Xio didn't know what was waiting for him beyond this moment—
but to find out, he'd have to lower his guard… even if the path ahead was nothing more than a mocked silence or a tender, deceiving kiss.
An uneasy stillness stretched between them—awkward for Xio, almost humorous for Kirihito.
Then, without a word, Kirihito lifted Xio's chin with one slender finger. The others lingered against his bottom lip, tracing the tremble there.
Xio's breath caught—soft, involuntary.
Kirihito is going to be the death of me, he thought, though a part of him wasn't sure if he feared it… or wanted it.
Xio completely forgot what he'd been planning to say to Kirihito—and, most critically, he'd forgotten his name again. Kirihito might truly snap this time.
Kirihito then placed his free hand over Xio's heart, his long nails lightly digging in, enough to frighten Xio. Xio's heart hammered loud and clear: thump-thump-thump beneath Kirihito's palm. Xio's own hand instinctively cupped Kirihito's to push it away, but his muscles wouldn't obey.
"I'll really take it out from your cage and eat it for dinner… you're cooking up my head so much that I'm hungry again. My dragon fruit is not digested by these thoughts." He sighed in a mocking, dramatic disappointment.
Seeing Xio fall further under his mercy, Kirihito continued his torture.
"Now, now, wingless insect or baby butterfly—whatever it is—just answer my question. You have only 'Yuzan' before I truly decide to do something with your cracked body this time," Kirihito said, sounding almost thoughtful, yet delivering a silent warning. His hand moved from Xio's hair to his chin in a mockingly gentle way. The word "Yuzan" meant thirty seconds. Xio didn't understand the word, but he could guess it was a timer.
And it was an alarming level of urgency. Yet, he still had nothing to say!
Kirihito didn't stop there. He had a list of insults, all kinds of methods to make anyone break; his mouth wouldn't cease.
"Nobody actually pays attention if talked to properly, especially insects. They need a daily dose of torture so they get straight as any smooth road… not curled like a dog's tail," Kirihito warned again. This time, the threat was even more dangerous; his thumb on Xio's lower lip pressed a little harder.
Xio's breath caught in his throat, his mouth forcefully parted slightly. Kirihito's thumb slid a little way inside Xio's mouth while his other hand remained on Xio's heart.
Xio's mind screamed: How many more things will happen in a single night?! Was bringing that snake here my own death wish?! Wait, did he just call me a dog's tail?? That's going too far. Humans can't be compared with dogs!
"H-hey! Just because I'm not talking doesn't mean you have to keep insulting me like that," Xio finally spoke out of self-respect. His cheeks were still flushed, but his eyes were stronger now.
"Oh, insults really do work! The little butterfly has finally spoken…" Kirihito purred, his snake tongue flicking out slightly, almost touching Xio's cheek.
Xio huffed and turned away. "Weirdo. Gods know when he's himself and when he's not…" he mumbled, the words muffled by Kirihito's thumb.
But Kirihito forced him to look again, his thumb half-in his mouth, seeming to savor the heat and wetness. "Say as you want… just now, answer me before I change my mind. You've already wasted too much time on a simple thing. No tricks now, only a straight answer."
"Give me a chance first, at least! Remove. Your. Thumb!!" Xio mumbled thickly.
"Ah, what did you say?~ But I was enjoying your mouth… around me." Kirihito purred, his tone still mature and deep.
The way he said it felt utterly strange, and his smirk was the cherry on top. The way he naturally let his robe fall from his shoulder was pure sin without even trying. Xio was certain Xì really was dying from this display.
Xio's hand trembled lightly as he quickly covered Kirihito's exposed shoulder, his own skin burning despite the body belonging to Kirihito. This made Kirihito tilt his head slightly, smirking, looking at him from a different angle. "Shy, shy, shy~ Aren't we?~" he teased smoothly.
"I'm not going to speak if you keep… teasing and twisting everything," Xio tried to threaten, even though it was probably useless. Gods know where this conversation is going.
"Oh my, my~ I got scared. Such a cruel thing to say~" Kirihito mocked.
Then, he suddenly snapped. "WILL YOU SPEAK OR I KILL YOU AND YOUR WHOLE BLACK GOLD INSECT GENERATION??!!" Kirihito now fully inserted his thumb into Xio's mouth. Xio whimpered, eyes shut tight, the finger hitting the back of his throat.
"Alright, alright! I'm speaking!! But you will not torture me anymore!!" Xio quickly said, gagging around the finger, trying to move it away with the hand that wasn't trapped against his heart.
"Oh please… I'll not torture you this time. I'll make sure you rest in peace…" Kirihito growled.
"No, you can't! You said you won't hurt me!"
"When did I say that?~ I said I'll hurt you less, not never…"
"Liar!"
You handle that insect. I'm tired of him. Bye. The deep voice seemed to facepalm and surrender inside.
Then, he snapped back to his childish form. His expression and movements became innocent again.
He hummed sadly, laying flat on his stomach, face buried in the mattress, his long hair spread everywhere as he completed the thought, "The black-gold butterfly won't answer Kirihito's questions! He forgets Kirihito's beautiful name!" He fake-cried like the cutest baby snake to ever exist, having fully adopted Xì's dramatic style. His white snake, which had been unnoticed, now tenderly wrapped around Kirihito's neck again.
"You made Xì's Kirihito-sama upset, human! How dare you?!" Xì finally spoke, now that Kirihito's dangerous aura was gone and the cute one was back.
"Shut up and let me just… speak to him," Xio growled. He was glad that whatever it was—possession or a new kind of game—it was over. He couldn't speak if Kirihito acted so strangely. He was more comfortable with his childish side.
He turned to Kirihito, who was lying like the dead. He hesitated before placing a hand on Kirihito's head. "Hey… what's wrong? You don't want to hear my answer?"
"You're crueler than Kirihito! You twisted the easiest things, and it felt like years!" Kirihito complained childishly, then slapped Xio's hand away from his head. "Don't touch Kirihito's beautiful hair!"
Xio wondered what to say. Kirihito was genuinely upset by Xio's unspoken discomfort and nervousness.
He took a deep breath. He was really going to speak this time. "I… I don't know how to answer you. It's too early, too weird. But—"
"After an hour of battle, that's what you had to say?!" Kirihito cried out again, sitting up and bouncing on the bed like a spoiled child, making Xio bounce with him.
Xio felt a sharp pain in his hips from the movement. "Stop!! Why do you always cut me off if you wanted me to answer?!"
"You're too slow!" Kirihito hissed.
"You're too fast… now shut up for five minutes and hear me," Xio said, unconsciously grabbing Kirihito's hand to stop him, then quickly letting go.
Kirihito finally sat properly, determined to hear him, his white snake looking at Xio from his neck.
"I have… some kind of… issue that… I can't remember new names, even if they're easy," he started explaining gently. "Besides… your name is… a bit… different for me…"
Kirihito hissed softly, glaring at him. "Excuse me? You called my name weird?"
"No, you little—" Xio caught himself, sighing in defeat. "I mean… I have a different, cute name for you. From now on, I'll call you…" He paused, searching for words that might soothe the storm inside Kirihito. "…I'll call you Wèi Yīlíng. Shortened—Wei. Or Wei Wei, if you like."
Kirihito blinked, momentarily speechless. His expression shifted through a dozen unreadable shades before settling on one that was almost offended.
"What I asked you, and what did you say?!" Kirihito suddenly cried, pointing at himself. "You're rename-ing Kirihito's whole identity?!"
Xio winced from the outburst, closing one eye. "It's… a gift. A sweet name for my black diamond, isn't it?" he said softly.
He hesitated, then added, almost shyly, "Its meaning is… 'the one graceful and gentle one whom others can rely on.'"
Kirihito's expression faltered. The room fell strangely quiet.
He looked down, as though trying to decide whether to be angry or moved. His voice came out lower, thoughtful.
"…Is Kirihito gentle?"
Xio smiled faintly. "Yes… you are. In your own way. It's tiny—like the seeds of your dragon fruit—and quiet, black as your hair… but it's there. I can remember it properly now."
His words sank into the air like a calm ripple across a still pond. Kirihito's cheeks flushed slightly, his lips twitching into a small, bashful smirk. He looked away, but the corners of his eyes softened. The metaphors clearly pleased him.
For the first time, the air between them wasn't charged with fear or threat—it was heavy with something unspoken, tender, uncertain.
Xio took a quiet breath. "And… about what you were asking the whole time.." he said, voice trembling but steady.
"Everything takes time. Whether it's a flower blooming… or a venom spreading. I need time. But I'm sure I'll remember you too. Not in his place, but… in a different one. Your own place."
Kirihito's gaze lingered on him, unreadable yet strangely human. His crimson eyes dimmed to a deeper shade, soft yet searching, as if he were trying to decode a language only hearts could speak.
"Different place… own place…" he murmured under his breath.
Inside him, something echoed back faintly, like a memory spoken through layers of shadow: Different place…you say ?
And then, unexpectedly, his expression lit up again—childish and excited. "Kirihito likes that name! Kirihito is Wèi Yīlíng!" he declared proudly, lunging forward. Before Xio could react, he felt Kirihito's teeth sink gently into his shoulder.
Xio tensed but didn't move away. He'd learned there was no use resisting anymore.
A soft hiss escaped his throat, but his lips curved faintly. He let his hand rest against Kirihito's hair. The warmth, the bite, the breath—it all felt strangely right this time.
"Yeah…" he whispered, voice hoarse but tender. "You're my Wèi Yīlíng. And I believe… you'll always be."
Kirihito stayed still for a moment, lips pressed against Xio's skin, his hair spilling over like threads of night. His heartbeat, once wild and cruel, seemed to calm just slightly—as if the name had tamed some part of him.
And somewhere, deep inside his mind, the darker voice stirred again.
Annoyed, yet oddly contemplative, it purred in the depths of him—its unseen eyes fixed on Xio's tired smile :
You're too pure for your own good… I was made to break what I touch. I was never meant to stay—only to ruin him… and you… all five