"Dunno, I just think it would look good, all feathery and stuff…"
"I'm going to sleep now."
Somehow the mood was still awkward.