late. quiet. the two of them had been drinking under the moon as they always do, talking, laughing, growing steadily more drunk until at last the night drew on, and one of the two began to grow tired. these days, it's usually yingxing. he's getting older, the first of his grey hairs sprouting, and while he's still young and fit and strong, he's not a teenager anymore - late nights drinking aren't as easy as they once were.
tonight, they're at dan feng's manor, drinking in the gardens beneath the stars, and when yingxing starts yawning, dan feng chuckles and teases him, and the two of them move up the path to the back doors. it's always difficult to leave dan feng's side, but especially on nights they're alone, when he has the man entirely to himself to selfishly hoard his attention..
warmed by the baijiu, yingxing smiles. ]
Mm.. wish I didn't have to go. [ he says offhandedly, then chuckles. ] Sometimes, you..
[Dan Feng was a master of negotiation. He was well versed in when to speak and when to let silence do the talking, a trap set for the other party to overextend.
He was, also, undeniably a moron, because he should let Yingxing wor himself up into knots, but he ends up opening his mouth instead, the same amused curl lilting up the ends of his words.]
Only sometimes?
[He's not sure what 'sometimes' is but he's pretty sure Yingxing has noticed Dan Feng doesn't do anything by halves. Not in the baiju he carefully curates for their rendezvous, not in the elegant snacks (that Dan Feng ends up scandalously eating with bare fingers, too drunk to attempt with chopsticks), not in the way he arranges the low drinking table to have the best view of the stars.]
[ yingxing brushes it off, clears his throat. normally, he's not the sort of man who would shy away from pursuing a partner, he's done it plenty of times, but this is different. this is dan feng. yingxing isn't after a casual fuck, and besides, this is his best friend, someone he trusts and relies on; if he's reading the situation incorrectly.. it could ruin everything.
not to mention, he's the fucking imbibitor lunae. how's a man supposed to chase that? he might've risen to furnace master by his own skill and hard work, but he's still human, still a dirty short-life species; who wouldn't think him unworthy? but.. isn't that all the more reason to go for it? fuck. running a hand back through his hair, yingxing exhales, his eyes meeting dan feng's, lids low. he's still here. not leaving. ]
We're really gonna dance around this until I drop dead of old age, aren't we?
[His brows don't un-knot themselves, and the corners of his mouth slant down. He's still flushed from how deep they've gotten into their cups, but that could mean nothing, considering how Dan Feng drinks like a fish.]
I have never seen a mortal grey before you. [He's still stuck here? Maybe? He unfolds his hands from where they're turned into his sleeve, the intricate embroidery glinting in the dim of the lanterns above them.] I have not cared before you, either. I would rather not think of a time when all I have of you is the memory of your laughter.
[ this is not the first that they've discussed this, nor will it be the last, but even still, yingxing sighs. ]
Then don't think about it. [ he says, catching dan feng's hands as they descend. they're such beautiful hands. he squeezes them lightly. ] Just think about right now, instead. Can you do that for me?
[ he's being bold, taking dan feng's hands like that, holding them in his own warm, rough, callused ones. he's touched dan feng before, but even still, this is different, this is warmer, more intimate, lingering. ]
[That's- Dan Feng's no stranger to friendly touches, not anymore. Baiheng had no sense of personal space, Jing Yuan slept on his sleeves, and even Jingliu was not above a friendly hand on his shoulder - he was blessed to have friends who saw him as Dan Feng before Imbibitor Lunae - and Yingxing, well.
It couldn't be said it was all Yingxing who started it. Dan Feng, too, sat next to him during all of their gatherings, passed drinks and snacks to him, stood too close than was proper when he was loitering at the forge, and one, memorable time, handed Yingxing his hair stick, fingers brushing against his.
Tonight they sat close enough that their shoulders brushed, and his tail curled around the far side of Yingxing's hip. Things that could be explained away by other reasons. But there was no explaining this. Dan Feng pauses, and then his hands curl around Yingxing's, and he can feel the prickle of blood rushing to his face.]
Only you would be impudent enough to tell me what to do. [He can't look up from their hands. Or the heave of Yingxing's chest. He swallows. Yingxing already knows his staff are dismissed for the night - they always are, when they drink together.] What are we doing?
[ but that's not true, is it? yingxing knows. knows what he himself is doing. knows that he doesn't want to let dan feng's hands go ever again. it's just as he'd said, they have been dancing around this for a long time now, and yingxing's feet are getting tired. he's probably the only person on the luofu who would be - "impudent" - enough to touch dan feng this way. ]
It's been a nice dance, but.. I think the night has come to a close, yeah?
[ no more dancing. only the quiet night ahead of them. yingxing is bold even on the worst of days, and now, empowered by baijiu, he lifts one hand to dan feng's face, cradling his too-soft jaw. it's like feeling cool silk. dipping his head, he touches their brows together, his warm breath brushing dan feng's perfect lips. ]
[His eyes cross a little bit, trying to look at Yingxing from so close. He lifts his hand to wrap around the one on his face, keeping it there. There's a smattering of scales shimmering on his cheekbones - those only come out when he's flushed this hard.
He doesn't remember if his heart has even pounded this fast. He doesn't think he cares, actually, because before he can think about it, his heels lift off the ground, and he's the one closing the distance between them, pressing their lips together. He doesn't close his eyes. Is he supposed to close his eyes.]
[ yingxing is both confident that dan feng will rise to the occasion, and terrified of rejection, at the exact same time - but in the end, it would seem that his forwardness paid off. dan feng's lips brush his own, and yingxing's heart leaps into his throat. he's never wanted anyone like this. never cared about anyone like this.
also, close your eyes you fucking freak??
without further hesitation, yingxing presses forward, closing his eyes and tilting his head to slot their mouths more comfortably together. it's all too easy. ]
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no subject
late. quiet. the two of them had been drinking under the moon as they always do, talking, laughing, growing steadily more drunk until at last the night drew on, and one of the two began to grow tired. these days, it's usually yingxing. he's getting older, the first of his grey hairs sprouting, and while he's still young and fit and strong, he's not a teenager anymore - late nights drinking aren't as easy as they once were.
tonight, they're at dan feng's manor, drinking in the gardens beneath the stars, and when yingxing starts yawning, dan feng chuckles and teases him, and the two of them move up the path to the back doors. it's always difficult to leave dan feng's side, but especially on nights they're alone, when he has the man entirely to himself to selfishly hoard his attention..
warmed by the baijiu, yingxing smiles. ]
Mm.. wish I didn't have to go. [ he says offhandedly, then chuckles. ] Sometimes, you..
[ ah. he lets the sentence drop. ]
no subject
He was, also, undeniably a moron, because he should let Yingxing wor himself up into knots, but he ends up opening his mouth instead, the same amused curl lilting up the ends of his words.]
Only sometimes?
[He's not sure what 'sometimes' is but he's pretty sure Yingxing has noticed Dan Feng doesn't do anything by halves. Not in the baiju he carefully curates for their rendezvous, not in the elegant snacks (that Dan Feng ends up scandalously eating with bare fingers, too drunk to attempt with chopsticks), not in the way he arranges the low drinking table to have the best view of the stars.]
no subject
[ yingxing brushes it off, clears his throat. normally, he's not the sort of man who would shy away from pursuing a partner, he's done it plenty of times, but this is different. this is dan feng. yingxing isn't after a casual fuck, and besides, this is his best friend, someone he trusts and relies on; if he's reading the situation incorrectly.. it could ruin everything.
not to mention, he's the fucking imbibitor lunae. how's a man supposed to chase that? he might've risen to furnace master by his own skill and hard work, but he's still human, still a dirty short-life species; who wouldn't think him unworthy? but.. isn't that all the more reason to go for it? fuck. running a hand back through his hair, yingxing exhales, his eyes meeting dan feng's, lids low. he's still here. not leaving. ]
We're really gonna dance around this until I drop dead of old age, aren't we?
no subject
[Dan Feng’s eyes are somehow wide and liquid, when did that happen? How was the Imbibitior Lunae capable of that?]
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I wasn't being serious, don't worry. Don't give me those eyes.
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I have never seen a mortal grey before you. [He's still stuck here? Maybe? He unfolds his hands from where they're turned into his sleeve, the intricate embroidery glinting in the dim of the lanterns above them.] I have not cared before you, either. I would rather not think of a time when all I have of you is the memory of your laughter.
no subject
Then don't think about it. [ he says, catching dan feng's hands as they descend. they're such beautiful hands. he squeezes them lightly. ] Just think about right now, instead. Can you do that for me?
[ he's being bold, taking dan feng's hands like that, holding them in his own warm, rough, callused ones. he's touched dan feng before, but even still, this is different, this is warmer, more intimate, lingering. ]
no subject
It couldn't be said it was all Yingxing who started it. Dan Feng, too, sat next to him during all of their gatherings, passed drinks and snacks to him, stood too close than was proper when he was loitering at the forge, and one, memorable time, handed Yingxing his hair stick, fingers brushing against his.
Tonight they sat close enough that their shoulders brushed, and his tail curled around the far side of Yingxing's hip. Things that could be explained away by other reasons. But there was no explaining this. Dan Feng pauses, and then his hands curl around Yingxing's, and he can feel the prickle of blood rushing to his face.]
Only you would be impudent enough to tell me what to do. [He can't look up from their hands. Or the heave of Yingxing's chest. He swallows. Yingxing already knows his staff are dismissed for the night - they always are, when they drink together.] What are we doing?
no subject
[ but that's not true, is it? yingxing knows. knows what he himself is doing. knows that he doesn't want to let dan feng's hands go ever again. it's just as he'd said, they have been dancing around this for a long time now, and yingxing's feet are getting tired. he's probably the only person on the luofu who would be - "impudent" - enough to touch dan feng this way. ]
It's been a nice dance, but.. I think the night has come to a close, yeah?
[ no more dancing. only the quiet night ahead of them. yingxing is bold even on the worst of days, and now, empowered by baijiu, he lifts one hand to dan feng's face, cradling his too-soft jaw. it's like feeling cool silk. dipping his head, he touches their brows together, his warm breath brushing dan feng's perfect lips. ]
So are you going to invite me in, this time?
no subject
He doesn't remember if his heart has even pounded this fast. He doesn't think he cares, actually, because before he can think about it, his heels lift off the ground, and he's the one closing the distance between them, pressing their lips together. He doesn't close his eyes. Is he supposed to close his eyes.]
no subject
also, close your eyes you fucking freak??
without further hesitation, yingxing presses forward, closing his eyes and tilting his head to slot their mouths more comfortably together. it's all too easy. ]