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It’s simple, really. Lan Zhan is the best person ever, and therefore, he deserves the best birthday ever. Wei Ying takes this mission on with extreme aplomb; he’s been plotting and scheming for weeks, ensuring all his ducks are in a row, and coordinating an absurd number of moving parts and pieces.
Of course, the biggest bump in his plans is his inability to wake up before the sun.
The lynchpin of his scheme — the glue holding everything in his meticulously-planned schedule together — is being able to wake up before Lan Zhan and get this show on the road. Step one: acquire breakfast. Step 2: embark on the adventure of a lifetime (well, not a lifetime, but more like “the best birthday adventure of Lan Zhan’s life.”).
It’s essential that the day goes off without a hitch, because at the end of it — if things go well — Wei Ying is going to make Lan Zhan his boyfriend. No pressure!
So yeah, sleeping through his alarm isn’t setting a great tone for the day, but Wei Ying is a survivor!!! He can scrap, he can improvise, he can rearrange the plan a smidgen and still hopefully be “boyfriend material” to Lan Zhan. It would just be a lot easier to demonstrate if he had been able to wake up on time.
Anyways… Breakfast! He can do breakfast! He would skip it but Lan Zhan would make a sad disappointed face at him if he did. So breakfast. Starting with coffee. A big cup of it. And for food he still has some scallion pancakes Lan Zhan made him in the freezer, he just has to reheat them and add a little bit of hot sauce on top.
Breakfast is a quick affair in which Wei Ying burns his tongue on his coffee, and inhales his pancakes without choking. So overall he did great.
He then quickly puts on the clothes he prepared yesterday. (No, he didn’t spend three hours on the phone with Huaisang agonising over it… who would do that?) Wei Ying can’t believe having his clothes actually ready in the morning is actually helpful… Rude… He spends a moment shimmying into his black skinny jeans that make his ass look amazing, and he really hopes those have the intended effect.
He’s practically buzzing out of his very skinny jeans by the time he pulls up in Lan Zhan’s driveway. He really hopes Lan Zhan likes his present. Of course, he probably should have given it a bit more thought. Lan Zhan’s reaction. Instead of investing three months into a plan that he came up with while possibly a little drunk. It’s fine though. It’ll be great! Lan Zhan will love it. Or, in any case, Wei Wuxian will love watching his reaction.
Wei Ying forgets what he was thinking about the moment Lan Zhan opens the door. Fuck, he’s always so hot. It’s a bit much to handle. He’s dressed in warm, comfortable clothes, as Wei Ying had instructed. He looks unlike himself dressed so casually, in acid-wash jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, but, like, in a hot way.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan says and looks very intently at him. Like, very intently.
Wei Ying can’t help grinning. Lan Zhan hates surprises. He hates not being in control. Which is, of course, exactly why Wei Ying has told him nothing about their plans and will drag him along as long as humanly possible. It’s a power only Wei Ying gets to wield–making Lan Zhan do things he doesn’t usually do. It feels like a privilege, like a special gold star just for him.
“Are you ready?” Wei Ying asks.
“I would be better equipped to answer that question if I knew what we were doing,” Lan Zhan predictably answers.
“Lan Zhan, don’t you trust me?” Wei Ying pouts, and Lan Zhan’s frown immediately turns apologetic. He’s so easy! Wei Ying wonders how long he can drag this out. Until they get to the drop site at least. Maybe until they’re up on the plane? Probably not, but they’ll see.
“Mn,” Lan Zhan says, and Wei Ying knows that he does just by the sound he makes when he says it.
“Well, come on, get your things, and let’s go,” Wei Ying says.
Without waiting for a response, Wei Ying grabs Lan Zhan’s keys from the little table by the door, and starts pulling him outside.
“Can I get my coat?” he asks. His amused smile makes Wei Ying blush, he looks so hot when he smiles.
“Yes, but make it quick, or we’ll be late,” Wei Ying says.
As Wei Ying drives them to the airport, Lan Zhan doesn’t ask where they are going. Not that Wei Ying would tell him anyway. He’d never give away the surprise, especially not when it’s so close. Okay, he probably would, which is why instead of talking, Wei Ying turns on his “Lan Zhan Approved” playlist, and sings along to the songs the entire way there.
He does keep glancing at Wei Ying curiously though. It’s like the question is right there on the tip of his tongue, but Lan Zhan seems content to let Wei Ying surprise him. Which is one of the reasons Wei Ying loves him so much.
The ride is mostly silence from one side, and casual chatter from the other, and the closer they get to the airport, the more suspicious the expression on Lan Zhan's face becomes. Wei Ying's excitement continues to grow in his chest, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel as his only outlet for the energy.
It's a small thing, the airport, and when Wei Ying parks, he turns to Lan Zhan — his thousand-kilowatt smile on display.
"So?" he asks eagerly. "Have you figured it out? What your birthday surprise is?"
Lan Zhan is quiet still, eyeing the surroundings. Hangars are open and empty, open and nesting small planes. Most here look like personal planes, but further off… A little bigger. Nothing commercial.
But still large enough to make him wonder.
"I have yet to deduct a decent conclusion."
Wei Ying rolls his eyes, and quickly exits, running around to grab Lan Zhan's arm and drag him hurriedly along to another building.
"So I'll say that this does require a brief safety orientation–"
"Wei Ying…!"
"Relax! It's totally fine. People do this all the time! We just have to sit still and pay attention."
Though Wei Ying cannot see Lan Zhan's expression, he can absolutely feel the incredulity directed right at him. Just the mental image makes him snort out in laughter, and he hurries along.
Inside, Wei Ying checks them in, and the moment the words sky and diving are put together, Wei Ying can now also feel Lan Zhan's glare. (Not that it's anything strong. Or real. It's just their dynamic. Wei Ying loves this about them. About him.)
(Suddenly Wei Ying's anxiety spikes, and it's not from the free-fall he's about to perform in just moments' time.)
Checked in, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan are directed to another room where they meet an instructor and sit through a brief orientation. Complete with warnings and all-too-real possibilities regarding injury and… well…
It'll be fine! It'll be great. Nothing will go wrong.
Then come the jumpsuits: black for Wei Ying (duh) and white for Lan Zhan (also duh). Wei Ying chatters a mile a minute as he shimmies into it, both to ease his own nerves and to fill the silence. Well, technically, Lan Zhan is always silent—but now he’s really giving Wei Ying the silent treatment.
Lan Zhan looks adorable in his gear, and Wei Ying forces him to take several dozen photos, both full body shots of Lan Zhan standing in front of the company logo and selfies for which Wei Ying throws an arm around Lan Zhan’s two shoulders. “Don’t be so grumpy!” he says, trying to sound stern. “It’s gonna be so much fun!”
“Wei Ying.”
Uh-oh. Lan Zhan looks…actually not amused. Was this…a bad idea?
“Um…there’s still time to back out,” he offers. “It cost…well, don’t worry about it. I won’t be mad if we lose our deposit.”
Lan Zhan takes a very deep breath, closing his eyes for a beat. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Wei Ying echoes. “Like, okay okay? Or, like, okay okay?”
“What is the difference?” Lan Zhan asks.
“The inflection was totally different!” Wei Ying clears his throat to try again. “Like…” He lowers his voice. “...okay okay? Or…” His inflection rises. “...okay okay?”
Lan Zhan sighs. “Never mind. It will be…fun.”
“Hell yeah, it’ll be fun!” Wei Ying has enough enthusiasm for the two of them plus ten more. “Now, come on! It’s time to get on the plane!”
Once they are onboard, Wei Ying starts to actually get nervous. It hits him suddenly that one of them could literally die. But it’s probably fine! As long as Lan Zhan doesn’t die, the day will be a success, he thinks.
Well, it probably would wreck Lan Zhan’s birthday if Wei Ying winds up splattered out on the ground. Like, who would handle the logistics of that? Lan Zhan, obviously. Wei Ying doesn’t trust Jiang Cheng to plan his funeral; he doesn’t know where to find the best urns!
Yeah, funeral planning would really harsh the whole “happy birthday” vibe. Oof. Wei Ying makes a conscientious effort to stop thinking about his own mortality for the time being.
Once they hit the necessary altitude, the instructors unbuckle their seatbelts and make their way to the door, throwing it open. It’s horrendously loud inside the plane; Wei Ying wishes he’d thought to pack a set of earplugs for Lan Zhan. This type of thing gives him headaches, and he doesn’t want to give him a headache on his birthday. That’s not very “boyfriend material” of him.
A twinge of anxiety flickers in Wei Ying’s chest; he sees how Lan Zhan’s fists are clenching and how his body language is tense. If he wanted to demonstrate how awesome of a partner he can be for Lan Zhan, perhaps putting him in a life-or-death situation isn’t a great plan. Heck, putting him in a situation where he’s mildly uncomfortable on his birthday of all days is a terrible way to show he cares! He just wanted to do a big romantic gesture, but perhaps a more thoughtful approach would’ve been a better plan.
Yeah, he’s being a bit of an ass… He’ll just have to make it up to Lan Zhan when they make it to the ground.
He takes Lan Zhan’s hand in his.
“You ready?” He asks.
“Mn.” Lan Zhan’s face doesn’t look ready, but, well… They’re in this together now.
Making their way to the door, Wei Ying pulls Lan Zhan into the hug of a lifetime, and they jump.
The next few moments are a blur of adrenaline and deafening wind, and Wei Ying thinks for a moment how dumb it is that they aren't allowed to hold hands all the way down. If only he had an instructor’s license to strap Lan Zhan to him like one of those ridiculous baby carriers that Jin Zixuan wore for Jin Ling; that'd make for a memorable birthday photoshoot.
It wasn't long before they fell to the right altitude and they saw the flight leaders (what're they called??) deploy their parachutes and they followed suit, the lurching jolt of the unfurling parachute like thirty rollercoasters at once. Wei Ying felt another jolt of worry; skydiving was, like, the bucket list exciting activity– but definitely not what Lan Zhan would've picked himself. Grinning over at Lan Zhan, too far away to talk comfortably but waving back, he told himself that sometimes coaxing someone out of their comfort zone can be partner material!
The rest of the descent happens in slow motion, Wei Ying can’t help grinning, happy to share this momentous activity with Lan Zhan. He tries to catch a glance at him but unfortunately only sees his parachute for a moment. When he finally sees Lan Zhan’s face it’s the precious expression of wonder that covers it. At least he sees it. The slight softening of his eyes, and lightly upturned lips, the same adorable face Lan Zhan had made that one time they went to a petting zoo and a bunny climbed on his lap. Lan Zhan truly was the cutest, and hopefully after today he would be able to call him his.
Wei Ying only remembers to look out for the landing when he sees Lan Zhan tuck his legs in like they’ve been told to do. He quickly copies him, not wanting to add a trip to the ER to today’s plans (though being taken care of by Lan Zhan would be nice). His butt touches the ground first and the shock is reverberated through his whole body.
He gasps at the shock of it. Honestly, the ground came much faster than he thought it would.
Laughter bubbles up out of him, echoing in the distance. Adrenaline rushes through him, and he struggles free of the parachute, too impatient to wait for help. As soon as he’s free, he’s rushing over to where Lan Zhan waits, and throws himself at him.
“That was amazing!” he yells, right into Lan Zhan’s ear, as his best friend (and hopefully future boyfriend) catches him. “I want to do it again, don’t you?”
“Once was enough,” Lan Zhan says, still somewhat breathless from his own descent.
Wei Ying laughs again.
“Did you have fun? Wasn’t it amazing? Like, the best thing we’ve ever done?” Wei Ying asks.
“It was… different,” Lan Zhan says.
“Different good? Different bad?” Wei Ying asks.
“Different is different. Is there a difference?” Lan Zhan answers.
“Yeah, like, did you think it was a good different experience or a bad one?” Wei Ying pokes Lan Zhan’s cheek.
“It was…good.” Lan Zhan says.
Wei Ying leans in closer to Lan Zhan’s face.
“So you do like it! I knew it!” Wei Ying says proudly.
Lan Zhan meets Wei Ying’s eyes. Their faces are so close that he can see all the different shades in Wei Ying’s eyes. There are so many unreadable emotions in those eyes.
Finally, Lan Zhan says, "It was new. And enjoyable. Thank you, Wei Ying."
Wei Ying smiles wide once more, and hurries, perhaps awkwardly, to his feet so he can take care of his gear. Lan Zhan follows suit, and some several paces beyond them, the instructors are already cleaning up and organizing their own gear.
"Would you do it again?" Wei Ying asks, catching Lan Zhan's attention once more. (Has he ever truly lost it?)
Lan Zhan considers for a moment, silent, and then, "I suppose it would depend. On my own, perhaps not. With another… I would consider it."
Wei Ying's smile turns playfully sinister. "Ohh? And with whom would you deign sufficient company for this, huh? Huh? Tell me; you must."
The look Lan Zhan shoots him is unamused, but it is warm. That's all Wei Ying needs.
"You know well whom."
Wei Ying delights in this and laughs. "Well, joke's on you, I've fallen several times over already. I don't know how many more times I could fall."
"You've sky-dived more than once?"
A quick glance shows Wei Ying that their instructor is busy talking with another, giving him and Lan Zhan a modicum of privacy. Is this his moment?
"Nope! Today was the first time!"
Confusion laces Lan Zhan's features. He's so cute. It's so unfair.
If the wind hadn't whipped his cheeks red already, this would do it, Wei Ying thinks. "I mean, fallen. You know. Did it hurt? When you fell from heaven."
"That's quite a stretch, Wei Ying," says Lan Zhan, but his face is not void of… something. Boy does Wei Ying wish he could think of what it could be!
"I cannot help but notice that you did not answer the question, Lan Zhan."
Lan Zhan only continues to look more and more confused, and more and more of that something. "This is a real question?"
…Unfair. Just so incredibly unfair. Lan Zhan is so smart; how is he not getting this!
"No, Lan Zhan," he tries. "It's not a real question. I mean, not one that you need to answer literally. It's.. you know. A pick-up line."
"That you related to our sky-diving."
"Yes. It seemed appropriate!"
"How so?"
In all honesty, Wei Ying didn't think he'd get this far. His face feels hot all over. “It’s— Lan Zhan! The pickup line won’t work if I have to explain it!”
“Work?” There’s a tiny wrinkle between Lan Zhan’s eyebrows that Wei Ying wants to kiss away. “Work for what purpose?”
“Aiyah!” Wei Ying puts a hand on each of Lan Zhan’s two (2) shoulders. “You’re really gonna make me do this?!”
“Do—”
Before Lan Zhan can ask another silly question, Wei Ying pulls him in suddenly, crashing their lips together—a bit too hard, actually. Oops, ouch. He pulls back slightly, and an electric current buzzes through him as Lan Zhan doesn’t pull away.
In fact! Lan Zhan kisses Wei Ying back, even going so far as to wind an arm around his waist, bringing their bodies flush against one another, while his opposite hand is buried in Wei Ying’s windblown ponytail.
Wei Ying loops his arms around to fully encircle Lan Zhan’s neck. And Lan Zhan just…keeps pulling Wei Ying closer and closer. And his tongue — his tongue! — swipes across Wei Ying’s lower lip.
Wei Ying can’t help a startled gasp, easily allowing Lan Zhan access to his mouth. And then, he just, kind of, gets lost in the moment, and his leg wraps around Lan Zhan’s hip, and—
A polite cough from somewhere behind Wei Ying makes them both jump. Their instructors, similarly dressed in black and white, are waiting patiently. (Well, one is smiling uncomfortably and waiting patiently, and the other is watching them with a downright frosty expression.)
“This,” Wei Ying says, lowering his voice to a whisper, “will be continued.”
“Mn.”