Wordlessly, Huaisang sits down on the bed and he hates himself for being so pathetic and weak. He's not yet the leader the Qinghe Nie needs him to be, that his brother wanted him to be, or so he thinks, but he's determined to become those things and not let Nie Mingjue's trust be place in vain.

Right now, though, he still needs Jiang Cheng. Huaisang looks at him now with, his heart in his eyes. Hurt, resignation, grief, and love all bleed together in a messy tangle of emotion. He doesn't want to initate this; he wants the decision to be taken out of his hands but he can't ask him for not. Not after how Huaisang had hurt hm the night before.

So after a few minutes of conflicted silence, Huaisang reaches over to turn the other man's face toward his. He leans in to kiss him on the mouth and stays there in the moment for quite a while before breaking it just enough to whisper the words he hadn't said back to him the night before.

"I love you, Jiang Cheng. So much it hurts."