I reread Diolomatic Relations (x) for the umpteenth time today and had a thought.
Teenage Lan Wangji had a reputation, even back then, for being something of a hard-core disciplinarian. I mean, if I remember write, Nie Huaisang even warned Wei Wuxian to watch out for "Not Lan Qiren, but his prized pupil, Lan Wangji", or something to that effect, on the first day they arrived.
Now yes, that reputation might be only within Lan Sect walls at that point (Nie Huaisang knowing because he'd attended the lectures multiple times), but think about it!
We never really got to see him interact with anyone other than Wei Wuxian in Canon for that time period, and well, Wei Ying has always been Lan Zhan's exception. (Who else managed to get Lan Wangji to draw his sword within minutes of meeting them when No Fighting is one of the Lan Sect rules?!)
So, what if it's even more of a thing than assumed?
Would even be hilarious if it turned into A canon-divergent AU.
Because I can definitely see:
Somebody making trouble and Lan Wangji showing up with that disapproving stoic face of his, only for Wei Wuxian to show up, and Lan Wangji just freezing from the onslaught of "Wei Ying!" pinging in his head, and by the time he remembers the troublemakers, they're long gone
Of course, eventually someone realizes that when Wei Wuxian's around, he sees absolutely nothing else and this is how Wei Wuxian befriends all of the Lan Sect (and probably his entire peer group) all in one go
Only, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian catch on eventually (they might be dense, but they aren't stupid). Lan Wangji would probably find out via the good ole fashioned, unintentional family intervention. Big brother's amusement that he's finally learning to let some of the minor infractions slide... and Wei Wuxian would probably have to overhear some of the Lan disciples talking, getting it literally spelled out for him, for him to figure it out
Dunno if Wei Wuxian would think it all a great joke or if it would be a golden nugget of truth that smacks him in the face, but we all know he'd act on it immediately. And Lan Wangji, well, now he's ready for it. He might still have no idea how he really feels for Wei Wuxian, but he's got one of two options: get stricter or foster a less hostile image, and well, even dense as a brick, Lan Zhan likes Wei Ying
So the counterattack begins: suddenly it's not that Lan Wangji doesn't notice anything, it's that when Wei Ying is around, he dishes out slaps on the wrist. All the while, of course, Wei Ying is determined to see how many of Lan Zhan's buttons he can push before that jade facade starts to crack
In true WangXian fashion, though, things only come to head in the Cold Pool somehow, and ribbons (both blue and red) get involved. I have no idea which verse I'm working with, but accidental teenage handfasting in a cage because of bunnies and ancestors is appealing and amusing (tho, I've never been all that amused by Yin Iron)
Only, they cone out the othersidr United, dammit. They both know what they did and the consequences they're going to have to deal with, because contextually, it wouldn't make sense for Wei Ying to not realize there's something off about the ribbon's meaning (seeing as to test Lan Zhan's "kindness" regarding broken rules, he'd have to pay really, really, close attention to said rules)
And so Wei Ying comes out with a new bracelet and Lan Zhan with a naked forehead, and the scandal shakes the Lan Sect upside down, but it quickly makes for changes--- because I forget what fanfic I read where something similar went down, but in the scene where Jin Zixuan got punched, Wei Wuxian felt the ribbon when be clenched his fist and remembered restraint at the last minute and that is *chef's kiss* beautiful, and so Wei Wuxian gets to stay and finish out the year
And Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji go night hunting when they get that far into the lectures, and Wei Wuxian trips into the baby Lan section at some point because he totally would, and throughout all of this the couple starts earning this distinctly unique reputation: Wei Wuxian is Lan Wangji's only soft spot.
