Chapter Text
It cannot be denied that Wu Suowei is picture perfect cute. Even Chengyu is not immune to his dopey grin, his puppydog nature.
But a great cook he is not.
Right now, he’s sifting flour into a bowl. A necessary step in the baking of a cake, one that not even the most amateur of bakers could mess up.
Or so Chengyu thought.
In fact, Wu Suowei, having never, it seems, handled a sieve in his life, shakes the thing so vigorously that the flour jumps out of the sieve, half of it landing on the counter and the other half puffing into the air like a screen of smoke. Immediately, Wu Suowei scrunches up his nose and, in his haste to cover his face before a sneeze overtakes him, knocks the sieve out of the bowl completely, spilling the rest of the flour onto the floor.
“ACHOO!” Wu Suowei announces into his sleeve, then peeks his eyes up at Chengyu with a look of bewilderment.
Chengyu resists the urge to pinch Wu Suowei’s cheeks and instead casts him a long look. One that he hopes says, How on earth did you mess that up? as well as I want to eat you.
Chengyu can’t hold his expression for long though; Wu Suowei is covered in white dust—it’s in his hair and all over his black t-shirt. Snorting, Chengyu starts brushing it off, beginning with his chest and making sure to linger a little longer than necessary, leaning in to Wu Suowei’s space until he starts to blush. Then he cards his fingers through Wu Suowei’s hair, making sure to muss it up as much as possible.
“Hey!” Wu Suowei pouts and ducks out of reach, completing the job himself.
“Wu Suowei,” Chengyu says, injecting some sternness into his voice. He picks up the bag of flour and drops it back onto the counter with a thump. “Try again.”
After another adorable sneeze, Wu Suowei shuffles back to the counter, where Chengyu makes sure to crowd in close, deliberately reaching around Wu Suowei to grab the measuring cup, bringing their faces close together again. He revels in the way Wu Suowei’s eyes widen, and then the awkward way he clears his throat and swallows, avoiding Chengyu’s eye.
“Like this,” Chengyu shows him this time, measuring out the flour and then guiding Wu Suowei’s wrist to gently tap the sieve on the side of the bowl, allowing the flour to pass through without hurling itself anywhere. He stands directly behind Wu Suowei, bracketing him with his body so he has nowhere to go and “accidentally” brushing his lips against the shell of Wu Suowei’s ear.
There are ways in which Wu Suowei and Xiaoshuai are similar. Both are flighty and coy at times. Both are adorable. Both are submissive in bed.
Xiaoshuai is sweet and selfless; it had taken some time before he accepted Chengyu’s wish to take care of all his needs in the bedroom, and to understand that Chengyu’s pleasure comes from Xiaoshuai’s. These days, when Chengyu gets him undressed and fingers him open, Xiaoshuai is as pliant as clay. There is no battle of wills.
But with Wu Suowei… already Chengyu notices the differences. Wu Suowei responds to flirtation with movement—fidgeting and squirming and attempting to get away. He’s so easy to fluster, a fact Chengyu finds intoxicating. He likes the cat and mouse games, likes to make Chi Cheng—and now Chengyu—work to get their fill. He likes to pretend he isn’t enjoying it, even when the colour high on his cheeks suggests otherwise.
The sieve is empty. Wu Suowei is momentarily distracted by the perfect peak of flour in the bowl. Chengyu ceases flirting for the moment—if he doesn’t they’ll never finish the cake.
Next Chengyu shows him how to beat the egg whites, then cream the butter and sugar. The egg yolks are added. Vanilla. Milk. Wu Suowei mixes the batter with a look of such concentration that Chengyu’s heart actually skips a beat. When the egg whites have been folded in, the batter is ready to be poured into the tins. Wu Suowei smacks the wooden spoon on the side of the bowl to release the batter stuck to it, sending a glob of it onto his cheek.
Chengyu holds back a laugh, takes the spoon from Wu Suowei and scrapes the rest out with a spatula. Then he puts the bowl and spoon aside and holds Wu Suowei by both arms. “Da Wei,” he says, amused by the way Wu Suowei turns his face away and casts him some suspicious side-eye. “You’ve got something…”
“Huh? What?”
“Hm.” Chengyu debates with himself for a moment, then lifts his forefinger to Wu Suowei’s cheek, gently scoops off the cake batter and, with his eyes never leaving Wu Suowei’s, places the tip of his finger in his mouth and sucks off the batter, making sure Wu Suowei gets a glimpse of his tongue.
He’s rewarded by the sight of Wu Suowei’s eyes widening, trained directly on Chengyu’s mouth.
“Tastes good,” Chengyu says, making sure to give Wu Suowei a thorough once-over, noting the sliver of skin just visible above his waistline where his shirt has ridden up. He’s already seen him naked, of course. Wu Suowei has a nice physique, and an ass to die for. But there’s just something about that little glimpse of skin that gets Chengyu’s blood pumping. He wants to bend over and kiss it.
While Wu Suowei is still slack-jawed, Chengyu corrals him with two arms on either side, his hands gripping the edge of the counter so Wu Suowei can’t escape. He leans in, and Wu Suowei leans back, until they’re almost at a forty-five degree angle over the benchtop. Wu Suowei is warm and he can’t seem to help but squirm as Chengyu breathes the ghost of a kiss against his jaw. This position is awkward and Chengyu wants nothing more than to wrench Wu Suowei’s thighs apart and slip between them, but he holds himself back, wanting to see what Wu Suowei will do.
“The cakes,” says Wu Suowei, turning his head, a half smile pulling at his mouth. “Shouldn’t they go in the oven?”
Chengyu sighs dramatically. “Mm.” He nods, giving Wu Suowei his space, pleased to see a flare of disappointment in the tilt of his lips. “They should.”
He picks up each tin one at a time and transfers them to the pre-heated oven. Wu Suowei, when he turns back, has already started gathering up the dirty dishes. He may not be a good cook, but at least he knows how to clean up.
Gently, Chengyu brushes a hand over Wu Suowei’s back and says, “I’m going to check on Chi Cheng and Xiaoshuai.”
“Okay!” Wu Suowei beams, all puppy smiles again.
Chengyu ruffles his hair and sidesteps the retaliatory flick of the wooden spoon.
While Chengyu and Wu Suowei have been baking, Chi Cheng and Xiaoshuai have been having an important conversation—about Xiaoshuai’s history and his boundaries. After that first time, the four of them had realised there were some things that needed negotiating. Chi Cheng would have to reign in some of his dominant energy and learn to take things at Xiaoshuai’s pace. Xiaoshuai would need to learn to speak up about his discomfort, and to direct Chi Cheng—or anyone for that matter—to what he felt safe with.
It’s a warm, sunny day, so the two had found a spot on the deck to talk. Chengyu has a comfortable outdoor couch and it’s here he finds Chi Cheng and Xiaoshuai. The two have finished talking, it seems, and are simply curled up together—Xiaoshuai with his face tucked into Chi Cheng’s chest, Chi Cheng’s arm around him protectively, his thumb rubbing Xiaoshuai’s shoulder.
Chengyu knows Chi Cheng has an awareness of some of Xiaoshuai’s history with Meng Tao, but there are things neither he nor Wu Suowei have told him—them being Xiaoshuai’s stories to tell.
When Chengyu pokes his head around the door, Chi Cheng meets his eye. There’s a storm in his gaze and Chengyu can see the anger in those irises. It’s familiar—the same anger Chengyu felt when he learned what happened to Xiaoshuai too.
Xiaoshuai, it seems, is asleep. Chi Cheng puts a finger to his lips.
Chengyu nods and approaches the two of them. He observes Xiaoshuai first, noting the slight divot in his brow. He surprises himself with how pleased he is to see Chi Cheng treating Xiaoshuai so tenderly.
So as not to wake Xiaoshuai, Chengyu leans all the way into Chi Cheng’s space to whisper, “He told you everything?”
Chi Cheng nods, his expression still stormy. “That piece of shit Meng Tao.”
“I dealt with him already.”
“Hm.” Chi Cheng looks down at Xiaoshuai’s sleeping face. “Does Wei Wei know everything?”
“I think so.” Chengyu nods in Xiaoshuai’s direction. “Pretty sure he told him everything.”
“Good.” Chi Cheng nods. “Good.”
“Did you two work something out?”
A sly smile. “Yes.”
“Ha. Okay.” Chengyu arches a brow. “Well. Cake will be ready soon. Let him sleep a while longer, hm?”
“I’m not going anywhere. Where’s Wei Wei?”
“Cleaning up. Your boyfriend made a mess.”
Chi Cheng smirks. “Did he behave?”
“Mm. Mostly.”
“Don’t spoil him.”
“Oh.” Chengyu lets a slow smile spread across his face. “I am absolutely going to spoil him.”
***
Later, just as Chengyu and Wu Suowei are putting the finishing touches on the vanilla sponge, Chi Cheng and Xiaoshuai enter the room.
Xiaoshuai stretches, arms up over his head, exposing his belly. Then he rubs his eyes and blinks blearily at Chengyu. He looks relaxed; the divot between his brows is gone and there’s a tiny smile on his face. Still, he comes right over to Chengyu and leans against him, resting his weight while Chengyu places the last white chocolate twirl on top of the cake. That done, he pulls Xiaoshuai in for a proper hug, resting his chin on the top of Xiaoshuai’s head. Then he leans back so he can look Xiaoshuai in the eye and check in on him.
Looking tired but mostly content, Xiaoshuai gives a little smile and a nod, then sinks back into Chengyu’s arms for another minute. Chengyu smiles into his hair and rubs his back.
They all sit at the table and Wu Suowei cuts the cake, slicing four enormous pieces and inspecting the interior by lifting one slice right up to his eye and peering at the pale yellow sponge like it holds the secrets of the universe.
“Not bad,” he declares. “Chi Cheng, not bad, right?”
Chi Cheng smiles the disgustingly fond smile he reserves solely for Wu Suowei. “Mm. Not bad, Wei Wei.”
“I mixed the batter. Look.” He prods the cake with a fork, showing off how fluffy it is. Then he takes a bite, chewing with a thoughtful expression that quickly turns to delight. “Wow, it’s so good! Chi Cheng, try it.”
Chengyu shakes his head, amused both at Wu Suowei’s earnest antics, and the way the rest of them can’t seem to look away, especially now that Wu Suowei’s lips are smudged with icing. Who taught that man to eat?
Looking like he’s just been delivered the best present, Chi Cheng avoids the forkful of cake Wu Suowei is offering him and captures his mouth in a kiss instead. It’s chaste—just long enough to Chi Cheng to lick the icing away—but Chengyu still feels a small thrill at the sight.
After cake they watch a movie. Wu Suowei gathers Xiaoshuai up in his arms and cuddles him until they both fall asleep, at which point Chengyu turns the volume on the TV down so they won’t wake.
He looks over at Chi Cheng, who lifts his soft gaze from the other two and meets Chengyu’s eye. “Aren’t they cute?” he says, his voice full of affection. “Wei Wei and Shuai Shuai.”
Chengyu sucks in a tiny breath at the sound of Chi Cheng calling Xiaoshuai ‘Shuai Shuai’.
“Of course,” he agrees. “There’s no one cuter.”
“Mm.” Chi Cheng smiles, and Chengyu wonders at how easily Chi Cheng smiles these days. At how much happiness has entered their lives.
He realises there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do to protect it. To protect them. All of them.