thinking about how lxc probably knew right away about lwj's feelings because despite having an expressionless face, lwj could not control the way his eyes would shine whenever wwx was around, automatically following him across the room. the eyes are the windows of the soul

wwx couldn't tell because he didn't know lwj well enough so even if he paid attention and saw the sparkle, he'd just assume lwj was like that always which makes me imagine him going "lan zhan is sad :(" whenever his eyes look a bit dull. the golden orbs need to be glowing 24/7!!

but lxc? he takes one look at his little brother silently raging at the jiang disciple and raises an eyebrow until his gaze flickers up to lwj's eyes and then he goes "hmm, i see what's going on here. wangji's eyes are gleaming because of him? welcome to the family wei wuxian!"

lwj starts growing frustrated at his inability to hide his feelings, why won't his brother stop teasing him? he never admitted anything and most of his classmates think he hates wwx—which—he does, right? just because he doesn't mind the flirting doesn't mean lwj likes him, right?

lxc shakes his head at him minutely like he's peering into the disarray in lwj's brain and simply rises from his seat once someone knocks on the hanshi's door. lwj barely looks up, sipping his tea to blame the redness of his ears on the heat of the beverage. it's probably uncle.

the door opens; he hears a set of footsteps as his brother greets the visitor. out of the corner of his eyes, lwj can't see him bowing. it's not uncle then, but lxc does seem happy, his broad figure blocking the view of the other person, "young master wei! thank you for coming!"

lwj's eyes widen and he sips the tea too fast, burning his tongue, the hot liquid going down the wrong path causes him to choke. he winces when his knee hits the table, drawing attention from the other two. wwx stops greeting zewu-jun and both turn to lwj at once, "lan zhan!"

lwj feels mortified that he lost his composure and absolutely cannot look wwx in the eye when the boy kneels by his side, patting his back to help him feel better — it does /not/ help, he's thankful his face doesn't show his flush but his ears are burning, hidden by his bangs.

he manages to control his breathing but not the rapid pace in which his heart is beating against his ribcage and feels a pang shooting through his chest when he catches a glimpse of wwx's concerned face, "aiya, lan zhan! you scared us! are you really okay now? be more careful!"

lwj is still prodding at himself about the reason he has such high regard for wwx's concern but he turns his face and glares at the boy, "you're one to talk." he says, watching wwx's eyes grow large in surprise, mouth curving up as laughter bubbles out of his chest.

/oh no./

when wwx laughs, lwj always feels so strange. his brows furrow; he's not even remotely funny and yet, wwx is always in a terrific mood around him. doesn't he find lwj boring? hasn't he said so himself? then, why?

wwx wipes a tear from his eyes and exhales, "that was good,"

then, inexplicably, he adds, "lan zhan should tease me more often!"

if lwj were a bunny, his ears would stand up, wwx is so— "ridiculous!" he huffs, turning away. it's when wwx laughs again that lwj finally recalls his brother is also present in the room. lxc is looking at him.

his brother is not even trying to hide his amusement as wwx continues to tease lwj and pull on his sleeve to get his attention while lwj firmly pretends to ignore him which only makes wwx try harder. lwj briefly wonders if his brother hates him, but lxc, mercifully, saves him.

"thank you for bringing the lotuses, young master wei, though it wasn't necessary. give my best regards to your sister," he says, disclosing the reason for wwx's visit. so he didn't come here just to play with lwj — why does he deflate at that? does lwj /enjoy/ being taunted?

(at least) wwx seemed to have forgotten that they weren't alone as well because he smiles sheepish when he turns to bow at lxc, "ah! of course, zewu-jun! i'll tell shijie you liked her gift, thank you for having jiang cheng and i," then he looks at lwj, "see you, lan zhan,"

"try not to miss me too much, ok? and drink slower next time!" he says, winking at him — lwj's eyes flare — and placing the package with the yunmengjiang seal on the table, getting up and bowing to them both before leaving. lwj stares at his silhouette until lxc closes the door.

lxc retrives his former spot at the table and unwraps the gift, taking out a small bouquet of lotuses and a package of seeds, "i heard the jins will be growing lotuses at koi tower once maiden yanli married into the sect," he starts, "should we follow their example, wangji?"

lwj gapes at him, utterly unprepared for the question, "brother!" he scolds, "i will not marry wei wuxian, i do not like him, we are not friends." he slams his hand against the table.

lxc runs his fingers through a flower and hums, "hm, but did i say anything about that?"

lwj opens his mouth to answer—

but lxc did /not/. he didn't even mention wei ying's name, but lwj just /knows/ he meant it. what else could he be talking about?

"i just think lotuses are beautiful, don't you agree?" lxc says, placing the flower on lwj's hand. lwj swallows.

they are beautiful, soft to the touch and pleasing to the eye, but as lwj graps it his mind wanders to a place he doesn't know — how does lotus pier look as the flowers bloom on spring? how does wwx look surrounded by the plants, knee deep into a lotus pond?

he nods in response.

lxc purses his lips and pours a few seeds into his hand, "of course there is a possibility someone from yunmengjiang might marry into the lan clan, we cannot afford to be unprepared if it happens." he smiles and lwj clutches the flower.

"brother, please..." he says, pained.

lxc looks at him with unbearable fondness, "wangji, earlier you asked me how i could tell your dislike for young master wei was merely fictional," then he points his finger sideways, "look in the mirror."

lwj twists his head back slowly and his breath catches at his reflection.

there in the mirror, a vulnerable expression stares back at him. his lips are parted, a lotus flower in his hands, almost pressed against his chest as he holds it gently but what stands out the most is his wide golden eyes, the way they're sparkling, displaying his inner turmoil.

it's crystal clear just how affected he is by his short-lived interaction with wwx and his conversation with his brother. the change cannot possibly be perceived from those signs only but for lxc who's known lwj since he was born, he might as well have written it on his forehead.

lwj can't bear to stare any longer so he turns back to lxc and his shoulders slump in defeat, "when uncle arrives, i will tell him to banish mirrors from cloud recesses." he says, grumpily.

his brother chuckles, patting the top of his head, "should we start planting the seeds?"

from the sympathy of his tone, lwj can tell he isn't only talking about the flowers but if a lan only loves once, it's too late to change his mind or push wwx away — his heart aches just from considering it. a courtship is the next step when one is in love.

so lwj says, "mn."

lxc smiles so proudly lwj can't be too mad about finding out like this and letting a secret he did not know he had out in the open. his brother says, "then i will be the one speaking to uncle and the elders later on, just be yourself, wangji. it might be easier than you think."

his brother often sounds cryptic but lwj has concluded he gives relatively good advice sometimes so he nods, bringing the flower up to his nose and turning it in his fingers.

wwx might not like cloud recesses now but once lotuses are blooming left and right, this might change.

just like something fundamentally changed and bloomed inside lwj's chest when he admonished a wayward guest disciple for bringing alcohol into his sect (and stealing his heart).

— THE END —

// aah young love, am i right? this was supposed to be only a tweet but i kept thinking of baby lwj looking in the mirror and slapping his cheeks, trying to get his eyes to stop sparkling after seeing wwx so this thread was born! writing this made me feel a little better //

// thank you for reading and i hope this made you happy! does lwj manage to court wwx then? who knows! but i like to think once he /does/ wwx is deeply touched by the lotus pond behind the jingshi, it reminds me of his shijie and brings comfort to him, he's grateful for it //

// also this thread was inspired by this pic i found on tumblr because you can how see their eyes are shining as they look at each other (yes, this happens to wwx too but you have to look closely to point it out ) //

// if you liked this thread and appreciates my work consider supporting me on ko-fi! i'm always bringing new content for you guys, the help is appreciated https://ko-fi.com/husbandlwj