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Huo Linglong rested her cheek on one hand and reached out with the other to the man fast asleep next to her, his breathing even as she gently caressed the top of his head. Bai Yutang continued to slumber as she lightly carded her fingers through the tangled strands, snuffling a little when her nails accidentally scratched the roots of his hair, but otherwise laid completely still and unbothered.
She turned at the sound of a door softly opening and closing, her lips curving as she watched Zhan Zhao slowly tiptoe towards them, his footsteps inaudible against the wooden floor.
He truly wasn’t called the 'Imperial Cat' for nothing.
“You could’ve waited till morning,” she murmured when he was close enough, gentle admonition in her whispered voice. “Shouldn’t you be resting as well?”
But the man simply shook his head with a small smile, loose hair falling down his shoulders as he sat down at the edge of the bed, a tray full of pastries, empty cups and a teapot balanced carefully on his lap.
“Here,” he handed her a cup of what she knew was fresh water he no doubt fetched from the newly refilled basin. Linglong pushed herself to her elbows, the blanket covering her bare body slipping down to her waist as she reached out to accept it.
She almost failed to stifle her laugh when Zhan Zhao immediately averted his gaze, eyes staring at the empty space next to the bed instead. After contemplating for a brief moment, she decided to sit up properly, rising and tugging the blanket closer around her as she swung her legs off the bed. The air felt chilly against her skin tonight as she snuggled close against Zhan Zhao’s side to leech off of his warmth. The man seemed to always run hot no matter where he was, unlike Bai Yutang whose hands would grow cold at the slightest drop of the temperature.
“What are you acting all proper and courteous for? You’ve already seen everything by now, haven’t you?” she teased, nudging him playfully with her shoulder.
“Ah…" He blinked, turning to her with that slightly bewildered look he has when he got caught doing something he thinks he shouldn’t have done, a faint flush rising to his ears. "I…Old habits, I'm afraid,” he smiled apologetically. “I guess it’ll just take some getting used to.”
She only hummed in response—truth be told, she herself had found it incredibly easy to adjust, what with the two already so comfortable in their middle robes or nearly bare around her many times before—but something tells her that Zhan Zhao’s own code of conduct and upbringing would be his biggest obstacle in overcoming this barrier.
But that was alright—she knew it was only a matter of time, and they had plenty of it.
So instead, she grabbed the pastry he had nabbed from her manor’s kitchen and took a large bite, savoring the sweet red date paste bursting inside of her mouth.
It was a good thing she had thought ahead and asked her kitchen staff to stock up on food these past week. She hadn’t realized just how stamina-intensive sex was until just recently, especially when your partners are positively insatiable at times…none of her sword and endurance training had prepared her for how utterly famished she would be afterwards, the pain in her muscles a familiar ache yet tinged with a glow that could only come from a specific kind of pleasure.
A small huff escaped her as memories of this night resurfaced in her mind. She could feel Zhan Zhao’s questioning gaze beside her, so she simply tilted her head towards the sleeping man behind them.
“He kept trying to put on a brave face, but he couldn’t stop crying from how good he felt inside of you,” she whispered, laughing quietly at the red quickly spreading across Zhan Zhao’s face.
“Linglong…”
“Alright, alright. I’ll stop,” she conceded with a smile, yet she still enjoyed the way the flush blossomed prettily across his pale skin, bringing out the depth of his dark eyes. How lucky she was, to not only have their companionship and trust in so many aspects of her life, but also be able to bask under their beauty in the quiet privacy of their chambers. She never would have known just how sensitive the beauty mark on Bai Yutang’s nape was when she lightly scraped her teeth against it before this, nor the freckles spanning across Zhan Zhao’s back that deepen just like stars when pleasure causes his toes to curl inwards.
After emptying the cup in her hand, she rubbed away the residual flakes from the pastry on her hand and tugged at Zhan Zhao’s sleeve.
“Come to bed. We can wash up properly in the morning.”
He opened his mouth to protest when a soft groan startled him, both of them turning to see Bai Yutang’s face scrunching up as his arms flailed wildly, hands patting the empty spot beside him.
When he continued to grasp at nothing, he raised his head with a start and blearily opened his eyes, searching every corner until they finally landed on their target. A small frown that was honestly much closer to a pout found its way to his lips as he glared at them.
“You’re both so damn loud…” he whined, voice hoarse from sleep. “What are you doing over there anyway, huh? Are you two plotting against me again?”
Linglong looked pointedly at Zhan Zhao, her brows raised high in a wordless: See?
Swallowing down his laughter, Zhan Zhao could only acquiesce in the face of both of his partners’ pleas, slipping his outer robe off before climbing in next to Bai Yutang, Linglong following close behind him.
As Bai Yutang slung an arm across his torso and Linglong plastered herself along his back, the two of them encasing him in an inescapable cocoon, he couldn’t help the helpless smile pulling against his cheeks, his heart so full it was impossible to ignore the joy swelling inside of him.
He fell asleep to Linglong pressing a light kiss on his shoulder and Bai Yutang’s soft and steady puffs of breath against his neck.
He was safe.