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“I hate you.”
Zong Jiu sat at the edge of the bed, pouting as he buried his face in No. 1’s stomach. No. 1 stood in front of him, a smile on his face. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” Zong Jiu said resolutely.
“Then let me go?”
“No.”
No. 1 laughed, threading his fingers into Zong Jiu’s hair, reaching over to cup his cheek. “Baobei, do you even hear what you’re saying?”
Zong Jiu shifted, pretending not to hear. However, his hold around No. 1’s waist became even tighter.
-
They had already been married for a while now, spending life with each other after leaving the infinite loop. Zong Jiu had slowly started reciprocating No. 1’s affections, even taking the initiative every once in a while.
The two of them had gone to a party earlier, and Zong Jiu had accidentally had too much to drink. Although it wasn’t apparent at first, No. 1 later saw Zong Jiu’s gaze become unfocused and his movements become slightly unsteady.
Out of the many days they had spent together, No. 1 had never seen Zong Jiu act like that before. A smile creeped onto his lips as he approached Zong Jiu from behind, moving to wrap his arm around Zong Jiu’s waist and pull him toward himself.
“What do you want?” Zong Jiu glared unhappily at No. 1, the liquid in the wine glass that was in his hands shaking with the movement.
For a moment, No. 1 almost thought that they had returned to the time before they got together, with Zong Jiu adamantly refusing No. 1’s pursuit. But then, Zong Jiu leaned his weight against No. 1’s body, his head tilting onto the other’s shoulder.
“Darling, are you… drunk?” Slight teasing crept into No. 1’s tone.
“I’m not,” Zong Jiu refused, but the flush from alcohol was apparent on his cheeks.
No. 1 used his fingers to massage Zong Jiu’s waist as he leaned down and gave him a quick kiss. “How much did you drink then?”
“Mm… a lot.”
Very quickly, No. 1 found out that Zong Jiu was much more talkative in this state than he was normally, and his words often didn’t line up with his actions.
“I’m not drunk,” Zong Jiu insisted again, attempting to glare at No. 1. However, his eyes were glittering slightly, and No. 1 could only think of a small cat that felt wrongly accused.
“Okay, okay,” No. 1 said as he swept Zong Jiu upward into a princess carry. “Let’s go home.”
“Home…?” Zong Jiu tilted his head, then buried his head into No. 1’s chest. “With you? No thanks.”
It wasn’t as if Zong Jiu’s words deterred No. 1; he manipulated the shadows and quickly had them return to their house, bypassing the gates without a sound. He removed his shoes at the door, Zong Jiu clumsily stepping out of his own before stumbling toward their room.
“Change clothes…” Zong Jiu frowned, his fingers fumbling with the jacket buttons as he attempted to take it off.
No. 1 watched Zong Jiu with a smile, absent-mindedly petting their cat on the head before getting a glass of water to drink before following him. How much did Zong Jiu even drink? His abilities were all reinforced; there was no way he could’ve gotten drunk that easily.
But… seeing Zong Jiu act like this was very cute. No. 1 didn’t know when, or even if, he’d be able to see this again, so he was definitely going to make the most out of every second.
No. 1 stepped into the room just as Zong Jiu went into the bathroom, the other shutting the door before noticing that No. 1 had come in. He glanced at the formal clothes messily strewn on the bed, unconsciously smiling. Zong Jiu was normally a person who kept everything neat and tidy — there was no way he’d just leave anything out like that. It really seemed that he became a different person when he got drunk.
When Zong Jiu stepped out, he was wearing a loose pair of shorts and one of No. 1’s shirts. Though the shirt wasn’t so big that Zong Jiu’s collars were exposed, Zong Jiu had, for some inexplicable reason, tucked in the shirt, so that it accentuated his waist, but the sleeves fell to his elbows. It really made him look small and cute.
“Feeling better?” No. 1 walked over, taking the towel out of Zong Jiu’s hands.
“Mm,” Zong Jiu looked at his empty hands for a moment before realizing where it had gone.
Looked like the shower didn’t really do much for his sobriety.
No. 1 had Zong Jiu sit down with his back facing the edge of the bed, then took the leisure to run his fingers through Zong Jiu’s hair as he helped the latter dry it. Zong Jiu obediently stayed still as he felt the warm air brush against his neck. He turned his body around to look at No. 1 when he heard the other turn the hairdryer off, loose white strands framing his face.
Before No. 1 could move away, Zong Jiu wrapped his arms around No. 1’s waist — and that conversation was what ensued.
“My dear, I’ll be right back, okay? I’ll just go put the hairdryer down.” No. 1 coaxed him gently, inwardly laughing. He was probably making up for the lack of coaxing in the past year or so in this very instant.
Very reluctantly, Zong Jiu let go. He really was too drunk; he still hadn’t regained control since the party. His body kept acting subconsciously, wanting to stay by No. 1’s side, but his brain was seemingly running backward, and he kept saying whatever came to his mind.
It wasn’t long before No. 1 returned as promised, wearing loose clothes that he could go to sleep in. “I’ve come back,” he said, standing in front of Zong Jiu, just as he did a few minutes earlier.
Wordlessly, Zong Jiu yanked No. 1’s arm, throwing him onto the bed and climbing over him. He placed his hands on either side of No. 1’s face, his hair caging him in like a moonlight-white waterfall. No. 1 was stunned for a second before he smiled and put one hand on Zong Jiu’s waist, the other on his cheek. He brushed over the soft skin with his thumb, looking at Zong Jiu with a fondness that he had never shown anyone else before.
“I hate you,” Zong Jiu said again, but he was pressing his face against No. 1’s hand like a cat seeking affection.
“Why is that, hm?”
“You’re annoying,” Zong Jiu huffed as No. 1 gently pinched Zong Jiu’s cheek.
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
Zong Jiu stared at him for a second, pink meeting gold. Then, he suddenly lowered his head, slotting his lips against No. 1’s. He roughly shoved his tongue past No. 1’s lips, No. 1 letting Zong Jiu do whatever he wanted to him. When they separated a while later, Zong Jiu’s breathing had become heavier.
“I’ll beat you up,” he said, slightly breathless.
No. 1 pressed down on Zong Jiu’s waist, the other collapsing on top of him, making No. 1 let out a breath of laughter. Their hair intertwined, black mixing with white. “I’ll be waiting for you then,” No. 1 kissed the tip of Zong Jiu’s nose.
While drunk, Zong Jiu’s actions had become much more honest. He shifted and buried his head in the crook of No. 1’s neck — it seemed that Zong Jiu really liked to press against No. 1 in this state, probably because he found No. 1’s presence to be comforting.
After nuzzling him for a moment, Zong Jiu started peppering kisses on No. 1’s shoulder, gentle and soft, nothing like the threats he had told No. 1 just a moment ago. “So annoying,” he muttered.
“Yes, yes, I’m annoying,” No. 1 ran his hands along Zong Jiu’s hair. “But you’re married to this annoying one.”
Zong Jiu hummed in response, shifting upward and pressing himself up to look at No. 1 again. “Married…” He echoed softly. “Ha.”
Before he could say any more, he rolled off of No. 1 and lay next to him, his eyes closed. It seemed that Zong Jiu was too tired, and wanted to sleep. No. 1 turned to look at him, using a finger to brush away the strands of hair that fell in front of Zong Jiu’s face.
For once, Zong Jiu actively shuffled closer to No. 1 and put an arm around the latter’s waist, wanting to draw himself closer. No. 1 felt an unprecedented rush of gentleness, bundling Zong Jiu up in his arms, silently manipulating the shadows to turn off the lights.
No. 1 had always thought he only found joy in chaos, betrayal, and the dark emotions of human hearts. But now… maybe this kind of feeling wasn’t too bad either. Though he still did prefer his sharp-edged little magician, taking care of a little stubborn drunk kitten that liked acting spoiled was nice every once in a while. (Zong Jiu would probably punch him if he could read No. 1’s thoughts.)
In the dead of night, Zong Jiu sighed softly, two words slipping past his lips. If No. 1 hadn’t been paying attention, he would’ve missed it. But he was so he heard it clearly. What Zong Jiu said was —
“Love you.”
-
The next morning, Zong Jiu woke up with a slight headache. It was only after he tried to move that he realized No. 1’s arms were around him. “Awake?” No. 1 opened his eyes, moving one of his hands to toy with Zong Jiu’s hair.
“Mm,” Zong Jiu looked away, attempting to remember the previous night’s events. “I didn’t do anything yesterday, right?”
Seeing Zong Jiu’s slightly panicked expression and hearing the suspicion in his voice, No. 1 chuckled, bringing the lock of hair to his lips. “How could you do anything to me, baobei? If anything, it would be me doing something to you.”
“Fuck off,” Zong Jiu pushed him away, getting out of bed.
The shirt had come untucked at some point last night, and the shirt reached a bit past his waist, swinging loosely as he walked to the bathroom. No. 1 propped himself with his palm on his cheek, looking at Zong Jiu from the bed. It seemed he was back to normal now… for some reason, No. 1 felt a sense of loss.
Zong Jiu then went into the kitchen without even a second glance at No. 1, wanting to make himself a cup of coffee. No. 1 lazily got out of bed, walking over and draping himself onto Zong Jiu, resting his chin on Zong Jiu’s shoulder as they waited for the water to boil. “Ah, my dear, why are you ignoring me now? You weren’t like this yesterday.”
For a second, Zong Jiu didn’t respond. Then, he turned to look at No. 1, using his index finger to tilt No. 1’s face upward, leaning down and giving him a kiss. “Is this better?” He asked, his voice completely deadpan.
A smile broke out on No. 1’s face as he quickly used his hand to make Zong Jiu stay in the same position, kissing him back a few times. “Don’t you remember what you did?” No. 1 teased as he backed away, seeing Zong Jiu’s lips slightly redder from his actions.
“I don’t,” Zong Jiu looked back at the coffee that had been dispensed into his cup.
“Oh?” No. 1 tugged Zong Jiu away from the counter before he could even take his coffee. “Let me tell you. You were desperately holding onto me, not letting me go-”
“Stop right there,” Zong Jiu batted No. 1’s hands away. “I don’t need you to say it.”
“But you don’t remember,” No. 1 said in a falsely innocent tone. “I just wanted to remind you.”
“Don’t need it, thanks.”
“My little magician,” No. 1 sighed, shaking his head. “Why are you so unwilling to listen? Is it because you actually remember?”
Zong Jiu looked at No. 1 before leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms. No. 1 chuckled, leaning forward and kissing him again. “You were really cute last night, darling,” No. 1 whispered.
“Shut up.”
“I’m just telling the truth,” No. 1 leaned down to trail kisses down Zong Jiu’s neck. “Tell me, is that your true nature?”
“What, wanting to beat you up?” Zong Jiu tilted his head just slightly to expose his neck a little more. “That’s something I want to do every day, for sure.”
“Hm?” No. 1 flicked his tongue out, licking a small patch of skin. “I’ve got something I want to do every day too.”
“What?” Zong Jiu narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
No. 1 looked up, his eyes gleaming. “You, of course.”
Zong Jiu resisted the urge to slap him. “So annoying.”
“Mm,” No. 1 straightened up to kiss him on the lips once more. “That’s what you said last night, too.”
Wordlessly, Zong Jiu kissed him back, attacking with an unexpected aggression. No. 1 stumbled two steps back before he steadied himself and Zong Jiu by using one hand to press against the counter and the other to hold Zong Jiu’s waist. He chuckled as Zong Jiu nipped at his lip, parting his lips and letting him take control.
When they separated, Zong Jiu glared at him. “I actually do remember,” he said, tonelessly. “Those last two words, too.”
Before No. 1 could respond, Zong Jiu stepped to the side and escaped No. 1’s hold, going to grab his cup of coffee before heading into the kitchen. No. 1 watched Zong Jiu’s retreating figure, then thought back to last night.
Standing alone in the kitchen, No. 1 broke into laughter, his voice echoing throughout the house.
“Baobei!” No. 1 called, striding out to see Zong Jiu put down his cup.
He pulled the other into his embrace, sliding his fingers into Zong Jiu’s hair, a stupid grin on his face. “I love you too.”
Zong Jiu huffed, closing his eyes as he rested his head on No. 1’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around No. 1’s waist. “Idiot.”
No. 1’s smile widened. Turns out, Zong Jiu was plenty cute even when not drunk. Marrying him was definitely the best decision he had ever made. Who knew what the future would bring; as long as Zong Jiu was with him, No. 1 would be able to face it all.
(Though, he really wanted to see Zong Jiu drunk again, even if it was just one more time.)