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The knock on Wei Wuxian's door came at exactly 6 pm on the dot. It was short and curt, loud enough to be heard through the whole of his studio flat, but no so loud as to be a bother. Even if he hadn't been expecting him, Wei Wuxian would have known exactly who was behind his door. Always endlessly polite, his Lan Zhan. His hard stuttered and then picked up again twice as fast as he checked his reflection once more in the mirror. Huaisang had been by to help him pick out a casual but stylish outfit for the little orchestra popup in the park they were going to, and while this was far from their first date, there was still something in Wei Wuxian's mind that wanted to impress Lan Zhan. Not that Lan Zhan would care - Wei Wuxian was fairly certain he could wear rags covered in shit and his boyfriend would still think he looked good - but it was the principle, wasn't it? They had only been dating for a month after all.
A month. Shit. It felt like nothing and also a small eternity all at once. And that didn't even account for the weird in-between dance they did for months before that when they totally were dating without really putting a label on to say that was what they were doing. By all accounts, Lan Zhan probably should have run away screaming by now! But, here they were, and Wei Wuxian was jogging to open his front door so that they could go on yet another date together. How was that for surreal?
And god he looked great. Wei Wuxian threw the door wide open and received an eye full of Lan Wangji who was, of course, as gorgeous as ever. He was wearing a light blue turtleneck with the- fuck, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It left his forearms completely exposed and that did something to Wei Wuxian. He had paired the turtleneck with white slacks, and done his hair in a simple braid over his shoulder, which was about as close to a casual look as he had ever known Lan Zhan to get. It put Wei Wuxian's own outfit (comprised of a red bad tee with the sleeves cut off, ripped skinny jeans, and the same converse he had worn since he was a teenager) to shame. What a pair they made together, huh?
"Lan Zhan," he grinned by way of greeting, stepping over the threshold to pull the front door closed again behind him.
Lan Zhan smiled, just the barest uptick at the corner of his mouth, "Wei Ying. You look…" Wei Wuxian did not miss the way Lan Zhan's gaze drifted down the line of his body, as if he were taking in every single, solitary inch of him. Like he was something worth taking in. "You look very nice," he finished, nodding and folding his hands behind his back.
Wei Wuxian's chest constricted with a surge of affection for this man as he felt his cheeks flush against his will. Lan Zhan always got him so flustered so easily. How did he do that?
"You don't look too bad yourself," he replied with a wink that he saw make Lan Zhan's ears tint pink on the edges. It was easy to lock the door and immediately reach for Lan Zhan's hand and lace their fingers together as they made their way back to the white car parked in his driveway. So many things were easy with Lan Zhan. Far easier than he had expected them to be. They were so different, he had thought there would be some sort of learning curve figuring out how to exist and live so near to each others' orbit, but there had hardly been any of that at all. Sure they had an argument here and there but nothing that hadn't been solved after just a couple minutes of talking it out and, like, communicating.
It helped that Lan Zhan was easy to talk to. Easy to talk to about problems, and just as easy to talk to in general as they drove the few minutes onto the campus gardens at Jianghu University to catch the little orchestra in the park performance they were there for that evening.
He could smell fresh tanghulu from the little pavilion where people were already gathering, the sweetness mixing with the savoury pork that Wei Wuxian hoped meant they also had a baozi stand as well. The musicians were set up on a little makeshift stage between two garden planters, and whoever had set up the whole affair had strung little beaded lights from the pavilion canopy, casting the area in a soft glow as the sun set behind the trees.
It was really nice, and as Wei Wuxian strode into the pavilion, hand-in-hand with Lan Zhan, he felt a little bit of tension in his shoulders and in the back of his mind ease. It had been…a long semester. Well, half of one. Two months. He still had more to go, which was a nightmare to think about considering all that had already happened. It had been fine at first! He was volunteering at the local teen shelter, which was always a blast, and still doing flute lessons for anyone who wanted them. That had been a game-changer. He had a couple students who were brilliant. Just so talented, and their families had never been able to afford lessons before! But since Wei Wuxian had offered case-by-case rates on his lessons, that option had opened up for them, which was a win in his book. On top of that, he had balanced school as well as rehearsal of his own for the Jianghu Symphonic Orchestra, which would have been well within the realm of possibility for him to keep up with normally.
But then there were family issues, and friends who needed help, and family members who were sick or otherwise also not doing fantastic, and, well…He couldn't just let them suffer. Not when he could help.
Except that now this just had him barrelling into burnout territory, and he was not about to let that get in the way of all the other shit he had yet to do in the next couple months. He had intended on taking a break and having a chill evening to himself anyway, so when Lan Zhan had texted him asking if he wanted to go see the popup string quartet at the university gardens with him that evening, it was just a perfect option.
"The food smells great," he said with satisfaction as they drew closer to the little popup stands just outside of the main pavilion. Great was almost an understatement.
Lan Zhan hummed in agreement, "If you would like food, we should do that first before we find a place to sit. That way we are ready when the performance starts."
"Great idea."
They ended up with a stick of tanghulu each and a small basket of different types of baozi, which they brought with them over to the little space under one of the old willow trees which hadn't been claimed by anyone else yet. Wei Wuxian was completely unsurprised when Lan Zhan pulled a large, sky blue blanket from the bag he had brought with him and laid it out over the grass. Only mildly more surprising were the paints, brushes, two water bottles, and paper sheets he also withdrew from the depths of his bag to lay on the ground at their feet before the two of them sat down. Lan Zhan really did think of everything, didn't he?
"You went all out, I see," Wei Wuxian dropped himself down on the blanket with his legs sprawled out in front of him, leaning on his hands as he smiled at Lan Zhan.
Lan Zhan followed, albeit more gracefully, sitting cross-legged beside him with his back against the tree, "I had extra paint at home, and you mentioned wanting to try out water colour. I was acting with the intent that we could try them out while the musicians are performing."
Even at the idea of it, a little bit more of that tension he had been bringing with him the last few months melted away. God, that sounded nice.
He realised Lan Zhan was waiting for his approval and quickly nodded, fervently, "Good intent, Lan Zhan," he replied, already reaching for the paint and brushes, "You and I know when I don't have enough to do I go crazy, so this is perfect. And these?" He held up one of the water bottles for Lan Zhan's inspection.
Lan Zhan's lips ticked up in a smile, "Water is typically an essential part of watercolour. However, they are safe to drink if you would prefer."
Wei Wuxian laughed softly. Those pragmatic Lans. Why have something that serves one function when two or three will do instead?
"They won't be so safe when I'm done with them!" He replied as he reached for the paint palate, "Hand me that."
The performance began just a handful of minutes later, quickly filling the pavilion with the gentle strains of viola, violin, and cello. Beautiful instruments, but maybe Wei Wuxian was biased, on account of his dating a man who played all three. He thought they could use a wind instrument, but Wei Wuxian always thought a performance could be improved on by the presence of a wind instrument (which was definitely because he was biased). They played pieces Wei Wuxian recognised, as well as a few others that were either original pieces or just more niche music Wei Wuxian hadn't heard of. They were all lovely regardless, so he didn't think too hard on it.
He painted as they played. It was slow going at first, seeing as he had hardly ever done any more than dabble a few times when Huaisang had dragged him along to art workshops and exhibitions, but he found he was able to get the hang of it pretty quick. He just had to remember not to wet the brush too much and sent the paint dripping down his paper. Every once in a while, he would glance over at Lan Zhan, who, as anticipated, seemed to be in a world of his own. Hands folded in his lap, eyes closed softly as he listened to the music playing and nothing else. Wei Wuxian loved music - of course he did. But for Lan Zhan? It was everything. Wei Wuxian had known that since they were very young, all the way back in their first years of school together and he had asked the sullen-faced, sad-looking boy in his orchestra class why he was always in the rehearsal rooms even after everyone else had left. 'I like music,' had been his quiet, deeply sincere reply.
He really did. Wei Wuxian suspected there was something spiritual in it for Lan Zhan in particular. He himself wasn't exactly a religious guy, but he hadn't been blind to the way Lan Zhan always seemed a bit more whole, a bit more himself after one of their performances, or even after just going to watch a concert as a member of the audience. It was as if little pieces of his soul fractured and dimmed the moment he stepped away from the concert hall, and were slowly and gently crafted back together each time he was able to surround himself with the music again.
It wasn't until Wei Wuxian's bush strokes had begun to take on a more coherent shape that he realised he hand begun to paint Lan Zhan like that - serene, at peace, framed by the soft light shining through the drooping boughs of the willow tree. Breathtaking. Seriously. Wei Wuxian had to pause for a moment and take it in, one hand pressed to his chest to still his own stuttered breathing. Oh, wow.
The string quartet was still playing and Wei Wuxian was not hearing any of it. Eventually, Lan Zhan must have felt his gaze on him, because his eyes cracked open and he glanced at Wei Wuxian curiously.
"Wei Ying?" He asked, "Are you alright?"
"Fine,' he said breathlessly, "I'm pretty, you're just fi- I mean- Wait no, I'm fine. You're just…really pretty."
Wei Wuxian saw Lan Zhan's lips press together a fraction at the same time his ears and the crest of his cheeks tinted with pink. His gaze flicked away, then back at Wei Wuxian again as if he wanted to avert his gaze but was forcing himself not to, "Thank you," he said, "I am not the only one."
Then it was Wei Wuxian's turn to blush. Not that he necessarily blushed per-se, but he felt that familiar, fluttering twist in his gut at the compliment that caused a nervous laugh to bubble up from his lips.
"You flatterer, Lan Zhan," he chuckled, and before Lan Zhan could interject with his usual, 'I do not flatter,' Lan Zhan-ism, Wei Wuxian turned his paper around towards him to show off the mostly finished painting on it, "Look! It's you!"
Lan Zhan's brow raised in shock, though Wei Wuxian had a hard time knowing if it was quiet awe or if it was distaste at his shoddy depiction of him. Wei Wuxian kicked his leg out to nudge the other's knee with his shoe, "Come on, I know it's not that good, but you've got to at least try to not look like it's awful!"
The indiscernible shocked expression on Lan Zhan's face faltered and then melted into something more like concern. "It is not awful," he replied earnestly, "I was just…surprised."
"You were surprised by my painting?" Wei Wuxian asked, tilting his head.
Lan Zhan nodded as his eyes returned to the painting still in Wei Wuxian's hand, swaying in the gentle breeze. He stared at it for a few moments before he went on, "You painted me so elegantly."
At that, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but laugh, "Well, I like you a lot! Who would I be if I made you look bad?"
Not that he could. As far as Wei Wuxian was concerned, there was no possible way anyone could paint or sculpt or draw Lan Wangji that would make him look anything less than perfect.
Lan Zhan, it seemed, didn't have anything to say to that. They fell back into their easy silence again, letting the music wash comfortably in the space between them. At one point, Wei Wuxian shifted, turning to lean his back against Lan Zhan's shoulder as he added finishing touches to the delicate lines and shapes of his painting. It wasn't perfect, and there was something about the shading that he would have to ask Huaisang about when they met next, but it was nice. He picked at his stick of tanghulu here and there (Lan Zhan had bought it for him, after all) and listened to the music, occasionally humming along or bouncing his head to the tune when it was one he recognised.
It was dark by the time the performance ended to a wave of enthusiastic applause. Navigating back out of the garden proved to be the most difficult as they did their best to weave through crowds of people while not losing each other in the dark. This was more than fine with Wei Wuxian, who took it as ample opportunity to cling as close as he could to Lan Zhan's side with his arms wrapped all the way around his boyfriend's.
By the time they made it out past the entrance to the gardens, Wei Wuxian found himself laughing softly in sporadic bursts every time the absurdity of his clinging to Lan Zhan like an octopus just to get out of the event venue caught up to him. He pulled them to a stop beneath a tree just to recollect himself, stifling his laughter into his hand as he leaned against Lan Zhan's chest to steady himself.
To Lan Zhan's credit, he let him finish his laughing fit in silence until he could finally pull himself together long enough to speak. "Lan Zhan," he chuckled, "Ah, Lan Zhan I had such a good time tonight! This was really nice."
He tilted his head back just fast enough to catch the tail end of a smile on Lan Zhan's face as he hummed in reply, "I am happy to hear that."
"Come home with me?" Wei Wuxian leaned his chin against Lan Zhan's chest as he grinned up at him. Normally he might not be so forward unless he was sure Lan Zhan would say yes, but something about the combination of his good mood and the fact that the evening, while relaxing, hadn't eased as much of the looming exhaustion closing in on him as he had hoped made him not quite want to call the evening quits quite yet.
And to his delight, Lan Zhan really seemed to be considering it. Wei Wuxian pulled his bottom lip between his teeth in anticipation as Lan Zhan thought it over for a heartbeat or two and then nodded, "I have some assigned class reading I need to have done, but if you would not mind stopping at my apartment to get it before we return to yours, I would like that very much."
Wei Wuxian let out a soft, 'Yes,' before stepping back to take Lan Zhan's hand, "That's perfect! I have an essay I need to write anyways! We can both work on our stuff together!" He turned and began to lead them in the direction of the car. "Come on, Lan Zhan! Date night isn't over yet!"