猛兽 : 𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐓.
without much in the way of realization, content with a careless seat on the floor by the bucket, his focus lingers off to the side where crystal-clear water shines in tints of carmine that darken remorselessly fast in the dim lighting. a lot is funny : how there needs to be a drop of crimson for him to feel familiar & comfortable in a new environment, how people must be dripping blood before Xue Yang recognizes this is the natural way of his doing things, its barbarous normality a taste acquired so long ago he can’t even recall the moment he began nurturing virulence instead of forgiveness. Hua Cheng speaks of striking first, permitting no chance to retaliate & Xue Yang lets a fragment of a smirk show on roseate lips ; 𝑇𝐻𝐼𝑆 𝐼𝑆 𝑁𝑂𝑇 𝐴 𝐿𝐸𝑆𝑆𝑂𝑁, 𝐼𝑇’𝑆 𝐴 𝑹𝑬𝑰𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 of what he swore to live by for the rest of his life. ( how could this all not be funny? )
❝ I was going to, right away, ❞ & the answer he gives comes after an abrupt & unanticipated pause during which he’s trying to make sense of the fingers across the top of his brow. were it not for the halt in speech, so uncharacteristic of an assassin who mere moments ago was reflecting on the importance of being decisive & unwavering, his expression would be hard to read. there’s a saccharine stress to his tone, a lick of mischief he’s always known for that he can’t shake off after grasping the gesture must be the result of some poorly restrained impulse. ( yes, of course it’s funny ; it’s downright hilarious. ) ❝ but you beat me to it & honestly, I really don’t mind sitting here if you feel like doing all the work. ❞
in the same fashion, abandoning the courtesy of warning his company before the pursuit of any intentions himself, Xue Yang dips his intact hand in the water & seizes the ghost king’s arm by the wrist. then, holding it above the poor excuse of a blood pool, he takes to tapping away with a wet rag at the back of a dirtied hand, its digits, its palm : all far from clean despite the initial touch of water. ❝ what about you, haven’t you been doing this even longer than me? let’s ask È’Mìng here, shall we? ❞
“ i prefer tact, a bit more completion; if we’ll be walking about together, we can’t have you looking this disheveled already. those creatures in heaven are snobby but it appears to be a double-edged sword at times. ” ─── he chides easily, hand splashing muddled water again wordlessly when wet fingers slide through xue yang’s hair in uneven rows to settle strands that stick comically to his face, point every which way in static bolts. crimson rain sought flower whose grand entrance is heralded by silver butterflies drenched in a blood shower lecturing on sleek appearances? how comical. it’s one, two, three swipes through until he is satisfied, tilting his chin until releasing it with a huff in tamped reluctance. xue yang is young, he must remind himself. his flame flickers brightly and rouses in the face of adversary; of course it will be difficult to wrangle his rearing head but it doesn’t make his boldness any less surprising when he makes it known.
no stranger to blood he still watches with rapt attention as the dried splotches run anew down his palm, in droplets off his fingertips as if they were flowing from his own veins. that would be impossible, of course. centuries have passed since his heart last beat, pumped and fueled his passion and he supposes this is where they differ out of all of their similarities. he hopes xue yang will never relate to this. at least, that he won’t for a long while to come. through his nose, hua cheng breathes a snort like a bull rearing its head: perhaps if he willed it, smoke would billow from his nostrils like a hellish beast he is. it comes as a tiger’s chuff instead when a crimson eye trails slowly to meet his gaze.
“ like i said, i prefer my actions to have an end. ” ─── wrist flicks to fling fat drops from his skin that leave liquid rows like claw marks on the back of his hand only to run anew with lines a deeper shade undiluted. the same hand pulls at xue yang’s, thumb swiping away pink remnants, fingers threaded together for just a moment. to get between every crevice, yes. “ at this rate, you’ll never finish. there’s an order to things, one that makes more sense than stopping mid-shine to wash my hands only to dirty it. do the job once right. ”
“ don’t give him attention, it only makes things more difficult for me. ” ─── despite his grumbles, the rag his taken from xue yang’s hands to scrub at his palms then the remaining stains on the silver blade and red eye a center that blinks between them, annoyed.
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role swap au where xl is a calamity and hc is god of fortune 🙃
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