Work Text:
Mo Xuanyu is lazing around on the couch, only dressed in one of Jiang Cheng’s oversized sweaters, when Jiang Cheng steps out of their bedroom.
Mo Xuanyu does a double take when he sees him—Jiang Cheng is hot, alright—but then he frowns.
“Are you going out?” he asks, not moving from his spot on the couch, and Jiang Cheng nods before he leans down to give him a kiss to the forehead.
“Why?” Mo Xuanyu asks, his voice almost a whine, because he had plans for today, goddamit, and they involved cuddling on the couch and doing absolutely nothing. “We went out for groceries just yesterday, and I’m sure we got everything. There is no reason for you to go out, come here,” he demands and makes actual grabby hands at Jiang Cheng.
“The reason is that my mother ordered me to the company,” Jiang Cheng says with an eyeroll, putting his eyeliner on beautiful display, and so it takes Mo Xuanyu a moment to catch up to what Jiang Cheng just said.
“She did what?” Mo Xuanyu asks and then he looks Jiang Cheng over again. “And you’re going to meet her like that?”
“Yes? Is there something wrong with the way I look?” Jiang Cheng wants to know, a teasing tilt to his voice, and Mo Xuanyu looks him over again.
There is nothing wrong with the way he looks, but. “Do you think Madame Yu will appreciate this?” Mo Xuanyu carefully asks and has to swallow when Jiang Cheng raises his arms to quickly put his hair into a messy bun on the top of his head.
The shirt he’s wearing is one of Mo Xuanyu’s and it’s slightly too short on Jiang Cheng, so when he raises his arms like that, a tantalizing strip of his skin is revealed. Paired with the low slung jeans he’s wearing it’s a rather mouth-watering sight and Mo Xuanyu doesn’t hesitate to lick his lips.
“Madame Yu can suck it,” Jiang Cheng grumbles and then leans down again, this time to pull Mo Xuanyu into a scorching kiss. “I’ll be an hour,” Jiang Cheng says and Mo Xuanyu raises his eyebrow in disbelieve at that.
If Madame Yu ordered him into the office, there is no way Jiang Cheng will be back in an hour.
“You shouldn’t even be going out,” Mo Xuanyu still petulantly says, because they are supposed to be in lockdown and Jiang Cheng’s job is not considered essential.
“I know that. And if the police stops me, I’m going to play them my mother’s voice message she left so nicely on my phone,” Jiang Cheng promises and then gets his keys. “I’ll be sending you a voice message, too,” Jiang Cheng promises and when Mo Xuanyu frowns Jiang Cheng gives him his brightest smile. “I have some things to say to her.”
“Good for you, baby,” Mo Xuanyu says supportively and then snuggles deeper into the couch, his phone close by. “I’ll be right here.”
“Perfect,” Jiang Cheng says and then leaves Mo Xuanyu alone.
~*~*~
When Jiang Cheng arrives at the company and finds people in the lobby, he stops to send them home. His job isn’t considered essential, so theirs sure as hell isn’t either. No need to put anyone at risk like that.
When he finally does make it to his office, his mother is already waiting for him there.
She looks him over once before she scoffs and turns away from him.
Jiang Cheng takes this opportunity to start recording. He did promise Mo Xuanyu a voice message after all and he sure as hell has a few things to say.
“Mother, I don’t appreciate being called here like this,” Jiang Cheng starts without a greeting and isn’t at all surprised when his mother whirls around to him.
“Well, there’s things to be done and you will do them,” she snaps but Jiang Cheng shakes his head.
“We’re in lockdown. This company is not essential. I will not put my employees or myself at risk. And before you ask, yes, I did send everyone you ordered here home. They have no business being here since they can just as well work from home, aand neither do you.”
“How dare you speak to me like that?” Madame Yu demands to know but Jiang Cheng has had enough of this.
He is so sick of his mother ordering him around like he’s still a gangly teenager and he will not allow it any longer.
“You’re going to do this work now,” Madame Yu tells him and points at a stack of papers on the table.
Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes, because he could have done this at home as well, but now he’s going to do shit just out of spite.
“You have no right to order me around like that,” Jiang Cheng tells her. “Because I am the CEO of this company, that’s what it says right there on my nameplate. What does yours say?” he asks, but doesn’t give her the chance to answer. “Oh, that’s right you don’t have one, mother.”
Madame Yu goes pale at his words, but Jiang Cheng is so over this.
“So I will be going back home, to the man I love, and you will not call me or any of my employees here again.”
“You have changed,” Madame Yu presses out, eying the stretch of skin that is showing where his shirt is too small, and the eyeliner he wears most days now, and Jiang Cheng smiles sweetly at her.
“And all for the better, too,” he cheerily gives back but his mother narrows her eyes at him.
“That’s debatable,” she sneers but Jiang Cheng will not allow himself to be baited by her ever again.
“Just because I am no longer the obedient puppet you want me to be, doesn’t mean I changed into a bad person,” he informs her and then points to the door. “Now, if you would leave, this company is officially closed for the time being.”
“To think that you’re doing all of this to go home to that—that—”
“To my boyfriend,” Jiang Cheng helps her along. “I am sorry you can’t bare to spend more than two minutes with father in the same house, but I love Mo Xuanyu and I actually enjoy spending time with him. I know this is a novel concept for you, but not all of us are bitter and full of hate,” he states and then almost bodily manhandles her out of his office.
“Do not call with work related things. Do not send me e-mails or other to-do lists. I am the CEO of this company and I have it under control. It’s what you trained me for after all. If you don’t trust me to handle this company, then hire someone else, or let me do my goddamn job,” Jiang Cheng says and he is thoroughly enjoying the look on his mother’s face.
He itched to say those things to her for a long time, and it feels so good to finally do it.
“Now if you would excuse me, I have a boyfriend to go home to,” Jiang Cheng tells her and just leaves here there, gaping after him.
It’s a damn good feeling.
On his way back down, Jiang Cheng sends the voice message to Mo Xuanyu and then he makes sure that everyone really left, just like he told them to.
He has no clue why his mother wanted anyone to be here, other than feed her sadistic ego, because all of his employees are able to work from home almost just as well as they could from the building.
But to Jiang Cheng’s satisfaction he finds the building empty and so he makes his way back home.
He doesn’t even have the door fully open, when Mo Xuanyu is already jumping him.
“That was so. Fucking. Hot,” he whispers and kisses the living hell right out of Jiang Cheng in the hallway.
“Xuanyu,” Jiang Cheng gasps between kisses, “the neighbours.”
“Let them see. They’d be lucky to get someone like you,” Mo Xuanyu gives back as he drags his lips down Jiang Cheng’s neck and it’s only then that he realizes Mo Xuanyu put on his favourite lipstick.
“But you’re all mine,” Jiang Cheng growls and picks Mo Xuanyu up to carry him back into their apartment.
He does not like to share, after all.