The Little Mermaid umm Merman

Sunday Morning

The clock was steadily blinking one something in the semi-darkness of the apartment. Wei WuXian flitted between elation and depression almost as fast as those incessant blinks. It had been so blissfully wonderful for about forty seconds to sit across from Lan WangJi again. And then it was horrible.

LiJie's text message had reminded him that he was supposed to be in the car with Jin Chen. But when he unlocked his phone, it was open to his dating app. Which reminded him that there couldn't possibly be two families in Jiangsu Province with one brother born in Singapore and one in Japan. What would the odds be? It was a joke (ha ha, funny funny... not) that if you were one in a million in China there were a thousand others just like you. But the odds of this one family pattern occurring twice? It had to be astronomically low.

So after texting his sister back, he'd messaged Xiandu in the app. And then he surreptitiously watched his message appear on Lan WangJi's phone screen.

Fuck. "Fucking bloody Hell. Damn you, Lan WangJi. Why the fuck do you have to be Xiandu? Why can't he be some normal guy I've never met?" He pounded his pillow. "Were you looking for me?" That sent a shiver down his spine. "You couldn't have.... How the Hell would you have gotten my username?" He rolled around for a bit, messing his blankets up even more. "No, Even you would have reacted to Laozu's message if you knew I was him. Coincidence. Just a fucking coincidence that I saw that profile and you matched with me. It has to be a coincidence." He stopped rolling to look at his clock: 1:21 AM. "Unless you've become a better liar and poker player over the last seven years."

He unlocked his phone to look at his and Xiandu's latest messages.

Laozu: Are you free? I'm on a coffee break right now.

The response had come an hour or so later.

Xiandu: I just arrived back home. I apologize. I was at a work event when you texted.

Wei WuXian typed out a message and let his phone screen die down while he debated hitting send.

Laozu: I know who you are.

He turned the phone back on and deleted it.

Laozu: No probs. That work thing where your ex was?

Only a few seconds passed before the typing dots appeared on his screen. "You're up late, Lan WangJi."

Xiandu: Yes. He wss there.

Twisting a metaphorical knife into his own stomach, Wei WuXian typed out:

Laozu: I was going to suggest you meet up with him. Grab something to drink maybe. And then let me know if you still had feelings for the guy.

Laozu: I think that's bad advice.

I met up with my former crush and it was awkward as Hell. Zero out of ten. Do not recommend.

Xiandu: We talked fur a bit.

Laozu: and?

Xiandu: and whar do you want me to sayy?

Wei WuXian (carefully) threw his phone onto the bed. "I want you to say you have feelings for him. Or say it was nothing."

Laozu: You said you didn't want to see him.

Xiandu: You sad you have a shit mmory.

Laozu: I can reed our chat hisrory

Xiandu: It was akward. Have nt talked to him in years

Wei WuXian threw his phone on the bed again. "Awkward? How many awkward conversations did you have last night?"

Laozu: awkward means you stilll hav feelings for your ex. I don't date people with exes as baggage.