#[V: time lends perspective. | jiang]

[magicaltalents-arc-blog]

@gentlegently  FROM  HERE.

                 “ Oh — what a rubbish old thing! ” Admittedly, Dirk’s just a little breathless, voice performing the unprecedented stunt of rushing up his throat in a mess of toppled-over words and jittery laughter. He’s not entirely confident in his ability to comprehend what’s happening at this precise and very confusing moment, but he has a hunch it might not be as all-around awful as the previous goings-on that inspired him to take shelter in the little coffee shop. Desperate measures, yes, but he’s since discovered that its owner is as charming as he is knowledgeable in the fine science of tea, and — uh, very straightforward, it appears! Okay. Yes. This is actually a thing. A thingish thing that is taking place right here and now and needs to be dealt with. { For goodness’ sake, Gently, get a grip on yourself and put away that barmy grin! }

                 “ Well, why don’t we just … swap? — Mine’s got my number in it. See? ” He shoves the ill-treated device across the counter with a staggering lack of elegance, tapping the screen to prove that he would never in a lifetime dare lie to someone with such a uniquely handsome face. The whole being-asked-for-his-number stuff is usually limited to accidents of the car-involving kind ( which are never as very distinctly NOT Dirk’s fault as he would like to make the world at large believe ). This is … well. It’s a novelty. It’s a first. And he really, really, really - however anxiously he tries - cannot stop his cheeks from lighting themselves on proverbial fire with excitement over it all.

      “ I was thinking the same thing, ”  Jiang agrees, leaning in a bit closer with his elbows on the counter. Dirk seems surprised and flustered by his interest, and that surprises Jiang. Dirk seems like a sweetheart and an overall good natured sort, definitely someone who would get a lot of admirers. Jiang can admit the fact that he’s easy on the eyes, has a very cute smile, and looks absolutely adorable when he’s blushing certainly doesn’t hurt either, if only to himself. He fishes his worn phone from his pocket --- yes, it’s close to ten years out of date, but it does the job just fine, thank you very much --- unlocks it, and slides it over to Dirk. It’s all he can do not to laugh, but he can’t help the way his smile eases from flirtatious to genuinely amused and fond. It’s an expression he has a lot when talking to Dirk.  ( A fact his employees and frequent customers Niall point out all too gleefully. )

      He takes the proffered phone, fingers brushing against Dirk’s as he does so.  “ It certainly does. It might be a bit easier if I just put my number in your contacts though. ”  He does just that, and he wonders if Dirk will keep the little dragon emoji he added after his name.  ( He also wonders if Dirk notices the way Alisha, the only other employee on duty, glances over his shoulder and snorts, or the way he subtly kicks her in the shin for her trouble. They have that kind of friendship, okay ? )  “ Here you go ! ”  Jiang announces, presenting the phone with a little flourish.  “ We should be good to go. You could text me so I have your number, if you’d like. ”

[magicaltalents-arc-blog]

Dirk slinks up to a certain handsome dragon man to drop a quick kiss onto his cheek. For reasons.

@gentlegently.

      Jiang is making dinner when he hears Dirk pad into the kitchen. Even with K-Pop blaring from the speaker on the fridge, Jiang would be hard-pressed to miss it. He doesn’t do anything besides smile down at the dumplings he’s making and bob his head along with the music. “Hello, love,” he says, smile widening when lips brush against his cheek and returns the gesture. “I’d give you a hug, but—” He raises his hands, wiggling his fingers covered in dumpling filling. “that might have to wait a few minutes.”

[magicaltalents-arc-blog]

@gentlegently​  [CON’T]

                 “ That’s  h a r d l y  fair — I didn’t hurt myself, it was the floor that did! Aided by, granted, the armful of pineapples I was carrying. As well as the entirety of that stupid shelf stuffed to the point of explosion with rare antique encyclopedia. And lastly that bloody rude, arm-pulling security guard who objected in the most  p h y s i c a l  manner to my refusing to let go of the reality-altering firework I found! And that was BEFORE the guy in the fox suit thought it appropriate to muscle in like some very fur-covered and very ill-scented cherry on top. ”

      There is so much going on in Dirk’s explanation, Jiang doesn’t even know where to begin. He pinches the bridge of his nose as he addresses the highlights. “Please tell me the reality-altering firework is somewhere safe and no antique encyclopedia were harmed in this mess. And why did you have that many pineapples ?  And dare I ask where those ended up ?”  He glances up at Dirk, expression softening from exasperation to warmth. “It sounded like you had a busy day, and I’m glad you’re okay. I just worry about you sometimes.” He can’t help it. Jiang doesn’t know what he’d do if anything happened his exasperating, eccentric, wonderful human.

[magicaltalents-arc-blog]

OPEN STARTER: JIANG

     “it’s strange, how one choice can change you life so drastically.” if he’d stayed in china, today would’ve been his wedding anniversary. he’d have spent almost four and a half centuries married to a woman he cared for but couldn’t love. just thinking about it puts him in an odd state of mind. “given the right incentive, of course.”

[magicaltalents-arc-blog]

“Your hair is sticking out everywhere. Cute.” [ Vandall to Jiang ]

soft sentence starters.  @aniimvs.  accepting.

      “I am downright adorable,” Jiang agrees serenely as he stretches. The po-po-pop of his spine is incredibly satisfying, if slightly disgusting to hear. “Please tell me you have decent coffee. I need a good dose of caffeine to get going in the morning. If not, we can swing by the shop.” Yes, he’s a bit of a coffee snob. Consequences of making coffee for a living.