Thread by @FriedJingyi

still on my #omegaLWJseason bullshit. so: au where wangxian meet at uni and become best friends.

alpha!WWX's crushing HARD on omega!LWJ, so he gets incredibly, unreasonably jealous when LWJ's childhood friend, an alpha girl named Mianmian, drops in for a visit from out of town.

LWJ, before MM: my childhood best friend is coming to visit. she'll be staying with me.

WWX: that's great! i'd love to meet her 🥰🥰

cue MM, who yells, "ZHANZHAN!" and throws herself into LWJ's arms at the airport terminal.

WWX: ...ಠ_ಠ🔪🔪

ofc, there's nothing ACTUALLY going on between LWJ and MM. they're just besties! it's just that, from an outsider's perspective, MM is an alpha who kisses LWJ's cheek, and calls him 'zhanzhan', and drapes herself dramatically over his lap as she laments her latest disaster date.

WWX is fuming. /He/ should be the only one allowed to drape dramatically across LWJ's lap! (It's a very good lap.)

Except he also knows that it's unreasonable for him to be fuming. After all (*dramatic sigh*) it's not like LWJ was ever /his/.

it would be easier if MM wasn't so nice. in fact, she and WWX kind of hit it off when they met, and followed each other on social media and everything. they'd probably be great friends if they weren't, y'know. Crushing on the same person 💔

MM is Observing. LWJ's told her all about ~Wei Ying~, and just because HER love life is a disaster right now, that doesn't mean her best friend's has to be! she sees how jealous WWX is getting. oh, she Sees.

she decides to commence Operation Make WWX Jealous (and get LWJ a bf).

so MM hams it up. she cuddles up against LWJ when they go out for food together, grabs his hand and drags him everywhere, presses loud, smacking kisses to his cheek and declares that he's her favourite. Which he is. But not like /that/.

WWX is heartbroken! he's watched enough romcoms to know how this is going to end. the childhood friend always wins.

so he starts withdrawing. he bows out when LWJ invites him to go watch a movie w him and MM. he resigns himself to pining from afar, a hopeless romantic 😔

MM, watching this happen w her hands on his hips: ah, fuck, i can't believe he found someone even denser than he is

MM decides to turn to the most extreme stage of her plan: scenting.

she doesnt ACTUALLY scent LWJ, of course. that'd be weird. but she /does/ start leaving traces of her scent on things like LWJ's couch and sofa cushions. LWJ doesn't even notice - she's staying w him, after all. Ofc his apartment would smell like her.

but then WWX comes over to LWJ's apartment for their weekly dinner - MM is out visiting another old friend - and the second LWJ opens the door, he gets hit with a faceful of Foreign Alpha.

He just barely manages to bite back a growl. The whole apartment smells like her. /LWJ/ smells like her. It feels like a claim is being made. Anyone walking past LWJ on the street would smell an alpha on him, and that alpha would be MM - not WWX.

WWX doesn't realise he's stepped forward and wrapped his arms around LWJ until his nose is already buried in LWJ's hair. He breathes in, and LWJ's scent is much stronger now, this close to his neck - but he can still smell MM. This time, he can't hold back his growl.

LWJ's gone still beneath him, but not so still that he seems uncomfortable. More confused than anything else.

"Wei Ying?" he asks, as WWX turns and buries his face in the crook of LWJ's neck. "Is something wrong?"

WWX has only ever done this when he's upset. Smth must be up.

Suddenly, WWX crashes back to earth. What is he /doing?/ This - nuzzling against LWJ's neck, resting his hands on LWJ's waist- is dangerously close to /scenting/ LWJ. Too close. He's gone too far.

He abruptly lets go of LWJ and stumbles back towards the door.

LWJ is staring at him, his brow furrowed. "Wei Ying?" he asks again. "What's wrong?"

"I don't feel good," WWX blurts out. It's not even a lie - he feels nauseous, sick to his stomach. He just nearly /scented/ his best friend out of petty jealousy. "I think I should go."

LWJ frowns deeper. "If you're not feeling well, you should stay," he says. "It might not be safe for you to-"

"Ah, it's so nice of you to offer, Lan Zhan, but I really think I should go," WWX says. He tries to throw in a chuckle for authenticity. It doesn't work.

WWX goes home that night feeling sick with guilt. Not only did he almost scent LWJ, he had the audacity to cancel on their weekly dinner. LWJ likes to cook those dinners himself!

Well, WWX thinks bitterly, at least his food probably didn't go to waste. MM could've eaten it.

When LWJ texts him the next day, offering to come over with some hot soup if WWX is still feeling sick, WWX can't refuse him. He texts back that ofc LWJ can come over, and then promptly burrows back under his bedsheets to stew in his own guilt.

By the time LWJ arrives, WWX is so miserable that he really /does/ look sick. Then he opens the door and finds that LWJ is dressed in his normal clothes, with the unfamiliar addition of a pale pink scarf. MM's scarf. He can smell the scent from here.

"New scarf," he says helplessly.

LWJ looks down at it. "I left too quickly this morning," he says, almost sheepish. "MM offered me her scarf so that I would not have to go through my drawers to get one of mine."

(What happened was that LWJ nyoomed right out the door the second he got the 'yes, come over' text from WWX, and forgot his scarf, his coat, AND his keys. MM, who heard the whole sorry story of how WWX had "mysteriously" hugged LWJ and left, saw an opportunity.)

LWJ leaves the pink scarf at the door, which WWX is grateful for, but he can still smell traces of MM's perfume lingering around LWJ's neck. Around his scent glands. Even LWJ's presence and hot soup can't cheer him up from something like that.

When LWJ leaves, wrapping MM's scarf around his neck again, WWX can't help but give him one of his own hoodies to wear. "It's cold!" he says. "Your coat's too thin!"

LWJ rolls his eyes, but he takes the hoodie.

As the door shuts behind LWJ, WWX decides he needs to talk to MM.

He messages her over social media the next day, asking if they can meet up at a cafe near LWJ's apartment. It's about LWJ, he adds.

(MM, getting the message notification: FUCKING FINALLY)

MM messages back a cheery 'sure!'

they meet up at the cafe. at first, WWX tries to hint subtly at the LWJ Problem, but MM plays dumb. She wants to hear him SAY IT.

Finally, WWX breaks.

"You obviously like him, so just tell him already!" he snaps. "Stop dragging it out! You're already fucking leading him on, leaving your scent on him and everything - aren't you going to tell him how you feel?"

And MM just raises her brow and goes, "Aren't YOU?"

WWX:

MM just casually stirs her coffee and says, "I don't like him, you know. Not like that. But /you/ do." She leans across the table, her face going uncharacteristically serious. "So let me ask you this - aren't /you/ going to tell him how you feel?"

WWX is bluescreening. This is NOT how he expected this meeting to go. Finally, he says the only thing he CAN say:

"But he doesn't like me that way!"

MM: *deep breath*

(pray for MM's blood pressure, y'all. she's going through it)

finally, MM manages to knock it into WWX's head that yes, LWJ /does/ like him that way. Yes, /that/ way. Then she pays for their drinks and steers a stunned WWX out of the shop.

now, MM is an incredible hypewoman. she's friends with LWJ (and, though he's gone unmentioned so far, JZX)! so she manages to hype WWX up until he's like: fuck yeah! I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna tell Lan Zhan how I feel!

He decides he's going to confess to LWJ right now. MM's right behind him! She's gonna make sure it happens!

They both get on the bus and head towards LWJ's apartment, toasting each other w imaginary cocktails. To LWJ, who, they agree solemnly, is the best person in the world.

(buckle up, folks, because we're about to hit terminal romcom.)

there's just one problem that neither WWX or MM know about yet: LWJ saw them at the cafe.

He assumed that they were on a date. Why wouldn't they be? Their personalities are compatible. Even though they're both alphas, it could work. If they want to try dating, he's happy for them, truly.

...he's just also on a train halfway across the city, en route to LXC's house.

(pausing here for now! this should be pretty short so i'll wrap it up tonight or tomorrow :D)

link to the top!

https://twitter.com/friedjingyi/status/1464721839205150720

and we're back! we now return to LWJ, who is, unfortunately, No Thoughts Head Empty when it comes to his crush.

(also: where did all of you come from??? i'm glad you like this!😭❤️)

so LWJ arrives at LXC's house like 😞 and LXC's older brother instincts kick in (they're always on in the background, but now they're in overdrive). He makes LWJ a cup of tea, dumps his and NMJ's cat, Baxia, in LWJ's lap, and sits down like: alright, didi. Tell me what's wrong.

LWJ: i saw. MM. and Wei Ying. At a cafe. Together. Alone.

LXC: ...and?

LWJ, petting Baxia sadly: ge, i think they are dating 😞

LXC, who knows that a) WWX is madly in love with his brother and b) MM is a meddler: ...dating. Are...are you sure

while LXC tries to gently nudge LWJ in the right direction, WWX and MM arrive at LWJ's apartment. they're both super hyped up and MM keeps dropping her key bc she's too busy fist-pumping the air and whisper-shouting, "We're getting zhanzhan a BOYFRIEND!"

they unlock the door, MM pushes WWX in...

...and the apartment is dark. And empty. LWJ is not here. That definitely puts a damper on their plans, but that's ok! WWX pulls out his phone and calls him.

LWJ and LXC's conversation is cut short when LWJ's phone starts ringing. It's WWX, of course.

LWJ looks at the screen like: he is probably calling to tell me abt his new relationship with MM 😔

And he just can't deal w that rn! So he lets WWX's call go to voicemail.

(LXC is wondering where his didi's critical thinking skills went. The answer is: LWJ saw WWX (best person) and MM (also best person, but in a different way) alone together, and he was like: the 2 best ppl i know r alone together? they must be dating bc theyre both so lovable 💔)

On the other end: WWX and MM are both staring at WWX's phone, shocked. LWJ /always/ picks up a call. If he missed it, then...

"I'll call him," MM says, whipping out her own phone. "If he doesn't pick up, I'm calling LXC. Then emergency services."

WWX nods. A reasonable plan.

Just like WWX's call, MM's call goes to voicemail. So she calls LXC.

LXC, making direct eye contact w LWJ as he picks up the phone: ah, MM, it's been a while! ...Wangji? Yes, he's...

LWJ: 😥

LXC: ...sleeping. At my house. He's not feeling very well.

LWJ: ☺️

MM and WWX are obviously like: oh, no! Is he ok?

LXC: yes, he'll be fine once he sleeps it off. I'm sure he'll BE HOME SOON (making intense eye contact w LWJ)

So by the time MM hangs up, this is the way things are: WWX and MM are waiting anxiously for LWJ to get back home, LXC is gently kicking LWJ out, and LWJ is trying his best to puppy-eyes his way into staying the night at LXC's house. He needs more time to process!

Unfortunately for WWX, LXC is always, always weak to LWJ's puppy eyes. He lets LWJ crash at his house for a week, w LWJ going back to his apartment for clothes and toiletries when he knows WWX will be at work and MM has other plans scheduled.

LWJ knows he's being a coward, and that WWX and MM deserve an explanation. But he can't bring himself to face them. Not yet. He will, eventually. Soon. When it hurts a little less.

WWX calls him. MM calls him. He dodges them both and, when they text him asking if he's ok, he replies w one-word answers. He tells them that he's still feeling unwell. He thinks he caught the same bug that WWX came down with.

To LWJ, it's a believable lie. To WWX? Not so much.

WWX knows that he was never actually sick, which means that LWJ couldn't have caught anything from him. Which means that LWJ is avoiding him on purpose.

"I think I fucked up," he tells MM on Day 6, when they're both slightly tipsy from a bottle of wine. "I think he knows."

"You didn't fuck up," MM says determinedly. She hasn't come this far just for her idiot friends to fall at the final hurdle. "I don't know what's going on with him, but he'll come back eventually. He always does."

But if what he doesn't? WWX wants to ask. What if he leaves?

When WWX wakes up the next morning, lying on LWJ's living room floor w a bad hangover, his phone is on 14%. He unlocks it and freezes when he sees what it opens to.

His messages. With Lan Zhan. And there's a new message, one that was sent last night:

WWX: lan zhan?

That's it. That's the only message he sent: LWJ's name w a question mark on the end. WWX breathes a sigh of relief. LWJ probably won't think anything of it. God knows he's gotten worse drunk texts from WWX before.

meanwhile, LWJ has been staring at his phone since he woke up.

He hasn't opened the message, but he read it from his notifications. Just a simple 'lan zhan?'.

Nothing else. No follow-ups. Like WWX just wanted to see if he was still there.

Enough is enough, LWJ decides. He has to explain himself. And he needs to apologise, too.

LWJ squares his shoulders and prepares to face his friends. Who will almost certainly be telling him about their new relationship 😔💔

but he'll be a good friend. Supportive. He'll be happy for them. He practices saying congratulations on the train ride home.

He gets home, and he opens the door to find MM and WWX sitting on the couch, huddled together, talking in low voices. They jump apart when they see him, MM scrambling to her feet. LWJ's heart sinks a little bit more.

"Lan Zhan," WWX says, stunned. "You're - back."

LWJ nods.

Then, to LWJ's surprise, MM scurries out of the room. She pauses, sticks her head back in and hisses, "You better tell him!" at WWX, then winks at LWJ and darts out of the apartment altogether. The click of the front door closing sounds unusually loud.

It's just LWJ and WWX, now. Odd that MM would leave, LWJ thinks, but perhaps they decided it was best if WWX broke the news alone.

WWX looks...really nervous, actually. His face is pale and his eyes are darting all over the room. He swallows - LWJ watches his adam's apple bob.

"Wei Ying," LWJ says, breaking the silence. "I must apologise."

That seems to shake WWX out of his nervous stupor. "What?" he asks. "Why?"

"My behaviour, this past week," LWJ says, and looks down. "It was unacceptable. I owe you - and MM - an explanation."

"What? No, no!" WWX waves his hands frantically, like he's trying to brush LWJ's words out of the air. "Lan Zhan, you're not the one who has to explain. I think I know why you did it, and, uh, I might be about to make it worse...but I - Lan Zhan, I have something to tell you."

LWJ closes his eyes. Here it comes. Except - he doesn't think he can actually hear it. Not in WWX's voice, not in real life. He needs more time.

"Wei Ying," he interrupts, before WWX can say it. "I already know."

what LWJ means: i know you're dating MM.

what WWX hears: i know you're head over heels in love with me (and that's why I ghosted you for a week).

"Ah. Well." WWX laughs awkwardly. "I mean, I kind of saw this coming," he says, "but, uh. Wow. That's a lot."

"I am glad that you have realised your feelings," LWJ says, stiff and clearly practiced. "I'm happy for you."

WWX sighs. "Fuck, Lan Zhan," he says, trying to ignore how his voice wobbles. "I...listen, you know you can say if it makes you uncomfortable, right? I won't be mad."

"I'm not uncomfortable," says LWJ, who is clearly uncomfortable. WWX swallows back tears.

"I can tell you're lying," he says bluntly. "Really, Lan Zhan. I - It's fine. Just...pretend I never said anything."

LWJ opens his mouth, like he wants to say smth, but WWX cuts him off.

"Shit," WWX says, tilting his head back to face the ceiling (it makes it easier to blink away his tears). "I should've just kept this to myself, huh? I mean, I knew you didn't return my feelings, but MM said you did, and she seemed so /sure/..."

LWJ: *record scratch*

LWJ: ...your feelings?

WWX: -and then we both got so excited and - yeah? My...feelings? For you? Is that not what we've been talking about this whole time?

LWJ: ...are you not. Dating MM?

WWX: am i WHAT

WWX: WHY WOULD YOU THINK I'M DATING MM??

LWJ: I...saw you, together. At the cafe. Was that not a date?

WWX: a date - a DATE?? she was trying to convince me to confess to YOU!!

"Confess?" LWJ repeats, his heart in his throat.

Silence. WWX shuts up abruptly and goes bright red.

"Wei Ying," LWJ says slowly, "what were you going to confess?"

"I-" WWX's eyes dart to the door and back. "I..."

He takes a deep breath and visibly steels himself.

"Lan Zhan!" he yells. "I really like you! I fancy you, I want you, I whatever you, I - I love you!"

LWJ just stares at him like 😳😳.

"And I'm not dating Mianmian," WWX adds. "If I'm dating anyone, I want it to be you. It can't be anyone but you."

He closes his eyes. If LWJ rejects him, he'd rather not have to look at his expression of gentle pity.

But then there are footsteps, and LWJ is - hugging him? He's wrapping his arms around WWX, nuzzling into WWX's shoulder, brushing his wrists against the nape of WWX's neck-

Oh.

LWJ is - LWJ is /scenting/ him. WWX inhales, and all he can smell is LWJ: sandalwood and green tea and the neutral smell of his laundry detergent.

"Lan Zhan," he says, his voice breaking. He brings his hands up so he can touch his wrists to LWJ's neck, and LWJ shivers.

"Like you," LWJ whispers. "Fancy you. Want you. Love you. Wei Ying - it can't be anyone but you."

LWJ pulls back from the hug and leans in so that their foreheads are touching. WWX stares at him - there are tears in his eyes.

"Lan Zhan," he says again.

He reaches up to brush the tears out of LWJ's eyes.

LWJ catches his wrist. "Let them fall," he says, as one of the tears does just that. WWX watches as it traces down LWJ's cheek, catches on the corner of his mouth. "They are happy tears."

And then he leans in.

When they kiss, WWX can taste the salt of the tear on LWJ's lips. Then LWJ opens his mouth, and suddenly all WWX can taste is LWJ himself. He pushes harder into the kiss and bites LWJ's lip, and a thrill goes down his spine when LWJ makes a tiny noise into his mouth.

On the other side of the door, MM does a little victory dance and promptly leaves to go crash at JZX's. She knows where Wangxian's night is going, and she doesn't want to listen.

She returns to the apartment in the morning - with a mask, ofc. She doesn't want to smell anything.

Uncharacteristically, last night's washed dishes haven't been put away yet. LWJ always does that when he wakes up. So MM tiptoes down the hallway and, with her hand ready to slam down over her eyes, she peeks into LWJ's room.

LWJ and WWX are sleeping peacefully, tangled together in the bed (both, thankfully, under the covers). WWX is purring with every snore. LWJ is, for the first time since MM's known him, not sleeping in his 'corpse-in-a-coffin' position. Instead, he's wrapped tightly around WWX.

She pretends not to see the (very obvious) new bite marks on both their necks, and closes the door. She grabs some of her stuff, leaves a note on the door that reads, 'congrats ;)) pls spray air freshener when ur done' and heads out to give wangxian some privacy.

When wangxian get married a few years down the line, MM gives a speech. It's just 6 minutes of her roasting them both, as it should be.

Wangxian adopt a-yuan about the same time that MM gets married in a shotgun wedding to her beta bf. Their kids grow up as great friends.

MM never lets wangxian forget how they BOTH got jealous over her. She always brings it up. Eventually, WWX just starts going, "Ah, MM, me and my husband's dear friend, who we were both stupidly jealous of! It's been so long!" before MM can say anything. Preemptive measures.

Anyway, wangxian are stupidly and nauseatingly in love for the rest of their lives, and MM is rightfully smug about it. LWJ sends her thank-you flowers every year on his anniversary w WWX. and yes, WWX gets fake-jealous about it.

"I can't believe my husband - my mate! - is sending /other/ alphas flowers on /our/ anniversary," he tells the bunnies, flopping dramatically to the floor. "I'm devastated!"

The bunnies (adopted a year into their relationship) are shockingly unsympathetic. WWX wails louder.

but then LWJ comes up behind him, and when WWX turns around, he sees LWJ dressed in [redacted] that makes WWX want to [redacted] him until he [redacted]. LWJ leans down, tilts WWX's chin up with one finger, and whispers, "I may send her flowers, but I'll make /you/ see stars."

Then he glances at the bunnies and adds, "But we need to cover their hutch first."

The bunnies' eyes are spared, and wangxian are as ridiculously horny as ever.

and SCENE! thank you so much to everyone who read this! i really appreciate it ❤️❤️

link to the top!

https://twitter.com/friedjingyi/status/1464721839205150720