Chapter Text
Lan Zhan is not a party person. He never goes to parties. There’s no particular reason, he just doesn’t see the appeal of standing in a room full of loud drunk people. It doesn’t help that his only real friend is his brother, Lan Huan. But he wouldn’t say that he feels lonely. He doesn’t. If anything, he’s used to it. He knows that to other people, he could come off as cold or boring. He has been told that multiple times, so by now it was just something he has accepted.
He has always been a very organized person; going to bed at 9 and waking at 5. Following a schedule comes easy, talking to people does not. It’s so much easier to learn mathematical equations than to converse. That’s why he chooses to put his energy into the former, studying.
Besides, who needs people when you have rabbits? Lan Zhan is completely fine with his only friends being his brother and his two bunnies, Wangji and Bichen. (Both names had been suggested by his uncle who had bought them for him — Wangji for his 12th birthday and Bichen for his 14th.)
Bunnies are nice. They don’t complain if they think you are too boring. As long as you give them attention and food, they won’t find you boring in the first place. With bunnies, Lan Zhan could follow clear instructions to take care of them. He can’t do that with people. There is no list of instructions for dealing with humans with a 100% success rate. There are too many variables.
One can easily guess that when Lan Huan brought up the idea of a party, Lan Zhan was quick to deny the invitation. It was only expected of him. However, Lan Huan insisted it would be a great opportunity to meet people that went to the same university. Lan Zhan knew some people. He knew them, but wouldn’t consider them friends. He knew of their existence.
And that’s how Lan Zhan arrived in his current predicament. Apparently, he needs to know more than the existence of people.
He takes an unnecessarily loud sip of his water and sighs quietly. Most people wouldn’t be able to distinguish the look of boredom on his face, his brother would.
What a funny coincidence, that the person who convinced him to come is nowhere to be found. He rotates the cap of his water bottle back on a little too tightly. He’s annoyed, feeling like he has fallen into a trap. But again, a normal bystander would view him in-different. Thus no considerable attention was paid.
He takes a look at his surroundings. The house is slightly larger than average, giving more options of rooms for people to spread out into. Lan Zhan is extremely thankful to have found a decently quiet and mostly empty corner in a room located not too far from the entrance.
If it wasn’t for the fact that there is a minibar further into the house, the room would be swarmed by people for sure. Those people clearly don’t see the convenience of settling in a room close to the exit. Their focus more on the room’s alcohol access.
Despite the size — and the location of the minibar, there are still people everywhere one lays their eyes. On the left, people. On the right, people. Straight ahead, people. There are even some lying on the floor, probably passed out.
No matter how hard he had tried, he failed to find a single fully empty room downstairs. And Wen Chao declared upstairs to be off-limits. Lan Zhan is decent enough to follow the one rule he had been given. He is usually also decent enough to know that wearing shoes inside is not within proper etiquette. He had been taught that at a young age. Yet, here he is, standing in a stranger's house with his shoes on. In his defense, the sea of shoes had looked very threatening. If anything, not adding to it was an act of kindness towards everyone present. So, modesty be damned.
By now, he is strongly suspecting that his brother isn’t even present. He has definitely fallen into a trap. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath. His brother means well, he always does. Lan Zhan still can’t help but feel a little betrayed.
On a more positive note, no one has approached him yet. One good thing to come out of arguably the most horrible night of his life. At least so far.
He grabs his phone from his left khakis-pant pocket to scroll through social media. How very un-Lan-like of him. The only reason he has Instagram in the first place is animal pages. And this one meme page he found once. The page mainly posts LGBTQ-related memes. It greatly helped Lan Zhan with his self-discovery journey.
He had once been looking at his explore page when he saw a colorful picture with some text on it. Not the usual picture of rabbits he was generally recommended. He hesitated before tapping on it and reading through all five pictures in the post. Afterward, he was unsure how to feel about the fact that he had never related to anything more. He spent the following evening browsing through pretty much every post on the page.
Lan Zhan is brought back to reality from his timeline when someone enters the room unnecessarily loudly. He glances up to see who is making such a grand entry. The Queen? Really, how annoying. Can’t they be a little quieter? He has cute rabbit photos to tend to — he can hear his uncle scolding him in the back of his mind.
Much to his surprise, when his eyes land on this loud person, he’s met with the most beautiful person he has ever seen. Not the Queen. But, substantially better looking than anyone else in the room. It actually feels a little unfair to compare him to the other people in the room.
Slightly tanned skin, short and messy black hair, and bright grey eyes. Lan Zhan’s eyes travel downwards. Rosy lips curved into a wide smile is all it takes for Lan Zhan to forget how to breathe. The loud sound of bassy thumping fills his ears. Did someone turn up the music? Also, are the walls getting closer to him, or is that just his imagination?
His stomach does somersaults and his heart drops when the boy’s eyes find him. For a moment their eyes meet. He swallows hard and quickly averts his gaze. He has to physically stop his eyes from going back.
After a minute, he dares to look back. The boy is now sitting on a sofa with a few other people. Lan Zhan takes the chance to examine his outfit. A dark grey short-sleeve button-up decorated with thin white stripes. With only the three lowest buttons done, a black turtleneck can be seen underneath. Both are tucked into a pair of loose black ripped jeans. Lan Zhan notes the cuffed hems. He remembers, on that meme page, it was once mentioned that cuffed jeans were a bisexual thing. But any straight person could also cuff their jeans, right? He shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions.
Lan Zhan doesn’t know what gets to him. Maybe it’s the hot temperature of the room. Or the thick air. But before he can think, his feet are already moving. It’s like he’s being gravitated towards that person. Like a magnet is pulling him closer. Like he’s being sucked into a black hole. He can only let his feet take him.
Soon he is standing by the sofa that beautiful boy is seated on. He looks even more ethereal from up close. From here, Lan Zhan can see the little mole under his lips. He wonders what it would be like to press his lips against that mole, or maybe a little higher… He mentally slaps himself for having such thoughts about a stranger. The stranger’s unearthly beauty is not an excuse for his indecency. What happened to his schooled mind? He will have to meditate when he gets home.
Since he’s already here, he might as well talk to the guy. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be awkward for him to just stand there like a stick?
He takes his time to choose his words carefully. What if he scares the guy away and never gets a chance to get to know him?
While he is chewing on his wording, the beauty greets him with a toothy grin, “Hi! You need something?”
Not only has Lan Zhan forgotten how to breathe the same night, but he has now also forgotten how to speak. Or to think. Not a single coherent thought up in there. He shakes his head, more to wake himself up than to reply. To overcome his newly found memory problem, he tries something simple, a single word. “No.”
His communication attempt earns a little ‘Ah’ sound from the boy and then a laugh. It’s a beautiful sound, the laugh. Lan Zhan decides he could listen to it for hours on end. Would it be creepy to ask if he could record it? He immediately realizes it would and folds that thought into a small ball before tossing it away.
Then, he goes for another try with the whole speaking thing. “Here to talk.” He says. It’s a full sentence. It’s short, but it’s a start.
“Am I being arrested?” The boy asks in a teasing tone. He has a nice voice. But more importantly, has he done something he could be arrested for? Lan Zhan hopes he hasn’t. It would be hard to date someone who’s in prison.
“I’m not a cop.” His lips form the slightest frown. He isn’t sure if the boy can see the minuscule change in his expression, but kind of hopes he can.
“Ahaha! You took that seriously? You’re a funny one! Come, sit, sit.” It’s a genuine laugh. No one else has ever laughed at something Lan Zhan has said. Or if they have, they did it behind his back. But this is the first time it was in a good way. With his newly gained confidence, he sits down.
“I’m Wei Ying, nice to meet you!”
Wei Ying, Lan Zhan makes sure to remember that name. “Lan Zhan. Nice to meet you.” He replies in a similar format. He sounds much less enthusiastic but he might actually be more.
“Lan Zhan…” Wei Ying mutters thoughtfully. “That’s a pretty name!” He decides. Lan Zhan on the other hand decides Wei Ying is a little drunk. He may not drink but he knows how alcohol affects the brain. He mustn’t do anything out of line tonight. He doesn’t want to take advantage of Wei Ying upon their first meeting. Actually, he doesn’t want to take advantage of Wei Ying in general.
“En. Yours too.” It doesn’t sound like much but it’s the most flirty thing Lan Zhan has ever let out of his mouth. Well, if you don’t count that one time he tried drinking as a way to rebel against his uncle. He was a young teen at the time and the hormones got to him. He has not touched alcohol since.
“Huh? Mine what?” Wei Ying blinks confusedly. Drunk or dumb, or both. Lan Zhan concludes that Wei Ying is drunk. If before he was speculating, it has now been confirmed.
Although Lan Zhan finds that he looks cute when confused. He still enlightens him, “Your name, pretty.” The shorter his lines are, the less he has to worry about words getting stuck in his mouth. Or worse, saying something entirely different from what he means.
Wei Ying’s mouth opens and he snaps his fingers. “Oh! Yeah, sorry, that was on me. I’m a little slow today, haha…” His eyes are looking everywhere except Lan Zhan. He holds himself back from grabbing Wei Ying’s chin and moving his head so he has no choice but to look at him. It may just be his brain trying to fool him into a false sense of reciprocation, but Wei Ying’s cheeks seemed to be tinted with red. More so than before.
With determined eyes, Lan Zhan shakes his head. It’s a much softer movement compared to when he was trying to get himself together earlier. “No, I did not make the meaning clear. You do not have to apologize.”
Wei Ying’s eyes move to him and he bites his lip before looking away again. Lan Zhan’s eyes flicker down to his lips at the movement. They linger there for longer than necessary. He forces them back up.
Wei Ying huffs out a laugh. He finally makes lasting eye contact with Lan Zhan once he starts speaking. “Nah, I don’t know what’s with me today. I swear, I’m not usually like this! I usually have a good alcohol tolerance, maybe that stuff was stronger than I thought. I only had one cup of it too. Shit, sorry, I’m rambling.” Why is he apologizing again? Does he not feel comfortable around Lan Zhan? Has he said something that made him feel uncomfortable? Is that why he’s avoiding eye contact?
“It is okay. I…” Lan Zhan forgets what he was going to say as he realizes Wei Ying is examining him. He suddenly feels naked under the observing gaze. He closes his eyes to collect his thoughts. When he opens them, Wei Ying is looking at his face again. And his ears feel like they’re burning. He forces himself to continue, “I am not good at speaking to people.” It’s not the point he wants to get across. He wanted to add, I like that you can do it so naturally, so don’t apologize. But he doesn’t. He inspects Wei Ying’s face for his reaction, noticing the quirk of his brow.
“You aren’t? I think you’ve been good! Don’t worry, if you don’t know what to say, I could go on for ages, in case you let me. Only if you let me. Just say if I’m too much, I know I can be a lot.” It’s not hard to determine he’s a self-deprecating person. It doesn’t put Lan Zhan off, only makes him want to hold the boy and tell him he’s been good too.
This time, he tries to be more straightforward with his words, careful not to leave out half of them. “You are not too much. I will not get annoyed if you talk.” Wei Ying looks into his eyes as if to search for reassurance. Lan Zhan gives him a serious look, to show him he means every word.
“Okay, but feel free to take that back when you get annoyed!” Oh, Lan Zhan seriously doubts he would get annoyed. He doesn’t voice that. It takes him a while to register that he doesn’t actually say anything. Panic takes over him. Has he made it awkward now?
No, he won’t let this go down the drain so easily. He does the first thing that comes to his mind. He pushes his phone — which he has apparently been holding in his hand this entire time — into Wei Ying’s hands.
“Huh?” Wei Ying down at the phone and then up at him with wide eyes and raised brows.
Lan Zhan pushes the phone forward again, trying to indicate that he should take it. Actions speak louder than words, however, perhaps words are needed right now. “Your number.”
Look, Lan Zhan isn’t usually this forward and he isn’t entirely sure what’s happening right now either. His body acts and he only realizes what’s happening afterward. If anything, he’s more like an audience than a participant. Although, he isn’t complaining.
At this point, he has long since forgotten the possibility of Wei Ying being straight. Even if he is, Lan Zhan could get a friend out of this. It’s not what he wants, obviously, but he’s willing to make adjustments according to Wei Ying’s liking. Friendship is better than nothing… Right?
“No, wait. You — you — want my number?” Wei Ying asks in disbelief.
Lan Zhan doesn’t understand why Wei Ying would belittle himself so much. In his opinion, Wei Ying seems much more likable. If someone had to choose one of them to befriend, wouldn’t the pick be obvious? So, really, why think so lowly of himself?
Is Lan Zhan misunderstanding again? It could be that Wei Ying doesn’t want to give his number to someone like him. Someone who barely knows anyone here. Okay, barely knew anyone in general. It finally crossed Lan Zhan’s mind that in this situation he hasn’t considered how Wei Ying feels. He has just pushed himself onto the poor boy. Wei Ying might not even want new friends. He appears to be someone who has plenty.
Lan Zhan pushes his pessimistic thoughts to the back of his mind — along with his scolding uncle, who never left. Just this once, he will be a little selfish and push himself onto this boy. Someone has to make the first move and there’s a striking possibility that if he doesn't do it, Wei Ying would never choose to approach him. Out of everyone in the room, how could he possibly stand out?
“Yes, your number.” He finally replies. He’s prepared to face mockery if needed. It doesn’t come.
“Oh, wow…” Wei Ying breaths out. Lan Zhan looks at him questioningly. “Don’t get me wrong! It’s just that you’re so… You know… I bet you get told this all the time, but I thought you were like a statue or something when I first saw you! How are you even real? Do you have a single flaw?”
There’s no teasing tone, no hidden malicious intent. It’s not a disguised insult. It’s something that Lan Zhan, in fact, does get told all the time, but in a different way. The connotation is completely different — it’s usually meant to be insulting. He’s taken aback.
The most beautiful person he has ever seen thought he was a statue. Asked him if he has a single flaw. Shouldn’t he be the one asking that?
Sure, he continuously gets called a statue, a piece of shaved jade, but it’s not because people find him attractive. Generally, it’s because they find him cold, unapproachable, and sometimes even robotic. Thus it’s not often he hears it as a compliment.
Out of words, he retorts to shaking his head. Something he has found himself doing more than usual tonight. He’s unsure how to begin answering the load of questions that had been thrown at him. Are there even that many? He can’t remember. What he can remember is being complimented by Wei Ying and that’s much more important anyways.
All thoughts are forgotten when Wei Ying smiles sheepishly at him. He finds the corners of his lips trying to tug up but schools his expression to stay neutral. There is no way to school his beating heart though.
“Done!” Wei Ying says as he hands the phone back over with a wink. Lan Zhan hadn’t even noticed that he had started typing it in. When did that happen?
Sure enough, when he got the phone, there was a new contact added: “Wei Ying ;)” He didn’t add the wink, Wei Ying did. That explains his wink. Lan Zhan’s heart melts a little.
“Why are you still sitting here, asshat? I thought you ghosted us!” An unfamiliar voice says from close by. Both Lan Zhan and Wei Ying snap their heads towards the voice.
Wei Ying’s smile widens immediately as he seems to have recognized the person. “Jiang Cheng, hi! Long time no see, huh? If you look at it from my point of view, you ghosted me. I never went anywhere.
Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. The way he’s dressed makes Lan Zhan think one of them definitely had to help out the other. There was just simply no way they had such similar taste in fashion. There was one mastermind behind both outfits.
Jiang Cheng’s eyes move to Lan Zhan and his annoyance seems to increase. Wei Ying follows his gaze and looks at Lan Zhan as well. “I didn’t introduce you two, did I? Jiang Cheng, Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan, Jiang Cheng.”
Jiang Cheng waves his hand dismissively while looking off into the distance. The distance could not be very far as they are indoors. So in this case, ‘the distance’ is most likely the furthest wall.
“Yeah, I know him. The Lan family are all the same, could tell one from a mile away. Let’s go. We’ll be sleeping outside if we miss the dorm curfew.” His voice is as dry as an abandoned well.
Wei Ying jumps up from the sofa. “Fuck, it’s that late already?” He exclaims with obvious panic. Jiang Cheng nods with a loud sigh. “Aw, shit! I didn’t realize. Sorry, Lan Zhan, I gotta go. Talk to you later! Bye!” Wei Ying gives a final smile before he leaves.
Lan Zhan takes the final opportunity to lose himself in Wei Ying’s twinkling eyes. After Wei Ying’s back fades into the crowd, Lan Zhan is left there sitting alone. It suddenly feels empty. The room feels much colder. He finds himself feeling lonely. He never feels lonely. Why now?