Chapter Text
Lan Wangji first meets Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen when he is sixteen. He goes with his brother to greet them at the entrance to the Cloud Recesses. They are rogue cultivators, Xiao Xingchen a disciple of Baoshan Sanren, and Song Zichen a cultivator from Baixue Temple. They’re both close friends with his brother, having attended lectures at Cloud Recesses many years ago, but today is the first time he will meet them.
When he and Lan Xichen come down to the entrance, two figures wait for them at the gates, one clad in all white, the other in all black. They pose a striking image.
“Xichen-xiong,” Song Zichen greets as both he and Xiao Xingchen bow.
Lan Wangji and his brother bow back, and xiong zhang gives them a bright smile. “Zichen, Xingchen, this is my younger brother, Lan Wangji, I believe this is the first time you have met.”
“Well met, young master,” Xiao Xingchen greets Lan Wangji with a kind smile. “Your brother speaks highly of you.”
Excess pride is forbidden , Lan Wangji thinks, but he gives Xiao Xingchen a polite nod.
“You must be weary from your journey, let’s get you settled into the guest quarters,” Xiong zhang says.
—
Lan Wangji doesn't think of nor does he see Xiao Xingchen and Song Zichen in the next few days. They are his brother’s guests, and his days are occupied with lessons and teaching so their paths do not cross. He is at the library pavillon one evening, reading his favourite poetry from Lan An, a guilty pleasure, when Xiao Xingchen walks in.
Whereas Lan Wangji is described as graceful cold jade, Xiao Xingchen moves with a gracefulness and flow that is filled with warmth, his robes flowing around him as if moved by a nonexistent wind. The bright moon and gentle breeze , Lan Wangji remembers he is called. It is fitting.
“Young master Lan,” he greets. “May I join you?”
Lan Wangji nods, and Xiao Xingchen seats himself down on his knees across the table from Lan Wangji, his robes settling around him like a sea of white. “Xichen-xiong tells me you encountered an interesting creature that feeds on spiritual energy on your recent nighthunt. Song Lan and I have never seen one during our travels, I would love to hear of your encounter.”
Lan Wangji doesn’t miss the way Xiao Xingchen refers to Song Zichen with such familiarity, as if the sound of Song Zichen’s birth name has made its home on his tongue.
He tells Xiao Xingchen of his nighthunt, concise and direct as if he’s giving a nighthunt report. Xiao Xingchen nods at the appropriate places and asks questions that make Lan Wangji pause and think before answering. He feels as if he is being tested, and he enjoys the challenge. He doesn’t have many opportunities to be challenged intellectually in the Cloud Recesses now that he has advanced through most of his classes. But Xiao Xingchen is a rogue cultivator, and he brings with him experiences and knowledge that Lan Wangji is not knowledgeable of.
It becomes a common occurrence, for either Xiao Xingchen or Song Zichen or both to find him in the library during the evenings, and engage with him in conversation about different aspects of cultivation. Lan Wangji soaks up the knowledge they dispense with the utmost attention. Lan Wangji has barely left the borders of Gusu, and his education is limited to what he reads in books and what he is taught. But he knows there is much more out there in the world, and Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen contain multitudes of knowledge, and are excellent teachers.
Slowly, they pull Lan Wangji out of his shell as they become less like strangers and more familiar. He enjoys asking them questions of the world outside of Gusu, curious as to what exists other than the major sects.
“You remind me of my nephew,” Xiao Xingchen says one evening. “He is not yet permitted to leave the mountain, and so he is always curious about the world outside of it.”
Lan Wangji may not always voice it, but he is curious about life on the elusive Celestial Mountain. “At what age are disciples permitted to leave?” He asks.
Xiao Xingchen shrugs. “It depends on the individual. Wei Ying— my nephew— is what you would call a troublemaker, he’s not trusted to enter the cultivation world.” He smiles fondly. “I imagine if he was in the Cloud Recesses right now, your uncle would kick him out in a matter of seconds.”
Lan Wangji does not like troublemakers.
“I think he’d like you,” Xiao Xingchen says, and there is an undercurrent of teasing in his voice. “I imagine you would be good friends.”
Lan Wangji does not have many, if any, good friends. He cannot imagine himself being friends with a troublemaker, someone who would be kicked out of the Cloud Recesses in seconds. It does not speak well of this Wei Ying’s character. It is best then, that they will probably never cross paths.
—
One evening, Lan Wangji is completing his night rounds, a task that is typically quiet and quick, when he sees two figures dueling in the practice fields. He moves to break them apart, unauthorized fights are prohibited in the Cloud Recesses, but he notices it’s Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen. He steps back into the shadows and finds himself immersed in the way they move.
With the way their swords clash and their robes flow in the evening breeze, it looks like they’re performing a dance, rather than fighting. They move as if they’re one entity, the distant snow and cold frost and cool moon and gentle breeze .
Lan Wangji is entranced, despite himself. It’s nothing like any fights he’s seen or duels he’s partaken in. For one, they’re both smiling, laughter echoes through the space whenever their swords clash. Under the moonlight, the black and the white of their robes, so contrasting, looks ethereal.
With a final clash of their swords, they come face to face, so unbearably close.
“Matched again,” Xiao Xingchen says, and then with what Lan Wangji can only describe as flirtation he murmurs, “ gege.”
Lan Wangji’s ears immediately catch on fire. When Xiao Xingchen leans forward and Song Zichen kisses him, Lan Wangji flees the area in as close to a run as he can, heart hammering in his chest with a mix of embarrassment and confusion.
How can they be so shameless in such a public space? Lan Wangji blames his naivety for not catching that Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen are not simply travel partners. Promiscuity is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses, and Lan Wangji does not spend any time in the section where married individuals and families live. He’s rarely been exposed to such public displays of affection.
Despite how hard he meditates, he can’t expel the image of the rogue cultivators out of his head. What he feels isn’t lust, but a longing. What would it feel to have such a life long confidant, someone who matches him in skill and intellect, someone to care for and travel with. It’s a hopeless thought, Lan Wangji knows he is unapproachable and no disciple with such qualities has been worthy of his attention. At one point or another, when he is older, a betrothal will be made for him. It is useless to daydream of a different future.
“Xiong zhang,” he says to his brother the next morning during tea, “are Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen…” he cuts himself off, embarrassed.
Lan Xichen blinks. “Hm? It is unlike you to not complete a question, didi.”
Lan Wangji stares down at the table separating them. “Yesterday night, I saw them dueling.”
“Ah, I see. Though they are not married, they are cultivation partners,” his brother answers kindly, not sounding embarrassed in the slightest to discuss such a topic.
Lan Wangji sips his tea and avoids his brother’s eyes. Cultivation partners.
“If you have any questions regarding dual cultivation, I would be happy to answer,” Lan Xichen says, as if Lan Wangji isn’t shutting down from embarrassment right in front of him. “It is natural at your age to become curious about such things—”
Lan Wangji stands up and bows, mutters a polite “xiong zhang” and sedately walks out of the room with one hand curled into a fist behind his back and the other clutching Bichen with a force that will leave indents on his skin. It’s possible that his ears are now flushed a permanent red.
Dual cultivation? Dual cultivation. Dual. The words ring inside Lan Wangji’s head with no reprieve. He will need to copy conduct and meditate. I am in control of my emotions, Lan Wangji thinks, before he is once again attacked with the thought of dual cultivation. He is never going to be able to speak to his brother ever again.
It is to his complete and utter mortification then, that Song Zichen approaches him in the library later that evening, and says, “Young master Lan, I apologize for last night, your brother told us you saw—”
“I did not see anything,” Lan Wangji replies, staring down at his book. Interrupting others is forbidden, lying is forbidden.
Song Zichen does not seem offended at Lan Wangji’s cold shoulder. He laughs quietly instead. “Ah I remember how it is to be your age, but there’s no need for shame or embarrassment.”
Lan Wangji does not reply.
“Don’t tease him, Song Lan,” Xiao Xingchen says, entering the library. He seats himself beside Song Zichen, looking gentle and regal as always.
“We mean no offense, Wangji,” Xiao Xingchen says kindly and pats his arm. “My nephew is much the same as you, easily flustered about such topics.”
Lan Wangji does not want to be associated with Xiao Xingchen’s troublemaker nephew so he will not be flustered easily. “How long have you been—” he clears his throat. “ — cultivation partners?” He only chokes on the words cultivation partners a little.
Song Zichen looks surprised that Lan Wangji has gathered enough courage to ask. “Since we were teenagers?” He looks to Xiao Xingchen to confirm.
Xiao Xingchen nods and flicks Song Zichen in the shoulder with a finger, which Song Zichen just grabs and holds in his lap. “I met Song Lan the first time I came down from the mountain, things just happened naturally from there.”
Lan Wangji nods. He is simultaneously embarrassed and curious about the easy way in which they interact and touch each other, affection obvious in every gesture and look. Lan Wangji does not have the opportunity to see many couples interact. His own parents were in separate seclusion. While it’s unbearably embarrassing, Lan Wangji is curious about relationships. If his uncle knew he were having such thoughts, his qi deviation would be inevitable.
“We will be leaving tomorrow,” Xiao Xingchen says the next day. “Thank you for your company these past few weeks, young master Lan. Would you mind if we kept in touch through letters?”
Lan Wangji shakes his head. “I would like to hear of your travels.”
And so Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen become something like uncles or older brothers to him over the years. They send him and xiong zhang letters, and at least once a year, they stop by the Cloud Recesses for a few weeks.
“I am glad you enjoy their company, didi,” Lan Xichen says to him at some point. “They are good people.”
Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen are good people, probably two of the best Lan Wangji has ever met. They are noble and strong of character, devoid of sect politics, with a goal to help those in need everywhere. They are Lan Wangji’s role models, and despite all the teachings of the Gusu Lan Clan and the future expectations of someone in his position, he finds himself yearning to live a life like theirs. Travelling, exploring strange lands, getting away from the cultivation world’s politics. Having a cultivation partner, his mind supplies.
Xiao Xingchen speaks often of his nephew in his letters and visits, and Lan Wangji comes to know Wei Wuxian, against his will at first, and then later with a curiosity that cannot be abated. At first, Lan Wangji doesn’t care for Xiao Xingchen’s nephew. He seems uncontrolled and filled with trouble based on what Xiao Xingchen first tells him.
“Grandmaster was furious, her hair was entirely dyed green, I am unsure if Wei Ying’s arms have yet to recover from the handstands,” Xiao Xingchen finishes his story with a soft chuckle.
Lan Wangji listens to this story with shock. If someone created a talisman that changes hair colour and dyed Shufu’s hair green, hell would be unleashed in Cloud Recesses. How Wei Wuxian did this to Baoshan Sanren, an immortal being , with barely a slap on the wrist confounds Lan Wangji.
“Is this why he is still not allowed to leave the mountain?” Lan Wangji asks. Over the years, he has become more comfortable with asking Xiao Xingchen and Song Zichen curious questions.
“Can you imagine if he pulled such a prank on a sect leader?” Xiao Xingchen wonders with a fond shake of his head. “Wei Ying has been raised outside the rules of the sect world, he is too carefree a spirit, the world outside the mountain is not ready for him yet.”
Lan Wangji agrees. From what Xiao Xingchen has told him, Wei Wuxian is an individual who does not care for rules he himself does not find worthy. He is an uncontrolled, wild being with a penchant for trouble. He is Lan Wangji’s complete opposite. Lan Wangji does not think they would be friends if they met, despite Xiao Xingchen’s insistence.
The issue with this begins two years after Lan Wangji first meets Xiao Xingchen and Song Zichen. Lan Wangji receives a letter from Xiao Xingchen and he opens it in the Jingshi, excited to hear what new adventures the pair have encountered.
The letter starts out as usual, commenting on Lan Wangji’s and xiong zhang’s health and wellbeing, and asking about how things in the Cloud Recesses have been. It is the second paragraph that catches Lan Wangji off guard.
We have acquired a new travelling companion. Wei Ying has been permitted to leave the mountain, and Song Lan and I have been tasked with his education and wellbeing. He is much like an overexcited puppy, curious about all things. We are keeping our travels away from the major sects for now, as the large cities can be overwhelming for someone who has spent their entire life on the mountain. Though my nephew has already managed to cause us trouble, he fought with a cultivator from the Yao sect who was harassing an elderly woman. His heart and intentions are pure, but he must learn some things can be solved without a fight.
Lan Wangji can feel Xiao Xingchen’s fondness for his nephew even through the paper. He does not seem troubled or annoyed at having to bear the responsibility for taking care of who might be the biggest troublemaker Lan Wangji has heard of. Instead he sounds proud. Xiao Xingchen’s relationship with his nephew is much different than Lan Wangji’s with his Shufu.
Wei Ying says hello , the next part of the letter says and Lan Wangji blinks in confusion. I have spoken often of you, the letter continues, as I have spoken often of him to you. Wei Ying hopes you are well and says (his words not mine) “Lan Zhan, you should break a couple of rules, the Cloud Recesses sound stuffy and boring. Maybe you should shave Lan Qiren’s beard off! Shishu tells me mother did that once when she was a visiting disciple. I’ve sent a couple of fun talismans along with this letter, have fun!”
“Undisciplined,” Lan Wangji mutters under his breath. Calling him by his birth name, telling him to break rules, to shave Uncle’s beard off , who does this Wei Wuxian think he is. Lan Wangji has half a mind to rip this letter apart, but he continues reading to see what else Xiao Xingchen has written.
As you can see, my nephew is probably not what you are used to, but he admires you greatly. He often asks when he will get to meet you, but for at least another couple of years, I do not think it would be appropriate to bring him to Gusu, lest he start a war and send your Uncle into qi deviation. Please do not shave your Grandmaster Lan’s beard off. I have checked the talismans Wei Ying sent, and they are harmless, though I doubt you will use them.
Lan Wangji is going to rip the talismans apart into smithereens.
Song Lan also says hello, and has sent a new blend of tea he discovered that he thinks you will like. Our travels have been quiet... the letter continues in the usual manner, and when he finishes reading Lan Wangji feels strangely unsettled. He takes a look at the attached package and finds Song Zichen’s tea, which he will try in the evening, and two talismans.
One talisman is to release butterflies made of light. It seems relatively harmless and useless so Lan Wangji does not rip it apart. The other talisman is a hair colour changing talisman. That one Lan Wangji does rip apart with barely restrained annoyance. He doesn’t understand Wei Wuxian’s interest in him, and has half a mind to reply to Xiao Xingchen’s letter with keep your nephew away from me. He doesn’t of course, because he respects and admires Xiao Xingchen even though his nephew is apparently a heathen.
From that point on, Wei Wuxian is a common appearance in letters from Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen. Lan Wangji comes to know him against his will, learns random facts about the other boy, learns about his character as if they have been lifelong friends.
Wei Ying successfully completed his first night hunt.
Wei Ying angered a merchant.
Wei Ying saved an entire village. It was his first time getting grievously injured, but he is thankfully on the mend.
Wei Ying asks if you are well, and if you’ve shaved Lan Qiren’s beard off yet.
Wei Ying says if he ever visits the Cloud Recesses, you must prepare chilli oil for him, lest the bland Gusu foods be the death of him.
And then a year and half after Wei Wuxian has left the mountain, Lan Wangji finds a message tucked at the end of Xiao Xingchen’s letter.
Lan Zhan! It’s me, Wei Ying, I stole shishu’s letter before he can send it to add my own message to you! Shishu speaks about you all the time, but it’s unfair that we’ve never spoken. Lan Zhan has never met Wei Wuxian but he can somehow feel the pout Wei Wuxian had on his face as he wrote this.
Did you ever try the colour talisman I sent? Probably not, you sound too much like a fuddy duddy from what shishu tells me. Your life must be pretty boring with all those rules, but shishu says that you’re an excellent cultivator, he says we may be evenly matched! How about it Lan Zhan, a duel when we finally meet? I can’t wait to meet you one day! You probably think I’m annoying and a troublemaker, but I think we’ll be best friends, just you wait and see.
The corners of the letter crinkle in Lan Wangji’s hands. A fuddy duddy? Pretty boring? Lan Wangji has to take a few moments to breathe through the extreme annoyance that has overcome him. He’s never been reduced to such irritation by a few words. Best friends?
Wei Wuxian may be a noble cultivator, but Lan Wangji will not be friends with him.
—
A few months after Lan Wangji’s 20th birthday, midway through spring, Song Zichen arrives at the Cloud Recesses, per his message in the last letter xiong zhang received.
When Lan Wangji goes to the entrance to greet him, Song Zichen is alone, and it’s an unsettling sight to see him without his partner in white.
“Wangji,” Song Zichen greets.
They bow to each other, and Song Zichen says, “Xiao Xingchen and a-Ying have gone back to the mountain per Grandmaster Sanren’s wishes. They will arrive for the start of the summer lectures.”
Lan Wangji glances at Song Zichen with barely conceived shock. “Wei Wuxian will be attending the summer lectures?”
“He insists, it’s why they’re at the mountain right now. a-Ying is begging for Grandmaster’s permission to attend, though I believe he would attend whether permitted or not.”
Lan Wangji’s brain freezes. Wei Wuxian in the Cloud Recesses? Lan Wangji knows him only through the snippets in the letters his uncles send, he cannot imagine meeting him in real life.
“Don’t look so worried.” Song Zichen laughs. “a-Ying will probably only cause a little trouble, I’m sure you’ll be good friends.”
Why? Lan Wangji wants to ask. Why do both Xiao Xingchen and Song Zichen think he and Wei Wuxian would be good friends? Lan Wangji doesn’t exactly dislike him, there are aspects of Wei Wuxian’s personality that Lan Wangji admires, but if they were to meet in real life, Wei Wuxian would be too loud and too troublesome and shameless for Lan Wangji.
Lan Wangji cannot imagine him in the Cloud Recesses, a place so usually quiet and serene. Wei Wuxian seems like a whirlwind, too filled with life and mischief to be contained within these walls.
“Xiong zhang,” Lan Wangji says later to his brother, “is it wise to allow Wei Wuxian to attend the summer lectures?”
“Uncle himself is the one who has given permission for Wei Wuxian to attend,” Lan Xichen answers. “Wei-gongzi’s parents were close friends with Shufu, so long as Grandmaster Sanren gives her permission, Wei Wuxian may attend.”
Lan Wangji blinks. Wei Wuxian’s parents were friends with Uncle? Uncle was friends with the woman who shaved his beard off? Lan Wangji is unsure of what to make of this information.
“I hope you will enjoy his company and friendship, Xingchen tells me he is a talented cultivator, perhaps you will finally find someone your age who is your match,” xiong zhang says, and there is a twinkle in his eye that speaks of hidden meanings beneath his spoken words.
Even his brother thinks he and Wei Wuxian will be good friends. Lan Wangji feels betrayed. Perhaps he will simply prove them wrong on purpose. I will not become friends with him, Lan Wangji promises himself.
This promise proves to be a complete failure when Xiao Xingchen and Wei Wuxian arrive at the Cloud Recesses. As they are honoured disciples of Baoshan Sanren, both Lan Wangji and his brother go down to greet them at the gates. Two figures in white await them, and Lan Wangji proceeds to lose any and all brain cells when his eyes land on the individual standing beside Xiao Xingchen.
The individual matches him in height. He is dressed in all white, with the exception of the stark red ribbon holding part of his hair up in a ponytail. His features are handsome, a sharp jawline with some baby fat still on his cheeks. He is smiling, eyes crinkled with hidden laughter. He has a face made to smile. Lan Wangji’s heart fumbles in his chest. He can’t coincide the image of Wei Wuxian he had in his head and the man he sees in front of him now.
They all bow to each other, and when Lan Wangji looks up, Wei Wuxian seems to be vibrating in place with barely contained excitement.
“Sect Leader Lan, young master Lan,” Xiao Xingchen greets them formally with a smile, “this is my nephew, a-Ying.”
Wei Wuxian’s smile somehow becomes even bigger. “Wei Ying, courtesy name Wei Wuxian, thank you for allowing me to attend the famous Gusu Lan lectures, Sect Leader Lan,” he says and then turns his attention to Lan Wangji. “Lan Zhan! We finally meet, I’ve been waiting for years for this moment.”
“Well met, Wei-gongzi,” Lan Wangji replies a moment too late, distracted by the smile on Wei Wuxian’s face and his voice.
“Call me Wei Ying, it’s only fair,” Wei Wuxian replies and proceeds to wink at Lan Wangji .
And then, because his brother is a traitor, he says, “Wangji, why don’t you show young master Wei around? I’ll take Xingchen to see Zichen.”
Lan Wangji does not send his brother a betrayed and dirty look, instead he bows to him and Xingchen, and gestures for Wei Wuxian to follow him up through the Cloud Recesses gates. Wei Wuxian clambers beside him, leaving zero personal space between them as they make their way up to the main area.
“You better not show me anything boring on this grand tour,” Wei Wuxian says, bumping their shoulders together.
Lan Wangji frowns and tries to put space between them, but Wei Wuxian side steps to bring them close again. “I will show you the library pavillon,” Lan Wangji says, just to be contrary.
“Aiya, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian whines, and Lan Wangji can see his pout from the corner of his eye. “The library sounds boring—ah! Unless you’re taking me to see the forbidden chamber?”
“Guests are not permitted to enter the forbidden chamber,” Lan Wangji replies. Lan Wangji is also not permitted to see the forbidden chamber, but he will not indulge Wei Wuxian with that knowledge.
Wei Wuxian huffs. “Boring.”
“You are not here to be entertained,” Lan Wangji bites back.
Wei Wuxian has the nerve to laugh. “I’m not here to learn either, I already know everything we’re going to be taught in these lectures. If you’re not going to entertain me, I’ll entertain myself, gege .”
“Wei Wuxian!” Lan Wangji yells, barely maintaining his composure as his ears flame red.
Wei Wuxian’s laughter rings through the Cloud Recesses and breaks about a dozen rules. “Call me Wei Ying, Lan Zhan, we’re going to be best friends!” Wei Wuxian replies, tugging at the sleeve of Lan Wangji’s robe with two fingers in a scissoring motion before he runs off in a flow of white robes and inappropriate laughter.
Lan Wangji is too frozen with shock and embarrassment to chase after him and stop him from the inevitable chaos he will cause. The familiarity at which Wei Wuxian conducts himself around Lan Wangji is entirely inappropriate. Lan Wangji clutches Bichen by his side in an attempt to control his emotions, but all he can see in his mind is Wei Wuxian making a cutting motion on his sleeve. Shameless! Lan Wangji thinks, insinuating cutsleeve relations with a complete stranger, this Wei Wuxian is entirely without manners.
Lan Wangji is not going to be friends with him, no matter what Xiao Xingchen, Song Zichen and his brother say. Lan Wangji is already counting down the days until the Cloud Recesses Lectures are over.
Wei Wuxian may be handsome and pretty and he may have a beautiful laugh, but Lan Wangji will not tolerate his insolence and shamelessness. He hopes Wei Wuxian gets kicked out of Cloud Recesses. Perhaps Shufu will realize his mistake in allowing him to attend the summer lectures.
Wei Wuxian does not get kicked out of Cloud Recesses, at least not yet. Instead he seems to have made himself home in the Cloud Recesses and has befriended several Lan disciples and a couple of the other guest disciples. Lan Wangji is not jealous.
The next day, during the first lecture, when guest disciples must present their gifts to the Grandmaster, Wei Wuxian walks in with the Jiang and Nie heirs as if they have been best friends for years. Wei Wuxian gives him a wave as he takes his seat, but Lan Wangji ignores him and stares resolutely ahead.
From the front of the room, Xichen gives him a strange look that Lan Wangji roughly translates to mean why aren’t you best friends with Wei Wuxian yet? Lan Wangji ignores him as well.
Throughout the gift giving ceremony, Wei Wuxian is constantly whispering to his friends. It irritates Lan Wangji that he is only caught twice and told to be quiet by Uncle. When it is Wei Wuxian’s turn to present his gift, he is alone, unlike the heirs from the other sects who have personal attendants with them.
He does not carry anything extravagant with him, only a simple bound book. He makes his way to the centre aisle.
“I am Wei Wuxian from the Celestial Mountain, disciple of Baoshan Sanren, here to salute the Grandmaster,” he says and bows perfectly before standing up and presenting the book. “I know the Gusu Lan Clan values musical cultivation, so I present a book of powerful music scores collected and created by my Shifu . I hope this gift is pleasing.”
Lan Wangji watches as his Shufu strokes his beard, looking pleased for the first time today. He nods at Wei Wuxian, and Lan Xichen goes to take the book from Wei Wuxian, smiling at him kindly. Oh no , Lan Wangji thinks, Uncle likes him.
When Wei Wuxian turns around to return to his seat, he winks at Lan Wangji and sticks out his tongue cheekily. Lan Wangji glares at him and clenches his hands into fists in his lap. What is it about Wei Wuxian that infuriates him so much and makes him want to pull out Bichen and fight him right now. Lan Wangji has met irritating individuals before, but no one has triggered his fight instinct so much so as Wei Wuxian.
Do not succumb to rage, do not succumb to rage, Lan Wangji repeats to himself.
He ends up succumbing to rage.
He is at the Jingshi later that night, playing his qin before he has to get ready for bed, when there’s a series of loud knocks on the Jingshi doors in a tune that Lan Wangji is unfamiliar with. He frowns down at his qin and stands up. He grabs Bichen as makes his way to the doors. He expects it to be Song Zichen or Xiao Xingchen or his brother, though they typically do not visit so late. Instead when he slides the door open, it is Wei Wuxian on the other side holding two jars of Emperor’s Smile.
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian exclaims as if he’s surprised to see him. “I’ve barely seen you all day, how are we supposed to become best friends if we don’t spend time together? I thought we could hang out. Look I even brought Emperor’s smile!”
Lan Wangji is rendered speechless for a moment. The absolute nerve Wei Wuxian has to visit the Jingshi so close to curfew and bring alcohol with him.
“Alcohol is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses,” Lan Wangji finally manages to say.
“I know that.” Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes. “But I thought it could be a secret between you and me, one of these is for you after all.”
Lan Wangji’s eyes narrow. “You are trying to bribe me.”
“Is it working? Honestly Lan Zhan, live a little. We’re not breaking the rules if no one knows we’ve broken them.”
He’s smiling brightly at Lan Wangji, swinging the bottles of Emperor's smile in his hand, completely clueless to the rage that is boiling over inside Lan Wangji.
“Give me the alcohol,” Lan Wangji orders.
“Are you going to confiscate it?” Wei Wuxian asks, stepping back.
“Alcohol is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses,” Lan Wangji repeats, taking a step forward. “You are a visiting disciple, you must follow the rules on the Wall of Discipline.”
“Hm,” Wei Wuxian hums, tapping his nose in thought. “I don’t think so, I paid good money for this alcohol, I’m not letting you destroy it.”
Lan Wangji grip on Bichen tightens. “Hand it over.”
Wei Wuxian’s smile widens before he turns around and runs off. “You can have them if you catch me!” He yells, already laughing with an unbridled joy Lan Wangji does not understand.
Lan Wangji is running after him before he can even comprehend his own actions, the no running in Cloud Recesses rule completely forgotten. He chases after Wei Wuxian, through the darkness of the mostly asleep Cloud Recesses, under the white glow of moonlight. Wei Wuxian is quick, evading Lan Wangji at every turn.
He ends up chasing him across the rooftops, and it is somewhat—exhilarating. Under the guise of night, it’s almost as if they’re not in Cloud Recesses. Somehow Lan Wangji’s anger turns to excitement. There’s something fun about chasing a laughing Wei Wuxian who seems to be having the time of his life.
When Wei Wuxian abruptly stops running, Lan Wangji goes crashing into him and they topple off the roof in a mixture of limbs. The jars of Emperor's smile land a few feet away in a loud shatter of glass. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian’s bodies roll on the ground for several moments before coming to a stop with Lan Wangji atop Wei Wuxian, his hands on either side of Wei Wuxian’s head.
“Oh no, my alcohol,” Wei Wuxian laments, looking to the side at the spilled Emperor’s smile.
Lan Wangji does not care about the Emperor’s smile. He is too busy staring at Wei Ying’s face. This close he can count his eyelashes one by one. This close, he only needs to tilt his head slightly down to kiss Wei Ying’s pink lips, to touch the mole beneath his mouth. This close, the flush on Wei Ying’s cheeks is obvious, the rise and fall of his chest beneath Lan Wangji mirroring Lan Wangji’s own heartbeat.
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says, and for the first time since Lan Wangji met him he sounds quiet and thoughtful.
The moonlight makes his eyes look like stars , Lan Wangji thinks, not entirely in control of his thoughts.
“Wangji! Wei Wuxian! What is the meaning of this?”
Wei Ying and Lan Wangji both startle so badly at Uncle’s voice and they spring apart, Lan Wangji’s heart beating so fast it threatens to escape out his throat. They both stand up, and Lan Wangji attempts to fix his appearance so he does not look like he has been running across rooftops and breaking rules for the last ten minutes. He glances around and notices that they have conveniently landed right in front of Uncle’s home.
Uncle does not look happy.
“Shufu,” Lan Wangji murmurs and bows, wracking his mind for any explanation for what his Uncle has just seen.
Wei Ying bows. “Eh, Grandmaster, it doesn’t—”
“Quiet,” Uncle orders, and his eyes flit from the destroyed jars of Emperor’s smile to the disheveled looks both Lan Wangji and Wei Ying must bear.
Lan Wangji fears he’s on the verge of qi deviation. “Shifu, please, your health,” Lan Wangji says, 50% because he’s genuinely worried, 50% because he’s trying to distract his uncle from what he’s just seen.
Uncle shakes his head, lips twisted in disappointment. “You will both spend the morning and afternoon doing handstands, and copy the rules two times in the evening.”
“Yes, Shifu,” Lan Wangji says. It is a relatively easy punishment by Uncle’s standards. Lan Wangji is unsure if the leniency is because of Lan Wangji or because of Wei Ying’s relationship to Baoshan Sanren and Cangse Sanren. Either way, it is best not to dwell on it.
Lan Wangji doesn’t dare to look at Wei Ying as they head their separate ways under Uncle’s watchful eyes. His heart is still beating rabbit fast when he returns to the Jingshi, a mixture of leftover nervousness and excitement.
Though he has sweat drying on his skin from the running, he opts to sit down and meditate first before bathing. His thoughts are in disarray, clouded by a flurry of emotions he cannot control. First, he berates himself for breaking the rules and running after Wei Ying; such a simple problem could have easily been remediated by telling xiong zhang or Uncle of Wei Ying’s rule breaking the next day. Next, he attempts to break down what he felt chasing after Wei Ying. This proves to be a futile activity in which logic cannot be applied.
Simply put, Lan Wangji had fun running across the Cloud Recesses. ‘Fun’ is a foreign concept to him. Chasing after Wei Ying, running across rooftops and listening to his laughter, felt freeing. Lan Wangji does not know what to do with this information. But now that he has had a taste of it, he wants more. Somehow, less than 48 hours after meeting him, Wei Ying has crawled under Lan Wangji’s skin and shaken the very foundations on which Lan Wangji lives.
He can’t help it when the image of Wei Ying beneath him invades his thoughts. Embarrassment flows over him like a tide. Lan Wangji has never wanted to kiss someone as badly as he did in that moment. Lan Wangji has never wanted to kiss anyone . But there is something exhilarating about Wei Ying, the duality in which he causes trouble but smiles like the sun is shining from within him.
Narrowing it down, it comes down to two things. Lan Wangji is torn between wanting to fight him and kiss him. Maybe both one after another.
But he can do neither. Both are inappropriate, Lan Wangji must get himself under control, such thoughts are atypical of him. Tomorrow’s punishments will perhaps remind him of the propriety he must behave with. Wei Ying is a guest disciple and nothing more.