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fandomweekly2021-10-09 01:02 pm
curiosity) wrote in fandomweekly2021-10-09 01:02 pm
Entry tags:
[#018] Summer's End (MDZS)
Theme Prompt: #018 - Stages of Grief
Title: Summer's End
Fandom: MDZS
Rating/Warnings: G / Everyone's parents are dead.
Word Count: 1,000
Summary: After a long summer of working on his uncle's retreat for troubled kids who have lost their parents, Lan Zhan meets the love of his life. Wen Chao.
Notes: It's cute.
Lan Zhan met the love of his life at Summer’s end.
The hottest months of the year had been spent working with troubled kids on his family’s small ranch. Uncle Qiren had begun running a retreat to help other children cope with the loss of one or both parents, a few years after Lan Zhan and his brother had lost their mother and Lan Zhan had stopped speaking.
Uncle Qiren had gone so far as to get a degree in counseling and hire on the SongXiaos. SongXiao Zichen was in charge of the ranch side of things while SongXiao Xingchen was a therapist specializing in child trauma.
From the constantly hyper Wei Ying, to the angry and insecure Jiang Cheng, to the timed and stuttering Wen Ning; Lan Zhan had spent his days teaching these kids to do chores, ride, and choose methods of self-care to make getting through each day easier.
Now it was time to say goodbye. Every year it was tough because it was impossible not to grow close to people who understood the pain Lan Zhan carried around inside himself. This year’s group had been especially close because so many of the participants had been his own age of sixteen.
He’d even had a small crush on Wei Ying before he’d managed to rein himself in. Wei Ying deserved someone who wasn’t drained by his endless energy. But here, standing with the new batch of honorary ranchers, he stood face-to-face with his true love.
Wen Chao had come with his older brother, Wen Xu, to pick up Wen Ning. And while Wen Xu talked to Uncle Qiren and Wen Ning cried as he hugged Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng goodbye, Lan Zhan was left staring at the arrogant expression on his true love’s face. He needed something to say. Something suave.
“Do you want to pet a horse?”
Lan Zhan mentally kicked himself at his idiocy. If his brother hadn’t been at college earning his own counseling degree, he'd be laughing. It looked as if Wen Chao was going to laugh at him, too, if the sneer was anything to go by. But at the last minute, the haughty boy seemed to change his mind. He nodded, stiffly, looking faintly embarrassed.
Lan Zhan stepped over to the fence and whistled three notes, long then short then long. His Andalusian mare, Bichen, galloped over to the fence. She tossed her mane like the beauty she was and pranced in place, posing for him.
She was rewarded with a carrot chunk and, once Lan Zhan made sure Uncle Qiren wasn’t watching, a sugar cube. Bichen approved.
“You can stroke her neck,” Lan Zhan offered. “Just don’t pull on her mane.”
Wen Chao did so, holding his hand out hesitantly at first but then running it along the mare’s neck with more confidence. Lan Zhan smiled, happy with the look of wonder on the other boy’s face.
“I was supposed to come too,” Wen Chao muttered. “But I didn’t want to be a baby. Now I’m kind of wishing I had.”
Lan Zhan shrugged. “Come next year. Some of the others want to come back. Uncle won’t mind.”
“You don’t think it’s weird? My mom’s been dead for years. Shouldn’t I be over it by now?” And there was the sneer, back on that pouting mouth.
“My mother died when I was six,” Lan Zhan said quietly. “It still hurts.”
Wen Chao went quiet for a long moment then muttered, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, I am sorry for yours as well.” Lan Zhan replied, offering a piece of carrot from his pocket. “If you hold your hand flat, she’ll eat from it.”
“Do you always stay at the ranch?” Wen Chao asked, as Bichen nibbled delicately on the carrot in his palm. “Do you ever come to the city?”
“Rarely,” Lan Zhan admitted, feeling a little stab of shame for his sensitivities. “Too much noise.”
“Oh.” Wen Chao grimaced at his slobber-covered hand, withdrawing it slowly and wiping it on his pants.
Lan Zhan’s heart sank, Wen Chao was disgusted. He was a city boy who didn’t like smelly animals. He probably likes sophisticated things like espresso and ceviche.
Wen Chao looked at Lan Zhan. “Do you want my phone number? We could - we could talk. About stuff.”
He looked so bewildered, his arrogant features rearranged into something almost tentative. Lan Zhan wondered if Wen Chao was lonely. If he had anyone to talk to. If he knew how handsome he was, beneath the sneer.
“I do,” he said, deciding on honesty. The worst thing that would happen was that Wen Chao would leave and Lan Zhan wouldn’t see him again. “I think you’re really cute. And I want to get to know you.”
Wen Chao recoiled, giving Lan Zhan such a look of disbelief that Lan Zhan feared he’d done something unforgivable. But the other boy just sputtered at him, pointing accusingly.
“You think I’m cute?” Wen Chao screeched. “ME? Have you looked in a mirror? You’re the most handsome person I’ve ever seen and you think I’m cute? A-Xu says my face looks like a constipated monkey’s!”
Lan Zhan was surprised when the laugh over took him. It was so nice to know someone else had a big brother, impossible to live up to and sometimes, to live with.
“My big brother says I look like a bunny because my nose wiggles when I don’t like something and I like vegetables best,” Lan Zhan confided. “Big brothers are so boring.”
Wen Chao dropped his hand. The shock on his face changed to something more thoughtful as he studied Lan Zhan.
“I could see a bunny,” he decided, after careful scrutiny.
Lan Zhan’s brow furrowed, the only sign of his outrage. He’d shared with this snobby brat and he was being teased!
Wen Chao took a step closer and whispered, “A very cute bunny.”
Lan Zhan’s ears were burning.
But he got that phone number.
Title: Summer's End
Fandom: MDZS
Rating/Warnings: G / Everyone's parents are dead.
Word Count: 1,000
Summary: After a long summer of working on his uncle's retreat for troubled kids who have lost their parents, Lan Zhan meets the love of his life. Wen Chao.
Notes: It's cute.
Lan Zhan met the love of his life at Summer’s end.
The hottest months of the year had been spent working with troubled kids on his family’s small ranch. Uncle Qiren had begun running a retreat to help other children cope with the loss of one or both parents, a few years after Lan Zhan and his brother had lost their mother and Lan Zhan had stopped speaking.
Uncle Qiren had gone so far as to get a degree in counseling and hire on the SongXiaos. SongXiao Zichen was in charge of the ranch side of things while SongXiao Xingchen was a therapist specializing in child trauma.
From the constantly hyper Wei Ying, to the angry and insecure Jiang Cheng, to the timed and stuttering Wen Ning; Lan Zhan had spent his days teaching these kids to do chores, ride, and choose methods of self-care to make getting through each day easier.
Now it was time to say goodbye. Every year it was tough because it was impossible not to grow close to people who understood the pain Lan Zhan carried around inside himself. This year’s group had been especially close because so many of the participants had been his own age of sixteen.
He’d even had a small crush on Wei Ying before he’d managed to rein himself in. Wei Ying deserved someone who wasn’t drained by his endless energy. But here, standing with the new batch of honorary ranchers, he stood face-to-face with his true love.
Wen Chao had come with his older brother, Wen Xu, to pick up Wen Ning. And while Wen Xu talked to Uncle Qiren and Wen Ning cried as he hugged Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng goodbye, Lan Zhan was left staring at the arrogant expression on his true love’s face. He needed something to say. Something suave.
“Do you want to pet a horse?”
Lan Zhan mentally kicked himself at his idiocy. If his brother hadn’t been at college earning his own counseling degree, he'd be laughing. It looked as if Wen Chao was going to laugh at him, too, if the sneer was anything to go by. But at the last minute, the haughty boy seemed to change his mind. He nodded, stiffly, looking faintly embarrassed.
Lan Zhan stepped over to the fence and whistled three notes, long then short then long. His Andalusian mare, Bichen, galloped over to the fence. She tossed her mane like the beauty she was and pranced in place, posing for him.
She was rewarded with a carrot chunk and, once Lan Zhan made sure Uncle Qiren wasn’t watching, a sugar cube. Bichen approved.
“You can stroke her neck,” Lan Zhan offered. “Just don’t pull on her mane.”
Wen Chao did so, holding his hand out hesitantly at first but then running it along the mare’s neck with more confidence. Lan Zhan smiled, happy with the look of wonder on the other boy’s face.
“I was supposed to come too,” Wen Chao muttered. “But I didn’t want to be a baby. Now I’m kind of wishing I had.”
Lan Zhan shrugged. “Come next year. Some of the others want to come back. Uncle won’t mind.”
“You don’t think it’s weird? My mom’s been dead for years. Shouldn’t I be over it by now?” And there was the sneer, back on that pouting mouth.
“My mother died when I was six,” Lan Zhan said quietly. “It still hurts.”
Wen Chao went quiet for a long moment then muttered, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, I am sorry for yours as well.” Lan Zhan replied, offering a piece of carrot from his pocket. “If you hold your hand flat, she’ll eat from it.”
“Do you always stay at the ranch?” Wen Chao asked, as Bichen nibbled delicately on the carrot in his palm. “Do you ever come to the city?”
“Rarely,” Lan Zhan admitted, feeling a little stab of shame for his sensitivities. “Too much noise.”
“Oh.” Wen Chao grimaced at his slobber-covered hand, withdrawing it slowly and wiping it on his pants.
Lan Zhan’s heart sank, Wen Chao was disgusted. He was a city boy who didn’t like smelly animals. He probably likes sophisticated things like espresso and ceviche.
Wen Chao looked at Lan Zhan. “Do you want my phone number? We could - we could talk. About stuff.”
He looked so bewildered, his arrogant features rearranged into something almost tentative. Lan Zhan wondered if Wen Chao was lonely. If he had anyone to talk to. If he knew how handsome he was, beneath the sneer.
“I do,” he said, deciding on honesty. The worst thing that would happen was that Wen Chao would leave and Lan Zhan wouldn’t see him again. “I think you’re really cute. And I want to get to know you.”
Wen Chao recoiled, giving Lan Zhan such a look of disbelief that Lan Zhan feared he’d done something unforgivable. But the other boy just sputtered at him, pointing accusingly.
“You think I’m cute?” Wen Chao screeched. “ME? Have you looked in a mirror? You’re the most handsome person I’ve ever seen and you think I’m cute? A-Xu says my face looks like a constipated monkey’s!”
Lan Zhan was surprised when the laugh over took him. It was so nice to know someone else had a big brother, impossible to live up to and sometimes, to live with.
“My big brother says I look like a bunny because my nose wiggles when I don’t like something and I like vegetables best,” Lan Zhan confided. “Big brothers are so boring.”
Wen Chao dropped his hand. The shock on his face changed to something more thoughtful as he studied Lan Zhan.
“I could see a bunny,” he decided, after careful scrutiny.
Lan Zhan’s brow furrowed, the only sign of his outrage. He’d shared with this snobby brat and he was being teased!
Wen Chao took a step closer and whispered, “A very cute bunny.”
Lan Zhan’s ears were burning.
But he got that phone number.