#lanuary2024 Day 23: Lan Wangji's Birthday
Lan Zhan feels raw.
Usually, he has his weekends to decompress to avoid spiralling into either a meltdown or, worse, burnout. Unfortunately, this past weekend was filled with unmissable family events. Having Wei Ying with him helped.
But it wasn't enough; it merely delayed the inevitable.
He was doing okay getting by until work today. It's his birthday so the office decided to throw him a little party and so many people kept talking to him.
All he wanted was to come home and curl up in his husband's arms.
As Lan Zhan turns the key to their apartment he can feel the onset of a meltdown coming. He's standing on the edge and it won't take much to push him over.
He takes a slow, grounding breath, opens the door, and freezes.
The main lights are off and the apartment is instead lit by soft lamps. It's not too dark that he can't see but it's not harsh. He wants to cry.
He doesn't know how long he stands in the doorway but at some point, Wei Ying comes up and gently guides him in.
Wei Ying wordlessly takes his bag and sets it aside before he works on removing Lan Zhan's outer layers and shoes. Once those are put away, Wei Ying begins to slowly remove Lan Zhan's clothes before silently helping him into his softest loungewear.
It becomes easier to breathe.
Wei Ying meets his gaze with a soft smile. "Do you want a hug?"
Unable to reply, he nods.
Wei Ying wraps his arms around him and squeezes tight. Lan Zhan melts into him. He loves his husband so very much.
Some time later, Wei Ying pulls back to press a kiss to his lips.
"Happy birthday, my love," he whispers, letting his hands run up into Lan Zhan's hair to give his head a massage. Lan Zhan closes his eyes and leans into his touch, tension gradually leaving him with every press and tug of Wei Ying's hands.
By the time Wei Ying pulls his hands back Lan Zhan feels a hundred times better than he did when he entered their home. He lets out a sigh and opens his eyes to see Wei Ying staring at him with so much adoration it takes his breath away.
Unable to form the words, Lan Zhan kisses him and means 'I love you' and 'I adore you' and 'I don't deserve you but I'm so thankful to have you in my life.' He knows Wei Ying understands.
"Here," Wei Ying murmurs. Gently, he places Lan Zhan's noise-cancelling headphones on him.
Wei Ying turns them on and starts playing Lan Zhan's favourite Classical Chinese playlist on low. Lan Zhan hums in pleasure and follows Wei Ying as he gently tugs him over to the dining table. Lan Zhan sits as instructed and watches as Wei Ying serves him his favourite meals.
Lan Zhan is so overwhelmed with love for Wei Ying. He feels his eyes starting to water as Wei Ying puts Lan Zhan's plate down in front of him while pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head.
Wei Ying sits down and they eat in silence.
Lan Zhan is so thankful for Wei Ying thinking to put his headphones on him. As much as he adores Wei Ying talking over a meal, he knows he wouldn't have been able to handle all the sounds that come from eating. His husband knows him so well, sometimes better than even himself.
And, of course, he knows Wei Ying just as well. It's just wild to think about someone knowing him so deeply and truly as Wei Ying does. If someone told Lan Zhan when he was a teen that he'd be this close to someone (in every sense of the term) he wouldn't have believed them.
He was always so solitary and never certain on how to even attempt to get closer to someone. It was too daunting and confusing.
And then he met Wei Ying.
Wei Ying came crashing into his life in a swirl of light and laughter and joy and Lan Zhan cracked open.
Wei Ying always made an effort to reach out to Lan Zhan (even in the early days when Lan Zhan was too scared and overwhelmed by the enigma that is Wei Ying) and slowly, Lan Zhan began to understand what it meant to be wanted and treasured. Wei Ying enjoyed his company.
Over time, Lan Zhan grew more comfortable around Wei Ying. He began to feel settled when he was with him. Wei Ying became his safe space. Lan Zhan grew comfortable with all kinds of physical touch and making eye contact with him and Wei Ying always respected his boundaries.
It was inevitable that they would fall into each other, really. Neither of them knew it at the start, but others saw it (they heard the speeches at their wedding). Their love was something so real and natural that it only made sense. He can't imagine his life without Wei Ying.
After they finish eating, Wei Ying takes Lan Zhan's plate away before he has the chance to try to clean it himself and then he leads him into the livingroom where his yoga mat is set up with a pillow. Wei Ying gestures to it with a raised eyebrow in question.
Lan Zhan feels like his heart is too big for his chest. He nods and Wei Ying smiles softly. Lan Zhan watches Wei Ying wander off to grab the weighted blanket and then he lays down on his stomach on the mat. Wei Ying places the weighted blanket folded on his upper back.
He feels himself finally relax, the weight condensed enough to quite literally squeeze the tension out of him. There are so few ways that Lan Zhan can ever truly relax (especially his back) and this is one of them. The only other option is to have his back against Wei Ying.
Lan Zhan closes his eyes and lets out a long sigh.
He drifts.
An indeterminate amount of time later, he finally feels human again. He sucks in a deep breath, feeling the way his ribs expand and contract, and then pushes up, letting the blanket fall to the side.
He sits back on his heels and removes the headphones.
"Feeling better?" Wei Ying asks.
Lan Zhan turns to find him curled up on the couch, book in hand, a soft expression on his face.
"Mn. Much better," Lan Zhan replies.
"I'm glad." Wei Ying pats the couch beside him.
With a smile, Lan Zhan makes his way over and sits beside Wei Ying. They fold into each other, cuddling up close. "Thank you, my love."
Wei Ying sighs happily. "Anything for you, Lan Zhan. It's the least I could do, especially on your birthday!"
Lan Zhan hums and kisses him.
"So, Birthday Boy, shall we watch a few more episodes of your comfort show while we eat cake and cuddle?"
Lan Zhan hugs Wei Ying a little tighter. "That sounds perfect."
And so they do just that. Wei Ying ends up feeding them both while they watch the show.
It's truly the best, most perfect birthday he could have ever asked for.
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