Roleplay

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/42849153.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 |
Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon), 魔道祖师Q | Módào Zǔshī Q (Cartoon)
Relationship: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Character: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-11-04 Words: 5603

Roleplay
by gloriosky

Summary

WangJi sent a pleading look demanding an explanation to Wei Ying, who chortled with
hearty laughter and said: ‘They think that your natural look is an authentic Lan WangJi
costume! They think you’re cosplaying yourself!’

He was befuddled. Why would he dress up as himself? ‘I am Lan WangJi,’ he said.

Notes

See the end of the work for notes

Lan WangJi's fingers gently stilled the strings of his guqin as he tilted his head up, letting the last
note die down in his ears, the music freshly engraved in his soul. There, he had done it. His song
was complete.

Would Wei Ying like it? His heart fluttered frantically at the insufferably beautiful vision of the
insolent, ridiculous boy's eyes lighting up as he listened to him play this song, the dazzling smile of
surprised joy he would flash when he told him it was a song birthed from his heart and soul just for
him .

WangXian. It is called WangXian, he would say, when Wei Ying would ask what its name was. I
have composed it for Wei Ying's ears alone. Because Wei Ying is special.

WangJi did wish he could go to Lianhua-Wu, in secret, just to see Wei Ying, to play this song for
him, tonight. Because tonight was the thirty-first of this tenth month.

It's my birthday, Lan Zhan! Wei Ying had told him before, in one of their little meetings in the
library or the Jingshi. We would see a fair in town, we'd go on a huuuuge shopping-for-presents
spree, and my shijie would cook all my favorites— of course they'd be spicy— and even a special
birthday dessert, like, traditionally a birthday cake! What? You've never had a birthday cake
before?! Oh, poor you, one of these days we must get you a cake on your birthday, Lan Zhan!

WangJi smiled at the thought. What would it be like to spend his birthday with Wei Ying? Would
he be treated to things he hadn't had since childhood? Would he take him to see the fireworks, to
see the theater? Would he take him to Lotus Pier and show him how to peel lotus seeds? Oh, all
the things they could do!

‘Oh Lan Zhan, you've really got to smile more often.’

WangJi turned to the window. ‘Wei Ying! What are you doing here?’

He looked so gorgeous, robes so black he melted into the shadows of the night, a smile so gentle
he felt it singing to his soul, eyes glimmering with mischief, a look so natural it made him even
more gorgeous. ‘I wanted to spend my birthday with you, Lan Zhan! So I came here!’ he said
cheerily. ‘Jiang Cheng and Shijie are staying in an inn in Caiyi, we're visiting some friends there
for my birthday, but I wanted to spend the rest of the day celebrating with you! Hope you don't
mind, though.’

‘Never a bother, Wei Ying.’ WangJi refuted softly.

‘You must come with me, Lan Zhan,’ Wei Ying then said mysteriously. ‘Tis a matter of seizing a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I want to do it with you!’ And before WangJi's worries could
pop up like daisies, he added: ‘Don't worry, it does not involve leaving this room. Well, not
exactly.’

Wei Ying hopped off the windowsill with a giggle and slapped a talisman onto the Jingshi's door.
After a bit of judicious fishing, he pulled away to reveal a strange array with three identical
talismans linked together by a circular pattern inlaid with a number of strange characters, the only
ones he recognized being for ‘cross over’, ‘distance’, and ‘travel’.

Wei Ying pulled the door open, and instead of the dark outdoors, the porch lit only by two lamps,
there was a white blank space. ‘Follow me, Lan Zhan,’ he called. ‘You're in for an adventure, and
you don't wanna miss a thing! It's safe, trust me!’ And he disappeared entirely. Lan Zhan's
concerns mounted, but trusting Wei Ying (because Wei Ying is good , Wei Ying is sincere and
never means any harm), he took his guqin and Bichen with him and stepped through the portal (it
felt like passing through a veil of thin white cloth).

Wei Ying was waiting for him on the other side, in an empty alleyway between a tall, red-bricked
building and a squatter building that smelled of spices and frying meat. ‘We're here!’ he said,
taking his arm in his. WangJi let him, he would always allow Wei Ying to touch him. But not in
that way, of course, he was still planning on courting him (his ears flushed at the brief thought).

‘You might wanna brace yourself, cuz it's loud and I know you're uncomfortable with that,’ Wei
Ying cautioned as they stepped out of the alley into—

Noise. Bright lights. Vibrant colors. Laughter. Loud music.

Lan WangJi found himself standing on the sidewalk of a familiar city, one that Wei Ying had taken
him to a few times before, but the streets were flowing with people. Wearing outfits of all kinds.
Glamorous, flamboyant, exotic, monstrous, flimsy, flashing with sharply-colored lights, tall, small,
intricate… Tall, lumbering creatures of different shapes and colors with terrifying features. Women
and men wearing brightly or obnoxiously colored outfits and different colored hairs. Humanoids of
mechanical vehicles, plants and animals. Some of them danced in the street

‘This is the CCC Halloween Convention in Tongzhou!’ Wei Ying hollered over the din of the loud
music and the cheering. ‘Pretty big, isn't it? Every October the 31st, people dress up in their
scariest, prettiest, funniest, best Halloween costumes, go trick-or-treating, we do all kindsa junk!
Like Halloween parades, costume pageants, goody make-offs, haunted houses, scary stories n
movies, to feel the spirit of the spooky!’

‘Hey!’ a person wearing an outfit of a blaring red crisscrossed with black web patterns and blue
accents exclaimed when he saw them. ‘That costume is awesome! ’

‘Best costume ever, man!’ another person wearing makeup and a skintight suit reminiscent of a
tiger cat complemented with a camaraderous grin.

A girl wearing a skin fitting white suit under brown trousers and a horsehide-colored uniform
printed with a wing emblem cheered when she passed them by. ‘That is the most accurately
attractive Hanguang-Jun Yiling Laozu cosplay I have ever seen!’ she gushed.

A gaggle of girls in beautiful brightly colored dresses who WangJi guessed were playing
princesses approached them and began to sing praises to him and Wei Ying, who received them
with a laugh and grateful thank yous, calling him ‘handsome’, ‘hot’, ‘sexy’, complimenting him—
or rather complimenting his ‘costume’. They even asked for a ‘selfie’ from them, which WangJi
could only oblige them with. It was nothing painful, it was just a quick snap and flash of the girls’
‘phones’, and they giggled and left them.

WangJi sent a pleading look demanding an explanation to Wei Ying, who chortled with hearty
laughter and said: ‘They think that your natural look is an authentic Lan WangJi costume! They
think you’re cosplaying yourself !’

He was befuddled. Why would he dress up as himself? ‘I am Lan WangJi,’ he said.

‘That’s the gist of Halloween costumes,’ Wei Ying finally explained, waggling a finger at him.
‘This is the night when people dress up as different kinds of characters they thought they’d only
see in stories, movies, theater, the stuff of legends and fantasy and pop culture. You and I, Lan
Zhan, we are super duper popular with the people, we are the heroes of Mo Dao Zu Shi ! We are
among the current trends!’
Oh , WangJi thought in realization. They think I am wearing a costume of myself. They think I am
not really Lan WangJi. ‘Should I…?’

‘Best not tell them that we really are the real deal, Lan Zhan,’ Wei Ying said, a coquettish smile
playing on his lips, his finger raised to his lips, so close he could almost kiss them if he crossed the
inch between them. ‘They won’t believe us if we did. Besides, let’s bask in the frolic of
Halloween!’

Lan WangJi did not know what to make of it, the chaos was overwhelming him. Sensing his shock,
Wei Ying gently towed him away from the sea of cosplayers (as he learned they were called some
time ago) to a large square, decorated with beauteous lanterns strung up to light a much larger
crowd, but this one was of a more relaxed air, a more carefree and easy pace, and Lan WangJi felt
much more comfortable.

There were stalls selling candied fruits and kooky treats like ‘tombstone brownies’ (small wedges
of cake drizzled in dark icing and topped with tombstones of graham cracker, all made of that
strange and amazing brown sweet Wei Ying called chocolate), ‘hot chocolate with eyeballs’
(steaming hot brew swimming with two sets of those sugar puffs called marshmallows), ‘severed
fingers’ (sausages dripping in red sauces to make it look like blood), even pastries shaped like
spiders and ghoul heads. There were different fun-looking games for children: a target-shooting
game with pop-up zombies, an obstacle course that they ran through with blindfolds, and there
were three giant stalls, each labeled with ‘Musical Memory’, ‘Whack-a-Wug’, and ‘Statues’, all
behind a gate labeled ‘Mommy Long Legs' Gamestation Fair’.

Wei Ying squealed when he saw that. ‘They legit set up a Poppy Playtime game stand?! Based on
the minigames in CHAPTER 2?! Ohohohoooooohhh! Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, let's try that one!’

Lan WangJi's stomach flipped and his heart burst with a spark. He would go in there and play the
games within… with Wei Ying?! Oh, that sounded like… like… He hadn't felt this enthusiasm,
this thrill, since…

‘Oh, but first,’ Wei Ying then said, ‘I kinda promised Huaisang that I'd join the cosplay pageant
first. I reserved a spot for us two days ago...’
‘Mn.’ Lan WangJi decided. ‘Pageant first, games after.’

‘Oh, I love that idea, Lan Zhan!’ Wei Ying laughed, bouncing on his feet, and he dashed ahead, his
hand still holding his, as he towed him towards a big stage where numerous cosplayers were
pooling in front, and a man was booming into a loud voice device that Wei Ying called a
microphone, talking to three women dressed in elegant, rustic gowns, one emerald, one maroon,
and a third magenta. The one in emerald wore a heart-shaped wig of auburn curls and had
prominent buck teeth poking from under her upper lip, the one in maroon had black hair tucked
under a crooked thin hat, and the one in magenta was the fairest, skin powdered white, and her hair
was all brilliant blonde tresses.

Suddenly, when he saw the crowd at the foot of the stage, Lan WangJi felt uneasy. ‘Wei Ying,’ he
said slowly, ‘how does this pageant work?’

Wei Ying answered: ‘Simple. The participants who signed up before the deadline yesterday will
go up on that stage, and they will participate in a survey the host– that's the man speaking in the
mic there —will have for us. Then we will do a showcase of what we— or rather, what the
characters we seem to be portraying— can do. And then, we wait for the results to see who are the
winners of the competition.’

WangJi's ears burned. He was about to go up there , in front of them ?! He steeled himself,
chanting like a mantra in his mind For Wei Ying, For Wei Ying, for Wei Ying….

Wei Ying's free hand gently patted his back in a soothing manner he adored. ‘Hey, Lan Zhan, look
at me,’ he said softly, and WangJi complied. It was so easy to gaze into those rare, precious silver
eyes, and in them he found solace and felt a little more fearless.

The smile on his face was sincere, gentle, a look that sang to his soul that Wei Ying was here for
him, he was safe. ‘It's okay, nobody will pressure you to answer any questions you don't want to.
Just stick with me, answer the questions you're comfortable with as best as you can, and you'll be
fine. Just pretend we are back home, in the Jianghu… in the Cloud Recesses, just doing our thing.
We're sparring, playing music, traveling the world, just us, the Jianghu's most awesome cultivators.
You and I.’
Yes… Me and Wei Ying… just us, tonight…

The crowd roared with cheers as the speaker announced loudly: ‘The Sanderson sisters, ladies and
gentlemen! Thank you so much ladies!’ And amidst the cheers, the three cosplayers of the
Sanderson sisters curtsied and, with impish laughs, began to sing to a song, dancing in
synchronization on stage, and the crowd chanted along to their song. Even though he couldn't
understand the language of the lyrics, WangJi felt the true glamor and glory of the witches' in their
singing and the crowd's admiration and recognition of the characters. And with the final note from
the emerald sister, the song ended, and the crowd howled and thundered in applause as they
disappeared with a whoosh offstage.

‘And now,’ the host crowed, ‘are you ready for the greatest, most fabulous, most righteous heroic
duo in all the land?’ The crowd answered with a yell. ‘You love them, you ship them, you go wild
when ya see them! Ladies and gentlemen, monsters and fairies, pirates and princesses, please join
me in welcoming to the stage—’

‘This is it, Lan Zhan! Let's go!’ And Wei Ying was pulling him forward, and he could do nothing
but follow, his heart drumming as he braced himself for the lights and noise, trusting in Wei Ying
to hold him, to ground him—

‘The Light-bearing Lord, tamer of the dangerous chaos, and the dastardly fabulous, unlikely hero,
two beautiful souls with even more brilliant hearts— give it up for Hanguang-Jun, Lan WangJi
and the Yiling Laozu, Wei WuXian !!!’

The reception of the crowd was nothing short of earthshaking. The crowd was jumping, rioting,
flashlights and glowsticks waving, but WangJi saw them. They were smiling, they were clapping,
they were waving, they were cheering for him , for him and Wei Ying .

They really adore us. Lan WangJi’s bosom swelled with the epiphany that he wasn’t the only one
who saw Wei Ying for the real hero, the real good he was.

‘Have a seat, please, Lan-er-gongzi, Wei-gongzi,’ the host, who WangJi realized was dressed as a
funny-looking man with ginger hair under an obnoxious navy blue hat that looked like a velveteen
trash bin, a strange maroon suit with a funny orange bow tied at the neck of an equally orange shirt,
funny maroon pants and shiny black shoes, gestured to a pair of seats beside him.

‘Tonight, I am your host, Jupiter North of the Wundrous Society, the League of Explorers, and the
Federation of Nevermoorian Hoteliers at your service!’ He did a sweeping little bow and took his
own seat.

‘Lan-er-gongzi, Wei-gongzi, for this survey, you are going to answer three questions from three
Wundrous ly brave volunteers from the crowd,’ he swept an arm at the sea of people, and they
cheered again. ‘I certainly hope you are prepared, and for the lucky five volunteers, better be
prepared with your questions!’

Wei Ying’s hand gently squeezed his, and Lan WangJi took a deep breath, still rattled from this
Jupiter North person’s earnest eagerness and ‘Wundrous’-ness.

‘Now!’ Jupiter North boomed, calling out to the audience, ‘who would like to volunteer to
interview our most Wundrously esteemed guests?’

The crowd began to shout and frantically shove each other, some calling out ‘I volunteer!’ or ‘Pick
me! I wanna talk to Hanguang-Jun!’

After much frantic frenzy, Jupiter North picked out his chosen five, two boys and three girls: a
young boy who looked to be about Sizhui’s age, wearing a bushy wig of black-green hair and a
green jumpsuit with black highlights and thick white gloves with blue accents and wires
(‘Midoriya Izuku, from My Hero Academia. ’); a girl with pink eyes wearing an enamel blue wig
with long twin braids, wearing a really exotic costume consisting of a black top that exposed her
belly and both her arms, all plastered with faded blue cloud tattoos, abominably short magenta
trousers and heavy boots, with a shark-shaped bulky cannon strapped to her back (‘She’s dressed as
Jinx from League of Legends , it’s a really popular game.’); and a young girl, barely as old as A-
Qing had been, with a mousy face and nervous eyes, dressed from head to toe in what appears to be
a black uniform with a white collar and a short black coat of a similar fashion to the one Jupiter
North’s costume had, and she carried an umbrella with a curious crow-shaped handle.
‘Alright, for the first question!’ Jupiter North’s voice shook WangJi out of his thoughts. ‘Midoriya
Izuku, you were the fastest and first to volunteer, so you get the first question! Remember, no
sensitive questions that may offend our honored guests!’ And he passed the microphone to him.

‘Wei WuXian, Lan WangJi, sirs,’ the boy dressed as ‘Midoriya’ began, ‘if you were to compare
your dearest allies or loved ones to animals, what would they be?’

Wei Ying laughed and then began to rapidly answer with every word in succession: ‘Well, to start,
for Jiang Cheng’ (Lan WangJi bristled at the mention of that man) ‘I think I’d compare him to a
tiger, because he’s so broody and he snaps a lot, and he’s fierce but magnificent and strong. For
Shijie,’ (his smile turned wistful) ‘I’d compare her to a lot of things, but as an animal, I’ll say a
snowy owl, because she is so graceful yet powerful and wise. For Wen Ning, he’s a cat, because
he’s so cute and shy but he can claw and bite and fight if you provoke him or harm his friends.’
And from there, he continued to describe other allies. Ouyang ZiZhen, he compared him to a
platypus because he is ‘intelligent, hardworking and adorable’ just like one; Jingyi was a duck
because of how loyally he followed him and Wei Ying (‘Because Wei Ying is a caring and
wonderful teacher.’ ‘Haish, Lan Zhan, you know he adored you first!’). Jin Ling is Fairy
personified, but Wei Ying preferred him over his own dog at once. Sizhui was a bunny, so serene
and calm and precious, and WangJi could only agree. He compared Xichen to a snow deer, elegant
and gentle and graceful, and Huaisang to a mockingbird or a snake, preferably a ‘black mamba’,
because of his cunning and how dangerous he could be if he was hurt and he hit back harder.

Turning to WangJi, Wei Ying continued: ‘For me, Lan Zhan is a dragon ,’ Wei Ying mused,
something that stirred WangJi’s hotter inner feelings flowing in his tone, but the more innocent
part of him burst into flame as his ears turned red and he tried hard to keep his blush there. ‘Mhm,
someone as fiercely righteous and powerful as Hanguang-Jun is best personified in a dragon. I
think the Lans are best personified as dragons, but Lan Zhan, he’d be the fairest of them all.’

Wei Ying flatters me too much! WangJi cried in his mind. But Wei Ying is the real dragon. He is
the more righteous and powerful of us. An image of Wei Ying as a dragon, all black scales
shimmering like diamonds in the sun, eyes like precious red jewels, swimming so gracefully in the
sky, wreathed in shadows and red light, flashed in his ridiculously imaginative eye, and he gripped
onto the rules for restraint.

The crowd agreed with him and they cried out and applauded loudly. Jupiter North let out a
booming laugh. “Thank you, Midoriya Izuku! That surely sated some of our avid fic-readers’
palates! Now, it’s time for Jinx, the Loose Cannon of Zaun! You have the floor, ma’am!” The
people whistled and hollered as the girl dressed so scantily accepted the mic from Midoriya.
Her question was: ‘Wei WuXian, Lan WangJi, if you can recall both the characters themselves and
as the real persons you are behind the costumes, can you tell me what is the spiciest dish you’ve
ever tasted?’

WangJi thought back to the bowl of Old Grand Master spicy rice, to the spicy spoonful of lotus
root soup that Wei Ying had once let him taste, to the radishes swimming in hot red sauce, to the
chili dogs… and at the memory of every dish he had ever burned his tongue with, his brow began
to sweat. The crowd howled with laughter and ‘OOOOOHHH’ and claps. Wei Ying too nearly fell
off his seat laughing when he saw that WangJi looked constipated himself. Finally, Wei Ying
picked up the microphone and answered:

‘Just like Wei WuXian himself, I love spicy dishes.’ ( Wei Ying, what are you talking about? Wei
Ying is Wei Ying. ) ‘There was this one time I wanted to try making my own homemade tteokbokki
after I saw that Korean movie, Little Forest, that one scene where the girls made their tteokbokki
extra spicy with extra peppers and hot sauce, so I wanted to make my own ultra spicy tteokbokki
with every ingredient except for the rice cakes being homemade, so when I went shopping I made
sure to get a jar of California reapers—’

The people, Jinx, and Jupiter North popped their eyes wide open, and some began to laugh, and
WangJi looked properly horrified—

‘—then I used half of them to make the sauce, and I used the rest to stir into the vegetables. I think
that was the spiciest I’ve ever tasted.’

‘Wow!’ Jupiter North guffawed. ‘Sometimes I wonder if that's your knack or not! How about you,
Lan WangJi?’

‘... Spicy lotus root soup. Wei Ying asked me to try.’

‘Same as the Q series, eh?’ Jupiter stroked his thick fake ginger beard. ‘Hmm. Does that satisfy
your question, Jinx?’
‘It is more than just satisfying!’ Jinx giggled. ‘Thank you for your answers!’

‘Thank you, Jinx, for making all of us laugh!’ Jupiter warmly clapped his hands. ‘Big hand for our
bold Loose Cannon, ladies and gentlemen!’ And the audience's whoops and shouts followed after.

‘Alright, it is time for our final volunteer— why, Mog! I see you’ve stepped boldly! As your
patron, I am so proud of you!’ Jupiter cried, eyes lighting up when they fell upon the black little
girl, who shyly nodded with a smile as she accepted the mic from Jinx. WangJi’s brow creased,
wondering what sort of child would be named ‘Mog’.

‘I think she’s playing Morrigan Crow, from Nevermoor , same fandom as Jupiter,’ Wei Ying
whispered. ‘She’s the main protagonist, and Jupiter North is her mentor slash parent figure. He
calls her Mog as an affectionate nickname.’

‘Does she… like the nickname?’

‘Not at first, but it stuck, and she got used to it. It’s one of the cute parts of their father-daughter-
like relationship.’

WangJi returned his attention to Mog just in time to hear her say in a stuttering voice: ‘M-My
question is for Hanguang-Jun.’ The girl playing the character named Mog took a deep breath,
encouraged by Jupiter’s gentle nod and Midoriya’s tiny thumbs-up gesture (a positive sign, Wei
Ying had taught him), and continued to deliver her questionnaire:

‘I am an avid reader, and a very devoted fan of Modao Zushi . Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian have
become big role models for me, next to other such characters as Jupiter North and Peeta Mellark,
of course…’ the crowd let out a low ‘ aww ’. ‘What I admire so much about them as living,
breathing people are their selflessness, their perseverance, righteousness, their steadfast loyalty and
faith, and their courage, never faltering in following what you believe, even when others say they
are wrong, and they stay true to themselves. Both of you, you guys make me feel like I can be
strong, I can be brave and resilient in the face of everything bad and ugly… As a fan, Hanguang-
Jun, I want to hear it from you in person: what can a person like me do to be as amazing as you,
and do you really believe it too?’

Lan WangJi felt it in his soul, like a plucked qin string, resonating in his heart. Was this girl going
through some hard times outside of this Halloween convention? It would take a very understanding
acquaintance with pain to make one ponder such questions of whether they can still go on or not.
This girl, this Mog… even when he hadn’t known her until this night, he , him and Wei Ying, had
always been there for her, they were her comfort to her cries and wounds.

WangJi turned to look at Wei Ying, and he saw that his eyes were wet, misting with tears. Oh, Wei
Ying, he thought, if you are doubting yourself for even a second, please know that you really are as
awesome, as good, as I say you are, as Mog says you are…

Then, he picked up the microphone and began to speak to Mog:

‘As one who knows me and Wei Ying well, you know that the rules that I have learned for all my
life have been a guideline aiding my awareness of all things in the world, and you know that Wei
Ying became my one bright light, the one who gave my life color and joy’ (Wei Ying blushed.
Cute. ) ‘and showed me how to live. With Wei Ying, I have learned that life and truth is pain, but it
is a pain worth enduring at the cost of knowing the truth, for ignorance and apathy is a sin.

I believe that man as an individual is capable of making their own choices and being wise in
making ones that they will not regret. I believe that the real black and white, the real good and evil,
are not just the ones set by those who know the difference, but also the ones men decide for
themselves. It is because of the things I have learned, the things I have gone through, that I am the
person I am today, as both my own person and as the one I play tonight. I am me because I choose
my own path, I stay true to myself, and I will never let the world shackle me for it.

In oppression, do not give up, press forward and endure to the end. In fear, know that you are not
alone, that there is always one you can turn to. In sadness, have hope, and let it be your comfort. In
danger, face it with courage and faith in all you hold true. In doubt, investigate and find the truth
for yourself; ask and you will be answered, knock and the door will open. In chaos, find balance in
yourself, and take care. In despair, look back on what you have learned, and look forward to what
you will face, and be prepared. And in pain, never forget that you are loved, and that you must
love and believe in yourself too.’
The crowd sat in hushed awe as Lan WangJi continued to address Mog, but they felt that it was an
address not just to one little girl who was doubting herself, but to everyone. For they too, have and
are experiencing all that this glorious character was addressing. And Wei Ying… he felt as though
he had been dying to hear those words all his life, and he felt relief at having heard them.

WangJi took an audibly shaky breath and concluded: ‘Yes, I believe all these things.’

‘That was… beautiful.’ Jupiter sniffed. 'Mog?'

Tears fell from her eyes, but she was smiling. And she looked like a burden had been lifted from
off her back. 'T-Thank you, Hanguang-Jun!'

Roars and applause like the loudest strongest rain met his ears, reminding him that they weren't
alone. Lan WangJi saw a hundred thousand upon thousands of smiles and eyes that were
glistening, and it hit him with a pang. He had touched their hearts when he only meant to touch
one. Did that mean that even in this world, full of wonders and dreams and incredible progress,
people still felt the same pains?

Jupiter hollered into the mic, with tears running down his own cheeks into the fake beard which
failed to veil a splitting grin: 'Hanguang-Jun and Yiling Laozu, Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian
everyone!'

The cheering faded away, quickly being succeeded by a repetitive, synchronized bellowing of
'Showcase! Showcase! Showcase!' Ah, WangJi had almost forgotten the last part of his and Wei
Ying's presentation in this pageant. Whipping WangJi carefully and skilfully off his back he strode
away from the crowd to kneel in front of the audience, who all began to hush amongst themselves.
Wei Ying did not follow, but WangJi turned to look at him, and he was on his feet, Chenqing in
hand. Midoriya, Jinx and Mog were at his shoulders, eyes sparkling.

WangJi closed his eyes, shutting out the presences of the many people in front of him, focusing
only on the one presence he would always be most comfortable with, the one presence he loved.
And then, his fingers moved.

Was it a trick of the euphoria rising in him like rapid water, or was the crowd humming along to
WangXian? Did they know this song? Did they know of his feelings for Wei Ying? Did they...
they had no problems with it. They... they were smiling. They were waving their glowing sticks to
the melody. They were singing it.

And Wei Ying...

The shrill pipe of the dizi twined with the deep hum of the guqin. And it was perfect.

===

The pageant ended with a fantastic display of sword dancing (they were sparring like they used to
when they were youths of seventeen, but the crowd seemed to interpret it as an elegant, harmless
performance between two skilled actors who embodied the characters of Lan WangJi and Wei
WuXian very well), and their oohs and ahhs and yeahs and whoos followed them with every strike
and clang of the sword, every graceful leap and twist as they danced around each other, an
unspoken dialogue passed back and forth between two perfectly matched souls.

They were awarded first place, with the second being the three witches called the Sanderson
sisters. They had won the spot for being the 'Crowd Favorite'.

Wei Ying got his wish to try the three games they had seen earlier. The first, Musical Memory,
was a game involving replicating a sequence of colors with their lives 'hanging by a thread'.
Literally. Because there was a monstrous yellow bunny wearing green strapped trousers and a
funny cone hat and a pair of giant zildijian ready to crush them to death hanging above their heads.
WangJi was sorely disappointed in the demonization of an animal prized of Gusu Lan, an animal
he had come to love, but the game was a welcome challenge. When the colors began to flash in a
malfunctioning order, too fast and too disordered, WangJi didn't care. While Wei Ying prepared to
strike the emergency panel, he stalled the monster bunny by typing the sequence in as fast as he
could, following the flashing colors and voiced instructions on the screen. In the end, the manager
of the game had to announce that they had officially 'broken' the game, being the first to ever try
the Malfunction Mode.

The second, Wack-a-Wuggy, was what Wei Ying called a whack-a-mole kind of game, involving
 hitting a 'mole' back into place. The moles in this game were Wuggies, little skittish colorful
gremlin like creatures with haunting round eyes and childishly creepy smiles of gummy red plastic.
This one, he and Wei Ying nailed so easily that the manager had to up the difficulty to better
challenge them.

The third, Statues, scared Wei Ying the most. Because they were being tailed by a creepy, fifty-
foot long, pink and purple, rabid abomination of a creature that was a mix between a dog (WangJi's
protective instincts burned, ready to protect Wei Ying) and a caterpillar (that just made both of
them hate the dog more, how dare they make a monster that was an absolute nightmare chimera).
Wei Ying's smile was shaking, and his legs were visibly shaking, and he looked elsewhere but
forward. WangJi made sure that he got them both out of the maze before the thing can reach them,
for the sooner they got out, the sooner they could leave, and the sooner Wei Ying would feel safer.

Wei Ying chattered nonstop as they left the Halloween Festival, pulling a talisman and slapping it
on the brick wall of the nearest alleyway they could find, opening a door that appeared in the wall,
and on the other side was the Jingshi. 'Geez, I bet Mommy Longlegs had so much fun killing many
people in Statues in the real Poppy Playtime. That game was bugged, like for real, there was no
exit at the end of the obstacle course! You should've seen it, Lan Zhan! Wack-a-Wuggy was
definitely the easiest game, even the players of the video game can easily beat that, but I definitely
enjoyed Musical Memory. You really smashed the Malfunction Mode, I never thought a player of
Poppy Playtime could ever survive that part until you went for it! You're so goddamn cool Lan-er-
gege!'

Plopping on the floor, Wei Ying pulled out the certificate from his pocket. 'But the pageant, oh the
pageant! Lan Zhan, they really believed you were just a perfect cosplayer of yourself, but gosh, that
answer you gave that little girl... I... what you said was beautiful, and... Lan Zhan, we all felt like
that message you were giving to her was not just for her, but for all of us. You sure touched the
people there. You even touched me.'

WangJi smiled fondly. 'Mog must be going Wei Ying'

End Notes
End Notes

EXTRA MENTIONS:
1) WANGJI VS MUSICAL MEMORY
Game: *spluttering colors and symbols*
WWX: Oh no! We won't be able to-
LWJ: *starts hyperfocusing on the ultrafast sequence and begins dashing back and forth
between the colors, rapidly smashing the buttons*
WWX:
Bunzo: EGADS HE's GOOD

2.) WANGXIAN VS WACK-A-WUGGY

LWJ and WWX: *rapidly firing their GrabPacks*
WWX: You take the ones on the right, Lan Zhan!
LWJ: Wei Ying, watch out!
Kissy Missy and Huggy Wuggy: OWO

3.) WANGXIAN IN STATUES

LWJ: PJ Pug-a---- oh no it's a dog! MUST PROTECC WEI YING!
WWX: OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD I FORGOT HE'S PART DOG
SORRY I LIED HELPU LAN ZHAAAAA-

4.) AFTERMATH
LXC: WangJi? What's this?
LWJ: Certificate Award
LXC: 'Crowd Favorite Halloween Convention Costume-Replay Pageant'?
LWJ: Went to a Halloween Convention with Wei Ying. To celebrate Wei Ying's birthday.
Attended a costume pageant. We won.
LXC: Uhm.... ok?

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