TGCF One shot: HuaLian dailies

I like you in everything...

Xie Lian was sitting at the beareau, watching Hua Cheng go through his extensive collection of robes in the morning, lost in thought.

"Gege, where are you?" Hua Cheng asked quietly.

"Mm? Right here."

Hua Cheng smiled at that absent response. "Really. Where was your mind then."

"Well, I -" Xie Lian shook his head clear. "Nothing, nothing, don't mind me, continue getting dressed. I have to leave in a bit myself."

"Gege."

"Alright, I was wondering what attire you would pick today," he conceded sheepishly.

He laughed. "I thought you liked me in red."

Enthusiastic nodding, "I do, of course I do. I like you in black, too," he said before he could stop himself.

Hua Cheng's smile widened. "Want to help me out then?"

"Hmm?" Xie Lian was distracted again, thinking of that one time Hua Cheng had breezed through half a dozen outfits in a flash purely out of boredom.

Hua Cheng held out his hand. "Help me pick out today's outfit."

Xie Lian took his hand, went to stand with him in front of the whole rack of robes. "I don't know, I mean, I do like you in red, I like you in white, too, and -" he trailed off. "They are all good," he said helplessly. "You look great in everything."

Hua Cheng laughed again, indulgent. "Still. If you had to pick."

And so Xie Lian picked out a set of black robes he rather liked on Hua Cheng. Boots and other accessories followed. Hua Cheng was charmed, the way Xie Lian's eyes sparkled each time he picked something and looked back as if mentally trying them on him. "Gege has good taste," he said encouragingly.

"Don't tease," Xie Lian chided as he went through a drawer for hair accessories. He looked back to see that innocent expression, wondering if he was just messing with him. Hua Cheng held up his hands, "I'm not. Really, you have good taste in fashion."

Now he was even more determined to do a good job, not wanting Hua Cheng to look bad at all when he went out. "Alright."

"Okay, that's everything," Xie Lian said with a small sense of accomplishment once he had everything picked and laid out. He thought to ask if Hua Cheng liked them as well, then figured he did, it wouldn't be in his collection otherwise.

"You are having fun with this," Hua Cheng observed softly. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Feeling a little self-conscious, Xie Lian waved it away. "Ah, it's nothing, my mind was just wandering today." It wasn't like Hua Cheng pampered him any less every other day, attending to his every wish.

"I wouldn't mind if it did every day," Hua Cheng said softly.

"San Lang, really..." he said in exasperation.

Another soft laugh. "I wouldn't, really. Will you help me dress, then?"

"Oh." Xie Lian loved pampering him, just the same as Hua Cheng did for him, so he didn't think twice as he went forward to help him. He didn't notice the mischief dancing in that one bright eye and innocently picked up the black robes.

"We have to get these off first," Hua Cheng prompted with a straight face, pointing at the robe he was wearing right then.

"Right." Xie Lian began to help slide it off his shoulders, it was just that he had this small doubt somewhere in his mind if he was being played. He checked to see Hua Cheng smiling at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish taking that robe off, nary a trace of other intentions. Xie Lian thought it was rather cute too, the way he just stood there, so obedient like a little child, also like a pampered prince. He dutifully focused on his task.