A comforting embrace

"Do you have my personal belongings?" asked Lai Yiteng with traces of coldness.

Xian Wu paused. He was internally glad that Lai Yiteng didn't seem as insane as he did before passing out. That was good. He'd worried often about what would happen if Lai Yiteng awoke only to go on a murderous rampage.

"Yup, I do," answered Xian Wu. He went to a desk and opened the drawer chamber, pulling out the mix of clothes, money, hat, and erhu that Lai Yiteng owned. He brought them over politely in the hopes that Lai Yiteng wouldn't mind him keeping them in his office study rather than his room. 

Lai Yiteng stared pointedly, hovering in the door frame.

Now, Xian Wu wasn't sure what Bo Penglai told Lai Yiteng to make him act like this. He just prompted, "Don't be shy Yi'er, come on in and take it."

He received a glare. 

Then indeed, Lai Yiteng carried up his dress and stepped inside the room. It was cluttered with books and papers, the place clearly had been in use for years, amassing more and more junk and random items as time went on. The guest room Lai Yiteng had slept in was stylish and clean, this place was just a messy workroom in comparison.

Lai Yiteng turned to face Xian Wu. For some reason words were gathering on his tongue, wanting to be asked. "Gege, weren't you poisoned by that man? And your chance to kill him, I messed it up…"

"No, it's fine," Xian Wu assured. "These things are unpredictable. I consider it lucky that I knew such an enemy was closer than I thought. It's not as though he's packed up and moved to another continent to hide. In any case, I was the one who was in the wrong. I lied to you about my identity as Sect Leader, but you have to understand that it was only because you seemed to have a bad impression of Graceful Dragon Sect, so I hesitating in telling you..."

Well, that was true. But even if Xian Wu was wrong for lying to him, Lai Yiteng was still the indirect cause as for why Xian Wu temporarily lost his chance at revenge, even if they'd learned plenty of odd pieces of information from Chen Yuwen during the battle.

That had been the first time Xian Wu appeared so outwardly eager to kill someone, and Lai Yiteng's tackling hug had robbed him of that chance! 

Then Lai Yiteng heard a sigh.

"All right..." said Xian Wu. "Don't think about things that have already happened, it's okay, and come over here."

There was an awkward pause, then Lai Yiteng's eyebrow tilted slightly.

"Huh?"

"I mean come a little closer," Xian Wu repeated. Although his expression seemed calm, Lai Yiteng felt like something wasn't quite right about the situation.

Still, Lai Yiteng had been treated nicely once again, and a kind of tolerance for Xian Wu was growing in his chest. He stepped over to the edge of the desk where Xian Wu stood.

Xian Wu's hairstyle was different from normal, he noticed. His hair wasn't as messy and careless, not like when Xian Wu seemed like a wandering vigilante. It was feathery in nature but tied back in a ponytail, falling around this robes of green, teals, and whites. The colors of Graceful Dragon Sect. Xian Wu's facial features seemed to fit that style of clothes perfectly, to the point that no one could ignore his charm.

"What is it you want?" Lai Yiteng asked curiously as he tried to distract himself. in the end, what did Xian Wu want to show him?

As Lai Yiteng came over to the side of the table, he found that someone was taking care to organize at least a small portion of the newer reports and papers. 

Xian Wu had been giving a smile of expectations the whole time, and now that Lai Yiteng came closer, he moved quickly. His arms wrapped over Lai Yiteng's shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"You—" Lai Yiteng was stunned into speechlessness as he felt his body encompassed by warmth. "Gege, what are you doing?!"

"Isn't that self-explanatory?" Xian Wu asked in return, bringing Lai Yiteng in even closer to him until the younger's head nearly rest in the crook of his neck. "I was worried."

It really was. He knew that it must have been painful when the contaminated blood in Lai Yiteng's veins was stirred up by the flute. He knew that it must have been terrifying to have his mind turn less sane with the notes.

Lai Yiteng did not show these things outwardly, but with how tense he was, how his demeanor turned into that like a cornered animal.

"Stop…this." Lai Yiteng said quietly. "How is this appropriate?" Or so he said, but made no outwards movements to pry himself away from Xian Wu.

After all, this was not the first time they'd been at close range. Especially when he was training, learning Graceful Dragon Martial Arts, Lai Yiteng remembered how Xian Wu hovered behind him, showing which was to bend and place himself. At first it took a long time for him to get used to it, but inevitably, people are addicted to habits. As long as Xian Wu kept getting close to him day after day, Lai Yiteng would eventually give in and soften. 

It was distracting too, as it went beyond tolerating Xian Wu but enjoying his presence, to the point that Lai Yiteng was swept up in that light scent of jasmine that Xian Wu had.

It was calming.

That was why, even though he would rather die than admit it, he let himself be held in the arms of Xian Wu, basking in that feeling of comfort.

Eventually, Xian Wu released his hold of Lai Yiteng.

Immediately, Lai Yiteng's black pupils darted about with wariness. Although he'd grown drunk on that moment of closeness to each other, it didn't mean he was entirely dense.

"What if someone saw? Would it cause trouble for you, gege?"

Xian Wu was the sect leader. In honestly, Lai Yiteng knew that he shouldn't be spending any time on a worthless criminal such as himself.

Sitting back down in the elaborately carved chair at his desk, Xian Wu chuckled.

"No one is watching. Even if they were, it doesn't matter since you are a 'she', not a 'he' to them."

Lai Yiteng tensed. Right. He was in damned woman's clothing again!

…so that meant that whatever embrace he and Xian Wu had, it only looked like the Sect Master, known for playing around with girls anyway, had brought a girl home to play around with.

The 'girl' was Lai Yiteng. While he didn't like having to act more feminine, he could at least appreciate a good way to hide and lie low, even if it was crossdressing.