Work Text:
Wei WuXian was just finishing his set up when he became aware of the conversations around him.
“...how do you think the Ice Prince will react?”
“...that is definitely not his brother…”
“...well, he’s definitely better looking than Lan XiChen.”
He couldn’t help but grin at the comparison to his mentor. Zewu-Jun, Lan XiChen’s honorary name, would have gotten a kick out of the words. Instead of taking it as an insult, the regal man would have joined in on complimenting him. Sighing, Wei WuXian took a few test pictures as the voices droned on, adjusting his settings and moving around the lights as he worked.
Satisfied with his work, Wei WuXian sat down, trying to remember what Lan XiChen said about the direction Nie Huaisang, the stylist under contract with Cloud Recess Talent Agency, wanted for the shoot. While the two were of the same age, it seems the stylist had accomplished what he had not; established a name for himself in the fashion world.
Anyone working at or with Cloud Recess is well-known and has a wealth of connections, and that was one of the reasons Wei WuXian was studying photography under Lan XiChen. Only in his 20’s, Lan XiChen, was a renowned photographer with the ability to make all his models shine without a lot of touch-ups. They said he has an eye for finding the beauty in just about anything and having worked with him for three years; Wei WuXian can believe that. If anyone can make Shijie’s husband - Jin ZiXuan aka the Peacock - look good standing next to her and their 3-year-old son, Jin Ling, while keeping her the center of attention; they had Wei WuXian’s undivided respect. His mentor had done just that and even kept their family from fighting. An enormous task provided that Madam Yu didn’t like Wei WuXian and that he and Jiang Cheng didn’t like the Peacock.
He could remember that day. Zewu-Jun was already at Lotus Pier, the Jiang family’s luxurious lotus garden, where the Peacock proposed to Shijie months ago. Madam Yu was cold towards Uncle Jiang and Wei WuXian and barely tolerated Shijie after all three insisted on him being there for the shoot. The only exception had been Jiang Cheng who had also asked but was still treated well. Sensing the tension, the young photographer worked the room masterfully. The little family went up to get dressed while the two madams gossiped in the sitting room. Uncle Jiang and Jin Guangshan were sent to oversee the set up of the gazebo. Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng, and Wei WuXian were given miscellaneous tasks. It was during this time that Zewu-Jun learned that Wei WuXian had an eye for capturing beauty. Though to be more exact, he loved creating beautiful clothes. While Lotus Pier was a greenhouse, it was also the name of a well-known brand created by the Jiang family.
When the family walked out, Wei WuXian almost cried. They were wearing the design he created for them months ago and thought he had lost. He knew then that his siblings had worked together to get it made just for the shoot. He had been correct about a light purple being perfect for Shijie’s lacy dress, while the Peacock looked sharp in a three-piece suit. And Jin Ling looked dashing in a miniature version of his dad's suit. Miffed but proud of his work, he and Jiang Cheng had a discussion that Zewu-Jun overheard. And well the rest is history.
Sighing, Wei WuXian went to the clothing rack and gingerly fingered the light flowy fabrics. He knew the object was to create the feeling of flying or floating in air, but he wondered what he would have created given that idea.
“Gorgeous aren’t they?” The stylist said, coming to stand next to him.
“Yeah.” Wei WuXian said absent-mindedly, ideas already popping into his head. Just then the doors flung open and in walked a man so beautiful he was struck dumb. Dressed in baggy sweatpants and a loose-fitting shirt, the man emitted an air of elegance. For a moment all he could do was stare. It wasn’t until he felt a tapping on his shoulders that he was able to tear his gaze away.
“Lan WangJi, how are you today?” Nie Huaisang asked.
As he heard the name, Wei WuXian wanted to kick himself. Of course the stunning man in front of him is the very brother he’d heard so much about. Taking a closer look, he saw the resemblance between the man and his mentor.
“Who is this?” The rough yet velvety voice sent shivers down his spine and drew him out of his thoughts. It was with embarrassment that he realized he was staring into Lan WangJi’s golden eyes in a daze. For once in his life, Wei WuXian didn’t know what to say but quickly recovered.
“I’m Wei WuXian. I’ll be your photographer today.”
For a moment the two looked at each other before the other man turned his head. “No need. If it’s not Xiongzhang, then I will not do it.” Turning back to look at him, Lan WangJi spoke again. “You are not qualified to take my pictures.”
“Whoa, you just got here. I’m sure if you work with me this once, it’ll be worth your while. How about it?”
“No, only Xiongzhang.”
“Hey wait, I-”
“Lan Wangji.”
A firm voice sounded from the doorway and the room grew silent. In the corner was an older man with short salt and pepper hair and in a pin-stripe outfit that molded to him perfectly. Despite having a well-groomed beard, Wei WuXian could tell he wasn’t as old as Uncle Jiang but definitely older than his 28 years.
“Shufu.”
He stilled at the name and cursed his luck. The man was Lan QiRen, uncle to Zewu-Jun and Lan WangJi and the CEO of Cloud Recess.
“Let’s give the boy a chance.”
Wei WuXian just watched Lan WangJi nod his head before the older man stepped out of the room. “I’ll be looking forward to your work. I hope it’s as good as XiChen says it is.” He said behind him.
For a moment the room fell into silence before Lan WangJi turned to him. “Well let’s see what you can do.”
*************
Jiejie,
As you know, I met the infamous Lan WangJi six months ago. And let me tell you, he is just as they say. If you are not his brother or family, he is difficult to work with.
Yet, every time we’ve had to work together since, I find I want to befriend this man dubbed ‘The Ice Prince.’ He’s not so bad, and has even cracked a smile at some of my pranks.
Who knew he could smile that way? Or that it could make him even more handsome?
For a moment, Wei WuXian looked at the letter he had started to his sister. It was true their first meeting wasn’t the best; but as they continued to work together for the six months Zewu-Jun was away, the younger Lan has grown to tolerate him. He even remembers that just last week, the two of them had confessed their formal names to each other in a moment of drunken antics.
Smiling at the memory, he touched his lips where the two had shared a tipsy but chaste kiss before Lan WangJi blacked out. They haven’t seen each other since then, but the two have exchanged text messages through Weibo. Wei WuXian was still surprised that even in text form, the man still didn’t have much to say. I’ll take what I can get, he thought with a chuckle.
With a sigh, he set the letter to Jin YanLi to the side and took out the clothes he designed. When he began his path of designing clothes, Wei WuXian wanted to make clothes for his siblings and their families...that is if Jiang Cheng ever gets married. But looking at his most recent designs, most of the clothes were made more of a certain tall, slender man with golden eyes and long hair.
I wonder if he would wear my designs? He wondered before making more adjustments to the design. Maybe if I ask him nicely, he will at least model them for me… Speaking of Lan Zhan, I wonder what he’s doing…?
Wei WuXian felt his phone vibrate and smiled at the notification. It was a message from Lan WangJi.
‘Wei Ying.’
‘Lan Zhan.’
Seeing the three dots on the screen pop up and disappear multiple times, he couldn’t resist teasing his new friend. ‘Still as talkative as ever. How can I help you tonight Lan Zhan?’
As soon as the message was sent, his phone rang and he rushed to answer, knowing who it was already.
“Yes, Lan Zhan?”
“Shufu said I shouldn’t let you be my photographer anymore.”
“Lan Zhan…” Wei WuXian could hear the anguish in the man who was a friend he was developing feelings for. “What did that old man say?”
Uncharacteristically, he heard Lan WangJi scoff on the other end. “He said Wei Ying doesn’t have a good eye...that your methods are unconventional and are ruining perfectly good clothes that will tarnish Cloud Recess’s good reputation…”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Wei WuXian wondered what he had done to get on the bad side of Lan QiRen. Things have been going good, and the grumpy CEO had even praised the first couple of shoots he worked on. However, it was the one time he went against the wishes of the stylist that he found himself in trouble with not just the elder Lan but also Nie Huasiang.
The set had been outside near a lake and the clothes Lan WangJi was meant to wear were so baggy that he wondered if the idea for the white robes was to make someone look like a trash bag. The idea had been for Lan WangJi to stand next to trees with swans in the background with the wind blowing towards him. Despite it being Nie Huasiang’s idea, Wei WuXian knew the other man also loathed the concept. So he took matters into his own hand.
He had Jiang Cheng and his friend Wen Ning buy buckets of fake snow and bring it to the site. They created a winter wonderland scenario and had even convinced Lan WangJi to don a carrot nose, top hat, and red scarf. Wei WuXian had worried if this would be the moment when the younger Lan would call it quits and demand Zewu-Jun come back. But that day, there happened to be a petting zoo and some bunnies and dogs had gotten loose. As soon as the bunnies made it onto the set, Lan WangJi cracked the first smile that caused Wei WuXian’s heart to race in his chest. So preoccupied was he that he didn’t even notice the dogs barrelling towards him.
Thankfully, Jiang Cheng with his commanding voice got all the dogs to stop before they could reach the set with the bunnies and where a terrified Wei WuXian still performed his job. It was a good thing he trusted his brother not to sic the dogs on him just for laughs. However, it was just after he had declared the shoot done and the animals returned did the real issue occur.
Preoccupied with showing Lan WangJi the shots, neither of them noticed the polynesian that was barreling straight for them. Before either of them knew it, they were in the lake with the fake snow littering the water and ducks swimming around them. It was with Lan WangJi in the water and Wei WuXian over him, that Wei WuXian realized something. The man in front of him was incredibly good-looking, and he wanted him to be his model. And the most uncomfortable epiphany, he was starting to develop feelings for his mentor’s brother.
“...but Wei Ying is good.”
Without warning, Wei WuXian felt his eyes start to tear up...how had Lan WangJi done that?
Swallowing back the tears, he took a deep breath. “Lan Zhan-”
“Wei Ying cannot give up.”
“I won’t, Lan Zhan...I actually want to design clothes. If you believe I’m good enough, I would like to make clothes for you.”
As he made the admission, the other end of the line went silent. “If you want to, that is...you can just say no if you don’t. I’m sure J-”
“Only me?”
“Huh?”
“Will I be the only one you make clothes for?”
“I would like to make clothes for Jiejie, A-Ling, and maybe even the Peacock...or I mean Jin Zixuan also.”
“Okay.”
Wei Wuxian let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding. “Thank you, Lan Zhan.”
“I will wear your clothes every day.”
“Alright Lan Zhan.”
“Alright.”
For a moment the two sat in silence before Lan WangJi muttered something. Then he heard a thud and a familiar voice could be heard in the background. “Ah, he’s drunk again. Hello? I’m afraid my brother has fallen asleep and can’t talk anymore.”
Before Wei WuXian could call out to his mentor, the call ended and he just started at the dark screen before he noticed that he had a message from Zewu-Jun ten minutes ago. But he wasn’t perturbed, for some reason, Lan WangJi’s words gave him a sense of peace that only Jin Yanli had offered him.
Grabbing a blank piece of paper and a pencil, Wei WuXian began a new design but the image wasn’t of clothing. Instead, he found himself creating something he never thought he’d be making. As the item took shape, he added snowflakes, clouds, and rabbits to the side and even music notes as the man loved music.
I wonder if Lan Zhan would like it if I made him a ring. Something I never made for anyone else, he thought to himself. Immersed in sketching, by the time Wei WuXian came back to reality, he had two designs. One for Lan WangJi and another one...for him.
Did I just make us a couple's ring set?
"Would you like to go out with me?" Those had been the words Lan WangJi had muttered before blacking out. Should Wei WuXian dare to hope the young Lan felt the same way for him?
Taking a shuddering breath, he grabbed his phone and took a chance. Opening Weibo, he typed out a text to Lan Zhan to read in the morning.
'How do you feel about getting coffee or tea at the new cafe downtown with me later today?'