Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian doesn’t hate his job. Sure, it doesn’t pay much, and his boss is a straight up asshole, but it pays enough for him to get by, and he gets to meet interesting people every day. Like the lady who came in last week wearing at least five different tops and flip flops (not that Wei Wuxian is judging, fashion is subjective and all that). Or the man two months back who walked into their burger place, a place where they sell burgers , and got mad that they didn’t also sell sushi, and then proceeded to call his mother and complain to her about it, on speaker. (Wei Wuxian did, in fact, judge him. He looked well into his 30’s and still called his mother to complain. Some people .) So no, it isn’t the best place to work, but it’s not bad enough that he wants to go through the process of getting a different job.

Wei Wuxian works at a small burger joint on a pretty busy street, but the outside is inconspicuous enough that they never have more than ten customers at a time. Which is probably by design, because they really don’t have the space for more. They also don’t have a lot of staff. They have two people working in the kitchen, a white girl named Katy and an even whiter guy named Jared, and a college student who only works part time and comes in every other day to relieve Wei Wuxian of his cashier duties. And of course Wei Wuxian, who is both the cashier and the cleaner, and he sometimes helps out in the kitchen if they need him. Their boss never actually visits the place, unless he has some mandatory checks to do, or if he has something to complain about. 

It’s a Tuesday night, and Wei Wuxian is currently bored out of his mind . The post-work rush hour is over (if one can call a total of five customers “rush hour”), and the only thing he can do is watch their singular customer eat. They have another two hours before closing, so he can’t start the process of closing. He also can’t scroll on social media because they’re strictly forbidden from using their phones when they have customers, because “it isn’t polite to look at a screen around other people”. He can’t even clean anything, because he did that when he was bored earlier. Katy left an hour ago, which left Jared as the only person he can talk to, which he absolutely will not. Jared once tried to start a conversation with “So, Asian girls, huh?”, a creepy smile, and a raised eyebrow, and Wei Wuxian had immediately decided to never voluntarily speak to him again. So here he is, with no work tasks, no phone, and no one to talk to. He would have used the time to make a sketch for his latest commission, but the boss had caught him doing that once and nearly fired him over it, so he is not doing that again.

Another 30 minutes pass, and their single guest has left and Wei Wuxian has cleaned up after her, and is now back to staring at the clock, trying to will time to go faster. It’s easy money, just sitting there and staring at people walking past, but he sometimes really wishes they had more to do just so that he wouldn’t be so bored. He briefly considers asking Nie Huaisang to drop by to order dinner, but he had asked them to do that way too many times by now. He also thinks about telling MianMian she should bring Wen Qing on an impromptu date, but immediately reconsiders. Who would want to bring their girlfriend on a date to a place where their annoying best friend works? And he won’t ask Wen Ning. The guy is too nice for his own good and would show up immediately, and Wei Wuxian would then feel bad for exploiting him. Maybe…

His musings are interrupted by a customer walking in through the door. He plasters on his customer service smile and looks up to greet the new guest. His smile freezes in place. Closing the door behind him, is the most gorgeous man Wei Wuxian has ever seen. He is also Asian, with traditionally long hair in a braid down his back. He seems to be coming straight from some office, as he’s wearing white dress pants, paired with a light blue shirt and a standard beige trenchcoat. Wei Wuxian forces himself to stop obviously checking the man out, and makes sure to smile even more brightly when he approaches the counter. As he gets closer, Wei Wuxian can’t help but notice that the absolutely gorgeous man is also a few inches taller than himself. Come on now, that just isn’t fair.

“Hiya! I’m Wei Ying, what can I get for you?” Wei Wuxian greets, and is proud of himself for not sounding as breathless as he feels. The man regards him briefly, and then speaks in a deep and smooth voice. As if he wasn’t perfect enough.

“Do you have any vegetarian options?” the man asks and okay, Wei Wuxian can do this. This is his job, and he’s good at it. He can be charming. He can .

“We can replace the meat with vegetarian options in all of our burgers, and we also have a few different salads you can choose from, if that’s more your thing,” he says, sliding a menu towards the handsome stranger, who picks it up to read it. Wei Wuxian watches him as he reads through the items on the menu, and it seems like the guy is actually reading through every. single. item. You know, like an insane person. Oh well, I guess he can’t be perfect.  

After what feels like an eternity, the guy finally points to their, in Wei Wuxian’s humble opinion, most boring burger. A basic bun, with a single patty, some lettuce, and like two slices of tomato. Not even any condiments. It’s really meant to be more of a children’s menu item for picky eaters, but they had for some reason added it to the adult menu as well.

“What are your vegetarian options?” the guy asks, and Wei Wuxian snaps back to reality.

“We’ve got halloumi burgers, and plant beef if you’re not a big cheese person,” Wei Wuxian lists, and he’s suddenly glad that their college part-timer had insisted on adding plant beef to their menus, because the guy wrinkles his nose slightly at the mention of halloumi. Adorable.

“The plant beef, please,” the guy says almost immediately, and Wei Wuxian has to stop himself from laughing at the guy’s obvious dislike for halloumi. Laughing at customers isn’t exactly great for business.

“Sure thing! Take a seat and I’ll tell the kitchen your order,” Wei Wuxian says, and then leaves the room to go tell Jared to get to work on the order. He walks into the kitchen, only to see Jared looking at his phone. Never have I wanted to work in the kitchen this bad. At least he gets the pleasure of interrupting whatever Jared is doing.

“We’ve got a customer. He wants one of those boring lettuce-tomato-beef burgers, with plant beef,” Wei Wuxian says, trying to keep conversation to a minimum. Jared looks up fast enough that Wei Wuxian is briefly worried he might get whiplash. Then he remembers it’s Jared and the worry vanishes.

“Sure,” is all Jared says as he puts his phone away to get to work. 

Wei Wuxian moves back to his place behind the register and tries to make himself look busy when he’s really just trying to check the customer out. The man seems completely engrossed in his phone. At the angle he’s sitting, Wei Wuxian can’t see what he’s doing, but he assumes it’s important. Probably reviewing notes from a meeting, or maybe answering emails. He looks like the kind of guy who’s on top of everything at his workplace. 

After just a couple of minutes of trying to stealthily check out the customer, the light signaling that an order is done lights up, and Wei Wuxian returns to the kitchen to pick it up. Hyping himself up the entire way back, he tries to prepare to make the best food delivery of his entire career.

“Here you go. Let me know if I can get you anything else!” he says as he places the burger in front of Hot Customer. Just like he does every time he serves a customer food. It isn’t the flirtatious vibe he was aiming for, but at least he doesn’t drop the food. He’s done that more times than he’d like to admit, so all in all he’ll consider this delivery a win.

“Mn. Thank you,” Hot Customer says in his unfairly hot voice, and puts his phone in his pocket to focus on his food. Like a proper gentleman. Wei Wuxian forces himself to walk back to his spot behind the counter instead of standing next to the man like a fucking creep . It’s much harder than it should be.

He continues to discreetly watch the guy for the rest of his meal. It’s far more interesting than you’d think. Hot Customer is weird . He continues his meal without looking at his phone even once. He doesn’t even look out of the window to people watch. He just keeps his eyes on his boring-ass burger. And he certainly isn’t in a hurry to finish it either. Wei Wuxian knows there is a right number of times to chew a bite before swallowing, even if he can’t remember the exact number. But he just knows that Hot Customer is dutifully counting how many times he chews a bite before swallowing. At least Wei Wuxian can be sure that the man won’t choke.

Once Hot Customer is finished, he’s very careful to pick up after himself. He even uses a napkin to quickly wipe his table! Truly a dream customer! As he’s about to leave he makes eye contact with Wei Wuxian, and nods once in goodbye. Wei Wuxian, who is already on his way to grab Hot Customer’s empty plate, simply flashes his brightest smile and shouts “have a good night!” at the man’s vanishing back. He looks out of the windows to make sure the guy has walked away, and once he’s sure he’s gone, he slumps down onto a chair and simply lets himself space out for like a full minute. He’s pretty sure there won’t be any more customers tonight anyways, he can take a minute to process the fact that he just met the hottest person in the world , and somehow didn’t fuck it up.

***

Wei Wuxian’s prediction turns out to be right, and no more customers show up. Once it’s fifteen minutes left until closing he makes the executive decision to start the closing process. He tells Jared to finish up in the kitchen, and half an hour later they’re ready to leave.

Wei Wuxian definitely does not spend the entire bus ride to the apartment thinking about Hot Customer. And none of these non-existing thoughts are about seducing Hot Customer if he ever shows up at Wei Wuxian’s place of work again. Because seducing a customer while on the clock would be very inappropriate, and Wei Wuxian is nothing if not appropriate. Ask anyone. Except Wen Qing. Or Madam Yu. Or Jiang Cheng. Or Nie Huaisang, if they’re feeling mean.

He sighs and rests his head against the bus window. He’s not a stranger to getting fleeting, one-time crushes on certain customers, but this is by far the worst one yet. The guy didn’t really look like the type to eat fast food very often, though, so Wei Wuxian is pretty sure he’ll never see him again.

He takes a moment to grieve the inevitable loss of the hottest person in the world as he makes his way up to the apartment he shares with Wen Ning. Wen Ning should be home by now, and has probably already eaten, so Wei Wuxian makes sure to enter as quietly as possible, in case his roommate is asleep. The guy really needs all the rest he can get. So Wei Wuxian tiptoes into his sham of an art studio.

It’s really just a closet space, but it has a window so technically it’s a room. It has just enough space for a small desk, an easel, some shelves for storage, and some canvases propped against the wall. He never meant to use it as a studio, but Wen Ning had insisted. Sometimes Wei Wuxian uses oil paints, and Wen Ning didn’t want him to have to breathe them in by keeping his paintings in his room. Apparently it would be bad for his health. So they have less storage space than ideal, to ensure that Wei Wuxian has a studio.

Times like this, though, he appreciates it. Wen Ning works as an IT-tech at one of the city hospitals, so while his hours are stable, he needs all the rest he can get. With his abnormally weak immune system, it’s not uncommon for him to catch something from patients if he has to leave his office to fix an issue. And with Wei Wuxian working as many hours as he legally can at the burger place, he has to work on his art commissions at night. So being able to close himself into his studio ensures that he doesn’t accidentally wake Wen Ning up. Wen Qing would have his head if his bad habits started affecting her precious little brother.

He gets a fair amount of commissions from all kinds of people, so he makes an alright amount of money on the side. But because of his day job he doesn’t have a lot of spare time, so he doesn’t fill the commissions as fast as he’d like. Which means it’s far from a stable income, and if he were to quit his day job to focus on painting he’d be back on the streets immediately if he had a bad month with few commissions.

So the burger place job has to stay, and to compensate for how long it takes him to finish commissioned art he usually works on several different pieces at the same time. He currently has five different projects going. He’s still a bit distracted by not-thinking about Hot Customer, so he doesn’t particularly feel like working on any of them, but eventually settles on one of the larger pieces. It’s a painting of a teenage girl riding a bay horse, commissioned by the girl’s mom. She is a typical rich, white woman with two kids and a husband who works in finance, but like, the nice kind of rich, white woman. At least she seemed nice over email. She does have very rich tastes, though, and wants the piece to be an oil painting, which means he should probably finish it as soon as possible, considering how fucking long oil takes to dry.

He opens the window so Wen Ning won’t nag at him in the morning and gets to work. He’s still occupied by not-thoughts about Hot Customer, but eventually gets into the flow of painting. It’s mostly detail work left, so he has to be careful to find a good balance and not overdo it, but it’s very meditative.

So meditative, in fact, that he doesn’t really notice how much time has passed until the sky is suddenly early morning gray rather than dark blue and he realizes he has majorly fucked up. Now that he’s no longer looking at the canvas he notices that his eyes feel completely dry and worn out. He picks his phone up to check the time, squints at the brightness, and sighs heavily when he reads 4:20 am. His stomach makes a loud noise as he puts the phone in his pocket. Right, didn’t eat dinner .

He makes his way to the kitchen, and tries to make cup noodles as quietly as possible. Wen Ning might be the nicest human to ever walk the Earth, but he would flay Wei Wuxian alive if he found out he stayed up all night when he needs to be at work at 10 in the morning. When his noodles are just barely soft enough to not crunch he starts eating while standing next to the counter, blearily staring out of their kitchen window. At least he managed to pretty much finish the painting. 

He finishes his… Dinner? Breakfast? Dikfast? in like two minutes, and then heads to bed, feeling like a zombie. He doesn’t even bother taking his hair out of its ponytail, and gets under the covers still wearing his day clothes. He barely manages to set an alarm for 8 am, and then he’s asleep.

***

A week passes, and Wei Wuxian doesn’t stop thinking about Hot Customer, but he at least manages to train himself to not hope it’s him every time a customer enters. At least he can comfort himself with the fact that his prediction was correct. At least he’s had the pleasure of driving his friends absolutely insane this past week by gushing over Hot Customer - except Wen Ning who has been listening patiently. 

The day has been fairly busy compared to how it usually is, but the place is currently empty, and Wei Wuxian is subtly nodding along to the background music playing from the speakers. It’s not a song he knows, and he kinda wants to change it, but they’re only allowed to play music from national and global top lists so he just has to deal. 

The doorbell dings, and he looks up with a smile to greet the new customer. It’s straight up embarrassing how much he feels himself light up when his eyes land on Hot Customer.

“Welcome back! What can I get for you today? Same thing as last time, or do you want to try something different?” he asks, and Hot Customer blinks a few times, seemingly surprised that Wei Wuxian remembers him. As if I could ever forget a face like that. He recovers quickly, though.

“The same, please,” he says, and Wei Wuxian smiles at him.

“Coming right up!” he says, and steps into the kitchen. Luckily, Katy’s working today so there’s nothing putting a damper on his mood.

“We’ve got a customer asking for an adult lettuce and tomato burger with plant beef,” he says, and Katy who’s apparently cleaning the kitchen looks up and gives him a mock salute.

“Got it!” she responds, and puts the cleaning rag down to get to work. Wei Wuxian returns to his spot behind the counter. Hot Customer has sat down in the same seat as last time and hung his coat on the back of the chair. His hair is mostly loose today, in a half-up half-down hairstyle. And he’s typing furiously on his phone today, with a deep frown on his face. He seems to be texting someone, because he stops typing to read something, and then starts typing again. Wei Wuxian is trying really hard not to stare.

Apparently, Hot Customer tires of trying to solve whatever the issue is over text, and he lifts his phone to call whoever is on the other end. Wei Wuxian tries not to eavesdrop, he really does, but there’s only so much he can do when he’s not allowed to leave the counter for longer periods of time, and there are no other customers to drown out Hot Customer’s voice.

“Ge, please. I have to go in tomorrow and clean up Su She’s mess. I need your help,” he says, and Wei Wuxian hastily makes additions to his mental list of facts about him. 

Vegetarian.

Very proper and polite.

Has an older brother.

Works with incompetent people.

Does not normally work Wednesdays (?)

It’s admittedly not a very long list, but Wei Wuxian is sure he’ll get to add loads of things if Hot Customer keeps dropping by.

“I know it is date night. If it is possible to move the reservation, I will convince shufu to let you skip Sunday dinner and you can go then. I have no other options,” Hot Customer tries to negotiate with his brother, and he sounds pretty desperate. Maybe he needs his brother’s help to fix whatever problem this Su She made?

At least he seems to have negotiated successfully, because he only hums in response to whatever his brother is saying for the rest of the conversation, and then ends it with a mumbled “thank you” just in time for the kitchen signal to light up. Wei Wuxian goes in to grab the plate, and then confidently walks over to Hot Customer to deliver it.

“Here you go! Rough day at work?” he asks politely with his brightest smile plastered onto his face.

“Mn. Coworkers. Thank you,” he says, leaving Wei Wuxian to figure out the exact meaning behind his words. A man of such few words! But Wei Wuxian knows not to pry, so he simply amps his smile up and then leaves Hot Customer to eat in peace. Just a moment later another customer shows up, distracting Wei Wuxian from the absolute specimen of a man sitting by the window. He’s busy talking to this much more talkative customer when Hot Customer leaves, but he catches the subtle nod of goodbye in his direction, and smiles in return before he leaves.

***

Over the next few weeks, Wei Wuxian learns even more about Hot Customer. First of all, he’s a creature of habit. He shows up every Tuesday night, somewhere between 6 and 7 pm. He also learns that he works in some kind of lab, going by a few more overheard phone calls. His friends probably hate that he’s learned this particular bit of information, because he absolutely does not stop talking about it. He can’t help it! Intelligence makes everyone sexier, and Hot Customer was already the sexiest person in the world!

He also learns that Hot Customer seems to have issues with this Su She from the lab in particular. It’s a name that pops up in phone calls a lot (Wei Wuxian swears he’s not trying to be a creep, but it really is difficult to avoid hearing what Hot Customer says on the phone!), and Hot Customer always gets this very slightly annoyed frown when he talks about the guy. The fact that Wei Wuxian even learns to recognize the annoyance on the man’s face says a lot about how often it’s there, because his face is pretty much completely neutral all the time, no matter what.

And eventually, after weeks of Hot Customer showing up, and Wei Wuxian trying to make some kind of conversation with him, he finally finds out his name.

Lan Wangji.

Chapter Text

The club is too loud, and Wen Ning is passed out on the table, but Wei Wuxian is still having a pretty good time. He, Wen Ning, Wen Qing and MianMian try to get together at least once every month for an evening out, and tonight’s the night this month.

Wen Qing and MianMian left a while ago to go dancing, and Wei Wuxian hasn’t seen them since. He had kept a conversation going with Wen Ning for a while, but the guy’s not very talkative when he’s asleep, so Wei Wuxian has been left all by his lonesome. Not that he begrudges his best friends what little time they have to have fun without him hanging over their shoulders.

Wen Qing has as stable hours as a doctor can have, being a pediatrician working mostly with already admitted patients, but they still don’t get a lot of time alone with MianMian running her own bakery and leaving early every morning. They somehow make it work, and only rarely tell Wei Wuxian that he’s intruding on their “couple time”, so he’s just fine drinking alone if it means they can go dance together.

Still, he should probably head home soon, when one quarter of their company has tapped out. Wen Ning is going home with the girls, as tomorrow is his and Wen Qing’s dedicated sibling day, so technically Wei Wuxian could find her and tell her that he’s headed home, and then leave Wen Ning in their very capable hands. But he finds that he doesn’t mind spending some extra time drinking and people watching until the girls feel done. 

Still, he kind of wishes they won’t take too long.

***

Turns out, Wei Wuxian gets just enough time to finish his drink before the girls return and gently whisk Wen Ning away. Wei Wuxian follows them out, but as they head toward Wen Qing and MianMian’s apartment, he takes a moment to lean against the outside wall of the club, enjoying the cool air. 

His college partying days are long since over, and he only rarely lets himself get drunk nowadays. As such, he’s only barely tipsy at the moment. It’s a nice night, clear skies and a slight breeze, and he takes a moment to watch the people hurrying to or from bars.

Eventually, he starts the walk home. With weather like this, it would be a waste to take a cab. He walks at a leisurely pace, in no hurry. 

A couple of blocks later, he notices a person sitting slumped over on the ground next to a bush. Wei Wuxian is no stranger to the strange behaviors of people on the streets, but this is a nice neighborhood, and he won’t be able to stop thinking about it if he doesn’t at least go over to make sure the person is alright. He remains cautious as he crosses the street, but then sighs in something like relief when he recognizes Lan Wangji. Then he realizes that Lan Wangji - probably the most proper person in the whole entire universe - is sitting on the street in the middle of the night, and speeds up the last few steps until he gets to the man. 

He crouches down next to him, trying to figure out if he should reach out and touch him or not. Wei Wuxian’s eyes run over his body, trying to see if there’s any visible damage. Lan Wangji seems to be asleep, and he should definitely try to wake him up. 

He doesn’t get to decide on a course of action though. When his eyes look back up, Lan Wangji is staring at him with shockingly alert eyes. 

“Ah. Burger Man,” he says stoically. Wei Wuxian has a really hard time telling if the man is serious or fucking with him. Given that he has never seen the man being anything other than completely solemn, he assumes that he’s serious, but probably drunk as fuck .

“Yeah, I’m the Burger Man. And you’re Lan Wangji. Do you normally spend your Friday nights sitting on the street like this?” he asks, trying to get some information on the situation. He needs to know if he should get help. 

Lan Wangji looks around, as if he had not been aware they are on a street in the middle of the city. Had he blacked out? How much had he drunk? Is he on any drugs? There is no real way for Wei Wuxian to know, and he doesn’t like not knowing.

“Do not,” Lan Wangji finally responds, frowning at the pavement, like it’s its fault that he’s sitting on it. The behavior is still disturbingly different from how the man normally acts when Wei Wuxian sees him, but he’s lucid and the whole situation is becoming pretty amusing.

“I figured as much, but one can never be too careful, eh? Tell me, have you just had one too many drinks, or is there something else involved here?” he asks. Lan Wangji does seem fairly aware now that he’s woken up, but Wei Wuxian needs to know if he should get him to a hospital or home.

“Alcohol is forbidden,” Lan Wangji says, now frowning at Wei Wuxian as if he’s to blame for the entire situation.

“Sure, but maybe you felt a bit rebellious and had some anyway? I won’t judge, I swear!” he says, smiling at the man in front of him to try and make him ease up a bit. At this Lan Wangji looks thoughtful, like he’s trying to remember if he truly did do something as rebellious as drinking some alcohol. A moment later his face clears, and he nods once.

“Wrong glass,” he says, and Wei Wuxian is at least pretty sure he understands.

“Ah, you don’t drink but you accidentally stole someone else’s drink? How naughty, Lan Wangji!” he exclaims teasingly, but really he’s relieved. Sure, he doesn’t know anyone who would pass out on the street after just one drink, but maybe it’s possible if Lan Wangji doesn’t drink, and he has a very low tolerance? Either way, it seems safe enough to bring Lan Wangji straight back home. 

“Alright, how about we get you home? Trust me, sleeping out on the streets is not a very fun experience,” he says as he stands back up, stretching his hand out for Lan Wangji to grab. He hasn’t actually slept on the street since he was a child, but it wasn’t comfortable then, and he doubts a fully grown body would fare any better. 

Lan Wangji looks adorably confused for a moment, then takes Wei Wuxian’s hand. He pulls the guy up, but then Lan Wangji just… doesn’t let go. They stand there, dumbly looking at each other as Wei Wuxian waits for his hand to be released. When Lan Wangji doesn’t seem to have any plans on letting go any time soon, Wei Wuxian simply accepts his fate. He fights the flustered blush he can feel creeping up his neck, and asks Lan Wangji where he lives. The address is in an even fancier part of town, but thankfully not too far away. He tugs at Lan Wangji’s hand, and then they’re off with Wei Wuxian leading the way. 

It seems being drunk doesn’t make Lan Wangji any more talkative than usual, so Wei Wuxian babbles on about anything he can think of to fill the silence. Lan Wangji looks as if he’s listening intently, but Wei Wuxian doubts he’ll remember anything. Like, at all. He doesn’t look very drunk, but his behavior definitely gives him away. For one, he doesn’t let go of Wei Wuxian’s hand for even a moment. He also uses his huge muscles to his advantage by simply dragging Wei Wuxian along whenever he spots something that piques his interest. His poor shoulder almost gets dislocated at the sudden pull when Lan Wangji tries to follow a wild rabbit he sees! Really, it’s unfair! Wei Wuxian is being punished for trying to help a fellow human out!

And it’s far from the only time it happens, too. It seems like drunk Lan Wangji is incredibly easily distracted. Besides following the rabbit, he also stops to pet three stray cats. He also stops to pick up and throw away pieces of trash they come across. What a good samaritan! At one point, Lan Wangji stops for several minutes to inspect the window display of a kids’ toy store. Wei Wuxian doesn’t understand why that one in particular has captured Lan Wangji’s interest, but he figures it’s easier to just let the man have a look until he feels done, rather than try to get him moving again. 

He does take a moment to thank whatever deity made sure this happened on a night with such great weather. Doing this in the rain would have been significantly worse, because he has a niggling feeling that even a storm would not have made Lan Wangji hurry up.

Eventually, they arrive at the apartment building on the address Lan Wangji had given him. And what an apartment building it is! Wei Wuxian is very glad that he’s not coming here alone. He’s pretty sure he would have been kicked out immediately on account of not wearing a designer brand t-shirt. He’s incredibly uncomfortable as they walk through the main entrance. He doesn’t belong here, and he knows it shows. Holding hands with Lan Wangji had been fairly awkward the entire walk here, but now he’s grateful for it. At least it makes it seem like he’s been invited, and that he hasn’t shown up on his own accord. 

They stop in front of the one elevator ( singular! ) that goes to the penthouse apartment (because apparently Lan Wangji is rich rich and has a private elevator so he doesn’t have to share). Wei Wuxian is suddenly very thankful that he’s never been the type to have sweaty hands. 

He might start sweating nervously soon though, because Lan Wangji makes no move to get into the elevator. Wei Wuxian has no doubt that Lan Wangji lives in the penthouse, but the elevator requires a keycard to get into, and his drunk charge is just staring at it blankly.

“Are we headed to the penthouse, eh, Lan Wangji?” he asks, just to make sure. Lan Wangji looks at him and gives him a confident nod. Alright, great. Destination confirmed. Now he just needs to make sure they get there.

“Do you have the keycard on you?” he asks, hoping that’s all the prompting Lan Wangji needs. He nods again, staring straight into Wei Wuxian’s eyes.

“Mn. Front pocket,” he says, and looks at Wei Wuxian expectantly. Oh . Lan Wangji wants him to find and use the keycard. 

“Ahahaha, Lan Wangji,” he laughs nervously, “do you really want a stranger to stick his hands in your pockets?” he asks, praying to any god that might be listening to help him get out of this situation. Lan Wangji frowns.

“Mm, not a stranger. Burger Man,” he says, very seriously, and Wei Wuxian is sure he’ll laugh about this later. In like, eighty-something years when he has recovered emotionally.

“You know, letting me take your keycard is a very bad idea, Lan Wangji. What if I steal it? I really might, you know,” he tries, a desperate attempt to make a drunk man see reason. Lan Wangji just stares blankly at him, clearly calling his bluff even when he’s like this. I’m gonna pass out. Please someone, smite me right now . 

He decides to bite the bullet, and moves his free hand toward Lan Wangji’s jeans. He’s not wearing a jacket, so these are the only front pockets he has. Wei Wuxian sticks his hand into the left pocket. It’s empty. Wei Wuxian wants to cry , he really does. He hopes more than he has ever hoped for anything that no one else is nearby to witness this. If someone accused him of groping Lan Wangji he would actually combust. 

He goes for the right front pocket, and grabs the keycard as fast as he can. He is absolutely going to have a major meltdown over this later, but right now his only goal is to get Lan Wangji home - and himself out of this situation - as fast as he possibly can. Things have gone off the rails quickly, and he’s not about to try his luck by stretching this out more than necessary.

He puts the keycard against the reader, and thankfully Lan Wangji steps into the elevator on his own accord once the doors open. Wei Wuxian’s half-baked thought of leaving the man to his own devices is stomped to death, however, when Lan Wangji grabs his sleeve and pulls him along. Wei Wuxian takes a deep breath and centers himself. He’ll make sure Lan Wangji gets into bed, and then he’ll leave as fast as his legs can carry him.

Unfortunately for him, this is a luxury apartment building. And as other luxury apartment buildings before it, it has approximately a million floors, and Lan Wangji lives in the penthouse, thus they need to pass the other nine-hundred-ninety-nine-thousand nine-hundred-ninety-nine floors before they get there. And to add to the… everything about this particular situation, Wei Wuxian’s brain has decided that this is the moment to check out for the evening, and he can’t think of a single thing to talk about. The whole ride up is awkwardly silent, and seems to last an eternity as Wei Wuxian tries to avoid looking at the mirror wall, through which Lan Wangji is seemingly trying to study him. 

Lan Wangji turns to face him somewhere around floor ten, and reaches a finger out to touch Wei Wuxian’s eyebrow piercing. He realizes that it’s Lan Wangji’s first time seeing it, since he’s not allowed to wear it at work.

“I don’t wear it at work,” he says, and dodges out from under Lan Wangji’s hand. Lan Wangji lowers his hand and doesn’t try to touch it again, but he keeps staring at it for the rest of their way up.

Once the elevator stops, and the doors open with a cheerful ‘ding!’, Wei Wuxian is ready to cry from relief. They enter a tastefully decorated hallway, with only one door. It’s right in front of them, so it all looks pretty empty, but there’s a window overlooking the city at the end, so that’s a kinda nice touch. Otherwise it’d probably have strong asylum-vibes.

Lan Wangji doesn’t seem to have a problem digging through his own pockets this time, and fishes out a key from his left back pocket, unlocks the apartment door, and drags Wei Wuxian with him inside. A cozy lamp on a side table turns on automatically, and Wei Wuxian gets his first look at Lan Wangji’s home. Everything is in shades of white and baby blue, and every wooden detail, including the floor, is the lightest wood imaginable. From what he can see, it’s all very stylish, and he feels like he’s making the place dirtier simply by existing in it.

Lan Wangji has taken off his shoes, and Wei Wuxian follows his example even though he doesn’t plan on staying very long. Once his shoes are off, Lan Wangji drags him along for the world’s most silent apartment tour. It seems Lan Wangji is very particular about lighting. Every time they enter a room there’s at least one light turning on automatically. They are not particularly bright, and very warm, so they don’t do much to show any details around the apartment. It’s a choice Wei Wuxian can get behind, honestly. There are many floor-to-ceiling windows, and bright lights would have been weird against the darkness outside. 

From what he can see, the color scheme of white-blue-wood continues. There are a few green plants around, but they’re really the only pop of color he sees. The decor is very minimal, with clean lines everywhere, but there are some personal touches here and there. Photos on walls and shelves, a fully stocked bookshelf, and… children’s toys. 

Wei Wuxian doesn’t notice the toys at first, partly due to the not very bright lighting, and partly due to him keeping an eye on Lan Wangji. But when they stop by the kitchen (which is huge ), he sees a high chair by the dinner table. After that he keeps spotting signs of at least one child. He thinks that’s a child’s drawing on the fridge, and there’s definitely a toy chest and a huge teddy bear in the living room.

A very uncomfortable feeling settles in his stomach. He doesn’t know why he just assumed that Lan Wangji would be single. Look at the man! He doesn’t wear a wedding ring, but maybe he’s not the type to do that? He works at a lab, where he presumably works with chemicals that could potentially destroy a ring, so maybe he keeps it at home? Or he’s not married, just in a committed relationship with a family. It’s 2025, people can do that! Point still stands, Wei Wuxian feels incredibly stupid for thinking Lan Wangji would be single.

(And even if he was, Wei Wuxian still wouldn’t have a chance. The man doesn’t even know his name.)

Now, Wei Wuxian is by no means a prude. He’s open to anyone, and hot enough to get most people and he knows this. However, he prides himself on not being a homewrecker. If someone is taken, or if he knows there’s someone else who wants the person he’s eyeing, he always backs off. So now, knowing Lan Wangji is unavailable, he refocuses on the task of getting him to bed. In a very platonic, non-sexual way of course!

There doesn’t seem to be anyone else home at the moment. Maybe the wife (?) and kids are away visiting family or something, and Lan Wangji decided to have a night out? That would also explain why he didn’t call anyone to get him.

He gets Lan Wangji to lead him to the bedroom, and he tries his best not to feel weird about it. Once they enter, Lan Wangji zeroes in on the bed and seems to realize that it’s actually quite late. He walks straight to it, and lays down on top of the covers. Wei Wuxian considers whether he should try to help Lan Wangji get changed out of his clothes and into pajamas. That is out of the question just moments later, as it only takes seconds for Lan Wangji to fall asleep.

Wei Wuxian is deeply relieved by this, and only pulls the covers out from under Lan Wangji to put them on top of him. He knows from experience that even if it’s not very cold outside, any time spent on the ground will make you feel a bit chilly. He also spots a notepad and a pen on one of the bedside tables, and writes a quick note for Lan Wangji to find in the morning. He would get him a glass of water and some painkillers ready as well, but he doesn’t feel like trying to navigate the huge kitchen right now, so once the note is written, he speeds back to the hallway, puts his shoes back on, and then escapes the building as fast as he can.

***

Once he gets home, a significant amount of time later than anticipated, he kicks his shoes off and goes to sit on the couch to try and process everything. He nearly goes to wake Wen Ning to talk to him about it, but then remembers he’s with Wen Qing for the night. So he sits alone in their silent apartment, truly baffled at the events that have transpired since he left the club. It all feels very much like a fever dream.

Once he has decompressed slightly, he takes out his notebook to draw for a bit. He doesn’t have the energy to work on his paintings, but he needs to do something with his hands while he tries to calm down enough to go to sleep.

He finds a blueprint he’s still working on. Wen Qing has been complaining about how unwieldy the daybeds at the hospital are, the ones they use for patients who come into the urgent care unit, who they need to wheel around but can’t really move from bed to wheelchair, back to bed again, who as a result are stuck on a bed all day. Apparently they get a lot of teens coming in with all kinds of injuries, who they have to force to stay on a bed even if they are alert and not too severely hurt. So Wei Wuxian is trying to figure out some sort of hybrid, a wheelchair that can be folded out into a bed, without hurting the patient further, while also being stable enough that there’s not a risk of it falling open or apart. It’s difficult, but he’s getting close.

He does this sometimes. Whenever the Wen siblings complain about something at work, he tries to figure out a solution. He has created many blueprints and designs for items that could be of use in the hospital. A lot of them don’t really work out, or the need for them is so limited there’s not really any point, but some of the more successful ones he sells to a tech company, for them to use to make products of. Wen Qing and Wen Ning have both tried to make him patent them, but it’s easier and quicker to just sell them.

There’s a local company - Gusu Science - that manufactures both medicine and technology for hospitals, and from what Wei Wuxian has heard they have good quality products for a fair price, so most of his stuff is sold to them for cheap. Apparently the hospital now uses a special support pillow he designed, that Gusu Science produced based on his work. He was very pleased when Wen Qing told him this.

He manages to figure out a locking mechanism that should be easy and smooth to unlock, but sturdy enough to not accidentally turn the chair into a bed if jostled. At least in theory. He draws it, and then decides to call it quits for the night. He’s had a very long evening, which is why he falls asleep nearly instantly with only a brief thought to Lan Wangji’s hand in his as his last conscious action.

Chapter Text

Lan Wangji wakes up feeling queasy. This is odd, as he cannot remember eating a dinner that would have upset his stomach. Come to think of it, he cannot remember eating dinner at all. He takes a moment to think about the events of the previous day. He was going out with his colleagues for an after work dinner (his brother had insisted he attend). Thus, he had picked a-Yuan up from daycare as soon as he left work. They had returned home, and they had packed a-Yuan’s overnight bag together. Then Lan Huan had come to pick his nephew up for their sleepover, so that Lan Wangji would have enough time to shower and get dressed before leaving for the restaurant.

Lan Wangji remembers getting there, and ordering vegetarian udon noodles. Now that he remembers them, the udon had been adequate, and light enough to not cause his stomach to revolt later on. None of these things should have led to waking up feeling like this. He continues mentally walking through his evening.

He and his colleagues had finished their meals, and at that point they had gotten slightly more boisterous on account of the alcoholic beverages they had consumed. However, they had not yet been loud enough for him to leave. He had just ordered a lemon water when Su She had decided to sit down and have a conversation with him. Lan Wangji does not remember what the conversation had been about. This is not out of the ordinary. He normally tries to avoid Su She altogether, but on occasions when he cannot, he simply tunes the man out and hums along just enough to not be rude. 

(He would not mind being rude to Su She, but Lan Huan has told him he needs to keep a professional relationship with all his coworkers, to avoid unnecessary tension that could become an issue.)

When he tries to remember what happened next, he is horrified to realize that it is all blank. He remembers nothing before waking up this morning. At this realization, he sits up abruptly to take in his surroundings. He is in his bedroom, which is a relief. However, he is still wearing his clothes from last night, and he has absolutely no memory of how he got back home from the restaurant.

He takes a moment to examine his last memories a little bit closer. He thinks he can remember getting his lemon water and taking a sip, but…

It feels as if someone has suddenly poured icy water all over him.

His lemon water had tasted odd, and he can now remember looking at it and realizing he had taken a sip of someone else’s drink. He had gotten drunk .

He frantically searches for his phone, and finds it next to him in bed. He is relieved to find that it still has some battery left. He is then horrified, once again, when he notices the time.

8:43 am.

He has not slept in for this long since the first time a-Yuan stayed overnight with Lan Huan and Nie Mingjue. And before that, since his mother died. Fortunately, no one has tried to reach him yet, so he still has time to get himself in order.

Now that he has calmed down somewhat, he notices the note left on the bedside table on the other side of the bed. This is odd. He only really uses it on days he works from home when a-Yuan is sick and only wants to cuddle in bed. It is definitely the least used notepad in his collection. Upon further inspection, he realizes the handwriting is completely unfamiliar. Still, it is probably a clue to discover what else happened last night, so he starts reading.

Good morning, Lan Wangji!

I was unsure if you would remember anything from last night or not, so I decided to leave you a little note. You were very drunk last night! You’re very lucky I was the one to run into you, and not some creep! You were sitting all alone on the pavement and I couldn’t just leave you there. I hope you don’t mind that I brought you home myself.

But don’t worry, you were a very orderly drunk! You only chased after a rabbit once!

Hope you slept well,

The Burger Man ;)

Lan Wangji once again feels like he has been doused with cold water. The Burger Man . Of course he would be the one to find him. Lan Wangji is mortified . He has been drunk exactly once before, and Lan Huan still uses that time for blackmail. He knows he’s a… troublesome drunk. He is sure Burger Man is simply being polite and not telling him the truth of how difficult he was last night. It is appreciated, but he still feels horrified that his evening took such a turn.

The thing is, Burger Man is the most attractive man Lan Wangji has ever seen. The most attractive person he has ever seen. His hair is long, like Lan Wangji’s, and pulled into a ponytail at work. This means the multiple piercings in his ears are always visible, and they only increase the appeal. Not to mention the tattoos Lan Wangji has seen peeking out from under Burger Man’s shirt on occasion. Shufu would most certainly lecture him on immorality if he found out Lan Wangji’s taste in men. 

Burger Man’s attractiveness is the very reason Lan Wangji does not know his name: he has been too cowardly to look at his name tag, because that would mean looking at his chest, and Lan Wangji is not sure he would survive doing so. He regrets this now, as he most likely used ‘Burger Man’ to refer to the man himself, to his face. He needs to apologize.

Lan Wangji leaves bed with determination, and takes a shower to scrub the hangover off of himself. Like most scented things in his home, his shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel all smell mostly of sandalwood and vanilla. It is a familiar scent, and the shower leaves him feeling refreshed. He gets dressed for the day once he is dry, and then walks to the kitchen to make himself a late breakfast. Lan Huan always sends a message before starting the drive to drop a-Yuan off, and so Lan Wangji knows there is no need to stress until he gets the text from his brother. His son will probably be dropped off before lunch, so there is no point in Lan Wangji attempting to go apologize to Burger Man before he is back, but perhaps they can go together? Burger Man must have seen the toys last night, so Lan Wangji bringing his child should not be too much of a surprise. 

He does not know if Burger Man works today, as he only eats burgers on Tuesdays. But he is determined to make up for his most likely abhorrent behavior, and will simply return tomorrow if Burger Man is not there today.

***

An hour later, he gets a text from his brother saying that they are on their way. Lan Wangji has regained most of his composure, and he is fairly sure his brother will not notice that he got drunk last night and apparently ran into Burger Man. Which is fortunate, as Lan Huan already has too much leverage to use against him regarding Burger Man.

The fact that Lan Huan even knows about Burger Man is leverage enough. Lan Wangji has never before shown any interest in another person. He has barely had any interest in making friends. He is friends with Nie Huaisang, and that mostly started because they had to ‘hang out’ whenever their older brothers wanted to meet up. Friendship by forced proximity, as Nie Huaisang would describe it. Any possibility for… romantic prospects has been completely disregarded. 

So when Lan Wangji had let it slip that the server at the new hamburger place he tried was ‘handsome’, his brother had jumped on the opportunity to grill him about it. Embarrassingly, his first question had been about the server’s name. If Lan Huan couldn’t read him as well as he could, there would not be an issue. But Lan Wangji has never been able to lie to his older brother, so he had to admit that he did not know the man’s name, because he had not dared to look at the nametag on his chest. 

Ever since, Lan Huan has taken every opportunity to tease Lan Wangji about Burger Man. If his brother found out what happened last night, he would never hear the end of it. Thus, it is best he tries to pretend last night did not happen, and then bring a-Yuan to apologize to Burger Man without anyone else knowing.

He hears the front door open, and then the tell-tale sound of toddler feet running at maximum speed.

“Baba!” his son yells, somehow increasing his speed further as he enters the living room, launching himself into his father’s lap. This is almost routine by now. A-Yuan had been a too quiet and too careful child when Lan Wangji first adopted him. Afraid of giving his son a childhood similar to his own - silent and restrictive - he had tried to encourage him to express his feelings at all times. He had also never enforced any rules meant to restrict his son’s behavior. 

Which means the a-Yuan is now very energetic, open, and loud . His own polar opposite. Lan Wangji would not change him for the world.

“Did you have fun with bobo and Jue-ge?” he asks, genuinely interested. He loves hearing a-Yuan telling him about his days and watching his son explore the world. It is one of his greatest sources of joy.

“Mhm! We eated ice cream! Before dinner,” a-Yuan says smugly, and Lan Wangji looks over at his brother with one raised eyebrow.

“Did you, now?” he asks. A-Yuan nods enthusiastically while Lan Huan looks around the room, the very picture of feigned innocence. As if he does not take every chance he gets to spoil his nephew rotten.

“I guess that is alright. This time,” he adds, trying to use his eyes to tell his brother that this had better not become a common occurrence. He may not like to restrict his son, but avoiding excess sugar seems like a reasonable rule. 

“Oh, would you look at the time! Unfortunately a-Jue and I have plans, so I’ll have to go. A-Yuan, I had really fun at our sleepover! Let’s do it again sometime when your baba is busy,” Lan Huan says, and then walks toward the hallway after a nod in Lan Wangji’s direction. Lan Wangji sighs. At least his brother didn’t load his son up with sweets just before returning him. This time .

“Baobei, would you like to go out to eat lunch today?” he asks his son when he hears the front door closing. a-Yuan once again nods excitedly enough that his entire body bobs with it. 

“I wan’ pizza!” he exclaims, and Lan Wangji winces inwardly. Unless he can convince his son that hamburgers are, in fact, the better alternative, this will end in tears. A-Yuan is a very determined child, with a father who is very prone to indulging him.

“Do you think we can get hamburgers instead?” he asks, and immediately regrets presenting it as a choice as his son looks contemplative.

“Why?” his sweet child eventually asks, and Lan Wangji struggles to find a way to explain the situation in a way that is child friendly.

“I have to apologize to someone. I can only find him at work, and he makes hamburgers,” he tries to explain, and hopes it is enough.

“Oh,” a-Yuan says with a nod, and then he hesitates. “Baba was bad?” he asks, looking like the thought of his father doing something worth apologizing for is deeply upsetting. Lan Wangji does not like upsetting his son, but at least this will be a good opportunity to teach him that anyone can make mistakes. Even if he cannot tell his son what mistake he made.

“I do not remember, that is why I must apologize,” he says, and a-Yuan looks very relieved and nods with determination. Apparently that explanation is enough to reassure him that his father is not a bad person.

“We eats hambugger so baba can say sorry to his friend!” he exclaims, and then runs off to leave his bag in his room. He knows their routines well, and knows they will not be having lunch yet. Thus he will probably start playing with his toys immediately. Lan Wangji is very grateful for this, as he does not quite feel ready to do what he knows he has to. He appreciates any extra time to mentally prepare himself.

***

Two hours later, they are outside the hamburger restaurant. They are obviously open, as per the open door, the sign saying “open”, and the hours on the window next to the door. Lan Wangji also checked online, just in case. Still, he is hesitating to go inside because there is not currently anyone manning the register, and there are no guests at the tables.

His son, on the other hand, has no such qualms. 

A-Yuan takes his hand and, with the confidence of a child young enough to not care about societal norms, marches both of them through the door. He looks around curiously on his way to the counter, and then stands on his tip-toes to reach and ring the bell. While Lan Wangji is very happy his son has not inherited his own social issues, but instead taken after his uncle, he cannot help but feel anxious on a-Yuan’s behalf as they wait.

Fortunately, the wait only lasts for a few seconds. Unfortunately, the person walking up to the counter is not Burger Man. Instead, they are faced with a bored-looking white man who does not seem to be enjoying his job at all.

“What can I get for you,” he says, voice even more bored than his facial expression. He does not even look at a-Yuan to acknowledge him, and Lan Wangji immediately dislikes this man.

“Are you baba’s friend?” a-Yuan asks, in spite of the man ignoring him. The man looks down at the child and then back up at Lan Wangji. He manages to not glare at this downgraded Burger Man, but only just. The man in question seems to have come to some kind of conclusion.

“He had to take a phone call, I’ll get him for you,” he says, and then leaves them standing by the counter. Lan Wangji is confused for a moment as to how this man knew who they were looking for. But then he remembers the way he looked at them after a-Yuan asked for “baba’s friend”, and realizes he simply assumed the asians were there looking for the asian employee. 

Lan Wangji hopes Burger Man is looking for a job with a better social environment.

They only have to wait for a few moments until the real Burger Man rushes in with a dazzling smile on his face.

“Lan Wangji! I hope you weren’t too hungover this morning,” he says, and then notices a-Yuan and seems to forget about Lan Wangji entirely. (A much more appropriate response to seeing his son.)

“Ah, and this must be little Lan Wangji! How very nice to meet you! I’m Wei Wuxian, but you can just call me ‘Xian-gege’,” he tells a-Yuan, nearly lying on top of the counter and smiling big enough that his eyes become crescents.

Wei Wuxian.

Of course, a literal toddler does not realize how significant this piece of information is. A-Yuan simply smiles back, ready to match Wei Wuxian’s energy.

“Hello, Xian-gege! We come here so baba can say sorry because he don’t remember, but he can only find his friend at work,” a-Yuan explains, and for a moment Lan Wangji is worried Wei Wuxian will not be able to follow what his son is saying. However, it seems he does not need to worry, as Wei Wuxian simply turns a softer smile on Lan Wangji before returning his attention to a-Yuan.

“I see. Then let’s go sit at a table so your baba can tell me how much he doesn’t remember, yeah?” he suggests, and then leads the way to a table in the corner of the restaurant. Lan Wangji follows Wei Wuxian and a-Yuan, very conscious of the fact that he still has not said a single word. He is not a very verbose person, and has learned to live with it. However, in times like these, he wishes he had an easier time speaking and expressing himself. Adopting a-Yuan has helped, but he is painfully aware his son is much more socially adept than himself, even at four and a half years old. 

“So, Lan Wangji,” Wei Wuxian starts, turning his attention to Lan Wangji once all three of them are seated. “How bad’s the damage?” he asks cheerfully. His smile has gentled, and is not the beaming one he had given a-Yuan, but still Lan Wangji feels his resolve weaken in the face of it. Wei Wuxian’s full attention is not for the weak.

“I must apologize. I joined my coworkers for dinner last night, and accidentally drank an alcoholic beverage one of them had ordered for himself. I… do not remember anything past that point,” he admits, ears heating up in embarrassment. He can barely stand to look at Wei Wuxian as he explains himself.

“I do not drink, as my family has a very low tolerance. Normally, I do not attend social outings where people will be drinking, to avoid mishaps such as this one. However, work has been intense lately, and my brother has been concerned about my mental health. He offered to let a-Yuan stay with him overnight yesterday, so that I could have an evening off to socialize. I apologize for any trouble I caused while intoxicated,” he says. It is more than he has said to a person outside his immediate family in weeks, but he recognizes the need to explain himself. 

Especially if he wants even the slightest chance of doing anything about the attraction he feels.

The further into his explanation he gets, the more Wei Wuxian giggles. Lan Wangji is no stranger to people laughing at him. Children are mean to those who are different, and his uncle had forced him to attend a public school where he did not fit in. Yet, somehow, he does not feel ridiculed by Wei Wuxian’s amusement. He does not have much experience being in on a joke, but he thinks it might feel like this. Like Wei Wuxian’s laughter is because Lan Wangji deliberately did something funny.

“Ah, don’t worry! For being blackout drunk, you were very orderly!” Wei Wuxian tries to reassure him. Lan Wangji gives him a doubtful look, but it only seems to amuse him further.

“No, really. You tried chasing a rabbit, and you got very interested in a window display with toys, but besides that you didn’t cause any trouble at all! You even picked up trash people had left on the ground!” he says, and Lan Wangji does feel relieved at that. Lan Huan still teases him about the one time he got drunk at nineteen years old, so he knows it could have been much worse. 

“Thank you for getting me home. It could have gone… badly, otherwise,” he says, perfectly aware of his own understatement. Wei Wuxian simply shrugs with yet another smile on his face. It seems he has an infinite supply.

“I’m sure you would have gotten yourself home somehow, you seem very responsible! But I guess work stress gets even to the most diligent of us,” he says, and Lan Wangji can feel his own ears heat up. He is glad his hair covers them.

“Mn. We are on the verge of a breakthrough on a new medicine, which leads to odd hours. Bacteria do not follow human schedules,” he explains, and is shocked by the full-body laugh Wei Wuxian lets out. Once again he can somehow tell he is not being laughed at, but rather with . It is odd. No one has ever found him funny, not even Lan Huan.

“Ahahaha, you didn’t tell me you were funny as well. Leave some for the rest of us, hm?” Wei Wuxian says, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Lan Wangji has never been this captivated by another person.

“Just let me know if you need someone to look after your little dumpling when the bacteria makes you stay late. I’m pretty good with kids and always looking for a side hustle,” Wei Wuxian says, and then seems to realize what he just said. He starts to backtrack before Lan Wangji has even had the time to process the suggestion.

“Ah, don’t listen to me! You have a brother who helps out, and probably a whole ton of other people. I’m just saying stuff,” Wei Wuxian rushes out, the blush on his cheeks clearly showing his embarrassment. Still, his proposition had seemed genuine. And contrary to his assumptions, Lan Wangji does not actually have that many people to help him with a-Yuan. And Lan Huan works at the same company as himself, and is sometimes unavailable.

He is just about to inquire if perhaps they could work something out, when his son beats him to it.

“A-Yuan play with Xian-gege when baba works?” he asks, turning his biggest eyes on the two adults. Up until this point he had been content watching people walk by the windows, but apparently the possibility of seeing more of Wei Wuxian got his attention. Like father, like son . 

Wei Wuxian looks desperately at Lan Wangji, seemingly unwilling to say anything that would go against his wishes. Unfortunately for him, Lan Wangji is very weak to the will of his son, and is of the belief that one should not say something unless they are willing to stand by it.

“If Wei Wuxian is amenable, I believe it would help greatly if you could look after a-Yuan sometime when my brother is busy,” he says, strategically not mentioning his brother’s husband, who is fully capable of looking after a-Yuan on his own. Wei Wuxian does not need to know about Nie Mingjue until he has agreed to see them again.

“Ah, really? You would let me look after your child?” Wei Wuxian asks, apparently shocked at this notion. Lan Wangji cannot see why.

“You looked after me last night,” he says, and feels proud to get another laugh out of the handsome man before him.

“Alright then! I’ll make sure the little one is safe and sound!” Wei Wuxian promises, three fingers to his forehead in a salute and laughter in his eyes.

Lan Wangji does not doubt him for a second.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian is struggling, and none of his friends seem to sympathize at all . His heart has been beating out of his chest since Lan Wangji stopped by last week to apologize, and all his friends are doing is roll their eyes or laugh at him. And because his other friends are useless, he is now at Nie Huaisang’s, with his head resting on their lap.

“I don’t think you understand how hot this man is!” he complains. His complaints are so valid as well! Lan Wangji looks like a god, works as a big shot scientist, has the cutest kid in the world , and somehow Wei Wuxian hasn’t scared him off yet. 

“You’ve told me, a-Ying. At length,” they sigh, their fingers carding through Wei Wuxian’s hair as they’re scrolling on their phone. They seem very disinterested, but Wei Wuxian knows they aren’t. They’re a sucker for gossip and has their nose in everyone’s business. They’re just tired of listening to him. Still, they haven’t kicked him out of their apartment yet, so he’s fine.

“My words can’t do him justice, you know I only spout bullshit. But like, do you realize how smart you have to be to be a scientist? And yeah, I’m not dumb , but still. I’m not a scientist . And his hair is so long and so soft, and he seems like such a nice dad despite the whole deadpan look,” he sighs. He’s in way over his head, and he knows it. 

Nie Huaisang looks up briefly, and something flashes in their eyes. Somehow Wei Wuxian has caught their attention.

“What did you say this guy’s name was?” they ask, and Wei Wuxian realizes he never even told them, too busy waxing poetic. 

“Oh shit, sorry. His name’s Lan Wangji,” he says, and Nie Huaisang nods. Then they look contemplative.

“And the wife?” they ask, and Wei Wuxian stops to think. He really doesn’t know anything about the wife. He and Lan Wangji have been texting a bit since agreeing to the babysitting deal. Still, Lan Wangji hasn’t mentioned his wife at all. He hasn’t even hinted at a partner, actually. Wei Wuxian has wondered about it, but it feels rude to ask. 

Little a-Yuan looks exactly like his father, though, so he must have been there for the creation. Which means someone else was involved as well. Wei Wuxian has just assumed the wife is away on business or something.

“He hasn’t mentioned her, but a guy like that? Someone must have locked him down by now,” he says with a dreamy sigh. Nie Huaisang chuckles.

“You could have just told me you were into young DILFs and I could have set you up with one. One without a wife,” they say, putting their phone down so they can use both hands to massage Wei Wuxian’s head. They use just the right pressure, and Wei Wuxian practically melts into them.

“I didn’t even know I was into that,” he mumbles. He has nearly closed his eyes when his phone vibrates in his pocket. He brings it to his face just to check if it’s important, and nearly chokes on his own breath when he sees the name of their conversation topic on the screen.

He shoots up into a sitting position, gripping his phone. Nie Huaisang grumbles only a little bit, and then places their chin on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder to snoop on his screen.

Lan Wangji 🥵:

Hello. I have a meeting on Thursday. It is outside my 

usual hours, and should only take around an hour.

Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to see 

if you and a-Yuan will get along?

Please message me when you know whether you

are available or not.

“As if there’s even a single chance in hell I’d say no,” Wei Wuxian mutters to himself, and Nie Huaisang leans back with a snicker.

“Never thought I’d see my a-Ying become a homewrecker, but you’ve got it bad,” they giggle, and Wei Wuxian glares at them.

“Fuck off.”

You:

Sure! I’ll switch shifts with someone, and then I’m all

yours after 2 pm! Shouldn’t be a problem 🤗

The college student is usually down for trading her morning shifts for night shifts, so Wei Wuxian shoots a text off to her as well before he forgets. No force in the world could stop him from babysitting for the hottest man ever. Worst case, he’d just call in sick in the morning and leave his coworkers to deal with the fallout. Maybe Jared would be forced to work extra.

***

Lan Wangji had texted him about the babysitting on Monday, and Wei Wuxian’s stomach has been in knots since then. He had seen Lan Wangji on Tuesday when he stopped by for his burger, but the restaurant had been abnormally busy, so Wei Wuxian hadn’t been able to speak to him.  

And now it is Thursday noon, and he’ll be heading over to Lan Wangji’s home in a few hours. His emotions are all over the place, and have been since Monday. On the one hand he is just excited to hang out with a-Yuan. From what he’s seen from the kid, he seems very well-behaved, but much more lively than his dad. And making some extra money on the side is a nice bonus. (A very nice bonus, Lan Wangji is paying him a truly absurd amount for the work he’ll be doing.) 

On the other, he is kind of nervous about seeing Lan Wangji outside of their regular setting. In Wei Wuxian’s mind, the penthouse apartment from Lan Wangji’s drunk mishap was some sort of limbo. Like it wasn’t a real place, it just existed that night. Knowing he’s going to be there, specifically to spend time with Lan Wangji’s son, has him feeling funny. He is about to just… spend time in their space. He’ll probably see where they store a-Yuan’s snacks, and what toys Lan Wangji has deemed good enough for his child. 

And underneath the excitement and nerves, there’s an undercurrent of guilt. He’s lusting after a taken man, for fuck’s sake. It would be one thing if he was lusting from a distance, but he isn’t doing that anymore. He’s going into this man’s space, and trying to impress him by taking care of his fucking kid. A kid who has a mother somewhere. He should be going into this with the mindset that Lan Wangji is a potential friend, and he’s just helping him out. But he isn’t. For some fucking reason, Wei Wuxian can’t bring himself to be reasonable about this. So he feels guilty, and frustrated with himself because he already knows he’s in the wrong. 

He’s even been too busy with his own emotional state to work on his commissions, so he’s behind schedule. Simply put, he’s not having A Good Time. 

Still, he looks forward to seeing a-Yuan, and needs to make sure he’s on his very best behavior around the kid tonight. He shouldn’t take his confusing feelings out on a literal baby.

The rest of the day passes way too fast for his liking, and suddenly it’s 3 pm and he’s anxiously waiting outside Lan Wangji’s fancy apartment building. Lan Wangji told him to wait for them outside, and they should be arriving any moment, but Wei Wuxian still feels like someone is going to chase him off before they get here. He certainly doesn’t feel less out of place than the first time he came here.

Thankfully, father and son arrive before he’s forcibly removed from the premises. Wei Wuxian’s heart clenches at how cute a-Yuan is, walking proudly next to his dad with his little backpack strapped firmly on. Really, Wei Wuxian loves kids in general, but a-Yuan is extra adorable, and he is almost completely sure it’s not only because he has a crush on the dad. 

“Xian-gege! We play today!” a-Yuan shouts as he charges toward Wei Wuxian at full speed. He stops when he’s close enough to cling to Wei Wuxian’s leg and beams up at him. Wei Wuxian beams right back.

“We sure will, kiddo!” he says with enthusiasm, using one hand to ruffle a-Yuan’s hair. He kind of wants to pick the kid up, but he’s not sure how Lan Wangji would feel about that. Speaking of, the man in question has stopped a few steps away from Wei Wuxian, and he’s watching them with… not a smile exactly, but his face definitely looks softer around the edges. His eyes seem to linger slightly on the eyebrow piercing he put on right before coming over, but he doesn’t mention it. He probably didn’t remember it if he was blackout drunk when he saw it the first time.

“I apologize if we left you waiting for long. Shall we?” Lan Wangji suggests, and then walks past Wei Wuxian and a-Yuan to lead the way inside. Wei Wuxian takes the little boy’s hand and follows. He takes a closer look at the interior of the building now that he is not stressed out of his mind leading a drunk man home. It still looks just as expensive, but the daylight makes it look more welcoming. Like it’s aware he doesn’t belong, but it’ll allow him to exist there anyways. It’s nice. Much nicer than his and Wen Ning’s homey but kinda run-down building.

Lan Wangji leads them to a manned reception desk, and greets the woman behind it with a polite nod.

“Mister Lan! What can I help you with?” she asks with a smile. It’s flirtatious enough to border on unprofessional, but Wei Wuxian can’t really blame her. And it doesn’t seem like Lan Wangji minds, because he doesn’t react at all.

“This is Wei Wuxian,” he says, motioning to him. “He will be helping out with a-Yuan sometimes, and will thus need a keycard of his own,” he finishes, and the lady looks Wei Wuxian over before nodding. She walks over to a separate cabinet, which she unlocks with a code, and takes something out. She returns and hands over a keycard to Wei Wuxian, who feels slightly stunned as he takes it.

“This goes to the penthouse elevator, and there’s a fee if you lose it. You need a key to get into the apartment itself, but mister Lan is in charge of those himself,” she says, and Wei Wuxian nods dumbly. He’s not sure what he expected, but it certainly wasn’t his own keycard to Lan Wangji’s penthouse.

The man in question thanks the lady, and then continues leading the way to the elevator. Wei Wuxian follows, making sure they don’t lose a-Yuan on the way. They enter the elevator, and Wei Wuxian remembers exactly how long the ride up was with no conversation to make it pass faster, so he tries to figure out what he wants to ask about first. But there’s really only one very pressing thing he feels like he needs to know.

“Should you really just… give me full access to your apartment?” he asks, because he’s no expert, but he’s pretty sure this isn’t how these things usually go. Lan Wangji just hums.

“It is easier if you can get in on your own. In case I cannot be here to let you in,” he says, and then raises an eyebrow. “I get notified when a guest keycard is used. I will know if you come here without asking,” he says, apparently knowing exactly what Wei Wuxian was worried about. Not that he plans on showing up without prior permission, but having his own keycard seems like a very sure way of eventually being accused of stealing. Or something. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d be accused of crimes he didn’t commit, but it’s good to know he probably won’t be. 

He thinks Lan Wangji might be slightly insane, but that’s none of his business.

His most immediate worries quelled, Wei Wuxian turns to the kid he’s supposed to be watching.

“So what do you want to do while we wait for your baba to get back home, buddy?” he asks, and the little guy jumps in excitement.

“I show Xian-gege my toys, and then we color!” he exclaims, and Wei Wuxian nods with interest. He keeps asking the kid questions about his toys, and a-Yuan entertains them with his chattering the rest of the way up. Lan Wangji hums occasionally, but otherwise stays out of the conversation. He leads them into the penthouse, and once everyone’s shoes are off he nods for Wei Wuxian to follow him.

Lan Wangji leads him into what looks like a home office. He walks over to a locked drawer, and then returns with a key.

“To the apartment,” he says, and Wei Wuxian nods dumbly as he takes it. Right, Lan Wangji was in charge of the actual door keys. Lan Wangji then returns to the entrance, and Wei Wuxian follows him for lack of better things to do. He watches as Lan Wangji puts his shoes back on to leave - and absolutely does not watch how his dress pants stretch over his thighs as he bends down. 

“If he wants a snack, he can have an apple and some crackers. He knows where they are. Not too many, I will make dinner when I return,” he says as he straightens up, and Wei Wuxian nods.

“You got it, boss! You go do your important scientist stuff, and I’ll make sure the lil’ guy is safe and sound!” Wei Wuxian says, and then shoos Lan Wangji out. Which, he realizes only a moment later, was probably a weird thing to do. But Lan Wangji seemed on his way out and certainly didn’t stop him, so he’s probably fine. Probably.

Once he’s alone again, he turns around to start looking for the kid he’s supposed to be watching. The last time he was here he only really saw the entrance, kitchen, living room, and Lan Wangji’s room. And going by the amount of doors he sees as he moves further in, this place is way bigger than he first realized. He figures the living room is a good place to start, and walks into it and starts looking around to try and figure out where he should go. As he looks around, he spots a photo in one of the bookcases that captures his attention.

He looks around, as if someone would see him snooping, and then goes closer to get a better look. The photo is of Lan Wangji, next to a woman holding a baby. On the other side of the woman is another man, who looks almost identical to Lan Wangji. Maybe an inch shorter, and smiling brightly where Lan Wangji is serious. Probably the famous brother . The baby in the woman’s arms is obviously a-Yuan, grinning happily and waving his little arms in the air. There is no doubt in Wei Wuxian’s mind who the woman is.

Lan Wangji’s wife. Or fianceé. Or girlfriend. Or… whatever. A-Yuan’s mom.

The woman is beautiful. Slender build and pale skin. Just this picture of her shows a kind of grace Wei Wuxian could never even hope to have. Of course this would be Lan Wangji’s type. The woman has the same silky, black hair that Lan Wangji does, but hers barely reaches past her collarbones, in a much shorter haircut than the one her husband is sporting. How very unconventional!

He is forced to look away from the family picture when he hears a giggle coming from behind the couch. Apparently the kid’s been playing hide and seek without telling him! He makes a deliberate show of sneaking closer, lifting blankets and pillows to “search” as he makes his way over. Once he’s close enough, he dives sideways, catching a-Yuan before he has the chance to get away.

“Gotcha, you little rascal! Were you trying to trick your poor Xian-gege, huh?” he asks, as he tickles the madly giggling toddler lightly. 

He’s confirmed a-Yuan’s mom’s existence. Now he can focus all his attention on the little boy until his dad returns from his meeting.

***

The time passes quickly as he plays with a-Yuan. The tour of his toys takes surprisingly long. Wei Wuxian had assumed Lan Wangji was the kind of parent to only give his child educational toys, and not too many of them. Instead, he finds himself amused because it seems he’s the kind of parent to give his child anything he points at. Not that a-Yuan seems spoiled! He just has more toys than some stores. It’s… a staggering amount. Wei Wuxian’s lucky he’s so good at not thinking about his own childhood, or he’d be spiraling about the fact that a-Yuan’s and his childhoods seem to be polar opposites.

(Wei Wuxian could only remember having a single toy of his own when he grew up. It was a stuffed donkey, which he had apparently refused to leave behind while he was bouncing around foster homes before the Jiangs adopted him. Once he got adopted, aunt Yu still refused to buy him any toys. If he wanted to play, he had to borrow Jiang Cheng’s toys. It had been him and his donkey against the world. Stupidly, he hadn’t thought to bring it with him to university. It probably still sat on his childhood bed, left behind when he was kicked out and forbidden to return after uncle Jiang died. Unless aunt Yu got rid of it. But Wei Wuxian isn’t thinking of any of this while playing with a-Yuan. Especially not when the kid shows him his favorite toy - a clearly well-loved stuffed bunny.)

To his delight, Wei Wuxian soon discovers that little a-Yuan is a boy of his word, and takes his promises very seriously. The minute the toy-tour is over, he drags Wei Wuxian over to a table with all the arts and craft materials a little kid could possibly wish for. It’s in the home office, and Wei Wuxian definitely swoons a little bit at the thought of Lan Wangji bringing little a-Yuan here to craft while he works. It’s just so cute! And he definitely doesn’t consider that the office could be the wife’s, because that makes him feel things he doesn’t want to feel. Like envy and resentment.

Besides all the things he’s not thinking about, Wei Wuxian has a great time playing with a-Yuan! He’s been given the great honor of coloring in a picture of a beaver from a coloring book. Of course, a-Yuan is instructing him on which colors to use. A-Yuan is the ruler, and Wei Wuxian is but a humble servant executing his will. And his will is to make the beaver pink, which pains Wei Wuxian a little bit inside, but who is he to kill the kid’s creativity?

Halfway through the abomination of a beaver they’re creating, a-Yuan tires of simply giving orders. He brings out a second coloring book, sticking with the animal theme. He continues telling Wei Wuxian which colors to use, but he colors a co… a rooster at the same time. He does a surprisingly good job of keeping within the lines. 

Watching this kid is much more peaceful than Wei Wuxian thought it’d be. He keeps coloring, and a-Yuan keeps chatting away. It seems he’s in an animal phase. Wei Wuxian figured out that a-Yuan’s favorite animal is bunnies half an hour ago - when he told him about his plan to make his dad buy him real ones - but it seems the kid is equally fascinated by all animals. He keeps throwing out random animal facts as they work, and Wei Wuxian makes sure to either add a fact of his own or ask questions every time the kid says something. He knows people sometimes find it difficult to speak to kids because they’re so young, but honestly, it’s the easiest thing in the world. 

So easy in fact, that it’s suddenly been an hour and a half and they hear the front door open. If asked, Wei Wuxian could have sworn that it had only been forty minutes. A look on his phone lock screen tells him he’s wrong, and then he barely has time to react before a-Yuan is sprinting toward the hallway.

“Baba!” he shouts as loudly as he can, and Wei Wuxian winces at the volume. He also hears a quiet ‘oof’ just a second later, and assumes a-Yuan launched his entire body at his dad. He makes sure there are no uncapped markers left on the table, and then leaves the room to go join his very favorite father-son duo.

When he gets to the hallway, he sees a-Yuan bouncing excitedly on the spot while tightly gripping the sleeve of his dad’s jacket. Poor Lan Wangji looks very torn between telling his son off so he can get out of his jacket, or just staying in his outerwear until a-Yuan lets go. Wei Wuxian decides to have mercy on him.

“Hey kiddo, if you let go of baba’s sleeve he can take his jacket off and come inside,” he says, and a-Yuan immediately lets go. He doesn’t really move out of the way though.

“Baba! Xian-gege says Mister Bunny is the best bunny! And he color the beaver pink!” he shouts, and Lan Wangji hums with interest. The kid continues recounting everything they’ve done as Lan Wangji takes off his shoes and starts walking toward the kitchen. Once they get there, a-Yuan runs off to get something, and Lan Wangji turns to Wei Wuxian.

“Did everything go well?” he asks, and Wei Wuxian gives him a smile.

“Yeah! He was the most well-behaved child there ever was!” he exclaims, and he’s not even exaggerating. Lan Wangji’s lips tick up slightly. A smile!

“Good. Would you be amenable to watching him again in the future?” he asks, and Wei Wuxian nods enthusiastically. Wives be damned, he’d love to spend more time with a-Yuan. Maybe he can even try to at least befriend Lan Wangji as well.

“Sure! I don’t mind at all as long as the little guy had fun,” he says, and Lan Wangji nods with what Wei Wuxian thinks is satisfaction. Then he fixes his eyes on the stove, and there’s a minute shift in his expression, and suddenly he looks contemplative.

“...Would you like to stay for dinner?” he asks, sounding almost… shy? No, that can’t be right. He’s probably just not sure how much courtesy he should show a babysitter, given that his brother has been on babysitting duty until now. 

“I’d love to, but my roommate is expecting me home for dinner tonight, and I don’t wanna disappoint him. Raincheck?” he suggests. It’s not a lie, Wen Ning is probably cooking right this very moment, but he doesn’t want to just straight up reject the hottest man in the world.

Lan Wangji nods, and then their conversation is halted by the return of a-Yuan.

“Look, Baba! Pink beaver!” he shouts, waving the coloring book in the air as he slides into the kitchen. Lan Wangji takes the book from the kid, and nods indulgently as he explains how he told his Xian-gege which colors to use.

“That was very nice of Xian-gege. A-Yuan, you should say goodbye. Xian-gege has to go back to his home now that I am back,” he says, and a-Yuan immediately looks a lot more pouty.

“Xian-gege leave?” he asks, and turns his sad little face to Wei Wuxian. His heart can’t take this, it really can’t! The sight is just too adorable! He crouches down so he can speak to a-Yuan face to face.

“I have to go back home to my friend, or he’ll be very worried! I came here to play with you while your baba was at work, and now he’s back so I know you’ll be perfectly fine. We’ll play some other time when your dad has to work,” he says, and smiles gently at the kid. At least he knows the little guy had a good time!

“Promise?” a-Yuan asks, sounding shy and hesitant. Wei Wuxian smiles even wider and holds out his pinky.

“Pinky promise!” he says, and hooks their pinkies together in the most solemn promise humanity has ever created. A-Yuan looks satisfied, and seems to remember what his father said.

“Bye, Xian-gege!” he shouts, and then runs off in the direction of the living room. Wei Wuxian stands up and looks back at Lan Wangji. He nods his head toward the hallway, and they make their way there. Lan Wangji speaks again as he’s trying to get his Converse back on.

“Thank you for watching him. It seems he had a good time,” he says, and Wei Wuxian stands back up, tossing his hair back as he throws yet another smile at the man before him.

“Really, it was no problem at all!” he says, and Lan Wangji nods once.

“I will transfer the money once a-Yuan has had dinner. Take care on your way home,” he says, and Wei Wuxian says his own goodbye, double checks that he’s got everything, and then heads out. He absolutely doesn’t have any feelings about leaving Lan Wangji and a-Yuan behind in their very fancy penthouse.

***

It’s just after 5 pm when he gets back home. He’s hit with the smell of Wen Ning’s extra spicy curry as soon as he opens the door, and kicks his shoes off to bounce into the kitchen.

“How’s my favorite IT guy doing?” he asks, slinging an arm around Wen Ning’s shoulder.

“Ying-ge! Welcome home! How did the babysitting go?” his sweet roommate asks, shooing Wei Wuxian away to sit on one of their two chairs. He’s wearing the novelty “please don’t kiss the cook” apron Wei Wuxian got him after he came out as aro-ace. It’s definitely the most worn clothing-or-clothing-adjacent thing in their household, and he’s very pleased with himself.

“The kid’s so adorable, I just want to gobble him up! Although that would probably make his dad pretty mad,” he sighs, leaning back against the back of the chair and watching as Wen Ning puts some chilies into the saucepan. 

“Probably. And the wife? Did you find anything out?” Wen Ning asks. He has been rooting for Wei Wuxian ever since Lan Wangji was just Hot Customer. He’s very sweet like that. And that means he has also been very invested in the mystery of a-Yuan’s mom. Wei Wuxian sighs loudly again.

“Saw some family pictures, and she was in them. I still haven’t seen a wedding ring, so maybe they’re not married. But they’re definitely involved, if they made a whole child,” he says, allowing himself to feel miserable for all of two seconds. “But I figured if I can’t date him, at least I can be his friend! He seems like he might need one, if his brother is the only babysitter he’s had so far,” he continues, going for a more upbeat tone. Friendship’s great! Wei Wuxian loves having friends!

Wen Ning turns around to give him a very concerned look. The thing about Wen Ning is that he always looks very sweet and innocent, so if someone ever upsets him they’ll feel like they just kicked a cute little kitten. His concerned face has the same effect, but increased.

“Be careful, Ying-ge. Your heart is very big, and we don’t want to see it hurt,” he says, and then turns back to his curry like he didn’t just destroy all of Wei Wuxian’s defenses.

“Ahaha, don’t worry about me! If I just want to be his friend nothing’s going to upset me,” he tries to reassure his darling friend. And maybe also himself, but we don’t need to talk about that.

Chapter Text

After the first babysitting mission, Wei Wuxian finally has enough peace of mind to get back to painting. His commissions are on a backlog, and he needs to start pumping out works to make sure he keeps his clientele. It will take another two days for the big horse painting to dry down completely, and he puts it aside to work on the other four paintings he hasn’t touched in weeks. 

He makes a deal with the woman who ordered the horse painting to deliver it on Sunday. It’s his day off from the burger place, so he might as well make use of the time. She lives on the other side of the city from him, so he has to drag her huge ass painting onto public transport, but he manages to get between work rush hours, so the transport goes surprisingly smoothly. And the lady is grateful enough to give him a huge tip, so really, it’s all worth it.

In fact, he decides, he should use the tip to drop by MianMian’s bakery and get himself and Wen Ning some treats. He rarely has enough money to spare to support his friends’ businesses, but he tries to do so whenever he can. And a few of MianMian’s pastries are much cheaper than one of Nie Huaisang’s designs or a dinner at da-ge’s restaurant. 

“My beautiful MianMian! How are you on a lovely day such as this one?” he shouts as he enters. There’s one customer - who looks at him funny - at the counter. Otherwise the place is empty. MianMian, as she is prone to do when she finds him particularly ridiculous, ignores him. He occupies himself with looking out onto the street outside while he waits for her to be done with her customer.

When the customer leaves, he walks up to the counter, plastering on his most flirtatious smile as he leans on it.

“You know, it really hurts my feelings when a pretty lady like yourself ignores me,” he flirts, like he does every time Wen Qing isn’t there to hit him for it.

“My girlfriend is really handy with a scalpel, you know,” she says, not even bothering to look at him. “Are you here to buy something, or just to talk my ears off?” she asks as she shuffles what seems to be some kind of tiny citrus pies around.

“Why can’t it be both? I’m a man of many talents, you know,” he says loftily, before he starts laughing. “No, really. I got a really nice tip from a commission, so I figured I could come here and buy a sweet treat,” he explains, changing his demeanor from flirty to friendly. He gets an eyeroll for his efforts.

“I’ve got cranberry blondies Wen Ning will like in the oven. You can tell me about your DILF while we wait,” she finally concedes, and walks around the counter so they can sit down at one of the small tables.

When she first opened, she didn’t have any tables or seating at all, adamant that her business is a bakery, not a café. But once word got around that a new place to get delicious pastries and other treats had opened, the number of customers had skyrocketed. She had then added a few mismatched chairs for people waiting in line during rush hours. This had over time led to her adding tables, and plates and cutlery so people could sit down and eat if they wanted. Still, she maintains that it’s not a café, so there are only four tables and she doesn’t serve drinks.

Unless she knows you and is kind enough to bring you a drink from the staff room.

“There’s not much to tell. I babysat his kid on Thursday, and got paid an obnoxious amount of money for basically just coloring according to the little guy’s instructions. And I confirmed the existence of a partner,” he rushes the last part out, and then stretches his legs out to make a show of how that last detail doesn’t bother him at all. MianMian sees this, and is kind enough to only hum neutrally. He loves when his friends go along with whatever lie he’s telling himself.

“At least you’re getting paid for your misery this time,” she says, and it’s so unexpected but also so very MianMian that he can’t stop the laugh that comes out of him.

“Very true! An improvement compared to both Lana and Diego,” he notes. Both were people he dated in the past, and both started distancing themselves from him as soon as he tried to get serious about personal stuff. 

Rumor - Nie Huaisang - has it that they’re now dating each other. 

They continue chatting until there’s beeping coming for the kitchen and MianMian has to get up to take the cranberry blondies out. She returns with four of them in a box, and Wei Wuxian tells her to add some of the citrus pies as well. He pays, makes a comment on how they should plan for a dinner sometime soon, tells her to give Wen Qing his love, and then leaves the bakery to head home. All in all, it’s been a pretty good Sunday.

***

It gets even better when, later that night, he gets a text from the contact he always wants texts from.

Lan Wangji 🥵:

Good evening. Both my brother and

I have to attend a board meeting on

Saturday. Would you be available

to take a-Yuan to the park at noon

while I am away?

It should not take more than two

hours.

Wei Wuxian has to take a moment to think. ‘Noon’ is a tricky time. They have all their shift changes at 2 pm, and depending on who you ask that could be ‘noon’. But from what he knows of Lan Wangji, the man probably means 12 pm on the dot. Wei Wuxian is on the afternoon shift on Saturday, so that’s not a problem. But if the meeting ends up taking two hours, he won’t have enough time to make it. And if it takes longer, he’s definitely screwed.

You:

Depends. My shift starts at 2, might

be a little tight ☹️

Lan Wangji 🥵:

I can try to make them change to 

an earlier time slot. I will update

you soon.

That shouldn’t make his heart flutter. Lan Wangji forcing his company to change things around to fit Wei Wuxian’s schedule does not mean anything. And even if it did, Lan Wangji is a taken man who won’t ever make a move on him. Still, it feels nice to have someone adapt to Wei Wuxian for once, even if it’s only because Lan Wangji needs someone to watch his kid. 

He puts his phone away, assuming he won’t get any more information until tomorrow. With a sigh, he returns his attention to the empty canvas in front of him. He would rather not work on this commission, but with the backlog he has going, he’s gonna have to work on paintings every free minute he has this coming week. But this painting in particular is… difficult.

It’s been commissioned by some Jin cousin. In the email, he said it’s supposed to be a gift, and that he heard that Wei Wuxian was good. This normally wouldn’t be a problem. The Jins are a large family. Just because one of them contacts him doesn’t mean they’re close to his sister’s… to Jiang Yanli’s husband. But this Jin wants him to paint a lotus pond. It can’t be a coincidence. The painting has to be a gift to Jiang Yanli, to remind her of the lotus pond from her childhood home. His childhood home. 

He remembers every detail of it, from every angle. How could he not, with the amount of time they spent playing in it? But he can’t paint it. He’s painting a lotus pond for Jiang Yanli, but he can’t make it look like their pond, because she would recognize it instantly. He’s worked too hard to hide from them to have it all ruined by a stupid painting. He just… can’t face them. Not after how things ended.

But how is he supposed to paint a pond that isn’t theirs? Especially when there’s a part of him that wants to paint it, just to see if they’ll try to find him.

He bites his cheek as he picks up a pencil to sketch out the general outlines. He’ll start by making it larger than theirs was. He really wishes he could procrastinate this one for longer, but his sis… Jiang Yanli’s birthday is in two weeks, and the Jin cousin wanted the painting before then.

Nothing to it but get to work.

***

Lan Wangji apparently manages to make his company move the meeting, because a new time is set for 11 pm. It could still be tight if the meeting runs late, but Wei Wuxian trusts that he’ll pick a-Yuan up on time. He arrives at the park they’ve agreed on at a timely 10.30, so Lan Wangji will have time to get to work on time. The park isn’t too big, but the playground seems… extensive. He spots Lan Wangji’s sensible coat by a set of swings and makes his way over. 

A-Yuan is the first to spot him.

“Xian-gege!” he shouts at the top of his lungs, and then runs as fast as his little legs can carry him to launch himself at Wei Wuxian. He manages to catch the little guy, but he nearly falls on his ass from the impact. He’s been pulling almost-all-nighters all week to get caught up on everything. He has slept for a grand total of four hours since Wednesday, and is running on caffeine and sugar. Put shortly, he’s not really fit for fight, but hopefully it’s not too noticeable. 

“Hey, buddy! Are you excited to play in the park?” he asks, completely unnecessarily. But if he gets a-Yuan talking, his job will be much easier. The kid nods enthusiastically. He grabs Wei Wuxian’s hand and drags him toward his father. As they get closer, Wei Wuxian notices what looks like a picnic basket.

“Wei Wuxian,” Lan Wangji says in greeting when they get close enough to speak. His hair is up in a bun, showing off his gorgeous neck, and Wei Wuxian dies a little bit inside.

“Hey! Hope I’m not late,” he says. It’s a valid concern, given that they seem to have been here for a while already. Thankfully, Lan Wangji shakes his head.

“No,” he says, and then gestures toward what is definitely a picnic basket. “I packed lunch for both you and a-Yuan, as you will be here during lunch hours, and you will have to go to work right after. Think of it as a ‘thank you’ for watching him on a weekend,” he adds, and Wei Wuxian can feel something inside of him break. Probably his resolve to pretend to only have platonic feelings for the man in front of him.

“You didn’t have to, but I’m sure it’ll be delicious. Thank you!” he says, plastering his biggest smile onto his face. If he’s not mistaken, he can see Lan Wangji’s ears grow ever so slightly red.

“Mn. There is also cash, for when he asks for… snacks,” Lan Wangji says, with a very discreet nod toward an ice cream vendor on the other side of the park. There’s something very funny about Lan Wangji trying to be sneaky, and Wei Wuxian giggles.

“Alright, I got it from here. Go join your brother,” he says, and Lan Wangji nods once.

“Mn,” he says, and then turns to his son. “Remember to listen to your Xian-gege while you play in the park. I will come pick you up as soon as I can.” He sounds almost stern when he tells a-Yuan this. But it makes sense. They’re not in the safety of their penthouse this time, and things could end badly if the kid decides to not listen.

They wave Lan Wangji off as he leaves, and then Wei Wuxian turns to face the kid.

“What do you wanna do first, kiddo?” he asks, and a-Yuan points to the swings they’re standing next to. Wei Wuxian lifts him up, and then plunks him down on one of the swings and starts pushing. Unlike other kids, a-Yuan doesn’t seem to want to try jumping off the swing to see how far he can get, but seemingly prefers to see how high he can get. Wei Wuxian is down, he wouldn’t want to explain to Lan Wangji how the kid broke his leg from jumping a bit too far.

It’s also a very mechanical movement on his part, which his tired body appreciates. A-Yuan is busy shrieking with joy, so he can take a moment to look at their surroundings. The park is fairly empty, and he doesn’t know if it’s because it’s too early, or because of the grey skies. He spots what seems to be two siblings and their mother on a jungle gym a bit further away, but besides them he’s alone with a-Yuan.

It’s nice. Watching a-Yuan have fun is a great distraction from everything else that’s making him miserable at the moment. And knowing that Lan Wangji trusts him to keep his child safe out in the world makes something warm settle in his gut. His friends love him, he knows that, but they barely trust him to take care of himself - let alone another living being. This is a nice change of pace. 

They get through the swings, slides, seesaw, and some spinny thing before a-Yuan’s stomach growls. Wei Wuxian finds them a nice patch of grass to sit down on, where they have a good view of the small pond on the other side of the park. The first thing he grabs from the basket Lan Wangji packed for them is a blanket, which he asks a-Yuan to spread. Kids like to feel like they’re helping, and a-Yuan especially carries his head taller whenever he gets a task to do.

Once the blanket is spread on the ground, Wei Wuxian sits down and takes his shoes off. He helps a-Yuan do the same and then places the basket between them.

“Let’s see what your baba packed for us,” he grins, and opens it to take a proper look inside. There’s a thermos, and upon unscrewing the lid he figures out that it contains hot chocolate. It’s the tail end of summer, which means it isn’t really cold, but there’s definitely a chill in the breeze, and clouds covering the sun completely. It seems Lan Wangji wanted to make sure they don’t freeze from being outside in this weather for a few hours. How thoughtful!

There are also sandwiches, a wide variety of cut fruit, and two Tupperware containers with a cold dish with noodles and tofu. It’s a veritable feast compared to what Wei Wuxian normally eats. He hasn’t had fresh fruit besides the occasional apple in… months, probably. It’s not that he doesn’t like them, but fresh fruits and veggies are simply too expensive. He lets a-Yuan decide himself what he wants to start with, and then reaches for the larger container. 

It’s not as spicy as he usually prefers his food, but the flavors are nice, and it’s definitely one of the healthiest dishes he has eaten in recent memory. That Lan Wangji thought to include food for Wei Wuxian… He hopes his wife appreciates what a great husband she has. He hopes Lan Wangji gets head whenever he wants. He deserves nothing less.

As they eat, Wei Wuxian once again spots the mother with the two kids. It seems they are also taking a break to eat. They’re sitting quite far away so he can’t really make out what they’re eating, but he thinks it looks like they’re just having sandwiches.

“Hey, a-Yuan, how come I haven’t met your mom yet? Is she away?” he asks before he can stop himself. Way to go, asking about what is absolutely none of my fucking business.  

“A-Yuan don’t have a mom. Baba sayed she died in a car acc-i-dent,” the kid responds, carefully sounding out the last word. Wei Wuxian’s stomach drops to somewhere on the other side of the world. That was not the response he expected. Great! Now he feels like an asshole because his stupid fucking mouth is out of control. 

“Oh, I’m sorry kiddo,” he says and ruffles a-Yuan’s hair. The little guy, however, doesn’t seem too bothered. He’s still munching away on his sandwich.

“It’s okay, baba say it’s good to talk,” he says, and Wei Wuxian’s heart clenches. He feels awful for Lan Wangji. He can’t imagine how he would feel if his own spouse died and left him alone with a tiny child. But it seems Lan Wangji has done a good job with helping a-Yuan deal with the grief.

“Your baba is right, as always! My parents also died when I was little, and it helped when I talked about it,” he says. Even if he’s probably ancient in a-Yuan’s eyes, it might be good for the kid to know other people whose parents died. The kid looks at him curiously.

“They also has an ac… acci-dent?” he asks, and Wei Wuxian smiles weakly.

“Not a car accident, but a different accident,” he says. It’s vague, but the kid does not need the mental image of people burning to death in their houses. He seems fairly unfazed, but it would probably do more harm than good. 

Thankfully, he doesn’t ask any further questions. Instead, he launches into a story of how one of the kids at his daycare had gotten a football stuck in a tree. Wei Wuxian lets the kid talk, feeling a little bit unmoored from their conversation.

***

They’re on the jungle gym, a-Yuan hanging from the monkey bars, when Wei Wuxian sees the kid notice something behind him. He drops back down on the ground and then takes off at a speed only a very motivated toddler can achieve.

“Baba! Bobo!” he shouts and as Wei Wuxian turns around he notices that there is, in fact, another person next to Lan Wangji. Nearly identical, just the tiniest bit shorter, more smiley. Definitely the brother from the photo. Wei Wuxian follows the kid at a much slower pace.

“Have you had fun with Xian-gege?” Lan Wangji asks, lifting his son up to settle him on his hip. Wei Wuxian cringes at the way the dirty shoes rub against what is probably a criminally expensive coat.

“Yeah! We did everything!” a-Yuan exclaims when Wei Wuxian is close enough to be a part of the conversation.

“Oh, did you?” Lan Wangji asks with interest, eyes on his son. Wei Wuxian is instead faced with the brother, who is stretching a hand out to shake his.

“Lan Xichen. I wanted to take the chance and come along to meet my replacement,” he says, cheerfully enough that Wei Wuxian can tell he’s joking, and not upset that a random man has stolen his spot as a-Yuan’s babysitter.

“Wei Wuxian,” he says as he shakes Lan Xichen’s hand. “It’s nice to see whose shoes I have to fill,” he jokes, and Lan Xichen chuckles.

“It doesn’t seem you have any trouble doing that,” he says kindly, with a pointed look toward a-Yuan, who is still excitedly telling his dad about their time in the park. Wei Wuxian can’t help the smile that creeps onto his face. It’s nice that the kid had fun.

“A-Zhan! Don’t hog my nephew, I want to hear about his time in the park as well,” Lan Xichen says, and Lan Wangji puts the kid back on the ground. Lan Xichen takes his little hand, and then winks at Wei Wuxian as he asks a-Yuan to show him around the playground. 

Wei Wuxian learns that he doesn’t appreciate older sibling meddling when it’s used on himself.

“‘A-Zhan’?” he asks when he’s left alone with Lan Wangji.

“Mn. My given name, Lan Zhan,” the man in question explains, and Wei Wuxian smiles at him.

“Very pretty, Lan Zhan! Since I now know yours, it seems only fair I tell you mine. I’m Wei Ying!” he says, and stretches his hand out in hopes that Lan Wangji - Lan Zhan - will shake it. A mock first introduction. To his absolute delight, he does . 

Lan Zhan then looks Wei Wuxian over. There’s just the slightest crease of concern between his eyebrows.

“Wei Ying looks tired,” he says, not really giving Wei Wuxian any room to deny it.

“Ah, don’t worry about me, Lan Zhan! It’s just been a busy week,” he says. He then takes a look at his phone and realizes he really should get a move on. “I really need to head out, but a-Yuan was really well-behaved, listened to every word I said! He was too busy playing to notice the vendor, so the snack-money is still in the basket. Thank you for the food, it was delicious!” he shouts as he starts to jog off. He adds a shouted goodbye to Lan Xichen and a-Yuan, and then he sprints to the closest bus stop.

He just needs to get through this shift, finish the lotus painting and have it delivered, and then he can crash. Just a little bit more.

Chapter Text

Over the next few days, Wei Wuxian uses any and all distractions he can find to avoid thinking about Lan Zhan being a widower. From the moment he figured out that the man was taken, there was a part of him that hoped a-Yuan’s mom was out of the picture somehow. Preferably in an amicable divorce, so Wei Wuxian would have a chance without feeling like an ass. 

Be careful what you wish for and all that, because now he feels awful. Lan Zhan seems to have dealt well with the grief. It probably happened some time ago, because Wei Wuxian never would have guessed the wife was dead. But then again, a-Yuan is four-ish years old, and four years is no time at all to grieve the mother of your child. 

But as long as he doesn’t think too much about it, Wei Wuxian can go on as usual. Jiang Yanli’s birthday comes and goes, and there’s a part of him that almost expects her to figure out he’s the artist behind her new painting. He had made it larger than their childhood pond, changed the shape, and added trees and rocks where there weren’t any. Still, he spends the days after her birthday keeping an extra eye on his email and socials, and looking over his shoulder when leaving the apartment. But nothing happens, and after a few days he relaxes again. 

It lets him focus on other projects, and so he manages to finish the blueprint for the locking mechanism for the wheelchair/bed hybrid. He makes an approximation of it with scraps they have at home, and it seems to work fine. At least fine enough that he feels good about passing it on to a company. As he’s sending it off to Gusu Science, staring at the company name, he gets a sudden hunch that he can’t ignore.

You:

Hey, I don’t think I’ve ever asked,

but what’s the name of the

company you work for? 🧐

Lan Zhan 🥵:

Gusu Pharmaceuticals, why?

You:

Any relation to Gusu Science?

Lan Zhan 🥵:  

They are two flankers of the same

company. Gusu Science is

responsible for technology and

Gusu Pharmaceuticals is 

responsible for medicine.

Again, why?

You:

What a coincidence! Been selling

my inventions to Gusu Science

for years! 😎

Hunch confirmed, he puts his phone down to take a sip of his drink as he begins the walk back home. It would definitely be more efficient to make blueprints digitally and then send them in via email, but the equipment he’d need for that costs like… so much money. So for now, he just sends in physical blueprints and sketches through regular mail. Seems to work well enough.

He doesn’t know why he felt the need to tell Lan Zhan about his inventions. It’s not like it really matters to Lan Zhan what he sends in, since he apparently works for a different flanker. Not that he thinks Lan Zhan would care much either way, he’s probably busy with the bacteria. 

Wei Wuxian doesn’t really know much about biomedicine; it was never really his field of study. He went to uni for engineering but didn’t get to finish his degree before things went to shit, so he can’t really say he’s an engineer either. He’s just a fast food worker with a few side hustles to make ends meet. Not really boyfriend-material for widowed, single father scientists. 

(He pretends it doesn’t bother him at all.)

He kinda regrets ever even joking about the Hot Customer back when he still didn’t know Lan Zhan’s name. He can’t claim he ever seriously hoped he’d have a chance, but he still opened himself to the possibility, and now he’s too far in to really back out. At least without hurting himself in the process. Not to mention the fucking kid ! There’s a whole child who now counts on him being there when needed. Wei Wuxian knows all too well what happens when a child feels abandoned. He’s the poster child for every issue under the sun, and he won’t do that to little a-Yuan. Even if he’s just a babysitter.

Maybe he can use his inferiority complex to convince himself he isn’t good enough for Lan Zhan, and then he’ll get over him? It’s honestly the best plan he has. He just can’t tell anyone about it, because then Wen Qing will find out and she’ll murder him for being an idiot. He doesn’t think there’s any  harm in being stupid, so long as he’s aware of it, but she probably wouldn’t agree.

With a sigh, he tries to physically shake away his current train of thought. Bad things happen when he lets his mind wander. He kicks a rock and forces himself to think about the one commission he has left to work on. It’s for Nie Huaisang, for them to gift to their brother and his husband for their anniversary. He still has months to finish it, but with no other urgent orders he can at least start thinking about it. The only direction they gave him was to “use neutral colors”, but everything else is up to him. Basically complete creative freedom. 

It would be easier if he knew literally anything about da-ge’s husband, but he doesn’t see Nie Mingjue very often, and doesn’t even know his husband’s name. Oh well, he’ll make do.

***

It’s been almost a month since the playground when he gets called in to babysit a-Yuan again. Lan Zhan has still dropped by the burger joint every Tuesday, but it’s been busy enough that they haven’t really had time to talk. But apparently there’s some kind of planned maintenance and Lan Zhan needs to be there to oversee it, to make sure nothing ruins the ongoing experiments.

Wei Wuxian is nervous as he enters their apartment building. They’re already home, so it’s his first time using his shiny new elevator keycard, and with his luck something will definitely go wrong and he’ll be arrested for the crime of being in a place far above his station. Even though the lady who gave him the keycard is the one behind the manned desk, and she greets him with a polite ‘Mister Wei’ and definitely recognizes him. 

He returns her greeting, and tries to act more confident than he feels as he walks toward the elevators. There’s anxiety churning in his stomach as he presses the card against the cardreader, and then it dissipates nearly completely as the doors open. He’s past the first possible hurdle, and so long as the elevator doesn’t get stuck he’ll probably be fine.

The elevator doesn’t get stuck, and soon he stands in front of the door. For a moment he considers just walking inside, he has a key after all. But while he may not act it most of the time, he was raised to be polite so he decides he should probably ring the bell. He can walk right in when he knows Lan Zhan isn’t home. 

His finger has barely left the bell button when the door flies open, revealing a very excited a-Yuan.

“Xian-gege!” the kid shouts, and Wei Wuxian almost responds by shouting his name back at him, but then Lan Zhan shows up around the corner.

“Remember, use your indoor voice like miss Mandy told you,” he says, and a-Yuan immediately presses his lips closely together, looking guilty. He moves out of the way to let Wei Wuxian inside, and then tip-toes away. Lan Zhan looks vaguely amused.

“The daycare teachers are trying to teach the kids about indoor and outdoor voices. A-Yuan is struggling to find a balance,” he says, and yeah, that’s definitely the voice of a parent trying really hard to not laugh at their own kid. Wei Wuxian chuckles.

“Alright, guess I’ll not get too loud then. Don’t wanna give the kid mixed signals,” he says, and Lan Zhan inclines his head. 

“Thank you. I have to leave, but I should warn you that he will want to bake. It is my brother’s birthday tomorrow, and a-Yuan wants to surprise his bobo,” he explains, and Wei Wuxian’s heart clenches. A-Yuan is just so cute!

“Gotcha. I’ll try to steer him toward a non-bake recipe to minimize the risk. Hopefully your very nice kitchen will come out unscathed,” he jokes, and there! The corner of Lan Zhan’s mouth ticks up just the slightest. 

“Mn. I will be back by seven,” he responds, and then he puts his coat on and leaves Wei Wuxian alone with his child for the next three hours. Most people would advise against that, but Wei Wuxian would rather kill himself than fuck this up. And in order to not fuck it up, he needs to find the kid he’s supposed to be watching.

He heads for a-Yuan’s room on a hunch and is happy to see him sitting on the floor, whispering to his stuffed bunny. Wei Wuxian decides to keep his polite streak going, and knocks on the doorframe to alert a-Yuan to his presence before he enters. 

“Hey, kiddo. What are you talking about?” he asks, and sits down on the floor with him.

“I’m telling Mister Rabbit we gotta be quiet!” he explains, and then shuts his mouth, eyes wide. He had raised his voice a bit in excitement, and it seems he really doesn’t really know when something is an inside voice or not.

“It’s alright to be excited, you know. There are different kinds of inside voices,” he says and decides to try to teach a-Yuan to hear the difference. 

“This is an inside voice,” he says normally, and then leans closer to the little boy. “And this is also an inside voice,” he whispers, and then leans back again. “And this is also an inside voice if you’re happy about something!” he says, louder than his normal speaking voice and imitating a-Yuan’s excited tone. The child has the look of someone who just had an epiphany.

“So I can be a little bit loud?” he asks, as if to make sure he has understood Wei Wuxian’s demonstration properly.

“Yeah! Sometimes if you’re happy, or sad, or angry, your voice gets a little bit louder. It’s okay though, because you’re just showing how you feel. But you should not be shouting unless you’re outside, because that could hurt people’s ears,” Wei Wuxian tries, and a-Yuan nods seriously. He watches as the little guy relays this new bit of information to his bunny. He’s glad to have helped the adults in his life make a little bit more sense.

“Now, your baba told me you want to bake something for your bobo! Did you have anything in mind?” he asks, and follows as a-Yuan jumps up to run to the kitchen. It seems the kid does indeed have a plan, now that he’s been reminded.

***

The plan is, apparently, no-bake cheesecake bars. Or at least, that’s the plan once Wei Wuxian has convinced the kid that using the oven would be a bad idea. Specifically raspberry and lemon curd cheesecake bars, because those are really the only good flavors Wei Wuxian can find. He looks up a recipe online, and then puts a-Yuan to work finding the other ingredients they need. Mostly because a-Yuan knows where stuff is, but also maybe a little bit out of laziness.

It doesn’t end in disaster, but it does take much longer than Wei Wuxian expected. Not that he’s an expert in the kitchen himself, but the presence of a toddler slows him down significantly. A-Yuan is the most polite and diligent little four-year-old there ever was, but his hands are very small and uncoordinated, and very prone to poking at whatever Wei Wuxian’s doing. He can avoid sticky toddler fingers quite easily by giving a-Yuan stuff to smash, but he can only really do that with the crackers for the crust and the raspberries they’re gonna mix into the batter. 

Once they’re out of both items, it’s a struggle to get the cheesecake bars done while also letting a-Yuan participate. 

He makes the tactical decision to not give a shit whether the bars look pretty or not, to save both his sanity and some time. Thankfully, a-Yuan is just as enthusiastic about clean-up as he is about baking, and cheerfully helps Wei Wuxian stuff the dishwasher full. Bars done and dishes getting washed, they only have the counters to clean up to make sure the kitchen is back to pristine condition by the time Lan Zhan gets back. 

Wei Wuxian looks through the cabinets until he finds… some kind of spray to use on the counters. He sprays them down, gets a rag out, and then hands it to a-Yuan.

“Here, kiddo. How about I carry you and you wipe?” he suggests, trying to get it to sound fun and exciting. Thankfully, a-Yuan nods eagerly and reaches his hands up in the way all children do when they want to be carried around.

Wei Wuxian lifts him up and walks over to the counters. He shifts the kid around so he can lay horizontally in his arms, like a bridal carry but with a-Yuan on his stomach. Once the child is secure, they get to work. It’s not like it’s a lot, but definitely more than enough to make a little kid feel like they’ve done a lot. Wei Wuxian makes sure to make the whole thing fun, by pretending to drop a-Yuan every now and then and swinging him around. If Lan Zhan’s going to be at work until evening, he can at least make sure a-Yuan is tired for bedtime.

When the kitchen is clean they still have another forty minutes until Lan Zhan is expected back. Wei Wuxian makes sure a-Yuan cleans his hands - he does not want the kid to accidentally get some of the cleaning spray in his mouth - and then tries to figure out a plan of action.

“What do you say, want to go make a drawing for your bobo?” he suggests, and a-Yuan’s little head bobs up and down at an almost concerning speed. They head to the office together and sit down at the crafts table. He gets assigned a picture of a snake to color in today, while a-Yuan creates a picture himself, of him, Lan Zhan, and Lan Xichen. There’s a fourth person in the picture, who is apparently Lan Xichen’s husband, according to a-Yuan. Wei Wuxian hadn’t been aware that Lan Xichen had a husband - or that he wasn’t straight - but that’s good to know. 

Somehow, talking about his uncles leads to a-Yuan telling him about his daycare (since they pick him up sometimes), which leads to him talking about his teachers and friends. And this leads to him talking about his day, and apparently it was very upsetting.

“Xian-gege, what does ‘one pluts one’ mean?” he asks, looking very serious. Ah, what chubby cheeks!  

“You mean ‘one plus one’?” he asks to clarify and a-Yuan nods, still looking serious. It seems it’s very important to him for someone to help him understand the concept of addition, and who is Wei Wuxian to deny him the knowledge he wants?

“How high can you count?” he asks, wanting to know what he has to work with. A-Yuan’s chest puffs proudly.

“I can count all the way to one hundred! Baba taught me!” he says, and Wei Ying’s eyes widen. He hadn’t really expected that, but it figures Lan Zhan would start teaching his kid as early as possible.

“Wow! That’s so high!” he exclaims to boost a-Yuan’s confidence. “Then you’re definitely ready to learn one plus one,” he decides and grabs a few of their pencils and puts them in a pile. Then he grabs two of them and holds them out to a-Yuan.

“How many pencils am I holding?” he asks, and a-Yuan gives him a Look, like he’s being an idiot.

“Two pencils, Xian-gege,” he answers, polite even when the adult in front of him is being stupid.

“Very good!” he says, and then removes one of them. “How many do I have now?” he continues, and a-Yuan continues to look unimpressed. Still, he keeps answering, correctly stating that Wei Wuxian now has one pencil.

“Great! So we know this is one pencil,” he says and puts it down on the table between them. Then he picks up the other one.

“And this is also one pencil, right?” he waits for a-Yuan to nod until he continues. “So we have one pencil here, and one pencil there. But what happens when we put them together?” he asks, as he lays pencil number two down next to the first one. Now a-Yuan looks like he’s thinking really hard, so they’ve officially entered uncharted territory. The kid takes a moment to try and figure it out himself, but then looks pleadingly at Wei Wuxian to get help.

“We started with one pencil, and another pencil. And when we put them together we get two! Or, one pencil plus one pencil becomes two pencils,” he tries to explain. A-Yuan still looks confused, and also like he’s gonna have a frustrated meltdown if Wei Wuxian doesn’t start to make sense soon.

“How one pencil become two pencils?” he asks, voice sounding slightly wobbly. Wei Wuxian desperately looks around, trying to figure out a different way to explain. His eyes catch on the child-friendly paints on a shelf on the other side of the room.

“Do you like to mix colors, a-Yuan?” he asks. The kid, of course, doesn’t see the relevance of this at all and is back to just looking plain confused.

“Yes?” he says, obviously wondering where this is going.

“What happens if you mix red and yellow?” Wei Wuxian asks, hoping this will help a-Yuan catch on. At least the kid looks very sure of himself when he answers “orange”. That’s good, the kid knows his colors. It should help.

“Good. One plus one is kinda like mixing colors. You mix two numbers, to get a new, higher number. If you mix red and yellow, it always makes orange. And if you say ‘one plus one’ it always becomes two!” he tries. It’s incredibly simplified, but he doesn’t need to make it more complicated than that. Honestly it seems it’s just the right level, because a-Yuan’s face brightens.

“One plus one is two!” he says, and Wei Wuxian smiles as big as he can and applauds.

“It does! Good job, kiddo!” he exclaims and raises a hand to get a high five. And just as their palms smack together, they hear the front door open. A-Yuan is off like a shot when the door closes.

“Baba!” he exclaims, but only using the loud inside voice, not his outside voice. Progress! “Xian-gege teached me about inside voices and one plus one!” the kid continues, and Wei Wuxian puts the pile of pencils away and follows him into the hallway. When he gets there, Lan Zhan has lifted a-Yuan up and put him on his hip, coat still on. Lan Zhan is facing his son and listening intently.

“It’s like mixing colors - if you mix red and yellow it’s orange, and if you say one plus one it’s two!” the little guy explains and Lan Zhan nods along seriously.

“Very good, a-Yuan. Your Xian-gege is teaching you a lot,” he says, and Wei Wuxian can feel his heart melting into his toes. It does something to him to see Lan Zhan actually treat his son like a small person with a full understanding of the world. It’s very endearing.

Lan Zhan then puts a-Yuan on the ground.

“Say goodbye to your Xian-gege. I need to speak to him a little, and then you can tell me everything you did this evening,” he says. Wei Wuxian crouches down to a-Yuan’s level.

“I had really fun tonight. I’ll see you another time, kiddo,” he says and does a little wave with his hands. A-Yuan seems to consider something for a moment, and then throws himself toward Wei Wuxian to hug him. He catches the kid, and his heart does another funny little trick when he hugs him even closer.

“Thank you, Xian-gege. Goodbye!” he says, then lets go and runs off before Wei Wuxian has the time to react. He shakes himself out of it slightly, and then stands up to face Lan Zhan, who has an odd look in his eyes.

“He was really upset about not understanding addition this afternoon, thank you for helping him. Apparently another boy was bragging about knowing it. I did not know you were a teacher?” Lan Zhan says, making it sound like both a statement and a question. Wei Wuxian rubs his neck and laughs sheepishly.

“I’m not. I’m just pretty good with kids and even better at math,” he says, and Lan Zhan looks thoughtful. “We made some no-bake cheesecake bites for your brother, so you’ll find them in the kitchen. A-Yuan also painted a picture to give to him. He was really good, but I’m sure that’s no surprise. We almost had some tears when trying to figure one plus one out, but besides that he was in a good mood,” he rambles. He’s not sure why he’s suddenly feeling nervous, but he assumes it’s just the effect Lan Zhan’s presence has on him.

“Mn. Thank you very much, Wei Ying. I know tonight was… long,” Lan Zhan says, sounding almost apologetic. Wei Wuxian chuckles.

“Maybe with another kid, but a-Yuan’s a polite little angel. But I’m sure you’re tired from working all evening, so I’ll get out of your hair. Hopefully I’ve exhausted him enough that you’ll have a calm night,” he says with a smile, and Lan Zhan inclines his head in a miniscule nod. Wei Wuxian puts his own leather jacket on as Lan Zhan takes his coat off, and then they stand there, looking at each other, for a moment. 

“Alright, see you next time Lan Zhan!” he finally says and opens the door.

“Mn. Goodnight, Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan says, and then Wei Wuxian is out.

He feels jittery all the way down the elevator, and as he’s walking through the entrance. Once he’s outside, he takes a deep breath and watches the darkening sky for a moment. He needs a moment to center himself. He’s not sure why, but he feels kinda lost in the sudden lack of toddler.

He decides a walk would do him good, and heads toward a bus stop further away than the one he would use normally. A moment to himself in the city will help. Probably.

Chapter Text

Lan Wangji rarely wishes he was less important at his place of work, but today is one of those days. There is a new hire, and unfortunately Lan Wangji is the only person qualified to… show them the ropes, so to speak. His colleagues are all decent at their jobs. He would say good, but Su She brings their average down by multiple points. However, they are all highly specialized, and thus not qualified to educate someone on all facets of the work they do here.

All this to say, Lan Wangji cannot leave work today despite the fact that he dearly wants to. 

A-Yuan was somewhat sniffly last night, and while he seemed fine this morning, he was not as energetic as he normally would be. Lan Wangji is worried. He would have felt better about it if he could leave work if the daycare were to call and ask him to pick his son up, but there is no one to replace him if he leaves. Lan Huan is out of the city for the day to discuss a business deal, so he is also unavailable in case of an emergency, and Nie Mingjue went with him.

It does not help that the new hire has been flirting incessantly with him since the start of the day.

Nevermind the fact that he has absolutely no interest in women whatsoever, it is also incredibly unprofessional behavior. Unfortunately they are in dire need of a lab assistant, so he will have to ignore it.

They are currently eating lunch, after having done a short tour of their various staff rooms. He tries to focus his attention on his tofu stir-fry and ignore the new hire to the best of his abilities. There are other people around - they will eventually tell her he never speaks while eating. He was raised with absolute silence during mealtimes, and he still keeps to this particular rule whenever he is not eating with a-Yuan. 

“How come you’re the one showing me around? You seem too important to be stuck showing the newbies around,” the new hire says, not even subtle in the way she is trying to stroke his ego. His thoughts flash to an image of sparkling grey eyes and a laughing mouth that also strokes his ego, but in a way that does not make his skin crawl.

“He doesn’t speak while eating, so don’t bother,” says a voice, and Lan Wangji experiences the very weird sensation of appreciating Su She’s presence. Maybe he can keep the new hire distracted so he can enjoy his stir-fry in peace.

He does not hear her response, as his phone starts ringing. A-Yuan’s daycare is calling him, and he leaves his seat instantly to take the call. He finds a quiet corner in the hallway outside and answers.

“Hello,” he greets, trying to sound less tense than he feels. Perhaps it is nothing to worry about. A-Yuan might just have lost an easily replaced pair of shoes.

“Ah, hello mister Lan. I’m sorry to disturb you, but Yuan has developed a fever since you dropped him off this morning. Could you please come pick him up so he won’t get the other kids sick?” miss Mandy asks on the phone. It was probably one of the other kids who made him sick in the first place. He does not say that out loud, but he thinks it with a lot of feeling. Mainly bitter feelings.

“I am currently unable to leave my work, and my brother is not in the city. I will call… a friend of mine and ask if he is available. I will call you back shortly,” he says, and then hangs up. It might be rude to not bid his son’s teacher goodbye, but speed is of the essence. He opens his contact list and scrolls until he finds Wei Ying. He has a fleeting thought that he might be interrupting his work day, but he ignores it and presses the call button.

“Hey, Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying greets after barely two signals. “I would say ‘to what do I owe this pleasure’, but you’ve never called me before so I’m guessing it’s urgent?” he continues, and while he still sounds cheerful, he is not joking the way he normally does, which Lan Wangji appreciates.

“Mn. A-Yuan has gotten a fever. I am sorry to ask this, but I am training a new hire today and cannot leave, and ge is away on business. Could you pick him up from daycare and watch him until I return from work? I understand it is short notice, but I do not know how to solve this,” he sighs. He could leave. If Wei Ying is unavailable he will. His boss will be unhappy, and Lan Wangji will have to use his family connections to smooth things over. He would prefer to avoid that course of action, but he cannot let his sick son stay at daycare.

“Aiyah, Lan Zhan. Of course I’ll go pick the little guy up! He’ll be miserable if he has to stay at daycare! Katy’s been looking for extra shifts this month so I’m sure she can cover for me. Just send me the daycare address and I’ll head over and get him,” Wei Ying says, not sounding put upon at all. Lan Wangji is starting to wonder how he ever got by without him.

“Thank you, Wei Ying. I will call the daycare and let them know you will pick him up. Bring your ID, they will want to check it,” he says, and enjoys the sound of Wei Ying laughing on the other end.

“They’d be a lousy daycare if they didn’t! Go show the new scientist around, your son and I will be fine!” he says, and then they end the call. Lan Wangji does not doubt at all that a-Yuan will be safe with Wei Ying. He calls the daycare back, feeling much lighter.

“Hello, it is Lan Wangji. A friend of mine will pick Yuan up. His name is Wei Wuxian and he has babysat a few times so Yuan will recognize him,” he says, and miss Mandy hums along on the other side.

“Alright, good. Let’s hope Yuan gets better soon! We’ll get in touch if there are any issues,” she says, and then they hang up. Lan Wangji takes a moment to breathe in and be by himself in the silence. Wei Ying will take care of a-Yuan. His son will be with an adult who will make his well-being a priority. Lan Wangji can relax.

Once he feels a little bit steadier, he returns to the staff room. A silence settles over it as soon as he walks inside.

“Family emergency?” one of the nice technicians asks. They do not often work together, and he does not remember her name. However, she has a young child herself, so Lan Wangji always finds her more sympathetic to the issues he faces as a parent. He inclines his head in a slight nod in her direction.

“Mn, my son got sick at daycare. A friend is picking him up,” he explains, and the nice technician nods. She does not try to speak to him, further proving that the mental label he has put on her is correct. He sits back down, ready to continue eating his stir-fry, when he is once again interrupted by the new lab assistant.

“You have a child?” she asks, sounding shocked, and looking like she finds this to be a very unfortunate turn of events. It speaks poorly of her character that her immediate reaction to the mention of children is distaste, but perhaps it will make her leave him alone.

“Mn,” he responds. After all, he has not yet started eating again. Su She, who has sat down at their table in Lan Wangji’s absence, seems to think this is an excellent opportunity to attempt to joke around at his expense.

“You have friends?” he asks, a joke just as unoriginal as the man saying it. Lan Wangji makes full eye-contact with Su She and demonstratively takes a bite out of his stir-fry, effectively ending their conversation. He spends the rest of his lunch ignoring his colleagues, with the exception of the nice technician. She gives her well-wishes to a-Yuan as she leaves, and gets a nod in thanks.

***

He worries about a-Yuan as they get back to work. He has not heard anything from the daycare, so he assumes everything is fine and a-Yuan is safe. But still, he worries as every parent does.

It seems Wei Ying understands this, though. Lan Wangji is waiting for one of their chemists to explain to the new hire where and how to store chemicals when his phone notifies him that he has a new message. He opens his chat with Wei Ying, and is greeted by an image that makes his heart do somersaults in his chest. He just barely manages to stop his face from showing his emotions.

Wei Ying has sent him a selfie, showing both him and a-Yuan in what looks like a bus. A-Yuan is on Wei Ying’s lap, facing the man. He is clearly dozing off, with his head leaning on Wei Ying’s chest and his eyes closed. One of his hands is closed in a fist, holding some of Wei Ying’s hair. Wei Ying is holding his son tightly, an arm wrapped around his back to secure him. He is smiling, and Lan Wangji spies a plastic bag with a pharmacy logo on it on the seat next to them.

Wei Ying

The little guy’s very tired, but 

handling everything like a

champ! I’ll get some medicine

into him once he’s all snuggly

at home. It’s all stuff 

recommended by my pediatrician

friend, don’t worry! 🤗

You:

Thank you, Wei Ying.

Lan Wangji is not a person easily moved by emotions. Many people can attest to that. However, ever since he became a parent, he has found a-Yuan has become vital to how he perceives other people. If a person is nice to his son, he will like them. If they do not treat him well, or ignore him, he will dislike them and they will have no chance to redeem themselves. 

And Wei Ying treats his son so well. He listens to him seriously, not dismissing him like most other adults do. He plays with him, but also teaches him things and helps him understand, like he did a few weeks ago when a-Yuan was struggling with addition. And now, he has gone above and beyond to get pediatrician-approved medication on his way to pick a sick a-Yuan up, something he agreed to immediately with no hesitation.

Lan Wangji has always envisioned that he will stay a single parent. He has never felt the need to find a romantic partner, and while he has hooked up with people in the past, he has not felt a need to since he adopted a-Yuan. He is busy trying to be a good parent. Even so, ever since meeting Wei Ying he has… reconsidered his stance. He does not think Wei Ying is taken; he has never mentioned a partner, and he has a roommate. Having a roommate who is not your partner while in a relationship seems unconventional, even for Wei Ying. Lan Wangji also assumes Wei Ying would be the kind of person to brag about his partner at every possible opportunity.

Further, he cannot imagine Wei Ying would be against dating someone with a kid. Not with how he treats a-Yuan.

It seems the only potential issue would be that Wei Ying might be unable to think of Lan Wangji as a potential romantic interest. Lan Wangji would not blame him. He knows he is not the most sociable of people, especially compared to Wei Ying. He cannot imagine he can bring much to the table, aside from his family money and his son.

Still, it might be something to consider.

Currently, he needs to make it through his work day. At least the new hire is no longer flirting with him since finding out about a-Yuan. It makes her infinitely more tolerable, and he can see why his uncle hired her. She seems knowledgeable and fairly competent when she is not too busy embarrassing herself. However, she makes no further mention of a-Yuan. It is not a point in her favor. 

***

They end the day with Lan Wangji showing her around the actual lab and going over practical information, such as which workstations are never to be used at the same time, and where they keep track of whichever experiments they have going on. She pays attention well, and Lan Wangji has no doubt she will pick things up fast. 

Lan Wangji, however, cannot wait to get out of there and go home to his son. He has not heard anything from Wei Ying since he sent the picture of the two of them on the bus. He is not worried about his son as such, but he still wants to see him for himself.

He bids the new hire goodnight in the parking lot, and then makes his way home as fast as he can without breaking any traffic laws. 

The apartment building is still standing when he gets home, and nothing seems wrong. Not that the building would give him any clues as to his son’s wellbeing, but it still calms his nerves somewhat. As does the lack of upset child screaming as he enters the building. He nods politely to the person behind the desk and heads for the elevator. He does not fidget on the way up, but it is a near thing.

He opens the front door when he gets up, and is met by a silent apartment. He does not know what he expected, but it was not this. He toes his shoes off and hangs his coat up before he quietly walks further into the apartment. There are some dishes in the kitchen that were not there when he left this morning, so they are in the apartment somewhere. He continues to the living room, where the blankets are rumpled, but there is still no sign of life.

The next place he looks is a-Yuan’s room, and that is where he finds them. They are both on a-Yuan’s bed, his son leaning against Wei Ying, who is reading him a story. A-Yuan looks fine, if a little flushed and tired. He knocks lightly against the doorframe to avoid startling them, and then walks inside and sits down on the bed with them.

“Hello, baobei. How are you feeling?” he asks his son and smooths his hand over his head. A-Yuan grumbles and his lower lip wobbles slightly. Wei Ying smiles affectionately at him.

“Wanna go to your baba, kiddo?” he asks, and a-Yuan shakes his head and snuggles closer to Wei Ying.

“I don’t wanna move when I get comfortable either, I get you,” Wei Ying says, and shoots Lan Wangji an apologetic look. He shakes his head slightly. There is no need for Wei Ying to apologize. A-Yuan is comfortable, that is all that matters.

“How has he been?” he asks instead. Wei Ying hums.

“Mostly just tired, He’s warmer now than he was when I picked him up. Not dangerous yet, I checked with my pediatrician friend, but you’ll want to keep an eye on his temperature. There were some tears when I tried to feed him some congee a while ago, but he did eat a little bit at least. I gave him some medicine with it, so he should be ready for another dose in about an hour,” Wei Ying recaps, and Lan Wangji nods. He is glad Wei Ying was quick to tell him a-Yuan’s temperature is still okay, or he would have taken him to the hospital immediately.

“I am sorry you had to step in,” he says, because he truly is. This is the first time he has been unable to go to a-Yuan immediately when he has been sick. Wei Ying just smiles, even if his eyes look more tired than usual.

“Don’t be. I’ve known you for a couple of months now, and you’ve never called me. I figured I was your last resort. He can’t help getting sick, so of course it’s not a bother to help out,” Wei Ying says, and it is just so Wei Ying to help out and not even ask for a ‘thank you’. Lan Wangji is fairly certain that if he forgot to pay Wei Ying for babysitting, the other man simply would not remind him, and would go on offering help for no repayment at all.

“Mn. I still appreciate it,” he says, going for something neutral. Wei Ying smiles at him, and then turns back to a-Yuan.

“Hey, little guy. I know you don’t wanna move, but if we’re very careful your baba can take my place, and you can snuggle with him instead,” Wei Ying whispers, sounding like he’s hatching some mischievous plan. Then he secures his arms around a-Yuan and sits up carefully. He shuffles around slowly, making space for Lan Wangji to move to the headboard and lean against it. Wei Ying then deposits a-Yuan carefully next to him. The little boy immediately clings to Lan Wangji’s shirt and nuzzles his face into his side. Wei Ying crouches down next to the bed and pats a-Yuan’s head.

“I have to go back home, but try to get better fast so we can play again soon! You were a very good boy today, so continue being good for your baba, hm?” he says, and a-Yuan nods weakly. Wei Ying stands up and starts leaving the room.

“I’ll let myself out. I’ll see you when we’re all healthy again!” he says with a wave, and then he’s gone before Lan Wangji can gather himself enough to respond.

***

It is later in the evening when Lan Wangji gets a call from his brother.

“Ge,” he says in greeting. He will let his brother tell him about his day before he mentions that a-Yuan got sick.

“A-Zhan! We just got back to the hotel. The deal went through, so shufu will be busy organizing personnel to open a new facility in Lanling for the foreseeable future,” his brother jokes, and Lan Wangji is happy for him. He does not care much for the technological half of their company, but his brother is the head of Gusu Science and he wishes his brother luck in all his endeavors. So this is good news, to end an otherwise very stressful day.

“Mn, congratulations. It is very late to get back to the hotel,” he says, and his brother laughs at the other end of the line.

“You caught me. A-Jue and I went out for a celebratory dinner,” he says, but then immediately changes the subject. “How was your day? Did the new girl seem like a good fit?” he asks, and Lan Wangji is ashamed to admit that in the midst of everything else, he had almost forgotten about her.

“Mn. When she was not flirting with me,” he mutters, and his brother seems to find that hilarious, going by the chuckles he hears.

“You know, you could avoid these issues by just saying ‘sorry, I’m gay’,” his brother suggests, not for the first time.

“My colleagues do not need to know my sexuality,” he says, and then decides he does not want to have this very familiar conversation any longer. “Today was stressful. A-Yuan caught a fever and Wei Ying had to pick him up,” he says, and is immediately gratified when his brother leaves their previous topic of conversation behind. 

“Oh no, how is he feeling?” he asks, and Lan Wangji barely contains his weary sigh as he sits down and relaxes into the living room couch.

“Tired, but his fever has gone down,” he says. A-Yuan’s fever had kept rising for a while after Wei Ying left, and Lan Wangji had strongly considered taking him to the hospital. But then he had taken another dose of medicine, and the fever had started going down. He was still too warm when Lan Wangji checked on him ten minutes ago, but hopefully it would keep going down.

“Good. Wei Ying took care of him?” Lan Huan says, and his voice takes on the tone he gets when he is trying to fish for information on Lan Wangji’s love life.

“Mn,” he responds, because Wei Ying had. Of course he had.

“Wei Ying is very good with a-Yuan, isn’t he?” his brother continues, not at all subtle in what he is insinuating. Lan Wangji would have hung up, but during the day he remembered a text from Wei Ying from a while ago, and he wants to bring it to his brother’s attention.

“I know you do not overlook the acquisition of new products yourself, but Wei Ying mentioned he has sold multiple designs to Gusu Science. Are you paying him fairly?” he asks, because it is a fair question. Wei Ying does not mention it, but Lan Wangji has noticed the shoes that are nearly falling apart. He has noticed the T-shirts with worn out seams, and the quips about needing all the work he can get, thrown into conversation like Wei Ying cannot help himself but hopes no one will notice.

Lan Huan makes a thoughtful sound.

“You’re right, I don’t oversee it. But I’ll look into it,” he says, and Lan Wangji thanks him. They say goodbye, and Lan Wangji can continue with what he was doing before his brother called. Wei Ying left the medication he brought on the living room table, and Lan Wangji had just gotten up to get a notebook to write down the cost of everything. Not only has he cost Wei Ying an entire shift, but he also went out and bought medication for Lan Wangji’s child with his own money. He wants to make sure that he compensates him properly.

Once he has transferred the money, considerably more than he usually pays, he checks a-Yuan again. He is pleased that his temperature has gone down at least slightly since the last time he checked.

He decides to go to bed. Knowing himself, he will wake up multiple times during the night to check on his son, but he should get whatever rest he can.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian is miserable. He’s being very brave about it and not complaining to his friends, but he’s so miserable. Two days after he took care of sick a-Yuan, Lan Zhan texted him to say the little guy was all good again, which was great! And then the next day Wei Wuxian woke up with a fever.

Luckily, Wen Ning had evacuated their apartment before he even got back from Lan Zhan’s. Wei Wuxian told him to stay with Wen Qing and MianMian for a few days, to avoid exposing him to baby germs. So at least Wen Ning and his weak immune system have avoided all of this. But it also means Wei Wuxian is alone in his misery.

But he’s handling it! Wen Ning was kind enough to leave behind some food, and he’s eaten two meals in the two days he has been sick. It seems a-Yuan is stronger than Wei Wuxian is, because he has been sick for as long as the kid was and he doesn’t seem to be getting any better. He’ll blame it on the fact that he’s getting old. 

He’s pretty sure he sent messages off to everyone saying that he’s fine. He’s not a hundred percent sure, because the past two days are very hazy in his mind, but he’s pretty sure. Which is why he’s very surprised when his phone starts ringing. His entire body aches as he tries to reach it to pick up.

“‘ello…?” he mumbles, and inwardly winces at how rough his voice sounds.

“Wei Ying, are you alright?” he hears Lan Zhan’s voice ask, which doesn’t really make sense because Lan Zhan has no reason to call him. Whatever. If his mind has conjured up a fever dream about Lan Zhan, he might as well just go along with it.

“Mh… yeah. Achy. Warm. Don’ worry,” he mumbles. It should get the message across at least. He’s proud of himself.

“Please send me your location,” fever-dream-Lan-Zhan says, and Wei Wuxian does through squinted eyes. It hurts his eyes to look at the screen, but he wants to oblige whatever his head is trying to do. Maybe it’ll be kind enough to conjure up a really vivid hallucination of Lan Zhan at his sick bed. That’d be great.

“I will be right there,” the voice on the phone says, and then hangs up without saying goodbye. At least Wei Wuxian can be sure it wasn’t the real Lan Zhan, because he would never be so rude that he’d hang up without a goodbye. He drops his phone on the floor somewhere and turns around to push his face into the back of the couch and prepares to pass out for an unknown amount of time.

***

He has been camped out on the couch ever since he got properly sick. It makes it easier to get to both the kitchen and the bathroom, and he’s not about to make this more difficult than it has to be. It is also very lucky, because when he’s suddenly brought out of sleep by rapid knocking on his front door, the door is close enough that he can shout - hoarsely, and not nearly as loud as he usually would - that the door is unlocked. 

He manages to turn his hurting body around to face the rest of the apartment just in time to see Lan Zhan enter it.

“Oh, I got a really realistic hallucination,” he mumbles, very pleased that his earlier effort was rewarded. Not that he has any idea how long ago that was.

“... Hallucination? No, Wei Ying, I am here,” the hallucination says. It’s a nice touch. Just the idea that Lan Zhan could be here for real is really comforting. And it’s nice to hear his voice.

“It sounds like him too, nice,” he mumbles to himself, and then closes his eyes again. “Goodnight, fever-dream-Lan-Zhan. I’ll take a nap,” he mutters, and then promptly falls back asleep.

From then on time passes even more oddly than it had before. He feels like he almost wakes up several times, but he can’t really tell if it’s real or dreams. He knows he dreams of Lan Zhan making him take some kind of liquid medication. He thinks he hears the kitchen sink running at some point, and a voice speaking.

When he finally wakes up for real, he’s wildly confused for a moment. He distinctly remembers falling asleep on the couch, but now he’s in his own bed. With fresh bed sheets he definitely didn’t change himself. His phone is on the bedside table next to him, and not on the living room floor where he dropped it. It’s even connected to the charger.

“Hello…?” he asks weakly in the direction of the open door. It can’t take more than five seconds for Lan Zhan to show up, his normally immaculate hair slightly ruffled.

“Wei Ying? You are awake?” he asks, sounding both relieved and wary.

“Yeah. When did you show up?” he asks, because he’s feeling wildly confused. He has no idea what day it is, and no memory of Lan Zhan showing up and, presumably, moving him to his bed.

“A few hours ago. You seemed to believe I was a fever induced hallucination,” Lan Zhan responds, and beneath the concern, Wei Ying thinks he can hear amusement. Lan Zhan is having fun at his expense! The cheek!

Wei Wuxian makes an attempt to sit up, and Lan Zhan makes his way over to help so fast he might as well have flown the distance between the door and the bed. Even once Wei Wuxian is sitting up and feeling fairly steady Lan Zhan hesitates to let him go, seemingly afraid he will fall to the floor and break his neck if he’s not supported. Wei Wuxian will admit that more surprising things have happened, but he also doesn’t want to be treated like an invalid.

“Thank you, Lan Zhan, but I’ll relieve you of your duties. I feel better than I have in days, so you can go back home,” he says, and he’s happy to say he sounds fairly normal. At least normal enough that Lan Zhan should feel safe to leave him to his own devices. But it seems he has miscalculated as he is only met with a frown.

“Come on, now. You can’t want to spend your precious time looking after little old me. You have a child to care for!” he says, and a smug look crosses Lan Zhan’s face.

“A-Yuan is with my ge. He’ll be cared for while I look after you,” he says, and Wei Wuxian huffs in an only semi-joking manner. A-Yuan was his only argument. 

“Really, I’ll be fine! I don’t even want to go back to sleep or anything!” he insists, and only gets a sceptical look in return.

“That is because of the medicine. I will not leave until you are fine without medication,” Lan Zhan says resolutely, and Wei Wuxian has a feeling he won’t win this argument, so he sighs in defeat. And then his bladder makes itself known. He tries to make his way out of his bed on his own, and Lan Zhan seems to read the defeat on his face, because he lets him. But as soon as he gets himself into standing position his knees buckle under him, and then he can’t get back up again. He struggles for a few moments, but it makes no difference. His legs don’t obey him anymore.

Still, needs must.

“Ahaha, Lan Zhan, this is very awkward, but would you be so kind and assist this feeble man to the bathroom?” he says, feeling very awkward about his request. Especially when he had just tried to convince Lan Zhan he was well enough to be independent. It seems Lan Zhan doesn’t think it’s awkward at all though, as he simply moves one of Wei Wuxian’s arms to drape across his shoulders and uses his free arm to wrap around Wei Wuxian’s waist to support him. He must see the incredulous look on Wei Wuxian’s face, because his lips quirk up in a miniscule smile.

“I am a parent to a small child. This is not my first time helping someone get to the bathroom,” he says in way of explanation and yeah, that’s fair, actually.

They hobble their way across the apartment and get to the bathroom much faster than Wei Wuxian would have on his own. He lets Lan Zhan drop him off on the open toilet seat, and then shoos the man out of the room. He will not let the first time Lan Zhan sees him with his pants down be when he’s sick and disgusting.

He does his business with surprisingly little effort, and even manages to stagger over to the sink to wash his hands before he calls Lan Zhan back in to help. His savior helps him to the couch, which has been rid of his blankets and snotty paper tissues. Actually, as he looks around, it seems the entire space has been cleaned. He hadn’t connected the dots, too busy focusing on remaining standing, but the washing machine had been running in the bathroom. He suspects that’s where the blanket, and his dirty bed sheets, have gone. 

“Lan Zhan… have you been cleaning my apartment for me?” he asks suspiciously, already knowing the answer. Lan Zhan at least has the decency to look sheepish.

“A clean home will help you recover faster,” the man says, and then wanders off into the kitchen before Wei Wuxian has a chance to respond. Probably because he knows this is insane behavior.

“This is insane behavior, I hope you know that!” he shouts after the man, just to make sure. And then he starts coughing, because his throat is definitely not all there even if he feels better.

Lan Zhan returns with a cup of what looks like warm milk and… yeah, definitely honey in there as well, Wei Wuxian concludes after a sip. He also places a plate with a lightly steaming, plain bread bun on the table. Wei Wuxian is fairly sure they had no milk, honey, or fresh bread last time he went to get something to eat.

“Lan Zhan…” he says, glowering at the man who is now standing next to the couch, looking suspiciously innocent.

“My money does more good feeding Wei Ying than sitting untouched in a bank account,” he says, and then returns to the kitchen. Wei Wuxian’s stomach moves in a way that has nothing to do with his sickness. That was hot. He generally hates rich people on principle, but the way Lan Zhan just said that like it’s the most obvious thing ever… Yeah, no, very sexy of him. Sexy enough that Wei Wuxian decides to let it slide. Just this once. 

He takes a bite out of the delicious bread and lets himself enjoy it.

***

He soon figures out that Lan Zhan was serious about staying until he is better. Once he’s sure Wei Wuxian won’t throw up from eating the bread, he makes him chicken soup for dinner. As Wei Wuxian eats, very slowly, Lan Zhan draws him a bath. When the soup is gone, he is led to the bathroom, where clean clothes and a towel are already waiting for him. Lan Zhan takes the laundry out and carries it to the drying rack in the living room, leaving Wei Wuxian some privacy as he undresses and sinks into the water in the tub. 

He can’t remember the last time he actually took a bath. He and Wen Ning usually make do with quick showers. He’s slightly afraid of what this will mean for their next water bill, but hopefully the extra money he’s been making by babysitting a-Yuan will cover it. At least this once. 

Lan Zhan offers to help him wash, but Wei Wuxian does - contrary to popular belief - have some dignity left, so he refuses. And he really does feel better now that Lan Zhan has fed his body some proper nutrition so it’s really not an issue. The real problem comes when he gets out of the bath and has put his clothes on. He would like to brush his hair, now that it’s clean, but his joints are still hurting enough that lifting a brush to his head is agony

He gives Lan Zhan a shout, because Lan Zhan will definitely want him to brush his hair, and he shows up in seconds. He takes one look at what Wei Wuxian is trying to do and ushers him to sit down on the couch. He sits down sideways, and feels the cushion dip behind him as Lan Zhan also sits down. Lan Zhan carefully takes hold of one section of hair, and gently runs the brush through it. Wei Wuxian wouldn’t say that he’s violent when he brushes his hair, but he’s definitely not this careful. Lan Zhan works out any tangles with a light hand, not tugging at his hair even once.

“I’m sorry you had to come all the way here to help me,” he mumbles. It is well and truly dark outside by now, and it would feel wrong to interrupt their quiet moment by talking at full volume.

“Nothing to apologize for. A-Yuan got you sick, and it is not a bother to take care of Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan says, and what on Earth does he expect Wei Wuxian to respond to that? He doesn’t remember much of his parents, so he can’t say for certain, but he’s pretty sure this is the first time anyone has ever said something like that to him.

“A thank you, then, for taking care of me so well,” he says, figuring it will be a neutral statement. Apparently, he is wrong.

“Mm, no need for thanks either,” Lan Zhan says, apparently intent on being stubborn about this. Well, if he’s going to be stubborn, then Wei Wuxian will do what he does best and be a little shit until Lan Zhan relents.

“Careful, Lan Zhan. I could get used to this kind of treatment, and then where will you be, hm?” he says, laying it on thick with the flirting. Lan Zhan just keeps brushing his hair and doesn’t miss a beat.

“Maybe Wei Ying should get used to it,” he responds, having absolutely no mercy on a sick man.

“Lan Zhan! You have to warn me before you say something like that! My weak heart can’t take it,” he complains, forgetting all about staying quiet now that they’re apparently teasing each other.

“Mn, I apologize. Will warn Wei Ying next time,” the man behind him says, sounding completely unbothered. Wei Wuxian is very happy he is facing away from Lan Zhan, as he’s sure his face is flaming red. It’s been a long time since someone flustered him like this. Normally he’s the one making other people blush! Either Lan Zhan is immune, or it’s been so long that he has lost all his game.

“There,” Lan Zhan says, effectively breaking Wei Wuxian out of his thoughts. He tries to shake his head just a little bit to feel his hair move, and apparently Lan Zhan has braided it to keep it from getting tangled while he sleeps. Wei Wuxian has absolutely no funny feelings about that whatsoever.

Lan Zhan makes him take another dose of medicine before bed, which tastes disgusting now that he’s conscious enough to register it. He is then made to brush his teeth, and then Lan Zhan ushers him into his bedroom and into bed. For a short moment he considers inviting Lan Zhan to join him in bed, because their couch is not a very good alternative no matter how much Wei Wuxian sleeps on it. But then Lan Zhan tells him to sleep well and closes the door before he gets a chance to make a fool out of himself. Oh well, Lan Zhan is the one who decided to show up here in the first place, he can deal.

Wei Wuxian inspects his ceiling, for a lack of better things to do. He doesn’t really feel tired, still keyed up from the hair brushing. Still, he should probably get whatever rest he can. He closes his eyes and promptly falls asleep.

***

When he wakes up the following morning, he feels mostly back to normal. His mouth tastes awful, and he’s feeling a bit wrung out and shaky, but he doesn’t actually feel sick. He sits up and stretches slightly. He takes his hair out of the braid Lan Zhan put it in last night, and runs his fingers through it. It doesn’t seem to be disastrously messy, so he decides to get up and check whether Lan Zhan is still here or not.

He shuffles out of his room, and immediately smells something delicious coming from the kitchen. He makes his way across the apartment, and is greeted by the sight of Lan Zhan in a t-shirt and sweatpants, doing dishes by hand while something is puttering away in a pot on the stove. Honestly, Lan Zhan should show him some mercy! The sweatpants are grey, and the white t-shirt fits perfectly, which in reality means it stretches across broad shoulders, and hugs his waist. His biceps are on full display, and Wei Wuxian bets that when he turns around he’ll see the shape of his pecs.

Wei Wuxian can be normal about this. He’s going to be so normal when he has to face Lan Zhan. It’s just a male body! He’s seen a bunch of them in his lifetime, he even has one himself! Nothing he hasn’t seen before! Never mind that Lan Zhan obviously finds time between work and a-Yuan to work out and it shows. And never mind that this very nice body belongs to Lan Zhan, who is a very nice person, and who Wei Wuxian has a crush on. 

He doesn’t get enough time to fully compose himself before Lan Zhan turns around and spots him. While his mouth is still hanging open in shock. Nicely done, Wei Wuxian. 

(He ignores how much his inner voice sounds like Jiang Cheng.)

“Good morning. Is your roommate away? I have not seen him at all,” Lan Zhan says, and yeah. Let’s talk about Wen Ning. Wei Wuxian can do that.

“I told him to stay with his sister the night I watched a-Yuan, and he’s stayed clear since then. His immune system is pretty weak, so it’s better that he stays away until this place is all clear of any residual little germs,” he says, and Lan Zhan’s face turns guilty, like he’s responsible for all the ills in the world.

“Hey now, none of that. It’s not your fault that a-Yuan got sick. Not his fault either,” he says, and then yawns so big his eyes tear up. Once he has blinked the tears away and can see clearly again, Lan Zhan looks very determined. He brings out a bowl and puts some congee (that’s what he was making!) in it and then shoves it at Wei Wuxian.

“Eat. I will clean,” Lan Zhan says, and Wei Wuxian tries to protest, but it seems like he’s being tuned out completely. He is forcibly moved to the living room, and then Lan Zhan returns to the kitchen, this time looking like he has a goal in mind.

For the next few hours, Lan Zhan cleans the entire apartment like a maniac. Wei Wuxian is exiled to his studio so he won’t get in the way, and at this point he’s willing to go along with Lan Zhan’s whims. So he works on Nie Huaisang’s painting while Lan Zhan scrubs the place to an inch of its life. If this is what he has to do to not feel guilty about Wei Wuxian getting sick and Wen Ning having to move out briefly, then he’ll indulge him.

He leaves the door to the studio open as he works, so he can keep an eye on Lan Zhan and at least attempt to stop him if it looks like he’s going overboard. Lan Zhan opens the windows to air the entire apartment out. He does the dishes and the laundry. He vacuums and scrubs the floors, and disinfects every surface he can. He even vacuums the couch. Eventually, he finishes up by lighting a scented candle, which Wei Wuxian has no idea where it came from. For all he knows Lan Zhan just pulled it out of thin air.

He’s pretty sure the apartment hasn’t been this clean since they moved in, and that’s not a slight to their own cleanliness. 

He pokes his head out of the studio when he sees Lan Zhan standing still in the living room, overlooking the work he’s done. 

“You done?” he asks, finally daring to enter the common area of the apartment.

“Mn,” is all the answer he gets, but it’s also all he needs. Then Lan Zhan seems to remember the time.

“I need to get a-Yuan from my brother. Will you be alright?” he asks, actually looking torn about the fact that he has to leave. This man is ridiculous. I like him so much.

“I’m fine. I really do feel much better, I promise,” he tries to reassure Lan Zhan, and it seems to work, as his shoulders drop slightly and the concerned wrinkle between his eyebrows smooths out.

“Then I will be leaving. Text if you need anything else,” he says, and makes his way toward the front door. Wei Wuxian follows him, like a good host. 

“Thank you, I mean it,” he says, desperate to get his thanks across. Lan Zhan went out of his way to help Wei Wuxian, and he will not act ungrateful.

“Mn, it was no trouble,” Lan Zhan says, the tiniest of smiles on his face. Then he’s gone, and Wei Wuxian is once again alone in the apartment. He should probably wait until tomorrow to tell Wen Ning to come home, just to be sure. In the meantime, he’s feeling peckish so he heads to the kitchen to see if Lan Zhan maybe left some of the congee from this morning.

Once he gets to the kitchen, he notices a yellow post-it note on the fridge and walks over to investigate. It says only ‘Eat well.’ so he opens the door to investigate further. Somehow, overnight, their fridge has been fully stocked with drinks, meat, and fresh produce. It has not been this full at any point since they moved in, and he doesn’t wonder at all where it all came from.

He sighs fondly and sends off a ‘thank you’-text to Lan Zhan, even daring to add a little heart.

Chapter Text

With Wei Wuxian’s health restored, Wen Ning moves back into their apartment. Wen Qing and MianMian join him, and all three of them gape stupidly in shock at the state of the place. Wei Wuxian understands them fully.

“What the fuck have you done? You were sick, right?” MianMian asks, as if she has to make sure she understood everything correctly. Wei Wuxian sheepishly rubs his neck and laughs nervously.

“Yeah, so… Um, Lan Zhan sort of came over,” he says, and watches as three heads swivel around to stare him down. Wen Qing looks suspicious, and MianMian looks confused, so he chooses to look at Wen Ning, who looks happy for him. 

“And you made him clean?” Wen Qing asks, which, based on the information they currently have, is a fair question. He doesn’t appreciate that she thinks he would do that, but it’s still fair.

“No! No, he just sort of… came over, nursed me back to health, felt guilty about a-Ning having to leave, and then deep cleaned the place to feel better about himself,” he says to summarize, but by the look of his friends’ faces, you’d think he’d sprouted a second head.

“Alright, well… let’s run that back,” MianMian suggests, ever the diplomat.

He walks them through everything that happened. From Lan Zhan somehow moving him into bed while he was unconscious, to feeding him and helping him to the bathroom and brushing his hair, and then cleaning the apartment and buying food. He already knew it was a lot, but going over it out loud, with other people… It sounds like they’re dating. He can’t even deny it. He’s never done any of that for his sick friends. At most he’s bought them medicine and snacks and left it by their door.

And his friends certainly haven’t done any of this for him, as they are quick to remind him.

“I love you, but you will never catch me cleaning your apartment for you,” Wen Qing points out, and her girlfriend and brother nod along with her.

“It doesn’t sound like he thinks of you as just a friend, Ying-ge. Maybe there’s something there?” Wen Ning says, and while Wei Wuxian appreciates that he’s always trying to hype him up, he doesn’t need him to feed into his delusions this time. Not when he’s just barely fighting them off.

“He’s right, you know. You said the mother is dead, right? Maybe he’s trying to move on? And we all know you’re great with kids, which is probably a huge bonus for a single parent,” MianMian continues, which sucks, because normally she was the most reasonable one and if she thinks he might genuinely have a shot…

Sure, he’s thought about it. He’s sure he’s not the only one. But he’s never actually seriously considered it. The idea that someone as… established as Lan Zhan would be interested in Wei Wuxian just seems so outlandish. It’s not like he has much to bring to the table. No money, no finished degree, a fuckton of mental issues, family problems - the list goes on.

Sure, he’s hot, but he doesn’t really think Lan Zhan’s the superficial type. Especially when he has a son to take into consideration.

And a-Yuan is a whole different thing. Even if Lan Zhan is interested, should Wei Wuxian really do something about it? He’s great with kids - MianMian’s not wrong there - but as a playmate. He can roughhouse and entertain just fine, but if he were to date Lan Zhan, he’d have to do more than that. Maybe Lan Zhan wouldn’t want him to be another parent to a-Yuan, he might think that’d be insulting to his mom, but he’d still have to become a caretaker. Wei Wuxian’s just not sure he’s cut out for that.

If he’s not sure, he really shouldn’t do anything. If he were to start dating Lan Zhan, and be introduced to a-Yuan as someone he can expect to always be around, it could really fuck the kid up if they broke up.

He changes the topic of conversation to hear about what his friends have been doing while he’s been out of commission, and tries to ignore his own head just for a little bit. They have dinner together, and then the girls leave, and he’s alone with his roommate again. Wen Ning goes to bed early on account of a big day at work tomorrow.

Wei Wuxian, left to his own devices, heads to his studio. He’s got an idea for Nie Huaisang’s painting, and it requires some changes to the sketch.

***

While his workplace doesn’t necessarily follow all regulations as well as they should, they are very strict about employees staying home after they’ve been sick. He has to stay at home for two days after he no longer has any symptoms. And given that he had only felt good enough for Wen Ning to return home on Thursday, he has to stay at home Friday and Saturday as well, and he doesn’t work Sundays. Which means two things.

First of all, as he got sick on Monday, he has lost an entire week’s worth of pay. The groceries Lan Zhan got them will last them a while, but the next month is gonna be rough.

Second, he’s restless and crawling out of his skin. He’s not used to having this much time to do whatever he wants with. And it doesn’t help that it seems his body stored energy while he was sick, because he feels better rested than he has in years. But he doesn’t have anything to do! Sure, he could push himself to work on Nie Huaisang’s painting, but the outline’s done and he’d rather wait for inspiration before he starts painting. He’s got time, and it’s a personal gift so he wants it to be good.

But he has no other commissions to work on - it’s apparently a slow month - and the Wens haven’t given him any new hospital issues he can find solutions for. So he’s got nothing to do at home, and it doesn’t feel right to go out when he can’t show up for work. Honestly, it’s good that Wen Ning has a lot to do at work or Wei Wuxian would be driving both of them absolutely insane. 

It helps a little bit that Lan Zhan has started texting him more. It doesn’t really give him anything to do, but it makes him feel ever so slightly less restless. And, finally, on Saturday night, Lan Zhan blesses him with a sudden spark of inspiration. 

He sends him a picture of a-Yuan, at the crafting table, seemingly coloring something with Mister Bunny hugged tightly to his chest. It’s so cute Wei Wuxian’s heart aches. And then he gets an idea! Possibly one of his best ones yet. He grabs a packet of cup noodles and moves into his studio, prepared to spend the rest of the evening there.

He eats his noodles as he looks around for the materials he needs. A shit-ton of paper, a good pencil, an eraser, and a medium-thick, black marker. He sits down, and then pulls the image of a-Yuan and Mister Bunny back up. He tries to look closer at the stuffed toy, hoping to find something that would make it stand out. He also thinks back to when he’s seen it in person, in case he noticed anything. He zooms in on the bunny and… there! The insides of its ear are made from a pink fabric with a white, line art floral pattern!

Identifying characteristic noted, he puts his phone away and grabs a paper from his pile. He picks up the pencil and gets to work sketching bunnies. Before he gets started on what he really wants to do, he needs to figure out how to draw cartoon bunnies, preferably with his own touch.

***

On Sunday, he’s got a coffee date with Nie Huaisang. He’s glad his friend knows him well enough to have scheduled it in the afternoon, because he stayed up until 3 am drawing cute little bunnies. He still feels kinda foggy when he rolls up at the designated café at 2 pm, despite having been up since 10. At least he’s not late!

As he walks inside, he immediately spots Nie Huaisang at a table by one of the windows. It seems they have been kind enough to order for both of them, because there’s an iced coffee on the other side of the table from them. He gratefully slides into his seat and takes a sip before he even greets them. They look appropriately offended at this.

“I go through all of this trouble to make sure you get both sugar and caffeine, and I don’t even get a ‘hello’?” they complain, and Wei Wuxian swallows before he grins at them.

“Hello, my best of best friends, who I love so very dearly,” he says, appeasing them with drama. Hopefully. It seems to work, because they give him a long look, but then sighs and unfolds their handheld fan.

“I suppose I can forgive you,” they huff. They then lock their eyes on him, looking scarily like a predator that’s spotted prey. “A little birdie told me you got nursed back to health by a very hot DILF. Wanna tell me about that?” They present it as a question, but Wei Wuxian has known Nie Huaisang for long enough to know they will flay him alive if they don’t get the deets. He holds a respectful fear of all his friends, but especially of Nie Huaisang.

He gives them the breakdown of everything that happened in the roughly twenty four hours Lan Zhan spent in his apartment taking care of him. He tells them everything he told his other friends, but he also tells them about how he had apparently thought Lan Zhan was a fever dream at first, and how he nearly asked him to sleep in his bed. He also summarizes the conversation he had with their friends the day after. 

Nie Huaisang hums along through the entire story, and gives dramatic reactions at all the right moments. But then, to Wei Wuxian’s horror, they nod along thoughtfully as he quotes MianMian.

“MianMian is a wise woman, you might want to listen to her,” they muse, and Wei Wuxian shakes his head quickly.

“Please don’t agree with her. If you agree, there might be some truth to it and it can’t be true,” he protests. It’s less about denying it all, and more about self preservation at this point. They simply raise an eyebrow at him.

“And why can’t it be true?” they question, and Wei Wuxian dramatically slumps down on the table.

“Because he’s way out of my league, and I don’t know what to do with that. I can’t be with him! I can’t contribute anything, and I definitely can’t be a parent or whatever he’d want me to be to the kid,” he sighs, and pretends he doesn’t see the flash of anger in Nie Huaisang’s eyes.

“Sometimes I wish I could get my hands on your adoptive mother,” they say, which isn’t terrifying at all. “Anyways, you can contribute plenty. And even if you couldn’t, have you considered that Lan Wangji doesn’t need you to? That he might want you just as you are?” they suggest pointedly. Wei Wuxian groans in response.

“As for being a parent… I don’t think it’s about how ready you are, but how willing you are to try. I don’t think da-ge was ready to become a parent at sixteen when our parents died and he had to take care of me, but I think he did a pretty good job,” they say, and then take a sip of their drink while looking out of the window. Wei Wuxian glares at them from where he’s still lying on the table.

“Stop making good points. You’re supposed to be my main enabler,” he grumbles, and they give him another look.

“When you’re about to make a spontaneous purchase, yes. Not when you’re self-sabotaging something that could be good for you,” they say, for once acting like a good friend rather than a shit-stirrer.

“Fine. I won’t ask him out myself, just in case you’re reading this wrong. But I’ll say yes if he asks,” he finally concedes and sits back up. Nie Huaisang grins like the cat that got the cream.

“I’m sure you won’t have to wait for too long,” they say, looking very smug. Wei Wuxian decides to ignore them.

***

Wei Wuxian never thought he’d feel like this, but on Monday he is finally back at work. It feels so good to finally have something to do again, and to be earning money. It’s a slow day, so he mostly lazes around behind the counter. But he is working with Katy, which is nice. Apparently Jared managed to sprain his ankle walking down some stairs, so he’s got a few days off to rest. 

Wei Wuxian doesn’t make a habit of wishing bad things on others, but he can’t help but feel smug about it. It means he’s got several days of Jared-free work!

Tuesday is a lot more busy. He’s not quite sure why, but he thinks there might be some kind of event going on. He doesn’t actually care enough to ask and find out, and even if he did, he doesn’t have the time between servicing customers, giving orders to the kitchen, and cleaning. It’s… a lot. He hopes it slows down by tonight, so he can speak to Lan Zhan if he shows up. Which he probably will, given that he’s shown up every Tuesday since that first night, with the exception of one or two times.

The crowd starts thinning at around 5 pm, and Wei Wuxian must have some good karma stored up, because it’s empty when Lan Zhan shows up at 6. The man has his hair up in a bun, and seems to have skipped his coat today, as he’s just wearing a white shirt and beige dress pants. He looks pleased to see Wei Wuxian.

“Hello, Wei Ying. You look well,” he says, and Wei Wuxian grins at him.

“Who wouldn’t be when they have such a good nurse?” he jokes, and then motions for the tables. “Got sit down, I’ll go get your usual order,” he continues, and Lan Zhan hums and turns toward the tables. Wei Wuxian practically skips to the kitchen, where Katy is working today as well. She looks up with a playful grin as he comes in.

“Was that your Tuesday regular I heard?” she teases, and his heart skips a beat at someone referring to Lan Zhan as “his”, even if it’s just a joke.

“You know it,” he says with a wink, and she laughs and gets right to work. He feels warm knowing that his coworkers have also memorized Lan Zhan’s order.

He leaves the kitchen to go sit down with Lan Zhan. He asks the man before him to tell him what’s been going on since they last saw each other, and Lan Zhan does. In his short, formal sentences, but still. Apparently the business trip Lan Xichen went on was to secure a deal to open up a new location, so the higher ups are pretty busy. And it seems the new hire he was busy with when a-Yuan got sick is settling in, but Wei Wuxian kinda gets the feeling that Lan Zhan doesn’t really like her.

When his food arrives (Katy’s being a real one and brings it out herself), Lan Zhan goes quiet. Which really is for the best, because suddenly there are more customers again. This time it’s a group of teenagers, big enough that they have to push a couple of tables together to fit all of them. Once they’ve ordered they seem more interested in their own conversation than anything else, and that’s fine by Wei Wuxian. But he makes the tactical decision to stay behind the counter even when no more customers show up, if only so he can better keep an eye on them.

While they’re eating, Lan Zhan finishes his meal. He gets rid of his own trash like the model customer he is, and then walks back up to Wei Wuxian at the counter, in a deviation to their usual routine. When Wei Wuxian looks more closely, he looks tense. Or maybe nervous? He’ll find out soon, he guesses.

“Wei Ying,” he starts, and then seems to get stuck on what he wants to say next. Wei Wuxian gives him an encouraging nod and waits for him to continue.

“I… still regret that a-Yuan made you sick,” he says with the tiniest little sigh, and Wei Wuxian smiles at him.

“Aiyah, Lan Zhan! You already took care of me, there’s nothing to feel bad about!” he says, and Lan Zhan nervously looks over at the teenagers before he opens his mouth again.

“It caused you to miss out on work for a week. I would like to give you a proper apology,” now Lan Zhan looks determined, but Wei Wuxian can only feel his cheeks heat up. Is his economical situation really that obvious?

“It’s not ideal,” he admits. “But nothing I won’t bounce back from! But if you really feel like you need to apologize, then sure,” he says. Lan Zhan seems unwilling to let it go, so it’s probably better for everyone’s peace of mind if Wei Wuxian just goes along with it. At least the guy looks pleased now.

“Would you let me take you to dinner? To apologize?” he asks, which isn’t really where Wei Wuxian thought this was going, but he’s definitely down for dinner with Lan Zhan and a-Yuan. He did promise to join them for dinner at some point!

“Sure!” he says with a bright smile, and Lan Zhan looks even more pleased.

“Mn, I will send you the details,” he says and starts walking out of the burger joint. Then he turns around and there’s what Wei Wuxian would call a mischievous glint in his eyes. “It is a date,” he adds, and then he’s gone.

***

Wei Wuxian forcefully shuts his own brain down for the remainder of his shift, just to make sure he gets through it. Once he gets home, though, there is nothing on this Earth that could stop the spiralling that’s about to happen.

What did Lan Zhan mean by that? Like, Lan Zhan isn’t the type to joke around, and when he does it’s usually through sarcastic comments. Not like this. But also, he had kinda the same look in his eyes as he does when he’s joking. And people say “it’s a date!” all the time without meaning it as a literal romantic date! A lot of the time they just mean it as friends! A platonic date to catch up or whatever. Just because Lan Zhan’s formal way of speaking made it sound like he was stressing that he meant it as a date date doesn’t mean anything. That’s just how he speaks!

Wei Wuxian decides to call the biggest people person he knows.

“A-Ying! To what do I owe this honor?” they ask when he picks up. He’s only hyperventilating a little bit when he tries to speak.

“A-Sang, what does it mean if Lan Zhan asks me to dinner and says ‘it’s a date’?” he asks, and is very gratified by the choking noise and following coughs, because, yeah. Same.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian has been going fucking insane since Tuesday. It’s Saturday, and Lan Zhan is picking him up later this evening for dinner. He hasn’t dared ask whether it’s a date or a Date, so he really doesn’t know what he’s in for. He had expected it to be a casual dinner in the penthouse, but when Lan Zhan sent him “the details”, they had included the address to a restaurant on the fancier end of the spectrum. As his friends have pointed out ever since, that clearly points toward ‘Date’, and it doesn’t help that they’re going there on a Saturday night.

He also doesn’t have anything to wear to a fancy restaurant, so Nie Huaisang showed up an hour ago with seemingly half their wardrobe in tow to help him get ready. Not that they’re getting anywhere, because they can’t agree on what the right vibe is.

“I don’t even know for sure if it’s actually a date. What if he brings a-Yuan along? You know I don’t mind showing skin but I won’t traumatize the kid. And I don’t know if the other guests would appreciate it if I show up in a sexy look,” he protests, holding up the sheer blouse Nie Huaisang had just thrown at him.

“My dearest a-Ying, ‘sexy’ doesn’t always mean you have to show skin. You can be sexy and dressed up without being boring,” they point out, and throw another garment at him. “Honestly, if he’s only seen you in casual wear he’ll swoon if you show up in a shirt and dress pants. But you want to impress him, right?” they ask, scrolling at their phone as they do. Wei Wuxian holds out the leather pants that landed on his head.

“Yeah, well, you don’t know him. He’ll probably be more impressed if I’m dressed appropriately,” he sighs, and Nie Huaisang throws him a look, before sighing.

“Fine. If I promise to cover you up enough to look business casual, will you trust me to pick out an outfit for you to wear?” they suggest, and honestly? Nie Huaisang has a degree in fashion design - they know their stuff. If they suggest a specific dress code they’ll probably stick to it. Wei Wuxian nods.

“Fuck yeah! I’ll make sure you look good enough to bag yourself a DILF,” they promise, and then drop their phone onto his bed without even checking where it lands. They start rifling through the clothes they brought, and Wei Wuxian plonks himself down on the floor to watch. Most items are black or red so Nie Huaisang definitely took his preferences into consideration, which is reassuring. Some of the fabrics flying across his room, however, are not. He spots leather, lace, mesh, and glitter, and he’s not sure Lan Zhan would approve of any of those.

Still, he’ll give Nie Huaisang the benefit of the doubt.

***

The doubt pays off. He ends up in an outfit consisting of black, wide-legged women’s suit pants and a very deep maroon shirt, made of some kind of silky material that feels kinda like wearing water. The pants are high-waisted, with a pleat running down the front of his legs. The shirt is tucked into the pants, and Nie Huaisang insists he wears a belt with it. He tries it, and when he sees how much it accentuates his waist, he has to agree that it really adds a lot to the outfit.

Nie Huaisang rolls his sleeves up for him, making sure they’re folded into neat lines rather than the scrunch he normally gets when he just pushes them up. One of his floral tattoos pokes out just beneath the folded edge on his right arm, which is a nice touch. Nie Huaisang then moves their hands to unbutton the shirt slightly. Wei Wuxian moves away before they can, and they pout at him.

“Please, a-Ying. Just two buttons! You need to show some clavicle. It’ll be entirely family appropriate, I promise!” they whine. Wei Wuxian sighs and steps closer to them again. Just two undone buttons should be fine. Probably.

Clavicles exposed, Nie Huaisang brings out a small bag of accessories. Wei Wuxian has all his ear piercings in, and his one eyebrow piercing with some kind of crystal for extra pizzazz, but he really doesn’t own much else when it comes to accessories. Nie Huaisang hands him a silver necklace, with a delicate chain and a simple pendant with a moon engraved onto it. Once he’s clasped it around his neck, he’s handed a bunch of rings. He arranges them artistically on his fingers while Nie Huaisang keeps rifling through their jewelry box. They find a couple of bracelets, all chains of varying sizes. They motion for him to stretch his arms out so they can put the bracelets on him.

“I thought you wore exclusively gold?” he asks while they’re focused on figuring out the most aesthetically pleasing way of arranging the chains.

“I wear mostly gold. But sometimes silver fits the vibe better. You should know better than to put me in a box, a-Ying,” they murmur, looking at their own deft fingers as they work. Still, he knows them well enough to know when they’re only faking being offended.

“Ah, of course. I humbly beg your forgiveness,” he says, just as they clasp the final bracelet and look up at him with a wink. Then they take a few steps back to admire their work.

“Really, a-Ying, it’s a crime that you deprive the world of all this by dressing like an emo teen,” they sigh with a shake to their head. Wei Wuxian sticks his tongue out at them.

“Maybe I dress like that to avoid distracting people, what would you know?” he says, and then looks in the mirror. He has to admit… he looks very good. His legs look incredibly long, and his waist tiny. The open buttons look intentional now with the necklace peeking through. And he has never paid much attention to his wrists and forearms, but the rolled-up-sleeves-bracelets-tattoo combo might just be the best part of the entire outfit. Which definitely says something.

He doesn’t get to admire himself any longer, because Nie Huaisang pushes him to sit down on the bed, and fetches yet another bag of some kind. Apparently, they’re giving him a full makeover, he notices as they start brushing his hair and braiding it. He has no clue what they’re actually doing, because his mirror is out of sight, but it feels like they’re doing some kind of complicated updo. It takes a while, and several bobby pins, for them to finish, but he doesn’t get to check his hair before Nie Huaisang is in front of him, holding an eyeliner.

“I won’t do too much, just enough to make your eyes pop,” they promise before he even has the time to protest. He decides to just let them do what they want, and sits still as they get uncomfortably close to his eyes with the black pencil. They’re lucky he’d trust them with his life. 

It doesn’t take much longer for them to finish, and then he can finally inspect himself in the mirror. The color scheme of the outfit and the - admittedly very minimal - makeup lets him keep some of his edge, but the materials and styling makes him seem… elegant. Especially with whatever updo Nie Huaisang has given him. His mind flashes to the picture of Lan Zhan’s dead wife and how elegant she had looked.

Then he thinks about how incredibly overkill this entire getup is if this turns out to not be a Date. He nearly says just that, but his stylist beats him to it.

“Now you’re ready to seduce a DILF! A DILF who won’t be bringing his adorable toddler son, because this is a date no matter what your insecure little brain says,” they say very confidently as they pack their things back up. Wei Wuxian decides to stay quiet because Lan Zhan will pick him up in just a little bit, and he’s in a nice outfit, and he’s suddenly a lot more nervous.

***

Half an hour later, a sparkling clean white car pulls up outside the apartment building, and Wei Wuxian has no doubt whose it is. He feels kinda nauseous if he’s honest. This feels so much like a date, but he keeps reminding himself that it definitely isn’t if Lan Zhan brings a-Yuan. He watches as Lan Zhan steps out of the car, and he looks gorgeous. From what Wei Wuxian can see, he’s wearing blue dress pants paired with a white, traditional Chinese inspired blouse, buttoned down the middle, and a sheer, traditional robe. He thinks the robe might be Tang dynasty inspired.

Once Lan Zhan is out of sight, Wei Wuxian paces. Nie Huaisang left as soon as they’d packed everything, and Wen Ning is hanging out with Wen Qing tonight, so he’s alone to stew in his nerves. It’s so weird. He’s been on dates before, and he’s never been this nervous. And this might not even be a date! Get a grip. 

He nearly jumps out of his skin when there’s a knock on the door. He bounces over to open it, smiling brightly to hopefully hide how nervous he is. If Lan Zhan never intended this to be a date, he’d find it weird if Wei Wuxian was vibrating out of his own skin.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan greets as Wei Wuxian opens the door, and then seems to lose his train of thought as he looks at him. Wei Wuxian feels immensely smug about it. If he looks closely, he thinks he can see Lan Zhan’s ears blushing where they peek out from under his hair. Of course he knows he looks especially good tonight, he has eyes, but it’s nice that Lan Zhan also seems to like it.

Lan Zhan coughs slightly, as if to clear his throat.

“Are you ready to leave?” he asks, and Wei Wuxian nods eagerly. He grabs the purse Nie Huaisang left for him, and then they’re out of the door. He locks the door behind them, and then they make their way out of the building in silence. On Wei Wuxian’s part it’s a very tense silence, but Lan Zhan seems relaxed so it probably isn’t.

They get to the car, and Lan Zhan opens the front passenger door and motions for Wei Wuxian to get in. He does, and as Lan Zhan closes the door after him he notices the distinct lack of a-Yuan in the backseat, which… On one hand, yay, maybe this actually is a date. On the other, at some point during the evening he’s gonna have to use his words to make sure he isn’t reading this wrong.

Lan Zhan sits down in the driver’s seat and takes notice of Wei Wuxian looking at the backseat.

“Ge offered to let a-Yuan stay with him and his husband tonight,” he says, wrongly assuming that Wei Wuxian is just curious about where the kid is. Still he hums along, pretending that that was the answer he was looking for. He’s very good at procrastinating conversations he doesn’t want to have. To avoid having to talk about what this evening really is, he asks Lan Zhan about his week, and then lets the conversation flow naturally.

They’re just a few minutes away from the restaurant when there’s a lull in their conversation. They’re at a red light and Lan Zhan glances over at him.

“I did not want to mention this while Wei Ying was sick, however, I hope you are careful. The security in your apartment building is abysmal,” he remarks, and Wei Wuxian bristles a bit at the judgement in his voice.

“Not everyone can afford to live in an apartment with a private elevator,” he says, defensive. He knows Lan Zhan probably doesn’t mean it like that - he’s never looked down on Wei Wuxain even though they are obviously in very different tax brackets. Still, he sounds judgy and Wei Wuxian won’t stand for it. Lan Zhan’s eyes widen just as the light turns green and he has to drive.

“I apologize, that was not what I meant. I am merely concerned. The main entrance does not require either a key or a code, and Wei Ying does not always seem to lock the apartment door,” Lan Zhan tries to explain himself, and Wei Wuxian sighs. It’s a valid concern. Wen Qing has scolded him too many times to count about how he doesn’t lock the door when he’s alone. Still, he won’t let Lan Zhan judge him for not living in a building according to his own standards.

“The area might be poor, Lan Zhan, but it’s safe. Wen Ning and I are the only residents in that building below the age of sixty-five,” he points out, but then gives in slightly because he doesn’t want to ruin the mood of their evening. “But I guess I could try to remember to lock the door,” he sighs.

“Mn. Not Wei Ying’s fault that his landlord is neglecting their responsibilities,” Lan Zhan says and Wei Wuxian snorts because, yeah. 

The tension lessens slightly after that, but they arrive at the restaurant before they can pick their casual conversation back up. Lan Zhan parks the car and gets out, and before Wei Wuxian has time to start getting out himself, Lan Zhan appears on his side of the car and opens the door for him. Wei Wuxian gets out, and then has to try not to swoon when Lan Zhan places his hand on his lower back, as if to guide him. Yeah no, this is quickly entering Date territory. 

They enter the restaurant, and are greeted by a smiling hostess. Her eyes flick down to Lan Zhan’s hand on his back, but her professional smile doesn’t falter even slightly. Lan Zhan tells her they have a reservation under the name ‘Lan Wangji’, and she guides them to their table. It’s in the back of the restaurant, by huge panorama windows.

The restaurant is on the ground level, so they don’t get any city views. But the back of it faces a park Wei Wuxian has never visited, and they get a very beautiful view of a large, lit up pond. As they sit down he takes a moment to look around the restaurant. It looks very expensive and classy, but not in the sterile, black and white way most modern restaurants look. The walls have paneling in a light wood, and there are decorative displays of plants dotted around the space. The windows have curtains made from a gauzy, lilac material, and the same material is hung tastefully in the ceiling. It kinda looks like a pergola, but inside. It’s cozy, Wei Wuxian decides. 

(It kinda looks like he’d imagine Jiang Yanli would decorate her restaurant if she had gotten to open it. But this place has no affiliation with the Jiangs or the Jins. Wei Wuxian checked.)

The hostess places menus in front of them, and at a glance he can confirm that the prices are listed, so at least he won’t have to stress about that. It’s not one of those places. The hostess leaves them, and he observes Lan Zhan as he reads through the menu. The silence is mostly comfortable, but there’s still some tension from the… hiccup in the car and Wei Wuxian can’t stand it. He chuckles nervously.

“Ahaha, Lan Zhan, you’re very lucky that I’m so smart, or I might have misread this as a romantic date, with you bringing me to such a nice place,” he says. What a way to break the ice, great job. Lan Zhan frowns and puts his menu down. Wei Wuxian gulps and hopes he hasn’t just fucked this up beyond repair.

“Wei Ying, have I not made my intentions clear? I wish to date you. Romantically,” Lan Zhan says, and it takes Wei Wuxian’s brain a moment to catch up with the words, but when it does, something settles in him and he just feels happy. His nerves from before are nowhere to be found. Lan Zhan actually wants to date him! He’d hoped he wanted to, and kind of suspected it, but now he knows for sure. That surety means he can relax slightly.

Meanwhile, Lan Zhan’s words seem to have had the opposite effect on the man himself, because he now looks very pale and kinda queasy.

“If I assumed wrong and Wei Ying thought this was only a friendly outing, and does not want it to be romantic…” Lan Zhan says hesitatingly, and Wei Wuxian immediately interrupts him.

“No!” he exclaims, and then hastens to clarify himself when Lan Zhan’s face falls further. “I mean, yes, I want to date you romantically, no, you didn’t assume wrong. I just didn’t know when you asked me out if you meant it romantically, or if it was more of a ‘let’s hang out as friends but call it a date as a joke’ kinda thing,” Wei Wuxian rambles, which gives Lan Zhan enough time to recover and start looking amused.

“Ah. Then I will clarify,” he starts, and now he definitely looks smug. “I find Wei Ying to be very attractive, and I enjoy spending time with him. Thus I would like to date him romantically, in hopes that it might develop into a relationship,” he says, and Wei Wuxian can feel his own face flushing immediately.

“Lan Zhan!” he exclaims, as quietly as he can. And then he brings the menu up so he can hide behind it. “Decide what you want to order,” he says, and then pretends to be completely engrossed in his own decision-making. Lan Zhan just smirks as he looks back at his own menu, the bastard.

***

They order the food, and now that they have established that they are on the same page, conversation flows easily. Lan Zhan tells him stories from a-Yuan’s daycare, and Wei Wuxian in turn tells him about some of the more interesting customers he’s had this week. It’s nice.

And when the food arrives, it’s delicious. Lan Zhan’s dish looks very bland, but at least he seems to enjoy it. Wei Wuxian had asked for extra spice, and he’s not disappointed. His food is bright red, and it burns just slightly. Just the way he likes it. He considers offering Lan Zhan a bite to try, but then decides it’s probably for the best if he doesn’t. Lan Zhan’s food barely looks salted, and he knows his own food is too spicy for even most spice-lovers. He doesn’t want to kill Lan Zhan on their first date. (First date!)

It’s when they’re waiting for dessert that Wei Wuxian decides that he should probably try to be a responsible adult about this.

“So, if we’re dating now, we should probably talk about expectations. At least a little bit. Especially since there’s a-Yuan to consider,” he says, looking out on the pond outside. It’s getting kinda hard to see anything, with the sun setting, but he thinks he can see a couple of ducks swimming around.

“I have not… dated before,” Lan Zhan starts, and his ears flush in what Wei Wuxian thinks is embarrassment. “I would not have asked you out if I did not intend for this to be long-term. Especially, as you said, with my son to consider. If that is not something you want…” he says, and then hesitates and looks at Wei Ying, whose heart melts in his chest.

“Of course I want that, Lan Zhan. I might have fooled around a lot in my younger years, but I’m a true romantic at heart, you know,” he says, going for a playful tone to lighten the mood a bit. Lan Zhan’s lips quirk upwards slightly, so he knows he has succeeded.

“Good. As for your role in relation to a-Yuan… Maybe we can discuss that later? I do not wish to inform him of us while it is still new,” Lan Zhan continues, carefully, as if he’s worried that Wei Wuxian might be upset that he wants to take things slow where a-Yuan is concerned. As if that isn’t, like, the most reasonable approach.

“Of course! He’s your son, I’ll follow your lead. So… Long-term, and hopefully exclusive? Because let me tell you, Lan Zhan, I don’t think I want to share you with anyone,” Wei Wuxian adds, mostly for Lan Zhan’s benefit. If Wei Wuxian is understanding him correctly, his wife is his only relationship. If he hasn’t dated, it was probably a friends-to-lovers kinda thing where they skipped the dating stage, and he hasn’t been with anyone since. He wants to know that they’re on the same page on being exclusive, without making Lan Zhan think that Wei Wuxian might want something different.

It seems he has made the right choice when Lan Zhan nods, looking relieved. Wei Wuxian smiles brightly at him, and a moment later a waiter shows up with their desserts.

***

The rest of the evening passes without issue. They finish their meal, and Wei Wuxian distracts himself so he doesn’t have to hear the total when Lan Zhan pays their check. They take a walk around the park afterward, to get as much time with each other as possible. Wei Wuxian feels warm all over when Lan Zhan takes initiative and locks their hands together.

Lan Zhan drives him home, and even walks him up to his apartment door, like a proper gentleman. Wei Wuxian would invite him in, but he is noticeably sleepy, and he’ll probably want to sleep in his own bed.

“Thank you for tonight, Lan Zhan. It was really nice,” he says as they stand together in the doorway. Lan Zhan looks very pleased. He raises the hand that is still holding Wei Wuxian’s, and then places the lightest of kisses on Wei Wuxian’s knuckles. He thinks he can physically feel all his blood rush to his face with how hard he’s blushing.

“Thank you, Wei Ying,” he murmurs, his voice dropping even lower than it normally is. It’s so fucking sexy and Wei Wuxian needs him to leave right now before he does something hasty. But there is one thing he needs Lan Zhan to promise before he leaves.

“If this is gonna be long-term, you gotta promise me something,” he says, and Lan Zhan immediately stands at attention. It’s adorable. “You can’t pay me for watching a-Yuan anymore. I hear it’s bad to do business with a romantic prospect,” he jokes, and Lan Zhan nods seriously.

“Mn. If Wei Ying promises to start locking his door. Any manner of people could let themselves in while he is unaware,” Lan Zhan says, and his eyes look… hungry when he looks as Wei Wuxian. He gulps.

“I promise! Goodnight, Lan Zhan, sweet dreams!” he practically shouts, and then closes the door in Lan Zhan’s face. He locks the door demonstratively, and hears Lan Zhan say ‘goodnight’ from the other side. 

His heart is racing, and he knows he won’t get any sleep at all tonight. But it has also been ages since he was this happy, so it seems like a fair trade.

Chapter Text

Lan Wangji is having breakfast in his brother’s home, and very seriously considering whether he might have made a mistake telling Lan Huan about his date with Wei Ying. It has been a week since then, and Lan Huan has not stopped teasing him. Lan Wangji suspects his brother is trying to make up for not getting to do so while they were teenagers.

However, Lan Wangji is not above punching his brother in the face if he sends him one more knowing look.

Thankfully, Nie Mingjue has been entertaining a-Yuan by playing tag and throwing him around so he has not noticed - Lan Wangji was serious about not telling a-Yuan yet. His son and brother-in-law are currently in the backyard, raking leaves. They are in the middle of October, and the first leaves have just started falling. Looking outside, it is odd to think that this will be his first autumn with Wei Ying. They met in June, only about four months ago, but it feels like they have known each other for a much more substantial amount of time. Or perhaps it is the importance of these months that has been more substantial. 

His musings are interrupted by his brother handing him a cleaned plate to dry.

“I did some digging around our most recent product deals, and found a recent design sent in by Wei Wuxian. He sent it in physically, so that really made it stand out,” Lan Huan says, eyes focused on the dishes he is washing. Lan Wangji hums.

“Mn. I do not think he has… the monetary means to purchase the materials needed to work digitally,” he says, sighing only slightly. He had not been aware that Wei Ying is sensitive about his economical situation until he accidentally offended him on their date. Lan Wangji does not think a lack of money is something to be embarrassed about. Most of his own wealth he inherited from his parents. He knows most people are not so lucky. He would offer to buy Wei Ying a digital sketchpad, but he suspects it would not be appreciated, at least not yet. Wei Ying is a proud person.

But perhaps, Wei Ying would not mind it if it was gifted to him? Something to consider with the holidays coming up soon.

“Well, it made it easier to find everything else he has sent us. Apparently it’s a lot. A bunch of our products are based on the designs he has sold to us. And he has sold them, not patented them. I think that’s why he doesn’t get a noticeable pay from it. Some of them have been rejected, but the ones that don’t, he sells to us for basically free. He doesn’t even ask for us to put his name on them. As far as anyone can tell, the products are fully made at our company, with no outside involvement,” Lan Huan explains, and Lan Wangji resists the urge to rub his temples in frustration. 

Of course Wei Ying does not care to make sure he is compensated for his work. He has mentioned having a friend who is a pediatrician, who probably complains sometimes about issues at their hospital. And then Wei Ying figures out a solution, and sells it for cheap to a company that can make it happen. It seems very like Wei Ying to not ask for more than a token sum, and to not push for credit, so long as he knows the product gets made.

“If you invite him to our next dinner, I could try to convince him to patent his creations. With the amount he has, they should make for a good base income,” his brother continues, and the teasing spark is back in his eyes.

“Ge,” Lan Wangji says in a warning tone, and he glares at Lan Huan to make sure he gets his point across. As usual, his brother ignores him completely.

“You never do anything half-way, a-Zhan. I don’t think choosing a partner is any different. Besides, you’ve been dancing around each other for months, it’s definitely not too soon to officially meet the family as your boyfriend!” Lan Huan continues as if Lan Wangji said nothing, smiling innocently. When he gets like this, the best course of action is to evacuate. At least if he wants to spare himself some dignity.

He puts the final plate in the right cupboard.

“A-Yuan and I need to leave. We are picking Wei Ying up to go to the zoo and I would like to prepare lunch to bring with us,” he says, turning his back on his brother to walk over to the door to the backyard. Lan Huan laughs from the kitchen. Of course, Lan Wangji’s brother knows him well enough to know he prepared the lunch last night, but it does not matter how flimsy an excuse is so long as it works. 

He steps out on the backyard porch, and watches a-Yuan and Nie Mingjue. Lan Huan and Nie Mingjue have been friends for as long as Lan Wangji can remember, and so he has grown up watching da-ge. He was always huge, even in Lan Wangji’s earliest memories of him in his preteens. He was a sporty child, and built muscles easily. He was not always so tall, but hit a growth spurt in his late teenage years, and now he is a six feet five inches tall mountain of muscle.

All this to say, he looks absolutely ridiculous bent down next to a-Yuan, high-fiving the child next to a huge pile of leaves. The pile looks about as big as it had done when he and a-Yuan arrived earlier, but he appreciates that his brother-in-law pretends that a-Yuan was a big help. 

Lan Wangji watches his son stretch his arms up to make da-ge pick him up. The man does so, and then throws the child into the pile of leaves. Lan Wangji is not worried - Nie Mingjue would never do something to hurt a-Yuan. He is proven right when a-Yuan emerges from the leaves, laughing brightly. His cheeks are slightly red from the autumn chill in the air, and Lan Wangji feels warm watching his son’s joy.

“Alright, you little menace. I think your baba is waiting for you,” Nie Mingjue says, crouching down next to a-Yuan to ruffle his hair and point toward the porch. The child spots him, and starts sprinting in his direction. Lan Wangji catches him easily.

“Are you ready to go to the zoo?” he asks, completely unnecessarily. 

“We go pick up Xian-gege, then we goes to see monkeys!” his son exclaims, and Lan Wangji hums.

“Mn. Say goodbye to bobo and Jue-gege and then we can go get Xian-gege,” he says, carrying a-Yuan toward the hallway. Since he was just outside, his son is fully dressed. Lan Wangji puts him on the ground gently, and then starts putting his own shoes and coat back on.

“Byebye, bobo! Byebye Jue-gege! Thanks for beckfast!” a-Yuan shouts, and waves at his uncles as they leave. They wave back, Nie Mingjue’s arm around Lan Huan’s waist. Lan Wangji has a sudden vision of himself and Wei Ying in the same position and his stomach does a very concerning somersault. 

***

They stop by their apartment so that a-Yuan can go to the bathroom and so Lan Wangji can bring their packed lunch to the car, and then they are off to pick up Wei Ying. A-Yuan is so excited he is nearly vibrating out of his skin, and Lan Wangji has to admit that he is not faring much better.

After their date, he had been worried about how to approach Wei Ying about spending more time together. He did not know what the timeline for dating is - he still does not grasp it fully - and since he left a-Yuan with his brother last weekend, he wants to keep his son with him this time around. He had texted Wei Ying to ask if they could spend some time together this weekend, and if it would be alright if a-Yuan joined them. Wei Ying had replied with an enthusiastic yes on both accounts, and suggested they go to the zoo an hour away from the city.

They arrive outside Wei Ying’s apartment building, and Lan Wangji sends off a text to let Wei Ying know they are waiting. Not even a full minute later, Wei Ying comes running out of the building, still attempting to put his leather jacket on. He is slightly out of breath when he opens the door and slides into the passenger seat next to Lan Wangji.

“How are my favorite Lans on this beautiful morning?” he greets cheerfully, still panting. A-Yuan immediately responds with a ‘good!’ from the backseat. Lan Wangji, however, gives Wei Ying a look.

“We are in no hurry, we could have waited for Wei Ying to put his jacket on,” he points out, making Wei Ying giggle. He is still amazed at how easily he can make Wei Ying react in such a way.

“Ah, but what if I was just too excited to see your cute little faces to wait even a second longer, hm?” Wei Ying teases, and then turns his attention to a-Yuan in the backseat. “I heard you had breakfast with your uncles today. Did you have fun?” he asks, and then listens to the child with rapt attention as he recounts the events of the morning. Lan Wangji bites the inside of his cheek to stop himself from imagining Wei Ying as a-Yuan’s second dad.

He is not very successful.

A-Yuan keeps them entertained with stories of his time with bobo and Jue-gege for all of twenty minutes. Apparently raking leaves was a very engaging activity, as his son spends a lot of time proudly explaining the work he had done. Lan Wangji sees him puff his chest out when he tells them Nie Mingjue promised to buy him gloves so he can help out more in the future. Wei Ying cheers in response. A-Yuan then moves on to tell them about the birds they saw flying in the sky, very seriously explaining that they are moving to warmer countries so they do not get cold when winter comes.

Wei Ying, very endearingly, keeps asking a-Yuan questions, pretending he did not know birds migrate. Lan Wangji has to put conscious effort into keeping his eyes on the road because of this.

Eventually, a-Yuan dozes off, which is just as well. They have an exhausting day ahead of them and he might as well get some rest. Wei Ying relaxes into the car seat from where he had been turned slightly to face the backseat. He sighs happily and from the corner of his eyes, Lan Wangji can see him look over at him.

“It seems the kid had a very eventful morning. What about Lan Zhan?” he asks, still cheerful and teasing, but lowering his tone so as to not disturb the sleeping child.

“Mm. Helped ge do the dishes,” he says, which really was the most exciting thing he did. “He wanted me to invite Wei Ying to family dinner, if you are amenable,” he continues. His brother will continue to hound him until he asks Wei Ying, so he might as well ask now. A glance over to the passenger seat shows him that Wei Ying looks shell shocked at being asked this.

“...Really? He’s inviting me to your family dinner?” he asks, much more quiet suddenly. Lan Wangji hums.

“Mn. He wants to meet you in the role of older brother to the man you are dating,” he explains, and is rewarded with a glimpse of Wei Ying blushing bright red. He looks lovely when he is all flushed. Do not think of other circumstances where his face might get flushed. 

“How big are these dinners?” Wei Ying asks, and now he sounds nervous. Lan Wangji thinks he would be as well, if he were in the same situation.

“It will be just me, a-Yuan, ge, his husband, and maybe his sibling,” he says. They have dinners with their shufu occasionally, but he will not subject Wei Ying to that particular torture yet. At least Wei Ying looks relieved.

“Then yeah, sure! No offense, but if you wanted to introduce me to the extended family after only a week of dating, I would have thought you were insane,” he says and Lan Wangji hums in agreement. A very valid reaction. “But I’ve already met half of those people so that’s cool,” he finishes, and throws a smile in Lan Wangji’s direction.

“Mn. I will let ge know. He will be pleased,” he says, and then turns his attention back on the road fully.

Wei Ying keeps their conversation going for the rest of the way to the zoo. They saw each other briefly on Tuesday, when Lan Wangji stopped by Wei Ying’s workplace as usual, but have not had time to see each other since. Lan Wangji has been busy, and they have not had much time to text, either. Thus, Wei Ying has several tales from his work to entertain him with as he drives.

After an hour in the car, they arrive at the zoo. There are relatively few cars in the parking lot with them, which is understandable. While the zoo doesn’t close for another few weeks, it is still October. The weather is clear, but the air is cold. Not uncomfortably so, and they will get warmer as they walk around, but Lan Wangji can understand why people are choosing to not go to the zoo. It does, however, mean that the crowds are smaller, which Lan Wangji appreciates.

He instructs Wei Ying to get their food from the trunk, and while he goes looking for the picnic basket, he goes to wake a-Yuan up. When his son was younger, he was always very pouty when someone woke him up. These days it is a fifty-fifty gamble whether you get a grumpy toddler, or an energetic one.

Today it seems he is feeling energetic, as he is clumsily unbuckling himself as soon as his eyes open. Lan Wangji has to remind him to put his jacket on before he leaves the car. As soon as Wei Ying has closed the trunk, and Lan Wangji has made sure that everyone is dressed to withstand the chill, he locks the car and starts walking toward the entrance.

Besides his own personal enjoyment at bringing Wei Ying along on family outings, he soon realizes that it really makes said outing less stressful. He holds a-Yuan’s hand as they walk, but when he has to speak to the person behind the counter and buy their tickets, Wei Ying takes over and entertains his son while they wait. And once inside, Wei Ying is the one who jogs after a-Yuan when he sprints toward the first enclosure. This allows Lan Wangji to follow at a more sedate pace as he takes in their surroundings and investigates the map they received. Apparently this first enclosure is supposed to house foxes.

Wei Ying is already busy keeping a-Yuan engaged as they try to spot any animals when he reaches them. He takes the picnic basket from Wei Ying and receives a warm smile in return. He runs his eyes across what they can see of the enclosure, and spots red fur huddled in the corner of the enclosure closest to where they stand. He crouches down next to a-Yuan and points the fox out to him. His son gasps in delight when he does spot them and makes a move to run toward them. He is stopped by Wei Ying taking hold of his hand.

“Hang on kiddo. If you want to go take a closer look, you have to be very quiet and careful. How would you like it if people ran up to look at you while you were taking a nap, hm? Let’s walk over there slowly and take a very careful look,” Wei Ying says, and then makes a show of sneaking as they walk closer. It suddenly hits Lan Wangji that he has not actually seen much of Wei Ying interacting with a-Yuan. The sight of them together warms his entire body, and he decides to enjoy it. As his son and boyfriend crouch down to get a closer view through the glass of the fence, he brings his phone up and takes a picture of them. He wants to remember this.

Things continue in much the same pattern until it is time for lunch. The zoo has several intersecting and looping paths, which makes it easier to pick a route that will bring them past the different species of monkeys quite early. For some reason a-Yuan has decided that they are to be the highlight of the day, and Lan Wangji wants to reward him for behaving. A-Yuan is nearly ecstatic as he watches the gibbons swing from branches in their enclosures. Lan Wangji had worried that foreign animals would be miserable in the autumn temperatures, but their enclosures seem to be heated to match at least the minimum they need to feel comfortable.

A-Yuan is absolutely fascinated as Wei Ying tries to explain the difference between monkeys and apes, apparently revolutionizing his view on the animal kingdom with this piece of information.

As they walk, Lan Zhan is pleased to note several signs with information of the several conservation programs the zoo helps fund, and he explains for a-Yuan that this zoo is helping organizations help endangered species survive and grow in numbers. And of course his sweet son insists that they need to visit often so they can give money to the zoo to help the animals. Wei Ying looks incredibly fond when he says this, and Lan Wangji suspects his own face mirrors the sentiment. 

They finally pause to eat lunch on a big lawn surrounded by vendor stalls. Most of the stalls are closed, but it does not matter much to them, as they brought their own food. Wei Ying and a-Yuan pick the best spot and put the blanket down together, and as they all sit down together Lan Wangji starts handing out lunchboxes and drinks. 

In the summer, this place is supposedly full of ducks walking around among the guests, at least according to the map. Lan Wangji suspects they have been moved inside somewhere to avoid having any of them fly to more temperate latitudes. As such, he makes the executive decision to not tell his son about the ducks. They have had a great day so far, and he does not want to spoil the fun. 

He made them food that is meant to be eaten cold, but at least the drinks are warm to keep them from freezing. It is very simple, but Wei Ying keeps praising his cooking with nearly every bite. He knows for a fact that his ears are glowing red from how flustered it makes him, and he is very glad he decided to wear his hair down today.

But, of course, something has to go wrong. It is after lunch, when they are by the otters, that they have a hiccup. There are other guests at the zoo, and have been the entire day. However, they are few enough that they have not had to get close to them, so Lan Wangji has almost forgotten about them. They are about to move on from the otters and go look at the seals when there is a dog barking somewhere in their vicinity. At first he does not think much of it, he hears dogs often enough in public spaces.

Then he notices that Wei Ying has completely stopped moving. 

He is frozen still, staring into the distance with wide eyes and growing paler by the second. When a-Yuan manages to break free from where Wei Ying is holding his hand and starts sprinting ahead of them, he realizes that something is really wrong.

“A-Yuan!” Lan Wangji shouts after his son, raising his voice in a way he rarely does. A-Yuan stops immediately and Lan Wangji crouches down to ensure they are on the same level. “How about you go see how many otters you can count? Your Xian-gege needs to sit down on that bench a little bit,” he continues in a much softer tone, pointing to a bench out of the way and off the path by the edge of the enclosure. To his relief his son nods and runs back to the otters without question.

He returns to Wei Ying, and tries to get his attention with a soft murmur of his name. Wei Ying looks at him, but he still has the wide-eyed, panicked look on his face and does not give a verbal response. Lan Wangji gently takes his hand and guides him to the bench. Wei Ying does not let go of his hand even when they are both sitting, and Lan Wangji lets him keep it. He thinks back on what might have made Wei Ying react so strongly, and remembers the dog barking.

“Wei Ying, are you afraid of dogs?” he asks. Wei Ying does not respond at all at first, neither verbally nor physically. Just as Lan Wangji thinks he might have guessed wrong, Wei Ying nods weakly. Now knowing the situation, Lan Wangji relaxes slightly and tries to figure out how to solve it. He looks around the area, but he cannot spot the dog. He turns to Wei Ying.

“I do not see the dog anywhere. Do you want me to go and look further away?” he suggests, but Wei Ying immediately grips his hand tighter, almost desperately. A moment later he seems to find his voice again.

“No. Just… give me a moment. It caught me by surprise,” he mumbles, and Lan Wangji nods. They sit in silence for a while. He tries to distract himself by watching his son. He is clearly still trying to count the otters. It seems he is struggling because they move around, as he keeps counting and holding up a few fingers, only to start over again immediately. It is quite amusing, and he is proud of his son for trying to figure it out himself.

***

“Ah, that was embarrassing,” Wei Ying mumbles a few minutes later. He still does not sound all the way back to himself yet.

“Are you alright?” Lan Wangji asks, still worried and not thinking Wei Ying has anything to be embarrassed about.

“Don’t worry, Lan Zhan. I just don’t like dogs very much” he says, with a weak chuckle. Given how strongly he reacted, Lan Wangji doubts that is the entirety of it. However, he is afraid that Wei Ying will shut him out if he tries to pry and decides not to question anything.

Before he can get a chance to respond, Wei Ying tells him he wants to go check in on a-Yuan, and then he is off. Lan Wangji follows closely enough to catch their entire conversation.

“Xian-gege! You rest?” a-Yuan asks, and Wei Ying gives him a bright - if brittle - smile.

“I did! Your Xian-gege is very old, you know. Sometimes he needs to rest these tired legs,” he jokes. Their exchange gives Lan Wangji enough time to catch up.

“Baba! I count the otter! They are seven!” a-Yuan reports proudly. Lan Wangji, who can clearly see that there are only five otters, thanks his son and tells him he did a very good job. Then they are finally off to see the seals.

Wei Ying does an admirable job of pretending to still be as energetic as he was earlier. A-Yuan does not seem to notice a difference at all, but Lan Wangji can tell his smiles are more strained, and he moves a bit sluggishly. The dog clearly took a lot out of him, and Lan Wangji feels bad. He takes comfort in the fact that they only have a couple more enclosures, and then a petting zoo left before they can return home.

He puts conscious effort into helping Wei Ying out with a-Yuan for the final stretch. Of course he has not left his son entirely to Wei Ying until now, but he has certainly taken on the brunt of the conversation. It is Lan Wangji’s turn to take responsibility for it.

Their final stop of the day is the petting zoo. It consists of a larger enclosure, and a hut where Lan Wangji assumes the staff can overlook what is happening. The enclosure is divided into sections by smaller fences,and gates to let guests walk from section to section. He suspects his son will only be interested in one of the animals, and is proven right when his eyes grow wide as he spots the tiny balls of fur hopping around one of the sections.

“Bunnies!” he gasps, and then looks up at the adults, waiting for permission to go pet them. Lan Wangji smiles fondly at him.

“Remember what your Xian-gege said: be quiet and careful when you walk toward them,” he says, and a-Yuan nods and then starts sneaking towards the rabbits. Both himself and Wei Ying follow closely behind, and sit down on the stools in the rabbit section. A couple of them hop closer to the adults, investigating them. Lan Wangji picks one of them up, and then carefully deposits it into Wei Ying’s lap. Once he is sure Wei Ying is holding onto it properly, he bends down and picks up a rabbit for himself to hold. He watches as Wei Ying zones out momentarily as he pets his rabbit, which sits still on his lap, seemingly enjoying it.

A couple of minutes later, Wei Ying brightens.

“Hey kid, I think they like you! Maybe they think you’re a little bunny as well!” he says and shoots a smile to a-Yuan, who is seemingly being overrun by rabbits who want his attention. Popular with the rabbits, indeed. It makes Lan Wangji feel much more confident in the promise he plans to gift his son for Christmas.

“Xian-gege silly! A-Yuan is a boy, no bunny!” his son says with a bright laugh and Wei Ying hums thoughtfully.

“Are you sure? You’re cute enough to be a little bunny, I think,” he muses, and then carefully raises the rabbit on his lap so he can look at its face. He looks between the rabbit and a-Yuan, seemingly comparing them. A-Yuan laughs even more, scaring some of the tiny animals away. Not that he seems to notice, too busy with Wei Ying’s antics.

“Yeah, I think there’s definitely a bunny somewhere in your lineage, young man,” he concludes, and then puts his rabbit down to go join a-Yuan. The interaction settles something within Lan Wangji. Wei Ying will be fine. And I want him to stay forever.

***

Once they get a pouting and flagging a-Yuan to leave his new rabbit friends behind, they finally make their way to the car. Wei Ying puts the picnic basket back in the trunk while Lan Wangji straps a-Yuan into his seat, and soon they are on their way. It only takes about five minutes for his son to fall asleep, and Wei Ying follows not long after. 

Lan Wangji takes more care than usual to drive as smoothly as he can to let both of them rest. He enjoys listening to Wei Ying speak, but it feels more rewarding to be able to offer him a moment to sleep and recover. Especially after what had obviously been a very rough episode. He wants to know what has happened to Wei Ying to make him so afraid of dogs, but he is in no hurry to find out. They have plenty of time, and Wei Ying will tell him when he is ready.

Aside from that unfortunate event, they have had a lovely day. The weather has held up, a-Yuan got to see most of the animals, and they got to spend a day out as a small family unit. They are not there yet, but it has been a nice taste of what might be in store for the future.

Wei Ying blinks blearily as he wakes up once Lan Wangji stops the car outside of his apartment building. He looks around and slowly seems to realize they have arrived.

“Ah, we’re here already? Sorry I fell asleep on you, Lan Zhan,” he apologizes sheepishly, but it loses some of its effect when it is immediately followed by a yawn. 

“Mm. Wei Ying was tired,” Lan Wangji says, and it earns him a smile. “I am sorry about the dog today,” he continues. It definitely put a damper on the mood, which obviously had not been a part of the plan.

“Aiyah, it’s not your fault. The zoo is a public space, people are free to bring their dogs,” Wei Ying says with a smile, and Lan Wangji nods slightly. Then he reaches a hand back to wake a-Yuan.

“Baobei, wake up and say goodbye to your Xian-gege,” he says softly, and knows he has succeeded when he hears grumbles coming from the backseat. A look in the rearview mirror shows him his son sleepily rubbing his little fists against his eyes before he blinks them open properly.

“Byebye, little bunny. I had a really great time with you today,” Wei Ying says softly, having turned around to fully face a-Yuan.

“Buh-bye, Xian-gege,” a-Yuan mumbles, and then he closes his eyes again and rests his head on his seat. Wei Ying smiles fondly and then turns back around to sit properly as he looks at Lan Wangji.

“I had a really great time with Lan Zhan as well. Text me about that family dinner, yeah?” he says, and Lan Wangji nods. Wei Ying’s smile grows brighter, and then he leans across the center console to briefly press his lips against Lan Wangji’s cheek. Then he is out of the car and on his way to the apartment before Lan Wangji even has the time to react.

He presses a hand to his cheek, stunned, as he waits for the lights to turn on in Wei Ying’s apartment. Once they do, he puts his car back into gear and starts pulling out. As he looks around to make sure there are no cars coming, he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

He is smiling wider than he has since a-Yuan’s adoption went through.

Chapter Text

Apparently the Lan brothers have the kind of close and healthy sibling dynamic where they try to get together for dinner at least every other week. Wei Wuxian has no idea what that’s like, but he’ll probably get a taste of it soon. After their zoo date, he had gotten a text from Lan Zhan, letting him know that the family dinner would happen a week later.

Which brings him to now, Sunday a week after the zoo, once again nervously waiting for Lan Zhan to pick him up. At least this time he asked the man himself how to dress and if he should bring anything. Of course, Lan Zhan said it doesn’t matter how he’s dressed, and that he doesn’t need to bring anything. So he spent a good half hour trying to find his only proper shirt to wear, and he dropped by MianMian’s bakery to get an assortment of pastries to bring. 

Sure, he met Lan Xichen briefly before, and he seemed nice enough. But now he’s meeting the man as a potential future partner for his younger brother. He has a younger brother! If Jiang Cheng had ever brought a person home he would have wanted them to at least try to make a good first impression, so he’ll be damned if he doesn’t do it himself! And besides, he hasn’t met Lan Xichen’s husband yet.

Still, he’s glad that this whole thing seems to be pretty lowkey. When Lan Zhan first mentioned it it sounded like a big deal, and way too soon. Wei Wuxian might be a romantic, and completely head over heels, but even he knows you should wait more than two weeks to meet the entire extended family. Probably especially so considering the kid.

But at least he’s now armed with a nice outfit and tasty sweets. His charming personality will have to do the rest.

***

A-Yuan chatters cheerfully in the car as they drive to Lan Xichen’s place. He mostly tells Wei Wuxian about his week at daycare - apparently miss Mandy showed up with frog earrings on Wednesday, and that was the highlight - but he talks a little bit about his uncles as well. Going by his descriptions, Lan Xichen’s husband is as tall as a house and the strongest person in the entire world, and Wei Wuxian chooses to believe him wholeheartedly. Despite Lan Zhan humming doubtfully from the driver’s seat.

It takes them half an hour to drive from Wei Wuxian’s place to the area in the outskirts of the city where Lan Xichen lives. Lan Zhan pulls up to a house, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. From what Wei Wuxian can tell, it’s all one floor but sprawling across the land it sits on. It’s kinda hard to tell from where they’re parking in front of it, but it seems to be kinda U-shaped. It’s definitely big enough to have multiple bedrooms. The front porch doesn’t have a fence, but it’s covered by a roof that’s held up by a couple of wooden beams. On either side of each beam, curtains hang and move softly in the breeze. Wei Wuxian imagines it’s a very nice spot to hang out in the summer.

The house is white, with big windows. There’s a flower box beneath each window, but they’re all empty now. The entire property is surrounded by an evergreen hedge, the only thing breaking it up being a wooden gate in front of the short path leading up to the front door. Overall, it’s got a nice, modern farmhouse vibe, and it seems Lan Xichen and/or his husband puts a lot of working into making the garden look nice.

“You didn’t tell me your brother lived in a nice house like this! You know, I’ve always wanted a house with a big garden to plant my own crops in, maybe raise a few chickens,” he sighs dreamily, and then catches himself. “Not that your penthouse isn’t also very nice!” he adds quickly. Lan Zhan shrugs slightly.

“The penthouse is convenient. Ge has a nice garden,” he says, very flippant about living in an apartment that probably cost him millions. Wei Wuxian always figured Lan Zhan is rich, but he’s starting to suspect he’s rich rich. Like, seriously old money rich.

Either way, they don’t get much more time to admire the building, as a-Yuan insists that they have to go in now. Wei Wuxian gets the box of pastries from the car, and then they walk through the gate. (Lan Zhan had nearly rolled his eyes at him when he sat down holding the box, but Wei Wuxian could tell he was mostly amused.) He fidgets slightly as they wait for the door to open, but he’s less nervous now that he’s next to Lan Zhan.

He can hear footsteps approaching the door from the other side, and then it opens to reveal… da-ge? Wei Wuxian experiences a moment of extreme mental whiplash.

“Xichen’s in the kitchen, come on in… Wei Ying?” Nie Mingjue asks, as if he has any right to be as surprised as Wei Wuxian.

“Da-ge? What are you doing here?” he asks, completely baffled. Nie Mingjue shakes himself out of his stupor and moves aside so that they can enter.

“I live here. They never mentioned your name when talking about you, so I didn’t know it was you who would be coming,” da-ge answers, and then shrugs and walks back further into the house. A-Yuan seems completely unperturbed and gladly follows his - uncle? - inside. Meanwhile, Lan Zhan seems just as confused as Wei Wuxian.

“You know da-ge, Wei Ying?” he asks, and well, Wei Ying thought he did, but apparently not enough to figure out that he has been Lan Xichen’s husband this entire time. He really should have guessed, there’s only one person who could be a-Yuan’s ‘Jue-gege’ who is both super tall and super strong.

“I mean, kinda? Nie Huaisang is one of my closest friends,” he says, and as if sensing they’re being talked about, their head pokes around a corner to look into the hallway.

“There you are! I was wondering what was taking you so long!” Nie Huaisang exclaims, a bright smile on their face. If he didn’t know them, Wei Ying would think they were completely innocent. But he does know them, and he can clearly see the mischievous glint in their eyes.

Suddenly, he realizes that they knew both his and Lan Zhan’s identities the entire time. He remembers telling them Lan Zhan’s name for the first time, and the flash of something in their eyes. What he saw was definitely recognition, and then the decision to play along to see what would happen. He felt like complete shit for thirsting over a married man. Nie Huaisang knew all along that there was no wife, but didn’t tell him. They could have spared him so much stress.

He’s furious.

“You’re a bitch sometimes, you know that?” he says, and then walks past his friend, ignoring them completely as he tries to locate the kitchen and Lan Xichen. 

The hallway opens into a living room, with the back wall being entirely made from windows, showing a gorgeous view of the backyard. Not that Wei Wuxian notices any of this, angrily marching toward the kitchen he spots on the left of the living room.

He walks up to the kitchen island, behind which Lan Xichen is tending to something on the stove. He places the pastry box down on it, and Lan Xichen must hear it, as he turns around to greet him.

“Ah, Wei Wuxian!” he starts, and then notices whatever expression is currently on his face. “Is something wrong?” he asks, and Wei Wuxian sighs. He’s so pissed, but he shouldn’t take it out on Lan Zhan’s brother. Or da-ge, for that matter. He didn’t really seem to be involved in his sibling’s scheming.

“I’m sorry. I’m just mad at a-Sang right now. Apparently they knew both me and Lan Zhan and could have saved us a whole bunch of trouble, but didn’t. I’ll be ignoring them for a bit. Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious,” he finishes, and forces himself to smile. The best way to make Nie Huaisang realize that you’re mad at them is to not give them any attention, so that’s what he’ll do.

“Ah. Yes, that does sound like them,” Lan Xichen sighs, and then seems to actually take note of the box on the island. “You absolutely didn’t have to bring anything! But these do look delicious,” he comments as he looks at the contents of the box. Wei Wuxian chuckles.

“I’m trying to impress Lan Zhan’s big brother. Of course I had to bring something!” he jokes, and then spots Nie Huaisang coming closer out of the corner of his eye. “Anyways, I’ll go see if I can find the kid so you can get your husband back,” he says, and then leaves the kitchen to go explore further. He hears excited giggles coming from one of the rooms in the other end of the house, so he heads over there.

***

He finds a-Yuan playing with da-ge in a room that seems to be set up exclusively for the kid, with a whole bed and toys strewn all over. They’re currently racing battery-driven cars on a track.

“Xian-gege! A-Yuan drive car super fast!” the kid greets enthusiastically, but without looking away from the cars. Wei Wuxian smiles and sits down on the floor next to them.

“I can see that, bunny. You’re doing great!” he encourages, and then exchanges a glance with Nie Mingjue, who is definitely fucking up on purpose. It’s hilarious to see such a huge guy sitting criss-cross applesauce on the floor and making a fool of himself to keep a child entertained. Still, it kinda suits him.

“So, how mad are you on a scale of one to ten?” da-ge asks, looking up from his car to look Wei Wuxian in the eyes. He sighs.

“At you? Not at all. At my traitor of a best friend? Very,” he says, and da-ge hums in a way that tells him to keep talking.

“I know they’re not vicious, and they definitely didn’t mean to hurt us. I’ll forgive them soon enough. But for now I’m ignoring them,” he says, and then busies himself with the car a-Yuan just handed him. Nie Mingjue chuckles.

“Fair enough. I think they’re getting an earful from a-Zhan right now,” he muses, and Wei Wuxian tries to imagine an angry Lan Zhan scolding him. He shudders.

“Can’t say I’m jealous,” he comments, and then sighs as his car drives off the track.

“Oh, really? I thought that’d be an item on your bucket list,” da-ge says flippantly, but the teasing smirk on his face shows that he’s perfectly aware of what he’s saying. Wei Wuxian flushes bright red.

“Da-ge! What are you saying? In front of the little bunny, too!” he exclaims, scandalized. He leans down to make eye contact with a-Yuan.

“I think your Jue-gege might be very silly, bunny,” he says seriously, as if declaring Nie Mingjue sick with the plague. A-Yuan looks over at his uncle, considering Wei Wuxian’s words. Then he nods.

“Mn. Very silly,” he says just as seriously, a perfect little replica of his father. Wei Wuxian feels his heart blow up into a million tiny pieces. Nie Mingjue, judging by his offended squawk, doesn’t find it nearly as cute.

(Lan Xichen never does get his husband back.)

***

Wei Wuxian didn’t know how he expected dinner to go, but he definitely didn’t expect this. The food is absolutely delicious. Lan Xichen made two kinds of stew; a vegetarian and bland one for the Lans, and a spicier one with meat for the rest of them. Along with those, there is rice and a wide variety of side dishes.

On the one hand, Wei Wuxian is much less nervous than he thought he’d be, now that he knows da-ge is the mysterious husband. It allows him to talk to the other people around the table with ease, and conversation flows easily. It’s mostly him, da-ge, and a-Yuan doing the talking, but still.

On the other, there is a tension he’s doing his best to ignore. He’s still pretending Nie Huaisang isn’t present, and they’re sulking at the end of the table, not speaking to anyone except a-Yuan whenever the kid says something to them. They look so miserable that Wei Wuxian almost feels bad for them. Then he remembers how they joked about him becoming a homewrecker while he was having a meltdown over Lan Zhan’s wife, and suddenly he doesn’t feel bad at all.

As they eat, he finds out that Lan Xichen is the head of Gusu Science, which is so cool! Apparently their uncle is the CEO of the entire company, but the individual branches need separate heads. Lan Xichen is the head of the tech branch, while some other guy is the head of the pharmaceutical branch. He teases Lan Zhan about staying as a lowly scientist, and going by the way the other adults at the table tense, he’s afraid he might have offended Lan Zhan somehow. He’s relieved when Lan Zhan doesn’t seem bothered at all.

“Mm. Do not wish to speak to others,” he says, and the others relax. There is definitely some history there, but Wei Ying decides not to pry.

“Ah, perhaps you’re right. Bacteria must be less bothersome than people,” Wei Ying jokes, and as Lan Wangji’s lips quirk up slightly, he notices the stunned look on Lan Xichen’s face. A second later, it has melted into a fond smile. 

Once everyone has finished their food and the plates are scraped clean, Nie Mingjue volunteers to do the dishes and drags his sibling along with him. Lan Xichen looks like he’s considering something for a moment, then turns to Lan Zhan.

“A-Zhan, why don’t you show a-Xian the music room? I want to hang out with my dear nephew,” he says, smiling at the kid. Lan Zhan hums, and then holds his hand out for Wei Ying to take. He does, and Lan Zhan leads him further down the corridor where A-Yuan’s room is located. They reach a room at the very end, and Wei Ying is stunned as he takes it in.

At the wall opposite the door, there is a huge bay window facing the backyard. It’s deep enough that a few cushions have been placed in it, in case anyone wants to sit down there. One of the remaining walls holds a huge bookcase, filled to the brim with books and notebooks. And the final wall has several shelves, all of them with musical instruments carefully laid on them. But the crown jewel of the room is the grand piano, placed slightly off-center in the room. It’s white, shiny, and gorgeous. It kinda makes Wei Ying wish he could play.

Besides the bench by the piano there is no proper seating in the room, so Wei Ying sits down in the bay window. Lan Zhan sits down on one of the poufs that are placed randomly on the floor.

“I spoke with Nie Huaisang. It seems they were unaware that you would be upset by their actions,” he starts, and Wei Ying can see the question in his eyes. Which, fair. To someone who doesn’t know how stressed out Wei Ying was, it probably seems like he’s overreacting.

“Did they ever tell you they knew me?” he asks, because he kinda wants to know if he was the only one who was deceived. Lan Zhan shakes his head.

“No. I did not speak much of you with them. I was afraid they would… tease me about it. But I remember noticing an odd look on their face whenever ge brought you up. I should have questioned them,” Lan Zhan sighs, and Wei Ying immediately shakes his head.

“Nah, they’re up to all kinds of things, it’s better for your peace of mind to never ask them any questions, ever,” he says, and Lan Zhan looks considering for a moment, then nods in agreement. Wei Ying curls into himself, hugging his legs to his chest and resting his head on his knees.

“I guess I’m just extra mad at them because I did talk about you with them. I mentioned your name and everything, and they didn’t even hint at knowing who you were,” he says, and then sighs heavily. “I was really stressed out about crushing on a married man, you know. They could have saved me a huge headache by letting me know your wife passed away,” he says, looking over at Lan Zhan - who still looks confused.

“My wife?” he questions, and Wei Ying hums. Lan Zhan never told him about her, after all. Maybe he finds it a bit awkward.

“I saw the picture in your living room. She was beautiful, by the way. I’m sorry for your loss,” he says. It’s probably the most considerate thing to do. But Lan Zhan just furrows his eyebrows.

“Wei Ying, that was not my wife. I have never been married. The woman in the picture was my cousin who passed away three years ago,” he says, and Wei Ying frowns. He feels like he’s suddenly missing a huge piece of the puzzle. He had built his entire perception of Lan Zhan’s love life around the assumption that she was his deceased wife.

“What about a-Yuan’s mom?” he asks, because now he has no idea how it all connects. Lan Zhan raises both of his eyebrows slightly.

“My cousin is a-Yuan’s biological mother. I adopted him when she and her husband died in a car accident,” he says, and Wei Ying is too shocked to even react. This is not what he expected at all. At least Lan Zhan has some mercy on him and keeps talking.

“Wei Ying, I am gay. I have absolutely no interest in women whatsoever. And I have never been romantically interested in a man until now,” Lan Zhan explains further, looking almost concerned at Wei Ying’s reaction. He has no idea what his face is doing at the moment. It probably looks horrified, because he is. How the fuck did he get this entire thing so wrong? His cheeks burn in embarrassment.

“I am so sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed! But you had a kid, so I figured there had to have been a woman involved. Then I saw the picture, and a-Yuan told me his mom passed, and I thought the whole thing made so much sense I didn’t really question it further,” he apologizes frantically, sitting up straight. But Lan Zhan looks amused, if anything.

“Do not apologize. Ge always tells me to mention my sexuality when I introduce myself. You are not the first to make the same mistake,” Lan Zhan says, and Wei Ying chuckles. Poor Lan Zhan! Having everyone assume he’s straight when he’s not, and then not knowing when to correct them. Now that he’s calming down slightly, Wei Ying’s mind catches up with everything else Lan Zhan said.

“So I really am the first person you’re dating?” he asks, to clarify. Lan Zhan frowns at him.

“I told you our first date was the first I ever attended,” he says, but this time he sounds less confused, and more like he thinks Wei Ying’s being stupid. It’s how most people sound when they speak with him for an extended period of time.

“Yeah, well, I still thought you were a widower then, so I just assumed you’d been in a relationship, but skipped the whole dating thing,” he defends himself, and then suddenly has something of a revelation. “Wait, does this mean I’m your first… everything?” he asks, hesitatingly. It won’t really make a difference in the long run, but it’s a big responsibility to make all of Lan Zhan’s firsts as good as possible!

Lan Zhan’s ears grow red.

“I have had a few… sexual dalliances. Not many, and none since I adopted a-Yuan,” he’s quick to explain, looking very flustered. Wei Ying grins widely, and then makes an exaggerated groan of disappointment.

“You mean I won’t get to steal your precious first kiss? You really know how to play with a man’s feelings, Lan Zhan,” he says with the biggest sigh he can muster. He even lays down on his back for dramatic effect. 

Before he can sit back up, Lan Zhan invades his field of vision. He’s leaning over Wei Ying, close enough for their noses to almost touch. He sure recovered quickly! There’s a teasing smirk on Lan Zhan’s face he hasn’t seen before. He swallows nervously.

“You can steal the only first kiss that matters,” Lan Zhan whispers, dangerously close to his ear. Wei Ying swallows again, eyes flicking up to make eye contact.

“Yeah?” he breathes out, and Lan Zhan hums. His eyes flick down to Wei Ying’s lips, and then back up to his eyes, clearly asking for permission. Wei Ying nods, and then Lan Zhan is on him.

He has never had his first kiss with someone while lying down, but it’s very nice. Probably even the best way to have a first kiss! He doesn’t remember when he put his hands above his head, but he must have at some point because that’s where Lan Zhan is currently holding both of his wrists with one hand. His other hand is gently resting on the side of Wei Ying’s face.

Lan Zhan certainly isn’t one to hesitate! The kiss is intense, almost desperate, from the very start. It almost feels like Lan Zhan has wanted to kiss Wei Ying for as long as Wei Ying has wanted to kiss him. And, after the conversation they just had, that might not be very far fetched. 

If he had had any doubts about Lan Zhan’s experience, they would have been dispelled by now. Wei Ying feels like Lan Zhan is devouring him, all the way to his very soul. It’s made so much better with the weight of Lan Zhan leaning over him. There’s heat spreading through his entire body. He has just enough time to briefly think that he probably shouldn’t rip Lan Zhan’s clothes off while they’re in Lan Xichen’s music room at family dinner, but then Lan Zhan slips his tongue into his mouth and any conscious thought is promptly turned to dust.

His hands move on their own accord and tangle themselves in Lan Zhan’s hair, which is thankfully completely down today. He’s happy to note that it feels just as soft as it looks.

He doesn’t really know how long they make out for, but they basically jump away from each other when there’s a loud knock on the door.

“Dessert soon!” Lan Xichen yells, and Wei Ying looks over at Lan Zhan. They’re both still wide-eyed with surprise, and panting heavily. He takes a moment to catch his breath, then grins.

“Thank you for so very graciously letting me steal that kiss, Lan Zhan,” he jokes, and Lan Zhan pretends to scowl at him. He reaches out to run his fingers through Lan Zhan’s hair and untangle it where his hands had just been busy messing it up. Poor a-Yuan has probably never seen his dad with messy hair, and Wei Ying is certainly not going to be the reason the first time he does.

They right their clothes where they have gotten slightly rumpled, but then they have to leave the room. Both their lips are redder than they were pre-makeout, and all the other adults are definitely going to know what went down in the music room. Unfortunately, there’s nothing they can do about it.

***

Thankfully, they get through dessert with a minimal amount of waggling eyebrows and knowing looks. Still, Wei Ying was meant to come here to impress Lan Xichen, not steal his baby brother’s virtue next to the piano! He’s counting his lucky stars that Lan Xichen seems to be the kind of older brother who prefers to tease his younger siblings rather than scare their partners away.

Then the conversation takes a turn he didn’t expect.

“So, a-Xian, as the head of Gusu Science, I don’t really have as much time to look into the products we make as I would like. But some time ago a-Zhan came to me and asked if we’re paying you enough for the things you send us,” he says loftily, and then fixes a curious gaze on Wei Ying. “You can surely understand my curiosity. So I did just a little bit of digging, and to my surprise I found that you’re the mind behind several of our products. If you don’t mind me asking, why aren’t you patenting them? It feels unfair that we buy them from you for next to nothing, and then stamp our name on them,” he says, and Wei Ying feels absolutely rooted in his chair.

His friends used to nag him about patenting his inventions. They were all talking about how they could make him a good amount of money. But it isn't really about the money for him, he just wants the products put out there.

“Ah, a friend of mine works at a local hospital, and sometimes I try to figure out solutions for things she complains about. I really just want the products made, and I figured companies would be more likely to produce them if they didn’t have to jump through hoops just to get the rights,” he says with a bashful shrug. He didn’t expect to be facing down the head of a whole company branch about his own economical decisions. He’s not sure how he feels about it.

“Altruism really is a good trait to have,” Lan Xichen continues with a thoughtful hum, and Wei Ying moves uncomfortably on his chair. “However, several of your inventions are brilliant. I guarantee you that we would still want to acquire them, even if we had to ‘jump through hoops’, as you say,” he continues. Wei Ying watches with some desperation as the Nies and a-Yuan leave the table, leaving him with two well-meaning but stubborn Lans. This feels like a coordinated attack.

“I just figured it would be too much money and effort to spend on ideas from a random guy. I’m not even a real engineer, I barely got through half of my degree before I dropped out,” he says, rubbing his neck. This topic is getting uncomfortably close to things he absolutely does not want to discuss.

“A good invention is a good invention no matter where it comes from. How about this: I could help you patent some of the inventions we have already acquired. Then you won’t have to worry about it being too much of a hassle for us, and I won’t have to feel like we’re using your talents without compensating you,” Lan Xichen suggests with a kind smile. 

Wei Ying thinks this might be what it is like to do business with the man, and he’s very happy he won’t really be in that position. It’s a good suggestion, is the thing. He desperately needs money, and if the company already produces the product…

“Will other companies still be able to make similar products?” he asks, because that is another reason why he never bothered with selling patents. What use would it be, if one company were to hoard it for themselves only to then hike up the prices to make it difficult for people who need the products to get them. 

“Of course! We often share patents with other companies at a small sum. A lot of our equipment could be lifesaving, and it would go against my own personal ethics to use them to make money. We would pay you a monthly sum for the use of your patents, and when we share them with other companies you would get a share of the money we get from them,” Lan Xichen promises, and even without Lan Zhan’s pleading look Wei Ying would have agreed.

It’s too good a deal to give it up, especially if it could make his own life slightly less stressful. He trusts Lan Xichen to be a man of his words.

“Then yeah, sure. Just send me the details later, Lan Zhan can give you my number,” he agrees and Lan Xichen’s smile grows brighter by several degrees.

“Great! Thank you, hopefully a-Zhan won’t have to threaten me for exploiting you now,” he jokes, and winks at Wei Ying when Lan Zhan’s ears go red.

***

They leave not long after that whole conversation, and Wei Ying feels as if his entire life has been changed over the course of an evening. Lan Xichen’s husband is Nie Mingjue, Nie Huaisang knew all along that there wasn’t a wife, there was never a wife, a-Yuan is adopted, and now he’s apparently about to have several patented inventions under his name. Oh, and he kissed Lan Zhan! A lot!

He manages to process everything somewhat during the drive home, and he feels positively giddy when Lan Zhan parks by the curb next to his apartment building. He turns to Lan Zhan, feeling incredibly warm and soft and gooey all over. His smile probably reflects all of his emotions, if Lan Zhan’s flustered face is anything to go by. 

“Thank you, Lan Zhan. Really. There was a bit of a rough start, but tonight was really great,” he says, as sincerely as he possibly can. The sentiment must get across, because Lan Zhan hums softly. Checking that a-Yuan is still asleep in the backseat, Wei Ying leans across the center console. But whereas last week he had settled for a quick kiss to Lan Zhan’s cheek, now he places a soft kiss on his lips. 

Lan Zhan kisses him back, and seems reluctant to stop when Wei Ying starts pulling away.

“I should let you get home so you can tuck the little bunny into bed. Text me when you get home?” he murmurs, speaking in a voice that is barely louder than a whisper. The moment feels too fragile for loud voices.

Lan Zhan nods, and with a smile Wei Ying exits the car. He jogs up the steps to the main entrance, and in a sudden fit of extreme cheesiness turns around and blows a kiss in the direction of Lan Zhan’s car. 

His heart completely melts when he sees the silhouette of Lan Zhan pretending to catch it.

Chapter Text

After the family dinner, a lot of things happen. Well, maybe not that many, but it feels like a lot for Wei Ying. The following day he texts Nie Huaisang, telling them he isn’t mad anymore but that he doesn’t want them to mess around with his relationship more than they’ve already done.

A few days after that, he gets a text from Lan Xichen that he has compiled the paperwork he will need to sign to get his patents. He reassures him that he’ll only need to write his signature, but that he’ll have Lan Zhan hand over the entire pile of papers for Wei Ying to go through in his own time. Which means that the very next Tuesday Lan Zhan shows up at the burger joint with a thick pile of papers. Unfortunately, Lan Zhan shows up just as Jared has left the kitchen to come bother Wei Ying, and he gives the pile an overtly suspicious look. Wei Ying can barely stop himself from rolling his eyes at the guy. God forbid he has personal stuff to do. He’s very tempted to bring his proof of citizenship to work just to explain to Jared that he is, in fact, a proper citizen and he’s not doing anything shady.

He skims through the papers for the first invention in the pile, and concludes that the deal will be just as Lan Xichen described it. No between-the-lines shadiness detected, he signs it, and then signs the rest of them with nothing more than a brief look to make sure it all says the same as the first one. The next time he sees Lan Zhan, for a very quick lunch, he hands him the pile to bring back to his brother.

He also finds himself much more inspired to work on Nie Huaisang’s painting now that he knows that Lan Xichen is Nie Mingjue’s husband. With only the direction to use neutral colors, he had planned to make a very bare-bones mountain landscape. Da-ge is a very black-grey-white kinda guy, so that’s what Wei Ying had planned to work with, with some browns to make it warmer.

But now he’s seen their house, with the flower boxes and big garden, and he knows Lan Xichen. Simple mountains just won’t do. So he changes the picture he had sketched on the canvas to include a meadow full of flowers in the foreground. The mountains will still be in the back, and he’ll stick with the colour scheme he had initially planned for them. But then the flowers will bring a pop of brighter colours which he thinks will fit their general vibe better. It deviates from the directive he had gotten from Nie Huaisang, but he’s positive the people who will actually own the painting will like it. Call it artistic license or whatever.

(And maybe he is still a little bit salty.)

Thankfully he manages to finish it ahead of schedule, because once October ends his inbox starts filling up with commissions again. The holiday season is coming up, and the people who think ahead have evidently already started buying Christmas presents. It gets to a point where he has ten paintings to finish before Christmas eve and Wen Qing suggests that he should put up a deadline for people to send their commissions in if they want them before the holidays. He does, unfortunately, still need his daytime job so he very grudgingly does as she says. 

He doesn’t need some Karen to blow a gasket on him for not being able to complete a Christmas painting she sent in a commission for on the 22nd. 

It does, however, mean that when he’s not at the burger joint he’s basically locked into his studio and completely unreachable. Well, he changes his settings so Lan Zhan can always reach him, but those are his very special dating-Wei-Ying privileges. Still, he feels kinda bad for blowing possibly the best man in the entire world off most times. 

Not that Lan Zhan berates him for prioritizing his painting over their budding relationship. He does the opposite, really - he immediately backs off if Wei Ying says he’s busy and leaves him an encouraging message. He’s so sweet even when Wei Ying isn’t being a very good future partner, and it makes his heart hurt.

He does find the time to go over to the penthouse one evening for dinner with Lan Zhan and a-Yuan, and then a movie with Lan Zhan when the kid goes to bed. It doubles as both a date and a birthday celebration, as Wei Ying’s birthday just passed. He hasn’t been one for birthday parties since he left university, and he’s been too busy with projects this year to really celebrate it. He had a game night with his friends the day of, and then the dinner with Lan Zhan and a-Yuan a week later.

But that’s not really anything to brag about. So when they reach the tail-end of November, and they have been dating for like a month and a half, and Lan Zhan shyly suggests that he could leave a-Yuan with his own uncle for the weekend so they can spend some time together as a couple, Wei Ying refuses to say no. He would feel like the worst person ever if he turned Lan Zhan down when he’s trying to arrange something nice for them.

So he agrees, and decides he’ll work around the clock for the entire week if he has to. He doesn’t want to have anything to worry about besides spending time with Lan Zhan.

***

Wei Ying is rushing around his apartment on Friday afternoon, trying to find everything he needs to bring with him to Lan Zhan’s place. Somehow he has lost the travel charger for his phone, and if he doesn’t find it he’ll have to bring the charger from his bedroom. Which would then fuck his entire system up, because the entire point of the travel charger is to always be able to leave the one in his bedroom, or he’ll loose that one too. At least Wen Ning is at home, so he can keep watch for when Lan Zhan shows up while Wei Ying searches, so he doesn’t miss it.

“You said the car is white, right?” Wen Ning asks from the kitchen, and Wei Ying nearly flips all of the sofa cushions over in his efforts to find his charger. Lan Zhan is here! And he doesn’t have everything yet!

He gives up on the living room and returns to his bedroom to search his clothes again. He always brings it with him to work, but it definitely wasn’t in the bag, so maybe he had stuffed it into one of his pockets? Nevermind that he has already looked through all of his dirty laundry. 

He’s frantically searching around when he finally catches a glimpse of something white in the pocket of one of the jackets hanging from the back of his bedroom door. He looks closer, and that’s definitely his travel charger! He doesn’t know how it ended up in one of his door jackets, because they’re the jackets he doesn’t really use, but he doesn’t have time to think about that. Lan Zhan’s waiting for him!

He runs back to the hallway and quickly stuffs the charger into his open backpack. He puts on his combat boots, which thankfully zip up. He does not have time for laces. He barely notices Wen Ning, who is leaning against the kitchen doorframe with an amused expression on his face.

He grabs his jacket, not even bothering to put it on, and then turns to his dearest roommate.

“Gotta run! Bye, have fun having the place to yourself for the entire weekend! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” he says with a smile, and then moves toward the door. He hears Wen Ning laugh behind him.

“Have fun, Ying-ge,” he says, and then Wei Ying is out the door and rushing down the stairs. He’s completely out of breath when he finally reaches Lan Zhan’s car and slides into the passenger seat.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan greets him with a frown on his face. “We are in no hurry,” he says, and Wei Ying gives him his brightest smile.

“Well, I haven’t seen you in forever and I’m not about to extend my suffering more than necessary,” he flirts, and Lan Zhan glances over at a-Yuan meaningfully. They have been careful around the kid, and he doesn’t intend to stop, but he thinks he’s allowed to mess with Lan Zhan just a little bit.

“You agree with me, right bunny? I should never be away from your baba?” he asks the kid, turning around to smile at him. A-Yuan nods enthusiastically from his seat.

“Mhm! Baba and Xian-gege is together! A-Yuan will go play with grandpa!” he says, and Wei Ying nods along. He kinda wonders how Lan Zhan managed to sell this entire deal to him. He’s not trying to oversell himself, but he’s pretty sure a-Yuan probably protested a little bit about being dumped with Lan Zhan’s uncle while his dear dad gets to spend a whole weekend with Wei Ying.

Oh well, clearly the kid is excited about it now at least. Wei Ying leans back against his seat, and takes great enjoyment in seeing Lan Zhan’s bright red ears. But once they’re all settled, Lan Zhan turns serious.

“Shufu will want to meet you. We will not go inside, but I would appreciate it if you come with me to the door,” he says, and he looks kinda apprehensive. That’s definitely a look Wei Ying wants a partner to have when they’re about to introduce him to a family member.

“You’re looking kinda stressed about this. Should I be stressed?” he asks, because he’d prefer to know what he’s walking into. Lan Zhan sighs, and glances into the rearview mirror, as if to check whether a-Yuan is listening.

“My uncle is… particular. A first meeting is best kept short,” he says, which doesn’t make Wei Ying feel better at all, actually.

“Particular how? Homophobic particular?” he asks, hesitatingly, because he feels like that is something he should really know before meeting this man. Thankfully, Lan Zhan shakes his head.

“Mm. Shufu is traditional, but not bigoted. He is, however, protective of me and ge, and he can be judgemental,” he explains, and Wei Ying can kinda see what Lan Zhan is worried about.

“And here you’re bringing a pierced, tattooed, uneducated minimum-wage worker to meet him. How rebellious, Lan Zhan!” he jokes, feeling a bit better. He can deal with people looking down on him for those things. They’re decisions he’s made, and he’s used to people thinking he’s an idiot. His sexuality isn’t exactly something he can help.

Lan Zhan takes advantage of the red lights in front of them to glare at Wei Ying.

“Wei Ying is not uneducated. But yes, that is what shufu will think,” he sighs, and Wei Ying grins at him.

“Don’t worry, Lan Zhan. I’m used to the older generation disapproving of me. And like you said, we’re only meeting him briefly,” he points out, and Lan Zhan hums in agreement, even if he still looks tense.

***

They eventually arrive at a modest townhouse, painted a muted blue. A-Yuan is bouncing as they walk up to the door, for once not at all picking up on the general mood around him. They wait for only a moment after knocking, and then the door opens. 

Lan Zhan’s uncle is a man who looks like he’s in his early fifties, with an old-timey beard going on. There’s a stern look in his eyes, but at least he seems to soften when faced with a-Yuan.

“Good evening, Yuan. Why don’t you say goodbye to your baba and his friend and then go inside and unpack? I will follow soon,” the man says, sounding gruff but affectionate. A-Yuan does as he says, cheerfully waving goodbye before he takes his little shoes off and runs further into the house. Once he’s gone, the man before him looks Wei Ying up and down.

He makes sure he’s got a proper posture for once, and that his smile is just big enough to be polite.

“Hello, sir. I’m Wei Wuxian,” he says, and does a proper bow. He may not act like it most of the time, but aunt Yu did beat some proper manners into him at one point. It’s certainly useful in situations like these. At least Lan Zhan’s uncle seems pleasantly surprised for all of half a second before his face goes back to being disapprovingly neutral.

“Lan Qiren. I hear you have been… seeing my nephew,” the man, Lan Qiren, greets, and while he doesn’t exactly sound enthusiastic, he doesn’t seem to hate him just yet. Wei Ying thinks that’s a win.

“Wei Ying is my partner. I wanted you to meet him briefly before we leave a-Yuan,” Lan Zhan says, and Wei Ying can only barely keep his eyebrows from shooting up. He certainly can’t remember talking about becoming boyfriends. Not that he minds. He definitely doesn’t mind. In fact, he’d be very happy to be Lan Zhan’s boyfriend. He just took him by surprise.

Lan Qiren gives them a considering look, and Wei Ying tries to look as respectable as he possibly can.

“I trust you to keep Yuan’s best in mind,” he finally says, which, ouch. The insinuation that Wei Ying is not good for a-Yuan stings. More than he thought it would. Not like he’s constantly worried about whether he’s a good influence on a-Yuan or anything. Nah, everyone knows Wei Wuxian can’t be trusted with that kind of responsibility.

“I always do,” Lan Zhan replies cooly, and yeah. Definitely a good call on Lan Zhan’s part to  make their first meeting short. He’s so smart! But Wei Ying thinks he’ll have an anxiety attack if they stay for much longer. This conversation certainly took a turn!

Thankfully, because Lan Zhan is so smart, it seems like he can read minds. Or at least Wei Ying’s mind.

“We will be taking our leave. I will call a-Yuan later to wish him a good night,” he says, gives his uncle a shallow bow, and then takes Wei Ying’s hand to lead him back to the car. He barely has the time to process what just happened before they’re both back in their seats. Lan Zhan takes a shaky breath before he turns the ignition on, and Wei Ying looks over at him. His jaw is clenched, and his left hand is gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles are turning white. He watches as Lan Zhan forcibly unclenches his jaw, and then starts pulling out from the driveway.

Wei Ying doesn’t really want to discuss Lan Qiren’s opinions on himself just yet, and he thinks he can safely assume that Lan Zhan doesn’t either. So he chooses to bring up the only part of the interaction they just had that he liked.

“‘Partner’, huh?” he asks, grinning. It seems Lan Zhan didn’t expect that to be what Wei Ying wants to bring up, because he startles enough that all the previous tension leaves his body and he looks over at Wei Ying in confusion.

“Are we not partners?” he asks, and it says a lot about how much Wei Ying has gotten to know him that he can tell that Lan Zhan is feeling insecure, but is trying to cover it up with sass.

“We could be for sure, but normally that’s a whole different conversation that happens after people have been dating for a while,” he says, and watches in real time as Lan Zhan’s ears go from light pink to flaming red in embarrassment.

“I did not realize… If it is too soon for you…” Lan Zhan hesitates, and Wei Ying can’t have that! His lovely, about-to-be boyfriend should never be embarrassed about anything!

“My best friends are U-haul lesbians, Lan Zhan. This is nothing compared to them! I’ll forgive you for forgetting that conversation, just this once,” he says, and stretches his legs out as much as he can, going for a lazy and nonchalant vibe. At least Lan Zhan seems to be smiling a genuine smile when he glances at him from the corner of his eye.

“Mn. I will remember to tell Wei Ying that I intend for him to be my partner the next time I ask him to date me,” Lan Zhan jokes, and Wei Ying sits up properly again with a bright smile.

“You better!” he agrees. “But just to be sure, will you be my boyfriend, Lan Zhan?” he asks, and even though he now knows that they’ve been boyfriends for a while in Lan Zhan’s mind, he feels giddy with it. Lan Zhan hums, as if this is a very serious decision to make and he’s not sure what to say.

“I suppose,” he eventually says, and Wei Ying cackles at Lan Zhan being the one to pretend to be nonchalant this time.

“Lan Zhan! I’d like a little bit more enthusiasm,” he says, and pouts exaggeratedly. He does not expect the hungry look Lan Zhan sends his way.

“I will show you just how enthusiastic I am when we get home,” he says, and Wei Ying chokes on air. Unfair! Lan Zhan can’t just go from playful flirting to sexy flirting like that! Wei Ying is but a feeble old man, his poor heart can’t take such intense shifts.

***

After Lan Zhan makes that comment, the mood shifts completely. First it had been pretty relaxed, then they were tense, they turned it to playful, and now it’s anticipatory and horny. Or at least Wei Ying’s horny, Lan Zhan looks just as composed as ever. But Wei Ying catches him looking over at him several times, and he’s pretty sure Lan Zhan feels the same.

The thing is, of course he thought - maybe even hoped - that a weekend alone with Lan Zhan would lead to them ending up in bed for something other than sleeping. In university, he was a notorious party-goer, and he hooked up at those parties regularly. And it was fun at the time! But after he dropped out, he had other things to worry about. Also, he wasn’t joking when he told Lan Zhan that he’s a romantic. When he stopped partying, he stopped hooking up. The only time he got some was while dating someone, and it’s been… a while since his last relationship. All this to say, he’s incredibly pent up, and now he’s got an incredibly hot boyfriend who he will be spending an entire weekend with, with no toddler around. 

He thinks it’s fair that he’s just about ready to beg Lan Zhan to take him to bed. Especially since it has apparently been over three years since he got some, so he’s probably at least as pent up as Wei Ying.

After what feels like an eternity, but also no time at all, they arrive at the apartment building. Wei Ying thinks he does a very admirable job of pretending like he doesn’t want to jump Lan Zhan as they walk through the lobby. He even greets the lady behind the reception desk!

(Somewhere in the back of his mind he wonders whether the desk is always manned. It seems very over the top for an apartment building. Well, a question for later. He’s got other priorities right now.)

He is only slightly disappointed that Lan Zhan doesn’t push him up against the wall of the elevator to kiss him. Instead, his very lovely boyfriend stands with his hands behind his back and looks up at the ceiling, looking as if he is contemplating what they should eat for dinner. The only thing giving him away is the way just one of the corners of his mouth ticks up ever so slightly. Lan Zhan is teasing him! 

Lan Zhan continues to pretend that he isn’t fully aware that he’s driving Wei Ying insane when they exit the elevator and enter the apartment. He takes his shoes off, and puts them neatly into the shoe rack. He takes his jacket off, and then takes Wei Ying’s jacket from his arms to hang that up as well, like a proper gentleman. Then he offers to take Wei Ying’s backpack and bring it to the bedroom. Wei Ying lets him take it, but then he follows him to the bedroom anyway. If Lan Zhan can tease him with the promise of sex, then he’s allowed to tease him right back.

Lan Zhan’s bed is properly made, as expected, with a bed cover over the bedding. Which means that Wei Ying feels confident enough to lie down on the bed even with his outside clothes on. He doesn’t know if that’s like a thing for Lan Zhan, but better safe than sorry.

So while Lan Zhan puts Wei Ying’s backpack down for him, he lies back on the bed, sprawling all over it and making sure that his ass is in view. It’s his best quality, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t make use of it.

“Lan Zhaaaaan,” he whines, pouting innocently. He’s very pleased with the way Lan Zhan stops completely once he sees him, and how his eyes run hungrily over his entire body. He’s almost got him!

“Didn’t you say you were gonna pound me into next week enthusiastically?” he asks, still whining and still feigning innocence. Lan Zhan huffs, and it sounds so much like a laugh that Wei Ying has to fight to stay in character.

“I said no such thing,” Lan Zhan responds, but he does walk over to the dresser, where he stands in front of a mirror and takes his hair tie out, and unbuttons the top two buttons on his shirt.

“I think it was implied,” Wei Ying says, now grinning at Lan Zhan as they make eye contact through the mirror. His boyfriend looks thoroughly amused.

“Perhaps. If that is something Wei Ying wants, there is lube and condoms in the bedside table on your left,” he says, and Wei Ying knows an order when he hears one. He rolls over on his left side, and opens the bedside table to rifle through its contents until he finds what he’s after. Instead, his eyes catch on a very plain, grey box. He eyes his boyfriend, who is now fully smirking at him.

“What would I find if I opened this box, I wonder?” he muses. He could hazard a pretty good guess, though.

“My private collection,” Lan Zhan confirms, completely unbothered by the prospect of Wei Ying looking through his sex toys. He has to admit, this sexy and confident version of Lan Zhan is so so so so hot, and no one else is gonna get to see it ever again. 

“How scandalous!” Wei Ying exclaims, and Lan Zhan actually rolls his eyes at him, still through the mirror. He has undone another two buttons. 

“I had to find other alternatives when I could no longer bring men home. Did you want me to ‘pound you into next week’ or not?” he says, and there’s an impatient tone to his voice now, which is absolutely doing it for Wei Ying. They haven’t negotiated any of this. They haven’t discussed sex at all, actually. They should discuss it, Wei Ying knows better than to do a scene he hasn’t negotiated.

But it’s so hot, and he trusts Lan Zhan. And no one has ever accused Wei Ying of having even a smidge of self control.

He leaves the toy box alone and grabs the lube and one of the condoms lying on top of it. He throws both on the bed behind him, closes the bedside table, and moves to lie back on the bed again. Once Lan Zhan is back in his field of vision, he has somehow already taken the rest of his shirt off and Wei Ying is treated to Lan Zhan’s incredibly sexy naked back. Then his boyfriend turns around to face him and he gets to rove his eyes over his even sexier chest. He already knew that Lan Zhan was fit, but now he’s practically salivating at the unhindered sight of his very defined chest and abs. 

Wei Ying himself is toned, sure, but he will probably never come anywhere near Lan Zhan’s incredible physique.

While Wei Ying is busy ogling him like a piece of meat, Lan Zhan advances toward the bed. He looks pleased when he spots the lube and condom, and then his eyes turn predatory when they look back to Wei Ying.

He’s already half hard and he’s afraid this might last for an embarrassingly short amount of time.

Lan Zhan finally reaches the bed, and crawls on top of it until he’s hovering over Wei Ying. This close, Wei Ying can smell the sandalwood of his cologne, and a strand of his hair falls down to caress the side of his face. Lan Zhan leans down to whisper in his ear.

“You seemed to like my hair in ge’s music room. Feel free to pull,” Lan Zhan’s whisper is more air than actual voice, and it sends shivers through Wei Ying’s entire body. His hands move on their own accord and tangle themselves in Lan Zhan’s soft hair as he pulls him down for a forceful kiss. 

It’s open-mouthed and hot immediately. Their first kiss had been very hot, of course, but it hadn’t felt desperate. This kiss though, is all desperation. It’s like they’re both trying to swallow the other whole. Wei Ying moans into it, and gets another full-body shiver when Lan Zhan groans in response. It’s like he can feel that sound all the way through his bones. Lan Zhan is using one hand to hold himself up, but the other has found its way underneath Wei Ying’s t-shirt, and it’s steadily making its way toward his chest. 

He lets go of Lan Zhan’s hair, and moves his hands down to try and take his t-shirt off, and Lan Zhan moves away from him just enough to make it possible, and as soon as the offending piece of fabric is tossed aside, he’s on him again, just as forceful. Lan Zhan’s free hand finds one of his nipples and pinches it.

“Ah! Lan Zhan!” he moans, and only gets another pinch in response. Lan Zhan sits back slightly, eyes roving over Wei Ying’s body. Right, he hasn’t actually seen my tattoos. Sure, they extend down to his forearms just enough to peek out if he rolls his sleeves up, but otherwise they’re almost always covered up. Wei Ying himself is so used to them by now that he doesn’t really think about them anymore.

On his left arm, he has a string of lotus flowers for his siblings, and on his chest he has his parents’ names written in Chinese characters. His right arm is purely aesthetic, with a leafy half-sleeve. 

“Very sexy,” Lan Zhan comments, and then his head moves, trailing kisses down Wei Ying’s face until he reaches his throat. As Lan Zhan starts sucking, one of Wei Ying’s hands moves back into his hair, while the other is busy trying to feel up as much of Lan Zhan’s upper body as he can reach. He wants to map every inch of his skin, first with his hand, and then maybe with his lips and tongue. Probably at another time though, because by now he’s basically fully hard, and he starts grinding his dick against Lan Zhan’s thigh.

Lan Zhan flexes, and moves to accommodate his grinding, but he does not let up on his neck. Wei Ying has a feeling he’s gonna look like he got absolutely mauled before this weekend is over, but he’s not complaining.

“Lan Zhan… Please,” he whines, voice so breathy he can barely make out his own words. His darling boyfriend bites him for his efforts. 

“Impatient,” Lan Zhan practically growls, and Wei Ying’s dick twitches in his pants.

“Please, I want… I want to feel you, Lan Zhan,” he tries. He’s growing desperate for real now. He thinks he can feel Lan Zhan’s cock against the outside of his thigh, and he wants it so bad. At least Lan Zhan shows him some mercy and undoes the buttons on both their pants.

“How do you want to feel me, Wei Ying?” Lan Zhan asks, and holy shit Wei Ying never wants anyone else to dom him ever again. In fact, he’ll probably forget there were any doms before Lan Zhan once this is over. He’s just so fucking hot. 

“I want you inside, I want your cock so bad Lan Zhan, please,” he begs, because maybe then Lan Zhan will have mercy on him. He almost cries out when Lan Zhan moves away instead, but stops himself when Lan Zhan starts pushing his pants down.

His face is flushed and his eyes hungry as he looks at Wei Ying. Lan Zhan seems especially interested in the tattoos on Wei Yings’ upper body, given the way his eyes roam over them. He shimmies out of his pants without breaking eye contact, and then immediately pulls his underwear off as well. His cock springs free, and strains toward his stomach. He’s huge. Like, only-ever-seen-in-porn huge. Wei Ying’s eyes widen as he thinks of taking all of that inside himself. It will be the largest cock he’s ever taken, by far. Including his dildos.

Lan Zhan doesn’t seem interested in letting Wei Ying stare at him, as he starts pulling his pants off as soon as he has discarded his own underwear. Wei Ying lifts his butt into the air in an attempt to make it easier to remove his remaining clothes, and soon enough they’re both naked. 

Wei Ying’s dick is leaking by now, and Lan Zhan carefully touches the tip with his thumb, smearing his precum around.

“So wet for me,” he murmurs, and he sounds so very pleased that Wei Ying’s dick twitches against his hand. Lan Zhan looks up at him, with a question in his eyes. By now Wei Ying’s brain has halfway shut down, just focused on the pleasure, so he doesn’t really know what Lan Zhan is asking. He nods anyway, because he trusts Lan Zhan.

And then Lan Zhan bends down and takes Wei Ying into his mouth. 

He only takes the head, but Wei Ying still moans loud enough that he thinks it could be heard from the street many floors down. Lan Zhan’s mouth is so warm and so wet, and when his tongue laps up the precum and teases the slit, what else can he do but moan and try his very best not to cum before they get to the part he really wants?

A few moments later, Lan Zhan lets go of his dick and looks up at Wei Ying. Wei Ying imagines he looks dishevelled and flushed and probably sweaty, but Lan Zhan seems to like what he sees.

“Wei Ying still wants my cock?” he asks, and while Wei Ying somewhere in the back of his mind appreciates that he double checks to make sure, he is mostly just baffled that Lan Zhan thinks there could be even a possibility that he wouldn’t want his huge and beautiful cock inside him. Somehow Lan Zhan must see the sentiment on his face, because he leans down to kiss Wei Ying as he reaches for the lube.

“I need to make sure. Tell me if anything hurts or you want to stop,” he says, like the good guy he is, and then he gets back to kissing Wei Ying, as he fucking should. His lips have been neglected for far too long.

He can taste himself on Lan Zhan’s tongue, and it’s so fucking good he forgets about everything else for a second. Which means he’s not prepared to suddenly feel a finger covered in cold lube start circling his rim. He tenses up briefly, but then relaxes fast enough that Lan Zhan doesn’t have the time to express any concern. It’s been so long since he did this that it feels odd, but it doesn’t take very long for him to get back into the groove of things.

When Lan Zhan starts sucking on his neck again. Wei Ying tries to grind down on his finger to show that he’s ready for more. He’s gonna need a ton of prep if he’s to take that monster when he’s so out of practice, but he’s determined to succeed. He tenses up again, briefly, when Lan Zhan’s first finger enters him. Lan Zhan stops moving entirely, but thankfully doesn’t pull out.

“Sorry,” Wei Ying breathes, “It’s been a while. Keep going,” he says, and Lan Zhan does. 

He slowly works his one finger in, and thrusts it in and out to stretch him enough for a second finger. Wei Ying is getting used to the sensation by now, and moves his hips to grind down on the finger. Meanwhile, Lan Zhan has graduated from sucking on Wei Ying’s neck to biting it. Wei Ying vaguely registers a second finger prodding around his rim, focused on the mouth practically gnawing on him. He never would have guessed that Lan Zhan would be a biter! Not that he’s complaining.

The second finger works its way into him alongside the first one with no issue, and Lan Zhan starts slowly scissoring him open. He’s so gentle with it, and Wei Ying is starting to feel really good. He hadn’t really flagged at any point of their ministrations, but he stopped leaking precum when the first finger entered him. Now he’s getting wet again and he’s moaning with every move Lan Zhan makes.

A third finger enters him, and eventually also a fourth. At that point, he’s starting to get impatient again. He’s ready! So he starts grinding down on the fingers and begging Lan Zhan to put his cock in him. Begging seemed to work earlier, and he’s certainly not above doing it again. 

Finally, Lan Zhan pulls his fingers out. Wei Ying manages to bite back a whine at being empty again, and instead moves himself into position, spreading his legs wider as Lan Zhan puts the condom on.

“It would be easier on all fours,” Lan Zhan says, and he looks a bit concerned. Wei Ying shakes his head resolutely.

“No, I want to see you,” he says, and Lan Zhan concedes immediately. Condom on, he hovers over Wei Ying again, but this time watches as he guides himself toward Wei Ying’s hole. Wei Ying tenses slightly when he feels the blunt head of Lan Zhan’s cock against him, but then takes a breath and forces himself to relax. Lan Zhan pushes in slowly, giving Wei Ying plenty of time to accommodate his size, but he doesn’t really need it. Lan Zhan prepped him well, and he barely even feels a sting as the huge cock enters him, just pressure.

Once he is fully inside Wei Ying, Lan Zhan leans down to kiss him as he waits for him to adjust. The kiss is deep and passionate, and it feels like… more, than their other kisses. Not as desperate, but like it has more feeling behind it.

Eventually, Lan Zhan starts to move. Wei Ying would have been happy to just hold him inside of him (something to consider for later?) because even just that felt so good. But as Lan Zhan starts moving, all thoughts of cock warming fly out the window, and he just tries to hold on.

Lan Zhan picks up the pace fast, and soon he’s pounding into Wei Ying, seemingly chasing only his own pleasure if not for the way he manages to hit Wei Ying’s prostate on every thrust. Wei Ying has wrapped his arms around Lan Zhan’s back, and he’s sure he’s leaving claw marks to rival those of wild animals. He can’t get a single word out, except for the occasional swear or moan of Lan Zhan’s name.

Lan Zhan isn’t faring much better. To no one’s surprise, he isn’t as vocal as Wei Ying in bed. But he’s moaning and groaning with every thrust, and breathes out Wei Ying’s name whenever his hole clenches around his cock.

Wei Ying’s orgasm hits him like a freight train. One moment he’s hanging on to Lan Zhan for dear life, and the next cum is spurting out of his dick in thick ropes and he’s all but convulsing in Lan Zhan’s arms. It’s not uncommon for him to come untouched, but it’s not usually this fast. But he’s too wrung out to even feel surprised, and he falls back against the bed as Lan Zhan fucks him through the aftershocks, and then tenses as he also comes. Wei Ying moans when he feels Lan Zhan’s cock pulsing inside of himself, and then promptly blacks out.

***

An hour later, they’re curled up on the couch together, Lan Zhan in soft silk pajamas, and Wei Ying in sweatpants and one of Lan Zhan’s t-shirts, which is hanging loosely on his body. Lan Zhan had somehow managed to clean both of them up before Wei Ying came back to himself. When he did, Lan Zhan had carried him to the bathroom and drawn him a bath with some nicely scented epsom salts to help his already aching muscles.

While Wei Ying had been relaxing in the warm water, Lan Zhan had ordered food, and when Wei Ying joined him in the living room, he had been greeted by a veritable feast of Thai food. With his most immediate horniness taken care of, Wei Ying really just wanted to cuddle. He always craves physical touch after sex, and the harder he goes down, the more of it he wants. So he curled up on the couch next to Lan Zhan, and then leaned against him with his entire body.

Lan Zhan is focused on the TV, trying to find something to watch on Netflix, but he angles his body to make it more comfortable for Wei Ying to rest on. Looking at the screen, it’s very obvious that Lan Zhan does not have a Netflix account for his own enjoyment. All of his recently watched and currently watching categories consist solely of children’s movies and shows.

“You’re a really good dad, Lan Zhan,” he mumbles, because he suspects Lan Zhan doesn’t get to hear it very often. His mind flashes to Lan Qiren in the doorway, strongly suggesting that Lan Zhan hasn’t considered his son when choosing his partner.

“Thank you, Wei Ying. It is… difficult. I did not have good role models,” he says, and his jaw moves just slightly, like he’s gearing up to say more but isn’t sure how to word it. Wei Ying rests his head in the crook of Lan Zhan’s neck and waits.

“My mother died from suicide when I was six. She was always smiling and kind to me and ge, but I found out later that she had a history of mental illness and had a bad episode just before it happened. After she passed, father became distant and forced uncle to become our legal guardian. Then father died when I was eight, and uncle was left to raise us. I think it is because of our parents’... mistakes, that he was so strict with us. He still wishes for us to be careful. It comes from a place of concern, but he finds it difficult that his idea of what is good for us might not be accurate. Also, he never wanted to raise children,” Lan Zhan says, in what is basically a verbal essay for him. He sighs heavily, and all Wei Ying can imagine is baby Lan Zhan - looking just like a-Yuan - being turned over to a strict uncle when his dad couldn’t be bothered anymore.

It makes his blood boil for a second, but he’s still tired and Lan Zhan doesn’t need his anger, so he calms down.

“I’m sorry, baobei. I don’t know if a-Yuan tattled, but my parents also died when I was a kid. House fire when I was four. I didn’t have any other relatives, so I bounced around different foster homes for a while. So trust me when I say you’re doing a great job. Your kid’s flourishing,” he says, placing a soft kiss on Lan Zhan’s throat. A-Yuan really is well-adjusted, and he’s such a happy kid. But then again, Lan Zhan probably knew how he didn’t want to raise his own child.

“Ge forced me to go to therapy as soon as I moved into my own apartment. It is easier to think about now,” Lan Zhan says, and Wei Ying hums. At some point he should probably think of going to therapy himself. Practice what you preach, or whatever. But therapy is expensive and he needs food so that’s a problem for future Wei Ying.

“If your uncle never had any kids of his own, how come a-Yuan calls him grandpa?” he asks, curious now about figuring out the different dynamics in Lan Zhan’s family.

“A-Yuan’s mother was a cousin from a different branch of the family, but her parents died a few years before her from old age. Shufu is the closest thing I have to a father, and letting shufu be ‘grandpa’ to a-Yuan makes things less confusing for him,” Lan Zhan explains, and Wei Ying hums. Then they fall into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching whatever documentary Lan Zhan had put on.

“Uncle is wrong this time, Wei Ying. I have seen you with a-Yuan. You are the best choice I can make, both for him and myself,” Lan Zhan says as they watch whales investigate a boat, and he’s so confident when he says it. Like he couldn’t possibly be wrong. Wei Ying whines and tries to hide himself in Lan Zhan’s hair.

“Lan Zhaaan, you have to warn me before you say something so sweet,” he says, and Lan Zhan reaches a hand up to start playing with Wei Ying’s hair.

“Not sweet. Just the truth,” he says, and Wei Ying tries even harder to hide, but he’s smiling.

***

After dinner they call a-Yuan to say goodnight. Since he’s fed and has gotten cuddles, Wei Ying feels pretty much restored and they go for another round before they head to bed. He’ll blame his long streak of celibacy and Lan Zhan’s everything for his libido. When they’re finally getting ready to go to sleep, Wei Ying catches the first glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror, and he can’t tell if it’s horrifying or sexy.

His neck and throat are both covered in hickies and bite marks, and there are even some marks going down his chest. Lan Zhan is a beast! He tells his darling boyfriend as much, but Lan Zhan doesn’t look even slightly apologetic. If anything, he looks proud of his handiwork!

He had been too busy to notice earlier, but Lan Zhan’s bed is incredibly comfortable. Add to that the man himself who Wei Ying can cling to, and he gets the best sleep of his life.

They spend most of Saturday in bed, putting some solid effort into pushing its limits. Lan Zhan makes sure to feed him every time they take a break, and massage him when he gets muscle cramps from holding certain positions for too long, and he feels like a prince. He never would have guessed that Lan Zhan would be so insatiable, but he’s getting spoiled and doesn’t mind one bit.

On Sunday, Wei Ying gets to sleep in, and then Lan Zhan wakes him with brunch in bed just before they have to go pick up a-Yuan. Normally, Wei Ying would have loved to tag along, but given that his neck is now more blue than any other color, they come to a mutual agreement that it’s better if Lan Zhan drops Wei Ying off first. They don’t want to traumatize the poor kid.

So he packs his bag (not that there’s much to pack, he mostly wore Lan Zhan’s clothing for the entire weekend), and then Lan Zhan drives Wei Ying home. It’s a good thing Lan Zhan’s uncle is waiting for him, or Wei Ying would have tried to push for a makeout session in the car before he leaves.

As it is, they kiss each other softly once, and then Wei Ying has to leave if he doesn’t want to make Lan Zhan late.

Wen Ning comes to the hallway to greet Wei Ying as soon as he closes the door and gasps when he sees the state of him. Then, in a rare moment of mischief, he takes like ten photos of his neck and sends them to the group chat they have with Wen Qing, MianMian, and Nie Huaisang.

Wei Ying is never going to live this down, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Chapter Text

A week after their weekend rendezvous, Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen have their wedding anniversary. Given that he hasn’t really ever been close with da-ge, Wei Ying just assumed that he wouldn’t be involved. In his head, a couple’s wedding anniversary was the couple’s business. Apparently not.

Lan Zhan told him that Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue have a tradition of going on vacation to celebrate, and that they always have a dinner with their siblings before they go. Technically, it’s like their normal, biweekly dinners, but Lan Zhan and Nie Huaisang like to do something special for them. And this year it’s their fifth anniversary so they’re planning to go a bit more all-out. On account of being Lan Zhan’s boyfriend, Wei Ying has been dragged into it.

The plan is fairly simple; surprise the couple with an already made dinner and presents in their own home. A simple surprise party. The only issue is the surprise bit. To make it work, they need them to leave the house, which Nie Huaisang is taking care of. Wei Ying isn’t entirely sure what they’re doing, but he’s pretty sure it has something to do with a museum. Lan Zhan is on dinner duty, but he only has a limited time to cook and get everything ready, which he can’t really do with a-Yuan there, even if the kid tries to help.

Which means Wei Ying is back on the babysitting job.

Given that it’s now officially December, the Christmas markets have started popping up. And while Lan Zhan and Nie Huaisang have already gotten gifts for the anniversary celebration (and also Wei Ying, since he made the gift from Nie Huaisang), a-Yuan hasn’t. So Wei Ying has the absolutely brilliant idea to take the kid to one of the markets to find something small he can give his uncles. It’ll also be sure to keep him entertained for a few hours.

It’s just barely past midday when they get there, bundled up and filled with lunch Lan Zhan painstakingly made them. A-Yuan’s got the cutest little puffer jacket on, and it makes him look like a little marshmallow. Wei Ying was going to head out in just his leather jacket, because it’s not too cold and he doesn’t really have any winter gear, but Lan Zhan had protested and wrapped one of his own knitted scarves around him. It had definitely warmed him up, in a way that was not at all related to the wool yarn.

Since they just ate, Wei Ying decides to try to keep a-Yuan away from the snacks for a little bit, and leads a-Yuan over to look at a stall with handmade jewelry. When they left, Lan Zhan had given a-Yuan strict instructions to never let go of Wei Ying, since they’ll be in a big crowd, and Wei Ying is so glad a-Yuan is such a good kid. He looks around them, and imagines losing the kid among all these people. He would never be able to find him again.

He makes sure he has a tight grip on a-Yuan’s little hand as they start to slowly comb through the stalls.

It doesn’t seem like a-Yuan has any idea what he wants to get, but he knows he has a budget of fifty dollars, as Lan Zhan had shown him the bill before giving it to Wei Ying. It seems like a lot of money to just… give to a literal child, but it’s much more reasonable than what most rich people would have given, so that’s reassuring. At least Lan Zhan has some concept of what things actually cost.

The market itself spans a huge public square, and a few of the smaller streets around it. They have walked through two of the streets, looking at and considering every stall, when a-Yuan finally finds what he’s looking for. They walk up to a stall selling little felted figurines. Most of them are animals, but Wei Ying notices the occasional gnome or Santa. A-Yuan seems absolutely enchanted by the collection of felted bunnies.

“You wanna get bobo and Jue-gege bunnies?” he asks, and a-Yuan nods. Wei Ying looks at the prices listed, and two bunnies should cost exactly fifty dollars. He crouches down next to the kid who looks like he’s struggling to choose which ones.

“You have enough money for two, so try to find one that bobo will like, and then one Jue-gege will like,” he says, and watches the gears turn in a-Yuan’s little head. Eventually, he picks out a grey and white one who’s loafing and wearing a little sun hat. “For bobo,” he says, and then picks out a black and white one standing on its hind legs. “For Jue-gege,” he decides with a firm nod. Wei Ying wants to bite his cute, chubby, pink cheeks because he looks so cute when he’s all serious, but manages to restrain himself with great difficulty.

“Very good choices, baobao,” he says. Then he notices the kid staring longingly at another felt rabbit, this one pure white with pink cheeks, also loafing. He’ll admit it’s a very cute bunny, and a-Yuan seems to really want it. It speaks a lot of how well-raised he is that he isn’t demanding that Wei Ying buys it for him.

“You want to buy the white one as well?” he asks, and a-Yuan turns to him with the cutest little frown.

“You said I can only buy two bunnies,” he points out, and Wei Ying hums, tapping a finger against his chin and acting like he’s thinking really hard.

“I did say that. But you have been a very good boy today, so if you promise to keep being good and not get lost, Xian-gege can buy it for you,” he suggests, and watches as a-Yuan’s face lights up. Even with the money for the commissions he has already finished, money is a bit tight. The patents haven’t been fully processed yet, so he won’t get his first payout for those until January, so he doesn’t have much wiggle room. But a-Yuan’s happiness is worth having to stretch his budget a little. Especially since he’s barely spending any money on the kid’s actual Christmas present.

“I promise!” the kid says, and holds out his pinky finger to promise. Wei Ying smiles brightly and hooks his pinky around a-Yuan’s, and then gathers all three bunnies to go pay for them. A-Yuan watches excitedly as he hands over the fifty dollar bill, and then some of his own cash for the white one. The lady selling the felted figures smiles warmly at a-Yuan, and then puts the bunnies in a small bag for them.

“Your son is very polite,” she comments as she hands the bag over and Wei Ying feels his cheeks flush.

“Thank you,” he says, and then takes a-Yuan’s hand as they move along. He doesn’t want to spend time trying to explain that he isn’t the dad, he’s just the dad’s boyfriend. He’s never gonna see her again, and what if she’s homophobic? And the assumption that he’s the kid’s dad - that they’re a little family - makes him feel all funny inside. 

It still feels too early to start thinking about a future, they’ve barely been dating for two months! So he tries not to. At least not too much. Still, sometimes thoughts pop into his mind completely unbidden. A future where a-Yuan calls him ‘dad’, or maybe ‘a-die’. A house with white or blue walls, decorated with Wei Ying’s paintings. A fridge full of healthy veggies and other produce, with a shelf dedicated to hot sauces. A ring on his left ringfinger. And, in the darkest, quietest hours of the night, thoughts of several pairs of little legs running around a garden.

***

Eventually, they take a break for some snacks. Lan Zhan packed them some sandwiches, but Wei Ying buys them a cup of hot chocolate each to warm them up a little. It’s another hour until they’re meant to return, and he doesn’t want cold fingers to ruin the great vibe they’ve got going.

They find an empty bench where they can sit down, and Wei Ying takes Lan Zhan’s scarf off so a-Yuan can sit on it and avoid the cold wood. He had managed to convince a-Yuan that all the bunnies should rest in his backpack, so they won’t get dirty or run off, which means they’re safely packed away as they eat. 

There’s a trashcan next to a-Yuan’s side of the bench, so when they’re done Wei Ying stands up and walks over to it to throw their trash away. He’s just about to turn to a-Yuan and ask if he’s ready to to continue when he hears a gasp from somewhere behind him.

“A-Xian, is that really you?” the voice asks, and Wei Wuxian freezes completely. That voice. He hasn’t heard it in years, but he knows it. He’ll never not know it. He slowly turns around.

She’s really there, just a few steps away. She’s wearing a stunning, lilac coat, and a little kid around a-Yuan’s age is holding one of her hands. Her free hand is covering her mouth in shock, and there are tears in her eyes.

Jiang Yanli.

“It is. It’s you! Oh my god, I finally found you!” she exclaims, and then gently pushes the kid toward Jin Zixuan (who Wei Wuxian hadn’t even noticed), before throwing herself at him and enveloping him in a crushing hug. Wei Wuxian is so stunned he doesn’t know how to react, but his arms wrap around her on autopilot.

She keeps whispering “it’s you” into his neck, and he can feel her shoulders shaking as she cries. Wei Wuxian doesn’t know what to do. His sister is here, clinging to him, and he never wants to let her go, but he also wants to grab a-Yuan and run away.

She can’t be here. She can’t have found him. If she finds him, then so will Jiang Cheng and aunt Yu, and he can’t reopen those wounds. It’ll only cause everyone involved unnecessary pain. He looks to Jin Zixuan (of all people) for help, but the man only glares at him from where he’s now carrying the kid. Their kid. Jiejie has a whole child and I didn’t know. 

Just a moment later she collects herself, and places her hands on his shoulders as she backs away slightly.

“Let me look at you! It’s been so long. A-Xian is all grown up now,” she says, voice wobbly. Wei Wuxian smiles weakly.

“A-Xian is still only three years old,” he says, their old inside joke still being an automatic response. Like their own ‘Marco Polo’. She laughs wetly and hugs him again.

“Of course. My little brother can’t be an adult yet, not when I haven’t been invited to any birthday parties,” she says into his hair, and Wei Wuxian can hear it for the mild admonishment it is. He steps out of her hug, head hanging down in shame.

“I’m sorry, jiejie-” he starts to apologize, but she shushes him immediately.

“Let’s not talk about it now, not when I’ve just found you again. Explanations can wait for later,” she says, and Wei Wuxian catches the gentle threat in her voice. A threat that there will be consequences if he tries to run away again, and if he doesn’t explain himself eventually. It’s completely unnecessary. He has never been able to deny his big sister anything.

He nods, and she seems satisfied with that for now. She looks over his shoulder, and lets go of him to move toward the bench.

“And who’s this handsome young man?” she asks, smiling gently at a-Yuan. The little guy has a worried frown on his face, and seems reluctant to greet this strange woman, no matter how kind she looks. Wei Wuxian sits back down next to him, and goes all gooey inside when a-Yuan moves closer to him for comfort. He just wraps his arms around him when the kid crawls onto his lap.

“This is a-Yuan. His dad and I are… friends,” he says, hesitating on what word to use for Lan Zhan – they still haven’t told a-Yuan. Going by the pleased glint in jiejie’s eyes, she understands what he meant. “A-Yuan, this is my older sister, Jiang Yanli,” he says to catch the kid up on what’s happening. He would also be upset if he was a kid and a random lady stole the attention of his babysitter.

“You can call me Yanli-jie if you want. I’m sorry we surprised you, I just haven’t seen a-Xian for a very long time,” she says gently, and a-Yuan leans forward slightly.

“Xian-gege has a jiejie?” he asks softly and she smiles at him.

“He does! And he has a nephew who would really like to meet you both,” she says, and Jin Zixuan finally steps closer, carrying their son with him. He regards Wei Wuxian coolly.

“Wei Wuxian,” he greets, stiffly. They were never friends. In fact, Wei Wuxian punched him in the face once for being an ass to his sister before they got together.

“Peacock,” Wei Wuxian responds, curious to see whether the old nickname will smooth things over or make the man aggravated. The only reward he gets is a pointedly raised eyebrow, and then Jin Zixuan puts their son down on the ground. Jiejie beckons for him to come closer.

“A-Ling, come meet your dajiu,” she says, and the child hesitatingly moves forward. Wei Wuxian briefly glances at his sister, not sure he heard her correctly. She can’t seriously be introducing him to her son as his uncle, not when he - for all she knows - abandoned them all. She’s still smiling, so he decides to follow her lead and smile at the kid.

“Hello, dajiu,” he mumbles, eyes flicking between Wei Wuxian, a-Yuan, and the ground. In that moment he looks so much like a little Jiang Cheng, and Wei Wuxian has to fight the sudden tears welling up in his eyes. He misses his little brother so much.

“Hello, a-Ling. Sorry I haven’t been around,” he tries, talking past the sudden lump in his throat. The words are hardly enough to make up for his absence, but at least the kid gives him a short nod. He then turns his eyes back to a-Yuan.

“Who are you?” he asks, quite rudely actually. Wei Wuxian nearly starts laughing, because yeah, jiejie is definitely raising a little Jiang Cheng. A-Yuan, however, doesn’t seem to think the other child is being rude at all.

“I’m a-Yuan, nice to meet you,” he says, the perfect image of politeness. Jiejie also seems to think this interaction is hilarious since she presses her lips together to avoid laughing. Wei Wuxian, taking advantage of the fact that the attention isn’t on him currently, takes his phone out to check the time and realizes they have to leave, like, now if they are to get back before Nie Huaisang brings Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue back home. He isn’t sure if he’s relieved that they have to leave, or scared that he’ll never see his sister again if they do. Maybe both. Probably both.

“Alright, little bunny. We have to leave if we want to get to the surprise party in time,” he says, and a-Yuan looks up at him with wide eyes.

“So I can give bunnies to bobo and Jue-gege?” he asks and Wei Wuxian nods.

“Exactly. We can’t be late or we might miss them,” he says, seriously. A-Yuan nods and stands up, gathering the scarf from the bench and handing it back to Wei Wuxian. Seeing that they’re getting ready to leave, jiejie puts her phone right in front of Wei Wuxian's face.

“Give me your number. I don’t want to lose you again,” she says, and while the words may be demanding, her voice is pleading. He does as she says, and then picks a-Yuan up to carry him. Speed is of the essence. 

“It was… great to see you, jiejie. And you too, a-Ling,” he says in goodbye, and then pauses and looks over at Jin Zixuan. “Peacock,” he says, and he thinks he can hear a sigh in return. A win!

“You too, a-Xian. I’ll be in touch. Take care of yourself!” jiejie orders, and then Wei Wuxian speedwalks away. 

***

They manage to get back before the guests of honor, and there’s a delicious aroma spreading through the house when they enter. They take off their shoes and jackets and other outerwear upon entering, and Wei Wuxian makes sure a-Yuan puts his clothes away properly before they walk towards the kitchen together.

Lan Zhan seems to be done cooking, at least mostly, because he’s busy setting the table when they get there. A-Yuan, bag with bunnies in hand, rushes over to his dad excitedly.

“Baba! I buyed bunnies for bobo and Jue-gege! And we meeted Xian-gege’s sister and a-Ling!” he informs Lan Zhan, who puts down the plates to pick a-Yuan up.

“It sounds like you had a good time at the market. Let us go put the bunnies with the other gifts,” he says, and starts carrying a-Yuan toward the music room where they’re hiding the gifts until it’s time to hand them over. Wei Wuxian trails after them.

“You met Xian-gege’s sister?” Lan Zhan asks, glancing at Wei Wuxian over his shoulder. A-Yuan nods enthusiastically.

“Mhm! She said I can call her Yanli-jie,” a-Yuan continues, not at all aware that he’s giving his dad brand new information. Lan Zhan gives him a look, and Wei Wuxian mouths ‘not now’ at him, not wanting to get into it at the moment. He doesn’t really want to get into it ever, but Lan Zhan should probably know because things are bound to get messy. Especially once Jiang Cheng gets involved.

Lan Zhan nods, and leaves the subject behind as he puts a-Yuan down so he can go leave the bunnies on top of the wrapped gifts lying on top of the piano. A-Yuan takes the two bunnies meant for his uncles out and puts them on the wrapped painting, and then keeps the white bunny for himself. Lan Zhan raises an eyebrow.

“Did you buy a bunny for yourself?” he asks, and a-Yuan shakes his head.

“Xian-gege buyed it! Because I was a good boy!” he explains happily, lifting his bunny up so his dad can inspect it.

“Very cute. Did you thank your Xian-gege?” he asks once he has taken a look, and a-Yuan looks over at Wei Wuxian with wide eyes. Then he runs over and hugs his legs.

“Thank you, Xian-gege!” he says, and Wei Wuxian ruffles his hair.

“You’re very welcome, kiddo. Why don’t you go play with your toys until your uncles get back, hm?” he suggests, and a-Yuan nods eagerly as he takes off down the corridor. Leaving Wei Wuxian to deal with Lan Zhan’s questioning eyes.

“Wei Ying?” he asks. Not really a question, but Wei Ying understands anyway.

“I can’t get into the whole thing today, I just can’t, Lan Zhan. I’ll tell you eventually,” he says, and walks up to Lan Zhan just so he can rest his head on his shoulder and get some comfort. Lan Zhan wraps his arms around him instantly.

“I was adopted into a family with two kids, my older sister and younger brother. I… When I was in university, I had to leave them. I have not seen them since,” he mumbles into Lan Zhan’s shoulder.

“You can tell me when you are ready,” Lan Zhan responds, and keeps hugging Wei Ying for another moment. Then he switches to a different topic.

“How much do I owe you for the bunny?” he asks, and Wei Ying moves away just slightly to mock glare at him.

“Nothing. It’s a gift because he was a good boy and didn’t run off. My bank account will survive one little felted bunny, I promise,” he says, and quickly pecks Lan Zhan’s cheek. “Now, let’s go set the rest of the table before the others get back,” he continues, and then turns to go and do just that.

***

They barely have enough time to get the table set before they hear the front door open. Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue look less surprised than they wished, so apparently all their planning hadn’t amounted to much. They do appreciate the dinner, though, so that’s something. Most of their dinner conversation consists of them talking about the exhibit Nie Huaisang had brought them to, about the history of musical instruments. 

After dinner, Lan Zhan, Wei Ying, and a-Yuan bring out the gifts from the music room. They let a-Yuan give them his gift first, and they coo over how cute the bunnies are an appropriate amount, and promise a-Yuan that they’ll bring them on their vacation and send him pictures. Then they open Lan Zhan’s gift, which turns out to be a set of chef knives, as apparently the ones they already have are getting worn out.

Then they unwrap the painting, Nie Huaisang proudly announcing that they commissioned Wei Ying for it. Lan Xichen heaps praise over both the painting and Wei Ying’s skills, while Nie Mingjue immediately gets up to try and figure out where to hang it. Wei Ying blushes furiously, but he’s happy they like it.

Eventually though, they have to leave so the couple can pack and get ready to leave for the airport early next morning.

Lan Zhan drops him off back at the apartment, and unfortunately he doesn’t get a goodbye kiss as a-Yuan is awake and watching them. He wishes them a goodnight, and heads to his apartment. The hospital has an overnight IT maintenance thing going on, so he’s alone for the rest of the evening. Before he gets to work on a commissioned family picture he checks his phone. He has a text from an unknown number, which he saves immediately, hands shaking. He sends off a reply, and then puts his phone away.

He starts painting, trying to ignore the feeling of trepidation.

JieJie 💜:

Hello, a-Xian, it’s jiejie!

It was so nice seeing you today,

I’ve missed you so much! Let

me know the next time you’re

free and I’ll bring some soup

over and we can catch up! 🤗

You:

I’ve missed you too, jie!

My schedule’s a bit tight with

the holidays coming up, but I’ll

let you know! 💕