Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The guys moving in next door were hot and Xue Yang was quite enjoying the view of them pivoting their way into the house with their furniture. He’d been watching the remodel with some interest when it had begun a few months ago, but he’d assumed it was some big box store moving into the area, not two cuties.

The small downtown section of Yi City held a certain charm, he supposed. The walkable block of old homes turned into businesses surrounded the college campus, making it a hot spot for students. It worked for him and he’d been here... well; the store had been here for ages.

He grinned as he watched the men carry in a bed frame and then a dresser. It looked like they’d be living here, just like him. Excellent. It’d be nice to have other people around since the Wens didn’t live at their modest drugstore on the corner. And the guy who ran the corner boutique, Su She? Xue Yang preferred to pretend he didn’t exist.

Turning to his own place, he smiled. The old bookstore had the rustic charm these guys should love. He’d seen enough antique furniture being delicately carried in to guess these men liked things old school and his bookstore, The Burial Mounds, was about as old school as it got.

The apartment he lived in above the bookstore, though, was a different story and made up of the sharp lines of modern style. He loved getting to shift between the worlds with ease at any time, day or night.

He hopped off the windowsill and brushed himself off. “How do I look?” he called into the empty store.

“Like you need a shower.” Came the biting voice he hoped for.

He smirked and turned around to face the young woman, more of a girl, with dark brown hair and wide silver eyes.

“A-Qing, nice of you to show up.”

“Yeah, the cemetery is pretty dull.” She floated up to sit on the edge of the register.

Yes, the idea of a 24-hour bookshop was ridiculous, but he needed the shop to be always open. When you dabbled in some side necromancy...well,  few people came looking for a necromancer in the middle of the day.

A-Qing was one of the first spirits Xue Yang had summoned. She had died in this town before the college had existed and wanted a second chance. She’d been his assistant for a long time.

“Who are those new guys? Did they buy the store next door?”

“Where have you been?”

“Uh, rotting?”

He snorted. “Ah, I thought you’d done something different with your hair. The rotten corpse look is great on you.”

A book flew past his head, and he laughed.

“Yeah, they’ve been renovating it all summer. You’d have known that if you hadn’t gone off on vacation.”

“I never got to see the beach when I was alive. I hitched a ride with some of the college kids heading there. Don’t be jealous. Not all of us are workaholics.”

“I’m going to say hello to our new neighbors.” He ran his hands through his hair and tugged his shirt down. “...do I look alright, for real?”

“I don’t know, I’m-“

“If you try to tell me you are blind one more time, I am going to pluck your eyes from your skull.”

She stuck out her tongue. “My eyes are already waaaaayyyy gone so too late. You look messy, but fine enough, I guess. Please don’t tell me you’re trying to make a good impression on these guys.”

“Then I won’t tell you,” he said. “You’re in charge until I get back.”

She grumbled as he trotted out of the shop and outside into the warm August day. The semester would start on Monday, so these new guys had cut it close on getting open in time for that rush.

He waited until one of them, the thinner of the two, stopped and took a long drink of water before he approached.

Up close, this guy was beautiful. Long, elegant lines and a face sculpted by pure magic. Dark hair hung over wide gray eyes and the frankly adorably large glasses he wore.

“Hi,” Xue Yang said, stepping in closer. “You must be my new neighbor.”

The man turned and smiled. Xue Yang was pretty sure his heart if he had one, stopped at that dazzlement hitting him. Oh, this guy personified beauty.

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you! I kept meaning to stop by, but the renovation has been taking all of my time. I’m Xiao Xingchen,” he responded and offered his hand.

The man’s voice rang like a church bell through Xue Yang’s body. A deep, resonant tone that vibrated perfectly with his skin. Oh, he was in trouble. He took the offered hand and savored the soft warmth in that palm.

“Xue Yang. So, what kinda place you opening up? Coffee shop?”

“Bakery but with coffee too.”

“Gonna sell cookies?” Xue Yang asked. Oh, if he were in his other shapes, his tail would wag up a storm. He fucking loved cookies.

The man chuckled, and Xue Yang accepted his death at the sound.

“Of course. Love? Come meet our neighbor,” he called into the apartment.

Love? Oh. OH. These two hotties were together, together.

Oh. 

That made it all the hotter and Xue Yang beamed, not even bothering to hide his teeth. Normal people had pointed teeth too, right?

The other man, taller, wider, and sterner, walked over. He wore a tank top that did not hide those toned arms. Despite the hard work of the day and the warmth in the air, no sweat beaded along his skin. Xue Yang’s nose twitched at the scent of old blood and dirt that came along with this man. Interesting indeed.

“Love, this is Xue Yang, our neighbor. Ah, this is my partner, Song Lan.”

“Nice to meet you,” Xue Yang held out his hand.

Song Lan’s dark hazel eyes looked at the offered hand then to his face.

“Ah, sorry, he’s not one to touch people he doesn’t know very well,” Xiao Xingchen said as Xue Yang dropped his hand.

“Ah, no biggie,” he shrugged. “You bake your own stuff?”

“Song Lan bakes everything!” Xiao Xingchen beamed with pride at his partner, whose face stayed stonily appraising Xue Yang.

Xue Yang grinned at him. “Oh, does he now? That’s great. He makes it, you sell it?”

“Yes. I hope it won’t bother you if he’s baking early in the morning or late at night. We’ll try to keep it quiet.”

“Eh, my shop is open 24/7, so it’s not going to bother me much.”

“A bookstore open 24 hours?” Song Lan spoke and WOOOF. 

That voice, deep and commanding with a tinge of old magic in the sound, burned along his skin.

“Yeah, college kids need books at all hours of the night,” he continued. “Sometimes they come to study around the books.”

Song Lan made a thoughtful sound.

“Creatures of all kinds need a safe place at night. Never know what’s out there,” he added with an exaggerated smile aimed at Song Lan.

The two stared at each other, and excitement ran up his spine. Oh, Xue Yang had not run into another creature like himself in a long while. This was going to be such fun.

“It’s rude to call college students creatures,” Xiao Xingchen broke the silent stare down.

“I need to finish setting up the kitchen and bedroom,” Song Lan said before walking away.

Xue Yang counted that as his winning the staring contest they’d been having. 

Point one to Xue Yang, hell yeah.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure you’re busy. I won’t get in your way. Just saying hi and being a friendly neighbor.”

Xiao Xingchen smiled. “We’ll have to come by your shop later! I love books.”

“You’re welcome anytime babe,” Xue Yang said.

If the pet name bothered him, Xiao Xingchen said nothing. He waved and returned to unloading the truck.

Xue Yang walked back into his shop and grinned. “A-Qing?”

“Yeah? You done grinning like a second grader with his first crush?”

“What? I have eyes and they’re hot.”

“Gross.”

“Shut up,” he said with a wave. “Hey, do me a favor.”

“What?” She crossed her arms.

“Go invisible and run over there.”

“You want to scare them off already?”

“No, no, not at all. Just check if they see you. Don’t do anything.”

“Look, my invisibility has gotten flawless while I was at the beach!”

“I didn’t say it was bad. I said go over there.”

She rolled her eyes but faded from view. Xue Yang went over to the register and looked over their latest numbers, mostly copies of textbooks selling right now and that worked. He charged way less than the campus bookstore and, occasionally, had provided photocopied chapters to people who asked. Paying $600 for a textbook you’d use twice in the entire semester was bullshit and if Xue Yang could help stick it to the capitalistic model of education exploding around him? Then hell yeah he would.

Doing actual work, a rarity for Xue Yang, made the time sweep by faster and when he looked up, an angry A-Qing stared at him from the other side of the register.

“Real funny jackass.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, don’t act like you don’t know. That big guy saw me immediately! He threw salt at me! That hurt!”

“I fucking knew it!” Xue Yang vaulted over the counter and into the stacks of books. He pulled out an older chunk of a book and slammed it on a desk.

“What? You knew you were an asshole sending me over to a guy who clearly can see spirits? I could have told you that!”

“Vampire,” he said, poking a page of the book. “That’s my guess. Doesn’t sweat, duh, he has no biological systems to cool. Smells of dirt and blood? Yep, cause he’s dead and feeds on blood. Sees spirits? Well, that might be a regional effect. Not sure where he’s from and vampires are so area-specific with their differences. Sunlight doesn’t seem to impact him much though, so that’s a starting research point.”

“You are such a fucking nerd,” she said, shaking her head even as she floated over the book to read.

“Anything else you notice?” he asked.

“Like an enormous coffin in the bedroom?”

“What? Was there?”

“No, you loser. Just a regular bed and regular furniture and not a sign of him being a vampire.”

“I doubt he advertises it. Did you expect an embroidery hoop that read ‘home is where the coffin is’?” He asked.

“Shut up.” She used her ghostly aura to ruffle the pages of the book.

He ignored her and simply placed a large rock he had for such an occasion on the pages to hold them in place. Pouting, she faded from view as he dove into his reading. A vampire! He hadn’t encountered one of those in years.

Running into another creature was a rarity anyway and most of them lived out of sight to avoid the humans figuring anything out. Same with necromancy. Only those who knew about it sought him out and those numbers grew smaller every year.

When he found nothing particularly helpful in his book, he opened up his laptop and set to his favorite research ground: Reddit.

He looked for any discussions of vampires in the area on any of the boards he frequented. No one had mentioned anything, but then again, Song Lan had just moved here. Give it a few weeks and he was certain there’d be posts about a bloodless body in Yi City.

Finally, some fucking excitement!

Living forever got boring after the first two centuries. Yeah, reinventing yourself time after time could be fun, but honestly, he’d done all the reinvention he wanted. Now he wanted to watch Netflix, eat cookie dough and chill with his skeleton cat. But no, even an immortal got sucked into having to survive in capitalism.

He stretched and popped his neck from side to side. “Hey A-Qing, you’re in charge for a bit. I want to go check some stuff out.”

“Ugh!” came the response from nowhere.

He stood up and focused. He’d at least kept in practice with his most innate of abilities: shape-shifting. Changing his form came way more naturally than necromancy. He focused on the shape of a cute little mouse. His bones crunched and twisted. Pain flared along every nerve ending as the ground rose to meet him.

When he came back to his senses, A-Qing floated far above him and the scents of the world slammed into him.

He sneezed, knocking his new tiny body backward and onto his ass. His thin tail flicked around before he got back onto his four tiny paws. Fuck, they needed to dust in here.

“That’s disgustingly cute,” A-Qing said.

He sneezed again before scurrying away, through the bookshelves and to the wall he shared with the bakery. He quickly located the ventilation and slid into those tunnels.

Running along the space, he noted they probably needed to get someone out here to clean out the vents too, but that definitely was a future him problem, not a current ‘I’m a mouse’ him’s problem.

Soft voices vibrated through the vents and he chased after the sound before reaching what looked to be the bathroom of the upstairs apartment. He slid out of the floor vent and ducked along the walls.

“It looks fine, love. We can change it later,” Xiao Xingchen said.

Song Lan folded a warm-looking blanket over the foot of the bed and fluffed a pillow. Okay, so no coffin in the bedroom. Weird. Did vampires sleep in regular beds with foam pillow tops like normal people?

Xue Yang slept on a futon that should be put out to pasture, so he wasn’t sure what the measure for normal was.

“Do you have the kitchen set up?” Xiao Xingchen asked.

“Yes, I can get the shelves stocked tonight.”

“Are you sure we can open tomorrow? That’s a lot of work for you.”

“I’m certain,” Song Lan’s voice sounded sure of himself.

The mouse rubbed his little arms over his whiskers and ears and cleaned the dust from himself, then shook his head. Time to investigate some more.

Xiao Xingchen stepped in to give Song Lan a gentle kiss, and figuring there was no greater distraction in the world than that gorgeousness kissing you, he took off across the bedroom and then for the stairs.

Fuck.

He had forgotten how tiny he was now. He stared at the first step and the large drop between the first stair and the next. Swallowing hard, he made the jump, missed the landing, and bounced down the next four steps like a bouncy ball.

When he came to a stop, he laid there with the world spinning around him.

“Oh!! You poor thing!”

He had no time to react as a pair of gentle hands scooped him up.

Chapter Text

Heart pounding and head spinning, he watched as a blur of three Xiao Xingchen’s cooed over him. Stuck in the pair of warm hands, Xue Yang supposed there probably were worse ways to die than by internal injury from being a ball rolling down the stairs because you forgot you were tiny. At least he got held by some soft hands before he died.

“I don’t know what to do to help...” Xiao Xingchen fretted. “Love?”

Song Lan appeared and Xue Yang tried to not flinch backward.

“Box,” Song Lan said.

Great, they were going to bury him in a box. Cool.

Instead, a soft towel was placed into a shoebox, and Xue Yang was gently lowered into the box. They placed a bottle lid filled with water down by him and then a tiny piece of cheese.

Sweet, but didn’t these guys know you shouldn’t feed wild animals cheese?

He laid on the towel and focused on his breath. It smelled of juniper and pine, soothing and comforting against his dazed little body. His ears twitched as the two whispered. His head still spun a little too much to clearly make out anything.

The box shifted slightly and then went still. He opened his eyes and saw a dark ceiling above him and a mirror beside him. Ah, they had put the box down in the bathroom in the dark to let him rest.

Well, this had not been the most productive trip he’d ever made, but he hadn’t been a mouse in a while. Usually, he preferred being a bird or a cat, but that kind of shape would have drawn too much attention snooping around in the house. At least these two seemed sweet enough they hadn’t killed him on sight. Cute.

Still dizzy, but a little more sure-footed now, he sat up and waddled over to the wall of the box. Now to climb the 6 inch Mount Fuji of boxes and escape.

His little paws sank in and he made it almost to the top before his tail did a little twirl. His balance swung out from under him and he floundered back onto the towel.

Well, this was embarrassing.

If A-Qing saw me now...

He caught his breath, waddled to the water, and drank. Then, because he was a simple man, he ate the cheese, licking his little paws clean of any cheese crumbs. Nice, a sharp, aged cheddar, not some pre-sliced crap like Xue Yang usually bought. These two were fancy.

He drank more water then washed his paws, his ears, and his traitorous tail before standing before his sworn enemy again.

You’re going down wall. Or... I’m going up. Whatever.

He sank his claws into the box and forced his way upwards. When the dizziness hit again, he sank his little teeth into the cardboard and closed his eyes until it passed. Finally, he climbed up several inches and reached the top.

Balancing on the top of the box, he stopped to catch his breath. When did he get this out of shape? How could he, a literal shapeshifter, even be out of shape? Unfair.

Not willing to risk becoming a bouncy ball again, this time Xue Yang carefully dropped by sliding his belly down the side and plopping and letting his fluffy butt take the fall. Much better strategy.

He sniffed the air, getting the vague whiff of the two men, but he needed to get out of here rather than attempt the unconquerable stairs again. Wobbling across the cold tile, he zipped back into the vent and let out a long breath.

The bathroom door opened, and someone stepped inside. Lights flicked on and he winced against the sudden onslaught of brightness. Had mice always been this sensitive? Was he just a shitty mouse?

“Oh, it’s gone!” Xiao Xingchen said.

“That means it feels better.”

“I hope so. Poor thing. I’ve never seen a mouse bounce that high!”

Xue Yang didn’t know if mice could blush, but he sure felt like he was blushing.

A thudding on the front door caught all of their attention.

“Busy neighborhood,” Song Lan said.

“That’s good, Zichen.” Xiao Xingchen patted his boyfriend’s shoulder, then headed for the door.

Zichen, huh? Nice.

Song Lan lingered in the bathroom a moment longer, dark eyes scanning the area and lingering on the vent for long enough that Xue Yang was certain Song Lan spotted him, but the vampire turned and followed his boyfriend.

Xue Yang nervously rubbed his paws over his nose and ears again before hurrying along the vents. He let his ears guide him, following the voices down towards the front door. After following the maze-like corridor of vents, he popped his head out in the downstairs area.

They’d done a great job on the remodel. They had transformed the place from a dusty, abandoned antique store to an elegant cafe with a chic gray and white interior that somehow reminded Xue Yang of a perfect snow-filled night. Those two had taste. He’d give them that.

He paused. Was this place really all gray and white or was that just all that mice could see? Shit, he couldn’t keep track of what animals saw what or did what. There were so many animals. Why would he?

Whatever.

At the door, Xiao Xingchen opened it a little wider and Xue Yang gave a soft squeak as A-Qing stepped into view.

“Hi! I work next door. Just popping in to say hi,” she said with a smile.

Song Lan stared at her and A-Qing steadfastly ignored him.

“Wonderful to meet you! We met Xue Yang earlier,” Xiao Xingchen chirped.

“Great. Have you seen him? He said he had some work to do. Did he come over here?”

“We have not seen him,” Song Lan answered.

“No, he came by this morning, but I haven’t seen him since. Do you need help looking for him?” Xiao Xingchen asked.

Xue Yang tugged at his ears. What was she doing? He tried to wave his arms to get her attention, but his inch-long arms were not particularly noticeable.

Releasing his ears, he mentally began humming the Mission Impossible music to himself as he snuck across the cafe floor. He darted from chair leg to table base and eased closer to her.

This close to them, the sound of their voices became indistinct, thundering against his ears. He couldn’t make out anything specific anymore. The noise became all-consuming. He mentally focused on his Mission Impossible theme, but his mental capacity already had the focus of a gnat and as a mouse, well, he couldn’t stay on task well either.

“The mouse!”

Xiao Xingchen’s voice caught his attention, and he noticed the three people in the room turning to stare towards him. He darted for the door, sweeping between A-Qing’s legs and out onto the street.

A-Qing squeaked as Xue Yang realized he’d encountered his mortal enemy: a stair.

A single stair step leading up to the bakery.

Too late to stop now, he thought as he flew off the ledge and somersaulted towards the concrete sidewalk.

His thoughts lingered somewhere between: Goodbye cruel world! And Am I this stupid or is it just being a mouse that makes me stupid?

Luck, while not always on Xue Yang’s side, kept an eye on him. A patch of grass, forcing its way through the concrete, broke his fall, and he flopped onto the warm patch of grass with his heart panicking in his chest. Could Mice have heart attacks? He needed to read more about animals before he became one.

“Oh, that poor creature!” Xiao Xingchen said.

Feet moved towards him and he scrambled to his feet, dodging past his grabbing, gentle hands and scrambling across the sidewalk. He darted into the alleyway and dove into the pile of garbage, waiting for pickup.

“It’s fine. Do not go into the garbage after that mouse,” Song Lan said.

“What a strange mouse. I’ve never seen one not know how to handle stairs. Why does it jump?”

BECAUSE I’VE NOT BEEN A MOUSE IN LIKE 200 YEARS ASSHOLE!

...

I’m sorry, you’re not an asshole. You’re so hot and nice.

Xue Yang rubbed his paws over his face again and hoped that quirk would not stick once he was back in his usual shape.

“There’s all kinds of strange animals around here,” A-Qing said. “They’re mostly harmless, though. Anyway, it was great meeting you two. Welcome to the neighborhood!”

“Come by anytime!” Xiao Xingchen said.

Xue Yang peered out from behind the box of Sugar Babies in the trash and watched A-Qing disappear back into the bookstore. He waited until the two men walked back into their shop.

In the alleyway’s familiarity, he found the crevice under the back door and squeezed his fluffy mouse butt under it to get back inside. As he hurried for the bookstore, he shifted back.

“Ah, you cannot do that near me!” A-Qing yelled as she gave a full-body shudder.

She’d never been a fan of the audible sounds his shifting created as his bones and muscles rebuilt themselves. She said it ‘squicked’ her out. Xue Yang helpfully reminded her she didn’t have any bones. She’d thrown the large print edition of War and Peace at him.

“Why did you go over there?” he asked when he finally felt his vocal cords snap into place.

“Cause I figured you had gone over there and I wanted to make sure you hadn’t been squished! Ungrateful asshole.”

“I’m touched by your concern.”

“You’re a shitty mouse.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

He gave her too much control, but she was his best summoning. A spirit with her own free will, the ability to go invisible or be solid. She’d had a terrible start in her brief life, and Xue Yang figured she deserved a little fun. Besides, he needed someone to watch the shop, and he didn’t have to pay ghosts in money.

“Find the coffin?” she asked with a smirk.

“Yes actually,” he said. “It’s in the basement. A big hulking thing made of iron.”

“You are so full of shit.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Go bother the students moving into the dorms.”

She looked ready to argue but annoying the moving-in students was one of her favorite past times. She flipped him off before going invisible and vanishing.

Xue Yang shook his head and pulled out his phone. He opened up google and started learning about mice, starting with the fact that the mouse he’d been was not even native to North America.

Great.

Grabbing one of his many notebooks, he started taking notes on mice.

Time washed past him and he didn’t notice the clock until he’d filled the notebook and was looking for another notebook to continue making notes about how to be a proper mouse instead of an idiot airborne one.

The grandfather clock in the shop showed 1 and Xue Yang glanced outside to determine morning or night. Just the orange glow of streetlights greeted his view from his window.

Right, 1 at night.

Without having to sleep, nighttime was both the best and the worst. He sighed, patted his pockets, and found his cigarettes before he headed back into the alley to smoke.

He’d picked up smoking to have an acceptable human reason to be outside in the dead of night. Few people questioned why someone would be outside at 1 am if they had a cigarette in hand. Then again, in a college town, very few things were ever seriously questioned because anything was possible. That fact had made it easy to settle down here and avoid detection.

He lit up the cigarette and blew out a stream of smoke. He didn’t understand the humans who smoked and enjoyed the ‘flavor’ of it. If it wouldn’t draw more attention to him, he’d much rather smoke those candy cigarettes they’d given to children a few years back.

.... maybe more than a few years back.

Time. He never had quite gotten the hang of it.

Next door, a warm golden glow spilled out of the window and he watched a large shadow move through the area. Song Lan, hard at work baking, he’d guess. What an odd but perfect couple those two gorgeous men made. Curious that, as far as Xue Yang could tell, only the grumpy one was a vampire.

Maybe they had a blood-drinking agreement or something.

He imagined that, getting lost in the image of Song Lan looming over Xiao Xingchen with hunger in his eye, fangs stretching out closer and closer to that pale, perfect neck. Oh, the little pained gasp Xiao Xingchen would make as the bite closed down and blood pooled-

“.... are you eating a cigarette?”

Xue Yang instantly realized that yes. Yes, he was.

He spat out the mash of herbs and filter and coughed as Song Lan watched him from the doorway.

When his coughing fit was over, a cup of water appeared in front of him. He looked from it to Song Lan before taking it and rinsing his mouth out.

“Better?” Song Lan asked.

“Yeah.”

“You know people rarely eat cigarettes.”

“What? No!” Xue Yang gasped as Song Lan narrowed his eyes.

Those eyes got darker the angrier he got. It was unfair how hot and not available his new neighbors were.

“Guess I need some sleep then, huh?” He gave an amiable smile and an exaggerated yawn.

“I don’t know what you are, but if you come near Xiao Xingchen again-“

“You’ll kill me. Yeah, yeah, get better threats, Zichen.” He patted Song Lan’s shoulder and passed back over the water cup.

“I’m gonna head on to bed. Make some mahua, will ya? Those are my favorite.” Xue Yang waved and headed back inside his place.

With the door firmly closed, he peeked through the blinds to watch Song Lan stand there in annoyance before the man’s hand clenched around the water cup, shattering it with ease.

Wiping his bloody hands off on his apron, he stalked back inside to return to baking.

Oh, things were going to be fun this semester.

Xue Yang couldn’t wait.

Chapter Text

“You’re actually taking classes this semester?” Xue Yang asked as A-Qing sat on the floor with books sprawled out around her.

“Not officially. But I’m sitting in there while they do the lecture.”

“Sitting in there like... as you?”

“No. I’m not an idiot.”

“Okay, so invisibly taking classes? Why?”

“I want to learn about stuff.”

“Man, if only we knew somewhere that had books... and you could... learn from those books.”

A book flew past his head as he cackled.

“Some of us want to be cultured.”

“Well, make sure you introduce me to whoever that person is,” Xue Yang said.

A-Qing puffed out her cheeks and ignored him.

Xue Yang smiled and moved back to his book about mice. His head hurt for three days after playing pinball in a mouse body. He needed to learn more, so he didn’t repeat that experience.

The door jingled as an actual customer walked in. Xue Yang looked up and paused. He recognized the guy. Lan Jingyi, local student and wannabe wizard.

“Ah, you’re here. Good,” Jingyi said like Xue Yang ever really showed anywhere else.

“Yep, it’s me.”

A-Qing made herself invisible and vanished the moment the door opened.

“I need your help,” he said.

“Of course,” he glanced at the clock then the window. Eleven and dark outside, necromancy request for sure.

“I... is there somewhere more private we could speak?” he asked.

“Course.” Xue Yang waved his hand and let Jingyi follow him to his office. 

“Okay, this better not be you asking me to bring up the spirit of Shakespeare cause you ‘just want to talk’ again,” Xue Yang said as he flopped into his chair.

The office might be the formalist space in Xue Yang’s entire place. Most of the furniture was original to the building, mainly because this enormous solid oak desk would be a pain in the ass to move, so it just stayed. Xue Yang carelessly tossed his feet up onto the desk and looked over at the student.

“It’s totally valid to wanna just talk to Willie like that, alright?” Jingyi huffed.

“Again, you can’t use ‘his spirit said so’ as a citation to own your professor who thinks Shakespeare was a fraud. We’ve had that discussion. Spirits don’t have an MLA format.”

Although Xue Yang had never even been to what would classify as a high school, he’d absorbed a lot of information just by existing near a college campus for a while. Kids came in and asked for sources, citation help, all kinds of other things that were easily searchable online. Xue Yang might be an old supernatural shapeshifter, but he did at least know how to google stuff.

“If this isn’t about your good bud, Willie, then what’s up?” Xue Yang asked.

“Ah, it’s for a friend of mine. He wants a cat but they’re not allowed in the dorms.”

Xue Yang stared long and hard at the kid and took a deep breath. “I am not summoning a spiritual cat to live in the dorms.”

“Aw come on! I can pay!”

“Do you really think no one will notice it? And when they do, you know who's going to get in trouble? Me!”

“No, no way. They’ll never know I got it from here.”

“...Jingyi, since I met you, I have had three separate people come to ask me about spirit summoning BECAUSE OF YOU TELLING THEM THAT’S WHAT I DID!”

“Well, those were special cases!”

“Nope. Get out.”

“Aw, come on!”

“Nope.”

Jingyi sulked with all the power of pathetic he could muster, which for a 20-year-old was a pretty impressive pout, but Xue Yang didn’t get hit by those cute pouts so much.

He snapped his fingers and a few skeleton mice skittered about the floor, running over Jingyi’s feet. The student yelped and jolted up.

“Rude! This is terrible customer service!”

“Yelp me.”

“No one uses yelp anymore!” Jingyi yelled as the undead mice chased him out of the shop.

Xue Yang rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. If his old friend, Wei Wuxian, hadn’t asked Xue Yang to keep an eye on Jingyi, then Xue Yang would have never even let the kid into the back rooms. He had to admit that he did plan to summon Shakespeare for Jingye’s college graduation, just to see what on earth this kid wanted to talk to ‘Willie’ about.

He closed up the office and stretched before glancing out the window and next door. The bakery was technically open until midnight and it was only 11:57... hm.

With little thought, he wandered the 15 feet down the sidewalk and into the shop, smiling at the dark scowl that instantly hit Song Lan’s face as he spotted Xue Yang. Xiao Xingchen smiled brightly and waved. “Hi again neighbor.”

“Hey, sorry it’s so late. Just was coming by for a quick midnight snack.”

“Of course. What can I get for you? On the house, of course.”

“Xiao Xingchen,” Song Lanmurmured softly.

“It’s fine. We’re neighbors and we should take care of each other.”

Xue Yang just grinned at the vampire, who looked like he wanted to skin Xue Yang alive.

He ordered two containers of the ridiculously tasty sesame balls to go. If A-Qing reappeared and was solid for a few minutes, maybe he’d even let her share a bite or two of this warm goodness.

“How’s business?” Xue Yang asked.

“It’s been well. I’ve started learning the class schedule just based on when the rushes are!” Xiao Xingchen said with a laugh. “We ran out of pastries the first day.”

“Yeah, it seems to stay busy over here, so that’s good,” he said.

Looking around at the place again, he noticed that the place was mostly in grays and white just like his mouse vision suggested. It looked a lot different from person height, but still very elegant but cozy. It surprised him there weren’t students sprawled over the tables with books.

“We’re closed.” Song Lan said as a cuckoo clock on the wall chimed.

Ah. That friendly customer service would be why there weren’t any students here right now.

“Sure, I won’t keep you all. Have a good night.”

Xiao Xingchen huffed at his boyfriend. “Don’t be rude.”

Xue Yang grinned. “It's fine. I’ve got work to do and I know late customers are a pain.” He waved and headed to his shop, amused at how quickly the door to the bakery locked behind him. He’d made an impression on that Song Lan, apparently.

“You want a bun?” Xue Yang called into the shop.

“The hell does that mean?” A-Qing appeared on top of one bookshelf.

He held up half of one of his mahua.

“Oh, yeah!” she dove and swooped the offered bit from his hand.

He just laughed and shook his head at her eagerness. Then again, these were frickin delicious. It cracked him up to think about the very serious vampire carefully folding the sugar into the dough every night. Imagining that guy doing anything delicate and sweet just made Xue Yang laugh. He enjoyed the sticky, sweet goodness, licking the excess sugar from his fingers after he devoured his remaining treat.

“I’m going to go haunt some frat parties. You alright by yourself?” A-Qing asked as she finished up the treat.

“Are you seriously asking me that?” Xue Yang arched his brow.

She shrugged before melting into the bookcase then vanishing.

Finally, some silence.

Xue Yang headed up to his apartment to wash his hands off, so he didn’t get sweet goo all over his work stuff. The trendy space with its sleek lines and bright pops of red made him grin. He loved the stark flashes in the dark, reminded him of the old days when he'd occasionally just shift into a wolf and rip and tear, leaving streaks of red in snowy fields. Even now, he couldn’t quite get himself to change the sharp canine teeth he had even in his human shape. Sharp and pointy was his aesthetic, after all.

He finally decided he might as well catch up on some shows and dropped onto his obscenely squishy couch and turned on Netflix. He settled on the latest season of Sugar Rush, mainly so he could fantasize about getting to be a judge on that show and eating all the sweets he wanted. Lost in the show, it took him far longer than usual to hear the faint sound of the downstairs doorknob twisting. Not the front door, but the door that led into the alleyway.

Oh, interesting.

He eased from the couch and crept to his window to peer down into the alley. Expecting to find A-Qing and a drunken frat boy, instead, he spotted the vampire from next door peering into the windows of the bookstore and trying the back door handle. Rude.

“Don’t you need an invitation to come in?” Xue Yang called as he opened the window.

The man froze and stared up at Xue Yang.

Xue Yang eased himself onto the ledge of the window and then just hopped down. Letting a little dark energy slow his descent to land gracefully in the alleyway in front of his neighbor. The annoyed look on Song’s face was worth that little energy cost. Xue Yang loved making an entrance, and this had made an impression.

“I was seeing if you wanted the leftover pastries from today,” he said, holding up a bag.

“You’re just tossing them? Set up a stand in front of the shop or just stay open later. You’d make bank on drunk kids wandering home.”

“We need time to make our items.”

“Right. Yeah, sure I’ll take them. You could have just knocked, not tried to sneak in.”

“I wasn’t trying to sneak in.”

“I guess you’re right, you were pretty loud to be sneaking.”

That dark gaze narrowed and Xue Yang felt the annoyance vibrating off of this vampire. Oh, he hadn’t had this much fun in ages.

“Goodnight.”

“You wanna come in?” Xue Yang asked.

“Are you inviting me in?”

“Into the shop, sure,” Xue Yang said. He knew better than to not be specific with vampires and permission.

“Fine.”

Xue Yang opened up the door and held it for his guest. The taller man walked inside, looking around as though he expected something to lurch from the shadows and bite him. The kind of stuff stayed locked carefully away in Xue Yang’s office for only the specialist of guests.

“Well, welcome to the Burial Mounds. You a big reader?”

“Not particularly.”

Song Lan walked through the stacks, running a finger along the top of a shelf and frowning at the dust he found. “You should clean more.”

“It’s part of the ambiance. Old bookstores can’t be pristine or it’s weird,” Xue Yang said. “It’s like a rule you agree to when you open an old bookstore.”

“Hm.”

“Most of these are textbooks?”

“Uh, this is a college town? Why would I not mainly have what the kids are buying or selling? No wonder you’re in charge of baking and not the business.”

Song Lan turned, rage rising in his face. He took three big steps towards Xue Yang then stopped. His sneeze startled them both, a loud, shaking sneeze that twisted into a trio of sneezes. Hiding a laugh, Xue Yang held out a box of tissues. Wordlessly, Song Lan accepted one.

“My allergies can’t handle this disgusting place.”

“It’s not that bad!”

Song Lan Leveled him with a glare.

Xue Yang just laughed. “Do you take everything so seriously?”

“Serious things warrant serious discussion.”

“Okay, well, your allergies are not a serious concern for me. If you aren’t reading my books, then eh, what do I care?”

“I will not bring you the old pastries anymore.”

“Yes, you will. Your boyfriend will make you. He likes me because I’m charming.”

“You will leave Xiao Xingchen alone.”

“Or what?” Xue Yang leaned in close enough to poke Song Lan’s chest.

Oh, those were some nice honkers the big guy had. He must work out.... or did vampires just get naturally buff and hot? Another thing to add to the research list once he mastered mice.

“You will reveal nothing about... not human things to him. He doesn’t know, and he needs to stay that way,” Song Lan said as he pulled Xue Yang’s hand away.

“Yeah, you gonna trust me to just keep quiet about you being a vampire?”

“I am because you know just as well as I do that staying hidden is our best bet at survival now.”

God, this guy did not know how to drop the serious act. How in the world did his boyfriend not die of boredom with this undead piece of serious. Then again, those honkers...

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good at keeping quiet. I’ve lived here longer than you, so you just keep your head down and don’t cause problems.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. If I hear about bloodless bodies or something, don’t come crying to me when a team of hunters swarms you.”

For the first time, Song Lan looked faintly amused.

“Right because I am reckless enough to do that.”

“Boy’s gotta eat, right? Or, wait. Do you just snack on your boyfriend?”

“I would never.”

“Pity. I bet he’s delicious. Like I’m not even a blood kinda guy and I could just eat Xiao Xingchen right on up.”

Xue Yang barely danced back from the grabbing hand that lurched for him.

Song Lan glared before tossing the bag of pastries at Xue Yang and then storming off back into the bakery.

Laughing to himself, Xue Yang got the new deliciousness into his place and sorted. They set him for breakfast tomorrow... and lunch... maybe dinner too if he wasn’t too greedy.

He glanced out the window to watch Song Lan’s shadow move around next door and smiled. Why not have some more fun poking at this guy?

From his office, he grabbed a box of basic bones then tiptoed back into the alley. He carefully laid out the bones in the pattern, cautious to move quietly and make sure they did not spot him before he finally put the last bone into place and grinned.

‘Spying is rude Zichen.’ The bones spelled out in obvious white letters.

Grinning widely, he bit his finger to draw out a few drops of blood and let them splatter in the center of the letters. The bones shivered with energy and the spell settled over them. Now to wait.

He crept back inside and turned off the lights in the back room of his shop so he could see the alleyway more clearly. Song Lan would have to come back out, right? Nibbling on a steamed egg custard bun, he watched the shadow of the baking vampire. Xue Yang bet it was warm in the house, probably smelled like sugar and dough, a homey feel to it, nothing like the dusty ambiance he had going on. And that was fine. It wasn’t like he wanted to live in a warm, cozy place with freshly baked pastries and hot men there with him, one that simmered with low anger and one that blossomed like the first flowers of spring, all earthy and natural.

He tugged on his hair to snap himself out of it. Clearly, he’d been on his own too long if he was getting lost in fantasies about humans and vampires. Xue Yang didn’t need anyone, certainly not some law-abiding fuddy-duddies that would cramp his style. They’d probably tell him he couldn’t sneak into the Dean of the Business School’s office and chew holes in the corners of all his fancy contracts.

Boring.

So lost in his daydreams, he almost missed the door opening and Song Lan stepping outside. He looked up just in time to see the bones wiggle into place and the vampire register the words. The garbage bag in his hands tore as claws ripped through the flimsy plastic and Xue Yang cackled. In an instant, Song Lan kicked open the door to the bookstore and Xue Yang danced backward from the swiping claws.

“Zichen, don’t be so rude!” He laughed, dodging the swipes from the enraged vampire.

He easily dodged and weaved his way to the stairs leading up to his apartment, and smiled when Song Lan stopped at the bottom of the stairs. The angry stillness fascinated him. Usually, there’d be puffing and heavy breathing after such an outburst, but the vampire stood statue-still, just his eyes moving to look up at Xue Yang.

“I didn’t give you permission to come into my apartment,” he said with a grin. “Don’t be so aggressive. What would your boyfriend think?” he tsked.

Song Lan clenched his fists and, with an obvious effort, his claws and fangs retracted back to normal. Without another word, he turned and left the bookstore. The bones in the alleyway skittered past him, and back into Xue Yang’s trinket box. He closed up the shop again before settling in with his latest book, Everything You Never Knew About Mice and read through the night.

He let things lie low for a few days, no more bone messages or deliberately bothering Song Lan. He at least had some self-preservation instincts to not push too hard too quickly. But that didn’t change that he enjoyed having fun and these two neighbors were the most fun he’d had in years.

Chapter Text

A few nights later, he headed over to the bakery with a bouquet in hand and walked inside with a bright smile.

“Ah, Xue Yang!” Xiao Xingchen gave the same bright smile as always. “I was wondering if you were coming back by to visit.”

“Sorry babe, start of the semester is busy in the book-buying world,” he said. Not entirely a lie. That was the thing Xue Yang had learned about lying over the years. If you told the truth every once in a while, people were significantly more likely to believe you when you lied.

“I brought you flowers. Think of it as a late opening present.” He presented the flowers, a vibrant mixture of blues, whites, and greens. The florist down the road, Wen Ning, had helped him pick out something pretty but not quite ‘funeral’.

“Love, can you find a vase?” Xiao Xingchen called into the kitchen.

“How’s business?” Xue Yang asked.

“It’s going very well. Song Lan was just cooking us a quick dinner while it’s slow. Oh. Would you like to join us?”

Xue Yang couldn’t have stopped the grin spreading across his face if he’d tried. “I would love that.”

Song Lan’s glare could have curdled milk when he stepped out of the kitchen with a vase of water. He took the flowers from Xue Yang, attempting to not take any part of Xue Yang’s hand, and then carefully arranged them in the vase. Xiao Xingchen kissed Song’s cheek and then put the flowers out by the register. “There. Perfect!”

“Did I hear you inviting someone to join our dinner?” Song Lan asked.

“Yes, I thought it’d be nice to let our neighbor join us as a thank you for such a warm welcome to the area.”

Song Lan looked helpless to tell Xiao Xingchen no on anything, so he just went back to the kitchen to continue cooking. Xue Yang disguised a laugh by pretending to cough.

It only took a few minutes before Song Lan returned with three plates of food and put them carefully out on one of the cafe tables. Xiao Xingchen graciously offered Xue Yang the first seat and then settled in himself before Song Lan joined, annoyed to be sitting beside Xue Yang but trying his best to behave in front of his boyfriend.

The food tasted amazing. Xue Yang usually only ate sweets, but this fish, or whatever it was, really hit the spot. A vampire who could cook, what a weird guy his neighbor was turning out to be. They ate mostly in silence with just the occasional pleased moan from Xiao Xingchen and they’d all nearly finished their meals when the door chimed as someone walked in.

Xue Yang instantly recognized the owner of the fashion boutique. Su She ran the place okay, but something about the guy always grated on his nerves a little, though he couldn’t quite put a finger to it.

“Ah, hello,” Su She said. “So sorry to disrupt your dinner.”

“No, it’s alright,” Xiao Xingchen said graciously as he stood.

“I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. My name is Su She and I own the fashion boutique just next door.”

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Xiao Xingchen and this is my partner Song Lan.”

Su She nodded, pausing when he spotted Xue Yang at the table as well.

“Sup?” Xue Yang said.

Su She forced a smile. “I hope you’ve had a good opening month?”

“It’s been wonderful and everyone here is so kind,” Xiao Xingchen said. “We’ve had a very enjoyable time.”

“Good, good. Business is good?”

“It is. How about yours?”

“Ah, a little slower than usual. Things have been slowing down, you know. More students living off-campus. Such a shame.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Xiao Xingchen said.

“Did you need something?” Song Lan asked.

The tone of voice caught Xue Yang’s attention. He thought he was the only one who annoyed Song Lan that much, but apparently, Su She grated on his nerves, too. Xue Yang wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or insulted. He thought he was special to Song Lan, but honestly, if that vampire was a dog, he’d be growling at their visitor right now.

“No, nothing at all. Just simply coming by and finally saying hello. You’ve done a great remodel inside. Very homey.”

“Thank you. We’ll have to come visit your shop.”

“Ah, I’d be honored.” Su She bowed his head and backed out of the cafe.

Song Lan’s dark eyes tracked Su She’s movements until he vanished from sight, then glanced at Xue Yang who just shrugged.

Now that Xue Yang thought about it a little more, he’d seen Su She more this past month than he had all summer. He’d wandered into the bookstore a few times, always claiming to be looking for something before he wandered back out again. Weird. What had gotten into that guy?

“Is there a place that serves chicken wings around here?” Xiao Xingchen asked suddenly.

“Huh? Still hungry?” Xue Yang asked.

Xiao Xingchen blushed faintly. “No, I just... Well, last time I took out the trash, I found a lot of bones out there so I just wasn’t sure where they came from.”

Song’s eyes darted to Xue Yang.

“Ah, yeah, that’s my bad. I like this place called Wing Some, Lose Some, and get it delivered a lot. There’s a lot of mice and cats that get into the trash. Sorry.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Have you seen a little gray and black mouse?” he asked.

Xue Yang nearly choked on his drink. “What?”

“A little gray and black mouse. It was in our place and I think concussed itself on the stairs, poor thing. I just worried since I haven’t seen it since then. I hope it’s alright.”

“Probably living in the garbage, happy as can be right now,” Xue Yang promised.

“I hope so. Poor thing seemed to have some problems. I’ve been leaving out food for it, just in case.”

Xue Yang felt both mortified and thrilled that his tiny mouse self had left such an impression... even if that impression was ‘useless mouse that needs help to live’, he had made an impression!

“That’s sweet of you, but who knows what else you’ll attract?” Xue Yang laughed.

“Yes, we would not want to welcome pests into our home,” Song Lan said, looking directly at Xue Yang.

Xue Yang just grinned and leaned a little forward and let his foot brush against Song’s leg, enjoying the way the man’s gaze darkened and his hands clenched. How was a vampire still so easy to work up? Most of the time, they all turned boring as stone after a century or two. Maybe Song Land Was still a baby vampire? Cute.

“Well, as long as they aren’t hurting anything, pests are fine,” Xiao Xingchen nodded.

“They are not sanitary for a bakery.”

“Some places cook and eat bugs, you know!”

“Yes, I remember the cricket flour experiment.”

“Wait, wait, what?” Xue Yang gaped.

“He made a wonderful almond cookie with cricket flour! It was delicious!” Xiao Xingchen clapped his hands together. “It was delicious.”

“Customers were not fond of it,” Song Lan said.

“Yeah, Americans are weird about bugs,” Xue Yang shrugged.

“They are!” Xiao Xingchen huffed, almost pouting at the statement.

God, this guy could not get any cuter or Xue Yang was going to lose his mind.

“Well, I should get out of here and let you two get back to work. Thanks for dinner,” he stood up.

“Thank you for the flowers!” Xiao Xingchen pulled Xue Yang into a hug.

Oh.

Oh, that was nice.

The warmth of a person hugging him close. He hadn’t felt that in... well... quite a long time. He’d missed it. Magic was fun and vibrant, but always cold and taking. Nothing like a gentle hug that just wanted to comfort and warm him. That was a peculiar type of magic that he’d never mastered.

In order to not fall apart into a complete idiot in human form, Xue Yang just patted Xiao Xingchen’s back then quickly retreated out of the cafe and to his bookstore. The warmth lingered on his skin like a sweater that he wanted to melt into.

Quiet, stillness, and dust greeted him in the shop. Reluctantly, he admitted Song Lan might have a point about the dust in here. He got out a rag and step stool and started trying to get the worst of the dust dealt with, at least. Since he rarely did this kind of thing, it threw him out of his thoughts enough that he didn’t just ruminate on how nice that hug had been and how much he wanted another one.

A-Qing still wasn’t back, but he’d make her deal with the tops of the shelves. She could hover, and that would make it a lot easier. Not that Xue Yang couldn’t hover, but he just didn’t want to spend the energy. His stomach gurgled at the strangeness of having protein and GASP, vegetables in it for the first time in ages, but he’d bury that all in sweets late anyway, so it didn’t matter.

Once he’d gone through several rags, he tossed them all into a bag and hauled it out to the alley. What he didn’t expect was to find Song Lan standing in the alleyway, licking at the styrofoam packaging the fish dinner had been in. Seriously, was the guy that hungry? Their eyes met and Xue Yang fought back the urge to laugh at how ridiculous the vampire looked, licking at fish packaging.

“If you’re that hungry, I’ve got a nice bottle of red.”

Shockingly, Song Lan didn’t reject him outright.

“How fresh?” he asked.

“Eh, it’s about two days old I guess.”

“Why do you have that?”

“I have all kinds of weird things. You want it or not?”

“... please.”

Oh, that was a pleasant sound. A soft pleading from the big guy. Wow, that really did it for him.

“I want some of your hair in return,” Xue Yang said. “A trade, not a gift.”

He didn’t want a vampire thinking he was in debt. He didn’t enjoy having people in debt to him and trying to do nice things for him. Gross.

“Why?”

“I don’t want to give you a gift.”

Song Lan snorted with reluctant amusement, a tiny smile curling along the edge of his thin lips.

“Why do you want my hair?”

“Gonna make a doll of you that’ll make you do whatever I want obviously.”

“Hm, hair alone is not enough for that.”

“You an expert in necromancy?”

“Are you?”

The two regarded one another in silence for a long few seconds before Song Lan tossed the fish in the dumpster and walked over to Xue Yang’s place. “Give me the bottle and I’ll give you some hair.”

This close to him, the scent of dirt and trees wrapped around Xue Yang and felt like home, a return to the dark ancient places he could barely remember.

He led the way inside and to his office. His box of bones danced at his arrival, toppling over into a pile on the office floor. Song Lan knelt to help pick them up, but they simply organized themselves into a skeletal cat and rubbed against the vampire’s leg.

“What... Why?” he asked.

“I like cats,” Xue Yang said. “Always wanted a real one, but eh, taking care of living things is too much responsibility for me, you know?”

He dug through the bottom drawer before pulling out the bottle, a smaller one, only about the size of a beer bottle, before passing it over to Song. “I think it’s B-negative if that matters.”

Song Lan took him off guard again as he just pulled off the bottle top and took a sniff of the dark red liquid before eagerly downing it. Mesmerized, Xue Yang watched the bob of Song Lan’s long, pale throat with every swallow. Who knew watching someone drink stuff could be so hot but wow.

“Where do you get this?” Song Lan asked.

“Farmer’s market. The butcher there and occasionally a rogue blood donation nurse getting rid of old stock,” he said. “I could introduce you.”

“What would you want in exchange for that?”

Xue Yang grinned. “A kiss from your boyfriend?”

“Go to hell.”

“Nah, they kicked me out last time I tried that.”

Another reluctant smile quirked at the edge of Song Lan’s lips. Xue Yang loved that against his will Song Lan still found him funny. Take that boring old vampire.

“How do you keep the whole undead thing from your boyfriend?” Xue Yang asked. “I mean, you don’t bite him?”

“No. I would never!”

“Ok, then how?”

“Xiao Xingchen is... inexperienced in some ways of the world. He doesn’t question when I eat strange things or drink from bottles like this. He just assumes it’s something normal that he’s just never seen before.”

“How long is that going to work for?”

“It’s worked for 7 years so I am not sure why it would stop working now.”

“Wow, 7 years? Damn, congrats.”

“... thank you.”

“So you two, uh, get along pretty well, huh?”

“If you are about to ask about my sex life, I suggest you don’t.”

“That bad? Can’t get it up as a vampire?”

A full smirk brightened the dour vampire’s face. “It’s incredible and I’m not sharing a single detail with you.”

“Oh, fuck you!”

“You would like that.”

A jolt of want ran down Xue Yang’s spine, but he just rolled his eyes. “Please, an undead guy like you probably just lays there stiff as a board.”

He just kept that annoying smirk on his face as he finished the drink.

“The man who came by tonight,” Song Lan said as his fingers traced the rim of the bottle. “Who is he?”

“He introduced himself. Su She, he runs that fancy clothing place on the other side of you two.”

“I know that’s what he said, but that shop has not been open yet. We were wondering if it was abandoned.”

“Wait, he hasn’t been open this semester?”

Song Lan shook his head. “No, we thought it was empty. Xiao Xingchen had grand plans of buying it and converting it into a bed-and-breakfast.”

“Dear god no,” Xue Yang shuddered at the thought of actual tourists in the area.

Song Lan smirked. “We do not have the money for it, so don’t worry.”

“Yeah, it’s weird. He rarely socializes with anyone, so I’m not sure why he’s popping in for dinner like an old friend.”

“There is something... unpleasant about his presence.”

“That’s the fanciest way I’ve ever heard anyone say ‘that guy seems like an asshole.’”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“I would. He’s just... out for himself, trying to make a big name quickly. The fashion store is new. Before that, it was a record store, and before that a coffee shop. He tries something for a year and then reinvents himself as something new. Gets old and I don’t know how the hell he affords it, anyway.”

“Strange. He’s not like us, is he?”

“God no. He’s a regular ol’ human as far as I know.”

“And how good are you at knowing?”

“I figured you out, didn’t I?”

Song Lan didn’t respond to that and instead just licked his fingers clean. “Thank you for the drink. How much hair did you want?”

“Shave your head.”

“Ha.”

“Just like an inch or two is fine.”

“What is vampire hair even used for?”

Xue Yang dug through his drawers until he found a pair of mostly not terrible scissors. He held them out to Song, but the vampire just shook his head.

“Cut what you need, you can see what you are doing easier.”

“Sit down then, fricking tree.”

Xue Yang was not used to this smirk on the man’s face. It made him look way hotter, and that was going to crash Xue Yang’s brain if he thought about it for too long.

Bringing the scissors along the back of his head, he snipped a few times, and, yeah, he might have intently left a pretty crooked end on his hair. He bagged up the hair and grinned. “Thanks.”

“Do not do anything that will harm someone with that.”

“Now you get to give instructions about what I do with your hair? C’mon.”

“I am serious. No ill-intentioned magic.”

“Necromancy is all ill-intentioned magic.”

“Not all,” Song Lan said, motioning to himself.

“You’re not exactly a necromancer project, though. Just adjacent to the undead lane.”

“And what exactly are you Xue Yang?”

“A little of this, a bit of that,” he said with a shrug. His usual answer when people started asking about him. No one knew what he was anymore, the name just something nerds and folklore buffs knew.

“Fine. Nothing evil with the hair. I got it,” he said.

“Why hair?”

“There’s a lot of residual necromantic energy in hair like this. It’s a great way to bolster something for a longer time, so if you need a long-lasting spell, it’s great.”

Usually, he had to use a lot of bones for this kind of effect, but he could feel the aura here already and it was awesome. He’d be able to keep A-Qing around for longer with this, helping to bolster his spells. Not that he enjoyed her company or anything, just that he could if she wanted to, just to get him through this semester since it was turning out to be busy on campus.

“Your assistant, that young woman?”

“What about her?”

“Xiao Xingchen thinks she is charming. He gives her a mango bun every time she comes by.”

“I’m jealous!”

“She is not harmful, is she?”

“A-Qing? Nah, not unless she throws a book at you or something. Those hurt if she hits you.” 

Song Lan’s lips quivered in what might have been a smile. Xue Yang took that as a smile of victory. Why was getting the serious vampire to smile was a victory? Xue Yang didn’t want to look into too much. 

“Seriously, how do you keep the whole vampire thing from your boyfriend? Dating a human? That’s bold.” 

“I am careful with him,” Song Lan simply said. 

“Yeah, I bet you are. He looks-‘

“Stop talking about my boyfriend like that.” 

“I didn’t even say anything yet!” 

“You’re thinking inappropriate things.”

“Dude, that’s just what my brain does at all times.”

Song Lan’s eyebrow twitched, and Xue Yang took the chance to step in closer. “Not my fault you’re just as ‘inappropriate’ in your thoughts as me.”

“I am not!” 

“Then how would you ever know what I’m thinking?” he smirked. 

Instantly, those large hands slammed into Xue Yang’s shoulders, pinning him against the alleyway in an iron grip that bruised against his skin. Oh, this definitely was going into the fantasies to daydream about file of his brain, for sure. 

“Stay away from Xiao Xingchen.” 

“We’re neighbors. Kinda hard to do.” 

Song Lan narrowed his eyes. “You know what I mean.” 

“Jealous big guy? Worried I might catch his eye?” 

Song Lan’s hands tightened against his shoulders and Xue Yang felt the bones of his collarbones squashing with the pressure of that grasp. 

“Oh. Maybe I already have caught his eye. Does he talk about me? Probably drives you mad.” 

Song Lan’s fangs extended, long daggers of white against his pale mouth. Claws began piercing into Xue Yang’s skin. 

“You-“

They both froze as a light a little further down the alley turned on a door opened. 

Song LanShoved in closer to Xue Yang, pressing flush against him as someone stepped into the alley. Xue Yang couldn’t see too much but he knew that shop: Su She’s place. That guy never worked late, so what was he even doing here? 

“Su She,” Xue Yang murmured. 

Song Lan gave a faint nod. His eyes, dark and now with red flecks around the deep brown, looked even better. Xue Yang wanted to eat this guy up... or rather, let this guy eat him up. 

“What’s he doing?” Xue Yang asked, to distract from how their bodies squished together.

“He is taking out several boxes and putting them in the dumpster.” 

“What’s in the boxes? Use your special vampire eyes.” 

“Shut up.” Song Lan growled, but Xue Yang watched the pupils of his eyes widen to better see in the low-light of the alley. 

“It looks like clothing in the boxes. Blouses maybe, loose fabric with floral patterns to it.” 

“That’s his summer stock. Asshole would just toss it rather than donating it.” 

“Why would he toss it at all?” Song Lan asked with a frown. 

“No idea. He’s acting weirder than usual. I mean, he’s normally never here this late and he never just makes social calls as he did over at your place today.” 

The dumpster slammed closed and Su She disappeared back into his shop, though the light stayed on. 

Song Lan suddenly seemed to notice how closely he pressed against Xue Yang and stepped backward. He wasn’t quick enough for Xue Yang to not notice the rather enormous interest Song Lan sported between his legs. Yep, he wanted to eat the vampire again. 

“Just stay away from Xiao Xingchen,” Song Lan said again before storming into the bakery, the door slamming behind him. 

Xue Yang sighed heavily and wished he hadn’t given up smoking. Not because of health reasons, but because it got annoying every time someone felt the need to lecture him about his habit. Like good lord, let a man smoke himself to death if he wanted to. 

He rolled his shoulders and decided it was time for a distraction. Rather than thinking about his feelings for his neighbors, he’d go cause problems on purpose.

Chapter Text

Tilting his head to one side and then the other to crack his neck, he stretched out his limbs before shifting to a mouse again. His bones cracked and popped as they shrank and combined, twisting into the shape of a mouse and dropping to the ground. The world around him stretched upwards as he shrank into the trash and then began scurrying down the alley. 

He’d researched enough to have a better idea of mastering stairs and to expect to mainly see things as if he was color blind, which he was, so whoo, easy change though it was a little weird to think he already knew how a mouse saw things. 

He ignored the delectable scents coming from the bakery and trudged past it, though his little mouse heart nearly leapt out of his chest when the door opened and Song Lan stepped into the alleyway. 

“Do you...” Song Lan trailed off as he looked into the empty alley where Xue Yang had been standing. 

His mouse nose twitched at the smell of fresh baking bao, and drool pooled down his little teeth. Shit, had Song Lan been about to offer him fresh egg custard buns? 

Song Lan took a few hesitant steps towards the bookstore before shaking his head. “Stupid,” he muttered under his breath before walking back into the bakery. 

Xue Yang sat back and rubbed his hands over his whisker and nose. Had he seriously seen that right? Song Lan had been about to offer him fresh mantou? He shook his head. Clearly, he’d lost it. No way. Song Lan hated him. 

He rubbed his ears once for good luck and then dropped back to all fours and continued scurrying down the alleyway. It felt like an hour before he made it down to Su She’s dumpster. A scarf hung out of the dumpster all the way to the ground. Xue Yang grabbed onto the stiff, itchy fabric and climbed his way until he got to the top of the dumpster and peered inside. 

Clothing filled the dumpster, not just the florals of summer, but the stuff Xue Yang guessed was the back to school and fall stock of clothing. Looked like everything that had been in the shop was being tossed. Usually Su She at least had a big sale rather than eating the full cost of merchandise. 

Weird. 

He scurried back down the scarf and over to the back door of the shop. One step between him and the door. Too high to jump on his own, though. Within a few moments, he found a mostly empty soda can and rolled it over to the step. With a struggle, he got onto the can and then carefully onto the stair. From there, wiggling through the gap at the bottom of the door wasn’t too hard. 

As he eased inside, he took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the sudden burst of light. All the walls were barren. The clothing racks were taken down, and the storage cubes all disassembled and laid out on the floor like they were waiting for someone else to pick them up. What was Su She up to? 

A noise caught his attention and he dove under one of the disassembled shelves as he watched Su She walk by with a man Xue Yang didn’t recognize. 

“So, that’s the space all emptied,” Su She said. 

“And all the buildings have this layout?” The stranger asked. 

“All the ones by me at least,” Su She said. “I think the flower shop and pharmacy don’t have the upstairs space.” 

“And foot traffic is good?”

“It’s great during the school year.” 

“I see. Well, everything looks satisfactory to me. Shall we finish signing up the paperwork tomorrow morning?” the man asked. 

Su She bowed his head. “I will be at your office at 10.” 

“9:30 and don’t keep me waiting,” the man said. 

“Of course.” 

The well-dressed man then walked out the front door and disappeared. 

Xue Yang waited silently, watching as Su She did a small victory pump to himself. The hell was this guy up to this time? Had he finally gotten a job at the college? That’d be nice. 

He didn’t hate the guy exactly, but they’d never gotten along. They tolerated each other by being neighbors, but other than that, they really did not interact. He found Su She pretentious as hell and he found Xue Yang brash and obnoxious. 

Xue Yang stayed where he was, watching Su She collect a few small items, some photos and a couple pieces of clothing before the man headed to the front door, turned slowly to take one last look around the place before heading out the door and leaving. 

Wrinkling up his nose, he finally headed out. Creeping back down, he conquered the stairs and retreated to the bookshop for the night. 

Chapter Text

“Did you get this letter?” 

Wen Qing rarely showed up this early to Xue Yang’s shop, let alone this early and this worked up. She waved around a letter before slamming it down on Xue Yang’s desk. He takes a moment to lean over and read it. 

“Notice of Intention to purchase...” he frowned as he muttered the words out loud then scanned the rest of the letter. “Wait, is someone offering to buy your place?” he looked up at her. 

“Yes. Did you get a letter too?” 

“Dunno. I haven’t checked the mail in uh... a while.” 

She glared at him, and he took that as a sudden inspiration to check his mail. He went to the front box and opened it as letters exploded out at him. How he got so much junk mail, he’d never know, though he was almost sure that was because A-Qing signed up for spam messages every time he annoyed her. Which was a lot. 

Shuffling through the letters, he did finally find a similar-looking letter and ripped it open. “Oh. Yeah, here’s one for me too. Weird. I mean, this kind of stuff has to be a spam thing, right? Like no way anyone wants to buy these places.” 

She frowned. “I don’t know. The bakery got one and so did Ning. Su She didn’t answer so I don’t know about him.” 

Xue Yang thought about the strange conversation last night he’d overheard and wondered. 

“Yeah, weird. I mean, the price they’re offering isn’t bad, but eh, moving’s such a hassle.” 

“This area has historic merit. Did you even look at the company behind the letter?” 

“Uh no?”

“YueXue Yang Chang. They brought up the west side of town and built those hideous box stores.” 

“Oh, yeah, that group.” 

“They just want this space to build some strip malls. There is historical significance to these staying here,” Wen Qing said. 

“The bakery got one of these too? They just moved here. If the Chang group wanted this place, they missed that chance. Too bad,” Xue Yang said as he tossed the letter in the trash. 

“Your neighbors said the same.” she nodded. “Good.” 

“Anything else?” he asked. 

“Are you taking part in the downtown trick or treat this year?”

“Oh, the ‘drunken college kids in costumes wander the street’ thing, then of course.” 

“You’re a bookstore. You don’t get the drunk students, just readers.” 

“Bold of you to assume readers are not drunks. None of us are big drunk hangouts,” he shrugged. 

“I suppose not, but let’s not deal with it too much, okay?” 

He nodded. “I’ll see you later. Don’t worry about the letter. There’s nothing they can do if we’re not selling, so whatever. They can fuck off.” 

“Yes, they can,” she agreed before leaving the shop. 

Xue Yang glanced at his wastebasket again and frowned. Weird. Who did they think they were trying to get in on their territory? This was Xue Yang’s land as far as he was concerned and this big company trying to butt in could just go to hell anyway. He snorted at that and went back to getting some of the latest textbooks shelved and ready to go. He could worry about the rest of these problems later.

Why did textbooks need to be so huge?

On one hand, Yang got it. He understood there’s a lot to cover in biology or whatever, but why so heavy?

He grumbled to himself as he shoved the book onto a shelf, jerking backward when the front doorbell jingled. The pages of the textbook monster sliced across his finger. He grunted in more annoyance than pain as he glanced at the door to see who had just disrupted his plans for an actual, maybe productive-ish morning.

Song Lan walked into the shop, letter in hand as he spotted Yang clinging to the top shelf of a bookshelf, no ladder in sight.

“... what are you doing?”

“Inventory,” Yang said. “Obviously.”

“Right.” Song Lan shook his head as though chasing off anything else he might say. “Did you get this letter from Yueyang Chang?”

“Oh yeah, that thing. I think everyone on the block did. Wen Qing already came by to ask about it.”

“She talked to us as well. This area interests businesses then?”

“I mean, it’s right by campus, so I guess so?”

“Are you planning to sell?”

Yang laughed as he hopped down from the bookshelf. He landed hard on the ground then walked over to Song.

“Nah. Moving’s a hassle. You two selling?”

Song Lan snorted, and Yang swore he saw the pupils of the vampire’s eyes shrink.

“No. This is home now. We spent a lot of time and effort settling here.”

“Yeah, I mean, you’re gonna be spending all that effort to find a blood bank. Might as well stick around, right?” Yang grinned.

Song Lan stepped towards him, moving until he’d backed Yang against the bookcase. Without fear, Yang smiled at the vampire. “Mad?” he asked.

“We will all need to say no to this offer for purchase,” Song Lan said. “If any of the nearby places sell, it could cause problems for us all.”

“Bud, I’m with you on it. Your negotiation tactics could use some work, though.” He laughed and tapped at Song Lan’s chest.

In an instant, Song Lan grabbed Yang’s hand, eyes narrowed in on the small paper cut across his finger. The pupils in his eyes constricted to tiny slits and his fangs extended outwards. Before Yang could even make a smartass comment, cool wet engulfed his finger as Song Lan popped the digit into his mouth and sucked.

Fuck.

Yang dropped his head back to thunk against the bookshelf.

He’d always heard that other supernatural creatures had the best-tasting blood and if it got this hot ass man to put his mouth on his skin, then Yang was 100% down to clown. Maybe being a blood bag wouldn’t be so bad.

A moan shifted past his lips as he adjusted his body to better press against Song Lan’s solid shape. This he could get used to.

However, the sound of his moan snapped Song Lan out of whatever daze he was in. The vampire spit Yang’s finger out and stormed out of the shop without another word, leaving Yang with a moist finger and a rising desire between his legs.

He didn’t have to breathe, but even he felt the need to let out a long exhale of air as he willed his body to cool off. Something had to get this excess energy out, so he retreated to his office and the box of bones he kept on hand.

Time to go cause problems on purpose.

With the bone box tucked into his backpack and A-Qing left in charge of the shop, Yang walked onto the campus like he belonged there. He knew his way around well enough and blended in with the rest of the students. He looked about the right age and about the right style of a rebellious teenager becoming an adult. Baggy black sweater, leopard print leggings, and combat boots? Check and check.

He walked to his least favorite place on campus, the business school with its fancy exterior and newly updated interior. It looked like a whole separate campus, not like the neglected library or education building. It didn’t help that some of the most annoying faculty members worked in the business school and sometimes came by his shop looking for some economic book and then tried to lecture him about how to run a business. One of them even wanted to be part owner of Yang’s shop.

Ridiculous, pompous assholes.

He strolled in, sticking out a little more here, but not enough for anyone to stop him as classes changed and everyone bustled from one room to the next. Most of the students here didn’t take much of a break for any fun, but that was alright.

Yang would bring some fun to them cause he was such a nice guy.

Ducking into the restroom, he walked into a stall where he pulled out his bag and then his box. Counting over the bones, he grinned. He had enough to send a little fun to each of the 3 floors in the building.

The campus always had a problem with squirrels. It’d be such a pity if they got into the building...

With that thought, the bones twitched to life, dancing and weaving together into squirrel-like shapes. Yang pulled some hair from his head, tying it around the shivering bones, and then bit his finger to trickle a few drops of blood onto the surfaces. Yang grinned as the red melted into the porous surfaces and the creatures vibrated with false life.

Oh, it’d been far too long since he just gave into the itch to cause some problems.

The lumps of bone sprouted shaggy, rusty brown fur. Their shapes, not perfect, but squirrel-like, rose quickly, dead energy filling out the space between bone and fur.

“Go.”

They scattered into the vents, out the window, and under the door.

Now to join in on the fun himself.

He closed his eyes and focused on the form of a squirrel. The floor rose to him and he shivered as bones snapped and his muscles twisted in on themselves. Pain made the transformation feel so much more... perfect. He loved the way his tendons popped and his joints unbuckled.

Becoming something new should hurt. The price of change was pain.

His new, fluffy tail twitched, brushing against the marble tile floor that chilled his little paws. Squirrels were close enough to mice, right? It’d be good enough to get him through some fun.

He rushed out of the door and into the hallway. Dashing past a startled group of men in suits, he bolted into the first open room he spotted. A voice droned on from the front of the room and bored students tried to stay awake. Perfect.

He scampered through the center of the room, chittering loudly, his tail twirling like a mini-helicopter blade.

“Oh my god, is that a squirrel?”

“Aww poor thing! It looks so scared!”

“Open the window for it!”

Students clattered about, ignoring the professor and trying to open a window for his escape. He waited until one of them got close enough before leaping at them.

Instantly the soft coos over his fluffy tail ended and screams broke out as people rushed about in total chaos around the room, panicking and darting from the room, leaving all belongings behind.

He chittered louder, crawled up a desk, and stood on his hind legs. His tail twirled behind him as he gnashed his teeth and screeched as loud as his little lungs could.

More screams as people toppled over one another, trying to get away from him and out of the room. From further down the hallway, more sounds of panic erupted as his undead friends wreaked havoc as well.

When his room emptied, he rushed out into the hallway, following the pull of his magic towards the other squirrels, gathering them together towards him. Not all of them, of course. The ones in the vents had very important work destroying cables and other shiny things. He couldn’t possibly take them from that.

But the other 4 joined him and, with tails up high, they rushed through the halls, chasing panicked, well-dressed students and faculty members across the fancy wood floors.

A few people burst into tears, one faculty member sobbed into the phone, begging for the police to help stop these ‘damn squirrels’ which Xue Yang was certain did not make any kind of sense to the poor operator trying to figure out how to handle this call.

Overhead, the power flickered once then twice but stayed on.

Yang, satisfied with the chaos in the hallway, found an opening behind one of the classroom desks that led into the walls. Disappearing, he and the other squirrels joined his friends in causing more problems.

Xue Yang found a few wires that looked particularly important and nibbled at them. His fur stood on end and a nice tingly sensation ran up his teeth and danced around his skull. It tingled in the same way a cat’s skull tingled when getting chin scratches. His brain turned off, probably from the electrocution, but it made his bones shiver so he didn’t mind.

Besides, it wasn’t like a little electricity would kill him. Shapeshifters didn’t die easily and Yang was known for being exceptionally stubborn with death. So stubborn, he’d picked up necromancy just as an extra fuck you to the concept of dying.

He chomped down hard and felt the satisfying, shocking crunch of the metal interior of the wires give way to his teeth.

More screams erupted from outside the walls and Yang figured that had done the power in. One of the undead squirrels tried to groom at the singed ends of his fur, but he liked the aesthetics of it and shooed them away.

A megaphone blared out with a woman’s voice, telling everyone to please evacuate the building. There went his fun.

He brought his tail to his chompers and bit down hard, then dragged his bloody tail into a simple return sigil on the ground. Instantly, the undead mammals obeyed, turning tail and heading out of the building. They’d be back at the shop quickly and disassemble themselves once they got there. They followed commands better than A-Qing, not that it was a particularly high bar.

Popping out of the wall, he made sure the coast was clear of the animal control officers that showed up and slinked down the hallway. Finding an empty office area, he slipped inside and shook the bit of ash from his fur before he began releasing the squirrel shape.

Lengthening through his bones, organs, and veins, his human body erupted from the squirrel, reforming back into the casual college student that no one would look twice at. He rolled his shoulders and took a step out of the hallway.

“H-hello?” a voice from behind him made Yang freeze.

“Sup?” he said, glancing over his shoulder.

A man stood in the doorway next to the office Yang had just changed in. Hopefully, that meant this guy had seen nothing.

“What’s happening? Why are the lights out? Why are people screaming? Is it a g-g-ghost?”

The guy looked like he might pee himself in fear.

“Ghosts? No. Squirrels.”

“Oh, are we evacuating then?” he asked, walking closer to Xue Yang.

As the man stepped closer, Xue Yang realized he recognized the dude.

This same guy had been at Su She’s shop last night! What the hell was Su She doing associating with some business school dude?

“Yeah, evacuating,” he said.

The man hurried down the hall without looking back.

Once he got out of the school, Xue Yang ignored all the chaos and worried students and headed straight back to the store.

“Yo little blind!” he called when he walked in.

“That’s incredibly rude and ableist you know.”

“Yeah, and you’re not actually blind. Do you spend any time at the business school?”

“Gross. Capitalism is garbage. Why would I?”

“Good girl, but I need to figure out who a professor or someone there is. Want to go on a spying mission for me?”

“Spying on the business school? Count me in.”

“Well, it’ll be dark there for a bit, but it should be mostly empty right now. Just go in and find this guy’s office. It’s got to be his office. Third floor, fifth door to the left of the elevator.”

“Okay. You wouldn’t know anything about why the building is dark, would you?”

“Nooooope.”

She punched his shoulder. “You’re not supposed to cause problems without me!”

“Special occasion,” he said with a shrug. “Now go check it out before they get the power restored and classes back in session.”

“I can be invisible, so it doesn’t matter, but fine. Fix your hair before I get back.”

She faded out of sight.

“My hair?” Yang frowned and looked in a window.

He caught sight of his hair standing straight up on end like he’d stuck his finger in a light socket... which he sort of had.

“Oh.”

He headed to his apartment, shocking himself on the doorknob and then on his hairbrush, and then on the sink before he finally got his hair to at least not look like a herd of squirrels had run through it. After finishing his hair attempts, he stepped into his private office. His storage chest hung open with bones all along the bottom.

Perfect.

Drumming his finger on his desk, he counted the bones, counted them again, then slammed and locked their case close. Bones were easy and hard to get. Two hundred and six bones comprised the human body, some more effective than others. Tiny ear bones were basically useless and big leg bones were great for whacking things, but for general necromancy, the finger bones held the most potential.

Fingers held life the most in life and usually held onto it the longest, too. Hands dropping to sides when the heart stopped, hands holding onto others... fingers connected things like a cat’s cradle, tying the threads of death and life together. That’s why he used those bones for most of his work, and most of the time, he used his own bones.

Shapeshifters grew back lost parts with enough time and Yang had more than enough time. He patted the top of the crate of boxes of his bones, then walked back downstairs. He stared down at his own hands and stretched out all ten digits and tested them one by one. The dexterity had all returned since the last time he’d cut one-off. It’d be time to get some more bones soon.

Eh, maybe during the winter break. Cold weather helped the bleeding, and business would be slow, anyway. He’d entertain himself with some light... body modification.

A-Qing reappeared and floated above him.

“What the hell did you do? I heard something about squirrels?”

“Doesn’t matter. What’d you find out?”

“Nothing really. His office just says ‘entrepreneur in residence,’ whatever that means.”

“It means ‘we’re paying this guy a lot of money cause we think he will make our program look good to the right people’. You get a name?”

“No, didn’t see anything in the office with a name on it. Not that I could see much since someone cut the power to the building.”

She crossed her arms and glared at him like it would affect him.

“He’s working at the business school right now, but he was talking to Su She last night. No one would get business advice from Su She.”

“Wait, what?” she asked.

“The guy was here last night talking to Su She. I didn’t hear enough to catch a name, but it’s weird is all.”

“You’re getting too paranoid,” she said. “You should go to some of the campus events. They have an arcade night happening tonight!”

“Need to borrow some quarters?”

“Ugh, they use cards now. Duh,” she said then coughed. “But if you have some quarters, that would be pretty sweet.”

Yang laughed and opened the cash register.

He cleared out the quarters section and tossed them into a plastic bag before handing them over. “Knock yourself out.”

“Don’t wait up!” she said, then vanished.

Xue Yang shook his head and tried to do some business-related or at least business-adjacent items. Dusting off the books and cases counted, right? Not like he wanted to keep it clean for if Song Lan came back.

Just, if he was going to get shoved against a bookcase and have his finger sucked, it’d be nice to have that happen against a kinda clean surface. Song Lan sneezing in his face seemed like that’d ruin the mood, was all.

He glanced towards the wall he shared with the hot bakery couple and tried to not imagine them. How unfair and perfect it was that the hottest pair ever now lived within spitting distance of him.

Xiao Xingchen: gorgeous, sweet, and laughed at Xue Yang’s jokes.

Song Lan: grumpy, hot, and a vampire.

Did it get better than that?

It wasn’t even like he was jealous of either of them. No, he wanted them both, preferably at the same time, but honestly, he wasn’t picky.

He let himself entertain the fantasies for a while, what it would be like to have Song Lan biting down his body, draining his blood, and leaving him an anemic, horny mess while Xiao Xingchen watched with that sweet little smile that seemed to have a hidden mean streak to it. That human seemed to be silk-wrapped iron.

Pinching himself snapped him out of the fantasy.

He moved back to doing the most boring tasks he could think of, balancing the till after losing quarters, checking the inventory amounts and deciding if he needed to make any new orders, finally looking at the flier Wen Ning had dropped off about the Halloween fair they’d be holding this year. Xue Yang always did the same thing: a fortune-telling booth where he told everyone who came by they were going to die.

His booth was not hugely popular, and that worked well for him cause people were annoying on the whole. Drunk people pretending to be monsters were especially annoying for him to deal with, cause good lord, did they suck the fun out of everything.

He’d just let Ning know tomorrow that yeah he’d sponsor whatever council that was putting on the event as long as he got his booth in front of the store. Maybe this year he’d add in a crystal ball and make A-Qing float around it and make distressed noises. She’d love it.

He got so wrapped up in his work, he hardly noticed the night passing. When morning rolled around, the room turned golden and warm around him. He stretched as A-Qing walked into the store with a bright smile on her face.

“Good night?” he asked.

“You’re looking at the number one Mortal Kombat champion on campus.”

“Hell yeah!” He gave her a rare high five and then grabbed his jacket.

“Well champ, you’re in charge. I gotta go talk business stuff with Wen Ning.”

“Have fun and don’t burn down his shop!”

“I’d never!”

Xue Yang had a faint skip in his step as he walked.

He forced himself past the bakery and down the block, past stupid Su She’s stupid store. He paused when he spotted a new sign in the window then frowned when he saw it was a simple ‘Sold’ sign in the window.

Sold?

Motherfucker.

“You asshole!” he yelled at the window.

God, he was so dumb. How had he not realized that sooner? How had he not figured out that was what Su She was up to?

Ugh, dammit.

He’d been so caught up in the hot dudes he’d lost what little brain he had.

That guy he’d been talking to definitely was with the Yuyang Chang group and that was bad news for them. Su She’s shop sat between campus and the rest of downtown. With a foot in the area now, things would get ugly.

“Fuck.”

He kicked at the building, not that it was the building’s fault, then stomped down to the bakery. Pastries. This level of bullshittery required pastries to deal with.

Chapter Text

He had enough presence of mind to at least wait until the mass of students cleared out before he walked in.

Xiao Xingchen must have sensed the storm clouds over his head because he instantly looked concerned. “Are you alright?”

Song Lan appeared from the kitchen, his brows tensing together in what might have been concern. Who knew the big guy could have such a tender look on his face for someone like Xue Yang?

He couldn’t look at them. It was way too much seeing concern on such gorgeous faces. Concern for him. No one ever showed concern for Xue Yang, concerned about what he might do to them or what he could do for them, but for the actual thing that called itself Xue Yang?

Never.

To keep from looking at them, he looked at the counter. The flowers from his bouquet drooped sadly. Life flickered out of them, slowly melting into the water of the curved lilac vase. Yang leaned against the counter and pressed a finger to the sad flowers, felt them clinging to him as if begging for help.

Lifeforce always lingered in the fingers.

“Xue Yang?” Xiao Xingchen softened his voice like he was afraid to cause damage.

“Su She sold his place. We’re fucked,” Xue Yang said simply. It’s a statement of fact as far as he was concerned.

Several seconds of a terrible silence stretched out.

“He what?” Song Lan’s voice vibrated with anger.

“We could talk to him, see about changing his mind.” Xiao Xingchen approached this much more rationally and calmly. Less ready to dive straight into violence.

“He’s sold it already and moved out.”

There’s nothing to add. It’s done. No changes or readjustments at this point. If he knew he’d lose the bookstore cause of Su She, he definitely would have killed that guy a long time ago.

“Got any mahua? Coffee?” He asked.

Xiao Xingchen scrambled off to make coffee. Song Lan stared at him before stalking back into the kitchen. While they were both distracted, Yang dug his fingernail into the center of his thumb. A hot, brief flare of pain and a smudge of blood brushed against the wilting petals of the bouquet.

Instantly, the stems perked up, and the petals fluffed upwards proudly. They’re tall and strong now, looking as if they were fresh from a garden. He grins at his handiwork before sucking his thumb into the mouth and licking away the evidence. That’d keep them alive for longer.

Xiao Xingchen brought over a coffee and a pile of fryer-fresh mahua sticky with brown-sugar syrup and set them down in front of Xue Yang. The twisted fried dough glistened with syrup and the sweet smell made his mouth water.

“Now, just because he’s sold his shop doesn’t mean that it’s going to impact our businesses. Perhaps he sold it to a couple like us? Or someone like Wen Qing? There’s no guarantee it’s the same person as the one who sent us all the letters.”

“He sold it to an entrepreneur who works for the business school. Not some mom and pop place.”

“How do you know that?” Song Lan asked as he walked out of the kitchen and stood beside his partner.

“I overheard them talking while I was on a walk,” he shrugged.

Lying was easy. Easier than talking most of the time.

“And? What are they planning to do with the space?”

“I don’t know. I just heard them finalizing the sale.”

“Well, if they just use the space as it is, then there’s no harm. We all have our own businesses and there’s no reason a new one can’t find a home here. We can live in harmony with whatever develops there.”

Xue Yang added another four sugar packets to his coffee, amusement tickling him as he noticed Song Lan not saying anything in agreement with his boyfriend either.

“Are you doing anything for the Halloween festival?” Xiao Xingchen finally asked when the silence hit a little too heavy for him.

“Yeah, fortune-telling.”

“Wonderful!” He turned that smile on Xue Yang. “Read mine!” He thrust out his palm.

His usual line of ‘You’re gonna die’ somehow wouldn’t leave his tongue with Xiao Xingchen’s beautiful hand in his face. Those words tangled up somewhere along with all the sugar receptors dotting his tongue.

“Ah, not until the festival,” he laughed it off and patted Xiao Xingchen’s hand.

Warm. Vibrant. So full of life and energy. Instantly he realized how much the vampire must like this guy to avoid feeding on someone this tasty.

“We’re going to make caramel and candy apples!” Xiao Xingchen clapped his hands together. “We’ll sell them out front! Little green ones like Frankenstein and Purple Devil ones!”

“Should make purple people eaters too.”

“Purple what?”

“Nothing.” Xue Yang waved his hand. “I should go tell Wen Ning I’m in for the festival. Thought you’d want to know about your neighbor selling out.”

“Thank you,” Song Lan said and the sincerity behind it nearly knocked Xue Yang off his feet.

“Yep, sure thing buddy,” was the only thing he blurted out before he stumbled from the shop.

The floral scent of Wen Ning’s shop did not help get his mind off the two ridiculously hot men he worked and lived next to. Wen Ning, living zombie and expert florist, just gave a small nod when he saw Xue Yang.

“You saw Su She’s shop?” Ning asked.

Xue Yang nodded. “Yep. That sucks.”

“Sis says it’ll be alright.”

“Your sister has to tell you that or she’d lose her big sister credentials.”

“Is that a thing?” Ning looked like he seriously considered it and Xue Yang couldn’t help but laugh.

“No. For the Halloween fair, I’m in with my usual fortunes.”

“Okay, but please try to not upset children again this year.”

“I mean, the future’s rough for a kid,” he said with a shrug.

“Do you know if the bakery is p-p... joining us?”

“Yeah, they said candy and caramel apples. Go over and say hi, they’re nice.”

“I’d hate to bother them,” Ning murmured.

That was Wen Ning code for: I don’t want them to realize I’m dead and freak out like people usually do when they figure that out.

“They’re alright. Promise,” Yang promised.

He and Ning were not what you’d call friends, but Yang was the one who patched up Ning when he got a little run down and who he went to if he needed a little help managing some of the compulsion being a corpse entailed.

Wen Ning was not one to particularly enjoy hunting or eating people so... Yang collected food and drink for him and dropped it by as needed. Now he had a zombie and a vampire to keep fed. Pretty soon, he’d be running a blood bank for monsters.

He shook his head at that thought. “Tell your sister hey but I gotta get back to work.” He waved.

“See you later.”

Yang headed out of the shop and threw himself back into the dull tasks of running a bookstore. So much inventory to deal with. So many books to re-shelve after people ‘browsed’ for a while and set down the Tolkien with the Greek mythology. He hated people so much some days.

He resisted the urge to go see the pretty men.

Chapter Text

The construction on Su She’s place began at 8 am on a Friday and it instantly became clear it would be a total demolition.

They placed safety cones all up and down the street, effectively blocking it from the foot traffic that kept it alive and let the students come easily to visit. The orange cones blocked the sidewalk, forcing people into the street and the loud construction noises seemed never-ending.

They knocked Su She’s place to the ground, and it’s a total wonder they didn’t take the bakery with them.

It only took a few more days to feel the hit on business. Things slowed to a trickle and only the most devoted, Lan Jingyi, showed up at the bookstore. The coffee shop hasn’t quite developed that devoted a following in its one month of life. Xue Yang took up the baton of visiting and buying things. He had enough savings. He’d be alright for a bit.

So a week after he warned them about the sale of Su She’s place, Xue Yang returned to the bakery. 

Xiao Xingchen smiled brightly at him. “Ah, thank you! Are you doing well?”

Always so worried about everyone else, but who on earth worries about you?

“Yeah, I’m good. Nothing fallen down on you yet?” he asked.

“No, it’s fine. Just been a little slow is all.”

“No one can get past the damn construction,” Song Lan said.

“Any idea how long it will be here?” Xue Yang asked.

“They said months. Maybe longer. They’re building an apartment complex here,” Xiao Xingchen said.

“What?” Yang stared.

Of all the stupid ideas...

“It will mean more people once they’re done with construction.” Xingchen tried weakly.

“If we survive no customers while they’re building it.”

“We’ll be fine,” Xingchen said, but even his optimism seemed shaky.

Yang frowned and glanced at the flowers. Oh, they were on the brink of total death, petals falling to the counter and stems drooping lower and lower.

He’d need to fix that at least and give Xingchen something nice. An upset expression just looked wrong on that handsome face. He ordered a big batch of pastries and carried the box back over to his place before going up to his office.

Mouse time.

This time, he was confident he could appear as a competent mouse if he was spotted. No more concussion mouse!

He collected the small bone he’s settled on for the flowers as a longer-lasting solution and put it carefully on the floor to be collected once he transformed.

Rolling his shoulders, he let the magic twist across his skin. The shift settled into his bones easier as he curled in on himself and dropped to the floor. It took a moment to get his bearings before he quickly gathered up the small bone fragment in his mouth. The flavor, like salted pine nuts, meant he had to actively remind himself he was on a mission to do necromancy not have a bone snack.

Habit meant he instantly cleaned his whiskers before he took off for the path of least resistance into the bakery, the floor vents. He squeezed past the grates and scurried through the warm vent as he let his nose guide him. Even as a mouse, everything smelled delicious from their shop. Footsteps thudded dully overhead, but he remained hidden safely under the floor where no one could bother him for the moment.

“Are we going to be alright?” Xiao Xingchen’s voice joined him in the vents.

“We’ll be okay,” Song Lan’s voice soothed.

His ears twitched, but he tried to remain focused on his mission. Finding his way into the dining room, he saw Xiao Xingchen sitting at one table, a cup of some sort in front of him. Song Lan stood nearby, adjusting the display of items available.

“We don’t have a lot left in savings. If we don’t have a good fall, what are we going to do?” Xiao Xingchen asked. His voice shook like a leaf in a winter storm, and Xue Yang hated it.

“We’ll figure out something,” Song Lan promised and walked over to his boyfriend.

The two blurred together, embracing.

Xue Yang took that opportunity to slip around to the backside of the counter and started hopping up the shelves there. Thankfully, the neatly stacked dishes gave his little paws something to grab onto so he could hoist himself upwards. With no minor effort, he climbed to the top of the counter and then frowned. The vase’s surface was far too smooth to get to the top of as a mouse. His paws couldn’t grip onto anything...

Except the sad drooping flower might be low enough he could reach it with some help. Looking around the countertop, he found a teacup waiting to be cleaned.

The two men continued whispering in the shop's corner now, wrapped up in one another.

Perfect.

He wedged one foot under the teacup and splooted himself as low as possible to the ground before sliding under the teacup. Ew. Smelled like fresh green tea. Earthy, grassy, disgusting, his least favorite tea in the universe.

Bracing his hands against the edge of the cup, he shoved the cup slowly but steadily across the countertop. After a few seconds, he realized the problem now was that he couldn’t see anything and had no idea he was in relation to the vase.

A flaw in his otherwise flawless plan.

Stubbornness forced him to keep moving before a loud thud vibrated under his feet.

He froze.

“Babe, was this cup just moving?” Xiao Xingchen’s voice echoed like a bell around him.

A weight landed on the teacup and Yang stood petrified in place. He was about to be discovered.

In a panic, he flung himself upwards, bracing all four limbs around the edges of the bottom of the teacup. Drops of green tea dripped onto his fur, but he braced as the cup lifted. He stayed absolutely still, not even breathing in that instant as Xingchen looked at the countertop under the cup.

“Finish your breakfast, you need to eat something,” Song Lan said.

Xiao Xingchen sighed and put the cup down. Yang caught just a glimpse of nearby lilac, but it gave him a sense of the vase’s direction. He stayed braced on the bottom of the teacup until the noises faded entirely.

When things finally quieted enough, he pushed the cup’s walls again. This time, he moved slower and paused every few steps. Finally, the edge of the cup softly tinked against something glass. He waited, but when no one came to investigate the noise, he chanced sticking his nose out of the edge of the cup. He didn’t smell the metallic tang of Song Lan or the sweet, earthy notes of Xiao Xingchen, so he slipped out from under the cup and found the dining room empty. Excellent.

He eased out from under the cup and rubbed his little hands together. Climbing up the teacup, he gave a jump and grabbed onto the drooping stem of a flower. It sagged and nearly slipped out of the vase, but Yang climbed up quickly and got to the top of the vase.

He spit the bone out of his mouth and heard the satisfying plop as it landed in the water beneath him. Swinging his tail up to his teeth, he took a quick bite and let several drops of blood drip into the water. When he moved to wipe his tail off, a few drips hit the lip of the vase. His feet slid.

Shit.

He toppled into the vase with a splash. Scrambling wildly, he tried to grasp at something, but the smooth sides of the glass gave him nothing to grasp onto. He’d never drowned before and he didn’t fancy drowning in the vase of flowers. He could just turn back into a person, but then he would absolutely be busted shape-shifting and have to explain that.

Sinking his little paws into the stem of the flower, he managed to at least keep his head above the water as he tried to think. He could maybe knock the vase over...

“Don’t worry, little friend,” Xiao Xingchen’s soft voice rolled over him as the flower he clung to rose from the water.

He flailed before landing on a plush washcloth. His heart hammered in his chest as he coughed and shook, trying to get the water from his fur.

“You’re the little jumping mouse. Oh, sweet thing, are you alright?” Xiao Xingchen asked. “Zichen, can you bring me some cheese? Our mouse friend is back!” he called into the kitchen.

Xue Yang laid on the washrag and caught his breath, closing his eyes and trying to relax for the moment and to will his panic to calm back down to a normal level. The sharp salty scent of cheese made his nose twitch, and he opened his eyes to a piece of cheddar being dropped near him. Eagerly he gobbled up the bite then washed his whiskers and set about trying to dry off his fur.

“Poor thing, you just keep getting into trouble,” Xiao Xingchen said, voice soft. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”

That sounded absolutely wonderful and for a moment, Xue Yang considered the benefits of living as a mouse to just let himself be taken care of. That would be truly magical. Shaking his head, he realized he had things to do. This damn construction would not ruin this sweet man’s life.

He scurried off the washcloth and went to make his way down the counter when tender hands scooped him up and then deposited him on the ground. “Careful little one.”

Yang was going to die by how nice this man was being to him. Not fair at all.

He forced himself to rush back into the vent and to his own shop. When he turned back to his human shape, he laid on the floor for a while, contemplating life.

“A-Qing!” he called from the floor.

“What?”

“I need you to go map up the exact spots where the construction is a problem. Draw me a map.”

“Are you serious? You can see it yourself.”

“Yeah, I know, but I want to have a map.”

“What are you doing?”

“Fighting the power or whatever.”

“No one says that anymore.”

“Shut up.”

“Okay, old man.”

She walked out of the shop as Yang got back to his feet. He wandered into the back storage room and riffled around until he found the old box of things the previous owner, Wei Wuxian, had left before he’d fucked off to dragon world with his husband, Lan Wangi. Lucky bastard. Pulling out Wei Wuxian’s grimoire, he flipped through the pages until he found what he needed.

Halloween was approaching after all, and what kind of antique bookshop owner would he be if he didn’t fully decorate?

When A-Qing got back, he took the map she’d made and then slipped out to the remains of Su She’s shop. After a little schmoozing, he collected a lot of scrap wood from the demolition. Not exactly bones, but something that would work and be way less problematic than a bunch of human remains suddenly appearing in the area.

“A-Qing, no parties or events tonight. We’ve got work to do.”

She stared at him but nodded, following his lead as they worked well into the night. By dawn, Xue Yang was anemic, cold, and exhausted, but the Stygian system worked. He collapsed into bed, closing the shop for the first time in nearly a decade.

The ‘decorations’ looked like a haunted sidewalk that bypassed the construction, weaving around the construction and leading on nice, clear paths of old wood straight to the local businesses. No more dodging around cones or potholes, instead of the bridges almost seemed to float above all the mess.

In actuality, it did float above the mess, but illusions just made it look like boxes supporting it. Occasionally, even blood seemed to drip from a few pieces of the wood. Students loved it and the sound of crowds filled the downtown area again.

Yang woke to someone pounding on his door. He groaned and forced himself from bed to stumble downstairs and tell them he was closed. Instead, he found Song Lan holding a plate of sticky mahua.

“Hey,” he said, opening the door. “We’re closed.”

Song Lan shoved his way inside. “What the hell did you do?”

“Huh?”

“The sidewalk. That’s clearly got necrotic energy all over it.”

“Eh, is it hurting anyone?”

“I don’t know. Is it?” he demanded.

“For an undead, you sure don’t know anything about the very magic keeping you alive, big guy,” Yang said. “It’s fine. A simple spell that doesn’t hurt anyone seriously. Just a big upfront cost.”

And basically all the blood I had and then some.

“Why?” Song Lan demanded.

“Uh, because I run a business here too, asshole.”

“You weren’t worried about this. Why would you do this sort of thing?”

“I live here too. Look, are you accusing me of something?”

“I know you’re a necromancer. I just want to hear you admit it.”

“Yeah, well after you buddy.”

Xue Yang was being petty, but he didn’t care. He was tired, hungry, and annoyed.

“You...” Song Lan shoved him.

The two scrambled together in a tussle, hands scratching and pulling at hair, skin, anything they could grab. Finally, fangs sank into Yang’s neck and he went still as the numbness spread from the bite and then bloomed into something that sizzled along the base of his spine. He moaned, hands scratching down against Song Lan’s soft t-shirt.

“You treat your boyfriend this mean?” he asked with a laugh.

Song Lan just sank his teeth in harder, biting with more force.

The world swam around him. He didn’t have the extra blood to be playing this game, but oh, that made it all the sweeter. “I bet your boy tastes even sweeter than me. You’ve never tried him, have you? Maybe I’ll cut him open and see what he- OW!”

The teeth twisted against his neck, ripping open a wider, messy wound, no longer a nice feeding bite, no this one meant to tear and rend. Well, Yang had tricks of his own.

His hands shifted to claws, and he stabbed them into Song Lan’s bicep. The vampire grunted and stumbled back as Yang jumped on the other side of the counter, keeping the desk between them.

He pressed his hand to his bleeding wound. “That’s rude. Aren’t you supposed to ask before doing that? Or is that only for coming inside? Cause babe, you just have to ask for that.”

Song Lan stared at him, eyes deep, hungry pits, and Yang felt like a cake being sized up by a birthday boy. Oh, he wanted to get devoured. Who cared about a little thing like blood loss? What was a bit of blood in the grand scheme of how hot this vampire was?

“You’re helping us,” Song Lan said.

“Yeah, funny way of paying me back.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

Xue Yang didn’t expect the vampire to rise to the bait, but Song Lan lunged across his counter, tackling Xue Yang to the ground.

His head thumped against the wood floor before bloody lips pressed against his. He tasted his tangy tart blood against his lips and tongue as Song Lan dove in, just as hungry as his bite. He fed off of every sound and moan that Xue Yang made so he did not bother to hide any noises. Why not let Song Lan know how good this was?

His hands, still claws, scratched down the vampire’s back, worrying at the fabric there but not quite ripping through it even though he wanted to expose the rock-hard abs he knew had to be hiding under this shirt. It was unfair how hot his neighbors were. How was anyone supposed to function with them right next door?

“This what you do to your boyfriend?” he asked with a grin when their lips parted.

Sticky blood smeared across his face, and he didn’t care.

“What makes you think I’m the mean one there?” Song Lan asked.

Oh, that made Xue Yang’s entire body thrum like he’d bitten into another electrical wire. Imagining Xiao Xingchen with that sweet, sharp smile, stepping on him or pushing him into the floor as Song Lan roughed him up. Xue Yang had enough fantasies to last his entire far too long life now, and he still wanted more. These two really were going to ruin him, but he couldn’t imagine it any other way.

He dove up into another kiss, chasing his own taste in Song Lan’s mouth as the vampire traced careful fingers over the still bleeding wound against Xue Yang’s neck. When their lips separated again, the vampire began licking up the blood, cleaning, tasting, and drinking up all at once as he tried to devour what Xue Yang offered freely. Feeding on something else supernatural always seemed more filling somehow. He could only imagine it felt the same way with blood, for sure.

Song Lan leaned back, licking his lips. Their bodies rubbed together and Yang felt the large attraction rising there, no heat but a solid firmness. He wanted to ask how vampire erections worked, though, not while he was actively rubbing against one. It seemed very much like that would kill the mood.

Unfortunately, he didn’t even get to worry about killing the mood as Song Lan stood up and jerked back from Xue Yang. “I can’t. We can’t.”

“I mean, feeding someone is a totally okay thing to do, right?”

“Not like this, and you look anemic already. I’m not draining you dry.”

“I wouldn’t mind. Feel like you could fill me up pretty good to make up for it,” he said, arching his hips up.

Song Lan swallowed hard, sharp nails against his palms and fangs fully extended before he turned and forced himself to walk out of the store without another word.

Xue Yang laid there until he had enough energy to get up and grab one of his smoothies from the shop’s small fridge. He knew smoothies and protein shakes were glorified milkshakes, but he liked milkshakes and gave zero care about health benefits. He stayed sitting on the floor until the room spun less and then made it upstairs to sleep.

A-Qing’s voice jolted Yang from a perfectly good sleep.

“Get up, there’s some fancy dude here that wants to talk to you.”

“Tell him I’m in hell and he can meet me by the bridge,” he muttered.

“Haha. He’s not budging. He said he’d sit here as long as it took and he’s annoying me. Come on.”

“Fine,” Xue Yang sat up.

He didn’t bother cleaning up, bloody neck, dirty clothing, and all would make a good impression, he was sure. Stomping down the stairs, he got to the register and just stared at the guy.

Of course, it was the man from Su She’s shop and the ‘entrepreneur in residence’ at the business school. Who else could it be?

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“Ah, are you the owner of this fine establishment?” the man asked, standing and offering his hand before pausing at Xue Yang’s appearance. However, then the man just laughed. “A big fan of Halloween, I see. Wonderful costume though you are a little early. It’s not until next week.”

“Right. Costume. What do you want?” he asked again. “I own the place and don’t like people demanding to talk to me by harassing my employees.”

He distinctly noticed that A-Qing had gone invisible to not deal with the guy again. He couldn’t blame her, but he still hated it.

“My name is Chang Ci’An. I’m a local businessman and wanted to talk to you about an opportunity I had-“

“Oh my god, you’re as bad as those people selling leggings. No. Nope, not interested. I got your stupid letter and I’m not selling. If that’s it, you can kindly get out of my shop.”

The man looked slightly taken aback, but then the practiced smile of a sleaze oozed back onto his face.

“Now I’ve hardly had the chance to explain the benefits here. I understand you’re the one who created these interesting sidewalk decorations?”

“Yeah, and?”

“Well, I’m not sure they’re up to code, you know, and if someone were to get hurt on them... Well, I would hate to think of the liability your store could face for something like that.”

Great, now he was getting business threats instead of actual bodily harm threats. Man, he missed the days of just showing up at someone’s place with a dagger and threatening their life. So much simpler.

“I mean, that’s really… something of you, but I’m good,” he said. “Please tell me you aren’t going door to door and bothering everyone about this.”

“Presenting an opportunity is never a bother.”

“Right. I’m sure they disagree. Look, get out of here. It’s Thursday, and that’s a busy night for us all here so... bye.”

“Now, sir, I think you’re underestimating this opportunity. You could sell this place and retire anywhere you wanted. Millionaire at such a young age? Who wouldn’t want that?”

“Me and probably all the other people you’ve talked to on this block.”

“We’re going to build a wonderful community for the college students here. Just think how much you’d be helping these students with- “

“Luxury apartments and marked-up chain stores? Wow, they’ll be so thrilled to have the last bit of personality carved out of this town. Look, no.”

“Sir, I just think if you look at the numbers-”

The bookshelf shook, and the man froze.

“What was that?”

“The local ghost,” Yang said with a shrug. “She doesn’t like strangers.”

“G-ghost? You’re playing with me, aren’t you?”

Oh, what an interesting reaction again, just like in the school squirrel incident.

“No, this place is haunted. You know you can’t go anywhere historical that doesn’t have some ghosts. Like what happened at the business school, right? You heard about that?”

“That was a band of squirrels.”

“But they didn’t find any in the building, did they?”

The man stared at Xue Yang, eyes wide as the bookcase shook again.

With shaking hands, he passed over a business card and then retreated from the building like something chased after him.

“What a weirdo,” A-Qing said as she appeared back on top of the bookcase.

So that’s who the entrepreneur in residence was, the guy from Yueyang Chang that wanted to buy up downtown and turn it into overpriced, crappy apartments and little shopping malls. Gross.

But what an interesting opportunity had just fallen into his lap. He pulled out his phone, ordered a big dinner for himself and a delivery from the local butcher, Mianmian. He had work to do.

Chapter Text

Almost exactly at 8:45 pm, Song Lan stepped out into the alleyway to throw out the trash. The guy being such a stickler for routine made him easy to find.

“Hey,” Yang said, stepping out of where he’d been lingering in the dark for the past fifteen minutes. They hadn’t spoken since the bite incident, and Yang hadn’t bothered to even try to hide the bruised, scabbed mess of his neck.

“I’m... sorry about that,” Song Lan said. “I shouldn’t have gone so long between meals. It was inappropriate-”

“It was a real cock block kind of move, but that’s not what I want to talk about. I’ve got a bottle of red, some raw meat, and some hot wings. Come on over for a minute.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“A proposal.”

“I’m dating Xiao Xingchen.”

“Oh my god, I am not proposing marriage. What the fuck?” Xue Yang’s cheeks flushed at the words, but he ignored that. “Just come over!”

Song Lan tossed the bag into the dumpster, then followed Yang into the bookstore. He’d set out all the food in the back, away from the books. Xue Yang sat down to enjoy the wings and was pleased when Song Lan went straight for the bottle of fresh red.

“What is it you are suggesting? If that sleaze of a human who came by won you over earlier, I do not want to hear it.”

Yang laughed. “I’m hurt you think I’d be so easy to buy out! Do I look like a guy who gives a crap about money? I run an antique book shop, clearly, I’m not rolling in it.”

“Then what?”

“Look, the guy is a scaredy-cat.”

“And?”

“I told him the bookstore was haunted, and he looked like he was going to piss himself right there!”

“I’m not following.”

“Oh, my god. Okay, so he bought Su She’s place already, right?”

“Yes.”

“He wants everywhere else, too. But what if he thinks this area is haunted? He’ll back off.”

“That’s stupid.”

“No, it’s a plan.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Cause you’re a vampire and you can do stuff to help with this, too. I know you gotta have more abilities than ‘be really hot, drink blood and bite people’, so spill.”

“What can you do?” he asked.

“Oh, what can’t I do, baby?”

Song Lan’s eyebrow twitched then did a remarkable job at trying to look calm and collected. “My haunted house abilities are minimal. I can turn into mist and hypnotize one to two people for a few minutes. Mainly my physiology has been enhanced which isn’t exactly useful for scaring people. Also, if you do this, Xiao Xingchen cannot see it. He cannot know about me or you.”

“Yeah, yeah, your delicate human boy toy. I got it. Don’t worry. I’m pretty good at not being visible.”

“Just like you’re good at not drowning in vases?”

“Shut up.”

“You are a very obvious fake mouse. You don’t move like one at all.”

“Look, you have freak eyes. Everyone else just thinks I’m a stupid mouse, so shut up.”

“The flowers are doing well, though. You keep reviving them, don’t you?”

“Shut up.”

“Xiao Xingchen loves them. He thinks he has a magic green thumb now and wants to start a garden.”

“Oh, fuck that’s cute.”

“So what is your plan?” Song Lan asked.

“Give me more of your hair.”

“What?”

“I can use your hair and my blood to create some puppets on Su She’s property. Have it trigger only when certain things happen, so it seems random. Freak out the workers enough that the big wigs come to check it out. Figure that will work.”

“It’s a long shot.”

“But?”

“I’m not saying it’s a good idea because it’s not. However, I think it is our best option. Your makeshift sidewalks are working for now, but they won’t last forever, will they?”

“No, I can’t keep those going indefinitely. Once Halloween’s over, they’ll start looking out-of-place, anyway. I don’t need too many people snooping about.”

Song Lan nodded thoughtfully like he was considering applying for some grant or something equally serious. “Alright, I will help.”

“Awesome. Let me get the scissors.”

He hopped up and rushed off for the scissors as Song Lan finished the bottle. “Would my blood help?” Song Lan asked.

“I mean, no offense, but you don’t have life force in your blood, so no.”

“But you do?”

“Hey, I’m a living creature who just uses necromancy! There’s a distinction!”

“Of course. Do not take too much of my hair.”

“I just need a few inches.”

He snipped carefully, evening out the bad haircut he’d done previously, and carefully collecting it all into the bag. “Come with me to help get this set up.”

“Why?”

“You can be my lookout. If they have cameras on the site or something, can’t you do something about that? Vampire powers or something.”

“No vampire powers but...” he pulled out a strange black cell phone-sized object. “This could help.”

“What is that?”

“Electronic scrambler. It will render any electronics in the area useless for a few minutes. Videos will just show static.”

“Even spookier. Let’s go then.”

Song Lan hesitated and Xue Yang just wanted to ask what he was so afraid of, but he just walked out the door and let the vampire decide if he wanted to join or not. The steady thud of boots on asphalt answered that question for him.

Su She’s old place laid in pieces and the framework of the new building stood above the wreckage, though it still looked more like a generic cube than anything concrete. Perfect cause that meant walls were open, spaces were widely available to work.

He glanced at Song Lan, who pressed the button on his fancy device. Xue Yang winced as a faint high-pitched noise buzzed against his ears, then faded.

“All done,” Song Lan said, tucking it back into his jacket. “Ten minutes at most.”

Xue Yang didn’t wait and went straight to work. First up, the entryway.

Digging in with his heel, he made a small indentation in the ground, then knelt down and carefully drew out the spirit summoning symbol that Wei Wuxian had taught him. Every time someone walked over this spot, it would recharge the symbol, meaning things would continuously happen as people moved around. Perfect. He inlaid a few of Song Lan’s hairs over the symbol and then went to gnaw his thumb open, but Song Lan caught his hand and brought it to his mouth first.

Xue Yang’s mouth briefly stopped working as Song Lan gently pressed his thumb to a fang, creating a neat little hole and blood began dribbling. He quickly added that to the sigil and then placed an errant brick over it. By the time that brick got moved, the energy would have seeped into the ground and no symbol would even be visible. Besides, an unknown creepy symbol would just add to the ambiance of a haunting.

He moved around the area, adding in more sigils in each of the cardinal directions. By the last one, his vision blurred. Blood production speed was such an annoying design flaw. He used far more than he produced. Leaning against a support beam, he let the fuzziness wash over him and tried to breathe through it. He would work on it and get himself sorted out.

Before he could even try to do that, Song Lan scooped him into his arms bridal style and carried him away

Xue Yang’s defensive squeak did nothing to discourage the vampire who carried him back to the bakery and set him on a stool with a plate of warm buns and a cup of hot cocoa in front of him. He blinked at Song Lan a few times, trying to process what had just happened but not having much luck in actually making that happen.

“Zichen?” a sleep-fogged voice cut through Yang’s haze.

He looked up to a drowsy Xiao Xingchen standing in the doorway, wrapped in a blanket. He wore an adorable pale blue cotton sleeping set.

“Darling, go back to bed,” Song Lan said.

“A-Yang, are you okay? You’re so pale!” Xingchen dodged past his boyfriend to put his hand on Xue Yang’s forehead. “And you’re freezing!”

Without waiting for a response, he wrapped himself and the blanket around Xue Yang’s back, pressing warmth against his back.

Clearly, Xue Yang had passed out and was hallucinating now, but that was okay. He liked this hallucination cause it meant that he got to imagine what it’d be like to have Xiao Xingchen hold him. So warm and tender. Like he wanted to hold Xue Yang. No one held him like this. Definitely not for long since everyone knew a shapeshifter like him could never be trusted to not twist around and bite the hand that helped him.

“What happened?” Xingchen asked.

“He’s getting over a bad flu,” Song Lan said and Xue Yang had to admit the ease of the man’s lying impressed him.

“Oh my god, you should have told us!” Xiao Xingchen pressed his hand to Xue Yang’s forehead and gently checked his temperature.

How long had it been since anyone had checked on him like this? He melted into the other man’s touch and relaxed into it with a soft sigh.

“Are you feeling better now? Do we have any soup we could give him? If you’re feeling ill, you should have soup!”

“I’m good. Promise.”

“Well... okay. That businessman didn’t bother you, did he?”

“Businessman?”

“The one who came by asking about buying property. As if doing that in person would be more successful, hmph.”

God, he was cute when he huffed like that and acted like the entire thing was beneath him.

“No, he didn’t,” Yang said.

Xingchen continued rubbing his back as Song Lan put a bowl of thick, rich soup in front of him. Tomato and egg drop soup. He hadn’t that homemade in, well, he couldn’t even remember. The scent wafted over him: sweet tomatoes, salty pork broth, and a hint of fish sauce. He ate with a content sigh.

He ate slowly, every bite feeling like it took a solid effort. His eyes drooped, and he wanted to just collapse into sleep. Xiao Xingchen didn’t let go of him and that extra warmth soothed right to his bones.

“Zichen, we can’t let him go home like this,” Xingchen murmured.

Xue Yang wanted to argue, but honestly, he couldn’t find the energy to speak. His tongue hung heavy and dry in his mouth, every part of him ached.

Maybe he had overdone it these past few days. He was a shapeshifter by birth, but not a necromancer. His energy burned away like a candle tossed into a furnace. The core of strength he had might be stronger than a mortal’s, but he still had a limit.

“He’s staying here tonight. I’ll close his shop up and let his assistant know,” Song Lan said.

Xue Yang’s eyes tracked the big guy as he walked across the bakery and then out the door.

“Okay sweetheart, let’s get you upstairs.”

Much to his surprise, Xingchen scooped him into his arms and carried him upstairs. The space radiated coziness and warmth, soft grays and whites coloring the space. Xingchen set him on the bed then frowned.

“Your throat... what happened?”

Panic rose in him, the burst of adrenaline giving him the energy to speak only stupid words.

“Squirrel attack.”

“Squirrel?”

“I... got hit by some of the wood while building the sidewalk.” He tried for a slightly less stupid answer.

Xiao Xingchen frowned, then sighed and shook his head before he disappeared into the bathroom before returning with a first aid kit. He patched up Xue Yang with warm, steady hands.

Song Lan returned and looked at Xue Yang, then his boyfriend, but said nothing. Instead, he walked over to the dresser and pulled out a t-shirt, and set it down on the bed. “Here, you can wear this.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said, already feeling like his words were fading away again and he’d be speechless and unconscious soon.

“Oh Zichen,” Xiao Xingchen said with something tender in his voice.

“I know,” Song Lan said.

His eyes started drifting closed and he let himself soak in the warmth of Xiao Xingchen’s hands. Someone pulled off his shirt, shoes, socks, then his pants. For once, nothing about his pants being removed seemed sexy... well, maybe a little, but more just gentle and loving.

A soft, warm shirt slid over his head and he breathed in the warm cotton scent of the fabric. He sighed and let his body go limp. Someone warm caught him then eased him into the bed. Soft voices blurred around him, almost like a tuneless lullaby. A gentle warmth wrapped around him and sleep wiped away the rest.

Chapter Text

When he awoke, two solid shapes squished him. He was sweaty and had a face full of hair that wasn’t his own. It took a few seconds to register this was not his sleek, modern apartment, but the homey place of his hot neighbors.

Who was in bed with him?

Song Lan’s hair sprawled into Xue Yang’s face and Xiao Xingchen wrapped around him like Xue Yang was some kind of teddy bear. What the hell was Song Lan even doing in bed? He didn’t need to sleep!

Song Lan’s eyes slowly opened and caught Xue Yang’s gaze. He sat up enough to get his hair out of Xue Yang’s face.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, voice low and close enough Yang felt it rumble against his skin.

“Fine.”

“Your color is better. You should have warned me you were so weak already.”

“Whatever,” he grumbled.

He knew he should get up, go home, but... this was nice.

Xiao Xingchen snorted softly then grumbled and pressed his face against Yang’s chest. His heart lurched that. “Your boyfriend’s not letting go.”

“He’s a cuddler.”

“I noticed. You’re uh... not mad I took your spot, are you?” he asked.

“We have an open relationship.”

“Oh. Oh, that’s..... nice.”

Song Lan just smirked and left Xue Yang trapped at the snuggling mercy of Xiao Xingchen until he drifted off again.

He woke again to the smell of congee in the air, coffee brewing, and those heavenly fried treats. When he opened his eyes. The bed was empty, and he laid alone, tucked tenderly under the covers.

He sat up and yawned before redressing himself and reluctantly putting the borrowed shirt away. Finally, he left to find people. He easily found Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen in the kitchen.

Xiao Xingchen rushed over with coffee as soon as he saw Xue Yang and passed the mug over. “Sleep okay?”

“Yeah, it was great.”

Xiao Xingchen touched his forehead. “You look much healthier today. I was really worried!”

“I know. I’m good, promise.”

“Okay. Well, Zichen is almost done with breakfast.”

“Ah well, I’ll get out of your hair then.”

“No! Stay and eat with us!”

“If... I mean, if you insist.”

“We do,” Song Lan said as he sat out a large bowl of congee sweetened with brown sugar.

He eagerly ate everything. Only once he’d cleaned his plate and eaten two enormous steamed buns did he lean back with a contented sigh. “That was incredible. Thank you.”

“Of course. Come by again soon, okay? We should trade numbers!” Xiao Xingchen said.

Xue Yang just stared as he gave his number to the two men and then had both of their numbers. He remained convinced this was some sort of dream and at any moment he would wake up alone in his own house, but he didn’t. He walked out of their apartment and back home, where a-Qing instantly floated over to him.

“What is going on!?”

“Just overdid it last night is all,” he said.

“You’re not supposed to be the one out partying.”

He waved her off. “Anything happen?”

“No, that Song guy came over and told me to lock up the shop and that you were sick and staying with them. I went over there to check it out and you looked like a corpse!”

“Thank you.”

“Seriously! Did they help you out? They weren’t weird about it?”

“They were fine.”

More than fine, he thought, but didn’t add, cause he didn’t want to make it weird.

“Okay. Well, nothing else happened over here, so nothing to worry about with that.”

“Glad to hear it.”

He unlocked the door and opened the shop up as he tried to stop thinking about the warmth of the night, and the gentleness of all of those touches. Those weren’t things Xue Yang got to have. He’d never had and never even dreamed of wanting them. So what was this now? These two guys, gorgeous and perfect, just bored and wanting to play with him? It didn’t make sense, but... Song Lan didn’t seem the type to play around about that sort of thing, so that meant... were they serious?

That couldn’t possibly be right... and yet, something told him they were very much were. But the idea of that being true terrified Yang more than anything, so he shoved it to the side. Instead of dealing with those thoughts, he pulled out some of Wei Wuxian’s books again to look for anything else he could use to scare these business dudes right out of his life.

He ignored his phone and kept himself locked up with his reading. Occasionally, a few startled screams from the construction workers cut through his focus, but otherwise, he remained determined to get the rest of the planning done.

It was only three days later and a lot of ignored text messages and phone calls later that he got his chance when he spotted the entrepreneur in residence in town again. Perfect.

He caught sight of the man as he walked by the bookstore and a smile cracked Xue Yang’s face open. He’d gotten enough strength back for this, and he could not wait.

Grabbing his phone, he ignored the unread text messages and missed calls from his hot neighbors and just texted Song Lan.

‘The entrepreneur is here. Operation scare him to death is go.’

After a moment, a single thumbs-up emoji came in response.

He shoved his phone in his pocket to resist the urge to scroll up and see what messages he’d missed from Song Lan because he didn’t need to know about that. No one dated or wanted Xue Yang like that, not enough for conversations and sweet nothings. That was how he liked things, anyway. Who needed sweetness and love? Pfft, not him.

He rushed upstairs and grabbed his bone box and got them set up. He figured haunted squirrels take two, electric boogaloo would work well enough, so why break with something that worked so well last time. Only for this to go, he wouldn’t bother with fur. Skeletons all the way, so much creepier that way.

A quick, efficient cut across his thumb let him make quick work of creating the sigils on each of the skulls. A flare of energy and they woke up and began assembling themselves into vaguely useful shapes. While it’d be difficult to pinpoint them as squirrels, not quite enough bones for that. They were ambulatory and functional for his needs. Good enough for scaring regular people.

He closed his eyes and reached out his energetic senses until they pinged on the sigil still buried at the worksite. He flicked his fingers and sent the squirrels towards that sigil. Once they got close enough, the spirit summoning would take care of the rest for now.

Clattering away, the squirrels scattered out of the window and towards the worksite. Now, for his own fun. With a growing grin, he watched his summonings run off and spotted a bit of gray mist joining them.

This was going to be great, a vampire and a few undead squirrels here to wreck capitalism’s day.

Not one to miss out on the fun, Yang twisted inwards, letting his bones crack and shift, breaking and rebuilding into the shape of the squirrel once again. He’d usually favored cats, but honestly, he was kind of getting fond of hanging out in the rodent-esque bodies. Were squirrels rodents? Something else to research later.

He shook off the lingering discomfort of his entire body rebuilding itself and dove out the window, leaping easily to the next roof and rushing across just in time to see the skeletal squirrels descend. Several men and women in suits startled, jumping backward and a few screams rang out. Xue Yang scurried down the gutter spout and to the ground to rush into the fray. His little paws skittered across a few feet as they screamed and panicked.

“What is this!?” Chang Ci’an screeched. “Get these out of here!”

A few dutiful assistants attempted to go after the skeletons.

Seriously, what was this guy paying them that made chasing after undead squirrels something they will do? What the hell?

A cold gray mist swirled around Yang and he felt as if he were being lifted into the air. Oh, well, hello Song Lan. A few of the skeleton squirrels also got caught up in the mist, swirling around him like the cows in some natural disaster movie. Yang wasn’t sure squirrels could grin, but he absolutely was grinning as he let a bit of extra magic seep into his skin, bringing his eyes to a red glow and forcing his voice to project from his tiny mouth.

“You have disturbed the resting place of...”

Fuck, he needed a name.

“Chengmei.”

A few of the business suits passed out, and several more ran away.

Ci’an Chang dropped into a kowtow. “Oh, noble spirit! We are but simple men seeking-“

“Seeking fortunes by destroying what was not yours. I see what you are and what you have done. I will curse you and 14 generations of your family for your disturbance of my slumber!”

“N-Noble spirit! We mean no disrespect! We... h-how could we appease you?”

“Leave this place. Abandon this land and leave it. I may rest again and forget your transgressions in time.”

He felt the mist gently shake him, and his tail twitched in annoyance. Shaking a red-eyed squirrel pretending to be an aggrieved spirit was not adding to the effect!

“We-we can’t just leave. Where will we live? Oh noble spirit, I will build you a beautiful shrine! A shrine to Chengmei!”

“I DON’T WANT A SHRINE!”

The man dropped lower to the ground, going totally prostate. Most of the others had fled or passed out by now. Several of the skeletal squirrels ran over the man’s body, leaping off his head to join the swirling mist, which was rapidly becoming a tornado of undead squirrels.

“You will sell this land. You will never step foot here again. Do this and I will spare you.”

“I... yes. Yes, noble spirit!”

“NOW!” Xue Yang put a bit of dark energy behind his voice to let it hiss and echo.

Chang scrambled to his feet then dropped to another low bow then back up to his feet and then went running down the street screaming. A few last skeletal squirrels chased after him.

The mist of Song Lan set Xue Yang down on the ground again. He rushed around, leaping on backs until the passed out people woke up again and then took off screaming down the streets as well. He sat back on his tail and crossed his short arms over his chest. That had gone better than expected.

“Well done,” a soft voice spoke and Xue Yang saw Song Lan now back in his human shape, standing there with a smirk on his face. “Chengmei?”

He chittered and shook a fist at Song Lan. He was not wasting energy responding to that. Just because he could talk as a squirrel didn’t mean he was going to.

“Do you think he’ll sell everything?”

The hell if I know.

He brushed his fur back down after being ruffled in the mist and hopped towards his shop so he could change back in private. He didn’t get very far before Song Lan scooped him up and carried him into the alleyway.

“Change back.”

Song Lan’s voice vibrated through his entire tiny body, and he obeyed without a thought. Damn vampire powers.

Shivering from his fluffy tail to his nose, he cracked and twisted from the squirrel shape and back to his human one. He groaned at the flash of pain before realizing Song Lan still held him.

“Uh.”

The vampire looked him over. “You’re not over-exerted?”

“What? No. Summoning a few undead squirrels is nothing.”

“Transforming is not too much?”

“It’s what I do, big guy. Relax.”

He hopped out of Song Lan’s arms before he lost his mind at being held like that.

Nope, nope. Not playing that game.

“Then may I feed?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“The mist form is rather draining for me.”

“Oh. Shit. Yeah, sure, eat up.”

Song Lan nodded and took hold of Xue Yang’s arm, rolling up the sleeve of his ratty hoodie and pressing a kiss to the pale wrist there. Xue Yang told himself the vampire just had to feel for the strongest pulse point, so he’d know where to bite.

Nothing romantic about this. Nope.

He hissed faintly as fangs pierced his skin, then the pain melted to a beautiful numbness as Song Lan fed from his wrist. Maybe being a blood bag wasn’t such a bad thing if it meant getting this kind of treatment all the time.

When he felt his knees buckle, Song Lan’s muscular arm wrapped around him to hold him steady.

Xue Yang closed his eyes and vanished into the feeling of being held so firmly like someone truly wanted him.

The sound of a soft cough rudely interrupted his moment of bliss.

“Are you two done?”

Xue Yang’s eyes snapped open and instantly focused on Xiao Xingchen standing in the back doorway watching Song Lan feed.

Song Lan jerked away, fangs ripping against tender skin.

“Ow! Fuck!” Xue Yang pressed his hand over the ripped bite.

Xiao Xingchen sighed heavily and walked over with a gauze pad already in his hand. He pressed it firmly against the bite.

“Xiao Xingchen, I can explain...” Song Lan said, looking more anxious than Xue Yang had ever seen him.

“Please do. I cannot wait to hear it,” Xiao Xingchen said, not looking at his boyfriend.

Song Lan stammered then looked at Xue Yang like he could help.

“Uh... I should go.” Xue Yang was not getting involved in whatever was about to happen here.

“Sneaking away like a little mouse?” Xiao Xingchen asked, and Xue Yang felt like someone had just sucker-punched him.

“You!”

Xiao Xingchen sighed as he continued holding pressure over the wounds. “You two are both oblivious, and I am disappointed. I know what you are.”

“You... do?” Xue Yang chanced, glancing at Song Lan, who looked just as knocked over.

“Have you ever heard of Baoshan Sanren?” he asked.

Song Lan and Xue Yang nodded. What supernatural creature hadn’t heard of the famed huntress who was so powerful she’d become immortal? She’d killed dragons, demons, anything and everything otherworldly.

“She is my teacher,” he said. “I’ve known what you are since I met both of you.”

“I didn’t mean to lie to you,” Song Lan found his voice first.

“You never technically lied directly to me. Just by omission.”

“Does that mean you’re gonna kill us? Cause I want to request you wear a mini-skirt while doing it,” Xue Yang said.

Xiao Xingchen laughed, bright and beautiful as a flower blooming under the first Spring sun.

“I will not kill you. I believe that as long as you are not doing grievous harm, there is a place for all in this world.”

“You what?”

“Xiao Xingchen, I...” Song Lan swallowed hard. “I am sorry I did not tell you.”

His boyfriend sighed heavily. “I know. I understand, but no more secrets. From you either,” Xingchen looked at Xue Yang.

He nodded numbly.

“Now, let’s have some lunch,” Xiao Xingchen said cheerfully.

He took hold of Xue Yang’s hand and then grasped Song Lan’s hand and pulled them both into the warmth of the bakery.

Chapter Text

Three Months Later

“Did you put the taro buns out for Chengmei?” Song Lan asked sweetly.

“Get fucked,” Xue Yang snapped.

Su She’s old plot of land had been sold for an absolute steal. Xue Yang had bought it and turned it into a community garden. Cheaper than actually building a new structure there, anyway. One morning he’d gone to visit it and found a very nice funeral tablet for Xue Chengmei with incense in front of it and everything. He’d thrown a sesame ball at Song Lan for that one.

The Chengmei Memorial Garden, as the students called it, ended up mostly being an outdoor seating area for the bakery and just a general hangout spot. The students liked the quiet and Xiao Xingchen started growing all kinds of butterfly-attracting plants. It looked pretty and the squirrels in the area loved the space.

With all the construction done, business had been flourishing and A-Qing was having a blast getting to shake bookcases at random intervals to spread the legend of the haunted bookstore.

Some film crew planned to come out and try to contact the ghost of Chengmei.

Xue Yang hated how quickly shit like this spread, but he had to admit it was pretty funny. The ghost stories drove in new business and he wasn’t opposed to that.

Xiao Xingchen’s hand slid smoothly around his waist, and a soft kiss pressed to his temple. “The garden is wonderful.”

“You did most of the work,” Xue Yang muttered but didn’t pull away from the touch.

He’d learned that maybe... being held wasn’t all that bad.

A stronger arm roped around the other side of his waist and Xue Yang felt himself wedged between the two, cushioned against everything else in the world by the two men at his side. He smiled faintly, a little against his will. He wasn’t a total sap.

“We’re doing New Year’s at your place, right?” Xue Yang asked, stepping away from his boyfriends? to look at the Chengmei shrine as if he cared. Ugh, someone had put another stuffed toy squirrel in front of it.

“Of course!” Xiao Xingchen smiled. “Zichen is making a big meal for us all! A-Qing has to come too.”

“I’ll let her know.”

“I already invited her,” Song Lan said.

“Oh.”

Xue Yang swallowed. He still didn’t know what this was, this tenderness and chaos between the three of them, but he knew he never wanted it to end.

Slowly, as if afraid they’d reject him, he reached out to take Xiao Xingchen, then Song Lan’s hands in his own. They both held him back tightly, and he closed his eyes, focused on everything in those touches.

Clinging to life with one hand and death with the other, Xue Yang let himself fall into this new home, right where he wanted to be.