"You say that now," Mingjue says automatically, and then catches himself. Because Xichen did say that now, after he'd apparently experienced the worst Mingjue had to offer him. "Ah. Well, fuck."

Sighing in pained chagrin, he shifts so he can rub a hand down Xichen's spine without letting go of him too much.

"I know you did your best. But it was going to happen eventually, regardless. There really was nothing you could have done except stave it off for a little while."