Hey everyone! Hope everyone's doing well. Anyways, here's another chapter for you!
-Chapter Eight-
"So the Ghost Festival is tomorrow," Xie Lian said as they were walking home from school. A week had gone by already. "But I still don't know what outfit to wear." He gave a pause and looked at the other boy beside him. "You said you had something in mind."
"Yeah. It's at my house," San Lang replied with a smile.
"You know, now that I think of it, I've never been to your house," Xie Lian mentioned.
"You never asked before," San Lang pointed out. The lighter haired teen blinked then gave an embarrassed laugh.
"No, I guess I haven't." He laughed again. "So can I come over?"
"Sure."
"Okay. Let me drop my bag off and see if my mom's home from work yet."
Getting to Xie Lian's house, they went inside. San Lang waited at the door as the other boy slid off his shoes to take his bag down to his room. San Lang told him to grab the mask and earring that he had. Xie Lian also left a note for his mother since she wasn't home stating he was over at San Lang's place.
Heading outside, they continued to Sang Lang's. His house wasn't too far away; down around the corner and a block over. Xie Lian gave a smile as they headed up the path to the front door as San Lang pulled out the keys to unlock the door. They went in, slid off their shoes, and started heading down the hall. It was set up similarly to Xie Lian's.
Pausing at the doorway to the dining area, Sang Lang turned to look over at the table. Xie Lian gave a blink as the other boy went over and picked up a piece of paper that was sitting on it.
"Something wrong?" he asked as San Lang read the note.
"Ah no. Just my mom left me a note saying she was going to be gone on a business trip for a few days."
"Business trip?"
"Yeah. Her job tends to have her travel around sometimes," San Lang replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Usually a few days at a time so I have the house to myself a lot."
"That sounds kind of lonely."
"Ah, not really." He gave a shrug as they turned and headed towards the stairs. "It's actually kind of nice. Kind of like living on my own."
"I guess that does sound like fun sometimes," Xie Lian chuckled.
"My room is upstairs." The darker haired boy nodded for them after setting the note back down on the table. They headed up to the first door on the right where San Lang stopped and opened his door.
Blinking, Xie Lian looked in at the somewhat spacious room that was decorated in red, white, black, and silver colours. The bed was off to the left that was a full size and a desk to the right alongside the window just to the left of the desk between it and the bed. A bookshelf sat near the edge of the closet completely filled with books.
"Oh wow. You must really love red," Xie Lian blinked.
San Lang gave a laugh as he went over and set his bag down against his desk on the floor. "Yeah. It's my favourite colour." He motioned towards his desk. "You can set the mask and earring on the desk if you want."
"Oh okay." The lighter haired teen went over and set them down as San Lang went over to his closet and slid the door open.
Blinking, Xie Lian noticed he had a few white and black jeans, several red, white, and black shirts, a couple extra school uniforms, and what looked to be a few extra red outfits like what he had worn the first day of school and on his days off when they'd hang out.
"You have more of those outfits?" the brown eyed teen pointed out.
"Yeah. They're much more comfortable than some of the modern outfits of today," San Lang chuckled. "And much more stylish in my opinion."
"I suppose you're right," the other boy agreed with a chuckle. "Sometimes I get bored of the styles that are around nowadays." He paused then looked at a few other outfits that were in the closet that looked different. "What are those?"
"Oh this?" San Lang gave a smile as he reached up and pulled out the first outfit that was mostly white with red underneath and along the middle part of the body. It looked really ornate. "This will be your costume for the Ghost Festival."
"T-that?" Brown eyes blinked in amazement as he came over and touched it. "It's so….intricate."
"Go ahead and try it on." He held it out to him. Xie Lian gave a blink as he took it before blushing a little. San Lang gave a chuckle before turning around to face the closet so his back was to the other boy.
Still feeling his cheeks flushed, Xie Lian took the outfit over to the bed and laid it down. He unbuttoned the outside jacket of his school uniform before taking it off and laid it down on the bed. Then sliding off his pants and undershirt he was wearing, he set them all beside his jacket. Taking the outfit off the hanger, he gave a small furrow of his brow as he figured out how to put it on, finding it fit him perfectly.
"Okay. I changed," he spoke up as he turned towards his friend. San Lang turned around and looked at him as a smile broke across his face.
"They fit perfectly?" he asked as he came over and lightly touched the sleeve as Xie Lian lifted his arms up.
"Y-yeah. But I feel like it's so extravagant," Xie Lian commented as San Lang chuckled before going over to his door and shutting it, revealing a full length mirror on the back side of it.
"Take a look," he pointed out as he motioned at it. Xie Lian gave a blink before going over and looking at himself in the mirror.
"It really does feel so….I don't know….like what some rich person would wear maybe?" he spoke up as he turned towards San Lang, who smiled.
"Like a prince?" the darker haired boy pointed out. Xie Lian nodded.
"But what are you going to go as then?"
"Me?" The darker haired boy turned, went to the closet, and pulled out a pure black robe and held it up. "I'd go with this." Xie Lian gave a blink as the other boy set the outfit down on the bed before going over to him.
Kneeling down in front of him, San Lang took the lighter haired boy's hands in his and smiled softly. "I'd go as the protector of Taizi Dianxia."
Feeling his cheeks flush with warmth, Xie Lian gave a somewhat embarrassed look. However, he did notice that San Lang was looking at him with such tenderness and sincerity.
"I….I….I'm h-hardly a prince," the lighter haired boy spoke up as he averted his gaze; a deep blush colouring his cheeks a bright pink.
"Nonsense," San Lang said with a shake of his head as he stood back up. He gave him a tender smile as brown orbs looked back at him. "You're one of the most princely people I know."
"I am?" Brown eyes blinked in curiosity.
"Mmhmm." San Lang nodded before letting go of his hands and went over to his bookshelf. He scanned the books for a second before pulling out one and flipped through the pages as he walked back over to Xie Lian. "Here. See?"
Looking at the book as the other turned it to face him, Xie Lian saw a picture that was similar to the one San Lang had sketched of his friend. The outfit also matched what he wore almost exactly. There was a golden mask over the person's face and he was wearing two red pearl earrings similar to the one that Xie Lian had. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the picture.
"Who is that?" he asked curiously.
"Taizi Dianxia of Xianle," San Lang replied with a smile. The other boy's eyes widened as he blinked.
"His outfit looks a lot like this one," Xie Lian pointed out as he looked down at the robes he wore. "And the one you drew in the sketch of your friend Hua Xie." He gave a small furrow of his brow.
"It's because they're the robes my friend wore," San Lang replied as he lowered the book and shut it. This surprised the lighter haired teen. "He dressed up as Taizi Dianxia for the Ghost Festival once and wore them." He pulled his lips into a thin line as he glanced away.
Xie Lian gave a blink then smiled softly. "To honour your friend, I'll gladly wear them." Golden hazel eyes looked back at him. "I mean, I did say I would, wouldn't I?"
"Y-yeah." He gave a soft smile.
"Well, change into your outfit, silly. I want to see how you'd look." The other boy gave a blink before Xie Lian chuckled then turned around so his back was to his friend.
Giving a small smile, San Lang went over and changed into the black robes after putting the book back on the shelf before Xie Lian turned around again. The lighter haired boy smiled as he took in the sight of his friend in the plain robes.
"Even though they're plain, you really do look regal in them," Xie Lian pointed out as he touched the sleeve lightly. "Are you going to wear your hair the same as you do now?"
"Oh no. I was going to wear it differently." He gave a shake of his head.
"I can't really do much with my hair being as short as it is." The lighter haired boy brought his hand up to touch the ends of his hair. "Hardly look anything like that prince."
"Actually…." San Lang gave a smile before going over, picked up a box, and set it on his desk. Xie Lian came over furrowing his brow as the other opened it, revealing what looked like brown hair inside. San Lang held one up that was a strand a few centimetres in width and the same shade as Xie Lian's hair.
"Is that….hair?" Brown eyes blinked in surprise at it. "Like real hair?"
The darker haired boy gave a chuckle. "No silly. It's not real. But they are hair extensions." He motioned for the other boy to sit in his chair. "I got these so you could look the part."
Sitting down backwards in the chair, Xie Lian waited for San Lang to return after going to grab a brush and ran it gently through his hair. He also grabbed a hair tie to help pull some of the lighter haired boy's hair up into a bun similar to what had been in the picture of the prince in the book. Then taking two of the thinner strands, San Lang fixed them so they hung down in front of the other boy's ears. Working a couple wider and long sections in the back, he smiled as he took a step back and admired his work.
"Okay, go ahead get up and face me," the dark haired boy said. The other boy stood and turned around, blushing a little. "Now you look more like Taizi Dianxia."
"Do I?"
"Well almost."
Pulling open a drawer in his desk, San Lang took out a couple of small jewellery pliers and set them down beside the earring. He opened another drawer and rummaged in it before pulling out a clip on piece. Quickly but easily tinkering with the earring, he transferred the dangling part over onto the clip on. Then reaching up, he fastened it to Xie Lian's left ear. Lastly, he brought the mask up and helped tie it to stay on his face.
"Now you look like the lovely prince," San Lang smiled before motioning towards the mirror. "Take a look."
Going over to look at his reflection, Xie Lian gave a small gasp. He reached up and touched the cool surface of the mirror, not believing his eyes that he could look so regal just like in the picture. Turning, he looked to San Lang, who had changed his hair to be pulled up into a high ponytail with some strands of hair falling down in front of his ears. He rummaged in a desk drawer for a moment before pulling out a white mask with slits for the eyes and a single line for a mouth.
"That looks a little creepy," Xie Lian spoke up as the other boy held the mask up in front of his face.
"It's meant to intimidate those that would try to harm the one being protected," San Lang pointed out as he dropped the mask away from his face.
"Ah. I could see that now." Xie Lian gave a chuckle. "These will definitely make for a good contest against others." He paused tapping his chin. "I wonder what others would be wearing and if we might win?"
"I'm sure we have a good shot at it." The darker haired boy smiled then set the mask down on his desk. "Why don't we get out of these for now. Then we could go down and fix something to eat."
"Alright."
Sitting down in the desk chair again, Xie Lian had the other boy take out the hair extensions after pulling off his mask and the earring; placing them beside the other mask on the desk. San Lang turned his back so Xie Lian could change back into his pants and undershirt and hung up the outfit in the closet again. San Lang also changed into his red outfit and hung up the black robes, though left his hair up in a high ponytail. He took care of his school uniform though before they headed back downstairs to the kitchen.
"Gege, since tomorrow is the festival and it would be easier to be ready later on, would you like to stay over?"
"Stay the night?" Xie Lian gave a blink at the darker haired boy. All alone in the house together? He felt a blush creep across his face. "I...I'd have to see what my mom would say. Though I don't know if she'd like it knowing your mom is also gone."
"She doesn't have to know about that part," San Lang shrugged. "Besides, she's usually fine with anything. She knows I won't cause much of a ruckus. But it's up to you if you want to."
"I…." The lighter haired teen still felt his cheeks warm. "S-sure. I'd like to stay."
Smiling, San Lang pointed out the phone so Xie Lian could use it to call his mother. She was quiet for a moment as Xie Lian asked about staying the night and saying that San Lang's mother didn't mind at all. There was a slight reluctance in her tone but she agreed to it finally. Xie Lian smiled, thanking her before hanging up the phone.
"Alright. Then we can make dinner together," San Lang smiled as he went to the fridge and opened it. "Anything in mind you want to make?"
"Do you have the ingredients for that one soup you said your friend made that you liked?"
Golden hazel eyes turned to look at him with a blink. "Yes."
"Then could you show me how to make it?" The brown eyed teen gave a small smile. "It would be perfect to honour your friend for tomorrow's festival."
Pulling his lips into a small smile, San Lang gave a nod. He grabbed out the ingredients and set them on the counter before grabbing a pot, a cutting board, and knife. Then having Xie Lian cut up some of the ingredients, he started boiling some water and adding spices to it. It didn't take long before the scent of the soup filled the air.
Tasting a little bit of it, San Lang gave a smile. "It's finished."
Getting bowls, he served it up before they went to sit at the table to eat. They both took bites and Xie Lian gave a blink.
"This is good!" He gave a smile. "Your friend really knew how to make a good, simple soup."
"But you helped this time so it's even better," the darker haired boy flirted a little. This caused Xie Lian to blush and nearly choke on his bite of soup. San Lang gave a small chuckle as he pushed the glass of water he'd gotten over to the flustered boy.
"I didn't do that much to help," the younger teen stated after drinking some of the water to clear his throat. San Lang had done most of the cooking to show Xie Lian how to make it.
"But you did cut up the ingredients that made it possible to cook," San Lang countered with a smile. "That's the really important thing."
Blushing at the compliment, Xie Lian couldn't really argue with that. San Lang gave him a grin before continuing to eat. The two finished off their soup before taking care of their dishes. San Lang also put away the rest of the soup for later.
"Gege, if you want, you can get a bath first," the darker haired teen spoke up as they headed towards the stairs again.
"Are you sure?" He gave a pause realising he'd forgotten to go back home and grab a change of clothes.
"Yeah it's fine." San Lang chuckled as they headed up to his room. "You can borrow a change of clothes from me. I don't mind at all."
"O-okay."
Grabbing a change of clothes for the younger teen, San Lang showed him where the bath was. Xie Lian thanked him as he went in, shut the door, and got undressed. He washed up before sinking into the bathwater and relaxed for a little.
Getting out, he dried off before getting changed into the pyjamas that San Lang had given him. He gave a small blush as he looked at the red shirt and lounge pants then gathered up his dirty clothes before leaving the bathroom.
"Your turn," he spoke up after finding the other boy sitting in the living room watching some television.
"Alright." The golden hazel eyed boy gave a smile as he got up and showed Xie Lian where to put his clothes. "You can watch some television if you want until I'm done."
Nodding, the lighter haired teen headed back to the living room to find a show while San Lang got his bath. He couldn't help but glance in the direction of the bathroom a couple of times, feeling his cheeks flush a little with warmth. The thought of him being here spending the night together made him blush. He tried pushing the thought from his mind as he watched his show.
"What are you watching, Gege?"
Xie Lian gave a jump and turned to see the other boy leaning against the back of the couch in his pyjamas a little bit later. He hadn't heard him come up behind him. The darker haired boy gave a chuckle at his friend being so startled.
"Sorry if I scared you," he chuckled as he came around to sit beside the other teen; his hair was left down and loose.
"It's okay." He gave a wave of his hand brushing it off. He pointed to the television. "It's just one of my favourite shows."
"Oh! I think I've seen some of this series before. It's a good show."
Settling in to watch more of it and the next after that, it started to get late. Xie Lian could feel his eyes getting heavy with sleep. He tried fighting it as his eyelids began to droop.
Feeling pressure on his shoulder, San Lang turned his head to see the other boy's head resting on it. A slight blush crept across his cheeks but he smiled softly. He brought his hand up and lightly touched the top of his head for a moment.
"Gege? Gege?"
"Hmmm?" The other boy gave a sleepy groan.
"Come and let's go upstairs to bed."
"Okay…" the half asleep teen muttered sleepily but made no attempt to move.
"Do I need to carry you to bed, Gege?"
This got the other boy to finally stir and sit his head up as he finally registered the words. A faint blush crept across his cheeks. San Lang gave a chuckle before the sleepy teen finally got up off the couch. He turned off the television and helped the sleepy boy up the stairs to his room.
"You go ahead and take the bed. I can grab some blankets and a pillow and sleep on the floor," San Lang said as he guided his friend to the bed to sit down after pulling the blankets back.
"No, no. I couldn't take your bed," Xie Lian protested sleepily before yawning. However, he was too tired to keep sitting up and leaned over so his head laid on the pillows.
"Gege?" The mostly asleep boy gave a muttered acknowledgement at being spoken to. "If you want, we could share a bed tonight." Even he felt his cheeks warm at the thought.
"Mmhmm…" It was a heavily sleep laced reply. San Lang felt his cheeks warm more at the thought.
Getting the sleeping boy's legs under the blankets, the darker haired teen scooted him gently over before going to turn off the light. Then coming back to the bed, he slid in under the blankets next to the sleeping boy, whose soft, even breaths signalled he was sound asleep.
"Goodnight Gege."
Well that's the chapter. Xie Lian gets to dress up as his Taizi Dianxia self. *grins* And getting to cook together again. Not to mention, getting to share a bed for the night. Just wait until Xie Lian wakes up. *laughs*
Anyways, thanks again for reading! I'll update soon! *hands out cookies*