modern au where nhs does wwx’s makeup for a party and wwx tries to clean it off afterward with little success

it’s a full face too, with primer, foundation, highlighters, bronzers, eyes, lipstick, etc. and wwx doesn’t… wear makeup. ever. he’s worn it maybe twice in his entire life.

but the party is fun and wwx draws attention of all sorts throughout the evening, so he considers the evening a success.

nhs is like told u so

that night wwx gets home to the apartment he shares with his roommate lwj. it’s around 1:30AM, so he’s tired, tipsy, and absolutely /hating/ the feel of the makeup on his skin.

he needs it off like YESTERDAY. he definitely doesn’t want to get it all over his pillow. or let lwj see him all smudged up in the morning.

so he goes into the bathroom and wets a face cloth and starts… scrubbing.

and he gets foundation all over the cloth but there’s still /so much/ of it on his face, which is starting to sting. a LOT.

wwx tries to be more gentle when he wipes at the makeup, but every swipe feels like fire, and he hasn’t even gotten to his eyes yet. he doesn’t have a clue how he’s going to get the thick black liner off if the rest of his face is being so difficult.

he keeps making little frustrated sounds and groans of pain, and finally he gives up because he doesn't want to wake lwj.

he sits on the floor of the bathroom and leans against the bath tub, holding the cold cloth to the parts which hurt the worse, and pouts.

and then lwj is in the doorway and now wwx feels even worse because he’s woken up his roommate, whom he’s pretty sure barely tolerates him anyway.

he mumbles an apology and lwj silently walks back to his room. wwx feels guilty and sits there like

but then lwj comes back with a pack of proper makeup removing wipes and silently kneels between wwx’s spread out legs.

he takes wwx’s chin in one hand and starts cleaning the makeup from his skin with the other without saying a word.

wwx is like because he knows lwj wears makeup but it never really occurred to him to… ask for help? not that he would have at 1:30 in the morning, but he didn’t even /think/ about it.

he closes his eyes because it’s… really nice, actually, and now his face doesn’t hurt as much because the wipes must have some sort of cooling ingredient that soothes his skin.

once lwj is satisfied with his work, he helps wwx to his feet.

wwx looks in the mirror and nods, but then tries running his fingers through his hair and catches on all the knots.

he knows he shouldn’t sleep with it like this or it’ll be worse in the morning, but he’s so /tired/ that he doesn’t know if he’ll do his hair any good with a hurried brushing, anyway. he’d probably wind up ripping it or something.

but, without a word, lwj grabs his paddle brush and proceeds to gather wwx’s hair in sections, brushing out the tangles one by one. when he’s done, he cards his fingers through wwx and nods.

“better?”

and wwx is awkwardly like “um. yes. thank you. i guess bed time then? sorry again for waking you.”

“no need to apologize,” lwj says simply. “if i can help, then i will. good night, wei ying.”

“ah. good night, lan zhan,” wwx says awkwardly before retreating to his room, where he stares at the ceiling for an hour wondering, /what the hell just happened?/

//that's all i have for today <3

i was having a hell of a time earlier removing my makeup earlier, and i thought 'what if roommates wangxian share a moment where lwj helps wwx and it's very soft and tender?'

if anyone is interested i can continue tomorrow! for now i sleep!

some of the attention wwx got at the party leads to a mid-week dinner date with a mutual acquaintance of his and nhs’.

nhs does his makeup again and the date is a lot of fun, actually. wwx has a great time and they stay out pretty late, except…

he doesn’t feel in any way attracted to them.

they invite him back to their place and he politely declines. they get into a huff and leave him to find his own way home at midnight.

wwx manages to take transit some of the way.

he walks the rest, and makes it home at 2am.

there’s a brand new pack of makeup removing wipes on the bathroom counter with a small white paper on top with the words: “for Wei Ying.”

wwx finds it a lot easier to remove his makeup this time, even if his heart is pounding in his chest and his hands shake for some weird reason.

he doesn’t manage to get fully out of his clothing before he falls into bed and is out like a light before his head hits the pillow.

a knock at wwx’s bedroom door startles him awake who knows how long later. groggy, disoriented, and /really dehydrated/, he fights with his blankets in an attempt to get up.

like so many other things in his life right now, it doesn’t go well.

he falls onto the floor with a yelp and then his bedroom door swings forcefully open. on the other side stands lwj, wide-eyed and prepared to enter. he relaxes some when he sees wwx on the floor in a tangled heap of limbs but otherwise no worse for wear.

“are you alright?”

“mmrnggh,” says wwx.

“would you like some help?”

wwx tries to move but is hopelessly stuck. “mm… yeah.”

so lwj enters the room and crouches next to him, gathering the blanket around his body.

“ah lan zhan, i thought you were going to help me get /out/ of the blankets, not make me into a burrito.”

and then lwj surprises him. he scoops his arms under wwx’s knees and back, and hoists him nearly effortlessly back onto the bed, where it is /much/ easier to disentangle.

or it would be, if wwx weren’t staring in shock at his apparently incredibly-strong roommate.

“what the fuck, lan zhan,” wwx says before he can stop himself.

lwj only raises his eyebrows a little. “do you need more help?”

wwx wiggles a little and finds that the ends of the blankets are now free of his body weight, so he unwraps himself. /goodbye, blanket burrito/, he thinks mournfully.

his stomach growls and he realizes he can smell… something, in the air. something delicious.

“nah, I’m good. uhh, did you knock on my door, or did i dream that?”

“i did.” lwj waits for wwx to straighten himself out before continuing, “i made lunch.”

“lunch. is it noon already?”

“quarter after,” lwj confirms.

ah. wwx has to be somewhere in… 45 minutes. shit.

he follows lwj out to their little dining area to find a bowl of stir fry and a cup of green tea waiting. wwx could hug him right about now, but he refrains and settles for a simple thank you and his signature Charming Grin™

(lwj’s ears turn a little red. it’s cute.)

eating quickly (and silently, for once! which he’s sure lwj is grateful for!), wwx takes his dishes to the dishwasher.

lwj joins him in the kitchen. “how was your—” he says, and pauses, which is entirely uncharacteristic for him, “—dinner date?”

“uh,” says wwx.

technically, the date itself was great. he had a nice time, until the very end.

he takes lwj’s dishes from him and loads them in. “it was a date, alright. uh, thank you for the makeup wipes, by the way. my face was a lot happier with me this time.”

“mn.”

they stand and stare at each other for a few long seconds.

lwj swallows, but his gaze seems oddly intense.

“i’m sorry, i gotta,” wwx says, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. “...go. i’m having coffee with jiejie soon. thank you again for lunch.”

lwj keeps standing there as he turns to leave with that strange expression on his face.

wwx tries to shake the image from his head.

after changing, wwx makes a noise when he sees himself in the mirror. he’s used to some dark circles under his eyes, but these are something else entirely. he’ll worry his jiejie if she sees him like this!

“ah, lan zhan?” he calls tentatively.

lwj appears in the doorway like a wraith. “mn?”

wwx points helplessly at his face. “how long would it take to… make me look not half-dead?”

“not long. wait here.”

wwx does as he’s told and lwj promptly returns with a small blue zippered bag. he holds up a series of skin-toned tubes to wwx’s face before settling on the closest match.

and… there’s lwj’s hand on wwx’s chin again.

he’s gentle as he guides wwx’s head to the right angle, tentative like he’s holding fine ceramic. wwx’s heart rate kicks up a notch.

before the concealer comes a little bit of some sort of...primer, if wwx remembers correctly.

lwj works quickly, blending it out until he’s satisfied with his handiwork. he turns wwx to the mirror to look at himself.

ah! there he is. wei wuxian, looking like a well-rested, functioning member of society! lwj really is a miracle worker!

(he says so aloud and lwj makes a soft hum like he’s pleased or amused. wwx finds that very cute also.)

and then lwj brushes something off wwx’s cheek with his thumb, and his hand lingers on wwx’s face.

and then wwx breaks the silence with a sharp inhale because he apparently had forgotten to breathe, and lwj moves his hand away—/wait, no!/—and the moment passes.

snapping himself out of whatever THAT was, wwx grins brightly at lwj.

“well, i should get going! i’ll get dinner, text me your order, okay?”

“okay,” lwj agrees, and holds his eyes for a second longer before turning to put away the makeup. “say hello to yanli-jie for me.”

wwx waves over his shoulder as he heads out the door, wondering YET AGAIN, /what the HELL just happened???/

//ahhh it is once again time to give this poor old brain of mine a rest <3

i enjoy watching my notif feed lighting up as you all follow along!! thanks for hanging out with me! replies and qrts are ofc always welcome also n_n

have a good night! i will continue tomorrow!

ahhhh this threadfic now has ART!!! go check it out!!!

https://twitter.com/0006__v/status/1297904169844531207?s=21 https://twitter.com/0006__v/status/1297904169844531207

“I don’t know jiejie, it’s just weird,” wwx says on the phone to his sister a few days later. “I brought home dinner and he /smiled/ because I said i made double sure they didn’t make his spicy.”

“because that was a kind thing for you to do, a-ying. he appreciated it.”

“yeah, but that’s not all. after dinner, he usually goes to his room to, i dunno, meditate or whatever? but last night he actually sat on the couch with me and asked if i wanted to watch a movie.”

“okay? is that bad?”

“no! but he goes to bed at like, 9 or 10 most nights, and it was already 8:30. it’s just, y’know, /weird./”

“hmm,” jiejie says in that voice of hers that means wwx is missing something obvious.

she doesn’t tell him what it is, of course. she never does, just says it’s best if he figures it out for himself.

he’s just… not sure what there is to figure out. he’s never been in a situation like this before.

for the next week and a half, he’s too busy to think about it.

saturday rolls around and nhs asks if wwx wants to go out again that night and that some of his friends are asking after him.

“not this weekend, nie-xiong. i’m too tired.”

“suit yourself. have fun~!” nhs says and hangs up before wwx can ask what he means by /that/

wwx sighs and walks into the bathroom to, he doesn’t know, wash his face or something? it feels like a face-wash day.

and yes, he KNOWS he should wash his face every day, but most of the time he’s in too much of a rush to get out the door and he doesn’t have time. so. he does it when he can.

the soft turquoise packaging of the makeup wipes catches his eye and he pauses.

he takes it to lwj’s room and knocks gently on the closed door.

“come in,” lwj says, so wwx pushes the door open and pokes his head inside. lwj is sitting in the little armchair he keeps by his window, holding a book.

“oh, sorry to interrupt-”

“it is fine. what do you need?” lwj asks, tilting his head to the side and eyeing wwx so intently that wwx nearly drops the package in his hands because he /freezes/, before he remembers the purpose of his visit.

“ah, i just wanted to uh, well.” wwx holds up the package. “um. not that i don’t appreciate it, because I really do, but I don’t really wear makeup all that often? i feel like these will be wasted on me, you know?”

lwj closes the book and sets it aside without looking away. “are you sure?”

“ah, yeah. i think.”

“you will not be going on another...date?”

there’s that weird pause again.

actually, the very fact that lwj is asking about wwx’s love life is... so out of the ordinary that wwx is pretty sure he could count on half a thumb how many times he’s done it.

“ah, haha, no,” wwx says, and the question has him so off-guard he lets slip, “rather not walk home at 2 in the morning.”

lwj’s brows furrow in the way they do when he’s angry.

(which, during the first couple of years of their acquaintance, had been frequently and mostly directed at wei ying. it happens less often now, which is… good? wwx thinks? except for now when it’s directed at him again.)

wwx sighs. “uh, yeah. sorry. i hope i didn’t wake you when i got in, it was even later than last time.”

“your date picked you up, correct?”

“uh. yeah?”

“and then made you walk home after transit was no longer running.”

“...yeah…”

lwj’s face clouds even further before he takes a deep breath.

“wei ying.”

“...yes.”

“please phone me next time. your number is an exception to my do not disturb setting.”

wwx stands there like and then says, “what, really? since when?”

and it’s lwj’s turn to look startled. he looks down at his hands for a few long moments. “since I got it,” he finally says.

wwx is still going but internally he’s like !!!

when he remembers how to speak, he says, “oh. um. ok.” because, is… lwj not mad at him? why has he had wwx’s number on dnd bypass for… years, apparently? “there won’t be a next time like that, i hope.”

lwj looks up at that, his lips parted slightly.

he looks almost… relieved?

and then before he thinks any deeper about that, wwx remembers the reason he stopped by and holds up the makeup wipes again. “so uh. yeah. no need for these. but really, thank you.”

he steps in to leave the package on lwj’s dresser, but as he turns to leave, lwj asks:

“can i teach you?”

and wwx says, “...pardon?”

“your friend huaisang does your makeup.”

“yes.”

“if I teach you, you’ll be able to do it yourself. and then you can make use of those,” lwj says. he seems… /nervous/, which doesn’t make sense. because lwj never gets nervous.

...wwx doesn’t think?

so he laughs it off and says, "haha maybe i will just get lan zhan to do my makeup instead, ah?”

and lwj says, “if you would like. but you would be good at it. you are a quick, dedicated study, and you have a good artistic eye.”

and wwx is like “uhhh. ahaha. lan zhan, that’s uh, wow. you’re making me blush! quit it!”

and then lwj SMILES at him!!!

wwx nearly passes out on the spot!!!!

lwj says, “I would like to teach you, if you would like to learn how.”

“not tonight?” wwx squeaks.

lwj watches him expectantly.

“but… but yes, that would, um. that would be nice. sure. let’s do it.”

and then lwj nods, satisfied.

wwx turns to leave and lwj calls out, “wei ying, before you go.”

“yeah?”

lwj’s eyes take on that steely glint again. “what happened?”

“ah?”

“why did your date make you walk home?”

“aiyah, lan zhan. it’s fine. i just didn’t want to go home with them, that’s all. no big.”

“hm,” lwj says. he picks up his book again. “you deserve better.”

as is his custom when somebody is far too sincere and nice to him, wwx turns to joking in an attempt to fluster his opponent.

“haha, what, someone like you, lan zhan? you wouldn’t make me walk home right?”

and instead of getting flustered, and calling wwx ridiculous, or shameless, or… whatever, lwj… stands up.

and walks across the room.

he stops in front of wwx and looks like he wants to reach out, but doesn’t. looking into wwx’s eyes, he shakes his head.

“never,” he says. “and i am serious. if something like that ever happens to you again, please call me no matter what time it is.”

“o-ok,” says wwx, who is suddenly finding it very difficult to breathe?

“promise me, wei ying.”

if lwj gets any closer, wwx will NOT be held responsible for any sudden, impulsive actions which may or may not result in physical contact. “ok, ok, lan zhan. I promise.”

lwj puts the book back on his shelf. and turns to wwx, searching his face like he can see if he’s being sincere or not.

the scrutiny, or… maybe lwj’s proximity (actually? yes? wwx thinks that’s definitely it) makes his heart pound.

is… lan zhan about to…?

he sways toward wwx a little, and… yeah, he definitely just looked at wwx’s mouth.

that was. that was definitely a mouth-look.

wwx has /heard/ of the mouth-look.

...he is NOT. READY. FOR THE MOUTH-LOOK!!!

so he puts on his second-best Charming Grin™, and lwj seems to come back to himself, and his ears definitely DO turn red this time.

“ok,” lwj says, nodding once. “good.”

“yeah,” wwx breathes. he… backs away. with the makeup wipes still in his hand. he waves.

when wwx goes back to his room, he flops down on his bed and pulls up his text conversation with jiejie.

he sends:

> jiejie.

> i need to tell you about what the hell just happened.

//me at midnight: oh yeah, i gotta update the makeup threadfic like i promised

me at 12:45: hm this can't possibly take much longer

me now at 2:15: perhaps i should go to bed now

good night lovelies, have a good night/day and as always, watch this space tomorrow ;)

on tuesday after work, wwx sits across from nhs in their usual tea shop.

nhs keeps his to-go cup in front of his face and watches wwx with those shrewd eyes which can’t mean anything but trouble.

“so what you’re saying, wei-xiong, is that you think the weird tension between you and lan zhan is making you want to kiss him?”

“that’s… not quite what i said, no,” wwx says, frowning down at his rooibos latte. “it just felt like there was a moment where my body almost took over the controls and i… would’ve done it, you know? and i don’t know what that means”

“...it means that you want to kiss him?”

“no? maybe? i don’t know nie-xiong i’ve never kissed anyone before. like. /really/ kissed someone. i want it to be with somebody i like.”

“maybe the tension isn’t making you want to kiss him, maybe it’s BECAUSE you want to kiss him. you /do/ like him.”

“well yeah but—not like that! i don’t think! i don’t know. he looked at my mouth. i… he was thinking it too, i’m pretty sure, even if he wasn’t aware of it.”

“have you considered that maybe he /is/ aware of it?” nhs takes a sip from his mug and pins wwx under his knowing stare.

“ah! no, i don’t think he is, actually!”

“i’m just saying! maybe you should kiss him and find out.”

snorting derisively and resting his chin on his arm, wwx stares at nhs across the table. “if i do that, are you going to let me sleep on your couch until i can find a new place to live?”

“i would never let you down, you know that, i just don’t think it’ll be an issue.”

“i know you have kissed so many people you’ve lost count but i… the only kiss i’ve ever had was during a stupid game of truth or dare when I was 10 and i don’t think that counts!”

nhs takes a long-suffering breath and smiles at him.

wwx whines, “i don’t wanna kiss him and then be like oh wait sorry i was just CHECKING something because. that’s mean! i don’t know!”

wwx must be red in the face. he KNOWS nhs is gleeful about it.

he says, “i don’t even know if he likes me. i tease him so much and he doesn’t really get upset anymore but i think he’s just used to me by now.”

“well. just try spending time with him. you said he’s going to teach you how to do your own makeup, right?”

“that’s. not. ughh,” wwx says and buries his face in his elbow. “he’s just being nice.”

nhs rolls his eyes. “wei-xiong. stop being willfully dense. just try it. i believe in you.”

wwx glares at his friend, and drinks the rest of his latte in uneasy silence.

//okay i'm pausing there for now, but i have plans to write more later today!

*mwah*

actually, poll time!!!

pick one of these randomly-selected emojis to help me decide something for later in the story :)

wwx blinks at the array of makeup brushes laid out before him on lwj’s vanity. he can identify… a blush brush, and a… hm. nope, that’s it. he can identify a blush brush.

it’s definitely /one/ way to spend a friday evening.

“wow,” he says.

“mn.”

“you really use all of these?”

“yes,” says lwj, voice flat. “are you familiar with application, or would you like to start from the basics?”

“I know about, uh,” wwx says. “blush?”

he pokes the hollow of his cheek in demonstration.

lwj lifts a perfectly-sculpted eyebrow, reaching two fingers out to the other side of wwx’s face. “along here,” he corrects, tracing his fingertips softly along the bone before following the slight curve of the apples of wwx’s cheeks, “and blend this way.”

“ah,” wwx squeaks, fighting to suppress a shiver. that… was a /caress/, no two ways about it.

lwj’s fingers continue their journey down wwx’s face until they’re under his chin.

wwx holds his breath as lwj inspects his face. has… has lan zhan /ever/ looked at him this close?

lwj runs—actually, if wwx is being perfectly clear and honest, this is also a caress—his thumb over wwx’s cheek.

wwx resists with all his might the urge to lean into it.

lwj says, “your skin is well-hydrated. you won’t need a lot of foundation.”

“ahaha, that’s good!” wwx laughs. his heart is pounding already and… ah. lwj is going to have to be in close proximity for the next hour or so by virtue of this whole exercise, isn’t he.

wwx may have miscalculated.

unaware of the crisis going on in wwx’s brain, lwj grabs a bottle with a little pump on top and hands it to him.

“this is primer. spread an even layer over your face. you won’t need much.”

he shows wwx the right amount to use, and then puts some on his own face as well.

“isn’t that kind of a waste, lan zhan? you’re going to have to wash it off after. unless you have big plans tonight,” wwx teases.

lwj hadn’t said anything about going out, but wwx knows he has, like, friends. they probably do things together sometimes.

maybe when wwx is out with his own friends. he doesn’t know—lwj doesn’t say much about his personal life.

lwj replies, “to demonstrate,” and pulls three bottles of… oh, wwx recognizes that! that’s foundation! he pulls three bottles of foundation from his kit.

“i’m not sure what color will work best, so I’m going to do a test on your skin.”

wwx nods, and lwj tilts his head to the side gently. the liquid is cool against wwx’s jawbone as lwj dabs test spots along it, then leans away to analyze the choices.

“good. this one is a match,” he says, selecting the middle bottle from the lineup. “you can have it.”

“ah? lan zhan, no, don’t do that, I can get some myself, it’s fine.”

lwj wipes the other spots off wwx’s jaw and says, “I will rephrase. I want you to have it.”

wwx almost chokes. “ok. ok, thank you. uh. that’s really nice of you.”

“mn. these are brand new so you’ll have plenty to work with.”

“........ah, did you go out and buy some to teach me with?”

lwj’s eyes widen for a quick second before he blinks away whatever expression /that/ was, and nods. “yes. i can take you with me next time if you’d prefer.”

ok, wwx. long, slow breaths. but, agh! why does lwj have to look so /cute/ and /earnest/ when he says things like this?!!

add that to the fact that lan zhan wants to go??? makeup shopping with him???? apparently?!?!?!?!

wwx’s inner crisis must finally show on his face because lwj’s brows furrow lightly.

“or if you’d prefer to go alone,”

“no! no no, that would, that would be really nice,” wwx interrupts. “yeah. haha. although if lan-er-gege stocks me up, i’ll never be left wanting, ah?”

he grins and pokes his tongue out between his teeth in that way he /knows/ is super cute, actually.

it’s his classic disarming tactic and it never fails to yield results, except.

except that lwj, as he pulls out a weird-looking sponge and hands it to wwx, says like it’s a natural fact: “no, you will not.”

wwx sits there holding the sponge. the grin falls from his face and he’s left sitting there in confusion.

“lan zhan-”

lwj raises his eyebrows in acknowledgement as he digs through his kit, pulling out his own foundation.

“be careful, ahaha. i might actually take you up on that.”

lwj sets the foundation down and pulls out a sponge next. “mn. good.”

“pour a small amount of foundation onto the back of your hand,” he continues.

wwx is still reeling—good? it’s good that wwx wants lwj to buy all of his makeup? lwj wants to do that? what?—and misses when lwj reaches out for his hand,

startling wwx out of his reverie when he touches his palm.

“aiyahhh, lan zhan, you need to give your poor, innocent roommate some /warning/ before you say things like that next time!”

lwj pauses, still holding onto him.

his eyes slide up to wwx’s, holding his gaze.

wwx aims for his best pout before cracking barely two seconds in: “ok, ok ok. poor, yes, innocent, no,” he concedes.

a thought occurs to him and he squints suspiciously. “is this revenge? are you doing this as revenge?”

“...revenge.” lwj’s fingers twitch against his skin; it tickles, but wwx suppresses a flinch in case lwj decides to let go.

and, fine. it’s far too dramatic and totally not lwj’s style to enact revenge-by-makeup tutorial, but wwx wouldn’t put it /completely/ past him.

“y-eah,” wwx replies weakly.

“for?”

“how shall I count the ways?” wwx laughs. “I know i’m not easy to live with, even if I /am/ a delight,” he teases.

lwj puts down the foundation and closes his hand around wwx’s.

...holy shit. wwx might be ascending. he doesn’t know. his heart threatens to escape his ribcage, though, especially when lwj hits him with that showstopping earnestness again.

“why do you say that?” he asks.

“why am I a delight? well, lan zhan, let me regale you.”

“i know you are. i meant, why do you think you are not easy to live with?”

wwx makes a strangled noise.

“well!!! for one example,” he says, “you had to remind me for a /week straight/ to go talk to our landlord about our lease.”

“I wanted to ensure your name would be on it when it renewed, since I am the principal renter. I... did not mean to irritate you.”

wwx scoffs incredulously. “lan zhan, ah, lan zhan, silly, /i/ wasn’t irritated. but surely, you—”

lwj encases wwx’s hand in both of his, the makeup demonstration sidelined for now. “I was not irritated,” he says, enunciating each word and looking wwx right in the eye.

oh, no. oh no no no. Sincere Eye Contact is the last thing wwx needs right now. he can’t handle when lwj gets all intense; he can already feel himself getting frantic, feel his heart rate climbing,

and then his hand will get all sweaty and lwj will find that gross and let go and wwx really /really/ doesn’t want him to—

“It helps, right?”

“what,” wwx breathes.

lwj looks down at their joined hands, back up at wwx. “it helps?” he echoes.

ok, wwx’s palm is /definitely/ getting all sweaty and gross already, but somehow lwj doesn’t seem to mind.

“yeah, it. it helps.”

“good.”

“but... lan /zhan/,” wwx whines. he’s running out of good arguments. “you also put all of my appointments in the fridge calendar and set alerts on /your/ phone so I don’t miss them anymore. that’s a lot of work!”

“wei ying—”

“i know, i know. you can help, so you will. i just...” wwx takes a deep, grounding breath. “look,” he says finally, rattling his hand around between lwj’s.

lwj doesn’t let go.

wwx takes a series of slow, deep breaths. “let’s never mind all that, ah?”

he smiles wanly.

“you graciously reserved your friday evening for me and i’ve gone and derailed the entire makeup lesson, haha!”

lwj presses his lips into a line and takes a deep breath of his own. “it’s not only because i can.”

“hm?” wwx tilts his head.

“my ability to help is not the reason i do it. i help because i want to.”

“ahhh!” wwx wails. “but lan zhan! you’ve been /so nice to me/ and i’ve just, what. relied on you instead of figuring my own shit out? taken you for granted and saddled you with all this extra work? it’s not fair! i shouldn't be...”

“wei ying.”

“and i don’t even say /thank you/. and. i’m sorry,” wwx says, deflating.

“you’re such a kind person, and I…”

his mouth goes dry.

“i know you can tolerate a lot. you /do/ tolerate a lot. i just… fuck, i like being here too much. with you. and i really don’t want you to kick me out, y’know? ”

lwj stares at him, devastated.

wwx drops his forehead to their hands. “happy friday,” he mumbles into the back of lwj’s with a defeated laugh.

// ....................that's all for tonight :)

comments, broken hearts, qrts, and likes are always my favorite part of updating a threadfic so thank you to everyone reading along <3

“wei ying,” lwj breathes. “no. no, no.”

he pulls one hand away and rests it on top of wwx’s head, starts petting his hair. “never. i want you here. i want…” his hand goes still for a moment before resuming its soothing motions. “to /be/ here, for you.”

lwj is silent for a moment before he shifts, and wwx feels the unmistakable press of lips to the crown of his head.

“wei ying,” lwj says, voice muffled against wwx’s skull. “i want to be with you.”

wwx… laughs. just a little huff at first, maybe in disbelief, but then his shoulders start shaking.

lwj pulls back, concerned—wwx is probably entirely red in the face when he sits up to look at him.

“sorry, haha, sorry, lan zhan. i just, i thought—i could have sworn i heard you say you wanted to be /with/ me.”

lwj stares at him, gaze flicking briefly to his lips and back.

“sorry, sorry, i know,” wwx laughs breathlessly as he tries to stifle the hopefulness blooming in his chest. it’s not the right time for jokes. he laces his fingers with lwj’s and squeezes. “i’ll be serious now. promise.”

lwj is so quiet when he responds that wwx almost doesn’t hear him: “wei ying, I did say that.”

“...you what?”

lwj reaches out tentatively to run the backs of his fingers down wwx’s face, and wwx feels all of the air leaving his lungs as lwj squeezes his hand back. “i want to be with you.”

wwx knows that lwj has always preferred to let his actions speak for him, but when he uses his words like this, searching wwx’s eyes like he’s waiting for it all to click into place—

it takes a long three seconds before the hope blooming in wwx’s chest finally overpowers his attempts to quell it, and his jaw hangs open.

“lan zhan, you…? me? really?”

lwj’s eyes soften, and /he/ looks hopeful, too. he glances down at wwx’s mouth again. nods.

then he sways forward, pauses to take a breath, looks to wwx for confirmation, eyes sparkling with the reflection from the vanity, the question written loud and clear in his features.

wwx can see all the little flecks of color in his eyes. he’d like to look at them forever.

“yes,” he breaths, and lwj closes the distance between them.

wwx thinks, from that first tentative brush of their lips, that he might be weak in the knees if he weren’t sitting. lwj’s mouth is so soft and warm, and he wants to melt into it, wants to get to know everything about it. about him.

he wants to know how lwj tastes, learn the way he moves. feel his fingers cradling his jaw with that same tenderness as before, but now he’s /allowed/ to lean into it.

wwx’s eyes flutter closed and he marvels at how their lips slot together, a perfect fit.

every doubting thought flees his mind, replaced with new certainties every time the sounds of each little kiss reach wwx’s ears like a melody.

every time he remembers that he’s kissing /lan zhan/, that lan zhan is kissing him, wants to be with him, wants—

wwx is the first to break the kiss.

he sways backward to look at lwj, to check that he’s not dreaming and—lwj chases after him, after his mouth. lets their faces be close.

his exhale ghosts across wwx’s mouth, a hopeful smile gracing his usually-self-assured features.

“i like you,” he whispers, pressing their foreheads together.

wwx’s heart skips a beat in his chest.

lwj brings his hand up between them, kisses the back of it while watching his face, cheeks flushed pink.

“want to be with you, want to take care of you, if you’ll have me.”

“if i’ll… lan /zhan/.” wwx laughs and moves their hands away so he can kiss lwj again. “are you asking me to be your boyfriend?” he asks with a smile against his lips.

“mn.”

“does this mean i get to annoy you forever?”

“i would like nothing more.”

“then yes. i will be your boyfriend, you ridiculous man.”

lwj’s smile lights up his whole face, and he pulls wwx in for another kiss.

---

before things can get too heated (read: before wwx climbs into lwj’s lap), lwj suggests washing their faces and continuing tomorrow.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to go out for dinner after,” lwj confesses as they stand side by side in front of the bathroom mirror.

wwx grins brightly. “aww, lan zhan! that’s so cute! let’s do that tomorrow. I think I’d like to cuddle you on the couch tonight, maybe we can not-watch a movie.”

lwj’s eyes narrow and he angles his head toward wwx, side-eyeing him. “not-watch a movie,” he echoes.

wwx turns to him and puts his hands on his hips. “mhm! so what do you say?”

lwj pretends to contemplate.

“I would like very much to not-watch a movie with you, wei ying.”

wwx bites his lip and flicks his eyebrows up and down once, tilting his chin to look at lwj through his batting eyelashes.

“after that, maybe we can not-sleep on your bed.”

lwj sucks in a sharp breath, eyes immediately darkening.

“mn. after dinner, I think I will... not-eat dessert.”

hiz gaze rakes over wwx’s body, lingers below his waist. flicks back to his eyes.

oh.

ok.

cool cool cool.

wwx swallows thickly. face flushing, he stands frozen in place as lwj steps close.

“in fact,” his boyfriend (he has a /boyfriend/!!!!!!) continues. “if you want, we can not-make dinner right now.”

wwx grabs lwj and kisses him, one corner of his lips curving up. “i would like nothing more,” he teases.

lwj huffs out a laugh against his mouth. “then what are we waiting for?”

~the end!

...FOR NOW!!

I have EXTRAS planned!

Thank you so so much to everyone who read along and shared your thoughts with me while I was working on this thread <333 you guys are so cool!!

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