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When the discussion drags on and on, Lan Xichen can start to feel his smile slip.
It has been kind of a bad day from the moment he woke up; he was already annoyed at breakfast and don’t even get him started on the drive to work, but having to listen to Su She drone on and on about how the very glaring error in the finance report is clearly not his fault, is testing Lan Xichen’s patience.
He’s just not sure what’s going to happen if he looses it: either he’s going to punch Su She in the face or he’s going to burst into tears.
Honestly, either could happen, and Lan Xichen is very desperate to at least try and keep it together.
Lan Qiren seems to notice that something is off though, because he keeps throwing Lan Xichen worried looks; looks Lan Xichen ignores as best as he can because he is in no place to deal with this right now.
“This meeting is over,” Lan Xichen suddenly says when Su She starts about the incompetency of his co-workers for the third time during this discussion and Lan Xichen is going to fire him on the spot if he doesn’t get out of his eyes right this instance. He’s probably going to fire him tomorrow, anyway.
Su She is staring at him with wide eyes, but after a look from Lan Qiren he gathers his things and flees the conference room.
“Xichen, what has gotten into you?” Lan Qiren asks, and while Lan Xichen is aware that his uncle is merely worried, it does nothing to improve his mood.
“Nothing,” Lan Xichen snaps at him, and he would wince at his own tone if he would just care a little bit more right now, but instead he storms out of the office as well.
“I’m going home,” he tells his secretary, and when she simply nods at him, Lan Xichen can feel tears burn in his eyes and he hurriedly locks himself into his own office to breathe for a moment.
He doesn’t know what’s wrong with him today, but he desperately needs to get out of here. No work will be done anyway, because his temper is too short today, so he gathers his things and almost runs down to his car.
He debates taking a taxi but he’s only going to snap at the poor driver for things that are not his fault—like the traffic—so Lan Xichen gets into his own car. Like this, at least, he can only be mad at himself, if he gets stuck in traffic today.
Lan Xichen is already halfway home, when he realizes that he doesn’t actually want to be there, in his cold, empty apartment, and so he turns the car around and drives towards Jiang Cheng’s apartment.
A part of him hopes that Jiang Cheng isn’t home, because Lan Xichen doesn’t want to snap at him, but another, bigger part hopes that Jiang Cheng will be there, just so that Lan Xichen isn’t alone in his misery.
He didn’t bother to call ahead—Jiang Cheng didn’t give him a key to always ask if he’s welcome as he has made very clear repeatedly—so Lan Xichen simply makes his way up to Jiang Cheng’s apartment once he parked his car.
When he unlocks the door, he realizes Jiang Cheng must be home, because it wasn’t locked, but no one is calling out for him and Jiang Cheng is not appearing to greet him.
Lan Xichen puts his things down and toes off his shoes, before he makes his way into the apartment. He checks the office first, because more often than not Jiang Cheng is in there, even if he’s home and technically off the clock, but when Lan Xichen finds it empty, he continues to the living-room.
It’s where he finds Jiang Cheng, stretched out on the couch and half-heartedly scrolling on his laptop.
Jiang Cheng’s eyes flit over to Lan Xichen and his eyes narrow with apparent worry.
“You look like shit,” Jiang Cheng comments and that comment alone is enough to nearly get Lan Xichen crying.
It really isn’t his day.
He doesn’t deign that with a reply, and instead he flops himself down on the couch, right on Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng doesn’t protest the move, just wriggles around until Lan Xichen comfortably slides into place on top of him, legs intertwined and with Lan Xichen’s head tucked into his neck.
Lan Xichen lets out a long sigh, and maybe sheds a tear or two, and he’s eternally thankful when Jiang Cheng doesn’t comment on it, and simply continues to work on his laptop.
Lan Xichen doesn’t know how much time they spend like this, but he must have drifted off eventually, because when he peeks out from his hiding place, it’s already dusk out.
“Feeling any better?” Jiang Cheng asks him and when Lan Xichen has to bite back an annoyed answer, he knows the true answer is no.
“Alright, then,” Jiang Cheng mutters, clearly reading Lan Xichen’s mood accurately, and he continues to work without complaint.
“Stop that,” Lan Xichen eventually grumbles and reaches out to stop Jiang Cheng from typing on his laptop. “You’re on your day off, you shouldn’t be working at all.”
“And you’re on your day on, so you should be in the office and not here with me,” Jiang Cheng gives back and Lan Xichen hates how unstable he feels, because that makes his eyes burn again.
Jiang Cheng seems to sense that, too, because his voice goes soft when he goes on.
“What’s wrong?” he wants to know and Lan Xichen shakes his head before he buries his face in Jiang Cheng’s neck again.
“I don’t know,” Lan Xichen mutters and he can feel Jiang Cheng sigh underneath him.
Lan Xichen distantly wonders if Jiang Cheng even feels all of his appendages still, because Lan Xichen is by no means a light man.
“I’m sorry I barged in,” Lan Xichen whispers after a moment and despite Lan Xichen hiding, Jiang Cheng manages to flick his forehead.
“Dummy,” he chides him. “I didn’t give you a key so that you could call first and ask if it’s okay. You have permission to pester me whenever you want.”
At that Lan Xichen presses closer to Jiang Cheng, emotions going haywire again and Jiang Cheng starts to card his fingers through Lan Xichen’s head, the motion soothing.
“You’re burning out, Xichen. You need to take a step back, every now and then,” Jiang Cheng lowly tells him and Lan Xichen can’t help but to snort at the hypocrisy.
“You mean like you do?” he snaps back, but Jiang Cheng doesn’t rise to the bait.
“Yes. Why do you think I’m on my couch and not in the office? I don’t have to deal with people here. I actually get shit done. It helps a lot,” Jiang Cheng tells him and Lan Xichen mulishly moves his jaw.
“I can handle it,” he presses out, because that is what is always expected of him.
For him to handle things.
“For now,” Jiang Cheng allows. “But maybe not for much longer.”
“And what’s it to you?” Lan Xichen seethes.
“I care about you,” Jiang Cheng says honestly and effectively takes all the wind out of Lan Xichen’s sails. “And I don’t want to see you burn out like this.”
Lan Xichen has to hide his face again, the tears spilling over when all the rage leaves him, and Jiang Cheng continues to hold him without complaint.
It takes Lan Xichen an embarrassingly long time to get himself back under control but when the tears stop he does feel better.
He takes a few more moments to compose himself and then he props his chin up on Jiang Cheng’s chest.
“I like you,” he tells Jiang Cheng who looks at him with a raised eyebrow.
“I should hope so,” Jiang Cheng says with a small smile. “Not even my brother is allowed to annoy me whenever he wants, so you better realize what a privilege you have.”
Lan Xichen’s lip twitch into a smile at that, but then he shakes his head. That is not what he meant.
“I mean I like you. I’m in love with you,” Lan Xichen admits and he gets to watch how Jiang Cheng’s face turns all soft, as he moves to cup Lan Xichen’s cheek in his hand.
“I should hope so,” Jiang Cheng softly says and then repeats: “Not everyone gets a key to my apartment, you know.”
Lan Xichen has known that, of course he has; they both were very secure in the knowledge that they were tipping over into something more romantical, but neither of them has said it yet.
“I‘m in love with you, too,” Jiang Cheng says and even though Lan Xichen knew that, hearing it is something completely different.
“Even on days like this?” Lan Xichen asks and buries his face in Jiang Cheng’s chest.
“Especially on days like this,” Jiang Cheng shoots back. “Because you allow me to see you like this.”
Lan Xichen has to swallow a few times at that, but when he looks up at Jiang Cheng he is smiling again.
“I love you,” Lan Xichen breathes and leans up, just a little bit, just enough to brush his lips over Jiang Cheng’s.
“I love you,” Jiang Cheng replies as soon as the fleeting contact passes, and then he bends his head down to capture Lan Xichen’s lips in a more passionate kiss.
“And now,” Jiang Cheng says once they both have caught their breath again, “you are going to at least move to the other side, because I can’t feel my leg anymore.”
That startles a laugh out of Lan Xichen, which turns into some new tears, because he cannot believe that Jiang Cheng was able to improve his mood this much.
“This is really not your day, is it?” Jiang Cheng asks as he brushes a stray tear from Lan Xichen’s cheek.
“No,” Lan Xichen admits and he’s grateful when Jiang Cheng doesn’t ask for any further explanations.
“Okay. You’re going to let me up for a second, so I can get your favourite chocolate, and then we’re going to order in,” Jiang Cheng decides and Lan Xichen only begrudgingly moves off Jiang Cheng.
Lan Xichen’s mood definitely takes a turn for the worse when Jiang Cheng is out of sight, but he comes back soon enough, and puts the promised chocolate into Lan Xichen’s hand.
“Now move over, I’m not going to be your pillow all evening,” Jiang Cheng tells him as he nudges him further towards the back of the couch, but he does lay down right next to Lan Xichen, so it’s okay.
“What are you in the mood for?” Jiang Cheng then asks him, phone and take-out app at the ready, and Lan Xichen can only stare at him for a moment.
“You,” he then says and watches as Jiang Cheng flushes before he scowls at him.
“And for that alone we’re getting pizza,” Jiang Cheng decides and Lan Xichen puts his head back on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder.
He trusts Jiang Cheng to make the choices today, just like he trusts him with his heart.
Lan Xichen knows Jiang Cheng won’t let him down.