Work Text:
֎
He wasn’t feeling particularly bad or uneasy that night, but he definitely needed a distraction. The stress he had piled up from both work and a longing feeling he didn’t want to acknowledge, were starting to affect his otherwise regular sleeping schedule and he wasn’t looking forward to the melatonin-induced migraine to show up again.
He decided the best way to divert his attention from work was to drive around a bit and see where his four wheels would take him to. He got his driving license a couple months ago because he was tired of having to depend on public transport and since then going to work became a little easier. He put on a grey coat, took his car keys in hand and went to turn on his car.
As soon as he was about to drive out towards his now deserted street, though, a gloomy feeling got hold of him. He knew exactly why it came up but he tried not to think about it.
But of course, his mind had other ideas.
It brought up images of the wonderful smile of his husband. It brought him back to the beginnings of their relationship, when Wuxian would fantasize about all the little trips they would have gone on, once they got enough financial stability and could afford a big enough car.
That thought made his heart ache and he started to drive again trying to ignore the cold and empty seat beside him.
֎
While he was driving, trying to pay attention only to the songs on the radio and not his own mind, he reached a red light he almost missed and stopped.
He accidentally started paying attention to where he actually was and realized he was just across the street to the Wen’s house. He was friends with Wen Ning since they were much younger, but he never grew too fond of his sister, Wen Qing. It may have something to do with the fact that she was Wuxian’s first love.
They were still in high school and Wangji was already very much in love with Wuxian, but didn’t seem to be able to gather enough courage to actually tell him. He tried to be there for Wuxian in every possible way he may need him to, but the other boy fell for Qing and he had to come to terms with that. That relationship didn’t last long but they remained friends for a long time after, and Wangji was still bitter about it to the present day.
The traffic light turned green again and he internally blessed it, as it worked as a much-needed interference to his train of thoughts.
֎
He had just finished singing “Sk8er boy” by Avril Lavigne at the top of his lungs, when the radio DJ decided to flip the mood completely by playing possibly one of his favorite love songs.
Just as his brain processed the starting notes of the song, his mind produced yet another fond memory.
He and Wuxian were home alone for the first time since their, at the time not yet official, relationship started. The cd he had made as a Valentine’s gift for the other guy just switched to “If no one will listen” by Kelly Clarkson, his heart started to accelerate and he asked Wuxian to dance. He had prepared a ton of different speeches in his mind, but having the boy he was in love with in his arms, reduced his mind to a blank space. He couldn’t think of any word so he blurted out an “I love you”. Wuxian nearly choked on his chips, but his face was glowing when he smiled and said “I love you too”. They kissed the whole night and officially became boyfriends after that. It’s been around ten years now.
Wangji held the steering wheel tighter and noticed that he unconsciously drove right in front of the house where all of that happened. He definitely appreciated the distraction offered by the new song that was being played.
֎
He managed to get lost in happy thoughts for the following half an hour, but apparently his brain had decided that tonight was perfect for a walk down an exceptionally bitter memory lane.
His brother’s favorite piece of music, “Rocket to the moon” by Jim Brickman, started playing and the only memory he could come up with was probably on of the saddest days of his life, around six months ago.
Wuxian had been gone for about two weeks, and he started to miss all the little things he was used to do with his husband. He needed comfort and the only person he could receive it from was his brother. He walked to Zichen’s house because there were no busses going around at three in the morning. He kept crying the whole time and didn’t seem to be able to stop. When he reached the house, he rang the bell and waited a couple minutes before his brother answered. As soon as the other man saw his face, he knew already what was going on and pulled Wangji inside and took him to the living room. He hid himself in the older man’s arms and tried to calm down even if it seemed almost impossible, cause the only hug he really wanted he couldn’t get it. They stayed like that for hours, until he fell asleep due to exhaustion.
When the song in the car ended there was a tear running down his left cheek. He dried it whit the back of his hand and drove the car back towards his house.
֎
He was almost home, but he had to stop at another red light.
His brain must have finally gone completely out of order. He thought he saw a car dropping Wuxian in front of their home. It definitely couldn’t be. But he could swear he was able to see his husband pay the driver and picking up two suitcases before going towards the front door.
He started to cry because of the ache he felt in his chest so he decided to stop looking and stared at the traffic light until it turned green.
֎
He took a moment to get a hold of himself before turning off the car.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw a light turn on inside the house, on the second floor where the bedroom was. He accidentally glanced at his car’s clock and saw what day it was. He realized what the subconscious reason for all these memories was.
He rushed outside the car and basically bolted upstairs, stopping briefly to remove his shoes and his coat.
When he reached the bedroom door, he had to stop to catch his breath for a couple moments. He heard something drop to the floor on the other side and a smile started to form on his face. He took a deep breath and opened the door.
His husband jolted when he heard him open the door and as soon as their eyes met, he flashed Wangji with the brightest smile he loved the most. Wangji seemed to be glued in place and Wuxian had to hug him for the other to gain his ability to move back. He hugged his other half and started crying all over again. But these were absolutely happy tears.
His husband was back after six months of work in volunteering corps in Kenya. It was the longest they had been apart since their relationship started and they couldn’t talk that much due to troubles with the phones where Wuxian was staying.
He said “I love you so much” before kissing his loved one with all the fervor he could manage. He didn’t need for the other to say it back, he could feel it in the way their lips were dancing together. Wuxian broke the kiss first, only to pull Wangji to the bed.
They didn’t leave the room until it the sun was bright in the sky, and when they finally did, they didn’t bother with clothes and went downstairs to have breakfast and catch up on all the things that happened since they last talked.
And if Wuxian laughed at Wangji when he told him about the gloomy drive of the past night, he didn’t mind one bit. After all that laugh was another reminder he was actually back and they could go on with their life together until they had breaths to share.
THE END