angryhearts | leave her behind with the kids

leave her behind with the kids —

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

Does anything in this hotel ever stay put? Those who go looking for the gym, the hotel spa, or the nightclub are out of luck one day, as they're simply no longer there. The hallways themselves go topsy-turvy, only staying put when one looks directly at them. For those who've been here long enough to have seen the last time the hotel shifted like this and remember how unhelpful the hotel staff were — it seems little there has changed. The only difference is the manner in which they are useless. They will acknowledge the shifting hallways, of course, and even provide direction back to the lobby, but profess they are much too busy to provide an escort.

Eventually, the hallways settle. Gone are The Caucus-Race, the Pearls Within, and the Rabbit Hole in favor of new amenities. Where once there was a gym, there's now an indoor playground. The nightclub has been replaced with an arcade, and the spa is now a massive movie theater. Were there always quite so many kids items on the restaurant menus? When did This Elegant Thimble get such a large children's section?

If asked, the hotel staff will shrug. Some will insist things have been this way for as long as they've been working there. Others will state that, like their wonderful Queen, the hotel will always know what's needed for any occasion and make suitable preparations.

ARCADE
9/11 - 9/23

The arcade, if possible, seems even larger than the nightclub that once stood in its place. There are rows of pinball, action games, shooting games, driving games. An entire room of air hockey, and another of dancing games. Clusters of skee-ball, whack-a-mole, and claw machines. The floors seem to be eternally sticky with spilled soda, and the smell of pizza and sugar permeates the air. No matter how many patrons are within sight, the sound of laughter and excited shrieking somehow seems to echo throughout the arcade.

Token dispensers are scattered amongst the games. Hotel staff will be stationed at the snack bar and the prize counter, ready to hand out tokens or trade tickets won from the games for small prizes.

Occasionally, one of the games will spark and short out. If asked, hotel staff will say it's out of order and put up a sign proclaiming it so. They don't seem all that concerned about fixing it. Soon enough, it will seem to fix itself and switch back on. It will still spark every so often, and something about the music will seem off. Anyone who decides to play one of these games anyway will find themselves feeling slightly dizzy. Is the arcade spinning around them, or is that just them?

When the spinning stops, they will no longer be where they were before. They will find themselves in the middle of the game they had previously been playing, regardless of what it was. Welcome to the other side of the arcade — where the game play is more realistic than ever! Hopefully they had a partner brought in with them, or someone else comes along to try to play who can help them win the game to get back out.

MOVIE NIGHT
9/11 - 9/23

The entrance to the movie theater is lined with concession stands. Snacks and drinks of every kind can be picked up here before going into one of the theater's two auditoriums. Films will be playing round the clock in both, a different one on each screen. Oysters may find the same movies they would have seen on their own world, movies one might find on modern day Earth, or even movies about old folktales or traditional stories that might have been told where they were from. The only thing that will not be showing is any version of Alice in Wonderland, or any story set in Wonderland itself.

At times, particular showings may be billed as interactive. These will be of all genres: musicals, adventures, mysteries, romance, comedies, even horror. Oysters who attend these will be encouraged to dress up, and will even be shown to a dressing room with a selection of suitable clothes. It will only be after they've been seated and the film starts that what is meant by interactive will become clear.

The musicals will have sing alongs, with people from the audience being pulled up to participate in the dance numbers. The adventures and mysteries will have characters on the screen turn to the audience as though they are part of the story, inviting them along in the investigation or interrogating them as a suspect. Protagonists and antagonists alike will walk off the screen of horror movies, seeking help from or looking to torment the audience until their story is completed and they are sent back to their film world. Comedies and romances will find those in the audience being pulled up to act out parts of the story — and may find themselves transported into the setting until they do.

DAYCARE AND PLAYGROUND
9/11 - 9/23

The front of the daycare is small, with a place to check in and drop off or pick up kids. This is the only area that Oysters who are not either helping out at the daycare or being dropped off themselves will be able to easily access. Behind this are sectioned off areas for quieter activities, with materials such as books, art supplies, toys, etc. There's a small kitchen that will be off limits to the kids, and an area for snack time and nap time. Hotel staff are very present and interactive in these areas — reading to children, making crafts with them, telling stories, fixing snacks. Some will be taking a quiet break for themselves in the kitchen, and may be willing to talk to Oysters helping out at the daycare.

The back of the daycare is an expansive indoor playground. Here, the children are mostly left to their own devices. There are some hotel staff out there to keep an eye on the children as they play, but they tend to cluster together for conversation. Oysters helping out at the daycare will be somewhat warily included in this if they approach. These hotel staff will mostly be dismissive of any children coming to them unless they are injured or crying. There are multiple parts of the playground that can be used to sneak in and out to the hotel area at large, if one is looking carefully! Any children who are not supposed to be there have a low risk of being caught unless they draw attention to themselves or try to enter the other area of the daycare.

The other children in the daycare fall mostly between the ages of 6-11, with three or four outliers who appear to be toddlers or in the 12-13 age range. Astute Oysters likely to observe the behavior of the children will notice that there are clear social groups among them, as though they have known each other long enough to have friends they're accustomed to playing with. There are some who seem friendly and popular, some who seem to keep to themselves, some who seem to have good relationships with the hotel staff and others who seem determined to cause trouble, those who are bullies and those who are picked on. Their willingness to play with or answer questions from Oyster children or adults is equally as varied.

There will be a posted list of Oysters banned from helping out at the daycare. It will not be easily seen from the front of the daycare, but hotel staff will identify who is on it if asked. It will include the below names:

Lan Wangji (novel)
Wu Xie
Wei Wuxian (novel)
Crowley
Commander Shepard
Matthew Murdock
Lan Wangji (TV)
Sam Wilson

Characters on this list who have been de-aged will also find that hotel staff are reluctant to accept them into the daycare. They will be allowed only if someone not on the list vouches for them, and otherwise will have to sneak in through the playground.

If you have any questions, please leave them over here! For those interested in asking questions or interacting with the daycare staff, please reply to the first comment on this page, and the second comment for the other children!

PREMISE RULES FAQ TAKEN RESERVES APPLICATION MOD CONTACT HIATUS & DROPS WORLD INFO NPCS CALENDAR AC REWARDS PLAYER CONTACT

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Seriously? That's what finally gets Lan Wangji to look over? Probably doesn't think Wei Wuxian is on his level, if he's even close to being competition. But just like that he turns back toward the screen!

Wei Wuxian takes the popcorn and tries not to look as dumbfounded as he feels. Ah, of course, Lan Zhan is commiserating, sharing in their tragedy, and it seems they've finally found some common ground!

"Don't worry, we've got plenty of time! It'll happen," he observes, a lopsided smile coloring his features.

Where Lan Wangji is hypersensitive to their shared arm-rest, Wei Wuxian hardly seems to notice at all. He repeatedly bumps and touches and Lan Zhan's hand might as well be part of the furniture, when he doesn't react. He devours his popcorn with all the same grace he does his liquor, which is to say about half of it makes it into his mouth, the rest cascading into his lap, and sometimes as far as the seat beside him.

"Come on," he heckles, throwing a few pieces of popcorn at the screen, "is anyone really that oblivious? Didn't you just kiss the other one?!"

He can't see the smile, but all the same, it makes his heart do little flips in his chest. It's a good thing Wei Ying can't feel his feelings at the moment, and that Lan Wangji doesn't even know that that's a thing that happened once.

"Yes," he answers, finally. "Some people are that oblivious." Why does he seem to be annoyed when he says that?

To be fair, he really is always annoyed... maybe that's just the default. But in any case, the character seems conflicted whether or not he wants to be with the one that he's with now, who would be good for the family, or the one that he loves, who has little social standing and who wouldn't be the "right" choice by the standards of his extended family.

And honestly, Lan Wangji is rooting for love.

With how few words Lan Wangji has said to him, it's something of a miracle that he's managed whole sentences now. If Lan Zhan was so sure about someone being oblivious, didn't that mean there was someone he had in mind?! Someone who'd dared to ignore or completely miss the advances of Lan Wangji?

It seemed impossible, with a face like that turned his way, even Wei Wuxian would be moved!

"I can help!" he leans forward to steal a sip of the soda that now sits on their shared armrest.

"You just need to grab her attention, right? Have someone talk you up to her," he presses a thumb to his chest, "I'm good at talking, you might have noticed, and Lan Zhan is practically covered in bragging points."

He shows absolutely no facial reaction to this. But he wants to know - what things would Wei Wuxian brag about to someone else on Lan Wangji's behalf?

In the meantime, he takes the soda from Wei Ying and takes a sip as well, even though it's grossly syruppy and disgusting, but he is thirsty. Very, very thirsty.

After a pause, and seemingly returning to the movie, he asks...

"What would you say?"

This is the most relaxed he's been, and he even lets his fingers linger on the cup for a second before returning it to the spot on his lap.

Wei Wuxian is absolutely sure he's earned himself some sort of one-word annoyed grunt. Boring, or annoying, or even a well-placed get lost. But the other boy just quietly goes back to the movie.

His grin returns in full-force when Lan Wangji speaks up again though, and for some reason he's ridiculously pleased that Lan Zhan is interested in his idea at all. Were it just about anyone else, he'd be teasing them mercilessly for needing him to shower them in compliments, but he's having fun with it, so he plays along, for the moment. He completely misses the drink Lan Wangji has taken back, noticing it only once it's gone, and glad that the other boy didn't seem to realize he'd stolen a sip.

"Well," he starts, feet tapping away their nervous energy against the seat in front of him, "I wouldn't start with all the stuff just anyone would know. I'm pretty sure she's aware you're from an affluent clan, top of the class, a model student, all of that."

His gaze lingers on Lan Zhan as he considers, "and there's little point to mentioning your looks, because anyone with eyes knows they're not going to find someone more handsome."

He fumbles his popcorn a little as he tries to sit up, "oh- uh-! Present company excluded of course."

Okay, even that was a fib; as much as Wei Wuxian bragged about his own looks, Lan Zhan was as obscenely handsome as his family was rich, and that was saying something. Just because he was a man, didn't mean Wei Wuxian couldn't appreciate good looks.

"Anyway, I wouldn't start with that, cuz it's all obvious. No, you gotta mention the little things, stuff that makes Lan Zhan more approachable, or things that seem like secrets, that pique her interest. Like..." he shifts the popcorn bucket on his knee, "...sure he's good-looking, but did you know he's got a soft spot for romance stories? He might look like cold jade, but imagine if you could be the one to make him smile! Oh- If you could watch him doing handstands, you'd swoon for sure!"

Hm. He hadn't taken into account that Wei Ying had noticed those things about him, that he likes romance and that he's the only one who ever gets to see his smile, and that he makes sure his form is extra impressive if he ever sees Wei Ying looking his way.

And yet, Wei Ying did not swoon over his handstands, and does not want to be the one to make him smile. He feels crack solidifying in his heart, knowing Wei Ying does not return his feelings.

"Mm," he answers, at last, seemingly satisfied.

"It will not work." Because Wei Ying is unable to convince himself that Lan Zhan is the right partner for him, so Lan Zhan is, indeed, doomed as a result.

Maybe he hadn't seen every facet of Lan Wangji's personality, but he never would have thought there'd be one that that seemed so uncertain and fragile when it came to matters of the heart. Not that he had experience, or could even say he'd been in love, but that someone who was already so highly esteemed still had his doubts, what chance did anyone else have?

His features sour at that answer, "Lan Zhan, if all of that isn't enough, then- then she really doesn't deserve you! Who needs someone who can't appreciate what's right in front of them?"

Really, he was annoyed on Lan Wangji's behalf! Why did all the best people end up with the crummiest partners? Shijie deserved way better than that Jin peacock, no matter how much money and silk he pranced around with. And now Lan Wangji?

"Marriage and all that seems like such a hassle anyway. If I could, I'd just be a rogue cultivator. Go on night-hunts whenever I want, have adventures, go wherever the roads take me! Hey, hey! If it doesn't work out with your girlfriend, you should just come with me!"

He is about to Qi Deviate, that Wei Ying says things like the girl of his affections doesn't realize what's in front of her. No, he does not. And then, Wei Ying goes and asks him to be his cultivation partner, because he... doesn't want to get married and have children?

But then Lan Wangji would have to deal with his incessant flirting and trying to find them a pair of women to entertain for one or multiple evenings, and that sort of arrangement holds zero appeal to Lan Zhan.

"You promised Jiang Wanyin you would stay and be his subordinate," Lan Wangji responds.

The couple on-screen seems to finally get a moment, and gaze into each other's eyes, losing track of the rest of the room. They avert a kiss, but only just barely, adding to the tension. And Lan Wangji is feeling tense.

"When did I say that?" he laughs a little as he reclines in his seat, twining his fingers behind his neck. He let out a short, thoughtful sigh.

It definitely sounded like something he'd say, but he couldn't really recall a set time or place. Not that he had the best memory, but he was pretty sure he'd recall a promise like that. He owed a great deal to the Jiang family, and if that weren't enough, he knew it would be hard to be long separated from any of them, despite how fun it sounded to go running off on his own for a while.

"I mean, that's probably more likely, huh? Imagine the sort of messes Jiang Cheng would make without me there," he adds, "still, it's fun to think about."

He was certain Wei Ying had said such a thing, but in either case, they both know which one of them has the worse memory.

And perhaps, if things were different, they could be cultivation partners. It wasn't exactly what Lan Wangji wanted out of their relationship, but he could take this secret to the grave. He wouldn't want to alienate Wei Ying, that's the last thing he would want.

After all, Wei Ying is his soulmate. His platonic soulmate. That he has a very big, no-good crush on. Still, friendship and sworn brotherhood, those relationships were just as sacred. He would not complain to have that with Wei Ying.

"We can go," he answers, finally. "Only for a month, or two."

Just hearing Lan Zhan wants to get out for a little, have a fun trip with the two of them, it's enough for him to light up, a broad smile returning to his face.

"Yeah?!" he asks, as if someone like Lan Wangji even knew how to joke around, "think you can get away for that long? Is that allowed?"

Wei Wuxian grabs another handful of popcorn, managing to get most of it in his mouth, and barely waits until he's finished chewing before he launches into his ideas for the trip.

"Maybe we'll find you someone even better on the way, hm? Or at least get you some practice in!"

It would be allowed because he's not sect leader and if he is, it would mean that Xichen has passed, which he will not allow. And it would mean that Xichen bore no children before his passing, which would be even worse.

Lan Wangji, whether or not he wants to be, is free. He can choose to do whatever he wishes, it's just that he chooses responsibility. He chooses to help his elder brother, the way Wei Ying offered to stay and help Jiang Wanyin. It's out of loyalty.

He's about to say something, but naturally Wei Ying always bulldozes on ahead. "I will not."

But then, he furrows his eyebrows. Giving it a little moment's thought, he asks: "What practice?"

Does he mean flirting practice? Wei Ying wants to teach him how to pick up girls? He abhors the idea.

Won't what? he thinks. Find someone better? Or try getting a little more experience? He's sure he can count on Lan Zhan to be a stick-in-the-mud about anything that seems even a little fun, but that's part of the adventure isn't it? Trying new things? Walking new paths?

"Practice... flirting, kissing, whatever, I mean- have you ever even talked to a girl?" he asks, completely ignoring the movie at this point.

"Ah, nevermind, nevermind, pointless chatting isn't really your thing, let's not set the bar too high. Maybe you should start with smiling and holding hands, huh? Here, you can try with me if you're nervous," he offers an open palm, but knowing Lan Zhan dislike of just about any kind of physical touch, he's not expecting much. This might be harder than he thought.

"You know, just hold her hand, look into her eyes, and say ah- y'know, whatever comes to mind! Romantic stuff."

Wei Wuxian is holding out his hand for Lan Wangji to hold and his face bluescreens for a second. Because - hadn't he also said that he could practice flirting and kissing? Hadn't he just offered those things?

Was this Wei Ying trying to slyly clue him in on something? Was he, perhaps, shy, and thinking that Lan Wangji for some reason, likes girls?

He does keep mentioning the girls.

But for all these actually not-dumb thoughts, he is too busy currently thinking with his heart instead of his head, and so, he slots a hand into Wei Ying's hand, and holds on tightly, and looks him dead in the eyes as the two main characters finally get over themselves and walk down the altar.

He thinks of something romantic to say. What is something he could plausibly say to Wei Ying but also a girl?

With his straight stare, he says: "I wish to night-hunt with you."

Wei Wuxian can't help thinking that Lan Wangji probably wants to hold his hand about as much as he wants to stick it in dirty pond water, especially when he watches him freeze up. Okay, first of all, Wei Wuxian isn't that hard to stomach, even if he doesn't want to hold his hand for this little exercise, he doesn't have to look like the idea alone is giving him qi deviation.

He's taken quite by surprise though, when Lan Zhan reaches out and grabs his hand, threading their fingers together and holding on like it's his last lifeline. Wei Wuxian can't help a grin from spreading, though he catches himself a moment later, remembering that he promised to play the part, to give Lan Zhan his best advice for his girl troubles.

"Good, good, that's a good start! Something you both like, right?" he nods. Night-hunting probably isn't a terribly romantic idea, but spending time is never bad.

Just his luck though, that he finally gets Lan Wangji to well and truly look at him today, and it's when they're role-playing a game and he's pretending to be some girl Lan Zhan has gotten himself attached to. He can feel his heart do a little hiccuping flip in his chest. No one should be able to stare that intensely! If even Wei Wuxian feels intimidated, he's sure Lan Zhan would make any girl faint with that kind of gaze.

"You don't have to hold quite so tight," he teases, giving Lan Zhan's hand a little pat-pat with his free hand, "I can handle it, but you'll probably crush a poor girl's fingers. They're a lot softer, remember?"

He gives a gentle squeeze back, just so Lan Zhan doesn't up and let go, or get scared off by a little friendly advice. It's hard to guess what his mystery girl might say in response to that, so he tries to keep his comments general, for now at least.

"Right, so night-hunting, and then? Hm... you should probably follow up with something you like about her. Tell her that her hair looks pretty, or you like her eyes, or the way she smiles, right?"

Wei Ying smiles. He smiles, when Lan Wangji takes his hand, and it isn't a satisfied, triumphant smile. It's a genuine, happy smile, and it makes his heart do all sorts of funny things in his chest.

And then he starts talking about girls again. Girls this, girls that. Hadn't Wei Ying had cut-sleeve novels he'd shoved under Lan Wangji's nose? At the time, he'd thought that Wei Ying was trying to make fun of him, that he'd known, that he'd chosen that particular book to tease.

But now, he's starting to regret his kneejerk response.

Then he goes off again, giving Lan Wangji advice on what he should tell the object of his affection. And that person does have such shiny black hair, and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, and a smile that could melt away the longest winters.

"Nothing moves me like your laugh."

He sounds so serious when he says it. He doesn't say: I would recognize it anywhere. I would pick you out from a crowd of thousands. I would move Heaven and Earth to hear it.

Lan Zhan holding onto his hand like this, saying things like that, it was making his heart do funny things in his chest, and if that was so, he knew any girl would fall for him in an instant in the same position!

"You're way better at this than I thought, Lan Zhan," he gives a nervous sort of laugh, but doesn't pull back. Isn't Wei Wuxian the one who is supposed to be doing the teaching here?! He can't very well back down now, even if his own experience is all learned from books and failed, laughing rejections from girls whenever he actually tried flirting. For him, it'd always been about playing a game anyway, teasing came almost as natural as breathing.

"Right, then all you need to do is... is look deep into her eyes, show her a smile, if you can manage it, and then.... and then... ah... well, y-know, make your move!" he explains, and wow, is it hot in here? He's definitely warm and more than a little flustered, but pride won't let him show weakness.

Is he still playing along, Lan Wangji wonders, or is he speaking his truth hidden under the safe guise of this game the way Lan Wangji is? Because, if he's not mistaken, Wei Ying has just given him permission to kiss him.

It isn't that Lan Wangji doesn't want to kiss him. On the contrary, Lan Wangji's eyes are trained on Wei Ying's lips, even as the music swells in the movie behind them, and the screen casts them both in soft artificial light in the otherwise dark room. He casts his glance back up into Wei Ying's eyes, his stare intense, hard, fixated.

"Are you saying I should kiss you?" he inquires, his voice low, his thumb drawing concentric circles like ripples on the back of Wei Ying's hand. He isn't running away, he isn't making a joke. There's no teasing, yet. Maybe, if Wei Ying can be brave, then Lan Wangji can be brave too.

In Wei Wuxian's defense, he's relatively sure that anyone Lan Zhan turned that gaze toward and offered to kiss them would say yes. He hadn't necessarily meant for the lesson to go that far, but, if the offer was on the table...

It was practice, right? Lan Zhan just needed practice, for his special someone, and Wei Wuxian, well, men ought to know how to kiss, shouldn't they? And they had to learn somewhere and he could think of a hell of a lot of worse people to kiss than Lan Wangji.

These thoughts raced rabbit-fast, and for once, he couldn't find the tongue for any glib or teasing replies, feeling a bit muddled by the way Lan Zhan's eyes focus on him, and the way his thumb moves over the back of his hand. Whatever insecurities Lan Zhan might have, Wei Wuxian is completely sure he's underestimating himself; if the girl he fancies doesn't go completely weak experiencing this, she must have a heart made of stone and really, really doesn't deserve him anyway. And if it'll build Lan Zhan's confidence to talk to her, isn't that what friends are for?

"I..." he swallows thickly, "you can... that is, if you want to?"

He takes a breath and lets his eyes close, waiting. And if there's a sharp pang in his heart at the thought that this was for someone else, Wei Wuxian did the same thing he did with all emotions he didn't want to deal with, and buried it deep.

Wei Ying gave Lan Wangji permission to kiss him.

Wei Ying has told Lan Wangji he should kiss him.

He's closed his eyes, and he's expecting one, and he's so cute, and Lan Wangji isn't sure if the heart jumping up in his throat is his own or how he is feeling Wei Ying's pulse, right now, which he swears is quickening.

Leaning in, he presses a soft kiss, petal-light, gentle, to Wei Ying's lips. He means to do just that, and pull away. But now having been given a taste of Wei Ying's lips, he wishes to imbibe himself, and so with his inability to hold back the floodgates, he pulls Wei Ying in to crush their lips together. His hands slide into Wei Ying's hair to guide his face, and quickly blooms from curious and innocent to probing, relentless. It's on the side of too hard, but he recognizes this, and his tongue darts out to sooth the affected area.

He half-expects to open his eyes to see Lan Wangji glaring at him. The other half expects to take a physical blow, perhaps, for crossing the line, and somewhere, the smallest sliver, thinks Lan Zhan will actually do it.

The soft kiss that does come is just what he'd expect of the shy and quiet disciple. Chaste and barely-there, without any more heat to it than a parent, kissing their child's forehead as they tuck them in to sleep.

His mouth is only just starting to curve into a smile, lips parting with a teasing word on his tongue, when Lan Wangji gives it a second try. A surprised gasp is cut off as their lips are pressed forcefully together, hard enough he could swear their teeth nearly click, hard enough that it's probably bruised, and is certainly stinging. There's a hand behind his head, tugging his hair to pull him into a better angle, and he can feel Lan Wangji's tongue against his lips, hot and wet.

Wasn't Wei Wuxian supposed to be the one who was good at flirting and playing these games? Why then, did it feel like Lan Wangji was the wild one, barely restrained in this moment? Why did it make his body shiver?

It's just practice, he tries to remind himself. Lan Zhan is just imagining you're the one he wants, don't be dumb! He knows that, logically, but it's much harder to get his body to listen, rather than lean into his touch, rather than open his mouth a little more, to try to see what all this fuss with tongues was about.

It's just practice, but in Lan Wangji's mind, there's a good chance that it's not for either of them. What cements this idea in his head is how Wei Ying tilts his head and opens his mouth as if inviting, daring Lan Wangji to come forward.

With his hand in Wei Ying's hair clutching the back of his head, and his lips a seal around Wei Ying's mouth, he dips his tongue inside curiously but cautiously, licking over the back of his lip, running gently over the tips of his teeth, and eventually brushing over the velvet of Wei Ying's tongue.

He's completely lost in the sensation, the movie falling away to nothing behind them, the drink in between them an obstacle as Lan Wangji guides Wei Ying's hand around his neck, allowing him to hold on, asking him to hold on.

There's a flinch, when he feels Lan Zhan's tongue start to explore, manifest in the tightening of his hand in Lan Zhan's, and the muffled sound he makes. He tries to reciprocate, pressing his own tongue out tentatively, gasping little breaths in staggered and uneven bursts. It's messy, and a lot wetter than he'd expected, and he can't help feeling like he's the one being drawn into Lan Wangji's rhythm.

He knows exactly how much Lan Zhan doesn't like to be touched, and yet, he's the one guiding Wei Wuxian's hand, coaxing him on as if he's some shy maiden. That's the point though, right?

Wei Wuxian complies, with hardly another thought, nervous hands at Lan Wangji's neck, among the baby-fine hair at the base of his scalp, trailing down one shoulder as he twists in his seat. He barely recognizes his own voice, the softly whimpering sounds that escape, and he finally has to pull back, just to catch his breath.

There's another of those awful pangs in his chest; while he can read his opponents, situations, and allies, it's clear his own heart is a mystery even to himself. Logic says this is just another game, just a new thing to try, something to experience for the fun of it. Lan Zhan literally just finished telling him how much he wanted to get with this girl he likes, that he wouldn't even consider anyone else.

"You, ah- you can't be so rough with girls, Lan Zhan," he breathes, "what if you scare her off?"

What if? Well, if he did scare her off, Wei Wuxian can't help thinking he wouldn't mind filling her shoes.

Wei Ying makes lovely whimpering noises and Lan Wangji drinks them all up. Their kiss breaks as Wei Ying draws breaths, and Lan Wangji touches his chin, angles his face, eyes still half-lidded, ready to continue, to see if he can kiss-stain Wei Ying's lips even redder and shinier than they already are.

He seems to like Lan Wangji back, maybe not as much as he likes Wei Ying, but enough. Enough to carry on like this, maybe have a real conversation in a month or two after some awkward hand-holding and furtive glances, kisses sneaked into dark corners every now and again and--

--And Wei Ying brings up girls again, and it's like a bucket of cold water gets dumped on Lan Wangji's head.

Fury crosses his face, and after a long second of silence, he stands up and storms out of the theater, leaving behind the two romantic leads who are in a tense moment, running away from an enemy trying to keep them apart. How could he have been so foolish to think Wei Ying had wanted him, had been trying to tell him anything? Now he's played his hand, and Wei Ying could continue on, and forget all about this, and him, like he does with everything.

He's just about to lean back in, when Lan Wangji stops, and while he's not great at reading the other boy's expressions, he can tell exactly what this one means. Wei Wuxian blinks, his wide eyes startled, his mouth still half-open with unspoken words.

Ah, he probably shouldn't have commented on Lan Zhan's technique. Or maybe it was reminding him that he wasn't a girl. Was it how he'd put his hands on Lan Zhan's neck? Maybe he really didn't like being touched after all? Or maybe he was just so god-awful at kissing back that Lan Zhan didn't think he was good enough to practice with.

This is exactly why it's always so much easier to keep things light and not let his stupid emotions get in the way. Teasing Lan Zhan had been fun, a game, forming a friendship from the ground up. Figures that when he stopped teasing and tried to do anything useful, he somehow ruined it.

"Lan Zhan!" he calls after, fumbling up from his seat, completely ignoring the movie or any other patrons their outbursts might be causing.

"Wait! What'd I do? Lan Zhan!" he speeds up, pushing his way outside of the theater as he tries to catch up, "will you wait a second?!"

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

ARCADE 9/11 - 9/23

MOVIE NIGHT 9/11 - 9/23

DAYCARE AND PLAYGROUND 9/11 - 9/23

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ARCADE
9/11 - 9/23

MOVIE NIGHT
9/11 - 9/23

DAYCARE AND PLAYGROUND
9/11 - 9/23