Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian first noticed it as he stood on the steps of the Cloud Recesses with the other students from Yunmeng Jiang.
They’d been travelling for the last 3 days, exhausted and ready to get settled in for the summer. Jiang Cheng was somehow even snappier than usual, his already fragile temperament fraying even further under the pressure of being sect heir and therefore responsible for heading the Jiang clan representatives.
He’d spent the last hour of the journey on foot from Caiyi berating them and swearing everyone to their best behavior, but Wei Wuxian had quite frankly lost interest … well, 3 days ago, he supposes.
As they arrived, with Jiang Cheng greeting the acting sect leader and the Lan heir as Wei Wuxian followed his lead with a deep, respectful bow, Wei Wixian found his mind once again drifting.
It truly was beautiful here, serene. The light blue sky could be seen peeping through the tops of the tall trees, giving them some reprieve from the beating sun. Birds flitted to and fro, going about their business with a pleasant sing-song. The breeze was gentle as it kissed their skin, rustling through the leaves and carrying with it the refreshing scents of nature: pine trees, the earthy smell of dirt, fresh water.
It was truly picturesque in every way.
So, given how perfect the Lan sect and all their surroundings seemed to be, why the hell couldn't Wei Wuxian smell them?
He was standing in front of multiple Lan disciples and higher tier clan members, and nothing. If Wei Wuxian didn’t know better he’d have assumed the entire Lan clan were betas, but that couldn’t be true. He knew full well the previous clan leader had been a notable alpha, and he was certain the Twin Jades must be alphas themselves, following in their fathers footsteps.
But nope, nothing.
After being shown to their accommodation (a small but pleasantly decorated personal quarter that he thankfully didn’t need to share) and putting his things in place, Wei Wuxian made his way over to the courtyard area where the Jiang disciples had joined with the other visiting students in conversation.
They had been some of the last to arrive, the disciples having decided to stay at Lotus Pier as late as possible to help with as much of the lotus seed harvest as they could before they missed the rest for the summer.
Wei Wuxian could see Jiang Cheng already speaking to a young cultivator in olive coloured robes. The style was lavish, clearly well made with expensive materials and the fan he carried must have been painstakingly handpainted with great care.
Wei Wuxian recognised Nie Huaisang immediatly from the past conferences they’d both been dragged along to. Not being able to actually join in with anything interesting but still being forced to come along, the three of them had often squandered their time together on various other activities that Wei Wuxian was very much looking forward to continuing over the summer.
As he approached, Wei Wuxian could already pick up Nie Huaisang’s sweet scent mixing with something more musky, the omega always preferring to douse himself in incense and other perfumed items to throw his natural scent off a little. Wei Wuxian knew it was difficult for Nie Huaisang, growing up as the omega heir to a very alpha dominated sect. His elder brother, Nie Mingjue, had presented as an alpha at the ripe age of 12, early even for their sect.
The younger sibling hadn’t presented until he was 15, a very normal age for most but a little on the late side for the Nie. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on opinion) Nie Huaisang presented as the first omega heir in generations, bringing great shock and horror to the elders, but great peace to Nie Huaisang, who had no real interest in cultivation or sect business anyway.
The heavy perfumes were just to help keep the elders of his clan happy. It seemed that hiding his omega nature could placate them enough for Nie Huaisang to be able to spend his days as he wished.
Nie Huaisang’s eyes met Wei Wuxian’s as he stepped up to the pair, Huaisang’s fan fluttering away to reveal his coy smile.
“Wei-xiong! It’s been too long, far too long. I was just filling Jiang-xiong in on all the happenings over the last week or so. I was hoping for some drama but the Wen’s only sent two disciples and it seems they only came due to their own personal request. They’ve been completely boring so far. But now you’re here, I’m sure you’ve already sniffed her out anyway, Jiang-xiong.”
A laugh was already bubbling its way out of Wei Wuxian’s throat, Jiang Cheng scowling and hissing a “shut up!” at the statement. It was widely known among the other disciples that he’d had a thing for Wen Qing when they were younger. Jiang Cheng had followed her around conferences like a lovestruck fool at only 8 years old – until they both presented as alphas and the idea of an arranged marriage to aid relations between sects that had been toyed with was thrown off the table immediately.
It was now a great source of scorn for Jiang Cheng. Though he got along well enough with Wen Qing now that they were older and almost out of adolescence entirely, the teasing was never ending it seemed. Oh well, nothing Wei Wuxian could do about it!
“Ah, Nie-xiong, we’ve certainly missed you,” Wei Wuxian slung an arm over Nie Huaisang’s shoulders, always one to take advantage of their small height difference. “Haven’t we, a-Cheng?”
The two omegas looked over at Jiang Cheng expectantly, until he gave them a huff and one final dagger stare and stomped off back towards the alpha quarters.
Wei Wuxian could feel the shoulders beneath his arm jostle up and down as Nie Huaisang badly stifled another laugh behind his fan.
“Ah, Wei-xiong, I truly do plan to drop that subject one day, but every year I find myself enjoying the teasing more and more and I simply cannot resist! Perhaps I shall stop upon his marriage so as not to upset his poor future spouse.”
The conversation flowed as it always did as they began making their way towards the dining hall, their saunter lazy and relaxed.
Even as they moved deeper and further into Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian still couldn’t smell anything beyond that of nature and any other visiting students. It didn’t matter who the Lan was that passed them, there was simply nothing coming off of them. Even betas weren’t usually scent-less, though their ability to detect those of alpha’s and omega’s scents was severely lacking and their own scent wasn’t anything to write home about.
The lack of scent on the Lan’s was unnerving. It felt sterile, clinical.
He drew in closer, so as to whisper into Nie Huaisang’s ear and not be overheard.
“Say, Nie-xiong, you don’t happen to know why the Lan …” he paused, unsure of how to phrase it kindly.
No need, Huaisang was already picking up the trail of thought as Wei Wuxian put it down.
“The scent thing?” He whispered covertly from behind his fan as though it were the biggest of secrets. “Really, Wei-xiong, you should do more research on the places you visit before you visit them.”
Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. “Nevermind that, do you know why?”
Dropping his voice even lower, Huaisang explained that the Lans suppressed their scents as part of their rules of restraint. It seemed they believed that while they couldn’t suppress their nature entirely, they could keep it as something private, only to be revealed to a spouse.
“But then how do they pair themselves up?” Wei Wuxian interrupted, dumbfounded. “Surely they’d end up with accidental same secondary sex pairings all of the time?”
“Ah, they have a solution for that, of course. The Lan’s believe in love matches above all else. Upon a young disciple presenting, they are immediately sequestered away and taught how to control their pheromones to the highest degree. They truly are experts. Their secondary gender is recorded down alongside the rest of their records and the disciples are then housed based on gender. When they marry, they marry for love. No scents involved until the wedding night, when the forehead ribbon is removed, as is their restraint.”
Wei Wuxian could see the appeal. It was no secret that many matches that were made on scent alone didn’t pan out. It certainly didn’t hurt to make sure that the personalities of the pairing matched first before committing to a life together.
“What happens if they get there on the wedding night and find the smell to be unappealing? Then they just have to live with it?” Wei wuxian wondered aloud.
“I would imagine,” Huaisang replied, “that they would simply ignore it and continue to suppress their scents. No issue then. Though perhaps they would take on separate quarters as the previous leader and his wife did.”
“Hm, I see.”
“It really is rather romantic though, don’t you think Wei-xiong. I can attest to the fact that it makes wonderful spring book material!” Huaisang laughed as though it were a joke, though Wei Wuxian was certain he was being one hundred percent truthful. He’d seen a large portion of Huaisang’s collection over the last few years - borrowed some, even - and they never disappointed.
They were forced to drop the conversation as they arrived at the dining hall, separate areas having been set up for each sect. Wei Wuxian ate his extremely bland meal in silence, as the sect heir had requested.
The front tables were made up of the main family. The centre was Lan Qiren, who had been acting sect leader for as long as Wei Wuxian could remember. To his right was a tall man, with a handsome face and a pleasant smile that seemed to be almost permanently plastered on. He introduced himself as Lan Xichen, the man who would very soon be taking over from Lan Qiren as official sect leader.
On Lan Qiren’s other side, sat a man with a face more stoic than Wei Wuxian had ever seen before. It was as though he was quite literally made of jade. He resembled Lan Xichen a great deal, though if Wei Wuxian were asked he could definitely say that this man was more attractive. He didn’t speak even as he was introduced, simply bowing in silence. He was very mysterious.
Throughout the meal, Wei Wuxian found his attention drawn to the younger Lan sibling (Lan Wangji they had called him), Wei Wuxian’s eyes seeming to make their way over to the man every few minutes without his permission.
He was graceful as he moved. Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure he’d seen someone eat so elegantly before. It was just as Wei Wuxian was finishing up his meal that he looked up once more, only this time he found that the Jade was already watching him.
Feeling awkward and unsure, Wei Wuxian lifted his hand slightly in front of him in a small wave, sending over a tiny smile that he hoped Lan Wangji would find friendly. It was half the point of these things, after all. To make friends.
But almost as quickly as Wei Wuxian began the interaction it was over, Lan Wangji passively ignoring him as he returned to his meal.
Fine, so be it. Wei Wuxian knew where he wasn’t welcome. He’d heard stories of the Twin Jades and of Lan Wanji’s personality – or lack thereof, it seemed!
Paying it no mind, Wei Wuxian finished his meal, meeting with the other disciples afterward in the courtyard for an evening of cards before they all retired to their rooms for bed. 9pm was far earlier than Wei Wuxian’s usual bedtime but he found he didn’t mind too much after so many days of traveling.
He would bathe in the springs the following day after introductory lectures were over, for this evening he was happy to wind the time down before he slipped gently off into sleep.
***
Wei Wuxian was a funny case.
When he was younger the Jiang’s had believed that he would present as an alpha - much to Madam Yu’s chagrin.
Later, as he was taking so damn long to present, they believed he would present as a beta - much to Madam Yu’s indifference.
Even later, Wei Wuxian had presented an omega at the ripe old age of 17 - much to Madam Yu’s delight.
All of sudden, the threat that Wei Wuxian posed to the sect heir was gone (not that Wei Wuxian ever believed it existed at all in the first place) and was replaced with the opportunity to marry Wei Wuxian off as an eligible omega, honourable in background as the first disciple of Yunmeng Jiang and adopted son to the sect leader.
So far he’d been of little interest to alphas given that he wasn’t as … demure as the other omegas often tended to be. He could have easily passed his entire life as a beta or small alpha. For an omega, he was large in stature and large in personality.
Madam Yu had once, in what Wei Wuxian could only assume was a fit of pure delirium, suggested that Wei Wuxian marry Jiang Cheng, to give them heirs and continue on as Jiang Furen once Jiang Cheng took the sect leader position.
Fortunately that idea had been vetoed by everyone in the room immediately as Wei Wuxian made eye contact with Jiang Cheng in a look of pure horror before they refused to make eye contact again for the next month.
So here he was, Wei Ying, courtesy name Wuxian, eligible omega bachelor, soon to be of prime marrying age at just shy of his 20th birthday. He wasn’t worried though. He had more than enough in his arsenal of ‘bad traits’ to keep the suitors away for a few more years yet, and that in itself gave him a spectacularly carefree attitude to life.
He didn’t particularly care for secondary gender, he would befriend anyone from all walks of life. What mattered to him was that someone was a good person, courageous and kind.
Lan Wangji, as Wei Wuxian was very quickly learning, was a good person, courageous and kind but also an absolute dick. He’d heard all the stories of the Second Jade’s adventures, how he’d spent his years already saving those who needed it, bravely driving away evil to save the common people and would never accept payment for doing so. He was a good cultivator.
But he was, also, a dick. Only to Wei Wuxian though, it seemed.
The morning of the first lecture, Wei Wuxian came in just a teensy, weensy bit late. It was by only a moment, and Lan Qiren hadn’t even arrived yet.
But of course, Lan Wangji, ‘Head of Discipline’ and also apparently ‘Head of Being a Total Asshole,’ decided to call him out on it in front of the whole class. He stood there, staring down on Wei Wuxian with that same blank face demanding to know why he was late.
Late?! He was barely late at all!
“Ah, Lan-xiong, I just got a little lost on the way to the lecture, that’s all. Lan Xiansheng hasn’t even arrived yet. I’m sure you could let it slide,” Wei Wuxian tried to laugh it off. It did not work.
Lan Wangji continued to stare down at Wei Wuxian, the only sign that he hadn’t turned into a statue there and then was the infinitesimal flare of his nostrils as he breathed in and out, as though anger was sitting just below the surface of his skin but he refused to let it take over completely.
“First warning,” was all that Lan Wangji said before returning to his seat.
Wei Wuxian looked around, making eye contact with Huaisang as he watched the interaction from behind his fan.
It wasn’t long until Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen came into the room, robes billowing behind them as they went past. The same ‘nothing’ smell that all the Lans had was becoming familiar but it didn’t stop it from being any less creepy, like the lot of them were just living dolls, devoid of life.
Lan Qiren was a stern man, taking no nonsense off the bat. After each sect had presented their gift towards the Gusu Lan in appreciation for the opportunity to learn, he began the world’s most boring lecture on the rules of Gusu Lan.
Wei Wuxian felt it admirable that he had managed to stay awake the entire time, only slumping in his seat slightly to rest his cheek against his fist as he rested his elbow on the table. His eyes drooped but only a couple of times!
It was just after one of these times, as he jolted back to awareness again that he noticed Lan Wangji watching him again. He must have been waiting for Wei Wuxian to fall asleep or do something else to fuck up again. He clearly took great pleasure in becoming Wei Wuxian’s very own mortal enemy for the time he was here.
Just as Wei Wuxian was about to let his mind play somewhere else, his attention was drawn back to the lecture as he heard Lan Qiren begin to cite the rules surrounding their secondary genders.
Huaisang had been fairly accurate in his gossip, though he knew Huaisang’s brother was close with Lan Xichen. He must have gotten the inside scoop that way.
“As such,” Lan Qiren continued to drone on, “we as a clan pledge to focus our lives on control and restraint. It is these principles that keep us humble and grounded, and staying away from baser urges ensures that all our disciples grow to be healthy, confident individuals who are not controlled by the secondary genders we hold within.”
Wei Wuxian watched as Lan Qiren took a step back, allowing Lan Xichen to step forward.
“Now that you have heard the basic explanation of our rules and the specific rules surrounding our secondary genders, I wanted to take a moment to speak on the more social aspect,” he looked around the room, seemingly happy to continue once he confirmed everyone was paying attention.
“We have been called many things over the years. ‘Stuffy’ or ‘boring’ for keeping our scents so closely hidden. What I want you all to take away from your time here, is that we do what we do because it makes us happy. We do not discriminate against other sects for allowing their scents to flow freely, so we ask that you do not judge us for keeping ours close to our hearts. We are still human, still students or teachers, still cultivators.
“I can only ask that you give us the same considerations that we will give to yourselves, and allow us to show you the kind of people we are regardless of scent. You never know, you may make lifelong friendships with some of the Lan Clan members the way that I did myself when I was a student and became lifelong friends with the Nie Clan,” his eyes swept the crowd until they landed on Huaisang, who nodded his head towards the sect's heir.
With that, Lan Qiren concluded the lecture, sending them on their way. It was only just before lunch, and Wei Wuxian was grateful that they were being eased in with a half day. He already felt dead on his feet from pure boredom and it hadn’t even been a single day!
After lunch, Wei Wuxian went straight to Huaisang’s room and spent a pleasant afternoon playing more cards before they went out to explore the backhills.
The land surrounding the Cloud Recess was large, the rivers plentiful. It didn’t take long for Wei Wuxian and Huaisang to occupy themselves as they tried to catch fish with their bare hands. By the time they finished their fishing adventure and stopped off at the springs to bathe, Wei Wuxian found himself exhausted once again but with no time to change before dinner, he and Huaisang simply ignored their damn hair.
He was ravenous, eating down every last grain of bland rice before he knew what he’d done. Lan Wangji was seated at the top tables as usual, stoic as usual. No fun at all.
After dinner, the group made their way back to the rooms. He said a quick goodnight to Jiang Cheng along the way as he separated for the alpha dorms and later Nie Huaisang as he reached his own room first.
As he closed the door, Wei Wuxian kicked his shoes off and made towards the small chest to change into his sleeping robes and prepare for bed.
It really was pleasant here, the room basic but with everything he could possibly need as a student. He had yet to explore the books neatly put on the shelves or the desk complete with inkstone and brushes. He would surely make use of those over the coming weeks.
Wei Wuxian changed and slipped beneath the sheets.
He wasn’t sure why, but the sterile ‘Lan’ smell of the room was finally starting to dissipate. When he had first arrived yesterday it was almost unnerving, no smell of incense or anything.
He wasn’t sure what they’d done to make it this way but he wasn’t complaining. Everything had the slightest smell of sandalwood, just as though the smallest wisps of the scent had caught gently to the fabric of the bed sheets. It was subtle but comforting. Wei Wuxian enjoyed it.
Thinking little of it, he drifted off into a pleasant sleep sooner than he thought he could, with the hope that they would use more of that incense or soap or whatever it was on the sheets in the future.
***
The following few days were very much the same. The lectures never went beyond mid afternoon, leaving the visiting disciples with plenty of spare time to socialise.
As of yet, they hadn’t managed to make friends with any of the Lan students. He noticed some of the Lan students approaching the omegas from smaller sects to engage them in gentle conversation, but it seemed Wei Wuxian and his friends were too rowdy for the Lans.
Not that it mattered, other than Lan Wangji there was no other Lan that Wei Wuxian particularly wanted to pay attention to, and even that was only because Lan Wangji was a dick.
They hadn’t actually interacted since, but Wei Wuxian often caught himself being watched, as though Lan Wangji was waiting to pounce the moment Wei Wuxian put a toe out of line.
It was incredibly annoying. It made Wei Wuxian want to bite back.
One late afternoon, as the usual trio sat on a bench among the grounds on their day off, a young Lan disciple approached them.
“A letter and package have arrived for Nie Huaisang?” he asked, more than told them. The poor little one seemed intimidated. Perhaps it was early days for him as a postboy.
“Ah! Yes, yes. Perfect, thank you,” he said as he took the package wrapped in brown paper from the young disciple. Wei Wuxian laughed under his breath as he watched the poor little junior speed walk away.
“What is it, Nie-xiong?” Jiang Cheng asked.
“Oh, nothing important. I was just getting so sick of the lack of life in the rooms here. I don't want to waste my good incense on perfuming the room while I’m out so I asked da-ge to send me some cheaper incense from Qinghe. Smells like home, you know?” He chirped away as he opened the package, revealing the bundle of incense.
It seemed weird to Wei Wuxian. Sure, the first night hadn’t been great, but then they’d done whatever they did to cause the sandalwood smell. It was very, very faint but still there, just slightly.
Jiang Cheng nodded in agreement. “I don’t know why I didn't think to bring any with me. I’d just assumed they would have incense going in the rooms already. I asked one of the Lan disciples and he said they didn’t use any kind of incense here at all, except occasionally during conferences where there are a lot of alphas to help stop all the scents building together.”
“Aiya, you’re both a bit dramatic, don't you think? Personally, I love the smell of whatever soaps they use on the sheets. That was plenty for me.”
Wei Wuxian watched as Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang shared a look between them before both turning quizzically towards him.
“Wei-xiong, they don’t use scented soaps here either. Their washing is as bland as the food!” Huaisang snickered at his own joke, Jiang Cheng’s smile bright as he watched the omega.
Huh, that was an interesting development that Wei Wuxian would definitely be keeping an eye on.
But more to the point, what the heck?
“Ah, that’s odd. My room was the same as yours the first night but then I assumed they’d changed the sheets or something. Perhaps I brought the smell in with me somehow,” he pondered.
“Maybe,” Jiang Cheng replied, finally tearing his eyes away from Huaisang.
Wei Wuxian stood to head back to his room before heading to the springs, stretching as he did so. It was at this moment he noticed Lan Wangji sitting on the bench a few feet from their own. He looked just as blank faced as usual but his ears were noticeably red as he pretended not to eavesdrop.
Busted.
Wei Wuxian said goodbye to his friends before making his way back to his room, laughing to himself.
It put him in a good mood, the idea that he’d beaten Lan Wangji at his own game by catching him breaking a rule.
The smell thing was weird though. He was sure it had been there but he had to admit that it had worn away quite a bit over the last few days. It was pretty much undetectable at this point and Wei Wuxian could easily convince himself that he’d imagined it.
He gathered his things and headed to the omega springs. These ones were warm, thank the gods. He spent a longer time than usual allowing his muscles to soak and relax before going back for the evening.
Dinner would be served soon, but he wasn’t all that hungry. They’d popped into Caiyi for lunch and it’d been the first taste of flavour he'd had in over a week. As is only appropriate in this kind of situation, Wei Wuxian had made the most of the opportunity and stuffed his belly full to bursting.
He felt sated and sleepy, still full and relaxed from his bath.
The smell hit him immediately as Wei Wuxian opened the door.
He stood there, hair still wet, in what felt like shock after their earlier conversation. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts back into his brain and enter the room, door closing softly behind him.
Sandalwood.
It was definitely the same smell, though much stronger than before. If he hadn’t known better, Wei Wuxian would have assumed it was the bedding but those weren’t due to be refreshed until the following day.
Dumbstruck and confused, Wei Wuxian moved further into the room, taking another breath, deeper this time. It was definitely not his imagination.
It clung to every fibre of the room, not overpowering but still very there. And it was wonderful.
He really had assumed it was soap or incense but since those had been debunked, it must be something else entirely. Though what, he wasn’t sure.
He really did like it though. Part of him hoped that perhaps his future alpha might smell something like this. Comforting and protective.
Wei Wuxian felt his cheeks redden as the thought occurred to him. He was known to be shameless but that was all for show! He wasn’t normally so shameless to himself when he was alone.
Deciding to ignore it, knowing there was nothing much else he could do but ask the maids when they delivered the sheets the following day, he set about with his evening routine. He brushed his hair out before securing it in a sleeping braid, got into his sleeping robes and settled in.
The scent was stronger here, in the sheets.
As he lay there, Wei Wuxian felt his cheeks redden further, his body trying to react to the smell.
It must be because of the stupid brainworm he’d put there. Why on earth had he let himself believe an alpha could smell like this? Now he simply couldn’t stop thinking about it.
His hand wanted to trail down, to find what secrets lay beneath his robes but he stopped himself before he let the thought go any further.
He felt silly, allowing himself to react that way to what was probably perfume when he’d never reacted that way to an alpha in his life.
Silly, silly thoughts.
He forced himself to drift into sleep. He’d expected it to be hard, but as soon as he turned his head into the pillow and got a fresh whiff of that warm scent, he found himself unable to keep consciousness.
The following day he asked the maid about the smell, hoping to perhaps procure some of the soaps or incense for himself to take back to Lotus Pier, but was unsurprisingly informed that no such product was used by the Gusu Lan and that the maid was unsure.
Apparently nobody on the staff had entered his room, or any of the visiting disciples' rooms at all for that matter.
He thanked her kindly for the new sheets, sending her away as he sat with more questions than answers.
He looked over to his bed, ready to change the sheets over before deciding against it.
It wouldn’t hurt to keep these ones on for one more night, surely?