[ oogh. well that look is like the killing blow. jiaoqiu's inscrutable, sometimes, but he's not always inscrutable to therion, and it makes the looks that are genuine so much more powerful, to know what they are. and being looked at like this - whether he can tell its lovesick or not, he can certainly tell the intention.
that, combined with the hand on his face, which is so, so gentle. he might not ever be used to the softness and sweetness when it comes - he thinks, briefly, that jiaoqiu might say something incredibly sappy, something that you can't actually take back, and that makes him kind of want to run out of the nearest window so he's almost relieved when it goes unsaid. something nervous boils up in his chest, fluttering hard like a bird banging against wire birdcage, desperately trying to get past the glass, but he swallows it. and, in fact, his head tilts just a tiny, tiny bit, enough to press into the hand on his cheek, leaning into the soft gesture and for a moment, closing his eyes. jiaoqiu doesn't say it, but the mood reads for affection and emotion and intimacy, and maybe that's all therion can manage. its sure as hell a long way from a hissing, spitting cat in an alleyway, a year ago.
the last comment makes him snort. the noise is a little discordant in the softness, but it breaks up some of the tension, whether it's positive tension or negative, and he opens his eyes slowly, looks at him, and then rolls them. it lacks heat. ]
Uh huh. [ all this complaining and for what! ] Can't have your cake and eat it too, fluff.
[ though... he glances down between them to the sticky mess on his stomach and thigh. glances up at him. and then, just to really bring home the distraction, therion runs a finger through it and licks his fingertips.
(frankly, the taste is not great, considering it's a mix of come and oil together but you know, it's kind of worth it anyway, because he'll like the look on jiaoqiu's face. have your cake and eat it too, indeed.) ]
well, his face was a little less red, but it goes tomato colored when therion licks that mess off his fingers. his ears do a fluttery sort of motion, and he opens his mouth - and closes it. a beat. he clears his throat. ]
I have to chase you down to make you eat good food, and you turn around and do this? [ he mock-scolds, but it's weak and all his blood is in his face, and he'd be lying if he said that didn't make him twitch a little, so therion should ignore him.
another pause as he tries to get a hold of himself. he doesn't want to get up. in fact, the only thing he wants to do is wipe himself off and then tangle himself up so thoroughly in the blankets and therion that there's no way to crawl out, but he is struggling with expressing this, also.
at least he's not almost embarrassing himself with the L word. thank god. ]
What? Thought I'd be nice. Clean you up like you asked.
[ hehehehe
that satisfies therion! he's pleased with this change in interaction, actually. cool officially maintained. he's going to need to untangle himself from jiaoqiu, and he does so with relative ease, now, sliding free of the cradle of his hips and pushing himself up to his feet. it is decidedly not as warm, but with his victory, he practically struts across the room, for every bit like the cat who got the cream (literally?).
therion disappears into the small bathroom, and returns a few minutes later with a couple of damp washcloths, which he tosses over at jiaoqiu. despite them being wet, they are warm - he clearly took the time to make sure the water wouldn't be cold.
he comes to join him a few seconds later, sliding back down beside him with grace. ]
[ jiaoqiu grumbles at the smugness - and he is very close to complaining when therion stands, but he doesn't. when therion heads into the little bathroom, jiaoqiu also brings his hands to his face and tries to like, talk some sense into himself. that's not what it is. it's not... he doesn't know what this is. he feels like standing in traffic when he tries to make himself think the word that describes the violent affection and care that he feels for this stupid cat, so. he gives up.
when therion comes back out, he's mostly composed, and even though he lets out a little yowl of a sound at the washcloth hitting him, he does notice they're warm. his chest feels tight again.
carefully, he starts to clean himself off - but when therion comes to sit down next to him, he pauses in his work and grabs a clean one so he can clean therion instead. he's much more interested in taking care of him than himself, as usual. ]
[ therion is oblivious to all of this, which is good. in fact, the only thing that actually distracts him from his current cleanup mission and/or being smug is the fact that when he makes it to the bathroom, his hand still feels warm. he clenches it briefly, feels the phantom warmth of holding someone else's, and - leans as hard as possible into being shitty, shaking his head in the mirror before he trots back out.
as he settles again, he feels that twisty, fluffed up feeling in his chest when jiaoqiu comes over to him, starting to clean - therion snorts, rolls his eyes, leans his head back away from the washcloth. ]
Aaaand we're back to the grooming, again. [ grumbled, as usual, even though every time jiaoqiu does this he secretly loves it, even though it always gives him goosebumps, even though the washcloth feels nice on his kind of sore muscles, on bare and tacky skin. despite the complaining, he lets jiaoqiu do what he wants, though he adds - ] If you fall asleep a mess and complain about it, you're on your own.
[ which is a brusque way of saying don't just focus on me. look out for yourself for once. ]
It's a wonder that I don't cover you in more bites.
[ he says mildly, ear flicking. he does not bite, though. instead, he shifts so he can reach better, wiping the tacky mess off therion's stomach, doing a gentle pass over his thighs and length. another clean one comes up to carefully make sure that the bites jiaoqiu did leave earlier aren't bleeding or gross, and are relatively taken care of so they don't get infected.
it's only when he's satisfied with this that he leans back to clean himself up, but it's a half-assed job. he's just going to have to shampoo his fur later, there's no getting around it. for now, he makes sure he isn't going to get anything on their sheets, and then sighs, heavily. tired. and sore, and ache-y in good ways, though in a bad way with his leg, which he's trying not to let show.
[ this is such a bold thing to say if only because of the two of them therion is 300% more likely to have weird feral animal diseases because he is a weird feral animal.
he's just being a little shit, though - proven even more so that when jiaoqiu starts half-assing his own, therion swats his hands away and picks up for him, grabbing a spot he missed, particularly around that bad leg of his. he needs something to do with himself or that gentle pass of his intimate touches is going to send him crawling the walls. or maybe crawling into jiaoqiu's ribcage. not really sure which. either way! ]
I swear you do this on purpose. [ this also is completely lacking heat and is just grumbling as he cleans him up - careful, careful not to push too much on the leg that was injured, careful not to touch him too much where it will hurt, where it will be oversensitive. despite his sharp words, he's so gentle, the brusque affection that jiaoqiu can likely recognize by now for what it is.
he does eventually roll over enough to grab whatever blankets got kicked off, stifling a yawn with one hand and tossing them unceremoniously over them both. gentle. maybe not that gentle. ]
[ it's not not on purpose. it's like therion intentionally pressing his buttons to get him to nag at him or wake up or whatever - jiaoqiu knows that if he's lazy enough, therion will take over, and he likes that.
he yawns widely when therion gently finishes wiping him down, watching him with lidded gold eyes. there's a measure of affection there, just like earlier. he's not affected by the grumbling in the least - he can feel the care that therion is putting into this, and it makes him feel warm. safe. sleepy, like he could just let therion do whatever he wanted to him and he wouldn't have to worry.
he doesn't answer. instead, when therion grabs the blankets, jiaoqiu turns on his side and throws his arm around therion, nosing at the side of therion's head. his tail flops over to cover their legs, as usual. maybe he'd be more shy about this, but therion just finished kissing him while coming of his own accord, and then delicately wiped jiaoqiu down after, so he feels like cuddling is not out of the question.
what might be a little more unusual is jiaoqiu taking his hand under the covers and holding it, but listen. he won't say anything if therion doesn't. ]
[ therion mutters - again, performative - as he is more or less dropped down under the blankets so he's laying back now, too, with jiaoqiu curling up next to him. the tail on his legs is familiar, too, because this position is one they've taken before. even this took some getting used to, but it's happened enough times now that his reactions are softened, that his initial balking at too soft, too close has eased with tentative trust, over time. jiaoqiu's own shamelessness when it comes to cuddling made it easier for him to quietly admit that he likes it without ever saying it, to allow himself to be held, to allow the affection as it comes.
when he takes his hand and holds it, that surprises him, though - he starts, at first, fingers flexing. just like earlier - a hand hold, out of nowhere. no utilitarian need to drag him through the market. no throes of passion, either. just the want to do it. it makes his nose turn pink, dusting with color, heartbeat tripping rapidly enough that jiaoqiu might even be able to feel it. there's a long pause.
and then, abruptly, without saying anything else, he turns over, bringing that held hand with him and curling up in a ball. the back of his neck is hot, because he this just pulls them into spooning, and somehow that's easier and harder all at once. with the arm pulled over him, he feels a little safer, in curling his hand back around his and holding on tighter, curled around it like a pillbug.
he also will not say anything. in fact, if jiaoqiu acknowledges this verbally, he might die. or he might just let go and run away as fast as possible, but - he goes along with the want to cuddle, and then some. ]
[ the very sudden turn to spoon is fine - it amuses him a little, but jiaoqiu understands. it's a lot. he's pushing his luck. but it's not a no, it's not running. it's toeing the line, a foot in the door.
he adjusts a little, making sure that therion is safely cocooned both in the blankets and by jiaoqiu's own body, holding him securely. presses his face against therion's neck for a moment, kissing it once, and then easing back onto the pillow and closing his eyes. he likes this. he very, very much likes having therion curled up around his hand like this, like a dog with a toy it doesn't want to give up. he likes being a barrier against the outside world. and he likes the way that they both start to warm up under the blankets, stealing heat from each other.
he doesn't say anything else other than murmuring good night, and he'll fall asleep this way. holding therion, almost protectively. ]
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that, combined with the hand on his face, which is so, so gentle. he might not ever be used to the softness and sweetness when it comes - he thinks, briefly, that jiaoqiu might say something incredibly sappy, something that you can't actually take back, and that makes him kind of want to run out of the nearest window so he's almost relieved when it goes unsaid. something nervous boils up in his chest, fluttering hard like a bird banging against wire birdcage, desperately trying to get past the glass, but he swallows it. and, in fact, his head tilts just a tiny, tiny bit, enough to press into the hand on his cheek, leaning into the soft gesture and for a moment, closing his eyes. jiaoqiu doesn't say it, but the mood reads for affection and emotion and intimacy, and maybe that's all therion can manage. its sure as hell a long way from a hissing, spitting cat in an alleyway, a year ago.
the last comment makes him snort. the noise is a little discordant in the softness, but it breaks up some of the tension, whether it's positive tension or negative, and he opens his eyes slowly, looks at him, and then rolls them. it lacks heat. ]
Uh huh. [ all this complaining and for what! ] Can't have your cake and eat it too, fluff.
[ though... he glances down between them to the sticky mess on his stomach and thigh. glances up at him. and then, just to really bring home the distraction, therion runs a finger through it and licks his fingertips.
(frankly, the taste is not great, considering it's a mix of come and oil together but you know, it's kind of worth it anyway, because he'll like the look on jiaoqiu's face. have your cake and eat it too, indeed.) ]
no subject
well, his face was a little less red, but it goes tomato colored when therion licks that mess off his fingers. his ears do a fluttery sort of motion, and he opens his mouth - and closes it. a beat. he clears his throat. ]
I have to chase you down to make you eat good food, and you turn around and do this? [ he mock-scolds, but it's weak and all his blood is in his face, and he'd be lying if he said that didn't make him twitch a little, so therion should ignore him.
another pause as he tries to get a hold of himself. he doesn't want to get up. in fact, the only thing he wants to do is wipe himself off and then tangle himself up so thoroughly in the blankets and therion that there's no way to crawl out, but he is struggling with expressing this, also.
at least he's not almost embarrassing himself with the L word. thank god. ]
no subject
What? Thought I'd be nice. Clean you up like you asked.
[ hehehehe
that satisfies therion! he's pleased with this change in interaction, actually. cool officially maintained. he's going to need to untangle himself from jiaoqiu, and he does so with relative ease, now, sliding free of the cradle of his hips and pushing himself up to his feet. it is decidedly not as warm, but with his victory, he practically struts across the room, for every bit like the cat who got the cream (literally?).
therion disappears into the small bathroom, and returns a few minutes later with a couple of damp washcloths, which he tosses over at jiaoqiu. despite them being wet, they are warm - he clearly took the time to make sure the water wouldn't be cold.
he comes to join him a few seconds later, sliding back down beside him with grace. ]
no subject
when therion comes back out, he's mostly composed, and even though he lets out a little yowl of a sound at the washcloth hitting him, he does notice they're warm. his chest feels tight again.
carefully, he starts to clean himself off - but when therion comes to sit down next to him, he pauses in his work and grabs a clean one so he can clean therion instead. he's much more interested in taking care of him than himself, as usual. ]
no subject
as he settles again, he feels that twisty, fluffed up feeling in his chest when jiaoqiu comes over to him, starting to clean - therion snorts, rolls his eyes, leans his head back away from the washcloth. ]
Aaaand we're back to the grooming, again. [ grumbled, as usual, even though every time jiaoqiu does this he secretly loves it, even though it always gives him goosebumps, even though the washcloth feels nice on his kind of sore muscles, on bare and tacky skin. despite the complaining, he lets jiaoqiu do what he wants, though he adds - ] If you fall asleep a mess and complain about it, you're on your own.
[ which is a brusque way of saying don't just focus on me. look out for yourself for once. ]
no subject
[ he says mildly, ear flicking. he does not bite, though. instead, he shifts so he can reach better, wiping the tacky mess off therion's stomach, doing a gentle pass over his thighs and length. another clean one comes up to carefully make sure that the bites jiaoqiu did leave earlier aren't bleeding or gross, and are relatively taken care of so they don't get infected.
it's only when he's satisfied with this that he leans back to clean himself up, but it's a half-assed job. he's just going to have to shampoo his fur later, there's no getting around it. for now, he makes sure he isn't going to get anything on their sheets, and then sighs, heavily. tired. and sore, and ache-y in good ways, though in a bad way with his leg, which he's trying not to let show.
he also shivers. he's cold. where blankets. ]
no subject
[ this is such a bold thing to say if only because of the two of them therion is 300% more likely to have weird feral animal diseases because he is a weird feral animal.
he's just being a little shit, though - proven even more so that when jiaoqiu starts half-assing his own, therion swats his hands away and picks up for him, grabbing a spot he missed, particularly around that bad leg of his. he needs something to do with himself or that gentle pass of his intimate touches is going to send him crawling the walls. or maybe crawling into jiaoqiu's ribcage. not really sure which. either way! ]
I swear you do this on purpose. [ this also is completely lacking heat and is just grumbling as he cleans him up - careful, careful not to push too much on the leg that was injured, careful not to touch him too much where it will hurt, where it will be oversensitive. despite his sharp words, he's so gentle, the brusque affection that jiaoqiu can likely recognize by now for what it is.
he does eventually roll over enough to grab whatever blankets got kicked off, stifling a yawn with one hand and tossing them unceremoniously over them both. gentle. maybe not that gentle. ]
no subject
he yawns widely when therion gently finishes wiping him down, watching him with lidded gold eyes. there's a measure of affection there, just like earlier. he's not affected by the grumbling in the least - he can feel the care that therion is putting into this, and it makes him feel warm. safe. sleepy, like he could just let therion do whatever he wanted to him and he wouldn't have to worry.
he doesn't answer. instead, when therion grabs the blankets, jiaoqiu turns on his side and throws his arm around therion, nosing at the side of therion's head. his tail flops over to cover their legs, as usual. maybe he'd be more shy about this, but therion just finished kissing him while coming of his own accord, and then delicately wiped jiaoqiu down after, so he feels like cuddling is not out of the question.
what might be a little more unusual is jiaoqiu taking his hand under the covers and holding it, but listen. he won't say anything if therion doesn't. ]
no subject
[ therion mutters - again, performative - as he is more or less dropped down under the blankets so he's laying back now, too, with jiaoqiu curling up next to him. the tail on his legs is familiar, too, because this position is one they've taken before. even this took some getting used to, but it's happened enough times now that his reactions are softened, that his initial balking at too soft, too close has eased with tentative trust, over time. jiaoqiu's own shamelessness when it comes to cuddling made it easier for him to quietly admit that he likes it without ever saying it, to allow himself to be held, to allow the affection as it comes.
when he takes his hand and holds it, that surprises him, though - he starts, at first, fingers flexing. just like earlier - a hand hold, out of nowhere. no utilitarian need to drag him through the market. no throes of passion, either. just the want to do it. it makes his nose turn pink, dusting with color, heartbeat tripping rapidly enough that jiaoqiu might even be able to feel it. there's a long pause.
and then, abruptly, without saying anything else, he turns over, bringing that held hand with him and curling up in a ball. the back of his neck is hot, because he this just pulls them into spooning, and somehow that's easier and harder all at once. with the arm pulled over him, he feels a little safer, in curling his hand back around his and holding on tighter, curled around it like a pillbug.
he also will not say anything. in fact, if jiaoqiu acknowledges this verbally, he might die. or he might just let go and run away as fast as possible, but - he goes along with the want to cuddle, and then some. ]
no subject
he adjusts a little, making sure that therion is safely cocooned both in the blankets and by jiaoqiu's own body, holding him securely. presses his face against therion's neck for a moment, kissing it once, and then easing back onto the pillow and closing his eyes. he likes this. he very, very much likes having therion curled up around his hand like this, like a dog with a toy it doesn't want to give up. he likes being a barrier against the outside world. and he likes the way that they both start to warm up under the blankets, stealing heat from each other.
he doesn't say anything else other than murmuring good night, and he'll fall asleep this way. holding therion, almost protectively. ]