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Lan Wangji had never before known such a relentless assault against his patience.
A few weeks ago, Wei Wuxian had entered the Cloud Recesses the same way he entered the young Lan Wangji’s confused heart: messily, loudly, uninvited, turning a quiet place into a noisy one, filling it with a playful laughter that disturbed everyone’s lives.
It was atrocious.
Lan Wangji was summoning every last bit of the self control he was known for, repressing all kinds of feelings deep, deep down — except Wei Wuxian kept being as annoying as he possibly could, pushing all his buttons, making him want to fight him to avoid letting any of his hidden affections be seen.
That day was no exception. Wei Wuxian was following him around, blabbering about whatever thought happened to cross his mind, until he suddenly asked, excitedly:
“Hey, Lan Zhan. Spar with me!”
Lan Wangji glared. Wei Wuxian pouted.
“Lan Zhan… Hear me out. Let’s fight. Let’s do it. I know you want to fight me all the time. Let’s spar properly, and see who wins!”
Lan Wangji hesitated for a few seconds, then drew Bichen. Wei Wuxian smiled widely.
“Yes? Lan Zhan! I knew you just couldn’t wait to fight me again.”
As Lan Wangji glared, they both adjusted their position, and started attacking.
From the first clash of their swords, Lan Wangji tried his hardest to focus on the technique of his fighting instead of Wei Wuxian himself, which soon proved to be impossible. Wei Wuxian was someone who expressed freely his carefree joy and playfulness, even in his fighting: smiling, laughing, exclaiming, and offering comment after comment.
“That was a close one, Lan Zhan!”
“Ah, I see what you did just now Lan Zhan…”
“Lan Zhan! I have the best idea!”
How could he talk so much while keeping up with his fight?
“No talking like sparring.”
“We should make a bet! We should make a bet on our duel!”
Lan Wangji kept trying to take advantage of Wei Wuxian’s talking to take him by surprise, but kept failing.
“I know! Lan Zhan… The loser will braid the winner’s hair! What do you say?”
Lan Wangji’s movements stuttered in a way that almost made him lose.
“Ridiculous.”
“Come on, Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed in laughter. “I’ll tell you what: if you don’t agree, you’ll just have to stop fighting now. You can just stop! No one loses and no one wins. How about that?”
But he wasn’t going to give up. Wei Wuxian knew that. When he didn’t stop his attacks, Wei Wuxian smirked at him.
“You just want to fight me so much, Lan Zhan… Is it because of the book I showed you?”
By now, he should be used to the methods Wei Wuxian employed to try and make him lose composure. He still did. And Wei Wuxian disarmed him. He laughed — not in a mocking manner, merely in a way to express his glee — and gave Bichen back to Lan Wangji.
“Thanks a lot, Lan Zhan. I enjoyed sparring with you today!”
Lan Wangji nodded. He did, too.
Thankfully, Wei Wuxian didn’t get an opportunity to mention to claim his prize before he had to leave the Cloud Recesses.
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian had been married for years, enjoying a tranquil domesticity that they both cherished. They were worlds away from the years they first sparred, but, in many ways, it was still the same happy laugh that filled Lan Wangji’s home, and he couldn’t be happier.
He hummed their song to himself, as Wei Wuxian was taking a bath, his eyes closed, listening to him. After it was over, he suddenly spoke.
“Lan Zhan… I just thought of something.”
Lan Wangji hummed in acknowledgement, encouraging him to continue.
“Do you remember all these years ago, when we sparred, and I said the loser should braid the winner’s hair?”
Lan Wangji had to pause and think for a few seconds, but he remembered.
“Yes.”
“Well, Lan Zhan… You never paid that debt! You never did, Lan Zhan! It is years overdue!”
Amused, Lan Wangji approached the bathtub, kneeled beside it, and gently handled his husband’s hair. Wei Wuxian sighed in contentment.
“I apologize for the delay.”
“Ah, Lan Zhan… It feels nice, I might just ask you to fulfill our bet every day.”
And they both knew he would comply.
“Lan Zhan”, Wei Wuxian sayed in a playful tone. “Spar with me.”
Lan Wangji frowned slightly. Sparring was not something they did anymore. Wei Wuxian picked up on his silence and added:
“No, I mean… Lan Zhan, ‘spar’ with me… Right now. Get in there with me.”
And whatever else happened in that bathtub is History.