He did not expect this vehemence to Lan Zhan's response, and it ekes out a tiny startled noise from him, but he does not protest; he only tightens his embrace in kind.

"I love you," he whispers against Lan Zhan's skin. "To know you're here, and you still live -- I wish I had not only been here a month. I wish it had been three years, so I could have seen you and spoken to you all this time."