Xia Fei stared through the peephole of his apartment door, heart pounding in his chest. He had expected Vein to show up eventuallyâhe always didâbut what he didnât expect was the man standing outside his run-down apartment building, carrying a bouquet of fresh white lilies.
His first instinct was to ignore him. Pretend he wasnât home, let Vein linger outside until he grew tired and left. But even as he debated it, his hand was already on the doorknob, twisting it open.
"You're... carrying flowers?" Xia Feiâs voice was flat, skeptical, as his eyes flickered from Veinâs stoic face to the delicate bouquet in his hands.
Vein, dressed sharply as always in his tailored black coat, simply offered a faint, almost sheepish smile. "An Apology."
Xia Fei blinked at him, struggling to process the image. The feared assassin, the same man who had a room full of corpses rotting away in his penthouse, now standing at his front gate holding flowers like some lovestruck idiot.
He sighed and stepped aside, allowing Vein to enter. "You look ridiculous," Xia Fei muttered under his breath, shutting the door behind him.
Vein didn't respond to the comment. Instead, his sharp gaze swept across the cramped space. The apartment was... smaller than he had imagined. A single worn-out desk was pressed against the cracked window, cluttered with papers, a half-empty cup of instant noodles, and a flickering desk lamp. The bed, the only one in the room, was unmade, and clothes were haphazardly thrown into an old laundry basket in the corner.
Veinâs eyes flicked to the window, noticing a crack running diagonally across the glass. "You live in this?" he asked, unable to keep the disapproval from his tone.
Xia Fei rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Yeah, well, not all of us have a fancy penthouse with⦠you know." He stopped himself before mentioning the room and instead cleared his throat. "Itâs fine. Itâs home."
Vein said nothing for a moment, walking further inside before lowering himself onto the edge of Xia Feiâs bed. The springs creaked under his weight, and he placed the flowers carefully on the bedside table, as if they belonged there.
"I'm sorry," he said at last, his voice quieter than usual. "I was... careless. I should have been more cautious with the room."
Xia Fei leaned against the desk, staring at Vein with a mix of frustration and something else he couldn't quite place. "Yeah, no kidding. You think I wanted to find that?" His fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of the desk.
Vein exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "It wasnât something you were meant to see."
Xia Fei scoffed. "And what? If I never found out, you wouldâve just kept hiding it? Keeping me in the dark?"
There was a long silence. Vein stared at the floor, his expression unreadable. Then, in a rare moment of vulnerability, he spoke. "I was trying to protect you."
Xia Fei let out a soft laugh, though there was no humor in it. "Yeah, well... maybe if you trusted me a little, I wouldn't have had to see it that way."
Vein looked up, and for a moment, something unreadable flickered in his usually cold eyes. Xia Fei sighed, finally stepping forward and lightly hitting Veinâs shoulder with his fistânothing hard, just enough to get his attention.
"Next time," Xia Fei said, voice softer, "if you're hiding something, tell me sooner. No more secrets, alright?"
Vein didnât react at first. Xia Fei half-expected him to get annoyed, to brush off the contact like he usually did. But instead, Vein surprised him. A low chuckle escaped his lips, and he raised a hand, ruffling Xia Feiâs hair in return.
"Alright," Vein said, amusement creeping into his tone. "No more secrets."
Xia Fei blinked, momentarily stunned. "H-Hey! Donât do that," he grumbled, trying to swat Veinâs hand away, but the older man only smirked, withdrawing his hand slowly.
There was a strange, unfamiliar warmth settling in Xia Feiâs chest. For the first time in a while, things didnât feel as tense between them.
"So... do I have to put those flowers in water or something?" Xia Fei muttered, nodding toward the bouquet.
Vein raised an eyebrow. "That would be the logical thing to do."
Xia Fei rolled his eyes but grabbed the flowers nonetheless, walking over to the sink to fill a glass with water. As he did, he stole a glance at Vein sitting thereâcalm, collected, and for once, normal.
Xia Fei carefully placed the bouquet of white lilies on his desk, adjusting the stems until they sat just right in the makeshift vaseâa glass he had rinsed out from earlier. The faint scent of the flowers mixed with the stale air of his apartment, and for a moment, he stared at them, as if trying to make sense of the entire situation.
Behind him, Vein sat on the bed, arms casually resting on his knees, watching him with a level of interest that made Xia Fei's skin prickle.
The silence stretched, heavy yet oddly comfortable.
After a minute, Xia Fei sighed and turned around, catching Vein's intense gaze still fixed on him. "Why are you staring?" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
Vein's lips curled into that signature smirk of his, the kind that always made Xia Fei feel like he was being teased even when no words were spoken. "You look flustered," Vein said smoothly, tilting his head slightly. "Havenât received flowers before?"
Xia Fei felt his face heat up instantly, and he scoffed, crossing his arms defensively. "Of course I have," he shot back, though his voice lacked its usual confidence.
Vein leaned back slightly, still smirking. "Oh?"
Xia Fei sighed, the weight of old memories settling in his chest. "When I used to work at that café," he admitted, glancing away. "I got offered a lot of flowers. And gifts. Mostly from girls."
Vein raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "And?"
Xia Fei exhaled sharply, avoiding his gaze. "And I didnât accept them," he said, voice quieter. "I just⦠wasnât interested."
There was a pause, and then Veinâs voice, lower and laced with amusement. "But you accepted mine."
Xia Fei snapped his head toward him, his face now undeniably pink. "That'sâ" he sputtered before gritting his teeth. He turned back to the flowers, poking at the petals as if they were suddenly the most fascinating thing in the world. "That's different."
"Is it?" Vein asked, his voice slow, deliberate.
Xia Fei groaned and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I accepted them because you owe me," he muttered. "For keeping that whole... secret from me. Consider it compensation."
Vein chuckled, a deep, rich sound that made Xia Fei's chest tighten in a way he didn't want to acknowledge. "Fair enough," he mused, tapping his fingers lightly against his knee. "I suppose I do owe you."
Xia Fei sighed in relief, thankful that Vein wasnât pressing the topic further. But the heat in his cheeks refused to fade, and he found himself sitting down at his desk, fidgeting with the petals of the lilies absentmindedly.
"Did they ever bother you?" Vein asked after a moment, his tone more thoughtful now.
Xia Fei glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "The gifts? The attention?"
Vein nodded.
Xia Fei leaned back in his chair, arms resting behind his head. "Not really," he admitted. "I mean, it was flattering, I guess. But I never really... felt anything." He shrugged. "It was just empty gestures. People looking at me and seeing what they wanted to see, not who I actually am."
Vein was silent for a while, his sharp eyes studying Xia Fei with a look that made him feel strangely exposed. Then, Vein's voice broke the quiet. "And what about now?"
Xia Fei blinked. "What do you mean?"
Veinâs gaze didnât waver. "When I gave you the flowers. Did it feel like an empty gesture?"
Xia Fei swallowed thickly, his fingers tightening around the edge of his desk. He tried to laugh it off, but it came out shaky. "Youâre overthinking it," he said, forcing a grin. "They're just flowers."
Vein didnât respond right away. Instead, he stood up from the bed, closing the small distance between them. He reached out, and Xia Fei froze as Veinâs hand lightly tapped the top of his headâfirm but gentle. "If I was going to bribe you with gifts," Vein said with a smirk, "Iâd do better than just flowers."
Xia Fei swatted his hand away, his blush deepening. "You're impossible."
Vein chuckled and stepped back, his expression unreadable. "Maybe."
Xia Fei let out a long breath, running his hands down his face. "Seriously, though. No more secrets, okay? If there's something I should know... just tell me."
Vein's smirk faded slightly, and for a brief moment, something serious flickered behind his eyes. "Iâll try," he said, his tone softer than usual.
Xia Fei frowned. "Try?"
"Some things aren't that easy to share," Vein admitted, and Xia Fei could tell he meant it.
Despite himself, Xia Fei sighed in resignation. "Fine. Just... donât expect me to forgive you next time if you screw up again."
Vein chuckled. "Noted."
The room fell into a comfortable silence, and for the first time in a long time, Xia Fei felt like things were... almost normal.
Almost.
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Sweet chapter after the angst ð«
Also that's it with angst already I think, unless you guys want a sad ending or something ðï¸ðï¸