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Xie Lian had always liked flowers. As a child, he would run around the palace gardens, picking out his favorite ones. On walks, he’d leave the paths, running between the trees to find flowers. After he ascended, when his followers depicted him always with flowers, it had felt right and he’d been so honored that they saw him like that. Over the past eight centuries, it had remained the same. As he traveled, he would find flowers, sometimes picking one to bring with him but more often sitting for a bit, sometimes eating food if he happened to have any at the time.
Since moving into Paradise Manor, one of his favorite spots was the gardens. One of their first nights together, Hua Cheng had taken him on a walk through them. They were the the most beautiful gardens that Xie Lian had ever seen. The paths were polished stone, leading him through centuries worth of different flowers.
Trees shaded the flowers that needed less sun, the others out shining brightly. Bushes dotted the gardens. Flowers for all seasons were everywhere so no matter the time of year, there was color. Flowers that bloomed only at night lined the pathways. Once Hua Cheng realized how much Xie Lian enjoyed spending time there, butterflies often lit the path so he wouldn’t trip.
In a corner of the garden was a small stone fountain with benches on the sides of it. Next to the fountain were flowers native to Xianle, ones that Xie Lian had long thought extinct. On the edge of the fountain, overlooking the flowers, was a statue of Xie Lian. His expression was soft, peaceful, his hand extended, ready to hold flowers. And indeed, every time Xie Lian had been out here, a new, fresh flower was in the statues hand.
The first time Hua Cheng had shown him this part of the garden, Xie Lian had nearly cried at the overwhelm of it all. Since then, Xie Lian liked to come out often, sometimes with a scroll, sometimes with a sword and quietly practiced his forms.
Tonight, Xie Lian was relaxing against one of the benches, a scroll long forgotten next to him. Hua Cheng lay next to him, his head resting in Xie Lian’s nap, half dozing as Xie Lian carded his fingers through Hua Cheng’s hair, twisting and twirling strands before brushing through them to clear any tangles out. Nights like these were some of his favorite, the peace of night air, the sounds of the insects buzzing nearby.
Xie Lian’s fingers stilled and he reached for some of the flowers nearby. They were beautiful ones, reds and whites, some with little streaks of black through them. Hua Cheng cracked his eye open and quietly watched as he plucked a few with long stems and started wrapping them around each other, alternating colors until he had a full flower crown. He gently urged Hua Cheng to sit up and gently placed the flower crown on Hua Cheng’s head. He fussed a bit with it, making sure it set well, pulling his hair gently until it sat perfectly on top of his head.
“There,” Xie Lian said. He pressed a kiss to Hua Cheng.
He gently ran his fingers over the flowers. “Thank you, Gege,” Hua Cheng said. “It’s beautiful.”
Xie Lian smiled. “My mother showed me how to make them. I loved running around the palace gardens and finding the perfect flowers to make a crown.”
Hua Cheng’s face softened further. He took Xie Lian’s hand and squeezed it gently. Xie Lian rested his head against Hua Cheng’s shoulder and he pressed a kiss to Xie Lian’s temple. He shifted a bit, gently pulling him and Xie Lian over a little until he could reach some flowers on the other side.
Xie Lian watched as Hua Cheng’s fingers started slowly piecing together a flower crown. At first, he would stop sometimes, tracing the patterns on the one on his head, making sure that he was doing it correctly. He watched in fascination as Hua Cheng grew more confident in how to do it and his fingers quickly wrapped the flowers together until a beautiful crown sat in his hands. The flowers were whites and golds and reds and he turned so he faced Xie Lian. Xie Lian sat up so Hua Cheng could place the crown on his head. He took the same amount of time and care to make sure it wouldn’t fall off. Once he was done he placed a soft kiss to Xie Lian’s lips.
Xie Lian cupped Hua Cheng’s cheek and smiled softly. “Thank you, San Lang.”
“My beautiful God,” he whispered and kissed him again.
Xie Lian replied, “My beautiful, San Lang.” He curled back up against Hua Cheng, his head once more resting on his shoulder. Hua Cheng’s arm wrapped around him and the two rested in the gardens, making more flower crowns and enjoying the peaceful singing of the birds flitting from tree to tree.