lonelydream | INBOX (for eastbound)

( Oh, this is nice. This isn't entirely what he expected - maybe that he'd be shoved off with a light-hearted grumble about personal space, or a pointy little elbow to the gut - not Zhou Zishu leaning back in. Wen Kexing takes a deep breath and then nuzzles somewhat closer, pleased. )

I have to drink when surrounded by idiots, otherwise I might be driven to something drastic.

( Anyway he's tipsy, it's fine. Pleasantly so, thumb stroking where he has Zhou Zishu held by the hip without any conscious thought on Wen Kexing's part. He just wants to be close, to touch, a greedy and almost innocent need. )

Did you miss me?

You're right here, aren't you? Ai, Lao Wen, you're practically drunk.

[ Gently chiding, a sigh like a disapproving housewife, but he isn't shaking Wen Kexing off or away. He's seen Wen Kexing like this only a few times, and even rarer when it's a happy sort of drunk. Zishu is, suddenly viscerally reminded of that night in Beiyuan's house, after that fiasco at the Conference and before they all retreated to Ghost Valley.

Raising a hand, he presses it to Wen Kexing's hair, patting him gently. ]

( That's somehow even better, Wen Kexing making a noise low in his throat, something like approval, pressing ever closer. )

M'not, I'm just happy.

( He is, a little, but the rest is just the overabundance of joy that having Zhou Zishu here has inspired. It's been a long few months, and though he has made friends there's been something missing. He has it back now, and he squeezes at the other man's hip like a cat kneading before he valiantly pulls himself off of Zhou Zishu's back. It doesn't mean he's any less clingy though, immediately taking a hold of his sleeve but shifting, so he can face him, Wen Kexing's smile wide and sweet. )

No kind words for your zhiji? ( A pout, obviously fake. ) Cruel, Ah-Xu.

What would you have me say?

[ but then he relents, weak as he ever is. ]

Welcome home, Lao Wen.

( He blinks a little, almost stunned, and then his expression clears into another dumb and bright smile. )

Mm. Yeah.

( Home. It's not perfect, there are people missing, but it's so, so nice. Zhou Zishu is so nice. Wen Kexing wants to crawl inside of his ribs and take a nap there, though he keeps that idle thought wisely to himself. )

Sweet. ( A laugh, swinging the hand gripped in his sleeve. ) How are you? How are you feeling? Did you have a good day?

I did.

[ he slept until noon, and then got up, poked around a bit, and then took a nap, and then woke up in time to drink a bit before Wen Kexing got home. All in all, utterly relaxing and useless. ]

How was your day?

Terrible.

( Is he going to find the nearest bottle of wine and then drag Zhou Zishu back to the bed? Yes. There's only a desk and a boring old chair and he doesn't want to be distanced from him. )

I'm truly not cut out for all of this, Ah-Xu. Senators are boring, and stupid, and I want to set them all on fire!

What if you ruled instead?

[ He doesn't mean it. Leading would involve even more problems and paperwork that neither of them would want to deal with. There's a reason Zhou Zishu was never even tempted to make a bid for the throne. ]

Mm, no. It's hard.

( He drags Zhou Zishu over to the mattress, flapping his hands at him until the other man gets the hint and sits down, which means Wen Kexing can throw himself beside him, opening the wine with his teeth. )

I never even wanted to rule Ghost Valley, Ah-Xu. ( Mumbled around the cork, wine soaked enough to forget that he's usually reticent when it comes to that. He replaces the cork with the bottle, taking a swig before offering it over. ) Besides, I don't care enough.

I know, Lao Wen.

[ He sits as he's urged to, and shifts so that his back is to the wall, one leg bent and the other stretched out before him so that he can prop his chin up with one hand, watching Wen Kexing with an impossibly fond gaze. Exasperated, yes, but fond. ]

You would hate it.

( Zhou Zishu is far too pretty, he thinks, watching him with dazed little expression. He hadn't forgotten that in his absense, not exactly, but having him here to gaze on is doing wonders ( and also somehow hell ) for his heart. )

Let's neither of us have political aspirations, all right? It would be boring, and get in the way of all the things we want to do. ( Like drink! And eat! And if Wen Kexing has his way ... other things. )

It's the sign of a man with nothing better to do. Overcompensation.

I had no intention of it. Come, sit. Drink. Tell me about your day.

( He resettles, one leg curled underneath him, his elbow on his thigh and his chin in his palm. )

Oh, there's not much to tell. Boring speeches, boring men, I sat and thought about you instead. What about you? How was your day?

Not much. I've been rather lazy, actually.

Hm. Well, you should.

( Be lazy, he means. Of course he'll nag about it eventually, it's what he does, but he can see the benefit in not having Zhou Zishu overexerting himself. It might do more harm than good. Wen Kexing keeps watching him, something almost sleepy about his gaze. It's the wine, or the hour, or how in this little space they've carved he's like a trusting housecat blinking slow. He's so happy he's fit to bursting with it, which makes the worry all the more sharper. )

Are you hungry? I should have brought something back.

( Had he been more forgetful by himself? Probably. Eating was the least of his worries. It makes him frown regardless, thoughtful. )

I could go back out.

Stay.

[ He says it immediately, insistent. ]

Rest, hm?

[ Zishu brings a hand up, smoothing it over Wen Kexing's hair. ]

( It's hard to disguise the way his expression goes softly vulnerable at the touch, eyes widening a fraction, lips parting on a breath. Zhou Zishu has been kind to him before - he has recalled the embrace in Puppet Manor far too often, furious at himself and still somehow heartsick - but each new instance has his stomach squirming, his heart racing. What a strange thing, to be cared for, to have someone daring enough to scale the walls he places around himself. )

Ah-Xu.

( Soft, soft, his gaze flitting across the other man's face with frantic energy. )

Were you always this sweet?

[ His hand pauses, and then he goes back to petting Wen Kexing's hair, guilt twisting through his gut. he thinks, now, often, that they could have avoided so much pain if they just spoke to each other more. ]

Lao Wen, I...

[ He stops, then, and then tries for a small smile. ]

You need higher standards.

No, impossible.

( He likes that, he thinks, swaying a little closer without meaning to. )

Don't you know I'm very fussy? Only the best. ( Because to him Zhou Zishu is. He's brave, and he's bright, and he can fight like a demon. His brilliance is blinding and impossible to resist. Wen Kexing loves him with an ache, a fact that sits heavy behind his ribs even now, loose limbed and a little wine drunk, still smiling. )

I've changed my mind. I don't want to reincarnate as a bird, I want to be a cat. I could lay in your lap and you could pet me with those clever hands. ( Which sounds like an innuendo but is surprisingly not! ) What a nice little life that would be.

You'd make a decent mouser, I suppose. If you're a cat, though, I think I'd rather be one as well.

[ This conversation is growing rather absurd. The room is dim and warm, and Wen Kexing is a comfortingly heavy weight against him. It loosens his tongue, makes him brave. ]

That's fine, we can huddle for warmth, groom each other, I'll bring you vermin while you sleep.

( It is absurd, but it's also pleasant and meandering, something silly. He never played games of pretend like this as a child and he leans into it fully grown without a care. He hums as he drinks more wine, shifting, and then whiny -. )

Let me put my head in your lap, Ah-Xu, I'm tired.

( Not tired enough to sleep, but enough to be a brat, surely. )

[ He hums in thought, teasing, but then applies a slight pressure to the side of Wen Kexing's head, encouraging him to lay his head down. ]

What if I don't like vermin?

( He drapes himself easily across the bed, head resting against Zhou Zishu's thigh. It's nice, he can't help but nuzzle his cheek into him, heart pounding away behind his ribs. It feels wildly daring the same way it feels right, Wen Kexing drumming his fingers against Zhou Zishu's shin lightly. )

Fine, I'll be a street cat and steal a whole chicken from the butchers for you. Is that better?

Much. I deserve to be kept in luxury.

[ He's teasing, obviously. Of the two of them Wen Kexing is the one who cares more about the luxuries of life--unsurprising, when he spent so long without. Zhou Zishu has had the privilege of, for most of his life, having things at his fingertips if and when he needed it. ]

I'll make sure to be a good feline spouse then, attentive. Only the finest for Ah-Xu.

( Because no matter which form they take, Wen Kexing wants to be good for him, provide the things he might need, care and look after him. It's a sweet dream, one that has kept him buoyed the last few months. )

Though if some well to do housemistress sees you and tries to take you home I won't be happy,

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