Work Text:
Lan Wangji doesn’t like feeling this way.
He’s not even sure how to describe the feeling other than a burning in his chest, an ache in his lungs. It doesn’t show on his face nor in his scent, but it is at least obvious enough that Xichen picked up on it.
According to his brother, the word for what Lan Wangji is feeling is jealousy.
He hates being jealous. Because, really, it is no one’s fault but his own.
Lan Wangji is an alpha, which naturally means that he can’t expect Wei Wuxian, who is also an alpha, to ever look his way. He’s made his peace with that, ever since he first started having these feelings for the first disciple of the Jiang Clan.
But that does not mean Lan Wangji can curb his jealousy, apparently.
But that just makes him feel all the more guilty about it, because the person he is so jealous of is none other than the sweet and gentle omega from the Qinghe Nie Clan, Nie Huaisang.
He has never done anything to provoke Lan Wangji’s dislike for him. Just by existing he has captivated Wei Wuxian and has ownership over all of the alpha’s attention and interest. And honestly, he deserves it. Nie Huaisang is everything an omega should be: gentle and kind, soft spoken and caring. Though, he’s not as obedient as many would like an omega to be, with more willpower to maintain his boundaries and preferences. Not that Lan Wangji thinks that’s a bad thing.
No, what he can’t stand is how close he is to Wei Wuxian.
Of course, this is just the natural order of things. It’s how the world is considered to work. If anything, Lan Wangji is the one out of balance. It is only natural for alphas and omegas to be drawn to each other. Lan Wangji can blame neither Nie Huaisang nor Wei Wuxian for their seemingly mutual interest.
Even if he wants to.
It’s not like it is just exclusively Wei Wuxian, though. Many of the students visiting the Cloud Recesses for the indoctrination lessons have found themselves fawning over Nie Huaisang, a rare omega in a cultivation sect. Even with omegas being rarities in any of the five clans, they’re even less common in the Nie Clan, which is over eighty percent alphas, and the remaining percent almost entirely betas. It has the lowest percentage of omegas out of any of the clans, which makes him considered to be a real miracle.
Lan Wangji is not bothered by the other students being fascinated or captivated by Nie Huaisang. He originally thought that his alpha instincts were acting up in favor of the petite omega, but soon realized that he only seemed bothered when seeing him with Wei Wuxian.
He felt a little better whenever Jiang Wanyin was with them, since he often shared the attention of both the other parties. But the Jiang Clan heir often prefers to stay out of the duo’s antics whenever possible.
Like today. Lan Wangji is leaving the Cloud Recesses’ library when he spots the duo across the courtyard, looking like they might be up to something. As the second Lan heir, the duty falls to Lan Wangji to keep others out of trouble. That is definitely the only reason he chose to interrupt whatever they were doing together.
Still, a part of his chest constricts with guilt at the thought of purposefully interrupting a moment between an alpha and omega who are likely courting, or on their way to do so in the future. But he allows himself to use the flimsy excuse of keeping the peace to step in anyway.
He steps up behind them quietly, not making a sound in order to not alert them of his presence until he can be sure what they’re doing, in case they’re not actually causing trouble.
They’re crouched behind a corner, pressed up against the side of one of the buildings. It looks like they could be waiting for someone, perhaps Jiang Wanyin, or another unsuspecting victim.
Still, they have nothing in their hands it would seem, and no one is actually approaching, so it is probably for naught this time around. He almost turns to go right then, until his eye briefly catches Wei Wuxian leaning forward a bit and sniffing Nie Huaisang’s neck, dangerously close to his mating gland.
Lan Wangji’s blood runs cold, and before he can stop himself he is moving towards them at full speed.
Even if it is consensual—which Lan Wangji cannot be sure of; Nie Huaisang seems just as surprised at Wei Wuxian’s action as Lan Wangji is—they are still young, and it is entirely inappropriate to be doing that improperly. On top of that, such public displays are forbidden in the Cloud Recesses.
Nie Huaisang has just managed to fully turn around to give Wei Wuxian a strange look as Lan Wangji closes in on them. Nie Huaisang sees him first, immediately hunching his shoulders and ducking his head like he’s been caught.
Wei Wuxian reaches out to the omega as if instinctively just as Lan Wangji stops beside him and grabs his wrist. The other alpha jumps, as if not having noticed Lan Wangji approaching at all.
“Er- oh, Lan Zhan! What are you-”
“What were you going to do?”
As a keeper of the Lan Clan rules and values, Lan Wangji feels as though he is obligated to make sure Wei Wuxian was not actually about to mark Nie Huaisang. A part of him—a rather big part—does not want to know. But he needs to ask anyway.
Wei Wuxian blinks at him, looking tremendously confused before glancing back at Nie Huaisang. Lan Wangji cannot read the look on the other alpha’s face, and he doesn’t like that. He tightens his grip on Wei Wuxian’s wrist.
“Ah, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian tries to pull his wrist away, pursing his lips a bit but still casting glances over at the strangely silent omega—that doesn’t paint a good picture, as Nie Huaisang is almost never quiet. “Why are you so insistent? Huaisang and I are just…”
He pauses again, frowning and sniffing the air. And this time, Lan Wangji smells it too. While everyone in the borders of the Cloud Recesses must abide by the rules to wear scent patches, there is one scent that cannot be so easily covered up.
Lan Wangji turns his head, surprised, to Nie Huaisang, the cowering omega’s face flushed and his eyes a little hazy. They are just lucky his pupils aren’t at all dilated yet.
Lan Wangji feels panic rise up in his chest. While there are a decent amount of omega cultivators in the Cloud Recesses, most of them—if not all—take heat suppressants regularly. He’s never had to deal with one actively in heat before.
And having Wei Wuxian here just makes it all worse. Who knows if the alpha could control himself around the omega he likes going into heat so suddenly like this.
Lan Wangji immediately tries to pull Wei Wuxian away, to give the omega some space and also to force some distance between them. But Wei Wuxian doesn’t budge. Lan Wangji is about to growl at him in warning before Wei Wuxian wrenches his grip from Lan Wangji’s and closes in on Nie Huaisang.
Only through years of rigid discipline since his birth can Lan Wangji remain unaffected by Nie Huaisang’s heat pheromones. Wei Wuxian has had no such rigorous discipline. Lan Wangji quickly steps forward to pull them apart before something worse can happen, but is no less shocked upon seeing what’s actually going on right before his eyes.
Wei Wuxian has grabbed Nie Huaisang and taken him into his arms with a gentleness Lan Wangji has never seen from him before. His face is right above Nie Huaisang’s major scent glands on his neck, the mating gland not far away resting on the nape. And yet he’s not making any moves. Instead, he looks up at Lan Wangji, running his eyes over him as if to assess how affected he is before speaking.
“Does the Cloud Recesses have any kind of room for an omega in heat?”
It’s by pure instinct that Lan Wangji nods, immediately standing up to his full height to watch Wei Wuxian rise to his feet, Nie Huaisang tucked safely in his arms.
“We have heat rooms further up the mountain.”
Wei Wuxian merely nods. “Lead the way.”
Lan Wangji chooses not to comment on the strange behavior—how could an alpha conduct himself so well after not being raised with rigorous self control?—and makes quick work of leading Wei Wuxian to the rooms specifically made to block out noise and smell to let a person privately ride out their estrus cycle.
Another thing he notices that seems quite odd to him is that Nie Huaisang is completely still and quiet. Typically during heat, an omega would offer themselves to the first alpha they saw. That is why most people are protective of the omegas in their clan and often keep them close to home to avoid such situations.
It is strange… how Nie Huaisang can control himself even in this state and not throw himself at Wei Wuxian. Especially in cases of mutual attraction, an alpha and omega will be desperate to be together during a heat or rut.
Lan Wangji cannot think on it anymore as they arrive at the small collection of rooms, all of them reading as unoccupied. Wei Wuxian does not wait for Lan Wangji before walking into the first one with Nie Huaisang.
Lan Wangji inhales deeply and follows, not willing to leave the two of them alone for even a second in this state. This strange control of theirs could snap at any moment.
Wei Wuxian puts Nie Huaisang on the bed, which is more comfortable than the beds in the general rooms of the Cloud Recesses, but likely nothing compared to the nests Nie Huaisang must be used to.
Quiet words are exchanged between Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang which Lan Wangji cannot hear. Wei Wuxian removes his outer robe and hands it to Nie Huaisang before stepping back and turning to walk to the door. He pushes Lan Wangji out and turns around just enough to promise Nie Huaisang some food later before shutting the door.
Lan Wangji stands there awkwardly. He knows this is something he must inform his uncle and Xichen about, so that they can make sure Nie Huaisang is not disturbed, but he is not quite sure what to do about Wei Wuxian, who looks like he has no plans of moving. He is standing in front of the door, arms crossed and wearing a menacing look on his face.
Lan Wangji shakes his head and steps up. He ignores the way Wei Wuxian’s head snaps towards him—it is natural for an alpha to be protective of their omega—and he also ignores the stab of pain in his own heart at the thought.
“Wei Ying,” he says quietly, not wanting to disturb the alpha’s likely fragile mental control. “We must head back.”
Wei Wuxian just shakes his head and leans against the door. “I’m not just leaving him alone where anyone can go inside.”
Lan Wangji exhales, trying to maintain his patience.
“You can’t stay here. You’ll only be a risk to him.”
Wei Wuxian actually seems to be a little hurt by that. “Why would I be a risk? I’d never do anything to hurt him.”
While Lan Wangji believes that Wei Wuxian would never intentionally hurt Nie Huaisang, there’s no telling what could happen should his instincts take over.
“It’s not safe for you to be here. Even if you wouldn’t hurt him in your right mind, it’s an alpha’s instinct to spend a heat with their chosen omega.”
Wei Wuxian seems as though he’s ready to refute Lan Wangji’s statement before going completely still. A look of utter confusion comes over his face, and he blinks.
“...huh? Chosen- what are you talking about?”
It’s Lan Wangji’s turn to feel confused, though it probably doesn’t show nearly as much on his face.
“What part of what I said was unclear?”
Wei Wuxian shakes his head, pushing off the door and getting closer to Lan Wangji. He instinctively sucks in a breath as Wei Wuxian gets almost uncomfortably close.
“That part- you said chosen omega. What did you mean by that?”
Lan Wangji feels his eyebrow twitch, almost in irritation. If Wei Wuxian thinks he can mislead him, Lan Wangji is not nearly optimistic enough for that.
“You and Nie Huaisang are close. It is a natural assumption to believe that you are each other’s chosen mates.”
Wei Wuxian is staring at him like he grew a second head, and then immediately after grew a third head, looking positively gobsmacked as if those two extra heads are both wearing the face of Jin Zixuan putting on his self important act.
“You thought- wait, me and Huaisang? No, that’s- oh, that’s gold.” Wei Wuxian loses his confusion it would seem, instead rotating his hip to knock against Lan Wangji’s as if in camaraderie. “I didn’t know you had such an active imagination, Lan Zhan!”
Lan Wangji is still confused, though. He does not know what Wei Wuxian is talking about now.
“What do you mean?”
Wei Wuzian snickers, as if sharing some sort of secret joke with Lan Wangji but he hasn’t gotten around to delivering the punchline.
“I swear on my life, I do not think of Nie Huaisang that way. Wherever you got that idea from, it’s not true.” Wei Wuxian still seems to be shaking off his shock, though he’s leaning a lot more into his usual playful teasing. “God, seriously, he’s like a brother almost. Sure, I’m worried about him, but I’d never…”
Wei Wuxian shudders, making horribly fake retching sounds. “I don’t even want to think about spending a heat with Nie Huaisang. I’m sure he and I would both rather masturbate in front of Lan Qiren-”
Lan Wangji claps his hand over Wei Wuxian’s mouth harder than he meant to, his ears burning red.
“Wei Ying!” He chastises, at least attempting to keep his voice down in case Nie Huaisang can hear them. It wouldn’t help his heat hearing two alphas arguing just outside his room. “Such language is prohibited in the Clou-”
“Prohibited in the Cloud Recesses, yeah I know.” Wei Wuxian has removed Lan Wangji’s hand, though Lan Wangji remains ready to move again should Wei Wuxian say anything else of the sort.
“In any case, all I’m saying is that Nie Huaisang and I are in no way mates, or interested in each other. I’m not even into omegas.”
And there it is. It would appear Lan Wangji himself is the punchline in this joke.
How had he been so horribly wrong? Not only that, but he’s misrepresented both Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang in his head. He feels guilt coil in his chest at the memories of all the times he’s secretly cursed Nie Huaisang in his head for something that he has apparently been imagining.
Immediately Lan Wangji bows to Wei Wuxian, more deeply than was probably necessary. But he feels like a fool, so he figures it’s appropriate.
“Woah, Lan Zhan? What are you-”
“I am sorry.” Lan Wangji keeps his eyes trained on the ground, hoping Wei Wuxian cannot see how red his ears are—he can feel them burning in shame. “I have made assumptions about you and Nie-gongzi based on outdated traditionalist views. I apologize for any-”
“Hey, Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuzian’s voice is softer than usual. “Apology already accepted or whatever. Just- you’re freaking me out. Stand up already.”
Lan Wangji bites back a remark and stands back up. Wei Wuxian’s face is a little red, shaking his head quickly.
“Just promise that you won’t ever say any of this to Nie Huaisang.”
Lan Wangji frowns. If anything, the omega needs to hear this more than even Wei Wuxian, for all the cursing Lan Wangji has done to him.
But he can’t say no to Wei Ying, so he nods.
“If you wish. But, if I may ask why-”
“Because I’d never hear the end of it.” Wei Wuxian grimaces a little. “He’ll find it way too funny. And he’d most definitely tell Jiang Cheng, and that’s a double no!”
Lan Wangji just nods, trying to shake off his mortification. Wei Wuxian seems happy with that, and immediately he goes back to snickering.
“Can’t believe you thought that.” He cackles a little. “I mean, Nie Huaisang? You couldn’t even get a little more creative and say something like Jin Zixuan? I’d actually kill to see the peacock’s face if you said that!”
Lan Wangji is content to let Wei Wuxian move past the initial awkwardness and take it in stride, letting him yap away at how amusing he apparently finds the whole situation to be.
In a show of great care, Lan Wangji manages to discreetly usher Wei Wuxian away from the rooms—whether or not Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang would ever do anything, it still isn’t a good idea to let him stay close by—and by the time the other alpha realizes they’re already outside the grandmaster’s room.
Wei Wuxian isn’t too happy to leave his friend—thank god, that word already makes Lan Wangji feel lighter—in the care of someone else, but he lets Lan Qiren take over from there.
Lan Wangji walks Wei Wuxian back to his room, where a ticked off Jiang Cheng seems to be waiting rather impatiently. Wei Wuxian gives Lan Wangji a look as if they’re sharing a big secret before turning his attention to his demanding brother. He can smell the irritated alpha pheromones even from here, wondering if Jiang Cheng’s scent patch has already run its course for the day.
Still, Lan Wangji leaves happy. And if Xichen points it out as they eat together, Lan Wangji doesn’t acknowledge it.
Because, dammit, Wei Wuxian isn’t into Nie Huaisang. Even better, he’s not into omegas.
Maybe, just maybe…