Call Anytime

Cute Guy at Target

After yet another night of less than optimum sleep, Lan Zhan has had enough.

A-Zhan 👼🏻

Brother, I need to move out of this apartment.

Lan Huan 👨⚕️

Couldn't sleep again?

A-Zhan 👼🏻

The billboard is no longer just a mess of blinding neon. It also blinks on and off, in a combination of various animations. It is impossible to stick to my sleep schedule because of it.

Lan Huan 👨⚕️

Lan Zhan, have you considered getting some blackout curtains?

Oh. Lan Zhan stares at the phone screen. That... is an obvious and elegant solution. He's almost embarrassed as he responds.

A-Zhan 👼🏻

That did not occur to me. Thank you for the suggestion; I will buy them today. I apologize for bothering you.

Lan Huan 👨⚕️

A-Zhan, at the risk of sounding too informal, you, my only brother, are never a bother. So, chill out, please.

Lan Zhan awkwardly types out an 'Okay' and exits the messaging application. He looks at his watch. It is barely 7 a.m. but the Target a few blocks away must already be open. He feels so out of sorts, that he can't bring himself to stick to his Sunday routine and play the guqin. As he has already bathed, meditated, cooked and eaten breakfast, he decides to get dressed and get his shopping done.

The Target is quite empty, as it should be on a Sunday morning. Lan Zhan tries to shop efficiently, making his way through the aisles guided by his Notes app. When he finally walks into the 'Home Furnishings" section, he is surprised to see a young man looking through the curtains as well. He keeps his distance, as he checks which options are marked as 'light-blocking', 'blackout', etc. As usual, he finds himself drawn to a pair of gray curtains, showcasing two adorable bunny rabbits running across the fabric in a continuous pattern. One of the rabbits is white, with a red ribbon around its forehead while the other is black, with a matching white ribbon. The curtains are so cute but he's not sure if they would be appropriate for his bedroom. He is 25 years old, after all. Hardly the age for indulging in the bunny fandom again.

As he stands there, staring at the curtains, trying to convince himself one way or the other, the young man picks up the same gray curtains and starts putting them in his shopping cart. Lan Zhan turns around to look at him, already glaring, even though he had laid no prior claim to the curtains. But his glare dissolves into a look of unabashed admiration as he takes in the man's appearance. He has his shoulder-length hair tied up in a half-ponytail, the rest of it falling over his collarbones. His collarbones are barely covered in a flimsy black t-shirt, with 'Tater Thot' printed in red on the front. Usually, Lan Zhan would have wondered as to what 'Thot' meant and what the pun exactly was (because clearly, there was a pun) but he can't take eyes off the man's face. He is returning Lan Zhan's stare with wide eyes and a smile that makes Lan Zhan's heart race.

"Is there a problem?" He asks politely, somehow smiling even more. "Oh, were you going to buy these curtains?"

Lan Zhan can only nod, he is so taken aback by how cute this man is. His whole... thing (Lan Zhan cannot remember any words as his brain screams cute, cute, cute at him) is so charming and he has the sweetest mole just under his lower lip.

"Oh! Sorry," he looks apologetic. "It's just that my son loves rabbits, and this gray colour would really fit in with the rest of his room-"

"You have a son?" What is Lan Zhan doing? Who is speaking through his tongue?

"Um, yes," the cute man seems appropriately awkward. "Well, he's my foster kid but he's a 100% my son, you know! I birthed him myself." He laughs as Lan Zhan raises his eyebrows at that. "Sorry, okay, he is a little baby orphan, much like myself, so now that I have some money, it made sense to take care of him. His cousins, who are still in college, were finding it pretty tough and I was baby-sitting most days.." He cuts himself off. "I am truly rambling."

Lan Zhan has been taking in every word that comes out of the man's mouth as if he has never encountered human speech before. A very sneaky part of his brain is screaming "he's not wearing a ring, he hasn't mentioned a significant other" as the man goes on the sweetest little rant. He's so beautiful and he seems so kind. "Not at all," Lan Zhan says. "It's nice to know that these curtains are going to a good home."

The man laughs again, the sound so beautiful, that Lan Zhan hears it as a melody. "You can come visit our furry kids if you like."

"Can I?" Lan Zhan almost bites his tongue, at how... open his tone has gotten. He knows that he has moved way closer to the man than he normally would.

"Absolutely," he is fluttering his eyelashes. Beautiful, cute, kind Target Guy is fluttering his eyelashes. At Lan Zhan. "We are co-parents to these rabbits now. I take that very seriously."

"Okay," Lan Zhan's soul is actively trying to leave his body. This man is flirting with him, right? Has he fallen over in Target and suffering through a trauma-induced hallucination?

"So, do you want my number or.." The man raises an eyebrow. It's suddenly so hot in Target, Lan Zhan makes a note to complain to the cashier.

"Yes." He hands over his unlocked phone to the man, who types out a number and saves it in Lan Zhan's contacts as 'Wei Ying 🎯".

"Wei Ying." Lan Zhan mutters under his breath as he is handed back his phone.

"It was nice meeting you..." Wei Ying, Wei Ying, trails off.

"Lan Zhan." He clears his throat. "My name is Lan Zhan."

Wei Ying smiles like he has never heard a better name. "Lan Zhan," it rolls off his tongue, and Lan Zhan has never liked his name more than in that moment. "Call anytime, Lan Zhan. Your bunny babies will miss you." He grins.

"As will I," Lan Zhan can't help but smile, just a tiny bit.