Pink-coloured lotus flowers were caressed by the light summer breeze, the plump petals swaying from right to left, imitating the dancing people by the riverside. A big boat, carrying two people, was passing between them, creating ripples on the surface of the peaceful water. The rays of the setting sun were gleaming on the blue lake, playfully chasing the hurrying waves. The warm wind carried the sound of joyful laughter, its owner leaning over the boat's edge to pick some flowers.
“Hahaha, Lan Zhan, look at this! Aren't lotuses the most beautiful in full bloom?”
“Mm.”
Lan Wangji wrapped his arms around Wei Wuxian's waist, securing him in his embrace before he could fall into the water. Wei Wuxian leaned back into the hug, enjoying his husband’s protective hands caressing his belly. He was smiling and humming a song while covering Lan Wangji's hands with his own, then turned his head towards his lover and placed a soft kiss on his jaw. Lan Wangji turned his head to return the kiss, placing his lips over Wei Wuxian's in a loving manner.
Wei Wuxian broke the kiss and gazed towards the riverside again, his fingers playing with lotus petals full of life and colour. He folded the petals into funny shapes and wrapped them around his fingers until he got bored with the childish playthings. Out of sheer fun, he placed some behind Lan Wangji's ears, having great joy in the way the rosy petals complemented his porcelain white skin.
“Hmm~ Lan Er-gege, you’d look good with a flower crown. Tell me, would you wear one for me?” Wei Wuxian asked playfully.
“For you, yes.” Lan Wangji answered without hesitation.
The grin on Wei Wuxian’s face grew bigger. “What else would you do for me, Lan Zhan?”
Lan Wangji was looking at him but did not answer. Wei Wuxian shot him a mischievous look and hummed questioningly. He freed himself from the arms which were still wrapped around him and stood up, the boat swaying from right to left from his reckless movements.
“This boat is bigger than what we had last time but it’s still not stable enough. If I jump around some more we might fall into the water again. What do you say, Lan Zhan? Would you like to get wet with me and play around in the water?” Wei Wuxian asked while swaying his body and with it, the boat too.
“...”
He continued. “I'll let you catch me. Moreover, I'll pretend that I can't swim so you can hold me tight and save me from the deep water. Then, to show how thankful I am, I'll kiss you, but don't even think about taking advantage of the situation and tearing my robes apart to do shameful things to me…”
Lan Wangji answered after some hesitation. “...There are others here.”
“Lan Zhan, you… really thought that I wanted to do these kinds of things here?!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed and pretended to be surprised. “I wonder who is more shameless between the two of us.”
He couldn’t keep his shocked facade for too long and gave Lan Wangji a huge grin. Turning his head to the side, he spotted a boat a size bigger than theirs calmly making its way in their direction. The residents of the boat haven’t noticed them, but Wei Wuxian recognized one of the voices right away.
“It’s Jiang Cheng and...? Lan Zhan, the person in white, is that Zewu-Jun?”
“Yes, that’s my brother.” Lan Wangji answered.
A smile was playing at the corners of Jiang Cheng’s mouth as he was talking with Lan Xichen. He raised a cup to his lips and gulped down its contents in one go. Lan Xichen's voice was low and calm, and the distance between them made it hard for Wei Wuxian to understand what he was talking about.
“I remember A-Yuan saying that Jin Ling is coming to Yunmeng too, how come he isn’t with Jiang Cheng… Oh. Oh!” Finally understanding the situation, Wei Wuxian grabbed the bamboo pole and turned the boat in the opposite direction. “We better get out of their way. I don’t want to bump into Jiang Cheng in this situation.”
Lan Wangji answered with a nod.
“I got hungry, let’s head back and eat something.” Wei Wuxian added after some thinking.
By the time they got off the boat, it was almost dark. The streets were filled with the smell of delicious food and the loud voices of people, making Wei Wuxian feel like he was back in the Yunmeng still alive in his childhood memories. He raised his head and sniffed the air. When he finally found the smell he was searching for, he grabbed Lan Wangji's hand and led him to a food stall.
“Look at this, Lan Zhan! Have you ever tried steamed buns? You don’t have to answer, I know you haven’t. We didn’t eat any on our last trip here. Let’s try these!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed with excitement.
“We ate steamed buns.” Lan Wangji said with an unreadable expression.
“Eeh, for real?!” Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I don’t remember eating any… did we really? Then we should search for something else.” Wei Wuxian grabbed Lan Wangji’s wrist again and tried to drag him to a different stall, but Lan Wangji didn’t budge.
“Mm. But it was from another place, these might taste differently. We can try it out.” he said while pulling Wei Wuxian back to the stall.
“Hahaha, you are trying to save my face now, aren’t you?” He released Lan Wangji’s wrist and leaned closer to him. Sneaking his arms around Lan Wangji’s waist, he whispered close to his ears, “Did you like it?”
“It was good.” Lan Wangji answered, his hand caressing Wei Wuxian’s back.
“Okay. Then let’s eat steamed buns again. This time, I’ll remember for sure.”
After ordering two servings and Lan Wangji paying for the meal, they headed towards a quieter place. By the time Lan Wangji finished one and a half steamed bun, Wei Wuxian finished all of his. Walking between the stalls packed with salty, sour or sweet delicacies, Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but taste all of them. Although his stomach was already full, he was always able to make space for some more bites when he found something he craved to try out. When he felt like he couldn’t shove anything down his throat anymore, he decided to lead them where he wanted to go ever since they arrived at Yunmeng, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned his head to look at Lan Wangji, whose gaze was fixed on something. Wei Wuxian looked in the same direction and quickly found what had caught Lan Wangji’s attention.
“Lan Zhan, I’ve told you so many times before. If you want something, just say it!” He let out a heartfelt laugh. “I didn’t know you liked candied fruits this much.”
They continued walking hand-in-hand, with Wei Wuxian speaking nonchalantly and Lan Wangji munching on candied fruits in silence. Wei Wuxian patted his stomach while laughing loudly. Lan Wangji offered him one of his remaining fruits and he took it without hesitation.
“Now this is what I call delicious! You can only eat such delicacies here.” Wei Wuxian beamed.
Although this was obviously a lie, Lan Wangji smiled back at him without objecting. Seeing his smile which was sweeter than the candied fruit in his mouth, Wei Wuxian almost choked on the last bite. He grasped Lan Wangji’s face and pulled him down for a kiss, his sticky fingers leaving syrupy smudges on his immaculate skin. The kiss was sweet, tender and unhurried. Lan Wangji embraced him, not caring about the bystanders who might see them.
When they broke the kiss, Wei Wuxian saw the stains he left on Lan Wangji’s cheeks. He licked one of his fingers clean and wiped the sticky fingerprints with a grin on his face while Lan Wangji endured his actions patiently.
“Come, Lan Zhan,” he said once he was done with scrubbing his lover’s face, “let's go back! There is something else I wanted to do.”
While dragging his husband through the bustling streets, Wei Wuxian was non-stop pointing at things and excitedly talking about everything that came to his mind. A smile was playing on Lan Wangji's lips while he let his lover drag him wherever he wanted to go.
All of a sudden, Wei Wuxian came to a halt. Standing next to one of the stalls, two young boys were laughing and talking with each other. The boy dressed in white was holding an oil paper filled with buns. Picking up one of the buns with his slender fingers, he placed it in front of his companion's lips. The boy dressed in yellow opened his lips shyly and bit into the bun. A faint blush was spreading on his face, and he averted his gaze.
Wei Wuxian was thinking about greeting them but didn't know whether disturbing them was a good idea or not. He soon got his answer when Jin Ling, while shyly looking in his direction, made eye contact with him. As soon as he saw who was standing next to him, he let out a loud shriek before grabbing Lan Sizhui's wrist and dashing towards the area where the lake was.
“I guess he doesn’t want to talk.” Wei Wuxian blurted out. “We shouldn’t follow them, but... the problem is, the thing I really wanted to do with you tonight is in that direction too.”
“Why did you want to go there?” Lan Wangji asked.
Wei Wuxian leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear, “To finally steal lotus pods with you.”
Lan Wangji, for the second time that day, almost let out a chuckle. “We can do it when we come back next time.”
Wei Wuxian’s eyes lit up in delight. “Will you steal lotus pods with me, Lan Zhan?” He wrapped his arms around Lan Wangji’s neck. “Promise me!”
“Mm.” Lan Wangji whispered, his lips almost touching Wei Wuxian’s. “I will.”
Name: Yora Twitter: d2yora Tumblr: chuuyas-fedora
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