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5up and Hafu have been at the mirror for an hour.
Normally David didn’t mind this, he’d happily afford them the use of the vanity for however long they liked, but if they were going to make it to the winter ball they did have to start leaving soon.
When he and Hafu had first gotten married, the vanity had felt perfect for the room. A large mirror with an ornately carved frame and a desk of dark wood that was just as elegant. But as they used it, it became clear- it was far too big for them. They didn’t have enough stuff to fill the space.
Hafu’s makeup was lined up neatly against the mirror, the rarely used tins of rose petal rouge, the clamshell of charcoal and water, paintbrush balanced over the lips, and an imported tube of tinted oil for her lips. Her hairbrush sat off to the side and her crystal jewelry box in the corner. David had only a few pieces of jewelry to fill the space, a bracelet and a couple pins for special occasions that he kept in a bowl by the jewelry box. The vast majority of the vanity was empty.
Then 5up entered their lives. The fae was a traveler, moving with the warmth of the seasons to wherever the flowers bloomed best. An entourage of leaflings followed the trail of plants that grew in his footsteps. He never stayed anywhere for longer than a season, and with Hafu being of winter they’d never run into each other before. But a leafling wandered into Hafu’s snowdrop patch and soon 5up was braving the early spring snow to come visiting.
They were enamored. He was a clever little thing, snobby but so gentle as he brushed a finger over the long thin leaves. Hafu looked at him like he hung the stars and taught him how to clear the snow without freezing his hands so that he could help her weed. David stayed out of the way- the garden was Hafu’s territory not his, but he could see just how easily they worked as a team. 5up left soon after, the foxgloves were coming into bloom in some other garden, but David knew then that he wouldn’t stay away long, not with how reverently he held the cutting of winter flowers Hafu gave him.
Sure enough, as soon as the Spring Snowflakes began to bloom in Hafu's everwhite garden, David found them out there together again, chatting among the flowers. This time, David didn’t let go and invited the flower fae in for coffee and tea. 5up sniffed at their bagged tea but stayed to talk and one of the leaflings left a little bag of loose-leaf tea.
There were still times where they would go seasons without seeing him, and it hurt to miss him so severely, but he always came back, and each absence seemed to be shorter than the last. And after one late night of talking around a teapot that had been purchased just for the days 5up spent with them, they finally invited 5up to stay the night in their bed.
As 5up stayed over more and more, the vanity filled. First it was just forgotten pieces of jewelry, silver earrings, glittering rings, a bracelet of woven twigs, things he shed on his way to share their bed and never picked up in the morning. Then his hair care products began to appear. Mists and fertilizers for the leaves that sprouted in a crown above his ears, conditioners and gels for his curly hair, even a large bowl appeared so that he could soak away his flowers when they dried out and died between seasons.
Hafu and 5up began to linger around the vanity longer, in the mornings sitting around in robes and underwear doing each other’s hair, and at night taking the time to chat while washing away the weight of the day with their makeup. There wasn’t a second chair at the vanity, but 5up had taken to pushing his stuff out of the way to sit on top of the desk. Even when offered a chair, he said he preferred to lean against the mirror and be able to face Hafu directly.
One day, while Hafu and 5up were out, David settled at the vanity and began sorting through the bottles and jewelry, until everything was neatly sorted along the right side of the desk, and 5up’s spot on the desk was completely clear, bowl tucked under the desk on his side. And beside Hafu’s jewelry box, he set a new one, perfectly alike hers but made out of wood.
Hafu had helped him pick it out, they had to make things perfect for their boy. So that he’d want to stay whenever he wasn’t travelling.
5up nearly cried when he saw it that night but was quick to wipe his tears. He pulled off his jewelry, placed it within the box, and then dragged the two of them to bed to thank them.
Even now, they couldn’t keep him tied down, nor would they want to. 5up was a wanderer at heart and not made for the cold like them. It just made moments like these, where he stayed anyway, that much more sweet.
David peaked his head into the bedroom, “Meimei, Fives, are you nearly done getting ready? We need to get going.”
“Hafu decided to redo her eyeliner,” was 5up’s mildly amused response.
“It was uneven! 5up keeps changing out his jewelry.”
“I need something to keep me entertained,” 5up sniped, but his flushed cheeks gave him away.
David sighed and stepped fully into the room, only to melt at the sight waiting for him.
Hafu and him weren’t generally the type to dress up, they were happy in their winter manor without guests. But when she had an excuse- his wife was a beautiful woman.
Her dress was a shade of sunshine yellow that would’ve been common in the Autumn courts of David’s home, but nearly unseen in the winter court. Her cloak was folded over the back of her chair, penguin feather creating a gradient, from the black of the winter’s night sky near the floor, made of long tail feathers, all the way up to a layer of sleek belly feathers as white as snow over the hood. A crown of crystal ice shards sat delicately on her brow, scattering light like stars on her dark hair. She hadn’t done much with it, her bob short and straight enough to not need or allow much styling, no matter how much 5up offered, but there was a single small braid on her left side and the brush sat far from her reach beside 5up. Small Winter Aconites and Winter Hazel blossoms were woven into the braid, yellow petals framing her face. She leaned into the mirror, brush in hand as she redid her eyeliner, elbows resting on the desk.
5up sat on the desk to her left, one leg dangling and the other one folded up against the mirror so that he was half turned and able to face his reflection, the image of a perfect fae, sharp features softening in the candlelight of the room. A collection of flowers bloomed around his head, soft pink English Roses and yellow turnip blossoms nestled among his brown curls. His lips were a shade pinker than normal, and just a bit shiny. David suspected that if he were to kiss him, he’d taste like Hafu’s lipstick. His rings glittered with every movement of his hands, silver rings shaped into flowers with pink gem petals, and vines trailed around his wrists and hands. His normal pink sweater had been traded out for a more fitted ensemble, all covered by a fur coat- the same shade of dappled brown and dual layered thickness of David’s winter fur.
David’s eyes stalled on the coat- that hadn’t been there when 5up walked in had it? That's- the idea of 5up walking into the winter ball wearing their colors-
5up giggled, “Stop staring and come help me choose which ear cuff to wear,” He held up two ear cuffs, one with silver feathers perfectly curved to cradle the cartilage of his pointed ears, the other gold, a more structured design with flowers filling in the empty space.
David swallowed, “The silver one.”
There was something about having 5up’s attention- like for a moment the full radiance of the sun looked down and declared you worthy, basking in it like a sunspot on a summer day. Maybe this was what it was to be a plant photosynthesizing- but either way, it was addicting.
“I thought that’s what you might say,” 5up smiled, that familiar hint of mischief in his expression.
“It goes with your other jewelry!”
5up’s face rounded when he grinned- sharp cheekbones covered as his lips pulled up and his eyes squinted, and for a moment he didn’t look quite as untouchable.
“Sure~ Get closer, I want to give you some flowers too.”
It had become a running theme in their blossoming relationship that David was glad his wolfish form didn’t respond to embarrassment in the same way other fae did- no flushed cheeks, only shifting eyes as he shuffled forward to accept Spring’s mark.
5up’s fingers were gentle as they brush past his ears, pausing for only a moment to stroke the velvet fur. Still his fingernails were satisfying as they scratched a line along the joint of his ear, from top around to the bottom near David’s neck. Flowers spouted in his wake, and it takes him a moment to identify the branches now curled around his head, the round blossoms of Winter Jasmine could be mistaken for Winter Aconite if not for the number of petals, tangled between sprouts of pinkish lavender Glory-of-the-Snow. He admired the gift- barely daring to shake his head despite knowing exactly how much 5up’s flowers could withstand.
“They’re beautiful-” he knew his voice was on the heavy side of reverent by the way 5up’s eyes blew wide, “Some of your best work. We still need to go.”
5up twisted away from the mirror and hopped down from the desk. He put one of his small hands on David’s chest- unblemished porcelain reclaimed by nature, asking to be reclaimed further.
“This is nowhere near my best- but I could show you?” 5up tilted his head, revealing the pale expanse of his neck beyond the fur collar, and looked up at David through his long eyelashes, “If you could just make a bit more time before we left.”
David gulped, putting up a token defense, “We’ll be late.”
5up smiled like he knew he’d already won, and shrugged his jacket down to his elbows, “Surely you winter folk know the value of being fashionably late.”
“Leave him alone, Baobei, you aren’t being late for your first Winter Ball.” Hafu said, not even bothering to turn her head, “I'll be done in a minute.”
5up pouted, soft lips unfairly pink and shiny from Hafu’s kisses, and he must know how he looked when he pouted like that, because when David leaned down, he turned his face up to be kissed.
