Wednesday 29 days to go before the Full Moon Festival

Oh, this was the life...Wei Ying decided, feeling like a puddle of syrupy honey. Mornings spent waking up to sleepy kisses, cuddling with someone so good at warm hugs...he felt cherished in all the best ways.

Lan Zhan was slowly peppering his face with love because, what else were these dreamy kisses called if not that?

Wei Ying giggled as Lan Zhan held him down without putting any excessive weight on his body and that made him think that Lan Zhan had superhuman muscles to be able to do that. His mouth watered at the thought, wondering when he would finally get the chance...

And as he opened his eyes, Wei Ying blushed because he remembered what he had to ask Lan Zhan last night.

He didn't remember much after falling asleep...except that a pissed off Lan Zhan was extremely hot.

The sandalwood fragrance was all around him and Wei Ying...wanted Lan Zhan with a passion. But as he accidentally lifted his hands, the injured one hurt and he gasped involuntarily, hating it because Lan Zhan stopped his ministrations and glanced up at him, worried.

Wei Ying blinked back the tears and forced himself to smile. "You didn't kiss my boo-boo today." He covered quickly.

"It was remiss of me." Lan Zhan threw him a calculated look and agreed, and then made him sit up. He fetched the strong painkillers and forced Wei Ying to drink them down, having already won half his argument.

Then tenderly, he lifted up his sleeve and kissed the bandage, his lips lingering softly.

"You know," Wei Ying giggled, watching him, "it really does make me feel better. Thank you, my love."

Lan Zhan smiled, feeling proud of himself.

"Um...actually...I have something else to ask you." Wei Ying gazed at him through his lashes, feeling his own face heat up.

Lan Zhan saw his blush and wondered what it could be. Wei Ying was shameless on occasion and only backed off when Lan Zhan pursued him...so he prepared himself straight away, sensing the return of the naughtiest gremlin.

"Actually...there's two things." He held up two fingers in the most charming way.

Lan Zhan took his hand and kissed both fingers one at a time, while Wei Ying’s face became hotter and hotter.

"Mn. Anything." He promised.

"Okay...so firstly...you know we were looking at furniture yesterday...and I got to thinking, maybe it isn't such a good idea to buy it online? What if the couch is weird and you sink into it? You could be trapped for days..." Wei Ying said.

"I'd call Xiongzhang."

"What if you left your phone in the kitchen? Then what? That sofa could be the death of you! And...what if it was so hard you hurt your back sitting on it for too long? What if it had sharp corners and every time you walked past, you stubbed your toe? Wouldn't that be just awful?" Wei Ying was awfully enthusiastic with his agenda.

But he had a point.

When he had mentioned sharp corners, all Lan Zhan could think about was either A-Yuan or Mo XuanYu hurting themselves on furniture which wasn't actually harmless.

"Mn...Wei Ying is correct. We shall go shopping instead of virtual purchasing." Lan Zhan surmised.

Wei Ying fist pumped the air with his good arm.

"Woohoo!"

"Second thing?" Lan Zhan asked him, scooting closer because the blush that had vanished merely seconds ago, was back with a vengeance.

"Um...okay...well, about that...." Wei Ying was looking at anywhere but him.

And still considering whether or not to ask him.

So Lan Zhan decided to give him a helpful nudge. And if it was because Wei Ying looked entirely too good first thing in the morning, that was nobody's fault but his own.

So he extended one long pale finger and put it under Wei Ying’s chin, tilting his face up.

"Anything." Lan Zhan said, before slanting his lips over those delicious ones and staking a claim.

The best thing about this was that both of them suffered from acute memory loss from the second their lips met, senses swamped and surrendering to the other wholeheartedly. Wei Ying knew he could kiss Lan Zhan forever...his drugging kisses were better than drinking Emperor's Smile, and that was saying something. The scent of sandalwood only added to his hunger and he wished to get closer.

Lan Zhan too, must have been having the same thoughts because he lifted Wei Ying single-handedly and placed him on his lap, not breaking this sweet connection at all. This added height gave Wei Ying an advantage to compensate his inability to hold Lan Zhan’s face with both his hands, so he put extra effort into delving in, his hot tongue scorching into a dalliance with Lan Zhan.

Butterflies in his stomach had long disappeared, turning into bolts of electricity spreading through his body, and Wei Ying shivered with excitement as Lan Zhan bit his bottom lip, soothing with his fiery tongue.

Each lick, each bite was adding to their desire, ramping up a burning need to continue, but it was only when Wei Ying moaned a little too loudly that Lan Zhan was brought back to his senses.

Immediately, Lan Zhan stopped, breathing heavily and resting their foreheads together.

"One day..." He vowed, "I will not stop."

Wei Ying could only let out a frustrated whine.

"Now...please tell me." Lan Zhan continued. "What you are scared to say." He waited until they both had caught their breath. "I want to be everything to Wei Ying. I want there to be nothing taboo between us. And Wei Ying should know by now, that he is already everything to me."

Just a few seconds ago, Wei Ying had been on fire, convinced that he was going to burst into flames by Lan Zhan’s passionate mouth alone...and now he was melting.

"You are..." He tried to speak past the huge lump in his throat.

But Lan Zhan was shaking his head.

"Not yet...Wei Ying does not trust me." He sounded sad...and so certain.

"That's not true..." Wei Ying protested, wondering if there was something extra in the painkillers that made him susceptible to swinging emotions. But Lan Zhan’s words were making big fat tears fall from Wei Ying’s face and nothing was stopping them now.

He sniffled onto a strong shoulder as Lan Zhan immediately regretted making him feel this way.

"I'm sorry. It is my fault if Wei Ying does not take my words seriously. I shall endeavour to prove to him daily how sincere I am." Lan Zhan held him closer, stroking his hair.

"No..." Wei Ying wailed now. "It's just so embarrassing...!" He burrowed into Lan Zhan’s arms, trying to get past his embarrassment and stop Lan Zhan feeling so bad. "Give me a minute..."

"Mn." Lan Zhan wondered whether he had misjudged Wei Ying’s reluctance to say what was on his mind. "I hope Wei Ying knows that he can tell me anything." He added.

"I need help washing my hair..." the words burst forth from his lips and Wei Ying was mortified.

It was just that he had tried by himself a few days ago, but there were parts of his head that he wasn't sure had been reached with the shampoo in a satisfactory manner and then, washing it all out was another nightmare entirely.

There was a noise.

And then it came again...a surprise to both of them.

Wei Ying leaned back to make sure he had heard right.

Sure enough, Lan Zhan’s face was no longer the stoic, expressionless features normally gracing his face...

The sound came again and Wei Ying couldn’t believe it...but Lan Zhan was laughing.

In fact...he couldn’t stop. And all the time, his face was a mask of astonishment while the noises continued...

Wei Ying had never felt so soft towards anyone before...because Lan Zhan was definitely laughing and he couldn't believe it either.

It was a few minutes later that he calmed down.

"Better now?" Wei Ying asked him anxiously, his own embarrassment forgotten.

Lan Zhan nodded silently.

"I'm going to take a guess and say that you've never laughed like that before...right?"

Lan Zhan nodded again, not speaking because he was unsure if it was going to happen again, and wasn't prepared if it did.

"There, there..." Wei Ying’s eyes were bright with happiness. "It's perfectly normal..."

The truth was that Lan Zhan knew it was...

But normally it was other people who laughed and made those noises come out of their mouths...not Lan Zhan.

"Right then, I'm going to make sure you laugh like that regularly." Wei Ying promised him.

Lan Zhan shot him a look of abject horror.

"Don't worry, my love...we'll take it slow." Wei Ying patted his hand.

"Only with Wei Ying." Lan Zhan pouted, standing up.

He held out his hand for Wei Ying to take, grabbing extra towels and guiding him into the adjoining bathroom.

"Shall we wash hair first or does Wei Ying want to shower first? By himself?" Lan Zhan clarified while Wei Ying’s face became hot again.

"Shower first," he mumbled and closed the door in Lan Zhan’s face quickly.

He sighed, resting his back against the door, feeling more tired than ever. This morning had been an emotional roller coaster from the get go, and all Wei Ying wanted to do was crawl back into bed...but there was no way Lan Zhan was going to let him off the hook now.

Grumbling to himself, he quickly stripped and showered, putting on the clothes that Lan Zhan had brought for him. The problem was, Lan Zhan was too thoughtful and Wei Ying couldn’t stay annoyed at him for...for...being so perfect.

When he was decent, he opened the door and shyly stood back, letting Lan Zhan in.

Wei Ying wasn't sure exactly how Lan Zhan intended to wash his hair, so he was surprised when Lan Zhan carried a chair into the bathroom. It was lower than a normal chair, and the perfect height when Wei Ying sat down, for his neck to be supported and still be comfortable.

Lan Zhan wrapped a towel around his shoulders and began gathering all of his hair into the generous basin. He made sure the water was warm before wetting Wei Ying’s beautiful locks. Then he began to lather the shampoo...and it was heavenly...sandalwood scented.

Wei Ying found himself relaxing degree by degree until the soothing massage of warm fingers kneading his scalp was putting him to sleep.

He woke when the sound of the hairdryer stopped, and Wei Ying stretched as best as he could.

"Wow..." Wei Ying was genuinely surprised, feeling refreshed and revitalised after his impromptu nap. "Lan Zhan...that was amazing! Where did you learn how to do that?" He had to keep still because now Lan Zhan was doing something else to his hair.

"YouTube. While Wei Ying was showering, I researched." He had an embarrassed tone.

"Really?" Wei Ying was shocked. "That quickly? And what are you doing now?" He asked, faintly.

"Checked which hairstyle prevented tangles...I am currently braiding Wei Ying’s beautiful hair." He was told.

Wei Ying pinched himself hard.

"Ow..."

Lan Zhan raised a brow quizzically.

"Nothing...it's just I'm hoping this isn't some kind of cruel dream where I'm going to wake up and still have greasy hair..."

Lan Zhan snorted, tieing the end of his long braid with a bunny tie.

"That's soooo cute!!!" Wei Ying was delighted when he was allowed to look at it. "Whose is that?"

"Mine...my hair used to be longer." Lan Zhan admitted. "My mother used to braid my hair when I was a child." He smiled softly. "She taught me...but I had forgotten I knew...until Wei Ying..."

Wei Ying jumped up and kissed his nose.

"Thank you, my love." He whispered, basking in a golden gaze.

"It is no trouble...I would do anything for Wei Ying." Lan Zhan whispered back.

He led him back to their bed which Lan Zhan had made up already.

"Rest now, and I shall return in ten minutes. Then we can go down for breakfast."

*********

Wei Ying fell asleep.

He didn't mean to, and he was only resting his eyes, confident that he wouldn't actually sleep...but he did.

And Lan Zhan was delighting in kissing him awake again.

They were a little bit late for breakfast as the dining room was quiet and empty. Wei Ying finished his meal and waited for Lan Zhan.

They went to check in on A-Yuan and A-Yu both of whom were studying in the library with Uncle Qiren.

Mo XuanYu gave them an enthusiastic wave and put his head down to study once more, while A-Yuan quietly came to give them kithes, putting his chubby finger to his lips and pointing at Mo XuanYu.

Uncle Qiren explained that they were learning quietly so the teenager could concentrate.

"Are you going somewhere?" He frowned at his nephew.

"Mn. We are going shopping for furniture, Shifu." Lan Zhan explained patiently.

"Do not tire him out." Uncle Qiren insisted, smiling at Wei Ying. "If you wish to return home, do not hesitate to tell him."

They both agreed and smiled, leaving soon after.

"I think Uncle prefers Wei Ying to me." Lan Zhan complained, but he was smiling.

Wei Ying remained quiet and his blush gave him away.

Lan Zhan opened the door to his white sports car as JingYi jumped out, surprised by their sudden arrival.

"Sir...and sir...you're looking much better." He said happily. "Where are we going?"

Lan Zhan gave him the details.

When he started the engine, loud eighties music blared out from the radio, and a flushed JingYi lowered the volume.

But he couldn’t stop himself from singing and they were treated to an altogether different version of Cyndi Lauper's Girls just wanna have fun...

Lan Zhan concentrated on the scenery as it flashed by.

********

The first store they entered was one that catered for all the rooms of a house.

"Where shall we begin?" Wei Ying mused cheerfully, excited at finally going out.

He was a naturally active man and used to travelling daily, so to be cooped up inside was something he found hard to tolerate.

As it turned out, they decided to start at the top and work their way to the ground floor which held the kitchen department. The top was bedroom furniture.

Lan Zhan took one look at Wei Ying’s excited face and suddenly regretted coming here...because Wei Ying was intending to have a good time...

Wei Ying loved the smell of newness, the aroma of freshly cut wood and because there was a restaurant somewhere, the smell of freshly baked bread permeated everywhere and combined with him coming outdoors in so long, Wei Ying was in Heaven.

They picked out cupboards that had to be assembled, a table that Mo XuanYu would be able to use as something to study on and a few chairs, and then they got to the beds. Picking one out for Mo XuanYu was fine and easy, but Wei Ying was trying to estimate Lan Zhan’s height for his one and that's when they discovered that he was too tall for the beds on display.

Wei Ying had been bouncing on all of the mattresses, trying to pick what Lan Zhan would like.

"This one offers no support at all," he complained, sinking into the pillows.

He jumped onto another one and tested it out, patting the place next to him for Lan Zhan to join him, while they waited for a sales assistant to arrive.

Lan Zhan was dying.

There was absolutely no privacy here, and all he wanted to do was grab Wei Ying and kiss him until they both forgot their names. The bed testing was giving him hives because he wanted to practice and the only thing stopping him right now was the security cameras watching his every move.

But he dutifully breathed through his mouth and sat down next to him. Wei Ying beamed at him, totally unaware of the sinful thoughts parading around in Lan Zhan’s head.

"Look! This one's quite firm, right?" Wei Ying was still bouncing as he sat.

Lan Zhan put his warm palm over Wei Ying’s sweatpants, on his thigh to hold him down and then immediately realised it was a mistake.

Wei Ying, far too close was looking into his eyes and all Lan Zhan could think about was the need to claim him. Push him down onto the bed and take him...

Wei Ying was on fire.

Everything Lan Zhan was thinking was right there, in each swirl of magical golden dust swimming in his molten eyes.

Lan Zhan ran hot, as he well knew through sleeping next to him, and his hand was burning through the thin cotton jersey as he held his leg down. And looking straight into his golden eyes was like jumping into lava.

"Must be firm." Lan Zhan agreed, not looking away at all. His lips curved at the double meaning, which Wei Ying was only just getting.

He swallowed hard, and Lan Zhan watched the movement hungrily as his Adam's apple bobbed.

He wanted to bite Wei Ying there and then lick that spot where his skin dipped, the place where his pulse fluttered like the wings of a butterfly.

His hand travelled higher even as he moved closer.

Wei Ying licked his lips and Lan Zhan wanted to suck on them, so tantalisingly within his reach but just then, the sales assistant arrived.

He cleared his throat politely and that had them moving apart quickly.

Lan Zhan left Wei Ying to deal with the irritating little man and decided to go and look at other items he had seen which had caught his eye.

When Wei Ying caught up with him after hashing out the details of how big Lan Zhan’s bed should be and his mattress preference, Lan Zhan was just putting away his credit card.

Just then, his phone rang.

"Shifu. Mn. Mn. Mn. We are on our way." Lan Zhan spoke while staring at Wei Ying, who couldn't look away either.

That same sparking electricity licked and burned in the air between them, drawing them closer and closer. This attraction...it was a fiery need to touch, to consume.

"We have to go." Lan Zhan said, his deep voice making Wei Ying shiver.

He reached for Wei Ying’s hand and static electricity shot through both of them. Still, Lan Zhan held on and guided them out of there.

"Why?" Wei Ying inquired, trying not to be overwhelmed by what he was feeling.

"The nurse has arrived at home. To change Wei Ying’s bandages." He explained, taking the short cut to the basement carpark.

JingYi was waiting outside the car, and looked at their empty hands.

"Custom made stuff. Everything is going to be delivered in two weeks." Wei Ying told him. He yawned too, which had Lan Zhan looking at him.

"Tired?"

"A little bit. But this was really nice...going out. Thank you my love." Wei Ying snuggled up to him in the car as Lan Zhan fastened his seat belt.

Wei Ying predictably fell asleep next to him, resting his head on Lan Zhan’s shoulder.

Lan Zhan had taken his hand again, and now he examined the slightly rough pads on the edges  of his otherwise soft palm. Wei Ying’s skin was golden, a light tan the testament to him spending time outside more than indoors. There was a definite contrast between them, since Lan Zhan had up till now, spent most of his time indoors and away from the sun so his skin was far paler than Wei Ying’s.

Unable to resist, he lifted their joined hands to his lips, feeling a deep peace as he sat back. Feeling the steady weight of the warm man next to him, Lan Zhan too closed his eyes and rested.

He woke when the rhythmic motion of the car stopped and he realised they had pulled up outside the mansion. Another car was there, a dependable Ford and he knew it must belong to the nurse.

Wei Ying stirred awake as Lan Zhan lifted him out of the car. His eyes were still closed as he nuzzled Lan Zhan’s neck, and he was fully awake by the time they reached the foyer of the mansion.

"You can put me down now..." Wei Ying blushed adorably.

"Don't want to." Lan Zhan replied, striding in. He marched straight to the study and only then, he put Wei Ying down on the couch, and glared at the new nurse. Thankfully it wasn't the same hot one as before; it was a young woman who efficiently cleaned and rebandaged Wei Ying’s arm with the minimum of touching.

Lan Zhan was going to give her a five star rating.

After lunch and the last dose of extra strong painkillers, Lan Zhan took a protesting Wei Ying upstairs to their bedroom. He pushed him down anyway and covered him with a blanket.

"Lan Zhan!" He whined, fidgeting in the bed too. "It's no fun if I'm by myself..."

"Close your eyes. Your body is tired even if your mind is not." Lan Zhan told him.

"Talk some more then. I love the sound of your voice." Wei Ying yawned, making Lan Zhan smile.

"What does Wei Ying want me talk about?" Lan Zhan took his hand again and Wei Ying brought it up to rest against his soft cheek.

"I don't know...tell me about yourself...and your mother..." He closed his eyes.

Lan Zhan was surprised. For two reasons, one was obvious because he didn't think Wei Ying would want to know about his mother, and the second was a surprise because he wasn't upset to do it.

The only other person he spoke with about his mother was XiChen and only because they shared the pain of losing her. And their love for the sweet person she was.

So Lan Zhan began to talk about the woman who had raised them while their father remained absent. He spoke about sitting on her lap and her teasing him, poking his cheeks and tickling ... he spoke about bringing home his first prize at the fun fair, the goldfish which only lasted a month because how was he supposed to know that overfeeding was a thing? He was only six when that happened.

In fact, Lan Zhan was surprised too at how many memories there were, stored up inside the deepest parts of his brain, and how good he felt talking about his mother.

He didn't want to address the later parts of her illness, but he shared all the happy glimpses of the past.

When he finished speaking, he saw that Wei Ying was fast asleep, a smile on his face.

Slowly he bent and kissed his forehead, easing his hand away and tucking him in securely.

Then Lan Zhan went downstairs.

Xiao XingChen had arrived and was waiting in the study. When Lan Zhan told Uncle Qiren this, he said he also wanted to discuss something important with their lawyer, and would Lan Zhan mind looking after the children?

Mo XuanYu had finished his papers already, and Lan Zhan glanced at them, seeing that they were mostly correct the answers he could tell.

"We have something to show you." He took A-Yuan's hand and held out his for Mo XuanYu. In A-Yuan's ear he whispered, "train."

A-Yuan's little face lit up and he chortled enthusiastically while they went upstairs to the attic.

Mo XuanYu was impressed with everything he saw, and once Lan Zhan had shown him how to control the trains and the tracks, he stood back and watched the two children play by themselves.

Wei Ying found them hours later and he joined Lan Zhan, wrapping an arm around his waist.

That feeling of peacefulness was like a blanket surrounding them and their family and as Lan Zhan kissed the top of Wei Ying's head, he smiled.

The outside world could wait.

For now, nothing could destroy this beautiful bubble of happiness.

********

Happy Saturday everyone,

Enjoy the last bits of warm weather and watch the trees turn gold. Autumn is so exciting, isn't it? And filled with beautiful colour.

I'm still eating ice cream though...fully aware that my time is running out...

Charlie.