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Xiaoge watched as Wu Xie and Pangzi headed toward the farmhouse where they ran their business. The two had been going every day for the last few weeks. There were times Xiaoge would return from training in the mountains to find they had already left. Other times, they would leave after lunch and spend the afternoon there. Normally, he wouldn’t find this odd for Pangzi and Wu Xie - except they had closed Xilai Stone Pot Farmhouse two weeks ago because of the unseasonably wet seasons they were currently having. So, there was nothing that needed to be done at the farmhouse.
The one time Xiaoge had asked if they needed him, Wu Xie had waved him off. “We will be fine, just stay here and relax. You know, feed the chickens or keep the cats company.”
It was odd for Wu Xie not to want to have him around, so it left Xiaoge feeling… off balance. Since returning from the gate, Wu Xie had been a constant presence in his life. It wasn’t in a suffocating way, it was actually the opposite. He allowed Xiaoge to do what he wanted when he wanted, and never held him back. When he would come home, Wu Xie would be there for him in whatever way Xiaoge wanted, or needed. Without Wu Xie in the house, it felt empty. Lonely.
Did it make him clingy? He’d never felt like he was clingy before, but maybe that was why Wu Xie was spending time with Pangzi and not with him. Part of Xiaoge felt that it might even be more than that. Did Wu Xie regret getting into a relationship with him? Xiaoge wouldn’t blame him or even hate him if it ended up being true. He was his only connection, the one who’d made him feel like he was human again and not a tool.
He could never thank Wu Xie enough for that, so if he wanted to go back to how they had been before he’d entered the gate - Well, Xiaoge would give him anything he wanted. Even if it meant letting him go. It would hurt, but he was used to holding back his feelings, and he could do it again if needed.
Xiaoge looked up from his place on the porch as the front door opened, and then closed a moment later. He could hear the two chatting away as Pangzi moved into the kitchen. Another set of footsteps made their way down the hall, stopping at the open doorway, and he looked back to find Wu Xie leaning against the door frame. The man was smiling down at him, his arms crossed and wearing a cream sweater that was one of Wu Xie’s favorites. Honestly, Xiaoge liked it too. The color looked good on him. It made his rich brown eyes stand out, which Xiaoge loved.
They were always filled with warmth, love, and contentment.
It was why he wanted to know the reason Wu Xie seemed to be avoiding him. Because, when Wu Xie looked at him the way he was at this moment, Xiaoge could only see one thing.
His world.
Wu Xie was his world, and he could never doubt that. Not with all the proof, literally, staring him in the face. But, he wasn’t the type to ask. To question. He could never look at Wu Xie and demand he explain himself. This man had given him the world, freedom from the chains he’d been locked in for so very long. To question his actions would feel like he was demanding even more, on top of everything that Wu Xie had already given him.
“Like what you see?”
Xiaoge blinked, nodding without thinking, and heard Wu Xie laugh. “You’re home.” It sounded silly to say, looking back at it. Of course, Wu Xie was home, or he wouldn’t be talking to him.
“Oh yeah.” Wu Xie pushed away from the door frame and walked over to Xiaoge, sitting beside him. “We were just finishing up a few things. Pangzi will be going to Beijing for a few days tomorrow.” The man grinned, bumping his shoulder against Xiaoge’s. “Hope you don’t mind being stuck here with me, all alone?”
While Pangzi was amazing, and Xiaoge appreciated everything he did for them, being alone with Wu Xie did sound perfect. “No,” he said as he pressed his shoulder against Wu Xie’s. “Being with you is always nice.”
Grinning, he pressed a kiss to Xiaoge’s cheek. “You’re such a sweet talker.”
Maybe his thoughts had been wrong. Wu Xie wasn’t acting like a man who wanted to end their relationship. He also wasn’t acting like someone who was upset with him, either. It was confusing when words and actions didn’t seem to match up. Xiaoge opened his mouth, wanting to ask. Needing to know, so he could get these odd emotions and thoughts in order. As he finally got the nerve to speak, Pangzi walked up to the door, making them both look back.
“Get in here and eat! Pang-ye won’t be here tomorrow, so this might be the last proper meal you get for a few days, Xiaoge!”
Xiaoge sighed, pushing up as Wu Xie stood beside him. “Si, Pangzi! We won’t starve without you.” Which was true. Usually, Pangzi left them premade meals they could easily heat up when he was away.
“Just get in here!”
Before Wu Xie could raise a fuss again, Xiaoge placed a hand on his back. Wu Xie looked at him, and he offered the man a small smile. He heard Wu Xie let out a sigh, rolling his eyes, but gave in and followed Xiaoge back into the house, so they could eat. It was that, or continue to listen to the men fuss at one another. Yes, it was done out of love and the fact that Pangzi was the biggest mother hen. But, Xiaoge was honestly hungry, so he didn’t mind ending the back and forth sooner rather than later.
It was the next morning, and Xiaoge opened his eyes as the front door closed. The sun hadn’t risen yet, and Xiaoge would have been getting up any moment on a normal day, so he wasn’t upset at being woken. With Pangzi being gone, Xiaoge wondered if he should stay in bed with Wu Xie or do his normal training routine. Rolling onto his side, he watched his boyfriend sleeping. He looked warm and comfortable, tucked under the blankets. Moving a bit closer, Xiaoge brushed back the dark curls from his face, pressing a kiss to Wu Xie’s lips.
The man breathed out, and Wu Xie blinked his eyes open, giving Xiaoge a sleepy smile. “Morning.”
“Good morning, Wu Xie.”
The man stretched a bit, brown eyes flicking towards the window before letting out a groan. “The sun isn’t even up yet.” He whined, burying his face into Xiaoge’s chest.
Smiling, he stroked his fingers through Wu Xie’s hair. “Time to train.”
“Mm. Lucky you.”
His voice was muffled as he spoke, his face still pressed against Xiaoge’s chest. He could feel the warm breath on his chest and the movement of his eyelashes. Wu Xie’s body was warm and comfortable pressed against him. “I can stay. Skip?”
Wu Xie shook his head, letting out a deep breath. “No, it’s fine. I’m just going to sleep.” Xiaoge felt him shift, and then Wu Xie was looking up at him. “Don’t change for me, Xiaoge. I love you just the way you are. Even when I think you’re insane for getting up before dawn every morning.” He grinned, kissing him again. “When you get home, we can eat. Then I’ll run us a hot bath, and we can spend the afternoon relaxing together.”
He nodded and pressed one more kiss to his lips before getting out of the bed. Pulling out a fresh set of clothes, Xiaoge changed and grabbed his sword from beside the bed. Wu Xie was already fast asleep again, and he shook his head. He loved Wu Xie, no doubt, but the man truly loved his sleep. Pulling the blanket up to his shoulders, Xiaoge made his way down the stairs and out into the predawn hours.
Hopping across the stream, Xiaoge made his way deep into the mountains. Once there, he made his way through his warm-up exercises before moving on to his sword work. It was a few hours later when he made his way to the larger river that weaved its way through the mountains and sat on a stone nearby. Laying his sword beside him, Xiaoge let out a long, deep breath and closed his eyes. There he sat, meditating for a few hours, until the sun had risen above the hills and trees to warm the rock he sat on.
Xiaoge knew that meant it was almost eleven in the morning. Lunch would normally be ready in an hour if Pangzi were home. Regardless, he was sure the man had left meals behind and Wu Xie would be waiting for him to come home, so they could eat together. Standing, he stretched out his muscles for a few minutes and then bent down to grab his sword. A short walk through the trees and he was on the path that would lead him back down into the valley where the village lay, surrounded by waterfalls.
As Xiaoge made his way down, he ran into one of the older women from the village. She had firewood on her back, and Xiaoge being Xiaoge, couldn’t allow her to carry it on her own. Offering his help, the woman happily complied, and he found himself following her back to her place closer to the center of the village. Once they were there, she wouldn’t let him leave until she had thanked him properly. Xiaoge found a bag pushed into his hands. Inside there was fruit from her gardens, pork belly buns, and a small tin of dried tea leaves.
Xiaoge bowed as he exited her home. “Thank you.” The woman patted his cheek, waving as he left and made his way back across the village and to the outskirts where their home lay. He knew he would be late, and hoped that Wu Xie wasn’t refusing to eat just because he wasn’t home. The man could be stubborn when it came to his habits. Wu Xie was used to eating when Xiaoge was there. Not only would he not eat if he wasn’t there, but he might also worry if Xiaoge didn’t show up soon.
He also still had the question on his mind about, why Wu Xie had been so secretive for almost two weeks. Xiaoge hoped they might be able to talk about that, so he could finally put his mind to rest. Mixed signals weren’t what he wanted or needed, and he felt Wu Xie would agree. Making his way up the hill, he could finally see the gates to their home and breathed out. But, as he got closer, there was something in the air that threw him off.
It was cooking.
Wu Xie couldn’t cook.
He loved the man, probably more than he’d ever said aloud. That didn’t change the fact that Wu Xie was a disaster in the kitchen.
Making his way into the house, Xiaoge went straight to the kitchen. Inside, Wu Xie was standing by the stove. He had on one of Pangzi’s ridiculously bright and frilly aprons and was stirring something in a pot. But, he knew the smell of these dishes. This… was Northern cooking. How did Wu Xie know how to make dishes like this?
“Xiaoge?”
He blinked, looking at his boyfriend, and could see he’d said something, but Xiaoge had obviously missed it. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok,” he replied. “I asked if something was wrong. You seem, well, like you’re lost. It’s not your memories, is it?” He shook his head, and Wu Xie laughed. “Are you shocked because I’m cooking?”
Xiaoge couldn’t stop himself from being honest. “Yes.”
Wu Xie laughed, placing the large spoon on the counter before walking over and pressing a kiss to his lips. “It’s safe, I promise. Pangzi said he was going away for a few days, and I told him I really wanted to be able to cook you some of the Northern dishes you like without you having to eat reheated food. It… was what we were doing at the farmhouse the last few weeks.”
“He was teaching you to cook?”
The man nodded, taking one of his hands. “I’m sorry I kept brushing you off. I just, I really wanted it to be a surprise. I was scared because I was fucking up the dishes so much at first. I thought if you saw that, you might be too afraid to eat my cooking.”
It had been for him? Wu Xie had been learning to cook… for him. He wasn’t upset and wasn’t pushing him away. It was the opposite, Wu Xie had been doing something for him to make him happy. Xiaoge never would have guessed Pangzi had been teaching Wu Xie to cook. Wu Xie hated to cook. He didn’t even cook for his own family… and yet he’d gone out of his way to learn Northern dishes, just for him.
Taking a step forward, Xiaoge kissed him and let out a happy hum. “Thank you, Wu Xie.”
“You’re welcome. But, I wouldn’t thank me until you taste it.” He whispered against Xiaoge’s lips. “If it’s really bad, Pangzi did leave us something to eat.”
Shaking his head, he pressed one more quick kiss to his lips. “Will be good.”
Chuckling, Wu Xie nodded his head. “Well, I’m glad that you have faith in me. I’ve been up since you left, hoping I got these damn dishes right.” Waving towards the table, Wu Xie made his way back to the stove. “Sit down, I’ll bring everything over.”
Xiaoge set the bag down on one of the free chairs and took his normal seat at the table. A moment later, Wu Xie started to bring over dish after dish. There was freshly cooked rice, double-cooked pork slices, ginseng chicken, and steamed white fish. All traditional dishes of his home up near Changbai Mountain, dishes he hadn’t eaten in some time. Yes, Pangzi made them now and then, but Wu Xie could be picky, so they tended to eat more Southern dishes than Northern.
“I hope it’s good.”
Xiaoge knew it smelled good, but Wu Xie wouldn’t be happy until he tried it. He went for the steamed white fish first. Placing a piece into his mouth, he was surprised to find it tasted great. The fish was moist and honestly reminded him of the way Pangzi cooked it. Was it perfect? No. But, seeing this was the first time Wu Xie had cooked this for him. Had learned it for him. It was obvious that Wu Xie had worked very hard to make sure this dish was as close as he could get it.
He moved on to the ginseng chicken, and then to the double-cooked pork slices. Again, while they weren’t perfect, it was obvious that Wu Xie had worked very hard to learn the recipes for his benefit. Xiaoge took a bite of the rice last. It was a simple dish, but easy to overcook or mess up, and Wu Xie had even gotten it pretty close to perfect.
Wu Xie was watching every bite he took, he hadn’t even touched his own meal. “Well?” He asked as Xiaoge set down the rice. “Is it bad? It’s bad… I knew it would be bad. I should just heat up Pangzi’s leftovers.” His boyfriend rose from his seat, but Xiaoge was just as quick to grab his wrist to pull him back down.
“Good.” Wu Xie blinked, seeming like he was processing that word. “Very good, Wu Xie.”
“You’re not saying that to be nice, are you? If it’s bad…”
Xiaoge shook his head. “Very good. Love it.”
“Really!?”
Chuckling, Xiaoge nodded. “Yes, really.” Leaning over, he kissed Wu Xie. “Thank you… for doing this for me. Being good to me.”
“Of course, I'm good to you.” He whispered. “I love you, Xiaoge.”
“Mm. Love you, too.” Pulling back, a smile tugged at his lips. “Let’s eat.”
Wu Xie nodded, grabbing his own dishes. “Yes, and then we will have a nice hot bath and relax. Does that sound good?”
“Yes.” It really did, but anything done with Wu Xie was perfect. Wu Xie was perfect, and as he looked back over at him, he saw that same warmth, love, and contentment that was always there.
He would never doubt Wu Xie’s commitment and feelings for him again.
They were soulmates, after all.