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According to what An Zhe read about babies, his little one, at the ripe age of 4 months should start eating vegetables and fruit, cooked soft and mashed into a puree. Tomorrow was a big day since his little one would have his first vegetable or fruit meal so he treated their shopping adventure with more serenity than usual, handpicking and contemplating each vegetable and fruit from the small variety that the book said was allowed, making a choice for every day of the upcoming week.
Some books said that he should introduce one food at a time which made him feel a little stressed. What he would pick would be his baby's first meal after all and could shape the way it ate his whole life. Well, or at least he feared they would if he made the wrong choice.
After a long moment of being completely lost in thought, he picked up a bunch of bananas. Maybe it would cause his little one to gain a sweet tooth but who was he even trying to fool, he was already spoiling that baby rotten. He wished he could introduce it to his beloved potato soup but it was far too young, even potato puree was recommended at 6 months, no earlier.
Resigned, he put his hand on a squash.
It had a nice texture, firm but soft. He decided that it was quite a good vegetable choice if the potatoes were not available yet, grabbed and turned to the left to put them in his cart.
Suddenly, he froze on the spot.
The cart was still there.
The stroller was gone.
There was another cart, a much larger one, right where his stroller was just a moment ago with a green duvet lying on the top of it, a color similar to the blanket he wrapped his baby in so it wouldn’t be cold.
The whole world seemed to stop and he could no longer hear the sound of the music playing in the store, neither the beeping of scanning products at the register nor the usual hubbub that usually was related to shopping. He could only hear his own elevated heartbeat.
His baby was gone.
That dreadful revelation made him feel small and horrified, completely helpless. Desperately, he looked around. There was no sign of his little spore.
He instantly put down the squash and bananas, left the cart behind, and circled the aisle and the ones next to it.
No sign of the stroller or the baby.
He was sure his baby was there just a moment ago, he knew he walked with it to the fruit and vegetable aisle, it was there just a moment ago.
Where was his baby?
His pace quickened, and eyes jolted left and right, scanning the long shelves and people’s carts as if hoping to discover a smiling face in between the packages.
Bread, clothes, cereal, jams, dairy, cosmetics, diary again, nothing.
Nothing.
His baby disappeared.
How was that possible? It shouldn’t be possible. He was watching it so closely all the time, how could it take such a small instant of distraction to cause him to lose everything just like this?
The cold air coming from refrigerators made him shiver.
Was his baby cold right now?
He had no way of knowing if it was.
He felt hot tears run down his cheeks. He wanted to do something, to find his little mushroom but it was simply not there. What he was supposed to do?
Feeling utterly helpless, he leaned against the wall and slowly slid down. His legs gave in, too jittery to keep him standing.
He wanted to be a good parent to his little one, he knew he needed to come up with a plan quickly and bring his baby back to safety. But instead, he could only feel dark thoughts, panic and desperation arise in him.
Think. He checked around half of the supermarket. There was still another half to check, even if it was further away. But what if someone walked out with his baby? Should he run to security first?
Suddenly, he felt a hand press down on his shoulder, in a gesture that was probably aiming to comfort him but instead only snapped him abruptly out of his train of thought, making him jolt up, startled.
He looked up into eyes green like an aurora on a dark cold night. They belonged to a handsome man but he didn’t pay much attention to that, especially at his moment. Nevertheless, the eyes made him focus for an instant longer and for some strange reason he felt that he could trust this person and this was the man who would help him bring his baby home safely because he acknowledged that right now he needed all the help he could get, he wouldn’t be able to find his little spore on his own as quickly as with someone.
His baby.
He felt fresh tears flowing down his cheeks.
“Are you okay?”
“No,” An Zhe said putting a lot of effort into keeping his voice from trembling too much. Still, it did. “I lost my baby. One moment I was picking vegetables, I turned and the stroller was not there.”
In all his despair, he felt a tinge of happiness when the man’s expression turned very stern, clearly taking him very seriously. He knew he was right to trust him. This was a good man who would help him get his baby back.
“When was it?” he asked matter-of-factly.
“Just a few minutes ago,” An Zhe replied, trying to sound collected to be of as much assistance as possible even if his voice was shaking since he was on the verge of tears after all.
“How old is the kid? Can it walk?”
“It’s four months old. The stroller disappeared too,” he repeated.
“Come with me,” the man said, bringing his up.
An Zhe obediently followed the man, holding onto his sleeve. A thought crossed his mind that maybe he was wrong and the man wasn’t that good after all, he didn’t talk to him, trying to make him feel better, he didn’t even walk slower so they could look around for the stroller. Still, he was marching at a confident pace and An Zhe didn’t have any better idea than to follow him.
Finally, they seem to have reached their destination. by the self-checkout registers stood a lonely guard, watching customers lazily, his boredom visible at a glance.
The aurora man took out some kind of ID out of his pocket and approached him.
“I’m Capitan Lu Feng of the city’s police force," he introduced himself to the guard. "I request emergency access to monitoring from the last twenty minutes, there is a missing child involved,” the stated the problem professionally.
The guard was slightly taken aback by this approach and nodded, pointing at the almost invisible room on the opposite wall. “The monitoring room is there,” he said.
“Thank you,” Lu Feng said efficiently and moved forward toward the door.
Efficient was a word that described him well and An Zhe liked it a lot. It made him feel hopeful that this man would get his little mushroom back in no time.
In all the months of single parenting, this was the first time he depended on another person so much, that he wasn’t sure if it was the air around this person that made it possible or just the desperate times.
Lu Feng made the same introduction and a brief moment later An Zhe was staring at himself on the screen, his past self was completely engrossed in choosing the best bananas for his baby that was lying there in the stroller close to him. At present, a small smile appeared on his face, first of all, because he was happy to see his child, and secondly, because he knew they had a lead. Whoever took his baby, was going to appear on the screen any second.
A part of him feared that some sketchy character would appear on the screen any moment, leering at his little spore in the most disagreeable manner and then he would snatch the baby away, running somewhere far and unreachable with it.
But none of this happened.
There was a couple that was arguing quite loudly, standing close to him and the stroller. He briefly remembered them, he remembered worrying that their shouts would wake his baby up. Out of the blue, the woman flipped her companion off and walked away grabbing the handle of what she probably thought was her cart.
But it was not the cart.
It was the stroller.
Her cart remained by An Zhe who was currently checking the peaches up close, oblivious to what was going on.
The woman’s boyfriend ran after her and they both disappeared from the screen.
Honestly, An Zhe was relieved, they didn’t seem like people who would want to keep his baby when they realized they had it. He just hoped nothing bad happened to it under their negligent care.
“Follow them,” Lu Feng ordered calmly and the guard obediently switched to another aisle.
An Zhe liked this aura of authority Lu Feng had. It made other people do things and as a person, An Zhe felt like life was easier when people cooperated.
They switched one screen after another, following the couple around the supermarket at high speed. Their argument was only becoming more heated, none of them spared a glance at the stroller, focused solely on the other party.
Finally, they were able to pinpoint where the two were now, along with the baby.
Alcohol aisle.
“Alright, let’s go,” Lu Feng decisively announced, straightened his back, and walked towards the aisle.
An Zhe ran up to him and wrapped his arm around the other one’s elbow, not entirely sure why he decided on physical contact with someone he barely knew. He thought it was his gut feeling screaming at him that Lu Feng was a good person and his baby’s savior.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Don’t thank me yet.”
When the grueling couple came into sight, An Zhe couldn’t hold back anymore and ran up to them as soon as possible. He was a very peaceful person but for once he just wanted to get his baby back this instant even if that meant being slightly forceful.
He grabbed the stroller handle and pulled away from the woman.
“Excuse me,” he spoke up, his tone still polite but much harsher than usual. “That is my stroller. With my baby inside it. No matter how bad your relationship is, you should pay more attention to the harm you may cause to others.”
Their eyes shot wide open, the woman seemed shocked and embarrassed while the man was quick to point blame and viciously accuse her of idiocy. But An Zhe didn’t care, he was looking down at the baby in the stroller with a smile. He didn’t even listen to what they were saying anymore.
His little human jiggled and stretched his arms out, waiting to be hugged. An Zhe grinned back at it and obediently brought it to his chest, hugging it tightly.
“How could you grab someone’s kid? Are you even thinking?!”
“You didn’t notice it either! You’re always only thinking about yourself!”
“And to think that once I thought that you’d be a great mother. Stealing someone’s baby! That’s another level!”
“I didn’t steal it, I thought it was the cart!”
An Zhe just wished those two would break up already so all of them could move on with their lives. He wondered how it was when the two of them loved each other and if they ever did in the first place. Recently, thought a lot about love and similar things because he didn’t have much experience but he wanted to be of help if his child ever needed advice in the future. He couldn’t bear the thought of his own little spore deciding his love advice was pathetic and worthless.
He had a reason to worry, he was never particularly interested in relationships before, even his own baby being the result of friendship – a girl he knew wanted a child, she asked for his sperm since she thought he was ‘a good person’. An Zhe wasn’t sure what she meant by that at the time and why it mattered so much until his friend died in a car accident in the last month of pregnancy – without a second thought or hesitation, he took the child that doctors managed to save and loved it with all his heart from the moment his eyes laid on it.
“You know,” Lu Feng cut in harshly, making An Zhe come back to reality. “The least you can do is apologize.”
The couple looked slightly embarrassed but neither of them made the first move as if they were not ready to fully acknowledge their mistake just yet. An Zhe had a feeling he understood why they were staling – at the instant, they would admit that their argument was so heated that they stopped paying attention to the outside world, would also be the moment they would have to face how much they meant to each other and how much it pained them to fight like this.
In all honestly, An Zhe didn’t care much for their apology. He didn’t need it, he got his baby back, after all.
“Do you love each other?” he asked. “Do you argue because you have something worth fighting for or you’re just tired?”
All three pairs of eyes that belonged to adults who understood what he said, shot wide open. The couple looked at each other, completely lost, a new layer of desperation added to their already very complex feelings. Lu Feng, on the other hand, watched An Zhe with expression as close to awe as a person as reserved as him could.
An Zhe couldn’t really explain the small flutter in his heart when he saw it. His baby must have noticed too because it laughed and reached out his tiny hand to touch its father’s cheek.
Was he blushing? Human bodies were so strange and uncontrollable.
“I guess... I’m just really upset that things are not how they used to be,” the girl dropped her eyes. “I wish we could figure it out together but...”
“Talking changes nothing, it won’t make us stop fighting over the stupid butter that you hate because it’s not vegan,” her boyfriend rolled his eyes.
“It’s your alpha friends who say that talking doesn’t help!” she gritted her teeth. “The same people who can’t keep a girl around them for longer than a month because they are selfish pricks that treat women like tools!”
“They are not that bad! You just want to see them this way!”
They were about to start fighting again and An Zhe involuntarily took a step back. It wasn’t really his problem and he didn’t want his little spore to be exposed to this. Lu Feng noticed his discomfort and put an arm around him, placing the other hand at the handle of the stroller, signaling that they should get away. An Zhe nodded, holding the baby closer to his chest.
“Go to couples therapy or break up already,” Lu Feng ordered them in a tone that would not tolerate any backtalk.
An Zhe felt a gentle pressure on his arm and walked away in the direction of the vegetable aisle, together with Lu Feng who was leading the stroller. Behind them, they could hear the girl realize in panic, “Oh fuck, so where is our cart?!” but An Zhe didn’t care for that any longer. The important thing was that his baby was back in his arms.
In silence, Lu Feng walked them back to the vegetable aisle where his and the couple’s cart were still standing, just as he left them. Lu Feng stopped the stroller and An Zhe put the baby inside, wrapping it in the blanket. Only then, he looked up at Lu Feng and spoke up words that were on the tip of his tongue for a while.
“Thank you, Captain. I am truly grateful.”
“It’s nothing.”
For a moment they remained like this, quiet, not sure what to say anymore but not yet willing to separate. An Zhe knew that the moment Lu Feng would leave they would have no connection whatsoever, it was unlikely they would ever see each other again. It did bother him a little bit.
It was Lu Feng who first broke the silence. He cleared his throat and spoke up.
“I was wondering if...”, he started but cut off when he got interrupted by the baby pulling his sleeve. The toddler seemed to be liking the material quite a lot because it laughed jovially pulling it up and down. An Zhe rushed to save the other man but Lu Feng waved his hand letting him know that it was fine. So, the baby kept playing undisturbed.
“You were saying?” An Zhe picked up.
Lu Feng hesitated.
“... Never mind, it was inappropriate.”
“Either way, I would like to thank you somehow,” An Zhe said, fully aware of the fact that if not for Lu Feng, he would be most likely still crying on the supermarket floor while the arguing couple would drag his child God knows where. “Have you eaten dinner yet? I was going to grab just a few more things and cook a soup for myself either way, I could make some for you too. Although if you would rather go out, I have to say no, it’s quite late already and I have to put the little one to bed soon.”
“What soup?” Lu Feng asked.
“Potato soup,” An Zhe answered and picked up the very same bananas and squash from earlier, adding both to his cart. “It’s good,” he added with confidence.
“If it’s good then I would love to have some,” Lu Feng said gently with a shy smile showing on the corner of his lips. He gave An Zhe the impression that he was a person who did not smile a lot which made this instance even more precious.
“Great, what about your shopping?”
“It can wait until tomorrow.”
An Zhe quickly finished his shopping which went quite easily since he could entrust pushing the stroller to Lu Feng, he also got help with carrying the bags. They kept chatting while shopping and on the way to An Zhe’s place. Lu Feng wasn’t exactly an open person but An Zhe didn’t mind, asking only about simple things that the other was willing to share with someone that was basically a stranger. So instead, An Zhe told him a little about his work as an artist making mycelium sculptures.
Most of the people were often confused at first when he told them about it as if fungi weren’t art in their eyes but Lu Feng was just impressed and out of curiosity asked if he was good enough to make a living with it, especially with a child.
An Zhe replied honestly that he didn’t know if he was good or not but his art was selling well and the critique liked it. A few years ago, he couldn’t afford to live off his art and he worked at Garden of Eden, a prestigious school for talented youth, he taught them biology and some related courses. His favorite subject to teach was of course the mushroom realm.
If the critics ever stopped liking his art, he would just make it his hobby, not profession again, and go back to teaching. He just hoped it would happen after his child grew up a bit, he enjoyed the fact that right now he could just bring it to the workshop with him.
He noticed that Lu Feng was looking at him. He wasn’t as obvious as most people but An Zhe could see that Lu Feng was attracted to him. He could almost hear Mr. Shawn’s voice in his head, his mentor was always very involved in his private life, ‘He wants to bed you, that’s so obvious! Do you want him?’, he would often ask. Typically, An Zhe would reply that no, he didn’t. It was rare that he would feel this kind of interest in another person, he wasn’t yet convinced if he felt it for Lu Feng but he knew, he didn’t want the other man to go just yet, especially since they had no reason to keep in touch or meet ever again.
Because he hoped that by the next time they would see each other, he would have the answer.
He appreciated how reserved Lu Feng was about the matter. He wasn’t flirting, insisting on pushing for attention or response as many people did, he simply kept the friendly chat going. It made An Zhe feel comfortable.
Also, Lu Feng passed the most important test there was for a human in An Zhe’s eyes – he was accepted by his little spore, his little spore smiled at him and enjoyed his company and Lu Feng seemed to know how to play with it, how to make it smile and laugh. If his little spore liked this person, An Zhe decided he’d like him too.
They arrived at An Zhe’s place and like most of the guests, Lu Feng was taken aback by the fungi pictures and patterns covering the walls, all taken by or painted by An Zhe. After a moment of awkward staring, filled also with unpacking the cart and leaving the baby to roam freely on the playmat in the living room.
“I don’t know much about art,” Lu Feng admitted. “But it’s nice. Seems like you’re really good at it and definitely passionate.”
“Thank you,” An Zhe replied.
“Could I ask... why mushroom?” Lu Fang looked up at the large photo in the center of the wall, one that An Zhe took while he was still a biology student. It was a network of white hyphae under the microscope, entangled efficiently and beautifully in a way that could occur only in the works of nature.
“I would say...” An Zhe hesitated for a moment, reluctant to entertain Lu Feng with the same answer he provided to all the interviewers, something sounding nice about the beauty and order but actually he wanted to be honest with Lu Feng. After all, it was the human who gained his baby’s approval. “Perseverance and neutrality,” he said finally.
Lu Feng patiently waited for him to continue, without rushing him with any words.
“Mushrooms were there all through history, making their own ways, independent and unbiased. Humans and animals fought, some of the latter were domesticated and mushrooms just quietly... remained. Even plants are more impacted by humans – they are fertilized, modified, kept in pots, cultivated for crops... while the mushroom is just there. And they adapt to the changes of the world in their own way, on their own term and they just accept all that happens. They are just tiny little mushrooms that seem like they could get crushed easily but they are strong. I have a feeling that even in thousands of years when there are no more humans or animals left on the planet, the mushroom would remain.”
“You know,” Lu Feng looked at him with a complex expression that in An Zhe’s eyes was closest to fascination. “I’ve known you for two hours now but I feel like this answer suits your personality very well.”
“Maybe it really does,” An Zhe said. “In all levels except physical I am a mushroom,” he cited a meme with a smile, “and this is my little spore,” he rubbed his baby’s belly in a loving way and received a loud cackle of joy in return.
Lu Feng smiled. His eyes drifted off to the watch on the wall.
“It’s late, your partner is not coming home tonight or something?”
Oh, An Zhe realized. That’s why he has been so distant. It makes sense he assumed I have someone, most people raise babies in couples.
He knew that his answer would determine whether Lu Feng would pursue him or back off and maybe stay friends. Dating wasn’t really his thing, it always overwhelmed him. Lu Feng seemed nice and An Zhe could easily imagine them cuddling or even kissing but he still hesitated if he should give the other man an opening.
At this moment, his baby picked up a plushie brick and tried to throw it at An Zhe to urge him into giving him more rubs but its aim was completely off, it was a toddler after all. The brick hit Lu Feng right in his face.
In the beginning, An Zhe feared that the other man would get angry or upset as most people would but instead, the corners of his lips lifted up in a smile and as if that wasn’t enough, he gave the little one his hand, allowing it to freely play with his fingers.
An Zhe was doomed. He suddenly understood all that fawning from the online groups when women would argue that being good with children was the most attractive feature of a man. Who cared for the good looks, money, and charisma if he was making their kid happy?
Except Lu Feng was very handsome. An Zhe didn’t know much about how police worked but ‘captain’ sounded like a high position. And he liked Lu Feng’s character a lot, he was reserved but decisive and he made him feel safe.
Who was he trying to fool, he liked Lu Feng, as much as he could like a person he just met. Should he flirt? He hasn’t flirted for ages, it was going to be hard. He frowned, biting his lips.
And Lu Feng noticed.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Lu Feng said. “I won’t ask again.”
“No,” An Zhe quickly replied. “It’s not about that, sorry, I was thinking about something else. Don’t you know mushrooms are asexual? It’s just me and my little spore here,” he explained.
Lu Feng’s gaze was intense, it seemed to be looking into his very core.
“Are you just asexual? Or aromantic too?”
Only then An Zhe realize how what he said must have sounded. He gulped and said something that he usually didn’t until he knew a person very well. Life has taught him people react very differently to it.
“I’m just demisexual actually. Or at least I think so, I don’t have much experience.”
Lu Feng didn’t push, he just nodded with acceptance.
“If that’s the case, can I ask you out?” he asked.
An Zhe’s eyes dropped to look at his child. “My little spore comes first,” he stated.
“Of course.”
“And I just met you. I’m not comfortable with saying yes just yet.”
“Fine.”
Something fluttered happily inside An Zhe. Lu Feng really was a good, accepting person.
“I’ll tell you when I’m ready,” he promised. “Can you stay with the baby here? I’ll make the dinner.”
“Sure. Can we play with those?” Lu Feng pointed at the box of toys by the wall.
An Zhe nodded with a happy smile, knowing that his little spore was in the right hands. He cut some meat, onion, and potatoes and stirred them in the pot, his happy child’s laughter coming from the other room sounding like music to his ears.
Until eventually it got quiet. He didn’t notice it at first, the change was gradual. When he realized the baby had been completely quiet and that he couldn’t hear anything from the living room anymore, the soup was almost ready.
With worry, he left the steaming pot behind and went to check up on his child.
He found the baby and Lu Feng sleeping soundly in the middle of the playmat. An Zhe smiled. It was a nice sight, he could get used to it. Feeling light, he came back to the kitchen and added some final touches to the soup. They could always reheat it later when Lu Feng would wake up. He turned off the stove, grabbed some blankets and pillows, dimmed the lights, and joined the two on the floor.
The playmat was soft and comfortable, it was no wonder they managed to fall asleep right where they were. Probably Lu Feng was tired too, he did have some dark circles under his eyes, telling An Zhe he hadn’t slept well the last couple of days.
He was tempted to run his fingers across Lu Feng’s handsome face but in the end, decided not to do so. He didn’t want to wake the other man up, he looked peaceful. An Zhe just draped a blanket over Lu Feng and laid down close to him, wrapped like a burrito himself.
A sudden realization hit him – what if it was not a nap but they would actually sleep until morning? And Lu Feng would have to rush out? They had no means of contacting each other, if Lu Feng left like this, it would most likely be forever.
An Zhe couldn’t let that happen.
Carefully, he picked up Lu Feng’s phone left discarded close by, and tried to unlock it. The phone announced that his face wasn’t recognized and that he needed a passcode. Without thinking much, An Zhe turned the camera toward Lu Feng and let the device scan it again.
Fortunately, in the dim light, the algorithm didn’t notice that Lu Feng’s eyes were closed and the application worked, An Zhe was in. There were a couple of messages from a Hubbard person (which looked like memes in the miniatures) and Lu Feng’s mother. An Zhe didn’t want to violate the other man’s privacy so he didn’t open any of them, he simply added his own contact under a mushroom emoji, took a selfie with sleeping Lu Feng and the baby, and sent it to himself. Fortunately, Lu Feng’s camera was good so the picture turned out quite well.
His own phone flashed up so he knew it worked.
Feeling much safer about the future, An Zhe put Lu Feng’s phone back where he found it and wrapped himself in blankets again, after a thought he moved a bit closer to the other man while he was shifting. He could feel both of their warmth, the baby’s and Lu Feng’s.
He fell asleep with a smile on his face.
***
Seraing was working with Lu Feng for the last seven years so he felt that he knew the man, for the most part. But over the last seven years, he has never seen Lu Feng in the state even remotely close to the current one.
It was their lunch break and Lu Feng was eating homemade potato soup that was definitely not cooked by him because Lu Feng didn’t cook potato soup for himself and when he did, he still added mushrooms or something similar there. The thermos from which the soup came was not Lu Feng’s either. Moreover, ever since Seraing got here, Lu Feng kept glancing at his phone, strangely agitated.
He was a lieutenant and spent years as a detective. It was really too easy to connect the dots.
Lu Feng looked slightly anxious which was an odd look on his face.
“Captain, I want to just remind you that we’re friends on a break. You can talk to me about that personal thing that is bothering you if you want,” Seraing assured him.
“I feel like this would be overstepping some boundaries,” Lu Feng dismissed him, still staring at his phone.
“If it’s about you being gay, I know, I’ve known for years so let’s move on to the interesting part and tell me who made you the soup.”
Lu Feng glared at him and put down the phone with a sigh.
“Fine, if you’re useful I may tell you. Do you have any idea for a romantic but not too pushy date? The catch is that a toddler is coming along.”
“Holy shit. Are you a home wrecker now?!” Seraing gasped. “Really? You?”
“Shut up,” Lu Feng hissed. “He’s a single father, no mother in the picture.”
“Oh, okay,” Seraing released a relieved sigh because he didn’t really want Lu Feng to differ from the image in his head, he liked that Lu Feng. A cold, cautious person with a good heart, with a lot of empathy but also the guts to make the hard decisions when the moment called for it. “Take him to the Happy Garden. It’s kind of a playground, mostly made for a bit older kids with slides, ball pits, and so on but they also have a level for the smallest ones with a ton of sensory toys. I went there with my niece a few weeks ago, it was pretty cool. My sister also tells me there are some pottery classes for 2-year-olds.”
“His baby is less than one,” Lu Feng confessed as if he was admitting to something very personal.
“Hah, so Happy Garden or just take him to a park,” Seraing shrugged, studying Lu Feng’s expression. Surprisingly he was turning out to have a soft family side but Seraing thought it suited him well. “So, how did you meet the hot single dad?”
“I met him... when I was shopping yesterday.”
“That’s pretty basic. He must have made an impression then,” Seraing smiled but then paled outraged. “Wait, not that I’m judging but you slept with him already? I mean, why else would he make you lunch? Wow. He must be something special to make you go so OC.”
“I didn’t, mind your own business,” Lu Feng hissed.
Seraing knew when to back off so he did.
“What’s his name?” he asked instead
“... I don’t know. He forgot to tell me,” Lu Feng confessed making Seraing chortle loudly. “Do you think I should google him or just ask? He didn’t tell me his baby’s name either, actually.”
“How would you google him?” Seraing’s eyes shot wide open.
“He’s an artist with a peculiar style. It should be easy enough,” Lu Feng shrugged.
“Don’t make it creepy, just ask him,” Seraing glared at him but soon his gaze grew gentler. “I’m happy for you, honestly. You sound really serious about this.”
Lu Feng ate a few spoonfuls of the potato soup in silence as if thinking it through.
“Yes,” he finally said. “I guess I really am. You know... when I woke up today and I saw him all curled up against me as if he was certain I would keep him safe... I just can’t stop thinking that I want to wake up like this for the rest of my life.”
That was probably the most personal thing Lu Feng had ever told him over the last seven years and Seraing couldn’t help a wide grin that bloomed on his face. Whoever was that person, he was warming up through Lu Feng’s cool already at a terrifying pace and efficiency and Seraing really hoped that this person was here to stay.