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The park was surprisingly crowded today with three birthday parties overflowing from the rental pavilions. Lan Xichen sat on the usual bench with Luo Qingyang and Ouyang Yinyuo, watching their three kids tear their way across monkey bars and down slides.
“It might be for the best that Jiang Yanli couldn’t join us today,” said Qingyang, getting a nod from the others. It was absolutely too loud for Jin Ling to have done well. Even Sizhui might have had trouble; he had a habit of drawing back a little when things were extra noisy, except when ‘things’ were Jingyi.
“A shame, though,” Yinyuo started before stopping short. “Ouyang Zizhen, you will go down the slide and not up it, especially when there are so many children here!”
Zizhen huffed where he was about two steps up the slide and looked at Jingyi, who had just been hauling himself back onto the slide. The look on both their faces were ones Xichen knew well. They said Zizhen hadn’t been the origin of this particular idea.
“Jingyi,” Xichen said, and the boy slipped off the slide as if he’d melted before rolling out of the way for Zizhen to climb down. Mianmian shook her head at them and they all started talking quietly together as they headed for the ladder.
Qingyang sighed. “Mianmian behaved quite well before those two became her friends.” She didn’t mean it.
“Zizhen was an angel,” Yinyuo added.
“Their lives would be boring without the chaos of Jingyi.” Xichen was not ashamed of his son. Jingyi did bring a lot of ideas that were headaches, but he was also smart and deeply caring.
“And Mianmian would probably still be too shy to talk to her teachers,” Qingyang admitted.
“With Zizhen spending all of his time in the corner ‘reading’ his picture books instead of sometimes putting them down,” agreed Yinyou. Xichen smiled. He knew they were fine with Jingyi, but it was nice to hear it.
Several larger kids joined everyone else on the playground equipment and Xichen’s smile faded. They had every right to be there too, but when most of the kids who were there regularly were in the three-to-seven age range, ten-to-twelve year olds massively changed the dynamic. They weren’t pushing the little ones around, but they weren’t waiting politely for their turns either. Maybe it was time to go for the day. He glanced at Qingyang and saw her face; they were on the same page.
“Hey! Stop!” Yinyou yelled, charging in, and Xichen and Qingyang followed even though Xichen had missed what happened. Zizhen was on the ground, wailing, and Mianmian looked like she was about to take on three of the older kids by herself. Yinyou rushed to Zizhen as Xichen and Qingyang got in the middle of the kids.
“What happened?” Qingyang asked Mianmian.
“They shoved him!” Mianmian hissed, still looking like she’d launch herself at their eyeballs.
“He was in the way,” said one, a blond boy who looked absolutely disinterested.
“He was not!” Mianmian yelled. Xichen waited for Jingyi to echo her. There was no echo. He looked around, ready to intercede in case Jingyi was trying some sneak attack, or he’d gone for a stick or something, but Jingyi was nowhere in sight.
“Jingyi?” Xichen called, stepping back, trying to get a better view of the playground equipment. The two moms picked up on his mood, looking around as well once Yinyou had kissed Zizhen’s scraped knee better. Even Mianmian didn’t look as ready to fight the world.
“Jingyi?” Xichen’s call was louder this time, and people started looking as he circled the playground, looking for a little boy in blue. His heart started to pound. “Jingyi!”
His calls were echoed by his neighbors, but there was no response. His heart was racing now, his breathing difficult; he was on the verge of a panic attack. A heavy hand fell on his shoulder.
“What happened?” Mingjue. Mingjue was behind him. “Saw you guys leave the bench from my office, don’t got a patient right now.”
“Jingyi,” Xichen said, turning, shaking his head even as he lost Mingjue’s hand on his shoulder.
Mingjue looked past him, scanning, and seemed to realize what Xichen was saying. “Huaisang.”
The younger man seemed to materialize out of nowhere, phone already out. “On it. Have the cops been called?”
“He’s here somewhere,” Xichen said, or maybe pleaded, he wasn’t sure. The brothers exchanged a look and Huaisang stepped back, calling.
“Let’s look more. He can’t have gone far.” Mingjue put his hand back on Xichen and Xichen didn’t have words for how much he needed that.
There were more parents looking now, it looked like several of the birthday party parents had joined in. He could hear calls for Jingyi throughout the park, but it wasn’t that big - only a few blocks of trees and pavilions and three different equipment setups. Jingyi wouldn’t be hiding.
Everything blurred. Frantic searching over areas that had already been searched, talking with the cops, people coming up to tell him he’d be found, Mingjue not leaving his side, his brother and brother-in-law arriving. Evening fell and they had nothing.
Xichen sat back on the usual bench, staring at the emptied park. “I looked away for seconds,” he said for the hundredth time.
“I know,” Mingjue also said for about the hundredth time. He didn’t sound tired of it, at least, somehow.
Someone walked into the park, a woman and her son, by the looks of it. Xichen wondered if they were going to try to play. Most people had left. There were two cops still, along with Mingjue, Huaisang, Xichen, Qingyang, Wangji, and Wuxian. Yinyao had left ages ago to take Zizhen and Mianmian home for naps and keep them safely away from the chaos.
“What’s he doing back here?” Qingyang asked, and now Xichen looked at the boy. It was the one who had pushed Zizhen. They were coming straight toward him and he gave the woman a confused look.
“Tell him,” she said, voice tight with anger.
The boy looked like he’d rather be anywhere else, but he pulled a $10 bill from his pocket. “Some lady gave me and my friends ten bucks each to shove that kid. Said she was the other boy’s mom, wanted to get him home. You were keeping him from her.”
Time froze, shattered, and reformed in a much more understandable shape. Jingyi might not be with someone who wanted to hurt him. Jingyi might not be in immediate danger. Xichen’s breath came in short gasps as relief clashed with outrage clashed with current shock clashed with the possibility that they could now do something.
“Where does she live?” Mingjue’s voice was low and dangerous.
“That might be something cops should handle,” said the boy’s mom.
“Since when do we trust cops?” Wuxian asked lightly. He and Huaisang were looking at Huaisang’s phone. A beat later, Huaisang read off an address.
“Thank you,” Wangji said to the woman, clearly trying to diffuse the sudden tension. “If you could tell the police what you’ve just told us, we would appreciate it.” She nodded and left them, clearly relieved to get out of there.
Wuxian looked at him. “And then when we go after her they’ll be in the way? Or they’ll come after us?
“We are not going to storm a residence,” Wangji said calmly but firmly. “If we’re in jail, who takes care of Jingyi and Sizhui? We call her. We handle this without breaking the law, because breaking it further only puts Jingyi’s custody in more danger as well.”
Xichen closed his eyes. His brother made sense, but he wanted so badly to unleash the Nies and Wei Wuxian on Jingyi’s birth parents for this. There was silence, and he realized they were waiting on him.
He fumbled out his phone and opened his eyes again to stare at it. “I don’t have her number.”
“I do,” said Huaisang. “When you’re ready.”
There was no being ready, not for this. Xichen nodded and dialed as Huaisang instructed.
Lan Xinyi answered on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Give him back.” He couldn’t attempt anything polite or diplomatic. He needed to know that Jingyi was safe and he needed Jingyi back.
Several seconds of silence stretched far too long.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, but he knew better. She wouldn’t have hesitated if that was true.
“Give. Him. Back.”
“If you’ve lost him, then obviously you’re not fit to be his guardian.” That sounded rehearsed. Xichen wondered how long she’d been planning this, especially when she hadn’t even made it to the custody hearing three months ago.
Someone took the phone from him as he sat there, trying to formulate any sort of reply.
“Lan Xinyi?” Huaisang said, sounding very chipper. “How are you feeling? I hope you and your husband have gotten over that stomach bug you had.” He paused. “Oh, I mean the one you had three months ago. When you couldn’t leave the house and therefore missed your court appearance. Yes, that one.”
Xichen refused to react. Liked to meddle, Mingjue had said. Not a single face in the group showed surprise, not even Qingyang, and Xichen gave her a puzzled frown. She grimaced and waved her hand, indicating maybe they’d talk later.
“--would never threaten someone. I was merely wishing you health, politely, before suggesting you return Jingyi to Lan Xichen. It’s called manners.”
Xichen could hear her yelling over the phone, even though he couldn’t make out the words. Huaisang was smiling widely, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong,” Huaisang continued. “The cops are being informed as we speak. Did you really think a kid could hide surprise money from his parents?”
Mingjue held out his hand.
“One moment,” Huaisang said sweetly. “I’m handing you to my brother, the man dating Jingyi’s father. Fun fact, he can bench press 400. I’m sure you don’t know what that means, I hardly do, but let’s just say he’s very impressive.” He handed the phone over.
“This can go really easy, or it can go really bad.” Apparently Mingjue wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries, something Xichen agreed with. “You bring Jingyi back to the park and we tell the cops it’s a misunderstanding, or you don’t and we press any charge we can find. You know how good a researcher Lan Qiren is and I bet he’d help us find some nice, obscure laws you’ve broken to top off the obvious.”
There was a short beat as Mingjue listened, and then he shook his head. “The money isn’t happening. Not from your father, and not from us. Your choice is handing Jingyi back right now, or law and charges. Seems pretty easy to me.”
Xichen waited, heart heavy. Why wasn’t Jingyi demanding to get on the phone? “Is Jingyi okay?” he asked. Mingjue looked at him.
“Also you put Jingyi on the phone, now.” There was a beat, and a lot of tension left Mingjue’s shoulders. “Hey, kid. Let me give you to your dad.”
The phone was held out and Xichen nearly threw it in his haste to take it. “Jingyi?”
“Dad!” Jingyi sounded upset. Of course he did.
“We’re getting you home,” Xichen promised. “Are you hurt?”
“I didn’t wanna go with them but I couldn’t wiggle enough and my birth dad’s bigger than me,” the boy wailed.
“I know. It wasn’t your fault.” They were both in on it, then. “How are you?”
“He hit me.”
Xichen was a lot closer to telling Wuxian and Huaisang to go have fun. “We’re gonna get you back, okay?”
“I bit him. And then when he hit me I bit him again.” Jingyi wasn’t listening, but the words were just as much for Xichen as him.
“You did good,” Xichen said quietly. “Bite them all you’d like.” He realized he didn’t trust her to drive Jingyi anywhere. He didn’t trust her at all, but that specifically seemed risky. “Tell her we’re coming over and it’s a bunch of us. Don’t let her take you anywhere.”
“They’re coming here,” Jingyi repeated obediently, anger in his little voice. “Don’t take me anywhere. I’ll bite again if you do, Dad said it was okay.”
There was a noise, then, followed by Xinyi’s muffled voice.
“Jingyi?” Xichen said, heart back in his throat. He was on his feet. He didn’t know how that had happened, but now that he was up he was heading for his car. A hand on his shoulder tried to redirect him to Mingjue’s car and he shook his head. “Carseat.”
“I’m okay!” Jingyi said. “She tried to take the phone and I bit her! Now I’m behind her heavy couch. She’s too big to get back here.”
He loved his little troublemaker. “We’ll get you the IKEA shark you wanted,” Xichen promised.
“The giant one?”
“The giant one.”
“It’s gonna eat you.”
“That’s a price I’m willing to pay.”
Mingjue took his keys and Huaisang took the front passenger seat as navigator, presumably, so Xichen climbed into the back and sat next to Jingyi’s car seat. One of his stuffed bunnies was in it. Xichen buckled up and held the bunny tight in one hand, phone in the other as they peeled out of the parking lot.
“What if it eats Mr. Mingjue too?”
“That’s a price he better be willing to pay,” Xichen replied. “You’ll have a giant shark to keep you safe; it’s worth it.”
Huaisang gave directions as Xichen kept talking with Jingyi. They pulled up, and another two cars pulled in behind them - Wangji in his and Wuxian in Huaisang’s. It was good to have the additional backup.
Xichen walked up to the door and knocked. There wasn’t an answer.
“Jingyi, do you hear me knocking?”
“That’s you?” The joy in his voice made tears threaten Xichen’s eyes.
“It’s me.”
He heard the thudding of small feet and the door was flung open seconds before Jingyi flung himself into Xichen’s arms. Xichen scooped him up and held him tight, barely able to breathe. JIngyi was okay. He was okay, and Xichen had him back.
Clicking high heels made him look back in the house, where Lan Xinyi stood, glaring at him.
“You didn’t carry him. You didn’t give birth to him.”
Xichen had a retort and stopped. He was never going to say she didn’t want Jingyi where Jingyi could hear. “You didn’t take care of him,” he said instead. “You weren’t there for him. I am. And it’s clear where he’d rather live.”
Jingyi’s iron grip hadn’t eased at all, and Xichen didn’t mind. It gave proof to his words. Xichen pocketed his phone and took Xinyi’s from Jingyi, holding it out. She took it back.
“Fine. You’ve got what you came for. Tell the cops it was a misunderstanding and leave me alone.”
“No.” Mingjue had somehow come up without Xichen noticing. Xinyi looked at him, and her eyes widened a little. “My brother just filmed this, so we’ve got proof Jingyi was in your house, and that’s going to the cops too. This won’t happen again because it won’t be allowed to happen again; we’re not gonna trust you to think about the kid’s wellbeing. Come on, Xichen. Let’s get him home.”
Xichen could think of nothing he'd rather do more. They headed home.