@omega_jimiin: #wangxianwei ying & lan ...

#wangxian

wei ying & lan zhan are immortals who "hate each other"

so when lz goes to the mortal realm for his love trial, wy decides it's a perfect time to play a trick on lz. when lz completes his trial, he'll be angry & wy can tease him

only things don't go according to plan

wy's timing is perfect, he arrives just as lz is born

there are cheers as the empress finally gives birth to a heir. he is named lan wangji by his parents

baby lwj is sleeping soundly so wy decides it's a good time to take a closer look, invisible thanks to his power

he almost coos at how cute the baby is until he remembers. it's not lwj, it's lz. his enemy!

suddenly lwj's eyes fly open, golden eyes finding wy in the crowded room and staring at him

wy startles for a second, wondering if he's now visible to everyone else

luckily no one else notices him so his powers are still working. it's like lz can sense him?

maybe because he's immortal? perhaps some of lz's immortal powers are still there, just dampened

wy looks away when lwj finally closes his eyes, falling into a deep sleep

wy stays for a few days, smiling as he watches lwj's mother take care of him. she strokes his face softly as she rocks him, singing lullabies

he can see her love for lwj. he's glad. even though he & lz don't see eye to eye, he doesn't want him to have a terrible time as a mortal

if he has a hard life, then it will be no fun for wy to torment him. that would be like kicking someone when they're down

he has to thank nhs, the god responsible for mortals, for giving him a good fate so far

suddenly he realises he's late meeting his jiejie and didi

"oh no, jc is going to be so mad again!"

when he gets back, he realises he's not late. no where near, actually

he always gets confused when he visits the mortal realm. time moves so slow. days in the mortal realm are really only hours for immortals

so instead he decides to pass time by annoying nhs, the small pout on his face is because of lz

if he weren't in the mortal realm, then wy would be having fun teasing him right now, not bothering nhs

he cheers up when he finds nhs and notices the jars of emperor's smile

"wei xiong!" nhs greets him

wy grins at him as he throws himself to the floor, reaching for a jar and downing half at once

"ahhh, you always have the good stuff!" he sighs happily as he wipes his mouth

nhs rolls his eyes at him "don't drink it all or da-ge will be mad"

"I'll try" he winks before he regales him with stories of baby lwj

"who knew lan zhan was such an adorable baby! man, i wish I knew him back when we were children!"

nhs stares at him, unusually serious "wei ying. you need to be careful you don't ruin his love trial"

wy blinks for a minute before he bursts into laughter "how could I ruin lz's love trial?! don't worry, huaisang! i won't infere"

nhs opens his mouth to say something before he pauses. eventually he sighs and shakes his head "you won't listen to me anyway"

wy smiles wider as he swigs his wine "so, tell me about lwj's fated romance"

nhs stares long enough that wy starts to fidget in his seat "nevermind" he says, feigning indifferece

nhs sighs as he finally answers "when he's 19, lwj will fall in love with his new tutor"

wy tilts his head to the side "he will have a female tutor?"

nhs looks at him like he's missing something "no"

wy's frowns "but you sai- oh. he'll fall in love with a MAN?"

nhs nods silently

wy doesn't know why he's so caught off guard, why he feels like his world has shifted

they sit in tense silence before wy lets out a fake laugh "oh, have you seen the time? i should get ready for work"

he ignores nhs' "wei xiong? you are the god of night? its still morning?"

he doesn't let himself think about the fact that lz - no, future lwj?- is a cutsleeve

instead he keeps himself busy, going to visit his precious nephew jl again

"jl, your favorite uncle is here! i missed you so much, wahhhh"

baby jl stares at him, unimpressed as his jiejie laughs "a-ying, you only saw him two days ago!"

wy looks at her nodding "so long ago!"

she shakes her head in amusement as someone steals his nephew right out of his arms "hey!" he complains

jc glares at him "i'm his favourite uncle!"

wy turns to jyl "jiejie, jc is being mean!"

he feels lighter as he spends time with his family. suddenly, he remembers lz!

lwj must be about 8 now! wy will have to go visit him again to make sure he's doing okay

when he returns to the mortal realm, he finds him, so small and delicate, kneeling outside a building all alone

that's when wy notices his white mourning robes

he makes sure he's invisible as he walks over. this time, lwj's golden eyes are extremely sad

he sits next to lwj, who doesn't move, for hours

"crown prince, his majesty has requested that you go to your quarters"

lwj doesn't respond & wy realises it's his mother who passed

the servant sighs, his breath visible as it begins to snow

more & more people visit, begging lwj to go inside but he doesn't listen, it's almost like he doesn't realise they're there

wy hears a chattering sound and it dawns on him. it's lwj teeth. he's shivering from the cold

wy hesitates before he makes himself visible. lwj doesn't even react when wy speaks

"your mother loved you, she wouldn't want to see you suffer. it would make her sad"

lwj finally looks at him "who are you?"

"a family friend" he lies. he has an idea and gets out his sketchbook

he draws a picture of lwj's mother on the day of his birth, looking down at her baby softly

he also draws a sketch of some rabbits

he holds them towards lwj "here, keep these & the precious memories of your mother so she'll always be alive in your heart"

lwj reaches out slowly

he sniffles as he looks at the picture

wy stands up and holds his hand out "let's get you inside, yeah? you don't want to get sick"

lwj grasps wy's hand, leading him back to his quarters. before he goes inside, he peers back at wy who waves

"go inside and drink some soup"

lwj nods before he disappears. wy sighs as he remembers his expression earlier, he is glad he is now in the warm

it's only when wy is back in his quarters that he realises he shouldn't have interfered in lwj's fate

"ah" he thinks to himself "lwj will forget him soon enough"

the next time wy visits, lwj is 18

he'd come after visiting nhs, a little tipsy, half drunk jar of emperor's smile in his hand

it's not until there's someone behind him, sword at his throat, that he realises he forgot to make himself invisible

nhs is going to kill him

"who are you?" a deep voice asks

wy straightens in alarm. he laughs loudly "I'm a friend of lan zh- wangji's!"

suddenly, he's turned around "a lie. i have no friends"

thats when wy realises it's lwj

golden eyes open wide when they meet his "it's you!" lwj gasps

[[ tbc 🩷]]

wy is taken aback "you know me?"

lwj narrows his eyes at him "you did say we were friends. when my a-niang...you were there. it was over 10 years ago but you haven't changed"

wy realises he's in trouble as lwj frowns in confusion. how did he remembers wy after so many years?!

wy burst into nervous laughter "friends? it was a joke. this is the first we've met, you must have confused me with someone else. i have one of those faces, it happens a lot" wy waves his hands around, trying to look carefree

lwj looks at him unimpressed as he sheathed his sword

he doesn't seem to believe wy's words, which fair. wy is too handsome to be mixed up with someone else

lwj shakes his head "it was you"

wy feels pinned in place by lwj's intense gaze. he gulps as he tries to think of an excuse but words escape him

finally, he swallows before nodding "you're right! it was me! let me tell you a secret, i'm an immortal. don't tell anyone!"

lwj nods, like wy's words aren't a surprise "i believe you. i won't tell anyone else"

wy flags in relief "thanks, lan zh-wangji!"

he blinks when lwj smiles at him. he has never seen lz smile before. technically it's NOT lz smiling, just his face but it still shakes wy to the core

his voice comes out squeaky without his permission "would you look at the time! i need to go and do...things that immortals do"

lwj takes a step closer "will you return?"

wy shakes his head, now his identity is exposed, he can't come back because it will make things worse for both of them

"yes" he finds himself agreeing. he slaps a hand over his mouth as his eyes widen. he was supposed to refuse!

lwj is satisfied with his answer as he takes a step back "goodbye, immortal"

wy smiles shakily as he turns around

"wait!" lwj shouts, startling him. he turns round to face him, stumbling when he finds himself face to face with lwj. lwj catches him by the waist

"y-yes?" he stutters, face burning

"your name?"

wy tilts his head up so their eyes meet "oh! you can call me wei ying"

lwj opens his mouth to respond but wy doesn't wait. he closes his eyes & when he opens them, he's back in his quarters

he collapses on his bed with a sigh

he jumps in shock, almost falling out of his bed, when his door is open violently

he looks up in alarm before relaxing. it's just nhs

who looks angry. something wy isn't used to seeing on his face

"wei xiong! i warned you but you didn't listen!" nhs glowers at him

wy is affronted "what did i do?"

nhs sits at his desk, pouring himself a cup of wine "you couldn't help yourself, could you! now everything is ruined"

wy joins him, patting his shoulder "don't look so depressed! tell me what's wrong, surely it's not that bad"

nhs jabs his finger in wy's direction "you have singlehandedly ruined lz's love trial! do you know how much planning and effort when into his trial? do you know how often i had xichen-ge breathing down my neck to make sure he didn't have a hard life. and now, it's all gone"

wy's eyebrows rise "ruined? how?"

nhs stares at him before he laughs hysterically. when he calms down, he blinks "you're erious?"

when wy nods, nhs' eyes narrow "you just had to go & meet lwj. now he is not interested in his tutor. his fated heartbreak. this is bad"

wy panics a little "but we only met onc-twice! and one time, he was a little child! it can't be anything to do with me! maybe the tutor is boring?" wy tries

nhs huffs at him "he is not boring. the reason is that lwj is already in love....with you"

wy chokes on his saliva

"t-that can't be right! you must be mistaken!" he screeches, wincing at how loud his voice is

he takes a deep breath before he tries again "maybe he just needs time to fall in love with the tutor? things like that take time"

nhs snorts at him in disbelief

"oh, are you the expert in human fate now? i didn't realise you had so much experience with love. how many people have you dated...oh. none"

wy pouts "hey! that's a low blow! plenty of people want to date me! it's just that I'm too busy!"

nhs laughs "sure. THAT'S the reason"

wy frowns at him. why does it sound like he's trying to insinuate something else

he changes subject "so what are you going to do about his love trial?"

nhs pins wy with a look that has wy worried "I am going to do nothing"

wy scrambles upright "huaisang! you have to do something! if lz fails his trial, he'll lose half of his power!"

nhs smirks at wy and all wy can think is 'oh no. this can't be good'

"i didn't say we weren't doing anything. i said I wasn't doing anything"

wy is confused

nhs carries on speaking "you will be the one to fix things seeing as you ruined it"

wy tilts his head "me? how?"

"you have to break lz's heart"

wy giggles "that's funny"

his laughter trails off when nhs doesn't join in "it's a joke, right?"

nhs shakes his head "no"

wy tries to protest "b-but-"

nhs cuts him off "wei xiong. this is the only way for lz to pass his trial"

wy throws himself onto the floor "this is bad!"

nhs just shrugs at him "you should have listened to me"

wy nods regretfully "what do i do?"

wy still doesn't believe nhs is right. how can lwj love HIM?! but he won't take the risk of lz failing his love trial. that could be dangerous and wy wouldn't intentionally harm him

annoy him sure

tease him so his ears turn that cute red colour, definitely

hurt him. never

the next day after hatching a plan with nhs, wy appears in the mortal realm again

lwj is 19 now and seems even taller than wy remembered. wy gulps as their eyes meet

"you finally returned"

wy waves at him "yes. sorry for keeping you waiting"

"i would wait forever for you"

wy flushes as he stutters "lan wangji! you can't say things like that! warn me first!"

wy rolls his eyes at lwj's smug expression

"follow me"

it's a command, one wy follows. they walk towards lwj's room in comfortable silence

wy startles for a minute when lwj is greeted

somehow he had forgotten that lwj was the crown prince, soon to be emperor

he ignores the curious eyes that follow him but dare not to question lwj on his guest

wy lights up when he sees what lwj is holding "you kept it!" he grins

"mn. a reminder my mother is watching over me"

wy looks up and smiles softly "I'm sure she'd be proud"

wy spends time with lwj that night, talking and talking but never feeling like he's annoying. a first for him

wy keeps going to visit him after that. they eat together, they visit the market, buying each other little gifts

lwj asks wy for advice on issues the country is facing. he listens intently to wy's answers

he quizzes wy about his life as an immortal, about his family and friends. he wants to know everything about wy

wy blossoms under lwj's attention. its addictive

the same way as having lan zhan scold him or tell him to get lost is

he almost forgets he's here for a reason until nhs appears when lwj is 22

"it's time to break lwj's heart"

[[tbc🩷 people guessed correctly how this would go 🙈 oops forgot to proofread thread 😬 oh well 😂]]

wy hesitates "surely it's too soon, he's only 22"

nhs shakes his head "it must be now or he will fail his trial"

his face softens as he watches wy's face fall "i know it's difficult, especially because you l-"

wy cuts him off "i will do it today"

nhs eyes him warily but nods

when he's alone again, he throws himself onto his bed in his quarters. lwj had insisted he stay in the palace

he lies there for a long time before he steels his heart. "this is to help him, lan zhan will understand"

it's his mantra, something he wishes he fully believed

he visits the immortal realm quickly, preparing for his plan

just as nhs predicted, that night when they meet, lwj is thrumming with nervous energy

he goes to speak to wy atleast 3 times before he pauses, changing the subject quickly

wy, knowing what will soon come, lets him

finally, when wy knows he can no longer put it off, he asks lwj, fake grin plastered on his face "spit it out"

lwj looks surprised for a second before he turns resigned "you could tell"

wy laughs as he slaps his arm "of course i can, we're best friends. now tell me what's up"

lwj closes his eyes, taking a deep breath before they open and pin wy in place "wy, there is something i need to discuss with you"

wy nods, waiting for lwj to continue

"wei ying, i love you"

wy feels something inside him shift. has to remind himself it's not really lan zhan

"i love you too, wangji"

lwj shakes his head "no, i am in love with you. i have been since we met again at 19"

lwj pulls something out of his sleeve. it's the picture of the bunnies wy drew when he lost his mother

"most of my treasured memories include you. if there is any chance you feel the same, then-"

wy interrupts him cruelly "i do not"

he doesn't miss how lwj falters, but he carries on "i'm sorry i gave you the wrong impression but I'm not a cutsleeve. i have a wife"

lwj's eyes widen in shock "you never mentioned it"

wy callously laughs "why would i tell you about that? you're just a mortal i enjoyed spending time with. we immortals live so long, we need someone to entertain us sometimes"

wy's fingernails dig into his palms, drawing blood

he can't bear to see that betrayed expression on lwj's face

"i don't believe you" lwj shakes his head

wy smirks as he calls out softly "wen qing"

she's by his side the next second

"baby, i missed you"

he grins at her glare, even though he's not feeling happy

he knows she hates petnames, unless it's her wife calling her them

"i missed you too" she grits out as she takes hold of his hand "is this the human you were telling be about?"

she eyes lwj appreciatively

"yep!" he pops the p, staring at lwj

lwj looks like he's in a state of disbelief but his golden eyes are still soft when they look at wy

it's time to change that. time to make sure lz passes his love trial

keeping eye contact with lz, he bends down to kiss wy

he's only inches from wy's lips when lz turns around

wy's sags in relief, almost collapsing onto wq who shoves him away with an eye roll

nhs had been so sure lwj would be unable to stomach the sight of wy kissing someone else. wy is glad because kissing wq would be like kissing his sister

also her wife would probably beat him up

he blinks back tears as he walks towards lwj's broad back. he hesitates before he places a hand on his shoulder "lwj, i am flattered you feel this way, but we are not destined to be. i hope you move on and live a happy life"

muscles tense under his touch

wy doesn't wait for a response before he leaves, finding himself in nhs' quarters

he smiles sadly as he accepts the jar of emperor's smile from him

"you did the right thing" nhs tries to console him

wy nods absentmindedly, unable to forget the devastation on lwj's face

it doesn't feel like he did the right thing

wy spends the next month pointedly avoiding any mention of lwj or lz

he holds himself back from visiting the mortal realm to see how lwj is doing because it's too painful

he hopes lwj had moved on, that he found happiness

it's just, there's a selfish part of him that hopes lwj never forgot him

he chides himself everytime he thinks that

on the 33rd day, when human lwj would be 55, nhs turns up, standing tentatively in the doorway

wy doesn't look up "he's back?"

he hears the shuffle of feet moving closer "yes"

he nods, silently

nhs doesn't speak for a long time. when he does, his voice is unusually somber "are you going to visit him?"

wy takes a long swig of his wine "no"

he doesn't want to see lz's hatred for him

his fury that wy messed up his trial and made him fall IN LOVE with HIM, even though it was an accident!

but he also thinks that lz's usual indifferece might be even worse

so he does what he does best. avoids his problems

weeks pass by & wy makes sure he doesn't run into lz

wy collapses in his bed after another tiring day of dodging lz. he didn't realise how often their paths crossed until just now

he's drinking his wine when his door slams open, startling him. he jumps, hand slipping and pouring wine all over himself "what the-"

he frowns at nhs

"you scared me!" he complains as he wipes his face

"quiet!" nhs demands, and wy immediately shuts up, knowing it won't do him any good to argue

"you're moping, which is expected but now LZ is moping. which means lxc is worried, meaning da-ge is worried"

nhs' voice is steadily raising in volume and shrillness "which means he bothers me! if i don't promise to help lz, then he'll take my fan collection away. how could he be so cruel!" he wails

wy just blinks, confused "lz is moping? why?"

"OF COURSE that's all you care about!"

nhs lets out a suffering sigh "okay, let's ignore lz for now. why are YOU moping? you didn't get your heart broken"

wy knows he's right but "hey!" he pouts before looking away "it broke MY heart, to hurt lz"

nhs nods, suddenly looking excited "and why is that?"

"because we're friends?"

nhs rolls his eyes "are you friends really? let me ask you something serious. think about how lwj treated you, how he looked at you. then compare it against how lz acts around you"

wy does. he doesn't see why nhs would-

he gasps "his eyes"

"yes?"

wy can feel his heart beating so fast it feels like it will explode "I don't know, it's just. lz. his eyes are always soft. even when he's annoyed or exasperated. the way he looks at me, it...it reminds me of lwj"

then he shakes his head "but lz isn't a cutsleeve"

nhs bursts into laughter "oh, honey! where did you get that idea from? it's not a secret"

wy gapes "WHAT?!"

nhs shakes his head "you really didn't know?"

wy stammers "i-what-no?! this is, i need to speak to lz"

he doesn't wait, he just rushes towards the jingshi

"lan zhan!"

he is out of breath by the time he reaches it

"lan zhan! are you inside?" he yells

the door opens, revealing a stoic lz. wy's heart skips a beat as he stares into those golden eyes

they're shuttered, trying to control his emotions but wy can read him well

"lan zhan! i really wanted to say yes back then! when you were mortal! but i couldn't"

lz looks shell-shocked, wy isn't sure if it's because of his chaotic arrival or his confession

"wei ying?"

wy runs forward, towards lz

at the last moment, he ducks under his arm, allowing himself into the jingshi. lz pauses before he closes the door, finding wy sat on the edge of his bed

"lz, do you hate me?" wy asks earnestly

lz's eyes widen a fraction "never hated wy"

wy leans forward, desperate for the answer "even though i ruined your trial? broke your-lwj's-heart?"

lz shakes his head firmly "my time in the human realm with you was the happiest in all my years of existence"

wy gasps, lip wobbling "b-but-"

"even after you left, i never moved on. how could i when i had someone so perfect for me? no one could replace you. even in this eternal lifetime"

wy throws himself at him "lan zhan, lz! i love you! i didn't realise it for a long time, not until i heard your original love trial"

"i was JEALOUS that you loved a man who wasn't me. i couldn't help myself from interfering"

lz squeezes him tightly "love wy too. since we first met. i am glad you changed my mortal fate. that way i had happy memories with you, even if you did not feel the same way"

wy sniffles "i do! I'm also sorry for avoiding you. I was scared"

"no sorrys between us"

wy laughs wetly into the crook of lz's neck before he pulls back to wipe his face

suddenly lz's face freezes, appearing hesitant and wy feels dread

"wen qing..."

wy blinks, puzzled at the suddenly mentioned of wq until....

"haha! lz, don't tell me you are jealous! we didn't kiss, don't worry. mianmian would kill me, if wq didn't first!"

lz frowns "she will have to get through me first"

wy cackles loudly, feeling like a huge burden has been lifted "calm down, my hero. no one will hurt me"

"mn"

wy can't control himself as he leans forward and pecks lz's lips. he gasps as he pulls away, lips tingling

"wow"

"mn" lz agrees before kissing him deeply

wy moves into the jingshi that night, nhs gets to keep his fan collection

/end/

nhs is so glad they finally got their shit together. hope you liked the ending because i struggled with this 🙈🩷