Chapter Text
A cold day in November made Wei Ying regret wearing only his cropped university hoodie and washed out jeans. Wen Qing had warned him before he rushed out the door that the weather was not good, but by the time he realized he should have listened to her and grab a coat he was already down the five flights of stairs and running late for his neuropathology class. The elevator broke down last year and held a dusty sign that read ‘Out of service, will be fixed soon’ on it. He did not have time to climb all the way back up the stairs and find his old coat, or to search for an umbrella.
He prayed to the weather gods and shouldered his way out the door, running in the pelting rain with his hood up and backpack cradled in his arms across the street and right to the campus grounds-always so thankful that his shared apartment was so close.
Barely dodging students around the corners, he made it just in time for the ten minute time frame to be up and quietly slipped into the lecture hall, taking a seat at the very top row. His jeans were damp, he was out of breath and hungry, and the thick material of his hoodie clung to the exposed skin of his stomach. He had to sit there and suffer for an hour and thirty minutes in the mess the rain made him and listen to the professor talk earnestly about the exact things Wei Ying was interested in.
Class ended ten minutes early but Wei Ying stayed in his spot and watched the other students pack up and leave while he waited. Alpha, alpha, beta, alpha -he counted. Two..three…four omega’s including himself, so five total in a fifty person lecture hall.
“Wei Ying.”
“Lan Zhan!”
Wei Ying shot from his seat while his best friend took in his dampened state and sighed. “You should not have left your home without knowing the weather. You will get sick.”
He brushed it off and followed the Alpha through the open door, plucking at the hem of the hoodie. “It’s fine, it’s fine! I’ll be dry soon! At least I didn’t get my hair wet!”
“Wei Ying.”
“Ah, don’t be like that, Lan Zhan! I was running late and the elevator is still broken. There was nothing I could do!”
“Why was Wei Ying running late?”
The question urged Wei Ying into gushing about his newest interest in taxidermy. An odd hobby that he recently-over the weekend, recent- took up. He used thumbtacks around the apartment and swiped spare ones he could find in the library and used that, and the rusted scalpel from his lab to cut open bugs that Wen Ning caught for him. He took out his phone and showed Lan Zhan the pictures while they strode through the other students, towards the cafe. His best friend hummed at every photo, complimenting Wei Ying’s work with the little supplies he had.
See. This is one of the reasons why he loved having the alpha as one of his best friends.
In the very beginning, during their first year in school, the two of them got along together like fire and ice. Oil and water. Lemon and vinegar.
One disagreement in humanities over medical morality had Lan Zhan disliking everything about Wei Wuxian. He always ignored him in and out of class, scolded him over everything he did, refused to look at him to the point that it would tae Wei Ying’s insistent nature to garner a reaction from him. Lan Zhan would go red in the ears and call him ‘Shameless’ and ‘Ridiculous’ before storming off.
He wasn’t sure what it was, but in their final year of undergrad, Lan Zhan had somewhere along the way stopped hating him. Their friendship blossomed into something beautiful. Wei Ying came to appreciate the rigid aspects about his friend's personality and habits. Lan Zhan was extremely intelligent and matched Wei Ying’s own mind, he was a great study partner, and the chiding he gave Wei Ying didn’t come from a place of malice-had it ever?- but because that was his way of showing his concern. He also listened to Wei Wuxian when he spoke about medical mysteries, poisons, experimental treatments and did not call him odd for his interest in death. Or things that have died. There were some alpha’s that thought of him as a weird omega despite his rarity and gave him odd looks in class or in the hallways.
Lan Zhan had never done that.
His family thousands of miles away in China, Lan Zhan, Wen Qing, and Wen Ning were the people he saw daily. His own little family he’d created over the years. Years that he also hadn’t seen his Shijie or brother and uncle-he missed them and zoom called whenever possible, but they were busy people as much as he was so the video’s were rare. Their point of contact lied mostly in texting and selfies with an occasional, short, phone call. Wei Ying felt appreciative of the constants in his life, it made his days feel like there were breaks-pauses- in the consistent, busy schedule.
He finished showing the photos and tucked his phone away. The cafe was nearby, though Lan Zhan guided them down another hall and to the restrooms. He stopped and removed his bag, stripping out of his light blue sweatshirt to hand it to Wei Ying. “You will get sick.”
A grin slid onto his face. “Thanks! Lan Zhan-I’ll be quick!”
He dressed out of his hoodie and slipped on his best friend’s sweatshirt and balled up his soaked one in his hand. Everything smelled like sandalwood-it smelled so warm and comforting, he buried his nose in it and breathed in the scent. It tickled something inside of him-a tickle he usually got when in the presence of his best friend.
When he emerged from the bathroom he gave him another blinding grin and asked him what he thought. Golden eyes ran over him, “Acceptable. Keep it.”
“I thought so, too! Don’t worry! I will take good care of it!” The two of them gathered their things and left for their destination, Wei Wuxian happily strolling beside the other man.
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A broke college student, Wei Wuxian had to work on top of getting his degree as a Forensic Pathologist. Unlike his days as an elementary student, there wasn’t much opportunity in America to simply carry boxes in stores for feeble aunties, or to tutor students around him when the school offers free tutoring. He had to find a job that would allow him to work with a loose schedule, a decent pay, and odd hours. He was lucky to get in contact with a fellow Chinese student who’s aunt had a Medical Examiner's office one town over. Extremely lucky because this job also counted towards several of his lab classes-Lan Zhan spoke to someone and thus a deal was struck.
So lucky indeed.
The money was enough to pay for his daily expenses and rent at the end of the month. He rarely had to dip into his own personal savings, thankfully. He had scholarships to help him along the way but there were still loans and a credit card he had to pay off, so some nights he’d clock in and join in an important, high priority autopsy much like tonight.
A child found inside a bathtub in a random apartment, already cut open when they placed the body on the table. Organ traffickers , he thought.
He scrubbed down and washed his hands, finally, after a while. Irritation at the nose and mouth, the cause of chloroform. The child had been knocked unconscious and the cause of death ruled as a snap of the upper cervical spine. The child died from the fast acting cardiac and respiratory failure from the snap.
He brought the paperwork out of the morgue and into the storage, filing it away, then clocked out in time to see the sun beginning to rise.
He then went straight to school and slept in one of the couches in the library for four, wonderful hours until he went to his next class.
After noon he threw himself in the chair across from Lan Zhan and slumped onto the table, “I’m gonna do it.”
He didn’t look up from his work, “What, Wei Ying?”
“I’m going to quit the medical examiner's office and download a sugar daddy app on my phone. You don’t think the Jiang’s will find out if I do, do you?”
Lan Zhan, far used to this specific complaint of his, simply told him, “Wei Ying cannot quit because the job allows Wei Ying to receive credit for his laboratory classes. Wei Ying is a special omega, Alpha’s do not respect the privacy of such special omega’s, and will tell everyone they can if they become your sponsor. Wei Ying should not waste his time on someone that will be discourteous and only think about what they want and ignore Wei Ying’s desires.”
“I’m so tireeddd, Lan Zhaaannnn.”
“Go home and sleep.”
“I have to study though, we have a test next week and I won’t have time to study for it this weekend. I still have that paper to finish in crime scene investigation-Lan Zhannnnnnn.” He whined.
Lan Zhan closed his book-it worried Wei Ying for a second- then told him to wait.
He watched him leave, then return soon thereafter with a no spill, metal, starbucks tumbler in hand. The only sort of tumbler technically allowed inside the library, but a rule only Lan Zhan cared to follow. It was the newest version on their shelf and for the size it was, easily at least thirty dollars. On top of the price he paid for the steaming liquid on the inside that warmed Wei Ying’s hands when handed to him.
“Lan Zhan-you didn’t have to get me this.”
“Ridiculous.”
“Hey, hey. I will pay you back my next paycheck-”
“It is a gift for Wei Ying.” He told him, opening his book once more. “Gifts do not need to be repaid.”
He really must’ve been cold, too. The heat of the mug warmed all of Wei Ying-he should probably let the coffee cool down.
He waited, then brought the edge to his lips, taking a small sip and smiling once his usual brown sugar oatmeal cortado touched his tongue. Five pumps of brown sugar, extra foam. He took a longer sip, then pulled out his own study material, suddenly motivated to study.
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He returned later that evening and despite the coffee having worn off by then, he had energy to wash out the cup and place it on the drying rack for use tomorrow. All he cared about now was to sleep. Sleep and sleep until he could not do it anymore.
When Wen Qing walked through the door of the apartment she was in no better of a state than he was. Tossing her keys on the counter along with the pile of mail, she dragged herself over and fell on the couch right on top of him where he’d been watching her the entire time. Her head rested on the end of his calf and her heel dug into the back of his head. “Where’s a-ning?”
Wei Ying groaned into the armrest. “Nooooo. No talk. Only sleep.”
She pulled a yelp from him by shoving his head forward, “Answer.”
“Went with a-yang to get food.”
She sighed. “Of course.”
“They promised egg rolls.”
“I could eat five of them.”
“Good thing they said they’d get ten. And lots of duck sauce.”
His roommate/best friend/sister groaned, “How much longer?”
“Thirty if they go straight and come back. Fifty if they find an ally to makeout in.”
He could feel her frown from here. “I will kill a-yang and make it look like an accident.”
“I’ll forge the medical report to help.”
For a while after that they sat there in a comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the main street and the occasional police cruiser that would drive past. The occasional beep of the low battery smoke alarm acted as a white noise, lulling him back into his dream he had before Wen Qing had showed up.
“...wha?”
“...mail.”
He blinked harder and twisted so he could see his best friend looking at him under the arm shielding her eyes. “I said, you have mail. Probably a few days old. And no, they weren’t bills. I think it was your sister’s handwriting and-Wei Wuxian!”
He apologized and accepted the heat of her glare where she now sat on the ground and went for the pile of discarded mail.
He found the light purple envelope and opened it-there was a short note, saying how his sister missed him and that she expected him to come to China this summer. Sorry, Shijie . He thought at first.
Then came the item that still lay in the envelope.
He read it-a mix of emotions stirring in his chest. His Shijie is getting married in the summer, and to that Peacock of all people. She’s getting married and also expects Wei Ying to be there for the bridal party. “Shijie’s getting married! Shit-what should I wear!? What gift should I bring?!”
“I don’t know! Isn’t there a dress code or something? And I’m pretty sure you are the gift, dumbass. You haven’t seen her in person for five years. She won’t care about a stupid gift if it’s you that’s bringing it.”
“Ah…but I still have to bring something-”
“When is it? Summer? We have time, we’ll find a gift for her together. You have like…eight months.”
“How’d you know it was the summer?”
“The Jins always get married in the summer.”
He did not know that.
“What about that other letter?”
What other letter? He set aside the invitation and his sister’s letter, not having to look too hard for the one she spoke about-
Pure ice water spilled all over his body .
For five years he had not seen, wrote or spoke to the woman. It had been five years ago that he packed his belongings and was dropped off by his Uncle, brother and Sister at the airport, waving him goodbye as he headed for America. Madam Yu had only gone so far to see him walk off the property, and didn’t bother to say a proper goodbye. This entire time he hadn’t heard from her-what could she want? Was it to tell him to not bother coming to the wedding-that his five years of refusing his return to home meant he was no longer part of the family?
He opened the letter.
He read the letter.
He stared at the letter.
The door to the apartment swung open gently, Wen Ning’s gentle voice miles away to Wei Wuxian’s thoughts.
He read the letter over and over. He wished he’d never opened it to begin with.
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Ever since he could remember when he was a child, the moment Uncle Jiang whisked Wei Ying to Lotus Pier and handed him off to the servants to be cleaned, to the moment he found himself under the scrutinizing gaze of Madam Yu, he had known that their support wouldn’t be forever. The first words the woman spoke to him were cut throat and scared him at four years old and freshly adopted.
“The second you turn eighteen you had better never call or ask us for help.”
Over the years, Jiang Fengmian would argue with his wife over her callousness and assure Wei Ying that it would never come to that. That Wei Ying will always have a room in their home and the backing of the Jiang name. He had even set aside a personal account for Wei Ying when he was ten and began declining car rides home and started coming home later after school, finding odd jobs by helping the merchants in town or tutoring his classmates for extra cash. It had made his uncle frown when he explained his reasoning and why he was saving, so his uncle opened an account for Wei Ying to have access to when he turned eighteen.
A small part of him hoped that her years of threatening him and snide comments about not being able to wait till his eighteenth were only that, a threat.Though he also knew that if Madam Yu wanted it that badly, she would drop him off in some random location the moment the clock would strike 12am on his eighteenth whether or not he was prepared for it. So Wei Ying kept saving money and working through middle school. His uncle had decided if Wei Ying wanted to work to help put money in his account that he could help in the family business. Out of the Jiang maritime Shipping company, the resorts, restaurant chains and training centers, he believed Wei Ying would do best in the latter most listed, so his days were spent attending school then walking to the training center not far away and working there for some hours, then returning home to do his homework and mess with Jiang Cheng.
The pay was decent and for all of the nonsense Wei Ying spewed and the mischief he got into, he was studious in his savings. His uncle would clap him on the shoulder and give him a proud smile sometimes, it made Wei Ying feel good.
Now, of course, all of this rode on the fact that Wei Ying would one day present to be an alpha just like his mother and father had been.
His mother, a lawyer and partner of Baoshan Sanren-his not-grand mother who sent him birthday and christmas gifts when she found out the Jiang’s had taken him in-had met Wei Changze, best friend of Jiang Fengmian and head chef at one of his many restaurants, and fell in love. They were both alpha’s who were well known for their many talents and strengths, Wei Ying was a product of their union and displayed all of the same qualities his parents held when they were alive. Loud, playful and witty like his mother, strong, fast and athletic like his father. Wei Ying displayed all of the qualities of a good alpha from a young age, a fact that pissed off Madam Yu and was the center for arguments between Wei Ying and his brother.
Wei Ying was confident in his abilities and also believed that when he turned thirteen, he would become an alpha like the rest of his peers.
His thirteenth came.
Nothing happened.
Jiang Cheng, for once, had a leg up in presenting earlier than Wei Ying, as an Alpha.
Where Jiang Cheng was given his courtesy name and gained the scent of an electric storm, Wei Ying was given ‘Wuxian’ and kept his scent of baby powder.
Madam Yu was pleased. Jin Zixuan had something to poke at and Jiang Cheng had something that made his father recognize him more.
That peacock and his followers annoyed the hell out of Wei Ying, though he dished out his own insults easily and accepted the fact that he’d be a late bloomer. It didn’t matter to him as much as it did to his brother. I’ll just present next year. Were his exact thoughts.
Then the next year came, there still was no change.
And the year after.
His uncle took him straight to a physician the day after his fifteenth with Shijie in tow.
“If his parents were both Alpha’s, and he hasn’t presented yet, I suspect he may be a dominant alpha. The presentation of a dominant alpha is delayed in most cases. The body has to prepare itself to properly acclimate to the world and scents around them, and to balance out their hormones. In a case like this, I expect that he may even go into a rut when his presentation happens. So please, be prepared for this to happen. Have a safe space ready for him, no sharps, only soft things and make sure there is a water and food source....”
He stopped listening after that.
Yes, a dominant alpha would be something he could shove in that Peacock’s stupid face. If only the storm brewing on the horizon courtesy of Madam Yu’s wrath didn’t exist, then he could have enjoyed the news like he should.
That evening when they returned to the manor just resting on the edge of a crystalline blue lake, Madam Yu’s raging voice could be heard throughout the home and in the garden where Wei Wuxian hid. For hours her screeching and Jiang Fengmian’s gentle coaxing could be heard on and off.
Jiang Cheng found him tucked in a corner bush and snuck him inside and practically threw him in his room so he wouldn’t freeze to death on that cold, raining day. Shijie fed him and the Jiang siblings expertly snuck him in and out of the house for the two weeks it took for her anger to shave off.
Really, Wei Ying couldn’t have cared less about it all. Alpha or beta. It didn’t matter. His only worry had been the steadfast ticking of a clock, counting down the days that Madam Yu would or would not throw him out into the cold.
By the beginning of his Junior year he began applying to colleges all across the country and in America. His grades have always been excellent even if his worth as a student was questionable, and depended on which teacher was asked. He had no qualms or reason to not apply to prestigious schools and also applied for all sorts of scholarships as well. He’s thought long and hard about what he wanted for his future and it always came down to two things, security and travel.
“Just double major in something, stupid.” Jiang Cheng had told him one day. “Or stay and go to school for Law. Then you can partner with your grandmother.”
He’d made a face. “Me? In a stuffy suit all day?”
“Right. You’d rather stick your hand in fucking dirt than do that. Mud suits you more anyway.”
Through the month of October, leading up to the thirty-first and his seventeenth, he kept pondering and pondering what exactly he could do. His decision should parallel the appropriate university he’d choose in a few years. He was anxious. Tapping his pen or biting his fingernails, his focus to study nonexistent. For weeks he felt on edge and had an unease sitting in the base of his stomach. He hadn’t thought much of these feelings or the sudden need to take Jiang Cheng and A-jie’s things without asking-a large shirt that smelled like a current, a wool scarf that smelled of a flower shop and earth both held captive on the ever growing pile on his bed.
“A-xian?” A-jie’s cool hand pressed onto his forehead. “Are you sick? How long were you in the rain with A-cheng last night? Did you not warm yourself up properly?”
His breathing was ragged, and there was a pressure on his chest. He normally would have brushed aside the worry, say that he was ‘just fine’ and go to the car Uncle Jiang and his brother were waiting for them. Or maybe joke that he was three and needed his sister to dote on him like a child.
Instead a gurtled whine built at the base of his throat and slipped out into the nearly empty foyer. Like something inside him was pleased to have the attention and gentle comfort from someone similar to himself.
As soon as it left his mouth his sister’s eyes widened in tandem with his own.
“A-xian, a-xian. Sit. Sit, sit.” She made him sit on the small bench. “Stay here, I’ll be right back-I promise, I’ll be right back!” She assured him quickly, after another whine had escaped him, but a cry for her to not leave.
She dropped her bag and ran out the door, shouting for her father.
Wei Ying’s head slumped back into the wall. Everything felt so hot all of a sudden. There were so many smells and too much noise.
A hand touched him and he flinched, eyes shooting open to see the face of his very confused and concerned uncle. Behind him was Jiang Cheng who looked at him like he’d fallen and busted his head open.
“A-xian, stay with me.” His uncle snapped his finger. “I think you are beginning your presentation, let’s get you up to your room, okay? Can you walk?”
He couldn’t speak, therefore he couldn’t walk. His uncle took the lack of an answer and scooped him up. Another noise fell out of his mouth in complaint-he was too hot and his Shushu did not smell like himself. It was too much. All of it was too much.
His bedroom door opened and his sister immediately clocked in on something about the bed, pointing it out to her father. Carefully, his uncle laid him out on the lumps of clothes, hair ties, ribbons and suit ties he’d taken. Calmness and security blanketed him-he buried his face in the familiar scents of his family and shivered. There was rustling, words being spoken and his door opening and shutting every so often. He blacked out.
When he came to he was sticky in sweat and incredibly thirsty. His body was half obscured by all of the clothing items he’d taken. There were new smells and new sounds. Most notably was the gentle scent with a hint of a fleeting baby powder becoming drowned by it, vanilla and apples, accompanied by a waft of cinnamon and nutmeg. It smelled like comfort-like autumn. It made him think of the times he and his siblings would attend the Ghost festival and when his Shijie would bake apples, causing most of the large home to smell like the sweet treat.
Most alphas had strong scents. Woody, earthy, spiced scents. Jin Zixuan apparently smelled of cinnamon candies that Wei Ying hated, and Nie Huaisang’s older brother, Nie Mingjue, spelled like a burning fire. The beta claimed his brother’s scent wasn’t as horrible as it sounded, and Wei Ying did not want to get close enough to the man to test out that theory, so he believed his friend and never questioned it again.
So why does Wei Ying smell like a baked dessert?
“Are you conscious now?”
The voice startled him so bad but his body felt too heavy to move.
In the light of the afternoon, Madam Yu sat at the window, drinking her tea while studying him carefully. His throat was dry and tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth. She finished her tea and set it aside, folding her hands on her lap. “I will not sugar coat this. Wei Wuxian, you’ve surprised everyone and presented as a dominant omega.”
“Wha-” he croaked out, but was cut off.
“This changes things.” She said, “And I know you aren’t so stupid that you don’t understand what I mean by this. You have lived under my roof, ate the food purchased by my servants with my money, and have kept the favoritism of my husband for seventeen years. I never would have thought you would have a way to pay our family back, but I suppose you’ve won and proved me wrong.”
The woman stood, coming over to the side of his bed, regarding him in a way she’s never looked at him before. Always a nuisance and up to no good, she looked at him like she’d finally found a reason for her husband’s spur to adopt the boy. “You will no longer be thrown out, Wei Wuxian. You have finally offered something rare and sought after. So, by holding the Jiang name and having our support, you had better keep your legs closed until we can find the most suitable alpha to marry you off to. There will be no spoiled goods in this household. Alpha or Omega, do you understand me?”
He swallowed.
“Good.”
This changes things alright. He watched her leave.
A whole new set of problems that changed everything about his life after that. Not so much in school other than Jiang Cheng’s ridiculous attitude towards any alpha that approached their established friend group or the surprised looks of his fellow schoolmates when he’d returned, smelling like autumn and omega . A rare combination of being a male, an omega, and dominant . He was still the same Wei Wuxian the week prior-knotted hair, wrinkled school uniform and loose tie. His new status was the only reason he turned heads now, these days.
Jin Zixuan also could not insult him anymore to his face due to alpha propriety and Wei Ying ate up every bit of his stiff reactions to his taunts.
Working in the athletic center was fine as long as his stalkers- ‘ Bodyguards, a-xian’- were there. And he had to go places with them or his family which was not too difficult, he has always been surrounded by friends. Those changes were livable to him.
It was the awkward dinners and forced proximity of strange alphas that wrinkled his nose. He had always been a harmless flirt to girls, now he had to tone that part of him down during these times or else he’d give the wrong impression.
Alphas that came from many wealthy families or those that the Jiang family partnered with personally would travel to visit every so often and urge Wei Wuxian and the chosen suitor to mingle together. He had several meetings with the Jins and their many, many, many cousins.
There were few alphas that were fine with Wei Wuxian in the beginning, but failed at hiding their sneers when he did something not-so-omega-like or showed an interest in things like engineering or science. They’d awkwardly laugh off his rant and suggest maybe an interest in other things that did not require a college degree.
Those particular alphas were black listed by Madam Yu.
“A stupid omega is only that! Old money does not mean an old mind! I have not fed this brat and kept him alive for him to be uneducated! I will not waste money on him to go to a prestigious school, but he will at least get a degree in a local college!”
The alphas that he would meet with on a continual basis were the ones who were not privy to the thoughts Wei Wuxian had in his head or his interest in alpha dominated fields. Madam Yu’s sharp eye on him kept him from speaking what his mind wanted to say, and instead gave simple answers and nods. Polite enough to keep them coming, but distant enough that they were not too hopeful.
And it was like this over the course of the next year and a half. He was forced into these dinners in hopes that he’d find an alpha somewhat appealing. A mating bond could not be forced like a marriage, not unless the other part wanted to become very, very sick. In these situations, mutual attraction would help in knots being taken and births happening. Wei Wuxian, as the object of attraction, had the pick of the litter, and he wanted none of them.
He can say that an upside to this is that he was introduced to Wen Qing.
A sharp witted niece to Wen Rohan with an even sharper tongue and glare. The girl hated him and glared at him more than anyone has ever done in his life. Wei Ying was persistent, however, and chipped a small hole inside the ice that surrounded her and wormed his way inside. Over the course of time he actually had to fight with himself to not wave at her excitedly during their meetings-she did not want to be there as much as he didn’t. They bonded in a mutual respect for one another, and talked about their interests. Wen Qing enjoyed hearing him speak about science because that was the field she was going to get into. Her and her soft spoken brother, Wen Ning, both made their decisions in traveling to Gusu university on the other side of the world.
Her commentary on the school inspired Wei Ying to go home that night, and make his final decision. His Shijie decided on a local culinary school years ago. Jiang Cheng decided to go to the same school his father went to, and urged Wei Ying to join him on this path.
He wanted to. He really did.
But the degrees there didn’t suit him whatsoever and the school was too close to Lotus Pier for his liking. He didn’t want to be in a close enough proximity that he had to deal with these dates while focusing on his degree. The main branch of the prestigious school valued science and the arts-their programs unparalleled from what Wen Qing had gushed to him about.
He declined all other other school offers and declared himself to GU.
That information was kept quiet until his uncle took him out for dinner and slid the ‘thank you’ envelope from GU across the table. His shushu congratulated him wholeheartedly and promised to keep the information to himself.
Wei Ying worked hard to get through his final months of upper secondary school while his uncle helped prepare his documents he’d need for his life in the states. After his graduation, he packed all of the things he could into a large suitcase and carry on. That following morning he gave the news that his plane would be leaving that afternoon, and asked if his Uncle would take him. School did not begin until months later, but he had an apartment he needed to settle into with his friends and a job he needed to get and save up for.
His brother did not have time to be angry then.
His anger came after Wei Ying confirmed his flight had landed, and his brother cussed him out before going radio silent for an entire month.
Wei Wuxian had left China to follow a path which led to security and a comfortable future, and with the hope that he could instead pay off his debt to the Jiang’s by becoming a doctor, and paying through money. There were plenty of Omega doctors in China, but although they hid it, the wealthy families and their Alpha children wanted a docile dominant Omega within their ranks. Not someone that was career oriented and independent. They wanted someone to bring other dominant alphas and omegas into their families-they wanted someone to breed .
That was not what he wanted.
Maybe that’s another reason he and Lan Zhan got along so well? He was one of the few dominant alpha’s in the school, maybe he knew exactly what it was like to have that sort of expectation thrown on you, just because of having a higher tier in their secondary gender.
That question would have to stay a question for now, however. Because he isn’t sure if this decision was the right one to make-if his current situation really was something he wanted to go through.
“Are you done eating?” The alpha sat next to him, directly in Wei Ying’s space. There was nowhere else to go in the small booth, he was already practically pressed against the wall.
He forked at the disgusting salad that he didn’t even order for himself, “Not just yet. I think the shrimp to lettuce ratio is a bit small, don’t you think? Can we get more?”
“It is the perfect amount for an omega. We wouldn’t want your stomach getting too full yet, would we?”
The implication made him feel sick.
“I was hoping we could discuss what I mentioned in our messages-”
The middle aged man came in closer. One of his hands resting atop of Wei Ying’s knee, he nosed at the bare shoulder of Wei Ying’s top. “We can discuss whatever it is you want as soon as you’re done.”
He dropped the fork on the plate and told him he was finished.
Pleased, the man called for the waiter to bring the check, then dropped a card on top of it without looking, flashing a smirk to him that he probably had hoped would make Wei Ying slick-it did not . He’s never been dryer in his life.
The waiter returned soon thereafter, and the man was pulling Wei Ying out of his seat. His legs felt like lead, the movement of the high end restaurant nothing but a blur to him. He has always been confident in himself, but with a hand he did not know resting on his hip and an unfamiliar smell filling his nose made him feel small . He felt sick to his stomach-the little bits of salad he’d forced down his throat wanting to come up.
He thought that the night would go differently-that he would find someone who wanted to give Wei Ying what he needed, because that is what sugar daddies are apparently supposed to do. Spoil their babies while asking for company or companionship, and sometimes actual sugar . He thought that they would sit down and discuss the terms of the arrangement and perhaps get to know each other a bit. It became evident the second the alpha sat beside him on the booth instead of across that his hopes for the night were not the same hopes the alpha had planned.
So now he stood on the curb waiting for the valet with a large jacket which reeked of peppercorn on his shoulders, owned by an alpha who was too fixated on Wei Ying’s done up face to notice that the same waiter who served them calling his name. The man growled out in frustration-a what!? That made Wei Ying flinch hard .
The waiter informed him he’d forgotten the bottle of champagne he’d ordered, and that the bag was on the table still.
“I will be right back.” He said.
Two things happened the second he went back through those glass doors.
One, his black corvette pulled into the roundabout and the valet was coming to Wei Ying. Two, Wei Ying was chucking the disgusting jacket at the poor, startled man and he was kicking off his pair of heels.
Years of running around in the fields of lotus pier and using the equipment at the training centers meant that he was fast on top of his natural swiftness. He was there in one moment and gone the next. He ran and ran and ran, running to places that were familiar to him-running to the oddly placed building that belonged to GU. The newer construction wasn't as close to the actual school grounds.
He finally stopped running and threw himself on a bench.
Fuck .
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
He’s so fucking stupid-he’s so dumb. He almost put himself in a situation like that of what he’s trying to avoid.
He’s twenty-four and a virgin by choice. He knew how alpha’s were-he wasn’t stupid. He’s always known how they looked at him. Especially after his first year at GU, when he began growing out his hair and enjoying a more feminine style to his usual sport wear. There were plenty of other beautiful omegas on campus, but being the only one of his kind there, it made him too much of an attention magnet. No one approached him-because that was it, curiosity of something new-but that did not mean they never looked at him like he was a full course meal ready for the picking.
He didn’t want any of those alphas. Or the ones madam yu had attempted pairing him up with.
Wei Ying wanted to go home. He wanted to go to his apartment and curl up into a ball on his bed in hopes that he’ll never have to wake up again. That all of his problems no longer existed because he could not be conscious again to deal with them.
He wanted to go home and cry. But how could he? He didn’t want to move, and his shaking was too bad. He should call Wen Qing but she’s asleep and has work, and Wen Ning is down with a cold again. If he called either of them he’d have to tell them he’d lied about going to his project partner's place to study for the night. He’d have to admit to Wen Qing that Wei Ying is a stupid fucking idiot, and have to admit why he’d done this to begin with. If she found out, she’d feel inclined to help, but he couldn’t ask that from her. Not when she’s doing so good here in her studies. It would put her in a difficult position that would be difficult to escape from.
Fuck.
He pulled out his phone. The low of the light illuminating his face.
His thumb scrolled through his texts and call logs. He couldn’t call any of these people. There’s no way he could face partial strangers in the state that he’s in right now-
Lan Zhan . It read. His contact photo of the man’s two rabbits he’d sent him a photo of years ago.
Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan.
He wanted Lan Zhan, now. He really wanted to talk to him. He wanted to hear his voice and maybe even smell his scent, too.
He really really wanted his best friend.
He pressed the call button before he knew it, then put it on speaker phone. It rang and it rang-he figured it would continue like that given the time it was, and his strict bedtime.
“Wei Ying?”
Wei Ying let out a shuttered breath and relief fell over him. Lan Zhan sounded tired-like he’d just woken up from his sleep. Wei Ying felt the relief and also guilt in having disrupted his best friend's rest all because of a very stupid, reckless decision that ended up with him on a park bench at….eleven at night.
“Wei Ying?” Now sounding slightly worried.
He licked his lips. “Ah…Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan. Look at you. You’re awake?”
“You called.”
“Right. Right, I did. I…” his breath shuttered again, closing his eyes. He tried to bite back a sob but he couldn’t. He heard it in his own ears, and knew his best friend definitely heard it as well. “I did something stupid. Something very, very dumb, Lan Zhan. So dumb that all of my good grades mean nothing now. How can I become a doctor if I’m making these dumb decisions? I just..I just wanted to call and hear you-”
There was rustling on the other end, this time Lan Zhan sounded much more awake and alert. “Wei ying, where are you?”
“I, uh….I am outside-”
“Outside where ? Who are you with? Are you hurt?”
“The shot in my pride hurts, yes. But no, I’m not like…dying. I’m alone-”
“Wei. Ying.” Lan Zhan exhaled, frustrated on the other end of the line. His next words were just shy of an order-Wei Ying felt its underlying in the man’s words. “Tell me where you are.”
“At school.” He said. “Well. Well not at school, yes at school, but not on the school grounds-”
“ Wei! Ying!”
“You know that new building they built in the summer? The one that caused all those roadblocks cause there was that worker who drilled a hole in the pipeline, and then the streets kept flooding, and Wen Qing got upset with me cause I convinced Wen Ning to join me in trying to swim. But then he got sick, so she threatened to hang me out the window by my neck-”
There was a car door slamming shut and the smooth start of an engine. “I am coming to pick you up. Which side are you on?”
“You know that graffiti billboard? The one those kids keep drawing boobs and di-”
“Yes.”
“I can see it. You know. If it were me who tagged the building, I would have made them uneven. No one has a perfect set of boobs or balls. Well. Not that I would know because of the internet. You know I see dead bodies all of the time.”
“Mn. You speak about them often.”
“I’m glad that I get to have hands-on experience. You know? I mean, it is sad that people die. Sort of. Morally. But it’s all just a part of life. I’m glad that I’m not stuck in one of those fake operation rooms. Everything is plastic. How can the students know what they’re doing if the dummies are plastic? They need something more realistic. Like, what if there were tiers in it? Lab one can be the theoretical approach with plastic. Then lab two can be theoretical with things that will actually burst if pressed wrong or moved where it shouldn’t be. That would be nice. Then it wouldn’t be only me in the class getting a realistic experience.”
“You should write to the head of the science department about your idea, Wei Ying. It is a smart idea.”
“That’s nice. Thank you, Lan Zhan. Even though I don’t feel very smart right now.”
“Wei Ying is very smart because he called me, and did not sit alone in the dark and not call for assistance.”
“To be fair, I didn’t know if you’d actually pick up.”
“I will always do my best to answer your phone calls.”
“It’s past your bedtime though? Your phone should have been on silent.”
“Wei Ying’s number is an exception. Yours, ge’s, uncles, Wen Qing and Wen Ning’s are able to come through if on silent.”
“Ah…well. That’s good then, isn’t it? I don’t know what I would have done if the call didn’t go through. I mean, I would have walked home, eventually. And showered and ate.”
“Is Wei Ying hungry?”
The question reminded him of the poor shrimp salad that was sat in front of him, and the sleazy hand of that alpha touching the dangling earrings from his earlobe.
“Wei Ying?”
“Ah..I dunno, Lan Zhan. I was, but now I’m not. I..don’t think I like shrimp anymore. I don’t like shrimp or shrimp salad. I don’t want that.”
“Wei Ying does not eat salad? You have always despised it.”
“Right. Because that is food for rabbits-and I am not a rabbit- oh.” He saw the bright lights of a familiar silver-blue lexus. “Is that you?”
The car pulled up in front of him and the line went dead. The driver's side opened, Lan Zhan soon coming into view as he rounded the car and walked to him in quick strides.
Before the date, Wei Ying had dressed up in a pink sweater that exposed his shoulders and a cream skirt that stopped at mid thigh with his only pair of good heels. He’d attempted to wrangle his hair together before wrapping it up in a bun, then of course his light makeup to pull everything together. But when Lan Zhan looked at him, it wasn’t in any way that what he was seeing was impressive. The sudden flare of his nostrils and the clench of his jaw told him alot.
Wei Ying looked like a mess.
I am a mess.
His throat felt tight again and water formed in his eyes. “ ‘m sorry. Lan Zhan. I look really bad, don’t I?”
“No. Wei Ying.” He looked like he was fighting with himself. “Wei Ying…I smell another alpha-”
“It wasn’t…whatever you’re thinking it didn’t happen. I mean. He wanted it to happen, but I left-”
“You are not hurt?”
“No. No. I’m not-”
“You are not wearing shoes.” He pointed out.
“Oh. I took them off when I ran-they’re right….” they were not next to him, it turned out. The spot next to him was empty.
There goes my only pair of heels.
Lan Zhan did not comment or scold him. Instead he stepped forward and dropped his jacket over him, then scooped an arm under his knees and another behind his back, pulling him up easily as if he weighed nothing. Wei Ying wrapped his limbs around him and let him carry him to the car to drop him inside, pulling the seat belt around him.
The seat warmer was already on, and the entire car smelled like the alpha. Wei Ying buried his head into the lapel of the autumn coat and breathed in that sandalwood scent, feeling the scared parts of himself beginning to settle some.
Lan Zhan slid into the driver's seat and drove off. Wei Ying watched the buildings go by. Middle class homes turning into more wealthy looking apartments after some time. He must have spaced out because Lan Zhan was now pulling his car door open and unbuckling Wei Ying, pulling him back into his arms.
The ride up the elevator was quiet. The sound of the gentle music and smooth passing from floor to floor just added to what Lan Zhan always felt like. Calm and gentle. Reliable.
The elevator rang and the doors opened.
Lan Zhan walked them into his apartment, toeing off his own slippers, then taking Wei Ying through the penthouse. The style of the penthouse had always intrigued him. A mixture of modern and victorian-or he thinks that’s what it is. He figured they would go to the bathroom on the first floor where the guest bedroom was, Lan Zhan decided they would go to the top floor instead. This was an area that Wei Ying never dared to enter out of respect whenever he came over, because it was Lan Zhan’s personal space. The top floor was clean and white. Walls blue and not splattered with unknown sauces or liquids. Not a single thing out of place from what Wei Ying could tell, other than the thrown back covers on his bed.
Lan Zhan brought him through the glass bathroom and deposited him on the sink, rummaging around in the cabinets to place the items on the counter, then he went to the bathtub to begin filling the tub, even throwing in some bubble bath soap. He’d laugh a joke, but he really didn’t feel much like laughing right now. And the soap was the same one that was in the guest room downstairs, Lan Zhan must keep a bottle or two up here for the replacements. Or maybe there’s another omega that his best friend keeps the bubble bath up here for.
The man undid the first aid kit, then reached for Wei Ying’s feet- “Ah, Lan Zhan. You shouldn’t-”
He tried again but Wei Ying moved his foot away, earning himself a glare.
“I ran on concrete all over downtown. Who knows what I have on my feet-”
“That is why I must look at it.”
“At least wear gloves.”
“I will wear gloves if there is bleeding-give me your foot.”
He pouted but did as he was told. His large hand wrapped completely around Wei Ying’s ankle and held it carefully as he inspected his foot.
As he expected, there were cuts and scrapes there-on both. Lan Zhan gloved up and cleaned his foot with the precision of a future neurosurgeon. He cleaned the wounds and dressed them with liquid bandaid when he was done. Lan Zhan turned off the faucet to the tub, pulling off his gloves. Wei Ying looked at the bubbles and asked, “Do you like bubble baths?”
“I do not take baths.”
“Oh.” He didn’t feel so good about this. “So you keep bubbles for other pretty omegas that come up here then?”
Lan Zhan froze in his putting away supplies and flashed him a quick look. “I do not bring other omegas anywhere in my home. Wei Ying is the only one.”
“But, the bubbles?”
“...You enjoy bubble baths, and use more than the directed proportioned amount.”
He’s not sure why, but that made him feel a little better.
“...Lan Zhan?”
“Yes?”
“...do you not want to know what happened?”
Lan Zhan stood and looked over him for the millionth time that night. “You…had a date with an alpha.” Not a question but a statement.
A bitter laugh escaped him, “If you want to call it that. Lan Zhan…I…I did not listen to you, and I did something I shouldn't have done.”
“What did you do?”
It felt embarrassing to admit it out loud, so he pulled out his phone and unlocked it. His thumb moved across the screen until he found the cursed app and turned the phone to face the alpha. His best friend saw the words on the screen, eyes widening minutely, and looked at Wei Ying again with a look he could not name.
“I know. I know, I know. I was stupid. I knew I shouldn't have, but I didn't know what else to do.”
“Were you let go from the examiner's office? Did Wen Qing or Wen Ning get let go from theirs?”
“No. No, nothing like that. Why do you ask-”
“I am trying to understand….” He breathed. “..Why Wei Ying needed to get the help from a strange alpha he has never met before. From an app.”
“Right..right…you don't understand, cause I've never talked about it before. Cause Wen Qing knows and Wen Ning-I never bothered to tell you-” Hands came forward to stop Wei Ying from rubbing his own raw.
Golden eyes looked calm. Too calm. Like the calm right before a storm. “Tell me.”
“Oh it's just…it is not the ideal situation, Lan Zhan. It isn't. Madam Yu has always disliked me. But she's allowed me to be fed and given a proper education to. She kept saying I would have to leave when I was eighteen, I knew that I was a burden. I ruined hers and shushu's marriage, and a-cheng's relationship with uncle. Everyone thought I'd be an alpha-I thought I'd be an alpha. But I'm not and Madam Yu said that instead of sending me away, she would keep me to marry me off to an alpha. ‘For the sake of the family’. She…” he hadn't said it out loud, because that would mean it was real, and the position he was put in was not something he could easily escape from.
“A-jie is getting married next summer. It will be a two week long process for me because she wants me in the wedding. Because I refused to travel back to China the last five summers, and that I've missed out on the meetings with those suitors, Madam Yu wrote that I will have those two weeks to spend with Wen Chao or Jin Zixun. She said it was my last chance to have a say in who my alpha will be, who I will be engaged to at the end of the two weeks. She said that they made offers she cannot ignore, even if they’d been blacklisted!” The image of the completely surprised Lan Zhan was becoming blurry. He could not see anymore than the tears dripping out of his eyes would allow.
His voice shook, “I thought that if I found someone wealthy to act like my alpha, someone that could maybe impress Madam Yu, that I could avoid that option. I can't say no to her otherwise, Lan Zhan. Do you understand? The Jiangs have given me everything. A-jie and A-cheng are going to take over their businesses, and I should do what I can to help them. I can't say no when I was given things others would have dreamed of having. I owe everything to the Jiang’s. Most of the money in my savings, my life . I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the private schools I went to. I am so tired Lan Zhan. I am so tired. You tell me to not overwork myself but I had to. I thought that if I avoided using the money in my savings and didn't ask for help from the Jiangs, that she would be lenient and give me time. I was going to get my degree and pay them back-”
“Wei Ying. You have to breathe.”
“I can't breathe! How can I when I know that either Wen Chao or Jin Zixun is going to be my alpha!? They are horrible! I have always had problems with those two, I can't believe they'd even want me as an Omega!? I bet they think they can break me or something, but I've always been stronger than them and faster. I will not let them break me-”
“No one will try to break Wei Ying-”
“They will! They will try and then I have to choose between either alpha, but how can I when they are both so horrible!? I will be miserable and angry, and then I’ll have to find a way to hide away from them during my heats, because they’re both horrible Alpha’s and have always found me annoying and they’ll try to use my heat to get over on me-”
“Wei Ying-”
“I cannot bond with either of them, I will never be able to. I won’t let them try to force their knot in me, it’ll hurt and then I won’t even be able to get pregnant-but what if I do? I can’t raise a child knowing how they were conceived. I can't, I can't. She could have picked someone I got along with or maybe someone boring but of course she had to choose the two alpha’s I’ve always had to fight with. I don’t want Wen Chao or Jin Jixun as an alpha-I don’t want either of them. I don’t, I don’t-”
“You will not have to have either of them as an alpha-”
“You don’t understand! I have no other option! By next year I’ll be engaged to a horrible alpha and then I’ll be shipped off to China after I graduate, or even before that! They’ve always hated that I liked science and learning, once they find out about my degree they’ll hate it! They’ll marry me and then just try to breed dominant alpha’s out of me-”
“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan’s grip on his hands were solid and almost vibrating. The strain in it and the anger hidden behind the words were familiar to him, the same tone he would get when he used to warn Wei Ying, back when the alpha couldn’t stand him. The only difference was even during those times the alpha never exuded any of his pheromones-now, Wei Ying could actually feel the weight of his anger heavy in the air of the bathroom. He hadn’t noticed it until now.
Great . He thought miserably. “I’m sorry Lan Zhan. I made you upset and I bothered you with all of this. I should have done something different, I should have known the Jin’s and the Wen’s would not be blacklisted so easily. I should have known that they would do whatever they can to tie me to their alpha-”
“You will not be tied to either of them.”
“I have to-”
“I will be your alpha.”
Wei Ying stopped talking.
So Lan Zhan kept going. “...I will be Wei Ying’s alpha. You will not have to marry or spend any heat with an alpha you cannot stand. You will not provide them with any dominant Alpha or Omega, because they will not have the opportunity.”
“Lan Zhan….What are you saying?”
“Delete the app.” He grabbed the phone and put it in Wei Ying’s hands. “There is no need to seek out another alpha for anything. I will be Wei Ying’s alpha.”
He looked at the phone in his best friend's hands-it clicked, Oh.
Lan Zhan is offering to be his sugar daddy?
“I…but I will only be a bother. I can’t use you.”
“Wei Ying is never a bother. I want Wei Ying to come to me, he does not need to go to another alpha. I am here for you, Wei Ying. You cannot ‘use’ me if what I give you is what I want. Let me take care of you.”
He sat there and looked at the phone in his hand.
Lan Zhan was a dominant alpha himself, and was from China. His family worked in a few things that Wei Ying couldn’t remember at the moment-medical, he thinks? Education? Lan Zhan lives in a penthouse and doesn’t work except for helping his older brother with things. He drives a 2023 silver-blue Lexus and always has the newest model phone. He’s never checked his card balance as much as Wei Ying has or checked the price of things when they’ve gone shopping or out to eat together. Even now, his Eberjay pajamas were more expensive than the outfit Wei Ying currently wore-with or without the heels. Wei Ying has witnessed him shop in the most outrageously expensive stores and never bothered to look at the price tag, and has never asked for a receipt. He takes care of their meals and drinks without expecting Wei Ying to ever pay him back and hasn’t had to take out any school loans. And for Christmas or Wei Ying’s birthday the alpha gives him expensive gifts-the earrings dangling from his ear for example.
His best friend is rich.
Not as rich as the Jin’s because they were pretty wealthy, but Lan Zhan’s family certainly wasn’t poor.
He was also-again-a dominant alpha.
Wei Ying being a dominant omega meant he was quite tall-as tall as the alphas that wanted to have him birth their children. The same case went for Lan Zhan, who was the tallest alpha Wei Ying had ever seen. Their first year together they were about the same height, then in the middle of the second year his best friend hit a major growth spurt and now towered over everyone on the campus. Zewu- jun , his older brother who he’d met a handful of times, was also a dominant alpha and was as tall as can be. A trait that ran in the family, apparently. Because those other few dominant alphas on campus couldn’t reach that height even if they tried.
Lan Zhan was also beautiful.
Most alpha’s would be described as handsome or attractive. Those words could not accurately describe the ethereal looks of his best friend.
The man worked out and had a strict diet. His skin was pale-not a sickly pale-but like snow. Like a jade stone wrapped in porcelain white. And his face has always looked like it was carved from said stone, the growth spurt had just made him look more eloquent and refined. He never grew his hair longer than where his bangs gently curved at the sides of his face, the back of his head layered and short.
There were plenty of times an omega stopped and asked Wei Ying about the alpha and for him to introduce them to him-Wei Ying did that one time to be nice and the poor omega ran away because they couldn’t withstand Lan Zhan’s sharp eye and cold demeanor. He definitely would have done that again as a joke if Lan Zhan hadn’t ignored him for weeks upon weeks after that.
He moved perfectly. He spoke perfectly-he was exactly what most alpha’s believed others saw them as. Lan Zhan was perfect while Wei Ying was not. He will become a neurosurgeon one day-the highest grossing surgeon there was.
If Madam Yu were to meet this alpha, she just might accept him and push aside whatever the Wen’s and Jin’s offered her-maybe just long enough for Wei Ying to get his degree and begin to pay her back. If Lan Zhan was enough for her, then Wei Ying wouldn’t need to worry about fighting off a dick he didn’t want and a marriage he would certainly never be happy in.
If there was a sliver of chance that him introducing an Alpha to her put those things aside…..there would be no other better option than the Alpha standing in front of him.
“Lan Zhan….other omega’s might be upset if I take up your time. Your suitors won’t be pleased at all.”
The look he received said ‘and?’ .
Wei Wuxian didn’t know what to do with the flutter in his chest from that.
“ Please , Wei Ying.”
He took a shaky breath, “Are you sure, Lan Zhan? I don’t want to cause problems. Madam Yu and the Wen’s…the Jin’s…it might be a lot-”
“ I will be Wei Ying’s alpha. There will be no problems.”
“How can you be so sure? What if she causes problems with your family? Zewu- jun is nice, he doesn’t deserve to be dragged into my mess just like you.”
“I will talk to brother tomorrow so he is aware. He will not have problems, and if there are any, he likes Wei Ying very much. He supports this. You do not have to worry.” Lan Zhan seemed so sure of it, too. Like it was already a fact.
Wei Ying looked at the cursed app on his phone again, then to the alpha who’s shoulders were tense. “You promise that I am not using you? That I won’t be ruining our friendship? We’ve been getting along so well and I don’t want to ruin what we have.”
“Our relationship will only get better if you accept, Wei Ying. Please, allow me to be your alpha. I will take care of everything. I will take care of you. Don’t search for another alpha, there is no need if I am here in front of you.”
He nibbled on his bottom lip, the answer on the tip of his tongue. “....Okay.” He said, unsure.
“Okay?” Came out like a breath-like an exhale he was holding onto.
“Yes.” He said again this time, just a bit more sure. “Yes, Lan Zhan. I…I accept.” Lan Zhan can help him like he wants to, he can be his sugar daddy. And then once things are settled he’ll find a way to pay back his best friend for the trouble-maybe he’ll find him a good omega. Someone who is smarter and prettier than Wei Ying. Lan Zhan might like someone who’s quiet and demure-probably someone the complete opposite of Wei Wuxian.
The tension left his best friend completely. There was a twinge of what looked to be a smile hanging on the corners of his mouth-it froze Wei Ying’s brain for a second.
“Delete the app.”
“Okay.” Robotic movements moved to get in the app and delete his profile, then held onto the app and pressed the trash button. “Okay. I deleted it.”
Lan Zhan took the phone away and set it aside, then removed the jacket that smelled like him from off Wei Ying’s shoulders. Wei Ying was usually the one to initiate any physical contact with the two, so he didn’t understand what was happening until Lan Zhan already had Wei Ying wrapped in his arms.
He was so solid and warm. He smelt like comfort -or maybe that was the pheromones he was releasing. Omega-calm-I am here.
He tucked Wei Ying’s head into his collarbone and held him there.
“So full of surprises tonight.” He joked.
Lan Zhan let out a breath. “I..am happy that Wei Ying called me tonight. And that he did not go home with a stranger.”
“Me too….I’m happy you picked me up. I…I will try to be good from now on, okay?” He won’t take Lan Zhan’s effort and offer up for granted.
“Wei Ying is always good.”
“Even when I’m causing trouble?”
“Mn.” His chest rumbled in Wei Ying’s ear. “Wei Ying is good. But he will be better if he comes to me from now on. I will take care of you, Wei Ying. So please give me the chance to do it. If you need or want something, ask me first.”
“Okay…”
“We will talk more tomorrow over it, for now, Wei Ying needs a bath and rest.”
“Right. Bath..sleep.”
Lan Zhan pulled away just enough to look down at him-something warm and soft in his usual cold expression. “Are you hungry now?”
He shook his head.
“Do you need help getting in the bath?”
“No..but can you help me down?” The counter was ridiculously high afterall.
Lan Zhan helped him from the counter and then left to grab spare pajamas and other things he’d need while Wei Ying stood on the carpet. A glance at the mirror was all he could withstand-he really looked horrible.
Lan Zhan soon returned, then switched the see-through glass to darken before leaving him in the bathroom by himself.
Wei Ying soaked in the bath for a while, then scrubbed himself clean.
The pajama shirt he wore drenched him like a nightgown and the boxers were more like shorts when he finally emerged from the bathroom. The light to the bedroom was on and Lan Zhan looked up from where he was reading his book where Wei Ying stood awkwardly in the doorway. Lan Zhan closed the book and rose from the bed, coming over to take Wei Ying by the hand. “You need sleep.” He said, then surprised him again by pulling him over to the massive bed.
Lan Zhan tucked him into the middle of the bed, then shut off the light to climb in next to him.
Exhausted. Ashamed. Relieved. He felt himself curl up into the man’s side and let himself fall asleep, surrounded by sandalwood and the pheromones leaking out of Lan Zhan’s scent- serenity .