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The sunshine touched his face. Wei Wuxian hummed to himself as he munched on his breakfast. It was early in the morning, for him at least. It was not early for his boyfriend who woke up at 5 am every day. Wei Wuxian still couldn’t understand how he even bothered to wake up that early, but as long as he was allowed to sleep until 7 am on the weekdays, it was ok for him.
Wei Wuxian tilted his head as he looked up at his beloved.
“Who are you texting?”
“My brother,” Lan Wangji replied.
“Oh! How is he doing?”
Lan Wangji looked up from his phone. “He’s doing fine. He wants us to join family lunch next Wednesday.”
Wei Wuxian looked up at him again, his face showed a confused expression. “Wednesday? As in the day you, your brother and your uncle usually have lunch together? Why should I join? You know how much Lan Qiren hates me.”
“I want you to be there.”
Wei Wuxian mumbled to himself. “I’ll think about it.”
Lan Wangji stepped out of the kitchen before Wei Wuxian could say anything more.
He watched as Lan Wangji’s back disappeared from his view. He stared at the clock. It was soon 07:30. He should probably get going soon since his boss wants him to arrive at 7:55. His classes begin at 8:20, and it wouldn’t be good if the teacher came too late to his own class.
Suddenly a sound came from Lan Wangji’s phone. Wei Wuxian was about to call for him, but he noticed that Lan Wangji’s phone was unlocked. Wei Wuxian wasn’t the type to peek at other people’s messages, but it couldn’t hurt to do it once, right?
Brother
Friday, February 5 - 07:25
You: I’m scared of how he will react. What if he reacts negatively?
Brother: You know you have to do it eventually, and why would he react badly?
You: ... I just don’t know how I’m supposed to tell him I don’t want to be his boyfriend anymore, but something else.
Brother: You know what you have to do.
As Wei Wuxian read the messages, his stomach dropped. He felt like he was drowning in his own thoughts.
What does this mean?
He doesn’t want to be my boyfriend anymore?
Is he going to break up with me?
…
I thought our relationship was doing great…
Did I do something wrong?
No, it must probably be that I’ve never been good enough for him.
I mean... He’s Lan Zhan and I’m me...
“Wei Ying?” Lan Wangji called out.
“Hm?”
“I’m going out now.”
Wei Wuxian sighed. He almost forgot that he had to go soon too. “I’ll see you later then.”
“Mn.”
Wei Wuxian felt dizzy. Being a middle school teacher sure wasn’t easy. He let out a short huff before he entered the apartment.
Lan Wangji sat on the sofa when his gaze met Wei Wuxian’s. “Welcome home”
Why did Lan Wangji’s eyes always steal his breath? It was simply unfair how handsome he was. He truly didn’t deserve him. He wasn’t good enough for him or for his family either.
It hurt.
Wei Wuxian took off his shoes before he walked into the living room and sat down next to him.
The air was heavy between them.
Wei Wuxian was usually the one who started and led the conversations, but this time he didn’t bother to do so.
“Did something happen? Are you ok?” Lan Wangji asked. He reached for Wei Wuxian’s hand, but he flinched away.
“No, nothing happened and yes. I’m fine,” he chuckled, his tone sorrowful.
“Is it something about the family lunch next week? I would love to have you there, but if you don’t want to go-”
“It’s not that, ok?!”
“Wei Ying-”
“You know I’m not good enough for your family! Your uncle hates me. He probably wants you to find someone better and someone who’s less like me…”
“I do not care what my uncle thinks. It will be ok,” Lan Wangji said, his voice trembling.
“Oh, fuck this. Why should I go there when you’re going to break up with me anyways…”
Lan Wangji’s heart dropped. “... What?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I should’ve seen this coming from the start. Should’ve known this would never work.”
The silence was deafening. Wei Wuxian began questioning if it was all a misunderstanding.
Did I mess this up?
His thoughts flooded his mind.
“Wei Ying.”
He was too ashamed to look at Lan Wangji. He wasn’t sure what he would be greeted with. He didn’t want his golden eyes to pierce into his soul.
“If this is what you want then I will go.”
It was as if the world turned grey. Wei Wuxian reached for him, in hope that he wouldn’t disappear from his world.
“Wait I-”
“You don’t need to say anything. I will not bother you any further,” he whispered as he walked away.
The sound of the outer door closing had never been this loud before. Wei Wuxian stood there speechless. It was as if he had heard the sound of his own heart breaking.
His knees turned into water. He fell to the ground as a tear dropped from his eye.
So this is what the shattering of a heart sounds like.. Wei Wuxian sobbed.
It was 11 in the morning when Jiang Cheng’s phone began ringing. He picked up his phone and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“A-Cheng! I’m glad you picked up.”
“Hm? What’s up jie? Did something happen?”
“Yeah… Can you come to my house? A-Xian stormed in last night with swollen eyes and wouldn’t tell me what happened. He has locked himself in the guest room and refuses to come out of it.”
Jiang Cheng’s brows furrowed.
“Ok, I’m coming soon.”
“Great! I’ll see you soon then.”
30 minutes later, Jiang Cheng arrived at Jiang Yanli’s house.
“A-Cheng! You’re finally here. I’ve been trying to get him out of the room, but I’m pretty sure he can’t hear me.”
Jiang Cheng showed a hint of confusion.
“How is it possible that he can’t hear you?”
“I think it’s best if you hear it yourself…”
As they stepped into the second floor, the music flooded into their ears.
“Wait, is that-”
“Careless whisper by George Michael…” Jiang Yanli sighed.
“He has been blasting music the entire night and he’s been singing along with the songs. Well, maybe not singing. More like crying and screaming, but you get what I mean.”
“What the fuck,” Jiang Cheng exclaimed. He stepped closer to the door and began hitting on it.
“WEI WUXIAN. CAN YOU HEAR ME. COME OUT OF THIS ROOM IMMEDIATELY BEFORE I RIP THIS FUCKING DOOR OFF AND BREAK YOUR LEGS.”
A few seconds went by, but no reply. Jiang Cheng’s blood began to boil.
“DON’T YOU DARE IGNORE ME YOU LITTLE SHIT.”
The music was finally turned off and a sore voice emerged.
“Jiang Cheeeng. Leave me alone. Let me die here alone!”
“NO. GET THE FUCK OUTTA THAT ROOM. STOP DROWNING IN YOUR OWN TEARS AND TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED.”
A laugh arised from the room. Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli looked at each other in confusion.
“Awww is Cheng-Cheng worried about me?”
“Oh shut the fuck up! Just open the goddamn door.”
The door was opened and a half-dead looking Wei Wuxian appeared in front of them.
Jiang Cheng eyed him up and down. He was wearing baggy sweatpants and a black hoodie. There were dark circles under his eyes and his face looked pale.
“You look like a corpse. What the actual fuck.”
“A-Cheng don’t be so mean. You should be nicer to your ge,” Wei Wuxian pouted.
Jiang Yanli pushed Jiang Cheng to the side and gently picked up Wei Wuxian’s hand.
“A-Xian, can you tell us what happened? Me and A-Cheng have been very worried.”
His head hung low and he began fidgeting with his hands. After a few minutes, Wei Wuxian was able to bring his thoughts together.
“I had a fight with Lan Zhan... I found out that he was planning on breaking up with me so I confronted him about it and we ended up fighting… He left the apartment before I could fully understand what was happening. I didn’t want to be alone in our apartment so I came here.”
“Oh god. A-Xian, I’m so sorry to hear that. Is there anything we can do to help?”
Wei Wuxian looked up at Yanli and spoke in a low voice, “Maybe some lotus pork soup would help?”
Jiang Yanli smiled. “I will make you some now then,” she said as she went downstairs.
Jiang Cheng’s brows were furrowed and his face darkened.
“He broke up with you? I should go murder his fucking ass. He has no fucking right to treat you like this,” Jiang Cheng yelled out of fury.
“Jiang Cheng, don’t be like this. I was probably the one who messed up so don’t put the blame on him. I knew it would happen eventually. I always mess up. That’s the only thing I’m good at,” he smiled, but the sorrow could be seen in his eyes.
“Oh fuck you. Stop putting yourself down like that. I’m going to fistfight him and you won’t be able to stop me. I will make him regret every day of his petty fucking life.”
“Aww~, my didi cares for me so much!!! Why don’t you stay here with me and comfort me instead of doing whatever the hell you planned on originally doing? We can sing karaoke together!!! It will be so fun. Don’t you think so, A-Cheng?” he whined. Wei Wuxian threw himself at Jiang Cheng to force him into a hug, but Jiang Cheng ran for his dear life. He ran in a circle while Wei Wuxian chased after him, holding his arms out.
“FUCK NO. I DON’T WANT YOU TO RUIN MY EARS WITH YOU HORRIBLE SINGING. GET THAT CHEESY MUSIC AWAY FROM ME.”
Wei Wuxian gasped. “EXCUSE ME?! FIRST OF ALL, MY VOICE IS BEAUTIFUL. SECOND OF ALL, I HAVE GREAT TASTE IN MUSIC, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.”
“SAYS THE WEIRDO WHO WAS SCREAMING TO CHEESY MUSIC 5 FUCKING MINUTES AGO.”
“What’s wrong with careless whisper?! Come on Cheng-Cheng!!! The song is great!!! TONIGHT THE MUSIC SEEEEMS SO LOUUUD~.”
Jiang Cheng shrieked. “STOP. MY EARS ARE BLEEDING.”
“You’re being over dramatic!!! I WISH THAT WEEEE COULD LOOSEEE THIS CROOOWD!!!” Wei Wuxian sang.
“No, you’re the fucking drama queen here. NOT ME. Go drown in your tears by yourself. I don’t want to drown today. I’m gonna have a talk with that fucker so go have a pity party by yourself.”
“Noooo!!! Jiang Cheng, don’t leave me alone! Don’t do this to your favorite brother.” He pouted. Jiang Cheng was already out of view when Wei Wuxian began whining again
Jiang Cheng rang the doorbell and waited for Lan Wangji to open it. He was standing outside Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian’s apartment, impatiently tapping his foot. After something that felt like forever, he rang the doorbell again. Eventually he began hitting the door while yelling.
“OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR RIGHT NOW, LAN WANGJI. I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE,” he shouted furiously.
As he shrieked, an elderly woman strolled by. She looked extremely confused and concerned, but kept walking towards her own apartment door. Jiang Cheng felt like he should’ve felt a bit of shame at this moment, but didn’t bother to overthink it. He had more important things to do (like screaming at his brother’s ex-boyfriend).
Suddenly the door slid open. Jiang Cheng gasped at the sight in front of him. He had never seen Lan Wangji look this-
What was he supposed to say? Messy? Tired? Sad? LOOKING LIKE AN ABSOLUTE WRECK?
His posture wasn’t as proper as it usually was, he was wearing sweat pants… SWEAT PANTS FOR FUCKS SAKE. Jiang Cheng would never imagine a day where he would see Lan Wangji in sweat pants. His eyes were swollen, his hair was unbrushed and unstyled. Jiang Cheng couldn’t believe his eyes.
What the fuck???? Jiang Cheng thought.
Lan Wangji sighed. “What is it?”
Jiang Cheng: “...”
Lan Wangji: “...”
Jiang Cheng: “I originally came here to beat you to death, but from what I’m seeing right now, something is telling me that I might have to wait with the killing and start with an interrogation…”
Jiang Cheng sat down on the sofa and stared at Lan Wangji.
“So you didn’t break up with him? He broke up with you?” Jiang Cheng questioned.
“I would never break up with Wei Ying unless he wanted to.”
Jiang Cheng’s brows furrowed. He knew Wei Wuxian would never break up with Lan Wangji either.
“What did you guys say to each other?”
“He came home and seemed sad. I thought it had something to do with the family dinner next week so I ended up asking about it. Some things were said and he eventually claimed that I was planning on breaking up with him. We fought about it and he told me that he should’ve known from the start that our relationship wouldn’t work.”
Jiang Cheng looked at Lan Wangji in disbelief. Was it all just a big misunderstanding? And why was Jiang Cheng the one to get dragged into this mess? He pinched the bridge of his nose. He was tired of how stupid his brother and his brother’s boyfriend were.
Jiang Cheng stood up from the sofa and grabbed Lan Wangji’s wrist. He dragged him towards the door. “You guys are driving me mad! I’m not leaving you here to sulk. I’m gonna drag your stupid ass over to jiejie’s apartment and make you two talk. Why are you guys so bad at communicating? I can’t ever get a break, can I? God damn,” Jiang Cheng declared.
“I do not want Wei Ying to feel uncomfortable because of my presence so maybe i shouldn’t-”
“Oh, shut the fuck up! Don’t you dare run away from this,” Jiang Cheng shouted.
Wei Wuxian had been sulking by himself the last few hours. Yanli had made him soup, but not even her soup could save Wei Wuxian from his misery. After finishing his soup, he went back to what he originally was doing. He wrapped himself into a blanket and continued his karaoke moment.
If soup can’t save me then maybe Olivia Rodrigo’s new album can, Wei Wuxian thought.
Wei Wuxian was in the middle of singing “happier” when someone knocked on his door. Wei Wuxian groaned. He loved his jiejie, but sometimes he just wanted to be pitiful alone.
“Jie, I’m fine. I need some alone time right now, so let’s talk later, ok?”
Someone knocked on the door again. Wei Wuxian was confused. Yanli always respected his boundaries so this was not expected.
He approached the door and opened it as he whined, “Jieeee, Let me be sad by myse-”
“Wei Ying…”
Wei Wuxian was startled. It wasn’t his jie after all. In front of him, Lan Wangji was standing there with his head lowered. He was wearing sweat pants?! Wei Wuxian didn’t even know he owned any. Jiang Cheng stood right behind him with an angered expression.
Wei Wuxian didn’t know what to say, but Jiang Cheng sure knew what to do.
“You two are gonna talk and fix this mess right now. You guys are literally killing me with childish bullshit. Get your shit together and communicate for fucks sake!”
Jiang Cheng pushed Lan Wangji into the room and slammed the door shut.
“...”
“...”
Never knew silence could be THIS loud before Wei Wuxian thought.
“Sorry about what just happened. You know how Jiang Cheng is sometimes..” Wei Wuxian apologized.
“It is fine.”
The mood was very akward. Wei Wuxian sighed and internally cursed. He really needed a cigarette right now. He stopped smoking some time ago, but he always fell back into his bad habits when he was stressed or sad. His gaze wandered and landed on the door to the balcony.
“I need some air… Would you mind joining me?”
“Not at all.”
Wei Wuxian opened the door and felt the breeze hit his face. The sky was dark and covered by grey clouds. He leaned against the railing and took out the cigarette pack from his pocket. He picked up one of the cigarettes and put the pack back in his pocket. He brought the lighter out from his other pocket, but could feel the heavy gaze from his side. His hands were shaking. Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold or because of something else.
“I thought you stopped smoking.”
“I did, but sometimes I just… You know how it is...”
Lan Wangji stepped closer to him.
“Wei Ying.”
Wei Wuxian was about to light the cigarette when Lan Wangji spoke up again.
“Don’t.”
He peered at Lan Wangji’s face. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed and his eyes stared into his soul.
“...”
Lan Wangji slowly reached out with his hands and took the lighter as well as the cigarette away from him. He slid them into his pocket and embraced Wei Wuxian’s trembling hands with his own. Wei Wuxian was trying to hold his tears back, but at some point he didn’t care anymore. If this was their end then he wasn’t going to act like everything was fine.
“Thank you, Lan Zhan. I’m sorry that my brother forced you to come here. I never meant to waste your time. It was never my intention. Damn, I’m a mess... Just know that you will always be very important to me no matter what happens. I hope you find someone better for you. Someone who doesn’t mess up all the time. Someone who loves you deeply and is always there for you. My time with you has been amazing and I’m glad I could enjoy it while it lasted. I...” love you, Wei wuxian cried.
Raindrops started falling. It was only a few drops at first, but the rain got heavier for every minute that went by.
Lan Wangji stared at Wei Wuxian in disbelief and held onto Wei Wuxian’s hands tighter. They were freezing.
“Wei Ying has never wasted my time. All my time is for you to spend. Wei Ying, you’re messy and chaotic, but that’s part of who you are. I’ve always loved that about you so stop acting like it makes you unlovable. There’s no one better for me in this world than Wei Ying, but if you do not want me anymore then I will respect that.”
Once Wei Wuxian heard those words, he sank into a hole of confusion.
“... Wait, what the fuck.I’m not breaking up with you. You’re the one breaking up with me-”
“... I’m not breaking up with you either. I thought you didn’t love me anymore.”
“Why the hell wouldn’t I love you anymore? You’re the best thing that ha ever happened to me... Wait, so you’re telling me we never broke up and I had a pity party for no fucking reason???”
“Mn…”
Wei Wuxian was speechless. Nothing made sense. Why did Lan Wangji text that to his brother then? How was Lan Wangji able to live with his bullshit?
“What made you think I would break up with you?” Lan Wangji questioned. He stroked his thumbs over Wei Wuxian’s hands to comfort him. It was a habit at this point.
The rain was getting lighter, but they were still soaked in water. They couldn’t care any less.
“I saw your text messages. I thought you got tired of me, but just didn’t know how to tell me. Your family isn’t exactly accepting of me either so I thought you would prefer having a partner your family likes instead of… you know. Me and my chaotic ass.”
“I do not care what my family says about you. I’m the one dating you, not them, so why should I bother listening to their nonsense and slander? Furthermore, which text messages?”
“The ones you sent to your brother. It was something like “I don’t want to be his boyfriend anymore.”
Lan Wangji’s brows furrowed. He picked up the phone and opened his messages app. He found the text and looked up at Wei Wuxian with a face of disbelief.
“It says, ‘I just don’t know how I’m supposed to tell him I don’t want to be his boyfriend anymore, but something else’. ”
“Yes, that’s it! After reading it, I thought you wanted to break up with me,” Wei Wuxian pouted.
“...”
Lan Wangji stared at Wei Wuxian with a hint of irritation. It looked like he was done with life.
Wei Wuxian could tell that he had interpreted the text wrong now, but still didn’t understand.
“Uhm, if you didn’t want to break up with me, what then?”
“For fucks sake, Wei Ying! I wanted to marry you!”
“...”
“...”
Wei Wuxian's eyes widened out of utter shock. He couldn’t believe his ears. He grabbed Lan Wangji’s shoulders, now their faces only a few inches away from each other. Wei Wuxian’s heart was beating like crazy and his face probably looked like a tomato right now.
“You wanted to- do you mean it?”
“I do not lie Wei Ying,” replied, his ears were now light pink.
Suddenly Wei Wuxian began laughing, throwing his head back.
“Hahahaha, out of all of the ways I thought I would be proposed to, this was not what I imagined! Us standing on my jiejie’s balcony in the rain because of a stupid misunderstanding,” Wei Wuxian said with a smile on his face. His hands let go of Lan Wangji’s shoulders.
“I’m an idiot, aren’t I?” he giggled.
Lan Wangji’s nodded “Mn. My idiot.”
Wei Wuxian felt his face heat up. “LAN ZHAN! YOU CAN’T SAID THAT KIND OF STUFF WITHOUT WARNING ME. MY POOR HEART! DO YOU WANT ME TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK!?” He groaned. He covered his face with his hands. Unexpectedly, Wei Wuxian was embraced. The familiar scent of sandalwood was comforting.
“Do not have a heart attack. I still want to marry Wei Ying if that is what Wei Ying wants.”
“Of course I want to marry you, dumbass!”
Wei Wuxian peeped at Lan Zhan through his fingers. His ears were pink and a soft smile appeared on his face. Out of all of the smiles Wei Wuxian has seen in his life, Lan Wangji’s smile would always be his favorite. It wasn’t a big smile, but it was tender, heartwarming and filled with so much love. He liked to tell others that Lan Wangji’s smile was brighter than the sun. No one believed it obviously, but he didn’t care because he knew he was right. Wei Wuxian suddenly realized something.
"Wait! When I think about it, didn't you swear earlier?"
Lan Wangji's eyes widened. Yeah, he really did swear , Wei Wuxian thought.
"Wow lan-er-gege, I didn't know you had such a dirty mouth,~" he laughed. Lan Wangji turned his face in embarrassment and gazed at his shoes. Wei Wuxian lowered his hands to get a closer look at his Lan Zhan. He was so cute when he was embarrassed.
He gently cupped Lan Wangji’s face and pressed his lips onto his. The kiss was gentle and slow. Eventually the kiss became deeper. Lan Wangji slid his arms down Wei Wuxian's back and pulled him closer. His arms fit perfectly around Wei Wuxian's waist. Lan Wangji loved it.
The kiss went on for- honestly. Lan Wangji had no idea how long. It might've been seconds, several minutes or even hours. He just wanted to stay like this forever. Suddenly Wei Wuxian started giggling against his lips. Lan Wangji adored his laugh, but at the moment he was very confused.
"What?"
"I just can't believe we're just standing here, making out when we could've already started preparing our wedding." Wei Wuxian had a smug smile on his face. He was teasing him again…
"Mn. We have plenty of time. No need to rush."
Wei Wuxian leaned closer to his ear and whispered. "I thought you wanted to refer to me as your husband as soon as possible.~"
Lan Wangji's face lit up. He grabbed Wei Wuxian's hand and walked off the balcony and went into the guest room.
"Lan Zhan, what are you doing???"
"We are gonna go and prepare for our wedding right now."
When Wei Wuxian finished processing what Lan Wangji just said, he burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!~"
Under the balcony, a window was open. Jiang Cheng closed it and looked at his sister's beaming face.
"... He better ask me to be the best man or I will literally kill those two motherfuckers before they even get to say 'I do'."