I Know We're Not in a Drama

Ch 4. Existential Crisis - Solved

Being reminded that his friend was gay wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Until when they started working out at the complex's gym together. Lan WangJi in a tight fitting, moisture wicking sleeveless top and knee length bike shorts turned heads of all ages and body types. The women sizing him up, eyes lingering on the bulge just below his waistline, was annoying, but at least they were in the 'you can look, but you won't ever get to touch' category.

The men, though? Sleazy buggers. Every single one of them. The obvious ones didn't merely try to size up what was hidden in his shorts or appreciate how his pecs pressed against his shirt, or the perfection that was his trapezoidal shaped back and narrow waist. They offered to spot him while he bench pressed a ridiculous amount of weight. While Wei WuXian was standing right there already spotting him. They offered to hold his feet while he did sit-ups, ignoring that Wei WuXian already had his hands on his ankles. Then there were the sly innuendos, cheesy pick-up lines, trying to hold a conversation while on the treadmill, complimenting his 'form' while he used the free-weights.

Alright, it was one sleazy dude; the rest kept their eyeballs in their heads and their tongues in their mouths. And Lan WangJi did his best ice king impression when the sleazeball tried to get too close. It was lovely to see the face grow still, eyes appearing to look down the nose, contempt written in every muscle group, and a quiet "go away, I'm trying to exercise here. Get out of my way." It was beautifully snobby, especially since it completely disappeared once the sleazeball huffed off, and all that was left of the ice king was a satisfied smirk.

~*~

Lan WangJi in his exercise clothing was a beautiful sight to see. Lan WangJi in a bathing suit was the Chinese version of Adonis or something. So far already, two people had tripped over the raised edges of the pool and fallen in just from looking (staring) at the tall, handsome man with ripped abs and lightly golden and glistening from sunscreen skin. And the pool had only been open for a week.

Wei WuXian had nearly given himself a hernia trying to keep his laughter contained after the second one fell in. "Gēge, you're too handsome for us mere mortals. Take pity on our poor hearts and wear a swim shirt?"

Lan WangJi had raked cold eyes up and down Wei WuXian's half naked body before responding. "Are you sure she didn't trip because of you?"

"She was staring at you." Wei WuXian knew exactly what he looked like: toned, slim, sleek, no overtly defined muscles. More rectangle shaped than trapezoidal. An otter-like creature. Lan WangJi answered by diving cleanly into the water and gliding to the shallow end. Wei WuXian shrugged and followed his friend. "Ah, Gēge. Be careful with our hearts. If the sight of you in dry trunks is enough to make us fall, what will the sight of you all wet do to us?" he teased.

"Do you like the way I look?" Lan WangJi asked quietly.

"I think you're extremely handsome. But you already knew that. Fishing for compliments?" Wei WuXian teased. Lan WangJi's eyes seemed to smolder. Which made Wei WuXian realize that his friend had light brown eyes, almost golden in color, instead of the darker brown/black ones typical of Chinese people. "I just noticed you have very pretty eyes," he blurted. "Color, I mean. Not shape. Shape pretty, too. Nice. Light. Good eyelashes. Long. Thick." Flustered, and not quite sure why, Wei WuXian dunked under the water, pushing off the wall to do the crawl, down the length of the pool. How fucking embarrassing.

~*~

[Is everything all right between us? You've been biking to work again. We haven't had dinner together in a week.]

Wei WuXian stared at the email. As he had been staring at it, on and off, for several hours now. He had no idea how to explain....

How do you explain that you literally just noticed your best friend's eye color after six years. And you liked it. Really liked it. Like, had dreamed about those eyes and how pretty they were. How do you explain that the existential crisis you narrowly avoided a couple years back, was stabbing you right in the chest?