- Chapter Start -
"Let's get started," Fang DuoBing says and begins going through the basket.
"With this one." Di FeiSheng pushes his bottle even closer to Li LianHua.
"No, I have the perfect one for him to take first."
"The best one should be consumed first, which is mine."
And the bickering starts again. As the tone of their voices escalates, Hulijing's ears flatten and he starts whining. Li LianHua puts up a hand.
"First, let's study the ingredients of each one," he says, loudly enough that the other three subside at once.
Di FeiSheng nods and leans back. Fang DuoBing fetches the oil lamp, lights it and sets it down on the table. The three of them start reading the labels of each bottle including the tonic from Di FeiSheng.
"Is this chicken scratch the Drug Demon's writing?" Fang DuoBing asks, squinting at the near illegible scrawl on the label.
"His medicines tasteawful," Li LianHua mutters. Upon seeing Di FeiSheng's scowl, he hastily adds, "I'm sure this one will taste better."
He's pretty sure it won't seeing as it's made from blood.
"I'll take this one first." He holds up the largest bottle from the basket.
"What about mine?" Di FeiSheng demands, looking put out.
"It's too potent for me right now," Li LianHua explains patiently. "I can only take it after my Qi stabilises."
He ignores Fang DuoBing's suspicious look, having told him the same thing about the Styx Flower.
"Tomorrow then," Di FeiSheng says, looking mollified.
"That's too soon!" Fang DuoBing objects at once.
"Let's see how I feel tomorrow," Li LianHua says quickly. He can feel another headache starting up between his eyes. The last thing he wants is another argument
"Fine. Take it now." Fang DuoBing nudges the selected bottle closer to Li LianHua. To his credit, he doesn't smirk at Di FeiSheng. "Then I'll go have my bath."
"Don't use up all the hot water," Di FeiSheng tells him.
Li LianHua hesitates.
"I'm too full now, XiaoBao. I'll take it tomorrow, alright?"
"The sooner you start, the sooner you can get to mine," Di FeiSheng reminds him, eyes narrowing.
Li LianHua opens his mouth and closes it again. With an inward sigh, he starts patting his robes and sleeves. Where did he put his pouch of-
"Here." Two hands enter his vision, palm up. Resting in each one is a wrapped sweet.
Li LianHua sighs and looks up at their determined faces.
"Fine, fine." He pockets one sweet and unwraps the other. His two dearest friends know him all too well by now.
- o –
Many hours later…
Li LianHua's eyelids twitch as he hovers in that halfway state between sleep and wakefulness. He feels warm and comfortable. Even the ever present ache of his bones and joints seem muted for now.
After a minute, he opens his eyes to a familiar sight - the slanted wood panels that make up the ceiling of Lotus Tower. It must be early morning since the sun isn't quite up yet. There's a heavy arm lying across his middle, two hands holding onto his left arm and a furry weight over his legs – all of it keeping him trapped in place. His bed meant for one now has three men and a dog in it.
Moving his eyes to the left, he sees the sweet face of Fang DuoBing, eyes closed and mouth open, drooling a bit. Silly, trusting child – sleeping in the presence of two men who aren't related to him. Although he keeps insisting that Li LianHua is his shifu, so maybe that counts as family.
Moving his eyes to the right, Li LianHua sees the handsome features of Di FeiSheng, long eyelashes resting against tanned skin and cruel lips relaxed in sleep. Neither silly nor trusting, but so unexpected after growing up in that horrible Di Fortress. Maybe it's A-Fei instead of Di FeiSheng who sleeps so soundly in the presence of his once rival.
If Li LianHua's chest aches and his smile feels bittersweet on his lips, no one but him knows.
"Awake already?" Di FeiSheng's voice is rough with sleep. His fingers find Li LianHua's side and curls in, tugging him closer.
Li LianHua opens his mouth to protest the familiarity, but Fang DuoBing is faster. He inches closer with a mumbled protest and tightens his hold on Li LianHua's arm. Paying no mind to him, Di FeiSheng continues tugging until Li LianHua's right shoulder slides under his own and his neck comes up against Di FeiSheng's nose.
"Better," Di FeiSheng rumbles, warm breath tickling the sensitive skin. "Go back to sleep."
How?Li LianHua mouths silently to no one in particular. On his left side, Fang DuoBing shuffles closer until his head is on Li LianHua's shoulder.
Li LianHua bites his lip. Great. His personal space is now invaded by not one buttwobodiesanda dog. But just as he decides to struggle free, his mind brings up a mental image of how these two looked at him yesterday after he agreed to drink the medicines.
He ends up not moving at all.
- o -
The next time Li LianHua opens his eyes, sunlight is pouring in the window and marking a square on the faded floorboards. The space before him is empty, but not the one behind that's next to the wall.
Li LianHua goes from sleep-addled to wide awake in an instant, heart skipping a beat. His tenuous senses which have all taken turns to desert him are now working in perfect sync, transmitting all sorts of information to his brain.
Someone is spooning him from behind, trapping him with an arm around his waist. Someone made of nothing but hard muscles and heat. Someone whose warm puffs of breath at his neck are very distracting - andwhatis that pressed up against his –
Oh. Surely that's not what he thinks it -hopesit isn't.
Li LianHua's face burns. His fingers curl into the sheets as goose bumps prickle all over his body. Then he hears voices from outside – Fang DuoBing's and the maid's. Worse still, the doors are wide open where anyone can walk by and see them!
He tries to sit up. Not the wisest move since that arm tightens around him at once, bringing attention to how weak he is, and more pressingly, how full his bladder is. He tries to pry those fingers free to no avail.
"Di-mengzhu, release me.Now."
There's an answering mumble against his neck as that arm tightens even more. A leg slides over his own, pressing them even closer together.
"A-Fei!" Li LianHua elbows him in the ribs. Hard.
"Oof." There's a sharp indrawn breath behind him and the arm around his waist withdraws. Then a loudthumpas Di FeiSheng flings himself backwards, hitting the wall and making Lotus Tower rock on its wheels.
A shadow falls across the room. They both scramble to sit up as Fang DuoBing bounds up the steps, a bunch of vegetables in one hand.
"What happened? I heard this loud… oh." He stares at them.
A-Li appears in the doorway behind him, looking a lot more scandalised than her young master with her eyes round and her hand over her mouth.
Li LianHua can only imagine what they must look like with mussed hair, red faces and the blankets tangled around their legs. Then his night shirt, pulled askew by his struggles earlier, slips down one shoulder.
"I'll go bring the other ingredients!" A-Li squeaks and flees.
Fang DuoBing marches up to the bed, pink faced and puffed up with indignation.
"A-Fei, what were youdoing?"He grabs Li LianHua's hand and pulls him away from Di FeiSheng who's still pressed against the wall.
"I didn't do anything!" Di FeiSheng denies at once which, in retrospect, is rather uncharacteristic of him.
Ignoring both of them, Li LianHua carefully swings his legs down from the bed and bends over, wincing a little. He usually massages his numb limbs when he wakes up in the morning before attempting to stand up.
"Are you alright?" Fang DuoBing asks in a low voice, eyes moving to Di FeiSheng and back.
"I'm fine, XiaoBao." Li LianHua musters up a smile. "I uh, accidentally elbowed A-Fei and woke him up."
Fang DuoBing nods, his frown easing until his eyes go to the bare shoulder. Li LianHua quickly twitches his robe back up and tugs it straight.
"Excuse me. Nature calls." He stands up and wobbles.
Fang DuoBing grabs his arm with one hand and snags his outer robe with the other.
"Here, put this on first." He helps Li LianHua into it. "Can you manage?"
"Yes." Li LianHua forces another smile. "I'll be fine."
- o -
When Li LianHua returns after relieving himself and washing his face, Di FeiSheng brushes past him without a word. Either he needs to relieve himself just as urgently or he's just received a lecture.
Seeing a smug Fang DuoBing stirring a pot at the stove, Li LianHua decides he doesn't want to know.
"I'm making breakfast," Fang DuoBing announces. "You just sit there and drink some tea to warm yourself."
A nice and very obvious way of telling him not to help. Li LianHua sits down and looks around. The bed has been made and – come to think of it – the sheets smelled clean and the floor looks swept.
"XiaoBao, did you get someone to clean up this place?"
"Nope. Did it myself." Fang DuoBing carries a pot over to the table before holding his earlobes to cool his fingertips. "By the way, a-niang and xiaoyee want to see you again. Zhan-huwei too."
Li LianHua doesn't say anything so Fang DuoBing sits beside him, bumping their shoulders together.
"How do you feel this morning?"
"The same as yesterday." That is to say, three steps away from death instead of only one.
"I'll tell them to expect us for dinner tomorrow," Fang DuoBing decides. "You just rest and laze about for the whole of today."
"That's a waste of time," Li LianHua comments.
"Then you can watch me train," Fang DuoBing says with an impish smile. "The rice is done so we can eat once A-Fei is back."
There's that same curious look in his eyes, but Li LianHua just looks away. He doesn't want to know what they said earlier when he wasn't around. He doesn't want to know what Di FeiSheng thinks either.
It won't matter in the long run.
- Chapter End -
