Poppy did not scream. She also did not breathe right away. “I’m fine,” she said through clenched teeth.
“You are shaking.”
“I am vibrating with courage.”
Mingxi choked on a laugh. “It’s just a normal snake,” he said.
“I know.”
“It cannot harm you.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you hiding behind me?”
She pressed closer to his back. “Because knowing and feeling are not the same thing.”
He bit his lip to keep from laughing outright. “You’ve improved,” he said softly.
“You liar.”
“No.” A soft smile. “I’m proud.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks, and the snake slithered away, bored with them both. Mingxi’s low laugh followed it.
When the sun dipped low and the wind cooled, Poppy sat on a fallen log and pulled at her tangled hair with rising misery. Mingxi watched for all of four seconds before stepping forward.
“Give me the comb.”
She blinked at him. “What?”
“You’re hurting yourself.”
Her breath tripped. “Y-you don’t have to—”
“Poppy,” he murmured, “give me the comb.”
She handed it over. He knelt behind her, fingers brushing her shoulders as he gathered her hair with reverence she’d never known from anyone. The world hushed.
“Tell me if it hurts,” he whispered.
It did. But not the kind that made her want him to stop.
Mingxi worked slowly, tenderly, easing every knot with deliberate gentleness. His thumbs brushed her scalp occasionally, sending warmth spiraling through her spine.
“You’re very gentle,” she breathed.
“I would never harm you.”
She swallowed hard.
When the tangles were gone, he didn’t stop. He separated her hair into three long sections.
Poppy blinked. “You braid?”
“In my clan,” he said quietly, “grooming is how we honor those who matter.”
Her heart hammered.
