One Lazy Morning

     When Chaoxiang woke up, it was already morning.

     No matter how much he tried, he could not remember falling asleep. The state of his mind wasn’t helping, still groggy, eyes struggling to blink themselves awake. There was a weight on his back, warm and grounding– Kuai, he assumed, as every single time he would wake up in winter, his loyal companion would be stealing some warmth under the blankets.

     But the weight in his chest could not be a second Kuai, could it?

     Once Chaoxiang’s eyes were open enough to focus, he found himself tangled up between a mess of limbs and blankets. Behind him, holding on like one would do a stuffed animal, was San Lang. His hair was untied for once, the red string used to keep his hair out of his face lay abandoned just a couple of feet from them. In front of Chaoxiang was Xie Lian, head resting on Chaoxiang’s shoulder like an impromptu pillow. His features were oh so gently relaxed, the curve of his lips aiming upwards just so, like someone enjoying one peaceful dream. He looked like an angel.

     As much comfort as Chaoxiang found over moments like these, he wasn’t used to their leisurely nature. Mornings on the farm were all fast, after all, filled with an immediate sense of productivity. By the time the roosters were singing their good mornings there would already be tons of noise on the outside. His grandfather would be tending to the soil mix for the fields, his sister picking out eggs to fix some breakfast for the table. Chaoxiang’s routine would consist of a stretch, a change of clothes into work attire, and he would be working the fields when the sun started to peak through the clouds.

     But today the sun was already out, and it had been out for a couple of hours– at least from what he could tell through the closed blinds of the shrine. With Sang Lang and Xie Lian still nestled with him deep into the covers, he knew that this was, for all intents and purposes, one lazy morning. And he wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

     There was no noise outside, or rather no more than the gentle sound of nature. The birds on this side of town were much more forgiving than the screams of roosters, and Chaoxiang passively wondered how anyone ever woke up without such a booming alarm. Was every morning a lazy morning here in the shrine?

     With how much time he had spent here recently, he was bound to find out sooner or later. Ever since he had formerly been introduced to the heavenly official and his loyal guard, Chaoxiang had been fascinated by their companionship. So were they– fascinated with Chaoxiang, that was, and this came in the shape of constant invitations for the three of them to spend time together.

     At first, Chaoxiang had been hesitant, absolutely convinced that his place was on the farm, far away from the presence of the supernatural. And yet, he found himself making excuses to seek them out: Xie Lian had mentioned a specific type of wood that grows near the field, so Chaoxiang had loaded up some boards onto Zhenzhen’s back and they were on their way. San Lang had made a wistful remark about a certain meal recipe, and Chaoxiang had recruited Meimei’s help to craft a batch for him. The pair had invited him for a night of talk, food, and drink.

     And who was he to say no?

     “You’re awake,” San Lang’s voice was velvet on Chaoxiang’s ear, a bit surprising as he had been caught in thought.

     “Good morning,” Chaoxiang confirmed, his own tone quiet as could be. Xie Lian was still curled up on his chest, after all.

     San Lang shifted behind him, now awake and aware of his position, and made sure Chaoxiang was more comfortable in bed. His arms stayed around the farmer’s waist though, still pulling him close, still embracing him like a precious possession. The thought of it made Chaoxiang smile, swallowing down the burning on his cheeks.

     “Did you sleep well, A-Xiang?” San Lang asked.

     "I haven’t slept this much in ages,” Chaoxiang admitted, a bit embarrassed in doing so. Behind him, San Lang chuckled.

     “I’m assuming that’s a good thing,” He sounded relieved. “Would you like me to wake Gege up?”

     Chaoxiang’s gaze traveled down to where the prince slept, relaxed and undisturbed. He shook his head.

     “I don’t mind,” he whispered.

     San Lang nodded, a gentle smile on his features, and leaned forward to place a kiss on Chaoxiang’s forehead. It was a very simple gesture, but Chaoxiang found himself torn between leaning to it and hiding away to obscure his blush as if trying to hide any hint of embarrassment. But of course, San Lang was too perceptive to miss it.

     “Rest together, then,” he purred out, “I’ll make breakfast.”

     “O…kay,” Chaoxiang said, smiling as well.

     Just like that, San Lang was out of bed, a quiet sort of presence. How he managed to stand without waking Xie Lian, Chaoxiang had no idea, but by the time San Lang had disappeared into the kitchen, the prince was as asleep as he had been before.

     Maybe it was a bit too indulging, but this was already the most indulging morning he had ever had. Chaoxiang allowed himself to look at his lover, and admire every detail that carefully crafted his silhouette: his hair was messy, as unbound as San Lang’s, cascading down his face. His lips were open ever so slightly, and Chaoxiang had the impression that they had been caught in the midst of a pleasant conversation. One of his arms was slightly under Chaoxiang, securing him in their snuggles, but in a position that the farmer assumed might have been uncomfortable.

     As soon as Chaoxiang noticed, he was set to weigh his options: moving might result in Xie Lian waking up, and being the reason for disturbing such a peaceful sleep sounded like a crime that should be punished by the gods themselves. Not moving, though, meant that Xie Lian’s arm could end up falling asleep, restricting circulation, and ultimately waking him up regardless, in a sharp, avoidable sort of pain. Chaoxiang himself had gone through that scenario multiple times, Kuai was a big fan of sleeping on top of the man’s extremities. Maybe moving and risking waking Xie Lian was the lesser of two evils.

     Still, he tried his very best to move in a way as to not disturb him. At first, he tried just shifting his own body weight, but a sleeping Xie Lian was quick to adjust to the change, burrowing deeper into the blankets and closer to Chaoxiang’s chest. Absolutely adorable, and Chaoxiang would have returned the cuddles if he could– but he had been assigned to a mission of the utmost importance, and he was not a man to ever stand down from a challenge.

     So, Chaoxiang tried a more direct approach, his own free hand reaching beneath him and grasping onto Xie Lian’s. It was a bit of an awkward position on his end, but it gave him a chance to slowly pull his partner’s arm free from its prison. Chaoxiang focused all of his attention on the movement, trying to be slow, trying to be gentle, almost succeeding in–

     “Breakfast’s ready!”

     San Lang voice caused Chaoxiang to jump, and Xie Lian to stir, hum, and ultimately open his eyes to the morning sunshine. Mission failed, Chaoxiang opened his mouth to apologize, but Xie Lian found the words faster than he did.

     “A-Xiang?” His tone was raspy, his vocal cords warming up from a full night of rest. Upon noticing that Chaoxiang’s hand had taken hold of his arm, Xie Lian laced their fingers together. “Already morning?”

     “Already morning,” Chaoxiang said, almost tripping over his words.

     Xie Lian smiled.

     “It’s a good morning,” the prince whispered, and it wasn’t a question. “Did you sleep well?”

     “I did,” it was hard not to smile back, “It was very comfortable."

     Xie Lian squeezed his hand, “I’m glad.”

     Chaoxiang caught sight of crimson robes by the corner of his eye, and he turned to face an approaching San Lang, looking livelier than he had a couple of minutes before. His hair was now tied up as usual, and he had also taken care of securing an apron of sorts, tied around his waist.

     “You’re awake, Gege?” San Lang asked as if he wasn’t the sole reason that Xie Lian had woken up. There was no malice behind, in its stead lay a tender sort of playfulness. Sang Lang through and through.

     “Awake,” was Xie Lian’s only response. He was, indeed, awake, but he wasn’t fully out of it just yet. “What did you make, San Lang?”

     “Well,” San Lang winked, “You need to come to the kitchen to find out.”

     “Thank you,” Chaoxiang said, and he was already about to stand when there was another squeeze on his hand.

     “Perhaps,” Xie Lian said slowly, “We can wait a couple of minutes, so we are all properly awake?”

     “I am,” San Lang pointed out, with a mischievous sort of smile, “And A-Xiang is too. Are you asking us to laze around a little longer, Gege? What about that early start to the day you wanted ”

     The prince opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it up once again. Chaoxiang knew that being such a polite individual, he was struggling to find the words to bargain for ten more minutes in bed. So, Chaoxiang decided to lend him a hand.

     “Making food must have been so tiring,” he said, trying to channel his own tender sort of playfulness, “Why don’t you lay down for a second, San Lang? You deserve some rest.”

     “You do indeed,” Xie Lien chirped up, “We all deserve a rest.”

     Chaoxiang's eyes shifted from the prince to his retainer, to the prince once again. He didn’t mind that early start to the day, so going to have breakfast at that moment would be something he would do if his partners both seemed to want to do it. But Xie Lian clearly wanted to take advantage of this lazy morning, and Chaoxiang didn’t have the heart to say no to Xie Lian.

     Clearly, neither did San Lang.

     “I guess I have been working hard,” San Lang chanted, a dramatic sort of declaration of defeat. He wasn’t bothered by it though, or at least that’s what Chaoxiang assumed, because when San Lang joined them both in bed, he had the sort of smile from a cat that got the cream. “Guess I can allow myself some five minutes to lay with you.”

     “The food won’t get cold,” Xie Lian declared.

     “We can always reheat the food,” Chaoxiang suggested.

     “You two will be the death of me,” San Lang remarked, laying right in between the two men, “But it will be oh so worth it.”

     They stay in bed for five, ten, thirty minutes, the outside world a blur of utter unimportance. The only thing that mattered was them, their warmth, and their affections. It felt so much like a dream that Chaoxiang kept wondering if perhaps he had not woken up at all, and he was still in the middle of the most beautiful of dreams.

     Who needed to wake up early, anyways, when in the middle of such a sweet lazy morning?