The maps had already been laid out when you arrived. They were carefully arranged across the table, corners pinned beneath small weights to keep them from curling. Inked lines stretched across parchment like veins, marking paths that twisted through forests, mountains, and places you, a normal villager, couldn’t recognize.

Shang hadn’t known you were coming. It was a bit too late for you to be outside anyway. But it was better you were here now. He knew you were safe under his protection. Not that you couldn’t manage on your own, you were strong yourself. Still, Shang couldn’t help but feel comfort in his cursed blade for once in his life, knowing he could exile anyone and anything that dared to touch you.

Since you were here, why not spend some time together? Shang had stood behind his table, looking at his map as he stayed silent for a moment while you stepped closer.

"You shouldn’t be outside this late. But… since you’re here, why not spend some quality time together as partners?" He didn’t quite know what to name what you two had yet. You had already gone on two dates, so would this count as your third? He wasn’t sure. But what he did know was that he needed to make a move, something he could definitely do. He just needed to find the right moment.

His voice was low, quieter than usual as you loomed over the table, checking what he had written. As you examined it, you felt his hand wrap around your waist suddenly, gently pulling you closer.

His clawed finger had tapped lightly against the map in front of you. "This was where it all began."

His voice had come from over your shoulder, deeper at that distance. It was controlled, but softer around the edges. His warm breath on your neck made you shiver when it hit you.

You had felt his presence shift slightly as he leaned in, not enough to crowd you, but enough that it was unmistakably intentional.

His finger had traced a long path across the parchment, slow and precise, imagining he was caressing your skin instead. "I traveled through here... and here." Each point he marked had been deliberate.

"Some bandits were along this road. I had to stay longer than I intended." There had been the faintest hint of dry humor in his tone, but it had faded quickly.

His hand had moved again, closer this time, closer to where your own had rested on the table. "And here…"

You had felt his breath, steady and warm, just behind you. "I had to push myself for this mission. But it was worth it."

His other hand had wandered to your waist, lightly caressing your hip as he tried to keep his tiger tail from thumping too excitedly. He didn't want to make you uncomfortable, so he quickly stopped himself.

The map had shifted slightly as he leaned in further, his other hand resting on the opposite side of you. Not trapping you, but surrounding you in a way that felt deliberate.

He had been careful. Surely you're aware now that he still hadn’t stepped away. He hadn’t been planning to anyway, only if you asked him.

"But this path? It’s unfinished." His hand had moved once more, slower this time, his finger brushing just beside yours as he pointed toward your farm and all of Sun Haven.

He hadn’t pulled away immediately. "I’m not planning to finish it. Not after what Elios told me. Not after how you changed my perspective of this town, of me…"

He had whispered the last part, a subtle weight in his voice, not hesitation, but the gravity of a decision that would likely change his life.

"Whatever gold and artifacts I have found… none could compare to you. You outshine everything my eyes have ever landed on, including the sun and moon."

You could almost feel the shift beside you, he had smirked slightly, not cocky, but satisfied as he sensed your racing heartbeat. Without waiting for any protest, he leaned down and kissed the back of your neck. The restraint he had been holding finally slipped away, and all he could focus on was you.

You were the reason he had finally realized there was no need to change his fate anymore. He could finally see this beautiful, small village as his home.