slicings | ink written on your soul;

ink written on your soul;

[ dan feng will be arriving shortly, and yingxing can't help but to feel slightly nervous.

it's odd, for him, he's never nervous before his clients come in. he knows his worth, knows his own level of skill - he is one of the luofu's most sought after tattoo artists, most clients need to book well in advance, and yingxing is self-assured enough to never be anxious. but dan feng.. he's different. the moment he first laid eyes on the man, yingxing was entranced, and he knows for damned sure that he wants this tattoo to be up to his highest standards, to perfectly match the elegant, beautiful canvas he'll be applying it on.

they've only met in person once or twice now, to go over the design, most of their correspondence has been via email as yingxing worked on developing the piece, but to say he's got a stupid schoolboy crush would be an understatement. it's embarrassing, honestly, and unprofessional as well, so he's made sure to maintain the healthy boundary between them, even if the idea of seeing dan feng again is enough to get his heart fluttering against his ribs. ridiculous. he's well into his thirties, there's no reason to behave as if this man is his first crush, as if he's not a grown man with a job to do.

even still, once dan feng arrives it gets easier. something about the man simply puts yingxing at ease, calms his soul. he's just finishing sanitizing his station when dan feng appears in the doorway, and yingxing offers him a nod. ]

Come in. I'm ready for you.

[ he says, gesturing to the bench in front of him as he snaps on a pair of black nitrile gloves. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

[It's something of a blessing that he doesn't have to speak up much once the process has resumed, even if he did find an odd sort of ease in Yingxing's presence. They weren't friends -- they were barely acquaintances at this point. The artist didn't need to hear anything more than would be appropriate from a client, surely...

The color definitely hurts more than the linework, but once again the only way Dan Feng reacts is by furrowing his brow. Perhaps just a little more than the first time, but he remains just as still.]

Mm, sometimes people have to be.

[He murmurs carefully in response, certain not to move anywhere near enough to disturb Yingxing's work. As far as he was concerned, anyone could be tough if they needed to be. Dan Feng hadn't been, when he was a child.. but it was something that came to him with life experience... even if what happened shouldn't be called 'life experience'.

It doesn't feel like all that much time has passed before he hears Yingxing mentioning he's almost finished.]

Mm-hmm..

[Dan Feng breathes his acknowledgement, but otherwise keeps himself completely still. They would have time to talk once the artist was finished with the tattoo.. if Yingxing wished to speak any more, of course. He couldn't be certain if he would.

... why did he not like how that thought felt...?]

[ sometimes people have to be, indeed. yingxing certainly knows that much.

but he'll make no further comment. dan feng doesn't need to hear about his life, and honestly, yingxing isn't keen on talking about it, anyway, doesn't need anyone knowing what a failure of a man, a failure of a son he has been. but it roils in the back of his mind now, anyway, as he wonders just what it is that has made dan feng commit to this line of thinking. perhaps it has something to do with the importance of this tattoo.

he can't say. all he can do is keep working, his strong, nimble fingers moving over dan feng's skin as he adds the finishing touches, the translucent water winding around the dragon in smooth, elegant arcs and bursts of soft sea foam, splashed in like watercolor. the dragon dances with the sea.

with a soft hum, yingxing sits back again, giving the tattoo one final wipedown and looking over his work with a critical eye, to be sure that he hasn't missed anything, that it looks absolutely perfect. only once he's completely satisfied does he turn off the machine and set the gun down, before carefully wiping away the remaining droplets of clinging blood, and applying a thin coat of moisturizing antiseptic ointment. ]

.. all right. Ready to see it?

[ with a smile, he gestures to the mirror again. ]

[Similarly, Dan Feng isn't certain just how keen he is on the idea of sharing more than he already has. There's a lot of pain that still haunts him, a lot of regret.. a lot of wishing things had turned out differently.

His survivor's guilt still gripped him more often than he'd care to admit... and he still felt useless to this day that he hadn't been able to heal his parents. It didn't matter to him that he'd nearly died alongside them, just that he'd failed.

... but none of that mattered right now. What mattered was not making Yingxing uncomfortable.

Dan Feng doesn't open his eyes until he hears the hum of the machine fade away, his luminous eyes once again adjusting to the room around him as he remains still. There was an ache of course, he expected it could take time to fade, and it's easily something he can tolerate.]

Oh absolutely.

[His voice is still a soft murmur as he pushes himself upright, long hair still pulled forward over his shoulder as he settles in to look at the tattoo in the mirror provided.

At first, he is completely speechless, a gentle sort of awe in his expression as his keen eyes slowly take in every single minute detail. He has to swallow down the swell of his emotions, expression softening further.]

It's perfect.. I... thank you.

Yeah?

[ while dan feng looks over the tattoo, yingxing begins to clean up, tossing his gloves into the garbage bin, along with the bloodied paper towels and other things that need to be discarded. but it isn't long before he looks back to his client, seeing that warm, soft smile that makes his chest tighten.

yingxing is pleased. he likes happy customers. ]

I'm glad you like it. It suits you.

[ the colors go well with dan feng's overall look, and of course it hasn't escaped him that this young man is vidyadhara, carrying the blood of long. of course a dragon would be perfect for him, well suited to his scales. resting his elbows on his knees, yingxing smiles, looking over his work again, though it's really just an excuse to look at dan feng. ]

I'm going to wrap it up to protect it, but take the cellophane off once you're home. No soaking, no long showers, keep it out of the sun, and keep it moisturized. Ointment is your new best friend. [ he reaches to open a drawer at his workstation, pulling out a care sheet to hand over. ] It's going to itch like hell, but absolutely no picking or scratching.

[Dan Feng doesn't quite notice the way Yingxing is looking at him, his gaze still taking in every single detail. It wouldn't be something he would be able to simply look at whenever the mood arose after all, though he was sure he would admire it frequently enough.

Of course, just because his eyes are so focused doesn't mean he doesn't hear every word Yingxing says to him. It was largely things he'd read about during his research... and while it wasn't especially pleasant to not be able to soak even in a long shower, it would be worth it.

He's finally able to tear his gaze away from the tattoo when the care sheet is handed to him, his bright eyes looking over every instruction.]

I should be able to get what you recommend on this on my way home.

[As for how much it would itch... if he'd managed to get through bandages over itching, aching wounds, this would be simple enough surely. After a moment he chuckles softly, eyes lifting to meet Yingxing's.]

I promise you that I'll follow your instructions to the letter.

Good. Don't put that beautiful piece of art in peril, all right? Take good care of it.

[ everything he'll need to know is on the sheet, at least. how to keep it clean, how often to wash it, and with what, and the absolutely enormous importance of keeping it well moisturized. at the very least, vidyadhara are fast healers, from what he knows, so dan feng shouldn't have to baby it for long. ]

And keep it clean.

[ an easy smile, and yingxing winks, then draws back to begin seeing to his things again. his station and tools will need to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, of course, and that'll take a little bit of time. ]

I'll send the invoice up front for you. Oh - and if you post pictures of it anywhere, tag me, yeah?

[ it's free publicity, after all. as well as an easy way to talk to dan feng again. but he's trying not to think about that. ]

Oh I wouldn't dream of risking it, I assure you.

[Dan Feng is careful with the way he moves when he tugs his jacket back on -- only once the cellophane is in place of course -- testing what moving around would feel like while the tattoo healed. All things considered it's certainly not as bad as people complained it was.

He takes a moment to stretch his legs a little when he pushes himself to his feet finally after the entire appointment spent on his side, brushing his hair back over his shoulder finally when Yingxing speaks again. Dan Feng chuckles softly, the sound light and warm.]

Once it's healed, I do plan to post pictures.. I'll certainly tag you.

[Up front though.. well that was it, he supposed. It felt... strange that they wouldn't be communicating back and forth as they had been. But that was the nature of business.]

I'll be coming back here for my next tattoo, as well.. so thank you again.

[He lingers in the doorway a moment longer, but this is surely goodbye for a while. One last smile.. then he makes his way to the front to settle the invoice and make his way to the store.]

[ coming here for his next tattoo, huh.. yingxing hopes that's the truth, and not just a kindness in passing, though he knows full well that he shouldn't be too hopeful. dan feng is beautiful, but like as not he's barely even into his twenties, while yingxing is pushing forty. not only is it inappropriate in the workspace, he probably shouldn't be chasing college tail, right? right. so he puts it out of his mind as best as he can.

even if he can't stop thinking about dan feng - about his smooth voice and his cool skin, his eyes that yingxing could find himself falling into with ease, and all of that gorgeous dark hair. it's an infatuation, he thinks, that's all - soon enough it'll pass.

except he finds himself laying eyes on dan feng even sooner than expected. as an artist, yingxing is always keeping his skills honed, which means plenty of private study, yes, but also picking up courses here and there, as well as teaching a few himself. so when the local university calls him in to host a guest studio event, he accepts.

he enjoys it here in the studio, the large warehouse windows let in plenty of beautiful light, and the scent of paper and paints; it takes him back to his own school days, first learning to craft and paint, to bring beautiful things to life with his own two hands. he's instructed at these events multiple times, so he recognizes many student faces, just as they recognize him, and yingxing chats with them as he waits for the model to arrive, before taking his place at the front of the class, arranging his newsprint pad on the easel, and arranging his charcoal sticks. ]

[Dan Feng has never before had difficulty putting someone out of his mind... and yet ever since the day he received his tattoo, Yingxing has been on his mind in one way or another. At first he was certain that it was because he had the care of his tattoo on his mind -- because of how often he would find himself looking at it when he was at home.

But even weeks later he finds himself opening his phone to look at the photo Jingliu had helped him take of the tattoo to share -- to tag Yingxing as he'd promised once it was healed. Dan Feng even finds himself occasionally remembering the touch of the artist's hands on his skin... and subsequently considering getting a second tattoo sooner rather than later.

... but that's problematic. The man needs to be comfortable at his workplace. He certainly doesn't need someone possibly making him uncomfortable... yet Dan Feng can really think of nobody better for the job.

The artist is still on his mind on the occasions when he allows it to wander by the time he'd promised to be the model for a one day specialty course at his university. It wasn't the first time, but it was the first time he was told there would be a guest lecturer that day.

... he didn't expect that the guest would be the man who's been on his mind all this time.

Dan Feng doesn't know who it is until he makes his way into the room from a side office -- one that connected to the classroom next door so he would be able to change into the robe he would be wearing for this class. Really, he doesn't even know who the guest is until he makes his way into the room.

It's absolutely silly the way his heart skips and tumbles in his chest as he makes his way to the seat where he'll be posed... but he manages to give Yingxing what he hopes is a fairly normal smile.]

I didn't realize I'd be seeing you sooner than I expected to.

[That he expected to see him.. well, he'd decided that no other artist would do for his next tattoo. So he would have seen the man again eventually.]

[ yingxing is still working at his station at the front of the room when the model arrives, and he hears the pad of soft feet approaching, turns - only to find the eyes that have been haunting him looking directly into his own. surprise blooms across his expression, but only for a moment before he offers an easy smile. ]

Fancy meeting you here.

[ gods, he's just as beautiful as he'd been when he first stepped into yingxing's studio.. but he's got to keep it together. this only confirms his suspicions that dan feng was quite young. all the more reason to keep his thoughts and his hands to himself, as much as he is able.

dusting charcoal from his hands, he gestures to the comfortable chair that the model will be seated in, ignoring the warmth in his ears. ]

Have you modeled before?

[Well it was certainly nice to know he wasn't the only one surprised to see the other, and a flicker of amusement makes its way through Dan Feng's eyes. That it seemed to be a pleasant surprise for both of them as well made it feel even better.

Dan Feng can't help but feel like it's a bit of a shame that he's supposed to keep his back mostly turned to the room. Even turned slightly, he wouldn't really be able to see Yingxing well. He'd have rather liked to watch the man work -- he hadn't been able to with his tattoo either after all.

Perhaps that was for the best.]

Only for special events like this one, though I've been their model whenever I had the time available ever since I first began taking classes here.

[He hums quietly in thought, idly adjusting the robe around his shoulders -- it was loose, considering the way it was supposed to rest for this pose... but it meant he needed to hold onto it while he walked.]

It's been six or seven years now, I believe.

[He'd been seventeen still when he'd first enrolled, so at his estimation about seven years had passed.]

[ six or seven years? yingxing can only imagine that he must be working on a masters or doctorate - impressive. while he himself is an alumnus of this university's fine arts program (which is why they occasionally ask him to guest instruct), he'd barely been able to manage four years of schooling to complete a bachelor's. he'd done well, graduated at the top of his class with full honors, but organized schooling was never really his ideal environment. ]

Great, so you know what you're doing, then.

[ he won't need to have his hand held through the entire thing. which is.. well, kind of a shame, in a way, but it also means that he'll be able to see how dan feng models. if he's been at it this long, surely he must be decently good at it. ]

We'll start with three minute croquis, then five, ten, and the last'll be thirty minutes. The alarm should already be set.

[ it'll beep at the correct intervals, so dan feng can change up his positioning to give the students interesting poses to depict. ]

[Though after the accident he'd veered away from the idea of becoming a doctor, Dan Feng had still opted to go into the medical field in a different way. It had been fairly nice to be able to continue going to this university, especially because it was much easier to pass his days if he had studies to keep up with. Between his classes and his job at the physical therapy clinic, he was able to stay out of his large, empty house.

... but none of that was at all important, not for this interaction. The modeling he'd done had been another nice distraction though.]

Mm, I suppose you could say that. It depends on how picky the instructor happens to be feeling, sometimes.

[His voice is fairly light -- it had certainly not been something that bothered him when people got particular about how his hair was styled for the pose... but sometimes it could get to be a bit much.]

That arrangement suits me fine, either way. You're certainly welcome to be as particular as you'd like.

[Dan Feng makes sure to make that statement as an open-ended offer -- he had no expectations over what Yingxing may or may not want after all. In the end, being cooperative had given everyone the best, and certainly smoothest, results.

For now though, he'll get himself settled on the comfortable seat prepared for him. The poses he opts for are always relatively simple in their elegance -- he clearly knows how best to pose his body and tail.

His last pose of the day has his back toward the class at about a 3/4 view, and it's just a bit more difficult for him to adjust the way his hair rests when he can't see behind himself to do it. At least he can adjust the way the robe has slipped off his near shoulder on his own...]

[ dan feng takes his place, and the class begins.

yingxing sketches carefully for the first few poses, demonstrating to the students how best to capture form and mass, what to focus on and what not to, before he's weaving his way slowly through the class, looking over each student's work with a critical eye, offering ways to improve, tips about how to use light and shadow to create shape, and how to hold the wrist to best create comfortable movement and flow. he's a bit of a stern instructor, but learning to accept constructive criticism is crucial to growing as an artist, and all of these students have great potential.

thankfully, with all of the teaching he's doing, he's able to keep his eyes.. mostly off of dan feng. it keeps his thoughts from straying too far, at least, when he'll occasionally catch dan feng's gaze across the room, or find himself struck by the beauty of a particularly delicate pose.

but soon enough they're onto the final, longest pose, and yingxing returns to his own easel, flipping to a fresh page as dan feng settles in. the long curtain of his dark hair obscures much of the shape of his body, so yingxing steps forward. ]

Behind you.

[ he warns as he approaches, then carefully helps to position his model. longer poses can get uncomfortable to hold for the full thirty minutes, so yingxing helps him to move his arms a little, before he's carefully sweeping that soft, silky hair over one shoulder, the tips of his fingers brushing the back of dan feng's nape. ]

[As it always is when he has a job to do, Dan Feng allows his focus to hone in specifically on how he needs to or not to move in any moment. It had been the only way he could get through his first few times as a model, nervous as it made him to have so many eyes on him for so long.

There's something very different this time though. He finds that he wants to do this job especially well, with Yingxing's eyes on him. It's absolutely ridiculous of him, focusing on the other man's presence as some sort of driving purpose to do well... if he hadn't already decided that this was the only person he wanted to give him tattoos, he'd seriously consider looking around. The last thing he wanted was to cause problems.

The sound of Yingxing's voice as he's approached sends his heart fluttering in his chest, and Dan Feng can only hope that it isn't noticeable at all. He remembered giving permission to adjust his pose as he needed to, but he'd not really expected the way he felt light and warm when Yingxing adjusts his arms.

... he can't help the way his breath catches so quietly when those skilled hands adjust the way his hair lays for this final pose -- when he feels the brush at the nape of his neck. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. He needed to remind himself that he was working. They both were, really.]

Thank you..

[The words are so quietly murmured, just enough that even in a full class, only Yingxing would really hear him. Perhaps... that he wasn't used to poses with his back turned was a blessing today...]

[ yingxing isn't sure whether or not he's made up that soft intake of breath that he swears he hears dan feng take. it's enough to make his ears warm and his abdomen tighten a little. surely he can't be the only one thinking that there is something incredibly electric between them, and has been since the moment they first laid eyes on one another.

or maybe he's just a delusional creep, thinking too hard about someone far too young for him. regardless, he soon has dan feng arranged perfectly, so he takes a few steps back with a light chuckle, and lifts his charcoal again.

this time, he doesn't yet walk around the room. it's time for the students to show him what they're made of, to take everything they've learned in their quick croquis and apply it to this final pose. so yingxing works as well, studying dan feng's shape and form as he drags his charcoal across the soft paper, mapping out every curve and dip, bringing life to the image on the page, capturing every contour, and the elegant shape of dan feng's body beneath his thin robe.

he's so damned beautiful that yingxing can barely stand it.

it seems over all too soon, when the alarm sounds again, signaling the end of the final pose. wiping excess charcoal off of his fingers onto a rag, yingxing addresses the class again as he makes his final rounds, assessing each student's portrait and giving his critique, leaving his own drawing as an example at the front of the room. ]

[Whatever this thing is that's sparking between them, Yingxing certainly isn't the only one to take notice. No matter how much Dan Feng had attempted to put the man out of his mind, he always seemed to return. Maybe... maybe it was time for him to simply accept this fluttery crush he seemed to have on the artist.

Perhaps the sooner he accepted it, the sooner it would pass...

... Yingxing's chuckle sounds nice, and Dan Feng does his level best to ignore the warmth he can feel at the tips of his ears. He enjoyed listening to the other man talk far more than he expected, after they'd not seen one another for weeks.

Once all of the artists settle in for this last pose, the room is filled with such peace for him. He couldn't watch them certainly, but he could hear the way each approached their art.. he could hear the couple that talked quietly to themselves as they made their decisions, could hear how some were somewhat more heavy-handed than others. It was genuinely one of his favorite things about accepting these modeling requests.

The alarm sounds far too soon, and Dan Feng has to take a moment, blinking as he shifts his focus back to the world around him in a more... conscious way. He's eased himself back to his feet, the robe more modestly in place by the time Yingxing makes his rounds through the class. This was the moment that Dan Feng would typically use to change back into his normal clothes, so he quietly makes his way into the office to do just that.

He always returned once changed though, especially since some students seemed to want to show their work to him... but it's Yingxing's drawing that catches his eye. Dan Feng tugs his jacket more securely around his shoulders, the last moments of class spent taking in the man's work just as he'd done with the tattoo.

Yingxing surely made him look far better than he actually did.]

[ nonsense. he made dan feng look exactly as he is - ethereally beautiful, elegant down to the tip of every finger and every strand of silken hair.

by the time the model reemerges, dressed comfortably again, yingxing has finished speaking with his students, and he's about ready to clean up his workstation when he finds dan feng hovering nearby, examining the art that yingxing had sketched of him. his mouth curves into a smile as he approaches, tattooed arms crossing loosely over his abdomen. ]

Do you like it?

[ not all of the models enjoy seeing the students' work. it's one thing to sit for a life drawing class, but quite another to see the results, occasionally embarrassed or abashed by the way their likeness has been captured upon the paper. he's glad to see that dan feng is not among them. ]

You did really well.

[Dan Feng's eyes don't shift away from the artwork until he hears the approaching footsteps stop. The smile he offers Yingxing is warm, even if there's perhaps a hint of self-consciousness in the way his hands hold idly to his coat. It's... interesting, how he feels in this one instance rather than any of the others.]

I do. I've started to wonder if there happens to be anything you can't do.

[There had been a time, back when he was still in his teens, where Dan Feng was embarrassed to see how people's work had ended up. Certainly he knew that he was attractive enough -- especially with how often he'd been approached over the years -- but seeing the way an artist captured his appearance had been something else entirely.

That hadn't stopped him from looking, though. Not even back then when his heart would race nervously. His heart is racing this time as well... but it has very little to do with the artwork and near everything to do with the artist.]

I'm glad you think so, really. Even though I still have trouble with over the shoulder poses.

[His hair was just so long that there was no way for him to see the particulars of how it looked in such poses. The only time he'd not needed any help was when his hair had been styled up elegantly, precisely for the purpose of helping the students understand the shapes you could get in hair.]

[ at that, yingxing barks a laugh. ]

Hard to say. Maybe there isn't.

[ his grin slants, slightly smarmy, slightly brilliant, as he approaches to stand beside dan feng, glancing toward his likeness on the newsprint pad. light and shadow outline the still image of the dragon on the paper, a beauty to behold, the inky darkness of his hair contrasting with all of that soft, fair skin, shadows falling into the dips of his body, the curve of a nearly bare shoulder..

yingxing's gaze flicks away from it, and back to dan feng. ]

I wouldn't have guessed it. I think you're just a natural. [ a beat. ] How's the ink healed up?

[Dan Feng chuckles quietly at that response, the gently amused light reaching his eyes easily enough in the moments before his gaze shifts back to Yingxing's drawing of him. It really was so hard to believe that he could actually be quite as beautiful as the man's art made him look. Or at the very least, no other image he'd seen of himself after these courses had drawn his attention so completely.]

I don't know that I'd go that far.

[Amusement colors his voice still, but it's still a genuinely serious response. He'd needed some help with the poses at first, before he'd spent some time looking up anything he could find about posing for this sort of thing. Really he thought that his only real advantage was his ability to sit still.]

Oh, it's healed completely by now.

[Automatically, his hand lifts to brush his fingertips against the tattoo, seafoam eyes shifting back to Yingxing once more.]

I shared a picture of it once it healed up, I'm sure I didn't forget to tag you..

[He's absolutely certain, but still he retrieves his phone from his pocket to make sure. It doesn't take all that long at all before the app loads and he's able to navigate to that specific post. Sure enough, he'd posted it with the tag as he remembered.]

[ dan feng takes the compliment as gracefully as yingxing had expected, of course, and while he shakes his head, he doesn't argue it right now. dan feng had done exceptionally well, and much of that was due simply to his elegant nature as a person, a far cry from yingxing's own more abrasive and ferocious approach to the world. but their differences only makes dan feng all the more alluring. ]

You didn't, no, I saw it.

[ and even liked it, too! it had been very tempting to follow dan feng, but.. that had felt a little too inappropriate, when they were nothing more than business acquaintances. ]

Seeing it in person is different, though.

[ he leans forward a little, craning his neck to glance toward dan feng's neck, one hand lifting, though he doesn't quite touch. ]

May I?

[Before they'd met, while he was still looking into selecting an artist for his tattoo, Dan Feng had already followed the account where Yingxing posted his work.. but ever since they'd met he'd wondered if the man had a more personal account. But he certainly didn't have the guts to ask or even look on his own. They were acquaintances at best, after all.

He certainly didn't need that thought to return now, while he was in the artist's presence again. Surely it was still inappropriate. Wasn't it?

Yingxing's hand lifts, and Dan Feng drops his own to his side without thinking. He ought to have pulled his hair aside... but he does tilt his head a little.]

Of course, feel free.

[At least he does turn in order to make it easier for Yingxing to view the tattoo.. so he wouldn't have to try leaning around him for it.]

[ dan feng turns, and yingxing gently pushes his hair aside and over his shoulder to examine the freshly healed tattoo, surveying his work. his touch is surprisingly gentle and careful as his knuckles brush dan feng's neck, keeping his hair pushed back. he smiles. ]

It looks great. You took good care of it.

[ it's healed quite well, the skin is smooth and the ink looks nice and crisp, the color well distributed. perfect. he lets dan feng's hair fall back into place and steps back, keeping a friendly but still respectful distance as his arms cross loosely over his abdomen again. ]

Are you a student here?

[ he might as well confirm it, he supposes, given how tempted yingxing finds himself, how easy it would be to just.. ask him out for coffee. normally he's more than confident enough to pursue the people he's interested in, but he's never dated someone significantly younger than he is before, and holding back is absolutely a challenge. in order to keep his eyes from dragging over dan feng's beautiful face any longer, he turns to his easel to begin cleaning up his things, carefully closing the newsprint pad and stowing it away in his portfolio. ]

[It takes all of Dan Feng's strength to keep his breath from catching again in his chest when Yingxing moves his hair over his shoulder to view the tattoo more easily. Though he doesn't quite manage to keep the faint hitch out entirely. It's ridiculous... why was it only this man who made him feel this way?]

It's.. important to me. And I did promise to follow your instructions, after all.

[He takes a slow breath when Yingxing steps back, trying to calm the way his heart fluttered. There really was something about the artist that continually drew his interest... and it was getting to the point where Dan Feng wasn't certain it was just a passing fancy.

The question draws his eyes back to the other as he turns to face toward him once again.]

I am, though I have been for some years now. Keeping myself busy, I suppose.

[Certainly an understatement. Having finished high school with enough college credits for an associate's degree, he was nearing finished with enough study to get his master's by this point. Though he had cut down to only a full-time student's class load, once he took his part-time job... but it would be soon enough.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject