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Wei Wuxian was going to kill somebody. Probably Jin Zixuan. There was no logical reason to suspect that he was involved in the theft of Wei Wuxian’s first kiss, but currently Wei Wuxian had no idea who was responsible. Until they could be found, blaming the Peacock was an acceptable alternative. If one really thought about it, the Jin’s were in charge of organizing this nighthunt. If one of the guest’s had the audacity to act inappropriately (forcibly kissing Wei Wuxian while he was blindfolded) the responsibility fell on the hosts. From this perspective, Jin Zixuan DESERVED to be yelled at.
Feeling fully justified, he set out to give Jin Zixuan a piece of his mind. The sun gently filtered through the canopy of leaves, and the feeling of the soft breeze was soothing. Wei Wuxian ground his teeth. It felt like the skies should unleash a storm and rain down a fury of thunder and lightning, as crows cawed. Instead there were only the far away sounds of mandarin duck’s song.
Kissing someone without their consent was bad enough, but Wei Wuxian had been hoping to save his first kiss for his soulmate. In the aftermath of the Sunshot campaign, and all the horrors he had endured, that one soft hope had managed to survive. The thought of gently holding hands with his soulmate, watching as color slowly seeped across their interlocked hands. He had hoped to paint his soulmate a happy vibrant red, a promise of joy and love. As a child on the streets of Yiling, he had imagined every color his soulmate could impart, and what it might mean. Then, a first kiss, slow and tender.
But no! Instead, some fierce maiden had come and mashed their lips against his! She caught him unaware, held him down (using one incredibly strong arm) and pried his lips open with her tongue! His lips burned, and his knees felt weak, with anger!
He was so furious that he took off his gloves and twisted them in his hands. It was bad etiquette, and Jiang Cheng would yell at him for being shameless if he saw, but he was beyond caring. Besides, no one was around to see his unmarked hands. Gloves were worn to prevent people from accidentally touching. A poorly placed soulmark could be embarrassing at best, and ruin marriages and families at worst. The only people who should see a soulmark were the pair themselves.
After what seemed like ages of trampling through the forest, he finally heard Jiang Yanli’s gentle, beautiful giggle, and the Peacock stammering. When he pushed the trees apart, he gasped in horror. Before him was the Peacock and Jiang Yanli standing close together, their gloves laying on log to the side.
“What are you doing?”
Jin Zixuan lurched away from Jiang Yanli like a startled rabbit. “I can ex-” When he had fully turned to look at Wei Wuxian, he stopped mid sentence. A blush colored his face, nearly the same color of the cinnabar mark on his forehead.
Jiang Yanli's eyes widened and she let out a nervous giggle behind her sleeve. “Would you mind telling us what you were doing, A-Xian?”
“Nothing?” He ventured. “You know, just sitting in a tree.”
“By yourself?” She giggled again, almost frantic.
Wait. If Shijie was asking that, did, did she know? Did she have some secret superpowers to tell when people had been kissing?
“How did you know?” He blurted out.
Shijie stopped laughing. She bit her bottom lip and Wei Wuxian’s stomach sank further than he thought possible.
“Oh A-Xian, didn’t you see her after your kiss?”
“What? I didn’t see her before or after! That’s why I was trying to find you.” He jabbed a finger at Jin Zixuan. “Really, perhaps the Jins should be more discerning on who they invite. Your guests shouldn’t go around kissing random blindfolded men, it's incredibly rude.”
Jin Zixuan’s face had started to pale, leaving red and white splotches that made him look like a hanged ghost. He and Jiang Yanli looked at one another. Then they looked at Wei Wuxian. Then they looked at one another. Wei Wuxian thought they were being a bit dramatic.
“Ah, ah, don’t worry! It’s not that serious, it's just a little lipstick, I’m sure it will wash off soon enough.” He said with a laugh.
This seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Jiang Yanli froze. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. At a loss she turned towards Jin Zixuan for help. Wei Wuxian thought it was a futile effort; Jin Zixuan had never been helpful before in his life.
“Er- perhaps you should look in a mirror.” Jin Zixuan pulled out a small circle mirror with a handle in the shape of a peony. Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes, but still accepted it. Hopefully, he could just wipe the lipstick off and get on with his day.
The mark that covered his lips was an icy blue. When he moved the sun illuminated a dusting of silver. The effect made it look like his lips had been frostbitten. He started frantically wiping at his face with his sleeve, but the pigment would not budge. “WHAT,” He cried out. With horror, he realized that it wasn’t only his lips that were covered, but his tongue as well. He dropped the bronze mirror on the ground as if it had burned his hand.
Conflicting emotions warred in Wei Wuxian. On one hand, his first kiss had been unceremoniously stolen, so he was furious! On the other hand, he had met his soulmate! She was in his close vicinity! On another, third disembodied hand, his soulmate had immediately abandoned him. This soulmate was not blindfolded, and would have been able to see that they were destined to be together, and still left. Wei Wuxian tried to ignore the creeping anxiety that made its home inside of him.
The trio had managed to find Jiang Cheng, who was unfortunately talking with Nie Husiang. Who was unfortunately talking with Nie Mingjue. Who was unfortunately with Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao. In short, all the major sects would know by sundown that Wei Ying had been unceremoniously kissed and banished by his own soulmate.
“Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng sputtered, his face turning bright red. “How could you be so shameless?”
Before Wei Wuxian could begin to explain, Jiang Yanli jumped in. “Oh it’s just terrible! She kissed him while he was blindfolded, and then left.” She started sniffling. If it was any other situation Wei Wuxian may have found how quickly Jiang Cheng’s expression went from ‘berate Wei Ying for his shamelessness’ to ‘beat up whoever impugned his brother’s honor’.
Wei Wuxian vaguely registered Lan Xichen’s face paling, as he murmured something to his sworn brother, and started walking briskly towards the forest where Wei Ying had just come from.
Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Yanli made a small tight circle as they debated what to do. The four others stood off awkwardly to the side as they made exaggerated facial expressions of disbelief at one another. They were still doing this when Lan Xichen arrived again, this time with Lan Zhan in tow. Lan Xichen’s grip was unusually tight, leaving creases in the white fabric of his brother’s sleeve. The second thing that Wei Wuxian noticed was Lan Zhan’s bright red mouth. The red of his mouth matched his ears. Lan Zhan was staring determinedly at the ground, and Lan Xichen’s face was frozen in a stiff smile.
Everyone stopped talking.
“I believe Wangji has something to say to you, young Master Wei.”
There was a tension in the air, like the crackling energy of Zidian. Out of the corner of his eye, Wei Wuxian could see the purple sparks jumping from Jiang Cheng’s wrist. Wei Wuxian felt something bitter twist in his chest. “Oh, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian tried to ignore how his voice was breaking, and flung himself at the other man. “You too? Who would have the audacity to kiss the Hanguang-jun without permission?”
The sound of the wind through the leaves was thunderous in the quiet of the glade. Even Zidian’s crackling had stopped.
“Just how many shameless maidens are roaming the woods kissing unsuspecting men?” He turned to Jin Zixuan. “You should really do something about this Peacock, what will people think?” For once, the arrogant young man had nothing to say. “This really is too terrible! I know much you hate touching people,” He said, patting Lan Wangji on the back.
Jiang Cheng’s voice was surprisingly even and calm when he said, “I’m going to kill the both of you.”
Jiang Yanli swatted at his arm. “Be kind, even if A-Xian is being… silly, right now.”
There was a twitch in Lan Xichen’s eye as he said “Wangji, would you please tell Wei Wuxian who kissed him?”
Wei Wuxian gasped. “Of course! You weren’t blindfolded, were you able to see the girl who kissed you?”
There was a chorus of groans.
Lan Wangji, still not moving, gave a sigh and opened his mouth. There, he was able to see that Lan Wangji’s soulmark also covered his tongue. Wei Wuxian felt as if he was drowning in vinegar. There was a strange sense of sadness, at the idea that someone out there knew what Lan Zhan tasted like, had felt his tongue against theirs. It was a strange sort of grief, at that realization there was someone out there, who was perfect for Lan Zhan in every single way, who knew things about Lan Zhan he would never know.
“Wei Ying,”
Wei Wuxian let out a small, sad “Hmm?”
“I was the one who kissed you.”
“HMMMMM????”
Lan Wangi looked seconds away from passing out. He knelt on the ground, his face staring at the ground. “I apologize for misconduct. It is an unforgivable breach of your trust and I am willing to accept the consequences.”
The world has turned upside down for Wei Wuxian many times in the past few years, the destruction of Lotus Pier, the loss of his core, and the months he spent in the Burial Mounds. Each of these upheavals had meant a loss of his home, his family, and his cultivation. But for the first time in a very long time, this change did not mean losing something. This could mean gaining his soulmate.
“Fine, the consequence is marrying me.”
Lan Wangji’s face jerked upwards, his gold eyes wide and shining.
“Ah, do you really think you can get out of taking responsibility, hmm?” It wasn’t until Lan Wangji’s hand came up to cup his face and wipe the tears away did he notice he was crying. “I know I may not be what you want in life, and certainly I’m not what you deserve, but maybe one day- I mean surely now this means we can fall in love. Surely, surely this means there’s a chance.”
Lan Wangji’s bright, brilliant, beautiful golden eyes blinked. “I do not need to wait to know I love you. I have loved you since the moment I saw you, and will always love you.” His voice was soft, but remained strong and confident.
Wei Wuxian did not have the words to explain what was happening in his heart. Instead, he reached out and kissed Lan Zhan on the mouth, and with their second kiss he felt that everything had just fallen into place.