( stunning. breathtaking. devastating. the boy is all of that and more, and if they are monsters to each other, lan wangji has seen beyond the tales of his people; limbs do not make the man, and this particular one wears his heart on his sleeve. heโs watched and observed long enough to guess its confines, one generous deed after the other, and sometimes, he wonders why his kin paints them all the same ugly color.
still, caution shouldnโt be discarded. itโs why heโs always remained out of reach, to protect his people, warnings drilled into his skull since he was a child. fear has kept them hidden for centuries, but there was a time, long ago, where humans and merfolk were the same. where the sea was all there was, until war waged and a king ripped up the ocean floor, found the upper world, and changed his tail to legs in order to walk upon his land. families were separated. lovers. itโs nothing but myth and hearsay, but every time he steals a glance, lan wangjiโs chest swells, an echo of something old, as ancient as time.
itโs much fuller now, graced with the boyโs radiant smile, and lan wangjiโs fingers briefly brush over his own cheeks when he feels a hint of heat there, unusual. ) Kept you waitingโฆ? ( not a question, just a realization, sinking in deep and painfully sweet, a sharp inhale. his gaze lowers, their reflections on the surface, where his pointed ears seem redder. he frowns, apologetic as he slowly looks back up. ) Your land stretches too far from home. We are not allowed near the shore. ( and yetโฆ here he is, the corners of his mouth gradually softening. )
no subject
still, caution shouldnโt be discarded. itโs why heโs always remained out of reach, to protect his people, warnings drilled into his skull since he was a child. fear has kept them hidden for centuries, but there was a time, long ago, where humans and merfolk were the same. where the sea was all there was, until war waged and a king ripped up the ocean floor, found the upper world, and changed his tail to legs in order to walk upon his land. families were separated. lovers. itโs nothing but myth and hearsay, but every time he steals a glance, lan wangjiโs chest swells, an echo of something old, as ancient as time.
itโs much fuller now, graced with the boyโs radiant smile, and lan wangjiโs fingers briefly brush over his own cheeks when he feels a hint of heat there, unusual. ) Kept you waitingโฆ? ( not a question, just a realization, sinking in deep and painfully sweet, a sharp inhale. his gaze lowers, their reflections on the surface, where his pointed ears seem redder. he frowns, apologetic as he slowly looks back up. ) Your land stretches too far from home. We are not allowed near the shore. ( and yetโฆ here he is, the corners of his mouth gradually softening. )