from a twitter request by dragonofeternal: "I brought you your coffee" | XiYao

Being one's own boss is a joy that many want but few achieve, and many who do find that they don't want to deal with the minutiae of it. And for that, they have personal assistants: someone they can yell at as much they see fit and still know that at the end of the day, they will make sure that they get to where they're supposed to be on time and perfectly dressed, with an itinerary telling them what to do down to the second.

Or at least, the brainless CEO that Jin Guangyao works for lives like that. He puts in thankless, grueling hours that so that he can make sure his boss doesn't end up double-booking his wife and mistress, only for his own rare requests for time off to be forgotten. If it weren't for the almost nefarious satisfaction he derives from knowing that the company would be utterly lost without him, Jin Guangyao wouldn't put up with it. He's made himself indispensable enough that usually, with very little effort, he can get his time off anyway.

Today, though…he's been forced to skip out on his own anniversary to organize a last minute party - one that his boss took on without consulting anyone! - all so the stupid pig can impress his newest flight of fancy. Having to plan something that his boss's mistress will find suitably exciting instead of enjoying a relaxing romantic dinner seems a bit like the universe is dishing out some unnecessary bad karma.

It's fine. It's always fine. Lan Xichen understood and already took care of moving their reservation to another night, but—

A knock on his office door jolts Jin Guangyao from his thoughts, and he gets up to see who else is not only working late on a Saturday, but needs something from him. He's met with Lan Xichen's smiling face, and it's only his compulsive need to be polite that keeps him from dumbly staring. "Hello, Xichen. What brings you here?"

"I brought you coffee," he says, lifting a carrier with two large cups in it. "I thought you might need a pick me up."

If he could fall in love all over again, he would right now. Lan Xichen waits expectantly until Jin Guangyao manages to stop being lovestruck for long enough to step aside and let him in. "You're more thoughtful than you realize. I was just wishing for more coffee."

Lan Xichen takes one of the cups and presses it into Jin Guangyao's grateful hands. "I had a feeling you'd want something to cheer you up after we had to cancel, and I knew you'd love coffee more than just me," he teases.

Jin Guangyao flushes, his cheeks as warm as the cup in his hands. "That- that's not true, Xichen—"

He's interrupted by Lan Xichen's fond laughter, another bright spot in an otherwise dreary day. "It's okay, A-Yao. I know that I'm always second to your love of coffee."

He feels a smile sneaking onto his face, and Jin Guangyao hides it with his coffee. "Come now, you know you're third, behind my first two loves: your $2500 espresso machine and $500 coffee maker," he teases back, and is rewarded with another burst of Lan Xichen's laughter.

"Silly me," he concedes, leaning in to kiss him briefly before settling into the other chair in the office.

Even if it's not perfect, it's a thoughtful touch of sweetness that gives them an evening of sipping warm coffee together. For now, the comfortable quiet they share is enough.