( sometimes, in the days before this, xiao hua would rub his head against the back of xie lian's hand or ankle. or xiao hua would sit watchful on a corner of the bed or in the windowsill. and these were all such simple innocuous things that it struck xie lian as curious how sometimes he found himself lost for breath. had he really been so lonely? but it wasn't just that. xiao hua brought with him a familiarity that was both undeniable but also mysterious, and even now, knowing him for his true form, xie lian peers down at him, experiencing it all over again. undoubtedly hua cheng can feel it through their bond: the fluctuation of his heart, the stutter of his breath, the anxiety of both not knowing but also still trusting, all of it softened as he has something to focus on in hua cheng's words.
his cheeks bloom pink as his head jerks in a slight nod. ah...he looks away, finding the edges of the sheets fascinating as he replies, warm if a bit self conscious, )
Oh um yes, ah yes that's...yes. ( his heart quickened like so many butterflies, he tries the requested name out and finds even that is familiar too, a comfortable shape and warmth on his tongue, ) San Lang.
( saying it feels so nice that he ends up looking back at him, reaching behind hua cheng's head with both hands to idly begin braiding his hair. certainly from this angle it's a little odd and it's not very neat, but something in their bond asks that he keep touching even in small, intimate but arguably harmless ways. )
I like it...it suits you.
( one hand leaves off on the braid, fingertips trailing forward to graze his temple, and then his cheek. the resonant heat of their bond is as calming as it is thrilling, running along his every nerve and nestling into each of his breaths. it's such a wholeness that it almost hurts, but then it isn't truly pain; just the excruciating nature of feeling everything of another being. you feel so familiar, he thinks but does not say, distracted as ruoye decides it has had enough and flits down to slip back around xie lian's forearm with all the air of a child tugging on a guardian's sleeve. )
no subject
his cheeks bloom pink as his head jerks in a slight nod. ah...he looks away, finding the edges of the sheets fascinating as he replies, warm if a bit self conscious, )
Oh um yes, ah yes that's...yes. ( his heart quickened like so many butterflies, he tries the requested name out and finds even that is familiar too, a comfortable shape and warmth on his tongue, ) San Lang.
( saying it feels so nice that he ends up looking back at him, reaching behind hua cheng's head with both hands to idly begin braiding his hair. certainly from this angle it's a little odd and it's not very neat, but something in their bond asks that he keep touching even in small, intimate but arguably harmless ways. )
I like it...it suits you.
( one hand leaves off on the braid, fingertips trailing forward to graze his temple, and then his cheek. the resonant heat of their bond is as calming as it is thrilling, running along his every nerve and nestling into each of his breaths. it's such a wholeness that it almost hurts, but then it isn't truly pain; just the excruciating nature of feeling everything of another being. you feel so familiar, he thinks but does not say, distracted as ruoye decides it has had enough and flits down to slip back around xie lian's forearm with all the air of a child tugging on a guardian's sleeve. )