Chapter Text
When Wei Wuxian was young, starving and defenseless on the streets, he was approached by an older, wisened omega.
That omega took one look at Wei Wuxian’s dirty attire and large, trusting eyes. She sniffed, once, and stated bluntly:
“Kid, that scent of yours is gonna destroy you.”
Wei Wuxian honestly couldn’t smell his own scent that well with how filthy he was, but with a brief, lazy bit of advice on how to subdue it, the older omega staggered away, smelling of nothing but the alcohol she had been drinking.
Wei Wuxian took those words to heart, and has been subduing his scent ever since. It eventually became normal to him, so no matter what he never once faltered, never once let even a whiff of his scent catch the attention of others.
It had become such a habit that he completely forgot he was doing it at all, to the point where not a single person, not even the Jiangs, know he is an omega.
So he lives his life without a scent, his dynamic hidden, and people are none the wiser about it.
When Wei Wuxian comes across other omega cultivators, they bemoan how they’re respected less than their alpha and beta counterparts.
Wei Wuxian responds in earnest along the lines of, “Yeah, omegas are just the same as them! I don’t know why they think differently.”
The omegas he talks to in this way always praise his open-mindedness, which leaves him more than a little confused.
To him, he is not even hiding who he is, this is just how he’s been living since childhood. But to others he comes across as a beta or even an alpha with a strong grasp on his scent. His frivolous – albeit platonic – flirtations don’t help.
The breaking point for him comes in the form of a certain white robed alpha, who, like Wei Wuxian, has a very impressive grasp of his scent. Yet even Lan Wangji accidentally lost that control during a couple of incidents involving Wei Wuxian’s mischievousness. Lan Wangji has since not lost his control again.
However, during one hunt between all the sects, put into place to lower tensions and heighten inter-sect relations, Wei Wuxian finds himself pushing a little too far when he grasps Lan Wangji’s forehead ribbon and accidentally pulls it off in an effort to fix it.
Lan Wangji reflexively, out of sheer shock and rage, lashes out with his scent. Normally, Wei Wuxian could brush it off and simply give Lan Wangji his ribbon back with an apology and sheepish smile, but this time Lan Wangji is older, and stronger, and the scent is much more focused than before. Had Wei Wuxian been a beta or even another alpha, he would likely just stand down.
Wei Wuxian is not a beta. And he is not an alpha.
So, instead of standing down, Wei Wuxian automatically responds to Lan Wangji with his own scent. His omega scent that, up until now, not a single person has truly experienced.
Not even himself.
The crowd around them is speechless, staring at the sight before them as the two exceedingly enticing scents flood the area. Those with lower amounts of control have already begun to draw near, drunk on one scent or the other and lost in their desire to come closer and closer.
Jiang Cheng, from where he was about to reach for Wei Wuxian’s shoulder to pull him away, is frozen in place. He sends an incredulous look toward his father, but Jiang Fengmian’s shocked expression reveals his own lack of knowledge on the matter. The other sect leaders nearby send him curious looks, some just as shocked as the disciples, others particularly curious of the spectacle before them.
After all, an omega cultivator is not uncommon enough to cause such a commotion, but one as skilled and respected as Wei Wuxian, who managed to achieve fourth on the list of young masters despite his status as a servant’s son? That was unheard of, especially hiding his status to this degree, for this long.
Looks of all kinds are boring into Wei Wuxian. Wary, betrayed, enraged, hopeful, lecherous, shocked...but the faces of the onlookers are not the focus of Wei Wuxian’s gaze.
He’s focused on the beautiful face in front of him, still so much more indecipherable than any other around.
Lan Wangji has yet to make a move. He manages to bring back his scent, leaving Wei Wuxian’s to linger alone in the air, not fading in the slightest. Yet Lan Wangji stands still, his ribbon remaining in Wei Wuxian’s loose grasp.
“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji’s sudden voice snaps Wei Wuxian out of it, somewhat.
Wei Wuxian feels as though he was underwater, but as Lan Wangji’s voice reaches his ears, he finds himself sluggishly holding out the forehead ribbon.
“Here, Lan Zhan.” He mutters, trying to gain his bearings, “Sorry, I...didn’t mean to pull it...”
Something feels off in the way Lan Wangji finally moves to take back his ribbon, his movements more stilted than the usual grace that accompanies the Jade. His expression, too, is a touch more intense than Wei Wuxian ever remembers it being.
Once Lan Wangji puts the ribbon back on, Wei Wuxian is expecting him to storm off. After all, they usually separate after scenarios like this.
But Lan Wangji remains. Closer than Wei Wuxian expected, but in his muddled brain, he didn’t realize that multiple people, alphas in particular, have been drawing nearer and nearer, enamored by the near endless amount of alluring scent that Wei Wuxian emits.
Jiang Cheng, still close by, barks at any wayward alpha who came too close, having to knock more than one back into their senses. It was rare, if ever, that most of these cultivators savored an omega’s scent, especially one this strong, so it isn’t out of the ordinary for young alphas to be enticed.
Lan Wangji, for his part, can’t bring himself to walk away from Wei Wuxian. He can’t ignore how the other so blatantly not only touched but ripped off Lan Wangji’s forehead ribbon. Yet, the sight of Wei Wuxian so dazed from overextending his long subdued scent makes Lan Wangji feel responsible.
And Lan Wangji can’t deny the flames that ignite in his chest at the desiring gazes many alphas send Wei Wuxian’s way.
As far as he’s concerned, Wei Wuxian needs help – help that was far, far away from this crowd.
Luckily, Jiang Fengmian soon makes it to them, calling upon all the Jiang disciples and apologizing to the other sect leaders for having to make an early exit. Lan Wangji relaxes a little as he saw Wei Wuxian be safely whisked away, a horde of purple hiding the head disciple from view.
Lan Wangji has to stop himself from following after, and only by Lan Xichen’s hand on his arm did he realize he had taken a few steps forward to do exactly that.
“Wangji...are you okay?” Lan Xichen’s brow was furrows, “Wei-gongzi’s sudden...revelation seems to have shaken you.”
In honesty, it wasn’t the reveal of Wei Wuxian’s true dynamic that shook Lan Wangji, as truthfully he didn’t mind one way or another what dynamic Wei Wuxian was. Instead, it was the exhausting combination of having his ribbon ripped from his forehead alongside the consequences of Wei Wuxian’s sudden reveal.
All around them, alphas and even some betas were just starting to come out of their stupor, embarrassed or even agitated once the scent started to dissipate. A cacophony of murmurs flooded the area, but Lan Wangji’s attention remained set on where Wei Wuxian left.
____________
When Wei Wuxian regains his awareness, it is to Jiang Yanli placing a cold compress onto his forehead.
“Shijie...?” He mumbles, aching and slightly shivering. His vision swims a bit as he tries to sit up, but he quickly leans back down at the sudden onset of nausea that almost overtakes him at the action.
“A-Xian! You’re back to us, thank goodness. Please, stay down, you need rest.” She sighs, relieved to see him awake.
A scoff came from the corner of the room.
“Finally aware again? What was that out there?!” Jiang Cheng demands, fingers digging into his arms as he crosses them, glaring daggers at Wei Wuxian.
“Ah...I’m not sure.” Wei Wuxian admits, his head still a little foggy, “I...ah, my scent...”
Even now his scent lingers in the air, albeit much more subdued than it was before. And yet…it is certainly much stronger than it should be. It’s hard to tell if it’s a pleasant scent or not, considering it was coming from himself.
A growl. “Yeah, your scent. The scent that you decided to keep from us!”
Wei Wuxian frowns at Jiang Cheng, noticing now how the other had his nose and mouth covered, “I didn’t mean to keep it from you, I just never thought to mention it.”
“What do you mean, A-Xian?” Jiang Yanli cut in before Jiang Cheng could retort.
Wei Wuxian scratches the back of his head, huffing out a small laugh, “Well, I just...have always been keeping it down.”
“How the hell do you keep your scent down for this long...?” Jiang Cheng asks, frustrated.
Wei Wuxian shrugs, “I don’t know, I’ve just always been doing it. I didn’t even realize I was, honestly.”
“Did you not know you were an omega?” Jiang Yanli asks, sleeve covering her mouth in shock at the idea.
“I knew, I knew, it just...wasn’t important, I suppose.”
“Wasn’t important?! You saw what happened out there, obviously these are things we need to know!” Jiang Cheng snaps.
Honestly Wei Wuxian only remembers bits and pieces of what happened. A fog covered most of the memory up, aside his interactions with Lan Zhan.
He bites his lip, “Honestly I thought people knew! I didn’t keep it a secret, you know.”
“It’s true...” Jiang Yanli muses, “Thinking back, there are quite a few times where it was quite obvious. Whenever dynamics came up, you never once stated exactly what you were, and you seemed particularly empathetic to other omegas’ plights.”
Even more than that, Wei Wuxian often did exhibit behavior commonly associated with omegas. From building a nest to being focused on children, he clearly showed signs of his true dynamic beforehand. Still, he also showed aspects from other dynamics, and due to his abilities people naturally assumed such a capable cultivator would have to be a beta at the very least.
Jiang Cheng quiets down, grumbling, “You still could have said it outright, now we have the other sects asking about you.”
Wei Wuxian groans, “It’s not like I’m any different! Besides, most sects have a few omega cultivators, why does it matter if I’m one or not?”
“People love spectacles.” Jiang Yanli says, giving him a gentle, apologetic smile, “Your cultivation and prowess are uncommon enough even in alphas. It’s not too odd people are intrigued.”
Thinking back on said spectacle, Wei Wuxian abruptly sits straight up, “Ah- Lan Zhan! I apologized, didn’t I? He was pretty upset...”
“It’s his fault you’re like this anyway...” Jiang Cheng mutters.
“I hope people don’t bother Lan Zhan with this – Oh! I should write to him! I may have a thick face but Lan Zhan shouldn’t have to endure this scrutiny!” Wei Wuxian declares, determinedly attempting to make his way out of the bed, only to be pushed back down by two sets of hands.
“You need to rest, A-Xian, you wore yourself out enough as is. A letter to Lan Er-gongzi can wait.” Jiang Yanli chides, an amused tone hidden in her words.
“Yeah, idiot, stay down for once. I’m sure that guy’d be happier if you didn’t bother him, so focus on yourself.” Jiang Cheng grouses.
Wei Wuxian tries to complain, the urge to make things right with Lan Wangji almost overwhelming. The whispers of that concerned “Wei Ying” echo in his head on repeat as he dwells on it. Yet, try as he might, Wei Wuxian finds himself drifting to sleep anyway, exhausted still from the recent events.
He closes his eyes, distantly remembering the scent that intertwined so nicely with his, and how Lan Wangji never strayed from his side.