Fluffy WangXian Oneshots

Who Am I To You? Part 4

Two weeks.

Fourteen days.

Three hundred and thirty-six hours…

Twenty thousand, one hundred and sixty minutes.

Each one is more precious than the last.

It was the same amount of time, but to Lan Zhan, he felt better with the bigger numbers.

He had a routine now, one that didn't interfere with Wei Ying and his rules.

Lan Zhan got up normally at five in the morning and made breakfast after his meditation and a shorter sword form workout, after which A-Yuan would wake up and join him in the kitchen. Once A-Yuan had eaten his breakfast, they both would return to the bigger bed to nap with Wei Ying, and of course, he might figure out what they were doing, but he was happiest about the company when he awoke.

The day after A-Yuan came to live with them, Lan Zhan made him a bed, all for his own. He spent time carefully explaining to the four year old, that while he was always welcome in their bed, he also had his own because a bed was very important.

A-Yuan's eyes had grown even bigger and he'd actually smiled when he saw it. Lan Zhan had to wipe away a tear when he saw the kid actually kiss it to say thank you.

Next, he found colourful socks in yet another one of Wei Ying's rooms, filled with clutter. It gave Lan Zhan another great idea, and he got to work immediately, using the needles that Wei Ying’s customer had given him, plus he found some spun cotton and used that too, to make a stuffed toy for their child.

It was red and black, with big eyes, and Wei Ying named it Baogui* (*Precious). The name stuck, and now A-Yuan will not part with it.

Lan Zhan feels better about making it, too.

Even if he is no longer around, he has left a piece of himself with the child, and hopefully, the child will not miss him too much.

At least Wei Ying and A-Yuan will have each other….

***********

One week to go…

Seven days, one hundred and sixty-eight hours…ten thousand and eighty minutes…

The days are speeding away, like water through his fingertips…

***********

One day to go…

Twenty-four hours…

One thousand, four hundred and forty minutes left.

Today is the day that Lan Zhan spends a little more time trying not to fall asleep, so he can enjoy watching Wei Ying sleeping so peacefully. Today is the day that he waits for a few more precious minutes before rising, when A-Yuan comes to find him.

A-Yuan sleeps in a room that he chose himself, now.

He has become much more independent after that first night of missing his mother.

Lan Zhan is glad about that and quietly takes him into the kitchen, trying not to weep.

This might be the last time he gets to make breakfast for someone he has come to see as his own child.

He tidies up the kitchen, blinking back tears, because A-Yuan talks to the bunnies and the kitten, and all four look much happier now.

In the weeks spent in their care, the animals are much more playful, their fur thicker and shinier, and the kitten has felt confident enough to explore his new home. They listen to A-Yuan's garbled chattering as if they understand him, patiently letting him pet their fur and telling them how good they are.