#wei ying confirmed cupid

[hallelujahmeatgod]

Saving

Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Founder of Diabolism)

Let's see a new version of saving by Wei Wuxian, shall we?

warning/s: there's really nothing considering that this is honestly just wuxian and wen chao's battle of pettiness keke.

+++ just a little imagine i came up with in my free time. i had so much fun making this. really believe im hilarious and funny because of this. u guys be the judge hahahaha.

"Oh-- there you are, Y/n. I've been looking for you everywhere, ever since they said you've arrived." Wei Wuxian chirped, appearing at your side out of nowhere.

You gave him a lost look as he pulled you by the arm towards him.

"What are you doing?" You whispered.

He gave you a smile, hugging you to make it seem like you're greeting each other.

"I'm saving you. I can see how much you want to run away from him from across the room." Wuxian chuckled, patting your head when he pulled away.

The man in front of you cleared his throat, raising a brow at Wuxian and his actions.

"Wen Chao! Brother Wen, I didn't even notice you there. With that flashy ass robe and headpiece you'd think I'd notice you but I really didn't. How have you been?" Wuxian greeted Wen Chao who seemed to be very displeased by his presence.

"I've been fine, Wei Wuxian" Wen Chao answered with no enthusiasm whatsoever. "What are you doing here?" He cut through the chase, eyeing Wuxian's arm linked with yours.

"I may not be of their blood but I'm still from the Yunmeng Jiang clan, and this is a gathering for all clans so of course I can't miss out on this. Wen, you seem to be looking down on me. Brother, I'm quite hurt." Wuxian sighs dramatically.

"That's not what I was referring to. I'm asking why are you here interfering with my conversation with lady Y/n. Though you're very much right, I do look down on you." Wen Chao rolled his eyes.

Wuxian chuckled at the insult, pulling you even closer to him.

"Well~ Like I said I was looking for her, and now that I've found her obviously I'd greet her!" Wuxian answered as enthusiastically as ever, earning a raise of a brow from Wen Chao

"And why would you look for her? Plus how can you be so clingy to her? You might be making her uncomfortable, that's not proper etiquette for us men."

Wow he's one to talk about etiquette.

"Why wouldn't I?" Wuxian asked back, grinning widely when he saw Wen Chao's annoyed expression. "And I can be clingy to her as much as I want since we know each other personally. We're really great friends. Something you don't have." Wuxian smirked.

You swear you can almost see steam come out of Wen Chao's ears.

It is true that you're friends with Wuxian. You're great friends with his sister Yanli and you met him through her.

"Well, I'd like to inform you that you're interfering with our conversation. I'm having a wonderful conversation with the gorgeous lady Y/n. So leave. " Wen Chao said dismissively, giving Wuxian a pointed look.

Wen Chao then looked at you and you wanted nothing but to punch his stupid face.

What makes him think you'll fall for someone like him? You'd rather be alone for the rest of your life than end up with a smug, selfish, spoiled, good for nothing prick like him.

"Hmm from the looks of it, it seems like you're trying to make moves on her." Wuxian stated, surprising Wen Chao, who looks like he's just been caught.

You gave Wuxian a pointed look because you have no idea where he's trying to go from here.

He better not pull any stupid tricks if he's really trying to "save" you.

Wen Chao immediately redeemed himself, cleared his throat, and pushed his chin up, giving Wei a very proud look. "And what if I am?"

Wuxian whistled from the cockiness, chuckling a little. "That's cute, but that won't work you know~" he teased.

"And who are you to say that?"

"Well I'm her future brother-in-law, that's what I am!" Dumbass Wuxian chirped, shocking both you and Wen Chao.

Everything was escalating so quickly that you're unable to really comprehend what he just said, so all you could mutter is "Huh?" while Wuxian looked around, seeming to look for someone.

He lit up when he finally saw who he's looking for and immediately dragged the person to where you were.

"Here he is! My brother, Jiang Cheng. Not just the future leader of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, but also the husband to lady Y/n." Wuxian declared, pushing his brother forward.

You almost forgot the fact that Yalin and Wuxian had another brother. Despite meeting the two and being friends with them, you have never met Jiang Cheng in person.

This is the first time you've met and this is how it'll be. Nice, just nice.

"A-Xian, what's happening you dummy-" Cheng whispered to Wuxian, completely lost. But his brother didn't let him finish as he was pushed forward next to you instead.

You looked at each other only to look away instantly.

"My brother's already pursuing lady Y/n, Wen Chao" Wuxian announced, making Wen Chao's, yours and Cheng's eyes widen in shock.

So this was his great "saving" idea?😭

Wen Chao looked back and forth at Cheng, Wuxian and you. You immediately looked down not wanting to meet his eyes and have him see that you're shocked yourself.

Wen Chao kept on stuttering out an answer but was never able to actually say anything. Clearly flustered by the sudden announcement.

Heck, even you're shocked by Wuxian's made up story.

At this point you don't know if you should be thankful that he's "saving" you or you should give him a beating for making things worse.

But then again beggars can't be choosers, so you'd have to go with his stupid idea just to drive Wen Chao away.

It's not like you can't drive Wen Chao away, it's just that your way of doing so is definitely more violent than Wuxian's. Let's just say, a few droplets of blood will be spilled, they'll be bruised faces and some dislocated bones if you were to do it your way, because every God up above knows how much you despise the Wen's.

"What are you doing?" Cheng whispered-yelled at Wuxian as quietly as he could. His eyes are filled with panic as he looks back and forth at you and his brother.

Cheng then turns to you and bows his head ever so slightly. "I'm sorry about whatever my stupid brother is doing"

"I-I" You stuttered, because quite frankly you just don't know anymore. You're too flustered by everything.

"Just play along stupid" Wuxian cut you off, making sure that Wen Chao wouldn't catch up.

"Are you okay, Wen Chao?" Wuxian asked with fake concern. "With that being said, I think you should definitely stop flirting with her because she's clearly taken."

This just made Wen Chao's face redder. He ignored Wuxian and instead focused on Cheng.

"I refuse to believe it! He looks like he can't even stand next to her properly" Wen Chao huffed, crossing his arms on his chest.

"Well that's because they're still a new couple! Plus, if they do PDA it might give the elders a heart attack. They're keeping it professional!" Wuxian argued like a 5 year old.

"Just because they're keeping it professional doesn't necessarily mean they have to act like poles next to each other." Wen Chao argued with the same 5 year old heat.

"Well you say that because you got used to boobs constantly being pushed on your chest-- actually no, you're face! Womanizer!" Wuxian rebuts.

Wen Chao glared at Wuxian, literal daggers in his eyes. "Womanizer? It's not my fault women can't resist my charms! And can you blame me for saying they look like poles next to each other? Look how stiff they are!"

Are these boys seriously a future leader and the head of disciples? There's too much immature energy.

Wuxian was about to spit fire again, but then he caught a glimpse at you two and sure enough you were very awkward looking as you stood next to each other. There's like a damn wall between you.

He widened his eyes as a warning and mouthed "Are you statue's? I'm spitting all this venom on this guy, so you better act right or he'll win against me. Get closer!"

Wuxian was about to talk again but Wen Chao beat him to it. "And why must you talk for them? Are you their assistant?"

They continued bantering back and forth, catching the attention of some elders, while you and Cheng stood awkwardly watching them do so.

After a while you heard Cheng sigh beside you. He slightly turned to you and bowed his head, eyes not meeting yours.

"Please forgive me for this. I hope you won't feel offended." Was all he said before snaking his arm around your waist, pulling you flushed to his side.

To say your eyes are about to pop out of their sockets is an understatement.

Cheng cleared his throat. "Stop it you two"

The two immediately stopped. Wen Chao glaring at Cheng because of the arm on your waist, and Wuxian looking surprised as he eyed you two.

"Wen Chao, it is true that I'm pursuing lady Y/n. So if you would just be kind and leave her alone and not flirt with her anymore that would be really appreciated."

Wuxian and you looked at him like he just grew another head.

"Since when have you guys been together anyway?" Wen Chao quizzed, still not letting you live in peace.

"Last month"

"Last week"

You and Cheng answered at the same time. You looked at each other with horror as you said different answers. Wen Chao looked at you with a sly grin, as if he just caught you red handed.

"They're referring to the same date!" Wuxian interrupted.

"Oh yeah? Enlighten me then because I'm pretty sure they just gave me different answers."

"Wen Chao, we're just in the first week of the month right now, so last week IS last month" Wuxian saved, smiling at Wen Chao who again is back at glaring and scowling.

You and Cheng breathe out the breath that you have unconsciously held by panic that you messed up.

"With that said, we'll be expecting that you'll stop flirting with lady Y/n. Bye, brother Wen" Wuxian bid Wen Chao goodbye, dragging you and his brother away, not giving Wen Chao a chance to respond.

When you're far enough, Wuxian let out a chuckle of relief, grabs wine for you three and downs it as he makes fun of Wen Chao.

"The act is done now brother, you can definitely let go now. I mean, if you don't want to, I think that's also fine as long as y/n lets you." Teased Wei, pointing at his brother's arm that's still wrapped on your waist.

You both jumped away from each other, looking away.

"T-thank you f-for helping me out. You didn't have to, really" You bowed at them.

"No worries~" Wuxian said, patting your head. "By the way, isn't this your first time meeting Cheng?" He laughed, saying it's hilarious that you have to meet like this.

"Yeah. I'm Y/n from the Xie clan. Thank you as well for helping me." You bowed at Cheng.

Before he could properly introduce himself though, the three of you were called by your parents at the table they share with some other elders and leaders.

When the three of you got to where they were, Wuxian immediately situated himself next to Lan Zhan, straight up flirting with him like no one else was around. Classic Wei.

"Why are we only hearing this now?"

"You should have told us sooner"

"This is great news!"

Both your parents questioned and cheered with other elders.

"Y/n, why didn't you say anything, even to me?" Yanli asked with a big smile on her face.

You were confused. What now?

You looked at Cheng but he's just as confused as you are. You looked at Wuxian and he just shrugged his shoulders, also not knowing anything.

"We really had to find out from Wen Chao" Your mother chuckled, shaking her head.

"Huh?" Cheng and you said at the same time.

"No need to be shy, you two. Wen Chao just informed us of your relationship." Leader Jiang Fengmian said, pointing at Wen Chao across from him at the table, huffing and mumbling under his breath about his dismay.

Both your eyes widened as your families cheered. Elders congratulating both of you as well as your families, expressing their joy that your clans are about to be one.

Wuxian stood up from his seat, dragging Lan Zhan with him. He made his way to you two as he laughed his head off. He took a good look at your shocked expression before giving you both a hug. "I guess welcome to the family, Y/n!"

"What did you do, Wuxian?" Cheng sighs out of frustration.

"What? I didn't know Wen Chao's going to be so heartbroken that he'll broadcast it to everyone." Wuxian pulls away, shrugging his shoulders. "At this point they might even get married before we could" He turns to Lan Zhan, hitting Lan Zhan's arm playfully.

"Congratulations, you two. I hope you have told me though." Yanli appeared beside you, giving you the warmest smile. She gave you both a hug and said "But I swear I know you guys haven't met before"

"We literally met 5 minutes ago" You said under your breath, making Cheng sigh.

"SO WEDDING IDEAS EVERYONE? LET'S DO IT NEXT MONTH!" Wuxian chirps, catching the attention of everyone.

"WEI WUXIAN!!!!"

[orthogonals]

亥时已到 | past nine pm

Rating: T Fandom:  魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭/ Mo dao zu shi - Moxiang Tongxiu Word count: 2,218 Pairing: Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji Summary:  “The past. Do you think… the story could have played to a different conclusion?”

A careful stoicism decorates Lan Wangji’s smooth features, but Wei Wuxian can spot the anguish lurking in the press of his lips, the pools of his eyes. He scoots further into Lan Wangji’s lap, cradling his face and placing soft kisses on his cheeks, his nose, his cupid's bow.

“Ah, my good Lan Zhan. I know what you’re really thinking. You’re asking if you could have done anything to change things.” Wei Wuxian angles Lan Wangji’s chin so that they stare eye-to-eye, noses centimeters apart and breaths intermingling in the cool night. --- OR: Wei Wuxian gets Suibian back. This leads to a much-needed conversation between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.

[read on ao3]

It’s far past nine when Wei Wuxian creeps back into the Jingshi, footsteps carefully light despite the weariness that laps at the edges of his body. He expects Lan Zhan in bed— if not asleep, then in light meditation, his brows slightly tightened in Wei Wuxian’s absence.

Instead, as he slips indoors with the grace of a dancer, he’s greeted with the stringent lines of Lan Zhan’s unyielding profile. Clad in billowing white underrobes and cast in the asymmetrical glow of the moon, Lan Wangji appears almost like a deity knelt at the wooden table. A sword rests in his lap. At Wei Wuxian’s entrance, Lan Wangji tilts up his head, and his constricted expression softens.

“Wei Ying.”

“Aiya, Lan Zhan, I told you not to wait up!” Wei Wuxian admonishes even as he plops down at Lan Wangji’s side, slipping his cold fingers underneath the opening of Lan Wangji’s nightrobe.

“Mn,” Lan Wangji hums in response, setting aside the scabbard to wrap his arms around Wei Wuxian’s waist, drawing him closer against his body. “The night-hunt went well?”

“It was alright. The juniors managed to track and lure the monster without my help, but I had to— ah— lend a hand when it came to the final blow. Oh, and Sizhui performed admirably, as always.” Wei Wuxian lets a hint of pride tint his last words. He shifts comfortably into the warmth of Lan Wangji’s hold.

“I expect nothing less,” Lan Wangji intones.

A breeze carries the crisp scent of dewy grass into the Jingshi, and the two men, caught in each other’s embrace, sit in for a moment in comfortable silence. After a while of nuzzling against Lan Wangji’s chest, Wei Wuxian finally lifts his head.

“Jiang Cheng?” With a nod, Wei Wuxian acknowledges Suibian, which Lan Wangji had abandoned on the tabletop.

“Brought with one of the YunmengJiang guest disciples,” Lan Wangji confirms.

“I guess we couldn’t have expected a personal visit.” Wei Wuxian disentangles his arms from Lan Wangji’s clothes to pick up the sword, swiping a gentle thumb against the “随便” etched into the exterior of the sheath. He catches the gravity of Lan Wangji’s gaze and ducks his head.  

“Okay, okay.” With a fluid motion, Wei Wuxian draws the sword out and sends spiritual energy singing into the blade. Red light thrums and dances along its narrow, glinting edges, teasing at the power that simmers beneath. Lan Wangji watches the performance quietly, his posture still. He has not seen Wei Wuxian wield Suibian since his time as a student at the Cloud Recesses.

“Hm. Not bad, my old friend. Missed me, huh?” Wei Wuxian examines the sword contemplatively. The blade flips with a soft gust of air as he turns the hilt. “I can’t believe you can’t tell apart me and Jiang Cheng, really. Preposterous! I’m expecting you to fix your eyesight, you know. Now that I’ll have to start lugging your weight around again.” At Lan Wangji’s slight squeeze, Wei Wuxian sheaths Suibian and turns to face Lan Zhan with a grin.

“I suppose we’ll have to thank Jiang Cheng. If I break another GusuLan practice sword, your uncle might really kick me off the mountain!” Winking an eye, his expression turns mischievous. “Say, Hanguang-Jun, would you honor this one with a duel sometime? I’m much better now than when I was fifteen.”

Wei Wuxian spots a hint of red crawling up edges of Lan Wangji’s earlobes, and he continues with renewed delight. “Just give me, ah, five years, and see if we can draw again!”

Even now, his cultivation level is already much higher than it had been when he was eighteen, around the time when he had given up his core in his previous body. Though Mo Xuanyu’s originally frail physique hinted of long years of abuse and malnourishment, Wei Wuxian had found that dedicated medication, GusuLan training, dual cultivation, hearty meals, and an absolute wealth of past experience contributed to condense his newfound core rather quickly. He’s still taken aback sometimes, at the orb spinning behind his ribs, the light that surges at his fingertips. At the ease with which he can now tamp down the lingering effects of resentful energy, something which had consumed his old self like arsenic.

“No need,” Lan Wangji says, looking down at Wei Wuxian with a soft glow. “Your talent for acquiring new skills has always been remarkable. We will draw within two summers.”

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian moans, burrowing his face in the crook of Lan Wangji’s shoulder. “Don’t say things like that, I’m only joking. I’ve only got one foot on the sword path, you know. And I’m only good at learning things I’ve made up myself.”

Lan Wangji opens his mouth, perhaps to point out that the very ability to invent things speaks to Wei Ying’s acumen, but he’s distracted again by the sheer, painful familiarity of Suibian lying haphazardly next to Wei Wuxian. Instead, what comes out is: “Do you think things could have changed?”

“Hmm?” Wei Wuxian pulls back to look at Lan Wangji, reaching up to tug gently at a lock of his hair. Lan Wangji catches Wei Wuxian’s errant hand in his own.

“The past. Do you think… the story could have played to a different conclusion?”

A careful stoicism decorates Lan Wangji’s smooth features, but Wei Wuxian can spot the anguish lurking in the press of his lips, the pools of his eyes. He scoots further into Lan Wangji’s lap, cradling his face and placing soft kisses on his cheeks, his nose, his cupid's bow.

“Ah, my good Lan Zhan. I know what you’re really thinking. You’re asking if you could have done anything to change things.” Wei Wuxian angles Lan Wangji’s chin so that they stare eye-to-eye, noses centimeters apart and breaths intermingling in the cool night.

As a principle, Wei Wuxian tries to avoid analyzing his previous life too closely. To think is to dwell, and to dwell means to revisit a knife slice under his ribs; three months spent scavenging among corpses; the dust of the Stygian Tiger Seal scattered with his last breath of life. But Lan Zhan has to understand, so Wei Wuxian would tell him, just this once.

“There is nothing you could have done.” The words simmer in the space between them, low and clear. “A single-plank bridge only goes one way. I never expected to reach twenty-five.” Lan Wangji inhales like he’s been stabbed.

“Wei Ying.”

“Shh,” Wei Wuxian soothes, smoothing the twist in Lan Wangji’s brows with a brush of his thumb. “Listen. Even if Wen Chao didn’t find me that day, didn’t throw me into the Burial Mounds. Would I have survived the battlefield?”

Lan Wangji does not reply, but the answer shines in his gaze like an open wound. At the time, all the four main sects— LanlingJin, GusuLan, QingheNie, YunmengJiang— had known that a war against the QishanWen sect was inevitable. The massacre of Lotus Pier had catalyzed the Sunshot Campaign, but even if Wei Ying had not been rushed to battle, he and Jiang Cheng would have independently sought revenge against the Wens.

How could Wei Ying, without a core, hope to fight with a sword and live in a cultivation war? How could Wei Ying have refused? His missing core was a secret kept for the grave. And even devoid of spiritual powers, how could he want to refuse? Perhaps Cloud Recesses had burned, but Lan Wangji’s brother had survived. His uncle had survived. He survived, and Wei Ying had even nursed his broken leg back to health. Apart from Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Yanli, every single member of the YunmengJiang sect had been slaughtered.

Wei Wuxian gives a harsh chuckle. “I suppose I should thank Wen Chao for dumping me in that godforsaken place. For leaving me no other options. He extended my life expectancy.”

“I would have protected you,” Lan Wangji says at last. “If you did not have a method of protecting yourself.”

“Lan Er-gege, you’re so good. Do you know that?” Wei Wuxian smiles softly at the man before him. He rewards Lan Wangji with another feather of a kiss, a press at the corner of his lips. “But I wouldn’t have let you get close. You would have found me out in a heartbeat.”

“I—”

Wei Wuxian stops Lan Wangji with a finger against his mouth.

“At the time, Jiang Cheng was just beginning to rebuild the YunmengJiang sect. And he was so young. We all were. I couldn’t take any risks.” He holds one of Lan Wangji’s hands to his face, caresses the soft palm and presses kisses against the slender fingertips. After a beat, he exhales.

“You understand, don’t you? Why I couldn’t come with you to Gusu.”

Lan Wangji seems to have lost the ability to speak. Though his expression has hardly changed during their conversation, a pot of emotions bubble and lurch in his chest, thick and messy.

Wei Wuxian thinks that they're almost at a limit for such a fraught discussion. Still, if he gets all the words out now, clears out all the cobwebs of misunderstanding, then maybe Lan Zhan will let go of the notion that he could've possibly saved Wei Wuxian from an unavoidable downfall.

“I am glad, Lan Zhan, that you did not take a more determined approach. Even then, I liked you a lot. But I would have pushed you away. I would have hurt you even more than I already did.” At this Wei Wuxian pauses, squeezing Lan Wangji’s hand. “I liked you too much to let you seek your death on my single-plank bridge.”

Lan Wangji remembers. Get out, Wei Wuxian had uttered, repeatedly and incessantly, a low growl at his throat. His skin ran hot with fever, and Lan Wangji had bit back tears, desperately transferring spiritual energy into Wei Wuxian. It barely seemed to help. Wei Wuxian was weak, skin and bones, dark circles smeared like ink beneath his eyes. But he had enough strength to demand one thing. Get out!

“The truth is, I didn’t get dealt the cards for a long, happy life. And I made my peace with it, I really did.”

What he does not say, but Lan Wangji hears, is that he had accepted the ticking clock of the end of his life the moment he— a boy not yet twenty— watched the last tendrils of spiritual energy leave his body. When the surging tides of his power stilled into dead water, and a piece of himself, carved out of flesh and blood, took root and blossomed inside Jiang Wanyin.

“Tch, Lan Zhan, I can hear what you’re thinking. Disrespecting sect leaders is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses.”

“Mn. Not forbidden,” Lan Wangji grits out, face stony. For once, he resents his characteristic reticence. He holds a jar of jumbled thoughts and not a single word to express them.

Wei Wuxian knows what Lan Wangji must have looked like, when he first heard the truth about his core spill like blood from Wen Ning’s lips. He must have gazed at him the way he does now, with that mixture of shock, grief, and turmoil swimming in the amber of his irises.

He doubts that anyone, even Lan Zhan, will ever truly understand why he had made that initial decision, the one that kickstarted the tragic trajectory of the rest of his life. Because they didn’t hear the dying words of Madam Yu, slammed bone-deep into his chest: protect Jiang Cheng with your life. They didn’t watch Uncle Jiang openly chase his own demise, trusting Wei Wuxian with his only son.

They weren’t there to see the days of Jiang Cheng lying prone on Wen Qing’s bed, tatters of blood-stained purple hanging off his limp form, eyes blank and unseeing. Jiang Cheng, clad in the remnants of a sect with only three living members, a reminder of the revenge he couldn’t fulfill and the world he could no longer lead. Wei Wuxian would’ve given him anything then, to put the pride back in his stare and restore the anger that colored the lilt of his voice. He would’ve gladly given his life. What was a golden core? It was never even a question.

“I’ve made many mistakes in my past life, especially towards the end. But my core— that’s one decision I will never regret.” Wei Wuxian states firmly, nodding at Lan Wangji with intention. Lan Wangji replies with a barely perceptible sound.

“Wei Ying…” He trails off helplessly. What is left to say? Everything had happened more than ten years in the past. He cannot hope to alter the choices he had made, and neither can Wei Ying. Perhaps they would have always ended up here, Wei Ying in a foreign body and him in one marked by the scars born of his love. But if it ends with them together, no matter their shape or form, then Lan Wangji cannot bring himself to begrudge the path.

“Wei Ying, I love you.”

Wei Wuxian huffs a laugh into the folds of Lan Wangji’s robe. “I love you, Lan Zhan." He leaps to his feet, knees creaking, dragging Lan Wangji along by the ends of his sleeves. "Now come, let’s sleep. It’s past nine.”

[enbyleighlines]

Ooohh wangxian first kiss please! Thank you!

Another drabble prompt finished! I’m so happy, I got like five of them in a row and I’m slowly but surely making my way through them.

(I’ll still take more prompts tho. I love exploring this au so much)

And now, modern wangxian’s first kiss...

—

Their first kiss is an accident. And it starts on a day just like any other...

It’s ridiculous how happy Wei Wuxian is, these days. He didn’t realize he was such a sucker for domestic shit, but he is.

It’s been about six months since Wei Wuxian has moved in with his best friend and secret crush Lan Wangji. Their arrangement allows them to co-parent A-Yuan, whose own surviving family members can’t afford another hungry mouth to feed. It’s a good thing they’re doing, certainly, but it’s not like Wei Wuxian is being entirely selfless. He loves little A-Yuan, who is now three.

Their situation is so generically domestic that Wei Wuxian can’t help but call out, “Honey, I’m home!” whenever he returns from work.

Lan Wangji, the man of infinite patience, doesn’t point out that the joke has long since gone stale. Instead, he scoops up A-Yuan from where the toddler is no doubt building block towers underneath his desk, and brings him to the front door to greet Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji gets to work from home, the lucky bastard. Wei Wuxian dreams of being able to do the same someday, once his comic series starts generating enough money for him to quit his retail job.

“Xian-gege,” A-Yuan calls down at Wei Wuxian as he bends to untie his shoes, “Welcome home!”

This is their routine. It makes Wei Wuxian so unbelievably happy.

“Hello there, A-Yuan,” Wei Wuxian says, as soon as he straightens back up. He goes to give the toddler his daily evening smooch: a big ol’ wet one, right on the forehead.

It never fails to make A-Yuan squeal in equal parts disgust and delight.

That’s another part of their routine. But today, Wei Wuxian is on autopilot, even more so than usual, and without thinking, he places a similarly exaggerated kiss on Lan Wangji’s cheek.

Wei Wuxian realizes his mistake just a split-second too late and jerks back.

Lan Wangji... is making an expression that Wei Wuxian has never seen on his face before. The spot where Wei Wuxian’s lips touched his skin shines a little with saliva.

Wei Wuxian, for once, has no words.

The only person left in the room with a functioning brain is A-Yuan. He looks between them, aware that something has changed, but not able to comprehend what or why. “Xian-gege?” He asks.

Wei Wuxian glances at A-Yuan. His mind is in overdrive. Should he brush this off? Turn it into a joke? Or should he apologize and explain he did it without thinking?

Lan Wangji doesn’t wait for Wei Wuxian to make a decision. “Here,” he says, unceremoniously depositing A-Yuan into Wei Wuxian’s arms, “I should go start dinner.” And then he leaves.

Wei Wuxian notices that Lan Wangji has not yet wiped his cheek.

“A-Yuan, oh A-Yuan,” Wei Wuxian murmurs into the kid’s hair, “What do I do now?”

A-Yuan adorably misunderstands the question. “Watch TV,” he says, looking unfairly proud of himself for knowing the answer.

It’s so cute that Wei Wuxian forgets his anxiety. “Okay,” he replies, “TV it is.”

—

After watching three consecutive episodes of the mind-numbing children’s programming, Wei Wuxian has all but forgotten about the incident.

When they eat dinner together, all three of them, it’s as pleasant as always. It’s also very quiet. But that, too, is not unusual, since Lan Wangji has an odd rule about not talking during meals.

Wei Wuxian only remembers what he accidentally did when he’s tucking A-Yuan into bed. It’s his turn to read the boy a bedtime story, which he does brilliantly, character voices and all. Once done, he turns off the lamp, and pets A-Yuan’s head until he’s visibly losing the struggle to stay awake.

A-Yuan curls onto his side, a sure sign that he’s about to surrender to sleep. “Night night, Xian-gege,” he mumbles.

As Wei Wuxian bends down to give him his soft goodnight kiss on the cheek, he suddenly recalls, in alarming detail, how he had kissed Lan Wangji before. He winces, and finishes the rest of their nighttime ritual with mechanical movements.

Things get a hundred times more awkward when Wei Wuxian stands up to find Lan Wangji lurking in the doorway.

“Lan Zhan...?” Wei Wuxian whispers, as he tiptoes over.

Lan Wangji doesn’t answer until he’s finished closing the door to A-Yuan’s room. And then, “I texted Xiongzhang. Asked him for advice.”

“Huh?” Wei Wuxian tries and fails to comprehend what Lan Wangji means by that.

Lan Wangji’s expression is so intense, it could split cinderblocks! But his voice is very soft as he explains. “About earlier,” he clarifies, “When you... kissed me.”

“Oh.” Wei Wuxian panics. Why did Lan Wangji need advice about that?

“He said I should ask you,” Lan Wangji continues, “So I’m going to do that. Wei Ying... why did you kiss me?”

Wei Wuxian wants to sink through the floorboards. “I... just did it without thinking,” he admits.

“Oh.” The hallway is kind of dark, but Lan Wangji looks... disappointed?

Wei Wuxian decides to take a bold leap into the unknown. “I said I did it without thinking,” he amends, “but I think it was also like a physical Freudian slip?”

“Oh?” Lan Wangji clenches his hands into fists. “How... so?”

Oh, God. Is Lan Wangji really going to make him spell it out? Despite what others may say, Wei Wuxian’s face isn’t thick enough for this!

But Wei Wuxian does it anyway.

“I wanted to kiss you,” Wei Wuxian says, “That is, I think about kissing you a lot. So, when I was on autopilot, I just acted on impulse.”

Lan Wangji touches his cheek, as if he can still feel the press of Wei Wuxian’s lips. “You wanted... to kiss me?”

“Yes,” Wei Wuxian confirms, and adds, because he might as well go all the way, “I like you a lot, Lan Zhan. That is to say... I fancy you, I have the hots for you, I’ve been struck with Cupid’s arrow—“

Wei Wuxian does not get to finish his long and needlessly theatrical confession. His breath has been stolen.

Lan Wangji is kissing him. On the mouth. With his mouth!

Wei Wuxian melts into the embrace, hands curling into the folds of Lan Wangji’s rolled-up sleeves. Lan Wangji’s lips are warm and slightly chapped. It adds a delicious friction against the sensitive skin of Wei Wuxian’s inner lip that has him shivering down to the base of his feet. He tilts his head for a better angle, and their mouths slot together like they had been sculpted for this very purpose.

Wei Wuxian’s nerves are firing off like fireworks all over his body. He can feel Lan Wangji’s breath, can taste the other man’s skin, and it’s very overwhelming.

They part for air and immediately surge back together, bolder and hungrier. The slide of skin becomes smoother and slicker as their kiss deepens. There’s a faint scrape of teeth at one point and Wei Wuxian nearly crumbles to the floor in ecstasy.

He has never been happier.

Finally, Lan Wangji breaks their kiss. Wei Wuxian tries to chase his lips, wanting to sample Lan Wangji’s tongue, but he’s held in place with firm hands.

“I like you a lot, too,” Lan Wangji says.

“Oh God, I would hope so!” Wei Wuxian finds himself laughing at the absurd delayed confession. At Lan Wangji’s confused and slightly wounded look, Wei Wuxian elaborates, “I hope you don’t go around kissing people you don’t like like that.”

“No, never.” Lan Wangji looks offended by the very suggested. “Only... Wei Ying.”

That sucks the breath out of Wei Wuxian as efficiently as their earlier kiss. “Only me?” He repeats, “Lan Zhan... was that your first kiss?”

“Mn.”

“Me, too!” Wei Wuxian leaps into Lan Wangji’s arms. “I was saving my kiss for someone special,” he says, “Lan Zhan, I’ve been saving it for you! All this time! I’m certain of it!”

Lan Wangji looks broken. But also, somehow, happy. “Wei Ying...”

“I love you, Lan Zhan!”

“Love you... Wei Ying...”

This time, when they kiss, both of them are teary-eyed. It makes their movements sloppy.

Of course, neither one cares.

It’s true that their first kiss is an accident. But for Wei Wuxian, it’s the happiest accident of his life.