equivocations | open rp post

Beat him! Jiang Cheng lets out a short laugh when Xichen catches up to him. He can't recall the last time he had this much fun either. He wipes the excess water from his face when he feels something slide along his legs and move him. Immediately, he looks down to see the white tail nudge him closer to Xichen. When he looks up at Xichen again, he realizes how close. The feeling of that tail along his bare legs feels...well, it feels weird but it sends a strange thrill through him.

"Do you...not race a lot wherever you're from?"

Wanyin looks so pleased that Lan Xichen is glad to have lost, at least this once. It was worth it to hear him laugh again.

The feeling of bare skin against his scales is not entirely unfamiliar, of course, but Lan Xichen has not had anyone to be physically affectionate with since his brother decided he was too old for hugs. He doesn't want to admit that he misses it. But this is - different, anyway, when Wanyin is so warm, and he's never felt legs before.

"I did when I was younger. And now for training, sometimes. But we have certain disciplines that we follow, at home, and racing is prohibited there."

He shifts his tail, arching it up a little so it's under both of Wanyin's legs and he can hold them up. Then he puts one hand on his knee, expression intent as he explores it with his fingers, pressing in lightly and sliding down his calf.

"Do you race often?"

He keeps treading water even when Xichen raises his legs to inspect. It's weird being inspected so closely and with Xichen's cool fingers moving along his knee and muscled calf.

"No. Wei Wuxian usually beats me. Then it's a question of why I bother racing in the first place if he's so insistent on rubbing my face in the fact that I lost," he scoffs.

Truly, he cares for his adopted brother but Wei Wuxian certainly makes it difficult to care.

"Have you...really not talked to any human before?"

The idea that Wanyin doesn't do something he enjoys because this Wei Wuxian takes the fun out of it for him makes him frown.

"You are the better winner, then. There are some of our rules that I like better than others, some I agree with more, and not gloating over those who have beaten is one of them."

He shouldn't admit that. It feels - scandalous, doing so, and his head fins twitch a little with his daring, even though his uncle is not here and Wanyin could hardly know the impact of the future sect leader declaring he doesn't agree with some of their rules.

Then he shakes his head. He's gone with his uncle, and on night hunts a few times, where he's gotten close to humans, but he's never spoken to them.

"I've seen humans before, but you're the first I've talked to."

His hands make their way back up Wanyin's leg, over his knee and up his thigh. It's a different kind of strength than the musculature in his tail, but he can still feel the muscles there. He likes it, firm and warm and solid.

The hands seem to explore more and more, moving up along his leg until Jiang Cheng could feel the smooth cool touch along his thigh.

"Did you just not want to talk to humans?" he asks.

He isn't afraid if he stops treading water. He knows that Xichen will keep him afloat, as best he could. Xichen was even ready to jump to save him from drowning earlier. Hands grasp at Xichen's shoulders to make sure he doesn't float away.

Rules, huh? Jiang Cheng tries to think of which sect has so many rules to choose from.

He gives a contented hum when Wanyin grabs at his shoulders. Little patches of warmth sink into his skin, and he finds himself leaning into the touch a little. The end of his tail swirls lazily through the water, keeping him afloat.

"It's safer not to." His hands keep going, up until his fingers meet the small bit of clothing that Wanyin still wears. "My uncle says you never know which of them will be more interested in killing or capturing us than talking."

He pushes his hand under the fabric, eager to feel along the line where his leg is joined to his hip.

He raises a good point. Especially in fishing places like Yunmeng where someone would want to potentially capture someone like Xichen or even view his kind as a bad omen for their fishing that day. Jiang Cheng resolves with himself to not tell anyone of Xichen’s presence and existence, not wishing for any ill will to fall on him already.

“So you do have a family.”

Perhaps they weren’t so different than humans anyway. He gives a surprised sound when the cool hand makes it up further and further up his pants.

“What are you trying to find, Xichen?” It’s a little teasing but he hasn’t had anyone touch further up than his knees ever. With turnabout being fair lay, he lowers one hand to brush along the length of the tail. Cool, scaly, but not at all too like a fish. His tail feels smooth.

"I do," he agrees, giving Wanyin a small, hesitant smile. It is probably not something he should confirm so easily, considering what he'd just said about the dangers of humans, but - he doesn't fear that, from Wanyin. "My uncle is very wise, but very traditional."

A technically neutral expression, save for the implication that he does not necessarily always see the wisdom in being so traditional. He's starting to get... comfortable, in this slice of freedom he feels with Wanyin.

Even more comfortable when Wanyin starts running his hand over his tail. It's... soothing, almost, and he can feel his fins fan out as he relaxes, pushing his tail against Wanyin's hand.

"I don't know, what is there to find?" His own tone is just a little bit teasing in response, but his hand stops its exploration as he ducks his head sheepishly. "Sorry. Do you want me to stop?"

His eyes widen when he sees the fins widen and fan out more under his touch. Jiang Cheng runs his fingers gently over the gossamer looking fins, amazed at how big they all are. This must make Xichen a strong swimmer.

"I'd say we're very similar from the waist up. You're...mostly human there." His face reddens at the tease. "And I'm sure we're similar there as well."

But are they? That part of Xichen does reside in the fish half of his body. And there is a curiosity. He doesn't push Xichen's hand away from his shorts, liking the cool touch on him. Nor does he take his own hand away from where it strokes along his tail. Jiang Cheng moves his hand further and further up as Xichen had, moving over the hips from what he could tell are hips, then up to his waist where the scales taper off to human skin.

Oh. He reminds himself to stay collected and composed, and yet he would be lying if he said he didn't like the attention that Wanyin gives his tail and his fins. It isn't appropriate for a future sect leader to be vain, but - he likes his fins, and he's proud of how strong his tail is, and he's never had someone look amazed by him before.

He hadn't quite meant to explore that much - he knows humans use clothing to protect them from their environment, but it hasn't occurred to him that they might use it to cover things up as well. But he realizes where he must have been heading, and even though Wanyin doesn't stop him and he likes the way he goes red - Lan Xichen adjusts his path, moving to the back of his thigh and pushing up that way instead.

And he still preens into Wanyin's touch, enjoying the way his hand seems to leave echoes of warmth in its wake. Now that it's on his mind, though, he finds it a little difficult to continue to think of the touch as relaxing when it moves up higher.

There's a small, sharp inhale when Wanyin slides over his waist, along the transition from scales to his slightly more vulnerable skin - and it is fairly obvious that it isn't a pained reaction.

"Sorry," he says again, his head fins flicking in embarrassment. "You are - very handsome."

That cool hand still moves up his leg, this time, along the back of his leg, and up over the curve of his ass. Jiang Cheng feels his cheeks burns more. when that cool hand rests on it. Maybe they just didn't have personal boundaries in merpeople. He nearly pulls his hand away when he hears Xichen inhale sharply. His gaze turns up to his face, watching to see if it was a pained reaction.

Jiang Cheng reaches up with his other hand to touch at his head fins, that seems to twitch with how Xichen feels. He's going to ignore the handsome comment.

"Are you sensitive here? And here?" he asks, caressing at where the scales and skin mix and at the head fin.

Lan Xichen is - fascinated. He's starting to be used to how warm Wanyin is, to soft skin and firm muscle, but the curve of Waynin's ass is different from the back of his own tail. He cups it experimentally in his palm, pressing his fingertips in just to feel the slight give.

He gives Wanyin a small smile when he looks up at him, and there's another soft noise when he touches the fins at his head. Lan Xichen tilts immediately into the touch, without even thinking about it, though he goes a little still at the question.

"Yes," he says, very quietly, as if he's worried that admitting it will make Wanyin stop. "I-"

He hesitates for a long moment, shame at wanting more of his touch mixing with the knowledge that this would very much not be acceptable at Cloud Recesses. But - he knows Wanyin already, did he not already decide that, and decide to share more of himself?

It isn't as though Wanyin is going to tell any of the sect elders.

"Physical affection is not common, where I am from. I... wish sometimes that were not the case. If I like someone, I wish I could express it."

He manages to turn another shade of red when he feels Xichen squeezing his butt. It can't be that different than a merperson's, can it? He ignores it for now, instead focusing on letting his fingers map out Xichen himself. Physical affection just wasn't common for himself. He's seen it for others. a-Jie is affectionate with him. So there's that. Jiang Cheng resolves himself and continues to caress and touch at the fins. Clearly, it feels good to Xichen, so he's going to continue to do so.

"That's stupid. A place where you can't express how much you like someone," he scoffs.

He already long resigned that his father loved his shige more and that his mother was too consumed with bitterness about his shige to care to Jiang Cheng.

It doesn't seem to be a bad reaction, so Lan Xichen doesn't feel guilty about his appreciation for the way Wanyin keeps going red. He reaches out with his free hand, resting it along Waynin's jaw and running his thumb over his cheek, delighted when it feels even warmer.

"We can sometimes! It is encouraged between spouses, in private."

In theory. Not that Lan Xichen has much practical experience with that, considering his own parents hadn't lived together even when his mother was alive and his uncle never married, but why would their teachings focus on it being acceptable to show lack of restraint with your fated one if it were not encouraged to do so?

"Just not with a friend like this. Not so freely." And yet he's continuing to practically nuzzle into Wanyin's hand, unable to pull away from the touch now that he's been given it.

His hand slides into Wanyin's hair, scratching gently over his scalp and trailing curiously over his ear, rubbing at the skin behind it. "Is this... all right?"

Oh no. Oh no. Jiang Cheng realizes too late that he's wrapped up in a merman. The red on his cheek is cooled by Xichen's touch and he looks into his eyes, taken by how handsome the merman is. Why wouldn't anyone be encouraged to show their affection? Does Xichen have someone back home where he does show this kind of affection? His eyes slide shut when he feels the gentle scratch over his scalp. Wait, he said that it was for spouses, not friends. He opens his eyes open again, puzzled.

"...it's...all right if we're...that is--if we're not friends."

He doesn't know how to ask, exactly if Xichen means that they're more than simply friends. They had just met each other after all.

Oh. He likes Wanyin quite a bit, he realizes. His breath catches when Wanyin looks at him like that, and he can feel his stomach fluttering when they make eye contact.

Is this what having feelings for someone is like? He's read about it, of course, but never experienced it. They've known each other less than a day, but, well. Historically, that has not been a deciding factor for those of his clan when it comes to matters of the heart.

He's not quite sure how to answer that. He wants to be Wanyin's friend, but he also wants... more, perhaps? He doesn't know.

"I like you," he says firmly. "You're fun, and kind, and I don't feel lonely with you. You're very handsome and I love your singing, and I like - this."

His head fins twitch again, and he drops his gaze briefly before looking determinedly back up.

"What does that mean where you're from?"

He chooses to ignore all the nicer things that Xichen is saying to him and about him.

"Do you feel lonely where you're from? I have a hard time believing that you would be lonely. You seem like someone who isn't lonely at all," he says, incredulous.

He hasn't stopped stroking along the fins along his head, watching him as he drops his gaze then raises his gaze again.

"I--uh--"

He clears his throat, fighting for his blush to just calm down already. Jiang Cheng shifts a little, really noticing how close they are and how entangled they are with Xichen's hand on his backside.

"Well, that means...you are attracted to them and...and if they're amenable to it, you could...start...courting. Seeing each other more and getting to know each other better."

Lan Xichen frowns a little when once again Wanyin brushes aside when he says something good about him. This is quite clearly something now, isn't it? Does he not like it, or is it that he's not used to it? Perhaps it isn't something humans usually do.

His fins droop a little bit when Wanyin asks him that, though, feeling guilty. It isn't fair for him to feel lonely, when he has his uncle and Wangji and their whole sect.

"My father is... very busy, and my time with my uncle is usually about my studies and trainings. I don't -"

Have any friends, he almost says, but he cuts off. That makes him sound quite pathetic, doesn't it? And it isn't really true - he has his brother and he's friendly with all of their disciples. It's only that it's different, when he's the future sect leader.

"I don't have anyone like this."

Anyone to race him or laugh with or try to coax a smile out of, anyone who would let him hold them and would touch his fins like this.

He brightens a little at Wanyin's explanation, and he runs his hand through Wanyin's hair as his fins fan out once more. "May I court you, then? I would like to see you more and get to know you better."

His heart saddens when he sees a frown cross Xichen's features. He thinks of his own family. As...lonely as that is, he does have Wei Wuxian as his shige. As troublesome as he was, the man was loyal to him and the rest of their Sect. Even promising to be by his side when Jiang Cheng becomes sect leader. He laughs softly when he sees the fins fan out once more. Could it work? Being of different species?

"I...I'm going to be sect leader one day. Would that deter you? Once my father is not Sect Leader anymore, I'll be leading the Yunmeng Jiang Sect."

Oh. That is - unexpected. He hums thoughtfully, considering.

"It does not deter me," he says, before he has fully processed it, because he wants to make sure Wanyin knows that.

It feels dishonest, now, not to tell Wanyin that he will also be a sect leader, one day - sometimes it feels as though he already is, with his father absent. And really, he has already told him that he belongs to a sect, what does he have to hide now?

Especially if they are to be courting.

"I am a sect heir, too. Perhaps - when we are both sect leaders, you can help me convince our elders that we do not need to fear all humans." There is a pause, and then, "Does it deter you?"

He shakes his head readily.

“No, it doesn’t. I just...never has anyone want to court me before,” he admits. Jiang Cheng reaches to cover his face; how embarrassing. “And I haven’t...courted others. There just haven’t been anyone who interested me.”

Oh, no. That's cute, too - although not that Wanyin is embarrassed over having never been courted. It is hard to imagine that no one has wanted to before now - perhaps most humans have very poor taste.

He takes his hand from Wanyin's hair, tugging Wanyin's hand from his face instead and curling his fingers around it.

"I have never done this before, either." He considers for a moment, his head fins twitching briefly, before he asks, "Would it be all right if I told you something selfish?"

The cool fingers curl around his wrist and Jiang Cheng allows him to pull his hand away from his face. He's still flustered, embarrassed that he shared something so...well...so embarrassing with someone he had just met that morning. And that wants to court him so quickly. He should be upset so how petulant he is being. He watches as the head fins twitch, wanting to reach out and touch them again.

"Somehow, I don't think you have a lot of selfish things."

But he nods anyway.

His fins shift again, and he ducks his head briefly at that. Well. He's not so sure about that - although he supposes, at least, that even if he sometimes has selfish thoughts, he rarely acts on them.

Until now.

"I am glad that you have not found anyone you were interested in enough to court before now. Because... now I have a chance." He squeezes Wanyin's hand. "I don't like that you have been ignored. But if your humans are so foolish, then perhaps I will get to keep you for myself."

A chance? Someone as ridiculously good looking and kind as Xichen needing a chance? He feels that squeeze and Jiang Cheng again reaches out to run his fingers along the head fins again, then lets his hands drift down to the arm fins. If Xichen was so free with his tough all along him, why would he not be afforded the same all along Xichen? He swallows and runs his fingers along the sensitive waist.

"I'm not...ignored." He's clearly uncomfortable talking about this. "There's just...not--" He stops himself, not wanting to open up this part of him just yet. It's too painful.

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