Work Text:
"Ah, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian had sighed wistfully, his chin resting atop the palm of his angled forearm, the other hand idly swinging a half-drunk jug of Emperor's Smile. "Look at those peach blossoms."
Lan Wangji looked out from the pavilion of the premier restaurant they were eating lunch at and saw that the peach tree just a few yards away was indeed bearing branches heavy with light pink blossoms. It would undoubtedly turn out to be very fruitful once it was the harvesting season.
"Mmm," Wei Wuxian said musingly, a finger tapping his bottom lip. "It's been a while since I last ate a peach." The faraway look on his face pulled at Lan Wangji's heartstrings, and the bare modicum of dignity he managed to keep in Wei Wuxian's presence was all that stopped him from running out to buy peaches from the nearest vendor and throwing them all in Wei Wuxian's lap in a bid to get him to stay.
*******************
"Thank you, thank you so much, Hanguang Jun!" the farmer said as he bowed again and again in disbelieving gratitude. His wife held their daughter tightly to her side as she too bowed so deeply that Lan Wangji grew concerned that she might overbalance herself.
It had taken many years and several incidences of accidentally insulting the same people he'd helped, but Lan Wangji had eventually learned the best way to handle such overwhelming displays of emotion: "You're welcome."
It really was fortunate to be so elegant and noble of appearance. The beauty of Lan Wangji's face made up for the flat affect of his words, and the farmer and his wife merely beamed and stopped bowing.
"Wait, Hanguang Jun!" the farmer called again as Lan Wangji turned to leave. "Can't we offer anything in return? We understand your time is very valuable."
Lan Wangji was about to pretend that he hadn't heard anything and just continue on his way back to Cloud Recesses, but in the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a familiar blossom.
"Is that a peach tree?" he asked quietly.
*******************
Staring bemusedly at the gold ingot that overtook his palm, the farmer barely heard his wife wonder aloud, "I suppose Hanguang Jun must be very fond of peach blossom trees. It's just as well really. A tree like that isn't much good for the likes of us."
*******************
Wei Wuxian hummed happily to himself as he strolled down the path towards the Jingshi. Life was good. Jiang Cheng had only thrown two temper tantrums during his visit to Lotus Pier, Jin Ling had almost looked him in the eyes when inviting him to visit Koi Tower again at any time, and he was about to squirrel his way into Lan Wangji's company. Again.
The man in question was standing outside the Jingshi and staring intently at the flowering tree that he was hefting in both arms without breaking a sweat.
"Lan Zhan~" Wei Wuxian greeted, a certain interest creeping into his tone as his eyes swept up the taut muscles just barely visible below the fall of Lan Wangji's sleeves.
"Wei Ying."
Lan Wangji looked very pleased to see him, and then he glanced back at the trunk and branches he awkwardly held, and Wei Wuxian had the great pleasure of seeing the curves of those adorable ears turn red with a blush.
"Do you need help with that?" Wei Wuxian really had no clue what Lan Wangji would want with something so random, but he was happy to do whatever made Lan Wangji happy. Because of reasons.
Lan Wangji hesitated briefly before acquiescing shyly. "Mm."
*******************
Wei Wuxian had pulled back on his boots and was now adjusting the straw hat he'd taken to wearing on his travels, all signs of his imminent departure, and Lan Wangji's heart dimmed even as his stomach was satisfied by the lovely meal they had shared together.
"Wei Ying."
The questioning look on Wei Wuxian's face was gentle, and it seemed that the other man would patiently wait forever for the words to unstick themselves from Lan Wangji's throat.
"Wei Ying." Wei Wuxian continued to wait, his body held still in its half-turn towards the door.
"Wei Ying, will you stay to see the peach tree bear fruit?" Lan Wangji finally said hurriedly, the refined lines of his face unmoved as always, but clear yearning shone in his voice.
Wei Wuxian looked out the window to the corner of the courtyard where they had planted the peach tree, and his forehead wrinkled for a moment in confusion before it quickly smoothed out, and he turned back to Lan Wangji with an irrepressibly happy smile. Lan Wangji smiled back, his lips lifting in the slightest curve, relieved that Wei Wuxian hadn't thought his request too greedy and confining. He never wanted to ask too much of the man he loved.
"Of course, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian said unhesitatingly. "I'll stay."
*******************
"Hanguang Jun definitely seems happier lately," Lan Jingyi observed after they finished lunch in the disciples' dining hall and started walking out to the outer courtyard where other disciples had congregated to chat quietly before lessons resumed. Lan Sizhui barely had a chance to respond before a rather cheeky junior disciple nearby asked, "How can you tell?"
Lan Jingyi promptly did his job as Lan Sizhui's best friend and swatted the brat on the side. Lan Sizhui shook his head reprovingly, and they walked farther out to the small bridge that ran over a decorative pond.
"Wei-qianbei has been staying in the Jingshi for the past fortnight," Lan Sizhui explained.
"Oh," Lan Jingyi uttered in a noise of complete understanding. "I thought Grandmaster Qiren looked particularly angry lately. Yesterday, he threw Lan Qishi out of the afternoon lecture for being just two minutes late in entering the room."
Lan Sizhui shrugged helplessly. "I think this time Wei-qianbei is here to stay."
*******************
Lan Wangji held a bundle of blossoms gently in one hand and resisted the urge to frown at the scrawny specimen nestled amongst the bountiful petals. The peach tree was blossoming so beautifully that Lan Wangji knew the journey from the farmer's land outside Caiyi Village to the Cloud Recesses hadn't distressed the tree in any way. Lan Wangji had dutifully followed the instructions that the head gardener had given him for the ideal care of peach blossom trees, and Wei Ying remarked on the tree's lush beauty every single morning. So what was wrong?
"Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian called happily as he came back from his trip to sweet-talk the cooks into making them sweets. "Come on, let's eat the candy before it goes stale."
The thin strands of sugar thread melted and clung to Lan Wangji's lips, and he licked them carefully away before crunching through the rest of the woven shell and swallowing the crushed peanut filling.
Wei Wuxian had long finished his share of the dragon's beard candy, but he was still holding the empty plate in the air and was just staring at Lan Wangji, who shifted with the usual mixture of discomfort and pleasure he felt when Wei Wuxian looked at him so intently. It made him want things.
"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian said abruptly. "I'll wait as long as I have to, but I really, really want you to say yes. Can I kiss you?"
All Lan Wangji could think to say was "Wei Ying," but he pulled Wei Wuxian tightly against himself, and the warm brush of their lips was his answer.
Of course, later that night, Lan Wangji gave Wei Wuxian as many yeses as he could possibly hope to hear.
*******************
Wei Wuxian yawned loudly as he stretched his limbs to their limits, and he groaned as his body responded with a satisfying series of cracks and pops. He felt really, really satisfied, and by the sounds of things last night, Lan Wangji had also been really, really satisfied. Thanks to the past week, they were getting really good at pleasing each other despite being mutually lacking in practical experience. Despite only getting a few hours' worth of sleep in the end, Wei Wuxian was energized to the degree that he had woken up shortly after Lan Wangji had kissed him on the forehead and left the bed to wash up.
Stumbling out from the interior room that held the bed they'd made really good use of, Wei Wuxian slowly crashed onto the cushion opposite of where Lan Wangji was sitting at the low table with a fresh pot of tea ready and waiting. He smelled delicately sweet and dusty, and Wei Wuxian surmised that he must have been out checking on his precious peach blossom tree again.
"Good morning, Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian said, full of great cheer, and then he took a good look at Lan Wangji, and his heart sank.
Lan Wangji looked as peerless as always, but a look of consternation was casting a shadow over his face, and instead of smiling back at Wei Wuxian in mutual lingering afterglow, he was staring down at a small splotchy colored sphere in his hands.
"What's wrong, Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian asked, full of fear that perhaps Lan Wangji was displeased with last night. It seemed really unlikely given how Lan Wangji had gripped him so forcefully to keep their bodies pressed together throughout the night, but maybe he still couldn't read Lan Wangji as well as he thought he now could.
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji said softly, ashamedly. "I don't think the peaches will ever be ready."
"The peaches?" Wei Wuxian drew a complete blank, and he confusedly accepted the small sphere from Lan Wangji's lovely hands. He stared down at the ugly-colored and excessively fuzzy ball. "Ready for what?"
Lan Wangji now looked equally bewildered. "You said you longed to eat peaches. That day."
Sometimes Wei Wuxian had to smack himself for his lousy memory and for saying whatever he felt like at any given time. Had Lan Wangji been fussing over that peach blossom tree for all those months in hopes of feeding Wei Wuxian peaches? That man! He was really too good! But wait.
"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian said before pausing for a long moment as he gathered the tendrils of his dawning realization. "Lan Zhan, I am not waiting to eat peaches from your ornamental peach tree. I am waiting to kiss you and take you back to bed and not let you out until those peaches are edible. Which will be never."
It was a good thing they weren't going to eat that peach, Wei Wuxian thought hazily an hour later. Judging by the stickiness he could feel against his sleeve where his arm was lying heavily across Lan Wangji's sweaty chest, they had probably crushed it terribly.
*******************
The peach blossom tree made for a lovely view through the Jingshi window for years to come, and every so often, Lan Wangji would harvest a small sample of blossoms and put it in a vase so that they could enjoy the sweet fragrance as they lived their lives together.