headlocked | high cloud disaster ot3 shit

[swallows. hard. that look promised so much and he wants all of it.

but also. sidling closer to get a good look at jing yuan's expression.]

That's right.

[jing yuan needs to stop looking so soft and fuckable all the time. see the most attractive part here isn't the soft and fuckable thing, either: it's because blade knows under all that jing yuan is unyielding steel and the sort of person who apparently did not hesitate to run him through if it meant keeping all of them safe.

it wasn't hard to put two and two together.]

Knowing you a date means a nap. [he tilts jing yuan in dan heng's direction like he's a massive floppy cat, as he picks through whatever wreckage and/or clothing items strewn through the living (?) room.

he slants dan heng a vaguely murderous look.] Have you dated anyone?

I can stay awake on a date if it's not too boring.

[It's true, the way Blade sees him. When it comes to serious matters, his mind is razor-sharp and his will is unshakeable. He's survived his position this long because he's good at it. But he's much happier when things aren't dire at all. The kind, playful, "soft and fuckable" side of him is the one he likes better. He treasures every moment when he's free to be that version of Jing Yuan.

At the moment, he's exactly that kind of free, and thus completely content. When he's tilted in Dan Heng's direction, he goes extra boneless just for the joy of looking at him upside down and giving him a cheeky little wave. This is a very happy kitty. If he was a real cat he'd be purring loud enough to hear across the delve.

He's not telling them which door to go to. It's funnier to let them figure it out.]

[dan heng slides blade a glance sidelong and... boops jing yuan's nose.]

I have not.

…I don’t know what a ‘boring’ date is.

[as always he’s blunt. but also he is Trying? he’s too old to be romantic? isn’t it enough that he is like.. There?

also ok good dan heng that means he doesn’t have to kill someone. he grunts in dan heng’s direction.] Find the bath.

[The nose boop just makes Jing Yuan laugh. He appreciates it. Please dote on him more and be silly with him more, thank you.]

Yes, go find it, Dan Heng.

[Don't ask Jing Yuan where his own bathroom is. He's too busy sitting back up and resting his head on Blade's shoulders where he can watch his face adoringly. Until he does something rotten and has to be pinched again, anyway.]

[why has he become the bathroom finder...

well, you guys enjoy old man yaoi for a bit, he's going to find the bathroom and, frankly, fill the tub before fetching them.]

[blade hefts jing yuan higher so he can lean on him comfortably, makes to follow dan heng.

he stops just shy of leaving the living room. opens his mouth.]

I… What you said, earlier.

[closes his mouth. the emotional constipation is clear on his face. the words i love you too are too raw for him to say to either of them, but.]

When you die, it will only be by my hand. [he repeats, whispering it into jing yuan’s temple. Til your deaths do us part.] I promise.

[That's genuinely the romantic thing Blade could say right now. He knows intimately what Jing Yuan is afraid of, and he can be trusted to follow through. Most likely there's noone else in the universe who could make that promise and mean it.

It may seem grim, but it's a tangible comfort when the alternative is so much worse than a merciful death.

Jing Yuan doesn't want to show visible emotion about it though, so he just buries his face against Blade's neck and breathes him in instead.]

...Thank you. I'll try to keep that day away as long as I possibly can.

Mm.

[squeezes him a bit. then he steps out into the hallway and wow accidentally smacks jing yuan’s feet into the doorframe.]

He… [his voice wavers. he sounds so besotted.] He helps. Not just with his weird Vidyadhara shit. But he’s… good.

Gh--

[That hurt!! Jing Yuan makes a whiny noise against Blade's skin, clinging all the tighter. What a rude doorframe.]

...He's a good boy. He deserves better than us. But I'm happy he wants to be here, and I'm glad his presence helps you. We have to do all we can to make him happy.

I don’t care if he deserves better. I want him and I have him.

[see? romantic. he squints down the hall, and with the preternatural skill of someone who’s been a stalker for centuries, heads in dan heng’s direction. he’s careful now, too, maneuvering the bulk of jing yuan through the way, and it’s plenty obvious he actually likes carting the general around. like a pet.]

Today was the first time I made him happy. [if he had a tail it would be wagging violently right now.]

It sounds to me as if you've made yourself happy, too.

[Lucky for Blade, Jing Yuan enjoys being carried. He's snuggled up, completely blissful despite Blade still saying weird stuff.]

I never would've thought we could be like this. I... want to see you both happy even more.

...whatever.

[blade kicks open a door. it is not the bath nor does it have dan heng in it. mystifyingly, this does not upset him as much as he thought it would. this is mostly because like this, he can shift jing yuan close enough so he could bite at an ear. wow.]

Think about yourself for once.

[Jing Yuan startles at the bite with a tiny squeak. Blade's so damned bitey!! His revenge is to give Blade a very brief, light kiss.]

I am thinking about myself. I said I'd retire, did I not?

Although... Fu Xuan may still be too hotheaded for the position. And Yanqing is certainly too short-sighted to be her right hand just yet...

[Meanwhile the sound of running water has become a beacon to the room next door to this one.]

No. You’re retiring. You are going on the Express and I am throwing your phone out of the airlock.

[he would be a lot less grumpy if jing yuan didn’t ply him with these … little.. . affectionate gestures. they make him lightheaded.

and he kicks that door open too! with more force than necessary.]

[dan heng would startle, but he heard the first door get kicked open, so he's ready with a baleful look.]

What did the door do to you? I was about to come fetch you.

He was just that excited to see your face again.

[Jing Yuan says, chipper and quite happy in Blade's arms. And then he immediately follows it with an equally chipper complaint.]

Also, Dan Heng! Tell this brute he can't just throw my phone into the vacuum of space, would you?

The door didn’t have you in it, Dan Heng.

[srs, earnest face. also blade casually sways over to dump jing yuan in the gigantic (????) bathtub?? wow??? blade can be depressed here in style…]

You know how he is. When he retires he’ll still be thinking about work.

[gay

gayyyy

going pink and turning back to the water with a tailflick.]

You can't just tell him ahead of time.

[That is a terrible unceremonious drop into the giant luxurious tub... This whole bathroom is luxurious -- as is the whole cottage, tbh. Everything is in a simple and natural style and not the least bit glitzy, but it's extremely high end.

So the water that splashes everywhere when he falls in with a startled shriek, gets all over a very fancy floor. Good thing it's waterproof...

Jing Yuan, on the other hand, is not waterproof. He sits up sputtering, his fluff totally flattened by the water.]

Could you both consider not conspiring against me...?

It’s not conspiring if we discuss it right in front of you, brat.

[now he is also going to try and scoop up dan heng to unceremoniously dump him in the water too.]

It's just making sure you-

[dan heng doesn't blink about getting splashed, because, well-- vidyadhara.

but! scooped. dumped. squawking flailing bundle of limbs and tail.]

[Jing Yuan gets splashed in the face and smacked by the flail tail!]

You--

[This is both quite fun and really annoying. He's reaches out and tries to drag Blade in as inelegantly as possible as vengeance.]

[naturally he’s prepared for an attack but he’s prepared for one from dan heng, so he basically goes down like a sentient rock.

at least this tub has actual water filters, he muses for the 5 seconds he’s underwater, before he surfaces and. splashes jing yuan’s face with water. dick.

(he does not splash dan heng mostly because you can’t actually win any sort of splashing contest with imbibitor lunae.)]

This isn’t a bathtub. It’s a pool.

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