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“A-Cheng!” Wei Ying whispered as he aggressively shook his brothers arm.
“What is is?” Jiang Cheng hissed back trying desperately to keep up with what Lan Qiren was trying to teach them. He scribbled down a few words.
“Lan Zhan has glasses,” Wei Ying announced.
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. “So?”
“So? What do you mean…so? He has glasses A-Cheng! He’s never worn glasses before!”
“And yet I repeat…so?”
Wei Ying huffed. “I just think it’s interesting, that's all.”
“You think everything to do with Lan Zhan is interesting.”
“Because he’s so fascinating.”
“Only to you, dumb ass.”
Lan Qiren shushed them and Jiang Cheng glared at his brother. “See what you’ve done now?” he snapped.
Wei Ying rolled his eyes. “I read a paper on this topic yesterday. I’ll lend it to you later, I’ve got it memorised now so I don’t need to pay attention.”
Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth. Sometimes having a genius for a brother was incredibly tedious. “Fine,” he muttered. “Well just moon over Lan Zhan quietly so I can hear this!”
Wei Ying was already smiling dopily across at Lan Zhan so Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes and tried to catch up with the rest of the class.
**********
When Lan Qiren dismissed them, Wei Ying pushed past his brother and rushed over to where Lan Zhan was calmly collecting up his belongings.
“Hi Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying sang.
Lan Zhan nodded his head once in greeting and returned to his task.
“You’re wearing glasses,” Wei Ying pointed out.
“I am,” Lan Zhan agreed.
Wei Ying fidgeted. “You’ve never worn glasses before, are they prescription?”
“I was having some trouble with headaches, my optician suggested that tinted lenses might help.”
“Oh,” Wei Ying replied.
Lan Zhan finished tidying up and Wei Ying followed him out of the room.
“Is something wrong?” Lan Zhan asked the third time he caught Wei Ying glancing sideways at him.
Wei Ying shook his head. “No, nothings wrong…it’s just that…”
“What?” Lan Zhan prompted.
Wei Ying blushed and laughed awkwardly. “Nothing! I’ll see you in Science!”
Then he was gone and Lan Zhan was left feeling even more confused than he usually was after a run in with Wei Ying.
**********
“They really suit him don’t you think?” Wei Ying told Wen Qing in double chemistry later that day.
Wen Qing rolled her eyes as she poured out some saline solution. “If you’re so obsessed with him, why aren’t you his work partner?” she complained.
Wei Ying pouted. “I wanted to be! But MianMian got in there so fast!”
“I did hear her say this morning that Lan Zhan was even more handsome now,” Wen Qing admitted.
Wei Ying gasped. “You see? This is a serious problem! Lan Zhan in glasses is just too powerful! Soon all the girls in school will be lusting over him!”
“And why does that bother you?” Wen Qing asked with an arch of her eyebrow.
“It doesn’t,” Wei Ying said, looking down at his notes and twirling a lock of wayward hair around his finger. “It’s just that…”
“It’s just that you want to be the only one lusting after Lan Zhan?”
“What? No! We’re just friends.”
“Sure you are, keep telling yourself that,” Wen Qing said. “Hey, can you do me a favour?”
“Mmm? Oh yeah sure,” Wei Ying replied, his eyes never moving from Lan Zhan as he helped MianMian clean some beakers. “Does he really have to help her do that? Surely she can handle washing a few beakers…”
“Could you get your brother to meet me after school at the old cherry blossom tree?” Wen Qing interrupted.
Wei Ying looked at her. “Yeah I’ll tell him this afternoon at lunch…wait…why do you want my brother to meet you?”
“I’m going to tell him I like him and then hopefully smooch his face off,” Wen Qing replied without blinking an eye.
Wei Ying nearly fell off his chair. “Are you serious?” he coughed.
Wen Qing nodded her head. “Yes, because that’s what you do when you like someone, you tell them,” she said meaningfully.
Wei Ying looked at Lan Zhan who just happened to be looking back at him questiongly. Wei Ying startled and promptly fell off his chair.
Wen Qing nearly collapsed a lung laughing while their teacher Lan Yi just sighed and asked if Wei Ying had damaged anything other than his pride.
**********
At lunch, Lan Zhan sat with his brother on a table alone and the table next to them quickly filled up with their female admirers. Wei Ying sighed and watched Lan Zhan from his seat next to Jiang Cheng.
“Stop looking at him and tell me exactly what she said!” Jiang Cheng demanded.
Wei Ying rolled his eyes. “She said she was going to tell you she liked you and then hopefully smooch your face off. I was as surprised as you look right now but that is exactly what she said…oh…maybe I was only supposed to tell you the part about meeting her? Do me a favour and act surprised when she confesses, okay?”
“I won’t have to act,” Jiang Cheng muttered back but he looked quietly pleased.
Wei Ying smirked at him and went back to mooning over Lan Zhan.
“Why don’t you just tell him you like him?” Jiang Cheng offered.
“Why does everyone keep saying I like Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying shot back.
“Because you do,” Jiang Cheng answered as he popped a piece of sushi into his mouth.
“We’re friends and I’m just finding that he looks more…eye-catching in his glasses.”
Jiang Cheng snorted. “It seems more like Lan Zhan’s glasses are your gay awakening bro.”
Jiang Cheng heard a small whimper at his side. He looked at Wei Ying. “What?” he asked.
Wei Ying blinked. “Oh my god…” he breathed out.
Wen Ning appeared with his food tray and sat down in front of them. “Is he okay?” he asked Jiang Cheng. Wei Ying was frozen in place. Wen Ning waved a hand in front of his eyes and Wei Ying remained still as a statue.
“He’s fine, he just realised he’s in love with Lan Zhan thats all,” Jiang Cheng replied with a shrug.
“Oh finally!” Wen Ning said with a pleased smile.
“Oh god…” Wei Ying gasped.
Wen Ning frowned. “Are you worried he doesn’t feel the same, Wei Ying?”
Wei Ying’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t until you just said that!” he cried.
Wen Ning smiled. “Don’t worry, I know he’s in love with you too, it’s so obvious.”
“Not to me,” Wei Ying said weakly.
“That’s just because you’re like Lois Lane to his Clark Kent only sorta in reverse because it’s now that he’s put the glasses ON you can finally see that he’s your superman!” Wen Ning announced cheerfully.
Wei Ying smiled. “I don’t deserve you, Wen Ning. Okay, I’m gonna tell him. I’m going to tell hot spectacled Lan Zhan that I’m in love with him. Wish me luck!”
“Good luck!” Wen Ning said happily.
“Hope you fall flat on your face,” Jiang Cheng said with a sickly smile.
**********
“Err Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying said, wiping his sweaty palms on his black trousers.
Lan Zhan looked up from his food. “Wei Ying?” he said softly.
“Hello, Wei Ying,” Lan Huan said with an easy smile.
“Hi,” Wei Ying replied. “Lan Zhan, could I talk to you later?”
MianMian appeared beside them. “Are we still meeting up after school Lan Zhan?” she asked.
Lan Zhan nodded.
“What’s this?” Wei Ying blurted out.
“We always meet on Tuesday evenings for study club,” MianMian said.
“Study club?” Wei Ying asked. Why was this the first he was hearing about this? How long had the two of them been meeting up in secret? Together? Alone? How much of a head start did MianMian have on him with Lan Zhan?!
Wei Ying started to panic. He saw Lan Zhan and MianMian studying together by candlelight. He saw MianMian slowly taking off Lan Zhan’s glasses and leaning in to…
“OH HELL NO!” Wei Ying shouted, surprising everyone in his immediate vicinity. He leaned across the table, grabbed Lan Zhan by the front of his soft blue jumper and pulled their lips together. Any doubts he still had about his feelings for Lan Zhan dissipated into dust as their lips touched. Butterflies. Butterflies everywhere. Wow. He really should have done this sooner…
When he finally released his startled prey he cleared his throat. “Lan Zhan, I like you,” he squeaked.
“I guess we’ll have to reschedule our study club, Lan Zhan,” MianMian said with an amused look. “I think you’ll be otherwise engaged this evening,” she added with a wink as she walked away.
Lan Zhan looked at Wei Ying and didn’t say anything. Wei Ying winced worriedly. “I’m sorry, I sort of jumped on you didn’t I? Look if you don’t wanna date me that’s okay…we can just stay friends…”
“I would very much like to date, Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan said calmly.
Wei Ying beamed. “You would? Well that worked out perfectly then!”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan agreed with a small smile.
“Well Master Wei, I am very pleased that you were spurred into action today! I have no idea what brought on this sudden rush of emotion but I am more than pleased to not have to listen to Lan Zhan’s rendition of ‘How do I live without you’ on the guqin every evening!” Lan Huan interjected merrily as he left.
“Brother!” Lan Zhan hissed after him.
Wei Ying giggled and walked around the table to put his arms around Lan Zhan’s shoulders. “Aw Lan Zhan! Have you been pining for little old me? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Did not think Wei Ying felt the same way.”
Wei Ying kissed the end of his nose. “I’ve been a bit silly haven’t I? It wasn’t until today when I saw you in your glasses that I realised how much I liked you!”
“My new glasses made you realise that?”
Wei Ying nodded. “I haven’t been able to stop looking at you all day. You look even more handsome than usual and you’re usually an eleven on my scale.”
“Is that high?”
“Ten is usually the highest, Lan Zhan! So yes I would say an eleven is high!”
Lan Zhan looked pleased. “I will wear my glasses everyday if Wei Ying wishes.”
Wei Ying laughed. “I like you with or without your glasses, Lan Zhan. Sit next to me in history this afternoon will you? I need to hold your hand so your fan club gets the message we’re together now.”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan agreed. “I do not have a fan club but I would enjoy holding your hand.”
Wei Ying made a high pitched noise. “Lan Zhan! Warn me before you say things like that! Think of my fragile heart! Okay…hold my hand now then, I can’t refuse you anything!”
They left the dinner hall together hand in hand with Lan Zhan’s unofficial fan club watching mournfully.
**********
One week later, Lan Zhan was sitting at his table in the same dinner hall with a very loved up Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing feeding each other across from him.
“What appointment did Wei Ying have to attend?” Lan Zhan asked Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng shrugged as Wen Qing leaned on his shoulder. “No idea, he didn’t tell me.”
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying came bouncing towards their table wearing…a brand new pair of glasses. “Lan Zhan look! I went to the opticians and I have a minor impairment in my left pupil, I have to wear these glasses for a few weeks to correct it.”
“They suit you,” Wen Qing said.
Jiang Cheng growled.
Wen Qing rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. “You’re still my number one, moody boots!” she coaxed. Jiang Cheng smiled back at her.
“What do you think, Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying asked.
Lan Zhan blinked back at him.
“Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying asked.
Wen Qing looked at them both and laughed. “Oh! I’ve seen that face before! That’s the same look Wei Ying had plastered on his face when he first saw Lan Zhan all framed up. That’s stunned horniness that is!”
“Ew!” Jiang Cheng said.
Wei Ying grinned. “Have I immobilised you with my hotness, babe?” he asked.
Lan Zhan nodded slowly. “Can we…leave?”
Wei Ying gasped. “What? Leave school? Now? Lan Zhan! Have you ever skipped a day of school in your life? Am I really so hot now that you can’t even wait until the end of the day?”
Lan Zhan stood up and took his hand. “Come on,” he ordered as he strode out of the hall. Wei Ying laughed and waved back at Wen Qing and Jiang Cheng as he allowed himself to be dragged away.
“Should I get some glasses?” Jiang Cheng asked Wen Qing.
“Nah,” she said with a shake of her head. “You’re cute enough and less is more you know?”
“So I should wear…less?” Jiang Cheng asked.
Wen Qing grinned wickedly. “Yes…a lot less.”
Jiang Cheng gulped. “Like…now?” he asked.
Wen Qing took his hand. “No, when we get back to my place,” she smirked with a wink. “Come on, let’s go see if we can make my neighbours bang on the walls!”
They were halfway to Wen Qing’s apartment before Jiang Cheng realised what she meant.
**********