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Silence echoed around him in the large space, and while normally it would not bother Lan Wangji, it felt too empty without the constant noise from Wei Wuxian to fill it.
The Jiang Disciple’s presence seemed to fill any space in a way no one else could. It was not the inane chatter that endlessly drifted from his sweet mouth, or the constant movement from his inability to be still for even a moment, but how his mere existence seemed to call attention to him. How could it not though, when he was the most fascinatingly beautiful person Lan Wangji had ever laid his eyes on.
Wei Wuxian was terrifying in a way he did not understand. Incredibly intelligent and kind, he was everything Lan Wangji thought he would have wanted in a Cultivation Partner. Except, he seemed to flaunt any rule he came across, and had no concept of propriety or personal space.
Which is how Lan Wangji had, at the urging of Xiongzhang and Shufu, come to be the one personally monitoring punishments for the other boy. As Head of Discipline for his clan, this task would normally be delegated to another disciple. Instead, he was stuck spending time better spent working on his own cultivation in the silence of his rooms, having his patience and restrained tested. Every single day.
Today in particular was more trying than some of the others. Not because Wei Wuxian was bothering him, but simply because he had disappeared. Immediately after class, he, along with his cohort of miscreants, had vanished entirely, when he was to report to the Library Pavilion to continue copying the precepts as punishment. They were nowhere to be found in any of their usual haunts, nor were they in any of the places the visiting disciples congregated when given free time, he had looked.
Eventually, Lan Wangji made his way to the Library to wait and determine what punishment should be added to the already extensive list. And extensive it was, as nothing had yet seemed to get through to the other boy that he could not do as he pleased without consequences. Everything was laughed off or ignored as if it never happened. Lan Wangji, and Shufu as well, was at a loss of how to get the lesson to stick.
Not even a ke after Lan Wangji settled into his usual spot, Wei Wuxian bounded into the room, laughter on his lips, and a small basket hanging from his arm.
“I have lines to write, but I’ll meet you in your rooms after,” he yelled at someone outside the door.
“Excessive noise is forbidden,” Lan Wangji snapped.
“Aw, Lan Zhan! I was just saying bye! Don’t be such a fuddy-duddy,” he whined, though the bright grin stayed on his face.
“Mn. You are late,” Lan Wangji told him. “Go copy,” he added, pointing towards Wei Wuxian’s usual seat across the room.
It was below a large window, and the late afternoon sun often reflected off the boy, bathing him in a golden glow. More often that not, Lan Wangji stayed distracted by the sight, unable to concentrate on his own work. Today, though, the distraction was less to do with the vision in front of him, and more to do with what he was doing.
Immediately upon sitting, Wei Wuxian began pulling flowers out of the basket, spreading them atop the ignored parchment on the table. Bright purple gentians and pale pink lotus blooms came out of the basket at an alarming rate. Dozens of them quickly piled up in front of him.
All of his attention seemed to be on the flowers, and he was silent as he picked through them. Where he managed to acquire the lotus was a mystery, as they did not grow anywhere near Cloud Recesses, the weather was too cold even at the height of summer. The gentians, though, a whole grove of them grew outside his mother’s abandoned home.
The house was deep in the private areas, where only the inner sect members were aloud to go. Even then, it was forbidden for anyone but them to approach. Lan Wangji had no doubt Wei Wuxian had been many places he should not have, with rules being a mere suggestion.
Outside the house, his mother had planted the flowers, a bright spot of color in her prison, that he had played in when he was very young. Part of him wanted to ask if that was where they were acquired from.
He did not. Instead, he watched as Wei Wuxian sorted them into piles without saying a word. Every ounce of his attention seemed to be on the flowers, to the point he did not even notice Lan Wangji putting his book aside to watch. Then, he began weaving them together, alternating between the two different flowers, and wrapping them into a ring.
His mouth moved as if he were speaking, but no sound came out the entire time. There was a glassy, far away look in his silver eyes as he did it, his fingers moving deftly as he braided the green stems together. When he finished, he placed the ring of flowers on his head. A soft smile, so unlike the bright grin and somehow more genuine, graced his lovely face. Then he started on another one.
When he was done with that one, he let out a happy, childlike giggle. Then, taking it into his hands, he stood up, and walked across the room.
“What are you doing?” Lan Wangji asked as Wei Wuxian approached him.
“Making flower crowns, Lan Zhan,” he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “There was a merchant down in Caiyi selling lotuses, and I’m missing seeing them bloom this year. It’s so pretty in Yunmeng right now. The lakes are filled with all the flowers as far as the eye can see! You should come visit next year, so you can see for yourself.”
“Mn,” he hummed, letting Wei Wuxian talk.
Secretly, he loved the sound of his voice; when he was not using it to create chaos, at least.
“Anyway, I got the flowers because they remind me of home. And I found all these pretty purple flowers growing, and I thought, flower crowns!”
“Why?” Lan Wangji asked.
“Because my mom and I used to make them for my dad, and it’s been so long, but the flowers were just there. It’s one of the few memories I have. They’re pretty, aren’t they?” he asked.
Without waiting for a response, he plopped the second one down on Lan Wangji’s head, his finger tips brushing the ribbon as he did so. Lan Wangji’s heart stopped as the light weight settled, and Wei Wuxian pulled his hands away.
“Now we match!” he said brightly, the melancholy tone that had laced his voice instantly evaporating into something joyous.
Lan Wangji could not speak; he sat there, frozen in place as Wei Wuxian’s bright eyes watched him. It was something so personal, so special to the other boy, and he had just given it to Lan Wangji for seemingly no reason.
He wondered if maybe, Wei Wuxian felt the same way he did. It was impossible, though; for all his teasing and touching, he was sure the other boy did not.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji finally rasped out.
A faint pink blush spread across his face, making him look even more lovely in the late afternoon sun. Then he leaned forward, and Lan Wangji’s breath hitched.
A flower petal was falling from the crown, sliding down his cheek, and Wei Wuxian pressed a delicate kiss to the petal. It felt like a brand on his skin, the light press and warm heat was easily felt through it, and Lan Wangji felt his ears heat.
When Wei Wuxian pulled away again, the faint blush had turned to a bright red, staining his entire face.
“Hahaha, Lan Zhan, ignore me! You’re just too adorable with it! And my mom always said it was bad luck to let a petal fall without a kiss,” he said.
Lan Wangji thought Wei Wuxian was the adorable one. The contrast of the white and purple on his head against the blood red ribbon in his hair made him look like some spirit out of legend.
It hit him then, that the flowers were an odd mix of their clans. Lotus in Lan White and the Gentians in Jiang Purple sat on both of their heads. For a moment, he pictured how Wei Wuxian would look in Wedding Red with the same flowers on his head, and Lan Wangji was unable to hold back any longer.
Leaning up, and grabbing Wei Wuxian by the waist, he yanked the other boy towards him.
“Lan Zhan, what —“ he tried to say, but Lan Wangji pressed their lips together, sliding his tongue into Wei Wuxian’s open mouth.
It felt like heaven, and tasted of the sweets the boy must have eaten when he sneaked away to Caiyi, and the heavy spices he always seasoned his food with. For a moment, Wei Wuxian stiffened in his arms.
Then, he made a soft sound, and began kissing back, opening up farther. Arms wrapped around Lan Wangji’s neck, and without breaking the kiss, he pulled Wei Wuxian closer. He came easily, settling onto Lan Wangji’s lap. His weight was nothing as they both fell into the rhythm of one another’s mouth. Their bodies pressed close together, and Lan Wangji only broke away when it became too hard to breathe and Wei Wuxian began to whine sweetly.
The flower crown was tilted slightly on Wei Wuxian’s head. He stared at Lan Wangji with his now bright red lips slightly parted in wonder.
“You kissed me,” he breathed, as if he did not believe the words coming from his own mouth.
“Mn.” Lan Wangji said.
“That was my first kiss,” he said.
For all the stories Lan Wangji heard, for all the boasting Wei Wuxian had done, that was not something he ever expected to come from that sweet mouth.
“Wei Ying.”
“Forget I said that! I don’t know why I said that!” he said, panicked.
He made no move to leave Lan Wangji’s lap, and Lan Wangji was content to keep him there, running his hands up the other boys back, finally able to touch.
“Wei Ying,” he tried again.
“Shut up! Just… kiss me again, Lan-er-gege.”
“Mn,” Lan Wangji said, and pressed their lips back together.
