Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

     Lan Wangji had to admit that he was not the most outgoing person in his neighborhood, nor even in his family. It wasn’t that he was unfriendly or unkind, he just found most people to be too noisy, too nosy, and too uncomfortable with his more noticeably autistic behaviors. So Lan Wangji did not go out of his way to make new friends or socialize.

   He kept to a strict schedule, which kept his stress down and made it easier to predict how well his brain would handle a given day, and all of this reduced the risk of burnout. He woke up at 5am on work days and slept in until 6am on his days off. He exercised, showered, had a light breakfast of a smoothie or fruit and oatmeal most days, then either went in to work in the public library a few blocks over, or worked around the house on hobbies or his garden. He ate lunch, worked some more, and frequently visited his brother and brother-in-law at their kung fu school.

   On the days that he worked Lan Wangji went into the school as a student, on the days he was off he volunteered as one of the instructors. It lets his brother and brother-in-law see that he is just as healthy and content as he has been since he first moved out of their uncle’s home and figured out how to live on his own without getting overwhelmed by adult life. And besides, he enjoys teaching the tiny toddlers how to move with purpose. He also loved the ‘Unconventional’ class full of wonderfully determined teens and adults who were disabled or trans or even just a different shape from what was expected of a martial artist. Both groups always tried their hardest and had so much determination and so much joy when they succeeded.

   After kung fu classes were finished he went home. He showered and prepped a quick dinner which he ate while reading, something his uncle would never have allowed when Lan Wangji still lived with him. He then cleaned up the kitchen and settled in to practice piano or read a little more before going to bed no later than 9pm, 9:30pm on non-work nights.

   Lan Wangji liked his schedule, his relatively quiet life, and the fact that most of his interactions with strangers happened either at work in the library, at the kung fu school, or during the once a week trip to the grocery store where the clerk always followed a script that he had a response script for.

   The first sign that things were about to change came with the For Sale sign from the long empty house next door finally being removed. Lan Wangji noticed the change on his early morning jog on the first Monday of May, a few hours before he was due at work. The For Sale sign had been up for almost as long as Lan Wangji had lived in his house, so about five years now. Not seeing it as he jogged past the house almost made him stop in alarm because any change had the potential to be bad change. Instead he took a few deeper breaths and focused on the grounding exercises his therapist had recommended as he continued past the house. He saw 3 butter yellow houses. He smelled the petrichor left over from last night's drizzle. He felt a cool breeze on his bare arms and legs and face. He tasted the toothpaste he used earlier.

   Someone had bought the house next door to his own. That was fine. Perhaps the new neighbors would like some gardening tips or even help with clearing out and taming the wild mess five years of neglect had created in their backyard. He could bake something to welcome them, that would be neighborly. His brother had been hinting about how important it is to get to know your neighbors and how he wanted to start a neighborhood mutual aid group. Lan Wangji wasn’t sure if he could participate fully in such a thing, but he could provide baked goods and refreshments, he could help out when needed with house repairs or other work, just as long as nobody got too loud at him or expected him to do anything too loud. With those thoughts in mind Lan Wangji finished his morning jog and continued on with his work day schedule, with the planned change of stopping by the grocery store for baking supplies on his way home and baking instead of a kung fu class and piano practice in the evening.

   Lan Wangji had worried about potential food allergies and dislikes while at the grocery store but ended up settling on chocolate chip cookies, they were simple and comforting and beloved by many for a reason after all. If his new neighbors had an allergy he would simply apologize and bake them something else later in the week. It would be a good way to get to know them a little.

   By the time he made it home from the grocery store it was nearly 6pm and the neighbor’s house was now lit up, there was a moving truck parked outside as well as two cars he did not recognize parked on the street, and there was the sound of music and voices coming from several open windows. Lan Wangji frowned. He hoped that not all of the people currently in the house next door were planning to live in it and be this loud all the time. It would be a lot to get used to.

   He went into his own house, turning on the lights as he slipped out of his comfortably worn high-tops and into his equally comfortable slippers. He put the groceries away and washed his hands and went to change into house clothing. He refused to cook or eat or do anything inside his home in clothes he had worn outside of his home. He decided to make and eat his own dinner before starting on the baking. Tonight’s dinner was a simple one, bamboo shoots and mushrooms sauteed with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil and served on a bed of freshly steamed rice. He also took out a bottle of cold brewed herbal tea he had set up to steep in the fridge before work. This blend was a refreshing mixture of hibiscus and mint. Tart and cool, a good contrast to his meal.

   After dinner he cleaned up his dirty dishes and put away the leftovers to be had for lunch the next day. Then he got out his baking supplies, put on an audiobook to listen to (he had just started listening to the Murderbot series and related much too much to the main character and was impatient to hear what happened next) and got to work making chocolate chip cookies. He made a triple batch, to make sure there were enough for his new neighbors if there really were as many as there had seemed to be. It was nearly 8:30pm now and he wondered if it was too late to go over to the house next door and he should wait until morning, but chocolate chip cookies were always the best treat when they were very very fresh and barely cool enough to eat. His mother had taught him that when he was four, back when she was still healthy enough to bake with Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji and sing to them about everything they did. It was one of very few memories he had of her and so he treasured it, just as he treasured all of her memories and all of the lessons she had taught him, even the ones that Uncle Qiren had disapproved of.

   Lan Wangji changed into a clean outfit fit for going outside and meeting new people. He had considered something purely masculine but then he’d set a standard he would not feel comfortable with. At the same time, he did not feel like going full fem, after a long day of work and cooking and baking the thought of putting on makeup was almost enough to make him cry. He settled for grey jeans so old they had become soft and comfortable instead of stiff and irritating, and a flowing light blue tunic with silver embroidery along the collar. He kept his hair fairly long, down to mid back, at work he kept it in a braid or in a ponytail but he preferred to take it down if he wasn’t working or training because the feel of the hair ties or the braid tended to be a small sensory nightmare, one he had gotten used to but avoided when possible, so he left it loose. Hoop earrings always made him feel more confident in public so he put on the silver hoops Lan Xichen had given him for his last birthday, grabbed the tupperware of cookies, put on his dark blue high-tops and went to greet his new neighbors.

   The lights were still on but the moving truck and cars had disappeared by the time Lan Wangji had made it out of his house with the tupperware of cookies. The noise level had also significantly decreased, though music was still audible, some sort of punk rock band was his best guess. As he walked up to the door he took a deep breath, exhaled slowly through his mouth and rang the doorbell.

   The door opened just a few seconds later and the most beautiful and chaotic person Lan Wangji had ever seen looked out at him. They wore ripped up skinny jeans with enough paint and other stains on them that Lan Wangji wasn’t sure of their original color. The tank top seemed to have started life as a black tshirt but the arms and collar had been cut off at some point and paint had gotten on it too. The person’s hair was almost buzzed on one side and kept long on the other, with streaks of red and purple starting half way down and ending just past the person’s shoulder. Lan Wangji wondered if all the paint was from redecorating the house or if it was meant as a fashion statement of some sort.

   “Hello? Can I help you? Are you… lost? Did I play my music too loud? Are you out hunting for vampires? It seems a little early for vampires, the sun isn’t all the way down yet you know? But then maybe these are Twilight style vampires? In which case I’ll lend you a hand valiant stranger!” Lan Wangji snapped out of the mild daze he had been in, realizing that he had been staring at his new neighbor long enough for them to have started a very strange conversation, apparently not actually requiring his input.

   “Hello. My name is Lan Wangji. I am your neighbor.” He pointed at his house as if to demonstrate the fact that they were neighbors and instantly felt extremely foolish. His new neighbor stopped talking and laughed, a bright, delighted sound that made Lan Wangji want to hear it again, as often as possible.

   “Hi Lan Wangji, my neighbor. My name is Wei Wuxian, I just got done moving in like an hour ago. Was I being too loud? I tend to be too loud, I’m sorry if that’s the case and I’ll try to do better but I have a memory like a sieve and sometimes I lose track of time or volume so feel free to come over and scold me for it at any time!” his new neighbor, Wei Wuxian said without taking a breath. Lan Wangji stared again, he couldn't help it, he had never met anyone quite like this before.

   After a few seconds Lan Wangji mentally shook himself out of it and replied “The music is a little loud but not too bad. I came over to… welcome you into the neighborhood. Here, I baked cookies.” he nearly shoved the tupperware into Wei Wuxian’s hands. At first Wei Wuxian looked surprised, almost shocked. Then as he took in Lan Wangji’s words he started to smile, and then he laughed in delight again. “Oh my god. You baked me cookies? That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done on a first meeting for me! You’re my new favorite person. Right after my jiejie. I’m sorry but nobody can beat her or her cooking. I’ll have to ask her to come and make some soup so you can experience it, as a thank you for the cookies!”

   Lan Wangji blinked. Wei Wuxian seemed to use enough words for both of them, he wasn’t sure how to respond, or even if he needed to. Finally he asked “Wei Wuxian. I hope this isn't rude but… what are your pronouns?” After a pause he added “Mine are he/him and they/them.”

  Wei Wuxian looked even more delighted at this, a feat Lan Wangji had thought impossible moments before. “I go by he/him or they/them or even she/her, pick your favorite, switch it up on me, take your cues from my clothes or don’t! I’m cool with whatever. Thank you for asking, and for letting me know!”

  Lan Wangji nodded and felt himself blush which seemed to startle Wei Wuxian because she made a noise reminiscent of a tea kettle. “It is getting late. I will go now. Please enjoy the cookies and return the container when you have the chance. Good night Wei Wuxian.” With that Lan Wangji turned around and walked stiffly back to his own house where he took a few minutes to meditate to calm his inexplicably racing pulse before he got ready for bed.

Chapter Text

 Lan Wangji did not know what to expect from having made an overture of friendship, or at least neighborliness to his new neighbor. He spent the next morning, another work day, going through his usual routine, and this time he was not startled by the lack of the For Sale sign, nor the signs that the long empty house now had an occupant. Though at this early hour the only change to the house was curtains in windows that had been empty before. 

  The morning continued as scheduled and he went to work with a quiet and peaceful heart. Tuesdays were double story time days, a morning storytime for toddlers followed by an afternoon storytime run for and by teens. Lan Wangji had piloted the program despite doubts from his supervisor, his colleagues and his uncle and it gave him a thrill of satisfaction every time his gaggle of teens rushed in and started setting up. All he really had to do was bring snacks and water and do a quick check of the stories picked to make sure they weren’t too graphic for random passing patrons to find alarming. 

After work he made what was meant to be a quick stop by his house to change into his kung fu uniform, one of the only outfits he owned that gave him a burst of gender euphoria no matter how fem or masculine he felt. As he got close to the house he noticed Wei Wuxian sitting on his porch, presumably waiting for him. He checked his watch, it was a quarter past 5pm, he had a little time buffer before he was late to class, he could spare a few minutes in an effort to continue an attempt at a friendly relationship with his new neighbor.

“Wei Wuxian. Hello.” Lan Wangji ran out of words he knew would fit the situation faster than he had hoped. 

Wei Wuxian looked startled and sprang up in a fluid surprisingly fluid movement, as if he had not expected to see Lan Wangji on his own porch. This made Lan Wangji look around to check that it was in fact his house he was standing in front of and not his neighbor’s, stranger brain glitches have happened after all. No, this was his house, it was painted a blue-grey that felt soothing to look at, the door was a dark blue, the front lawn had been removed and replaced with a stone garden early on because Lan Wangji hated lawn culture and all the pesticides and chemical fertilizers and loud lawn mowers they required. A stone garden required very little upkeep and did not contaminate the local environment. 

“Hi Lan Wangji! I didn’t know when you’d be home and I didn’t want to miss you so I thought I’d wait here, I hope that’s alright and not weird or creepy or anything? I promise I’m not trying to stalk you, and anyway I’d be a pretty bad stalker if I just sat on your porch while you weren’t even home right?” Wei Wuxian said, sounding as upbeat as ever. 

“…mn” was all Lan Wangji could manage, slightly overwhelmed by how many words Wei Wuxian had in him. Even this acknowledgment seemed to be enough for Wei Wuxian though, she paused in her rambling to beam up at Lan Wangji. 

     “I lost my train of thought again, sorry, it happens a lot. What I meant to say is… thanks for the cookies! They’re super tasty and I transferred them to a different container and washed yours out so I could bring it back right away. Otherwise I’d forget about it and you’d never get it back!” Wei Wuxian said, showing Lan Wangji the clean Tupperware and wiggling it in the air for emphasis. 

Lan Wangji found his equilibrium, more or less at least, if he ignored his inexplicably increased heart rate. “You did not need to wait. You could have left it on the porch.” He said, perhaps somewhat more stiffly than he meant. Wei Wuxian must be affecting his sensory processing disorder, too many words to keep track of or something. He really wanted to make it through his kung fu class without a meltdown from overload so he’d need to get out of this conversation quickly. “Was that all? Or did you need something?” He asked, trying to keep his voice even and not show any of whatever strong emotion seemed to have a hold on him now. He could not help but notice that Wei Wuxian was wearing another set of paint splattered jeans, these seemed to have started out a deep red shade reminiscent of drying blood, and a tshirt with actual sleeves but several holes in it advertising an art studio Lan Wangi had seen in passing ‘Lotus Pier’ located near the marina. 

Wei Wuxian blushed and looked down and slightly to the side of Lan Wangji. “Uh. Actually… you’re going to think I’m an asshole for asking for something when we met like… less than a day ago? But my brother helped me pack up my kitchen and neither of us labeled the boxes and uh. Can I borrow a frying pan? I was going to make stir fry but I need a pan for that?” They said, sounding unsure.

Lan Wangji blinked in surprise. The request was a reasonable one, even if the cause was disorganization of a type he could not fathom. Who moves without carefully labeling each box? What if his plates ended up in a bathroom? “Ridiculous. Yes, wait. I will bring you a pan.” He unlocked his door, slipped in, removed his shoes and set down his backpack and quickly went to his kitchen to find the spare pan. It was a perfectly serviceable pan but the texture of the handle was just slightly Wrong so Lan Wangji avoided using it. This way even if Wei Wuxian didn’t return it promptly he would still be able to cook for himself. 

Lan Wangji slipped his shoes back on and went back out the door to find Wei Wuxian waiting patiently on the porch. He held out the pan like a sword to keep Wei Wuxian (or at least the feelings Wei Wuxian seemed to inspire) at bay. 

Wei Wuxian happily took the pan from him and grinned. “Thank you so much! I promise I’ll take good care of it and return it to you as soon as I find where the kitchen boxes have ended up!” 

Lan Wangji nodded, paused and then made himself say “Take as long as you need. This one is a spare. I don’t like the handle texture.” it would be good to gauge how his new neighbor reacted to clearly neurodivergent habits now. If they turned out to be weird about it then Lan Wangji wouldn’t have to put any more effort into trying to be friendly.

Wei Wuxian took a few moments to touch the pan’s handle, rubbing at it from different angles with a small frown. “Ooooh yeah, I see what you mean. It isn’t the worst texture, like flocked stuff but who would flock a pan handle anyway? It’s just… weird? I can handle it just fine but I can totally see why you’d avoid using it! HA! Handle it! Get it? I wasn’t even trying!” they giggled a little at their own accidental pun. 

Lan Wangji couldn’t help but smile a little at the ease with which Wei Wuxian handled his texture sensitivity, and at the joy this strange, chaotic person seemed to take in the smallest of things, though the very mention of flocking on anything he might touch was enough to make him shiver a little. Flocking was the worst texture, it made him feel sick any time he had to handle it without some sort of barrier between it and his skin.

Wei Wuxian made that tea kettle noise again and seemed to be blushing a little. “I… I uh. Better get going! All I’ve eaten today was one of your cookies so it's time to get cooking! Thanks again, byeeee!” and they were off, jogging across the stone garden and into their own house. 

Lan Wangji watched until his neighbor’s door closed shut and shook his head in confusion. Then with a start he looked at his watch and realized he was running late. He went back into his house and rushed to change into his kung fu uniform.

Lan Wangji was a minute late to class. Not a big deal for most people, but he prided himself on being punctual. Besides that, he was a black belt, by this point most students knew better than to be late. And his brother was teaching today, that meant having to explain himself after class. After he had stowed his backpack and set up his water bottle on the table placed against one side of the mats for easy access he bowed onto the mat and was saluted into class by his brother who raised an eyebrow and set him running laps with the other students.

Class went well overall. Warmups were pleasantly brutal, the three other black belts in class were all panting just as hard as Lan Wangji by the time Lan Xichen or, in class he was Sifu Lan, let them take their first water break. They then worked on partnered jump kicks with one partner holding a large pad and standing in the sturdiest stance they could, braced for impact while the other partner kicked. They went up and down the length of the mats like that, switching who did what when each partner had been backed against the mirrored walls. Then they worked on their internal forms, which looked deceptively simple but required strong core muscles and incredible breath control. By their second water break all four black belts were drenched in sweat and grinning. The cool down was just as brutal as the warmup had been with sets of knuckle pushups followed by planks followed by sit ups repeated five times, just long enough to leave everyone on the floor and Sifu Lan encouraging people on the final pushups with things like “Come on, you can do it! You just need to pry yourself off the floor!” This was met mostly with groans and one long suffering “Mn” which made Sifu Lan chuckle. 

By the time announcements had been made and the class had been dismissed Lan Wangji was almost physically itchy from the knowledge that his brother was going to interrogate him. He bowed himself off the mats, grabbed a long drink of water, toweled off his head and hands to get rid of the worst of the sweat, then took a deep breath before going into the school’s little office where his brother waited for him. 

“Wangji! Have a seat, I need to finish marking your classmate’s cards and then we can talk.” Lan Xichen pointed at the chair Lan Wangji preferred to sit in and tossed him a cold bottle of electrolyte enhanced water. Lan Wangji caught the water, sat in his chair and took a sip from the fresh and pleasantly painfully cold water and watched his brother finish up the notes on his classmates' progress. It only took a few minutes for Xichen to finish up, during which time Lan Wangji had drunk half his water and was getting ready to start sighing just slightly more dramatically than necessary to tease his brother and lower his own tension.

“Alright, I’m done, DON’T start sighing at me. You’ve been doing that since you were five, are you ever going to stop?” Lan Xichen said with a warm smile to show he wasn’t actually annoyed at his little brother,

“Hmm. No. It is effective.” Lan Wangji said with his own, small but sincere smile.

“Alright, fine, be that way. So, what happened that made you late? You don’t look hurt or upset enough for there to be something wrong with the library or your house…” Lan Xichen said looking less worried and more intrigued.

“No, everything is fine.” Lan Wangji said, then sighed exaggeratedly at the skeptical look his brother gave him at the word ‘fine’. “Nothing is on fire that should not be.” An old inside joke between the siblings about how anything was fixable as long as it wasn’t actively on fire and should not normally be on fire. It also worked well as a sort of code phrase to signal whether Lan Wangji was dealing with burnout or overload or other brian glitches.

Lan Xichen’s smile grew at that. “All right all right, I believe you. So what’s up? Did one of your teens need extra help or something? You know I’d understand if you took more time for them, you clearly care a great deal for them and I think they care about you too. They’re so cute about it.”

“They are good kids. But no, it was…” Lan Wangji hesitated, unsure of how to describe Wei Wuxian without giving his brother the wrong idea. “I have a new neighbor. I brought them cookies yesterday, they returned my tupperware today. They needed to borrow a pan. We talked briefly and I did not notice the time.” 

“That was very kind of you Wangji! I’m happy you are making new friends.” Lan Xichen said, looking more like a proud father of a toddler who walked up to another kid at the playground rather than an older brother talking to his adult sibling.

“I am. Being a good neighbor. Wei Wuxian is very expressive, overwhelmingly and annoyingly so. I do not think we qualify as friends.” Lan Wangji said slightly more stifly than he meant to. His brother had a habit of being over interested in his social life, or near lackthereof. “I will endeavor not to be late again. I am going home now, I need to shower and cook dinner. I will see you tomorrow brother.” He said and got up and left, grabbing his backpack on his way out.

“Bye Wangji! Tell your neighbor I said hi next time you see them!” Lan Xichen called loudly enough for the entire school to hear him.

Chapter Text

   Lan Wangji had a quiet night after his kung fu class and went to bed at his usual 9:30pm with the expectation of sleeping in until 6am the next day. He decided to focus on yoga instead of jogging and treated himself to a bagel with whipped cream cheese and smoked salmon for breakfast, making this an unusually luxurious mid-week day off. But he felt that he deserved a bit of a treat after dealing with unexpected changes and his brother’s curiosity. 

   After breakfast Lan Wangji decided his backyard had been neglected enough over the past few days and changed into some comfortable work clothes, another pair of very old, very worn jeans and a loose tshirt as well as a large brimmed hat, sturdy shoes and sensory friendly sunblock.

   The first couple of hours were pleasantly peaceful, the morning was calm and cool and the only real noises were those made by the local birds and squirrels. Lan Wangji managed to get a lot of weeding done, leaving the plants in a pile away from his plant beds while he carefully turned the soil and added his homemade natural fertilizer to it in advance of planting his seedlings in it. He was just taking a somewhat overdue water break, around 10am, with plans to reapply sunblock and get back to gardening when he heard a crash from his neighbor’s house followed by some very creative swearing. Wei Wuxian must be awake and doing… something. 

   Lan Wangji reapplied his sunblock to the sounds of more crashing and swearing as followed by running water and Wei Wuxian singing “I have crossed a natural plane and communed with the dead/ But people always seem to want some proof./ No one even would believe, my love, that evil I got pictures of/ But I would throw them all out just for you.” It was a ridiculous love song. It made Lan Wangji smile as he got back to work, starting with the tomato plants he had planned this year’s garden around. “Anything for you / All of this is true / But the best story that I could ever tell / Is the one where I am growing old with you / My scar is from a polar bear, my curse is from a witch, / I've caught a giant squid in all the seven seas. / I've picked up rocks from distant moons astronomers will discover soon / But I would give them all back just for you.” His neighbor kept singing and Lan Wangji kept carefully planting seedling tomatoes in the fresh damp soil, and if he kept smiling too nobody was around to see. 

   After the tomatoes are all settled in their new bed Lan Wangji adds several young basil plants around them. He gives the entire bed a good gentle watering and starts up on the next raised bed, which will have zucchini in it. The water and his neighbor’s singing had stopped a few minutes ago and Lan Wangji is surprised to find that he misses that tenor voice raised in purely self indulgent musical joy. The zucchini plants go in with much less work than the tomatoes had needed, not requiring a tomato cage for each of the young plants to grow in.

   “Aren’t you afraid of the zucchini curse?” Came a voice seemingly from nowhere, startling Lan Wangji into dropping the trowel he was holding, which thankfully landed next to a young zucchini plant instead of spearing or crushing it. Lan Wangji took a deliberately slow, deep breath in through his nose and exhaled even more slowly through his mouth. He kept his tongue touching the top of his mouth like Uncle had taught him for balancing his qi and his exhale made a soft hissing sound as the air passed his tongue.  Two more breaths in and out before he turned to look at the fence he shared with his neighbor. 

   “Wei Wuxian. Hello. No, I do not fear the zucchini curse. First because curses are not real. Second because I am careful to only plant an amount I can consume with minimal assistance and in raised beds where the plants cannot escape containment. Third because zucchini is an easy food. I know many ways to prepare it and I do not tire easily of foods that I enjoy. If others took the same precautions the myth of the zucchini curse would not exist.” Lan Wangji said, doing his best to keep his expression blank. He was having those strong… feelings again. It must be annoyance for yet another disruption to his routine. He lets himself take in the sight of Wei Wuxian sitting on the wooden fence between their yards. They are wearing yet another pair of ripped jeans- faded and worn but not entirely paint covered this time, as well as a grey tank top with a faded NASA logo on the front. Beat up high tops swing back and forth and Wei Wuxian’s hair is loose and still slightly damp. The sun adds warm tones to the hair and has Wei Wuxian squinting slightly, much like a cat basking in a sun beam, there is a quiet contentment in their smile. Lan Wangji finds it difficult to look away.

   “Ok, ok. That’s extremely fair! I like zucchini too! I’ve just always been told not to plant them or they’d take over the world! Or at least my personal corner of it.” They smiled as they spoke, a warm smile that reminded Lan Wangji suddenly and inexplicably of his mother’s smile as she welcomed him home from school. He took another deep, steadying breath and turned away to pick up his trowel again.

   “Was there something you needed?” He manages to ask without letting his emotions change his tone.

 “Oh not really? I was just curious. I thought you worked at this time of day but I heard you digging and watering and stuff and thought I’d say hi!” Lan Wangji could just hear the smile in their voice. It felt warmer than the sun on his skin.

  “Mn. I have a varied schedule. I am a librarian and weekends are busier than weekdays so I take my days off on quieter days.” He volunteered the information, not knowing entirely why he did so.

   “Ooooh I love a good library! I’ll have to stop by and get a card one of these days!” Wei Wuxian said, sounding utterly and sincerely delighted. 

   “I am normally off on Mondays as well but the other librarian was assigned a conference to attend. We switched days off so I will be back to work on Friday instead of tomorrow. If you want to wait until I am working. Any of the library assistants or the other librarian can also set up a library card for you if you prefer not to wait.” Lan Wangji felt his ears warm up at how he must sound.

   Wei Wuxian laughs and Lan Wangji cannot help but turn to look at them. “So you’re a real expert on weeding huh?” They ask with a mischievous smile and point at the pile of weeds Lan Wangji had left for later disposal. “You weed books and your garden! Don’t you ever take a day off from it? Or do just love weed related things that much?” That was definitely the start of a smirk now.

   Lan Wangji could not help but smile up at his strange and strangely annoying yet endearing neighbor. “Libraries only weed materials either as needed from damage or wear or once in a while for a bill weeding of the entire library. And I only need to weed the garden a few times a a year. But I find both soothing. I am bringing order to chaos and with the order new materials or new life.” 

   “Like the mythical Hanguang-Jun from the old folk tales then? You bring light and order and go where the chaos is?” Now Wei Wuxian was teasing and sweet. 

   Once again Lan Wangji lost his grasp on words. He did not think he could make himself say that the old folk tales of Hanguang-Jun and the Yiling Patriarch had been one of his first special interest. That his mother had told him the versions where they were not enemies but husbands when he was small. That he had gotten into his first real fight over his mother’s versions of the stories shortly after she died and a classmate had told him those stories were lies, his heroes had been enemies and hated each other. That his uncle had surprised him by signing up both himself and Lan Xichen for kung fu classes rather than punishing him for the fight. He had also started taking both boys and himself to weekly therapy appointments. “…mn.” Was all he could manage. Again.

   “Want some help with the plant chaos? I have a fire pit, that way none of the weeds can leave seeds to grow in their place!” Wei Wuxian offered, surprisingly gently. Lan Wangji took a moment to consider. He had planned on starting a compost pile but found the idea of new weeds growing out of that and spreading to the rest of his yard alarming. He nodded. Wei Wuxian hopped off the fence and into Lan Wangji’s yard.

   Together they bundled up all of the weeds into a couple of paper shopping bags Lan Wangji had prepared in advance and carried them through the yard gate and around to Wei Wuxian’s yard gate. There Wei Wuxian unlocked the gate and led the way through an unkept jungle of weeds and plant life, emerging at a concrete slab close to the house where a large fire pit had been set up with several chairs arranged around it.

   “Lan Wangji! Lan Wangji! Let’s save these for tonight! I’ll grab s’mores supplies and we can have an evening picnic! It’ll be fun. Please?” 

   Lan Wangji was still feeling a little overwhelmed but nodded and hurried home with a wave as polite as he could be just then.

   When Lan Wangji got back to his own house he quickly changed into his softest lounge wear, a set of pjs in dark grey with a lighter grey bunny print all over. He turned on his most soothing playlist (something called Floating Through Space on Spotify. He wasn’t sure if it was actually music but it worked for calming down.) and then he texted his brother. ‘Xichen, I’m having an Everything Is Too Much day. Will nap and see if I am able to teach class later.’ With that done Lan Wangji closed the blackout curtains in his bedroom, turned on a fan and lay down for a nap. He knew this was breaking his routine but it was a required break so that he could ‘restart’ his brain and have a chance of following his routine again later. He did not want to disappoint his students. 

   Lan Wangji woke up to discover they had missed a small gap in the curtains which had let a beam of sunlight into the room. It bounced off the hardwood floor and spread warm diffused light around the room. Just enough light to see by but not so much that it immediately overwhelmed them or hurt their overly photosensitive eyes. They let out a quiet sigh and lay still as they focused on each of their senses and limbs to see if they were up to getting up. To their own surprise they found themself completely fine. No overload hangover or pain from their brain freaking out and directing pain signals where they did not belong. No discomfort. Perhaps they had over reacted to their own emotional reactions. Or perhaps the nap had just been more effective than expected

   A glance at their phone showed that they had just enough time for a late lunch before they would need to change into their kung fu instructor uniform and head over to their brother’s school for the toddler class followed by the Unconventional class. They got up and walked into the kitchen, barefoot and still in their comfy clothes. The tile was pleasantly cold against their feet, a good grounding to get them comfortably settled in their body. 

   Lan Wangji considered several meal options and discovered that the thought of eating a salad with dressing was distressing, as was the thought of cooking anything. Fruit and a yogurt would suffice.