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Song Lan gritted his teeth against the pain as he stumbled up the stairs. It was only a few steps to their room but right now the throbbing in his leg made it seem like miles away.
“Hold on, Zichen, just a bit more,” Xiao Xingchen’s worried voice encouraged as he helped the other man along.
Song Lan breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the top, leaning heavily against the railing to catch his breath. Xiao Xingchen hurried ahead, opening the door to their room and setting Shuanghua and Fuxue inside before returning to Song Lan’s side.
“Here, Zichen, lean against me. Don’t put any weight on that leg,” the younger man instructed as the two hobbled along slowly.
“I’m fine, Xingchen,” the older man said, although his voice was tense, “It’s just a cut. It won’t take long to heal.”
Xiao Xingchen tsk’ed and helped Song Lan sit down on one of the two beds once they had entered their assigned room for the night. The younger man quickly grabbed the pillows from both beds, shoving them behind Song Lan so he could lean back comfortably.
“Don’t be ridiculous, that’s far worse than just a cut. The spirit caught you with its full force, you’re just lucky it was a clean cut at least. I’ll go ask the innkeeper where I can find a doctor for you,” Xiao Xingchen said as he turned to leave.
Song Lan quickly grabbed Xingchen’s arm, pulling him back.
“It’s nearly midnight, no need to cause a disturbance. I’ll be better in the morning.”
The younger man made a skeptical noise as he looked over the wound. Blood had seeped through Song Lan’s robes already, turning already black robes wet and even darker. Xiao Xingchen’s own clothing was now dotted with patches of red, starkly contrasting against the white fabric.
“Song Zichen, stop being stubborn,” Xiao Xingchen scolded, using his companion’s full name to show how serious he was, “I will not have you bleeding to death on me. Now wait here while I go and find some help.”
Before Song Lan could argue, the younger cultivator had stormed out of the room, rushing down the stairs to find the innkeeper. The older man sat in silence, remembering a time when he had to deal with any injuries he sustained by himself. There was not a day that didn’t pass where he didn’t feel grateful for Xiao Xingchen’s company, but today in particular he silently admitted to himself that having the other man with him had been a great blessing. He wasn’t sure he would have made it back to the town after fighting the spirit if it hadn’t been for the younger man physically carrying him half the time. The injury on his leg really was quite severe and already Song Lan was feeling light-headed, a sure sign that his body was losing blood quickly. He inspected the wound more closely as he sat waiting for his companion, hoping that it won’t get infected.
The two cultivators had been in the mountains during a night hunt and things were going relatively well. They would have finished before sunrise except a passerby had come through, smack in the middle of everything. Terrified of what was happening, the man had fled, causing the spirits to give chase. Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen had to quickly follow, blocking the spirits and allowing the man to escape in the chaos. In their rush, Song Lan lost his footing on some loose stones and a spirit took advantage of his stumble to slash at the older man’s leg, gouging flesh from his thigh.
“I’m back,” Xingchen’s soft voice announced as he returned to the room, carrying a tray with some medical tools, “The innkeeper said there’s a doctor just down the street, if we can’t fix the wound ourselves I’ll go and get him once the sun comes up.”
The younger man set the tray down on the bed beside Song Lan then crouched down, pulling a candle closer so he could see what he was doing more clearly. He dipped a piece of cloth into a bowl filled with warm water, using it to dab at some of the already-dried blood to help ease the shredded fabric away from the injury. Song Lan hissed softly, the sting from the water making him wince.
“Sorry...sorry...I’ll try to be quick. I just need to make sure everything’s clean,” Xingchen said, brow furrowing in apology.
“It’s fine, do what you must,” Song Lan replied, “I can’t believe I was so clumsy. Losing my footing like that, what a simple mistake. The spirit wasn’t even high-level, we should have finished everything easily with time to spare.”
“We all make mistakes sometime, Zichen, no need to berate yourself so. We’ll just stay here a few extra days for the wound to heal and then we can be on our way again, no harm done,” Xiao Xingchen comforted.
Song Lan huffed, still feeling guilty and a bit embarrassed. He was just about to say more when Xiao Xingchen held up something in his palm, something small wrapped in paper.
“Here, distract yourself with this,” the younger cultivator said as Song Lan picked up the item, inspecting it.
“Wh..Xingchen where did you get this?”
Xiao Xingchen smiled up at him, “I bought it at the market we passed yesterday. I bought a whole bunch, it’s local confectionery.”
Song Lan raised an eyebrow at his companion who blushed.
“I know, I know, I should eat less sweets. But it’s really good, Zichen, try it.”
“You’re not seriously trying to distract me using candy, are you? Xingchen I’m not a child.”
The younger man laughed softly, his slender fingers working with swift efficiency as he talked. He had managed to clean up all the dried blood from around the wound now, but Song Lan’s trousers had a large, shredded hole in it, unsalvageable from the looks of it. Fresh blood trickled out from some parts of the wound and Xingchen patiently patted it away, waiting for it to clot so he could administer the disinfection medication.
“Everyone can enjoy candy, Zichen. Life would be tediously dull without sweets.”
Song Lan almost laughed at how pouty Xingchen sounded. He unwrapped his gift and popped it into his mouth, testing the taste on his tongue. It was sweet, of course, but there was a hint of something fruity as well.
“Was that something your Master taught you, too?” He teased, receiving a haughty side-eye from Xingchen.
“Life must have all flavours, sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy*. Everyone goes through happiness, anger, sadness, and joy**. Doesn’t matter status, wealth, power, profession, we are all equal in that respect,” Xingchen said wisely.
Song Lan nodded in agreement as Xiao Xingchen put down the blood-stained cloth and picked up a small vial with the disinfecting medication in it. It was a white powder, finely ground, and the younger man carefully sprinkled it over the injury. A second vial containing some numbing medication was also applied before the younger cultivator finally picked up a long strip of fabric, the material softer than normal cloths so that it wouldn’t irritate the wound when wrapped over it.
“Zichen can you...um...I-I need to wrap the injury,” Xingchen stuttered, holding the bandage and looking a bit helpless at Song Lan’s trousers.
He had managed to clean the area and apply the medication through the shredded opening in the older man’s trousers, but now to bandage it the hole wasn’t quite big enough as he would need to wrap the fabric around Song Lan’s thigh. Realizing this, the older man felt his face heat and he sent an absent prayer of gratefulness that the room was only lit with candlelight.
“Oh, I can do that myself,” Song Lan mumbled, taking the bandage from Xingchen’s hands and trying to stand up.
A sharp jolt of pain shot through his leg and he hissed, falling back down onto the bed. Xingchen hurriedly reached out to steady him, easing his fall so that he could sit down gently.
“Zichen! Don’t be stubborn. And don’t put your weight on that leg. Let me bandage it for you, it’s not trouble,” he argued, “Just...just remove your t-trousers. I’ll be quick.”
Song Lan stared at his companion who refused to meet his gaze. Silence fell over both men as both were a bit bewildered and not sure what to do. No master could teach them about the proper etiquette for this situation, and no training would come in handy. Song Lan had half a mind just to leave his leg unbandaged and go to sleep as is if it would end this awkwardness.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Xiao Xingchen let out a soft sigh. He slowly reached towards Song Lan’s waist, causing the older man to freeze.
“Zichen, it’s late and you need rest. It’s just bandaging a wound, right? It’s not a big deal, just...just let me do that for you and then we can sleep,” the younger man pleaded.
Song Lan was really only half listening, his attention more focused on Xingchen’s hands. They inched closer to his waist, going under his outer robe to feel for the string that held his trousers up. A part of the older man really, honestly thought he might just explode into flames at any moment, or his heart would simply exhaust itself and stop beating given how fast it was pounding away in his chest. When he finally felt Xiao Xingchen’s fingers grip onto the knot the string at his waist was tied into, his own hands flew to stop the younger man, gripping slender wrists and pulling his hands away.
“I’ll...I’ll do it,” Song Lan said, his voice hardly louder than a whisper in the still air.
Xiao Xingchen relented and leaned back, giving Song Lan some room. The older man took a deep breath and undid the knot, carefully easing his trousers down along with his boots even though he still carefully kept his outer robe in place to cover everything from view.
The younger man quietly went back to work, carefully moving Song Lan’s robe so that just the thigh was visible. He picked up the bandage once more and secured it around the wound, making sure it’s not too tight or too loose.
Both men kept silent, trying to basically ignore the awkwardness that had fallen over the room. Song Lan bit his lip so hard it almost broke skin. Xiao Xingchen’s gentle touches on his bare skin was making him want to shiver and his body yearned for more. Xingchen’s fingertips were slightly cool, chilled in the evening air. There were callouses from his sword training, and Song Lan shut his eyes as he felt like he had to physically force his mind to stop imagining inappropriate things.
Xiao Xingchen could barely breathe as he worked. He dared not let his touches linger for fear that Song Lan would realize what he was doing, but it was so incredibly tempting. Song Lan didn’t like being touched, not even a simple brush of his hands, although he seemed to be more tolerant of it from Xingchen lately. He didn’t flinch back anymore when the younger man would grab onto his wrist to pull him along or nonchalantly clasp his hand, but Xingchen knew that his companion was not a very tactile sort of person. To be allowed to touch him somewhere so intimate, Xingchen treasured this precious memory.
Even as he wrapped the bandage around Song Lan’s leg he gently rested his palm over the warm flesh, telling himself that he was just adjusting the fabric. He could tell the older man was tense but he dared not look up at Song Lan’s face for fear of what expression he might find.
Finally, after an exhausting few minutes, Xiao Xingchen sat back on his heels, checking over the result.
“It’s done. Does it feel alright? Not too tight?” He asked quietly.
Song Lan slowly let out a breath as time seemed to restart.
“No. It feels fine. Th-thank you.”
Xingchen took a deep breath, regaining his composure as he cleaned up everything and picking up the tray from the bed. He took it to the table and sat it down, grateful to get some physical distance between them. Sometimes he felt like Song Lan could read his mind and he feared what the older man might do or say if he actually found out what thoughts went through his head.
Song Lan was also relieved as he slowly relaxed where he sat. The air around him cooled as Xingchen moved away, and he felt his thoughts clear. He readjusted his robes feeling more in control of himself now.
“You should stay in bed tomorrow, let the wound close up,” Xiao Xingchen said as he got himself ready for bed. His own robes were stained with Song Lan’s blood and as he darted behind the changing screen to change he set his soiled clothing aside. He made a note to get them cleaned tomorrow along with Song Lan’s robes, not to mention buying the other man some new trousers.
“There’s no need for that. The pain’s not so bad,” Song Lan replied.
“Zichen,” Xiao Xingchen grumbled, removing his hair piece as he headed back to Song Lan, “That’s because there’s the numbing powder on it right now. If you move around too much and re-open the wound the healing process will have to start all over again.”
Song Lan absently felt the bandage on his leg, eyes glancing towards the younger man as he came closer. Xiao Xingchen opened up Song Lan’s traveling bundle and pulled out another set of under garments, a loose shirt and silk trousers that doubled as pajamas. He handed them to Song Lan then turned to give the older man some privacy as he changed.
“I’ll get our clothes cleaned up tomorrow, and it’ll be good to get some rest anyway. We’ve been traveling non-stop for days,” Xiao Xingchen commented.
“Hm. And I’m sure you’ll find something to amuse yourself with,” Song Lan said with a slight teasing tone. Xingchen always found things that made him curious wherever they went.
“I DID hear that the local tea shops here are famous for the fragrance of their teas. I think we can even see how they make the tea leaves,” Xingchen admitted.
Song Lan couldn’t help but laugh causing Xiao Xingchen to turn around. He took the older man’s discarded clothes and folded them neatly, setting them aside for cleaning.
“What? You like tea, right? Wouldn’t it be a good experience to try some new ones?” Xingchen asked, giving Song Lan his wide-eyed pleading look that the older man has become quite familiar with. He used it a lot whenever he was trying to convince Song Lan of something and usually the older man relented.
“You always have an ulterior motive whenever you don’t want to leave a place,” Song Lan observed with a small smile, showing that he wasn’t actually unhappy about that.
Xiao Xingchen helped Song Lan lay down, pulling up the covers to tuck him in.
“Nonsense, Zichen. My motives are entirely for your health benefits. It’s just...you know...if we can experience something local then, why not?” The younger man pointed out even though his eyes were mischievous.
Song Lan took the opportunity that Xiao Xingchen’s back was turned as the younger man walked to his own bed a few paces away to roll his eyes fondly. He doubted he could ever deny this man anything.
“Ah, right, for my health benefits. Didn’t you just tell me to rest and not move too much? And now you want to go walk around tea shops?” Song Lan countered.
Xiao Xingchen laid down on his own bed, huddling under the covers and sighing happily as his head hit the pillow.
“Well...well then, I’ll go to the tea shops and bring you back the tea,” Xingchen said easily.
“No, thank you. Last time I let you loose in a shop you almost bought out the entire place,” Song Lan replied, remembering the incident clearly. Shop merchants were ruthless in selling their wares and Xiao Xingchen had no training to defend against their persuasion tactics. He always got too caught up in his excitement at finding new things.
Xiao Xingchen laughed, taking the teasing in stride.
“It was one time, Zichen! Just the once, I lost track. I’m getting better at refusing,” he responded.
Song Lan sighed as he felt his eyes close. It had been an exhausting day but they survived and for that, the older cultivator was grateful.
“Hm. I think I trust kids in a candy store more, Xingchen,” he mumbled quietly, breath evening out.
Xiao Xingchen heard the sleepiness in Song Lan’s voice and yawned in turn.
“Good night, Zichen. See you tomorrow.”
Song Lan hummed, not fully awake anymore.
‘Good night, Xingchen,’ he thought, ‘Thank you.’
---END---
*sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy (酸甜苦辣) / **happiness, anger, sadness, and joy (喜怒哀乐)
Both of these are sayings in Chinese, basically they mean the ups and downs of life that everyone goes through.