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clowncollectr · 4 months

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Unsolicited LiangLee content for the 8 billionth time

Oughh I really gotta work harder on keeping this blog up to date. This is a commission from Aki / Reza (Twitter: @WindsSight) I wrote a silly little drabble to go with it. You can read it on AO3 but you can also read it below. There's also a bonus doodle I drew at the end of the fic if you read it here. Cheers!

Something between hello and goodbye ---------------------------------------------- “It’s called a cell phone”, Lee said matter-of-factly, holding the device out towards him.

Well, yes. Liang Xun knows what it is. It wasn’t that he'd never heard of one before, but it was rare to come across such a thing in the city where he grew up. The part he was confused about was that currently, the cell phone was being handed to him.

These types of devices are fairly expensive. They’re the kind of product not owned by most people. For the most part, they’re only really used as a luxury item or as a tool for organizations to communicate. But even for most companies, messengers, radios, and custom devices are the preferred method of contact. It’s a wonder how Lee managed to get his hands on one. He’s heard before that these things are more popular in modern cities, which have the necessary infrastructure needed to make them work. Cities like Lungmen. Perhaps it was something like a souvenir that the carp had acquired. But why give one to him of all people?

Liang Xun accepted the object in front of him, but the look of slight confusion on his face didn’t disappear. He found himself staring back at his reflection on the black screen, not quite sure what to do with it.

Lee didn’t seem too surprised by his reaction and only moved closer to offer assistance.

“Want me to show you how it works?”

“I suppose so.” he responded. This was very much out of his area of expertise.

As if Lee had rehearsed it all beforehand, he explained the basics of the device, such as how to turn it on and off, how to maintain the battery, and other basic utilities like adjusting the time and volume. It wasn’t long before he finally reached the question that had been on the Kuranta’s mind, which was how to use it to call and message other people.

It seemed easy enough, but eventually, Lee furrowed his brows a bit after suddenly remembering something.

“Ah well, I guess with the amount of friends you claim to have, the only other person you know with a phone might be me.”

He had a slight look of guilt on his face, but it wasn’t enough to discourage him from continuing his lesson. Apparently this cell phone device did a lot more than just allow someone to communicate with others. Liang Xun had heard a bit about this too but didn’t realize the extent to which it could be utilized. Lee was listing out so many random features, he was starting to realize why this thing was considered a novelty. There were a mix of items from tools that sounded useful, like keeping track of the weather and recording documents, to features that felt almost unnecessary, like watching television and discussing his thoughts with strangers.

While listing out all those things, Lee suddenly snapped his fingers, recalling something interesting.

“It lets you play games too. A certain employee of mine is always using his phone for that.”

Liang Xun looked up from the phone, tilting his head inquisitively at the vague statement before asking:

“Games like the ones we used to play?”

“Oh, no. Apparently the games children like to play nowadays are very different. I’ll try to remember some of the ones he’s mentioned. There are games where you can pretend to tend to a farm or govern a city. There’s more. Let me think…”

? Why would he play a game where he could pretend to do his actual job? Liang Xun didn’t quite understand, but he politely let him continue speaking.

“Games that are puzzles, like matching three of the same object by moving the objects around. I believe there are even some games where the goal is to collect various cute animals or characters. Those make sense. Everyone likes to collect things. And it’s more convenient for it to not take up space in your home, don’t you think?”

Liang Xun sighed and spoke his thoughts honestly.

“I don’t have the time for frivolous things like that.”

Lee responded with a small shrug. Just like before, it didn’t seem like he was particularly phased by the other’s comment.

“I figured as much.”

That reaction was no surprise to Liang Xun either. His friend was good at understanding people, which only made this whole interaction more confusing. What on Terra made Lee decide to give him a cell phone? Still, he was always willing to listen to this person even if their thoughts were hard to follow sometimes. He had relied on Lee’s ability to understand things easily during that time in Shangshu. So maybe it’s his own fault for not being able to understand people as quickly as the carp. The only thing he could do was what he always did in a situation like this. Wait and listen patiently.

During this time, Lee had reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. He unfolded it and waved it gently to get the other’s attention.

“Lucky for you, I’ve got another employee who likes to stay busy like you. She was kind enough to put together some thorough notes for you, so you’ll have to thank her next time you see her.”

The paper was handed over to Liang Xun, and a small smile appeared on his face once he read its contents. From a quick glance, it was a very detailed list of suggestions for things he could do with a phone. Everything from the names of various applications, what they did, what physical item they might replace, and how they could make his life easier. Ideas for how he could use the phone to keep track of his meetings, to make sure he eats healthy, to ensure his quality of sleep was good; it was as Lee said. Very thorough. And certainly, he will have to put aside some time later to find Waai Fu an appropriate thank you gift.

Lee saw his positive reaction and smiled back. There was always the chance that Liang Xun wouldn’t like the gift, even if he’d never say it out loud. At the very least, he looks convinced that the thing wasn’t totally useless. The older you get, the less you want to change how you do things. Honestly, Lee was grateful to have so many young people around him. He often ends up learning how to do interesting things from them. Those kids had even taught him how to make a website to advertise his agency.

But Liang Xun likely doesn’t have anyone like that. It’s doubtful that he’d be near very many young people considering his work and personality. That stubborn guy probably only ever reads old novels, and the closest thing to an exciting hobby he has is calligraphy. Too traditional. It would do them both some good to step out of their comfort zone once in a while.

“I know you prefer to write, but you can try talking to me with that thing sometimes.”

Liang Xun nodded and responded with some amusement.

“Of course. And no doubt I’m grateful but…why get me something like this knowing my preference? You weren’t getting sick of my letters, were you? I imagine you weren’t too pleased after the last one I sent you.”

It was partly a joke with some truth mixed in. He was definitely curious. It wasn’t like there was a holiday or birthday to celebrate, so he didn’t understand the occasion for such a gift. Liang Xun thought that his words were casual enough, and he was mostly poking fun at his own shortcomings for asking such a big favor last time. But when he saw the cheerful expression on Lee’s face drop, his heart sank along with it.

Suddenly the mood between them had become a little awkward. He must have said something wrong. Maybe it was offensive or it reminded Lee of something that made him unhappy. Either way, he regretted saying it.

It was only for a minute or two, but there was a silence that left Liang Xun’s previous words unanswered for what felt like a painfully long time. By then, he was already thinking of how he should apologize, even if he didn’t know how he had offended him.

Lee beat him to it, speaking before he could say anything. His words were a little hesitant and there was a hint of embarrassment in his body language.

“You want to know the occasion? It’s…I was thinking that you’ll be going to the capital soon. And when you get there, I doubt you’ll have time for something as inconsequential as writing pointless letters to some old, unimportant friend…

Hah, I’m joking. I know you’d probably still try. But I was thinking this might be easier for you.”

Those words made Liang Xun realize that Lee wasn’t angry or upset. It was obvious now in hindsight. If someone gives you a tool to communicate with, it means they want to talk to you. He really was too slow to catch on to these things, and he’d basically forced Lee to admit the obvious. It should’ve been him that was embarrassed right now, not the other way around.

He looked back at the thin, black metal device in his hands and ran a thumb across the screen. It had powered off on its own at some point and now all he saw was his and Lee's reflection. Actually, it’d been a long time since he last saw them standing together like this.

For a moment, he thought about whether the phone could take photos. Surely it could. It would be nice to take one together before they go their separate ways again. He thought about asking if he could take one but stopped himself. Maybe it was too sentimental of a request. It felt a bit awkward to ask. Instead, he just made a promise that he knew would make the other person happy.

“I’ll keep in touch. And I’ll definitely learn how to use it.”

It seemed like those words were what Lee had been waiting to hear. His good mood returned instantly and he began to excuse himself, promising not to waste any more of the newly appointed advisor’s precious time. They exchanged their contact information, and after that, they exchanged farewells too. Soon Liang Xun found himself alone in his room again, filled with fine decorations and furniture similar to the ones in his old estate. The imperial court’s way of showing it rewards hard work and loyalty.

Even though his room was comfortable, it didn’t carry the same feeling of home that his old friends from childhood tend to rouse from his memory. He felt the same as back when he had to say goodbye to them after school. It wasn’t the end of the world, and they’d probably see each other again. But it was always a little melancholy. Though any meaningful goodbye will feel that way.

He didn’t have much time to dwell on it. Without warning, a ping noise suddenly came from his phone, catching his attention. Liang Xun looked at the screen and found that it had turned on by itself. His first ever message. The sender’s identity was obvious.

Let me know what you’re up to sometimes. Also if you need anything just use this, it’ll get to me faster

The short message was followed by a cartoonish image of a cloudbeast making a winking face. From his understanding, it was the text equivalent of closing off a letter? Was it a custom to end every message with one of these images the same way? Or maybe its main purpose was to allow the sender to express what emotion they were feeling at the time of sending. It seemed like a useful feature that wasn’t feasible with letters, so he would have to look into how to send them back.

Well, he’ll figure it out eventually. ---------------------------------------------- Btw this is what happened after he discovered gacha games

#lianglee / 梁鯉 #miko the clowncollectr's fic tag #miko the clowncollectr's art tag #miko's arknights art tag

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clowncollectr · 7 months

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I delayed posting this on here as long as I could (got lazy) but it's finally time 😔

Honestly like, they kind of have chemistry tho

#miko's arknights art tag #miko the clowncollectr's art tag #lee x mlynar #man idk what to tag this #I'm not tagging this with anything else I feel too much shame

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clowncollectr · 8 months

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You know those photos of guys trying to show off a cool huge fish they caught? It's that (i'm sorry)

#lee arknights #liang xun arknights #lianglee / 梁鯉 #miko's arknights art tag #miko the clowncollectr's art tag

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clowncollectr · 8 months

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Bunny Lee for bunny day! I literally only found out about bunny day yesterday so I rushed to get this done as soon as my shift was over O_O

#lee arknights #arknights #bunny day #miko's arknights art tag #miko the clowncollectr's art tag

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clowncollectr · 9 months

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I finally updated my blog theme yaaay! I noticed awhile back that clicking on images wasn't working on it anymore but I was too busy to change it until now :_) It's just some random theme I found that's been repurposed. Sorry I'm lazy aha (；´∀｀)

#miko the clowncollectr's not archive tag

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clowncollectr · 9 months

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Celebrating the release of Vernal Winds with my favorite middle age man friend group beanified for your enjoyment 🫡

#arknights #lee arknights #huai tianpei arknights #liang xun arknights #miko the clowncollectr's art tag #miko's arknights art tag

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clowncollectr · 9 months

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A collection of Lee emojis (Leemojis if you will) that I made. Here's a dropbox link for the higher res PNGs in case Tumblr skrunkles the quality somehow. Feel free to use them as reaction images, emotes, etc! No need to credit me every time. Just send ppl my way if anyone happens to ask :D

#lee arknights #arknights #miko the clowncollectr's art tag #miko's arknights art tag

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clowncollectr · 9 months

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These are some memes I drew / put together for my LiangLee fic Everything between us, as it should be. Hopefully they're just intriguing enough to potentially convince some people to read the story for context XD

#lee arknights #liang xun arknights #lee's detective agency #arknights #miko the clowncollectr's art tag #LiangLee / 梁鯉 #miko's arknights art tag

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clowncollectr · 9 months

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Arknights - Everything between us, as it should be (Liang Xun / Lee) - Chapter 6

Rating: G

Word Count: 6058 (this chapter), 28397 (whole story)

Summary: It’s Liang Xun’s second time visiting Lungmen. The circumstances are much better compared to last time. There’s no rush. Familiar faces, new faces. More happy memories to join the old ones. Between him and Lee, things are finally as they should be.

AO3 Link

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

__________ Chapter 6: Lost and found

“Been awhile since I’ve seen you this troubled.”

The detective’s eyes glanced up. He tried to stare down his opponent, but it felt pretty ineffective when the person’s entire face was covered. He stretched his arms out and yawned.

“It’s nothing. I’m just tired. Aren’t you supposed to be telling me about the mission? Don’t let me distract you.”

“I didn’t stop because I was the one who was distracted.”

Lee made a ‘tsk’ sound to show his dissatisfaction at being caught. This person is really nice to talk to about most things. They catch on fast, meaning he didn’t have to explain much. It meant both of them could cover a large array of topics together in a short span of time. Really useful for doing business. But there were times when they caught on too fast, and unlike most people, they had a tendency to say all of their observations out loud.

In the end, he gave up and scratched the back of his head, both in defeat and annoyance.

“Fine, fine. Doesn’t matter. I did all my homework before coming here anyways, so don’t bother trying to lecture me.”

As if to prove his point, he pulled out a set of files from the inside of his coat and set them on the office desk.

“Calais-Blason, right? That’s where you want to go. You know, it wasn’t easy gathering intel on that troupe of yours without being put on someone’s hit list. I’m afraid I might have to charge you three dinners for this one, Doctor.”

The Doctor reached for the files and skimmed through them, giving a nod of approval.

“It couldn’t be helped. It was a request from the lady herself.”

“The lady…Wait. You mean the cat?! Uh, I’ve had owners commission me to search for their missing pet before, but never the other way around.”

“She works in mysterious ways, alluring as the night itself. Who are we to question her motives? And regardless, Rhodes Island never turns its back on one of its own.”

“Well, nice to know that you’ll look out for those three too if something ever happened.”

“Of course.”

They spent the next hour going over the details of the mission. Although his mind had been a little preoccupied before, Lee was honestly thankful to have something else to focus on, and he discussed the matter seriously to ensure the safety of the other operators.

While he hates to admit it, there was something nice about someone being able to acknowledge his troubles so easily. Because it was so difficult to hide it, there was no reason to put in the effort. The productivity helped with his mood, and by the time they were finished, the tiredness he’d mentioned earlier had somehow dissipated.

Though he thought it’d be best to get more rest anyway. His team would be departing later in the day. So he said farewell to the Doctor and prepared to leave their office to head for the dormitories. The Doctor thanked him for his time but requested one last favor.

“I need you to deliver these files for me.”

Lee took the small stack of files from their hands, looking slightly surprised.

“That’s it?”

It was rare for him to get an errand like this nowadays. Partly his fault since around the start of his contact with Rhodes Island, he used to pretend to have a headache whenever they made him do anything tedious like sort files. Eventually, they just gave up on trying. Okay maybe it was mostly his fault. But he doesn’t actually mind doing stuff like this if he has to.

He waited on the other person for a bit, in case they wanted to elaborate on anything further. The Doctor just shrugged, as much as they could with their hands still in their pockets, and explained that the office number label was on one of the folders.

“You can thank me later.” they told him.

This person has a really unconventional sense of humor.

Usually when you ask someone to do something for you, you’re the one thanking them. But he’s long since grown accustomed to the Doctor’s strange jokes. They were quite the oddball, especially if you caught them shortly after they’d been working too much. Plus there were too many cryptic rumors about them floating around. Like how they wore their usual work attire to the beach or that one time someone saw them eating an originium slug at late hours of the night, when they thought no one was watching. All unconfirmed, none unproven. Scary stuff. There were some things that didn’t need to be investigated.

Since the office for the delivery was opposite to where the dormitories were, the task was a bit inconvenient. It was still a trivial errand in the end. One that shouldn’t set him back more than half an hour.

When he arrived, he found Miss Orchid there with a bored but otherwise neutral expression on her face. He did as he was asked and handed her the files. Lee wasn’t sure what he was delivering, only that when the woman opened the files to read their contents, she gave the longest sigh and muttered “Ugh, seriously?” under her breath. Maybe he’d been tricked into giving another poor soul more work.

Despite her initial reaction, Miss Orchid quickly resumed her professional demeanor. She thanked Lee for the trouble and once the latter had one foot out the door, he heard the faintest complaints about ‘having enough work to deal with’.

Another person that likes to complain about work but always does it in the end? What a troublesome personality. He thought to himself with some amusement.

Since the dormitories were a fair distance away anyway, he took the opportunity to take a pleasant stroll through the landship, walking lazily while he thought about the upcoming mission.

What the Doctor said earlier resurfaced from his memory. Rhodes Island never turns its back on one of its own. Even if searching for someone who went missing was troublesome, it was a nice sentiment. To know that if you disappear, your presence is important enough that people will come looking for you.

Now that he thinks about it, he’s also troubled someone else with this kind of thing. It was…impressive that they never gave up after all that time.

Lee shook his head.

Forget about it for now. We parted on good terms. There’s nothing to regret.

He’s been too gloomy lately, like a child at the end of their summer break. Not wanting his vacation to end. It was a natural reaction, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was a little too old to be acting like this. It really would be best if he got over it soon.

He let himself wander a bit more, slowly but surely making his way to the dormitories. While walking down one of Rhodes Island’s many connecting hallways, someone’s loud voice pulled him away from his thoughts. It sounded as if someone had lost their composure.

“How?! Augh, nevermind. Maybe we should check the reception room first...”

This kind of thing wasn’t uncommon at this place. The landship was home to all kinds of interesting characters. Yes, that part wasn’t all that strange. What was strange was that he recognized that voice. And it was the voice of someone who was supposed to be in charge of his house right now. So why was he hearing it here? It was a couple decades too early for him to be showing signs of old age. Nothing wrong with his hearing yet.

He made sure to keep his presence hidden while he peeked from the corner of the hallway. Sure enough, there they were. Three orange tails and hushed voices. As expected, trouble always came in threes.

He could hear the most reasonable member of their group trying to calm down the other two.

“There’s no sense arguing over who’s at fault. Let’s just think of what we should do before we run into-”

“Before you run into?”

Lee watched as all three of his employees jumped after suddenly hearing his voice.

Actually, he had planned to wait behind them until they noticed, but he couldn’t resist the dramatic entrance.

The three turned towards him in surprise, and it was Aak who mumbled a not so enthusiastic “Too late I guess” before falling silent along with the others.

Lee looked back at them. At their age, there was no point scolding them. But he knew the next best thing. Crossing his arms, standing there, and looking extremely disappointed. He tapped his foot expectantly, showing that he was waiting for an explanation.

Waai Fu was the first to step forward, and she explained nervously:

“Uncle Lee! You’re still here? We thought you would be on your mission by now. See, we were also called over for a mission and-”

Lee nudged his head to the side, not particularly impressed.

“Bad lie. Too easy to verify that. Next.”

Aak stepped forward and pulled a vial of strange liquid from his pocket.

“I left some important samples here for my new medicine, so I came to get them.”

Lee didn’t seem too convinced.

“Why did the other two come with you? Anyway, we’re on good terms with Penguin Logistics, who also work here. I’m surprised you didn’t go to them first. That’s what you usually do when you forget something.”

Aak shrugged indifferently, too lazy to put together any sort of argument. It felt pretty pointless, considering who he was up against.

Finally, when it was Hung’s turn to speak, the Perro simply said “We wanted to see you off properly. Don’t you think you left too suddenly? Who knows when we’ll see you again.”

The Lung was able to sense some honesty in his words. He closed his eyes and sighed. Probably a bit of the truth mixed in with a lie. He’s seen plenty of those before. Still, the thought was appreciated. Although it didn’t stop him from worrying about the obvious.

“So? What about our guest? No way you left him in Lungmen by himself, right? And bringing him here would be impossible on such short notice given that a background check is required.”

“We didn’t need to. He already went back to the capital. Uncle Liang said he didn’t want his work piling up.” Waai Fu explained.

“That’s good.” Lee nodded, seeming to accept her words. He felt more at ease knowing that everything was in order back home. Despite the way he acted earlier, he didn’t actually mind having the children come to Rhodes Island for, well, whatever reason they were here since they didn’t seem to want to tell him. They were all adults now and should be allowed to come and go wherever they please. It was just more amusing to question them the way he did.

Having settled the important business, he reverted back to his laid back state from before. The plan was originally to go back to the dormitories to rest, but since everyone was here anyway, he proposed the idea of getting lunch together. To his surprise, Waai Fu, Aak, and Hung just stared at him with nervous faces. They didn’t seem to like the idea too much. Very unexpected. These three rarely ever passed on an opportunity to eat. Not to mention, Rhodes Island’s kitchen is quite nice, and he’s already been granted permission to cook there. Even if the menu for today wasn’t good, there was no reason why he couldn’t quickly stir fry something up for them.

In particular, it was written all over Hung’s face that something was wrong. This guy had a bad habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve a little too openly. To the point that it caused trouble for him sometimes. But in situations like this, it made him the easiest person to go to when Lee wanted a straight answer. So he took one step toward the young man and asked him amicably.

“Hung, what’s the matter? Did you guys get into trouble again? Why don’t you tell me what the problem is and we’ll sort it out together.”

It seemed for a long time that Hung didn’t want to say anything, occasionally glancing to the side at Waai Fu and Aak. Lee was about to give up on getting anything out of him when Aak spoke up and caught his attention.

“Can I tell you something?”

“Sure.” Lee responded back.

“Only if you promise not to get mad.”

That phrase wasn’t a good sign, but he didn’t really have any choice but to encourage the other to continue.

“As long as it wasn’t illegal.”

“Ok cool. It was only against regulations. Nothing related to the law.”

“....”

Aak took a deep breath before saying everything in one go, talking at the same barely comprehensible speed as that young woman from the Lungmen Fire Department.

“So the truth is Mr. Liang didn’t go back home he changed his mind last minute because he said he wanted to see you and he seemed kinda desperate so we snuck him onboard and figured it would be fine if he stuck with us but then we lost him and now we can’t find him so he’s wandering around the landship somewhere without a guest badge or any papers and we’re trying to find him before security gets to him first”

There was silence for a while.

No one said anything.

It was a lot of information to process.

Once everything had settled in his mind, Lee found that he wasn’t sure how to feel about this situation. All he could do was let out a tired sigh and mentally say goodbye to his free time again.

“I can’t say I didn’t anticipate this scenario when I saw you three were here. Losing him was a surprise though. How do you lose track of a tall, fully grown, adult man exactly?”

“I dunno. It just kinda happened.” Aak replied with a shrug.

Waai Fu didn’t seem very happy with his answer and joined the conversation to elaborate.

“We were leading him around and at some point, we realized he wasn’t with us anymore. We weren’t watching him the whole time. I mean, he’s not a child we need to babysit right? And I really doubt he would wander off on his own so…”

She trailed off and looked down at the floor anxiously, unable to hide the guilt she was feeling at the moment. The situation sounded a lot worse now that she was explaining it out loud.

Lee was quick to notice and reassured her. It was weird that this was happening at all, but not something that was going to end the world either. He knew all three of them were good kids. They probably didn’t want to tell him because they felt bad about causing him trouble. So he wasn’t mad at them, and there was no reason for any of them to feel guilty. Honestly, he was glad they told him rather than trying to solve this problem on their own.

“Hey, don’t sweat it”, Lee gave her a gentle pat on the head. “With the four of us working together, we’ll find him for sure. I’ve only seen one male Kuranta around this part of the landship and that guy has blonde hair. We can just ask around if anyone’s seen a male Kuranta with black hair. Besides, Rhodes Island isn’t a dangerous place and that guy’s plenty capable.

Worst case scenario, you three will get a scolding for sneaking someone on board. Wait. That probably means me too. Uh, let’s hope it’s Miss Amiya and not Dr. Kal’tsit who does it then.”

Everyone laughed at the thought of the entire group being forced to sit through one of Kal’tsit’s infamous monologues, and the absurdity of it eased their tension a little.

While Hung, Aak, and Waai Fu were perfectly capable of settling things on their own, there was something reassuring about having their boss around to call the shots again. Even if they forgot half the time that that was technically what he was. After some discussion, everyone agreed to split up and cover different parts of the landship.

It was a difficult search since no one personally knew who they were looking for. There was also no way to anticipate where they might find him. But as Lee predicted, there were a fair amount of people who reported having seen him. It took some time, but they were eventually able to narrow things down based on the sightings. And it seemed that luck was on their side today because when they finally found him, Liang Xun was not with security or strangers, but rather, they saw him speaking with some familiar faces.

Familiar to both Liang Xun and Lee’s agency. Operator Kroos and Mr. Nothing appear to have run into their missing guest at some point. It was quite fortunate. Running into those two was probably one of the best possible outcomes. At least they knew who he was and could verify his identity. Lee and the rest of the group were relieved when they saw who he was with. It meant that very likely nothing bad had happened.

Kroos was the first to notice them approaching and she greeted them warmly, sociable and upbeat as ever.

“Oh! Hiii~ Mr. Lee, Waai Fu, Hung, Aak. Wow, so many people. We’re running into all our friends today.”

Mr. Nothing agreed with her. He opened his mouth and was about to say his own greetings when the sound of running footsteps and a flash of black raced past him.

“Lee! You’re still here. I thought I was too late. No one knew where to find you.”

He wanted to reply back with something like ‘Yeah the same goes for you’ , but Lee was more distracted by the fact that Liang Xun was currently looking at him like he’d just found water in the desert. The guy had a pretty mellow personality, and he’s never seen him move with this much urgency before. He wanted to ask him why but wasn’t given the luxury.

Before he could process it, Liang Xun had already grabbed his hands and placed their palms together, filling the space between them. Already, there were some confused and surprised reactions, including the faint sound of Kroos going “oh my” in the background. But Liang Xun ignored it all and focused only on the man in front of him. He stared at him seriously and spoke purposefully.

“About what you said before. I came here because I wanted to talk about it. Your confession. Let me respond to it properly. I-”

“Hold it.” Lee interrupted immediately.

He couldn’t believe what was happening. While he didn’t pull away from the other’s grasp, he looked around apprehensively before chastising him.

“You…you’re not thinking, are you? Look where we are right now.”

Those words were like a loud snap, which pulled Liang Xun out of his tunnel vision. He followed his friend’s advice and checked his surroundings, realizing that there were several people looking at the both of them. Fortunately, there was no one else around except the members of Lee’s agency and Miss Kroos and Mr. Nothing, who were so kind as to accompany him when he admitted that he had gotten separated from his friends. But that was still an audience of five more than the Lung probably wanted.

Liang Xun suddenly let go of Lee’s hands and stepped back. It was far too late now, but he realized from the flustered look on the carp’s face that he had just embarrassed him in front of everyone. He coughed awkwardly and glanced around, trying to think of a way to fix his mistake. But as always, Lee didn’t mind stepping in to help when he was in trouble, and the detective showed his talent for handling difficult situations once again.

Turning to face the entire group, he cleared his throat and explained as casually as he could.

“Sorry everyone. Looks like Liang Xun and I have some private matters to discuss.” He turned towards Kroos and Mr. Nothing and gave them a small nod of acknowledgement. “You two. Could you go tell the Doctor that I’ll be missing the squad meeting for my upcoming mission? We’ve already discussed it together anyway. And if you could, ahem…” He gestured towards himself and the man standing next to him. “Please keep this matter discreet. I’d appreciate it.”

Kroos straightened her back and exclaimed “Yes sir!”, assuming a saluting posture typically reserved for one of Dobberman’s training drills. She had a vague idea of what was going on. Her only real opinion on it was that it was a happy thing, and she needed to buy some congratulatory gifts for it later.

Mr. Nothing, in contrast, was fanning himself nervously. Of course, he also thought it was something to celebrate. But it felt like he’d just learned something he wasn’t supposed to. Considering the influence Mr. Lee and Mr. Liang held in their respective cities, isn’t the thought of their union kind of intimidating? Certainly, he wouldn’t want to be seen as a liability by either of them. So he remarked with earnest supplication that he was a trusted ally. Definitely not a loose end that needed to be taken care of.

“Rest assured, I would rather be shot and left on the streets to die twice over than do something disrespectful to you two, who’ve shown me so much generosity. Your wish is my command.” He bowed his head to show his sincerity.

A little dramatic, but their reactions were essentially affirmative. Good enough for Lee. He had bigger things to worry about right now.

Next, he turned his attention towards the other agency members, who didn’t look quite as surprised as the other two but still had an air of awkwardness around them.

“And you three. Uh, listen. We can talk about this later. If you even want to.”

It seemed that they were all feeling especially cooperative today, since the only reaction he got was a simultaneous thumbs up from all three of them. Great. He had their blessing. Probably.

Once the excitement settled down, the two men said goodbye to everyone and walked away. When they were both out of sight, Lee grabbed Liang Xun’s hand and started walking at an accelerated pace, dragging the other man along behind him. The latter had no complaints and allowed himself to be guided. It’s not the first time something like this has happened. Even if it’s been awhile, he’s gotten quite used to being dragged around by this person. Although by his own admission, this time he had been the one to cause them trouble.

Neither of them spoke at all during their entire walk to the dormitories, and Liang Xun was beginning to worry that Lee may actually be mad at him for what he did earlier. He wouldn’t blame him.

Eventually, they reached their destination, with Lee stopping in front of one of the many dorm rooms and using his ID card to let them both inside. The sound of the door clicking shut could be heard behind them, signaling that now it really was just the two of them. Liang Xun waited for a minute, in case the other person was angry and had any grievances to settle with him. But Lee said nothing.

He only stared at him with a difficult expression on his face.

Liang Xun knew that it was his cue to explain himself. There was no such thing as turning back. Not when he had already caused him this much trouble.

“I thought about it.” he started. His throat felt dry, and he had to concentrate hard to convey what he wanted to express into words.

“I couldn’t understand why I never noticed how you felt. And why I couldn’t decide whether I felt the same. But…”

He reached for Lee’s hands again. Slowly this time. So that they had the option of pulling away if they wished. When they showed no signs of discomfort, he continued.

“I think…I think I have been loved for a very long time. Ever since the start. The things which should have been precious to me became as natural as breathing.” Liang Xun squeezed the fingers that rested on his palms, thinking of unpleasant things, his regrets. Nevertheless, he kept going.

“It’s stupid of me to only realize how much I value something once I’m faced with the possibility of losing it. But I’m awake now. If it’s not too late, I want to spend the rest of my life making up for lost time.”

Frozen in place, Lee could only look at the person in front of him, completely unsure how to respond. Logically, it should have made sense. Why would this person come all the way here otherwise? Just to reject him? They weren't so cruel. Of course this was what they had been planning to say. But to hear such things come out of his mouth, it felt like Lee had completely left the realm of reality. Any second he would definitely wake up now. Just like all the other times.

Liang Xun could see that his words had been received properly, but Lee was having a hard time responding. This situation felt familiar. He recalled the last time they had a proper heart to heart. At that time, Lee had said nothing as well and only moved closer to embrace him.

This time he would be the one to do it. He’d had enough of being passive his whole life.

Without thinking twice, Liang Xun walked forward and leaned in to embrace him. He thought about the last time they said goodbye. About how the carp had been mindful to keep a respectful distance between them, and how much it annoyed him. He decided there would, quite literally, be no room for that possibility this time and pulled the other person in as close as he could. He heard the other person’s breath hitch, clearly started by the sudden intimacy. But he was satisfied to find that Lee only pressed into him further, burying his head into the space between his neck and shoulder.

Now that Liang Xun had time to think about it, these last few days have been incredibly stressful and tiring. His chaotic thoughts made him unable to think clearly, and he found that he could barely focus on anything at all. But it was just that. A couple days. How long has it been for Lee, who didn’t even know whether he was loved back?

On top of all that, everything from his last visit made a lot more sense. Especially that misunderstanding with Ning, which he had originally assumed was Lee’s displeasure at his time not being respected.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was all one big terrible joke.

If I were you, I would have hated me by now. Even if I’m considered innocent because I didn’t know, I’ve done nothing but hurt you. How can you still love someone after all that? Maybe I really don’t deserve to hold you like this.

He had such a thought. But the truth was, he’d finally realized something. Earlier, he worried over whether he was the right person. Whether he deserved such an important part in his life. Now he had his answer. Because despite everything. Despite his frustrations, his regrets, his uncertainty, his doubts. He couldn’t stand the thought of another person being in his place right now. So even if he didn’t deserve it, he would selfishly take this position. And he would earn the right to be here just like every other accomplishment in his life.

He doesn’t want to give this person up to anyone, and he certainly doesn’t want him to be alone either. Such a simple conclusion that took him way too long to realize.

It would never compare to the other’s experience, but he finally understood to some degree. Why Lee couldn’t let it go after all these years, despite all the pain it must have caused him.

Well, there was no point agonizing over the past anymore. Any pain in the future, they could bear it together. Besides, his personal philosophy has never wavered. Words are useful but it’s your actions that will speak for you in the end.

After some thought, he realized that he could start now. So while they were still locked in an embrace, Liang Xun turned his head to plant a slow and deliberate kiss on Lee’s neck. A message, clear and impossible to misunderstand:

I am no longer just your friend.

He felt the man in his arms jolt frantically, and he quickly thought to apologize for being too sudden. Before he could, the other person recovered and tightened their arms around him. From the direction he was facing, Liang Xun noticed a thick and beautiful tail swaying haphazardly. A reaction that was far too honest.

Lee, you are so…

If it were possible, Liang Xun wouldn’t have minded staying like this for a while. But eventually it was Lee who pulled away and cleared his throat to speak, doing his best to regain his composure.

“I never thought I’d be saying this, but…let’s hold off on things for now. I’ll be leaving for my mission in a few hours. It’s, uh, not good to get carried away.”

Liang Xun accepted his words. At the end of the day, they were working adults who have definitely spent too much time messing around. Anyway, the situation is as Miss Hoshiguma had told them earlier. Even if they were apart, it certainly didn’t mean the end. Rather, this was more like the beginning. An embarrassingly late one he felt, but better late than never at all.

Lee admitted with a yawn that he was still tired from traveling and honestly exhausted from the day’s events too. If it had been like before, Liang Xun would have excused himself so that his friend could rest. But he had nowhere else to go. Or maybe it was that he had nowhere he wanted to go. So he sat down and talked with Lee a bit more, while the other changed and got himself situated comfortably in the bed.

As expected, the Lung’s responses soon began to trail off, and he eventually fell asleep. Looking at him now, Liang Xun thinks that this really is just like last time. To be honest, it felt like only a few things had actually changed between them. But a lot more of it made sense now. Like all the small pieces had finally fallen into place, and the distance between them had been crossed for good.

The conclusion to what was already a lifetime’s worth of troubles, although there were certain to be many more. At the very least, he was glad that this person didn’t have to wait anymore. And neither did he, even if he never realized it until now.

__________________

When Lee opened his eyes, he woke up feeling groggy but well rested. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning to his side and found that someone had fallen asleep on the chair by the bed. The man had a reserved expression, the same as always, and his only indications of breathing were the light fluctuations of his chest. His posture looked too uncomfortable. The back of his head was unable to rest anywhere and instead leaned awkwardly on the back of the chair. It was impressive that he could even fall asleep in that position.

The impact of the day’s events slowly dawned on him as his mind began to wake up along with his body. He glanced at the clock on the nearby table and found that he no longer had the luxury of staying lost in thought. So silently, he got up and put on his usual coat, hat, and accessories. He grabbed the nearest pen and paper and began to scribble on it. In it, he left a farewell note as well as instructions in case Liang Xun wasn’t able to reunite again with the people who already knew him.

Having a note with his signature on it should get him far enough to get an audience with the Doctor at the very least. They could be trusted to handle the situation. The note was left by the bedside table where it would be easy to find. Before heading out, Lee looked back one last time to examine the man sleeping on the chair.

He thought about moving him to the bed but decided against it. If Liang Xun woke up in the process, it would just become harder for him to leave, and they probably wouldn’t want to go back to sleep either.

Instead, he just thought about how he would definitely make fun of him again later. This person has the guts to stay in his room and watch him sleep the whole time but apparently not enough courage to actually get inside the bed and sleep comfortably. Stupid. Bad for his back too. He doesn’t know what goes on in that guy’s head sometimes. Whatever. It was more ammo for him to use later.

Even though he was told that the mission was important this time around, the process was more or less the same. Report for the mission. Wait with the squad until preparations are complete. Board the aircraft. Compared to earlier in the day, Lee had no trouble focusing now. So he did his due diligence and took the time to talk to his fellow squad members. He apologized for his absence in the earlier briefing and assured everyone that he wanted to complete the investigation and get home quickly as much as everyone else.

Then, something unexpected happened. Someone giggled at him. He glanced around and discovered that it was the caster operator who always wore a strange hat, the one who went by the codename Haze.

Seeing the confusion on the detective’s face, the sharp-eyed woman clarified.

“It’s only natural to want to come back quickly when you’ve got someone lovely waiting for you back home, isn’t that right?”

She smiled back at him, as if what she said wasn’t particularly out of place.

When Lee heard her words, he only responded with a groan and complained about how he was unable to stop his friends from spreading strange gossip about him. In his defense, this was fairly unexpected behavior coming from Kroos and Mr. Nothing.

Haze observed his reactions with some pity but was not moved enough to bother hiding the truth.

“Hm? No idea what you’re talking about. The current rumor among the kitties is that you were seen holding someone’s hand while walking through half of Rhodes Island. Shocking for someone who isn’t fond of physical contact. And wasn’t the destination your bedroom? Not hard to put two and two together. Or are you saying several people imagined it?”

So it was his blunder in the end. He was so preoccupied at the time, it never even crossed his mind.

It was difficult to refute Haze's statement, so Lee gave up and chose to remain silent. He only did his best to maintain his composure. Too many people already have seen his embarrassing side today. Of course, some people nearby noticed and were beginning to look at him strange. Fortunately, he was quite familiar with the way gossip worked on Rhodes Island. There were too many people and interesting events going on most of the time.

The current topics would spread like wildfire but the contents were always changing. As long as he kept his head down, sooner or later everyone would lose interest. He could always ask the Doctor to keep an eye on things for him as well. Anyway, compared to the kind of secrets some people on that landship like to keep, being in a relationship with a politician is laughably mundane. Unexpected news just makes for juicy gossip. It’d sort itself out. Probably…hopefully.

Right now, he was fine with the way things were.

#miko the clowncollectr's fic tag #LiangLee / 梁鯉 #lee arknights #liang xun arknights

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clowncollectr · 9 months

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Arknights - Everything between us, as it should be (Liang Xun / Lee) - Chapter 5

Rating: G

Word Count: 5164 (this chapter), 28397 (whole story)

AO3 Link

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

__________ Chapter 5: Wait a little longer The last few days have been peaceful, at least, when compared to their earlier experiences. Not in any unpleasant way. Perhaps because the last few outings had been too eventful, an ordinary day seemed that much more ordinary. The recent weather was too unforgiving to plan any trips. Day after day of rain, making conditions unfavorable for any sort of outing. It was almost like the world was telling them to slow down.

Even though they were limited to mostly indoor activities, they were a large enough group that it wasn’t difficult to kill time. Eating meals together, chatting, telling stories, playing board games, and watching movies. They found ways to pass the time.

For Liang Xun in particular, he hasn’t experienced this kind of everyday idleness in a long time. Probably not since he was a child. It actually made him a little restless. After a day or two, he started trying to assist with random household chores, like doing the laundry and cleaning tables. The type of tasks the caretakers at his estate would be horrified to see if they ever caught him doing it.

Lee had a similar reaction, giving him an earful whenever he spotted him doing any work. The matter was resolved once Liang Xun finally convinced him that he was much happier when he had something to do. He couldn’t stand just sitting around all day.

While Lee had given his approval, he would still often observe Liang Xun doing his tasks. Sometimes Lee would even come to him for help. But in most cases, ‘helping out’ essentially amounted to ‘come with me while I do this errand’. Because of this, they were practically glued to each other throughout the day. Though neither party found it particularly strange. They followed each other a lot in their childhood, so it was simply as if they’d fallen back into old habits.

On one particular day, Hung noticed that the kitchen was running low on food. Even if the weather still wasn’t great, it was nice to have an opportunity to go outside. So the two older men volunteered to go grocery shopping and promised to return soon. It was another thing Liang Xun realized he hadn’t done in a long time.

Shopping for groceries was a surprisingly enjoyable activity despite being an errand. Lee was careful about the quality of the ingredients they purchased, so they ended up doing a few odd things while inspecting the quality of certain ingredients. The scene of two middle aged men, with very serious expressions, staring intently at vegetables probably garnered more than a few curious glances.

Aside from that, they finished their task without too much trouble. It wasn’t until they were on their way out that they ran into said trouble. Unsurprisingly, there was rain today as well. They had anticipated it and brought umbrellas with them as a precaution. But it was too much. The downpour was too heavy, and even walking out with an umbrella meant the splash of water against one’s legs with every step. There wasn’t much they could do about it but settle beneath some nearby shelter. The downpour would wane after enough time. They just needed to wait.

That was how Liang Xun found himself in a daze. Staring outwards into the rain. He and Lee had talked plenty today already, so he was content to simply enjoy the silence between them. Besides, the sound of water hitting pavement made it too difficult to hear anything anyway. All he could hear was the pitter patter of the rain, accompanied by the sight of blurry streaks descending from the sky.

The cloudy weather made him feel sort of sleepy. The rain became background noise, concealing all other sounds surrounding it. Liang Xun thought absently that he might have heard someone say something. Or maybe it was his imagination.

“I like you.”

It almost slipped past him, quiet enough that it blended with the rain too easily. But he eventually turned towards Lee, realizing that it was the other person trying to say something to him. The sudden conversation topic confused him. He didn’t really understand what the other person was trying to say, so he reluctantly replied:

“That’s…good? The rain hasn’t decreased at all. It looks like we’re going to be stuck together for a while.”

Suddenly, Lee spoke louder, and he seemed a little upset that his words weren’t reaching the other person.

“No. I mean, ugh, I didn’t phrase it well enough? Saying it the other way would have been more clear but…”

Liang Xun cannot remember the last time he’s seen Lee stumble over his own words.

This was definitely not the sound of rain and definitely not his imagination. He watched the other person struggle to continue speaking.

“I mean like romantic. Like a-” Lee hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Like a confession.”

He took a deep breath after saying it. As if all the air had left his body along with the words he’d spoken. And he stared at him with a vulnerability that Liang Xun had not seen in a long time.

This was the part where Liang Xun was supposed to say something back. But he didn’t. He only continued to stare at the other person, wide-eyed and silent. How is he supposed to respond? What can he say, when the words coming out of Lee’s mouth aren’t making sense at all.

The other person noticed his reaction, but their expression was surprisingly calm. As if they understood already, and it was what they’d been expecting all along.

“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t say it because I was expecting an answer. I just thought maybe if I said it, I could move on. You don’t have to acknowledge it.”

There was a weariness in Lee’s words. A gentle smile on his face. The tone of his voice and the way he was acting made it seem like he was trying to comfort Liang Xun. As if he had done something wrong and was immediately trying to apologize.

It compelled Liang Xun to respond, eager to resolve any misunderstandings between them, even if he wasn’t satisfied at all with his response.

“It’s not that I don’t acknowledge it. I’m just surprised. What made you think to do this now? While getting groceries. It seems like an odd time to say it.”

The earnest expression on Lee’s face shifted to a frown. It wasn’t said out loud but the look on his face said something along the lines of ‘are you serious?’

“You’re not making fun of me right now, are you? Is it because I’m not a beautiful lady like Nian said? I have feelings too, you know.”

Seeing that the other person was offended, Liang Xun quickly explained himself.

“Sorry. I’m not trying to be rude. I really am at a loss. Um, give me some time to gather my thoughts.”

Lee only shook his head and repeated the same thing he said before. That an answer wasn’t necessary.

“It’s fine. I know I’m being too abrupt. I’ve always been waiting for the perfect moment to say it. But at this point, it’s better to just get it off my chest. Nothing needs to change. Go ahead and pretend this never happened.”

What he said didn’t cover everything, but it summarized his feelings fairly well. Lee often thought about how a confession might happen. He thought about it, and thought about it, and thought about it some more.

Maybe it would be a complete cliché. A heartfelt confession accompanied by a big romantic gesture. Under a starry sky. During a tender moment between the two of them. Or maybe, just maybe, if he was lucky, it wouldn’t be him who confessed. There was always a chance that one day this person would realize their feelings too. Then they could look back at the past and laugh about it together someday. Surely the bond between him and Liang Xun would deepen over time. Then it would only become easier, until one day he could finally say it out loud.

It was wishful thinking.

With the life he’s lived so far, he knows that won’t happen. They weren’t growing any closer. If anything, they were drifting apart. To the point that Lee had seriously considered giving up.

Just the opportunity to stand next to him and spend time together again already felt like a miracle.

Now, all Lee felt was that he was running out of chances.

What was the point of putting it off now? He doesn’t even know what he’s waiting for anymore. For this person to confess first? Why? Even with the extent of his own feelings, he had never done it. Why expect such a thing from the other person?

And maybe this person had already noticed a long time ago. And they were simply too kind to confront him about it. No matter what direction Lee looked, the only thing he saw was a dead end.

Liang Xun was currently looking straight ahead in a more literal sense. Towards the rain. It was the only place he could look right now that didn’t involve making eye contact, aside from outright looking the other way. It made him feel incredibly guilty, but he couldn’t go against his own instincts.

Right now, it’s too difficult. Although he wasn’t sure whether it was because he was embarrassed or because he wasn’t ready to confront that accepting yet despondent look on Lee’s face again.

Liang Xun decided that if he couldn’t look at the other person, then he would at least look inward. Consider his own feelings.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve never stopped to think about this kind of thing” he said quietly, not quite sure whether he meant it as a passing comment or a direct response.

Lee’s reaction surprised him. All the carp did was laugh. He did so in a way that eased the tensions between them, like a soothing balm. It didn’t eliminate the problem, but it certainly alleviated things. The sincerity of his laughter lightened the heavy atmosphere. There was an endearing quality to it in a way. Even in a situation like this, this guy still found a way to make the people around him comfortable. And even now, he was still making fun of him somehow.

“Liang Xun didn’t have time to chase after girls while growing up, hm? Too busy thinking about how to make the world a better place?”

The Kuranta frowned and tried to defend himself. This accusation was too hypocritical.

“I don’t recall you ever being interested in that kind of thing either” he shot back.

“Take a guess why.”

“…..oh.”

Right. That makes sense. He was starting to see why Lee had been forced to take such a direct approach. …

This person really deserved a proper answer.

But whenever Liang Xun tried to speak, he found himself paralyzed by the same self-doubt that afflicted him when the Grand Tutor suddenly promoted him. This time there is no Ning Ciqiu to speak up for him in his moment of indecisiveness.

He couldn’t make a decision so quickly. It was too important of a choice. He could not live with having picked the wrong one.

And there were still so many unanswered questions among his chaotic thoughts.

Do I love you back? What does that entail? How would I know if I’ve never experienced it before? Do I deserve such an important place in your heart?

One thing was certain. Lee deserved more than a half-hearted answer. Really, an extraordinary person like him deserved nothing more than to be cherished for the rest of his life. To accept without being sure, he would only hurt him in the future if he did.

As if Lee could read his mind, he repeated his assurances from before.

“Don’t forget what I said. You don’t owe me an answer. Don’t go losing your head over something like this. Trust me, it’s not fun. Whether it's as your childhood friend or your sworn brother or your lover, I will always stand beside you. And if you call for me, I’ll be there.”

Lee didn’t say any more after that. He just turned his head back towards the rain. A neutral expression on his face. It seemed he had nothing left to say on the matter.

Hearing his words made Liang Xun’s heart ache more. He wanted to say something, anything. He wanted to promise Lee that he would definitely give him an answer.

Just wait. No matter how long it takes, I’ll sort out my thoughts and answer you properly. Wait a little longer.

He had such a thought, until he remembered what was said earlier. Based on Lee’s attitude towards the situation, it seemed that he had wanted closure and wasn’t expecting anything else to happen. There was no sense undoing the other’s efforts if he himself had nothing to show for it. So Liang Xun made no verbal promises. He only promised in his thoughts that he wouldn’t make him wait long.

Anyway, they had time. Liang Xun didn’t have to return to the capital anytime soon. He would stay with Lee until he figured it out.

__________________

What Lee told him wasn’t a lie. Even if his feelings were never returned, he continued to treat Liang Xun warmly and follow him around, making sure that his guest never got bored.

Although Liang Xun appreciated it, seeing things the same way as before was impossible. They still enjoyed each other’s company as friends should. But it was there. Maybe not in plain sight, but in every small action. In the way their fingertips grazed each other when they happened to reach for the same food at the dinner table. In the way Lee would no longer tiredly lean on his shoulder when they were up late drinking together. In every word, smile, and laugh.

Liang Xun started to lose sleep over it. His only comfort was that the person consuming his thoughts was never far.

A part of him wanted to laugh at his current predicament. Because as pathetic as he felt right now, at least he had the sense to have his mid life crisis while on vacation.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t outrun the consequences of sleep deprivation. He started to wake up later and later in the day, so that when he finally headed down to the kitchen one afternoon, it seemed he had missed some important event.

Everyone was currently crowded around Lee at the table, who had a disgruntled look and a letter and envelope in his hands. Hung, Aak, and Waai Fu were all standing behind their boss with similar expressions.

“Can’t you just turn it down if you don’t wanna do it?” he heard Aak ask.

“It’s a missing person case, not a missing pet case. You three like to scold me for being lazy but come on now. I’m not heartless. Not to mention who this request is coming from.”

Lee sighed and pinched the area between his eyes, which pushed his glasses up slightly. Clearly, whatever was going on was not good news.

Liang Xun couldn’t help his curiosity and approached the table to ask what the cause for commotion was. The carp glanced up to look at him, and his mood seemed to grow even worse.

“Oh nothing much. Just the universe trying to pull me away from my precious leisure time as usual. Ugh.”

Lee rubbed his palms across his face as he spoke, clearly frustrated.

After a few more groans and complaints, Liang Xun was finally able to get a more concrete explanation out of him. Lee showed him the back of the letter’s envelope, revealing the presence of a Rhodes Island logo. And the contents of the letter? A request to dispatch him for an upcoming expedition, effective immediately.

Normally, Lee would simply refuse. He only had a partnership with the company and wasn’t under any restrictive contracts. But the matter was quite serious this time, namely, the sudden disappearance of one of their operators. The nature of the mission was investigative and full of unknowns. It made sense why they would want a detective present.

Before Liang Xun knew it, Lee was apologizing to him for cutting their time together short. He would need to leave in two days.

So sudden, without warning. Liang Xun’s goal was to figure out his feelings, which had no concrete deadline yesterday. Now the deadline was two days. Lee told him that he would be away for a month at least. Likely more. To travel to some country that wasn’t Yan.

Worse yet, the carp was now so busy preparing for his departure that he no longer had time to entertain his guest. If Liang Xun was feeling restless at the house before, now it was like torture.

Lee had considered this and given him a list of locations he’d meant to take him to. The three other members kindly offered to accompany him in their boss’ place. But Liang Xun only felt that those activities would be wasted if he went without Lee. Anyway, he didn’t have the luxury to go touring. He was running out of time. Soon that person would be gone, and he had no way of knowing when they could meet again.

While Lee was away taking care of unfinished business, all he had left was time to idle and think. Sitting there, counting the remaining hours as they ticked away.

Now that he knows about the other person’s feelings, he thought of how he’s been treated recently. And how Lee treats him in general. He started to notice some things. Like the way he’s been eating well every day ever since he’s arrived in Lungmen. Or rather how he always eats well when this person is around. The way no request of his has ever been rejected, no matter how troublesome it was. The way the other person often asks him if he’s comfortable or if anything’s been troubling him recently.

To Liang Xun, these things have never stood out. Because Lee is kind, considerate, and a warm person. The type of person who treats everyone, especially loved ones well. People around him will always feel comfortable and relaxed, especially when eating his cooking. And Liang Xun simply counted himself lucky to have crossed paths with such a great person in his lifetime.

But now he wonders if he’d become too complacent. Having grown up around Lee, he considered all those things normal. That was just how this man was.

Has he been taking advantage of the other person’s romantic feelings all this time? No, it’s as Lee said. This type of affection isn’t so surface level, and he would be treated well even if he shut down the possibility right from the start.

But that only provoked his complicated feelings more. He’s been given everything but has never been asked to give anything in return. Forget his earlier guilt of involving the other in his politics. This matter is much more grave.

You tell me that you love me, but you don’t even demand a response? You say you’re fine living like this? Don’t be ridiculous. I would never allow it.

Liang Xun thinks this, but he knows it’s him who’s being ridiculous. Do I love you? It should be a simple yes or no question. True or False. As a student, he always found those types of exam questions to be the easiest. Yet he can’t commit to either.

Because it’s difficult for him to answer no. He does care for him. Even after all their time apart, his world always felt more complete whenever this person was around. In terms of physical attraction and personality, there really isn’t any debate. Lee is charming in every way.

But it’s also difficult for him to answer yes. Because he can’t stand the thought of being wrong. If their relationship ended badly, he would be disgusted with himself for the rest of his life. Just recently, he has regretted how much Lee has done for him. He knew it wasn’t right to involve his friend in something dangerous, but during that time in Shangshu, Lee was the only person he trusted enough to understand his difficult position.

Liang Xun couldn’t even say he’s been a good friend recently. Does he have the right to call himself his lover? Also what kind of person doesn’t notice that they love someone for several decades? No matter what option he chooses, he is and certainly has been a fool.

It didn’t take much time for the other agency members to notice their guest’s poor state from not getting enough sleep. And even if Liang Xun mostly kept to himself, it was obvious that he was restless from how often he would sit and stare at nothing in particular throughout the day. Always lost in thought.

They each made an effort to help him in their own way. Aak offered him some dubiously colorful medicine pills that were supposed to help him relax, which he politely declined per Lee’s instructions.

Hung thought he might be getting homesick and would prepare dishes closer to the local cuisine of his hometown. It didn’t resolve anything, but the kind gesture did lift his spirits a bit.

As expected of Huai’s daughter, Waai Fu took the most direct approach, outright asking him what was bothering him.

“Are you sad that Uncle Lee has to leave so soon? Or is it something else?” she inquired on the day before the aforementioned’s departure.

He wasn’t sure how to answer her. She was right on both accounts. He was sad that Lee had to leave soon. And it was something else too. But nothing that would be easy to talk about.

Instead, he decided to ask her what Rhodes Island was like. About that place which Lee would be going to soon and what the people there were like.

Even if she didn’t quite understand, Waai Fu could tell from intuition alone that he was trying to take his mind off something.

So she talked about how the Rhodes Island landship was an amazing place, based on her own personal experiences. There were people of different backgrounds, professions, and philosophies there. If you wanted to expand your view of the world, it was the place to go. She was honestly a bit suspicious at how upstanding all the people there acted at first, but after spending some time there, she could vouch that their commitment to their convictions was genuine. Most of them were surprisingly strong too. Their roster of combat operators was akin to a small army.

“Ah…that’s a relief.” Liang Xun responded, somewhat absentmindedly.

Waai Fu was not dense, and she could easily tell that when Liang Xun asked about Rhodes Island, it wasn’t because he wanted to learn about the company. She was a little fed up with these two fully-grown adults who thought they were being subtle. The next thing she said wasn’t an answer to a question that was asked but instead, something she knew the other wanted to hear.

“It’ll be alright, Uncle Liang. Obviously Uncle Lee is pretty strong himself, even if he doesn’t act like it. Plus he has a good relationship with most of the operators. He’s very popular there. They’ll take good care of him. And the person who does the planning for the dangerous missions is really smart. Uncle Lee gets along with them too, so he’s in good hands.”

It did comfort him to learn that Lee would be around reliable people. But for some reason, the idea that so many people who liked the carp would be with him while he wasn’t bothered him. He thinks he knows what this feeling is, but it was a troublesome train of thought, and he chose not to think about it too much.

Not to mention, it reminded him of how little he knew about the present Lee. What kind of people has he met? How do others see him? Maybe he’s made other close friends over the years. Maybe more than close friends. There are definitely those who have shared history with him, like that woman from the restaurant. From how the citizens in Lungmen treat him, he is definitely admired and respected by many. Without realizing it, a complicated expression had already made its way onto his face, and his voice had lowered to a murmur.

“I’m glad to hear that he’s popular'' was his despondent reply. When Waai Fu saw that his mood had barely improved at all, she only looked at him with a helpless expression on her face. She didn’t know why these two had to make things so difficult. From the corner of the room, it looked like Aak had overheard most of the conversation and wanted to say something, but he stayed silent when Hung and Waai Fu both shot him a look that told him he would be in trouble if he tried anything.

So they let him be. Just like last time, the only thing they could offer was hospitality. The rest was a problem between the two to resolve.

Unfortunately, the rest of the day wasn’t any more productive. Lee had spent the last day packing and locked up in his office to work. Once the children had left to see to their own tasks, it was only him and his thoughts again. Liang Xun began to understand why Lee had been so adamant that he forget about the confession. Knowing how that man thinks, he probably already predicted that something like this would happen.

However, while it wasn’t as apparent as with Huai, all three men shared a common stubbornness. He didn’t want to let the matter go even if the other person had given him permission to. He got up and decided to take a walk, so that he would be able to wander along with his thoughts. It felt like a long time, but eventually the sun did set and the sky began to darken.

As he headed back to his room for the night, the Kuranta thought that tonight he would probably have trouble sleeping as well. What he didn’t expect was to find Lee leaning by the doorway to his room, unmistakably having waited for him for some time. Neither party questioned it, and Liang Xun only waited patiently for the other person to speak.

“I heard you refused to go anywhere without me.” Lee mentioned nonchalantly. They both knew it was a question rather than a statement.

“You know very well that I didn’t come here just to sightsee.”

Their words to each other were neither warm nor cold. The tension between them was reminiscent of the first day. This time, it was more difficult to determine which party was at fault. Or if anyone was even angry.

But even if Liang Xun hadn’t asked for an apology, he still received one. He watched as Lee straightened up and took a step towards him.

“I’m sorry. For everything. I never wanted you to have a difficult time during your stay. And of course I didn’t want it to be cut short like this. Next time…if there is a next time, I’ll definitely make it up to you.”

Liang Xun raised an eyebrow at him. He crossed his arms and responded back:

“I thought we weren’t supposed to owe each other anything?”

Lee smiled at him.

People have always criticized Liang Xun for lacking a sense of humor. And to be honest, he was barely joking this time either. Lee really didn’t owe him anything, let alone an apology. But he was still happy to be rewarded with that expression on his face. The same kind the other wore when they were by the river a few days ago. Affectionate. Fond. A smile different from the rest.

He didn’t know what it meant at the time. Only that it was different and that it was rare. Now he understood, and the thought of never seeing it again was unbearable. But just like last time, it was too fleeting. He didn’t have time to remember the small details before Lee had already turned his head down to look at his watch.

“Hm. It’s getting late. I should get some rest. Need to wake up early tomorrow. This is probably the last time you’ll see me in a while, so I mainly wanted to say goodbye. I left Waai Fu in charge. She’s a bright kid. You’re in good hands.”

Before he left him with those parting words, the Lung pulled him into a short hug and gave him a pat on the back. The same way they always said goodbye, but this time Liang Xun felt that the other person was holding back, careful not to pull him too close.

As he watched Lee start to walk away, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was losing something. And so he called out to him.

“Lee.”

True to his promise, the other person was there whenever he called for him. Lee stopped immediately, turned his head over his shoulder to look, and waited.

Liang Xun thought about what it was he wanted to say. Actually, that was a lie. He already knew. But he thought of a lot of reasons, excuses, for why he shouldn’t. Now wasn’t the right time. It was a bad idea. This person was about to go on a serious mission. There was no need to give him another thing to worry about.

“Um, please take care. When you come back, let’s talk again.”

For a second, Lee looked at him, confused. But his expression quickly softened and he replied: “Alright. Good night.”

By morning, he was already gone. Before the sun had even completely risen. Now the only people left in the house were the other members and Liang Xun. Lee was right about them. They treated him well. In their leader’s absence, they took on the role of the host, asking him what he wanted to do for the remainder of his break and encouraging him not to waste it.

He had considered it. But Liang Xun thought it was best not to let his office work pile up. Even if he was ahead, there was always the possibility that some things were completed sooner than anticipated and waiting for his review or approval. Anyway, he would just be inconveniencing the others. They didn’t admit it, but he knew the younger members probably had their own responsibilities. Entertaining a family friend out of politeness wasn’t something he wanted to force onto them. Besides, perhaps if he worked even harder than he did this time, he could come back sooner. Maybe even for longer.

He hoped, more than anything, that they could meet again soon.

#miko the clowncollectr's fic tag #LiangLee / 梁鯉 #lee arknights #liang xun arknights

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clowncollectr · 9 months

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Arknights - Everything between us, as it should be (Liang Xun / Lee) - Chapter 4

Rating: G

Word Count: 3649 (this chapter), 28397 (whole story)

AO3 Link

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

__________ Chapter 4: Lungmen's open secret The last few outings have been fun, but sometimes it was nice to plan things for just the two of them. Lee jokingly said that he wanted a day off from babysitting, but it’s not hard to read between the lines.

He talks about those three often in his letters, saying that they’ve only become more reliable with time. And about how he felt that nowadays, they were taking care of him more than he was taking care of them. All of this to say that he doesn’t really mean “I don’t want to spend time with those people” when he says it but rather, “I want to focus on spending time with you.” This is all assumption of course. Liang Xun wanted to entertain the thought that he might be receiving special treatment. But he knew that more than likely, this was simply Lee’s hospitality on full display, polished by both time and experience. This man gets along with others for a living. It makes sense that he would be a good host who was skilled at making someone feel like an honored guest.

Even so, Liang Xun is still grateful. He knows that Lee prefers home-cooked meals and small local restaurants. The place they were at today was a high-class establishment. The type only the wealthy and distinguished typically frequent. There’s no way Lee would ever choose to go to a place like this on his own.

Naturally, he tried to dissuade him and suggested they go somewhere else, but his friend insisted.

“Aren’t you used to eating high-class food all the time now? My agency doesn’t make enough money to be eating like that every day, but I can take you to a place or two. Won’t it be good to have some nice places in mind if you ever come back here on business? You can impress your coworkers.”

That’s what he said. Honestly, Liang Xun didn’t care much for that excuse, but he knew better than to continue arguing. Anyway, he could tell from the quality of this place. It was the type of place that needed to be reserved in advance to even enter. So he just quietly added this to the long list of things he needed to repay this person for. Yes, the same list he’d been told to stop keeping track of.

At least they could actually enjoy a meal together this time. The last time they went out to eat had been when Lee was angry with him. Compared to then, the current atmosphere was much better.

Instead of crossed arms and a frown, the person sitting across from him only looked at their copy of the menu with a curious expression. Occasionally, those golden eyes would dart up at him and he’d hear some random complaint, like how the names of the menu items were too vague for you to understand what you were ordering, or how they were using too many ingredients that didn’t improve the flavor of the dish at all.

This type of environment was comfortable. Pleasant. For some reason he felt that he was really satisfied.

Feeling content, Liang Xun also thought about what he wanted to order and eat. That simple goal preoccupied his thoughts for a while until a strange noise made his head snap up.

“Geh.”

He heard something like a surprised yelp and looked up just in time to see his companion raising their menu higher. High enough to cover their face completely. It was like watching a musbeast duck into a nearby hole in the ground.

????

Did that sound come from Lee? It sure sounded like it. But it was very odd. He’s never heard him make a noise like that before. He wanted to ask about it, but it was clear from the other person’s body language that they didn’t want to talk about it. So he pretended not to notice.

Things were normal again for a short time. Now, Liang Xun certainly can’t match the perception skills of a detective, but he’s not oblivious either. In matters like this at least. Lee was trying to hide it, but after doing it so many times in the span of a couple minutes, of course it would be noticed. The way he keeps glancing at a certain direction.

After observing him do it a couple times, Liang Xun was finally able to follow his eyes and figure out what he was looking at, or rather, who he was looking at. A few tables across from them sat a very beautiful and elegant looking woman, who seemed to be minding her own business. By now, Lee had already glanced back at her table several times, looking very uneasy.

Liang Xun couldn’t help but speculate about who she was, and what her relationship to Lee must be to get an unusual reaction like this. Lee has always been on good terms with most people, and he tends to avoid unnecessary conflict even with those he outright disagrees with. Could it be that they had a difficult relationship? With such thoughts in mind, he began to consider the possibilities.

Could she be someone he dislikes? But I’ve never seen him hold a grudge against people he’s fought with. Or maybe, a past lover? Even that is strange. Lee isn’t as complicated as some people assume him to be. He has many good traits and he doesn’t really hide his bad ones. I can’t think of a reason why someone who was interested in him might change their mind. Even if the relationship didn’t end well, I can’t see him being the type to let bad blood stay between him and someone he cares about.

He could keep running around such thoughts in circles, but in the end, the only way to actually find out the answer was to ask. Of course he wanted to, but this involved Lee’s personal relationships. Someone who belonged to that great portion of his life which he wasn’t a part of. It didn’t involve him, and he felt it wasn’t his place to ask.

That didn’t stop his curiosity though. Now he was also occasionally glancing back at the woman sitting across from them. Liang Xun noticed that she was with someone, although he couldn’t see who it was from where he was sitting. He had another assumption, perhaps a wrong one, but maybe Lee simply didn’t like seeing his ex on a date with someone else. Something like that.

“Are you ok? You seem upset.” Liang Xun finally decided to ask him. A subtle offer that told the other person ‘I’m willing to listen if you want to talk about it’.

“It’s nothing. Thought I saw an evil spirit. Guess I’m too hungry. Now I’m starting to see things.” Lee answered back with a weak laugh.

His response was dismissive and an obvious lie. Neither the speaker nor the listener believed it. However, those words confirmed that he didn’t want to talk about it and that was enough of an answer. For a while, it left the two stuck in an awkward mood. Too distracted to talk about other things, but unable to talk about the obvious.

Fortunately, that awkwardness eventually began to die down as whatever was bothering Lee subsided. Even if it was still bothering him, he had at least regained his composure enough to hide such feelings.

When a waiter finally walked to their table, the two men felt a sense of relief, thinking that they could finally enjoy their dinner in peace. That relief quickly turned into confusion when the waiter informed them that he wasn’t there to take an order. Instead, he held out a bottle of wine.

“A gift from the couple at the table over there”, the waiter explained and nodded his head in a certain direction. Neither of them bothered to look. They were very familiar with that direction by now.

“Perhaps you’ve got the wrong table. We’re not here to celebrate anything. This doesn’t seem like it should be for us.” Liang Xun tried, hoping that the situation was a misunderstanding.

The man only assured them that no mistakes were made. Lee asked for the wine bottle. Once it was in his hands, he confirmed his suspicions and found a note attached to it. He didn’t read the contents aloud. Or even explain what it said. He only furrowed his brows and changed his usual relaxed expression into a scowl. Once he finished reading, he silently crumpled up the paper and placed it in his coat pocket. Then he thanked the waiter and sent him away.

Before Liang Xun could even ask for an explanation, Lee was ready with an answer.

“Just a bad prank. Don’t worry about it.”

Despite what he said, the carp was already starting to get up from the table even as he continued to speak.

“Uh, let’s head somewhere else. I’m a little uncomfortable staying at this place right now.

Liang Xun stood up and walked out with him. Even without an explanation, if Lee says he wants to leave, then he will follow. But there’s still a slight worry in the back of his mind. He wonders what was on that note to make the other man so upset. Worse yet, now he was starting to think about how there are people in this city who disliked Lee enough to harass him like this.

Maybe he was overthinking things. Maybe Lee dismissed it because it really wasn’t important. But Liang Xun disliked this feeling of powerlessness. Not only is he unable to help, he’s not even in a position to know what’s troubling his old friend anymore. Those worries continued to follow him, and it wasn’t until his surroundings started to look familiar that he realized he’d never asked where they were going next. By then, he didn’t need to ask anymore. They were headed for that same street food stand from his last visit.

The same young but tired-looking Ursus man was present this time as well. When the two had gotten close enough, Lee called out to the young man in greeting and the merchant regarded them with a small but noticeable smile.

“How’s it going, Jaye? Business good today?”

Lee spoke with a familiarity that suggested he frequented this place often

Jaye took a minute to finish up an order he was working on, but as soon as he finished, he responded with his usual monotone but polite voice.

“You came back. Together this time.”

“I’m surprised you remember.” Liang Xun answered back. He does remember being impressed by this person’s memory last time, but he’s still surprised Jaye was so well-acquainted with what goes on between his individual customers.

“It’s because I was thinking you two look happier when you’re together.”

“Aha…well…anyone would enjoy themselves more when they’re with a friend right?” Lee hastily replied.

“Yes, but what I mean is-”

“Sorry, it’s been a long night and we’re pretty hungry. Is it ok if we order now?”

It was rare to see Lee interrupt someone while they were talking. Liang Xun thought that he must have meant it when he mentioned how hungry he was earlier.

Hearing his request, Jaye postponed the small talk and began to focus on preparing them food. Because he gave it his undivided attention, the food was prepared rather quickly and remarkably. Not even three minutes had passed by the time he handed them both a set of three finballs each, which from the smell alone said all it needed to regarding the taste and quality of the food.

The power of delicious food shouldn’t be underestimated. Their night had been off to a bad start, but troublesome thoughts become easier to cast aside when you’re forced to confront more physical needs like hunger. To put it more bluntly, people who think too much benefit from having their brains turned off.

The surest sign of improvement was the fact that Lee had asked Jaye if he had any extra cups. The Lung waved the “gift” he received today around, now just another ordinary bottle of wine to be enjoyed along with food. So they did. No matter what city they were in, it seemed they were destined to spend their time together over a cup of wine. Not that it was a bad thing. Nowadays, it’s best to leave the crazy adventures to the younger generation.

Even though Jaye had finished most of his tasks, he saw that his two customers had settled comfortably in their idle chatter and decided not to interrupt. If anything, it was almost more entertaining to watch. He regarded both of them as respectable and wise seniors, so it was interesting to see the way they talked to each other. Whether what they had to say was rude or kind, both men seemed to only say exactly what was on their mind.

“That’s stupid. Don’t just let your superiors order you around like that.”

“It’s necessary. It doesn’t matter what you think.”

“Your spine’s going to be shaped like an S before you retire.”

“I don’t want to hear that from someone who hasn’t improved their posture even after all these years.”

“Don’t be difficult. I’m looking out for you as your friend.”

“You should start by befriending yourself first.

Jaye couldn’t tell whether they were arguing, concerned for each other, or drunk. Hard to tell. It looked like some form of getting along though, so it was probably fine. He considered the prospect of closing up shop, since the stand was unlikely to get many more customers at this time. Before he could make a decision, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps and looked up to find another customer.

She was a tall, green-haired Oni. The kind most people would be intimidated by. And for people with less than good intentions, they were right to be scared. But for Jaye, he only smiled and saw another person in Lungmen who was always looking out for him. The second one so far tonight. Another regular, too.

“Hope I’m not too late.”

Her voice is cool and composed. The exact opposite of what you’d expect from her appearance.

“I’m still open, ma’am, er, Miss Hoshiguma.”

“Like I’ve said before, you can drop the miss. I’m just another customer when I’m off the clock like this.”

“Do you want the usual?

Hoshiguma nodded, and Jaye began the process of preparing finballs again. Since she was probably his last customer for the day, he took it easy and made small talk with her while cooking. It was something Uncle Tung liked to remind him often. For a merchant, it’s not enough to have a good product. You need to be good with people too. He’s not sure if he could be considered that, but if the people who actually are good at talking to others will give him business like this, hopefully he’s doing something right.

Once Hoshiguma received her food, she walked over to greet the stall’s other two guests. Partly because she wanted to say hi to a familiar face, but also because she noticed that they had alcohol. Regardless of whether the drinking was cooperative or competitive, of course she wanted in.

However, as she approached, she noticed that there was someone she’d never met before.

A person who seemed well-acquainted with Lee. Probably not a Lungmenite from the way he dressed and spoke. Although he didn’t have the bearing of a common man either.

She exchanged greetings with Lee and the stranger. And when the detective finally introduced Liang Xun by name, she simply said “Ah, I think I’ve heard of you before.

By now, Liang Xun isn’t surprised at all. Too many people know him in this city for some reason.

He responded to her, shaking his head helplessly.

“I can only hope that Lee’s been saying good things about me.”

The Oni laughed and explained herself. She didn’t consider herself a nosy person, but many of her men from the L.G.D were.

The enigmatic Mr. Lee, who doesn’t officially aid the L.G.D but is often involved in many of the cases they were tracking. Supposedly a normal detective, if you completely ignore his influence, general aptitude for everything, and the fact that he always gets out of trouble without a scratch. Naturally, some people would get curious about his background.

But it’s hard to find out anything when the man has such a common name, and he hardly talks about such things himself.

Her men have tried asking him directly before. Apparently old Lee always said the same thing. Just that he grew up in an unimportant place to an unimportant family. And the only thing even remotely relevant nowadays were a handful of old friends.

In short, it wasn’t really a name that people were recognizing.

Hearing all this, Liang Xun didn’t know what to say. The part about Lee not wanting to talk about his past wasn’t a surprise. But at the same time, he didn’t realize that the carp considered him and Huai to be such a big part of it. He had to admit that he felt a little touched, and the thought made him feel both honored and proud.

Lee had stayed silent during the entirety of Hoshiguma’s explanation, but he did not deny a single thing either. When Liang Xun turned to look at him, Lee only nodded his head and closed his eyes, his face turning a slight red from embarrassment.

Hoshiguma watched the two as a gentle yet knowing smile swept her face. She had no reservations about sharing her impressions. “It’s easy for me to tell. Mr. Lee and Mr. Liang are friends the same way me and Ch’en are friends. The same kind of friendship. I’m sure of it.

He was not familiar with this person named Ch’en. Maybe just a vague memory of having heard the name before at some point. Nor does Liang Xun have any real context as to the relationship between the two. But at a surface level, it was clear that Hoshiguma’s words were meant to be a compliment.

Before he could give his thanks, he heard a loud cough. A sudden coughing fit had overtaken Lee, the severity of which was enough that the other two stopped speaking to make sure he was ok.

After a few seconds, the coughs died down. And Lee took the opportunity to change the topic of conversation.

“Ahem. Speaking of, how is Miss Ch’en doing nowadays? I heard she’s working for Rhodes Island now?”

A saddened expression appeared on Hoshiguma's face, then it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

“Correct. To be honest, when I heard Ch’en was leaving Lungmen, I became quite depressed. I was worried I might never see her again. But recently, I’ve learned that just because she isn’t nearby anymore doesn’t mean she’s gone for good. We frequently write to each other now. I’m even able to visit her sometimes because of Lungmen’s current alliance with Rhodes Island. Goes to show that even if you’re apart, it’s not the end of the world I guess.”

Her words were earnest. And when Lee and Liang Xun heard them, they couldn’t help but glance at each other, probably thinking the same thing.

Even if you don’t see someone as much as you used to, it doesn’t mean that old ties have to be severed. And even when you’re far from each other, it’s not impossible as long as you put in the effort.

If they were being honest, the realization made them both feel very foolish for how they’ve been acting around each other recently. Especially during Liang Xun’s first visit to Lungmen. Since when did things between them get so complicated?

There was a short silence between everyone for a while. Until Hoshiguma suddenly remembered the whole reason she had even walked over there.

She tilted her head towards the bottle in Lee’s hand. A more cocky expression overtaking the usual professional demeanor of the L.G.D’s Madame Oni.

“Any chance you’ve got enough in there that you’d be willing to share? I could even try to get us some more. Make it a competition.”

Fortunately, Lee was sober enough to have the foresight to turn her down, saying that he didn’t want to subject his poor guest to carrying his unconscious body back home. Also he kind of liked his liver intact. But when it comes to the prospect of sharing, yes he could certainly accommodate that request.

And so, the rest of the night was spent drinking their worries away.

When Lee and Liang Xun finally returned home, they were tired, maybe a little tipsy, but certainly content. The night hadn’t gone how they planned at all. A description that’s applicable to all of their adventures recently. But they didn’t mind so much. Because at the end of each day, there was always the same feeling. They had fun. It was a good memory. Just like before. It felt like the relationship between them was finally back to how it should be.

Feeling sleepy from the food and wine, they wished each other a good night and returned to their respective rooms. While he was by the bedside table, putting up his things for the night, Lee suddenly remembered the note that was stuffed in his pocket.

He took it out and read its contents again, the same unhappy expression on his face as before. He groaned miserably and rubbed a palm across his face. Under his breath, he muttered “Tsk. Ridiculous” before crumpling up the note again and tossing it in the trash.

There was no sense in getting hung up over difficult things. Better to go to bed and get some rest. __________________

Best of luck.

- Wei Fumizuki & Wei Yenwu

#miko the clowncollectr's fic tag #LiangLee / 梁鯉 #lee arknights #liang xun arknights

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clowncollectr · 9 months

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Arknights - Everything between us, as it should be (Liang Xun / Lee) - Chapter 3

Rating: G

Word Count: 5895 (this chapter), 28397 (whole story)

AO3 Link

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

__________ Chapter 3: Even if it’s just an act, I still… As promised, that missing pet case really was the last thing left in terms of business for Lee’s agency. And thanks to some fairly enthusiastic volunteers, it was resolved in a matter of days. Now it was time for everyone to enjoy a well-deserved break. Lee had mentioned that he made plans for the weekend and for everyone to make sure they were available then. Obviously, he wanted to show Liang Xun around, but everyone was still curious as to what he had in mind.

When the weekend finally came, they were pleasantly surprised to find that his choice was an excellent one. Of course, there were lots of things to do in Lungmen. Lee wasn’t exactly starving for options. But one of the city’s local riverwalks was certainly a smart pick. Lungmen’s massive man-made river could be seen before you even entered the city. Not only was it pretty to look at, it also served many practical purposes, acting as a natural defense, canal, and water reserve for the city.

Much like Shangshu’s mountains, it served as a scenic backdrop. It reminded all of the city’s residents that despite all the hardships mankind may face, it would always persevere and adapt. Even if the catastrophes forced them out of their homes, they would simply take their rivers and mountains with them. Unlike the mountains however, the river and its nearby ports are much more pleasing to the eye when enveloped by night, under the moon’s watchful glow.

Naturally, if there was darkness, there would also be lanterns. That was precisely why Lee insisted they come once the sun began to set. Once again, he brought everyone along. Not that he would’ve minded strolling by the pier with Liang Xun, with just the two of them admiring the boats and lanterns together…

He decided against it. It would’ve been a waste not to bring everyone anyway. This type of activity was good for people of all ages. No doubt the kids (who aren’t actually kids anymore but they’re kids to him) would have a great time. Plus their additional company would keep his mind from wandering to places where it shouldn’t go, as it often tends to when that person is around.

Since most of the group had been there before, there wasn’t much of a reaction to the scenery before them. But from the corner of his eyes, Lee furtively observed Liang Xun’s reactions. Relief and a fair bit of pride rose in his heart when he saw that the reaction was good. As much as he hates to admit it, it’s been a long time. It’s hard to say what his friend has experienced after all this time. Maybe this type of thing was commonplace to him now. Lee’s already seen the kind of place he’s living in nowadays. He’s hardly the same village boy from back then.

Still, he had faith. Things that are mundane and commonplace. There’s beauty to be found in such things as well. He was confident that Liang Xun would be able to appreciate it too. So when he saw the golden light of the lanterns reflected in his eyes, he couldn’t help but echo the other’s subtle smile.

Suddenly, without warning, those eyes flickered towards him, and the poor carp was forced to pretend that their eye contact occurred by pure coincidence. Liang Xun saw that he already had the other person’s attention, so there was no need to call out to him before he spoke.

“I’m always surrounded by all the tourism going on in Shangshu. But now that I think about it, I haven’t been able to travel much ever since I became the magistrate. Now that I’m finally on the other side of things, I see why we get so many visitors.”

Liang Xun let out a modest laugh. More like a content hum, but his expression is fairly neutral most of the time, so it still caught everyone’s attention. Without needing to communicate it verbally, they all thought something similar. This is a good sign, right? Mission accomplished?

Now the group’s overall morale was quite high. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Lee began directing them through the various shops, restaurants, and other amenities that bordered the river. It was the type of aimless wandering that always ends up being surprisingly enjoyable, especially when you’re with good company.

They were there for a relaxing time, free of any exciting events or unexpected incidents. Aak and Waai Fu in particular had promised Lee that they wouldn’t cause trouble today, as their tendency to either skirt around the law or enforce it often caused. But it was hard to control the unexpected. They managed to get through a good hour or so of window shopping and admiring the colorful decorations before running into today’s wild card.

At some point, Aak started running ahead of everyone, which he often did when he was excited or running from trouble. This time he was just trying to get them a spot in line at a particularly popular street food stall down the block. It wasn’t much of a surprise when he eventually ran face first into someone while he wasn’t looking.

What was surprising was the fact that the person he ran into recognized him. Though to be fair, their group knew a lot of people.

“Well well, if it isn’t Lee and the gang. Didn’t think I’d run into you guys here. Been awhile, hasn’t it?” The woman Aak bumped into didn’t seem offended at all. Despite her crossed arms, she had the same casual, playful expression that she always wore.

Seeing who it was, Lee stepped forward, greeting her by bowing his head and lightly tipping his hat. Uncharacteristically polite of him. Her response was to let out a small chuckle, obviously finding his actions entertaining. It became clear at that point that what he did was more of a joke than actual courtesy.

“Heh. Smooth as always. You lot are always up to something fun. Helps that your boss is one of the few people in this city that can find me something halfway decent to eat too.”

Before she could continue, another familiar voice called out to her. It was a younger woman, a Sarkaz with purple hair, currently running towards them. As she got closer, she started raising her voice in frustrated tone:

“Gaah! I told you not to go anywhere! I already said I only need a couple minutes to talk to security to make sure they understand what’s going on. I get that being free-spirited is kind of ‘your thing’ but can you seriously not stand still for a couple minutes? What were you gonna do if I actually lost you?”

“Relax, l’il Lava. Don’t tell me you’d seriously lose me in a crowd of normal civilians. Don’t I have a special aura that shows the audience how story relevant I am?

Lee and “the gang”, as their first surprise visitor puts it, watched the two bicker. If one party doing the scolding and the other party not taking the conversation seriously at all could even be called an argument. Eventually, the two settled down long enough for Lava to turn around and rub the back of her head, clearly embarrassed about what everyone had just witnessed.

“Uh”, she started awkwardly. “Sorry if Nian said anything too weird before I got here. You guys already know by now that she likes to mess around.”

Nian chimed in to defend herself.

“What’s with the rock bottom standards? All I’ve done so far is say hi.”

Lava’s scowl didn’t leave her face, but seeing that no one spoke up to refute Nian’s statement, she relaxed her shoulders a little. Once the adrenaline from her irritation and panic began to wear off, she started to notice how big the crowd around her had gotten. And they were all looking at her, patiently waiting for her to continue. It made her feel self-conscious, and she found herself struggling to come up with something to say.

Nian was more than happy to tag herself in, drawing the unwanted attention away from the young girl. She looked back at Lee and continued her small talk from earlier.

“So what brings you guys here. Just hanging out?”

“Essentially. We’re showing a guest around. Ah, I suppose you two have technically met, but I should introduce you again.” Lee replied, waving his hand at Liang Xun to signal him to move closer.

Once he was close enough, the detective placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder and began a proper introduction.

“This is Liang Xun. He’s-”

“Oh I remember him.”

“You do?” Both men gave her a surprised look.

“Yeah, he’s the dude who’s house I went to when the Grand Tutor summoned me and my sisters, right? Glad to know at least one of you important people considered the possibility that we don’t want the place we live in destroyed just as much as the rest of you guys. Anyway, thanks for trying to help Ling out. Not that she really needed it. Oh and thanks for not trying to kill us too I guess.”

Nian extended a hand out in greeting and looked at Liang Xun expectantly.

He’s made no comment about it this whole time, but to be honest, Liang Xun is a bit confused at the moment. To start, he’s only ever encountered the Sui twice in his lifetime. Once as a child when he witnessed one of them save his city. The second time was the recent incident, when one of them nearly destroyed it. So he’s always been under the impression that these beings are basically gods. They’ve witnessed history unfold before their very eyes. They possess powers no normal Terran could ever hope to achieve. It’s strange to interact with them so casually.

Actually. What’s Lee doing conversing with them like they’re old acquaintances? The carp’s always been good at talking to other people. He’s the type who’s on friendly terms with everyone. But this is bizarre even for him. Does he treat this land’s gods like they’re his neighbors too? He’s just going out to dinner with people who can decide the fate of the nation? Even from his own position of authority, Liang Xun’s always been very cautious about this topic. In his line of work, such matters are typically discussed in hushed voices, behind the privacy of closed doors.

“Lee, your friend’s kinda weird. Does he not know what a handshake is?”

“He’s probably processing some stuff right now. Give him a moment.”

It wasn’t that he was spacing out, but rather, Liang Xun just wasn’t sure how to approach this situation. Well, no matter who it was, it’s still rude to keep someone waiting. He mustn’t forget his courtesies. He quickly reached out to shake the woman’s hand and said politely: “Miss Nian, it’s an honor to finally make your acquaintance.”

Upon hearing this, she exploded with laughter, looking at least ten times more amused than when she greeted Lee. In between fits of laughter, she managed to piece together her words.

“Wha-...pfft…ahaha! Man, what the hell? If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought you were trying to sell me something. What’s with the weird formalities, especially when you’re with these people right now? Are ya saying hi to me as Lee’s bro or as a representative for the government? Make up your mind!”

Out of some forgotten habit, Liang Xun’s eyes turned towards Lee and the expression on his face sent a very apparent and distraught message. Please help.

Unfortunately, the recipient of this message responded with his own torrent of laughter. But perhaps there was some mercy there too, since Lee suddenly wrapped his arm around the Kuranta’s neck and pulled him closer towards himself. He was obviously making fun of him too, but it sort of seemed like he was trying to help.

“You’ll have to forgive him, miss. This guy’s actually very well-spoken. If it’s something important, he’s a formidable opponent. But he’s around serious women all day. Maybe he’s a little out of practice talking to ones like you, hm?”

A grin formed on Nian’s face. She didn’t bother to hide at all how much she was enjoying this interaction. But as it turns out, the Lung’s words were surprisingly effective at getting the desired results. She let out one last satisfied sigh before calming down.

“Ok free pass. Your own friend’s bullying you now. That’s punishment enough. Since his taste in food is good, I trust his taste in friends too. Besides, I got something else I wanna talk about.”

“Oh?”

Lee raised his eyebrows.

Even when he’s supposed to be on vacation, his business sense remains intact. If someone has something to say to him of all people, then of course he listens.

Nian wasted no time excitedly explaining her new project. It was a good thing Lava was by her side to fill in the less exciting details. To summarize, they were working on another movie, with a script more dubious sounding than the last one. Per Nian’s signature style, it was another action thriller packed with high stakes and nonstop fight scenes.

Honestly, the plot kind of goes a little over the older men’s heads. Something about an ex-assassin, played by Lava, who was in retirement but returns after their pet originium slug is killed by members of an evil syndicate. The slug was the only remaining family member they had left because the only other person they cared about passed away recently. So the protagonist returns to their abandoned past life and swears vengeance on the syndicate. They end up embarking on a quest for revenge, helping several people along the way.

…Nian swears that the stunts and fight scenes she has planned will do most of the heavy lifting. “Trust me. The audience will be on the edge of their seats the entire time!” she insisted.

To make her vision happen, she needed Lee’s agency to help with shooting the film. She and Lava had a script ready. They had the equipment. They even had the setting picked out. Both co-directors had decided that the riverwalk would be the perfect eye-catching place to film most of the scenes. But they still needed actors. Many Rhodes Island members that might have been a good choice were currently out on missions. And RI leadership (note: Kal’tsit) would definitely disapprove if she found out they were taking people away from the landship to shoot a movie.

The most difficult part was the fact that Nian wanted to do stunts, so involving untrained civilians or novice actors was out of the question. This was exactly why she saw today’s chance encounter as an intervention of fate. Hung, Aak, and Waai Fu have already played parts in her last movie. And there’s no doubt that they could handle dangerous situations and knew how to fight. It was a match made in heaven.

The three were happy to oblige. They thought being able to participate in a movie was cool. Unlike their seniors, they understood the appeal and found the movie’s premise very fun. It seemed things were shaping up to fall in Nian’s favor. However, she didn’t miss the way Lee worriedly glanced back at Liang Xun. Rather than beating around the bush, she reassured them directly by clarifying, “Don’t worry, I have parts for you two as well!”

The detective gave a slight nod, expressing his gratitude before explaining to her.

“That’s not the problem. I was thinking. This guy probably isn’t too keen on becoming a celebrity any time soon. Think I may have to sit this one out with him.”

Not one to take no for an answer, Nian quickly fired back.

“You think I’m one of those sellouts who’s only here to put together some soulless blockbuster to turn over to those Columbian executives in Wrankwood? I do this for self-expression! For the artistry! Doesn’t matter if the only people who are ever gonna see it are a couple good friends at Rhodes Island and maybe some of my siblings. Shouldn’t be a problem in that case, right?”

Lee gave her a difficult look. He really doesn’t like having to tell clients no, let alone friends. But he wasn’t about to pressure someone into doing something they didn’t want to either. “Even so…” he began, but the woman in front of him interrupted with another retort. “Oh! You two can be scene extras. All you have to do is chill in the background and enjoy the place like you would’ve done anyway. Come on. I’ll compensate everyone. I’ll treat the whole group to this killer hot pot place after.”

That last statement caught Lava attention, and she immediately made sure to give her friend a not-so gentle reminder.

“You’re unemployed.”

Nian looked at her for a second before continuing her conversation with Lee. “Ok. I’ll show you an awesome hot pot place, but the bill will be paid individually. And uh, let’s just say I owe you a favor. How’s that sound?”

For a while, it seemed like neither party was willing to relent, and if nothing was done, they would have continued negotiating for a long time. So Liang Xun intervened in the end. He thanked Lee for sticking up for him but assured him that if he really hated the idea, he could stand up for himself.

“It’s not too much trouble”, the Kuranta said with a weary expression. “I don’t want to be a source of inconvenience for people. We just have to idle in the background, right? No need to fuss.”

He didn’t say it, but there was another line of thinking there too. Miss Nian has a very casual personality, but they shouldn’t forget who she is. In business or in politics, it’s an unspoken rule not to get on the bad side of people with power or connections when you can make them allies instead. Lee probably thought something similar, hence his hesitation to deny her.

It’s a similar scenario to earlier this week when they paid that neighborhood a visit. This situation looked strange at a glance, but if you think about it, the outcome was nothing but good. Helping friends, earning a favor from someone powerful, and they would still be able to tour the place as planned.

Although Liang Xun couldn’t help but wonder whether this type of situation happened often for Lee and his agency. It would certainly make for an interesting lifestyle.

After the negotiations were over, Nian and Lava began handing out copies of the script and assigning parts to everyone. Everyone was concerned at the amount of lines they’d have to memorize at first, but Lava reassured them that they had “borrowed” a teleprompter from Closure, which of course they would notify her of at a later date.

The exciting roles had gone to Hung, Aak, and Waai Fu, who were tasked with playing the part of elite members of the evil syndicate that Lava’s character was supposed to fight.

As Nian promised, she gave a background role to Lee and Liang Xun. Although she seemed a bit disappointed, sighing and muttering something along the lines of “These two characters are just bystanders that get caught up in the action. Honestly, I would’ve liked these roles to have gone to a cute young couple or something. Oh well. Beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose.”

“Does that type of thing matter that much?” the carp asked with some curiosity.

“No offense Lee, but a beautiful lady being in danger versus some scruffy middle aged guy needing help would definitely get very different levels of sympathy from the audience.”

“Ouch.”

Lee pretended to look hurt by her comment, and in a similar vein, Liang Xun lightly patted his friend’s back a couple times to seem as if he was comforting him. Clearly, they were all just messing around and the atmosphere between everyone remained pleasant.

Once everyone had gotten settled into their roles, there were little to no issues. Waai Fu and Hung, despite being as far from villains as one could get, played their roles quite well. As long as they didn’t talk much, it was their obvious martial training that was shown to the cameras rather than their lack of acting skills. And Aak was…well, he was a little too good at looking and sounding like a villain but at least he seemed like he was having fun.

Even though the current scene called for them both to be by the waterfront and facing the river, Lee and Liang Xun could still hear the chaos that was going on behind them. Sounds of mock fighting, some corny one-liners, and shuffling footsteps. Fortunately, Lava was very responsible despite her young age, and she’d discussed the matter with security and prepared signs beforehand. There was no worry of any bystanders actually thinking that a real fight was going on.

Though such an event honestly wouldn’t be that out of place for Lungmen. In fact, a certain someone from the agency has gotten into public fights “in the name of justice” more than a couple times. Lee was reminded of those incidents, and so with nothing better to do, he began to complain about it among other things. He talked about the kids causing trouble, but also about how they were doing a lot more now than he did when he was young.

“When we were kids, all we did was climb trees and catch bugs or something.”

“I didn’t do that. You and Huai did that.” Liang Xun frowned disapprovingly and corrected him.

“Ah, but you were there to witness it. That makes you an accomplice.”

He only sighed at the other’s witty comeback and thought:

Really, arguing with you is always too troublesome.

But Liang Xun regarded this complaint with a sense of fondness, like a terrible joke from a friend, which one might groan at but find endearing in the end. He couldn’t deny that he’s missed it somewhat. Lee may have been right about what he said to Nian earlier. Maybe he really has been around serious people for too long.

He let that thought linger, content to enjoy the silence combined with the mesmerizing view of the lake as well as the other person’s calming presence.

The sight before him was easy to appreciate. It was reminiscent of Shangshu’s own rivers, which are always populated by small boats like the ones used by boatmen like Shen Lou. But there were elements that were different too. Like the city itself, the atmosphere of Lungmen’s waters lends itself well to nightlife. There was much more variety in the types of boats scattered across the river. Some were for transporting goods and others were ferries, no doubt meant to give their passengers a more romantic view of the city.

From where he was standing, the small lights coming from the boats, resembling small lanterns which seemed to decorate the lake, had its own charm. While looking out towards those vessels, some either grew bigger or disappeared completely depending on the direction they were headed.

Liang Xun watched them drift gracefully along the water, and he found his thoughts drifting too. And after some time, as if those thoughts had finally docked at a meaningful destination, he suddenly remembered something he’d always meant to ask.

His movements were relaxed, but he turned towards the person next to him with a sincere expression, speaking gently.

“Can I ask you something?”

Lee, who appears to also have been admiring the view, glanced back at him. He seemed surprised by his question, a fleeting reaction that was quickly replaced with a lazy smile.

“You already have”, the detective responded jokingly.

“...”

“Hah. The kids didn’t find that joke very funny either. Guess I shouldn’t be expecting you of all people to laugh as well.”

“I’m serious.”

“As opposed to when you’re not serious?”

Liang Xun looked at the other person helplessly, silently pleading for them to cooperate. Regardless of whether it was effective or not, the carp eventually relented and started to wave his hands in a placating manner.

“Alright alright. Don’t give me that look. I already have an idea of what you want to ask. Needed to get the jokes out of my system first, you know? Go ahead. Whatever it is, I’ll answer honestly.”

There was a momentary pause. For a second, it seemed as if Liang Xun didn’t want to bring up the topic anymore. But in the end, he still asked.

“Why did you choose to keep your family name? I saw that you…you didn’t keep the other name.”

“Hm”, Lee closed his eyes as if he was thinking about his answer. “There was a time when I thought it would have been nice if I could start over from a clean slate. But the truth is no one can completely erase their past. It doesn’t define who you are now, but it’s where you started. It’s a part of you no matter what. There’s no helping that.”

“Lee…”

The atmosphere had become a bit melancholy. He didn’t mean to make things uncomfortable between them, but he doesn’t want to pretend that nothing happened either.

“Well, that’s all sophistry. The short answer is it’s because I’m sentimental. Some things, I just wasn’t ready to leave behind. A few things I didn’t want to forget.”

Lee looked back at him before continuing. “Besides, Lee is a pretty common name in Yan. Anyone who finds me with a lead like that would have to go through a lot of trouble.”

“I’m glad I found you.”

Liang Xun’s words were met with a strange smile. It was different from how this person usually smiled.

“Then I made the right call.”

Another stretch of silence fell between them.

Feeling guilty for bringing up such a serious subject, Liang Xun coughed and directed the conversation back to more mundane topics. Though he didn’t regret bringing it up, and he was glad he found the courage to ask.

The rest of the night should have been business as usual. There were only a handful of scenes left for Nian and Lava to shoot at the riverwalk. One of them was particularly interesting, as it was the whole reason Nian had asked the two men to play background characters in the first place.

She mentioned earlier that there was supposed to be a part in the script where the bystanders would get involved in the clash between the protagonist and the villains. Turns out, this was referring to Lee’s character being held hostage by the bad guys…which were currently being played by Hung, Aak, and Waai Fu. It seemed no one had stopped to consider how ridiculous this scenario would look.

Lee playing the part of a damsel in distress was a very odd casting choice. He’s probably one of the most self-sufficient guys around. But they were short-staffed, and he’d already agreed to it so there was no sense getting hung up on the small details.

They continued on. Everyone got to their places. The villains crowded around the victim, the hero confronted the villains, and the bystander waited behind the hero for a successful rescue. Everyone conveniently chose to ignore the fact that Lee looked more like their boss (because he literally is) than their captive.

What followed was a series of stereotypical action movie dialogue. Cliché lines like “your life ends here” and “I’ll put a stop to your wicked ways” and so on. None of them were actors and this was clearly a project being made for fun, so the volunteers didn’t think much of it. They just followed along, reading the lines shown on the teleprompter.

Things were proceeding smoothly until an unexpected line appeared.

Bystander B: Please save my girlfriend. I was going to propose to her today.

They all knew who this line was for. The question was…is he supposed to say it? Or rather, would he choose to say it? It’s as out of place as it could be. They all subtly glanced at him, then at the director, who was currently sitting in her chair and staring at a copy of the script in her hands, muttering.

“Oh shit. I forgot I wrote that line in. So that’s why I wanted it to be a couple huh.”

She took a second to consider her options. They could always re-shoot the scene. But no one’s broken character yet, so they could totally save this if they acted fast.

It honestly didn’t matter to her. Friends. A couple. Whatever those two wanted to do. She just thought this scene would be more interesting if the audience was invested in the rescue, so she added that line at some point.

Actually, it would be pretty funny to watch Lee’s friend get flustered again. But she was feeling generous and perhaps even a tad bit responsible for neither adjusting the script nor warning those two. So Nian quickly grabbed one of Lava’s leftover signs and a nearby marker and got to writing.

To say Liang Xun was perplexed would be an understatement. He wasn’t aware that he even had any lines. Wasn’t he supposed to be a background character? And what’s with this dialogue? He can’t do that. Saying something like that to Lee would definitely embarrass him. Maybe they could laugh it off, but this was being recorded and the other person never agreed to it. Even if they were playing characters, it was too outrageous.

He was happy to play along but definitely not at the other man’s expense.

Liang Xun looked towards Nian and was about to ask her to intervene when he noticed that she was holding up a sign which read:

Sorry, Forgot to rewrite the script. Just say he needs to be saved because he still owes you money or something lol. You can improv. Don’t care. Keep going!!!

The corners of his mouth turned downwards. That wasn’t any better at all. Isn’t he offending him either way? This is…he needed to come up with something else. As long as it’s close, it should be fine.

Around this same time, Lee’s inner thoughts were much simpler by comparison. Right now, he was only thinking something like “I am so thankful for every life decision that has led me to this moment.” Because it’s taking every ounce of self-control in his body right now to keep himself from laughing. He could feel his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold back the laughter, and he did his best to put on a terrified expression. Hopefully this would make it seem like he was only trying to put on a convincing performance as a scared hostage. Definitely not on the verge of tears.

He glanced back at the man of the hour and considered the current situation with great amusement.

Liang Xun, don’t tell me you haven’t changed. You have no trouble making the difficult decisions everyone else is too afraid to deal with. But when it comes to simple things like this, you always overthink it. What’s with that agonized look on your face? We can always just reshoot the scene. I don’t care what you decide to say anyway so-

“Um, please do whatever it takes to save him. He’s very precious to me.”

…..

This whole incident felt like it had gone on for a long time, but it all happened within a matter of seconds. Their director seemed satisfied, having responded with an enthusiastic thumbs up. It was hard to say what everyone else thought about the whole affair since miraculously, everyone had managed to stay in character.

The rest of that night really was business as usual. Nian eventually did apologize for putting Liang Xun on the spot and even offered to edit his one spoken line out. But he waved the matter off. An honest mistake like that wasn’t a big deal. And he did get to spend most of the night spending time with Lee in the end.

Speaking of Lee, he had stopped teasing him as much later on in the night. And he’d become a little quieter too. Maybe he finally tired himself out. The carp didn’t seem to be in a bad mood, so Liang Xun didn’t think it was a problem. He could be a very charismatic and agreeable person when he was well-behaved.

When the group finished filming, Nian and Lava kept their end of their promise and guided everyone to a nice restaurant. Needless to say, eating good food with friends will always be a pleasant experience. Everyone looked back on the day’s events and laughed about the interesting things that happened. Misspoken lines, funny mistakes that were made during filming, Lava’s surprisingly outstanding performance, and of course poor Mr. Liang’s impromptu engagement proposal. Nian even revealed her future plans for the film.

“It’s an action movie, so of course I have to get my kung fu brother to play the final boss. And unlike that stuffy Dusk, he doesn’t mind helping me out with my movies. I just gotta find a way to get him to come to Rhodes Island. He’d probably like it there.”

They spent the rest of the night exchanging interesting ideas and stories. But as expected Lee’s group eventually had to part ways with Nian and Lava, but not before exchanging some fond farewells and final expressions of gratitude.

Compared to the last time they all went out together, this time it was Lee and Liang Xun at the front, walking side by side and leading the rest of the group back to their homes. No doubt the trio, who had done most of the fight scenes and actual work, were the most tired out. They were content to lag behind a little.

It gave Lee the opportunity to ask something that had been on his mind. He asked Liang Xun about the earlier incident, and why the man didn’t just say something similar to what Nian had suggested.

Liang Xun responded with a short sigh.

“I already owe you so much, Lee. I would never portray you as the kind of person who owes me and hasn’t paid me back. So I decided to say the first thing that came to mind instead.”

The Lung seemed satisfied with his answer, replying that it was ridiculous to keep count of favors between friends. There was no need to keep track of who owed whom. Liang Xun reluctantly agreed and pointed out that he was surprised Lee hadn’t made fun of him more for what happened earlier. He’s long since grown accustomed to his friends dragging him into random trouble, and they’ve always found it amusing when lighthearted mischief fell into his lap like this.

“I’m in a good mood today, so you’re safe this time,” Lee explained.

It couldn’t be seen from where the Kuranta was standing, but the people behind could see it. The way Lee’s tail casually swayed back and forth as if to prove his words.

Hung was happy for him.

Aak and Waai Fu thought that their idiot boss was too obvious, matched only by an even stupider opponent.

#miko the clowncollectr's fic tag #LiangLee / 梁鯉 #lee arknights #liang xun arknights

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clowncollectr · 9 months

Text

Arknights - Everything between us, as it should be (Liang Xun / Lee) - Chapter 2

Rating: G

Word Count: 5317 (this chapter), 28397 (whole story)

Notes: Disclaimer that most of the stuff in this chapter isn't canon in the slightest. Well, I guess a lot of stuff in this story isn't. But in particular, I mean that Liang Xun doesn't actually have an ability like the one mentioned here. I'm just having a little fun.

AO3 Link

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

__________ Chapter 2: Mr. Liang’s hidden talent Three days was how long he had been told to wait. Liang Xun thought he might grow restless in that time. You can only read or watch TV for so many hours of the day before you get bored. Plus he’s not really the sort that prefers to sit around and do nothing. He didn’t want to risk Lee’s irritation by going somewhere without him though, especially when he had specifically told him to rest. So he rested.

That was when he realized how much he needed it. On the first night, Liang Xun slept as if he’d fallen into a coma. The mountains of his hometown could be moved a second time and he’d probably sleep through it. When he finally woke up, he realized from the strength and color of the sunlight that it was already noon. He hurriedly sat up in a panic, thinking that he had definitely missed an important meeting by now. Once his eyes caught up with his thoughts, he eventually came to his senses and realized where he was.

After getting ready for the day, he headed downstairs and was immediately greeted by the smell of food. Ever since he’d taken up his position as magistrate, his meals were always prepared by kitchen staff ahead of time. All he had to do was go to the dining room table and it would be waiting for him. That’s why the current situation, the scent and sound of food being prepared, had caught him off guard. It was nostalgic even. Reminiscent of humble beginnings. There’s a certain appeal to things like this too.

When he investigated further, he found that everyone was gathered in the kitchen. Lee and Hung were busy preparing food by the stove. Meanwhile, Waai Fu and Aak sat at the table, conversing with each other.

There were already various foods on the table. The view from the window told him that it was lunch time already, but there were definitely breakfast meals mixed in with great variety. Tea, coffee, porridge, toast, eggs, sandwiches, fresh-baked bread. The fact that the two cooks were still busy in the kitchen implied that this wasn’t the full menu. The two people already seated at the table were looking at the food in astonishment. Aak stared down with a slightly annoyed look on his face before turning towards Waai Fu.

“You know how he always says he doesn’t show favoritism between us three?” “Yeah.” she answered.

“Now I get that he wasn’t lying to us.”

Waai Fu let out a nervous laugh before leaning towards him to whisper.

“Think of it this way. Isn’t it a good thing that the favorite’s finally showed up? We all reap the benefits. We’d go broke if we ate like this every day. He just wants to show off.”

No later than when she finished speaking, they heard the sound of a third person taking a seat at the table. Seeing who it was, they both straightened their backs into a polite posture, drank from their cups, and faced the other direction. Like an improvised performance where the prompt was to act normal. Neither of them were very good at it.

The atmosphere at the table was similar to when distant relatives come to visit. Not unpleasant, but the lack of familiarity and age difference makes things a little strange. They’re not even sure what type of hobbies this person has. Aak assumed that trying to talk about video games would only lead to confusion. And to add to that, years of being in such an important position has given the man a dignified and commanding presence, ingrained as if it were second nature.

This demeanor was useful for making sure no one questioned you when you were giving orders. But in Lee’s household, it only made everyone wonder how such a taciturn man is supposed to be best friends with the guy who pretends to have headaches to avoid doing work.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to deal with the awkward situation for too long. It was only a few minutes later when Lee and Hung arrived with extra food and took their seats at the table. Now that the easygoing members who were good at talking to everyone were here, lunch went as expected. Enjoyable and satisfying. Liang Xun spent the rest of the day doing leisurely activities to pass the time. Reading, walking around the neighborhood, examining the various items at Lee’s place that've been picked up over the years.

Surprisingly, it didn’t bore him. You come to appreciate mundane things like this when everything you do and say’s been labeled as important for the past several weeks. It was a pleasant break. For awhile, he found himself in a comfortable routine, until one afternoon, Lee mentioned something over another moderately extravagant meal. “Want to come with us today?”

Liang Xun noticed that everyone was looking at him, and he realized that the question was meant for him.

Seeing the confusion on his face, Lee explained himself.

“We only have one active case left. A pretty trivial one. Someone asked us to help find their missing cat. Honestly, cases like these aren’t very exciting. Half the time, we find their pet just by asking around for a couple days. It’s a nice excuse to walk around, chat with people, and catch up on news and rumors at least.”

Of course, he agreed. There was very little reason to say no.

After lunch, the group headed out together, and Liang Xun found himself realizing how little he knew about Lee’s occupation. Neither of them went into much detail about it in their letters. Perhaps due to the nature of their work.

The prospect of seeing Lee work was honestly a little interesting. Liang Xun’s own work, as impressive as the titles are, isn’t particularly interesting to observe. Most of the time it’s just talking and writing about important topics with others. If something was interesting, it usually wasn’t for good reasons. And he’s never been fond of the personal rumors that tend to spread around among his coworkers. He didn’t care for those types of things.

Though at present, he didn’t mind listening in. Lee was walking a small distance ahead of everyone to lead the way. Even with the slight gap between the carp and the rest of the group, the other agency members had no difficulties making conversation as usual. At some point, someone asked the question that’s been in the back of everyone’s minds. Where were they going?

Lee realized that he’d never actually specified apart from saying they were going to ask around the neighborhood, so he explained.

“Only place left is the small neighborhood near that bakery we go to sometimes. The one with the ice cream Hung likes.”

“The retirement home?”

Lee’s tone quickly changed to that of a disappointed parent. “Aak, let’s just refer to it as a normal neighborhood.”

“What? Isn’t that what it is? Even the old folks who live there jokingly call it that.”

“I think what Mr. Lee means is that it’s fine for them to joke about it. But even with so many of the elderly living there, people might misunderstand us if we call it that.”

“Hung’s got it. Bad for business. The last thing we need is more weird rumors about us.”

From an outsider’s perspective, he really seems a lot more like a parent than their boss. Liang Xun thought to himself.

It’s quite amusing. For once, Liang Xun was thankful for his poker face. He never would have imagined seeing his friend in a role like this. Lee wasn’t exactly an unreliable person as a child, but for someone who was supposed to be the oldest, he liked to run from responsibility a lot. So seeing the same Lee who would disappear for hours to avoid getting yelled at by adults as he is now…well, if Liang Xun tried to tell his younger self this, he probably wouldn’t believe it. It’s clear that his friend has matured a lot since then.

The time spent walking felt like only a couple minutes, as it tends to when you’re with good company. Eventually, the person leading them came to a complete stop. It was safe to say that the quiet and peaceful looking neighborhood in front of them, lined with modest houses in neat partitions, was their destination. There wasn’t much else around that might be of interest.

Now, this would normally be the part where they started going from house to house and inquiring each resident as to the whereabouts of that lost pet they were looking for. Or maybe it would only be Lee. This task didn’t exactly need the manpower of five people. A group that size might alarm the poor residents looking to see who could be at their doorstep.

These two options made the most sense, so of course what happened next was that Lee loudly cleared his throat and turned around. He walked towards Liang Xun, placing both his hands on the other’s shoulders, and looked him straight in the eye.

“Liang Xun, brother. We swore that we’d always look out for each other no matter what, right?”

The person in question already knows where this is going. He hasn’t heard this phrase in such a long time, but he knew that whatever came next, it would be as strange as all the other times. Also, he takes back what he said earlier about Lee’s maturity. Some things never change.

Since this wasn’t the first time, he already knew where refusing would get him. It was more troublesome than just playing along. The first sentence spoken to him was already a warning, so he nodded his head and gave up on resisting.

Seeing the other’s acquiescence, the Lung’s eyes lit up and his pleading expression transformed into a grin. With one hand, Lee took a small note out of his pocket. And with his other, he gently grabbed Liang Xun’s hand, placing his own hand, the one with the note, onto his.

“Liang Xun is very good at talking to others. And he understands the thoughts of the common people well. How else could he have won the hearts of his city’s people so easily? Naturally, he’s the person best suited for this task. The rest of us would only get in his way.”

He had no idea what this person was scheming, but Liang Xun was already in a position where it was difficult to refuse. As strange as this request was, it’s not like it was unreasonable. Lee would never actually put him in harm’s way. Maybe the carp had just gotten bored and wanted to try something interesting. Maybe he did have an ulterior motive. It didn’t matter. Compared to the last favor Liang Xun had asked of him, this was a drop in the bucket. If his friend was able to trust him without knowing anything, he could do the same.

He accepted the note that was placed into his hands and waited for further instructions. Or at least an explanation. The other man just smiled before pointing to the note and saying “Start wherever you’d like.”

Again the matter wasn’t that serious, but Liang Xun was still very perplexed. After taking a few steps towards the nearest house, he couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at Lee who, along with the rest of the group, hadn’t moved at all.

This scene reminded him of the first time his parents sent him off to school. They waved at him from afar in silent support, indicating that they were waiting for his return. He really didn’t think he’d be experiencing something like this again, especially at his age. With a small sigh, he opened the note in his hands to read it and continued walking. The three other members of the agency, who until now have been silently watching all of this unfold, looked on with both curiosity and concern as their guest walked away. Earlier they had wondered how these two very different people could have become friends. But now it was starting to make sense. They could picture the relationship easily. Poor Mr. Liang was probably dragged along on all kinds of antics by his troublemaker of a friend.

With an honest personality like his, it’s quite an unfair matchup to be stuck with someone like Lee, who is too good at manipulating and persuading others. A friendship between someone virtuous and someone who was…well, Lee. Considering how the guy acts now, they couldn’t help but wonder what growing up alongside a more childish version of him must have been like.

They watched from a distance as the Kuranta approached the first house and hesitated for a second before knocking on the door. The three felt some pity for him and started to speculate.

“I hope he didn’t bully him. I don’t think Mr. Lee is that type of person, but I haven’t forgotten his weird story about that guy he tricked into selling him his office”

“They’re still friends even now though. Maybe the guy got Stockholm Syndrome at some point, heh.”

“You two are being way too dramatic. They obviously have a good relationship.”

Waai Fu raised her voice before saying the next part, in an almost accusatory tone.

“Surely , Uncle Lee has a reason for making our guest do our job for us though. Right? ”

The carp heard her words, but the look on his face only showed that he was in a good mood and currently very amused. All he did to respond to her was move back a couple paces, so that he was obscured by the corners of a nearby wall. Then he made a motion, beckoning for everyone else to follow and calling out to them.

“Alright kids, gather around. I want to show you something interesting.” When they walked over to his location, they realized that he’d picked this spot because it gave a good view of the neighborhood while staying out of sight. The whole group had begun watching Liang Xun, observing as the first resident opened their front door and greeted him. Before any of the other members could start asking questions, Lee finally clarified. “Your uncle Liang has a weird talent that I don’t think even he knows about. He gets along with old people extremely well. Maybe he has a secret Arts ability for talking to old people or something. That guy’s the favorite grandchild of every senior citizen in the world. I noticed this a long time ago, so I started bringing him with me whenever I knew the old folks were planning to scold me. Isn’t this a perfect opportunity to see his skills in action?”

The reactions from the group ranged from confusion to disbelief, but Waai Fu was the first to give her opinion on the matter.

“You’re a horrible person”, she said dryly.

Lee scratched his head and quickly tried to defend himself.

“Resourceful! I’m being resourceful! We’d just scare people if we all went as a group. Anyway, let’s be honest here. We get some weird results sometimes when we do the work ourselves. We already have plans with our visitor over there later this week. It’d be best if we closed this case without any trouble. Having him do it is our safest bet.”

“Or maybe you just want to be lazy.”

“I hate to say it, but that’s probably the real reason.” Aak and Hung commented respectively.

Although their response was somewhat negative, no one could deny that they were curious as to what the hell Lee was talking about.

Going by just what they could see, things seemed to be going well between Liang Xun and the first resident. Fantastic even. The old woman he was currently talking to appeared to be in a very good mood. You could tell they were having a pleasant conversation even from afar. But this wasn’t all that strange. It wasn’t surprising at all for the man to be good at talking to people. They continued observing him, waiting for something interesting to happen.

We’re looking for a gray, striped cat named Bao. Show whoever you can the photo and ask if they’ve seen him. You can also hand them my agency’s phone number to report if they’ve seen him. If anyone asks, you can just say you’re helping a friend look for their cat (technically not a lie). The houses are neatly ordered around here so it should be obvious when you’re done. Try to keep a low profile. Thanks. I’ll treat you to dinner later, promise. - Lee

That’s the message Lee left for him. And what was up with the handwritten note? These instructions could be given verbally in less than a minute. Although as simple as the task was, Liang Xun found himself in a bit of a predicament. He’s only visited the first house so far, but the woman who answered the door turned out to be very talkative. He expected that some people might be annoyed by his unannounced visit, but this woman seems to really enjoy chatting with him.

The plan was to quickly introduce himself, ask about the missing cat, and then politely excuse himself so as to not waste the other person’s time. But so far, they’ve already talked about the weather, about how he’s visiting Lungmen, local food, favorite food, things to do that don’t cost a lot of money, and probably even more menial things at their current pace.

“Oh actually! I haven’t asked yet. What does a nice looking gentleman like you do for a living? Your fine clothes suggest that you’re more than just an average salesman. Ooh! Don’t tell me that you’re a celebrity or something. I think you’re too well-mannered to be a celebrity though. They’re usually the eccentric type.”

“I work for the government.”

This was also technically not a lie.

The woman reacted to his words with a contemplative nod, resulting in a period of silence. Liang Xun thought that maybe this meant there would finally be a lull in the conversation for him to excuse himself. But those hopes were dashed pretty quickly as only a second later, she continued to speak.

“Ah, I’ve got it. Like all that bureaucracy stuff, right? You people always look so tired when I stop by to submit my papers for the year. At least it looks like they pay you well. Sorting through documents and stamping them all day may seem boring, but don’t feel discouraged, young man.

It’s necessary work. You’re helping everyone out even if it doesn’t always feel like it! Honestly in my humble opinion, the whole institution would fall apart if it weren’t for honest workers like you. Those big shots at the top get too much credit if you ask me. Hmph.”

There was a lot to unpack in everything she just said, but more than anything, Liang Xun’s just surprised to hear someone refer to him as “young man” for the first time in years. This whole situation is a little strange.

Not that he particularly minds talking to this person, but perhaps this was his cue to leave. There are people waiting for him after all. Once again, he tries to excuse himself. And once again, his escape is denied.

If the universe wanted to help him out, it had a funny way of showing it. The old woman speaking to him had suddenly shifted her attention, turning her head to wave excitedly in another direction. Following her line of sight, Liang Xun realized that she was waving at her neighbor. Another elderly woman made her way towards them, and suddenly, he found that they were a crowd of three.

Now he didn't have much excuse to leave. His next destination was to visit this new person anyway. So he exercised patience, which fortunately for him, isn’t difficult at all. Liang Xun waited respectfully as the two women greeted each other and made small talk. As expected, eventually the newcomer inquired as to who he was and they both turned to him, finally giving him an opportunity to speak.

He just repeated what he had said to the first woman. A short introduction, statement of why he was there, and asking if she had seen the animal from the photo anywhere. Although he didn’t care to lie, as Lee hinted in his note for him, it was best to keep things simple and avoid saying more than he needed to. He never expected the vagueness of his request to be used against him. “Yes, this is Liang Xun. He came all the way here to visit his friends and enjoy a nice vacation but now he’s helping them look for their missing pet! He’s even out here asking door to door for them. Can you imagine traveling all the way here to see someone and then they go and ask you to run around the city looking for someone?! What a poor impression. Shouldn’t his time away from the desk be spent enjoying himself?”

The talkative woman’s comment left him speechless. It was in good faith, and nothing said was false but…

Well, he wasn’t being forced to do anything. Lee liked to goad him into doing ridiculous things sometimes, but in the end he always asked, making it a choice. And to be honest, despite Liang Xun’s initial misgivings, it almost always ends up working out for him in the end. The carp’s intuition is quite good. He recalls several times when Lee had invited him to skip class during a period when Liang Xun was feeling particularly stressed. He doesn’t know whether it was coincidence or consideration. It’s hard to tell since Lee does like to do things on a whim at times.

If anything, the woman’s indignation only brought on a strange sense of guilt, which made Liang Xun feel more like the guilty party than the victim. What she described sounded too similar to when he had asked Lee to look for the owner of the goblet.

He was preparing a statement in his mind to correct her assumptions, but before he could say anything, he saw that he was already being regarded with a look of pity. “That’s no good...”, the other woman responded, looking extremely dispirited. “You should enjoy your time here in Lungmen. And spend it with your loved ones of course. We’ll do our best to help. Everyone in this community is close. My husband even knows someone who works with the local animal shelter. Let me get him right now. Oh, and I’ll go fetch you some gifts to take back home with you while I’m at it!” It wasn’t wrong to say that Liang Xun had accomplished what he set out to do. Sort of. He probably doesn’t even need to go from door to door anymore. As the sympathetic woman had promised, she ran back to her house and returned shortly with her husband, along with a small bag of things. To make matters more complicated, now they were a crowd of four people standing outside.

For a community as small and close-knit as this one, it wasn’t unnatural for people passing by to want to check what the commotion was. Friends simply stopping by and asking what they were up to. Before Liang Xun knew it, the crowd had gotten even bigger. He feels that the situation has gotten somewhat out of hand.

At the same time, all of this was being witnessed by Lee and his crew. A crowd of people were now standing around Liang Xun, and some people were even handing him things. They’d been watching quietly together until now when Aak finally said his thoughts out loud.

“Holy shit.”

“Language.” Lee reprimanded him, more out of habit than actual offense.

“I can’t believe you weren’t lying.”

“Why would I tell such a stupid lie?”

“Boss, you and your friends sure are very, um, talented?” Hung tried to phrase it as a compliment, but Waai Fu quickly shut this angle down with her own comment.

“I knew it was too good to be true. Your entire friend group is made up of weird people.”

“Hey, come on now,” Lee tried to argue, "It's because he’s a good person. You can tell easily from a first impression. Wouldn’t you want a grandson with a personality like his?”

They all continued watching as the number of things held by Liang Xun increased. It seems that aside from helping him find the missing pet they were looking for, the local residents had decided at some point to give him gifts to take home. At least that’s what they hoped was happening. Otherwise, it just looked like he was extorting the elderly out of their possessions, which was probably not the case.

The greatest benefit of Liang Xun’s sudden popularity was the efficiency with which he completed his task. Since most of the residents had come to him, he really didn’t have to visit that many houses at all. This was a good thing since he’d received so many random gifts, which many people had called “a symbol of Lungmen’s generosity to visitors'' to justify why they were giving him something. It had become a little difficult to carry it all.

Honestly, judging by what some of the residents had told him, he suspects that maybe there’s just not a lot of interesting things that happen in this neighborhood, making his presence somewhat of an exciting event. There’s no other explanation for this type of weird behavior.

Once he finished with the last house, he made his way back to Lee and the others. Despite running around and carrying so many things, his diligent training and natural traits as a Kuranta made it so that he wasn’t winded at all. This didn’t stop everyone from reaching out to help carry his things when he reached them. While doing so, Hung was the first to congratulate him on a job well done.

“Mr. Liang, you finished so quickly. I think this was probably even faster than if all of us had split up to cover all the houses.”

Liang Xun thanked him and accepted the compliment, but he also admitted that he didn’t do anything special. If anything, other people had done most of the speaking for him.

This just made everyone more impressed for some reason. As if the lack of trying made it a more remarkable accomplishment. Meanwhile, Lee stood there with his hands on his hips and a fairly pleased look on his face.

“See? Didn’t I tell you guys? He really was the right person for the job. He even got his hands on a bunch of free stuff somehow. Not bad. Hopefully you’ve got space for all those things in your luggage.”

Liang Xun scowled a bit at Lee. At this point, he’s not sure if his friend was making fun of him again or not. But his comment did make him remember something he was curious about.

“That reminds me. Did you send me out there knowing I’d be coming back with all these things?”

Lee is the type of person who’s good at predicting things after all.

The carp gave him an inquisitive look and stopped to think about his question before giving an answer.

“I knew you’d be successful at least. This neighborhood’s full of good people. Very little chance of anything actually going wrong. But at the end of the day, I can’t control other people’s actions. If you’re asking why I made you do it, I just didn’t want to do any work today.”

“I see.” Liang Xun closed his eyes and nodded, accepting the other person’s answer.

To be honest, Lee hadn’t really answered his question. But this is how he’s always been. Good fortune tends to follow the people around him, but he hardly ever takes credit. Maybe now that he has his agency, he’s learned to actually receive something in return.

Speaking of the agency, its members seemed much more comfortable around him now compared to before. Although he’s not really sure what changed. He had gotten the impression that perhaps they were too intimidated to talk to him. The age gap is very big, and the circumstances under which he was introduced to them was a little strange. They seemed very wary of him last time, but it didn’t get in the way of their hospitality.

Many people in the past have told him that he’s always too quiet, and his expression is so serious that others will easily misunderstand and find it scary. Liang Xun figured that like with many good relationships he’s built over the years, this is just another that he would have to build with time and sincerity.

At least that was the plan. But surprisingly, all three of them approached him as they were all walking back to Lee’s place. There was a curious look on each of their faces, and eventually, they began to take turns asking him difficult questions.

What did you say to those people? How did you get them to give you all these presents? Does Lee always make you do stuff like this? Are you also this popular back where you’re from?

Liang Xun tried his best to answer each one honestly, but he felt his answers weren’t very interesting. Who knows why they’re suddenly interested in knowing all of these things. Still, he’s happy to get along with everyone. He had made it his goal to rekindle his friendship with Lee, and naturally that means also having a good relationship with the people close to him.

His own hobbies are old-fashioned and there isn’t much free time for him to stay up to date with trends. It’s impressive that Lee manages to get along with so many people much younger than him. It was an innate talent, and something he wished he had. Being able to get along with others is a skill many take for granted. That kind of ability can be really powerful.

Now that he thinks about it, maybe the reason Lee gave him such a strange task today was because he was trying to give him an opportunity to help everyone. And now that the mission was completed successfully, it’s easier for him to fit in because he’s participated.

I can only speculate in the end. He doesn’t like to admit to these things. Liang Xun quietly thought to himself.

Regardless, he’s grateful for his good fortune. Today’s results have been nothing but good.

Liang Xun considered this and returned to Lee’s place with a sense of satisfaction. No one would ever tell him the real reason everyone was more comfortable around him now. It was because they’d all decided to watch over him in case Lee decided to make him do something weird again.

The Kuranta had initially given them the impression of someone who was too important. Someone who belonged in a much fancier place than whatever their small homes and messy office had to offer. But isn’t he just another person who’s too nice for his own good? That’s a dangerous trait to have in a place like Lungmen.

Not to mention, it’s hard to find a person intimidating after you’ve seen them run around a neighborhood and try to manage a crowd of old people giving away more gifts than they could carry.

Maybe everyone’s impression of Liang Xun has gotten a little strange, but it’s nice to see everyone get along better. Plus that guy doesn’t have to go shopping for souvenirs anymore.

Not a bad outcome at all.

Ah, but being able to skip work for the day was certainly a nice bonus.

#miko the clowncollectr's fic tag #LiangLee / 梁鯉 #lee arknights #liang xun arknights

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clowncollectr · 9 months

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Arknights - Everything between us, as it should be (Liang Xun / Lee) - Chapter 1

Rating: G

Word Count: 2314 (this chapter), 28397 (whole story)

Notes: This is a direct sequel to I want to see you. I need to see you. so please read that one first if you haven't! And for the people that have read it, I had a little bit more fun with this one so it's more silly but hopefully something people can still enjoy :D

AO3 Link

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

__________ Chapter 1: Welcome back It was obvious that neither party cared about eating.

Both of them poked at their food, taking small bites here and there. The decision to go to a restaurant was just an excuse to sit down and talk. They had to get away from Lee’s office, where one of the children overhearing was all but guaranteed. It was best to leave them out of this kind of thing. Yet despite going to this place specifically to talk, neither of them had said a word to each other since they stepped foot inside.

Normally, this was fine. They’ve known each other for a long time. A period of silence wasn’t uncomfortable. But this time, it made Liang Xun anxious. His friend was currently looking at him with stern eyes and a not so friendly expression.

The first time he had come to Lungmen, it was to right his wrongs. He thought he had been successful in doing that. This is only his second visit to this place. So why does it feel like he’s in even more trouble than the first time?

There was a dull clank as the sound of chopsticks on porcelain reached his ears, shortly followed by a gruff voice. “So? Why are you here?” the other man finally asked, crossing his arms.

Liang Xun’s not exactly sure what’s put Lee in such an inhospitable mood, but this kind of pressure is nothing to him. He’s grown quite accustomed to dealing with disagreements and hostile environments. Those things were commonplace in the world of politics, and oftentimes there would be political opponents who stared at you as if they wanted you dead. From Lee, it’s a little scarier but he wouldn’t have survived his line of work the way he has if he was so spineless.

So Liang Xun simply took another bite out of his meal, sipped on his drink, and replied in a casual tone. “I came to visit.”

Lee narrowed his eyes, clearly dissatisfied with his answer. His arms were still crossed and he had stopped touching his food completely. “You’ll need a better excuse than that. You’re supposed to be at the capital right now. If you can’t tell me, like that time in Shangshu, fine. But at least give me a better reason.”

Hearing those words surprised him. Lee’s upset with me because he thinks I’m lying to him? But I really am here to visit though.

It was true. Obviously it wasn’t easy. He had to fight for it. It wasn’t just a matter of convincing the higher ups to let him do it. He had to make sure there was no way they could say no. In terms of work, Liang Xun was ahead by about a month. Everything under his jurisdiction was currently waiting on another party before he could proceed to the next step. The people who saw things at face value no longer had a reason to deny his request for leave. And the people higher in status than that, the ones who knew to look further, understood that refusing him was a bad idea.

He said he would visit. So he’s here now. It would be great if he and Lee could have a close relationship similar to what they had in the past. Liang Xun had learned from his last visit that his friend felt the same way. He had assured Lee of many things at that time. But the measure of a man’s worth is not his words but his actions. Although speaking of assuring Lee…

Liang Xun’s eyes darted up to look at the carp. It would be best to settle this misunderstanding now. He’s had enough of creating those. He repeated himself, hoping that Lee could sense the sincerity in his voice. “I really did come to visit. You can contact whoever you want if you don’t trust me. But you know I don’t like to lie about these things.”

Those words seemed to placate him and the tenseness in the carp’s shoulders softened a little. Unfortunately, Liang Xun’s relief was short lived as only moments later, Lee seemed more upset than before.

“You DID NOT leave the capital just to visit me.” he said in a way that clearly conveyed his disbelief.

The Kuranta held back a sigh. This person thinks about other people too much. He didn’t care to argue about it, so he just said what was on his mind. “And if I did?”

Lee said nothing but continued to scowl at him. However, there’s no sting to his anger at all. Liang Xun doesn’t want to say it, but rather than being intimidating, the Lung’s reactions were starting to fall into the realm of…endearing? Or maybe flattering is a better word. Either way, it’d be wise not to say it out loud.

Regardless, the point was that it was a senseless argument. He was his own man and he could do whatever he wanted. If he decided that he preferred spending time reconnecting with a friend in an interesting city over signing another document for the hundredth time, who has the right to stop him?

“I’m already here. The vacation time’s been processed. Might as well make the most of it. Or would you prefer that I figure out my own way around this city?"

Lee shot him another annoyed look. Mostly, he was frustrated from knowing that his opponent had beaten him. Stubborn bastard. Most people think that you’re a saint, but I pray for anyone who’s ever had the misfortune of getting in your way.

He knows there’s no point getting hung up over it. Liang Xun was right. He was already here. And considering what they had talked about last time, it was hard for Lee to say he wasn’t happy to have his company. He couldn’t deny that he was slightly disappointed during the first visit when he learned that Liang Xun couldn’t stay for longer than a day.

After a long sigh, Lee’s expression softened, as if all the negative emotions had been released by breathing out. He finally took a bite from the food on his plate, chewed, and swallowed before speaking again. “How long are you staying this time?” “Honestly, several weeks if I wanted. But of course, I don’t intend to wear hospitalities out. I’ll leave either when the time is right or if I’m no longer welcome.”

“Several weeks…” Lee’s eyes looked down as if he had just thought of something. Suddenly, he got up and leaned towards the table, trying to get a better look at the person sitting on the other side. The frown from earlier returned. Lost weight, tired eyes, and skin that’s lacking color. As expected, once you get a better look at him the signs are obvious. Lee groaned and sat back down.

“I’m going to be busy for the next few days.” he said candidly. “Busy?” “You’re welcome at my place. But it’s not luxurious like your estate at all. I can also make arrangements for you somewhere else if you prefer. Either way, I won’t be able to show you around until a couple days from now. Just rest until then.”

Liang Xun breathed a sigh of relief and smiled softly. This was his friend extending the olive branch out to him. A declaration of peace. “That works. And your place is fine. To be honest, the nice clothes and furniture you saw around me. Those are more so things that came with the position rather than my personal taste. Thank you for having me.”

By now, their food had gone cold for sure. It’s a good thing they didn’t come for the food.

__________________

This time, he had sent him a letter in advance before traveling to Lungmen. So his visit shouldn’t have been a surprise. Although that didn’t stop Lee from doubting his reasons and taking him out for lunch (actually an interrogation) the moment he arrived. That also meant his presence shouldn’t be a surprise to the rest of Lee’s agency. Still, he was a little worried. He’s not quite sure what the agency members think of him now, but they’re Lee’s loved ones so it would be great if they got along.

When Lee opened the door to his home, it was Waai Fu who was the first to greet them. She seemed to be in a good mood as she ran up to them with a quick bow. “Uncle Liang! Uncle Lee! You guys are back. Oh, these are all of Uncle Liang’s things. Is he staying with us?” Lee nodded in response. “Yeah. We have a spare guest room anyway. And it’ll be more interesting that way, don’t you think?”

Waai Fu nodded back, seeming to have no complaints on the matter, much to Liang Xun’s relief. But a second later, she walked up to him with a concerned look on her face.

“Uncle Liang…”, Waai Fu rubbed her arm looking a little embarrassed, “how’s your hand? Is there any lingering pain anywhere?”

He looked down at his hands, a little confused, before remembering the incident from last time. Right. He’d forgotten all about it because honestly, he felt that he had probably deserved it at the time. Now, seeing that she still felt guilty about what happened, he reassured her with a small smile. Lee was right. She really is a good kid. “I didn’t even remember it until now. I appreciate your concern, and I’m happy that you’ve grown up to be the type of person who will stand up for others.”

Waai Fu’s embarrassment didn’t go away, but at least it was there for more positive reasons now than guilt. A heartwarming interaction between the two. Lee, who had been watching them, wanted to say as much. But before he could, another voice joined in.

“I overheard. You have a guest staying over, boss?”

It was Hung who was making his way down the stairs to the living room, where everyone was standing. Like Waai Fu, he walked up to Liang Xun and gave his greetings. But unlike her, he didn’t have much else to say. Last time this guy visited, he was a fine guest, even if he gave off the impression of being a little too serious all the time. Not to mention he was his senior. Anyone Lee trusts this much is probably a good person. He’s sure his boss will be happier with this person around. That was a good enough reason for him to stay.

They were still missing one person, but Lee suggested that they go ahead and start moving their guest’s things upstairs. All of them were in the same building at the moment. They would run into him eventually. With everyone’s help, it didn’t take long for the group to get Liang Xun and his things settled in the extra guest room upstairs.

The moment they finished moving everything, as if on cue, Aak was seen stepping out of the upstairs bathroom. He was looking down at the phone in his hands as he closed the door behind him. But as soon as he looked up and saw the crowd in front of him, a look of complete disbelief manifested on his face. “What is this guy doing here?” It was definitely a departure from the polite greetings Liang Xun’s received so far.

“I told you three ahead of time that he was visiting.” Lee responded to him, frowning. “Yeah, like the city. He’s moving in?!” “Why not? It’s safer for him. It’s no good for someone of his status to be wandering around alone. Is it a problem?”

Aak narrowed his eyes but didn’t argue back. All he did was head downstairs, mumbling “It isn’t. So long as he doesn’t cause any more trouble” as he passed by everyone. Once he was gone, Lee gave Liang Xun an inquisitive look as if to ask ‘What’d you do to piss him off?’ Liang Xun wasn’t exactly sure. It could be that he simply hasn’t been forgiven yet. He hadn’t exactly made a good impression the first time they met. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing he could do about it except improve everyone’s opinion of him. Lee saw the dejected look on his face and spoke up to reassure him.

“Ah well, he is the skeptical sort. And he’s not too fond of authority figures so that’s probably not working in your favor. Although he’s telling the truth. He won’t do anything so long as you’re not causing trouble, which I doubt you will. Oh, and don’t accept any food or drinks from him. But enough of that.” Lee clapped his hands together, signaling the end of their current topic before continuing.

“I’m sure you’re tired. We’ll leave you be. Dinner’s at 8. You’re always welcome to join us. Or if you want to rest more, I’ll put the leftovers in the fridge for you.”

The Lung turned around and headed for the door, urging everyone else to do the same. “Ugh, guess it’s time to go back to work. Ok everyone, out of Master Liang’s room. We need to provide him quality home service so he writes us a good review.”

Liang Xun watched as his friend lightly pushed everyone out the door before turning back to give him a quick wink and wave. Then the door was shut. He couldn’t help but smile a little. Even after all these years, some parts of Lee haven’t changed at all. He’s still someone that acts like he doesn’t take anything seriously, but if you’re paying attention to what he’s actually doing, he’s surprisingly responsible.

Even as the fatigue from travel and overwork started to set in, and Liang Xun had to put aside his things so he could rest, he quietly thought that his efforts had been worth it.

#miko the clowncollectr's fic tag #LiangLee / 梁鯉 #lee arknights #liang xun arknights

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