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It had been one of those days where everything that could have gone wrong did. Ghosts being uncooperative, subordinates making silly mistakes, himself distracted for heaven knew what reason. As he returned to Paradise Manor, Yin Yu stumbled over the threshold in his exhaustion and nearly fell flat on his face. When he looked up and realized that Hua Cheng had seen him do it, he wasn’t even surprised.
“Good save,” he said dryly, strolling towards Yin Yu from a side entrance with his hands clasped behind his back. But as he got closer and their glances met, his manner softened. “Rough night?” he asked, all sarcasm gone.
Yin Yu merely shrugged and shook his head, not having the energy for much else. He only realized his mistake when Hua Cheng grabbed him roughly by the arm and started pulling him in the direction of his private quarters, face dark with displeasure.
“Apologies, Chengzhu,” Yin Yu murmured, taking the occasional extra step to keep up with Hua Cheng’s pace. “My fatigue is no excuse to act so—” Rudely, he was going to say, before they passed the door to the study where he was expecting to receive some kind of lecture and they entered the bedchamber instead.
Then Hua Cheng released his iron grip on Yin Yu’s arm in order to start disrobing, and Yin Yu merely stood in the middle of the room, watching dumbly as his dead heart picked up its pace.
“Clothes off if you’re going to get into bed, Yin Yu,” Hua Cheng said simply as he pulled back the covers.
“Chengzhu,” Yin Yu stammered, mouth gone dry, “I don’t think I can serve you properly tonight…”
Hua Cheng threw him a wry look that said he was sure of it. “Get in anyway,” he said. Reclining, he held out an arm and Yin Yu was undressed and melting against him almost before he knew it.
Enfolded in Hua Cheng’s arms, surrounded by his scent and his unexpected warmth, Yin Yu felt the frustration and whirling thoughts leave him through a deep, contented sigh. As he put his arms possessively around him, he thought he heard Hua Cheng softly laugh and say, “That’s better,” before he drifted asleep.
He awoke, minutes or hours later, to the sound of Xie Lian’s whispered voice in the dark.
“Oh,” he said, voice pleasant and warm, “Yin Yu is joining us tonight?”
“If it pleases gege,” Hua Cheng replied.
“Of course it does,” he laughed, and Yin Yu felt the mattress shift behind him. “I haven’t slept in days, so I probably wouldn’t care if there were three other people in here already, but this is nice. Yin Yu, do you mind if I join you?”
Yin Yu tried to pull out of Hua Cheng’s suddenly overwhelmingly strong grip. “You can have Chengzhu to yourself, Your Highness,” he told him, struggling to turn. “You need the rest more than I do.”
Without a word, Xie Lian climbed in and immediately began to rub Yin Yu’s shoulders with strong hands, effectively ending his struggle. “That seems unlikely,” he said, sliding gracefully alongside him, hooking a leg over Yin Yu’s and cuddling close. “Please stay.”
He didn’t seem to have much choice. So he allowed himself another sigh, allowed himself to float peacefully in the embraces that surrounded him.
It seemed as though he had barely drifted off again before he was woken by a harsh whispered exchange between Hua Cheng and Quan Yizhen. Blinking his heavy eyes, he realized from the dim light in the room that it was morning.
“Look, you’ve woken him up,” Hua Cheng scolded.
Quan Yizhen meanwhile had finished stripping off his outer robes. “I want to sleep next to Shixiong,” he declared, climbing onto the bed.
Hua Cheng let out a snort. “Then you should have gotten here earlier.”
Nuzzling the back of Yin Yu’s neck, Xie Lian chuckled and held him tighter.
“Chengzhu, please let him in,” Yin Yu mumbled sleepily, taking pity on his shidi.
Hua Cheng released a tragic sigh, but he pulled away to let Quan Yizhen clamber in, though he gave the martial god’s ass a hard pinch to show his annoyance.
Quan Yizhen merely rolled his eyes, used to such treatment. Then he settled down beside Yin Yu, intertwining their legs so they could be as close as possible, tucking his head beneath Yin Yu’s chin. “Hi, Xie-xiong,” he whispered, reaching across Yin Yu to affectionately squeeze Xie Lian’s bicep.
Xie Lian laughed. “Hi, Yizhen. I’m glad you could join us.”
Yin Yu smiled and gave Quan Yizhen a gentler pinch in agreement. He noticed that Hua Cheng had snuggled close again, idly running a hand along Quan Yizhen’s hip despite his professed annoyance. He soon nodded off again, feeling warm and safe and loved.