Work Text:
Despite the Jin Sect’s losses, the banquet hall of Carp Tower still shone with wasteful extravagance. Perhaps Jin Ling wouldn’t be so irritated if it had truly been to make amends with the other sects—but with this much gaudiness, it was obvious that wasn’t just the case.
The worst part of all of this was that Jin Ling was stuck, and couldn’t even hang out with his friends as he’d been planning. The birthday he’d planned wasn’t supposed to be an extravagant event—just a night out with the his friends, maybe even his uncle and Wei Wuxian since they’d finally made up somewhat—but of course the elders decided to suddenly spring this stupid banquet, inviting literally everyone who mattered. It had the duo purpose of showing off to the other sect that the Jin Sect still had a strong leader, as well as showing off their generosity… and outrageous wealth.
Jin Ling was stuck at the sect leader’s table, which was situated in the slightly raised area at the head of the room. Wedged between his uncle and Lan Xichen, he was forced to suffer as hoards of strangers approached them to pay their respects and present a gift to Jin Ling. It was stifling and uncomfortable, and Jin Ling could feel a hundred prying eyes on him at every second. The piles of gifts behind Jin Ling was only getting higher and higher, nothing more then worthless trinkets and thoughtless novelties.
He couldn’t care less about them.
The words “thank you, I appreciate your gift” was becoming meaningless to his brain, his body on autopilot after the twentieth, thirtieth present. A large portion of the people approaching were young woman, clearly hoping to be considered as possible brides. Uncle Jiang was scrutinizing them carefully, which made Jin Ling feel even more irritated. Wasn’t he the one who got to choose who he married at the end?
Lan Sizhui was sitting at a table below along with a handful of other disciples. Like everyone else in the room, he was dressed in his formal robes. This was the first time he was seeing Lan Sizhui in them.
The Lan Sect’s formal robes abandoned the blue embellishments in their usual uniform in favor of a pure, almost blinding white. If the Jin Sect’s uniforms were known for its extravagant gold in it’s design, the Lan Sect’s was notable for its subtle silver filigree, dancing along the edges of the uniform like shining frost and snow.
The sight of Lan Sizhui in those robes was almost too much for Jin Ling. It’s a crush, he told his rebelling heart sternly. It’s just a crush. But even so, as he watched Lan Sizhui laugh at something Lan Jingyi had said, he realized that with those robes and that smile, it really was impossible to look away.
There was the sound of his uncle pointedly clearing their throat, and Jin Ling reluctantly pulled himself back to the present.
“Thank you,” he droned, and the woman standing before him, looking delighted, passed her gift to the poor Jin servant stacking them presents. There really was no end to them.
“Try to be more unenthusiastic,” Uncle Jiang muttered, and Jin Ling just crossed his arms morosely.
“Sect Leader Jiang, I’m sure Jin Ling would just prefer to be with his friends on such a special day for him,” Lan Xichen said, voice soothing. He was perceptive, but considering Jin Ling really had just been staring longingly at his friend’s table, maybe not.
“Obviously,” Uncle Jiang snorted. “But he’s a sect leader now.”
His uncle’s words had the implied connotations of responsibility and duty, which didn’t do anything to improve Jin Ling’s mood. If he didn’t have the eyes of dozens and dozens of people on him, he would have snapped back in anger. As if he hadn’t heard that a hundred times already.
Nevertheless, Jin Ling’s gaze couldn’t help but drift back to Lan Sizhui’s table, only to find the boy missing. He scanned the table in confusion—Lan Jingyi was still there, but Sizhui really was gone. Perhaps he’d stepped outside?
“Respected sect leaders.” Jin nearly leapt out of his seat at the familiar voice. Lan Sizhui stood in front of the sect leader table, giving them a respectful salute. Jin Ling straightened from slouch, his attention immediately captured. He ignored the snort of snide amusement from his uncle.
“Sizhui,” Jin Ling said, the name leaving his mouth unintentionally. The Lan sect disciple looked at him and smiled.
“Sect Leader Jin,” he said. “May I take a moment of your time?”
There was no present in Lan Sizhui’s hand, but if Jin Ling could get even a minute out of the banquet hall, it would be the best present Lan Sizhui could ever give him. Jin Ling looked towards his uncle immediately, eyes pleading.
“Don’t look at me,” Uncle Jiang snapped. “You’re a sect leader, make your own decisions.” A pause. “But be back quick.”
That was as close to approval he was going to get. Jin Ling leapt to his feet and walked to Lan Sizhui, trying to keep his steps even.
“Outside?” Lan Sizhui asked, and Jin Ling nodded, following the other boy out of the banquet hall.
The hallway outside was mostly empty, but Lan Sizhui lead them down the hallway and then around the corner, just to be safe. Eventually, they came to a small courtyard.
It was dark outside, but still warm. This far from the banquet hall, the sounds of the celebration was muted, overpowered instead by the melody of a summer night.
The moon was high in the sky, shining brightly down on them. Lan Sizhui’s robes were practically glowing, the moonlight reflecting off the silver accents like little stars.
Lan Sizhui sat on at stone bench near a path that was surrounded by peonies, patting the seat next to him.
With the moonlight and the blooming peonies surrounding, this type of setting felt almost—intimate. Romantic, almost.
Jin Ling flushed. He hoped it was dim enough so that Lan Sizhui didn’t see.
He sat down next to Lan Sizhui, leaving a foot of space between them. Lan Sizhui smiled at, peaceful. This close, the smile was almost overwhelming. Jin Ling had to force himself not to stare.
“What is it?” Jin Ling managed to say. He was aiming for annoyed, but somehow the words came out pleased instead.
“You looked like you needed a moment,” Lan Sizhui said, voice soft and soothing. “You didn’t seem like you were enjoying yourself up there,” the boy paused, frowning. “I apologize if I assumed incorrectly.”
Jin Ling shook his head quickly. “No, no—you were right.” He fiddled with the tassel on his belt, feeling restless. “It was suffocating up there. I—I appreciate it.”
Lan Sizhui smile reappeared and he chuckled. “Anyone would feel suffocated in your situation, I think. And plus, you’re hardly the type to care for these sort of things.”
It was a testament to their friendship that Lan Sizhui knew this—any other Jin Clan member would jump at the chance to be treated like royalty, and to be given meaningless gift after gift.
He sighed. “This is horrible,” Jin Ling muttered. “We were all supposed to go out. Have fun. My uncle was supposed to treat us all.”
“We still can,” Lan Sizhui patted him lightly on the shoulder. “Maybe we can take a day off tomorrow, while all of us are still at Carp Tower. I know that Jingyi has a plan, something to do with lots and lots of alcohol.”
The thought cheered Jin Ling up greatly. He couldn’t help the grateful smile on his lips.
“Sounds good.”
They sat there in a peaceful silence for a few moments, just watching the moon, and the stars, listening to the sounds of the cicadas chirping away. It was Lan Sizhui who moved first, reaching into his sleeve.
“I actually have a present for you,” he said, giving a small smile. He seemed slow, hesitant as he pulled out a long, narrow wooden box, which was much plainer then anything the others had given him. Despite that, Jin Ling could feel anticipation rising within him. Jin Ling accepted the box with both hands.
“You didn’t have to,” he said, staring down at it. It really was unobtrusive, with nothing but a simple carving of the Lan Sect sigil on top. “Your sect already gave me something.”
“This gift is from me. Not my sect.” Lan Sizhui was watching him carefully, clearly waiting for him to open it. Jin Ling felt almost nervous under his gaze.
He cleared his throat. “Alright.” His heart thumped with anticipation as he slid the wooden lid open.
Lying on a silken cushion was a white, embellished tassel. It was obviously good quality and painstakingly made, a elegant knot on the top and round blue and white beads adorning the white string.
But most eye-catching was the white-green jade crescent in the center. It was relatively large, about the size of the Jiang Sect’s bell. He definitely recognized it—it was the same jade pendent all members of the Lan Sect wore.
Jin Ling picked up the tassel, speechless.
Lan Sizhui’s expression was soft as his chin dipped, looking at Jin Ling with a small smile on his lips. His own jade crescent, hanging from his own belt, shone brightly in the moonlight.
“It wasn’t too hard to convince Zewu-Jun to allow this,” he said. “But Lan Qiren and the other elders were a little more reluctant.”
“This…this is…”
The other boy nodded. “I’m sure you’ve seen it before but this is meant to give you unrestricted access to the Cloud Recesses.” Lan Sizhui gave a small laugh, scratching his cheek. “I had some trouble figuring out a present for you, since I was sure that no matter what it was you’d be able to get it yourself. Since you’re at the Cloud Recesses so much with Jingyi and I, it would definitely be more convenient if you were about to enter whenever you wanted, right? Not that welcoming you in is a hassle or anything like that, I just thought that, maybe you’d be happier with this. Ah, maybe this kind of gift is a little cheap, since all it really gives you is my presence, as well as the other disciples…”
It came to Jin Ling’s realization, once his mind finally started working again, that Lan Sizhui was babbling. He was nervous, maybe even more so then Jin Ling himself.
It’s just a crush, the voice in his head said, getting less and less convincing with every repetition. It’s just a crush.
Jin Ling ignored the voice, then silenced it completely as he grabbed the front of Lan Sizhui’s robes and yanked him forward into a kiss.
For a brief blissful moment, there was nothing but the press of his lips to Sizhui’s—he tasted exactly how Jin Ling would have expected, sweet and warm and the best thing ever.
And then, Jin Ling’s mind caught up with him.
He pulled back, his cheek burning, a stuttered apology already on his lips—but before he could even get far, a hand grasped the back of his neck a dragged him back and sealed their lips back together.
Lan Sizhui lips were hot against his own, dizzying enough that Jin Ling had to curl a hand into the other boy’s robes to steady himself. The only conscious thought in his mind was the awareness that Lan Sizhui was really good at this.
When Lan Sizhui’s hold on him slackened and they separated, they were both breathing heavily. Jin Ling’s body felt weak, so he dropped his head onto Lan Sizhui’s shoulder as he tried to catch his breath.
He could feel Lan Sizhui’s arms wrapping around him, his breath brushing against his ear making Jin Ling shiver.
“Happy birthday, Jin Ling.”
He stood corrected—this was the best present Lan Sizhui could ever give him.