The Tamed

Bloom and Gloom

The flustered pair exchanged glances as soon as the door closed behind Jiang Yanli. Xiao Zhan ran his fingers through his free hair in frustration when he heard the chuckle continue to ring outside the room before gradually fading away. He muttered despondently, "That's just great."

Lan Wangji cleared his throat awkwardly before saying in a soft tone of voice, "We should probably clean up first before eating."

"Right... Let's do that." Xiao Zhan agreed, rubbing his face and trying not to think about what happened last night or the fact that his martial sister caught them in such a compromising position.  He stood up from the bed and stretched his back before walking around the room to collect all the scattered clothing and handed Lan Wangji his white robes back. He gave him an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I put you in in tight spot once again."

Lan Wangji shook his head lightly, taking the garments from his hands, "Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault".

Xiao Zhan bit his lip guiltily as he replied, "But it is my fault that we got caught like this."

Lan Wangji smiled reassuringly, "It's not the first time we got caught."

"Still...", Xiao Zhan countered with an exasperated sigh. "Never mind. Let's get cleaned up so we can eat."

"Mn".

After both men were all freshened up and dressed up properly, they sat down across each other and ate the brunch that Jiang Yanli had prepared in silence. Eventually, Xiao Zhan could feel the tension between them build up exponentially and he couldn't stand the awkwardness anymore, so he finally spoke first after finishing his bowl of porridge. "Lan Zhan, why don't we sneak out and leave this place quietly?"

Lan Wangji turned his attention to his partner, "You mean, run away?"

"Yes," Xiao Zhan replied immediately, nodding vigorously.

"Don't be ridiculous, Wei Ying." Lan Wangji shook his head with disapproval. "Why do we need to run away?"

Xiao Zhan pouted in dissatisfaction, "You know we might have to face a situation more difficult than subjugating a monster today if we stay, right?"

"How bad can it be?" Lan Wangji said calmly although he could sense uneasiness building up inside.

"Very bad. If you think your brother's teasing is embarrassing, think again." Xiao Zhan replied, dreading the day of reckoning. The thing about Yunmeng Jiang sect was that, its disciples were notorious for being a rowdy lot who enjoyed pranks and troublemaking. Xiao Zhan's former self used to be the leader of them all. Thus, He knew that the two of them would be teased to no end if they didn't leave quickly. "It's for your own good, Lan Zhan".

"... You are exaggerating." Lan Wangji responded with a flat expression after a brief pause.

"Fine, don't say I never warn you. "Xiao Zhan raised an eyebrow at Lan Wangji and huffed, "Just prepare yourself mentally or use that silence spell of yours if necessary." 

"I'm sure it will be fine." Lan Wangji continued to give his partner a placid expression.

"I wish I was." Xiao Zhan warned him one last time and then stood up. He looked at the other man seriously and declared, "Since you're so optimistic, so be it."

Lan Wangji merely blinked at him naively.

"Alright then, let's get this day over." Xiao Zhan inhaled deeply before opening the door to reveal the chaos awaiting them. It looked like there was a parade of sorts with the entire hallway filled to the brim with the disciples of Yunmeng Jiang, whose eyes glittered with curiosity staring at them and their faces reflected varying levels of excitement and mischief. He groaned irritably as he stared at the crowd, not bothering to say any sort of greeting. A cacophony of hollering shouts from disciples and giggles from the audience echoed through the area. He rubbed at his temple in annoyance and sighed heavily before turning to look at Lan Wangji, "See for yourself."