Past is set in stone, only your feelings may change

Laughter

Thinking about their fights over the Emperor's Smile made Wei Wuxian think about what he had found under a removable floor board in the Jingshi just several minutes ago. He had been so baffled at that time because he would have never guessed that Lan Zhan would be hiding wine in his own home and thus breaking the rules of the Gusu Lan sect. There had also been a flute placed there and Wei Wuxian had wondered about it, only a for a second though.

He wanted to laugh so much at the image of Lan Zhan secretly sneaking away to enjoy a jar of the Emperor's Smile where his uncle or his brother would not find him. Had Wei Wuxian perhaps been just as bad of an influence as Lan Qiren had always painted him to be? Had he been the one who had taught Lan Zhan how to drink? If that was the case, he had to congratulate himself for his achievement.

Once again, the image of Lan Zhan sitting on a roof top under the full moon with a jar of Emperor's Smile in his hands overcame his whole mind. It was so beautiful a sight that he actually wanted to see it becoming reality only so he would be able to admire it just a little bit longer.

And then, his imagination just went high wire and he remembered how adorable a drunk Lan Zhan looked. The figure of the roof top he was seeing inside of his mind suddenly stood up while stumbling a little bit. Lan Zhan had now his back turned to him and Wei Wuxian immediately mourned having lost the view of his slightly flushed face and bright red burning ears. Then, the Lan Zhan his imagination supplied turned around and looked at him.

It was the last drop and Wei Wuxian could not hold himself back anymore. Laughter erupted from his throat and he almost doubled over with how strong it was. Seeing Lan Zhan standing in front of him inside that dream of his, with his eyes hazy from being drunk and his forehead ribbon askew, almost to the point where it was falling over one of his eyes, was just too funny.

Laughing felt liberating and it seemed like it was taking all the pressure inside of his body away. It was only then that he realized that since his resurrection, he had not laughed once. Smiled, yes of course, but just out of courtesy, it never came from his heart. But this time, it was different. He was genuinely happy and for the first time since his resurrection, he thought that being alive again was perhaps not so bad.

From the corner of his eye, he saw that Lan Zhan was watching him with a puzzled expression. Wei Wuxian wondered when exactly it had happened that he was now able to read his almost invisible expressions so well. It only made him laugh so much harder. It looked adorable and funny at the same time how Lan Zhan was standing there, the hand in which he did not carry his sword half outstretched as if he wanted to touch Wei Wuxian but did not actually do so, and looking utterly confused and lost.

"I am sorry, Lan Zhan," said Wei Wuxian apologetically when he had finally managed to calm himself. He was still gasping for breath and his sides were hurting from all the laughter he had been doing. "I am fine," he reassured when he noticed a slight frown between the Second Jade's eyebrows.

Lan Zhan looked at him intently, it lasted an eternity, and then he nodded slowly. "Mn," was his only reaction. His voice was so soft that it had caught Wei Wuxian by surprise. And he even smiled a little bit! Was that actually a Lan Zhan Wei Wuxian knew? Had he not been replaced by a doppelganger during those years he had been dead?

Wei Wuxian's heart started acting strangely again because of that slight upturning of Lan Zhan's lips. But he stubbornly told it to stay put, he still did not want to examine this feeling too closely.