Obssesed With Pathetic Men

when they meet up in the uni's cafeteria for lunch, lwj hands him a realistic cake in the shape of a bowl of noodles (tho he doesn't let wwx have it until he eats the cake shaped meat pie lwj also brought)

in the afternoon, wwx finds that the book he was gonna go grab from the library was waiting for him on his desk when he stepped into his dorm room

and at the end of the day, when they went out for dinner, wwx's favorite songs were playing softly on the speakers of the restaurant lwj took him to

when lwj takes him home he kisses wwx on the forehead, instead of hugging him like they've been doing so far

"april fools," lwj deadpans

wwx chuckles, trying to ignore the heat rising on his cheeks "er-gege, april fools means tricking people, playing pranks"

lwj blinks at him

"i believe all my actions today were unexpected"

"they were," wwx conceded, "but i mean pranks as in putting salt in my coffee or something"

"i know what pranks are, wei ying, i simply did not wish to do anything unpleasant to you"

wwx's heart all but melts

"aiyo," he cried, "okay okay, it didn't have to be unpleasant," he looks away, "like, you could've given me a real kiss just now," wwx scratches the back of his head "that would've unexpected too"

"mn," lwj agrees, "but i did not want you to think our first kiss was a prank"

"lan zhan!!"

"wei ying, i will not kiss you today because it means too much to me, i do not want to treat it lightly."

"er-gege, you're too much," wwx whines, leaning forward to hide his burning face on lwj chest

lwj hugs him, giving him a comforting pat on the back

"mn"

when wwx looks at him again lwj's lips are slightly curved upwards in a soft smile

"i must go"

"okay, lan zhan," wwx gives him a final peck on the cheek, "goodnight"

"goodnight, wei ying"

lwj turns around and walks a few steps away before looking back

"oh, wei ying, your shoes are untied"

"ah," wwx looks down only to find his converses perfectly tied, he lets out a surprised laugh "you got me, er-gege"

lwj's soft smile seems full of mirth

"good to know"

--

their first kiss is on april second, no joke about that

Vegas: There’s no such thing as love

drawing challenge originally from raerart on x/twt

Wwx: What happened?!

Lwj: Nothing. I just nicked my finger while cleaning Bichen.

Wwx: Aw, here. *kisses his finger*

Lwj: What’s that for?

Wwx: Shijie does that to me! It’s supposed to make you feel better!

—Later—

Lwj: Brother, may I ask you to please punch me in the mouth?

Lxc: … Brother???

Jwy: Can I volunteer?

the tiny northern village children, who aren't literate enough to read the numbers on a scale. the chicken rice vendor, sweating in his little corner shop. the punk who got out of jail, but everyone knows it's only a matter of time before he goes back in.

the people we hurry past on our way to something more important.

"wait," says Aof. "look. really see them, just for a moment."

and then every story he tells shows us how those people are changed by someone taking notice. someone caring enough to stay and make space for them. time, attention, opportunity. something better. love, and change.

"Give me a big smile with small eyes."

Hua Cheng: literally intelligible, those basically aren't even words any.

Wei wuxian: the equivalent of a sleep deprived adhd stem student notes right before an exam. Technically legible but only to him, people who know him really well.

Luo Binghe: it's good. Not outstanding but Nicely legible, pretty when it needs to be.

Shen Qingqiu: technically there's nothing wrong with his hand writing, but His writing is too modern for the Xianxia settings he's living in and although it's not too much of a problem it's definitely enough to make peoples eyebrow raise.

Xie Lian: stunningly beautiful calligraphy. Truly just art in written form.

Wangxian meeting at the mall, single mom wwx shopping for some clothes with his little radish.

Wei Ying had gone to the mall cause he needed to buy a nice outfit for a date he did not want to go to, but of course his shijie was the one to set it up for him. Something about being time for him to put himself out there, find someone to take care of him as much as he takes care of his son. He, of course, insisted that he was fine fairing on his own. If anything, the reason why Wei Ying didn't want to date at all is more of finding someone that would put the same love and dedication to A-Yuan as he does.

And he knows, from experience, that's hard if not impossible to find.

So cut to a very stressed and distracted Wei Ying looking through clothes while his son played hide and seek in the racks of clothes. He'd been making sure to see A-Yuan popping his head out through the clothesline with a bright smile that matches his own, every so often calling out to him if he noticed he was taking too long to pop out. At least one of them was having fun. This was the third clothing store he visited, and the frustration of not finding anything remotely nice, or something that matched his style, was taking its toll. At the end, he sighs with exasperation. He'll just have to call his sister and tell her that he's sick, or something.

"A-Yuan, come out. We're leaving." There's no response, "A-Yuan, did you hear me?"

His brows dip with concern, it did get too quiet at some point. The giggling and the scraping of the hangers had come to a stop without him noticing. "Mister, if you're playing a joke on your poor A-Niang we won't get ice cream." He mumbles as he looks through the rack, moving the clothes around in mild panic. A-Yuan is nowhere to be found.

Wei Ying is practically panicking at this point, frantically searching for his son, practically yelling his name. He's on the verge of tears as he passes the rows and rows of racks and fixtures. All logic and reason are thrown out the window. There's no way.. there's no way he lost A-Yuan. He's always paid attention, always told him to stay by his side no matter what. What the hell is he going to do? The worst scenarios start crossing through his mind, but he keeps searching. A-Yuan knows to stay put if he ever gets separated from Wei Ying, he knows to not talk to strangers but he's only a toddler. Anything can happen.

“A-Yuan! Where are you?!” Wei Ying calls as he jogs through the store.

~~~~

Cut to A-Yuan staring wide eye at a tall guy with honey eyes. They're both having a staring contest at this point. That’s not his A-Nian, A-Yuan thinks to himself.

"Hello?" Lan Zhan says with caution. When did this child get here?

The child pursed his lips, slowly retreating into the rack with blue sweaters he was browsing through. "I-I’m not supposed to talk to strangers."

Lan Zhan blinks, staying quiet before nodding in approval. The toddler's parents are smart. He should probably alert security, he looks around in search of security or a staff member. As soon as he spots someone, he starts to walk away to try and get their attention but a small hand takes a tight grip on his light cream trousers.

"W-Wait! Mister— My a-niang told me to stay put if I ever get separated... A-niang will find me soon. Please, don't go."

Scared pleading eyes stare at him, the man seems to think through it for a moment. The smart thing to do would be to report the missing child. But at the same time, he's not sure how he would handle the situation if the toddler were to start crying.

"Alright.” He agrees with a nod. Though, the toddler doesn't let go of his trousers for a moment. At least he looks somewhat more calm. "We'll wait for your mother together."

Not a moment later, Wei Ying runs past them, yelling A-Yuan's name. At first, Lan Zhan looks at him with confusion. The child didn't say anything about his dad looking for him, so instinctively he shields and conceals the toddler. You can never be too safe, he knows people can put any sort of act just to take a child away. However, the toddler scrambled past Lan Zhan's legs and shouts, “A-Niang!"

Wei Ying skids to a stop, whipping his head towards the sound of his son's voice. Relief floods through his body as he falls to his knees and hugs his toddler, so glad that he's safe and sound. At first he doesn't notice the man who had stayed with his son because he's too busy peppering kisses to A-Yuan's chubby cheeks and mumbling "Don't ever scare me like that again!" And “We've talked about this, don't leave my side."

While this exchange is happening, Lan Zhan Is just thinking. The man... that drop dead gorgeous man was the toddler's mother?

A-Yuan clings to Wei Ying's neck, rubbing his face on his cheek, “A-Yuan is sorry, A-niang. Please don't be mad."

The puppy eyes win Wei Ying over and he can't be mad anymore. Silver eyes quickly scan his child, making sure there’s no injuries. He hugs his little radish once more, only then is when he notices the man watching the whole scene, and he can tell he's kinda not knowing what to do with himself.

"Um... can I help you?" Wei Ying asks a little defensive while hugging his son closer.

Before the man can utter an answer, A-Yuan beams with excitement. “That gege helped A-Yuan wait for A-niang!"

“Oh. Is that so?" He says, silver eyes softening and shoulders letting the tension leave.

"Mn. My name is Lan Zhan." He introduced himself and woah, how could Wei Ying not notice how handsome this man was.

“Thank you, Lan Zhan, for keeping an eye on my son. I really don't know how to repay you…”

"A-niang, is this the gege you're meeting later?" The toddler looked at Lan Zhan with hopeful eyes. "Gege taking my a-niang to dinner?"

Wei Ying quickly gets all embarrassed, cheeks flushed red like the ribbon holding his long hair in a ponytail. “Aiya, aiya! Stop bothering the nice gege! I'm sure he has many things to do."

"But!” A-Yuan begins to protest with a pout.

"No buts." Wei Ying picks A-Yuan in his arms, letting some of his weight rest on his hip. Silver eyes meet honey ones. “Thank you, again. I-I gotta get going."

And Lan Zhan can only watch the pair walking away, saying something about "I told you to call me a-niang at home and baba out here." And "I'm never leaving you out of my sight again. You gave me a heart attack.”

He’s sure he hears the child, A-Yuan, mumble “But I like that gege…”

Lan Zhan turns around, shaking his head before continuing his shopping. His chest aches a bit cause he just met the most beautiful man he has ever laid eyes on... It's childish, but he can't help but quietly sulk because he was in fact thinking of asking him out but... it looks like someone had beaten him to it. Wait, he didn't even get his name. He sulks even more.

~~~~~

Back in Wei Ying's home, he was getting ready for his date. It shouldn't be too late to cancel, right?

“You look dashing!” His sister compliments with a soft clap. “Come now, don’t make that face.”

“Jie, I don’t know this man… What if he doesn’t like A-Yuan? What if he’s secretly an asshole?” Anxiety was clear in his voice, though it was quickly soothed when Jiang Yanli walked over and fixed the collar of his burgundy button up.

“You doubt your A-Jie will pick a good man for you?” She teases with a thin eyebrow raising in question.

“Not you… I don’t trust A-Sang.” He side-eyes his friend, who is sitting on the couch making faces to his baby nephew. “Are you sure it’s not too late to cancel?”

“A-Ying, you need this. I promise it’ll be good for you.” His sister reassures, gently patting his shoulders. She smiles softly at her younger brother. “I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy.” He reassures her

She chuckles, patting the top of his hand. “You know what I mean. YingYing, are you sure you don’t want me to watch over A-Yuan?”

“Nuh-huh, if I’m meeting this guy then he’s meeting a-yuan too. If he doesn’t love him then I won’t even give him a chance!”

“A-Ying.”

“I’ve made up my mind, Jie. Now, tell me A-Yuan doesn’t look like the most adorable gentleman you’ve ever seen.” Wei Ying coos as his son walks into the living room wearing a t-shirt with the print of a tuxedo. He picks him up and peppers his cheeks with many kisses.

Soon, they’re both arriving at the restaurant. At least the guy he’s meeting has good taste. Before they step in, Wei Ying sets down his son, going through the motions of fixing his clothes. “If you don’t like the guy, we’ll leave as soon as you want, okay? No one can pull my attention from my little radish.”

A-Yuan nods, and with that they both walked into the bustling restaurant. Wei Ying couldn’t help but to feel irritated at bit his sister and best friend. What the hell did Nei Huaisang mean that I’ll know when I see him? Would’ve been better if he just showed me a picture. He thinks to himself while rolling his eyes. Though, he couldn’t deny he was extremely nervous to meet this mystery guy that he had been set up with.

“A-Niang, look! It’s the nice gege from earlier!”

Wei Ying is quick to follow his son’s line of sight, and there he was. Lan Zhan sat at a tsks closer to the window, dressed up in a light blue suit with a light cream shirt. He knew Lan Zhan was handsome, but to see him in a suit? How the sleeves seemed hug his arms just tight enough to let you know the man works out. Before he knew it, Wei Ying was being tugged towards Lan Zhan’s table. “Hey, hey! Baobei let’s not bother the nice gege, he’s probably waiting for someone.” He tried to whisper, tugging his son the other way but they were already spotted.

“Gege! Hi gege!” A-Yuan chimes as Lan Zhan stands from his chair. Was he always this tall?

“Hi, Lan Zhan. What a coincidence! A-Are you here by yourself, or…”

He can see golden eyes scanning him up and down before landing back on his face. He can’t help but shift in place at the intensity of Lan Zhan’s gaze. “I am waiting for someone.” Lan Zhan responds quietly, gaze still on Wei Ying.

“Oh… Me too!” He’s quick to add before chuckling, “Well, you already knew that… A-Are you waiting for a date?”

Lan Zhan seems to consider his answer, and Wei Ying can’t help but to find it amusing at how deflated and defeated the other looks when he responds with a quiet “Yes.”

Wei Ying laughs once more, “Not really looking forward to it? I get it, my sister and best friend set me up for mine. I don’t even know who I’m supposed to meet! Can you believe they refused to give me his name? Or even show me a picture? They really took the definition of ‘blind date’ way too serious.”

Lan Zhan stares at him wide eye, and for a moment Wei Ying thinks he said something wrong. “No offense to whoever you’re meeting, of course! I bet they’re—“

“Wei Ying?” Lan Zhan takes a step closer towards him, but he doesn’t see himself taking a step back.

Brows furrow, “Yeah? Do… Do I have something on my face?”

“I’m meeting with Wei Ying… You are Wei Ying.”

The father can only look at the other in bewilderment, was… was Lan Zhan his blind date? No, this was to good to be true. A guy like Lan Zhan… he could have anyone, the man looked like a god! “Who set you up?” He decided to ask, if he’s says ut was Nei Huaisang then he really was having a date with Lan Zhan. There were no other Wei Ying’s around, not that he knows of.

Wei Ying can tell Lan Zhan is having the same train of thought. “My brother… He was convinced by a family friend that I should… attempt to meet new people.”

“Was it Nie Huaisang? Oh my god! That asshole set everything up!” Wei Ying exclaims once Lan Zhan confirms his suspicions, hands brushing the already messy bangs from his face, a loud laugh echoing through the restaurant. He winced, tho, when people enjoying their food shoot a glare at him. “I can’t believe this…Wait, if you knew my name, why didn’t you say anything earlier.”

Lan Zhan pressed his lips together before answering. “You did not give me your name.”

“Oh— I… Huh, I was really distracted. It would’ve made things easier for the both of us, huh?” Wei Ying smiles at him. “Well… mind if we join you, then? My treat, since you were my hero earlier and I must repay your kindness and patience!”

“Are we having dinner with the nice gege??” A-Yuan suddenly chimes, wide eyes darting between the two adults. Wei Ying smiles as he ruffles his hair.

“We sure are!”

“I knew it! The Nice gege is taking my a-niang for dinner!” The toddler soon clings to Lan Zhan’s leg, which caught him off guard.

“Aiya, A-Yuan! Where are your manners?” Wei Ying chides playfully, attempting to pull his son back to his side.

“I do not mind.” Lan Zhan responds with a smile ghosting over his lips.

But I just need to pause for a minute b/c the KimChay dynamic at their first "tutoring session" is peak comedy. Kim is so on edge that he's literally experiencing an inner monologue dissecting Chay's mannerisms as if this is an episode of Death Note. Meanwhile Chay is, I think, not even trying to flirt with Kim? He just has no filter.

The range of emotions Kim experiences when Chay says he likes all sides of him sends me every time...

First, The Realization. The "ohhhhh":

Second, idk, amused? Maybe scandalized? ("r u flirting with me?"):

Third, charmed. ("ya. u r."):

‘looking forward to the next update’ and ‘I hope you update soon!’ are different vibes than a demand, and should be read in good faith because a reader is finding their way to tell you how much they love it. I will not be mad at this.

‘I don’t usually like this ship but this fic made me feel something’ is also incredibly high praise. I’m not going to get mad at this.

even ‘I love this fic but I’m curious about why you made [x] choice’ is just another way a reader is engaging in and putting thought into your work.

I just feel like a lot of authors take any comment that’s not perfectly articulated glowing praise in the exact manner they’re hoping to receive it in bad faith.

fic engagement has been dropping across the board over the last several years, and yes it’s frustrating but it isn’t as though I can’t see how it happens. comment anxiety can be a real thing. the last thing anyone wants to do is offend an author they love, and that means sometimes people default to silence.

WHERE is the obnoxious Macau going “and my brother in law said this and then my brother in law did that and did I mention that my brother in law—“ Macau having the BIGGEST crush on p’pete and chay being like “wow you are more embarrassing than me about p’kim. Did you write fanfiction about marrying p’pete yet. Do you need me to beta it. Can you finish betaing my last chapter please. I’m so close to being sold to p’kim in it.”

Where!! is the childhood au where histrionic teenage Vegas constantly wants to throttle mini Macau bc hey did you know! Macau is going to marry p’pete when he’s older :) and teenage Vegas is like HES MY BOYFRIEND GET YOUR OWN (and then he cries on his rooftop and skips rocks on the pond while listening to emo music. And Pete CANNOT believe this but he is actually out loud saying the words “no Vegas of course I’m not going to marry Macau” before they even say ily to each other.) Macau gives Pete drawings and poems and flowers ripped from the gardens BECAUSE P’PETE DESERVES THEM HIA and now Pete has to pawn entire bouquets off on his grandma bc Vegas can’t stop himself from competing with his little brother.

Where is my martial arts au where Pete is Macau’s teacher and Vegas picks Macau up after class. And there is FLIRTING happening right in front of Macau’s salad!! And he has to beg “p’pete PLEASE don’t sleep with my brother everyone who does DISAPPEARS after!” And Pete is like. How do I explain a one night stand when I am just a simple martial arts teacher. And also I’m definitely going to sleep with his brother.

Every time Macau says hi or bye “I love you p’pete!” Immediately follows bc it makes Vegas SEETHE. and when Vegas calls Pete his wife Macau just judges him and is like “hia please it’s the twenty first century. What if p’pete doesn’t like that. You should say husband instead.” Pete leaves the room immediately bc Vegas calling him “my wife” is literally the the most tame thing he likes Vegas to call him.

Shit disturber Macau who’s like “hia you’re so old I think p’pete needs to trade you in for a younger model.” Macau who sits in between Vegas and Pete on the couch at any chance he gets. Macau who negotiates and somehow wins a date night every two weeks with Pete where Vegas isn’t allowed to come with them on the basis that ITS FAMILY BONDING TIME HIA. And Vegas puts up with it bc sometimes he needs to do creepy satanic rituals in some fucking peace and quiet for once.

Macau who doesn’t even realize he likes Pete!he just thinks Pete is the coolest fucking person ever! What the actual fuck is he doing with Vegas! (But he’s not going to say that out loud bc what if p’pete REALIZES and LEAVES and that means he’s not just leaving Vegas but Macau too!!!) Macau who dates a boy and is DISTRAUGHT when they break up and chay is like bro thank god he was way too much like p’pete I thought you were over that crush? And Macau is like WHAT CRUSH.