here's what i think would happen if, instead of in their mid teens, wangxian had met at the age of:

1-5 years old: Instant Attachment, especially from babyji. those two kids who for some inexplicable reason just rly love being together even if they're so different they'd be glued to each other all the time, and even though wei ying would play with other kids, he'd always come back to sulky a-zhan's side. both are very very protective of each other too!

6-10 years old: you know that childhood friendship that just sticks with you, even if it didn't last for long? that friend you made during that one trip and never spoke with again, that kid who lived across your street and you still remember their landline number, a girl who shared her toys with you at the beach and you looked for seashells with. that type of friendship like from this post. lwj might have been hesitant at first, but very quickly they would have developed a deep bond, and affected each other so deeply in ways they would only realize much later. this age is CRUCIAL to your development as a person, and it's no coincidence that canonverse, this is also the age that both wangxian were extremely alone and vulnerable. theyd have a lot of fun playing together, and if they met again as adults, they'd both probably cry

12-13 year olds: a very performative age, where you're starting to try and find a place in the world and in society. lwj would be even more stubborn and even unfair to wwx, while wwx's teasing might actually get into cruel territory. if they first met at this age, i think they actually WOULD hate each other, might even end up fistfighting skfhksdh and no, it doesn't help that this is the age where you first start experiencing attraction. lwj would NOT cope well with *gestures vaguely* ALL THAT