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"All by myselfff!!! Don't wanna be, all by myselfff!!!! Anymorrrreeeeee!!!!"
"OH. MY. GOD," Jiang Cheng groaned, palming his face. Of all the people to spend a precious weeknight to a bar with, it had to be his older brother. His older brother who had just a lover's quarrel with his boyfriend of seven years. And now the two of them were hanging out inside a seedy bar that in his current drunken state couldn't remember how both of them ended up in.
And his drunk older brother, his supposedly smart and honor student of an older brother, was currently singing on the stage with his godawful voice that it took a couple of more beers inside his system to bear with. Wei Wuxian didn't even seem to know the meaning of tone deaf, and in the corner of his eyes he saw a heavily-muscled man having what he could recognize as a seizure when the rising star of an older brother of his missed a high note in the grandest fashion. A near-hysterical giggle left his lips. Wei Wuxian's singing wasn't designed for murder, it was designed for a massacre. And he couldn't wait to see how many songs Wei Wuxian could belt out before the rest of the patrons in this very dark and very disreputable bar kick him out.
"I'm out of love...I'm so lost without youuuu! I can't be too late, to say that I was so wrongggg..."
Jiang Cheng signalled a waiter and ordered another round of beers.
Jiang Cheng loved his older brother. He loved Wei Wuxian despite the fact that the very first thing that the nine-year-old little runt said when the two of them met for the very first time had been: "Uncle Jiang! Who's the pretty girl? I thought that jiejie is my only sister! Don't worry, from now on A'Ying will protect you! So little sister, let's be friends, okey?" And Wei Wuxian smiled at him as if he hadn't just yanked his pride, threw it down the ground and trampled on it.
Jiang Fengmian had laughed, seemingly amused with what he considered as childish interactions between his son and his bestfriends' son while Yu Ziyuan just scoffed, yet her forehead had been smoother than it usually had been that day.
Jiang Cheng had felt his cheeks burn in shame and humiliation.
And from that moment, a one -sided war had started between the wronged heir of the Jiang Corporation and his oblivious adopted brother.
And yet, it hadn't been long before his nine-year-old self realized that nobody could stay mad with Wei Wuxian for a long time. There was always something endearing about him, from his big silver-grey eyes that looked like puppy's, from his cute button nose and very squeezable cheeks. In the end, Jiang Cheng had been the first one to raise the white flag, signalling the end of a war that Wei Wuxian didn't even seem to notice at all.
Wei Wuxian's parents have both died in an unfortunate car accident and since both of them have been orphans with no known relatives, Jiang Fengmian had decided to adopt their son to honor his over two decades of friendship with them. At first Yu Ziyuan had been against his decision, but one romantic candle-lit dinner in her favorite restaurant later she no longer have any qualms about taking in the little rascal who had once broken one of her very old and very expensive vase and demolished her beautiful garden.
And ever since then, he and Wei Wuxian had been inseparable with their angelic older sister always looking out for them.
But everything changed when Wei Wuxian met Lan Wangji, the unfairly handsome, unfairly smart and unfairly athletic Lan Wangji, the valedictorian of their old highschool and captain of their school's volleyball team.
He was also their principal's nephew and teachers' pet. But Wei Wuxian seemed to ignore the former information on purpose.
He still clearly remembered the first time he and his brother saw Lan Wangji. It happened during the very first day of their first year in highschool. Their teacher had been late so he and Wei Wuxian decided to amuse themselves with flicking each other with paper balls. Jiang Cheng, who had been increasingly growing annoyed with their teacher's tardiness (what kind of a teacher is late to his own class anyway?) balled up a larger ball than what the two of them had been throwing to each other and failed to notice the door of their classroom opening but Wei Wuxian did. His brother quickly turned around and gawked at the same time Jiang Cheng had throw his paper ball towards his face. The paper ball landed perfectly inside Wei Wuxian's mouth, but his brother didn't seem to notice, his wide eyes glued on whatever or whoever standing at the front of their classroom.
It had been none other than Lan Zhan, courtesy name Lan Wangji. A very smart and very handsome mortal who had brought up all the insecurities of Jiang Cheng's short life on the front with just one glance on his unfairly jade-like beauty. Jiang Cheng hadn't spend the whole night rolled up like a burrito in his blanket and moaning about the unfairness of life. He definitely hadn't no matter how much his traitor of a brother insisted that he had. Jiang Cheng had stolen his tub of ice cream from their fridge as revenge after.
And from that day Jiang Cheng had begun to suffer as he watched his older brother who used to flirt and chase after the prettiest girls in their middle school chased and flirted with the human-shaped ice block. From leaving flowers and small tokens on Lan Wangji's desk, accompanying him from their classroom to the library, inviting him to their table during lunch and in one memorable moment serenaded Lan Wangji in front of the whole school, Wei Wuxian had made himself a large nuisance in the emotionless jade statue's life.
And if Lan Wangji had started to become warmer towards his brother after that incident that would always be remembered as a part of their school's history, he just pretended not to notice for the sake of his own sanity.
Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had started dating during their second year. Everyone in their school had known, mostly because the two very much in-love idiots had never cared to hide their relationship from everyone. He remembered hearing that Lan Wangji's uncle and the school's principal had had a heart attack when he caught his nephew and the school's troublemaker yet also an outstanding student making out inside the library. To make the story short, his parents had been called to the principal's office, Principal Lan had ranted about the school's virtue and honor and why two teenagers who were also attending the same school shouldn't be sucking faces inside the school's library. It had been a very entertaining moment.
"Don't worry, Principal Lan! Lan Zhan and I are going to stop kissing inside the library! We will do it inside my room from now on!"
The school's nurse had to be called to check on their principal right after Wei Wuxian's shameless and proud declaration.
Being on the front seat of Wei Wuxian' and Lan Wangji's melodramatic relationship had been stressful and took a toll on his teenage years. Yet he couldn't stop himself from keeping an eye on the two just to make sure that his older brother wouldn't have his heart broken at the end. The two was what somebody had once called sickeningly sweet sweethearts. They were always together, holding each other's hands and eating together during lunch in their school cafeteria. Jiang Cheng hadn't mind being the third wheel of their relationship, all he ever wanted was to protect his brother. But sometimes the shameless PDAs have been too much for his stomach and dignity that sometimes he would hang out with their friends.
Of course, Wei Wuxian's relationship with his boyfriend hadn't been always smooth-sailing. They fought like ordinary couples do though sometimes the reasons behind their fights have been hard for Jiang Cheng to understand. They once fought because Wei Wuxian had once flirted with one of their female classmates out of boredom, for which Jiang Cheng had punished him by 'lightly' smacking his head with a book. They fought because Lan Wangji hadn't enough time for Wei Wuxian because of his increasingly busy schedule as an honor student, as the captain of their volleyball team and his training as one of the heirs of his family's business. They even once fought because they couldn't agree on what they would name their two newly adopted pet rabbits ( seriously??!! )
However, it always wasn't long before the two of them were back in each other's arms again. And right after graduating university the two of them have moved in a small yet cozy apartment together, both working in part-time jobs while finishing their degrees in their chosen fields.
It had been three years since their last fight so it had come as a surprise to Jiang Cheng when he opened his door and found a teary-eyed, red-cheeked and sniffing Wei Wuxian in front of him. And no matter how much he prodded his older brother had adamantly refused to share the reason for their current quarrel. So he quickly gave up and invited Wei Wuxian to the town so he could take off his mind from his most recent quarrel with his boyfriend.
And that was how the two of them ended up in a seedy bar, drunk off their asses with Wei Wuxian belting off several heartbreaking and earbreaking ballads. If he were to look at the word tone-deaf in a dictionary, he was sure to find a picture of his brother right next to it's definition.
"Oh a kiss is still a kiss, in Casablanca. But a kiss is not a kiss without your sigghhh..."
Suddenly, Wei Wuxian gasped. His red-rimmed eyes widened and became glued towards the bar's entrance. Confused, Jiang Cheng frowned and turned towards the entrance and his eyes almost fell out of their sockets when he saw who had deigned the seedy and disreputable bar with his presence.
Lan Wangji stood at the door, looking uncomfortable next to the heavily-muscled and thug-faced bouncer who was looking at him with a shiny and interested eyes. Jiang Cheng resisted the urge to grab Lan Wangji and pull him as far away from the bouncer as he could. Lan Wangji's golden eyes shone under the lights of the bar, gaze not leaving the unmoving man on the stage.
"Wei Ying," he breathed, his tone full of emotions that Jiang Cheng and other patrons sniffed.
Hearing his name from his boyfriend's mouth seemed to be enough for Wei Wuxian to break from his trance and sober up. With a cry of 'Lan Zhan!' Wei Wuxian broke the laws of gravity and jumped seven feet on the air and landed perfectly in the arms of his boyfriend, who caught him with only a single wince.
And right in front of everyone, kissed his sobbing boyfriend passionately.
Jiang Cheng almost choked on his drink. He started coughing, hitting his chest with his fist. 'Shameless! Utterly shameless! There are people around you two! Get a room where people can't see the two of you suck each other's faces!' he screamed internally.
They ended their kiss with loud gasps, both panting for air. Wei Wuxian began babbling," I'm sorry I miss you I want to go home please please Lan'er-ge forgive me!!!" He began to tear up again.
Lan Wangji tightened his hug around him. "It's okey. I'm not angry. Wei Ying, please go home. I miss you,", he said, looking suspiciously misty eyed.
Wei Wuxian sobbed. " I want to go home, too. But you have to promise me that you're not going to get jealous at Edward again."
'Wait? Edward? Who's Edward?"
The shame was visible on Lan Wangji's face despite the dimmed lights. "Mn. Promise."
Wei Wuxian's face softened in a loving smile. "I want to say sorry too. I haven't been fair to you last night. I promise that I won't force you to watch Breaking Dawn part 1 and 2 again. From now on we will watch Bram Stoker's Dracula and Interview With A Vampire." He buried his face on his boyfriend's shoulder.
Jiang Cheng felt a large chunk of his lifespan get shaved off when he realized the reason behind the couple's most recent quarrel.
He ordered more beers. He needed to erase this shitty night from his memories. And maybe tomorrow he would disappear from the face of earth forever.
As his family motto say, 'Achieve the Impossible.'