Work Text:
“I swear if you don’t stop moving, I will throw you off the damn pier, Wei Wuxian!”
Wei Wuxian ignored Jiang Cheng’s admonition, feeling his skin buzz with energy. He heard Jiang Cheng let out a frustrated huff as Wei Wuxian continued his pacing. Maybe he should let his shidi throw him into the lake; the abrupt shift in temperature might shock his system into calming down. As it was, he would prefer not to be soaking wet when the Lans arrived.
To think, Lan Zhan will be coming to Lotus Pier for two whole weeks. Wei Wuxian could hardly contain his excitement. He had so many plans—so many things he wanted to show Lan Zhan, so many things he wanted to do with him. He couldn’t wait.
Sure, Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren were coming as well, but they weren’t here for him. Lan Zhan was coming, and it was the duty of the first disciple—Wei Wuxian—to show him around.
Yu Furen was, admittedly, displeased with the idea of Wei Wuxian taking on the role of host to Lan Zhan, but Jiang Shushu argued that it was a perfectly reasonable expectation of a first disciple.
So, there he was. Pacing up and down the pier like a caged animal, skin buzzing with excitement. It’d been months since he got to see Lan Zhan; he missed him and wondered if Lan Zhan missed him in return. Probably not, Wei Wuxian had done all he could to get on Lan Zhan’s nerves in the few months they got to spend together in the Cloud Recesses, after all. But Lan Zhan is quiet and very solitary, and he had taken some chances to interact with Wei Wuxian when he could have just ignored him and walked away, so maybe–
His thoughts are cut off by Jiang Cheng gripping the back of his collar and yanking him back to stand beside him. “Stop fucking moving!”
“A-Cheng,” a soft voice admonished.
Wei Wuxian turned his head to see JIang Yanli walking towards them, shaking her head gently. “SHIJIE!”
“Sorry, A-jie,” Jiang Cheng muttered mullishly, letting go of Wei Wuxian. “He’s just so irritating.”
“Hey!”
Jiang Yanli lifted her sleeves to cover her mouth as a quiet giggle flittered out. “A-Xian is only three, after all. It isn’t his fault he’s excited to see his friend again.”
Jiang Cheng barked a sardonic laugh. “I wouldn’t call Lan Wangji his friend. The guy clearly hates him but Wei Wuxian is too stubborn to care.”
“Oi! Lan Zhan does not hate me!” Wei Wuxian retorted, choosing to believe his words and not the niggling sensation at the back of his mind that says maybe his shidi is right. No. Lan Zhan doesn’t hate him and he will prove that.
Jiang Yanli, for her part, just smiled kindly. “Who could ever hate our sweet A-Xian?”
No one answered that.
Wei Wuxian turned to look back out over the water, and his eyes caught on a boat with familiar white robes. “Oh!”
The three of them watched in silence as the boat drew nearer. Then, once Wei Wuxian could clearly make out Lan Zhan’s face in the small grouping of Lans, he broke out into a huge smile and hopped, waving his arms above his head. “LAN ZHAN! LAN ZHAN!”
He heard Jiang Cheng mutter something darkly under his breath, but didn’t catch what he said, all his focus on watching Lan Zhan’s face morph into a complex expression he wanted to figure out like a puzzle. His chest bloomed with warmth and anticipation. Lan Zhan was here.
The boat docked, and the Lans gracefully dismounted; first Lan Qiren, then Lan Xichen, and finally…
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian breathed as he watched the other boy step onto the pier, robes fluttering in the breeze.
Lan Zhan’s eyes immediately zeroed in on Wei Wuxian and he felt rooted to the spot—everything else melted away, there was only him and Lan Zhan—as honeyed amber eyes bored into him. “Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan replied, voice low. God, how Wei Wuxian missed that voice. It wasn’t like Lan Zhan was much of a talker, but every single word or sound he managed to get out of him was like a prize to be hoarded.
Wei Wuxian’s smile grew. “Lan Zhan,” he said again.
Someone cleared their throat, covering up what was clearly a laugh. “Ah, Wei-gongzi, lovely to see you again.” Wei Wuxian forced himself to look away from Lan Zhan to find the person who spoke. Lan Xichen smiled at him warmly. “I ask that you take good care of my didi, it is so nice that he has made such a good friend.”
His breath hitched in his chest as his eyes widened a fraction. Friend! Good Friend! Take that, Jiang Cheng!
“Xiongzhang,” Lan Zhan bit out, frustrated.
Lan Xichen looked to his brother, smiling sweetly. “Didi,” he returned. There was a silent stare down, a million things being conveyed between the two Twin Jades of Lan through just their eyes, and then Lan Zhan huffed and turned away.
“I am sure they will have a wonderful time together,” Jiang Yanli chimed in. “A-Xian was practically vibrating with excitement ever since he learned that Lan-er-gongzi was coming here.”
Wei Wuxian gasped, whipping his head to his shijie in betrayal. “Shijie,” he whined.
There was some polite laughter (from Lan Xichen and Jiang Yanli) and quiet scoffs (from Lan Qiren and Jiang Cheng). Wei Wuxian looked at Lan Zhan and found him already looking back with something heavy in his gaze. He shifted awkwardly but smiled at Lan Zhan again, softer this time.
Jiang Cheng elbowed him in the ribs. Right. He had first disciple duties to attend to. He brought his hands together in front of him and bowed low. “Esteemed Lans,” he began. “We welcome you to Lotus Pier. I hope your travels were swift and trouble-free. Lan-xiansheng, Lan-gongzi, Lan-er-gongzi,”—he shot a quick wink at Lan Zhan as he said that—“if you would follow us.”
Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Yanli led the trio of Lans into the sect proper, bringing them to where Jiang Shushu and Yu Furen were waiting to receive them.
· · ·
Lan Wangji was just placing the last of his items out in the room he was assigned for his stay in Lotus Pier when there was a knock at the door.
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying’s voice rang out, slightly muffled through the door. “Lan-er-gege~ open the door!”
His heart stuttered in his chest as he swiftly moved to do as Wei Ying asked. He had been looking forward to this trip since the moment his brother told him about it—with an all-too-knowing smirk that was entirely uncalled for—and could scarcely believe that he was here, in Lotus Pier, set to spend time with Wei Ying for two weeks. Lan Wangji hated how much it excited him.
The door opened to reveal the sight of Wei Ying, grinning widely at him. Lan Wangji took a beat to drink in the sight of him so close. “Wei Ying.”
Wei Ying’s smile seemed to grow impossibly wider. “Heya, Lan Zhan! Long time no see!”
“We just saw each other not even an hour ago as you greeted us,” Lan Wangji stated.
A bright peal of laughter surrounded him as Wei Ying threw his head back in joy. “Lan Zhan, ah, Lan Zhan. I forgot how funny you are.” When Wei Ying’s attention focused back on Lan Wangji, his eyes were warm and his smile softer. Lan Wangji felt overwhelmed.
“I nearly forgot how loud you are,” Lan Wangji replied.
He was rewarded with another wide grin and a quiet giggle. Cute. “Ah, well, we can’t have that now, can we? Don’t worry, Lan Zhan, by the time you are back home, you will never be able to forget how loud I am.” Wei Ying punctuated his sentence with a wink, and Lan Wangji felt his ears heat up with blush.
“Mn.”
Wei Ying swayed slightly where he stood, seemingly uncertain about something, before he leaned forward and gripped Lan Wangji’s sleeve, but notably not Lan Wangji himself; he felt a blooming of warmth in his chest that Wei Ying remembered how he was not overly fond of being touched (though if Wei Ying wanted to touch him, he would not be completely averse to the idea). “Come on, Lan Zhan. I want to show you something.”
Lan Wangji was helpless but to follow.
He was led back towards the pier, Wei Ying chattering about the people who live and work in the area as he pulled Lan Wangji along. Lan Wangji wanted to look around but was unable to take his gaze away from Wei Ying’s face for longer than a few moments at a time. He was effervescent, glowing under the warmth of the sun and surrounded by the life of Lotus Pier. This place suited him far better than the Cloud Recesses did, but Lan Wangji found himself thankful that Wei Ying is as much of a troublesome rulebreaker as he is—he could not imagine how things would have gone had Wei Ying acted like a Lan disciple. No, Wei Ying was meant to be loud and free.
“Wait here,” Wei Ying said suddenly, stopping them both before darting away. Lan Wangji blinked, confused, and glanced around him. He was standing by a lone boat as he watched Wei Ying’s ponytail flutter behind him as he ran. Wei Ying was not gone long; he was soon rushing back before he fully leapt onto the boat, uncaring of the instability of that action. “Come on!”
Lan Wangji stepped onto the boat, like a reasonable person, then Wei Ying untied them and pushed off. He steered them through the lake, the bustle of the Pier fading in the distance, leaving them with the soft sussuration of the water lapping against the boat as they moved. Lan Wangji took a deep breath and let his eyes fall shut, tilting his head back to face the sun.
He stayed like that for a beat before he felt Wei Ying’s gaze on him. Lan Wangji opened his eyes to meet Wei Ying’s, lifting his eyebrow a fraction in the hint of a question.
Wei Ying’s lips lifted into a gentle smile, and he shook his head, looking out over the water once more. “I’m glad you’re here, Lan Zhan,” he whispered.
Lan Wangji swallowed thickly. “I am glad as well, Wei Ying.”
They arrived at a small inlet not long after; Wei Ying hopped out into the shallow water to pull the boat up onto the shore. Lan Wangji got out when the boat stilled, looking around at the isolated area. Flowers, lilypads, trees, and rocks surrounded them. It was quiet and truly beautiful. “This is a lovely area,” he said.
Wei Ying hummed. “I like to come here when it all gets too loud, you know? It’s calming.”
Lan Wangji turned to look at him, watching as Wei Ying plopped down on the grass and pulled a whole watermelon from his qiankun sleeve. He summoned Suibian, deftly slicing the fruit up. “You use your spiritual sword to slice fruit,” he stated dryly, hoping the amusement he felt at the action from Wei Ying did not shine through his voice too strongly.
“Of course,” Wei Ying chuckled. “Suibian is Suibian for a reason; he’s for whatever I need.”
Nodding at that, and secretly pleased at how very Wei Ying that answer was, Lan Wangji moved to sit on the ground by him. He accepted the slice of watermelon offered to him with a murmured “Thanks,” taking a small bite as he looked out over the water.
“No one knows about this place.”
Startled, Lan Wangji turned to meet Wei Ying’s gaze.
Wei Ying stared into his eyes in silence before he whispered. “I wanted you to see it, though. I figured you would appreciate it; that you would understand.”
Something hot and tight curled in his chest. “Mn.” It did not do justice to all that he would say, all the words trapped in his throat, but he could not find it in himself to say any of them. He thought Wei Ying got it anyway.
“Now this is our little secret,” Wei Ying breathed, shifting to bump their shoulders together lightly.
Lan Wangji nodded his head, a small smile forming on his lips as he looked back over the lake. “Yes,” he agreed. “It is perfect.”