Mdzs Oneshots

roommates and fountain pens (Illusions and Mysteries of the Past 2)

Of course, Wei Ying never got to the Principal's Office, and headed straight for his dorm. To his delight, the dorms were empty, and not even his roomate, who'd been here since he didn't know what godforsaken time was here. Throwing his bag down, he picked up the stack of textbooks in his bag, pulling his pencil case out. His fingers gravitated towards a familiar white and blue pen. Well, it wasn't exactly white and blue, but there were swirls of black marble in between, a red stone adorning the top of the cap. The cap had a golden clip, fashioned sharply into a bird's beak.  It was one of the few prized possessions Ying An had left, safe for the carved flute pendant around his neck. The pen came in a matching pair, he knew. A matching red and blue pen. Blue swirls amidst swirls of blue, only the clip was silver instead of gold, and a blue stone adorned the top. Both pens were engraved with names, 忘羡 and 湛婴。

He treasured both of them dearly, though he couldn't remember the first time he'd been handed the two pens. Wherever he went, they went. They never left his line of vision, and he brought their ink bottles with him almost everywhere. He loved the feel of them in his fingers, the smooth nibs they both held. The pen with 湛婴 engraved had a certain nib, one that let him play with the strokes, akin to the brush strokes used in calligraphy. By now, it was a long forgotten art. But to Ying An, the words flowed out of him naturally, and he loved the scratch of nib against paper, the way the words seemed to glide across the page, a symphony of voices against the hollowness of his heart, filling him up.

He consumed words the same way some would drugs, gulping them down as eagerly as he could. He adored the voluminous amounts of information that he learnt, and he could memorise most things after reading through it once. Still, he took out a notebook, and started scribbling down notes, annotating the battered copy of the textbook in front of him with questions or additional information. He turned on his laptop, typing some questions out before scribbling again.

Time seemed to fly by, and by the time he knew it, he'd gone through about half the thick stack of books, the notebook in his hands almost full, filled with colourful scribbles and notes. I need to get a new notebook, he thought. But I also need to get food… as if on cue, his stomach started grumbling. But if I get food, will I have enough money leftover to get the notebooks? I don't have much money left for this month…

Even though he'd gotten into the school on a prestigious scholarship, the stipend he was given each month was barely enough for him to get by, considering his other expenses and his thirst for books. He'd been saving up for months now to get the brand new series of his favourite author, MXTX. Though he knew it was impractical, that the books were useless in his situation, he still pored over every line, every word, embedding each and every word into his vast memory. He loved the way the words made him feel, the way every letter sent something spiralling in his heart, ringing through the empty cavern of his heart.

But I still need food… as if on cue, the door swung open. What the…who could it be? Wei Wuxian knew he was supposed to have a roommate, but they hadn't been here for almost half the semester. Still, footsteps resounded behind him. There was no way it could have been someone else seeing only he and his roommate had the key.

Wei Ying turned in the direction of the figure. Inky black hair and a pair of gilt and azure eyes met his briefly, before fluttering away.
"Hey, I'm Ying An! And you are…" A pair of slender eyebrows were raised, the corners of his pink lips becoming terse before he spoke, "I'm Zhan Xing. Courtesy name Wangji." For some reason, the words left a lingering feeling in Wei Ying's mind. Ignoring him, Zhan Xing placed his suitcase on his bed and unsnapped it, opening the closet on the other side of the room to pack his things.

Wei Ying pulled at his collar. Something about Zhan Xing unsettled him, as if a stone had been thrown into the pond of his soul, causing it to ripple. Still, he tried. "So…what are you studying this year?"

"Law."
"Isn't that for Third Years?"
Silence ensued, safe for the slight fold of clothes. Zhan Xing looked as if someone had walked in front of him with the clothes in his hands, which would have been amazing were it not for how impassive his face looked. He hesitated for a moment, before answering.
"I skipped 2 grades. "

At this, Ying An's ears seemed to perk up. "You skipped a few grades? That's brilliant! You must be really smart, then."

At this, the other turned his back on him. He wore a light blue sweater, and a collared blue shirt, as well as a pair of dark navy slacks. He looks yummy…aish, what am I thinking! I really need food…

"If you're hungry, you can go down and eat," what? Eyes like liquid honey and ice met his, gazing at him intently. Wei Ying felt his cheeks turn hot. I said that out loud, didn't I?
(Obviously)

"Uhm…it's ok," he stammered, "I'll just grab a snack. I'm not that hungry."

"Ok." Zhan Xing turned back to his unpacking, hanging the clothes carefully on the hangers before taking out his other essentials. Awkwardly, Ying An turned back to his table, heart hammering against his chest. What the hell was that? I just hope I didn't say the first part of it out loud…(tough luck, my friend. Don't forget who's writing…)

Awkwardly, he picked up his pen. But for once, it felt slightly odd in his fingers, his thoughts scattered all over. Without thinking, he took out an examination pad and started writing, a scene unfurling itself in his head…the words scratched across paper once again, flowing out of him like a river, and he felt his eyes grow heavier and heavier…

"Wei Ying..."

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A/N: 1070 words! We're at 28K reads! Thank you guys so much! I'm also half wondering...is this story too long? And I've a random question, because there is a scene I wrote for this story that I can't really see fits or not...do you guys want to wait and see if I can write it in, or do you want me to publish it?