Chapter Text
A special occasion that only occurred every so often. At least for them.
It had six years since Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, and Jin Ling started going on night hunts together. It originally started, Sizhui and Jingyi would go with more disciples from their sect and ‘ accidentally ‘ get lost and stray away from them, leaving just the two of them, until one night they’d come across a rather short tempered and reckless future sect leader, making a play at destroying corpses.
For a while after, the same ‘ accident ‘ of getting lost and running into one other, occurred every night hunt, until they decided it would just be best to have official night hunts together.
Sometimes it’d be a bit difficult, due to the fact Jin Ling was in the process of becoming the new Lanling Jin Clan sect leader. Both Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi, held much worry in their head and hearts for the young boy. Being under so much stress and pressure all the time. It was another reason they insisted on night hunts so often.
Night hunts, were the few times Jin Ling could let go, ignore all the stress and strain that awaited him back at Koi Tower, when he could act as the growing teen he still was. It also gave way for Sizhui and Jingyi to be a little less Lan than they were always supposed to hold up. Not to mention, it gave them time to be alone together, well almost alone.
Sizhui and Jingyi had always been friends. Best friends. They grew up together, there really wasn’t anything one didn’t know about the other. Although they were always together at the Cloud Recesses, they were never able to quite, be together.
It was a cool autumn evening, a light breeze blowing, whistling though ears, blowing hair, ribbons and robes, carrying the growls and howls of corpses through the dry air.
Jin Ling, dressed in his usual yellow robes, with the Lanling Jin Clan symbol stitched on the front, in a different shade of yellow. Long cedar brown hair tied up in a high ponytail, while his bangs hung on either side of his face, framing his small, round, toned face, giving way to his bright golden yellow eyes, cadmium yellow and chrome yellow mixed in the irises, and a bright red vermillion mark in the middle of his forehead.
He walked in front, swinging Suihua around carelessly, cutting leaves and branches out of their way, huffing angrily when he’d miss a branch and it would come flinging back in his face, stinging his cheeks giving them more of a light pink dust.
A few feet behind him, Sizhui walked side by side with Jingyi, their similar colored eyes darting knowing looks to each other every now and then. Both were very similar and looks, but at the same time completely different.
Sizhui’s hair was longer. Held back in a ponytail that slid a little past his shoulders blades, it being the color of oak brown, two strands on either side of his head, lied against his chest, his remaining hair being held up with a pin, bangs shadowing his GusuLan forehead ribbon. His eyes being the color of pure amethyst, always having a gentle smile to them.
Jingyi’s hair was a bit shorter. All held back simply by a ponytail, the color being an Umber brown, eyes being more of a light gray then anything else, at times which almost seemed to switch shades based on his mood. His own bags hung to the right of his face, showing more of his own forehead ribbon.
Both were equally pale, soft milky skin that made them even more beautiful when under the touch of the moons rays. Sizhui, a bit taller than Jingyi, only a few centimeters, he’d been growing. Though, Jingyi had a stronger upper build than the other two males, probably from his constant punishments he had to endure, which Sizhui knew all too well of as he’d often come visit during them. Despite their similar looking, their personalities couldn’t be further from one another’s.
Jingyi, was infact the most unLan Lan there was. He had a very teasing and silly personality. When out of the clutches of the Cloud Recesses, he probably broke at least fifty rules with a single sentence. He was careless with what he said, most the time thinking whatever came to his head, many of times having to be reprimanded for it. When needbe he could easily be the best Lan out there, second to Sizhui, his protective side shining through, though he wasn’t always able to hide his fear to things, quickly getting someone else’s aid. He liked to crack jokes, and shameless ones at that, but he also didn’t care what anyone else thought of him, having very little insecurities.
Sizhui, was the most Lan Lan out there, at least of the Juniors. He was soft and gentle with all his movements and actions. There was something about him that seemed to be able to ease or calm anyone who was nearby. He very rarely got angry but when he did, it wasn’t something anyone wanted to whiteness. He also had very little insecurities, due to the fact that he was accepted by everyone quickly, though that didn’t matter much to him, but he’d also learned to accept himself for how he was, shortly after Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan had informed him of his past, learning how both were more or less his parents.
Jingyi and Sizhui had both grown up with their sect being like a family to them. Each other being the friends and family they needed. They could be considered lucky with all they had compared to others, that including Jin Ling.
“We’ve been out here for hours and nothing. There’s been nothing!” An agitated voice came from ahead, followed by a particularly loud snapping of a tree branch.
With an eye roll, Jingyi moved the branch out of Sizhui’s face as they passed, earning him a small smile in return. “Maybe if you stopped complaining so loud and obnoxious the corpses wouldn’t be running off so fast, young mistress.”
Sizhui’s smile dropped and he gave Jingyi a look. The look of disapproval both boys were familiar with. Jin Ling’s head flung around flaring a glare. “Quit calling me that!” He snapped before breaking another branch.
As if answering Jin Ling’s calls, there was a rustling of the trees around them followed by a rather unpleasant screeching sound. All three boys drew their swords, stepping closer to one another.
“You just had to complain.”
“Oh, shut the hell up!”
A corpse, multiple feet taller than each boy came flying out of the trees and straight towards Jingyi’s side of their little circle. Sizhui on instinct, jumped in front taking a slash at the fiendish corpse, managing to cut into its left rib cage.
Another painfully loud screech sounded through the air as the corpse got on all fours, whipping an arm at Sizhui, Jingyi luckily grabbing his shoulder whipping him around so fast their foreheads almost collided.
“Feels a bit familiar.” Jingyi teased close to Sizhui’s face, before being shoved forwards, avoiding another swing of a wayward arm.
Jin Ling across from them was dealing with yet another corpse who had apparently accompanied the first.
This one, had dirty fabrics around its whole body, whipping the at Jin Ling tripping him, or grabbing a hold of Suihua. Jin Ling hid behind a tree catching his breath a bit, wiping the sweat off his forehead, trying not to physically pant.
He looked back momentarily wondering where the hell Sizhui and Jingyi were, but quickly spotted them behind a tree a few away from his own. He was about to go back out and finish those corpses when something caught him off guard.
Jingyi stood back against the tree, Sizhui close up against him, chest to chest. Sizhui was actively looking at the corpses from behind the tree, probably trying to figure out the best approach, while Jingyi had his face buried in the neck of Sizhui’s robes and it almost looked as though he was eating at his collarbone?
Jin Ling stared completely stupefied. He wondered why on earth Sizhui hadn’t pushed him away or something. It wasn’t until he noticed Sizhui’s strong grip on Jingyi’s hip, knuckles white, that he then noticed the blush on Sizhui’s ears. Clearly struggling to keep his composure.
Something in Jin Ling snapped when he saw it. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen the two being weird with one another. Sometimes he saw them holding or playing with one another’s fingers, Jingyi constantly hanging on Sizhui, the way Sizhui was always so protective over Jingyi. One time he’d even walked in on Sizhui completely on top of Jingyi, fully clothed, but that hadn’t stopped him from quickly retreating before he saw anything else. Later that day both Jingyi and Sizhui made very awkward attempts to address it but each time Jin Ling simply said he didn’t care. Though, that wasn’t entirely true.
Although he was so insanely grateful to have them as friends and that they let him be their friend, he often felt that even when around them he was alone. They were just always so involved with one another, and of course they were. They’d known each other since like, birth.
But still, they saw each other everyday all day, it wouldn’t hurt too much to share the attention every now and then, would it? It hadn’t bothered Jin Ling in all the six years he’d known them, except the past year, something changed.
The way Sizhui’s smile would give him butterflies, his deepened soothing voice, the protection over him. Or Jingyi, his bright eyes, those times he’d catch him shirtless after training, the grin that was always on his face.
Jin Ling was still staring with who knows what look on his face, when Jingyi looked up from eating Sizhui’s chest. His mouth hanging open slightly, eyes widening with a look of horror in his eyes. Was he really that bothersome?
Jin Ling tore his gaze away charging at the first corpse plunging Suihua straight the the corpses chest, repeatedly stabbing it. Even as if fell, he continued to stab the corpse as if it committed some great crime against him. He was beating the corpse so intently he hadn’t even noticed the wrapping that had wrapped around his ankle until it pulled and caused him to fall taking in a mouthful of dirt.
He dropped Suihua which clanked a few feet away from him, and as he reached for it the wrappings on his ankle tightened and started dragging.
He shouted as he rolled over being dragged kicking and pulling as the corpse dragged him across the dirty ground. Panic rose in his chest as he found himself defenseless and completely vulnerable to the corpse.
He didn’t want to call for help. He was independent and he didn’t need help from anyone ever. But he really really didn’t want to die yet.
“SIZHUI!! JINGYI!!”
He thrashed around against the never tearing wrappings, trying to kick himself free, which was really doing nothing except making him tired, dirtying his robes, tangling his hair and causing more dirt to get in his mouth. He was pretty sure the corpse was about to drag him off a cliff and no one would ever wonder nor care what happened to him.
The next thing he new, there was a loud noise, a thud and a grunt. Jin Ling kept his eyes shut, arms over his face, waiting to plummet to his death, get strangled by more wrapping, maybe even thrown into a tree trunk.
“Move your arms, dummy.” Jingyi’s voice sounded much closer and louder then appreciated. Despite the request, Jin Ling didn’t move a muscle. He was still processing.
“Sizhui I think he’s knocked out!!” Jingyi said in a panicked voice now even closer. Jin Ling rolled his eyes so hard it made his head spin.
Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and underneath his legs, bringing him into the air. He shouted grasping onto the nearest thing, before thrashing around, causing him to be dropped right back on the ground and something heavy to topple on top of him.
“Ow!!” He shouted squirming underneath Sizhui, incredibly uncomfortable for countless reasons. “Get off get off get off!”
“Oh, stop complaining, it’s an honor to have him on top of you.” Jingyi said rolling his eyes, then catching his breath realizing what he’d just said. Both his and Sizhui’s gaze landed on Jin Ling.
Jin Ling, stared between the both of them, completely at a loss of words. Both of their eyes on him made him feel incredibly small, not to mention Sizhui literally on top of him making him feel all sorts of feelings and emotions he was really not appreciating.
He pushed on Sizhui’s chest, gentler then he’d wanted, and quickly rolled out from underneath him, getting to his feet, glaring at his dirty robes, and attempting to brush them off.
“I’ll leave that for you.” He scoffed before stomping off to go collect Suihua
Jingyi’s face heated up and Sizhui full out glared at Jingyi from the ground, making Jingyi’s face redden even more.
“Oops.”
“He hates us.”
“Jingyi.”
“It was clear on his face.”
“Jingyi.”
“I don’t want him to hate us.”
Sizhui pressed his mouth firmly against Jingyi’s before he could say anything more. Letting it linger a little longer than intended, he then pulled away, taking Jingyi’s face in his hands.
“He doesn’t hate us.”
“We’re his only friends, if he hates us he’ll just be alone again.” Jingyi protested, frowning.
Something in Sizhui tightened a bit, the reasoning for Jingyi’s fear of Jin Ling’s hatred being the cause. They clearly had different reasonings for not wanting Jin Ling to hate them.
Sizhui, obviously noticed Jingyi’s internal distress, though not knowing what for. Not like it was hard to tell when something was on Jingyi’s mind or when something was bothering him, he wasn’t very good with hiding his facial expressions.
Sizhui sat next to Jingyi, wrapping his arms around his waist. Jingyi let out a pleased sigh in return shifting, so he could stratal Sizhui’s waist and locked his arms around his neck.
Sizhui ran soothing hand up his spine and smoothed out tense muscles in his shoulder with his other. “He doesn’t hate us. We’re his friends.”
Jingyi nodded hesitantly and buried his face in Sizhui’s shoulder, tightening his arms around his neck, his tightened shoulders relaxing in the process.
Sizhui hummed, satisfied, and continued his actions, until Jingyi was nothing more than a dead, relaxed weight in his arms.
Exactly at nine, the two Lans headed for bed, opting not to bother Jin Ling, hearing no movement from his room whenever they’d pass.
Jingyi had his head pressed into Sizhui’s chest, arms wrapped tightly around his waist while Sizhui had a secured arm around Jingyi’s. He pressed a kiss onto his forehead, his nose, his cheek, the corner of his lips, and back up to his forehead ribbon, as he ran a hand through his tangled hair.
“Goodnight, Jing-er.”
Jingyi yawned, “Goodnight, A-Yaun.”