Beating out of my chest,
§
my heart is holding onto you...
"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan says.
"Lan Zhan." You haven't changed a single bit. You are everything I remember, everything I have dreamed of, everything I have yearned for. "It's..." Ah Xian clears his throat. "It's been a long time."
"Yes. It has."
"I, uhh, I see you have things to attend to. You've been summoned somewhere?"
"No."
"O-Oh... no?"
"No. I don't have things to attend to."
"Oh... well. I mean... I'm sure you actually have lots to do. You're just saying that. You should at least get some rest—or deal with these little buggers! These reckless lil' juniors here. They came all the way to the other side of the mountain to find me, did you know that? Ahah, rotten kids. Neglecting their classes like that, who do they take after? Also, I heard you're not feeling well. You should be resting, no?" Ah Xian clears his throat. "Clearly, you do have lots to do. I shouldn't impose on you... I'll just... I'll go wait in one of the guest chambers—"
"No."
"No?"
"You're not imposing. You won't wait in one of the guest chambers. Let's... just..." Lan Zhan trails off. His throat bobs, eyes glazed over in a way Ah Xian has only seen a few times in him. "Let's just have tea."
Ah Xian cocks a gentle brow, "Right now?"
"Yes," whispers Lan Zhan. "Right now."
•••
The air of the room simmers with an unusual, stale quiet.
Lan Zhan pours two cups of tea, his gaze lowered calmly to the pot in his hands. He sets one of the cups in front of Ah Xian. It clinks against the old wood of the table.
"Drink," Lan Zhan says. One breath. Quipped, gentle, concise.
Ah Xian wants to laugh.
"Thanks," Ah Xian says. He takes the cup. Suddenly, he is reminded of the countless times Lan Zhan has done this for him in the past. Each time they were somewhere new. Each time Ah Xian was sick with stress, and needed a way to relax; too often he yearned to resort to liquor. He always started to, but Lan Zhan would grab his arm.
"No alcohol," Lan Zhan says.
Ah Xian sighs, throwing him an annoyed frown, "Aww, come on, Lan Zhan, are you serious?"
"Yes."
"This isn't Cloud Recesses, in case you haven't noticed. We are actually extremely far from Cloud Recesses. So—I can drink as much as I want."
"Too much," Lan Zhan answers bluntly. "You'll get sick."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Ah Xian drawls sardonically.
YOU ARE READING
this changes everything. ⟲ wangxian
Fanfiction"Wangji... Rule 2982-" Lan Wangji stiffens. "-you know you can't be with him. It's been many moons for you two now, so I can predict you'll feel... energised. Obviously, your health will improve. And that's what we want; that's what's good for you...
