Work Text:
Lan Jingyi fully concentrated so he could fly as fast as possible. Well, not quite. Part of his concentration was spent blaming himself for not being able to complete his assignment the day before. But how could he have known that a task as simple as taking a statement on mysterious incidents on the Gusu border would take two whole days? Well… if he hadn't allowed himself to be provoked, some things would have remained unsaid during this time and people might have been a little more cooperative...
His swearing barely reached his ears due to the strong wind. If Lan Qiren found out how he had behaved yesterday as a member of the Gusu Lan clan, he would face detention again. But that didn't matter to him today. That was a problem for FutureJingyi. PresentJingyi had to get home quickly so he could wish his best friend a happy birthday. He would probably miss the party that Lan Sizhui's fathers had planned. That annoyed him, but as long as he made it back today in time to at least congratulate and didn't have to spend the night outside the cloud recesses, everything was fine.
He smiled as he thought about the gift he had hidden in his room. His heart beat a little faster as he imagined Sizhui with the scarf he had commissioned for him. He had drawn the template after they had fed Hanguang-Jun's rabbits last summer: sitting rabbits snuggled up close to each other amid a sea of flowers and dancing butterflies, with swallows flying above their heads in the cloudless sky. Would Sizhui like the picture? It was hard for him to imagine that this wasn't the case, simply because it featured Sizhui's favorite animals. Nevertheless, an uneasy feeling remained.
Jingyi sighed. How could he not have felt uneasy? After he first saw Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian fawning over each other, both obviously in love but not yet a couple, he noticed how similar he and Sizhui behaved at times. The realization was admittedly not unexpected, as he had always noticed that something was different between them than with other best friends. At least when it came to him, because the pounding heart and the need to constantly want to be near Sizhui was all too often described in the romance novels he read. And how he wished there was a happy ending for him, like in these books. Nevertheless, he wasn't kidding himself: Sizhui was a kind-hearted person who behaved kindly towards almost everyone. Although they were virtually inseparable, he didn't dare assume that Sizhui felt the same way about him.
Lately he had been making small hints every now and then, but the reactions to them hadn't helped him. Sizhui behaved towards him the same way he always had - like he had for years! To be truly certain, Jingyi had to confess his feelings. And he would…as soon as he felt ready. Until then, he would continue to try it nice gestures, which Sizhui might eventually respond to a little more obviously. With a bit of luck it would work this evening! How long until he reached the cloud recesses?
Jingyi looked around. Then he blinked and sighed. Instead of flying, he hovered in place with his sword. Apparently he had allowed himself to be too distracted by his thoughts. He wiped his face. At least he hadn't accidentally fallen from the sky. He took a deep breath before continuing to fly. Hopefully his carelessness hadn't cost him too much time.
~*~
When Jingyi finally arrived at the cloud recesses, the guards were still standing at the entrance. A weight lifted from his heart - he had made it in time and didn't have to spend the night outside. And most importantly, he could see Sizhui again!
Jingyi landed in front of the entrance, sheathed his sword and bowed to the two guards before entering the cloud recesses. He glanced up the stairs and, after making sure no one was standing there, took them two at a time. His legs were a bit wobbly from the long flight, but he didn't even think about slowing down.
The sun had set early, as is typical for January, so he couldn't tell from the sky what time it was. Luckily, the full moon was so bright that he had no problem seeing the path. Since hardly anyone was walking around anymore and many had already retreated to their quarters, it seemed to be relatively late. If the celebration that took place in Hanguang-Jun and Wei Wuxian's Jingshi wasn't over yet, it certainly would be soon. Although curfews on birthdays were not taken quite as seriously, many Lans usually got tired on time due to their internal clock. Sometimes he wondered how they could even take part in night hunts without falling asleep while standing.
He rushed to the room he shared with Sizhui to get the gift. Since there was no light coming out, Sizhui was actually still on the move. So he didn't knock, but simply pushed the door open, closed it again behind him and went to a box in which he kept his neglected calligraphy utensils. Thanks to the moonlight, he quickly found the gift wrapped in light blue fabric. He looked at it for a moment as he took a deep breath. Soon he would finally know - after weeks of waiting - how Sizhui liked the scarf. If he hurried, he might even make it to the party and Sizhui could open his present in front of the others. Jingyi hesitated for a moment. Did he even want that? He bit his bottom lip. Lately he had the impression that at least Wei Wuxian knew full well that he had his eye on Sizhui - and if he knew, then Lan Wangji certainly did too. If, contrary to expectations, they hadn't noticed, then they would when he watched Sizhui excitedly as he opened the gift. The last doubts would be dispelled at the latest when they saw the scarf, in which Jingyi had not only invested a lot of preparation time, but also a lot of money. It would made obvious: You are incredibly important to me.
Jingyi shook his head. Sizhui was important to him! Even if he hadn't fallen in love with Sizhui at some point over the last few years, the gift wouldn't be too much. There was nothing that should make him uncomfortable in any way!
As he stood up, a strand of hair fell over his right eye. He blew a few times, but it fell back again and again. He sighed in annoyance. It definitely didn't belong there! His hairband must have come loose during the flight. He briefly considered whether he could risk going out like that, but because he usually was unlucky, surely Lan Qiren ran into him and made him copy the clan rules as punishment for his unkempt appearance. After giving him a lecture that lasted for several minutes, for which he definitely didn't have time right now. It would be quicker if he would simply fix it.
He took off his hairband and headband and placed the latter on the table along with the gift. He put the hairband in his mouth and fixed his hair. Just as he was wrapping the ribbon around it, he heard familiar footsteps approaching. He turned to the door through which Sizhui entered.
Lan Jingyi's heart beat faster when he saw Sizhui's bright smile. Apparently he missed him too.
"There you are! Glad you made it back today!” said Sizhui, reaching past the door as he tried to close it without looking.
Jingyi smiled, then shouted, "Happy birthday, A-Yuan!" He barely cared if he was too loud! He complied with the need to give Sizhui a brief but loving hug before taking a step back, embarrassed.
“Thanks, Jing-er!” said Sizhui and looked briefly at the door so that he could actually push it shut this time. Then he looked back at Jingyi, who wondered for a moment whether Sizhui's cheeks were actually flushed or whether the color had been distorted by the moonlight. They looked at each other for a moment, then Jingyi somehow made it back to reality.
“I guess I didn’t make it to your birthday party?” Jingyi asked quietly.
“Unfortunately not, but that's not so bad. Now you’re here, that’s the greatest gift!”
Jingyi felt the heat rising to his cheeks and the corners of his mouth turning upwards automatically. He hoped so, so much that he wasn't grinning too stupidly. But Sizhui was probably used to this anyway and was no longer surprised at all.
“Speaking of gifts!” said Jingyi. Without looking away from Sizhui, he reached for the cloth that was lying on the table and pressed it into his hand.
Jingyi waited for Sizhui to unwrap the present, but he just stared down, transfixed. His complexion had definitely changed now, his expression a mixture of surprise, confusion and doubt. Jingyi blinked, then looked at Sizhui's hand, which was tightly gripping a white ribbon. It took several very strong heartbeats before he realized what had happened. To be on the safe side, he looked at the bundle of blue fabric lying on the table.
“I-I,” Jingyi stammered. At a loss for words, he buried his face in his hands. Why was he so damn clumsy?! He bit his bottom lip. What should he do now? Taking the headband out of Sizhui's hand might lead to false assumptions. Being in this situation now, he could as well confess his feelings directly. He cursed mentally. Why didn't he check again?
"This is the best gift I've received," Sizhui whispered in a hoarse voice, causing Jingyi to freeze and hold his breath. Had he heard correctly? Sizhui liked that he accidentally had given him his headband? Or was Sizhui just teasing him? No - he wouldn't do that to him. His heart was pounding in his chest.
Jingyi peeked out from between his fingers and saw that Sizhui had tears in his eyes. Nevertheless, Sizhui smiled at him and eventually even started to laugh. "You certainly didn't plan that, did you Jing-er?" he asked.
Jingyi shook his head slowly, then lowered his hands. He looked down. This was so embarrassing! "But that doesn't mean I didn't want to give it to you," he whispered. He asked even a little more quietly: “Do you want to keep it?”
“Clumsy!” Sizhui said.
When Jingyi realized that Sizhui had taken a step closer to him, he dared to raise his head again. Without warning, he felt something soft and warm on his lips. It was only for a moment, so much shorter than the time it took Jingyi to realize what had happened. He doubted he wasn't imagining it all, and yet there was Sizhui, just inches away from him, smiling so lovingly at him. He had answered his question in a way he never imagined. Sizhui had actually kissed him!
Jingyi couldn't help but grin. He brushed a tear from Sizhui's cheek and chuckled softly. “I'm your clumsy.”
Before Jingyi could react, Sizhui had wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer. Jingyi immediately returned the warm hug. Only millimeters separated their lips, but neither crossed the distance. Instead, they looked deeply into each other's eyes. Jingyi couldn't believe that Sizhui looked so incredibly happy because of him.
"I love your clumsiness, you know that?" Sizhui asked, making Jingyi laugh.
"I'll remind you of that whenever I get us into trouble again," he said, closing his eyes and nudging his nose against his boyfriend's. "But today I'm also happy that I can be so scatterbrained."
For a while they just stood there leaning forehead to forehead. Jingyi enjoyed Sizhui's closeness and tried to understand that all of this was really happening. He had put so much effort into the scarf... ah, the scarf! “Do you still want to unwrap your present?” he asked and blinked as Sizhui chuckled. It took him a moment to understand what Sizhui found so funny. His cheeks immediately became warm again. "Shameless!" he said giggling, before kissing Sizhui tenderly.