Work Text:
1.
Assuming he would never be in a relationship with a woman, Luo Wenzhou never thought about such a problem as having long hair all over his apartment. Living with a cat, Luo Wenzhou was used to his clothes always being covered in fur. He was also used to waking up with his mouth full of cat fur, because landlord Luo Yiguo couldn't find a more comfortable place to sleep than on Luo Wenzhou's face.
Then Fei Du came into his life. And so did his shoulder-length hair, and the vast amount of hair care products that took up every available shelf in the bathroom. Luo Wenzhou once attempted to decipher the purpose of all these bottles, but he never solved the mystery. As a former bachelor with many years of experience, he usually made do with just one cheap shampoo, which also served as his shower gel. Luo Wenzhou had to endure a lot of Fei Du's jokes when he saw that single shampoo bottle in the bathroom.
What Luo Wenzhou liked about Fei Du's whole routine was that after Fei Du spent almost an hour in the bathroom and finished with all his treatments, Luo Wenzhou always helped him dry his hair. Luo Wenzhou would complain every time and say that Fei Du owed him for his help, but he actually found it relaxing to sit together after a long day and share a casual moment like this. After Luo Wenzhou was finished, Fei Du would always raise his head and wait for a forehead kiss. Luo Wenzhou would give in every time.
Luo Wenzhou gradually got used to Fei Du's hair that always tickled his face when they slept and that now every morning, he had to spit out not only Luo Yiguo's fur, but also Fei Du's hair. After so many years, he would just brush it off his face and laugh quietly, making sure he didn't accidentally lay on Fei Du's hair. He had once done so unintentionally. Fei Du was grumpy the whole morning. Luo Wenzhou had learned from his mistakes.
But Luo Wenzhou thought it was all worth it. Especially when he got to see that black hair falling over Fei Du's bare shoulders. He loved running his fingers through it as they kissed. And sometimes he would pull on it harder when Fei Du became too greedy in his desires.
Luo Wenzhou also vividly remembered the moment when he first saw Fei Du with his hair gathered into a small ponytail. Some of his locks were falling down his face, adding some youthful charm. Fei Du was sitting on the sofa with a book in his hands and didn't pay attention to Luo Wenzhou, who had just come out of the bedroom and froze, looking at such a domestic scene. Luo Yiguo was sleeping on the sofa at Fei Du's feet, and Fei Qian lay at his side. Luo Wenzhou thought how lucky he was that this was his life.
Even if it sometimes had too much fur and hair in it.
2.
Another thing Luo Wenzhou had to get used to was cooking twice as much. As in: cooking one extra dish for one more person and one more cat.
Luo Wenzhou hadn't spent much time in the kitchen before. Preferring a long, healthy sleep, he liked to skip breakfast at home and ate once he arrived at the Bureau. It was a way to save time and grocery trips. Even when he came home in the evening, he only had noodles and a can of beer.
Now, however, he had an important mission to make sure Fei Du was fed, which wasn't so easy.
At first, Fei Du tried to refuse, making excuses that he would eat in the company, but Luo Wenzhou knew that this brat would either skip the meal or not eat anything good. Therefore, Luo Wenzhou took it upon himself to prepare nutritious breakfasts for Fei Du every morning. For the sake of it, he had to get up an hour earlier and chop vegetables with his eyes half-closed, but that didn't bother Luo Wenzhou anymore.
Fei Du always woke up before him, so when Luo Wenzhou would finally get up and go to the kitchen, Fei Du would take his usual place on the chair and keep the conversation going so that Luo Wenzhou wouldn't fall asleep. Fei Du wasn't helping much, though, because when he got bored of talking, he would hug Luo Wenzhou from behind and stand like that until Luo Wenzhou was done. That’s why Luo Wenzhou not only had to try not to step on the cats that were getting under his feet, but also put up with another big cat that was restraining his movements.
"You have no respect. I have to cook for you, and yet you won't let me do it in peace," Luo Wenzhou complained.
At times like this, Fei Du used his cutest face against Luo Wenzhou. He pouted slightly, and his eyes grew big, proving once again that he was just a big cat.
“Shixiong, don't you like hugging me?” he would ask in a pitiful voice.
Luo Wenzhou didn't have anything to say to this, so he would sigh and continue cooking, knowing that Fei Du had the most satisfied smile on his face.
Before he started living with Fei Du, Luo Wenzhou wasn't a big fan of cooking. His mom had taught him how to cook since he was a kid because, as she said, he had to be able to cook for his girlfriend. When Luo Wenzhou told her that he preferred men, she changed her argument to “if your boyfriend doesn't know how to cook, you'll have to take care of him.” If only she knew how right she was.
At least now, as he left for work and kissed the top of Fei Du's head, he could rest assured that Fei Du would be well-fed and healthy.
In return, Fei Du decided that his responsibility would be the lunches. That's why at exactly one o'clock in the afternoon, the entire Bureau would come to a standstill, waiting for President Fei to arrive with bags of food. More precisely, waiting for Luo Wenzhou to go and help Fei Du bring the heavy bags in.
While all his kids were enjoying their lunch in the common room, Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou were sitting in the latter's office. Luo Wenzhou didn't even want to think about how much money from their family budget went to feed the entire Bureau.
“You spoil them too much,” Luo Wenzhou said. "They don't even take lunches to work anymore. If you don't come one day, they'll starve to death."
“Then I'll have to come every day.” Fei Du sat on Luo Wenzhou's chair, leaving the office owner a stool. "It would be rude of me to only bring food to you. Considering that when I did that, you gave it all to Lang Qiao."
"You know Xiao Qiao. How could I refuse her big eyes?"
“That's why I'd rather bring food for all of them and make sure you don't go hungry.”
Luo Wenzhou leaned across the table and kissed him.
3.
Luo Wenzhou remembered the moment when “I” became “we.”
His mom had called him one night and asked if he and Fei Du would come over for the weekend. It was the first time she had invited Fei Du to visit, and it left Luo Wenzhou silent for a few seconds, as he realized that Fei Du was now truly part of his family.
After half a year of them living together, Luo Wenzhou felt that there was a good chance that his parents loved Fei Du more than him. Of course, Fei Du had not yet reached the level that Luo Yiguo was at, but he was very close. When they came to visit his parents, Luo Wenzhou would be given all the housework while Fei Du would sit on the couch, chatting with Luo Cheng and tasting the dishes Mu Xiaoqing cooked for him.
Luo Wenzhou could pretend to be dissatisfied all he wanted, but seeing Fei Du surrounded by such care made him feel extremely happy. The day when Fei Du first called Luo Wenzhou's parents ‘our parents’, Luo Wenzhou hugged him for a few long minutes. He knew how much it meant to the two of them.
At work, his coworkers' attitude had changed as well.
“Are you and President Fei coming to dinner tonight?”
"It's my birthday! I want to invite you and Fei Du to celebrate."
“How did the two of you spend the weekend?”
Even though Fei Du wasn't officially an employee of their Bureau, all of the SID members considered him a part of their team. As well as part of their Captain. Luo Wenzhou felt like the wives of rich men who were only seen as an extension of their husbands. Come to think of it, he was also a rich man's partner after all... Luo Wenzhou needed to stop thinking about stupid things.
But he actually liked to think of his life as part of this “we.” There were two toothbrushes by the sink and two bathrobes hanging on a hook. In the kitchen, there were always two mugs on the table. On the calendar, two different colors marked their plans. Even the small gym in the basement now had a table so Fei Du could work while Luo Wenzhou worked out.
Luo Wenzhou never thought his life could be like this. A family and a home were what he wanted, but was in no hurry to find, constantly busy with work. He could never have imagined that coming home, there would be someone other than a cat waiting for him.
Now, however, he was greeted by twice as many cats. And also another person, who (he was pretty sure) was also a feline.
Fei Du knew that Luo Wenzhou was always tired after work, so he would greet him with a hug, allowing Luo Wenzhou to pile all his weight on top of Fei Du for a few minutes and rest. On days when Luo Wenzhou didn't have any energy left, he would let Fei Du order food for them. If Luo Wenzhou felt fine, he and Fei Du would move to the kitchen, talking about their day while Luo Wenzhou cooked for them.
It was on evenings like this, when it was already dark outside and they were sitting around the dinner table, that Luo Wenzhou was overwhelmed with the enjoyment of being a part of something whole.
4.
When they first started their relationship, nights were one of the worst times. They would fall asleep next to each other, in each other's arms, but once they were asleep, they were left to face their nightmares on their own. Luo Wenzhou woke up almost every hour to check that Fei Du was alright. He would lie there and look at Fei Du until he was sure that Fei Du was breathing. After that, Luo Wenzhou needed a few more minutes to calm his heartbeat before he could fall asleep for another few hours. Until the nightmares made him wake up again.
For Fei Du, it was worse. Fei Du never woke up from nightmares. He relived moments of the past over and over again, going into the basement, hiding from his father, and finding his mother. Every night, Fei Du watched a movie of what his life had been like. Except he was the main character, and he couldn't make it stop. He used to put so much effort into remembering his past. Now he couldn't get rid of it.
When Fei Du had nightmares, his body remained calm. He did not start to toss and turn or give any sign that something was bothering him.
The only thing that could give away his nightmares was his breathing. Luo Wenzhou had learned to recognize the moment when Fei Du's breathing would slow down and then become heavy, as if something was preventing him from inhaling air.
Luo Wenzhou was the one who awakened Fei Du from his nightmares. He would kiss his forehead and quietly call him until Fei Du snapped out of his dreams. After that, there was a moment of silence until Fei Du's body could come to its senses and comprehend where he was. Luo Wenzhou stroked his head until Fei Du's breathing returned to normal. After that, Fei Du would lay his head on Luo Wenzhou's shoulder, and Luo Wenzhou would only fall asleep after he made sure that Fei Du was asleep as well.
But the more time passed, the more Luo Wenzhou managed to sleep. Until one day, he woke up in the morning and realized that he wasn't bothered by his nightmares. He looked at Fei Du, who was lying next to him playing on his phone, and Luo Wenzhou didn't feel the usual relief that Fei Du was fine. He only thought that this was all right. Fei Du was there, alive, breathing, and it wasn't a dream. It was reality.
Another couple of months later, while Luo Wenzhou was making them breakfast, Fei Du suddenly said:
“I dreamt about you today.”
Luo Wenzhou didn't immediately comprehend the importance of this sentence. When he understood what Fei Du meant, he froze.
“No nightmares?”
Fei Du shook his head. "I remember that you were there. And I felt fine. But I don't remember what I dreamed about."
Fei Du remembered all of his nightmares. If he had no recollection of what he dreamed about, that meant that this dream was just an ordinary dream.
Luo Wenzhou dropped whatever he was doing, cupped Fei Du's face and kissed him. He felt Fei Du’s laugh on his lips.
After a year of living together, their nightmares had become almost non-existent. Sometimes, Luo Wenzhou would still wake up in the middle of the night, and Fei Du would tell Luo Wenzhou in the morning that he was dreaming about the past. But it no longer bothered them the way it used to.
From being a torture, the night had turned into another important part of their relationship where they could spend time in each other's arms.
It was another thing that Luo Wenzhou needed to get used to.
Fei Du, as any cat would, loved sleeping at his side. To be more precise, he was almost completely lying on Luo Wenzhou. Luo Wenzhou even thought that Fei Du had forgotten that he had his own pillow, because he slept on Luo Wenzhou's shoulder all the time. Luo Wenzhou, in turn, wrapped his arms around Fei Du and held him close.
The problem was that Fei Du got cold easily. Even in the heat of summer, he preferred to wear shirts because the slightest breeze could make him catch a cold.
Therefore, Luo Wenzhou, who could endure any temperature, found that for Fei Du, the heat was no reason for him not to sleep on Luo Wenzhou. Luo Wenzhou, on the other hand, was fighting for his life, feeling the sweat dripping off his forehead. Luo Yiguo, who was brazenly trying to climb onto his chest, was not helping the situation at all.
“Fei Du, aren't you hot?” he asked in a suppressed voice.
“I feel fine.”
Luo Wenzhou couldn't see it, but he could be pretty sure that Fei Du's feet were under the blanket.
Luo Wenzhou endured it for two summer nights. Then he couldn't stand it anymore and turned on the air conditioner, to which, of course, Fei Du complained that he was cold. Luo Wenzhou sighed and wrapped Fei Du in two layers of blankets like a cocoon. Looking at the pile of blankets with Fei Du's head sticking out of it, Luo Wenzhou couldn't contain his laughter. At least this way, he could be sure that Fei Du wouldn't be able to escape.
5.
The biggest change was the responsibility Luo Wenzhou now felt.
His job had no guarantee of safety. Going to investigate a new case, they could never be sure how it would end. Luo Wenzhou had been hospitalized more than once or had to take a couple of days off due to injuries. He didn’t think of it much. When he chose to pursue a career as a policeman, Luo Wenzhou knew what he was signing up for. Saving other people's lives sometimes meant putting his own at risk.
Things had changed since he and Fei Du had become a family.
For the first time in a long time, when Luo Wenzhou went to the hospital, he didn't know how to deliver this news to Fei Du. Luo Wenzhou even considered asking Tao Ran to do it for him, but then he decided that it would be too much for him. Tao Ran was still having a hard time processing the fact that Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou were in a relationship.
Luo Wenzhou felt a little awkward when he called Fei Du. He knew that there was no point in beating around the bush, so he said right away:
“I'm in the hospital.”
Fei Du was silent for a few seconds. Luo Wenzhou waited for what might follow.
“How bad is it?” Fei Du's voice was calm, but Luo Wenzhou could hear rustling in the background. He was sure that Fei Du was already heading towards the exit of the office.
“I'll be on sick leave for a week.”
“Wenzhou.”
“There's a possibility that my arm is broken, but the doctor hasn't said the results yet.”
Fei Du was silent for a while. Luo Wenzhou heard the car door close with a bang.
“Fei Du?”
“Is there anything else?”
Luo Wenzhou knew it was useless to lie, but he still didn't want to tell Fei Du everything.
“Good thing I was wearing a bulletproof vest,” he replied unwillingly.
Luo Wenzhou could feel the pain in his chest where the bullet had been aimed. He didn't have a chance to look in the mirror, but he was sure there was an ugly bruise there.
Fei Du didn't say anything in response. Luo Wenzhou fidgeted awkwardly on the hospital bed. He tried to convince the doctors to let him go home, but they made him stay in the hospital until they checked all his wounds.
“I was careful.” Luo Wenzhou tried to think of an excuse. "We went there prepared, and I knew there was an ambush waiting for us. That's why I was in full gear."
“You're very lucky they didn't decide to shoot you in the head.”
Fei Du's voice was so cold that Luo Wenzhou was angry at himself for getting injured.
When he was younger and more reckless, he thought that injuries were something to be proud of. He had a couple of scars on his body from stabbings and chases. He was a frequent visitor to hospitals and made his parents worry too much. His father, who knew the life of a policeman, didn't make a big deal out of his wounds, but his mother had scolded her husband many times for making their son also pursue such a dangerous career. Luo Wenzhou always said that they shouldn't have worried about him.
With Fei Du, it was different.
Luo Wenzhou had once said something to Tao Ran that he had thought about for a long time.
On that day, they were in pursuit of a drug trafficking ring. One of the gang members crashed into their car to throw them off the track. The police car with Luo Wenzhou at the wheel flipped over. Half conscious, he felt Tao Ran trying to unbuckle his belt and shouting for Luo Wenzhou not to dare to die.
Unable to think straight, Luo Wenzhou uttered almost inaudibly:
"I can't die. He is waiting for me at home."
When Luo Wenzhou had already regained consciousness in the hospital, Tao Ran told him about it. Luo Wenzhou decided that this should have been his motivation going forward. Because now someone was actually waiting for him at home, and Luo Wenzhou had no right not to return to Fei Du every evening.
Therefore, he was cautious this time. They had a clear plan and course of action. Luo Wenzhou wasn't even supposed to be shot at, they just didn't know that the group was also waiting for them.
But it wasn't Luo Wenzhou's fault. Okay, it was a bit of his fault, but it wasn't that he wasn't careful. His intention was never to get into the hospital.
When Fei Du entered the ward, he looked calm. He examined Luo Wenzhou from head to toe and noted that there was no blood on Luo Wenzhou. He didn't say anything first, which was a bad sign.
“Darling,” Luo Wenzhou began, "I'm fine, really. It's just a minor injury."
“Why did this happen?”
There was still coldness in Fei Du's voice. He walked over to Luo Wenzhou and sat down beside him.
"Just a series of unpleasant coincidences. But we were prepared for it."
"Were you prepared that someone would be shot? Or were you prepared that you would take the hit?"
“Fei Du.” Luo Wenzhou took Fei Du's hand. "I'm sorry for making you worry. I didn't mean for this to happen."
Fei Du closed his eyes for a few seconds, then his head fell onto Luo Wenzhou's shoulder. His hair tickled Luo Wenzhou's face.
“I hate getting calls like this from you,” Fei Du admitted. “But at the same time, I'm glad that you were the one who called me.”
Fei Du remembered the day Tao Ran had called him. Tao Ran wasn't a big fan of phone calls, so seeing his name on the screen, Fei Du immediately knew that something bad had happened.
“I want you to know that I'm trying my best,” Luo Wenzhou said. "I'm doing everything I can to be safe and get home. You know how dangerous cases can be and how hard it is to predict what will happen, but I really don't take risks intentionally."
“I know.” Fei Du took a deep breath and calmed down a bit when he smelled the familiar scent of cigarettes. "Tao Ran told me last time that I shouldn't have been mad because you were doing everything possible to be okay. But I wasn't mad at you. I just..."
Fei Du didn't finish, but Luo Wenzhou knew him well enough to know that Fei Du wanted to say that he was scared. He was just as scared as Luo Wenzhou was when he saw Fei Du's barely breathing body. Luo Wenzhou knew what it was like to be afraid of losing someone he loved.
To lighten the mood a little, he joked, “Don’t you worry. I'm not the kind of man who leaves his partner with two children.”
Fei Du raised his head and stared at him, but the corners of his lips slightly curved into a smile.
"Moreover, who's going to cook for you if something happens to me? Well, no, I can't leave you to survive on take-outs."
"Besides, you wouldn't dare make me sleep in a cold bed, would you? What kind of husband are you if you let me sleep alone?"
Luo Wenzhou laughed softly and shook his head.
What they were talking about was not funny. But it was them, so they could afford some silly jokes.
Luo Wenzhou thought that even his pain had subsided a bit while Fei Du was sitting next to him. He had no right to take that smile away from Fei Du, not when he fought so hard to make Fei Du show his genuine emotions. Luo Wenzhou had the responsibility to ensure that Fei Du could live his life happily.
It was worth every effort to return home.