If I were to talk about this episode we'd be here all year so imma just mention a few things that made me want to smash my head into a brick wall and then weep salty soup flavourings into my empty palms
suffice it to say that I thought this episode was 🙌👏👏💪👄😳🤩👌👌👌
so diving straight into the 'chen yi gets ai di a gift to show how well he knows him and wants him back'.
sigh
It's a handgun. a hand gun. and a short barrelled shotgun. with a loveheart on it.
and, like, for real, ai di's feckin sheer elation and joy at getting this --- I STRUGGLE TO FUNCTION
and chen yi's note of simply, "come back" - a plea, nonetheless. fuck.
then we have ai di's chilli spice punishment = lol. chen yi be like PSYCH I'm actually into that. and the easy way he just, boop, sweeps ai di up into his arms, like he's so lightweight and small. I love it. I think ai di loves it, too. chen yi certainly does, the amount of times he's yeeted ai di to a secondary location (street smarts!)
now, the reconciliation, and the love scene, I think, were done perfectly.
"as long as we are alive, I'll share our birthday with you, and you only."
the way ai di looks at chen yi after chen yi tells him that he loves him -- HMMMMMNNNNNNNNNNNGG -
the way that their first two kisses are gentle, sweet, soft and chaste. It's comforting, assuring, testing and slow. It sort of speaks to their relationship, of how they have known each other so long, of how their feelings are so deep, so complicated and yet so true and simple - it speaks long-term. It points to a way of thinking that they have time, now. time for each other, and to take it slow, to enjoy it. because they're finally on the same page.
also the staring - the lingering watchful eyes. both of them simply breathing and taking the other in, documenting that this is real; savouring its realness - esp ai di who seems torn between the euphoria of surrendering to the pleasure of it and the struggle to believe that it's really happening. even when they're kissing, ai di's eyes are often open, and watching.
once they're both shirtless - and ai di goes to kiss chen yi, dive back in, but chen yi stops him, takes a moment to pull back and just look at ai di. a moment just to hold him, regard him and treasure him, like he wants to forever remember this moment - because it's been FOUR YEARS MY DUDES
and then he's touching along his back, his shoulders; kissing his chest, his arms; making sure ai di feels loved, and relishing the feel of his body
and when chen yi flips them over, so ai di is trapped beneath him, his knees splayed as wide af to accommodate chen yi between them (heh) and ai di is curling his toes into the bedsheets - chen yi kissing down his chest, he mouths at the cupid's bow base of his rib cage and it's 👌👌👌
and then they both have their hands in one another's hair, cradling their skulls, when ai di reaches up to kiss ah yi - and NAT'S FECKIN HANDS. they're the freaking size of louis' HEAD.
and louis with his stupid freaking insane capacity of facial expression with so little direction or introspection. these boys.. aiiii......
I loved it. I could talk about it forever. I think I'm just gonna watch it again.
If these guys don't get another series of their own, I swear to -