Chapter Text
lan wangji makes his descent down his mountain as he does every year on that day. it is a special day, after all. his beloved husband would be relieved and thrilled at the prospect of him wandering the city instead of staying in seclusion like most days— every day.
lan wangji had promised all those centuries ago.
"lan zhan, you'll probably outlive everyone in this world. i might not have that much time either... so promise me, you won't mourn when my death day comes. instead, take a stroll and see the world. for me?"
"mn."
he takes in the cityscapes; the too tall and looming buildings made of glass and metal, the advanced means of transport and communication, the modern lifestyles of the people of this period.
it's all too much, sometimes.
every day, every year, every century that lan wangji has lived changes ever so slightly and immensely all at once. he is still not used to such things, despite his far too many years walking this earth.
it is no wonder that immortals and other divine beings prefer to seclude themselves away from everyone and everything else.
but he promised.
and he has never broken any of his promises.
so, lan wangji goes to wherever the path takes him. down the busy streets, across various shops and food stalls, near less crowded parts in the area, and finally, he arrives at this popular park where a few people are loitering.
"oh! great immortal, has it been a year already?" it was grandpa lao, a kind elderly wine shop owner whom lan wangji had gotten acquainted with when he first wandered into the city.
"mn." lan wangji nods, "i am here to wander."
grandpa lao laughs, patting him on the back. "that's good, don't stay cooped up in that divine mountain of yours, wangji. here, here, take some wine with you."
"i-"
"my business is blooming, son! two jars won't hurt my profits. just take it." grandpa lao waves him off after handing him the jars.
it was his husband's favorite.
"thank you." lan wangji bows, holding the jars closely. he will light some incense and offer these to his husband's tablet when he returns. "wei ying would be happy."
"of course, he'd be happy! this wine is ancient, as ancient as you and him, i'm sure. he'd be thrilled to find emperor's smile still as good as the first jar!" the elder chuckles, waving lan wangji goodbye to attend to his customers inside.
lan wangji continues to wander with the jars of wine in hand. he returns to that park from earlier and finds even more people.
he surrounds himself in the noise and chaos as the day comes to an end. the sun lowers itself for the moon to rise and peak.
the chaos persists even as the night breaks and the day falls. the laughter does not die down, the people still remain and even increases in numbers, the events continue and it gets wilder at night— or so he's been told.
lan wangji finds himself reminiscing of the old days as past memories flood his mind.
a recurring figure lives in all of these memories.
and if only, he were still here, alive and well. then perhaps he can find peace amid this chaos.
as lan wangji decides that he has done enough wandering today, he stores the wine safely in his qiankun pouch and walks to the direction of his mountain.
it was in that moment that the chaos decided to cross paths with immortal lan wangji.
"wei xiong, watch out!" a timid voice shouts.
lan wangji turns just in time to catch a stumbling man into his arms. the man unconsciously wraps his arms around lan wangji's neck and their eyes meet.
lan wangji freezes, a lump on his throat forms and makes it hard to swallow.
it was him.
it was his husband.
it was his wei ying.
it is wei ying.
but also not.
his beloved husband is no more. lan wangji knows this well. he has repeatedly been in denial of this fact the moment weak fingers slipped away from his and shaking hands desperately grasped cold, dead ones.
lan wangji knows this.
but it has been centuries since then, after all.
his wei ying's soul has finally returned.
he has come back as lan wangji had hoped and desired the moment he lost him.
his wei ying is home.
lan wangji stares at the man, who was still in his arms and looking back at him. he could feel his heart beating a little too fast and ears a bit warm.
wei ying was still the same as he was all those centuries ago, still so beautiful and perfect.
why didn't he meet him sooner? lan wangji regrets a little but no matter, wei ying is here already.
"wei ying..." lan wangji couldn't help but call for his beloved husband's name now that he is here, in flesh and blood.
the man snaps out of his reverie and pulls himself away, much to lan wangji's displeasure. "ah! sorry about that!" he laughs lightly.
his smile and laugh were also the same, though lan wangji hopes it were bigger and louder.
"it is fine." lan wangji brushes his robes distractedly and checks wei ying for injuries. "are you alright?"
wei ying grins, giving him the 'okay'. "yup! this is nothing, i've been through worse." he laughs again.
lan wangji frowns at this, "wei ying, do not-" he stops himself, almost forgetting the wei ying now does not know nor remember him or their life together.
"how do you know my name?" the man asks aloud before his eyes gleam with recognition. "oh!"
lan wangji's heart skips a beat.
no, he does not remember. do not hope too much, he thinks and calms his erratic heart.
"oh!" wei ying snaps his fingers and points at him. "are you a fan of mine?" he asks excitedly.
"... mn." lan wangji nods.