Work Text:
Late afternoon sun stretched its fingertips out from its resting place above the bay to caress the high-rises and the construction equipment lining the street. The harbor wasn't quite visible through the buildings, but the cool breeze rolling in made the ocean's nearby presence known. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji sat together in a comfortable silence, tucked away in the corner of the outside seating area of the restaurant.
Wuxian had spent much of the day feeling restless, flitting between projects well into the afternoon. He'd begun to toy with the idea of combining every LEGO set they owned and was halfway through setting out all the boxes when Wangji had gently but seriously suggested they go for a drive instead. They took a scenic circuit around one of the local lakes, then made their way down the coast. At some point Wangji had glanced over to see Wuxian's smile beaming out at the blue expanse of sea and sky that flew past the window. Chasing the butterflies that smile still gave him towards the falling sun, Wangji had driven them as far along the coast as they could go, winding up in the middle of downtown.
The restaurant had been Wangji's choice; it was the only restaurant in downtown that served vegetarian food to his liking. They had finished their meal, and were enjoying the quiet pleasure of each other's company when Wangji's phone buzzed. He looked at the message that had come through and tapped out a short reply.
"That was Song Lan," Wangji said, "The gallery show I've been helping him with has been approved. He's asked me to perform for the opening night."
"Lan Zhan, that's great news!" Wuxian exclaimed, reaching across the table to take his hands, "You've been working that for so long. We should get a drink to celebrate. What do you want?"
Wangji looked down at their hands, tiny smile spreading across his face, "I don't mind, you pick for us."
"Hmm, let's pick something new for us to try," Wuxian let one of his hands go to pick up a cocktail menu, "Huaisang always says that a daiquiri is the perfect special occasion drink."
"I trust your judgement," Wangji said simply, rubbing his thumbs across the back of Wuxian's hand.
A waitress came by and cleared their plates away, asking if they needed anything else.
"Two strawberry daiquiris," Wuxian said, smiling up at her, "One virgin, one not. And the check, please."
When the waitress returned with the drinks and the check, Wuxian's phone buzzed twice. He checked his messages while Wangji handed over his credit card.
2 new messages in Stellar Siblings
[19:03] Yanli: We're making our final selection for a couch for our living room today, can I count on my wonderful baby brothers to help us pick the best looking one??
[19:04] Yanli: Remember that you will end up sitting on it when you come visit...
[19:04] Yanli: Which I know you will because you promised :)
[19:05] me: anything for you!!
You changed the name of the chat to siblings shopping support
"My sister's buying furniture today," Wuxian grinned, setting his phone back down and reaching for his drink without looking, "She's asking for our help. I'm expecting a text from Wen Qing any moment now, begging me not to pick the worst option because I think it's funny."
"Both of your siblings have apartments downtown now," Wangji noted, slipping his wallet back into his pocket.
Wuxian took a sip of his daiquiri, wrinkling his nose at its sweetness and lack of bite, "They do. Now I'm the only one of us who's still an hour up the coast."
Wangji nodded thoughtfully, and raised his glass to his lips, "Do you want to change that?"
Wuxian smiled, a little wistfully, "No, I like our place. Besides we've got the bookstore to take care of."
Wangji nodded again and took a sip, eyebrows knitting together slightly at the strong taste.
"My brother’s place is pretty close to here," Wuxian said, taking another sip. He smacked his lips together disapprovingly and gave up hope that the drink was going to redeem itself with any substantial kick, "I wonder what he's up to today."
Wangji frowned into his drink.
~~~
A few blocks away, Jiang Cheng was in the middle of an internal debate. He'd whiled the majority of the day away restlessly, fiddling around with various activities, but nothing entertained him for more than half an hour. He'd given up on reorganizing his desk and taken a nap out of frustration, only to be woken up by the heat of the sun in through the westward facing window. This all led him to drag himself into the kitchen an hour before sunset, loudly proclaiming his boredom.
"It's still your day off, what do you wanna do?" Huaisang asked from the living room, voice only half invested in the question. His attention was occupied by his latest painting, Jiang Cheng could tell. It was the biggest one he'd attempted in while. The still novel view from their apartment had inspired him to great aspirations, he claimed. Very directly, as Jiang Cheng had quickly come to see. The under sketch had sat out in front of the window for a few days while Huaisang planned it out. The city skyline, dropping steeply off into the harbor, was unmistakable, outlined in pencil on the canvas.
Jiang Cheng did have an idea of what he wanted to do, actually, but he wasn't sure how to ask. It was originally Huaisang's idea, and he'd scoffed at it whenever it came up before. Lately, however, he'd found himself wondering about it more and more. He was so absorbed in wondering if there was a casual way to bring it up, that he didn't notice when Huaisang appeared beside him, reaching across the counter to grab a piece of the homemade cake Yanli had sent over. Jiang Cheng jumped, and Huaisang laughed, swatting him on the arm.
"Did you zone out for a second there?" Huaisang asked, cutting himself a slice and stuffing it into his mouth, "Do you want to go anywhere? There's a midsummer festival or carnival or something down at the waterfront park today. That could be fun."
Jiang Cheng shrugged noncommittally, his desire to voice his actual wish fading the longer Huaisang talked. Before they had moved down into the city, Huaisang and Wuxian would meet up a good two or three times a month for the sole purpose of smoking weed together. They always extended an invitation to Jiang Cheng, but he always found a reason not to go. Huaisang would come back home with red eyes and a skunky smell lingering on his clothes and a tendency to giggle even more than he normally did. In the few months since they had moved away, Huaisang hadn't mentioned anything about it.
"I doubt there's any point in asking if you want to get stoned," Huaisang sighed, wiping crumbs off his chin.
Maybe dreams do come true. Jiang Cheng seized his chance. "Maybe," he said, before he could rethink it.
"Wait, really?" Huaisang froze, hand still mid-brush.
Jiang Cheng shrugged. "I'm not doing much else today anyway."
"Jiang Cheng, I'm so proud of you!" Huaisang exclaimed, grabbing him by the arms, "I can't believe you're finally going to get high with me!"
"It's not a big deal," Jiang Cheng protested, brushing the remaining crumbs off Huaisang's cheek.
"I've been begging you for a year!" Huaisang turned back to the kitchen cabinet, "I'm allowed to be excited. My bad influence is finally rubbing off on you."
Jiang Cheng shook his head, "Your bad influence rubbed off on me a long time ago."
"And you are much happier for it," Huaisang declared, standing on his toes to pull an old tea tin and small glass jar filled with suspicious green lumps out from a jumbo box of wheat crackers.
"Maybe so," Jiang Cheng sighed, "You keep that in our kitchen?"
"Near the food? Yes," Huaisang said, tapping the jar, "I don't have a lot to pick from right now, but I think this should be a good fit for you."
"There's different fits when it comes to weed?" Jiang Cheng snorted.
"You have so much to learn my sweet gumdrop," Huaisang said with a sigh, "Unfortunately my pipe was the victim of terrible tragedy a few months ago, but luckily for you I still have some rolling papers. Oh, we should get you a glass of water, you might want it."
"Do I want to know happened?" Jiang Cheng asked skeptically, opening another cabinet and pulling out a glass.
"Probably not," Huaisang admitted, stepping over to the sink and holding a hand out, "It's a good thing you weren't there for that. Wangji was not happy."
"I'm surprised he was even around to know about it," Jiang Cheng scoffed, handing Huaisang the empty glass.
"He actually smokes with us sometimes," Huaisang turned on the tap.
"What? No." Jiang Cheng did a double-take, "Lan Wangji? Mr. Straight-Laced himself?"
Huaisang turned around to nod solemnly.
"What does he even do? Does he actually laugh?" Jiang Cheng asked incredulously.
"He just sits on the couch and watches nature documentaries while Wuxian and I play Jenga. It's not much different from when he's sober to be honest," Huaisang admitted, turning back to the sink to fill up the glass.
"You're lying, there's no way that's true," Jiang Cheng said, still in disbelief.
"I've seen it with my own two eyes," Huaisang promised, handing the glass to Jiang Cheng and picking up the jar and the tin.
Jiang Cheng shook his head and stared into the water. He'd always wondered how his brother had ended up with a guy like that, so opposite to Wuxian's carefree and mischievous nature. If anything, Jiang Cheng would have guessed that Wuxian would end up with someone who was more like Huaisang, not someone as dry and prone to irritability as Wangji seemed to be. But then again, Jiang Cheng had never gotten a chance to make a good impression on him. The first time they met, Wangji had to physically step between Jiang Cheng and Wuxian during a heated argument. That was then followed by Wuxian's normally timid coworker absolutely ripping into Jiang Cheng for the way he'd abandoned his brother during the collapse of their family as they had known it. Wangji had looked on silently, face unreadable.
Jiang Cheng's interactions with Wangji after that had been limited to mutual glowers from across the room. Nothing Wangji had said or done made Jiang Cheng feel the need to get to know him any better. Hearing that he indulged in that particular vice was the first thing that made him wonder if there really was more to him than met the eye.
"Alright, what's the plan?" Huaisang asked, face settling into a contemplative expression.
Jiang Cheng shrugged, pulled from his thoughts, "I don't know. You're the expert."
"I am. It's good that you have me to guide you through your first time," Huaisang's paused before adding, "Again."
"Just not inside, I don't want the place to stink," Jiang Cheng pleaded, ignoring the innuendo in favor of practicalities.
"To the balcony, then," Huaisang said, picking up the tin and ushering Jiang Cheng across the living room. Huaisang paused to put the lids back on his tubes of paint and drop his brushes into the tub of turpentine. Jiang Cheng looked at the painting. The pencil sketch had grown even more detailed, and Huaisang had begun laying down the first layer of paint for the water of the harbor in the distance.
"It looks good." Jiang Cheng noted, "I like the scale of it."
"It's just a sketch," Huaisang grumbled, "I can barely decide on a color scheme anymore I don't know what's happening."
"It's a good sketch," Jiang Cheng insisted, "You always say that about color, and then it always looks amazing."
"Complaining about the art is all part of the process," Huaisang sighed, "Anyway, no more stalling. Let's get this thing started."
The balcony was small, but it was a balcony. They had managed to fit one of Huaisang's enormous potted plants on one side of the door, and a table and two chairs on the other, but just barely. They seated themselves in the cramped corner. Huaisang set down the tin and opened it, taking out a few squares of paper and a short metallic cylinder.
"What should I expect from this?" Jiang Cheng asked, a hint of nervousness slinking into his stomach.
"I'll be honest," Huaisang let out a long sigh, opening the jar. "It might hurt. There's a decent chance you'll cough so hard you'll think you're gonna lose a lung. But do that a few times and then you'll probably feel pretty good."
"And you do that, regularly, for fun?" Jiang Cheng asked skeptically, watching Huaisang twist the metal cylinder open and pluck a bud from the jar.
"Ah, you'll see when it hits," Huaisang said, dropping the bud into the cylinder. He closed it and gave it several twists. "Hopefully, anyway. Everyone's different."
"Different?" Jiang Cheng asked, not having considered the possibility of failure.
"It's always a surprise, how different people react their first time," Huaisang said casually, picking up a narrow strip of thick paper and folding a few times before coiling it around itself. He set out a rectangle of translucent white paper and laid the coil at one end.
Jiang Cheng bounced his leg up and down. Huaisang hummed to himself as he opened the cylinder again and emptied it out onto the paper. He picked it up and pinched it between his fingers, rolling it between them and then licking one edge and sealing it. With a wink at Jiang Cheng, he picked up a pen from the tin and poked it down the paper tube. He twisted the paper shut and set out a deep green ashtray that Jiang Cheng recognized from Huaisang's semester of ceramics. The finish had a dull metallic shine to it, and he tried to remember the name of the technique that produced the effect while Huaisang repeated his process twice.
"Alright, are you ready?" Huaisang asked, waggling a snake-skin patterned lighter back and forth.
"Mmm," Jiang Cheng said, watching the shiny metal of the spark wheel catch the light.
"Are you nervous?" Huaisang asked playfully, "Ready to enter a whole new world?"
"Mmm," Jiang Cheng grunted again and stared down at the ashtray.
"Hey," Huaisang said softly, leaning forward as he reached across the table to rest a hand on Jiang Cheng's bouncing knee, "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"No, I do want to," Jiang Cheng said resolutely, "I want to know what all the fuss is about. Besides, if my brother can handle this multiple times in a month, I'm sure I do it at least once."
Huaisang suppressed a smile and took Jiang Cheng's chin, pulling him in for a brief kiss. Jiang Cheng relaxed a bit and leaned his forehead against Huaisang's.
"Good because we're definitely doing this now that I've rolled these out," Huaisang sat back and picked up one of the joints, setting it between his lips and grinning at Jiang Cheng as he flicked the wheel of the lighter.
Jiang Cheng nodded and swallowed the last of his hesitation. Huaisang moved the end of the joint into the flame, breathing in. He closed his eyes for a moment and leaned back into the chair. He exhaled and let a cloud of white smoke tumble across the table. With another grin, he passed the joint to Jiang Cheng.
"Breathe in, all the way into your lungs, then hold it for a few seconds," Huaisang instructed.
Jiang Cheng raised it to his lips, and breathed in, watching the end glow red. It tickled a bit but was surprisingly painless. He exhaled and looked over at Huaisang, expecting praise for his ability to keep it together.
"Try again, make sure you're really breathing it all the way in," Huaisang arched an eyebrow at him.
Jiang Cheng frowned and tried again, making sure to breathe as deeply as he could before pausing to hold the smoke in his lungs. This time, it hurt. There was an evil creature made of fire in his chest trying to claw its way out, Jiang Cheng was sure of it. He coughed and coughed until he thought he might pass out. He felt Huaisang take a seat on the arm of the chair and pat him sympathetically on the back and snatch the joint from his fingers and take another drag. When Jiang Cheng recovered enough to sit back up, Huaisang offered him the glass of water.
"I have concerns about anyone who chooses to go through that regularly," Jiang Cheng croaked out between sips.
Huaisang chuckled and passed the joint back to Jiang Cheng, "You'll see."
Jiang Cheng shook his head, but took the joint. The coughing wasn't as bad this time, and Huaisang's fingers were cool on the back of his neck as he reassured Jiang Cheng that soon enough it would all be worth it. Huaisang coughed a few times as well, making Jiang Cheng feel a bit better about himself. They passed the joint back and forth between them until it was too short to hold.
"How do you feel?" Huaisang asked, stubbing the embers out in the ashtray.
"Fine, I think," Jiang Cheng frowned, "I'm not sure if I feel anything. Just lightheaded from the coughing."
"Hmm, let's give it a few minutes," Huaisang said, pocketing the remaining joints and closing the tin, "I'll grab some snacks and we can head out."
Jiang Cheng nodded and looked out over the railing. Huaisang went back inside. It really was a nice view. From their vantage point, they had a clear shot over much of the downtown all the way to the harbor. The sun was sinking lower over the water, orange tint beginning to creep across the city skyline. In the distance, the high girder bridge connecting downtown to the long thin island on the other side of the bay glinted with sunlight reflecting off of the never-ending stream of cars.
Jiang Cheng felt a tap on his shoulder and blinked. Huaisang had reappeared holding Jiang Cheng's favorite jacket in one hand, a mellow look in his eyes as he beckoned Jiang Cheng to the door.
"Doesn't the city look nice right now?" Jiang Cheng asked, suddenly unwilling to move away, "With the sun setting like that?"
Huaisang grinned and stood next to Jiang Cheng against the railing, resting his head on Jiang Cheng's shoulder.
"Yeah, it does," he said, "Very romantic."
"But look at the bridge," Jiang Cheng said, pointing, "Did you ever realize how tall it actually is? I never think about it when I drive over for work but that's terrifying. I can't believe we do that every day. People are doing it right now."
"Alright, you're going to be funny, I can tell," Huaisang laughed and pulled Jiang Cheng back into the apartment, shoving his jacket at him.
"What do you mean?" Jiang Cheng asked, pulling his arms through the sleeves, "Oh, the apartment feels weird. Kind of like jelly."
"You're officially high!" Huaisang said, sing-song, as he led them to the door, "Congratulations. Here's your shoes."
"I'm high?" Jiang Cheng asked as he struggled to shove his feet into his shoes.
"As a kite," Huaisang confirmed, nodding approvingly.
"I'm really high?" Jiang Cheng asked again, a hint of laughter sneaking into his voice as Huaisang steered him out the door.
"You really are," Huaisang locked the door behind them and immediately took a walnut out of his pocket.
"I'm high," Jiang Cheng couldn't suppress the giggles any more. He laughed the entirety of the elevator ride down to the ground floor. Huaisang chuckled beside him, feeding himself a steady stream of trail mix from his pocket. Jiang Cheng kept laughing all the way out onto the street. The hard city sidewalk seemed to come up to meet his feet, every step giving him a boost that might have launched him into the stratosphere if he didn't have Huaisang's hand tethering him down to earth. Normally Jiang Cheng walked through downtown with his shoulders hunched and his head down, but now he stared in wonder up at the buildings, rich sunlight glittering off the steel and glass of the windows.
Huaisang led them across the street and down several blocks. Cars passed by close to the curb and the wind that rushed by was electric on Jiang Cheng’s skin. The buildings gave way to clear skies as they entered the waterfront park. The sun was sinking lower and lower over the nearby marina. A handful of boats were cruising through the water, leaving gentle trails in their wake, white sails golden with the sunset's glow. The calling of the seagulls flying over the bay overlapping over on itself so clearly that Jiang Cheng had to stop in the middle of the walkway to listen. The rippling waves in the marina glimmered under the sun and he wondered when he had last stopped to stare at the sea.
"The ocean is so blue, Huaisang, is it always like that?" he said, unable to keep the awe out of his voice.
Huaisang snorted like a pig in response.
"What?" Jiang Cheng furrowed his brow.
"You've been standing there for ten minutes. Let's sit down for a bit, ocean-boy," Huaisang laughed and pulled on Jiang Cheng's sleeve, guiding them off the path and onto the grass. Jiang Cheng obediently let himself be moved into the shade of the row of palm trees, still floating about five inches above his feet.
"Actually wait, the ground is kind of damp," Huaisang paused and tapped his chin, "I don't want to get all wet."
Jiang Cheng looked at Huaisang, who was squinting at the ground like that would dry it off. With a single but not particularly graceful motion, Jiang Cheng pulled his jacket off and spread it out across the grass. Huaisang laughed and clapped his hands together, still munching away on his gourmet trail mix.
They settled onto the jacket together as best they could. Jiang Cheng ended up sitting mostly on the grass, the dew soaking through the seat of his pants. He would have normally minded such discomfort a lot more, but now he just found it amusing, almost as amusing as Huaisang's persistent crunching.
"Your hair's getting long," Huaisang marveled, running his fingers across the side of Jiang Cheng's head.
"It's not as long as yours," Jiang Cheng said, blinking in and out of earthly existence with every stroke of Huaisang's fingers.
"I need to trim mine soon, it's starting to tickle my shoulders," Huaisang said, "I bet I can make a braid with yours. Just a tiny one."
"Go for it," Jiang Cheng sighed lazily, smiling at the tickling on his scalp. The sun had nearly finished setting; the last of its rays waving their goodbyes as they disappeared beyond the horizon. It had been clear all day, leaving too little cloud cover for any particular showy colors to play against the darkening sky and send the day off. Instead, the sunset was pale orange and fading blue. Mild, perhaps, but pleasant. A cool breeze blew in from the bay and Jiang Cheng shivered.
"Hold still, I'm not done," Huaisang complained, tugging on the braid lightly. Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and waited. The smell of the grass after sunset was as cold and rich as it was green and hazy, like so many summer evenings past. One of his earliest happy memories was of his parents and his sister taking him to a county fair and sauntering through the exhibition tents; it was the first time he could remember coming home after dark. As preteens, he and Wuxian would stay out playing whatever convoluted game they had created for the month in the vacant lot down the road until sundown. To avoid the wrath of Jiang Cheng's mother for staying out past their curfew, the two of them would race each other back home from the field down the road, the sound of their feet on the pavement echoing through the quiet neighborhood. Sometimes, when Wuxian and Yanli had to stay late at school, Jiang Cheng would walk the dogs down to the vacant lot by himself, letting them sniff and linger wherever they pleased.
Sitting on the grass with Huaisang was different from all of those experiences, yet brought a similar comfort. It was easy in a way he still felt like he was getting used to.
"There!" Huaisang said proudly, tucking the tiny braid behind Jiang Cheng's ear, who immediately lolled his head onto Huaisang's shoulder, still enjoying the smell of the grass.
"I never see you this relaxed out in public," Huaisang observed, planting a kiss on the side of Jiang Cheng's head, "Maybe you should get high more often."
"Maybe," Jiang Cheng conceded. Huaisang placed one hand on the back of Jiang Cheng's neck and rubbed. The light friction of Huaisang's pencil callouses on his skin sent more shivers down his spine and he leaned into Huaisang even further.
"You know, if you've had enough of the city, we could always head back home," Huaisang murmured against his ear, "There's plenty of other stuff we could enjoy while you're still like this." Huaisang slid his hand around Jiang Cheng's neck to drum his fingers on his chest.
"That sounds nice," Jiang Cheng sighed, "You feel fuzzy."
Huaisang laughed uproariously in response, shaking with laugher as Jiang Cheng nuzzled into his neck.
"Wait," Huaisang pulled away, "Is that your brother? And Wangji?"
Jiang Cheng's head rolled off Huaisang's shoulder. The world spun around and he swung his neck to look behind him.
Sure enough, halfway down the path was Wuxian. He was standing at the edge of the path, holding onto the sleeve of a straining Lan Wangji, whose feet were firmly planted in the grass. Wangji was pointing up at the trees, hand drooping a bit. Wuxian pulled Wangji back onto the path. They staggered sideways a bit as Wangji stumbled into him. Wuxian shook his head and wrapped one arm around Wangji's shoulders, guiding them slowly along the walkway.
"Do you think they'll see us?" Jiang Cheng asked, gripping Huaisang's arm for comfort.
"Well, they're coming right towards us," Huaisang said slowly, tapping his chin, "So, they might."
"I can't let them see me like this," Jiang Cheng said, alarm starting to bubble up inside him, "I'll never live it down."
"Alright, alright," Huaisang whispered, "Turn your face away. We're in the shadow, maybe they won't see us."
Wuxian and Wangji continued to stroll leisurely down the path. Jiang Cheng held his breath as they passed by their poor excuse for a hiding place, but didn't appear to notice them.
Suddenly, Wangji stepped away from Wuxian and off the path, directly towards Jiang Cheng and Huaisang.
"Shit," said Jiang Cheng under his breath, but Wangji charged past them to stand at the base of the tree behind them.
"Lan Zhan!" Wuxian called after him, "Not again- Huaisang? Is that you?"
"Be casual," Huaisang hissed out of the side of his mouth, aiming a grin at Wuxian.
Jiang Cheng sheepishly looked up, "Hi. Bro." Huaisang surreptitiously elbowed him in the side.
"Bro? That's new," Wuxian said, putting his hands on his hips and letting out a chuckle. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We were just," Huaisang glanced over at Jiang Cheng, "Enjoying the afternoon. In the park. Want a brazil nut?"
Wuxian accepted the offering, crunching thoughtfully, "It's so funny. We were in the area, and I was just wondering what you two were up to. Speak of the devil, I suppose."
"Wei Ying," Wangji said from behind them, pointing intently up at the tree, "Look."
"What are you looking at?" Huaisang asked, craning his neck to look up.
"Squirrel," Wangji said, arm already drifting back down to his side.
"Squirrel?" Huaisang stood up, "Where?"
Wangji pointed again. Jiang Cheng looked up. There was indeed a squirrel perched at the edge of the crown of the palm tree, staring out over the park.
Huaisang gasped and patted Wangji on the shoulder, "I haven't seen one down here yet. What good eyes!"
Wangji ignored him and stepped closer to the tree.
"You know, I have some hazelnuts in my pocket," Huaisang said, "I bet we could get it down here."
Wangji apparently deemed this idea worth pursuing, as he nodded his head two full bobs.
Behind them on the path, Wuxian laughed and shook his head, "I still can't believe we ran into you guys. We weren't planning on being down here but we took a drive just for fun. Then that turned into stopping for dinner and then Wangji took my drink by accident and now we're here."
"He's drunk?" Jiang Cheng asked, feeling his eyebrows move a bit too slowly to match his words.
"Mmm," Wuxian nodded, "You wouldn't know it to look at him, but he's a total lightweight."
Jiang Cheng turned back to look at him. Wangji was watching Huaisang carefully lay out a circle of hazelnuts, then chided him for uneven spacing. Huaisang nodded his agreement and nudged them into alignment. Wangji nodded in response and swayed on his feet a bit.
"Well, maybe you would," Wuxian admitted, "This is the third time we've stopped for a squirrel. Oh, text Yanli back, she's waiting for your response."
"What?" Jiang Cheng blinked up at him.
"Have you not been checking your messages?" Wuxian asked, crouching down next to Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng made a face and took out his phone.
10 new messages in Family
[19:03] Yanli: We're making our final selection for a couch for our living room today, can I count on my wonderful baby brothers to help us pick the best looking one??
[19:04] Yanli: Remember that you will end up sitting on it when you come visit...
[19:04] Yanli: Which I know you will because you promised :)
[19:05] Wuxian: anything for you!!
Wuxian changed the name of the chat to siblings shopping support
[19:07] Yanli: [link 1]
[19:07] Yanli: [link 2]
[19:08] Yanli: [link 3]
[19:08] Yanli: We've sat on all three of these and they're all comfortable. thoughts??
[19:12] Wuxian: number 1 looks pretty solid, but 3 is more stylish
[19:13] Wuxian: lan zhan says he likes the pattern on the third one
[19:20] Yanli: A-Cheng????
Fingers tapping the screen slower than seemed possible, Jiang Cheng opened the links. He found himself thinking that the first couch looked well-built but simple, the second was quite honestly hideous, and the third one was elegant in a way that fit both Yanli and her girlfriend.
[19:37] Me: Number 1 looks sturdy. Number 3 looks more like your style. It's nice.
[19:38] Yanli: You're in agreement?? Miracles do happen!!
[19:38] Yanli: I hope I can expect your help tomorrow in choosing a spare bed!!
Was it a miracle? Jiang Cheng wondered as he put his phone away. He did feel considerably less compelled to find something wrong with Wuxian's words than he often did. Was it from the high he was still riding or was it the result of their months apart?
Huaisang started to make a ghastly chirping sound in his best imitation of a squirrel's chattering. Jiang Cheng and Wuxian turned to look at him. Wangji shook his head and instructed Huaisang to raise his voice a few pitches.
"Are you okay?" Wuxian asked suddenly, "Your eyes are all red."
"I'm fine," Jiang Cheng said, possibly a bit too fast, but he still wasn't entirely sure of how quickly time was passing, "I was just up late."
Wuxian frowned and opened his mouth, probably to chide Jiang Cheng for not looking after himself.
"Look! It's coming down!" Huaisang cried out.
Jiang Cheng turned his head in time to see a bushy tail halfway down the tree trunk shoot back up towards the fronds.
"You scared it," Wangji said, face closer to a scowl than Jiang Cheng had ever seen.
"Ah, sorry," Huaisang looked down, chastened.
Wuxian leapt up, "Well, since there's no more wildlife to admire, let's get you out of here so you can sober up."
Wangji obediently took Wuxian's offered hand, ignoring Huaisang and Jiang Cheng as Wuxian said his goodbyes.
"I never would have known that squirrel was up there," Huaisang sighed, plopping himself back down on the jacket, "You know, you never know what wonders you'll experience when you go out into the wide world of nature."
"I can't believe we saw them," Jiang Cheng groaned, "Do you think he could tell?"
"I think he was probably distracted by Wangji. That guy cannot hold his liquor, I think I'd have to put a leash on him if he was my boyfriend," Huaisang mused, "Hey, is that the first time you've seen Wuxian since we moved?"
"It might just be," Jiang Cheng said slowly.
"Was it nice to see him?" Huaisang asked.
"It was okay," Jiang Cheng struggled to find a name for the emotion he was feeling, "Yeah, it was nice I suppose."
"Hmmm," Huaisang patted Jiang Cheng's shoulder, "You should tell him that."
"Ugh," was all Jiang Cheng said in response.
"Babe, remember all those therapy session debriefs we've had? The ones about using your words?" Huaisang gently chastised, leaning against him.
"Fine, I'll think about it," Jiang Cheng yielded.
For a few moments, Jiang Cheng was content to just sit on the grass with Huaisang curled up against his arm, watching the sky darken and overtake any remaining orange.
"I don't think I had lunch," Jiang Cheng said absentmindedly.
"Do you want some of my- oh." Huaisang stuck his hand in his pocket, "I used the last of my trail mix to lure the squirrel down. They're still over there on the grass."
"That's okay, they can stay there," Jiang Cheng shook his head.
"We can go to the festival!" Huaisang sat up, "There'll be food there."
"Do I have to get up to go there?" Jiang Cheng whined.
"It's just down the path, you can practically see the lights from here," Huaisang hopped to his feet.
"That seems far away," Jiang Cheng groaned.
"I'll remember this the next time you make fun of me for asking you to bring me snacks while I'm painting you know," Huaisang toed Jiang Cheng in the side.
Jiang Cheng groaned again and got to his feet.
~~~
"Lan Zhan, did my brother seem," Wuxian asked as they came to a stop at the crosswalk, "Strange to you?"
"Your brother?" Wangji tilted his head up at Wuxian, forehead creasing in confusion.
"Ah, nevermind," Wuxian said, remembering much of a single target mind Wangji could have when he was drunk.
The crossing signal chirped and Wangji lurched into the street.
"Where are we going?" Wuxian asked jogging a bit to catch up.
"The harbor," Wangji stuck his hand out to grab Wuxian's sleeve.
Wuxian felt skeptical about Wangji's current ability to navigate the city, but had more or less accepted that when Wangji was drunk, questions about navigation were not worth asking. He had the unique ability to always end up where he wanted to be, so Wuxian was more or less content to be dragged further along through the park. They got a couple of odd looks, but not too many. Mostly, it was children who turned their head to watch as they lurched along; Wuxian just smiled and waved back.
Wangji pulled Wuxian around the corner and Wuxian was amazed to find that they were indeed looking down into the harbor. Boats of varying sizes and shapes stretched out in a long row towards the darkening horizon.
Wuxian walked forward and leaned against the handrail. He whistled appreciatively at the line of boats. "Must be an interesting life, life on the water," he mused, then turned to grin at Wangji, "Something for us to put on the bucket list?"
But Wangji was gone. Wuxian panicked for a second but quickly spied him halfway down the ramp, beckoning urgently.
"Don't disappear on me like that!" Wuxian chided as he dashed to Wangji's side, grabbing his hand securely, "You're so speedy when you're drunk. If you don't stay close, I might lose track of you."
"I always stay close," Wangji pouted slightly, eyes struggling to focus and mouth turning down in a tiny frown. Wuxian laughed and leaned down to kiss the corner of his mouth. Behind them, a fully decked out pedicab rolled by, the blare of a pop song swelling in volume then fading away.
"That's true, you never wander very far," Wuxian admitted. Wangji nodded once, jerkily, then charged down the ramp, hauling Wuxian behind him. They descended into a quieter part of the waterfront. Wangji led them to the edge of the platform, close enough to watch the water lap at the boats. Wuxian caught some of the more ridiculous names emblazoned on their sterns. Reel Laxed and Mom's Headache made him laugh and he saw at least three discrete Mystics.
Wangji stopped in his tracks near the end of the row of boats. They were nearly at the end of the walkable harbor. Only a short observation dock lay between them and the wide mouth of the bay. The bridge, carving the horizon into soft blue rectangles with its tall concrete pillars sat further out still, the last gateway before the open sea. Sunset had quietly made room for evening, picking up her skirts and stepping demurely out of the way of the warm grey clouds that rolled in lazily over the city. The blue of the water rocked the resting boats gently and the lights of the island across the bay twinkled against the electric blue of the sky.
"Maybe we should just sit for a moment, it's a beautiful night," Wuxian suggested.
"We're almost there," Wangji insisted, still plowing ahead. Wuxian sighed and let Wangji tug him down along to the very end of railing. Wangji wobbled a bit at they came to a stop, but continued to look out at the dock, looming above them only a few meters away. Wuxian turned to look at the water. Below them, beyond the salt-speckled railing and the rusting concrete, the water lapped at the harbor wall through the rocks. The night air by any body of water was dense in a comforting way to Wuxian, and the harbor was no different. While he wasn't well acquainted with the city that he found himself in, the cool weight of the ocean's presence was a welcome feeling.
Even without the sand beneath his feet and the heavy crashing of the waves in his ears, Wuxian relished the feeling of the sea air on his skin. The ocean breeze made him smile as he looked out across the harbor, remembering countless nights by the sea. Playing volleyball with Jiang Cheng through the sunset until they could no longer see the net. The summer bonfires after the bookstore was shut for the day where Yanli would come down to see him and the Wens and they would laugh well into the evening. The night he'd asked Wangji to drive him to the beach and they'd kissed, finally, beneath the cliffs and beneath the stars.
The memory made him smile even wider and he squeezed Wangji's hand. "Lan Zhan," he began, "Do you-" and was immediately silenced by Wangji lightly patting his mouth silent with slack fingertips and shushing him.
Wangji knelt down, tugging Wuxian along with him. He motioned for Wuxian to kneel with him at the far edge of the ledge and pointed out at the dock. Wuxian started to ask what he was looking for but received another shush and urgent point in response. He looked again, searching for anything that might have caught Wangji's attention.
Foot traffic on the dock was light for a Friday evening. A few couples and families meandered out to the end and back, while scattered single walkers stood at the railing and looked out on the dark water. Wuxian couldn't think of a reason that Wangji would be directing his attention to anyone who may or may not happen to be strolling along the dock. He shifted his gaze to below the planks of the walkway, still unsure what he was searching for, but keeping his eyes peeled for any oddly placed graffiti or barnacles that may have caught Wangji's eye.
Then, he saw it. In a crack of one of the thick wooden support columns, a flicker of movement. A tiny peeping was just barely audible over the sound of the water and the crowd. Wuxian gasped and pushed his face through the railing.
"She has a nest in there," Wangji's voice was at his ear, "Her eggs must have just hatched."
Even in the growing darkness, Wuxian could still see the tiny brown head that poked out of the post. A sharp beak opened in a few shrill cries and another bird swooped down from above the dock and squeezed itself down into the crevice.
"How did you know about this?" Wuxian whispered back.
"Xichen's office," Wangji waved his arm in the vague direction of the city skyline, knocking himself off slightly balance with the force. Wuxian wrapped his arm around his shoulders to steady him. "It's downtown. I waited for him here when we had lunch last week."
"Good eyes," Wuxian said, pulling them both to standing. Wangji's eyes went soft and the corners of his mouth twitched up in a pleased smile.
"Many seabirds will travel thousands of miles to return to where they hatched in order to lay their own eggs," Wangji recited, "Isn't that interesting?" Wuxian agreed and Wangji blinked and tilted his head up for a kiss.
~~~
If Jiang Cheng had felt good when he left his apartment, he felt fantastic when he entered the festival. Right before they'd reached the bright plaza, Huaisang had pulled them behind the park restrooms and took out the remaining two joints. Determined to make up for his coughing fit earlier, he accepted Huaisang's suggestion. He did not succeed in redeeming himself, but by the time they emerged from the bushes he found that he did not care at all. The onset of euphoria was nearly instantaneous.
The carnival was bustling, but not unpleasantly so, and Jiang Cheng was perfectly content to let Huaisang lead him through the crowd. The lights from the various stalls were bright enough to rival the sun. Huaisang had to stop and remind Jiang Cheng to keep walking a few times when he became utterly entranced by the glow of the countless stalls selling light up hats and wands.
Huaisang also had to take over and order a burrito for Jiang Cheng when he found himself unable to finish a sentence while the worker impatiently tapped her fingers. Holding on tightly to his food he found that he wasn't bothered at all by being jostled around a bit by strangers.
Huaisang eventually stopped at the end of a less crowded side path.
"A-Cheng, look!" Huaisang gasped, "They have ring toss."
Jiang Cheng turned his head. It was ring toss in its classic form: a giant grid of glass bottles below a row of garishly colored plush toys hung across the top of the tent.
"A-Cheng, I want that one," Huaisang pointed at a pink owl with half-lidded eyes and floppy pink wings wrapped around its yellow belly.
"It's amazing," Jiang Cheng breathed, staring up at it in wonder, "Do you have any more money?"
Between the two of them, they were able to scrounge up enough change for five rings each. The game attendant, a freckly teenage girl in a brightly patterned floral shirt, handed them their rings, telling them that if they made all five shots, they could pick from any of the plush toys.
Huaisang's first attempted throw was truly pitiful. He chucked the ring with entirely too much force and it went sailing over the bottles. Jiang Cheng looked thoughtfully down at the clear purple plastic before tossing it with little care. It landed perfectly around the neck of one bottle. Huaisang clapped in delight. Jiang Cheng's next three throws were likewise flawless. None of Huaisang's attempts even touched a bottle.
Feeling rather pleased with himself, Jiang Cheng prepared to toss the final ring.
"A-Cheng, I never knew you had such potential to be a provider," Huaisang said appreciatively, "If your new job falls through you can become a professional carnival goer and earn us our dinner this way. This owl could feed us for weeks."
Huaisang's jokes often made Jiang Cheng laugh, it was one of the many things Jiang Cheng liked about him. In this case, however, it would prove to be his undoing. It started with the tiniest of giggles that grew and grew, making him shake so hard that he couldn't see the bottle at all. Jiang Cheng tossed the ring into the center of the grid, where it bounced off the neck of a bottle and landed on the ground with a clatter.
Jiang Cheng kept laughing, slowly sinking into a crouch as he did. Huaisang began to look a bit concerned. Jiang Cheng reached for the ground for support. Huaisang took the burrito out of Jiang Cheng's hand before it could touch the ground.
"Are you crying?" Huaisang asked, taking a bite.
Jiang Cheng gasped for breath and wiped his face. His hand came away wet. He looked up at Huaisang in amazement and said, "It looks like it."
"Hey, again!" A familiar voice called out. Wuxian appeared out of crowd like a conquering hero, Wangji beside him looking a touch confused to see them. Jiang Cheng rose to his feet and wondered if any of his math classes had ever covered how to calculate the odds of running into to someone twice in a city populated by millions when that person didn't even live in the city.
"You guys playing ring toss?" Wuxian asked as he stopped in front of them, reflexively throwing out an arm to stop Wangji from continuing to plow forward.
"We were, we don't have any more money," Huaisang pouted, "Jiang Cheng was going to win me that pink owl."
Wuxian nodded thoughtfully, glancing over at Wangji, who was already taking his wallet out. He pulled out a few bills without looking and handed them to Wuxian.
"Thank you, Lan Zhan," Wuxian gave him a peck on the cheek and turned to give the money to the game attendant, whose eyes boggled a bit at the amount.
Of course it was Wuxian who had ended up with the rich, helplessly devoted boyfriend. Jiang Cheng suppressed a sigh. He glanced over at Wangji, who stood with one shoulder slumped down slightly as he watched the attendant hand Wuxian a bucket filled with a truly ridiculous number of rings.
"Jiang Cheng," Wuxian offered him a handful of rings, "Do you want to play?"
Jiang Cheng looked down at it, then back up at his brother. He started to raise his hand, then stopped. Did he want to play? He couldn't remember a time when he had ever said no to competition of any kind with Wuxian. And yet now, the only thing he felt was hunger.
"I think I'll sit this one out, and eat my burrito," Jiang Cheng said taking it back from Huaisang, "Make it easy for you."
Wuxian raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You sure?"
Jiang Cheng nodded. Wuxian shrugged and turned back to distribute the rings between him and Huaisang.
For a few long moments, Jiang Cheng was content to watch Wuxian and Huaisang try to figure out the best ring toss strategy. Neither had much success. It occurred to Jiang Cheng that this was the mellowest he'd ever felt in Wangji's presence.
"So. You and my brother have been dating for three years now?" Jiang Cheng directed the question at Wangji, who was still watching Wuxian with commendable concentration.
Wangji's head turned slowly, eyes lagging behind, like he had to physically drag them away from Wuxian. He stared at Jiang Cheng with a slightly glazed over look before replying, "Three and a half."
"Right. Yeah. Congrats by the way," Jiang Cheng closed his eyes, "He seems really happy. Even though I don't under- he just seems happy."
Wangji said nothing, waiting for Jiang Cheng to get to the point.
"And, I know you know that he and I haven't always gotten along," Jiang Cheng opened his eyes to look at Wangji with his best attempt at intimidation he could muster for how dizzy he felt, "But he's still my brother. If you hurt him-"
"I wouldn't. Ever," Wangji said firmly, eyes suddenly more focused than Jiang Cheng had seen them all day. Jiang Cheng nodded. He knew deep down that he was absolutely more afraid of Wangji than Wangji would ever be afraid of him. Wangji had also definitely been more successful at protecting Wuxian than Jiang Cheng had ever been. Jiang Cheng swallowed a lump of equal parts fear and guilt and took another bite of his burrito.
Wangji's hard stare slid out of focus and he turned to look at Wuxian and Huaisang again. His head bobbed down slightly. "Only if he asks me to," he said quietly.
Jiang Cheng nearly choked. He spluttered on a piece of carne asada and doubled over as he descended into a coughing fit made worse by the faint burning still in his lungs. Wangji gave him a dispassionate thump on the back.
Huaisang turned back from the tent, "You good?" he asked, eyes wide. Jiang Cheng threw a thumbs up at him and he returned to the game, protesting that he should get an extra turn because he was distracted.
"I really don't want to know what you and my brother get up to behind closed doors," Jiang Cheng wheezed out when he finally caught his breath.
Wangji blinked slowly, and if Jiang Cheng had been less stoned he would have sworn there was an eyeroll in there somewhere too.
Jiang Cheng was saved from being subjected any further to finding out about Wuxian's private life by Wuxian making a winning shot and Huaisang leaping up in joy. The attendant gave him a round of applause and unhooked the prized pink owl and handed it to Wuxian, who made a big show of pretending to want it for himself before tossing it to a pouting Huaisang.
"We should probably get going," Wuxian yawned as he took his place next to Wangji, "I've given up hope of this one sobering up enough to drive us back tonight. I'll just ask Yanli if we can stay at hers tonight."
"Doesn't she not have any furniture yet? Isn't that what she's been texting us about?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"Oh," Wuxian stopped and turned to Wangji, "It was. What should we do Lan Zhan?"
Wangji made direct and deliberate eye contact with Jiang Cheng for a split second, then slowly looked Wuxian up and down before saying, "We can get a hotel."
"A hotel? That's going to be so expensive," Wuxian mulled the idea over as Wangji brought up a hand to rest on his chest.
"I can pay," Wangji said, tugging down on the collar of Wuxian's shirt, "It'll just be the two of us."
Jiang Cheng's eyes were neither clever nor fast enough to look away in time and he caught an eyeful of a very dark and impressively large hickey just below Wuxian's collarbone. Next to him, Huaisang's jaw dropped open.
"Ah, a hotel it is then!" Wuxian said quickly, pulling his collar back up, "Let's get you out of here before- well, let's just get out of here."
Wuxian said his goodbyes quickly and steered Wangji down the sidewalk. Wangji said nothing. With a deep breath to dispel the memory of what he had just seen, Jiang Cheng called out, "It was good to see you!"
Wuxian paused beneath a streetlamp and turned back, his smile visible across the distance, and called back, "It was good to see you too!" He waved once and disappeared around the corner.
"So, did he-" Huaisang stared at spot where Wangji had stood, "Was that his silent way of telling you that he's going to-?"
"Don't say it out loud," Jiang Cheng groaned, pressing his palms over his eyes, "I know he hates me but sometimes I wish he would just punch me and be done with it."
Huaisang giggled and took the last bite of Jiang Cheng's burrito, "Would it have been better or worse if you just offered to let them stay with us?"
"Stop. I can't think about that. That was already too much," Jiang Cheng took his hands off his eyes and was surprised by how the bright world became.
"Well, it's too late for us to retaliate in the same way, but we still do have an entire apartment to ourselves," Huaisang twirled his hair between his fingers, looking up at Jiang Cheng coyly.
Jiang Cheng scoffed, "I doubt my brother would care. He could catch us in the act in his own house and I think he would just congratulate me."
Huaisang sighed, "I don't know if it's the pot or just you so I'll spell it out. Take me home?"
"Oh, right," Jiang Cheng felt the color rise in his cheeks, "Let's go home."
Huaisang shook his head and reached for Jiang Cheng's hand. The carnival lights fading into the distance as they walked away, Jiang Cheng reflected that it had, after all was said and done, been a good day.
~~~
In a tidy but unfurnished apartment a few blocks east of the park, Jiang Yanli set down her evening tea and clicked the finalize purchase button on the furniture store website. A pair of hands squeezed her shoulders from behind and she felt her girlfriend press a kiss to the crown of her head.
"It's done!" Wen Qing clapped as she said, "I can't believe your brothers agreed about it."
"Me neither," Yanli smiled and took another sip of tea, "And they barely said anything. Normally they have so many opinions."
"They must have been busy today," Wen Qing yawned and stretched out her arms. Her phone pinged with a text from the bedroom. As she walked down the hallway to retrieve it, she heard Yanli's phone chime as well.
[19:07] me: Please don't tell Yanli to pick the hideous plaid one
[19:07] me: It’s our back up if the others sell out but that's the ONLY reason it's on the list
[19:07] me: I know it would be funny but she might actually consider it if you say it
[19:11] tater tot: on my honor, i will only endorse the couches i actually approve of
[19:11] tater tot: plaid or otherwise
[19:12] me: >:PPPP
[19:15] me: THANK YOU
[19:50] me: AND your brother agreed? wonders never cease
[21:07] tater tot: you wont believe it but i saw him today!! twice!! he was acting weird im not sure how well city life agrees with him
[21:07] tater tot: but he also said it was good to see me, which im not sure hes ever said
"Huh, I think Wuxian might have been down here today," Wen Qing called into the hall.
"He still is, look," Yanli appeared in the doorway and held out her phone.
[21:08] Xianxian: remember how you said lan zhan reminded you of a disney prince?
[21:08] Xianxian: i think you may be onto something
[21:08] Xianxian: he found three squirrels and a nest of birds in about 20 minutes today
[21:09] Xianxian: anyway we're at a hotel downtown. long story
[21:09] Xianxian: brunch tomorrow?
"Oh, I can't wait to hear this story," Wen Qing laughed as a notification appeared at the top of Yanli's screen, "Your brother just texted you."
Yanli looked at her screen again, then gasped and held it out to show Wen Qing another message.
[21:10] Baby Grape: I got high today.
[21:10] Baby Grape: It was kind of fun.
[21:10] Baby Grape: Don't tell him. You know who.
[21:10] Baby Grape: Sibling brunch tomorrow?