Archive of Our Own ^beta

For as long as Wei Ying could remember, he would look forward to summer. He could even say his favorite season was summer.

For someone like Wei Ying, summer was the most compatible. Summer was the season in which he could let loose. Summer was the season he felt more free. Summer was the season he felt most like himself. 

It’s not to say he didn’t like the other seasons. Wei Ying could admit that spring was pretty with the blooming of flowers. Spring was the season he officially adopted A-Yuan in, making the season always have a special place in his heart. He liked how the world looked as it defrosted from the cold winter season, but spring was not without its faults. Spring brought along a lot of rain, which Wei Ying would never mind at first, but there was only so much rain he could take before he would start to go insane, trapped in his house. And don’t get Wei Ying started on the bipolar weather. He hated how one day it would be so hot he would sweat a ton, but the next would be so cold he would shiver nonstop. Spring always left Wei Ying under prepared for the weather, and while Wei Ying tended to like spontaneity in most other aspects, the weather was not one such aspect.

Fall was great too. In fall, the trees would be painted in Wei Ying’s favorite color, red, before falling to the ground and coating the earth with its vibrantness. Fall meant Wei Ying’s favorite holiday, Halloween, was fast approaching. In fall, Wei Ying got to decorate to his heart's content, picking up miscellaneous Halloween decorations ranging from corny to downright terrifying. Fall meant pumpkin pie and starting on Christmas decorating quite early. According to Wei Ying, as soon as Halloween ended, Christmas began. On November first the Christmas tree would be put up, and the Halloween décor would be replaced with everything Christmas. Still, even with all these reasons, fall was not Wei Ying’s favorite season.

Fall signaled the end of summer, which always put a feeling of melancholy in Wei Ying’s heart. Fall was beautiful, at first. By the end of fall, the colors would have faded from vibrant to dull, to make room for winter; the end of fall would always feel a bit dreary because of this. The red leaves that once decorated the trees and the ground, would become nothing but a pile of brown litter, needing to be picked up in order to make the surrounding area look presentable once more.

And winter? Wei Ying wouldn’t go as far as to say he hates winter, but he definitely didn’t like it. Sure, winter had its redeeming qualities as well. The Christmas holiday itself was enough reason for most people to choose winter as their favorite holiday, but not Wei Ying. For Wei Ying, Winter brought up a lot of bad memories. Winter was the season in which he almost lost his life and his parents. It had been a scary car crash on the side of a mountain. The road had iced over, making the car skid before crashing into a tree. Wei Ying could still remember the bitter cold. His tiny body had been unable to move, numbed by freezing temperatures. All Wei Ying could do was look at the front of the car, where his parents sat unconscious and bleeding. All Wei Ying could do was slip in-and-out of consciousness, yelling out for anyone to help, yelling at his parents to wake up. 

It had taken hours for another car to pass by the road, and notice their car, and it took a while longer for the ambulances and police to arrive. Thankfully, through a miracle, everyone had survived. Thankfully, his parents' car had been having problems with the heater, so on the day of the crash they had worn warmer clothes than they usually would have in case the heater had stopped working. While the clothes weren’t warm enough to stop the cold from getting through and numbing them up, they still became a layer of protection, allowing them to not freeze to death. Thankfully, their car had crashed in a position that wasn’t as horrible as it could have been. The situation could have ended much worse, but thankfully, they were all alive. Wei Ying’s dad had ended up in a wheelchair, and Wei Ying’s mom had ended up in a coma for two years, but they were alive. All three of them had lived.

Wei Ying had begun going to therapy, once he felt ready for it, but something like that was hard to overcome. For the most part, he had gotten over the accident, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still feel a shiver of dread every time the weather turned colder. Once the snow would start appearing, Wei Ying would become more reserved. He would avoid driving when possible, and when he did drive, it was always slower than usual. Winter just left a bad taste in his mouth, and Wei Ying wasn’t sure he could ever fully get over his past experiences.

Summer, on the other hand, was the opposite of winter. Summer only had good memories for Wei Ying, and the feeling of the summer sun on his skin only brought about positive emotions. Summer was the combination of his favorite aspects of both spring and autumn, with the vibrant colors and the pretty flowers, but that was not why it was Wei Ying’s favorite season.

For as long as Wei Ying remembered, summer was spent with his parents, traveling. Some of Wei Ying’s favorite memories took place in an RV as his family drove around the country. The AC wouldn’t always work, leading to hot summer nights full of sweat, but even those nights were memories cherished by Wei Ying, as they were still full of smiles and laughs. Every stop their RV made was made interesting by his parents. A gas station stop would become a scavenger hunt to find a “sacred snack” that his dad has always wanted to try (according to his mom). Every time they stopped at a roadside diner, it would be Wei Ying’s job to sit by the window and keep track of the different colored cars that passed by while his parents made a bet on what color would be seen the most. Wei Ying would take his job seriously, always keeping a pen and a loose piece of paper on hand for such situations. 

And don’t even get Wei Ying started on the random pit stops to view random attractions. He loved every attraction, no matter how ridiculous. (He still fondly remembered posing under kissing dinosaurs.) 

Unfortunately, after the accident, these summer road trips had to end, his father being unable to drive, and his mother in a coma the first two summers. Even after she woke up and their road trips were able to start up again, they didn’t become full on road trips, until Wei Ying himself was old enough to drive. While Wei Ying was still a kid, the Wei’s began driving around their hometown instead, not able to go too far as only his mother could drive, and the drives would exhaust her. 

But even this was unable to knock summer off the top of his ‘favorite season’ list. While the road trips had to end, the fun didn’t. Wei Ying’s parents took on the initiative to keep the summers fun. They introduced Wei Ying to water parks and amusement parks. They introduced him to aquariums and museums. Wei Ying got to enjoy picnics and camping. His parents always made sure Wei Ying had the time of his life in the summer, and every time the school year started up again, Wei Ying would come back with multiple tales of fun to share with the class. 

As Wei Ying grew, his summers stayed a consistent source of happiness in his life. He introduced his version of the season to his found family, the Wen’s, and then to their small cousin A-Yuan. The Wen’s had been in need of a source of joy, when Wei Ying had first met them, and Wei Ying and his family had made sure to rectify that, showing them exactly how to enjoy their summer.

So yes, Summer was Wei Ying’s favorite season, but, as he stared at Huaisang, in the middle of fall, having just been asked “What’s your favorite season?” Wei Ying hesitated. His answer had always been summer. He had never once questioned his answer or hesitated. Until now.

And Wei Ying knew exactly why.

-

Today was supposed to be a regular day. Well… as regular as a day could be when your best friend was Nie Huaisang. Nie Huaisang, a popular youtuber who made a lot of videos on interviewing people, had asked Wei Ying and Wei Ying’s boyfriend to participate in one of his videos the other day. It had been last minute, as two of Huaisang’s scheduled people had backed out of the interview suddenly, leaving Huaisang scrambling for replacements. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had agreed with the stipulation that Nie Huaisang owed them (having Nie Huaisang owe them was almost always a good thing). Nie Huaisang had agreed, and now here Wei Ying was, in Nie Huaisang’s interview room at 7:30 in the morning. Lan Zhan had been lucky with his interview time, having it at 5pm the previous day, but not Wei Ying. Wei Ying hated getting up early. Especially on a non school day. But Nie Huaisang had given Wei Ying his puppy dog eyes, and Wei Ying had agreed. Now he was stuck here until he answered Nie Huaisang’s questions.

Wei Ying had told himself he would answer Nie Huaisang’s questions quickly, no matter how ridiculous the question was, as he wanted to go home and spend time with his son and his boyfriend. How was he to know that the simple question: “What’s your favorite season?” would stump him. Nie Huaisang had a rule about never sharing his questions  before the interview, wanting to capture the genuine emotions of his interviewees while asking, and in this case, it most definitely came in handy, as Wei Ying had paused quite dramatically even though it was a simple question..

And the worst part is, he knew why he gave pause. Wei Ying knew why it was that, when Nie Huaisang asked that question, he began thinking of colder weather and snow instead of the delicious summer heat and general joy. 

Because summer was, and will always, be great. With summer came the memories of summer's past. The thought of the season would remind Wei Ying of the summer rays that would beam down on him, bringing him warmth and smiles. Summer would bring joy and a lot of fun social events with his favorite people, making him feel a little too warm and a bit uncomfortable, but not enough to pull away and leave his loved ones. Summer brought adventure in even the most mundane tasks, making everything as enjoyable as possible.

But Winter… Winter brought Lan Zhan.

Wei Ying remembered how it was, back in the fall when he had first started teaching in Cloud Recess Academy.

Back then, Wei Ying had been under no impression that Lan Zhan liked him. Wei Ying knew he could be annoying, and he knew that he could be too much. Lan Zhan was very much the opposite of everything Wei Ying was, but something about him had attracted Wei Ying like a bear to honey. Wei Ying remembered their first meeting well; how could he ever forget the look Lan Zhan gave him, as if they weren’t in school grounds, and Lan Zhan was a lesser man, Lan Zhan would have physically fought him? Wei Ying had been thrilled, back then, to have that type of attention from someone so gorgeous. At the time, Wei Ying hadn’t known he had already fallen for the man, he just knew he wanted Lan Zhan’s attention on him once more.

Getting Lan Zhan to warm up to Wei Ying was a harder task than Wei Ying had anticipated. By November, they had only had a handful of pleasant conversations. Wei Ying knew he could be too much, and he knew Lan Zhan detested anything “too much”. But he couldn’t help himself. It was like very time he saw Lan Zhan his brain became mush, unable to form any thought or think of anything other than the fact that he wanted Lan Zhan’s attention, and Wei Ying had learned quickly that he would readily accept ANY type of attention, even when that attention consisted of nothing but a glare shot his way halfway through a teachers meeting.

Come November, Wei Ying was desperate. He could think of almost nothing but getting Lan Zhan to befriend him. Months had passed and they were not any closer than the day they first met. In fact, Wei Ying was inclined to believe that due to his crazy antics, their relationship might be even worse off than when they had first met. It was nearing December, which meant winter break, and Wei Ying had the simple goal of getting Lan Zhan’s number before then, maybe even securing an in-person hangout during the break. 

Except… the goal wasn’t actually that simple. Lan Zhan refused to give out his number, and their fellow teachers also didn’t have Lan Zhan’s number (which Wei Ying felt was extremely ridiculous- as well as maybe a little bit adorable… just a little bit.)

December came, and just like that, Wei Ying’s goals were failed. On the last day of school before winter break Wei Ying couldn’t help but sigh. There was only 5 minutes of school left, and he was just sitting here, watching his students fidget around while waiting for the bell to ring. He had failed. Badly. Earlier that day he had gone to ask Lan Zhan one final time for his number, but the encounter had ended with Lan Zhan making an excuse to leave before Wei Ying could even finish his sentence. Wei Ying knew he should give up. Lan Zhan had made it very clear on multiple occasions that he wanted nothing to do with him, but Wei Ying just felt such a strong pull to him. It was a feeling he couldn’t understand, but it was strong enough to make Wei Ying keep trying. 

The last thing Wei Ying wanted to do was annoy Lan Zhan past the point of no return, and for the most part, Wei Ying was sure he had found Lan Zhan’s limits,  but still. What if he messed up and damaged their already non-existent friendship to the point of no return. Wei Ying would be devastated. 

The bell had startled Wei Ying out of his thoughts, and he watched in amusement as his students quickly began packing up, wanting to start their break as soon as possible. Wei Ying texted Wen Ning, asking if he was already here to pick up A-Yuan, Wei Ying’s son. Wen Ning quickly replied he was already at the school, and Wei Ying sighed in relief. Today was the first day of winter break for the students, but the teachers all had to attend one last mandatory meeting. Wei Ying had asked Wen Ning ahead of time if he would watch A-Yuan as he attended said meeting, and the med student had quickly agreed, saying that he was excited as it had been a while since he last played with A-Yuan. Wen Ning asked if the visit could extend into a sleepover, so that A-Yuan would have the chance to see Wen Qing who was currently working the night shift. Wei Ying had readily agreed, wanting A-Yuan to spend time with his other family, and also feeling a bit excited to be able to fully relax after the meeting without having to worry about anyone but himself.

Wei Ying waited for the last student to leave his class before walking out himself and heading towards the meeting room. As he walked, he spotted Lan Zhan heading in the same direction. Wei Ying smiled, deciding to go accompany the man, but before he could speed up his walking, he saw Luo Qingyang approach Lan Zhan and begin a conversation. Wei Ying watched as Lan Zhan turned to her and began to actively participate in said conversation; he couldn't help but feel glum all of a sudden. Of course Lan Zhan would talk to other teachers in a better mood than when he even so much as looked at Wei Ying. 

Well, actually, Wei Ying hadn’t seen Lan Zhan interact with any of the teachers really, and his resolve towards them had been quiet at best. With Luo Qingyang though… Lan Zhan was actively talking to her. He didn’t even exude the same cold aura he seemed to show everyone else. Wei Ying couldn’t blame him. Mianmian was a very pretty woman, not to mention she was exceedingly smart. They… fit well together. They would make a great couple. Maybe they already were a couple, and Wei Ying was just unaware.

Because actually, now that Wei Ying thought about it, that would make a lot of sense. That could explain why Lan Zhan would get so annoyed with him, considering Wei Ying constantly flirted with Mianmian. Maybe if Wei Ying explained that he flirted with everyone and that it didn't mean anything, Lan Zhan wouldn’t hate him so much? It would also explain why Mianmian would look so amused every time he spoke of Lan Zhan to her. They were together, or at the very least, they liked each other. Clearly. 

Wei Ying’s heart hurt, and he couldn’t help but wonder if anything he ate hadn’t sat right in his stomach. Was this heartburn? He frowned, before finally deciding to look away from the couple. It would probably be best if he didn’t disturb their time together. He would find a time later to explain his flirting to Lan Zhan. 

When he entered the meeting room, he scanned the area, looking for a place to sit. He frowned as he noticed his options were to sit next to Su She or Wen Chao. Lan Zhan was already sitting next to Luo Qingyang across the room. The choice was made for him when the last teacher entered and quickly sat next to Su She, most likely decided it would be for the best if she sat next to the hateful weirdo, than the sexual harasser who donated so much money to the school it would be impossible to get him fired. 

The meeting passed by in a blur, with Wei Ying not being able to concentrate for some reason. He felt dispirited, and he couldn’t understand why. By the end of the meeting, he just wanted to go to his classroom and hide in there for a bit, to gather his thoughts. When the meeting ended, he did just that, leaving as soon as the end of the meeting was announced. He rushed to his room and frowned as he jangled his keys, trying to get the door to unlock. He really needed to leave a note asking to get his lock changed. One of these days he was going to end up permanently locked out of his room. The door swung into the classroom as Wei Ying gave a sharp twist of his wrist and shove with his shoulder. 

Walking around his desk, he sat, and then reclined, into his chair, staring up at the ceiling. He absentmindedly reached for one of the many fidget toys he kept on his desk, and smiled a bit as he felt the cool metal of one of his fidget spinners. He had hoped for a squishy toy, or even a pop it, but this was fine too. 

He hadn’t spent that long in his classroom when he heard someone trying to open his door. Wei Ying frowned in confusion as he looked around the room; the janitors had already come and cleaned while the teachers were in the meeting, and there was no one else Wei Ying could think of, other than himself, who would want to enter his classroom. He contemplated helping the unknown person on the other side of the door to open it, before deciding that if the unknown person was here for nefarious reasons, they should work for it. 

The doorknob finally clicked, allowing the door to open. Wei Ying’s eyes widened as he took in the presence on the other side of the door. It was Lan Zhan. “Lan Zhan… hi?” Wei Ying said a bit breathlessly. Lan Zhan was probably the last person Wei Ying would have expected to try to enter his classroom, beating out even Lan Qiren, the superintendent of the school who Wei Ying was pretty sure hated his guts.

“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan spoke in that monotone voice of his that Wei Ying found adorable, and Wei Ying couldn’t help the small twitch of his lips at the voice. Ah, Lan Zhan. Never change.

Wei Ying watched in amusement as Lan Zhan shuffled into the classroom awkwardly. In the months Wei Ying has known Lan Zhan, he had never seen Lan Zhan move the way he moved now, as if he was shy and unsure of himself.

“Wei Ying. You left your cellular device in the conference room.” Lan Zhan said while approaching Wei Ying’s desk. Wei Ying patted his pockets, surprised to find them empty. He smiled up at Lan Zhan, thinking it cute that Lan Zhan used the term ‘cellular device' because of course Lan Zhan would use those words. It was a very ‘Lan Zhan’ thing to do.

“Thanks Lan Zhan. I didn’t even notice.” Wei Ying unlocked his phone, checking his notifications for anything important he may have missed. Once done checking, he glanced up, surprised to see Lan Zhan still there.

Wei Ying gave a questioning smile before speaking, “Did you…” He trailed off before he cleared his throat, trying to come up with something to ask.

“... need anything? Yeah. Um. Did you need anything?”

Lan Zhan stayed quiet for a bit, glancing outside the window, as he seemingly gathered his thoughts. Wei Ying watched as Lan Zhan's face took on a determined expression, before he met Wei Ying’s eyes. “Is everything alright with Wei Ying?”

To say Wei Ying was shocked was an understatement. Wei Ying doesn’t think Lan Zhan has ever asked that type of question to him. Does Lan Zhan care about me? No. There must be a reason.

“Ahh yeah. Everything’s good Lan Zhan, thanks for asking.” 

Lan Zhan frowned a bit, seemingly a bit disappointed with Wei Ying’s answer, but Wei Ying didn’t know what to say. What would be the appropriate answer? ‘Hey Lan Zhan. Actually, the winter always puts me in a bit of a foul mood because of a traumatic accident I experienced as a kid.’ ‘Actually Lan Zhan thanks for asking. I didn’t really feel that good after seeing you and Mianmian, and I can’t explain why.’ No. Both those answers would be ridiculous. Lan Zhan surely wasn’t asking to actually find out. It was probably polite talk or something. 

Wei Ying focused on Lan Zhan again instead, deciding that looking at Lan Zhan’s pretty face was better than continuing down the road his thoughts were heading. But Lan Zhan said nothing. The confidence he had gained to ask his question had apparently already left his system. Lan Zhan nodded, as if accepting Wei Ying’s answer, before saying. “Then, I will see Wei Ying after winter break.”

Wei Ying nodded silently, feeling crestfallen at the thought that Lan Zhan was leaving; feeling crestfallen at the thought that he wasn’t going to get to see Lan Zhan for to duration of the break; feeling crestfallen at the thought that he never got Lan Zhan’s number. But then… but then: Lan Zhan went to twist the doorknob… and It... jammed. Wei Ying could do nothing but watch as Lan Zhan frowned, trying to twist the door knob back to its normal position, but the knob didn’t budge. Lan Zhan tried pulling the door open, but it stayed in place. Lan Zhan tried shoving his shoulder against the door, but all it did was manage to bring pain to Lan Zhan’s shoulder. He turned, wide eyed, to look back at Wei Ying.

Wei Ying laughed, nervously, as he quickly began to assess the situation. Lan Zhan was strong. Definitely stronger than Wei Ying. If Lan Zhan couldn’t open the door, then how was he going to open the door? Still, he got up and headed towards the door, hoping he just needed to do his little twist and shove trick, only this would be a twist and pull trick. Lan Zhan moved out of the way silently, eyes intently as Wei Ying, and Wei Ying pretended that the intensity of Lan Zhan’s stare didn’t send shivers down his spine. Now was definitely not the time for that.

Wei Ying gripped the doorknob, and took a deep breath, shooting out a small prayer for this to work. He twisted his wrist and pulled with all his strength. Nothing happened. Wei Ying laughed again, a bit higher pitched, as his nervousness began to give way for anxiety. He tried his trick again. And again. Wei Ying braced himself, fully ready to try for the fourth time when Lan Zhan gently laid his palm on Wei Ying’s shoulder. “Wei Ying. Enough. The door will not move.”

Wei Ying laughed almost hysterically as he turned away from Lan Zhan, running a hand through his hair in a stressful habit of his, his other hand falling on his hip. He forced himself to get his breathing in check, recognizing he must look ridiculous to Lan Zhan, but just as he calmed down, another problem occurred. The school power turned off, and with it, went the light and the heater. 

“No. nononononono! Lan Zhan! We’re stuck! We have to get out.” Wei Ying approached the door in a more frantic manner, but Lan Zhan noticed and quickly steered Wei Ying away. 

He grabbed onto Wei Ying’s shoulders, shaking him a bit until he got Wei Ying’s attention. “Wei Ying. It’s okay. We’ll figure this out.” Wei Ying’s panicked eyes darted back and forth across Lan Zhan’s face, finding only calm reassurance. It was enough to make him placate himself once more. Before he knew it, Wei Ying was nodding absentmindedly.

“Yeah, yeah Lan Zhan. Okay. It’s okay. We’ll be okay. We’ll figure this out.”

Lan Zhan smiled a bit, noticing how hard Wei Ying was working to stay calm. “Mm.”

Lan Zhan guided Wei Ying towards his desk chair and grabbed a student’s seat for himself. Wei Ying watched Lan Zhan intently, focusing on him instead of his thoughts telling him he was stuck. They sat across from each other, staring at one another as they thought of any ideas. 

Wei Ying spoke up first. “Do you… Do you happen to have any of the janitor's numbers?” Wei Ying highly doubted it, knowing Lan Zhan didn't even have most of the teachers numbers, but it definitely didn’t hurt to ask.

Lan Zhan shook his head, confirming Wei Ying’s suspicions, before a metaphorical lightbulb went off in his head. “I have Shufu’s number.” 

Wei Ying watched as Lan Zhan began patting his pockets, looking for his phone. “No offense Lan Zhan, but I don’t know how your uncle would be much help unless he works here. The building doors have an automated lock. No one can get in or out unless they have the front door keys.”

Lan Zhan nodded in agreement. “Mm. Shufu is the superintendent. I-”

“LAN QIREN IS YOUR UNCLE?! HOW DID I NOT CONNECT THAT?!” Wei Ying sat back in his seat, feeling shocked to the core. Really, he shouldn’t feel this surprised. In retrospect, it made sense. Their last names were Lan for crying out loud. They even had similar personalities, though Lan Qiren tended to be a bit more gruff. They followed the same weird rules, such as not speaking while they ate. Wei Ying can’t believe he never figured it out. Lan Zhan called to Wei Ying, wanting to break Wei Ying out of his thoughts.

Wei Ying gave his concentration back to Lan Zhan, shooting off a quick “yeah Lan Zhan?” so that Lan Zhan would know he had Wei Ying’s full attention.

“I apologize. It seems I have left my cellular phone in my outer coat. I left my outer coat in my classroom.” Lan Zhan looked a bit ashamed, as if he should have expected this type of situation and prepared for it.

Wei Ying felt himself smiling a bit, thinking that Lan Zhan was a bit ridiculous for thinking this was in any way his fault. Who could have expected this ? 

“That’s fine Lan Zhan, you can use my phone.”

Wei Ying felt a chill run down spine. The heat was disappearing from the building, and the cold was seeping in. Wei Ying didn’t want to be here any more than he already had to. He was scared that if he stayed any longer he would start thinking about the accident once more.

Lan Zhan shook his head in response to Wei Ying’s answer, and Wei Ying felt panic bubble up in his gut. 

“Shufu recently acquired a new device. I have not had the chance to memorize his new phone number.”

Wei Ying tried to give a reassuring smile, to let Lan Zhan know it was alright. But the truth was, it was most definitely NOT alright. None of this was alright. 

Lan Zhan noticed Wei Ying wasn’t okay and began thinking up solutions. He had to think of something before Wei Ying reached the point where Lan Zhan could no longer help him. After what felt like an eternity, Lan Zhan had a sudden thought. “My brother.”

Wei Ying glanced up from where he had been staring at his desk, unfocused. “Huh?”

“My brother, Wei Ying. I know his number. I can call him and ask him to call Shufu and let him know of our predicament.” Wei Ying nodded a bit numbly, not processing Lan Zhan’s words all the way. He handed his phone over and watched absentmindedly as Lan Zhan began dialing the phone number while shooting worried glances his way every couple of seconds. 

The phone began to ring, and they waited. It rang, and it rang… and it rang. Just when they thought the call wouldn’t be picked up, they heard a voice come through, “Hello?”

“Xiongzhang.” Lan Zhan breathed out in apparent relief. 

“A-Zhan? What’s wrong? Who’s phone are you calling from?”

“I am calling from Wei Ying’s phone. Xiongzhang, Wei Ying and I are trapped in a classroom. The door is jammed. The school power went out so there is no light and no heat. My cellular device is in my classroom. I have not yet memorized Shufu’s new number.”

“Okay, so you need me to call him and tell him you're stuck in the school? A-Zhan… Shufu left for a conference about four hours ago. Is there no one else you can call who can get there sooner?”

Lan Zhan glanced up at Wei Ying, eyes questioning. Wei Ying shook his head sadly, cursing himself for making a promise to himself to not get anyone’s number until after he got Lan Zhan’s, wanting Lan Zhan’s contact information to be the first from Cloud Recess Academy to enter his phone. 

“...There are the school emails…” Wei Ying tried, but they both knew those emails would be useless right now. It was the first day of winter break after all, and they already had to give some of it up to a meeting. It was more than likely that the staff would choose to ignore their work emails for the rest of the day. 

Lan Zhan was a bit surprised at the thought that Wei Ying had apparently no school contacts on his phone. By the amount of flirting, and the amount of times Lan Zhan has been asked for his number, he had assumed Wei Ying already had everyone else’s numbers and only wanted Lan Zhan’s number to complete the list. 

He turned towards the phone before responding, “No Xiongzhang. There are no other people we can contact to help. Also, please mention the jammed door knob to shufu. He will need to bring some tools or ask a professional to open it.”

“Will do, A-Zhan, I’ll call in a bit okay?”

“Mm.”

The call ended, and they sat in silence. Wei Ying suddenly felt so grateful that Wen Ning had offered the sleepover with A-Yuan. If he hadn't, Wei Ying would have had to call and let them know of his predicament. He would have felt bad thinking he was putting Wen Ning in a bind, and he would have felt horrible thinking he was switching up A-Yuan’s plans at the last minute, even if this predicament was something out of his control. 

Because technically, Wei Ying could blame this situation on himself. If he would have left the meeting room at a normal pace, he might have noticed his missing phone. If he had simply entered his room to grab his things, he would have been able to leave after struggling a little with his door instead of having Lan Zhan open the door and essentially trapping them in. This could have been avoided if Wei Ying hadn’t let his mood sour after seeing Mianmian and Lan Zhan together.

Wei Ying fidgeted; he had never been good with silence. Especially in cold weather in an enclosed space. He needed to say something, anything. 

“Sooooo… you and Mianmian huh?” Well, okay. Anything but that . Sadly, it was too late to take the words back. Lan Zhan had heard him loud and clear, and now looked at Wei Ying a bit confused.

“Mianmian?”

“Uh.. yeah. Luo Qingyang? That’s her nickname…”

“I am aware that is her nickname.”

“Oh. Then what’s the issue?”

“I do not understand what you mean.”

“What I mean?”

“Mm.”

“What I mean about what?”

“You said ‘sooo, you and Mianmian huh’. I do not understand what you meant by that.”

Wei Ying grinned softly, hearing Lan Zhan imitate the way he speaks. It was cute. Lan Zhan was cute.

“Oh. Uh. I was just wondering, cuz- you know- you and Mianmian seem… close. Like.. are you dating or something?”

Lan Zhan frowned, expression turning cold. “Luo Qingyang and I are not seeing each other romantically. She is married.”

“Oh, Lan Zhan, I'm sorry.” Wei Ying lamented, feeling bad for Lan Zhan. He shouldn’t have brought this up. Lan Zhan must feel awful enough already knowing the one who holds his affection was already taken. For Wei Ying to remind him, even if unintentionally, is just cruel.

Lan Zhan turned a calculative gaze towards Wei Ying, likely trying to assess something. Wei Ying tried to give a sympathizing look, wanting to reassure Lan Zhan that it was okay that his feelings were towards someone he couldn’t have. 

“Wei Ying. I apologize, I do not understand what you are apologizing for.”

“Lan Zhan! Stop saying sorry! It’s okay really, if anything, it’s my fault. I should have never brought up Mianmian. I wouldn't have if I knew she was taken.”

“Are you interested in Luo Qingyang?” Lan Zhan’s voice sounded frosty, which really didn’t bode well for Wei Ying, who already had to deal with his now-freezing environment. Seriously, when did it get so cold? I’m going to start shivering soon.

Lan Zhan’s gaze seemed to darken the longer Wei Ying went without answering his question. Wei Ying looked at him in disbelief, astonished that Lan Zhan even had to ask that. “Lan Zhan of course not. Mianmian is just a friend, but even if I did somehow see her in a romantic light, I would have stopped as soon as I found out you were interested in her.”

He grinned mischievously before adding on, “I would never compromise our blossoming friendship like that.”

Now it was Lan Zhan’s turn to look at Wei Ying in disbelief. 

“Wei Ying. I am gay. ”

Wei Ying’s eyes widened, his world tilting on his axis. Lan Zhan was gay?? As in homosexual ?? And Wei Ying didn’t know ?? 

I have a chance?

Oh. oh no . No. No No No NO NONONONONONONON- NO!  

It couldn’t be. How could Wei Ying not have noticed? How had Wei Ying gone months without realizing-

No. This changed everything. Because suddenly, it all made sense. It made sense why he wanted to become friends with Lan Zhan so badly. It made sense why Wei Ying could not stop bothering Lan Zhan. It made sense why he couldn’t stop thinking about Lan Zhan; why he felt down after thinking about Mianmian and Lan Zhan being a couple.

Wei Ying didn’t want to be Lan Zhan’s friend. Wei Ying wanted to be Lan Zhan’s boy friend. Wei Ying wanted to hug him and kiss him; he wanted to make Lan Zhan smile and laugh; he wanted to sleep with the man for crying out loud! Wei Ying was probably, most likely, more than definitely, in love with him, and he just found out.

Laughter bubbled out of him, and Wei Ying slapped his hand to his mouth, feeling as if he was on the verge of hysterics. This couldn’t be happening. How was this happening? And why now. Now out of all times while they're locked in a room with help hours away. This was a disaster.

Lan Zhan glared at Wei Ying, more than likely interpreting Wei Ying’s laugh as him making fun of Lan Zhan for being gay. He got up from his seat and walked across the room towards the mini library Wei Ying had set up for his students. It was two medium shelves parallel to each other, with a rug and some pillows and plushies in the middle for comfortable seating.

Wei Ying got up from his seat, following after Lan Zhan to explain himself. “No, Lan Zhan, wait. It’s not like that. I wasn’t making fun of you. I just didn’t know you were gay! I’m embarrassed and stressed out from the situation I’m in, and I tend to be the type of person who laughs in uncomfortable situations. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m Bi if it makes you feel better. ”

He sat next to Lan Zhan in the middle of the bookshelves. Here, enclosed in a smaller space, with Lan Zhan’s body heat so close to his, Wei Ying couldn’t help but shiver. He turned to face Lan Zhan, wanting to properly apologize, but Lan Zhan-who seemed to have accepted his explanation and calmed- beat him to the punch.

“Is Wei Ying cold?”

“Haha… a bit.”

Lan Zhan nodded, and went to take off his cardigan. “Oh no Lan Zhan. Don’t. It’s okay. It’s warmer here next to you. Plus! We have all these plushies and pillows, and if the worst comes to fruition, we could always use the rug as a cover.”

Lan Zhan nodded reluctantly, but said nothing more. Wei Ying regretted leaving his desk full of fidget toys, feeling uncomfortable once more. It wasn’t intentional. Wei Ying was naturally someone who couldn't stay still, and this condition tended to worsen when Wei Ying was stressed and anxious. And how could he not be stressed and anxious in this situation? While it wasn’t as horrible as a car catch, the similarities were enough to make Wei Ying feel unsettled. It was getting colder by the second, and it was dark. Wei Ying was trapped in an enclosed space, unable to do anything but hope someone would come save him. He felt weak and scared; he felt the way he felt as a kid, only to a lesser extreme. He needed to do something. He needed to speak. He just had to stop thinking before he started spiraling out of control, but what could he say to-

“Is Wei Ying really okay?”

Wei Ying startled, not expecting Lan Zhan of all people to start a conversation. Especially not one that concerns Wei Ying’s well being.

“Uh.. yeah. As well as one can be in this type of stressful situation.”

“And earlier?” Lan Zhan inquired.

“Earlier?”

“Mm.”

“I'm sorry,” Wei Ying smiled confusedly, “I don’t quite get what you mean.”

“Earlier. Wei Ying appeared.. sullen throughout the meeting. Then Wei Ying left the meeting abruptly. When asked, you said you were okay. Were you really?”

“Oh… Don't worry about that Lan Zhan. I’m just not a fan of winter, it brings my mood down.”

Lan Zhan’s eyes gleamed curiously, and Wei Ying applauded himself for being able to make out that expression from Lan Zhan’s face. 

“Why is Wei Ying not a fan of winter?”

Wie Ying bit his lip, cursing himself for even mentioning that. He had just assumed Lan Zhan wouldn’t care enough to ask. Lan Zhan had never cared before, but then again Wei Ying doesn’t think he’s ever hinted at a tragic anime villain background before, so he guessed it made sense that Lan Zhan was curious.

“It just brings up a lot of bad feelings and experiences. It’s something I’ve been working on, but it’s taking a while. I hope you don’t hold it against me when I say that I would like to change the topic.”

A look of understanding, and maybe surprise, crossed Lan Zhan’s face.

“Mm.”

Wei Ying smiled, wanting to show how grateful he was to Lan Zhan for being so understanding, not everyone was. He began trying to think of possible topics to discuss with Lan Zhan. It couldn’t be something controversial, and it also couldn’t be something boring. According to Lan Zhan’s brother, they were going to be stuck here for hours. The last thing Wei Ying needed was to start an argument so early into the evening. The thought of asking Lan Zhan why he didn’t want to be his friend, or why he didn't want to exchange numbers, crossed his mind briefly before he decided that would be too controversial. Plus, Wei Ying knew the answer: Wei Ying was too annoying. Not every one could handle that.

“So Lan Zhan…” Wei Ying trailed off, not knowing how to continue. There were so many options, and yet, there were also not enough options. It felt like Wei Ying was traveling through uncharted water, and every move had to be well planned out for fear of stepping on something he shouldn't have. 

“Mm?” Lan Zhan slightly lifted his head, allowing his expression to open a bit, enough to show a bit of his curiosity at least.

Wei Ying’s lips curled up while gazing softly at Lan Zhan. He just looked so cute .

“Sorry. I was just trying to come up with a topic of conversation, but I guess I failed huh?”

“I assumed Wei Ying would bring up the school lunches once more, now that he knew my uncle was the superintendent.” Lan Zhan said a small quirk of his lips.

Wei Ying gasped.

“Lan Zhan! Was that a joke? Is that a smile? Lan Zhan! Have you been hiding your humor from me all this time? How could we be best friends when you hide things from me Lan Zhan!”

Lan Zhan did nothing but sit, continuing to look at Wei Ying with what Wei Ying could only deduce to be a smug look. Imagine that. Lan Zhan. Smug.

Wei Ying’s heart felt close to bursting, from how happy he was feeling suddenly. Lan Zhan was being playful and funny and cute with him . Lan Zhan was opening up with him . This had to mean something right? Maybe after this they could at least be friends. Wei Ying won’t even pressure Lan Zhan to exchange numbers! He just wanted whatever Lan Zhan would offer at this point. 

“Well Lan Zhan, since you insisted on this topic, I’ll restate my proposal from the beginning…”

-

About 10 minutes into the conversation, Wei Ying began shivering so much Lan Zhan decided to put his arm around him, albeit awkwardly, in an attempt to warm Wei Ying up. After another ten, they were pressed together tight. Talking about any, and every, thing that wasn’t personal. Wei Ying couldn’t help but grin all the while, as he and Lan Zhan realized that, while their personalities differed, their morals did not. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying agreed on a lot of things. And while Wei Ying felt a little hurt every time Lan Zhan’s expression took on a look of surprise, as if he wouldn’t expect someone like Wei Ying to think the same way he did, it didn't stop him from feeling overjoyed. He and Lan Zhan were having conversations. Easy-going conversations. They were talking and smiling and getting along. They were asking each other for their opinions on their thoughts, which Wei Ying felt was a bit more personal than he had expected, though not by much. It was great. If Wei Ying was right in thinking this was going as well as it was going, then he was sure they would end the night as friends.

They had just been discussing a research paper they had both read and had differing views on, when they heard voices coming down the hall. They both startled, coming out of the little bubble they had built around themselves as they cuddled on the floor in between two bookshelves. They pulled away from each other and stood, walking towards the door. Wei Ying started shouting ‘hello?’ and ‘is anyone there?’ repeatedly, while banging on the door.

There was a bang on the other side of the door, causing Wei Ying to fall silent and glance at  Lan Zhan. They exchanged wide-eyed looks, as the people on the other side of the door began talking.

“A-Zhan! It’s me! I brought a professional to open the lock, just wait a bit longer, and stay away from the door.”

Lan Zhan nodded silently, reaching out to grasp Wei Ying’s forearm and pull him away from the door. It wasn’t the superintendent on the other side of the door. It was Lan Zhan’s brother. He glanced at Lan Zhan’s direction, but Lan Zhan appeared as confused as he did. Still, Wei Ying was never one to shoot a gift horse in the mouth. He could wait until after they were rescued to ask how and when the pans changed, and why they weren’t made aware of said plans.

It felt like an eternity as they sat in the classroom, being able to do nothing but listen to the sounds of people trying to unjam the door knob on the other side. Wei Ying was sure it took at most a minute, but it felt like forever with his freedom so close in sight.

Eventually though, the door knob was taken off the door, and with a bit of a shove, the door swung open. Wei Ying sighed in relief before yelling an ecstatic  “Yes!” He quickly gathered his things before exiting his classroom, feeling his tense body finally relax once out in the hallway. He watched as Lan Zhan exited his own room, coat in hand. Wei Ying hadn’t even noticed Lan Zhan had left his classroom as he hurriedly packed up, but now that he thought about it, it made sense that he would want to leave and get his own things from his classroom instead of waiting for Wei Ying. Lan Zhan seemed to be having a whispered conversation with his brother, before they both quieted down once they noticed Wei Ying.

“Hi.” Wei Ying started, deciding to get formalities out of the way. “I’m Wei Ying, and I’m guessing your Lan Zhan’s brother. Thanks for saving us.”

Lan Zhan’s brother smiled, and while Wei Ying could admit the smile made the man look more handsome than he already looked, it was nothing compared to how attractive Lan Zhan was.

“I’m Lan Huan. It’s nice to meet you as well. I’ve heard so many things about you.”

“Ge.” Lan Zhan glared.

“Oh? Only bad things I hope?” Wei Ying teased, and Lan Huan chuckled.

“Of course not. I’ve heard you have quite a bit of ideas you’d like to implement to the school to make it better, including ‘seasoned’ lunch. Maybe one day we can meet up and discuss.”

“You work for the school as well?” Wei Ying was surprised. Was this a family business of sorts? As if reading his mind, Lan Huan answered exactly that.

“Yes, Cloud Recess Academy was founded by our family. We have a couple of different branches and things we own, including Lan’s School of Music. I help oversee most of the branches including this school.” 

Wei Ying was honestly impressed. Of course they were successful and most likely rich. How could they not be? “It sounds like you're a busy man.”

Lan Huan chuckled politely, “Of course. My schedule could be a bit hectic. I haven’t had the chance to visit this school more than once in the past six months, which is why I would love to hear your propositions. Who would better know what improvements this school needs than a teacher who spends day in and day out here?”

Wei Ying blushed a bit, feeling honored, as well as a little bit embarrassed that Lan Zhan had actually talked to his brother about him enough for his brother to have a high enough opinion of him to the point that he wanted to hear his ideas.

“I would love to meet up one day and discuss my propositions. Though I will say a lot of the things I’ve proposed were said with the intention of getting Lan Zhan’s attention.” Wei Ying admitted.

Lan H uan smiled kindly, “That’s alright. The few ideas I've heard sounded  good to me. Now if you excuse me, I’ll get going first. I need to do a few things here before I leave. You have my number, and I have yours. We’ll stay in contact. A-Zhan, see you at Shufu’s this weekend?”

“Mm.”

“Very well then. Goodbye.”

Wei Ying watched Lan Huan leave,  feeling mystified. How can one person be so nice and charming? He reminded Wei Ying a bit of Jin Yanli.

He turned to look at Lan Zhan, only to find Lan Zhan already looking at him. 

“Lan Zhan, your brother is so nice! Also, I didn't know you talked about me!” 

Wei Ying wiggled his eyebrows in a teasing manner before remembering, “Hey Lan Zhan. What happened to your shufu coming instead of your brother? If your brother worked here why didn’t he just offer himself up to come save us?”

“Xiongzhang oversees many Lan owned businesses. Most of the time, he is just able to walk in and see how things are. He usually has no need for keys, and has misplaced many of them throughout his home as a result. He did not know the location of his set of Cloud Recess Academy keys. When Xiongzhang called shufu, shufu informed him he had a second set of school keys in his home office. Xiongzhang had to travel to Shufu’s house, locate Shufu’s home office keys, locate the Cloud Recess Academy keys inside Shufu’s office, and then find someone to open the door. He struggled finding the right key for the front door of the school, not knowing how it looked. It took a while for him to enter every key in the keyhole as he looked for the correct one. He forgot to inform us of the change of plans in his hurry to help us.”

Wei Ying ‘aah’ed choosing to ignore the fact that Lan Zhan didn’t deny Wei Ying’s earlier teasing.

“Then… should we get going?”

“Mm.”

They walked down the halls peacefully, no longer feeling any type of uncomfortableness. They both seemed perfectly content to walk in silence. 

Wei Ying shivered once they got outside, cursing himself for running late this morning and forgetting his overcoat. Lan Zhan drifted closer to Wei Ying, sharing body heat as they approached Wei Ying’s car. Wei Ying gave a secret smile, choosing to say nothing for fear of Lan Zhan moving away. Lan Zhan is so sweet and attentive.

Eventually they got to the driver's side door of Wei Ying’s car. They stood there for a bit, saying nothing. Wei Ying shivered once more, and subconsciously began rubbing his hands up and down his arms in an attempt to heat up. He didn’t want this moment to end. He was scared that if they left now, the time they shared together would be forgotten, or excused as a weird realistic daydream.

“Wei Ying. You are cold. You should enter your vehicle.”

Wei Ying sighed. “Okay Lan Zhan. I will, don't worry. I just.. I just wanted to say thank you for keeping me calm in there. I don’t tend to do well in those types of situations. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like if I was on my own.”

“Wei Ying is very strong. He would have been okay.”

“Hah, Lan Zhan. Don’t humor me, you and I both saw how I acted back there. I was fully ready to break my arm trying to break the door down. I would have been a mess.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Mm.”

Wei Ying huffed out a laugh. “Lan Zhan you’re ridiculous you know that?” 

Lan Zhan’s smug look returned. “Mm.”

Wei Ying gazed at him adoringly, deciding it would be now or never.

“Hey Lan Zhan. Can I ask you something?”

“Wei Ying already did.”

Wei Ying stared in disbelief, still not used to Lan Zhan having a sense of humor. He loved it.

“Ha-ha” He deadpanned before continuing with a nervous smile, “I was just wondering.. Why won't you give me your number?” That wasn’t exactly what Wei Ying wanted to know, though it was part of it. Wei Ying wanted to know how Lan Zhan felt about him as a person. Wei Ying wanted to know if he was still hated, or if there was room for friendship, but he was scared. This was the second best thing he could ask.

He watched as Lan Zhan processed the question, and then watched as Lan Zhan began to formulate a response. He braced himself to hear an answer like “I find you annoying.”

Instead, Lan Zhan said, “I assumed Wei Ying was making fun of me. I heard you one day making bets with other teachers about getting my number. I assumed it was all a joke to you, or a way to win a bet as I do not share my contact information with anyone.”

“Oh Lan Zhan! I would never do that! The teachers were laughing at me because I wouldn’t give up on wanting to be your friend. So I told them to watch out because I was sure we’d be friends by the end of the year. I didn’t actually bet them that I would get your number. It was just a figure of speech. I wanted them to know how determined I was to be your friend.”

“Mm. After the time we spent talking in your classroom, I figured I must have jumped to conclusions based on the small snippet of conversation I overheard. I apologize for judging you prematurely.”

“Does this mean… are we friends? Can we be friends now?”

“Mm. If Wei Ying still wishes.”

“I do! I do wish! I want to be friends!”

Lan Zhan lips twitched, as if he was holding in a smile, but he said nothing. 

“Since we're now best friends, can I have your number?” Wei Ying asked nervously.

“Mm.” Lan Zhan held out his phone, to Wei Ying’s surprise. He quickly grabbed the phone from Lan Zhan’s hands, not wanting to give Lan Zhan the chance to change his mind. He typed in his number, saved his contact information, and then sent himself a text to have Lan Zhan’s number on his phone. He gave the phone back to Lan Zhan and beamed up at him.

“I can’t believe we’re friends now! Maybe we can meet up and hang out during winter break?”

“Mm. I would like to ‘hang out’ with Wei Ying.”

Lan Zhan! I’ll hold you to it! Remember you said this because I’m going to text you later to set definite plans. I’ll give you one last chance to back out.”

Lan Zhan said nothing.

Wei Ying felt his heart beating rabbit fast. “Then I’ll text you later to set up a ‘hang out’ . I should really enter my car now before I freeze to death.”

“Mm. I will wait for Wei Ying’s text. Goodbye.”

Wei Ying watched as Lan Zhan turned around and walked towards his car, which was actually across the parking lot, closer to the school than Wei Ying’s car. Wei Ying entered his car as he felt butterflies erupting in his stomach at the thought of Lan Zhan walking him to his car. A giddy smile overtook his features as he turned on his car. He forced himself to focus, not wanting to get into an accident on the way home. He needed to get home safe and alive in order to be able to text Lan Zhan. 

-

Their first hang out happened only two days after their lock-in. They went to a café intending to only grab a drink and finish their discussion from the other day. They ended up staying in the café for hours, leaving only because they were starving and had made dinner plans with others. Wei Ying went straight to the Wen’s after that, starry eyed and infatuated. A-Yuan had commented on how happy We Ying had looked, and Wen Qing snorted. Wen Ning gave a supportive smile, and that had been that. The topic had been forgotten as they enjoyed their dinner together, catching up after not being able to see one another in a couple of days.

In between their meetings, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan texted one another. At times, there would be phone calls, but, as they both tended to be busy, text messages worked better. Wei Ying’s soul warmed up every time he came to realize that he and Lan Zhan had yet another thing in common. He couldn’t believe his luck in finding someone so compatible with him.

 It felt strange, because when Wei Ying had first met Lan Zhan, he had thought they were polar opposites. He had thought that there was no way they could ever have anything in common, and now here Lan Zhan was, proving him wrong. While their personalities were as opposite as they'd come, the core of them was the same. 

It was like someone lit a match on fire that night of the lock-in, and now Wei Ying couldn’t remember what it was before he could text Lan Zhan like this, freely. 

Thankfully, it only took four days before Wei Ying had a chance to make plans with Lan Zhan once more. Jin Yanli, a childhood friend of sorts, had offered to take A-Yuan with her family to see a play. She wanted for her son Jin Ling to have friends outside of his many cousins. Though A-Yuan was a little older, he was a sweet kid. He would be nice to Jin Ling every time he saw the boy. Jin Yanli had asked Wei Ying if it was possible for A-Yuan to spend the day with them, promising she would make sure A-Yuan was returned by 9pm. Wei Ying had agreed, and then immediately made plans with Lan Zhan.

This time, they decided to meet at Lan Zhan’s house. Though it wasn’t until Wei Ying was almost there that he realized Lan Zhan lived on a mountain. He gripped his steering wheel tightly, and slowed his driving significantly, Being extra precautious. Wei Ying knew he was being a bit extreme, but he couldn’t help it. If it was summertime, he wouldn’t have to be so nervous, but it was winter, and there were a lot of obstacles he had to worry about. He had to worry about snow, and he had to worry about ice on the road. He had to look out for other cars that might be driving a little too recklessly. It was stressful. Eventually, he got to the top of the mountain, where he was met with a huge gate. Ah. He really is rich.

He reached for his phone, and dialed Lan Zhan’s contact. It took only one beep for Lan Zhan to answer. 

“Wei Ying.”

Wei Ying couldn’t help the smile that overtook his features. Lan Zhan’s voice just sounded so nice through the phone. It sent a pleasant shiver down Wei Ying’s spine.

“Hi Lan Zhan. I’m in front of this huge gate. Is this the right place?”

“Mm. Please wait a moment.”

Wei Ying waited for a second, before hearing a buzzer coming from the gate. He watched, impressed, as the gate slowly opened, allowing Wei Ying’s car to pass through. Wei Ying sat his phone down in his passenger seat, putting his hands back on his steering wheel. 

“Okay Lan Zhan I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Mm” He heard Lan Zhan’s voice through his phone speaker, but he never heard the dial tone indicating the end of a phone call. Did Lan Zhan not hang up?

Wei Ying smiled as he drove slowly through the neighborhood, his thoughts full of Lan Zhan as they always were. He gasped a little once he saw Lan Zhan’s house. It was beautiful, and not what Wei Ying had been expecting after passing by rows of very plain, symmetrical houses. Lan Zhan had simply told him his house was at the very end of the road, away from the other houses. He hadn’t mentioned how pretty it was. Wei Ying didn’t know much about houses, or different building styles, but it didn’t take an expert to recognize this as a traditional Chinese home with modern undertones. And a surreal-looking one at that, with pretty snow blanketing the yard, giving the house a dream-like look. He put his car in park, and exited. He wasn’t even four steps away from his car when Lan Zhan exited his home, looking more breathtaking than Wei Ying had ever seen him.

His hair was down, and he was wearing clothes that looked warm as well as comfortable. Lan Zhan tended to dress up for school, always wearing suits or overly appropriate work clothes. His hair was always up in intricate hairstyles, making him look exceedingly pretty. Still, there was something breathtaking about getting to see Lan Zhan with his hair down. 

“Hey.” Wei Ying whispered, afraid that if he made a loud noise it would break the dream he found himself in.

“Hello, Wei Ying. Would you like to come in?”

“Huh? Oh. Oh yeah! Yeah, let's go inside Lan Zhan, it’s cold out here.” Wei Ying hurried the rest of the way to Lan Zhan’s home.

-

Wei Ying was overjoyed while sitting on the couch talking to Lan Zhan. This whole day had been perfect, with Lan Zhan even cooking dinner for him. 

At first Wei Ying had been worried thinking they would run out of things to discuss together. They have been texting for days nonstop. They were bound to run out of topics right? Or what if they both found out Lan Zhan could only handle Wei Ying in bite-sized pieces? Thankfully, this hadn’t been the case. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan seemingly managed to keep a steady stream of conversation through it all. Wei Ying had even managed to get Lan Zhan to talk about his guqin and some of the compositions he had been working on. It had been lovely.

Then, Wei Ying worried when Lan Zhan began cooking their dinner. He couldn't help thinking that Lan Zhan’s food would have as little seasoning as the school’s food. He entered the kitchen after Lan Zhan, deciding it would be best to help or even sneak in a little seasoning here and there. 

Wei Ying himself was not the best cook though, only knowing how to make simple meals for A-Yuan. After almost ruining the meal a couple times, Lan Zhan politely kicked Wei Ying out of the kitchen. When the food was finished, Wei Ying had been pleasantly surprised. It smelled delicious, and it tasted even better than it smelled. Wei Ying couldn’t help but let out a little moan, which had Lan Zhan raising an eyebrow at him. Wei Ying had grinned, suggesting that maybe Lan Zhan should teach the school how to cook, and he watched on in amusement as Lan Zhan rolled his eyes. Wei Ying had been ecstatic, knowing he was lucky to get to see this side of Lan Zhan more and more often. Wei Ying felt confident in saying that they were well and truly friends at this point.

After dinner they had continued their conversation from earlier in the day. Since they exchanged numbers, all they would do is talk. Wei Ying had originally thought that Lan Zhan would tire of him, but Lan Zhan had pleasantly surprised him, being able to not only keep up with their conversations, but offer new conversations as well. They talked about all of their interests and disinterests. A lot of it was academic, but not everything was. It felt like they were making up for the years they spent not knowing each other. 

Wei Ying even found out that Lan Zhan hated the summer season, which Wei Ying felt was ridiculous. He vowed to both himself and Lan Zhan that he would change Lan Zhan’s mind about summer in this upcoming one; this meant that in between now and summer, Wei Ying was going to have to introduce A-Yuan and Lan Zhan, but Wei Ying still had half a year left, he was sure it would be fine.

Eventually, the night began winding down. It was already dark outside, and Wei Ying was sure their night was ending. 

“Ah Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying sighed, after noticing the time. 8pm. “It’s late. I should get going and let you unwind.”

“Mm.” Was Wei Ying seeing things or did Lan Zhan look a bit disappointed?

They silently cleaned their mess, Wei Ying unwilling to let Lan Zhan clean up after him. Lan Zhan already cooked for the both of them and hosted Wei Ying for hours. The least Wei Ying could do was be a good, helpful guest. 

Wei Ying really wanted to take his time cleaning, wanting to stall and be able to stay in Lan Zhan’s company, but he couldn't. Though Yanli texted him saying they were going to be a little late, he was sure it wouldn’t be by much. He needed to be home by the time A-Yuan reached their apartment building. He couldn't delay and risk A-Yuan waiting out for him in the cold.

Eventually, a bit too soon for Wei Ying’s liking, they both stood together, right by the door. They stood in a shared silence, neither of them wanting to break this little bubble they had created around themselves. The silence was broken for them, when Wei Ying received a notification on his phone. He jumped, startled at the loud ‘bing’ his phone let out, and then laughed sheepishly. He stepped away from Lan Zhan, scared to be drawn back in, and decided to look at a spot behind Lan Zhan’s head instead of staring him in the eyes.

 “Well, today was great Lan Zhan. You have a lovely home, and your cooking is amazing. Maybe we could do this again sometime?”

Lan Zhan nodded in agreement, as he let a small smile peak through his usually stony exterior. Wei Ying blushed, feeling a strong urge to curl into himself and scream like a schoolgirl with a crush. Lan Zhan was SO CUTE.

“Then I’ll get going. Good night, Lan Zhan.” He opened the front door of the house and exited, knowing if he stayed a second longer he might lose control and kiss Lan Zhan.

“Good night Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan whispered as Wei Ying walked towards his car. Wei Ying heard him and felt his heart melt. He wanted to turn around so bad. He wanted to run up to Lan Zhan and fist the front of his cardigan, pulling him in for a searing kiss that left him breathless and wanting more, soo bad. But he couldn't, so he didn't. He didn’t even trust himself to turn around to say goodbye. He waited until he was safely inside his car with his seatbelt on, before he finally allowed himself to look out towards Lan Zhan and wave him a final goodbye. Wei Ying started his car, and began backing out of Lan Zhan’s makeshift driveway.

Wei Ying drove past Lan Zhan’s community, noticing how serene it all looked. He smiled when he got to the community gate, noticing that the gate began opening automatically. Earlier, Lan Zhan had told him the residents of this community were almost all Lan’s. He mentioned that they all had the ability to open the community gates through their home by a button, but as Wei Ying had taken a while to get here, Lan Zhan had stopped standing guard by the button, waiting for Wei Ying to approach the gate. Wei Ying had blushed at that, recalling how carefully he drove up the mountain because of his fear.

Now, he drove past the gate and braced himself to drive down the mountain. It was darker now, and colder. Wei Ying had to be even more careful than earlier.

He was only a third of the way down the mountain when it happened. He didn’t see the ice in the road, and by the time he noticed, it was too late, his car began skidding out of control. Wei Ying tried to keep himself calm, instinctively moving his foot towards his breaks before remembering not to slam his foot into them. He gently began breaking, forcing himself to stay composed and steady as he began steering his car in the opposite direction from where he was skidding. He took his time, not wanting to over direct and cause more mayhem. After a couple seconds that felt like an eternity, Wei Ying got his car back under control. He drove slowly to the side of the road and turned off his car.

Wei Ying’s hands were shaking and his body felt numb. He couldn't hear anything except the loud ringing in his ears. He felt he couldn’t breath, but every breath he tried taking in only managed to make him feel worse, churning his stomach. His seatbelt felt restrictive, and he fumbled, trying to take it off. He started breathing harder and feeling lightheaded, not enough oxygen was entering his system. He needed to get out. He needed to get out NOW. The seatbelt finally clicked free and Wei Ying took it off, slamming the car door open and falling to his knees on the gravel next to the road. He threw up the contents of the meal Lan Zhan had made for him earlier today before finally starting to calm down. The bitter cold helped Wei Ying get back under control. His breathing and heart rate began to slow into a normal pace once more, as he leaned against his car, sitting on the floor. He sat for a bit, mind blank as he allowed himself the time to recover from his almost accident. 

Eventually though, he had to start thinking. He needed to get to A-Yuan, and he needed help doing it. He was under no condition to keep driving. He sat up on his knees, pulling himself up into the driver's seat, knees too weak to properly stand. He grabbed a leftover napkin he had in his console and wiped the bile left on and around his lips. He grimaced as he finally registered the taste in his mouth, before looking for his phone. He found it on the passenger seat, and grabbed it, not thinking twice before dialing Lan Zhan’s number. It took two rings for him to realize what it was he was doing. He was about to hang up the phone and call Wen Ning when Lan Zhan answered.

“Wei Ying?”

“Lan Zhan..” It hit him then, that he could have died. He could have died or at the very least gotten very injured. What if he had ended up like his parents knocked out and unable to get help for hours? What if he ended up like his parents, with a damaged spine or under a coma for a couple years? His eyes started stinging, thinking about leaving A-Yuan all alone. 

Wei Ying was exhausted, having just gone through something he had always feared going through. He couldn’t control himself as the tears began falling. He sobbed into the phone, unable to form clear sentences. He could hear Lan Zhan talking, trying to say something, but Wei Ying couldn’t hear anything, too consumed in his tears. He dropped his phone in his lap, and brought his hands up to cover his mouth, trying to stifle the loud sobs wracking his body. He wanted his mom and dad. He needed them here, comforting him. Instead he was here in the car all alone, feeling scared once more. 

He could faintly hear Lan Zhan talking to him through the phone, and Wei Ying tried to calm down enough to talk. It felt like an impossible task. All he could do was cry.

Minutes after calling Lan Zhan and crying, Wei Ying heard the sound of a car approaching. The car parked behind Wei Ying’s, and a door slammed shut, indicating someone getting out. Wei Ying heard someone running to his car as they yelled out, “Wei Ying!”

It was Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan came for him. Lan Zhan was going to save him.

A fresh wave of sobs overtook Wei Ying, who suddenly felt so grateful to Lan Zhan. 

“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan spoke softly, as he approached the driver's side door Wei Ying had left open.

“Wait,” Wei Ying hiccupped out, wanting to warn Lan Zhan about the vomit.

“I- hiccup - I threw up right there.” Wei Ying rubbed at his eyes, trying to stop his tears.

Lan Zhan took off his outer coat and laid it over the vomit, kneeling on his coat to be able to look up at Wei Ying in concern.

“Wei Ying. What happened?” He asked gently.

Wei Ying shook his head, not wanting to talk about it.

“Lan Zhan, I can’t dri- hiccup- drive. Can you give me a ride?” Wei Ying hiccupped again, as Lan Zhan looked on in concern.

“Mm.” He stood up, and held out his hand for Wei Ying to take.

Wei Ying shook his head, forcing out a laugh. “I can’t walk rig -hiccup- right now.”

Lan Zhan nodded, accepting that answer as if it was an every-day, normal answer. 

“If Wei Ying doesn’t mind, can I carry him?”

Wei Ying nodded, feeling embarrassed but being unable to do anything about it. He hated all of this so much. He hated being weak and needing others' help. He also hated that Lan Zhan was carrying him right now. If it was any other time, Wei Ying would have been a blushing mess, trying to snuggle in as close as possible to get a whiff of Lan Zhan’s scent. As luck would have it, Wei Ying was a sobbing mess full of snot, and smelling like vomit. He tried to lean away from Lan Zhan, not wanting Lan Zhan to smell him. Lan Zhan gently put him down in the passenger seat of his own car, making sure Wei Ying was buckled in, before heading back to Wei Ying’s car. He looked through the car, grabbing a few things, before closing the front door, and heading back to his. Lan Zhan turned his car on without another word, and began driving. Wei Ying didn’t pay attention to the drive, pleading with himself to calm down and control himself once more. He needed to get home, and he needed to be okay enough that A-Yuan wouldn’t notice anything amiss. It wasn’t even an actual accident. It was an almost-accident. He needed to stop being dramatic.

The car stopped, and when Wei Ying looked up, he was surprised to see Lan Zhan’s house. He shouldn’t have been surprised really, where else would Lan Zhan go without Wei Ying’s specific instructions. By now, Wie Ying was okay enough to walk to the house, only needing to lean on Lan Zhan a little bit for support. They stayed quiet as they walked through the house. Lan Zhan took Wei Ying to one of his guest rooms and sat him on the bed before leaving. He came back a bit later with a pile of clothes, a toothbrush, and other necessities. “There is a shower behind that door if you wish to bathe. If not, here are some clothes to change into.”

“Oh.. Lan Zhan. I shouldn’t. I should let you rest, I’ll head back home…”

Lan Zhan shook his head, glaring at Wei Ying. “Wei Ying will spend the night.”

Lan Zhan left the room before Wei Ying could refute him. Wei Ying sighed, knowing Lan Zhan could be stubborn when he wanted. He went to pick up the clothes, surprised when he saw his phone on top of the pile. He grabbed his phone and decided to text Yanli.

‘Hey. Can A-Yuan spend the night? I’m sorry this is so last minute but something came up, and I don’t feel good.’

‘Sure Wei Ying. I was actually going to ask if he could spend the night. The boys are getting each other tired out. We’ll talk tomorrow when you start feeling better?’

‘Yeah. goodnight. Thanks.’

‘Goodnight’

Wei Ying sighed, and decided to fully take advantage of Lan Zhan’s shower. 

-

In the end, Wei Ying didn’t get to enjoy the shower fully, forgetting his legs felt weak. He was barely able to stand enough to get through half his shower, the other half having to be finished on the floor. He walked out the bathroom once finished, leaning against the countertops at first, and then the walls. He dressed himself before laying down on the bed, feet dangling off. Wei Ying lay there for a time, gathering his thoughts. It would be unfair to Lan Zhan to not explain what happened. He must have been terrified if his yell earlier was anything to go by considering Wei Ying had never heard Lan Zhan yell before. Wei Ying figured he would have been scared too if he got a call from someone who was supposed to be driving home, and instead of saying anything, all the person on the other side of the call could do was cry.

He braced himself, before getting up off the bed and exiting the room. He found Lan Zhan in the kitchen, moving about making tea and something that smelled suspiciously of hot cocoa. Lan Zhan heard Wei Ying and turned around to face him. He moved around the kitchen counter, pulling out a seat at the dinner table. Wei Ying took that as the silent command it truly was, and went to sit as Lan Zhan entered the kitchen to finish up the drinks. 

Wei Ying watched as Lan Zhan moved around, noticing his damp hair and pajamas. Lan Zhan must have showered as well . Wei Ying felt a small smile come on his face as he recognized the pattern on Lan Zhan’s pajamas. They were not just random splotches of color. They were bunnies! Cute little bunnies in a multitude of different positions. If Wei Ying was in a better mood, he would have teased Lan Zhan over the cute pajamas. Instead all he could do was sit and stew in his fond feelings for the man in the kitchen.

Lan Zhan put two drinks on a tray and walked to the dining table. He set the tray down and moved one of the mugs towards Wei Ying. Wei Ying took a sip from the drink and confirmed his suspicions, it was hot cocoa. The cocoa warmed him from the inside out, and Wei Ying felt himself sinking into his seat, feeling content. Suddenly, he didn’t feel that nervous. He wanted to share this intimate part of his life. Up until now, neither had spoken much of private things, sticking to topics of interest only. Lan Zhan doesn’t even know about A-Yuan for crying out loud. Wei Ying tended to be protective of his privacy, not really letting many people in, and it seemed Lan Zhan was the same way, only sharing private information when he had to. 

Wei Ying took a deep breath before looking up at Lan Zhan, finding the man already looking at him.  “So Lan Zhan, I bet you’re curious about what happened.”

“Only if Wei Ying is willing to share.”

Wei Ying smiled at how nice and understanding he was. “It’s okay. I want to share. You should probably wait to speak until after I finish talking though, or I might back out… When I was young, I was in a really bad car accident. It happened in the winter…”

Wei Ying retold his story, including as much detail as he could, as if trying to prove a point that it wasn’t something small. In fact, that was exactly what Wei Ying was doing. There was a reason Wei Ying didn’t bring up the accident much. He’d brought it up before, only to be essentially ridiculed. He had been told that it was a long time ago. He had been told that he had survived, so he should get over it. He had been told that it wasn’t a big deal and that being scared of the cold was ridiculous. It hurt more at the time as the person who had said this to Wei Ying, had, at the time, been one of Wei Ying’s best friends. They had been friends since before the accident. His friend had known exactly what had happened. He had even visited Wei Ying in the hospital along with his older sister, both of them wishing for him to get well soon, against the wishes of their mother who had some type of weird feud going on with his own parents.

 It had meant a lot to Wei Ying, feeling that his friend really loved him like a brother. It meant a lot to Wei Ying who grew up as an only child. But then years down the line, that same friend sat in front of Wei Ying, making fun of him, telling him to ‘get over it’. It had made Wei Ying feel so hurt, but he laughed it off anyway, not wanting to make his friend upset with him. Turns out, the damage had been done, and Wei Ying found himself not being able to view his friend the same way again. Slowly, he drifted away from his former best friend, but the feeling that his friend had made him feel never left him. It had already been hard to share that accident with people, but after being made fun of, Wei Ying closed off, not wanting anyone else to know and make fun of him.

It took him about two years of knowing the Wen’s before he even trusted them enough to tell them, and they had reacted appropriately, sympathizing with him and asking if he was getting help for it. They began to look out for him more in the winter, wanting for him to not stress alone if anything were to happen. He appreciated it, and he loved them for it, but he stayed closed off to everyone else, still fearing that the Wen’s reactions were in the minority; still fearing that if he told another soul, they would laugh at him and call him a baby as his former best friend had.

“… and so, I guess I panicked or something. I’m thankful I had enough room to think and get my car back under control, and parked, before panicking though. It could have definitely ended a lot worse. Originally, I was just going to call you to ask for a ride, but when I heard your voice, it was like a damn broke. I suddenly couldn't help but think that I could have died, or ended up in a situation similar to the accident, waiting for hours in the cold, wishing someone would notice my car and get me some help. I freaked out, and I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Thank you for telling me. I know it must have been hard for you to share. I would like to apologize for not informing you beforehand that I live on a mountain. You could have been better prepared, or we could have chosen a different meeting place.”

Wei Ying felt his heart melt at Lan Zhan’s consideration. “Lan Zhan, stop that! Don’t apologize for something you couldn’t have known. Thank you for not finding my fear of the winter ridiculous. Anyway, I hope this also explained my attitude during the lock in. I just don’t do well feeling trapped in cold places with no one close enough to help immediately.”

“If I need not apologize, then Wei Ying need not thank me. Your trauma is not ridiculous, and I hope no one has made you feel that way.”

Wei Ying stayed silent, feeling a lump in his throat as his eyes burned. Lan Zhan was the best. He was so sweet and kind. What more could Wei Ying say? Lan Zhan seemed to notice Wei Ying holding back tears, and offered up playing some guqin for Wei Ying to calm him down. Wei Ying readily agreed, and they both migrated to the living room.

Some time later, Wei Ying noticed Lan Zhan holding back yawns, he looked at the time and realized how late it was, definitely later than Lan Zhan stayed up, judging by the time he stopped texting Wei Ying every night. Wei Ying suggested that they retire for the night, and Lan Zhan reluctantly agreed after confirming that Wei Ying was okay. They went through their bedtime routines in silence, with Wei Ying getting to try the skincare the Lan Zhan had stocked up specifically for guests. Afterwards, Wei Ying went to lay down in the guest room, trying to fall asleep before realizing he wasn't as calm as he had originally thought. Every time he closed his eyes he thought of the accident. After tossing and turning for a bit, he sat up, groaning in frustration. He promised himself to set up a therapy appointment sooner than originally scheduled. 

After a bit of contemplation, he decided to go see if Lan Zhan was awake. Wei Ying felt a little bad waking Lan Zhan up, but Lan Zhan quickly reassured him that it was okay. Lan Zhan, surprisingly, suggested a sleepover in the living room. He tasked Wei Ying with getting the extra pillows and blankets from the cupboards while Lan Zhan entered two of his guestrooms and took out the mattresses, bringing them to the Livingroom and laying them in front of the sofa. They piled everything up, making everything as comfortable looking as they could, before they both settled on their respective mattress. Lan Zhan turned off the light and turned on his living room tv, putting on a documentary Wei Ying clearly remembered telling Lan Zhan was boring. 

In fact, if Wei Ying remembered correctly, his exact words were “It was so boring it put me to sleep Lan Zhan! I didn’t even go back to finish it! I definitely don't recommend it. -5/10 rating.”

Wei Ying smirked, realizing what it was Lan Zhan was planning, and he silently commended him for it. He also felt a little warm inside from the thought that Lan Zhan had remembered that conversation. He began watching the documentary, hoping it would do its job.

Before he knew it, he was knocked out.

-

Wei Ying woke up the next day to the smell of breakfast. He felt warm, and his brain felt fuzzy. It took him about 5 minutes to realize he was at Lan Zhan’s house, but once he remembered, he sat up, feeling slightly embarrassed. Lan Zhan appeared to be in the kitchen, finishing up breakfast, and when he noticed Wei Ying awake, he nodded towards the dining table where plates already lay.

Wei Ying got up and sat at the table, waiting for Lan Zhan to finish up and join him before beginning to eat. Wei Ying blabbered a bit here and there about superficial things, fully understanding that Lan Zhan would not reply as he ate. 

Wei Ying finished eating, and insisted on helping Lan Zhan clean. Together they cleaned the kitchen and living room, washing the dishes and picking up the blankets. The process went by faster than Wei Ying had liked, but it was for the best. Wie Ying had to go pick up A-Yuan. They had plans with the Wen’s today, and he didn’t want to be late, mindful of Wen Qing’s hectic schedule.

“Hey Lan Zhan, would you mind giving me a ride to my car?”

Lan Zhan shook his head and began heading for the door. Wei Ying followed after him. They put on their shoes in silence, with Wei Ying still wearing Lan Zhan’s clothes, as his needed to be washed. He was about to ask for the whereabouts of his coat, when Lan Zhan thrusted a coat into his hand.

“Wei Ying’s coat needs washing as well. Use mine.” Wei Ying nodded shyly, trying to contain his blush.

They exited the house and Wei Ying sighed, sad to leave.  He gasped as he entered Lan Zhan’s car, noticing how comfortable the seats were. He had not had the chance to really relish the fact that he was in Lan Zhan’s car last night, too upset from his almost-accident to really think about anything, but now, this was all he could think about. Wei Ying was in Lan Zhan’s car wearing Lan Zhan’s clothes after spending the night at Lan Zhan’s house while sleeping next to Lan Zhan . This was a dream come true. The Wei Ying from a month ago would have never imagined this type of possibility.

Once Wei Ying saw his car on the side of the road, he remembered his keys. “Wait Lan Zhan, I think I left my keys in my car. Did you lock it last night?”

“Mm.” Lan Zhan said.

“Lan Zhan! Then how will I get in?” Lan Zhan said nothing, not responding until he parked his car right behind Wei Ying’s.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out Wei Ying’s keys. “I grabbed them for Wei Ying last night.”

Wei Ying smiled, “You’re so considerate Lan Zhan. Thank you.”

He grabbed the keys and went to exit Lan Zhan’s car before remembering, “Ah… About the clothes..”

“Wei Ying can give my clothes back next time we meet. I’ll bring your clothes as well.”

“Thanks Lan Zhan. I’ll text you when I get home?”

“Please do.” Wei Ying smiled, nodding at Lan Zhan, before he exited the car, running to his own. 

Once behind the steering wheel, he took a deep breath. He was surprised he didn’t feel scared or anything. He felt at ease. Wei Ying wondered if that was Lan Zhan’s effect on him. He grabbed his phone and sent out a quick text to Yanli, letting her know he was on his way, before starting his car. He noticed Lan Zhan was still parked behind him, seemingly waiting for Wei

Ying to leave first. Right. I'm screwed. If I wasn't in love with Lan Zhan before, I am now. No doubt about it.  

Wei Ying got back on the road, wanting to get to his baby as soon as possible.

-

It wasn’t until the day after Christmas that Wei Ying got to see Lan Zhan next. 

Lan Zhan had gone to visit his brother, who apparently lived in an apartment close to Wei Ying. Wei Ying had asked if they could meet briefly, just to give Lan Zhan a Christmas gift he got for him. Lan Zhan agreed, saying he also had a present for Wei Ying, which made Wei Ying’s stomach fill with butterflies. Lan Zhan considered them friends enough to think of Wei Ying and get him a present. They both promised to meet, wanting to exchange presents as well as the clothes from their previous meet up.

Wei Ying met up with his parent’s that morning, spending the day together and exchanging their presents. He left A-Yuan with his parents at noon before heading to Lan Zhan’s brother’s apartment. 

The drive was quick, and he located the parking lot with relative ease. He parked his car and texted Lan Zhan letting him know he would be up to the apartment soon. It would be an understatement to say he was nervous. He was going to Lan Zhan’s brother’s apartment, and while Lan Zhan promised the only ones who would be there would be Lan Zhan, his brother, and his brother's partner, it still made Wei Ying nervous. He wanted to make a good impression, no matter how short of a time he spent there. He was also nervous about the present. Not knowing if Lan Zhan would like it or not. 

Wei Ying gulped as he saw the front door of the apartment. He put down his gift bag and his clothes bag to adjust his clothes and wipe his now sweating hands on his jeans. He needed to ease up. It wasn’t like he was meeting a significant other’s family. This was simply his crushes family, and it wasn’t even the full family. Not to mention, Wei Ying had already met Lan Huan. Wei Ying gathered the bags on one hand before knocking on the door with the other. He could hear a faint commotion on the other side of the door. It sounded like more than one person was approaching the door and saying something, but it was too muffled to make out.

Wei Ying stepped back a bit, in case someone was exiting the apartment. The front door opened, and the one who greeted him wasn’t Lan Zhan.

“Mr. Wei! Hello, welcome to my home.” Wei Ying smiled at Lan Huan, making sure to greet him properly.  They exchanged simple pleasantries as Lan Huan led Wei Ying inside his apartment.

“Ge.”

Wei Ying looked over Lan Huan’s shoulder, noticing Lan Zhan for the first time. He was standing further in the hallway, looking at his brother with what Wei Ying could only assume was annoyance.

Lan Huan smiled wider than before, a look of mischievousness over taking his features.

“A-Zhan, I told you. It’s only polite that I come out to greet him first, so he could feel fully welcome in my home.” 

Wei Ying watched on in amusement as Lan Zhan glared at his brother, who in turn, smiled ‘innocently’ at Lan Zhan. Wei Ying could hear someone else moving around the kitchen, out of view from the hallway, and could only assume that person to be Lan Huan’s partner whom he had yet to meet. 

The brothers continued having a star off in the middle of the hallway, and Wei Ying wondered whether to say something or not. He couldn’t stay long as he had promised his parent’s he’d only run out for a small errand. 

Thankfully, before he had to make a choice, the choice was made for him by the person in the kitchen who shouted out, “A-Huan. Stop messing with Lan Zhan, and come help me in the kitchen.” 

Wei Ying startled, finding that voice sounding exceedingly familiar.

“Mingjue-ge?” Lan Huan and Lan Zhan both turned to look at Wei Ying, surprise in their eyes. The movement in the kitchen came to a pause, before rapid footsteps were heard approaching the hallway. 

“Wei Ying?!” Mingjue entered the hallway, a pleasant surprise present in his eyes. “I didn’t know you were the ‘Mr. Wei’ they were talking about.” Mingjue approached Wei Ying, causing Lan Huan and Lan Zhan to move out of the way. Wei Ying could do nothing as he was manhandled into a soul crushing hug. 

He had forgotten how big Mingjue was. Wei Ying wrapped his arms around Mingjue, reciprocating the hug before breathing out, “I… can’t… breathe.”

Mingjue chuckled and loosened his death grip on Wei Ying before fully letting go. He grabbed Wei Ying’s shoulders and pushed him back a little, stating “Well, let me look at you. I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

Wei Ying blushed, and let himself be manhandled by Nie Mingjue once more. He was not wrong, it had been a while since he last saw Nie Mingjue. In fact, if Wei Ying remembered correctly, the last time he had seen his Mingjue-ge was his high school graduation. Both he and Huaisang had spent that summer traveling, and then they had started college. Wei Ying rarely stayed home during his breaks, choosing to resume the road trips with his parents, now that he could drive and lessen the workload from his mom. Naturally, the opportunities to see Nie Mingjue had dwindled significantly, and on the rare occasion he visited the Nie family home with Huaisang, Mingjue had been out busy.

“I wasn’t aware you knew each other.” Lan Huan said, curiosity tinting his voice.

Nie Mingjue turned to look at him with glee in his eyes. “Wei Ying’s like my second little brother. He’s been best friends with Huaisang for as long as I can remember. They were always spending their breaks together. Him, Huaisang and-” Mingjue roughly cleared his throat, cutting himself off once he realized who he was about to name. 

“Anyway. Huaisang and Wei Ying basically grew up together, only spending the summer apart. I can’t even give an estimate on how many times I was forced to take care of them, trying to keep them out of trouble. But they would still get in trouble anyway, always finding a way to escape me.” Mingjue pat Wei Ying’s back roughly while laughing, and Wei Ying, no longer used to Mingjue’s brute strength,  struggled to rebalance himself and catch himself from falling. Wei Ying laughed as well, remembering all the times Mingjue would catch him and Huaisang red-handed.

Mingjue turned a playful glare to Wei Ying, “Too bad he gotten too good for me and stopped visiting. I haven’t seen you in years! Where is your respect for your elders?”

Wei Ying’s eyes widened at the accusation, “Mingjue-ge don’t be like that. I’ve gone to visit, but each time you would get busy and cancel the plans at the last minute! It’s a two-way street, you know. Plus! I still text you all the time. I’m going to tell Huaisang you’re being dramatic.” 

Nie Mingjue rolled his eyes at the mention of his younger brother before glaring, “If you tell Huaisang about this, then I’ll tell the Lan’s about that one time I caught you and Huaisang three miles from ho-”

“Ah ah ah, I get it! I won’t say anything! And you promised to forget that night!” Wei Ying shrieked, successfully cutting him off from talking.

Nie Mingjue smirked but said nothing more to Wei Ying before turning to the Lans. “A-Huan. Come on, let's let A-Zhan and A-Ying exchange gifts. We'll say goodbye to Wei Ying after.”

He turned to Wei Ying and glared at him once more, “You better not leave without saying goodbye.”

Wei Ying rolled his eyes but nodded. He watched as Nie Mingjue and Lan Huan disappeared down another hallway. Suddenly the hallway felt specious, with only the two of them still occupying it. Lan Zhan silently invited Wei Ying to the kitchen, having him sit at the kitchen table before serving them both tea.

They drank for a bit before Lan Zhan spoke, “Excuse me, while I get your clothes and present.” Wei Ying nodded, and waited for a bit, before deciding to stand and go around the counter separating the kitchen table from the rest of the kitchen. He wanted to take a look around the kitchen; people always said you could tell a lot about a person through their kitchen, and he needed to know his Mingjue-ge was with a good person. He smiled once he noticed a couple of pictures of Nie Mingjue and Lan Huan on the refrigerator. Wei Ying had known Nie Mingjue was dating someone, but he hadn’t known who. They look like a great couple.

Wei Ying turned around as he heard footsteps approach the kitchen. He walked towards the archway next to the countertop separating the kitchen from the kitchen table he had originally been seated at. Lan Zhan was already under the archway, looking at Wei Ying.

Wei Ying smiled sheepishly as he approached him, “Sorry Lan Zhan. I’m a naturally curious person. I had to take a look around, I hope your brother doesn’t mind.” Lan Zhan shook his head, before presenting his present to Wei Ying, as well as another bag. 

“Your gift and your clothes. As promised.” Wei Ying smiled, grabbing the items from Lan Zhan and setting them on the counter before turning around and leaning against the counter to be in a more relaxed position. 

He presented his own gift to Lan Zhan while smiling nervously. As Lan Zhan reached out to get it, Wei Ying gripped it tighter. “ Ah Lan Zhan wait. Um, I really hope you like it, but also I’m nervous and would appreciate it if you waited to open it until after I leave.”

“I will if it makes Wei Ying comfortable.” Lan Zhan gave a tiny, comforting smile.

Wei Ying sighed in relief, letting the gift go, “Thanks Lan Zhan. You’re really great. Do you… Do you want me to open your gift for me right now?”

“Wei Ying can wait until he is alone as well.” 

Wei Ying grinned. “Okay Lan Zhan, I will. And we’ll text each other after?”

“Mm.”

“Well then… maybe I should get going. I’m spending the day with my parents, and I told them I wouldn’t be long.”

Lan Zhan opened his mouth to respond, but then Lan Huan burst out of the hallway, Nie Mingjue sheepishly following after him. “Wait!”

Wei Ying looked amusedly at the pair. It was obvious they had been eavesdropping, but why? Wei Ying couldn’t think of how an exchange of gifts would be something interesting enough to be worth secretly listening to.

Lan Huan pulled out his phone and pointed it at them, seemingly recording a video. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Wei Ying confusedly smiled before asking, “Ready for what?”

“You’re under a mistletoe. You have to kiss or you’ll get bad luck for the next year or something.”

Wei Ying’s and Lan Zhan’s eyes widened, as they both looked up. They were standing under an arch which indeed had a mistletoe hanging off it. How did neither notice before? Well this is certainly something. Wei Ying chuckled awkwardly before responding. “I don't think that’s why people kiss under a mistletoe…”

“Ge.” Lan Zhan deadpanned, clearly not liking what Lan Huan was saying. Wei Ying felt a little hurt, thinking Lan Zhan didn’t want to kiss him. It made sense, he supposed. Lan Zhan barely wanted to be his friend, why would he want to kiss him.

Lan Huan continued egging them on, “Come on! It’s just a small kiss! You wouldn’t want to curse my home now, would you?”

Wei Ying tilted his head, smiling at the man. Lan Huan was a tricky man. Wei Ying would have to remember that.

Nie Mingjue joined his boyfriend, “Come on! You scared Wei Ying? You scared of a little kiss?”

“Ah come on Mingjue-ge. I don’t want to force Lan Zhan to do anything he doesn’t want.” He had hoped this excuse would be enough to satisfy the instigators, but he should have known better.

Wei Ying could do nothing but watch as they both turned their attention to Lan Zhan, teasing him. Wei Ying gave Lan Zhan an apologetic look, but Lan Zhan just furrowed his eyebrows, as if thinking.

“Mm. I do not mind kissing Wei Ying.”

Wei Ying’s eyes widened, not expecting that to come out of Lan Zhan’s mouth.

Lan Huan cheered, and Mingjue whistled. Wei Ying turned towards Lan Zhan, looking at him wide eyed. The look Lan Zhan gave him almost felt challenging. As if daring Wei Ying to back out. Wei Ying scoffed, refusing to be the one to lose between them. He raised an eyebrow, daring Lan Zhan to make good on his earlier statement. Lan Zhan lifted his arms, and grabbed onto Wei Ying’s shoulders, pulling him closer. Wei Ying stilled, too scared to move and shock Lan Zhan out of continuing. Lan Zhan tilted his head up a bit, leaving Wei Ying feeling confused as he breathed in Lan Zhan’s scent. They were really close, and Lan Zhan smelled really good . Wei Ying wanted to pull away. He wanted to run away and hide his blushing cheeks under his covers, where he could daydream about Lan Zhan’s close body heat in peace. Instead, he continued to stand still as Lan Zhan leaned up and kissed his forehead gently. 

Wei Ying gasped, and his heart felt as if it was going to beat right out of his chest. He felt as if he couldn’t speak, a suggestive groan stuck in his throat. The heat of Lan Zhan’s lips warmed Wei Ying’s forehead, even after Lan Zhan pulled away. Wei Ying felt heat all over, suddenly having the urge to rip off his clothes and enter a tub of ice. The heat coming off his cheeks felt scorching, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how he must look to the others in the room, red-faced as can be. 

He cleared his throat, as he forced his brain to begin working again, “Thanks again for hosting me, I should get going.” Wei Ying winced a bit, hearing how high-pitched his voice was sounding. There’s no way that none of them know how much the kiss affected them. Looking at Lan Huan and Nie Mingjue smirking at him, he felt like dying. This was so embarrassing. 

He couldn’t even look at Lan Zhan as he bid his goodbyes to everyone; he simply looked at a spot in between Lan Zhan’s eyes. “I’ll text you later, yeah?”

Wei Ying desperately hoped that Lan Zhan hadn’t noticed his strange behavior. The last thing Wei Ying needed was to lose his new blossoming friendship because of his unrequited feelings.

“Mm. Get home safe.” Wei Ying nodded and quickly exited the apartment. He slammed his thumb on the button for the elevator multiple times before deciding the stairs would be quicker. He didn’t dare stop, letting his adrenaline keep him going until he was inside his car.

Once in the safety of his car, Wei Ying screamed, needing to let out the emotions Lan Zhan had made him feel after kissing his forehead. Wie Ying wasn’t sure whether it would have been worse or better if Lan Zhan had simply kissed his lips. There was something strangely tender and intimate about kissing one’s forehead. Not many people kissed their foreheads. It was a rare place to be kissed, and yet, Lan Zhan had kissed him there. Wei Ying can’t remember the last time any one had kissed his forehead, and he’s sure no one other than his parents had ever kissed him there before. It left his heart racing.

He looked up at his rearview mirror, wanting to take a look at his appearance. His cheeks were bright red, and he looked disheveled. Wei Ying chose to blame that on the run down a couple flights of stairs, instead of The Kiss ™. 

Wei Ying breathed deeply, needing to compose himself. He wouldn't let his family see him like this. They would tease him to no end, and this thing with Lan Zhan was new. He didn’t want to tell anyone about his crush. If he showed up at his apartment like this, his parents (his mom specifically) were bound to poke and prod, not leaving him alone until they got the name of the guy who made their son look like this. Then his mom would probably go to the internet to try to find the guy. It was too early into his friendship with Lan Zhan for Lan Zhan to be cyber stalked by his mom.

Wei Ying readjusted his clothes, and patted his now-cooling cheeks. Without sparing another second to think about the forehead kiss, Wei Ying turned on his car and began driving home. 

-

The rest of the winter break consisted of quick lunches here and there. And texts. Lots of texts. Both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had gotten busy, to the point of only being able to meet up for 2 hours at most, and even that was rare. Their text messaging had surprisingly increased, not that Wei Ying was complaining. Wei Ying had been scared that their friendship would turn awkward after the mistletoe kiss, but thankfully it hadn’t. Though… Wei Ying could admit that he was a bit upset and hurt that Lan Zhan never brought the kiss up. He acted as if the kiss had never happened, and Wei Ying took his lead, deciding that if Lan Zhan wasn’t going to make things weird, he shouldn’t either.

The school year started back up again, and the staff of Cloud Recess quickly took note of Wei Ying and Lan Zhan’s changed relationship. Wei Ying ended up being approached almost constantly that first week back, everyone wanting to know what happened. Wei Ying never went into detail with anyone, wanting his life kept private. 

But then… but then Mianmian had asked, and Wei Ying had made the mistake of cheekily replying, “I don’t kiss and tell.” Mianmian had screamed excitedly, and cornered Wei Ying, begging for details. It led to Wei Ying recounting almost everything he experienced during winter break, with a smile on his face. Mianmian called him out, stating there was no way it was just a friendship, so Wei Ying had confessed his feelings. He ended up asking Mianmian to keep everything a secret, and she readily agreed. With a secret between them, Mianmian became a good friend of Wei Ying’s, with her contact being the second (well third if you count Lan Huan’s) Cloud Recess Academy contact on his phone. 

Eventually, in his effort to evade everyone else's inquiries after weeks of being bombarded, Wei Ying made his way to Lan Zhan’s classroom. He saw the way most teachers were scared to approach Lan Zhan, Mianmian being an exception. He asked Lan Zhan if they could spend their lunches together, and grade papers. It ended up becoming a routine, and with all the time they were spending together in person, Wei Ying began feeling even closer to Lan Zhan, which made itself apparent one afternoon when he accidentally brought up A-Yuan. It had just felt right in the moment, and once he realized what he had done, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.

He wanted Lan Zhan to know about A-Yuan. He wanted Lan Zhan to meet A-Yuan. Wei Ying often thought to himself that A-Yuan and Lan Zhan would probably get along great, and now that the opportunity had been presented, he wasted no time in getting them to meet. Still protective of A-Yuan and the young boy's heart, he only had them meet in person a handful of times, though he did allow A-Yuan to speak on the phone with Lan Zhan on the rare occasions he wanted too. They mostly discussed bunnies, as that was their main topic of interest. That had been the topic Lan Zhan had used to bring A-Yuan out of his shell the first time they met, and A-Yuan had been hooked since then.

Though A-Yuan was still shy with Lan Zhan in the first few minutes of their meetups, he would warm up quicker and quicker, beginning to see Lan Zhan as a friend, and Wei Ying’s heart warmed at the thought.

Lan Zhan got to spend summer with Wei Ying and A-Yuan, as Wei Ying had originally promised, and each day Wei Ying dropped Lan Zhan off at home, Wei Ying’s heart threatened to burst out of his chest more and more. Each day, Wei Ying’s control threatened to slip more and more. The amount of times Wei Ying had to hold himself back from leaning across the console and fisting Lan Zhan's shirt to crash their lips together was beginning to become a problem

It didn’t help that mid-way through summer, Wei Ying began to notice Lan Zhan acting distant with him. Wei Ying had been sure his feelings had been found out, and that Lan Zhan was just trying to find a way to let him down. But the thing is… A-Yuan already loved Lan Zhan, and it would devastate him if Lan Zhan left. Wei Ying forced himself to have a discussion with Lan Zhan, and let him know that if he was planning to leave, he should do it sooner rather than later. Surprisingly, that confrontation had ended with a kiss after both of them ended up confessing to each other.

Wei Ying asked Lan Zhan if it was okay to take things slow, not wanting to rush anything for the sake of A-Yuan and Lan Zhan had readily agreed, which only made Wei Ying love the man even more than he thought possible. If it were up to Wei Ying, he would have married Lan Zhan by the end of the week, but it wasn’t up to Wei Ying. He had to think of his baby, and his baby's feelings. 

Wei Ying and Lan Zhan dated throughout the summer, taking A-Yuan everywhere with them. Fall came again, and Wei Ying couldn’t help but think about how different things had been back then. Back in the previous fall, Wei Ying had been sure Lan Zhan despised him, but now here they were, dating and in love. Wei Ying still looked back to the day of the lock-in, feeling strangely thankful for the faulty doorknob, which had thankfully been fixed before winter break had ended.

And now, it was the middle of fall. Wei Ying was sitting in an interview room, wanting to answer Nie Huaisang’s questions quickly so that he could go join Lan Zhan who was currently at Wei Ying’s apartment, taking care of A-Yuan.

Wei Ying looked at Huaisang and smiled, “My favorite season? Honestly, I can’t believe I'm saying this, but I think my favorite season is… winter.”

Huaisang’s eyes widened. Never in a million years would he have expected that to come out of Wei Ying’s lips.

Wei Ying understood. Huaisang had also been there for Wei Ying when he had gotten into the accident. Huaisang had comforted him through it, and comforted him through every winter since, always trying to make him as comfortable as he could. Even in their adult years, Huaisang would often ask if Wei Ying needed a chauffeur, or if he needed Huaisang himself to drive him around. Huaisang had always taken care of Wei Ying, and Wei Ying had always reciprocated, that was just the type of friendship they had. They were brothers.

Huaisang took a while to ask his next question, clearly stunned by Wei Ying’s answer. When he finally glanced at Wei Ying again, Wei Ying couldn’t help but notice how red his eyes were, as if he was holding back tears. Wei Ying felt his own eyes stinging, and they both shed a couple tears while looking at each other, a look of understanding passing through them. Nie Huaisang pulled out a random tissue box from under the table, and grabbed a few tissues for himself before pushing the box to Wei Ying while quipping “clean yourself up, this is a professional interview.”

Wei Ying snorted, and the mood lightened between them. Nie Huaisang sniffled a bit more before composing himself enough to ask his next question. “Why is winter your favorite season?”

He looked genuinely curious as he asked this question, and Wei Ying couldn’t help but smile.

He shrugged before answering, “Winter is misunderstood. A lot of people think of winter and think of the bitter cold. I admit, I used to find winter as something pale and rigid, as well as freezing. Winter would only remind me of bad experiences, so for the longest time, I hated the season. But recently… I learned that winter was so much more than the bitter cold. I learned that winter was so much more than my bad memories. Winter is full of warmth, both around you and inside. No one thinks about the nights spent inside the house, drinking hot cocoa, and listening to calming music. They don’t think about how pretty the world looks, blanketed by the snow. Winter is peaceful, and quiet. It’s… nice. I got to experience a lot of good things this most recent winter, and now, when I think about winter, I don't think about my bad experiences as much. I think about happiness. I remember everything good that happens in the winter, all the time I get to spend with loved ones, getting to communicate with them after a long while of not being able to. Winter is great.”

Nie Huaisang teased, “Is winter great, or is a special someone great?”

Wei Ying smiled fondly and replied. “Both. Actually… Winter is great, and Lan Zhan? Lan Zhan is amazing.”

Huaisang rolled his eyes. “Okay lovebird, some of us are single please don't rub your love in.”

Wei Ying laughed, overjoyed. Wei Ying didn’t often get to spend time with Huaisang these days, with him always traveling and filming. It was great to be able to spend time with his best friend, even if it was under the guise of an interview. Huaisang seemed to think the same, as he turned off the camera, and they just talked for a bit, catching up after the interview.

Eventually though, they bid their goodbyes, with Nie Huaisang’s next interviewee already waiting outside, and Wei Ying wanting to go home to his boys.

As Wei Ying drove home, he thought about the question. Lan Zhan never told him what the interview was about, and Wei Ying was strangely thankful. He was glad his genuine reaction was captured on camera. Maybe when the video comes out, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying can sit down and watch it together. Wei Ying was sure Lan Zhan would love to see Wei Ying’s answer.

Before he knew it, Wei Ying was outside his apartment door, searching for his house key. He could hear noise on the other side of the door, but he couldn’t make out what it was. He finally found the key and opened his front door, walking in on a scene of both A-Yuan and Lan Zhan wearing bunny onesies while hopping around the house. They both paused as they noticed Wei Ying standing at the door.

Wei Ying giggled, overwhelmed by how happy he felt, “Oh my bunnies! They’ve broken free of their hutch! I need to catch them!”

Wei Ying smiled as he closed the front door, quickly taking off his shoes. He heard A-Yuan scream in excitement before he heard his little feet running away from him. Wei Ying smiled up at Lan Zhan. “My big bunny better run before I catch him.” 

Lan Zhan smiled slightly as his ears reddened, “Wei Ying needs to close his eyes and count to 20 to make this fair.”

Wei Ying huffed out a laugh before closing his eyes and turning around. “One, two…”

He kept counting as he heard his two favorite people running around the apartment looking for an appropriate hiding place. He couldn’t help the grin that overtook his features.

How could he have gotten so lucky?