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Huang Shaotian had once said that he’d been lucky to find his home in Tiny Herb, that it suited him well, that if he’d gone to Thunderclap or Tyranny that he’d be more out of place. The words had been tossed out at Huang Shaotian’s usual breakneck speed before he vanished, fliting over to where Yu Wenzhou was showing Fang Shiqian something on his phone, Yu Wenzhou had glanced up when Huang Shaotian materialised at his side, grin showing off the sharp points of his teeth, something that caused Huang Shaotian’s focus to slip for a few long moments.
Fang Shiqian seemed lost in what Yu Wenzhou had showed him, wings rustling as he seemed to mull the idea over in his head before nodding decisively. Yu Wenzhou was thoroughly distracted by Huang Shaotian at this point, leaving Fang Shiqian to press the phone awkwardly into his hand before deciding that if Yu Wenzhou dropped it, it was his own mistake.
Wang Jiexi couldn’t help the way he perked up when Fang Shiqian came to stand beside him and the flora around them reacted, the standing plant in the corner making a soft noise as it shuffled its leaves in order to showcase itself better. At first Wang Jiexi had tried to hide this from Fang Shiqian, not wanting the other to be able to read so clearly his emotions but he’d been unable to keep it from Huang Shaotian and Zhang Xinjie, not with the different ways they saw the world and he’d resigned himself to mockery.
Huang Shaotian had decided that regular, very loud and insistent laughter was the way to go, until Fang Shiqian had taken this as Huang Shaotian laughing at him and had kicked his feet out from under him before smiling smugly at the surprised yelp. After that, Huang Shaotian had settled for smiling at various greenery whenever it was in the vicinity and Wang Jiexi comforted himself with the knowledge that at least it was no longer out loud.
Zhang Xinjie wasn’t so unsubtle that he chose to mock Wang Jiexi verbally, he simply sent pictures of vibrantly blooming greenery seemingly without any rhyme or reason until Wang Jiexi realised that every picture sent had been collected from a time he’d let his thoughts about Fang Shiqian run away with him. The next time Wang Jiexi had seen Han Wenqing, he’d briefly mentioned that Zhang Xinjie seemed to want to pick up a gardening hobby, and from what little he could get from Xiao Shiqin, the werewolf had been perhaps too eager in his need to provide.
So that had taken care of the fact that his, Wang Jiexi hesitated to use the word crush, but Huang Shaotian had been insistent that it was the correct word and Zhang Xinjie hadn’t disagreed and so, outvoted, Wang Jiexi had acquiesced. But despite solving the fact that he was being mocked for his crush, Wang Jiexi had been no closer to solving the issue of his powers making plants bloom aggressively everytime he was in the vicinity of his vice-captain.
It wasn’t that Wang Jiexi was embarrassed of his reaction, it was simply that after the 15th time he’d caused a pot to crack under the strain of rapidly growing roots, it seemed clear that he needed a solution else he’d be unable to be around greenery ever again.
Help had come from an unexpected source, Wang Jiexi had been chatting idly with Zhang Jiale when Fang Shiqian had come into view and the flowers woven into Zhang Jiale’s hair had exploded into a cloud of petals and a very strong fragrance. As the other vice-captain began wafting his hands ineffectually in an attempt to clear the perfume he was muttering a variety of uncomplimentary comments, but one stuck out clearly.
“They’re both as bad as each other.” Fang Shiqian froze from where he was observing the cloud of petals and so did Zhang Jiale, his wings bristling under Wang Jiexi’s gaze.
“What do you mean by that?” Zhang Jiale shot Fang Shiqian an apologetic look before he clearly decided he wasn’t interested in explaining and he made a beeline for Sun Zheping, who’d clearly come searching for him.
“Do you know what he meant?” Wang Jiexi thought that it was hard to keep his focus on his question when Fang Shiqian flushed like that, wings curling at the edges slightly as if that would help him vanish. “Was he talking about Glory—?”
“He was talking about the fact that my wings react to you!” Wang Jiexi fell silent at his vice-captain’s outburst and he took a few moments to let that sink in. “Well? Aren’t you going to say anything!?” From Fang Shiqian’s tone, it was apparently a few long moments, but Wang Jiexi had a lot to think about, including that the way Fang Shiqian’s wings were puffing up in indignation made him look extremely cute. If he didn’t think it’d end in him losing his hand, Wang Jiexi might be tempted to reach out and pat his head.
“In a bad way?”
“When you explode plants around me, do you mean that in a bad way?” Fang Shiqian’s jaw was set in that way that meant he wouldn’t be backing down, and Wang Jiexi decided that if Fang Shiqian could be brave, he could match that too.
“Not in a bad way at all.” While Wang Jiexi expected it, the kiss was still a little surprising, but he pressed himself into Fang Shiqian’s touch, ignoring the shrieks that suggested more pots were breaking under the strain of the plants they housed. What did they care, they had each other.
Later, Wang Jiexi would send an apology to Sun Zheping and Zhang Jiale for the chaos that had been caused in their club that day. He’d got a very nice response from Sun Zheping assuring him that he didn’t need to worry while Zhang Jiale sent him a picture of a wall labelled: Banned, that had a picture of himself and one of Fang Shiqian.
Wang Jiexi was oddly proud of himself over that.
“You’re not thinking about what that noisy pest of a Blademaster said again are you?” Wang Jiexi looked up from the plant he was watering to see Fang Shiqian coming into the greenhouse, haloed by the sunlight from the door. He half heartedly made an effort to swat at the vines snaking around his shoulders, but he didn’t try very hard at all and so they settled into place and Wang Jiexi was content.
“He’s right isn’t he? Tiny Herb is the right place for me.” This set Fang Shiqian off on a tirade that Huang Shaotian was never right because he was simply a quick-witted and fleet-footed mischief maker who lived his life to plot against people with his black-hearted boyfriend.
Wang Jiexi returned to watering his greenhouse, content to think that Huang Shaotian was right, even if he’d never voice it aloud, because, after all, where else but Tiny Herb would have greenhouses full of plants that he could repurpose so he would always be aware of his boyfriend? Wang Jiexi was content with where he was, and underneath the blister, so was Fang Shiqian.