He presses a kiss to Wei Ying's hair, and is quiet for a few beats of time, just holding him.
"It is not that I meant to do anything," he says, finally. "But I also did not ... especially care, for a while, what happened to me. After I was whipped, I was not... well. For some time."
It is an understatement, he knows, but it is hard enough for him to speak of it at all. And Wei Ying has seen his scars, and will draw his own conclusions in any case.
"But Xichen -- he never stopped trying to reach me, throughout everything. And eventually, I -- I let him -- I stopped trying to drive him away, when he came to spend time with me."
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"It is not that I meant to do anything," he says, finally. "But I also did not ... especially care, for a while, what happened to me. After I was whipped, I was not... well. For some time."
It is an understatement, he knows, but it is hard enough for him to speak of it at all. And Wei Ying has seen his scars, and will draw his own conclusions in any case.
"But Xichen -- he never stopped trying to reach me, throughout everything. And eventually, I -- I let him -- I stopped trying to drive him away, when he came to spend time with me."