Work Text:
Since meeting Xie Lian, Hua Cheng had fantasized about a future where they would share their lives together as an elderly couple.
And surely the Hua Cheng from two years ago would be shocked to know that his secret crush now lives with him and will soon be his husband.
When Xie Lian timidly suggested that they could live together, given that they already spent most days at each other's houses, making things easier, the poor lovesick Hua Cheng could have ascended to heaven.
And it was as if nothing had changed. Although now Hua Cheng could selfishly have all of his gege's free time to himself and could sleep every day while gazing at his beautiful face...
Well, most days, actually. Being an independent artist, being able to work from home and still have a great income was something Hua Cheng knew he was lucky to have. He controlled his own schedule and the dates of his projects, and that may have led to some bad habits... like his bedtime being almost always near dawn.
He couldn't count how many times Xie Lian had scolded him about his harmful sleep routine, but Hua Cheng didn't do it on purpose!
Working to achieve the perfect result, Hua Cheng lost track of time, and before he knew it, it was past 4 in the morning...
And the open arms of his gege, ready to embrace him, among those soft and comfortable blankets, seemed to torture Hua Cheng's unstable mind... he just needed to finish this and that to feel the warmth of his future husband.
But on one eventful night for the artist, he actually managed to feel satisfied enough with a piece of work, and at a time when there were still two hours until Xie Lian would wake up for work!
His poor Gege, from Monday to Friday, always waking up at 6 in the morning to prepare for his job as a gardener and owner of a flower shop in the city center. And still insisting on walking, always saying that "a morning walk is great." Perhaps Hua Cheng was really not so healthy...
Walking softly through the apartment's corridors, from his studio to the bedroom he shared with his beloved, Hua Cheng instantly smiled upon seeing Xie Lian peacefully resting under the covers, his long strands of hair scattered around.
His heart ached a little when he saw the other's arm slightly extended forward, where Hua Cheng should have been lying.
A desire to punch himself to death possessed the artist. Was he really leaving his Gege alone when he could be embracing him with all his love?!
He wasted no time approaching the bed and silently slipping between the covers next to Xie Lian, mentally cursing at the sound of the bed creaking and the other stirring a bit from the noise.
Soon, arms wrapped around him, and Xie Lian's head was nestled against his neck, murmuring sleepy sentences that Hua Cheng couldn't quite distinguish.
"San Lang..." he called him by the name only he called him, "...please don't tell me," he yawned, "you're going to bed just now..." Hua Cheng could have died right there.
He quickly enveloped Xie Lian in a cozy and comforting embrace, running one hand through the brown strands, "Gege... please forgive this San Lang," he pleaded in a whisper, hearing a mumble from the sleepy Xie Lian in response. Xie Lian opened his slightly swollen eyes from sleep just enough for Hua Cheng to admire the beauty of those two golden irises that could hypnotize him forever.
"Please, start regulating your sleep better..." Xie Lian spoke with his low, slurred voice, but clearer than ever in Hua Cheng's ears, who wasted no time in giving a quick kiss to his beloved's lips and holding him more tightly in his arms. Xie Lian quickly fell back asleep as gentle hands caressed his hair.
Hua Cheng would definitely find a way to adjust his routine, all so he could spend hours like this with the love of his life.
Xie Lian woke up three minutes before his alarm went off, his body already knowing exactly when he should get up.
And there was no better way to wake up than being surrounded by the arms of his fiancé, who was fast asleep while embracing him like a plush toy.
It was rare for Xie Lian to wake up with a soundly sleeping Hua Cheng by his side, instead of him being awake and waiting for Xie Lian to wake up or working on his art.
Xie Lian's heart was melting, and getting up became a more difficult task than anything else. To untangle himself from such a serene San Lang and leave him lying there alone felt like a crime. And indeed, it should be.
With a chaste kiss on the other's forehead, Xie Lian hurried to get ready for work until he felt a hand grab his wrist and gently pull him back into bed.
Hua Cheng gazed at him with his one eye half-opened from sleep but filled with love, his voice soft and low as he spoke, "Love... just five more minutes, please..."
...And how could Xie Lian deny such a sweet and sincere request?! His body automatically lay back beside his beloved, the other's arms quickly enveloping him once again.
Xie Lian could afford to be a little late, couldn't he? He mentally noted that while urgently working on a new sleep routine for his San Lang.