Work Text:
The little house that the map showed as a rest stop has probably been abandoned and forgotten for years. They made their way through the thick overgrowth and finally found the door. Thankfully, the weather was still warm and pleasant and the sunset was a few hours away. The well outside, although overgrown like the rest of the place, was still functional. An afternoon of clearing the path and sweeping the dust inside and the place was good enough to spend one night.
The outer layer of clothes was hang on the door and the boots were finally placed by the entrance. Time to cook and rest. That was when Shen Song realized that his hair was full of small twigs and leaves. He tried to brush them off but they were deeply tangled in it. Huo Ying reached out to help him. He shied away and pushed the hand away. As usual, that came out more aggressive than he meant and he ended up slapping him away.
Huo Ying took a step back. “Sorry. I just wanted to help.”
“I know. Sorry. I’m fine.” Shen Song opened his bag and pretended to search for the comb.
Maybe he should have let him help with the cleanup. He could tug gently on the hair with every burr or leaf that he removed. He could run his fingers the length of the hair, searching for stray twigs. Then he could take the comb and stand behind him and brush the hair, cleaning out the remaining bits and dust. He would hold the strands and run his hand along it, going all the way from the roots to the tips. His fingers would brush behind the ears, along the neck, pass the shoulders and down the back all the way to his waist. He would pull the hair from his face and straighten it and smooth it out behind him. And he would lean forward and hug him from behind. His face would be right next to him and he would ki…
Shen Song took out his comb and started to brush his hair, pulling mercilessly when the knots would not give in easily. The hair crackled and broke. But the phantom warmth was still engulfing his back. Biting lips helped a little to chase away the ghost of that kiss.
“Shen Song, do you need help?”
“I can take care of myself.”
Huo Ying went back to cooking and did not offer help anymore. To him, Sehn Song probably looked a little crazy right now. And not very attractive. As if there was a point to try and look attractive. What is he going to do? Seduce him? Huo Ying was not a man to be seduced easily. Or at all. He had his conviction and was not intending to be moved from it. It was a strange combination of a man who decided that he had certain things that he held on firmly to while being extremely agreeable about everything else. Including his own life.
While Shen Song was dwelling on the big things his frustration dissipated enough for him to ease up. He sat down, took out everything that tied his hair and concentrated on the knots. He reminded himself that Huo Ying was only human and could not read his mind. So even if he slipped into pretending that those were not his own fingers that were currently caring for his hair, the other could not guess that. One by one the pieces of trash were removed, the lumps loosened and the hair was back to normal.
Huo Ying put a bowl of soup in front of him and brought one for himself. He looked him over and suddenly Shen Song felt that having his hair loose like that was somehow inappropriate. He collected the usual portion of it and tied a lose knot without bothering with accessories. Huo Ying still had his tightly collected into a bun and did not suffer the fate of having to clean it out now. He rarely untied it. Usually when he took a bath and then he collected it back up while still wet. So Shen Song did not get to see that, except for the occasional silhouette. He caught himself wondering what Huo ying would look like if his hair was allowed to be loose and flowing down.
And now he had to find something new to distract himself. He never concentrated this hard on a bowl of soup before.