Chapter Text
"Lan Huan, bring those boxes upstairs!"
A young guy with a couple of bags in his hands and with a kid running around him walked inside a two-story renovated vintage house, western style.
He had his hair, way longer than it appeared, tied up in a bun. Honestly, he hated it when they dangled around his face, especially if he had something this difficult to do.
He was talking to a slightly older man who was carrying four heavy-looking boxes in his hands. He was the most handsome man in this world, in his husband's opinion. Especially when, like that day, he was dressed in comfy clothes... even if they hid his sculpted body. He had short, pitch black hair and dark amber eyes, sweet and always loving.
On that day, they moved into a bigger house where they could finally live together without having space issues.
Lan Xichen, before that, used to reside in the Lan household with his family, where he was treated like a noble. They were, somehow. Their father was an esteemed politician, while their uncle had chosen the justice way. He had become the head of the Police Department, after a whole life of sacrifices and overworking... while he grew up alone the two young orphaned boys.
Lan Huan followed his father's path. He studied political sciences and now had started his way in this harsh world teaching at University. He knew that so young he couldn't do that much. To be a Minister, he had to be damn older.
Jiang Cheng, like his husband, had lived with his family, composed by his parents, his older sister and an older adoptive brother. He left them, when... when Jiang Yanli died along with her husband, leaving behind their young two years old child, Jin Ling. However, since the Jin family was quite... imposing, in its ways, he decided to adopt the kid. He would take care of him and shield him from this disgusting world, that for some reason shunned him for being an orphan.
Now, A-Ling wasn't orphan anymore. Lan Huan had married him and doing so, he adopted the child, too. After asking Jin Ling, obviously. Jiang Cheng would never do anything to upset him, even if it was something he deeply craved, like marrying the best man he had ever met in his life.
They got to knew each other a couple of years before, thanks to his brother... that fell in love with A-Huan's brother.
From that moment, they spent a load of time just flirting (mainly Xichen did, he was busy blushing), because he didn't know if Jin Ling would accept him.
However, the man made the child fall in love with him, so... here they were.
Moving into a house of their own that Lan Huan bought especially for them to live in. A beautiful new home with a garden and a forest behind. They were near the city, but also surrounded by nature.
"Jiujiu, can I go see my room?" his young nephew asked him, followed by his pup... well, not pup anymore, it was so big, Jin Ling could ride it.
"Yes, but be careful." he answered, somehow managing not to drop those heavy bags, filled with kitchen tools, as the child and dog darted almost between his legs. "Don't run, brat!!" he yelled behind him, but he couldn't be angry at him... not when he was laughing heartily for the first time in years. Now he was 7 years old, almost 8... and he had been so happy only when his other uncle had given him Fairy as a present, almost a year before.
Jiang Cheng loved dogs, too, but he had never had them in his house because his idiot brother was too afraid. He would go pale, scream and climb whatever he could, was it a human or a tree.
He hadn't adopted one, even if he wanted to, because he wasn't sure about how Jin Ling would have reacted or if the dog would have hurt his nephew.
In the end, when Jin Guangyao gave her to him as a present, he was overjoyed and named the pup Little Fairy... until she grew and became bigger than him.
After more than a year together, they had become inseparable. Wherever A-Ling went, Fairy would follow. Once, she had sat by the gates of his school, refusing to go home, until the child came out. They received complaints, but whatever. No one could actually threaten Jiang Cheng, the young COO of Lotus Pier, his father's company. He had worked like mad to obtain that place, since Jiang Fengmian wasn't the type of person who employed his relatives if they hadn't the necessary experience.
He sometimes worked from home, since A-Ling was so young and... all his baby sitters had quit in tears.
Somehow, the child had taken all of his flaws. He was arrogant, a bit coquettish... but so sensible. When he went to the kindergarten, some kids bullied him because he was an orphan. At first, A-Ling wouldn't tell him, but later on Jiang Cheng had found the child crying in his pup's fur and listened to him as he told the dog his problems.
He kind of went on a rampage and requested a meeting with the parents, where he scolded all of them.
The next day, he made A-Ling move to another kindergarten.
Now, he was in primary school and had finally found some friends. Lan Yuan, Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen. The first was Wei Wuxian's adoptive son, the second was Lan Huan's cousin's son and the third... had yet to be approved.
He was quite relieved, now, but still worked from home when he could. Now he had also A-Huan's help, even if he overworked himself from early morning to evening.
Grumbling, he and his handsome husband managed to drag inside all the boxes, where all their possessions were stuffed, before dinner.
Fortunately the furniture had been placed way before they actually moved in, otherwise they wouldn't be sprawled on the couch, exhausted.
Jin Ling was still running around, after finding his room and playing all day with Fairy.
"Uncle, uncle!!" he chimed in with his high pitched voice.
"What?" he asked, without his usual bitterness.
"Come in the garden, there's a surprise for you!!" he looked so happy, Jiang Cheng just had to get up and try to follow the child... but he stumbled miserably in his own feet.
"A-Cheng, you've done enough for today" his husband told him, sweetly. "Will you let your husband carry you?" he asked, while his arm was already sneaking around his slim waist.
He wanted to grumble and be his usual tsundere self, but... he was too tired for that shit, so he leant on Lan Huan, hoping he would understand without having to say cringey words.
The older man picked him up with a smile, sweet and caring. After all, Jiang Cheng had married him for a reason.
They followed the child in the garden and... the setting sun lit up a beautiful pond with blooming lotus flowers. Their familiar scent wafted to his sensible nostrils and made his heart beat in happiness.
He was so overjoyed he had to let out a smile and tugged Xichen's shirt.
"A-Huan... did you do this?" he asked, eyes sparkling.
"Only for you, my love." his husband answered, giving him a light kiss on the forehead. "Do you like it?"
Jiang Cheng hugged him so tightly he could swear he heard some bones creak. "I do! But... you shouldn't have spent your money on useless things like this." he protested.
"Seeing my lifelong soulmate happy is not useless, A-Cheng~" he teased him, knowing perfectly he was going to be flustered by his words.
"Y-you...!" as expected, he stuttered and flushed red, earning a sweet smile from him.
"And after all, I didn't spend anything for this." the older man told him, winking "It's a natural pond with lotus flowers. I just... bought the house"
Jiang Cheng was left with a gaping mouth. "You're truly a rich bastard, aren't you?"
"You seemed to enjoy your marriage with this rich bastard" Lan Huan chuckled, amused at his antics. He bent a bit to speak the last words in his ear, so A-Ling wouldn't ear. "Especially at night"
This flirty idiot!!
"You're not coming in my room tonight!!" he yelled, struggling like an idiot to gt down from his embrace... but his husband was too strong and refused to yield.
"Now, now, A-Cheng, You could hurt yourself twisting like this. Why don't you try to ask nicely if I can put you down?" he teased, like always. It was starting to make Jiang Cheng a bit uncomfortable, mainly because A-Ling was with them... but when he turned to look, the child was nowhere to be found.
"Wait, where's A-Ling??" he was already starting to panic. He couldn't see him or his dog and this was damn unusual. Especially because he found the lotus pond and... whenever his nephew saw one, he felt the urge to jump inside the dirty and stagnant water. What if the pond was too deep and he was drowning, while he was busy flirting with his husband?!
Lan Xichen's face immediately paled and finally put Jiang Cheng down. Both ran to the pond, yelling his name, hoping not to find his corpse floating in the water. Where was that damn dog?!
However, Jin Ling wasn't in the pond. He wasn't in the garden at all!
They ran around the house, Jiang Cheng outside and A-Huan inside. He was chanting in his mind every curse he could think of, because he was a damn idiot for losing sight of him for even a second...!
Then, a thought struck his mind.
What if... he went outside?? The gate wasn't that hard to open...!!
"Lan Huan!!! Look at the gates, is he there?!" he yelled as soon as he entered... but saw them coming downstairs, his husband flushed from the run and his nephew... laughing.
"A-Ling!! Where were you?! Do you want to kill me?!" he scolded the child as he knelt and held him tightly to his chest. He loved this young boy and he considered him almost as his own son... even if the kid still called him "uncle".
He pouted. "I was upstairs, I was taking a look at the house... Fairy was with me!"
"Whatever!! Don't disappear on me like this ever again!" he retorted, gently caressing the child's head, actions completely opposite from his tone.
"Yes, uncle" he relented with a small sigh.
"Good boy. Now..." he sighed in relief before changing topic "what do you want for dinner? We're gonna order take out." he asked.
The child's eyes shone, excited. "I want pizza!"
"Pizza is, then." he gave him a light smile, soothing him after the scolding. He didn't want to be hated, at least by him.
"Thank you, uncle!" A-Ling rejoiced, hugging him back.
Lan Huan was looking at them with an endearing look, that made Jiang Cheng's heart melt. He was truly lucky to have married him.
―
Days later, Lan Huan was at home, since he had a day off from lessons. He decided to cook one of A-Cheng's favourite dishes, pork ribs and lotus root soup, following a recipe his husband wrote trying to remember what his sister did. It was incomplete, but Lan Huan was trying his best to make it.
Humming, he cooked and let it steep for hours. He spent all day at home, alone, waiting for A-Ling to finish school. He had to go pick him up from school and today he also wanted to show him the neighborhood. Jin Ling was always so eager to explore, was it the house or the city. Just thinking about his cuteness made Xichen smile. He had through so much and yet... he found the strength to go on and be like a normal kid.
Then, as he laid down on the couch to read work-related books, he suddenly felt a presence behind him. He felt... observed.
He shivered, creeped out. He should be alone at that time of day...
He turned his head... and found himself face to face with...
"Fairy?!" he yelped, falling from the couch in fear.
She gave him a dog smile and barked, almost satisfied at his reaction.
"You're a naughty girl, you know?" he chuckled, feeling stupid for being scared by their dog.
He had completely forgot her presence, since she was so good and well-behaved.
"Have you eaten, yet?" he got up from the ground and walked to the kitchen, where they kept her food.
She walked happily behind him.
They spent the remaining hour together, he went back to his book, while she slept near his feet, on the isle of their white couch. He loved having her there, because his feet were always cold, for some reason and she helped keep them hot, as if she knew.
Soon enough, it was time to pick his child up.
"Let's go, Fairy, Jin Ling is waiting for us" he told her, taking her golden leash.
Half an hour later, they arrived to the primary school, where Jin Ling had just come out with his friends.
He knew two of them. One was Lan Yuan, the child Wei Wuxian had adopted and that now took the surname of his husband, Lan Zhan, his dear younger brother.
The other was a Lan, too, it was a cousin's son he knew.
Both were good kids.
The third that was with him, though... he looked nice, but he couldn't help but be worried. He loved Jin Ling as he would with his own child.
Before he could do anything, Fairy escaped his grip and howling, she ran towards Jin Ling.
"Fairy!!" the child chimed, happier than ever.
He heard screams from the crowd of parents. "Lan Zhan save me!!"
Oh, Wei Wuxian was there. He always called Wangji's name, even if he was alone, just to gather courage from it.
"A-Ling!" he called the child, knowing he had to hide the dog from his brother-in-law, otherwise Wangji would never forgive him.
"Uncle Huan!" his child had started calling him uncle in such a cute way he wanted to squeeze the child against his chest.
He hid the dog behind him and soon the wailing stopped.
"Brother! Thank you for your help!" the young man, always dressed in black, waved at him as he hugged his child.
He gave him a polite smile and a small bow, before leaving. A-Ling waved at his friends and clutched his hand.
"Thank you for coming, uncle Huan." he grinned walking side by side with his dog.
"You're welcome, A-Ling. I promised you we would go take a look at the neighborhood, didn't I?"
"Yep!" he laughed, as they observed curiously every shop, bar and restaurant.
They stopped at a small bakery to eat pastries, once in a while it was so satisfying even for the older man.
It was a peaceful day.
When they were on their way home, A-Ling's attention was attracted by a games shop. It looked old, but the sign was new. It was filled with new and old games, wooden toys and play station games. It was surrounded by a small green garden, cute and well-cared of.
His eyes sparkled, as if he had seen the most beautiful thing in the world. Like Lan Huan looked at A-Cheng.
"Want to go take a look?" he asked the child with a smile. He looked expectantly at him, nodding so much his head almost ripped off.
The child then proceeded to grab his hand and drag him inside, while with the other hand he held Fairy's leash. She would have followed anyway.
They entered, but...
"Good evening, sir. I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to keep your dog out. It's a small place and it could cause problems." the owner told them, gently with a smile.
Lan Huan understood it, but...
"Fairy is not your usual dog! She's well trained and doesn't cause problems!!" Jin Ling was already losing his temper.
Oh, dear.
"A-Ling, Fairy had been closed inside the house all day. I'm sure she would be happy to stay a bit in the garden, don't you think?" he talked sweetly to the child, now knowing what he needed to hear. If her well-being was at stake, he would oblige immediately.
"Oh... Fairy, can you please stay outside for a bit? I'm gonna be fast!" he told her. She wagged her tail as she obediently went out, chilling under a wooden bench.
"Uncle, can I go take a look around?" he asked. He was so polite towards him... only with the guys his age he had problems. And sometimes with A-Cheng.
"Of course. Call me if there's something you want." he patted the child's head, before he ran around the shop, observing everything in awe.
"He's such a cute child. Are you new around here?" the owner asked, now that they just had to wait.
"Yes, we have moved in some days ago." he answered. He wanted to have decent relationships with the "neighbours", but... he honestly just wanted to go home. He always had a smile on his face, but deep inside, he was an introvert of the worst kind. He loved to stay with his brother, with his husband and with all their children, but not with strangers.
Where was A-Cheng when he needed him?
This man had been speaking from the time they had entered and didn't shut up for even a second.
Then, thank gods, he heard a gasp coming from the child. When he looked, he had in his arms a long wooden box, beautifully decorated, almost... hand-made?
"Uncle Huan, look inside!!" he opened it to show him the content of the box: a long sword, carved out of hardwood, probably made by the same person that produced the box. Near it, many wooden toys, all beautifully crafted.
"This is lovely!" Lan Huan exclaimed picking up the sword. It was carved as a long sword, but it was light and perfect for a child's hand. "But... Are you sure you want this and not something like a new videogame?" he asked, he didn't want the child to regret his choice. Not that he wouldn't buy the child whatever he wanted.
"I want this!" the child hugged the sword to his chest.
"Oh, that... I'm selling it all for 200 yuan! It was hand-made by one of the best wood carver of our age, Daozhang!" the owner said, excitedly, then he neared Xichen that didn't move even if he desperately wanted to. "However... this box belonged to his daughter. She died under strange circumstances..." then he went back to the previous tone. "Everything is perfectly intact and if you want, I even have the wax to keep the wood shiny and clean." he was a good seller. Definitely.
He took a look at his child... who looked so eager, more than he had ever been in his life.
Without letting him see his discomfort for buying that precise product, he paid it and they finally went out.
He breathed in relief when they finally got away from that place.
"Fairy, look at what I bought!" he ran eagerly to his dog, with a bright smile on his face.
However she made a strange, displeased face.
"What, don't like it?" Jin Ling pouted.
She gave him a light howl.
"Whatever, I won't use this with you. Maybe A-Yuan will like it!" his pout disappeared, thinking about the other child.
Oh my, that was really cute.
"He will like it for sure. But you can't bring them to school, alright?" Xichen told him, poking his small nose.
"Yes, uncle! Can we call him tomorrow? I wanna show him the house! Jingyi and Zizhen, too!!"
"You have to ask your uncle, he's going to be home with you tomorrow. But he'll say yes for sure" Xichen said, observing his watch. "Oh dear, it's late! I need to finish to prepare dinner! Let's go home, A-Ling!"
They hurried home before A-Cheng could come home. The soup had to be a a surprise for dinner!
Fortunately, his husband hadn't arrived, yet. He was usually at home around 20.
He still had one hour.
Lan Xichen completed what he was doing, just a bit before he heard the typical noise of his car coming inside their driveway.
He had already set the table and Jin Ling was in the living room, sitting on the couch with Fairy. He had left the box they had bought in his room and now he was busy teaching his dog more tricks.
"Stand on your feet and give me your paw! Yes, like that!"
Then, the door opened.
"I'm home..." his husband grumbled, tired, really tired.
"Welcome home, love!" he chimed with his best smile, hoping to lift his mood a bit. This was literally the best moment of the day. Jiang Cheng didn't smile back, he just acknowledged him with a small nod.
He must have had a bad day.
Then, Xichen saw... the look in his eyes change. He must have smelt their dinner.
"Lan Huan, this smell..."
"Hi uncle!" Jin Ling interrupted them, running in the hall to welcome his uncle.
"A-Ling. Did you have fun with A-Huan?" he asked with a sweet smile, the one reserved only for his family.
"Yep! We explored aaall the neighborhood and he bought me new toys!" the child told him, happily.
"New toys? Again? Lan Huan, you're going to spoil him too much." he scolded his husband with a glare that had lost its threatening touch.
"You know I can't resist his puppy eyes"
His husband let out a displeased noise, before picking him up and bringing him to wash his hands.
They sat, waiting for the delicious smelling dinner.
Smug, Xichen brought the pot over, still steaming.
Jiang Cheng's eyes widened when he opened the lid...
"A-Huan, this... is this the recipe...?" he gave him an awed look Xichen could never resist and even this time he leant over to give him a kiss, making his lovely husband blush a cute red.
"Y-you!! Even during dinner!!"
He giggled, his reactions were always so amusing.
"Yep, it's that recipe. Try it, tell me if it's good~" he truly loved to tease his husband.
"It's good!" Jin Ling chimed, before going back to ignore them.
Still with his cheeks red, A-Cheng picked up a piece of meat and gave it a bite. His eyes looked the same as his nephew when they sparkled like that. Small tears decorated his bright grey orbs.
"It almost tastes like my sister's soup... the only difference is that she put much more chili peppers. But then you wouldn't be able to eat it" he scoffed, mocking him. "Your taste buds are too delicate for our food."
Xichen made a face at him, making Jin Ling laugh loudly.
They ate dinner and spent the evening together, cuddling on the couch while A-Ling went in his room to play with his new toys.
"Thank you for the dinner... I honestly love coming home and see you preparing our meals." A-Cheng admitted, resting with his head on his beloved's chest.
"And I love being your househusband~" he said, lovingly as he kissed A-Cheng's forehead. "I'm happy you've enjoyed it."
Then, he remembered of what happened that day.
"Right, you know those toys I've bought? They belonged to a girl, the daughter of Daozhang. Have you ever heard about him? The owner said he was a famous wood carver."
"Of course I did, my mother and sister always asked him to make their hairpins. But... I didn't know he had a daughter. He was gay and married, for what I remember." Jiang Cheng answered, perplexed.
"Maybe she was adopted. The shop owner told me she died under strange circumstances and they had sold her toys, for some reasons." he informed him, a bit creeped out.
"Mmh... I will ask my mother, she probably knows." he replied, rubbing his cheek against him. He looked like he didn't want to talk about it anymore.
"Another thing, A-Ling wanted to call his friends home, tomorrow, to let them see the house. I told him to ask you, but he had probably forgotten." he tried to steady his resolve, wanting first to finish what he had to say, before... well. His husband was writhing against him, lovingly and cutely. He knew what that meant.
"I will tell him tomorrow. Of course he can bring here his friends, I never denied him anything, did I?" he was starting to drag his words, like he did when he wanted to arouse him. It was working.
"Enough, time for bed." he concluded, picking his husband on his shoulder and bringing him upstairs.
It was going to be a long night.