Work Text:
Afternoon was beginning to dip into dusk, splashing the skies in orange and pink hues over the small, remote village. Clouds donning pink crowns gently danced across the canvas of mellow colors, and with the sun slowly beginning to recede into the horizon, it made for a magnificent painting. The hustle and bustle of the day was beginning to settle. Children playing out on the dirt paths and pastures were beginning to be called back inside, the smell of freshly cooked food wafting in the air, and the local shops were beginning to close up.
Among those shops was a simple wine shop, smelling of a faint, enticing sweetness. The last vestiges of sunlight streamed through the window, casting an amber glow inside of the room and there was the sound of quiet singing and the soft clinking of jars coming in contact with others while being placed on a shelf. Not that it wasn’t already peaceful within their little shop, but with closing time came this familiar sense of tranquility and joy. There was something about the small moments of privacy like this as Xiao Yu’an sang songs of unknown origins while calculating their sales for the day and Yan Heqing restocked the shelves or swept the floors, a soft smile tugged upon his lips.
“You can have your gold statues and hearty meals
I’ll stick to bread and splintered log bridges
For my beloved is by me
365 days each of pure bliss~”
Xiao Yu’an feels the small weight of a chin on his shoulder and strong arms gently snaking around his waist from behind. Enveloped in a comforting warmth, the young man’s smile widened and he turned his head to place a gentle kiss on his husband’s temple before twisting around fully to face him. Their noses lightly brushed each other, breaths mingling together, and eyes never breaking contact as they found solace in each other’s arms. Their previous tasks were easily forgotten as they were swept off into their own little world of singing lovebirds and the sweet smell of wine.
This was the part in movies where romantic music would begin to play on a record player and the couple would begin to dance, displaying their affection with expert moves and synchronization, performing all kinds of lifts, dips, and twirls.
This was none of that. There was only the sound of their heartbeats, beating in harmony and setting a rhythm that they happily swayed to. Guided by their emotions, they didn’t perform anything extravagant or calculated, moving as they pleased. It was simply just shuffling around in each other’s embrace, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Yan Heqing reached over, handing cupping his husband's face, thumb lightly brushing over that endearing beauty mark of his. In turn, Xiao Yuan also began to play with his beloved’s hair, fingers twirling endlessly in those long, silky tresses. Foreheads bumped together, hurting just a bit, but they only laughed, their voices meshing like a beautiful song.
They danced and danced, cast in an ethereal amber glow, and continued even when nothing but the soft rays of the moon reached out in slivers to wrap around them, barely illuminating their faces. They danced until their feet ached and their stomach growled, finally retiring upstairs, walking hand-in-hand.
Each set of 365 days would be filled with pure bliss indeed.