Chapter Text
The dorm room door opened and Jiang Cheng looked up to see his roommate slinking in. The door swung shut with a dull thump. Jiang Cheng looked back down at his game, paused, and then raised his eyes to stare at Wei Wuxian again. The air was different somehow. He reached for the nearest small object and lobbed it at his adopted brother.
“What’s wrong?”
The pocket-sized hand sanitizer hit Wei Wuxian’s arm and fell to the ground with a sad little plop.
Letting out a gusty sigh, Wei Wuxian flopped down on his own bed and rolled over so that his back was facing the room. “What else? Your Wei-gege got rejected.”
“Oh. Condolences.” Jiang Cheng spun around in his chair. He spun back. “Hold up. Who did you…?”
“Hmph. You know.”
“The hell do I—?!” Wait, he really did know, Jiang Cheng realized. “You actually—! You were serious about that?”
“Mn.”
Jiang Cheng was dumbfounded. Just a couple days ago, out of the blue, Wei Wuxian had pulled him closer by the neck and asked him to wish him luck.
“What for?” Jiang Cheng had asked.
“I’m going to ask him out.”
“Who?”
“Lan Zhan, of course! Who else?”
Jiang Cheng performed a well-oiled eye roll. “Don’t take it too far. I’m not skipping class to take you to the hospital.”
Now, he stared at Wei Wuxian’s hunched back.
“But...so...? So what? As if you haven’t been chasing after him like a shameless tail since the beginning of time? When has he ever...? How is this time any...different?” He trailed off. Ah. He knew the answer already, he thought. “Hey.”
Lifting himself off his chair, he approached Wei Wuxian’s bed and grabbed him by the shoulder. The lump didn’t budge. He pulled harder. Eventually, he managed to roll Wei Wuxian over onto his back, though Wei Wuxian kept an arm glued over his face.
“Wei Wuxian. You’re really serious about him?” Jiang Cheng asked again.
Wei Wuxian’s lips pressed together even harder and Jiang Cheng could see his brother’s jaw clenching, desperately holding something back.
“Mn.”
Wei Wuxian’s voice managed to break in the middle of that one short syllable and it was as if the sound ignited a sparking fuse. Suddenly, Jiang Cheng was angry.
“Where is he? I’ll go find him right now.” A hand shot out to grab his arm and Jiang Cheng found himself looking into glassy, red-rimmed eyes.
“Don’t be stupid.” The guy had the gall to huff out a laugh, lip corners pulling up into an ugly expression that Jiang Cheng wanted to slap into next week. “It’s like you said, right? Not the first time I’ve been rejected by Lan Wangji.”
And were you serious all those times, as well? Jiang Cheng wanted to ask. Instead, he jerks Wei Wuxian forward, hard, so that his face nearly collides with his own. It said something that Wei Wuxian didn’t immediately retaliate, simply following the momentum to rest his forehead against Jiang Cheng’s shoulder.
They stayed like that in silence.
In the end, no tears fell and Jiang Cheng was eternally grateful for that.
“I’ll beat him up for you.”
Wei Wuxian laughed and it was a little more genuine this time. “You couldn’t take him.”
“Tch.”
Didn’t mean he couldn’t try, Jiang Cheng decided.
… … …
Neither Jiang Cheng nor Wei Wuxian ever brought up that shared, mushy moment again, but that didn’t mean Jiang Cheng had forgotten. In fact, he was reminded every time his stupid idiot brother suddenly ducked behind him as they walked across campus, or made some ridiculous excuse to avoid a usual hangout spot. As the days passed, Jiang Cheng’s teeth were getting itchier and itchier…
“What’s been going on with Wei-ge?” In the net cafe, Nie Huaisang scooted his seat closer to him and whispered, “It’s not like him to skip out so often. And he’s been off all week.”
“You don’t know?”
Jiang Cheng was genuinely surprised. If there was anyone who was reliably the first-to-know about any piece of gossip, it was this bro right here. Jiang Cheng himself never paid attention to such things but he’d assumed the news of Wei Wuxian — the popular, well-liked, faculty prince — confessing to someone would’ve spread by now. Apparently, that wasn’t the case.
“No? How would I know?” Nie Huaisang asked. “Hey, but that means you do, right? Is it something bad?”
Jiang Cheng fell into contemplative silence. To tell or not to tell? The realization that Wei Wuxian had actually, probably, found somewhere private to ask out Lan Wangji only cemented in Jiang Cheng’s mind that it was truly serious this time. It spoke volumes that Wei Wuxian had reigned in his instincts for something loud and boisterous, just as he’d always teased Lan Wangji before. No way did Jiang Cheng want to pour salt on his wounds by spilling his secrets.
“Man, you don’t know how weird it is since you’re not in that lecture with us, but Wei-ge doesn’t sit next to Lan Wangji anymore! After four years! And that’s not counting our secondary years.” Nie Huaisang rambled on, “I mean it’s good since now we can sit closer to the door and get out earlier, but now I can’t look at Lan Er-shao’s notes. Hey, but just yesterday Lan Wangji actually…”
Jiang Cheng cut him off before he could get too out of hand. He admitted, “Wei Wuxian’s not been feeling great these couple of days. But you’ll have to ask him yourself if you want to know more.” He punctuated that by giving Nie Huaisang a stare that said plainly: but don’t ask.
“Ahaha, got it, Cheng-ge.”
Later in the evening, it occurred to Jiang Cheng that he could ask Nie Huaisang about Lan Wangji in return. Did he give off any hints of what happened? Or was that bastard just going around like usual? But, then again, what exactly did he want to hear? That Lan Wangji felt even the slightest remorse? Or that he didn’t? It wasn’t as if anyone could tell, anyway, by that everlasting ice mountain face. Plus, neither option would make him feel better.
“Hey, hey, keep up! Need a restore over here!”
“I got it, bro!”
“Take down their crystal!”
Forget it, he decided, unmuting his mic again. He’d already spent way too much time thinking about Lan Wangji. Fuck. What was the point of making his own night even lousier?
… … …
It came to a head the very next day.
… … …
Jiang Cheng stared at Lan Wangji in disbelief.
“Excuse me?”
“I asked if you knew—“
“Shut up. I heard you the first time.”
Lan Wangji’s expression turned the slightest more hostile. “Then do you know, or not?”
“Of course I do.” Jiang Cheng folded his arms across his chest in an attempt to not throw a punch at that chiseled, Wei Wuxian-approved face. On the cobbled pathway, Jiang Cheng heard a few girls whispering and giggling as they passed by — the usual fawning over Lan Wangji’s looks. Jiang Cheng’s teeth ground together harder.
“Where is he?”
Oho? Not even bothering to keep it polite anymore, eh? Jiang Cheng was good at not-polite.
“And why the hell do you want to know, Lan Er-shaoye?” Jiang Cheng raised a knowing hand just as Lan Wangji shifted his gaze to the person behind him. “And Wen Ning, don’t you say a word either.” Ha, don’t even try, Lan Er.”
Half hidden by Jiang Cheng’s back, Wen Ning closed his mouth with a click, hesitant and slightly bewildered.
“Well?” Jiang Cheng asked again, which was already kind of him. A second later with no reply, he turned with a sneer. “Tch. Wen Ning, let’s go.”
“Wait, I…”
The conflicted look on Lan Wangji’s face was immensely satisfying but Jiang Cheng didn’t want to indulge for too long. He tossed behind him, “If you’ve got something to say, say it. Otherwise, we’re leaving.”
“Wei Ying…is he okay?”
“You—!” Jiang Cheng took a calming breath. “What kind of game are you playing, huh?”
“I…”
“He’s fine! He’s never been better!” Jiang Cheng turned on his heel and stalked back up to Lan Wangji. If not for Wen Ning’s placating hand on his arm, he might’ve done something more. The dull buzz of whispers of passersby reminded Jiang Cheng to lower his voice. “What? Are you disappointed to hear that, Lan Er?”
Lan Wangji stared back at him, brow furrowed. “Why would I be…? I simply want to speak with him.”
“Speak with him?” Jiang Cheng chuckled. “Well, sorry, he’s made it very clear he’s got nothing more to say to you. You should know that too, by now, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t need to ask me.” It was interesting, the way Lan Wangji’s pallour turned a shade whiter.
“I…don’t know if he told you anything. I said some things to him that were out of line. I would like to apologize.”
Hm? Apologize? Jiang Cheng was both surprised and unsurprised at Lan Wangji’s sincerity and blunt admission. But that characteristic gentlemanly behaviour only served to pour oil on the fire. Where were these manners a couple days ago? Huh?!
“Oh yeah, what was it?” Jiang Cheng growled. “Playing around? Shameless? Well, now, Lan Er-shaoye doesn’t need to apologize for that. You Lans hate lying, right? In your eyes, you were only telling the truth!”
“No, that’s not what I—!”
“You never liked him shamelessly hanging around you anyway. Now that Wei Wuxian finally got tired of you, we can all go our separate ways, yeah?” Jiang Cheng wasn’t Lan Xichen. He couldn’t read that look on Lan Wangji’s face — nor did he care to.
“Did Wei Ying say that himself?”
Maybe it was just his imagination, but Lan Wangji’s voice seemed to have dropped a few semitones. “Tch. Why do you still call him that? Don’t you think it’s a little inappropriate to call someone you’re not interested in by their childhood nickname? Who’s playing around, exactly?”
In an effort to keep their conversation private, Jiang Cheng, Lan Wangji, and Wen Ning were all standing pretty close together. Too close, actually. But it did allow Jiang Cheng to notice the way Lan Wangji visibly stiffened at his last words.
…Then he remembered that Wei Wuxian didn’t lose in the slightest when it came to calling Lan Wangji by a nickname, either. Lan Zhan this, Lan Zhan that. Tch. That brother of his always knew how to make messes for him to clean up. But never accuse Jiang Cheng of not being thorough.
“On Wei Wuxian’s behalf, I’ll apologize for his loose tongue as well. I’ll make sure he stops calling you by any more nicknames going forward,” Jiang Cheng offered generously. “Besides, we’re about to graduate. You probably won’t see much of each other soon, anyways.”
See? Love and peace. A very reasonable conclusion, if Jiang Cheng did say so himself. A-Jie would be proud.
“L-lan-xuezhang.”
Jiang Cheng nearly jumped at the timid voice. He’d nearly forgotten Wen Ning was still there. Indeed, Wen Qing’s little brother, a year younger than them, had finally spoken up. As Lan Wangji nodded in acknowledgement, Jiang Cheng suddenly had an ominous feeling.
“Wei-ge s-said he was going to speak with He-laoshi. He should be finishing up s-soon.”
“Wen Ning—!”
“Thank you.” Lan Wangji, like a block of wood charmed to life, left those two short syllables and ran off.
Ran. Off.
Excuse him??
Jiang Cheng turned to Wen Ning, betrayed. After all the saliva he spent talking to Lan Wangji, suppressing his urge to use fists instead, and tying up the loose ends so beautifully…it all went up in smoke because of this little brat.
“Wen Ning, ah. If Wei Wuxian gets even more unbearable after this, I’m throwing him at you.”
“Cheng-ge…”
“Hm?!”
“Are you sure Lan-xuezhang doesn’t like W-wei-ge? I was w-watching him and i-it doesn’t really seem that way.”
“Hm?!”