Thread by @lanergeges

#dadxianweek

a-yuan wants to be happy for his baba, he really does. but the first time he meets lwj he wants to hate the man on principle. not because there's anything wrong w/ him but bc now he has to share his baba.

a-yuan is not a kid anymore. he knows that in the past 10 or so years that he's been adopted by baba, baba has not been celibate. he's had dates, many dates, looking back on it. when he was a child, he didn't know, but now as a teen, he does. his baba dates.

but baba has /never/ brought anyone home before. ever. just the fact that baba feels comfortable enough to introduce his boyfriend to him means that this is very serious. like, maybe wedding serious. and that is the crux of the matter, isn't it?

if baba is making him meet someone, it means that person is going to be a part of their family. but a-yuan doesn't want any new family. he's happy when it's just baba and him, and of course, with qing-gugu and ning-shushu dropping by often.

and especially not when the new family is his baba's husband. he doesn't want to share baba with anyone. he sounds very entitled but he doesn't care. he's been spoilt when it comes to baba and now he can't handle sharing.

he's also afraid that with a new relationship, baba might not want to spend as much time with him as he used to. and then what about their saturday morning adventures and watching movies & junk food late at night? what if baba didn't want to do that with him either?

he can't have that. so, he doesn't like lwj.

no matter how enamored baba seems with the man, and how lwj seems smitten right back. it doesn't matter that lwj seems genuinely interested in getting to know him and cares for him either.

it also very definitely doesn't matter that lwj is a professional guqin player and a-yuan has wanted to learn how to play since forever. him & baba had searched high & low for an instructor, but didn't find a good one, bc playing the guqin is a dying art nowadays.

so no, nothing about lwj will appease him. he knows that baba will end it if a-yuan doesn't like his boyfriend. had told him multiple times that he comes first, before anyone else, even himself. but, he can't do that, not when his baba looks so happy.

he doesn't ask baba to break up with lwj but he doesn't make any efforts with him either. he can see that it strains his baba to have this sort of tense situation, but this is the best he can do. he hopes it's enough for baba.

and then, one day, baba hesitantly asks if he would like to take guqin lessons from lwj? at first, a-yuan's first instinct is to say no, but he /has/ wanted to learn how to play the guqin for so long. since he was like 5 and saw someone play it in a cdrama.

and baba is looking at him so earnestly, so hopefully. he can't break baba's heart by saying no. so, he ends up saying yes.

at first, it's very awkward, for both of them. even tho a-yuan has never said it out loud, both of them know that a-yuan doesn't like lwj much.

but, a-yuan also knows that lwj wants to make things better for baba as does a-yuan. they both can work together and maybe have a polite relationship, polite enough to live in one home for a few years before a-yuan goes to college.

so, the lessons start and soon a-yuan sees that lwj is /good/. like insanely good. and he learns so much. it is such an amazing experience. lwj is a great teacher and a-yuan finds himself looking forward to the lessons.

one day, baba calls in the middle of the lesson. "i'm so sorry! something came up at work. i'll be late. can you make sure a-yuan gets some dinner, sweetheart?" he asks lwj, and a-yuan's eyes widen at the term of endearment. he's never heard baba call someone that, so tenderly.

"mn," lwj responds. "i will."

"you're the best lan zhan! i love you!" baba exclaims and then hangs up, not giving lwj a chance to respond.

"what would you like for dinner?" lwj asks him.

"anything is fine. we can just order out," a-yuan says, not wanting to inconvenience lwj.

lwj looks decidedly unhappy at that. "i will cook," he announces.

"would you like some help?" a-yuan asks.

lwj debates for a moment but ends up saying yes.

a-yuan has a surprisingly good time, assisting lwj in the kitchen. his baba isn't so methodical. he just puts together stuff on a whim and adds some spices to it. it all somehow ends up tasting rlly good too. most of the time. there have been some disasters but that's fine.

when a-yuan has the first bite of food, he feels he's ascended to high heavens. he has never tasted food so delicious. he didn't think it could be so delicious. he's so glad that lwj decided to cook.

"this is /so/ good," a-yuan says. "thank you!"

lwj doesn't respond but his pleased half smile is answer enough.

after that night, things change a little between the two some more. a-yuan asks lwj to stay for dinner even when baba is around and he insists he cook. he helps lwj in the kitchen every time.

as the lessons continue, they find more things they have in common, so many similar interests. and soon, dinner chatter is taken over by a-yuan instead of his baba. he keeps a steady stream of conversation, telling baba about his day & continuing his discussions with lwj.

lwj takes more of an effort when he sees a-yuan is responding positively. he sometimes brings a-yuan little gifts - a keychain about some show they both love, a comic they talked about, more music scores & vinyls a-yuan knows what to do with. he is pleased with every single one.

the day lwj invites a-yuan to go watch a movie with him, just the two of them, is the day things actually change. a-yuan agrees and the two have a great time together. after the movie, they even go out to eat and a-yuan has a lovely time.

over dinner with baba, a-yuan is recounting the day to him while lwj sits back, content.

"and then a-die..." he says, trailing off, eyes widening in horror at calling lwj a-die.

there is complete silence for a moment but then baba is crying and a-yuan squints to see but yes, lwj is crying too and baba pushes lwj forward, making lwj grab a-yuan in a hug. "thank you," lwj whispers, his voice croaky & wet. "thank you so much."

a-yuan hadn't even realized when lwj went from being an annoyance to his father, but he can't say that he's sad about it. over the past few months, he's gotten to know lwj and he respects the man. he understands why baba loves him bc he loves him a little himself.

he's extremely happy about this development now, and he's sort of glad baba fell for him because lwj is sort of the coolest person a-yuan knows. cooler than even baba and he knows how tough it is to surpass baba in coolness.

the more he think about it, the more he realizes that he actually does want lwj to be his father. lwj loves his baba so much and as a-yuan has realized, him too. he completes their family in a way a-yuan didn't know was possible before he met lwj.

it's like him and baba were always missing someone without even realizing they were missing someone and lwj is that someone. he would be the best husband and the best father, after baba of course. he recalls how he hated the idea at first but feels silly about it now.

"you're very welcome," he replies, making no move to walk out of the hug, his voice suspiciously thick too. "a-die."

that's the day that a-yuan realizes his family is finally complete.

after that, if he's pestering baba to make an honest man out of a-die asap, it doesn't surprise anyone. and when he's tired of waiting bc baba is planning the "perfect proposal" and ends up asking a-die to marry baba over dinner one day, well he's only trying to help.

a-die cries that day too, as does baba, so does a-yuan. baba still gives a-die a proper proposal a few days later, but to a-yuan's relief they decide to have a small, intimate wedding, which is planned very quickly and before the end of the year, a-yuan officially has his a-die.

he's never ever been happier. <3