Work Text:
The past few weeks have been very busy for Hua Cheng, as they always were when one year was coming to a close and the new year was just around the corner. He should be used to it. But he was still angry he had to do overtime today. Especially since it was because one of his coworkers suddenly called in sick. Except that, considering the guy's previous work ethic, Hua Cheng knew he wasn’t actually sick, but just didn’t want to deal with all of the end of the year work. Hua Cheng even said as much without hesitation, when his superior told him he and one of his female colleagues had to finish that guy’s part of the work, but everyone just shrugged it off. It only took Hua Cheng's trip home from work to know his intuition was right, when he saw the guy hanging around some new year’s festival stalls with his girlfriend.
Usually he wouldn’t have listened to such an unreasonable demand. It’s not like they could fire him, especially considering how well he did his work and since it was his participation that kept the company actually running as well as it did. But that would mean his female colleague, who was assigned these tasks along with him, would be left expected to finish the work alone by today. And although he didn’t really care to much for his colleagues, he did overhear this one in particular mentioning how her little daughter had some kind of performance planned on new years and that she was really looking forward to seeing it. Not that it was any of his business, but remembering that was somehow enough to make him feel compelled to make sure those two could see each other on that day.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t any less angry because of the whole ordeal regardless. Especially since he did have plans of his own that day. Xie Lian had been asking him about his schedule and when he would be home around new years for weeks now. And although he didn’t mention anything special, Hua Cheng knew that his boyfriend was planning something. Not to mention he was never really good at keeping secrets from him anyway. Or maybe Hua Cheng just knew him too well.
Either way, Hua Cheng reluctantly told Xie Lian he would be home later than expected. Unsurprisingly Xie Lian didn’t seem too bothered by it, not wanting to put more pressure on his boyfriend. What surprised Hua Cheng, however, was that he sounded almost… relieved when he mentioned he would come home later than originally planned. It was one of the reasons why Hua Cheng was both relieved when he finally opened the door to their home, looking forward to being able to spend time with his beloved, but at the same time he also felt uneasy, because he knew something was going on simply due to Xie Lian’s previous reaction. Even if he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
So as he finally entered their home, Hua Cheng calmly shut the door behind him and, after throwing a glance down the hallway, which was only illuminated by the faint light coming from the slightly open kitchen door, he called out “I’m home.”
It only took a moment for him to get a response.
“Oh, San Lang! Welcome back!” Xie Lian shouted back from the kitchen.
There would never be a more pleasant sound than this to Hua Cheng's ears. Usually Xie Lian would rush to greet him at the door, once he heard Hua Cheng was home. However he didn’t this time. The only thing that greeted Hua Cheng was Xie Lian’s slightly worried and uncertain voice as he added “Um… could you… take your time and then meet me here in the kitchen? No need to rush, really!”
“Sure?” was all Hua Cheng was able to say, as he dragged out that single word. He could usually tell what his boyfriend was up to, catching on to his surprises quite a bit in advance most of the time and much to Xie Lian’s dismay. But this time was different, especially since he didn’t notice anything unusual during the time they spent together beforehand. But hearing how earnest Xie Lian’s words sounded, Hua Cheng tried to put his curiosity in the back of his mind and did take his time. Starting with him taking off his coat, getting out of his work clothes and putting on some causal wear, before finally slowly heading towards the kitchen.
Remembering Xie Lian’s slightly off behaviour, he didn’t just enter though, but rather stood before the entrance to the kitchen and knocked once, before calling out to Xie Lian.
“Gege, can I enter now?”
“Oh, um... sure! Just, give me a few more seconds, I’m almost done, I swear!” Xie Lian said, still nervous and tense. But there was also some excitement in his voice now, as you could hear him shuffle through the kitchen all the more determined than before. Picturing him like this inevitable made Hua Cheng smile, his usual urge to tease Xie Lian surfacing.
“Oh? And just what kind of experiments is gege doing in the kitchen this time?” Hua Cheng almost drawled, a grin rising to his lips. After all, he knew ‘experiments’ was the preferred way to describe his boyfriend’s colourful attempts at cooking, even though he always genuinely enjoyed what Xie Lian made, regardless of how it actually tasted. After all, one would need to be blind to not notice how much care and thought Xie Lian put into everything he made. Even if it didn’t end up tasting all that good in the end, Hua Cheng would always treasure every bite, then offer some pointers on what could be improved the next time.
“San Lang~!” Xie Lian chided back, slightly embarrassed by the obvious implication behind his boyfriend’s words. It only made Hua Cheng’s grin widen more though, his need to tease growing more and more.
“I’m coming in on the count of three.” Hua Cheng stated, with no room for negotiation whether Xie Lian was ready or not.
“What?! Wait! No, you can’t…!” was all Xie Lian could stammer back.
“One.” Hua Cheng started counting, followed by Xie Lian’s shuffling only growing more and more loud.
“Two.”
“Count slower, slower! Please! Just a few more seconds!” Xie Lian pleaded, almost desperately.
“Fine.” Hua Cheng simply said with a chuckle, before continuing just a bit faster. “Two and a half and…”
“That’s not slower at all!” Xie Lian said incredulously, but his boyfriend didn’t seem to care at all in this particular moment.
“Three.” Hua Cheng finally said, as he opened the kitchen door with a smirk on his face, only for said smirk to slightly fade at the sight before him.
In front of him was Xie Lian, wearing an apron, with flour sprinkled across his face and even all the way up to his silky hair, which he wore in a bun, just like he usually liked to. His eyes, still a little wide from being caught slightly off guard, where still shining brightly. There were several cooking utensils strewn about, even quite a few bigger stains on the floor and the kitchen counter here and there. Nothing he didn’t encounter before when Xie Lian was working in the kitchen though. But what really surprised him was the small bag of cookies, wrapped up neatly in transparent paper and bound together with a crimson ribbon on top, resting in Xie Lian’s hands.
Xie Lian rushed to hide it behind his back, before fully turning back to Hua Cheng.
“San Lang! Sorry, I was actually… planning to clean up before you got home…” Xie Lian said, his words trailing off, as he looked slightly to the side and tried to wipe at the kitchen counter a little, before putting his hand behind his back again. Hua Cheng smiled once more.
“It’s fine. You really don’t need to worry about it.” was all Hua Cheng said, truly meaning every word, as he slowly walked towards his beloved. When he finally stood in front of him, he just looked at Xie Lian a few more seconds.
Xie Lian returned his gaze, before finally asking “What is it?”
Hua Cheng, simply letting out another chuckle, gently placed a hand on his boyfriend’s face, before slowly tracing his thumb along his cheek and said with an affectionate smile “Gege’s got flour all across his face and hair.”
Xie Lian’s cheeks flushed a little, before he wiped at his cheek once, then answered “Well, I was working pretty hard here.”
“Oh? And just what was gege working so hard at, if I may ask?” Hua Cheng said teasingly, tilting his head slightly, as if trying to take a peek behind Xie Lian’s back.
“Well…” Xie Lian started hesitatingly at first. He knew Hua Cheng must have seen already. But after taking one more breath and straightening his back, he finally turned his gaze back to Hua Cheng, with his eyes looking straight at Hua Cheng’s, with nothing but the kindest smile on his face. It was enough to make Hua Cheng’s next teasing words die in his throat instantly.
“I know my cooking turns out … interesting most of the time, let’s say, but… Seeing how you really looked like you wanted to try those chili-spice flavoured cookies when we went out last, only for them to be sold out when we passed the stall when we walked back… I just thought, maybe I could try making them myself? I looked up some recipes and they seemed easy enough to make, so…” Xie Lian continued, as he slowly brought both his hands in front of him, so the small bag of cookies was sitting right before Hua Cheng’s eyes.
“Happy new year, San Lang!” Xie Lian said, the small smile on his face turning into a big bright grin, as he closed his eyes happily. “I know it’s a bit late, and you had to do overtime today. But I hope these cookies are enough to make your day a little better. Oh! And I had Mu Qing help me try making a few batches during our usual end of the year meet-ups and Feng Xin even taste-tested them afterwards, so I’m confident they should taste good enough!” Xie Lian rambled on, before trailing off slightly as he scratched his cheek and added in a low whisper “I hope…”
Hua Cheng didn’t know what to say at first, simply continued staring at the cookies. A few seconds passed, before he gently took the bag of cookies into his hands, suppressing both the hint of annoyance he first felt at the mention of the other two men’s names, as well as the delight of picturing Mu Qing trying to keep up with Xie Lian’s kitchen antics and Feng Xin’s pale face before trying each new batch of cookies.
He never liked those two Xie Lian generously considered his friends and he probably never would. But deep down, he also knew how much Xie Lian enjoyed spending time with them and that, despite Mu Qing's and Feng Xin's complaints or all the fights the three had in the past, both Feng Xin and Mu Qing would always try to help out Xie Lian in the end. Even if Hua Cheng would never admit it. Not to mention, thinking about Xie Lian trying over and over again, just to make his present a little more enjoyable for him, was all Hua Cheng needed for his heart to feel full, as he looked down at the treat in his hands.
As he looked closer, the cookies looked uneven, with the icing still a little off. And you could even see some parts that looked a little burned. But despite that, Hua Cheng didn’t hesitate to reverently open the bag, almost as if it was the greatest treasure box, before taking a cookie into his hand and gingerly placing it in his mouth.
Xie Lian watched him with bated breath, looking for any kind of reaction that would give away what his boyfriend was really thinking about his creation. After all, Hua Cheng would always say ‘It’s good’ when trying some of his cooking. And although Xie Lian knew he truly meant those words, he also knew that, universally speaking, that still didn’t mean his cooking was actually all that enjoyable. He was happy that his boyfriend still liked his ‘experiments’, as many people would decide to call them. But that didn’t mean Xie Lian didn’t want to improve.
As it turned out though, Xie Lian didn’t have to worry. Instead his smile slowly grew, watching as Hua Cheng’s eyes slightly widened, almost imperceptibly so, with surprise. Not shock, but simply delighted, yet still slightly unexpected surprise.
After all, even if the cookies did still taste a bit burned and the frosting could be considered a little too runny or sticky, they did actually taste quite good. They were slightly sweet, but not unbearably so. The spices were rich and prominent. Perhaps a little too strong for some, yes. But considering how the spiciness was the main reason Hua Cheng wanted to try out those kinds of cookies in the first place, the balance was actually perfectly right for him. They could still be improved, of course. But at the same time, they were undoubtedly the best thing Xie Lian made so far. Almost as if he was determined beyond the heavens to gift something delicious to Hua Cheng no matter what and as soon as he came home so they could greet the new wear together.
However, even if the cookies would have turned out just like some of Xie Lian’s previous experiments, just the fact that Xie Lian noticed something so small and insignificant like how Hua Cheng wanted to try those cookies back then, despite him not mentioning any of it at all and then trying to make sure Hua Cheng could do so, was all he needed to feel utterly content.
“Well… What’s the jury’s final verdict?” Xie Lian asked, his smile growing more confident as he took in the look on his boyfriend’s face.
Hua Cheng, just gazing back at Xie Lian for a while at first, finally closed his eyes with a small smile of his own, another small chuckle escaping from his throat, before he said “They’re good.” then added “Really good.” before looking at Xie Lian affectionately, then continued.
“There are some pieces that could have used a little less time in the oven, but the taste of the spices especially is exactly like I hoped they would be.”
Hua Cheng then slowly placed the bag on the kitchen counter, before taking Xie Lan's hand and pulling him into a gentle yet strong embrace.
“Thank you, gege. I really appreciate it.” Hua Cheng said, pure sincerity in every single word he spoke, as he gently caressed his beloved's back. Xie Lian, returning his embrace, started slowly combing his fingers through Hua Cheng’s wild and slightly dishevelled raven hair.
“I’m glad you enjoyed my surprise. It made the time I harassed Mu Qing and Feng Xin with helping me worth it.” Xie Lian chuckled.
“Both of them should be more than happy they get to spend time with you.” Hua Cheng said harshly, which only made Xie Lian shake his head slightly with a smile, followed by a small sigh of his own.
“Come on, San Lang. They really did help me out a lot you know. And I’m sure the cookies wouldn’t have turned out as good without their help.” he said honestly. However, Hua Cheng obviously didn’t agree.
“The cookies turned out well because of all the work and effort you put into making them. Not because of something else. And besides, even if they didn’t turn out that good, it’s not like I needed them for me to be happy anyway.” Hua Cheng said, a content smile forming on his face. Xie Lian curious, tried to turn his head slightly, curious what exactly he meant.
“Oh? And why is that?” Xie Lian said, his tone slightly teasing this time. However both the teasing tone in his voice and the grin on Xie Lian’s face quickly vanished, when he heard Hua Cheng chuckle once more, before he slowly pulled away from Xie Lian, only to gently take Xie Lian’s hand in his own.
The moment couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds. But for Xie Lian, who couldn’t take his eyes off of Hua Cheng’s face, as he reverently stared at his hand, slightly brushing the back of it with his thumb, like it was the dearest thing in the entire world, it might as well have been hours.
Xie Lian’s hands felt dry and rough in Hua Cheng’s hand. A testament to how much he must have practiced all this time. It only made his heart swell and Xie Lian seem all the more beautiful than before.
Xie Lian, still utterly transfixed by Hua Cheng’s appearance, seemed to feel the words Hua Cheng spoke next way before he actually said them out loud, as Hua Cheng still firmly yet gently held Xie Lian’s hand in his own.
And Xie Lian knew that, no matter what or how much time may pass, he would always reciprocate those words wholeheartedly, as Hua Cheng slowly raised Xie Lian’s hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on it, then looked up into Xie Lian's eyes again and said, without any doubt in his mind:
“Because being able to spend all my coming years with you is the greatest gift of all.”