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Su Mucheng was watching her brother who was watching Ye Xiu who was watching the iron warily as if it were about to bite him. While Su Muqiu found it endlessly endearing when Ye Xiu stared blankly at household items like he’d never seen one before in his life, Su Mucheng was of the opinion that Ye Xiu should learn how to use them.
After Ye Xiu figured out how to wash dishes, Su Mucheng still despaired at that- how can someone reach fifteen and not know how to wash dishes- she decided that it was time for something a little more challenging.
Hence the iron.
And Ye Xiu’s decision to try and glare his clothes ironed.
“Why am I ironing my clothes?” Su Muqiu and Ye Xiu turned to stare at Su Mucheng who had thought this was exceedingly obvious.
“Because you broke five dishes washing up.” When both boys continued to stare at her blankly Su Mucheng rolled her eyes. “So you don’t ruin our clothes Ye Xiu.”
“Maybe this is a bad idea,” Su Muqiu pointed out as he switched the iron off and Su Mucheng supposed her brother was right, they didn’t exactly have the funds to replace any clothes that Ye Xiu destroyed. She cast an eye around their apartment to see if there were any other less dangerous domestic skills she could teach Ye Xiu and she spotted a basket of clean laundry.
“Ah!” She shoved the basket into Ye Xiu’s arms, which he nearly dropped, and smiled sweetly at him, knowing that both boys were slightly afraid of her when she smiled like that. “You can fold the clothes. They won’t burst into flames and they aren’t breakable. So, sit. Fold.” Ye Xiu sat himself on the floor, and began to stare at the basket and Su Mucheng sighed.
“We’re going out food shopping,” last time they sent Ye Xiu it took him four hours and he didn’t get half the items on the list, “just do your best.” The look Su Muqiu sent Ye Xiu as he spoke had Su Mucheng rolling her eyes and grabbing his arm to yank him out of the door before he got too distracted watching the sunlight dance in Ye Xiu’s hair or whatever it was he said last time.
“Do you think he’ll be okay?”
“He’s folding clothes Muqiu, if he can’t do that then he’s doomed from the beginning.”
“But what if he gets into trouble?” Fortunately Su Muqiu was capable of shopping even as he worried about what Ye Xiu could be getting up to alone with a basket of laundry. Su Mucheng hoped, for Ye Xiu’s sake, that he was folding, otherwise she’d have to lecture him and that also felt fruitless.
“If he can get into trouble with a laundry basket then he’ll never be safe and you should cut your losses.” Su Muqiu seemed scandalised by this even as they began loading the conveyor belt with their shopping and Su Mucheng continued. “Your boyfriend is going to be fine, you should relax.” Su Mucheng couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face at her brother’s half-hearted spluttering that Ye Xiu wasn’t his boyfriend, that they were just friends and nothing else.
She tuned out his words at this point as none of it was relevant, simply her brother offering up weak excuses for the album of photos she knew he had of Ye Xiu. Su Muqiu was still trying to muster a defence for his unsubtle staring at Ye Xiu whenever the other boy was busy with something else and Su Mucheng nodded along, knowing her brother would give up on the denial someday.
She pushed open the door to their apartment, abandoning the shopping on the counter, about to call out for Ye Xiu only to stop dead in her tracks at the sight in the living room.
Ye Xiu had apparently given up on the concept of folding the laundry in favour of napping with his head pillowed by the pile of washing. He seemed to be fast asleep, despite the sunlight shining on his face and Su Mucheng heard the click of a photo being taken, turning to see Su Muqiu flushing at the scrutiny.
“Ye Xiu!” He went from fast asleep to awake in a moment, blinking bleary eyes open until they landed on Su Mucheng and Ye Xiu offered an apologetic grin, trying to placate the younger girl.
“Ahh Mucheng, it wasn’t my fault that the clothes were so comfortable, I didn’t mean to fall asleep for so long, I folded some of them after all.”
“It doesn’t matter if you folded the clothes if you use them as your pillow.” Su Mucheng shook out one of her shirts for emphasis, frowning at the wrinkles in the fabric. “Look at this, I ironed this yesterday and it’s wrinkled again.”
“I’ll iron it Mucheng, Ye Xiu can help you unpack the shopping.” Su Muqiu swooped in to rescue his not-boyfriend from his younger sister’s wrath and Su Mucheng rolled her eyes at how whipped he brother was.
Ye Xiu stood from the floor, linking his arms over his head to stretch before heading into the kitchen, humming something under his breath as he went. Su Mucheng threw a cushion at her brother’s head, his attention having been caught by the thin strip of skin that had been exposed when Ye Xiu had stretched.
“Iron the clothes again.” Su Muqiu startled out of his gaze and met his younger sister’s gaze sheepishly, moving to fetch the iron. “Muqiu?” He turned back, question in his eyes, “ask him out before you injure yourself.” Before her brother could summon any kind of defence, Su Mucheng adjusted the clip in her hair and vanished into the kitchen, just in time to stop Ye Xiu from putting bananas in the fridge.
It was very easy for Su Mucheng to declare that he should ask Ye Xiu out but it was a task that had been eluding him for months. He didn’t think the fact that his sister had been reminding him that he needed to get this done was going to change anything. Then again, the force of Su Mucheng’s will was a powerful thing, Ye Xiu had learnt how to fold the laundry after all. She still hadn’t figured out how to get him to stop leaving his clothes in little piles around the house but his sister seemed willing to admit the little victories.
Su Muqiu found himself enjoying doing the ironing once Ye Xiu got the hang of folding. It was strangely soothing to hand the clothes off to Ye Xiu, the background noise of his sister in the kitchen filtering through, the atmosphere was calm and peaceful. They’d chatter back and forth about Glory, new mechanics being discovered every day, the potential for the game was huge. Ye Xiu was already dominating in the PVP arenas, making a name for himself while Su Muqiu couldn’t help but be enamoured with the equipment editor, often emerging with a new weapon to try out.
As a result, his win rate was nowhere near Ye Xiu’s, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, far too excited about designing weapons. And while Ye Xiu dedicated himself to learning the nuances of every class, Su Muqiu focused on the Gunner classes, learning every trick and tactic, determined to know them all inside out.
Su Mucheng was used to watching them discuss Glory wildly throughout every meal, she’d watch the way Ye Xiu’s gaze lingered on her brother’s lips, the way his eyes softened as Su Muqiu lit up with excitement, arms waving about eagerly. She also got to see how her brother’s mouth would curve up into a smile when Ye Xiu pushed a diagram over to him, pointing at…something, Su Mucheng wasn’t entirely sure what they were discussing but it made Su Muqiu nod vigorously, tracing over a different part, explaining his vision.
In fact, the only thing that frustrated Su Mucheng about the scene, was that every time their fingers brushed, their cheeks would flush and they’d look away. She wanted to smack their heads together, knocking their braincells loose and hopefully ensuring they’d confess to each other. She didn’t do any of this, keeping her eyes on her bowl and resentfully shoving noodles into her mouth.
“It was ridiculous to be subjected to such pining while she was trying to eat,” Su Mucheng thought to herself, pretending that she didn’t see Su Muqiu’s hand brush gently against Ye Xiu’s arm before jolting away, cheeks flushed. That she couldn’t see the way Ye Xiu moved to follow before seemingly realising what he was doing and pulling his arm back, neck flushed.
Su Mucheng wasn’t surprised when she finished eating long before the other two and she left her bowl for them to wash, remembering the last time Su Muqiu and Ye Xiu had been in the kitchen at the same time. She shuddered at the memory, her brother’s hands covering Ye Xiu’s carefully, guiding his hand, plastered against his back as he helped him chop the vegetables.
Su Mucheng had left the kitchen immediately, unwilling to watch the two sneak glances at each other when they thought the other wasn’t watching. It was merely another reason on the list for Su Mucheng to get the two of them together as soon as possible, before they died pining after each other or she killed them after one soppy look too many in front of her.
Also, her brother’s whining was getting annoying.
As if the gods had heard of her suffering, the perfect opportunity to do something about the pining fell into her lap only a few months later. Ye Xiu slipped into her room while Su Muqiu was busy with one of his betting circles, flopping onto her bed casually, the noise drawing her attention.
“What do you want?” Ye Xiu’s eyes widened, as if in mock offense, raising one hand to his chest as if her words had affected him physically.
“You think I’m coming in here because I want something from you? You don’t believe that I’m here to spend time with you? Just to enjoy your company? Mucheng you wound me.” When Su Mucheng remained unmoved by his protests Ye Xiu’s face broke into a slight grin, waving one hand in defeat. “Ahh so suspicious, I was just thinking about what to do for Muqiu for his birthday, you said that I’m not allowed to cook anymore and I wondered what I could do for him.”
“Kiss him.” Su Mucheng revelled at the sight of Ye Xiu’s composure being broken, choking on nothing for a moment before he regained control over himself.
“Ahh Mucheng you shouldn’t make jokes like that, my old heart can’t take it, what if I die of shock in front of you?” When Su Mucheng simply stared at him, Ye Xiu frowned slightly, “it is a joke right?”
“Why would it be a joke? You spend all your time staring at him and the last time he brushed against your hand you looked like you were dying on the spot.” Realising that Su Mucheng had picked up on his crush, Ye Xiu attempted a different tactic to persuade her that this was a bad idea.
“You’re so young, so innocent, unversed in how all this works, it’s okay, you’re far too young to know about this anyway-“
“Muqiu wants you to kiss him.” Ye Xiu’s eyes widened at that, genuine shock skittering across his features and Su Mucheng kept her gaze on him, refusing to look away and Ye Xiu’s mouth opened and shut a few times until he regained control of himself once more.
“Perhaps you need glasses, I can talk to Muqiu about getting you tested for glasses if you need them, after all, it’s important that you can see at all times-“
“Ye Xiu.” Su Mucheng noted smugly that Ye Xiu’s mouth snapped shut when she spoke like that and she glanced up from her embroidery to reinforce her point. “My brother wants to kiss you. He comes and lies on my bed and complains about how pretty you are for hours and talks about how when you’re focused on Glory, he finds it difficult to keep his concentration because he keeps glancing over at you.” Ye Xiu blinked at her a few times before nodding, wandering out of the room in a slight daze.
Su Mucheng wondered briefly if the conversation had been too much for him, that she’d overloaded his brain by speaking so bluntly. She then shook her head dismissing the thought, Ye Xiu was able to accept and process almost any information offered to him and would likely be fine after a few moments. Once she was certain she hadn’t broken her brother’s crush, she turned back to her sewing, this dress was going to be her best yet.
Ye Xiu, true to Su Mucheng’s assessment was fine, and was simply running over his interactions with Su Muqiu over in his head, trying to pick out any instances where the other boy had given any inkling towards liking him as more than a friend.
He remembered that time Su Muqiu had been preparing vegetables and he’d pressed against his back to reach a cupboard. Remembered how his friend had stiffened underneath him and how the back of his neck was flushed red when he’d stepped back. And then there was the time he’d been explaining a new tactic for going after a wild boss and had to repeat the whole thing because Su Muqiu hadn’t been listening.
His friend had claimed it had been because he’d been distracted by a new silver weapon he’d been designing but with the addition of Su Mucheng’s information, Su Muqiu’s flush suggested that he’d been distracted by something else.
With the new information Ye Xiu found he had a plan for Su Muqiu’s birthday, Su Mucheng’s suggestion was an excellent one after all, he thought to himself, sly smile making its way across his face, curving his lips.
Su Muqiu’s face lit up at the embroidery his sister had made for him, his revolvers carefully recreated with Evil Annihilation set behind the cross of his weapons and even though he could see the amusement in her eyes he was touched by how carefully crafted the gift was. He tugged his sister into a tight hug, holding her close for several long moments before they broke apart. And if their eyes were slightly wet neither of them acknowledged it.
Su Muqiu didn’t notice the look exchanged between his sister and Ye Xiu before Su Mucheng slipped out of the room, citing that she needed to check on something in the kitchen. Ye Xiu tapped his shoulder to catch his attention, a strange glint in his eyes and Su Muqiu inclined his head at his friend’s empty hands.
“Is your gift to me letting me win that match this morning? Is that why you patted me on the shoulder afterwards? Because you knew I hadn’t really won against you?” Ye Xiu’s smirk was sly, as if he knew something Su Muqiu didn’t and before he could react, Ye Xiu moved from his place on the sofa, straddling his lap with his hands braced against his shoulders.
Su Muqiu felt Ye Xiu carefully close his mouth but his eyes were still wide with shock, even as his friend acted as if this was a normal occurrence. His face was reminiscent of how he looked when something worked out perfectly in Glory, when every part of his plan fell perfectly in place and his opponents stepped into his trap and it snapped shut around them.
“You won that match fair and square, my present for you is something your sister suggested.” From the knowing look on Ye Xiu’s face, it seemed like Su Mucheng had lost her patience with waiting for Su Muqiu to act on his feelings and decided it was time to get involved.
“You know that she likes to tease, I think she got that off you, she was such a good girl before you came to live with us, now all she does is torment me, Ye Xiu you’ve corrupted her-“ Su Muqiu’s words were cut off by Ye Xiu pressing a finger to his lips, gaze raking over him appraisingly.
“She said I should kiss you.” Su Muqiu’s cheeks flushed red at that and Ye Xiu’s smirk only widened at the sight, “is she right? Or was she just teasing? Should I move?” Ye Xiu began to shift away and Su Muqiu grabbed at his waist before he could think it through and his friend grinned wider, settling himself down once more. “Would you like me to kiss you?” Su Muqiu just nodded, and his lips parted in a soft gasp as Ye Xiu leant down, catching him in a soft kiss, one hand cupping the back of his neck and tilting him to a better angle.
The kiss was slow and reverent, making everything around them feel as if it were moving in slow motion, as if time had come to a stop, letting them stretch out this moment for as long as they could. But everything came to an end eventually, and in this case it came to an end when they ran out of air and had to break apart.
Su Muqiu still made a soft sound of protest at the loss of Ye Xiu’s lips, making the other smirk down at him, nearly glowing with delight as he trailed elegant fingers through his hair.
“Aren’t you too shameless like this? I gave you your gift and you already want more? Ahh Muqiu did I corrupt your sister or was it you all along-?” Ye Xiu was cut off by Su Muqiu tugging him back down, willingly letting himself be pulled into another kiss, this one more passionate than the last, Su Muqiu’s hands fisted in the back of his shirt.
This time, they didn’t break apart because they ran out of air, they broke apart because Su Mucheng coughed to catch their attention. She surveyed them with narrowed eyes, somehow managing to make them feel like they’d been caught by their parents before her face broke out into a smug grin.
“I was right wasn’t I?” She didn’t bother waiting for an answer, “it’s time to eat, and you aren’t allowed to do this in public.” Ye Xiu slid off Su Muqiu’s lap, abandoning his new boyfriend in favour of escaping Su Mucheng’s disapproving gaze.
“You were right.” Su Muqiu mumbled, knowing what his sister was waiting for and she broke into a bright smile.
“I know.” Was all she said before she vanished into the kitchen, smugness still radiating off her and Su Muqiu knew she was going to hold this over his head for a long time. But then he thought of Ye Xiu’s mischievous smile, his sharp mind, his soft lips and if his sister mocking his obliviousness was the price he had to pay for finally getting together with his friend?
Well, that was a price Su Muqiu was willing to pay over and over again.