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#xicheng
There& #39;s a man sitting on Lan Xichen& #39;s favourite bench at the park. He sits facing the duck pond, fingers twisting a bag of pellets nervously. Xichen watches him throw some feed occasionally, slightly intrigued by how anxious he looks. He approaches him, quietly.
There& #39;s a man sitting on Lan Xichen& #39;s favourite bench at the park. He sits facing the duck pond, fingers twisting a bag of pellets nervously. Xichen watches him throw some feed occasionally, slightly intrigued by how anxious he looks. He approaches him, quietly.
"Hello," he says, and the man spills some of the feed down his arm. He looks up, and Xichen thinks he looks inexplicably sad.
"Hi," the man breathes out, not meeting his eyes.
Lan Xichen sits down next to him, and strikes up a conversation.
"What& #39;s your name?" He asks.
"Hi," the man breathes out, not meeting his eyes.
Lan Xichen sits down next to him, and strikes up a conversation.
"What& #39;s your name?" He asks.
"Jiang Cheng," the other replies.
Xichen doesn& #39;t know why, but the sight of that pale face and that name awakens something long-forgotten inside him.
He sees Jiang Cheng more often over the days, at times when he comes out of campus and sees him wandering aimlessly around.
Xichen doesn& #39;t know why, but the sight of that pale face and that name awakens something long-forgotten inside him.
He sees Jiang Cheng more often over the days, at times when he comes out of campus and sees him wandering aimlessly around.
Sometimes he sees him at his favourite coffee shop, sitting in a corner by himself, sometimes in the library, lurking in a spot covered by shadows. Every time, Lan Xichen approaches him.
Jiang Cheng is strange. He walks through crowds as if he& #39;s a not a person but a shadow,
Jiang Cheng is strange. He walks through crowds as if he& #39;s a not a person but a shadow,
someone who doesn& #39;t belong with the rest of humanity, yet not like someone who stands out either. He& #39;s cagey with details of his personal life, doesn& #39;t like talking about his past. People& #39;s eyes slide over Jiang Cheng like he doesn& #39;t exist, and the thought makes Xichen equally
unsettled and upset.
It& #39;s their loss anyway, he decides.
Jiang Cheng is sarcastic, stubborn, ruthless with his sharp tongue and quick wit, and Lan Xichen is awestruck.
He& #39;s never had a friend like Jiang Cheng before. He allows himself to depend on Jiang Cheng, pours out his
It& #39;s their loss anyway, he decides.
Jiang Cheng is sarcastic, stubborn, ruthless with his sharp tongue and quick wit, and Lan Xichen is awestruck.
He& #39;s never had a friend like Jiang Cheng before. He allows himself to depend on Jiang Cheng, pours out his
worries and guilt to him, and Jiang Cheng listens to him, soothes him.
He& #39;s incredibly kind, unfailingly caring even though he doesn& #39;t see it himself, and Lan Xichen is completely enchanted.
It& #39;s not long before Xichen falls for him.
He& #39;s incredibly kind, unfailingly caring even though he doesn& #39;t see it himself, and Lan Xichen is completely enchanted.
It& #39;s not long before Xichen falls for him.
(At night, he dreams. The sight of a tanned body against white sheets, of murmurs of love whispered into warm skin.
"Don& #39;t leave.")
"Don& #39;t leave.")
("I will never leave you." A promise that can never be kept.
He wakes up with tears in his eyes, clutching on to the faint memories before they can disappear like wisps of smoke.)
He wakes up with tears in his eyes, clutching on to the faint memories before they can disappear like wisps of smoke.)
It& #39;s a gloomy winter evening when Lan Xichen kisses Jiang Cheng for the first time. The sun is about to set, but it& #39;s not too dark for Lan Xichen to see the frozen tears clinging to Jiang Cheng& #39;s eyelashes.
"I can& #39;t," Jiang Cheng pleads. "Xichen, I can& #39;t do this.
"I can& #39;t," Jiang Cheng pleads. "Xichen, I can& #39;t do this.
"Please don& #39;t make me."
Lan Xichen is heartbroken. "Why?" he asks. Trembles from head to toe. He wants Jiang Cheng to love him back, wants it so badly he can barely breathe.
"Don& #39;t do this," Jiang Cheng says. "I& #39;m not worth it, you deserve better than me."
Xichen is shocked.
Lan Xichen is heartbroken. "Why?" he asks. Trembles from head to toe. He wants Jiang Cheng to love him back, wants it so badly he can barely breathe.
"Don& #39;t do this," Jiang Cheng says. "I& #39;m not worth it, you deserve better than me."
Xichen is shocked.
How can Jiang Cheng think of himself this way? Can& #39;t he see how worthy he is of love?
Jiang Cheng sees the twist of his mouth, the agony in his eyes. The resolve on his face crumbles like paper and resignation bleeds into his features.
Before he can speak, Jiang Cheng
Jiang Cheng sees the twist of his mouth, the agony in his eyes. The resolve on his face crumbles like paper and resignation bleeds into his features.
Before he can speak, Jiang Cheng
places his hand over Xichen& #39;s mouth. "I& #39;m incredibly selfish. If you want to be with me, I& #39;ll never let you go."
"There& #39;s nothing I& #39;d want more," Lan Xichen breathes. "Jiang Cheng, I want you. Please."
Jiang Cheng is upset, but he kisses him back anyway.
They end up in
"There& #39;s nothing I& #39;d want more," Lan Xichen breathes. "Jiang Cheng, I want you. Please."
Jiang Cheng is upset, but he kisses him back anyway.
They end up in
Xichen& #39;s dorm room.
They make love. It& #39;s hasty, passionate, fuelled with a sense of desperation. There& #39;s a ringing in Lan Xichen& #39;s blood, an urgent visceral need. A sense of loss envelopes him and he feel tears welling up in his eyes. Jiang Cheng is already crying, and Xichen
They make love. It& #39;s hasty, passionate, fuelled with a sense of desperation. There& #39;s a ringing in Lan Xichen& #39;s blood, an urgent visceral need. A sense of loss envelopes him and he feel tears welling up in his eyes. Jiang Cheng is already crying, and Xichen
kisses the tears from his salty skin.
When he pulls away, Jiang Cheng clings to him with freezing fingers. "Don& #39;t go."
"I& #39;ll always be here with you." Lan Xichen knows he speaks the whole heartfelt truth, but that sentence burns like a lie, tastes like ashes.
When he pulls away, Jiang Cheng clings to him with freezing fingers. "Don& #39;t go."
"I& #39;ll always be here with you." Lan Xichen knows he speaks the whole heartfelt truth, but that sentence burns like a lie, tastes like ashes.
They lie under the covers, breathing each other& #39;s air. The warmth is soothing, and Lan Xichen drifts off to sleep in Jiang Cheng& #39;s arms.
Lan Xichen wakes up feeling better and worse than he has in weeks. The blankets are warm and cosy, yet something is missing. He tries to
Lan Xichen wakes up feeling better and worse than he has in weeks. The blankets are warm and cosy, yet something is missing. He tries to
recall what he dreamed about, yet the memories are gone like wisps of smoke.
It& #39;s a bright summer day when Lan Xichen walks into the cafe, and sees a man sitting on his favourite seat. His fingers twist around a cup of coffee nervously, and Xichen is slightly intrigued by how distraught he looks. He approaches him, quietly.
"Hello," he says, and the man crushes the coffee cup in his grip. The scalding liquid spills over the table, and Lan Xichen is alarmed. He looks up, and Xichen thinks he looks inexplicably sad.
"Hi," the man breathes out, not meeting his eyes.
"Hi," the man breathes out, not meeting his eyes.
(So premise:
JC is cursed. Everyone who falls in love with him is doomed to lose their memories of him when they figure it out. Unfortunately for JC, he& #39;s fallen in love with LXC. JC cannot bear to stay away from him, despite LXC falling for him and losing his memories of him +
JC is cursed. Everyone who falls in love with him is doomed to lose their memories of him when they figure it out. Unfortunately for JC, he& #39;s fallen in love with LXC. JC cannot bear to stay away from him, despite LXC falling for him and losing his memories of him +
