[ i forgot every location in chasma but that's okay
it's a fresh week in the city of ankheen! lu bixing's fresh weeks in each of these new locations have all gone roughly the same - he bounds around the city at approximately 100mph, gets to know the whole location, befriends as many locals as he can (his glee in otamo upon realizing there were locals to get to know was unmatched) and drags lin jingheng all over the place to explore.
since it is a monday evening, and lu bixing has (unfortunately) (tragically) (miserably) not woken up in the same bed as lin jingheng (he'll find a way to rig this randomizing system yet), he's going to find him in one of the houses. one of lin jingheng's housemates lets him in, and in the evening, there is a bright, three-tap knock on lin jingheng's door that sounds awfully familiar.
beside him sits andromeda, her tail swishing from side to side against the floor. lu bixing's tail would also be swishing side to side against the floor, if it could. he has Plans. ]
[ eurymedon's head lifts before lin jingheng's does as the rapping assaults the door of their room. he squints at it before pulling himself up out of the chair, having to redo two buttons on his shirt. the heat is nagging, sticks to his skin constantly, and like a stone, eurymedon drops from his shoulder and shifts like a shadow into his sleek leopard form.
he'll open the door. especially as eury weaves around his legs, bumping and growling softly before standing patiently and still as stone as they stand before their company.
lu bixing stands there like a beacon, brighter than the sunlight that had streamed through his window. ]
You're early.
[ lin jingheng had assumed lu would make his rounds, then come see him. he can function well enough without zhanlu but he wishes he didn't have to.
[ eurymedon is so beautiful. so regal! eurymedon is immediately getting licked in the face, as andromeda breaks right out of that sitting position and bounds over to greet him, gleeful, tail wagging a hundred miles an hour.
lu bixing beams at eurymedon, and then right back up at lin jingheng. beautiful lin jingheng, who looks so, so pretty in this lighting, it's really just not fair? he and eury are really the most perfect pair in the world. it's not quite zhanlu, but, it's still nice, and lu bixing's whole day is immediately a little brighter just to be spending time with him.
he leans on the doorframe on one arm, in a way that he hopes is very attractive, and waves a hand. ] Ah, I am, I am. I had an idea, Commander Lin! I've made us some evening plans. Are you free? You're free, aren't you?
[ asked in the way that suggests "well, if you aren't free, you should be free now". andromeda prances around eury once she's finished her initial greeting, making little whoof noises. ]
[ lin jingheng considers this, all the while eury chuffs and nuzzles up against andromeda's side, long tail curling around her as he pushes his face into her fur. eventually he waves a hand and steps backwards into his room. the invitation is silent and it isn't long before eury acknowledges lu bixing with a soft flick of the tail and a tip of his head before he stalks to lu jingheng's side.
he perches himself by a window ledge meant for extra seating, arms folded.
i should say i am just to teach you a lesson.
but he does not. ]
What idea did you have? [ frowns. so straightforward. ]
[ yay! his face lights up a little, and he trots in after him immediately - though he pauses with a cheerful- ] Good evening, Eury. Looking very handsome today. [ - and greets his daemon with the same warmth that he greets his person. he'd love to be able to pet eury someday, but for now, he blows him a kiss.
andromeda seems deeply content with the attention, tail wagging happily, and she follows eury to trot in a circle around lin jingheng and sit down by his feet while lu bixing talks. ] Well, dinner, of course. I'm sure you haven't eaten.
[ because like, obviously. he knows this about jingheng. no nutrition syringes here to keep him eating absolutely nothing. in a way, bixing is a little glad, if only because it means that he can make sure that lin jingheng gets to eat better things, gets to enjoy things that taste good, like he deserves to. he's been spending time with one of their little off world travelers, learning how to cook, from world to world. and ankheen is so big and bright, there are plenty of places to do it. they've ended up somewhere so strange and terrible - is it bad, so bad for him to want lin to see the brighter side?
he gesticulates with his hands as he talks, as bright as ever. ]
But then - can I say the rest is a surprise? I want to take a walk, but the destination! That's a secret.
[ it's not like there are that many places they can really explore. ] What do you say?
[ eury does not seem to preen under the attention, but does give one long pause for lu bixing, and then blinks very slowly. on the way to his other half's side, he gives wiggly, golden andromeda a fully body press, sinuous and pleased, before winding a tail around lin's leg in full. all the while, he fixes eyes on andromeda, lower lidded and relaxed. as far as surprises go, lin jingheng is not a fan of them, and would prefer to avoid anything he does not know everything about at all costs. he can't stretch out his fingers and touch all there is to know here, not without zhanlu, not without what they once had with all of the interconnectedness of their world.
so he lifts his chin a bit and considers.
there are only so many places to go in ankheen. he and eurymedon have prowled the entire city top to bottom in order to maintain their sense of control over something. he flexes a hand, zhanlu inactive, resting curled around his fingers and wrist and forearm in his deactivated mode like the smallest of creature comforts. lu bixing is troublesome, but that trouble pierces through his heart like a needle of light, forcing any doubt to implode upon contact, supernova imminent.
he... he likes it. ]
I've already seen the city in its entirety. [ a commander. and yet: thick, icy glass slides back ] I'm curious as to what you have to show me.
[ lu bixing's face brightens up, as the acceptance comes. he knows lin jingheng by now - knows the aloof answer, is expecting it , but is somehow just twice as delighted every time lin jingheng says yes. he knows from experience and observation, like any good scientist, that lin jingheng is actually nicer to him than just about anyone else in the entire world, and he knows that he gets away with everything, so he knows that he has to push the limits of it just a little.
the smile on his face is as bright as the sun when he gets his yes nonetheless because it never gets less thrilling, and he laughs. ]
I bet you haven't. Well, no, that's not true. I bet you've seen it, but I don't think you've experienced it.
[ he's teasing, of course, as he nudges the door back open with his heel, but it is true. lin jingheng doesn't talk to people like lu bixing does, and, he's not exactly a cayley kid like lu bixing is, the country bumpkin son of a crime lord. he loves ankheen. it reminds him of home.
he pushes the door back open - pauses, and then strides right over to lin jingheng's closet, plucking a jacket off of the hook and giving it a little wiggle. ]
It's going to get cold, so make sure you're ready. Andy, are you coming?
[ andromeda barks her affirmative, cheerfully, and trots over to follow, tail sticking straight up and looking back expectantly at eury and lin jingheng. ]
[ eury pads forward, followed by lin jingheng bringing up the rear, pulling the jacket from bixing's hand... hmm. he closes the door to the house they've been provided and bumps his shoulder against lu bixing's before looking towards the city curiously and then towards lu bixing. he's not sure what exactly he has in mind for this "surprise."
and something tells him that he's going to feel strongly about it in some way or another. all feelings that are strong tend to feel a bit like lin jingheng is being twisted by a pair of large hands, bones breaking, heart racing.
he blinks a bit because eury has stopped completely, his tail lashing, hitting jingheng's calf over and over again, eyes pointed towards him. he fixes his own gaze on him before taking lu bixing's hand fast and tight into his own. ]
Experience it before we're shunted somewhere else?
[ well, he was going to put the jacket on himself, but somehow flirting with jingheng over it is even better - his mouth quirks up into a smile, and he lets their hands brush as he takes the coat, lets it brighten up his whole expression. next to him, andromeda makes a happy chuffing noise, tail starting to wag behind her as she trots a full circle around them both, almost prancing with glee.
especially, especially when jingheng does take his hand. lu bixing lights up, like he always does, a sun contained in a person, and pulls his hand up to lay a kiss on his knuckles. ]
Nope. [ as playful as andromeda, he smiles against his knuckles, and then moves to pull him through the door into the desert sun. by now, the time has changed to the late afternoon - the unbearably hot sun is starting to come down, and bixing takes their hands and swings them, as andromeda trots out in the front and nudges against eury, then continues to more or less cheerfully prance at his side. ] You trust me, right? Especially in a city.
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⭐️ chasma AU
it's a fresh week in the city of ankheen! lu bixing's fresh weeks in each of these new locations have all gone roughly the same - he bounds around the city at approximately 100mph, gets to know the whole location, befriends as many locals as he can (his glee in otamo upon realizing there were locals to get to know was unmatched) and drags lin jingheng all over the place to explore.
since it is a monday evening, and lu bixing has (unfortunately) (tragically) (miserably) not woken up in the same bed as lin jingheng (he'll find a way to rig this randomizing system yet), he's going to find him in one of the houses. one of lin jingheng's housemates lets him in, and in the evening, there is a bright, three-tap knock on lin jingheng's door that sounds awfully familiar.
beside him sits andromeda, her tail swishing from side to side against the floor. lu bixing's tail would also be swishing side to side against the floor, if it could. he has Plans. ]
no subject
he'll open the door. especially as eury weaves around his legs, bumping and growling softly before standing patiently and still as stone as they stand before their company.
lu bixing stands there like a beacon, brighter than the sunlight that had streamed through his window. ]
You're early.
[ lin jingheng had assumed lu would make his rounds, then come see him. he can function well enough without zhanlu but he wishes he didn't have to.
how annoying. ]
no subject
lu bixing beams at eurymedon, and then right back up at lin jingheng. beautiful lin jingheng, who looks so, so pretty in this lighting, it's really just not fair? he and eury are really the most perfect pair in the world. it's not quite zhanlu, but, it's still nice, and lu bixing's whole day is immediately a little brighter just to be spending time with him.
he leans on the doorframe on one arm, in a way that he hopes is very attractive, and waves a hand. ] Ah, I am, I am. I had an idea, Commander Lin! I've made us some evening plans. Are you free? You're free, aren't you?
[ asked in the way that suggests "well, if you aren't free, you should be free now". andromeda prances around eury once she's finished her initial greeting, making little whoof noises. ]
no subject
he perches himself by a window ledge meant for extra seating, arms folded.
i should say i am just to teach you a lesson.
but he does not. ]
What idea did you have? [ frowns. so straightforward. ]
no subject
andromeda seems deeply content with the attention, tail wagging happily, and she follows eury to trot in a circle around lin jingheng and sit down by his feet while lu bixing talks. ] Well, dinner, of course. I'm sure you haven't eaten.
[ because like, obviously. he knows this about jingheng. no nutrition syringes here to keep him eating absolutely nothing. in a way, bixing is a little glad, if only because it means that he can make sure that lin jingheng gets to eat better things, gets to enjoy things that taste good, like he deserves to. he's been spending time with one of their little off world travelers, learning how to cook, from world to world. and ankheen is so big and bright, there are plenty of places to do it. they've ended up somewhere so strange and terrible - is it bad, so bad for him to want lin to see the brighter side?
he gesticulates with his hands as he talks, as bright as ever. ]
But then - can I say the rest is a surprise? I want to take a walk, but the destination! That's a secret.
[ it's not like there are that many places they can really explore. ] What do you say?
no subject
so he lifts his chin a bit and considers.
there are only so many places to go in ankheen. he and eurymedon have prowled the entire city top to bottom in order to maintain their sense of control over something. he flexes a hand, zhanlu inactive, resting curled around his fingers and wrist and forearm in his deactivated mode like the smallest of creature comforts. lu bixing is troublesome, but that trouble pierces through his heart like a needle of light, forcing any doubt to implode upon contact, supernova imminent.
he... he likes it. ]
I've already seen the city in its entirety. [ a commander. and yet: thick, icy glass slides back ] I'm curious as to what you have to show me.
[ yes. ]
no subject
the smile on his face is as bright as the sun when he gets his yes nonetheless because it never gets less thrilling, and he laughs. ]
I bet you haven't. Well, no, that's not true. I bet you've seen it, but I don't think you've experienced it.
[ he's teasing, of course, as he nudges the door back open with his heel, but it is true. lin jingheng doesn't talk to people like lu bixing does, and, he's not exactly a cayley kid like lu bixing is, the country bumpkin son of a crime lord. he loves ankheen. it reminds him of home.
he pushes the door back open - pauses, and then strides right over to lin jingheng's closet, plucking a jacket off of the hook and giving it a little wiggle. ]
It's going to get cold, so make sure you're ready. Andy, are you coming?
[ andromeda barks her affirmative, cheerfully, and trots over to follow, tail sticking straight up and looking back expectantly at eury and lin jingheng. ]
no subject
and something tells him that he's going to feel strongly about it in some way or another. all feelings that are strong tend to feel a bit like lin jingheng is being twisted by a pair of large hands, bones breaking, heart racing.
he blinks a bit because eury has stopped completely, his tail lashing, hitting jingheng's calf over and over again, eyes pointed towards him. he fixes his own gaze on him before taking lu bixing's hand fast and tight into his own. ]
Experience it before we're shunted somewhere else?
[ he huffs. ]
Do I get a hint?
no subject
especially, especially when jingheng does take his hand. lu bixing lights up, like he always does, a sun contained in a person, and pulls his hand up to lay a kiss on his knuckles. ]
Nope. [ as playful as andromeda, he smiles against his knuckles, and then moves to pull him through the door into the desert sun. by now, the time has changed to the late afternoon - the unbearably hot sun is starting to come down, and bixing takes their hands and swings them, as andromeda trots out in the front and nudges against eury, then continues to more or less cheerfully prance at his side. ] You trust me, right? Especially in a city.