Work Text:
It was undeniably wonderful to have Wei Wuxian back in his life, and Lan Wangji couldn’t help but let his eyes follow him whenever they were in the same room. Maybe it was a little creepy that he would also follow Wei Wuxian into different rooms sometimes just to keep him in sight, but after thirteen years of wondering if he was dead and being certain he’d never see him again maybe a little clinginess was allowed. Wei Wuxian had yet to complain, at least.
The snow outside was falling in fat flakes gleaming in the setting sun, and Wei Wuxian had suggested they watch it fall. “It’s the first snowfall of the year, Lan Zhan! We should enjoy it!” Lan Wangji didn’t have the heart to tell Wei Wuxian that it was not the first, that he had slept through the true first and it had been melted away by the time he woke. But it was the first that Wei Wuxian had seen, and that was good enough for Lan Wangji.
“I’ll make some hot chocolate, Lan Zhan! We’ll light the firepit on the porch be all cozy together,” Wei Wuxian declared, and immediately darted into the kitchen. Lan Wangji hovered in the doorway to watch the man he loved hop around the kitchen looking for the right ingredients, a small smile lingering on his lips. There was some instant hot chocolate mix in the back of the tea cupboard, which Wei Wuxian knew and was purposely ignoring. Instead, he gathered Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sugar, and cinnamon all together on the counter, and put two cups of milk on the stove to heat up. Lan Wangji watched curiously as the mixture came together, Wei Wuxian’s movements careless but the measurements still somehow precise.
Eventually Wei Wuxian noticed Lan Wangji in the doorway and beamed at him. “Don’t worry, Lan Zhan, I know what I’m doing! It’s better this way than the little packets you have, I promise.”
“Mn,” Lan Wangji said. I trust you, he meant. I don’t care if it’s undrinkable, because you made it for me, he couldn’t say. Wei Wuxian’s smile grew even wider for a moment before he turned away to retrieve the milk. A little bit in each cup and then they were stirred, then one cup topped off and handed to Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian grinned at him and seemed to be waiting, so Lan Wangji took a small sip. It was wonderful, the alkalized cocoa powder lending it a slight sharpness that cut through the richness of the milk and was incredibly pleasing to the palate, a hint of cinnamon warming the drink gently. “Mm,” Lan Wangji said, and this time it only meant I like it. Wei Wuxian beamed at him.
But Wei Wuxian was not finished with his own. He reached into the cabinet that was reserved for the spices that were exclusive to Wei Wuxian’s diet and Lan Wangji watched in horror as he pulled out ancho chili powder and dropped a heaping spoonful of it into his mug and stirred before adding the last of the milk. When he turned, mug in hand, to return to the porch and saw Lan Wangji’s face he immediately bent over laughing.
“Lan Zhan! Your face, you should see your face!” he cackled, carefully clutching his mug so as not to spill it. “You look like I just insulted your rabbits! Oh, Lan Zhan, you’re so precious, I love you so much!”
Lan Wangji couldn’t help the way his lips twisted in distaste. “Why would you do that?” he asked, and was ashamed to hear the note of pure horror and revulsion in his own voice that he couldn’t quite suppress.
Wei Wuxian continued laughing for a moment before he was able to reply, tugging Lan Wangji out to the porch and the crackling fire they’d already lit so that they could snuggle on the bench in front of it and watch the snowfall. “It’s good like this!” Wei Wuxian claimed, and Lan Wangji doubted him very much. “No, seriously! Okay, maybe most people don’t drink it as spicy as I do, but putting chili powder in hot chocolate is seriously a thing people do!” Lan Wangji continued to be suspicious, so Wei Wuxian handed over his cup of poison and pulled out his phone. A quick search while Lan Wangji held the mug as far from his own body as possible and defensively cradled his own delicious concoction and suddenly the phone was shoved in Lan Wangji’s face so close his eyes crossed. “See? I’m not making it up!” And indeed, there on the phone was a list of spicy hot chocolate recipes from various sources, most of them claiming a Mexican or South American origin.
Huh. It really was a thing. Curious, Lan Wangji tapped on one of the recipes at random and scrolled to the ingredients list. Oh. The recommended amount of ancho chili powder was barely a fraction of what Wei Wuxian had put in his cup. Well, that seemed to line up with what he’d expected, really. Lan Wangji shot his lover a disapproving look as he somehow managed to swallow a gulp of the liquid fire he’d made for himself without even making a face at it.
“Haha, Lan Zhan, don’t give me that look!” he cried, snuggling closer on the bench and stretching his toes toward the fire. “I know my spice tolerance is basically inhuman, alright? I won’t make you drink this! But maybe next time I could get you to let me put in just a little? Even less than the recipes recommend, I promise! Please?”
Wei Wuxian’s pout should be classified as a weapon and made illegal, Lan Wangji thought as he looked into his boyfriend’s pitiful eyes and felt the distinct urge to bite that jutting lip. There was nothing stopping him anymore from doing just that, so he did, and the squealing laughter that resulted made him smile. “We’ll see,” he said at last, and earned a sound kiss for it before they both turned to watch the snow fall in the world beyond their warm little bubble.