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Huang Junfei had thought he had everyone straight (hah) at this wedding, but he is fairly certain the bride's boyfriend (not to be confused with the groom, not to be confused with the bride's other boyfriend) has just pulled her adopted little brother behind a large vase to make out. He raises an eyebrow and pokes Mo Xuanyu in the arm. "Are they—?"
Mo Xuanyu turns to see where he's looking and snorts. "Of course they are. Madam Yu's gonna flip if she sees them, though."
Huang Junfei frowns. "Is that... not a problem? I thought you said Sect Leader Lan was part of Jiang Yanli's polycule."
"He... is." Mo Xuanyu looks confused now. Huang Junfei grew up outside of cultivation society, so he had insisted that Mo Xuanyu go through all of his siblings and their partners multiple times before the wedding banquet, just to make sure he wouldn't mix anyone up. He is sure he remembers everyone Lan Xichen is with, and he is positive Wei Wuxian is not one of them.
They stare at each other in equal bewilderment until Luo Qingyang looks up from her duck and says, "You do know he has a brother, right? Lan Wangji? Looks just like him, only less smiley." Mo Xuanyu's expression clears, and Qin Su giggles.
Mo Xuanyu had mentioned there being a second Lan brother, but Huang Junfei hadn't realized they looked so much alike. He scans the banquet hall again and spots Sect Leader Lan right where he should be, a few tables over and smiling, albeit a bit stiffly, at one of the numerous Jin cousins. There are two empty seats at his table. Apparently no one is surprised by Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian canoodling behind the decor.
"A-Yu," Qin Su scolds gently, "did you forget to explain the whole great confusion of sect entanglements?"
"More importantly, did you forget to warn him about wangxian?" Luo Qingyang adds. Huang Junfei mouths 'wangxian' to himself as his boyfriend groans and digs in his pockets, pulling out a blank talisman paper and a ballpoint pen.
"No body swaps!" Luo Qingyang and Qin Su say at the same time.
Mo Xuanyu laughs and raises his hands in innocence. Huang Junfei has heard the story behind the debut of Mo Xuanyu's most famous invention, and he chuckles as well. "No body swaps!" Mo Xuanyu promises. "I'm just gonna draw him a map. Okay, so we've got five great sects, right? My Da-ge is the Jin heir, and then..."
He's still writing when the bride and groom reach their table, and Huang Junfei has to nudge him to get his attention. "Not planning any surprises, I hope?" Jin Zixuan asks, aiming, Huang Junfei suspects, for stern but missing it by a wide berth. He's far too happy (not to mention tipsy — there are an awful lot of guests to toast) to be intimidating today.
Mo Xuanyu shakes his head. "No! Nothing like that, Da-ge, I was just helping Junjun keep all the families straight, and who's dating who." Huang Junfei's cheeks heat at Mo Xuanyu's use of the nickname. He doesn't seem to have noticed, but Jiang Yanli definitely caught it, if her sly grin is anything to go by. She does not seem to be in her cups at all, and he's sure she notices his blush.
"Very important," she says, eyes dancing with mirth. "We wouldn't want any more duels breaking out, now would we?" Everyone at their table laughs, and Huang Junfei gets the distinct impression he's missed a joke. "It's a very funny story," Jiang Yanli tells him with a wink, "make A-Yu tell you the whole thing. But first!" She raises her glass, and everyone at their table hastens to do the same. "To my new in-laws and their sweethearts — ganbei!" They all drink, toasting the bride and groom and wishing them well, before Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan move on to the next table.
Qin Su snickers as they leave. "Da-ge is going to be soused by the end of the night," she says, and Luo Qingyang raises an eyebrow.
"Like someone else I could mention at her wedding?" she teases. "Maybe it runs in the family." Mo Xuanyu protests, but Huang Junfei can tell he's a little looser than usual himself. He scoots his chair over so he can stretch an arm across the back of Mo Xuanyu's chair and let his boyfriend snuggle into him as he bickers with his big sister and her wife. The little golden lock in the hollow of Mo Xuanyu's throat catches the light, and Huang Junfei thinks about a little gold band he has hidden in his drawer at home. He wouldn't mind being a part of this family officially, he thinks, if Mo Xuanyu wants that too.
And speaking of family... "So," Huang Junfei asks, when next there's a lull in the conversation, "what was she saying about a duel?"