#lunecosm

Not looking up, you simply gave a, "Thanks." You continued your stitches at a steady rhythm, needle gliding through the fabric. It was at this moment Hong Lu decided to cozy up to you, wrapping his arms around your waist and perching his head on your shoulder. You paused, tensing briefly.

"Hm~? Why'd you stop?" His breath tickled your ear, causing you to shiver. Your nose scrunched slightly, which Hong Lu definitely did not commit to memory, and most certainly did not mentally file under 'adorable'.

Choosing to ignore the heat in your face, you turned your head to face him. "It's kind of hard to move when you're leaning on me like that."

His lips turned up in a smug grin. "I see~" Despite his alleged understanding, he made no attempt to move. If anything, he pressed himself closer.

Fighting the urge to headbutt him, you continued stitching, albeit at a slower pace. Not ideal, considering you wanted to wrap this up quickly, but such is the price of dealing with this nuisance—ahem. Hong Lu. You merely sighed, thinking back to the events that led to your current situation.

It was the tail end of a tiring day at work, so you were relaxing in your living room when you heard the sound of the front door opening. Immediately, you were on guard. Nothing good comes out of surprise visitors in the City. Distantly, you noted that there was no sound of a break-in—no doorknob rattling, no thuds—but you didn't have the bandwidth to dwell on that. You cursed, realizing your weapon was… well, somewhere. You'd have to find that later. But for now, you opted to grab a decently heavy book. You could work with blunt force trauma. You crouched by a wall, contemplating what to do next. That was, until you heard a familiar voice call out your name.

"Are you there? I ripped my pants~" Right. You gave Hong Lu a key. You breathed a sigh of relief, apprehension melting away. Though, it was quickly replaced with confusion at his statement.

Making your way to the door, you called back to him, "And what do you want me to do about it?" Rounding the corner, you saw him tilt his head with a look of approximate sheepishness. Maybe. Or perhaps you were just reading what you wanted to see. It would be nice to see him show a shred of remorse for giving you a heart attack. Key or not, he could have at least knocked.

"Fix them for me?"

You stared at him incredulously. Brows furrowed, you asked, "Do I look like a tailor to you?"

He tilted his head, eyes drifting to the side. "Mmm, not really? But, I remember you talking about fixing stuff before, so, I thought you'd know how to fix this."

You pinched the bridge of your nose, muttering, "Are—are you serious??" You then addressed him properly. "Ok, first off, I was talking about fixing my fridge, which is a completely different wheelhouse." Hong Lu opened his mouth to say something, but you held up a finger. "Second off, I do know how to fix your pants, but—"

Hong Lu cut you off. "Ah~! Great, I'll make you some tea as thanks."

You deadpanned at the interruption. 'Ah, yes. His insanely expensive tea that is "too subtle for my sullied tongue" or whatever.'

Brushing off your silence, he continued. "Don't worry, I'll make something your cheap palate can enjoy~"

You stayed silent for a moment longer, contemplating whether or not you should strangle him. Ultimately, you resigned to your fate, sighing and holding out your hands. "Alright, give me the pants you want fixed."

Rather than give you a pair of pants, he merely pointed down at his legs. Your eyes trailed down, following. You stared for a bit, brows furrowing. Then you saw it. A rip, right at his crotch. You didn't notice at first, because his boxers blended in with his pants. You blinked. 'Oh. Wow. I really hope he wasn't outside like that for very long.'

"You want me to fix the pants that are currently on your legs?"

"Yes, please~"

You heaved a sigh. Apparently, the idiot ripped his pants because he kicked too high, or something. You'd think they'd be more solid than that, but apparently not. Though, you'd seen him fight before, and it seemed like there were many a high kick in his arsenal. Maybe his pants just decided to stop trying to keep it together.

Despite Hong Lu's apparent affluence, he seemed insistent on you fixing his pants, rather than simply grabbing a new pair from his no doubt extensive closet. God forbid the rich guy use his riches and hire an actual tailor, rather than bother the guy who, by all accounts, does not do that. Or, again, just get a new pair of pants. He was lucky you liked him.

You were tempted to patch the pants up with neon threads and garish colors out of spite, but you quickly threw out that line of thought. Mayhaps a bit too mean-spirited. It's not like you hated him. You threw a sideways look at Hong Lu, who met your eyes with a curious gaze. The man was still wrapped around you, wearing a pair of pants you had given him to borrow while you mended his. Having him stay in just his boxers didn't sit right with you. Though, he seemed a little too ready to accept the offer.

After a few seconds of eye contact, his eyes crinkled. "Why are you looking at me like that? Are you ok?"

You squinted at him. "You're the one who asked me to fix your pants, so why are you so insistent on preventing me from doing so?"

He blinked innocently. "I don't know what you mean~" You swore he was trying to flutter his eyelashes at you, like some cartoon maiden.

The two of you bantered for a while longer, before you realized he was distracting you from the task at hand. Whether he was doing it on purpose or not, you didn't know, nor did you care. Thus, you decided to ignore him in favor of focusing on your needlework. Hong Lu kept trying to get you to respond, poking and even shaking you. But, when he realized you were dead set on ignoring him, he detached himself from your side.

You tied off the final stitch, then turned the pants inside out to check your work. Considering it had been a while since you last sewed anything, you did pretty well.

Folding his pants in your lap, you called out. "Ok, Hong— oh." You cut yourself off, seeing a distinct absence of Hong Lu. Before you could wonder where he had gone, the man in question walked in with a fresh pot of tea.

"Ah, are you done?" He smiled. "That's good. Here." He poured a cup of tea and pressed it into your hands. Your eyebrows raised. You had forgotten he promised to make you tea. You brought the cup to your lips, taking in its fragrant smell. You glanced at Hong Lu, who looked at you expectantly. 'Like a puppy.' The thought surprised you, but you chose not to dwell on it. You took a sip.

"Well~?"

"Hm."

"Eh? What's that mean?"

You decided to leave him unanswered. As a little revenge.

"Hey~?" He kept trying to grab your attention, but you ignored him in favor of taking another sip.

To be honest, you weren’t really listening. Your focus was occupied with something much more important: Jiaoqiu’s ears. More specifically, one question: How soft are they? You were so focused on pondering this that you forgot to respond to—or even react to—Jiaoqiu's chatter. He trailed off, having noticed your own silence. After a few attempts to verbally get your attention, he sharply whistled, snapping you back to reality. You yelped, Jiaoqiu's mouth curling into a teasing grin at the sound. “What’s got you so quiet, huh?”

Flustering a bit at being caught, you opted to very smoothly avoid the topic. Shoving a bite of food in your mouth, you chattered, “Mmm! Wow, this food, huh? I think this might be my best dish yet!” You made an exaggerated hum of satisfaction. Jiaoqiu merely raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so?" he asked, his tail swishing with amusement. (Which may or may not have reignited your earlier thoughts, only redirected to his tail this time.) You gave a louder than necessary, "Yes! Definitely." Which only served to make his grin widen. He leaned in, resting his head on his intertwined hands. You fidgeted, the atmosphere suddenly growing ominous. He tilted his head, ears swaying tantalizingly. (You struggled to not stare at them again.) "I'm just quite interested as to the reason for your sudden silence earlier." His voice gained a threatening(?) edge, causing you to sweat at the pressure. "Considering your previous inclinations," he leaned in closer, "I would quite confidently wager you were staring quite intently at my ears earlier."

"I plead the fifth."

Jiaoqiu huffed a laugh, sitting back up. He tilted his head, bemused. "What does that even mean?" You were about to elaborate, but he shook his head. "Never mind. If it’s you, it’s ok."

You stared at him blankly. "Huh?"

"It’s ok if you’re the one staring," Jiaoqiu started, tail swaying. (Which you zeroed in on. You would've spaced out staring again if not for him continuing to speak.) "Would you like to feel them?" He offered. You short circuited, once again letting out an eloquent, "huh?" Jiaoqiu simply chuckled and repeated his question. After a beat of silence, you finally processed his words, practically jumping out of your seat in excitement. "Wait, you’d really let me touch? For real?" He simply inclined his head towards you.

"Jiaojiao, I could kiss you." He raised an eyebrow—soft pink blooming across his cheeks—but said nothing. You stood up. "Hold on, wait. I need to get in position." He merely hummed in response and rested his head on his hand. Waiting, he listened to your approaching steps and chuckled at your antics, a fond smile on his face. After relocating yourself, you raised your hands. "Ok. Can I just. Go for it?" He inclined his head to you once again. "Go ahead." You excitedly reached out, stars practically in your eyes. "Yay! Ok. Here I go."

You made contact with Jiaoqiu's ears and immediately gasped. "Aeons, your ears are so soft." You tenderly stroked his ears, marveling at how soft and fluffy they were to the touch. "So, so soft," you murmured. Jiaoqiu hummed, unconsciously leaning into your touch. 'I wonder what hair products he uses,' you idly wondered. You continued on in silence for a few blissful minutes, with you eventually starting to run your fingers through his hair as well, though you'd always return to petting his ears. He started leaning closer and closer, eventually faceplanting into your chest. His arms ended up loosely wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer. Not that you minded. (Or noticed. You were incredibly lost in the sauce.)

Eventually, a low rumble snapped you out of your softness-induced daze. Confused, you started looking around, trying to figure out where it came from. (Though, your hands were still fully occupied with Jiaoqiu's head.) It took a few seconds, but you finally realized that the source of the rumble was currently nuzzled in your arms. You gaped as realization fully hit you. "Jiaoqiu…" He shifted slightly, raising his head to face you. With an airy tone, he responded, "Hm?" You felt warm, unbelievably endeared. You stared for a moment. His hair was slightly tousled from the light breeze, the dappled lighting coming through the trees somehow making him look even softer, his tail slowly swishing, the way he raised his brow in confusion… Oh. You'd been staring for too long. Coming back to reality, you finally asked, "Are you purring?" You watched his face freeze, lips forming a thin line. "…No." (Lies. He was still purring as he said that.) At that very moment, you scratched behind one of his ears, which caused his purring to get louder. A warm grin spread across your face. "Uwaa~ You totally are!" He turned away. "Nope."

"You definitely are."

"Certainly not."

Suddenly, you noticed Jiaoqiu turning red. "Oh my goodness, are you blushing?" He flustered, briefly tensing up before attempting to hide his face in your chest. "No. No, I'm not." You grabbed his shoulders, backing up a little so you could see his face again. "Oh yes you are!!" Your smile grew, voice growing bubbly with glee, "Uwa~! Your face matches your hair!" At this point, Jiaoqiu fully pulled away from you, covering his face with his hands. "Ok, that's enough," he groaned, a barely noticeable tremor in his voice. "No more touching for you."

"Noooo~! Please!!! Don't deprive me of this joy!! Jiaojiao I beg!!!"

"Then beg."

"Aaaaah…"

"Jiaoqiuuu… I'm sorryyy," you cried, flopped over the table. "Pleaseeeee let me touch once more… I won't tease any more, I promiseee…"

Moze silently watched you from across the room, trying to figure out what he should do, if anything. You'd been sulking ever since you and Jiaoqiu came back from lunch. Moze asked Jiaoqiu about it at first, but he merely waved Moze off, telling him to let you be. For the next several hours, Moze watched you beg while Jiaoqiu continually rebuffed you with various non-answers. Feixiao even dropped by to check in, but ended up staying to watch the show. She also asked Jiaoqiu about your state, but he brushed it off with the same nonchalance he'd been treating you with this whole time.

Eventually, Jiaoqiu sighed. "You've been asking for hours now. Are you gonna stop if I say no?" You paused, frown deepening. "Yeah…" Moze thought you looked like you were about to cry. Jiaoqiu's expression softened, hearing your heavy voice. "Fine. Well, if you stop asking," —you deflated— "Then, I will maybe allow you to touch my ears again." You immediately perked up, gasping. (Moze heard a small "aww" from Feixiao's direction. He swore he saw stars in your eyes.) Jiaoqiu spoke under his breath, "And perhaps I'll let you touch my tail later." Despite how quickly and quietly he said it, you still heard it. You gasped, practically glowing from joy. "Really?! Jiaojiao, can I hug you? Please?" You clasped your hands together, eyes watery. Jiaoqiu sighed, but opened his arms.

"…Come here."

"Yay!!"

"Augh—"

Moze had to rush over to prevent you and Jiaoqiu from falling. (And scold you for being rough.)

“Yes, actually. We had a lovely dessert date the other day. Sunday got a strawberry sundae—heh—and I got a banana split. It was really good, actually. We were thinking of visiting again,” you smiled, thinking about your recent date. You chuckled a bit, remembering how Sunday flustered when you wiped a bit of ice cream off of his cheek.

“Uhuh.” Gallagher looked at you with clear disbelief with an undercurrent of… was that pity?

You deadpanned. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Gallagher sucked in a breath and set his drink down. He leaned in like he was about to deliver some devastating news to you. “Listen, bud—”

“Don’t call me that.”

“—I hate to break it to you, but just because you happened to be in the same restaurant as Sunday does not mean you were on a date.”

You stared at him. “You can’t be serious.”

Gallagher’s face contorted. “What’s that supposed to—No way you actually think that constitutes a date.”

“Wha—no! What do you take me for? I’m saying I’m telling the truth about us being on an actual, normal date. Not that…stalker stuff you’re insinuating.”

Seemingly giving up, Gallagher leaned back. “Whatever you say.”

You grumbled, “I’ll prove it to you, I swear!”

“His hair is so fluffy, Aven. I want to fluff his hair so badly.” You held your hands in front of you, mimicking patting the soft, blue hair of your boyfriend. “Ugh, and his wings! They look so soft.”

Aventurine nodded along. “They do, don’t they?”

You put your head in your hands. “I miss my wife, Aven. I miss him a lot.”

Aventurine laughed and pat your shoulder. “If you miss him that much, maybe you should start taking fancams or something.” You snickered. “Maybe I should.”

“Here’s a start for your fancam adventures,” Aventurine leaned in with a sly smirk. “Did you see that interview he appeared on recently?”

“Yes I did!” You clasped your hands together, stars in your eyes. “Whoever was in charge of lighting really knew what they were doing! He was practically glowing,” you gushed.

Aventurine grinned. “Right?”

You dramatically leaned into his side, pulling a hand to your forehead. “He’s just so pretty, Aven! I can’t take it.”

Aventurine chuckled. “He is rather handsome.” Deciding to match you in your theatrics, he put a hand to his heart with a little flourish. “I envy whoever manages to score him. Why, I might just keel over from heartbreak at the loss!”

“Well, I guess you should get ready, then.” You crossed your arms, shooting a smug look at your companion.

He sputtered and looked at you incredulously. “I—pardon?”

“I’ll have you know that Sunday and I have been dating for—” Aventurine cut you off, putting his hands on your shoulders.

He muttered something along the lines of, “not this again,” before saying your name somewhat solemnly, his brow slightly creased in concern. “Do you really think Sunday’s your boyfriend??”

You gave him an indignant look. “I don’t think, Aven, I know.”

Aventurine wiped away an imaginary tear. “Damn, I didn’t know you were parasocial like that.”

“I will punch you.”

You skipped down the streets of the Golden Hour, Firefly trailing after you.

“I’m so excited for tonight!” You beamed.

Firefly looked at you inquisitively. “Oh? What’s happening tonight?”

You did a giddy little hop and spun around to face her, “I get to spend time with my lovely boyfriend!”

Firefly’s eyes slightly widened in surprise as she gasped. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend! Who is it?”

At this point you both had stopped walking, pausing in some random street. You tilted your head and asked, “Eh? I didn’t tell you?” You put your hands on your hips with a proud smile. “Well, I’m dating Sunday!”

Firefly’s expression immediately changed to one you were becoming annoyingly familiar with. She opened and closed her mouth like she was trying to figure out how to break something to you.

Your tone turned flat. “What is it? What’s with the face?”

“I…” Firefly tried a few more starts before landing on, “Listen, I know you walked next to him that one time but I don’t think that means you’re dating…” She trailed off, chuckling nervously.

You slumped, Firefly letting out a little “ah” at the motion.

“Oh come on, I’ve walked—and talked!—with him on multiple occasions. Wait, that’s not the point. Do you not believe me either?” You frowned, beginning to resemble a kicked puppy.

Firefly waved her hands around slightly panicked, “Well, it’s not like I don’t believe you!” She paused and mumbled, “Actually I guess it is…” Shaking her head, she turned back to you. “It’s just… I know you and Robin are friendly and all—”

“What.”

“—but I don’t think that automatically extends to Sunday, y’know? Especially to the degree of a romantic relationship.”

You stared at Firefly incredulously. Bringing your hands up to your face, you sighed. “Why does no one believe I’m being genuine when I say Sunday and I are dating?”

“Maybe because it just sounds so unbelievable?”

You didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “But why though??”

Firefly simply gave you a comforting pat on the shoulder.

You were practically draped over Sunday, lamenting over the fact that no one believed you when you said Sunday was your boyfriend, even after all this time. Sunday pat your head in consolation as Robin tittered. “Well, on the bright side, they’ll have to believe you after tonight!”

You sunk into Sunday’s shoulder. “I guess…”

Sunday pressed a kiss to your head. “Look alive, dear. Like Robin said, they won’t be able to refute it next you see them.” He paused. “Well, I suppose that depends on if they’re watching or not.”

You perked up at that. “Actually, I told them to watch this interview, so they should see it. I expect at least 10 texts the second I show up on screen.” You held your phone up and waved it. “And if they don’t watch it live, I’m gonna send them a recording. That way they have to acknowledge our relationship!”

Sunday chuckled. “That’s so like you.”

At that moment, someone in the film crew alerted you all to get ready. Sunday gave you a squeeze, leading you over to the filming area, Robin walking at your other side. The three of you smiled (yours a little less practiced) at the interviewer as you approached. After exchanging pleasantries, the film crew started the countdown to go live.

“Three!” Robin gave you a soft smile and a nod, which you returned.

“Two!” Sunday adjusted his hold to your waist, pulling you a bit closer.

“One!” You turned your gaze to the camera.

“And we’re live!”

The interviewer immediately greeted the camera. “Good evening, Penacony! Thanks for tuning in for today’s exclusive interview! Today I have with me everyone’s favorite pop star, Robin!”

Robin gave a charming smile and waved at the camera. “Hello everyone! I’m so glad to be here!”

“Charismatic as always! Along with her, we have the esteemed head of the Oak Family, Sunday!”

Sunday nodded and gave a placid smile. “Hello. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

“The pleasure is all mine! And last but not least, we have a special guest! Care to introduce yourself?”

You greeted the camera and stated your name. “Nice to meet you!”

“How charming! For those of you wondering, if you haven’t guessed their identity already… Why don’t you introduce them, Sunday?”

“With pleasure.” Sunday pulled you in and kissed your cheek. “They’re my significant other.”

As expected, your phone started buzzing incessantly, making you grin. You glanced at the screen, seeing glimpses of texts along the lines of ‘YOU’RE ACTUALLY DATING???’ and ‘NO WAY YOU WERE TELLING THE TRUTH’ before they were quickly replaced with more texts and even a few calls (mostly from Aventurine). You smirked, silencing your phone and returning your attention to the interview.

“Sunday, hi!” You beamed, Sunday’s wings fluttering at your smile.

“What do you have there?” He sat next to you, sharply glancing at the bird before focusing on you. You smiled and slightly lifted the bird toward him.

“An adorable little guy. I found him when I was walking through the garden. He’s quite friendly, actually,” you giggled. “He practically flew into my hand when I held it out.”

“Is that so.”

“Mhm. I wonder kind of bird he is. I’ve never seen one like him before. He is…” You chuckled, and Sunday’s heart practically melted. “So round. He’s kind of built like a robin, but the colors are all wrong.”

Sunday hummed, “that’s true.”

“I mean, I’m not saying the colors look bad or anything. They are weird, but they mesh surprisingly well.” You paused. “Well, I did think he was hurt because of how vibrant the red is, but it turns out that’s just how he is. Bright red, light blue, and white… It’s a strange color combo, no?” You turned to him with an inquisitive look.

“Indeed it is,” Sunday agreed with a curt nod. You nodded, satisfied, and turned back to the bird, resuming your patting. Sunday found himself glowering at the bird, wishing it was him you were holding so gently, rather than that little thing. Where did it even come from? Perhaps he should call someone to—

“Sunny~” you called to him with a playful lilt and leaned into him. He automatically wrapped a hand around you and scooted closer, smiling at the contact.

“Yes, my dear?”

“Is something wrong?” You leaned your head onto Sunday’s shoulder, his wings fluttering a bit at the proximity. Sunday leaned his head onto yours, planting a kiss on your head and murmuring, “Now whatever gave you that impression, hm?” You hmphed and sat up with a smug smile. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you glaring daggers into this little guy,” you raised the bird to your cheek and pouted. “What if you scared the poor thing, huh?” Sunday felt like he was drinking vinegar as he watched you nuzzle the bird affectionately. It was a cute sight, but it would be significantly better if it were him rather than that ball of feathers. Actually, scratch drinking, he was absolutely chugging vinegar. Your quiet giggles brought Sunday back to reality.

“Now why do you look like you’ve eaten a lemon?” You teased, giggling through every word. “Are you jealous?” You squinted at him. “Of the bird?”

Sunday slightly flushed and instinctively covered his face with his wings. “Of course not. I would never do something so juvenile.” Your expression turned smug and you leaned in close. “Are you sure?” Sunday opted to stay silent this time, turning away. But, you could see the tips of his ears turning red which made you laugh more.

You decided to take mercy on your boyfriend and finally set the bird down. Embracing him, you murmured, “Sunday, I love you. I’m sorry I made you jealous.” You squeezed him, kissing his wings. When that got no reaction beyond a slight twitch of his wings, you slid your hands under his wings, cupped his face, and turned him to look at you. “Open up, sweetie. Let me see that beautiful face, hm?” Slowly, Sunday unfurled his wings, revealing his exasperated yet fond expression.

“Happy?”

“Very.” You pulled him in for a kiss, making him yelp. You continued peppering Sunday’s face in kisses, eliciting a fond laugh. “What are you doing?”

“Kissing away the jealousy.” Another kiss. “Is it working?”

Sunday leaned in to give you a kiss of his own. “Perhaps it is.”

“Great,” you beamed, and continued your kissing assault. Sunday laughed and reciprocated, showering you with kisses as well. After the kisses ceased, Sunday pulled you into a hug and leaned his head onto you.

“Who knew that being jealous would result in this.” Sunday huffed out a laugh. A sly grin crossed his face. “Perhaps I should get jealous more often, hm?”

You smacked him lightly. “Don’t you dare.”