[Something breaks loose inside Jin Guangyao's heart, and he realizes abruptly that he's crying.
It starts with a sharp jerk between his shoulder blades and forces him to bow his head, to squeeze his eyes shut, and by that point the tears are already in free fall. They fall onto his arms, onto Lan Xichen's wrists, and then Jin Guangyao curls inward on himself and ends up with his fingers clutching at the skirts of Lan Xichen's robes, his forehead against Lan Xichen's knees.]
Er-ge, [he chokes out, like he's pleading for mercy, but he's already been granted something more precious than that, hasn't he? Something that goes beyond mercy, or forgiveness. It's grace.]
Zewu-jun is too good to this lowly one. [He should feel absurd, retreating behind these courtesy pronouns and polite language while weeping openly into his sworn brother's lap, but it's all he has left to blunt the edges of his own shame. A shuddering inhale, and exhale, and then] He truly is the very best of men.
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It starts with a sharp jerk between his shoulder blades and forces him to bow his head, to squeeze his eyes shut, and by that point the tears are already in free fall. They fall onto his arms, onto Lan Xichen's wrists, and then Jin Guangyao curls inward on himself and ends up with his fingers clutching at the skirts of Lan Xichen's robes, his forehead against Lan Xichen's knees.]
Er-ge, [he chokes out, like he's pleading for mercy, but he's already been granted something more precious than that, hasn't he? Something that goes beyond mercy, or forgiveness. It's grace.]
Zewu-jun is too good to this lowly one. [He should feel absurd, retreating behind these courtesy pronouns and polite language while weeping openly into his sworn brother's lap, but it's all he has left to blunt the edges of his own shame. A shuddering inhale, and exhale, and then] He truly is the very best of men.