#my huaisang is a lil rusty so hopefully this is alright!

[youthslost]

nie huaisang did not particularly dislike lan wangji. in fact, he'd quite liked his company as a child. it did not take many of their forced interactions to understand that the other boy was not particularly social, and nie huaisang was quick to adapt to that. he remembers how elated lan xichen had been when he'd found the two of them one day, sitting in the library where he and dage had left them, quietly painting on their own parchments side by side. ‘ i knew they would get along, with their artistic inclinations! ’ erge had said, smiling as if he'd watched his baby take his first wobbly steps. unfortunately for everyone involved, the bond was short lived as the two grew — lan wangji into a diligent, stern gentleman, and nie huaisang into a lackadaisical, flightly slacker.

now, though, nie huaisang sees him with the same curious eyes he had as a child. the illustrious hanguang-jun looks utterly lost in his aviary as if he'd been plucked from another universe entirely.

“ nonsense, nonsense ! it is my pleasure to host the great hanguang-jun and welcome him to qinghe. ” the words are spoken as delicate hands slide a cup of tea towards the other man, a small smile pulling at his lips. “ i'd wondered when the man who goes where the chaos is might turn up around here. oh, it really is so much work. how is one man meant to do it all by himself? utterly preposterous, if you ask me. ” the ornate fan of the day slides open as he speaks, then abruptly snaps shut as a thought seems to occur to him. “ wait ! if you're here—- oh no. something's happened, hasn't it? ah, i really shouldn't have fallen so behind on my correspondence.... oh no. how bad is it ? tell me, erge hasn't sent you, has he ? ”

-ˋˏ🌥 ┈┈ @youthslost Nie Huaisang ; ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴀʟʟ

   THERE IS A CERTAIN LEVEL of familiarity that comes with growing up when your brothers are best friends with each other. For the two of them, it meant in some people's eyes, they were childhood friends. However, to be childhood friends, the word friend needs to be given, and Lan Wangji would never place that title on Nie Huaisang’s head. They’re not friends, he’s never had friends. Even the other children in the Sect when he was little had kept their distance from him. The cold, emotionless, perfect student of the Cloud Recesses. However, with Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue as close as they were, Nie Huaisang and him had spent time together often.

   After Nie Mingjue passed, his brother’s visits to Qinghe had diminished quite a bit. Nie Huaisang visited the Cloud Recesses more than his brother visited the Unclean Realm. Lan Wangji himself, when he passes through Qinghe, he doesn’t usually stop to visit. He’d been intending to do the same thing this time, move through chasing the chaos the Cultivation World accused him of doing. However, he had run into Nie Huaisang in the forest that bordered the Unclean Realm and after a very long time of just staring at each other–he ended up here. 

   Here being what looked like some sort of bird sanctuary with the offer of tea. 

   Truly Lan Wangji isn’t good with people, he might manage words better than he actually manages social situations. Which means, for once, Nie Huaisang has him at a loss. Awkwardly his gaze shifts around the room, glancing from the table being set with tea to the birds that were around the place. Sliding his bright gaze back over it landed on Nie Huaisang. “You do not have to.” Force himself to have tea with him, out of respect and being polite. Out of familiarity for each other. “I was only passing through.”