Work Text:
“Yuan?”
“In the garden!” you hear Yanqing’s voice call out, echoing through the door from the kitchen.
You pad barefoot through the house, sleepily rubbing your eyes. It was a Sunday, meaning he would be over to spend time with his father to either play starchess or spar.
The moment you slide the glass door and curtains away, you see the both of them on the wooden floors of the patio playing the beloved game.
Yanqing goes to greet you with a smile and tells you they still have tea and you ruffle his hair affectionately, “Careful, baobei, he might steal your pieces again,” you tell him as you pass the two by to pour a cup of tea, drinking from your lover's teacup.
The boy reacts immediately and lunges for the man in front of him, “Dad, open your mouth, you better have not eaten the pieces again!”
“I have not eaten the pieces,” he whines as he opens his mouth for the boy to inspect, “It was one time…” he sulks as Yanqing returns to his seat, eyes narrowed as he makes an ‘i’m watching you’ gesture.
You chuckle at their shenanigans as you slink beside your husband, his hand naturally falling against the curve of your waist as you lean into his chest.
“How was your rest?” he asks and you feel the vibrations of his voice through the shirt he wears.
“It was well, could've been better,”
Yanqing makes a move and you feel him tilt his head then make his move as well.
“How so?”
“I could've woken up beside you,” you take a sip of your tea.
“Oh?”
You giggle from behind the teacup and glance towards Yanqing, he's unaffected by all of these by now.
Ah, you miss when he was a disgusted child telling you both to go get a room.
Nowadays, you only see him a few times a week, his position in the Cloud Knights and your schedule at the Alchemy Commission keeping you from your son.
You relish the moments on the weekends where you get to spend time with him. With both of them.
“Checkmate Xiao ‘Qing,” the general tells him and you see your son narrow his eyes before sighing.
He takes a sip of his own tea, “Nineteen years and you'd think he would let me win…”
You and Yuan share a laugh.
Yanqing never was good at losing.
“Well, next time, maybe,” your husband teases as he nudges your arm to give him a sip of the tea.
You raise your arm, no adjustments needed, just as you've always done in the past, he always did like it when you let him drink from the same cup.
Something about the intimacy of it, he says.
Yanqing smiles at your display.
Jing Yuan snuggles into the side of your face.
“How about a nap, Àirén? To make up for me not waking up next to you today?”
You placed the cup on the table and hugged his side.
“That would be a fitting solution, yes,”
It is hours later when you wake up still on the patio. Your head laying on Yuan's chest, his arm around you, sporting a smile on his face as he slept.
The sun has risen high in the sky, yet the clouds remain, providing shade along with the roof of the patio.
You spot Yanqing on the other side, his head laid on his father's arm as he slept peacefully.
Yeah, a few more hours of sleep wouldn't hurt.