Chapter Text
“One iced chili chocolate coffee please! With four shots of espresso.”
The man’s voice could hardly be considered shouting, just on the edge of speaking too loudly for comfort, but in the cafe where the only sounds had been the peaceful background music and soft hissing of coffee machines, his voice is a jarring stab in the tranquil atmosphere.
Lan Zhan looks up, if only to see who had placed such a ridiculous order.
Lan Zhan looks up, and can’t quite look away.
He’s seen this man before, on the street, walking from between buildings on campus, across on the quad. Wei Ying, his mind helpfully supplies. During the day, and well into the night if college student gossip was to be trusted, the other man was always surrounded by others, close friends and admirers and haters. Loud and untamed, as if he’s never been serious once in his life, he’s the exact kind of person Lan Zhan should avoid.
But without him noticing, he’s already been pulled in by the gravitational force of that smile.
Lan Zhan forces himself to look back down, focusing on the paper in progress. Due in two weeks, but procrastination has never been in his dictionary, and he won’t start now.
Aside from the order, the other man stays surprisingly silent. Then again, most people aren’t functional at this hour of the day. Having had the Lan family sleep schedule drilled into his habits since his birth has given Lan Zhan an edge here though; while everyone stumbles around barely conscious, he is already set to begin another productive day.
“Quadruple shot iced chili chocolate coffee for Wei Ying!”
Lan Zhan looks back up in time to see the other man dart forward, eagerly grabbing the cup like a parched man in a desert.
He forcefully redirects his focus to his laptop and the paper, but now, looking at his work, he has no idea what he’s been typing for the past 5 minutes. He tells himself he’s being productive, definitely working hard, definitely not mentally replaying the small happy sound Wei Ying had made after the first sip of his drink, of course not.
Lan Zhan is putting his earbuds in and entering the track field when he notices Wei Ying again. He’s playing what appears to be an intense game of outdoors volleyball, both sides diving and setting and spiking and blocking at a surprisingly fast rate. He stops for a bit to watch; they’re clearly experienced in playing with each other, especially Wei Ying and another boy he recognizes to be Jiang Cheng. It’s no secret that the two had been friends for years, and they work together especially well, always in sync, even if Jiang Cheng seems to be yelling at the other man for at least half the game. Wei Ying laughs it off though, apparently used to it.
Lan Zhan’s hands reach for his phone, muting his music before he’s even aware of what he’s doing. Wei Ying’s laughter carries over from the court, and Lan Zhan is filled with the sudden desire to record the sound, to keep it so he can hear it over and over.
He wants to be the one to make that sound fall from the gorgeous man’s lips.
Ears flushing at the thought, he hastily turns the volume back on and takes off, running in hopes that the exercise will rid his mind of such ridiculous thoughts.
He’s only a minute into his run when he hears a shout from the volleyball court, an especially loud one from Jiang Cheng. He looks up in time to watch a volleyball smack directly into Wei Ying’s pretty face, and Wei Ying flops backwards. And doesn’t get back up.
Heart pounding, Lan Zhan’s feet carry him to the volleyball court. Wei Ying is already surrounded, Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang and other people Lan Zhan doesn’t care to recognize right now.
“What the fuck was that, you absolute fucktard-” “A-Cheng, he’s unconscious, he can’t hear you.” “Ahhh, what do we do?!” “Someone call 911!” “Is he dead?”
Lan Zhan clears his throat, and does it again louder when no one notices. When that still isn’t enough to get the attention of the panicking group, he pushes his way through until he’s right next to Wei Ying’s fallen form.
“I work in the medical center. Allow me.”
It’s not so much a request as it is a statement, and Lan Zhan kneels, lifting Wei Ying’s eyelids to check his eyes. He doesn’t appear to be concussed, but it’s best to be cautious with head injuries, so he whips out his phone. It rings once, before being picked up.
A cheery voice greets him. “A-Zhan! It’s good to hear from you, how-”
“Brother. A student is unconscious after being hit by a volleyball. Potentially concussed. West field volleyball court.”
The voice on the other end immediately grows more sober. “Got it. A team with a stretcher will arrive shortly.”
“Mn.”
The line clicks, signalling the end of the call. Now, all they can do is wait for the stretcher to arrive. The other students chatter nervously in the background, unsure of what to do but unwilling to leave their friend. Jiang Cheng stays where he is, standing right next to Wei Ying and flipping between fussing over him and angrily telling him off for being a careless idiot.
Lan Zhan takes a moment to just stare at Wei Ying. For medical purposes, he tells himself, and then promptly finds himself admiring the other man, how he can still look absolutely breathtaking with a rapidly forming bruise taking up half his face. His long black hair has fallen out of it’s ponytail, wild and fanning out around him and some of it sticking to him from sweat. Did he always have such long eyelashes? And those pink lips, looking so soft-
“Over there!”
The shout snaps Lan Zhan out of that train of thought, and were he any less controlled of a man, he would’ve flinched back. A group of paramedics descend upon them, and he joins, falling into the routine. Within minutes, Wei Ying is safely strapped into the stretcher and en route to the campus medical center, which is also the hospital for the local community. Lan Zhan’s work here is done, he’s not on shift right now and the paramedic’s taking care of Wei Ying are experienced. They’re his colleagues, he knows they are capable.
Lan Zhan follows anyway.
“Brother.”
“A-Zhan. I heard you came in with the patient. A friend of yours?”
It sounds like a genuine question, but Lan Zhan can see the teasing glint in his brother’s eyes. Of course, his brother can read him like a book, and Lan Zhan had followed Wei Ying here despite being off duty and knowing he was safe in the hands of their coworkers.
He can feel the tips of his ears heating and he turns away. They’re not friends, the other man doesn’t even know he exists. If Lan Zhan had to choose a way to describe their relationship, he’s pretty sure he’d classify as a benign stalker.
A benign stalker who is now entering Wei Ying’s hospital room, alone, while Wei Ying is unconscious.
Just checking to make sure he’s okay, Lan Zhan tells himself. I’ll leave right after.
He does not leave right after. He takes one look at the other boy’s form, beautiful and vulnerable and lonely, and before he knows it he’s sitting at Wei Ying’s bedside, in one of the cheap green plastic chairs the hospital offers to visitors.
Wei Ying is never this still when awake, always flitting about around friends and laughing. Seeing him now, so quiet and peaceful, feels like an invasion of privacy, a sight that Lan Zhan, who’s still a stranger, shouldn’t be privy to.
Besides the stillness, something else is off too. It takes Lan Zhan a second to figure out what exactly it is, before realizing that the other man’s hair is still down, his hair tie nowhere to be seen. He vaguely recalls a red ribbon that Wei Ying seems to use regardless of what the rest of his outfit is. He had definitely been wearing it when Lan Zhan had first arrived at the track, so it must have fallen loose at some point in the chaos.
A soft groan snaps him back to attention. On the bed, Wei Ying’s face scrunches up, clearly uncomfortable. Lan Zhan is on his feet in an instant, worry coursing through his veins. Is his head injury more serious than they thought? Shifting into work mode and forgetting that he’s just a nameless stalker and not an intern at the moment, he leans over Wei Ying, scanning his face for any indicators-
“Angel?”
Lan Zhan blinks. Is Wei Ying having hallucinations?
“...Oh fuck. I said that out loud.”
Self awareness, probably not hallucinating then. But in that case, could Wei Ying have been referring to him..?
Lan Zhan feels his ears heating up again even as he squishes down the thought. It must have been something else, maybe calling out for a friend or a lover who goes by that name.
He pretends the thought doesn’t send a shot of envy into his heart as he exits the room, looking for an on duty nurse or doctor to notify of Wei Ying’s status change. Of course, because he’s lucky, he bumps into his brother as soon as he steps into the hallway.
“A-Zhan, you’re still here?”
“Wei Ying woke up.”
Lan Huan’s eyes widen, and he can already see that dreaded teasing glint return to his brother’s eyes, so Lan Zhan, in the smartest decision he’s made today, books it out of there before his brother can open his mouth.
His feet carry him back to the field where the volleyball game had been. The afternoon heat is finally giving in to the first few cool breezes of the evening, and the field is empty save for a few stragglers and lone joggers.
There.
The bright red of the crimson ribbon stands out clearly against the green grass, and Lan Zhan crouches down to pick the fabric up. There’s nothing particularly remarkable about it; the fabric feels to be of decent quality, but close inspection confirms that it is indeed plain red, no embroidery or personalization whatsoever. Still, Lan Zhan carefully brushes what dirt he can off before tucking it into the pocket of his shorts. Wei Ying seems to wear this every day, so it must have some significance.
If nothing else, it’s an excuse to see him.
And see him Lan Zhan does. Wei Ying is everywhere, in the dining halls, in the campus library, outside of lecture halls. Every time, Lan Zhan reaches for the red ribbon in his pocket, but he can never bring himself to walk over. How would he even begin that conversation? ‘You don’t know who I am but I’ve been holding onto your hair ribbon since you got hit by the volleyball two weeks ago (and definitely not stalking you while figuring out how to give it back).’
Yeah, Lan Zhan would rather not.
So instead, he takes the dignified approach, which is to say he continues with his borderline stalkerish behavior and admires Wei Ying from afar. The longer it goes on, the more he feels like he’s doing something wrong, like he’s holding onto Wei Ying’s stolen underwear instead of a hair ribbon, but he’s never been good at words or socialization or human interaction in general.
He’s pretty sure Jiang Cheng has caught on to his weird behavior by now, if the stink eye he gets from the short tempered man is any indication. Wei Ying, on the other hand, is cheerfully oblivious as always.
I’ll return it the next time I see him alone, Lan Zhan tells himself.
Of course, as lucky as he is, that happens to be now, as he exits the campus cafe. It’s dusk, quickly approaching night, and the sky reflects that appropriately, dark blue and violet lined with a hint of orange at the horizon. And there, a few meters away, is Wei Ying. The other man is drinking from a water bottle, likely taking a break after a strenuous run, if the sweat beading on his forehead and slicking his hair is any indication. Lan Zhan takes a moment to admire him, the pretty flush on his cheeks and the lines of his throat as he gulps down water, and suddenly he’s not sure which of them is more thirsty.
Unfortunately, his ogling observing is interrupted by the man in question. Wei Ying notices him and turns to face him, and there’s no running away now. Not that he’d want to; those silver eyes and warm grin are captivating, the way Wei Ying’s face brightens up even for him, for a complete stranger.
“Hi there! I recognize you, I’ve seen you around campus a lot! I’m Wei Ying, what’s your name?”
“L-Lan Zhan.”
Outwardly, his face remains unchanged (for once, his inability to properly emote is helpful), but internally he’s panicking. He’s been raised to speak with confidence, yet he had just stuttered over his own name!
“Lan Zhan! ...wait, Lan… are you related to Lan Huan somehow?” Ah, right. The two had met when Wei Ying had gotten hit by the volleyball, the same incident that was responsible for the bright hair ribbon that now felt like it was burning a hole through his pocket.
“My brother.”
Wei Ying laughs. “Ah, it makes so much more sense now! He looks so similar to you!”
Lan Zhan doesn’t think they are actually that alike, but then again, he’s had almost two decades to notice the differences between them.
“Anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself. I see you around so much, I thought it had to be fate, you know? How could I not be friends with someone I see every day, right?”
Lan Zhan keeps silent, ashamed. You see me around a lot because I purposely seek you out and follow you like an uncouth creep.
“Ah, you’re probably busy though. You always seem focused on some task or the other. If you’re anything like Huan-ge, you must be at the top of your class. Well, I won’t keep you any longer! But the next time we see each other, let’s say hi okay?”
‘Huan-ge?’ Lan Zhan feels a pang of jealousy. When did the two of you get close?
He then registers the rest of what the shorter man had said.
“Wait!”
Wei Ying is looking at him, surprised by the outburst from the normally silent man. Lan Zhan is just as taken aback as Wei Ying looks, not having thought before he yelled.
What are you doing what are you doing what are you doing.
Lan Zhan’s hands fumble, shaking as he reaches into his pocket and digs for the hair ribbon. Its presence had teased Lan Zhan for the past two weeks, but of course, now it decides to be difficult. He can feel his ears heating further as Wei Ying continues staring at him, confused. Fingers finally finding the soft cloth, he holds it out towards the other.
Wei Ying’s eyes widen, before his face is overtaken by the largest smile Lan Zhan has seen on the other yet. To his surprise, he finds himself with his arms full of the happy beauty as the other hugged him.
This is horrible for my heart, but so...good.
“Thank you! I’ve been looking for that ribbon everywhere, I thought someone threw it out! It’s not that expensive, but the cloth is from my parents’ hometown, so I couldn’t buy a replacement here even if I wanted to!”
Wei Ying leans back, and Lan Zhan does his best to mask his disappointment. The shorter man takes the offered ribbon and pulls the black hair elastic he’d been using in its place out of his hair. For a brief moment, that long hair is down, loose and free, before quickly getting seized and pulled back into another high ponytail.
“Ah, I feel more like myself already! This ribbon has spoiled me, I can’t stand other hair elastics anymore.” He regards Lan Zhan with another blinding smile. “Thank you!”
Lan Zhan can only nod. His heart and breath have been stolen with that one move, he is a weak, weak man.
“Hey, how about I treat you to something at the cafe whenever you’re free? Consider it payback!”
“You do not owe me.” I want to spend time with you because you enjoy my company, not out of obligation.
“Shh, let me. What if I just want to get to know you better?”
Oh.
Lan Zhan feels his ears heating further, they must be positively glowing at this point. He has no arguments.
“Alright, it’s set then! Here,” Lan Zhan watches helplessly as a pen is pulled out of the blue and his hand is used as an impromptu notebook. A sequence of ten digits, a phone number.
“Text me when you’re free, okay?”
“Mn.” Wei Ying smiles like the sun, and Lan Zhan is helpless against it.
The shorter man steps away, pointing to the dorm buildings in the distance. “Okay, I really do need to go now before my roommate kills me. Bye, Lan Zhan! I’ll see you soon!”
He nods in farewell, receiving one last bright grin before the other takes off. Lan Zhan watches as he shrinks in the distance, cheerily running about.
He put his hands back in his pockets. There’s empty space where the ribbon had been, unused to the vacancy after carrying it around for so long, but he can’t complain. After all, he has some rescheduling to do.
Time to find the soonest meeting time possible.
“Ah, Lan Zhan! Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long! Jiang Cheng kept pestering me before I headed out, he couldn’t believe someone was actually willing to go out with me this early on a Saturday morning!”
Wei Ying ran up to Lan Zhan, who was already calmly seated at one of the cozy cafe tables. Lan Zhan took a moment to appreciate the flush on the other boy’s cheeks. Wei Ying appeared slightly more dressed up than usual; a red denim jacket over a plain black tee, dark ripped jeans, and high top sneakers. Small black earrings shaped like a hanging spike caught in the light, and his crimson hair ribbon fluttered behind him, holding up his trademark messy ponytail.
“It is fine. Didn’t wait long.”
In front of him, there were already two cups; one iced drink with whipped cream and red powder on top, another mug steaming lightly.
“You already ordered? Lan Zhan, you shouldn’t have! I can pay for my own drink…Oh! Is this… iced chili chocolate coffee?” Wei Ying picked up the cup as he sat down, inspecting the familiar drink.
“Mn.”
Wei Ying visibly brightened up. “Wow! You even figured out what drink to get for me! This really is fate, isn’t it? I still feel bad though, let me pay you back!”
“No.”
“Lan Zhan, that’s not fair.” Wei Ying pouted at him, giving him wide, sad puppy eyes. Lan Zhan could feel the tips of his ears heating already. I mustn’t back down… I cannot be this weak.
He forced himself to look away, finding sudden interest in the wood grain of the table.
“Lan Zhan!”
“...next time.”
Wei Ying perked up again. “What was that?”
Lan Zhan coughed lightly, clearing his throat. “Wei Ying can treat next time.” He looked at the shorter man hesitantly, wondering if he had overstepped, but the wide grin he received in return was a sure sign that he hadn’t.
“Alright! It’s a deal then, Lan Zhan~!”
Conscience soothed, Wei Ying attacked his iced drink with gusto. “Ahh, that really hits the spot.” He smiled contentedly, resting his cheek on a propped up arm. “So, Lan Zhan, how are you? It’s been two days since we last met, but it feels like forever! I wanna learn more about you, we’ve met so much and now I’m here sharing a cafe table with you but I don’t even know your major!”
“I’ve been well. I-”
The door to the cafe suddenly swung open, the bell above it jingling madly from the force.
“Wei Ying you idiot, you forgot your… what the fuck?!”
Jiang Cheng stood at the cafe entrance, a black backpack raised in hand. His mouth was gaping open, staring at the table Lan Zhan and Wei Ying were sharing in shock. He pointed a shaky finger at Lan Zhan.
“You… You…!”
Wei Ying pouted. “Cheng Cheng, can’t you see I was having fun here? Stop standing at the doorway like a fish, you’re blocking the exit and causing a disruption to this peaceful little cafe.”
“Your fucking angel that you wouldn’t shut up about is your fucking stalker?!”
“What?”
...shit. Lan Zhan internally cursed, then chastised himself for cursing, even if it wasn’t out loud, then excused himself. Surely he could be afforded an exception from the rules at times like this, right?
Wei Ying stared bewilderedly between Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng. He remained silent, bracing himself as Jiang Cheng continued sputtering, face getting redder and redder by the second.
“E-Excuse me sir, could you either come in or leave?” The poor barista in charge of manning the counters today stuttered, watching the scene with wide eyes. Jiang Cheng, still in shock, stepped away from the door and walked over to their table.
“Wei Ying, explain yourself, now.”
“What is there to explain? I told you I was going out with a friend this morning!” Jiang Cheng growled in frustration as Wei Ying continued giving him that stare, that Jiang Cheng you poor, insane little fool stare and Jiang Cheng was not taking that from someone who was apparently on a date with their stalker.
I’m doing this for A-Jie, Jiang Cheng thought to himself. A-Jie would be sad if he died, I’m doing this for A-Jie.
He looked like he was barely suppressing the desire to wring the other’s neck. “Why the fuck are you on a date with your stalker?”
Wei Ying began glaring. “Hey! Lan Zhan is an awesome person, a million times nicer to me than you, you can’t just start insulting him out of nowhere!”
“I swear to god, this is the creep that’s been following you around for weeks!”
“He’s a student in the same college as us! Of course we’ll run into him now and then, but Lan Zhan is way too busy to spend his time stalking someone.” Wei Ying huffed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Lan Zhan felt the guilt on his mind get heavier.
“Really? Why don’t you ask him about it, he sure seems extra silent now!”
Lan Zhan froze. Wei Ying glared at Jiang Cheng, sticking out his tongue before turning to face the silent boy. “I’m sorry Lan Zhan, that’s my idiot roommate and brother, don’t mind him. But you should defend yourself, you know! You’re being so silent, but you shouldn’t just take it when people slander your name like that!”
“...” As much as I strongly dislike him right now, your brother isn’t wrong.
“Lan Zhan?” “See, he’s guilty!” “Hush, Jiang Cheng. Lan Zhan, are you okay?”
Concerned silver eyes filled his vision, a wrinkle between the other boy’s eyebrows from worry, and Lan Zhan’s conscience couldn’t take it anymore.
“He is… not entirely wrong.”
Wei Ying’s eyes widened as Jiang Cheng pointed a finger at him again. “Ha! I told you!”
Lan Zhan gulped, pretty sure he had about half a second to salvage whatever this was between Wei Ying and himself, before Wei Ying stormed out and decided to avoid him for the rest of his life.
“I’ve noticed you around campus. Your presence… is difficult to ignore. I recognized your hair ribbon in the fields but didn’t know how to return it. I sought you out, but I was… unsure about how to approach you. So I kept following you.” He looked down at his cup of tea, clenching it as tightly as possible without crushing the paper.
“That’s…” Wei Ying was whispering, and he didn’t want to look up to see what kind of expression the other was making.
“That’s… literally the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, oh my god.”
Lan Zhan’s gaze shot back up, unable to believe his ears. His eyes met Wei Ying’s, who was staring at him, wide eyed with wonder.
Jiang Cheng smacked the back of the shorter boy’s head. “Is your brain fucking broken? He just admitted he’s been following you around for weeks!”
Wei Ying was smiling so widely, Lan Zhan found himself vaguely concerned that the other would split his face open. “That is adorable. You picked up my hair ribbon, but you were too shy to return it to me directly and tried to work up the courage for weeks.” Wei Ying buried his face in his hands. “Lan Zhan, that’s so fucking cute, you aren’t allowed to be so cute!”
Lan Zhan felt a flush creeping up his ears and over his cheeks, while Jiang Cheng screeched. “The only illegal part of this is that he was fucking stalking you!”
Wei Ying’s continued hiding his face, completely tuning out Jiang Cheng’s voice as he muttered about how adorable Lan Zhan was and how his poor, poor heart couldn’t take this.
Jiang Cheng growled, throwing his hands in the air. “You know what, forget this. I tried, if you die A-Jie can’t blame me. Have fun on your date with your stalker!”
He stormed out the door, leaving one intensely blushing Lan Zhan and a still-squealing Wei Ying behind.
“...so you are not angry?”
Wei Ying’s face shot up. “What? No! That was so kind of you, and like I said, that’s literally like the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard… er, I mean…” He flushed.
Lan Zhan swore his heart skipped a beat. Romantic. Wei Ying was blushing. Could that mean…?
Lan Zhan let himself be seized by a sudden bout of bravery.
“...can be more. If Wei Ying wants.”
“Huh?”
“More romantic.”
“...”
Wei Ying stared at him for a few seconds, the pink on his cheeks intensifying into red, before he squeaked and hid his face again.
“Lan Zhan, you are going to kill me.” “Will not. Will protect you.”
Wei Ying peeked up from his hands, meeting eyes with Lan Zhan, who stared resolutely even as he felt his flush spread to his neck.
“...Is that a promise?” “Mn.” “I’ll hold you to that, you know.” “I will take responsibility.” “You better.” “Mn.”
Wei Ying finally seemed to have recovered enough to lift his face. There was a bright smile lighting up his face, even as he mock-sighed. “Ah, how did I get so lucky to go on a date with an angel like Lan Zhan.”
“Wei Ying is the angel.”
“!!!”
Lan Zhan hid a fond smile behind his cup of tea while Wei Ying groaned and buried his steaming face in his arms again.