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Xinyan tucks her phone into her pocket once the car pulls to a stop outside the house, “hey, thank’s for the ride.”
“Of course, always a pleasure,” the driver rubs their eyes, tired from driving so late but still glad to have gotten their charge home safe, “Lady Ningguang has already taken care of payment. Want me to get your bags?”
“Nah, I got it!” Xinyan leaned forward and rested a hand on their shoulder, “get yourself home to bed.”
“That’s the plan, miss!”
Once she’s gathered her things from the back, Xinyan steps up onto the curb to watch the car pull away, waving as the SUV disappears into the night. It disappears into the darkness under a sea of stars that have yet to be drowned out in polluting light. The house behind her is warm and inviting, soft yellow light pouring out through the windows, but she lingers in the dark for a moment to soak up the silence. The two-story home she shares with Xiangling and Barabara is a little… Suburban for her tastes. Over time she has come to love its white walls, open concept kitchen, and extra rooms, only once the walls were filled with pictures, the kitchen was lined with every spice imaginable, and the extra space was filled with cat toys. Now she could say it was home, without a doubt in her mind.
A home where Jueyun Chili chicken and Jade Parcels were waiting for her.
She picks her bag up from the curb beside her and retreats towards the warmth and safety of the house. A wall of heat washes over her as she keys the front door open, hoisting her suitcase inside with a huff.
The sound of claws on hardwood greets her before voices do as Gouba skids around the corner in his enthusiasm to greet her. She kneels to meet the Newfoundland before he tries to jump into her arms, her back too sore from sitting on a plane to fully hold the weight of the dog.
“Hey, bud!” She ruffles the soft fur around his neck, keeping her face safely out of slobber range, “did you miss me?” He barks once in agreement and then scampers off, either to fetch his owner or a toy, and Xinyan begins to undo the laces of her boots. The house smells like rice and chilis and she can hear the sound of something frying as Xiangling yells a greeting.
“I’d come to say hi but I have to watch the chicken!”
“That’s fine!” Xinyan calls back, getting one boot off and starting on the next. By the time she’s gotten both feet free, she hears footsteps thundering towards her.
She stands back up in time to catch Barbara as the idol flings herself into her girlfriend’s arms, “welcome home!”
Xinyan returns the embrace eagerly, comforted by the feeling of the girl in her arms and the familiar smell of her sweet flower perfume, “thanks, darlin’! I missed you.”
Barbara leans back enough to press a quick kiss to her lips before speaking again, voice growly from a day of singing, “just in time for dinner too! Come on, I’ll make you some tea!” She grabs Xinyan’s hands and drags her towards the kitchen. The rock star allows herself to be tugged along, welcoming the warm lights of the room and the familiar sight of Xiangling bent over a frying pan.
When Barbara releases her to refill the kettle, Xinyan slips over to the stove to steal a kiss from Xiangling, darting away fast enough that she’s not encroaching on the chef’s space. Xiangling gives her a quick smile before turning her attention back to the hot oil, not wanting the chicken to burn.
“How was your last concert?” Barbara asks, slipping into a seat beside Xinyan at the island. She rests her chin in her hands, waiting patiently for the answer.
Xiangling perks up, casting the words over one shoulder, “I saw a few clips! and someone live tweeting about it! It looked like people were having a lot of fun!”
“Yeah, it was a great time!” Xinyan cards a hand slowly through her hair, careful not to catch her nails in her curls, “the energy in the room was on fire! And I got so many nice fans that came up to get signatures after the show, they all looked so cool in their concert get-ups!”
Barbara sighs dreamily, a sound made even more angelic by the loose waves of blonde hair framing her face, “I wish I could come to one of your concerts as a fan, it sounds so fun.”
“You’d stick out, babe!” Xiangling laughs, taking the chicken off the heat and plating it in one smooth motion, “the sweet little idol girl trying to match Xinyan’s rocking vocals in a sea of spikes and leather.”
“Hey!” Barbara pouts, crossing her arms to put up the perfect front of looking offended, “I can be punk!”
Xiangling reaches up to turn to fan off, plunging the room into a degree of quiet they had all forgotten existed where their voices echoed in the space, “it is kinda a shame you guys can’t really go to eachothers concerts. I guess thats the price of fame, huh?”
The room falls into a comfortable quiet after that as Xiangling begins to dish out food and Barbara gets up to make three cups of tea. Xinyan leans back in her chair, arms crossed over her head in an attempt to stretch out the sore muscles of her lower back. After so many years, she hardly feels the weight of her guitar around her shoulders, but a full day of concerts and flights took a toll.
The world was still in the dark about the relationship between all three of them, partially out of a want for privacy and partially because everyone loved the idea of rival artists. Thinking that Mondstats sparkling idol and Liyue’s top rock and roll artist were secretly trying to out do one another brought in a lot of publicity, so the two women and their agents decided that for now it needed to stay on the down low. Of course, the longer this went on the more it soured on Xinyan’s tongue. She wanted to be able to talk about her girlfriend -- girlfriends, in interviews and to dedicate songs to them during her performances.
Xiangling slides a plate to her, the smell of delicious food drawing Xinyan back to the moment, “here you go, honey!”
Xinyan accepts the plate and tea with excitement, “thanks, darling, it looks delicious!” Xiangling beams, happy to be complimented despite knowing that it will taste good. She often said she didn’t care about praise, but both Xinyan and Barbara knew that it delighted her when they appreciated her cooking.
“I know that Rosaria and Ningguang have a good reason to say that we shouldn’t make our relationship public,” Barbara starts, popping a piece of chicken into her mouth and talking around it in the messy way she did when away from prying eyes, “but I’m getting tired of it, and I’ve almost slipped up a few times.”
“Same here,” Xinyan stops herself from devouring a jade parcel mid-sentence, “as much as I don’t want people prying into our lives it’d be nice to not have to dance around things like we do. Like I wanna be able to post about our cat but I don’t want the poor thing to have to lead a double life.”
“Poor Chilli,” Xiangling coos, reaching down to scratch Gouba behind the ears as the dog tries to beg for a bite of chicken. “It is sad that when you guys both come to Wanmin but have to pretend you came separately. It’s hard to dote on both of you when you’re on opposite sides of the shop. Then when you guys do go public I’ll look like a homewrecker!”
She sounds so comically dismayed that they all dissolve into laughter. Xinyan is glad that they can still find humor in the situation. With how complicated things were, she had been afraid that the chef wouldn’t want to be with either of them anymore but Xiangling hadn’t even batted an eye at the hoops the three women had to jump through. No matter what happened, no matter how many late nights and stressful writing sessions she witnessed, Xiangling was always there with a delicious meal, kind advice and a warm smile.
Xinyan sets her chopsticks down and throws her arms around the woman’s shoulders, peppering her cheeks with kisses. The woman giggles, trying half-heartedly to squirm free as Xinyan buries her in affection. When she does manage to worm her way free, wiping at the chili oil Xinyan’s lips left on her cheek with a smile, she is quickly captured from the otherside by Barbara. The idol is merciless in her love, almost knocking Xiangling out of her seat with the force of her kisses.
“I’m under attack!” Xiangling laughs, “Gouba, get them!” Gouba barked once and wove around the chairs to put his paws up on Xinyan’s lap.
She ruffled his face, “what a good guard dog, so scary!” She peppers Gouba’s face with a couple of kisses too, then leans back to scrub the dog hair from her mouth, “blech, bad idea!”
Barbara releases Xiangling and sits back with a smug smile, glad to have succeeded in their affection ambush. The chef’s face is flushed and her hair askew but the smile on her face seems stretched to its limits.
A realization washes over her and her face lights up even more, “I have an idea! Ms. Ningguang and Ms. Rosaria said you have to keep your relationship on the down-low but what if we get something subtle for all three of us to wear? I’d have to wear mine on a chain but we could get rings!”
Barbara considers it quickly, running over the things her manager had told her when it came to hiding relationships, “I think that would work! As long as it’s nothing too obvious!” She abandons her dinner to reach out and grab both of their hands, “promise rings would be so cute!”
Xinyan is more than onboard with the idea. She can see herself on stage, noting the glint of a ring as she sings and knowing that Barbara and Xiangling are always with her.
“Let’s look right now!” She gets up from her stool and runs for her bag, digging her laptop out. She runs it back to them and squeezes in between Barbara and Xiangling to set it up. Xiangling tugs Xinyan into her lap so she can sit while pulling up a couple of websites, the smaller woman wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist to hold her close.
They browse rings for a long time, dinner mostly abandoned in the pursuit of jewelry that all three of them liked. Most of the rings boring by their standards, simple thin bands with gems or hearts on them. All three wanted something exciting, something unique to share in secret while the rest of the world was kept in the dark.
Eventually they settle on three different rings with similar patterns: a thick black band with a topaz, ruby and sapphire design for Xinyan, a set of rings with different musical notes in red, blue, and orange for Barbara, and a study, simple ring with their initials that Xiangling could put on a chain.
Once they’ve ordered, the three of them put their leftovers away and retreat to their room, tired from the excitement. They fall asleep quickly, three bodies in contact with a kitten and a dog beside them, dreaming of rings to share.