#modern au wangxian bc i could not be bothered to follow canon today

[disastermages]

Lan Zhan had been trying to work his way over to Wei Ying for the better part of two hours now, but every time he got close, either one or both of them were being led off by some distant relative, or business acquaintance, or a family friend that neither of them could recognize. Wei Ying had only thrown him sympathetic looks over his shoulder as they both resigned themselves to have strangers chatting away at their elbows.

Lan Zhan should have known better than to let go of Wei Ying’s hand, he should have known better than to agree to an engagement party, even if Jiang Fengmian had insisted on throwing one for them. Jiang Yanli had warned them when he and Wei Ying had decided to announce their engagement to their siblings first, and neither of them had had the foresight to listen to her.

It takes him another hour and a half to find himself beside Wei Ying, their shoulders pressed together as their fingers intertwine. “Can we sneak off yet?” Wei Ying asks, his nose brushing against Lan Zhan’s cheek, and Lan Zhan would give anything to be able to lean into it, but he doesn’t, instead his eyes search across the room for his brother, swiping his thumb over the back of Wei Ying’s hand.

When their eyes finally do meet, Lan Huan takes a moment to look over the room before he smiles and nods, waving them off as subtly as he can. Lan Zhan feels himself relax instantly. “Yes.” He answers finally, his hand tightening around Wei Ying’s as he leads them out of the packed room, trying his best not to get noticed by some aunt or uncle that held either one of them once.

It takes longer than it should for the two of them to find an empty dock, the rest of them occupied by others who had drifted away from the party, or larger groups looking for a quiet place to sit and gossip while they drank, but Wei Ying leads him out to one on the far end of the Jiang’s property, with only a single row boat tethered to it.

“I missed you.” Wei Ying sighs as they sit down across from each other, their knees touching as they leaned into each other’s space.

“We’ve been in the same room all night.” Lan Zhan teases, reaching forward to tuck a lock of hair that had escaped from his ponytail behind his ear, though he doesn’t take his hand away, instead he lets it trail down the length of Wei Ying’s arm, only stopping when he holds one of Wei Ying’s hands in both of his.

“With three hundred other people.” Wei Ying whines, and Lan Zhan can feel the corners of his lips trying to pull into a smile. “It doesn’t count if our families keep us on opposite sides of the room, Lan Zhan.” Even as he speaks, Wei Ying’s thumb is sliding underneath the cuff of Lan Zhan’s shirt, pressing against the soft skin of his inner wrist.

“I missed Wei Ying as well.” Lan Zhan says, taking one of his hands and lifting it to Wei Ying’s cheek, already wishing they were back in their apartment, the door locked behind them and Wei Ying asleep on his chest.

Wei Ying’s eyes flutter closed on instinct, dark lashes fanning out across his cheeks and making Lan Zhan’s stomach do somersaults, even after all the years they’d been together.

He hadn’t known what to do the first time he’d seen Wei Ying, sneaking over their boarding school’s wall and breaking the rules before the semester had even properly began, such an obvious disregard for the rules had confused and frustrated him.

Lan Zhan likes to think that he’s gotten better though, leaning forward and brushing a kiss onto Wei Ying’s forehead.

When he sits back, Wei Ying is smiling up at him sweetly, his eyes soft as he leans forward, chasing after Lan Zhan like he always does, though he seems to deflate a little once his hands make contact with Lan Zhan’s thighs.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying sighs quietly, looking up at him in a way that makes Lan Zhan want to pull him into his lap and keep him there for the rest of the night, “Is this how our wedding is going to be? Having to sneak off just to get away from Uncle Jiang’s business partners?” It wasn’t like Lan Zhan hadn’t had the same thought, his uncle hadn’t invited any business partners of his own, but he’d invited distant relatives, some with names neither Lan Zhan nor his brother could remember. The same couldn’t be promised for their wedding.

“It does not have to be.” Lan Zhan says softly, looking down and focusing on the way their legs press against each other, “We do not have to have a large wedding if Wei Ying doesn’t want it.” Lan Zhan had had his own thoughts of a big wedding, long before he’d proposed. He’d thought about kneeling next to Wei Ying with their families behind them, with no one rolling their eyes or stroking their beard disapprovingly, but those thoughts had fallen to the wayside now.

“I thought I wanted it.” Wei Ying confesses, pouting just a little as he presses his thumbs into the fabric of Lan Zhan’s slacks, the weight of his hands warm and comforting. “I thought I wanted to see the look on your uncle’s face when he realized you weren’t joking about marrying me, too.” Wei Ying says, his nose wrinkling as the smile on his face threatens to outshine the moon.

His uncle hadn’t thought he was joking when he told him about their engagement, he hadn’t said anything at all for a few long moments, and then he’d nodded and Lan Zhan had known that the conversation was finished. “My uncle knows I would not joke about marrying you.” Lan Zhan says slowly, looking Wei Ying in the eye and hoping that he would understand. “I would never, Wei Ying is too important.”

“Lan Zhan! You can’t just say things like that!” Wei Ying cries, his voice loud enough that Lan Zhan thinks they’ll be caught and dragged back to the party, though no one ever comes. “What about you? What kind of wedding do you want?”

“Any wedding would be fine as long as you are there.” Lan Zhan says, he doesn’t have to think about it, there’s no reason to, not when he would marry Wei Ying right where they were, sitting at the end of a dock with their hands on each other.

“We could elope.” Wei Ying grins, sitting up on his knees and shuffling forward, he doesn’t sit in Lan Zhan’s lap yet, but it’s a near thing, just a few inches away as Lan Zhan sets his hands on Wei Ying’s hips.

“Mn.”

“We wouldn’t even have to tell anyone where we’re going, we could drop the rabbits off at my sister’s house, A-Ling would love that.” Wei Ying’s arms wrap around Lan Zhan’s neck then and Lan Zhan pulls him into his lap on instinct, burying his face in Wei Ying’s neck.

“Jin Ling has gotten better at handling them.” Lan Zhan admits, thinking back to the way he’d gently carried one of them the last time they’d babysat for Jiang Yanli, a few months earlier, Lan Zhan wouldn’t have dreamt about handing the little boy one of their rabbits and letting him wander their apartment with it.

“Jiang Cheng will be upset, he’s already sending me color palettes and fabric swatches.”

“I will protect Wei Ying.”

“Your brother will be disappointed, he won’t say it, but he’ll be disappointed.”

“Huan will forgive us.” Lan Zhan would be surprised if his brother hadn’t already considered the likelihood of them running away together.

“Lan Zhan, we’re eloping, aren’t we?” Wei Ying asks, pulling away just enough to look at Lan Zhan, his smile has already turned misty by the time Lan Zhan allows himself to be gently pried away from Wei Ying’s neck.

“If Wei Ying wants.” Lan Zhan answers, bringing a hand up to Wei Ying’s cheek again, his thumb stroking over his bottom lip before Lan Zhan pulls him down into a kiss. It’s gentle, and quick, but neither one of them pulls away from it completely, their foreheads pressed together. “Whenever Wei Ying wants.”

“Lan Zhan, if you tell me that I might want to get married tomorrow morning.” Wei Ying laughs, his bangs brushing against Lan Zhan’s cheeks and tickling him.

“Whenever Wei Ying wants.” Lan Zhan repeats, blinking slowly and smiling as he looks up at his fiance

“What if I wanted to get married in the next fifteen minutes?”

“Great Aunt Yi would be willing to officiate.” Lan Zhan answers simply and Wei Ying laughs again.

“You’re teasing me again, Lan Zhan.”

“Wei Ying teased me first.”

#the untamed #mdzs #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wei ying #lan zhan #modern au wangxian bc i could not be bothered to follow canon today #i mean not that i ever do but yknow #also to the one anon in my askbox i see your request and i am trying