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“Wei Ying.”
Turning around at the voice, she looks away from the show she was half-heartedly watching to find where it came from.
Standing by the door to the laundry area, Lan Zhan was holding up one of her older, comfy shirts, staring down at it as if it had cursed her out.
“Hmm? What’s up?” she rolls onto her stomach, perching her chin on the armrest and looking up at her as she steps closer.
Ah. She blinks, jutting her lower lip out.
It was that shirt Lan Zhan told her to ‘mend up and give away, or something.’ There was a rip by the hems, the fabric around the neckline and chest thinned out from wear.
A sensible person would use it as a rag, or throw it away. However, the thought makes her scrunch her nose, thinking about how it can still be worn anyway, at home at least.
It looks so worn down, so old and dull that it looks wrong in Lan Zhan’s hands, who was still waiting for her to say something.
“Are you still going to wear this?” she asks, frowning a little.
Sure they had different styles, both of them looking like an odd pair whenever they go out together.
Lan Zhan in her flowing silks, pressed slacks, so elegant even when she wears a plain ribbed shirt under her leather jacket, her hair gently swooping to frame her pretty face and intense eyes.
She’ll take off that jacket when Wei Ying feels cold, or if she thinks her dress reveals too much of her skin, her upper arm muscles flexing and her warm palms sliding down Wei Ying’s arms as if she knew how hot it made her feel, the cold air long forgotten.
She’s so pretty.
“Of course! It’s not tattered right?” she grins, pushing herself up into a seating position and reaching out for the shirt, humming softly as she looks at it. “Unless, did it rip somewhere else?”
“No. It doesn’t look like it’s in… any better condition though. Maybe it’s time to let go of it?” The other leans against the couch, obviously trying to sound like she doesn’t want to toss the shirt out herself. However, she’s not like that.
Wei Ying looks at her as she idly smooths down her grey sweats, dusting off imaginary dirt. The sight makes her blush and look away, flustered by her own reaction to that simple action.
Lan Zhan looks like a fashion model straight out of a magazine.
Meanwhile, Wei Ying and her wardrobe consists of some hand-me-downs from her jie, free shirts from organizations and events in uni, and old clothes. She also prefers buying her clothes from thrift shops, and maybe some light online shopping sprees whenever there’s sales for her more specific taste clothes.
Anyway the point is, if she can still wear it, she’ll wear it!
Clothes and fast fashion ruin the world, the industry produces a lot of carbon emissions and pollutes the environment, as well as encourages the masses to keep buying clothes just to dispose of them too quickly when new trends arrive, capitalizing on everyone and anyone’s limited budgets just to fill their greedy pockets.
Clothes should be appreciated more, and she loathes to think about throwing them away when they can still be used.
Maybe this is related to the fact that she had to spend cold nights out in the streets with a barely thick enough jacket back in her childhood-- but whatever, she’s fine now.
“It’s so comfy though---and warm?” she winces a little at the raised brow directed at her.
Arguably not very warm, it’s too thin now. Too tight on her skin, and yeah, maybe it is time to toss it out but--
“Ahh, but I brought this shirt back in high school after I won in a contest, Lan Zhan! I can’t just throw it away!” she pouts. Nah, she couldn’t care less, she’s not too sentimental about it anymore but she has to say something, okay?
“Wei Ying,” even with the way she said it, tired and maybe exasperated, she still sounds fond. “That was years ago. And these barely fit you anymore.”
At that, Wei Ying feels petty, and with a small huff, takes off her shirt and puts on the one she’s holding, uncaring that she’s changing clothes out in the open, in front of her roommate, best friend, soulmate---
“Ow,” Her shoulders ache, suddenly regretting her act once she realizes that indeed, it does not fit her anymore. She tenses up, cold wind hitting her exposed skin and she’s feeling butterflies in her tummy, nervous. Also, embarrassed.
“Ah, Lan Zhan, help?”
There was no response.
She feels her breath quicken, from the cold? Wei Ying curls in on herself, trying to cover her chest with her arms still tangled in the shirt, which only causes her to push them out and together.
So much regret , she bends forward to hide from Lan Zhan, who still hasn’t said anything.
“Lan Zhan, jiejie, please ” She’s not above whining anymore, and she’s so sure she just heard Lan Zhan let out a small laugh.
Ah! So mean!
“Let me---help meeee, jiejie! I admit! It doesn’t fit, my arms hurt, please!” ‘and you can see everything, this is so humiliating’, she doesn’t say that outloud.
She thought the other left her to her own demise, caused by her own stubbornness. Lan Zhan wouldn’t, she’s not like that.
Then, she feels warm hands skating up her sides, urging her to sit up and show herself again. Her cheeks flush some more when the other’s fingers hook under the hem, gently prying it up and off her bare torso.
She barely hides the shiver that runs through her body, hiding her eyes behind her hair as soon as she’s free.
A few moments pass, and she risks looking up, letting out a tiny squeak when she meets Lan Zhan’s eyes.
She reaches out to push away the hair covering her face, and Wei Ying watches, shy as she lets her. Her arms were relaxed by her sides, lips pouting again.
Lan Zhan knows not to worry too much when she becomes embarrassed like this. Ah, she knows Wei Ying too well.
She quietly helps her back into the other shirt she was wearing previously, one of Lan Zhan’s that Wei Ying just found in her room so she wore it. (Lies, she stole it from Lan Zhan’s basket.)
Not that Lan Zhan minds, and they don’t talk about it, or acknowledge it; or the other times Wei Ying seemed to prefer wearing Lan Zhan’s shirts instead of her own.
“Thank you,” she mumbles, biting her lip. “I guess it doesn’t fit anymore.”
“Mn.” The corner of her mouth was still quirked up, a hint of a smile, of her amusement. “Rag then?”
Wei Ying nods, wanting to squirm and hide, but at the same time, stay right here to bask in Lan Zhan’s attention. She also feels…
Her thighs shift, barely holding back the soft gasp she almost let out at the discovery that she was indeed wet. Just from that? Nothing happened. Wei Ying scolds herself lightly, wanting to exit the scene.
Just in time, a chime from the laundry room let’s them know that it’s time to dry the clothes.
“Oh! The laundry’s done---Yeah, this is not good anymore. I’ll go take a shower then, jie, then we can start on dinner?” she smiles, leaning forward and subtly rocking down on the heel of her foot. Fuck.
Lan Zhan stands up, thank fuck, but not before letting her gaze travel down the length of Wei Ying’s body, noticing the hard peaks showing through the shirt, a soft smirk replacing her smile.
“Mhm.” She gives Wei Ying’s cheek a light pat, before turning away to walk back towards the room where she came from, the shirt in hand.
Wei Ying almost trips herself as she runs over to the direction of her room, panting softly as soon as she locks the bathroom door behind her.
What was that?