Tuesday 16 days for the Full Moon Festival

Today was a day of manual labour at Lan Zhan's new home.

Most of the furniture had arrived and needed to be assembled and Lan Zhan made sure he stuck by Wei Ying. If anything needed to be lifted, or hauled around, Lan Zhan was right there.

Together, they formed a great team and as a result, they worked faster.

By five in the afternoon, they headed back to the mansion. They had planned a trip to the mall to pick up essentials that Mo XuanYu would need for the school where he would start attending next week, and Wei Ying needed different kinds of paints. He was planning a surprise for Lan Zhan...part of an engagement gift and he wanted that to be a surprise too.

He thought it might take him a few days to get it finished, and so he would have to keep Lan Zhan busy for that amount of time.

Lan Zhan had not pushed to know why they needed to lose Dan yesterday...but he had been ferocious in bed last night. Wei Ying was still sore all over and there was more than twenty bite marks...but he had to admit, every time he saw one or felt a tingle on his now sensitive skin, he felt a thrill of excitement and his eyes would inadvertently look for Lan Zhan.

Being in this relationship...he loved it.

Wei Ying felt like a flower constantly in bloom these days, and it was really due to all those surrounding him.

JingYi had a day off so Dan would be driving them.

But when they got home, a slightly nervous looking Uncle Qiren met them in the foyer.

"Good evening, boys." He said, rather stiffly.

"Good evening." They replied back, and Wei Ying bounded towards him. "Do you want to come with us to the mall, Uncle? We're going to buy things for A-Yu...he's starting school next week?" He chirped, wondering where A-Yuan was...and looking around for his little boy.

Uncle Qiren cleared his throat a little more uncomfortably.

"About that...so we were having a lot of fun this afternoon and...and we forgot to have a nap." He said, not making eye contact at all with Wei Ying.

"Oh? That's okay, Uncle. He'll just go to sleep after we come back from the mall." Wei Ying replied.

He turned and went into the library where both A-Yuan and Mo XuanYu usually studied together with Uncle Qiren.

Mo XuanYu was just packing away his things...and A-Yuan was fast asleep, hugging his plushie to his chest.

"Awww! Poor little bunbun must have been too tired to stay awake..." Wei Ying brushed his soft baby curls away from his forehead and kissed it.

"I do not mind looking after him tonight...since it is my fault." Uncle Qiren said.

Mr. Marshmallow jumped up onto the sofa right next to A-Yuan, purr-growling.

"Oh...Uncle, you don't need to feel bad, really." Wei Ying reassured him. "And it would be great if you can please watch over him? Just until we get back? As you know, he's a calm sleeper, once he's out for the count, he'll only wake up in the morning." Wei Ying hugged Uncle Qiren who still looked upset.

"I can take him up to my room. It's no trouble." Uncle Qiren was saying.

Lan Zhan picked up the sleeping baby instead.

"It's dinnertime, Uncle. We will have something at the mall. If Wei Ying says A-Yuan will sleep...then A-Yuan will sleep. You can sleep after you eat." He said, walking out with the baby.

So that's what they agreed to do.

Now it was Dan driving while Lan Zhan, Mo XuanYu and Wei Ying sat in the back.

"Do you know what you've got to buy, A-Yu?" Wei Ying was asking, looking forlornly at the silent radio.

He missed singing along with JingYi.

Lan Zhan was looking at the radio too and was silently thanking his lucky stars it was off and Dan didn't like singing...not as much as the other two.

Mo XuanYu pulled out his phone and showed Wei Ying a list he had made.

Wei Ying side hugged him, very proud of his organising skills. He told him that and was pleased to see the faintest blush on Mo XuanYu's cheeks.

Perhaps the teenager wasn't used to hearing good things about himself...but Wei Ying was a firm believer in positive affirmation.

They got to the mall, parking underground in the carpark. It was busy and Wei Ying thought it was quite upbeat and safe looking with cameras everywhere.

It took them an hour to go from shop to shop and purchase everything on Mo XuanYu's list. Their bags were becoming cumbersome and Lan Zhan asked Dan to go and put them in the car.

That's when Lan Zhan got a phonecall from XiChen and he wandered away, while they discussed a particular client.

Wei Ying was looking at an art store and making a mental note of everything he would need to buy, when there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Lan Zhan holding out his black credit card and making sure Wei Ying took it, before sauntering off again, a bored look in his eyes.

Wei Ying examined it; he had seen Lan Zhan pull it out now and again wherever they spent money, and now that it was in his hands, he felt like it was a surreal situation. Lan Zhan obviously wanted him to spend money and knew Wei Ying was interested in the art store.

It didn't take a genius to figure it out...

"Let's go have a look." Mo XuanYu encouraged him, taking his hand.

The shop was a colourful equivalent of a candy store for Wei Ying. He started selecting paints, and since this was an artist's store, they had high quality paints and in so many shades. Anything they didn't have, Wei Ying knew he could mix them himself. He bought paintbrushes too and there was no need to buy cleaning supplies because he already had an abundance at his disposal.

Mo XuanYu pointed out things to him and they ended up buying a palette too, because Wei Ying had forgotten all about that.

When it came to paying and when Wei Ying found out what the total was, with a trembling hand, he handed over Lan Zhan's card, half expecting it to be rejected and a swat team coming in through the roof to apprehend him, so he was totally shocked when the sales assistant smiled and asked him about how many bags he would like.

They came out of the store and Mo XuanYu was attracted to a store on the left of the artist's one...it was a make up store. His face was glued to the window as he checked out the different kinds of blush and lips colours, and their newest collection of shades.

Wei Ying had been looking out for Lan Zhan and he saw him a few shops away, still talking on the phone. He waved when he got Lan Zhan's attention and gestured to the shop behind him. When he turned around, there was such a look of longing on Mo XuanYu's face that Wei Ying came much closer.

"Shall we go inside?" This time, it was he who encouraged the teenager.

Mo XuanYu shot him a look of wonder and disbelief.

And then he nodded shyly.

Wei Ying took his hand and they went inside.

This was similar to the artist's shop next door but it was on a whole other level. What was more surprising was that Mo XuanYu seemed to know how to navigate his way through.

Wei Ying watched as the teenager would pick up particular containers of make up, certain shades and hues that would look great together. He had a knack for putting together combinations but when it came down to it, he put them all back.

Wei Ying was understandably concerned by this and decided to say something.

"Sweetheart...why don't we buy some, huh?" He put his hand on Mo XuanYu's arm, stopping him from returning what was in his palm. "Look, they've got a really cute little shopping basket...do you want me to hold it for you?"

Mo XuanYu was looking at him as if he held the moon in his hands and was offering it to him.

"Can we?" He asked, tentatively. Like he was afraid Wei Ying was going to say no, that he had been joking and of course they weren't going to waste money on something so frivolous.

Wei Ying's eyes burned with the effort to not cry at such raw hope in the younger one's face.

His eyes were shining with excitement.

"Yeah...why not? Let's see what this baby can do!" Wei Ying waved Lan Zhan's card in front of his face. He was pretty sure that Lan Zhan wouldn't mind them buying some extra purchases, and by doing this, they would get to see a whole new side to Mo XuanYu.

Plus who could say no to that cute face?

"Okay...okay..." Mo XuanYu could hardly contain himself but he added, "let's not go overboard...I'll only get the essentials...if that's okay?"

Wei Ying waved away his concerns; he was quite sure that Lan Zhan wouldn't mind.

He ended up finding out the hard way how expensive designer make up was, but he didn't mind either because Mo XuanYu seemed to know what he was doing. When they walked out of the store, Wei Ying was asking him how he knew so much.

He was just about to answer, when a shadow crossed their path and they both looked up.

"Dad?"

Wei Ying was looking at the bulky man, at least a foot taller than himself, with a thick beard and a heavy moustache. There was an odd smell emanating from his body, and they were close enough for Wei Ying to see the greedy violence in his black eyes.

What had shocked him was Mo XuanYu calling him that...and the fact that the boy had gone visibly white with fear.

He was shaking.

Wei Ying pulled him behind his body immediately. He kept hold of his hand, giving it a squeeze for courage.

"There you are! Come home with me, son...don't you know how much I've been worried about you?" Mr. Mo said, extending his hand towards the teenager. His voice dripped with fake concern. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

Wei Ying wanted to throw up at all of him; from the unwashed smell lingering in the air to the presence of the man himself, eyeing them both hungrily. He pushed Mo XuanYu back now, wishing Lan Zhan was there.

That small movement out of the range of his arms, an act of defiance, had Mr. Mo flare his nostrils in anger and clench his fists

"Come with me, XuanYu." He commanded, expecting to be obeyed.

"No." It came out a whisper. And then...stronger. "No. I will not." Mo XuanYu stood with his feet apart and staring at the man with obvious hatred on his young face.

"No? NO?" Mr. Mo stepped forward, into their space.

His voice was becoming louder.

People passing by were giving them strange looks and a wide berth.

Wei Ying didn't blame them...even he didn't want to be there. He wished he could get Mo XuanYu away from there, whisk him away to safety.

Away from this sorry excuse for a parent, already seething with anger.

"He said no. Kindly step back. You're frightening him." Wei Ying said, holding his hand out to stop him from coming closer.

He was beyond relieved that his voice had come out stronger. As if he too, wasn't scared...when he could feel the tremors climbing up his spine.

"Who are you?" Mr. Mo pushed Wei Ying hard, enough to make him stumble.

With shaking hands, Mo XuanYu pulled out his phone and sent a text, simultaneously filming what was happening right in front of his face.

Wei Ying dodged the next potential hit, dancing around the man trying to hurt them. He was encumbered by Mo XuanYu and the bags that were now at his feet but he didn't dare let go of the teenager.

Mo XuanYu was part of his responsibility now and even if he wasn't, there was no way in hell he was going to let this man anywhere near his son. If he hadn't realised it before, Wei Ying knew it now: Mo XuanYu was his, just as A-Yuan was his, and he would not allow anything to get to either of them.

The next punch never came.

In a whirlwind of white, suddenly Lan Zhan stood right in front of Wei Ying, his back facing him and his front facing this awful man.

"And who are you?" Mr. Mo sneered, amazed that there were two people now, randomly defending his son.

Preventing him from letting him take his son.

His irrational anger got the better of him and he threw his most powerful punch...expecting it to hit skin, the satisfying noise of flesh being torn, the crunch of bone...it never came.

Instead, Lan Zhan had intercepted his fist and was beginning to squeeze.

In two seconds flat, Mr. Mo was screaming in excruciating pain, landing on his knees and howling.

Lan Zhan was excellent at multitasking.

He glanced to the side at Wei Ying and Mo XuanYu.

"Are you alright?" The question was aimed at both of them.

"Yeah...yes we are." Wei Ying had to swallow hard, clearing his throat.

Lan Zhan was here.

The relief was real.

Dan also arrived and took in the scene. He immediately pulled out his phone and called security. He whipped out a pair of handcuffs and looked at Wei Ying and Mo XuanYu who were wrapped tightly around each other now, making sure they were alright before restraining this bulky guy.

"Son..." Mr. Mo called out, one last time as the mall security guys arrived.

"You're not my dad!" Mo XuanYu shouted out, defiantly. "Jin Guanshan is my father and even he's not as bad as you!"

And then he burst into tears.

***********

Lan Zhan had made sure they were okay first, before taking them into the first restaurant they walked past.

At this point, Wei Ying just wanted to go home, but Mo XuanYu was still wrapped around him and Lan Zhan insisted they eat something first, just to get rid of the shock.

He had already called up Xiao XingChen and explained what had happened.

Wei Ying ordered chocolate cake and ice cream and when Lan Zhan found out, he made them order real food first with the threat of not letting them eat the desserts.

This strange but normal banter loosened Mo XuanYu's hold around his waist, and Wei Ying smiled at the boy, still holding his hand.

"I have the latest report from Xiao XingChen...if you want to know." Lan Zhan said, keeping an eye on both of them.

In his opinion, if either said no, he was not going to say anything. He genuinely felt that they didn't need to know...but for the sake of closure, it might be better to tell them. Whatever they wanted, he would respect their choices.

"Tell me." Mo XuanYu said, straight away and with a steely determination. He sat straighter, but held on to Wei Ying's hand in both of his, levelling his gaze straight at Lan Zhan.

"A-Yu...you don't have to do this...okay? Only if you're sure." Wei Ying told him, squeezing his hand.

He felt as if, if he could pass on courage to this little boy, like spiritual energy, he would...no question about it.

"I'm sure." Mo XuanYu replied again, immediately.

"Wei Ying?" Lan Zhan asked him too.

"Yeah...Okay...I'm going to be brave too." Wei Ying smiled at the young boy, knowing how scared he still was, but choosing to do something about it. "But you can stop him any time you want to." He assured the younger one.

Mo XuanYu simply nodded.

"Xiao XingChen submitted the photos we took of A-Yu's body...the marks and the bruises..." Lan Zhan took a deep breath and unclenched his hand. Those marks and bruises had faded away now, but the damage they had done to his mind was longer lasting.

Lan Zhan did not know it was possible to hate someone that much...but he loathed the man who pretended to be a father to his son. Mo XuanYu was his now and Lan Zhan was going to protect him with everything he had. So he carried on, knowing that once it was said, he would not have to repeat these words for a long time.

"To the police. However, when they went to arrest him, he wasn't there...at your old address." Lan Zhan didn't say home on purpose...if that's place ever was a home to Mo XuanYu...it hadn't been for so long now.

Home was supposed to be safe.

Home was supposed to be a sanctuary against anything that could hurt.

But if the biggest threat was inside the home?? What then?

"The police think he was watching his house from a distance, because they never saw him back there. They ordered a warrant for his arrest and since he's in arrears, they know he can't afford bail. Hopefully, he'll rot in jail for the rest of his life." Lan Zhan finished.

Wei Ying let out the breath he had been holding, and wrapped his arms around Mo XuanYu, hugging him tightly.

It was a booth so Lan Zhan scooted around and hugged them both too, his strong arms surrounding them with much needed warmth.

"A-Yu...you never have to worry about him ever again...okay? You have us and you have no need to be afraid. But it's okay if you are...alright?" Wei Ying kissed his forehead.

Their food arrived then and Lan Zhan made them eat.

Dan arrived back with a nod and Lan Zhan made him sit down with them and order food. Lan Zhan had sent him back to the car with whatever Wei Ying and their son had bought.

"Oh...I almost forgot about the magic card. We went a bit wild." Wei Ying laughed awkwardly and handed Lan Zhan his black card back.

"That's what it's for, a good time." Lan Zhan replied straight away, smiling at their guilty faces.

When they both smiled at him back, he knew they were okay. And eating after the trauma of what they'd been through was really helping; they felt better after the ice cream immediately.

They went home after that.

It was late and Mo XuanYu went straight to his room, hugging his hoard of makeup like a dragon protecting his treasure.

Wei Ying and Lan Zhan went to check in on Uncle and A-Yuan and found them both fast asleep, Uncle Qiren curled protectively around the little bunny, and A-Yuan had a smile on his face from whatever he was dreaming about.

They got changed into their pyjamas and then Wei Ying said what was on his mind.

"Let's go make sure A-Yu is alright. I'm getting the feeling that he needs us."

Lan Zhan nodded and took his hand. Together, they went to the next room and knocked on the door.

Mo XuanYu opened the door, his eyes widening when he saw both of them. He too, was wearing his bunny pyjamas and for some reason, there was a warm feeling in all their chests at the same clothes.

But he glanced back at his bed where he had laid out every single item to examine carefully.

He let Wei Ying and Lan Zhan in and then moved some things out of the way so they could sit down. He grabbed the chair at the desk and brought it closer so he could sit down too.

Lan Zhan picked up a little box of concealer. It looked comically tiny in his his long, pale elegant fingers, and Wei Ying had to mentally slap himself into focusing on why they were here.

Mo XuanYu was watching them both, in particular Lan Zhan and what he might have been thinking.

"D-do you think it's weird? That I like...that I like make up?" He said, after a while. He sounded so uncertain, Wei Ying stood up and went to hug him straight away.

"No." He said, in Mo XuanYu's ear.

"It's different...but not in a bad way." Lan Zhan said, his voice full of surety.

"Um...can you put some on me?" Wei Ying asked him.

There was silence.

Wei Ying could feel the boy trembling in his arms. He rubbed Mo XuanYu's back like Lan Zhan did for him when he needed that kind of comforting...and it seemed to be working.

"Really?" Mo XuanYu sounded completely different now...full of hope.

"Yes, please!" Wei Ying laughed at his enthusiasm. "I want to look good for my family."

"Wei Ying always looks good. Great...beautiful..." Lan Zhan shut up, embarrassed at his own bursting of extraneous words and the pure love shining from both of the boys in front of him.

"Okay...I can do this." Mo XuanYu was telling himself this as pushed Wei Ying down in the chair.

Within seconds, he was testing colours of foundations to make a match to Wei Ying's skin colour.

"Your tone is on the yellow side but not far from mine...this will be a beaut!" He enthused as he painted streaks on Wei Ying's face.

Wei Ying caught Lan Zhan's alarmed golden gaze as he watched the boy go to town on the make up. He smiled warmly at both of them, trying to reassure Lan Zhan that it was alright...not that Mo XuanYu would notice.

He was too busy trying to find the correct shade of eye shadow and decided to blend several shades of shimmery silver and dark blues.

"How did you get into this?" Wei Ying gestured towards the open palettes.

"I remember watching my mother...when I was a kid." If he paused at the beginning, neither mentioned it.

Wei Ying let him talk at his own pace, mixing it up with musings about colours and making features pop.

"She used to want to look nice...for...him...and while I didn't like that...because...because I thought it was a waste for him...for someone who never appreciated her natural beauty...or the effort it took her to do her face...? You know?"

He paused to blend the colours on Wei Ying's cheeks.

"But I used to watch her blend the shades and I thought it was amazing that she was beautiful anyway...but she could do more...make it more. Enhance what was already there. I was fascinated by that. And then, one day...I discovered Nicky on YouTube. She's great...really amazing...and so strong?" Mo XuanYu smiled...a real one. "She's my hero. She was bullied at school for being too tall and lots of things but then she started uploading videos, makeup tutorials and she was so down to earth and funny and easy to listen to. And she had a mantra: blend, blend, blend...I learned the everything I know from her." Mo XuanYu ran out of breath, talking about his role model.

He stood in front of Wei Ying and blocked his view of the mirror, finishing off his look with expertly applied eyeliner with "wings".

"Ta da!" He moved out of the way so Wei Ying could see himself now.

Wei Ying...for a moment, he could not believe this was himself.

In awe, he lifted a finger to his face; Mo XuanYu had added a silvery shimmer on the contouring of his cheeks, subtle but it enhanced his beauty a hundredfold.

"Say something..." Mo XuanYu whispered...wondering if he didn't like it after all...was there something wrong? Was it the colours he had so carefully picked out? Or was it-

Wei Ying swamped him in such a powerful hug, Mo XuanYu could not breathe. He laughed...finding it funny that he had been so uncertain.

"So you like it, then?" He asked again, needing verbal confirmation.

"Omg...I love it!!! I mean, I usually do my own but beyond a little eyeliner and lip gloss...I know nothing!! Nothing! A-Yu!!! You never told us about this? This hidden talent needs to be something!!!" Wei Ying gushed.

"You can touch it, I put the fixing spray on like Nicky always says." Mo XuanYu said, his face full of joy.

"So it's not going to come off? Even if I go to sleep like this?" Wei Ying asked, full of excitement.

Mo XuanYu shook his head proudly.

Wei Ying clutched his arm even tighter.

"Wait! That means I can get up tomorrow morning and say, "I woke up like this!"" He flicked his hair back and it slightly didn't work, but they all laughed.

"Lan Zhan! You're next!" Wei Ying pulled him up and made him sit in the chair. "A-Yu! Do your magic!"