Ningyan woke the next morning in the bathing chamber, submerged in a warm tub as Meishan carefully washed him. His body ached all over. A deep, lingering soreness but it was a good ache.
His gaze drifted to Meishan.
Strands of his dark hair clung damply to his face and neck, sleeves slightly soaked as he focused entirely on the task, movements gentle.
Ningyan felt his body clench. He felt… empty. Empty enough that it made his chest tighten, made him want to pull Meishan closer, to drag him back into the water and start all over again even if they had spent the entire night tangled together, only falling asleep when exhaustion finally claimed them.
Now, he was being cleaned. His violet eyes slowly cleared, lifting to meet Meishan's.
Meishan blinked once, then a small, soft smile curved his lips. "You're awake."
"And hungry," Ningyan mumbled immediately, his voice still thick with sleep.
