"Oh. I died?" To say he's stunned is an understatement. "Huh."
He blinks at Xichen in consternation. Runs a hand over his hair. Then chuckles. "That explains why you looked like you saw a ghost."
Though now, knowing what he does about Xichen's first reaction, how his legs had gone out from under him, he's uneasy, and the amusement dries up immediately. He's not sure he wants that kind of effect on Xichen, even if—well, he's not sure it's worth it. What was future-him thinking, to let Xichen get so attached? "That's why all the good news, then, to make the bad go down easier."
He feels like he's stuttering through his reaction, quick snippets of thought that come straight out of his mouth as he works his way through the idea that at some future point, Xichen lost him to qi deviation.
After a heartbeat, he continues, "At least I get years. Though it sounds like not quite as many as I'd hoped. Tell me I told you that there was nothing you could have done."
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He blinks at Xichen in consternation. Runs a hand over his hair. Then chuckles. "That explains why you looked like you saw a ghost."
Though now, knowing what he does about Xichen's first reaction, how his legs had gone out from under him, he's uneasy, and the amusement dries up immediately. He's not sure he wants that kind of effect on Xichen, even if—well, he's not sure it's worth it. What was future-him thinking, to let Xichen get so attached? "That's why all the good news, then, to make the bad go down easier."
He feels like he's stuttering through his reaction, quick snippets of thought that come straight out of his mouth as he works his way through the idea that at some future point, Xichen lost him to qi deviation.
After a heartbeat, he continues, "At least I get years. Though it sounds like not quite as many as I'd hoped. Tell me I told you that there was nothing you could have done."