Chapter Text
Lan Zhan arrived at the café a whole fifteen minutes early, and settled himself down with his green tea at a table right at the front, by the large windows looking out at the park across the street. He did not know if it was strange to arrive so early, or to seat himself so visibly, but he did not want his date to have any trouble finding him. His date. He had a date. That had never happened before, and he felt like he was vibrating out of his skin, a little, as he sat with his tea and tried to resist the temptation to check the door or his phone every thirty seconds.
He still felt giddy every time he thought about the fact that someone had actually asked him out. He had been walking through one of the university’s courtyards after his classes ended earlier in the week when someone had called out to him. He had turned to see a small group that he vaguely recognised from one of his larger lectures. He idly matched faces to names in his head until the one who had spoken – Liu Gan, a confident boy with nice eyes that Lan Zhan had spent longer than he cared to admit trying not to stare at – stepped forward purposefully.
“Hey, Lan Zhan. So, uh, I noticed that you’ve been looking at me a lot in class,” he had begun. Lan Zhan had instantly felt his ears grow hot as he considered the merits of just dropping out and going to bury himself in a pit in the forest. Who needed a degree when he could become one with the moss? “Can I get your number? If you’re free on Sunday, we should go on a date,” he had continued, and Lan Zhan’s entire brain had screeched to a halt because what. What.
He had blinked stupidly for a moment before managing to choke out an “I would like that.” They had swapped phones, and as he had typed his number into Liu Gan’s contacts with shaky fingers his thoughts had been a delirious mess of date!!! A date!!! and Ge will be so happy.
He had floated home on a cloud of dizzy thoughts, checking his phone again halfway to find that Liu Gan had texted him the details, ending with a ‘2pm sunday, dont be late! ;)’. The café was near campus, a popular date spot, he had realised with a little thrill in his stomach. He had sometimes wondered if he himself would ever go there for a date, but considering that he had made it all the way to his third year of university without having been on a date even once in his life, he had not held out much hope.
He had not been able to stop the small smile curving his lips, and when he had arrived back to the apartment he shared with his brother, Lan Huan had taken one look at his smile and his still-reddened ears before his eyes had gained that special sparkle that seemed to be reserved solely for Lan Zhan’s happiness.
“A-Zhan, what happened?” he had asked delightedly, and he had become downright gleeful once Lan Zhan had explained.
Lan Zhan knew that Lan Huan had been quietly worrying about Lan Zhan’s social life, or rather lack thereof, ever since Lan Zhan had come home from his first day of school and cried because none of the other children wanted to play with him. Things had been better once Lan Zhan had met his best friend Mianmian a few years later, but he still found socialising very difficult, and with Mianmian going to a different university hours away, it had been a lonely time. As he nursed his tea and checked the café’s door again, Lan Zhan was happy that his brother would no longer have to worry quite so much.
Lan Huan’s eyes had been very soft earlier that day when Lan Zhan had asked if he would help him get ready. “Of course, Zhan-di,” he had said, in a voice that felt like a hug. In truth, Lan Zhan had not really needed much help; Mianmian had already helped him pick out a soft white sweater to wear, and he was perfectly capable of preparing himself. But his brother had always been there to share in all of Lan Zhan’s ups and downs, and his comforting presence as he braided Lan Zhan’s long hair had settled his nerves like nothing else could.
Unfortunately, his nerves began to creep back in with a vengeance the longer he sat there waiting for Liu Gan to arrive. It felt like the minutes dragged by, and he was unable to prevent himself from checking his phone with increasing frequency as it approached 2pm. He had not received any new messages since Mianmian’s ‘Good luck Zhanzhan!! Have fun n tell me everything <3’, and that had been half an hour ago. He talked himself out of messaging Liu Gan at least once per minute as it approached the hour; Liu Gan had been the one who had said not to be late, after all, and as it was not yet time, he was not yet late.
When the numbers on his screen changed over to 2pm, his gaze snapped to the door, but there was no sign of his date. He counted to sixty in his head as he kept his gaze fixed on the door, and then to sixty again, and then once more for good measure, before he allowed himself to look back at his phone screen.
Well. It was past 2pm.
He refreshed his messaging app just in case it had glitched.
No new messages.
Perhaps he had been held up somehow.
As it hit 2:05, he resisted the urge to message Liu Gan, not wanting to seem desperate. Five minutes was not a big delay. He was being ridiculous.
At 2:10, he jerked as the café’s door opened, only to settle down again when it turned out to be a woman who went to join her friends at a table in the corner. He spent a good five minutes scrutinising the interior of the café, wondering if Liu Gan could somehow have entered without them seeing each other. Maybe they were both waiting at separate tables, and this would be a funny story to tell later. But Liu Gan was nowhere to be found.
At 2:15, he finally cracked, and sent off a quick message: ‘I am at the café. Have you been delayed?’ He stared at the message long after it had been delivered, but it had not been opened. He continued to look up every time the door opened, but it was never Liu Gan. His tea had grown cold. He swallowed it anyway, and it sat like a stone in his stomach.
At 2:25, he sent: ‘Did you forget?’ This date had been the only thing on Lan Zhan’s mind all week. He had found it difficult to concentrate on anything else, much to Lan Huan’s amusement. He could not have forgotten it if he had tried, but maybe Liu Gan had? He tried to ignore the sinking feeling that intensified as the minutes dragged on. Surely there had to be some reason his date had not appeared yet. The servers in the café had begun to glance over at him. He felt very exposed and very small.
At 2:30, one of the servers came over with pity in her eyes. “Can I get you anything?” she asked gently.
“A chamomile tea, please,” he replied quietly. He hoped that it would help him to be calm.
When she brought him the tea after a few minutes, she told him “This one’s on the house.” He managed to thank her without bursting into tears, but it was a near thing.
At 2:40, he sent: ‘Are you all right? Has something happened?’ After another false alarm at the door, he glanced back down at his phone and felt his breath catch when he saw that all of his messages had been opened. But as the seconds turned to minutes, Liu Gan did not write anything in reply. He sent another message: ‘Hello?’ It was opened immediately, but still no reply was forthcoming.
In desperation, he turned to social media. He never used it, but he still had some bare-boned accounts thanks to Lan Huan’s well-intentioned attempts to help his social prospects. He found Liu Gan’s profile and looked at his most recent posts, in the faint hope that he might be able to find some sort of an explanation for what was happening. As soon as he did, he felt sick, as if acid was running down the insides of his abdomen.
‘i bet that i could get the campus ice block to agree to go on a date w me AND I DID so suck on that, losers!! there were witnesses and everything! but like he’s STILL messaging me even tho he’s been waiting for like an hour lmaooo like its not that deep!! when is it gonna sink in that your being stood up?? how stupid do you have to be lol’
He felt the words like a physical blow, the pain coursing through him as he distantly re-read the post. Eventually, he set the phone down, his ears burning in sheer roiling humiliation. He drew the sleeves of his soft white sweater down over his hands and just stared at them for a while, even as his vision grew blurry. What was he even doing here? It was almost 3pm. Clearly there was a reason he had never been on a date before. How could he have thought that this would be any different? How could he have thought that anyone would ever actually want to go on a date with him? Dates were for people who could converse freely without getting nervous, who did not have to struggle to find the right words, who could succeed in conveying their emotions to others in a way that could be easily understood, not, not – ice blocks. What was he going to tell his ge? What was he going to tell Mianmian? He felt sick and very stupid as he blinked back tears in the middle of the café.
He jumped, shocked out of his thoughts, as someone opened the door to the café with excessive force. The newcomer was about his own age, dressed mostly in black aside from some red accents: his scarf, the laces of his boots, the scrunchie that pulled his hair up into a messy ponytail. He had very pretty eyes, very pretty – everything, really, but the most striking thing about him was that his gaze was fixed unerringly on Lan Zhan, and he was making a beeline right for him.
“Sweetheart! I’m so so late, sorry, sorry, a thousand apologies! Aiya, how could I have made you wait like this! You would not believe the time I’ve had trying to get here!” As the stranger spoke, he smoothly made his way to Lan Zhan’s table and plopped down in the seat across from him. Lan Zhan had never seen him before in his life, and yet here he was, stowing his bag at his feet and looking every inch the penitent boyfriend. He briefly wondered if he had somehow crossed into a parallel universe, because what.
It was as if his entrance had broken a spell. The café servers looked profoundly relieved and stopped scrutinising Lan Zhan, and everything seemed a bit warmer and brighter than it had been a minute ago. The background noise of the café seemed to pick up, and Lan Zhan no longer felt so horribly exposed.
He did, however, feel very confused, and still quite vulnerable. He sniffled a little as he got the last of his tears under control, and swallowed before saying “Hello?” in a small voice. It was not, perhaps, the most elegant way to phrase his question, but considering he didn’t even know what to ask, it worked to convey his general bafflement.
The stranger smiled at him, and he felt his ears grow pink with a kinder blush. His smile was the most beautiful thing Lan Zhan had ever seen. “Hi,” he said warmly, eyes crinkling, and his voice was so kind that Lan Zhan felt a little like crying again. “I hope you don’t mind, I’m so sorry if I’m overstepping. But I come to the park to draw, sometimes, and I saw you in the window, and you’ve been here for a while and it kinda seemed like you were being stood up? Which, whoever did that is a monster, by the way, they don’t deserve you, I don’t mean to interfere in a stranger’s relationship but that is seriously not on. Anyway, you looked so sad and I thought to myself, this won’t do! How dare someone make such an angel look so sad! So I just kind of marched over and now here I am! I’m Wei Ying. What’s your name?”
Lan Zhan blinked, feeling his ears blush a little deeper. Angel? “Lan Zhan,” he managed. “And you did not. Interfere.”
Wei Ying cocked his head with a small questioning chirp. Oh. He was so cute.
Lan Zhan haltingly forced himself to elaborate, gesturing towards his phone where it still lay on the table between them. “I discovered that the boy who asked me out did so as a bet. It was never intended to be a real date. There was no relationship to interfere with. No apology is necessary.” He tried to keep his voice steady, just a statement of objective fact, but he found that he could not fully stop it from trembling, the hurt still too fresh.
Wei Ying’s pretty mouth was drawn into a thin line. “That’s awful. What kind of scum would –” He cut himself off, his jaw tight, seeming to need a moment to gather himself. Lan Zhan felt somewhat comforted by his anger. He looked up, eyes bright and intent on Lan Zhan’s face in a way that made his stomach feel funny. “Lan Zhan, listen to me. You did nothing wrong, okay? You didn’t deserve that. I hope you don’t think that it’s anything to do with you, because it’s not. Anyone would be lucky to date you. I’ve only just met you and I can tell that already!”
How did Wei Ying know exactly what to say? It took a moment before Lan Zhan was able to respond. “I would not know,” he said eventually. “No one ever has.”
“W– no one’s ever dated you?”
“Mn. Never.”
Wei Ying gaped openly. “But…”
“I am not good with people. They say I am… cold. Unfeeling.” Lan Zhan could feel his shoulders drawing in as he spoke. He looked back down at the fabric of his sweater where it lay drawn over his hands, feeling the softness between his fingers.
Abruptly, another pair of hands invaded his vision, settling over his sweater paws and squeezing his own hands gently. He looked up, eyes wide, to find Wei Ying’s smile, as gentle as his touch. His heart sped up, until it was thrumming rabbit-quick in his chest.
“Well, they’re clearly wrong,” said Wei Ying, and he said it with such certainty that Lan Zhan could not help but believe him, feeling the surety of it settle warm inside his ribcage, spreading out beside his rabbit-quick heart. “Lan Zhan,” he said next, and now he seemed – nervous? “I was – aiya, I was always going to ask this, really, but, if you want to… only if you want to! Would – would you like to go on a date with me? Right now?”
And words rarely came easily to Lan Zhan, but it felt like the easiest thing in the world to say: “Wei Ying. Yes.” To let his lips curve up into a smile of his own. Wei Ying looked rather like he had just been beaten over the head with a chair. Lan Zhan’s smile widened, and Wei Ying made a helpless little noise, as if distressed.
“It is fortunate,” Lan Zhan reflected wryly, feeling his heart sing in his chest, “that I am already dressed for a date. I do not have to worry about my appearance.”
Wei Ying startled into laughter, and Lan Zhan felt like he had received a great blessing. “Lan Zhan!” he cackled delightedly. “You’re funny!” He could count on one hand the number of people who had ever said that he was funny. His little smile grew proud, happy that he could make Wei Ying happy. “And you definitely don’t have to worry about your appearance, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying purred, but he was undeniably earnest as he continued, “You look beautiful.” He took in Lan Zhan’s stunned silence and flushed ears with satisfaction, before growing sheepish. “Although maybe I need to worry about mine,” he laughed nervously, “I had just planned to sketch in the park today, not go on a date with the best-looking person I’ve ever seen!”
Lan Zhan frowned even as he felt his ears blush harder. He had to correct this grave misconception. “Wei Ying is beautiful,” he stated, with all the gravitas he possessed, which was a considerable amount.
He was rewarded with the sight of Wei Ying blushing. His cheeks flushed pink and he squeaked – cute! – before hiding his face in his hands. “Ah, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan! You must warn me before you say such sweet things with such an earnest face, my heart can’t take it!”
“Mn. Will warn Wei Ying next time.” He nodded seriously, startling Wei Ying into giggles once more. Lan Zhan felt like a tiny sun had taken up residence in his chest. He wanted to bottle the sound and carry it around with him.
“Let’s go to the park, hmm? The trees are so pretty this time of year, and I think you’ve had quite enough of sitting in this café for one day.”
“Mn.”
The smile he got from Wei Ying in response was blinding.
The autumn air was crisp, but Lan Zhan didn’t even feel the nip in the air. Wei Ying had slipped his hand into his as they waited to cross the street – “Road safety, Lan Zhan! You have to hold hands when you’re crossing the street, it’s the rules!” – and he hadn’t let go since, towing Lan Zhan around the park eagerly to show him all the best drawing spots and the prettiest trees.
The trees were, admittedly, very pretty, resplendent in their autumn colours, but Lan Zhan much preferred looking at Wei Ying, at the way his eyes lit up as he spoke about his favourite places to draw at the park, the way he was in constant motion, too much exuberance to be contained. Lan Zhan said as much, solemnly warning Wei Ying as requested before informing him that, pretty as the trees were, Wei Ying was prettier. Wei Ying gaped, stunned, before hiding his blushing face against Lan Zhan’s shoulder, wailing: “The warning didn’t help! How am I supposed to prepare myself for that, Lan Zhan? You – you’re so! So! Argh! Unfair!” But his grip on Lan Zhan’s hand only tightened, and Lan Zhan wondered if he could feel Lan Zhan’s heartbeat thundering at having him so close.
They talked about anything and everything, Lan Zhan’s usual fear of awkward conversation banished in the face of Wei Ying’s unparalleled ability to chatter on cheerfully about whatever crossed his mind. Lan Zhan didn’t feel pressured to contribute, but when he wanted to speak his contributions were welcomed and valued. It was wonderfully freeing. Lan Zhan felt a little like a flower unfurling in the gentle warmth of the sun.
They talked about themselves as well, learning that they went to the same university, but their paths had never crossed because of their different courses – Lan Zhan in the Music Department, and Wei Ying in the Engineering Department.
“I like making things,” Wei Ying said, “in whatever way I can. It’s part of why I like to draw as a hobby. But I’d like to make something really cool someday, to invent something that can improve people’s lives. What about you, Lan Zhan?”
“I want to be a music therapist,” he said, finding that it was easy to open up, with Wei Ying. Comfortable. “Words have always been… difficult, for me. But music… gives me a voice. I can find myself, at my guqin, make myself understood in a way that I often cannot when I try to speak. With music, no words are necessary. It is emotion, communication, in its purest form. If I had had access to music therapy when I was young, I think that it could have helped me, reached me, in ways that nothing else could. I want to help reach out to others. I want to help them to find themselves, when nothing else can.”
He was a little taken aback at how much he had spoken, how easily. He managed to refrain from telling Wei Ying all about his mother’s death and its aftermath, the darkest time in his life. Surely, that was too much for a first meeting, a first date. But he had the feeling that, when he did, Wei Ying would listen. Would understand. Was it too early to feel like this? Wei Ying’s dark eyes were soft and awed as he looked at Lan Zhan, his hand warm in Lan Zhan’s own. It was a little terrifying, feeling like this, but it was exciting also. He felt like he could give his heart to Wei Ying. Wei Ying would keep it safe.
A little while later, Wei Ying’s eyes lit up when he spotted an ice cream van, and he tugged excitedly on Lan Zhan’s hand. “Lan Zhan, I know it’s a little chilly today, but it’s never too cold for ice cream! Can we get some?” He cheered when Lan Zhan agreed, though privately Lan Zhan thought that he would have agreed to anything if it meant that he could keep that light in Wei Ying’s eyes.
Wei Ying did not tease him for being boring when he asked for vanilla, and Lan Zhan bloomed a little more. Instead, he looked at him with fondness and said: “Sweet! Just like Lan Zhan.”
Lan Zhan was helpless to stop his smile, helpless to stop his pink ears, so full of happiness that it had to spill out of him somehow. He felt an answering fondness as he looked at Wei Ying’s own riotously colourful cone, complete with rainbow sprinkles, and replied: “Mn. Vibrant, just like Wei Ying.”
Wei Ying ducked his head shyly with another flustered noise, but could not fight his own smile, Lan Zhan observed with satisfaction. He was so easily affected whenever he received a compliment, even though he seemed to give them so effortlessly. Lan Zhan resolved to continue to compliment Wei Ying whenever the opportunity arose.
They sat on a bench to eat their ice cream, and Lan Zhan was hopelessly endeared by Wei Ying’s delighted little wiggle, the happy little sounds he made as he ate. Just as Wei Ying had said, the ice cream was tasty despite the slight chill in the air.
After they had finished eating their cones – or, as Wei Ying put it, “consuming the evidence” – Lan Zhan did start to feel the cold a bit. He shivered, and almost immediately found himself cocooned in a soft red warmth. His eyes widened as he realised that Wei Ying had wrapped his scarf around him.
“Wei Ying,” he said, touched by the gesture, his heart once again running rabbit-fast in his chest.
“We can’t have Lan Zhan getting cold, now can we?” Wei Ying grinned at him, and Lan Zhan’s chest squeezed. “And don’t worry about me,” he continued, somehow divining the path of Lan Zhan’s thoughts just as he had in the café, “I have you to keep me warm, after all!” He sidled close and grabbed Lan Zhan’s arm as he spoke, mischief sparkling in his eyes.
“Mn.” With a serious nod, Lan Zhan scooted closer, until their sides were fully pressed together. He melted into Wei Ying’s warmth, contentedly nuzzling down into the scarf. It smelled a little like lotus flowers. He liked it a lot.
Wei Ying seemed utterly undone by this. “You –! Ah! How are you so cute?” He lamented quietly, and hid in Lan Zhan’s shoulder again. Lan Zhan liked that even more.
They traded stories of their siblings as they sat snuggled together. At one point, Wei Ying giggled after a story about Lan Huan’s uncanny knack for guessing what Lan Zhan wanted to eat, sometimes even before he knew it himself. “I can’t wait to introduce my Jiejie to your Ge,” he said. “Can you imagine the pure older sibling energy? They’d be unstoppable!” Something seemed to occur to him after a moment. “Ah, I mean, only if you want to, of course, Lan Zhan! There’s no pressure...” he trailed off, looking uncertain.
It seemed that Lan Zhan was not alone in hoping that there would be many more dates in the future. Good. He turned soft eyes on Wei Ying and stated calmly, “We will introduce them.”
Wei Ying’s smile was a little shy, but very bright, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence.
Eventually, Lan Zhan became aware that the light had begun to slant at some time while they were talking, and he realised to his pleasant surprise that they had been in the park together for hours already. Time passed so easily with Wei Ying. He did not want the day to end.
“It’s getting to be near time for dinner, isn’t it?” Wei Ying piped up from beside him. “I know a great little noodle place nearby, if you want to get some food?”
Lan Zhan felt a happy little thrill. “I would like that,” he said, feeling his lips curve into a smile again. He could not remember the last time he had smiled so much in one day.
The noodle place was small, and it had a cheerful atmosphere that Lan Zhan thought suited Wei Ying well. Wei Ying ordered a dish with a truly concerning number of chilis beside it, and laughed when he saw Lan Zhan’s wide eyes.
After Lan Zhan’s own choice (which had no chilis beside it, because Lan Zhan liked being able to taste things when he ate) they settled in to wait for their food.
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying’s eyes were twinkling under the restaurant’s lights. He was beautiful.
“Wei Ying.”
“We’ve done this all out of order, it’s so funny. Can I have your number?” He batted his eyelashes winningly at Lan Zhan from across the table.
“Mn.” Lan Zhan felt so full up with fondness that he could burst. As if he would ever refuse Wei Ying. The very thought was ridiculous.
He unlocked his phone. The screen was still open at Liu Gan’s post, and Lan Zhan blinked down at it for a second. He felt a little silly to realise that he had completely forgotten about Liu Gan’s cruelty in the warm sunlight of Wei Ying’s presence.
“Lan Zhan?”
“It’s nothing.” He closed the app, opening up a new contact and sliding the phone across to Wei Ying. As he entered his own number into Wei Ying’s phone, he elaborated: “This has been a day of emotional extremes. Thank you for coming to rescue me, Wei Ying. You have a kind and beautiful heart. I was very hurt and sad earlier. But it was worth every second, because of you. I feel truly blessed that I was able to meet you like this.” He felt soft and molten to the core as he gazed across at Wei Ying.
Wei Ying was frozen, unable to speak, his eyes very bright as he stared at Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan reached over and tentatively held the hand that wasn’t holding his phone, cradling it with his own.
“Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying squeezed his hand tightly. He blinked rapidly as he wrestled with his words. “How can you be real? You –” He let out a wet laugh. “Lan Zhan ah, Lan Zhan. You’re too good. You don’t need to thank me, sweetheart. Truly, I am the blessed one. You’re so – you’re amazing, Lan Zhan. I’m so, so happy I walked into that café.”
They sat there smiling softly at each other until their noodles arrived, Wei Ying’s a dangerous red that hurt Lan Zhan just to look at, and Lan Zhan’s a much more sensible colour.
The night was drawing in like an embrace when they spilled out of the restaurant with full bellies and full hearts. Wei Ying insisted on walking him home, assuring him that it wasn’t out of his way, and Lan Zhan’s heart felt too big for his chest.
When they reached the door of Lan Zhan’s building, he moved to return the scarf, but Wei Ying stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“Keep it for now,” he said, smile crinkling his eyes. “That way you can give it back to me the next time we see each other.”
“Mn. Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Wei Ying gasped.
“Tomorrow,” he confirmed. “We will get lunch on campus, if Wei Ying wants.”
“Wei Ying wants,” he replied, delighted and fond.
Lan Zhan’s heart was pounding. He gathered up his courage, and reached out to tuck some of Wei Ying’s hair behind his ear. “Wei Ying.”
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying breathed.
“I know it is fast. If it is too soon, I understand, and I will gladly meet you tomorrow regardless.”
“Regardless? Regardless of what?”
“Wei Ying. If you – I. Be my boyfriend?”
“Lan Zhan. Yes. I would love nothing more.”
“Oh,” Lan Zhan breathed, and he felt certain that if anyone looked at him, they would be able to see him glowing from within.
Wei Ying smiled his beautiful smile, and cupped Lan Zhan’s cheeks in his warm hands, gently, so gently, the way he held his heart.
“Lan Zhan,” he whispered. “Lan Zhan. Can I kiss you?”
“Please.” Lan Zhan slipped his fingers into the hair at the base of Wei Ying’s skull, where it had escaped from his ponytail. He looked into Wei Ying’s eyes for as long as he could, and then his eyelids fluttered shut, and Wei Ying’s mouth met his.
It was chaste. Soft. A gentle press of feeling, lips against lips. It was the best thing Lan Zhan had ever felt. When they pulled back slowly, with pink cheeks and bright eyes, Lan Zhan’s lips burned. He did not know if it was the chili oil, or if it was just Wei Ying.
“Wow,” Wei Ying breathed.
“Wow,” Lan Zhan agreed, and he could not stop the laugh that escaped him, pure exhilaration winging into the air.
Wei Ying stared at him in awe, kissed lips slightly parted, before drawing him into his arms and hugging him tight. Lan Zhan held him in return, and it was warm and soft and perfect.
When they did eventually have to part, Lan Zhan could barely remember how to get the door open. Once inside the stairwell, he just leaned against the wall for a while, waiting for his legs to stop feeling so weak, feeling his heart sing in his chest, smiling so wide his cheeks ached with it.
He checked his phone as he climbed the stairs, sunlight spilling out of every part of him.
‘See you tomorrow, Lan Zhan!! <3’
‘See you tomorrow, Wei Ying. <3’
Well. It would seem he had a date.