Chapter Text
Wei Ying knew he was different for a long time.
Well, he knew mostly because the average child was not raised by a god and his ghost husband, but besides that! Something that in his short time with the Jiang’s had become clear rather quickly. Because most of them had simply worshipped the gods, in the way mortals do. From a distance. They could never really get close to the gods, not in the way Wei Ying could. Because he loved his parents and his uncles and aunts while the Jiangs would only diligently follow in his Mu-shushu’s path (for the most part, some aspects of Ju-Yang had found their way into the sect as a whole. Something the two bickered about endlessly and was what landed Wei Ying into the sect in the first place. That, and the fact Jiang Fengmian had known his father. Either way, he was welcomed in with warm arms, for the most part.)
But the other part was, whenever he talked with his fellow male disciples they always spoke about girls and girls alone. In a romantic sense, that is.
Which he found very strange.
Sure, he saw the appeal but personally speaking he for sure enjoyed boys much more. Especially in that regard.
But every other boy seemed to either disagree rather aggressively or would simply be quiet about their personal feelings on the matter.
Which he thinks, respectfully, was bullshit.
C’mon! The gods didn’t have such reservations on the matter so why should mortals?! His parents were very happily in love and the only reason heaven ever had a problem was because his baba was the Ghost Calamity Crimson Rain Sought Flower! His uncles were both very in love despite their fighting for what many described as hundreds upon hundreds of years (something they still did). His Pei-shushu was, as the heavens referred to, the man-whore supreme and that never seemed to bother anyone (apart from his various affairs).
There was a pretty popular term that humans used, which most gods never really bothered with. Apparently Wei Ying was something of a “cut-sleeve” himself. And apparently a lot of people didn’t exactly appreciate this fact. Or the fact that he was very proud of it. And very vocal about it.
“You know you don’t have to flaunt it so much.” Jiang Cheng would tell him every day that he would whine about how cute some of the disciples were. Hey, it wasn’t his fault Master Jiang always seemed to pick the hot ones! Himself included. Even Jiang Cheng was very pretty! Wei Ying had told him himself. To which the other simply said “gross” and walked away with a barely hidden blush.
And most others shared that sort of sentiment, even Yanli to some extent.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll still find a lovely wife one day.” She said when he was crying over being told off for his obnoxious flirting with a new disciple.
Yeah, okay, getting a wife didn’t sound bad, it sounded sorta nice, but he just held such a preference for boys! C’mon jiejie, maybe he would wind up someone’s lovely wife!
At least the gods didn’t have these ideas.
Certainly not his parents, honestly they probably would have been shocked if he was only attracted to girls. He remembers the day he told them his preference, they said they had a hunch since he was a child and would try to experiment with his baba’s rouge and powders (according to them, very poorly). And also when he apparently tried to flirt with any ghost he came across once he became old enough to understand what flirting was.
Or maybe it was just their influence on him that turned him out like this.
He remembers when he was still a child, peeking in on his parents room when he was meant to be sleeping and seeing his baba taking his a-die’s hand in his and placing gentle, tender kisses to each of his knuckles whispering soft words he never could make out. He knew he wanted something like that out of his own lover, whoever they may be. He thinks he just wanted to be loved that much, that deeply.
All this to say, he was not excited for the Lan Summer Lectures!
Come on! That sect was notorious for hating cut-sleeves. He’s pretty sure there are like twenty rules at least on sexual immorality and about fifteen covered that specific topic. It would be like a personal torture for him!
So, he brought it up with his parents the night before he and the Jiang siblings were set to leave.
“Babaaa! Do I haaaave to go?” He whined into his baba’s chest, trying to force up tears even if they never worked on the ghost. His little puppy dog eyes were still worth a shot.
“Yes,” the ghost laughs into his son's hair as he holds him close. “Because the Lan sect has some of the best teaching out there. And, it will only be for a summer.”
“But gege didn’t have to go.” He mumbles as he backs away from his baba with a pout. Based on the letters he had been receiving, Meng Yao was still training with the Nie sect and was still uncertain if he would be permitted to go to the lectures or if the sect leader would need him in the Unclean Realm still. Apparently, things between them and the Wen sect were getting a bit… interesting.
“Yes he did, he is there right now actually.” His baba laughs at his poor son’s distraught expression. “Apparently he had to drag the young master of the sect he is in currently there as well.”
He laughs at the thought, and doesn’t doubt it for a second. Nie Huaisang, fellow obvious cut-sleeve that he was, was terrible with his training.
“It will be okay, remember no matter what we’re here for you.”
He is knocked out of his prayer with a knock on the door to his room. His legs ache where he is kneeling and his hands are still cupped in his lap. He doesn’t know how long he spent there but the incense he lit was well past burned out and the knocking is getting louder. He stands with one final bow to the little shrine he had in the corner of his room and walks to where the servant is calling for him.
And, okay, sure, it was kinda his fault for getting lost on the way back to the Gusu Lan sect. But also it sucked that the locals didn’t seem to know where it was. And, oh, hey, would you look at that, he accidentally brought in a few jars of Emperors Smile! Well, between himself, Jiang Cheng, Nie Huaisang and Meng Yao, if he could find his gege, they were sure to work through them quick enough that no one would ever even notice he had brought in the illegal booze!
The little silver butterfly that normally is resting on his head flutters around him as he climbs the wall and seats himself there for a moment, catching his breath as it flies back to his ponytail. He smiles as he slowly uncovers the wine and brings it to his lips. A little taste wouldn’t hurt, and who could blame him if he was thirsty?
“Curfew has long since passed.” Shit! He almost drops his wine at the voice and glances over at where the voice had come from and is stunned for a moment at the beauty standing just a few feet away. The boy’s eyes narrow as they trail to the jars beside him. “And alcohol is prohibited inside the Cloud Recesses.”
“Aw, really?” He feigns his ignorance, looking confusedly at the jars as if they had simply spawned right beside him. “Buuutt~ I’m not inside yet! So, maybe you can let me finish these here and if you don't tell I won’t tell that you’re also out after curfew!”
“I have been assigned watch duty, to keep people like you out.” The boy draws his sword and points it at him.
“Well then, I suppose it can’t be helped.” He pops the seal off the jar and begins to drain the thing. He hears the boy choking on air or something for a moment as he does. The silver butterfly flies off his head when a sword connects to the jar and shatters the clay across the roof, spilling a significant portion of the alcohol (most of which he had already drank).
“Wha—! C’mon, I was drinking that! So rude, do you just knock every cup out of peoples hands like that?”
“Alcohol is prohibited.” The boy says again, as if that means fucking anything! Please pretty boy, spare him just a jar more? But the boy is glaring at him like his mere existence had personally offended him. He sighs dramatically, as if he truly did care that much about the wine. While he did mourn it’s loss, but it's not like he couldn’t buy it again. He just wanted this boy to feel a bit bad for the spoiled little prince he just insulted.
“Aiyah, you’re just like my a-die!” He groans, thinking that his a-die would either reprimand his teasing or laugh at it. “Always wearing mourning colours and being a buzzkill.” He mumbles, kicking away the shattered jar and pointedly ignoring the fact he also wore white at the moment. Besides, it was more of a cream colour and not just a pure white. At least he had a fun design on his outer robe rather than some boring old clouds! And bunnies were very cute! He is sure this Young Master agrees with how he is staring at Wei Ying’s outer robe in seeming envy, eyes shining in a glare.
“Rule number one hundred; respect your parents.”
“Hey!” Wei Ying is actually a bit insulted at that. His parents were wonderful people thank you very much mister-very-pretty-Lan-disciple! He scoffs, picking up the other jar he carried with him. “Who said I didn’t respect him!! Maybe it’s you I don’t respect.”
“You-!” Ah, maybe he touched a sore spot. He grins.
“Well, either way. It was nice to meet you–uh, whatever your name was!” He goes to leap from the roof, wine jar still in hand when the boy jumps in alarm.
He is about halfway to the ground when a sword almost hits him. Was this boy trying to kill him?!!
“Watch where you swing that thing!” He shouts, uncaring about the other rule he was breaking as he shifts his feet and body to protect the wine jar. He pulls Suibian from her place at his hip and points it in return to the boy who is looking angrier by the second. “What, can’t you take a joke?”
The boy doesn’t even have the courtesy to return their fun rivalistic banter before he lunges again, his sword clashing against his poor Suibian. What a brute!
“Aiyah, don’t scratch her!” He pleads with the boy, moving to defend both his wine and sword from this cruel, cruel Lan.
“She is a sword spirit, she can handle it.” He grunts out.
“Ah, figures, of course you wouldn’t get it.” He ducks under another swipe and rolls on his knees to land behind the boy, popping back up and swinging Suibian down. The boy protects himself perfectly. As expected. This was like nothing more than a training session. “Sword spirits are like humans themselves, you wouldn’t like getting hit so hard over and over again from a friend would you?” That seems to knock the boy into his senses as his eyes widen and he quickly spins away from Wei Ying. “Just because we may be rivals doesn’t mean our swords feel the same!”
“Ridiculous.” The boy mumbles, but still lowers his sword. Wei Ying hums a smile and sheaths Suibian.
“Is not! My baba’s sword is very affectionate to some but any time a sword he doesn’t know comes along he gets really angry!”
The boy looks at him with a now blank expression from his previous glare. “...Do you have an invitation with you?”
“Ah, right, you and your Lans need proof of our identities or something.” He pats his body down to find the invitations he had gone back for and hands them over. The Jiangs had apparently left him behind and wouldn’t need to prove their identity anymore… but just to be sure… “You saw the Jiang sect enter?” He asks, a bit tentative as he peeks at the invitations in the boy’s hands. He glances up to see that all too familiar glare and smiles.
“...Jiang Wanyin and Jiang Yanli are currently at their assigned lodgings.” Ah, good, they wouldn’t have to spend the night in the woods. Wei Ying could rest easy now. “You will be housed with Meng Yao of the Nie sect on recommendation of H—” He sees the way the boy reads and rereads the name of his baba.
A silver butterfly flutters around his head and begins to fly in a direction.
He laughs and snatches the invitation out of the boy’s hand. “I’m sure I will be able to find it just fine, Lan-er-ge!” He walks backwards a couple of steps, all the while waving at the boy who now looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. “I’ll see you at the lectures!” He turns and walks as fast as he can away from there, trying to ignore the blush on his cheeks.
Gods he was so embarrassing! Did he really just call that boy “er-ge”!!! It was like instinct!
He certainly does not sleep easily that night, even after screaming about it to his Yao-ge.
He jolts awake that morning with a gasp.
The same stupid bad dream keeping him awake all night again! He really should have been over all that by now! He groans and gets himself out of the bed which was way too hard in his personal opinion. And he thinks he has a decent say in the matter, considering he slept on the streets for years. They didn’t do wonders on his back and neither did this Lan bed!
Meng Yao looks almost startled when he takes a step out of his sectioned off room and lazily pulls a red robe on.
“You’re up early, no?” He asks in that teasing kind of way, small smile up and dimples on display.
“You’re up early, no??” He mocks, shaking his head with every word as his voice slurs. His martial brother laughs as he pours them both tea. At least he had something to wake himself up.
The two of them dress quickly, getting some help with the intricate ceremonial robes courtesy of Wei Ying’s a-die and Meng Yao’s laoshi. It wouldn’t make the two of them stand out too much but they would still be acknowledged as important members of a “rogue cultivator” surpassing even Baoshen Sanren in strength.
The walk through the Cloud Recesses is quiet, well, as quiet as Wei Ying can manage. Which is not very. At least when they reunite with Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng he is a bit more free to indulge himself.
“Wei-xiong, I am loving the robes. You should wear them more!” Huaisang is saying to him behind his fan as they reconvene and begin to walk towards the lecture hall. He was already sweating under the fabric and fancy embroidery. He would hate to live like this and only be an eyeful for someone.
“And give up my sword? Not a chance! I’m not about to live like a maiden unless someone is willing to pay for me!” He laughs at the look Jiang Cheng sends him.
The rest of the walk is uneventful, as to be expected here of all places. His jiejie and Meng Yao converse a bit quieter than Wei Ying and his friends a few steps behind the three of them.
Right before they enter the lecture hall their group is stopped by an older looking, but still very pretty, Lan.
“Meng Yao!” His silky smooth voice calls out. Wei Ying watches with a shit eating grin at the look his martial brother sends him which mostly says ‘I swear to your parents if you make a fool of yourself I will kill you’ before turning to face the Lan with a smile.
“Lan Xichen, a pleasure as always.” He begins his bow but is stopped by hands that lift him back up.
“Please, as always there is no need.” The Lan smiles at him and only then seems to notice the group Meng Yao had been travelling with. “Ah, apologies for my rudeness.” He bows to all of them.
“Lan Xichen, this is the young masters of the Nie and Jiang sect, Madame Yanli and my younger martial brother, Wei Wuxian.”
“Aw, am I no longer didi?” Wei Ying whines, picking an arm and hanging off of it like a child, making his gege’s face drop from it’s former smile. “I suppose Yao-ge simply doesn’t love me anymore.”
“Implying I loved you in the first place.” Meng Yao grumbles out but there is a twinge of affection behind it.
The Lan seems to be very amused by their little bickering. “It is good to see all of you here.” He bows once more and begins to walk away before Meng Yao pulls him aside to speak quieter words.
He sees the little lingering touches they share and shoots a look with Nie Huaisang. He returns it with a nod. He would have to tell his baba and a-die about this once he could pray again.
They find their seats and the opening ceremony begins and ends, surprisingly, without Wei Ying falling asleep. Though he is very tempted at moments.
Up until a white clad figure with a familiar glare and golden eyes looks at him while walking to the front.
Wei Ying can’t help a gasp.
“That’s him Yao-ge!” He tugs on his martial brother's sleeve with an exaggerated whisper, and looks excitedly at the boy now standing at the front of the lecture hall looking out at the crowd and glaring at him, specifically. Probably for talking in the middle of their very important ceremony.
“You met Lan Wangji then?”
“Ah, that’s his name?”
“You honestly don’t know the Second Jade of Lan?” Ohoho! Someone important then!
“Can’t say I do!” He laughs quietly but still gets a reprimand by the head of ceremonies. He quiets down with a grin. Lan Wangji, the pretty boy he had fought with last night turns to glare at him again.
He learns pretty shortly after that he likes Lan Wangji having his eyes on him. Because during the lecture after when he is diligently looking forward, hands folded on his lap he pouts and wants to see those pretty golden eyes again. But, he doesn’t turn around for anything. Even as Wei Ying gets reprimanded for seemingly not paying any attention and forced to answer a question.
He was just drawing Teacher Lan! He swears! It actually helped him more than you would think!
He takes a moment to register the question. A pretty easy one all things considered. ‘How do you defeat a ghost?’ And boy oh boy were there so many different answers to that, all of which he was intimately familiar with.
He stands up with the intent to impress Lan Wangji.
“There are several ways, all depending on what level of ghost it is…” He begins slowly, glancing up at the old teacher who looks a bit annoyed. “Because for simple ghost fires, more often than not they do not need to be killed. You simply need to find out what keeps them there and help them in getting what they want; unless it is another persons death haha.” He laughs a bit nervously. Most of the students are even looking at him strange (that stupid peacock especially), Meng Yao has buried his face in his hands but Lan Wangji is still sitting straight as a pole and staring ahead.
“Continue.”
“Then there are malices, like my cousin, who need to be either placated or laid to rest. They are not very dangerous though once the object of their rage is dead. More often than not at least.” He doesn’t bother looking around at the clear horror on many faces. It was true though! CuoCuo had long since calmed down enough that he could sometimes be seen wandering heaven in the arms of his father (who was admittedly still cautious around him) and had long since stopped biting anyone. “Then there are menaces which are a bit more dangerous but can still be placated depending on circumstances. If not just let them kill the family that wronged them and they typically calm down. Wraths are next and are the second strongest types. These sometimes depend and it’s often not worth risking so many lives to calm them, but if we can avoid them forming that would be easier in the long term. Because it does take a couple hundred years to calm them down.”
“Lastly, devistations.” He says, placing a finger to his chin and remembering what his baba said. “Devistations are the hardest to kill but it’s not impossible…” He stops as the teacher raises a hand and stops his talking.
“I believe I asked you how to defeat a ghost, not every kind there is. You must simply follow the order of liberation, suppression and elimination through exorcism.”
“Were you not listening? I did point out that more often than not the ghosts who you would deem needing an exorcism are calm after getting their rage out.” There is a rather undignified squawk as the teacher babbles for a moment. Lan Wangji is looking at him with a glare. Now he had his attention. “Well, it’s just, my baba says there are other ways to get rid of a ghost, if it’s really causing so much trouble in the first place. If you can find their ashes then you can kill them that way by destroying them. It’s a much more peaceful end for them. Most keep their ashes on their body or they give it to the person they loved most. Like my uncle, he gave his to his son!”
There is enough noise that, compared to how quiet it was meant to be here, it was a whole riot. Several of the Lan disciples are yelling at him, the teacher looks close to a qi deviation and Lan Wangji’s glare is gone in place of a gentle sort of–anger? It could be something else.
He is set for a punishment, not only for his chaos in the classroom, but for supposedly lying about his familial connections.
At least it was with Lan Wangji, alone, in the library. Maybe he should get in trouble more.
He breaks into the jar that Lan Wangji had let him get away with about three days after the lectures began. He needed it! And it was highly deserved after everything he had been putting up with from Teacher Lan. His teaching methods were so different to what he was used to from his a-die and the Jiangs. And he thinks his friends deserved it too because most of them looked half dead on their feet. Hence why they were all here, getting drunk.
“I mean, look, he’s nice and all but I doubt that I would ever like him like that!” Nie Huaisang claims, talking about… some disciple from some sect? Wei Ying wasn’t really paying too much attention. Too focused on Jiang Chengwho looked like he was about to vomit. He laughs when the boy suddenly leans his head against him and doesn’t get up. He pats his didi on the head and lets him rest for a moment. Poor guy always got sleepy with alcohol.
Meng Yao sighs, taking a sip of his water. “No one is asking you to like him, didi.” He laughs slightly when Nie Huaisang groans and places his head on the table.
“He is though!”
“That's bullshit!” Jiang cheng shouts as he gets up once again, seemingly in a rage as he sways closer to Huaisang. “No one should ever pressure you into anything, ever!” He slurs out, shuffling closer. “If he really does care about you then he wouldn’t—make you.”
Wei Ying laughs at the two of them. Maybe he should water down their wine next time.
Speaking of which, he should probably grab some more water to sober them up at least a bit. He grabs a jar and stands, walking over to the door as Nie Huaisang cries into JIang Chengs shoulder about how he was much better than whatever asshole disciple he had to deal with before.
Opening the door made him jump.
“Ah, Wangji-ge!” He says, hurriedly ushering the others behind him to act natural. Which apparently constituted Nie Huaisang sitting fully on Jiang Cheng’s lap, fluttering his fan gently as if he had never been crying, Jiang Cheng sitting there flustered at the action and Meng Yao standing off to the side, head placed in his hand.
“It’s past curfew.” Lan Wangji glares at them all when he says this. Eyes scanning over the messy table. The jar of wine, miraculously missing from where it had been. He steps inside and Wei Ying can’t really stop him so he just lets the boy in to scrutinize them and their messy habits.
“Aiyah! This again!” He cries out as he tugs on the boys arm, forcing him to look away from the much drunker people here. He urges Meng Yao to leave with the other two, he nods and walks out, helping both Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng as they sway on their feet. “Lan Wangji, I promise we will quiet down soon, you don’t need to worry.”
And then they were alone. Alone. In Wei Ying’s private (shared) room. He thinks up a plan quickly.
“While you’re here, let me get you some water!” He passes one of the cups, half full, towards the boy as he takes a seat and takes up his own cup. He knew one of them was water because Meng Yao didn’t like to drink as much but he could still sneak another drink.
He waits for the other to take a drink before lifting his own cup.
He almost spits out the water when it reaches his tongue. “Ah, Lan Wangji–”
The boy in question promptly falls face first into the table as the alcohol seemed to hit him.
“Oh gods, I’ve killed him!” Oh dear, this night was certainly going to shit and quickly! He pokes at the boys cheek, moving his head to the side. His eyes were open still and he stared blankly into space. “Lan Wangji?” He asks, hoping for some kind of response.
Luckily, the Second Jade of Lan had not in fact dropped dead on the spot and slowly lifted his head, looking dizzy just from that. Swaying this way and that like on turbulent waters even as he sat entirely still. Wei Ying sort of laughs.
“Is this your first time drunk, Lan-er-ge?” He sees the way the other boys' ears light up in a bright pink and laughs. “Ah, I do suppose it’s not your fault your sect doesn’t allow the wonders of alcohol. Just wait until I tell you the story of when my a-die got drunk for the first time. He is always so embarrassed when my baba tells it!” He rambles for a while simply because he has nothing else to say on the matter. Poor boy, he already looked like he was about to throw up with his puffed up cheeks and pouty lips as his lidded eyes watched Wei Ying’s mouth move.
He suddenly slumps forward again, catching himself on the table before he topples on top of Wei Ying.
“Ah, yeah, we should probably get you to sleep though. Don’t worry, for your first time you’re doing great!” He holds out his hands and Lan Wangji hesitates for a moment, looking at his own little grabby hands before placing them in Wei Ying’s who hauls him up with relative ease. He keeps flopping around as they try to walk together.
“Lan-er-ge, I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink.” He laughs as he helps the stumbling boy over to his bed, draping one white clad arm across his shoulders and his arm wrapped around Lan Wangji’s waist.
It is a bit of a pain trying to get Lan Wangji into bed because he was very sticky while drunk. Clinging to Wei Ying with both arms as he tried to help him sit.
“Come on, Lan Wangji. Just rest for a bit—”
“Lan Zhan.” He stops trying to move the boys feet onto the bed and looks up at where their two faces are very close. He backs up just a bit. Lan Wangji probably wouldn’t appreciate kissing him when he was too out of it to really understand anything.
“Hm?” Wei Ying hums in question as he slowly places hands on the boys shoulders and lowers him to the bed.
“Lan Zhan.” He says again, louder and a bit firmer. Wei Ying smiles as he is finally able to get the others' feet onto the bed. Once he is done with that, hands grab him again and hold on tight to his robes.
“Lan Zhan? Is that your birth name or something? Is this permission to call you that?”
“Mn,” he says with a small nod. Wei Ying laughs.
“Okay Lan Zhan, I’ll stay with you.” That does seem to calm Lan Zhan down enough that his grip loosens. “Oh, yeah, you should hear the story!” He goes on to talk about when his baba was still a little ghost flame and his a-die was at one of his lowest points. It was among one of the more light hearted stories his parents told of their past, both together and while apart. He still only heard mentions of ‘Wu Ming’. His a-die woke with screams of a coffin, some nights where he wept for his parents.
He was fine with it of course. He assumes there are things his parents don’t know about his own past. Things he still would prefer to not speak about with anyone.
By the time he has finished off the story it seems like Lan Zhan has officially passed the fuck out. He snores gently.
Holy shit that's cute!
Such a quiet Lan still making noise and not knowing.
“They got to their rooms safely.” Meng Yao says as he comes into the room, leaning on the doorway and looking at the very much asleep Lan. “Want me to escort him too?”
Wei Ying pokes his cheek and watches as his face just sort of flops to the side.
“It might take both of us.”
“Okay, okay, you take his arms I’ll grab his legs.”
And for once in his life, Wei Ying is actually grateful that there was a curfew in the Cloud Recesses if only so that no one sees he and his spiritual brother hauling around a seemingly dead Jade of Lan back to his private room.