Chapter Text
Wei Ying wakes up to a silent room. He blinks his eyes open with difficulty, the sun is already so high up and the light sipping through the window way too bright, it almost hurts.
He stretches his hand, palming the side of the bed where he is supposed to be, only to find it empty and cold. Lan Zhan must have woken up several hours ago, never failing to comply with the Lan's strict sleeping schedule, even after barely having a few hours of sleep.
Wei Ying sits up and rubs the sleep out of his eyes. He looks around in search of something, anything that could tell him that last night wasn't a dream and that after years of pining over his best friend, it finally happened. He confessed his feelings and Lan Zhan unexpectedly, had felt the same.
There was hand-holding, hugs, soft whispers, declarations of love and kisses… lots of kisses. And well, Wei Ying could have been in peace with just that for the time being, but not Lan Zhan. Nope, Lan Zhan had gone all the way out by shamelessly groping him in that dark movie theater room, kissing his neck and massaging his growing erection through his jeans; who would've thought that the polite, quiet, gentleman younger Lan was actually a horny bastard who couldn't keep his hands to himself. Not that Wei Ying would complain, though.
But now, after the daze of a night of passion has passed and reality starts to sink in, Wei Ying wonders… what if it was just an illusion? What if Lan Zhan woke up regretting his decisions? What if Lan Zhan accepting his feelings was just a lie to get him to bed? It wouldn't be the first time it happened to him; being played and hurt so many times in the past can do awful things to someone's self-esteem. He wouldn't blame Lan Zhan either, it was almost impossible to believe that someone like Lan Zhan, coming from a good and wealthy family, with a bright future ahead and the possibilities of owning the world, could lay eyes on him: an orphan that managed to get through life, hardly; adopted by another wealthy family only to be kicked out by the woman who was supposed to be his mother after the divorce that broke the family apart. It's been years since then and although it wasn't his fault, he couldn't stop himself from thinking that yeah, it totally was. He hasn't seen his adoptive siblings since then, either, the only ones that ㅡhe thoughtㅡ loved him like their real brother.
It wasn't worth it to dwell on it anymore. Wei Ying just hoped that if what Lan Zhan wanted was to get in his pants, he would at least have the decency to let him know and not let him hanging, if anything, just for their friendship's sake. But there's nothing in his room to confirm that Lan Zhan might still be in the apartment; his clothes are gone, so are his shoes. Not even a single sock.
With his heart slowly shattering into pieces, Wei Ying gets out of bed and puts his slippers on. He puts on a pair of sweatpants and an oversized shirt, washes his face and brushes his teeth before venturing into his small kitchen. He needs to start his day with some dignity, even after being the one-night stand of the person he loved the most and the person he thought loved him just as much.
Just as he thought, Lan Zhan is nowhere to be found. His apartment is as empty as always, no note, no message on his phone and certainly, no calls either. Lan Zhan probably won't want to know anything about him after this, why would he? Why bother with him?
Wei Ying plops down on his couch, letting out a shaky sigh as he looks at his phone again. If he calls, will Lan Zhan pick up? His finger hovers over Lan Zhan's contact name, his heart sinking deeper into his stomach. Why, though? He thought Lan Zhan was different, he thought his feelings were sincere, he thought… does it matter, really? Lan Zhan is gone. Forever.
He can't stop the tears from spilling out. It starts as small whimpers and it slowly escalates to full sobbing, tears wetting his cheeks and his shirt. He cries, wails and sobs violently; keeps asking himself why.
His loud cries fill the living room, he doesn't hear the front door opening nor the rustling of plastic bags being carried. Wei Ying doesn't hear the sound of footsteps dragging themselves over the carpeted floor.
"Wei Ying?" He's been called. That voice… Wei Ying would recognize that voice anywhere. He looks up so fast his neck cracks. Lan Zhan's eyes widen at the pitiful sight of an ugly crying Wei Ying, so he leaves the bags on the floor and quickly approaches the couch, sitting next to him and pulling him into a tight embrace without asking anything.
"Lan Zhan." Wei Ying sobs, his hand grabbing at the front of Lan Zhan's sweater. "You were gone and I-I thoughtㅡ"
"What? Wei Ying?" Lan Zhan tightens his hold around him, giving himself an idea of what might be going through Wei Ying's head. He can proud himself on knowing Wei Ying like the palm of his hand: his insecurities, his past, what makes him sad and what makes him happy. Several years of friendship had been good to them.
"You left and I… I thoughtㅡ" A hard sob interrupts his words. Lan Zhan's heart clenches, he never wants to see Wei Ying cry ever again.
"Your fridge is empty." Lan Zhan mumbles close to his ear, his forehead pressed against Wei Ying's temple. "I went to the convenience store to buy us something for breakfast. Didn't leave a note because I didn't think you would wake up so soon."
Wei Ying sniffles, turning his head to the side to face Lan Zhan. "You won't leave?" He wipes his nose with the back of his hand.
"I won't." Lan Zhan sighs. "Like I said last night, I love you."
Wei Ying just nods at that, wide eyes staring at Lan Zhan in disbelief because he's there, sitting on his couch, telling him he loves him. He didn't leave. Lan Zhan didn't leave him and Wei Ying doesn't know what to do with that. What to do with someone actually staying . Someone who holds his heart in his hands.
"I will cook us breakfast." Lan Zhan says and it's tender, the way he looks at him. A way he doesn't look at anyone else. Lan Zhan doesn't smile to anyone else, doesn't speak softly to anyone else, doesn't cook breakfast for anyone else. All of that is reserved to Wei Ying only. Maybe his older brother as well, but it doesn't mean the same.
Wei Ying sniffles, there's still some snot running in his nose, but that doesn't stop Lan Zhan from pulling him up for a short, sweet kiss. Wei Ying gives him a small smile, then watches him get up and go into his tiny kitchen to start up with their food.
This is good, Wei Ying thinks, this is good and he's going to do his best to keep the good things in life close to his heart. To keep Lan Zhan closest to his heart.