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Yin Yu rose with the sun. Despite his title as the “waning moon officer”, he followed the daylight. He pried He Xuan’s arms off, and headed for the kitchen. Hua Cheng had turned paradise manor from a place of residence into a home. The rooms had gone from sparkling clean and sterile to full of trinkets and warmth.
Even though none of them really needed to eat, Yin Yu enjoyed cooking. He needed to focus all his attention on what he was doing, and couldn’t let his mind wander too far.
Xie Lian wandered in. “G’morning.”
“Good morning, Your Highness.” Yin Yu smiled.
“What’re you making?”
“Steamed buns.”
“Oh! Can I help?”
“Please don’t, Your Highness.”
Xie Lian didn’t look too devastated.
“You don’t have to call me that; I haven’t been a prince for years.”
Xie Lian took a seat at the table. He fiddled with the edge of the tablecloth. Silver butterflies embroidered into black silk.
Hua Cheng slipped into the room. “Gege, good morning.”
“Good morning San Lang!” Xie Lian quickly kissed him on the cheek.
The butterflies on the tablecloth fluttered to life. They situated themselves in Xie Lian’s hair, flapping their wings softly. He laughed quietly as Hua Cheng pulled him into his arms.
Yin Yu had finished wrapping the buns, and was putting them into the steamer. He shut the lid on the pot, and set a talisman that would light up in half an incense time.
“Hmfh.” He Xuan buried his face in Yin Yu’s shoulder from behind, hugging his waist.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Mhm.” He Xuan looked up. “What are you making?”
“Steamed buns. Don’t worry, this pot is for us,” Yin Yu pointed to a second one. “That’s for you.”
He Xuan rubbed his eyes, still dazed from waking up not long ago. “M’kay.” He buried his face in the crook of Yin Yu’s neck again.
“A-Xuan, you have to let me go. Unless you want your breakfast to burn?”
“…Fine.” He released his hold. He Xuan moved to sit at the table, across from Hua Cheng.
Xie Lian smiled at the other calamity. Hua Cheng nodded - as close to a smile as He Xuan would receive.
Yin Yu brought four plates to the table. Three with a couple buns, and another stacked high. He Xuan eyed the second plate Yin Yu’s hands. He was like a child looking at his dessert - tempted to grab it and start eating, but afraid he would be scolded for being impatient.
Hua Cheng chuckled when He Xuan began to eat like a tiger with a fresh kill. Xie Lian bit into a bun, the meat’s flavor perfectly complimenting the dough’s texture.
“A-Yu, these are really good!”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Yin Yu faintly smiled at the compliment.
Xie Lian gave up trying to refuse the honorific. He finished the bun quickly before collecting everyone’s plates. After Xie Lian washed the dishes, the four moved back to their room.
Yin Yu pulled a book off the large shelf, and tossed another towards He Xuan. It was the same book, the two would read separately and then talk about it together. Hua Cheng sat at the end of the bed, and Xie Lian arranged himself behind the red ghost. He Xuan sat down, back against the headboard, and Yin Yu laid his head in his lap.
Xie Lian picked a comb up. “San Lang, how do you want your hair?”
“However gege wishes,” Hua Cheng responded. He winced when Xie Lian hit a particularly nasty knot, but made no noise.
“A simple braid it is.” Xie Lian started to partition Hua Cheng’s hair. While weaving the strands together, he embedded red beads. Each bead was slightly see through and shone with the sunlight. Even if Hua Cheng just tossed them around haphazardly, they were most likely priceless gems; spinel, garnet, zircon. Xie Lian tied his hair off with a red string, forming a little bow. He found it quite cute.
Hua Cheng turned to the two reading once Xie Lian let him move.
“How’s the book going?”
He Xuan looked up, “As good as a romance can get.”
“Mn, I assume it was A-Yu’s pick?”
“Correct.”
Yin Yu lightly swatted He Xuan’s arm. Xie Lian pulled Hua Cheng to lay down, and the four lay in a pile like that for hours. After living for hundreds of years, after going through so much chaos, it was nice to bask in the presence of their loved ones and relax. Meaningless conversations instead of war plans. Only when the sun started to set did they rise.
None of them felt like cooking, not even Yin Yu. Instead, they made their way to the baths. Steam rose from the water, the smell of soap filling the air. He Xuan carefully undid Hua Cheng’s hair, and Yin Yu set the beads aside. They slipped into the water. It didn’t take long for Xie Lian to flick water at He Xuan, who retaliated by sending a small wave back. From there, they were tossing increasingly larger amounts of water at each other, when Hua Cheng and Yin Yu joined in. Laughter mixed with steam in the air.
“San Lang!”
“Yes, Ge-” He felt a large bucket of cold water drop from above. “A-HEI!”
“Yes, Hong’er? Something wrong?” He Xuan teased.
Yin Yu and Xie Lian laughed as the ghost kings started to fight. But there was no malice in their kicks, no intent to hurt in the soft punches thrown. Xie Lian got out first, and Yin Yu followed. They threw thin inner robes on after drying off, and headed back to their room to wait for the others.
“A-Yu, can I brush your hair?”
“I don’t see why not.” Yin Yu sat in front of Xie Lian. The brush ran through his hair, and Xie Lian continued even when it was no longer tangled. Yin Yu hummed as it scraped against his scalp, alleviating a pain he didn’t know was there.
The ghost kings stumbled in, still dripping. He Xuan flicked his hand and the water evaporated. Once they were properly dressed, Hua Cheng sent a couple butterflies to retrieve his brush. Once he ran it through his hair, he passed it to He Xuan. He Xuan haphazardly brushed his hair, before tossing it to the side.
“Are you ready to sleep?” Xie Lian asked.
“Mhm.”
“Yep.”
Yin Yu had already situated himself on the far right of the bed. He Xuan crawled in next to him, and pulled him close. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng lay on the left side of the bed, tangled together. Slowly, they drifted off to sleep, another day spent together and infinitely more to come.