#p:jin ling&lan jingyi&lan sizhui&ouyang zizhen

[qobiin]

fluffy, soft junior quartet 👉👈

we will never lose our way

pairing: platonic junior quartet, very background wangxian 

genre: fluff | post-canon compliant 

warnings: mentioned yi city, implied violence 

a/n #1: despite the angst of the scene this gif is from, there is no angst to be found here! this is just soft, platonic cuddle puddles galore so thank you for giving me an excuse to write that! title is taken from seventeen’s “together” bc that is junior quartet’s theme song to a T, are you joking kaljdskljf pls give it a listen and look up the lyrics if need be and you’ll understand what i mean <3

words: 1200 

summary: ...Lan Sizhui is certain his friends are worth every bit of trouble and inconvenience they bring.

“So,” Lan Jingyi says as they are walking through the trees in the middle of the night. “How long do you think it took Hanguang-Jun and Senior Wei to get together exactly?”

Lan Sizhui takes his eyes off the surrounding woods to silently peer at his friend. Lan Jingyi only raises a brow in question, determination set in his shoulders as they come to a stop.

“Is this really the time for that?” Lan Sizhui finally manages to say.

Lan Jingyi shrugs, mouth already opening to respond when Ouyang Zizhen cuts in. “For the sake of proving true love is real to Jin Ling, please answer the question.”

“Can we please focus on the ghost we were sent out to find?” Lan Sizhui asks at the same time that Jin Ling exclaims, “True love? Don’t make me laugh!”

Lan Sizhui sighs and mentally prepares himself for the argument to come. He is certain they won’t be getting much done tonight now that this topic of conversation has begun. Lan Sizhui would respectfully like to be omitted from this, but considering how stubborn all three of his closest friends are about Hanguang-Jun’s and Senior Wei’s marriage, he finds that a lack of involvement from him will be unlikely. His friends will inevitably say or do something that Lan Sizhui will have to smooth over before a genuine fight breaks out amongst them.

He loves his friends, but sometimes, they can be a little too much for him.

“Hanguang-Jun and Senior Wei are the embodiment of true love,” Ouyang Zizhen sighs dreamily.

Jin Ling shoves his arm, ignoring Ouyang Zizhen’s pout and Lan Jingyi’s protests. “True love is not a thing! Get your head out of those trashy romances you love to read and into the real world!”

Lan Sizhui winces at his friends’ volume. “We are in the middle of a night hunt. Can this not wait?”

He almost laughs when Jin Ling, Lan Jingyi, and Ouyang Zizhen all exchange glances with one another before turning to face him, simultaneously answering, “No.”

He is not laughing when in the next moment, the ghost they have been searching for appears and leads them straight into the jaws of a beast. Lan Sizhui is only faintly relieved that his friends are able to forget whatever differences they had when confronted with danger.

Much later, after they have fought off the beast and put the ghost to rest, Lan Sizhui finds himself sprawled across the floor of the room Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen are sharing in the town’s only inn.

Lan Jingyi’s legs are tangled with his own, Jin Ling curled up in the small space between them while Ouyang Zizhen lies with his head pillowed on Lan Sizhui’s chest. He finds himself playing with the ends of Ouyang Zizhen’s hair absentmindedly, his other arm being used as a pillow by Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi. They had all separated to shower and dress in their sleeping robes, their hair down or braided for the night. Lan Sizhui’s hair is still mostly damp and will be tangled when they finally get up from the floor, but for now, no one is inclined to move.

Being able to feel three other beating hearts and hearing their breaths all around him soothes Lan Sizhui. The first time they did this was after Yi City, after Hanguang-Jun had marched past them up the stairs with a tray of alcohol, and after he reappeared with a blustering Senior Wei trudging along behind him. Lan Sizhui had followed Lan Jingyi to Ouyang Zizhen’s room afterward, still trying to burn the image of Senior Wei’s hands tied up with Hanguang-Jun’s forehead ribbon out of his head. He had been surprised to find Jin Ling there, but the haunted look on his young face was enough to keep even Lan Jingyi from teasing him for long. 

Just not long enough.

It had felt like no time had passed at all before Lan Sizhui found himself in between Jin Ling’s and Lan Jingyi’s newest argument, except this one somehow ended with them sprawled across the floor. Jin Ling claims he had been aiming for Lan Jingyi but he had caught Lan Sizhui instead and they all tumbled when Ouyang Zizhen tripped in his haste to separate them.

Lan Sizhui was the first to laugh as he stared up at the ceiling from the floor, Jin Ling plastered to his right and Lan Jingyi struggling to untangle their legs so he could sit up and hit Jin Ling in retaliation. Ouyang Zizhen began to giggle and settled himself more comfortably on Lan Sizhui’s left, hiding his face in Lan Sizhui’s hair when Jin Ling’s complaining became louder.

Eventually, Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling had also laughed at the hilarity of the situation and they had laid out on that floor, giggling to themselves until their exhaustion caught up to them.

Jin Ling’s face was bright red when he had sat up and darted out of the room quickly, not sparing any of them a word but they all knew. The simple reassurance of other people living and breathing in their space was enough to settle them after the grim day they had just experienced. There would be no teasing each other for this.

None of them had quite expected it to become a tradition since they had never run into each other for night hunts as often as they did now, but it had. Now it is a sacred, unspoken ritual they do not mention in the light of day. Regardless of whether they acknowledge it or not, they all find comfort in each other.

This intimacy between friends is not something Lan Sizhui had ever envisioned for himself. He had counted himself lucky to have a friend like Lan Jingyi at all while he was growing up. He was Hanguang-Jun’s ward and favored disciple, the unofficial Lan Sect Heir. Not many children had the confidence to approach him and treat him as normally as Lan Jingyi had. Lan Sizhui had been certain at one point that if he could only call Lan Jingyi his friend, then his life would be full. 

He is grateful he realized how dim and dull his life would be if he did not know Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen as well as he does in the present time though. Having friends he can be himself with is the greatest source of joy in Lan Sizhui’s life. He is not anything except a friend when he is with them.

“So,” Lan Jingyi breaks their comfortable silence with, his voice thick with amusement. “You never answered me, but do you know how long it took your parents to get together?”

Lan Sizhui sighs as Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen play right into Lan Jingyi’s clutches. Jing Ling is loud and stubborn while Ouyang Zizhen is softer in his approach, awe shadowing every word he speaks. Lan Jingyi only interjects to keep the argument going. None of them drag Lan Sizhui into the conversation at least.

Even despite this exhausting and recurring argument, Lan Sizhui is certain his friends are worth every bit of trouble and inconvenience they bring.

a/n #2: thanks for reading! i have more mdzs content in the works rn, but in the meantime, feel free to send requests or headcanons to my inbox bc i will probably welcome them all owo