So many colours in my life

29. Caramel brown of comfort

Wei Wuxian called out to Lan Zhan from the rooftop. He must have already been slightly drunk after all, otherwise, he would have never even tried such a thing. After this afternoon, his heart had warmed up to the Second Jade again – or had he ever stopped thinking and worrying about his opinions in the first place? – he still did not believe it was completely appropriate though.

Especially after he had been pushing him away and avoiding him all this while. However, the longing he had felt back in the Yiling supervisory office and which he had buried deep down since, could not be ignored anymore.

He wanted to make up with Lan Zhan. He wanted their tentative friendship from their youth back.

Perhaps he was greedy. Perhaps he should not be so close with Lan Zhan. He was a demonic cultivator now. Being friends with someone like him could taint Lan Zhan's pristine reputation.

But the alcohol he had already drunk was making these kinds of thoughts seem completely irrelevant. Besides, it was the middle of the night. There was no one around to see and judge either of them.

Wei Wuxian's lips parted in a huge grin when Lan Zhan stopped and looked up at him from the courtyard down below. Once again, there was something different about him. And in his eyes, Wei Wuxian could not find pure hatred as he had thought for so long. This Lan Zhan did not despise him.

As if he wanted to prove this fact, he was suddenly standing right in front of Wei Wuxian.

He actually listened to him and joined him on the rooftop! Wei Wuxian could hardly believe it. However, he could not think that it was a dream. Lan Zhan was suddenly sitting beside him in a meditation pose, looking at him with a somewhat soft, albeit still worried expression. When had he become so easy to read?

Wei Wuxian's heart did a few summersaults out of sheer relief. It looked like he had not been completely mistaken before. If he stopped pushing Lan Zhan away, he could possibly get their friendship back. The other was not avoiding him even after having gotten a cold shoulder before.

It felt so familiar he almost wanted to cry. Lan Zhan had not changed at all. He was still that pristine white, righteous and sensitive cultivator Wei Wuxian had gotten to know during his studies in the Cloud Recesses.

He smiled even more, greeting: "Lan Zhan, it is good to see you."

"Wei Ying," the Second Jade replied, "it is good to see you too."

This exchange would have most probably looked very weird to anyone but them. Especially taking into account that they had seen each other not even three hours earlier, when they had been sparring in this same courtyard.

There was something very soothing and comforting in the way Lan Zhan greeted him. As if they had only separated for a short while. As if Wei Wuxian had not been ignoring him and pushing him away for the best of the time he had been back from the Burial Mounds.

Wei Wuxian would not mind just sitting there and gazing at the moon with Lan Zhan for the whole night. The voices of the resentful energy were quiet for the moment. His head was a little fuzzy from the wine, pleasantly so. Even his bone-deep fatigue had somehow disappeared. All in all, he felt the best.

Even without doing anything, just by staying by his side, Lan Zhan was making miracles happen. Wei Wuxian really thought that this was what was the most comfortable in the whole world. Even Jiang Yanli could not make him feel like this.

Wei Wuxian closed his eyes and leaned back to half lay on the roof tiles propelled up on one of his elbows. He relaxed and just enjoyed the perfect moment. He could hear Lan Zhan's slow meditative breathing; it was calming him even further.