Work Text:
Li Yu blinked slowly, waking to the weight of an arm around his waist and the familiar warmth of Tianchi’s chest at his back.
They were safe.
He didn’t move right away. He just listened—to the soft rustle of fabric, the quiet rasp of breathing, and then—
“…Xiao Yu.”
Li Yu froze.
It was broken. Low and rough, the tones wrong, the syllables like rocks tumbling from a streambed. But it was speech. Words. A voice.
Tianchi’s voice.
“Xiao Yu” he said again, lips barely moving, like he wasn’t sure it would work a second time.
Li Yu turned in his lap slowly. His husband’s eyes were still cloudy from sleep and pain, but they were open, and they were looking at him.
“Xiao… Yu.”
Li Yu’s breath hitched.
He was supposed to say something. Tell him not to strain himself. Say it’s alright, I’ll get you water, or save your strength.
But he couldn’t.
His chest ached.
His throat burned.
Tianchi’s voice cracked again: “Xiao… Yu… Li Yu…”
And Li Yu only nodded, eyes stinging, lips trembling. His hands reached up slowly to cup Tianchi’s face, to feel the warmth of him, the life of him.
The voice he had never heard—not once—now saying his name over and over, like it was the only word in the world.
He wanted to cry.
He wanted to laugh.
But mostly, he just wanted to stay right here.
Then Li Yu finally laughed.
It burst out of him before he could stop it—small and breathless and bright.
He leaned forward and kissed Mu Tianchi, quick and half-formed, more grin than anything. Their noses bumped. Their teeth clicked. It was a mess.
But it was real.
The voice in his head—that damn scammy system—faded into silence for once. He shoved it away like a soggy scroll and didn’t look back.
“I’ll get water” he said, wiping at his eyes with the heel of one hand. “You should rest. You’re—gods, you’re talking.”
He couldn’t stop smiling.
Tianchi didn’t answer. He just reached up—slow and stubborn—and caught Li Yu’s wrist before he could move.
Li Yu blinked. “Tianchi?”
Tianchi pulled him in.
His lips were chapped and his movements clumsy, but the kiss was firmer this time. Intentional.
A little desperate, like he’d waited his whole life to be able to call his husband’s name and wasn’t ready to let go yet.
Li Yu let out a soft sound, muffled between them, and melted right there in his arms.
“…Okay,” he whispered, when they parted just enough to breathe. “Okay. Five more minutes. But then I am getting water, alright? And i'll bring the children.
Tianchi made a low noise that might’ve been a laugh—or just a sleepy Xiao Yu again—and rested their foreheads together.
Li Yu stayed exactly where he was.
He could be happy a little longer.