Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian grinned as he recounted his tale to Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng. His brother looked mortified while their new friend merely gaped and stared at Wei Wuxian with wide eyes.
“Wei Wuxian! We’ve only just got here and you’re already breaking rules!” Jiang Cheng snapped, “and I can’t believe you were caught! If you’re going to be such an idiot at least don’t let someone catch you in the act,” he added with a scoff.
“Yeah, as long as you don’t get caught by a certain someone, you should be fine Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang added with a shiver.
“By who?” Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but ask, his curiosity peaked, “Lan Qiren?”
Nie Huaisang shook his head frantically, “his nephew and his most diligent disciple- Lan Zhan!”
“Lan Zhan of the twin jades? Courtesy name Lan Wangji?” He asked, remembering hearing all about the two supposed star pupils of Gusu from plenty of travelers that made their way through Lotus Pier. And he’d heard enough talk from senior disciples about how ‘perfect’ they were. Some had even gone as far as to say someone as unruly as him should try to learn from their example. Many had despaired as to why he couldn’t behave as well as they apparently could, he found it rather amusing.
Wei Wuxian snorted, as if that would ever motivate him to change how he acts. His teachers back at lotus pier had basically given up on his attitude and wild temperament at this point. When he’d presented as an omega there had been a brief hope in them that he’d mellow out a bit. But the stereotype that omegas tended to be less volatile had clearly skipped over him, if anything he felt more energized after he presented. It meant he could finally attend the guest lectures here in Gusu.
Not that he particularly wanted to be stuck in this stuffy place with thousands of rules. But Jiang Cheng had been waiting to attend since he presented at sixteen. Since Wei Wuxian had been a late bloomer, only presenting as he turned eighteen, his brother had waited two years for him so that they could attend together. There was a rule in place that those who are unpresented are unable to attend to combat any possible instances of students presenting while so far away from their homes. It was a scary and disorienting process that would only become even more terrifying while surrounded by strangers in a strange place.
Nie Huaisang nodded at his previous question about Lan Wangji, “that Lan Zhan… he’s,” his friend shivered again, “even though he’s the same age as us he’s even stricter than his uncle! I’ve met him a bunch of times already since his older brother and mine are very close, and even when we were kids, he was just as strict!”
The description sparked Wei Wuxian’s memory slightly, the events of last night returning to him, “Oh? Is he a pretty good looking fellow? An alpha?” He asked with a wry smile.
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes at the description, “aren’t they all handsome? You’d almost think the Lan clan rejects any disciples they find unattractive.”
“Particularly handsome,” Wei Wuxian corrected, remembering how he’d been temporarily stunned at the other boy's beauty when they first came eye to eye. Those golden eyes had bored into his silver ones and Wei Wuxian had felt lightheaded for a moment, the condition only getting worse when he caught an almost intoxicating scent of Sandalwood. Wei Wuxian only grinned more, “dressed in all white with a forehead ribbon and silver sword on his back? Very pretty, but super stiff in the face?”
“That’s him,” Nie Huaisang told him, casting a confused look his way, “but he’s been training in seclusion since he presented. He only just returned yesterday, don’t tell me you’ve seen him…”
Wei Wuxian giggled, and both Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng’s faces crumpled as they realized the Lan disciple who had confronted him while he snuck in that he’d been telling them about was Lan Wangji.
Jiang Cheng groaned, already embarrassed at his actions. But Nie Huaisang just stared with wide eyes, “you snuck in after curfew with alcohol, and even offered him some and he didn’t drag you away to his uncle for punishment? How are you still alive, Wei-xiong?”
“Well, I managed to tie him in our fight and at one point he just stormed off!” Wei Wuxian told them proudly.
“You fought with him!” Jiang Cheng half shrieked, “what were you thinking?”
“Hey, he attacked first!” Wei Wuxian instantly defended himself with a huff.
Suddenly, Jiang Cheng’s ire shifted with a low growl, “he attacked you? He’s an alpha, he should know better than to attack an omega from another clan like that!”
He merely rolled his eyes, alphas were so hard-headed, “please, you know no one can beat me in a fight, it doesn’t matter what our secondary genders are.”
“I know that!” Jiang Cheng snapped, “it’s still incredibly improper!”
He couldn’t blame his brother's instincts for being a little ticked off at the knowledge. Especially since Uncle Jiang had told Jiang Cheng to keep an eye on him and protect him for the duration of their stay in Gusu. From Jiang Cheng’s perspective, it was inexcusable for an Alpha from another clan to attack him so brazenly even if he had been breaking rules. A nice sentiment, but Wei Wuxian didn’t need someone to defend him or his honor.
Wei Wuxian flicked his brother on the nose to stop his sulking, “relax, besides I don’t even know if he realized I was an omega at first. At the end of our fight we locked swords and I saw his eyes widen a bit and then he just stormed off. He probably realized what my secondary gender was and how scandalous us fighting, alone, in the middle of the night would be,” he shrugged.
Nie Huaisang winced sympathetically, “not only were you breaking rules, but it seems you embarrassed him too! Oh you’re so done for Wei-xiong, he surely hates you now!”
His friend's warnings didn’t really bother him, if anything he was eager for the challenge. Getting to see Lan Wangji’s icy exterior crack even ever so slightly had been exhilarating. He wanted to see it crack further, and Wei Wuxian was sure he would be able to accomplish that, he had been told by many he could be insufferably annoying when he wanted to. He doubted Lan Wangji had ever encountered someone like him among the stuffy disciples of the Lan clan. It would be amusing to see how he reacted to his antics.
As they rounded the corner into the Orchid room for classes, his eyes immediately flickered to the sight of a familiar boy, who he now knew was Lan Wangji. As they walked into the room Wei Wuxian smelled the faint hint of sandalwood once again, the scent just as intoxicating as the night before. He found it strange for a moment, sure he could smell the rest of his classmates' scents if he tried, but it was super muted. Lan Wangji’s was so obvious to him though, and it smelled far better than anything he’d ever experienced before.
His line of thought was cut off as the other boy directed his icy stare at Wei Wuxian. His eyes narrowed into a glare, a faint redness at the tip of his ears that might be the beginning of an angered flush. Wei Wuxian merely grinned back unabashedly, winking for good measure.
He saw Nie Huaisang cover his face in mortification and Jiang Cheng tighten a hand around his arm at the gesture. Before either of them could say anything though, Lan Qiren entered the room and everyone scrambled to their seats.
Wei Wuxian was almost tempted to sit in one of the open spots next to Lan Wangji, but Jiang Cheng dragged him over to a section with the other Jiang disciples in attendance before he could make a move.
Class went surprisingly well in the way that Wei Wuxian almost immediately managed to get kicked out. In his defense, he thought his question about resentful energy had been absolutely valid, and Lan Qiren was being far too unreasonable about this.
That being said, it had been hilarious watching his teacher go red in the face at his words, his cool snapping as he yelled at Wei Wuxian to leave. A few hours later, his friends joined him. Jiang Cheng naturally scolded him, while Nie Huaisang looked at him with an awe and reverence that made Wei Wuxian’s instincts preen. Seeing the other omega cling to him was comforting, omegas were naturally protective of one another and often formed very close bonds with each other rather quickly. Historically it had been instinctual due to omegas feeling the need to protect themselves and each other from alphas. But as time passed and people became less prejudiced, the habit remained. So having Nie Huaisang hang off his arm and ramble about how cool what he had done was, instantly endeared his instincts to the other boy.
As they talked, Wei Wuxian caught the familiar scent of sandalwood before he even saw Lan Wangji. He grinned as the other boy came into view, “Wangji-xiong!” He yelled before Jiang Cheng had the chance to stop him.
The alpha glanced at him briefly before making a full turn in order to walk in the other direction. Wei Wuxian pouted and tried to chase after him, but the other boy merely ignored him.
“He really does hate you,” Nie Huaisang said awkwardly, “Wei-xiong, Lan Wangji… I’ve never seen him be so rude before.”
Wei Wuxian humphed at that, finding a part of him severely annoyed at the lack of attention from the Alpha, “maybe I should apologize to him about last night.”
“No way,” Jiang Cheng grumbled protectively, “if anything he should be apologizing to you, how dare he act so flippantly!”
Wei Wuxian exchanged a look with Nie Huaisang, the other boy hiding his small smile behind his fan as the two of them silently rolled their eyes at the dramatics, “awww A-Cheng, don’t think my feelings are so fragile I can’t handle a bit of the cold shoulder,” he taunted, “though I appreciate your dedicated defense of my honor,” he snorted.
“See if I defend you again!” Jiang Cheng huffed angrily as he realized Wei Wuxian was making fun of him. His brother paused, a disgruntled look on his face, “just stay away from that asshole if he’s gonna act like.”
Wei Wuxian smiled indulgently at the words, privately knowing he was going to do anything but that.
————
To his utter delight, he didn’t even have to seek out Lan Wangji to pester him. Shortly after classes began, and after numerous punishments from the amount of rules he broke, Lan Qiren finally had enough and assigned someone to monitor him for his punishments.
And who else would it be other than the Lan clan’s strictest and most respectable young cultivator, Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian laughed to himself as he skipped towards the library. Poor old man Lan didn’t know he had just played right into Wei Wuxian’s hands. He was gonna have so much fun tormenting his nephew for the next month.
“Hello Wangji-xiong!” He exclaimed cheerfully as he entered the library pavillion. The alpha didn’t so much as look up from what he was working on, even once Wei Wuxian sat down at his assigned spot. It seemed that he was determined not to acknowledge Wei Wuxian’s presence at all.
“Wangji-xiong,” he pouted again, receiving a similar lack of reply, “Lan Wangji.”
Still no reply. He huffed, not one to be ignored, “Lan Zhan!”
The man froze in his writing, looking at him with a scathing expression that only spurred Wei Wuxian on more, “oh don’t look at me like that! You can call me by my birth name too!”
“Sit properly,” Lan Zhan merely hissed in reply before going back to his writing.
Now that he had gotten him to speak he wasn’t going to back down though, clearly Lan Zhan could be annoyed into compliance if he tried hard enough, “Lan Zhan, I’ve got a question for you. Do you really hate me?” He asked, making sure to pout and make his eyes look sad and pitiful as he spoke in the way he knew always got to Alpha’s. He’d used the sad eyes enough time back at Lotus Pier to get what he wanted to know how effective it was- if only Lan Zhan would look at him again.
“Oh don’t start ignoring me again! I want to apologize to you, to say sorry, won’t you look at me?” He whined.
Lan Zhan continued to ignore him, his eyes stubbornly set on whatever he was writing. Wei Wuxian huffed, but he didn’t need Lan Zhan’s attention to run his mouth, and he refused to just sit here quietly and actually do his work, “oh fine, I’ll just do it anyway. Lan Zhan, I’m so sorry about what happened that night we first met. I really didn’t know about all the rules, promise! The Jiang clan doesn’t have precepts like the ones you have here and it was only my first night in Gusu!” Lan Zhan continued to remain indifferent, so Wei Wuxian leaned forward and continued to ramble, “besides you attacked first. I was only defending myself! When I told my brother he was so scandalized Lan Zhan, after all you’re an alpha and you attacked me- a poor defenseless omega-”
“Not defenseless,” Lan Zhan said so quietly that Wei Wuxian almost didn’t hear, “huh?” He asked.
“Not defenseless,” Lan Zhan said again with an annoyed look in his downcast eyes, “we tied.”
He was a little surprised by the other boy's words, but managed to not let it show as he sent Lan Zhan a simpering smile, “awww Lan Zhan! I didn’t know you held me and our fight in such high regard!”
Lan Zhan didn’t honor him with a reply, the other boy went back to his work with even more indifference to Wei Wuxian than the first time.
After getting Lan Zhan to speak again, Wei Wuxian was only more encouraged to continue, “Lan Zhan?” No reply, “Lan Zhan!” Once again, silence, “Lan-er-gongzi!”
The target of his attention didn’t so much as twitch at his name being called, “Lan-er-gege c’mon, won’t you grant me the honor of getting to see your face at least- look at me!” He whined.
To his utter glee, he saw a minuscule shiver, so tiny he almost missed it, going through Lan Zhan’s body. After his words, the scent of sandalwood got even stronger in the room. Wei Wuxian still didn’t know why Lan Zhan’s scent was so overpowering when he was around, but no one else had pointed it out so he figured it must be normal for some reason. He’d eventually got used to it, as much as it did always seem to be at the back of his mind, but now it was even stronger than normal. It sent a shiver of his own through his body, and he had to hold himself back from doing something embarrassing like sniffing the air.
“Transcribe it all an extra time,” Lan Zhan eventually spoke through gritted teeth.
“Don’t be like that Lan-er-gege,” Wei Wuxian sighed, using the name that had led to getting a reaction before, “I’m just trying to say I’m sorry!”
“You are not remorseful in the least,” Lan Zhan hissed quietly. Wei Wuxian beamed internally at the entirely true statement, but didn’t let his excitement show on his face.
“You want me to say it again?” He asked innocently, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he babbled shamelessly, “I’ll say it as many times as you like, I can even kneel to say it,” his face grew slightly red after he blurted the last part out, realizing how that could be interpreted completely different than what he intended- especially when said between an alpha and omega.
Lan Zhan put down his brush so quickly there was a bang on the table, his ears had turned bright red in a way that made Wei Wuxian forget his brief flash of embarrassment in order to feel smug.
The feeling of smugness faded instantly once he tried to open his mouth to speak and realized it had been forced shut. Stupid Lan silencing spell! He had just been getting to the fun part, Lan Zhan was getting so flustered it was hilarious.
Despite the rather boring end to the day since Lan Zhan utterly refused to release the spell, Wei Wuxian was rather proud of how much he’d managed to mess with the second Jade of Lan in his brief period of being able to speak. He walked back to his dorm with a smug smile, being greeted by his friends immediately.
“How was it Wei-xiong!” Huaisang fretted immediately, launching himself against Wei Wuxian’s side in order to clutch his arm, “I hope he wasn’t too mean to you!”
“He better not have been,” Jiang Cheng growled under his breath, “I don’t even know what they’re thinking of having an alpha be the one responsible for overseeing your punishment. Do they not see how improper-”
“Aww come on Chengcheng, do you think we’re mindless animals who are gonna pounce on each other the moment we’re alone. Our secondary genders don’t matter,” he assured his brother, watching as Jiang Cheng bristled defensively, “who’s your Chengcheng!”
Wei Wuxian giggled, turning back to Huaisang, “he mostly ignored me, but I managed to get him to break his resolve and talk a couple times before he used the silencing spell on me- he’s such a bad sport,” he told his friend proudly.
Jiang Cheng huffed and rolled his eyes, “they’re gonna kick you out at this rate! Stop badgering Lan Wangji. I don't even like him being around you with his poor attitude, the last thing we need is you pissing him off more!”
“Don’t worry, from now on I’ll be the perfect little disciple and finish my punishment without messing with Lan Zhan anymore,” he swore, placing three fingers beside his head with a shit-eating grin.
“Lan Zhan? Since when are you familiar enough to call him by his birth name like that?” Huaisang gaped, “I’ve known him since I was a little kid and even I don’t do that!”
“I called him it today and he didn’t stop me,” Wei Wuxian informed them, preening a little bit internally at the fact, “though Lan-er-gege was what really managed to get a reaction out of him, you should have seen his face!”
“You called the second Jade of Lan, er-gege?” Huaisang mumbled in horror the same time that Jiang Cheng growled to himself, “do not call him that!” He snapped at Wei Wuxian, “where’s your shame?”
Wei Wuxian grinned unabashedly, watching as Jiang Cheng sent him a critical look, “why do I even bother.”
“Because you’re my favorite little brother ever!” Wei Wuxian laughed.
“I’m your only brother,” Jiang Cheng replied harshly, “and don’t come crying to me when Lan Wangji eventually has enough of you and has his uncle send you home!”
“Oh I won’t,” Wei Wuxian promised, he had no plans of going home anytime soon. He was having far too much fun messing with Lan Zhan.
————
He didn’t have much of a chance during the rest of his punishment to get more reactions out of Lan Zhan. The boy had taken to just silencing him whenever he tried to speak, and he thoroughly ignored all the messages Wei Wuxian wrote on pieces of paper and threw at him.
He was starting to get frustrated by the lack of attention, being silenced was so unfair! If he was going to actually mess with Lan Zhan he would have to have a good plan.
Which is where Huaisang came into play, Wei Wuxian had learned that his friend had quite the collection of porn books. All it had taken was him asking for Huaisang to hand one over with a bright grin as he heard about Wei Wuxian’s plan. Knowing this plan would be the one to piss Lan Zhan off the most, he waited till the last day of his punishment.
He played the part of obedient disciple, finishing the last of his lines before moving on to doodling idly until it was time for his plan to come into play. Unconsciously he found himself drawing Lan Zhan, probably because there wasn’t much else interesting in the room.
When he was done, he presented the picture to Lan Zhan with a bright grin, his smile only growing wider as he saw the red tinge return to his ears in what Wei Wuxian had learned was somewhat akin to a blush. Even better, Lan Zhan didn’t crumble up his picture and throw it away like expected. The alpha muttered about it being ridiculous, but placed it down gently on his desk anyway.
Wei Wuxian sat down on the other side of the desk, leaning over it until he and Lan Zhan were close- far closer than what would be considered proper. Lan Zhan froze, his golden eyes going wide, and yet he didn’t move away, maybe he was just too shocked by Wei Wuxian’s blatant invasion of his personal space.
He grinned at the expression, pulling back a bit so he was sitting on his heels. As much as he would love to see how far he could push it, that wasn’t his plan for today. And besides, being that close to Lan Zhan was disorienting, it made him feel lightheaded and jittery for some reason.
“Utterly ridiculous,” Lan Zhan eventually hissed defensively, reaching towards his book to continue reading. Wei Wuxian bit his lip to hold back his laughter as he waited for Lan Zhan to open it.
The moment the other boy flipped a page open, he was throwing it across the room as if it burned his hand. Wei Wuxian burst out laughing as the utterly scandalized reaction to the rather tame porn.
“Wei Ying!” He yelled, the sound of his birth name coming from Lan Zhan causing a warm feeling in his stomach even if it had been said in anger.
Lan Zhan grabbed his sword, and Wei Wuxian grabbed Suibian as well, still laughing at seeing Lan Zhan’s cool so utterly shattered.
“I’m here! I’m here!” He giggled manically, dancing backwards to avoid Lan Zhan’s wrath, “hey! Isn’t fighting against the rules?”
Lan Zhan only got angrier as he spoke, moving towards Wei Wuxian more aggressively, “hey! How rude Lan Zhan. What would people think if they saw you, a big strong alpha, going after a poor innocent omega like me with a sword!” He exclaimed quickly.
Wei Wuxian barely held back his snicker as he watched Lan Zhan freeze. God, alphas were so predictable, especially ones as honorable as Lan Zhan. When Wei Wuxian had first started to present he had hoped to be an alpha like Jiang Cheng, but now, he was quite happy with the secondary gender he had gotten. It was so easy to use his status as an omega to manipulate his way out of trouble.
Seeing the formerly furious alpha frozen in such shock in front of him was just too tempting, Wei Wuxian just had to see how much farther he could push this. Wei Wuxian took a step forward, watching in glee as Lan Zhan matched it by taking a step back, “what would my brother say? You know, he already doesn’t like you after hearing about our fight. He doesn’t like me being around you at all with how poor your attitude has been towards me,” he pouted, “I told him not to worry, but maybe I was wrong,” of course the last part was all bullshit, but it was worth saying it to see the way Lan Zhan fully flinched at the words.
Lan Zhan clutched his sword tighter, a low noise in the back of his throat that may have been the beginnings of a growl. Wei Wuxian smiled coyly, taking another step forward. He knew he was being way too improper right now, but the continued reactions he was getting out of Lan Zhan were like a drug and he just couldn’t help himself but continue to push the other boys buttons.
This time Lan Zhan didn’t step backwards, he remained in place with his arm almost shaking from the amount of force he was using to clutch Bichen. They were so close Wei Wuxian knew if anyone walked in and saw this he’d be dragged by the ear to Lan Qiren and given another two months of punishment at least. He couldn’t bother to think about the consequences though when Lan Zhan’s golden eyes were wide with an unidentified emotion, his body only inches from Wei Wuxian’s, and that same intoxicating Sandalwood scent robbing Wei Wuxian of his reason.
Wei Wuxian bit his lip to hold back a smile as Lan Zhan remained frozen in place, shaking. He leaned forward as if to kiss the other boy, angling his head to the side at the last second so that he instead could whisper something in Lan Zhan’s ear. He was shocked he managed to do so much without Lan Zhan stopping him but perhaps that was just a testament to how utterly shocked the alpha was right now. With how stuffy the Lan clan was, he’d probably never seen such scandalous actions between unmated pairs in his life.
“My brother’s waiting for me, I have to go,” Wei Wuxian whispered into Lan Zhan’s ear, reveling in the shiver it elicited, “we wouldn’t want him to come in here to find me and think something improper was happening.”
He leaned back, looking into Lan Zhan’s golden eyes again. They were wide and rimmed in red, showing Wei Wuxian just how much his actions were getting to him. It gave him a rush of adrenaline, that he could cause the famously cold second Jade’s facade to shatter like this. As he took a step back, because his words about Jiang Cheng waiting for him had been absolutely true, he decided to add one last little push, “your scent is really nice er-gege. So strong too, it was hard to focus this past month,” he giggled, watching as Lan Zhan’s restraint only crumpled further.
“Get out!” The boy sputtered angrily, the flush on his ears having traveled to his cheeks with how strong it was. Wei Wuxian eyed Lan Zhan’s furious and embarrassed expression and the tight hold the alpha had on Bichen and knew it was time to take his leave.
“Bye Lan Zhan! It’s been fun!” Wei Wuxian laughed, turning to run out of the library before Lan Zhan could retaliate for all the taunting in any way.
Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang were waiting for him not far from the library pavilion. As he ran up to them with a wide smile, Jiang Cheng gave him a disgruntled look, “please don’t tell me you were making trouble again.”
“Was that… Wangji-xiong who yelled just now?” Nie Huaisang stuttered at the same time with an open-mouthed expression.
“Mhm!” Wei Wuxian hummed proudly, “our plan worked so well Nie-xiong!” He giggled.
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes at the both of them, “what plan? What have you two been up to?”
Huaisang opened his fan, covering his face so that only his eyes were peeking out as he looked from him to Jiang Cheng, clearly debating whether Wei Wuxian planned to explain or if he would have to.
“I might have, maybe, replaced the poetry book Lan Zhan was reading with some porn,” he snickered, watching Jiang Cheng huff and rub his forehead tiredly as if to banish a headache.
“You did not,” Jiang Cheng hissed. He glanced at Huaisang as if hoping that the other boy would deny Wei Wuxian’s claims. His friend only squeaked and hid his face further behind his fan, “it was Wei-xiong’s idea!”
“Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng yelled in a scolding tone, eliciting a loud peel of laughter from the mentioned boy, “what Jiang Cheng? It was funny, you should have seen his face!”
His brother was not nearly as amused as he was about all this as he grabbed Wei Wuxian’s arm and began to pull him farther away from the library pavilion, “now that your punishment is over, stay away from Lan Wangji and stop pestering him. He already hates you enough, what are you trying to prove?”
Wei Wuxian shrugged, allowing himself to be pulled away with Huaisang following at their heels, “it’s fun to mess with him.”
“Find other ways to have fun, the last thing we need is you causing some political scandal by messing with Lan Wangji too much!” Jiang Cheng huffed angrily.
“Of course,” Wei Wuxian hummed in agreement, sharing a look with Huaisang that told the other omega he was lying through his teeth.
————
Later that night, after sneaking out of his and Jiang Cheng’s room and into Huaisang’s, Wei Wuxian told his friend the full story. He definitely couldn’t tell Jiang Cheng of all the stuff he’d done to mess with Lan Zhan. His brother was already bothered by him being in the same room with Lan Zhan, he’d lose his mind if he realized how improper Wei Wuxian had been acting towards the second Jade.
“I was only going to show him the porn book and watch him get mad about that, but then I realized how nervous he got when I got too close to him,” Wei Wuxian giggled as he whispered to Huaisang, “he’s normally so expressionless but you should have seen the panic on his face when he went to attack me and I accused him of acting improperly towards me!”
Huaisang gaped, “of course he’d panic Wei-xiong! The Lan clan has so many rules about propriety between genders and secondary genders! He’s probably never met someone as brazen as you before.”
That only served to make Wei Wuxian proud, “what did you do that made him yell like that right before we ran into you?” Huaisang eventually asked in a hushed, curious voice.
The memory had a faint flush rising to his cheeks, looking back on it even he was a little surprised at how bold his actions had been- not that he regretted it, “he was so dumbstruck he was just standing and staring at me frozen. So I decided to mess with him a little bit, I got super close and whispered in his ear- he got sooo red.”
Huaisang nearly choked when he heard, “Wei-xiong! You- really-”
He nodded smugly, “then I told him his scent was nice and he really got flustered, that was when he got really angry,” he snickered.
“You flirted with him?” Huaisang gaped, “Wei-xiong you truly are something else.”
He shrugged, “it wasn’t really flirting, I was just messing with him. Besides it’s true, his scent is nice, and super strong too- I’m surprised no one else seems bothered by it.”
Huaisang blinked at him in confusion, “Wei-xiong what are you talking about?”
“You know Lan Zhan’s scent and how it’s super strong,” he repeated, wondering how his words could be confusing, “Sandalwood. Sometimes I swear I can smell him before I see him, though I’m not complaining, it’s really nice.”
Huaisang’s face turned red at the description, he flicked open his fan to hide his embarrassed expression, “Wei-xiong, Wangji-xiong’s scent isn’t stronger than the rest of our classmates,” he coughed awkwardly, “in fact I didn’t even notice it was sandalwood until you told me.”
Wei Wuxian frowned, that couldn’t be true, it was so obvious there was no way Huaisang could have missed it, “what? But it’s definitely way stronger than anyone else’s I’ve ever met.”
He heard Huaisang gulp slightly, “probably because… well it seems as if you two might be compatible,” he explained before quickly adding, “but I don’t know! What would I know!”
“Compatible?” Wei Wuxian asked skeptically. He was aware of the concept, of course, but he didn’t get how it had anything to do with what Huaisang and him were talking about.
Huaisang peeked out from behind his fan, “yeah, compatible, a suitable pair. Did you not pay attention to your lessons about secondary genders as a kid?” He blinked dumbly.
Wei Wuxian rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, no he hadn’t. He had always thought they were irrelevant and boring, he would either skip the lessons or doodle for the duration of his classes, “Well obviously I’m aware of compatibility existing between cultivation partners, but I don’t think that applies to me and Lan Zhan.”
Huaisang flicked his fan closed to stare at Wei Wuxian with a nervous expression and a blush, “you don’t get it, there are certain times two people will be absolutely perfect for each other as mates. When that happens, their normally subdued scent will come off as very strong to their fated one because your instincts recognize it’s a perfect match for your own. If Wangji-xiong really is compatible with you his scent is so strong to you because your instincts view him as a suitable future mate.”
After Huaisang’s explanation, Wei Wuxian could do nothing but sit and stare at his friend dumbly for a moment as he tried to process that information. He eventually shook his head, “that can’t be true. I mean, me and Lan Zhan? He’s fun to mess with and he’s definitely handsome, but there’s no way we’re compatible. We’re like total opposites!” He protested.
Huaisang fanned himself, a small smile forming on his face, “I mean, they do say opposites attract Wei-xiong,” he said with a quiet giggle, “I can’t believe it! You and Wangji-xiong are really compatible!”
Now it was Wei Wuxian’s turn to flush in embarrassment as he shook his head stubbornly, “that- that stick in the mud. There’s no way we could ever work as a couple! I mean can you imagine me following all those stupid Lan rules! You must be wrong!”
Huaisang shook his head, “signs of compatibility between two people are like some of the first things we learn about secondary genders! You and him are definitely compatible!” Huaisang giggled, “oh god that means he probably experienced your scent just as strongly as you experience his- no wonder he got so flustered when you were close!”
He hated how that explanation made perfect sense. But if Lan Zhan was experiencing the same thing he was, then why hadn’t he said anything. Unlike Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan definitely knew all his stupid information about what signals compatibility that Huaisang had explained, “if that’s true, surely he would have said something?”
“Perhaps he’s shy, you know how emotionally repressed these Lans are,” Huaisang pointed out, “he only just presented recently too, it’s probably a little disorienting still.”
Wei Wuxian frowned, remembering all the times he’d felt dizzy and warm when he got too close to Lan Zhan and the scent of sandalwood. Had the other boy been experiencing the same thing? His own scent was somewhat of a mix of cinnamon and saffron, Shijie had once described it as being warm and sharp.
“And you’re sure you aren’t wrong about this compatibility stuff,” he clarified, feeling unnecessarily nervous.
“Of course,” Huaisang said loftily, before shooting Wei Wuxian a sly glance, “after all, I’ve met the person I’m compatible with too so I have first hand experience on what it’s like.”
“What?” Wei Wuxian exclaimed, “who? I’ve never seen you hanging around with people other than me or Jiang Cheng!”
“It’s a secret!” Huaisang snickered, “and it’s a recent development. I’m waiting for him to get his head out of his ass and make the first move though,” he replied.
“So it’s a he? Who is it? Come on, tell me Nie-xiong!” Wei Wuxian pestered, only to revive a coy smile and a shake of the head from Huaisang, “A-Sang, please!” Wei Wuxian whined, using the affectionate name and dragging out his words in the hopes of whittling away his friends' resolve to keep this secret.
“Hmm, I’ll tell you if you admit you and Wangji-xiong are compatible,” his friend teased with a sly smile.
Wei Wuxian froze, his mouth open in shock, “that’s unfair!” He whined, his pride not letting him admit what Huaisang wanted him to out loud, “I thought we were friends Nie-xiong, why won’t you tell me?”
“I will,” he shrugged, “eventually. Once you admit you like Wangji-xiong and tell him!” He said with a vicious smile, “if he’s compatible with you then it’s my job as your friend to help set you two up!”
Wei Wuxian groaned in embarrassment, “there’s no way that’ll ever happen though, how is that fair! Even if I did like Lan Zhan like that, and even if we are compatible, that doesn’t mean Lan Zhan likes me back. You’ve said it yourself, he hates me!”
“Hmm,” Huaisang hummed thoughtfully, “given the new information I have, I take what I said back. It seems to me now he may just be trying to repress his feelings with anger and you constantly teasing him is only making it harder on him.”
Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes, “that’s such bullshit, he obviously hates me. Just because our instincts seem to think we should be a couple, doesn’t mean we have to!”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Huaisang merely sighed with a self-satisfied look. Wei Wuxian huffed angrily at his friend's lack of belief in what he said. He’d show Huaisang and his stupid instincts, him and Lan Zhan were
definitely
not meant to be a couple!