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Wei Wuxian felt the exact moment he’d had too much to drink. He’d made it through the ceremony alright, mostly, but everyone teared up at weddings, so it was fine, and he’d made it through Yanli’s first dance with her husband, and even his own dance with her. But now, as he finished his he-forgot-to-count-th glass of wine, he felt the threat of crying in earnest building in his chest. Yanli was so happy, and so beautiful, and she was dancing with Jin Zixuan, who didn’t deserve her, but he made her happy so maybe he did, and Yanli deserved to be this happy her whole life, and--
Wei Wuxian put his glass down. No. He needed a distraction. He’d expected that he’d have MianMian to hang around with, she was always good for a laugh when Wei Wuxian had to be around Jin Zixuan, but she’d had the audacity to bring a date. Nie Huaisang hadn’t come at all, which Wei Wuxian found to be a bit of a slight even knowing that Huaisang’s brother had shipped him off to some corporate boot camp halfway across the country that he couldn’t get out of.
There was always Jiang Cheng, who stood making pleasantries with his mother’s family and barely concealing his pained expression. But Jiang Cheng would probably just yell at him for drinking.
Someone else, then. There had to be someone fun on their own in this crowd. Any of Zixuan’s family were right out. That narrowed the selection significantly, given how many half-siblings and cousins he had. It took Wei Wuxian a long moment to spot his target-- a particularly handsome man in a sharp but simple suit standing at the back of the reception hall, nursing a glass of what looked to be plain water-- perhaps he, too, had already drank too much, and the two of them could commiserate.
Wei Wuxian knew of the man vaguely. He was Zixuan’s brother’s definitely-not-boyfriend’s brother. Yanli never participated in such gossip, but MianMian did with gusto, and Jin Guangyao’s relationship status was always a topic of interest. So Wei Wuxian knew that this was Lan Wangji, the younger brother of Lan Xichen, but not much else.
“Hey,” Wei Wuxian said. “What a party, eh?”
Lan Wangji barely glanced at him, and did not answer.
“You’ve hit your limit, too, I see.” Wei Wuxian tapped the glass of water in Lan Wangji’s hands. “Problem with an open bar, happens to everyone.”
Lan Wangji took a step back. “I do not drink.”
“Really? How uptight!” Wei Wuxian laughed. Lan Wangji did not. “Maybe that’s good. You can be my designated driver, but like, for life tonight. I already have a ride home, don’t worry. I just need someone to help me not make a fool of myself.”
Lan Wangji looked at him from the corner of his eye as though to say, not possible .
“Hey, it’s not as hard as you’d think.” Wei Wuxian put up his hands. “I just need a little company, that’s all. If I keep to myself, I’ll just keep drinking, and I don’t want to make a scene.”
“That is your problem.”
“And now it’s yours too.” Wei Wuxian nudged him. “Come on, I’m fun to be around, everyone says so. Everyone’s just occupied with…” he gestured vaguely at all the couples on the dance floor. “...their own lives.”
“Then be occupied with yours.”
Wei Wuxian could not tell if he was teasing. There was no quirk of a smile on Lan Wangji’s face, but he did not seem malicious either. Wei Wuxian chose to smile. “Maybe I’m trying. Maybe I’m hitting on you.”
That got him full eye contact. “Are you?”
He hadn’t thought about it. He wasn’t not hitting on him, but it hadn’t really been his intention either, not consciously at least. He glanced Lan Wangji over. He was indeed very handsome, with sharp cheekbones and his hair cut just so to draw attention to them. His suit was tailored perfectly to show the slender lines of his body, its deep navy color complimented by the powder blue of his tie. Wei Wuxian suddenly desperately wanted to loosen that tie, undo that top button… God, he was drunk, wasn’t he?
“You shouldn’t joke about things like that,” Lan Wangji said, misreading Wei Wuxian’s silence.
That was probably for the better. Wei Wuxian did not much feel like being rejected at the moment. He didn’t say anything more for a while, unsure he could without something stupid tumbling from his mouth. Lan Wangji at least didn’t walk away, even though he could now without being impolite.
Wei Wuxian watched the Yanli dance with one of Jin Zixuan’s cousins, a child young enough that he could barely reach her hands without her bending down. She picked him up and spun him, laughing. Zixuan came to her side and the three of them danced together. It was easy to see the two of them forming the sort of family Yanli had always wanted. Wei Wuxian had to smile a little, wondering how soon they’d have kids of their own. Yanli would be the perfect mother. And if she got to smile like this at her own little one everyday, that was exactly the life she should have. Wei Wuxian wanted to be nothing but happy for her, but there was a melancholy he couldn’t shake. She wasn’t leaving him and Jiang Cheng, but she also was. Their lives were changing, whether they all were ready or not.
Wei Wuxian thought very seriously of going to get more wine, or something stronger.
“Your sister is very happy,” Lan Wangji said, so suddenly Wei Wuxian jumped. Lan Wangji looked directly at him for only the second time.
“Yeah. She deserves to be the happiest in the world.”
Lan Wangji watched him a long moment. “You are not happy.”
“I am,” Wei Wuxian said quickly. “I’m the second happiest in the world, see?” He flashed his very best smile. “It’s you who seems to be the unhappy one. Why so grumpy, huh? It’s a wedding, not a funeral. Lighten up!”
Lan Wangji did not rise to the bait. “You are not fond of Jin Zixuan.”
Wei Wuxian was unsure whether it was something Lan Wangji had known before, or something he could tell from Wei Wuxian’s attitude about him that day alone. “Sure, but that’s got nothing to do with how I feel. If he makes Yanli happy, I’ll hold my tongue. Mostly.”
“Then…?”
“Then nothing. Don’t be nosy.”
Lan Wangji looked away, his whole body shifting slightly further from Wei Wuxian. Without thinking, Wei Wuxian grabbed his arm to make him stay, wrinkling that perfect suit.
He withdrew his hand quickly. “Sorry.” Lan Wangji was going to come away from the night with an awful impression of Yanli’s drunken belligerent brother. Wei Wuxian should have chosen anyone else to bother, but he couldn’t make himself walk away. He felt desperate to keep Lan Wangji’s attention. “You’re not being nosy. I’m just a mess.”
“Mn.”
“You’re supposed to disagree there.” But he made himself smile. “My feelings are trivial, anyway. It’s a happy day, so I’ll be happy.” He could not read the look Lan Wangji gave him. “Honestly, don’t worry. Assume I’m just afraid I’ll end up like Jiang Cheng instead of Yanli.” He leaned in very close to whisper conspiratorially, “Madam Yu is very worried this is the only wedding she’ll get to plan.”
“That’s not what’s bothering you,” Lan Wangji said slowly. “But I am sure you will find someone who makes you happy.” He spoke with such certainty, Wei Wuxian could almost believe him. He could almost feel it was romantic. But, of course, it was only their first real meeting. He was only being kind.
“I’m sure you will too.” He pushed Lan Wangji’s shoulder lightly, to show that he wasn’t reading into it too much. “Handsome guy like you can’t have much trouble, right?”
If Wei Wuxian didn’t know better, he’d swear Lan Wangji’s ears had gone pink. “Perhaps,” he said, in his particular flat tone.
Wei Wuxian looked at him, trying to puzzle him out. There was something about him Wei Wuxian quite liked, even besides the obvious good looks, even given that he seemed largely inscrutable. “Tell me something about yourself,” he said. “I feel like you know more about me than I know about you.”
“Such as?”
“What do you do?”
“I am in medical school. Entering my final year.”
Of course he was going to be a doctor. Wei Wuxian almost wanted to laugh.
“And you?”
“Ah well.” Wei Wuxian crossed his arms and took a breath. “Nothing so glorious as that. I did intend to do the grad school thing, and still do, but you know…” He waved his hand. “I needed to save up after undergrad, but something always happens, so, you know. I just do computer repair work.”
“Just?”
“Yeah, you should hear the fits Madam Yu throws, says I’ve wasted the family’s investment in my college education. Says I should work harder and get on my way to doing something respectable.”
“It is respectable,” Lan Wangji said with the same certainty as before.
“Well, it pays the bills. Mostly.”
“Mn.” Lan Wangji’s face barely changed, but Wei Wuxian got the impression that he was frustrated. “I understand very little about computers. As, I imagine, does Madam Yu.”
“They’re easy enough to get the hang of. It’s just—“ He paused. “Either you don’t want to hear this, or you’re trying to trick me into saying something smart so you can say I told you so.”
“Perhaps.” The corner of Lan Wangji’s mouth ticked up the slightest bit. Holly shit. If he was handsome with his neutral, slightly grumpy expression, there weren’t words for what he was when he smiled. “Please continue.”
Wei Wuxian humored him for a while, explaining what he knew had to be boring details of how computers worked, throwing in what human interest bits he could. He worked in a shop called Wen’s with his buddy Wen Ning— Wen Ning’s family ran it. Wei Wuxian hadn’t meant to stick around, he had just meant to fill in for Wen Ning when he’d been in that accident their senior year, because he was a quick learner and the Wens needed somebody, but then he was good at it and had needed the money and had stayed, and did Lan Wangji know how much of an up charge there was if you took your computer to the manufacturer’s endorsed repair company? Wei Wuxian did not mention that the reason he needed money in the first place was that he’d stretched what he’d had thin helping get Wen Ning back on his feet. He had Jiang Cheng and Madam Yu to tell him he was a fool, and he was starting to like Lan Wangji too much to set him up to ruin it.
“This must bore you,” he said after explaining the time he’d fixed Jin Zixuan’s computer, and how Zixuan hadn’t realized he’d gone to where Wei Wuxian worked until he popped out of the back room. “Please stop me.”
“I enjoy listening.”
“But not talking, it seems. You were supposed to be telling me about yourself, and you turned it right around.”
“There is not much to say about me.”
“Sure there is. You’re in med school, there’s got to be some interesting stories. What sort of doctor are you thinking you’ll be?”
“Pediatrician.”
“Really? You seem the surgeon type.”
“I’ve been told.”
That was a sore spot, then. Wei Wuxian smiled. “That’s nice, though. You must care more about helping people than being the sort of hot shot all the TV dramas are about.”
Lan Wangji’s mouth set in a line. “That should be true for everyone.” The image of him fighting with other students on the matter flashed in Wei Wuxian’s head. He seemed so reserved, and yet Wei Wuxian would believe that he’d said these same words through gritted teeth in another circumstance.
“Well, I’m glad it’s true for you.” Wei Wuxian flashed a smile at Lan Wangji, and was amazed to see Lan Wangji’s face relax. It made him feel a whole host of things, and he was getting to the point where he couldn’t blame the wine. “We should dance,” he said before he could stop himself. Feelings were even more dangerous than alcohol.
Lan Wangji’s mouth opened slightly— he’d stopped just sort of blurting out a no, hadn’t he, and was now trying to find a polite way to say it. But Lan Wangji’s eyes focused on Wei Wuxian’s face a long moment, and then— “Okay.”
“Okay.” Wei Wuxian laughed a little, from relief, and maybe, maybe, the bit of nervousness beginning to curl around his throat. He was more Jiang Cheng than Yanli, he knew that. Worse, even— he was Wei Wuxian. He couldn’t hold romantic notions of what this meant. Even if it went perfectly, and Lan Wangji was not just pitying some sad sack who couldn’t handle his sister getting married, then what? They’d have a few dates, and then one of them would forget to call, and then it would end the way everything else did.
Another slow song started as they made their way to the dance floor, and Wei Wuxian’s face felt warm. “We don’t have to…”
Lan Wangji put one hand on Wei Wuxian’s back, right at his shoulder blade like he was leading him in a waltz-- Wei Wuxian knew, because Yanli had practiced for her first dance with him plenty over the past several months. His touch was firm, his hand strong. Wei Wuxian put his own hand on Lan Wangji’s shoulder, half afraid he might swoon if he didn’t steady himself. “You know your way around this sort of thing, huh?” he said, trying to keep it light.
“I have had lessons.”
“Well, I’ve practiced quite a lot with Yanli, so I can give you a run for your money, I bet.”
“Mn.” Lan Wangji took his free hand.
They only swayed in place like everyone else-- it wasn’t a waltz, or anything else Wei Wuxian could recognize-- but dancing with Lan Wangji felt like something with complicated steps, something Wei Wuxian had to focus immensely to do right or else he’d trip right over his own feet. Though if he did, Lan Wangji certainly felt strong enough to catch him. Mm, he needed to not think about that. Or how close they were, the stiff fabrics of their jackets pressed together, giving only the ghost of touch to the skin beneath.
Lan Wangji’s eyes locked on Wei Wuxian. That was a dancing thing, Wei Wuxian knew. Yanli had been chastised many times by her instructor for looking down at her feet. Still, it didn’t help with anything he was feeling. He had to look back, to show he knew he was supposed to. Lan Wangji had such nice eyes. And… lips. Wei Wuxian bit down on his tongue.
“Are you… alright?”
“Yeah. Definitely. You’re just a very good dancer.”
The slightest crease appeared between Lan Wangji’s eyebrows. “If this isn’t…”
“It is.” Wei Wuxian turned his hand to lace his fingers into Lan Wangji’s. It wasn’t proper dance form, but he needed to hold on. “I’m just being weird.”
Lan Wangji’s fingers curled around the back of Wei Wuxian’s slowly, but then the tightness of his grip matched Wei Wuxian’s. His thumb stroked the side of Wei Wuxian’s hand. Wei Wuxian both relaxed and felt every nerve in his body light up. Did Lan Wangji know what that did to him? Was it maybe on purpose? His face remained unreadable. Wei Wuxian stepped in to press a little closer, just to see what he’d do. Not shamelessly close, though plenty of other pairs were toeing that line, including Jin Guangshan, who unsurprisingly was not dancing with his wife.
Lan Wangji did not pull away. If anything, he pressed a little harder on Wei Wuxian’s back. Either Wei Wuxian was completely out of touch on the dating scene— entirely possible, given the last few years, or…
MianMian caught his eye from over the shoulder of her date across the floor. She made a pointed look at Lan Wangji, and then a very unsubtle thumbs up. Wei Wuxian rose his eyebrows in response, trying to convey a confidence he certainly didn’t have.
MianMian grimaced— was he that obvious? Or... oh no. She meant—
“Wuxian, who is this?”
Wei Wuxian turned to see a very irritable Jiang Cheng. He had, it seemed, also been drinking quite a lot to deal with their family. A half empty ball glass was clenched in his fist.
“Ah, Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian said with his best anger-diffusing smile, pulling away from Lan Wangji. “This is Lan Wangji. His brother’s the one that Jin G—-“
“Yes, I know that,” Jiang Cheng snapped, even though he had asked. “What are you doing with him?”
“We are dancing,” Lan Wangji said, so clearly annoyed that Wei Wuxian had to wonder how he’d been inscrutable just moments before.
“It’s a party, A-Cheng, we’re supposed to have fun.” He threw an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “You can’t have fun without me, can you?”
Jiang Cheng grunted, but Wei Wuxian knew he needed attention. He took the drink from him and handed it to Lan Wangji. “Will you get rid of this? I'll be back, I promise. He just needs… me.”
Lan Wangji nodded, and Wei Wuxian herded Jiang Cheng to an empty table. “And here I thought you were going to yell at me for drinking.”
“I don’t like that guy.”
“Come on, they’re married now, we have to stop—“
“No, that guy.” Jiang Cheng made a flailing motion with one hand towards the dance floor. “He seems stuffy. Why would you hang out with him?”
“Well, you were busy.”
“And you didn’t think of rescuing your dear beloved brother? You left me to the wolves?” He picked up a glass from the table, realizing only just in time that it was both empty and not his. “Do you know how many times someone offered to set me up? You could have at least split their focus.”
“Please, half your mom’s family still can’t handle that I’m--”
“That doesn’t matter,” Jiang Cheng huffed. “You could have…” He shut his mouth very tight. Wei Wuxian sighed and hurried him to the bathroom, waiting outside a stall for him.
“I thought I’d be the one doing this,” he said, handing in a paper towel when Jiang Cheng had finished. Then again, Jiang Cheng always had the lower alcohol tolerance, and if he was feeling the same things Wei Wuxian felt, neither of them should really be surprised.
Jiang Cheng took the towel but didn’t rise from his spot on the bathroom floor. “I might have killed you if it was.”
“If you didn’t, your mom would have.” Wei Wuxian plopped himself on the floor next to Jiang Cheng, leaning against the stall door frame. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re not losing her.”
“I know,” Jiang Cheng snapped, but he grabbed Wei Wuxian’s wrist and held it tight. “Zixuan really doesn’t deserve her.”
“Yeah, but neither do we.”
It sat in the air a long moment. Wei Wuxian wanted to say nothing would be different, they’d all been living on their own anyway, but it would be a lie. Yanli would always take care of them, but they couldn’t lean on her the same way. And if they could, it wouldn’t be right.
“Do you really like that guy?” Jiang Cheng asked, leaning his head against the toilet paper dispenser.
Wei Wuxian laughed. “I don’t think it matters. We’ve been gone a while, and I probably smell like shit now.” He put a hand on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “Besides, so what if I did? You think anyone would ever be dumb enough to stick with me? You’re the only one that stupid.”
Jiang Cheng snorted. “That’s for sure.” He rolled his head over to look at him. “But you’re the only one dumb enough to stay with me.”
“And I’m not getting any smarter. Just ask your mom.”
“Well. I’m not either.”
Wei Wuxian smiled, and then bit his lip. “If I ever was in a relationship, you know nothing would change, right?”
“Oh my god, you do like that guy! You’re going to abandon me for that guy, and do married brunches with Yanli while I sit at home!”
“How much did you drink?” Wei Wuxian laughed. “In what world would I suffer a meal with Zixuan without you?”
“A world where you have your own awful husband.”
“Never.” He squeezed Jiang Cheng’s shoulders. “I’ll always need you. Besides, god knows Yanli’s gonna have plenty of kids. Who’s gonna pay attention to them while we’re occupied with those awful husbands?”
Jiang Cheng’s face softened. “I’d have to be there for them.” He looked at Wei Wuxian with wet eyes. “You want to get back to your stuffy man?”
“He’s probably already gone.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. The world is full of many handsome men, but only one Jiang Cheng.”
“Mm-- hey! Do you mean I’m not handsome?”
By the time they stumbled out of the bathroom, Wei Wuxian’s arm still around Jiang Cheng to steady him, the crowd had begun to thin. There was no sign of either Lan Wangji or his brother. It was probably for the better. He’d find some way to ruin it, and besides, he and Jiang Cheng were going to need each other more than they ever had. He’d choose Jiang Cheng over a potential boyfriend any day.
But later, when MianMian slipped a napkin with a phone number scrawled onto it into his hand as she said her goodbyes, whispering, “I’ve got your back,” he felt a spark of hope that maybe he wouldn’t have to choose.