[ his grip on tianwen falters for a second when mo ran mentions jiangui, then tightens, and the whip tightens around the other man in response until chu wanning realizes what he's doing and loosens it some.
his disciple, mo weiyu, had been cheeky and bright, showing off that smile to everyone, indulging the world with his dimples when he'd been happy; chu wanning had been the recipient of that smile plenty of times before the punishments that strained their relationship, and even after, when things had eased between them. mo ran had smiled at him like that quite often as xia sini, too.
it's good to see that hasn't changed. chu wanning's heart thumps, almost painfully; he never thought he'd see that smile again. ]
You aren't a demon? [ sent to torment me, he wants to add, but refrains; that feels too personal, even for them. he so desperately wants it to be mo ran that the thought he might actually be mo ran is terrifying. chu wanning's lived with fear all his life and overcome it, refusing to allow such weakness to stop him. but this might break him if it turns out not to be his disciple but some figment of his imagination or some unique torture from this hell.
once, chu wanning would have said he'd never picture mo ran all grown. especially not like this. but he'd dreamt of mo ran for years, in ways that were shameful and quite imaginative. the mo ran in his dreams wasn't like this, too pale and wild, but it makes him waver now.
rather than waiting for a reply, chu wanning lets the whip fall from mo ran, the golden whip trailing across the floor. ] Call out Jiangui.
[ no demon would be able to mimic that; it's what he should have asked for in the first place. ]
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his disciple, mo weiyu, had been cheeky and bright, showing off that smile to everyone, indulging the world with his dimples when he'd been happy; chu wanning had been the recipient of that smile plenty of times before the punishments that strained their relationship, and even after, when things had eased between them. mo ran had smiled at him like that quite often as xia sini, too.
it's good to see that hasn't changed. chu wanning's heart thumps, almost painfully; he never thought he'd see that smile again. ]
You aren't a demon? [ sent to torment me, he wants to add, but refrains; that feels too personal, even for them. he so desperately wants it to be mo ran that the thought he might actually be mo ran is terrifying. chu wanning's lived with fear all his life and overcome it, refusing to allow such weakness to stop him. but this might break him if it turns out not to be his disciple but some figment of his imagination or some unique torture from this hell.
once, chu wanning would have said he'd never picture mo ran all grown. especially not like this. but he'd dreamt of mo ran for years, in ways that were shameful and quite imaginative. the mo ran in his dreams wasn't like this, too pale and wild, but it makes him waver now.
rather than waiting for a reply, chu wanning lets the whip fall from mo ran, the golden whip trailing across the floor. ] Call out Jiangui.
[ no demon would be able to mimic that; it's what he should have asked for in the first place. ]