( his next breath is one of relief, perhaps even a bit of amused self-chiding (why had he been so worried? he shouldn't have been), and a smile lingers at the corners of his lips just as it has for much of the last few minutes. )
I'm glad, ( he says, quiet and fond - those may very well be the words he said the first time his companion approved of his choice in names as well - and finally his hand draws out of minhuo's hair, instead finding the edge of his jaw so he has something to navigate by as he leans in just enough to steal a quiet feather-light kiss. he sorely hopes that he's understood how this works, and that doing so isn't out of bounds in some way his lack of firsthand experience leaves him ignorant to. )
[ He enjoys being someone different. It's nice to be Minhuo instead of Xue Yang, and especially so considering how fond Xingchen has become of him. If he were to find out his true identity...well, then everything in this illusion of a life they've built would shatter and along with it, so would his psyche. It wouldn't be pretty.
Leaning into that touch, Xue Yang keeps very still for him while also seeking out more of it. He likes being touched, doesn't even mind it now when Xingchen traces his features. And then that kiss, of course. He closes his eyes as his companion comes closer and meets the press of his lips with his own, affectionate. There's a desire for more but he resists it, allowing his eyes to open when they part.
What is this thing they've built together? All this fondness they've cultivated for each other? What does it mean? If Xingchen still had his sight, he would be able to see those questions etched right into Xue Yang's expression. Thankfully, he can hide it.
Xue Yang reaches for one of the daozhang's hands so he can lace their fingers together, an excuse to touch, to be closer. The other brushes a bit of stray hair from his face, admiring him for these quiet moments. ]
( and they warm xingchen profoundly, these small and tender things. the way minhuo leans into any given touch he has to offer, like a plant curving toward the sun. the way he presses in the moment their lips meet, but never enough to risk pushing xingchen farther than he's shown that he wants to go. the gentlest touch with which the man brushes hair back from xingchen's face. within the daozhang grows a feeling he's not entirely certain he's ever truly felt.
he can't imagine the thought of having come upon this feeling before he was sure that his minhuo would stay.
their fingers are laced together now, and xingchen brings both hands up so he can press a quiet kiss along the knuckles, a silent 'i like this, too'. there are so many little things that he finds that he likes, small touches and gestures that he never would have taken the time to consider until he found himself here in the midst of them. )
Would you still like to sleep? ( he murmurs, the hand on his partner's jaw dropping now to rest lightly against the man's bare chest just below a collarbone. the corners of his lips curl just for a moment as he adds, ) I can read to you, if it might help.
[ He's watching intently as his hands are brought closer and kissed gratefully, something that causes his cheeks to flush once again. After all of the terrible things he's seen and done, he's still blushing at a simple gesture like that.
He does feel like sleep, somehow. The cold had drawn out so much if his energy compounded by the anxiety of what if in those moments before their lips met for the first time had him feeling groggy. He couldn't say no even if he wanted to. ]
Yeah, it might help. [ He was certain that he could fall asleep without being read to but there was something soft in the offer that he didn't want to decline. Plus, he remembered reading to Xingchen before and he still holds that memory dear. He's happy to create another. ]
( the answer earns a quiet pleased hum, and he draws back just enough to - oh, to let chill into their blanket haven, to which xingchen presses his lips to a disapproving line and moves a bit more quickly in his one-handed search of the beside table to find the book in question. then he retreats back under the blankets, book and all.
in that pocket of warmth he tucks the arm around minhuo's middle, setting the book on the empty patch of bed behind him. one might faintly be able to hear the faint shuffling of pages as he locates the page marker that the other man left, light fingers running along the first line of the page and feeling with mild relief that the lettering is, indeed, textured enough to follow along by touch. )
'Do you not realize,' the Diviner asked, 'That true divination is no longer as such the moment it touches the common world?'
( and so he begins to read quietly into the space between his face and minhuo's. the words come slowly at first, carefully, as xingchen identifies each syllable under his fingertip and moves to the next - but mercifully, he's had just enough practice in the past that the process isn't painfully slow. )
'What do you mean?' asked the Second Young Master. 'Are not you yourself a diviner?'
And the diviner said, 'I once thought that I was. I know now that the things which I divine come to pass because I have divined them. In foreseeing these things, I have forewritten them. Do you understand now?'
( as he continues to read, his voice gets steadier, the words coming more easily. the slight focused knit between his brows relaxes away, and his thumb slides affectionately along the back of his partner's. )
[ He frowns to himself when Xingchen has to leave to get the book, but he does his best to trap the warmth in around them, only granting access when Xingchen returns to him. He settles in easily, entirely relaxed into the mattress with the daozhang close to him. He's right there, close enough that he can feel the ghost of each word as he speaks them, not minding his slow pace. He's impressed enough that the man can read from touch alone and also taken aback by how foreign it is to him to be read to. Not bad, of course. He's quite enjoying himself even if he isn't paying much mind to the actual progression of the story.
As much as he desires to stay away and watch the confidence grow on Xingchen's face, the warmth their bodies share and the steady, even twinkle of Xingchen's voice lulls his eyes to close. He's still awake for the most part, hearing every word but not exactly comprehending them as much. If Xingchen were to stop reading, however, he might lift his head and ask him to continue. ]
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[ deletes that clip from the face of the earth ]
I'm glad, ( he says, quiet and fond - those may very well be the words he said the first time his companion approved of his choice in names as well - and finally his hand draws out of minhuo's hair, instead finding the edge of his jaw so he has something to navigate by as he leans in just enough to steal a quiet feather-light kiss. he sorely hopes that he's understood how this works, and that doing so isn't out of bounds in some way his lack of firsthand experience leaves him ignorant to. )
no subject
Leaning into that touch, Xue Yang keeps very still for him while also seeking out more of it. He likes being touched, doesn't even mind it now when Xingchen traces his features. And then that kiss, of course. He closes his eyes as his companion comes closer and meets the press of his lips with his own, affectionate. There's a desire for more but he resists it, allowing his eyes to open when they part.
What is this thing they've built together? All this fondness they've cultivated for each other? What does it mean? If Xingchen still had his sight, he would be able to see those questions etched right into Xue Yang's expression. Thankfully, he can hide it.
Xue Yang reaches for one of the daozhang's hands so he can lace their fingers together, an excuse to touch, to be closer. The other brushes a bit of stray hair from his face, admiring him for these quiet moments. ]
no subject
he can't imagine the thought of having come upon this feeling before he was sure that his minhuo would stay.
their fingers are laced together now, and xingchen brings both hands up so he can press a quiet kiss along the knuckles, a silent 'i like this, too'. there are so many little things that he finds that he likes, small touches and gestures that he never would have taken the time to consider until he found himself here in the midst of them. )
Would you still like to sleep? ( he murmurs, the hand on his partner's jaw dropping now to rest lightly against the man's bare chest just below a collarbone. the corners of his lips curl just for a moment as he adds, ) I can read to you, if it might help.
no subject
He does feel like sleep, somehow. The cold had drawn out so much if his energy compounded by the anxiety of what if in those moments before their lips met for the first time had him feeling groggy. He couldn't say no even if he wanted to. ]
Yeah, it might help. [ He was certain that he could fall asleep without being read to but there was something soft in the offer that he didn't want to decline. Plus, he remembered reading to Xingchen before and he still holds that memory dear. He's happy to create another. ]
no subject
in that pocket of warmth he tucks the arm around minhuo's middle, setting the book on the empty patch of bed behind him. one might faintly be able to hear the faint shuffling of pages as he locates the page marker that the other man left, light fingers running along the first line of the page and feeling with mild relief that the lettering is, indeed, textured enough to follow along by touch. )
'Do you not realize,' the Diviner asked, 'That true divination is no longer as such the moment it touches the common world?'
( and so he begins to read quietly into the space between his face and minhuo's. the words come slowly at first, carefully, as xingchen identifies each syllable under his fingertip and moves to the next - but mercifully, he's had just enough practice in the past that the process isn't painfully slow. )
'What do you mean?' asked the Second Young Master. 'Are not you yourself a diviner?'
And the diviner said, 'I once thought that I was. I know now that the things which I divine come to pass because I have divined them. In foreseeing these things, I have forewritten them. Do you understand now?'
( as he continues to read, his voice gets steadier, the words coming more easily. the slight focused knit between his brows relaxes away, and his thumb slides affectionately along the back of his partner's. )
no subject
As much as he desires to stay away and watch the confidence grow on Xingchen's face, the warmth their bodies share and the steady, even twinkle of Xingchen's voice lulls his eyes to close. He's still awake for the most part, hearing every word but not exactly comprehending them as much. If Xingchen were to stop reading, however, he might lift his head and ask him to continue. ]