anonymous text post

[peerlesscucumber]

Question: If someone tells you to do whatever's necessary in order to ensure you don't crystalise from chroma deprivation, what does that mean to you?

[ help him prove his point that people's first assumption isn't "have sexual relations!" or help disprove his point... ]

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[bailian]

Shen Qingqiu, this one will engrave it on his heart.

[ He corrects himself, hushed with the weight of understanding and the barest tip of a chin not meant to disturb the touch he wouldn't shake off for all the world.

The overfamiliarity itself passes by as if a cold breeze; forgotten with the touch of a hand Binghe knows through years of study left to slide itself down over dark hair to ease away the tension. ]

I do hear you. [ A promise in as much as it is confirmation. ] Now and always.

[ One more lesson learned in a waltz of trying to better understand someone Luo Binghe ought to know by now, yet has just begun to comprehend beyond all their misunderstandings. In this strange new world and in the seemingly endless waltz that takes him closer or farther from such aspirations in steps that move more sideways than straight. But those too may inevitably, hopefully, still move him forward.

The smaller shape of a scholar's hand is sought out once he feels it go still against dark locks; reaching to draw it into his hold for a brief squeeze before slowly setting it free. One small bridge has been built, of many more he can only hope. ]

You mentioned bringing something home. [ A welcome diversion from the earlier solemnity. ] Biscuits, was it?

Are those all for me, or do I have to share?

[peerlesscucumber]

[ Truly, he's more at ease, and it's hard to say if there's any one singular source. Shen Qingqiu isn't at ease with anyone using only his given name familiarly; he barely tolerates it when it happens, and who knows. It may be one of those things that changes with time, but years of habit have their way with him for now.

And the warmth, here, is comfortable, not encroaching on anything approaching his sense of how the world should structure. At least not too much.

That squeeze of his hand and freeing sets him into motion, stepping sideways--further in--and inclining his head to Luo Binghe. ]

You may decide to do with them as you like. Share or not, they're yours.

[ What, do you want to snack on them all? Sure, he made certain they weren't sugar filled, more suitable for Luo Binghe's palate than most would be. He lifts a hand, a not unkind dismissal, then moves to take a seat in the most dignified place he can find.

Sometimes, that's just what you do, okay!? ]

https://youtu.be/LgW0BSuy5kw

[bailian]

And here I was only teasing. [ A quiet laugh escapes him, full of joyful surprise. ] If it's always this productive then maybe I should try more often.

[ Despite all his own bustling about piping ovens, over confections sweetened to the tastes of another's palette, Shen Qingqiu's is the first offering of the same. Worth the recognition given in a smile that remains even as Binghe watches the one responsible for it pad barefooted into his home.

His search for a comfortable perch elsewhere, like a cat hunting patches of sunbeams to stretch under, shouldn't be in vain. Comfortable accommodations exist within the sprawl of a plush couch and it's paired coffee table. Fashioned at the appropriate height to serve as a low dining area, it's bordered by several plush cushions that provide for a more traditional seating option if that's preferred. ]

Now that you've agreed I'll have to figure out creative ways to work through this new windfall of mine.

[ Gratitude burrows a warmth in deep within his chest over more than gifted morsels. The gesture itself is just as worthwhile as the thought behind it all. Left unsaid is the fact the tin will stay where it resides upon his countertop; vaulted within Luo Binghe's home like a dragon's precious gold. He'd rather crack open troves filled with priceless stones and coin alike to dispense them out to the masses. It'd be easier to part with those than a treasure imbued with all the warmth and care spent in Shen Qingqiu's nimble fingers working them into being. ]

Do you feel like trying a few with me and seeing how well they go with tea?

[ Modern advances cut the preparations for brewing down to minutes where past routine, involving lit fires and time to boil water, would have left it to drag on. So it's not too long after Shen Qingqiu has settled himself that Luo Binghe is there with a tray in hand; cups and teapot ready for use alongside the addition of several biscuits upon a small dish. He serves Shen Qingqiu first, without question. The delicate cup all but engulfed within a steady hand; steered in its destination onward toward Shen Qingqiu's own for him to take or decline at will. ]