𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑨𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝟐𝟖 - 𝑨 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒆

"She's calling you. You should go." Lan Wangji calmly told him, and Wei Wuxian nodded. "Mhm. You should come down too. You haven't eaten for a while." He reminded him, instantly amused by Lan Wangji's defeated expression. Looks like he hadn't even thought about it. "I'm alri- " He started, but his stomach ended up groaning instead, betraying him on the spot. Lan Wangji looked down, and his sight remained focused on the space between them, not wanting to look back up at him after such a shameless situation. Wei Wuxian, having noticed this, held back a laugh, which was however only half successful. "Madam Jiang makes the best-steamed buns. You should come down and have a try as well." He offered, knowing fully well that Lan Wangji's ego wouldn't allow him to accept it so easily. Lan Wangji nodded at his offer after a few seconds, and only then did he lock eyes with him again. They remained quiet as they scrutinized each other, and Wei Wuxian cleared his throat in clear awkwardness once he snapped out of it. His expression quickly shifted into a more enthusiastic one, his usual attitude, except for the fact that he was forcing it a little right now.

"Ahm- Madam Jiang is waiting!" He exclaimed, although Lan Wangji's expression did not change in the slightest. Despite Lan Wangji's strict routine in both Clan rules and cultivation, he could stare at the other for minutes without even noticing anything strange about it. He doesn't show much emotion but follows emotions strictly. 

Once Wei Wuxian quickly turned around to head out of the room, Lan Wangji realized something. "Wait" He told him and walked back toward the bed. Wei Wuxian's brow quirked up in slight confusion, but when he saw the other pull up the blankets to leave a neat and well-made bed behind, he smiled a little. Not even in a different world, Lan Wangji would leave his bedroom in a disheveled state. After gently stroking the fabric so that it was decently straight, he looked back at Wei Wuxian. "Now we can go."

The tumult grew with each step they took down the stairs, but in the process, Lan Wangji’s feet came to a halt when he set eyes on a particular painting on the wall. He had been unconscious the night before when Wei Wuxian carried him on his back, so naturally, he was seeing it for the first time. The scenery portrayed in it was familiar – the two illustrated figures seemed to come out of his world, too. Lan Wangji wondered about quite a few things, unconsciously asking himself the same thing as Wei Wuxian three years ago after he first appeared in this world. But most importantly, he wondered about what Wei Wuxian was thinking. About what he had thought, and what he had decided. It had been three years, and god knows if the other man had been trying to find a way back all this time.

Lan Wangji looked away from the painting as his attention shifted to the man walking down ahead of him, and he decided to keep his questions to himself once again. "Ah! There you are" Madam Jiang clasped her hands together at the sight of the two young men, and signaled the guest to go sit at the table near the counter. "You must be hungry- come, sit down." She told him, unaware of the obvious eyes following the elegant young man dressed in white. What else would you expect from the usual group of old ladies who’d spend their days squatting at this restaurant, even after it gained more business throughout the last years?

"Thank you." Lan Wangji's deep and almost monotonous voice sparked even more interest within the room. Besides the interesting appearance, of course. Out of nowhere, the little Lan disciple came running toward his master, visibly enthusiastic to see him again. However, he stopped himself right in front of him and held back the urge to hug his master's leg- out of habit. It was an inappropriate gesture coming from a Lan, after all. Lan Wangji seemed instantly relieved at the sole sight of him, and that was the most visible form of affection one would see coming from him.

"Little Lan over here has been waiting for you to wake up" Wei Wuxian explained with a cheerful tone as he patted the boy's hair, not holding back from ruffling his hair. Lan Wangji couldn't help but feel hesitant about the whole matter. Wei Wuxian had somehow not recognized Lan Yuan, who had indeed grown up quite a lot since they last parted, but still, it was a sensitive matter- too sensitive to simply let it out like that out of the blue. He wanted to tell him at the right moment, so he'd be able to take it all in.