𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 !!
❤︎
y/n - your name
w/n - weapon's name
r/n - reincarnated name
c/n - courtesy name
❤︎
LAN Y/N SIGHED SOFTLY AS HE FELT WEI WUXIAN TIGHTEN HIS ARMS AROUND HIS SMALLER BODY.
"i'll miss you." wei wuxian whispers sadly into lan y/n's ear. the younger wrapped his arms around the taller's figure, not wanting to say anything for genuine fear of prolonging their goodbye.
jiang fengmian, current clan leader of the yunmeng jiang clan, looked at the two teenagers with sad eyes. he didn't want to separate a pair of good friends, but after talking it over with lan qiren, there was simply no way the teacher was going to look past all of wei wuxian's mistakes and let him stay. he was sure the clan leader of the lanling jin clan would want this as well, despite his wife cursing him for eternity as a consequence. "a-xian," he softly calls.
wei wuxian sighed before pulling away, slowly and reluctantly, as if he never wanted to let go. "goodbye..." he says, his eyes teary. despite being friends for only a short amount of time, wei wuxian could say with confidence that he would never meet someone like lan y/n ever again. he smoothed his thumb over the scars on lan y/n's lips and sighs softly. "don't do anything stupid." he reminds, his hand brushing away some strands of lan y/n's hair. lan y/n chuckled sadly. "how could i? you're taking all the stupid with you." wei wuxian smiles at his words, and lan y/n returns it.
wei wuxian finally pulls away, before he walked over to his uncle, the clan leader, his shoulders slumped as a gloomy aura surrounded him. lan y/n doesn't say anything, he just waves slowly and absent-mindedly, with a frown on his face.
with his sword unsheathed from its scabbard, wei wuxian jumped onto suibian as he and jiang fengmian began to travel back to yunmeng's, lotus pier on sword. "a-xian, who was that boy?" jiang fengmian asks out of curiosity. "oh, his name's lan y/n! he's my best friend, but, if i was being honest, he was more like my twin brother." wei wuxian says, smiling fondly, yet his smile held a look of loneliness. something, jiang fengmian notices.
the clan leader sighs. "i'm sorry you had to be separated from him, i can tell how much he means to you." he says. wei wuxian shook his head, "no," he pauses. "this was all my fault." he says, gritting his teeth.
lan y/n stared at their fleeing forms with sad, golden eyes, until they disappeared behind the tall mountains. he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he didn't even have to look to know who it was. "we should head to class. lan-laotou wouldn't like it if we were late." jiang cheng says, but the person he was talking to seemed to be distracted. lan y/n shook his head, ridding his head of all distracting thoughts before he glanced back to him. "i'll miss that guy," he sighs. "guess it's back to being alone again."
he walks towards the lanshi after shrugging off jiang cheng's hand. jiang cheng could only sigh before he jogged slightly to catch up with him. "you don't have to be alone... you know?" he said, and lan y/n scoffs weakly. "please, would you be willing to get in trouble with shufu alongside me?" jiang cheng rolls his eyes and lan y/n nudges him. "i was just kidding." he laughs as he climbs up the stairs to the lanshi. "but, you already know how much my shufu hates me. it's best if you don't associate yourself with me any further, i already got you in trouble once."
lan y/n enters the quiet classroom that was the lanshi. lan qiren was already inside, but there were only a few students in there. other than the empty seat of wei wuxian, there were also other seats that were empty. "huh, i thought wei ying was the only one who got into a fight?" lan y/n ponders quietly as he sits down on the empty seat beside wei wuxian's former desk. he stared at it for a while before sighing.
he looked back and leaned his back on the desk behind him. he couldn't help the teasing smile that formed on his lips as he saw the fresh, purple bruise on the lanling jin disciple's face. "hey there, jin-shixiong, how's it going?" he asked. jin zixuan glared at him. he crossed his arms above his chest and turned away. lan y/n only smirked.
"lan c/n! are you even listening?" he blinks a couple of times before he turned his head towards his uncle, smirk still on his lips. he raised a hand. "i'm lissstening." he drawled. lan qiren only shook his head. "now that wei wuxian is gone, i expect you to start behaving that is appropriate for a disciple of the gusu lan clan."
lan y/n picks up a brush that was dipped in black ink. "don't get your hopes up shufu. i live to disappoint." he laughs, emphasizing the word live before raising his brush and playfully waving it around, the ink splattering onto some students. one of them was lan wangji, and to some extent, the paper jin zixuan was writing in.
but lan y/n was more interested in how his older brother would react. he expected his brother to give him some sort of irritated glare, one he always gave him, but not this time apparently.
wangji only glanced at it with that same neutral expression on his face, then towards his brother, before he returned his attention to lan qiren. "huh?" lan y/n furrowed his brows. his brother never ignored him, especially when he was causing trouble in class. "stop distracting your classmates, lan c/n!" lan y/n pouted as his uncle called him out again. he blew the bangs out of his face as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "fine."
lan y/n stretched his back as he left the lanshi. weeks had already passed since wei wuxian left the cloud recesses to return to the lotus pier, and so far, lan y/n has only been punished three times.
he walked down the stairs, bored out of his mind. as much as he loved to annoy the hell out of his elders, and help them release their inner tension, everything was still so quiet. he could go to caiyi town and visit the kids, but ever since that ink accident in the lanshi, his older brother, wangji, has been shadowing him. as in, following him around the cloud recesses, and would even follow him to the chrysanthemum house, but would rather stay outside and watch over him from there.
today was exactly like that. for those few weeks, lan y/n hasn't been able to visit the children and he was getting worried. he tried sneaking out during midnight, but the barrier blocked him from leaving. he didn't want his brothers to find out about the children, that was the last thing he wanted. he was afraid to be separated from them, for the children to be taken away to somewhere far away from where lan y/n couldn't reach them.
"my boy." lan y/n snapped out of his train of thought when he heard that voice. soft and a little gruff, but still lighthearted and kind. "fùqī- i mean, xiao-shixiong." lan y/n had to stop himself from running up to the old man he considered his father, as his older brother was watching him closely. he put his hands together and bowed deeply, and the old man bowed slightly, his lower back pain preventing him from bowing due to old age.
lan wangji raised a brow. his younger brother never showed respect to any of the other elders, at least, not the same respect lan y/n gives to this old man. "ah, lan-er-gongzi, what brings you this part of the mountain?" lan xiao asked the older of the two brothers, smiling kindly. wangji bowed. "i am here to accompany my younger brother, lan y/n."
"oh," lan xiao says with a surprised smile. "if that's so, why don't you join us for some tea?" he offered. lan y/n discreetly tugged at his sleeve, giving him a look that managed to escape wangji. "no need." wangji refused politely before turning on his heel. lan xiao only laughed lightly. "well, if you change your mind, we will be at the chrysanthemum house, with an extra cup of tea waiting for you." wangji glances at the old man over his shoulder. he pauses to nod his head before walking away without another word.
once he was gone, lan y/n sighed in relief, his body leaning towards the old man. lan xiao chuckles and pats the taller teen on his nape as lan y/n rests his chin on his shoulder. "all right child, come on. the children down the mountain are impatiently waiting for your visit." lan y/n leans back and looks at the old man, his eyes watering. "you're so nice to me, fùqīn." he sighs, his head drooping down to allow the old man to pat his head. "why couldn't you have been my shufu?"
"hush now. don't say that about your own family." lan xiao scolds softly as he grabs ahold of lan y/n's hand. "but-" the old man swiftly cuts him off by walking away, tugging the youngster along with him. "where are we going?" lan y/n asked, struggling to keep up with the tiny old man. "and why is your grip so strong?" he added with a tone of disbelief.
lan xiao huffs. "where else? to those children of course!" he says, his lips beaming. lan y/n's lips turned lopsided before he snickered. "i can't believe you're still so strong despite being a century-old fossil." the old man only laughed lightheartedly.
after a long trek down the mountain, lan y/n and the old man finally reached the river. following down the body of water, was a house. the same house lan y/n wanted to return to since forever. lan xiao let go of his hand and allowed him to run towards the house. "jinjiu! shin mei! shang yiu!" he called out the three oldest children.
"ping! zhuli!" he skidded to a halt once he was in front of the stairs. he smiled as the doors burst open. five beaming faces jumped out the door and onto the teen, all of them yelling in chorus, "gege!" with smiles that could blind anyone. lan y/n laughed as he opened his arms for all the children. he snuggled into their hair, smiling in content as he took a whiff of the sweet-scented shampoo he gave them.
"gege! we thought you were never coming back!" shin mei cried, wiping her tears on lan y/n's white robes. his heart swelled with joy as the children wept tears of joy for his return. he chuckled. "i would never even think about it! i'm sorry." he apologized, releasing the children from his hug. he felt a tiny hand press against his cheek. he smiled softly when he saw ping rubbing the palm of his tiny hand up and down. "i missed you all."
he felt as if, he didn't deserve such happiness.
again, lan y/n skipped classes. "ha! why didn't i think about this before?" he laughed as he hopped over the cloud recesses gates. during class hours, his older brother would be attending the lecture, so during that time, he could go wherever he wanted because his brother would be stuck in class, while he could be running all over the place.
he ran down the mountain, laughing as he reveled in the feeling of running free, without his brother or seniors chasing after him. but unbeknownst to him, there seemed to be someone who chose to skip class as well just to chase after him.
jiang cheng. it was rare for him to run late, so as soon as he woke up, he hurried to get ready for class. by the time he was running towards the lanshi, he was already around five minutes late. he was about to run up the stairs, if it weren't for a blur of white speeding past him then jump over the walls of the cloud recesses. when he looked over, it was none other than lan y/n.
he wanted to ignore him and just enter the classroom so he wouldn't get in any more trouble, but his curiosity managed to win him over. slipping past some wandering senior disciples, jiang cheng hopped over the walls and followed after the flurry of white that was running down the mountain.
by the time he was at the foot, he was on his knees, breathing heavily, and the white figure known as lan y/n, was gone. he stood straight and looked around the bustling town. disappointed in seeing nothing but the locals, and a few wandering cultivators, jiang cheng kicked a pebble away. "great, the first time i skip class and this is- ah!" jiang cheng let out a short scream when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
he looked back, about to punch the person in the face, when he suddenly saw lan y/n. before his fist could collide with lan y/n's face, the shorter teen caught his fist with one hand. "jiang-shixiong! what brings you to caiyi town?" he smiled brightly, releasing his fist.
jiang cheng's cheeks immediately turned into a light shade of pink. he grumbled and quickly turned away to hide his embarrassing state. a smirk fell upon lan y/n's lips as he leaned his body sidewards to look up at jiang cheng's face. "skipping class in the middle of the day?" he smirked. jiang cheng turned his body away to avoid his look, but lan y/n only slid in front of him again.
"totally alone and without any of the senior's approval?" he asked again, his smirk widening and his eyes twinkling. "well," he closed his eyes and moved away to stand straight. "you totally have my approval!" lan y/n grinned and happily raised both of his hands.
his grin faded into a small smile as he lowered his hands and turned around, beginning to walk away. jiang cheng watched him walk away from the corner of his eye, mentally debating on whether or not he should follow him, but when he looked back, lan y/n was already gone. he groaned, his shoulders slumping. "this guy..." he grumbled.
he entered the bustling town, looking at all the stalls selling fruits and wine and accessories while trying to search for the mischief-making lan. "come, one and all! we have the finest combs in gusu!" a woman standing behind a small comb stall hollered. jiang cheng glanced at the stall, and a few combs and hairpieces caught his attention. he inspected the items, noticing how each item was designed delicately.
the woman smiled at him as his fingers traced a silver comb decorated with purple gems that glimmered in the sunlight. "you have a good eye, sir!" the woman praised. surprised, jiang cheng quickly retracted his hand, hiding it behind him as he nervously stared at the smiling woman. "sir, why don't you buy a comb for that special girl? or..." she smiled knowingly, picking up a white hairpin, with a jade lotus carved delicately in the tip.
"for a certain special boy?" she glanced elsewhere while holding up the pin. jiang cheng's face exploded in red as he whipped his head around to look at where the woman's eyes were at.
"give me two more jars of emperor's smile, mister!"
it was none other than lan y/n, grinning as he bargained a deal for jars of emperor's smile. the fat old man he was talking with slapped his knee and guffawed. "and what? let you get yourself in trouble? what kind of adult would i be if i let youngsters like you do whatever you want?" the man laughed, slapping lan y/n on the back, but he accidentally hit him too hard causing lan y/n to fall on the ground, face first.
he groaned and yelled at the old man, but the happily drunken men surrounding him, including the winemaker, simply laughed. "ugh, you suck, old man! how long have you been selling me jars of emperor's smile?! and yet you never said anything about it!"
jiang cheng quickly turned back to the woman, but his eyes were glued down to the combs laid out on the table. "i-i don't know what you're talking about." he hurriedly denies it. he grips his sword and turns around, beginning to walk away. "eh! sir, don't go!" the woman called. "a comb is a symbol of lovesickness. it's the perfect gift for someone you like!"
lan y/n stands up and dusts off his robes. he checks the jars of emperor's smile, and sighed in relief when the jars weren't damaged. "you didn't tell me you were fifteen! i should've been more responsible in handing the wine to you!" the winemaker sneers and crosses his arms. lan y/n only sticks his tongue out at the old man. "well-" he paused shortly to think. "at least my hairline is healthy and thick, unlike yours! your head is so bright, i bet it's brighter than my future!" he mocks then runs off, laughing as the old man angrily throws a broom at him.
he looks back and makes funny faces to mock the old man, which made him even angrier. "blegh!" he playfully mocked. he kept running until he bumped into someone, as he was too focused on making fun of the old man while running.
"ugh." he groans, rubbing his head. he opens his eyes, and was about to apologize or make fun of whoever he bumped into, it depends really, if he bumped into a woman he would apologize, but if it were a man, he'd probably step on their face.
but to his surprise, it was none other than his classmate, jiang cheng, groaning in pain beneath him. "lan y/n!!" he gasps sharply when the winemaker angrily yells. "oh come on old man, i was just playing around!" he playfully yells.
he quickly hangs the handle of the emperor's smile jars on his arm as he helps jiang cheng to his feet. "i'm just a boy! no need to be so angry!" he easily lifts the older as he throws his arm around him to drag him away towards the river. he threw jiang cheng into a boat before getting on himself. picking up a paddle, he pushed the boat away and began to row away, just as the old man ran down to the shore.
"lan y/n!!"
lan y/n only smiles. "i'll see you tomorrow, old man!"
lan y/n looked up at the full moon, relishing in its ephemeral beauty. he poured himself a cup of emperor's smile and took a sip. "well, today's been quite eventful, no?" lan y/n smiled as he held his cup towards jiang cheng. "shouldn't we head back?" he asked, looking down at his cup. lan y/n looked back towards the night sky, watching as the stars twinkled beside the moon. he downed his cup of alcohol and placed it on the roof.
"do you ever think the stars are jealous of the moon?" lan y/n asked, instead of answering jiang cheng's question. "i don't know. why do you ask?" jiang cheng replied, sipping on his cup. the two were drinking away on an abandoned shrine on the foot of the mountains, so they wouldn't be punished.
"well, all the stars are just trying to shine real bright together. and i think to myself, maybe the reason there are so many stars is because a single star can't shine as bright as the moon?" lan y/n laid down on the roof. "i don't know." he laughed, his face a little red and his mind a little clouded from the alcohol. "does that sound stupid?"
"not really." jiang cheng quietly says. his hand rests on his pocket, where he could feel an object poking out. silence enveloped the two as they just sat there, listening to the wind whispering a song in the night. lan y/n frowned as he poured himself another cup. he twirled the cup around, watching as the clear liquid swished around his cup. he drank the cup again, and then placed the empty cup on the rooftop.
"do you think my shufu loves me?"
jiang cheng was taken back. "what do you mean?" he carefully asked, putting down his cup of alcohol. "well, i read in a book somewhere, that when adults punish their kids, it's because they love them. do you think the reason why my shufu and the other seniors punish me, is because they love me?" lan y/n looked at jiang cheng with hopeful eyes.
eyes that were hoping for an answer.
jiang cheng didn't know what to say. he just sat there, staring into those golden eyes that shined as bright as the stars in the night sky. he sighed. "yes? but, i think that their so-called punishment is just discipline. the same way a parent disciplines their child when they do something bad, you know, so they'll learn not to do that as they grow up." lan y/n sighs and allows the contents of his cup to pour down the roof as his head fell onto jiang cheng's lap.
"i see." he smiles up at jiang cheng. "so shufu and the seniors aren't just torturing me for fun." he giggles drunkenly. "it's because they love me."
jiang cheng gently runs his fingers over lan y/n's forehead. brushing his hair away, smoothing down his forehead ribbon. lan y/n giggled and nuzzled into jiang cheng's hand. he pressed a kiss on jiang cheng's fingers, who blushed heavily at the small action. lan y/n smiled at his reaction, before doing it again.. and again. lan y/n sat up, his hand holding onto jiang cheng's as he continued planting kisses on his skin.
jiang cheng pulled lan y/n towards him before lifting him so he was sitting on his lap. "lan y/n." jiang cheng breathlessly whispers. lan y/n licked his lips as he leaned his forehead against jiang cheng's. the two just sat there, staring deeply into each other's eyes as if they were waiting on who would make the first move.
it was jiang cheng.
he pressed a light kiss against lan y/n's lips, and as he pulled away, his lips turned into a smirk. the two moved towards each other, engaging in a heated and passionate kiss that was only encouraged more by the alcohol. their tongues were locked in a heated dance as their hands ran all over each other's bodies, trying to rid their partner of their robes. no one was fighting the other for dominance, they were simply accepting each other as a whole, as they held onto each other.
they pulled away after lan y/n felt jiang cheng bite his tongue. lan y/n didn't react, all of his senses were far too overwhelmed with the heat of his partner's intense passion. jiang cheng's lips ghosted over lan y/n's. "would it be wrong if i said i love you?" he whispers against lan y/n's lips. lan y/n's lips curled into a playful smirk.
he breathlessly says, "that depends, am i speaking to your heart or the alcohol?" his eyes twinkled with mischief as he looked into jiang cheng's intense eyes. jiang cheng doesn't say anything, and anything else lan y/n was about to say, got swallowed up in another filthy kiss.
the moon hid behind some clouds as if it wanted to give the two some privacy. the stars refused to hide, they watched and twinkled brightly as the two young men kissed with the alcohol clouding their minds.
whether they went farther than that or not, only the stars would ever know.
( 𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽 | ✓ )
( words: 4000+ )