Tuesday 37 days to go before the Full Moon Festival

They worked until eight in the morning and just as Wei Ying called for a time-out, his pager went off.

"I have to get A-Yuan ready for A-Ning. We should take a break." He switched off the radio and they went downstairs.

Lan Zhan was trying to get up the courage to tell Wei Ying that he had made breakfast, but there wasn't a gap in the conversation because Wei Ying had ideas.

Those ideas had to come out from him now and now, so he chattered until they got to Wei Ying's caravan and he disappeared inside.

Lan Zhan opened the boot of his car and pulled out the packed food.

Now what?

Should he knock on the door? Or should he wait?

The door of the caravan opened and Wei Ying popped his head out of the gap.

"Why don't you join us? And bring JingYi. There's plenty to go round." He said brightly, smiling invitingly.

Lan Zhan grudgingly called his driver who found it funny that he obviously didn't want to.

Wei Ying had a little table which they squeezed around and then Lan Zhan shoved the boxes into Wei Ying's hands, who looked at them blankly. But when he opened them and saw the beautifully laid out snacks and little bite size pieces, he was overjoyed.

"Lan Zhan! Did you make this just for us? That's so sweet of you! Look A-Yuan! Pwetty Gege made us breakfast!" Wei Ying gushed about the bento boxes while Lan Zhan was sure he was going to combust from pleasure.

And then Wei Ying brought out a tray of muffins and plates and breakfast suddenly turned into a party.

The muffins were special because when Lan Zhan bit into a chocolate one, white gooey chocolate was inside and some dribbled onto his chin. Luckily Wei Ying was there with a napkin to save the day. At five minutes to nine, there was a knock on the door and A-Ning entered, smiling.

Lan Zhan watched as Wei Ying went to hug him, and then forced a muffin into his mouth.

All of it.

It would have been funny but Lan Zhan wasn't sure how he felt about Wen Ning yet. He seemed to be too tall, too strong and too good-looking for Lan Zhan's good wishes and all of the thinking was putting him on edge.

"Time for Daycare, my lovely little Radish!" Wei Ying picked up the little boy and kissed his cheeks and then his forehead.

A-Yuan kissed his cheek happily and then demanded he be allowed to kiss Pwetty Gege's cheek too and Dwiver JingYi.

Then only did he greet A-Ning and kiss his cheeks before leaving with a wave. JingYi made some excuses and left, so now it was just the two of them.

Before they had A-Yuan sitting between them, but right now as Wei Ying finished his muffin, he was pressed up close to Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan could feel the heat of his bare skin on the thin sweatpants and he was already feeling too hot.

Wei Ying fished out his tablet and began showing Lan Zhan his ideas on what he thought Lan Zhan wanted in the house.

"I've just got a couple of questions for you regarding the bathroom." Wei Ying said, excitedly. "What do you have in mind? There's a walk in shower right now but-"

"I want a tub. A big one." Lan Zhan interrupted.

This he knew without a doubt.

"A bathtub? Like an ordinary one, or would you like all the works? You can get ones with a jacuzzi, power jets, everything." Wei Ying turned from the tablet to find Lan Zhan looking straight into his eyes.

"I want everything." He said.

Wei Ying shivered.

Maybe Lan Zhan wasn't talking about just the bathtub...

But Wei Ying wasn't born yesterday and there was no way he was going to lose the job, the bet, or his reputation.

"I think we'll get better visuals if we're on site." He squeaked and stood up hastily.

Lan Zhan missed the contact immediately.

He had been thinking about what would happen if he lost the bet with Wei Ying. One whole day spent with Mr. Marshmallow...it didn't seem so bad now.

Not when there was Wei Ying tempting him around every corner. And now that he thought about it, maybe there was a way to let them both release this tension between them.

It could definitely work and neither would lose the bet.

They were just about to leave when someone knocked loudly on Wei Ying's door.

It was the skip people. This time there was two of them so Lan Zhan didn't worry but he stayed with Wei Ying anyway, just in case he thought about helping them.

Now they had a skip! Another empty one to fill up.

Wei Ying was already thinking about how they would fill it up.

While most of the furniture had been either taken away by the charity guy, or sold in the yard sale outside, there was still a lot of junk in the attic, things of sentimental value that just couldn't be sold.

Wei Ying wanted Lan Zhan to empty out the old attic so that they could replace the floorboards with laminated ones and paint the walls so it would go from dark and dingy to clean and bright. It could even be turned into a playroom or something...Wei Ying had blushed when he had said that.

Lan Zhan thought it was a great idea.

And then while he was doing that, the workmen for the swimming pools had turned up and they began digging up his back lawn.

Things were moving forward.

When Lan Zhan returned to the house, the radio was on but no one was singing. In fact, Wei Ying was nowhere to be found. Lan Zhan checked the kitchen, the study, the living room and found...absolutely nothing.

Had he gone out? Without saying anything? But the pickup truck was still outside, so that wasn't it. But just as he was passing the stairs for the attic, he thought he heard a noise and decided to trust his instincts.

He climbed up into the dark place lit only by a single, solitary light bulb hanging from a wire and saw Wei Ying.

He was sitting in front of an open box and there was something in his lap.

"Wei Ying?" He called out.

"Oh...Lan Zhan, there you are!" Wei Ying hastily wiped his face.

"Why was Wei Ying crying?" Lan Zhan asked him, coming to sit beside him. "Are you hurt?"

He would have begun checking him for any injuries but Wei Ying was shaking his head. He put the heavy book into Lan Zhan's lap and began turning the pages, wiping his eyes now and again.

"This man's entire life was laid out in photos. Most of it at least. There's more after the family moved into this house, but he was incredibly proud of all his achievements. And even more of his family." Wei Ying explained.

They pored over the photos.

The gardner really was a happy man, with many photos in the beginning of just him and his wife. Then in many of the following pictures, his wife began showing her baby bump and that explained everything. Soon after there were baby pictures, and then as the child grew, there were many more stepping stones of their life recorded. The child's first day walking, speaking, holding a spoon, playing ball in the garden, and first day at kindergarten. First day at school, last day at school, all the numerous birthdays that the three of them celebrated and shared.

The young boy obviously felt uncomfortable identifying as a he, and during the course of the photographic history, they saw how he became she. The child wore dresses and her hair became longer, her bedroom certainly changed into a livelier place as her personality grew.

And all throughout she had the love from her parents that shone through each photo. They were a family of kinship and love and were very happy together. Someone had labelled and dated each photo and together, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan turned the pages until the very end.

The last photo was the one of their graves, the mother and daughter who had died in a car crash, with fresh flowers on the newly turned soil and tombstones with their names engraved upon them.

They were both quiet.

"I know we can't sell these...but it seems so sad to just throw them away, you know?" Wei Ying was saying. "Like their lives meant nothing. And they were so happy to live here together. It feels wrong somehow."

"Mn."

Lan Zhan opened the box that Wei Ying had got the photo album from and saw other mementos from their lives. There were football trophies and later cheerleading trophies. Certificates of doing well at school. This box was dedicated to the child.

They opened another box and saw articles in the newspapers about an up and coming artist who had recently hit it big. There were also articles of the gardner who had gone on to win competitions with his crops and flowers. And then they discovered he used to host a problem page for anyone who was having trouble growing stuff.

Other boxes contained dresses and clothes though it wasn't apparent whose they were. It didn't seem right to give these away because they still kind of belonged to these people.

Even Lan Zhan was finding it hard to swallow past the lump in his throat.

"At least they are at peace." Lan Zhan said, after a while.

"I guess so. Maybe I'm being too emotional? I don't know why I felt so bad. I mean, he had a good life, right?" Wei Ying used the bottom of his vest to wipe his face again.

"Mn. Wei Ying saw the letter. He had no regrets."

"I suppose so. It just seems sad that with them, that's the end. There's no one left to mourn them, or remember what they were like, or to wish them well...that's...it just seems to be so sudden..."

And then Lan Zhan had a great idea.

"We can make them a place...out in the garden. Maybe a tree or a bench to sit on. Someplace where we can remember them. Whole family."

Wei Ying threw his arms around Lan Zhan's neck, holding him close.

"Thank you! Thank you, that's a great idea. Maybe because he was a gardener...a tree?"

Lan Zhan swallowed his tongue.

Wei Ying was here!

And it felt so good!

It felt right.

Wei Ying was warm and sweet and smelled amazing. Lan Zhan could picture in his head a place filled with swirling cherry blossoms, and him holding Wei Ying like this...exactly like this.

Wei Ying couldn't believe he had done this.

But he couldn't contain his joy at the fact that Lan Zhan had come up with such a wonderful solution to this dilemma.

So here he was, pressed up against the hardest ridge of muscles he had ever felt, hugging the most beautiful man on earth...

All sorts of things were happening inside his body, as if too hated Wei Ying for putting a stop to the hanky panky. Joyful sparks of delight were exploding everywhere their skin touched, and Wei Ying could feel his heart beating out of his chest. It really was a traitor!

And now, because there was nothing remotely professional about this hug, he had actually lost the bet.

Ashamed, he let go of Lan Zhan and shifted away slightly, looking down.

Lan Zhan was in dreamland!

Delicious tingles of excited happiness was all over him as his hands came around to hold Wei Ying closer, feeling as if he could conquer the world. But just as quickly, his euphoria vanished as Wei Ying moved out of his arms.

"What's wrong?" He asked, scared of the answer.

"I'm sorry! That was...that was unprofessional of me. I concede...you win."

Those words should have made Lan Zhan happy...but the way Wei Ying was looking so down right now, stole his joy.

"No." He said.

"Huh?" Wei Ying was lost in beating himself up and didn't quite catch what he had said.

"No." Lan Zhan said again. This time, with determination.

Then, with a single finger, he lifted Wei Ying's chin and slanted his lips across those delicious plump ones, the ones he had dreamed about biting.

If he thought holding Wei Ying was a miracle, a blessing and everything he wanted in his life, kissing him was so much better!

The slow slide of hot lips just as eager as his own, coming together finally after so much dancing around each other.

Lan Zhan's body was at an angle and it soon became uncomfortable to keep kissing Wei Ying like this. So without breaking contact, he lifted Wei Ying into his lap, deepening the kiss.

Wei Ying thrust his hands into Lan Zhan's hair, unable to hold back his moans of sheer pleasure, tasting this delicious man. That, coupled with the spicy sweet scent of sandalwood in his nose and Wei Ying was hooked.

Everything about this kiss was explosive, obliterating any coherent thoughts. Wild and free, suddenly there was nothing stopping them from going deeper.

Fragrant lotus flowers and Wei Ying...in his head, Lan Zhan could only kiss him harder, wanting to mark him with something of his own. He wanted more...so much more than this. He wanted everything.

Lan Zhan molded Wei Ying to his body, his hands travelling down and pressing into soft flesh. Wei Ying moaned into his mouth and that's what flipped the switch.

Lan Zhan was in two minds: one was thinking down below, while the common sense part of his brain told him to stop. He had made his point and that was that.

But the universe had other plans.

Someone was knocking on the door downstairs, loud enough that he stopped kissing this gorgeous man. Reluctantly Lan Zhan pulled away, his chest healing at not getting a whole lung full of air in so long.

Wei Ying was lying beneath him, panting and in an ebony halo of hair. His silver eyes were bright and alive and so, so beautiful as he looked up at him.

"That was more unprofessional. We both lose." Lan Zhan told him before offering him a hand up. "We talk later?" He asked, just before they climbed down the stairs to the second level.

Wei Ying was still dazed when he nodded. He retreated to the main bedroom and just sat down next to his tools, wondering what had just happened.

Did Lan Zhan kiss him on purpose just so that he wouldn't lose? It sure felt like it! If they both lost, it nullified the bet...

And that kiss!

Wei Ying swooned and lay back on the floor.

His first ever real kiss.

With someone he liked.

A lot.

Lan Zhan really was amazing.

He was hot, he was compassionate, and he could be tender...like at the start of that wild, untamed kiss.

Wei Ying reached up to touch his lips. He could feel them slightly swollen and softer than usual, and they tingled when he touched them. Did Lan Zhan really and truly kiss him? Is that why he felt as if he was surrounded by candy floss, drifting away on fluffy clouds of happiness?

Kissing Lan Zhan felt better than chocolate, better than ice cream, heck, better than anything!

And what now?

What did it mean for them? What was he supposed to do now?

His thought vomit was interrupted by the sound of female laughter coming from downstairs.

Wei Ying sat up and listening intently, made his way to the top of the stairs.

"...looking great..." It was Mianmian from next door.

Oh great!

That was all he needed.

Wei Ying knew he was scowling but his face wouldn't cooperate when he told it that that was rude.

In what way exactly did the house look "good", huh?

It wasn't too far from being a bombsite right now, and clean was merely a concept at the moment. "Looking good" was about as far away as the North Pole was from Australia.

He stomped downstairs and brushed past the two people in the kitchen with the excuse of wanting to drink some water...but he couldn't find a glass.

He grabbed a bowl instead and shamelessly filled it, drinking slowly whilst maintaining eye contact with the sultry neighbour.

Except...today she looked normal.

She was wearing a summer dress that was simple and if Wei Ying was being generous (which he totally was not), it looked good on her.

"So...please enjoy." She was saying, and then she turned around to leave.

"You're not staying?" Wei Ying blurted out, hating his mouth right now.

If she was going, then why try to stop her?

Apparently Lan Zhan thought the same thing, because he looked confused first and then he glared at her for what Wei Ying had said.

"No." She chuckled. "My girlfriend and I are going shopping. It's just that I baked that pie before my plans changed, and who better than to share it with my gorgeous neighbours?"

Now they were both scowling at her.

"Relax boys!" She laughed even more. "When I said girlfriend, I meant it. She really is more than a friend right now...and who knows? She might be the one! So you don't have anything to fear from me." She clarified. "And if you need a hand, just call me. I'm an artist and my partner does interior design. We don't mind getting our hands dirty at all." She winked.

"NO!" They both said...well, one of them shouted.

"It's just because you guys mentioned a time limit, that's all. We'd be happy to help in our free time, if you need us." She walked to the door with Lan Zhan following her. Wei Ying traipsed behind them, still pissily drinking from his bowl, because he could.

"And," she paused by the door. "Expect more visits from my friends. They're curious about the two hot guys renovating my neighbour's house. Though it's obviously a lost cause because you're together."

Wei Ying managed to overturn the bowl onto himself while Lan Zhan hotly denied it.

"Whatever...just invite me to the wedding." She grinned and winked once more before leaving.

Lan Zhan turned around to see a dripping Wei Ying in the hall.

"What happened to you?" He said, leading him back into the kitchen.

"She did that." Wei Ying stubbornly replied, jerking a finger towards the oak door.

Lan Zhan made him sit down and took the bowl from him, handing him a teatowel instead to wipe his face.

Then he sat down opposite him at the table.

They looked at one another.

Moments passed by slowly, the natural sounds in the kitchen amplified in the quiet. The constant ticking of the clock above the sink, the hum of the refrigerator and Wei Ying was pretty sure his heart was on a mission to trip him up today.

Lan Zhan offered his hand, resting it palm up in the centre of the table, maybe three inches away from Wei Ying's forearm.

Wei Ying looked at for a split second before putting his hand in it. Lan Zhan gave him a small smile and clasped their hands together tightly. He squeezed them to make sure he had all of Wei Ying's attention.

They both sighed in contentment at the contact.

"So...." Wei Ying began. But he didn't actually know where to start and it fizzled out rapidly.

"The kiss." Lan Zhan enjoyed the way those silver starlight eyes shot up to his in alarm.

"Yeah...the kiss..." Wei Ying laughed awkwardly.

"I did it because I wanted to. I did it because I did not want Wei Ying to feel bad." Lan Zhan told him clearly. "About these sorts of things, there should be no confusion." All throughout he hadn't broken eye contact.

Wei Ying wished he could stop shivering whenever Lan Zhan spoke. His voice...it was too much!

His voice did things to Wei Ying, things that felt delicious and sweet and exhilarating.

"I did it because I do not want Wei Ying to lose."

"What? What did you say?" He whispered, sure that he had misheard.

"I said, I did not want Wei Ying to lose. And I meant it." He emphasised.

"But that means we both lost." Wei Ying wasn't sure what he was feeling. Definitely jittery though.

"Not necessarily." Lan Zhan looked smugly back at him.

"W-what? Why? What do you mean?"

Lan Zhan liked this. The way he could fluster this usually confident man into barely put together sentences was just raw satisfaction.

"I had a brilliant idea." He went on.

"Another one?" Wei Ying smiled for the first time in this conversation.

Lan Zhan felt his lips move against his will and knew now that he was smiling back. And it was Wei Ying who had made that happen.

"I'm on a roll." He deadpanned and Wei Ying laughed.

The sound was the melody in his heart. Lan Zhan looked at him fondly, loving that sound.

Free, unhindered and a glance into his beautiful soul.

"So what have you got for me?" Wei Ying asked him.

"Please listen carefully to me."

Wei Ying nodded, holding his breath. It sounded like Lan Zhan was serious.

"Wei Ying says he will not indulge in a relationship while he is employed by me, correct?" Lan Zhan could feel goosebumps beginning to rise on his arms. He was excited.

Wei Ying did not trust himself to speak...he had an idea where this was going to go...and it left him floundering.

But he nodded anyway.

"So if the work hours are between say, nine and five, does that mean Wei Ying is no longer employed during the outside of those hours? Because then, technically, that would leave Wei Ying free to do whatever he wants in his own time. I would have no say whatsoever..." Lan Zhan smirked.

That sneaky devil...

He knew exactly what he was doing.

Wei Ying swallowed hard.

This was so difficult...more so because he wanted...wanted this...whatever it was between them, so much.

But if they did anything...it would affect more people than just themselves.

A-Yuan.

He was going to be at the top of any list Wei Ying came up, especially in the foreseeable future.

This time it was Wei Ying who squeezed their hands together.

"Can I think about it?" He said finally.

Lan Zhan looked crushed.

He had watched all the different emotions play out on Wei Ying's expressive face and had expected...not that response.

"Wait...wait, please don't look like that..." Wei Ying felt awful.

And there was too much distance between them right now.

He stood up and planted himself on Lan Zhan's lap, bringing their joined hands to his lips. Wei Ying kissed their fingers softly.

Lan Zhan was pretty sure that sad poor organ in his chest had just thrown up its tiny hands and given up. It was beating really fast like it was competing in an imaginary race.

Wei Ying was exactly where he wanted him, pressed up close and straddling him.

But his gorgeous silver eyes were filled with confusion. Like a stormy sea at night, he imagined he could see waves crashing on the shore, while stars flashed in the sky above and thunderous lightening smashed into the sea.

"I want this." He said, watching the way Lan Zhan's eyes darkened immeasurably. "I do..."

"But?" Lan Zhan offered, because there was one. He just knew it.

"But I have to think about A-Yuan too. As a parent, I have to make sure he has stability and..." Wei Ying was struggling to get his point across. "I'm not saying no."

"Not saying yes, either." Lan Zhan pouted.

Wei Ying covered his eyes with his free hand.

"Stop it! That's cheating!"

Lan Zhan planted a kiss on the back of his hand, the one that was joined with his.

"Okay, hear me out, please?"

"Mn. But I want to see your eyes." Lan Zhan said softly.

Wei Ying dropped his hand, resting it on Lan Zhan's shoulder.

Lan Zhan suppressed a shiver, liking that weight. The heat from his touch was doing things to his body.

"I've been alone for so long...and so has A-Yuan...I guess what I'm saying is, give us time to get used to you. You must know some things about me first."

Lan Zhan could see how this was hard for him to say. He was visibly struggling.

"My Wei Ying is so brave."

He blushed right the way down to his chest.

Lan Zhan wanted to know how far down it could go, and what would happen if he placed a kiss right there above his heart. He wanted to try so badly, but he was torn because Wei Ying wanted to tell him something.

"So...er...I haven't exactly been with anyone...you're the first one."

Wei Ying was mortified by the look on Lan Zhan's face. He was shocked.

"There was no time, okay?" He whined, hiding his face in the crook of Lan Zhan's neck. "In between being homeless and working, and then suddenly being a dad...I...please can we take things slow?"

But Lan Zhan was pleased by this, surprising himself.

"So that was Wei Ying's first kiss?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes." Wei Ying admitted.

Lan Zhan rubbed his back comfortingly. He was loving the way all the tension left Wei Ying's shoulders and how he seemed to melt into him, seeking strength.

"Wei Ying is a good kisser." Lan Zhan kissed the top of his head.

"Really? You think so?" Wei Ying sat up, anxiously hoping it was true.

"But he needs practice." Lan Zhan couldn't stop the smile reaching his eyes.

"Meanie!! Teasing me at a time like this!" Wei Ying lightly smacked his arm.

Lan Zhan stared back, unrepentant.

"To get back to what I was saying, the thing is, we have chemistry. If we decide to go ahead, that's not the part which worries me." Wei Ying said, biting his bottom lip.

"When we go ahead with this. Which part bothers Wei Ying?" Lan Zhan asked him, wishing he could bite his lip for him.

"If I had a choice...I would want us to get to know each other first...before we do anything. I know we're compatible in the other department...because that kiss just floored me...but I want you to get to know A-Yuan too. I want him to be comfortable around you and for the most part, he is."

"Mn. I like him. He's a good boy." Lan Zhan loved the way Wei Ying's eyes lit up at that.

"He is!! He's the bestest boy! He's so sweet and caring and good! Do you know what I mean?" His eyes were definitely wetter.

"Just like Wei Ying." Lan Zhan told him.

Wei Ying burst into tears.

"No one h-has e-ever said t-that to m-me..." He hiccupped.

"Wei Ying should know that. He deserves to hear that every day." Lan Zhan said, sincerely. "Wei Ying is a good father, the best."

He wasn't quite sure what to do with an emotional Wei Ying, but since holding him tightly and rubbing his back seemed to help, he continued to do it. His fingers reached up to stroke Wei Ying's hair and that was even better because the trembling stopped.

There was a jug of water on the table and Lan Zhan filled his discarded bowl with a little bit and made him drink it.

"There is something Wei Ying should know about me too, since we're sharing." He admitted.

"What?" Wei Ying wiped his eyes free from the tears that clung to his beautiful long lashes.

"I do not like to touch people. It makes me uncomfortable." Lan Zhan wasn't used to telling people about himself...but Wei Ying had been so brave, that it had given him courage.

"Shall I...?" Wei Ying made moves as if he was going to get up, but Lan Zhan held him in place by holding onto his hips.

He wriggled and it definitely affected other parts of his body, but Lan Zhan held tighter so Wei Ying couldn't move. He whined.

That wasn't helping.

"Not Wei Ying. Like touching Wei Ying." He clarified. "Hate others."

"But you seem to be alright with A-Yuan?"

"Mn. A-Yuan is the same as Wei Ying. Plus I had no choice first, and now I don't mind."

The worry left Wei Ying's expression and he smiled.

"Let's take things slowly. I think we're going to be okay." Wei Ying climbed off his lap and extended his hand to help Lan Zhan stand up.

"Mn. I think so too. I wore these clothes, after all." Lan Zhan smirked.

"You have no idea what they're doing to me right now." Wei Ying shot him a hot look.

"I shall purchase the correct attire." He promised. Or he might not...

Not if it meant more of those looks.

"So what kind of tree do you think our guy will like? For their family?" Wei Ying asked as they made their way back upstairs.

"Cherry blossom tree." Lan Zhan replied immediately, seeing it in his mind's eye.

He saw more than that.

He saw himself and Wei Ying standing underneath it, making promises to each other. He saw them standing with little A-Yuan, a bit older now and sitting on a bench underneath the tree while petals swirled around them.

And he knew in his heart of hearts that this was going to come true.

**********

A/N

Dear Lovely Readers,

It looks like way more chapters than the days...jeez, I can't believe it. So this book is definitely going to be longer than a mere 42 chapters friends...*quietly sobs in a corner...

It's a beautiful day in London and I wish for sunny smiles and lashings of ice cream for everyone!

Charlie.