Aaron/Huaisang

[creeksidealtarboy]

It's nightfall by the time Aaron finally sees this "Impure Realm" that they took him to. He's hungry. He's filthy. He's thirsty. And there's nothing around him that's familiar. He has cigarettes in the pocket of his jeans and nothing else of his own. No note. No information.

Only the vaguely unsettling feeling that he's been deposited somewhere...wrong.

These people look like Huaisang. The robes, the way they move...it's familiar enough that, before they could unsheath their swords, he's throwing his hands out, asking for Nie Huaisang to their complete bafflement. But they loaded him up and took him. Goddamn.

Hopefully they sent someone ahead.

Comments

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Spending all your money on pretty paints?" he teases, sitting down and picking up his cup. "You're watching me today. Why?"

[threedontknows]

“No, silk fans this time.”

He smiles softly, all adoration. “Because I adore you. You’ll have to get ready soon, your surprise is expecting you this morning.”

[creeksidealtarboy]

Aaron is clearly suspicious, but he trusts him enough to think its just Huaisang being ridiculous.

"Alright, alright."

He changes into dark blue robes more appropriate for going out.

[threedontknows]

Oh, those dark blue robes. Nie Huaisang watched him a little dreamily and then pops up to his feet and pulls Aaron in for a little kiss.

“You look perfect. Let’s go, the healers’ pavilion is across Cloud Recesses.”

He grabs his arm with a grin and eagerly pulls him in that general direction.

[creeksidealtarboy]

"The what?"

But he follows after, eager to know what this surprise could possibly be.

[threedontknows]

“Healers’ pavilion,” he repeats. His fan comes out of his sleeve and he waves it as they walk arm-in-arm through the gardens and winding paths of Cloud Recesses. There are other cultivators already out, elder Lan disciples and a mix of Nie and Jiang and Jin mingling and talking shop.

[creeksidealtarboy]

He keeps up with him, finding that he barely has to give any effort to do so.

"Will you tell me what it is?" he complains.

[threedontknows]

“You’re so impatient!” But he can’t blame him, he’s really good at surprises.

Nie Huaisang walks them into pavilion where a Nie healer and two Lan healers are waiting for them by the entrance. They bow and Huaisang returns it.

“Aaron, this is Nie Hulan, Lan Bolin, and Lan Mingze. Expert healers. They’ve agreed to take you on as an apprentice.”

[creeksidealtarboy]

There's a flicker of surprise in his face, but he doesn't show it beyond that momentary break. He turns to Huaisang and bows to him.

"You honor me with this opportunity," he tells him in a way that screams Aaron is going to absolutely attack him later.

But he has work to do. Actual work.

[threedontknows]

Nie Huaisang responds with a bow of his own and a cheeky smile. “Make good use of their expertise, Aaron-gongzi. I’ll check in with you later.”

He bows in turn to each healer, then leaves with the intention of spending a few hours in the extensive Lan library.

[creeksidealtarboy]

Aaron is a marvelous student. He takes to each lesson with enthusiasm, but he's hindered by the fact that he can't read anything that they wrote for him.

And so that's where Huaisang will find him if he comes looking for him when the sun sets - ducked in the infirmary, pouring over a text with his own notes to the side.

[threedontknows]

Huaisang does his share of looking through books and trying to understand the text. He's an intelligent man, quite possibly one of the most intelligent men in the cultivation world, but this is hard for even him to understand. It just hasn't happened before, or if it has it hasn't been documented.

He comes for Aaron and rests his hands gently onto his shoulders. "Dinner's waiting in our rooms."

[creeksidealtarboy]

Aaron starts, then looks up to Huaisang. "Give me...ten more minutes?"

He wants to finish this paragraph and then gather everything up for himself.

[threedontknows]

He smiles warmly and leans down to kiss his head. "Take all the time you need."

[creeksidealtarboy]

He flushes a deep red at the kiss and pushes him away with a smile. "Don't tell me that."

[threedontknows]

"I mean it," he says with a laugh. "I'll just be outside speaking to some of the healers. Join me when you're ready."

He hopes it won't be too long; he's been away from him all day.

[creeksidealtarboy]

It takes Aaron a little longer than ten minutes to finish and pack up, then he walks outside and blinks to see that it's already growing dark.

[threedontknows]

Fortunately Huaisang can keep himself busy, talking to the healers at the pavilion about Aaron's first day and his potential - limitless, is what he's gathered - and sitting in the gardens to reminisce about his youth in Cloud Recesses. When Aaron finally comes out from the pavilion he greets him with another large smile.

[creeksidealtarboy]

Aaron gives him another bow, this one far more cheeky.

"Are you ready to walk back?" he snickers.

[threedontknows]

He laughs softly and nods, holding his hand out to Aaron for him to take. "Our dinner will be cold. Good thing most of tastes the same cold as it does hot."

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Oh, you can't simply order it to be warmer?" he laughs, still living on a bit of the high that he got from everything he learned.

And as they walk, he talks Huaisang's ear off about it, going over it all, how much he's going to be studying while they travel.

[threedontknows]

"You're an asshole," he says, happily using one of Aaron's phrases against him. He quiets down shortly after so he can listen to Aaron ramble on and on, heart swelling as he listens to his clever love talk about a subject he adores.

"Don't stop talking," he smiles as they step inside their rooms. "I'll heat up dinner, I still want to hear everything."

[creeksidealtarboy]

Aaron is happy to explain everything he's learned and how it relates to what he knew already. But when dinner is warmed, he catches his breath.

"What did you do all day?"

[threedontknows]

He loves listening to Aaron talk, and sits with his cup of wine in hand and a goofy, love-stricken expression on his face as he sits across from him. He's so distracted that it takes him a couple beats to realize that he'd been asked a question, and he sits up with a little laugh.

"I was in the library all day." Huaisang sets down his cup and holds out his hand for him to take.

[creeksidealtarboy]

"You were?" Aaron asks, brow furrowing. "I thought you'd find that boring. What were you looking for?"

He takes his hand.