Work Text:
As Jiang Cheng hangs up the phone, he sends a silent prayer to the heavens that this will be the last he has to hear from Director Yao for that day. Falling back into his chair with a huff, he allows himself two minutes to think about something other than work.
A-Jie will be coming over later in the evening with A-Ling whom Jiang Cheng hasn’t seen in over a week. He’ll help A-Jie cook a nice dinner and then play with Jin Ling to his heart’s content. That reminds him, Jiang Cheng still has to pick up flowers on the way home. Maybe roses or peonies or-
Ding!
Jiang Cheng lets out a deep groan at the sound of his computer receiving a message. Please don’t let it be old man Yao, please, please, please, he begs. Cautiously, Jiang Cheng clicks on the notification on his screen. The first thing he feels is relief: it’s not Director Yao. The second emotion is surprise, quickly followed by confusion. The message is from the leader of another department, and Jiang Cheng's self-proclaimed rival, Lan Wangji. Jiang Cheng reads the message, then reads it again just to make sure his eyes aren’t betraying him.
Hello, my love, it reads.
What.
The.
Fuck.
Jiang Cheng has already opened up his emails in order to alert IT that Lan Wangji has been hacked when the chat application gives another Ding.
My apologies. I meant Jiang Wanyin.
Another Ding.
Typo.
Jiang Cheng stares at the screen, attempting to figure out how in the world someone could possibly write love when trying to write his name. Especially when Jiang Cheng knows that ‘love’ is the last thing Lan Wangji would think about when it comes to him. The two of them have been rivals since the first time their departments were paired up for a project three years ago and by now there isn’t a single person in the company who doesn’t know that Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji do not get along. Never have, never will.
…
Don’t worry about it.
What do you want?
Lan Wangji probably meant to send it to another person. Lan Wangji is ridiculously good-looking after all, even Jiang Cheng can admit that; the man must have a lover. Jiang Cheng tilts his head in thought; he’s never actually heard about Lan Wangji having a lover though, not even the faintest rumor. His subordinates, who for some reason can never shut up about that uptight guy, would’ve let him know right away. Not that Jiang Cheng wants to know, obviously. He couldn’t care less about whether Lan Wangji is dating someone or not.
I have sent over the documents for the magazine cover.
Thanks. Anything else?
Jiang Cheng knows he’s coming off as rude but he can’t stand the thought of talking to yet another person who’ll inevitably bring his blood levels up.
No. That would be all. Lan Wangji replies. Jiang Cheng breathes out a sigh of relief and sends back a thumbs up. He checks his emails and sees that Lan Wangji has indeed sent over the documents. Opening them up, Jiang Cheng gets ready to get this out of the way as soon as he can. If he’s lucky, he might even get to go home early.
One day. One day Jiang Cheng will learn that luck is rarely on his side. At 17:50, Jiang Cheng is finally done for the day, feeling very satisfied with himself. As the whirring of the computer fans comes to a halt, Jiang Cheng packs his bag and is just about to head out when there’s a knock on his door.
Damn it.
He takes a deep breath, reminds himself that he’ll be seeing his sister and darling nephew very soon and calls out “Come in.”
The first thing Jiang Cheng sees is the polished tip of a black leather shoe, followed by a perfectly ironed white pant leg. A periwinkle-colored sweater follows and in comes Lan Wangji, who is, quite frankly, the last person Jiang Cheng had expected to see step into his office.
“Uh,” Jiang Cheng says, eloquent as always.
Lan Wangji clears his throat before he speaks. “I appear to have received an email meant for you.” He holds up a paper. “From Director Yao.”
Jiang Cheng just about manages not to curse in front of Lan Wangji. If he has to do overtime because of that overgrown toad, he’s going to flip.
“It did not appear urgent,” Lan Wangji says, like he knows what Jiang Cheng's thinking. “I printed it out for your convenience.” It’s not actually convenient and very much a waste of paper, but Jiang Cheng isn’t going to tell him that. He’s well aware that Lan Wangji is an analog kind of guy.
“A small blessing,” Jiang Cheng mutters. He steps out from behind his desk and accepts the paper from Lan Wangji who seems to bow ever so slightly as he hands it over. Overly elegant prick, Jiang Cheng thinks. He smells kinda nice though, Jiang Cheng notes absently. Giving the printout a quick glance, Jiang Cheng notes that it really doesn’t seem to be important, just some minor changes Director Yao would like to see, written in a way that makes them seem like matters of life and death. For now, he puts on his desk where he will see it right away the next morning.
“Thanks,” Jiang Cheng says, throwing his fellow department leader a wry smile. “Appreciate it.”
Lan Wangji pauses. Blinks. “…My pleasure,” he replies, voice slightly strangled sounding. “I wish you a pleasant evening, Jiang Wanyin.”
“Thanks, you too,” Jiang Cheng says and watches as Lan Wangji turns and marches out of his office without further ado. What a weird guy.
“It’s not that funny, A-Jie!” Jiang Cheng protests. Across from him, his older sister tries and falls to suppress her laughter.
“That goes for you too,” Jiang Cheng grumbles at his nephew who, though he doesn’t quite understand what they’re talking about, is giggling along with his mother, pureed carrots on his cheek. Jiang Cheng wipes it off with a fond sigh, making another giggle bubble out of Jin Ling.
“You have to admit, A-Cheng, it’s quite cute.”
Jiang Cheng scoffs. “There’s nothing cute about that man.”
“If you say so,” Jiang Yanli concedes. Jiang Cheng frowns at her easy capitulation while she feeds Jin Ling a piece of chicken.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks.
“Don’t forget to eat,” Jiang Yanli reminds him, casting a meaningful glance at his still half-full plate. Obediently, Jiang Cheng dips a dumpling into a spicy sauce and stuffs it into his mouth. She continues: “I’m just saying, you mention him quite often. I can’t imagine him being as terrible as you say he is.”
“No-”
Jiang Yanli continues unbothered. “In fact, I don’t think you dislike him as much as you think.”
Jiang Cheng opens his mouth. Closes it again. He feels like he’s going to have an aneurysm. Finally, he regains his ability to speak. “That is not true!”
“I think you might actually secretly like him,” she says, then, just to add insult to injury, adds: “Maybe you could even be friends!”
“Friends!” Jin Ling exclaims, clapping his hands together as if on cue.
“A-Ling, not you too,” Jiang Cheng groans, burying his face in his hands while his sister chuckles at him. Jin Ling meanwhile has decided that he’s done eating and is demanding to be freed from his highchair so he can play with his Jiujiu. Jiang Cheng jumps at the free out provided to him, lifting Jin Ling out before Jiang Yanli has the chance.
“Don’t worry, A-Jie, I’ve got him.” He spirits Jin Ling into the bathroom before the little rascal can come up with any dumb ideas such as wiping off his greasy hands on Jiang Cheng’s white dress shirt. He is unsuccessful.
For the remainder of the evening, Jiang Cheng transforms from an overworked office worker into Jin Ling's favorite Jiujiu who will do everything Jin Ling wants.
At the end of the night, when Jin Ling is slumped half asleep in his mother’s arms, Jiang Yanli brings up their previous conversation one more time.
“Promise me you’ll at least think about,” she implores him. “I really do think you two could get along. Didn’t you say he’s an animal lover?”
“That’s just something the people at work told me,” Jiang Cheng mutters, unwilling to meet his sister’s eyes. He doesn’t want to think about why the idea doesn’t sound as impossible as he thinks it should.
“Promise me, A-Cheng,” she says, voice earnest. Jiang Cheng sighs, he can never refuse her.
“I promise,” he relents reluctantly.
“I believe in you,” Jiang Yanli tells him, smile bright on her face. Jiang Cheng gives nothing but an exasperated huff in response and leans in to give her and Jin Ling a kiss each on the cheek.
“G’night Jiujiu…” Jin Ling mumbles, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
“Goodnight my little nugget,” Jiang Cheng smiles. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Sleep tight, A-Cheng.”
“You too, JieJie.”
The door clicks shut, and Jiang Cheng is left alone with his thoughts.
Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji have been rivals ever since their departments were first paired up to work together. Working at a famous media company, Jiang Cheng’s text department and Lan Wangji's department of photography have many opportunities to be working together and the two of them are in contact very often. It’s not Lan Wangji's work that’s the problem; in fact, it’s always flawless and Lan Wangji's work ethic is one some in his department would do well to be inspired by. Apparently when Lan Wangji was first hired, it’d been as a photographer and still handles the occasional shoot. Jiang Cheng’s seen his pictures, Lan Wangji has a real eye for color and composition; no matter the subject and setting, he always manages to make his photographs come alive. Again, Jiang Cheng has no problem with Lan Wangji's work, he wasn’t promoted to department leader for nothing after all. It would be fairer to say that the issue for Jiang Cheng lies in Lan Wangji's attitude.
Put simply, Lan Wangji is rude. Jiang Cheng doesn’t know why but Lan Wangji has never liked him. From the moment they were first introduced nearly three years ago, Lan Wangji has done nothing but glare at him and speak as little as possible to him. Sure, Lan Wangji is taciturn at the best of times but around Jiang Cheng he seems to literally clam up as soon as they’re speaking about anything other than work. Even when they’ve been seated next to each other at company dinners or outings to celebrate the completion of a project, Lan Wangji will barely speak to him no matter how many times Jiang Cheng tries. So no, Jiang Cheng doesn’t think they have any chance of ever becoming friends. Lan Wangji has made that more than clear.
Jiang Cheng has been at work for all but ten minutes when someone knocks at his door.
“Come in.”
“Hey boss,” A-Qing, one of the junior editors greets him. In her hand is a stack of papers. “Someone from the photography department came by just now, said he’d been told to give this to you by Lan Wangji himself. He mentioned something about old man Yao.”
Jiang Cheng accepts the documents with a puzzled frown. “Thanks. You may go now.”
“It’s nice of him to be looking out for you,” A-Qing says, making absolutely no moves to leave.
“He’s hardly looking out for me,” says absentmindedly, flipping through the stack. “He probably just had these lying around.”
A-Qing shifts from one foot to the other, putting on a contemplative expression. “Then how come I’ve never heard of him doing this for anyone else?”
“How would you know that?” Jiang Cheng shoots back. “Are you trying to tell me that instead of working, you’re squandering precious company time on keeping tabs on the leader of another department?”
“Boss!” The small bells hanging from her buns tinkle as she shakes her head in an exaggerated manner. “I would never do such a thing! I got the info from Lan Wangji's assistant Sha Hualing, and she swore that he’s never done anything like this for anyone else.”
This is getting ridiculous. “Sha Hualing is just as overdramatic as you. Now go before I dock your pay.
“If you say so,” A-Qing sing-songs. “Mingyan was right, you really are dense sometimes.”
Jiang Cheng slams his fist onto the table. “A-Qing!”
The young woman just laughs and skips out of the office. Jiang Cheng sighs, he really lets her get away with too much. Lan Wangji looking out for him, the thought is really too preposterous to be true.
… Sure, there was that one time when he had a sore throat and Lan Wangji had offered him a cough drop from the brand that just so happened to be his favorite. Lan Wangji had even bought him a cup of tea so he guessed the guy wasn’t all bad. But that was it!
And maybe Lan Wangji had helped him out before, even when Jiang Cheng had vehemently denied needing it, but that annoying guy had insisted on helping him find the correct documents in the perpetually disorganized storage room. What was he supposed to do? Say no? Jiang Cheng wasn’t going to deny him that even though he still felt bad for laughing when that binder had fallen on Lan Wangji's head.
Or the time when there’d been a rainstorm and Lan Wangji had come by just to give Jiang Cheng an umbrella.
But that’s it! There are no other instances that could even remotely be labeled as Lan Wangji helping him out.
Except for the fact that there are. As if some proverbial floodgates have been opened, memory after memory keeps coming to Jiang Cheng, instances which Jiang Cheng had labeled as just coworkers helping each other out or Lan Wangji not being rude for once. Things that in light of the new revelations could actually… maybe… be referred to as Lan Wangji looking out for him. Jiang Cheng still has his doubts about the whole thing but if what A-Qing said is true and Lan Wangji really doesn’t do this for anyone else then-
Then-
Jiang Cheng slams his head onto the table. What the hell does it all mean!
“A-Cheng, would you be a dear and get the spicy sauce A-Xian likes?”
“On it, A-Jie.”
The supermarket in Jiang Yanli's neighborhood is pleasantly empty, only a few other patrons bustling around. Jiang Cheng finds the sauce with no trouble, even snatches up a second one because he knows how quickly his brother goes through these. On his way back, he also spots Jiang Yanli’s favorite snacks and picks up a bag to bring with him.
Finding his way back to his family takes a little longer than expected; they seemed to have moved while he was off. Finally, he hears Jin Ling's loud babbling and picks up his speed. He falters somewhat in his approach however, when he sees that Jiang Yanli is talking to someone. Perhaps it’s a consequence of experiencing some very tense encounters with the mothers of his classmates while out with his own mother, but Jiang Cheng really hates meeting people while he’s out shopping. Nothing to do but suck it up, though. Just a few steps later, Jiang Cheng slows down again. It’s probably just a coincidence but the person looks suspiciously like a certain department leader whom Jiang Cheng has been doing his utmost to avoid thinking of during the past few days. He squints and yup. It’s Lan Wangji, In broad daylight. Standing there chatting with Jiang Cheng's sister like it’s the most normal thing in the world. Jiang Cheng can’t believe this.
Without warning, Lan Wangji turns to look at Jiang Cheng. Their eyes meet and for a moment, Jiang Cheng can’t breathe. Instantly, he’s reminded of all the instances where Lan Wangji has helped him and which he has been trying very studiously to not think about. The next second, his sister turns as well and the spell is broken.
“Look who I met, A-Cheng,” she exclaims cheerily. Lan Wangji inclines his head in a silent greeting. The corner of Jiang Cheng's mouth twitches. “I was just telling Wangji here,” Jiang Cheng gawks, trust his sister to already be on first name basis with his nemesis, “about our brunch tomorrow.” She turns to face Lan Wangji, “Are you sure you can’t come?”
If Jiang Cheng had been drinking something at that moment, he would’ve spat it out. If A-Jie thinks that inviting Lan Wangji over for brunch is going to miraculously make them friends, she should reconsider that thought because it’s not going to happen. Luckily, Lan Wangji seems to be of the same opinion.
“I apologize Mrs Jiang-”
“Yanli, please.”
“Miss Yanli. I already have a prior commitment, but I thank you for the offer.”
Jiang Cheng exhales quietly. He doesn’t say anything about the invitation, only puts his things in the cart. Jin Ling, sitting in the small seat by the handles, gurgles at him and Jiang Cheng strokes his cheek.
The conversation between his sister and Lan Wangji seems to be wrapping up, thankfully. Idly, Jiang Cheng throws a glance into Lan Wangji's basket and spots a bag of cough drops, from Jiang Cheng's favorite brand as it so happens.
“Guess my gushing about them was effective,” he remarks. “I convinced you, huh?” Lan Wangji's light eyes move from Jiang Cheng's face to the basket then back.
“…Yes,” he says finally. Dry as always, Jiang Cheng doesn’t even know why he tries anymore.
“Anyway,” Jiang Yanli says, “you simply have to give me your number so you can share the veggie stew recipe you mentioned, it sounds delicious!”
Jiang Cheng’s head snaps up. “Wait, A-Jie, what-”, he tries to interrupt but Lan Wangji has already entered his number into Jiang Yanli's phone.
“I would tell you to give A-Cheng your number as well, but I’m sure you already have it,” she says once she’s finished calling Lan Wangji back. Jiang Cheng freezes like a deer in headlights.
“Of cour-” Jiang Cheng begins just as Lan Wangji says “I do not.”
Fucking traitor.
“Well?” His sister looks absolutely delighted as Jiang Cheng puts his number into Lan Wangji's phone with gritted teeth. v
“Wonderful!” she exclaims, clapping her hands together. “Now you two can keep in touch outside of work too. I’m always telling Jiang Cheng he’s working too much.” Traitor, Jiang Cheng's sister is a traitor too, he can’t believe this.
Jiang Cheng decides to finally end his own misery. “A-Jie, we have to get going, Wei Wuxian is waiting for us.”
“Oh, you’re right, time really does fly.” With a smile that looks apologetic but really isn’t, Jiang Cheng begins steering the cart towards the registers. His sister follows him but then suddenly turns around, hurrying back to Lan Wangji. She talks to him in a hushed voice for a few seconds and Jiang Cheng watches in disbelief as Lan Wangji's ears appear to change color, turning bright red. Lan Wangji looks over at him and once again, Jiang Cheng's breath hitches. Jiang Yanli pats Lan Wangji on the arm and then she’s back at Jiang Cheng's side.
Later that night, when Jiang Cheng’s already gone to bed in his designated guest room at his sister’s house, his phone lights up with a WeChat notification.
I enjoyed meeting you and your sister today. I hope we will keep in touch. Apologies for the lateness of the message; I would have called but did not know if you were still awake.
-Lan Wangji
It’s strange, Jiang Cheng almost wishes Lan Wangji would’ve actually called him while at the same time appreciating the concern for his sleep schedule.
It’s fine, Jiang Cheng texts back. I’m sure my sister would love to get to know you better. See you tomorrow at work.
The message shows up as ‘read’ almost as soon as the message is sent off, like Lan Wangji had been awaiting his reply or something. The typing bubble pop ups, disappears then shows up again multiple times but in the end the only reply Jiang Cheng receives is I will see you tomorrow. Good night.
Jiang Cheng doesn’t bother replying, just saves Lan Wangji's contact and then turns off his phone. Truth be told, Jiang Cheng is glad Lan Wangji didn’t call, for some reason, Jiang Cheng has the feeling that he wouldn’t have been able to sleep if he had. They can just talk tomorrow, anyway. Briefly, Jiang Cheng pauses, puzzling over that thought but then decides that it’s probably just the unexpectedness of today’s events riling him up. He falls asleep quickly, lulled into the land of dreams by the muffled sounds of Wei Wuxian's snores coming through the wall.
Lan Wangji has become friends with Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng doesn’t know how to feel about it. So far they’ve exchanged multiple recipes, have had several phone calls and even met up once in person. It gnaws at Jiang Cheng nonstop. What could they even be talking about? Cooking, sure, but surely that can’t be it, they have got to be talking about other things as well to warrant meeting up in person. What’s worse is that Jiang Yanli is refusing to tell him why they met up, only saying ‘We’re friends, A-Cheng, can’t friends hang out with each other?”. Of course, they can, Jiang Cheng would never even attempt to deprive his sister of seeing her friends, he hasn’t done that since he and Wei Wuxian were ten and jealous of any attention Jiang Yanli gave to people who weren’t part of their family. No, the problem is that the friend in question is Lan Wangji.
Boring, nontalkative, stuck up, number one office heartthrob Lan Wangji.
Annoying Lan Wangji who spends minutes typing out replies to Jiang Cheng's text only to end up replying with two sentences at most. Jiang Cheng understands that people can be quiet, but shouldn’t it be easier over text? What does Jiang Yanli have that Jiang Cheng doesn’t? He just wants to know.
Simultaneous with this burgeoning friendship, Jiang Cheng’s company has once again decided to pair up his and Lan Wangji's departments for a project. Unfortunately, this project requires the two of them to spend a lot of time together in order to plan the project. Jiang Cheng really wishes this were something that could be done over E-mail, but life is seldom that fair. Instead, Jiang Cheng has to suffer through two-hour long meetings once a day, where he has to listen to Lan Wangji’s low, smooth voice while he discusses ideas, themes and whatever else happens to be relevant. If Jiang Cheng disliked Lan Wangji before, he absolutely hates him now, hates the way Lan Wangji's voice seems to have made itself a permanent home in Jiang Cheng’s ears, hates the way that he shivers whenever Lan Wangji's legs touch his beneath the table or their hands brush while handling documents.
Speaking of which, Lan Wangji has unfairly pretty hands, with broad palms and long calloused fingers from having played the Guqin since childhood. It’s just another thing Jiang Cheng hates about Lan Wangji.
So maybe this whole project isn’t entirely bad. Somehow, Lan Wangji has managed to warm up to Jiang Cheng enough that he actually talks to him. They have in fact started talking a lot more than before, about their love for animals, book recommendations and lots more and Jiang Cheng finds that he likes it a lot and that somehow chatting with Lan Wangji has become one of the highlights of his days. It’s strange to have his feelings regarding Lan Wangji turn around so completely but it also feels natural, like it was meant to happen. Jiang Cheng is careful to not unpack his feelings regarding the matter any further than that. Things are good the way they are and he’s keen to keep them like that.
When Jiang Cheng returns to his office after his meeting with his supervisor to find it buzzing with talk and none of his subordinates working, Jiang Cheng is both concerned and annoyed.
“What the hell are you all doing?!” Jiang Cheng’s bellow has his team scurrying back to their desks like a bunch of headless chickens.
“Anyone want to tell me why you weren’t working?” he demands. No one meets his eyes. The sound of his foot tapping against the floor is deafeningly loud in the silence. “If you are caught doing something you weren’t supposed to then I expect you to act like adults and admit to it. I really hope you aren’t always like this when I’m not in the office because I would be extremely disappointed in you all if that were the case.”
“We aren’t!” one of them finally says.
“We were just taking a little break, really!” another chimes in.
“Yes, please don’t be upset, boss Jiang!”
Jiang Cheng slowly trails his gaze over each and every one of them, watching as they fidget in their seats. When he feels that they seem remorseful enough, he nods.
“Fine. Get back to your work.”
“Yes, boss!” is chorused back at him.
“Good-ah!” An undignified shriek escapes Jiang Cheng when a hand suddenly plants itself on his shoulders.
“Wow, didn’t know department leader Jiang could make noises like that,” Sha Hualing snickers. “Makes me wonder what else you’re hiding.”
Jiang Cheng presses his hand to his chest, trying to calm his frantically beating heart.
“What are you doing here?”
“How rude,” she tsks, “When I came here just to deliver some papers to you.”
“Then you can give them to me right away instead of wasting time,” he snaps at her, taking a cautious step out of her direct vicinity.
“Whatevs.” Sha Hualing rolls her eyes. “Anyway, did you hear that Lan Wangji has a girlfriend?”
Sha Hualing’s words hit him like a punch in the fucking guts. He can’t breathe. His heart is beating out of his chest. He feels hot and cold at the same time.
“Apparently, she’s sure gorgeous, like, supermodel level,” she sighs. “Well, what else can you expect for Lan Wangji.” Jiang Cheng doesn’t reply, only numbly accepts the stack of papers she hands him and walks off into his office without another word.
Lan Wangji has a girlfriend. It’s not weird for him to be dating, he’s a grown man who can do whatever he wants after all. And obviously he would be dating someone who’s just as beautiful as he, someone who can match him. It’s fine. Jiang Cheng’s fine.
Ding!
Jiang Cheng's phone lights up. A message from Lan Wangji. Without thinking, Jiang Cheng opens it.
A photo of Snowdrop, as promised.
Attached is a selfie of Lan Wangji with a snow white bird perched on his finger. A tiny smile hides in the corner of his lips.
And then suddenly Jiang Cheng isn’t fine anymore. Tears are rushing down his face before he can even attempt to stop them. His knees give away under him, he crumples to the floor, choking back the sobs that threaten to tear their way out of his chest.
Lan Wangji has a girlfriend.
Lan Wangji has a girlfriend and Jiang Cheng hates it so much. He doesn’t want Lan Wangji to be dating, he wants to have Lan Wangji all to himself, wants to continue exchanging silly messages with him. Jiang Cheng wants to take Lan Wangji hiking on his favorite trails, wants to sit next to him and read, wants to hold his hand, wants to-
Oh.
Oh.
Oh no.
Jiang Cheng doesn’t know when, doesn’t know how but somehow…
Somehow, he’s fallen in love with Lan Wangji.
Nothing really changes after Jiang Cheng has his realization. Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji are both very work-focused and during their meetings he makes sure they don’t stray to non-work-related topics. Outside of work, Jiang Cheng tries to distance himself from Lan Wangji, yet he can’t help but jump for his phone with every message gets, still talks to Lan Wangji just as much as before and with every day that passes, Jiang Cheng is finding it more and more difficult to try and distance himself from Lan Wangji. Finally, he decides to abandon this idea altogether.
As it turns out, Lan Wangji doesn’t actually have a girlfriend which has the entire office, including Jiang Cheng, although secretly, drawing a sigh of relief. Unexpectedly it had been Director Yao who’d put them out of their misery by outright asking during a meeting.
“My… girlfriend?” Lan Wangji had questioned, frown creasing his brows.
“Of course!” Director Yao had leaned back in his seat, legs crossed and cigarette in hand making him look like some sort of wannabe oligarch. “I overheard your people talking about it.”
Lan Wangji’s frown only deepened in that annoyingly handsome way of his. In that moment, the entire room was hanging on his lips.
“I do not have a girlfriend.”
Just like that, it was like a weight had been lifted from all his coworkers shoulder. The relief had been palpable.
“Oh ho?” Director Yao had let out a big puff of smoke, eyebrows raised. “I find that difficult to believe, a handsome man like yourself being unattached.”
Unsurprisingly, he hadn’t noticed the way Lan Wangji's nose had crinkled in disgust at Director Yao’s comment.
“Tell you what,” he continued. “How about I set you up with my daughter? I’d love to have someone like you for a son-in-law.”
Just like that, the mood in the room had changed from overjoyed to downright murderous as Director Yao had continued to babble on about all the benefits of marrying into his family and all the virtues his daughter possessed. Everyone present had teamed up to get Director Yao out of their offices as quickly as possible.
Jiang Cheng feels two things in regard to Lan Wangji not dating. The first is relief that Lan Wangji is single, the second is guilt because Jiang Cheng wishes that he could say that he’d be happy for Lan Wangji. He isn’t foolish enough to think that Lan Wangji would ever fall in love with him. It took three years for the two of them to even become friendly with each other, regardless of the ways in which Lan Wangji had helped him out, so him ever becoming romantically interest in Jiang Cheng is next to impossible. And to be honest, Jiang Cheng is fine with that. He’ll take their friendship and enjoy it for what it’s worth and he won’t, won’t, won’t wish for more than that.
The assumed girlfriend had turned out to be Lan Wangji’s older cousin.
“Jiang Wanyin, here’s the book you mentioned,” Lan Wangji says after a meeting once the higher ups have left and Jiang Cheng is on the way back to his office. He pulls a book out of his briefcase and holds it out for Jiang Cheng to take. A book that Jiang Cheng had mentioned being interested in reading but that he hadn’t been able to find it.
“How did you get this? I thought it wasn’t being printed anymore.”
“It isn’t. My…” Lan Wangji’s eyes flicker away from Jiang Cheng's face for a second. “My uncle happened to have a copy.”
Jiang Cheng accepts the book with reverent hands. “Give your uncle my thanks for letting my borrow his copy.”
“No.”
“Huh?” There’s a short break in their conversation where they have to let a colleague past them.
There’s a pink tinge to Lan Wangji's ears as he explains: “It’s a gift.”
Jiang Cheng cocks an eyebrow. “You’re gifting me your uncle’s book?”
“He gifted it to me, and I wished for you to have it.”
A flush colors Jiang Cheng's cheeks. “Thank you,” he says sincerely. “In exchange, let me take you out for dinner.”
To his great surprise and irritation, Lan Wangji immediately rejects this offers.
“Why not?” Jiang Cheng demands, brows furrowed, and arms crossed.
“There is no need,” Lan Wangji says simply, “It was a gift; there is no need for repayment.” Jiang Cheng is immediately challenged by this statement to get his will through.
“I insist.”
“There’s no need.”
“There is.” Jiang Cheng asserts.
“Again, there’s-” Lan Wangji starts but he’s cut off by Sha Hualing sticking her head around the corner, questioning what’s taking her boss so long.
“We’ll continue this discussion another time,” Lan Wangji says as he excuses himself, garnering a huff from Jiang Cheng.
He’s gonna take Lan Wangji out to eat if it’s the last thing he does. Looking at Lan Wangji's retreating back, Jiang Cheng let’s out the longing in his heart through a heavy sigh.
Exiting Ouyang Publishing, Jiang Cheng stretches his back with a satisfied groan. The success of the meeting has him in a good mood, especially with it having gone quicker than expected. Looking around, he spots a bistro on the opposite side of the streets, green awnings make for a pleasant break in the monotone grey buildings.
“We have nearly forty minutes before we have to return to the office,” Jiang Cheng says with a nod towards the eatery.
Lan Wangji considers it for a few seconds and then nods. Entering the small bistro, they’re shown to a table by the window front. It’s prime people watching spot, but Jiang Cheng only has eyes for Lan Wangji.
Whilst waiting for their order, Jiang Cheng brings up the book Lan Wangji had given him.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the story and descriptions, but I don’t like the main character.”
“How so?” Lan Wangji questions, nursing a glass of water.
“I wish he’d value himself more,” Jiang Cheng explains. “He’s too focused on his childhood dream to the point where he’s deluded himself into thinking that it’s the only thing he can do.” He quiets for a moment, looking down at his hands. “It reminds me too much of myself.”
Lan Wangji's eyes sharpen at his words; he puts down the glass with a soft click. He doesn’t say anything, but Jiang Cheng can see the curiosity in his eyes. There’s no need to say anything, Jiang Cheng knows, but Jiang Cheng finds that he wants to, would like for Lan Wangji to hear, to understand him.
“I wanted to become a swimmer,” he says. “I learned to swim almost before I learned to walk, started taking lessons when I was five and when I was seven, I got to see my first competition. The competitors were so cool and I wanted to be just like them. So I started training. I got pretty good too, competed in regionals, school competitions, both local and between different provinces. I just wasn’t good enough for nationals,” Jiang Cheng explains with a wry smile. “I trained like there was no tomorrow all throughout high school but my times were never enough, no matter how hard I tried. The disappointment, the overexertion from training and the all-nighters from studying and I, well, I had a breakdown.”
“I’m sorry,” Lan Wangji says quietly. Jiang Cheng just hums in response.
“It’s okay. I ended up being from school for several months, full of self-hatred for being a failure, depressed to the point that I couldn’t leave my bed. That experience forced me to realize that there were things I would never be able to achieve no matter how much I worked for it. Don’t get me wrong, it was soul-crushing and I wish things had been different but reading this book, I just get so annoyed with the main character for being so single-minded. It makes me want to shake him and tell him to think of other things too, to take care of himself.”
“How come you didn’t you take a job that has to do with sports?”
“I couldn’t.” The reply has Lan Wangji frowning slightly.
“It would’ve made me too sad, seeing all these people achieve what I couldn’t. Besides, I didn’t enter a swimming pool again until seven years ago.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Lots of therapy.”
A server arrives with their food which they eat in silence. There is a certain relief to have finally told someone outside his closest circle about what happened, but Jiang Cheng also can’t help but fear that Lan Wangji might think lesser of him. He looks up, locking gazes with Lan Wangji. There’s no judgement in his eyes, only a calm serenity. Lan Wangji's eyes gentle as he looks at Jiang Cheng and he can’t find it in himself to regret it.
“I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a child,” Lan Wangji professes out of nowhere as they leave the restaurant.
“Why didn’t you become one?”
“I’m allergic to cats.”
There’s nothing Jiang Cheng can do to keep but laugh at that. Luckily, Lan Wangji doesn’t seem to mind. They walk back to the office side by side. Even if it never develops into anything more, Jiang Cheng will cherish this friendship with everything in him.
“Boss! Over here!”
The warmth inside the bar has Jiang Cheng uttering a sigh of relief after having been battered by the cold winds of autumn outside. Unwrapping his scarf, Jiang Cheng makes his way to his colleagues. He’s pleased to find there’s already a beer waiting for him, various small dishes placed on the table. Handing his coat to a subordinate, Jiang Cheng takes his seat. Project completed; the two departments are now having their honorary celebration.
“Now that Boss Jiang is here, we can finally start drinking!” Someone cheers. Typical, all they can think about is alcohol. Jiang Cheng can’t actually blame that for that though, when he too has been looking forward to this; the two last weeks have been extremely stressful. Looking around, Jiang Cheng is disappointed to see that Lan Wangji hasn’t arrived yet.
“Boss Lan is on his way,” one of Lan Wangji’s workers says. “There’s a traffic jam. He said to start without him.”
Jiang Cheng shakes his head at that sentiment. “Lan Wangji was the other leader of this project and his presence is just as important as any other’s. You wouldn’t start without me, would you?”
A loud ‘No’ is chorused back at him. Jiang Cheng nods, satisfied, but he also knows his crew. “We’ll wait ten minutes and then we’ll start.”
When Lan Wangji finally arrives roughly twenty minutes later, the celebration is already in full swing.
“Chief Lan!” Sha Hualing calls out, waving him over excitedly. Perhaps Jiang Cheng should warn him about how much she and all the others have already had to drink but then someone is calling out a cheer for Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng's cup is being refilled and he promptly forgets about it.
Jiang Cheng spends the evening looking at Lan Wangji. Try as he might to tear his eyes away, it’s like there’s a spotlight on Lan Wangji that fades out everyone else. It doesn’t help that they’re sitting almost directly across each other but even so Jiang Cheng would be looking. He would be even if Lan Wangji weren’t dressed like he’d stepped right out of magazine cover. The pale blue suit jacked that’s probably made out of the finest of fabrics has been divested, leaving Lan Wangji in a tailored dress shirt. It clings deliciously to his strong biceps, strains over his broad shoulders with each shift in movement and Jiang Cheng doesn’t think he’s imagining the way the way the buttons over his chest are struggling to stay closed. He’s so stunning, it’s unfair.
Someone bumps into Jiang Cheng on the way back to their seat. Jiang Cheng waves off their apology, saying to go back to drinking and when he turns back, Lan Wangji is looking at him. Their eyes meet and Jiang Cheng momentarily forgets how to breathe.
Lan Wangji lifts his teacup with a small nod.
“You’ve worked hard, Jiang Wanyin.”
“Same for you, Lan Wangji.” The use of his name has a strange feeling pool in his stomach. He empties his cup in one sip, attempting to extinguish it with the burn of the alcohol.
In moments like this, Jiang Cheng wishes he’d never realized he was in love with Lan Wangji. That way his heartbeat wouldn’t speed up every time he sees Lan Wangji, hearing his name wouldn’t give him sweaty palms, and this mix of giddiness, love and hopelessness wouldn’t be tormenting him. Though he and Lan Wangji are far from as frosty with each other as they used to be, Jiang Cheng isn’t foolish enough to think their relationship will ever develop into anything more. He’s foolish enough to hope though and so Jiang Cheng drowns his hopes and heart in alcohol.
Jiang Cheng startles awake when a strong arm wraps around his shoulders, gently pulling him upright.
“W-wha…” he slurs. He raises his head. trying to ascertain who is holding him but the movement is too quick and he just ends up making himself dizzy.
“Who told you to drink this much,” he hears A-Qing tut. Strange, Jiang Cheng thinks, he didn’t think she had this much muscle on her. “Do you think you can stand, Boss?”
Good question. The first attempt barely gets his butt off the floor. During the second attempt he manages to get halfway up before another wave of dizziness hits him. Those strong arms catch him just in time to prevent him from hitting his forehead on the table, keeping a secure hold on him.
Ah, this person smells so nice. He slumps into the person’s embrace, nuzzling against their neck in a vain attempt to get another whiff of that scent. A muffled snort comes from somewhere nearby, but Jiang Cheng can’t bring himself to care. Let them laugh, he’s perfectly content where he is.
“I’m very sorry to ask this of you, Section head Lan, but could you please take him home? I called a cab but I don’t feel comfortable leaving him by himself.”
Hm? Lan Wangji is here? Jiang Cheng looks around the bar trying to spot Lan Wangji.
“Do not worry, Miss Song, I will make sure he arrives home safely.” Jiang Cheng tilts his head up and there’s Lan Wangji, meeting his eyes with a patient gaze. Letting his eyes trail down, Jiang Cheng realizes that the chest he’s snuggled against is Lan Wangji's.
Wait, he’s in Lan Wangji's arms? And he’s going to take Jiang Cheng home? Jiang Cheng decides right then and there that this is the best drinking party he’s ever been to. Distantly, Jiang Cheng has the thought that this isn’t right, that he’ll regret this come morning but a much louder voice tells him to indulge, that he can blame his behavior on the alcohol. Yes, that sounds good, Jiang Cheng decides, and snuggles right back in.
A sigh blows against the top of his head but Jiang Cheng can tell that Lan Wangji isn’t actually annoyed with him. If he were, he would’ve let go of Jiang Cheng a long time ago. Lan Wangji is so nice, always looking out for him. He tells Lan Wangji so and gets an amused huff in response that has Jiang Cheng feeling very satisfied with himself. There’s also a loud snort from A-Qing but Jiang Cheng decides to ignore that, he’s got more important things to think about. Like how Lan Wangji's embrace is so nice and warm. Jiang Cheng wishes he could always be held like this, never have to let go.
An undignified yelp is startled out of Jiang Cheng when the ground under him suddenly shifts. Then he realizes that it’s just Lan Wangji standing up and pulling him up with him. He’s still holding onto Jiang Cheng, his arm a firm weight around Jiang Cheng's waist as he maneuvers him out of the bar and to a car waiting outside. Jiang Cheng whines when Lan Wangji lets him go so Jiang Cheng can get in but then Lan Wangji is right by his side again and Jiang Cheng wraps his arms around Lan Wangji's, a happy smile on his face.
Jiang Cheng doesn’t let go of Lan Wangji for the entirety of the car ride. When Lan Wangji attempts to pull away, Jiang Cheng only clings harder, turning a pouty face up at him. Lan Wangji doesn’t try again after that.
“We’re here.” A gentle shaking of his shoulder rouses Jiang Cheng from the light slumber he’d fallen into during the ride, Lan Wangji helping him out of the car and bringing him all the way to his apartment door. The whole time, Lan Wangji's arm is around his shoulder, Jiang Cheng pressed up against his side like a magnet. Once inside, Lan Wangji gently lowers Jiang Cheng down onto the couch. Almost automatically, Jiang Cheng's arms come up to wrap around Lan Wangji's neck, trying to keep him close.
“Jiang Wanyin,” Lan Wangji says gently, one hand moving to grasp Jiang Cheng's wrists, the other one braising against the plush surface of the couch. Jiang Cheng is by no means a small man yet Lan Wangji's handi s large enough to wrap almost fully around his wrists in a way that sends an excited shiver down Jiang Cheng's spine.
“Noo,” Jiang Cheng pouts, shaking his head stubbornly. The ceiling lamp hasn’t been turned on but the light coming in from the streetlamps outside is enough for Jiang Cheng to be able to make out Lan Wangji's face. Lan Wangji's eyes look as if they’re glowing, hypnotic golden irises seeming like they can see right through him. Their faces are so close to each other, barely a handsbreadth apart.
“Stay,” Jiang Cheng whispers into the space between them.
Lan Wangji's eyes clip to the side, close, find Jiang Cheng's again.
Jiang Cheng gives another tug and Lan Wangji just about manages to keep himself up. He tries again but Lan Wangji isn’t giving in and Jiang Cheng lets out an unhappy whine. The euphoria from the bar is gone, leaving him only with the need to not let Lan Wangji go.
“Stay… please.”
It could be nothing but a trick of the light, or perhaps it’s Jiang Cheng's wishful thinking but Lan Wangji's face seems to soften. The hand around his wrists lets go and instead moves down to tenderly pet Jiang Cheng's head, thumb ghosting over his forehead. Jiang Cheng nuzzles into the hand eagerly, hungrily, full of the need for Lan Wangji's touch that’s been burning within him for months.
“Jiang Wanyin drank a lot,” Lan Wangji states quietly.
“Mmh,” Jiang Cheng hums in reply. He’s gradually relaxing into Lan Wangji’s touch, eyes slipping closed.
“Don’t fall asleep,” Lan Wangji implores but it’s difficult to not drift off to the soothing cadence of his voice and his gentle touch. “I will get you a glass of water, alright?”
Jiang Cheng nods. He puts his hand over Lan Wangji's and moves it down. His lips brushing over Lan Wangji's palm as he talks, speaking his hope into Lan Wangji's hand.
“And you’ll stay?”
This time, Jiang Cheng can tell for sure that Lan Wangji is smiling.
“I will stay,” comes the quiet reassurance. With one last caress of his cheek, Lan Wangji pulls away, leaving with a whispered “Be good,” that has Jiang Cheng's heart doing all sorts of things. Once again, Lan Wangji is being so unbelievably kind to him.
Lan Wangji tucks Jiang Cheng into bed with gentle hands and a gentle gaze. He doublechecks that the glass of water is filled up and that the painkillers are reachable, moving them a bit closer to the glass. Jiang Cheng watches him through half lidded eyes, fighting against the exhaustion trying to pull him under. He doesn’t want to sleep yet because sleeping means waking and Lan Wangji no longer being there.
“Stay,” he whispers.
Lan Wangji shakes his head, a rueful expression on his face. “I cannot. It would be unprofessional.”
Jiang Cheng pouts into the blankets that have been pulled up to his chin. “I don’t care,” he mumbles.
“I truly can not,” Lan Wangji insists.
“But what if I get sick during the night?” Jiang Cheng still tries. It’s a bit pathetic, if he’s honest, clinging onto Lan Wangji like this but Jiang Cheng really, really wants him to stay.
Lan Wangji pauses at those words and Jiang Cheng has the wild thought that maybe Lan Wangji actually also doesn’t want to leave. “I’ll sleep on the couch,” he finally relents and Jiang Cheng’s face lights up in a smile.
“But you have to leave the door open, okay?” he demands like a child afraid of the dark.
“I will.” Lan Wangji trails his hand over Jiang Cheng's cheek and Jiang Cheng catches it in his, pressing tender kisses over the back of it. Lan Wangji's throat bobs and he tries to pull his hand back but Jiang Cheng keeps a secure hold on it.
“Jiang Wanyin…”
“Hm?”
“This isn’t…” Lan Wangji tries but he trails off. Jiang Cheng kisses the first knuckle of Lan Wangji's ring finger.
“Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?”
Lan Wangji’s face gentles.
“I will,” he says, settling down at the edge of Jiang Cheng's bed.
“Lan Wangji?”
“Yes?” comes a soft reply.
“I love you,” Jiang Cheng mumbles and then he’s eyes are closing and he’s drifting off to sleep.
The first thing Jiang Cheng does when he wakes up is frantically check the time on his phone and then sink back into his pillow when he sees that it’s 9am on a Saturday. Thank fuck, that’s one thing at least that he doesn’t have to worry about. Next step is taking care of the headache that’s slowly making its intention to harm known. Dammit, he knew he shouldn’t have accepted that second shot from Hualing, or a forth beer from Su She. Drunk him is smarter than Jiang Cheng would’ve thought, however, having had the foresight to prepare water and pain killers which he very grateful takes. Usually he just passes out.
Jiang Cheng lays in bed, waiting for the painkillers to kick in and just letting his mind drift for a while before he finally forces himself to get up. If only he had someone who’d cook for him, Jiang Cheng thinks, as the scent of his neighbor’s breakfast drifts in through an open window.
Stepping out from the dark corridor into the sunlit kitchen, Jiang Cheng has to momentarily pause to let his eyes get used to the light, blinking rapidly to get them to adjust.
“Good morning,” says a pleasant voice.
“Morning.” Jiang Cheng yawns heartily, gratefully accepting the cup of steaming hot coffee that is handed to him. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure.” Jiang Cheng takes a sip of the coffee, notes that it’s brewed to perfection, and then his brain finally snaps into action. His eyes which had remained half closed, snap open.
“What the fuck!” he screams. His eyes snap from Lan Wangji to the wall, the table, back to Lan Wangji and then away again. The sight of Lan Wangji standing in his kitchen putting rice into two bowls is too much of a shock for his system and–
“Is that my apron?!” Jiang Cheng shouts.
Lan Wangji looks down at himself as if he’s only just noticed that he’s wearing it.
“My apologies. I would’ve asked but you were still asleep. If you wish, I’ll take off.”
“Don’t fucking bother,” Jiang Cheng waves him off tiredly,
Silence stretches between them before Lan Wangji breaks it, tentatively asking “Breakfast?”
They eat in silence, Jiang Cheng not meeting Lan Wangji‘s eyes. The loose collar of his shirt keeps slipping down to expose his shoulder and collar bone no matter how many times Jiang Cheng pulls it up. Meanwhile, it’s like Lan Wangji is trying to drill a hole into Jiang Cheng who has no explanation for what he might’ve done to warrant such an intense look.
When they’re finished, Lan Wangji insists on taking care of the dishes, citing Jiang Cheng’s hangover to get him to give in. Jiang Cheng quietly watches the way Lan Wangji rinses the bowls with systematic precision.
“Last night,” Jiang Cheng begins tentatively, finally breaching the topic that has been weighing on his mind since first laying eyes on Lan Wangji this morning. “Did I… do something?”
Lan Wangji pauses in the washing of the chopsticks and stays silent for a suspiciously long time before uttering a single “No”.
Within an instance, mortification, cold and powerful like a tidal wave, washes over Jiang Cheng.
“What did I do?” he demands but Lan Wangji shakes his head obstinately.
“Nothing.”
“Lan Wangji!” Jiang Cheng slams his hand down onto the table, chair scraping against the floor from the force of him standing up. He storms up to Lan Wangji, grips him by the shoulder and spins him around, ready to tell him off, only to falter at the sight of Lan Wangji’s bright red face.
Jiang Cheng jerks back, hand cradled against his chest. A drop of cold sweat runs down his back.
“Lan Wangji, if I did something inappropriate-”
Lan Wangji averts his eyes, turns back to the dishes. He should’ve been done by now but he’s treating each item like it’s caked in dirt.
“You did not.”
“Then what?” Jiang Cheng insists. “Did I say something in my sleep?” Lan Wangji shakes his head. It’s relief to hear that habit of his hasn’t returned. One time as kids, Wuxian about a crush on a classmate of theirs in his sleep and getting Wei Wuxian to stop bringing up ‘all the funny things” Jiang Cheng said in his sleep had been a monthslong project.
“You were awake.”
“And?” Jiang Cheng prompts but Lan Wangji is still not speaking up. Jiang Cheng sighs, crossing his arms. “Lan Wangji, haven’t we become friends? I would’ve hoped that my friend would tell me when I’ve done something to upset them, not leave me in the dark.”
“Not upset. I apologize, I did not mean to offend you,” is all Lan Wangji says.
Still, Jiang Cheng isn’t giving up. “No matter how embarrassing it is, I promise you I can take it and besides, I’m sure no matter what it is, it won’t affect our professional relationship, so out with it.” In the silence that follows, Jiang Cheng's faith in this statement drops significantly with each passing moment.
“You said ‘I love you’.” Lan Wangji says finally. He carefully places the last bowl on the drying rack as carefully as he speaks the words, voice a careful neutral. He’s still not turning around. “Jiang Wanyin doesn’t need to worry. I understand it wasn’t meant for me.”
Blood rushes to Jiang Cheng's face and then leaves again so quickly that black spots appear in his vision. He doesn’t remember much from yesterday, but as soon as Lan Wangji mentions it, there the memory is, bold and loud and irrefutable. Lan Wangji turns around when Jiang Cheng doesn’t say anything.
“Jiang Wanyin?”
“Uh,” Jiang Cheng says, avoiding Lan Wangji's eyes. He takes a step back, hands up in front of him. “Yeah, totally, it was just a misunderstanding. I was just uhm, thinking about my nephew.” The laugh he lets out is so fake it grates on his ears.
“Jiang Wanyin.” Lan Wangji steps closer.
“I need to get ready,” Jiang Cheng lies, tacking several steps back in response to Lan Wangji's advance.
“Jiang Wanyin.” Lan Wangji tones is firmer this time and fuck, why are his legs so long? “You-” Lan Wangji begins but Jiang Cheng cuts him off.
“Sorry, I just remembered I promised to meet up with Wei Wuxian today. I have to get ready.” He turns away as he speaks towards the safety of his bedroom.
“Jiang Wanyin!”
Like a puppet being pulled by its strings, Jiang Cheng turns around to Lan Wangji almost against his own will, racing heartbeat snaring his throat shut.
“Was it really a misunderstanding?” Lan Wangji asks. He takes Jiang Cheng's hand, places it on his chest where Jiang Cheng can feel a frantic heartbeat.
“Your confession… can I take it as such?”
Jiang Cheng looks at him, face pulled into a frown to mask his panic and confusion.
“If you did,” he whispers. “What would that… mean?”
Lan Wangji’s gaze softens, his thumbs rubbing gentle circles into Jiang Cheng's hands. “Anything you wish it to be.”
“Don’t give me a non-answer like that!”, Jiang Cheng snaps. He tries to pull his hands away, but Lan Wangji’s grip holds steady. “What kind of relationship would that even be,” he spits out, “one where I do everything while you don’t lift a finger? Forget it.”
Lan Wangji shakes his head. ”I was unclear, I apologize.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Cheng says, cocking an eyebrow. Only curiosity and helpless hoping keeps him from leaving.
Jiang Cheng's hands rise with the magnitude of the breath Lan Wangji draws in. He’s pulled in by the magnetic color of Lan Wangji's eyes, of the emotions he can see there but can’t decipher. The man in front of him once walked out of an extremely important meeting over a moral disagreement. This above all else, Jiang Cheng's knows: Lan Wangji doesn’t play around.
“It can be anything you wish because I wish for nothing but to be by your side. Ever since the beginning,” Lan Wangji explains, squeezing Jiang Cheng's hands in his, “I have only ever wanted to be near you.”
Jiang Cheng’s heart stops and then starts beating again at triple the speed. His mouth dries out and his knees turn into jelly.
“If you’re lying to me, I’ll break your legs,” he threatens but his breathless voice isn’t fooling anyone.
“I would never lie to you,” Lan Wangji says with such conviction that it leaves Jiang Cheng with no choice but to believe him.
“Where you ever going to tell me?” Jiang Cheng whispers and his heart aches when Lan Wangji shakes his head.
“I am satisfied with just this,” Lan Wangji says like an idiot, like someone who was ready to spend the foreseeable future stuck in an unrequited love, who by the sounds of it had already done so for quite some time. “I did not wish to-, telling you would have been unprofessional.”
The heartache changes to disbelief. “Unprofessional,” Jiang Cheng deadpans. “I confessed to you, and you’re worried about professionalism?”
“You brought it up first,” Lan Wangji retorts.
“Yeah, to appease a certain someone who’d pick his work for a stupid company over love.”
“It is not stupid.”
“No, you are.”
They stare at each other. Jiang Cheng takes in way his hands are still cradled against Lan Wangji's chest, how he can feel the warmth of Lan Wangji radiating through his sweater, the way they’re stood so close together Jiang Cheng could count his eyelashes if he wanted to. “This is ridiculous,” he mutters, slumping forwards to rest his forehead on Lan Wangji's shoulder.
“Mn,” Lan Wangji agrees, letting go of one of Jiang Cheng's hands in favor of caressing Jiang Cheng's nape with gentle fingers.
“You haven’t even confessed to me yet,” Jiang Cheng grouches.
“I love you,” Lan Wangji replies immediately, and Jiang Cheng nuzzles into his neck with a smile.
“Next time, say it without me prompting you.” He kisses the sensitive skin on Lan Wangji's neck, trailing his lips up to his ear. The feeling of Lan Wangji's speeding heartbeat is the most intoxicating rhythm.
“I love you,” Lan Wangji whispers into his hair. His arm sneaks around Jiang Cheng's waist, pulls him closer until they’re pressed flush together.
“I love you too,” Jiang Cheng replies with another linger kiss to Lan Wangji's neck, sucking on the skin until a red mark forms while his hands slip down to the tie of the apron. He unties the knot with nimble fingers, letting the ties flutter down by Lan Wangji's sides and sneaks his hands under his shirt.
“But for now, I think we should get this off you.”
Bonus:
“You bought that book, didn’t you?”
Lan Wangji pauses.
“It wasn’t that expensive,” is all he says after a long while.
“Lan Wangji!”