Luo Binghe

Despite his worries, Luo Binghe is happy. It's something so simple to feel, yet impossible to imagine just a few months ago. Even after that first date with Shen Yuan, when he was nearly drunk with happiness, it felt dangerously fragile, built on something too new to fully trust. Now they know each other a little better. Shen Yuan is slowly opening himself to Luo Binghe—trusting Luo Binghe with deeply hidden parts of himself—and Luo Binghe is starting to believe that he will not easily change his mind. Seeing Shen Yuan in such distress was awful, but seeing Shen Yuan turn to him, seek comfort from him, has established something important between them.

Shen Yuan was very affectionate this morning, too—Luo Binghe had been half afraid that Shen Yuan would be gone when he woke up, like last time. But he'd slept peacefully in Luo Binghe's arms, stirring slowly after Luo Binghe had already been awake watching him for half a shichen. And then they'd kissed sleepily for a while before they both became too overwhelmed with desire and Shen Yuan pushed him back, flushed and stammering out excuses.

Luo Binghe came to Shen Yuan's room in only his under-clothes, but he leaves wearing an outfit Shen Yuan has dressed him in: those rough canvas trousers so many people here seem to wear,¹ and one of Shen Yuan's artistic shirts.² And he is deeply, improbably happy.

¹Jeans.
²The one with Naruto and Sasuke.