Sit Softly On Your Shoulder

Chapter 41: Autumn Days

September arrives without fanfare, and the sense of anticipation grows. There are only three weeks to go before the wedding, and Wei Ying wakes up every day full of excitement. He knows Lan Zhan feels the same, because every morning, when a sleepy Wei Ying goes in search of cuddles, he finds them in their shared kitchen where Lan Zhan is cooking their breakfast by the stove.

Wei Ying always hugs him from behind and rests there a while, getting used to not being asleep and letting the warm strength of his husband wash over him, accompanied with the stomach-rumbling smell of either noodles or scallion pancakes.

Sometimes, they sit in the lounge to eat, or if they have more utensils than can fit on a tray, they sit on the dining table. While Lan Zhan doesn't talk himself, he likes listening to whatever Wei Ying chats about, watching him back with soft eyes and a gentle barely there smile. It's the battery charge they both need to get ready for the day.

On the rare days Lan Zhan waits to shower with him, they get ready together, and by ten o'clock on the dot, they're opening up the fabric shop. Today, there's a surprise waiting for them.

A delivery driver wearing a Hi-Viz vest raps on the door as he enters and looks between them, deciding who to approach. He picks Wei Ying since he's the only one with a broad welcoming smile on his face.

"Thirty-two cartons for Blue's Fabrics? Can you sign for 'em?" He looks around with interest. "Nice place you got here." He whistles as Wei Ying signs the acceptance form and then saunters out again.

Lan Zhan follows him out.

One of them should stay to look after the shop since the door is open and anyone can walk in, but Wei Ying goes to stand by the door anyway. Seconds later, he's extremely glad he did because Lan Zhan is helping the guy out. While the delivery guy is carefully loading his step trolley to wheel the cartons inside, Lan Zhan has already hefted one of them onto his shoulder and is walking back to the shop. His mouth twitches when he sees Wei Ying's mouth gaping open.

"You might catch flies," he murmurs, walking past Wei Ying to put his box down next to the cottons. He might as well have been carrying a newspaper for all the effort it took him.

Wei Ying is super lucky, he thinks, because today, despite it being a Monday, is a wonderful day. His eyes are treated to seeing Lan Zhan do that twenty times without breaking a sweat, and he got extra hotness because halfway through, Lan Zhan, God that he is, decided to roll his sleeves up. His forearms are a THING. Hoisting the boxes onto his shoulder, Wei Ying gets to see rippling muscles in action, thighs that could probably crush metal and biceps that bulged with definition on his husband, and it's Wei Ying who is a sweaty mess afterwards, chest heaving and dazed with glassy eyes, a blank blue-screen-of-death in his mind.

"We should stagger opening all of these," Lan Zhan says, looking over the cartons for documents to peel off. "That way, there will be something new in the shop every week or fortnight."

When there's no answer, he finally looks up at Wei Ying, who hasn't moved from his spot by the door but is still watching him like a starving feral cat about to pounce on a poor unsuspecting mouse.

"Er, Wei Ying?"

He springs into action, as if Lan Zhan uttering his name has broken the magic spell, rendering him into a statue. He locks the door and pulls Lan Zhan into the hallway that connects the stairs to the shop and pushes Lan Zhan against the wall. Hot lips ravage warm ones, opening immediately to kiss him back. Wei Ying is relentless in his pursuit, as if he will never get enough of this, biting down on Lan Zhan's bottom lip and tearing out a heart-wrenching groan from him. They need to breathe, but Wei Ying isn't interested in stopping; his mouth licks and bites its way down Lan Zhan's throat while his hands tug on his belt. Within seconds, Lan Zhan's trousers are pooling around his ankles, and Wei Ying is kneeling at his feet.