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The first time Xie Lian had offered was half a joke. Hua Cheng had finished brushing Xie Lian’s hair and was happily curled up against him, slender fingers gliding through Xie Lian’s locks much easier now that the knots had been taken care of.
Hua Cheng’s own hair was still delightfully tustled, a particularly nasty knot of hair fluffing up where it laid on the pillow, likely caused by Xie Lian’s own hands earlier.
“San Lang always makes sure my hair looks so nice after he ruins it, perhaps I should do the same.”
Hua Cheng blinked at him like a lazy cat. “Oh? I think gege has styled my hair quite nicely though?” A smirk played on his lips, teasing and happy.
“San Lang,” Xie Lian puffed out a small laugh. “Though I guess a braid done by me probably wouldn’t look much better.”
Something sparkled in Hua Cheng’s eyes, less teasing, more excited. “Gege was thinking of braiding it?”
Xie Lian lips quirked in a smile. “Would my San Lang like that? I’m not as practiced at them as you are.”
“En,” Hua Cheng leaned forward a bit to rest their foreheads together, noses brushing affectionately. “This one would like that very much.”
Giving his husband a quick kiss, Xie Lian sat up, waiting for Hua Cheng to get into position before moving to brush out his husband’s hair with his fingers. Realizing he’d once again fallen into his old habit, he sighed. It was one thing to forget and brush his own hair like that, but to forget for Hua Cheng immediately after his husband had just used said comb for him felt a bit embarrassing. “Sorry, I’ll grab the comb. I always forget we have one now.”
Hua Cheng caught his wrist, looking back at him. “I liked what gege was doing, there’s no need for the comb.”
“Are you sure?”
Hua Cheng nodded. “Unless gege prefers the comb.”
“Which one do you prefer?”
“Your hands,” Hua Cheng answered without hesitation.
Smiling fondly, Xie Lian took back his hand and returned to working through Hua Cheng’s hair with his fingers. He had to be more careful when doing this for someone else. Usually when brushing his own hair, there was no need for care or being gentle unless the knots were especially bad. But he didn’t want to tug too much at Hua Cheng’s hair, especially when he took so much care to prevent Xie Lian’s from being yanked.
Detangling knots, time consuming as it may have been, wasn't difficult, and Xie Lian found his rhythm fairly easy. He carefully undid the larger knots, working with a focus and gentleness he would never use on himself. He loved the way his husband’s hair felt running through his fingers. Occasionally his fingers lightly brushed against Hua Cheng’s back, prompting a small noise of contentment, though Xie Lian knew the featherlight touches couldn’t have felt like much.
Still, he made a point to let his hand brush the cool surface of Hua Cheng’s back more. Fingers glided through the now mostly smooth hair as three fingertips trailed down the expanse of Hua Cheng’s back, middle finger tracing his spine. Hua Cheng let out a happy sigh, tension releasing from his shoulders.
Xie Lian made a point to exaggerate his movements as he separated the hair into three sections, fingers sweeping across Hua Cheng’s shoulder as he tucked the hair there for a moment, then repeated it on the other side. Unable to help himself, he kissed each of the exposed shoulder blades, laughing when his husband let out a pleased little hum.
“Gege should do my hair more often,” his voice was a low rumble, dripping with the lazy fondness of a cat who’d spent the day sunning and it went straight to Xie Lian’s heart, lighting him up pleasantly. He wondered if this was how Hua Cheng felt brushing Xie Lian’s hair.
“Let’s see how I do on the actual braid first,” Xie Lian smiled, focusing his attention now on pleating the strands together.
It was a simple task really, weaving three sections together, yet Xie Lian felt sure he was doing it wrong. When he finally finished he sighed.
This looked nothing like the braids Hua Cheng did on him or wore himself. It was too loose in most sections but oddly tight in others. Clearly there were areas where Xie Lian had switched the pleating pattern and created odd effects. As he feared, he wasn’t suited to such tasks, and had made Hua Cheng’s hair worse.
“I’ll undo it.”
“No,” Hua Cheng pulled it over his shoulder to protect it from Xie Lian. “I like it like this, gege did perfectly.”
“San Lang,” Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Clearly it wasn’t anything close to perfect, but Hua Cheng had grabbed the mirror and was preening as if he was truly wearing an incredible style. Well. It was incredible in a way.
He had insisted on wearing it the entire next day and Xie Lian had only managed to avoid the embarrassment of his terrible work being seen by tempting his husband into a day of cuddling which, in hindsight, might have been Hua Cheng’s goal all along.
Since then Xie Lian practiced just as dutifully as he made Hua Cheng practice calligraphy. The problem was, unlike calligraphy where Hua Cheng could practice copying verses repeatedly, once Xie Lian styled the hair, Hua Cheng would refuse to undo it for at least a day unless Xie Lian managed to bribe him.
Hua Cheng’s… unique hairstyles became the talk of Ghost City for a time, with some ghosts actively trying to replicate the shitty attempts at braids. Truly, Xie Lian thought, handsome men could look handsome in anything.
But how could he not think his husband looked radiant, even with those failed braids clashing with his cutting fashion? He practically shone with pride and happiness when he wore Xie Lian’s styles. And he wore it with such confidence it really was hard for anyone to say anything bad about it.
He’d thought about refusing to do more braids on Hua Cheng until he practiced more, but how could he stop when Hua Cheng posed in the mirror with more interest than he’d ever shown in himself, beaming like that? And how could he refuse to do more when Hua Cheng’s head fell against his hands, lips touching palms and eye looking up with so much love that Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat and breath stopped?
He was weak to his husband after all, hopelessly in love and ready to spoil him rotten just to chase that smile. He could find the strength to refuse Hua Cheng’s more unreasonable requests or scold him at times, but for this? For something so innocent that made him so clearly happy? How could Xie Lian do anything but try again and again until slowly the braids Hua Cheng wore looked presentable again.
His husband was spoiled and had become greedy with it, but Xie Lian was greedy too. Which was why he now found himself with white flowers strewn across the altar they sat on, combing his fingers through Hua Cheng’s hair with a new idea.
“Why don’t I braid flowers in this time?”
Hua Cheng looked back, surprised. “But I brought those for you.”
Xie Lian hummed in agreement. “And since they’re for me aren't I free to use them as I please? I think I’ll be able to enjoy them more seeing my lovely San Lang wearing them.”
Hua Cheng flushed happily under the praise, almost shy and Xie Lian felt his heart squeeze at how cute his husband could be.
“If that would please, his highness.”
“Would it please my husband?”
Hua Cheng nodded. “Very much.”
Xie Lian leaned forward to hug him from behind, smile widening as Hua Cheng’s hands came up to rest over his on his stomach. They stayed like that a few moments, happy to bask in this scene until, finally, Xie Lian kissed his cheek and pulled back to start on the braid.
Carefully he wove little white blossoms into every cross. It wasn’t perfect by a long shot, the blossoms could’ve been better placed, but the braid itself was fine and even messy as they were, the sight of those familiar flowers in his San Lang’s hair made his heart flutter.
“It’s done.”
Hua Cheng summoned up a mirror, as had become habit, happily admiring the handiwork as he leaned back against Xie Lian’s chest.
Suddenly, he looked up with a serious expression. “But gege, now my offerings are gone. I’ll have to find something new to offer.”
Xie Lian already could guess where this joke was going, but played along. “Oh? What will my San Lang find to offer on such short notice?”
“Myself, of course. I’ll be his highness’ flower.”
“Hm.” Xie Lian kissed his scarred eye, it was the easiest spot to reach. “But isn’t San Lang already mine?”
“Yes,” the words were a purr and Hua Cheng practically shook with pride, so clearly adoring Xie Lian’s possessiveness. There was so much love there. Enough devotion to make even the most beloved of gods weep. And yet he was all Xie Lian’s. Only Xie Lian’s.
“You know, I’m San Lang’s too.” Xie Lian added, because he couldn’t help himself.
The smile that rewarded him left him sure he’d made the right choice saying it. Hua Cheng shifted in his arms to face him, so happy and in love and his and they were each other’s and that was enough. It was more than enough.
“I promise to take very good care of gege.”
“En. And I’ll take good care of my San Lang too.” Xie Lian tried to kiss him, but neither of them could stop smiling long enough to kiss properly, too filled up in laughter and love that it tore at their seams and remade them anew.
Tomorrow Xie Lian would find a scroll on various hairstyles and learn more complex things for his husband. Tomorrow he’d pick up more trinkets and accessories to decorate Hua Cheng’s beautiful raven hair. And tomorrow he’d get much too cocky and start another era of failed attempts at styling his husband’s hair that would once again start up terrible new trends in Ghost City.
But much later, Hua Cheng’s hair would be styled elegantly to match each of his outfits and silver jewelry. And much later Xie Lian would do his husband’s hair every morning just as proud to see him go out in it as Hua Cheng was to wear it. And much later Hua Cheng would let him unravel failed attempts because he knew Xie Lian would replace it with something they could both be happy with.
And today. Today Xie Lian would simply enjoy this moment with his love.