Work Text:
When the Government had announced that the nation was to commence a month-long lockdown in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19, Lan Wangji had been mostly unaffected. Save for trips to the lecture theatres for classes, to the library for his revision sessions, and to the supermarket to buy groceries, Lan Wangji hardly leaves his apartment anyway. It’s not a hardship for him to stay home, and he’s got enough work from his research project to keep him busy for a month.
If there is one thing about the lockdown that Lan Wangji must say inconveniences him the most, it is that he is unable to see Wei Wuxian.
Sure, Wei Wuxian texts him multiple times a day, and video-calls him almost every day, but seeing a grainy Wei Wuxian smile through the screen of his phone is different from having Wei Wuxian knock his shoulder against Lan Wangji’s, before turning to beam at him.
Lan Wangji misses him fiercely.
—
“Are you eating instant noodles again?” Lan Wangji asks, frowning, when Wei Wuxian comes back into focus. “Wei Ying.”
Wei Wuxian makes a face at him. “Everything else is too troublesome,” Wei Wuxian moans. “I can’t wait till I can start ordering food deliveries again.”
“Wei Ying, you can’t just keep eating instant noodles,” Lan Wangji tells him gravely.
He should’ve asked Wei Wuxian to move into his apartment for the lockdown. He has a spare room. Well, strictly speaking, it’s Lan Xichen’s room, but it’s not like Lan Xichen has stayed here much since he got together with Jiang Wanyin and Nie Mingjue, and Lan Wangji can’t imagine that Lan Xichen would have much to say about Wei Wuxian taking over his room for a couple of weeks.
Lan Wangji should’ve asked Wei Wuxian, had honestly really wanted to, but Wei Wuxian would’ve scrunched his nose at Lan Wangji and asked him why, and it’s not like Lan Wangji could tell him, ‘I’m in love with you, and I want to take care of you.’
Wei Wuxian would think he’s insane.
“I’m not just eating instant noodles!” Wei Wuxian insists. He tilts the bowl at the camera, and says, “I added half a tomato! And an egg!” He stirs at the noodles a little, and then lets out a triumphant noise. “Look! There’s even spam! It’s practically gourmet!”
Lan Wangji lets out a sigh. “What about the recipes I sent you?” he asks. “Those dishes are easy to make.”
Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes. “Lan Zhan, those recipes assume that my kitchen doesn’t only just have eggs and tomatoes.” He hums at that, thoughtful. “I will try to make stir-fried tomato and scrambled eggs tonight, but no promises.”
“You said you were well-stocked for the lockdown,” Lan Wangji mutters, barely suppressing the urge to rub at his temples. He’s got a Wei Wuxian-shaped headache brewing again, and he aches to take care of Wei Wuxian properly.
“I am!” Wei Wuxian says. He looks so proud when he says, “I bought three cartons of instant noodles! They were on sale, too! “
Lan Wangji closes his eyes, and sighs, “Wei Ying.”
Wei Wuxian lets out a soft laugh. “Lan Zhan ah, Lan Zhan,” he murmurs, voice soft and fond, “I’ll be alright. Don’t worry too much about me, okay?”
How is Lan Wangji supposed to not worry? He’s going to be thinking about Wei Wuxian starving pitifully in his apartment for the rest of the lockdown.
“Aiyo, I yield, I yield,” Wei Wuxian cries, when Lan Wangji’s frown doesn’t ease. “Lan er-gege, I promise I will go out and buy proper groceries tomorrow, okay?”
Lan Wangji nods. “Video-call me when you’re at the supermarket. I’ll tell you what to buy.”
Wei Wuxian sighs. “I’ll have to call you when I cook as well, so that someone knows to call an ambulance if I blow something up.”
Wei Wuxian makes a valid point. He shouldn’t be doing any heavy-duty cooking, given his...skills in the kitchen.
“I’ll look for low-risk recipes,” Lan Wangji tells him, and opens up a fresh tab on his laptop to do just that while Wei Wuxian chatters on about his morning class in between mouthfuls of instant noodles.
—
For the most part, Lan Wangji’s life goes on as usual.
He checks in with his uncle at least once a week, and with Lan Xichen every other day, just so they both know that he is alive and well.
Otherwise, he keeps to his pre-lockdown daily routine.
Every day, he attends his classes, he thinks about Wei Wuxian, he works on his research project, he thinks about Wei Wuxian, he plays his guqin, he talks to Wei Wuxian. Not always in that order. Sometimes, even before his morning classes start, he’s already thought about Wei Wuxian a lot more than is strictly necessary.
Sometimes, before his classes start, Wei Wuxian’s already called him to whine about mornings being “the worst”, and morning classes being “a punishment from god”. Lan Wangji likes those days the best; he’s always in the best of moods when he’s able to talk to Wei Wuxian first thing in the morning.
—
Wei Wuxian sends him a selfie at 8am.
Lan Wangji smiles when he sees the photo. Wei Wuxian has probably just woken up. His hair is a mess, and his smile is half-hearted at best. Lan Wangji’s chest feels warm just from seeing the photo, and saves it to his camera album. It’s a soft, and terribly intimate photo that Lan Wangji already knows he’s going to hold dear to him.
He’s just finished doing that when Wei Wuxian calls him.
“Do you think I can Zoom my lecturer looking like that, or should I make an effort, and comb my hair at least, probably?” is what Wei Wuxian says the moment Lan Wangji picks up.
Lan Wangji smiles. “You already know the answer to that.”
Wei Wuxian lets out a low groan. “Lan Zhan, I’m not awake enough to leave my bed, and the comb is so far away.”
“Use your fingers,” Lan Wangji suggests.
Wei Wuxian is quiet for a moment. “Lan Zhan, you’re so smart, what would I do without you?”
“Have to get out of bed to retrieve your comb, probably,” Lan Wangji says easily. “What time is your Zoom meeting?”
“Eight thirty,” Wei Wuxian tells him. “Keep me awake till then?”
Lan Wangji does.
—
“This is the worst,” Wei Wuxian says, glaring when he sees Lan Wangji hiding a smile. He wags his finger at the camera. “Lan Zhan! You can’t laugh at me, when it’s your fault that I am here, attempting to make lunch instead of just boiling hot water to go with my cup noodles!”
Lan Wangji schools his features into something more neutral. “You’re doing well, Wei Ying,” he says, and doesn’t look at the way Wei Wuxian has butchered his chicken breast. “You can still work with that.”
Wei Wuxian pouts at him. “After this lockdown is over, I’m never making food again,” Wei Wuxian tells him firmly. “Never!”
Lan Wangji smiles at that, inexplicably charmed by the tantrum.
“As a punishment for putting me through this, you’re feeding me for a month after we come out of lockdown,” Wei Wuxian decides.
Lan Wangji nods. “Mn,” he agrees. “Send me a list of your favourite food. I’ll learn how to make them before the lockdown ends.”
Wei Wuxian’s eyes go wide, and then he breaks out into a wide grin that makes Lan Wangji’s heart skip. Wei Wuxian is most beautiful when he’s smiling, and fortunately for Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian smiles a lot. He only wishes that he were able to see it a lot more clearly, and not through a grainy video camera feed.
“Really, Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian asks.
“Mn,” Lan Wangji tells him. “I’ll make you lunch and dinner. Every day for a month.”
Wei Wuxian frowns at that. “Why not breakfast too?”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji says, and he can already feel his lips tugging up into a smile, “you don’t wake up early enough for breakfast anyway.”
“Oh,” Wei Wuxian says. And then, “Are you making fun of me, Lan Zhan?”
“Just a little,” Lan Wangji tells him.
Wei Wuxian leans close to the camera. “Ah, Lan Zhan,” he says, “I miss you.”
Lan Wangji’s breath catches. “Me too,” he manages to say. “I...miss you too.”
Wei Wuxian smiles. “You’ll come see me after the lockdown ends, right?”
Lan Wangji wants to go and see him now. “We’ll have to see what the regulations are, when we come out of lockdown,” he forces himself to say. He doesn’t want to get his hopes up that he will be able to go straight to Wei Wuxian’s apartment once the lockdown has been lifted. Lan Xichen works at the Ministry of Health, and he’s told Lan Wangji that it is very likely that restrictions will still have to be in place, even if the lockdown is lifted to stimulate the economy. “There’s a big likelihood that social distancing will still have to continue for a couple of weeks, even if the lockdown eases.”
“Is that a no?” Wei Wuxian says, cocking his head.
“Not really,” Lan Wangji says, honestly. He misses Wei Wuxian, and he’ll be at Wei Wuxian’s door the moment the lockdown is lifted, unless he is barred from doing so. “It’s not.”
—
The four weeks of lockdown go by relatively quickly. It’s not hard for him to stay home, and the days go by quickly because Lan Wangji has much work to do. When it gets too quiet even for Lan Wangji’s liking, all he has to do is to call Wei Wuxian, and time will seem to pass a lot faster.
The number of confirmed cases start to fall, as a positive result of the enforced lockdown, and it is soon announced that less stringent measures will be in place for the nation, in place of a total lockdown.
Lan Wangji reads through the guidelines by the Ministry of Health as soon as he receives a copy from Lan Xichen, the night before the lockdown is scheduled to end, and is gratified to learn that travel within two kilometres isn’t barred. Social distancing is still encouraged, but the rules appear to be lax enough that Lan Wangji can’t see why he won’t be able to travel to Wei Wuxian’s apartment to see him.
He may have to wear a mask when travelling, possibly even gloves, and he may not be able to hug Wei Wuxian, but surely all of that is tolerable if it means that he will get to see Wei Wuxian in person again.
He reaches for his phone to message Wei Wuxian, but is distracted when he sees that Wei Wuxian has made a new post on Weibo.
Wei Wuxian
i miss all of my friends so much that i’m going to french kiss every single one of them for 45 minutes when we get out of lockdown, just watch me
He scrolls through the comments underneath the post. Most of them are Wei Wuxian’s friends promising to take him up on the offer.
Lan Wangji’s chest tightens painfully at the thought of Wei Wuxian kissing anyone else.
Wei Wuxian probably means it as a joke, but there will be someone who will take him at his word and try to collect a kiss, and if that happens, Wei Wuxian will probably shrug and go for it, and if they happen to be compatible and start dating…
Lan Wangji’s fingernails dig sharply into his palm where his fists are clenched tightly.
He looks at the clock. Ten minutes to nine. Another three hours and nine minutes until the lockdown ends.
He throws caution to the wind, and grabs his jacket and car keys.
—
It takes him less than ten minutes to get to Wei Wuxian’s apartment building, and waits in his car at the car park for the rest of the time.
For close to three hours, his brain runs through all the worst case scenarios. What if Wei Wuxian has friends who live closer who are already waiting for him outside his door? What if Wei Wuxian’s neighbour wants to kiss Wei Wuxian? What if Lan Wangji gets there too late, and has to watch Wei Wuxian kiss a number of other people?
His stomach churns at the thought, even though he knows that it’s Wei Wuxian’s right to kiss whoever he wants. Lan Wangji doesn’t know if he’ll be able to bear it if he has to watch.
He wonders if he should just go home, and bury his feelings for Wei Wuxian deep down inside him. If he never says it, Wei Wuxian will never be able to reject him.
‘And then what?’ a voice inside him asks. ‘Will you be happy watching Wei Wuxian find love in someone else?’
That thought hurts him even more than the idea of Wei Wuxian rebuking his feelings. Lan Wangji has to try at least, surely?
At 11:59pm, he finally gets out of his car, and makes his way to the elevator. It takes too long, so Lan Wangji heads for the stairwell, climbing the steps two at a time. It doesn’t take him too long to clear eight floors.
He takes a second to catch his breath when he’s outside of Wei Wuxian’s door, and then raps his knuckles on the door.
Wei Wuxian throws the door open. “Do you take Alipay-” He blinks at Lan Wangji. “You’re not the delivery guy.”
Lan Wangji shakes his head. “I’m not.”
“I was wondering how they could be so fast, I only ordered three minutes ago,” Wei Wuxian says dumbly. And then, “Lan Zhan?”
“Mn,” Lan Wangji says, and then, oh, Wei Wuxian smiles at him, and everything seems right with the world again.
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian says again, and it’s so easy to hear the joy bubbling in his voice, “what are you doing here at this hour?” He steps away from the door to let Lan Wangji in. “That’s not me complaining, by the way. You have no idea how wonderful it is that you’re the first person I see after the lockdown!”
Lan Wangji smiles, just slightly. “Could’ve been the delivery guy sending you your chicken nuggets, if I hadn’t come.”
Wei Wuxian laughs. “How did you know I ordered chicken nuggets?” he asks.
“Instinct,” Lan Wangji says. He looks at Wei Wuxian, feeling incandescently happy. This is what it feels like to be content, and at peace with the world. All he needs is just Wei Wuxian near him. “Wei Ying.”
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian says, still smiling. “Seriously, though. I thought you’d be asleep by now. Why are you here?”
Lan Wangji fishes his phone out of his pocket, and unlocks it. Wei Wuxian’s Weibo page is still open on it, and Lan Wangji holds his phone up so that Wei Wuxian can see it.
Wei Wuxian’s eyes widen. “Lan Zhan?” he murmurs softly.
Lan Wangji’s heart is beating so fast. “That’s not allowed,” he blurts out. “Even though the Government has lifted the lockdown and reduced restrictions on social distancing, we still need to do what we can to protect ourselves from the virus. A low rate of infection doesn’t mean no infections at all. This.” He swallows at the way Wei Wuxian is staring at him, tries to shake away the image that he has of Wei Wuxian kissing a faceless line of people. “This unprotected contact is not advisable.”
Wei Wuxian blinks at him. He doesn’t say anything for a long time.
It’s probably the wrong thing to say. Lan Wangji always says the wrong things at the worst of times, especially when he’s around Wei Wuxian. If he were better at expressing himself, if words could come to him easily enough, he might’ve told Wei Wuxian that he’s in love with him already.
“Is that why you came here, Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian asks quietly, eventually. He sounds...disappointed. He probably is upset that Lan Wangji came to stop him from having some fun. “Just to give me health advice?”
Lan Wangji swallows. “I…”
When Lan Wangji doesn’t continue, Wei Wuxian sighs, and says, “I thought… I thought you might’ve come to ask for a kiss. I would’ve been thrilled if you had.”
“What?” Lan Wangji asks, startled.
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian says. “Are you ever going to tell me that you like me?”
Lan Wangji has to lean against the back of Wei Wuxian’s couch. His knees feel a little weak. “What?”
“The lockdown was really difficult for me,” Wei Wuxian says. “You know how much I like being around people, and you know how easily I get bored at home. Some days, the thought that I would get to talk to you soon was the only thing that made the day worth going through. And I thought...it might be like that for you as well.”
Lan Wangji’s lips part. Wei Wuxian can’t be saying what Lan Wangji thinks he is. Lan Wangji wants so much for it to be true, but it can’t be.
“Lan Zhan, have I been reading everything wrong?” he whispers. He’s not looking at Lan Wangji anymore. “Do you not...” He doesn’t finish his sentence. His voice sounds choked.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji says gently. His heart is beating so fast that he’s surprised that Wei Wuxian can’t hear it. He takes a step forward, and then another. They’re way past the two meter recommended physical distance to keep between one another, but Lan Wangji can’t bring himself to care, can’t possibly stand having to be so far away from Wei Wuxian anymore. He takes Wei Wuxian’s hands in his. “Wei Ying,” he chokes out. He takes a deep breath, and then says, “I like you. Wei Ying, I like you so much. I’ve missed you so much this past month.”
Wei Wuxian looks up at him. “Really?” he asks, voice small.
Lan Wangji nods. “Really.”
Wei Wuxian smiles. “Why did you really come here tonight, Lan Zhan?”
“I was worried,” Lan Wangji tells him. “I was worried that someone else might come first and try to collect their kiss. I’ve been waiting downstairs in the car park since 9pm.”
Wei Wuxian laughs at that, and it’s the most beautiful sound Lan Wangji has ever heard. He pries his hands gently out of Lan Wangji’s grip, and takes Lan Wangji’s face in his hands. “Lan Zhan, do you want to french kiss me for forty-five minutes?” Wei Wuxian asks, beaming.
Lan Wangji does.