Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lotus Pier was a popular cafe near the cloud recesses college campus. Students would often go there to study while enjoying the mellow music and warm atmosphere.

It was praised for the good service, delectable cakes and pastries, and of course the coffee they served. People loved to post pictures of their artsy lattes with backgrounds of the lotus flowers blooming in the small water fixtures around the shop.

The building was decorated in light woods with lavender painted walls and white details. The name stuck to the glass windows facing the corner of the street with fairy lights hanging from the ceiling.

All of this came together to create the serene cafe that was Lotus Pier.

That serene cafe would soon be disrupted if Jiang Cheng went through with his threats to break his brother's legs, who had only started working there a couple months ago.

"Wei Wuxian! Would you stop flirting with every person who comes in here!?" Jiang Cheng yelled at his brother, storming in from the back room.

"But ChengCheng~ I was just being friendly! Right, jiejie?" Wei Wuxian whined after his brother.

"WHO'S YOUR CHENGCHENG? I don't care if you don't know what normal people's boundaries are, you're not the cashier anymore, just make the coffee!" Jiang Cheng roared back.

"A-Xian, maybe it would be better if you did make the coffee. If there's a big line it does tend to hold up if you take orders. If there's a lot of people, maybe let A-Cheng take them" Jiang Yanli tried to calm her brother's down.

"Jiejie not you too!"

"Hah! See, if A-jie says so you have to!"

"Fine, but only if there's a big line"

"Thank you boys, now go and take care of the customers, I'm going to keep baking"

"Yes A-Jie"

"Yes jiejie"

__________

The afternoon rush of the day had finished, now there were only a couple new people coming in, so Wei Wuxian took their orders and handed them off to his brother to make.

Right around now it became a slow day, so Wei Wuxian was exceptionally bored.

He went around the cafe just cleaning up tables, probably ended up cleaning some more than once. He may have been on the third wipe down of the same table, letting his mind wander, when finally the little gold bell above the door jingled with the new customer walking in.

Wei Wuxian started walking back to the counter. "Hi, welcome in!"

He turned to look at the newcomer and froze on the spot. No way this guy was in their little coffee shop, he looked too ethereal to be on the planet.

Against the violet theme of Lotus Pier, he was out of place in his light blue sweater vest, white turtleneck, and white pants. Wei Wuxian's silver eyes were drawn to the others piercing gold, feathered bangs slightly brushing past and resting on high cheekbones.

With his light skin and inky black hair, he looked more like a god carved from jade by an artisan rather than a mere mortal.

Those were the only thoughts racing through Wei Wuxian's head as he forgot to talk to said pretty man.

He then remembered how to be a functioning human being.

"Can I take your order, handsome?" He threw in a cheeky wink for good measure.

"A jasmine tea, please" Pretty man- as Wei Wuxian had decided to call him- stated. It seemed like he wasn't fazed at all.

No matter, he would get pretty man's attention somehow.

"Coming right up! Let's see, that'll be 2.65 gege. Can I have a name for your order?"

Pretty man's eyes narrowed slightly at that.

"Lan Zhan" 

"Alright, and for here or to go?"

"For here"

He didn't say anything more, just swiped his card, sat down at a table, and started to set out his textbooks and laptop.

Wei Wuxian set to making the tea, heating the water, putting the loose tea leaves in the glass cup, and pouring the water in, easy! No way he could mess this up for Pretty- Lan Zhan! He'd gotten his name! He grinned to himself.

"Lan Zhaaaan!" he announced to the cafe, even though there were only a few other people there who had all already gotten their orders. He was just testing the name out.

Lan Zhan waved a hand, not looking up from his textbook. Wei Wuxian made his way over and set down the tea. He flashed a quick smile towards the other before leaving to the counter to the three new customers.

He swiftly took their orders and made their drinks, taking out a couple chocolate chip muffins that they'd asked for. Once again, he was left to his own devices to entertain himself. He paced about the counter for a minute before doing what could've been the best decision ever. It also could've been the worst decision ever, but whatever.

He made his way over to the table Lan Zhan was sitting at and plopped himself in the seat across from him.

"What're you working on?" Wei Wuxian questioned leaning on his elbows that rested on the table.

Lan Zhan only glared up at him for a moment before going back to writing notes.

"Hey come on Lan gege, don't just ignore me!" He whined and pouted his lips.

Lan Zhan's eyebrows furrowed. "I have and older brother"

It took Wei Wuxian a second to realize what he meant, once he did he started to giggle.

"Alright, so Lan er gege then! Aiya, so stingy!" He beamed at the other.

Lan Zhan's ears turned pink, so cute! He almost squealed, but he figured that would just scare him away.

"You're so diligent, Lan Zhan! I bet you ace all your classes, you look like the type. Oh how do you like the tea Lan Zhan? You know my brother, Jiang Cheng, he says the tea I make is awful, but that's not true right?"

"Mn, the tea is acceptable"

"Aiya, you're so mean, er gege! Oh you know what's really good? The things my jiejie bakes! She's the best, Lan Zhan. She's so nice, her trash of a fiance doesn't deserve her"

"Mn, she sounds nice"

During their whole conversation, Lan Zhan hadn't looked up from his studies once. Wei Wuxian pouted again.

"Awe come on Lan Zhan, look at me, you're gonna make me sad!" He waved his hand in front of the other boy's laptop.

Lan Zhan sighed and looked up at him with his strikingly gold eyes. "Wei Wuxian is very talkative" He must've read the name tag on Wei Wuxian's purple apron.

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but grin again. "Lan Zhan! You should call me Wei Ying! I can tell we're so close already!"

Lan Zhan looked back down at his laptop.

"Ridiculous"

Wei Wuxian just laughed in response.

"Wei Wuxian! Come on, stop wasting customers' time! You have a job!" Jiang Cheng yelled from the back room. 

"But no one has even come in!"

"I don't care, get back to work!"

__________

Lan Wangji didn't know why he'd given the pretty barista his birth name, but he had.

He was so distracting, Lan Wangji couldn't stop taking small glances at him from where he was sitting.

His eyes were drawn to the boy, his messily tied up short ponytail, the loose black band shirt on his torso, the holes in his black ripped jeans, and the red hoodie tied around his slim waist Lan Wangji could picture his hands encircling.

Lan Wangji shook his head at the thought. He came here to do his work. He got to reading his book and taking notes, periodically typing on his laptop and taking sips of the jasmine tea he had ordered. 

Everytime he took a sip, his mind went back to the perky barista, Wei Wuxian, as his name tag read.

Just as he was about to take another sip, the other came over and sat in the seat across from him, he was surprised to say the least.

He just kept taking notes, never looking up, and giving short answers. It was all he could manage, but Wei Wuxian seemed to enjoy talking, so the conversation didn't cease with Lan Wangji's small inputs.

He'd never met someone so friendly, Wei Wuxian was like the sun itself and Lan Wangji would gladly bask in its warmth. He could feel the tips of his ears heat as time went on.

When Wei Wuxian told him to call him 'Wei Ying', his heart may or may not have stuttered. He was a bit disappointed when the other boy's brother called him back. He didn't talk to Wei Ying again while he was there, but he could tell the other was looking at him.

After a while, he collected his belongings and took his cup back. Wei Ying was in the back room, so he secretly snuck a twenty dollar bill into the tip jar.

He quietly left the store and made his way back to his apartment to keep up the routine that had been engraved into him by his uncle since he was young.

Even as he lay in bed, the pretty barista's bright laugh and shining smile lit up his closed eyelids.

Chapter Text

Ever since Lan Zhan started going to the cafe regularly, it'd been the highlight of Wei Wuxian's day. He'd come every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday every time at 2:00 on the dot. Wei Wuxian thought this very much fit his personality.

Every one of those days, he'd be on edge, watching the door when 2:00 approached. He'd almost burnt himself several times and had gotten yelled at by Jiang Cheng even more, but it was all worth it. 

When Lan Zhan brought up the band-aids on his fingers, he just laughed it off. Lan Zhan didn't need to know the reason for those burns just yet. 

Jiang Cheng took notice of the new pattern in his routine. How whenever Lan Zhan was there, wei Wuxian would just sit across from him, ignoring his job. 

Wei Wuxian would notice his brother grumbling about it and his 'gay disaster ass'. He'd just hide behind his jiejie while she smiled sweetly and said how nice it was that 'our little Xianxian found someone to take an interest in!' She really was the best.

Half the time Lan Zhan would come, he wouldn't order a drink. Wei Wuxian would give him one anyway, wanting him to try whatever weird concoction he'd created that day. 

He found out the other's family had a rule against drinking coffee, so he got creative with whatever else they had.

"Lan Zhan, where are you from, do you live far away? I mean you must live close, because you come here so often."

"Mn"

"What do you like here, Lan Zhan? You must like the drinks, you give me a tip all the time! Lan Zhan you really should stop tipping so much though, you'll run out of money!"

"No, Wei Ying deserves it and I will not run out."

"But Lan Zhaaaan!"

"Wei Ying."

Wei Wuxian could read some of his minute expressions at this point. This one meant 'leave it alone, you don't need to worry about it'.

Wei Wuxian just pouted, maybe it was just a trick of the light, he swore he saw the corner of the other's mouth lift.

__________

Lan Wangji knew he was in trouble the second day he went to Lotus Pier Cafe. He knew he would keep coming back the second he opened the door and saw Wei Ying's face light up from his dull boredom.

It was worth the teasing he got from Luo Qingyang. 

"I need to go see this cafe, if you go there so often, their stuff must be good! Unless there's some other reason you keep going there…?"

"..."

"Wait, I know! Let's go there to work on our group project! Then I can finally see this place, plus we need to work on it anyways."

"Fine."

Luo Qingyang laughed, "Don't worry, I won't mess this up for you."

"Mn."

That's how Lan Wangji found himself walking into Lotus Pier at 2:02 on Tuesday with Luo Qingyang. Wei Wuxian noticed him the moment he came in, his silver eyes snapping up. 

He seemed confused when Luo Qingyang followed him to the usual table and sat across from him. 

He got up and walked over to the table like he usually would. The smile on his face looked too tight, Lan Wangji didn't like it.

"Lan Zhan! I got worried when you were late today, who's this? Is she your girlfr-"

"I'm his friend, Luo Qingyang."

Wei Ying's smile relaxed again. Lan Wangji would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't relieved at the sight.

"Wait, I think I know you from somewhere! Oh, you're Wen Qing's girlfriend Mianmian!" Wei Ying looked thrilled, like he'd unraveled some great mystery.

"Oh yeah! She's mentioned you before actually" The two continued to converse over their shared person of interest, Lan Wangji was just satisfied being there.

They got to work on their group project, but Lan Wangji didn't feel like he was being much help. He didn't talk much in the first place even when he got work done, but with Wei Ying sitting thigh to thigh with him, he could barely function.

It didn't help that Luo Qingyang was sending him knowing looks every time Wei Wuxian would lean into his side.

She was evil, she was supposed to be his friend. How dare she, couldn't she see he was about to implode?

Wei Ying didn't seem to notice a thing, back to his bright and carefree smile and chattering away. Once he saw that Lan Wangji wouldn't push him away, he seemed to be committed to being a little octopus stuck to his side.

He was very cute. Lan Wangji wanted to kiss him.

Luo Qingyang could only stay a couple hours to work on the project, so with that, she was off. That left the two alone.

Wei Wuxian sighed. "Lan Zhan, that means you'll have to leave now, too, right?"

"If Wei Ying wants me to stay, I can."

"Good. You're comfy."

"...Wei Ying."

The other boy just laughed in response.

Chapter Text

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT DATING?" Wen Qing interrogated Wei Wuxian.

They just wanted to have a nice night at the cafe. Wei Wuxian decided to invite a few friends to relax and have a good time with, and so did his siblings. They put on some ambient music and sat in some of the comfy chairs in the lounge section of the cafe.

Wei Wuxian of course decided to invite Lan Zhan, Nie Huaisang, Wen Ning, and Wen Qing. A few others were there too, like Mianmian and the peacock (who both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng tried to get away from their sister). 

Wei Wuxian then thought it would be a great idea to get some emperor's smile, just enough so they could relax. Who knew that Wen Qing would just get more prickly and start grilling Wei Wuxian about his life choices.

It wasn't any of her business if he chose to endlessly pine after the celestial being that was Lan Zhan, ok?

"Shhh, don't you know how a secret works? How could we ever be dating, look at him. Can't you see he's way out of my league?" Wei Wuxian shushed the other.

"I can see someone who's apparently just as dense as you, given that it seems like you both can't see the heart eyes you keep sending each other. Seriously, you're really not together? You two act like a couple of newlyweds."

Wei Wuxian sputtered.

"Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about. You and everyone else who's said something like that. Me and Lan Zhan are just friends."

The argument sounded weak even to himself, but Wen Qing didn't need to know that.

She just stared at him like he was the stupidest person in existence.

"Well if neither of you does something about it, we'll all be stuck looking at the two of you being dumb forever. So do something or I will."

"Ack! No no no no no- you don't need to do anything. I'll just uh- I don't know, maybe I'll figure out something." Wei Wuxian fidgeted with the drawstring of his hoodie.

"Fine, but hurry up." Wen Qing just walked back to the lounge with a small pat on Wei Wuxian's shoulder, like she hadn't left him in shambles trying to figure out his feelings.

No matter how many times his friends told him their thoughts on the matter, he couldn't believe that Lan Zhan could ever think of him in the same way.

Lan Zhan was the type of person to have his life together, ace everything in school, get a good job, and marry some nice lady. He doesn't need someone like Wei Wuxian who would only drag him down with his awful sleep schedule and chaotic life.

And they didn't act like a 'newlywed couple' ok? Wei Wuxian was just naturally touchy and loved to tease people, especially those who he liked. 

When Lan Zhan started reciprocating in his own way with little jokes and small smiles, Wei Wuxian was over the moon. He couldn't ask for anything else at fear of losing what he already had. 

The last thing he'd want is to drive Lan Zhan off with his stupid feelings.

Thus, he'd committed to never telling the other, even though it sounded pathetic. He'd have to get over it eventually right? (He'd tried waiting to see if it would, but he only fell harder). 

So there he was, standing in front of the counter, facing the wall with light lotus flowers painted on it, and trying to calm his racing heart.

"Wei Ying."

That seemed to be a very effective method, as hearing Lan Zhan say his name from behind, it felt like his heart stopped beating. 

"Ha ha ha, Lan Zhan what are you doing over here?"

__________

Lan Wangji never meant to eavesdrop, after all it was against his family's rules, but he'd heard loud voices from where Wei Ying and Wen Qing went. He got worried and started to walk over to the front of the shop, he could only see silhouettes.

"…know how a secret works? How could we ever be dating, look at him. Can't you see he's way out of my league?"

Lan Wangji stopped walking. He heard the rest of their conversation, but couldn't move.

Wen Qing walked by, only briefly glancing at him. Even if she didn't say anything, he knew that was a 'well, go on now' look.

Wei Ying asked him what he was doing there, but he didn't have any words to say. He just looked to the ground, feeling his ears heat up.

Out of all the times in the world, he really wished now was the time he would say something. However, it seemed he could never get the words out.

After some silence, Wei Ying started to walk back towards the others.

"Ah Lan Zhan, don't worry about anything you might've heard. It doesn't matter, come on let's go."

Lan Wangji stopped him.

"No, what you said, you-"

He didn't know what to say, 'you meant that?', 'you said it doesn't matter?', 'you feel the same?', he didn't know. 

By this point Wei Ying started to panic.

"You heard that? You really don't need to bother."

"Wei Ying-"

"I won't be a creep or anything, we'll just be friends, I promise!"

"Wei Ying-"

"I'll get over you eventually, please don't leave. I know it's stupid, we haven't even known each other for a long time, but I-" 

"Wei Ying!" 

Wei Wuxian finally fell silent.

"Why do you assume what I feel?"

He heard a small intake of air from the other boy.

"Lan Zhan, no way, you can't mean that!"

"Why not?"

"Well because you're you! Look at yourself, there's no way you'd want me, you'd have to be insane!"

"I guess I'm what Wei Ying would call insane."

"Lan Zhan, no!"

By this point, Lan Wangji was amused. He couldn't help but let a small smile onto his face at the other.

"Would Wei Ying like to go on a date with me?" 

"Lan Zhan, you fuddy duddy, listen to what you're saying!"

"Is that a no?" It was a rhetorical question. Lan Wangji may or may not just have been having some fun teasing the barista.

"Of course it would be a yes, anyone would be lucky to have you! I'd be the dumbest person in the world to turn you down!"

"Mn, I am free this weekend. I will pick you up at two."

Wei Ying poked him in the chest, grumbling.

 "Now you can't change your mind, you're stuck with me. You better not stand me up." He pouted for extra effect.

"Never."