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“Do you have any rooms available?”
“The last two. Do you want them?”
“Yes.” Wu Sanxing immediately agrees. Then he turns to Wu Xie, with the barest hint of teasing in his eyes along with a slight smirk tugging up on the corner of his lips. Wu Xie inwardly shudders. Oh, he knows that look. A look usually only apparent in Wu Sanxing’s eyes whenever he’s going to fluster the hell out of Wu Xie.
“Xiaoge needs time to recuperate. Wu Xie, you share a room with him.” There it is. “And we three can make do with the other room.”
It’s a good thing Wu Xie manages to keep his face neutral, even though he wants to scream inside. Was his crus—no, admiration for Xiaoge that obvious? Then again, his uncle is one of the closest people to him, thus it won’t be strange if he managed to catch Wu Xie occasionally stealing glances at the mysterious Xiaoge.
Although he’s still a bit bewildered, Wu Xie can’t deny that a part of him is quite thrilled at the prospect of spending more time with Xiaoge (and perhaps knowing more about him). Maybe Wu Xie should thank his uncle instead for giving him this chance.
Supporting Xiaoge through their walk to the bedroom is not that hard. Xiaoge barely weighs a lot, and Wu Xie is capable of doing it alone without High Shao’s help. The only thing that slightly bothers Wu Xie is the way Xiaoge’s breath would sporadically brush against his exposed neck if he leaned too close. Of course, Wu Xie could just push Xiaoge away from him, but the latter is swaying too much that Wu Xie had no choice but to tuck him close to his side.
Thankfully, the torment doesn’t last too long, and soon enough he finds himself arriving in front of the room.
“Wu Xie, take good care of him.” Wu Sanxing’s eyes are glittering with delight, and Wu Xie feels his face heating up from the implications of Wu Sanxing’s glance.
Wu Xie nods with a quick “en.” and immediately steers them both inside the bedroom. It’s simple, but it’s to be expected considering the condition of the village. At the very least, they have a place to sleep.
Gently, he lowers Xiaoge to bed closest to the door, careful as to not jostle him too much. Xiaoge makes small noises through his smacking lips and shifts a little. For a moment Wu Xie freezes, afraid he accidentally wakes Xiaoge up. Upon seeing Xiaoge’s eyes still closed, Wu Xie backs away silently.
In this distance, Wu Xie can get a better look at Xiaoge. Wu Xie’s gaze moves upwards from Xiaoge’s injured hand curled loosely on his stomach, to his chest, and lastly, to his face. He takes a few moments studying Xiaoge’s serene sleeping face, as beautiful as when he was fully awake, if only a little bit pale from the blood loss. Xiaoge’s lips fall open slightly as he exhales, exposing the tiny bits of the upper row of his teeth. Wu Xie’s traitorous eyes instantly focus on those parted lips before he quickly averts them somewhere else.
His focus then lands on the sword on Xiaoge’s side. If he left it there, it might make Xiaoge uncomfortable later. That, and he’s quite interested in the sword Xiaoge always keeps near him. It wouldn’t hurt if he examined a little, right? Xiaoge is asleep, and Wu Xie will return it to him before he's awake. Compelled by his curiosity, he reaches out to pick the sword up.
However, before he can do anything to the sword other than picking it up Xiaoge’s free hand shoots up to grab Wu Xie’s wrist, startling him. His line of sight falls back to Xiaoge, who is already awake and stares at Wu Xie with his cool, blank gaze. Wu Xie blinks apologetically at Xiaoge, and they exchange glances for a while. Xiaoge probably thought he was an enemy trying to steal his sword and it’s understandable. Wu Xie loosens his hold on the sword, and Xiaoge slides his hand down Wu Xie’s wrist to take the sword, holding it protectively to his stomach with his left hand.
Xiaoge seems a bit bothered by the light, seeing how he shielded his eyes from the sunlight filtering through the window. Wu Xie, on the other hand, shuffles awkwardly on his feet and looking at anywhere else except Xiaoge, scolding himself for being too curious. He sincerely hopes what just happened won’t impair whatever relationship existing between them.
Then their eyes meet again when Xiaoge asks him in a slightly hoarse voice.
“Where am I?”
“Uhm… This is a guesthouse in the village.”
Wu Xie observes the way Xiaoge cradles the sword to his chest as his eyes flutter close—apparently not fully awake yet—in a failed attempt to stay awake. He then settles his head more comfortably before shutting his eyes again, hugging the sword tighter to his chest in a way akin to a child hugging their stuffed toy to sleep. It’s quite an endearing sight to see.
“Have a rest.”
With that, Wu Xie leaves Xiaoge to sleep while he plans to unpack and tidy up his belongings. If Xiaoge didn't wake up in the next hour, Wu Xie will try to tidy Xiaoge’s belonging too without invading the latter’s privacy. He starts putting their belongings on his side of the bed, arranging them neatly while still giving him enough space to sleep without being too close to Xiaoge. He was about to unfold his mattress when he realizes Xiaoge is still wearing his boots.
He is contemplating whether to take Xiaoge’s boots off and risking being ‘ambushed’ again, or letting the boots stay on and might be causing the latter discomfort when Xiaoge’s legs shift in his sleep, and… okay, that doesn’t look too comfortable. Boots off, it is.
(Don’t get him wrong, he’s just trying to make Xiaoge more comfortable. No other ulterior motives.)
Before doing it, though, Wu Xie has to make sure Xiaoge is deeply asleep. He pokes Xiaoge’s calf with one finger and peeks at him. No reaction. Another one then, just to make sure. Still no reaction whatsoever. Only after a couple more poking did Wu Xie believes Xiaoge won’t be awake when he’s taking off his boots.
Taking off Xiaoge’s boots proves to be one of the most nerve-racking things Wu Xie did aside from getting chased at Inner Mongolia. He keeps glancing up and down between Xiaoge’s feet and Xiaoge’s face, checking on Xiaoge’s reaction and taking off his boots as slowly as he could. If Xiaoge had reacted like that when Wu Xie touches his sword, it won’t be weird if Xiaoge kicked him straight in the face as a reaction to Wu Xie touching his feet.
Thankfully, Xiaoge stays put throughout the whole ordeal, and Wu Xie manages to take off his boots without causing any more awkward incidents. He then unfolds a blanket and covers Xiaoge’s body with it, tucking it snugly around Xiaoge’s shoulders. Xiaoge snuffles in his sleep, head lolling slightly to the other side. His hug on the sword shifting between tight and loose in a short time. At one point, Xiaoge brings the sword closer to his face, nuzzling it. He seems a bit restless somehow, a slight frown marring his forehead. Wu Xie wonders if Xioge felt uncomfortable or hurt somewhere.
Wu Xie places one palm on the blanket right on top of Xiaoge’s left forearm in an attempt to smooth away the wrinkles caused by Xiaoge’s movement. Surprisingly, the frown on Xiaoge’s forehead also smooths away as he relaxes in his sleep. Wu Xie blinks several times, puzzled at this unexpected response. Could it be…?
He tries pulling off his hand and Xiaoge frowns again, making small noises from his lips. The frown disappears when Wu Xie puts his hand back. Oh. Oh. Alright. Wu Xie lies his hand on Xiaoge’s forearm again then rubs it in continuous, smooth motions. Xiaoge visibly loosens up, his body less tense and his breathing slows down.
A small, fond smile perks up on Wu Xie’s lips as he continues the stroking. True to what he predicted, Xiaoge is no longer restless. Wu Xie should move his hand away, he should leave Xiaoge to sleep, he should stop looking at Xiaoge’s beautiful face. But he can’t. He can’t tear his eyes away from Xiaoge. Xiaoge is beautiful, Wu Xie knows that. He was already enamored by Xiaoge’s beauty and grace from the first time they met. Then the beauty was gone as suddenly as he appeared, and Wu Xie was left with the impression of their first meeting.
Then they met again not long after that when Xiaoge saved him from being robbed. It turned out he didn't only have a beautiful face, but also amazingly skilled in martial arts. Every movement he made was equally graceful, increasing his appeal multiple times. Then he extended his hand to Wu Xie to help him up, and only Wu Xie knew how fast his heartbeat was that night. Wu Xie was too enthralled by him to be able to form proper thanks, and when he managed to find his voice again, his uncle called him. Wu Xie might or might not get slightly irked at that.
Xiaoge was gone again, as swift as before. Wu Xie wondered if he would ever meet the guy again in the future. Imagine Wu Xie’s surprise and exhilaration upon seeing him again as a part of his team. He tried to smile, to strike a conversation with him, but Xiaoge was cold and detached and it made Wu Xie felt awkward. Wu Xie was a bit disappointed at Xiaoge’s lack of reactions, though he later brushed it away.
Poker Face. That was Wu Xie’s nickname for him, and Wu Sanxing only smiled at him. Later on, this Poker Face continued to amaze him in multiple ways. He helped Wu Xie, again, and guided him back to the boat. He fascinated Wu Xie again and again until Wu Xie saw him unconscious from losing too much blood. Even like that, looking all pale and still half-wet, he’s still beautiful.
He is pulled from his thoughts by the rustled sounds of the blanket and he tenses, only to calms down again when he realizes it’s just Xiaoge shifting in his sleep. He doesn’t know how long has passed since he started thinking. His hand has stopped moving, lying innocently on the same place, but Xiaoge no longer shows any sign of restlessness. Or waking up. Xiaoge’s hold on his sword has loosened enough that it’s no longer in his chest, but sliding down to the mattress as his hands sag limply to his side.
This time, Wu Xie doesn’t think twice to set the sword aside and adjust Xiaoge’s upper limbs so he won’t feel too constricted from being cocooned by the blanket. He tucks the blanket underneath Xiaoge’s armpits, both of his hands placed neatly on his stomach. Throughout the process, Xiaoge is deathly still and limp, looking very much like a dead person if not for his breathing. His body is a bit warm when Wu Xie touches his skin, but it’s not too alarming.
Satisfied, he finishes the job by setting Xiaoge’s sword and bag right next to him.
With nothing else to do, Wu Xie finds himself being pulled by the gentle rise and fall of Xiaoge’s chest and the way his lips would smack every now and then. He wonders if those lips were as soft as they looked… maybe if he could reach out and touch a little…
“It’s inappropriate to take advantage of an unconscious person.”
A familiar voice, amused and tinted with mirth comes from the doorway.
Wu Xie freezes.
Oh no.
Oh no, no, no, no.
“Uncle…”
Wu Sanxing is standing there, leaning against the door frame with both arms crossed in front of his chest. He’s smiling—no, smirking teasingly, full of amusement at catching his nephew red-handed. Wu Xie quickly draws his hand away and hides it behind his back, guilty and ashamed. He already had an inkling that his uncle somehow knows about Wu Xie’s fascination for Xiaoge (which was why he tasked Wu Xie with taking care of Xiaoge in the first place), but he didn’t expect to be caught like this.
“Dinner is almost ready.” The smirk stays in place, even grows wider seeing Wu Xie’s bashful shuffling. “Come, eat first. You can continue taking care of him and bringing him dinner later.”
Wu Xie is at a loss for words, so he nods obediently and follows Wu Sanxing out, but not before making sure Xiaoge’s blanket is tidy and pats it for good measure. Wu Sanxing is grinning from ear to ear when Wu Xie exits the bedroom. He puts one hand on Wu Xie’s shoulder and squeezes it in encouragement.
Feeling like he’s about to combust from embarrassment, Wu Xie can only sputter and runs away from his uncle, seeking protection from High Shao and Pan Zi.
Behind him, Wu Sanxing is snickering.
---OooOooO---
Poor Wu Xie is desperately willing himself to calm down even as he carries a tray of dinner for Xiaoge. Wu Sanxing didn’t spare him from the implicit teasing, especially after Wu Xie mentioned to Chen Chengcheng that he was sharing a room with Xiaoge. When Wu Xie prepared some food for Xiaoge, Wu Sanxing patted his shoulder (again) and whispered teasingly.
“Don’t do things I won’t do.”
What did that even mean?!
Wu Xie wanted to bury himself under the ground.
Anyway, now he has another job to make sure Xiaoge eats his dinner and well-rested enough for tomorrow (he suspects his uncle has planned this).
Carrying the dinner inside the room, Wu Xie notices how Xiaoge barely changed his position during his absence. Setting the tray aside on the table, Wu Xie approaches Xiaoge and calls out on him, keeping his voice low and soft.
“Poker Face,”
Xiaoge doesn’t react at all, not even a flutter on his closed eyelids. Wu Xie pats his shoulder lightly several times and calls him again in a louder voice.
“Poker Face.”
This time Xiaoge’s eyelids flutter open, and they soon land on Wu Xie, whose lips curved up in a small smile.
“Get up to eat.”
It’s quite adorable seeing Xiaoge blinking his eyes slowly as if he was reluctant to wake up. Wu Xie patiently waits beside him, even going as far as to help him sit when he struggles to lift his body. Xiaoge makes no move or protest at Wu Xie’s involvement, merely letting himself being supported until he’s able to sit properly in front of the table. Wu Xie hands him a pair of chopsticks, which Xiaoge accepts wordlessly, before digging into his dinner.
He stands awkwardly beside him, torn between wanting to let Xiaoge on his own accord and wanting to attend Xiaoge in case he needs something. Wu Xie shuffles on his feet, both hands clasped behind his back as he racks his brain for a topic. He fails miserably, and the awkwardness between them is cold enough to freeze him from inside out.
Thankfully, Wu Xie is saved by Xiaoge whose eyes flicker to the water kettle on the other side of the room. Wu Xie follows his gaze and instantly understands.
“Here,” He puts a glass of water on the table, then slips both hands inside his pocket.
Xiaoge, apparently thirsty, downs all the water in one gulp. Wu Xie’s traitorous eyes can’t help but stare at Xiaoge’s throat bobbing, as some water spills out from the corner of his lips. Oh, how Wu Xie wants to wipe those excessive water away…
Wu Xie gives himself a silent smack.
“Thanks.”
The way Xiaoge says it, still cold and flat but sincere, elicits a smile on Wu Xie’s face.
“You’re welcome.”
And just like that, just a simple ‘thanks’ from Xiaoge is enough to make Wu Xie’s heart sing.
“Um… We’ll set out early tomorrow morning. Are you well enough to go?” Wu Sanxing did remind him to ask Xiaoge for that.
Without sparing even a glance to Wu Xie, Xiaoge answers him. “I’m fine.”
In some way, Wu Xie perceives Xiaoge’s short reply as a dismissal. Xiaoge might feel suffocated by Wu Xie's presence and wants to be left alone instead of having Wu Xie hanging around him like a bug.
“En. Take your time then.”
Wu Xie leaves him to his own accord to prepare the necessary supplies and equipment for tomorrow. Wu Sanxing told them to not stay up for too long, and to be frank, Wu Xie is exhausted. He’d love to take a bath and retire as early as possible. He did change his clothes and washed off briefly before dinner, but he didn’t get the chance to thoroughly clean and scrub his entire body. Thus, he starts unpacking his clothes and toiletries, ready to wash off all the dirt and grime accumulated from their journey.
As he passes Xiaoge on his way (who is still munching on his dinner), he stops for a while to bring the water kettle to the table. Although he intended to just left it there, he chooses to pour the water inside Xiaoge’s glass. Xiaoge turns at him with the same flat look, and Wu Xie just smiles.
“I’m going to take a bath.” He announces, not expecting Xiaoge to respond to him. “Let me know if you wanted one later. I’ll help.”
To his surprise, Xiaoge nods with a short “en.” and returns to his dinner. Wu Xie, too happy to get a response from Xiaoge, doesn’t realize the implications of his words…
…until he’s standing there, in the bathroom, halfway through taking off his clothes. Face heating up, Wu Xie immediately splashes himself with the cold water, just to make sure he won’t pass out from being overheated.
Xiaoge had agreed to his offer of helping him taking a bath! Did Xiaoge misunderstand Wu Xie’s words, or did he actually won’t mind with Wu Xie helping him bathe? No, no, there’s no way Xiaoge would want to bathe with him, much less having Wu Xie help him bathe. Bathing together with Xiaoge is merely a fantasy, an impossible thing to achieve.
But it wouldn't hurt to imagine that in the future, there would be a time where he'd bathe together with Xiaoge…
Wu Xie muffles his groan of frustration by dunking his head in cold water.
---OooOooO---
Wu Xie emerges back in the bedroom after half an hour dressed in his sleeping attire, delightfully fresh and clean from any remaining dirt his previous rinse didn’t fully cleanse. He also got Pan Zi’s help with disinfecting and changing his bandage. Wu Sanxing later briefed him on tomorrow’s plan, then hastily ushered him to sleep. However, he didn’t let Wu Xie left in peace.
“Make sure Xiaoge’s wound is cleaned and his bandages changed.”
That should be a good enough reason for Wu Xie to enter the room with a flushed face and an exhausted sigh. In his hand is the first-aid kit, courtesy of his beloved uncle.
Inside, Xiaoge has already finished his dinner, all the plates (surprisingly) clean and neatly stacked on the table. Even the kettle is devoid of any water. Now he is leaning on the wall, deft hands meticulously polishing the sword. Their eyes meet briefly when Wu Xie is picking up the empty plates, and Wu Xie is fighting back the bashfulness rising from his chest.
Oh, please don’t let Xiaoge remembers the words he said back then about helping him bather or else Wu Xie won’t be able to live with it.
Fortunately, Xiaoge doesn’t bring it up. He is already opening the first-aid kit by the time Wu Xie returns, and Wu Xie is at him right away.
“Here,” He takes the first-aid kit from Xiaoge’s hand and sets it next to his thigh. “Let me help with your wound?” Wu Xie makes his voice as soft and as non-threatening as possible, assuming it’d make Xiaoge less suspicious of him. He even holds his palm up at the latter.
Xiaoge first stares at Wu Xie's face, down to his offered palm, then back to Wu Xie’s face again. In an attempt of reassurance, Wu Xie smiles at him and nods. It takes him a while, but after thorough scrutiny, Xiaoge eventually deems that Wu Xie is indeed harmless and gives his injured hand to Wu Xie.
Wu Xie doesn’t have many experiences with changing bandages, but at the very least he knows how to do it. He cautiously unwraps the previous bandage and inspects the slash wound underneath it. It is quite deep yet it’s already healing nicely, perhaps a bit faster than any normal wound. He apologizes to Xiaoge first before cleaning the wound with an antiseptic, except Xiaoge doesn’t even flinch or make any other reaction.
To prevent any awkwardness, Wu Xie does his job of re-wrapping the wound as efficiently as possible. He tries his best not to dwell on the shape and feel of Xiaoge's hands or thinking too much about Xiaoge trusting him to take care of his injury.
“It’s done.” He gives Xiaoge a small smile and tidies the rest of the first-aid kit. “I’ll check on it again in the morning.”
As Wu Xie disposes of the dirty bandages and used cotton, Xiaoge is inspecting Wu Xie’s work from all angles, like a child checking out his newest toy with curiosity. Wu Xie catches a glimpse of it from the corner of his eyes, and he can’t help but shakes his head fondly. Adorable. Simply adorable. Wu Xie pays him no more attention, busying himself with unfolding his mattress and arranging the pillows according to his preferences.
The amount of belongings he had placed on the corner leaves him a small space to sleep, smaller than he had preferred. Due to the positioning of Xiaoge’s mattress and the belongings, even if he put the table away, it's barely enough to give him a proper distance from Xiaoge's mattress. Worst case scenario, his feet would be brushing against Xiaoge’s. For this reason, Wu Xie promptly changes the angle of his mattress. This way, there would be enough distance between him and Xiaoge.
Not that Wu Xie doesn’t want to get too close to Xiaoge, he’s taking precautions for himself. In case his limbs decided to betray him and do unexpected things, despite knowing he doesn't move a lot in his sleep.
Xiaoge, who finally finished with his inspection, peers at Wu Xie.
“Thanks.”
There is a hint of something in his eyes, but Wu Xie can’t decipher the meaning behind it. Wu Xie doesn’t have a proper reply for that except for a beaming smile, wider than the previous smiles he gave at Xiaoge.
“You’re welcome.” His hand hovers over the light switch. “Lights on or off?”
“Off.” Comes Xiaoge’s reply, and Wu Xie flicks the switch, bathing the room in comfortable darkness with only natural light coming from outside.
Just as Wu Xie climbs to his mattress, Xiaoge is already lying on his back and closes his eyes, seemingly asleep. Wu Xie curls on his left side, getting a limited sight of Xiaoge not hidden behind the wooden table. Like this, he eventually realizes that this bedroom is indeed too big for two. High Shao and Pan Zi could join them and there would be enough space for them if arranged properly. There’s no need for his uncle to cramp together in the other room with two other people.
Wu Sanxing did plan for Wu Xie to share the room with Xiaoge and took care of the injured man. Wu Xie now believes that Wu Sanxing probably already knows about Wu Xie’s fascination with Xiaoge before Wu Xie himself could realize it. Honestly, his uncle is too sneaky.
Oh, well. He could always confront Wu Sanxing about it later. Right now, all he cares about is the way his exhausted limbs melt to the mattress. Wu Xie snuggles deeper into the pillow and closes his eyes. He’s tired, and they’re going to have a long day tomorrow.
“Good night, Poker Face.” He mumbles, half-asleep, and is out in the next few seconds.
Little did Wu Xie knows, as soon as his breath deepens, Xiaoge’s eyes flicker open. He tilts his head slightly and is greeted with Wu Xie’s sleeping face. For the next minute, Xiaoge keeps staring at Wu Xie's face, his expression flat and unreadable. Xiaoge lifts his left hand, looking at his bandaged hand as if he hasn’t had enough inspecting it, then back at the serene face free of frown and worry.
Xiaoge lies back and covers himself with the blanket, cradling his left hand to his chest protectively. He shuts his eyes down and exhales softly through his nose.
In the tranquil silence, a small voice can be heard.
“Good night,”