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The sparring match came to an abrupt halt the moment Ao Bing heard Nezha wince. Ice dissipated from his fingertips as his gaze landed on the thin slash across Nezha’s arm. Instantly, his original serious expression twisted, and he moved towards him hurriedly.
"Are you alright?"
Nezha barely spared the wound a glance, brushing it off dismissively. "Just a scratch. Come on, let's continue."
"Let me see." Ao Bing insisted, gently taking his hand. Nezha hesitated but ultimately let him, awkwardly extending his hand to show the full extent of the bleeding cut. Gathering cool water in his palm, Ao Bing allowed the pure liquid to sweep over the cut, cleansing it for him.
"Does it still hurt?" He asked, voice softer now.
Nezha opened his mouth to answer, but stopped himself and glanced away. "... A little." He mumbled, his gaze flickering towards him after, as if a little expectant of some reaction from him.
Before Ao Bing could respond, Taiyi Zhenren's voice cut through the air. It seemed like he had entered the scroll as well. "Is everything okay? You two are rarely quiet in here."
"I accidentally injured Nezha during sparring," Ao Bing admitted, guilt lacing his words.
Taiyi came closer with the help of a cloud. "You hurt him? How serious?"
Ao Bing moved aside, and Nezha, ever the show-off, proudly held out his arm.
Looking between Ao Bing's nervous face and Nezha's smug one, Taiyi was speechless. "...That's it?"
"Psh, even I feel pain, you know," Nezha complained, the wound on his arm closing instantly at will. Surprised by the speed of his regeneration, Ao Bing was suddenly met with a feeling of rapid relief. He had worried- genuinely worried for Nezha, but it now seemed as though it was entirely unnecessary.
"Besides, what's wrong with wanting my friend to fuss over me?" He muttered under his breath.
Ao Bing's eyes widened slightly as he took in the new information, despite not vocalising anything for the moment.
"Alright, alright. Let's head back now. Your mother is calling for you to eat dinner." Taiyi Zhenren used the brush to open up the path.
Nezha turned to him, tugging lightly at his hanfu, almost as though this was second nature. "Ao Bing, why don't you eat with me?"
"Okay."
He looked visibly happier upon hearing the straightforward response. "Then let's hurry." Taking Ao Bing's arm, he led him outside back to the Li Manor.
Nezha's immediate family seemed slightly tense at the sight of him.
That was to be expected. After all, prior to this Nezha was not permitted to go out, and it didn't help that his first friend was from the dragon clan.
Still, Ao Bing tried not to heed it any mind. He was happy as long as Nezha was, and the young master of the Li household seemed to be having a blast, shoving his mouth with delicacies.
When reminded of his manners, he then reluctantly picked up chopsticks.
... Was Nezha lonely? Ao Bing thought quietly, eating a small mouthful of rice. Sure, they were each other's first friend, so it wasn't as though he had a lot more experience in this regard, but Ao Bing had never once felt out of place, and was free to go wherever he pleased by the time his physical body had become more stable.
Nezha, on the other hand... was locked away in his house and then Master Taiyi's scroll. He's seen firsthand how much a little bit of attention and appreciation would make his day.
... Was that why he wanted him to explicitly show his care?
"Ao Bing," Nezha repeated, nudging him lightly on the shoulder before he got a response. "Do you not like the food?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ao Bing noticed everyone staring at him. His own bowl of rice was practically untouched in the midst of his thoughts.
"I apologise for the lack of courtesy. I was just thinking." He lowered his head in an attempt to mimic a bow.
"About what? Me?" Nezha teased.
"Nezha, don't make it difficult for our guest." Li Jing berated.
"And don't talk with your mouth full." His mother added.
"I was just asking." Nezha mumbled, making a face that resembled his child-like demeanor. He grabbed his chopsticks once more with an attempt to stab the dumplings on the plate and get one into his bowl. But due to the shape of the dumplings, the food expertly moved out of his way each time.
Seeing that the other was close to deploying his six arms just to get dumplings, Ao Bing reached over, cool fingers sliding over Nezha's as he adjusted his grip on the chopsticks.
"Try again like this." He murmured, picking up his own chopsticks to guide him through it.
Upon following him, Nezha managed to finally clasp a dumpling with his chopsticks. But it quickly dropped back on the plate once he tried to lift it up.
"You'll get it next time." Ao Bing promised. Carefully, he picked up one piece of dumpling from the plate and held it out to him. "Here."
At this point, the entire table seemed enraptured with their interaction, watching whatever was going on between the two. Nezha looked almost surprised at the gesture, leaning closer to eat the dumpling.
"Ao Bing, you're too kind." Lady Yin commented, breaking the silence that ensued. "Have some more." She scooped out a generous amount of meat and vegetables into his bowl, looking happy at the company which Nezha had graced himself with.
Ao Bing appreciatively nodded. His friend, however, immediately used his newfound chopstick skills to dig out the share of vegetables that was given to him, much to her horror.
"Nezha! Why did you..."
"Ao Bing doesn't eat that dish." Nezha muttered, placing the vegetables into his own bowl. After a while of trying and failing, he finally managed to get hold of one dumpling, which he then proceeded to place in Ao Bing's bowl.
He blinked at the dumpling sitting in his bowl, then at Nezha, who was now stubbornly looking everywhere else except at him. His grip on the chopsticks was still clumsy, but that didn't stop him from using it with the way of holding that Ao Bing taught him.
Ao Bing smiled. "Thank you."
If Nezha was pleased, he didn't show it much, but instead stuffed more of the dishes into his mouth. "You don't have to thank me. We're friends, so you can just drop the pleasantries." His words were all jumbled up. As he attempted to talk around the food in his mouth once more, he choked on some of the rice, and begun pounding his fists against his chest as he tried to recover.
Ao Bing patted him on the back until he was better. "You shouldn't talk with your mouth full."
"You-" Nezha looked at Ao Bing with accusation, as though saying he was supposed to be on his side here. But his adamant face turned into one that was compromising upon seeing his friend's innocent expression. "Not you too." He groaned, though he did pipe down and eat properly.
Lady Yin seemed amused. "How interesting. Nezha never listens to anyone, but just a few words from you is enough to persuade him immediately."
Nezha huffed, his voice now raw from the coughing fit prior. "That's not true."
"Here, drink this- you might feel better." Ao Bing calmly slid a cup of water toward him. Without thinking, Nezha grabbed it and downed the entire thing in one go. When he finally set the empty cup down, he was met with a table full of knowing stares who looked lamely between him and Ao Bing.
His face burned.
"... The food's getting cold," He muttered, suddenly very interested in what was in his bowl. "Let's just eat."