Art for: Farfalle di Carta

by sofinch

Summary:

Xie Lian never judged a book’s contents by its cover. He had read plenty of good books over the years that had plain or uninteresting covers. Usually the title or summary compensated for the plain exterior and would be the reason Xie Lian pulled the book off of the shelf. Sometimes he’d take a book out of sheer curiosity, even if nothing drew his attention. Those were often the books where he would be pleasantly surprised. Underneath plain dust jackets could be hidden intricate gold leaf designs. Some may have folded maps in the back cover. Or, on rare occasions, Xie Lian would find the pages edged in gold, a feature that could not be seen until the book was pulled off the shelf to shimmer under the light.

 

One day while perusing the stacks at the library, he finds a book shelved apart from the others, as though peerless. The plain dust jacket was in taters, revealing the faded red cloth of the hardcover underneath.

And it was filled with paper butterflies.

OR a 90s nostalgia modern AU where Xie Lian randomly meets Hua Cheng over a poetry anthology and they fall in love (slowly) and get up to shenanigans with their friends.

Notes:

• Inspired by Farfalle di Carta by Jade_Valentine

Chapter 1: Rain Date

An exposed brick wall. Red and black bedding. Twinkling lights overhead. The sound of rain.

 

The instinctual part that had been exposed to rain and was still a bit chilled longed for the bed, which was covered in what looked to be a plush quilt in red and black plaid and more pillows that should be needed for one person.

“Bed sounds good,” Xie Lian answered and was proud when his voice sounded even and not alarmed at his choice.

“Excellent choice, gege,” San Lang grinned. “It’s the most comfortable way to watch TV.”

Xie Lian chuckled and folded his sweater paw hands over his stomach.

“Do you want to take a nap?” San Lang asked. There was a beat where Xie Lian raised his brows slightly and San Lang swallowed. “I mean, if you fall asleep, I would not be mad. I love to sleep during storms,” he added quickly.

“Mm, I’m okay,” Xie Lian said, though in reality a nap sounded divine. He pushed the thought away as he sat up slightly and retrieved their tea mugs from the windowsill. “We have tea to drink, anyways.”

Xie Lian felt warmth return to his extremities as he sipped his tea and sunk further into the pillows at his back. When his mug was empty, he cradled it against his chest, letting the residual warmth sink through the sweater and into his sternum. Between the tea, the pillows, the warmth, and the soothing timbre of the show’s narrator, Xie Lian eventually fell asleep.