Thread by @MusicMe_tc

WWX feels like a clown...

Sure, he may be dressed as a clown, (a /scary/ clown), but he didn't expect to feel like one after seeing everyone in this party wearing matching costumes by pairs, as if it was planned...

#mxtxtober22 day 31
#Xiantober

He goes to greet his friends and asks them what's up, and it turns out that pretty much everyone chose customs by pairs: JC and NHS, JYL and JZX, WQ and WN, LH and NMJ...

Each pair agreed to choose the same theme to dress up as, but WWX didn't know, so he doesn't have a partner,

and while sure, his costume is very well made, if he says so himself (it's a Pennywise costume he made with his mother. They both love horror movies, to WCZ's dismay, and for the last couple of years he's been at a Halloween party, he's dressed up as different classic

horror characters), it feels weird being on his own.

It doesn't help that today is a complicated day either. It's been a year since his parents and him moved to this city, and during this whole time he hasn't told anyone but NHS today's his birthday.

The only ones who already knew are the Jiang siblings, but only because they've known each other since they were kids.

Still, the only one who's wished him a happy birthday, besides his parents, is JYL...

But maybe it's better this way.

In his previous school, he had a lot of fake friends, and while they said they cared about him and all, they always turned their backs to him when he needed it the most. Of course no one bothered to remember his birthday.

It's a sad day for him, knowing that maybe his friends don't care enough to at least send him a happy birthday message. Honestly, that's all he'd want.

Still, he's trying to enjoy this day as much as possible: he had lunch with his parents,

watched movie with them and had fun while preparing his costume with them.

Luckily for him, he loves Halloween parties because he can dress up as anything he wants and have fun while at it.

"Wei Ying you're distracted!" NHS slaps his head with a fan.

"Ah, sorry! What happened?" WY had been so absent minded he hasn't been paying attention to anything NHS, JC or WN have been saying.

"Your head is really in the clouds, huh? I asked you if you've seen your Lan Zhan yet?" NHS asks as he wiggles his eyebrows.

"M-my Lan Zhan?" WY stutters as his face grows red. Then, the question clicks. "Wait, Lan Zhan is here?! He came to a party?"

"Yes! I've been telling you this whole time! He's been here long before you even got here!" NHS scolds.

"Where is he?" WY asks as he scans the room.

"Well... Look for a red balloon." NHS says as he hides his face behind his fan, elbowing him.

"A red..." WY thinks out loud as he moves to look for LZ, barely registering the annoyed "Didn't even bother to say goodbye" from JC.

He looks among the crowd for the red balloon, full of excitement. LZ is here! He came to a party!

Sure, it's not /his party/, but the fact that he can see his friend, the one who hates crowded places and interacting with lots of people,

when he thought he wouldn't see him until the next time they had class together, fills him with joy.

As he looks for him, he sees LH and NMJ talking by the drinks table, and just as he's about to approach them to ask LH where his brother is, he sees it:

a red balloon floating over a chair next to the table.

WY approaches the person sitting with his back at him slowly, unsure if this is really LZ. The person is wearing a yellow rain coat and black jeans.

This person's costume and his own match. If this is really LZ...

"Lan Zhan?" WY asks quietly, unsure.

The person turns around and sure enough, that's his Lan Zhan.

"H- Hi!" WY greets timidly.

"Wei Ying," LZ exclaims as he stands up. "Hello."

As WY takes in LZ's costume: the yellow coat, the black jeans, the rain boots, the fake blood splattered across his face and the coat, the red balloon tied to his wrist and the paper boat tucked inside the coat's pocket, there's no denying it.

He came as WY's matching pair.

(forgot to day there's more to this haha, I just didn't expect so many people to see it 🙈 the update should be later today hehe.
Thank you so much for reading so far!)

"We- uhm, we match! Haha!" WY blurts, instantly feeling his face warm up. Hopefully the makeup covers up his embarrassment.

"Y-yes." LZ looks away, fidgeting with the balloon's string tied on how wrist. "I'm sorry, I didn't ask you if you wanted me to be your costume partner..."

"No! Don't worry about that! I'm actually glad it's you! I wouldn't have wanted it to be anyone else but you!" WY says without thinking, again.

'Wow, you're really behaving like a clown tonight.' WY thinks to himself.

LZ's ears get as red as the balloon,

looking so adorable WY has the sudden urge to bite his cheeks.

'Wait- No! Stop it brain!'

"Wei Ying?" LZ calls out.

"Yes!" WY pretty nuch shouts.

"Would you accompany me outside?" LZ asks shyly.

"Of course! Yes!" WY says without thinking twice.

They both leave through the back door to the house's garden. Since it's JZX's house, the place is gigantic, and so is the garden, with lots of cleanly trimmed bushes in various shapes, and many benches here and there.

They go sit on one of these beaches, away from the party's loud music, but close enough to see everyone dancing thought the large windows.

"So... Are you having fun Lan Zhan? I'm surprised you're here, considering you hate parties!" WY asks after a beat of silence.

"I am. It's fun to dress up." LZ says sincerely.

"Right?! Isn't it so much fun? I personally love making props, but applying makeup is so cool too! Although my mom is the one who knows how to do it better than me."

"I can see you really like it. Your costume is very well made."

"Aww, thank you! My parents and I worked really hard on it. I guess making the costumed is the best part of all."

"You're all very talented." LZ compliments.

WY looks away for a moment, feeling his face growing hot again, before he remembers LZ can't see it under the make up.

"And... How did you know what I was going to be wearing today?" WY asks, partly teasing, and partly genuinely curious.

"I... " LZ starts, "Cangse laoshi told me."

"What? Why?"

"When I had class with her on Wednesday, she asked me if I was coming today. I said I would,

but I didn't plan on wearing anything special, so she told me about your costume."

"Oh..."

"Mn. I asked if you already had a costume partner. She said you didn't, so I thought maybe..."

"... Maybe you could be my partner? Aw Lan Zhan, that's so sweet of you."

Under the moonlight, WY sees LZ's red ears and his earlier thought comes back to him over and over.

"Wei Ying... I also wanted to give you something." LZ interrupts his train of thought.

"Oh?"

LZ takes out a tiny box from the pocket he has the paper boat in.

He nods to himself before giving it to WY.

WY takes it with both hands, with much more care than it probably needs. He unties the red bow on the top and inside, the box is full of paper stars of multiple colors, and in the center,

a handmade keychain of a chicken holding a chili pepper.

"Lan Zhan, this is lovely... Thank you."

"You're welcome. Happy Birthday Wei Ying."

WY stares at the present for a moment longer before looking up at LZ, not knowing what to say. In the end, he only asks,

"You knew it's my birthday?"

"Of course." LZ says.

"But... I never told anyone... Was it my mom? Or Huaisang?"

"I asked Cangse laoshi, a long time ago."

"Oh... And you... Remembered..."

"Why would I not?" LZ asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, I mean... I don't know. I never thought it was /that/ important..."

"Wei Ying." LZ says as he (most likely unconsciously) puts a hand on top of WY's. WY's heart starts beating faster in an instant. "Celebrating that you were born, and that you're here, is important.

Many people are grateful to have you here..." He pauses for a second before he says, "I'm thankful to have you here." He says as his hold on WY's hand tightens slightly.

"Oh... Lan Zhan." WY hugs LZ after closing the keychain's box, making sure to keep the present safe.

"Thank you..."

"There's no need for thanks you..."

"Nor sorries between us." WY finishes. "I know, I know..." He says as he pulls back and examines the box, trying to keep himself from doing something out of line... Like kissing LZ or something...

Looking up close, the pink box has multiple bunnies painted on it, some white, some black. WY smiles as he examines each and every single one of them.

"Lan Zhan, you made everything? Even the box?" WY asks as he turns to look at LZ.

LZ fidgets with the balloon's string again.

"Wei Ying is very good with crafts and gifts them to me. I wanted to try doing something for him too."

"Lan Zhaaaaaan! Stop praising me or I'm biting you! My heart can't take this!"

"Hm. Please don't bite me. I've already lost lots of blood."

WY turns to looks at LZ with wide eyes, confused and bit afraid.

LZ, from his part, hides his left hand under the rain coat's sleeve and takes out of his other pocket a fake hand full of fake blood and hands it to WY.

It's so random that LZ was carrying a fake hand,

ready to make a joke like this at any moment, and saying it with such a straight face that WY starts laughing like crazy, full of fondness and immeasurable happiness.

He doesn't think twice before he hugs LZ and playfully bites his cheek, gently.

"I warned you Lan Zhan!"

"Oh, no. Please stop." LZ says in the most plain and serious way possible, as he tightens his hold on WY's waist. WY laughs harder.

He starts pressing kisses all over LZ's face, unable to contain himself anymore, slipping a couple of playful bites in between.

After a while, when the adrenaline has died down a bit, WY thinks he may have overdone it, and should apologize to LZ for kissing and biting him like it's nothing. Like they're not just friends.

But then, when he pulls away, LZ's eyes are so bright under the moonlight, looking

at him with wonder and so much fondness it's imposible to mistake what's hidden in them. So, WY takes his chances and leans forward, their lips barely grazing against each other's.

When LZ doesn't pull away, he closes the nearly inexistent gap between them.

They're both shy. It's slow and there's not much movement, only lips pressed against each other, but WY feels like there's fireworks being ignited inside of him.

As they pull away, WY jokes, "Well... I didn't expect to be wearing a clown suit during my first kiss...

But I wouldn't change it for anything."

LZ looks surprised before smiling and saying, "Wei Ying is still Wei Ying, even in a clown costume. I'm glad you're my first kiss too."

"Lan Zhan! Stop!!!" WY exclaims before going back to LZ's arms before kissing him again.

After a long while spent kissing and whispering soft confessions, they both hear someone calling out to WY in the distance. WY turns to look at LZ and notices that he's full of kiss marks all over his face. He'd genuinely forgotten about the makeup!

WY does his best to wipe out as much as he can from LZ's face, all the while LZ kept nuzzling WY's palms as he worked. It's so cute WY has to resist biting LZ's cheeks against.

He does his best to clean LZ's face, but there's no denying what happened,

with light red marks still visible on LZ's cheeks and lips, and WY's own smeared makeup, especially on his lips.

"Oops..." WY whispers.

"I don't mind Wei Ying. As long as you don't."

"I don't. And besides..." WY takes LZ's hand,

"I don't think it'll take long for anyone to know we're together, because I don't think I'll be leaving your side now. You're stuck with me." He teases.

"I'm happy then. I want to be by Wei Ying's side forever." LZ says as kisses WY's temple.

"Let's go, everyone is waiting."

"Everyone?" WY asks as he's guided back to the house.

He stops at the entrance when he sees everyone looking at him, a couple of his friends whistling, while the rest are just clapping.

It takes so long for him to process that there's now a string of balloons hanging from a couple of beams that read "Happy birthday Wei Ying!" And a cake in the center of the room, on the living room's table.

He feels someone push him from his shoulders toward the table, and is

seated in front of it. He turns to find it was NHS who pushed him there. He scans the room and sees every single one his friends. Even his parents are here. They both go to him and stand by his side, his mother winking as she says something about him ruining his make-up.

Everyone starts singing then. WY scans the room and finds that no one there seems to be forced to be here. Everyone's singing and wishing him a happy birthday because they /want to/.

He turns back to see LZ, standing a couple of steps back but singing just as joyful as everyone

else. WY moves his hand a little, to beckon him closer, and LZ goes to him in an instant.

He stands by his side and WY feels his heart swell with so much love. Every single person he considers important in his life is here.

He's so close to shedding tears. He doesn't...

Or at least he doesn't shed too many, but he does smile so much his face hurts.

When the song is over, NHS says, "Now make a wish Wei Xiong!"

He looks at Lan Zhan and at his parents. Then, to the rest of his friends.

He closes his eyes and makes a wish, even if he has everything he could ever wish for.

The end ~ ✨

(Wuuu, sorry for the spam!!! And for saying I'd update yesterday haha, I wrote everything but finished so late at night I thought I could just wait until today haha.

This story was partly brought to you by that one time I went to a Halloween gathering and didn't know everyone

had agreed to choose themes by pairs :(

I didn't have a LWJ, of course, but my friend's little brother decided to dress up as Georgie and they arrived late because they were looking for a red balloon to complete his costume 😭

It was so sweet I had to WangXian-ify it 😂

Anyway, thank you so much for reading my late WWX bday mini story!!! 💕✨

Hope the ending wasn't too messy hehe 😅 👉🏻👈🏻)

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