Being friends with wwx is undoubtedly the best thing that has happened to lwj in his entire life.
“A-Zhan you’re only six. Are you sure this is the best thing that will ever happen?”
“Mn.” lwj hums, “I am certain. The only thing that will beat this will be when I marry wy.”
“Marry…” Lan Xichen sounds faint, slumping back in his chair in a daze. He barely notices when an extra piece of tofu is placed in his bowl, Lan Wangji nodding sagely as if he were thirty six not six and a half.
The impressive effect was slightly hampered by the way Lan Wangji’s cheeks bounced with each firm nod, as springy as the mantou sitting in front of him.
“I have asked Wei Ying, and he has accepted. We will have a summer wedding.”
“Oh my —“
lwj shows lxc his spreadsheet. on it is a timeline, detailing from the first time lwj met wwx, to their as of yet future life where…
“Wei Ying has children?? Wangji, I think we need to talk.”
that night, lxc lies in bed and tries to come to terms with the realisation that his baby brother is a little bit of a weird child.
behind his big golden eyes and chubby cheeks lies slight stalkerish tendencies.
the multiple hair bobbles in lwjs room that most certainly do not belong to him can attest to that.
it is sweet though. in a way. if lxc squints.
“Wei Ying I love you.” Lwj tells his bestfriend one playtime, sitting in the sandpit. Wwx giggles, grabbing lwjs hand with his own.
“I love you too, gege!” He says, and lwj’s ears burn in happiness.
Take that Xichen-ge. Wei Ying loves him too.
“Mine” lwj thinks possessively, watching wwx play with the sandcastle. nhs approaches them, some shiny thing in his hand, and lwj levels him with a glare so fierce it causes nhs to turn tail and run.
“Mine.”
“Yours? What, the bucket? Sorry gege, I’ll stop using it.”
lwj sits and stews in silent, fearsome! wrath !
(He pouts)
How can wei ying not realise what he meant!? lwj has always been so clear in his feelings!
it is time he drew another spreadsheet
the spreadsheet this time is less of a data chart and more of a game plan.
in it lwj lists all the things he has read about online that can help secure a relationship.
1) dress to impress! show your suave side
there is a mixed reaction when lwj turns up in a suit to school
wei ying giggles, and says lwj looks like a penguin.
lwj is devastated. all this effort… for wei ying to say he looks like… like a penguin! not a cool, handsome animal like a dragon, but a penguin.
he trudges sadly to the toilet, pulling off his clip on tie as he goes
he sits alone in one of the bathroom stools for what feels like a very long time, suddenly feeling very ridiculous.
his brother had called him handsome, but evidently wy did not think the same.
lwjs legs, too short to reach the floor, swing slowly back and forth
lwj thinks about asking the school nurse if he can go home early. he is too sad to study, and he does not want wei ying to see him like this.
Is this what heartbreak feels like?
a heartbroken penguin
suddenly there is a frantic pitter-patter of feet, and then the bathroom door bursts open
“Lan Zhan!” wy cries, skidding to a halt, “gege, are you here?!”
lwj stands still in the hopes wwx will not notice him.
for some reason it didn’t work.
wwx throws his arms around lwjs shoulders, sending the pair staggering back a few steps.
lwj trips over the end of his trousers, landing with a *plop* on his bottom.
wwx follows him down
“Xichen ge told me you were in here,” wwx confesses, and lwj scowls.
“Traitor.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you when I called you a penguin gege. I love penguins!”
“Wei Ying loves penguins…more than me?”
lwjs heart feels like it can’t possibly break anymore
he is therefore shocked when wwx yells, right in lwj’s ear
“NO! I LOVE LAN ZHAN THE MOST”
head ringing from both the confession and wwx’s yell, lwj is very glad he is sitting down because he thinks he might have fallen otherwise.
“love… most…wei *ying*”
“lan zhan.”
“wei ying.”
“wangji.”
that was not wei ying’s voice
lwj and wwx turn their heads in unison to see… a crying lxc?? what ???
lxc smiles like this ☺️ through the tears, blowing his nose noisily.
“xichen- gege?”
“oh don’t mind me !”
“brother.” lwj says.
‘you are ruining my special moment.’ lxc understands. he backs away, but not before leaning forwards to pinch his baby brothers round cheekies.
lwj lets out what sounds like a growl when lxc pats wwxs head.
really, lwj is too possessive.
lxc would worry, if he didn’t know that wwx enjoyed it, laughing in glee whenever lwj would angrily chomp on his arm.
his baby brother had chosen right after all
years later, at their wedding , lxc offhandedly mentions to lwj that his spreadsheets had paid off.
“Spreadsheets? What spreadsheets, Lan Zhan?”
the end ~~ ❤️
lwj does reveal the spreadsheets he made as a child, and wwx teases him for the next week about it until lwj ***** him to ***************