Lan Zhan had never been one to celebrate his birthday. The idea of multiple people having their attention focused on him for a day makes his skin crawl. Don't even get him started on the whole 'singing Happy Birthday' thing.
So, suffice it to say, Lan Zhan has managed to avoid having birthday parties for the vast majority of his life. He takes time to himself and goes to a museum or aquarium or concert hall. Blessedly alone.
His brother, thankfully, respects his wishes to be alone on his birthday.
Then, Lan Zhan met Wei Ying and he knew things were bound to change. Wei Ying is a force of nature, all things beautiful and terrifying. He knew he was done for early on and resigned himself to that fact. Whatever way their relationship goes, he knows Wei Ying is here to stay.
Wei Ying is lounging on his bed one day, head hanging off the edge, ponytail brushing the ground, when he suddenly sits up and stares at Lan Zhan with a burning intensity.
"Lan Zhan," he begins, his tone making Lan Zhan shift in his desk chair. "How long have we been friends?"
"Almost two years," he supplies, uncertain.
Wei Ying nods. "That's what I thought. And I'm your best friend, correct?"
Lan Zhan blinks. "Yes, Wei Ying."
"Good. You're mine too, by the way," he adds quickly. "But seeing as we're best friends, we ought to know each other."
"We know each other, Wei Ying."
"Ah! But do we? I just realized I have no idea when your birthday is! Almost two years we've been friends and we never celebrated it once? Are you a monster pretending to be Lan Zhan and therefore have no need for these silly human conventions?"
Lan Zhan huffs a quiet laugh at that. "Perchance."
"You can't just say perchance," Wei Ying replies automatically. "And don't distract me with internet references I taught you! Why don't I know your birthday?"
"You never asked, I suppose?" He cringes at how that sounds.
Wei Ying pouts. "So, does that make me a bad friend?"
"No!"
"Hm... Well, I'm asking now then. When's your birthday?"
Something uncomfortable squirms within him at the prospect of telling Wei Ying. Wei Ying is loud and bright and loves parties. It's dangerous.
"January 23."
Wei Ying gasps. "That's in three days!"
Lan Zhan nods.
"Well, I'm going to sincerely hope that you don't have any sort of party planned otherwise I will be very hurt that I wasn't invited," Wei Ying responds, tone light but Lan Zhan hears an undercurrent of hurt.
Lan Zhan's eyes widen ever so slightly in alarm. "Wei Ying, no. Of course not. I... I do not like to celebrate my birthday, the attention is overwhelming."
He watches as Wei Ying settles at that. "Good. Okay. That makes sense. I mean, I kinda figured but, well... You know."
"Mn," Lan Zhan agrees.
"So. Um. You can say no, that's totally fine, but did you uh... Maybe want to do something? With me? Doesn't have to be on the day, but like... Something a little special to celebrate you, just a little. Because I mean, you're special and I would like—"
"Okay," Lan Zhan interrupts. "What did you have in mind?"
"You—oh! Really? Okay, well I mean, I heard there's a new exhibit on musical instruments at the museum going on. So we could check that out and then maybe we could go get dinner somewhere?"
Lan Zhan's chest blooms with warmth at Wei Ying's thoughtfulness. He shouldn't have worried, he knows and trusts Wei Ying. Lan Zhan feels a small smile pull at his lips. "See, you do know me."
Wei Ying blushes, wide-eyed. "Uh, so is that a yes, or...?"
"Yes," Lan Zhan replies.
He's graced with the sight of Wei Ying's full smile, warm and bright.
Perhaps celebrating his birthday with someone else won't be so bad.
During Wei Ying's highschool years all of the major universities with magic programs held tours and events so those looking to attend a school can find a good fit. Wei Ying went to them all despite figuring he'd go to Yunmeng.
What he hadn't expected was how much he actually enjoyed Gusu.
Gusu University had a designated magic school campus called Cloud Recesses; it was up on a mountain and quite secluded. There are also many rules (though it is significantly more lax than it was when founded).
Everything he had known about Gusu University should have made him feel least drawn to it.
And yet.
He attended a summer program there during highschool and frankly fell in love with the place. He also made a friend—or, he tried to anyway. He's determinded about it.
The point is, Wei Ying ultimately fell in love with Cloud Recesses and the programs they taught. Everyone who knew him was stunned when he announced where he would be going to university but he just laughed.
On his first day during orientation he saw him: Lan Zhan. The one he is determined to befriend. He wasn't sure what it was about him, but he felt drawn to him more than he'd ever felt drawn to anyone before.
Wei Ying sought him out constantly.
At first, Lan Zhan had seemed quite resistant to his charms (much like he was during the summer program) but Wei Ying is nothing if not determined. He persevered, never letting himself get too down about the fact that Lan Zhan seemingly didn't want to be his friend.
There was a part of him, deep down, that whispered things he didn't want to hear: that he was annoying, a burden, that Lan Zhan hated him and wanted nothing to do with him.
He doesn't want that to be true. He doesn't think it's true. Lan Zhan had begun to warm up to him.
Lan Zhan didn't walk away from him as often, he listened to him talk, he worked well with him when they teamed up for projects, he allowed Wei Ying to enter his dorm. He was sure that Lan Zhan didn't hate him but he wasn't sure if he liked him yet or not.
Wei Ying spent the first year of university enjoying his classes, honing his magical craft, and spending as much time with Lan Zhan as possible.
By the end of the year he'd learned one major thing: he was in love with Lan Zhan.
It was a quiet revelation, really.
They had been studying in Lan Zhan's dorm, Wei Ying sprawled awkwardly on the floor, when Lan Zhan silently handed him a pillow. Wei Ying had looked up at his best friend and thought, 'Oh, I love him.'
Simple as that.
Wei Ying promised to text and call Lan Zhan all the time over the summer and Lan Zhan quietly agreed to respond. He felt hopeful that he would be able to get closer to Lan Zhan next year.
They chatted often during the summer and it did little to lessen his longing until autumn.
He was climbing the final steps to Cloud Recesses when he noticed that Lan Zhan was standing at the gate, watching him. Wei Ying smiled wide, yelled his name, and launched himself at him. He wrapped his arms around Lan Zhan in a hug and then realized what he was doing.
Lan Zhan was stiff under him and Wei Ying felt reality wash over him. Lan Zhan hates people touching him. He was just beginning to pull back, a laugh and apology on the tip of his tongue when Lan Zhan's arms came up to hug him back. Wei Ying stilled and then melted into it.
"I missed you, Lan Zhan," Wei Ying murmured.
"Mn," Lan Zhan replied. "I missed you as well, Wei Ying."
Wei Ying gasped and pulled back to stare into his eyes. "Does that mean we are friends?"
Lan Zhan blinked, eyes wide in stunned confusion. "I had thought that was apparent."
"Ah. Well, you know..." Wei Ying trailed off awkwardly. "It's nice to have confirmation sometimes, I guess."
"I see. You are my friend, Wei Ying. I enjoy spending time with you and I missed you."
Wei Ying felt his face heat and he shoved Lan Zhan away gently, chuckling quietly.
The first few weeks of their second year of university went smoothly, better than Wei Ying even expected.
And then, towards the end of October, things changed very suddenly.
Wei Ying was alone in of of the labs, working on some experiments for one of his inventions when there was a shift in the air. He felt chilled and could sense a malicious presence watching him. He turned around but only caught the briefest glimpse of a person before a flash.
A blinding light filled his vision and he felt magic hit his chest, he was unguarded, never expecting something like this to happen in Cloud Recesses of all places. Whatever magic was sent at him was one fuelled by hatred, the acrid taste of it on his tongue before he passed out.
He came to with a groan, lifting a hand to his head. Only... His hand felt different.
His whole arm felt different.
With his heart racing, Wei Ying opened his eyes to find that his once human arm was now that of a bat. His whole body was that of a bat.
He was a bat.
Shakily, he tried to orient himself but everything felt so different—so much bigger—from this perspective. He tried to think, to remember what happened. Who in the world would curse him into a bat? Who would do that kind of magic on campus? And /why/ curse him at all?
Frustrated and disoriented, Wei Ying looked around the room in an attempt to gather his bearings. After a moment, he realized he was still in the lab alone, the sky was fully dark and based on the clock on the wall it was after 3 am.
He looked around the room, looking for any signs of who did this and realized that the door was fully shut, all the windows were closed, and he was trapped.
Panic surged stronger in him at that realization. He didn't know how to get out or how to turn back into a human.
He crawled along the floor and wrapped his wings around the leg of one of the tables as he tried not to let the panic completely consume him.
He was a smart and capable student, he had a deeper understanding of magic than most at his age he just needed to think.
He needed Lan Zhan.
He needed Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan always helps him calm and focus but he's also one of the best mages of their age. He needed to get to him and he'll know what to do.
The problem was: he was currently trapped.
He could risk exploring a vent (but who knows what problems he might find in that uncharted territory) or he could wait until someone comes in and he can sneak out the door that way.
Wei Ying opted to wait and chose to figure out how to fly to kill the time.
Really, being a bat wasn't so bad. Flying was super fun. He just wishes he got to choose this and knew it was temporary for certain.
A few hours passed when he heard footsteps in the hall. He positioned himself above the door and flew out the moment it opened.
He did the same at the entrance and then he was outside.
It was...
A lot.
Very overwhelming to his tiny bat senses. He struggled to navigate his way across campus to Lan Zhan's dorm but he eventually made it without any issues arising.
He flew around, searching for Lan Zhan's window, thankful that his best friend liked to keep one open most of the time to let air in. He zipped in and flopped onto Lan Zhan's bed, exhausted. A quick glance showed the room was empty and he huffed. Of course. Classes.
Resigned to waiting until Lan Zhan returned, he opted to nap. Wei Ying cuddled up in Lan Zhan's bed and quickly drifted off to sleep.
~
"—were not in class today and you did not answer your door. Please call me back, Wei Ying." Lan Zhan's muffled voice drifted into his ears.
Wei Ying twitched, not wanting to wake up. He was trying to figure out why Lan Zhan would sound so worried, he was right here.
It all came back to him when the thud of Lan Zhan's door closing startled him away and he saw his own little bat wings.
The curse.
He heard Lan Zhan gasp and Wei Ying whipped around to look at him. Lan Zhan was frozen by the door, staring at him with wide eyes. Wei Ying waved and tried to speak but all that came out was a small squeak.
"What?" Lan Zhan whispered.
Wei Ying launched at him, gripping onto the front of his shirt and climbing up to look at his face. Lan Zhan twitched and stared at him. Wei Ying pat him on the chest and squeaked pitifully.
He watched as Lan Zhan's brow furrowed and then shock set in. "Wei Ying?" he asked.
Delighted, Wei Ying squeaked and pushed off, flying around the room in little circles before landing back on his chest and very deliberately nodding his head.
Lan Zhan sighed in relief. "Did you turn yourself into a bat?"
Wei Ying shook his head and Lan Zhan frowned.
"Someone else did this to you?"
He nodded.
"I see," Lan Zhan muttered darkly. His hand came up to cup Wei Ying's back and Wei Ying took the opportunity to crawl onto Lan Zhan's forearm and hand upside down. Lan Zhan pulled his arm up to meet Wei Ying's gaze. "At the lab?"
Wei Ying nodded again. Lan Zhan really was so smart.
Over the next couple of days he and Lan Zhan (well, Lan Zhan mostly seeing as he was a bat and couldn't actually contribute much) worked to figure out the spell, the caster, and how to turn him back.
Lan Zhan set up some complex arrays in his room and set Wei Ying down in the middle and told him to stay. So, Wei Ying decided to nap to make sure he didn't accidentally ruin their progress. He woke to Lan Zhan cradling him gently against his chest, murmuring his name softly.
He yawned and blinked up at Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan smiled and Wei Ying felt like he could melt. "I know who did this." At that, Wei Ying perked up. "It was Su She," Lan Zhan replied, anger colouring his voice.
The name was vaguely familiar to Wei Ying but he couldn't place it.
He tilted his head in question and Lan Zhan let out a small sigh. "He is the one you said wanted to be me or fuck me."
Wei Ying huffs, eyes narrowing. Why would he curse him?
Lan Zhan seemed to sense his question because he continued. "I do not know why he did this but I told my uncle about the situation and Su She will be questioned about it all soon."
Nodding, Wei Ying still wanted to know what happened to him so he tapped himself on the chest.
Thankfully Lan Zhan understood that. "He used a complex array to combine a transmutation spell with a timer lock spell and linked that to a confession spell. Essentially, he turned you into a bat and you will stay a bat if you do not confess your biggest secret by your birthday."
Wei Ying's eyes widened in horror.
What?
"I am sorry, Wei Ying."
No. No. No. No. No.
"I wish there was another way."
This was not how he wanted to confess to Lan Zhan.
"It is nearly your birthday. Crafting a counterspell array will take too long."
No...
He never planned to tell Lan Zhan how he felt. He cared too much about his friendship to potentially ruin it by confessing to him. He sure as hell never intended to confess as a /bat/ in order to avoid /staying/ a bat forever.
This was such a mess but he only had one option.
Wei Ying will confess his feelings to Lan Zhan, turn back into a human, and hope that things won't get weird between them. Sullenly, he nodded.
Lan Zhan set him down on the floor in front of his laptop. It was already open to a blank document. All Wei Ying had to do was type.
He glanced back at Lan Zhan to see him already turned around, giving Wei Ying privacy to write out his confession first. He truly is the best.
Wei Ying's heart ached as he set out to type a simple message.
'Lan Zhan. I am in love with you.'
It took him a while, but he did it.
He crawled off the laptop to the side and sat awkwardly. He took a breath and let out a few squeaks to get Lan Zhan's attention, closing his eyes as soon as Lan Zhan started to turn.
Wei Ying heard a gasp and then felt the tell-tale sign of magic coursing through him.
He was human again.
"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan breathed. "Wei Ying, do you mean it?"
Steeling himself, Wei Ying smiled and opened his eyes. Whatever he planned to say left him the moment he saw the raw /hope/ painting Lan Zhan's face. "Yes," he whispered.
Lan Zhan shuffled to kneel in front of him. "Wei Ying," he breathed, taking his hands. "I love you. I am in love with you. You mean the world to me."
"Really?"
"Of course. How could I look at you and not fall in love?"
Wei Ying laughed wetly. "I feel that way about you."
Lan Zhan smiled. "Mn."
Wei Ying pulled Lan Zhan into a tight hug, relishing the fierceness in Lan Zhan’s hold. "Are we gonna have to thank Su She now?" he joked.
"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan chided, clearly unamused at the prospect.
Wei Ying chuckled. "I know, I know."
He couldn't help but smile. He was incandescent with glee. Lan Zhan /loved/ him!
"Lan Zhan, can I kiss you?"
"Yes."
Their first kiss was a shy, chaste thing. But it didn't take long for it to devolve into something heady and passionate. He had never been happier.
When they pulled back to catch their breath, chests heaving against each other, Lan Zhan pressed a kiss to his head. "Happy birthday, Wei Ying."
Wei Ying smiled. "Happy birthday indeed. Kiss me more?"
Lan Zhan eagerly obliged.
~
Later, Lan Qiren would tell them that Su She admitted to casting the spell because he felt jealous and wanted Lan Zhan to himself (stupid really) and was later expelled after having had his magic locked.
No one knows what came of him after that.
Lan Zhan would later buy a bat plush to gift to Wei Ying for their one-year anniversary alongside more gifts for Wei Ying's birthday (truly, he spoils him). Wei Ying will laugh and hug the plush.
