[ xie lian wants to be a safe place for hua cheng, as hua cheng has been for him. therefore, at his brief hesitance, he doesn't move, keeping his hands open, trying to give him a welcoming smile -- and then lets out a little "oof" as he's suddenly accosted with a whole lot of boy.
it doesn't bother xie lian, though, and a little laugh escapes him. it's hua cheng. he's different than anyone else in this world, and as he enters xie lian's space, he merely lifts his sleeves up and out of the way to make sure they don't get pinned as hua cheng makes himself comfortable. it's not abnormal, especially not after algos academy, where this sort of thing was basically day to day, and he learned there that san lang likes to be held and would often worm his way in without much announcement of it.
so! his arms drape carefully across hua cheng's back, and he lifts his wrist to reach up and... oh, finally, scratch him behind those soft, fluffy fox ears. if this is the easiest way for xie lian to bring san lang comfort, then he can't say he's complaining, and he hums a soft, inquisitive noise at san lang's statement, one that vibrates in his throat near where san lang has settled himself. ]
I'll decide for myself what's dangerous and what isn't, thank you. [ he points out with a huff of amusement, soft, even if his cheeks are a bit pink. ] So you'll have to be a bit more specific.
[ xie lian has never felt safer than he does with hua cheng, and he'd... he'd like to return the favor. if this is what helps, then so be it. (it is no great sacrifice, holding him in his arms, scratching his fingers through his dark hair. it is a chance to return some of the endless care that hua cheng has given him.) ]
[ For someone as strong as him, it wouldn't take much to attack. Even Xie Lian would be caught off guard with this proximity and trust, and wouldn't come out of it unscathed. But there's no desire to harm him, as he holds him, wrapping his arms around his middle and weaseling to make sure that all of him fits. He's long, lean, but broad-shouldered and solid regardless - yet there's no difficulty in fitting against the small, compact, strong Xie Lian that folds him into his sleeves, into his arms.
In an instant, Hua Cheng melts against Xie Lian, his ears flicking back with an absolute contentedness that truly shouldn't be achievable. He's happy, despite all of the chaos, the pain, the things that have happened over the course of a month. (Of a lifetime.) He nuzzles his nose under Xie Lian's jaw, heedless of his injury, because it doesn't matter.
He's being held in Xie Lian's arms. There are important things to talk about, but with some shifting, the two of them take up the entirety of the lounge like this. And he's shameless about it. ]
If you offer me your arms like this too much, I'll never want to leave them. [ Don't you know how much he loves you, even in this world? ] But if gege wants to pet my ears like this, who am I to tell him to stop, anyways?
[ ...oh. well, that's a bit embarrassing. he mumbles, ] Such shameless things come out of your mouth so easily.. [ but doesn't follow up much more than that, which is xie lian speak for "that's embarrassing but i like it", definitely. his scold has zero heat.
xie lian just lets hua cheng get comfortable. once he's settled perfectly, xie lian adjusts, and gently rests his chin on top of hua cheng's head, being especially careful not to mess up his injury. he even reaches down to gently adjust hua cheng's chin with gentle, sure fingers, so the burnt side of his face isn't pressed directly into his chest like that, because he's pretty sure that san lang actually doesn't care but xie lian does. he shouldn't have to be in any pain, at all.
the new angle lets him scratch and scratch away, which is very nice, too. he ends up smiling a little more than he means to, softly down at the head of ink black hair now tucked against him. as hua cheng relaxes, so too does xie lian, and the little warmth in his chest that has been building and building for san lang flickers happily, as if he's found his way home. (in a way, it feels like he has.) ] I'll pet them as much as you'd like, though I still would like to know what happened.
[ Heart giving a little jump at the touch to his chin, there's no resistance as he settles into place where he's put, cheek against his chest more carefully now. The dull throb of pain is still there, and his head is killing him even hours and hours later, but... but Xie Lian's fingers in his hair, scratching behind his velvet-soft ears, is enough to help soothe things away.
At least make them more tolerable, now, as he curls his legs up - tucking them under Xie Lian's, letting him prop them up like that.
Of course, he can only bask innocently for so long.
Hm, damn. But Hua Cheng knew that he couldn't escape it for long, not when Xie Lian is always so astute when it comes to other people. He hums a low, content noise, something that reverberates all the way into the pit of his chest. If he were a cat, it would be a purr; as it is, he just sighs, tails flicking before settling in all the open spaces left by their legs and the lounge. ]
I know gege doesn't drink, but surely he still knows of the winery here in Umite? [ He doesn't wait for a response. ] The daughter of the owners is someone that I know quite well. Beau. She and Kano came to me for help, after the market, because they landed themselves in some trouble. But someone was selling things that they shouldn't have been, gems and potions that contained blood, things like that, and she wanted to find who the source was.
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it doesn't bother xie lian, though, and a little laugh escapes him. it's hua cheng. he's different than anyone else in this world, and as he enters xie lian's space, he merely lifts his sleeves up and out of the way to make sure they don't get pinned as hua cheng makes himself comfortable. it's not abnormal, especially not after algos academy, where this sort of thing was basically day to day, and he learned there that san lang likes to be held and would often worm his way in without much announcement of it.
so! his arms drape carefully across hua cheng's back, and he lifts his wrist to reach up and... oh, finally, scratch him behind those soft, fluffy fox ears. if this is the easiest way for xie lian to bring san lang comfort, then he can't say he's complaining, and he hums a soft, inquisitive noise at san lang's statement, one that vibrates in his throat near where san lang has settled himself. ]
I'll decide for myself what's dangerous and what isn't, thank you. [ he points out with a huff of amusement, soft, even if his cheeks are a bit pink. ] So you'll have to be a bit more specific.
[ xie lian has never felt safer than he does with hua cheng, and he'd... he'd like to return the favor. if this is what helps, then so be it. (it is no great sacrifice, holding him in his arms, scratching his fingers through his dark hair. it is a chance to return some of the endless care that hua cheng has given him.) ]
no subject
In an instant, Hua Cheng melts against Xie Lian, his ears flicking back with an absolute contentedness that truly shouldn't be achievable. He's happy, despite all of the chaos, the pain, the things that have happened over the course of a month. (Of a lifetime.) He nuzzles his nose under Xie Lian's jaw, heedless of his injury, because it doesn't matter.
He's being held in Xie Lian's arms. There are important things to talk about, but with some shifting, the two of them take up the entirety of the lounge like this. And he's shameless about it. ]
If you offer me your arms like this too much, I'll never want to leave them. [ Don't you know how much he loves you, even in this world? ] But if gege wants to pet my ears like this, who am I to tell him to stop, anyways?
no subject
xie lian just lets hua cheng get comfortable. once he's settled perfectly, xie lian adjusts, and gently rests his chin on top of hua cheng's head, being especially careful not to mess up his injury. he even reaches down to gently adjust hua cheng's chin with gentle, sure fingers, so the burnt side of his face isn't pressed directly into his chest like that, because he's pretty sure that san lang actually doesn't care but xie lian does. he shouldn't have to be in any pain, at all.
the new angle lets him scratch and scratch away, which is very nice, too. he ends up smiling a little more than he means to, softly down at the head of ink black hair now tucked against him. as hua cheng relaxes, so too does xie lian, and the little warmth in his chest that has been building and building for san lang flickers happily, as if he's found his way home. (in a way, it feels like he has.) ] I'll pet them as much as you'd like, though I still would like to know what happened.
[ you have not distracted him yet, sir! ]
no subject
At least make them more tolerable, now, as he curls his legs up - tucking them under Xie Lian's, letting him prop them up like that.
Of course, he can only bask innocently for so long.
Hm, damn. But Hua Cheng knew that he couldn't escape it for long, not when Xie Lian is always so astute when it comes to other people. He hums a low, content noise, something that reverberates all the way into the pit of his chest. If he were a cat, it would be a purr; as it is, he just sighs, tails flicking before settling in all the open spaces left by their legs and the lounge. ]
I know gege doesn't drink, but surely he still knows of the winery here in Umite? [ He doesn't wait for a response. ] The daughter of the owners is someone that I know quite well. Beau. She and Kano came to me for help, after the market, because they landed themselves in some trouble. But someone was selling things that they shouldn't have been, gems and potions that contained blood, things like that, and she wanted to find who the source was.