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Rating:
Explicit
Archive Warning:
Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category:
M/M
Fandom:
魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Relationship:
Lán Zhàn Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng Wèi Wúxiàn
Characters:
Wèi Yīng Wèi WúxiànLán Zhàn Lán WàngjīJiāng Chéng Jiāng WǎnyínWēn Níng Wēn QiónglínMò XuányǔLán Huàn Lán XīchénLán Yuàn Lán Sīzhuī
Additional Tags:
Blind DateAlternate Universe - Modern SettingOblivious Wèi WúxiànFluffRomanceGetting TogetherMinor Angstslight slow burnHappy EndingMisunderstandings
Language:
English
Series:
Part 1 of Not Going Anywhere Next Work
Collections:
wangxian
Stats:
Published:2021-08-28Completed:2021-08-28Words:79329Chapters:11/11Comments:1008Kudos:7135Bookmarks:1601Hits:132013
Blink
Menuridae
Summary:
"So on Saturday night, while you are having the time of your life on a date with your hot, hunky, handsome soulmate, I have to go on a date with a rich young master who sounds like a literal stick in the mud whilst pretending to be you?"
Mo Xuanyu's family has set him up on a blind date with a rich young master after learning he is gay. However, he already has plans for that night. Instead of going on the date himself, Mo Xuanyu enlists Wei Wuxian to go as a substitute. Wei Wuxian must act like his best friend for the night before kindly turning down Mo Xuanyu's date.
Only, Wei Wuxian finds out that turning down Mo Xuanyu's date is possibly the hardest thing he has had to do in a long time.
Russian Translation now available.
Spanish Translation now available.
Notes:
Translation into Español available: Blink by Lilaluux
(See the end of the work for other works inspired by this one.)
Chapter 1: Announcement of Rework
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
This work is currently undergoing a rework and revamp!
My writing standards have changed since 2018 when I first wrote and published this fic. As a result, I want to give this story (which I adore and hold a lot of love for in my heart) a rework. The new version of the story will have reworked dialogue, better-developed characterisation, new scenes and a revamp of the plotline.
Because I know that people still do enjoy this version of the story, I want to leave it untouched for anyone who still wants to read it in its original format.
But I do recommend that readers, especially new readers, read the rework of this story instead, which can be found by either clicking onto the 'next work' button that will directly take you to 'Blink, Reprised'
OR
clicking the link below, posted in the notes section.
Thank you all to everyone who has supported this fic.
Notes:
Blink, Reprised
Chapter 2: A Friend in Need
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"Do you remember that time I covered for you when you accidentally broke Jiang Cheng's play station controller by dropping it in the fish tank?"
Wei Wuxian slowly raised his head from the comic book he was engrossed in. He peered at Mo Xuanyu who was perched on the edge of the couch. He was fiddling with one of the cookbooks that Jiang Yanli had gifted her two younger brothers when they had moved into an apartment together. It mostly gathered dust on the bookshelf and only came down when Jiang Cheng insisted on doing some spring cleaning, which involved rearranging furniture and removing every speck of dust in sight. Wei Wuxian usually finds an excuse to get out of the house when Jiang Cheng becomes pedantic about cleaning.
Wei Wuxian gave a pause before putting down his comic book to turn his complete attention on to Mo Xuanyu.
"Your so funny Mo Xuanyu! I thought as far as we were concerned, the controller met a fateful end when you tripped and spilt water all over it. I know nothing about a fish tank being involved." Wei Wuxian cheerily exclaimed and made his way to the kitchen to fetch a bottle of green tea that Jiang Cheng kept stashed in the back of the fridge, behind the turnips that Wei Wuxian disliked.
"Fine! I need a favour Wei Wuxian. I am desperate, and not beyond tattling on you to Jiang Cheng for your help!" Mo Xuanyu discarded the cookbook on the coffee table before making his way over to the kitchen. His eyes were wide with panic and implored Wei Wuxian for help.
"I already repaid you for taking the blame for the play station controller. Remember when you drunkenly texted Wen Ning all of those embarrassing things? I took responsibility and told him that I had stole your phone and texted him to pull a prank on you. If you tell Jiang Cheng, then I am telling Wen Ning the truth as well!" Wei Wuxian stuck his tongue out at the other man. A dusting of pink stole its way across his face when Mo Xuanyu remembered his embarrassing text conversation with Wen Ning while he was beyond intoxicated at Wei Wuxian's birthday celebration.
"Okay, okay! Forget the play station controller. But please, Wei Wuxian I need your help! No one else but you can help me." Mo Xuanyu splayed his hand on the kitchen counter top as he begged for Wei Wuxian's help.
"You are going to have to do some better grovelling than that." Wei Wuxian turned his head upwards, wagging his nose in the air in pride. Mo Xuanyu bowed his head and clapped his hands together in prayer against his forehead.
"Please almighty Wei Wuxian, I plead with you to help this poor unfortunate person. I am willing to sacrifice my body and soul for your assistance."
Wei Wuxian sighed and put down the bottle of tea before simply nodding his head in thought.
"I have been looking to increase my collection of souls. Plus, having spare body on the side would be handy if I died and needed a body to reincarnate into." Wei Wuxian flashed a smirk at Mo Xuanyu.
Mo Xuanyu just gulped.
Wei Wuxian couldn't help but grit out the words, "Just what have you done?".
"I may have confessed to my family that I am gay." The words came out of Mo Xuanyu's mouth in a rush, as he stood frozen in place.
Wei Wuxian's froze as he began to fear the worse. Did they disown him? Perhaps that despicable aunt and cousin of his whispered in his family's ear to cut him off. Those two have always been scheming to find a way for Mo ZiYuan to become the successor of the Mo family fortune.
Mo Xuanyu watched as a dark look crossed over Wei Wuxian's face and quickly shook his head and hands when he realised where his thoughts were drifting to.
"Ah! No! It isn't like that! They didn't disown me or anything like that. Actually, they were really supportive of me." Mo Xuanyu reached behind his neck to rub at his nape sheepishly. Wei Wuxian watched him closely before exclaiming his joy.
"That's great news then! You made me fret with your worrying." Wei Wuxian walked over to his friend and slung an arm around his neck and rubbed his head affectionately with his fist. Mo Xuanyu tried with whatever little strength he had to break loose from Wei Wuxian's hold.
"So tell me," Wei Wuxian began. "What is the problem that you need help from this almighty person?"
Mo Xuanyu gave pause again before peering up at Wei Wuxian's taller figure. He had a small pout on his face.
Wei Wuxian had a bad feeling.
"They felt a little awkward about the situation. At first they didn't know how to react. I guess I caught them off guard." Mo Xuanyu sulked over to the couch before collapsing onto the cushion. Wei Wuxian watched him from behind as his shoulders sunk in defeat.
"So, as some form of compensation, they thought it best to try and set me up on a blind date with another young master from a prominent family. They set it all up before I even had the chance to think about saying no. I am really not interested however. It is not even really a blind date, because we know who each other is, and have even been to some gatherings together before." Wei Wuxian rounded the couch and sat on the chaise opposite of Mo Xuanyu. The other man was finding it difficult to meet Wei Wuxian's eyes.
"So just tell your family to call it off. Or better yet, just call the guy and reject him instead."
Mo Xuanyu wrapped his arms around his body and anxiously bit his lip.
"I already tried that. They said that they wouldn't dare want to add insult to the Lan family. Half the reason they even set me up with him was because they were hoping to gain favour with the Lan family." Mo Xuanyu pulled at the roots of his hair, a few strands of his long hair fell from his ponytail and stuck up every which way. Wei Wuxian just furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"And now, this is when you tell me why you can't just attend the date, have a nice time with a rich young master, eat some delicious food at an expensive restaurant and simply say that you aren't interested in him romantically at the end of a lovely night." Mo Xuanyu lifted his head and met Wei Wuxian's incredulous face. A small blush crept across Mo Xuanyu's cheeks and he suddenly found that picking at the loose threads on the throw cushion to be an interesting endeavour.
He cleared his throat before he whispered out in a small voice, "I can't go on a date with him, because I already have a date this Saturday with someone else."
Wei Wuxian leapt off the chaise and bounded over to Mo Xuanyu, tackling him in a hug against the couch. Mo Xuanyu let out a surprised shriek before trying to wriggle out from under the bigger man. Wei Wuxian's peels of laughter echoed off the walls as he exclaimed his joy for his mostly socially inept friend.
"Our little Xiao Yu has grown up! Tell me, from one gay to another, is he good looking? Oh, what am I saying, like me, you have great taste. How did you two meet? Does he look like he is good in between the shee-" Mo Xuanyu managed to wrestle his arms free to slap over Wei Wuxian's mouth. The slight blush he had before is now a bright pink stain covering his face.
"Wei Ying! Please be quiet." Mo Xuanyu slowly released his hand from over his friend's face, only to reveal a big toothy smile that lit up Wei Wuxian's entire face with glee.
"You should have told me sooner! I can't believe the day has finally arrived in which Mo Xuanyu finally is going to get laid. No, even better! You will finally get a handsome boyfriend who will dote on you everyday." Wei Wuxian turned his head towards Mo Xuanyu, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he said, "That service of course extends to outside the bedroom as well. I am jealous."
"Please. Stop trying to project your fantasies on to me." Mo Xuanyu fell silent afterwards, unsure what more to say to his ecstatic friend. Wei Wuxian's reaction reminded him exactly why he kept quiet about his plans on Saturday night. Even if what he told Wei Wuxian isn't the complete truth…
Wei Wuxian plopped down besides Mo Xuanyu and stared up at the ceiling. After a minute of silence, he turned his head towards Mo Xuanyu.
"So let me get this straight. You have a date on Saturday with a rich young master that you can't reject for the sake of your family. On the same night, you also have a date with a hunk, who you obviously can't reject because he will be your future husband."
"Wei Ying! I never said anything about him being a hunk or marrying the guy!" Mo Xuanyu could do little more than just releasing a sigh he has been holding in. Wei Wuxian's antics will one day put him in an early grave. Perhaps Jiang Cheng's permanently grumpy mood is attributed to living with Wei Wuxian, Mo Xuanyu couldn't help but think.
"So tell me, Mo Xuanyu. What is this favour that only I can do? Perhaps you want me to seduce him before Saturday, with my amazing flirting skills, so he cancels his date with you because he has fallen in love with me. Or hack into his computer, pretending to be a jealous ex-lover who will go as far to blackmail any one who is trying to date his ex? Oh! You want me to sneak into his house, shave off his eyebrows in his sleep, so the next day, he will be so embarrassed to leave the house, and miss his date with you!" Wei Wuxian was bouncing up and down in his seat on the couch, bursting with excited energy at his devious plots to sabotage Mo Xuanyu's blind date on Saturday. Mo Xuanyu just couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief.
"Uh, no. None of that. Please." Wei Wuxian's excitement deflated and a small pout adorned his face.
"Actually, I want you to pretend to be me, go on the date on Saturday, and by the end of it, kindly announce that you don't think things would work out." Mo Xuanyu spoke clearly, making sure that Wei Wuxian wouldn't misunderstand and take his own liberties on how the night should go.
"Boring! You won't let me have fun. Boo!" Wei Wuxian paused before looking thoughtful. "But I do now understand now why you need me to do it. I know that we look very much alike and all, but I don't think your date will buy it. Didn't you say that you already know each other?" Mo Xuanyu shifted his body on the couch, so he was now facing Wei Wuxian.
"Uh, know each other is a bit of an overstatement. We mostly know of each other. We have never spoken to each other. I think at best, he gave me a glance over at a party a year back when his older brother was introducing the pair of them to my family. I was too shy to introduce myself and he doesn't seem to be the sociable type. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there at that moment. He just followed his brother around the whole time and ignored people." Mo Xuanyu titled his head as he thought back his first meeting with the Lan brothers.
"So on Saturday night, while you are having the time of your life on a date with your hot, hunky, handsome soulmate, I have to go on a date with a rich young master who sounds like a literal stick in the mud whilst pretending to be you?"
"And you have to make sure to not insult him at all during the date and then firmly, but kindly, reject any possible future dates." Wei Wuxian's thoughts drifted to how, instead of going on a boring date with an even more boring person, he could spend his Saturday night in, reading comics and annoying Jiang Cheng who would undoubtedly be home alone as well.
Mo Xuanyu could see that he was losing Wei Wuxian, so he knew that he had to make the night worth Wei Wuxian's time and interest. "The date is being held at Caiyi restaurant. Remember, we went there last year for Jin Ling's fifth birthday? We had those delicious loquat dumplings for dessert as well. They were so nice paired with a glass of Emperor's Smile."
Mo Xuanyu could practically see Wei Wuxian drooling at the memory, so he continued on. "Plus, because I am asking this of a favour for you, of course you won't have to pay a cent. In fact, you should feel free to eat however much you like of whatever you want." Mo Xuanyu could see that Wei Wuxian was so close to caving. Just a little more.
"And I will cover for you the next time you break one of Jiang Cheng things. I know his work has been pretty busy lately and he been feeling pretty stressed and grumpy because of it."
Wei Wuxian leaned over the back of the couch, looking down the hallway where Jiang Cheng's potted plant lays in a pile of dirt and smashed pieces of the pot that Wei Wuxian had accidentally knocked over earlier this morning before Mo Xuanyu had come over. He had gone out to buy a replacement pot immediately after and was planning to re-pot it before Jiang Cheng got home. The different coloured pot would give him away however.
Wei Wuxian whipped his head towards Mo Xuanyu before exclaiming "deal!".
Mo Xuanyu relaxed back into the couch and released a breath he had been holding all week. If he didn't convince Wei Wuxian, he would've to cancel his plans on Saturday, which was the last thing he wanted to do. Wei Wuxian on the other hand felt excited to eat delicious food and wine for free. A sudden thought popped into his however.
"Mo Xuanyu, I have to hand it to you, this is quite a good plan. You get the benefit of avoiding insult to your date and his family, whilst going on a date with your prince charming. Actually, the plan is quite mischievous! You want to trick an honourable young master. Am I starting to rub off on you?"Mo Xuanyu had the nerve to look a little bashful before admitting the truth.
"Actually, I went to Nie Huaisang for advice first. He was the one that proposed the plan, seeing as we look so similar." Wei Wuxian pouted in jealousy at not being the first to know of Mo Xuanyu's date.
"I am really grateful for you doing this though, Wei Wuxian. You have really saved me this time round." Mo Xuanyu smiled for the first time that day, which warmed Wei Wuxian's heart. This date didn't seem so bad if he thought about his friend's happiness.
"So tell me about this young master who will be accompanying me on Saturday night. Other than the fact that he doesn't like socialising at parties. Please tell me he is at least good looking. Isn't it a given for all rich men to be good looking nowadays." Mo Xuanyu couldn't help but giggle in response.
"Don't worry. I assure you that he is good looking. He is possibly the most handsome man I have seen actually. Well, besides his brother, who is equally as handsome. I believe the both of them are known as the Two Jades of Lan." Wei Wuxian wiggled in his seat a little as a celebratory dance. Good food and a nice view!
"Two good looking brothers! Do you think I can convince them to join my harem? Besides souls and bodies, I think collecting handsome men could become a new hobby for me." Mo Xuanyu couldn't hold in a scoff. Wei Wuxian just narrowed his eyes in response.
"I don't think so. How did you put it before? A stick in the mud? I think that is possibly an accurate way to describe him. He tries to avoid speaking, unless it is necessary. He is also a stickler for the rules. Try to avoid speaking loudly around him and always speak politely to him. He also hates frivolous people. Basically, just act the opposite of how you usually do." Mo Xuanyu couldn't help the smirk that stretched across his face.
"Rude! I'd have you know that I am none of those things." There was a pause for a second, before both friends began to laugh at the ridiculousness of Wei Wuxian's claim to being a normal person.
"I must say, for not knowing the guy, you sure know a lot about him." Mo Xuanyu nodded his head in agreement.
"It is kind of hard not to. He is a really well known person in the amongst the people my family often interacts with. He is one of the outstanding Lan siblings after all. Both brothers are handsome, help run the family business and are exceptionally good natured. Many families have tried to set up their daughters with them, but have mostly given up. Well, some still try with the older brother, Lan Xichen. But his younger brother came out as gay a few years back, discouraging anyone to set him with their daughter. After all, why insist to only anger the Lan family? Well, no one tried because they did not have a son that happened to be gay. Until last week when I came out to my family." Mo Xuanyu's shoulders dropped in exasperation. "I honestly should have just kept my mouth shut."
"Don't worry Mo Xuanyu, I will make sure that younger master Lan understands that you are not interested in dating him! He may be disappointed when he sees how handsome I am, but I will make sure to let him down gently. Especially if I fill him up with a bottle of Emperor's Smile! No one can feel sad after drinking Emperor's Smile." Mo Xuanyu paused for a moment before shaking his head frantically.
"No! Absolutely not! You can't drink on your date with him! He may dislike a lot of wanton behaviour, but he dislikes alcohol and drunk people the most!" Mo Xuanyu eyes met Wei Wuxian in mild panic. I can't risk anything to insult the Lan family!
Wei Wuxian quickly jumped to his feet before exclaiming, "WHAT? Before when you were trying to convince me to go, you were talking about the delicious Emperor's Smile served at the restaurant! How can I go and not have even a glass of it there?"
Mo Xuanyu stood up as well and grasped Wei Wuxian's hands in his. "Please Wei Ying, I beg of you. I promise to buy you a whole bottle of Emperor's Smile afterwards. No, two whole bottles! Please, promise me you won't drink any alcohol." Mo Xuanyu looked up at Wei Wuxian, imploring him.
Damn those cute puppy dog eyes!
Wei Wuxian let out a sigh in disappointment before muttering a "fine" as he turned away from Mo Xuanyu. He could go one night without needing drink his precious wine. Wei Wuxian gave pause for a moment, before turning back towards his friend.
"His name. You haven't told me his name yet. All I know is his family name is Lan." Perhaps he can ask Jiang Cheng if he knows anything more about his date later on. Or perhaps his elder sister Jiang Yanli knows the younger Lan brother. She often frequents high-class social events with her husband while Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng babysit her son. She would probably know him.
"Oh! Wangji! I mean, his name is Lan Wangji."
Lan Wangji, huh?
Wei Wuxian thought that name sounded familiar to him. Maybe he has heard Jiang Yanli or Jiang Cheng mention him before.
A quick glance at the clock distracted him from his thoughts however. It was almost time for Jiang Cheng to get off work.
"Mo Xuanyu, quick, grab the vacuum cleaner! Jiang Cheng will be home soon, and I haven't cleaned up the broken pot yet. If he asks why it has a new pot, you are to tell him that you accidentally chipped the edge of it, so we went out to buy a new one to replace it." Mo Xuanyu just rolled his eyes in disbelief before disappearing around the corner to fetch the vacuum.
They managed to clean up the mess before Jiang Cheng got home, but during Mo Xuanyu's explanation, Jiang Cheng kept side eyeing Wei Wuxian suspiciously. He ended up accepting Mo Xuanyu's apology and retreated to the kitchen.
Mo Xuanyu left afterwards, saying he would call Wei Wuxian to give him all the details for Saturday night. A few steps from their apartment however, he could hear Jiang Cheng's angry voice carry down the hallway.
"Wei Wuxian, who gave you permission to drink all of my tea! Get back here!"
Mo Xuanyu couldn't hold in a boisterous laugh as he made his way home.
Notes:
Other people: The animation makes it so difficult to distinguish between Mo Xuanyu's body and Wei Wuxian's!
Me: This smells like a convenient plot device for fan fiction!
This is my first fan fiction in many years. The plan was originally to make it under 12,000 words, however I have a feeling that it may be a tad over. And when I say tad, I mean a lot. This will be a multi-chapter fic with smut at the end. I have listed it as mature for now, but the rating is subject to change.
Thank you for reading this first chapter. I am unsure at this point how many there will be. I will try to update it as frequently as I can.
Please feel free to leave any of your thoughts in the comments below.
Chapter 3: Ringtone
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"How about this one?" Wei Wuxian held up a button down shirt that was decorated in an awful purple pineapple print. Jiang Cheng just proceeded to snatch the coat hanger from Wei Wuxian's hands and place it back onto the rack before steering Wei Wuxian away from the Hawaiian shirts. Wei Wuxian immediately gravitated towards some equally appalling shirts so Jiang Cheng turned towards the store assistant who was hovering.
"We are looking for some clothes suitable for a date for him. A smart casual look for a dinner at a nice restaurant. Could you suggest some clothes please?" The store assistant jerked in surprise for a moment, before she smiled and promised to bring some clothes over after asking for Wei Wuxian's clothing size. Jiang Cheng returned to his brother's side. Wei Wuxian was inspecting a questionable looking shirt. Or what Jiang Cheng thought to be a shirt. It had to be a crop top from how little it covered. Jiang Cheng could only glare at Wei Wuxian until he put it back.
"Jiang Cheng!" Wei Wuxian rounded on his brother with a pouted face. "Can we leave? I don't like shopping. Especially clothes shopping. I have enough clothes as it is already."
Jiang Cheng just heaved out a sigh in exasperation.
"I already told you, Mo Xuanyu insisted that you needed to buy some nice clothes for your date on Saturday. Even you should know that you can't turn up in any of the clothes you already own." The store assistance returned with an armful of clothes for Wei Wuxian to try. Jiang Cheng took the clothes with a grateful smile and "thank you".
"I am only here with you today because Mo Xuanyu is busy. I am not enjoying this either, so let's just hurry up so we can leave." Jiang Cheng herded Wei Wuxian into a changing room, shoved the clothes into his chest before shutting the door on his incredulous face. Wei Wuxian gave an undignified squawk from the other side of the door. Jiang Cheng let a smirk strike across his face.
"But I do already have clothes! Remember? When we went to Madam Yu's birthday party a few months back, I bought clothes for that occasion. I can just wear those again." Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes.
"Remember? Why, I remember how you used that nice shirt as a toy to play tug-of-war with Fairy. And when you shredded the shirt to pieces, you proceeded to do the same thing with the pants. I think you are the one forgetting." Wei Wuxian was quiet for a while.
Jiang Cheng could faintly make out Wei Wuxian mumbling "those clothes were uncomfortable and itchy. Their only worth was as the dog's chew toy."
"Speaking of Fairy," Jiang Cheng began, "Jin Ling told me how happy he was that you are finally getting along with his dog."
Wei Wuxian walked out in a pair of tan slacks and a white button down. He admired himself in the mirror briefly before scrunching his nose in distaste.
"He really didn't give me much of a choice. Every time I told him to put the dog away, he would cry accusing me of hating Fairy. He is a cry baby like his father." Wei Wuxian made his way back into the changing room to try on another set of clothes.
"But you do hate her. You are scared of dogs might I remind you."
"Not Fairy." Wei Wuxian chucked the tan slacks over the door, landing on Jiang Cheng's head. Jiang Cheng had to restrain himself not to tell at Wei Wuxian in a public place. "It is hard to hate a creature who protects Jin Ling as much as she does. Plus, she is one of the few things that makes that moody kid happy. He takes after his uncle too much." As Wei Wuxian walked out in another set of clothes, he quickly ducked to miss the swing of Jiang Cheng's arm, aimed at his face.
"What was that for Jiang Cheng!?"
"For calling me moody." Jiang Cheng ignored Wei Wuxian babbling about doing no such thing to hang the clothes Wei Wuxian discarded back onto their respected hangers.
Jiang Cheng took one look at Wei Wuxian's outfit before scoffing out "just hurry up and try on some more." Wei Wuxian just nodded his head in agreement before filing back into the small dressing room to try on something else.
Jiang Cheng's phone chimed with a new message from Mo Xuanyu.
"Ah, Wei Wuxian, it seems that Wen Ning's welcome back party is being pushed back a week. Mo Xuanyu says it is going to be held the following Saturday instead."
"WHAT? We haven't seen Wen Ning since we graduated university, and now we have to wait another week to see him? This is so unfair! He has already been back in the country for a week. I want to see him now!"
"Well you have you and Mo Xuanyu have dates on Saturday, so we can't do it then. Apparently Wen Qing needs his assistance with setting up her practice on Sunday, so we will have the party next Saturday instead. It has been years since you have seen him, you can wait another week." A sigh was all Jiang Cheng got in reply.
Wei Wuxian walked out of the dressing room wearing a pair of burgundy slim fit pants and a black dress shirt tucked into it. Jiang Cheng unhooked a black blazer from a hanger and helped Wei Wuxian slip it on. Wei Wuxian preened in the mirror at the sight of himself.
"I look so handsome, Jiang Cheng! That Lan Wangji is sure to fall head over heels in love with me." Wei Wuxian twirled a little as he admired his figure in the mirror.
"You are supposed to do the opposite of that. Him falling in love with you would be a bad thing." Jiang Cheng paused for a moment before continuing on, watching Wei Wuxian.
"Wei Ying, are you sure you are comfortable doing this?" Wei Wuxian met Jiang Cheng's eyes in the mirror. They seemed to stare through Jiang Cheng for a moment before a smile lit up his face.
"Don't worry Jiang Cheng! I am fine. Besides, I am doing this because Mo Xuanyu needs to go on his date." Wei Wuxian slipped back into the dressing room for the last time to change back into his own clothes. "I am still in shock that he is finally going to go on a date. He used to be so infatuated with the idea of love finding that special someone. But ever since we graduated from university, he hasn't mentioned a thing about dating." Jiang Cheng just hummed in agreement.
Wei Wuxian exited the changing room with the clothes he had just tried on bundled in his arms. Jiang Cheng picked up the other clothes to hand back to the store assistant. They payed for the clothes, thanked the woman for her help and left the store. As they were walking back to Jiang Cheng's car, Wei Wuxian swung his bag full of new clothes back and forth like a child.
"I am really hoping this date works out for Mo Xuanyu, it is about time he moved on from his unrequited crush." Wei Wuxian watched Jiang Cheng for a reaction. He didn't get one.
"The same goes for you Jiang Cheng. You should move on from that girl you dated. It sucks things didn't work out, but you don't want to remain lonely forever, do you?" Wei Wuxian poked fun at his brother, but Jiang Cheng's face became closed off. Wei Wuxian knew not to push the subject anymore.
The warmth inside the restaurant greeted Wei Wuxian as he stepped in from the cold windy air outside. Wei Wuxian raked his fingers through his long hair that was fixed in a ponytail in attempt to smooth the fly away hairs a little. It is already spring, why is it still cold?
Wei Wuxian checked his appearance in a mirror in the reception before walking towards the restaurant's maȋtre d', flashing her a dazzling smile. However, only then he realised he forgot to ask Mo Xuanyu whose name the reservation was under.
"Uh, my name is Mo Xuanyu. I supposed to be meeting with a Lan Wangji." The woman searched her list of reservations before nodding her head and asking Wei Wuxian to follow her.
The restaurant was just as Wei Wuxian remembered it. It had a lovely, warm ambience. Wei Wuxian was directed past many tables lit by candle light with couples conversing with each other at their own private tables. How romantic.
Finally, Wei Wuxian was directed to a table where another man was already seated. Upon realising his date was here, the man who must be Lan Wangji stood and bowed his head slightly in welcome. The maȋtre d' left them alone, however Wei Wuxian was too distracted to even notice.
Mo Xuanyu really wasn't exaggerating his beauty!
Lan Wangji was dressed in a pair of navy pants, a pale blue collared shirt and a stark white blazer. Sitting the pocket of his blazer was a small pocket square adorned with the pattern of wispy clouds. He wore his hair long and unbound, neatly laying against his back. Two locks of his hair spilled over his shoulders. His face looked like it was carved from white jade and his eyes were the most piercing gold colour that Wei Wuxian had ever seen. He will never be able to look at the same colour again and not picture his eyes.
During Wei Wuxian's stupor, Lan Wangji had already pulled out the chair for Wei Wuxian. He stood waiting for Wei Wuxian to sit down. Wei Wuxian snapped out from his thoughts and quickly sat down, murmuring a "thank you". Lan Wangji just returned to his seat silently.
An awkward moment passed between the two men as they were unsure how to proceed with things.
Remember Wei Wuxian, you must act polite and cordial tonight. You can't ruin this for Mo Xuanyu.
"Could I interest you gentlemen in any drinks tonight." Luckily a waitress appeared to diffuse the awkward situation slightly.
"Just a water for me." Wei Wuxian flashed her a small smile, but on the inside, he was screaming for his beloved Emperor's Smile.
"Make that two, please." Lan Wangji's face remained in a neutral position as the waitress collected the drink menus and left to fetch them their glasses of water. Wei Wuxian remembers how Mo Xuanyu recounted that Lan Wangji was often quiet when socialising and thought it best to take control of the conversation.
"I guess introductions should be made, even if we already know of each other." Wei Wuxian who offered a bright smile, was unsure where he was directing this conversation. "I'm Mo Xuanyu, it is nice to meet and finally talk with you Lan Wangji."
"Agreed. It is nice to be talking with you, too." Lan Wangji's face gave no hint to what he was thinking at that moment. Wei Wuxian was struggling to think how to handle this conversation when Lan Wangji wasn't giving him much. Think Wei Wuxian!
"I must apologise on my family's behalf." Wei Wuxian faked a nervous laugh and mimicked rubbing the back of his neck as he had seen Mo Xuanyu do a hundred times before when he was embarrassed. "I came out to my family just the other week. They were a little awkward about it, so they compensated by trying to show their support by setting me up on a date. And you ended up getting wrapped up in their silly antics. I am sorry for any trouble my family has caused to you or your family." Wei Wuxian bowed his head slightly in apology. Mo Xuanyu can't accuse me of insulting the Lan family with this sort of performance!
"No. It is fine. My uncle is relieved. He has wanted to set me up on a date for a while. My sexuality has hindered this, however." Wei Wuxian was relieved. He just had to continue the night with a pleasant conversation and then say he is not interested on Mo Xuanyu behalf at the end. Insulting the Lan family didn't seem like a problem at this point in time.
"Do you frequent this restaurant often? I have only been here once myself." Wei Wuxian pretended to admire the atmosphere of the restaurant. However, he was more interested in looking through the menu right now.
"Mmn. Sometimes. For work or family."
"Do you perhaps have any recommendations? I am in the mood for some delicious meat tonight. Oh! I must have some dessert as well. Loquat desserts are their speciality here. Or at least that is what my friend has told me. I think I will go for a steak and a slice of loquat tart afterwards. What about you Lan Wangji? It is hard to pick right? Everything looks so delicious."
Lan Wangji just hummed "Mnn" in response as he scoured the menu for his dinner. Soon after the waitress returned with their water and they both ordered. Steak and loquat tart for Wei Wuxian and a serving of loquat cobbler and what Wei Wuxian assumed to be a pasta dish for Lan Wangji. The waitress left them alone again with the promise to bring their food soon. Wei Wuxian turned his attention back onto his date.
"So tell me a little about yourself, Lan Wangji. What do you do for work? What places do you frequent? Perhaps you have a pet? You rub off as a cat type of person to me." Lan Wangji's face remained impassive no matter what Wei Wuxian asked or said. Is this guy even capable of loving someone? Actually, never mind love, is he even capable of feeling emotion?
"I work for my family's company. We own a printing firm that publishes literary novels and non-fiction books. Besides my home and work, I often visit the park nearby my place. As for pets, I don't own a cat. But I do have a number of rabbits." Lan Wangji's eyes did not leave his face once. Wei Wuxian waited half a moment more to see if he would continue to talk about himself. It seemed he was only interested in answering Wei Wuxian's questions and speaking nothing more. However, his eyes seemed to ask the question 'and what about you.' Wei Wuxian held in a sigh. This was going to be a long night.
"I am currently working as an assistant art director in the photography field. I am hoping to become a full-fledged art director one day, but at the moment I am learning all the skills necessary to do my job. Plus, I am trying to build up my confidence for the job. It is very a demanding area, so confidence is key. As for what I do in my free time, I am often spending time with my friends or visiting places to practice my photography skills that helps me understand the composition of a landscape. I don't have any pets, but I love all animals! Especially cats. They are very adorable." General stuff about Mo Xuanyu could recite off easily as he has known the guy for nearly eight years.
Wei Wuxian on the other hand worked as a stuntman for movies. He performed the daring jumps and action sequences that big name movie stars could not do. He also specialised in doing stunts for wuxia films. He often frequented the gym and his favourite bar. Or he would often wonder around new places in his free time. He liked animals, but animals generally didn't like him. He hated dogs however. Jin Ling's dog, Fairy, was an exception, only because of his weak spot for his nephew couldn't truly deny him anything.
He couldn't tell any of this to Lan Wangji however.
The two continued with their conversation until the food arrived. Wei Wuxian may call it a conversation, but it was mostly him asking general questions about Lan Wangji's interests and then answering those same questions with facts about Mo Xuanyu. He learnt that Lan Wangji plays the guqin, loves to read and was the best student during his time at high school and university.
Wei Wuxian took a bit into his food and was overwhelmed with its delicious flavour. His eyes shot to Lan Wangji's face to gauge his reaction to the food, but his facial features gave nothing away.
"Mmm, this is delicious, don't you think so Lan Wangji?"
"Mnn." By this point, it was obvious to Wei Wuxian that Lan Wangji really had no interest in holding a conversation with a near stranger. Wei Wuxian began to wonder why he even accepted a date with Mo Xuanyu if he wasn't interested in the first place. Mo Xuanyu had also expressed to Wei Wuxian his confusion in Lan Wangji accepting the date as well. Apparently, everyone who knew of Lan Wangji had the impression that he was not interested in dating at all.
Wei Wuxian knew that he shouldn't ask, but this date was boring him to death. He would feel a lot better if he could at least come away from this date with a bit of gossip that he could pass on to Jiang Cheng or Mo Xuanyu. Why exactly is Mr. Emotionless looking for love?
"I'm sorry if I offend you in any way Lan Wangji, but I can't help but ask. Could you tell me why you are taking part in a blind date in the first place? To be honest, you don't really rub off as someone who is really concerned about finding a partner to be romantic with." Lan Wangji paused for a moment, thinking before gently nodding his head when he had obviously come to a decision.
"I came to this date today with the intention of marriage."
Wei Wuxian choked on his food a little. Lan Wangji just watched him as he reached hurriedly for his glass of water to clear away his throat. Wei Wuxian tried to maintain a calm exterior, but was aware that some of his shock was displayed clearly on his face. He didn't know what to think at this moment. Lan Wangji didn't say anything more. Perhaps I misunderstood him?
"Uh, my apologies Lan Wangji, I thought I heard you say that you were interested in pursuing marriage with me." Wei Wuxian searched his face desperately. Oh Mo Xuanyu, just what did you get yourself into?
"Indeed. You heard correctly." Wei Wuxian was lost in what to do.
"This is quite unexpected. We just started getting to know each other. I can understand why marriage is already on your mind? Shouldn't we get to know each other before we even start discussing this sort of thing?" Wei Wuxian cursed himself for not thinking about it more clearly. He needed to reject the man, not suggest that they should think about dating in the future.
"Upon personal research, I have found that you are a dedicated person who is kind and family orientated. Conversing with you tonight has given me the same impressions." His face gave nothing away to Wei Wuxian.
"Ah, thank you. But me being kind doesn't mean that we would be compatible with each other. Surely you are looking for a partner who compliments your character well." Under the table, Wei Wuxian was clenching his fists in nervousness. He truly thought that the date was going to go according to plan. Who knew that such a surprise would unfold?
"This marriage wouldn't be so much for my benefit, but more for my family. My uncle wishes for me to marry. You also come from a good family. Your looks are quite satisfactory as well." Lan Wangji paused for a moment, and reached into his pants pocket to pull out his wallet. From it he pulled a small picture of an adorable child who was smiling at the camera. "Besides, I want my son to have another parent."
"Y-you have a son?" Is this kid Lan Wangji's secret love child? How come no one mentioned such a thing?
"Yes. His name is Sizhui. My family often calls him A-Yuan however. I adopted him a few years back. We don't bring him to social events because he is too young and quite shy. Besides, I don't enjoy the gossip." What Wei Wuxian swore the barest hint of a smile graced Lan Wangji's lips. He must really love his son if he was looking for a partner for his benefit.
"So, you are looking for someone to help raise your son?" Lan Wangji slipped the photo and his wallet back into his pocket and turned his complete attention to Wei Wuxian again.
"Yes. He has reached that age in where he is asking about other people's parents, and why his family doesn't have two parents like his friends." Wei Wuxian couldn't believe the whims of rich people. He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
"I appreciate the thought and all, Lan Wangji, but this is all so…" Wei Wuxian knew that he couldn't let this charade carry on any longer. Screw waiting for the end of the date , he had to state his intentions now.
"Of course, I can understand your hesitation. I will assure you that I intend to court you properly. Your family has expressed their approval as-"
"My family? My family already knows about this?" Wei Wuxian knew it was rude, but he couldn't help but cut Lan Wangji off. His eyes were blown wide. This was not good in the slightest.
"Yes. I believe they have been conferencing with my uncle about it." Wei Wuxian knew in that moment that the plan that he and Mo Xuanyu had outlined for this date had just crumbled down into rubble. The Mo family wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to gain ties with the Lan family. Even if Wei Wuxian walked out of here today firmly telling Lan Wangji he was not interested, Mo Xuanyu's family would pressure their son to marry Lan Wangji.
Lan Wangji seemed determined as well. He said he intended to court Mo Xuanyu some more. This date wouldn't be the last.
Lan Wangji allowed his date to think things over. He continued eating his meal while glancing over every now and then. Unbeknown to Lan Wangji, during this time, the mischievous Wei Wuxian had derived a plan to ensure that Lan Wangji would lose complete interest in ever dating Mo Xuanyu again.
Wei Wuxian flashed Lan Wangji his biggest smile. "To be honest, I am still a little unsure. However, I can help but admit that this is both a great opportunity for both of our families. This calls for a celebration!" Wei Wuxian flagged down a passing waitress.
"Can we please get some Emperor's Smile please. Actually, make that a whole bottle!" The waitress promised a quick return with a bottle of their finest Emperor's Smile. Wei Wuxian turned to Lan Wangji to assess his reaction.
Lan Wangji's face had soured slightly. Nothing more was said until the waitress returned with the wine. At Wei Wuxian's request, the bottle was left at the table. Lan Wangji was given his own glass of Emperor's Smile as well, but it remained untouched. Wei Wuxian quickly downed a large mouthful before refilling his glass.
"You can't go passed Emperor's Smile when you are celebrating! I love to drink alcohol often, but this is my favourite." Mo Xuanyu truly did love alcohol as much as Wei Wuxian. The only difference between the two men was that Wei Wuxian did not get drunk easily, whereas Mo Xuanyu was intoxicated within just a few glasses. Lan Wangji said nothing and just watched his date with a frown marring his beautiful face.
As Wei Wuxian continued to drink, he began slurring his words a little, acting like a drunk person.
"You know what Lan Wangji, the more I think about it, the more I can see us living happily together." Wei Wuxian looked up at Lan Wangji through his eyelashes whilst brushing his finger tip around the lip of his wine glass. He could almost swear that he could see Lan Wangji's forehead twitch in annoyance.
"I do have some reservations however, Lan Wangji. The way you describe this marriage, it almost sounds as though it is a marriage of mere convenience." Wei Wuxian leaned his elbows on the table, drawing him closer to Lan Wangji.
"You said before that my appearance wasn't too bad. Well, I find you very handsome. And to be honest, I can't be in a loveless marriage. I expect my husband to service me in the bedroom. Everyday. Do you think you would be able to do so, Lan Wangji? My body is quiet insatiable. If you can't satisfy me, then I may start to wander." A smirk that Wei Wuxian couldn't hold in crawled across his face. "Before we commit to something as big as marriage, do you think I could take you for a test drive? As I said before, compatibility is important."
In response, Lan Wangji just muttered out the word "frivolous." Wei Wuxian's smirk just grew at Lan Wangji's disgust.
Almost there.
"My family is quite committed to this marriage. If we do find that our compatibility in the bedroom isn't good, I may have a hard time convincing them that the marriage wouldn't work out. Under their pressure, I won't be able to reject you and we would have to marry. If this does happen, would you permit me to take a lover on the side?" Lan Wangji's perfect face was spoiled by a combination of anger, annoyance and disgust.
Wei Wuxian knew that this method of rejecting Lan Wangji was risky. He would most likely think badly of Mo Xuanyu, but Wei Wuxian doubted he would spread any rumours. But Mo Xuanyu had stressed that no matter what he had to find a way to reject Lan Wangji.
It looked like Lan Wangji was about to finally speak up when he was interrupted by Wei Wuxian's phone ringing. Damn it, this timing is so bad!
Wei Wuxian was about to hang up so Lan Wangji would reject him once and for all, however he hesitated when he realised Wen Ning was the one calling. Wen Ning knew that Wei Wuxian was on a date tonight and wouldn't interrupt unless it was something important.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to take this call. I will be back in a few minutes." Wei Wuxian raised his head to Lan Wangji to flash a smile, however Lan Wangji's face caught him off guard. His eyes were blown wide in shock and he was staring intensely at Wei Wuxian as though he was a ghost. Wei Wuxian just ignored him to sneak away into a private corner to take his call.
"Wen Ning, is something the matter?" Wei Wuxian teetered back and forth on his feet as he picked up the call.
"Ah, Wei Ying! Thank god you picked up. I couldn't get a hold of Jiang Cheng so I thought to call you. I am in a bit of a pickle right now." Wen Ning's small voice was strained in exertion, as though he was tired from carrying around a heavy sack of potatoes.
"Has something happened?" Wei Wuxian was prepared to leave the restaurant and La Wangji to come to his friend's aid.
"Nothing big. Don't worry. It is just I have been out drinking with Mo Xuanyu, who is currently passed out. He has drunk himself stupid. I managed to get him back to his apartment, but I don't know his pass-code and Mo Xuanyu won't wake up. I was hoping that you knew his pass-code." Wei Wuxian let out a sigh in relief.
"Yeah, I know it. It is 0411. Other than being passed out, is he okay?" Wen Ning answered in affirmation, saying his thanks and apologising for interrupting Wei Wuxian's date. Wen Ning was just about to hang up when Wei Wuxian realised something.
"Wait! Wen Ning! Did you say that you have been with Mo Xuanyu all night?"
"Uh, yeah. We went out drinking. Mo Xuanyu did most of that however. He seemed a bit upset about something though." Through the phone Wei Wuxian could hear Wen Ning attempting to rouse Mo Xuanyu so they could go inside his apartment.
"What about his date?" Did he get dumped by his date and sought comfort in Wen Ning? Or perhaps I was...
"Date? I wasn't aware that Mo Xuanyu had a date tonight. We made plans to hang out last week, but that got pushed back until tonight because I was helping my sister." Wei Wuxian just turned his face towards the ceiling in exasperation and sighed.
...played… like a fool.
"Oh! He didn't have a date? My bad. Lately he has been acting all secretive. He also mentioned being busy on Saturday, so I just assumed he was going on a date." Wei Wuxian was going to kill Mo Xuanyu.
"Ah, is that the case?" Wei Wuxian could hear Mo Xuanyu stirring awake through the phone, calling out for Wen Ning.
"I will leave Mo Xuanyu to you then, Wen Ning. Thanks for helping him get home. I will talk to you soon. Gotta get back to my date after all."
"Thank you for your help, Wei Wuxian. Enjoy the rest of your night. Good bye." Wei Wuxian pocketed his phone and hung his head. This was all too much for him. He really wished he was at home eating snack and watching TV instead. He inhaled in a large breath before returning to his date's side. Let's just get this over with.
Lan Wangji was still waiting at the table when Wei Wuxian returned. He was kind of surprised he hadn't just left after that dreadful performance by Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian was about to ask Lan Wangji to continue on with what he was going to say before when Lan Wangji suddenly spoke up.
"Your phone's ringtone." He didn't say anything more. Wei Wuxian furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"What about my ringtone?" Lan Wangji jerked back slightly as though he too was surprised by what he had said.
"What song is it? I don't recognise it." He looked away momentarily before resting his golden eyes on Wei Wuxian's silver ones again. Wei Wuxian thought he almost looked bashful. Well, as bashful as a rock could get.
"Oh, you wouldn't. This song was written by a childhood friend. I performed it on my flute and recorded it for my phone's ringtone. Pretty isn't it?" Mo Xuanyu didn't know how to play the flute, however Wei Wuxian felt like this little fact wouldn't give his rouse away.
Wei Wuxian took another sip from his drink. If Lan Wangji wasn't going to reject him, then he might as well do it. Lan Wangji wouldn't be calling him back for another date however.
"I thought about it this arrangement while I was taking my phone call and I think it is best that-"
Surprisingly, Lan Wangji interrupted him. "The desserts. We haven't had our desserts yet."
As if on cue, the waitress delivered their desserts and took away their dinner plates.
"Ah, right…" Wei Wuxian was certain that Lan Wangji would want to leave this date as soon as possible, not hang around for dessert. He really didn't know what to do anymore.
"You mentioned that you can play the flute? I would love for you to play a song for me on it one day." Wei Wuxian just hummed in response and quickly dug into his loquat tart.
"Tell me about when you were young. What did you enjoy doing?" Lan Wangji delicately ate small bites of his cobbler while waiting for Wei Wuxian to reply.
"Uh, I mostly played with my friends." Lan Wangji nodded his head in acknowledgement. You go the whole night without asking any questions, and now you are interested in Mo Xuanyu?
"I know you grew up in this area, but did you perhaps ever go away on holidays?" Wei Wuxian was stumped. Of course he had personally went on holidays with his parents before they passed away and with the Jiang family, but he had no idea whether Mo Xuanyu did as a child.
"Um, yeah. Sometimes we would go away in the summer." To soothe his nerves, Wei Wuxian returned back to drinking Emperor's Smile. Lan Wangji didn't look any bit fazed by it however and continued asking questions.
"Where did you visit?" Where Mo Xuanyu visited? I have no clue.
"I honestly I have no idea. It was so long ago." Wei Wuxian took one last bite of his tart and waved to get the waitress' attention. He wanted to leave now.
"Could we please get the check?" Lan Wangji ignored her and just continued to stare at Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian turned to look around the restaurant to avoid his gaze until the check returned. However, the check barely touched the table before it was whisked away by Lan Wangji. He slipped his credit card into it and handed it immediately back to the waitress. She left before Wei Wuxian could say anything.
"Um, my family had approached you with this date, I am the one who should have paid." Lan Wangji ignored him and just proceeded to stand. Wei Wuxian just followed suit. The waitress returned Lan Wangji's card and escorted the two of them to the front of the restaurant, thanking them for their service. During their walk to the front of restaurant, Lan Wangji had taken a gentle hold of Wei Wuxian's elbow and didn't let go.
Wei Wuxian could only follow in a stupor. Upon walking out of the door however, he tripped over the door frame. He almost landed face first onto the concrete, but Lan Wangji's quick reaction caught Wei Wuxian and swept him into the safety of his arms. Pressed up against Lan Wangji's body he could smell the faint scent of sandalwood and feel the firm muscles on his torso. Not only is his face good looking, but his body feel wonderful as well.
He was cradled in Lan Wangji's arms for what was probably too long. Although, Wei Wuxian didn't want to leave his warm embrace. It felt really comforting.
Lan Wangji stepped back, but held onto both of Wei Wuxian's elbows to steady him.
"You are drunk. Be careful. I don't want you to scar your face accidentally." Wei Wuxian was captivated by the endearing look in Lan Wangji's eyes. Wei Wuxian was so distracted that he didn't even notice Lan Wangji snatching his phone from his own blazer pocket. Wei Wuxian didn't even protest as he was far too shocked. Lan Wangji appeared to type something into his phone before handing it back to Wei Wuxian. Upon inspection, he realised that Lan Wangji had inputted his contact number into his phone.
While Wei Wuxian was checking his new contact, Lan Wangji had flagged down a silver cab, called Lil' Apple's Cab Company. He opened the door for Wei Wuxian to get inside but stopped him climbing inside. He manoeuvred his body so Wei Wuxian was pinned against the open cab door with no escape.
"Go on a date with me next weekend. If you do, I won't mention anything about what happened tonight to your family." Wei Wuxian tried to pull away, but was held firmly by Lan Wangji against his body.
Later on, Wei Wuxian would blame the copious glasses of Emperor's Smile he had drunk on why he agreed to going out with Lan Wangji. In that moment however, pinned against Lan Wangji's chest and staring up into those golden eyes, Wei Wuxian found he couldn't deny the man. Not if it meant that he could see him again.
"Okay." Wei Wuxian could swear those piercing eyes could see straight into the depths of his soul.
With a murmured "call me" and a bare hint of a smile, Lan Wangji sent Wei Wuxian home in the cab, watching as it drove away from the curb.
Wei Wuxian was in a daze when he walked into his apartment. It was dark and Jiang Cheng wasn't home. Why Jiang Cheng wasn't home didn't concern him in that moment. Wei Wuxian just proceeded to collapse onto the couch, not caring that he was wrinkling his new clothes.
He had absolutely no idea how the date spiralled out of his control like that. Mo Xuanyu was going to be pissed.
Only then did Wei Wuxian fully comprehend what he had promised Lan Wangji. A second date. Next weekend. Never mind pissed, Mo Xuanyu was going to kill him.
Wei Wuxian's head just sank into his hands.
What on earth am I supposed to do now?
Notes:
Thank you everyone for your support on their first chapter of this fic. It helped motivate me to get this chapter done quickly. Plus, I couldn't wait to write this WWX/LWJ scene.
The next chapter probably won't be up for another week or so, because it is exam time for me.
I would really love to hear any of your thoughts and reactions to this chapter in the comment section below.
Thank you all for reading and your continued support.
Chapter 4: Time
Notes:
This was longer than expected...
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It was seven in the morning when Jiang Cheng finally returned. He walked in dressed in the same clothes as he was wearing yesterday when Wei Wuxian left for his date and was tossing his car keys back and forth in his hands. He froze for a moment when he saw Wei Wuxian standing in the kitchen watching him, two cardboard boxes sitting on the counter in front of him.
He clearly wasn't expecting his adopted brother to be up this early.
Jiang Cheng quickly caught his moment of hesitation and brushed past Wei Wuxian to reach into the fridge for an apple, murmuring a soft "morning" in greeting. It wasn't until Jiang Cheng was making his way back to his bedroom that Wei Wuxian spoke up.
"You didn't come home last night." Nothing in Wei Wuxian's voice would alert a person to question his motives in stating such a thing, but Jiang Cheng still gave pause. His eyes flickered over to Wei Wuxian who was staring back. Jiang Cheng cast his eyes on the couch instead.
"I went to visit Shijie and Jin Ling. I ended up staying the night." Jiang Cheng lied.
Wei Wuxian rested his heavy gaze on Jiang Cheng for a minute, before sighing and turning away. He would leave it for now.
"I am going to go drop off some more toys this morning for the children. A few of my co-workers gave me some of their kids' old ones. Do you mind helping me move this other box into my car?" Wei Wuxian offered a small smile and gestured to one of the two boxes.
Jiang Cheng didn't say anything as he watched Wei Wuxian haul up one of the cardboard boxes and instead just made his way to pick up the other in his arms, depositing his apple on the counter. He followed Wei Wuxian out to his car in silence and placed the box in the backseat next to where Wei Wuxian placed his. The quiet was finally broken when Jiang Cheng spoke up.
"How was your date last night? Was it as you predicted and he fell head over heels for you and you had to break his poor heart?" Jiang Cheng couldn't help but chuckle a little at the thought. Lan Wangji in love? With the disaster of my brother? Yeah right.
"I really don't even know. Unexpected I guess. I have to talk with Mo Xuanyu about it honestly." Wei Wuxian toed at a small stone on the ground in thought, before turning a dazzling smile at Jiang Cheng. "Don't worry though! I will make sure to tell you all the gossip later on. We can chat over dinner together."
"Sure, as long as we go out for dinner. I am not really in the mood to cook dinner or try whatever concoction you have boiled up in your cauldron either tonight. What time do you think you will get back?" Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes at Jiang Cheng's jab before deciding to ignore it.
"I am not sure. After I go drop these toys off, I am going to go around to Mo Xuanyu's place. I also promised my junior to help him with one of his stunts he needs to perfect by next week, but I shouldn't be back too late." Jiang Cheng furrowed his eyebrows a little.
"Lately you sure have been busy with helping other people. When is the last time you took some time off for yourself?" Jiang Cheng thought back to Wei Wuxian's busy schedule that often revolved around his friends and family or helping others.
"I could ask the same of you, Jiang Cheng. You are more deserving of a break than me." Wei Wuxian smirked and Jiang Cheng ducked his head a little in embarrassment. In that moment, Jiang Cheng's thoughts drifted to the idea of taking a break from all the stress in his life. He caught his drifting thoughts quickly, however. I can't afford to entertain such an idea.
"All I am saying is that you should do something for yourself every once and awhile. You take on too much responsibility sometimes." Jiang Cheng watched Wei Wuxian's face for any reaction. However, like always, Wei Wuxian covered up his personal worries with a smile and laugh.
"I thought when we were younger you told me the exact opposite. You were always nagging me for my lack of responsibility, and now you say I have too much!" Wei Wuxian whined. Jiang Cheng just sighed in exasperation and left the conversation there. It was too early to be arguing with Wei Wuxian and he was already tired from lack of sleep last night. Wei Wuxian climbed into the front seat of his car and leaned his elbow out of the open window to say his goodbyes to Jiang Cheng.
"Tell the kids at the orphanage that I said hi and that I will come by to visit them soon." A fond smile graced Jiang Cheng's face.
"Sure thing! I know that little Lixue misses you. I am sure she has a crush on you!" Wei Wuxian teased. Jiang Cheng just lightly boxed Wei Wuxian's ear in jest.
The little girl, Lixue, was very enamoured with Jiang Cheng and would often refer to him as her Prince Charming. Lixue was also very protective of Jiang Cheng. Wei Wuxian found this out one time when he had exclaimed that Jiang Cheng was more of an angry troll than a Prince Charming. His claim was quickly met with a swift kick to the shin by the little girl in defence of her prince's honour.
"Just get going before you are late." Jiang Cheng stepped away from the car and was just about to turn back into the apartment before he was stopped by Wei Wuxian calling out.
"Oh, and Jiang Cheng?"
"What?"
"You have a lipstick stain on your neck, just about here." Wei Wuxian gestured to the side of his neck with his finger. Jiang Cheng's hand snapped to his neck and when he pulled it away, he discovered there was indeed rose pink lipstick on his neck.
"Next time you want to lie to me, you should really get rid of the evidence first." Wei Wuxian offered with half of a smile. A blush similar in colour to the lipstick stole its way up Jiang Cheng's face in shame.
Jiang Cheng didn't raise his head to say goodbye as Wei Wuxian pulled out onto the road. Instead he just stared down at the colour staining his fingertips for a moment before clenching his fist tight.
Wei Wuxian didn't even bother to knock and instead entered the pass-code to Mo Xuanyu's door and invited himself in. He put the two cups of coffee and bag of pastries onto the counter before trailing off to Mo Xuanyu's bedroom where, even though it was nearing the middle of the day, he would still be sleeping off his hangover. Wei Wuxian unceremoniously threw open the curtains to light up the dark room, and from the lump on the bed, a groan rose from under the blankets. When Mo Xuanyu refused to emerge from his protective layer of blankets, Wei Wuxian dived on top of him which elicited a shout of surprise from his hungover friend.
"Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!" Wei Wuxian shrieked.
"Wei Ying! Just go away and let me sleep!" Mo Xuanyu tried to push off Wei Wuxian's heavy body and duck back under the covers.
"Rude! After I took time out my busy day to come visit you."
"Just leave me here to die in peace, please."
"I brought coffee and pastries…" Wei Wuxian singsonged. Mo Xuanyu peeked his eyes out from the edge of his blanket.
"You should have mentioned that first." Mo Xuanyu attempted to sit up, but was still pinned down by Wei Wuxian.
"Get off of me! You are heavy." Wei Wuxian rolled off of Mo Xuanyu with a pout.
"Mean Mo Xuanyu! How dare you call me fat!" Wei Wuxian leapt up from the bed and ran out of the room shouting, "if you don't hurry up, I am eating all of the pastries!" as he went.
Mo Xuanyu just groaned and wiped the sleep from his eyes and wishing away his headache. He walked into the kitchen as Wei Wuxian was wolfing down a flaky pastry filled with chocolate.
Mo Xuanyu detoured to the cabinet so he could wash down some painkillers for his hangover with a gulp of coffee. Like Wei Wuxian, he made quick work of eating the pastries. Before Mo Xuanyu even had a chance to ask Wei Wuxian about his date, Wei Wuxian interrupted.
"Wen Ning called me last night. Said that you spent the night drinking with him." Mo Xuanyu tensed in reaction, not ready for where this conversation was inevitably heading. Wei Wuxian wasn't beating around the bush, however.
"Mmnn."
"Mind telling me why you didn't go on your date?" Mo Xuanyu flinched and tried to avoid eye contact with Wei Wuxian. When he got no answer, Wei Wuxian continued on.
"Or is it as I suspect, and there was no date last night?" Mo Xuanyu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and finally raised his head to look at his friend. Surprisingly, Wei Wuxian did not look angry; even if he had already came to the correct conclusion.
"I'm sorry Wei Wuxian! I am really sorry!" Mo Xuanyu ducked his head into his arms on the kitchen counter wishing he hadn't actually gotten out of bed. The guilt that had been building up ever since he tricked his friend finally burst out.
"I didn't want to trick you, but I was desperate! Please don't be angry..." Wei Wuxian couldn't help but sigh at the crumpled form of his friend. He was more confused than angry however.
"Look, I understand you made plans with Wen Ning before your family sprung this date on you, but Wen Ning would've understood if you had to cancel your plans together." Wei Wuxian rested a hand on Mo Xuanyu's shoulder, trying to coax him from out of hiding in his arms. Mo Xuanyu timidly raised his head to peak at Wei Wuxian, and upon seeing no anger in his friend's expression, he allowed Wei Wuxian to guide him to the couch so they could sit and talk. Mo Xuanyu bit his lip as he began his explanation.
"I was scared. If I had to cancel my plans with him, I was scared of it getting back to him that I was on a date, and chose someone else over him." Wei Wuxian sat and listened to his friend's explanation patiently.
"P-plus, I haven't seen him in years. I was, uh, really desperate to spend time together with him again." Mo Xuanyu fiddled with his fingers and a faint blush began to dust his cheeks. Oh. It is just as I first feared.
"Even after all these years, huh." Wei Wuxian turned to watch Mo Xuanyu's expression, as he murmured gently, "you still are head over heels in love with him."
"Yeah… I am." A small wistful smile crept along his face. He turned to Wei Wuxian and grasped his arm with both of his hands, ready to grovel.
"I am really sorry for deceiving you Wei Ying. Your my friend, I shouldn't have done that to you just so I could hang out with Wen Ning." Mo Xuanyu blinked his eyes rapidly to chase away the tears he could feel slowly welling in his eyes.
"I wish you would have just told me the truth in the first place." Wei Wuxian just sighed and offered a reluctant smile.
"Sorry. I won't ever do it again." Mo Xuanyu slumped forward and rested his forehead on Wei Wuxian's shoulder, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. Wei Wuxian just reached a comforting hand up to pat his head as if he was a small child.
"It's okay, Mo Xuanyu." Wei Wuxian murmured into Mo Xuanyu's hair. "I am not going to be mad at you for this." Mo Xuanyu lifted his head to meet Wei Wuxian's eyes, relief seeping into his body when he saw Wei Wuxian's smile. A devilish smirk crossed Wei Wuxian's face however in the next second.
"You owe me a big favour however. I had to entertain Mr. Expressionless all night and even had to go clothes shopping!"
"Whatever you want, you can have!" Mo Xuanyu was quick to answer, just relieved that his friend would forgive him so easily.
"Thank you, really. For not being angry. The guilt has been eating me up all week. I couldn't even enjoy my time with Wen Ning last night and ended up getting drunk." Another sigh left Mo Xuanyu's lips, and Wei Wuxian began to wonder how many more sighs he had left in him. "I don't even remember what happened after my fifth glass of beer." Wei Wuxian huffed in laughter, remembering hearing Mo Xuanyu calling out to Wen Ning through the phone last night.
"I figured that. It sounded like Wen Ning hauled your ass back to your apartment last night. You were calling out for him. 'Wen Ning, Wen Ning, come here.'" Wei Wuxian mimicked with theatrics which made Mo Xuanyu blush once more.
"He even had to call me to get your pass-code last night because you were too out of it." Mo Xuanyu's eyes blew wide in shock as he came the realisation how exactly Wen Ning got him inside last night.
"My pass-code? Did he realise?" Mo Xuanyu anxiously leapt to his feet.
"I don't think so." Mo Xuanyu's shoulders sagged in relief.
"But I do have to ask, Mo Xuanyu. When you had that brief crush on Jiang Cheng in university, did you also set your passwords to his birthday?" Wei Wuxian barely had any time to fling his hands up to cover his face in defence of Mo Xuanyu attacking him with one of the couch's throw cushions. Mo Xuanyu's assault didn't stop his hysterical laughter.
"Shut up! You said you wouldn't speak about that ever again!" Mo Xuanyu's blush only deepened in colour as he was made to remember his time during university where was was briefly infatuated with Wei Wuxian's brother. Jiang Cheng had begun to lose his childhood baby fat around this age and his face looked as if it was carved from marble. Mo Xuanyu fell head over heels in infatuation with him at first look. However, after discovering Jiang Cheng's prickly personality, Mo Xuanyu's crush developed into a platonic love for a friend. Especially, after meeting Wen Ning, who he shared a number of classes with. Wei Wuxian was aware of Mo Xuanyu's crush on his brother from the very beginning, but was sworn to secrecy.
"Don't worry, I think everyone at some point develops a crush on Jiang Cheng. Until, that is, they realise how much of a grouch he is." Mo Xuanyu collapsed back onto the couch next to Wei Wuxian.
"Uh, all I can say is that I am relieved that this whole situation is over." Now it was Wei Wuxian's turn to tense up.
"About that…" Wei Wuxian hurriedly made his way back to the kitchen to continue stuffing his face with pastries. Secretly, he hoped he may choke on one so he could avoid this conversation.
"About what?" Mo Xuanyu hooked his arm over the back of the couch as he watched Wei Wuxian occupy himself with eating. He raised an eyebrow as he observed Wei Wuxian's behaviour.
"Things didn't go, uh, quite according to plan last night." Mo Xuanyu was silent for a minute, trying to process just what Wei Wuxian was hinting at. He knew it couldn't possibly be anything other than bad news.
"... please, just tell me what happened last night." Mo Xuanyu got up from the couch and took up a seat at one of the stools at the kitchen island counter across from Wei Wuxian.
"Well, it started off great. We made small chat and I was prepared to say that I wasn't interested at the end of the night. And then he said that he was intending to marry me - I mean you, so his son can have another parent." Mo Xuanyu nearly toppled from his seat if not for his quick grab for the edge of the counter to balance himself.
"WHAT?! Marriage?!" Mo Xuanyu screeched.
"He said that your family and his uncle organised the date with the intention of marriage." Wei Wuxian picked at the flaky crumbs of his pastry that had spilled onto the counter-top as he waited for Mo Xuanyu to mentally catch up to the situation at hand.
"No wonder they were so adamant on me going to that date. It wasn't so much pleasing the Lan family, it was becoming a part of it." Mo Xuanyu sunk into his folded arms in despair.
"I tried to tell Lan Wangji that I - or you - wasn't interested in marriage. He told me that we should have a few more dates before that decision is made." Mo Xuanyu rested his chin on his folded arms and looked to Wei Wuxian with a indescribable face. "That, alongside the stubbornness of your family, I assumed that it was impossible to avoid more dates with Lan Wangji. That is unless-" Wei Wuxian trailed off.
"That is unless what exactly, Wei Wuxian? Just what did you do?" Mo Xuanyu didn't appear to have much energy, and was already expecting the worst.
"I thought that disgusting Lan Wangji to the point of him not wanting another date would be the best course of action." Wei Wuxian averted his eyes. Displeasing Lan Wangji was one of the few ground rules that Mo Xuanyu told him not to do. Mo Xuanyu ran a hand over his tired face, and massaged his temples where his headache was beginning to worsen.
"Okay. So you displeased him. How did you do this exactly?" Mo Xuanyu rested his eyes on Wei Wuxian's fidgeting body who was trying to avoid eye contact at all costs.
"I may have, uh, ordered a bottle of Emperor's Smile and gotten drunk." Wei Wuxian spilled out.
"Wei Ying!" Fearing he wouldn't be able to get the whole truth out if he stopped, Wei Wuxian continued on talking.
"And then I insinuated that we should sleep together to test our sexual compatibility." Mo Xuanyu's jaw hung open as he was rendered speechless. Wei Wuxian bit his lip and decided to report his last misdeed.
"After that, I suggested that if the marriage happened, and if he wouldn't be able to sexually satisfy me, I should take a lover on the side…" Wei Wuxian was cut off to the sound of the chair Mo Xuanyu was sitting on crashing to the ground as he sprung to his feet. Mo Xuanyu's face was a picture of disbelief and fear and Wei Wuxian sucked on his lower lip in worry.
"You did WHAT?!" Mo Xuanyu rounded the counter and came face to face with Wei Wuxian.
"I can't believe this, you did exactly what I told you not to do!" Mo Xuanyu panicked.
"To be fair, you also told me I needed to reject him, which was what I was trying to do." Mo Xuanyu threaded his hands in his hair and yanked at handfuls of hair and he began to fret.
"Oh my god, I am going to be in so much trouble. Lan Wangji is surely going to mention the disaster of the date to his uncle. And knowing Lan Qiren, he is going to complain to my family." Mo Xuanyu leaned his hip on the counter and hugged his arms close to his body. His head hung in hopelessness and Wei Wuxian felt unbearably guilty in that moment.
"I guess this is my punishment for tricking you…" Mo Xuanyu murmured listlessly and Wei Wuxian was overcome with the urge to fix this problem he had created.
"Actually, I don't think your family coming after you with pitchforks will be a problem." Mo Xuanyu raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"How? There is no way that Lan Wangji was not insulted by your stunts last night."
"Well, I after I was interrupted by Wen Ning's call, Lan Wangji was suddenly interested in holding a conversation and getting to know about you. He even paid for the meal and escorted me out to a cab." Wei Wuxian paused, unsure whether to mention how he was distracted by Lan Wangji's firm body and enchanting eyes, but decided that information wasn't important in this discussion.
"He was also pretty forward when we were outside. He stole my phone just to give me his number and pinned me to the door of the cab just to promise me another date with him." Wei Wuxian's cheeks felt slightly hot and he wondered if a blush was stealing its way across his cheeks.
"You promised him another date?" Mo Xuanyu was just tired at this point. Nothing was really going in his favour.
"...sorry. I was too surprised that I didn't realise what I was doing in the moment. I was really confused." Mo Xuanyu shook his head slightly in disbelief.
"I am confused too. I may not know Lan Wangji personally, but he in infamous for being a polite gentleman at all times. Aggressive behaviour like that isn't in his nature." Mo Xuanyu chewed his lip and as a pensive look crossed his face.
"Do you think that he also had a body double go on his date instead, like how I did? Or maybe he was brainwashed by aliens. Perhaps something in him broke last night. Like, after repressing his sexual urges for so long, and then seeing my overwhelming beauty, he was overcome with desire that he decided he needed to have me spread on his bed as soon as possible..." Wei Wuxian continued to ramble off obscene theories for Lan Wangji's strange behaviour, but Mo Xuanyu just tuned him out.
"Perhaps…" Mo Xuanyu murmured out.
"Perhaps?" Wei Wuxian tilted his head in curiosity to what Mo Xuanyu had thought of. Mo Xuanyu, pulled out of his thoughts, now turned his full attention to Wei Wuxian.
"Did you see Lan Wangji drink any alcohol last night?"
"Uh, no. At least not while I was at the table." Wei Wuxian placed his hand on his chin and pretended to stroke a long beard that wasn't there in pensive thought.
"I can't be sure, but I did hear a rumour from a few years back. At a party I was attending, apparently Lan Wangji had accidentally consumed alcohol and gotten drunk. And from what I heard, he is a pretty assertive when he is drunk. When he was in a drunken stupor, he dragged another man into a private room and kissed him. I don't think it went any further than that though. That was the first time rumours of Lan Wangji being gay were circling around. It wasn't until a few months later, he publicly confirmed them. This was why I wanted you to avoid alcohol, because he has been firm ever since that party to reject any alcohol offered to him." Wei Wuxian's became gleeful and the sound of gossip.
Wei Wuxian especially enjoyed juicy rumours of high class social members. Despite being adopted by the Jiang family, a well respected family in the high class world, his adoptive mother, Madam Yu, always refused to bring Wei Wuxian along to these parties in fear of embarrassment. So, instead of hearing these bits of gossip himself, Wei Wuxian often pestered Jiang Cheng to reveal any rumours he heard from the parties he attends.
"He dragged some other man into a room at a private party to hook up with him? No way! Who was this man that Lan Wangji dragged away?" Wei Wuxian almost couldn't believe that the man he met last night had such a scandal with an unnamed man.
"I don't know. I got really drunk at that party and can even barely remember anything. This is all rumours I have heard." This party was hosted just a few days after Wen Ning had left the country. Mo Xuanyu was heartbroken and drunk away his sadness that night, even if it was inappropriate to do so at a formal gathering. He only really remembered a few things from that night, mostly of how he had bee lined to the bar upon arriving with his family and later waking up in an unused room where he had presumably passed out drunk.
"Hmmm, if this is true, and Lan Wangji did indeed drink alcohol last night, this would explain his strange behaviour." Both of them fell silent.
"So, what do we now though?" Wei Wuxian asked.
"He has probably come to his senses this morning and is most likely regretting last night. I think you should give him a call and tell him that you aren't going to go on a date with him next week." Mo Xuanyu was reluctant to do so, but it was necessary.
"What? But what about your family? If I upset Lan Wangji anymore by cancelling this date, wouldn't complaints get back to your family?" Wei Wuxian began to worry about Mo Xuanyu's family's reaction to being in the blacklist of the powerful Lan family.
"I can't imagine Lan Wangji would even want the date next week if he made the promise while he was intoxicated." Mo Xuanyu sighed. "Besides, this is my problem. I shouldn't have dragged you into it in the first place, but I will make sure that I tie up all the loose ends." Mo Xuanyu offered a small smile to Wei Wuxian, hoping that his friend would no longer have to be entangled in his mess.
Wei Wuxian hesitated for a moment, knowing that it was necessary to reject Lan Wangji, but he was reluctant in entertaining the idea of never meeting with the man again. Those golden eyes of him left a lasting impression on Wei Wuxian, and he had a feeling that he isn't likely to forget them anytime soon.
"Okay." Wei Wuxian fished his phone out of pocket and searched through his contact list for Lan Wangji's number. "I will call him now and put it on speaker so you can listen in."
They both settled around the corner of the kitchen counter and Wei Wuxian set his phone on the counter so they both could hear clearly. The phone wasn't ringing for long before it was received on the other end.
"Hello?" Lan Wangji's low timbre voice echoed out of Wei Wuxian's phone. Wei Wuxian was instantly reminded of how Lan Wangji had whispered in his ear last night with that same tone and a small shiver ran up his spine at the memory.
"Hi, Lan Wangji. This is Mo Xuanyu. I hope that I am not calling you at an inconvenient time."
"Not at all. I am glad you called."
"Well, I felt it was necessary. I need to apologise for last night. I was drunk, but that is not an excuse for saying all those things." Mo Xuanyu fidgeted next to him, nervous to Lan Wangji's reaction, but leaving it up to Wei Wuxian to deal with.
"Mnnn." Wei Wuxian was suddenly stumped, unsure how to carry on this conversation.
"I, uh, wanted to call about that second date I promised you next weekend. I thought about it-" Wei Wuxian began, before he was unexpectedly cut off.
"I have already arranged it." Wei Wuxian was surprised that Lan Wangji had already made plans, seeing as their date was not so long ago.
"Y-you have? Already?" Wei Wuxian's voice trembled a little in nervousness. This is not going to end well.
"Yes. For next Sunday. I hope you are not busy." Lan Wangji's voice remained calm and his sentences short and to the point.
"I am not. I mean…" Wei Wuxian flickered his eyes over to Mo Xuanyu for some help on how to gently reject Lan Wangji in an attempt to save his friend from harsh backlash.
"You said you loved Emperor's Smile, so I organised to have a private tour of the brewery." Wei Wuxian froze in shock, thoughts about Emperor's Smile quickly running in his mind. In his brief silence, Lan Wangji continued on.
"I also reserved a table at a restaurant called Fangfei Hall for lunch." Wei Wuxian's eyes bulged in surprise. Fangfei Hall?
Fangfei Hall was owned by Jin Guangyao, Jin Zixuan's half brother. Jin Guangyao owned a number of highly esteemed restaurants that were nearly impossible to reserve seats for. Wei Wuxian had tried to beg Jin Zixuan to convince his brother to let him have a meal at one of his restaurants once, but Jin Zixuan just scoffed at the idea of Wei Wuxian asking him for a favour. Wei Wuxian maybe Jiang Yanli's beloved brother, but the two brothers-in-law were often at each other's throats.
Even with the temptation of a tour of Emperor's Smile brewery and lunch at the luxurious Fangfei Hall, Wei Wuxian was still hesitant. He would still have to reject Lan Wangji eventually.
Suddenly, Wei Wuxian thought back to his conversation with Jiang Cheng that morning where his brother had voiced his concerns over Wei Wuxian not having any free time for himself to have fun. Wei Wuxian believed that Jiang Cheng wasn't wrong.
…perhaps, Wei Wuxian thought to himself, doing something fun like this would be good for him. Besides, he wouldn't mind seeing Lan Wangji again and trying to find out what his deal was last night…
It didn't take long for Wei Wuxian to make up his mind and he quickly made eye contact with Mo Xuanyu, who, upon looking at the mischievous look on Wei Wuxian's face, had a bad feeling.
"I am sorry Lan Wangji, do you mind if I put you on hold for just a few minutes. My friend needs my help with something." Wei Wuxian attempted to sound innocent and sweet, which Mo Xuanyu rolled his eyes at.
"I will wait." Lan Wangji promised.
"Thanks! I will be right back." Wei Wuxian made sure to ensure his microphone was muted, before spinning on the spot energetically towards Mo Xuanyu, barely able to contain his excitement. Mo Xuanyu knew exactly what Wei Wuxian was thinking.
"No, Wei Ying." Mo Xuanyu began before Wei Wuxian could start.
"Pleeease. I have never been to Fangfei Hall. He also said he got us a private tour of the brewery where they make Emperor's Smile! They only do tours there twice a year, and I have never managed to get tickets!" Mo Xuanyu just turned his head away from his friend, pretending to ignore him.
"Please, Mo Xuanyu! I am begging you. Just one more date." Wei Wuxian gripped Mo Xuanyu's arms with both of his hands in attempt to direct his attention back towards himself.
"This whole problem will only get more complicated if we drag it on though." Mo Xuanyu sucked on the inside of his cheek as he noticed the excited look on his friend's face.
"You said just before that you would promise to do anything for me. I am calling in my favour now. I really want to go on this date. Pretty please. I will make sure to behave this time around." Wei Wuxian attempted to sway Mo Xuanyu with his adorable puppy dog eyes and cute pout that he had perfected after years of living with Jiang Cheng. Mo Xuanyu shoulders dropped as the tension left his body and he gave in to Wei Wuxian's whims.
"Ughh. Fine! Do whatever you want."
"Thank you!" Wei Wuxian danced on the spot in glee, too excited to visit Fangfei Hall and the Emperor's Smile brewery to hold it in.
"Finish off your call. I am going back to my room." Mo Xuanyu retreated back into his room with his cup of unfinished coffee and one of the last pastries, closing the door behind him. Wei Wuxian quickly returned to his call and unmuted his microphone.
"Lan Wangji? Are you still there?"
"I am here." Now that Mo Xuanyu wasn't present to watch him, Wei Wuxian allowed the grin on his face that he was trying to hide bloom across his face in reaction to listening to Lan Wangji's voice.
"I am looking forward to our date next weekend then!"
"I am glad. I will pick you up." Lan Wangji stressed.
"Okay, I will make sure to text you the details of when and where to pick me up. I am really excited! I can't believe you managed to not only get a tour of the Emperor's Smile brewery, but also lunch at Fangfei Hall. I hope Sunday comes quickly."
"Me too." Another shiver crawled up Wei Wuxian's spine, but he decided to ignore it.
"Thank you, Lan Wangji. I am going to hang up now. I will talk with you later, okay?" Wei Wuxian cooed into the phone.
"Mnnn. Goodbye." Lan Wangji murmured back
With a final goodbye, Wei Wuxian hung up the call with Lan Wangji. He gripped his phone in both his hands to make sure he didn't drop it, and jumped enthusiastically around the kitchen. Mo Xuanyu ducked his head out from his room to watch the antics of his friend. A small smile graced Mo Xuanyu's face watching Wei Wuxian's absolute delight. It had been a while since he had seen his friend this happy.
Maybe, just maybe, this will be good for him.
Jiang Cheng pulled his car up the curb near a block of apartments and he and Wei Wuxian quickly dashed out of the car to the apartment lobby in attempt to not get drenched by the rain. They quickly made their way up to the fifth floor where they rang the doorbell to Wen Ning's new apartment. When the door opened, the pair was met with the sound of music and the bright smile of Wen Ning. Wei Wuxian wasted no time and launched at his friend with a hug. Wen Ning was quick to catch Wei Wuxian and steady the both of them before they ended up in a pile on the ground. He led Wei Wuxian inside and Jiang Cheng simply greeted him with a pat on the shoulder.
A number of their mutual friends were already there. Nie Huaisang was chatting with a friend from university in the corner and Wen Qing was arranging bowls of food on the kitchen counter. Mo Xuanyu, who Wei Wuxian suspected had been here for hours already, was adjusting the sound on the stereo.
Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng just fell into comfortable conversation with the party attendees for the rest of the night. However, it wasn't until most of the attendees left that Wei Wuxian could finally turn his full attention to Wen Ning. Their other friends were gathered on the other side of the living room, chatting with each other.
"I am so glad you are back, Wen Ning." Wei Wuxian hooked an arm over Wen Ning's shoulders, dragging him to collapse onto the couch together so could comfortably sit and chat.
"So am I. I have missed hanging out with you all. As much as I loved working with Antonio and taking care of my grandmother, I felt it was time to return home." We Ning reached to the coffee table to grab an unopened can of beer. Wei Wuxian followed suit so he could drink as well.
"Antonio must be so sad to lose one of his most talented assistants, I am sure." After university, Wen Ning had left the country to go overseas to take care of his elderly grandmother. He used that time spent overseas to also pursue his dream of becoming a renowned photographer. After some time, Wen Ning had found himself under the tutelage of Antonio Viana, a photographer known for his stunning portraits that were found in high fashion advertisements.
"Mnnn. I am sad to not be working with him anymore, but I felt it was time to make a change in my life. I am aiming to make a name for myself back here." A nostalgic look took over Wen Ning's face, as he was obviously reminiscing on the past.
"How are you settling in now that you are back?" Wei Wuxian asked. Wen Ning dragged a tired hand down over his face.
"I would like to say good, but it had been stressful. I have been trying to help Wen Qing set up her doctor's practice, which is just chaotic." Wen Ning paused for a moment and then continued on. "Plus, trying to deal with family is really tiring. Even after all these years, it is still so much of a mess."
The mess that Wen Ning was referring to was the downfall of the Wen family. A number of years ago, just a few months after Wen Ning had moved overseas to live with his grandmother, it was exposed that the main Wen family was involved in a tax evasion scandal. Several members of the family were sent to prison or heavily fined and the name Wen in the high class word became akin to a bad taste in your mouth. Wen Ning and his sister Wen Qing, being from a sub-branch of the Wen family, were mostly unaffected. However, because their family name was Wen, they aren't particularly looked well upon by the snobby families who once associated with the Wens.
Wei Wuxian allowed Wen Ning to rest his head on his shoulder as he just lent an ear for Wen Ning to spill all of his recent grievances.
"Just the other week, I was trying to get into contact with one of my aunts. Third removed or something. A few years back we entrusted her with the care of one of my distant cousins. He was previously under the care of his grandmother, but she unfortunately passed away and he had no other immediate family." Wen Ning took a big gulp of his beer. Wei Wuxian just listened as he sipped on his own.
"Wen Qing wasn't able to take him in because she was busy with getting her doctor's license and I was overseas at the time. No one else wanted to take him either, because this was around the time of the scandal. So we ensured he would stay at my aunt's place with her kids, at least until one of us had the opportunity to take him in. I tried to reach out to her when I got back so I could take care of him, but she had moved overseas and I couldn't get in contact with her. Another one of my relatives had to tell me that she didn't even take my cousin with her, and instead dumped him at some orphanage."
Wei Wuxian tensed a little at the thought of Wen Ning's cousin being abandoned at an orphanage. He had terrible memories of feeling so alone in the orphanage he grew up in, his heart hurt for the young boy who probably had to experience the same heartache as what he felt.
"We are trying to look for him, but we have no idea which orphanage he was placed in." Wen Ning took in a big breath and rubbed his thighs with his hands in an attempt to distract himself. "It is just so frustrating that her selfishness has probably caused so much pain to such a young child. He has already lost his family, and then he was abandoned. And we didn't even know about it." Wei Wuxian rubbed Wen Ning's arm in comfort.
"Don't worry Wen Ning, we will find him. Can you give me some descriptors of your cousin? I still visit the orphanage that I grew up in, so I can ask them if they had your cousin, or get them to branch out to other orphanages in search of him." Wen Ning turned his head to smile at Wei Wuxian gratefully.
"His name is Wen Yuan. He was three when he would have entered the orphanage, so he would be six now. I remember him being a shy boy, but other than that, I don't know what else would be useful in identifying him." Wen Ning leaned back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling as he attempted to think of something else that may make it easier to find his cousin.
"I will ask Old Lady Wu when I go there next time. I would ask her over the phone, but her hearing and memory isn't too good. It is probably best to ask some of the other caretakers, too." Wei Wuxian made a mental note to personally check the registry of all the children in the past three years at the orphanage.
"Thank you, Wei Wuxian." Wen Ning felt he could breathe a little easier now that he was slightly less stressed about finding Wen Yuan with the help of Wei Wuxian.
"It is no problem, Wen Ning. I also don't want your cousin to grow up in an orphanage." Wei Wuxian smiled back.
The two fell into a comfortable conversation for a little longer, before Wen Ning was called away by his sister who needed his help with finding a particular knife for some cheeses. Wei Wuxian was left alone for only a minute on the couch before Wen Ning's spot was taken by a tipsy Mo Xuanyu.
"Ever since you came over on Sunday, I have been thinking." Mo Xuanyu began, skipping any unnecessary pleasantries.
"Thinking about Wen Ning?" Wei Wuxian offered when Mo Xuanyu didn't continue.
"...yeah."
"What about Wen Ning exactly?" Wei Wuxian's eyebrows furrowed just slightly, but he had just a slight hunch of where Mo Xuanyu was going.
"I, uh, mostly thought about how I can't keep going on with this farce of hiding my feelings. I tried to have the best of both worlds, keeping Wen Ning close to me and hiding my feelings. But my feelings blinded me in my actions. I lied to you just so I could spend time with Wen Ning without displeasing my family at the same time. It was selfish of me." Mo Xuanyu's head hung low as he talked and Wei Wuxian peered over his shoulder briefly to check that everyone else was engaged in something else. When Wei Wuxian was sure no one was going to interrupt them soon, he turned back to Mo Xuanyu.
"Yeah, it was." Mo Xuanyu flinched a bit but slightly nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Have you decided what you are going to do then?"
"Yes. I have been hiding my feelings in fear all these years for Wen Ning because I was scared of what my family would think about me loving a Wen." Mo Xuanyu murmured out, a bit more conscious that several people could overhear.
"Your family would hate you for that?" Wei Wuxian questioned.
"Honestly, I don't know. I have always striven to please them. Hell, even when I was just a young child, I wanted their praise." Half of a smile cracked Mo Xuanyu's gloomy face as he thought back on his childhood.
"I remember this one time I had won the first prize in an art competition, and they were so proud of me. Just so I could get their praise, I would sit in my bedroom practising my art skills so I could win more competitions. I did that so much, that I often avoided my friends and rarely went out to play like a normal kid. But..." Mo Xuanyu trailed off.
"But?" Wei Wuxian echoed.
"I have carried these feelings for so many years already and they are only causing problems. I need to stop hiding behind the excuse of pleasing my family. I am not a child any longer." Mo Xuanyu sucked in a breath and continued with a whisper.
"That is why I have decided, that in a couple of weeks, when Wen Qing's practice has been all setup, I am going to invite Wen Ning up to my family's vacation house. I have gone there for a holiday every year since I was little, and it is an important place to me. I want to make some memories there with Wen Ning, before confessing my feelings, in a place away from my family and the world." Wei Wuxian was honestly shocked. After years of Mo Xuanyu's secrecy, he was ready to confess his love. He smiled at the thought of Mo Xuanyu finally riding a big secret that had burden him for years.
"Mo Xuanyu…" Wei Wuxian trailed off, unsure of what more to say in support of his friend at this moment.
"I have always feared of losing Wen Ning because he wouldn't be able to reciprocate my feelings, but I think I am more scared of losing him to someone else before I even try. I need to move on from being my family's son, and instead be my own independent person from now on." Wei Wuxian wrapped a comforting arm around Mo Xuanyu's shoulders and hugged him close. Mo Xuanyu came to this conclusion all on his own, and Wei Wuxian was proud of his friend being ready to make the next big step in his life.
"I am here for you, no matter what." Wei Wuxian murmured.
"Thank you, Wei Wuxian." Mo Xuanyu whispered into the side of Wei Wuxian's neck.
Notes:
My exam is finished and it went really well! Thank you all for well wishes and overwhelming support on the last chapter.
Sadly, there was very little LWJ in this chapter, but he is sure to make many more appearances from here on out! We will be jumping right into the romance between WWX and LWJ in the next chapter.
If anyone feels like screaming about how awesome Jiang Cheng or talking about how cute the juniors are, feel free to come find me on my Tumblr, at nevermorealyre.
Thank you all for reading~
Chapter 5: Loneliness
Notes:
In celebration of Wei Wuxian's birthday, here is chapter four! Hopefully you enjoy this long chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian looked up from his phone to watch Mo Xuanyu as he alternated between sketching and erasing the image he drew while grumbling to himself under his breath. He carried on with this behaviour for a few minutes, Wei Wuxian watching him in between of checking his phone for a message twice a minute, before he theatrically sighed and slumped in his chair.
"I give up. This client is asking for the impossible." Mo Xuanyu mumbled out, slowly sinking further into his chair, wishing to simply become sentient slime. He was required to illustrate a set design for a new client that met all of their unreasonable requirements. Mo Xuanyu began to question his life decisions at this point.
"Oh come on, Mo Xuanyu. You can do it." Wei Wuxian listlessly cheered on with his attention dedicated to his phone screen. Mo Xuanyu scoffed at his friends lack of enthusiasm and decided to abandon his attempt at creating a sketch and instead focus on Wei Wuxian.
"He is going to arrive here any minute now, right?" Mo Xuanyu asked.
"Mmnn. Soon." Wei Wuxian just hummed as he was staring intently at his phone screen, waiting for the text that would alert him to Lan Wangji being outside.
"You know, staring at your phone isn't going to make him text you any faster." Mo Xuanyu teased from his spot on the sofa, adjacent to Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian was lying down on the couch, face plastered to the phone's screen. He peered over the edge of his phone to glower sullenly at Mo Xuanyu before huffing like a petulant child and turned his attention back to staring at his phone silently.
"If you lie down like that, you are going to wrinkle your clothes and mess up your hair." Wei Wuxian's eyes widened comically before he sprung up on to his feet and rushed over to Mo Xuanyu's bathroom to inspect and fix his appearance. Mo Xuanyu followed to find his friend carefully rearranging the individual strands of his long hair to sit flat against his head, before sighing in frustration when they wouldn't sit still.
"Help me, Mo Xuanyu! I have ruined my hair." Wei Wuxian pleaded with Mo Xuanyu. Wordlessly, Mo Xuanyu brought over a chair from the living room for Wei Wuxian to sit on as Mo Xuanyu's smaller stature made it hard for him to reach Wei Wuxian's hair comfortably. Mo Xuanyu proceeded to tie Wei Wuxian's hair in a messy bun on the top on his head so his flyaway hairs looked purposeful.
"There you go." Mo Xuanyu patted Wei Wuxian's shoulders as they both admired Wei Wuxian's looks in the mirror.
"Thank you, Mo Xuanyu! I look rather cute if I say so myself." Wei Wuxian smiled and then quickly checked his phone for any messages he may have missed. He had none. Mo Xuanyu was a little uncomfortable with the idea of how obsessed Wei Wuxian was getting about this date, but he just chalked it up to the fact that Wei Wuxian was more excited about where they were going rather than who he was going with.
"I know I have said this before-" Mo Xuanyu started.
"-but if I feel uncomfortable in anyway, I can leave at anytime. Yes, I know." Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes as he heard Mo Xuanyu say the same thing for the umpteenth time. "Don't worry, Mo Xuanyu. I am going to make sure I have a fun time!".
Mo Xuanyu was about to say something again, wh en Wei Wuxian's phone chimed with a incoming message. Wei Wuxian briefly checked it before, quickly writing a reply and pocketing his phone.
"Lan Wangji is out the front, so I am heading out. Thanks for letting me chill in your place for a bit. I will call you later. Bye, Mo Xuanyu!" Wei Wuxian was a whirlwind of words and quick steps to the front door, Mo Xuanyu barely had any time to process what happened before he was left alone in his apartment.
I am sure everything will be fine.
Wei Wuxian walked out of Mo Xuanyu's apartment building to the image of Lan Wangji patiently waiting next his car. His date for the day was dressed smartly in a grey sweater and a pair of dark wash jeans that Wei Wuxian thought accented his long legs wonderfully. Wei Wuxian couldn't stop the smile at seeing Lan Wangji again, but he did hold himself back from nearly skipping in joy over to his side.
"Lan Wangji! It is good to see you again." Wei Wuxian called out as he quickly made his way over to Lan Wangji.
"You too." Lan Wangji didn't wait a beat and promptly opened the passenger side door for Wei Wuxian to sit down in, which he did so with a thankful smile. As Lan Wangji rounded his car to reach the driver's side, Wei Wuxian suppressed a blush. He rather liked the feeling of being doted on.
"How have you been this week?" Wei Wuxian asked Lan Wangji as a means of small talk.
"Good. You?"
"Mnnn, pretty good for the most part. I got to see a friend again after a few years of him living overseas yesterday, so that was great! But I have been a bit stressed at work recently. My client has been requesting some impossible criteria to be included in a set design for their advertisement and I have been trying to make it work with the overall theme of the photo shoot." Wei Wuxian tittered out from his understanding of Mo Xuanyu's week.
"Mnnn." Lan Wangji simply replied and afterwards the conversation fell into a comfortable silence as they made their way to the brewery, with the radio supplementing a companionable white noise.
Wei Wuxian was content with watching the scenery go by, until one of his favourite songs came on the radio. So, naturally, Wei Wuxian started singing along energetically. It wasn't until halfway through the song that Wei Wuxian realised it may not be the best time to be belting out the lyrics to a song, but with a quick glance at Lan Wangji to check he wasn't annoyed, he continued on. Out of the corner of his eyes, Wei Wuxian even believed he could see the hint of a smile. This made Wei Wuxian even happier.
At the end of his solo performance, Wei Wuxian turned to Lan Wangji, wanting to start up a conversation.
"Say, Lan Wangji, you also like music, right?"
"Mnnn." Lan Wangji agreed.
"Didn't you say you played the guqin? How long have you been playing for?" Wei Wuxian watched Lan Wangji's face for any turn in expression, but the man rarely showed any emotions on his face.
"...Since I was a young child." Lan Wangji waited a moment too long before answering. Wei Wuxian settled back into his seat and stared out through the windshield.
"You must be very good then if you have been playing for so long. I really like the guqin. It has such a deep soothing sound." Wei Wuxian paused for a moment, before murmuring out "A nostalgic sound…". Lan Wangji heard it however.
"Nostalgic? How so?" Wei Wuxian wasn't sure, but he thought he heard hesitancy in Lan Wangji's voice. Wei Wuxian swallowed harshly and deliberated telling Lan Wangji the truth or just simply tell him a vague lie. Wei Wuxian knew that he really shouldn't be telling Lan Wangji personal details about himself, but he felt like this one wouldn't reveal his identity or cause any problems.
"I had a childhood friend who played the guqin. He used to play it to comfort me when I was sad." Wei Wuxian softly uttered.
"Used to? Does he no longer play?" Lan Wangji's grip tightened on the steering wheel slightly, but Wei Wuxian paid it no mind, lost in his own thoughts.
"Um, I don't know. I haven't seen him in years. We had a bit of, uh, a falling out. Well, not quite a falling out, but I was incredibly angry with him when we last spoke, and we never had the chance to make up." Wei Wuxian ducked his head slightly and Lan Wangji didn't reply. Sensing the tension in the car, Wei Wuxian plastered on a smile in attempt to lighten the tense mood.
"It doesn't matter though. It was a long time ago." Wei Wuxian tried to say playfully, but a stab of regret sunk into his heart. But now was not the time to reflect on those feelings. When he was alone, only then would he deal with them.
"I will play for you." Lan Wangji interjected.
"What?" Wei Wuxian was confused at the sudden change in subject.
"The guqin. I will play for you sometime." Lan Wangji offered softly. Lan Wangji was still focused on the road, but Wei Wuxian had the suspicion that he was attentive to his reaction and reply. Wei Wuxian knew that it wasn't a good idea to talk in future terms around a man he wouldn't see after today or to make promises he couldn't fulfil, but he couldn't stop himself.
"I would like that." Wei Wuxian smiled. Because, simply, he really would like to listen to Lan Wangji perform for him. Wei Wuxian suspected that Lan Wangji's music would be simultaneously elegant and strong, not unlike the musician himself.
The rest of the car ride to the brewery continued in the silence that it started in, but instead of watching passing by cars, Wei Wuxian daydreamed of Lan Wangji's strong hands confidently plucking the strings of a guqin. He became slightly jealous of the guqin actually. However, as much as Wei Wuxian could fantasise over Lan Wangji's hands, and other parts of his body, for a while longer, they had arrived at the brewery.
As Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji climbed out of their car, they were met with a cheery man who came to greet his guests, claiming that he hadn't seen Lan Wangji in a long time. He introduced himself to Wei Wuxian as one of the managers at the brewery and a close friend of Lan Wangji's uncle. Lan Wangji conversed with him with as minimal words as possible, before the manager led both of them inside for their tour. He introduced the pair to the tour guide who promised to show them the process of making Emperor's Smile.
Wei Wuxian was practically vibrating with contained excitement knowing he is about to see the process of making Emperor's Smile. According to their tour guide, this method of making rice wine was passed down for any generations and didn't differ that much as how they did hundred of years ago, however they liked to experiment in infusing different flavours into wine from time to time. He passed a smock to both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji so they could attempt making some of the rice wine themselves without dirtying their clothes.
"Ha! Lan Wangji, that apron doesn't suit your stoic image very well." Wei Wuxian giggled and Lan Wangji clicked his tongue quietly and didn't say anything back.
Their tour guide demonstrated how to separate the quality rice grains from the poor ones with a bamboo sieve before putting them in steamer to cook. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji both took part in sieving the rice for a batch to be cooked, which Wei Wuxian found to be fairly enjoyable as it was easy and mind numbing. After they steamed the rice, they cooled it and mixed in yeast for it to ferment.
"Now this batch is going to ferment for five days and then put into jars to ferment for a further ninety days." The tour guide informed them as they sealed the rice they mixed. Wei Wuxian pouted a little.
"It's a shame we have to wait three months. And we won't even be able to drink the wine we made! How sad. I hope whoever gets to drink the wine I made appreciates it!" Wei Wuxian huffed out as he finished with his batch.
He turned to talk with Lan Wangji, but he was a bit surprised to see Lan Wangji had left his side. Instead, he spied the man talking to the tour guide off to the side in hushed voices. Lan Wangji gestured to the containers they both just sealed and the tour guide nodded in agreement to whatever Lan Wangji had said. Wei Wuxian furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. When Lan Wangji returned to his side, Wei Wuxian was about to ask what that conversation was about, but Lan Wangji got the first word out before Wei Wuxian.
"There is taste testing next door." Lan Wangji gestured to a door that was opened. Wei Wuxian peered inside to see a small room that appeared to be a gift shop with dozens of bottles and jars of Emperor's Smile lining the walls and shelves. When they both walked into the room, the tour guide directed them to the back wall where a number of bottles of Emperor Smile was waiting to be taste tested. Wei Wuxian almost squealed in excitement.
Wei Wuxian dragged Lan Wangji over to the bottles, almost offering him a cup, before he remembered that Lan Wangji did not like to drink. Upon further reflection as well, Wei Wuxian decided it would be best for Lan Wangji to stay away from alcohol as 1) he had to drive them back and 2) he didn't really want a repeat of the cab door incident from last week again. Even if it felt so good…
"Here, try this one. It is our newest flavour. It is infused with green tea and orange." The tour guide placed a cup of rice wine in front of both of them. Wei Wuxian eyed Lan Wangji from the side of his eyes, noticing his stiff posture. Without giving it much thought, Wei Wuxian snatched up Lan Wangji's cup and his own and downed both quickly. Unsurprisingly, it was delicious, but Wei Wuxian could expect no less from the Emperor's Smile brewery.
"Lan Wangji can't drink today because he needs drive us back." He flashed a smile at their tour guide as he explained.
"My apologies. Would you like to try another flavour?" The tour guide gestured the the bottles lining the counter in front of them. One flavour immediately caught his eye.
"Oh! How about that one?" Wei Wuxian pointed as the bottled labelled as being ginger and green chilli rice wine. The tour guide poured out a cup and offered it to Wei Wuxian, who graciously took it and swallowed it in a big mouthful. He was aware that he wasn't drinking the alcohol with any sort of etiquette, however in the presence of his beloved Emperor's Smile, he found he could hardly care. He really loved the spiciness of this one!
The whole time, Wei Wuxian was aware that Lan Wangji was watching him closely, but he chose to pretend he didn't notice. The tour guide left the two of them to browse the gift shop at their own leisure and Wei Wuxian was quick to pick up a number of bottles to purchase. Lan Wangji was making his own selection, which he had said that it was gifts for his business associates upon Wei Wuxian inquiring why he was looking for alcohol.
Wei Wuxian made his way to the counter to pay for his bottles of wine when a small display on the side caught his attention. Small glass bottles containing more rice wine where advertised as being good for skin care. Wei Wuxian checked that Lan Wangji was distracted before he picked up a bottle to put with the rest of his selection.
"The restaurant is nearby. We will walk the rest of the way." Lan Wangji announced as he parked his car in a mostly empty car park. Wei Wuxian checked his watch as saw it was still a little time before their reservation at the restaurant, so a walk sounded like a nice idea. They both got out of the car and made their way towards the restaurant. They spent their walk pausing at a few shop window fronts, where Wei Wuxian would point out something interesting to Lan Wangji who would just hum in agreement each time.
After about ten minutes of their walk, Wei Wuxian spotted a toy shop and excitedly bounded over to the storefront, leaving Lan Wangji behind. By the time than Lan Wangji caught up to Wei Wuxian, the other man was already had his face pressed up against the glass and fawning over the toys displayed.
"Do you like toys?" Lan Wangji watched as Wei Wuxian looked at the toys in delight and couldn't help but ask. Wei Wuxian whipped his head around to stare wide eyed at Lan Wangji.
"Yes! I have a love for action figures. I collect them." Wei Wuxian elaborated before he pointed out an action figure. "I have that one and it is one of my favourites." Lan Wangji hummed before he carried the conversation on.
"My son also likes action figures." Wei Wuxian's smile widened even more.
"He does? That is awesome! You know how to raise your kid right if he likes action figures. What is his favourite one?" Wei Wuxian cheered at the idea of Lan Wangji's son also being an action figure admirer. Lan Wangji scoured the window display to see if they had his son's favourite toy and promptly pointed it out to Wei Wuxian when he spotted it.
"That one." Wei Wuxian followed Lan Wangji's gaze to a small action figure that was of a man with long hair, dressed in long white and blue robes adorned with clouds and had a sword sheathed at his hip. That action figure was apart of series of figures that were inspired from xianxia novel. The action figures were popular and Wei Wuxian owned a number of them, but had yet collected them all. The one that Lan Wangji's son owned was one that he had yet to collect actually.
"Ah! I know that one. I don't have it though. But I do have to compliment his tastes in action figures." Wei Wuxian took a moment to flicker his eyes back and forth from the figure to Lan Wangji and couldn't help but let out a laugh when he made a realisation. Lan Wangji raised an eyebrow in question of Wei Wuxian's amusement.
"That figure." Wei Wuxian began in explanation. "It looks very similar to you actually. Maybe it is his favourite because it bears resemblance to his father. Look! It even has the same handsome but expressionless gaze as you!" Wei Wuxian theorised. Lan Wangji turned away briefly and Wei Wuxian could just barely make out the hint of a blush on the tips of his ears. Wei Wuxian decided to keep quiet about it and instead directed the conversation elsewhere.
"Either way, he must cherish it well. All kids have one toy they love above all others." Wei Wuxian turned his attention back to the display and unbeknown to him, his expression became wistful as he reminisced.
"Did you have such a toy, Lan Wangji?" Wei Wuxian asked as he peered up at the man who had turned his attention back to Wei Wuxian.
"Mnn. A teddy bear from my mother." Lan Wangji supplied.
"Do you still have it?" Wei Wuxian couldn't help but ask.
"Mnn. In my closet."
"How sweet! My favourite toy was also from my mother. Actually, it was from both of my parents. It the final thing they gave me before they-" Wei Wuxian stopped mid sentence when he realised he was about to reveal to Lan Wangji that his parents were dead. Something which Mo Xuanyu's were not. Well, Wei Wuxian doesn't know if Mo Xuanyu's biological father is or not, but his mother and stepfather were indeed not. Wei Wuxian panicked a bit, unsure how to save his blunder.
"Um, before they decided to gift me art supplies for birthdays instead of action figures." Wei Wuxian squeaked out, hoping it would suffice as a cover up. Instead of questioning him, Lan Wangji just hummed, and Wei Wuxian sighed out in relief.
"It was my favourite toy and I cherished it a lot, but unfortunately I lost it one day." Wei Wuxian hurried to carry the conversation away from his near mistake, so much so, he didn't noticed Lan Wangji tense beside him.
"It was this creepy ghoul man who had chains around his wrists and ankles." Wei Wuxian chuckled in memory of him as a child being fascinated with a scary looking toy. "It was honestly weird looking, but I really liked it. I don't know what my mother was thinking when she bought it. Maybe she thought it would give me a fright." It also became his most beloved toy after his parents passed away as it was their last present to him.
"As I said before, I unfortunately lost it. I tried to find a replacement a few years after I lost it, but they no longer sold them as they were all recalled because it had a problem. If I remember correctly, a sharp piece could extend from the hip of the toy. The only reason my parents let me keep mine was because I managed to find a way to dislodge the part. I wouldn't have parted the the thing anyway." Wei Wuxian explained.
When Wei Wuxian lost the toy, he remembered being so heartbroken and angry. It was the last piece of his parents after all. But his mind was soon taken off his anger and sadness when he came to live with the Jiang family. It was just a few days after he lost his toy that Jiang Fengmian had come to collect him from the orphanage, claiming to be a close friend of his parents. With the entertainment of his new older sister and younger brother, the toy and the boy who broke it, were soon taken off his mind.
Lan Wangji was about to speak up when a clock chimed loudly over the town, announcing that the hour had just changed to one o'clock.
"Ah! We should hurry along to the restaurant, otherwise we will be late for our reservation. Sorry for getting sidetracked so much." Wei Wuxian gestured for Lan Wangji to lead the way, to which he did after a moment.
The two of them soon arrived at Fangfei Hall after a short walk. Lan Wangji held open the door for Wei Wuxian and when the two of them entered the restaurant, Wei Wuxian was greeted with an unexpected sight. Standing at the front desk of the restaurant flicking through the reservation book, was the owner, Jin Guangyao himself. Wei Wuxian had seen images of the man in the Jin family's home when he went to visit his shijie and nephew and could easily pick out the physical similarities that he shared with his half brother, Jin Zixuan.
Upon realisation that the people he was waiting for had arrived, Jin Guangyao plastered a large grin on his face and rounded the desk to welcome Lan Wangji and his date for lunch.
"Lan Wangji! It is been a while, hasn't it? How have you been?" Jin Guangyao greeted Lan Wangji warmly.
"I am well." Lan Wangji simply answered. Jin Guangyao then turned his attention towards Lan Wangji's date.
"Ah, Mo Xuanyu. It is also good to see you again." Jin Guangyao greeted and Wei Wuxian panicked slightly upon realising that he and Mo Xuanyu were apparent acquaintances.
"Uh, it is good to see you too, Jin Guangyao." Wei Wuxian simply said. Jin Guangyao tilted his head slightly as he examined Wei Wuxian from head to toe.
"Hmmm. Something about you seems different, if I might say. You seem to have grown a little taller." Jin Guangyao mostly said to himself, but in the next second what Wei Wuxian would describe as a spark of realisation flashed in his eyes. Uh-oh.
"Or maybe not…" Jin Guangyao trailed off, before another one of his dazzling trademark smiles adorned his face. "Never mind, it is not of importance."
The whole time Lan Wangji stood silent by their side and merely watched the encounter and waited for Jin Guangyao to turn his attention back to him.
"I made sure to reserve the best table in the house for your date today." Jin Guangyao announced and Lan Wangji thanked him for his hospitality. It seemed Jin Guangyao was about to lead the both of them to their table, before he stopped and turned back to Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian noted that Jin Guangyao's smile had been wiped clean off his face and instead he looked what Wei Wuxian could only describe as being vulnerable.
"I'm sorry if I am overstepping any boundaries, Lan Wangji, but I can't help but ask. Your brother… how is he?" Jin Guangyao watched Lan Wangji's face for any change in expression that may give away the answer he was looking for. Wei Wuxian knew nothing of this situation, so he simply watched on.
"He is staying with my son and I currently." Lan Wangji said no more and Jin Guangyao's face fell slightly.
"Sorry. I only ask because I haven't been able to get into contact with him recently. I was worried." Jin Guangyao attempted to smile a little, but it came off as very forced. His fiddling fingers also gave away his apparent nervousness. Or discomfort; Wei Wuxian was unsure which to settle for.
"He will be ready to talk soon." Lan Wangji simply said and Jin Guangyao nodded his head in agreement.
"Right." Jin Guangyao seemed to come to himself then and waved an eloquent arm in the direction of the dining room. "My apologies for taking up your time, how rude of me. If you would please follow me, I will show you to your table." The three of them went to find the assigned table without another word. Lan Wangji, being the respectable gentleman he was, pulled out the chair for Wei Wuxian and then proceeded to sit across from him.
"We have a set six course meal for lunch today, but can I help you two to any drinks? I presume a water for you Lan Wangji? How about your date?" Jin Guangyao asked.
"Uh, just a water for me too, please." Wei Wuxian decided that staying away from alcohol was a good idea for this meal. Besides, he had already gotten his fill earlier.
"Certainly. A waiter will be out soon with your drinks and appetisers. Please enjoy your meal." Jin Guangyao bid them farewell and departed into the kitchen. The both of them did not see him again.
Wei Wuxian was still distracted by Jin Guangyao that he almost missed what Lan Wangji had just asked him.
"You didn't want a glass of Emperor's Smile?" Lan Wangji asked. Wei Wuxian was surprised that he was initiating the conversation.
"Hmm? Uh, no. I had enough this morning. Plus, after last week…" Wei Wuxian trailed off bashfully and biting his lip. A sudden thought crossed Wei Wuxian's mind when he thought of his discussion with Mo Xuanyu last week. He, of course due to his curious nature, couldn't help but ask.
"Speaking of last week… Lan Wangji, I want to ask, about the incident and the end of our date last week… did you perhaps have a few glasses of Emperor's Smile while I was away from the table? You were, ah, acting a little different when I returned." Wei Wuxian hid his hands under the table and clenched them tight.
"Mnn, I had one cup." One cup?! Wei Wuxian was stunned for a moment. It seemed not only was he influenced by the alcohol, but he also had such low alcohol tolerance. He needed to make sure that he kept all alcohol away from him in the future. Ah wait…
"I heard rumours… that you don't like alcohol. Why did you drink?" Wei Wuxian tried to keep his voice at a levelled tone, but on the inside he was extremely curious. He had to hide his curiosity to avoid intimidating Lan Wangji, however.
"Didn't want to lose." Wei Wuxian was stumped for a second. He didn't want to lose? Lose what exactly? Just as he was about to ask Lan Wangji to elaborate, he figured out the answer.
"Ah! Did you think I was challenging you to a drinking competition? I wasn't, but if you know your tolerance is so low, then you really shouldn't bother." Wei Wuxian chuckled. "It is a shame you can't enjoy Emperor's Smile though." Lan Wangji didn't answer Wei Wuxian and instead just rested his gaze upon him. Wei Wuxian was distracted by their appetisers being brought out and instead engaged in a conversation about the deliciousness of the food with Lan Wangji.
The two chatted for a while about the food and some menial facts about themselves - or rather Wei Wuxian told Lan Wangji things about Mo Xuanyu. The Lan Wangji that was rather in engaged in their conversation from before had disappeared and his inquisitive questions were replaced by 'mmnns'. Wei Wuxian didn't understand why Lan Wangji was interested one minute and disinterested the next.
Wei Wuxian's attention started to wander as they wanted for their next course and he happened to overhear the conversation of the couple the next table over. By Wei Wuxian's assessment, they were a snooty looking older man and woman who dressed to the nines. They also appeared not to care about social politeness, judging by their conversation.
Wei Wuxian wasn't able to hear the entirety of their conversation, however he caught snippets of 'gay', 'are they not ashamed', 'put me off my meal'. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian's behaviour while they were eating would not give away the idea that they were on a date, but these two had the impression they were indeed on a date together. In fact to the outsider's perspective, they were probably two friends enjoying lunch together. This only meant one thing to Wei Wuxian: they knew exactly who Lan Wangji and Mo Xuanyu are, and their specific sexual preferences.
Wei Wuxian couldn't help but clench his fist tightly in anger. The older couple continued to gossip without realising they were being overheard, until Wei Wuxian slammed his fist down onto his table. The silverware clanked against each other and the other couple jumped in their seats in fright. When they turned to find the source of the sound, they realised that their conversation had indeed been overheard by the ones they had been talking about.
"If you don't mind, we are trying to enjoy our date here. Can you keep in down?" Wei Wuxian offered a strained smile that was more akin to a sneer and his eyes conveyed his desire to pierce them with daggers. They had the nerve to look affronted, but the cold glare of Lan Wangji made them turn away abashedly. They knew to keep their mouths shut afterwards.
With the nosy couple being dealt with, Wei Wuxian turned back to his food, but he found he couldn't enjoy his food in an angry mood. Now was the moment he wished that he had indeed ordered a glass of Emperor's Smile.
"I am sorry." Lan Wangji apologised before being dismissed with a shake of Wei Wuxian's head.
"Sorry? You don't need to be sorry. It's not your fault that they are being rude." Wei Wuxian brushed off with a wave of his hand.
"I don't want you to be uncomfortable." Lan Wangji simply said.
"It's okay. Just the ignorance of other annoys me. If you have such negative thoughts about these sorts of things, they should simply stay as thoughts." Wei Wuxian took a big drink of his water to cool off and Lan Wangji remained silent. The incident was still clearly bothering Lan Wangji, but Wei Wuxian was unsure what exactly was making him uncomfortable.
"Do you get this sort of stuff often?" Wei Wuxian couldn't help but ask. Ever since he had come out during his time in university, he had of course experienced countless situations similar to this. He had gotten used to it, but his tolerance for it still was very low. But he also wasn't in the spotlight of high society, a breed of people Wei Wuxian considered to be the most pretentious, like Lan Wangji. For the most part, Wei Wuxian's business was his alone, but in world where everyone thought their neighbour's business was their own, Wei Wuxian wondered how Lan Wangji stayed sane.
"Mnn. Not as much anymore." Nothing is Lan Wangji's expression betrayed the idea of him being upset, but intuitively Wei Wuxian knew that he was still affected by it. How couldn't you be after all?
"Thank you." Wei Wuxian heard Lan Wangji say in a quieter voice.
"For what exactly?" He asked.
"Not staying quiet." Wei Wuxian could feel his heart skip a beat violently. He was only sticking up for the both of them, more so himself in the heat of the moment, but Wei Wuxian had an inkling that it meant a lot to the other man. Lan Wangji had a reputation for maintaining a poised elegance at all times, so it didn't take a genius to realise that in favour of saving face, Lan Wangji would have never confronted the gossip and insults that were said behind his back.
"No problem, Lan Wangji! Us gays have to stick together after all. I like to think it is our civic duty to put the naysayers in their place." Wei Wuxian flashed a genuine smile, and upon seeing a small smile appear on his date's face, his smile only threatened to grow bigger in pride.
By this point, they had finished with their meal, so Wei Wuxian suggested they get out of there. Wei Wuxian attempted to pay for the meal, seeing as Lan Wangji had paid for the last, but Lan Wangji firmly rejected the idea. Afterwards the pair walked back to Lan Wangji's car, which Wei Wuxian was grateful for as he felt he needed to walk after eating until he was bloated. Eating such delicious food was worth it though.
On their way back to Mo Xuanyu's apartment complex, Wei Wuxian reflected back on the date that had just passed. He had really enjoyed himself actually. Or at least he did when Lan Wangji was more engaged in the conversation. Most of the time this was when Wei Wuxian was disclosing true facts about himself rather than regurgitating facts about Mo Xuanyu. Maybe I look more excited to talk about myself than Mo Xuanyu, and that gets him interested.
"My son wants to meet you." Lan Wangji announced when they were close to Mo Xuanyu's apartment.
"What?" Wei Wuxian was simultaneously shocked and jolted out of thoughts.
"My brother told him about you. He begged me to meet you." Lan Wangji pulled up to the curb and put the car in park. He shifted his body so he was facing Wei Wuxian, who was sitting shock still in his seat.
"Isn't that a bit… soon?" Wei Wuxian was nervous. This is serious.
"Perhaps." Lan Wangji didn't let on what he was thinking, making Wei Wuxian hesitant.
"Why does he want to meet me?" Wei Wuxian asked whilst fidgeting in his seat. Just what did the older Lan brother say to his nephew that made him want to meet me?
"He said he wants to meet the person who made me happy." The breath that Wei Wuxian was about to take became stuck in his throat as his heart beat crescendoed. It was a feeling that was reserved for listening to music that touched your soul or standing too close to the edge of a cliff, but Wei Wuxian basked in the feeling. The simple fact that Wei Wuxian affected him so much to make him visibly happy after one bad date left him shocked. But wanting more. So much more.
"Okay." Wei Wuxian didn't think it through and simply went with his gut feeling. And even when he would think back on this moment, he wouldn't regret it, only crave that moment of euphoria once more. It had been so long since he had craved something like this. This something, whatever it is, felt so much better than loneliness.
Besides, from he would also like to meet Lan Wangji's son and perhaps talk about action figures with him. A small smile crossed his face.
"Thank you. Truly." Lan Wangji smiled and Wei Wuxian suddenly grateful for his impulsive nature. Wei Wuxian gathered up the bags of alcohol sitting in the back seat of the car and rested them in his lap as he rifled through them looking for the correct bag.
"Here. A present for you. You don't like alcohol, but I figured this might be okay." Wei Wuxian handed Lan Wangji a small bag. He opened it up and withdrew the small bottle of rice wine that Wei Wuxian had picked up at the counter.
"It is supposedly good for your skin. I doubt you will become drunk off this." Wei Wuxian teased. "I wanted to say thank you for the fun time today! I don't know what it cost you to get a reservation and Fangfei Hall or a private tour of the brewery on such short notice, but I appreciate it." Lan Wangji was still admiring the bottle in his grasp and only flickered his golden eyes onto Wei Wuxian's silvers ones when Wei Wuxian was finished speaking. That stare made Wei Wuxian shiver in delight of pleasing Lan Wangji, but he didn't dwell on the fact.
"Thank you." Lan Wangji murmured. Wei Wuxian flashed a smile as he opened the car door and bid Lan Wangji farewell as he stood on the curb, intending to wave him off. Lan Wangji rolled down the passenger side window and leaned out so he could see Wei Wuxian's face.
"I will see you soon." Lan Wangji promised and then promptly drove away. Wei Wuxian was left standing there, knowing he looked like a bit of an idiot staring out at an empty road, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Not when Lan Wangji was the only thing he could think about.
When Wei Wuxian returned home carrying home his many bags of Emperor's Smile and quickly deposited them on the kitchen counter. It didn't take long for Jiang Cheng to come along to inspect what he had brought home and whistled lowly upon discovering half a dozen bottles of Emperor's Smile in a range of exclusive flavours.
"Here I thought you would like this one." Wei Wuxian fished out one bottle of star anise and coffee infused rice wine and handed it to Jiang Cheng.
"Thanks." Jiang Cheng made a point to stash in one of the cupboards that was his purely his own designated food. Wei Wuxian had his own cupboard as well which was mostly stocked with boxes of foreign candy.
"So how was the date?" Jiang Cheng inquired as he looked for something to snack on that wouldn't spoil his appetite for dinner.
"It was really fun, Jiang Cheng! We were taught how to make our own batch of Emperor's Smile and we had a delicious six course meal at Fangfei Hall. The good looking company was a plus as well." Wei Wuxian boasted and Jiang Cheng's mouth watered at the thought of eating the delicious food that Jin Guangyao's restaurants were renowned for.
"So… what now?" Wei Wuxian froze in middle of stowing away his bottles of Emperor's Smile.
"I promised to meet his son next time." Jiang Cheng's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline in surprise.
"His son? I was surprised you even agreed to a second date and now you are going to meet his son?" Jiang Cheng couldn't help but question.
"Yeah." Wei Wuxian simply answered, unsure how to justify his decision.
"How far do you intend to take this?" Wei Wuxian whipped his head around to meet with Jiang Cheng's stare. His silver eyes searched Jiang Cheng's as if they held the answer he so desperately needed.
"I really don't know." Wei Wuxian managed to whisper out in a hoarse voice.
"Why?" Jiang Cheng merely asked. Wei Wuxian's gaze dropped to his feet and he thought about how to answer Jiang Cheng's question. He met his eyes again when he seemed to have found his answer.
"Because I feel just that little less lonely. He distracts me from my loneliness. He also makes me feel appreciated and I really like that feeling." Wei Wuxian answered honestly. Both of them stood frozen in the kitchen and seemed to simultaneously take in a deep breath. Jiang Cheng didn't say anything, but Wei Wuxian continued on for him.
"You know what I am talking about, don't you Jiang Cheng. That oppressive feeling of loneliness." Jiang Cheng knew exactly what Wei Wuxian was talking about, but didn't want to admit it. He wanted more than anything to feel loved and cherished by someone, anyone, who would dedicate themselves to him. He craved it like a drug.
"No. I don't, Wei Wuxian." Jiang Cheng answered and turned his head away as if Wei Wuxian would be able to tell the truth by looking into his eyes.
"Then why are you trying to seek the company of strangers." Jiang Cheng closed his eyes as he couldn't bare to look at Wei Wuxian in shame. Wei Wuxian just continued on.
"Don't think I don't know where you have been for most of this week. Most nights after work you don't return until late. You've been going around and sleeping with random people again, haven't you." Jiang Cheng jerked and his heart felt like it had been branded with a hot iron. He bit his lip as he tried to maintain a calm exterior, but he knew he wouldn't be able to tell a believable lie right now.
"I don't see how this concerns you." Jiang Cheng spit out with a bit of venom and crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at Wei Wuxian with a challenge.
"It may not be my business, but I am concerned about you." Wei Wuxian came to stand closer to Jiang Cheng and made sure to make his posture as least threatening as possible. "You are my most beloved person, Jiang Cheng. Don't brush off my concern. I just want to know why you feel so lonely that you go out and seek the comfort of strangers…"
Wei Wuxian's words ' You are my most beloved person, Jiang Cheng ' echoed around in his mind. This may be true for the moment, but Jiang Cheng knew better than anyone that one day Wei Wuxian would find his special someone and leave him, too. He tried not to dwell on this too much and returned his thoughts to the conversation at hand.
It seemed this time, unlike last, Wei Wuxian wasn't prepared to drop this subject. So Jiang Cheng caved. If only a little.
"I am just stressed from work and family matters lately." Jiang Cheng hesitated before continuing on. "Also… I am still a little torn up from my breakup with my ex. This is all just a means of distracting myself. It is just fun. It's not a problem like last time at the very least." He tried to brush it all off casually, but his breathing began to hitch slightly. Jiang Cheng felt like his heart was about to leap from his chest from the speed it was beating at and he retreated a few steps back. Maybe he should have just kept quiet.
"I-I need to have some time alone now, Wei Wuxian. Sorry. We will talk later." Jiang Cheng didn't wait for Wei Wuxian to answer before retreating back into his room and locking the door behind him. He collapsed onto his bed in a heap and curled up under the blankets.
Left alone in the kitchen, Wei Wuxian slumped onto one of the bar stools and sunk his head into his folded arms atop the counter. He can't help but feel he messed up. He knew how much Jiang Cheng hated opening up about his feelings and he just went and pushed him into it.
For the rest of the night, Wei Wuxian thought about how he was going to approach Jiang Cheng's about his problems again and how to tell Mo Xuanyu that he was going to meet with Lan Wangji again. Or even admit to himself that he really wasn't ready to say goodbye to Lan Wangji just yet.
Why is everything such a big mess?
Notes:
A fair few amount of things were revealed in this chapter, did you manage to pick up on all of them?
I just want to disclose something in regards to Jiang Cheng's subplot, because I feel like I may get a few questions about it. I do intend to build up on Jiang Cheng's problems, but they will not be resolved in this fic. Sorry. At this point in time, I am planning for him to have his own story (a sequel if you will), so my apologies for creating all this drama for it not to be resolved any time soon. I think he deserves his own story anyway. I am a sucker for Jiang Cheng after all.
Thank you to everyone who has left comments and kudos on the previous chapters, and I am looking forward to reading your thoughts on this chapter. Thank you for reading and all of your support~
Bonus Question: Do you think Lan Wangji would get drunk off applying rice wine to his face for skin care?
Chapter 6: A New Friend
Notes:
So who read chapter 76 today and cried like I did? I needed some happiness in my life, so I decided to finish this chapter up. Cute A-Yuan has come to save the day.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian parked his car in the park's parking lot and grabbed his backpack from the passenger side and he exited and locked the car. The park had a number of big canopy trees and a large playground with a tall climbing frame that appealed to Wei Wuxian's childish side. He searched the park for the father and son he was looking for and spotted Lan Wangji's figure under the tree with a small child close by his side. Lan Wangji was in the process of laying out a red plaid blanket in the ground and his son was sitting on the grass playing with a pair of action figures.
"Lan Wangji!" Wei Wuxian called and waved a hand as he quickly made his way over to their side. Lan Wangji looked up at his and just raised a hand to say hello back. The child by his side jerked his head around at the sound of his father's name and quickly ran to his father's side to hide behind his legs. Wei Wuxian couldn't help but softly chuckle at shy nature of this boy.
"How are you going, Lan Wangji. It lovely weather for a picnic! You made a good choice." Wei Wuxian complimented.
"Mnn" Lan Wangji just answered and put a hand on his son's head to card his fingers through his hair in an attempt to soothe the nervous boy.
"Hello, there. I'm Mo Xuanyu. What is your name." Wei Wuxian crouched down so he was level with the small boy. Lan Wangji's son had his eyes fixed to the ground but allowed them to flicker to Wei Wuxian for a second before they returned to staring at the ground. He seemed unsure what to say.
"It's okay." Lan Wangji said to his son and this seemed to make the child a little less tense.
"...Lan Yuan." He whispered out. Wei Wuxian offered a smile to him.
"A-Yuan! It is really nice to meet you!" Wei Wuxian offered his best smile, but little Lan Yuan was still unsure about him. So, instead Wei Wuxian tried a tactic that he used with all shy children at the orphanage that were unsure about strangers.
"I got you a present, A-Yuan." Wei Wuxian fished out a wrapped present from his backpack and offered it to the boy. Lan Yuan's eyes glimmered word present but was hesitant to leave the safety behind his father. Lan Wangji knelt down as well and wrapped an arm around Lan Yuan to comfort him, but the child still was too shy.
"Ah? Did you not want a present? Should I keep it for myself then?" Wei Wuxian teased in mirth. It seemed the prospect of losing a new present motivated Lan Yuan to finally step forward and receive the gift from Wei Wuxian's outstretched arms with a "thank-you."
The three of them settled on the blanket with Lan Yuan sitting in Lan Wangji's lap as he ripped open the wrapping paper. Wei Wuxian could tell his present was appreciated when he saw Lan Yuan's face lit up with a big smile and he eagerly asked his father to get the toy out of the box. Lan Wangji did so quickly and presented the action figure to his son who giggled with excitement.
"Your father told me that character was your favourite toy. They released the limited edition version last week, I was hoping you hadn't got it yet." Wei Wuxian explained.
"Thank you, Big Brother!" Lan Yuan offered a big smile to Wei Wuxian as he admired his new toy. It was the same character that Lan Wangji had pointed out as being his son's favourite the week prior and Wei Wuxian had likened to Lan Wangji. However, this specific action figure had the character dressed in red robes with a pattern gold trim, a quiver of arrows strapped on his back and holding a bow. According the the box it came in, this action figure was an Archery Competition special edition.
"Your dad told me you like action figures. I do as well!" Wei Wuxian cheerily tells Lan Yuan. The child's eyes grow comically wide as what Wei Wuxian said sunk in and he quickly reached for the action figures he was playing with before, which were abandoned to the side on the picnic blanket. One of the them was the toy that Lan Wangji had said was his son's favourite and the other was a man dressed in black and red robes with a bamboo flute held in his hand. Lan Yuan presented them to Wei Wuxian proudly as he climbed out of his father's embrace to sit close by Wei Wuxian.
"Wow! I don't have these ones! They are really cool!" Wei Wuxian enthusiastically complimented and Lan Yuan began demonstrating how he plays with the dolls.
"This one is super strong and brave! And he looks just like daddy! My daddy is also strong and brave. He scares the monsters under my bed away for me." Lan Yuan explained. Wei Wuxian held in a laugh at the idea of Lan Wangji crouching under his son's bed to chase away the monsters. Maybe he asks them to kindly vacate the premise, Wei Wuxian merrily thought.
"And this one," Lan Yuan began as he held up the other figure, "can be you big brother! You also look like him! He fights monsters along with daddy!" Wei Wuxian watched the young boy begin playing with toys and introduce his own toys to the one that Wei Wuxian had given him. All the while, Wei Wuxian's thoughts began to drift to an image of himself fighting monsters alongside Lan Wangji. Perhaps they could chase the monsters out from under Lan Yuan's bed together...
After a while, Lan Wangji leaned forward and whispered something in his son's ear; however Wei Wuxian wasn't able to hear what he said. Lan Yuan's face lit up and he scrambled over to what Wei Wuxian presumed to be Lan Wangji's own backpack and lifted out a box. He held it tightly to his chest and sat down in front of Wei Wuxian and presented the box to him.
Wei Wuxian took the box with a raised eyebrow and turned it around. When he realised what it was, his breath hitched in shock and he became speechless. His eyes blurred a little with unshed tears and he quickly blinked them away.
"It is a present for you, Big Brother! Daddy said you had this toy when you were little. He thought you would like it." Lan Yuan explained as he crawled closer to peer at the toy himself.
It was exactly as he remembered it from his childhood. The figure's face was marred with crawling veins and tensed in a scowl and from his wrists and ankles hung chains. Wei Wuxian met the eyes of Lan Wangji and tried to find his voice again.
"H-how did you find this?" Wei Wuxian managed to get out. He ran a finger down the box and reminisced back to when he had received the same toy from his parents.
"I remembered your description and happened upon it." Lan Wangji said.
"Nu-uh! That's not true, Daddy!" Lan Yuan interjected and turned to look at Wei Wuxian. "This toy was in Daddy's office for a loooong time. He said I couldn't play with it because it was dangerous though and I might hurt myself." Lan Yuan explained and Wei Wuxian's eyes darted back to Lan Wangji. Caught in his lie, Lan Wangji had turned away and Wei Wuxian could spy a faint blush on the tips of his ears.
"Is it okay for me to have this?" Wei Wuxian questioned.
"It is yours." Lan Wangji simply answered. Wei Wuxian wasn't about to protest anymore, too excited to be reunited with his childhood toy. Or at least the same model as his childhood toy. Wei Wuxian promptly removed it from its box and turned towards Lan Yuan.
"Your father is right, A-Yuan, it is dangerous. You could hurt yourself with it." Wei Wuxian turned over the toy and pointed at its hip where a sharp piece was protruding. Wei Wuxian fiddled with it a bit and gave the toy a firm whack on it back. The sharp piece came loose in Wei Wuxian's palm and he quickly pocketed it. "However, now it is fixed and safe to play with." Lan Yuan looked amazed at Wei Wuxian's ability to fix the toy so quickly.
"You said the toy was in your dad's office for a long time, right?" Lan Yuan nodded his head firmly in confirmation. "Then he must have been very lonely. Why don't you play with him along with your other toys so he won't feel so lonely?" Wei Wuxian handed over the toy to the little boy who quickly made his way over to his own corner of the picnic rug so he could play with all of the toys.
"Thank you, Lan Wangji. I don't know how you came to be in possession of the toy, but I appreciate you giving it to me." Wei Wuxian offered a smile to Lan Wangji who just stared impassively back. In that moment, Wei Wuxian forgot about where he was and who he was with and his mind just filled with thoughts of Lan Wangji. Under the cool canopy of the tree with streams of sunlight breaking through the leaves to scatter the shadowed ground with patches of light, Lan Wangji looked a vision. And Wei Wuxian couldn't bring himself to look away. That is until Lan Yuan's smiling face popped into his line of sight, blocking his father's figure from Wei Wuxian's view.
"Look, Big Brother! I haven't shown you this one yet. My hero gave me this one." Lan Yuan waved around a toy in front of his face and showed off all the cool features on the toy. To his surprise, Wei Wuxian recognised the toy. He had the same model when he was younger. It was a red robot that was outfitted with guns for arms and a black helmet.
"Your hero? Who is your hero, A-Yuan?" Wei Wuxian asked. Lan Yuan, who apparently couldn't contain his excitement when talking about his hero, sprung up and started babbling about the amazing qualities of his hero.
"My hero is strong man who told me I can be brave as well! He stopped the kids at the orphanage from bullying me. And then he gave me this toy and would play action figures with me. He is also a powerful warrior and can defeat all the baddies! He does all these cool tricks." Lan Yuan demonstrated these cool tricks using the robot toy to perform the actions of handstands, cartwheels and flips.
"Your hero sounds cool! I would like to meet him." Apparently it was the wrong thing to say because Lan Yuan's shoulders slumped in sadness and he pouted.
"You can't, Big Brother! I don't know where my hero is. Daddy tried to find my hero, but he couldn't!" Wei Wuxian looked to Lan Wangji to clarify.
"I asked one of the caretakers. She said he was a young master of the Jiang household." Lan Wangji explained and furrowed his eyebrows thoughtfully.
"Yeah! Daddy showed me a picture of a man, but it wasn't my hero!" Even without much explanation, Wei Wuxian was able to create the links between the information he just acquired. One thing could confirm his theory.
"A-Yuan, can I have a look at your toy?" Wei Wuxian gestured to the robot which Lan Yuan quickly surrendered to his new friend. As he had suspected, on closer inspection, the toy had a familiar scratch along one of its arms and on the underside of the robot's foot, was the messy scribble of the character for 'whatever'. Wei Wuxian couldn't hold back a smirk. When he was younger, he would mark all of his toys with this particular character so he differentiate his toys from the numerous other similar toys in the orphanage that belonged to the other children. He handed the toy back to Lan Yuan.
Wei Wuxian could understand the situation better now. The young master that one of the caretakers at the orphanage referred to, was none other than Wei Wuxian himself. Wei Wuxian's association with the Jiang family was for the most part, a best kept secret. Obviously, Lan Wangji had assumed that the 'Young Master Jiang' would be Wei Wuxian's brother, Jiang Cheng, who was the only recognised young master of the Jiang household. Wei Wuxian would go so far as to think that the caretaker that Lan Wangji asked about Lan Yuan's hero was the old woman, who often was confused and befuddled in her older age.
Wei Wuxian wanted to scoff at the hilarity of it all.
Wei Wuxian looked at the young child in front of him and imagined him to be younger. As if it were yesterday, Wei Wuxian could picture the memory of him gifting the robot he had as a child to a young boy.
"Young Master, help this old woman and bring this chair into that room over there, will you?" The old caretaker, who had been around since Jiang Fengmian helped Wei Wuxian reform the orphanage a number of years ago, pointed to a room down the hall that had a closed door.
"You sure are getting old, Aunt. Next you will need help with eating breakfast." Wei Wuxian teased as he picked up the chair and carried it down the hall. The caretaker just cursed at him for his rudeness. Wei Wuxian opened the door and found a corner to put the chair in. He was about to turn around and return to Aunty, but a cracked door leading outside caught his attention and he went over to close it to stop the cool breeze from drifting in. However, just as he was about to close it, a child's voice carried over and made Wei Wuxian pause.
"You are such a cry baby! This is why no one likes you!" A young boy teased. A few other boys who Wei Wuxian assumed was his lackeys also called out a number of harsh names. Wei Wuxian peered outside and saw the scene of a three boys who were about eight years old teasing a much younger boy who was curled up on the ground in a small ball and crying into his hands. Wei Wuxian snuck up behind the boys who were bullying the little boy and his figure cast a shadow over the leader of the gang of bullies. All of the children, except for their victim who had yet to realise someone had come to intervene, froze in fear of being caught by an adult.
"Didn't you elders teach you not to bully others that are smaller than you?" Wei Wuxian called out and put his hands on his hips as he tried to be intimidating. Their frightened faces made Wei Wuxian want to burst out laughing, but he continued on with his charade.
"Go away! It's not you business!" The biggest of the boys shouted in an attempt of bravery. Wei Wuxian just smirked.
"If you want to pick on someone, then how about me? I will give back a bit more of a fight that that pipsqueak there." Wei Wuxian chuckled.
"You just said you shouldn't pick on those who are smaller than you." Another of the bullies claimed, trying to put on a bravado.
"Well I wasn't raised well by elders. I was raised by the big, old monster in the mountain! He sends me down from the mountain to fetch naughty boys to bring back for him to eat. He will be pleased when I bring back three bad boys for his dinner tonight." Wei Wuxian lurched forward and grabbed one of the boys by the wrist. "If you would come along nicely now, we have to leave soon before it gets too dark. We wouldn't want to be late for dinner." The one who Wei Wuxian had grasped a hold of, violently shook Wei Wuxian off and all of them eyed Wei Wuxian in suspicion.
"Boo!" Wei Wuxian jumped forward with a yell and all of the boys, frightened at the prospect of being eaten by a scary monster, screamed and fled, scrambling over each other so they could get away the fastest.
Wei Wuxian of course did not give chase, but instead bent over and laughed wholeheartedly for several of minutes. He only remembered the smaller boy when he hunched over gasping for breathe and he met the wide eyes of the young victim.
"Aren't you afraid that I am going to drag you up the mountain to fed Master Monster?" Wei Wuxian questioned and lowered himself down onto his haunches so he could meet the eyes of the boy easier. The child shook his head vigorously and found his voice that was strained from crying.
"I'm not naughty!" The young boy cried out. He only looked to be about four years old and something about his trembling lip and watery eyes struck a chord in Wei Wuxian.
"Why were they bullying you?" Wei Wuxian questioned while he wiped away a smudge of dirt on the boy's face with his thumb.
"'Cause imma crybaby." The little boy hung his head and a few more tears gathered in his eyes.
"Well then you need to stop being a crybaby!" Wei Wuxian teased. The little boy didn't seem to appreciate his answer and glowered up at him. From his coat pocket, Wei Wuxian fished out a toy he had with him since he was living in the orphanage. It was a red robot figurine that was intending to donate to the orphanage today in hopes another child would find more enjoyment with the toy than he currently was.
"Here. Have this toy. When I was little like you, he would help me become more brave and strong! Maybe you will be brave and strong like me too under his safety." Wei Wuxian handed over the toy to the boy who took and inspected his closely as if he was trying to find the on-switch that would transform him into a strong and brave person like the adult next to him had just promised. He didn't seem very convinced when he came to the conclusion it was just a regular toy, however.
"Liar! You look weak." The little boy teased. Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue in annoyance and returned to his feet with hands on his hips.
"Oh yeah? If I am weak, then how can I do this?" Wei Wuxian didn't hesitate and flipped forward to do a handstand. It was a simple trick to Wei Wuxian, but to the little boy, it was amazing. The child leapt to his feet in amazement. Wei Wuxian smirked at the boy from his upside down position and the began to walk forward on his hands.
"Wah! How can you do that?" The child called out. Wei Wuxian didn't answer him and returned to his feet. He looked over his shoulder to see the boy watching on in wonder. Wei Wuxian decided he would put on a bit more of a show for him. Wei Wuxian performed a series of cartwheels and back flips to entertain the small child who cheered on in amazement. His little on looker's cheers only aided in growing Wei Wuxian's ego, so he continued to perform (not so) daring tricks for the boy. When he finished, he returned to his fan's side.
"Am I still weak?" The little boy shook his head and grasped the toy to his chest tightly.
"No! You are brave and strong! You are my hero!" The little boy cheered excitedly.
"And, maybe one day, you can be brave and strong as well! Next time you have to tell those boys off, okay?" Wei Wuxian mussed the boy's hair gleefully and rested his hand on his back to guide him back inside.
"Now come along. Aunty is making cookies in the kitchen."
"Big Brother, are you listening?" Lan Yuan called out and Wei Wuxian was jolted from his memory. The little boy was peering up at him with a curious expression, as if he was trying to determine whether his new friend was listening to his long tirade about his hero. Now staring at this little boy, Wei Wuxian was overcome with relief knowing that he had found his own family and was now happy; unlike how he was living in the orphanage. After not visiting the orphanage for a number of months because of his busy work schedule, he had returned to find out the boy had been adopted. Who would have thought that he would have thought that these two people would meet again years later under such strange circumstances.
"A-Yuan, do you remember what your hero looks like?" If Wei Wuxian was his hero, surely the boy would remember Wei Wuxian.
"No." A-Yuan pouted and looked downtrodden. "I can't remember what he looked like. It was a long time ago!" Wei Wuxian nodded his head in agreement. He too found it difficult to remember faces of people in his childhood. If it weren't for the photos Jiang Fengmian had of his parents, Wei Wuxian would probably not be able to remember their faces. He definitely couldn't remember the faces of his childhood friends however. Lan Yuan being only four years at the time, he could understand how he would have forgotten how Wei Wuxian looked.
At that moment, Wei Wuxian wanted to blurt out how he was little Lan Yuan's hero. He had to bite his tongue physically to stop himself though. He couldn't let this be the moment where the truth came out. He can't imagine Lan Wangji would have a pleasant reaction to being lied to and strung along. Even if Wei Wuxian's feelings about the man had changed from him being an obstacle of Mo Xuanyu's love life to, well… something more.
"I'm sad I can't say 'thank you' to my hero." Lan Yuan picked at a loose thread on the blanket. Wei Wuxian tasted blood on his tongue from biting too hard and a stab at his heart.
"I am sure that he knows you are thankful. You are a good kid after all, who I am sure thanks all of your elders." Wei Wuxian ruffled the hair on the boy's head in an attempt to comfort him.
"Yes I am! Daddy taught me how to be polite and use manners. Daddy says that I am a good boy all the time, right Daddy?" Lan Yuan turned to his father who was sitting behind him for confirmation.
"Of course." Lan Wangji simply answered with a small smile. Lan Yuan took this as the greatest compliment and beamed up at his father.
"How about this A-Yuan." Lan Yuan turned his attention back to Wei Wuxian who stood up and dusted his pants of all the dirt. "You hero is not here right now, but I can also do some of those awesome tricks that you said your hero could do." Wei Wuxian stood up, backed up a few steps and then leapt backwards into a back handspring. He could hear the amazement of Lan Yuan from where he sat with his father as he watched Wei Wuxian perform a variety of cartwheels and flips. When Wei Wuxian was done with his demonstration, he waved over Lan Yuan, who wasted no time and quickly ran over to Wei Wuxian.
"How 'bout I teach you to do a handstand?" Lan Yuan's face lit up even more; if that was possible. He looked over to Lan Wangji who was just watching from the picnic blanket.
"It's fine if I teach him how to do a handstand, right Lan Wangji? I will make sure he doesn't hurt himself." Once he got the nod of approval from Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian turned his attention back to Lan Yuan.
"I want you to hold your hands up high above your head and then I am going to help you tip forward, okay?" Lan Yuan followed his instructions as Wei Wuxian's hands helped guide him to do place his hands correctly. For a while, Lan Yuan could barely get his legs up in the air, but under Wei Wuxian's guidance and support, he was eventually able to balance on his hands with his legs awkwardly split to keep his balance. Wei Wuxian had his hands on his belly and back to make sure he wouldn't fall on his head.
"Look Daddy, I did it!" Lan Yuan cheered as he was righted back up. When Lan Wangji waved his son over, Lan Yuan quickly ran into his opened arms giggling. From his spot a few meters away, Wei Wuxian just watched on to this adorable scene and was overcome with the overwhelming urge to barrel his way in Lan Wangji's arms much like Lan Yuan had and praise the child with hugs as well.
Wei Wuxian returned to the picnic blanket as Lan Wangji was starting to unpack the picnic basket that he had brought along. An array of sandwiches, fruit and muffins were lined out in containers on the picnic blankets. Wei Wuxian's mouth watered and his stomach rumbled at the prospect of eating food. His rumbling stomach made Lan Yuan giggle and tease him for being hungry.
The three of them tucked into their lunch, Lan Yuan and Wei Wuxian in particular eating with gusto while Lan Wangji eloquently ate his food at a respectable pace. Wei Wuxian wondered if Lan Wangji carried himself with airs with all of the tasks he did. Wei Wuxian started imagining Lan Wangji doing domestic chores with all the delicacy of a noble and chuckled to himself. Did he also go to the toilet gracefully?
As Wei Wuxian imagined a hundred different scenarios of Lan Wangji doing everyday things, he began to wonder how he made love. Was he also tender and careful in that act? Wei Wuxian had to turn away to hide a blush blooming on his cheeks. It is best to think of other things.
"Did you prepare all of this food, Lan Wangji?" Wei Wuxian questioned as he chomped on a piece of melon.
"Mnn. Brother helped." Lan Wangji answered in between chewing mouthfuls of his sandwich.
"Yeah! Like Daddy, Uncle is a really good cook! Uncle is staying at my house, so he cooks me lots of yummy food! When I am sad, Uncle will cook me all my favourite foods." Lan Yuan paused eating for a moment as he looked a little upset and turned to face his father.
"Daddy? Can we cook something for Uncle? Maybe then he will be less sad." Lan Yuan asked.
"Mnn. Sounds good." Lan Wangji answered with a nod of his head. This cheered Lan Yuan up right away.
"Let's make a cake for Uncle!" Lan Yuan suggested.
"I'm sure your uncle with appreciate it very much, A-Yuan." Wei Wuxian wasn't sure what was going on with Lan Wangji's brother, but from the information he heard last week from Lan Wangji's conversation with Jin Guangyao and now, he figured the elder Lan brother was experiencing some hardships.
"Oh! Daddy, can I play some music for Big Brother now? You promised after lunch I could!" Lan Yuan crawled over to he father and begged him. Wei Wuxian just tilted his head in confusion.
"Mnn. Stay here." Lan Wangji stood up and made his way back to the car park where Wei Wuxian assumed he had parked his car, leaving his son and date alone together on the picnic blanket.
"What do you mean play some music?" Wei Wuxian questioned Lan Yuan.
"Daddy said you liked the guqin, so I am going to play for you, Big Brother!" Lan Yuan animatedly said. Wei Wuxian quirked an eyebrow.
"What else has your dad said about me?"
"He said you liked toys and music and loquims." Lan Yuan rambled off.
"Do you mean loquats?" Wei Wuxian guessed. He furrowed his eyebrows at the things that Lan Yuan had listed off. Those were some of the things he had truthfully disclosed to Lan Wangji about himself. But what about all the things he said that were the likes of Mo Xuanyu?
"Yeah, that! Daddy also said you were brave and a nice person. I think you are too!" Wei Wuxian's heart warmed at the face that Lan Yuan thought well of him. He wanted to wrap the boy up in his arms.
"When did your dad tell you all of these things?" Wei Wuxian asked.
"He told me the other day! I overheard Uncle talking to Daddy about Daddy going on a date. He looked happy. So I wanted to meet Daddy's date." Lan Yuan crawled closer to Wei Wuxian and propped his hands on Wei Wuxian's knees so he could lean in closer to Wei Wuxian's face. "You are going to make my Daddy happy, right?" Lan Yuan asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper. Wei Wuxian paused, not wanting to promise something he couldn't fulfil to the child.
"I will try my best to, A-Yuan." Wei Wuxian said with half of a smile.
Lan Wangji returned before anything more could be said, carrying a guqin in his arms. Lan Wangji settled back down on the picnic blanket and without a word Lan Yuan crawled into his father's lap and Lan Wangji brought the guqin closer to them. Lan Yuan's little hands settled on the strings and with the skill of a small child, be clumsily plucked at the strings. The music the small boy produced was awkward and didn't flow very well, but Wei Wuxian enjoyed it nonetheless. Wei Wuxian praised the small boy for his efforts and Lan Wangji helped guide his hands to strum the correct strings to finish a song.
"You are really good, A-Yuan!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed cheerily. Lan Yuan looked bashful at the praise and cheekily smiled.
"Daddy is the best though!" Lan Yuan boasted.
"I'm sure he is." Wei Wuxian assured. Once again, Lan Yuan turned to his father.
"Daddy, can I go play on the playground? I promise to be good." Lan Yuan pointed to a large playground nearby.
"As long as you stay in sight." Lan Wangji told Lan Yuan who quickly got to feet and swung around to face Wei Wuxian.
"Big Brother, will you watch me climb to the top?" Lan Yuan asked and Wei Wuxian figured he meant climbing to the top of the large climbing structure that was in the shape of a triangular pyramid fashioned out of rope and metal.
"I'll watch you." Wei Wuxian promised and Lan Yuan promptly run off so he could show off to Wei Wuxian.
A comfortable silence settled over the two adults who remained seated on the picnic blanket as they watched the child climb his way up the climbing frame, slowly but surely. However, that silence was soon broken when Lan Wangji began to casually strum the guqin still sitting in front of him. Listening to Lan Wangji's music as he watched Lan Yuan gleefully play, Wei Wuxian felt at home. He wished he had the ability to freeze this moment of idyllic peace and live in it forever.
"You've raised him well." Wei Wuxian began. He thought about how the shy and meek boy from the orphanage has transformed into a young boy who was able to express himself pretty well. He was still pretty shy, but Wei Wuxian had a suspicion that Lan Wangji was helping him come out of his shell. The boy took after Lan Wangji's polite behaviour and it made Wei Wuxian smile and wonder if the boy would be swayed to enjoy a more mischievous outlook if he was influenced correctly...
"Thank you." Lan Wangji murmured as he continued to play. Now that Lan Yuan was not present to overhear, Wei Wuxian wanted to start his interrogation.
"Lan Wangji, how did you come to adopt A-Yuan? What lead you to going to the orphanage?" Wei Wuxian questioned and out of the corner of his eye he noticed Lan Wangji tense just slightly.
"I was looking for someone." Lan Wangji simply answered and let on no more.
"Oh, really? You were looking for someone at the orphanage? Did you end up finding them?" Wei Wuxian turned to watch Lan Wangji strum the guqin. Just as he imagined a week ago in Lan Wangji's car, his fingers moved passionately across the strings in confidence that he wouldn't make a mistake. As his fingers plucked the strings, the bones and tendons in his hands rose and fell. These protruding lines reminded Wei Wuxian of a piano's hammers striking strings to make a melody. Wei Wuxian knew those fingers could play more than just an instrument well, and began to wonder what musical notes Lan Wangji would be able to elicit from his body with them.
"Not there. But I eventually did." Wei Wuxian wasn't confident, but he thought he saw Lan Wangji's lips quake up slightly in the barest hint of a smile for just a second, however it was gone before he could be sure. "A-Yuan was shy, but charming. He won my heart." Wei Wuxian knew what he meant; it was near impossible to even imagine disliking the child.
"He said he was lonely and wanted a family. So I gave him one." Wei Wuxian didn't want to beat around the bush any longer after hearing Lan Wangji say that.
"I'll be honest Lan Wangji, I want to know what A-Yuan's family name was before he was adopted as a Lan." The sound of the guqin stopped playing and Lan Wangji considered Wei Wuxian seriously for a minute.
"Why?" Lan Wangji asked, obviously defensive of his child.
"My friend, he told me that he lost contact with his cousin after his aunt secretly surrendered him to an orphanage and didn't know what happened to him. He has been looking for him, and the only thing that he has to go off is that his name is Yuan and he was about three years old when he entered the orphanage. Your son fits that description. It could all be a coincidence, but I have to check." Lan Wangji remained silent, so Wei Wuxian decided he needed to lower his defences.
"My friend, his name is Wen Ning. Maybe you know him? He is a nice guy. He just wants to know where his cousin is. He won't take A-Yuan from you. I promise." Wei Wuxian steadily met the golden eyes of Lan Wangji in attempt to show his genuineness.
"Wen." Lan Wangji suddenly said. Caught off guard, Wei Wuxian was momentarily confused.
"Huh?"
"His family name. It is Wen." Wei Wuxian breathed out a sigh in relief, knowing that Wen Ning's cousin is in safe hands and the Wen siblings will no longer have to worry over him.
"My friend will be glad. I will give you his contact information." Wei Wuxian looked over to Lan Yuan to see he had successfully made it to the top of the climbing frame and was waving over at them. They both waved back and Wei Wuxian yelled out his praise. "I think it will be nice to have Lan Yuan reconnect with his cousin. Not that you aren't good enough as his family, but you can't have enough family that cares for you." Wei Wuxian beamed at Lan Wangji who sat there in silence. Eventually Lan Wangji just hummed in agreement and resumed playing the guqin and Wei Wuxian looked over at Lan Yuan.
After a few minutes, Lan Yuan had successfully made his way down the climbing frame. A couple of children had now approached him and from what Wei Wuxian could discern, they were trying to get Lan Yuan to come play with him. Lan Yuan backed up a few steps and then quickly ran back to his father's side, launching himself into his waiting arms and buried his head in the crook of Lan Wangji's neck. Lan Wangji just rubbed his back to soothe the young boy. It seemed he still had a way to go before he overcame his shyness.
Lan Yuan remained in his father's arms for a while, until Lan Wangji noticed his son was beginning to doze off and decided to call it a day. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian packed up all of their stuff while Lan Yuan tiredly sat on the grass, rubbing at his eyes as if that would chase the sleep away. Wei Wuxian made sure to pack away Lan Yuan's toys in the child's backpack, taking extra care to make sure they all there and then placing his own present from the family of two in his own backpack. When they were all packed up, Wei Wuxian helped carry all of the stuff back to Lan Wangji's car and pack it in the boot. When everything was stowed away, Wei Wuxian turned to appraise father and son who stood at the rear of Lan Wangji's car.
"I had a lot of fun today!" Wei Wuxian claimed. He crouched down to Lan Yuan's height and reached out to playfully ruffle the hair of the young boy. "I am glad I got to meet you today, A-Yuan."
"Me too, Big Brother." When Wei Wuxian retracted his head, Lan Yuan reached out to tug at the sleeve of Wei Wuxian's jacket. "You will come visit sometime soon, right Big Brother?" Lan Yuan batted his adorable large eyes at Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian didn't even hesitate.
"Of course I will, A-Yuan!" Wei Wuxian patted his shoulder and returned to standing at his full height. His attention then rested on Lan Wangji.
"Next time, let me make the date, alright?" Wei Wuxian smiled at Lan Wangji who tensed a little. Wei Wuxian just chuckled.
"Don't worry, I have a good idea for the next time we see each other." Wei Wuxian mysteriously said with a smirk.
"Mnn." Lan Wangji just hummed. Previously, Wei Wuxian found those hums of affirmation to be quite annoying as he thought they were lazy ways to carry a conversation. However, now he found himself to be quite fond of it. He wondered what it would feel like under his hands if Lan Wangji were to hum while Wei Wuxian's hands rested on his chest. Wei Wuxian's heart tugged at the imagined scene of him laying atop Lan Wangji's naked chest in bed on a warm, sunny morning, listening to Lan Wangji's heartbeat and the vibrations resonating in his chest when he talked. He could feel his lower regions stirring slightly at the thought and he decided he needed to retreat very soon, least his thoughts be revealed from a physical reaction.
"I will see you two again. Bye for now!" Wei Wuxian turned and waved as he made his way back to his car. The father and son pair waved back before getting in the car and leaving.
Wei Wuxian just sat in his car for a moment, head resting against the steering wheel as he tried to control his thoughts. It was a difficult ask of himself apparently. But he couldn't waste his day away thinking dirty thoughts in his car. He had to tell Wen Ning to good news.
Wei Wuxian started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot. He was pretty sure he knew where to find Wen Ning.
When Wei Wuxian reached Mo Xuanyu's apartment door, he didn't bother knocking and just entered after inputting the pass code that still hadn't been changed. He closed the door with a soft click behind him and toed off his shoes at the entrance. He wasn't sure if Mo Xuanyu was even home, but from texting Wen Ning earlier this morning, he was sure that the two of them were spending the today hanging out. Wei Wuxian knew they often spent days together inside while watching a movie, so Wei Wuxian thought Mo Xuanyu's place was good as any place to start his search for Wen Ning.
He half expected to see them sitting on the couch watching a movie when he turned into the living room, but what he came across surprised him. The two of them were indeed sitting on the couch, but they were far from watching a movie. In fact, Wei Wuxian wasn't even sure Mo Xuanyu was even seated on the couch, he seemed to be half stretched across Wen Ning's lap as they were lip locked in a passionate kiss.
Wei Wuxian stood in shock behind the oblivious couple as they eagerly kissed and lightly groped each other over their clothes. For a minute he was completely speechless, however Wei Wuxian knew he could no longer be a silent voyeur when it seemed they were progressing to the point of dry humping each other that. With light footsteps, Wei Wuxian crept closer and placed his face close-by their kissing ones.
"As hot as this is, I am going to have to ask you guys to stop." Wei Wuxian crooned and smirked as his two best friends flew apart in surprise. Mo Xuanyu fell off the couch and Wen Ning slumped against the armrest with his head buried deep in his hands. Wei Wuxian just cackled in enjoyment of his friend's embarrassment.
"Wei Ying!" Mo Xuanyu screeched and threw one of the couch throw cushions at Wei Wuxian's head. Wei Wuxian just ducked slightly and the cushion went sailing over his head. Mo Xuanyu collapsed back on the floor in frustration.
"Oh, don't be mad, Mo Xuanyu! You should be happy! Don't let my intrusion change that." Wei Wuxian teased and attempted to poke Wen Ning in the shoulder to get him to emerge from hiding his face. Wen Ning did not.
"Why are you here, Wei Wuxian. It better be important." Mo Xuanyu blushed and tried to divert the conversation away from the obvious situation.
"It is actually! I found your missing cousin, Wen Ning!" Immediately, Wen Ning emerged from hiding his red face away, to look at Wei Wuxian in disbelief.
"What? How? Where is he?" Wen Ning launched himself up from the couch and came to stand in front of Wei Wuxian, grasping the other man's shoulders. When Wei Wuxian didn't immediately answer him, he shook him a bit.
"He was adopted a number of years ago. His adoptive father, you probably know him, is Lan Wangji!" Wei Wuxian smiled and Wen Ning seemed to breath out a sigh in relief.
"Lan Wangji? Yeah, I know him." Wen Ning took a few steps back and leaned on the back of the couch. "I'm glad A-Yuan found himself in capable hands." Wei Wuxian spied all of Mo Xuanyu's stationary he uses for his designs for work laying out on the kitchen bench and snatched up a sticky note and a pen. He wrote down Lan Wangji's contact details and then handed it to Wen Ning.
"I also gave Lan Wangji your contact details." Wei Wuxian clapped his hand over Wen Ning's shoulder. "A-Yuan is perfectly happy, you don't need to worry. I met him today!" He paused for a moment before continuing on. "I did promise Lan Wangji that you weren't going to take A-Yuan away from him though. He loves that kid. And A-Yuan loves him. I know you are his blood related family, but I could tell he was truly happy living with Lan Wangji." Wei Wuxian pleaded on behalf of Lan Wangji.
"I don't intend to take him away if he is happy. But I will get in contact with him." Wen Ning stepped forward and hugged Wei Wuxian tightly, which he reciprocated. "Thanks, Wei Wuxian." Wen Ning stepped away and fished out his phone. "I am going to call my sister and tell her the good news. I will be right back." Wen Ning gave a meaningful look to Mo Xuanyu and then stepped into Mo Xuanyu's bedroom to make his call.
This left Mo Xuanyu and Wei Wuxian alone in the living room. Wei Wuxian wasted no time in leaping over the couch to tackle Mo Xuanyu against the ground once he saw Wen Ning round the corner. Mo Xuanyu groaned when Wei Wuxian's heavy weight landed on top of him and he barely had the strength to push Wei Wuxian off. For a moment, the two men lay on their backs on the floor, before Wei Wuxian leaned up on his elbow to look at Mo Xuanyu.
"So what happened to confessing to him on a romantic getaway at your family's vacation home?" Wei Wuxian questioned with a smirk. Mo Xuanyu brought his hands up to his face to groan in them and ignored Wei Wuxian.
"Oh, come on, Mo Xuanyu! I have already ruined the mood, you might as well spill all the beans to me! That was quite a make-out session after all." Wei teased and Mo Xuanyu finally turned to look at him.
"Fine, but you have to keep quiet about what I am going to tell you, okay?" Wei Wuxian made mimed the action of zipping his lips closed and locking it with a key which he dramatically acted out throwing it away. Mo Xuanyu smiled at his ridiculous antics.
"He came over to hang out and somehow the conversation turned a bit serious. We were talking about our future aspirations and then…" Mo Xuanyu hesitated, "and then we started talking about our love lives - or rather lack of." He looked up into Wei Wuxian's inquisitive eyes and let the rest spill out.
"He was just talking about wanting to look for a lover, and our hands brushed just slightly. And then he said, ' I hope I won't have to look far ' whilst staring into my eyes, and I just… ugh. I just leaned forward and kissed him before I even thought it through." Mo Xuanyu made sure he kept his voice quiet so Wen Ning wouldn't be able to hear him down the hall. "I pulled away almost immediately and was started to apologise, but then he just kissed me to shut up. I was stunned you can as you can imagine. Afterwards he admitted that ever since he has come back, he had started seeing me in a romantic sense." Mo Xuanyu's face was a bright blushing red and he could do little to hid it.
"We started talking about our feelings and I confessed to him. Things sort of just led to the scene that you walked in on." Mo Xuanyu's flashed for a moment as he realised what Wei Wuxian had ruined and reached out a hand to smack him on the chest in retaliation. "I can't believe you had to ruin it! Knock or announce yourself next time!"
"Well, I suggest next time you should take it to the bedroom. That is where it seemed to be going at least. Save yourself some time and just start in your bed." Wei Wuxian cheekily teased. Mo Xuanyu hit him again.
"Oh shut up will you."
"So, are you two a thing now?" Wei Wuxian couldn't help but ask.
"Mnn, I don't really know. We didn't really get to that part." Mo Xuanyu bit his lower lip in worry. Wei Wuxian leaned up so he was lying with is back against the couch, still seated on the ground. Mo Xuanyu followed suit.
"I think a talk between the two of you is long overdue." Wei Wuxian thought out loud and Mo Xuanyu had to agree with his friend. In the next moment, Wen Ning walked back into the living room and Wei Wuxian decided to leave their conversation there.
"How did your sister take the news?" Mo Xuanyu asked Wen Ning who settled himself on the chaise across from them.
"Mnn, good. We made a promise to get in contact with Lan Wangji sometime soon and arrange to meet with A-Yuan." Wen Ning turned slightly so he could address Wei Wuxian.
"I didn't ask before, but I assume you found out about A-Yuan on your date with Lan Wangji?" Wen Ning asked. Wei Wuxian froze, unsure what he was allowed to admit to Wen Ning.
"Uh, don't worry. I told him everything from my deception to you falling into an unlikely love." Mo Xuanyu sighed.
"Love? I wouldn't go that far just yet." Wei Wuxian jovially said. While it was true he liked Lan Wangji, he wouldn't say that he was love with the man… yet.
"As much as I don't think it is right to deceive Lan Wangji, I do have applaud you for maintaining your cover. I wouldn't think you would be capable of it." Wen Ning murmured out, with the barest hint of a smile.
"What do you mean, Wen Ning?" Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms while suppressing a smirk at Wen Ning's sudden worried face.
"Ah, Wei Ying! I didn't mean to offend you! I simply meant that you tend to not be very good at not behaving like yourself. Ah- but I don't mean that in a bad way, simply you have a uh- mischievous side to you? Not that there's anything wrong with that, it is just-" Wei Wuxian suddenly burst out into laughter, which made Wen Ning jerk in shock and stop his rambling. It was only after a few seconds did he realise that Wei Wuxian was messing with him and a deep embarrassed blush stole across his cheeks.
"Are you planning on telling Lan Wangji the truth soon, Wei Wuxian?" Mo Xuanyu interjected Wei Wuxian's laughing and he immediately fell silent.
"Mnn. I will. Soon." Wei Wuxian fiddled with his hands and sucked on his lower lip.
"What are you waiting for? Isn't it best to tell him the truth sooner than later?" Wen Ning questioned now that he had regained some of his composure in light of Wei Wuxian's teasing.
"I just need one more day to cement myself in his heart as Wei Wuxian instead of Mo Xuanyu. The other two dates I was still concerned with playing the part of Mo Xuanyu, I didn't allow my true self to show. I will tell him soon, I promise." Wei Wuxian managed to get out with a sigh.
Mo Xuanyu reached over his hand to ruffle Wei Wuxian's hair. "Good. I didn't want to admit it, but I think this is good for you. God knows when the last time was you sought after your own happiness." Wen Ning nodded his head in agreement and Wei Wuxian side eyed both of his friends.
"Jiang Cheng said a similar thing to me… have you all been pitying me for my loneliness this whole time?" Wei Wuxian cried out in disbelief. "I was just as lonely as any one of you!"
"No, not pitying you, Wei Wuxian. Just acknowledging that you gave more of your time to others than yourself." Wen Ning gently said with a smile.
Wei Wuxian's shoulders slumped and he said in exasperation. Apparently his friends knew him better than he knew himself.
"Anyway, all of this drama will be over soon. I will confess the truth to Lan Wangji and try to convince him that even though I misled him, I still want to be with him." Wei Wuxian said with a wave of his hand to feign a lack of deep concern over the matter. His mind wouldn't allow him not to dwell on his worry, however.
In a smaller voice, however, Wei Wuxian murmured, "I just hope I can find the courage to admit that I could lose it all."
Notes:
Was this supposed to be a date with LWJ and WWX? Cause I feel like A-Yuan stole the show. Not that I really care, I love this child.
This chapter contained the first of a number of flashbacks moving forward. Did everyone think the formatting for the flashback was okay? I have a love-hate relationship with flashbacks, so I just want to make sure it was easy to understand.
Thank you all for your kudos and comments! I love reading and replying to all of your comments! Feel free to leave any of your thoughts below!
I am also on tumblr! You can find me at nevermorealyre
Chapter 7: Hesitation
Notes:
I have really busy since the last update, so thank you all for your patience! I am currently on holidays, so I am unsure when the next chapter will be out, but hopefully you will be happy with this very long chapter.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian skipped up the steps to the front door and rang the doorbell. He didn't have to wait long before the front door was opened, however he had to look down to meet the eyes of the person who answered the door. His nephew, Jin Ling, stood in the opened doorway with a little frown marring his face.
"A-Ling! Oh my! Have you gotten even cuter?" Wei Wuxian reached out a hand to pinch his nephew's cheeks. Jin Ling just batted it away with a swipe of his hand.
"Are you ready to spend the day with Uncle? We are going to have so much fun that you won't want to come home! But that is okay, cause you can stay with your favourite uncle forever then!" Wei Wuxian gleefully said to his young nephew. Jin Ling didn't look impressed.
"Where are your parents? Didn't they tell you not to answer the door by yourself? What if I was a strange man who would steal you away?" Wei Wuxian dramatically said. His nephew didn't seem to be appreciative of seeing his annoying uncle making a scene on his doorstep.
Jin Ling stretched out his hand to point a finger at his uncle and then yelled, "Fairy, sick him!" Fairy obviously didn't hesitate and came barrelling out of the doorway towards Wei Wuxian. To Fairy, this was a fun game that her young owner liked playing often.
Even though Wei Wuxian would claim that he mostly okay with being around Fairy, he still had the condition that the dog must remain at least five meters away from him at all times. Fairy running after him obviously broke these conditions.
So, naturally, Wei Wuxian did the only thing he could think of: he bolted for the closet tree.
Wei Wuxian knew how to climb this tree perfectly well with great efficiency as he has done so a dozen times already. Only until he was tucked away safely in the branches of the tree and far beyond Fairy's reach, did Wei Wuxian seize screaming like a banshee. Jin Ling had followed his loyal dog out and stood beside her as he looked up his pathetic uncle.
"A-Ling! Why did you set Fairy on me?" Wei Wuxian called out down to his nephew.
"Because a strange man was at my door. It's not safe." Jin Ling answered back with a smirk.
"A-Ling, you seem to have forgotten! I am your uncle, not a strange man!" Wei Wuxian yelled out in frustration. He partially released his grip on of the branch he was tightly hugging so he could peer down at see where Fairy was, however he squealed and hugged the branch even tighter when he felt himself slipping. Jin Ling just taunted his uncle from under the tree.
"A-Ling! What did I tell you about tormenting your uncle?" Wei Wuxian breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the voice of his shijie carrying across the yard. Wei Wuxian's screams had obviously drew her attention outside where she was unsurprised by the scene in front of her. Her husband was following behind with an deniable smirk on his face.
"I would have thought by this point you would have learned your lesson." Jin Zixuan called up to his brother-in-law with a laugh. He got a jab in the stomach from his wife's elbow for his efforts, which made Wei Wuxian laugh in turn.
"A-Ling, what have I told you about chasing your uncle up trees with Fairy?" Jiang Yanli looked like a formidable figure with her hands on her hips as she scolded her only child. Jin Ling at least had the courtesy to look somewhat ashamed and he scratched as the dirt underfoot with the tip of his shoe. He tried to avoid his mother's gaze and pouted at the fact of being scolded.
"...I'm not supposed to." Jin Ling mumbled out and from his position up in the tree, Wei Wuxian could only barely hear it.
"What do you say to your uncle then?"
At his mother's persistence, Jin Ling looked up at the cowering figure of his uncle and spat out a frustrated "I'm sorry."
"Honey, could you take A-Ling inside and change his clothes? He has gotten dirt all over his pants. Can you also double check that he has all of his stuff packed in his backpack?" Jin Zixuan hummed in acknowledgement and stepped forward to guide his son inside. Wei Wuxian watched as the father and son pair left with Fairy following behind. He didn't miss the tongue that Jin Ling stuck out at him though. Wei Wuxian just childishly reciprocated and stuck his own tongue out at his nephew. Only once Fairy was out of sight did Wei Wuxian decide that it was safe to come down from his hiding spot.
"Are you okay, A-Xian?" Jiang Yanli asked as she helped her younger brother brush of twigs and leaves from his clothes and hair.
"As well I can be, I guess. Let me tell you, Peacock Brother is too much of an influence on your son, Shijie! He was such an adorable and innocent child. Your husband must be teaching him bad things behind your back!" Wei Wuxian complained to Jiang Yanli and she just listened patiently as always.
"He has been upset lately because he hasn't been getting along with cousins lately. A-Ling has been finding it hard making friends." Jiang Yanli mouth was tense when she talked about her child's problems.
"Lan Wangji's son is a really good kid, Shijie. I am sure they will get along well." Wei Wuxian smiled in attempt to cheer his elder sister up. She smiled gratefully back.
"I appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to take him on a play date. How is work coming along?"
Wei Wuxian sighed thinking about how stressful work has been lately. "I have been pretty busy lately. One of my coworkers got injured, so I had to sub in for him. This week I have to learn a complicated action sequence in time for filming next week."
"I'm sure everything will be fine, A-Xian." Jiang Yanli rubbed his arm in a comforting way like she had often did when he was younger. Her lips quicked upwards in a sly smirk.
"A-Cheng has told me about how you seem to be getting along well with Lan Wangji." Wei Wuxian felt a bit of a blush rise to his cheeks and chuckled a little and slightly turned his face away in hopes that she wouldn't see it.
"How much do you know already?"
"I know that you met him under the guise of Mo Xuanyu and so far have gone on a few dates and met his kid." Wei Wuxian bit his lip. Of course Shijie already knows everything.
"Well I guess Jiang Cheng has caught you all up then." Wei Wuxian made a mental note to get back at Jiang Cheng later.
"I can only assume that you like him." Jiang Yanli said with a soft smile.
Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow. "Why do you assume that?"
"Well, you never do anything you don't like unless it is for someone you care for. I am sure Mo Xuanyu hasn't asked you to continue on with this charade." Jiang Yanli said knowingly. Wei Wuxian knew that she had him there.
"You're right, Shijie. I do like him." Wei Wuxian could feel that blush creeping up again.
Jiang Yanli giggled in delight behind her hand. "What is it that you like about him? Don't tell Zixuan, but not only is Lan Wangji is a handsome and elegant man, but he quite a catch. But I wouldn't have pictured him as being someone you would come to like."
"I know what you mean. I don't even really know what it is either. But I get this feeling that he goes above and beyond when we spend time together. Who would have thought that I like being doted on?" Wei Wuxian scoffed in disbelief.
"Well, A-Xian, once you grew comfortable with us you did tend to command attention to yourself. You enjoy knowing you are loved." Wei Wuxian was about to deny his need for attention when the emergence of Jin Zixuan and Jin Ling caught both of their eyes. Jin Ling was dressed in a new set of clothes and had his backpack sat on his shoulders.
"Why can't I bring Fairy along?" Jin Ling complained to his father.
"Because we are going over to someone's house and I don't know how Fairy will be with their pets." Wei Wuxian explained. Jin Ling's mood seemed to brighten instantly at the knowledge of where they were going had animals.
"Do they also have a dog?" Jin Ling asked excitedly.
"No. They have rabbits. If you are good then I am sure they will let you play with them." Jin Ling turned to his parents with a big smile on his face.
"Did you hear that? I will get to play with rabbits!" Jin Ling said excitedly. Jin Ling had a habit of remembering random facts, so he began to spout off all the facts he knew about rabbits to his parents and uncle as they made their way over to Wei Wuxian's car. Jin Zixuan helped Jin Ling get settled in the backseat and Jiang Yanli kissed her son's forehead and told him to have fun. Uncle and nephew were soon waving their goodbyes as Wei Wuxian pulled away and made his way to the address that Lan Wangji had texted him a number of days ago.
"Did your parents tell you what we are doing today, A-Ling?" Wei Wuxian glanced up in his rear-view mirror to spy that Jin Ling had preoccupied himself with playing with a husky plush toy that looked very similar to Fairy. Wei Wuxian smiled at the cute scene.
"Mum said that we are going over to your friend's place." Jin Ling said offhandedly as he was more focused on patting his toy.
"My friend has a kid around your age as well. I was hoping you would make friends with him." Jin Ling tensed up and hugged his toy close to his chest for comfort. Wei Wuxian's heart hurt seeing his nephew like this.
"Don't worry, A-Ling. He isn't like those awful cousins of you. He is a really nice kid." Jin Ling didn't answer his uncle and just stayed quiet while he hugged his toy for the rest of the car ride. When they pulled up to Lan Wangji's large estate Wei Wuxian had to gently coax his nephew out of the car.
Lan Wangji opened the door soon after Wei Wuxian rang the doorbell and invited them inside. Wei Wuxian stood in the entrance way of the large house and admired what he could see of Lan Wangji's home. Jin Ling just hid behind Wei Wuxian's legs clutching his toy.
Around the corner, Lan Yuan came running when he heard the doorbell ring, clearly anticipating Wei Wuxian's visit. He, however, slowed when he saw Wei Wuxian had a child with him and instead retreated behind his father's legs.
"A-Yuan, it is good to see you again!" Wei Wuxian stepped aside a little so that Jin Ling wasn't completely hidden behind his legs and placed a comforting hand at the back of his head. "This is my nephew, A-Ling. A-Ling, this is A-Yuan." Wei Wuxian introduced the two, but it didn't seem to make them any less nervous around each other and Jin Ling only shrunk further into the familiar figure of his uncle. Wei Wuxian began to worry that this was a bad idea after all; especially if Jin Ling was only getting stressed about it. But before he could say anything to his nephew, Lan Yuan seemed to gather his courage and stepped forward towards Jin Ling.
"Hello. My name is Lan Yuan." He introduced himself. "I like your toy. Does he have a name?" This seemed to bristle Jin Ling a little.
"It's not a he, Fairy is a she!" Jin Ling stepped out from behind his uncle's legs to correct the other young boy.
"Well Fairy is really pretty!" Jin Ling blushed a little and didn't know what to say so Lan Yuan continued on. "Do you want to come play with the rabbits with me? I will let you hold them." Lan Yuan offered and Jin Ling seemed to immediately open up and nodded his head enthusiastically.
"Daddy, I am going to go show A-Ling the rabbits, okay? You stay here with Big Brother so he doesn't get lonely!" Lan Yuan didn't seem to wait for his father's approval and instead just grasped Jin Ling by the hand and lead him out to the backyard, leaving the two adults behind. Wei Wuxian couldn't hold in a laugh.
"A bit bossy, isn't he?" Wei Wuxian said with mirth. Lan Wangji just gave a nod in agreement. Wei Wuxian couldn't help himself and sidled up closely to Lan Wangji with a mischievous look painted on his face.
"Well then, you heard the little boss. Why won't you entertain me," Wei Wuxian gave a pause and then sensually whispered out, "Daddy."
Wei Wuxian held in a laugh and was about to tell Lan Wangji he was joking before he became embarrassed. When he looked up to Lan Wangji's face and expected to see his face tinted in a charming pink, however, Wei Wuxian paused in surprise at what he saw instead. Lan Wangji's face looked as impassive as always, but his eyes seemed to convey something rather… primal.
Don't tell me… could it be that the earnest Lan Wangji has a daddy kink?
Wei Wuxian was so shocked that he didn't even register that Lan Wangji had stepped forward to tuck Wei Wuxian into the crook of his body and guide him into the lounge room to sit on the love seat side by side together. Wei Wuxian didn't move for a while, still in shock, but when he dared to do so, he looked straight back up into Lan Wangji's eyes. The look in his eyes still had that same primal look as they had before. Wei Wuxian was glad the children were currently distracted. Lan Yuan really shouldn't see his father like this.
Wei Wuxian hadn't felt as comfortable in somebody's embrace in a long time and never in his life had he been embraced like how Lan Wangji currently was. Lan Wangji's body was naturally folded around Wei Wuxian's and he had extended his right arm over the back of the couch to gently caressed the tip of his thumb along the other man's shoulder. Even though he was only gently brushing his skin, Wei Wuxian felt like the trail of Lan Wangji's thumb left behind a warm sensation. He wondered if later, when he would arrive home and strip bare, would there be a long squiggling line of raised skin where he would still be able to feel the tangible remnants of Lan Wangji's touch.
"Is this okay?" Lan Wangji suddenly spoke up as he reached across with the hand that wasn't tracing patterns into Wei Wuxian's shoulder to grasp at Wei Wuxian's hand in his own. This was the first time they were holding hands, and like Wei Wuxian had suspected, they were firm and strong.
"Mnn." Wei Wuxian hummed out and threaded their fingers together. As Lan Wangji continued drawing swirls with the tip of his finger on Wei Wuxian's arm, Wei Wuxian began to draw nonsensical lines on the back of Lan Wangji's hand in turn. Wei Wuxian wasn't sure how long they were sat in each other's embrace drawing imaginary lines on each other's skin, but he hoped the kids would be able to mind themselves for a while longer.
Wei Wuxian looked back up into the golden hues once again and could feel himself getting lost. He felt a trill of excitement run up his spine staring into those golden eyes that spoke thousands of things that Lan Wangji's mouth could not.
Wei Wuxian gulped and could feel himself inching closer to Lan Wangji's face. While his captivating eyes held Wei Wuxian's attention, he couldn't help but flicker his eyes down to the plump lips of Lan Wangji's mouth that looked positively delectable. Wei Wuxian wondered if they tasted as good as they looked.
However, before he could discover that for himself, the sound of the front door opening jarred him from his reverie and he scooted back from the close embrace of Lan Wangji.
Their intrusive guest walked in to the lounge and Wei Wuxian began to worry his lust for Lan Wangji had gotten so bad he was beginning to experience hallucinations. Before him stood two Lan Wangjis; each as beautiful as the other.
"Brother." Lan Wangji stood up to receive his guest properly and Wei Wuxian realised that the man before him was Lan Wangji's older brother: Lan Xichen, one of the two Jades of Lan. He had heard from rumours that this man was just as beautiful and elegant as his younger brother, but far more friendly and approachable. Seeing his open and smiling demeanour, Wei Wuxian suspected the rumours held true.
"Big Brother!" A small child came barrelling into the room behind Lan Xichen and launched himself into the awaiting arms of Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji embraced him in a warm hug and listened to the young boy prattle on so quickly that Wei Wuxian could barely keep up, but he heard the words 'uncle' and 'A-Yuan' tossed around. It wasn't long before the boy caught sight of Wei Wuxian and didn't hesitate before walking over to the stranger and introduce himself.
"Who are you mister? Why are your cheeks all red?" The young boy pointed up at Wei Wuxian's blush, which he didn't even realise he had, and Wei Wuxian could only think to hide it under his hands in embarrassment. However, slapping his hands to his cheeks to cover his blush only acted to draw even more curious attention to them from the other people in the room. After he took a second to collect himself, Wei Wuxian smiled down at the boy.
"I was playing a game with your Big Brother. We were competing on who could hold out the longest in holding their breath or blinking. The loser had to get slapped in the cheeks as a punishment." The boy spared a glance to Lan Wangji before turning back to Wei Wuxian was a raised eyebrow.
"You must be really bad at the game then, mister! Big Brother didn't get slapped once. See? His cheeks aren't red like yours." The young boy pointed at Lan Wangji in comparison and laughed at the thought of this mister in front of him being unable to best his amazing Big Brother.
"Listen here…" Wei Wuxian began before Lan Xichen interrupted.
"Lan Jingyi, what did Uncle teach you?" Lan Xichen's tone was clipped, but not harsh. The boy, Lan Jingyi, gave pause before blushing a little in embarrassment.
"I'm not supposed to speak badly of others." Lan Jingyi immediately recalled and his eyes sparked in realisation as it dawned on him what he just did. He immediately turned to Wei Wuxian with large imploring eyes. "I'm sorry, mister. I was rude." Lan Xichen stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on Lan Jingyi's shoulder.
"It has been a while, Mo Xuanyu. It is good to see you again. Let me introduce you to our cousin, Lan Jingyi. Wangji suggested that he come over so all the children can play together. He is one of A-Yuan's friends. Please excuse his rudeness." Lan Xichen said.
Lan Jingyi seemed to lose interest in Wei Wuxian and turned to Lan Wangji. "Big Brother, where is A-Yuan?"
"With the rabbits." Lan Wangji simply answered. He stretched out a hand and Lan Jingyi took it instantly. Lan Wangji spared a glance to the two other people in the room before he led Lan Jingyi away to where Wei Wuxian presumed the rabbits were. He was glad Lan Wangji took him, because he was unsure how Jin Ling would react if another unfamiliar child suddenly appeared without an adult.
However, with Lan Wangji's departure, this left Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen alone. Wei Wuxian began to fear of exposing himself before he could tell Lan Wangji first, especially since Lan Xichen already knew Mo Xuanyu. He had a feeling that his secret was already spoiled with Jin Guangyao from a few weeks ago and perhaps Lan Xichen may see through his facade as well. Having Lan Wangji's family disapprove of him was something he needed to avoid if possible.
"Shall we sit and wait for Wangji to return?" Lan Xichen softly suggested and gestured towards the couch. Wei Wuxian hummed in affirmation and took a seat on the couch while Lan Xichen sat himself on an adjacent chair.
"How have you been, Mo Xuanyu?" Now that Wei Wuxian could get a clear view of the older Lan brother, he could determine that while the Two Jades of Lan looked similar, they had clear differences in appearance. Lan Xichen had silver eyes, unlike Lan Wangji's golden ones and his face appeared to be slightly slimmer than Lan Wangji's, especially at the jaw. Wei Wuxian also noted that the shape of their eyes were slightly different, but couldn't be sure if it was an illusion created by Lan Xichen's brighter expression.
"I have been well. Busy with work mostly. How about you, Lan Xichen?" Wei Wuxian decided to keep it safe and answer his questions as vaguely as possible and steer the conversation away from anything that may expose him as somebody other than Mo Xuanyu. Wei Wuxian really wanted to be the person that told Lan Wangji in the end. It had to come from him if he had any chance of Lan Wangji forgiving him.
Lan Xichen gave a small, sad smile. "Honestly, not to well. Bad break up and all." Lan Xichen must have spied an uncomfortable expression on Wei Wuxian's face, so he quickly elaborated. "It's okay, I don't mind talking about it." He smirked. "From what I have heard from my younger brother, it seems you are fast tracked to knowing all of the family secrets anyway. Might as well disclose them now."
"Are you referring to A-Yuan?" Wei Wuxian suspected it was Lan Xichen's open and friendly nature, but he could feel himself relaxing around the Lan. It was hard not to trust that smile.
"Yes. You are the first person outside of our family that knows of his blood ties to the Wen family. I was honestly surprised when he told me that you knew. But I am glad he did, because now A-Yuan can reconnect with his cousins." Wei Wuxian's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Lan Wangji did say that he wanted to keep Lan Yuan's heritage a secret, but he didn't realise he had told so few people. Was it really alright for him to know this after only knowing Lan Wangji for a little while?
"Lan Wangji and A-Yuan, they are a really lovely family." Wei Wuxian said. The corners of his lips lifted slightly and he looked down at his lap in thought. He really did enjoy spending time with the father and son duo.
"I agree. I have been seeking comfort in them for the past few weeks." Lan Xichen paused and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before he continued on. "I found myself distanced from my family recently, so it is nice to spend some time with them. A-Yuan never fails to make me smile."
"I know what you mean." Just even thinking of the bright star that is Lan Yuan is enough to bring a smile to your face, Wei Wuxian thought to himself.
A comfortable silence descended upon the pair as they waited for Lan Wangji's return. Lan Xichen looked pensive and a slight worried frown sat on his face. Wei Wuxian was curious was troubling Lan Xichen so, but didn't dare ask, even though he was itching to.
"Mo Xuanyu, I want to apologise for Lan Wangji's behaviour a few years back. I've felt rather guilty that you were involved in our family's affairs, but I didn't feel it was appropriate to discuss it at any social event we attended after. This is the first time we have had a chance to talk in private, so I hope you can accept by belated apology." Wei Wuxian blinked in surprise. This was new to him. Mo Xuanyu never mentioned anything about being involved in an incident with the Lan family. Wei Wuxian could probably brush it off, but blame his inquisitive nature: he had to know what Mo Xuanyu had involved himself into.
"My apologies, Lan Xichen, but would you be able to say what incident specifically you are referring to? I am a little lost." Lan Xichen's face became tense and a little cold and Wei Wuxian couldn't help but blanch in fear of being discovered. Wei Wuxian began to fret that he had just made a critical error.
Lan Xichen just sighed and reached up with his hand to run over his face. "As I had feared, you don't remember. I didn't want to be the one who told you the truth, but you deserve to know. It is partially my fault after all. Lan Wangji also doesn't remember much of it himself." He rested his hand on the crown of his head and gently massaged his forehead with his thumb in stress. Then he launched into his recount of the incident.
"A few years back, at one of the Nie family parties, both of our families were in attendance. I left my brother alone for a brief while in confidence he would be alright, but somehow, another young master from another family had snuck alcohol to him. I think he sneakily switched Lan Wangji's drink. When I returned to him, he was passed out. I immediately knew what had happened, so I went to find our Uncle so we could take him home to rest." Lan Xichen sighed at the memory. "But when I returned, he had disappeared in a drunken stupor."
Wei Wuxian didn't say anything, but could feel the pit of his stomach sink slightly. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Uncle and I asked around and discovered that he had dragged off someone away from the party. It took us a while to find him, but we eventually did in a private room." Lan Xichen looked up and straight into the eyes of Wei Wuxian. "We found him forcefully kissing you there."
Wei Wuxian really didn't know what to think. He thought back to how Mo Xuanyu had told him about the rumour of Lan Wangji dragging a man off to kiss at a party a few years back. And to think, the other party was Mo Xuanyu after all, Wei Wuxian thought. It is not like he was terribly surprised his friend had forgotten: he had a terrible habit for not remembering details when drinking. Even so, Wei Wuxian reckoned it was a pretty big detail to forget.
Perhaps Lan Xichen took Wei Wuxian's silence for shock so he waved his hands in front of him with wide eyes in attempt to calm the other man.
"I promise that it was nothing more than a kiss. We made sure to separate you two before it went any further. But I know what my brother is like when he gets drunk, so I want to apologise for this happening. He can be quite… forceful." Wei Wuxian gulped.
"Then… this arranged date, did your uncle agree to it because he felt it was appropriate for Lan Wangji to make it up to me?" Wei Wuxian asked but he instantly wished he hadn't. He really didn't want to hear the answer.
"To some degree, yes. It was mostly because he thought that because Lan Wangji took interest in you while drunk, he would be able to do so too while sober." Lan Xichen reasoned. Wei Wuxian felt his heart sink to the floor. "It seemed Uncle was right, because I can tell that Wangji is quite infatuated with you. You need to understand that Wangji rarely finds anyone to be interesting enough to spend time with. It has been a long time since he has sought out personal contact with another person." Lan Xichen offered Wei Wuxian a smile, but he could not return it.
"Why did Lan Wangji drag me off in the first place?" Wei Wuxian launched into another topic. He did not want to think about the idea of Lan Wangji seeking to date Mo Xuanyu because he was interested in him.
"I am not sure, he has never told me. But I think it because you look like his childhood crush." Lan Xichen kept a level gaze with Wei Wuxian as he said this, as though he was imparting a big secret. Wei Wuxian paused in surprise.
"His childhood crush?" Wei Wuxian wondered what a childhood crush suddenly had to do with this.
"Yes. I remembered he was a cute child and Wangji tried his best to make him happy. They were separated many years ago though." Lan Xichen raised a hand to his mouth and hid a giggle behind it. "I didn't even know he held that little boy in his heart for all these years, but didn't dare say anything because he didn't know how to get in contact with him. But after that incident at the party, Uncle realised that Lan Wangji wanted to find his childhood friend, so he told him that he lived in an orphanage nearby our father's house." Wei Wuxian's eyes blew wide and he tilted his head curiously.
Was it possible that I… Wei Wuxian began to think before he quickly threw the idea away. Wei Wuxian believed that there was no way that he was Lan Wangji's childhood friend. Lan Wangji's appearance didn't match that of his childhood friend's after all…
Maybe he got plastic surgery… Wei Wuxian wondered, before deciding it was a silly idea because the brothers looked too alike and Lan Wangji's face was perfectly unblemished, even if were surgically altered. Surely you wouldn't be able to cover up a facial scar that perfectly, even with plastic surgery.
However, it is a coincidence that they share the last name Lan...
Wei Wuxian decided this information was something he needed to attend to at another time.
"Is that where he met A-Yuan?" Wei Wuxian could now begin putting the pieces together. Lan Wangji wanted to be reunited with his childhood friend/crush and sought him out at the orphanage where he had lived as a child. But he didn't find him there...
"Yes." Lan Xichen answered.
"Why isn't he with his childhood friend then?" Just last weekend, Lan Wangji said he had found him. Wei Wuxian began to theorise that Lan Wangji no longer had any romantic feelings for his childhood friend or perhaps he was already in a relationship.
Lan Xichen's expression turned sad and seemingly misunderstood Wei Wuxian's question. "There were no records of him. The orphanage went through a structural change a few years back and most of very old files were not carried over and thus destroyed. Wangji's search ended there. Wangji continued looking for a few years, but he made a promise to Uncle to marry for A-Yuan's sake, so he agreed to date you." Wei Wuxian grew confused again. Lan Wangji said he had reunited with his childhood friend again, but apparently did not tell his older brother that he had. Wei Wuxian figured that he shouldn't be the one that told Lan Xichen this, so he just nodded his head and kept quiet.
Lan Xichen leaned forward and tilted his head softly. "I hope me telling you this hasn't made you feel like you are his second choice. In fact, I think you have helped him get over his childhood crush." Wei Wuxian nervously ran his tongue along his teeth. That biting feeling of jealousy was chewing at his stomach again. The thought of Lan Wangji being in love with the Mo Xuanyu that Wei Wuxian presented him hurt.
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Wei Wuxian asked a bit bitingly. He didn't mean to sound aggressive, but the hurt in his heart overpowered the logic in his mind.
"Because, knowing my brother he wouldn't be able to express it well, and I believe you deserve the truth. I know better than anyone that relationships are more firmly built on truth." Lan Xichen's voice was quite firm and Wei Wuxian had a feeling that he was speaking more on his own behalf than his younger brother's. Lan Xichen's emphasis on truth made Wei Wuxian wonder just what he had experienced for him to be hung up on the importance of truth.
Otherwise, Wei Wuxian bit his tongue so he wouldn't say anything back, but he believed that, even as a caring older brother, Lan Xichen was overstepping his boundaries here. If anyone, shouldn't this be coming from Lan Wangji's mouth? Even if Lan Wangji wasn't exceptional at speaking his true feelings, Wei Wuxian knew whatever feelings there were between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian should be said between them and not interpreted by a family member.
But one part of what Lan Xichen said stood out to him.
Deserve the truth?
Wei Wuxian knew that Lan Wangji deserved the truth. He really wanted to tell him. But thinking of his disappointment at Wei Wuxian not being Mo Xuanyu… Wei Wuxian was half tempted to never let the truth leave his mouth.
It was at this time that Lan Wangji decided that he should finally make an appearance again. Wei Wuxian was relieved. Lan Xichen also seemingly decided this was an appropriate time for him to leave them alone.
"I am going to go check on the kids and serve them some lunch." Lan Xichen promptly left with a small smile and Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were left alone again.
"How did A-Ling react to Lan Jingyi?" Wei Wuxian asked, grateful he didn't have to think about Lan Wangji's love interests for a while now that Lan Xichen had departed.
"Fine. They are playing with the rabbits." Lan Wangji stepped over to retake his seat on the couch next to Wei Wuxian once again, but Wei Wuxian knew that the moment they had between them before could not be restored.
"Thank you for letting me bring Jin Ling over for a play date. I am good friends with his parents and they were worried about his difficulties with making friends. His cousins bully him so he doesn't have the best social skills." Wei Wuxian prattled off. "After meeting A-Yuan last week, I thought that they may be good friends. Even though they both are shy children, they seem to be getting along well."
"Mnn." Lan Wangji answered and Wei Wuxian gently smiled and relaxed back into the couch, comfortable as a companionable silence descended upon them.
Wei Wuxian thought about telling the truth to Lan Wangji in this moment here and now. His conversation with Lan Xichen made him feel even more guilty than he had originally felt before coming here. But if Lan Wangji was sure to hate him for deceiving him, Wei Wuxian really didn't want to say anything.
He deserves the truth.
Sitting with Lan Wangji alone in the lounge room, Wei Wuxian deliberated whether this was an appropriate time to confess the truth. It had been niggling at his mind for the past week and now, after his chat with Lan Xichen, he felt like it was only appropriate to be honest with Lan Wangji. But the fear of Lan Wangji having fallen in love with Wei Wuxian's act of Mo Xuanyu stung.
However, in the absence of conversation, Wei Wuxian could more clearly hear the voices of this children and they gleefully played. A sudden thought occurred to him.
Jin Ling.
Jin Ling had just made new friends and the last thing that he would want to do is ruin that for the child. He peeked at Lan Wangji. If he told the truth to Lan Wangji, would he angrily kick them both out of his house? Wei Wuxian chewed on his lip in worry. If that were to happen, Jin Ling would likely lose face with his new friends and most likely wouldn't want to see them again because of embarrassment. His young pride would probably get in the way of any reconciliation between Lan Yuan and Lan Jingyi. Even if Lan Wangji came to hate him, Jin Ling was from the Jin family and could probably continue playing with the Lan children without problem.
Wei Wuxian was still considering his impact on Jin Ling's new friendship when the loud voices of the children echoed through the hallway. Jin Ling's upset voice carried to Wei Wuxian's ears and he was quick to jump off the couch to find his nephew to see what was wrong. Lan Wangji followed closely behind.
"I am not it!" Wei Wuxian spied his nephew standing in the middle of the hallway with his little arms crossed over his chest and dramatically pouting. Lan Jingyi was stood in a similar position opposite him and it appeared that Lan Yuan was stood between the two boys trying to calm them down.
"Yes you are! We said that if you went inside to hide you are automatically it! Big Brother doesn't like running inside!" Lan Jingyi stomped his foot dramatically as though that would get his point across better.
"You cheated though!" Jin Ling accused and pointed at Lan Jingyi.
"I did not! I followed the rules that we made!" Lan Jingyi seemed upset at the idea of being called a cheater and Wei Wuxian could see a few tears gather in his eyes. Lan Yuan tried to comfort his cousin.
"Don't cry A-Yi!" Lan Yuan urged and wrapped his arms around Lan Jingyi. Lan Jingyi tried to brush Lan Yuan off however.
"I'm not crying!" Lan Jingyi insisted while he was undoubtedly sniffling back a few tears and a runny nose.
"Hey! You can't cry - stop that will you! You will look like a bigger baby if you keep crying." Jin Ling had uncrossed his arms and took a hesitant half step towards Lan Jingyi and Wei Wuxian recognised that Jin Ling was attempting to calm his new friend down in a way that only Jin Ling could.
Wei Wuxian felt it was appropriate to interject before it got anymore out of hand. Jin Ling's tsundere tendencies often didn't translate his feelings well. Wei Wuxian knelt down at Jin Ling's side and gently turned the boy to face him by his shoulders. Jin Ling's face had a worried frown sitting on his forehead.
"Jin Ling, how about you apologise to A-Yi properly?" Wei Wuxian calmly suggested but by Jin Ling's put out face, he knew he would have to explain the boy why Lan Jingyi deserved an apology exactly.
"Why should I have to apologise?" Jin Ling crossed his arms once again and tried to shake free of the hold his uncle had on his shoulders.
"You shouldn't call people cheaters, A-Ling. You hurt A-Yi's feelings." Jin Ling peered over his shoulders to see both Lan Wangji and Lan Yuan trying to comfort the crying Lan Jingyi and quickly averted his eyes. "Did A-Yi really cheat?" Wei Wuxian gently questioned.
"...No." Jin Ling mumbled out and Wei Wuxian offered him a small smile.
"How 'bout you offer him an apology then?" Jin Ling didn't move from his spot though. "Didn't you just make friends with A-Yi? Friends apologise to each other." Jin Ling's eyes blew wide at the idea of Lan Jingyi being his friend. He didn't hesitate again and swung around to meet Lan Jingyi's gaze.
"A-Yi, I'm sorry for calling you a cheater. You're not!" A small blush stole its way across Jin Ling's cheeks and he stared down at his feet. Wei Wuxian smiled at his young nephew apologising so earnestly.
"It's okay, A-Ling! Let's play some more, yeah?" Lan Jingyi stepped forward grasped Jin Ling's hand, seemingly forgetting about being upset. Jin Ling just nodded his head. From beside them, Lan Yuan was beaming in happiness that his two friends had made up.
"Brother has made lunch." Lan Wangji said to the delight of the children who eagerly followed Lan Wangji to the kitchen to eat lunch. Wei Wuxian hung back and smiled at the happy image. He didn't notice Lan Yuan beside him however.
"Big Brother Wei, are you coming too?" Wei Wuxian froze in terror at the sound of his own name and slowly peered down at the young boy smiling earnestly up at him. His stomach turned in somersaults and his breath hitched. His secret was out.
"How do you know my name?" Wei Wuxian couldn't help but ask. His knees felt weak so he didn't even bother trying to keep them steady and instead sunk to Lan Yuan's side.
"A-Ling said that your name isn't Mo Xuanyu, but actually Wei Wuxian!" Lan Yuan proudly said but then a frown crossed his face. "Why did you lie to me and Daddy about your name?"
"I'm sorry for lying, A-Yuan. I have a good reason, but it is a secret." Wei Wuxian mumbled out in some attempt of an apology. His heart pinched at the fact that he had deceived Lan Yuan.
"A secret?" Lan Yuan questioned with a tilt of his head.
"Yes, a secret. I promise I am going to tell your Daddy the truth, but I want to be the one to tell him. Do you think you can help keep my real name a secret from your Daddy for a little while longer, A-Yuan?" Lan Yuan pursed his lips in thought as he considered whether it was worth keeping Wei Wuxian's secret. Eventually his face brightened up and he nodded his head enthusiastically.
"Okay! I know how to keep secrets! Like how Daddy told me you are his-" Lan Yuan suddenly slapped his heads over his mouth and his eyes blew wide.
"I am his what?" Wei Wuxian questioned with a tilt of his head.
"I can't tell you! It is Daddy's secret!" Lan Yuan whispered to Wei Wuxian.
"Okay then. You better not tell anyone your Daddy's secret then!" Wei Wuxian ruffled Lan Yuan's hair as he stood up. "Thank you, A-Yuan." Wei Wuxian offered and then extended a hand for Lan Yuan to hold onto. "Shall we go see what your uncle has prepared for lunch?" Wei Wuxian offered to which Lan Yuan eagerly took and they walked towards the dining area to meet with the others again.
Jin Ling, Lan Yuan and Lan Jingyi were huddled around each other as they bid Jin Ling farewell. Lan Xichen was standing by the children, just silently observing. Wei Wuxian smiled as he watched on by Lan Wangji's side. He then decided that it would be appropriate to bid his own farewell.
"Thanks for today, Lan Wangji. Both Jin Ling and I appreciate it." Wei Wuxian smiled up at Lan Wangji's usual impassive face. Lan Wangji just looked down at Wei Wuxian, watching with those golden eyes, before he spoke.
"Mnn."
Gazing into each others eyes, Wei Wuxian was once again reminded to earlier in the day when they were seated on the couch and so close to kissing. At that time, Wei Wuxian didn't get a chance to answer of his question of whether Lan Wangji's lips tasted as good as they looked.
Perhaps I could…
"Lan Wangji." Without thought, his name just slipped from Wei Wuxian's lips. Lan Wangji raised an eyebrow in question but Wei Wuxian just wordlessly stepped forward and intertwined their fingers together, much like they had this morning. With his other hand, Wei Wuxian began to trace a small pattern on the back of Lan Wangji's hand before reaching up to rest it on his broad shoulder. Naturally their faces came closer as their bodies gravitated towards each other.
"Is this okay?" Wei Wuxian whispered to Lan Wangji, much like how Lan Wangji whispered to him before, and fluttered his eyes alluringly. Lan Wangji just hummed in agreement and tightened his grip on Wei Wuxian's hand slightly.
"Lan Wangji." Wei Wuxian called out again. He watched Lan Wangji's face for any change in expression. His facial features didn't even twitch, but Wei Wuxian swore that his eyes began to blaze more intensely. Even if Wei Wuxian knew he shouldn't on a moral standpoint, he couldn't help but ask.
"Can I kiss you?"
Lan Wangji didn't even hesitant with his answer. "Yes."
Therefore, Wei Wuxian didn't hesitate when he surged up slightly and gently placed his lips to Lan Wangji's. For half a second, neither of them moved, but then simultaneously they opened their lips slightly to share a more intimate kiss. Neither of them dared to use their tongues, and no one looking on could claim that it was passionate, but Wei Wuxian swore he had never had a better kiss.
Lan Wangji's lips didn't really taste like much, but they were warm against Wei Wuxian's. Warm and firm and unlike anyone's he had ever kissed before. Even as Wei Wuxian pulled away, he knew Lan Wangji's kiss would leave an everlasting impression on him. After all, this kiss was so he could have a memory to keep in case Lan Wangji hated him after telling him the truth.
Because the next time they met, Wei Wuxian would tell Lan Wangji the truth.
"Ugh, that is so gross!" Jin Ling called out and Wei Wuxian turned his head in surprise, having forgotten about the children. Lan Jingyi had a disgruntled look on his face similarly to Jin Ling, but Lan Yuan just watched on with a bright smile on his face.
Wei turned back to Lan Wangji and offered him a bright smile. "Thanks, Lan Wangji."
"Mnn." Lan Wangji just answered back.
"I will see you soon, okay?" Wei Wuxian asked and Lan Wangji gave a single firm nod in affirmation. Wei Wuxian returned to Jin Ling's side and bid his farewells to the other three Lans and herded Jin Ling into the backseat of his car. After checking three times with a disgruntled Jin Ling that he had all of his things, Wei Wuxian and Jin Ling gave a final goodbye and pulled out from the driveway.
If you were to ask Wei Wuxian about his childhood friend Lan Zhan, he wouldn't be able to tell you much. Wei Wuxian's memory from that period in his life was blurry at best and he could hardly remember his childhood friend's face. Despite this, he could recall with the utmost confidence that Lan Zhan was one of the best friends he had ever had.
As Wei Wuxian lay in his bed for the night and waited for sleep to descend upon him, his thoughts drifted back to earlier that day. Perhaps it was seeing the children play together or his suspicions of the origin of Lan Wangji's childhood friend, but for the first time in a long while, Wei Wuxian couldn't help reminisce about Lan Zhan as he fell asleep. That is probably why he dreamt of their first meeting that night.
"Give it back!" Wei Wuxian attempted to grab his toy, the very one that his parents gifted him before they had died, that was in the clutches of an older boy who lived close by to the forest they were currently in. The boy had seen Wei Wuxian playing by himself, having escaped into the forest from the evil caretakers at the orphanage to be by himself, and had snatched the toy from him.
"Why do you care about it? It is pretty ugly anyway." The boy teased Wei Wuxian who tried his best to get it back, but he was far too short. Wei Wuxian could feel tears welling in his eyes but he tried his best not to let them fall.
"It was from my parents!" Wei Wuxian insisted but this only made the other boy snicker more.
"Well they must hate you then! Why else would they give you an ugly toy and abandon you? You're just a poor orphan with dead parents!" Wei Wuxian's attempt to keep his tears at bay failed and they helplessly streamed down his cheeks in rivulets. Wei Wuxian rubbed at his face to chase them away, leaving behind grubby marks of the mud he was playing in.
"Give it back to him." A voice interjected and both Wei Wuxian and his tormentor swung around to the source of the voice. Dressed in nice clothes, much unlike Wei Wuxian's tattered ones, the boy stood a bit taller than Wei Wuxian but seemed to be of closer age to him than the bully. The older boy just sneered at him.
"And just why should I?" The nicely dressed boy that had came to Wei Wuxian's defence said no more and simply took quick, confident steps towards the bully.
"I will tell uncle." He simply just said. Wei Wuxian couldn't believe this kid. If anything, Wei Wuxian figured, this was only going to anger the bully even more!
"Tell your uncle?" The boy let out an incredulous laugh in disbelief at the idea he would get told on. "And just which family do you come from, pipsqueak?" He jeered.
"Lan." Wei Wuxian didn't know who the Lan family was, but this seemed to shut the other boy up.
"Lan?" The bully blanched and began to stutter. "Y-you, I-um. This is all a joke, yeah? We are just friends playing around." He turned to Wei Wuxian and jabbed with his finger harshly as if this would prompt him to agree. Now that his guard was down, Wei Wuxian decided there was only one course of action that was suitable. He kicked the bully hard right between his legs.
The older boy sunk to his knees in pain and dropped Wei Wuxian's toy. Wei Wuxian didn't hesitate to scoop up his toy and the boy's hand that came to his aid and make a run for it, further out of the forest. The bully's yells faded away as Wei Wuxian made for the edge of the forest and the other boy just silently ran behind him. Only until he felt like it was safe did Wei Wuxian stop running.
Wei Wuxian doubled over as he panted for breath. He didn't realise he was still holding onto the other boy's hand until he heard him clear his throat to direct attention to himself. Once Wei Wuxian realised they were still holding hands, he dropped it quickly as though it burned him.
"Sorry." The apology slipped from Wei Wuxian's mouth before he really thought it through, but he guessed that he should apologise for dragging him off suddenly without warning. The other boy just nodded his head and didn't say anything more.
"Uh, thanks. For helping me get my toy back." Wei Wuxian offered him a smile, but still the boy didn't say much and just wordlessly stared back.
"Uh, do you come here often? I haven't seen you before. I come here often to-" Wei Wuxian paused. He was about to say so he could get away from the caretakers at the orphanage, but he didn't want this boy to think badly of him because he lived in the orphanage. All the adults in the town didn't like him because they thought he was dirty orphan. Usually he would just dismiss these people, but for some reason he didn't want this boy to think badly of him.
"I come here to get away from my family." Wei Wuxian just continued with a smile, hoping he was acting convincingly enough. "My aunt and uncle can be a bit overbearing sometimes, you know?" Again the other boy didn't really give an answer and just continued to stare.
"Um, you said that your family name was Lan, but what is your given name? I'm Wei Ying!" Again, Wei Wuxian only gave his nickname to the other boy. He knew that he had gained a rumour amongst the townsfolk as being that 'troublesome Wei Wuxian' and wished that those rumours would not affect his impression on this boy.
"A-Zhan! A-Zhan! Where are you? A-Zhan?" Both boys looked towards where the sound was coming from. An older boy who looked similar to Wei Wuxian's saviour emerged from the tree line and looked relieved once he spied the two boys.
"A-Zhan! There you are! Uncle! He is over here!" The older boy quickly ran over to what Wei Wuxian presumed his younger brother and checked him over for any injuries.
"Brother." The boy Wei Wuxian presumed was 'Lan Zhan' spoke up and didn't say anything more.
"Why did you run off? You made Uncle and I worried." The older brother chastised. Lan Zhan just kept quiet and in fear that his new friend would be scolded, Wei Wuxian spoke up.
"He saved me! Another boy was bullying me and stole me toy and he told him to stop! Don't punish him please." Wei Wuxian pleaded. The brother seemed to finally notice his presence and flashed Wei Wuxian a smile.
"Thank you for taking care of him then." He turned back to Lan Zhan and clutched his hand to lead him away. "Come, A-Zhan. Uncle is waiting for us over there!" Wei Wuxian looked over to where the brother gestured to and sure enough an older man was lingering by the edge of the trees, clearly waiting for his nephews to return to his side. The brothers began to walk off, but Wei Wuxian quickly interjected.
"Ah! Is your name Lan Zhan, right?" Lan Zhan hesitated for a moment before giving a nod of his head. Wei Wuxian beamed in excitement. "I come here often, Lan Zhan! Come play with my sometime, okay?" Wei Wuxian playfully asked, hoping that his new friend wouldn't reject him. Again, Lan Zhan just gave another nod of his head in affirmation and then followed his brother back to their uncle's side. Soon the family of three left out of Wei Wuxian's sight and he was left alone at the edge of the forest.
Wei Wuxian couldn't be happier. It was the first time in a long time that he had a new friend to play with outside the kids who lived at the orphanage. From then on, Wei Wuxian would often meet with Lan Zhan in the forest play together with him.
In the days where he felt the most loneliest, Lan Zhan was his only solace. That is probably why it hurt Wei Wuxian so badly to lose such a precious friend.
That night, while Wei Wuxian deeply slept, dreaming of his childhood friend Lan Zhan, his phone was constantly engaged in calls. By midnight he had a total of thirty four missed calls from a variety of his friends, but he did not wake once to the vibrating phone.
It wasn't until Wei Wuxian woke the next morning and checked his phone would be come to realisation that he was too late.
A number of online web pages that focused on celebrity and socialite news and gossip had broken the news. Just seeing the headlines made Wei Wuxian's sink in defeat.
Mo Heir Involved in Scandalous Affair with Fallen Wen Family Member
It was all over.
Notes:
We are slowly making our way to the finale of this story~
A lot was revealed in this chapter, so I would love to hear your thoughts on it all and read any theories that you may have.
I am on tumblr at nevermorealyre. If you want to chat about MZDS, feel free to hit me up!
Thank you all for your continued support with reading, leaving comments and kudos~ It is very much appreciated!
Chapter 8: Strength
Notes:
So this turned out to be way longer than I originally thought it would be. Like twice as long. So be prepared for the long angst-filled chapter.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian sat on the edge of his bed with his head sunk into his knees. Beside him on the bed, his phone was dimly illuminating the dark room. Half a dozen articles detailing Mo Xuanyu and Wen Ning's scandalous affair had popped up when Wei Wuxian had searched for the scandal. Wei Wuxian could barely stomach reading the headlines, let alone the articles themselves, and had to put his phone down.
Upon waking up early in the morning, he was immediately confronted with many missed calls and unread messages, which had confused Wei Wuxian greatly with his mind still bleary with sleep. When he had checked Jiang Cheng's messages and clicked on the web page link that his brother had sent him, he knew what all the fuss was about.
It seemed like he was the last one to know. Half of his texts were from Mo Xuanyu and Wen Ning combined, most of them being apologies. A third were from Jiang Cheng asking him if he was okay and the others were from Nie Huaisang and Jiang Yanli.
Except one.
He had received a single message from Lan Wangji himself that had simply read: call me.
He felt sick to his stomach. After all, how could he dare call Lan Wangji and expect a positive reaction from the man. Wei Wuxian figured if he came clean to him with genuine honesty, maybe he would be able to convince Lan Wangji that he truly cared for him.
Now Lan Wangji believed that he was being cheated on and, to put it simply, Wei Wuxian was scared. He was so scared of losing the one good thing that had happened to him in so long. All because of his own selfishness.
Wei Wuxian was jarred from his turbulent thoughts at the sound of the front door opening and closing. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Jiang Cheng was currently on a business trip in another city and wasn't due back until much later in the afternoon. Wei Wuxian stood from his bed and went to the lounge to investigate. There, he was met with the sight of Jiang Cheng unloading his briefcase and a few bags of souvenirs from his arms unto the counter. Upon realising that Wei Wuxian had emerged from his room, Jiang Cheng turned to his brother, offering him half of a smile.
"Why are you back early?" Wei Wuxian opened with.
"You needed me more than my manager did." Wei Wuxian didn't have a good follow up statement, so he just remained silent.
"I'm assuming you got my messages?" Jiang Cheng asked as he leaned against the kitchen counter.
"Yours and several others." Wei Wuxian listlessly replied. He wrapped his arms around his torso in some attempt at comfort, but he didn't feel like it helped.
"What are you going to do now?" Wei Wuxian looked to Jiang Cheng helplessly for a moment before he cast his eyes to the ground. He wished he could ask these questions to Jiang Cheng instead of having to come up with the answer to them.
"Now?" Wei Wuxian let out a scoff in some attempt to lighten the mood. His attempt of feigning humour didn't improve his mood. "What can I do? I floundered telling him the truth for so long. This is karma biting me in the ass." Wei Wuxian ran his hand through his hair, catching his fingers in the knots in his hair. He busied himself with detangling them, focusing his attention to pulling apart the strands.
"Well, you could start by telling him the truth." Jiang offered softly. Wei Wuxian sighed dramatically, wishing Jiang Cheng could offer some advice which he didn't already know. Well, Wei Wuxian may have already known the correct course of action to take, but at this point it felt quite pointless.
"The truth? What good would that do now? He already knows the truth! Read it straight from some trashy gossip site." Wei Wuxian quit fiddling with his hair upon realising he was only making it look like more of a bird's nest and instead crossed one arm across his body to clutch at the other hanging limp by his side.
"Well that isn't the truth. He has just assumed that Mo Xuanyu is cheating on him." Jiang Cheng kicked off from his spot against the kitchen counter and he began to use his hands to animatedly gesture as that would get through to Wei Wuxian better.
"Well, the truth isn't any better. What do I tell him? That the Mo Xuanyu he has spending his time with, that he introduced to his son and brother, isn't actually the person he thought?" Wei Wuxian's vision started blurring slightly at the edges and for a brief moment he was caught in surprise at the fact before coming to the realisation that he was indeed tearing up. He hadn't cried in a long time. Maybe not since he was a child. But here he was, a grown adult, crying for the first time in years because he had personally destroyed his own happiness.
"Yes." Jiang Cheng put it bluntly, knowing it would help no one to beat around the bush. He took in a big breath before continuing on. "You kept this secret for this long, it is only right that you explain yourself." He was expecting Wei Wuxian to perhaps continue questioning him on what he should do - even if the answer was blatantly obvious. But instead, when Jiang Cheng looked up, he was surprised to see big, fat tears gather in Wei Wuxian's eyes. He just stood in shock for a moment, unsure what to do; the last time he saw Wei Wuxian cry like this, he was a child who was scared at the sight of dogs to the point of tears.
It wasn't until Wei Wuxian's pools of tears turned into delicate streams did Jiang Cheng know what he had to do. He didn't hesitate and stepped forward to wrap his older brother up in a big embrace, rubbing his back in comfort. Wei Wuxian gratefully folded his arms over Jiang Cheng's back and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt as he sobbed into his shoulder. Jiang Cheng just held him tight.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this!" Wei Wuxian cried out. He had to take in a few gasps of breath before he could continue on. "I was supposed to tell him personally. And then convince him that I didn't do this because I hated him." Wei Wuxian sobbed into the crook of Jiang Cheng's neck.
Jiang Cheng just stood there for a while, comforting Wei Wuxian while he calmed down. It took a few minutes for Wei Wuxian to gather himself, and then Jiang Cheng continued on with their conversation.
"You know what you need to do." In his arms, Jiang Cheng could feel Wei Wuxian tense slightly before heaving out a big sigh and his shoulders falling limp.
"What? Tell him that I am some pathetic liar?" Wei Wuxian asked in a small voice, tightening his hands on Jiang Cheng's shirt.
"That you are in love with him." Wei Wuxian just remained silent and Jiang Cheng just stood there, wondering if Wei Wuxian's brain was temporarily unable to process the logic of his words. However, after he heard Wei Wuxian softly giggling into his shoulder, Jiang Cheng was convinced that he broke the man.
"I love him." Wei Wuxian whispered out. Jiang Cheng knew Wei Wuxian wasn't speaking to him, but instead was just making the reality of his emotions an outright declaration that wasn't hidden secretly in his mind. Wei Wuxian drew back from Jiang Cheng's embrace and held his brother by both of his shoulders with a bewildered look on his face. Suddenly, Wei Wuxian started laughing, to which Jiang Cheng only watched on confused.
When Wei Wuxian calmed himself down, he finally elaborated on what he was laughing about. "I don't think my love will be enough in this situation." He attempted a smile, but Wei Wuxian could only manage a weak smile that trembled as he held back another swell of tears.
"You need to at least try."
Wei Wuxian immediately enveloped Jiang Cheng into another big hug. He rested his chin on Jiang Cheng's shoulder and they both slightly swayed on their feet, as if they were dancing to some imaginary music.
Jiang Cheng whispered into Wei Wuxian's ear. "You have a terrible habit of making the impossible, possible. Don't you remember how you managed to land that role for that big blockbuster movie a few years back even though you were just a recent university drop out with little experience in stunting? Or how about when a few years back, you somehow made my mother hate you even more when you snuck into the Nie family party, got terribly drunk and made a disgrace of yourself. I personally didn't think she could dislike you anymore before that, but you defied even my mother's limit of hatred for you." That got a chuckle out of Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng smirked. "Making Lan Wangji fall in love with you doesn't seem like such a big feat in light of what you have already accomplished."
"I hope you are right, Jiang Cheng." Wei Wuxian murmured. He withdrew from Jiang Cheng's embrace once again with the barest of smiles.
"Idiot. When aren't I right?" Jiang Cheng lightly cuffed Wei Wuxian over the ear.
"Ow, Jiang Cheng! There is no need for violence!" Wei Wuxian's shrieked and his hands cupped his ear in a act of pain. It did not hurt, but it did lighten Wei Wuxian's mood.
"No matter what, Wei Ying, we will be here for you. All of us. Mo Xuanyu, Wen Ning, and Shijie included." Jiang Cheng gave Wei Wuxian a heavy handed pat on his shoulder with a smile.
"Will you let me cry on your shoulder, Jiang Cheng?" Wei Wuxian playfully asked. Jiang Cheng's smile disappeared in an instance and he withdrew his hand.
"Of course not. I don't want all of your snot over my shirt." Jiang Cheng turned away and gathered up the stuff he had deposited on the kitchen counter to tote back into his room.
"I think it is already a little too late for that." Wei Wuxian gestured to Jiang Cheng's shoulder that was wet with his tears and snot. Jiang Cheng gave it a cursory glance before throwing a glare Wei Wuxian's way with a hard set jaw.
"Idiot. You are doing the laundry."
"Jiang Cheng?" Wei Wuxian called out and Jiang Cheng paused once again and turned back to his brother.
"What?" Jiang Cheng hissed out. Wei Wuxian just smiled back.
"Thanks." They both shared a companionable smile.
Even if Wei Wuxian had come to the realisation that he was in love with Lan Wangji, it didn't curb his fears. If anything, his admittance of how much he cared for the other man only made him feel like more of a coward. He didn't want to lose a love that hadn't even really started yet.
So, foolishly, Wei Wuxian did the only thing he could in his act of cowardice: he avoided contact with Lan Wangji at all costs. What better way was there to ensure there was no breakup if you couldn't hear it?
It was midday and Wei Wuxian had just parked out front of Mo Xuanyu's apartment when he received his first call from Lan Wangji. It was the first time that Lan Wangji had called him after the scandal had been exposed. Even though Lan Wangji had texted Wei Wuxian to call him, apparently he didn't have the patience to wait around for that call.
Of course, wouldn't you want to cut ties with a liar as soon as possible? Wei Wuxian thought to himself. However, Wei Wuxian figured Lan Wangji was cutting ties with him because he was considered a cheater instead of being a liar.
All Wei Wuxian could do was stare down at the screen of his phone that was lit up with Lan Wangji's name. He knew he should just pick up the call, Wei Wuxian couldn't bring himself to do so. Instead, as is phone continued to chime with the ringtone he loved, Wei Wuxian let his imagination escape him. He began to imagine, if he picked up the phone right in this instant, how the conversation would go with Lan Wangji.
Would he be mad?
Lan Wangji?
You despicable person! How dare you cheat on me!
Cheat on you? I didn't I swear!
Then were all hundred of the articles I read about your relationship with Wen Ning false?
I can explain! Please listen to me!
Explain why you lied to me?
Yes! I mean no! I mean… can we meet up and I can explain this whole situation to you?
I think not.
What?
I am ending this here. I don't want to be involved with the likes of you.
Wait, please, just hear me out!
Goodbye, Mo Xuanyu.
Wait! My name is really Wei-
He jerked as his phone chimed cheerily, indicating to him that he had missed a call. There was no voicemail left. His phone had long stopped ringing during his reverie, and without the running motor of his car or the familiar ringtone, the silence felt stifling as Wei Wuxian sat in loneliness.
Wei Wuxian had to scoff at his overactive imagination. He couldn't believe he imagined Lan Wangji having such a reaction. Never in a million years, not even in a moment of rage, would Lan Wangji ever speak like that. Even to a lying bastard such as himself.
He knew Lan Wangji better than that.
That thought jarred in Wei Wuxian's mind harshly. Know Lan Wangji? What do you truly know about Lan Wangji?
Wei Wuxian bit his lip harshly and quickly snatched up his phone, keys and wallet from the passenger car seat and hastily stormed up to Mo Xuanyu's apartment. He really shouldn't be allowed to feel bad about not knowing Lan Wangji well when he hasn't been honest about himself. Wei Wuxian felt mad at himself for thinking he had the right to knowing Lan Wangji intimately.
He may have loved the man, but Wei Wuxian had yet to do anything to be deserving of loving him.
Wei Wuxian knocked on Mo Xuanyu's door with a heavy hand. It only occurred to him after he had knocked that he could have easily entered the apartment by inputting the pass code he was sure still hadn't been changed instead. One corner of Wei Wuxian's lips quirked upwards into a smirk at the thought. Love possessed Mo Xuanyu to set his pass code to Wen Ning's birthday date… will I too be overcome by the simplicities of love? Or maybe… I already am.
Wei Wuxian figured he perhaps didn't like being in love. Especially if it hurt this bad. It really wasn't as great as people made it out to be.
It didn't take long for Mo Xuanyu to answer the door. The two men simply shared a sympathetic look with each other and Wei Wuxian was wordlessly invited inside by Mo Xuanyu with a small wave of his hand. Wei Wuxian followed Mo Xuanyu inside and found Wen Ning perched on the edge of the couch, seemingly texting someone on his phone. Upon seeing Wei Wuxian however, he put his phone aside as Mo Xuanyu tucked himself into Wen Ning's side. They cuddled close as Wei Wuxian made himself comfortable on the chaise opposite them.
"Nie Huaisang is here as well. He is making a call in the spare room," Wen Ning opened the conversation with.
"He's been here since early morning. Been trying to make sure some of the news companies that he has good relations with will not release their own article. Or at least, for the sites that have already done so, will not release a follow-up article," Mo Xuanyu followed up with. Guilt suddenly tore at Wei Wuxian's gut. All morning he had been pitying his own situation, fearing that Lan Wangji hated him, but two of his best friends were here suffering even more.
Unlike Wei Wuxian, they were both apart of high society; or Wen Ning was before his family's fall from grace. Because Mo Xuanyu was the heir to his family's line and was set to inherit his step-father's fortune as well, eyes were always turned towards him, waiting for something to whisper about behind closed doors. Or even opened doors, depending on the gossipers' tendency to flirt with what was deemed appropriate social behaviour. Mo Xuanyu's romantic association with a disgraced Wen was a point of amusement, appal and great entertainment.
The most Wei Wuxian would suffer from this scandal was Lan Wangji's hatred. He at least, unlike his friends, won't be subjected to being the centre-piece of collective shaming. That was unless Wei Wuxian's scandal with Lan Wangji was exposed, but from what Wei Wuxian understood from Lan Wangji's distaste with rumours, the secret of their affair will die with the both of them.
"I'm sorry the both of you have to deal with this. I truly am. You don't deserve this. Not so soon after finding happiness." Wei Wuxian sunk back into the chaise with a defeated sigh. He had to wonder why, just when things were falling into place, everything had to fall apart like this.
"I want to say sorry, Wei Ying. I can't imagine Lan Wangji is going to react positively. You still haven't told him the truth, right?" Mo Xuanyu asked. He was fiddling with his fingers and looked distraught.
"I am really sorry, too. We tried to keep this all of secret, but we really didn't expect this to blow up in our faces like this." Wen Ning couldn't lift his eyes from his lap to meet Wei Wuxian's eyes and once again, guilt tore at Wei Wuxian.
"Guys, please don't. It's my fault for dragging it out. You don't need to concern yourself with my mistakes at a time like this. There are more important things at hand." Wei Wuxian sighed out and waved his hand in dismissal. At this point in time, it wasn't appropriate to complain about his own problems. He would much rather distract himself with supporting his friends instead.
"What is more important than your happiness?" Mo Xuanyu's furrowed in concern and he leaned forward on his seat. Wen Ning moved with him too, all the while an inquisitive look was plastered on his face.
"Yours." Wei Wuxian bluntly said, hoping they could move on from his troubles
"Wei Ying-" Mo Xuanyu started, but was cut off by Wei Wuxian, desperate for the conversation to move away from him.
"How did your family react? I can only imagine that your mother has already contacted you." Mo Xuanyu sat back again, his jaw tense. He was obviously concerned for Wei Wuxian and how he was coping with how the scandal is affecting his relationship with Lan Wangji, but Mo Xuanyu also really didn't want to push the sore subject. Wen Ning gave Mo Xuanyu's arm a light squeeze and Mo Xuanyu took that as a sign to move on with the conversation.
"That she has. I didn't seem like she was angry and she seemed to be more concerned than anything. But I think she was also confused, because our relationship was quite unexpected for her. I think she was still expecting a wedding with the Lans after all. But we are going around to my parent's place tonight to talk about it. We have to explain everything to them." Wei Wuxian grimaced slightly at the thought of Mo Xuanyu needing to explain his relationship with Wen Ning to his mother. She cared for him dearly, but she was also concerned about her social status and might see dating a disgraced Wen would be too scandalous. He could only hope that the two of them came out of that conversation alright.
"My sister got kind of angry. Mostly because paparazzi have been harassing her at her new practice asking for a quote." Wei Wuxian had to suppress a small giggle at the thought of Wen Qing getting angry at paparazzi for disturbing her. During their family's scandal, she had made minor news about how she had chewed into a rude paparazzi, and Wei Wuxian could only imagine she would be more frustrated now; especially because her younger brother was personally involved in this scandal. Perhaps she would take that broom she was always threatening to beat Wei Wuxian with and put it to good use on the paparazzi.
Wen Ning continued on. "But otherwise, she is being supportive. I think she was starting to suspect our relationship anyway."
"Well you aren't very good at keeping secrets. Especially from your sister! She probably knew the truth from the start." Mo Xuanyu said with a small chuckle and leaned into Wen Ning's side to rest his head on his shoulder.
It was at this moment that Nie Huaisang rejoined the group, seemingly finished with his calls.
"Hello, Wei Wuxian. It has been a while." Nie Huaisang greeted him and Wei Wuxian could help but flash a smile at his friend.
"Busy as ever running your gossip rag, I assume?"
"Those are just side businesses. Most of my attention is dedicated to the newspaper as always." Nie Huaisang said with a tired sigh. He didn't know how Nie Huaisang managed to maintain and grow all of the businesses he owned so well. Nie Huaisang owned a number of newspaper and magazine companies and it seemed he was always in the process of acquiring another one for his growing media empire. His influence was still growing, but he had a firm foot in the media industry and was a formidable force to reckon with when he was slighted.
"Anyway," Nie Huaisang turned his attention to the couple. "I tried my best. Some articles were redacted and I convinced a few I am on good terms with to not go forward to publishing their own articles." His forehead creased and his face became closed off. "There were a few that refused to remove their articles." From the cold tone of his voice, Wei Wuxian figured that Nie Huaisang would not soon forget these disregards.
"Thank you, Nie Huaisang. Knowing that even one of those disgusting articles aren't out there makes me feel better. I don't want my personal life to be viewed as a spectacle." Mo Xuanyu said with a soft, warm smile which Nie Huaisang returned.
Nie Huaisang returned his attention back to Wei Wuxian. "Just a heads up, the Lan family also knows. I personally had a call from Lan Qiren this morning, asking if the rumours of Mo Xuanyu and Wen Ning dating are true. He didn't sound pleased."
"Uh." Mo Xuanyu grunted. "There goes avoiding insulting the Lan family. Out of everything, I think that is the one thing my family will truly be pissed about." Mo Xuanyu sank his face into his cupped hands resting on his knees in exasperation. Wen Ning gently rubbed his back in comfort.
"I'm sorry, Mo Xuanyu, I really should have told Lan Wangji the truth long ago. Or just refuse him like we had initially planned to do." Wei Wuxian spoke up. Mo Xuanyu peeked out at him from in between his fingers before softly shaking his head.
"Our plan didn't accommodate the fact that apparently Lan Wangji is too irresistible for you to refuse. You falling in love with Lan Wangji may have not been apart of the plan, but I am not going to fault you for it. After all, like a magpie attracted to shiny things, you can't resist things that have caught your eye." Mo Xuanyu joked. Nie Huaisang's hand flew to his lips to cover a smile and Wen Ning turned his face away so Wei Wuxian could not see his reaction. Wei Wuxian puffed up his cheeks in annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest like a disgruntled child.
"Well apparently you can't resist Lan Wangji either. A few years back, at Nie Huaisang's family's party, Lan Wangji ferried you off to a private corner to kiss the living daylights out of you. Remember that rumour you told me about him? His partner was you, but you were too drunk to even realise!" Wei Wuxian huffed out. He felt a prickle of jealousy pinch his heart but he ignored the feeling to put a haughty look on his face.
"What? Me? How is that possible?" Mo Xuanyu's eyes flew wide in disbelief and he lurched so far forward on his seat that he almost fell off it if it weren't for Wen Ning's steadying hands.
"I heard it straight from Lan Xichen's mouth! He found the two of you in a room all by yourself!" Wei Wuxian pointed an accusing finger at Mo Xuanyu. While Mo Xuanyu sunk into himself mumbling phrases of disbelief, Nie Huaisang stood on the sidelines with a frown on his face.
"Are you perhaps mistaken, Wei Wuxian? Mo Xuanyu was with me the whole-" Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted Nie Huaisang and everyone fell deathly silent. Everyone's eyes rested on the front door, all imagining the possibility of a paparazzi on the other side who had snuck through the apartment's security. At the sound of the second knock, Mo Xuanyu stood up to go answer the door with a disgruntled look on his face.
Everyone in the living room remained quiet as they tried to listen in to who was at the door. Wei Wuxian could only hear the door opening, but the conversation between Mo Xuanyu and his surprise guest was spoken in soft murmurs that Wei Wuxian couldn't hear. However, unlike how Wei Wuxian initially guessed, apparently this guest wasn't unwelcome because Mo Xuanyu was quick to invite him inside.
The guest followed Mo Xuanyu back into the living room and remained standing while Mo Xuanyu retreated back to Wen Ning's side, who stood up at the arrival of their new guest. Wei Wuxian was still seated on the chaise, which was tucked up against the wall that separated the entrance way and the living room. Their guest didn't see him at first, his attention wholly on Mo Xuanyu, and once Wei Wuxian saw who it was, he was instantly grateful his presence was ignored.
Lan Xichen stood standing in Mo Xuanyu's living room, looking as elegant as Wei Wuxian remembered him yesterday. He was the last person Wei Wuxian was expecting to be on Mo Xuanyu's doorstep and in his shock, Wei Wuxian couldn't find any words.
"Good morning, Nie Huaisang, Wen Ning." La Xichen greeted them, before turning his attention to Mo Xuanyu.
"I came here today to talk to you about your motives, Mo Xuanyu." Lan Xichen said. Lan Xichen's back was facing him, so he couldn't see his face, but Wei Wuxian imagined that he had a composed look on his face, despite his frustration on his brother's behalf.
Mo Xuanyu ran a hand down his face, clearly too tired to deal with this at the moment. "Look, I promise to explain everything. Just… I ask you to listen to our explanation first before making any assumptions. It is pretty complicated."
"I just want to know if there is a good reason why you have hurt my brother like this. After our talk yesterday, I was sure you were committed to Lan Wangji." Wei Wuxian could hear that Lan Xichen was keeping a calm voice, but the tension in his back gave away the fact that he was quite angry.
"You may find that hard to believe, but I wasn't the one who came to visit Lan Wangji yesterday." Wei Wuxian met Mo Xuanyu's worried eyes. Wei Wuxian breathed in deeply and steeled himself for what he was about to do.
"Are you implying that I met someone else yesterday?" Lan Xichen asked, unsurprisingly confused at Mo Xuanyu's choice of words.
"Hello again, Lan Xichen." Lan Xichen was quick to turn on his heel to see Wei Wuxian sitting on the chaise behind him. "I would say it is good to see you again, but I have a feeling that you are here to skin me alive instead of exchange pleasantries. Could I call for a rain check on the skinning? I am quite busy this week." Wei Wuxian's attempt at humour seemed to fall on deaf ears, all of them were staring at him with raised eyebrows, so he quickly stood and cleared his throat instead.
"My bad, my bad!" Wei Wuxian raised his hands in mock surrender. "Nice to meet you again, Lan Xichen. Let me introduce myself as Not Mo Xuanyu. I am a more handsome, intelligent and charming version of that man over there." Wei Wuxian offered a smile to Lan Xichen, but he just turned to Mo Xuanyu.
"I can't deny that you two look extremely similar, but the Mo Xuanyu I met yesterday didn't act like… this. You had to be the person I met yesterday." Lan Xichen stressed gently. Wei Wuxian's jaw fell open in shock.
"What do you mean by that? I of course played my role as Mo Xuanyu perfectly, I am an actor after all. It would have been suspicious if I didn't act like a well behaved young master." For his comment, Mo Xuanyu flashed Wei Wuxian a deadpan facial expression that screamed that he was going to get it later. Wei Wuxian just averted his eyes quickly and clasped his hands behind his back.
"Acting? Forgive me, but I do believe you have lost me." Lan Xichen's eyes flickered to everyone in the room, probably figuring at this point that he was missing a major point.
Mo Xuanyu sighed. "It is a really complicated situation. Basically this guy over here has been impersonating me to go out with your younger brother. He is the person that has been going on dates with Lan Wangji, not me."
Lan Xichen turned back to Wei Wuxian. "Who are you and why do you look exactly like Mo Xuanyu."
Wei Wuxian offered a bright smile to Lan Xichen. "I am Wei Wuxian, stuntman extraordinaire and adopted son of the Jiang family. I also go by the nickname Wei Ying. I like spicy food and Emperor's Smile, but am not a fan of dogs. As for why Mo Xuanyu and I look similar, it is a simple coincidence, and not at all because the premise of this story is based around such basic plot conveniences and wouldn't make sense without it."
"What?" Mo Xuanyu, Wen Ning and Nie Huaisang chimed in all at once, clearly confused.
"What?" Wei Wuxian repeated, confused as well, trying to recall what he just said with much difficulty.
"Did you just say your name is Wei Ying?" Lan Xichen questioned with a surprised expression.
"Well my childhood nickname is Wei Ying, yes."
In response, Lan Xichen just heaved out an exaggerated sigh. Wei Wuxian was surprised that he broke his elegant facade, but Lan Xichen paid him no mind.
"So that is why…" Lan Xichen murmured to himself. Everyone else in the room exchanged confused looks while they waited for Lan Xichen to explain his apparent epiphany.
Lan Xichen swiftly turned to Wei Wuxian and cast his earnest eyes on him. Wei Wuxian just blinked in surprise at the small smile on Lan Xichen's lips. He wasn't sure if this was a smile of happiness or a smile of ill intent. Wei Wuxian bit his lip in worry that his skinning was finally coming.
"Wei Wuxian, you need to talk to my brother. Work through this all together, alright?" Wei Wuxian just bobbed his head in agreement, too confused to answer with a coherent thought.
Lan Xichen turned to the other three people in the room. "I will take my leave now. My condolences about your scandal, Mo Xuanyu and Wen Ning. I hope it all works out well for the both of you." He then turned his attention briefly to Nie Huaisang. "I am sure we will see each other soon when your brother returns home, Nie Huaisang. Until then." He gave Nie Huaisang a small nod of his head, which Nie Huaisang earnestly returned.
Mo Xuanyu stepped forward to see Lan Xichen out, but stopped when Lan Xichen gestured for him to stay put. "I will see myself out, Mo Xuanyu. My apologies for intruding on your home this morning. I hope you all have a good day." Lan Xichen swiftly turned on his heel and escorted himself out, the door closing with a soft click behind him. The other four people still in the room where left standing in shock, unsure of what to say. They were all equally confused about Lan Xichen's quick exit and his satisfaction with discovering Wei Wuxian's identity.
"Does anyone have any idea about what just happened?" Wei Wuxian questioned. The other three just shock their heads, all as unsure as the other.
"I am not sure what he realised, but I have to agree with Lan Xichen in the fact that a talk between you and Lan Wangji is long overdue." Wen Ning spoke up.
Mo Xuanyu nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, Wei Ying, you need to do so before it is too late again."
Wei Wuxian let out a big huff of air and ran his tongue along his teeth in thought. He may not want to reach out to Lan Wangji, but he knew he had to eventually.
"Mnn. I will." Wei Wuxian said sombrely.
"Soon, Wei Wuxian. He deserves the truth." Wei Wuxian was surprised by Mo Xuanyu's sudden firm tone and hid a smile.
"Yes, Mother Mo." Mo Xuanyu's face flushed slightly in embarrassment as Wen Ning began to giggle beside him. Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang couldn't hold in their laughs either, and this only caused Mo Xuanyu's blush to deepen in colour. When they quietened down, Wen Ning tried to apologise to his boyfriend who was standing with his arms crossed over his body in protest. Nie Huaisang chimed in with his own input while Wei Wuxian watched the three of the them chat.
Jiang Cheng was right. No matter what happened with Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian would always have his friends to lean back on and make him smile. He knew that there was never anything truer in this world than his ability to share his life with his most beloved people and could only wish that his ability to confide in these people would never be destroyed.
"Senior Wei! Are you okay?" Wei Wuxian could hear one of his juniors yelling, but he could hardly focus on anything other than the excruciating pain blooming over his back. He could only lie on the ground for a minute, trying to get his breath back after being winded. Half a dozen people were crowded around him, but through his bleary eyes, he found that he only recognised a few of them as his coworkers.
It took a few minutes, but they eventually got Wei Wuxian to sit up and the onset first-aid personnel were checking his condition to confirm that he didn't break any bones or get a concussion. They cleared Wei Wuxian soon after as just being a bit winded and one of his junior coworkers helped guide Wei Wuxian over to a seat so he could gather himself.
He had never felt this embarrassed. Ever since Wei Wuxian had entered the stunting industry, he excelled in his performances and had a reputation of never making mistakes onset. This was the first time in his career that he had made such a terrible mistake such as this.
He was supposed to perform a series on stunts on the rooftop of the building they were filming before jumping down off them. During the editing phase of the movie, it would appear that he would elegantly land on his feet after jumping down, but in the filming process, Wei Wuxian would just safely jump down onto a safety mat. Or that was what he was supposed to do at least. Instead, Wei Wuxian slipped on the edge of the roof and had fallen backwards, missing the safety mat clearly by a metre.
This was all because of Lan Wangji. Or more specifically, because Wei Wuxian couldn't take his mind off the impending doom of talking with Lan Wangji. He had barely been able to properly focus on practising his stunt these past few days with his mind so preoccupied on how he was going to confess the truth. He made a promise to himself to at least dedicate his mind to work during filming, but apparently his lack of confidence in his stunt caused him to fall.
Wei Wuxian sunk his head into his hands in despair. Because of him they had to now move on from filming this particular scene to one where they didn't need the stuntmen to substitute in for the actors.. He hated himself for getting distracted during work, but it was already too late. Wei Wuxian decided that there was no use in moping around on the sidelines, so he quickly retreated back to the area onsite that was dedicated for his agency to prepare themselves for filming and to leave all of their equipment.
Wei Wuxian found his bag amongst the clutter and fished out a bottle of water and his phone, intending to call his boss to inform him of what had happened and how this may affect their schedule. Just as he was about to call his boss, his phone lit up with an incoming call.
It was Lan Wangji again.
Wei Wuxian's heart pounded and his finger shook over the accept call button both twitching and hesitating to press it. He knew he needed to talk with Lan Wangji, but imagining what he would say made him pause. Once again, he began to imagine what Lan Wangji would say.
Would he be sad?
Lan Wangji?
Mo Xuanyu! H-How could you do this to me? I thought you loved me!
I do, I promise!
If you did, then how could you break my heart like this?!
Are you crying, Lan Wangji? Please calm down, I can explain everything.
You can start off by explaining why I wasn't enough for you!
But you are! I promise you, I want no other than you.
I can't believe you! All you have done to me is lie!
Wait! Lan Wangji! Please hear me out!
Please, never contact me again, Mo Xuanyu.
Wait! My name is really Wei-
A loud clang tore Wei Wuxian out from his imagination. The noise had come from one of his coworkers who had dropped a piece of equipment to the ground. Wei Wuxian looked back down to the phone in his hand, watching as he received a notification of another missed call from Lan Wangji. Again, there was no message left.
Once again, Wei Wuxian had to laugh at his foolishness. Before he imagined Lan Wangji being angry at him and now, here he was believing that Lan Wangji would crumble into an emotional mess. He knew both of his imagined reactions were far from reality.
He really needed to deal with this problem, especially if it was starting to impede on his work performance. However, at the thought of confronting Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian could feel his breath shortening and his fingers twitching.
...maybe not now, but soon. I need to do it soon, Wei Wuxian thought to himself.
After work, Wei Wuxian found himself sitting on his bed, trying to reflect on what he needed to do. He needed to talk to Lan Wangji, but cowardice was the pest sitting on his heels making him struggle with every step forward. He knew what he needed to do, but he needed to gather his strength to do it.
Wei Wuxian spied the red tassel that hung from his flute peeking out of the corner of the drawer he kept it in. A small smile graced his face and he leaned over to fish the flute out. He raised it to his lips and began playing the song that always managed to calm him in stressful situations. His fingers remembered the order of notes and he pitched his breath faster for the higher notes without thought. For Wei Wuxian, playing this song was almost an innate behaviour that he would never be able to forget.
When he finished playing, Wei Wuxian rested his flute in his lap gently, all the while smiling. Even during his darkest days, the song that his childhood friend wrote for him brightened his mood. Although as much as he enjoyed playing it on the flute, he wished he could hear it again on the guqin. Wei Wuxian started to consider learning to play the guqin, but then his heart spiked in pain. He couldn't think about the guqin without thinking of Lan Wangji now. Wei Wuxian pouted sadly at the thought. Now, even his most beloved memory of Lan Zhan was compromised by the thought of Lan Wangji.
Wei Wuxian jerked a little at his train of thought. He had forgotten. In the shock of hearing about the scandal earlier this week, Wei Wuxian's plan to compare Lan Wangji and Lan Zhan went right out of the window. He thought that the similarities in his own memory and what the Lans had revealed about Lan Wangji's childhood friend could be more than just coincidence.
Thus, Wei Wuxian tried to think back to what Lan Zhan was like.
Wei Wuxian sat cross legged on a boulder, attempting to stack a series of stones on top of each other while he waited for Lan Zhan. This was the first time his friend was late and Wei Wuxian was beginning to get bothered. Even though they had met up countless times now, Wei Wuxian feared every time he ventured out into the forest, Lan Zhan would break his promise to meet because he no longer wanted to be friends with Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian had a hard time maintaining his friendships after all.
"Wei Ying." Wei Wuxian's head snapped up in response to hearing his name. He had accidentally knocked over his stack of rocks, but the arrival of Lan Zhan was far more important. A smile bloomed on his face knowing that his best friend didn't abandon him.
"Lan Zhan! I am over here!" Wei Wuxian called out.
Lan Zhan broke through the line of trees slowly. In his arms he was carrying what Wei Wuxian would describe as a long object that was wrapped in white cloth that was far too big for Lan Zhan's small body to carry easily. Lan Zhan was clearly having difficulty carrying it and was taking extra care not to drop it. Wei Wuxian quickly ran to his side and helped him carry it over the flat boulder where he was waiting for Lan Zhan before.
They gently put it down and Lan Zhan unwrapped the object from its white coverings. Wei Wuxian's eyebrows shot up in surprise of what he saw. He didn't know what he was looking at exactly, but it appeared to be some sort of musical instrument. It was a long plank made from a dark wood and Wei Wuxian counted seven strings that ran down the entire length of the instrument. Curiously, Wei Wuxian stretched out a finger to touch one of the strings and plucked it. A soft twang resounded and Wei Wuxian quickly withdrew his finger in surprise. Peels of delightful laughter bubbled out of his mouth and he quickly turned to Lan Zhan who was simply just watching him.
"What is this, Lan Zhan?"
"A guqin."
"Where did you get it from?" Wei Wuxian asked. He tried plucking a few strings again, enjoying the sound that it produced and the vibration of the strings.
"It is mine." Lan Zhan said. Wei Wuxian's face lit up in response.
"Yours? Really? Can you play it?" Lan Zhan just nodded his head once and positioned himself so he was sitting behind it. He played a simple tune that Wei Wuxian recognised as a popular lullaby. Lan Zhan played it a little clumsily, but Wei Wuxian didn't care; he loved hearing Lan Zhan play. Wei Wuxian made sure to remain quiet as his friend played for him, but was bursting with happiness once he stopped.
"Wow, Lan Zhan! You are really good!" Wei Wuxian could see Lan Zhan was smiling at his compliment. Or what Wei Wuxian considered as smiling for Lan Zhan. His lips would curl just slightly at the corners and it was almost unnoticeable unless you were looking for it.
"Isn't it a bit big though? It must have been really hard to carry it all the way from your house! Why did you bring it?" Wei Wuxian asked. Lan Zhan turned his head away, but Wei Wuxian could see the tips of his ears turning a bright red. He just smirked but knew to keep his mouth shut.
"I wrote a song. For you." Wei Wuxian leapt forward onto his hands and knees to stick his face closer to Lan Zhan, but careful not to accidentally fall on his instrument and damage it.
"Really? For me?"
Lan Zhan nodded his head once again. "Because you were sad."
Wei Wuxian slowly sat back on his haunches with a pensive look on his face. A week ago, Wei Wuxian had disclosed to Lan Zhan about how lonely he had felt without his parents there with him. He had shared a dozen happy memories with Lan Zhan from what he could remember of his parents, but he had told his friend the one thing he had missed the most was how his parents would sing him to sleep with random song they would comes up with. Sometimes they were silly songs about dancing frogs, or other times a soft lullaby hummed, but Wei Wuxian always looked forward to his bedtime songs.
Wei Wuxian's smile trembled and his eyes watered slightly as he thought back to it. He leaned forward again and enveloped Lan Zhan in a big embrace, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you, Lan Zhan." His friend just softly rubbed Wei Wuxian's back in comfort. It took a few minutes before Wei Wuxian released his hold on Lan Zhan, only to urge his friend to play the song he wrote for him. Lan Zhan did not hesitate and Wei Wuxian eagerly listened on. This time as he played, Lan Zhan was far more confident and didn't make any mistakes, as though he had practised this piece until he could play it perfectly.
As the song concluded, Wei Wuxian was beaming in excitement. He loved the sound of the song and was determined to commit it to memory so he could hum it to himself when Lan Zhan wasn't there.
"Lan Zhan, play it again for me."
Looking back on the memories of Lan Zhan, Wei Wuxian couldn't deny his childhood friend's uncanny similarities to Lan Wangji. They both shared the name Lan, played the guqin, had similar features and mannerisms. They both even had a brother that looked very much like each other. Hell, even both of them had a childhood friend, which Wei Wuxian was assuming was himself, that lived in the same orphanage.
Wei Wuxian was seriously starting to consider that Lan Wangji and Lan Zhan was the same person. He was about eighty percent sure at this point. However, it still could be a matter of coincidence.
There was a few things that were holding him back from completely believing the two people were the same person. Firstly, their names were different and during his entire time of knowing each person, he had never heard them referred to another name than the one he knew to address them as. Secondly, Lan Wangji said he had found his childhood friend already, but he had only ever met Wei Wuxian as Mo Xuanyu and didn't know his true identity. Finally, Lan Wangji's facial features were not marred by a large burn scar like his childhood friend has. It was possible that he had plastic surgery, but Wei Wuxian was confident that even surgery would not be able to cover a burn scar to make a person's face look as flawless as Lan Wangji's did.
Either way, when Wei Wuxian talked with Lan Wangji, this was something he needed to bring up in conversation. He just needed to buck up the courage to confront him and explain himself.
Wei Wuxian sighed. He knew what he needed to do in order to face his fears.
"Dig in boys." Jiang Yanli said as she placed two bowls of pork rib and lotus root soup in front of Wei Wuxian and Jin Ling. Both of them were quick to tuck into her food, both of them as eager as the other to eat mouthful after mouthful.
"Mnn, Shijie, your cooking is as good as always. I miss when you would cook for me all the time! You should come live with Jiang Cheng and I, Shijie, our food isn't as good as yours." Wei Wuxian said in between mouthfuls. Jiang Yanli just giggled in response.
Jin Ling looked put out. "No! Mum only cooks for me and Dad now! Not you!" Wei Wuxian laughed at his nephew's jealousy.
"Oh, A-Ling, don't worry, I am not going anywhere. I will always be here to cook for you and Dad, yeah?" Jin Ling's face lit up once again, reassured.
"Why did you come?" Jin Ling directed his question at his uncle with narrowed eyes.
"Can I not come and visit you, Jin Ling?" Wei Wuxian dramatically pouted to make Jin Ling feel guilty, but it had no effect on the small boy.
"You came on the weekend. Twice in one week is too much." Jin Ling deadpanned. Wei Wuxian started sputtering, unsure what to say.
"What? Why do you not like your uncles?" Wei Wuxian shrieked.
"Not my other uncles, only you." Wei Wuxian's mouth gaped open in shock at the thought that his nephew didn't like him. Before their argument could escalate any further, Jiang Yanli was quick to put her hands on Jin Ling's shoulders to draw attention to herself.
"That is enough you two. A-Ling, you know you should be nice to your uncle." Jin Ling just turned his face away in a huff and crossed his arms over his chest in protest. Despite being offended, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but find the action adorable.
"But, A-Xian, is there a reason you wanted to visit today?" Wei Wuxian looked to Jiang Yanli to see her eyes conveyed some of the concern she felt.
Wei Wuxian rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Well, kind of. I need some advice, Shijie."
Jiang Yanli looked to Jin Ling. "A-Ling, why don't you go and play with Fairy." Jin Ling looked between his mother and uncle before nodding his head and running out of the dining room, leaving the two adults to talk amongst themselves.
Jiang Yanli took a seat at the dining table, opposite Wei Wuxian. "Is this got to do with Lan Wangji, A-Xian?"
"Yeah. Shijie, I know I have to tell him the truth, but I am scared." Jiang Yanli reached out her hand to gently rub Wei Wuxian's arm that was resting on the dining table for comfort. She gave his arm a little squeeze before she spoke.
"I know you are, A-Xian, but sometimes we have to do the things that scare us the most." Wei Wuxian's eyes were cast on the tabletop and he bobbed his head softly in agreement as he thought over her words.
Wei Wuxian raised his head to meet his older sister's. "How do I find the courage to do this though?"
"I think you are underestimating yourself, A-Xian. You are one of the bravest people I know. You have always sacrificed so much for me." She let out a little chuff. "You even put aside your fear of being related by law to Jin Zixuan for me." Wei Wuxian chuckled slightly at the thought of his past self being aghast with the idea of his elder sister marrying such an annoying person. However, he couldn't help but shake his head in disagreement once the moment of humour faded away.
"You give me too much credit, Shijie. I am nothing more than a big coward." Wei Wuxian swallowed harshly and bit his lip in worry for what Jiang Yanli would say next. He didn't mean for it to come out so self-deprecating and his shijie did not appreciate the idea of her younger brothers doubting themselves. But her next words didn't come, and instead she was interrupted by another voice.
"Stupid Uncle! Of course you are brave!" Jin Ling whipped around the corner, hands on his hips as though his posture would command respect for his words.
"A-Ling! Were you eavesdropping?" Jiang Yanli halfway stood from her seat, unsure whether to shoo her son away or praise him for interjecting. She just remained silent instead upon seeing his son's determined look.
Jin Ling just ignored his mother anyway. "If you weren't brave, then you wouldn't be here even though Fairy is here!" At the sound of her name, Fairy poked her head around the corner behind Jin Ling. Unlike how he used to, Wei Wuxian did not scream and run just at the mere sight of her. He did however tense in his seat in case she came running at him once again.
"See!" Jin Ling continued on, taking another step forward. "You come to visit me and Mummy even though you are scared of Fairy." Jin Ling seemed to get embarrassed at his point, and tucked his arms behind his back while he looked to the ground. "Mummy said you aren't scared of Fairy anymore for me, because I got sad when you would visit and Fairy would have to left outside." Wei Wuxian could feel a smile start creeping up his face.
"You also do all those cool stunts and you took the blame for me when I broke the vase, even though Grandma is scary." Jiang Yanli looked like she wanted to say something about that, but stopped herself when she saw Wei Wuxian gesture for her not to. Instead, she just smiled a bit at her son's attempt to comfort his uncle.
Wei Wuxian pushed back his chair and opened his arms, in which Jin Ling immediately came running into them. Wei Wuxian held him tight in a warm embrace that Jin Ling returned. It wasn't often that Jin Ling would allow Wei Wuxian to hold him like this, so Wei Wuxian savoured it well.
"Your not a coward, Uncle Wei." Jin Ling murmured into Wei Wuxian shoulder. Wei Wuxian just hid his smile in Jin Ling's hair.
After a minute, he helped Jin Ling stand back on the ground. He reached out to ruffle Jin Ling's hair, to which Jin Ling just batted away annoyed. "Thank you, A-Ling. I feel a lot better with your words."
"You know what you need to do, right A-Xian?" Jiang Yanli asked. Wei Wuxian flashed her a genuine smile.
"I just need to tell the truth and save the worrying for later."
Wei Wuxian was alone in his room after returning from the Jin family residence. He was practising what he was going to say to Lan Wangji when suddenly his phone lit up with a call from the very man he was just thinking of. Even though he was far more confident in picking up the call, he still hesitated. He couldn't help himself from feeling just a slight bit of worry still. Once again, Wei Wuxian couldn't help himself but imagine how his conversation with Lan Wangji would go.
Would he even care?
Lan Wangji?
Mnn.
I am so sorry you had to go through this, but I need to explain myself.
No.
What? Please, can we meet up so I can explain how all of this is just one massive misunderstanding?
No.
Why? Please.
I don't care.
What?
You are too much trouble. It is not worth it.
But what about all the time we spent together?
I didn't care for you that much.
But what about-
No. Goodbye, Mo Xuanyu.
Wait! My name is really Wei-
Wei Wuxian snapped out of it. Out of all of his imagined reactions of Lan Wangji, that one was the closest to reality. However, Wei Wuxian couldn't bring himself to actually believe he would react like that.
Earlier in the week, Wei Wuxian had beat himself up over thinking that he did not deserve to act like he knew Lan Wangji intimately. However, it took him a few days to come to the realisation that Lan Wangji had chosen to share personal information with Wei Wuxian about his life and spend time with him. He did know Lan Wangji, and maybe not a lot, but more than most were privileged to. He needed to respect that Lan Wangji opened up to him and showed Wei Wuxian a side that few people ever saw. He needed to respect that Lan Wangji wanted Wei Wuxian to know about him.
The call had long been missed, but when Wei Wuxian looked down at his phone, he was surprised to see a voicemail was left this time. He didn't hesitate to listen to it. Wei Wuxian put the phone on speaker and Lan Wangji's low timbre voice flowed out.
"Please, call me. I will wait." The message was short but at the sound of Lan Wangji's voice, Wei Wuxian could feel a shiver run down his spine. It wasn't until now that Wei Wuxian had heard his voice for the first time in a week, did he realise how much he missed it. How much he missed Lan Wangji.
The voicemail ended and Wei Wuxian had to laugh. Lan Wangji didn't seem to be angry, or sad or even nonchalant about it.
He wanted to talk.
Wei Wuxian was a fool. All his friends and family probably knew this too, but Wei Wuxian was too caught up in his own worry to see the bigger picture: Lan Wangji cared for Wei Wuxian just as much as he cared for him. Lan Wangji also was not a man who would run away with his tail tucked in between his legs at the first sign of difficulty.
After he talked with Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian really needed to thank his friends and family. They helped him realise some rather important things in this past week after all. Jiang Cheng always helped him realise the truth and acted his best confidant who he wasn't afraid to show moments of weakness to. Wen Ning and Mo Xuanyu showed him that his friends would always be there to help him smile and support him during his greatest struggles. Finally Jiang Yanli and Jin Ling helped him realise his courage and what he was willing to do for his beloved ones.
He wished, however, that at least one of them could have physically knocked some sense into him. Their verbal attempts seemed to do little because after all of his constant worries, Lan Wangji was just waiting for him to call. Wei Wuxian truly thought he was the greatest fool around.
This time, there was no hesitation as Wei Wuxian picked up the phone and called the person he needed to the most. The call was received almost immediately and Wei Wuxian took in a big breath to brace himself.
"Lan Wangji?"
Notes:
Thank you all for reading, leaving kudos and commenting! It is all greatly appreciated!
So I can finally reveal that there will be three more chapters (including an epilogue) before his story is finished! Yay! We are almost there.
I also wanted to ask the MDZS fandom a question about WWX's flute. Does anyone know what specific flute WWX actually plays? I originally believed it was a dizi, but came to the realisation when writing this chapter that it wasn't the case. For all who don't know, a dizi requires a thin membrane (called a dimo) to be placed over one of the holes to create a sound. It is a very hard thing to put on (trust me, coming from someone who plays the dizi personally, the dimo is a pain in the ass to put on) and couldn't reasonably be put on in the situations WWX had when he played the flute (no dimos were on Mt. Dafan or at the burial mounds) It might be a Hengxiao, but I don't have any information on this flute to be sure. But then again, this could all be an oversight by the author/ animators. If anyone does know, I would appreciate it if you could share your knowledge.
Chapter 9: Forgiven
Notes:
Well this turned out to be quite long (I guess I should stop being surprised at this by this point.) I hope you enjoy this most anticipated chapter! I am glad that is finally done.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian nervously fiddled with his hands as he stood on the front door step of Lan Wangji's house. Just a week ago, he had also found himself here, sharing his first kiss with Lan Wangji. Now, he was here to beg for the man's forgiveness just so he had the opportunity to share more kisses with him in the future.
A lot was riding on his conversation with Lan Wangji, his happiness being the most important thing, and Wei Wuxian was understandably nervous. But, after a week of foolishly avoiding the inevitable, he owed both Lan Wangji and himself this conversation. So, with that thought on his mind, he rapped on the front door and stared down at his shoes as he waited.
When the front door creaked open, Wei Wuxian swore his heart would leap out of his chest. When he looked up from his feet, his gaze met the sight of Lan Wangji framed by the light in the hallway spilling out into the darkness outside. Lan Wangji didn't make any attempt to say anything and instead just settled for meeting Wei Wuxian's stare.
Wei Wuxian cleared his throat. "Uh, I understand that you might want to admire my beauty, but I can't stand on your doorstep all night. The neighbours will talk." He wanted to smack himself. What was meant to be a humorous joke to break the tension came out as a poorly delivered embarrassing comment that made even him cringe at. He may have thick skin to, but in front of Lan Wangji, he wanted to strive to look cool.
Lan Wangji stepped aside and held the door open as he gestured for Wei Wuxian to come inside. Wei Wuxian did so quickly, offering Lan Wangji a small smile as he closed the door. Their eyes met once again and Wei Wuxian could feel his hands getting clammy.
"Uh, where is A-Yuan?" Wei Wuxian asked, not seeing the small child anywhere.
"Asleep." Lan Wangji answered. Wei Wuxian felt the urge to smack himself in the head once again for his stupidity; of course the boy was asleep, it was already late at night.
An uncomfortable silence descended upon the two of them and Wei Wuxian was unsure how to break it. However, his time it was Lan Wangji that broke the silence. "Follow me," he said as he strode away. Wei Wuxian followed without hesitation.
Lan Wangji led him up the stairs to the second floor of the house. The previous week when he had visited with Jin Ling, Wei Wuxian had only seen the first floor of the house, but as he walked down the hallway of the second floor, he could tell it was furnished just as lavishly as it was downstairs.
Lan Wangji opened a closed door near the end of the hallway and he followed him inside, eyes trailing over everything in the revealed room. This room appeared to be Lan Wangji's personal office as evident from the large, elegant mahogany desk, small seating area and bookshelves lined up against two of the four walls, filled with countless books. His eyes eventually fell back to Lan Wangji who stood, waiting and watching him. Unconsciously, Wei Wuxian offered him another smile that twitched nervously at the corners.
"Would you like something to drink?" Lan Wangji asked. Wei Wuxian was about to speak up and refuse, wanting to get on with his apology, however he became suddenly aware of his dry throat. Maybe it was best to actually have something to drink; that way, he could soothe his dry throat and have an opportunity to fill the awkward silences with drinking something.
"Yes, please. Some tea would be great."
Lan Wangji nodded his head and gestured to the couch. "Feel free to sit." Afterwards, he immediately left.
As Lan Wangji left the room, he let the door rest against the door frame as he closed it behind him and Wei Wuxian let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. It seems, while he may have come to terms with admitting the truth, he was still undeniably nervous.
Even though Lan Wangji had invited him to sit on the couch, Wei Wuxian knew he wouldn't be able to sit still while waiting for Lan Wangji to return. So he began to explore his office instead. He bee lined to the bookshelf beside the desk and glanced over some of the titles of the books housed there. Wei Wuxian spied a variety of fiction and non-fiction books and began to wonder if any of them were published by the Lan family's publishing house. He wondered if he would ever get a chance to ask him about it.
Wei Wuxian walked towards Lan Wangji's desk and admired the craftsmanship of it. He could imagine Lan Wangji poised behind the large desk, looking dashing in a suit as he flicked through a stack of files. He shivered at the thought. Wei Wuxian was sure that if he was ever faced with that scene outside of his imaginations, he would make efforts to ensure that no further work would be done for that day.
Wei Wuxian had to snap himself out of his reverie. He couldn't believe he was stood in Lan Wangji's office daydreaming about the man's sex appeal when things between them was still so uncertain. "Get a hold of yourself, Wei Wuxian," he mumbled to himself.
Wei Wuxian was about to turn away from the desk and continue exploring the office when a something laying atop the desk caught his eye: a lilac book titled '101 Western Fairy tales'. He felt a small smile crawl across his face at the thought that the book must belong to Lan Yuan. Lan Wangji probably read him the stories out of the book, maybe before bed. He imagined little Lan Yuan settling into bed and Lan Wangji seated beside him as he read the book to his son, much like how Wei Wuxian's parents used to do for him. Then, in the imagined scene he created, he pictured himself as a welcomed intruder, who would come to sit on the other side of Lan Yuan to hug him close as they would listen to Lan Wangji read the story aloud. Wei Wuxian wanted nothing more than to experience such a scene outside of his imagination.
Wei Wuxian picked up the book and thumbed through a few of the pages, reading the titles of stories and identifying some of the stories his parents once read to him. Eventually, he reached a page that was marked by a bookmark; presumably where Lan Wangji and Lan Yuan had left off. What was surprising to Wei Wuxian about this was the bookmark itself however. Pressed between two plastic pieces was a sprig of forget-me-not flowers, preserved to look as though they were picked yesterday. He stroked a gentle finger down the bookmark as he admired the beautiful blue colour of the flowers. Seeing these flowers once again stoked a memory of his childhood.
Often, when Wei Wuxian would meet with Lan Zhan in the forest, he would drag his friend along to find trinkets. Sometimes Wei Wuxian would find interesting looking rocks, pretty flowers or lost items of people who had ventured far into the forest. Often, more times than not, he gifted Lan Zhan these little trinkets; especially any that were coloured blue. Lan Zhan's favourite colour was blue and Wei Wuxian went out of his way to find blue coloured flowers to weave into flower crowns to adorn Lan Zhan's head or as simple gifts. Giving gifts was his way of showing Lan Zhan he cared for him.
The sound of the door creaking open drew Wei Wuxian's attention away from the book and the memory the bookmark lured from him. Instead of finding Lan Wangji standing at the door with teacups in hand, he was surprised to see Lan Yuan dressed in pyjamas printed with cute bunnies, sleepily rubbing at his eyes instead.
Once Lan Yuan could clearly see it was Wei Wuxian standing in his father's office through his bleary eyes, his sleepiness seemed to fade away instantly as he quickly ran to his side to envelop his legs in a tight hug.
"Big Brother!" Lan Yuan cheerily called out, giggling as he hugged Wei Wuxian's legs. Wei Wuxian snapped out of his surprised stupor and kneeled down to the young boy's side with a smile. Seeing Lan Yuan's bright smile once again, he was overcome with happiness of being reunited with the child. Much like Lan Wangji, he had desperately missed Lan Yuan.
"What are you doing here, Big Brother?"
"I am here to tell your father the secret." Wei Wuxian answered with a small smile. Lan Yuan's face lit up in delight.
"Really? Daddy is going to be so happy!" He could feel his smile falter. Lan Yuan may have no qualms with Wei Wuxian having a different identity than what he introduced himself as, but he couldn't say the same about his father.
Wei Wuxian decided to change the topic. "What are you doing up out of bed, A-Yuan?"
"I heard the front door open. I was hoping you came to visit." Lan Yuan pouted and tugged cutely on Wei Wuxian's shirt sleeve. "I missed you."
He put the book he was still holding aside so he could wrap Lan Yuan up into his arms. "I missed you too." Whilst in enveloped in Wei Wuxian's arms, Lan Yuan seemed to spot the book of fairy tales that he had put aside and immediately beamed in happiness.
"Big Brother, will you read me a story?" Lan Yuan asked, bouncing up and down on his feet once Wei Wuxian leaned back from his hug. Wei Wuxian knew that he should be encouraging Lan Yuan to go back to bed, especially because he needed to talk to Lan Wangji once he came back, however, Wei Wuxian found that he couldn't deny Lan Yuan such a simple request. Especially since he asking with such a cute expression.
"Okay." Wei Wuxian just said and quickly scooped both the book and Lan Yuan up into his arms. Lan Yuan giggled in delight as he was carried over to the seating area in the study, arranging him to sit his lap as they sat down.
"Which one do you want me to read to you?" Lan Yuan pursed his lips as he began to seriously think about which story he wanted Wei Wuxian to read to him. Lan Yuan eventually settled for picking the one the bookmark was one. Wei Wuxian smiled at the sight of the bookmark once again, then began to read the short story to Lan Yuan. As he read the story aloud, he put on different voices to portray the individual characters, much to the delight of Lan Yuan.
Both Wei Wuxian and Lan Yuan were so invested in reading the story that they didn't realise that Lan Wangji had made a reappearance, holding a tray of teacups in his hands. It wasn't until Wei Wuxian finished the story did Lan Wangji place the tray on the coffee table in front of him with a soft click, making Wei Wuxian raise his eyes to meet Lan Wangji's in surprise.
"He's fallen asleep." Lan Wangji said. Wei Wuxian tried his best to keep his body still and bent his neck at an awkward angle to see Lan Yuan's face. Just as Lan Wangji said, Lan Yuan was fast asleep. He presumed that he has fallen asleep sometime during the story.
Wei Wuxian turned his gaze back to Lan Wangji. "I'm sorry, Lan Wangji. A-Yuan woke up and asked me to read him a story. I didn't mean for him to wake up."
"It's okay." Lan Wangji stepped forward and carefully picked Lan Yuan up, taking care not to jostle him in hopes of making sure he stayed asleep. "I'm putting him to bed." Lan Wangji immediately turned to return Lan Yuan to his room, taking careful steps so he wouldn't wake.
Once again, Wei Wuxian found himself alone in Lan Wangji's study, unsure what to do. He supposed he could sit and drink the tea that Lan Wangji had brought, but he would rather save it as a distraction for the tense conversation that was sure to happen. Instead, he resumed his exploration of Lan Wangji's study.
This time, Wei Wuxian headed towards a display case on the opposite side of the room that had caught his eye when he had sat down with Lan Yuan. As Wei Wuxian walked alongside the display case and inspected each item, he noted that the shelves mostly displayed a number of trophies, awards and photographs. Lan Wangji had awards from his high school days, photographs of himself and Lan Yuan, and professional qualification certificates displayed.
As Wei Wuxian neared the end of the display case one framed photograph in particular caught his eye. The photo featured two young boys and an older man. What struck him about this particular photograph was that he recognised all of the people in it. Lan Zhan's face, along with those of his uncle and older brother stared back at him. Wei Wuxian felt his heart leap out of his chest and it suddenly hurt to swallow.
Wei Wuxian was just about to turn on his heel and immediately find Lan Wangji when something else caught his eye. His breath was stolen away and he could feel tears gather in his eyes. Tucked away in the corner of the lower shelf of the display case was the very toy that his parents had gifted him before they died. The very toy that Lan Zhan had lost, all those years ago. Wei Wuxian didn't hesitate as he picked it up and turned it over to confirm that the character for 'whatever' was indeed written on the underside of the toy's foot.
The toy didn't look exactly as it had the day he had lost it. Wei Wuxian could tell that its left arm and leg had been broken off, but had been carefully put together again with glue. The Ghost General toy was also missing a few fingers and a couple of fractures ran up the torso of him, however, he couldn't care for his toy's state of disrepair. He clutched it gently to his chest as he felt a tear slip down his cheek. He had returned to Wei Wuxian.
"Hurry up, Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian called behind him, whilst he quickly scurried up a hill. Lan Zhan was doing his best to keep up with Wei Wuxian but was obviously taking more care where he was placing his feet to make sure he wouldn't fall or misstep. Lan Zhan was also carrying a brown paper bag containing some snacks that would serve as their lunch and Wei Wuxian's beloved Ghost General toy. He trusted Lan Zhan to keep both his toy and their lunch safe, whereas he feared that he would accidentally slip and drop one or the other.
Wei Wuxian had to roll his eyes at his friend's careful nature. "Lan Zhan! If you don't hurry up, then we won't be able to get back before my curfew! And then I will be in trouble and won't be able to come play with you anymore! So, if you don't hurry up, I am going to leave you behind!" Wei Wuxian called out, not bothering to turn his head. However, a smirk crawled up his face when he could hear Lan Zhan quicken his pace behind him, seemingly no longer paying mind of where he stepped and rather focused on catching up to his friend, lest he be left behind.
When Wei Wuxian had met his friend that morning, he had declared that it was a 'treasure hunting day'. Often times, he liked to venture into the forest to go on a trek to find treasures he could add to his stash of rocks, dried flowers, lost items and feathers. At the orphanage, Wei Wuxian had little opportunities to have his own, personal belongings and often they were snatched by the other children. But, as he discovered, the other children took no interest in odd shaped rocks or pretty feathers like he did and left his collection alone.
Otherwise if Wei Wuxian deemed an item he found to be inappropriate for his collection, he would give them to Lan Zhan as presents. He couldn't afford to buy Lan Zhan presents and he wasn't skilled in any arts like Lan Zhan was, so often, Wei Wuxian was on the lookout for natural things that he could give to his friend. In particular, he would collect blue flowers - his best friend's favourite colour - to weave into flower crowns, or interestingly shaped rocks. One time, he had found a rock with a hole in the middle, much like a ring. He had slipped it onto Lan Zhan's ring finger on his right hand, much like how remembered how his father had worn his ring. To match Lan Zhan, and to mimic his mother, Wei Wuxian had woven a small ring out of a flower to slip onto his left hand.
It didn't take long for the both of them to reach the top of the hill where Wei Wuxian knew he would be able to find an abundance of forget-me-not flowers. He didn't waste a second and immediately began to gather up numerous sprigs of the flowers, bouncing between patches of the flowers as he went, unable to hide his happiness.
When he was satisfied with the number of flowers he had gathered up, Wei Wuxian made his way back to Lan Zhan's side, who was seated on a rock waiting, the toy and lunch resting by his side. While Wei Wuxian weaved the flowers into a crown for Lan Zhan, he chatted with him about random things that had taken his interest since the last time he saw his friend. Lan Zhan, as he always did, just earnestly listened on and hummed at the appropriate intervals. Eventually, Wei Wuxian finished his masterpiece and leaned over to carefully place it atop Lan Zhan's head.
"A crown for my prince." Wei Wuxian smiled. Lan Zhan raised a hand to cover his mouth as he coughed into it and turned his head away. However, Wei Wuxian smiled as he spied how the lobes of Lan Zhan's ears turned a bright red.
Wei Wuxian stood up and reached out for Lan Zhan's hands to help haul him up to his feet as well. "Come, Lan Zhan! We have far more treasures to find!" He immediately bounded off, leaving Lan Zhan only to follow after he carefully picked up their lunch and Wei Wuxian's toy.
Eventually, the two boys came across a deep ravine that was steep and sliced the land in two. Wei Wuxian walked close to the edge and peered over in utter fascination. However, a sudden tight grip at his elbow made him jolt in fright. Lan Zhan had moved the paper bag to his other hand that was holding the toy so he could reach out and steady Wei Wuxian.
"Careful." Lan Zhan warned, but did not retract his hand from Wei Wuxian's elbow.
"It's okay, Lan Zhan! I won't fall, I promise!" Wei Wuxian smiled and backed up so he could walk a little further away from the edge. "Come on, Lan Zhan! We still are on the hunt for feathers."
Lan Zhan was about to turn and follow Wei Wuxian, however as he was about to take a step, the ground under his foot shifted. The place Lan Zhan was standing on had become loose under his weight and Lan Zhan breathed in with a sharp gasp as he felt himself falling backwards towards the ravine. Wei Wuxian turned at the sound and his eyes blew wide as he saw his friend falling backwards towards the ravine.
"Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian started in a run, but he was too far away from Lan Zhan to reach him in time. Just as Wei Wuxian feared Lan Zhan was going to fall into the ravine, Lan Zhan threw himself forward onto the ground, desperately grasping at roots to stop himself from slipping back into the ravine. Wei Wuxian quickly sprung forward to help drag his friend away from the ravine's ledge, taking care that his own feet wouldn't slip on the unstable edge. When they were both safely away from the edge, they collapsed next to each other on the ground, gasping for breath as they tried to calm their fear. Wei Wuxian refused to loosen his grasp on Lan Wangji and he checked over his friend for any injuries. Lan Zhan's leg was lightly scraped and his front side was covered in mud, but otherwise he seemed to be fine. His gaze fell to Lan Wangji's head and he couldn't hold in a chuckle.
"Lan Zhan! Your flower crown stayed on!" Wei Wuxian found much amusement that after all that, the crown still stayed fixed on his head. However, Wei Wuxian mirth soon turned into dread as he looked to Lan Wangji's empty hands. When Wei Wuxian spoke his voice trembled uncontrollably. "Lan Zhan? Where is my toy?"
Lan Zhan cast a furrowed gaze to the ravine edge and Wei Wuxian felt his stomach drop. He scurried to the ledge on all fours, careful not to fall forward, but desperate to prove his suspicions wrong. Lan Zhan followed closely behind, placing a hand on Wei Wuxian's shoulder to ensure his friend wouldn't slip on the unsteady slope as well.
When Wei Wuxian peered over the edge, his favourite toy stared back at him from the bottom of the ravine; broken into pieces and splattered in mud. Wei Wuxian could feel big, fat tears gather in his eyes, making his vision immediately blurry. Wei Wuxian clenched his fist around a handful of mud and moss and rolled quickly to lie on his back, shaking Lan Zhan's steadying hand and throwing handfuls of earth into his face.
"How could you drop it?!" Wei Wuxian screamed at his friend's face. Lan Zhan's head was bowed in guilt and couldn't find it within him to raise his head to meet his friend's sobbing expression. Wei Wuxian sobbed as the thought of having just lost his favourite toy made him feel overwhelmed. He continued to sob for minutes on end until a thought struck him. Wei Wuxian turned to Lan Zhan and resolutely said, "I need to climb down and get it."
This seemed to get a reaction out of Lan Zhan. He jerked forward to grasp at Wei Wuxian's arm to stop him from walking back towards the ravine. "You can't, Wei Ying. It is too dangerous." Wei Wuxian tried to shake Lan Zhan's grasp on his arm, but Lan Zhan held tight.
In anger and frustration, Wei Wuxian screamed at Lan Zhan. "Then how else am I going to get it?!" His chest heaved as he searched Lan Zhan's face for the answer. Lan Zhan could only avert his eyes.
"You can't." Lan Zhan murmured. Wei Wuxian hit Lan Zhan on the shoulder hard, but he still refused to let go of his grasp on Wei Wuxian's arm, so Wei Wuxian continued to push and hit Lan Zhan on the chest.
"This is all your fault!" Wei Wuxian screamed. Lan Zhan flinched slightly but didn't offer any form of excuse. "I trusted you to keep it safe! And now it is gone!" Wei Wuxian wanted a reaction from Lan Zhan, anything, but the other boy just remained silent.
"I'm sorry, Wei Ying." Wei Wuxian felt his breath hitch and clenched his hands tightly.
Wei Wuxian knew that his thoughts were clouded with anger and sadness, but he couldn't help what he said next; what he would come to regret for years to come.
"I hate you, Lan Zhan! I never want to see you again!" Wei Wuxian screamed at Lan Zhan, giving him a firm shove so he would let go of his hold on Wei Wuxian. As soon as he was free from Lan Zhan's grasp, Wei Wuxian made a break for it, running back to the orphanage as fast as his legs could carry him. Lan Zhan gave chase, calling after him, but Wei Wuxian made use of his knowledge of the forest and evaded him by ducking into a thicket of bushes. He lay in wait there for Lan Zhan to pass by so he could sneak away afterwards, trying to steady his panting breath.
It wasn't long before he saw Lan Zhan dart past the bush. He was yelling, "Wei Ying!" over and over again, as though that would prompt the boy to return to his side. Lan Zhan didn't stop to search the bushes where Wei Wuxian was hiding and just continued running back the way they had originally came, eventually disappearing from Wei Wuxian's sight. After a few minutes, once he was sure that Lan Zhan would not return, Wei Wuxian emerged from the bushes and hurried back towards the orphanage.
Wei Wuxian would forever remember it as the last time he ever saw his friend and the worst mistake he had ever made in his life.
The guilt of the memory bit at Wei Wuxian's heart. He had said such hateful words to Lan Zhan in the heat of the moment all those years ago and had regretted them ever since. As Wei Wuxian remembered it, an hour after that incident, he had returned to the orphanage, exhausted after trekking through the forest, wanting to just curl up in a corner and cry. However, he was immediately approached by one of the caregivers who scolded him for disappearing for hours on end and dragged to one of the office that the caretakers exclusively used. Jiang Fengmian, his parent's good friend, had finally tracked him down and had come that day to adopt Wei Wuxian into his family. Without complaint, Wei Wuxian went with him, eager to both get away from the horrible caretakers and from Lan Zhan.
Wei Wuxian was finding it difficult to currently process anything in that moment, as he stood next to the display case, carefully clutching at his toy whilst he gazed at the image of Lan Zhan and his family in the photograph. He didn't know how long he had stood there like that for, but he remained there until Lan Wangji's voice carried across the room.
"Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian turned slightly at the sound of his nickname, casting misty eyes on Lan Wangji who stood at the door of the study, staring back at him with an even expression. Wei Wuxian tried to find his voice, but it trembled as he tried to speak and it took a few moments for him to be able to produce any sound. He wanted to ask so many questions in that moment, but all he could manage was a weak whispered, "Lan Zhan."
At the sound of his own nickname, Lan Wangji started forward, taking confident strides to Wei Wuxian's side. However, just a few steps away from the other man, Lan Wangji faltered as though he had second thoughts about it. He looked lost, unsure what to do, so Wei Wuxian did what he suspected the both of them wanted to do. Wei Wuxian carefully put his toy back safely onto the display case before turning on his heel and leaping into Lan Wangji's embrace. Lan Wangji was quick to catch him and held him close, burying his face in Wei Wuxian's hair. Wei Wuxian clutched at the front of Lan Wangji's shirt with both of his hands and buried his face under Lan Wangji's chin. The two of them stayed, locked into each other's embrace for a number of minutes, neither one wanting to pull away first, content living in this moment.
However, once Wei Wuxian's mind caught up to the situation at hand, he pulled away, only enough to peer up at Lan Wangji. Things that had once confused him now started to make sense as he put all of the pieces together. Why Lan Wangji urged him for more dates, Lan Xichen's reaction at his own name, the toy… really, everything.
Wei Wuxian still had a tight grip on Lan Wangji's shirt and Lan Wangji still had his arms wrapped around Wei Wuxian's back as they stared at each other. Wei Wuxian searched Lan Wangji's face, committing it to memory before he spoke. "You've known that it was me from the start, haven't you?"
Lan Wangji reached up to cup Wei Wuxian's face gently, as though he was made from porcelain and was scared to break him, and gently ran a thumb underneath Wei Wuxian's left eye, carefully gathering the tears that spilled over. He reached up with his other hand to cup the other side of his face as well, gently stroking his cheek, taking care to move slowly as though not to spook a wild animal. Wei Wuxian grasped both of Lan Wangji's hands by the wrists and thumbed the back of his hands whilst offering him a small smile.
"Yes." Lan Wangji eventually answered. Wei Wuxian choked out a wet laugh, humoured by the situation he has caught himself up in.
"How did you know? Here I thought that my acting was top notch and you had no clue." Wei Wuxian joked and leaned his face into one of Lan Wangji's palms. Lan Wangji responded by pressing their bodies even closer; if that was possible with how tightly pressed together their bodies were.
"Your ringtone."
Wei Wuxian's eyes shot wide. "My ringtone?" He thought back to that fateful night where they first met on the date that Lan Wangji was supposed to have with Mo Xuanyu and recalled how Wen Ning had called him whilst Wei Wuxian was at the dinner table. The ringtone, of course, was the song that Lan Wangji had written and played for him all those years ago in the forest when he had dragged his guqin out, just for Wei Wuxian's happiness.
"Why didn't you tell me you knew, Lan Zhan? All these times we have met up and I was merely playing the fool." Wei Wuxian pouted and dropped his grip from Lan Wangji's wrists to instead place his hands on Lan Wangji's broad chest to draw nonsensical lines as he waited for an answer in his embarrassment.
Lan Wangji dropped his hands, too, from Wei Wuxian's face to grip at the other man's elbows, but continued to stroke his skin with his thumb in a comforting way. Wei Wuxian waited several beats for Lan Wangji to speak, pressing his hands more firmly into his pectorals. Underneath his hands, Wei Wuxian could feel how hard Lan Wangji's heart was hammering; as though it was beating a tattoo into his skin. "I was scared," Lan Wangji whispered out, eyes fixated on Wei Wuxian's hands on his chest.
Wei Wuxian felt his heart sting in pain at hearing Lan Wangji's admission. "Why were you scared?"
Lan Wangji raised his eyes to meet Wei Wuxian's. Wei Wuxian stared back into those golden eyes that he loved and could see that his gaze turned into something more fond. Wei Wuxian watched Lan Wangji's tilt slightly upwards in a smile. "That you still hated me. I couldn't lose you again."
Wei Wuxian leaned forward to rest his head on Lan Wangji's chest, almost wishing it was a wall that he could bang his head on. He had to curse at himself and his younger self, all I have ever done is make Lan Zhan worry. Wei Wuxian couldn't believe, that after all these years, Lan Wangji was still hung up on the worry that Wei Wuxian still hated him. So much so that he too kept his real identity hidden from Wei Wuxian's knowledge.
Wei Wuxian wishes he could go back a week, when the scandal was revealed, and immediately run to Lan Wangji and confess the truth. Or go back a few weeks to when they first met on the blind date and tell Lan Wangji that his real name was Wei Wuxian. Or even go back to when they were children and tell Lan Wangji that he forgave him, even if he did drop his favourite toy into the ravine. Wei Wuxian let out a small chuckle at both of their silliness.
"We may have grown into adults, Lan Zhan, but we are still stuck as children, living in their minds. If only we talked it out as adults instead of hiding behind our fears like children, we wouldn't have suffered through so much heartache." Wei Wuxian had to stop himself for a moment as he considered what he said. He shook his head slightly in disagreement with himself. "But then again, the lines between adulthood and childhood seem to blend too much to make sense of it."
Wei Wuxian wrapped his arms behind Lan Wangji's back, linking them tight as though he was never going to let Lan Wangji escape. Lan Wangji returned his hug. Wei Wuxian moved his head so his ear was pressed directly over Lan Wangji's heart.
"I'm sorry, Lan Zhan. I don't hate you. I never did. I was just angry and sad. I'm sorry that I said I never want to see you again: that was a lie. I'm sorry that I didn't recognise you like how you had recognised me. I'm sorry that I lied for you for so long about my real identity. And I'm sorry that I never said goodbye. Will you forgive me, Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian pressed himself closer to Lan Wangji as he braced himself for his answer.
"Of course, Wei Ying." La Wangji whispered into Wei Wuxian's hair. Wei Wuxian tightened his hug slightly, and a grin cracked along his face. He couldn't be happier, in the arms of his most beloved person, knowing that he wasn't hated. He felt like this moment of happiness has since been coming for a long time.
They stood in each other's embrace for a number of minutes, both content to share this moment of happiness together. However, standing in Lan Wangji's embrace was starting to feel a bit awkward, so Wei Wuxian posed a suggestion to Lan Wangji. "Lan Zhan? Can we continue on the couch? I wanna cuddle and talk."
"Mnn." Lan Wangji unwrapped his arms from around Wei Wuxian and grasped his hand gently in his. He led the both of them to the couch in the office and laid down on it first before dragging Wei Wuxian to lie on top of him. Wei Wuxian's legs fitted in between Lan Wangji's parted ones and he laid on his stomach atop Lan Wangji's chest. Wei Wuxian reached out with his hand and tucked a loose strand of Lan Wangji's long hair behind his ear and gently ran his fingers down the side of his face. Eventually, Wei Wuxian's fingers came to a stop at Lan Wangji's delectable lips and he gently stroked them with the tips of his fingers.
However, as much as Wei Wuxian was enjoying their quiet cuddle time, he also had so many questions to ask Lan Wangji. "You went searching for me, huh?" Wei Wuxian asked with a smirk and raised eyebrows.
"I waited, but you didn't return." Lan Wangji grasped Wei Wuxian's hand in his and began drawing lines on his palm with his finger. Wei Wuxian giggled at the ticklish feeling of it as he thought about what he was going to say next.
"That day I ran away from you was the day I was adopted from the orphanage. I'm sorry I was so caught up in my anger that I didn't say goodbye. You ended up waiting a long time." Wei Wuxian had a small, melancholic smile on his face. "You did well," he whispered out.
Lan Wangji just remained silent as he continued running his hands along different parts of Wei Wuxian's body, as though he was trying to memorise his body by touch. Wei Wuxian decided that he had to ask the most pressing question on his mind. "Hey, Lan Zhan?," Wei Wuxian began.
"Mnn?"
Wei Wuxian reached out to lightly run his fingers across the plains of Lan Wangji's face. "What happened to the burn scar on your face?"
Lan Wangji's eyebrows drew together and his forehead creased in confusion. Wei Wuxian had the sudden urge to smooth out those wrinkles with the pad of his thumb but held back on his urge in favour of giving Lan Wangji his full attention. "I never had one," Lan Wangji answered, much to now Wei Wuxian's confusion.
"Huh? But those old ladies told me you did." Wei Wuxian mumbled to himself. He watched as Lan Wangji's eyebrows raised in question. "Let me explain."
"All right kiddo, this is your stop." The bus driver turned in his seat to look at Wei Wuxian as he pulled up to the curb of the bus stop. Wei Wuxian carefully got down from his seat and made his way to exit the bus.
"Thanks, mister!" Wei Wuxian called, grateful to the bus driver for listening to his request of telling him which stop he needed to be dropped off at, as he wasn't sure which stop was his exactly. He only knew which housing estate he was headed for and which numbered bus to catch. Luckily the bus driver was a friendly man who had helped Wei Wuxian.
"No problem, kiddo. Just come back to this stop and take the bus back, okay? The bus comes every half hour." With that, the bus driver closed the doors and drove off, leaving Wei Wuxian on the curb. Wei Wuxian didn't waste any time and quickly turned on his heel to walk into the housing estate where he knew Lan Zhan lived. Lan Zhan had mentioned it one time in passing conversation that he lived in this estate, nearby where it met the forest that the two of them would frequently meet in.
Firstly, Wei Wuxian needed to locate this area of the estate and thought it best to head towards the direction of the forest and then assess what his next step would be. He had no idea what Lan Zhan's house looked like, but if he had to knock on everyone's doors and asked if his friend lived there, then by god he would, even if it took all day. He had risen early in the morning so he could be here before midday, but he hoped he could be back before it was late. Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu didn't know he was gone yet anyway and Wei Wuxian believed it was best that they didn't ever find out he had gone for an excursion a few towns over He didn't want to inconvenience his adoptive parents, especially after his discovery of Madam Yu's displeasure for him. Wei Wuxian often took precautions to make sure he didn't upset her.
Therefore, Wei Wuxian didn't bring up his guilty conscious with his adoptive parents and instead embarked on his mission to apologise to Lan Zhan on his own. It had been several months since he had last seen his friend and Wei Wuxian was anxious to finally apologise for all those words he had said that one fateful day. Thus, here he was, currently wandering the estate, appraising each house he passed, wondering if that house was where Lan Zhan lived.
He was nearing the forest when one house in particular caught his attention; or rather it was the lack of a house. Wei Wuxian stopped in his tracks as he gazed at the burnt house across the road, mostly just a blackened frame that indicated that a home once stood here. Before Wei Wuxian could even begin to think about what he was doing, his legs carried him across the road to stand in front of the wrought iron gates that prevented him from going any further. He didn't know how long he stood standing there, but Wei Wuxian's gaze was completely transfixed on the burnt down house.
"And what do we have here?" Wei Wuxian turned at the sound of a voice, and found a pair of middle aged women, each dressed in a tracksuit; one in blue and the other in pink. Both of them held a small dog in their arms, each wearing their own little vests and seemed to be quite comfortable sitting in the arms of their owners. Wei Wuxian had no idea what breed the dogs were, but he thought they were quite ugly. From the women's appearances, Wei Wuxian could only assume that they lived in this area, so he figured that they may know why the house was burnt down.
"Do you know what happened to his house?" Wei Wuxian asked as he pointed to the house.
"It burnt down about a month ago. Terrible affair really." The lady in blue said.
"Oh, yes. The father of the family suffered from some quite severe burns. He had to be taken to hospital for emergency surgery." The lady in pink chimed in.
"He had two young boys as well. They both suffered some severe burns as well. I heard that they were both in hospital for a number of days because of it. Not as bad as their father, but it is still terribly sad." The lady dressed in blue continued on.
"I can't quite remember, was it the eldest boy who got burnt terribly on his face?" At this point, the two ladies were carrying on the conversation between them and Wei Wuxian was just an ignored observer.
The lady in blue answered her friend. "No, I believe it was the youngest son. My next door neighbour heard from her friend who has family living in this part of the estate that the youngest boy suffered severe burns to his face. The poor thing will be scarred for life I believe. It is such a shame, he was such a handsome boy."
The women carried on, expressing their sadness at the unfortunate circumstances of the family, oblivious to Wei Wuxian's paling face. Wei Wuxian spared the home another glance and had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He turned back to the women, a desperate expression on his face. "This family, what were their names?"
The lady in pink looked to her friend questionably, just realising that the young boy was still there before she answered Wei Wuxian. "It was the Lan family. I was not familiar with them, so I don't know their given names however."
Wei Wuxian felt his heart drop, like he had just pitched over a cliff and was currently free falling. He found it hard to breathe in and had to make efforts to steady his feet so he didn't collapse before he spoke again. "Do you know where they are now?"
"I'm sorry, darling, we don't. I heard rumours they went to live with an uncle, but I don't think anyone knows where they are now. They were a bit of an estranged family, didn't really get close to anyone. Did you know them?" The lady in blue asked.
Wei Wuxian shook his head, feeling hopeless and overwhelmingly tired. He came to apologise to his friend, but now he had no idea where he was. He came to apologise, but all he was leaving with was the knowledge that Lan Zhan suffered from severe facial burns that would scar him for life. Wei Wuxian could feel his lower lip trembling as he thought of the pain his friend would have endured, and he couldn't even be by his side…
Wei Wuxian raised his gaze to meet the two ladies once again and offered them just a brief, small smile. "Thank you for your help. I-I gotta go though. Goodbye." Wei Wuxian was quick to depart from their side and immediately made his way back to the bus stop, ignoring their concerned calls for him. He didn't stop walking until he reached the bus stop that the bus driver had dropped him off at.
That evening, when he had finally gotten home, Wei Wuxian was met with a concerned Jiang Fengmian and angry Madam Yu who demanded to know where he went. When he didn't immediately answer, Madam Yu went on a tirade about how much of an irresponsible child he was he how he should behave better in gratitude for them taking him in. Wei Wuxian was sent to his room when his adoptive parents started arguing with each other and curled up on his bed in sadness and both the news of Lan Zhan and being a disappointment to the people who took him in. He could only be calmed down by Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng who made efforts to make him smile.
After that day, Wei Wuxian had made a promise to himself. He would no longer do anything that may inconvenience his adoptive parents and swore to find Lan Zhan with his own efforts, lest he anger Madam Yu again for his request to find a friend he barely knew anything about.
However, in the years that were to come, his efforts to find Lan Zhan came up with nothing. Every Lan he came across did not have a facial scar or answer to the name Lan Zhan. Thus, by the time that Lan Wangji came into his life, his search for Lan Zhan was put on the back burner, as he had lost all hope he would ever find his childhood friend once again. Wei Wuxian truly believed that his apology would have to be buried with him and never heard by the person it was intended for.
Wei Wuxian gazed into those beautiful golden eyes as he waited for Lan Wangji to process what he had just told him. It took a few moments, but Wei Wuxian felt Lan Wangji's hand run up his back, he knew that he was ready to talk.
"You came back for me."
Wei Wuxian smiled. "Of course I did, Lan Zhan. You weren't the only one to regret that day." He rested his hand on the side of Lan Wangji's face and beamed when Lan Wangji leaned into his touch. He ran his eyes over all of Lan Wangji's face.
"I can only presume that those old ladies were just spouting rumours, huh? You never had a facial scar did you?" Lan Wangji shook his head and Wei Wuxian sighed dropping his forehead to Lan Wangji's chest. "All these years I was looking for a facial scar." He raised his head to look at Lan Wangji again. "What happened for your house to burn down?"
"A faulty electrical outlet. The house was old and burnt quickly."
"I heard your father got badly injured…" Wei Wuxian trailed off, unsure what actually happened to his father.
"He suffered bad third degree burns all over his body trying to save me and my brother. Brother also suffered from a bad burn trying to save me because a falling beam had broke my leg. Other than my leg, I only suffered from first and second degree burns." Lan Wangji answered, absentmindedly playing with Wei Wuxian's hands, admiring his fingers individually.
Wei Wuxian hesitated with what he was about to ask next, but he figured he would find out eventually. "And your father?"
Lan Wangji's gaze fell back to Wei Wuxian's eyes. "He is living with my uncle. The burns damaged many of his nerves, so he requires a lot of help from a personal carer." Wei Wuxian released a breath he didn't realise he was holding knowing that Lan Wangji's father survived the fire. However, he could tell that this subject was hard for Lan Wangji to talk about, so he changed the subject.
"I've wanted to ask this since I meant A-Yuan, but you originally went to the orphanage to find me, didn't you? How did you find out I used to live in the orphanage? I was pretty careful to keep that a secret from you." Wei Wuxian asked.
"Uncle told me." Wei Wuxian tilted his head in curiosity, waiting for Lan Wangji to elaborate. "After I got drunk and-" He paused and looked to Wei Wuxian's cheeky smile before he continued on. "And did something, Uncle realised that you have been the only one on my mind and in my heart all of these years." Wei Wuxian could feel himself melting at Lan Wangji's confession, wanting to tell him the same thing, but bit his tongue so Lan Wangji was free to continue on with his story. "He knew you as the 'troublesome Wei Wuxian' who lived in the orphanage."
"He only told you after you stole Mo Xuanyu away and kissed the living lights out of him?" Lan Wangji frowned at the fact that Wei Wuxian was already privy to that knowledge but calmed when he realised that Wei Wuxian wasn't going to kick up a fuss about it. He nodded his head in answer. "Why didn't he tell you before that I lived in the orphanage? From what you said before, you were waiting for me for a long while. Wouldn't he have picked up on that?" Wei Wuxian curiously asked.
"He doesn't like you."
"What?" Wei Wuxian incredulously asked, retrieving his hand from Lan Wangji's face so he could lean up on his chest. "How could he not like me? He hasn't even met me! What isn't there to like about me? I was one hell of a cute kid back then." Wei Wuxian pouted and Lan Wangji ran a thumb over his pursed lips.
"He thinks I got hurt because of you."
"Hurt?"
"I went into the ravine to get your toy." Wei Wuxian jolted at the thought. Before when he found his toy on Lan Wangji's display case, he was so overcome with happiness that he didn't even think about how it came to be there when the last he saw of it, it was at the bottom of the ravine.
Wei Wuxian was in utter disbelief. "You went into that ravine to fetch my toy?"
"Mnn." Wei Wuxian just looked fondly at Lan Wangji as he minutely shook his head in disbelief.
"So your uncle blames me for you getting injured when you went down into the ravine to get my toy?" Lan Wangji nodded. "When did you do that? You said it yourself that it was way too dangerous to go down there! How did you even manage to do that?"
"When I couldn't find you that day, I went back and climbed down to get it. I slipped and sprained my ankle." Wei Wuxian felt guilt pierce his heart. Lan Wangji risked his life to get that toy back for him and all he did was run away without offering even a simple goodbye when Jiang Fengmian came to pick him up. Wei Wuxian imagined his Lan Zhan limping home, clutching the toy in his hand, desperate to fix it and return it to Wei Wuxian. And he never showed up again. Wei Wuxian hated himself for breaking his friend's heart.
"And the toy you gave me?"
"A replacement, because yours was broken. I have had it since I was young." Wei Wuxian giggled slightly at the thought of Lan Wangji holding onto both new and old toys for all these years.
"How did the toy survive the fire, though?" Wei Wuxian questioned.
Lan Wangji turned a little sheepish, turning his head away a little. "I kept it with me all the time. I managed to save it from the fire." Wei Wuxian swallowed, tearing up a little at the thought of Lan Wangji taking such care to save his most beloved toy from the fire.
"I don't think I can ever say enough sorrys, Lan Zhan. But thank you for getting my toy back for me. It means to world to me." Wei Wuxian could feel tears gathering in his eyes again and Lan Wangji was quick to swipe them away with the pad of his thumb before they even had the chance to fall.
"You can take it back, it is yours." Lan Wangji offered. Wei Wuxian stretched up a little, peering over the edge of the couch to look at the toy his parents had gifted him. He smiled at the sight of it.
"No, I don't think I will." At Lan Wangji's confused expression, Wei Wuxian further elaborated. "You have done such a good job at keeping it safe, I think I will entrust him with you for a little longer. Besides," Wei Wuxian said with a smirk, "it will be one less thing to have to pack when I eventually move in."
Suddenly, Lan Wangji surged up to sit with his back ramrod straight. If it weren't for Lan Wangji's steadying hands, Wei Wuxian would have fallen off. Lan Wangji helped rearrange Wei Wuxian so he was sitting on his lap before he turned his gaze to earnestly search Wei Wuxian's face. "Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian beamed up at Lan Wangji, hoping to hide some of his nervousness with his smile. "If you will have me, I want to date you officially, Lan Zhan. Go on more dates, spend time with you and A-Yuan, move in together, get married…" Wei Wuxian stopped to take in a breath, knowing he was getting ahead of himself. He gazed up into Lan Wangji's eyes. "I love you, Lan Zhan. Date me."
Wei Wuxian didn't even have a moment to say another thing because Lan Wangji had sprung forward to plant his lips on Wei Wuxian's. Wei Wuxian didn't hesitate for even a second, immediately wrapping his arms around Lan Wangji's shoulders and the other man's hands roamed his back as gently kissed. Eventually, soft, open mouth kisses were not enough and they began exploring each other's mouths with their tongues. Wei Wuxian thought that he had never known a better taste than Lan Wangji's mouth. He didn't ever want to leave this moment as they desperately tried to get impossibly closer to each other.
It didn't take long for Lan Wangji's hands to slip underneath Wei Wuxian's shirt to begin exploring the expanse of his back. Wei Wuxian hummed in pleasure at the feeling of Lan Wangji's palms on his bare skin, quickly unbuttoning the front of Lan Wangji's shirt so he could use his own hands to explore the hard ridges of Lan Wangji's torso. Much to Wei Wuxian's delight, he most definitely discovered well-defined and toned muscle hidden away under his shirt.
Lan Wangji's hands began to roam to the front of his body as well and Wei Wuxian had to inhale a shaky breath at the feeling. Lan Wangji's lips left his as they lowered to Wei Wuxian's neck where he proceeded to paint his skin purple and red with his mouth. Wei Wuxian arched his spine and neck to give Lan Wangji easier access, desperate for more. However, as Lan Wangji left behind evidence of his passion, a moment of clarity struck Wei Wuxian mind like a lightning bolt. He put his hands to Lan Wangji's chest to gently push the man off of him. When he met Lan Wangji's gaze again, Wei Wuxian could read the confusion on his face.
"We can't do this tonight. A-Yuan has already woken up once, there is no saying that he won't do so again." Lan Wangji pouted in obvious frustration, something that Wei Wuxian also felt, but he just placed a small kiss to those pouting lips, smiling as he withdrew. He picked up a lock of Lan Wangji's long hair and began to twirl it around his finger. "I wouldn't be opposed to you taking me back to your bed, however, where we can fall asleep in each other's arms, enjoying blissful sleep. And in the morning, you can make pancakes for us all."
Lan Wangji answer was to pick Wei Wuxian up in his arms, carrying him bridal style to his bedroom. Wei Wuxian wanted to tease Lan Wangji about not needing to be carried, but he didn't want to risk the chance that he would be put down. Instead, Wei Wuxian enjoyed the feeling of being doted on.
Upon entering Lan Wangji's bedroom, Wei Wuxian had little time to inspect the room as Lan Wangji turned on the lights, before he was put down to sit on the edge of the bed. He did, however, spy two doors that he suspected led to a bathroom and closet, which Lan Wangji had disappeared into. The room was minimally furnished, with a chest of drawers off the the side, a small reading nook and of course the large king sized bed with a set of night tables either side. Wei Wuxian bit his lip as he thought about the bed and all of the possible things they could do on it. But luckily, before Wei Wuxian's thoughts could ahead of him, Lan Wangji had returned to his side with a set of clothes, having already changed into his own pyjamas. Lan Wangji's pyjamas consisted of simple blue flannel pants and a loose fitting white t-shirt. Wei Wuxian almost wished that he hadn't suggested a night of just cuddling so he could instead strip Lan Wangji of his clothes and explore every inch of his body with his tongue.
"For sleeping," Lan Wangji offered the set of clothes to Wei Wuxian, a simple pair of grey sweatpants and a loose black t-shirt, who took them graciously. Lan Wangji politely turned his back to Wei Wuxian so he could get dressed in privacy. Wei Wuxian just smirked and folded up his clothes when he got dressed.
He quickly slipped under the covers and then called out to Lan Wangji, who still had his back turned. "Lan Zhan~" Lan Wangji turned around and Wei Wuxian patted the bed beside him. "Come join me."
Before Lan Wangji joined Wei Wuxian, he turned off the lights and made sure the curtains were drawn. Then, Lan Wangji walked back to the bed, peeled back the bed covers and slipped beneath them. He stretched out one of his arms and hooked the other around Wei Wuxian's waist to drag him close. Wei Wuxian's head was now rested on Lan Wangji's outstretched arm and pressed up close to Lan Wangji's chest. Lan Wangji's arm was also wrapped around his waist, so Wei Wuxian returned the favour as well. He rested his forehead underneath Lan Wangji's chin and shifted slightly so he could get comfortable. It didn't take them long to settle down in each other arms.
"Lan Zhan?."
"Mnn?"
"I just realised that we forgot to drink the tea." Wei Wuxian whispered, with a small giggle. He guessed that there were more important things than drinking tea at that moment.
"I will make you more." Lan Wangji murmured tiredly into Wei Wuxian's hair.
"With the pancakes?" Wei Wuxian asked.
"Yes."
Wei Wuxian felt a smile slowly creep across his face at the thought of waking up with Lan Wangji by his side."Goodnight, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian murmured, already feeling his eyes falling shut as the night lured him to sleep.
"I love you, Wei Ying." Lan Zhan whispered back.
Notes:
That was probably one of the hardest chapters I have had to write so far. But I can not express how glad I am that it is now done. Hopefully you all enjoyed the long confession chapter! Just about all the misunderstandings and secrets are now revealed (but please do tell me if I did miss any, because I have honestly lost track of how many I have written into this fic.)
Also, it seems that the rating will be changed as of next chapter to explicit. I will make the sex scene skip able for anyone who doesn't care for it though.
I don't know when the next chapter will be up as I am now turning my attentions to writing a fic for the MDZS Holiday Exchange, so my apologies if it does take a little longer. But we are almost there! Just one more chapter and an epilogue to go!
Thank you all for reading~ I will see you again next chapter!
Chapter 10: Something More
Notes:
I'm back after an extended break! Sorry for taking so long, but I have been very busy writing some other MDZS fanfiction, which you can find on my AO3 account (shameless self-promotion) and with my personal life. Anyway it is great to finally get to finishing this fic so I hope you all enjoy this long chapter. The rating of his fic has been changed to explicit as the sex scene at the end of his chapter got a little... detailed. If you are uncomfortable with sex scenes, please feel free to skip it (it is the third and final scene at the end of the chapter).
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Jiang Cheng, I need your help stat! This is an emergency!" Wei Wuxian called from his bedroom. Jiang Cheng was watching TV in the living room and could only roll his eyes, figuring that his brother was having a fashion crisis again. When he walked into Wei Wuxian's bedroom, his assumption was proven correct as he saw how the floor and bed were strewn with clothes that had been pulled from the closet. Wei Wuxian had his head buried in his closet as he searched through his clothes for something that would be suitable for meeting Lan Wangji's family for the first time. No matter what he put on, he couldn't find any confidence in what he had picked out and started to doubt everything. He needed someone's help most at this moment of crisis. Jiang Cheng just sighed at the mess before him and crossed his arms over his chest.
"You need to clean up this mess first before I even consider helping you."
Wei Wuxian whipped around at the sound of Jiang Cheng's voice with a hopeful smile and glistening eyes whilst holding a purple graphic t-shirt and a pair of his long pyjama pants. "Jiang Cheng! Help me please! I need something to wear that says 'I am not as big of a disappointment as I may seem'."
"Well, you aren't going to achieve that with what you have in your hands." Jiang Cheng tugged the articles of clothing from his hands and shoved them back into the closet where he thought they should hide away forever. He then started to gather up piles of clothing that was littering the floor and bed to shove into Wei Wuxian's arms so he could have space to walk around. He instructed a pouting Wei Wuxian to put back all of the clothes first before he would help him and sat on the edge of the bed while he waited. When Wei Wuxian was done, Jiang Cheng instructed him to sit on the bed and to wait while Jiang Cheng found something. Knowing that what he was going to wear to the Lan family gathering was left in the hands of Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian could breathe easily; Jiang Cheng had a great taste in clothing and always dressed fashionably in casual or work settings. His decision was reaffirmed when Jiang Cheng pulled together an outfit that consisted of a white button down, a light grey v-neck sweater and dark washed jeans.
"Thanks Jiang Cheng, I don't know what I would do without you," he called sweetly, attempting to hug his brother in thanks.
Jiang Cheng expertly dodged his brother's attempts at affection. "I really do hope that you weren't considering going out in your pyjamas though. I like to believe that even with your level of common sense and fashion taste you would know not to do such a thing."
Wei Wuxian had no reservations into stripping his clothes off in front of Jiang Cheng and slipping on the new clothes. While he was waiting for Wei Wuxian to change, Jiang Cheng retreated to the bedside table to retrieve a watch Wei Wuxian had received from Jiang Fengmian a few years ago for his twenty-fifth birthday and the hair brush that sat on the top of the dresser. He handed the watch to Wei Wuxian after he had finished changing and helped him straighten out his collar. When Wei Wuxian turned to admire his appearance in the mirror, he whistled at the image he saw. "Damn, I look hot. Lan Zhan is going to have a tough time keeping his hands off me."
Jiang Cheng screwed up his face. "Too much information." He held up the brush for Wei Wuxian to see. "Do you need me to do your hair as well?"
"Jiang Cheng, you know how to style hair now?," Wei Wuxian asked with a raised eyebrow as he followed Jiang Cheng into the ensuite bathroom with a chair.
Jiang Cheng finally answered him once he was sat in the chair and already fiddling with Wei Wuxian's hair. "Jin Ling is adamant about growing his hair out really long but it keeps getting in the way for him. Shijie has been showing me some ways how to braid his hair to keep it out of his face."
"Really? Is it hard?" Wei Wuxian asked as he watched Jiang Cheng in the mirror as he began to braid the hair at the top of his head back.
"Not really. Just takes a lot of patience and practice."
Jiang Cheng finished braiding his hair on the top of his head and tied the rest of it up into a ponytail. Wei Wuxian tilted his head down slightly and admired it in the mirror. "Wow, Jiang Cheng, you are really good at this. I should come to you for when I need my hair done in the future. What type of braid is this?"
"A fishtail braid."
"Huh. Maybe I should ask Shijie to teach me too! A-Yuan's hair is pretty long as well and maybe I can braid it for him."
Jiang Cheng put the brush down and picked up the chair so he could return it to its rightful place in the corner of Wei Wuxian's room. Wei Wuxian followed after him. "You are pretty serious with Lan Wangji, huh? Already talking about doing domestic things with his family even though you have only been officially dating for a few weeks now."
"Of course! Lan Zhan is the love of my life! I have already pledged to marry that man."
Jiang Cheng slightly shook his head in confusion as he watched how Wei Wuxian's face transformed into an expression that he was likely to see on a lovelorn teenage girl. "I don't get it. You have been with him for hardly anytime, how can you already be so committed to him?"
"Well, he was my childhood friend first of all, so I already do know him a bit, but otherwise, I really can't explain it. I sort of just knew he was the one after I went on a few dates with him." Wei Wuxian trained his eyes onto Jiang Cheng with a wistful smile. "I think you will understand better once you meet your soulmate too, Jiang Cheng. It is a feeling unlike any other."
Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Your soulmate? I was just trying to wrap my head around the fact that he was the love of your life, but now he is your soulmate?"
Wei Wuxian started gathering up his wallet and house keys, double checking that he had everything he would need. "Like I said, Jiang Cheng, you will understand one day. You will meet the person who perfectly made for you and you will know what I mean. Someone who will both make you happy and you will want nothing more than to make happy yourself."
Jiang Cheng shook his head in disbelief; he simply couldn't understand how Wei Wuxian was already so much in love with someone. Especially seeing as he had never taken interest in another person romantically his whole life, it seemed strange to Jiang Cheng why he would fall so easily for this man. Jiang Cheng sighed at the thought. "As long as you are happy, then I am fine with it."
Wei Wuxian trained his eyes on Jiang Cheng. "Don't you want to be happy too, Jiang Cheng."
Jiang Cheng bristled at the implication of Wei Wuxian's words. "Unlike you, I don't believe my happiness will come about from a relationship," Jiang Cheng said as he firmly crossed his arms over his chest. "A person's happiness is more than just being with their soulmate."
Wei Wuxian smiled softly and walked forward to his brother so he could rest a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Ah, so that was has been troubling you. I thought you were still troubled about relationship problems, but it is more than that. Isn't it, Jiang Cheng?"
Jiang Cheng couldn't respond immediately, coming to the realisation that he had been lead along to spill his troubles. Ever since he and Wei Wuxian last had a talk about their happiness, Wei Wuxian had been poking and prodding Jiang Cheng to find out what exactly was hindering him from seeking his own happiness but Jiang Cheng had refused to give him an inch. In his shock, Jiang Cheng couldn't bring himself to say anything. Wei Wuxian patted Jiang Cheng on the shoulder gently. "I just want to help you, Jiang Cheng, not accuse you of anything. How about we order some take-away tomorrow and watch a movie together. Just the two of us. It's been a while since we have done that. I need someone to complain to about work and you have always been able to tell me what I need to hear, so I'll be asking for your guidance again, yeah? And if you decide that you want to get a few things off your chest too, I'll be there to lend an ear and some bad advice as always."
Jiang Cheng couldn't hold back a smirk from creeping over his face. "Okay, take-in and movies tomorrow. I get to decide though. Last time you picked the movie, it was that awful alien one that made no sense."
Wei Wuxian laughed as he thought back to their last movie night together. "Okay, your pick then. I'm planning on staying over at Lan Zhan's tonight, but I should be back around midday tomorrow." Wei Wuxian withdrew his hand and started for their front door. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon then."
"I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good time," Jiang Cheng said as he sent him off with a smile.
Wei Wuxian was nervous. He had every reason to as well, because he was about to meet all of Lan Wangji's family today. He had to face Lan Xichen again, who he hadn't seen since what is now dubbed as the 'Out of the Closet Situation' by Mo Xuanyu. He wasn't sure if Lan Xichen was still angry over the incident, but he was preparing himself for some scalding words from a protective brother nonetheless. Wei Wuxian was also nervous about meeting Lan Wangji's uncle as well. Terribly so in fact. He had received warnings about Lan Qiren from both Mo Xuanyu and Lan Wangji about his overly serious nature and no tolerance for nonsense attitude. Wei Wuxian was desperate to leave a good impression on what is to be his future in-laws, but was worrying that his affinity for mischief would clash with the serious nature of the Lan family.
Wei Wuxian chewed on his thumbnail. He knew Lan Qiren had set Lan Wangji up on a date with Mo Xuanyu in hopes of seeing his nephew settle down, but Wei Wuxian worried about what was he going to do in the event that he was deemed as an inappropriate partner due to his lack of elite familial status. Sure, he was adopted by the Jiang family, but he wasn't involved or qualified in any capacity to be involved in the family business. He only had a high school diploma to his name and was a university drop out in order to pursue a career in stunting. If he was expected by the Lan family to be involved in the complexities of running the Lan household, then he wouldn't be able to be of any help.
These were the thoughts that ran through Wei Wuxian's mind as he sat in Lan Wangji's car as they drove to his uncle's place where the family gathering was taking place. Wei Wuxian was so caught up in his inner turmoil that he hadn't even realised that Lan Wangji had parked the car along the long gravel driveway of a mansion until he was called out of his reverie. "Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian snapped his head to look at Lan Wangji who sat turned in the driver's seat staring back at him. Lan Wangji reached out a hand to caress his partner's cheek with the pad of his thumb in a soothing manner and Wei Wuxian sunk into the comfort of it. Knowing that he had Lan Wangji to lean on, he didn't even hesitate to reveal his grievances. "Lan Zhan, what will we do if your family doesn't like me?"
Lan Wangji offered him a small smile as his eyes turned soft. "How can they hate someone I love?"
"I can be a difficult man to love."
Suddenly, from the back seat, Lan Yuan stuck his head through the space between the two front seat with a big smile on his face. "But I love you, Wei Ying! And so does Daddy! Don't worry, I will make sure no one in our family is mean to you! I promise."
Wei Wuxian's heart warmed at Lan Yuan's declaration. "Okay, A-Yuan, I'll be under your guidance."
"Don't worry! You may be my hero, but this time I will be your hero!"
The morning after they had both had confessed to each other and he had stayed the night, over a breakfast of Lan Wangji's finest pancakes, Wei Wuxian had told Lan Yuan who he truly was. Lan Yuan was delighted to know that Wei Wuxian was the hero who had saved him from the bullies all those years ago. He already loved Wei Wuxian, but this new knowledge had earned Lan Yuan's absolute devotion ever since. Lan Yuan was determined to be as much of a hero to Wei Wuxian as he was to him.
Wei Wuxian offered Lan Yuan his biggest smile. "Thank you for being my hero, A-Yuan."
"Come-on then! Let's go meet everyone. Jingyi is excited to see you again," Lan Yuan urged as he opened the back seat door and waved for Wei Wuxian and his father to quickly exit the car as well. Only when they did so did Wei Wuxian finally take note of their surroundings. There was a dozen cars parked along the gravel driveway that led up to a small but eloquent mansion. This was where both Lan Wangji's father and uncle lived and had been a property that has been long inherited through the Lan family line. Lan Wangji had informed Wei Wuxian that after the fire, his family of three and had moved into this house with his uncle. Being the first born, Lan Wangji's father was supposed to inherit the property, however he had taken up residence in another city as his marriage to his wife was not favoured by the Lan family. The knowledge that Lan Wangji's father had been chased away because of his marriage to a woman that the Lan family did not approve of was the reason that Wei Wuxian was so anxious about his reception today.
Lan Wangji gripped Wei Wuxian's hand and gave it a slight squeeze. When he turned to meet Lan Wangji's warm eyes, Wei Wuxian couldn't hold back a smile. He found comfort in the fact that no matter the opinions of Lan Wangji's family, the man himself would not abandon him. Lan Wangji was a man that Wei Wuxian could put his faith and trust in not to do so.
So with Lan Wangji and Lan Yuan's hands in each of his own, Wei Wuxian strode forward confidently.
The Lan family gathering was being held in the Lan Qiren's backyard and was essentially a barbecue-style party. The backyard was as equally impressive as the mansion, decorated with numerous flower beds, perfectly trimmed hedges and a beautiful marble fountain. Wei Wuxian thought that he wouldn't mind having such a beautiful backyard himself. It would be a nice place to practice his stunting in.
Dozens of picnic benches were scattered across the expansive yard and tables of food were scattered along the lawn. The sheer number of people at this party astounded Wei Wuxian. He had no idea who were blood related family and who were friends, but Wei Wuxian would have to estimate that at least a hundred people were in attendance at this gathering. Just how many people are in the Lan family exactly?
"Jingyi!" Lan Yuan called as he saw his cousin sitting at a table, eating some food with Lan Xichen. At the sound of his name, Jingyi turned around and beamed at the sight of his favourite cousin.
"A-Yuan!"
In his hurry to get over to Lan Jingyi, Lan Yuan let go of Wei Wuxian's hand and rushed to his side. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji just followed behind the excited child. Wei Wuxian couldn't hide the smile on his face as he saw how elated Lan Yuan was with seeing his extended family. Anything that made the young boy happy made him happy in turn.
Once Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji reached Lan Xichen and Lan Jingyi's side, everyone's attention was on Wei Wuxian. Lan Jingyi was delighted to see him again and Lan Yuan was quick to grasp his hand again and urge him to sit at the table. Wei Wuxian was fine under the attention of the small children, but couldn't bring himself to meet the eyes of the eldest Lan brother. Lan Xichen had turned his gaze to stare Wei Wuxian down after saying his greetings to his younger brother.
Lan Yuan turned to his father. "Daddy, can I get some food, too?"
Lan Wangji's eyes briefly flickered to Wei Wuxian and then to his brother before returning back to his partner. Wei Wuxian could feel his hesitation in leaving him here with his older brother alone after he had promised Wei Wuxian that he would be by his side. But Wei Wuxian knew that being alone with Lan Xichen was an inevitable thing if he were to date Lan Wangji. Better to get over the awkwardness sooner rather than later. Right?
"It's okay, Lan Zhan. Take A-Yuan with you. I'll stay here. Just bring me back something yummy, okay?," Wei Wuxian said with a smile.
Lan Wangji only hesitated for a moment before humming in approval as he guided both the children to collect some more food to bring back for everyone to eat. Lan Jingyi promised both Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen that he would bring back something delicious for the both of them and departed quickly with his two cousins.
Once the party of three had drifted out of hearing range, Wei Wuxian turned back to Lan Xichen with a soft smile who was patiently waiting for him as he was before. Wei Wuxian wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to say to Lan Xichen, but he figured that a clarification on his relationship with Lan Wangji would be as good a place to start. "I know the last time we saw each other wasn't on the best of terms, but I hope I haven't left too bad an impression on your mind about me. I'm sorry about hurting your younger brother's feelings, but I want to say thank you for your encouragement to get in contact with him. I'm guessing you already know about the situation?"
The corners of Lan Xichen's lips quirked upwards. "You could say that I do. I figured out some of what was happening the day I paid a visit to Mo Xuanyu's apartment and later confirmed the rest of the story with Wangji after you two made up." Lan Xichen giggled slightly. "I have to admit though, I was quite surprised when Wangji told me the whole story. To think that the two of you got yourself twisted up in quite the series of misunderstandings is quite an impressive feat."
Wei Wuxian didn't know know whether to laugh or pout so he managed an awkward laugh that came out as more of a snort. When Lan Xichen laughed once more, his cheeks flamed in embarrassment. "Yeah, well, even though I tend to find myself in strange situations often, I have to admit that this was certainly the strangest. Who would've have thought that I would meet my childhood friend again in such a situation?"
"Tell me, are you more of a person who goes looking for trouble or a person that trouble goes looking for you?," Lan Xichen teased, going along with the joke.
Wei Wuxian shared a jovial smile back. "I mean, I think that I am a trouble magnet, but my brother Jiang Cheng believes that I take pleasure in seeking out trouble."
Lan Xichen quizzically rose an eyebrow. "You are brothers with Jiang Cheng? Are you perhaps the rumoured adopted child of the Jiang family?"
"In the flesh and blood!"
"Ah, I see. I've heard quite a bit about you actually."
Now it was Wei Wuxian's turn to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "And what have you heard of me exactly?"
"I'm good friends with the eldest Nie brother, so I have heard a number of stories from Nie Huaisang from when you two went to high school and university together. Apparently you liked to harass your teachers and you were quite the troublemaker at parties. It sounds like your brother's assessment about your affinity for trouble isn't as wrong as you make it out to be."
Wei Wuxian sputtered in indignation. "Now what sort of things is Nie Huaisang saying about me now? I'll have you know that my teachers were very rude and it couldn't be helped that I took on the responsibility in the class to lighten the depressing mood that the teachers cast. So what if that involved crude drawings on blackboard? It got plenty of giggles out of the class. Plus, if you are going to a party, you have to have the most fun while you are there. It's not my fault that the host's couch couldn't support my body weight. I mean, I may have been jumping on it, but if you are going to have an expensive leather couch, you might as well get a good one that is structurally sound. And besides-" Wei Wuxian was going to continue on, trying to defend his good name in front of his future brother-in-law when Lan Xichen erupted into a hearty laugh at his expense.
Wei Wuxian could only stare on as he watched Lan Xichen laugh until he was out of breath and then he too joined in laughing. When they finally calmed down, Lan Xichen wiped what was the beginning of tears from his eyes and cleared his throat. "I guess this is as good as any time to give you the whole spiel of how, despite being a troublemaker, you need to treat my brother well?"
Wei Wuxian immediately ceased laughing and gulped as the thought of receiving a verbal lashing by the protective older brother. He almost felt sympathetic towards Jin Zixuan who received two-fold the protective (younger) brother warnings from both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng about treating their Shijie right. Almost. Wei Wuxian had to remind himself that he should never feel sympathy for that annoying man who had once tormented his sister.
Wei Wuxian took a deep breathe and bared his neck as he closed his eyes tightly. In a small voice he said, "okay, I'm ready. Scold me for taking away your precious baby brother or whatever."
Unexpectedly, instead a barge of threats or harsh accusations, Lan Xichen instead just said, "please good take care of Wangji for me."
Wei Wuxian carefully opened one of his eyes to peek at Lan Xichen and he was in slight disbelief that he was being entrusted with Lan Wangji instead of berated for taking him away. "That's it?," Wei Wuxian couldn't help but ask. "No threatening to break every bone in my body if I break his heart or telling me I have to complete some crazy test to prove my loyalty to Lan Zhan?"
Lan Xichen raised an eyebrow. "A test?"
Wei Wuxian cleared his throat as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. Right, he thought, most people wouldn't make their future brother-in-law prove their loyalty by making him pledge his love in front of hundreds of people… Wei Wuxian was starting to consider sympathising with Jin Zixuan once again.
"However," Lan Xichen continued on, drawing Wei Wuxian's attention back onto the other man. "If you do break my brother's heart in any capacity, I can't guarantee that there will be no repercussions," he said with a hint of a sadistic smile. Wei Wuxian was beginning to run out of saliva from the amount of times he was gulping in nervousness. Hopefully Lan Wangji would return with a pitcher of water in tow soon so Wei Wuxian could parch his dry mouth. Lan Xichen might have an innocent appearance, but Wei Wuxian couldn't help but feel nervous around him.
Wei Wuxian raised his hands in a gesture that he meant no harm. "I really have no intention of hurting, Lan Zhan. I've already made a pledge with myself that I will do my best for the rest of my life to make sure that he is happy with me."
At Wei Wuxian's declaration, Lan Xichen's face softened and he shared a smile with the other man. "I'm glad to hear that. I'll entrust my baby brother to you then. Just keep the knowledge that I like to collect antique weaponry in the back of your mind though."
Wei Wuxian laughed nervously, trying to advert his widened eyes so Lan Xichen could not see the fear on his face. "Ah, I will take note then."
"Good."
"Wei Ying!" Lan Yuan's voice carried over and Wei Wuxian turned to see the three people who had left before were coming back with heaping plates of food in their arms. At the sight of the mounds of meat on the plate that Lan Jingyi was carrying, Wei Wuxian's mouth began to water.
"Ah, how did I know that you would bring back only meat, Jingyi?," Lan Xichen teased as he helped Jingyi place his plate on the table and sit back down.
"I got lots of meat for everyone to share!"
Lan Xichen smiled at his cousin. "Thanks Jingyi!"
"Daddy and I got some salad as well," Lan Yuan said as Lan Wangji helped him set down the other plates and then hand out some empty ones that they could put their own food on.
Wei Wuxian beamed at the sight of the food in front of them. "Let's waste no time and dig in then!"
They spent the better part of the next hour going between their table and the vast array of food available for the guests to ferry food back for them all to eat. They all ate their fill until they could eat no more. Wei Wuxian learned that Lan Yuan and Lan Xichen had a penchant for sweets and Lan Wangji favoured vegetable dishes while, like himself, Lan Jingyi loved to eat meat. While they ate, other people came over to greet the Lan brothers and remark how big the children were getting. Lan Jingyi even had to dodge the pinching fingers that were seeking out his plump cheeks and Lan Yuan held back his disapproval of distant relatives patting his head. When it seemed that there were no more people who would come to greet them and after they had finished all of their food, Lan Wangji finally proposed that it was time to meet his father.
"Your father?" Wei Wuxian dumbly parroted back.
"Mnn."
Wei Wuxian fiddled with his fingers in nervousness. He really wanted to meet Lan Wangji's father, but he was nervous that he would somehow ruin it. Wei Wuxian was jarred out of his thoughts suddenly when he felt Lan Wangji's warm hands enclose around his. When he raised his eyes to meet Lan Wangji's, he felt his nervousness wash way in the light of Lan Wangji's warm smile.
"It will be okay."
Wei Wuxian smiled back. "Okay."
Lan Wangji's father was seated in the shade of a large tree a little further away and was currently picking at a plate filled with sliced and peeled fruit. Wei Wuxian was aware that Lan Wangji's father had suffered badly from the fire that had ripped through their home twenty years ago, but seeing the man now, he was finally able to completely recognise how badly he was injured. The man's skin was carelessly painted in a motley red colour from what Wei Wuxian could discern from the small patches of skin not covered in clothes. It seems his hands were badly scarred, the fingers and palm of his hand looked like they were permanently swollen with giant welts. The man's face was also scarred, but was coloured in pale pink. Wei Wuxian suspected that his face, unlike his hands, had undergone reconstruction surgery to alter his appearance and remove the scarring. It looked like the scar had once run up the length of his left cheek, along his jaw and across his neck. Wei Wuxian pitied him for suffering so badly at the hands of the fire.
Wei Wuxian recognised Lan Wangji's uncle, Lan Qiren, from the photos. He was seated next to Lan Wangji's father, eloquently eating fruit and cheeses from his own plate. At the sight of Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian and Lan Yuan approaching, Lan Qiren helped set both their plates onto a small table nearby.
At the sight of his grandfather, Lan Yuan ran ahead and launched himself to hug at his grandfather's knees. "Grandfather!"
Lan Qiren helped Lan Yuan sit on his grandfather's lap so they could hug each other in greeting. "How have you been, A-Yuan? You look like you have grown since I have last seen you."
"I did! A whole centimetre!"
"A whole centimetre in two weeks? Wow! That is impressive!"
Seeing that Wei Wuxian and his father were closer by now, Lan Yuan gripped his grandfather's arm and pointed at Wei Wuxian. "Look, Grandfather! This is Wei Ying! He and Daddy are dating!"
Wei Wuxian gulped. "Uh, nice to meet you, uh, sir. I'm Wei Wuxian."
Lan Wangji's father just smiled up at him. "Nice to meet you, Wei Wuxian. I'm Lan Qingheng-jun. I've heard a lot about you from Wangji. Forgive me for having to receive you sitting down, but my legs are no longer what they used to be."
Lan Wangji went over to greet his father as well, giving the man a hug that squashed Lan Yuan in between them. He also gave his greetings to his uncle, but refrained from such intimate physical contact like he had with his father. Wei Wuxian doubted that this was due to lack of love, but if he were to guess, Lan Qiren favoured little intimate contact as possible.
"So you are the man my nephew has decided to see."
"I'm really hoping so! You haven't been telling your family about another dashing man you are dating, have you, Lan Zhan?," Wei Wuxian teased in good humour. Lan Qingheng-jun laughed at his joke, but Lan Qiren looked far from impressed. Seeing as Lan Qiren was knowledgeable to the mix-up incident that both he and Mo Xuanyu were involved in, Wei Wuxian realised too late how inappropriate his joke was. He felt like he wanted to shrivel up under Lan Qiren's gaze.
"Hrmph." He turned to Lan Wangji. "And you're sure that you want to date this man? I thought that Mo Xuanyu was a far better candidate."
Lan Wangji gave a firm and resolute nod. "Yes, Uncle, I am sure."
Lan Qiren turned back to Wei Wuxian and tilted his chin upwards to make it appear like he was looking down on the man. Wei Wuxian had heard from Lan Wangji that Lan Qiren used to be a teacher many years ago and in this moment he felt very pitiful to his past students. "I'll be honest, I don't really like you, Wei Wuxian. I remember you as a child and how much of a troublemaker you once were. Wangji was also hurt from climbing into that ravine because of you as well."
Wei Wuxian winced and nervously rubbed the back of his neck while he tried to offer Lan Qiren an awkward smile. Lan Qiren was not impressed. "I'm sorry about that. But I promise you that really love Lan Zhan, so I hope you can come to like me in the future!"
"I hardly think so," Lan Qiren huffed as he looked down his nose at Wei Wuxian.
"Uncle," Lan Wangji interjected. "Please behave in front of the man I love."
Lan Qingheng-jun's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "Love, Wangji?," he asked his youngest son.
Lan Wangji nodded. "Yes, Father."
Lan Qingheng-jun flashed Wei Wuxian the biggest smile he could manage with his scarred face. Half of his smile looked a little lopsided, but Wei Wuxian could still see the unbridled happiness behind it. "Welcome to the family, Wei Wuxian. I hope you can feel at home. Knowing my son, you are already in this commitment for life," Lan Qingheng-jun joked with a small chuckle. Wei Wuxian watched as the bottom of Lan Wangji's earlobes turned a faint red in embarrassment. This is new.
Wei Wuxian beamed. "I look forward to a happy life then!" Lan Qiren just huffed in annoyance but didn't raise argument again.
A different voice interrupted then. Lan Jingyi came running over shouting for his cousin. "A-Yuan! We are leaving soon! Do you have your stuff?"
"It's in the car!," Lan Yuan answered back as he tried to climb off his grandfather's lap carefully to go at meet with his cousin.
Wei Wuxian's raised an eyebrow in confusion. He turned to Lan Wangji. "Huh? What's this about, Lan Zhan?"
Lan Wangji came to stand beside him as he answered. "A-Yuan is going to spend the night over at Xichen's with Jingyi. They are having a sleepover."
"A sleepover?," Wei Wuxian said in confusion.
Distracted by the new information, Wei Wuxian hadn't noticed that Lan Xichen had followed behind after Lan Jingyi. "Consider this my present to you guys for getting together," Lan Xichen said with a smirk and teasing tone.
It didn't take long for Wei Wuxian to figure out what Lan Xichen was alluding to. "You mean…?"
Lan Wangji leaned down to whisper in his ear. Wei Wuxian shivered as he felt his lips softly brush along the shell of his ear. "We will have the whole house to ourselves tonight and we will be having our own sleepover."
"A sleepover?," Wei Wuxian dumbly parroted back again, unable to say anything intelligible. His only answer was a pair of knowing smirks from the Lan brothers.
Wei Wuxian had only just closed the front door behind him when he was suddenly spun around by Lan Wangji's grip on his shoulder and pushed back into the door. Lan Wangji's lips desperately crashed on his own and Wei Wuxian was only caught in surprise for a second before he relaxed into the kiss. Lan Wangji took control of their kiss, immediately setting the pace and Wei Wuxian could only follow along. Wei Wuxian was surprised by the urgency and desperation of this kiss. The duration of the car ride home was mostly filled with silence and exchanges of fervent glances as they waited for the traffic lights to change, but Lan Wangji's ever impassive face didn't let on the passion he was hiding away.
They both broke away for only a second to catch their breath before gravitating back together. He revelled in the feel of Lan Wangji's mouth on his own and knew that he would never tire of kissing this man. It felt akin to being on cloud nine and Wei Wuxian never wanted to come down. It was a shame really that they had to dedicate their time to other things in life that weren't kissing each other, Wei Wuxian thought.
Wei Wuxian wasn't sure how long they were stood standing there in the foyer of Lan Wangji's home, pressed chest to chest against the front door, but Wei Wuxian tracked time passing by the progress of their contact. Lan Wangji had started off with desperate, but gentle, kisses that then transformed into hungry open mouth kisses that were far too much tongue and not enough finesse. It was clear to Wei Wuxian that Lan Wangji wasn't particularly skilled in the kissing department but his own lack of experience made him hesitant in taking the lead instead. A pair of hands that came to settle on his waist tore Wei Wuxian from his thoughts though and back to focusing on Lan Wangji. However, as much as he would like to bask in the feel of Lan Wangji's hands that had just started to roam over his back and torso, or the endearing way Lan Wangji tried to kiss him, Wei Wuxian's mind was occupied by an uncomfortable pressure in his abdomen. And it was not a sort of pleasant pressure that one should be feeling in a moment of arousal. Far from it actually.
Wei Wuxian put his hands to Lan Wangji's chest and gently pushed him back until their lips disconnected. He felt quite guilty when he looked up to see a troubled look on his partner's face but before he could offer up the explanation as to why he had to halt their kiss, Lan Wangji jumped in first. "Wei Ying? Are you okay?"
Wei Wuxian was so charmed by the endearing but concerned look on Lan Wangji's face that he forgot to answer. This only made Lan Wangji even more worried and he took half a step back to put distance in between them, but still held firmly onto Wei Wuxian's waist. "Is this too fast for you? We don't need to do this now or anytime son you know. I am willing to wait until you feel ready. However long that takes, I am prepared to wait," Lan Wangji said as he rubbed soothing circles into Wei Wuxian's hip bones with his thumbs. His eyebrows were knit together in an expression of concern and Wei Wuxian had to hold back a coo at the adorable sight. He instead let a small giggle slip past his lips though.
"Lan Zhan, it's not that. I just really need to go to the toilet. I have really needed to go since the drive back but you pushed me against the door before I could go. But, hey, if you want a mess on your hands, we can continue this," Wei Wuxian teased. Lan Wangji blinked at his partner, trying to process what was said and Wei Wuxian could only smile as Lan Wangji came to the realisation that they were indeed going to continue. To Wei Wuxian's joy he watched Lan Wangji's ears turn red in embarrassment once again. He really wanted to bite the adorable little reddened lobes. Now that he knew how Lan Wangji showed his embarrassment, Wei Wuxian looked forward to all the opportunities in which he would be able to see them turn red once again.
Wei Wuxian stretched his arms over Lan Wangji's shoulders and pressed his body forward so they were once again pressed chest to chest. He leaned in to suggestively whisper in his partner's ear. "Lan Zhan, unless you want to do some urination kink play right now, I would suggest that you let me go."
Lan Wangji quickly let go of Wei Wuxian as though he had burnt him. He averted his gaze and coughed out an embarrassed "sorry."
Wei Wuxian just chuckled in amusement and withdrew away from Lan Wangji. "Do you mind if I use your ensuite bathroom? I also want to shower and clean up first."
Lan Wangji nodded his head in agreement and then took Wei Wuxian's hand in his. "Come with me." He led Wei Wuxian to his bedroom and then directed him to the ensuite bathroom as though it was his first time here. Wei Wuxian had already seen Lan Wangji's bedroom and bathroom a dozen times by now, but didn't say anything on the matter, finding it sweet that he was led by the hand to the bathroom. "There are towels, soap and bathrobes in the cabinet. Use whatever you need," Lan Wangji said as he stepped back to go make himself comfortable on the bed and wait for Wei Wuxian.
"Thanks, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian smiled. He turned to go into the bathroom, but a turned back when a thought came to him. He smiled at Lan Wangji as though he was about to divulge in a secret. "Oh, and one last thing, should I prepare myself in their as well, or would you rather have the honours?," he sensually asked.
Wei Wuxian was expecting Lan Wangji's ear lobes to turn bright red again, but this time he was surprised by the fire lit in Lan Wangji's eyes. "Let me," he said in a low voice that was almost sounded like a primal growl. "I want to stretch you open personally and see you whimpering under me as I do so." Lan Wangji's unexpected confession left Wei Wuxian speechless and all he could do was release a shaky breath in response. He turned to go into the bathroom to prepare himself without another word, a small smile on his lips as he anticipated what was to come.
Wei Wuxian spent the next twenty minutes in the bathroom taking a shower and making sure that every single inch of his body was cleaned. He promised Lan Wangji that he wouldn't stretch himself so he refrained from doing anymore than what was necessary beyond cleaning. When he was cleaned Wei Wuxian helped himself to one of the bathrobes that Lan Wangji had mentioned and just wrapped himself up in its fluffy embrace instead of redressing. He left his clothes folded on the counter and took a final big breath before confidently striding back into the bedroom.
Lan Wangji was sat waiting on the edge of the bed. He had undone the top button of his dress shirt so it exposed his his collarbones and had also rolled up the sleeves on his shirt so now his forearms were exposed. As Wei Wuxian drew closer he couldn't help but follow the line of veins on Lan Wangji's forearms that looked like an ideal trail to follow if he were to start his worship of Lan Wangji's body at his palms. It seemed Lan Wangji had a similar idea as when Wei Wuxian stopped in between Lan Wangji's knees the man delicately took a hold of Wei Wuxian's left hand and brought it up to his lips. Lan Wangji stared deeply into Wei Wuxian's eyes as he peppered a series of kisses over each of his fingers and then ceremoniously moved further upwards, over the bones of his wrist and upwards along the soft skin of his inner arm. By the time he had reached Wei Wuxian's elbow he had switched from soft pecks to lavishing his skin with his opened mouth and tongue. Wei Wuxian couldn't hold back a whimper anymore and felt his knees becoming weak at the sight of Lan Wangji carefully worshipping his skin with his mouth.
Noticing his inability to hold standing still any longer, Lan Wangji swept Wei Wuxian up into his arms to sit across his lap. One of Lan Wangji's arms supported his back while the other settled on the bare skin of his calf. They sat there for a while, just staring into each other's eyes for a time before Wei Wuxian broke the silence. "Are you going to ravish me now, Lan Zhan?"
"Yes," Lan Wangji answered and placed a tender kiss to Wei Wuxian's lips. Before he could properly enjoy the feeling of Lan Wangji's lips pressed against his they were gone too soon. Wei Wuxian pouted slightly.
"And how are you going to do that?" Wei Wuxian ran one of his hands along Lan Wangji's chest before hooking it over his shoulder to playfully run his hands through Lan Wangji's hair. "Will you take me slow or hard?"
"Why settle for just one way?"
A shiver ran up Wei Wuxian's spine at the suggestion of a long, passionate night ahead of them and he could no longer hold back. He crashed his lips against Lan Wangji's desperately and found his strength once again to push Lan Wangji down onto the bed. Lan Wangji didn't put up any resistance to being pushed down but quickly arranged Wei Wuxian to sit with his legs spread over his waist. With his legs spread provocatively over Lan Wangji's waist, the bathrobe crept further up his thighs exposing more bare skin. Lan Wangji's hands eagerly followed the edge of the bathrobe as it hitched further up, exploring new expanses of skin. His fingers barely brushed under the end of the bathrobe and every time they wandered slightly too close to Wei Wuxian's crotch his breath hitched.
Eventually Wei Wuxian could no longer take this teasing. "Lan Zhan, please, I want more." At the sound of Wei Wuxian desperate plea, Lan Wangji could no longer hold back any longer either and took a careful hold of Wei Wuxian so he could switch their positions. Thus, Wei Wuxian was thrown down on his back on the bed with Lan Wangji hovering over him.
The sudden movement had loosened the sash on Wei Wuxian bathrobe so now it hung loosely around his front, showing off the smooth, white skin of his chest and the rosy buds of his nipples. Lan Wangji only had to take a brief glance at them before he ducked down to feast on them. Never have experienced such a feeling of his nipples being kissed or sucked on, Wei Wuxian let out a moan in surprise at the pleasant feeling. He had always wondered if he would be a person who enjoyed having his nipples sucked on, and now knowing what it felt like, he wished to experience it again in the future. From the way that Lan Wangji was worshipping them as well, Wei Wuxian figured that it wouldn't take much, if any, convincing to get Lan Wangji to service him this way again.
Despite Wei Wuxian state of almost undress, Lan Wangji was still completely clothed. This fact annoyed Wei Wuxian, so while Lan Wangji was busy decorating his skin with kiss marks, Wei Wuxian made quick work of unbuttoning Lan Wangji's shirt. They had been pressed chest to chest a number of times before and Wei Wuxian was aware that hard packed muscles lay underneath, but the sight of Lan Wangji's bare chest took Wei Wuxian's breath away. In comparison, Wei Wuxian probably had more muscles that Lan Wangji due to the physical demands of his job in the stunting industry but Wei Wuxian still felt envious of his partner's body. Lan Wangji had wide set shoulders and a streamlined torso that narrowed down to a tapered waist and a v-line that was deeply carved into his muscle. Wei Wuxian licked his lips at the sight of such delectable muscle. He has always loved men who had well-defined muscles and Lan Wangji's body was exactly to his taste.
When Lan Wangji finally extracted his lips from Wei Wuxian's torso Wei Wuxian urged him to get rid of his shirt. "Come on, this needs to go off." Lan Wangji complied with Wei Wuxian's wishes and Wei Wuxian darted to undo Lan Wangji's belt while he was at it as well. Wei Wuxian didn't have time to take the belt off however as Lan Wangji, now divested of his shirt, bared back down on him, pushing him back into his mattress. Lan Wangji was kneeled in between Wei Wuxian spread legs and he whimpered at the sight of such a heavenly man towering over him.
"You're wearing too much," Lan Wangji said with a scowl. Wei Wuxian wanted to laugh in amusement seeing as a mere bathrobe was the only thing allowing him any modesty but held it back in favour of flashing Lan Wangji a seductive smile as he stretched out languishedly on the bed.
"Why don't you unwrap me then, Lan Zhan?"
"Shameless," Lan Wangji replied with. Despite his remark, Lan Wangji seemed to enjoy this suggestion very much as one second the bathrobe was still covering his lower half and in the next the sash had come completely undone and Wei Wuxian was completely bare to Lan Wangji's gaze. Lan Wangji's fiery eyes roamed every inch of his body and Wei Wuxian took delight in the fact that he was being looked at like he was a delectable piece of food that was to be enjoyed slowly. When Lan Wangji could no longer hold back with just admiring he descended upon Wei Wuxian once more, this time allowing his lips to trail lower and lower, over his stomach and dangerously close to Wei Wuxian's dick that was steadily becoming hard.
Wei Wuxian basked in the feeling of a warm tongue and lips exploring every new inch of skin but he knew he wanted to feel more. More of Lan Wangji's bare skin pressed against his, more of his warm mouth become intimate with his body and more of what was bound to come.
"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian whined.
"Wei Ying," he responded in between pressing fervent, trailing kisses along Wei Wuxian stomach.
"I want more, Lan Zhan. You can't keep teasing me forever."
It seemed like Lan Wangji agreed, withdrawing from touching Wei Wuxian to move over to the bedside table. As Lan Wangji pulled out a bottle of lube and a roll of condoms and threw them on the bed beside them, Wei Wuxian's eyes were fixated on the tented area of Lan Wangji's crotch. Even under the layers of underwear and pants his cock look big. Wei Wuxian gulped in bot nervousness and anticipation. He wanted to see Lan Wangji completely unclothed as well.
"Lan Zhan, before you get your hands all sticky, let's remove your pants, okay?," Wei Wuxian suggested. Wei Wuxian sat up to help Lan Wangji rid his pants as quickly as possible and toss them over the edge of the bed alongside his underwear. It seemed his assumption of an anaconda lying in wait under those clothes was right as a large and rock hard dick sprung free. Lan Wangji's dick wouldn't be the biggest thing he had ever taken but Wei Wuxian immediately knew that a fair amount of preparation was ahead of them to ensure that Lan Wangji would fit comfortably.
Lan Wangji uncapped the bottle of lube and squirted a generous amount onto his hand. Wei Wuxian laid splayed on the bed and waited patiently for his partner to return. At his entrance he felt the cool touch of the lube and his breath hitched in reaction. Lan Wangji paused his movement and met Wei Wuxian eyes. "You okay?"
"I can't wait any longer, Lan Zhan. Hurry." Lan Wangji didn't hesitate again and plunged a finger inside. At the intrusion of a foreign object Wei Wuxian hissed which made Lan Wangji give pause once again. Wei Wuxian shook his slightly. "It's okay, Lan Zhan. Keep going. I'm fine."
Lan Wangji obediently did so, carefully fingering him open with one finger before working up to two, taking care to stretch Wei Wuxian's entrance. Wei Wuxian was overwhelmed by the sensation and wasn't sure what do with his hands. He wanted to hold on to Lan Wangji, but the man was sat back on his heels and focused on stretching out Wei Wuxian's entrance so Wei Wuxian settled for fisting his hands into the sheets to anchor him down instead.
"It's tighter than I expected…," Lan Wangji murmured out, unaware he has just voiced his thoughts aloud.
Wei Wuxian giggled in amusement and let one of his hands roam down to rest on his own stomach. "It's been a while since that place has been used so of course it is tight."
Wei Wuxian was expecting Lan Wangji to critique him for his shameless comment once again but was surprised when Lan Wangji's face darkened considerably in anger. Lan Wangji had even stopped his efforts of stretching Wei Wuxian and seemed to be caught up in his own thoughts. Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow up in question and rested a hand on Lan Wangji's shoulder to balance himself as he sat up. When Lan Wangji wouldn't look at him, Wei Wuxian used his other hand to turn his partner's face towards him. Lan Wangji had a closed off expression and looked upset and after meeting Wei Wuxian's eyes he turned his face away.
"What's wrong, Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian cooed as he comforted the man by tenderly caressing his shoulder.
Lan Wangji mumbled out an answer under his breath but Wei Wuxian was unable to understand what he said. Wei Wuxian asked Lan Wangji to repeat himself and he only did so after much hesitation. "I'm jealous."
Wei Wuxian blinked. "Jealous of what?"
Lan Wangji awkwardly shifted before meeting Wei Wuxian's eyes. "That you have had other men before me."
Wei Wuxian couldn't hold back a laugh this time and quickly covered his mouth with his hand as though that would hide the sound of his giggle. Lan Wangji's mood didn't improve and seemed to sour even more at the sight of his lover laughing at him. Wei Wuxian caught his pout however and rushed to explain.
"You misunderstand, Lan Zhan! I haven't slept with anyone before. I'm still a virgin. It's just I have been so busy lately that I haven't had the time to play with myself there or use any of the dildos I usually use. That is why I said it hasn't been used in a while!"
"You haven't been with another man?," Lan Wangji asked in disbelief. "How can that be so?," he asked as he trailed a hand down the side of Wei Wuxian's stomach to rest gingerly on his hip.
Wei Wuxian shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really see the point of casual sex and I have never met a man who has caught my interest enough to date him. If I ever get horny I have a box of toys under my bed or the internet to watch videos. You're both the first man I have dated," Wei Wuxian looped his arms around Lan Wangji's shoulders, "and the first man who I will have sex with."
Lan Wangji shook his head, as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Wei Wuxian stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. "It's the truth, Lan Zhan!"
Lan Wangji suddenly jerked his head up to stare into Wei Wuxian's eyes. "Me too."
"Huh?"
"You're both the first man I've dated and will have sex with," Lan Wangji answered.
Wei Wuxian had a blank face for a second before his face transformed into one of pure delight. "Really?"
Lan Wangji placed a tender kiss to Wei Wuxian's temple. "Really," he murmured against Wei Wuxian's skin. Wei Wuxian basked in the warm feeling at both his temple and in his heart.
Now that it had been cleared up, Wei Wuxian's attention was drawn back down his hard on and Lan Wangji's that was pressed firmly against his thigh. Wei Wuxian really wanted to get back to what they were doing before. "Lan Zhan?"
"Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian peered up at Lan Wangji and flashed him a sly smile. "Can we get back to what we were doing before?"
Lan Wangji smiled back. "Of course."
Lan Wangji didn't hesitate to throw Wei Wuxian back down to lay splayed out on his back. This time, instead of kneeling between Wei Wuxian's spread legs, Lan Wangji wiggled down so he laid on his stomach with his head over Wei Wuxian's crotch. The sight of Lan Wangji's mouth so close to his hard-on made Wei Wuxian whimper of the thought of Lan Wangji's warm lips wrapping around his dick. And as though he had read his mind, as he was stretching Wei Wuxian open, Lan Wangji's head sunk down to take the entirety of Wei Wuxian's length into his mouth. Wei Wuxian shuddered on a breath of air he sucked in and his hands immediately flew to hold tight to Lan Wangji's shoulders. The dual stimulus of his cock enveloped in the warm heat of Lan Wangji's mouth and the feeling of three long fingers sinking into his entrance was almost too much for Wei Wuxian. He tried his best to not come in this moment, wanting to find his release only when Lan Wangji was seated deep inside of him, but the assault of both his partner's tongue and fingers were all too much for Wei Wuxian. He could only give a shaken warning before he came inside Lan Wangji's mouth, his vision blacking out for a few seconds as his orgasm powerfully rocked through his body.
After Wei Wuxian found his first release of the night, Lan Wangji withdrew both his mouth and fingers and Wei Wuxian's softened cock slipped free to rest of his heaving stomach, shiny from spit but cleaned of come. Wei Wuxian was useless in this minute, too tired to think coherently but he watched on as Lan Wangji cleaned the remnants of his spent release that had dripped down his lips with his tongue. Seeing this Wei Wuxian was suddenly feeling aroused once again, his dick hardening just slightly at the vision of Lan Wangji eating his come but it was still too soon for his cock to become completely hard again.
Knowing that it would be a little while before Wei Wuxian could recover, he eyed Lan Wangji's still straining cock with intrigue. While Lan Wangji was distracted with wiping off the lube from his hands on the bathrobe, Wei Wuxian snuck a hand out and firmly grasped Lan Wangji's cock and stroked it once from base to head. The unsuspecting Lan Wangji moaned at the sensation of the hand-job and quickly grabbed Wei Wuxian by the wrist to stop him from making and further movements.
"Lan Zhan, that blowjob was amazing! Let me do it for you too!"
Lan Wangji carefully removed Wei Wuxian's grip on his cock and shook his head. "Another time."
"Why not? I felt so good and I wanna try it too!," Wei Wuxian pouted. He had always wanted to try giving a blowjob to his partner. He liked the idea of reducing a man to incoherent thoughts with just the use of his mouth and hands. He couldn't get such a pleasure from sucking off a dildo and after experiencing just what a blowjob really felt like he wanted to return the favour to Lan Wangji.
"I want the first time I come to be when I am inside you," Lan Wangji said as he placed a kiss to Wei Wuxian's palm that was still held tight in his grip. Hearing him say that Wei Wuxian gulped. Lan Wangji was right. As much as Wei Wuxian wanted to give Lan Wangji a blowjob, the idea of Lan Wangji blowing his load inside Wei Wuxian sounded like a better idea. Especially seeing as they could get to the deed quicker if they skipped the blowjob as well.
"Besides," Lan Wangji continued, "I won't last long with your mouth on me." Wei Wuxian bit his lip as he thought about Lan Wangji already being at the end of his rope despite hardly being touched back.
"Well then, we better hurry up," Wei Wuxian smirked and made himself comfortable. When Lan Wangji didn't make a move Wei Wuxian raised a silent eyebrow up in question. This prompted Lan Wangji to move and he hurriedly picked up a condom and ripped it open. Just as he was about to put it on, Wei Wuxian's sudden grip on his wrist stopped him. When he raised his gaze to look at Wei Wuxian, the other man was staring intensely back at him whilst biting his lip.
"I want to do it without a condom."
Lan Wangji's expression became tense. "No."
Wei Wuxian pouted and leaned up on one hand so he was closer to Lan Wangji. "Why not! If you won't let me blow you then you can at least listen to this one request of mine!"
Lan Wangji sighed. "It will hurt your stomach."
Wei Wuxian fluttered his eyelashes. "Please, Lan Zhan. Just this once! I won't ask again."
Lan Wangji seemed to consider it for a half a second before he resolutely shook his head in disagreement. "No, Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian huffed in annoyance. It looks like he will have to pull out the big guns to convince Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian reclined back on the bed once again, but let his hands suggestively roam his bare body this time. He let one hand settle on his stomach and let the other roam down past his crotch and rest just above his entrance. Curiously, with his index finger he gently tapped on slightly swollen bundle of nerves and jolted in pleasure at the feeling. Lan Wangji just watched on. Wei Wuxian smirked knowing that the man was almost in the palm of his hand.
"But Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian began in a slightly breathy voice, "I want to feel every bit of you inside me. I want you to fill me up with your warm come because once you pull out, my tummy will feel empty. I want to feel full of you for every second we are together tonight." To emphasise this, Wei Wuxian languishedly rubbed his stomach drawing Lan Wangji's attention upwards. "Plus, Lan Zhan, you will help me clean up later, right? We can have a bath together and you can scrape out every last bit of your seed from me. And afterwards, when I am overstimulated but begging for more, my hole will be all stretched out for you once again to fill with your cock."
Wei Wuxian stared up at Lan Wangji who was as immovable as stone and for a second he thought that his attempt at seducing Lan Wangji had failed. Thus, he was surprised when Lan Wangji promptly flung the condom over his shoulder and pounced on Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji gave no warning as he pressed him over Wei Wuxian and lined himself up at his entrance. As Lan Wangji's hips surged forward and he sunk into Wei Wuxian all at once he whispered the word "shameless" into Wei Wuxian's ear.
Suddenly taking in all of Lan Wangji at once left Wei Wuxian floored and his mouth hung open in a silent scream. He desperately clung to Lan Wangji's shoulders as he fought to catch his breath. Lan Wangji patiently waited for Wei Wuxian to adjust to the new intrusion and distracted himself with littering Wei Wuxian's shoulders with a mix of light, little pecks and wet, passionate kisses that are sure to leave a telltale mark later on. When Wei Wuxian finally felt like he was adjusted to the girthy weight of Lan Wangji's dick, he urged his partner to move. Once he got the okay from Wei Wuxian to start moving, Lan Wangji didn't hold back. Wei Wuxian was thankful that they had spent quite a bit of time stretching him out carefully as even though Lan Wangji had no experience in sex, he wasn't holding back.
Lan Wangji seemed to be fixated on Wei Wuxian's shoulders, biting down onto the skin there as he drilled into Wei Wuxian. As Lan Wangji's hips snapped back in forth, plunging in and out of his partner's body, Wei Wuxian tried his best to match Lan Wangji's pace but to little avail. Lan Wangji was like an insatiable beast. Both of Wei Wuxian's legs were tightly wrapped around Lan Wangji's waist as he anchored the man to him as closely as possible while still allowing room for Lan Wangji to thrust in and out.
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji moaned into the side of Wei Wuxian's neck with hot breath and from both the sound of his partner's voice and the now uneven pacing of his thrusts, Wei Wuxian knew that Lan Wangji was close. He reached down to tug at his own erection, now fully grown once again so he could come along with Lan Wangji.
It didn't take long for Wei Wuxian to reach an orgasm once again. "Lan Zhan! I'm coming!" Wei Wuxian moaned as he ejaculated, squirting his semen up his and Lan Wangji's stomach. As he came, he tightened around Lan Wangji who came immediately after, shooting his come deep inside Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji collapsed on top of Wei Wuxian afterwards, both of them exhausted and trying to catch their breath.
After a few minutes had passed and they had both come down from their high, Lan Wangji carefully slipped out from Wei Wuxian. Feeling a bit sore and very overstimulated Wei Wuxian winced at the feeling. Even though Lan Wangji's dick was no longer filling him, Wei Wuxian still felt full with the cooling come inside him. He smiled at the thought of still having some of Lan Wangji inside him. Lan Wangji peppered soft kisses all over his face as he comforted Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian blinked up at Lan Wangji. "Did that feel good, Lan Zhan?"
Lan Wangji hummed. "Better than good."
"Same here! Sex is way better with a partner! My arm isn't sore from thrusting a dildo in an out of me either," Wei Wuxian gleefully said as he snuggled in close to Lan Wangji. "We should do this everyday! I don't think I could ever tire from this." Lan Wangji just hummed in agreement.
He was ready to settle down in Lan Wangji's embrace for a quick nap before they started round two when a sudden cool trickle of liquid at his entrance drew his attention away from a nap. After swiping his fingers at the liquid he was surprised to see them coated in Lan Wangji's come that had leaked out from his entrance. In light of the whole idea of Lan Wangji coming inside Wei Wuxian, he had forgotten that it would ooze out. They would need to change the bed sheets soon.
Seeing Wei Wuxian's problem, Lan Wangji didn't hesitate to hoist Wei Wuxian up into a bridal-style carry and cart him off towards the bathroom. Wei Wuxian giggled, loving the feeling of being carried in such a way. Lan Wangji carefully set him down on the top of the toilet seat and immediately set to running a warm bath for the both of them. As Wei Wuxian watched his partner set aside towels and bath soaps for them to use, he felt a smile crawl across his face.
"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian called.
Lan Wangji hummed in acknowledgement and turned his gaze to his beloved person. At a gesture from Wei Wuxian he came over to the man and was surprised when Wei Wuxian wrapped his arms around his waist in a big hug. "I love you, Lan Zhan."
Lan Wangji smiled. "I love you too, Wei Ying."
When the bathtub was filled he heaved Wei Wuxian up once again and placed him into the tub and got into behind him. Wei Wuxian relaxed against Lan Wangji, content to just soak in the tub until he felt the brush of roaming fingers at his swollen entrance and Wei Wuxian squawked in surprise of the touch. "We have to scrape it all out, remember?," Lan Wangji said as he plunged his fingers in. Wei Wuxian sucked in a breathy gasp and knew that their night was far from over.
Notes:
I hope you all enjoyed that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! We just have an epilogue to go and the story will be finished. Hopefully the epilogue will be up within the next week.
My apologies for a slightly OOC LWJ during the sex scene, but in this modern era LWJ should be well versed in how to have sex safely. I wanted to have a more tender LWJ during sex scenes as compared to how he is in the novel cause under no circumstances are we allowing WWX to get haemorrhoids in this universe.
As I said in the above author's note, I do have some new MDZS fanfics up, so feel free to go give them a read. Otherwise on my tumblr, @nevermorealyre, I am starting to work on a series of shorter fics that will be posted exclusively to my tumblr.
Thank you for all your continued support and I am looking forward to seeing you all again in the epilogue!
Chapter 11: Epilogue
Notes:
Wow, we are finally at the end! Yay! I am a bit sad to have finished this story, but also a bit relieved: it ended up being the length of a small novel after all!
Thank you all for everyone's continued support throughout the writing process of this story as each and everyone reading, leaving kudos and commenting has helped motivate me to finish it! I hope you all can enjoy this final epilogue and conclusion to Blink~
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
~Three Months Later~
It had been a gruelling fourteen hour day of work that day and Wei Wuxian was tired with a capital T. He dragged his feet as he opened the front door to Lan Wangji's house and had little energy to do more than shed his coat and take off his shoes. He was tired and in need of a mental recharge. Nothing sounded better than sitting on the couch with the father and son duo right now.
He had departed at ten past five that morning in order to make it to the filming site that was an hour away on time, thus he was only able to speak a few words of greeting to Lan Wangji when then man woke up at five o'clock sharp. On the days that Wei Wuxian stayed overnight at Lan Wangji's place they had developed a habit of eating breakfast together with Lan Yuan before Wei Wuxian would head off to work or drop Lan Yuan off at school. Having left so early he neither got to say good morning to Lan Yuan or have breakfast with the two of them and he really just wanted to spend some time with father and son right now. However, now it was half past eight and half an hour past Lan Yuan's bedtime so Wei Wuxian was upset that he had missed the opportunity to spend any time with Lan Yuan today. He only spent four days a week at the Lan residence, so his time with Lan Yuan and Lan Wangji was already limited. He wished he could see them more often, but he still officially lived with Jiang Cheng.
At the sound of the door opening, Lan Wangji came to greet his partner in the foyer, his arms already outstretched to greet Wei Wuxian. "Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian whined as he slumped forward into Lan Wangji's arms. His partner automatically supported him and placed a chaste kiss to his temple as a means of greeting him home.
"Welcome home, Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian peeked over Lan Wangji's shoulder and, noticing a distinct lack of a joyous child running out to welcome him home with a hug, was a tad bit disappointed that he didn't get to see Lan Yuan at all today, even though he already knew that Lan Yuan would be tucked in bed upstairs already. "A-Yuan is already asleep, huh?," Wei Wuxian murmured into Lan Wangji's neck before peppering a few kisses to the skin there. Not only was he physically and mentally exhausted, but his Lan Wangji reserves were also severely depleted. The only way to fix that was to spend some time with his beloved person.
"Not yet," Lan Wangji answered.
Wei Wuxian furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "If he is still awake, then where is he?"
"He's been waiting for you to get home so he can say goodnight. He's in his bed."
Wei Wuxian chuckled in amusement. "I'll go tuck him in then." He planted a kiss onto Lan Wangji's lips. "Afterwards, can we have cuddles on the couch? I need to replenish my energy levels with cuddles and kisses from you," he asked in a cute manner, batting his eyelashes as though that would convince Lan Wangji. They both knew, however, that Wei Wuxian needn't try to manipulate Lan Wangji to have a cuddle session. Lan Wangji loved to cuddle his partner just as much.
"Mnn," Lan Wangji hummed as he gave Wei Wuxian a final peck on the lips before going into the living room to wait. Wei Wuxian immediately headed upstairs to Lan Yuan's room to find the child sitting upright in his bed. The covers were pulled up over his lap and the bedside lamp was on so Wei Wuxian didn't bother to turn on the overhead lights. When Lan Yuan saw Wei Wuxian was home his face lit up into a smile. "Wei Ying!"
Wei Wuxian immediately went to sit on the edge of the bed beside the child to envelope him in a big hug. "And why are you still awake, A-Yuan? It is half an hour past your bedtime."
Lan Yuan ducked his head slightly in embarrassment and gave Wei Wuxian a sheepish smile. "I didn't get to see you all day, so I wanted you to at least tuck me in. Daddy said I had to go to bed but said nothing about falling asleep!"
Wei Wuxian had to admire the cleverness of the child and his ability to find a loophole in the rules. Wei Wuxian ruffled his hair and Lan Yuan tried his best to fend off Wei Wuxian's hair from messing up his hair but giggled at the affection, despite hating having his head patted. "I missed you, Wei Ying! I tried to wake up early today to say goodbye, but you were already gone," he pouted.
Wei Wuxian huffed in amusement. "I told you that I wasn't going to see you this morning cause I had to go to work early today."
"Can I say good morning to you tomorrow?," Lan Yuan innocently asked with imploring eyes. This child is just too cute, Wei Wuxian thought.
"You sure can! I'm staying over tonight and you can say good morning to me in the morning. Tomorrow is my day off, so we can spend the day together, okay?"
Lan Yuan beamed at the idea of being able to spend an entire day with Wei Wuxian. "Okay!"
"But you need to go to bed now if we are going to have a fun day tomorrow," Wei Wuxian said.
Lan Yuan eagerly nodded and laid down so Wei Wuxian could tuck him in. When he was reclined back and tucked in Wei Wuxian pressed a big, sloppy kiss to his forehead. Lan Yuan squealed at the feeling and quickly swiped at the saliva that was left on his forehead. "EWWWW!," he squealed in disgust.
Wei Wuxian chuckled in amusement. "Good night, A-Yuan. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Just as Wei Wuxian was about to get up and leave the room, a small grip on the end of his shirt stopped him. When he turned back to look at Lan Yuan, the small child was biting his lip and looking up at him with imploring eyes. When he realised that Wei Wuxian wasn't going anywhere, Lan Yuan let go of his shirt. "Don't go yet, I'm not sleepy!"
Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow up. "Do you want me to read you a story? I need to go get the fairy tale book from your Dad's office though." Wei Wuxian tried to stand once again so he could go collect the fairy tale book from Lan Wangji's office where he had last left it when he was reading to Lan Yuan the other day, but a small grip at the end of his shirt stopped him once again. Lan Yuan hurriedly shook his head in disagreement.
"I don't want a story tonight!"
"Then what do you want me to do?," Wei Wuxian questioned. "Shall I count rabbits until you fall asleep?"
"I want you to sing me to sleep like how Daddy does!," Lan Yuan exclaimed excitedly. Wei Wuxian could only sit there dumbly for a time, unsure how to react to the fact that he was expected to sing for the child. Not only that, but he was supposed to sing not just any song, but rather the one that Lan Wangji sang to his son. Wei Wuxian had no idea what song this was.
"I'm sorry, A-Yuan, but I don't know what song you are talking about."
Lan Yuan frowned. "It's the one that Daddy sings me to sleep with!," he said, as though that was anymore help to Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian ran a tired hand down his face and wracked his brain for any idea as to what song Lan Wangji would sing to his son. What sort of songs did kids like?
Just as he was about to throw in the towel and call Lan Wangji in to help him identify the song, a sudden idea popped into Wei Wuxian's head. It couldn't be, right?
Deciding to just try it out, Wei Wuxian laid on his side next to Lan Yuan and propped his head up on his hand and rested the other on Lan Yuan's blanket covered stomach. Once they were both comfortable Wei Wuxian began to hum the song that he innately knew to Lan Yuan. When the child didn't put up an immediate protest, Wei Wuxian figured that his guess was right. Wei Wuxian had to loop Lan Wangji's song twice before Lan Yuan's breathing had slowed and he had closed his eyes. When Wei Wuxian saw that he was asleep he stopped his humming but sat with Lan Yuan for another five minutes just watching his sleeping face to ensure that he was truly asleep. When he was sure that the child was fast asleep, Wei Wuxian carefully stood up and crept to the door on silent footsteps, making sure to turn off the bedside lamp on the way there. He carefully closed the door until it was opened by just a crack before retreating down the stairs to rejoin with Lan Wangji.
Wei Wuxian found his partner in the living room on the couch with two wine glasses and two bottles of what appeared to be alcohol in front of him. At the sight of what he could only assume to be alcohol, Wei Wuxian became giddy with excitement and quickly rounded the couch to join Lan Wangji. "What's this?," Wei Wuxian greeted as he made himself comfortable in the space under Lan Wangji's outstretched arm across the back of the couch.
Lan Wangji didn't immediately answer him but instead picked up one of the filled wine glasses to hand to Wei Wuxian and one for himself. Wei Wuxian sipped at the wine and was surprised to realised that it was the familiar taste of Emperor's Smile on his tongue. He quickly sat up and cautiously eyed the glass that Lan Wangji was currently sipping at with a suspicious eye. Seeing Wei Wuxian's gaze on his glass, Lan Wangji smirked before explaining. "It's non-alcoholic. Brother recommended it to me."
Knowing that Lan Wangji wasn't drinking alcohol calmed Wei Wuxian's worry. The last time that he had convinced Lan Wangji to drink alcohol ended in Wei Wuxian getting chased around the house in a game of hide and seek. And as cute as it was, Wei Wuxian would really not want a repeat of that incident while Lan Yuan was still in the house…
Wei Wuxian giggled and relaxed into Lan Wangji's embraced, ready for a relaxing night of cuddling and drinking his favourite wine. "Did you get this wine today, Lan Zhan? I would be surprised if you managed to keep it hidden from me otherwise. Jiang Cheng swears I have the ability to find Emperor's Smile wine like how a Bloodhound can track its prey."
Lan Wangji hummed and Wei Wuxian leaned a little further into his embrace to feel the vibrations of his partner's chest on his cheek. "My friend sent me a few bottles today. Remember the wine we made together a few months back? That bottle is from the batch we made," Lan Wangji said as he gestured to the bottle of Emperor's Smile sitting on the coffee table.
Wei Wuxian sat up so he could look at Lan Wangji clearly. "How do you know that bottle is some of the wine that we made personally?"
"I had the cask of wine we made set aside for your personal consumption. I didn't want anyone else to drink something you had made."
Wei Wuxian's eyebrows shot up to his hairline in disbelief. He thought back to that day where they were making the wine and recalled how Lan Wangji had pulled aside one of the employees there to talk with him in private. "You mean that time you were secretly whispering to one of the employees, you were telling him to make sure the wine we made would make it back into your hands?"
"Mnn." Wei Wuxian felt his heart ache in his chest like how it did when he was on a roller coaster. Even more than three months ago, when they were only on their second date and Lan Wangji had only known who Wei Wuxian was for only a week, he was already thinking about their future together. Wei Wuxian had to wonder if he was more firm in rejecting Lan Wangji, would the man even let him go. The fact that Lan Wangji was already anticipating gifting Wei Wuxian with the wine they made together gave Wei Wuxian the impression that if he had actually been resolute in his plan to reject Lan Wangji he wouldn't have been rid of the man so easily.
Feeling like he was the most loved and cared for man in the universe at that moment, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but squeal and wrap his arms around Lan Wangji's neck and sit on his lap so they were now facing each other. Luckily, by this point they had already drank their glasses dry, so there was no liquid spilt. "Lan Zhan, you are such a romantic!," he crooned as he quickly peppered kisses all over Lan Wangji's face as he giggled. "Thank you, Lan Zhan, for always thinking of me," Wei Wuxian said and sunk into Lan Wangji's chest, not wanting to move and just rested the side of his face on Lan Wangji's shoulder. Lan Wangji reached over to place both their glasses onto the coffee table and then wrapped his arms around Wei Wuxian to hug him back. They sat there for a time, both enjoying the quiet company of each other.
"Even though this wine is delicious, I want to save the rest of the bottles so they can age! And then for all of our significant anniversaries, we can open a new bottle!," Wei Wuxian said, still leaning against Lan Wangji's chest. Lan Wangji hummed in agreement but then Wei Wuxian frowned in thought. He wanted to celebrate with Lan Wangji by drinking the wine they made together, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with the repercussions of Lan Wangji drinking just a cup of alcohol. Maybe he needs to make sure Lan Xichen would look after Lan Yuan for them each time their anniversary came around.
"Happy three months anniversary, Wei Ying," Lan Wangji suddenly said.
Now distracted from his thoughts, Wei Wuxian jolted as he was reminded that today was indeed their three month anniversary. He had wished Lan Wangji a happy three month anniversary this morning before leaving for work, mostly in jest because he didn't really think that his partner would put any importance in any anniversaries that weren't annual. Surprised that Lan Wangji indeed wanted to celebrate their ability to make it through a quarter of the year together, Wei Wuxian laughed as he hugged Lan Wangji tighter. "Happy three months anniversary, Lan Zhan!" Silence descended upon them then and both of them enjoyed it in the company of each other.
This silence didn't last long however, as Wei Wuxian had too much on his mind to just enjoy the quiet. Wei Wuxian instead wanted to talk with Lan Wangji into the late hours of the night, thus he began talking about whatever first came to his mind in order to supplement a conversation. "You know, A-Yuan demanded that I sing him to sleep tonight."
"Oh?," Lan Wangji said, prompting Wei Wuxian to continue.
"He said that I had to sing the song that you always sing to him." Wei Wuxian raised his head so he could look into Lan Wangji's eyes. "That song is as important to you as it is to me, yeah?"
"Yeah. It was the first present I ever gave to you," Lan Wangji said as the lobes of his ears turned a faint pink. Wei Wuxian wondered if Lan Wangji knew that his stoic face was betrayed by the fact his ears turned red when he was embarrassed or not. Wei Wuxian smirked. If he didn't know, he wasn't going to be the one who told him.
"You should consider naming that song though. At first I had no idea what song A-Yuan was referring to."
The lobes of his ears turned even redder. "I have."
Wei Wuxian furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "You have what?"
"Named it," Lan Wangji simply answered.
Having this information suddenly revealed to him, Wei Wuxian sprang up in Lan Wangji's lap in excitement. He grabbed Lan Wangji by the shoulders and gently shook him, as though this would prompt him to answer him quicker. "Really? What is it called?"
"Wangxian."
Wei Wuxian immediately stilled. It took him a second before he understood what inspired Lan Wangji to choose that name for the song and he couldn't hold back a smile when he realised. "You really are a hopeless romantic, Lan Zhan. But don't worry, I love you even more for it." Lan Wangji seemed to have reached maximum embarrassment, his ears were glowing red and he turned his gaze away from Wei Wuxian, unable to meet his eyes. When Lan Wangji said nothing more, Wei Wuxian decided to take pity on the man and settled his head back down onto Lan Wangji's chest so Lan Wangji wouldn't feel like he needed to look away and change the subject. "Now, let me tell you about my day, Lan Zhan." Wei Wuxian could both hear and feel Lan Wangji's hum of agreement through his chest. Wei Wuxian then spent the next half an hour telling Lan Wangji about his day on set and all the troubles and fun he had.
Wei Wuxian had just about finished telling Lan Wangji all about his day when a sudden memory popped into his head. In pure indignation, Wei Wuxian sprung up and glowered at the sudden remembrance of his conversation with his friends during his break. "Oh, that reminds me! My friends at work really want to meet you some time. The next time your brother babysits for us, we should go out to dinner with them so I can finally introduce you to them. They think you are a figment of my imagination!"
Lan Wangji furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion."Your imagination? Why do they think that?"
Wei Wuxian huffed and pouted as he launched into an explanation for Lan Wangji. "Well, we were all talking about our significant others today during our break and some of the guys were asking me questions about you. Like what your job is and where you went to university, but I couldn't answer those questions! I only know that you work in some managerial position at your family's publishing company and I have no idea what university you studied at. I know plenty of small things about you, like that you like to wake at five a.m sharp and your ears turn red when you are embarrassed or you a super family orientated, but the guys aren't interested in these sorts of questions. We have been dating for three months now, so shouldn't I know more about you?"
Lan Wangji rubbed Wei Wuxian's back in comfort. "Then ask. I'll tell you anything."
Wei Wuxian beamed in response, but inside he was hiding a mischievous smile. "How about we play twenty questions then! We can take turns asking questions and answering so we can get to know each other a bit better!" Wei Wuxian had been begging Lan Wangji to play twenty questions with him before, but each time was rejected on the pretence that he would only ask questions that Lan Wangji didn't want to give answers to. Having played the sympathy card, Lan Wangji had taken the bait and Wei Wuxian felt like a cat who had gotten all of the cream.
Lan Wangji pursed his lips in a small frown as he was quick to catch onto what Wei Wuxian was plotting. "I feel like this was a set up."
Not wanting to give Lan Wangji the opportunity to reject his proposal to play the game once again, Wei Wuxian tapped his partner's shoulder as he urged him to play. "What are you talking about, Lan Zhan? Quick, what is your favourite colour?"
Lan Wangji paused for a second to think about it. "Blue." His eyes then flickered up to meet Wei Wuxian's eyes. "And silver."
"Mine is purple! Or red! Red and purple, actually. I like both of them equally. Your turn!"
"Your favourite food?"
"Spicy food!"
"I figured as much. I like vegetable dishes."
Wei Wuxian's smile stretched wider as he relished in the knowledge that he had already figured that Lan Wangji favoured vegetables over other types of foods."I knew that one as well! You always pick around for the vegetables first." Now that it was Wei Wuxian's turn to ask another question, a devilish smile crept across his face that Lan Wangji immediately grew suspicious of. "What is your favourite part of my body?"
Lan Wangji didn't answer for a while and Wei Wuxian was about to complain that Lan Wangji wasn't being fair in playing along, but before he could raise his complaints, Lan Wangji spoke up. "Shoulders."
Wei Wuxian chuckled like an evil witch. "I should have known! You always leave bite marks on my shoulders when we have sex. Hmmn," Wei Wuxian dramatically stroked his chin as though he had a beard there as he thought out his answer. "I would have to say that my favourite part of your body is your neck. But then again, just choosing one place is too hard!" Wei Wuxian ran his hands down from Lan Wangji's shoulders down to his muscled pecs and leaned forward to whisper in his partner's ear. "All of you is just so perfectly made."
Lan Wangji's only response to Wei Wuxian's attempt at seducing him was to tighten his grip on Wei Wuxian's waist. Wei Wuxian pouted that he couldn't get a greater reaction out of Lan Wangji. He guessed that he will need to put in some more effort. But after second thought, he decided that distracting Lan Wangji from the game was a bad idea before they got to the question he was itching to ask.
It was now Lan Wangji's turn to ask a question. "What made you choose your profession?"
"Well, I originally went to university for a degree in business alongside Jiang Cheng. He was going to take over his family's company one day and I was going to support him every step of the way. But then I realised that I really wasn't suited for life stuck in an office everyday, so I quit university and tried out the stunting industry! Using my brain too much everyday hurts! I much rather my body ache than my brain. I also had always enjoyed watching movies that had lots of action stunts in them so thought it was a good industry as any to try working in. Rest is history really." Wei Wuxian smiled as he remembered his first day employed under his stunting agency. It was hard work that came with a lot of risk, but Wei Wuxian loved it. "What about you, Lan Zhan?"
"I always wanted to get into my family's publishing business. I also love books, so I get to have a say in what books get distributed. Brother will one day take over from uncle and I am happy in my position now." Lan Wangji's impassive face didn't betray his emotions outwardly, but Wei Wuxian could tell that he was both happy and proud of the work he did.
Deciding that he had gotten Lan Wangji to relax and open up enough, he launched into the question he really wanted to ask and was leading up to. "Who was your first kiss?" Lan Wangji's expression turned into one of annoyance as he stared Wei Wuxian down. This question was exactly why he hadn't wanted to play twenty questions with Wei Wuxian before, too ashamed to admit that his first kiss was with Wei Wuxian's good friend. Wei Wuxian had been bugging him about his first kiss ever since they had gotten together, wanting to know if his kiss with Mo Xuanyu was actually his first ever kiss or not. Lan Wangji was unaware that Wei Wuxian already knew and was trying his best to keep it a secret. Wei Wuxian just wanted Lan Wangji to admit he had shared a kiss with Mo Xuanyu so he would be able to clear away any misunderstandings around that. The last thing Wei Wuxian wanted was any awkward tension between his partner and his good friend whenever they were in the same room together.
Seeing that Lan Wangji still wasn't going to answer his question, Wei Wuxian grabbed a hold of Lan Wangji's bicep and shook his arm to prompt him to answer. "Come on, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian whined, "you have to answer. Don't worry, I won't get angry." Lan Wangji still refused to answer and turned his head away to ignore the man sitting on his lap.
Wei Wuxian pouted at being ignored. "You still won't say, fine, I will say it first then! I don't remember who it was because I was drunk and he was a stranger, but it took place at a party that was hosted by the Nie family a few years ago. He was a real stick in the mud so I got him drunk but surprisingly he was quite aggressive! He dragged me off into a separate room to kiss the lights out of me but we were stopped by his family. Well at least that is what Jiang Cheng tells me. He didn't see it happen, but my drunk ass told him immediately after and then he reported what I said to him back to me the next day," Wei Wuxian said in attempt to make Lan Wangji jealous and turn his attention back to him. Thus, Wei Wuxian was happy when Lan Wangji's gaze snapped back to him immediately, but when the other man didn't say anything, he grew worried as he waited for him to say something. Thinking that Lan Wangji was just so overcome with jealousy and didn't know what to say, Wei Wuxian quickly tried to reassure him. "But don't worry Lan Zhan, you are a far better kisser than he is!"
When Lan Wangji still didn't answer, Wei Wuxian flashed him a weak smile and nudged him in attempt to better his mood. "It is your turn now, Lan Zhan. Who was your first kiss?"
Wei Wuxian was expecting to be reprimanded, but Lan Wangji's answer threw him for a loop. "It's always been you," Lan Wangji softly murmured out as he gently stroked his thumb over Wei Wuxian's cheek.
Wei Wuxian cocked his head like a confused dog. "Huh?"
Lan Wangji didn't clarify his words and instead leaned forward to crash his lips against Wei Wuxian's in a passionate kiss. Surprised by the action, Wei Wuxian could only follow along, parting his lips to allow Lan Wangji's roaming tongue in and moaning when he was manhandled a little to sit directly over his partner's growing arousal. It was only when Lan Wangji's hands started to slip under his shirt that Wei Wuxian broke away from the kiss, suddenly clear headed and aware of what his partner was trying to do.
"Lan Zhan! You are cheating!," he squawked, not thinking about how his loud voice could wake Lan Yuan. "You have to answer my question. Don't think you can get out of it!"
"You're right, Wei Ying, office work is not suitable for someone like you," Lan Wangji teased.
Wei Wuxian thumped his hand against Lan Wangji's chest in annoyance, the insult not going over his head. "And what is that supposed to mean? Are you calling me dumb?," he asked with a raised eyebrow and expression that told his partner that he had to be careful with his next words.
"No, just dense," Lan Wangji replied, trying to distract Wei Wuxian with a kiss once again.
Wei Wuxian pushed back on Lan Wangji's chest, trying his best to avoid a kiss now that he had been insulted. "No! No kisses for you. I don't want to kiss a man that insults me."
Lan Wangji leaned his chin against Wei Wuxian's chest and looked up at him with a those pair of golden eyes that Wei Wuxian was weak to. Wei Wuxian tried to hold steadfast to his refusal to kiss Lan Wangji and turned his face away so he wouldn't be swayed by that pair of eyes, but the next words out of his partner's mouth made him think twice. "I don't care how dense you are, Wei Ying, I will still love you until the end of time."
Wei Wuxian still refused to look at him. "You are going to have to suck up better than that."
"You are the most smartest, handsome and charming person I have ever met and it is a blessing that you have chosen me," Lan Wangji said.
Unable to ignore such truthful praise, Wei Wuxian finally turned his gaze back to Lan Wangji and rewarded the man with a chaise kiss on his lip. "I love you too, Lan Zhan. Now why don't you take me upstairs and show me how amazing I am exactly. Quietly though, we don't need a little intruder interrupting us." Lan Wangji stood up from the couch, Wei Wuxian cradled in his arms and his legs wrapped around his waist and headed immediately for the stairs.
Later that night, when the two of them were settling down for some rest, Wei Wuxian resolved to find out who Lan Wangji's first kiss really was the following morning. But as he was drifting off to the sleep in Lan Wangji's arms a sudden thought came to him as he realised the similarities in both his first kiss and Lan Wangji's kiss with Mo Xuanyu.
He sat up immediately, wide eyed and no longer sleepy as he connected the dots. "Wait a minute… Lan Zhan! Wake up! I need to ask you something about your kiss with Mo Xuanyu!," Wei Wuxian said as he violently shook Lan Wangji awake.
Lan Wangji, still laying awake, just chuckled as his ridiculous partner and turned over so he could break the news to Wei Wuxian that, yes indeed, they were each other's firsts on many fronts. Wei Wuxian was his first love, first kiss and first partner. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
~Fin~
Notes:
Thank you all for reading the entirety of this fic! Hopefully I will see some familiar faces in my future works as well~
Series this work belongs to:
Part 1 of Not Going Anywhere Next Work
Works inspired by this one:
Blink, Reprised by Menuridae
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