This is Halloween!

[we_bring_hell]

The Bar loves her holidays, but she is also capable of respecting religious strictures. That's why she put a lot of thought into finding a Halloween costume for Harrow that works with her face paint and general insistence on the monochromatic.

Harrow, for her part, is baffled by the white-pinstriped black suit and the oversized bow, but the gloves are very cool, and the buckled shoes suit as well. She has no idea what's going on but she can live with this.

The Bar seems even more unusually populated than usual, and there are a lot of gourds around. Hm.

Comments

[acrookedpath]

The only reason Wei Wuxian does not bury his face in his hands is because he still holds a half-eaten cupcake. "Lan Zhan," he says instead, hardly able to get his name out around the next burst of snickering. "I know I started it, but have mercy on me!"

[lightamidchaos]

"Mn."

There is deep satisfaction in the sound, but he leaves it at that.

Instead, he sets his cupcake aside on the napkin and begins to search in the pocket of the brown corduroy trousers he is wearing, where his qiankun bag should be.

[acrookedpath]

Wei Wuxian polishes off the cupcake, eyeing Lan Zhan with renewed appreciation as he rummages through his pockets. Making any sort of comment would leave Lan Zhan unfazed and Wei Wuxian bright red again, though; he will leave it unremarked upon.

For now.

(Ah, how the times have changed! Someday, though. Someday, he will learn how to properly fluster Lan Zhan again.)

[lightamidchaos]

Finally, finally, he manages to find what he is looking for, and draws out two packages, one much smaller than the other.

Both are carefully wrapped in white silk. It is not obvious, unless one were to look very, very closely, enough to see the subtle cloud embroidery and realize that Lan Wangji has repurposed part of his ocean-marked set of robes. (And not for the first time.)

He sets both down on the bartop between them.

"Happy birthday, Wei Ying."

[acrookedpath]

Behind the sunglasses, Wei Wuxian's eyes widen. "You -- ?"

The packages may as well be wrapped in spun gold for how delicately Wei Wuxian reaches for them. He draws the larger of the two closer, skating his thumb over the white silk. "Lan Zhan, tell me you did not go too far for these."

[lightamidchaos]

"I did not," he promises.

The larger package is rectangular, and about two fingers' span in width.

[acrookedpath]

The black wings at his shoulders dip a few centimeters as he sighs in relief. Throwing Lan Zhan another shy, wondering glance, he begins to unwrap the first gift. A book, perhaps? It's the right size for it.

[lightamidchaos]

As the silken fabric falls away, it becomes clear that the gift is indeed a book.

The cover is a deep, deep blue, but there is no title written in the block allotted for it, not yet, as Lan Wangji had decided to keep the mystery intact for as long as possible, until Wei Ying opened the book itself. The binding has clearly been done by hand, with great care.

When he opens it, he will find a copy of a musical score for a very, very familiar melody, written in Lan Wangji's own calligraphy. There are three sections; one is the music alone, written for the dizi, the second contains the same piece written as a duet for dizi and guqin, and the third contains a transcription of the lyrics that Wei Ying has so recently heard.

[acrookedpath]

His breath catches the instant he realizes what he is reading. "Lan Zhan," he whispers, for lack of anything else to say.

Gently, he pages through the score. At the duet, he brings his hand to his mouth as if to catch the soft oh that escapes him; when he reaches the lyrics, he almost starts to laugh again, unable to contain the swell of love so huge it nestles right against the inside of his ribs.

It still feels as if Lan Zhan sang to him in a dream. Here is proof: he did not imagine it. Any of it.

"Lan Zhan," he says again, and when he looks up his eyes are brimming bright with tears, cheeks aching from a smile that could light the world. "It's perfect."

[lightamidchaos]

He reaches out to cup Wei Ying's cheek with one hand, gently brushing away a tear with his thumb.

His soft smile says everything.

[acrookedpath]

He laughs a little, covering Lan Zhan's hand where it rests on his cheek. "Thank you," he whispers.

It is not easy to pull Lan Zhan into an embrace with the wings in the way, but Wei Wuxian does his best, wrapping his arms tight around his waist and kissing him soundly.

[lightamidchaos]

He pulls him close and kisses him back, then slides one arm around his waist and keeps it there.

"You can add the title," he thinks to say. "I did not want to spoil the surprise by having you see it before opening the book."

He would be happy to do so, of course, but he likes the idea of Wei Ying's calligraphy forming the final seal on this work.

[acrookedpath]

Another laugh, a little wobbly. "Lan Zhan, I cannot believe you wrote lyrics but still have not found a title," he says, lacing his fingers together behind Lan Zhan's back. "I will have to think of something good."

[lightamidchaos]

Lan Wangji stares at him in absolute shock for several long seconds.




"... I would truly like to know," he says, finally. "How your memory is sometimes so poor."

A beat of silence.

"It has a title."

[acrookedpath]

He gapes at Lan Zhan.

"What?" It's half a genuine question, half an indignant squawk. "Since when? You never told me! What is it? Zhiji, you have to tell me, it's my birthday."

He tugs on Lan Zhan's sleeve.

[lightamidchaos]

“I did. Tell you.”

He sounds quietly exasperated now.

[acrookedpath]

"When?" The teasing is gone; he looks honestly befuddled, his hand still curled in Lan Zhan's sweater. "Lan Zhan, I'm sorry I don't remember. Truly. Maybe I will if you tell me when."

[lightamidchaos]

He searches Wei Ying’s face, and as he does, his expression softens.

He leans in and kisses him, gently, then pulls back and murmurs,

“Figure it out.”

[acrookedpath]

The worry dissipates at Lan Zhan's kiss. He sighs, pleased, and touches their foreheads together.

"Ah, a musical score and a puzzle to solve." Absently, he toys with the collar of Lan Zhan's sleeve. "It was already an extraordinary gift, but now it is even better!"

[lightamidchaos]

"Mn."

One wing stretches out and wraps around him.

"And one more thing."

[acrookedpath]

Oh, that's nice. He resists the urge to snuggle further into the embrace, as if Lan Zhan has wrapped a soft blanket around his shoulders.

"That's right!" He perks up. "Hang on -- "

Wei Wuxian stretches just enough to grab the second, smaller package, unwrapping it with the same care as the first.

[lightamidchaos]

He finds himself holding his breath as the fabric falls away to reveal the tassel inside.

The silken threads are an exact match for Wei Ying's red hair ribbon. The silver charm that he had finally settled on features a finely-engraved nine-petaled lotus in the middle of a circle ornamented with delicately-traced filigree that evokes a pattern of clouds.

[acrookedpath]

He cups the charm in his hands, staring. As if afraid he will tarnish the silver, he rubs his thumb across the engraving, feeling the gentle curve of the lotus petals and the swirls etched around it.

(If only Lan Zhan had known years ago that kissing Wei Wuxian and giving him such fine, thoughtful gifts was a foolproof way to make him be quiet! Perhaps it would have happened much sooner.)

"Lan Zhan," unsteadily, as his smile grows again. "it's beautiful. How did you -- ?"

[lightamidchaos]

"I consulted with Bar-guniang."

At length.

[acrookedpath]

"Ah-hah, I see." He prods Lan Zhan in the shoulder. "Very sneaky of you. Both of you. A great conspiracy to make me cry because you have given me such lovely things."

What else can he do but kiss him again?