Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian set his bag down on the bleachers and helped A-Yuan find Jiang Yanli in the small crowd before them. He rolled his neck and shoulders out, still stiff from sleeping poorly the night before. He was beginning to think that he would never get a full night’s sleep at this rate and that maybe he should just get to work when he woke up at three a.m. as opposed to lying silently in the dark for an hour before drifting back to sleep.
It was already warm on the fields despite the early hour, the sun shining softly on the players warming up. The final tournament, the conclusion of the season, was scheduled the same as the previous, with round robin in the morning and bracket play in the evening. Wei Wuxian felt confident that his team could win, considering that Xiao Xingchen was still out with a sprained ankle.
Their only real competition was Lan Wangji’s team and the assholes, as he so generously named the team led by Wen Chao.
Wei Wuxian slowly put on his cleats as he searched the crowd for Lan Wangji. He was in a small circle of his teammates, pointing to different fields and seemingly explaining the schedule of the day. His hair was already in a high bun and he wore his jersey, the sun turning it a pale gold. He was beautiful as ever, his eyes bright as he spoke.
Wei Wuxian stood, laces finally tied, and took a few slow laps around the field complex. He quickly fell into his natural rhythm, his breaths long and even. The sun felt nice, though he could tell that it would turn blistering in the afternoon. He had made sure to pack an absurdly large hat for A-Yuan to wear, so that he could be shaded even through the heat of the day.
As he ran he looked for his friends, spread throughout the fields in individual efforts of warming up. He would miss the league, he realized. It had been wonderful, being in weekly contact with those he had missed for so long. Moving forward, he would have to do the hard work on his own of reaching out, rekindling tenuous friendships that were built on a mutual enjoyment of rec soccer and half of a college experience thirteen years ago.
He returned to his team and sat heavily onto the ground, allowing himself a moment to recover before stretching. He hadn’t needed to stretch as much when he was younger, but his mid-thirties body voiced many qualms about playing soccer without first warming up.
Soon enough, the tournament began. Wei Wuxian had set A-Yuan up with his crayons and Jiang Yanli, who had promised to keep an eye on him as best she could.
The first few games passed with ease. The sun rose higher as the day progressed, the field slowly burning beneath their feet as the heat of the day began to bear down on the players.
The fourth game slot was a bye game for Wei Wuxian’s team, so he sat on the ground next to A-Yuan, crayons momentarily discarded.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to draw for you?” asked Wei Wuxian, tipping the rest of his water into his mouth. He tossed it onto his bag, where it clinked against the other bottle he had already finished.
“I’m sure,” said A-Yuan. “I want to sit with baba.” Wei Wuxian smiled wide and grabbed A-Yuan, depositing him into his lap. Wei Wuxian narrated the game in front of them, imitating one of the Spanish commentators, to A-Yuan’s delight. After a few moments, Wen Ning joined them.
At halftime, Wen Ning turned to Wei Wuxian. “You seem subdued,” he said, his eyes wide as always and his shoulders in a concerned shrug. “Is anything wrong?”
Wei Wuxian exhaled gustily and leaned back, resting his weight on his hands. “It feels weird, that I won’t be seeing everyone here every week,” he said. “And since I work at home I don’t exactly have coworkers that I see all the time, you know? I’ll have to reach out to everyone and hope I’m not annoying them, and it’s not like I’m individually close with everyone here that one on one coffee outings would be something reasonable to expect.”
Wen Ning looked at Wei Wuxian oddly. “Did you not receive my invitation? I texted you last night.”
Wei Wuxian opened his mouth and immediately closed it, his nose crinkling. He had received a text from Wen Ning but hadn’t opened it, figuring it wasn’t important. “I didn’t actually look at it,” he admitted.
“It was an invitation to my and Wen Qing’s almost-every-week dinner and game nights,” he said reproachfully. “Practically everyone from the teams is welcome. We suspend it during the soccer season since we already see everyone once a week, but it takes the place of the Thursday games.”
“Oh,” said Wei Wuxian. He patted A-Yuan’s sides, for lack of anything to do. “I would love to come.”
“Good!” said Wen Ning brightly. He stood and gave a thumbs up to Wen Qing, who returned the gesture. “You were the only one who didn’t respond who was a new invite this year and we were worried.”
Wei Wuxian frowned. “Who else was a new invite?”
Wen Ning tilted his head, remembering. “Just you and Jin Zixuan, at Jiang Yanli’s request,” he said, forestalling Wei Wuxian’s complaints. “Anyways, I’ve gotta go tell Wen Qing that we’re on for next week with everyone! You don’t have any allergies that we don’t know about, do you?”
“Nope,” said Wei Wuxian, grinning. “Can A-Yuan come?”
“Of course,” said Wen Ning. “He’s always invited.” He turned and jogged to Wen Qing, patting A-Yuan on the head as he left.
Wei Wuxian had only just adjusted A-Yuan on his lap when another figure approached them.
“We’ve already been invited to the Thursday dinner,” said Wei Wuxian, not bothering to look up at who came close.
There was a pause, and then, “Congratulations?”
Wei Wuxian flushed and looked up to see Lan Wangji towering over him. “I thought you were someone else,” he said.
“Clearly,” replied Lan Wangji, the side of his mouth twitching up. “Our game is about to begin.”
“Already?” asked Wei Wuxian, alarmed. The late morning warmth, combined with sitting with A-Yuan, had made him awfully sleepy. He gently moved A-Yuan aside and told him to go find Jiang Yanli. He watched him run in her general direction and smiled softly.
He looked at Lan Wangji, who was looking at him with a soft expression, the same he had worn at the bar weeks ago. Lan Wangij extended his hand and Wei Wuxian took it gratefully, allowing himself to be pulled upright. He marvelled once again at just how strong Lan Wangji was, how it seemed to be no effort at all to pull him to his feet.
Once standing, Wei Wuxian nodded to Lan Wangji and they made their way towards the referee standing in the middle of the field.
“Are you excited to play?” asked Wei Wuxian.
Lan Wangji looked at him and blinked, his lips parting. “Yes,” he said.
“Good! Me too,” said Wei Wuxian. “You know, this might be the last time we play against each other. We’re both seeded well enough to be placed on opposite sides of the bracket, and if we don’t both make it to the finals this will be it ‘til next year.”
Lan Wangji tilted his head minutely to the left. “We could always arrange more games between our teams,” he said, “if you think you will miss it so much.”
Wei Wuxian paused and looked at Lan Wangji, considering. “I think I will miss the people more than the game,” he said.
At that moment they reached the referee, who seemed to disregard any conversation that anyone was in the middle of. “Okay,” she said, clapping her hands twice. She sped through the rules and Wei Wuxian won the kickoff with a call of tails.
“The game starts in ten minutes,” the referee said, finishing her speech, and promptly walked away, leaving Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian alone in the middle of the field.
Lan Wangji turned and motioned towards his team, who began streaming onto the field.
“Hey, Lan Zhan,” said Wei Wuxian, as Lan Wangji turned away. He looked back over his shoulder at Wei Wuxian, one eyebrow raised.
“Good luck, sweetheart,” Wei Wuxian said, winking, before turning and running towards his team.
Despite the oppressive heat, both teams pushed themselves, running faster and making more attempts on the goal than usual.
Wei Wuxian ran after Lan Wangji, who had gotten away from him when Wei Wuxian joined the scramble to accept the corner kick.
“Hey, sweetheart,” panted Wei Wuxian, “can you please slow down?”
Lan Wangji glanced back at Wei Wuxian, dribbling the ball between his feet as he searched the field for someone open. “I would rather not,” he said, suddenly darting forward towards the goal. Wei Wuxian grinned and followed, exhilarated with the chase.
“You should try running faster,” said Jiang Cheng as the team rearranged themselves for Nie Mingjue’s kick-in after their goal.
“You try chasing after Lan Wangji,” said Wei Wuxian, wiping his face with his jersey. “Have you seen how fast he is?”
“I’ve seen how much you look at him,” said Jiang Cheng, his lip curled slightly. “I would rather you focus on the game instead.”
“I’m supposed to be guarding him, it’s impossible to not look at him,” protested Wei Wuxian. Nie Mingjue kicked the ball back in game and Wei Wuxian ran after it, his thoughts only half on the game. Lan Wangji was delicious, frankly, to look at, all strong arms and legs and beautiful face.
Wei Wuxian quickly got possession of the ball and ran with it to the goal, looking around for someone to pass to. He could see Wen Qing catching up out of the corner of his eye.
“Babe,” he said to the ever present Lan Wangji, “would you mind getting out of the way?”
Lan Wangji looked at him blankly and Wei Wuxian grinned before stopping suddenly and kicking the ball to Wen Qing.
“Thank you, dear,” Wei Wuxian said, already jogging forward.
“Come on, sweetheart,” said Wei Wuxian, half a game later. “Just pass it to me, I’ll take that off your hands.” He paused, watching Lan Wangji’s face. “Or feet, I guess.”
Lan Wangji snorted, his eyes flicking briefly to Wei Wuxian before returning to the ball.
“Honey,” said Wei Wuxian five minutes later, eyes on the goal, “can you please step out of the way? Just for a second, dearest, really.” Lan Wangji moved infinitesimally to the side before stepping towards Wei Wuxian, crowding into his space more than was strictly necessary. Wei Wuxian grinned.
The game ended with the Lans winning by a single point. Wei Wuxian and his teammates took it well, knowing that out of all the teams there, they would prefer to lose to their friends. They all returned to the sidelines and plopped down on the turf, grateful for the hour respite for lunch. Theirs had been the last game of the round robin before the bracket games began.
Wei Wuxian settled himself on the ground next to A-Yuan, cross-legged. While eating at the tables would be easier, he thought it would be more fun for both of them. A-Yuan seemed to enjoy it, if the amount that he was waving his fish plushie around was any indication. He looked adorable, all squishy cheeks and gigantic hat.
Wei Wuxian had made sure to place themselves out of the way of anyone walking between the bleachers, the fields, the tables, and the farmers market the next parking lot over, just to be safe. It meant that they were sitting slightly away from anyone else, but he would prefer to be farther away than a hassle.
Wei Wuxian was in the middle of his third water bottle of the day when soft footsteps announced the approach of someone. He looked up to see Lan Wangji, bag slung over his shoulder and a not-quite-blank expression on his face.
“Have you come to join us in our humble abode?” asked Wei Wuxian, smiling as he spread his arms wide. A-Yuan waved his fish plushie enthusiastically.
“If you will have me,” said Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian nodded and Lan Wangji gracefully sank down, folding his long legs under him.
After a moment of silence, Wei Wuxian spoke. “You played well today. I hope we see you in the finals.”
Lan Wangji quirked the edge of his mouth up. “You as well,” he said.
They settled into silence, interrupted occasionally by one of A-Yuan’s observations. Most of the time Wei Wuxian would respond, answering his question or affirming that yes, they do have sparrows in their neighborhood and they are also on the field, isn’t that nice how birds can fly so far, and no, he doesn’t think they know any walruses, but he’ll look it up to see if they have the same habitat once they get home.
Every once in a while Lan Wangi would answer A-Yuan. It was shocking, the first time it happened, but throughout their break Lan Wangji seemed to warm to A-Yuan more and more. A-Yuan, in turn, was dazzled by Lan Wangji. To be fair, Wei Wuxian was dazzled as well.
He leaned back on his hands and simply looked at Lan Wangji as he talked to A-Yuan. The midday sun settled beautifully on his features, carving sharp lines of his cheekbones as he spoke, his eyes warm.
He was surprisingly good with A-Yuan, his explanations age-appropriate but not dumbing anything down. He encouraged A-Yuan’s inquisitiveness and asked A-Yuan questions in turn, seemingly genuinely interested in A-Yuan’s opinions.
Most importantly, A-Yuan liked him and had from the start. Wei Wuxian would not have given Lan Wangji the time of day, regardless of his god-like body, had A-Yuan not taken to him immediately.
Wei Wuxian blinked out of his head to find Lan Wangji and A-Yuan looking at him. “Wei Ying,” said Lan Wangji, clearly not for the first time. Wei Wuxian flushed.
“Hm?”
“Our break is almost over,” said Lan Wangji, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “Would you like to take a lap with me? Bracket play begins soon.”
Wei Wuxian nodded. “Sure, give me a moment,” he said. “I’ll deposit A-Yuan with Yanli and then I’ll be good.”
He quickly gathered his and A-Yuan’s things and escorted A-Yuan to Jiang Yanli’s perch on the bleachers, Lan Wangji hovering behind like some kind of valet.
As Wei Wuxian set his bag down, Jiang Yanli grabbed his arm, her eyes glittering. “Are you having fun?”
Wei Wuxian tilted his head. “Yeah, you know I like playing.”
“I mean,” she said, looking pointedly at Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian resisted the urge to look as well. “Are you having fun, or are you actually going to do something about him?”
“Shijie,” said Wei Wuxian, momentarily at a loss.
“I mean it,” she said, smiling. “He clearly enjoys spending time with you and I know you like him. Don’t drag this out longer than you need to,” she said, pushing him away gently. Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes and scrambled off the bleachers, setting off on a jog as soon as he hit the ground. Lan Wangji followed him, keeping pace the entire time.
It was hot on the fields, the turf radiating heat after a morning under the sun. Their shadows were nearly directly underneath them, combining and stretching apart as they ran side by side.
They ran in silence, both stretching their legs and getting used to running after sitting for an hour. Wei Wuxian found himself imagining them running together through his neighborhood, on dusty forest trails, on mountain hikes. He shook his head and focused on the shifting feel of the turf under his feet, the rubber bits they kicked up that hit his shins and the backs of his calves, the white lines painted on the ground below them.
He looked over to find Lan Wangji watching him, his golden eyes bright in the noon sunlight. Wei Wuxian sped up, cackling as he heard Lan Wangji scramble to maintain his footing to chase him.
Wei Wuxian’s team powered through bracket play. Everyone knew that each game was potentially their last until the next summer, so they all played hard.
Everything was fine until they had to play the assholes. As the day grew hotter, the other team seemed to grow meaner, pulling out dirtier and dirtier tricks until they were fouling continuously, swearing up and down the field.
Wei Wuxian played as hard as he had the whole season. The whole team was run ragged, attempting to score every chance they could, but Wen Chao’s team would return with unbeatable energy.
A second before the referee called the final whistle, Jin Guangyao scored a final goal, leading his team to victory. Wei Wuxian’s team exchanged calls of ‘good game’ and unwilling high fives, using more force than was strictly necessary.
As they left the field, Wei Wuxian jogged to the front of the group, leading them off to the sidelines. “Nice job, everyone,” he said, grabbing a bottle of water from his bag. Wen Qing rolled her eyes at him and Jiang Cheng frowned loudly.
“Yeah, sure,” said Jiang Cheng. “We lost, if you didn’t catch that.”
“Hey, no,” said Wei Wuxian, pointing at Jiang Cheng. “I mean yeah, we did, but I had fun this season! I’m back in the country and getting to play with all my favorite people!” He wrapped an arm around Jiang Cheng and squeezed, pulling him in for a one-armed hug. Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and suffered his brother’s affection.
“Also,” added Wei Wuxian. “I’ll buy a round of beer when we go to the bar tonight, okay?” The team perked up, laughter and gentle shoves running through the group. Wei Wuxian looked back at them and smiled wide, proud even through their loss. The score never really meant anything, anyways. It was the game, the people, that truly mattered.
The final match was between the Lans and the assholes. Wei Wuxian’s team wished the Lans luck and settled in on the sidelines to watch. Jiang Yanli grabbed Jin Zixuan as he walked by and kissed him thoroughly, eliciting raucous cheers from the crowd. Jin Zixuan jogged away, a huge grin on his face.
“Hey, Lan Zhan,” called Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji stopped and turned to Wei Wuxian. “Good luck,” he said, smiling.
Lan Wangji cocked an eyebrow. “What, nothing special for me?”
Wei Wuxian flushed, knowing he was smiling manically. “You get ‘em, babe,” he said, the blood rushing in his ears.
Lan Wangji smiled ever so slightly, clearly pleased. “Thank you,” he said, his voice deep, before turning and running onto the field.
Wei Wuxian sat down heavily and buried his face in Wen Ning’s shoulder. “What was that?” he squeaked. “What the fuck was that?”
Wen Ning patted his back awkwardly. “I think he was flirting with you,” he said.
“No,” moaned Wei Wuxian. “Why would he do that? Doesn’t he know I’ll die if he does that?”
Nie Huaisang sat down on Wei Wuxian’s other side and rubbed his neck. “I think you’ll make it through,” he said.
The game was brutal to watch. Wen Chao and his team were ruthless. Even Nie Mingjue was flagging after a whole day of near-constant play. The relentless sun only made it harder, beating down on the players below.
The cheering section, led by Jiang Yanli, was fearsome. Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen joined as well, having lost to the Lans the game previous. A-Qing sat next to A-Yuan and cheered with him, keeping a running commentary of the game.
Wei Wuxian only had eyes for Lan Wangji. He was gorgeous to watch, his form impeccable even in the climbing heat and incessant dirty play from the other team. He kept making attempts on the goal, trying from farther and farther away the harder it became to reach the goal.
In the last minute of play, Lan Wangji scored off of a well-placed header, bumping them into the lead. Despite the frantic play of the assholes, they managed to hold their lead with Nie Mingjue guarding the goal.
The referee blew the final whistle and called the game, declaring the Lans the winners.
Wei Wuxian and the rest of the crowd surged onto the field, exuberant. Even though it was just rec soccer -- even though it didn’t matter, not in the larger sense -- they had still won the final tournament of the season and were due a celebration. Wei Wuxian spotted Jiang Yanli speeding towards Jin Zixuan and rolled his eyes, leaving them be. He had eyes for only one person.
Wei Wuxian wove through the crowd, dodging arms and legs and clusters of laughing people.
“Lan Zhan,” he called, finally finding Lan Wangji through the swarm of people. Lan Wangji turned to Wei Wuxian, his eyes bright and relaxed.
“Congrats on winning,” said Wei Wuxian, standing in front of Lan Wangji. “I knew you were better than those assholes.”
Lan Wangji smiled at that, a real smile that knocked the breath out of Wei Wuxian in a way he hadn’t known was possible. Lan Wangji was still breathing hard from the game and he was beautiful, glistening with sweat, his hair slightly mussed.
Without any clear thought, Wei Wuxian surged forward and kissed Lan Wangji. After a split second he jerked back, stunned with himself, his eyes wide.
“I,” Wei Wuxian said, unable to form coherent thought. Before he could say anything else, Lan Wangji stepped forward, softly pressing his lips to Wei Wuxian’s.
Wei Wuxian kissed him back. Lan Wangji’s lips were electric and salty with sweat, his hands big and warm as they slipped under the loose fabric of Wei Wuxian’s jersey to rub against his hip bones. Lan Wangji angled Wei Wuxian’s head and deepened the kiss, their breath hot against each other. Wei Wuxian twined his arms around Lan Wangji’s neck and pulled him closer, pressing their bodies flush.
A wolf whistle pierced through the crowd around them and they broke apart, startled. Lan Wangji leaned his forehead against Wei Wuxian’s and took a deep breath, looking steadily at Wei Wuxian.
“Listen,” said Wei Wuxian, his mouth catching on Lan Wangji’s as he spoke. “I am very attracted to you.”
“Likewise,” intoned Lan Wangji, his voice deep and hoarse.
“And if you keep kissing me like this,” said Wei Wuxian, “I’m never going to let you go, you hear me?”
“I hear you,” murmured Lan Wangji, reaching forward to tuck a lock of hair behind Wei Wuxian’s ear. Wei Wuxian smiled back, helpless, and kissed Lan Wangji again, and again, and again, just because he could, under the summer sun in the middle of the field.