We couldn't get closer than this

by so_shhy

Summary:

Lan Zhan has something on his mind.

A piece of truly shameless fluff to round off the series.

Notes:

Thank you yet again to my flatmate for checking through this and also for being the driving force behind the whole thing.

Most of these stories kind of work as standalones but for this one you really need to have read the others.

It was the first really nice day of the year, when windows that had been tight closed all winter were thrown open, when people sat out on their balconies and rooftops or took themselves out into the sunny streets. Wei Ying rolled his shoulders, delighting in the warmth. “It’s been cold for so long,” he said. “Ah, spring is finally here. Can you feel it, Lan Zhan? The city can breathe again.”

“Mm,” said Lan Zhan.

It was a distracted mm. He’d been distracted all morning, like something was on his mind. While they were getting ready to go out, he’d listened to Wei Ying’s arguments for getting rabbits and not given a single reason why it wouldn’t be practical to keep pets in the flat, or why neither of them had the time to take care of them properly. He’d just watched quietly, as though the sight of Wei Ying tying his shoelaces and chattering was somehow mesmerising and special.

“Today,” said Wei Ying, “is going to be a good day.” He slipped his hand into Lan Zhan’s and gave it a reassuring squeeze and a little tug. Whatever this strange mood was, perhaps it would be cured by dim sum. “Come on, we have to get there before A-Cheng eats all the steamed buns.”

Lan Zhan didn’t follow the tug. Instead, he pulled Wei Ying away from the usual route up along the side streets to the park gate. “Let’s take the canal path,” he said. “There might be coot babies.”

Wei Ying hesitated. He was hungry, it was a long way round, and steamed buns. But on the other hand, Lan Zhan rarely asked for anything outright.

“We can order more steamed buns,” Lan Zhan offered, which was very much not the point. The point was that Jiang Cheng would stuff a whole plateful in his mouth given the chance, and Wei Ying had a responsibility to stop his little brother from demonstrating terrible manners by stealing the food for himself. But Lan Zhan continued, “Jin Zixuan is paying,” and okay, that settled it. Lan Zhan wouldn’t bring out one of Wei Ying’s own petty arguments unless he really needed to see coot babies.

Wei Ying nodded to himself. If coot babies would make Lan Zhan feel better, coot babies there would be.

“Okay,” he said. He let Lan Zhan veer left instead of right, and they strolled hand in hand along an alley, past a pub already packed with Sunday lunch patrons, and out onto the long, tree-lined street that led towards the canal. The trees were coming into blossom now, and soon would be scattering petals like confetti with every gust of wind. Wei Ying looked along the row seeing if he could pick out the one particular tree where he had first met Lan Zhan, in the dark and rain and February chill. He was fond of that tree, usually gave it a little pat in passing. As he gently prodded Lan Zhan for information about his week at work he veered across the street towards it.

“So how did things go with those coding-ducklings of yours who were butting heads?” he asked. “Did you get them to chill out?”

“Mm,” said Lan Zhan, the mm of someone who wasn’t actually listening at all. Wei Ying frowned, stepping onto the pavement and reaching out absently to run his fingers over the bark of the tree as he shot another sideways glance at Lan Zhan.

There was a noise from above.

We Ying stopped, startled out of his worry. It had been an incongruous noise, but very recognisable. He glanced upwards. Surely not – surely just a weird sounding bird. What were the odds? But it came again, and it definitely wasn’t a bird sound.

“Did you hear that?” he said.

“Mm,” said Lan Zhan, also looking up.

“It sounded like a cat.” Wei Ying craned his neck, peering into the branches, and spotted something grey and small and out of place. “Huh?” he said, and there was another very definite meow. He moved around the trunk to get a better look. “Yeah, there’s… wait, what?”

It was a cat, but not one that could possibly be the source of the noise. It was very clearly a stuffed toy. Not even a realistic stuffed toy. It was a Pusheen.

There was a fucking Pusheen duct-taped to a branch, and Lan Zhan, flawlessly serious and earnest, said, “Oh no. Wei Ying, we must rescue it.”

“What,” said Wei Ying, “the actual fuck is going on?”

“Poor thing,” said Lan Zhan. His wide, innocent eyes gave no clues. “It is very cold and wet.”

“Lan Zhan, what is this?” said Wei Ying. He was starting to giggle, confused and delighted and maybe a little nervous because… because.

“It’s an emergency,” said Lan Zhan, in time with an especially pathetic meow, and Wei Ying lost it for a moment, leaning against the tree and cackling.

“Okay,” he said, when he could speak again. “Okay, Lan Zhan, love of my life – do you want to help me be a hero?”

“Mm.”

“Okay,” said Wei Ying again. He pressed a kiss to Lan Zhan’s precious hint of a smile because he couldn’t help himself. “I just need you to give me a boost. And If I fall out of this tree you’d better fucking catch me.”

Lan Zhan nodded. “I will catch you,” he promised, and got into position with his hands linked into a stirrup for Wei Ying to step into.

It was hard to remember that cold, damp night. The sun was warm on Wei Ying’s skin, and the sky above was blue, and the person boosting him up wasn’t a stranger with untested strength. It was Lan Zhan, who would catch him if he fell. One step, a lift, and there he was, grabbing the rough, dry bark of the lowest branch, as easy as anything.. He was up in seconds, scrambling into the fork of the tree surrounded by the gentle fragrance of cherry blossom. Looking down, he could picture that past Lan Zhan, a stunning stranger in fancy cycle gear, superimposed over the Lan Zhan now squinting slightly into the sun.

“Do I look heroic enough?” he called. “Don’t tell me I look cute, I’m being very cool right now. You think I’m cool, don’t you?”

“Mm,” said Lan Zhan. “Strong and intrepid.”

“Damn right,” said Wei Ying, suddenly gripping the branch extra tight with the aching awareness of how much he loved the man looking up at him. He had to pause for a moment of calm before he could refocus on his ridiculous mission, pulling himself up a couple of branches until he was eye-level with his rescuee, and also, as it turned out, a little speaker attached to the branch with its own loop of duct tape. The speaker meowed once more, and then gave a friendly cat chirrup and started to purr. Wei Ying choked, swallowing his laughter. If he laughed properly he wouldn’t be able to stop.

“Here, kitty,” he said to the Pusheen. “It’s okay. Me and Lan Zhan will have you down in no time.” He peeled the duct tape free and tucked the squishy toy against his chest.  His memory of that night stood out clear, a path he could follow without hesitation. He climbed lower to wedge himself into the fork of the tree, propping the Pusheen on his knees.

“Take a picture,” he said, making a peace sign down towards Lan Zhan. “Commemorate my mighty deeds.”

Lan Zhan pulled out his phone, snapped a picture, and assessed the result. “Very cute,” he said, in a voice that brooked no argument. “But wait. One more.”

Wei Ying posed again, but Lan Zhan was sliding his phone back into his pocket. “Huh?” said Wei Ying, as Lan Zhan reached into his jacket instead. He pulled out a square box, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, held it up, held it out and flipped it open.

“Wei Ying…” he said.

A thin silver ring sat nestled in a cushion of velvet.

“Holy shit,” said Wei Ying. “Holy shit, oh my god.”

And okay, he’d thought – he’d thought maybe when he first looked up into the tree and saw the source of the meows, but suspecting was one thing. It turned out he absolutely wasn’t prepared to have his suspicions proved true. His brain couldn’t form thoughts, he only knew he wanted to take Lan Zhan into his arms. But he was in a tree.

“Wei Ying,” said Lan Zhan again, like it was the only thing he knew how to say. His voice shook. Perfect, poised Lan Zhan breaking open to show his soft insides. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “Meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I don’t know how I got so lucky as to be passing this tree at the right time, but I will be thankful every day for the rest of my life. And I want to spend every one of those days with you.”

Wei Ying was moving before he could think about it, letting the Pusheen tumble unheeded from his hands and swinging himself down, scrabbling his feet against the tree trunk until Lan Zhan’s hands settled firmly at his waist. He found himself caught and lowered down, set gently on his feet. The grip on his waist loosened enough that he could turn, come face to face with Lan Zhan, lean into him and hug him tight.

Lan Zhan’s voice rumbled into his ear, “Wei Ying, will you marry me?”

“You put a cat in a tree for me,” Wei Ying managed to choke out. “You... Lan Zhan.” He was laughing and crying at the same time, clinging on to Lan Zhan tight. It was such a Lan Zhan way to propose. Something quiet and personal, weird and understated and stupidly romantic.

“Wei Ying?” said Lan Zhan again, tentative.

A question that needed an answer. Wei Ying fisted his hands in Lan Zhan’s shirt. “Are you sure?” he said. “It’s really what you want?”

“Mm. If… if you think… you could be happy married to me. I want you to be happy, Wei Ying.”

Wei Ying gasped a laugh, or possibly a sob, into the crook of Lan Zhan’s neck. Be happy married to Lan Zhan? Could he be happy spending the rest of his life with this amazing, gorgeous, good man? Could he be happy, knowing that Lan Zhan’s heart was his to cherish?

“You’re so fucking cute,” he said, his voice wobbling and yep, yeah, definitely sobs now. Full on tears. “I love you so much.” He pulled himself partly free of the embrace, fumbling for Lan Zhan’s hand, the one with the box still clutched in it. “You have to give it to me. Ah, no, not on your knee. Just like this. Like this, hold me and put it on.”

And that’s how it was, the two of them pressed together as Lan Zhan slid the band – probably horribly expensive, but simple and lovely – onto his finger. There, on an ordinary street, on the first sunny Sunday of the year, under the cherry blossoms.

With a fucking Pusheen lying on the ground by the tree trunk.

Once Wei Ying had had a little cry and demanded a few kisses, he bent down to pick it up and apologetically brush it off. “Sorry,” he told it. “Substandard service from your hero.”

“She landed on her feet,” said Lan Zhan. He wrapped himself around Wei Ying from behind and kissed his neck. “And you’re my hero now.”

“Yeah,” said Wei Ying. It was a pretty wonderful thing to be. “I’m yours, and you’re mine. We’ll take care of each other. And maybe save the world, on occasion.”

“Mm,” said Lan Zhan.

They stood there a while longer, tangled up in each other, alone together save for the occasional passer-by making their way along the street like it was just any other day. Eventually Lan Zhan’s phone buzzed against Wei Ying’s leg. Lan Zhan gave a rueful sigh. “My brother,” he said. “Or your sister. I promised them an update.”

Wei Ying snorted. It was tempting to let the world wait, to stay with Lan Zhan in their own little moment. On the other hand, he was hungry, and he wanted to show everyone his ring.

“Come on then,” he said, laughing as he tucked his proposal Pusheen under his arm. “Let’s go. Take me and feed me steamed buns, and we can be officially… engaged at everyone.” He was smiling almost too hard to say the word.

Lan Zhan took his hand and off they went, to meet up with their families, to celebrate with the people they cared about.

But they took the long way round and saw the coot babies on the way.

 

Notes:

That’s all, folks! This series has been my happy place and your comments and kudos have been my major source of dopamine for the past month so thank you all so much for joining me in the fluff.

My new year’s resolution (which I’ve signally failed at so far) is to be more sociable in fandom so I’d love it if you’d come say hi on tumblr or twitter.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 5 of Love Cats