Work Text:
Excerpt from “Leading Tone” by silencemostofall
“What are you going to do, parade everyone I know through your apartment?"
He wanted to touch his brother. His sister. He wanted to touch little Jin Ling.
"Yes," Lan Zhan says firmly. "Is that okay?”
——————————-
Lan Huan is the one to set the evening in motion (after he’s gotten over his shock that Wei Ying was not, in fact, joking about marrying his brother. “How long have you been dating? Wangji you never told me! I can’t believe you kept this a secret!” He relented on his frustration quickly though when he noticed the smile that was gracing Lan Zhan’s face as he explained that the curse was broken and they needed everyone to come show Wei Ying how much he was loved. Wei Ying had to hide his face against Lan Zhan’s shirt because—oh god—he was loved! Probably by more than just Lan Zhan! His shijie…! Probably even Jiang Cheng maybe.)
Lan Huan texts Nie Mingjue. He gives a very short explanation of what had occurred after Wei Ying admits he would rather not have to explain when everyone arrives. Nie Mingjue calls his brother Nie Huaisang and the rest is taken care of.
Lan Zhan bundles Wei Ying up on the couch and lets him sit in shocked silence and contemplate the current projection of his life. He’s gone from having nothing—about to lose his whole future—to someone who is loved. Someone who has a mark of color on his skin.
He can’t stop staring at his hand where the white stain from Lan Zhan’s touch remains. He rubs at it idly with his thumb and still it remains. Lan Zhan raises the hand to his mouth and presses a soft kiss against the mark. Wei Ying has to bite his lip in order to keep the tears from escaping.
“How is this real?” he whispers without meaning to voice the question.
Lan Zhan kisses his temple. “Wei Ying is loved. Always has been.”
“My shijie always—“ but he can’t finish the sentence because his lungs suddenly forget what they’re supposed to do and he has to shudder through the next three breaths as if he’s breathing through a straw. Lan Zhan—perfect, sweet Lan Zhan just rubs his back until he settles.
“We should call Jiang Yanli.”
Wei Ying knows his eyes are wide. “We should call Jiang Yanli. And Jiang Cheng.”
Lan Zhan twitches.
Wei Ying pets his knee. “He should know. He’s...my brother.”
(Jiang Cheng looks over his shoulder as he crosses the doorframe, meeting Wei Ying's eyes. "Don't even think about coming home," he says.)
“And I have to tell him what Lan Qiren said,” Wei Ying adds more confidently. “He can still go to school!”
Only somewhat reluctantly, Lan Zhan lets Wei Ying borrow his phone to call Jiang Yanli. He leaves him to make the phone call in private, saying he is going to check with his brother about what they will serve to their guests that night.
“A-Ying?” she says in a hurried rush when she answers the call. “A-Ying is that you?”
He bites his lip before he can answer. “It’s me.”
“Don’t listen to anything Jiang Cheng told you last night! I’ve already spoken with him. He shouldn’t have come to you like that. I want you to come stay at my home. Zixuan and I can have you stay with us. It would be so good for you to be with us to help with the baby.”
He hardly knows what to say in the face of that. She loves him. For the first time ever, he lets himself start to believe it.
“Um...shijie…”
“Where are you? I’ll come get you. I’m getting in the car now.”
He laughs and it comes out more choked than he would like but he tells her to come to the Lan house and she promises she’ll be there soon. He doesn’t even get to explain about the curse before she hangs up. But that’s ok. Because Jiang Yanli is coming. She’s coming. And she loves him. He’s going to dare to believe it.
She probably wouldn’t bother rushing over here if she didn’t.
The phone call to Jiang Cheng is more difficult. He stares at the number he could dial with his eyes closed—mostly because after he forgot it and was stranded at a bar two years ago, Jiang Cheng had forced him to practice dialing it so many times he could now do it with the phone upside down, behind his back—but he can’t press the call button. His thumb doesn’t want to move. He debates taking the cowardly way out—texting Jiang Cheng that Lan Qiren said his scholarship would be returned. Waiting until the next time they cross paths at rehearsal to speak to him. Swiping a hand at his arm just to see. To check.
But Jiang Cheng deserves better.
He lets out a sigh that starts all the way in his toes, and presses the call button.
“What the fuck do you want?”
“Lan Qiren says your scholarship is going to be returned.”
There’s an awful moment of silence as Jiang Cheng processes exactly who has called him. He does absolutely shit all to fill the empty silence so Wei Ying is left to fill it himself. As usual. Ugh.
“I’m not being kicked out either,” he says a little more quietly.
“So at least you didn’t ruin everything.”
He winces and covers his eyes even though he can’t see Jiang Cheng’s frown anyway. “Yeah...guess not.”
“I’m still pissed at you.”
His eyes squeeze more tightly shut against it all. “I know,” he says weakly. Then he hangs up. Because he can’t do this.
He turns and Lan Zhan is standing right there because he’s perfect. He doesn’t even have to ask. He just gets swept up into Lan Zhan’s arms again and gets to hide his face away against Lan Zhan’s chest.
After a long moment, Lan Zhan breaks the almost-silence of Wei Ying’s shuddering breaths. “What did they say?”
“Um…”
He can feel the frown even if he can’t see it. “Did you tell them about the curse?”
He leans back and forces a grin. “What curse? I’m not cursed!”
He lets out an actual laugh at the face that Lan Zhan gives him. It can’t be helped. Lan Zhan is just too funny when he uses that judgemental glare.
“Wei Ying.”
“Oh hush, Yanli is on her way and I’ll tell Jiang Cheng when I see him again.”
Lan Huan clears his throat from behind Lan Zhan and Wei Ying goes up on tippy toes to look over Lan Zhan’s shoulder more easily. He raises both eyebrows and the way Lan Huan is staring awkwardly at the floor.
“Yes?”
“If it would be desired, after your siblings get here and get to touch you of course, if you would like me to, I would leave a mark on you.”
It’s truly the most awkward he has ever seen Lan Huan act. The man barely meets his eye!
“You want to touch me,” Wei Ying says almost breathlessly.
At least it puts the older boy on firmer ground because Lan Huan rolls his eyes at him fondly. “We’ve been playing together for years. You’re dating my brother.”
“Engaged,” Lan Zhan interrupts helpfully.
Wei Wing pets his hair distractedly.
Lan Huan gives him a pointed look towards the hand in his brother’s hair as if to say, See? “You are family,” he adds calmly.
He almost chokes on the next breath. But he manages to say, “You can now, if you want.”
Lan Huan walks on such steady feet—nothing like how Wei Ying feels—because what if Lan Zhan was a fluke? What if—
He holds out his arm over Lan Zhan’s shoulder, reaching out. He tries not to hold his breath. Lan Zhan remains steady and holds him through it.
Lan Huan’s touch is so gentle on the back of his arm, just a brush of skin as runs the back of his hand against Wei Ying’s arm. He leaves a trail of light blue behind.
Wei Ying swallows hard.
“Welcome to the family,” he says gently, over the sound of Wei Ying’s racing heart.
—————————
Wei Ying is sitting on the couch again beside Lan Zhan when there is a burst of knocking on the door. “A-Ying?”
Wei Ying runs to the door and throws it open. “Shijie, look!” He waves his hand and arm in front of her.
She gapes. “Wei Ying!” She stares and Wei Ying doesn’t know how to say she had better touch him now or he might cry. She doesn’t appear to have Jin Ling with her and he realizes he’s actually very disappointed by that. How soon can he follow Jiang Yanli back to her house so he can touch his nephew? How soon can he throw himself at his shijie and let her mark him?
“He was cursed,” Lan Zhan says from behind his shoulder, because he realizes that Wei Ying is choking on his words helplessly. “It is lifted now.”
Jiang Yanli looks at him with the softest look he thinks he’s ever seen. “I can mark you now? It will stay?”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan answers for him. Because Wei Ying still can’t speak. He’s just staring at her like he’s never seen her before. Maybe he hasn’t. She loves him. And she’s about to cry.
She reaches out a shaky hand to brush her thumb against his right temple. She gasps and the tears start falling and he knows she has left a mark in the matching spot to where she and Jiang Cheng are both marked.
Wei Ying lets her fold him into her shoulder as they both cry all over each other.
Later, once they can both mop up enough of their tears to walk across the room, they get seated on the couch and Jiang Yanli digs a mirror out of her purse to let Wei Ying see her mark. It’s a streak of pale lavender, soft and perfect and for all the world to see every time he is looked at. Not that he would ever hide his sister’s touch even if he could.
It’s all going well with a lot of crying and hugging and saying I’m so happy! until Jiang Yanli asks about the curse. Wei Ying squeezes Lan Zhan’s hand but bless him the man ignores his silent plea.
“Your mother placed the curse,” he says bluntly.
His shijie looks horrified . “My mother?”
Wei Ying glares at him while he tries to pat Jiang Yanli’s hand soothingly. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine !” she retorts fiercely. “That... woman ! I can’t believe she—“ But she doesn’t finish the sentence. She presses a hand to her stomach and does some deep, angry breathing instead.
Wei Ying glares harder at Lan Zhan. “She’s just had a baby! She doesn’t need this kind of stress!”
“She had a right to know,” Lan Zhan says firmly. And because he’s smart, he kisses Wei Ying’s foreheads so he won’t be able to form words and argue.
“Wait! Are you two together now?” Jiang Yanli demands. She looks like she’s deliberately ignoring the anger but he can still read the tension in her shoulders. His shijie is furious.
He grins and tries to distract her. “It looks like one of your brothers might not be so hopeless after all! Jiang Cheng might scare off all the suitors but I’ve been scooped up.”
She looks from him to Lan Zhan and squeezes his hand tighter.
“Engaged,” Lan Zhan says simply.
Her eyes grow huge. “A-Ying!” she wails and pulls him to her for another tight hug again. “I’m so happy for you!”
And then they’re off crying again. But at least she’s not angry.
———————————-
Lan Huan calls Wei Ying into the kitchen to ask about snacks for the evening and he reluctantly leaves Jiang Yanli and Lan Zhan on the couch—though he knows trouble when he sees it! He’s pretty sure Lan Zhan psychically communicated with his brother to get him to leave them alone together. And he shoots Lan Zhan a glare to let him know he’s on to him.
Lan Zhan doesn’t looked cowed in the least.
When he returns, Jiang Yanli is flushed red and Lan Zhan’s face is too placid to be anything but a mask to cover his own emotions.
Wei Ying throws himself down between them with a huff. “It’s not so bad,” he tries.
They both look at him like he’s a particular kind of stupid.
“It’s over now and we can forget about!” he whines, leaning into his shijie’s shoulder aiming for pathetic and cute. If he says it enough, maybe it can be true.
She pats his head and doesn’t pretend to agree with him.
————————-
Jiang Yanli leaves before the party can really be kicked off. She hugs him tightly, gives a pointed look to Lan Zhan, and mutters something under her breath that he can’t hear.
But Lan Zhan has a mean little smile edging onto his mouth.
“What?” he asks, letting his voice come out in a whine when he realizes they’re in cahoots. He should have never left them alone together!
Jiang Yanli just pats his head and leaves.
Lan Zhan waits for her to be safely in her car before he confesses. “She’s going to see your mother.”
Wei Ying doesn’t know what to do with that. He knows now that she loves him. But how can she love him enough to confront Madame Yu in his defense?
Fortunately or unfortunately, he doesn’t have long to contemplate that idea, because that’s when Nie Huaisang arrives.
He walks up the front steps, takes one look at Wei Ying and his red eyes and says, “No. not enough skin! You should probably take off your shirt, Ying-gege.” He flutters his eyelashes in a flirty manner.
Wei Ying laughs—because as shit crazy as this day has been at least one thing remains the same! He jokingly tugs his shirt upward as if he’s really going to bare himself for this party.
He underestimated Nie Huaisang though, and doesn’t have time to step back before a touch trails down his chest from nipple to hip. His fingers leave a grey streak in their wake.
Lan Zhan yanks Wei Ying backwards a step out of reach but it’s far, far too late. “Shameless!” he bites out. But the effect is ruined when Wei Ying and Nie Huaisang burst out laughing at the look on his face.
When he can finally breathe again, Wei Ying takes Lan Zhan’s face in his hands and presses a kiss to his cheek. “Don’t worry, Lan Zhan,” he says, “you’ll always be my first.” He grins at the way his ears go shockingly red.
Nie Huaisang looks at them for a moment, narrows his eyes, and grins. “Good. That’s good. I always knew you would end up together. But you should still lose the shirt. Lots of people are coming and you don’t want all the marks overlapping on your hands and wrists.” He tugs at the offending shirt to make his point.
——————————-
When Lan Zhan goes to answer the door for the next guests, Nie Huaisang slips him a flask of liquor. Wei Ying throws back as much of it as he can before Lan Zhan can come back because he has a foreboding feeling that this party might do him in. After all, Nie Huaisang organized it!
Mianmian and the Wen siblings are the first to arrive. Mianmian reaches out first and Wei Ying flinches automatically but she kindly ignores it. She presses light pink fingerprints into the bend of his elbow.
Wen Qing reaches around her girlfriend and slaps his chest. Hard. It leaves a whole handprint on his ribcage. “That’s for being stupid enough to not tell us you were cursed!” (But the deep red color tells the truth about how much she cares about him.)
Wen Ning leaves his mark much more calmly, just a hand rested against Wei Ying’s bare shoulder, in a darker red than his sister’s color. His eyes are fierce when he says, “I’m glad we get to finally do this.”
Then it’s like a parade as person after person come by to wish him well and leave their marks. Somewhere embarrassingly early into the evening, he loses his shirt, because Nie Huaisang is a conniving little bastard and because Wei Ying might be a little drunk.
Wei Ying’s arms have color. His hands have color. He even has streaks of color on his chest thanks to a few more shameless individuals.
Lan Zhan glares at every single person who dares touch his chest. But then he smiles so softly at Wei Ying every time his eyes widen when someone leaves color behind on his skin so what does it really matter?
————————————
“You idiot!”
The party is well and truly in the swing of things when he hears a familiar voice yell over the noise. He spots Jiang Cheng storming through the crowded living room.
“You were fucking cursed!? ” Jiang Cheng looks about one breath away from a breakdown. Are his eyes wet? Wei Ying feels his breath catch when he realizes that look is one of guilt. But for what? Even he himself hadn’t imagined a curse might be at the root of his problem!
Wei Ying swallows and grasps for words, but for once they just aren’t there to be found. He shrugs weakly, not sure whether he’s allowed to throw himself at his brother or not.
Jiang Cheng is staring at his skin, eyes raking over the marks that it shows. Color stains him like paint. If Nie Huaisang hadn’t slipped him more liquor to dull the shock, Wei Ying feels sure he would be shaking his way into a panic attack just from the sight of himself. He keeps catching sight of color on his skin out of the corner of his eye and forgetting why it’s there.
When he meets Wei Ying’s eyes, Jiang Cheng’s face is thunderous—maybe more angry than he’s ever seen his brother before. “If it wouldn’t mess up a-jie’s mark I would punch you in the face right here and right now.”
Wei Ying lets out a sob and slams his body into Jiang Cheng’s in a fierce hug. He’s crying all over Jiang Cheng’s shoulder and he doesn’t even care. He can hear his brother sniffling against his shoulder too.
It takes him a long moment to remember he wants to see what Jiang Cheng’s mark looks like. He’s in a tshirt so Wei Ying’s arms have a band of color wrapping around them just below his shoulders, leading to his back where Jiang Cheng’s hands had landed.
Jiang Cheng’s mark is a deep purple, brighter than the color his mother has left on his own face. It compliments Jiang Yanli’s lavender perfectly. It’s deep and unmistakeable.
His siblings love him.
His brother punches him gently in the shoulder, right where he left his mark. “You shouldn’t look so surprised.” He looks like he’s trying not to cry.
Wei Ying throws up his hands because he has absolutely no way to articulate everything he’s feeling right now. He is loved. And there are so many marks littering his skin now to prove it.
“And what the fuck is Yanli going on about you being engaged to Lan Zhan? You haven’t even dated him yet!” Jiang Cheng grouses.
Wei Ying has never been so happy in his whole life. “Looks like you’re the only single one now, A-Cheng! Maybe I can set you up with someone…!”
Jiang Cheng punches him again, harder this time. “I don’t need any help from the likes of you!”
He laughs and pushes his brother. Can people die of being too happy? He feels like his chest might be cracking open.
“Jiang Cheng,” a cool voice breaks into the moment.
Wei Ying leans into Lan Zhan’s side. He’s always been drawn into Lan Zhan’s orbit and now he has the luxury of being able to touch him whenever he wants ! He’s going to take advantage of that.
He sniggers at the look on Jiang Cheng’s face when he sees them touching each other so shamelessly. (Lan Zhan even has a hand resting on his bare hip! Wei Ying might faint.)
“So she wasn’t lying, huh?”
“Nope!” Wei Ying says brightly. “You’re about to have another brother-in-law!”
Jiang Cheng gives him a scathing look. “You really think I count Jin Zixuan as my brother ?”
Wei Ying makes a face because—true! But wait a minute—does Jiang Cheng not want to think of Lan Zhan as his brother? That’s rude! Lan Zhan is way better than the stupid peacock!
“Jiang Cheng,” Lan Zhan tries again, voice still cold, “though I appreciate you telling me about Wei Ying’s lack of marks, I should tell you that if you ever try to hurt Wei Ying like that again I will have you removed from his presence by force.”
Awww! Lan Zhan is so sexy when he’s protective, Wei Ying thinks. Then he remembers he’s allowed to say those kinds of things out loud now—so he does!
Lan Zhan blushes bright red and doesn’t meet his eye.
Jiang Cheng makes gagging noises.
It takes a moment for Wei Ying to remember how to look at anyone but Lan Zhan. He’s thrilled to see how uncomfortable Jiang Cheng looks.
Jiang Cheng is glaring at the floor pretending he can’t see them making moon eyes at each other. But after a moment, he blurts out. “Thank you for helping my brother where I couldn’t.”
“Mn.”
Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes and walks away to find a drink.
————————-
The rest of the evening passes in a blur of heart-stuttering moments as each person who touches Wei Ying leaves color on his skin.
Lan Zhan’s baby violinist appears out of a gap in the crowd at one point.
“Lan Sizhui! What are you doing here?”
The boy shrugs a little bashfully. “Nie Huaisang texted me. I’m sorry to hear about the curse. I’m so happy for you that it’s finally been broken.” Something about his tone makes Wei Ying certain he would bow right now if he thought it was appropriate.
“But you barely even know me,” Wei Ying says stupidly.
If Wei Ying didn’t think of the kid as Lan Zhan’s baby violinist, he would say the kid’s grin was shit-eating when it appears this time. “Lan Zhan talks about you. Kind of a lot.”
He blinks.
Lan Sizhui’s smile dims a little bit as his eyes flit across the map of marks on Wei Ying’s bared chest and arms. “So um, you’re kind of right that I guess we don’t really know each other but—“
Wei Ying shakes his head and blurts out, “What the hell!”
The kid’s face lights up in a grin that makes him want to shield his eyes. He holds out his right arm and Wei Ying only hesitates for a brief moment before brushing the back of his left knuckles against the kid’s skin.
If he weren’t a little drunk he would probably cry when even this kid leaves a mark on his skin. He’s gone from having no proof of being loved to even having the baby orchestra members tell him they care about him. It’s overwhelming. The stain Lan Zhan’s baby violinist leaves is a cream and it makes Wei Ying laugh because for a moment, he thinks the kid has left the same white Lan Zhan stained his skin with.
Lan Sizhui grins at him when Wei Ying can finally take a break from staring at the mark. “Jingyi is on his way over now. He should be here soon.” And then, because he’s a good boy being raised by Lan Zhan, he recognizes when enough is enough and he slips away into the crowd to let Wei Ying breathe.
——————————
Lan Jingyi is out of breath when he arrives, panting like he’s run the entire way from his house. Maybe he has. He leaves a deep blue stain against Wei Ying’s wrist and lower forearm.
Because it’s Jingyi it can’t be a normal mark. He makes grabby hands at Wei Ying’s arm and waits for it to be held out. Then he forms a peace sign with his hand and makes sure to smack it down on Wei Ying’s skin all at once before there are any protests. It comes out slightly wonky but recognizable.
Lan Huan, who is standing right next to Wei Ying when it happens, raises an eyebrow. “That’s...unique.”
Jingyi lets out a burst of laughter. He looks so pleased at their perplexed faces.
“Congratulations, Senior Wei. You are special.” He says it like it’s just that simple.
Wei Ying isn’t quite sure he can believe it’s that simple. But looking down at the map of colors staining his chest, arms, and hands, he knows that he’s something. Blessed maybe.
——————————
After the party is over and Lan Huan has kicked everyone else out for the night, Wei Ying stands in the bathroom staring at his skin. He’s absolutely littered in color. Some people’s marks are large—like Nie Huaisang’s. Others are small, like Mianmian’s. He turns to see around to his back where Jiang Cheng’s hands presses into his skin. He stares at the lavender purple on his temple from Jiang Yanli. His eyes trace the stains across his chest, arms, and hands as he remembers each and every person who came by that night.
Lan Zhan comes into the bathroom and wraps his arms around him, cool and sure against the skin of his chest and arms. He rests his chin against Wei Ying’s shoulder. “You look so beautiful like this,” Lan Zhan whispers into his ear.
“Lan Zhan,” he whispers back, because what else is there to say?
“I love you,” Lan Zhan says, pressing it into his skin with a kiss.
Wei Ying closes his eyes, safe and at peace in a way he’s never been in his entire life prior to this moment. “I love you too,” he promises back.
A few minutes later, Lan Zhan pours Wei Ying into his bed and presses his lips against every single speck of color visible on his skin.