If Kuai Liang is going to have children then he’d want to be a fixture of their life from birth, or as close to as he can manage. He would still passionately and completely love a child he adopted at an older age, but he longs for those early moments to bond with his child. To form a connection he’s not sure he ever had with his own parents.
He’s over the moon if his partner is willing and able to carry his child. No one would mistake Kuai Liang for an expert on pregnancy, he himself confessing he’s never really known a pregnant person, but he understands it’s no small undertaking. The fact they’re willing to risk their safety and health for the sake of the family moves him tremendously. To say he’s at their command is an understatement.
Despite his duties, Kuai Liang manages to devote a great deal of time to his partner. This shift in his focus is temporary and easy to plan around. In an ideal world, he’d have Cyrax or Tomas at his side to lead the clan while he looks out for his family. To him tending to his partner and child-to-be is still serving his clan; he’s giving the next generation the best chance at thriving he can.
If his partner is carrying his child then he intends to be with them through every agonizing moment of labour. There’s no denying he’s nervous, and he visibly struggles with his utter lack of usefulness. Once things start, there is nothing left for him to do but hold his partner’s hand and pray for the best.
Once he’s finally able to hold his child he swears his heart seems to stop altogether. Not frozen over but paralyzed by a paternal grip of unwavering love and a protective panic. It’s the first time his hand has truly trembled since he was a boy. It’s conquerable, but his partner gets to bear witness to the battle play out on his face.
Kuai Liang doesn’t care if the midwife or doctors watch, he’s only aware of them in an abstract way now. His tunnel vision is constricted to see only his partner and child. Once he’s able to breathe again he insists on tending to the baby first. To have the chance to cut the umbilical cord and to gently wash the drying afterbirth off his child is one he takes wholeheartedly; the experience humbling him in ways he couldn’t anticipate.
The only person he dares to surrender the child to his is partner, knowing they deserve to hold their new baby more than he does but he still hovers close. It will take him seemingly ages to stop whispering adoring praise to both of them. Any attempts he once made to keep himself from crying long since abandoned by this point.
That night Kuai Liang refuses to sleep, obeying an impulse from deep inside his soul to stand guard over his new family. While his partner rests he sits at their bedside, their baby asleep in his arms. The room is warm, and he endures it to keep his own body temperature up so their bundle of joy can rest against his chest. During the pregnancy, he learned that newborns benefit from skin-to-skin contact, and the moment he holds his child he doesn’t question it. To him, it just feels right.
He has stories to tell them, things to show them, and a whole clan to introduce his new offspring to but in the hush of their first night, none of it matters. To sit and marvel at his life is enough. That’s how his partner will find them. A dim wash of early morning light bathing them both in soft light; a peaceful portrait of domestic bliss.
Kuai Liang, despite being human, isn’t a true endotherm, a warm blood, like most mammals. Due to his cryomancy, his body is adapted to a different thermoregulatory strategy; mesothermy which is more akin to the phase between warm blooded and cold. Unlike most humans who either shake or metabolize fats to generate and maintain a constant body temperature. Mesothermic beings, like Kuai Liang, instead tend to have a lower body temperature and a far slower metabolism.
While at rest Kuai Liang’s body temperature is just above ambient, allowing him to move with ease while maintaining energy. It also makes using his ice to freeze himself over easier, as he’s already much colder. His slow metabolism has a secondary benefit, allowing him to function on fewer resources when times are scarce.
This isn’t to say he’s always cold, on the contrary. Strenuous activity, like fighting or making love, will raise his core temperature quite a bit. In kombat he uses his abilities to keep this climbing temperature in check as it keeps him strong and if need be, harder to detect.
In bed, it’s another story. He’s cautious of his ice, fearing it will put his partner off. Once he’s worked up a comfortable temperature with them he allows himself to slowly cool off instead, sharing his body heat with them while he can. As a result of his body tending to reflect the ambient temperature if his partner stays in bed with him, he’ll never fully cool down.
This quirk of mesothermy isn’t exclusive to Kuai Liang, as Bi-Han has the same adaptation.
Kuai Liang enjoys being out in nature, even in more moderate weather. He can remember the very early days of his training when Bi Han would lead him into the wilds, teaching him to find edible berries and mushrooms. While so much between the brothers has changed he chooses to remember those times fondly regardless. He finds a sense of peace while camping and would enjoy a chance to escape with his lover. With his duties, it feels like a pipedream to him, but the idea never really leaves him alone.
If his lover isn’t skilled in outdoor survival then they’re going to learn. While often accused of being a stern master, Kuai Liang doesn’t act like that with them, amused patience taking its place. Calmly breaking down each step as he goes, letting them watch him build their shelter and start their fire.
Kuai Liang likes sitting in silence with his lover. It’s not that he doesn't enjoy listening to them talk, he genuinely does and could happily do so for hours, but being able to just exist with them is a rare slice of relaxation for him. To hear their breathing and feel them near is enough to quiet his mind.
To many people’s surprise, Kuai Liang actually has a mischievous side to him. Years of intense training and discipline have tempered his more impulsive desires, but it didn’t get rid of them. It tends to show itself most when with his lover.
While sometimes unsure of himself in his new role he’s sensitive to his lover’s temperament and adapts quickly. Once he’s comfortable enough to start pushing boundaries on his own he relaxes his control enough to indulge in his sillier side. Kuai Liang finds himself falling more and more in love with his partners laugh that it loosens him up with them. They’ll come to know his sharp tongue well.
He won’t engage in a prank war or anything that juvenile, but he isn’t above using subterfuge to lure his lover away from their stressors. With most of the clan, he can simply order them to rest when they need it, knowing they’ll trust his word, but he can’t use such commanding force with his partner. If his lover won’t listen to reason and rest, he’ll simply resort to stealing their work from right under their noses.
Kuai Liang would make a good father, but genuinely doubts he will ever get the chance. As grandmaster he's too busy to find a partner. He'll always consider his students to be his children to some extent, even if he can't bring himself to say so. Many of his students have lost their families, so he feels like claiming something so personal would be overstepping but they’re all still in his heart. It's part of what makes Frost's betrayal so bitter.
Over all though, he tends to value children and the innocence that comes with that phase of life. He and Bi-Han were denied their innocence, something Kuai doesn't really regret in his own case, but he does work to try and shield the next generation until they're ready.
Ice always melts eventually after all.
He is, in a word, remarkably stressed if he ever becomes a father in his own right. Be it his partner expecting or they end up adopting. Once it sets in that he's a father, that he has a kid and this is now his life until he dies Kuai Liang finds himself overwhelmed. He needs a moment to catch his breath, emotional revelations are hard, but it's a change he embraces.
His partner can expect some hovering tho, Artika is not exactly the safest place for a defenceless baby. The division of labour is surprisingly even between him and his lover despite all the duties that come wth being grandmaster. Kuai Liang insists that their child never be alone but doesn’t expect his partner to become a house spouse if they don’t want to. If need be he will teach with their child in a wrap. In an ideal world, both Tomas and Cyrax would be around to lend a hand, being some of the few Kuai Liang would trust.
Time he gets to spend alone with his partner and child is treasured, but also where his cracks begin to show. If his lover is perceptive they’ll notice the trepidation in his actions, still worried he’ll slip up somewhere. In his own words, Kuai Liang has too much to lose. Mistakes are unacceptable.
He’ll benefit from reassurances and if his lover is persistent enough he will learn to relax and simply enjoy their private moments. One of his favourite pastimes is cradling his partner in his lap, with their babe cocooned in their joint embrace. Easy conversation breaking up the comfortable silence from time to time. Aside from sleep and other bed bound activities these shared moments are one of the few times Kuai Liang relaxes and simply enjoys the moment.
