Fluffy WangXian Oneshots Book Two

Tied To The Ocean Part 7

Wei Ying has a jar of pickles open and is snacking without a plate, next to a tub of vanilla ice cream from which he periodically shoves a spoonful into his eager mouth, when XiChen walks in.

He's startled because he wasn't expecting to see Wei Ying there, though Wei Ying is not being particularly quiet right now. But seeing him eat with such gusto, (and what a combination!), makes XiChen smile.

"Enjoying yourself?" He grins, going to the cabinet above the kettle to fetch his tea.

"Yep," Wei Ying lets the 'p' pop, as he takes another bite out of the pickle. "It's an odd craving, certainly unexpected, but the balance of sour and tangy is perfectly in tandem with the sweetness of the ice cream. Here, wanna try some?" Wei Ying dips a green pickle in the scoop of ice cream and holds it out towards him.

XiChen is really in two minds; he wants to try it because seriously, who looks like that when eating two previously thought incompatible food items? How is there such a look of bliss and divine satisfaction on A-Xian's face? And yet this curiosity is offset by the powerful certainty that not even a lifetime's supply of mouthwash, no, mouthwash AND toothpaste, is going to erase that particular flavour from his taste buds.

The Lans have always been cautious, and XiChen opts for the latter.

"I'm actually not that hungry," he says, eyeing it with trepidation.

XiChen fills the kettle with cold water and switches it on, waiting for it to boil. While that's happening, he finds the honey and pours a liberal amount into his mug (Uncle would be scandalised that it's not a proper teacup!), and roots around the selection of teabags to choose one that appeals.

"Suit yourself," Wei Ying grins back and carries on eating.

"How are you feeling besides wanting to eat...that?" XiChen asks him.

"Quite normal," Wei Ying decides, after scrunching up his nose thoughtfully. "Lan Zhan says the craving part happens in the second trimester, but Little Radish and I aren't going to do anything in the proper order, it seems." He laughs quietly.

"But...well, I hope you don't mind me asking, but how are you so alright about it? And not just the pregnancy, which would throw anyone into a spin, but really, everything?" XiChen pours out the boiled water into his mug and takes a saucer out of the sliding drawer under the stove. He chooses a teaspoon and sits down opposite Wei Ying, with all of his paraphernalia, waiting on Wei Ying's answer.

He's hoping to get some kind of closure, or maybe have a better understanding of himself if he learns how to cope with the strangeness of life. His life, really.

"So," Wei Ying waves his ice cream spoon in the air, thinking fast, "I could give you a really deep answer, and it would be true, but I'm going to go with Lan Zhan."

"How is THAT true?" XiChen takes a sip of his tea and scalds the roof of his mouth and his tongue, but the sensation evaporates faster than normal. "Isn't he part of the same problem?"

"Did Lan Zhan tell you how I met your mother?" Wei Ying asks him, closing the lid on the pickles and concentrating on the ice cream now.

"Yes, he mentioned you saved her from drowning. Thank you for that," XiChen bends his head.

"Ah, no need, no need," Wei Ying gets flustered but quickly moves on. "I don't think, now looking back on it, that she was trying to hurt herself. It may just have been a desperate last-ditch attempt to return to herself, or maybe she wanted to see her family again, who knows, right?"

XiChen nods, watching the ice cream disappear.

"She saw my bracelet. That was the first thing. The second part was that at that moment, I still had my tail. I'm sure she saw it, and consequently, we never mentioned it. But aside from sharing that trait, I couldn't deny the connection I felt with her. I hoped that Lan Zhan would come and see her, and that maybe I would get to see him in return. But that's not why I stayed with her.