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Jiang Cheng has no clue what he is doing. There are so many rings, so many different designs, and Jiang Cheng just doesn’t know which one to choose.
He has a general idea what Lan Xichen will like, but he isn’t sure the shop has what he needs.
He is just browsing the collection, again, for the fifth time, when he suddenly feels a looming presence behind him.
Jiang Cheng turns around, scathing remark about personal space and the respect thereof already on his tongue, but when he sees that it is Lan Wangji, he quickly swallows it down.
“What are you doing here?” he asks with a frown, because if Lan Wangji just came into the shop to tell him that he is stupid in thinking Lan Xichen would say yes to him, then they will have a fight.
“Same as you,” Lan Wangji says with a nod towards the rings.
“Oh,” Jiang Cheng breathes out and then smiles at Lan Wangji. “Wei Wuxian won’t even let you finish your proposal, I hope you’re prepared for that,” he then tells him, because he knows his brother.
He will yell yes the moment Lan Wangji goes down on one knee.
“Brother will let you finish, but he’ll say yes, too,” Lan Wangji tells him, the corner of his lips just slightly raised and by now Jiang Cheng knows him well enough to see it for the genuine smile it is.
“I really hope so,” Jiang Cheng whispers, because he can’t deny that he’s still nervous; that there’s still a small part of him that fears Lan Xichen will say no, no matter that they’ve been together for almost eight years now.
“Do you have an idea yet?” Jiang Cheng asks to distract himself and he looks back at the rings. “Because I’m at a total loss.”
Lan Wangji scans the options and then points at a ring with a sizeable ruby and a smattering of smaller diamonds.
“No,” Jiang Cheng immediately says and watches Lan Wangji’s face twist in confusion. “Red is his color. That is your ring. He would like something with a light blue, like you’re always wearing,” he tells Lan Wangji.
He quickly walks to another side of the room, because he’s pretty sure he saw one that would fit Wei Wuxian perfectly, and really, it’s right there. He beckons Lan Wangji over to show it to him, a relatively delicate ring with three light blue stones.
“It’s perfect,” Lan Wangji breathes and immediately goes to find someone who he can throw some money at.
“Great,” Jiang Cheng sighs, genuinely happy that his brother will be proposed to sooner rather than later, but he truly does wonder how he ended up deciding on a ring for him, while he is still not closer to finding a ring for Lan Xichen.
Lan Wangji nods to him in thanks once he purchased the ring, but he leaves without offering any advice to Jiang Cheng himself.
So he goes back to browsing.
He doesn’t know how long he spends looking at the rings, isn’t sure he even still sees them, when someone taps his shoulder.
“Song Lan,” Jiang Cheng says before he peers around the man. “Xiao Xingchen,” he greets and then tilts his head in question. “Aren’t you already married?”
“Yes,” Xiao Xingchen says and takes Song Lan’s hand in his. “But people don’t believe us when we tell them that.”
Jiang Cheng raises an eyebrow at Song Lan, because it’s hard to believe that anyone would not believe those two to be in love, but Song Lan shrugs in response.
“People keep hitting on Xingchen and he’s too polite to tell them to get lost. A ring would be easier,” Song Lan says and now that Jiang Cheng believes.
“Must be nice to be able to choose a ring together,” Jiang Cheng mutters with a desperate look at the display.
He’s still not closer to finding one that would fit Lan Xichen.
“For Lan Xichen?” Xiao Xingchen says and Jiang Cheng huffs indignantly.
“Of course for Xichen. I don’t have another boyfriend.”
“He will love whatever you pick, because of the meaning it holds,” Song Lan tells him and Jiang Cheng can’t quite stop himself from rolling his eyes at that.
It’s the same thing Jiang Yanli has said to him when he asked her for advice, and by now Jiang Cheng is convinced that only the people who don’t have to decide on the ring say shit like that.
Picking one is hard, it needs to be right and perfect, otherwise Jiang Cheng could have just chosen a plastic one.
“Sure,” he mutters, not at all bitterly as he watches Xiao Xingchen light up at a pair of rings, and Song Lan nodding enthusiastically.
Why can’t his choice be this easy?
“You will find the right one,” Xiao Xingchen tells him with confidence once they purchased their rings but Jiang Cheng waves them off.
“Just get out of here,” he tells them because he sees a very familiar glint in their eyes and he does not want to see them make out, right here, in front of the rings.
Luckily, they leave quickly enough.
Jiang Cheng sighs, because how can it be that three of his friends found rings before him, even though he’s been in here for almost three hours at this point.
No salesman has dared to approach him yet, though he has seen them eye him, but his scowl must work as a natural repellant.
Jiang Cheng is just thinking about smoothing his face out and finally getting some help, when the door behind him chimes again, announcing another patron coming in.
Jiang Cheng turns around because with how the day has been going he half expects Nie Mingjue or, dear gods, Jin Ling to come in, but he is entirely unprepared to find himself face to face with his own boyfriend.
“Jiang Cheng,” Lan Xichen says, clearly as surprised as Jiang Cheng is but he tries to hide it behind a smile.
“What are you doing here?” Jiang Cheng demands to know and Lan Xichen looks around before he shrugs.
“Well, what does it look like?”
“Like maybe you got lost. Or you saw me from outside,” Jiang Cheng tries, because he cannot quite believe that Lan Xichen had the same idea as him.
“This was planned, actually,” Lan Xichen gives back and steps forward to pull Jiang Cheng into a kiss.
“I hope the ring you’re looking for is for me,” Lan Xichen whispers against his lips and drops another quick kiss to Jiang Cheng’s jaw before he pulls away.
“Why does everyone keep asking that, as if I had the patience for an affair,” Jiang Cheng complains and Lan Xichen laughs at him.
“Who else was here?”
“Your brother,” Jiang Cheng says and of course Lan Xichen doesn’t seem at all surprised at that.
They have bets going on when Lan Wangji will finally propose to Wei Wuxian.
“If he told you his plan, you’re out of the pool,” Lan Xichen immediately says and Jiang Cheng shakes his head.
“He was too busy choosing a ring to spill the beans,” he reassures him and is rewarded with another kiss to his temple.
“And then Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen stopped by as well.”
“But they are already married,” Lan Xichen says with a small frown and it makes Jiang Cheng chuckle.
“That’s what I said,” he tells him and leans up to kiss the hinge of Lan Xichen’s jaw. “They still want rings.”
“As do you,” Lan Xichen says and it sounds more like a question than anything.
“As do I,” Jiang Cheng agrees and then takes a step back. “And apparently you, too?”
“Of course I do,” Lan Xichen tells him, like it’s the most normal thing in the world, like it didn’t even occur to him to not want one, and it settles something in Jiang Cheng.
“I love you,” Jiang Cheng says and is rewarded by a blinding smile from Lan Xichen, who dips down again to claim his lips in a much less fleeting kiss.
“I love you, too,” he breathes against Jiang Cheng once they parted and then he looks around with interest.
“Did anything catch your interest yet?”
“Are we going to pick the rings together now?” Jiang Cheng wants to know, but he obediently steers Lan Xichen into the direction of a few rings which had made the shortlist.
“It would be stupid if they didn’t match, wouldn’t it?” Lan Xichen asks and motions for Jiang Cheng to show him the rings.
“It’s not gonna be a surprise anymore,” Jiang Cheng tries, because he really wanted to see Lan Xichen’s eyes when he went down on one knee but Lan Xichen just shakes his head.
“It’s not a surprise that we both want to propose. The proposal itself can still be a surprise, you don’t have to tell me your plan.”
Jiang Cheng nods, but it’s not like he has a plan. He almost proposed to Lan Xichen over dinner a few days ago, because he was so utterly and completely content, so he figures the actual proposal will go a lot like that.
“What about those?” Lan Xichen suddenly asks and points at the very last row of rings, a pair almost hidden in the shadows, one that Jiang Cheng truly hadn’t seen.
It holds one blue and one purple stone, encased by a sturdy, but almost delicately looking platin.
“They are perfect,” Jiang Cheng agrees, because they truly are.
A stone to represent them both, and he’s sure they will fit perfectly.
Lan Xichen has already motioned someone over, and is holding the rings.
“May I?” he asks Jiang Cheng, holding the ring out, and Jiang Cheng huffs out a laugh.
“Absolutely not, the privilege is mine,” he tells Lan Xichen as he picks the second ring out of his hand and goes down on one knee.
“Lan Xichen, will you marry me?” he asks, looking up at his boyfriend, hopefully soon-to-be fiancé, whose eyes have gone suspiciously watery.
“Are you really proposing to me while we are buying our wedding rings?”
“What better moment to do it?” Jiang Cheng says with a shrug, trying for casual when he’s very much shaking with nerves. “So, what do you say?”
“Yes, of course,” Lan Xichen whispers as he holds out his hand for Jiang Cheng to slide the ring over.
It fits him perfectly.
“Jiang Cheng,” Lan Xichen says as soon as the ring is secure on his finger, and he goes down on one knee as well. “Do you want to marry me?”
“More than anything else in the world,” Jiang Cheng immediately answers and has to bite back a few tears himself when Lan Xichen slides the ring onto his finger.
Jiang Cheng tugs his fiancé up, and he’s prepared for the way Lan Xichen surges up and claims his lips again.
Wedding ring shopping with the right person really isn’t that hard, Jiang Cheng decides. But he never wants to do it again, anyway.
He’s very content with who he has right in his arms.