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Xie Lian tugged at his husband’s braid, loosening the ribbon before combing his fingers up the plaits.
Hua Cheng tilted his head back, patient while Xie Lian undid his hair for bed. Having been done up for hours, his usually straight hair took on a slight wavy quality, making it appear more full. The sight, though not uncommon since Xie Lian began braiding his husband’s hair, earned curious hands trailing through the locks, settling them a bit more.
Turning to face Xie Lian, Hua Cheng easily tugged out his husband’s much more simple style, smiling as Xie Lian reached up to kiss his widow’s peak.
“Ready for bed?” Hua Cheng asked, lowering his head so his god could reach where he pleased.
“En,” Xie Lian yawned, pulling back to shuck off his outer robes and his boots.
Hua Cheng waved off his own easily, not one for the ritual of dealing with his layers, especially given the fact he tended to wear more elaborate styles than Xie Lian. As such, he settled into bed first, watching as Xie Lian sent over Ruoye while he settled his clothes neatly to the side.
Ruoye, understanding the nighttime routines well by now, flitted over easily to nestle against Hua Cheng while they both waited for Xie Lian to finish pattering around.
When it came time to sleep, Xie Lian either joined them immediately or remembered a million little tasks he had to complete before he could come to bed. At first Hua Cheng had tried to help, but he’d long ago understood to just let his husband have his process.
Hua Cheng waited with Ruoye as Xie Lian rearranged their closet in some new, mostly similar order Hua Cheng only half understood. They waited as Xie Lian got distracted and started rifling through Hua Cheng’s clothes. It wasn’t an uncommon distraction and it always made Hua Cheng smile.
“Is there something in particular gege wants me to wear tomorrow?” He asked, knowing that tended to be the reason Xie Lian went through his outfits.
“Where do you keep your black clothes?”
“In the room I keep most of my outfits. That wardrobe just has what I usually wear. Does gege want me to wear black tomorrow?”
“En, it’s been awhile,” Xie Lian pattered back over, starting to climb into bed with him before stopping and turning around.
“I’ll show gege my black clothes in the morning, where are you going?” Hua Cheng smiled, though he did not follow, content to watch.
“Where’s E’ming?” Xie Lian looked around the room, as if the scimitar was just hiding.
Hua Cheng summoned his sword with a small laugh, fondness overtaking him at the way Xie Lian lit up to see such a cursed device.
“It’s time for bed, E’ming,” Xie Lian explained, taking the happily trembling weapon and settling it down before coming to bed properly.
E’ming and Ruoye didn’t always share the bed with them, though it was more common for Ruoye to wind up staying quietly curled around Xie Lian’s wrist and getting to spend the night like that. But when Xie Lian remembered he tended to like to tuck their weapons in like they were beloved pets instead of memories of painful pasts.
Hua Cheng didn’t mind. He loved indulging his husband and he had to admit it made him… happy to see Xie Lian care for E’ming. Yet another example of how Xie Lian accepted every part of him.
“Oh, San Lang, you forgot your eyepatch.”
He hadn’t, he just liked when Xie Lian took it off for him. He knew Xie Lian knew as much, though they still did this dance almost every night.
“Ah, this husband is so tired, will gege take it off for me?”
And, loving and obliging as ever, Xie Lian did. Usually he took it off when he did Hua Cheng’s hair but the braid had been loose at the top today so the strap hadn’t gotten in the way.
Hua Cheng closed his good eye as Xie Lian traced along the impression left by the eyepatch, his touch soft and sweet.
“Tomorrow let’s go to Ghost City, I heard new stalls have been opening up.”
“Gege wants to do some shopping?” He teased.
“I’m not sure Ghost City has the sorts of things I’m interested in buying, but it never hurts to see what they’re up to.”
“Gege’s interested in buying something?” It was rare Xie Lian took an interest in material objects and Hua Cheng was always quick to acquire them for him when it came up.
Xie Lian laughed. “Nothing in particular, I just meant generally.”
Hua Cheng hummed. “Well gege is bound to get many offerings anyways.”
Xie Lian shook his head. “They really don’t have to do that every time we go out. San Lang said they don’t do that when it’s just him, I really don’t understand…”
Smiling, Hua Cheng reached out to take his hand. “They like you.”
“San Lang is their lord, shouldn’t they like you more?”
“They like me enough, they just know I don’t accept that junk.”
“I don’t either,” Xie Lian pointed out.
“But gege is Ghost City’s god. It wouldn’t do for them to neglect their worship,” Hua Cheng teased, throwing an arm around his husband’s waist.
“I’m not their god,” he rolled his eyes and nestled closer. It was not a new debate.
“And yet gege’s temple is the only one in Ghost City.”
“A temple none of them can enter,” Xie Lian fired back, as he always did.
“This one has offered to build a temple they can use and gege has routinely rejected the idea.”
“I don’t need them praying to me,” Xie Lian nuzzled him.
“Because this devoted believer is enough for your highness?” Hua Cheng asked coyly.
Xie Lian rolled on top of him, acting as if he was thinking very hard about it. “No, I'm just very particular about who can worship me. Only very rich people can afford to worship me,” Xie Lian joked, as if the majority of his worship wasn’t done at small, homemade shrines that often only had scraps for offerings.
“It’s a good thing I’m rich then. Does gege require his worshippers to be handsome too?”
“San Lang is fishing for compliments again.”
“Did I catch any?” Hua Cheng raised a brow.
Laughing, Xie Lian rewarded him with a kiss. “Yes. San Lang is very handsome.”
“As your highness deserves,” Hua Cheng murmured, closing his eye and letting Xie Lian rain kisses across his face.
Xie Lian pulled back with a smile, sliding back off of him to lay down properly, though they were still tangled up together. “I’ll cook breakfast tomorrow too, I don’t want to have to find a stall with human food.” Which was funny considering Xie Lian’s food could hardly be considered as such, but of course Hua Cheng was never one to argue against getting to taste his beloved’s cooking.
“Alright. Goodnight gege.”
“Goodnight, San Lang,” Xie Lian smiled, settling down for good.