XiChen was late.

XiChen was never late.

Lan Zhan focused on his hearing and paid extra attention to the sounds of anyone climbing up those stairs, hoping it was his brother. Finally at seven thirty, he shot off a text asking him where he was, and the reply was immediate.

LXC: Sorry Didi, running a bit late, should be there in about half an hour.

Only then, Lan Zhan felt a little bit calmer.

He knew he was feeling on edge because of the latest developments regarding his attack, and so when Wen Ning arrived to babysit A-Yuan, he excused himself to go through his old yoga routine.

After he had centred himself and forcibly made himself relax, he performed his stretches in order, calming his body and mind.

Then he returned to A-Yuan and Wen Ning.

A-Yuan was already delighted with him; Lan Zhan had bought him the latest Lego sets and they were both looking for parts to add to the castle. This was going to be a big project.

Wei Ying had returned with JingYi and A-Yuan at three thirty and Lan Zhan already had snacks waiting for all three. He made Wei Ying eat more than the kids because he knew Wei Ying might not get a chance to, later on. Though this didn't stop him from packing him a tupperware container of leftover pasta.

A few stolen kisses later, and Wei Ying disappeared to his next job. Wen Ning arrived by six and Lan Zhan made him eat with the children, before they went to drop JingYi off back to his home, a few floors up.

Lan Zhan felt extremely pleased when he heard JingYi whisper to A-Yuan, "He's really cool." And then proceed to demolish his bowl of pasta.

"What's up with JingYi?" Lan Zhan asked A-Yuan and Wen Ning, when they returned from dropping him off.

"His mother was home." Wen Ning replied, glancing at A-Yuan.

"They don't hug in JingYi's family." A-Yuan said. He sounded subdued.

Lan Zhan quickly realised it wasn't the sort of thing to talk about with a six year old. He resolved to talk to Wei Ying about it later.

"Then we must make sure he gets hugs from us." Lan Zhan told him, smiling when A-Yuan looked so much happier at the prospect. "We'll have to give him the ones he missed already, too."

A-Yuan nodded, thinking.

"Are there only a certain amount of hugs a person is allowed?" He asked, hunting for a black square lego piece.

"No. It's like putting money away in a bank. It's an investment." Lan Zhan says, lips upturned.

Wen Ning catches his eye and genuinely smiles back.

"Imvestmunt?" A-Yuan asks.

"Investment." Lan Zhan repeats.

They practise saying the word until A-Yuan gets it right.

"What's that?" A-Yuan shows him the little tower he's made to add to the castle on the left side.

Lan Zhan nods encouragingly as he continues to explain. "Banks have certain accounts where the more money you put in, they give you a reward. It's called interest. So we've got to do the same for JingYi…we've got to give him hugs and then interest hugs, because he never got those ones. Understand?"

A-Yuan beams.

The sudden smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds, a dramatic change. He stands up and hugs Lan Zhan.

"Mn?"

"Zhan Gege needs interest hugs too. And Uncle Ning." A-Yuan says, squeezing as hard as he can, which to be fair, isn't that much for a six year old.

He does the same for Wen Ning.

When he yawns for the second time, Lan Zhan checks the time and realises that it's nearly nine o'clock and they had been so engrossed in playing that the time had run away from them.

A-Yuan hugs him once more, and promptly falls asleep.

That's when there's a knock on the door. Lan Zhan goes to open it.

XiChen comes in with his arms laden full of files and his laptop.

Wen Ning joins them as they set up a sort of makeshift office in the living room.

"Is this the reason Xiongzhang is late?" Lan Zhan asks him.

XiChen is balancing one file in his lap with another one next to his open laptop, where he's trying to type something, and there's a pen in his mouth.

"Hm." He doesn't waste time trying to talk.

When he's ready, he hands over the file to Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan stares at the reports.

"What am I looking at?" He asks, half listening and half scrolling down the page to finish reading it.

"Those are the missing people who were never reported on." XiChen looks really excited.

Lan Zhan reads a few more.

Wen Ning comes to sit on his other side, reading with him.

"How did you get these?" Lan Zhan finally asks.

XiChen has the good grace to blush.

"So…MingJue knew how much I was stressing…about you going missing and all that…and I was telling him everything…and then apparently, Huaisang overheard us talking. And it turns out, he's a mystery enthusiast. And…er…a computer genius. He's got files hacked from the police and downloaded, and copies of the copies, just in case anything happens to him."

"Little Huaisang?" Lan Zhan asks in disbelief.

"Not that little. He's nearly twenty two." XiChen says proudly. "And an expert at finding things on the Dark Web. He's the one who got suspicious when no one noticed all these people going missing, and nothing came out in the public domain. So he started investigating."

"And what did he find out?" Wen Ning asks, finding all this intriguing.

"There are hundreds of missing people." XiChen says grimly.

"How long has this been going on?" Lan Zhan asks.

"A-Sang has been compiling these lists for the last three years…and he has a total of nearly two thousand missing cases." XiChen lets that sink in.

"That's only the ones he's found, right?" Lan Zhan says.

XiChen nods.

"So there could be so many more." Wen Ning adds.

It's a chilling thought.

"How come none of this is out in the open? You would think that many…even a thousand people going missing, vanishing from their lives…why hasn't anyone noticed?" Lan Zhan says, a feeling of frustration going over him.

"That's what I asked. He says he's been taking precautions. MingJue is very upset with him." XiChen is awfully serious now.

"What kind of precautions?" Lan Zhan asks.

"About a year into his investigations, A-Sang talked to a journalist working on the Times of Nightless City. They planned a mass expose of these cases and the apparent cover-up of so many missing people. Two weeks in and the reporter ended up swimming with the fishes. That death was blown up across every kind of media, from Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, newspapers and television coverage." XiChen explains.

"They were sending a message." Lan Zhan says bitterly.

"Exactly. A-Sang said he'd never felt as scared as when that happened."

"But he didn't stop? That's brave of him." Wen Ning says, admiringly.

"No…he didn't stop. But he saved everything and disposed of all his equipment. Then, he got new computers and built them up from scratch, making firewalls and equipping them with security measures that would put the FBI to shame. Now he's permanently on incognito mode and his VPN pings all around the world in case anyone gets suspicious. If they are persistent enough, and continue chasing him, it'll take the pursuer to a bunker hidden in Alaska. So…he's safe for now. But MingJue is terrified." XiChen tells them.

"I'm surprised MingJue hasn't stopped him." Lan Zhan says, clicking past the hundredth report.

"He's gone the opposite way. You know MingJue…he wants to kill everything in sight if he thinks it's a threat to his younger brother. And it's lucky that both of them work from home. MingJue can keep an eye on A-Sang…while we investigate."

"Is this computer safe?" Lan Zhan asks.

"Yes." XiChen replies sheepishly. "A-Sang told me off this afternoon. It's safe, now."

"Most of these people were single." Wen Ning remarks.

"Or homeless." Lan Zhan adds.

"Or Streetwalkers." XiChen says. "Are you noticing a pattern?"

"Yes. Most of these people…if they went missing, there's no one to make a fuss, to ask questions. If they disappear…there's no significant others to raise the alarm." Lan Zhan says, feeling his anger coming back.

"Exactly. That's what I noticed, too." XiChen says. "A-Sang said the homeless are the most vulnerable, but the police care even less about the hookers. In their view, it's one less problem to worry about."

"Whoever is doing this, they're very clever." Wen Ning adds. "Since they've been doing it for so long and no one's been able to point fingers, or get it out in the open."

"A-Sang has a theory." XiChen continues. "He says that either the culprits, because given the sheer scale of this atrocity, there has to be more than one perpetrator, they've got the police in their pockets, and it's quite possible that they are in some way controlling media coverage. Both prime positions for the criminals masterminding this."

Lan Zhan sits back from his hunched position.

He's in shock.

XiChen completely understands…because he went through all these emotions a few hours ago, and he's still not sure he's over this.

If he'll ever be.

Lan Zhan is thinking about the drive into work, the one he used to complete every day without fail.

There used to be at least ten different homeless people huddled under newspapers or making beds out of cardboard boxes that he saw regularly. On the times when he used the train, that figure doubled.

Since when had he been turning a blind eye to their plight? How jaded had he become, not to see their suffering and not do anything about it?

What kind of a society allowed that to happen?

These people had no protection, no one to speak on their behalf especially when the authorities saw them as an eyesore, a problem to ignore, when they were living, breathing human beings.

Ones that were systematically being hunted down.

"Ge…I want to set up a charity." Lan Zhan says, his eyes unseeing.

"Already on it. Our lawyers are working on it and we should be able to sign the paperwork in a few days. And do you remember the old town hall?" XiChen pats his knee.

"The one abandoned on South Bridge Road?" Lan Zhan sits up, his golden eyes intense.

"Yep. As of tomorrow, we're going to be the proud owners. Actually, the charity we're setting up. I figured the downstairs could be turned into a soup kitchen, and the upstairs into living quarters for people trying to get back on their feet. The biggest hindrance for homeless people is the lack of an address…so if we can do that for them, it's the first step for them out of their circumstances."

Lan Zhan throws himself into his brother's arms.

His body is trembling and his eyes burn, but no tears fall.

XiChen understands him completely.

"It'll take a few weeks to complete the work but when it's done, we'll apply for government funding and shame them into helping." XiChen says, after a while.

Being able to hug his baby brother like this…when he thought he might not ever get the chance again…it's everything.

************

A buzzing on his phone alerts Lan Zhan to an incoming phone call.

It's Wei Ying.

"I'm on my way." Lan Zhan tells him.

He stands up, his back cracking as he stretches.

He's shocked at how much time has passed, engrossed as he was looking through the reports on his brother's computer. Wen Ning has been reading the contents of the file XiChen brought over.

As it is, there's still a lot of stuff to get through and will probably take a few more days yet.

"A-Xian?" XiChen also stands up, looking at his watch. "I'd like to come with you." He says, grabbing his backpack.

Lan Zhan nods. "It'll be faster in your car. Let's go."

They pull up outside Love Bites and Wei Ying comes out, as if he's been watching by the doors.

He grins widely when he sees the car.

On the short drive to the alley, because XiChen mentions wanting to go there again, Lan Zhan fills him in on everything they learned from Huaisang. Wei Ying is uncharacteristically quiet as he absorbs all of this.

Lan Zhan doesn't blame him; he himself felt overwhelmed by the scale of Huaisang's research and notes on the missing people, as well as the shock that this was happening right under their noses.

He can see on Wei Ying’s face that he too, is going through the same spectrum of feelings.

They're silent as they make their way to the alley.

XiChen parks at the mouth of it, because he has a feeling that they're not going to be there for long.

He fishes out a torch from his backpack and shines it on the graffiti. This is an ordinary torch and all it does is show the vivid colours even more brightly. XiChen switches it off and tries another.

Lan Zhan is just about to protest when the shock of what he's seeing seals his mouth and freezes his tongue.

The gasp behind them tells him that Wei Ying is also feeling that same shock.

XiChen is using a blacklight on the graffiti and immediately, it shows a vertical line with an upside down bracket and two dots underneath.

When he shines the normal torch on the graffiti again, that image disappears.

"Didi, take a picture of this." XiChen says quickly.

His hands are shaking as he holds the blacklight over the image.

Lan Zhan quickly takes several pictures and creates a group chat on his phone. He sends the pictures there, while XiChen scans the rest of the alley with his blacklight, though nothing else turns up.

The trio are subdued as they reach the apartment. No one says anything, not until the four of them are seated around the now too small table in Wei Ying's kitchen.

Lan Zhan gets a plate ready for Wei Ying.

XiChen yawns loudly.

"I better go." Wen Ning says.

No one moves.

************

Lan Zhan asks Wei Ying if XiChen can crash on his couch after Wen Ning leaves. Wei Ying quickly nods and goes to fetch a blanket and a spare pillow. He drops in on a sleeping A-Yuan and makes sure he's okay, leaving a warm kiss on his child's forehead.

As they're getting ready for bed, Lan Zhan asks him the question he's been dying to know the answer to.

"Wei Ying, why are JingYi's parents so bad?"

Wei Ying pauses, his toothbrush in his hands.

He looks so sad.

"I don't know. And you know, he's such a great kid? I just…I feel so angry when I see his mother? It's like she can't even see the miracle that he is, you know? I really like him…and to see that level of mistreatment…I want to intervene but at the same time, I know it's not my place to say anything…"

Lan Zhan gets up from the bed and pulls him into his arms.

Wei Ying is trembling from the force of his emotions.

"I just feel so…so…useless…like I can see what's happening, right in front of my eyes and there's nothing I can do about it. I wanna shake his dad so bad…" Wei Ying whispers.

His forehead is resting against Lan Zhan’s shoulder.

Lan Zhan can smell how upset he is, just from how his blood smells and for the second time, he wonders why it's such a strong response when it's Wei Ying. He regrets bringing this up now, just before they're going to sleep.

"Let's do our best to look after him as much as we can." Lan Zhan says quietly. He rubs Wei Ying’s back in soft, gentle circles, wanting him to feel better.

"I guess you're right." Wei Ying takes a few moments before moving away.

He yawns once more before going into the bathroom.

Later, when they're in bed together, Lan Zhan thinks about how to bring up everything he still wants to talk about with Wei Ying. He knows Wei Ying is exhausted, and if he says anything now, then Wei Ying will delay sleeping, and tomorrow is another day. He still has to go to work tomorrow and it won't do, to have him feel so tired even before his work.

Lan Zhan smiles as Wei Ying snuggles closer, his soft hair right under Lan Zhan’s nose. Vanilla and lotus flowers…is an intoxicating scent. Lan Zhan closes his eyes even though he knows he doesn't need to sleep.

***********

Hours later, he hears a change in breathing and heart rate.

When he opens his eyes, two dark silver orbs are staring back at him.

"Can't sleep?" Wei Ying asks him, his voice adorably soft and tender.

His hand creeps up to hold Lan Zhan’s face.

"I do not need to…any more." Lan Zhan says softly.

Sympathy flashes in those beautiful eyes, like gems dancing in the moonlight.

"Do you miss it?" Wei Ying blurts out, and then he adds, "that's a silly question. Of course you do! Just ignore me." He yawns once more.

"Never." Lan Zhan vows, kissing the top of his head. "I can never ignore Wei Ying."

This is nice, just holding Wei Ying in his arms. The weight and warmth of his body feels just so right, that Lan Zhan wonders how he has survived up until now without it.

Without Wei Ying.

The mere thought feels foreign to him now.

Wei Ying whines delicately, kissing his neck.

"You don’t have to answer." He murmurs.

In the quiet of the night, his words hang heavy between them.

"I…I want to." Lan Zhan surprises himself.

Wei Ying waits for him to gather his thoughts.

"I thought I would miss being…normal. But as the days pass, I feel better and better. There are things that I can have in this new life, which were impossible for me in that old life…and I am shocked to feel no regret." Lan Zhan admits.

As the words leave his mouth, he realises how true they are.

"Like what?" Wei Ying whispers.

The night feels precious as if speaking at a normal volume will disturb the magic in the air, the magic between them. It feels wonderful, like seeing a flower bloom all in one go, or hearing a beautiful piece of music. Like seeing the stars for the first time ever.

"Wei Ying. A-Yuan." Lan Zhan admits.

"Do you…do you believe in Soulmates, Lan Zhan?" Wei Ying asks, tentatively.

"Not before."

"And now?" He sounds hopeful.

"I think so. It would explain the instant attraction."

"And how we fit together so well, huh?" Wei Ying smiles against his neck.

Lan Zhan tightens his arms around Wei Ying’s body.

"I need to tell Wei Ying something." Lan Zhan admits.

It's now or never.

"I'm all ears." Wei Ying giggles.

It's the best sound to Lan Zhan.

"I want to hear Wei Ying laugh for the rest of my life." He says, again surprising himself. "And A-Yuan."

"You're such a romantic, my love." Wei Ying says fondly.

And then he freezes.

It's then that Lan Zhan realises what Wei Ying said.

Wei Ying is too embarrassed to stay there and he tries to wriggle away, but now that Lan Zhan knows, he cannot let go of him. Wei Ying gets tangled in the bedsheets and suddenly his plan to escape is up in the air, all the breath from his lungs out as Lan Zhan presses him into the mattress.

He closes his eyes tightly, refusing to look at Lan Zhan, mortified by what came out of his own mouth.

Stupid tongue, he thinks.

"It's a very nice tongue." Lan Zhan says, right in his ear.

Oh no!! Did he say that out loud? Wei Ying is horrified.

Or did Lan Zhan hear his thoughts now?

That was even more frightening!

"Wei Ying…please look at me." Lan Zhan says.

It's more like a demand.

Wei Ying’s inner child screams in protest, wishing he could disappear. He goes completely limp.

Lan Zhan does not move.

In fact, he seems to like this!

Soft kisses are pressed against Wei Ying’s eyelids, gentle and tender. Lan Zhan begins a journey of worship, as his lips travel all over Wei Ying’s face.

Everywhere except his lips.

Wei Ying whines in protest and it is ignored.

"Lan Zhaaan!" He cries in frustration.

"Mouth kisses are the most expensive." He is informed.

"What do they cost?" Wei Ying asks playfully, his frustration making him more courageous than he felt.

"Wei Ying must open his beautiful eyes." Lan Zhan says.

His voice is so low, so quiet, but Wei Ying feels as if he's speaking right inside his heart.

His lashes flutter open slowly.

Lan Zhan is looking at him as if he's the most precious person in his whole world.

"Baogui*."

*Precious.

"I love Wei Ying." Lan Zhan says slowly, as if he is only now seeing it.

"You do?" Wei Ying's eyes fill with tears, spilling out from the corners.

Lan Zhan swoops down to kiss them away before his lips land on Wei Ying’s.

This kiss is greedy and hot, demanding and giving in equal measures. Lan Zhan feels hungry and not for blood…just for Wei Ying.

The thought pools electricity into the area below his waist and suddenly they are tearing each other's clothes off, a new desperation clawing at their insides.

Afterwards, Wei Ying is lying in his arms, completely blissed out.

"I love you, Sweetheart. Just as much as A-Yuan. I hope you know that." He says, softly.

"As I love Wei Ying." Lan Zhan repeats.

Those five words feel right.

Lan Zhan feels complete, as if he has finally found his place in the world.

"You know…before…you said you wanted to tell me something."

"Mn." Lan Zhan rolls on top of him, smiling when Wei Ying’s arms cross over his back.

"What is it, my love?" Wei Ying blushes.

This new line they have somehow crossed over…it feels monumental.

"It's about me…about both of us." Lan Zhan says. He's thinking about how to phrase it. No matter which words come to mind, it still makes him cringe.

"You can tell me anything. I promise to listen to you with all of my heart." Wei Ying knows it sounds cheesy, but it's how he feels.

Lan Zhan kisses his nose because when he scrunches it up, it reminds him of a bunny.

"It is…awkward to say." He tells Wei Ying.

"Treat it scientifically. It'll be easier." Wei Ying promises.

"Mn." Lan Zhan closes his eyes. It's easier to say what he has to, if those brilliant beautiful eyes aren't watching him. He feels extremely vulnerable and at the same time, he knows he must tell Wei Ying the truth. "There's a difference…there's something different about your blood."

"What do you mean?" Wei Ying suddenly sounds scared.

A thousand and one thoughts fill his head, panicking about what Lan Zhan could be implying.

"Wei Ying!" Lan Zhan is impatient with him. "Please wait until I finish."

"I thought I did." Wei Ying cannot help this. A part of his nature embodies a gremlin, and it makes itself known at the most awkward of times. He even giggles.

Lan Zhan glares at him, and then buries his face in the gap between Wei Ying’s neck and shoulder.

"Wei Ying’s blood is better. I think when I have had Wei Ying’s blood, it makes me stronger. Like super unleaded petrol." He murmurs.

Wei Ying starts to laugh, and once he begins, he cannot stop. Tears are dripping from his eyes.

"So what you're saying is, I'm like some sort of car…." Wei Ying is red faced and chortling now, cry-laughing. "Ride me hard, Lan Zhan!" He keeps laughing.

Lan Zhan burrows further into the mattress, refusing to look at him.

When Wei Ying finally calms down, Lan Zhan has rolled away from him and is facing the window, curled into a ball.

Wei Ying moves his hair out of the way and plants a warm kiss at the nape of his neck. It produces a whole body shiver, and Wei Ying smiles against his skin.

He kisses down to Lan Zhan’s waist, a worship of his own and gently pulling Lan Zhan over so that Wei Ying is straddling him.

"My love…I wasn't laughing at you. I'm sorry if it seemed that way…it wasn't my intention to upset you." He says earnestly.

Lan Zhan opens his golden eyes, checking him for his sincerity. Slowly, his arms come around Wei Ying’s body, holding him close.

"Really?" His voice sounds too small, and vulnerable.

"Really." Wei Ying insists. He presses his lips to Lan Zhan’s in the sweetest of kisses. "I promise. Now, please explain what you were saying."

"When Wei Ying took those pictures of us…that was the day Wei Ying cut himself. I tasted about five drops of your blood. Before that day, in the mirror…-"

"Oh my god! You're right!!" Wei Ying exclaims, suddenly sitting up. He quickly puts two and two together. "And then earlier today, when you bit me! That's why you could go outside!" Wei Ying is so happy about this that he bends and kisses Lan Zhan again, this time much more enthusiastically. "That's amazing!" He finishes, beaming down at him.

"But…I do not wish Wei Ying to think I am…taking advantage of him." Lan Zhan says, finally.

"Sweetheart…look at me." Wei Ying replies firmly.

When Lan Zhan looks into his gem-like eyes at last, he finds nothing but simple, profound love. It gives him extraordinary courage.

"If I can do anything, and I mean anything, to make this," Wei Ying gestures to his body, "better, then I'm all in. Take whatever you need from me. You don't even have to ask." He vows.

"But -"

"No buts…well, my butt yes, but no buts otherwise." Wei Ying giggles again. "I mean it, my love. We're in this together. I want you to promise me, you are not to worry about something as silly as," he makes the speech mark sign with two of his fingers on both hands, "taking advantage of me". Promise me?" Wei Ying sounds as if he's telling Lan Zhan off.

"I know we've only known each other for what seems like a really short time," he continues. "But I feel like you're my person. Lan Zhan…if you don't know already, then let me spell it out for you. You're mine and I'm yours. Anything happens to you, I promise you, it will affect me. I want you to be safe…and I want you to be happy."

Lan Zhan really wants to cry.

This feeling spreads until it fills him up, wrapping all around him.

No more words are necessary as he nods and Wei Ying seems to know exactly how he's feeling because he sniffs, nuzzling under Lan Zhan’s chin and wriggling to make himself more comfortable.

"Good. Then we're on the same page."