Stubborn Attempts

5 - Paper

Wei Wuxian returned to their guest house with a joyed look still plastered on his face. He arrived greeting his brother and sister as they were enjoying a meal together right outside the rooms.

"You'll never guess what happened, Jiang Cheng, Shijie!" He excitedly squirmed in his seat, and his sister rubbed his cheek as she herself put up a grin. "Xian-Xian is so happy today. What did you do?"
Jiang Cheng was still not looking at him.

Wei Wuxian saw this, contained his happiness, and instead changed his face so that it giggled less. He tried to act mature and unbothered to match Jiang Cheng's rather adult-like demeanor recently. "I behaved the whole day. I didn't steer any trouble, just like Jiang Cheng said."
Jiang Yanli's smile fell as she looked back and forth between the two, quickly noticing the change in Wei Wuxian's attitude. This was to be an object of concern for her considering her younger brother was normally unrestrained. If this shift appeared out of the blue, it may imply that she missed a thing or two that happened between them.
"That's good to hear, Ah-Xian. But is that really why you were so happy just now?"

Jiang Cheng finally looked up from his meal to see him respond to their sister's question. He was still mad, but hearing as Wei Wuxian did not cause a fuss and was wholly intimidated by his behaviour, he decided to reduce the teen's anxiety. He really was still a child afterall.

"I tied with Second Master Lan in the spar." The grin was reduced to a small smile but he was still pretty excited and happy about the event.

Jiang Yanli, fully knowing the extent of Lan Wangji's capabilities as the younger Twin Jade of Lan was a recurring topic with the girls back at Yunmeng, chose to smile widely for her younger brother.

"Xian-Xian is nothing short of impressive. I can believe you got on par with the famed Lan Wangji. You've always been such a talented cultivator, and now the other clans know that too."

She proudly stated, rubbing his cheek again and emitting so much love for him as usual.
Jiang Cheng was proud as well, entirely undoubting of the skills the prodigy in front of him possessed and how he could consistently be tied with his future spouse regardless of which timeline. But the most he could do for Wei Wuxian who had gone on to foil his plan was half of a smile.

"Yes, Shijie. He was a tough match, he made me actually think during battle. But it was all worth it because he's allowed me to call him by his given name, and I to him."

That wide toothy grin was about to resurface when his sister's face got even brighter, but he quickly hindered it from doing so, seeing Jiang Cheng curl his fist on the table.

Jiang Cheng didn't know who to be mad at; these insufferable cut-sleeves or himself for unbelievably speeding things up despite his intentions. The first name basis wasn't due to happen until at least two months from now. It is literally still the opening ceremony. How could it have picked up the pace when he was actively trying to pull them apart? In the first timeline, the two of them didn't start to call each other's given name until they got stuck in that library, courtesy of another punishment, and Wei Wuxian annoyed the hell out of Lan Wangji. Them calling their given names to address the other wasn't an act of earned respect, it was a violation. They were nabbing at their own throats.
The reason Wei Wuxian started calling him Lan Zhan was because Lan Wangji would not respond to anything else, and Wei Wuxian, like the mischievous little idiot he was, saw it was the only way to get his attention. By intentionally appalling him how his first name was being thrown around with no regards for his consent. Lan Wangji felt it necessary to reciprocate so he could add just as much weight to his outbursts by calling him Wei Ying. It was the only way to bite back the blatant disrespect.

But of course, over the years it became something they trotted with pride about, no longer said in fits of rage but in endearment. That they regarded each other specially and differently from the rest.