Chapter Text
It all starts with a post on social media that Lan Wangji for some reason still follows.
No, no, scratch that. It actually starts a bit earlier—with Jin Zixun quitting the special division, slamming the door on his way out, yelling something about them all not appreciating his talents. "Good riddance," Jiang Cheng mutters, bent over his desk, scratching one of his dogs behind the ear; Lan Wangji watches him, coldly. He isn't the biggest fan of Jin Zixun around, but they need somebody in charge of artifacts; while Jin Zixun was insufferable, he—for the most part—did his job. His replacement might not.
The exit, pursued by hushed gossip, is soon followed with heated discussions both in Chief Jiang's and Chief Lan's offices; Lan Wangji isn't there to listen, but the bits and pieces he hears through the thin walls connect into a picture. There's a potential researcher for their team, dedicated and talented: that's Chief Jiang's opinion. There's a catastrophe in the making, and they must prevent it: that's Chief Lan's opinion.
Lan Wangji doesn't really think of it; he's sure there's a solution to be found, so when he sees the aforementioned post on social media, it takes him some time to connect the dots.
"All packed up!" the post says, with Wei Ying's profile picture and attached photo of several cardboard boxes, taped all over and signed 'Books', 'Clothes', and 'Diff.Shit' in Wei Ying's messy handwriting. "PS looking for a place in Chang'an to stay for a while!"
Below, Jiang Cheng has posted a stuck-out-tongue emoji; Wei Ying has answered with an emphatic 'no' and a paragraph of complaining about his 'mangy mutts' and 'damn fleabags'. Is he moving to Chang'an?
"I have a room." Lan Wangji is a quick typer, and the post is barely an hour old without any other comments, but he still fears somebody will outpace him, offer Wei Ying a place to stay first. "Need a neighbor. If you don't mind the rabbits."
He clicks 'send' and waits, waits, waits. But it doesn't take long for his phone to light up with a message: a text from Wei Ying, first in who knows how long.
"I hope you aren't joking! Rabbits are fine as long as they're not dogs!" The text is riddled with emojis, and Lan Wangji pauses before responding.
"Not joking. When do you arrive?"
*
The railway station is full of people, as expected; Lan Wangji stands out in the crowd, passers-by throwing curious glances at him. Cultivators are rare—especially in big cities, and they mostly blend in if not for their swords and their hairstyles. Adepts of Gusu Lan aren't usually an exception: after finishing their schooling they tend to change their attire to a civilian one, the only signs of their—profession, their vocation, their—whatever you call it are the sword and the forehead ribbon.
Lan Wangji, however, prefers the tradition. White robes are comfortable enough, and the long hair is easier to deal with; keeping his hair short would take too much trouble. The sword isn't a burden either; security guards on the railway station entrance don't even ask for his permission to carry it to let him in.
A child stares at him, mouth wide open; he or she runs to Lan Wangji and reaches for the sword at his hip, and the mother barely catches the child in time; she quickly apologizes and carries the child away, berating them in a hushed voice. Lan Wangji looks away, at the arrivals table. The train from Qinghe stops on platform three; Lan Wangji follows the directions.
He doesn't come close; there's no need. Wei Ying jumps out of the car, his suitcase covered with stickers; he locates Lan Wangji and nearly runs to him. They didn't talk much in the past days; Lan Wangji figured anything besides coordinating this meeting would better be discussed in person, and Wei Ying didn't insist.
"Lan Zhan!" Wei Ying launches himself at Lan Wangji, hugging him, but he retreats quickly—too quickly for Lan Wangji's liking—and smiles his blinding smile.
"I'm so glad to see you! It's been what, several years? How have you been? Jiang Cheng never answers when I ask about you!" He looks well—hair in a messy bun, sword at his hip; Lan Wangji almost frowns when he sees a sticker on it as well. He's dressed in modern attire, all black but not looking gloomy at all; Wei Ying's smile lights up the room, and Lan Wangji pauses before answering.
"Okay. Working." Lan Wangji doesn't know what else to say—his life is extremely boring. He works, he practices his cultivation skills and plays guqin, and he pets rabbits; sometimes he visits his brother or invites his brother in. It can hardly compare with Wei Ying's no doubt very exciting life; back then he made even the most mundane routines exciting. Although something is scratching at Lan Wangji's soul, some fleeting sensation he can't quite place. "You asked about me?"
Wei Ying smiles again and takes his hand, grabbing his suitcase with the other hand. "I wondered. I... didn't want to bother you, but I... I wanted to make sure you're well."
Ah. Lan Wangji cannot say what he expected to hear; he tucks the hints of disappointment away. "I am well," he confirms, nodding, and leads Wei Ying to the exit. "How was Qinghe?"
There was a betting pool, once, that Nie Mingjue would either strangle Wei Ying with his bare hands (or dismember him with Baxia; opinions varied) or tame him; but neither seems to have happened. Wei Ying is untamed—untameable—and still has all his limbs attached; he laughs and starts talking.
They walk to Lan Wangji's car; Wei Ying never stops talking, and Lan Wangji nods and 'mn's in all appropriate places. Wei Ying seemed to enjoy his work in Qinghe, despite all expectations; Lan Qiren would be disappointed.
The suitcase is put in the trunk, both their swords are on the backseat; Wei Ying chatters. He talks about his sister now; Lan Wangji is pretty updated on her life through Jiang Cheng, but he doesn't mention it. He enjoys Wei Ying's presence more than he'd admit out loud, and he isn't going to deprive himself of his voice just because Wei Ying isn't saying anything radically new. The ride home is like this—Lan Wangji doesn't bother with the radio, and Wei Ying doesn't seem to mind.
"I will be out of your hair when I find an apartment," Wei Ying says in the elevator, and Lan Wangji looks at him, surprised. "Don't want to bother you for too long."
"You don't bother me. You can stay for as long as you want." The 'if you want to stay at all' goes unsaid; Wei Ying is here because it's convenient, and because Jiang Cheng has dogs; Lan Wangji makes a mental note to slip them some dog-appropriate treats next time. Wei Ying laughs awkwardly and steps out of the elevator when they arrive.
Fluffy and Fatty hop out to greet them; Wei Ying immediately coos and squats to scratch them. He became better at handling animals: he doesn't try to pick them up and lets them get acquainted with his smell. Lan Wangji takes off his shoes.
"What are their names?" Wei Ying kicks off his well-worn sneakers and grabs the suitcase again. Lan Wangji looks at him, looks at the rabbits hopping around.
"Not telling. Come, I'll show you your room." It was meant as the main bedroom, thus the wide bed—meant for two, so Wei Ying can sprawl all he wants. Lan Wangji's own bed is narrow, but it's enough; it's not like he has to share it with anybody but the rabbits. Wei Ying walks around, curious. "I'll leave you to it. You should rest. If you're hungry there's food in the kitchen."
Wei Ying shakes his head. "I slept on the train," he explains. "Not hungry either, Chifeng-zun treated me to a goodbye dinner and gave me snacks for the road. Listen, I know I'm not needed today, they told me to report in tomorrow, but you're going to the office anyway, right? I thought, if you guys are not too busy, maybe I'd pop in and introduce myself. Jiang Cheng said he'd introduce me to the muggles—"
Lan Wangji sighs. "If you wish. I'm leaving in an hour. I will be in my room if you need anything."
Wei Ying grins and opens the suitcase; after rummaging for a while he digs out a small cloth bag. "The herbal tea mix Nie Huaisang said he promised you years ago, not sure what exactly this is but hopefully you'll know. Okay, I'm gonna hop in the shower and then unpack properly!"
Lan Wangji nods and accepts the bag gratefully; he remembers Nie Huaisang's promise, and he's surprised that Nie Huaisang remembers, too. The herbal mix is nothing special per se, but some herbs in it are only found in Qinghe; none of the substitutes he'd tried had the same taste. After another round of 'if you need anything's and 'thank you for your hospitality's Lan Wangji finally leaves Wei Ying alone; he returns to his room and cracks open the book he started reading last week, carefully ignoring the faint singing from the bathroom.