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Xiao Xingchen walked into the charitable mortuary and couldn’t help but immediately notice the dead silence in the house. He let the door click shut behind him as he took a few tentative steps forward. He set down his sword.
“Chengmei?” he asked slowly, walking further into the coffin house. Xiao Xingchen could distinctly hear that A-Qing wasn’t in the area. If she was home, she would have already flocked to him and began happily asking him for her candy of the day. He would have immediately scolded her for it as well. But he supposed that didn’t matter.
What did matter was that at the present moment, both his bold little blind friend and his daring cultivator were missing.
Xiao Xingchen counted his steps toward the table in the middle of the room and reached out around the table before he felt the chair. He clasped his hand around it and pulled it out, feeling and hearing the chair scrape loudly against the scuffed floor.
He sat down and decided that there was really nothing else for him to do but wait, as long as it would take, for his found family to return.
☽☆☾
Xiao Xingchen only had to wait about 3 incense times for the door to slam open.
“Daozhang!” A-Qing whined as she walked in, her bamboo pole clacking loudly against the floor. The Daozhang in question looked up and couldn’t keep the fond smile off of his face. He heard the tell-tale sound of his Chengmei knocking A-Qing’s walking stick to the floor.
Xiao Xingchen smiled and returned the hug he was pulled into by A-Qing as he scolded the other cultivator he lived with, “Chengmei, pick that up.”
This was nothing new, just a little song and dance the trio went through every few days. In short, Xiao Xingchen wasn’t surprised in the least as Chengmei scoffed, but did listen, and there was a gentle thud against the table.
“Thank you, Chengmei.” Xiao Xinchen said, smiling as he let A-Qing go. He stood up and leaned forward, thinking that Chengmei would be standing near. And, as always, his intuition was correct. One hand came forward to stop him from leaning too far and finally, his Chengmei spoke to him.
“I got a few bags of rice, some summer vegetables, and a new jug of water just as you wanted, Daozhang,” he said, putting a small coin pouch into Xiao Xingchen’s other hand.
Xiao Xingchen smiled, and he gently extracted his arm from Chengmei’s hold to cup his cheek, “Thank you, Chengmei.”
The pair of cultivators quickly pulled apart as A-Qing spoke.
“Daozhang, you should have seen that rotten guy! He was cutting down every price off all this by half or more!” A-Qing turned and made a spindly gesture with her hands. “He really knows his stuff! Those rude villagers tried to scam me cause I’mma blind little girl!”
Xiao Xingchen couldn’t help but laugh quietly as he took out the water jug and handed it to his Chengmei, who adamantly began arguing with A-Qing, “Hey, little blindie. Watch what you’re saying about me or I’ll stop helpin’ you out in the market.”
The sound of A-Qing stamping both her foot and her bamboo pole resounded throughout the charitable mortuary, but even her colorful words of annoyance couldn’t mask the sound of Chengmei going outside to wash the jug for his daozhang.
“Alright, that’s enough swearing for one day, A-Qing,” Xiao Xingchen said, digging a piece of candy out of his pocket. He handed over the wrapped sweet to A-Qing as he continued, “It was his idea to get you your own water jug, after all. Do try to be nice to Chengmei.”
A-Qing pouted so much that it became audible, and as soon as Chengmei walked back in, he quickly voiced his irritation at it.
“What’re you pouting for, little blindie? Your Daozhang spent his good money on something for you, and you’ve got the guts to pout? Remember when we first met? You sure I’m the ungrateful one?” Chengmei asked in quick succession. Xiao Xingchen heard the distinct noise of an object moving between people’s hands, as well as the knowing screech of annoyance that came with Chengmei ruffling A-Qing’s hair.
“Don’t mess up her hair, Chengmei, you’ll just have to fix it for her in the morning,” Xiao Xingchen said, his smile so broad that his happiness bled into his voice, “Now come help me fix dinner.”
Xiao Xingchen began feeling his way over to the small makeshift kitchen. He sat down, as composed as ever, in front of the small stovetop, putting down the bag of groceries next to him. Chengmei sat down across from him and pulled out a small pot before filling it with water from their shared jug.
Xiao Xingchen didn’t know when he first began to feel eerily soothed by the sound of cooking. It didn’t matter if it was the chopping of fruits or vegetables, the sound of food being served, or even the sound of soup boiling and steaming in a pot. What he did know is that this strange new found comfort came from none other than his Chengmei. Or at least Chengmei's cooking abilities.
Chengmei cooked because both Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing couldn’t. Even if they were normally spatially aware of their surroundings, neither was good enough to be able to cut and prepare meals very well. Chengmei also served the food for them at the table.
Xingchen could count dozens of quick bickering matches between A-Qing and the so-called “deviant who is shortchanging me on food!!” better known as...Chengmei.
She always claimed that Chengmei didn’t give her enough food, but after he inevitably gave in to her whining and served her another portion, she was never able to finish her food. But no matter how irritated the two got with each other, Xiao Xingchen always made certain that they both wished each other a good night.
A-Qing retired to her coffin, which Chengmei always says makes her seem like a walking corpse (A-Qing almost began beating him with her stick the first time… Chengmei claimed that if she had her vision back, she would have seen red). Then Chengmei and Xiao Xingchen retired to a different room for the night.
And tonight really was like almost every other one. After dinner was finished, Xiao Xingchen carefully picked up the plates, saved the leftovers in a small ice-cold pond around the back of the coffin house, and left the dishes to settle in water overnight.
He made sure A-Qing was comfortable in her little coffin bed, stopped another impeding fight between his Chengmei and the “little blindie” he enjoyed provoking so much, and ensured that they both said goodnight to each other.
“Chengmei?” Xiao Xingchen asked expectantly, waiting for him to begin.
“..goodnight little blindie. Make sure you don’t drop dead in that coffin,” he laughed, “Even though it really would be fitting.”
Xiao Xingchen laughed quietly and heard the small pieces of hay hit somewhere on Chengmei’s clothes.
“Yeah, yeah, goodnight, you filthy dog. And stop calling me a little blindie!! I’ll hit you with my stick again!”
“No violence,” Xiao Xingchen quickly interjected. “Goodnight, A-Qing. I will make sure to wake you in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Daozhang!” A-Qing chirped happily, getting comfortable under a small quilt blanket Xiao Xingchen had picked out for her and Chengmei bartered the price down for.
Xiao Xingchen and Chengmei then left, Chengmei taking the daozhang’s hand and helping him over to the room they shared. He only let go to strip himself of his shoes and his outer robes before plopping onto the bed.
“Daozhang, are you changing, or just removing your outer robes?” he asked, looking away from him in a surprising act of courtesy.
“I will only take off my outer robes tonight. I will change in the morning,” was the response that made Chengmei turn his head over to watch without hesitation.
Xiao Xingchen was taking off his boots when Chengmei spoke up again, “So, where is my sweet? I didn’t get one today, Daozhang.”
Once his boots were tidily put down near the door, Xiao XIngchen turned and smiled at Chengmei. He reached into his sleeve and retrieved a small piece of blue candy, wrapped in a lighter blue wrapping.
He opened it without thought and sat down next to Chengmei, who made a sound of confusion when the candy was pressed against his lips.Chengmei smiled then and bit down on the candy, just barely grazing his teeth on Xiao Xingchen’s finger and thumb. The daozhang previously mentioned immediately retracted his hand at that point.
Chengmei, however, seemed to have a different plan, and grabbed his hand. He moved the candy around in his mouth, making it clack loudly against his teeth before speaking, “Stay like this tonight, Daozhang, won’t you? Even when we sleep?”
Xiao Xingchen seemed frozen in place for a moment before he gently tightened his grip on Chengmei’s hand. “Alright,” he said quietly, “Then shall we lay down to sleep?”
Chengmei chuckled quietly, “I’ll blow out the candle,” he let go of Xingchen’s hand, “You lay down and get comfortable, Daozhang.”
Xiao Xingchen listened, and got comfortable on the straw lining the wooden bed. It had been there since him and A-Qing took up residence in the house, and even though he had insisted on creating another bed for Chengmei, it only devolved into a n argument. He had lost the argument.
Chengmei said that it would be a waste of their resources to craft another bed for him when he could just share with his Daozhang. And though he worried for Chengmei’s comfort, Xiao Xingchen couldn’t argue with the fact that they were already low on resources and couldn’t afford to lose any more.
Chengmei joined him shortly after and pulled a quilt over both of them, one he had paid for himself, much to A-Qing’s surprise. The two laid in silence for a while, something Xiao Xingchen had gotten used to between the two of them.
Xiao Xingchen had never been the one to break the silence, and he wasn’t surprised when Chengmei began talking to him, just like all their previous nights spent together.
“Don’tcha find it funny, Daozhang? We share everything and give all the things not to be shared to that little blindie. It’s like we’re her parents or something,” he said, turning on his side to face Xiao Xingchen.
Xiao Xingchen could only laugh quietly, “I suppose that could be taken for the truth.”
“You spoil that little girl so much, Daozhang,” Chengmei whined, resting his hand unabashedly on the daozhang’s chest.`
“And I also indulge you much more than I should,” was Xingchen’s response.
Chengmei only laughed as he shamelessly leaned closer to Xiao Xingchen and pressed his face into the crook of his neck.
“Chengmei..what brought this on tonight?” the daozhang asked, not really understanding why this closeness has become a more and more frequent thing. Although, what he found himself not understanding the most was why he enjoyed it and why he allowed it to continue.
“You haven’t noticed? ‘S getting cold, Daozhang. Good thing we got these blankets,” Chengmei said, still continuing to lean into Xiao Xingchen.
“Well then, with that logic, you should be warm enough with this blanket alone, should you not?” Xingchen countered quietly.
“Maybe you are the only warmth I need, Daozhang. It was warm even without this blanket. Surely you can understand that I’ve gotten accustomed?” Chengmei asked, his argument spilling out easily. He continued to lean into Xingchen comfortably and even went as far as to subtly let one of his legs fall between the daozhang’s.
What Chengmei certainly would not have been expecting was for Xiao Xingchen to place one arm around his shoulders gently and hold him there.
“Daozhang?” Chengmei asked in slight surprise.
“What is it?” was Xiao Xingchen’s mumbled response.
“Comfortable?” Chengmei teased, leaning into the arm wrapped around his shoulders.
Silence.
“How much must you adore me for you to get so sweet with me, Daozhang?”
More silence.
Chengmei shifted and raised his head enough to look at Xiao Xingchen. He looked peaceful and was still silent. Chengmei couldn’t help but get slightly concerned, and he moved his hand up to the daozhang’s throat, feeling around for his heartbeat. When he found it, he realized how even Xingchen’s breathing had gotten, as well as how his heart was beating steadily.
Chengmei laughed softly, “How comfortable you’ve gotten with me, Xiao Xingchen..” he mumbled, leaning back into his body.
He pressed a gentle kiss to Xingchen’s throat without thought before pulling away. He laid there frozen in shock, and when he tried to pull away completely, he wasn’t able to because of the arm securing him in place.
Chengmei resigned himself to his fate and laid back down next to the daozhang, although he was further away than before.
He shifted slightly and thought about how it all came to this. What about his revenge? What about him destroying Xiao Xingchen and his little blind kid??
Well, he supposed this was just a little detour. Certainly next month. Next month he would kill them. Definitely…
☽☆☾
When Xingchen woke up in the morning he smiled softly, immediately feeling the heavy weight of his Chengmei on top of him. He let one of his hands fall around Chengmei’s waist, and allowed himself to sleep in just a little longer.
They have the rest of their time together to get used to this.
The rest of their time together to wake up like this.
And Xiao Xingchen couldn’t help but look forward to it.