My angel will judge me.

part 20

That night, Wei Wuxian sat alone on the balcony, his sleeves rolled up, a half-empty bottle of liquor swinging from his fingers. The soft click of his lighter echoed in the quiet, and the cigarette between his lips trembled slightly-whether from the wind or the storm inside him, he didn't know.

He took a deep drag, then exhaled slowly, eyes distant.

The image of Lan Zhan laughing with Park Jun wouldn't leave his head.

He scoffed, bitterly.

"I hate him... I hate him," he muttered under his breath.

But the moment he said it, something in his chest tightened-painful and sharp. He slammed the bottle down on the table and gripped his chest.

"Then why does it hurt so much?" he whispered, eyes stinging.

His head dropped forward, his shoulders shaking silently. Tears came, unwanted and unwelcome, and he screamed-into the empty air, into the night, into the ache that never healed.

---

The Next Day

Yuan sat alone in the school garden during lunch break, hugging his knees. His eyes were dull, his usual brightness lost somewhere between loneliness and unanswered questions.

He had been waiting.

Waiting for the person who used to come with flowers in his hair, sweets in his bag, and warmth in his eyes.

Baba Lan Zhan...

He hadn't seen him in weeks.

Everyone else said Lan Zhan was "busy."

But Yuan was just a child, and he didn't understand why people you loved disappeared when you needed them most.

Just then, soft footsteps approached.

Yuan looked up-and froze.

Lan Zhan stood there.

Tired eyes. A faint smile. A bouquet of soft blue forget-me-nots in one hand.

"Yuan," he said gently.

Yuan looked away, puffing out his cheeks and lowering his head.

"You're late," he said, voice tight with emotion. "You promised you wouldn't disappear like that..."

Lan Zhan crouched beside him, setting the flowers on the bench.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I was working on something very important. I didn't forget you."

Yuan's eyes shimmered, but he still didn't look up. "You broke your promise..."

"I know," Lan Zhan said. "But I promise again now-I won't disappear like that anymore. I missed you too, every single day."

Yuan finally looked up, eyes teary, lips trembling.

"You mean it?"

Lan Zhan nodded, and opened his arms just slightly.

Yuan didn't hesitate. He launched himself into the hug, burying his face in Lan Zhan's shoulder.

"I missed you so much, Baba..."

Lan Zhan closed his eyes, holding him tightly.

"I'm here now," he whispered. "And I won't leave you again."

Just as Lan Zhan was pulling back from Yuan's warm embrace, a shadow fell across them.

Wei Wuxian stood a few steps away, his figure sharp against the afternoon sun, his expression unreadable-but his eyes, oh, his eyes were blazing.