Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Heathcliff, when are you free? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Hong Lu always spoke like he's talking in a library, his voice soft and polite, sometimes only barely audible over the sound of keyboards in adjacent cubicles. As long as he pays attention to what he's doing, he's never been one to step into the space of others without asking; it was one of the first things Heathcliff ever noticed about him, when he first shook his hand about four years ago on Hong Lu's first day at the company. Even now, as Heathcliff craned his head up in his seat, blinking to adjust his eyes after hours of squinting at his laptop screen, he could see the way Hong Lu just barely stood within the bounds of his office space, as if he was ready to bolt the moment something with awry. He smiled vacantly, passively, waiting for him to respond, hands behind his back. 

"Huh?" Heathcliff stared at him for a moment before glancing back to the screen. "Crap, uh... M'lunch starts in a few ticks. Do it then."

"Alright." Hong Lu nodded, the bob of his head so subtle it was barely noticeable, turned away, and walked down the aisle without another word. Heathcliff watched him disappear behind the wall of his cubicle and listened to the soft sounds of his shoes on the carpet grow farther away. 

Confusion was the first thing he felt. Hong Lu usually chatted him up during their downtime, of course; he was a raging socialite on the best of days, arguably the biggest social butterfly in the office at this point. He was never one to leave Heathcliff alone, for better or worse, often tailing after him during their break or after work to strike up a conversation about nothing in particular. For a man who came off as such an airhead, he usually had quite a lot to say. Despite this, he was never someone who seemed to ever have problems in his daily life; at the very least, problems others knew of. If he did, he never brought them up to his coworkers. 

This time, however, Hong Lu spoke with some silent sense of urgency that was alien coming from a man who usually ever engaged Heathcliff for light-hearted water cooler talk. Even on the days where they and the rest of their team would go out for drinks or social events, Hong Lu was never someone to take the conversation in a heavy direction. To go out of his way to pull Heathcliff specifically aside was something that only happened once in a blue moon, and only for something as simple as a printer jam or to borrow something. For a brief moment, Heathcliff wondered if he should start worrying pre-emptively. 

Strike one.

He put the feeling aside, shook his head, and back to work. He groggily trailed his eyes over the latest financial reports and spreadsheets, occasionally glancing over at the system clock until the minutes ticked by. The moment the hour turned over, he wrapped up his comments on last month's summary, forwarded it off to Gregor, and shoved it out of mind with the chime of the office clock. 

Hong Lu is waiting for him in the hallway down to the office kitchen, which Heathcliff takes as another sign that the current issue was far more urgent than usual. As far as he knew, rarely did Hong Lu ever go out of his way to speak to people one-on-one. At the very least, Heathcliff couldn't remember the last time he didn't try to drag other people into their conversations whenever they passed by, their lunchtime discussions rarely being held outside of the designated table they and the rest of their immediate team always parked by. 

"Hey," Heathcliff called as he approached, nearly being taken aback by the speed Hong Lu's head snapped up at the sound of his voice. "Just let me grab my grub, I'll be where we usually go."

"Oh, you're free? Great." Hong Lu responded absentmindedly. "We can just speak now, if that's alright."

Heathcliff blinked. "What, that bad? Don't want Rodya gossipin' about anythin'?"

Hong Lu glanced down the hallway, then looked back to Heathcliff. "Mm. Probably not. For your sake, I mean."

Heathcliff balked for a moment before grounding himself back in reality. Whatever Hong Lu was about to trouble him with was the problem of the Heathcliff a few minutes from now, after he had actually eaten and was able to deal with it without an empty stomach. Sidestepping his coworker, he could hear Hong Lu tailing behind him a moment later as he walked into the break room, beelining towards the refrigerator. He stood in the doorway, watching Heathcliff open the door and scan around before speaking. 

"Heathcliff," Hong Lu started right as Heathcliff wrapped his hand around the bag of leftovers he had brought. "Are you going to be free at the end of the month?"

The sudden question jolted Heathcliff out of his tunnel vision and he jerked upwards, slamming his head on the end of the upper door. He hissed out in pain, free hand flying up to rub at the area of impact. Hong Lu didn't day anything as Heathcliff recomposed himself, leaning on the doorframe with one leg crossed over the other. 

"Huh?" Heathcliff coughed out, finally standing back up after a good handful of seconds. The back of his skull still throbbed as he craned his head to glance over his shoulder. 

Hong Lu hummed. "Do you have anything planned for the end of the month? Or is your schedule cleared?"

"I mean," Heathcliff thought for a moment. "...shite, I don't know. Been starin' at nothing but numbers n' figures the last few weeks." God, overtime had been kicking his ass lately, hadn't it? Taking work home with him probably hadn't been helping either. The days had started to blur together at this point, and Heathcliff wracked his brain to remember what day it even was. Rodya hadn't gotten fed up with the workload and dumped most of what she had left to do on Meursault, so it couldn't be Friday, but Ryoshu hadn't come into the office complaining about waking up early, so it couldn't be Monday, either. In addition, his paycheck hadn't come in last week, so that had to mean it was the first week of the month, because otherwise Hong Lu wouldn't be mentioning the end-

"It's alright if you aren't," Hong Lu spoke up, shaking Heathcliff out of his stupor. "I just wanted to know. It's a little important." He tapped his foot on the floor in a quick rhythm, uncharacteristically impatient.

Strike two.

Heathcliff took a moment to recompose himself, thinking back to the ledger he was going over just a few minutes ago. It was a record of last month's expenses, and last month was-

November. So it was December. And at the end of December was-

Two and two clicked together. Heathcliff scowled.

"Ah shit," Heathcliff mumbled under his breath, before talking in his regular volume, the little pips of worry in his stomach morphing into annoyance almost instantly. "Fuck's sake, Hong Lu, I told you last year, and the year before that, I'm not going to some hoity-toity Christmas party overseas!"

All that worrying for nothing. Hong Lu just found it pertinent to invite him personally this year, instead of as a group, probably out of the perception that the courtesy involved would finally tip the scale and make Heathcliff go "you know what, Hong Lu? This year, I do want to get on a plane for ten bloody hours, spend three days somewhere I've never gone, and deal with all your relatives as they rub their new money in my face. That's a much better use of my time than actually having the holiday to my damn self."

Maybe it was rude of him to always decline, but the cost of investment always ended up far more than the gain in his head, no matter how many times he crunched the numbers. Too many things were on his mind already at this time of the year, things that usually took up most of his time and sucked out his willingness to really see his friends' faces. Nelly was lucky if she even got a phone call; the idea of being trapped in one place with his coworkers and complete strangers made his hair stand on end. That was to say nothing about dealing with the cost of traveling in the first place. Hong Lu might have always offered to pay for everyone's plane tickets, but what time he would be spending in China he could be spending on doing some extra work at the office for some bonuses in his finances, with nobody else around and him allowed to work in perfect peace and quiet.

And frankly? The biggest reason was because as far as he knew, the last thing he'd ever want to be around was Hong Lu's family. Jia Baoyu, better known around the office as Hong Lu, first showed up four years ago, having come straight from an expensive, four-year university, with a proper bachelor's and wonderful credentials from his rich family. He barely seemed to understand how to talk to anyone who was working paycheck to paycheck, his comments coming across as passive aggressive to the untrained ear (so, everyone). It took a while for Heathcliff to stop seeing red whenever they spoke, and a little while longer for it to sink in that he wasn't being malicious, he was just that clueless.

He told me his grandmother owns a pharmaceutical empire overseas, Sinclair had told him about a week after he was hired, the two of them having spent their break watching Hong Lu struggle to use their years old, crappy fax machine. He's set for life... I don't really know why he wanted to come here of all places.

And wonder why he was here Heathcliff did, confused as to how some silver-spoon, minted trust fund child, no doubt with a lifetime of nepotism ahead of him, ended up in some B-grade accounting firm that Heathcliff only worked at because it was one of the few places willing to hire and train him with just his GSCE. He dreaded seeing the circumstances that would cause a man to end up the way Hong Lu did: sheltered, inconsiderate, and all around clueless, wrapped up in one package to make him come across as an ass to whoever didn't know him or who wasn't in the upper crust.

It wasn't like they weren't even friends, either. He'd known him long enough to develop from some rich dope to someone willing to work with his team and talk about things someone outside of his tax bracket could understand. Gun to his head, he'd say yeah, Hong Lu would probably be a good party host. At the end of the day, however, it just wasn't something Heathcliff could bring himself to do.

It just brought back too much bad sentiment.

Hong Lu didn't flinch away, still smiling. "Mm. I thought you'd say that." Daintily, he raised a finger up to punctuate his sentence. "But, please consider hearing me out this time around."

"G'wed, we're back on the clock in thirty." Heathcliff moved past Hong Lu, back into the hall, and the other man tailed behind him eagerly.

"I know you've never been interested in visiting my house and meeting my family," Hong Lu continued, quickening his pace to walk next to him. "But I really, really would appreciate if you could come this time."

"You said that last year." Heathcliff rolled his eyes, pushing forward past him again. "Really don't know what would make this time any different."

"Well, this time, I could compensate you for your presence."

"What, you're bribing me now? Are your really that desperate?"

"A little bit, yes."

"Being honest about it makes it worse, mate." Heathcliff elbowed open one of the doors to the outside area of the office, propping it open for Hong Lu before walking behind him. Winter wind blew in his face, and Heathcliff pulled his turtleneck up towards his chin. "What's so different about it this time around?" He snorted. "Who's dyin'?"

"My grandmother."

Oh.

Heathcliff paused where he stood, Hong Lu continuing for a few more steps before turning around to look at him. He was still smiling, despite what had just been said. Heathcliff cursed at himself mentally and fumbled over his words in his head, awkwardly shoving his free hand in his pocket.

"Shite, uh... Sorry, mate, I didn't-"

"It's alright," Hong Lu raised a hand to his face to brush the hair out of his eyes, blown astray by the wind. "I've known for a while. It's been a little hectic back home, but we're still hoping to get the whole family together soon. Her birthday's right between Christmas and the New Year, actually."

Ah, hell. It was times like this when Heathcliff wished that he could read Hong Lu's expression beyond the vacant stare he gave everyone even in the worst of times. It was so easy to conclude that there was nothing behind his eyes at first glance, him rarely changing his disposition beyond his smile and neutral gaze. Not even his body language really gave away his true feelings most of the time, his hands almost always at his sides or folded behind his back. Whether or not the man was genuinely fine or was annoyed with Heathcliff's comment was beyond him.

"I know you've never wanted to come," Hong Lu continued, watching Heathcliff come to his senses and move to sit on the usual bench he ate at when he needed to be alone. "But it's a precarious time for my family right now, and I would really appreciate if everyone I cared about were to come with me this year. It'll only be about a week. I wouldn't ask you to talk to everyone there. Just to my parents, some of my siblings, and my grandparents, and you can spend all your time by yourself otherwise. Next year, I'll never ask you again."

Hong Lu laid out his ultimatum as Heathcliff unwrapped the leftovers of his sandwich from yesterday, plastic wrap crinkling quietly as he spoke. He'd give it to Hong Lu this time, this was probably the most balanced offer he'd given Heathcliff yet; no begging, no whining, just a straightforward offer and the up-front promise he'd be paid back for the effort. He never seemed like the type of person to stitch someone up, less out of malice and more out of incompetence, and it's not like this was the first time he ever prompted Heathcliff to come to his family's holiday do. The pretense felt strange, on the other hand; he'd be showing up after three years of everyone else coming over and likely getting properly acquainted with Hong Lu's family, and for something so important to him at that. He'd stick out like a sore thumb, and surely Hong Lu understood that. The most he could assume was that he was speaking truth as to why he needed Heathcliff there; for some form of comfort and familiarity, what everyone else would think be damned. He mused over the offer for a few moments, carefully pouring over his words.  

"Wait, a week?" Heathcliff bit into his meal. "Thought you only ever flew everyone out for a few days."

"Oh, everyone else will be on the regular time. I just need you to come with me ahead of them."

"Big reason why?"

"Because I'd appreciate it if you could pretend to be my other half."

Strike three. Heathcliff's train of thought stops. 

Hong Lu's words hung in the air, on the wind for a few moments as Heathcliff chewed. Some people from a different department spoke among each other down the path. Someone opened a door nearby and headed back into the building. A couple birds flew by overhead. 

"'Pologies," Heathcliff responded after one long pause. "What?"

Hong Lu didn't break eye contact. "I'd like it if you could pretend that I was your partner for the week, while we're there."

A few more moments of silence passed by, the seconds ticking by like hours.

Eventually, Heathcliff found his words. "What the hell?"

Hong Lu blinked. "If you could, I-"

"No, I heard you, you loon, what the hell are you talking about!?" Heathcliff put his food down next to his seat, jumping back up to his feet to grip Hong Lu by the collar of his suit. "That's not something you just say to someone! You really think you could just ask me to be arm candy for the holiday and it'd be all tickety-boo!?"

Hong Lu put his hands up. "I know it sounds insane. But if you can hear my reasons, I'd appreciate it."

"God, you're just tryin' to set me up to look stupid, aren't you?" 

"Well, no. I don't know why I'd do that when I want to do this to look better to my family." For the first time this conversation Hong Lu's expression shifted, a frown crossing his features as he realized what he had said. Heathcliff was already grabbing his things and turning around to rush back inside and leave this entire topic in the dust when he continued, "Heathcliff, let me explain."

"No, I get it! Bringing me along to make you look so much more impressive than the guy workin' as a white collar bookkeep, 'cause everyone else isn't enough for it. Fuck off-"

"I'd like to make my grandmother happy before she passes."

Heathcliff froze in his tracks. Hong Lu waited for him to recompose himself.

"I rarely see her outside of family holidays. So, once a year." Hong Lu watched a leaf of the path get blown around by the wind and out into the bushes. "It might be the last time I see her. She's always talked to me about focusing on settling down with someone. So, I wanted you to come with me, and pretend for a little so that she thinks I'm all set, and she won't worry." Hong Lu looked back up at Heathcliff, expression uncannily serious. "You don't have to if it's too much. I won't make you. If you want to go back inside, then go ahead."

All Heathcliff could manage to do at first was stand there, completely still, staring at Hong Lu incredulously. Part of him remained annoyed, less at the request, and more at his words. It was just like Hong Lu to begin shrinking back at the slightest pushback; most frustratingly, not due to something as simple as a weak backbone. As far as he could tell, Hong Lu only ever made himself small because he rarely had the determination to pursue what he wanted out of people, and even something so important as what he was talking about was no different. Still, in Hong Lu's demeanor, so unlike him to shift out of his passive happiness, Heathcliff could see some desperation in his eyes. It was so unlike him, a man who rarely seemed to have anything going on in his life that worried him.

This was maybe the most Hong Lu had ever asked of him in the four years they had known each other, never going beyond anything more important than saving his seat or emailing him a summary of the day's meeting. The very idea of Hong Lu ever wanting something more than that had never occurred to Heathcliff as something he could even do.

"It's..." Heathcliff spoke slowly. "That important to you?"

Hong Lu nodded. "I won't ask you to do anything else aside from come with me. If you want to avoid everyone else, stay in the guest room all week, I won't mind."

God, at least make it sound like you're proper gutted. Heathcliff kicked at the pavement once, twice. He checked his watch. Couldn't even use the excuse of his lunch almost being over; this entire conversation had barely taken ten minutes. He looked back up, made the briefest of eye contact with the man in front of them, then averted his gaze back at the asphalt.

"Hell're you asking me to be the one to do it for?" He mumbled. 

"Well, I like you, Heathcliff. I'm asking because I'd really like you to come." Hong Lu said it like it was the most obvious answer in the world. "And I've talked about you a lot to my parents, so they'd love to meet you. I think you'd really impress them. You'd be the best actor here, too. You commit to things so easily."

"Have you tried the tin man?"

"Meursault? He's terrible at acting warm to other people, actually."

"Sinclair."

"Oh, no, he'd crack under the pressure the first day we were there, you know how weak his constitution is."

"Ryoshu?"

Hong Lu stared at him blankly, and Heathcliff looked down at the ground again. "...You know what, fair."

"If you can't, then don't." Hong Lu went back to his regular, distant smile. "You can still take some money, if you want. I wanted to, anyway. It's my gift to you for being my friend."

For a split second, deep within Heathcliff's psyche, it's tempting to just go "alright", turn on his heel again, and head back inside. Leave this whole debacle behind him, get back to work, and maybe after the holiday he'd be able to talk to Hong Lu again without this conversation sticking in the back of his skull like glue. He could preserve his time and his sanity. Do what he usually does around this time of year uninterrupted, far away from whatever issues that would arrive from not only the unfamiliarity of Hong Lu's family, but a strange expectation to act in a proper bizarre way. Not like Hong Lu would even blame him for dipping, either. He'd have everyone else on the team with him too, it's not like he'd be totally alone in his debacle. Would Heathcliff being there really change anything? He'd have nothing to offer but the faux reassurance that came from standing a little closer to Hong Lu than everyone else. Some fake boyfriend he'd be.

And yet, there was a growing, fermenting feeling welling up in his body, one he didn't like, because part of it was starting to mutate into sympathy. Hong Lu was going home to some stuck-up mansion, going to be surrounded by relatives and in-laws he hadn't seen in donkey's years, dealing with the heads of the household, learned unfamiliarity with the lifestyle, and a dying loved one. 

The briefest, briefest flash of nausea hit Heathcliff before he put all his effort into keeping himself on his feet. In front of him, Hong Lu. Behind him, the door. 

"...And you'll never ask me again after this." He finally spoke.

"Never again." Hong Lu waved a hand. "I'll tell my parents we broke up and that you'll not be coming back afterwards. Everyone will forget you by next year."

Shallow pricks, Heathcliff thought to himself. He mulled over his words carefully. The door was still behind him. Hong Lu, however, was still in front of him. Ignorant, ditzy, sheltered, slightly daft Hong Lu, who always offered to cover his workload when he got sick and eagerly put himself up as the team lightning rod whenever they were behind schedule. Someone who always took Outis' barking head on when they messed up office equipment and never asked for anything in return but for his tape dispenser every once in a while.

He just kept smiling, waiting patiently for Heathcliff to speak. The wind blew softly. Distantly, he could hear someone pulling out of the parking lot. A rabbit or two ran under the bushes.

Heathcliff breathed in, slowly. "You..." Heathcliff breathed out, averting his gaze. "...are gonna be payin' my rent 'til the summer, minimum."

"I'll make it a year," Hong Lu responded quickly. For a brief moment, light was in his eyes. "So you'll do it?"

"Yeah, sure, fuck, whatever. Just don't expect any schmaltzy garbage out of me, else I'll-" Heathcliff threw his hands up, only interrupted in putting them down by the sudden intrusion of Hong Lu in his personal space.

"Oh, I can't thank you enough." He was standing way too close all of a sudden, just inches away, as if going in for an embrace, and Heathcliff jerked backwards. "Oh, sorry."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about." Heathcliff huffed. "If you're really bitin' my arm about all this, then at least run it by me before you try any of that lovey-dovey crap."

"Yes, of course." Hong Lu looked chuffed, satisfied with the outcome. "I can't thank you enough, Heathcliff. I'll send you everything you need to know by the end the day."

"Uh-huh." Heathcliff finally began turning back towards the door inside, and Hong Lu was right behind him once again. He said nothing.

Lunch passed by quickly, and before he knew it Heathcliff was right back behind his computer screen, thinking about what just happened. He stared at the messages Ishmael sent him, clicked around his desktop, and did his best not to dwell too long on what just happened.

He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. God, he thought to himself. Stop being so damn back-and-forth. Figure it out right now. 

He could go and take it back right now. March right up to Hong Lu, say that he isn't going to go meet his dumb family, plant his ass right where he's sitting and not leave the UK for another passing year. Avoid the whole debacle of fake-nice aristocrats, jet lag, and an entire week with the work friend voted most likely to get on his nerves if they were stuck in the same room for long enough. Or, he could go along with the whole thing for just seven days, mind his business, and never have to deal with it again in his life. He could go with Hong Lu and make what was going to be an inevitably uncomfortable situation just a little lighter on his mind or bury the whole ordeal behind him and pretend like it was never his business.

He went over every option, column A and column B, about a dozen times. Measured the weight either would have on his mind. Came to some conclusions ahead of time.

Swore under his breath and cursed his conscience. 

"Oi, Outis." He called out to his supervisor as she walked by, causing her to stop in place. "Where's the leave forms again? I gotta duck out of here a few days ahead of holiday."

Outis, of course, just quirked an eyebrow. "Really now?" She flipped a few pages on her clipboard, then looked back up at Heathcliff. "That's unlike you. I would have thought you'd follow your usual schedule around this time of year."

"Yeah, me too," he mumbled. Outis looked at him from over the frames of her glasses, then grinned.

"Oh? Are you doing something new this year?" She chuckled under her breath. "Something big planned, I take it?"

"God," Heathcliff leaned back in his chair. "Something like that."

Chapter Text

"Man, you're so lucky~. You get to hang around that big ol' house for a week straight! I'm jealous!"

As it turns out, Hong Lu does know when to blabber to his coworkers, and it's when Heathcliff would be the most exposed by it. Went and made a comment about the arrangement to Yi Sang, who told Faust, who mentioned it to Ryoshu in passing, who spread it to Gregor, who brought it up to Rodya on their carpool to work that morning, who was now talking to Heathcliff about it from over the wall that separated their cubicle. 

So much for keeping things subtle. 

"Ah, it'll be nice to see you there this time, though. So, you got what you wanna say to his folks prepared? Ooh, or his sis? They're gonna be hounding you-"

"Ro, if you get even a smidge louder while you're takin' the piss out of me, I'm gonna tattle to Ishmael that you're the one who eats her stuff when her name's not on it." 

Rodya shut her mouth in response, and Heathcliff glanced at his system clock again. He was off early in about seven minutes, and right after he was free he had to go home and finish packing. It was a few days out from the flight already, the month having passed by all too quickly. The plane ticket in his personal email still felt a little unreal. 

"Mm. Well, I still mean it!" Rodya spoke up again. "It'll be nice to have the whole gang this time. There was always a Heathcliff-shaped hole in the group."

"Yeah, hooray. I get to spend an entire week cramped together with a bunch of upper crust yuppies."

"Ugh, tell me about it." Rodya began to talk in her real, tired, and apathetic voice, and Heathcliff finally felt like they were actually speaking to each other. "Hey, last time, after the first couple of hours, they didn't really even bother with any of us. They mostly spent all their time buggin' Hong Lu." 

"Didn't click that he was the life of the party." Heathcliff rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair. He wadded up some of his scratch paper, tossing the ball into the wastebasket in the corner. 

"It's crazy, right? Ol' paper pusher Baoyu, getting coddled and cooed over in his grown age." Rodya leaned in her arms. "Makes you start wondering all over again why he deals with this place, heh. Feels like if he went home for real they'd just sit him down somewhere and let him lounge around forever."

"Probably want him to at least function on his own. God knows he barely could when he got here." The clock ticked over, and Heathcliff leaned forward to shut off his system. "I'm out. Bus gets here in fifteen."

"See ya, buddy! Say hi to Xichun for us before we get there!" 

Rodya's voice got further away as he grabbed his work bag and made his way towards the back room to clock out. As he doubled back towards the exit a few minutes later, he could hear Outis chewing her out for slacking and a lack of volume control. 

Stepping out into the cold evening, he passed by Ryoshu, taking her sweet time during her smoke break. They made eye contact briefly, and Ryoshu raised a hand to dig through her pockets, pulling out an unlit one to bring to her mouth. 

"Good luck with the 'in-laws'," she said flatly. Heathcliff stared at her for a minute or two. 

"Thanks," he said after a beat. "I think I'll need it."

Hong Lu comes to pick him up late in the afternoon the day of their flight, right as the sun's starting to set. Ideally, they'll leave at night, spend about twelve hours in the air, and touch down in Shenzhen tomorrow evening. He's quite uncharacteristically active, borderline peppy, and Heathcliff at least took solace in the fact that for once, Hong Lu seemed to be happy about something. 

"Hey, I realized in the elevator," Heathcliff watched Hong Lu toss his duffle bag into the trunk of his car. Some new-fashioned electric model, the kind he would have been scolded as a kid just for looking at. A muffled pop song played on the radio inside it. "Am I gonna have to have you tailing me all the time so I even know what people are saying to me?"

"Oh, no. Most of the household learned English as a second language." He reached up to close the door, then paused. "Ooh, I know. I'll teach you a bit of Mandarin at the airport. Just some phrases that'll help you out."

"That'll be enough?"

"Mm, probably. Formalities and what to refer to other people, that's all."

Fair enough. Heathcliff stretched his arms over his head as Hong Lu returned to the driver's seat. It's tempting to offer to take the wheel ahead of time, spare himself Hong Lu's usual behavior on the road, but he ultimately decides his mind's in too many places at once to justify it. Thinking too hard about what he's going to need to say and do tomorrow, nonstop.  

"So," Hong Lu tapped his fingers on the wheel as Heathcliff slid into the passenger seat. "Before we get there, should I tell you more about who you're going to meet?"

"Probably a good idea." Heathcliff adjusted his seatbelt. "Wouldn't exactly be right with me if I didn't know anyone's names. Especially if we've apparently been together for a while."

It still felt weird to say, even if it was still just an act. Hong Lu adjusted the volume on his speakers, bringing it a little lower before pulling out of the space he had parked in. 

"Well, to start you off, there's going to be my parents. They're pretty laid-back people, so I think you'll be fine. My mother's a little close-minded, but-"

"Stop," Heathcliff knocked his knuckle against the dashboard to punctuate. "Pause. Close-minded how. No beatin' around the bush. Is she gonna get on my nerves, or is she gonna drive me up the damn wall?"

Hong Lu hummed. "She's definitely going to bring up the fact that I met you where I work. She was never particularly fond that I decided to go straight from college to somewhere so low-notoriety, y'know? I'll do my best to make sure she doesn't talk to you unless I'm with you."

Really not a good start. Sure, it's nothing he's never dealt with before, but it still has him turning his head to look out the window, already plotting out excuses. 

"Next up, there's my siblings, Yuanchun, Qiu, Huan, and Xichun, they'll-"

"Hold on," Heathcliff snapped his head back and leaned forward to balk. "Four?"

"Mhm. First, there's my oldest sister, Yuanchun, she lives over in Japan with her husband and manages Hongyuan's branches over there. She's pretty stuck up, but she ignores me a lot, so as long as you stay out of her way, she shouldn't really care about-" 

"Hong Lu. Keep your eyes on the road." Heathcliff snapped his fingers a few times, narrowly pulling Hong Lu's attention back to the red light he was about to run. 

"Whoops. Sorry. Anyway, Qiu teaches humanities at a university over in America, last I checked. I'm not sure if he'll be here this year, he's always so busy, and grandmother doesn't like him. If he is, though, he'll probably spend most his time arguing with Huan. Huan does legal work in multiple countries most of the year, he's also really argumentative, so if he decides to start getting into physical fights with people, you should probably let me handle it."

"What?"

"Aside from that though, I think you'd really get along, actually. Now, Xichun is my younger sister, she still lives at home with most of my family, and I'd like it a lot if you could make a good impression on her. She means a lot to me."

"Real big-name, far-flung blokes on either side of you, huh." Heathcliff leaned on his door, propping his elbow on the windowsill as he dug his phone out of his jacket pocket. While Hong Lu kept talking, a big red "1" above his message app greeted Heathcliff when he turned it on to check the time. He tapped it. 

Nelly. Four words.

[4:53] Will you be alright

Heathcliff stared at it, thumb dragging the screen up and down idly while he thought about what to say. If he was to be honest, he really couldn't tell how the rest of the week was going to go if he was thinking about the obvious the entire time. She was already skeptical when he told her that it'd be the first year he couldn't come up to Yorkshire. Maybe she was waiting for him to say he had backed out. 

"-now, Yuanchun doesn't like Qiu either, but she's a lot louder about it to those who'll listen, and because Xichun is home the most often she usually ends up-"

The car jerked to the side as Hong Lu just barely managed a sharp turn, halting Heathcliff's mental math. 

"Hong Lu. The road."

"My bad." Hong Lu adjusted his mirror as they slowed to a stop at the intersection. "Now, there's my grandmother, Shi Miyin, but she'll want you to call her granny." He beamed. "I'm her favorite."

"No kidding." Heathcliff shifted up in his seat, turning his phone back on to keep staring at Nelly's text. He sighed through his nose, glanced at the dashboard clock, and started typing. 

[4:59] Otw to the aerodrome right now

[4:59] It sounds like most of the bullshit will be the same honestly

"-but, otherwise, she and the rest of the elders in the family probably won't be around until the actual party. Now, next are my cousins, they're on my mother's side. First are going to be her sister's kids, with older cousin Wang Qingshan-"

"Hong Lu," Heathcliff glanced up from staring at his screen. "Just a tad curious, should I be remembering all this? Order, and all?"

"Ideally, yes."

Ah, god. Bless the man's soul, really, but Heathcliff couldn't help but wonder how he could stay on top of all of this. The dread must have shown on his face, because Hong Lu then laughed. 

"No, I'm kidding." Hong Lu changed the station idly. "I won't leave your side when everyone's there, okay? I'll handle all of it."

Heathcliff mumbled in acknowledgement, feeling the vibration of his phone in his hand right as Hong Lu began to run his mouth again. 

[5:01] N: You're doing this for a friend right?

[5:01] HC: Pretty much 

[5:01] HC: Hes annoying as hell but he basically begged me so

[5:02] HC: Ill be fine its not like he twisted my arm about it

[5:03] N: Keep me in the loop?

[5:03] HC: You wanna hear how bad it goes huh

[5:03] N: The opposite, actually

[5:04] N: Maybe I'm wrong. But honestly

[5:04] N: I feel something like this could be really good for you 

I feel something like this could be really good for you. 

Heathcliff gazed blankly at the screen in his hands, repeating the statement in his head. He debates interrogating what she meant by that; is she talking about the travel? His friend circle going somewhere new? Meeting new people? It was hard to tell. Nelly usually did her best to keep him steering right, she always had, so she couldn't be teasing him over something. 

"Heathcliff, are you okay?" 

Heathcliff snapped out of his stupor and turned his head to see Hong Lu, looking at him with a pang of concern. Looking at him-

"Road."

"Eep." The sound of someone's horn faded out as Hong Lu refocused himself for the task at hand. Still, he stole another glance at Heathcliff before continuing. "You look a little nervous, that's all." 

"S'nothing. Talkin' to my godmother." Heathcliff sat straight up, reclining his seat back slightly to lay back. Hong Lu seemed to have long since realized Heathcliff had began tuning out his words, leaving them both in silence, intercut only by the occasional sound of a car outside or Hong Lu's turn signal. 

Neither of them talked for the rest of the ride.

The airport goes by quickly. Tickets, check-ins, finding the gate, walking around the place for a while to kill time. Leaving at night at least meant that the place was quiet, business was slow, and they had all the room they needed to themselves. 

When they stop to get dinner before the flight, sharing a plate of chips from some fast food outlet, Hong Lu makes good on what he promised and starts running Heathcliff through some basic Mandarin. He uses a discarded pen to write out characters on the back of their receipt, helping Heathcliff figure out his tones and labels. 

"God, you'll have to do the rest of this on the plane." Heathcliff leaned his chair on the back two legs, bringing his hands up to rub at his eyes with his palms. "Just get me to where I won't call your mum a horse and we'll call that good."

Hong Lu laughed. "You're picking it up faster than Gregor did, at least." He folded up the slip of paper in a neat square, then stowed it away in his shirt pocket. "If you can't get a hang of it, I can do most of the talking."

Heathcliff rocked his chair back and forth, staring up at the ceiling far above. He let his thoughts drift slightly. Off northward, towards a familiar place with familiar people and bad memories that began taking root and spreading themselves all across the back of his psyche all over again. 

"Hey," Heathcliff eventually piped up. "Be real with me, right now. Yes or no. I'm not doin' all this for you just for you to ditch me, am I?" 

"No." Hong Lu's reply was immediate. 

"Because, if I'm being truthful here, you keep telling me you'll 'handle all of it', but you're not the kind of' guy with a bloody backbone, Hong Lu. I'm not gonna be happy if you just leave me alone out there."

A few more moments of silence passed before Hong Lu spoke. "I know you don't really trust me in this situation," he rapped his fingers on his thigh before bringing his hands back up to the table. "I've asked a lot from you. But I really hope you can, soon. Whatever you're afraid about, I won't let it get to you." 

Heathcliff leveled his chair out on the floor, folding his arms on the table. He stared at the wood grain, counting the rings, when the feeling of two fingertips on the back of his hand jolted him back to reality, looking back up at Hong Lu. 

"Please believe me when I say that I wanted you to come because I wanted you to come. I really would enjoy spending the holiday with you." 

It takes Heathcliff a couple seconds to process what had been said. There's a level of sentiment coming from Hong Lu's words that has a bit of blood rushing to his face, the tips of his ears tinting a deeper brown. 

Guess this is what he got for needing to be reassured over and over. 

"Yeah," Heathcliff coughed out, "alright, I get it."

"I hope so. I do really like you, Heathcliff."

"Yeah, mate, you just keep saying that. Commit to it now and maybe your folks'll believe us."

Time trickled on, the two of them killing it by wandering around more, eating, and planning ahead of time. Ironing out a corroborating story came first: on their sixth month together (false), Hong Lu hadn't met Nelly yet (true), and their coworkers were aware of the "relationship" (would be true by the time everyone got there). 

As they went, Heathcliff took the time to try and push down the nagging feeling in his heart. If he spent the entire time in the air anxious about history repeating, he'd end up disembarking half mad. Anxiety would do nothing for him in a cramped cabin, and it'd eat him alive if it persisted until they got there. The solution available, however, boiled down to trusting Hong Lu. 

Hong Lu was a total airhead that would smile while he was being insulted to his face. He was also a good friend who, as far as Heathcliff could tell, never had the inclination to lie unless he had a damn good reason. 

So when they're waiting in the gate area, about half an hour away from boarding, Heathcliff glances at him writing something down in his phone, takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly.

Seven days. He could handle this, for him, for at least seven days. 

Easy.  

"...ah, I just remembered," Hong Lu looked up and snapped his fingers. "There's some other family that will be there, and friends. So, the Shi family, different from my grandmother's family, just the same surname-"

"Hong Lu, just how many bloody people are going to be at this damn reunion!?"

Chapter Text

Heathcliff sleeps for about a grand total of five hours out of a twelve hour flight and spends the remaining seven either trying to go back to sleep or talking to Hong Lu. The latter is significantly more of a success than the former.

"Now, I can't account for other business partners attending, or their families." Hong Lu says softly, tapping the tip of his pen on the tray in front of him. With a few other passengers in front and behind them, he at least has the courtesy to be quiet. "But this should be everyone in my immediate family."

Under Heathcliff's suggestion, he's drawn out a rough sketch of his family tree, starting with his grandmother and ending with him and his cousins. Heathcliff found himself speechless; it might be fair to say that Hong Lu had more relatives than people Heathcliff had known in all his years of living. 

"Like I said, don't worry about names. It takes everyone a bit of time to get them in order. Just call anyone older than you 'auntie' or 'uncle', maybe?"

"Yeah, noted." Heathcliff glanced out the window at the cloudy horizon. An orange glow eminated from below the clouds, and he realized he had essentially seen the sun go down on the ground and then come back up in the air. "Hey; little curious. This's my first time hearing about most of these people. Any reason you never bring them up otherwise?"

"Ah, well, I just never thought it was necessary." Hong Lu leaned on an elbow. "They don't really have the time or interest to come and visit me, so they're never in town. My parents check in every once in a while to make sure I'm comfortable, though."

Heathcliff gave an uncommitted mumble in response, arching his spine to stretch out his back. "Yeah, comfortable."

They go back and forth over different things in the last stretch of time in the air. Hong Lu gives him a couple more brief lessons ("Nelly tried to teach me other languages as a kid, guess I just get the methods." "Ooh, which ones? Let's trade."). Heathcliff complains about the recent performance of some local sports teams ("I've never really been able to get into it. I never know who has the ball." "...I'm talkin' about baseball, mate."). They opt to rent and talk over a bad in-flight movie, with Hong Lu seemingly more entertained by how Heathcliff reacts to it more than what's on the screen itself. 

Up there, miles above the ground, when Hong Lu is taking a quick nap after being awake for about twelve hours straight, Heathcliff realized how little he actually knew about Hong Lu's interior life.

Hong Lu was a common attendant during the office's social events. He always showed up for drinks at the end of the month, attended any parties he was allowed at, and practically invited himself into most miscellaneous group meetups. However, try as he might, Heathcliff couldn't recall a single moment Hong Lu actually talked about himself. He was never the type to lead a conversation, opting instead to smile, nod, and only ever respond to what other people were saying. When everyone else was prattling on about weekend plans, complaining about people they had met on the street, or laughing about something embarrassing, Hong Lu seemed to just prefer talking about empty nothings. 

The weather. Current events. What they had wore to the office or brought to lunch that day. Nothing more serious than what you could feasibly bring up around the water cooler. 

For the last couple of years, that had worked out. Heathcliff could talk to him for hours at a time, and Hong Lu would just... listen. Be it to his bitching about his neighbors that morning, some idle chitchat about what was on the TV that night, or the smaller moments when he was worrying more than usual and couldn't stop himself from letting things slip. Hong Lu would just nod, play along with him, and let him air it all out. 

In a few hours, he had to take the lead, and Heathcliff had no idea what that was going to look like. 

Hong Lu slid slightly in his seat until his head landed on the ruminating Heathcliff's shoulder, jolting him back to reality. 

"Oh! Wei!"

Hong Lu practically rushes by him the moment they step out into the pickup area, leaving Heathcliff caught in the middle of a yawn for a moment before speedwalking after him, tightening the strap of his bag on his shoulder. 

Through the crowd, Hong Lu had ran up to a taller man in glasses and a red cardigan, waving them down and leaning up against the door of a black van. He didn't know the model, but just looking at it, Heathcliff could tell it was probably worth more than everything they had at the office combined. 

The two of them spoke among themselves as Heathcliff caught up with him, Hong Lu then glancing behind at the sound of his steps. The moment Heathcliff stepped close enough, Hong Lu reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, shuffling closer to him. 

"And this my boyfriend." 

Alright, it begins. It was just a matter of playing his part for the sake of a friend. Heathcliff put on his best smile, standing up straight. 

"Hey," he put his hand out first. "Heathcliff. Nice to meet you." Said with a clear voice and confidence, enough to apparently have Wei pause for a moment before returning the gesture with a firm grip and shake. So far, so good; easier than it felt like it was going to be. "And you're...?"

The man looked between him and Hong Lu. "You can just call me Wei, I work with little Baoyu's sister. The family sent me to come get you both. Let me get your bags."

"Oh, shit, no, I got it." Heathcliff held a hand up, shrugging his duffle bag off his shoulder. "I'll just keep it at my feet." 

Wei just blinked at him, before nodding and only grabbing Hong Lu's suitcase. While he moved to put it in the trunk, Heathcliff couldn't help but smirk. "''Little Baoyu'?" He shot a side glance at Hong Lu, who didn't make eye contact. 

"Ah," he looked the other way. "Nicknames from our childhood always stick on far longer than we think they do, don't they?"

"And here I thought you were pretty tall compared to all the guys back home." Heathcliff popped open the car door, taking his time to slide in first.

"It's not about that," Hong Lu shuffled in after him, raising a hand to readjust his hair tie. "My parents and my grandmother have called me that since forever. She always brought me everywhere, so eventually everyone in the family heard it over the years, and it just stuck."

"Huh." Wei took that moment to pop open the door to the driver's seat, and Heathcliff immediately got back in character with a simpering smile. "So, if I'm going to be part of the family, should I start calling you that, too?"

The expression on his face must have been appropriately smug, because Hong Lu responded with his emptiest smile yet, then opted to engage Wei in conversation instead. Heathcliff could hear Wei stifle the briefest of laughs under his breath before they started talking and he put the car in drive. 

"So," he eventually asked, leaning an arm on the windowsill to meet Heathcliff's eyes through the rearview mirror. Heathcliff sat up in his seat. "How long have you been..."

"Half a year," he said, as rehearsed. "Known the fellow for about four, though." 

"I've heard. Any particular reason why you're only coming here now?"

"Too busy last few years. Them's the breaks." Heathcliff crossed his legs before tacking on, "what, did he miss me that bad all those times?"

Hong Lu decided to pipe up then, and Heathcliff considered his part there done. Doing great so far, if he had to say so himself. The situation was still pretty strange in his mind, sure, but a week of vague, flirtatious teasing and the same amount of physical touch he afforded Hong Lu already was going to be a cakewalk. An arm around the shoulder here, sitting close enough that their thighs touched there, and nobody would be the wiser. 

Beyond that, Nelly was right. Maybe this would be good for him. A vacation, essentially, and all out of Hong Lu's pocket, all as it should be. 

...right, Nelly. Heathcliff dug his phone out of his pocket, only to swear to himself at the low battery. Great. Perfect vacation to not bring a cigarette burner on (though, he doubted he'd even find a port in this model if he looked close enough). Heathcliff slid down in his seat slightly, cushioning his face on the collar of his jacket as he tapped out a message as quick as he could. Nelly had sent him something about Josephine raving that he wasn't picking up her calls earlier. He got halfway through telling her to inform the old hag that he was still on a fucking plane when the screen went black in the middle of his sentence.

"Hey, Hong Lu how long will this ride take?"

"We live pretty far up north, so... give or take, about an hour? Maybe two, if traffic's that's bad."

"Great," Heathcliff moved his hands above his neck to flip the hoodie of his jacket over his eyes. He might as well get comfortable. "Wake me up when we're there."

"You look ill." Hong Lu quipped to him about an hour and a half later.

His eyes tracked Wei as he pulled back out of the driveway, then drifted back to Heathcliff, who found himself wondering if he was still asleep.

Heathcliff had found it pertinent to ask him about the actual estate a few days before they left. If he was going to be stuck in one place for a while, he'd rather have some space to walk around. It kept him from going stir crazy and gave him room to think; he needed time to ruminate over a lot of things in silence, by himself, and the hallways of some villa probably weren't going to cut it. Hong Lu had clicked his tongue; let me think, he said, going silent while Heathcliff had busied himself with packing, cell phone pressed up against his ear by the crook of his shoulder. After about half a minute, he had heard Hong Lu shuffling on his end, before he gave the casual response of, I don't know, about a few acres? 

Maybe it was both their faults for severely underestimating distance. More so Hong Lu's for not really knowing how big his house was. Regardless, the fact of the matter was Heathcliff found himself in front of perhaps the largest manor he had ever been on.

Situated in the side of a hill, the Jia estate easily covered a space equivalent to multiple large city blocks and then some. Enough space to have a sizable guest house at the far end of the yard, a fine and sprawling garden, and a mansion that had to at least be twice as big as the Heights was. Maybe three times, standing at a clear three stories tall in the form of a modern-style mansion, sterile white and opulent and some kind of tribute to excess.

(Hell, it's so opulent Heathcliff is nearly tempted to take out his phone, snap a picture of himself, dig out an old, blocked number in his contacts, and forward it without any other comment. He ultimately decides the fallout that would be waiting for him when he got back home wouldn't be worth the headache.)

After a few moments, Heathcliff managed to shake his head until he came back to reality. "By Christ, man," is all he managed to mutter, "you told me your pockets were lined but I didn't think you meant you were this loaded."

"It never came up," Hong Lu shrugged. "I never really thought it was important outside the times I was visiting."

Hong Lu had been saying that a lot lately; a simple response of you never asked. He didn't know why, but it had Heathcliff grimacing to himself as they began walking.

("How many rooms would you say this place even is?" "Mm... More than fifty, less than a hundred?" Heathcliff wanted to throttle him.)

The courtyard was massive, lined with a white pathway up a set of long steps towards the front door. Frost buildup on the stone cracked underfoot as Heathcliff followed behind Hong Lu, unable to stop himself from looking around. The city looked so small out on the horizon compared to everything around him in the immediate vicinity. A sculpted stone fence boxed them in on the path, keeping them away from clusters of vibrant plants and ornate statues. He had to remind himself to stay at Hong Lu's speed as they kept moving, too distracted by the sudden sensory overload after hours of sitting still and doing nothing. 

The front porch was framed by two concrete pillars, supporting a sloped canopy above a set of oaken double doors. It looked as stereotypical "old money" as it could be. 

"Oh," Hong Lu stopped mid-step on the front steps, turning slightly to look at Heathcliff with a slight amount of urgency. "I just realized-"

"Hong Lu, if you tell me about another bloke in your family right now, I'm gonna lose my marbles." Heathcliff cut him off flatly. 

"No, it's not that." Hong Lu shook his head. "While we're here, you should use my regular name, okay? Jia Baoyu." 

"Any reason?" 

"It makes us look a little closer," Hong Lu approached the front door, rapping on the hardwood with the back of his hand. "Just covering all our bases." 

"You don't go by Hong Lu here?" Heathcliff took his place a few steps behind behind Hong Lu, mentally prepping himself for what was about to come next. He could hear the vaguest sound of shuffling from inside, light footsteps quickly treading across the room, approaching the door.

"You could say that." He looked at him with a warm expression, welcoming and kind, right before the door opened and his gaze snapped right back.

It hadn't even been halfway open before an older-looking woman, hair done up in a fine updo with a flower-pattern headband, essentially threw herself past it and was trapping Hong Lu in a tight embrace, followed seconds later by the overwhelming scent of floral perfume. 

Hong Lu had met the impact with a matching level of enthusiasm, a laugh escaping him as she reached up to cup his face and squeeze at his cheeks like she was welcoming home a child. His mother, Heathcliff quickly pieced together; Lady Wang, the title Hong Lu had given him earlier. She can be a little abrasive, but she's always doted on me. 

Heathcliff stood to the side, letting Hong Lu get his attention. He spoke to her excitedly, at a level of energy he rarely ever saw out of him, giddy and with a smile that reached his eyes. It was a little out of character for him, at least as far as Heathcliff could recall from the Hong Lu he knew. What he did notice is that the way his lips creased, his cheeks dimpled, it was sincere happiness that made Hong Lu look like a stranger in that moment. It matched the look on his mom's face. Heathcliff thought he really looked a lot like her.

There was a glint in his eyes as he pulled out of his mother's embrace, reaching out behind him to feel for Heathcliff's shoulder. The moment he was touched and heard his name, Heathcliff did as he had been instructed beforehand; bowed slightly, curtly, respectfully as he could. 

"Just call me Heathcliff," he said clearly. "Thanks for having me."

Heathcliff lifted his head then to meet her gaze, gathering up all the faux enthusiasm he needed to show. He had expected to see some form of saccharine surprise; a look of overwhelming warmth and a borderline obnoxious greeting. The way Hong Lu had described her, he was halfway anticipating a level of over-familiar friendliness Hong Lu frequently gave pretty much anyone who spoke to him. 

That wasn't what he was given. 

It took him a moment to pinpoint the exact way her face changed the moment Hong Lu introduced him; maybe some part of it was so unexpected that he couldn't put it into words. Some form of pattern recognition kicking in at the last moment caused it to sink in all at once like a torrent of water shocking him back to the reality of it all. 

Lady Wang looked uncertain. She looked hesitant. Brows furrowed, lips pressed together the smallest amount to form a thin line. She looked Heathcliff up and down, eyes flickering over all of him within seconds before finally making eye contact. He could see a level of skepticism in her features, the faintest hint of disbelief at what she was looking at. Her lips parted slightly, then closed again, hemming at what to say before she finally spoke in a quiet, reserved tone. 

"Yes," she said, flatly. "Baoyu told me all about you."

The air suddenly felt very, very cold. 

What confidence Heathcliff had stockpiled, he began to feel it slowly seep right back out of him like the air in a popped balloon in a matter of seconds. What replaced it was indignance, knee-jerk and jumping to bite like he was cornered. It would have been so easy to call out the way she seemed to be at a loss for words, pick a fight only moments after they arrived, but the way a chill struck through Heathcliff's body at the cold reception left him at a loss for words. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth all of a sudden, too backed up by shock to choose between either saying something to make himself look impressive or tell her to stop gawking at him like he wasn't not meant to be there, because he was, he was an invited guest from the start and Hong Lu had told her he was coming. She couldn't have been shocked by the fact he even showed up at all, either, because it wasn't like Hong Lu didn't bring an entire gaggle of folks with him every year anyway. He felt a twitch in his cheek as the forced smile on his face began to strain, falter-

The few seconds they had stared at each other had felt like an hour before Heathcliff felt Hong Lu looping an arm around his, grounding him back on Earth. The sight seemed to do the same for his mother, who put her warm expression back on so fast that Heathcliff was left wondering if he had imagined all of it.

"Yes, yes, come in, both of you, you'll get sick if you stay out there." She beckoned them both inside, moving out of the way for Hong Lu to tug at Heathcliff's elbow and drag him inside on stiffened legs.

What the hell was that? Get a hold of yourself, he tried to mentally psyche himself up, only for his thoughts to grind to a halt all over again at the sight of the foyer. Sleek hardwood floors and a high ceiling, with the kind of size that was more befitting a ballroom, complete with two sets of stairs leading up to the second floor and a gaudy chandelier hanging above. The deja vu had Heathcliff feeling nauseous all over again before Hong Lu was letting go of him and leaving him adrift. 

"Where's dad and Xichun?" Hong Lu leaned down to take off his shoes, then nudged Heathcliff to do the same. 

"Your father and your sister are helping your grandmother right now," Lady Wang glanced up towards the second floor gallery, brushing a hand through her hair. "You ought to go say hello once you get settled in. She'll want to see you."

"Of course, of course." Hong Lu laughed as he spoke, light and airy. If he noticed the way her gaze had flit between him and Heathcliff the entire conversation, he didn't show it. "Just let me go clean up first."

She was still looking at Heathcliff while he slipped his loafers off. He did his best not to make eye contact, trying to pretend like every move he made wasn't being scrutinized, until she said a few more words to Hong Lu and took her leave to an adjacent room, footsteps disappearing down a side hallway. 

He let out a breath, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his back, then stood back up. Jesus Christ.

(Hong Lu had been standing right next to him, having slipped on a pair of indoor slippers, holding a fresh pair for him. "I called ahead to ask your size." "I'll be frank, I really thought you'd have been fucking with me.")

Heathcliff made sure to take in the full scope of the place as he and Hong Lu ascended the stairs and made their way down one of the second floor hallways. He was convinced if he hadn't been following Hong Lu's lead he'd get vertigo trying to navigate it all. Halls seemed to stretch on for ages, with multiple bends and countless doors to wherever lining the walls. The only thing that really told him they hadn't been going in circles was changing decor, be it vases, hallway tables, or dozens upon dozens of paintings and family photos. 

Within the labyrinth that was the Jia house Hong Lu, eventually, finally found what looked like the door he had been looking for right when Heathcliff's head was starting to spin. "Alright, here we are." 

A click and twist of the knob, and Heathcliff passed through the frame while Hong Lu held the door open. Illuminated only by an open window over a wooden desk tucked away in the corner, he was greeted by a small room with plain white wallpaper and cherry wood flooring, every surface covered in the lightest coat of dust. Aside from a couple paintings of fish and landscapes, the only furniture seemed to be ornate bookshelves flush to the walls, stacked top to bottom with what looked like countless novels and textbooks. Another door was adjacent to the entryway, with the slightest hint of tile below it likely indicating a private bathroom. Heathcliff wasn't paying attention to any of that. His eyes were fixed on the center of the room as he processed what exactly he was being let privy to. 

It was Hong Lu's room. And he had one entire double bed in the middle of it.

"You know, I think my mother likes you," Hong Lu closed the door behind them. "Usually, she's shocked whenever I bring people- Heathcliff? Are you alright?" Said Heathcliff was practically frozen in place, gaze affixed towards the floorboards, white-knuckling the strap of his bag while he felt blood rush behind his face and a pit open in his stomach. 

"Look," Heathcliff coughed out after a pause. "We only said I had to act in front of your folks-"

"Hm?" Hong Lu craned his head to look past where he had staggered. "Oh. Don't worry about that." He passed by him, striding across the floor to place his suitcase on the top of the desk. "If you want, you can have my bed. I can get a mat from the hall and just sleep on the floor."

Heathcliff groaned, bringing a hand up to rub at his face. "No, dammit, that's not fair. You're the one who lives here."

"We can switch, then. It'll be a little conspicuous if they find you sleeping in one of the spare rooms." Hong Lu toed his slippers off, rolling his shoulders. "You can have it tonight, you look exhausted."

Heathcliff had felt it in the back of his mind the moment they left the airport, but having it spelt out for him had the full wave of tiredness flood over him in one go. A combination from the plane, customs, car ride, and introductions left him feeling shockingly wrung out, and it was difficult to pinpoint what exactly could have happened that drained him so fast. He was usually better than this, he rationalized, but then again, he rarely ever left the district he lived in beyond once a year. He decided to chalk it all up to essentially being waterboarded with new information and leave it there, moving to flop on top of the mattress and immediately being frustrated by how soft it was. Silver spoon, I swear.

He stared up at the beige ceiling before craning his head to watch as Hong Lu opened up his suitcase with a faint click of the latch. The sun hadn't even began to set significantly, the sky still a cloudy white with only the faintest orange tint. Still, Hong Lu grasped at the pull cord to close the blinds, opting to turn on the desk lamp for light instead. It framed his head in an artificial white halo, and Heathcliff sat back up on his elbows. "Hey, run it by me again what the week's going to look like."

"Well, tomorrow's Christmas Eve." Hong Lu unbuttoned his jacket while Heathcliff's mind slowed back to the speed of the rest of him, realizing that oh yeah, it is. Fuck's sake, time felt fake. "It'll just be you, me, and my family. Everyone will get here between the twenty-sixth and seventh. The main party for grandmother is on the twenty-eighth. The day after that, our group usually goes bar hopping in the city, we leave next day evening, and..." Hong Lu dragged out the word as he folded his coat over his arms. "We'll be back in Europe by the New Year."

"Great. Simple." Heathcliff dropped back onto the mattress. "I can handle that."

"You're doing well so far, if you wanted to know. Hope the pressure isn't getting to you."

I hadn't felt that anxious in years. "I'm fine." 

He could hear Hong Lu chuckle to himself, followed by some more shuffling around the bedroom while Heathcliff made himself comfortable. Eventually, he heard Hong Lu's voice from the other side of the room, "I'm going to go take a shower, if that's alright."

"Go ahead," Heathcliff called out to him, rolling onto his side to face the wall. 

There was a pause. "Was she a little too much?"

She was a little too little, actually. Heathcliff ruminated on whatever argument that could come from stoking the fire a little, then sat back up again. "You say she 'liked me', but frankly, it looked like she felt fuck all about me being here." Maybe worse. 

Hong Lu had been undoing his hair tie, to which he paused and hummed. "She can be a little hard to read when you meet her at first," he gave a non-comittal shrug. "But I know her well. She's warmer than you think." And with that, he disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Heathcliff alone with his thoughts.

...God, what was up with him today. 

It wasn't like him in the slightest to lock up the way he had, let alone go quiet. He had rehearsed what to during introductions a week ago, only for it all to go down the drain in a matter of moments in the face of mild disappointment. Something about Lady Wang's gaze had killed the words in his mouth before he could even think of saying them. How frustrating; all that work for nothing, in the face of who he prepped it for, even. 

Hell, why did he care? It wasn't like he was actually a suitor for her son. If she disapproved of him that bad, it didn't even matter in the end. If anything, he should have been ambivalent, maybe even amused by the way she looked at him with complete doubt. It would make the "blow" that he'd never come back after this week so much easier on everyone involved.

...and yet, the thought still had frustration blooming in the back of his mind, the faintest twinge of anger beginning to take root the more he ruminated. He hasn't done anything wrong; all he did was show up. He hadn't laid a finger on her kid yet. He had barely said a word to her, and yet he was already being stared at the same way the same brand of rich, idiotic adults looked at him as a kid. The more things change, the more things stay the same, and some kinds of people are the same no matter where they were, maybe he ought to go call her bluff the next time he saw her, throw all the "hospitality" back in her damn-

Heathcliff stopped. He rolled back onto his back. He took a deep breath.

He told himself to slow down. So he did. 

...

...Tomorrow. 

It could wait for tomorrow, he told himself. Whatever he had to deal with, it could be dealt with tomorrow. Tomorrow, when he wasn't tired and overwhelmed and overthinking. 

Heathcliff stared up at the soft orange glow of the adjacent room's light flooding against the ceiling of the bedroom, eyes growing heavy. Without unpacking, without undressing, without preparing for tomorrow in the slightest, he let the faint sound of rumbling pipes carry him off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Heathcliff woke up in the early hours of morning, early enough that the sky tinged a cold blue-gray and frost still bit at the windows. The air was thoroughly chilled, just barely skirting above the threshold of an uncomfortable freeze. He was confusingly warm, and a cold sweat from coated his skin in a thin, fine film, to which he realized he had passed out the moment he got comfortable without even taking off his travel clothes.

Figures. God, he felt gross. 

Blinking back sleep, he let himself gather his bearings and take in where he was. In Hong Lu's bed, in his house, far away from home, doing a big favor for a friend. Today was day one of a whole week of the best acting job he's had to put on in his life. Hong Lu was trusting him to do his best in front of a handful of people, then let him retreat until they left. It was just a matter of actually doing the work; and he could do it, he was sure. As a favor to Hong Lu, awkward as it was, he was certain. 

Willing feeling back into his arms and legs, Heathcliff slowly pried himself away from the idea of returning to slumber. He brought a hand up to rub at his eyes, forcing himself to sit up and let blood flow back to his numb fingers. The rustling of his jacket reminded him of the current predicament, and he sighed, unzipping it multiple hours late to throw it at the end of the bed. The cold of the room felt refreshing against his clammy skin and the linen of his shirt. 

True to Hong Lu's word, an unrolled floor mattress laid on the space next to the bed, a couple pillows and a comforter thrown atop it. Notably, the man himself was missing, with the fold of the blanket implying he had gotten up long before Heathcliff did. A yellow glow from the ajar door to the hallway told him all he needed to know. The rest of the house already awake, he might as well start the day. 

The floor creaked underfoot as he stepped onto it, freezing partway through as a burst of group laughter echoed out from the hall. If he focused hard enough, he could make out the faintest trace of four people talking far down the hall, too far to distinguish any specifics or actual words. It just came off as muffled, vague excitement, and after the surprise wore off, Heathcliff stopped bothering to try and decipher it.

Hong Lu's bathroom is as expensive looking as the rest of his house. Heathcliff decides he's just about sick of rich people home design when he spends half of a full minute trying to figure on how to turn on his shower. The tile felt cool against his forehead as he leaned his head against the adjacent wall, letting the warm water flow over his body and steam cloud his sight. He closed his eyes, listening to the monotonous tone of water hitting the marble floor and the rumbling in the walls, using it to guide his thoughts forward.

Heathcliff's thoughts drifted back to Lady Wang's reaction yesterday, of the apprehension in her eyes once she realized Hong Lu had actually brought him over. The memory had him grimacing. So much for a good first impression; from the looks of it, she seemed to have made up her mind about him before they even met. Well, it's one person. Heathcliff tried to cling to some form of cope as to not flip his lid this early. Hong Lu's got other family. A lot of them, even. Most importantly, the older old woman of the family. If he did right by her, nobody else in this damn house would have any space or reason to say shit to him. That was doable. Focus on what you can do, Faust had always told him when she visited their department for review. 

It was better than driving himself insane going in circles, and yet, some part of him was left feeling even more restive at the idea, like he was told not to open a door while the key was an arm's reach away, or to stay within a circle drawn with chalk. It felt as if all he could do was wait for the flames to start and react once they were burning at full force. That wasn't fair; it never felt fair that he was always the one who had to work with what he was given. What the hell had he done wrong? What could he do wrong? 

As usual, a slight leads to overthinking, overthinking leads to frustration. He grew numb to the water on his body as he began going in circles, ruminating too hard on every little thing, old and new. He was already caring too much about this little agreement. Too much about the opinions of strangers and acquaintances. Too much about how people were thinking of him for no other reason than the very idea frustrating him. He hadn't had to worry about that kind of stuff since-

Heathcliff unclenched a fist and felt around for the valve, clutching and twisting it until the heat scalded his thoughts away. 

Hong Lu was waiting for him when Heathcliff stepped out of the bathroom, towel over his head as he dries out his hair. He was tying his hair up at his desk, having swapped into his "casual clothes", or at least as casual as an oxford shirt and sweatpants could be. Heathcliff had opted for repurposing some of his work clothes for the occasion; a dress shirt and slacks went a long way. 

"Morning," Heathcliff greeted him, earning him a response in the form of his hairband snapping into place before Hong Lu turned in his seat to look at him. His spirits looked lifted, which was a sign things were either looking up or something dreadful was coming his way. 

"Oh, good morning!" Hong Lu was practically glowing. "You're up early."

"You've got no room to talk." Heathcliff glanced at the door. "Something happen?"

"Yuanchun got here a few hours ago while we were asleep," Hong Lu stood up, "and Huan should be arriving in the afternoon. I was coming up to get you, my parents would like it if we all eat together this morning."

"Sounds good." Breakfast. Sister. Brother later. Simple enough. Heathcliff rolled his shoulders and looked out the window past Hong Lu. The sky was a little more colorful, the sun finally beginning to poke out from beyond the treeline. It'd likely be about midnight at home by now. Hong Lu passed by him then, the scent of sweet cologne following a moment later, the smell akin to something vanilla in flavor. Heathcliff blinked. "...huh."

Hong Lu stopped in the doorway. "Hm?"

"...Nothin'." He shook his head, throwing the towel in his arms onto Hong Lu's chair before shoving his hands in his pockets and following the other man out into the hall. 

Stuck behind Hong Lu in a neat two-man line, Heathcliff found himself actually taking in his surroundings. He had been too tired to do so last night, tunnel visioned on getting away from Hong Lu's mom and to somewhere he could decompress; now, the Jia household felt a little more real than when they arrived. He supposed that it made sense that Hong Lu came from someplace like this, somewhere inconceivable to anyone who hadn't been born into money of some form. Maybe it had something to do with the way he was suddenly more calm and composed than ever. Somewhere like this was bound to raise children separated from the world, unaware of how deep the level of disconnect between them and the average person would be. To add insult to injury, it hadn't surprised him in the slightest to learn he had been coddled as a kid, either. 

...though, it wasn't fair not to notice Hong Lu had managed to turn out alright, in the end. In his own little clueless way, but still enough to end up friends with him. Strange how things work out like that. 

They're halfway to the stairs when he speaks again. "...Think I'm still getting used to seein' you take somethin' this seriously." 

"Well, I don't see why I wouldn't." Hong Lu shrugged a shoulder. "I'd think most people would want their family to think well of them, yes?"

"I guess." Heathcliff blew some hair out of his face. "Just, y'know. Kinda thought you didn't give a care. You'd think I'd have heard more about these blokes from you over the years otherwise." Heathcliff picked up his pace slightly to walk alongside him. "If you asked me, I would have guessed you just went home 'cause you had to."

"'Had to?'" Hong Lu stopped at the head of the stairs, leaning on the banister. 

"You know what I mean, like..." Heathcliff mulled over his words. "Like if you didn't they'd cut you off or something."

"Ah, that's probably the case." Hong Lu says it like it's the most normal thing in the world, and it has Heathcliff baffled in the moment before he continues. "But, no. I come back because they want to see me, that's all, so I'd like them to know I'm doing alright. They're always so worried about how I'm doing when I'm not in Shenzhen."

"They helicopter you that bad?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it helicoptering." Hong Lu shook his head. "Just involved in my life. They always have been, especially when I was a child. What were your-" Hong Lu, ever the person to remember the small details, catches himself, and Heathcliff nods. "What was Nelly like when you were younger?"

"Well, she was workin' her arse off constantly, so s'not like she could've been breathin' down my neck. Just did her best. Mostly just dumped me with some bairns my age and said to be good."

"You learned how to take care of yourself young, I'm sure."

"Yeah." Heathcliff shoved a hand in his pocket, narrowly stopping himself from beginning to ruminate again by thinking a little harder. "...what, you didn't?"

Hong Lu just shook his head again, still smiling blankly, like it was a normal thing to admit. "Not really. My older relatives always insisted on taking care of everything for me until... I would say I became a teenager. Some things I never really understood until I went to college abroad."

Jesus Christ it was worse than he thought. "That really isn't normal, mate."

"Maybe," Hong Lu smiled, beginning the walk down, slippers gently thumping on the steps. "But you know how it is with the people who love you." His voice grew silent as Heathcliff stood there for a few seconds by himself.

No, he thinks, eventually. I really don't. 

Heathcliff suggests Hong Lu hold onto his arm to make the bit look more convincing before they step into the dining room. Hong Lu is a little too enthusiastic about it, because of course he is, and the two of them practically stumble past the doorway when Hong Lu leans too much into him. Heathcliff nearly chews him out for trying to knock them both over, stopped only by being blasted full-force by the smell of something savory and fresh-baked goods. 

The dining room of the house surprises him; sure, they probably have some banquet area somewhere, but to see a relatively small, borderline cozy area of the house, with a small, circular dining table tucked away in an alcove near the far end nearly doesn't compute to him. There's eight chairs, just enough for Hong Lu, his siblings, his parents, and his grandmother if all of them happened to be staying at the house at the same time. There's a tranquil aspect to the sight of it that sticks out, like the way the wood catches the sun beginning to shine through the windows, as well as the intimacy involved. As far as he always parsed it, if a house was as big as this one was, the people in it often preferred to stay as far away from each other as possible.

Hong Lu's mother and whom Heathcliff presumed was his father were sitting at the table and talking among each other. Dressing it at one side were two women Heathcliff didn't recognize, putting it together quickly from the context around him that they must have to be the sisters he heard so much about. The taller one, a real fit bird, spoke idly to the younger next to her, who was looking at her with apathy before her gaze flit over to Heathcliff. Xichun, Heathcliff could presume, perked up the moment she saw him and Hong Lu. 

"Oh," she paused to mouth something inaudible under her breath. "Morning."

"Good morning," Hong Lu leaned his head on Heathcliff's shoulder, whose gaze was affixed directly on Lady Wang since the moment he stepped into the room. She turned to look at her son - he swears that he sees the corner of her lip twitch when she lays her eyes on him, and he averts his gaze at the floor on instinct. Her attention, thankfully, was pulled towards the other man instead, and Hong Lu broke away from him to help with setting up. A cart full of baskets, plates, and bowls had been parked next to the dining table, full of more variety Heathcliff had ever felt was necessary for breakfast.

(Not that he was complaining.)

Hong Lu brushes him off when he tries to help them ("You're a guest," with a point to a specific chair he's insistent about), so he awkwardly shuffled to sit down, with Hong Lu going to be at his left. He's admittedly at a bit of a loss on if he should introduce himself or not and how formally when Xichun cleared her throat, leaning over next to him.  

"Hey. Heathcliff, right?" She sounded a bit like she just woke up, voice low under the rest of the family conversing. 

"Ey up." He gave a half-hearted little wave while a ceramic plate was slid in front of him with a clink. "Xichun? You're the younger lass."

"That's right." Without breaking eye contact, she raised a hand to hand a bowl over to her mother. "Your friends mentioned you sometimes."

"What, they bring up the bad stuff?" He meant it as a joke, though it comes out as a little more genuinely concerned than intended.

"Not really. The way Baoyu always talked about you, though, I would have expected to have met you sooner."

Heathcliff was tempted to pursue that thread, get some extra context, before Hong Lu slid into the chair to his left.

"Are you two getting along?" He rolled down his sleeves, and Heathcliff noted how he seemed to be looking right past him and towards his sister. Xichun caught herself from saying whatever it was she was about to say, avoiding eye contact with Hong Lu to focus back on the table and start eating once Yuanchun took her seat.

Hong Lu's oldest sister right across from him at the table, his youngest sister right next to him and clearly a little avoidant of the man on his left, and his parents right over to the side by their eldest daughter. 

It was hard not to feel at least a little like he was intruding on something. He decided to bury that underneath indulging in the rare occasion he actually got to eat something of quality for free that he didn't have to cook himself, and god, was it easy. Most of the time he could only bother fixing himself something hot and filling on the weekends, making do with takeout or something instant or skipping altogether on work days.

He made a note to hunt down whatever sorry private chef the Jias roped into working for them later and thank them personally, because he could absolutely fill the growing pit in his stomach with whatever the hell had been put into the flatbread and rolls here. Better yet, the family seemed far more concerned with speaking to each other at that moment, Hong Lu inmediately dragged back into a talk with both his parents, Yuanchun occasionally chiming in, all four of them away from immediately ganging up on the odd one out here. It was a welcome distraction this early in the morning. 

Heathcliff listened absently while there was nothing else to occupy him. It was hard to really catch words with the speed at which things were going, but based on some names he could vaguely recognize and the distinct lack of looks thrown his way, he imagined it had to be about the next few days and who was coming. He kept an eye on Hong Lu's face and the way it changed - though, it may have been more accurate to say the way it remained static the whole way through. He just smiled and nodded with each statement, only responding when, as far as Heathcliff could discern, he was prompted to. 

He was waiting for when Hong Lu would get his turn and just begin talking nonstop as usual, maybe drag Heathcliff into it abruptly. Minutes ticked by listening to Hong Lu essentially be lectured nonstop before Heathcliff realized he wasn't even trying. Their conversation had become more heated in the last minute or so. Heathcliff noticed the way Hong Lu's brow had furrowed, uncharacteristically annoyed, as Yuanchun engaged him with a flippant condescension in her tone. 

Xichun had engrossed herself in her portion of breakfast, not bothering with joining the talk around her. Heathcliff weighed his options before adjusting in his seat to nudge at her ankle with the ball of his foot. 

"What're they talking about," he asked softly, leaning in slightly to keep his voice down. 

"The party and who's going to be there." Xichun replied flatly, following it with a pause as Hong Lu huffed and disengaged, looking down at the table and away from everyone else. "It's always just business partners and family friends and their associates."

"Yeah." He made sure he sounded as wooden as he could be. "Sounds like a hoot." 

"Tell me about it." Another period of silence followed. Out of the corner of his eye, Heathcliff watched the way Xichun's face shifted contemplatively, as if debating with herself. "Hey, so," Xichun followed up after a few moments, looking up at Heathcliff with discomfort. It was different from the kind of look her mother gave him, more an awkward, concerned glimpse. "Speaking of... has Baoyu talked to you about... all of that, yet?"

Well, that was vague. "All what?"

"You know," she waved the end of her chopsticks, like she was trying to think of the next words to use. "Everything about grandmother and what she wants."

"Oh. Yeah, pretty much." Should he be offering condolences? Was she looking for them? Hard to tell, especially with the way her face washed with skepticism instead of melancholy.

"Wait, seriously?" She looked past him at her brother for a fraction of a second. "Even- you talked about all the business with the Xues-"

Across the table, Yuanchun cleared her throat in Heathcliff's direction. He snapped to attention and felt a chill run down his spine in the way she was staring at him, one hand on her chin, sizing him up from where she was sitting. It felt like getting a spotlight shined on his face out of nowhere. 

"Crap- hey." Did he say the first part out loud? If she was the type of modern day regal wannabe that got offended by casual cussing, it didn't show on her face. She just smirked. 

"So," Yuanchun's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Heathcliff, yes?"

"Mhm." Heathcliff swallowed back both hot food and the sudden discerning feeling. "That's me. I work with this bloke here." He raised a hand and gently bumped a knuckle against Hong Lu's shoulder. Hair brushed over his wrist as Hong Lu turned his head to look at him for a second, then back to what he was doing. 

"So I've heard." She nodded ever slightly, the side of her lip tugging upward further as if she was holding back a laugh. "It's such good luck that little Baoyu managed to get something out of his quaint little career."

The way her eyes glinted betrayed the passive condescension in her words, and Heathcliff's hand stopped partway through reaching for another egg pancake.

Oh, you're one of those types.

The thought shot through his synapses like lightning, igniting the beginning flickers of a headache. He shifted his leg slightly, bumping his kneecap against Hong Lu's thigh, a silent warning that at any moment he was going to need to be bailed out immediately for the good of everyone here. 

"Yeah," he mumbled, "great." Out of the corner of his eye, he could make out Xichun grimacing at the wood of the table, eyes glancing up to meet Heathcliff's in silent sympathy. "Y'know, he never talked about you or the business hullabaloo any time family came up."

"Has he given you any trouble?" She didn't even flinch. "It was refreshingly responsible of him to try and get some experience before he entered the real world. I'm sure you've experienced his... eccentricities."

"...Totally." Heathcliff took the excuse to look at the man next to him. His eyes were downturned towards the table, his disposition having returned to the sterilized calm the usually tauted. If he had any reactions to what she was saying, he didn't show it. 

It was the look of someone who was either being the bigger person or had been through this exact scenario more than enough times to be used to it. A familiar one. 

"So," Yuanchun lifted her mug to her mouth, taking her sweet time to indulge in her drink before she spoke again right in the middle of Heathcliff spooning rice porridge into his mouth. "What are your plans outside of work. Are you in higher education?"

He nearly coughs and narrowly avoids burning his tongue. His psyche decided to bless him in that moment, opting to skip the usual song and dance of guilt and avoidance. "No. I dropped out." Saying those words always felt like coughing up a hairball. His pride takes a bit of a hit, but bluntness usually got him out of situations like this. Ripping off bandaids was more often than not the quicker answer that made people rapidly lose interest. 

"Filling out your resumè like Baoyu is, then?" She quirked a brow. "Do you have anywhere in mind after you wrap up your work at Limbus?"

For the love of god. He got asked this question enough back home. It was already annoying there, here it was actively pissing him off, Yuanchun's voice beginning to sound like nails on a chalkboard. Heathcliff gripped the end of the tablecloth. "No. I work there 'cause I work there."

That condescing grin fades. "Ah. Hm."

That was it. He knew exactly what that kind of look meant, with the pursed lips and hesitant pause, and Heathcliff acted near autonomously as he kicked at Hong Lu's calf. He had to have been lost in thought by the way he jumped slightly in his seat, looking at Heathcliff in confusion.

Yuanchun practically pounced at the opportunity given in those few seconds. "Ah, sorry for my nosiness. I just feel like I should get to know you better."

"Uh-huh." Heathcliff kept prodding Hong Lu in the hopes it would make his walnut of a brain stop rolling around in his skull and get him to say something. Out of the corner of his eye he could see and hear Xichun whispering something to her brother. "I get it. 'Swhy I came here, even."

"So you're aiming to be here for a while, then?" The real meaning behind those words was crystal clear to him, he could see it on her face, and he clenched his jaw. Maybe later he'd find it silly to get riled up over nowt, especially when the entire thing was a farce in the first place, but in the moment, in the face of someone who didn't even have the decency to pretend like she wasn't looking down on him the moment she saw him-

"That's right," Hong Lu finally spoke up, snapping back into proper posture. "He'll be here the whole week. I wanted him to come early so I could introduce him to you all."

Yuanchun still looked at Heathcliff while she spoke. "Has he met grandmother yet, then?"

"Not yet." Hong Lu raised a hand to pat at Heathcliff's shoulder. He gave him the slightest of squeezes before letting go, as if trying to help ground Heathcliff back on earth. "Speaking of, jiejie, how has your husband been? I heard he couldn't make it this year..."

Heathcliff immediately shoved a baozi as far as it could go into his mouth in one bite, allowing Hong Lu to take the heat off him. The juice inside scalding his cheek and running down his chin was a fair price to pay for getting the attention away. He felt a little embarrassed at how quickly the end of his rope was reached, but he chalked it up to the season.

The only person who was allowed to make him feel stupid and self-conscious about his life choices during this time of year was himself. 

His eyes drifted elsewhere while Yuanchun argued with Hong Lu instead, towards the other two people at the table, who hadn't engaged him at all. Lady Wang and her husband were talking among themselves in low voices, occasionally looking up at their children.

Lady Wang lifted her head to look at Hong Lu, made eye contact with Heathcliff for the briefest of moments, then averted her gaze just as quickly, taking with it the small bit of satisfaction he had gotten from escaping their oldest.

Right. He was here to impress. And he had just blatantly admit he wasn't an impressive person by the set metric.

Maybe that was why Yuanchun had jumped to grill him so suddenly, he rationalized. She seemed like the kind of person who could have seen right through him at first glance and just didn't want to spend the meal dancing around the obvious. Just like him to walk right into a trap, he guesses. He should have known better by now about letting new money even bring this kind of stuff up around him. Every past time he made the horrid decision to pay visit back to that old house should have beaten it into his brain by now. 

(Speaking of feeling stupid about his life choices...)

The conversation moved on by him, and Heathcliff, appetite shot, did his best to fade slightly into the background again. It was only when everyone had finished up and began dispersing that he remembered what he had been thinking about in the first place.

"Hey, Xichun," he piped up to her before she left the table. "What did you need to tell me?"

Her head had whipped around to look at him. "It's..." Xichun trailed off and closed her eyes, contemplative. She opened them after a second, expression flattening. "Actually, you know what? Talk about it with him later."

"What? Why." Heathcliff drew his brows together in confusion. "You were the one who brought it up."

"I take it back." Xichun turned back, smoothing out her shirt and walking towards the hallway. "Baoyu's gotta deal with that himself. Sorry in advance." 

And that was that, he surmised. He offers to help do the dishes, and Hong Lu decides to tag along. He idly talks about how they don't really need to worry about doing chores while they're here, they have staff who can take care of it, then slows the topic to a stop when he notices the way Heathcliff's scrubbing gets more and more frustrated with every word. 

He's tempted to bring up whatever it is Xichun's wanted to talk to him about while they're standing there over the sink, shoulder to shoulder. It nags at the back of his brain incessantly, stewing and fermenting into a collection of different worst case scenarios.

In the same area, however, Heathcliff holds on to that feeling of inadequacy he felt just an hour or so ago, and decides the last thing he wants to hear about right now is the greater family drama going on when he's already shot his chances with three out of four members of it. 

They're nearly done when a plate slips out of his fingers and shatters into pieces right on the basin of the sink.

It takes everything in him not to scream out in frustration.