Work Text:
Together
She feels the weight of something across her and she knows it’s not the blanket. It’s Jiaxu’s arm and she feels it even more when he tugs her closer. Instinctively, Sang Zhi snuggles closer. It’s a cold Saturday morning and she is going to take full advantage of the warmth her husband is giving her.
That makes her smile, even in her sleep.
Husband.
He’s been that for nearly two whole weeks now and she can barely stop herself from grinning like a loon every time she hears it. It’s the first weekend back since their honeymoon, and she wants nothing to interrupt the solitude that has been just the two of them for the last couple of weeks. Of course, Jiaxu had tried to convince her to extend their stay, but she has her work and he has his, awaiting them. His company has become very successful over the years. Her job, much like the one she first has as an intern was going very well and while she might be sad that their honeymoon is over, she’s not to upset about going back to work either.
“I like it when you smile like that,” she hears him mumble into her hair.
She blushes because his voice is deep and riddled with sleep and it still does things to her. So, she hides her face into the crook of his neck, hitching her cold feet up onto his thigh. He hisses in surprise and she giggles.
“What should we do today?” she asks.
“Hhm, we could stay here …” he teases.
She pulls back slightly and chuckles when she sees the flirty little smile on his lips. “Tempting, but it’s our first weekend.”
He frowns. “It’s not.”
He’s right of course. Their home is one that they’ve taken care to getting ready over the course of many months. Jiaxu for the most part has been staying in it. It was only recently that Sang Zhi moved most of her things into the empty drawers and filled her portion of their home. But over the course of those months, she’s stayed over of course. Not as often as either (or propriety) would have liked.
“It is. Now that we’re married. This is the first weekend we’re here, together and married,” she tells him.
“You’re right,” he agrees and Sang Zhi almost believes that he’s forgotten that fact if not for the way he’s struggling to hold back his smile. “We should find some way to celebrate that, don’t you think?”
Before she can say otherwise, Jiaxu shifts her so she’s beneath him and he’s kissing the space beneath her ear and all the way down her neck. She sighs contently and moves, melting into him effortlessly. Her hands reach up to anchor him to her and it falls down his back and she grazes the edge of his boxers.
For a moment she’s brought back to the first time she saw them. In his cupboard when she had to pick up clothes for him because he was sick in hospital. It’s an absurd random thought and it makes her laugh.
Surprised, he looks at her with a raised brow.
“Why are you laughing?” he asks in disbelief.
She wonders if her face is pink because of her stray thoughts or his attention. She thinks it might be the latter but she’s going to tease him over the former.
“Just thinking about the first time I saw these,” she says as her fingers dance over the edge of his boxers.
He raises a brow, a smirk already playing on his lips. “I believe that was in our first home together.” She shakes her head and he tips his to the side in thought. “It wasn’t?”
“No. Don’t you remember? When you got sick and I brought clothes for you to the hospital.”
Jiaxu visibly blushes which is all always a welcome sight to her. “I guess you’ve always liked them off me.”
She guffaws and smacks his arm. Jiaxu is quick to grab her fingers with one hand. He leans in a little more, the strain from holding him above her taking some effort now. Jiaxu intertwines their fingers before turning her hand over and placing a kiss over the wedding band that now joins her engagement ring. She’s still smiling when he takes their joined hands, placing it slightly higher up on their bed before kissing her. His other hand is pulling up the shirt (his shirt) that she is wearing and she’s helping him.
He swallows a throaty moan of hers and she knows they’llprobably make good on his idea of staying exactly where they are all day.
Only, a beat later, just as Jiaxu is tugging the shirt up a little more, a phone rings and they both freeze. She looks at him with wide eyes and he’s already shaking his head, leaning in to kiss her again.
“Ignore it,” he mumbles against her lips.
She chuckles. “I shouldn’t. It could be important.”
“It’s not,” he says and he’s almost got the shirt off when the call ends unanswered. “See? Not important.”
Sang Zhi is about to concede to that when it starts ringing again. She knows it’s better to answer it and deal with whatever interruption it is so she can go back to enjoying her time with her husband. He’s not seeing her logic though.
She tries to reach for the phone, even as he kisses her along her neck, making her heart jump a little. She’s barely got her fingers on the edges of the ringing phone when it’s pushed from her reach. His obvious height playing to his advantage here.
“Jiaxu! Don’t be naughty!” she playfully scolds.
He huffs. “How can it still be naughty? We’re married, Sang Zhi!”
She laughs, and pushes against him. He relents and she manages to grab her phone. Holding it up, to show him the caller ID.
Māmā.
He nods without complaint and flops back onto the bed.
"Wéi, māmā,” Sang Zhi answers. She still sounds a little breathless and hopes her mother of all people doesn’t notice.
They can both hear her mother’s enthusiastic response on the other end of the line. To be fair, she has not heard from her parents in a few days. She knows they are doing their best to respect the change that comes with her being married now.
Jiaxu places a kiss to her forehead and leaves her to catch up with her mother. Phone still to her ear, Sang Zhi watches as he pulls on a sweater and pants. He throws her another smile before leaving the room.
Sang Zhi finally joins into the conversation with nearly one hundred focus and manages to fill her mother in on everything she can.
“Why don’t you and Jiaxu join us for dinner tonight?” Her mother asks and Sang Zhi pauses long enough that her mother picks up on her hesitation. “Zhizhi?”
“Ah… māmā, well I think we wanted to stay in tonight,” She starts explaining. “It’s our first weekend at home.”
Her mother’s little laugh reassures her almost instantly. “I understand. It’s … important to celebrate all the little moments. But still you bàba and I haven’t seen you in a while.”
She knows her mother is right. They haven’t seen each other in a while. At least not since before they left for their honeymoon. She’s not sure what to say to appease her mother without feeling worse herself.
“Why don’t we have brunch, tomorrow?” her mother kindly offers. “You and Duan Jiaxu should join us for brunch tomorrow. Your brother will be here too. It will nice to have the whole family together.”
Sang Zhi beams at that. And not just because her mother understands her so well but because the idea of them all having a meal together like a family fills her heart with warmth. Its everything she wants Jiaxu to have.
“Zhizhi?”
“Hmm māmā,” Sang Zhi finally responds. “That sounds perfect!”
“Alright, see you two tomorrow!”
They bid each other goodbye and suddenly Sang Zhi is eager to re-join her husband; wherever he may be in their home.
She finds him in the kitchen, armed with an apron and spatula in hand. Not wanting to disturb him, she leans against the door frame, watching as he goes to work making what she believes is pancakes. It’s a treat for sure.
Jiaxu is the stronger cook between them but she has been working on her culinary skills. She likes cooking for him and spoiling him just as much as he does for her. She’s gotten better at it too. But if this is the sight she’s going to be treated to, she’s going to let him take the reins a lot more.
He’s flipping a pancake over when he catches sight of her and immediately holds out his hand for her to take. She goes all too easily. Closer up, she can smell the coffee waiting for her and sees the small stack of pancakes he’s already made. Without a word, he hands her a mug and she sips it contently.
“Zhizhi, I was thinking, maybe we should go see your parents today,” he says slowly.
Sang Zhi hides her smile behind her mug. Of course, he would have thought of that too. Sometimes his thoughtfulness leaves her completely astounded.
“Hmm, māmā had the same idea,” she tells him. Jiaxu only smiles but she knows he’ a little disappointed their day together is cut short. She doesn’t blame him. They’ve grown exceptionally - unapologetically greedy for each other.
“Oh?”
“Hmm she wanted to have dinner with us tonight, but I said no.”
He turns to her sharply. “Sang Zhi, you should go see your parents. I know you miss them as much as they miss you.”
She has to reach up a little to grasp his cheek in her hand. She likes the way he automatically leans into her touch.
“I know. And that’s why I told her we’d join them tomorrow. For brunch, with Sang Yan too.” She’s pleased to see Jiaxu smile a little more at that. “I thought we should spend our first weekend at home. Just the two of us.”
“I like the way you think,” he teases, leaning in to kiss her.
They can’t forget about the pancakes on the stove so eventually she lets him move away. He expertly flips it once more.
“Where are you going?” Jiaxu asks and she pauses in the middle of their kitchen.
“To help you,” she answers gesturing towards the fridge.
Jiaxu playfully pouts and shakes his head. Laughing she mocks his action but before she can have more fun with it, he grabs her around the waist, all but twirling her around.
“You better not turn it off this time. I’m starving,” she jokes.
He laughs, grasping her face in his hands. She can smell the sugar and sees the flour on his fingers. Jiaxu slowly walks her backwards without saying anything. She wants to ask what exactly his plan is but before she can, he hoists her up and places her on the empty countertop. Sang Zhi gives a small shriek of delight before she’s settled on the countertop. He takes advantage of her added height now and steps between her legs. They’re at the same eye level and she likes it nearly as much as when he leans down to her.
“Jiaxu,” she warns, quickly glancing to the stove.
“Let it burn,” he whispers. She opens her mouth to object but he doesn’t allow it, kissing her.
Let it burn, she thinks as he cages her in on the countertop. She loops her arms around his shoulders as her legs twist around his waist, dragging him closer. She matches his fervour easily and for a moment it’s so easy to forget the rest of the world exists.
He pulls away slowly at first, then leans back in to press another kiss to her lips. Sang Zhi takes a moment before she opens her eyes again, meeting his gaze head on.
He reached up to caress her cheek before he reluctantly steps away. They both turn their attention to the now very burnt pancake. Jiaxu laughs as he scrapes it off into the trash. They have plenty more perfectly good ones to eat.
For a moment it’s just them, in perfect harmony in their kitchen. Jiaxu hands her a bowl of strawberries and she nibbles on them from her perch on the counter.
“Your brother called while you were on the phone with your mother,” Jiaxu tells her as he finishes up the pancakes batter.
“I think he’s missing you,” Sang Zhi says.
“He’ll get sick of me soon enough, again.” Jiaxu waves her off. “Besides its not me he’s looking forward to seeing.”
“Well maybe we should think about making Sunday an official family brunch day?” Sang Zhi offers.
There is something about the way that Jiaxu smiles when she says that which makes her heart soar. Because while her family had accepted Jiaxu as part of their family long before their actual wedding, there is something so decidedly official about it now.
He turns down the stove and goes back to Sang Zhi. “I think that sounds like a really good idea.” Sang Zhi beams at this. Unexpectedly, Jiaxu goes a little serious, “Wǒ ài nǐ, Zhizhi.”
There is nothing more left to say so she tells him the only thing that matters. “Wǒ ài nǐ, Jiaxu.”