Chapter Text
“Wen Qing, how come they never ranked you on the list of young masters?”
They were alone when he asked, a rare quiet moment in the heart of the Burial Mounds. Wen Ning was off entertaining A-Yuan, and the others were busy with the mundane tasks of life in a place of death. Wen Qing stared at Wei Wuxian, looking for the telltale smirk that signaled teasing, but his face was sincere.
“You clearly can’t be above Lan Zhan,” he continued. “You’re clever and talented and gorgeous, of course, but no one’s as clever or talented or gorgeous as Lan Zhan. They probably put Lan Xichen higher because he’s older and smiles more… at any rate, you definitely rank above the peacock. I think you should’ve been number three.”
They hadn’t ever talked about this, not really, but Wei Wuxian was clever and observant, when he chose to be.
“I don’t know who writes it,” Wen Qing began, “but probably for the same reason most people address me as ‘Wen-guniang.’”
Now it was Wei Wuxian’s turn to stare. “But that’s not right.” He tilted his head. “Right? And I mean, 'daifu’ is right there, for anyone unsure who’s not such good friends as we are, to call you Wen Qing.” Now the smirk made an appearance, but this time Wen Qing was relieved to see it. He had never once given Wei Wuxian permission to use his birth name, but he always had, right from the start. What Wen Qing hadn’t realized was that the liberty might be an intentional act of recognition. One day, surely, Wei Wuxian would stop surprising him.
“How did you…?” Wen Qing wasn’t quite sure how he’d worked it out.
Wei Wuxian shrugged. “I kinda just got a vibe? Plus Wen Ning only calls you 'jie’ when he thinks other people are listening. Aiyah, was I not supposed to mention it? Sorry.”
“No, it’s—” he stoped to consider what it was, actually. This had never happened before, this kind of easy acceptance. It was nice. “It’s good to have someone see me without me having to make them,” he said at last.
Wei Wuxian nodded. “Sure, that makes sense.”
Something about the way he said it made Wen Qing wonder. “And what about you, number four, is 'gongzi’ right for you?”
Wei Wuxian shrugged again, rocking a hand back and forth. “It’s not wrong, it just feels incomplete, sometimes? We don’t really have a good word for that, though.”
“They’re calling you 'laozu’ these days,” Wen Qing said, not above a little teasing himself.
Wei Wuxian chuckled, just as he’d hoped. “That’s not bad. Though I’m not really sure I’m old enough to be a laozu, to be honest.”
“You’re definitely not old enough,” Wen Qing shot back; “that’s why all the pictures they’re selling of you are such terrible likenesses. They’re trying to make you look wizened and fearsome enough to match your title.”
Wei Wuxian’s face did something truly impressive as he was caught between amusement and outrage, and Wen Qing threw his head back and laughed, harder and more free than he could remember in a long, long time.