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“Li Xuan,” Wu Yuce’s voice was soft, not wanting to disturb the stillness of the air around them, but Li Xuan hadn’t reacted when he’d nudged his shoulder. His hair was loose and tickling at Wu Yuce’s neck and he gave in to the urge to run his fingers through the strands for a few moments before remembering that gently stroking Li Xuan’s head was counter-productive to his goal of waking him up and getting them both to bed.
He once again wondered why they ever watched tv in the main common room, considering Li Xuan fell asleep on him more often than he didn’t, but he suspected that his partner liked the domesticity of curling up on the well-worn sofa together. He would admit that it was more comfortable and convenient compared to trying to balance a tablet on their legs, but the caveat was that Wu Yuce often had to carefully coax Li Xuan off the sofa and back to bed.
If it were up to him, he wouldn’t mind occasionally dropping off on the sofa, but he knew that Li Xuan would never be comfortable after waking up in such a public space. He hummed as Li Xuan shifted, his face pressing into the crook of Wu Yuce’s neck and he smiled to himself, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead before returning to the task of waking Li Xuan up enough to get them both to a bedroom without waking him up to the point that he didn’t go back to sleep.
“Li Xuan you can’t sleep here all night.” His words seemed to rouse his partner a little, Li Xuan’s eyes slowly blinking open, still sleep heavy as he tried to process their surroundings.
“Too sleepy.” He offered back and Wu Yuce resigned himself to half carrying his partner back to his room, unable to fight down the smile as he tugged Li Xuan to his feet, only for his captain to sway into his space once more, head a familiar weight on his shoulder.
“The faster we move the sooner we get to lie down again.” Li Xuan batted at his shoulder weakly at the tease and Wu Yuce felt another surge of fondness at the action.
He loved Li Xuan, it was an undeniable fact in his life, one of the steady, rock-solid beliefs, and he loved him at every moment, whether he was standing before the team, giving his all in Glory or soft and sleepy at his side. But he had a weakness for soft and sleepy Li Xuan, a weakness for his partner when he was loose-limbed and content like this.
Li Xuan made a beeline for the bed once Wu Yuce got the door open, sprawling untidily across the mattress and seemingly tried to go back to sleep immediately. Wu Yuce found his lips curving up into a smile again and he gently coaxed Li Xuan into sitting up again, soothing his sleepy grumbles with a few kisses pressed against his skin.
The moment the brush touched his head Li Xuan seemed to go boneless, eyes fluttering closed as his shoulders loosened, the last of his tension seemingly melting away. He made a quiet sound in his throat and Wu Yuce brushed gentle fingers against his arm, acknowledgement and understanding clear between them.
Wu Yuce hummed as he worked, a song Su Mucheng had sent him being stuck in his head, chorus looping over and over. Half of him wondered if Happy’s captain had sent the song to torment him and the other half chided him, insisting that she was simply trying to broaden his music taste, that he himself had admitted was fairly limited. Another part of him pointed out that there was no evidence that the motivation behind the song couldn’t be both torment and a genuine recommendation.
Li Xuan seemed to be enjoying it at least.
The room was silent outside of Wu Yuce’s quiet humming and the soft sound of the brush running through Li Xuan’s hair. Wu Yuce let himself get lost in the motions, the regular repetitive movements were soothing, as was the familiar sensation of Li Xuan’s hair under his hands. He let himself indulge in the brushing, simply focusing on how the brush slipped through his partner’s hair, the rustle of the sheets and the near-silent noises that Li Xuan made as he lost himself in the routine as well.
Wu Yuce then turned his attention to braiding Li Xuan’s hair. His captain had protested at first, making the point that there was no need for him to spend so much time braiding his hair, that a simple plait was sufficient. Wu Yuce had tilted his head to the side, contemplating his words for a long moment before replying.
“But I want to.” His words had made Li Xuan’s cheeks turn pink and he’d ducked his head for a moment before meeting Wu Yuce’s eyes once more and agreeing to let Wu Yuce do what he wanted with his hair.
Wu Yuce found the motions of braiding meditative and relaxing. He’d once convinced Li Xuan to let him braid his hair over and over again, giving him something to do with his hands while Li Xuan had read aloud, his voice comforting. Wu Yuce braided often, meaning his movements were quick and deft, and Li Xuan’s hair was tied up fairly quickly, prompting Li Xuan to return to his sprawling, a thank you being muffled by his face in the sheets.
It was easy to manhandle Li Xuan until he was no longer hogging most of the bed, even if he protested the lack of sprawl space, he seemed placated when Wu Yuce tucked his arms around him securely and pressed a kiss to his forehead and cheek, Li Xuan wriggling until his face was resting comfortably on Wu Yuce’s shoulder, eyes fighting to stay open as he offered a sleepy smile.
“Love you, goodnight,” Li Xuan was seemingly asleep the moment he got out the words, breathing evening out and Wu Yuce brushed gentle fingers against his cheek before replying.
“Love you too,” the smile curving his lips was still there as he drifted off.