No Rain, No Flowers: a Jun Wu x Xie Lian

Coffee and Cake

The following morning, Xie Lian noticed Jun Wu was in a downright blissful mood, humming a tune as he cooked at the stove.

Just sitting at the table watching him cook while sipping at his iced coffee, the scrap god laughed to himself a bit.

Even with the black turtleneck he was wearing under his black blazer, a few hickies and bite marks were peeking out on the emperor's neck.

Xie Lian was scared to see his own reflection, knowing he was probably covered in even more especially seeing that none of his clothes had a high neckline.

So instead he was just watching Jun Wu flipping something called a 'pancake' at the stove, putting them in a small stack on a nearby plate as he made each one individually.

Hong-er was also sat at the table, seemingly happy with the fact that his 'parents' were finally getting along, even if the toddler was still a little sleepy as he laid his head on his 'mother's' lap.

Once Jun Wu was satisfied with the quantity of pancakes, he put the small stack of them on the table along with a small glass bottle of something called 'maple syrup', along with the scrambled eggs, sausage links, and fried shredded potato -hashbrowns- he had previously made.

As they ate their morning meal, Xie Lian was unable to meet Jun Wu's eyes with how embarrassed he was over the previous night, the older man eventually said, "I was thinking we might visit that café later today, perhaps after lunch?"

"Just the two of us?" Xie Lian asked

"Yes." The emperor replied, "It is but a short walk from here, though I worry the modern environment might be a bit overwhelming to you."

"I see the outside every day though?" The former crown prince pointed out, gesturing to the massive windows behind them that showed the bustling city below

"Seeing it and being in it is a wildly different experience." Jun Wu replied

***

Roughly five hours later, Xie Lian was zipping up Hong-er's red jacket, briefly looking at the black butterfly embroidered on the chest before pushing the toddler's bangs slightly aside to better see his face.

Once the little boy was bundled up, Xie Lian slipped on his own white 'cape coat', sticking his hands through the seams in the front.

They were standing by the front door, waiting for Jun Wu to emerge with his black 'trenchcoat' to unlock the door.

Emerging from his office, the emperor offered his 'family' a smile before opening the door and leading them to the elevator.

Pressing the button beside it, they waited a few moments before it opened and they stepped inside.

The elevator felt cramped, though it could easily accommodate ten more people comfortably, and when it began to move it startled Xie Lian, but he did not say anything as it made its way three floors down.

After stepping out long enough to drop Hong-er off with Xuan Ji and Pei Su -Pei Ming seemingly not home-, Jun Wu and Xie Lian returned to the elevator to continue down the remaining thirty-six floors.

The lobby of the apartment building was fancy-looking, reminding Xie Lian of his own palace in Heaven with a modern twist as they walked past a group of men sitting on the couches, which were staring at a sports event on the massive television.

They then walked outside the building and into the walkway of the entrance, putting them on the sidewalk of the bustling streets of Hong Kong.

Jun Wu had been right, seeing the cramped streets from forty stories high compared to being in them was completely different, and the scrap god felt slightly overwhelmed by it despite having been in many cities before -his honey eyes darting all around at the people walking by, looking at their 'cellphones' or 'smartwatches' as they made their way around them.