Archive of Our Own ^beta

+++

Jingyi is druuuunnk.

He hadn’t meant to get this drunk. Well, okay, wait: he’d meant to get pretty drunk, sure, but he definitely crossed the line from hashtag-goals drunk to oh-shit-I-have-fucked-up drunk at some point in the last half hour.

Anyway. The floor of this bar tilts under him as he walks, which, rude. He makes it to the empty booth he’d been aiming for and slumps onto the bench. The plasticky seat cover is cool under his fingers. It would probably feel good on his face.

It does feel good on his face. He’s gonna close his eyes for a few minutes. Just until his head clears enough to go home.

He falls asleep, or maybe passes out, but either way, he’s dragged back toward awareness by a hand on his shoulder. Someone else’s hand, not his own—he checks.

“Are you okay?” the someone asks.

He… doesn’t know? He grunts in reply.

“Hey, c’mon. You gotta sit up.”

Hands-plural tug at his shirt, work under his shoulders. He groans in protest, but a moment later he’s propped up to sitting. He blinks his eyes open. There’s a table in front of him with half-empty glasses of beer and dirty plates and wadded up napkins.

Was he–? Oh, right. He's still in the bar. He’d put his head down, just for a minute, and someone woke him up. He turns his head to see who it was, but there’s a weird time lag before the world catches up to his eyes. His stomach does not appreciate that, wow.

There’s a person standing there, hovering over him. He tries to force his eyes to focus, but can only manage it for a moment at a time.

“You with me?” the person asks. Their voice sounds concerned.

Jingyi scrunches his face and for a few blissful seconds, the world comes into focus.

“Oh,” he says.

He’s looking up into the face of the most beautiful boy he’s ever seen. His face is sweet and kind and his eyes are dark and his hair is flopping over his forehead and, god, Jingyi is in love. He hadn’t even known that was a thing that could really happen, love at first sight. Like for real, he’d always thought it was just a thing in movies, but this, right here—he loves this boy in front of him. He’s never been more sure of anything in his life.

“Y’look like’n angel,” he says.

There’s snickering as a pair of blurry faces come into view behind the boy’s shoulders. Jingyi ignores them and gazes up at the face of the love of his life.

“I love you,” Jingyi says. “Marry me.”

There’s more snickering, followed by a “what the fuck?” The boy just smiles at Jingyi. God, he’s beautiful.

“God, you’re beautiful,” Jingyi tells him. “I mean it. Marry me.”

“How drunk is he?” someone asks.

“Verrry,” Jingyi replies, listing to the right again. “Ssso drunk.”

“Hey,” the boy says, reeling him back upright. “Are you here with friends?”

“Nope,” Jingyi says, shaking his head. His stomach protests, and oh, shaking was not a good idea. “No friennss tonight. Just me. An’ you. You foun’ me. Been waiting.”

“Waiting, for me?”

“Yeeeeah, jus’ for you. Hi.”

“What’s your name?”

“M’name, ha, like you don’—“

Pure nonsense is coming out of his mouth now, what the fuck. He also can’t focus any more, so he stops trying. The people standing before him are just blurs now. There’s some whispered conversation that Jingyi only catches snatches of.

“…closing soon…”

“…can’t just leave him…”

“…picking up strays like…”

Someone checks his pockets and he’s too far gone even to protest.

“Here’s his phone. Shit, it’s dead.”

“Ha ha, yes,” he says, and slumps down in the seat. “Dead.”

“What’s your name?” the boy asks again, but Jingyi’s head is swimming. And his stomach—oh, fuck, he’s going to throw up. Oh god.

He ducks under the table and pukes on the floor.

There’s grumbling and argument behind him, and lots of words his brain can’t process.

He presses his face against the plastic again. He just needs to lie here a little longer. He’ll be fine if he can rest, just for a little while.

+++

He wakes up in bed. It’s definitely not his bed. For one thing, his bed is a narrow top bunk in a dorm room he shares with three other guys, who would definitely not be letting him quietly sleep it off.

For another, this bed is comfortable. Huh.

Before he can think much about it, the misery hits. His head feels like it’s been stabbed through and his stomach lurches ominously, and fuck, he was so drunk last night. This is not going to be pretty.

He opens one eye and instantly regrets it. He closes it again and tries to quell the rising wave of nausea.

This fucking sucks. He has no idea where he is or how he got here. The last thing he remembers is lying down in a booth in that dive bar he’d spent the evening in, and hoping for the best.

Maybe if he goes back to sleep, he’ll wake up in his own bed.

Shit—whose bed is he in? He hopes he’s not about to puke in it. Hopefully he hasn’t already. Been there, done that.

He lies there suffering for several more minutes until his anxiety about where exactly he is becomes too much. He opens his eyes.

He’s in a small bedroom. Everything is white and bright, and very neat.

Maybe he’s dead? Maybe he died of alcohol poisoning and this is the afterlife. His parents will be so pissed at him.

He forces himself up on an elbow to look around. He’s alone, which he’s grateful for. That’s another mistake he’s made and—yeah. The less said about it, the better.

The room is small, with a single window. The shade of the window is pulled down, but sunlight streams in around the edges anyway, the brightness enough to make him squint. There’s a desk on the opposite wall with neat stacks of books and papers, and a large rainbow flag hanging on the wall above it. The bed he’s currently lying in is a double, with two pillows and a fluffy duvet.

He has his t-shirt on, at least. He lifts the covers and looks underneath. His pants are gone, but he’s still wearing his underwear, for whatever that’s worth. Those are maybe his jeans neatly folded on the desk chair.

He rubs a hand over his face and lies back down. His mouth tastes like garbage. He feels like a truck ran over him. He wants to pull the duvet over his head for a while, but he can’t hide in here forever. He closes his eyes and listens. He can hear some quiet conversation in a nearby room. Probably the people who brought him here.

Whoever they are, they could’ve left them in that bar, or worse, in a gutter somewhere. Instead, they brought him here and apparently took care of him. He needs to go out and thank them, and also apologize, then figure out where the hell he is and how to get home.

He manages to stand and pull his jeans on. He has to lean against the door frame for a solid minute before he feels like he has the strength to open it. He peeks out through the door into a narrow corridor. Across the hall from him is another open doorway—a bathroom, which he’s probably going to need shortly. But first, he really should go greet his hosts.

He moves as steadily as he can, one hand on the wall for support, his socked feet padding quietly on the wooden floor. At the end of the corridor is the main room of the apartment. There’s some worn but comfortable-looking furniture set to face a television on the wall, which is currently tuned to some sort of cooking show. There are three people seated on that furniture, and all three of them turn to look at him at once.

One is a boy his age. A very attractive boy, who looks… familiar. Jingyi’s gonna think about that when he has the brain power to do so. The other two people are older—not old enough to be this boy’s parents, but maybe a decade older? One of them is a small woman with a fierce expression, and the other a lanky man with a round, pleasant face.

The boy stands at the sight of him, his expression one of worry. “Oh, you’re up. Are you feeling okay?”

He speaks like he knows Jingyi, which—does he? Jingyi looks over at the man and woman, who are watching him with expressions of amusement and suspicion, respectively.

“Um. Yeah. I… thank you? I just.”

God, he’s already fucking this up. He hasn’t introduced himself or greeted anyone in this room properly. They’ve been kind to him and he’s making a terrible first—well, second—impression.

But before he can even think of what to say next, he hears a new voice coming from the other side of the room, behind him. “Oh, is he awake now?”

That voice is awfully familiar.

Just when Jingyi thought it couldn’t get any worse, out of the kitchen, with a shit-eating grin on his face and a dish cloth in his hands, appears Wei Wuxian.

“Good morning, Jingyi. Feeling rough?”

Jingyi did die, it turns out. And he also went to hell, apparently, because there’s no other reason why his uptight cousin’s trashfire of a boyfriend would be here in this apartment full of random strangers right now. He looks the same as he always does: messy hair tied back into a ponytail, black jeans, black t-shirt advertising the name of a rock band in English. And he looks utterly delighted by Jingyi’s predicament.

All of Jingyi’s hopes that his family will never find out about this horrifying incident are completely, utterly dashed. Because if Wei Wuxian knows, it’s only a matter of time before he tells—

As if the universe is reading his mind, another person emerges from the kitchen to stand next to Wei Wuxian. Jingyi’s stomach drops to somewhere near his knees.

Lan Wangji doesn’t say a word, just looks at Jingyi in that way he always does, the way that makes Jingyi feel like he’s six years old and covered in mud and a complete disappointment to the entire Lan family, again.

“Tang-ge,” is all Jingyi can manage to say before his stomach revolts in earnest. He feels the blood drain from his face all at once. From the expressions of everyone in the room, they all see it too. Before he can humiliate himself any further, he turns and dashes toward the bathroom door. He doesn’t even have time to close it behind him before he drops to his knees and vomits spectacularly into the toilet.

He stays there on the floor for a moment, miserable and sweating and feeling foul, but relieved he at least made it to the bathroom in time.

There’s a light knock on the open door behind him. The boy from earlier comes in and sets a glass of water on the counter, and two pills next to it.

“Are you okay?”

Jingyi can only huff out an exasperated laugh. This is the worst day of his life, and that’s saying something. “What do you think?“

He knows he’s being rude, but at this point he’s got very little to lose. He’s already humiliated himself in front of his older cousin, who didn’t think very highly of him anyway. As if his parents weren’t already fed up with him, now they’re going to have a whole new reason to be angry and disappointed.

Seriously, fuck his life.

“You should go lie down,” the boy says. “In my room. That’s where you were before.“

Jingyi nods. “Yeah, thanks. Just give me a minute, will you?“ He needs to gather whatever dignity he has left, and he’d rather do that in private.

The boy leaves and closes the door quietly behind him.

Jingyi takes the pills, then splashes water on his face and rinses his mouth out as best he can. He stares at himself in the mirror for a long moment, taking in the dark circles under his eyes, and the absolute mess that his hair is right now. He looks like death warmed over. Way to make a first impression. (Second, whatever.) These people are going to have a story to tell for the next ten years, and Jingyi will deserve it.

He opens the bathroom door and peeks outside, but no one is hovering or waiting. He knows he ought to apologize, but he still feels like shit, so he’s going to take the boy up on the offer of resting some more. He steps across the hall and opens the door to the bedroom.

It’s not empty: the boy is sitting in the desk chair, looking down at the screen of his phone. Jingyi closes the door behind him and goes to sit on the bed. The room is small enough that there’s just a meter between them.

The boy looks up and smiles, his expression sweet and welcoming and patient, despite everything Jingyi’s put him through in the last twelve hours. He’s really good looking too, totally Jingyi’s type. He’s exactly the kind of guy Jingyi would hit on if he saw him in a bar, actually.

Wait.

A bit of memory dances around in his brain, dangling just out of reach. There’s a reason the boy’s face looks so familiar.

Oh, God. Jingyi didn’t. Did he? Oh… yeah, he did. Fuck.

He winces and rubs a hand over his face. “I’m so sorry. I don’t even know your name.”

“Wen Yuan,” the boy says.

“Wen Yuan. I’m Lan Jingyi.”

“I know.” Wen Yuan’s lips twist into a smile. “When we found you in the bar, we checked your phone to see if there was someone we could call to come get you, but it was dead. So we looked at your wallet and found your ID. When we realized who you were, we couldn’t just leave you there. So we brought you home. Or well, here.“

Great. Jingyi has a hundred questions, the first of which is just how fucked am I? He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “So all of you were there? Did he—I mean, did Lan Wangji see?”

Wen Yuan laughs. “God, no! He wasn’t there. Can you imagine?”

Jingyi allows himself to imagine Lan Wangji in a dumpy university bar just a little bit, as a treat. “And Wei Wuxian? Was he there?”

“No, it wasn’t like that. I was out with some friends and we found you just as the bar was closing. No one else was even awake when I got back here. I just told them you were here this morning. My cousin, Qing-jie—she was the one who texted Xian-ge. I told her not to. I didn’t want to get you in trouble. But she was worried your family might be looking for you.”

“Looking for a reason to disown me, maybe.” Jingyi groans. “I was already in enough shit as it is.“

“Sorry if I made it worse for you.”

Jingyi looks up. “Oh, no, I owe you one. It would’ve been so much worse if they had to bail me out of jail for public drunkenness, or something.”

“I would’ve called someone else if I could,” Wen Yuan says. “I charged your phone though, in case you need to let your roommates know where you are. Or whoever.”

“They won’t be worried. They’ll just assume I hooked up or someth—” Jingyi wants to kick himself. “Um. We didn’t—did we?”

“No!” Wen Yuan says, with a tone of alarm, and Jingyi’s stomach twists for a whole new reason. “You were like, blackout drunk. I would never do that.”

“Oh, right.” The tightness in Jingyi’s chest eases a bit. “I wasn’t accusing you. I just—I know how I get.”

Wen Yuan’s expression shifts to something unreadable. “Do you always flirt so shamelessly when you’re drunk?”

“Flirt, yes, not that it usually gets me anywhere. But if you’d been into me, I definitely would’ve said yes to that.” That has happened before. Regrets, Jingyi has them.

Wen Yuan looks like he’s trying not to smile. “I didn’t say I wasn’t into you. You were really drunk though.”

Jingyi is remembering a little more of that now. “I hit on you, didn’t I?”

“You proposed marriage, actually.”

Jingyi moans and flops back onto the bed. That’s it, he’s lost any chance he might have had with this guy. He’ll never recover from that. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It was cute.”

Or maybe… Jingyi risks looking at Wen Yuan again. The tips of his ears are flushed pink. God, he’s adorable. Even through the haze of his hangover and shame, Jingyi is really into him. Maybe he has a humiliation kink? It would explain a lot.

But he’s getting ahead of himself. He curls up on his side, which eases his nausea a little. “So how do you know Wei Wuxian?”

“He’s a friend of my cousin’s—their former roommate, actually. He’s over here all the time, him and Lan Wangji. That’s the reason I made my friends bring you here. Since your surname is Lan and your home address is in Gusu, I figured you might be a relative.”

“So if my surname was something different, you would’ve just left me there? Your future fiancé?” He tries for puppy dog eyes, even though making facial expressions hurts right now.

Wen Yuan’s expression softens. “Probably not, but that was the reason I told my friends, anyway.”

They stare at each other for a moment. Jingyi’s starting to think he might have a chance here after all, despite the meet-ugly. He wants to flirt some more, but he feels pretty awful. He pulls the duvet back over himself. “So do you go to the university?”

Wen Yuan nods. “This is my second year. Last year I lived in the dorm and hated it, so my cousins offered to let me move in with them. This used to be Xian-ge’s room, before he moved in with his boyfriend.”

Jingyi remembers that happening over the summer, and the mild scandal it caused in the family. The prodigal son, the perfect example of what Lan men should be, living in sin with a tattooed, long-haired artist who is also a man? The horror. Jingyi envies Lan Wangji’s utter lack of fucks to give.

“Must be nice to have your own space.”

“Definitely. I don’t miss having five other people always up in my business. Not that they were all terrible. I’m still friends with them. The ones who aren’t homophobic, anyway.”

Jingyi’s gaze drifts up to the rainbow flag on the wall above Wen Yuan’s head. “My roommates know I’m bi, but none of them have ever seen me with a guy, so I’m honestly not sure how they’d react. They’re cool with theoretical queerness, which is something, I guess.” Jingyi’s head is pounding again, so he closes his eyes. “Shit, sorry you had to deal with me like this.”

“No, don’t be. I’m glad to meet you, even though it was under weird circumstances.”

“I promise I’m usually a lot of fun. I don’t normally drink that much.”

“Special occasion?”

“Fight with my parents.”

Wen Yuan grimaces. “Sorry.”

“Ah, you know. They want what they think is best for me, but they won’t listen to what I think is best for me.”

“I get that. Mine really didn’t like the idea of me moving out of the dorm. My friends were getting an apartment together and I wanted to move in there, and they said no. It was a huge argument. They finally let me move in here because my cousins promised to keep an eye on me.”

“Wow, that sucks. Are your cousins strict?”

“No, they’re usually really chill. They basically let me do whatever as long as I don’t get in trouble or let my grades drop. It’s actually a good arrangement.”

Jingyi yawns through a hum of agreement. Even with family watching over you, it sounds better than the dorm. Well, maybe not his family.

“I should let you get some rest now,” Wen Yuan says. “Come out when you’re feeling up to eating something. I think we’re getting takeout.”

The thought of food honestly turns Jingyi’s stomach at the moment, but he nods anyway. He hears Wen Yuan stand and make his way to the door.

“Hey, Wen Yuan?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. I owe you one.”

“You owe me more than one,” Wen Yuan replies, though his tone is light and teasing.

“As many as you want,” Jingyi says, and snuggles down under the duvet.

+++

When Jingyi opens his eyes again, he’s feeling a little better. Not much, but enough that the idea of sitting up doesn’t make him want to vomit.

His phone is plugged in on the desk across the room, so he retrieves it and settles back on the bed. He’s got a handful of messages: one from a project partner he’s inadvertently ghosted (oops), one from his younger sister (complaining about how their parents are now on her ass because they’re pissed at him), and one from his roommate Yunyu, inquiring about where he is. Jingyi types out a response to that.

Sorry, phone died
Made a friend at a bar and ended up spending the night
Might stay a while

That should be enough information, even if it isn’t exactly true. Well, Jingyi hopes it's going to be true. He really would like to call Wen Yuan a friend. More than a friend, even.

He sends a couple of rude emojis to his sister, then composes an apology message to his project partner, promising to get right on it. (Which he won’t, he knows, but at least he’s communicating.)

A response from Yunyu appears on the screen: Yeah I’ll bet. Get it bro, along with a few lewd emojis.

He wasn’t meaning to imply that, but he’s not surprised that’s where Yunyu’s brain went. The guy is a perv [affectionate].

Jingyi considers flipping through Douyin to see what he’s missed, but even this much screen time is making his head hurt. He could use a shower, honestly. He can smell himself, which is never a good thing. He’s also dying to brush his teeth, because wow, rank.

He cracks open the door of the bedroom and peeks outside. The apartment seems quiet, as if the crowd that was there earlier has left. He tiptoes down the hall and looks around the corner into the main room. There’s no sign of Wei Wuxian or Lan Wangji, but Wen Yuan is sitting on the sofa cross-legged, balancing his laptop and a notebook on his knees. Jingyi feels a stab of guilt: he’s been sleeping in Wen Yuan’s room, forcing him to study out here on the sofa.

“Hey,” Jingyi says.

Wen Yuan looks up. “Oh, hey.” His entire face lights up in a smile, and god, Jingyi is fucked.

“Is it okay if I take a shower?”

“Yeah, sure.” Wen Yuan sets his things aside and stands, making Jingyi feel guilty all over again.

“I can figure it out. You don’t have to get up from your studying.”

“It’s fine. I needed to take a break anyway.”

Wen Yuan leads him to the bathroom and rifles through the cabinet below the sink. He hands Jingyi a towel, then points out which of the bathroom products are his and thus free for Jingyi to use.

“I’ll get you some clothes to change into. Be right back.”

Jingyi watches him go in the mirror, then shifts his gaze to himself. He doesn’t look much better after another nap. The shower will definitely do him good.

Wen Yuan returns a minute later with a folded stack of clothes. “Oh, and I think there’s a spare toothbrush here under the sink.” He bends over to search through the cabinet for it. Jingyi is way too weak right now to stop himself from ogling Wen Yuan’s ass. He’ll feel guilty about it later, but right now he’s hung over, so who could blame him? It’s a nice ass.

Wen Yuan has a tiny smirk on his face when he turns back around, so Jingyi suspects that he actually did it on purpose.

“Here’s a toothbrush. That’s my toothpaste there, but honestly, I don’t think anyone will care if you use one of theirs.”

“Thanks.” Jingyi clutches the clean clothes to his chest. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

“No one else is here right now. They all went out to get food, so you’re fine. Get as clean as you want.”

Wen Yuan’s gaze lingers on Jingyi for a moment, then he seems to catch himself. He smiles, steps backwards through the doorway, and closes it behind him. Jingyi lets himself soak up the memory of that smile for a moment.

The shower is so much better than the communal showers in the dorms. The water pressure is great and it gets decently hot, which is just amazing. Jingyi usually showers every day, and though it hasn’t been all that long since Friday morning’s shower, it feels like it’s been a week.

Fifteen minutes later, his scent is significantly improved, along with his breath. He emerges from the bathroom dressed in Wen Yuan’s lended clothes: a T-shirt that’s a size too small and a pair of sweatpants that are comically too short for Jingyi. It was kind of weird to put on someone else’s underwear, but Jingyi decided that free-balling it in someone else’s pants was probably worse.

Wen Yuan has moved his studying to the desk in his room when Jingyi comes back in. He looks up at Jingyi and does a clear double take. Jingyi has a moment of panic that he’s done something wrong, but then he realizes Wen Yuan’s gaze is fixed on the way the t-shirt stretches across his chest. Which it really does, in a way that Jingyi would usually never wear in public. He doesn’t consider himself particularly built, but if this is the reaction he’s going to get from tight shirts, he might start wearing them more often.

The expression on Wen Yuan’s face is one of clear interest. Jingyi closes the door behind him and leans back against it, trying not to be too deliberate about posing.

“What? Do I not look good in your clothes?”

“No, you look great.” Wen Yuan’s ears go bright red. “I mean, you look—it’s fine. It’s just. I’m not used to it, seeing someone else in my clothes, you know?” He looks back down at the notebook he was just writing things in, adorably flustered.

Jingyi’s not used to cute boys getting flustered because of him, so that goes straight to his head. He goes to sit on the end of the bed, close to Wen Yuan’s desk. He stretches his arms up over his head, enough to make the shirt ride up and expose a little more skin. Wen Yuan notices, his eyes going a little dazed.

Jingyi leans back on his hands. “I appreciate it. My clothes were getting kind of rank.”

“We have a washing machine. We could get that started, and then they’d be dry by tomorrow, if you like.”

“By tomorrow, huh?” Jingyi smiles, pokes his tongue into his teeth. “Am I spending the night again?”

Wen Yuan looks even more flustered at that. “Well… you can stay as long as you want. You probably have to go, though. I mean, if you did, I’d understand, because, well—you probably have things to do. But like, you don’t have to go? If you don’t want? Um.” He looks like he’d like to crawl under his desk.

Jingyi decides to take pity on him. “I’m feeling better, but if it’s okay, I wouldn’t mind staying a little longer. All I have to go back to is my crowded dorm room.” He hesitates, not wanting to push this too hard. “I don’t want to get in your way, though. I could sleep on the couch, or whatever. It’s not like you’d have to take care of me. And seriously, if it’s too much, just tell me to leave. I'll be fine.”

“You’re not in the way,” Wen Yuan says. “I’d like it if you stayed.”

Jingyi lets his lips twist into a smile. “Then I’ll stay.”

They stare at each other for a moment. Wen Yuan is so cute, and so sweet. There’s something about him that’s weirdly familiar, something about him that pings deep in Jingyi’s brain. Jingyi’s barely known him for a day—barely knows him at all—but he already likes him so much. Even better is that it seems like the feeling is mutual.

He’s pretty sure it’s mutual, actually.

“So—” he says, just as Wen Yuan says, “Do you—”

They laugh.

“You go first,” Wen Yuan says.

“Yeah, okay.” Jingyi takes a fortifying breath. “So if I’m not reading this right, I’m gonna feel like an idiot, but. Do you… maybe want to go out with me sometime?”

“Yes,” Wen Yuan says, with a hint of relief in his tone. “I was going to ask you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They both grin at each other. Jingyi scoots down to the end of the bed so that their knees touch.

“Are you free tomorrow?”

“I’m free right now.”

“You’re studying.” Jingyi nods his head toward the open notebook on the desk. “I don’t want to distract you.”

“Too late.” Wen Yuan reaches for one of Jingyi’s hands.

“Ha, I’m already a bad influence. Your cousins are going to hate me.”

“They’re not going to hate you.”

“I’m a random drunk stranger you brought home from a bar last night. I haven’t even introduced myself properly, and I almost threw up on them. I haven’t exactly made a great first impression.”

Wen Yuan bites his lip. “Actually…they don’t know we just met last night. They think you’re a friend of mine from university.”

“You lied for me?” Jingyi gasps, pretending to be shocked. “Well now I can’t marry you. My family code forbids lying.”

“I didn’t lie! I just let them think you were someone I’ve been hanging out with that they hadn’t met yet.” He looks embarrassed. “Um. They might also think we’re a couple? Well, Xian-ge kind of assumed it and I didn’t exactly deny it.”

Jingyi huffs a laugh, astonished. “Wow. Is that a point in my favor or not?”

“If you were just any random guy, maybe not. But Xian-ge and Lan Wangji both vouched for you after you” —he mimes throwing up— “and said that wasn’t normal behavior for you at all. That made Qing-jie loosen up a bit.”

The idea that Lan Wangji had anything nice to say about him comes as a shock to Jingyi, but he’ll take it. It’s nice to get the benefit of the doubt from someone in his family for once, instead of continuously disappointing everyone.

“They’re going to like you.” Wen Yuan says with a confidence Jingyi wishes he could feel. “I like you.”

“I like you too.”

They stare at each other. Jingyi can feel the pull between them, and it’s unlike anything he’s felt before. He’s been attracted to people, sure, but it’s always been purely physical, and frequently fleeting. He’s never looked at another person and had this feeling of knowing reflected back at him like, yeah, you.

Is this love at first sight? He’s always thought that was fake.

Wen Yuan shifts his hand and intertwines their fingers. He scoots forward in his chair so that one of his knees slides between Jingyi’s. It’s suddenly, startlingly intimate.

“Hi,” Jingyi says. He never thought the butterflies-in-the-stomach thing was real either, but oh shit, it so is. It’s all he can do not to squirm.

“Hi,” Wen Yuan replies. He’s gotten even closer.

“So, I really am feeling better now. If you, uh, want to.” He leans forward just a little.

Wen Yuan mirrors him, leaning in too. One corner of his mouth tilts up just a bit. “Want to what?”

It’s abundantly clear that they both know what. Jingyi wets his lower lip with his tongue, holding Wen Yuan’s gaze as he does.

Wen Yuan’s eyes track that movement. He looks almost hungry. No one has ever looked at Jingyi like this before. Jingyi wants to kiss him so badly, but this tension between them is so delicious that he’s not quite ready for it to end.

“If you want to go on a date, obviously. Where do you want to go?”

Wen Yuan looks surprised, but he doesn't move away. “Do we have to go anywhere?”

“I guess we could just hang out.” Jingyi reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind Wen Yuan’s ear. That ear is pink at the tip. The lobe is pierced too, and Jingyi really wants to feel it between his teeth. Wen Yuan’s eyes are wide and dark, and his mouth is just right there, so inviting.

“Yeah,” he says, and his breath brushes over Jingyi’s lips. “I like hanging out.”

Just as their lips are about to touch, there’s a knock at the door. It startles them both and they sit back, staring at each other.

“A-Yuan! Food’s here.”

“Thanks, Qing-jie,” Wen Yuan replies, stilted. “We’ll be right there.”

The spell broken, they both stand. Jingyi feels flustered, unsure what to do next. Wen Yuan tilts his head toward the door. “Want something to eat?”

“Yeah.” Jingyi nods. “I think I’m actually hungry now.”

Wen Yuan seems to be waiting for him to move first, so Jingyi turns and walks toward the door. Just before he reaches it, though, he feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns back and Wen Yuan slides that hand around the back of his neck, and pulls him in for a kiss. It’s quick, barely there, just a soft press of lips before he steps back again. He looks like he surprised even himself.

“There. Okay. Now we can eat.” He opens the door and walks through it, leaving Jingyi staring after him.

+++

The knowledge that most of the people sitting around the table already think that he and Wen Yuan are dating doesn’t help Jingyi feel any more relaxed. He properly introduced himself to everyone upon coming in the room, and apologized profusely for his earlier condition and lack of manners. They seemed slightly amused, to his relief.

Except for Wen Qing, who looks like she’s still considering killing Jingyi in his sleep.

Wei Wuxian, predictably, seems to be delighted by the entire situation. He chats throughout lunch, peppering Jingyi with questions and inserting the occasional embarrassing story of his own. Lan Wangji remains silent next to him, following the Lan family practice of not speaking during meals. Fortunately for Jingyi, Wei Wuxian seems to assume Jingyi’s reluctance to speak means the same.

Jingyi takes advantage of that, and eats slowly and carefully. He’s never been this quiet during a meal in his entire life. He’s normally the one getting admonished for talking with his mouth full. He’s even sitting up straight, being a fucking model Lan, out of complete fear. Lan Wangji knows better and shoots him a few strange looks, but otherwise, people just seem to roll with it.

He eventually runs out of food though, and Wei Wuxian takes the opportunity to pounce.

“So, how did you two meet?”

Well. Shit. They haven’t had a chance to get this story straight. Jingyi stalls for a few seconds with a long drink of water.

“In a bar,” he says at last, deciding honesty is the safest way to go. He glances sideways at Wen Yuan to see his eyes widen. “I was there alone, and he was there with his friends.” He presses his knee against Wen Yuan’s under the table, as meaningfully as he can manage.

To Jingyi’s relief, Wen Yuan picks up the thread smoothly. “And you hit on me.”

Jingyi mock-gasps. “You were the one who came over to me! I was sitting there minding my own business.”

“I was just saying hello. And then you asked me to marry you like ten seconds later.”

Jingyi’s flush of embarrassment at that is genuine. “Oh god. Look, I’d had a few drinks at that point, and it just came into my head to pop the question.”

“Just a few?” Wen Yuan asks, smirking now.

“You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?”

“Nope.” Wen Yuan’s face is a little flushed and he’s so damn cute. They sit there for a moment, grinning at each other.

“A-Yuan!” Wei Wuxian says, one hand over his heart like he’s full of emotion. “When were you going to tell us you have a boyfriend?”

The two of them exchange a wary look at the word boyfriend.

“Ah, well…eventually,” Wen Yuan says, fidgeting a little. “I just wanted him to myself for a while. I know how all of you get.”

“How we get?” Wei Wuxian repeats. He turns to Lan Wangji. “How do we get, Lan Zhan?”

To Jingyi’s amazement, Lan Wangji rolls his eyes in response. Jingyi didn’t think he even knew how.

“So, I, uh—“ Jingyi starts, then hesitates. “About last night—I really am sorry. I definitely didn’t intend to meet Yuan-ge’s family like this. I would rather have had the chance to make a good first impression.” Jingyi turns to look at Wen Yuan, whose expression has gone from conspiratorial to soft. “But I’m really glad you were there to take care of me.”

“Me too.” Wen Yuan bumps his knee against Jingyi’s under the table. They smile at each other, and something in Jingyi’s chest shivers pleasantly. It doesn’t feel like they’re lying, not at all. It’s so weird.

Across the table, Wen Qing clears her throat. “A-Yuan says you’re at the university too, Lan Jingyi. What are you studying?”

Jingyi has to wrench his gaze away from Wen Yuan’s smile. “Um… engineering.”

“And how do you like it?” Wen Qing prompts.

Jingyi hesitates a moment too long. “It’s… fine.”

Wen Qing looks skeptical.

“I suppose it’s a good field,” Wei Wuxian says quickly, shooting a glance at Wen Qing. “Good prospects.”

“Yeah.” Jingyi tries to think of a way to change the topic of conversation to anything else.

Wei Wuxian forges ahead, though. “I hear it’s a tough program.”

“Definitely.” Jingyi struggles to find something non-incriminating to say about his recent lack of academic success. “It’s been a lot of work.”

Wen Qing gives Jingyi a calculating look. “So what made you choose it?”

Jingyi glances at Lan Wangji, who is now watching him more closely than Jingyi finds comfortable. “Um. I… didn’t? I mean, I was pretty good at math, and I— well, it just sort of… happened.”

“So it’s what your parents wanted you to study,” Wen Qing says.

Jingyi hesitates a moment more, then nods in a way he hopes comes across as indifferent. Wen Yuan takes his hand under the table, so probably not.

“Oh, yeah, I know what that’s like,” Wei Wuxian says with a commiserating smile. “Parents always have opinions about what you should be doing.”

Most of Jingyi’s family has opinions on what Wei Wuxian in particular should be doing. Jingyi swallows down a bizarre urge to laugh. “Yeah, I… yeah.”

Wei Wuxian leans forward on his elbows. “What would you study if it were up to you?”

No one has ever asked him that question and really wanted to hear the answer. They always say, “oh, but you’d be better off if—” and suggest something else. Every time. He has no reason to think Wei Wuxian will be any different. He’s just another adult who thinks he knows better than Jingyi. But he asked and Jingyi’s feeling a little raw, so.

“Teaching,” he says, unable to keep the challenge out of his tone. “I want to be a teacher.”

“Really?” Wei Wuxian looks genuinely interested, to Jingyi’s surprise. “Tell me more about that.”

“My parents think— Well, they want me to be an engineer, but I know I’d hate it. The idea of sitting behind a desk for the rest of my life is just—I can’t stand it.”

He doesn’t say that he’s failing his classes because every time he sits down to do his homework, he’s so paralyzed by how much he hates it all that he can’t even get started. That every time he’s tried to bring it up with his parents, they’ve brushed his concerns aside and told him they know what’s best.

“What do you want to teach?” Wen Ning asks, speaking up for the first time.

“Science, probably,” Jingyi says, turning to look at him. “It was my favorite at school.” He can imagine himself surrounded by kids, leading them through experiments, taking them on field trips to study the world. “And I’m good with kids. I think I’d really like it.”

“But your parents don’t approve?” Wen Ning asks.

Jingyi shrugs. His grades are in the toilet at the moment, and his parents are furious at him. They yelled at him on the phone yesterday, made all kinds of threats, and he got blackout drunk about it.

“Why don’t they approve?” Lan Wangji asks. Jingyi looks up at him, surprised.

“They think it’s not as prestigious as working for a company. It doesn’t pay as well. It’s fine for girls, but they expect more from me.” He stops there and shrugs. There’s a whole list of reasons that he’s heard on repeat for years.

Lan Wangji frowns. “But they know shufu is a teacher.”

“At a prestigious academy, sure,” Jingyi says. “And he’s the headmaster.” Jingyi spent enough time in the man’s office while he was there.

“But he spent most of his career teaching.” Lan Wangji looks annoyed, more even than usual, at the idea that Jingyi’s parents might be harboring some secret disrespect for Lan Qiren. “I’ll ask shufu to talk to them.” He says it decisively, like that’s all it will take to change his parents’ minds.

“Ah, Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian throws his arms around Lan Wangji’s shoulders as if he’s the hero who just saved the day.

Jingyi nods his thanks, uncertain what to say. He appreciates the gesture, but he has his doubts. He’s not sure that Lan Qiren particularly liked him as a student, for one thing. But it would be nice to have someone argue for him, for a change.

“Ning-ge is a teacher,” Wen Yuan tells Jingyi.

Jingyi turns to look at Wen Ning, who’s been quietly listening. “Really?”

Wen Ning nods. “Let me know if you want to talk about it sometime. I also changed my plans a year into university, so I know how that goes.” His eyes are kind, but also knowing, like he really gets this on a level the others don’t.

“Yeah, I will. Thanks.” Jingyi smiles at him, and Wen Ning smiles back.

It’s the first time Jingyi can recall talking about this and not ending up frustrated. To feel like someone else understands, even to feel hopeful, is completely unexpected. He’s not sure what particular combination of events led to this moment, to sitting at this table with this group of people, but he’s fairly grateful to the universe right now. He looks down, feeling a pleased flush in his chest.

“Okay, enough picking on Jingyi,” Wei Wuxian says. “Qing-jie, tell us some embarrassing stories about A-Yuan.”

Wen Qing smirks. “I have so many. Where to begin?”

Wen Yuan groans and buries his face in his hands.

+++

Jingyi makes sure to take the lead on the cleanup after lunch, earning a rare nod of approval from Lan Wangji. Wen Yuan helps, and they both insist everyone else stay at the table. Jingyi even manages to wrestle the dish sponge away from Wen Yuan. They’re both quiet while they work through the stack of dishes, but every time Jingyi looks over at Wen Yuan, he’s smiling.

He feels weird about kind-of-lying to everyone around the table, but it doesn’t even feel like the technical lie it (kind of) is? He barely knows Wen Yuan (yet), but that doesn’t seem important at all. Jingyi can’t remember the last time he felt this kind of possibility, like a door he didn’t know was there has opened.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji leave, and Wen Ning heads out to run some errands. Wen Qing checks their progress in the kitchen, then settles on the sofa with a book, seeming relieved that the apartment is finally quiet. Wen Yuan makes her a cup of tea, then takes it to her like an offering. She gives him a skeptical look, but nods for him to set it on the table.

Wen Yuan helps Jingyi get his clothes washing, then they retreat to the bedroom once more. Wen Qing gives them what seems to be a meaningful look, but Wen Yuan just smiles innocently at her and tugs Jingyi by the hand back to his room.

Once the door is closed, they grin at each other.

“I can’t believe you made up that whole story about how we met, on the spot,” Wen Yuan says, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“I didn’t make anything up! I told them exactly what happened. They don’t have to know it was last night, and not like a month ago.”

“Is it weird that it feels like a lot longer than that?”

“No, it does.” Jingyi’s still not sure what to make of that. “It was a good thing they didn’t ask us many more questions, though. I don’t even know what you’re studying.”

“Oh! Medicine actually. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor like my mom. And like Qing-jie.”

They have so much to learn about each other. “Your mom’s a doctor?”

“Yeah. And my dad’s an accountant.”

“My parents are both engineers, and they expect me and my sister to do the same.”

“You have a sister?” Wen Yuan looks surprised.

“She’s cuter than me, so you’re not allowed to meet her.”

Wen Yuan laughs. “Xiao-yi, you have to know by now that I am very, very gay.”

“Good to know.” Jingyi reaches for his hands and pulls him closer. “And what’s with that nickname? I’m literally bigger than you.”

“That’s why it’s funny.” Wen Yuan steps backward, tugging Jingyi with him. “Hey, I’m sorry if any of them gave you a hard time.”

“No, it’s fine. I was a mess last night, so I deserve it.”

“Do you want to talk about it? I mean, you don’t have to.” Wen Yuan’s expression is so sincere and sweet.

Jingyi’s not used to talking about things like this. His friends are more the type that will get drunk and laugh about the shit that’s bothering them, but they won’t talk about their feelings. Jingyi doesn’t usually like to either, but something about Wen Yuan makes him want to.

“Ah, you know. I had a big fight with my parents yesterday. That’s why I wound up in the bar last night.” Jingyi sits down on the bed, and Wen Yuan sits next to him. “I’m—okay, don’t think badly of me, but I’m failing a couple of my classes, and I had to tell them that. They were really mad at me, and then I brought up the teaching thing again. You can imagine how that went.”

“I’m sorry,” Wen Yuan says. He genuinely looks sorry too. Jingyi’s not used to someone taking his feelings about this seriously. This is the third, or maybe fourth time in the space of an hour, and his head is kind of spinning.

He bumps his shoulder against Wen Yuan’s. “Are you sure you want to date me? Full disclosure, I’m kind of a disaster right now.”

“You’re pretty hard on yourself, aren’t you?”

Jingyi shrugs. “Everyone else is too.”

Wen Yuan watches his face for a moment, then leans in and kisses him. It’s a soft press of lips, gentle and lingering. “You’re doing just fine. And yes, I’m sure.” He brushes his nose against Jingyi’s. The gesture is so sweet that Jingyi wants to melt on the spot.

“We barely know each other.”

“That’s easy to fix.”

Wen Yuan kisses him again, a brush of lips against his once, twice. It feels like a tease, a brief, warm touch before pulling away again. After the third time, Jingyi chases it, leaning into him and sliding an arm around his waist to pull him close. Wen Yuan feels smaller than he looks, and something about that lights Jingyi’s brain on fire. Jingyi slides a hand around the back of his neck and Wen Yuan’s mouth opens under his, letting Jingyi take control of the kiss. He’s soft and pliant in Jingyi’s arms, so Jingyi pushes him down onto the bed. Wen Yuan goes easily, wraps his arms around Jingyi and pulls him down on top of him. Jingyi loses himself in the feeling of his mouth, his tongue, his body, warm and solid against him.

They make out like that for a while, stretched out on the bed together and breathing the same air. Wen Yuan’s hands are under Jingyi’s shirt, roaming over his chest. His dick is hard against Jingyi’s thigh. Jingyi’s hard too, but there’s no rush to do anything more. It feels like they have plenty of time.

They spend a few hours like that, alternately talking and making out. They talk about their families and their childhoods, their hopes for the future and their current struggles. They tease and laugh, and kiss for long stretches, slow and wet and dizzying. Jingyi’s never kissed anyone this much in his life, has never spent this much time with someone else’s tongue in his mouth. It should be gross, but it isn’t somehow; it’s amazing and comforting and familiar. They figure out how to kiss each other well, how to make the other person’s toes curl, how to draw soft sounds of pleasure from each other’s open mouths. They finally doze off, curled around each other.

The sun has set when Jingyi opens his eyes again. Wen Yuan is still asleep next to him, head tucked into Jingyi’s shoulder and arm across Jingyi’s chest. He’s warm and soft, his eyelashes dark against his cheeks in the dim light. Jingyi has never slept next to another person like this before. He wants to do it every night.

He doesn’t want to get up, but he can hear the sounds of laughter in the main room. They should probably make an appearance.

He kisses Wen Yuan awake with soft presses of lips against his cheeks and forehead. Wen Yuan is smiling even before his eyes open.

“Hey. What time is it?”

“No idea.”

Wen Yuan fumbles for his phone on the nightstand and squints at it. “They’re gonna wonder where we are.”

“I think they know that part.”

“Ha.”

They straighten up their appearances before leaving the room again.

Wei Wuxian is sitting on the sofa with Wen Qing. “Oh, you’re finally up,” he says, smirking at them. “Good nap?”

“Xian-ge,” Wen Yuan says, and it sounds so much like a whine that it makes Jingyi laugh. “Why are you here?”

“Lan Zhan is having dinner with his uncle and his brother tonight. Where else was I gonna go?”

“To your own apartment?”

Wei Wuxian puts a hand over his heart dramatically. “Yuan-er, are you saying you don’t want me here? After everything I’ve done for you?”

“Of course not. I didn’t mean that.” Wen Yuan, Jingyi is learning, is a complete softie.

“How did you know we were napping?” Jingyi asked.

“I peeked in the room.” At Wen Yuan’s indignant squawk, he adds, “I knocked first! No one answered, so I thought maybe you’d gone out.” He turns to Wen Qing. “They were so adorable, like sleeping puppies.”

Wen Qing rolls her eyes and turns her attention back to the television.

They have leftovers from the earlier takeout and watch a movie together. Near the end of the film, Lan Wangji arrives, just comes into the apartment without even knocking. He intertwines himself with Wei Wuxian on one end of the sofa. Wen Qing sits at the other end. Jingyi sits in a squashy armchair with Wen Yuan on the floor leaning back against his knees.

It’s cozy, and so different from the way Jingyi is used to spending his Saturday nights. He’d typically be out with his roommates now, drinking too much and feeling guilty about not having studied enough. This is very domestic in comparison. He still feels guilty about blowing off his studying, but this is so much more fun.

He hears a soft sound and turns to see Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji kissing. Lan Wangji has a hand in Wei Wuxian’s hair, holding him close. He pulls away enough to whisper something that makes Wei Wuxian giggle, then kisses him again in a way that’s—well. There’s a lot of tongue going on there, that’s for sure. Wen Qing dutifully ignores them, though she looks annoyed. Jingyi gets the impression that this is normal. Even though Jingyi has been around the two of them plenty of times before, he’s never seen them like this. Lan-shushu would have a heart attack if he could see this shameless display.

Jingyi has always felt distant and different from the rest of the family, never good enough or smart enough. He was always the one who was out of control, who ran his mouth when he shouldn’t, who was an embarrassment at family gatherings. His parents always compared him to Lan Wangji, saying how perfect his older cousin was, how poised and controlled. Lan Wangji would never. Seeing Lan Wangji like this—a few minutes away from humping his boyfriend on the couch—is kind of a revelation.

Wen Yuan is looking over at them too, Jingyi notices. Jingyi reaches down and works his fingers into Wen Yuan’s hair, scratches lightly at his scalp. Wen Yuan sighs and tilts his head back so he can smile up at Jingyi. He’s so damn cute that Jingyi reaches down to tweak his nose. Wen Yuan seems to take that as an invitation to climb up off the floor and settle across Jingyi’s lap. He sits sideways with his feet hanging over the side of the chair, his arm around Jingyi’s shoulders. He leans in and brushes his lips against Jingyi’s ear. Jingyi shivers.

“They’re so shameless,” Wen Yuan whispers. “But they’ll probably leave soon.”

Jingyi tilts into him, close enough to feel the warmth of Wen Yuan’s breath against his chin. “Are they always like that?”

“Yeah,” Wen Yuan says, and kisses him. It’s soft and sweet for a few seconds until Wen Yuan opens Jingyi’s mouth with his tongue. Jingyi makes a little sound of surprise.

He’s kissed a fair few people in his life—and has already kissed Wen Yuan more than he’s kissed anyone else, ever—but he’s never done it where he knew other people could see. Before he can think too much about it, though, Wen Yuan pulls back and snuggles in against Jingyi’s shoulder. He catches one of Jingyi’s hands and intertwines their fingers.

He’s warm and cuddly, and weirdly heavier than he looks. It’s a lot of touch all at once, and it’s glorious. Jingyi isn’t sure how he lived without this for so long.

“All right, I’m done,” Wen Qing says. She grabs the remote control and pauses the movie. “I’m not going to sit here and be the only person in this room not making out with someone.”

Wei Wuxian snickers. “You could just invite him over next time.”

“So he can spend the entire time arguing with you? I don’t think so.” She turns her glare to Jingyi. “Are you spending the night again?”

“Ah… yes?”

“There are condoms under the bathroom sink. Use them.”

“Qing-jie,” Wen Yuan groans. He buries his face in Jingyi’s hair.

“These walls are thin, so keep it down or play some music. I’m still traumatized from having to listen to those two for a year.” She tilts her head toward the other end of the couch.

Wei Wuxian pretends to be scandalized. “We didn’t know you were here that one time, I swear!”

“Like it was just one time. Go fuck in your own apartment. Be a role model for these two.” With that, she walks to her bedroom and closes the door.

Jingyi’s head is spinning at this point. Between having a lapful of a boy he didn’t even know 24 hours ago, spending a weekend in the apartment of strangers, and being given safe sex reminders while his heretofore impeccable cousin is making out with his own boyfriend in the same room—it’s a lot to take in.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji says softly, and the two of them communicate something without using words.

“Have fun, kids,” Wei Wuxian says as he stands. “Just so you know, I’m pretty sure there’s still lube under that sink too.”

“Please stop,” Wen Yuan says. “Oh my god.”

Lan Wangji looks right at Jingyi and honest-to-god smirks. Jingyi can only gape at him in response.

The two of them say good night and head out, finally leaving Jingyi and Wen Yuan alone.

“I’m sorry about them,” Wen Yuan says. “They have no shame.”

“Are they always like that when you bring somebody home?”

Wen Yuan looks a little embarrassed. “I’m not—I mean, this isn’t something I do a lot. Or—ever?”

“Wait, are you— You’ve never—” Jingyi closes his mouth. It’s rude to ask people about their sexual history like that, he knows.

Wen Yuan takes it in stride though. “Are we talking about sex now, or something else?”

“Uh, sex—I guess?”

Wen Yuan gives Jingyi a speculative look, then shifts in his lap so that he’s straddling Jingyi’s thighs. He holds Jingyi’s face in his hands for a moment before leaning down to kiss him. It’s a very thorough kiss, one that Jingyi can feel in his toes. He puts his hands on Wen Yuan’s hips and tugs him a little closer, then slides those hands around to his ass. He’s been thinking about getting his hands on that all day, and he’s not disappointed.

Wen Yuan makes a soft sound when Jingyi squeezes, and grinds down against him. He’s just as hard as Jingyi is right now.

Wen Yuan pulls out of the kiss and looks down at Jingyi. “You were saying?”

“I… what?” Jingyi’s mind has gone blissfully blank.

“We were talking about sex.”

“About doing it now, I hope?”

“Something like that.”

Wen Yuan kisses him again, licks into his mouth, really, and Jingyi whimpers. He had no idea that could be so fucking hot. When Wen Yuan pulls away again, Jingyi feels like he’s melted into the chair.

“So what do you want to do?” Wen Yuan asks.

“You, obviously.”

Wen Yuan laughs. “Okay, but more specifically? I guess I don’t—” He looks up at the ceiling, suddenly embarrassed. “I’ve done some things? I kind of had a boyfriend in high school, but it didn’t really go beyond making out. And since then, just like—I went out a couple of times, but nothing… um.” He looks back down at Jingyi. “I guess I don’t really know what I’m doing here.”

“It’s fine,” Jingyi says. “I don’t have that much experience with guys, to be honest.” He’s slept with a couple of girls, but he feels weird about saying that. His experience with boys has been mostly while drunk, something he’s never examined too closely. “We don’t have to do anything if—”

“I want to!” Wen Yuan pauses, like he hadn’t meant to say that quite so emphatically. “I just—you’ve been driving me crazy all day.”

“Same.” Jingyi says, because honestly? Wen Yuan is seriously hot. He grins. “We could just, I don’t know, get naked and… I want to touch you. Like—” He reaches down and presses a hand against the bulge he can feel through Wen Yuan’s sweatpants.

Wen Yuan sucks in a quick breath through his teeth. “Yeah, okay. That’s— Let’s do that.” He climbs off Jingyi and holds out a hand. Jingyi takes it and lets himself be pulled to his feet, then down the hall to Wen Yuan’s room.

The moment Wen Yuan closes the door behind them, Jingyi leans back against it and pulls him in close with hands on his waist. Wen Yuan takes the hint and presses him into the door. He looks up at Jingyi with an expression Jingyi has never seen directed at himself before. It’s pure want, like heat and hunger and desire, all on his face at the same time.

“You really do like me,” Jingyi says before he can stop himself.

“Yeah,” Wen Yuan says, leaning in close. “Want me to show you how much?”

Jingyi barely gets in a nod before Wen Yuan’s mouth is on his. His hands are on Jingyi’s shoulders, pushing him hard against the door. Jingyi slides his arms around Wen Yuan and pulls their chests together. It’s still not close enough.

Jingyi pushes off the door and walks him backward, not breaking the kiss. Wen Yuan lets himself fall back onto the bed when he gets to it, taking Jingyi over with him like something out of a movie.

“Oof,” he says when Jingyi lands hard on him.

“Sorry.”

“No, you’re good.” Wen Yuan grins up at him.

“You’re so fucking adorable.” Jingyi leans in to kiss under his jaw. He works his way down to a spot he’d discovered earlier that afternoon that makes Wen Yuan shiver. He wants to make a mark there now, but Wen Yuan rolls them over before he can do it, just pushes him over in one move. Jingyi is surprised how much he likes it.

Wen Yuan tugs at Jingyi’s shirt. “Off.”

Jingyi pulls it up and over his head, but his hands get tangled up before he can extract himself from it completely. Wen Yuan reaches up and presses his shirt-wrapped hands into the mattress above his head.

Jingyi smirks up at him. “Oh, so it’s like that?”

“Maybe.” Wen Yuan kisses Jingyi’s neck, then slides a hand down his chest until his fingertips brush the waistband of the sweatpants. He teases there for a moment, like he’s uncertain.

Jingyi arches his hips up a little. “Want those off too?”

“Yes.” Wen Yuan lets go of Jingyi’s hands with a look that says stay, then sits back enough to tug the sweatpants down over Jingyi’s hips, underwear and all.

When the air hits Jingyi’s overheated skin, he flushes at the sudden sense of vulnerability. Wen Yuan is looking at Jingyi’s dick now, and Jingyi wishes they’d maybe turned off the lights. Every time he’s ever had sex before, it was dark and rushed. They barely even took their clothes off, and they certainly didn’t see each other naked. The weight of Wen Yuan’s gaze is a lot, so much, and he has to close his eyes against it.

His breath hitches when Wen Yuan’s fingers wrap around his dick. His thumb slides up over the head, and Jingyi realizes how wet he is already. For some reason that embarasses him even more. He wants this, but he’s also kind of mortified that Wen Yuan can see and feel how much he’s turned on.

Wen Yuan strokes up then, and Jingyi gasps. It’s just the right amount of pressure, not the too-light touch he’s used to from tentative girls. Then Wen Yuan’s fingers twist, just enough to slide the foreskin against the head, and Jingyi makes a soft sound in his throat. The embarrassment fades, replaced by the realization that this is happening: he’s really having sex with a cute boy who’s super into him. Holy shit.

“You’re so—” Wen Yuan says, and then he’s kissing Jingyi again before he finishes the sentence. His hand keeps moving and it’s so good, like he knows exactly what Jingyi needs. It’s probably the way he touches himself, and that thought makes Jingyi groan around Wen Yuan’s tongue. “Shhh,” Wen Yuan says into Jingyi’s mouth.

Jingyi has no idea how he’s going to manage to be quiet.

Wen Yuan pauses to lick his own palm, which sends a spark through Jingyi’s entire being, then goes back to jerking Jingyi off. Jingyi shakes the t-shirt off of his wrists and slides a hand into Wen Yuan’s hair, pulls him back into a kiss. It’s sloppy and wet and desperate as Wen Yuan’s hand speeds up, the drag of his palm a little rough now, but in a good way. It’s the best hand job of Jingyi’s life, including the ones he’s given himself.

He’s suddenly close, right on the edge, and he turns his head out of the kiss, eyes squeezed shut. Wen Yuan hisses through his teeth and keeps going, and then Jingyi comes into his fist, hips arching up off the bed.

He’s still seeing stars behind his eyelids when Wen Yuan releases him. There’s a moment of cool air, then Wen Yuan dabs at Jingyi’s stomach with a tissue. He leans down to kiss Jingyi’s nose.

“That looked fun.”

“Oh my god.” Jingyi presses a hand over his eyes. “Give me a minute.”

“Whatever you need.”

Jingyi can feel Wen Yuan’s smile against his cheek. He turns his head to capture Wen Yuan’s mouth in a sweet kiss. Wen Yuan sighs through his nose and melts into Jingyi’s side.

“Hey, how come I’m naked and you’re not?” Jingyi turns onto his side and tugs at Wen Yuan’s shirt.

“It’s an injustice. You should do something.”

“Hmm.” Jingyi sits up and swings a leg over Wen Yuan, straddling his hips. “Should I?”

Wen Yuan stares up at him, eyes dark. His hands slide up Jingyi’s thighs, thumbs dipping into the crease of his groin. “How are you real?”

“What?”

“You’re so—” His fingers dig into Jingyi’s ass as he shifts beneath him, looking for friction. His mouth falls open when he finds it.

Jingyi has never felt sexier in his entire life. It’s wild and heady, and he’s going to fucking enjoy it. He sits back enough to slip his fingers under the waistband of the sweats Wen Yuan is wearing, then tugs them down just enough to reveal the head of his dick. “Hello there.”

Wen Yuan whines.

“Shhhh,” Jingyi tells him, then moves back enough to tug off the sweatpants.

He settles back over him, pushing Wen Yuan’s thighs apart this time to kneel between them. He leans over to kiss the center of his chest once, twice. He plants a trail of kisses over to one nipple, then pauses to flick his tongue there. Wen Yuan gasps in surprise, one hand going to the back of Jingyi’s neck. Jingyi sucks a little, which makes Wen Yuan wince, so he goes back to licking, quick flicks of his tongue, feather-light.

“What the fuck,” Wen Yuan says, arching up into his mouth. “Why is that so good?”

Good, Jingyi thinks. He’s going to make it even better.

He leans up to kiss Wen Yuan’s mouth, then reaches over his head to grab a pillow. He drops it on the floor by the bed, and tugs Wen Yuan by the hips down to the edge. Wen Yuan gapes at him as Jingyi goes to his knees.

“This okay?” Jingyi asks.

“Yeah.” Wen Yuan props himself up on his elbows. From the expression on his face, Jingyi guesses no one’s ever done this for him before.

It’s not like Jingyi is all that experienced himself. He’s gotten a couple of blow jobs before, and he’s done this to another person once. That time was in the dark, though, and the other guy was kind of freaked out about it after. He didn't even get Jingyi back, which, rude.

The lights are on now though, and Wen Yuan is spread out before him like a meal. Jingyi pushes his thighs apart, slides his fingers in until they brush the base of Wen Yuan’s dick. It’s objectively a nice dick, even cute, and so wet at the tip. Jingyi’s going to lick that off soon, but first he wants to look his fill. He brushes his thumbs over Wen Yuan’s balls, then presses into the tender skin just beneath. He’s tempted to go lower, to the hole he can see just below, but he doesn’t. He combs his fingers into the dark hair at the base of Wen Yuan’s dick and leans in to kiss the shaft. He looks up to see Wen Yuan staring at him, mouth open. He looks gobsmacked.

Jingyi places another soft, dry kiss on the shaft, a little lower, then flicks his tongue against one of Wen Yuan’s balls. The sound Wen Yuan makes is amazing, so Jingyi does it again, opens his mouth enough to suck lightly on one.

Wen Yuan whines and flops back onto the bed.

Jingyi sucks on the other one and completely avoids Wen Yuan’s dick.

“You’re so mean,” Wen Yuan says, his voice muffled by the hands over his face.

“You don’t like it?”

“I fucking love it, but you’re teasing me.”

Jingyi kisses the inside of his thigh. “Yeah, I guess I am.” It’s weird, because sex has always been something he’s fumbled his way through. He'd never felt like he was doing it right. Now, though, he can see how much Wen Yuan is getting off on this. It’s incredibly hot.

He also really wants to suck his dick, like so much. It’s weird because when he did it before, it was just okay, something he felt like he needed to try more than anything. But there’s something about the idea of doing it now with Wen Yuan that makes him genuinely want it.

He wraps his fingers around the base of the shaft and finally licks the tip, letting the taste flood his mouth. It’s different from what he was expecting, not as bitter as he remembers. He flicks his tongue against the slit, just to tease a little more, then takes the head into his mouth.

Wen Yuan moans, loud enough that Jingyi comes off to shush him. They really should have put on some music.

He forgot how a dick feels so much bigger in his mouth than he expects it to. He likes the way it feels, though, soft-hot skin against his tongue, the head fitting against the roof of his mouth like it’s meant to go there. He tries to take it all the way in, but he’s not very good at that. Instead he wraps a hand around the shaft and sucks the head, using his tongue against the foreskin.

He lets his mind go as he starts to get into it, focusing on the sounds Wen Yuan is making. There’s a hand on his head after a while, petting his hair, and then— oh, not petting, but warning. Wen Yuan’s breathing is ragged now, his moans shuddering. Jingyi pulls off and jerks him with a spit-slick hand, and Wen Yuan comes over his fingers.

It was quick, Jingyi realizes after, quicker than he’d expected. That other guy had taken a while, enough that Jingyi’s jaw started to hurt. Wen Yuan is still shaking beautifully beneath him, though, and Jingyi already wants to do it again. He’ll go slower next time, maybe even let Wen Yuan come in his mouth.

“Wow,” Jingyi says, and wipes his wet mouth against Wen Yuan’s thigh.

“Come here,” Wen Yuan says, reaching for him.

Jingyi grabs a tissue from the bedside table to clean off his hand, then settles against Wen Yuan’s side. Wen Yuan turns into him immediately, almost wrapping himself around Jingyi.

“You’re really good at that, oh my god.” Wen Yuan kisses him, and doesn’t seem to care that Jingyi tastes like dick now. “I want to do that to you.”

“Okay.” Jingyi smiles against his lips. “Whenever you want.”

“Give me a few minutes.”

They turn off the lights and get under the covers, and curl up together. From the other side of the apartment, they hear music playing softly.

“She’s gonna give us so much shit in the morning,” Wen Yuan says with a groan. “It must’ve been loud.”

“You were pretty loud,” Jingyi teases.

“I couldn’t help it.” Wen Yuan presses his face into Jingyi’s neck. “That thing you did with your tongue, oh my god.”

“I can do a lot more things with my tongue.”

“I’ll bet.” Wen Yuan tilts his face up and kisses him softly. “I might fall asleep, but wake me up when you want to go again.”

Jingyi yawns. “Okay.”

He’s totally going to, he thinks as Wen Yuan shifts so his back is to Jingyi. Jingyi wraps around him from behind, warm and sated and sleepy. Maybe in fifteen minutes. He’s just going to close his eyes for a little while.

+++

The sun is streaming in around the edges of the shade in the window. Jingyi squints at the brightness. That’s not what woke him up though; he was having a dream about needing to piss and not being able to find a toilet. His body finally forced him awake to deal with it.

Wen Yuan is sleeping peacefully next to him, his face smooshed against the pillow. His lips are parted and his hair is a riot, and even like this, asleep and morning-messy, Jingyi wants to lean in and kiss him. He wants to wake him up with little kisses all over his face, then kiss him until he lets Jingyi put his mouth in some other places one more time.

But first, Jingyi really has to piss, so he pulls on the borrowed too-small sweatpants and tiptoes across the hall into the bathroom. This early in the morning, the apartment is so quiet that the sound of the toilet flushing is a roar in his ears. He rinses his mouth out in the sink, then decides to brush his teeth while he’s at it. He’s not gonna kiss Wen Yuan with morning breath.

He’s really thirsty now too, which makes no sense considering what his body just woke him up to do. He heads to the kitchen to get a drink of water before going back to bed.

He yawns as he walks down the hall and around the corner, and jumps in surprise: there’s a man in the kitchen. He’s tall and looks to be at least a decade older than Jingyi. His shoulder-length hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, and he’s dressed in a wrinkled T-shirt and a pair of boxers. To complete the look he’s wearing a pair of purple fluffy slippers that are too small for his feet.

He doesn’t look surprised to see Jingyi at all, though he raises his eyebrows at Jingyi‘s bare chest. Jingyi is nowhere near naked, but he suddenly feels pretty close to it under this man’s harsh gaze.

Jingyi folds his arms awkwardly over his chest. “Sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was here.”

Is this guy supposed to be here? He could be a burglar, for all Jingyi knows. It doesn’t feel like it’s his place to interrogate strangers, though, considering that he was a stranger here yesterday morning.

“You must be A-Yuan’s boyfriend,” the man says. He turns and leans back against the counter. The muscles in his arms flex, making him look intimidating as fuck.

Not a stranger, then. Jingyi suddenly realizes he’s being rude. “Oh! Yes, I’m the—” He’s not sure about saying the word. “Um. I’m Lan Jingyi.”

The man looks surprised at that. “Lan? From Gusu?”

Jingyi already knows where this is going. “...yeah.”

“Are you related to Lan Wangji?”

“Yeah.” At the man’s look of scrutiny, he adds, “He’d probably rather I wasn’t.”

To Jingyi’s surprise, the man smirks at this. “What, you don’t have a stick up your ass like he does?”

Jingyi feels a strange compulsion to defend his cousin, even though he agrees with the sentiment. “Eh, I think the stick has had some competition from Wei Wuxian lately.”

The man stares at him, astonished, for a full second. Jingyi mentally replays what he just said, and—shit. He really has to learn to think before he opens his mouth. He’s about to apologize for being so crude, but then the man laughs.

“Holy shit, kid. I think you and I are going to get along just fine.” The man goes back to filling the kettle for tea. “I’m Jiang Cheng.” He says it like Jingyi is supposed to know who he is.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You sticking around today?”

Jingyi nods, uncertain how else to respond. He assumes he’s welcome. Or hopes? At some point today he’s going to have to go home, maybe even do some homework. Shit, he’s going to be so far behind.

“It'll be a couple of hours before there’s food,” Jiang Cheng says. “We were up pretty late last night, and A-Qing likes to sleep in. So you’ve got time to go back to sleep.” He gives Jingyi a speculative look. “Or whatever.”

He says it so casually, like it’s no big deal that Jingyi and Wen Yuan are sleeping together. Jingyi is not used to having conversations like this with adults. Other adults. (He knows he’s technically an adult, but not like an adult adult.)

“Okay.” He doesn’t know what else to say, so he stands there awkwardly.

“Are you waiting for the kettle?”

“No, I… came in for some water.”

Jiang Cheng seems to realize he’s manspreading over half the kitchen. He opens the cabinet where the glasses are kept, then steps aside so that Jingyi can get to the sink. Up close, Jiang Cheng is somehow even more intimidating, towering over Jingyi. Wen Qing is so tiny, and Jingyi can’t imagine the two of them together. He’d probably squash her when they—

No, no. Jingyi is not going there.

He fills the glass and turns to leave the kitchen, but Jiang Cheng starts talking again.

“Hey, just so you know, she’s probably going to give you some sort of scary shovel talk soon. It’ll freak the shit out of you, but I can tell she likes you a lot. She’s actually really happy that you two are together.”

Jingyi can only stare back at him in surprise.

Jiang Cheng’s expression shifts to resting bitch face, which Jingyi is starting to think is his usual state. “And if you tell her I told you that, I will fucking deny it.”

“Right. Thank you.” Jingyi walks backward out of the kitchen, then flees to the bedroom.

Wen Yuan is curled up in bed, and blinks sleepily at him. “G’morning.”

“Hey.” Jingyi sets the glass of water aside and stretches out next to him. “Sleep well?”

“Mmm, yeah.” He looks so cute that Jingyi’s stomach does a thing.

“I met Qing-jie’s boyfriend in the kitchen. I don’t know when he came over, but he definitely slept here.”

Wen Yuan stretches. The sheet over his hips dips tantalizingly low. “Don’t let her hear you call him that. She’ll deny it.”

“Are they… not together?”

“They totally are, but both of them are pretending it’s no big deal. She has him in her phone as Booty Call.”

Jingyi laughs. “Really?”

Wen Yuan turns onto his side. The sheet slides off even more, revealing the dark patch of hair at his groin. “I don’t know what their deal is. She says she’s too busy for a relationship, and he pretends he doesn’t care, but he’s here all the time.”

“That explains the music last night.”

“Yeah, probably. For all she complains about Xian-ge being shameless, she’s the one who gets laid the most around here.”

“They’re both pretty hot. I don't really blame them.”

“Ew.” Wen Yuan pokes at Jingyi’s shoulder. “Fair, though. I heard her tell Xian-ge she only keeps the guy around because he gives great head. You should’ve seen Xian-ge’s face.”

“Wow.” Jingyi tugs the sheet down just enough to expose Wen Yuan’s dick. He hasn’t actually seen it soft yet. He wonders what it would feel like to have it get hard in his mouth. “Speaking of…”

Wen Yuan sits up and pulls the sheet back over himself. “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.” He climbs off the bed and grabs a pair of sweatpants off the floor. They’re the same ones Jingyi was wearing yesterday. He tugs them on, hopping as he does. “Seriously, don't move, just stay right there, like that.”

Jingyi leans back on his elbows. “Like what?”

“Like you’re waiting for me to come back and suck your dick.” He grins.

Jingyi feels that comment zing through him. “Yeah, okay.”

Wen Yuan closes the door behind him. A minute later Jingyi hears the toilet flush, then the water running—the walls really are pretty thin. He wonders if it would be weird to take off the pants. Wen Yuan did say they were gonna have sex, so probably not. He takes them off and drops them to the floor, then pulls the sheet back over himself.

Wen Yuan comes back in a few minutes later and pounces on Jingyi. He kisses him with absolutely no gentleness, just going for it. Jingyi whimpers against the onslaught. Wen Yuan tastes like toothpaste, and Jingyi’s really glad he had the foresight to brush his own teeth.

Wen Yuan pulls out of the kiss within a minute and slides down Jingyi’s body, taking the sheet with him. He settles between Jingyi’s thighs.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for ages.”

Jingyi laughs. “You’ve known me for two days.”

“Well, yeah, but.” Wen Yuan hesitates. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh! You mean you’ve never—” He gestures down at his own dick, which got interested in the proceedings very quickly.

“I haven’t. Tell me if it’s not—I mean. I want it to be good.” He suddenly looks uncertain.

Jingyi doesn’t know how to tell him that just the idea of Wen Yuan’s mouth on his dick would be wank fodder for months. He’s actually worried he’s going to come before he really gets to feel it. “I think it’s gonna be good.”

Wen Yuan wraps a hand around the base of Jingyi’s erection and leans in. He makes eye contact with Jingyi, then takes the head into his mouth.

Jingyi fucking loves getting head, okay? It’s not like he’s gotten a lot of it in his life. This is maybe the third time ever, but it’s already the best he's ever had. The look on Wen Yuan’s face alone, like he’s genuinely into it, and the soft, wet heat of his mouth—

Jingyi groans.

“Shh,” Wen Yuan says, then gives his dick a few strokes with his hand.

“We should put on music,” Jingyi says. “I don’t think I’m gonna be able to be quiet.”

“Try. Music would just wake her up and then she’ll be cranky.” Wen Yuan licks at the head of Jingyi’s dick, and oh, Jingyi is going to die from this. “Be good for me, okay?”

Jingyi grins at that. “How much porn have you watched?”

“Shut up.”

“I’ll be a good boy. I’ll be so quiet.”

“Okay, fine.”

“Want me to call you daddy?”

“Oh my god, do you want a blow job or not?”

Jingyi laughs. “Yes, please.”

Wen Yuan spends the next few minutes teasing him mercilessly with just his tongue, which Jingyi totally deserves. By the time he takes Jingyi in his mouth again, Jingyi’s already close. Wen Yuan seems to struggle to find a rhythm, and nicks Jingyi with his teeth a couple of times, but it’s still the hottest thing Jingyi has experienced in his entire life. His imagination couldn’t have fabricated anything close to having a cute boy who really likes him sucking his dick like it’s the best thing he’s ever had in his mouth. Wen Yuan’s eyes are closed and his face is kind of blissed out, like he’s loving this as much as Jingyi is.

And just like that, Jingyi is on the verge of coming.

“Hey, I’m gonna–” he manages, and Wen Yuan pulls off just in time. He finishes Jingyi off with a tight fist around the head of his dick, and it’s so good Jingyi almost forgets to be quiet. He’s had lots of practice being quiet while jerking off in his dorm room, but that never feels like this.

He flops back onto the bed after and catches his breath. A few moments later, there’s a warm, wet tongue sweeping low across Jingyi’s belly.

“That tickles,” Jingyi says, and looks up to see Wen Yuan making a face. “Did you just—“

“Yeah.” Wen Yuan licks up another glob of semen off of Jingyi’s belly, and Jingyi’s brain goes offline for a moment.

“Come here,” Jingyi says, reaching for him.

Wen Yuan climbs up to kiss him. His dick is hard against Jingyi’s thigh and his mouth tastes like—well, like dick, but Jingyi can hardly complain.

“Now come up here.” Jingyi reaches for Wen Yuan’s hips and tugs him forward, up and over Jingyi’s body. Wen Yuan looks confused for a moment, and then he looks stunned.

“Oh, like—like this?” He moves up so that he’s straddling Jingyi’s chest. His dick is hanging right in front of Jingyi’s face.

“Yeah,” Jingyi says, and shifts a little under him. “Wanna fuck my mouth?”

Wen Yuan makes a strangled sound and closes his eyes.

“We don’t have to, if—“

“No, I want to, I want to.” Wen Yuan opens his eyes again. “I just—you’re so—” He ducks his head, blushing now.

“I’m so what?”

“Nnngh, don’t make me say it.”

“Then do it.” Jingyi tugs Wen Yuan’s hips closer and opens his mouth.

Wen Yuan hesitates a moment more, then pushes the head of his dick into Jingyi’s mouth. Jingyi waits for him to move, and when he doesn’t, gives his hips a nudge. Wen Yuan pushes in a little farther until he hits the back of Jingi’s mouth. He stares down at Jingyi with a wild sort of expression, and then he goes for it.

There is a solid minute of awkward thrusting, during which Jingyi doesn’t know what to do with his mouth. He can’t really get his lips around Wen Yuan’s dick like this, and he can’t keep his teeth out of the way. He realizes his head isn’t really in the best position for this either. The whole thing is sloppy and not nearly as sexy as Jingyi expected. Wen Yuan pushes in a little too far then, and Jingyi makes a strangled sound.

Wen Yuan pulls out of his mouth, eyes wide. “Are you okay?”

Jingyi wipes the back of his hand over his mouth. “That’s not as easy as they make it look in porn.”

“Huh…yeah.” Wen Yuan shifts back, moves like he’s going to get off Jingyi.

“No, wait.” Jingyi grips his thighs. “Can we try again? Maybe like, go slow, and keep it shallow?”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. Come here.”

Wen Yuan looks hesitant, but he leans forward again. He pushes into Jingyi’s open mouth, stopping when the head is just inside. Jingyi takes over then, sucking lightly and using his tongue on the underside. Wen Yuan pushes in just a little farther, then pulls back again, slowly. Jingyi makes an encouraging sound, and he does it again.

The pace is slow and controlled, and it’s working now. Wen Yuan braces his hands on the headboard of the bed and then Jingyi gets an eyeful of what are some surprisingly nice abs. His hands are free to roam, so he takes advantage of the chance to feel up Wen Yuan everywhere he can reach. Wen Yuan starts to lose the rhythm after a while, like he’s getting close. Jingyi’s jaw is starting to hurt, so he squeezes Wen Yuan’s ass, trying to communicate, yeah, come on.

It gets a little rough again after that, but Jingyi’s got a better idea of how to handle it now. He keeps his jaw relaxed and his tongue flat, and lets Wen Yuan push in harder. A few more thrusts and Wen Yuan is shaking over him, right on the edge. Jingyi tightens his grip on his ass, not letting him pull out. Wen Yuan pushes in one more time and comes, flooding Jingyi’s mouth.

It’s… a lot, wow. There is so much spunk in his mouth and it’s a weird feeling. He’d thought he would just swallow it, but that’s seeming like a challenge right now, considering that his mouth is also full of dick. He just holds still, not sure what to do.

Wen Yuan pulls back then and half of it spills out of Jingyi’s mouth. He makes himself swallow the rest, and he’s pretty sure he makes a face as he does, because Wen Yuan is staring at him now. He reaches up to wipe at his mouth, but Wen Yuan catches his hand and pulls it away.

“Just—you look—“ He shakes his head, then reaches out and wipes at Jingyi’s chin.

Jingyi can feel how wet his chin is, can imagine how wrecked he must look, with his lips wet and spunk all over his face like—he’s seen that kind of porn, okay? He knows what he’s supposed to do here. He catches Wen Yuan’s finger in his mouth and sucks it clean.

Wen Yuan groans at the sight of it, and Jingyi feels sexier than he ever has in his entire life.

“How are you real?” Wen Yuan asks, for probably the third time this weekend.

Jingyi has no idea how to answer that, so he just smiles.

Wen Yuan grabs a tissue to finish the cleanup, then hands Jingyi the glass of water from the bedside table. He stretches out half on top of Jingyi after, his face pressed into Jingyi’s neck.

“Sleepy?” Jingyi pets his hair.

“Mmmm.”

Jingyi isn’t sure he’ll go back to sleep, but lying here with a sated boy draped over him is a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

+++

Jingyi dozes off and on for about an hour, but finally has to admit he’s just awake. His phone is charging on the desk, so he slips out of bed to grab it, then carefully slides back under the covers. He checks his email and winces: he’s let so many things drop over the weekend. Worse, his mom texted him yesterday, asking him to call, and he hasn’t even responded. He’s missed a few calls from her too, which means she’ll be sending out a search party soon. He texts her back that he’s fine, that he’s been spending the weekend with a friend, and hopes that will get her off his back until he can call later tonight.

There are a lot of things he’s going to have to do later tonight, but that requires thinking about getting out of this comfortable bed and saying goodbye to Wen Yuan. He’s not ready to think about that just yet, so he doesn’t.

He’s got a ridiculous number of WeChat messages, wow. Apparently everyone he knows wants to talk to him this weekend. He fires off quick answers to the ones that seem to need a response and lets the others sit on read. His sister has sent him a few messages about how much he’s making their parents worry right now and doesn’t he give a shit about how this affects her? He doesn’t reply to that one either.

His roommate Yunyu messaged him late last night:

Bro youre still not back
That pussy must be good

Well, that’s. Huh.

Next to Jingyi, Wen Yuan shifts slightly and tucks his forehead against Jingyi’s bare hip. He’s really cute like this, ruffled and asleep, his hair falling into his face. Jingyi reaches down and brushes it back off his cheeks. He doesn't want to wake him, but he also kind of wants to pet him like a cat. He threads his fingers into Wen Yuan’s hair and lets his hand rest there on top of his head.

He’s not sure how to respond to Yunyu. Was it really only yesterday that he’d thought his roommate had the wrong idea? It feels like a week ago now, but it’s been less than 24 hours since Wen Yuan kissed him, since everyone had grilled him and Jingyi on their fake relationship, and since that relationship became… real? Maybe? A lot has happened. His head is spinning.

He really, really likes Wen Yuan, is the thing. He likes him so much that it’s fucking scary. He has no idea if this is normal, this intensity of feeling and desire. It’s been less than a day and he came really close to calling him his boyfriend in the kitchen. He’d like to, for real.

But what if it’s not real? What if he goes back to his dorm and a few days go by, and the feeling just… fades, because it was really just about the sex and the moment? What if Wen Yuan doesn’t feel the same way? Or what if he does right now, but by Wednesday he’s had second thoughts, once he gets to know Jingyi and realizes what a fuck-up he actually is?

Now that Jingyi knows what this feels like, he doesn’t want to let it go. But it’s not completely up to him. He feels a little thread of panic rising in his chest. He closes his eyes and makes himself take a deep breath.

“Hey,” Wen Yuan says. He turns onto his back and blinks up at Jingyi. “What time is it?”

“Almost ten.”

Wen Yuan yawns. “Still early. Qing-jie won’t be up until noon, probably. I don’t know when Ning-ge is coming back.”

Wen Ning had gone out with friends last night, and apparently tends to stay over with someone when he does.

“So we can just stay in bed and be lazy?”

“Mmm, yeah.” Wen Yuan sits up, stretches, then slips out of bed to retrieve his phone. He’s naked—they both are—but something about seeing him like that makes Jingyi feel unexpectedly warm.

Nudity is not something Jingyi has had much experience with. It makes him feel vulnerable and self-conscious, maybe even ashamed? He knows that’s stupid. They had sex twice. They’ve had each other’s dicks in their mouths, and they both liked it. They’re grownups and they can do what they want with their bodies. He knows that, but also? He can see Wen Yuan’s butt.

Wen Yuan catches him staring and grins before sliding back under the covers again. “What?”

“You’re naked.”

“So are you.”

“What a coincidence.” Jingyi props his pillow up behind him so he can sit up.

Wen Yuan settles in beside him. “I’ve barely looked at my phone this weekend. My friends are gonna wonder what happened.”

“Mine are already guessing.” Jingyi shows him the message from Yunyu, and Wen Yuan’s eyebrows rise.

“So he—what are you gonna tell him?” He keeps his expression carefully blank.

Jingyi hesitates. “I was gonna tell him the truth. I mean, if that’s okay with you?”

“The truth?” Wen Yuan’s face is still unreadable. Jingyi’s stomach drops.

“That we—I guess I thought—” He looks down at his phone. “I’d still like to date you. If you want to?”

“Oh. Yeah.” Wen Yuan’s expression relaxes into something that looks like relief. He flushes and looks down at his phone screen. “This has been a lot of fun. And I— I like you.”

“I like you too.” Jingyi exhales smoothly, trying to make it seem like he wasn’t just holding his breath. “So… I’ve never really dated anyone before.”

“Really?”

Jingyi shrugs. Might as well be honest up front. “High school was—well, I was pretty fucking awkward then. And university has been more about occasional hookups. I just. I’ve never even asked anyone out before.”

“Wow.” Wen Yuan looks a little stunned by this. Jingyi doesn’t know if he should be embarrassed or not. “I had a boyfriend in high school,” Wen Yuan says, “but it wasn’t— He wasn’t out to anyone, so it was like a secret thing. I didn’t tell anyone about it until later. Not even my friends knew.” He frowns. “And here, I don’t know. My friends tried to set me up with a couple of guys, but one of my roommates in the dorm was really weird about me being gay, so.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah. I guess it’s just been hard to meet people.”

“Definitely.” Jingyi leans into him a little. “I guess we got lucky.”

Wen Yuan’s smile is adorable. “I guess we did.”

Jingyi nods toward his phone “So… it’s okay if I tell him we’re together?”

“Yeah.” Wen Yuan leans in and kisses him, sweet and soft, his lips pulling gently against Jingyi’s in a way he feels in his toes.

Jingyi’s eyes stay closed for a full second after. Wen Yuan is giving him a bemused smile when he blinks them open. He wonders if he looks as dazed as he feels. Wen Yuan turns back to his phone, looking smug.

Jingyi forces his attention back to his phone. He taps out a reply to Yunyu.

Nah, but the dick is amazing

He hesitates a moment, then sends it.

Yunyu knows he’s hooked up with guys before, so it shouldn’t be a shock. But if Wen Yuan is going to be his boyfriend, he needs to get his roommates on board as soon as possible. Most of them will be cool. There’s just one guy who might not be, but Jingyi doesn’t like him anyway, so his opinion doesn’t matter.

Boyfriend. Wow. Jingyi opens his contacts, adds Wen Yuan there as “Bae”, then hands over his phone. Wen Yuan blinks at it for a moment before taking it and tapping at the screen. He hands it back with a sweet smile.

Jingyi messages him a single heart emoji, just to be as cheesy as possible. Wen Yuan grins, then sends him one in return.

“Now we’re official,” Jingyi says.

Wen Yuan laughs and presses his face into Jingyi’s shoulder.

Then spend a little while like that, both focused on their own devices, leaning against each other in bed.

“My friends are asking about you,” Wen Yuan says. “The ones who were with me on Friday night.”

“Tell them we eloped,” Jingyi says. “And we’re on our honeymoon.”

Wen Yuan laughs at that. His ears are very red as he taps out a response on his phone. “I’m gonna put that in the group chat.”

Jingyi’s phone buzzes: Yunyu has responded with a string of lewd emojis, and is still typing.

Brooooooo
A whole weekend??
Must be damn good dick
Or ass
Whatever your preference is
Like I don’t even know if you’re a top or a bottom
Either way get it

Jingyi stifles a laugh. He’s not even sure of that himself, but he’s not surprised that’s where Yunyu’s brain went.

Next to him, Wen Yuan snickers at his phone. “They’re freaking out, oh god. And asking—“ He stops, his eyes widening.

Jingyi leans over and catches a glimpse of the chat before Wen Yuan turns the phone away. It looked similar in nature to Yunyu’s message.

“They’re asking for details?” Jingyi sets his phone down on the nightstand, then leans in to kiss Wen Yuan’s shoulder. “Want me to refresh your memory?”

Wen Yuan sets his phone down too, then pushes Jingyi over onto his back. He kisses Jingyi for a while, soft and slow, then settles in with his arms folded over Jingyi’s chest. “You’re so cute.”

Jingyi presses his hands over his face, embarrassed. “I’m glad you think so.”

“I do think so.” Wen Yuan tugs at his hands, trying to pull them away. “Stop hiding.”

“M’not hiding.” Jingyi gives up, lets Wen Yuan see his flushed face. “You’re cuter.”

“It’s not a competition.”

“Says who?”

Jingyi slides hands down his sides, and Wen Yuan wriggles against him, ticklish. He moves up to kiss Jingyi again and Jingyi takes the opportunity to get his hands on his ass. He’s amazed he gets to touch him like this, that it’s okay to do something so naughty. He’s never spent this much time naked with another person. Or any time, really.

Wen Yuan shifts back up to kiss him again, which gives Jingyi better access. He dips his fingertips between his ass cheeks and feels Wen Yuan draw in a little breath against his cheek. He doesn’t seem to be objecting, so Jingyi keeps going, traces a finger over his asshole and circles there.

Wen Yuan makes a soft sound and turns out of the kiss.

“Is this okay?” Jingyi keeps his touch light and teasing, not really pushing for anything more.

“Yeah.” Wen Yuan presses his forehead into Jingyi’s neck. It feels hot against Jingyi’s skin. He relaxes against Jingyi’s chest. Jingyi presses the tip of his finger in, just a little, and Wen Yuan draws in a quick breath.

“Still okay?”

Wen Yuan nods. He seems like he’s into this. Jingyi is definitely into it.

“Got any lube?”

“Um.” Wen Yuan leans to the side and fumbles in a drawer for a small bottle. He hands it to Jingyi with a sort of dazed expression.

Jingyi turns it over in his hand. “So like… have you ever done this before?”

Wen Yuan looks up at the ceiling. “I haven’t done any of this before. You know that.”

“I mean, to yourself.”

Wen Yuan looks confused. “How would I…what?”

“Finger yourself.”

His expression clears comically fast. “No. Have you?”

“Yeah. Just to see what it felt like. I liked it, but it’s kind of hard to coordinate that and jerking off.”

“Is that—” Wen Yuan pauses. “Is that what you want to do?”

Oh. Wen Yuan thought he was suggesting something else. Wow. Jingyi has to process that for a moment. It wasn’t what he had in mind. Not that he objects, but. “What do you want to do?”

“I think. Um. You can finger me, if you—yeah. And maybe touch me too.” He laughs and presses his hands over his face. “Oh my god.” He’s so flustered, and so cute.

Jingyi squeezes his hip. “We don’t have to. It was just an idea.”

“No, it’s not—I was just thinking that I don’t even know if I’m a top or a bottom or whatever.”

“Are you supposed to know if you’ve never actually done it?”

Wen Yuan shrugs. “I don’t know. Have you done it?”

Jingyi hesitates. “Not with a boy. And not like that.”

“Ah.” Wen Yuan looks like he wants to ask more for a moment, then seems to decide against it. “I do want to do it with you. Not today, but like. Sometime.”

“What do you want right now?”

Wen Yuan reaches for the bottle of lube. “Actually, can we try something?”

He pours some of the lube into his hand, then strokes Jingyi’s dick. Jingyi’s erection had flagged a little during the awkward conversation, but a slick hand does the trick. Wen Yuan does the same thing to himself, then tries to line up so he can stroke them both together. He leans over Jingyi, supporting his weight with his free hand, but it’s like he can’t get the angle right for his arm.

“Maybe like this,” he says, and presses a knee between Jingyi’s thighs. Jingyi surprises himself by spreading his legs without a bit of hesitation. Wen Yuan settles between them, his hips slotting right against Jingyi’s. He shifts his weight forward a little, with their dicks trapped between them.

“Okay, yeah,” Jingyi says, and lets his thighs fall even farther apart. “I see what you’re thinking.”

Wen Yuan braces himself over Jingyi, his elbows on either side of his chest, and grinds against him again. The combination of pressure and slickness is better than Jingyi would have expected.

“Come here,” Jingyi says, hands around his shoulders now.

Wen Yuan leans down to kiss him and starts moving his hips, slow and deliberate. Jingyi feels his dick slide against the crease of his hip, brushing against Jingyi’s own with every stroke. It feels good, even though the contact isn’t direct enough to get Jingyi off. It’s definitely working for Wen Yuan, though. He’s getting into it, finding a rhythm now. The mattress is creaking lightly beneath them, the sound of it obscene. It’s almost like—

Jingyi closes his eyes and lets himself float with the idea. What would it be like, to be under him with his legs spread like this, but with Wen Yuan’s dick inside him? He wraps his thighs around Wen Yuan and shifts his hips up to meet him. Wen Yuan moans softly at that, just chasing his own orgasm now, and it’s so hot.

“Yeah, like that,” he says, not even sure where the words are coming from. “I want you to come on me.”

“Oh, fuck,” Wen Yuan whispers against Jingyi’s neck. He liked that.

Well, Jingyi can do even better. “I want you to fuck me like this sometime, just like this.” He kisses Wen Yuan’s temple, then threads his fingers in his hair. “Pretend you’re doing it now, giving it to me good. Yeah, just like that, you’re so good—”

Wen Yuan’s rhythm stutters, and he comes against Jingyi’s belly. He sinks down against Jingyi after, warm and sticky with sweat, his weight weirdly comforting. Jingyi stares up at the ceiling.

Does he… like being held down? He would never have thought so before, but right now it’s really doing it for him. Wen Yuan’s hips are still pressed between Jingyi’s legs, pushing them apart enough that Jingyi just rests his heels against the back of Wen Yuan’s thighs. He wraps his arms around Wen Yuan’s back and kisses the side of his face. His dick is aching where it’s trapped between them. He wants… god.

Maybe he has an answer to his question after all.

“Um,” he says, and shifts his hips against Wen Yuan.

Wen Yuan hums, then climbs off of him, settles down next to him. That is the opposite of what Jingyi wanted. He whines, frustrated but somehow not able to articulate it.

“I made a mess,” Wen Yuan says, then takes Jingyi’s dick in his hand. He strokes it slowly, too slowly. Jingyi pushes up into his fist. “Oh, faster?” He speeds up his strokes, and it’s good, but it’s not enough, somehow.

“Can you—” Jingyi pauses to look around the bed. “More lube.”

Wen Yuan finds it and squeezes more into his hand. The slickness is better then, and Jingyi relaxes into it. He’s already come twice in the last twelve hours, so he’s honestly not sure what to expect here.

Wen Yuan’s hand is tight around him, and it’s good, but it’s not quite— He wants—

“Finger me,” he says, and has to close his eyes against his own embarrassment.

Wen Yuan’s hand stops moving for a full second. “Okay, I—yeah, just let me—”

He sits up, moves to kneel between Jingyi’s thighs. Jingyi can’t look now, can only wait and breathe and feel. There’s another pause, the sound of the lube bottle being recapped, and then a slick fingertip is pressing against Jingyi’s asshole.

Just that bit of pressure, there, sends a shiver through him. Wen Yuan wraps his other hand around Jingyi’s dick again, and strokes slowly up as he pushes that finger in.

It feels different from when he’s done this to himself. He’s not in control of it, for one thing, but he can feel that finger go in deeper than he’s ever managed. The finger slides back out again, until just the tip is inside, then pushes back in. It feels strange. It feels amazing.

“Ohhhh, yeah,” Jingyi says, his mouth completely surpassing his brain now. “That’s— ah, fuck.”

“It’s— You’re so soft,” Wen Yuan says. He keeps moving his finger, almost like he’s exploring Jingyi from the inside. It feels weird, but good in a way that Jingyi is surprised by. It feels dirty too, and that’s—wow.

“Can you—deeper?” He’s so beyond feeling shame at this point.

“Yeah.” Wen Yuan does, and that little bit of stretch around the base of his finger is just. Look, Jingyi is kind of a slut for it at the moment, and he’s not even sorry.

Wen Yuan strokes him from the inside and it suddenly goes from nice to oh my god.

“Oh yeah, keep doing that.” Jingyi grinds his hips against Wen Yuan’s hand. “Oh god, that’s—” He understands the appeal of getting fucked now. If that’s how it can feel with a finger, what would it feel like with an entire dick in him? He reaches down to pat Wen Yuan’s wrist. “And jerk me off.”

“Wow, you’re bossy.”

Jingyi will be embarrassed about that later, but right now he can’t help it. He wants to come so badly. “C’mon, do it.”

It takes a minute for Wen Yuan to coordinate both hands, but when he does, Jingyi is gasping.

“Shhh,” Wen Yuan says, though he doesn’t pause his movements. “I didn’t put music on.”

Jingyi whimpers, but nods his head. He can be quiet. He can be good.

Wen Yuan’s hand moves faster on his dick, and Jingyi has to put a hand over his mouth. The finger inside him seems to push in even deeper, fucking him in small movements, and the combination of it all finally pushes him over the edge. It’s intense, and he does his best to stay quiet, but a few sounds slip through his fingers.

He’s lightheaded after, and completely boneless. Wen Yuan uses tissues to clean them both up, then pulls the covers back over them both.

“Wow,” Jingyi says when his brain comes back online.

“Yeah?” Wen Yuan looks smug. He has every right to be.

“I can’t feel my feet.”

Wen Yuan giggles and presses his face into Jingyi’s neck. “That was really hot. I liked it. I mean, I liked fingering you like that.”

“Good,” Jingyi says. “Cause I’m definitely asking for that again.” He remembers how bossy he was in the heat of the moment and feels himself flush.

Wen Yuan kisses him. “Anytime.”

They lie there for a full minute, quiet, foreheads pressed together. Jingyi wants to stay here like this, but he knows it’s almost time to face reality and go home. And do his homework. He sighs.

“I don’t wanna go home.”

“Then don’t.”

Jingyi sighs again. “I could quit school. Just stay in your bed, all the time. I could live right here.”

Wen Yuan laughs. “I don’t think my cousins would like that.”

“My parents would hunt me down eventually anyway.” Jingyi winces. He still needs to call his mom. He’s not looking forward to it.

Wen Yuan is quiet for a moment. “Do your parents—I mean, what will you tell them? Or… will you tell them? About us dating?”

“Maybe if I tell them I have a boyfriend who’s going to be a doctor, they’ll chill about me changing my major.”

Wen Yuan snorts. “I’m serious.”

“So am I.” Jingyi pulls back enough to look at him. “They’ve been on my ass about finding a girlfriend too.”

“I’m not a girl, though.”

“I know.” Jingyi smirks. “Look, I don’t know how they’ll react, but they think Lan Wangji is perfect, and he’s dating a guy.” Jingyi’s so tired of arguing with them. The idea of coming clean about everything feels easier than having secrets, even if it just makes them more disappointed in him. Maybe it’s the post-sex high, but right now he kind of doesn’t give a fuck. “What about you? Will you tell your parents?”

“They know I’m gay,” Wen Yuan says. “They suspected my high school boyfriend was more than a friend and just asked me one day.”

“Wow, awkward.”

“Yeah. But they’ve been supportive. As long as Qing-jie likes you, they’ll be fine.”

“So Qing-jie is the one to impress. Got it.” He thinks about the conversation he had with Jiang Cheng in the kitchen earlier. “Any tips on how to do that?”

“Can you cook?”

“Not really.” Is he good boyfriend material? He’s honestly never thought about it.

Shit, he’s going to have to be a better student. He’s not going to impress anyone at the rate he’s been going lately. He sighs.

“I have so much fucking homework to do.”

“Me too. Maybe we can study together?”

“Yeah,” Jingyi says, even though he’s pretty sure studying next to Wen Yuan would be extremely distracting. “Maybe in the library? Cause if we’re here all I’m going to want to do is you.”

Wen Yuan laughs. “Yeah, probably a good idea. So what do you need to get done tonight?”

They stay entwined for a while longer, talking about their looming deadlines. Jingyi is realizing he’s going to have to stay up most of the night to catch up. Two days ago, he didn’t care about the classes he’s failing, but suddenly it seems a lot more important.

“And I really need a shower,” Jingyi says.

Wen Yuan raises his eyebrows. “Want to take one now?”

He means take one together, Jingyi quickly finds out. The water is gloriously hot and the shower big enough that they can take turns standing under the spray. They make out a little, but Wen Yuan is nervous about hogging the bathroom too long, so they focus on getting clean and getting out.

The intimacy of it is startling. Jingyi’s mind is reeling a little at the thought that he didn’t even know Wen Yuan two days ago. It feels like they’ve known each other for weeks. They’ve already had more sex than Jingyi’d had in his entire life prior to this weekend. It’s felt like a dream. He doesn’t want it to end.

“You good?” Wen Yuan is pulling his sweat pants back on for the walk across the hall. He’s combed his hair back out of his face and he needs a shave, but he’s so damn beautiful Jingyi can hardly stand it.

“Yeah, I just— I really like you.” Jingyi feels embarrassed immediately, because that’s so freaking cheesy, but he can’t help it.

Wen Yuan’s expression goes soft. “I really like you too.”

Before Jingyi can say anything more, there’s a knock at the bathroom door.

“Almost done,” Wen Yuan calls out.

“You’re cleaning the bathroom today,” Wen Qing says from the other side of the door. “The entire bathroom.”

Wen Yuan looks affronted. “I cleaned it on Friday.”

“And you’re cleaning it again.”

“We didn’t even do anything—”

“I don’t care and I don’t want to know. A-Cheng is going to cook, so get dressed.” They hear her footsteps recede as she walks back down the hall.

“I can help you,” Jingyi says, already thinking about how to get on her good side.

“It’s fine. Come on, let’s get dressed and go make an appearance.”

Back in the room, Wen Yuan gets dressed first, then goes to check if Jingyi’s laundry is dry. He brings it back in, neatly folded, and Jingyi puts on his own clothes again for the first time since they met. That’s a weird thought.

There is a standoff happening in the main room when they finally emerge. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian glare at each other while Wen Qing sits on the sofa, watching tv and pointedly ignoring them. Wen Ning is sitting at the dining table with a man Jingyi doesn’t recognize, a worried look on his face. Wen Yuan puts a hand on Jingyi’s arm and squeezes, stopping them both on the spot.

“I’m not saying you have to cook for eight people all by yourself,” Wei Wuxian says.

“Like you’re gonna help me?” Jiang Cheng retorts.

“I will!”

“Like hell you will. The moment your boyfriend gets here, you’ll leave me to do all the work myself.”

“A-Cheng—“

“I didn’t bring enough food to cook for this many anyway, so someone would have to go shopping.”

“I’ll go shopping!”

“And how long will that take? We won’t eat until the middle of the afternoon. Some of us are hungry, you know.”

Wei Wuxian makes a sound of frustration. “Just— fine. What can I do to help?”

“You can tell me in advance next time that you’re going to come over. Normally it’s just me and these three, but today it’s a whole-ass party.” He gestures around the small apartment.

Jingyi takes a small step backward in an attempt to disappear into the hallway, but Wen Yuan keeps a tight hold on him. At the table, Wen Ning looks guilty. His friend scrolls through his phone, ignoring the entire conversation.

“For fuck’s sake,” Wen Qing says, her irritation clear. “It’s just lunch, not a catered fucking event. We’ll do takeout. A-Cheng, you order, and A-Xian will go pick it up.”

“And who’s paying for all this?” Jiang Cheng snaps, folding his arms over his chest.

“Me, if it will shut you two up,” Wen Qing retorts. She turns back to the television and turns the volume up.

Jiang Cheng makes a noise like he’s disgusted, but he pulls out his phone and starts tapping at the screen.

Wen Yuan tugs at Jingyi’s sleeve, an apparent signal that it’s safe to go in now. He rolls his eyes when Jingyi looks at him. Maybe this is normal? Jingyi will have to ask later.

Wen Yuan takes him over to the table to sit with Wen Ning and his friend, then heads to the kitchen in search of coffee.

“Good morning.” Wen Ning smiles at Jingyi, then nods toward the man sitting next to him. “This is Nie Huaisang. He teaches at the same school I do.”

Nie Huaisang looks up from his phone and gives Jingyi a long, penetrating look. It’s unnerving.

Jingyi introduces himself as politely as he can manage, which makes Nie Huaisang roll his eyes.

“I’m not that old. Call me Sang-ge.”

“Sang-ge,”Jingyi repeats. “What do you teach?”

Nie Huaisang teaches art, it turns out. He asks Jingyi questions about himself, and somehow seems both aloof and extremely interested in Jingyi’s answers. Jingyi thinks it’s probably a good quality for a teacher to have.

Wen Yuan sits next to Jingyi and hands him a cup of coffee, sitting close enough to press their thighs together under the table. Nie Huaisang watches them thoughtfully for a moment before turning back to Wen Ning.

“You were right.”

“Mn,” Wen Ning replies with a small, pleased smile.

Before Jingyi can ask what that means, Wei Wuxian steps up behind them and puts a hand on Jingyi’s shoulder. “I need to borrow Jingyi for about 15 minutes.” He squeezes Jingyi’s shoulder, his fingers digging in a little more than is comfortable.

Jingyi glances over at Wen Yuan, who has a strange look on his face.

Okay then.

His shoes are by the door, happily not covered in vomit as he’d feared. He pulls them on as Wei Wuxian starts to walk through it.

“We’re going to get the takeout,” Wei Wuxian calls behind him.

Jingyi scrambles after him. They walk to the end of the corridor and down several flights of stairs. The walls are painted a dull gray, but everything looks clean and well-maintained. It’s the first time Jingyi has been outside the apartment in two days. He has no memory of coming here, so everything around him is completely new.

Wei Wuxian chatters at him as they walk down, complaining about Jiang Cheng’s butthurt attitude and how much food they’re going to have to haul back. Jingyi keeps his mouth shut and nods whenever Wei Wuxian looks at him. He feels weird about this entire outing, but maybe he’s reading too much into the strained smile on Wei Wuxian’s face. He’s never actually been alone with the guy before, though. Maybe this is just how he is when Lan Wangji isn’t around?

They step out into the street. It’s cool, but not chilly, which is great because Jingyi has no idea where his jacket is. Or if it even made it out of the bar on Friday night. He hasn’t even thought about it until now. It’s a little overcast, but it doesn’t look like it might rain. He also hasn’t been in this neighborhood before. It’s decent without being fancy, and doesn’t look like a student neighborhood. He’s about to make a comment to that effect, when Wei Wuxian tugs him around a corner with one hand tight around his wrist, then pushes him up against a wall.

“We need to talk,” Wei Wuxian says, and that smile turns menacing.

“Okay.” Jingyi tries to look as innocent as possible. His heart pounds in his chest.

“I had a very interesting text exchange with my nephew this morning. He told me all about how he was out with A-Yuan on Friday night and how they ran into some really drunk guy, who started hitting on A-Yuan and then passed out. And how A-Yuan, being the perfect and sweet boy that he is, decided to take this complete stranger home with him to sleep it off.”

Jingyi feels heat creeping up his neck like flames. He doesn’t know what his face is doing at this point. He can only stare at Wei Wuxian, wide-eyed.

“And then he asks me if the guy is still there, because apparently A-Yuan decided he was cute and hooked up with him once he sobered up.” Wei Wuxian steps in closer and tilts his head. He looks like a fucking lunatic. “Which is funny, because that’s not the story you told us yesterday.”

“We didn’t lie,” Jingyi says, trying desperately to keep his voice even. “We told you exactly that.”

Wei Wuxian’s smile drops. “Don’t bullshit me, kid. You knew exactly what you were implying.”

“We didn’t walk in there intending to imply anything! You all just assumed, and it was awkward, so we just kinda… rolled with it. What were we supposed to say in front of all those relatives? The truth? I wouldn’t do that to Yuan-ge.”

Wei Wuxian frowns at him for a few long seconds, then sighs. “Fine. You’re Lan Zhan’s favorite cousin and probably my third-favorite Lan, so I’m going to give you that one.”

Jingyi should be focused on the fact that Wei Wuxian is probably not going to kick his ass in broad daylight now, but his brain is stuck on the idea that he is Lan Wangji’s favorite cousin. That… can’t be right.

“But A-Yuan is like a nephew to me,” Wei Wuxian continues. “I’ve known him since he was two. Hell, I was his babysitter for most of his childhood, so I am very invested in his happiness.” He taps his finger hard on Jingyi’s chest. “And anyone with eyes can see that he seems to genuinely like you. So if this was just a fun little weekend of fucking around for you, and you have no intention of seeing him outside of his bedroom again, then you’re going to tell him that the minute we get back, and then you’re going to leave.” Wei Wuxian raises his eyebrows on the last bit.

Jingyi is sure his face is bright red at this point. “Xian-ge, I swear, it’s not like that! I don’t just hook up with people like—” He winces. “Okay, I sometimes do, but only when I’m really drunk and—” Fuck.

Wei Wuxian’s raised eyebrows look mildly murderous.

Jingyi takes a breath and tries again. “I really like him, so much. We’ve already talked about dating. Like, we are dating, for real. And I know we just met a few days ago—“

“One day ago.”

“—but we both feel the same way! You can ask him, he’ll say the same thing. We’re both, like, stupid for each other.”

“Stupid is right.” Wei Wuxian’s expression shifts back to menacing. “I’m going to text him in a week and I’d better hear that the two of you have actually been on a date. A real date too, where you go out somewhere that is not either of your bedrooms.” He raises his eyebrows. “And don’t end up back in one of them.”

“Like you and my cousin do? Is that why you keep condoms and lube in an apartment you don’t even live in anymore?”

“I told you that before I knew you were taking advantage of my sweet, innocent nephew.”

Jingyi snorts. “Assumptions, much? How do you know I wasn’t the innocent one, that he was actually taking advantage of me?”

Wei Wuxian’s expression does something weird at that, like the conversation just veered in a direction he doesn’t want to go.

“We’re both adults and we can have sex if we want to. Which we did, by the way. We had a lot of sex.”

Wei Wuxian looks pained. “I get the point.”

“I don’t think I really understood what the big deal was until this weekend, but it’s different when it’s with someone you really like. It was so hot.”

“Okay, okay, fuck.” Wei Wuxian takes another step back, looking anywhere but at Jingyi. For someone so shameless, he’s as embarrassed as Jingyi has ever seen him.

“Xian-ge, I know I only just met him, but it feels like I’ve known him my whole life. We both feel that way, and we both want to be together, like… boyfriends. I promise I’m serious about him. Like, Lan-serious.”

Wei Wuxian looks up at that. “If you break his heart, I’ll get Jiang Cheng to break your legs.”

“That’s fair.”

Wei Wuxian sighs and looks away, down the street. “Promise me you’ll be good to him. His last boyfriend—well, it wasn’t—“

“I know. He told me.” Jingyi shrugs. “You know me well enough to know I’m not like that. After all, I’m your second-favorite Lan.”

“Third.”

Jingyi grins. “For now. Give me a month or two.”

Wei Wuxian snorts at that. “Fine. Let’s go get that takeout before they send out a search party.”

Jingyi offers to carry the majority of the food on the way back, and gets Wei Wuxian talking about Wen Yuan when he was little. By the time they get back to the apartment, it feels like something has shifted between them. Jingyi has always heard how annoying Wei Wuxian is, that he’s lazy, possibly a criminal, and maybe even taking advantage of Lan Wangji. But in just a short while, Jingyi has seen a whole new side of him, one that’s passionate and caring and fiercely protective of the people he loves.

Jingyi shouldn’t be surprised that so many people in his extended family misjudged the guy. It’s not that different from how they treat Jingyi, now that he thinks about it.

Huh. Maybe he’s Lan Wangji’s favorite cousin for a reason.

Wen Yuan comes to take the bags out of his hands the moment they walk through the door. His expression is anxious, but it settles when Jingyi smiles at him. He’ll tell him what happened later, but for now, everything is fine.

Lan Wangji shows up while they’re setting out the food, and he winds his way over to Wei Wuxian immediately. Wei Wuxian leans back against him and Lan Wangji whispers something that makes him laugh. Lan Wangji kisses his cheek, then turns toward the food. His mouth twists up into a small smile when he sees Jingyi.

“Tang-ge!” Jingyi says, grinning at him. “Let me make you a plate.”

They eat and they talk, and it’s an incredibly pleasant meal. Family dinners at home were always formal affairs, with no one allowed to talk until their plates were clean and put away. The Wens seem much more casual, though: people sit where they can and move around during the meal, bringing their plates with them. The conversation is lively, shifting between small groups and the occasional comment that everyone responds to. It’s like eating in the dining hall at the university, but it also feels like a family gathering.

Jingyi really wants to be part of this on a regular basis.

He talks to Wen Ning and Nie Huaisang for a while and scores an invitation to spend a day shadowing them at their school in the near future. He still can’t quite believe he’s met people who actually support him in this. Wen Yuan sits next to him and listens as they talk, beaming. He slides his hand into Jingyi’s and squeezes.

It’s finally late enough that Jingyi can’t put it off any longer. He’s got so much homework to do. He turns to Wen Yuan.

“I know,” Wen Yuan says, and sighs.

They go back to the bedroom to say goodbye. Jingyi’s jacket is there after all, on the floor next to the desk. His wallet is tucked into one of the pockets. He had forgotten about that too.

“Thanks for taking care of me.” He takes Wen Yuan’s hands. “I’m so lucky it was you that night.” It’s bad enough imagining what might have happened to him if Wen Yuan hadn’t brought him home, but he can’t bear the thought they might not have met at all.

Wen Yuan leans in and kisses him softly. “I feel pretty lucky too.”

“I really don’t want to go.” Jingyi groans. “But I’ve got so much work to do tonight.” Work he’s going to have a hard time focusing on, he knows, but he’s got to try.

“Want to study together tomorrow night?”

“Want to have dinner first?”

“Ooh, like a date?” Wen Yuan’s smile is so adorable that Jingyi has to kiss it.

“Yeah, a date. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get much studying done sitting across from you, but I also don’t know how much I’d get done if I was alone and just missing you.”

Wen Yuan makes a sound almost like a whimper at that and throws his arms around Jingyi’s shoulders. “How do you just say things like that?” His face feels warm where it presses into Jingyi’s neck.

Jingyi hugs him back. “Cause it’s true? You’re a lot more fun to think about than differential equations.”

Wen Yuan kisses him again. Jingyi deepens it, and they come perilously close to making out instead of saying goodbye.

Jingyi pulls away reluctantly. “Okay, I’m going.”

Jingyi says his goodbyes to Wen Qing and Wen Ning, then heads out with Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, who’ve offered him a ride back to his dorm. It’s mostly a quiet ride, with Wei Wuxian only threatening Jingyi once before Lan Wangji distracts him with a question.

When they arrive at the dorm, Jingyi thanks them both and tries to escape as quickly as possible. He’s just about to dash away before he hears Lan Wangji call his name.

He turns, steeling himself for criticism of his behavior this weekend. He’s honestly surprised it took this long.

Lan Wangji walks over to Jingyi, one hand tucked behind his back. He looks intimidating as fuck, except for what is almost a hint of a smile.

Jingyi stands up straighter out of habit, and waits.

“I’m glad you met A-Yuan. You seem to like each other a lot.”

Jingyi nods. “I do. Thanks for—” Jingyi isn’t actually sure how to phrase this. “I mean, I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to my parents.”

Lan Wangji frowns. “I wouldn’t out you to them.”

“Oh, I know! I meant the part where I got blackout drunk and embarrassed myself in front of a boy I like and his whole family.”

“You think you’re the only one who’s ever done that?”

“No, of course not, but— wait, have you—? I thought you didn’t drink.”

Lan Wangji’s mouth twists into something like a smirk. “I hope you know I’ll support you, if your parents give you any trouble about A-Yuan or teaching.”

Emotion wells up in Jingyi’s chest, and he squashes it down as fast as he can. He nods, suddenly unable to make eye contact. “Thank you.”

“Wei Ying will calm down in a few weeks, once he sees you two are serious about each other. He just worries for A-Yuan.” He turns to glance at the car, where Wei Wuxian is trying very hard to look like he’s not watching their conversation.

Jingyi smiles. “It’s great that A-Yuan has so many people looking out for him.”

“He’s a great kid. And so are you. I’m glad you found each other.” Lan Wangji turns back to the car. “Now go study. If you fail your classes, it’s going to be harder to convince your parents to let you change your major.”

“I won’t fail!” Jingyi says, bouncing on his toes now. “I’m gonna work so hard!” He means it too. He’s got so many more reasons to care now than he did a few days ago.

Lan Wangji nods at him before disappearing into the car. Jingyi watches them drive away, feeling lighter than he has in weeks. In his pocket, his phone vibrates with a message.

Look how much homework I have to do tonight

It’s accompanied by a photo of the stack of books on Wen Yuan’s desk, next to his open laptop. The phone buzzes again with a selfie of Wen Yuan pouting.

Jingyi saves it to his camera roll before tapping out a reply.

Cute
But I bet mines bigger

Oh I know it is

This is accompanied by a few naughty emojis.

Jingyi grins as he turns toward the entrance of the dormitory. He’s weirdly excited to get his books out and start studying too.

But you should send me a pic just to make sure, Wen Yuan says.

Jingyi laughs.

This is going to be so much fun.

***

FIN