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Lan Sizhui hums along to the buzz of the fluorescent lights as he places a bottle of milk into his shopping basket. While he loves his family it was nice to finally be living alone, even though he had to make a few adjustments — like buying groceries and cooking for one.
As he turns the corner to head to the cash register, he sees a familiar figure in the line.
“Jin Ling,” he calls.
The other boy looks up, startled. “...Lan Sizhui,” he greets, somewhat reluctantly.
Lan Sizhui smiles, unfazed and walks towards him. “Doing some shopping?” he says, before peeking at what Jin Ling has in his hands.
The basket he’s clutching is filled to the brim with packets of instant noodles. Surprised, Lan Sizhui lets out a small chuckle which is enough to cause to Jin Ling to bristle like an angry cat.
“Uncle is out of town for the week! And I don’t have the time to make food and deal with everything! It’s perfectly normal for college students to eat instant noodles!” he says, defensively.
Jin Ling is the same as always Lan Sizhui thinks to himself, a little fondly. Outwardly though, he just smiles and nods.
“Yes, of course,” he soothes, “but I was just thinking, since I’m going to be cooking anyway, whether you’d like to come over for dinner?”
Jin Ling looks torn but he leans over in interest, peering into his shopping basket. “What are you making anyway?” he asks.
“Curry,” and seeing Jin Ling blanch, he quickly adds on, “the mild kind! I used to make it at home sometimes and Dad would add his own chilli sauce in.”
Jin Ling hesitates, looking unsure and Lan Sizhui adds, “it’ll be nice to have someone to eat dinner with. It’s hard to cook for one.”
He sees the moment Jin Ling gives in, dropping his noodle-filled shopping basket. “Fine! This better be good though or else I’m never trusting your judgement on anything again!”
Lan Sizhui hides a smile as Jin Ling wraps his hand around his wrist and starts to tug him towards the cashier, the tips of his ears burning bright red. He thinks it’s cute but wisely, he doesn’t say anything and lets the other boy guide him forward.
Years later, Lan Sizhui hums softly as the warm, fragrant smell of curry fills the air. A glance at the clock tells him that Jin Ling will be home soon and as he waits for their dinner to finish cooking, he thinks to himself how lovely their home for two has become.