[ Lan Xichen echoes that with the shame of a child caught sneaking out after dark. He recognizes the shame, feels guilty for presenting himself this way in front of anyone, let alone a man trying to have a serious conversation with him, but that streak of something else at his core makes him straighten up in his seat more insistently. His cheeks and ears are bright red, but he sets his jaw in a hard line as he meets Midnight's gaze. ]
I am, but I mean what I'm saying. I don't want you to face these things alone, without being understood or having someone to listen to you. I want to understand. I may not be the one you are looking for, but I can't let you carry such weight without anyone to stand by you. Freedom is...
[ He trails off, not wanting to go too far or assume too much. But his own experiences, far from any idea of freedom, showed him how much it cost others to live for it. Lan Xichen can't allow another person to bear that kind of burden right in front of him. That much he's already decided. ]
no subject
[ Lan Xichen echoes that with the shame of a child caught sneaking out after dark. He recognizes the shame, feels guilty for presenting himself this way in front of anyone, let alone a man trying to have a serious conversation with him, but that streak of something else at his core makes him straighten up in his seat more insistently. His cheeks and ears are bright red, but he sets his jaw in a hard line as he meets Midnight's gaze. ]
I am, but I mean what I'm saying. I don't want you to face these things alone, without being understood or having someone to listen to you. I want to understand. I may not be the one you are looking for, but I can't let you carry such weight without anyone to stand by you. Freedom is...
[ He trails off, not wanting to go too far or assume too much. But his own experiences, far from any idea of freedom, showed him how much it cost others to live for it. Lan Xichen can't allow another person to bear that kind of burden right in front of him. That much he's already decided. ]
It's not something you should fight for alone.