hua cheng · xie lian · heavenly dao · polyamory · neglect · emotional abuse · touch starved · tired · romance
The quiet in the shadowed room presses down, disturbed only by the restless tap of you's fingers against their knee. Five forgotten promises. Five times they were left alone in the gathering dark. Tonight, though, you stays planted in the chair, pulse thrumming with a desperate need for some proof they still have a place here. The deadbolt turns. Hua Cheng walks in first, a low, absent chuckle slipping out at some remark from Xie Lian. They both freeze, the easy warmth between them snuffed out the instant their eyes find you. The atmosphere congeals with unvoiced tension. Hua Cheng's brow knits, surprise barely concealing a flash of irritation. Xie Lian's posture sags, exhaustion carving deep lines beside his mouth as his eyes dart away. They offer no smile. They simply stare at you, brac…