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With eight centuries by himself, plagued with terrible luck, you would think Xie Lian had got the hang of mending his own clothes.
You would be wrong.
"Thank you San Lang, you really are good at that," Xie Lian watched as he sewed up the rather big tear Xie Lian had managed to get on his last mission. The robe was old, and honestly not great quality. It probably would've been easier to just throw it out for scrap fabric. But Xie Lian had had that robe for quite a few years now and though it looked exactly like several other robes he owned, he still really was quite fond of it.
"It just takes a bit of practice."
Xie Lian shook his head. "Somehow I always make my clothes worse when I try to mend them."
"Then it's a good thing gege has me." Hua Cheng's fingers deftly stitched up the tear, testing it twice before nodding and handing it back. "There you go gege."
Xie Lian took back his robes, thanking his husband with a kiss before tossing it in the laundry basin with the rest of their clothes. He may not be able to mend, but he could still wash!
"Does gege want help with that?"
"San Lang, you can't just do all the chores."
"Why not?" Hua Cheng slid in behind him, hands sneaking around his waist as his chin propped up on Xie Lian's shoulder. "Gege deserves a rest, he was just on a long mission."
"I came back yesterday." He had opted to spend the entire first day back cuddling his husband. A day well spent if you asked him.
"Won't gege let this one help?"
Xie Lian snuck a kiss. "San Lang can bring me the bedding and hang everything to dry."
Appeased, Hua Cheng moved to go grab the rest of the laundry.
Xie Lian had never minded labor like this, even back when he was a prince. Still, there was a special kind of joy in little things like laundry now that he got to see the bright red of his husband's robes as he scrubbed and tumbled the wash.
Setting their bedding to the side, Hua Cheng moved to start taking the finished robes, the two of them easily falling into a rhythm. They had lots of practice after all.
Xie Lian had just about finished up scrubbing down their sheets when he felt a kiss to the back of his neck. He felt a giddy rush of adoration run through him. Hua Cheng seemed to have a habit of kissing him there whenever Xie Lian put all his hair up, and it was perhaps for that reason he put it up every time they did chores and waited with the eagerness of a child with their first crush to see when Hua Cheng would kiss him.
He really did love his husband so much it was overwhelming sometimes.
Xie Lian rung out the bedding and passed it over, enjoying the blissful sight of their linens hanging out to dry in the sun, proof of their life together.
"What's gege thinking about?" Hua Cheng came back over to sit next to him, an arm slipping around his waist as if it was meant to be there. (Xie Lian thought it was.)
"Your robes aren't that much bigger than mine." Xie Lian's eyes had caught on the fluttering of their outer robes right next to each other.
"They aren't," Hua Cheng confirmed.
"They always feel so long on me when I steal your clothes."
"Gege, that's because you wear them without shoes," Hua Cheng laughed, kissing his cheek.
Xie Lian's eyes slipped down to Hua Cheng's legs. Normal boots today. He usually wore normal boots in his Xiao Hua form though, so that wasn't any surprise. "It isn't just because San Lang is taller?"
"The robes I'm wearing now would probably fit gege fine. If you want to wear those ones you'll have to borrow my shoes though."
Xie Lian thought about it. "Can I?"
"Gege really wants to?"
"En. San Lang's outfits always look so good on him."
Hua Cheng's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Should I wear gege's clothes too?"
Xie Lian pictured his husband in his white cultivator robes, a very proper look to him. He was nodding before he finished the thought.
"Will gege let me give him my jewelry too?"
"Alright. But San Lang has to be in his other form when he wears my clothes."
Hua Cheng shifted into his true form, fondness curling his lips. "Like this?"
"En. We can change as soon as they dry."
Raising his brows Hua Cheng looked over at their laundry fluttering in the wind. "Gege, we can just dry them in a moment if you want."
"Ah, that's right." Xie Lian had the tendency to forget what spiritual energy could do for them.
"Gege might have to give me some spiritual power to do it though," Hua Cheng tempted, as if he wasn't the one between the two of them with uncomfortable amounts of energy.
But Xie Lian knew what his husband wanted and he wasn’t against getting another kiss, so he easily gave in.
It didn't take long for Hua Cheng to dry their robes and bring them over, the two of them teleporting over to Paradise Manor and leaving the rest of their laundry to dry in the sun.
"San Lang first," Xie Lian insisted, taking off his boots so his husband could really have the full effect.
It didn’t take long at all for Hua Cheng to dress.
Xie Lian had been right. Hua Cheng looked very good in white, though the robes were clearly just a bit short on him, it wasn't so much as to take away from his handsomeness.
Making full use of the new outfit, Hua Cheng gave a turn to let Xie Lian take in the full effect. "Does gege like it?"
"San Lang really is handsome in everything. Let me do your hair like mine."
Grinning, Hua Cheng knelt down to give him better leverage as Xie Lian pulled out his hair ribbon and tied it in Hua Cheng's hair.
"Ruoye, go visit San Lang," Xie Lian prompted, pleased as the ribbon flitted out from his sleeves to make itself at home snuggled against Hua Cheng’s tattoo.
"Oh am I playing gege now? Much ashamed, I'm not as handsome."
"San Lang looks handsome in everything," Xie Lian argued.
Chuckling, Hua Cheng stood up to steal a kiss. "Gege's turn."
Xie Lian nodded, letting his husband dress him in red. It wasn't unmanageably long on him, but it was very clear the hem would drag a bit in the mud with their height difference.
"Gege can lean on me for balance while he gets into the shoes, they can be a bit difficult to walk in at first."
Xie Lian grabbed his shoulder for support, letting his husband guide his feet into the boots and lace them up.
Hua Cheng had been correct. They did feel odd on him. Xie Lian had never seen heels like this before he'd met Hua Cheng, and he knew the boots to be a design of Hua Cheng's own invention that often put his already ridiculous height even taller. It was different to stand in them though. To feel them running up mid calf, chains and charms jingling off it.
"San Lang, I'm taller than you!" Xie Lian gasped as they both stood to their full height. It wasn't a huge difference, less than their usual height difference actually, but it was still very obvious to him when they stood so close like this.
“Should this one make himself shorter more often?” Hua Cheng smiled, amused by how novel he seemed to find it.
Xie Lian couldn’t help but frown. He happened to like his tall husband. “There’s no reason for San Lang to do that.”
Shaking his head, Hua Cheng stole another kiss. "Wait a moment, gege needs jewelry too.”
He lifted Xie Lian’s hair to the side to slide on one of his heavy collars before clamping on his vambraces. There was a certain weight to Hua Cheng's full outfit, the silver no small burden.
Xie Lian found he rather liked it. "How do I look?"
"Beautiful. Gege should just keep the clothes for himself."
Laughing, Xie Lian leaned in to thank him with a kiss. "San Lang, oh!"
Hua Cheng's hands darted out to steady him. "Is gege alright?"
"I'm fine, I just didn't expect the boots to feel like this. You can let go, I won't fall."
Hua Cheng obliged, clearly ready to dart in as soon as Xie Lian showed any signs of needing help.
He didn't though. After a couple steps, he got the hang of where to place his weight with the tall platforms and slender heel. "San Lang wears these outside?"
Xie Lian recalled some of the missions they'd done with his husband wearing such boots. It wasn't impossible, Xie Lian was getting the hang of it quickly, well practiced in training to make use of even less to balance with. Still, given the choice, Xie Lian wouldn't think to choose to do regular battles in these.
"Does gege dislike them?"
"I like them on you," Xie Lian admitted, almost thoughtlessly. "San Lang walks more fluidly when he wears them and they make him so much taller its like he could crush everyone."
Hua Cheng grinned. "Is that so? Is that how gege feels wearing them?"
"No, it feels sort of like a training." Which really only proved his point that Hua Cheng was more handsome in every way. Xie Lian truly did get lucky having such a handsome husband. "Your robes are comfortable though."
Pleased with the compliments and the sight of both of them in each other's robes, Hua Cheng pulled him in to nuzzle at him sweetly. "I forgot how much I like you in red."
"Do you want to try on our wedding robes next?" Xie Lian whispered, as if the very idea was one of mischief.
And with Hua Cheng's smile, you would've thought he really was getting away with something. "I'll go get them."