#i know huaien felt touched by that

[negrowhat]

Also it is very endearing for Xiaobao to vow to protect Huai'en even though they both know that the boy can't fight.

[acequinz]

You know I kept trying to think of how Su Yin really feels for Xiaobao and played around with ideas for very much romantic feelings and or platonic protective feels . Cause I don't consider guys who like the main characters a second love interest unless the main character genuinely shows any interest in them whether a crush or just finds them very visually appealing.

Now obviously at first there was a charger tension between him and Xiaobao, that arm twist grab while smirking mere inches apart??? Oh Su Yin wanted Xiaobao so bad!!! But that was just Su Yin.

And when the caretaking episodes came it felt more platonic, like the touches weren't charged with the same chemistry. Which can be argued is because Xiaobao is literally dying and so no time to be horny.

But Ep 9 pretty much set the stage perfectly for the real thing that's going on. And it is that Su Yin falls into one of my favourite categories for side characters.

Which is- the guy who is most definitely in love with the MC but knows he has no chance and has definitely accepted it.

Specially in ep 10, he knows he has no chance. It's not going to be romantic with him ever. So he has taken a comfortable space on the platonic table but that doesn't mean he is gonna let Huaien have Xiaobao, he's too shady and dangerous and Su Yin is still protective.

[bats-after-dark]

oh so I was originally gonna combine this with the first draft of my reply, but it got hornier in the second draft, so this gets its own post yaaaay! I’ve been thinking a lot abt Xiaobao and Huaien….talking to each other about sex. feels fake! but some level of it has to happen for them to have an entire jingling based mating dance that leads to fairly negotiated CNC (ok somewhat negotiated. Xiaobao said yes to it). idk I can’t decide how much negotiation hits the They Wouldn’t Say That line. here’s part of a flashback that actually has no place in this fic yet; I just wanted to write it.

It had been a few months into their marriage, each night spent together in a tender heated embrace, Huaien carefully, dutifully proving to Xiaobao that he loved him, that they were good together, that Xiaobao liked this. And then, one night, Xiaobao had curled up in his lap as Huaien sipped his after dinner tea and Xiaobao had said, “There’s something I want to talk to you about.” Huaien had set down his tea. He’d listened, half terrified, as Xiaobao had opened his speech with, “You know I love what we do in bed,” and Huaien’s stomach had gone ice cold and cramped, even though Xiaobao had the sweet silly expression on his face that meant he was thinking about Huaien touching him. Inside of him. Xiaobao had taken a deep breath and continued on, saying, “But sometimes I miss how you would treat me when we first met. I miss how you would push me around a little.” Xiaobao touched the back of Huaien’s hand and then wrapped his hand around it, squeezing.  Huaien stared at him. He thought of the blurry memory of Xiaobao on the river bank, little wounded whimpers, thought of rolling him over in the bed in his parents’ old home, thought of taking him by force in the brothel—Huaien hissed softly. “When we first met, I was not very kind to you.” “I liked it.” Huaien eyed him. “I want to ache with it.” The look in Xiaobao’s eyes lit a fire inside of Huaien. He’d picked Xiaobao up, squealing, thighs obediently wrapping around Huaien, clinging to him, and dropped him onto the bed. Stripped him and shoved him onto his belly and held him down and fucked him, hard and mean and a little desperate. Xiaobao had begged for it, face smashed up against the bed, whining.  Afterward, sweaty, sated, Huaien had felt the guilt trickle in, slow at first, and then a rushing torrent of it. “Xiaobao?” “Mmph.” Cradled against Huaien’s side, Xiaobao had cracked an eye open. Little smile. His fingers curled over Huaien’s arm.  “Did you like it?” Xiaobao had beamed at him, his entire face lighting up. Pressed a kiss to Huaien’s cheek. “Yeah. Just like that.” He’d fallen deeply asleep not long after, clutching Huaien to him.  Huaien had given himself little allowances over time, pulling Xiaobao’s hair to hear him whine, smacking Xiaobao’s ass to feel the way he clenched tight around him, holding Xiaobao down to feel him struggle. Little things at first and then bigger ones. Tying Xiaobao to the bed, his eyes wide, and fucking him like that. Not letting him touch. Blindfolding him. Not always, though. Sometimes, Xiaobao would sigh and say, “Go easy on me, furen,” and Huaien would set him down on their marriage bed and make love to him. He tried not to feel guilty about his own delight in the infrequency of those nights, about his pleasure in hurting Xiaobao.  Huaien always slept easily, though. The guilt didn’t stick. They had been lying in bed, bruises on Xiaobao’s lovely skin, the guilt stealing into Huaien as Xiaobao pressed on them, when he’d said, “Are there other things you want?” And Huaien’s breath had caught in his throat.  “Because,” Xiaobao had said, “there are other things I want.”

Huaien nodded. Hoped they were things he could offer. And Xiaobao had told him, whispered words, a little breathless. When he finished, he said, “What about you?” Huaien swallowed. He knew the answer to this. “You can’t be mad.” “I won’t be mad,” Xiaobao said immediately.  “I want to force you.”