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“Tall.”
“Handsome.”
Jiang Cheng wrinkled his nose at that.
“ What?” Wei Wuxian sighed, sounding very put-upon. “He’s my best friend, but I have eyes, of course, I think he’s handsome...Oi. A-Cheng, don’t look at me like that. You guys are my best friends too!”
“I’m your brother. We’re not friends—”
“Mean!”
Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang shared a weary look, before Nie Huaisang gestured for them to continue their list. All of the adjectives they’d been stating were obvious. Of course Lan Wangji was tall—he was taller than Nie Huaisang at least. And of course, he was handsome, he wasn’t ranked the second most beautiful man in the cultivation world for nothing.
But, again, those were obvious. Anyone could discern those things from the esteemed Hanguang-jun with a simple glance. Nie Huaisang was looking for something a bit more substantial...though he made sure to mask his intense curiosity with an easy-going smile—it was rather entertaining watching Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng go back and forth, after all. And it was interesting to see how describing someone through the lens of a “best friend” and a “reluctant frenemy” could lead to wildly different conclusions for one person.
“Lan Zhan is really polite-”
“Petty.”
“He follows almost all the rules-”
“Pretentious.”
“He has a kind heart-”
“I’m not sure if he sneaks up on me because he’s naturally so quiet or because he’s a massive-” Wei Wuxian sighed, placing a hand over his little brother’s foul mouth.
“But why do you ask?” Jiang Cheng interrogated, soon after biting Wei Wuxian’s palm, leaving a vicious red mark which caused the other to cry out in pain.
Nie Huaisang began to fan himself, “I’m just curious…” He trailed off. It wasn’t a lie, but it went a little deeper than that.
Nie Huaisang was far more observant than he let on. And when you observed people, you were bound to notice things others wouldn’t. Like for example, Wei Wuxian was far more emotionally intelligent than he actively displayed. And Nie Huaisang knew his best friend would kill him for even saying this in his mind, but Jiang Cheng was actually really soft at heart.
Lan Xichen was secretly cunning, Jin Guangyao had been secretly malicious…
He himself was secretly not an idiot... well, Nie Mingjue would probably beg to differ. His older brother had no idea why he’d even begged to go on this trip to Gusu in the first place because--
“Huaisang, you don’t even know what a Discussion Conference is.”
“Dage-!”
“Well, do you?”
“I helped bring you back to life!”
“Answer the question, Huaisang.”
“...”
“That’s what I thought-”
“Please? I’ll do saber training for a month!”
“Do you think I was born yesterday?”
“Well... you were re-born a few months ago-”
“Huaisang!”
“I’ll be your moral support! You’ll miss me if you go alone right?”
“What-?”
“Please? Please. Please-”
Nie Mingjue’s “unwavering restraint” was secretly quite flimsy, especially where Nie Huaisang, and his whining, was concerned.
But there had been one person who had eluded his secret observations for quite some time, and that person was none other than the peerless Hanguang-jun. Nie Huaisang had known the Lan for almost three decades now, and their direct interactions had been sparse and lackluster, to say the least.
He certainly knew there was more to Lan Wangji than there seemed, what with everything that happened with the wars and the Sunshot campaign…
But Nie Huaisang had never observed anything “unexpected” or “contradictory” out of him. The man was quietly righteous, most likely somewhat of a misanthrope, and Nie Huaisang could only assume that there had been moments in the past where his calm and cool demeanor had slipped, but he’d never been there to witness that.
And, that wouldn’t have surprised Huaisang either. Of course, Lan Wangji would inevitably slip up and get angry, maybe even explode, if provoked. He was brilliant but he was human. It wasn’t unexpected , especially if one kept their emotions bottled inside, in the way Nie Huaisang expected the Lan did.
So, Nie Huaisang was truly at a loss. And for some reason, his dilemma frustrated him a great deal. Perhaps it’s because he prided himself on being able to read people, and the fact that he couldn’t read Lan Wangji bothered him.
Or maybe it was something else.
Nie Huaisang shrugged, bringing himself back to the present, accidentally tripping Wei Wuxian as he charged at Jiang Cheng, and making his friend fall into the river— a bit of revenge for two decades ago.
Jiang Cheng snickered as Wei Wuxian started cursing and splashing angrily in place.
“You did that on purpose!”
Nie Huaisang’s head tilted to the side. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Wei-Xiong. I really don’t know.”
Wei Wuxian grumbled, his dark aura scaring away a couple of fish that swam too close to him, and this time both Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang had to stifle their laughter.
And so, Nie Huaisang let his dilemma float to the back of his mind as Wei Wuxian floated in the river.
~~
Nie Huaisang was on his way to guilt-trip Nie Mingjue into having breakfast with him the next morning, when suddenly the path ahead of him was occluded by a set of pristine white robes.
Nie Huaisang paused in his tracks, but Lan Wangji didn’t seem to notice him as he continued to walk across—though, seeing as this was Lan Wangji, there was a very good chance he had noticed Nie Huaisang and had simply chosen to ignore him.
His steps were quiet but determined. He carried himself with such elegance and poise that if Nie Huaisang hadn’t been watching him closely, he wouldn’t have noticed the slight urgency behind his walk.
He seemed to be carrying something, but the basket was covered by a cloth and held tightly against his body as if the Lan was smuggling something...dangerous into the forest he approached.
Too curious to mind his own business, Nie Huaisang made his way closer...and closer and closer until-
“Hanguang-jun...”
The honorable Hanguang-jun immediately froze in his tracks. His vice-like grip accidentally loosened over the basket, and it would’ve fallen for the grown, if not for Nie Huaisang’s quick reflexes— they’d been a necessity growing up. Nie Huaisang was always able to intercept his fans and paintings before Nie Mingjue tried to destroy them and eventually his older brother had simply given up.
When Nie Huaisang caught the basket, he tried to predict what was inside. It was slightly heavy, but not remarkably so, and he assumed it was something rather valuable, or at least, precious to the Lan.
He handed the basket back to Lan Wangji who all-but snatched it away. Nie Huaisang was unable to help the weird twitchy feeling that came to his mouth at the display. But then, eyes widening as he remembered himself, Lan Wangji schooled his expression and bowed his head. “Thank you, Nie-gonzhi.”
The last time Nie Huaisang had tried to tell Lan Wangji that the honorifics weren’t necessary, the man had only stared at him for a solid minute before blinking twice and then leaving.
His very existence would continue to mystify Nie Huaisang for as long as he lived.
Nie Huaisang opened his mouth to wave off his thanks, when suddenly Lan Wangji was bowing again and mumbling a quiet “Goodbye.” and then he was speed-walking away even faster and Nie Huaisang was thrown for a loop even more.
“Wait!” Nie Huaisang blurted and then cursed himself when Lan Wangji actually did pause and was turning around with a blank expression on his face, but something unreadable flickering behind his eyes.
“Are you…?” Nie Huaisang shook his head and then tried again. “What are you…? Er…” What the hell? Nie Huaisang’s stupidity was supposed to be an act, not a real thing! Why couldn’t he form a simple sentence? Was Lan Wangji really that intimidating?
To be fair, he was. With such a stoic, icy demeanor, anyone would’ve been thrown off. But the thing is, at that moment, he didn’t look stoic or cold. In fact, he looked rather unnerved, and whether it was because of what he was hiding in the basket or Nie Huaisang’s presence, the Nie had no idea.
“Umm…” Nie Huaisang trailed off weakly, wishing he could hide his reddening face behind his fan.
Lan Wangji’s gaze hadn’t left his face the entire time.
And just as Nie Huaisang was just about to make up some excuse and leave…
“Did you paint that yourself?” Lan Wangji was pointing a slim finger towards the fan sticking out of Nie Huaisang’s pocket. It was one of his favorite works, inspired by the hyacinths that bloomed in the cool of Cloud Recesses.
Nie Huaisang nodded, slowly, stricken that Lan Wangji of all people was initiating a conversation… with him.
“I like it.”
“You what?” Was Nie Huaisang having hearing loss?
Lan Wangji blinked slowly. And though Nie Huaisang claimed to be very observant, he missed the way the Lan’s ears began to turn red. “I like it...I like many of your paintings actually…”
Now it was Nie Huaisang’s turn to slowly blink at him. Why wasn’t his mind working? Why did it feel like his chest was on fire? Were heartbeats supposed to be this rapid? Was he having a Qi deviation-?
“I will leave now.” Lan Wangji announced, voice almost strained. He didn’t even wait for a half-assed response from Nie Huaisang, he just speed-walked away as if his life depended on it, ears flaming the entire time.
Once Nie Huaisang finally stopped sputtering, he took out his fan to cool himself down. His heart was still pounding loudly in his chest and he decided it might do him well to brush up on the symptoms of a qi deviation...
And he vowed to solve the enigma that was Lan Wangji, once and for all.
~~
“You look like shit.”
“Good morning to you too, dage.” Nie Huaisang grumbled as sat down for breakfast, or rather, what was left of breakfast because one of Nie Mingjue’s most remarkable abilities was the rapid rate at which he could consume food.
“Seriously, are you alright?” Nie Mingjue asked in between bites of…well, Nie Huaisang didn’t know at this point. His brother enjoyed some interesting food combinations.
“I’m fine.” Nie Huaisang lied through his teeth. He took a sip of tea.
He was not fine.
His strange interaction with Lan Wangji had been plaguing his mind for hours now, he’d hardly gotten any sleep. Nie Huaisang liked to choose his own battles, and while this self-preservation tactic made him seem “lazy” and/or “cowardly” in the eyes of many other people, it had worked for him…up until now.
“Hey, dage?”
“Hm?” Nie Mingjue grunted.
How do I ask this without being suspicious… “Remember when we were kids? We used to visit Gusu a lot.”
“Mhm.”
“You used to hang out with Xichen-ge a lot.”
“Yeah…? Still do, you know.”
“But you must’ve spent time with Lan Wangji as well, right?” Ah, there it was, the segway that Nie Huaisang had been seeking. “Did you ever notice anything… interesting about him?”
Nie Mingjue slowly lowered his oversized spoon from his mouth, to fix Nie Huaisang with an incredulous look.
“ What?” Nie Huaisang started panicking. Was Nie Mingjue onto him? But…but what was there to be “on to” in the first place….
“You’re asking me?” Nie Mingjue snorted, picking his spoon back up again. “ You’re the one who spent the most time with him back then.”
“ Oh .” Nie Huaisang was stricken because Nie Mingjue wasn’t wrong. He was the one who coerced a young Lan Wangji into painting fans with him. He was the one who waited in those boring, overly-secure rooms with him as their older brothers underwent Sect Leader training elsewhere. He was the one Lan Wangji had reluctantly taught to play the guqin.
“He was your first friend after all.”
Ah. Perhaps that’s why it bothered Nie Huaisang so much.
“And now…”
“Now?” Nie Huaisang was intrigued.
Nie Mingjue simply shook his head with a small smile, “Nevermind. Are you gonna eat that?”
Nie Huaisang sighed letting his mind race once more.
“All yours, dage.”
~~
Nie Huaisang had inevitably found himself back at the spot where he’d encountered Lan Wangji and his basket, last week.
This time, without any prompting to do so, he decided to follow in the direction the Lan had run off to.
~~
~~ Three Decades Ago~~
“Lan Wangji! Lan Wangji!”
Lan Wangji had startled at his name being called. He recognized the voice immediately, but turned around with a frown. “There’s no yelling in Cloud Recesses.” He recited, just as his Uncle had taught him.
The boy in front of him, the second heir to the Nie Sect, simply frowned back at him. “You left me.”
Lan Wangji blinked at him, confused.
“I mean…” His voice was much quieter now that he wasn’t calling out Lan Wangji’s name. “Back there. We were supposed to wait for our brothers together. You left.”
“Mn.” Lan Wangji nodded. His Uncle had taught him to be honest no matter what.
Nie Huaisang looked dissatisfied with that answer. He pouted at Lan Wangji, when all of a sudden, he saw something shuffling behind the bottom of the other boy’s robes.
“What’s that?” His eyes brightened substantially.
“Uh…” Lan Wangji tried changing the subject. “I apologize for leaving.”
“It’s okay! I don’t care.” Nie Huaisang brushed him off with all of the tact of an eight-year-old. “What are you hiding?”
“…”
“Is it a secret?”
Lan Wangji felt himself nodding. They were in the forest away from the others. If his Uncle, or even his brother, found out about this, he’d be in big trouble. And he wasn’t exactly sure if he could trust Nie Huaisang however…
“Don’t worry, I’m good at keeping secrets.”
Somehow the young Lan doubted it.
But at the same time, he was comforted by Nie Huaisang’s smile.
“…Please do not tell Uncle.”
And so, he stepped to the side revealing a large basket full of carrots behind him and then a bunch of—
“Oh!” Nie Huaisang’s smile widened a great deal. And Lan Wangji couldn’t understand it, but he felt his lips doing the same. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
~~
“ Oh.”
Lan Wangji froze at the noise. His arm remained outstretched with a carrot dangling from his hand.
Nie Huaisang on the other hand was coming to multiple groundbreaking realizations at once.
One. Lan Wangji, back then and now, was harboring fugitive... rabbits?
At the moment, the Lan was surrounded by a small hoard of tiny rabbits, attempting to feed them all at once in a secluded part of the forest meaning it was just as frowned upon by the Lan Sect back then as it was now.
And Two...From the genuinely startled expression on his face, to the way the rabbits seemed to clamor around him for food and comfort, and to the way Lan Wangji just let them... From the tiny smile that played upon his lips before he’d noticed Nie Huaisang’s surprise arrival, to the way his fingers ran gently across the tiny rabbits’ fur…
“ Oh.” Nie Huaisang repeated, genuinely awestruck.
Lan Wangji was secretly adorable.
“Please do not tell Uncle.” Lan Wangji’s ears were reddening at a frightening pace.
“Don’t worry.” Nie Huaisang found himself saying, still reeling over the sight. He could quite honestly hear his heart pounding at the moment. “I’m good at keeping secrets.”
Lan Wangji’s eyes widened on their own accord. His mouth widened to a little gape as he registered Nie Huaisang’s words in the present and recalled them in the past. The rabbits grew impatient and began hopping onto his lap with even more “ferocity”.
“Would you…” Lan Wangji cleared his throat, eyes glittering across the ground. “Would you like to feed them with me?”
“ Yes.” Nie Huaisang was answering even before the Lan could fully get the words out of his mouth. He cleared his throat,“Er, yes. Yes, I would.”
Lan Wangji’s small smile returned, and Nie Huaisang wondered if he’d always feel this way in response to every effortlessly charming thing the Lan did, or if it’d wear off soon enough.
But as he sat down beside the Lan and accepted one of the baby rabbits from the bunch with slightly shaky hands, he decided that it was alright if it didn’t.
More than alright even.
Perfectly fine, in fact—
“Nie Huaisang?” The Nie in question almost had another heart attack.
“Lan Wangji?” He tried his best to feign composure, but knew he was failing miserably.
“Please visit again soon.”
Golden eyes met light green and Nie Huaisang knew he was done for.
He opened and closed his mouth searching for the right words, but then, he finally noticed the twinkle in Lan Wangji’s eyes, and stopped trying altogether, finally offering the Lan a smile and unspoken answer of his own.
I will.
~~
“So…”
“Did you figure it out?”
Nie Huaisang squinted at the Yunmeng duo, feigning confusion. At the moment, they were all gathered by the courtyard, during the “in-between” times for important conferences. “Figure what out?”
“You don’t remember?!” Wei Wuxian was genuinely stunned.
“Don’t play dumb, Huaisang.” Jiang Cheng was decidedly unconvinced. “So did you or did you not finally figure out how to describe Hanguang-jun.”
“Well, I-”
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
“Wei Ying. Jiang Wanyin.” Lan Wangji bowed towards each of them politely, even humoring Wei Wuxian’s “Wanna go drinking with us later Lan Zhan?” With a, “Sect Leaders should not intentionally inebriate themselves. This includes ‘Co-Sect Leaders’.”
But suddenly, Lan Wangji fixed Nie Huaisang with an intent stare.
Nie Huaisang paused, wondering if he’d accidentally offended the Lan in any way yesterday— knowing him, it was very plausible.
However…
“Would you like to go to Caiyi with me today?”
Wei Wuxian audibly choked.
Jiang Cheng looked pained, but not surprised. It was like knowing a sword was going to crash into another one, but you were utterly powerless to stop it.
And out of all the responses Nie Huaisang could’ve given…
“Can we buy some paint brushes?”
Huh?
“My collection is running low. And good ones only last for so long.”
Sometimes, Nie Huaisang cursed his entire existence.
Lan Wangji,however, took it all in stride—that’s if he even realized there was anything off with Nie Huaisang’s answer in the first place.
“Mn. I would also like some tea.”
“Oolong?” Nie Huaisang suggested, recalling decades of old memories.
“Mn.” Lan Wangji’s expression softened.
“It’s a date.” Thankfully, his voice crack was ignored.
“Mn.” And then he left with a curt bow.
Wei Wuxian looked close to fainting.
Jiang Cheng didn’t know who he was more disappointed in. He sighed, shaking his head. “You could both do so much better. ”
“Jiang-Xiong!”
And Nie Huaisang couldn’t wipe the huge grin off of his face.