Like Father, Like Son

Part 2

Later that morning, Lan Zhan arrived to the great excitement of both A'Yuan and his Baba.

"A'Die!" A'Yuan yelled and leaped at his father, who caught him neatly and swung him in a circle. Two times around and Lan Zhan pulled his boy in to kiss his chubby cheek.

"What about me?" Wei Ying pretended to whine.

"All A'Die's kisses for A'Yuan!" he giggled with a hand on each of his A'Die's cheeks so he couldn't turn to kiss his Baba.

"Such a greedy, little radish!" Wei Ying humphed before tickling A'Yuan's ribs so he would giggle wildly.

Lan Zhan smiled. An island of composure in the raucous playing around him. He would have it no other way.

"Kisses for A'Yuan." he announced before, placing a kiss on both of his son's cheeks as the child laughed.

"Now, kisses for Wei Ying." He gave that tiny smile he kept for just his husband. A soft kiss and a nose nuzzle later, he was ready to hear all the latest news over tea.

"... so he said 'I'll sell you too!'  and I said 'No!' and then I told Tofu and Rhubarb to eat him and they brought all their friends and gobbled him up but very messy. They ate the candy Baba gave them much nicer." A'Yuan told his story with enthusiasm and a total lack of regard for grammar.

"Tofu and Rhubarb were very brave." Lan Zhan said gravely. "I'm glad they are your friends."

"Me too!" He smiled enormously, very pleased at the praise for his friends from his A'Die.

He pulled out the strange two-headed rabbit and held it before him. 

"Tofu and Rhubarb! Tell A'Die thank you!" They bowed politely.

Lan Zhan nodded politely in return, his attention on his smiling son's face.

Wei Ying, however, was watching Tofu and Rhubarb. It had occurred to him he didn't actually know where A'Yuan had gotten the odd toy. As he opened his mouth to ask, he watched Tofu and Rhubarb bow to Lan Zhan.

A'Yuan was holding on to the toy's legs.

Tofu and Rhubarb had bowed by themselves.

His mouth fell open to a full gape.

"A'Yuan, where did you get Tofu and Rhubarb?" He choked out eyeing the toy carefully. Reaching out with his senses to see what it actually was.

"The lady asked what I wanted and I said toys and she said what toys and I told her a bunny with two heads and she did it. Isn't Tofu and Rhubarb perfect?" A huge smile graced A'Yuan's face as he hugged the bizarre toy to his little chest.

"What is the lady's name, little radish?" Wei Ying's odd focus was not lost on his husband.

"I dunno. She smiles and pats my head and makes me toys." A'Yuan answered. "She says the son of Yiling Patriarch needs special toys."

A'Yuan was flopping the bunny? bunnies? around by their arms to make them dance.

"Can Tofu and Rhubarb do anything besides dance and eat bad people?" Wei Ying asked carefully.

He glanced up at Lan Zhan. It took only a second for him to realize how concerned his husband really was.

"Like what?" A'Yuan asked looking a little confused.

"Can you make them do things? Or ask them to do things?" Wei Ying could sense resentful energy but it was different than anything he had ever experienced. It was tightly contained. Roiling deep within the toy.