Lan Zhan's hand was tingling as he drove home from the college. It had been ever since he shook Wei Ying's in the student lounge.
He tried to keep his attention from drifting as he remembered how warm and gentle his hand felt. He never imagined that it would feel that way.
Not that he ever found himself thinking of how it would before, of course. Not even when he touched his arm in English class the first time he helped him...
Sighing, he refocused his concentration on the road. Even though his car was modified to warn him if other vehicles or pedestrians were too close to his, as well as other hazards, he could still get into an accident.
He was pleased that he was given the chance to learn more about Wei Ying, though, as he had wished to. They had quite a few things in common, including similar interests. He wondered if fate had anything to do with Mr. Robertson - their Education teacher - choosing him to be his partner for their project. But even if it hadn't, he was still grateful that he did.
When he eventually arrived at home, he noticed his brother Xichen tending to the garden in front of the duplex. He turned when he heard his car approaching and smiled.
"Hello, Wangji. How were your classes today? Were you able to meet up with your partner for your project?" he inquired after he stepped out of the garage.
Lan Zhan nodded. "Mn. And my classes were good," he replied.
"That's wonderful. Hm. You look happier than usual today," Xichen observed next.
Not that anybody else passing by would have been able to tell; his brother's expression was flat as usual. But he was always able to read him like a book.
"Does this have anything to do with school? Or with your partner?"
Lan Zhan could actually feel his ears burning. He opted not to answer this question, but from his brother's placid grin, he knew that he had already figured it out.
Xichen walked over to pat his shoulder. "There is nothing wrong with getting along with your partner," he assured him, confirming this. "It wouldn't hurt to have a friend, Wangji. You are a good judge of character, so I know that he will be a suitable one for you. What is his name? You told me that your partner is a man."
"His name is Wei Ying, courtesy name Wei Wuxian."
"Mmm. I hope that everything goes well with your project, then. Are you two able to communicate well enough?"
"Yes. Believe it or not, he is surprisingly fluent in sign language."
Xichen's eyebrows rose in genuine amazement. "Is he, now? That is excellent, Wangji! How did you find out that he is?"
"He invited me to sit with him, his brother, and his friends at lunch a few weeks ago. I did not understand what he was telling me at first because he was speaking too fast. But when I asked him to repeat himself slowly since I am almost completely deaf, he did in sign language."
"Ahhh. That does not happen everyday now, does it? It seems as if you two were destined to meet each other."
"Perhaps."
With another smile, he patted his shoulder again. "Well, I will let you go now, Wangji. I know that you have homework to do. And I wish you luck on your project."
Lan Zhan inclined his head. "Thank you, Xiongzhang," he murmured. And he went inside as Xichen returned to gardening.
His apartment was as tidy as usual, with nothing out of place. Still, he always checked the cameras that were in every room to make sure that no one other than his brother or uncle Qiren had been there while he was away. There was also one outside of the door.
Thankfully, everything was fine, including the second bedroom that he mostly reserved for storage. However, there was a bed in there, just in case.
Lan Zhan made himself a cup of herbal tea before starting on his homework. He did not have a lot to do since he only had two classes earlier. He always finished whatever assignments he had on the day he received them. Work came before leisure, as Shufu - his uncle - taught him and Xichen when they were young.
He soon completed the Economics worksheets he needed to do and moved on to English. Wei Ying sprang into his mind again as he opened the novel he had to read. He reflected on how he always helped him in Mr. Xiao's and Mr. Robertson's classes. His beautiful smile. His cheerful aura. The warmth of his hands. How his fingers would look as they gripped a paintbrush or a colored pencil...
Then he frowned. Why was he thinking of him like this?
Lan Zhan chose to ignore that question. He didn't want the answer to it. Not right then, at least.
Shaking himself internally, he went back to reading.
He was able to keep his thoughts away from Wei Ying until after he finished his assignment, when luck failed (?) him. He was just in the middle of preparing dinner when he noticed his cell phone vibrating.
Lan Zhan scowled again. No one ever contacted him at this hour. Xichen was usually doing his own homework or also about to eat at this time, and Shufu was still at his office.
He wiped his hands on a towel and picked it up. When he saw Wei Ying's name on the screen with a text message underneath, he didn't know whether he felt irritated or pleased about it. Or both.
Why did he have to send one now? He had been on his mind enough as it was. Of course, it truly didn't bother him that he did either, but still.
Hi Lan Zhan. R u busy? I have 2 talk 2 u about the project, the message said.
He turned the heat off on the stove before responding.
I am busy, yes. I am making dinner.
Wei Ying
Oh I'm sorry :O Would u like me 2 text u later?
Lan Zhan
No, it is fine. We can talk now. What did you want to discuss with me?
Wei Ying
Well I was thinking about who 2 do our project on. And I figured maybe we can do both Anne Sullivan and Marc Chagall if that's ok with u? We don't have 2 if it isn't *timid face*
A tiny smile spread across his face at this. He realized then that Wei Ying was one of the few people that was capable of making that happen. He was able to amuse him as well, another rare occurrence.
Lan Zhan
I honestly think that that is a terrific idea, Wei Ying. Anne Sullivan is someone we both admire, and I noticed that you are particularly fascinated with Marc Chagall due to your love of art. This will give us the chance to explore both of our interests.
Wei Ying
Yay! ^.^ ...
Lan Zhan found himself chuckling a little at his enthusiasm.
Wei Ying
...Since we agree on that I can get started on thinking of designs for the poster. I will show them 2 u when I have them
Lan Zhan
Very well. I will do the essay on Anne Sullivan as soon as I can.
Wei Ying
Cool and I can do 1 for Chagall. And we can work on the poster together when it comes 2 the important information on them :D
Lan Zhan
Yes. That is agreeable with me. I just hope that you will use better grammar on your essay than you do on your text messages.
Wei Ying
*Rolling eyes* Oh shut up. No 1 ever complains about that. And I'll have u know that my essays and papers all have As on them Mr. I'm-Soooo-Perfect-At-Everything!
Another chuckle rumbled from him. He couldn't help it.
Lan Zhan
Good. Did you still want to buy the poster, or would you prefer it if I did instead? And I am not perfect at everything.
Wei Ying
I'm sure that's bullshit but as u say...
He scowled at his usage of profanity, but chose to ignore it.
Wei Ying
...I can buy it, though. I just need 2 get the money for it.
Lan Zhan
All right. But again, let me know if you cannot.
Wei Ying
I will. C u tomorrow at Ed. 101 then Lan Zhan. Let me know when u want me 2 meet up with u again.
Lan Zhan
All right. Have a good evening, Wei Ying.
Wei Ying
Bye ^.^ Feel free 2 call or text me whenever u want. It doesn't have 2 be about the project. Ur fun 2 talk 2
His ears burned for the second time that day.
Lan Zhan
I will keep that in mind. I...
He paused, then decided to just finish the message.
I enjoy talking to you as well.
Wei Ying
^.^
Lan Zhan smiled one more time and put his phone back on the counter so that he could return to cooking. Later on, he noticed that his dinner somehow tasted better than it ever had before.
xXXXXXXx
Friday and the weekend were busy for Wei Ying. In addition to working his assignments from school, he spent Saturday afternoon playing video games with Jiang Cheng, Nie Huaisang, and Wen Ning. It was the perfect time to since Madam Yu had to work. They had the opportunity to continue Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood.
He came up with the designs on the poster in his spare time, or when inspiration hit him. He hoped that Lan Zhan would like them. Remembering the compliments that he had given him on his sketchbook's drawings made his face turn red.
"Is everything okay, Xianxian?" Jiang Yanli queried when this happened at lunch on Sunday. "Are you getting a fever?"
Wei Ying shook his head, embarrassed at being caught. "No, Shijie. I'm all right. Nothing's the matter," he replied a little too quickly.
"Are you sure? You have been looking flushed since we started eating."
"It's all of that damn chili powder. He's put too much on his food, as always," Madam Yu snapped.
Squirming under her glare, Wei Ying looked at his plate. Jiang Yanli clearly understood that it was best not to say anything else and left him alone.
Jiang Cheng seemed to have forgotten that he met had up with Lan Zhan because he never mentioned it. His friends didn't either, and it was just as well. Nie Huaisang would have made fun of him about it again.
Which, unfortunately, he did on Monday morning. They had just sat down in English class when he suddenly appeared to remember all about it.
"So, Wei-xiong. You didn't tell us...how did your date go last week?" he asked teasingly.
Wei Ying rolled his eyes. "Fuck you. You know that's not what it was."
Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning laughed.
"Nice. I ask a simple question, and I get my head bitten off," Nie Huaisang snorted. "You can just let us know all of the juicy details, you know. We won't mind."
"All we did was talk about the famous teachers we were interested on doing our projects on, and that's it. There's nothing 'juicy' about that."
He pretended to pout. "You didn't even kiss?"
Wei Ying cursed himself for blushing at the idea of it. "Why would we? We don't even like each other," he remarked.
And yet, he had an inkling that he was lying about this. On his part, that is.
He waved that thought away immediately.
"Did you two get to know each other, at least?" Wen Ning inquired this time.
"Yeah, a bit. He's pretty cool so far, and...what is it?" he abruptly asked Nie Huaisang, who was looking over his shoulder and tapping him.
Wei Ying turned to see Lan Zhan sitting at the desk next to his. That was odd; he never sat anywhere near him voluntarily. Plus, he usually arrived to class before him and his friends. He hadn't even noticed that he wasn't there until now. His friends' questions had distracted him.
"Good morning, Wei Ying," Lan Zhan greeted after putting his books on the desk.
He smiled tremulously. "H-Hi. You're here later than usual. Are...are you all right?"
"Yes. I had to talk to someone at Student Services earlier, so I was unable to come sooner. How are you?" Lan Zhan questioned.
"I'm okay."
"Good."
Class began at that moment, and they had to stop talking. Wei Ying was going to tell him about the designs he made for the poster, but he would have to do it at another time.
Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng and his friends were taken aback. They had no idea that Lan Zhan could read lips as well as he did. Wei Ying never mentioned it to them.
Mr. Xiao was clearly having an off day because he taught with less vigor than he was wont to. The result was a boring lecture, much like their first one had been.
Wei Ying would have dozed off halfway through it if he wasn't helping Lan Zhan when he needed it. Some of his other classmates did, however, including Nie Huaisang. He, Jiang Cheng, and Wen Ning tried to rouse him, but to no avail.
Suddenly, an mischievous idea came to him. He grinned and caught Lan Zhan's attention.
Hey. Watch this, he signed.
Lan Zhan frowned, but watched him nonetheless. Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning did too, the former with suspicion, and the latter with interest.
Wei Ying leaned close to Nie Huaisang before shaking his arm. "Wake up, Peppermint Patty!" he hissed loudly in his ear. He signed this too so that Lan Zhan could know what he was saying.
And funnily enough, Nie Huaisang actually did with a yelp and a jolt that rattled his desk. Jiang Cheng shook his head and snickered along with Wen Ning. A few others who happened to see this did too.
However, Lan Zhan's reaction was the best. He covered his eyes before huffing with a smile seconds later.
This made Wei Ying laugh even more than he already was. He was pleased to know that it was he who amused him so much.
"Excuse me, but what is going on over there?" Mr. Xiao demanded in a firm voice, turning around to face the commotion.
They instantly grew quiet. Those who were acquainted with him before attending the college knew not to risk making him lose his patience. It wasn't a pleasant sight.
"Thank you. Let us get back to the lesson now, if you please. Unless you would like to share the joke?"
"No, sir," they mumbled.
"Mmm."
Nie Huaisang stayed awake for the remainder of the period. He mildly glared at Wei Ying a few times, who returned the look with an innocent smile. When class was dismissed not long after, he reached over to give him a soft jab.
"There was a better way of getting me up, you know. How could you embarrass me in front of everyone?" he whined.
Wei Ying chuckled. "Well, we tried the 'better way', and it didn't work. But you're really going to be like Peppermint Patty if you keep falling asleep in your classes like that."
Jiang Cheng snorted. "I hate to say this, but I agree with him for once. He's not wrong."
"Oh, shut up. I hate you both right now," Nie Huaisang muttered.
They laughed.
Wei Ying felt someone gently touching his arm then, making him look around. He nearly jumped when he saw that it was Lan Zhan who was doing so.
The corners of his lips rose. "I have to admit that that was humorous, Wei Ying. But you should not play pranks during class. You do not want to get yourself in trouble, or your brother or friends. You will if you are not careful," he pointed out.
"I know, but it's all good fun," Wei Ying said cheerily. That was when he realized something. "Oh, and I never introduced them to you, or you to them! Silly me!"
He pointed to his brother. "This is Jiang Cheng, who I told you about last week. You also know him from your Economics 101 and Business Ethics classes."
Jiang Cheng inclined his head. Nice to finally meet you, Lan Wangji. My courtesy name is Jiang Wanyin. And please excuse my brother. He is an asshole most of the time, he signed. He also repeated this out loud for Nie Huaisang's and Wen Ning's benefit.
"I am sure that that is not true," Lan Zhan stated with a rather fierce scowl.
Wei Ying just laughed again and waved his hand to diffuse the tension. "Ignore what he said. He know he loves me, even if he doesn't always show it." Then he pointed to his friends. "This is Nie Huaisang...and Wen Ning, courtesy name Wen Qionglin," he added, spelling out their names in sign language.
Lan Zhan nodded to them. "I am pleased to meet you all. And if I remember correctly, you are in my Precalculus class, Wen Qionglin."
Wen Ning blinked in surprise. He was never aware that he had even noticed him. Furthermore, he was amazed that he had pronounced his name so well. "Y-Yes. Yes, I am."
"Mmm," Lan Zhan grunted. Then he peered at his watch. "I have to go now, Wei Ying, or I will be late for said class."
"Wait!" Wei Ying exclaimed. "I meant to tell you that I drew some designs for the poster. When would you like to see them?"
He pursed his lips as he thought his question over. "I should be available at lunch or after. I will send you a text message to let you know for certain."
"Lunch would be better. I have Trigonometry and Art Theory after that."
"Mn. Then I will see you at lunch."
Wei Ying bobbed his head.
They all left the room together then. Lan Zhan and Wen Ning said good-bye to them before rushing to Precalculus. Jiang Cheng did the same and headed to Business Law.
Since Wei Ying didn't have any other classes that morning, he walked with Nie Huaisang to his Fundamentals of Photography course.
The latter smirked as they made their way there. "It's about time that you introduced us to your boyfriend. I didn't think that you would so soon," he joked.
"How many times are we going to go over this? He's not my boyfriend, damn it," Wei Ying snapped.
"Well, just you wait. He will be after these three weeks are over, as I told you before. Is he finally going to join us for lunch today when you show him your designs, or will you abandon us to sit with him instead?"
"I don't know. Maybe I should, just so I won't have to hear your mouth."
And with that, he shoved his head and left him in the middle of the hall. Nie Huaisang cackled, unfazed, and walked the rest of the way to class by himself.
Author's note: Hey, guys. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. It turned out differently than I expected it to, but you know how it can be with writing. Please comment if you like, and I will see you all soon!
Oh, and there is a link to what I almost entirely imagined Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen's duplex would look like. (It just didn't have garages, but that was fine!) Just copy and paste ^.^ Of course, you have to put the actual dot in the actually search bar if you'd like to see it.
wwwdotcoldwellbankerhomesdotcom/ny/long-beach/142-w-fulton-st-front1/pid_45222843/