lay me down

--------------

“It’s pretty late, Gege,” Hua Cheng says, “You could always stay the night.”

 

He doesn’t know why he says it– well. That’s not true, he knows exactly why he says it, why he thinks it, but he really didn’t stop to consider the consequences of saying it when he said it. That is to say– Dianxia agreed to stay overnight in Paradise Manor.

 

This is good, really. They can spar with some of the more interesting weapons in Hua Cheng’s collection.

 

This is bad, really. Hua Cheng can under no circumstances show Dianxia his bedroom, or the plaza he prefers to paint in, or the studio he uses for sculpture, which means he can’t see the forge, either, because it’s also in the studio.

 

There isn’t much to do, is the thing, in a Paradise Manor with no plaza or studio or forge or bedroom. Perhaps they could walk around the garden? Hua Cheng, of course, has a room set up for Dianxia– perhaps he can pass it off as his own and sleep in there with him? They sleep on the same mat at Puqi Shrine after all, why not the same bed at Paradise Manor!

 

        –

 

        That seemed like a better idea at dinner. Dianxia agreed to share the bed, and now Hua Cheng is staring at the wall, waiting for Dianxia to finish stripping off his outer robes. Hua Cheng, himself, has already done so while Dianxia was… Hua Cheng doesn’t know, it was the first thing he did when he entered the room, because it always is, and Dianxia’s only doing it now. Hua Cheng is definitely being weird– they are both going to sleep in the same bed in only their inner robes. Oh shit, they are both going to sleep in the same bed in only their inner robes– and staring at a wall is weird. What’s more weird, though, than staring at a wall, is staring at Dianxia, and that is exactly what would happen if Hua Cheng had to watch him disrobe.

 

        Dianxia clears his throat. “Ah, San Lang, you can look now.”

 

        “Thank you, Gege,” Hua Cheng says, and turns to look. Dianxia has tucked himself into the bed. He’s beautiful. Hua Cheng has to get in next to him now. He lifts the covers and slides in.

 

        “Good night, San Lang.” Dianxia says.

 

        “Good night, Gege.”