(The next day, morning…)

Xing stacked the wooden blocks into a wobbly tower, adding more and more pieces to the top. Surrounding him were his newly bought toys which he has gone through with at least once and has found a new love for building things then demolishing it. His mommy has left him alone to play by himself just like how she would every morning before taking him to the daycare center back at home.

But he’s not back at home, he realized. This house was bigger than the one back at home and it has his grandparents in it. Yet even that didn’t make him like it. For starters, nothing feels the same to him. And he didn’t do well with changes and foreign people. This morning, when he woke up, it seemed the number of strangers in the house just doubled. They all cooed and cuddled him but it still felt strange.

A knock on the door made him look up. The man from yesterday was standing nearby smiling affectionately at him. He smiled back naively and returned back to his game of building.

Lu Han stared longingly at the young boy who was preoccupied with his own little game. The boy was dressed in casual white T-shirt and blue shorts with his short hair combed neatly like a young school boy. His mom has placed his toys within his reach and surrounded him with plush pillows and cushions so he wouldn’t knock himself and could actually lay back to rest when he’s tired.

He giggled to himself when the wooden blocks he was stacking finally toppled over, making crashing sound against the floor. Quickly, as if nothing happened at all, he started again.

Lu Han took a few steps forward and kneeled down in front of the boy, still holding a painful smile on his face. The boy finally looked up.

“Hi, Xing,” Lu Han started.

Xing tilted his head sideways inquiringly and slightly confused. His eyes roamed over the stranger’s face, taking note that he did indeed look familiar. There wasn’t anyone else in the room besides the both of them but somehow, he trusted this man. Besides, the man knows his name and he overheard him to talking to mommy yesterday evening.

“Hi…” he replied shortly. His mom had warned him to be nice.

“What’re you doing here?”

“Playing…” he replied more, taking a block that Lu Han handed out to him and placed it on top of the others.

“You’re playing by yourself here?”

“Donald is here,” he said again. He turned to look at the Donald Duck that has been with him since he was two and when he needed company. The duck sat against a pillow, the blue sailor shirt stained and worn. “Mister, who are you?”

Lu Han smiled wider and ruffled Xing’s hair, earning an annoyed whine from the kid. “I’m a friend of your mommy’s. You can call me Uncle Lu Han.”

Xing pouted while trying to calm his now slightly messed up hair. He scanned the man’s face for confirmation. Lu Han kept his smile, his pair of eyes shone like the night stars, a part of him happy and proud of the boy. The younger boy raised one hand and ran it slowly across his face, forehead down to the ridge of the nose then to the lips and finally touching the small scar he had below his lower lips. He frowned in concentration, nose and forehead wrinkling together.

“Are you close with mommy?” he finally resorted himself to ask when Lu Han caught his hand in his, giving a playful handshake.

“Yes, we used to go to school together,” Lu Han replied gently.

“Mommy doesn’t like here. She cries and sad,” Xing said again. “Grandmamma said because mommy misses people.”

Lu Han released his son’s hand and looked at the boy. The latter returned the glance, sadness clearly etched on his face. “Mommy misses daddy. But daddy is not here.”

The next thing he did, Lu Han did it by instinct. He reached forward, past the fortress of toys and pillows, and gently hugged the boy, enveloping him completely in his arms. It felt right; the boy was warm and pure. Choking back a sob, he closed his eyes, realizing that maybe, it would be the first and last time he’ll ever hold his son.

Xing let the man hugged him and he slowly returned it. Why not, he thought to himself. He’s been hugged dozens of times by different people he’s met through his five years of life. His mom and grandparents especially love to get hugs from him. While Lu Han feels like no stranger to Xing, the boy knew the man needed a hug more than anything right now. He looked so sad.

“Are you alright, Uncle Lu Han?” Xing asked with his voice muffled against Lu Han’s chest. His voice broke the serenity Lu Han was in and they broke apart. He looked up at him, his eyes still searching. “Are you sad too?”

“No,” Lu Han answered quickly. He released Xing from his embrace and settled the boy back into his comfort zone. “It’s just so nice to finally to meet you, Xing. You’re such a good boy.”

The compliment made Xing laughed. “Yes, Xing is a good boy.” And he was quickly distracted again by the number of toys in front of him. He picked up a toy car and started playing with it, ignoring the piercing stares Lu Han’s still giving him.

“Xing…?” The boy looked up again. “Are you happy with mommy?”

“Mommy is the best!” Xing replied him loudly.

“Then you are happy? Your mommy loves you? Do you have enough toys or clothes or food?”

Xing continued to stare at Lu Han. His developing brain didn’t understand half of the things the man just asked him but he nodded anyway. He picked up the car he was playing with and gave it to Lu Han; thinking that he might want some toys. As for clothes and food, well, he would have to ask his mommy if he can share it with Uncle Lu Han.

“What about your daddy?”

The boy shook his head. “Mommy doesn’t like to talk about daddy. It makes mommy sad. And Uncle Kris says daddy probably has many things to do so daddy can never come and see Xing.”

Now it’s Lu Han’s turn to frown. Who is Uncle Kris?

“Do you want to see him?”

Xing shrugged indifferently. He picked up another toy and started fiddling with it. “Mommy says I can be daddy when I grow up because mommy says Xing is just like daddy.”

Then he looked up, his fingers stopped. And as if realization dawned on him, he finally noticed all the tiny similarities he thought were familiar in the older man. Lu Han smiled and quickly, Xing mirrored it as well. He dropped his toy and again, he reached out to touch the man’s face.

“Uncle Lu Han, are you my daddy?” 

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I realized it's been almost a month again. TT.TT    Seriously, I really wanted to update, but work got the best of me again... I can't remember the last time I really sat down to write some fics~ LIterally going mad now

But thankfully, my internship ending soon. Hehehe... So I'll be back full steam pretty soon. ^^ In the meantime, enjoy the adorable little Xing & Luhan's interaction.

P.S: Is it just me or Luhan is shedding his cute image way too soon in The Lost Planet? XP