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Two teenagers were drinking.
One of them had pulled his unruly hair into a ponytail. Stray hairs wildly flying out of the red ribbon tying his hair as if they had a mind of their own. His bangs clung onto the sides of his handsome face, enhancing and bringing attention to his dashing features. Although his whole face was undoubtedly handsome, his most attractive feature was definitely the grin that dances on his face everyday. The smile had stretched his lips into a beautiful curved line, and it caused the apples of the boy’s cheeks to pull upwards. It had turned his round eyes into sparkling crescents and formed charming wrinkles at the outer corners.
Currently, he sat on the floor. His legs were spread out lazily, and one of his arms was resting on his raised knee. Constantly he would ramble. An endless sequence of words flowing from his mouth as naturally as water fell from a waterfall. Occasionally, the boy would stop to throw his head back and pour liquid from the container into his mouth.
The other boy sat across from him. Handsome yet delicate face conflicted. The soft lines etched into his fair skin displayed concern as he sat there with a steamy liquid. The vapor danced above the cup, the wisps gently flickering against the boy’s skin as if it were a temptress begging the boy to taste . Each time the wisps of vapor made contact with the boy’s cheek, it left the skin it touched feeling rejuvenated. He was on his knees, body slouched as if he was purposefully trying to make himself seem small. Suddenly he looked up, the tips of his long, silky hair grazing the floor.
“Young Master Wei.” The boy said. A pronounced stutter was present in every word. “My sister tells me that she has a theory. S-she told me that alcohol isn’t good for a growing boy.”
“Oh?” The Young Master Wei, Wei Wuxian, drawled as if amused. Or perhaps the way he stretched his words was an effect of drinking a horde of Emperor’s Smile in one sitting. “Then when should one be able to consume alcohol?”
“A-at least twenty-one.” The boy, Wen Ning, further pulled himself inward.
Wei Wuxian let out a sound of surprise. In his hand, he swished around the alcohol in the jar with little motions. His eyes were caught on the jar, and there was a faint pout on his lips. “Why not twenty?” Wei Wuxian whined. “Twenty-one? That’s so specific! I believe in Wen Qing. Obviously I do! I mean I’d trust that vicious-” Wei Wuxian shivered at some unpleasant memories that surfaced with the mention of a woman who had a temper similar to a volcano. “-with my life, my children, and my alcohol stash!”
“Young Master Wei, I think you’ve got your priorities a bit-”
“None of that Wen Ning!” Wei Wuxian interjected, and Wen Ning pulled himself more into a ball. “My point is, yes, I trust your sister. I also trust you-” Wen Ning’s hidden face brightened at that. “-and respect you. You’re like a younger brother to me.” Another blush crawled up Wen Ning’s neck. “Well, another one I guess. I adopted you as mine after Jiang Cheng. Now, Wen Ning, tell Wei-Xiong what an elder sibling’s responsibility is.”
“Guiding their younger siblings?”
“Congratulations!” Wei Wuxian cheered. “Now as your reward, Big Brother Wei will give you advice.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary, Young Master Wei.”
“None of this ‘Young Master Wei’ stuff!” Wei Wuxian took another jar of Emperor’s Smile and threw it down his throat, the alcohol causing a pleasant burn. Wei Wuxian closed his mouth, cheeks stuffed with the liquid strictly forbidden at the Cloud Recesses, and swallowed. Wen Ning watched as the teen’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “Call me Wei-ge!”
Wen Ning knew that his friend was drunk. Though Wei Wuxian acted as equally shameless on a normal day, Wen Ning could make out a slight flush against his tan cheeks. He could hear how Wei Wuxian’s speech held a barely detectable slur, and saw how Wei Wuxian’s body swayed subtly. Making a decision to humor his drunk drinking buddy, Wen Ning swallowed his dignity.
“W-Wei-ge…”
The beautiful smile that responded to the title made the humiliation worth it.
“See. Not so hard is it?” Wei Wuxian tilted his head. The white teeth behind his thinning lips sparkled like pearls. “Wen Ning.” He said, suddenly solemn. He sat back, shoulders settled in a relaxed position. Then, he lifted his hand to signal Wen Ning to come closer with the come hither motion.
Once he was satisfied with how close Wen Ning was, he grasped the boy’s shoulder to help pull himself closer to Wen Ning. As if sharing a secret, he leaned towards one of Wen Ning’s ears and whispered. “Life is too short.” Then he pulled back from Wen Ning so that he could see Wei Wuxian’s face. “Rules are meant to be a guideline for good behavior, but following them strictly will kill you from the inside-out. That’s what the Cloud Recesses doesn’t understand. Life isn’t black and white. There is grey. Red. Yellow. Purple. Blue. So many colors and shades in between, it should be impossible to stay white. Sometimes you have to get dirty.”
“Wow.” Wen Ning wasn’t sure what he had expected to come out of Wei Wuxian’s mouth, but it certainly wasn’t actual advice. He was expecting his friend to coerce him into drinking. Now that he could recognize how he thought of his friend, he felt guilty.
“So rules aren’t truly meant to get broken. They’re meant to bend .” Wei Wuxian’s grin returned. “Now because they’re meant to be bent, you should bend that rule Wen Qing made about drinking at twenty-one. Come! Drink with me, Wen Ning!”
Wen Ning spoke too soon.
“I’ll refuse Young-” He wouldn’t finish that sentence because as soon as his mouth was open wide enough, Wei Wuxian poured wine into it. Some of the wine slid down his throat causing him to choke. “Young-” Suddenly, he was hit with a sense of euphoria.
“Good, right? Here, another cup!”
Wei Wuxian poured liquid into Wen Ning’s recently emptied cup. The wisps of temptation seemed much more alluring now that Wen Ning understood that the small cup could bring immense pleasure. He gingerly took the cup and sipped.
Both boys downed cup after cup. The warm liquid swam down their throats and brought pleasant warmth to their bodies. The night was young, and Wei Wuxian found a secluded place that they can use to sneak back into the Cloud Recesses without people noticing. Wei Wuxian had used the path multiple times, so it was their bad luck that Lan Wangji had happened to be there.
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”
“Wei Ying, Young Master Wen, you’re drunk.” Lan Wangji stated, but his eyes stayed fixated on Wei Wuxian.
“Oi.” Wen Ning grunted. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji paused at the sound. Had they just heard the timid Wen Ning, Courtesy Qionglin, of the Wen Sect grunt? Wei Wuxian’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out. Lan Wangji’s eyes widened a fraction, and that was impressive considering how his expression rarely changes.
“You’re a stickler for your sect’s rules, aren’t you? The pride of your damn sect!” Wen Ning spat at the ground. Spit transforming the area into a shade darker than the surrounding dirt. “Wei-ge over here,” his thumb pointed at a speechless Wei Wuxian (bringing Wei Wuxian to speechlessness was an accomplishment all in itself), “gave me an elaborate explanation of how rules are supposed’a work, and he said they’re meant to be bent .”
Wei Wuxian dragged his palm down his face. Lan Wangji stared at Wen Ning, then to Wei Wuxian, then to Wen Ning, before settling on Wei Wuxian. Then he directed a look that sent chills down Wei Wuxian spine, but Wei Wuxian couldn’t associate a specific feeling to his shivers. However, Wei Wuxian was positive that they weren’t negative.
“Man’s wise beyond his years!” Wen Ning let out a long high-pitched whistle and nodded his head in approval. “You’d think he’d be all fun and games with how often he acts like he wasn’t born with a brain-”
“Hey!”
“-but lemme tell you that when he wants something, he’ll try to get it, and-” Wen Ning pauses for a moment. Wei Wuxian is trying to process what’s happening, and Lan Wangji’s eyes were practically burning into Wei Wuxian’s soul. Wen Ning turned to Wei Wuxian then pointed his thumb toward Lan Wangji’s direction. He placed a hand by the side of his mouth as if he could block anyone from eavesdropping despite his voice being loud enough to carry several feet away. “Hey, Wuxian. Do you actually like this fuddy-duddy?”
Wei Wuxian’s jaw dropped, and Lan Wangji’s eyes widened a fraction more.
“What?!”
“Wuxian, it’s okay.” Wen Ning reassured him. “You said rules are meant to be bent, so your preferences can be, too.”
Wei Wuxian sputtered. “Wen Ning! That’s not the point here!”
Wen Ning placed his hand on his chin, the sharp of it being placed in the gap formed between his thumb and index finger. He nodded a couple times, as if he were agreeing to a person only he could hear. Finally he turned to Wei Wuxian with a brilliant smile.
“You’re right. I should be encouraging you to court him instead of telling you to change your type.” Wen Ning bowed deeply. “Forgive me, Wuxian.” Then he jumped back up.
“No? I mean yes! Wait, what?”
“I shall put in a good word for you when we meet Second Young Master Lan to receive our punishment.” He lifted individual fingers up when noting each rule he and Wei Wuxian had broken that night. “Breaking curfew. Entering while intoxicated. Noise. Hell, I’m pretty sure there’s a rule against excessive emotions, but as long as they don’t know how happy I feel right now, they’ll never know!”
“Excessive happiness is forbidden.” Lan Wangji said out of reflex.
“You’re forbidden, Lan Wangji!” He stuck out his tongue at the second jade before setting his eyes on Wei Wuxian. Once again he had placed his hand on the side on his mouth like he was sharing a secret even though his voice ended up getting carried quite far. Not to mention that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were some of the best cultivators of their generation; thus, their senses were much more enhanced compared to a normal person. “Why do you like this fuddy duddy?”
“I don’t!” Wei Wuxian said loudly in a panic, completely missing Lan Wangji’s dejected appearance.
“That doesn’t make sense, unless…” Wen Ning opened his mouth in a small o-shape. Wen Ning snapped his head toward Wei Wuxian, but he looked away just as fast. Wei Wuxian caught an expression on his face that screamed I understand and it’s okay before he turned away “W-Wuxian. I’m sorry.”
At this point, Wei Wuxian was confused. He refused to attempt to follow the current Wen Ning’s train of thought because he was obviously too intoxicated to be thinking rationally.
Wen Ning fiddled with his clothing. “I like girls.”
What?
Wei Wuxian choked. “Wen Ning, I-”
“No. I apologize, I only see you as a brother.”
“I see you as my brother, too.”
A sharp gasp escaped Wen Ning. “You see me as Jiang Wanyin?” He asked with a scandalized expression and hurt tone. Whether the hurt was from being compared to such a violent man or from not getting recognized as his own person was unknown. Perhaps both. “Incest?”
“No!” Wei Wuxian shouted. His head was beginning to throb. Is this what people experience whenever they tell me that I’m a headache? He made a silent vow to never annoy someone on purpose again. However, a Wei Wuxian that doesn’t drive people crazy with his constant rambling and shameless jokes simply is not Wei Wuxian. “I meant that I don’t hold any romantic affections for you.”
Wen Ning placed his head on his chin. Nodding and noisily murmuring. Wei Wuxian could hear something suspiciously like, “He cannot like women, for he is a cutsleeve.” Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure how the teen came up with that conclusion. Wei Wuxian was an infamous flirt, never had he missed a chance to compliment a woman on her appearance. When Wen Ning finally looked up, nodding thoughtfully. “So you do like Lan Wangji?”
“Yes.” Wei Wuxian finally admitted, tired and unwilling to battle at this point. There was a reason why he would always bother Lan Wangji. His appearance was definitely attractive. Even a lunatic can figure that out. But deciphering what Lan Wangji was trying to express with his deadpan expressions was satisfying and made him happy. He became more familiar with Lan Wangji’s faces until he became proficient at reading the subtle changes. He loved to see the boy’s constantly angry expression and desperately longed to see one of fondness. “But he hates me.”
“No.” Lan Wangji says. “I don’t hate you. Never will.”
A gasp escapes from Wei Wuxian’s throat, and he looks away. “Lan Zhan? You don’t need to lie because you pity me.” Wei Wuxian’s heart constricted, and he forced himself to send Lan Wangji a bright reassuring smile. “If you hate me, you can’t change that. You shouldn’t force it. Besides Second Brother Lan, I admire you. You’re so great and everything. The pride of your sect who was born with talent, discipline, and good looks. Then there’s me-”
“Wei Ying”
“Lan Zhan, isn’t it rude to interrupt.” He laughed but his voice cracked because of his hysteria. “I was born a servant’s son. I’m not that good looking. I’m not as disciplined. Most importantly, I’m the bane of my sect. A dirty cloth that has yet to be discarded because of its sentimental value. Lan Zhan, I-”
“Wei Ying. I’m not good at expressing myself.” Lan Wangji inches closer, his eyes stuck on the ground. When he’s near enough Wei Wuxian, he looks up and brushes his cheek, wiping the tears that had fallen due to his emotional ramble. “But-” His voice croaks. The most emotional Wei Wuxian had ever heard from him.“- I never hated you.”
Wei Wuxian let out another hysterical laugh. “Lan Zhan, I told you-”
“That I shouldn’t force myself.” He intervened. “Therefore, I shouldn’t force myself to hate you.”
White sleeves wrapped around Wei Wuxian, pulling him into something warm. The alcohol in his system had made him feel warm already, but being held like this made him feel a scorching heat. He was tempted to wail. Wei Wuxian guesses that the alcohol caused him to become more emotional, too. He guessed that the alcohol tore a hole through his well developed walls, and that was enough to cause some of the feelings that he had trapped inside to gush out.
“I-I want to hate you.” Lan Wangji admitted, and Wei Wuxian wanted to push him away after that, so that he could scream at him. Tell the second jade of Lan that he shouldn’t force himself to like him, but the way Lan Wangji worded the phrase caught him off guard. “But I can’t”
The white sleeves that were around him embraced him tighter, forcing warmth from the other man’s body to travel to his own.
“You’re beautiful.” Lan Wangji whispered. “Most beautiful.”
Hearing that from the man who follows Gusu Lan’s three thousand rules so religiously made Wei Wuxian want to believe him. Afterall, one of the rules prevented their students from telling lies. Suddenly, someone’s familiar voice interjected.
There, standing amongst the trees with familiar white pristine robes, looking like an immortal who descended from the heavens, was Lan Xichen. In his arms was an unconscious Wen Ning who had seemingly passed out from his excessive alcohol consumption.
“Young Master Wei,” he greeted Wei Wuxian with a slight bow. Wei Wuxian’s face flushed at being found in the arms of the man’s brother. “Wangji. I am happy for you. However, he still has to be punished.”
“Yes, brother.”
Lan Xichen walked away, hauling Wen Ning’s body on his shoulders.
“How can he make it look so easy?” Wei Wuxian asked Lan Wangji who still had his arms around him.
“Handstands.”
That night, two boys, one wrapped in cloth the color of midnight, and the other cloaked in the white of clouds, relished in the warmth shared between them. The next day, the boy in white would stand by himself amongst the clouds, for the boy of the night was getting chased by the sun. Her temper flamed and anger.
“WEN QING HAVE MERCY!”
“MERCY MY ASS, WEI WUXIAN!”
Lan Wangji must thank Wen Qionglin when he wakes up. Thank him for unintentionally setting him up with his idiot boyfriend.