au where lwj adopts little a-yuan (he’s 1,5, straight out of orphanage, no family), and goes to the kid’s shop to buy everything his tiny son needs. lwj doesn’t know that his college crush works part-time at that shop.

lwj is standing in the books aisle, with a-yuan asleep in the sling on his chest. lwj mindlessly kisses his head every other minute, choosing fifteen different books about dragons, fairies, princes and princesses, animals, shapes and foods.

a-yuan is very small for his age, so lwj checks his watch – for the umpteenth time – to be sure that they return home in time for the second breakfast. the pediatrician recommended formula if a-yuan is too fussy in the beginning. he’s not, but lwj’s done research anyway.

he has a bag of snacks in his car in case they get into a traffic jam. & another bag of baby stuff occupying the back seat near a-yuan’s car seat. a-yuan loves the bunny charm on the zipper, tugging on it every time he’s bored. it’s lwj’s old baby charm that his mother had.

a-yuan makes a sleepy noise, shifting in the sling, and lwj drops a book, rushing to adjust him. the boy sighs and sticks a thumb in his mouth, not opening his eyes. lwj exhales slowly.
“may i help you?”

lwj knows this voice. he hasn’t heard it in years.
he slowly turns around, one hand resting on a-yuan’s head, another one palm-open on his back. lwj hopes his thudding heart won’t wake his son up.
“sorry, did i disturb your baby’s sleep? i – lan zhan!”

lwj blinks several times, assuring that his sleep-deprived brain is not making wwx up, and – it’s him. it’s wei ying. staring at him and at the baby sling with his mouth open.
lwj thinks: oh.
lwj says, habit imbued in his marrow, "wei ying."

wwx shuts his mouth with a click, eyes drifting to lwj’s face. his eyes are huge, and he’s started chewing nervously on his lips – lwj’s hands twitch – and he seems... hurt? upset? disappointed? lwj’s heart will definitely wake a-yuan up.
“lan zhan,” wwx exhales.

“wei ying,” lwj repeats. the tips of his ears are scorching hot.
wwx clears his throat, expression now a perfect example of immaculate customer service.
“how can i help you and your baby?”
lwj rubs a-yuan’s back. “my son.”

wwx’s expression falters. “your son,” he mouths to himself. “how can i help you and your son?”
lwj can’t take his eyes off him. wwx’s hair is still as disheveled as years ago, different red scrunchy now (lwj has a similar one in his bedroom, hidden in the bedside table),

another black oversized hoodie, too loose around his long neck, still in his black skinny jeans – lwj swears it’s the same ones he’d worn during undergrad, and swallows – and eyes. stormy grey, sparkling, playful, challenging.
lwj makes a conscious effort to not hyperventilate.

“ah– ” he says eloquently, taking a step back where he’d dropped a book. wwx follows his movement and sees the issue, and almost tumbles down in front of lwj.
“i’ll get it, no worries!” wwx yells-whispers, trying to get the slippery book off the floor.

that’s not how lwj imagined the love of his life on his knees before him.
“thank you,” he whispers, stepping further away so that wwx doesn’t bump his head on a-yuan’s legs.
wwx emerges from under a-yuan’s legs anyway. “ah, nothing.”

wwx is looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face, and lwj aches to ask: how are you, wei ying?
he says, “his name is a-yuan, he’s eighteen months.”
not 1,5. the baby’s life is measured by months and respective vaccines.

“oh,” wwx says, voice small. he’s now examining the baby’s back. “congratulations, lan zhan.”
“mn.”
wwx tilts his head, still not looking at him. he’s flapping the book on his thigh, lwj can hear it. he’s never envied a book, nevermind a kids’ one.

“how… can i help you?”
lwj wants to touch him so bad he has to let go of a-yuan and hide his hands in the pockets of the jacket. never in his life has lwj stuck his hands in the pockets.
with wwx, however.

“can you… recommend me a good book?” lwj says.
wwx peeks around lwj’s shoulder and into the cart, where fourteen books are stacked neatly in the corner. “sure.”
lwj blushes from sudden embarrassment. “i’m not sure those are educational enough.”'

wwx snorts a laugh. “he’s 18 months, lan zhan. there are no equations in those books, if that’s what you mean.”
lwj frowns. “this is not what i mean.”
“i know, lan zhan,” wwx says softly, audibly misshaping the poor book he's holding. lwj's buying it.
lwj missed him so much.

“we have soft books, if you’re interested. good for touching. he’s too big for them, though, technically. but who cares if the book is soft and colourful and fun, right?” wwx smiles with the tips of his lips.
lwj greedily drinks in every expression on his face.

“wei ying is correct as always,” he offers.
“lan zhan ah, you’re still so wrong about me.”
lwj narrows his eyes. “i am not. wei ying is smart and correct in the choice –”
“lan zhan,” wwx says firmly, and raises one hand. lwj purses his mouth.

wwx looks at a-yuan, who's breathing softly into lwj’s chest, and asks, “can i look at him?”
lwj throttles the desire to unstrap a-yuan, tie him to wwx, & bring the two of them home.
“yes.”
wwx grins. lwj’s tired dad brain considers it the biggest win of the week. it’s tuesday.

lwj carefully slips the sling off of a-yuans head, and automatically covers it with his hand.
wwx beside him makes a whimpering sound. “lan zhan, he’s tiny.”
lwj nods and says the same thing he tells everyone, “it’s the orphanage.”

wwx’s gaze snaps to his face the next instant. “he’s not yours?” his voice is pitched high and too loud.
a-yuan makes an waking sound – lwj loves every sound his son makes, but the waking sound is one of his favourites, topped only by a-yuan’s wrong humming to the lullaby.

it means a-yuan is well-rested and now wants to be touched, nuzzled, cuddled, kissed, fed, talked to.
entertained. lwj loves entertaining a-yuan more than anything in life.
almost more than anyone. no. the same as someone.
he dreads kindergarten. he dreads leaving the shop.

“he’s mine,” lwj says firmly before a-yuan opens his eyes. lwj kisses him on the forehead.
a-yuan nuzzles his cheek against lwj, legs kicking him slightly, “gege?”
wwx inhales beside him, but for once lwj doesn’t turn. “hungry?”

a-yuan shakes his head, hands reaching for lwj’s face. lwj kisses both.
“oh my god.”
lwj and a-yuan turn their heads simultaneously. wwx is covering his mouth with both hands, eyes bigger than saucers.
“’mgod,” lwj hears.

a-yuan’s hand grips lwj chin, and lwj tips his head back slightly. a-yuan looks back at him with visible worry.
“it’s okay,” lwj says, running circles on his son’s back. “this is wei ying, he’s our friend.”
wwx emerges by his side, also worried. “oh, i scared him? lan zhan!”

“it’s fine,” lwj says, “he’s just wary of new people.”
“oh.”
wwx moves to stand behind him, resting his chin on lwj’s shoulder. a-yuan follows his movement, eyes intent but not red, which is a huge improvement.
“hi, little one!”
lwj just hears wwx's biggest and warmest smile.

and then, to lwj’s biggest shock in life, save for a whole person pressing on his back – very warm and very soft – a-yuan smiles.
lwj and wwx gasp at the same time. a-yuan’s smile disappears immediately.
“oh nonono, baby, baobei, don’t be scared of me!” wwx babbles.

a-yuan is looking at lwj, waiting for an answer. lwj smiles at him. “it’s okay, baobei. he’s right – he’s not scary.”
a-yuan nods firmly, and looks at wwx, who is still glued to lwj’s shoulder.
“that’s right,” he says, “i’m funny and soft. wanna touch me?”

lwj thinks that somehow wwx managed to fit half of his personality into two words.
“lan zhan, can i?” wwx slips away, rounding him. his eyes are so hopeful lwj wants to say, “anything.”
he would, if it wasn’t for a-yuan who is still getting used to lwj himself.

“support his bum,” lwj says mindlessly, reaching for the straps, and wwx barks out a laugh. lwj raises an eyebrow at him.
“nothing,” wwx says, face red from suppressed laughter. “i’ll support his bum.”
lwj’s ears are detaching from his head at this point.

a-yuan’s head whirls back, where wwx is holding him, and he says, “doctor?”
“no, only friend,” lwj answers. “no doctor, little one.”
wwx makes a choked sound. lwj is enjoying those little noises beyond comprehension.
“okay,” a-yuan says, resigned.

lwj unstraps the sling, and wwx’s arms circle a-yuan protectively the second before the knot is untied. lwj throttles this image, too.
“you look like a crab, you know? hands and legs wiggling,” wwx says to a-yuan.
a-yuan’s hands and legs are not wiggling. wwx laughs anyway.

“look at you, huh?” wwx shifts a-yuan on to his hip, and it looks eerily effortless. “such a big boy! i bet you eat your bland congee every morning.”
a-yuan just nods. wwx sputters.
“you look like you’ve done it before,” lwj says, tilting his head.

wwx looks at him, bouncing a-yuan, who looks puzzled. lwj has danced with his son, but never bounced him on his lap or hip. ge says he’s being too careful with a-yuan. lwj hasn't told him that two weeks ago he and a-yuan adopted bunnies. he feels daring.
“i have a nephew.”

“a-jie has a son,” wwx elaborates, when lwj doesn’t say anything. “his name's jin ling. he’s younger than a-yuan, but as cute as your son,” he turns to a-yuan, who’s watching wwx’s face intently.
“not as,” lwj thinks. “no one as.”
a-yuan turns to lwj. “a crab?”

“a sea creature! a wiggly one. very tasty, too. baba will show you him in the book he has in his cart, right, lan zhan?” wwx says, adjusting a-yuan.
lwj looks at the necessary book in wwx’s free hand and thinks, the city council opens at ten am, i’ll buy the rings on the way.

a-yuan makes an inquisitive sound. “bunnies?”
“bunnies are tasty, too!” wwx exclaims, and lwj sucks in a breath. a-yuan makes another noise, which lwj determines shortly as – fuck.
“eat bunnies?” a-yuan’s voice is barely heard, and his lower lip trembles desperately.

“oh no,” lwj whispers, lunging forward to take a-yuan from wwx just before he starts bawling.
“bunnies!” a-yuan shouts at the top of his lungs, “my bunnies!”
lwj presses him a-yuan to his chest, kissing him and murmuring, “bunnies are safe.”

wwx looks like he’s just realised that his job description involves dog care.
“wei ying,” lwj says hastily through a-yuan’s sobs, producing car keys from the pocket, “white suv in the front, apple juice and a toy on his seat.”
wei ying nods frantically and bolts away.

“little one,” lwj whispers, heart throbbing. “bunnies are safe. no one is eating bunnies.”
“scary gege!” a-yuan wails, “my bunnies!”
“yours,” lwj kisses a-yuan’s tears away, thinking of the rings. “gege is not scary, but he talks a lot. sometimes he speaks before he thinks.”

“lan zhan!” lwj doesn’t open his eyes, rocking a-yuan from side to side and patting his bum.
lwj extends one hand forward, and feels a toy cannonballed into his palm. “thank you.”
wwx is panting for breath as lwj presses the toy into a-yuan’s side. “little one, look at me.”

lwj himself opens his eyes hastily, seeing how a-yuan is rubbing at his eyes with his tiny hands, and says, “lan sizhui. please look at me.”
wwx makes a strangled noise by his side.
“jiejie is here,” lwj says, nudging the toy, “she’s safe. you are safe. i am safe. we are safe.”

a-yuan finally looks at him. his face is splotchy, snotty and wet, as is lwj’s shirt. his lips quiver. “safe?”
“mn.”
the boy looks at the toy, then at lwj, and at the toy again. “no eat bunnies?”
lwj shakes his head. “no. only carrots.”
a-yuan sighs deeply. “like potatoes.”

lwj smiles. “mash for dinner?” a-yuan beams. “potatoes!”
lwj feels his lungs slowly returning to their usual size. “potatoes and carrots. an extra book for you and two more salad leaves for the bunnies. deal?”
a-yuan turns away, as he does when he thinks profoundly. “two books.”

“one book,” lwj frowns, “and a new lullaby.”
“fine,” a-yuan says, sighing so dramatically that lwj can’t help but pepper his son’s face with kisses.
“good.”
a-yuan giggles as lwj rubs his nose against the boy's.

“i’m sorry.”
lwj looks to the side. wwx is sitting the floor, legs folded, and looking at them from upside down. “lan zhan, i’m so sorry.”
“no need,” lwj says, “wei ying, get up, it’s cold.”
"i made your son cry."
"i make my son cry, wei ying. please get up from the floor."

wwx chokes out a wet laugh and stays on the floor. “i haven’t fucked it up this bad even with a-ling.”
“fucked up?” a-yuan pipes up, looking at wwx.
both adults freeze.
“shit,” wwx says heartily.
lwj groans.

wwx scrambles off the floor. “nonono, baobei, don’t say that, only adults can say things like that!”
a-yuan stares at him, incredulous, and says, “i’m a big boy.”
wwx and lwj look at each other, and sudddenly wwx starts hollering. “oh my god! lan zhan, he’s your son!”

a-yuan turns to face lwj, an unspoken question in his eyes. lwj pokes his cheek. “wei-gege loves you.”
wwx goes silent immediately, and lwj looks up, “doesn’t he?”
“i do,” wwx says after a beat, helplessly fond. “i love a-yuan. can a-yuan forgive this foolish gege?”

a-yuan turns to wwx, brows furrowed. “gege loves me?”
wwx nods, hands clasped behind his back. lwj can feel that he’s vibrating out of his skin. “a lot.”
“gege loves baba?”

“a-yuan,” lwj says, tense, at the same time as wwx says, not a trace of a smile on his face. “i do.”
lwj feels his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach and burst into fireworks.
“yes, a-yuan, you’re right, i love baba,” wwx says, boring into lwj. “i have for a long time.”

a-yuan hums approvingly, and turns to lwj. “baba loves gege?”
“do you love gege, little one?” lwj says, nudging both of a-yuan’s hands. they wrap around his single finger. “gege talks a lot.”
“fine,” a-yuan nods. “if gege safe.”
"i am," wwx says quietly. "i'm sorry, little one."

a-yuan tugs on lwj's finger. "baba loves gege?"
lwj looks up. wwx is staring at him, rocking on his heels.
"wei ying," lwj says, "the city council opens at ten am. i will buy the rings on the way."

that's ittt, holy hell.
thank you, everyone! wangxian are now married and have a son! :)