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ZiZhen was strolling through the corridors around the Main Hall, tea in one hand, a few doleances from smaller sects in the other. Walking always helped him to keep his mind clear so he could focus his attention on what his people were saying. He also felt comforted, knowing his father used to do the same, and he could almost feel his guiding presence walking alongside him.
It had appeared that some monsters were lurking around on the southern edge of Baling, terrorizing the populace. He made a mental note to ask Jin Ling if he would like to go on a Night Hunt with him to get rid of the beasts.
Speaking of his husband, ZiZhen stopped abruptly, spilling some tea on the front of his clothes, when Jin Ling zipped through the main corridor, leaving behind a gust of wind carrying the sweet smell of his perfume. ZiZhen quietly followed him, taking notice of the billowing green fabric of Jin Ling’s hanfu. He frowned briefly in confusion, for he never saw his husband wearing only green in his clothes (there was always at the very least a trace of yellow to be seen), but then, his entire face softened and he smiled. “Perhaps he really does love it here now,” he thought. When he saw Jin Ling turn towards the Main Hall, he quickened his pace, not to lose sight of him.
When he arrived at the main hall, he scared one of the servants, who almost dropped the tea set she was carrying in her haste to bow. ZiZhen caught the stray empty teacup that fell off the tray with two fingers and put it back, smiling at her and kindly gesturing to her to carry on with her task. When she left, he turned his attention again to his husband, who was now busy talking with three of the servants who gathered around him. Each of them looked apologetic, bowing and shaking their heads, while Jin Ling’s face grew increasingly irritated. ZiZhen rushed to his side. The servants bowed when they saw him, but he paid them no attention.
"How can I help?"
Jin Ling turned around, a faint blush covering his cheeks, while the three servants quietly escaped with knowing smiles. ZiZhen’s heart skipped a beat now that he could see all the details of his husband’s clothes. The cut and fabric were not his usual style, but it somehow suited him. ZiZhen almost reached out a hand to see if the fabric was as soft as it looked but remembered the teacup and documents still in his hands.
"You look beautiful," he said.
Jin Ling’s face got a little redder before he looked down at his clothes.
"Jiujiu gave it to me, and since he’s coming today, I don’t really have a choice to wear it."
ZiZhen’s smile froze a little. “Not because he likes Baling then…” he thought, sadly, but listened as Jin Ling continued.
"But… I need someone to do my hair. I don’t know how to braid it correctly with this style…"
His husband was intently staring at the floor, both hands tugging and squeezing the length of his hair. ZiZhen noticed the blush on the tip of his ears and his smile relaxed again. He put his teacup on an empty tray near him and looped his documents in his belt, then got closer to Jin Ling, gently lifting his face with a finger and pulling his husband’s hair from his grasp. He tried his best to focus on the hair and not on Jin Ling’s beet red skin, nor on the increased beating of his own heart.
"I know how to braid it."
Then, he looked Jin Ling straight in the eyes.
"Will you allow me?"
Jin Ling swallowed hard, eyes wide, before breaking eye contact and nodding once. ZiZhen nodded back, still smiling, before leading his husband out of the main hall, towards quarters he haven’t been in in a few years, yet knew were still well taken care of. His mother always had the best taste in hair accessories, and he knew he would find all the tools he would need to braid Jin Ling’s hair in her room.
He smelled the gardens before he saw the entrance to her quarters. As he passed by the camellias, he picked up a few of the purple ones. He might not use them but it would make a good gift for Jin Ling if he didn’t. His husband was standing a bit away, looking at the scenery he had never seen before.
"Where are we?"
ZiZhen walked the few steps towards him.
"My mother’s quarters. Father kept it intact after her death. I decided to keep it too, for both of them."
He looked around peacefully, before inviting Jin Ling to follow him again.
"Come, we’ll be better inside."
Pacing his walk to his husband’s, who was admiring every flower they passed, ZiZhen decided it would be a good idea to open up this garden for Jin Ling. Besides, he was sure his mother would appreciate him around.
When they reached the doors to the room, ZiZhen opened them with one swift movement, happy to know the hinges had also been well taken care of. The room was a little cold, but the air was not stale, and there was no trace of dust on the floor nor any of the furniture. He smiled at Jin Ling.
Come in! Let’s sit in front of the mirror over there!
He pointed to the beauty desk. Jin Ling slowly walked towards it, unsure.
"Are you sure it’s okay to be here?"
"Of course! My mother would have adored you."
“Just as I do,” ZiZhen finished silently. His husband sat on the floor, and ZiZhen saw the red tinge on his cheeks through his reflection, matching his own. He kneeled down behind him, watching in the mirror as he released Jin Ling’s hair from the clasp that held it. ZiZhen blushed even more when the silky locks brushed against his skin, carrying more of the sweet smell to his nose. He slowly, subtly breathed it in, eyes half-closed, before pushing his fingers through Jin Ling’s hair. His mouth went dry when he realized how soft Jin Ling’s hair truly was, and that the glimpse he had before was just a miniature painting compared to the real beauty of the full landscape. Then, he noticed the tension in his husband’s shoulders and neck, and slowly began to massage his scalp, the way his mother did for him before.
The motion of his fingers sent ZiZhen to a familiar memory, when he used to sit where Jin Ling now sat. The tenderness of his mother’s hands, gliding from the nape of his neck to the top of his forehead, then back again at the nape, following the bone structure behind his ears to his temples. He used to repeat the movement in his father’s hair after his mother passed away, an initiative they strongly bonded over. Now, he could put the same love and care doing the same for his husband, his fingers sure and steady from habit. He smiled when Jin Ling sighed in pleasure, shoulders relaxing at last. ZiZhen bent his head down, almost laying a kiss on his cheek, when he remembered they were not quite there yet, and he pulled a hand out of his husband’s hair to reach for a comb instead.
When he pulled back up, he noticed not only how red Jin Ling’s face was, but also the fast beating of his heart through the veins in his neck. His own heartbeat accelerated in response, and he had to focus to stop his hands from trembling as he quietly pushed the comb through Jin Ling’s hair. ZiZhen was lucky he had so much experience caring for other people’s hair, for his mind kept pulling him away from the task with images of his lips on that pulsing veins, trailing up on his husband’s jaw line, to that cheek he wish he had kissed earlier, to these lips that he had seen parted a few seconds before through Jin Ling’s reflection. When he looked again, Jin Ling had closed his eyes, and his hands had closed in fists around the fabric of his hanfu. ZiZhen pulled the comb out and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, eyes worried.
"Am I hurting you?"
Jin Ling opened his eyes suddenly and their eyes met through the looking glass. He quickly looked away, shaking his head.
"No… No, I… like it… "
Their blushes matched evenly. ZiZhen simply nodded, finding himself incapable of talking anymore from the dryness of his throat, and continued combing his husband’s hair. After a few minutes of working in companionable silence, he began parting Jin Ling’s hair in many strands, securing them on different places on his head with clasps he found in a drawer of the beauty desk. He still remembered where each item he needed were located, and working one strand at a time, he began to work his husband’s hair into an updo that would match his clothes.
Soon enough, the strands began to form a high bun, each length of hair shaped almost like a flower petal. ZiZhen had moved in front of Jin Ling, his chest bare inches from his face, making sure each strand was properly secured. Then, he dropped on his haunches and brought his face close to his, eyes fixed on the shape of his husband’s face, fingers as light as air around his ears and cheeks as he checked for stray hair. Only when he was satisfied with his work did he pay attention to Jin Ling’s reddened cheeks and noticed how close they were. He pulled away slowly, fingers lingering on his husband’s skin before he turned around, opening the top drawer of the beauty desk, where he knew to find his mother’s hair pieces. He pulled out two of them, gold with barely a hint of green, and pushed them through Jin Ling’s hair. Then, he took one of the flowers he took earlier, cut a bit of the stem, and pushed it on the opposite side of the jewels. Then, he moved away, so Jin Ling could see the final result.
"What do you think?"
He looked at Jin Ling’s reaction through the mirror, once again seated behind him. His husband’s eyes widened and his lips parted in what he hoped was surprise, and a delicate blush appeared on the tip of his ears. After a few heartbeats of silence, ZiZhen asked again, shy.
"Do.. Do you like it? I… can certainly do something else if it’s not --"
"I love it!"
His quick, loud answer stunned ZiZhen before he smiled at him.
"I’m glad you do."
He then pointed to the ornaments in Jin Ling’s hair.
"I wanted you to have some gold. You belong to LanLing Jin too."
Jin Ling turned his head to look at ZiZhen, and extended a hesitant hand towards him. Before ZiZhen could extend his own, his husband retracted his and folded both of them on his lap, holding them tightly.
"Thank you… It’s beautiful."
ZiZhen nodded with a smile.
"My pleasure, he said with a low voice, his eyes briefly catching the sight of Jin Ling’s lips."
He quickly stood up and stretched his arms and legs to try and prevent himself from blushing, which failed. Once straightened up, he offered Jin Ling his hand to help him up.
"I believe Sect Leader Jiang will arrive in a few."
Jin Ling slowly took his hand and pulled himself up. ZiZhen closed his fingers around his husband’s hand and slowly passed his thumb over his palm. Jin Ling shivered and blushed before removing his hand, yet not before squeezing ZiZhen’s fingers.
"Yes, said Jin Ling softly, then, after a heartbeat, I’ll go first."
"Wait!"
As Jin Ling was about to turn around, ZiZhen gently caught him by the chin, under the pretense of checking his hair once again, but really admiring his husband’s features, their faces inches apart. Then, he smiled tenderly.
"You’re really beautiful."
Then, he let go of his chin and opened up the way for them to leave.