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When Xiao Xingchen comes home he’s met with a delicious smell. He follows it towards the kitchen, where Song Lan is still busy at the stove and he takes a second to just watch him work.
He never understood the fascination behind cooking but when he’s seeing Song Lan like this, totally in his element and movements sure and steady, he can almost see the appeal.
His gaze falls onto the dining table and he feels warm all over when he notices the set up; sees the flowers and napkins and how it’s clearly intended to be a romantic evening.
Xiao Xingchen notices the empty candle holders and he frowns.
“Did you forget the candles?” he asks and Song Lan jumps at the sound of his voice.
He hadn’t noticed Xiao Xingchen yet, and he feels almost bad. Really, he would, if he could just stop laughing.
“Who even sneaks in like that?” Song Lan hisses, clearly embarrassed because his ears turn all red, and Xiao Xingchen makes his way over to him.
“I’m sorry,” he says and puts his arms around Song Lan when he turns back to the stove. “But I really didn’t sneak anywhere,” he goes on, because he didn’t. He opened the door like any normal being would.
They stay like that for a few moments, Xiao Xingchen content to just rest against his husband while he continues to cook, before he eventually pulls away again.
“So, the candles? Is the romance dead already?” he asks, putting a ridiculously betrayed tone into his voice.
“Already, he says after ten years,” Song Lan grumbles and Xiao Xingchen darts in to press a kiss to his cheek. “I couldn’t find the candles, because you stole them all for your baths.”
That--might actually be true. Xiao Xingchen does love his candle-lit baths, and he might also steal all and every available candles for that. And Song Lan hasn’t found his stash in the bathroom yet.
“I’ll get them,” he tells him and pretends that he didn’t see Song Lan roll his eyes at him.
It takes him barely a minute to find the candles and bring two back to the table.
“I found the candles, we’ll be alright, the romance isn’t dead yet,” he announces as he puts the candles on the table.
“If the candles mark the level of romance of our interactions than I am sad to inform you that one romantic dinner won’t save us,” Song Lan drily replies and Xiao Xingchen laughs.
“Good thing we don’t need the candles then,” he gives back and steps close to nuzzle the underside of Song Lan’s chin.
Song Lan leans into it for a few moments before he pushes Xiao Xingchen away.
“The sauce will burn,” he says, already walking back into the kitchen and Xiao Xingchen pouts after his husband.
How rude he is!
Instead of offering to help, like he had originally planned, Xiao Xingchen sits down at the table, just waiting for Song Lan to come back and serve him.
“I’m ready for the first course,” he yells into the kitchen when Song Lan doesn’t emerge for the longest time.
“How many do you expect?” Song Lan asks, just sticking the head out and vanishing again before Xiao Xingchen even has a chance to answer.
“Well, if I’m only getting one, then I’ll be greatly disappointed,” Xiao Xingchen says, eyes already sparkling when Song Lan comes out with an artfully arranged salad.
So it won’t just be one course, then.
“Are you trying to flirt? Is this you trying to flirt? If so, you’re just embarrassing yourself and it’s a wonder I fell for you all those years back,” Song Lan grumbles and presses a kiss to his head as he puts the salad down in front of him.
“That you fell for me anyway, does that say more about you or me?” Xiao Xingchen asks with an angelic smile and Song Lan narrows his eyes at him.
“How about you start to eat, so I don’t have to hear you complain over a dinner your doting husband made with his own two hands?”
“Aww, my heart,” Xiao Xingchen coos but dutifully digs into the food.
Song Lan is the best cook he knows and Xiao Xingchen treasures each and every single time he takes the time to cook for them like this.
The salad is finished quickly enough and afterwards Xiao Xingchen is almost bouncing in his seat. He can’t cook to save his life, and he’s also really bad with identifying things by smell, so he’s not quite sure what the main course will be but he knows it will be amazing.
When Song Lan puts the plate down, Xiao Xingchen immediately knows what it is.
“You made lamb,” he says softly and looks up at Song Lan.
“Yes, I did.”
“But you hate lamb.”
“But you don’t,” Song Lan gives back without looking at him and Xiao Xingchen wonders how Song Lan can still sometimes just get so shy and embarrassed over the smallest things.
“The romance isn’t dead at all,” Xiao Xingchen says as he slides out of his chair and walks over to Song Lan, plopping himself down into his husband’s lap, who already anticipated the move. “You’re so good to me,” Xiao Xingchen mutters and claims Song Lan’s lips in a kiss, sweet and languid, right until Song Lan pinches his side.
“Ouch,” Xiao Xingchen complains.
“I did not make that stupid dish so you could let it get cold,” Song Lan tells him, but he still brushes an apologetic kiss over his lips. “I’ll make up for that later:”
“Actually, I think it’s me who should make up for you doting on me?” Xiao Xingchen easily replies as he goes back to his own seat, mouth already watering at the thought of the dish in front of him. And of what might come after dinner.
“Do you have dessert, too?” Xiao Xingchen asks between bites from his delicious lamb and Song Lan rolls his eyes at him.
“You’re insatiable,” he mutters but then nods. “Of course there’s also dessert.”
“And then dessert?” Xiao Xingchen asks, waggling his eyebrows at Song Lan who lets out a deep sigh, but he blushes bright red, just like Xiao Xingchen does.
“And then that, too, if you can still move, because I certainly won’t be doing all the work,” Song Lan says.
“I think I can repay my doting husband for all his hard work,” Xiao Xingchen tells him and enjoys the way Song Lan eats a little bit faster at his words.
Not that Xiao Xingchen is eating any slower than him. There are better things to do, after all, no matter how delicious the food in front of him is.