Aaron picks up the fan and presses it into Huaisang's palm.
"I ain't," he insists softly. "Like you." But his hand lingers there, the touch soft and gentle, nothing like Aaron's outward appearance.
"I ain't- I don't know what, but I like you. You're not like anyone I've ever met."
He mutters it as he says it, like it's a secret, like he can't actually make himself say the words aloud. He had liked Linda, sure, but she was no one important. She was just as bad as everyone else in the end.
And Alex -
Well fuck him.
Aaron only realized what he wanted, impulsive as it was, when he thought about Huaisang's plan. Why it burned him so much. This is why.
Labels. Huaisang understands entirely. Aaron isn't the first man he's kissed who's insisted that he wasn't 'like him'. Hell, some of them had their hand in his robe or his cock in their mouth and they were still adamant that they didn't like men that way.
Huaisang takes the fan with a brush of his thumb across Aaron's wrist.
"And I've never met anyone as good as an actor as me." He smiles a little playfully, opening up his fan again to wave his reddened face.
He likes Aaron, and he is beautiful. He'd make a fine addition to his collection.
He closes the space between them with his fan, covering their faces to the door as he leans forward to touch his lips to his.
He threads his fingers through his hair, brushing it from his face. "Yeah, that's how I knew." He admires the fan for a moment, not even noticing how close he is until he's kissing him again.
Ah.
Yeah, this is nice.
He lets it linger this time, putting a hand on his but nothing else. Nothing more. So when he pulls away, it's with a smirk.
"There. Now you got something better to think about when you're having to kiss that other guy."
“Ah! How could you be so cruel as to remind me!” Huaisang folds his fan and flops back onto the cushions on the floor, his broad sleeve covering his face. It’s easier to cover up the big grin that way.
“I hate him so much. I’m glad he’s here. I burned down the world just to get my revenge.”
Aaron sits back, quite pleased with himself. "Too bad he's got that nice thing going on the outside," he says with a breathless sort of laugh. "I don't have an excuse to punch him in the fucking face for you."
Jin Guangyao had been doing well keeping himself in the shadows, although--
"Oh!"
He sits up again quickly. It occurs to him that he'd given himself away publicly. "He tried to play a song on the network a day or so before the breach began. Do you remember? It might have made you feel uncomfortable. That's the song that drove my brother insane!"
"Songs can make people crazy?" he wonders, leaning over towards him. "I remember it. What a dick." He shakes his head. "Did he do that to fuck with you?"
"I wouldn't be surprised. He just enjoys causing harm in general though, little viper."
Though it is difficult to tell what goes on in Jin Guangyao's head sometimes. Who can really say why he does anything beyond expressing his spiteful, jealous little heart.
He shrugs his shoulders. Getting paired doesn't intimidate him like it might with Aaron. "They'll know the outline of my plan, but there isn't anything I can't talk to death. Besides -- who could possibly argue with a brother seeking revenge?"
"I'm angry with him, and we're just getting to know each other. He was morally corrupted and someone who took advantage of young people who needed his help -- he needed to die."
That, as his brother would say, is the righteous path.
"Yeah, I know," he mutters. "He just pulled us all out and told us that he needed to exercise his demons. Which is code for - well, you know. Getting off." He waves a hand, like it doesn't matter, like he's killed him, so fuck it.
"And your guy, I won't touch him, but I'd like to nail him to a goddamn wall."
Huaisang winces. There are a lot of evils in the world -- he's seen his fair share, but there's a special sort of suffering that needed to be reserved for someone who did that.
"You could. He'd play innocent the entire time, I'm sure."
He scoffs and sits back, waving his fan again to give himself a little breeze. His hair flutters and he looks down in some serious thought.
"Yes and no. Getting the revenge was good. Making everyone jump through hoops to figure it out and then the my big goddamn reveal at the end? That was fulfilling." He realizes that it probably makes him selfish for it, but he feels good about what he did to the Bishop.
"My lawyer, Marty? He - he was a good guy. I had him fooled the whole time, but I think he figured it out in the end. Like...like we was dancing, you know?"
He didn't reveal himself right at the end. He hadn't wanted to; the death had been enough. The look on Jin Guangyao's face when he saw his body's body in that coffin, stitched back together in the place of his mother? That had been enough.
"Did you give yourself away, or was he just that clever?"
"I - fucked up. Said something I shouldn't have and he almost - almost left without saying anything. Then he came back and I couldn't lie to him anymore. The case was won. He couldn't go back on it then! It didn't matter what he thought because I knew he would never got back on his word."
"My friend figured me out, when it was all said and done. He never outright accused me, but he implied it. I wasn't angry with him though. I was counting on him to be clever enough to investigate where I'd pointed him."
"I'm not entirely sure. Possibly because he realized I was done with my revenge, so there was no reason to expose me. It wasn't as though I was going to mess with the cultivation world any more than I had."
He shakes his head, which he is very, very good at.
"No, I didn't. I'd destroyed everything -- there wasn't much point to do anything else if I had wanted to. I wanted to focus on my clan and putting my brother to rest, finally. "
Who's to say? Huaisang knew the ache and pain of loss would never truly go away, but at least he didn't have to see his brother's murderer walking around as a free and influential man.
no subject
Date: 2023-08-06 12:27 am (UTC)"I ain't," he insists softly. "Like you." But his hand lingers there, the touch soft and gentle, nothing like Aaron's outward appearance.
"I ain't- I don't know what, but I like you. You're not like anyone I've ever met."
He mutters it as he says it, like it's a secret, like he can't actually make himself say the words aloud. He had liked Linda, sure, but she was no one important. She was just as bad as everyone else in the end.
And Alex -
Well fuck him.
Aaron only realized what he wanted, impulsive as it was, when he thought about Huaisang's plan. Why it burned him so much. This is why.
no subject
Date: 2023-08-06 12:52 am (UTC)Huaisang takes the fan with a brush of his thumb across Aaron's wrist.
"And I've never met anyone as good as an actor as me." He smiles a little playfully, opening up his fan again to wave his reddened face.
He likes Aaron, and he is beautiful. He'd make a fine addition to his collection.
He closes the space between them with his fan, covering their faces to the door as he leans forward to touch his lips to his.
no subject
Date: 2023-08-06 01:07 am (UTC)Ah.
Yeah, this is nice.
He lets it linger this time, putting a hand on his but nothing else. Nothing more. So when he pulls away, it's with a smirk.
"There. Now you got something better to think about when you're having to kiss that other guy."
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Date: 2023-08-06 01:16 am (UTC)“I hate him so much. I’m glad he’s here. I burned down the world just to get my revenge.”
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Date: 2023-08-06 01:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-06 01:41 am (UTC)"Oh!"
He sits up again quickly. It occurs to him that he'd given himself away publicly. "He tried to play a song on the network a day or so before the breach began. Do you remember? It might have made you feel uncomfortable. That's the song that drove my brother insane!"
no subject
Date: 2023-08-06 01:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-06 02:19 am (UTC)Though it is difficult to tell what goes on in Jin Guangyao's head sometimes. Who can really say why he does anything beyond expressing his spiteful, jealous little heart.
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Date: 2023-08-06 03:04 am (UTC)"What happens if you get paired, huh? How fucked are you?"
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Date: 2023-08-06 03:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-06 03:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-06 03:54 am (UTC)That, as his brother would say, is the righteous path.
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Date: 2023-08-06 03:57 am (UTC)"And your guy, I won't touch him, but I'd like to nail him to a goddamn wall."
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Date: 2023-08-06 04:10 am (UTC)"You could. He'd play innocent the entire time, I'm sure."
He scoffs and sits back, waving his fan again to give himself a little breeze. His hair flutters and he looks down in some serious thought.
"Did getting your revenge fulfil you?"
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Date: 2023-08-06 04:17 am (UTC)"My lawyer, Marty? He - he was a good guy. I had him fooled the whole time, but I think he figured it out in the end. Like...like we was dancing, you know?"
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Date: 2023-08-06 04:23 am (UTC)"Did you give yourself away, or was he just that clever?"
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Date: 2023-08-06 04:25 am (UTC)He shrugs.
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Date: 2023-08-06 04:34 am (UTC)"My friend figured me out, when it was all said and done. He never outright accused me, but he implied it. I wasn't angry with him though. I was counting on him to be clever enough to investigate where I'd pointed him."
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Date: 2023-08-06 04:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-06 04:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-06 04:42 am (UTC)"Did you?"
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Date: 2023-08-06 04:55 am (UTC)"No, I didn't. I'd destroyed everything -- there wasn't much point to do anything else if I had wanted to. I wanted to focus on my clan and putting my brother to rest, finally. "
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Date: 2023-08-06 04:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-06 04:54 pm (UTC)"No. I miss him."
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Date: 2023-08-06 04:58 pm (UTC)"Yeah? Tell me about him?"
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