[sidereal - the dreaming]

[laughitoff]

[for MDZS AU plot-related shenanigans]

Comments

[laughitoff]

[folds his tiny paper arms and turns away again

no talk me im angy]

[strikingchords]

[i should not be thinking "no that's cute" in this situation but there it is, my taste is terrible. softens a little]

I will try once more, by your leave.

[laughitoff]

[. . .





peeks back over his own shoulder, just a little]

[strikingchords]

[looks at him, the flicker of amusement fallen away again but the invisible-from-the-outside warmth still present. it takes him a minute, finding and bringing the words very carefully to place between them, as if from a great distance]

I prefer to be here if you are.

[laughitoff]

[makes a tiny angry jabbing gesture at his head, his hurt arm, his ribs]

[strikingchords]

[...

rests a fingertip from his other hand on his paper head so-delicately for a moment to stop him gesturing]

Wei Ying.

[laughitoff]

[pokes his finger fussily instead]

[strikingchords]

[a touch dry, but the corners of his eyes are still unexpectedly soft. doesn't poke back, but leaves his finger there.]

...

...

Does one hundred steps laugh at fifty steps?

[laughitoff]

[flops over like a tiny fainting goat]

[strikingchords]

[repeating himself, very gentle, shifting to cradle the stupid collapsed paperman in both hands around chest level - he can look down at its face easily from that angle]

I prefer to be here if you are.

[laughitoff]

[rolls around in his hands! fuss, fuss]

[strikingchords]

[puts a fingertip softly on his tiny paper chest to still him again. this is important. listen.]

Wei Ying. Do you understand?

[laughitoff]

[wiggles, and then shakes his head]

[strikingchords]

[his brows knit; in context it is possible even for someone not familiar with Lan Wangji's blank face to guess that he is thinking hard of how to explain better.

finally, slowly, the words trickling back in an echo from not very long ago]

When I did not stay.

I was wrong.

[laughitoff]

[oh

goes still...]

[strikingchords]

[...

nods slightly when he sees Wei Wuxian isn't going to protest more and gets to his feet again.

he frees up one hand and leaves the other cradled against his chest for Wei Wuxian to ride in. then he starts west down the tunnel.]

[laughitoff]

[the paperman keeps stealing peeks at him]

[strikingchords]

[hard to see much of his face from this angle...]

[laughitoff]

[wriggles unobtrusivey back, more away from his chest and against his fingers]

[strikingchords]

[his face is Lan Zhan's familiar face, carved-jade and still and intent and FUCKING DECEPTIVE because he now knows personally that he has a BILLION FEELINGS what the FUCK

Lan Wangji notices him wriggling around, glances down at him, and transfers him to his shoulder so he has a bit more room to move around and find a spot - he can probably get a better and less conspicuous profile view from here if he wants, actually.]

[laughitoff]

[wobbles a bit and then tucks his arms just under the collar of Lan Wangji's outer robe to stay in place; he doesn't have a ton of traction on there as opposed to a hand]

[strikingchords]

[seems stable! the smooth fall of Lan Wangji's hair in front of him will conceal his peeking pretty effectively if he wants to try that again...]

[laughitoff]

[does, for a bit]

[strikingchords]

[now he gets to look at Lan Wangji's sharp pale profile! lovely, mostly opaque... he looks much the same as he did every day Wei Wuxian stole a glance at him in Lan Qiren's class or across the table from him in the library.

there are some differences. he has a smudge of dirt on one cheek that might be covering up a fading bruise. a few strands that he hasn't tucked back into place yet have come loose from the smooth mass of his hair and are caught in his forehead ribbon, dangling and threatening to get in his mouth. the mouth itself is... softer than Wei Wuxian remembers. the corners aren't tamped sternly into a straight line. they aren't curving up or down, but it seems almost as if they could in the right circumstances, instead of it being completely impossible.

the expression in his eyes is softer, too. for the moment it is more quiet and thoughtful than blazingly intent. he's relaxed faintly; is he relieved...?

weird that one can have different flavors of "mostly expressionless."]

[laughitoff]

[t, tears his eyes away and goes back to scanning the tunnel around them]