Mad about the Boy
Fandom: The Untamed / Pairing: WangXian / Rating: T
It's 1954, and Lan Zhan's life would be going well if it wasn't for the charming Wei Ying. Did he say charming? He meant annyoing. If it wasn't for that smile Lan Zhan could accept the future planned for him, the job as Cheif Surgeon who returned home to a demure wife who'd cook him dinner and asking him about his day. Instead, he finds himself dreaming about something more. So when Wei Ying offers him a deal, one that would get him out of Lan Zhan's life he took it. Afterall, how hard could it be to survive one evening with him?
Read it on AO3
Mad about the boy
I know it's stupid to be mad about the boy
I'm so ashamed of it but must admit the sleepless nights I've had
About the boy
Mad About the Boy Helen Forrest 1949
The song lingered in Lan Zhan’s in his mind as he left the music store. His fingers absentmindedly twitching along with the accompaniment, pressing into the stack of books under his arm. It seemed to drift through his thoughts often these days, not just because he was tasked with playing the accompaniment for the spring talent show. It drifted in, day or night accompanied by a bright smile.
With the memory of the smile flashing through his mind, Lan Zhan’s grip tightened on the books under his arm. With a deep breath he tried to call to mind any other song that would drive the lyrics, and the smile, away from his thoughts. The Star Spangled Banner always seemed to do the trick.
As he rounded the corner, his steps came to a stuttering stop. His eyes gravitate towards the bright cherry red Model A parked along the street side. He tried to pull his eyes away from it, but they kept gravitating back to it. The girls at school had called it cool, a few even dared to call it sexy. His Uncle called it an ostentatious sin wagon, just like its owner.
The thought of the car’s owner slowly got Lan Zhan’s feet to move again. His eyes able to drift away from the car to search for its owner. Not finding him, he let his eyes drift back to the car with a sigh of relief. He found himself wondering what it would be like to ride in it, tucked under the arm of its owner. The bright smile lit up by the setting sun.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” A cheeky voice called out, instantly reeling Lan Zhan in from his daydream.
Lan Zhan’s gaze quickly found the owner. a lean man bent over to check his greased back pompadour in one of the car’s side mirrors. The eyes raised from the mirror, giving him a wink as they did. A sly grin grew on his face as he shifted, leaning back against the car. He rested his elbows in the open window, leaving his hips jutting out.
Lan Zhan’s eyes dragged the length of the man. From the booted feet, up the rolled up blue jeans, a leather jacket worn open hanging off of his form to show the tight white undershirt underneath. His mouth suddenly felt dry, his eyes focusing in on the muscles subtly visible through the white tee shirt.
Lan Zhan tightened his hold on his books, taking a breath. He proceeded to walk forward, and attempted to return to the only way he knew how to deal with the smiling man. By ignoring him.
“Come on, Lan Zhan.” The voice called. Lan Zhan hated how his body wanted to stop, how much he wanted to turn and look at that smile. “Don’t be such a wet blanket!”
Lan Zhan’s knuckles were surely white from the hold they had on his books. It was like Wei Ying had been put on the world just to annoy and confuse him. He hadn’t realized he had paused in his stride to shoot the man a glare until he laughed.
“Lan Zhan,” He drew out as he pushed himself off the car. The smile the girls called dashing playing across his lips. “Do you like her?” He wagged his eyebrow as he planted himself in front of him on the sidewalk.
“Boring,” Lan Zhan leveled back at him, stepping to the side to move past him.
“If she’s so boring why did you stare?” Wei Ying grinned.
“Wei Ying missed school,” Lan Zhan replied to changing the subject. “We were assigned math homework and a history paper is due in two days.”
“Ayiah,” Wei Ying scratched his nose. “What would I ever do without my Lan Zhan?” He grinned.
“Fail,” Lan Zhan replied stiffly, gaining a massive laugh from Wei Ying. He tried to ignore the fact his ears had flushed red at the words ‘my Lan Zhan’. How his eyes wanted to linger on his throat as he threw his head back to laugh.
“Then how about I pay you back,” Wei Ying smiled. “For keeping this poor student in school?”
“No need,” Lan Zhan replied, dropping his gaze to his stack of books as he readjusted them.
“I mean it,” Wei Ying reached out and tugged on the sleeve of Lan Zhan’s sweater. His eyes flew to it. “Ah,” Wei Ying laughed nervously as he let go. He reached up to scratch his nose. “How about I buy you dinner?”
“Unnecessary,” Lan Zhan replied flatly, moving past him. He tried not to imagine spending an entire meal across from that charming smile. Not charming, he tried to school himself. It was annoyingly bright and made his eyes crinkle adorably. He sighed, his thoughts confirming how dangerous spending an entire meal, alone, with Wei Ying would be.
“Do you really hate me that much?” Wei Ying pouted.
Lan Zhan resisted the urge to sigh. It would be easier if he hated him. If he didn’t look at the man and wonder what his lips would feel like on his own. How he’d look pressed into his white bed sheets. How he’d rub his nose while looking over Lan Zhan’s writing.
If only he could hate him. Then he could choke down the plan his Uncle had laid out for him. The job as chief surgeon, a white picket fence behind which a demure wife would welcome him home every night. If only he could look at him and not hope for something else. Hope for something real.
“How about a deal then?” Lan Zhan was pulled from his thoughts.
“A deal?” He almost immediately cursed his curiosity.
“Spend the entire night with me,” Wei Ying nodded. “If I can’t get another expression other than annoyance on your face, I won’t bother you anymore.”
“Ridiculous,” Lan Zhan replied before he could stop himself. A bitter taste forming in his mouth at the reminder they weren’t friends. He was just the toy Wei Ying wanted to figure out, to peel back the surface and see how he ticked.
“Come on, you're such a square!” Wei Ying groaned. “Here. I, Wei Ying, swear that if I can’t get an emotion other than annoyance on Lan Zhan’s face by the end of the evening I will cease interacting with him in any form.” He vowed holding up a hand, while the other settled over his heart. “Cross my heart and hope to die.” He finished, making a cross over his heart.
“Boring,” Lan Zhan snorted moving forward.
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying called, using the long childish drawl that made his heart skip a few beats. “Do you not want a chance to get rid of me?”
Lan Zhan came grinding to a stop again. Without Wei Ying’s constant prodding into his life there was a chance he could get the urges and daydreams under control. A chance they could fade into something he could ignore for the rest of his life. At the same time, the thought of not having the dazzling smile greet him in the morning or teasingly call his name caused his heart to ache.
It would dull with time, wouldn’t it? Lan Zhan thought as he turned back to Wei Ying. He saw the sly smile grow into something larger. With a bounce in his step, and whistling a jaunty tune, Wei Ying moved back to the car. He pulled open the passenger door, leaning on it with a wink. One last tightened grip on his books and he was walking towards the obnoxiously red vehicle.
“Don’t give my baby that look,” Wei Ying pouted as he closed the door behind Lan Zhan. He suddenly felt the similarities to a date. He pushed the thought from his mind. This was not a date, it was one of Wei Ying’s stupid bets.
“Don’t treat me like one of your dolls,” Lan Zhan replied, leveling a glare at him through the open window.
“Dolls?” Wei Ying laughed. “The only doll in my life is Chenqing.” He smiled patting the side of his car affectionately. He hurried around the front, sliding into the driver's seat.
“You shouldn’t flirt if you don’t mean it,” Lan Zhan huffed.
“I can’t help it if being nice gets mistaken for flirting,” Wei Ying pouted. Lan Zhan glared at him. If Wei Ying didn’t flirt with every girl he met, Lan Zhan would put his hair in one of those ridiculous greased up pompadours himself. Wei Ying turned the key. Chenqing roared to life, a mix of the purr of the engine and the static of the radio crackling to life, slowly fading into the middle of Rock around the Clock .
“Do you like her?” Wei Ying grinned, noticing Lan Zhan looking at him. “I did all the work on her myself. She’s a Model A souped up with a Lincoln motor.” He swung the car out of the parking space, haphazardly producing a cigarette from his jacket as he did.
“Wei Ying, drive properly,” Lan Zhan gritted out as his hand gripped the side of the car. It was taking most of his control not to lean over and grab the steering wheel, as Wei Ying’s antics were causing the car to swerve.
“Cool it, I know what I’m doing.” Wei Ying waved him off the cigarette dangling from his lips. He dug in his leather jacket, producing a lighter. The moment his other hand lifted off of the wheel, Lan Zhan’s body moved on his own, snatching the lighter out of his hand. “Lan Zhan!”
Lan Zhan only leveled a glare, realizing he’d gone too far to turn back. He slid closer on the bucket seat, flipping open the lighter. He saw a grin form on Wei Ying’s lips around the cigarette. He leaned forward, and with a puff his cigarette was lit. Lan Zhan found himself transfixed for a moment, watching the way Wei Ying’s lips wrapped around the end of the cigarette and sucked ever so slightly. Wei Ying leaning back against the seat snapped him out of it.
Lan Zhan flipped the lighter closed, this was not an opportunity to gawk he reminded himself. All he had to do was get through one evening. Just one evening and Wei Ying would stop butting into his life. All the urges and dreams could return to a manageable level. Then the rest of his life could go just as his Uncle planned.
“How rude of me, you want a cigarette?” Wei Ying questioned reaching into his jacket.
“They think they cause lung cancer,” Lan Zhan replied, turning his gaze out the window. Trying to find something more distracting than the man driving.
“Eh, probably won’t live long enough to die of it,” Wei Ying laughed, tapping off some of his cigarette ash into the ashtray.
“They believe new medical practices will extend our life spans,” Lan Zhan found himself saying. “So Wei Ying should be more careful.”
“Is that concern?” Wei Ying grinned glancing over at him. He turned, just as Lan Zhan moved his gaze back to him. The sun streaming in through the windshield lighting him up like a painting.
“Mn,” Lan Zhan replied non committedly as he hurriedly tore his gaze from the masterpiece in the front seat.
“I should expect less from the budding doctor,” Wei Ying snorted while taking a drag of his cigarette. “Still haven’t told your Uncle you want to be a writer?” Lan Zhan’s gaze jumped back to him. Finding a wiry grin on Wei Ying’s face, he let out a huff of annoyance. “That was almost a surprised look.” Wei Ying laughed.
“I didn’t expect you to remember something unimportant,” Lan Zhan replied evenly. He shifted the books in his lap, his fingers running habitually along the embossed spine of Leaves of Grass tucked in between his textbooks.
He remembered the day Wei Ying found out he wanted to write. He’d come bounding into the library, snatching the poem he’d been working on out from under him. Lan Zhan had braced himself for the teasing, how he’d turn it into a mockery. Instead he’d watched the boys face melt, a warm smile as he delved into a shockingly well done analysis of the poem. Somehow, the boy had slipped past his walls and they had ended up discussing poetry for the rest of the afternoon. Wei Ying had plunged into a discussion of Walt Whitman, and Lan Zhan felt his mind follow his body's attraction. He’d assumed the boy had forgotten the afternoon.
“How is what you want to do with your life unimportant?” Wei Ying countered. Lan Zhan found his eyes trailing the hand as they moved to tap off the ash of his cigarette again.
“What does Wei Ying want to do?” Lan Zhan’s mind pulled at anything to get the focus off himself. He didn’t need to get flustered and let something slip.
“Hah,” Wei Ying scoffed, taking a long drag. “Only people with family get to choose what they want to do in life.” He winked at Lan Zhan. He let out a small sigh, and Lan Zhan regretted his question. “Commies are practically everywhere now, we’ll probably have forces on the ground somewhere by the time I turn eighteen. I suppose the army beats being stuck here and working in a garage.”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan turned, his brow furrowing slightly. Wei Ying was far from dumb. His high class rankings, despite the amount of school he skipped, proved that. Lan Zhan had no doubt he could do whatever he put his mind to. He supposed the issue was getting him to focus on something.
“It’ll work out,” Wei Ying waved him off. His gaze staring off through the windshield. “Afterall, it worked for my parents. Right up until it killed them.” Lan Zhan could hear the bitterness in his voice, despite the pensive look on his face.
Lan Zhan studied his profile for a moment, his heart beating a bit faster. It was moments like these, where Wei Ying’s carefree exterior dropped that conflicted him the most. It made him feel like he was someone special to Wei Ying, to be allowed to see him in those vulnerable moments. It made him want to reach out and try to comfort him, a small seed of hope that Wei Ying would let him. If only he’d reach out.
“Guess the trick is not to die.” Wei Ying broke the moment with a wink in Lan Zhan’s direction. An easy smile coming to his face.
Lan Zhan turned his gaze out the window, stamping down the urge. Wei Ying might be many things, but Lan Zhan doubted he was like him. Maybe if he was one of the pretty girls from school, at least then he’d have a chance. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the easy smile slide back off Wei Ying’s face. The drags on his cigarette become longer and more pensive.
“Hope you're hungry,” Wei Ying broke through the silence moment’s later as he pulled up to the diner.
“Is eating part of your plan?” Lan Zhan questioned driely. Hoping it would bring back the enthusiasm from earlier back to the man’s face. If this was the last moments he had with Wei Ying, he wanted them to be happy.
“Everything is part of my plan,” Wei Ying winked, spinning his keys around his finger after he pulled them from the ignition. He slid from the car, leaving Lan Zhan to follow him. With a sigh, he set his stack of books on the seat before following him out.
He watched Wei Ying swagger towards the front door, pulling it open and holding it for Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan stopped short of entering, glaring at Wei Ying. The similarities to a date came swimming back to his mind.
“I’m not one of your dolls,” He spoke reaching up to hold the door.
“Can’t a guy just hold a door open for a friend?” Wei Ying questioned catching his reflection in the window, and moved to smooth a hair back in place.
“You always have a plan,” Lan Zhan replied, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. It pulled a laugh from Wei Ying.
“Have it your way,” Wei Ying winked. “Of course, everyone knows whoever holds open the door pays.” He grinned as he sauntered in.
Lan Zhan stared at his back for a moment. The grain of annoyance doubled. Wei Ying had stuck him between a rock and a hard place. Either admit he hadn’t taken a girl out on a date, and therefore didn’t know the proper conduct. Or take the chance and pay, and find out Wei Ying had lied all along. He wondered how many dates Wei Ying had been on, had he teased them the same way? Lan Zhan shook the idea from his head, he reminded himself this wasn’t a date.
“Coming?” Wei Ying paused as he realized Lan Zhan wasn’t following him. Lan Zhan snapped out of his crisis and followed him into the diner.
Due to the lateness in the day, most of the diner’s red and white booths were empty. The smell of cigarettes and cooking food still managed to permeate the room. The black and white linoleum at least seemed to be freshly mopped, the white tables Lan Zhan could see from the doorway sparkling under the lights overhead. It was a far cry from his uncle’s favored country club, but at least it seemed to be clean.
Wei Ying made a bee line for a booth in the corner, practically falling into it. He splayed out over the booth he slid into, booted feet coming up to rest on the table. Lan Zhan allowed himself a small sigh, before following to sit on the opposite side. He glared at the booted feet.
“What?” Wei Ying questioned reaching over to pull the ashtray closer to himself. He snubbed out the one he started in the car, before producing another from his jacket.
“Sit properly,” Lan Zhan replied, glancing at the booted feet.
“Worried being seen with me will ruin your goody-two shoes reputation?” Wei Ying laughed.
“No,” Lan Zhan replied. He grabbed a napkin, to brush a piece of dirt from them off his side of the table. “Hygiene.”
Wei Ying let out a laugh, but shifted his booted feet off the table to the booth seat. Lan Zhan brushed the remaining dirt off, before turning his attention to the menu.
“Nope,” Wei Ying grinned, pulling it out of his hands. “I know exactly what we’re ordering. Part of my plan.” He winked. Lan Zhan let out a soft sigh, clasping his hands together and setting them in his lap. Wei Ying settled back into his lounged position.
“Wei Ying if I get a call that you kidnapped Lan Zhan,” Wen Qing’s tired voice floated into their conversation. She appeared at the end of the table with crossed arms.
“I’m hurt,” Wei Ying gasped. “Lan Zhan is here willingly!” Wen Qing glanced at Lan Zhan with a raised eyebrow. He merely nodded in return.
“I’ll keep an eye out for flying pigs on the way home,” She hummed. “What’ll it be.”
“Two of my usuals,” Wei Ying replied. Wen Qing only rolled her eyes but noted it on her pad and moved off. “I don’t know why she’s so surprised, we aren’t that different.”
Lan Zhan barely covered a snort of laughter. To any one who walked by, they were possibly the most mismatched pair in town. Wei Ying’s clothing, from the beat up leather jacket to the white t-shirt that was by some miracle not stained, screamed greaser. Which, to proper citizens of society registered as a ‘troublemaker.’ It definitely clashed against Lan Zhan’s neatly pressed grey slacks, dress shirt, light blue cardigan and tie. As Wei Ying would put it, Lan Zhan dressed like a ‘square’. On the inside? Well, Lan Zhan supposed that was a different case.
Two plates of food being set on the table pulled Lan Zhan from his thoughts. Wei Ying’s stomach let out a low growl. He pulled himself up from his lounged position and began inhaling the food at an astonishing rate. Lan Zhan carefully picked up a fork, eyeing the red omlette in front of him. He carefully cut a piece out, taking a small sniff. He felt his eyes water, he glanced at Wei Ying. His attention was focused on devouring the same omlette place in front of him. It couldn’t be that spicey if he was practically inhaling it.
Lan Zhan took a bite, feeling his eyes water almost instantly. He fought the urge to cough, quickly reaching out for the water by his plate. He quickly tried to quench the burning sensation, hopefully before Wei Ying noticed.
Knowing him, he’d probably consider reacting to spices an emotion.
“What do you think?” Wei Ying questioned as Lan Zhan set his glass back down. Lan Zhan looked over to see he’d cleared his own plate.
“Mn,” Was all Lan Zhan could manage without giving himself away. He watched a smile come to Wei Ying’s face.
“I knew you could handle it,” He spoke as he lounged back against the booth again, taking a large bite out of the toast provided. “They’re about an hour from closing, so they’ve got to get rid of the eggs that’ll be bad by tomorrow morning. I convinced them to add the spices, making it cheap and tasty.” He winked.
Lan Zhan sighed as he cut another piece off the omelette. He allowed himself a miniscule deep breath before biting down on it again. He supposed the spices covered any eggs that slipped past their due dates. He thought warmly of the bland dinner that would have been waiting for him when he got home.
“Ah, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying laughed. “Even with that much spice you aren’t giving anything away.”
Lan Zhan could feel sweat starting to creep down his back as he took another bite. He tried pacifying his screaming tongue with a bite of the toast provided. Wei Ying was watching every movement, probably waiting for a crack.
“What do you think your Uncle would say if he saw us?” Wei Ying questioned. A mischievous grin crossed his face as he bolted up straight, matching Lan Zhan’s own posture. “Lan Zhan, how dare you take a night off! Those perfect A’s aren’t going to earn themselves!’’ He matched the words with a motion of stroking a beard. Lan Zhan hated to admit the voice was quite close. “And with that Wei Ying! That do nothing, no good boy is just going to distract you from becoming the next Chief Surgeon!”
“Wei Ying should think better of himself,” Lan Zhan noted. As he spoke, he swore he saw steam escaping his mouth.
“Ah,” Wei Ying laughed awkwardly. “I was just picturing what your Uncle would say.” He added scratching the back of his head. His gaze fell to the table, as he methodically stacked his used silverware onto his plate and pushed it to the edge of the table. Lan Zhan somehow managed to finish off the monstrosity and followed suit.
“Wen Qing, milkshake us!” Wei Ying called out to her. Lan Zhan heard a sigh, and in a few minutes two milkshakes were placed in front of them. “They’re vanilla,” Wei Ying noted with a tone of dejection.
“Ran out of chocolate,” Wen Qing replied simply, sliding the bill on the table. Before Lan Zhan had time to return to his earlier crisis, Wei Ying was dumping a fistfull of change on the table. Lan Zhan felt his brow furrow slightly again.
“I can pay,” He noted, producing the money.
“Don’t worry about it,” Wei Ying replied. “I’m distracting you for an evening. It’d be rude to make you pay.”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan pressed.
“Hurry up or it’ll melt,” Wei Ying nodded, taking a large slurp of his milkshake. A hand reaching out to push the bill closer to the edge, and away from Lan Zhan. Still, he produced a dollar bill and set it on the table, noticing Wei Ying was actively ignoring it.
He carefully picked up the spoon in his milk shake, pulling out the candied cherry and setting it on his napkin. He tried not to focus on the slurping motion from Wei Ying that was taking his mind to unholy places. Carefully, and in measured movements he started his own shake. He picked up the speed slightly when he realized it helped soothe the burning still lingering in his mouth.
“Do you like the cherries, Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying questioned, holding his own up by the stem. His eyes flickered to where Lan Zhan had placed his own on a napkin. “I like saving them for last.” He added biting into his.
“You can have mine,” Lan Zhan replied, his gaze dropping back to his milkshake to avoid looking at how the candied cherry had stained his lips red.
“Want to see a trick?” Wei Ying asked excitedly. Lan Zhan’s eyes raised. Wei Ying reached out, plucking his cherry off the napkin and threw it into his mouth, stem and all. Lan Zhan watched confusedly, but when he went to say something Wei Ying held up a finger to silence him.
After a moment of confused silence, Wei Ying’s mouth opened. A pink tongue stuck out, showing off a tied cherry stem. Lan Zhan found himself entrapped by the sight as Wei Ying plucked the stem off his tongue. He gave Lan Zhan a cheeky grin. Lan Zhan felt his ears flush as he looked away.
“Shameless,” Lan Zhan managed to mutter.
“There used to be a cherry tree outside the Jiang house,” Wei Ying grined spinning the knotted stem in his fingers. “We’d compete to see who could tie it the the quickest. I always won of course.”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan replied, returning his hands clasped in his lap. Perhaps the lack of reaction would show Wei Ying it was best to give up now. “I’ll be leaving.” He nodded. “Thank you for dinner.”
“Leaving?” Wei Ying questioned, his brow furrowing. “Lan Zhan you gave me an entire night, it’s still light out.” He huffed. “Don’t think I’ll let you out of this early.” He added standing. He moved towards the door. “Well, come on.” He called.
Lan Zhan sighed, but rose to his feet to follow Wei Ying. Chenqing roared to life with a twist of Wei Ying’s wrist, and he was pulling out of the diner parking lot. Lan Zhan wondered if he almost saw annoyance in his face as he lit up another cigarette.
“Where are we going?” Lan Zhan questioned as they reached the edge of town.
“For a cruise,” Wei Ying replied simply, a hand reaching out to shift the car.
Lan Zhan felt the car surge underneath him, and suddenly the milkshake and omelette were far from settled in his stomach. His hand clutched the side of the car, as Wei Ying only pushed the car faster.
With the sun fully setting, the horizon was dotted with cars out for an evening cruise. Lan Zhan’s knuckles turned white as they approached the first set of tail lights, at a speed far faster than he’d like. He was about to call out, when Wei Ying easily weaved out around the car. Chenqing roared as they went shooting past the car. Wei Ying weaved back into the proper lane, only to go speeding back out of it as they approached the next car.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan managed to grit out. He glanced at the road, the white lines looking like dots. “Slow down.”
Just as he did, he heard a sound of a horn behind him. He heard Wei Ying let out a whoop as a car went flying past. Lan Zhan barely saw the glow of it’s tail lights before Wei Ying was charging after it. Wei Ying shifted again, his foot lifting off the gas for a moment. The shift caught, and then his foot was slamming back on the pedal nailing it down to the floor.
Lan Zhan slunk in the seat slightly, gripping for anything in the car. He glanced out the window, his stomach sinking at the decision. He blinked once, twice to make sure. What he had perceived as picket fences, were actually telephone poles.
“Come on,” Wei Ying whooped to his car as he urged it forward. They pulled up next to a Cadillac sedan. Lan Zhan found Wei Ying leaning over into his space, offering a mock salute to the other driver. “I’ve got a ticket to fly boys.” He called.
Lan Zhan somehow managed to hear swearing over the roar of the engines. Slowly, the Cadillac began to inch behind them, and with a whoop Wei Ying was soon pulling out in front of them. Clouding the car behind them in a plume of smoke. Wei Ying let out a cackle as they tore off.
Lan Zhan looked at the man. His hair had been jostled by the wind tearing in through the windows. The cigarette almost burned down to his lips. A light shined from his eyes, visible even in the fading light. As Lan Zhan’s heartbeat a little faster, this had been a terrible idea.
“Wei Ying, pull over.” He gritted out.
“Cool your jets,” Wei Ying replied. “We’re almost there.”
“I said pull over,” Lan Zhan repeated.
“Are you going to throw up?” Wei Ying looked over.
“No,” Lan Zhan gritted out. He needed to get out of this car. Away from the charmingly handsome heartthrob in the front seat before he did something stupid.
“Then you can wait,” Wei Ying snorted back.
He shifted the car again, at least appearing to be trying to get to wherever they were going faster. Lan Zhan let his eyes close, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Trying to do anything to keep the man next to him from worming his way further into his thoughts. The roar of the engine started to fade, the moment Wei Ying cut the engine Lan Zhan was climbing out the door.
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying called, he could hear him scrambling out of the car on the other side. Lan Zhan continued walking away. He could hear Wei Ying’s feet clumping after him. “Lan Zhan, I’m sorry! It was just a little race! No reason for you to flip your lid!” He managed to get out in front of Lan Zhan, darting to prevent him from moving past him. “God, I’ve had girls freak out less than you.”
The words stoked a flare of anger in Lan Zhan, combining with the ache in his chest. Always with the girls, why did Wei Ying have to bring them up? Flaunting his ability to feel attracted to them in front of Lan Zhan, like he knew.
The thought froze the blood in his veins. He swore internally running a hand through his hair. Of course Wei Ying had figured it out, he wasn’t stupid. They weren’t friends, isn’t that what he reminded himself earlier? He was just a source of amusement to Wei Ying, nothing more.
“I told you not to treat me like one of your dolls,” Lan Zhan gritted out. A lump forming in his throat.
“Always bringing up girls,” Wei Ying sighed. “If I didn’t know any better you want me to treat you like one.” He laughed.
The laugh roared through his ears. He felt his nostrils flare ever so slightly as he exhaled sharply. He glanced around, they were on an overlook over the city. A sign in the distance told him they were close to Phoenix Mountain. He felt the anger grow, did Wei Ying think he was an idiot? Or was this his whole plan. Come up here to talk about his conquests? Or merely to rub it in Lan Zhan’s face that he was different?
Either way, Wei Ying was winning this stupid bet. He didn’t care anymore. He wasn’t going to let him drag him around any more. He wasn’t going to be his amusement anymore.
“Haven’t you?” He snapped, turning on Wei Ying. He saw Wei Ying’s eyes widen. “Dinner, a race to show off, Phoenix Mountain.” He pointed. “I’m not so socially inept I don’t know what goes on up here. I don’t need you mocking me.”
“So I might have brought a doll or two up here before,” Wei Ying’s brow furrowed. “But mocking you? I don’t understand.” He continued. Lan Zhan could only glare, his body trembling with his anger. “Unless, have you never kissed a girl?”
Lan Zhan felt his anger flare. Before he realized it he’d reached out, roughly grabbing the front of Wei Ying’s shirt and pulling him towards him. He felt his eyes close involuntarily as his lips crashed against Wei Ying’s. He felt his entire body surge with warmth, but the feeling of Wei Ying tense against him cut through it like a knife. Lan Zhan came back to his senses, roughly pushing Wei Ying away.
“There’s your proof,” Lan Zhan snarled at Wei Ying’s shocked face. “I’m not going to be your amusement any more. I’m not going to stand by and let you mock me for what I feel.”
He turned, marching away from Wei Ying, feeling the tears forming in his eyes. It would probably be all over school by morning. He’d be ruined. He took a shaky breath, his hands reaching up to trace his lips. He could still feel the warmth of Wei Ying’s lips against his, the way the fading sunlight had lit across his face.
Had a moment of truth been worth it?
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Heymans Breda
Ok, day 3- Heymans Breda for @teammustangweek .
Warnings: there’s one curse word I think so... yeah, nothing too bad this time. Unless you have a deep phobia for dogs or cats. In which case, don’t read.
Alright then, please enjoy!
No one ever dared to oppose the Lieutenant Colonel Riza Hawkeye. Her stony expressions, blunt, no-nonsense retorts, and terrifyingly fast and accurate aim with her pistols were the biggest deterrents. This fear was the reason why Breda was keeping his mouth clamped shut and letting his sweat drench the military uniform he was obligated to wear. His eyes darted from his paperwork to the small, black and white mound of fur that sat obediently next to Hawkeye’s chair, head resting on their paws.
Breda couldn’t understand why the military would allow a dog to enter its facilities. They were disease carrying, loud, vicious creatures that could attack anyone at a moments notice. One minute you’re playing with the neighbor’s dog, throwing a stick around and racing across the yard. The next minute they jump at you, teeth snapping near your face, their hot breath washing over you, and clawing at your arm holding the stick. No doubt about it, dogs were not a man’s best friend. They did, however, appear to be Hawkeye’s best friend. The Lieutenant Colonel never went anywhere without Black Hayate and the dog never ceased to follow in her shadow. It was no wonder that the most dangerous person in the world would enjoy the company of the most dangerous animal in the world. Life was so cruel.
“Hey, Breda,” Havoc leaned over his desk across from him, a cheeky grin showing off behind the cigarette. “Doing ok over there, buddy? You look like you’re trapped in a cage with a rabid animal.”
“That’s because I am,” Breda hissed, snatching a glance at Hayate. “He’s a dangerous, feral, deadly animal that’s going to attack us at any given moment.” Havoc chuckled.
“Ah, come on, Breda,” he snickered. “Hayate’s not so bad. He’s just a sweet ball of fluff. Ain’t that right,” he cooed at Hayate who raised his head at the strange voice, tail wagging. Hawkeye cleared her throat, giving the Second Lieutenant a pointed glare. Havoc paled, gave a flustered cough and returned his attention back to his desk, pen scratching furiously. Breda tried to put his focus into the stack of paperwork that mocked him at the corner of his desk, but he could still see that curled black tail over the edge of the wood. He swore that the dog was mocking him, letting him know it was there, prepared to jump at him at any time...
The door slammed open, a wonderful distraction from the mass of fur that sat in a mocking form of innocence in their office. Everyone’s heads shot up in unison.
“Ed!” Havoc exclaimed in surprise at the sight of a bright red coat and golden hair standing in the doorway. A suit of armor clanked up behind him, giving a tiny wave into the office. Ed looked over at Havoc with dull, bleary eyes. He blinked, brow furrowing.
“Woah, Cheif.” Breda started to stand. “You don’t look so good. Are you ok?” Ed turned his head towards him, face hardening, making the bags beneath his eyes more prominent.
“M’fine,” he grunted, trudging towards the Colonel’s office and ignoring every pair of eyes that were locked onto him.
“Hold up there, big guy,” Breda called, grabbing Ed’s upper arm. The kid huffed, glaring up at him as he tried to squirm out of his grip.
“What?” he growled, his glare softer than usual, weary and tired. The boy looked like a wreck. His face was drooping with fatigue, actually, his entire body was, his clothes were hanging disheveled off of him, and his hair was falling out of the trademark braid he wore.
“You look awful,” Havoc piped up, striding over to them. He placed a hand on Ed’s forehead only to have it smacked off.
“Thanks,” Ed deadpanned, writhing around a little more in Breda’s hold.
“You sick?” Havoc pressed.
“No,” Ed huffed. “Just tired. It’s not that big of a deal.” Breda hummed, not overly convinced, but decided to release his arm anyway. Ed took a step back, still trying to form an intimidating glare. It didn’t work.
“Can’t you sleep on the train ride?” Havoc inquired. Ed scowled.
“Train had maintenance issues,” he ground out. “We had to stop a couple cities west of here. Decided to walk the rest of the way.” He shrugged, his shoulders sagging when he released them and turned back around towards the Colonel’s doors. Breda tried to calculate how far the kid had to walk, but geography was never really his strong suit. He couldn't even remember which city was to the west of East City.
Ed reached the wooden doors, hand placed on the door handle when a soft mewl echoed through the office. Everyone stiffened, including Hayate. Ed dropped his head against the door with a dull thump, closed his eyes, and gave a long, groaning sigh. Nothing moved in the office when silence returned.
“Alphonse.” Ed’s voice was flat and cold. Breda glanced back at the younger brother behind him. If armor could sweat, he could imagine the kid soaking as he shifted his feet. “Was that... what I think it was?” Al tapped his index fingers together, his gaze fixated on them.
“U-uh,” he stammered. Breda could almost picture a nervous smile stretching across the helmet. “What was what?” His voice squeaked at the last word and he gave a nervous giggle. “You must be hearing things, Brother-”
“Al,” Ed warned, eyes still closed. “Don’t play dumb with me.” Breda watched as Ed sighed, looking like every drop of energy and patience was being dragged out of him. He faced his brother, his face devoid of anything but exhaustion, and walked up to him. He held out a hand.
“Cough it up.” Al hesitated.
“But, Brother-”
“Al.” Breda didn’t realize a fifteen-year-old kid could look and sound so much like a parent at the end of their rope. Al sighed, admitting defeat, and made slow work of unbuckling his chest plate. Once the piece of metal was removed, a brown, black, and white head peeked out, greeting everyone with a small meow. Alphonse grabbed the cat with giant, gentle hands, far gentler than Breda would have thought possible, and placed them into Ed’s outstretched arms. Ed sighed, situating the cat onto one of his arms and rubbing his face with his free hand.
Breda watched the cat, admiring her beautiful markings. Cats, he decided, were much better than dogs. Cats were small and didn’t bother you so long as you didn’t bother them. If they really had to have an animal in the office, Breda would have much preferred a cat. Cats were way better than dogs.
Hayate, however, did not agree with his opinion.
When the cat had been placed into Ed’s arms, she peered over his shoulder, taking in all the sights the office had to behold. She had a fairly good view of everything, but that also made her easy to see as well. Which wasn’t convenient when there was a dog inhabiting the room. When the two animals locked eyes with one another, all order erupted into chaos.
Hayate leaped to his feet and raced to Ed, barking up a storm. The cat flailed and tore out of Ed’s grasp, landing on the tiled floor, and scampering off. Hayate gave chase and soon, everyone else followed, trying to catch one of the animals. The cat lept to Havoc’s desk, knocking off his ashtray and scattering his papers and pens. Hayate followed in pursuit on the ground. Havoc lunged at her, slamming himself into his desk as the cat raced away. She continued to run and jumped onto Falman’s absent desk, leaving a trail of multicolored fur in her wake. Ed went to grab for her as well, but her tail slipped between his fingers and he spewed dozens of colorful curses.
Next was Fuery’s desk and she nimbly made her way over the gap to his workspace, tearing through the various machines he had there, pushing some off in her haste. A wire wrapped around her foot and she dragged a severed phone with her, catching it on everything else.
After Fuery’s desk was a bookshelf. She jumped to the tallest shelf she could reach, her foot weighed down by the dangling phone. Hawkeye raced after her, but Hayate was faster. He hopped up, snatching the phone in his mouth. The cat gave a harsh yowl and dug her claws further into the shelf. The bookcase leaned precariously, then toppled. The animals scurried out of the way with Hayate bounding towards Hawkeye, the phone still clamped in his jaws, and the cat sprinting towards Hawkeye’s desk, freed from her burden.
She sprung up to the tidy desk, toppling a stack of finished paperwork. Alphonse tried to grab her this time, but she bounded over his armored shoulder, clearing the distance to Breda’s desk and showering the floor with more papers. Breda jumped in front of her, blocking her way. Hayate wasn’t finished in the chase either, though, and jumped up to the desk, right on the cat’s heels. The cat leaped at Breda, hopping off his head. Breda heard Ed give a triumphant, “Gotcha!”, but it was drowned out by his own shriek.
Hayate had intended to follow the cat’s path, but his stockier body couldn’t copy such a feat as jumping over Breda’s head. He landed on Breda’s chest instead, knocking the Second Lieutenant over. They laid sprawled on the floor.
Now, Hayate was able to give Hawkeye, Falman, and Mustang some affectionate licks on their hands when they allowed it, and Havoc, Fuery, Edward, and Alphonse all allowed him to lick their hands and faces, too. So, to have the opportunity of Breda, the only human in the office that never let Hayate shower him with affections, be helplessly nose to nose with the small dog was just too good of a chance to miss.
Breda screeched as the soft, warm, wet tongue slathered his face in saliva.
“Oh my- get it off!” he howled, trying to guard his face from the onslaught. “Getitoffgetitoffgetitoff. Get. It. Off! Havoc!” he screamed, hearing his friend laughing at his plight. Actually, it sounded like almost everyone was laughing. Those jerks! He was being attacked by a dog and all the germs and diseases he was carrying. It was torture. And they were laughing!
Hawkeye finally came to his rescue, calling Hayate over to her. The little dog sprang off of Breda to sit by her feet, earning a pat on the head for his obedience. Breda scrambled up onto his desk, pulling his feet up with him and keeping his eyes on Hayate at all times.
“What-” Everyone spun around to find Colonel Mustang standing at the doorway to his office, staring at the chaos that had transpired within the room. His eyes roamed over the fallen bookshelf, the papers cluttering the floor, Breda cowering on his desk, and finally rested on the cat gripped in Ed’s arms, quietly hissing at Hayate. His eyes narrowed.
“Edward,” he drawled. Ed sighed, the laughter that shone in his eyes fading out as a new level of weariness weighed on him.
“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed. “I’ll take care of it.” He scratched the cat’s head, hesitating for a second. Al flexed his fingers like he wanted to take the cat from his brother. Neither of the boys looked eager to release the cat.
“Give her over,” Breda caught himself saying. The boys snapped their heads up to him in disbelief. Breda swallowed. “You heard me, give her over here.” He stretched out a hand to solidify the order. Ed stiffly placed the cat into his arm, showing his exhaustion in the lack of defiance for being ordered around. Breda bundled the cat up into his arms and gave her head a minuscule scratch. He marveled for a moment at the deep, rumbling purr she gave him in gratitude. He heard a snicker and glanced up to find all eyes watching him with varying levels of amusement. Breda felt his cheeks warm at the attention.
“What?” he barked. “She doesn’t like dogs and neither do I. And she can fight off any dog that comes near her. She’ll protect us from those terrifying creatures.” He glanced down at Hayate, curling up further into his desk. “Besides, cats are better.” Hawkeye gave a small hum of mocking acceptance and returned to her desk, gathering up the papers left by the wake of the animals’ destruction.
“Well,” Mustang broke in, smirking. “Now that that’s settled, everyone, clean up this mess. And Fullmetal, I believe you have a report you need to give me?” Ed nodded, his steps a little lighter as he crossed over the paper obstacles, trying not to step on any of them.
“And, Breda.” Breda looked up at the Colonel’s unamused face. “Get off the damn desk and quit screaming like a ten-year-old girl. It’s... disturbing.” And with that final order, he closed the door behind him, leaving Breda gaping and blushing furiously while Havoc tried to smother his snickers.
Some fluff since my last one had some angst in it.
There’s Breda, our brave cynophobic. Poor guy...
Ok then, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!
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