#baivi

but here and now, you only see peace. the subtle rise and fall of his chest, the way his lashes flutter on occasion, and then --

you freeze when your gazes match. his, slightly disoriented for a moment, then amused. yours? ah, well, he's certain he saw that familiar embarrassment, but he cannot be too sure, given the way you immediately pull the sheets over your face.

"ah," an amused hum, then the shifting of the sheets, "where has my dearest wife gone?"

-- and there is that familiar giggle he loves all too much. he smiles, gingerly pulling the sheets away to reveal your sheepish visage. you are even brighter than the sun, he thinks -- always radiant. always kind. always warm. always his. how dearly and deeply does he love you -- his wife, his forevermore, and he hopes you know this.

so he presses a kiss to your forehead, hopes the affection carries the weight of his adoration, lets out a soft laugh when you giggle once more.

"you've turned red. are you ill?" a teasing tone. "have you come down with a fever?"

"i-i'm just fine, thank you!"

"are you certain? perhaps i should double-check. it is only necessary that the doctor ensures you remain in good health, after all."

another kiss to the forehead, the cheek, the curve of your jaw, then your shoulder. you feel the way he smiles, all too amused and far from clinical. you almost think you could pass out from the intensity of the heat that flushes your cheeks, but you never push him away, just barely voicing weak, feign protests as you hold him closer.

you cannot help the way your heart quickens, pounding against your chest with such yearning it almost aches. you cup his face in your hands ; perhaps it is the way you always see him that makes him want to protect you all the more.

"good morning, my sunshine."

your lips curve into something bright and something meant to be cherished, and he finds that he wishes he could live in this moment forever. another kiss, then a gentle murmur against your lips.

One beautiful day, you’re out on your farm, moving branches and stones out of the way to make room for a barn before tending to your crops. As you are about to start plucking some weeds, there’s a shy tug on your sleeve, two big purple eyes staring up at you. The girl introduces herself as Qiqi and asks what you’re doing, watching curiously and squatting down next to you as you explain to her that you’re removing weeds and caring for your plants. To your surprise, she already seems quite knowledgeable on herbs and medicinal plants.

When Baizhu frantically makes his way over to the previously uninhabited plot of land after asking around if anyone had seen Qiqi, he halts in his tracks. The farm has transformed quite heavily since he’d last seen it. Sure, it is still rough around the edges and years of neglect are still clearly visible, but it’s obvious that someone has been taking great care in restoring it. And in the midst of it all he sees his daughter with a young woman smiling down at the child as she hefts a watering can over the tiny seedlings sprouting in the soft soil. Something warm curls around his heart at the sight just as you raise your head to meet his eyes, your smile returning just as sunny as before.

“You must be Qiqi’s father, I assume,” you say extending a hand to him after quickly wiping it on your gardening apron.

“Ah yes, I am her legal guardian. The name’s Baizhu, I’m the doctor of this town,” he replies, returning your greeting. If your hands happen to linger a little longer than usual, neither of you seem to mind. “Thank you for taking care of Qiqi, I hope it didn’t keep you from your work.”

“Oh not at all, she was a big help! I was wondering where she had learned so much about pruning plants but it makes sense now,” you laugh, trying to tear your eyes away from Baizhu’s beautiful amber ones. A little flustered, you offer him your name. “I’ve been wanting to introduce myself before but you seem to be rather busy yourself. Though I’m happy we finally get to meet.”

“I could say the same thing about you,” the doctor chuckles, adjusting his wired glasses. “Perhaps we could arrange a time that suits both of us, so I can invite you over for tea? It’s the least I can do for looking after Qiqi.”

“It really was no trouble at all,” you insist again. There’s warmth on your cheeks as you fiddle with a strand of your hair that came loose. “But I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better, so I’d still like to take you up on that offer.”

“Splendid, I’m looking forward to it as well.”

The conversation still replays in your head as you get into bed that night, a date circled in red on your calendar. You know it’s impossible but you feel like there’s still residual heat tingling across your palm where it touched Baizhu’s. Maybe deciding to move to this remote town had been your best idea in years after all…