Lan Zhan lets himself into the building, feeling absolutely shattered. Getting home from Suzhou has been a desperate nightmare, and he's exhausted everything he has, running on fumes as he closes the front door behind him. He doesn't even know what day it is, and when he blearily checks his watch, he thinks it might be Saturday night, close to midnight.

The building is quiet and dark as he climbs the steps up to his flat. Inside his apartment, he waits to let his eyes adjust. The curtains are closed, but there's a gap that allows the glimmering moonlight in, and he can make out the dodgy shapes of the furniture. He knows Mianmian is staying here, but he's not sure which room she might have taken, so the couch is the safest bet. He can use his mother's crochet blanket, and it will do for now. He's so tired. He just wants to lie down.

The living room is awash with a deep bluish light reminding him of the famous cobalt porcelain bowls and plates his mother used to keep back in Suzhou. She favoured the designs depicting town centres and village squares from their homeland.

But a whimper cautions him as he slowly makes his way to the sofa. There is a long lump on his couch, and it is definitely the wrong shape for Mianmian. For the first time since Lan Zhan left here, he smiles. This is Wei Ying. A wondrous sight for his sore eyes. He must have been waiting for Lan Zhan to come home - that's the only explanation that makes sense.

He immediately makes the choice and shrugs off his worn jacket. Then he gently eases himself next to Wei Ying, rolling so that he doesn't wake him. As his nose fills with the scent of cinnamon and wildflowers, Lan Zhan's whole body relaxes. He makes sure to hold Wei Ying to him, so neither falls off the narrow space. He pulls his mother's blanket over them both and closes his eyes again.

Now, he's finally home.

*********************

Wei Ying snuggles deeper into the warmth of his pillow, relaxing further. Lan Zhan's couch smells just like him, and really, he should have made up an excuse to come and stay here before, just to get his sandalwood fix. He has deeply missed this fragrance, a sweet-but-spicy mix that is now a hundred percent Lan Zhan in his mind.

There's a nice dream on the periphery of his consciousness that pulls him back into the sweetest slumber as his mind helpfully reminds him that today is Sunday and he can sleep in. Wei Ying gives up against the random thought that pops up, that he's waiting for something to happen. All that matters is that he's safe and warm and that Lan Zhan will be home soon.

******************

Why is his pillow moving? And is that coffee he can smell? Nectar of the Gods? Wei Ying mumbles something and tries to turn away from the horrible light coming in through the windows - hang on a minute...didn't he close them last night? Mianmian must have opened them in a bid to get him to wake up. Well, jokes on her because he can just turn and face the sofa and absolutely not get up.

But something is holding him tight, and there's a rumble, and is that- why is there a heartbeat inside his pillow? Wei Ying lets his hands wander, and at first, the pillow feels like all pillows should, covered in cotton and firm (kind of muscular??) and warm, and then it laughs.

Pillows don't usually laugh. Come to think of it, pillows definitely do not have heartbeats!

Higher up, his hands connect with something softer, and then before they can continue their exploration of the mysterious pillow shape, warm hands gently take his wrists, and something soft kisses each palm.

Wei Ying tries to think, because pillows aren't supposed to kiss you, right?

"Wei Ying. It is time to wake up."

Lan Zhan? It's definitely his deep, welcoming voice close to Wei Ying's ear.

Suddenly, Wei Ying is wide awake and up and grabbing that beautiful face and kissing Lan Zhan's lovely eyes, his forehead, his cheeks, in between exclamations of, "Lan Zhan!" And "I was so worried!" And "where were you!".

Lan Zhan lets out another gentle laugh and holds his face, just looking at him. For a moment, time seems suspended, and the world put on pause as they drink in the much missed sight of each other.

"Wei Ying, I missed you," Lan Zhan whispers, his golden eyes shimmering wet.

"Oh, Sweetheart, no, don't cry! Don't- here, let me hug you properly," Wei Ying whispers back, feeling frantic because Lan Zhan shouldn't ever have to cry because of him, and he doesn't want to disturb whatever weird feeling this is, except that it feels right. "I'm here." He kisses Lan Zhan's jaw and puts his arms around as much of him as he can, pressing him into the sofa. "But it feels like a dream! How? How are you here?"

Lan Zhan pulls him even closer, letting his palms rest on Wei Ying's back.

"Uncle woke up, and after about two days, he sent me back."

"He sent you back? Why?" Wei Ying lifts only his head because there are some bags...hold on, there are lots of colourful bags where there weren't any last night. "What's THAT?"

"I'll show you in a minute. But Wei Ying, let me apologise in person for what Mianmian did to you. When I left to go up north."

"She's done plenty more in between, let me tell you. Lan Zhan, my poor eyes are scarred! Are you sure she's not colourblind? And, she's such a bully, too!"

"Mn. I'll protect Wei Ying from now on."

Wei Ying feels his cheeks getting hotter and quickly changes the subject, glad that Lan Zhan can't see him properly. "Okay, let's start at the beginning, then. Why did your uncle send you back?"

"He found out about you and told me to make up my mind and talk to you. That's why I'm here." Now that it's come down to it, Lan Zhan feels terribly shy. He berates his own tongue for being so weak suddenly.

"Talk to me?" Wei Ying can't help it. It comes out like a squeak.

"Mn."

"About what?" There's a funny feeling in his chest, and it's spreading to his tummy. Wei Ying swallows hard, his mouth feeling dry.

"Wei Ying. I love you."

Wei Ying can't believe it. He's paralysed out of shock, his heart skipping frantically in his chest. Wen Qing's words come back now, and to his horror, his eyes fill with tears. They leak past the corners of his eyes, spilling onto Lan Zhan's chest, hot and heavy. He's so happy, and he knows he should say something, probably say it back because it's true. But he can't look at Lan Zhan yet.

"I don't think I love anyone more than I love you, Lan Zhan," he sniffs and laughs, dashing away the tears and still, more fall from beautiful eyes as he sits up, straddling Lan Zhan's waist. "Lan Zhan, can I kiss you?"

Lan Zhan nods, eyes wide with shock. This is more than he ever imagined it would be, and it makes every single second of his excruciatingly painful journey back worth it.

"You're so beautiful, my love," Wei Ying murmurs sweetly before his lips descend and touch Lan Zhan once, twice, and then three times. The third is when he stays, his soft mouth warm, gently caressing Lan Zhan's lips as if they were a treasure to be cherished and worshipped. As if he can't quite believe how amazing this feels. But it isn't enough, not for Lan Zhan.

He flips them over effortlessly, immediately pressing him down and deepening this kiss, feeling as if he could swallow Wei Ying down whole and it still wouldn't be enough, not with how much he wants him. Wei Ying is soft and pliant in his arms, his mouth just as eager to taste, to dip in whatever marvellous feeling this is and never let it go. He can't breathe, and he can't care about that, not when Lan Zhan is ravishing his mouth like this.

Wei Ying has to tear his lips away only for Lan Zhan to attack his neck, kissing, biting, warm wet open mouthed kisses that seem to last forever, and Wei Ying, his eyes just keep leaking even as he holds Lan Zhan close to him. Lan Zhan is trembling in his arms, and when he lifts his beautiful face, his bloodshot eyes are red-rimmed, glowing with a fiery intensity.

"When did you know?" He demands, listening when Wei Ying begins to talk, gasping because Lan Zhan thinks that his lips must always be touching him in some way.

"I-I...guess, when - ow! - Wen Qing told me it was, ah, okay to be happy," he hums, feeling like he could fly away on a carpet of dazzling stars, simply float up to the Heavens and just stay there.

It's like every single cell of his skin. Every pore in his body is shouting with joy, the sweet honey syrupy love overflowing like a waterfall cascading out of his heart. To know that he can love Lan Zhan freely, to realise that it's the same for him, and that they both can't quite believe it yet.

That this is true.

"What about," Wei Ying hisses after a particularly deep bite on his collarbone, "You?"

"The attraction was there from the first day."

"No! But Lan Zhan," Wei Ying giggles, his gorgeous silver eyes bright with amusement. "You looked so serious! So grumpy, I wanted to make you smile so much!"

"I only knew that it was love, after Luo QingYang sent me photos-"

"You don't have to pay her!"

"Yes, I do. I will because the content is priceless." Lan Zhan bends and kisses him again softly, both of them giddy with this feeling.

Wei Ying's stomach protests, the tummy God well and truly awake now.

Lan Zhan rises like the fit man he is, taking Wei Ying by the hand and helping him up.

"Shower first or breakfast?"

"I feel kinda gross-"

"Good choice!" Lan Zhan pushes him into the bathroom.

"What? Wait, you meant together?" His yelp is drowned out by Lan Zhan's laugh and the door closing behind them.

*******************

It turned out that Mianmian had predicted they would be hungry when they woke up, so she'd left early to grab them coffee for Wei Ying, a smooth green tea for Lan Zhan, and pastries, leaving them to eat whenever they were ready.

Lots of pastries.

Wei Ying is comfortably leaning against Lan Zhan's chest, feeding him bites of a buttered croissant in between feeding himself, sitting across his lap, and still feeling like this is a dream. He knows Lan Zhan won't want to talk while he's eating, so they concentrate on their breakfast for now. Though given that it's closer to midday, it's more of a brunch.

There's nothing wrong with Wei Ying filling him in, so he chats about the shop, the people he's met in Lan Zhan's absence, and Mianmian's terrible fashion disasters.

"I convinced her that I could make her something interesting and easy on the eyes," Wei Ying says, brushing away a flake of the light pastry from the corner of Lan Zhan's mouth. "Oh yeah, we talked to your brother last night!"

"Mn?" Lan Zhan's mouth drops open before he remembers himself. He's still not over the fact that Wei Ying is wearing his clothes. They only realised after they finished showering along with some extracurricular activities that Wei Ying had nothing to wear here. Easily remedied by Lan Zhan opening his closet for the delightful man to choose something, and even that was entertaining.

Wei Ying chose what he dubbed as beachwear, a cream linen shirt that had three brown leather toggle fasteners at the neckline, and taupe linen trousers that barely hung from his lean hips. Lan Zhan cannot look away from him yet, not when this is the first time he's seen Wei Ying wear something other than black or red.

"That's how we knew you'd left Suzhou. See, I got worried because you hadn't told me what to tell the artists and they're coming around on Monday, that's tomorrow, to see if it's possible." Wei Ying smiles at him and kisses Lan Zhan's cheek.

"Wei Ying may do as he pleases with the shop. What are your thoughts?" Lan Zhan nuzzles his cheek against the side of Wei Ying's temple. Being like this with the Love of his Life, it feels amazing.

Wei Ying loops his arms around Lan Zhan's neck, seriously thinking about his answer. "I think it'll definitely cause a stir. I was even considering putting up content on Facebook and Instagram, but you know, the hottest social media site is TikTok. I think if we put up videos with public engagement, you know, asking them what they think of Look A and Look B, get them involved in, say, the window displays or something. That's where the artists would come in because it would be mutually beneficial, right? We can even ask Wen Popo to do tutorials for us, and that'll pump up the views, too."

"Wei Ying just thought of all that?"

"Huh? Well, yeah-" he yelps as Lan Zhan tackles him onto his back, his strong hands gripping Wei Ying's waist hard enough to leave finger shaped bruises, his hot insisting tongue kissing Wei Ying to within an inch of his life.

Wei Ying is understandably dizzy when Lan Zhan sits up again, not a hair out of place and looking like a runway perfect model ready to face the paparazzi.

"What did my brother say?"

"W-Wha-what?"

Lan Zhan smirks, the smuggest look on his face. Wei Ying smacks his arm lightly indignantly.

"That's not fair! You sucked out all my thoughts via your magic tongue, and now you wanna start a conversation? Good luck with that, buddy."

Lan Zhan huffs out a laugh and helps him sit up again.

"You talked to XiChen," he prompts.

"Yeah, your brother is really nice. He called me his new Didi. I've never had an older brother before." Wei Ying sighs happily, tucking himself under Lan Zhan's chin.

"They both want to meet you."

"Both?"

"Shushu and Ge. But we're going to make them wait."

"Okay?" Wei Ying shrugs, too blissed out to really care. He thinks about how different Lan Zhan suddenly is after his return from Suzhou. Before, while they worked together, there was an invisible line between them that made them stick to their respective corners, not letting anything blur that boundary. Sure, Wei Ying introduced hugging to him and gave Lan Zhan the space to process his feelings, but neither of them acted on the fierce, incendiary attraction burning like an Olympic torch between them. So, another thought occurs to him. "Lan Zhan?"

"Mn?"

"If you, you know you said you felt something from that first time we met, well, what was holding you back all this time? I know that for me, I wanted to maintain the professional part of our days. And I-I think I knew I couldn't be satisfied with anything casual with you. That's, I mean, am I right in thinking that we're serious about this, what we're doing?"

"Yes, Wei Ying. We are serious. I am serious about you too, and I was indecisive because on the one hand, I kept wanting to push you against or over the closest available surface and take you, but the time limit that was hanging over our heads stopped me. Six months felt like a prison sentence, but in the opposite way; I am free now, but I was going back to my family in Suzhou by the end of that time. XiChen set me straight. He pointed out that we could move, either we could stay here or live over there or divide our time between the two places. He made me realise that the place didn't matter, but it's you. You matter. Wei Ying, I don't care where we live as long as we are together." Lan Zhan tilts Wei Ying's chin up with all of his fingers cupping his face so he can look into his beautiful expressive eyes. "Wei Ying, ask me why we are going to make them wait."

Wei Ying nods, mesmerised by the gorgeous, utterly captivating golden eyes. Lan Zhan looks so fiercely intense, completely serious about them. It's like he's casting a bewitching spell over Wei Ying, and instead of fighting against it, Wei Ying is helping him do it.

"Ask me." Lan Zhan reminds him.

"Lan Zhan, why are we going to make your family wait?"

"My uncle told me to come here and make sure of how I'm feeling. But the truth is, I'm already sure. Now we're going to use this time properly. Wei Ying, I am asking for your permission to court you."

"What?" It comes out at a higher pitch than Wei Ying intended.

"You heard me. I want to court you. I want us to get to know each other even better than before."

"But Lan Zhan, isn't that like, really old fashioned?"

"You could say that," Lan Zhan takes both of Wei Ying's hands in his. Maintaining his gaze, Lan Zhan brings one hand to his lips and then kisses the back of it, and then does the same to the other one. "But you see, I think the process can be incredibly romantic. All I want is the chance to show you how much you mean to me."

Wei Ying shivers, unable to even blink. He reverts back to making light of the situation because Lan Zhan, already an intense person, is basically saying that he's going to crank it up to a hundred.

"I think you already showed me in the bathroom two times if I remember correctly," he grins.

"Wei Ying." His tone is admonishing, a request for Wei Ying to be serious now. To genuinely consider their future. "Will you let me?"

"Yeah, yeah...Lan Zhan. You can do whatever you want to me." Wei Ying nods enthusiastically too.

"I want us to ask questions too," Lan Zhan tells him, putting his arms around Wei Ying's body to give him support.

"Okay. Questions. I can do that."

"Good boy."

Lan Zhan kisses the top of his head and holds him carefully as he changes his position so that they are lying down again. He's still tired from his travelling trauma, and Wei Ying is perfect doubling as his weighted blanket for now. As their eyes close, Lan Zhan thinks this is the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon together. Wei Ying said it himself a few weeks back: naps fix mostly everything.

There's no harm in testing that out now.