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Lan Xichen has been waiting by the gates for over an hour. Can he be blamed for being excited? The final touches were put on the last rebuilt building this morning, and Lan Xichen has known for months exactly whom he wants the first visitor to his newly renovated home to be.
He senses him before his eyes can spot him, and sure enough, he soon sees a figure taking shape as it approaches from the sky. Shufu would be unimpressed with the way Lan Xichen waves with broad, fast sweeps of his arm, his excitement impossible to contain. His whole body seems to vibrate with joy as he begins to discern features. Eyes (still too far away to make out their green), lips turned upward in a smile despite the furrow of his brow.
And then, he's touching down on the ground, Baxia going into its hilt. Lan Xichen closes the distance between them in a heartbeat, flinging his arms around the taller man's neck. "Da-ge, you're here!"
Nie Mingjue very tentatively pats Lan Xichen on the back. "I said I would be, didn't I?"
"You did. Of course." Nie Mingjue would never go back on his word. Lan Xichen loves him for it, and he hangs on to da-ge's shoulders for a beat too long. He clears his throat awkwardly as he steps away. "Shall we get started?"
Nie Mingjue's attention is on the Wall of Discipline. "This list is longer than it was before, isn't it?"
"It is." Lan Xichen scratches his cheek. "There are a lot of…Wen-inspired additions."
"Well…" Reading over a few of the newer rules, Nie Mingjue nods. "I suppose those are good rules to have."
First, he proudly shows Nie Mingjue around the main hall. It looks almost exactly the same as it did before, right down to the detailing on the baseboards, so there isn't actually that much to show and tell, but Nie Mingjue looks around with interest, as if he is trying to spot the differences. He trails his fingers over the edge of a table and turns to Lan Xichen with a soft grin. "Remember the first time you sat next to me during a meal?"
Lan Xichen laughs. "You were so offended. You asked me, 'Is there something I can help you with?'"
"I was already offended by the food. Some punk having the audacity to be friendly to me was a bridge too far."
"I just…" Lan Xichen looks across the room at the table in the corner. "I couldn't stand to see someone eating alone. You looked like you needed a friend."
"I didn't," Nie Mingjue insists, even now, all these years later. "But…you somehow weaseled your way past all my walls."
"Your walls aren't as tough to scale as you make them out to be." It's true that Nie Mingjue is guarded and doesn't trust easily, but all one has to do to earn his respect and acceptance is to be honest and do the right thing. "And besides, it was well worth the climb."
"You know…" Nie Mingjue leans his back against a pillar, regarding Lan Xichen with his arms crossed. "I swore to myself when I came to study at Cloud Recesses that I wouldn't like you."
This shocks a laugh out of Lan Xichen. "Whatever for?"
"Because people would never stop talking about you. Lan Xichen, so talented for his age. Lan Xichen, only fourteen but already a peerless beauty. I vowed to be unimpressed—and I failed miserably. And all it took was you sitting next to me and talking to me."
"Sorry to not disappoint you," Lan Xichen teases. "Now, come. We have a lot of ground to cover."
They go to the Lanshi next, standing just outside the door as shufu imparts his wisdom to the next generation of cultivators. Voices lowered, they spend a long time reminiscing on shufu's lectures back in their day and how often Nie Mingjue got chastised for growing bored. At one point, the conversation lulls, and they simply listen in on today's lesson. Nie Mingjue gives an exaggerated yawn, which catches shufu's attention—and a cutting glare. Wanting to get away without causing a distraction to the juniors, Lan Xichen takes hold of Nie Mingjue's hand and leads him away.
And they just…never release each other's hands.
Fingers intertwined with Nie Mingjue's, Lan Xichen happily points out all of the new additions along with the replicas of buildings that were destroyed in the fire. They visit the top of the Mingshi and look through a few things in the Chamber of Ancients. They eat watermelon in the Yashi, and Lan Xichen is very proud to show off the rebuilt Library Pavilion, and although he isn't much for reading, Nie Mingjue is genuinely glad to see that it makes him so happy.
They visit the courtyard where Nie Mingjue was once sentenced to kneel for six hours straight. Nie Mingjue wanders over to the exact spot his punishment was carried out and sinks to his knees, gazing up at Lan Xichen with an earnest expression. He takes one of Lan Xichen's hands in both of his own. "You brought me water."
"It was hot and humid that day." Lan Xichen brushes his thumb across Nie Mingjue's knuckles. "You looked thirsty."
"Lan Qiren caught you. And made you spend the rest of the day kneeling with me."
Exhaling a laugh, Lan Xichen remembers the day quite clearly. "It was worth it. After all, it allowed me to get closer to you."
He helps Nie Mingjue to his feet (even though he doesn't need the assistance). Then, they visit the back mountain where Lan Wangji thinks he is being sneaky with his rabbit collection. Lan Xichen stops by the kitchen to pick up a basket of greens and carrots before heading that way.
Lan Xichen picks a comfy looking spot in the grass and sits. Nie Mingjue follows. It doesn't take long for the first fluffy white snowballs to start popping out of the grass, their little pink noses wriggling as they smell the goodies the humans brought along. Lan Xichen hands a carrot to Nie Mingjue, who looks adorably confused. He looks positively flustered when a bunny hops into his lap, pawing at his chest in an effort to get closer to the carrot. Nie Mingjue gives in immediately and is immediately swarmed by a dozen more of the creatures.
Lan Xichen doesn't know whether to be offended or not because he is also here and he also has food. But the bunnies gravitate towards Nie Mingjue for some reason or another. Nie Mingjue looks even more confused about it than Lan Xichen—and a little bit scared.
"They want you to pet them," Lan Xichen informs him, picking up one of the stragglers for himself. He runs his hands over the rabbit's head and back, pausing to scratch behind its ears.
The bunnies clamor over themselves for Nie Mingjue's attention, and he eventually gives in and begins to dispense pets between handing out pieces of cabbage. When they run out of food, most of the bunnies disperse. There's one in particular that does not want to leave Nie Mingjue's lap, and… Lan Xichen understands completely. He scoots closer until their knees brush, under the pretense of moving closer to pet the bunny. If Nie Mingjue sees through this ruse, he doesn't let it show.
"We came back here once when we were teens," Nie Mingjue says after letting the silence linger for a while. "Do you remember?"
"Ah, yes." Lan Xichen squirms uncomfortably. "I remember."
"I tried to kiss you."
Lan Xichen's face feels like it did that one time he accidentally ate a chili pepper. He has regretted that day for many years. If he had been just a little bit braver, what could his relationship with Nie Mingjue be now? Not that he isn't happy as sworn brothers! Just…more would be nice.
Nie Mingjue's hand comes to rest over Lan Xichen's. It's so big, enveloping his completely, and warm. "You ran away."
"Well…" Lan Xichen lifts his gaze, hope fluttering in his chest like the wings of a hummingbird. "Try kissing me again, and see what happens."
Nie Mingjue does.
And this time, Lan Xichen does not run away.