Fluffy WangXian Oneshots Book Two

Nuts About You

XiChen bursts into Lan Zhan's office, out of breath and sweating.

XiChen is never out of breath, and aside from when he's working out at the gym, he does not sweat. Not like this, anyway.

Lan Zhan immediately stands up.

"What is it, Ge?"

"Can you please do me a huge favour? I'm late for a meeting because one of those funny lights came on in my car when I started her, and then there was a strange noise when I drove it. I rang Lotus Mechanics and they've got a spot opening up in about," he checks his watch, "half an hour. Can you drop LieBing off?"

Lan Zhan pretends to think about it. He already thinks it's ridiculous of XiChen to name his car.

XiChen does not roll his eyes. "Please?" He begs.

"It'll cost you."

"Price?"

"Take me as your plus one to watch the Gusu Symphony Orchestra play tonight."

XiChen looks torn. "But MingJue really wants to go, and so does A-Yao."

"Then let them go. You take me. And we're not sitting anywhere near them." Lan Zhan pointedly looks at his watch, baiting an indecisive older brother.

"A-Zhan...?"

"Take it or leave it." Lan Zhan is not going to back down. The show is tonight, and he's been looking forward to going but all the tickets were sold out.

XiChen has been bragging about going for ages. Serves him right, Lan Zhan thinks pettily. XiChen is his brother, and this is a just punishment for the Gege stealerers.

"Okay, fine!" XiChen has clearly run out of time to bargain. "Here!" he tosses the keys to Lan Zhan, who catches them neatly in his hand. "You don't have to stay, either. Just get a time from them when the car will be fixed and I'll go get her."

"Mn."

"Tonight, I'll pick you up at six o'clock sharp, and don't be late, Didi!" XiChen disappears as soon as he nods.

**************

Lan Zhan detests garages. Loves the smell of petrol and diesel, but loathes the dirtiness of them, the noise and general chaos that any normal mechanics' workshop entails.

Still, he faithfully pulls into the last parking space marked reserved outside Lotus Mechanics, and kills the engine.

XiChen was right, there is a strange noise coming from the engine, and he's right to want to get it looked at right away.

Lan Zhan steps out of the peaceful quietness of LieBing, and finds a cacophony of noise, action and colour surrounding him. Someone is using a hammer with a regular beat, the 'tink', 'tink', 'tink' like a background melody providing the canvas for intermittent shouting of orders and loud raucous laughter.

Lan Zhan looks up to see the name of the garage, Lotus spelled out in single letters over a purple lotus flower, and Mechanics written next to it. The place is alive with continuous noise as he looks around, and the first thing he sees is a sign.

"Mechanic hourly rates: $100/HR MINIMUM, $150/HR if you watch, $175/HR if you help, $200/HR if you worked on it first, $250/HR if you tell me how to do my job," it says.

That's funny, he thinks, but then his mind goes blank as a seriously beautiful man walks outside of the garage, wearing a white tank top, vest t-shirt on top of purple overalls streaked with grease and secured around his slim waist with the sleeves. He has a tool belt with spanners and wrenches weighing it down, and all Lan Zhan can think of is how much he wants to hold those hips.