The garden had been an unexpected delight. It was work, but it was good work, and it yielded delicious results.
Kneeling side by side with Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan yanked another stubborn weed free. He straightened, taking a moment to wipe his brow.
Cicadas screamed from the trees that were throwing a bit of merciful shade over them. A year ago, this wouldn't have been anything Zhao Yunlan could have pictured doing willingly, much less the sort of fun he'd choose to have with a gorgeous man on a hot Saturday afternoon. But now he had Shen Wei, and they had this garden, and Zhao Yunlan couldn't be happier. His chest swelled as he watched Shen Wei bent over their vegetable patch. The love of Zhao Yunlan's life was wearing a t-shirt that clung attractively to his frame, streaks of sweat and smudges of dirt making him look gorgeously disheveled. Shen Wei didn't have to be—he could have stayed inside where it was nice and cool, catching up with his grading instead of working diligently in the garden.
"You know," Zhao Yunlan said. "When I helped my mom with the gardening in summer, she'd always get me a treat." He recalled the cool sweetness of fizzy drinks and fruit jellies and ice cream, the pride at a job well done, and felt a flurry of emotions as Shen Wei sat up and gave him a mildly puzzled look.
"A treat?" Shen Wei's question was an invitation to elaborate—he never seemed to get bored of listening to whatever had crossed Zhao Yunlan's mind. But Zhao Yunlan thought about that first lollipop they had shared—how Shen Wei had grown up without anything sweet, without anyone to praise him, and his heart hurt.
He stood up, quickly enough that his head swum. "Yes. Wait here! Or—you can go inside if you want. I'll just be a minute!"
After assuring Shen Wei that there was no emergency, and that he did not need company, Zhao Yunlan grabbed his wallet and keys and was back from the nearest supermarket fifteen minutes later. He'd barely even broken the speed limit, but fortunately his haul was still nice and frozen. He was in the middle of arranging it on the kitchen table, with spoons and bowls, when Da Qing sauntered in.
"Ice cream!" He pounced.
Zhao Yunlan caught him by the waist and spun him away before he could do anything. "Wait!"
"It's hot! It's going to melt!" Da Qing squirmed to break free and go save the ice cream.
"Damn cat, it's for Shen Wei."
Da Qing snorted, but stopped struggling. He looked up at Zhao Yunlan, suddenly thoughtful. "Does he even like ice cream?"
"I don't know—I don’t know if he knows," Zhao Yunlan said, and felt Da Qing go still.
"Oh." It was a very small sound. Da Qing sighed, and the grip Zhao Yunlan had on him somehow turned into a hug.
"Want to find out?"
Da Qing gave him a quick squeeze, then leapt back, eyes shining. "Yeah!"
"Okay—go get him, and I'll finish up in here."
Da Qing grinned and scampered off, not even bothering with his usual protest that he wasn't a damn personal message cat.
Zhao Yunlan hastily opened all of the ice cream containers and had just shoved the last lid over to make space for the three of them at the table when he heard Shen Wei's footsteps and Da Qing's excited voice. "No, you already washed up—you don't have to change—come on!"
Shen Wei's face shifted from vague confusion to astonishment when he entered the kitchen and looked at the cornucopia of pastel colors on the table. "What…?"
"A treat!" Zhao Yunlan said proudly, and grabbed Shen Wei by the wrist. "Come on!"
Shen Wei looked bemused, but allowed Zhao Yunlan to seat him and shove a bowl at him. Da Qing unceremoniously grabbed a bowl and spoon, lunging for the ice cream. Zhao Yunlan placed a hand on his neck. Da Qing sank back in his chair. Zhao Yunlan smiled encouragingly at him, showing plenty of teeth, and Da Qing turned to Shen Wei, jabbing his spoon in the air. "You go first," he said.
"No, I—"
Zhao Yunlan interrupted Shen Wei's politeness. "Go ahead. Have some."
"Zhao Yunlan. Dinner is in a few hours—"
"So we'd better have the ice cream now or it'll ruin our appetite," Zhao Yunlan agreed.
"It's too hot outside. Cold food is bad for your gastritis, and—"
"I'll just have a little, I promise," Zhao Yunlan said, having entirely forgotten that he no longer had a child's iron stomach.
"But there's so much?"
"For you," Zhao Yunlan explained.
Shen Wei looked between him and the cartons on the table, dampness starting to trickle down their sides and soak into the table cloth.
"Not all of them! Just—I didn't know which flavor was your favorite."
Shen Wei's expression went sheepish. "I—I don't know."
Zhao Yunlan chuckled. "Want to find out? I got all the flavors I could, for you to try." The world seemed to fall away around them as Shen Wei's eyes widened, making him look so young. Like he had that night on the cliff, when Zhao Yunlan told him about all the things his life would have in store for him. Swallowing, Zhao Yunlan gently cupped Shen Wei's face in his hand. "They're all sweet," he murmured.
The intensity of Shen Wei's smile was so devastating that Zhao Yunlan's breath caught, warmth unfurling in his stomach as Shen Wei turned his head to press his lips against Zhao Yunlan's palm.
Da Qing groaned. "You're rotting my teeth worse than the ice cream." He sounded like he had his mouth full.
"Hey—!" Zhao Yunlan turned around to glare at him, and Da Qing swallowed, grinning cheekily.
"And how is the ice cream?" Shen Wei asked, amused.
Zhao Yunlan shot Da Qing a look threatening revenge, which Da Qing cheerfully ignored. "The mango's good! And the durian. Oh, and the sesame. The lavender's kind of weird?"
"How much have you eaten already, you damn cat?" Zhao Yunlan turned to survey the damage, and found spoon-sized dents in at least half the assorted flavors. His outrage turned into reluctant amazement. He hadn't even noticed Da Qing moving.
Da Qing was ignoring him, in favor of giving Shen Wei a rundown of the flavors, shovelling more into his mouth as he spoke, completely failing to first transfer anything to his bowl.
"Damn cat," Zhao Yunlan growled. "Your manners…"
"I learned from you, Lao Zhao," Da Qing smirked, and Shen Wei made a noise of amusement so adorable Zhao Yunlan couldn't possibly stay mad. He supposed he should be grateful Da Qing wasn't walking around the table licking the ice cream.
Shen Wei had dutifully scooped dainty bits from the cartons Da Qing indicated, creating a rainbow mess in his bowl. He was looking dubiously at it. Zhao Yunlan nudged his shoulder. "Go on. Try before it melts."
"There's this many flavors of ice cream?"
"There's so many more," Zhao Yunlan said, quietly. If Shen Wei wanted, Zhao Yunlan would make sure he could try every single one.
Shen Wei lifted the spoon to his lips, and his eyes grew wide with surprised pleasure. "Oh," he said.
"Good?" Zhao Yunlan asked.
"Good, right?" Da Qing echoed, leaning so he too could see Shen Wei's expression.
"Yes," Shen Wei said. "It's good."
Grinning so hard it almost hurt, Zhao Yunlan watched as Shen Wei made his way through the sample flavors. He didn't notice he had forgotten to take any himself until Shen Wei dumped a large spoonful of yellow ice cream in his bowl. "Here." Shen Wei caught his eye, and smiled. "This one is my favorite."
Zhao Yunlan laughed, as his throat closed up a bit. "Thank you," he said. He couldn't wait to taste it.