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Sui Zhou looked at the inn room with its single bed. He doubted that Tang Fan had done this on purpose, given the fact that Sui Zhou didn't have a great track record with having a sleeping companion. It was better of late, but that was just with Tang Fan, who had figured out how to exist in Sui Zhou's space in a way that was grounding, as well as how to wake Sui Zhou up without triggering the part of him that never left the battlefield.
Wang Zhi brushed around him and offered a thoughtful, "Hm."
"I'll sleep on the floor," Sui Zhou offered. It wouldn't be that bad, there was a little mat even. He had slept on far worse. It was more open too, not like a packed tent or ground with bodies around him-
"Suit yourself," Wang Zhi said, and moved further in, inspecting things. Probably noting ways that the room could be entered, ways it could be escaped. Sui Zhou had already noted them himself out of old habit, but there was something reassuring to know that someone else had taken the time. "We're only here for one night, correct?"
"Unless something goes wrong," Sui Zhou said as he set down his bag.
"Ah, in that case, I’ll plan for three evenings, knowing the sort of trouble that will no doubt be uncovered," Wang Zhi said, a half-smile on his face. He sat on the edge of the bed. "Do you really think this is the last room, or is the innkeeper just annoyed and messing with us?"
Sui Zhou frowned, before realizing that Wang Zhi was trying to joke. He was getting better at reading Wang Zhi, though it still could be hard. But when Sui Zhou remembered he had been raised within palace politics, the little signs were there to catch.
"Is it nice?" Tang Fan appeared, eating something. Sui Zhou didn't even bother wondering where he had found the time to purchase food.
"The view is, we'll be able to observe much of the main town," Wang Zhi reported. "Sui Zhou's sleeping on the floor though."
"Why's that- oh," Tang Fan looked from where Sui Zhou was leaning by the window to where Wang Zhi was sitting on the only bed. "That's not fair."
"Apparently your negotiation skills were lacking," Wang Zhi said flatly.
"You want to get us rooms next time then?" Tang Fan asked, moving further in. "At least no one else came with us for this mission, it would be cramped." He tossed a look at Wang Zhi that had Sui Zhou covering a smile. "Unless some bodyguard of yours is hidden somewhere?"
Wang Zhi shook his head. "We're undercover, remember?" He gestured to his plain robes in emphasis.
Sui Zhou had dressed in his simple navy, finding not being in uniform a bit of a relief. It had been one boring, long case after another in the capital of late. Maybe that’s why they all jumped on the opportunity to collect information elsewhere. Even with issues of the sleeping situation, this was going to be a refreshing change.
He was clearly not the only one to think so. “Leave your bags, and let’s go!” Tang Fan said, tossing his own into a corner. “We have a lot of ground to cover.”
Somewhere in all of this, Wang Zhi had managed to negotiate another mattress be added to the room and Sui Zhou happily settled easily into sleep that evening, having spent much of the day reading documents at the local governor's office. He was woken some hours later by a repeated poke on his arm. It wasn't like anything that reminded him of war and it took him a moment to fully wake up as he blearily blinked at the outline of someone sitting beside him.
"Wang Zhi?" he asked, keeping his voice low. The room was still dark and Wang Zhi didn't seem concerned about anything (or have his little gun out) so Sui Zhou let himself relax.
"I want to sleep on the floor." Wang Zhi whispered.
Sui Zhou squinted at him for a long moment before it clicked. He sat up and sure enough, Tang Fan had managed to spread out across the whole bed, kicking off Wang Zhi. "You can just move him, he won't wake up," Sui Zhou advised.
"No, he has too many sharp parts, it's not worth it." Wang Zhi nudged Sui Zhou's shoulder with his hand. His hair was down, falling around his face, and left him looking much less intimidating than usual. "You can deal with him."
Sui Zhou was perfectly comfortable where he was and Wang Zhi wasn't wrong, Tang Fan did have very sharp elbows, though Sui Zhou didn’t really mind. The real issue was this bed was a good deal smaller than the one they shared at home, and it made Sui Zhou feel a little trapped just thinking about it. He shrugged and said, "No."
Wang Zhi frowned in the dim light. He didn't ask any more questions though, seeming to chew on Sui Zhou's answer before deciding, "Alright, move over then, I'll just join you."
The mattress was about the same size as the bed but was not up against a wall. Sui Zhou could also continue to sleep facing the door. Deciding this was acceptable and the quickest way for him to get back to sleep, he shifted over.
He felt as Wang Zhi moved and settled at his back, maintaining space between them. After a moment of still and quiet, Wang Zhi muttered a "thank you," and Sui Zhou couldn't help a smile as he drifted back to sleep.
Sui Zhou woke up to the morning sun streaming through the window and a comforting warmth against his back. He or Wang Zhi must have moved a bit in the night, though they both had otherwise kept still and to their side. Sui Zhou carefully moved to sit up, but Wang Zhi startled awake despite his care.
"It's alright," Sui Zhou murmured, resting a hand briefly on his shoulder to try and ground him. Sui Zhou knew the look on Wang Zhi's face, had seen it in the mirror before the reality and safety settled back in place.
Once it did, Wang Zhi, frowned, lay back down, and tugged the blanket over his head. Sui Zhou decided that meant he wanted to either be left alone or sleep more and set up getting ready for the day. This reaction made it clear as to why he hadn’t wanted to deal with Tang Fan - if Sui Zhou carefully moving was enough to wake Wang Zhi, it would be near impossible to deal with Tang Fan’s sleeping habits. Not without being used to them, at least.
Glancing over at the bed, Sui Zhou saw that Tang Fan seemed to have managed to flip all the way around in his sleep, his head where his feet had been. With a quiet chuckle, Sui Zhou attempted to wake him by rubbing his shoulder.
Tang Fan blinked up through his sleep mussed hair, before smiling. Sui Zhou loved all Tang Fan's smiles, but these sleepy morning ones were among his favorites. "Morning," Tang Fan yawned, sitting up. He then seemed confused. "I thought Wang Zhi was up with me."
"You kicked him out," Sui Zhou reported, knowing his voice was thick with amusement.
"Oh." Tang Fan looked at the lump of blanket on the floor. "That’s rather rude of me."
"Mhm," Sui Zhou turned to begin dressing for the day. "Who wants to get breakfast?"
Tang Fan bounded out of bed and followed suit. "There’s a place I noticed last night! We should try it." He rummaged around in his bag, pasting Sui Zhou a comb and accepting the washcloth handed in trade.
Wang Zhi asked, voice slightly muffled, "The one with the good tea I pointed out?"
"Yes," Tang Fan grinned.
Sui Zhou looked back and watched as Wang Zhi sighed and got up. As he passed Sui Zhou, Sui Zhou asked, "Are you okay?"
Wang Zhi blinked back in surprise, before waving him off, moving to the other side of the room. He often seemed surprised by little signs of kindness. "Fine."
Tang Fan followed him. "You'll have to let me make it up to you, for kicking you out."
"Yes, you owe me," Wang Zhi agreed. "And not anything that costs money, because I know it's Sui Zhou's."
"How about you both decide once we finish the case," Sui Zhou pointed out. "Or at least eat breakfast."
"Alright, but I'm holding him to it," Wang Zhi said.
"I have no doubt."
As they left to start their day, Sui Zhou couldn’t help but take note of how easily Wang Zhi had fit in with their morning routine. But that was another item to be dealt with once they were done.