Do you ever think at Cheng Qian waking up at night, he's with Yan Zhengming in bed, safe finally in Fu Yao Mountain. Home.
Though it may be a bit uncomfortable, he lets Yan Zhengming rest on his shoulder and indulges his daxishiong's tight hug.
The calm of the night is filled with the warmth of his lover, no more coldness, and he feels alive again. Yan Zhengming's long hair are like a sea of ink and are more formidable to look at than the magical charms he had to engrave as a child student.
He clips the ends of his hair and stroked them gently. He smells the orchids, the only smell he has ever associated with home, safety. Cheng Qian had tried to hold in his mother's scent before he left home as a child, but there was nothing left because her affection had never been there. Unlike to the smell of orchids, which had always been with him, cradling him gently.
Cheng Qian lies there, enveloped in warmth and scent, and he finally thinks he feels alive. After 50 years of being alone in an ice cave, he really feels alive.
Opal (right) and Fender (left) sometime in January 2021. Opal passed in the summer of that year, so this was the last time she was able to play in the snow. Fender left us in late 2022, still seems like yesterday. Missing them both immensely. 🤍