Chapter Text
There’s something wrong with second young Master Lan.
Lan Wangji was known as having an icy disposition, being committed to upholding the Gusu Lan rules, and generally being implacable, jade-like in his impeccable, unperturbable composure.
But Wei Ying knew this wasn’t quite true. He’d seen Lan Wangji riled up, angry, frustrated… possibly even amused a few times. He’d practically made it his life’s mission to coax reactions out of the esteemed (and attractive) second Jade of Lan. Wei Ying was good at getting a reaction.
But recently, nothing was working. Today, Lan Wangji doesn’t even acknowledge him with his usual subtle glance. It bothers Wei Ying more than he thought it would. It bothers him a lot.
He pulls out every trick in the book. He stands in the way and waves obnoxiously. He grins and laughs and shouts. He runs, smirking insolently to catch the flicker of annoyance cross that serious face, but… nothing. Lan Wangji recites the relevant rules without any inflection. At all.
Jiang Cheng says he’s crazy for thinking it’s wrong.
“He sounds the same as usual, dumbass. Just leave him alone already.”
But Wei Ying knows something isn’t right.
“Is there anyone Lan-er-gongzi is close with?”, he asks Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang as they walk into the afternoon’s lecture a few days later.
Nie Huaisang answers a bit hesitantly, “There’s his brother, acting sect Leader Lan, Lan Xichen, but he’s away…”
Wei Ying’s fists clench, “Away? Since when? Do you know when he’ll be back?”
Nie Huaisang shrugs. Wei Ying shoots another look at Lan Wangji, kneeling placidly, politely, the perfect image of propriety. Exactly like always, but still too – too something. Wei Ying glares at him suspiciously.
Lan Qiren enters at that moment and the lecture starts. Wei Ying spends the class mulling over his options. Lan Wangji doesn’t have many close friends, if any. His brother is out, for now. He casts a considering glance at old man Lan Qiren… He’s Lan Wangji’s uncle, right?
Something tells him Lan Qiren won’t appreciate Wei Ying coming to him for anything short of receiving punishment. Wei Ying looks again at Lan Wangji, Lan Zhan… He waits until Lan Qiren’s back is to him and flicks a piece of balled up paper straight into the side of Lan Zhan’s head.
Lan Zhan doesn’t even blink. Without looking, he destroys the balled up paper and keeps following the lecture. Not a single glare of disapproval. Nothing. A voice in his head insists it’s just that Lan Zhan has gotten tired of him, that the other is ignoring him. But there’s an alarm ringing in his mind. Something is definitely not right.
Wei Ying grits his teeth. He’s going to Lan Qiren tonight.
--
As anticipated, Lan Qiren is not impressed.
“You’re telling me that my nephew-”
“Lan Zhan, yes”, Wei Ying interrupts without thinking. He ducks his head at the old man’s angry glare.
“That my nephew”, the man continues tightly, “is acting strangely because he is not reacting to your shameless, juvenile behaviour?”
Wei Ying shifts on his knees. He meets the old man’s incredulous gaze and nods.
Lan Qiren sighs, muttering under his breath. Wei Ying hears something that sounds like ‘Preposterous’. He shifts again, uneasy but determined.
“Please, …GrandMaster Lan.”, he tries, bowing, “Just… bring Lan Zhan here and you’ll see.”
He doesn’t dare lift his eyes off the ground. He hears an unmistakeable ‘humpf’, before the man relents. He steps past Wei Ying and into the corridor.
“Summon Wangji, please.”, he orders a passing disciple. He shuts the sliding door with an ominous clack.
“I hope for your sake”, the man grits, “that this is not some childish prank.”
Wei Ying swallows and nods. It isn’t. He tries to convey that without saying a word.
Lan Zhan arrives, stepping sedately into the room and bowing properly in greeting to his uncle. Wei Ying receives a neutral nod. There’s no pause in his motions, no guarded tension to his eyes, no minute twitch of his brows to indicate surprise or wariness. Wei Ying hates it.
He glances at Lan Qiren, who looks not at all perturbed.
“Please sit down, Wangji.”, Lan Qiren invites.
Lan Zhan sits, watching his uncle patiently.
Lan Qiren’s jaw twitches, and with a final unimpressed raised eyebrow at Wei Ying the man addresses him.
“Nephew. I have asked for your presence because this disciple professes that your behaviour has been unusual. Do you have anything to say about this matter?”
Lan Zhan doesn’t even blink. Just keeps staring at his uncle.
Wei Ying jumps in, “Come on, Lan Zhan… Are you feeling unwell? Is there something wrong? You can tell your uncle, right? Lan Zhan. Ah- Lan Zhan!”
Lan Zhan does turn his attention to Wei Ying while he speaks, but it is a distant, absent attention. Wei Ying’s hands grip at his robe.
Lan Zhan answers placidly, “I am well.”
Wei Ying wants to shake him. Lan Zhan’s eyes are still blank, empty. It’s wrong. Lan Qiren is obviously not at all convinced. Wei Ying’s mind rushes through his options. He could try to reason more with the old man, but he doesn’t think it would change anything. He needs some kind of proof, but what? What could he do that should definitely prompt a reaction from Lan Zhan? Something that would be odd for even Lan-er-gongzi not to react to?
He takes a steadying breath. He smiles a bit despairingly. He’s already known as shameless after all.
He twists so he’s half leaning against Lan Zhan’s side, peering up into those golden eyes, wishing to see some spark of life.
“Er-gege, don’t be cold!”, he teases, voice as sultry as he can make it, “If you keep it up this one will have to think of … more shameless things to do.” It’s not even a lie.
Wei Ying hears Lan Qiren choke, but Lan Zhan doesn’t even twitch away. Casually, infuriatingly properly, Lan Zhan guides Wei Ying off him and back where he came from. Wei Ying buries the spark of irrational hurt at the action and does his best imitation of a purr, “Lan-er-gege…! Touching me in front of your uncle, how shameless!”
Still nothing.
He glances back at Lan Qiren and pales.
“WEI WUXIAN”, the man practically bellows in fury, purple in the face, “WHAT – ”, he pulls in a very tense breath and holds it for a short time. When he speaks again his voice is dangerously quiet.
“What do you think you are doing?”
Wei Ying gulps, “GrandMaster Lan, please, I – I was trying to show you.”
Lan Qiren’s lips are thin and pale. His fingers twitch at his sides.
“Show me what?”, he spits, “How shameless you are?”
Wei Ying tightens his fists, “Can’t you see?”, he argues back, “Lan Zhan didn’t even blink! It’s wrong!”
Lan Qiren snarls, “Wangji is collected and proper! Of course he would not react to such – such… overtures!”
Wei Ying straightens angrily, heart pounding in his chest, “Collected, yes, but he’s still human! Look at him!”
Lan Zhan continues to watch the altercation without the slightest sign that he even heard them. Lan Qiren slams a hand on his low table.
“That’s enough! You arrogant! Impudent! Shameful! You will report first thing in the morning to receive your punishment or I will personally write to Yunmeng Jiang to have you removed from Cloud Recesses!”
Wei Ying ducks his head and grits his teeth. He wants to tell the man to go ahead – to throw him out, see if he cared. But then Lan Zhan would be left alone and Wei Ying needs to get to the bottom of this.
“You are dismissed! Reflect on your behaviour, and be grateful I have not had you immediately expelled!”
He bows low and forces himself to speak, “Thank you for your consideration.”
The words are bitter on his tongue. Far worse is Lan Zhan’s completely silent presence by his side.
--
“For spreading false rumours and accusations, acting improperly, acting lecherously and implicating others in your shameless behaviour, for shouting and for showing great disrespect to your honoured elder and teacher, you will receive 200 strikes from the discipline paddle, and kneel for a full day in repentance.”
Wei Ying’s jaw drops at the announcement. Two hundred strikes? And then to kneel for a day? Would he even have the strength to do that?
He wants to protest, words at the tip of his tongue. Then he sees Lan Qiren glare at him in warning, just waiting for an excuse to expel him. Lan Zhan stands beside his uncle, unfazed and still so damn unemotional. Wei Ying shuts his mouth and holds his head up. He kneels and clenches his fists.
It hurts. The paddle strikes last an eternity. Wei Ying doesn’t know when he lost the battle with his pride and cried out, but by the end he whimpers pathetically, drenched in sweat.
Kneeling in the courtyard is almost impossible. He’s forever righting his position, listing to one side and straining his terribly aching back. Lan Zhan walks past, and doesn’t even spare him a glance. He wants to call for the other’s attention, but his voice is rough and hoarse.
That Lan Zhan is in the vicinity at all is odd. That fact alone gives Wei Ying some hope that the Lan Zhan he had been getting to know is not completely lost. Wei Ying would find him. Just you wait.
--
Wei Ying does his best to pester Lan Wangji at every opportunity. It’s difficult. Lan Qiren keeps them apart as much as possible, and Wei Ying is not yet healed enough to run. The only place he can find Lan Zhan in is the library. This has a double benefit, since it allows Wei Ying to search for answers in the Lan library, while keeping Lan Zhan in his sights.
He finds old references to curses and binding spells which dampen the spirit, others that bind a person to another’s will, or force compliance. None describe what he sees in Lan Wangji, but he learns what he can and he attempts anything that could grant freedom.
Despite Wei Ying constantly bothering him, teasing him and sticking the occasional hopeful talisman over his head, Lan Zhan never stops coming to the library.
Wei Ying can’t tell if this is a subtle encouragement, or if Lan Zhan is so unconcerned with him that nothing Wei Ying does affects him anymore. The latter scares him far more than it should.
Sometimes, Wei Ying lies against the table where Lan Zhan works, and just talks to him. Unlike when Wei Ying had been there for punishment, Lan Zhan stops writing when he does this, and watches Wei Ying with distant, obligatory politeness.
“Lan Zhan, ah, Lan Zhan, why is it that nothing I do changes anything? Jiang Cheng says I’m just pestering a brick wall, that you must hate me… You’d tell me if that was the case, right? Just say the word and I swear I’ll leave you alone.”
He waits, heart in his throat, but Lan Zhan keeps staring at him serenely, silent. Wei Ying lets out a heavy breath.
“Oh, good, uh, well, not good… I’ll figure it out, you’ll see! …I’ll figure it out.”
Lan Zhan just keeps staring until Wei Ying returns to his notes.
Sometimes, Wei Ying just tells him about his day, and sometimes he explains the theories he’s looking into.
“See here”, he says one afternoon, pointing at the array he drew in his notes. Lan Zhan obediently looks. Wei Ying taps his finger to the top-most symbols, “this is meant to stabilise the golden core, while these”, he runs his finger over the central mixture of complicated sigils, “are meant to temporarily cut off spiritual access across the body”
Wei Ying sighs, “It’s designed to untangle a person’s spiritual energy from external influences. Curses, spells, bindings…”, he shrugs, “Except it’s impossible.”
He groans, rubbing a hand over his face in frustration, “see here”, he taps the top left symbol, “It requires external energy to power it. But it requires so much!”
He holds his head in his hands and stares into Lan Zhan’s infuriatingly blank, attentive eyes, “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan… Where am I going to be able to find a place with enough ambient spiritual energy to power this?”
Lan Zhan doesn’t answer, and Wei Ying lets his mind wander, whirring furiously.
“Maybe something to enhance it…?”, he mutters to himself, somewhat absently heading back to the desk he’d commandeered and picking up his brush.
Lan Zhan shows no sign that Wei Ying had even been talking to him, and mechanically returns to his copying.
It continues like this for a month.
Then Lan Xichen returns to Cloud Recesses.
Wei Ying is still trying to decide if he should go to find the man, or if he’s better off staying away, when Lan Xichen makes that decision for him and corners him in person.
“Wei Wuxian?”, the acting sect leader calls him as Wei Wuxian exits the lecture with Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang. The three of them bow and Wei Wuxian quickly introduces himself, cautious.
“Walk with me?”, the man asks, smiling just enough to be polite. Nothing about the smile is friendly.
Jiang Cheng shoots him a look, and Wei Ying shrugs, masking his worry with a cheery smile.
“Of course”, he bows and follows the elder man until they reach an isolated courtyard.
Lan Xichen stops walking and turns to face Wei Ying. His eyes are piercing and sharp.
“What happened to Wangji?”
Wei Ying practically deflates in relief.
“You noticed it too?”, he breathes, eyes growing just a little wet. He doesn’t know if he’s happy he’s not going crazy or devastated that he’s right and something’s wrong.
Lan Xichen blinks, hesitates and closes his eyes for a half-second.
“Tell me what you know.”, he orders, “please.”
Wei Ying quickly complies.
“He – it was just over a month ago? He started acting colder – well, I mean, he stopped reacting the way he always used to, you know?”, Wei Ying cringes, but moves on, “I would have gone to you but I was told you were away… so I went to old- uh- GrandMaster Lan Qiren, but he didn’t believe me.”
Wei Ying frowns, scratching the back of his neck, “I’ve been trying to figure it out, I’ve tried using curse-breaking talismans, even spells for freeing those bound. I’ve been working on another idea, but…”
Lan Xichen stares at him, one hand coming to rub his mouth.
“You think it’s a deliberate, external binding?”, the man asks finally.
Wei Ying is brought up short, “Um… yes?”
He can’t see what else it could be. Lan Xichen purses his lips in a way which reminds Wei Ying firmly of Lan Qiren.
“Did you consider”, Lan Xichen says softly, “that he may have purposefully …shut himself away?”
Wei Ying’s stomach drops and twists.
“I…. I didn’t.”, he says slowly. He doesn’t think that’s likely, doesn’t want to think that it’s even a possibility.
Lan Xichen smiles sorrowfully, “He acted similarly after our mother’s passing.”
Wei Ying swallows, and the man continues, “Did you… did anything happen?”
Lan Zhan wouldn’t… No, consider all the alternatives. Wei Ying thinks deeply. He’d teased, as usual, he’d pushed just enough to see Lan Zhan glare with his deep, expressive golden eyes. He’d seen no-one else really interact with the second Jade.
Slowly, he shakes his head, a seed of doubt growing in his mind. What if it was his fault? What if he’d pushed too far? Said something that crossed some invisible line?
His unease must be obvious, because Lan Xichen speaks again, gently and softly, like when talking to an injured animal.
“Have you tried… giving him space?”
Wei Ying takes a small step back. He hadn’t. He had stuck to Lan Zhan like glue. He had teased more, talked more, provoked more. He hadn’t left Lan Zhan’s side. Even now he spent his every free moment in the library with Lan Zhan.
“Sometimes”, Lan Xichen murmurs, “sometimes people need space to heal… even if that means being apart from those they are closest to.”
Wei Ying can’t meet the elder’s eyes. He can’t – he can’t just leave Lan Zhan – but maybe he should. How selfish could he be? Following Lan Zhan like a lovesick child, constantly demanding his attention. What if it really was his fault? Could he justify making it worse?
Wei Ying bows. His voice comes out rough even to his own ears, “…Thank you, Zewu-Jun. I will… take that into consideration.”
He goes to the library and picks up his notes. Lan Zhan sits where he always sits, working quietly.
“Lan Zhan…?”, Wei Ying hadn’t planned on speaking, but it was too late to take it back.
Pale eyes lift to look at him. Wei Ying swallows. He tries to smile.
“I’m going to try something else, alright? The good news is… you won’t be seeing me! Ahah…”
Lan Zhan stays as lifelessly expressionless as ever.
“Don’t miss me too much, alright?”, Wei Ying teases, heart heavy. He bows properly and leaves the library, knowing that Lan Zhan would stay right there, as if nothing had happened.
--
Nie Huaisang brings three jars of Emperor’s smile into Wei Ying’s room. Wei Ying cheers with something approaching the enthusiasm he’d lost in the last few weeks.
Without access to the library, he’d hit a dead end in his research. The array he’d shown Lan Zhan was ready to be used, but as useless as ever without a suitable source of ambient energy. The days dragged on and Wei Ying had found himself distracted and listless. He aches to follow Lan Zhan after lectures, like he used to. But he can’t. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
He speaks to Lan Xichen as often as he dares, pestering the man with questions as to Lan Zhan’s recovery. Progress. Anything. Every time, Lan Xichen smiles and tells him to be patient. Wei Ying can tell the man is growing more worried by the day.
Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang had spent a lot of time and energy trying to lighten his mood. It was nice of them. They’d taken him down to Caiyi town yesterday, bought him the hottest chili oil they could find. This evening, they had smuggled in nuts and rice wine.
“If this doesn’t cheer him up, I don’t know what will”, Wei Ying hears Jiang Cheng mutter to Nie Huaisang as they shut the doors, cover the windows and pull out the jars.
Wei Ying grins. He’s very much looking forward to getting at least a little tipsy.
He drinks, laughs with Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang, teases them about girls and tries not to think too hard about Lan Zhan.
As if summoned by his thoughts, the door opens and Lan Zhan walks in. For a split second, behind the panic of being discovered, something in Wei Ying is terribly glad to see him.
He smirks, suddenly restless, wanting to do something, anything to keep Lan Zhan here, with him. He lifts his eyebrows meaningfully at Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang and moves to intercept Lan Zhan.
“Aiya! Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan”, he tries to keep the fondness and worry from his tone but he’s too tipsy to tell if it works, “Come on, why don’t you join us, hm?”
He waves behind his back and Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang run out the door, pretending to be incredibly nauseous. Wei Ying grins and blocks Lan Zhan from following. The other stands blankly, and the eager excitement in Wei Ying drains away.
“Lan Zhan, ah, Lan Zhan…”, he murmurs, “What’s it going to take for you to come back to me…”
Lan Zhan doesn’t react, only grabs Wei Ying by the wrist and starts pulling him out of the room. Wei Ying is not sure what makes him do it, but he twists out of Lan Zhan’s grasp and quickly slaps a paper man to Lan Zhan’s back. It’s one he had learned while researching to help, to temporarily control a body’s actions. He had drawn it to see how it worked, and because he had felt it was amusing.
He already knows he’ll regret this later, but that’s something he’ll think about in the future. Right now, he uses the talisman to make Lan Zhan sit, and make him drink a cup of Emperor’s smile.
For the first time in two months, he gets a reaction. Lan Zhan falls asleep. It’s not much, in the grand scheme of things, but it’s not perfect behaviour.
Wei Ying wants to cry.
Instead, he rips off the paper man, crumples it in his fist and carries Lan Zhan into the bed. He watches Lan Zhan sleep and wishes that the other would wake up and get angry at him. Lan Zhan stays asleep.
--
They’re discovered in the morning and brought to receive punishment.
Lan Qiren glowers at him with the utmost disdain and Lan Xichen frowns, quietly upset.
Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang receive 50 strikes each, and Wei Ying and Lan Zhan both receive 300. Even through the beating, Lan Zhan doesn’t break his perfect posture. Wei Ying yells for both of them.
Lan Xichen apparently doesn’t hate him, because he finds Wei Ying soon after.
“There are cold springs, known for their healing properties.”, he explains sympathetically.
Wei Ying can’t meet his eyes. He nods and staggers away. Maybe the cold springs will help him clear his mind as well.
When he reaches the springs, however, he finds them occupied. By Lan Zhan.
He almost turns to leave, but something in him is so selfishly pleased to see the other that he stays. He enters the water haltingly, glancing at Lan Zhan for some sign of – of anything. He doesn’t know why he holds out hope.
Lan Zhan doesn’t even look at him.
Wei Ying shivers in the cold water, wondering why he didn’t just leave, like he should have. Jiang Cheng would ask why he cared so much, but Wei Ying can’t just – what – leave Lan Zhan when he might be – when he might be trapped, bound against his will? The thought makes his throat close up in fear and anger.
He sighs. Lan Zhan might not be trapped, or bound. Wei Ying had already tried all the useable counters to those afflictions. He had no evidence. Even Lan Zhan’s brother didn’t think that was it. Wei Ying doesn’t know why he’s so sure – or maybe… maybe he just doesn’t want to think Lan Zhan is like this because of him.
Wei Ying shakes his head. He’ll figure it out. It doesn’t matter what it is, he will bring Lan Zhan back.
Something wraps around his ankle. Wei Ying yelps as it pulls him underwater. He surfaces in a dark cave, shivering violently. Lan Zhan splashes upright next to him, watching the cave with absent disinterest.
Wei Ying huffs, stepping forwards.
“You wouldn’t happen to know where we are, eh, Lan Zhan?”
No response.
“Aiya… Who knew the Cloud Recesses had this kind of secret cave hidden in their cold springs?”
Still nothing but the splashing sound of footsteps beside him. They reach a large chamber, full of water except for a raised rocky outcrop upon which is a pale white Guqin. There’s a strange, ambient light with no source that Wei Ying can pinpoint.
The Guqin strums, sending a wave of blue energy outward. It smashes into Wei Ying and sends him flying back into the freezing water. He splutters as he quickly sits back up.
“What the hell?”, he swears, rubbing his arms to coax some feeling back into them.
He steps back up to Lan Zhan, and ducks just in time to avoid the next wave of blue energy sent out by the damned Guqin. The energy phases through Lan Zhan without any problem.
Lan Zhan still doesn’t react.
Wei Ying has a sudden, crazy idea. He pulls out some talisman paper (thanking whoever thought to make them waterproof), and draws the array he’d been working on.
There’s something surreal and powerful about this place. Wei Ying can almost taste the spiritual power hanging in the air. On its own, he’s not sure it’s enough, but with the Guqin sending out waves of compressed spiritual energy, maybe…
“Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, come here!”, he calls. Lan Zhan just watches him so he walks up instead, dodging another Guqin strike with difficulty.
He sticks the talisman to Lan Zhan’s head and waits with bated breath for the Guqin strike. He’s going to have to activate it at exactly the right moment.
The Guqin strums, the blue wave expands out, Wei Ying holds his breath. Now! He powers up the talisman just as the wave of energy crashes into him, sending him several body-lengths away, falling painfully into the frigid water with a garbled shout.
He sits up, wincing, and looks back. Lan Zhan is bent over, holding his head. The water crystallises around them into thick, icy slush.
“Lan Zhan?”, he whispers, barely daring to hope, “…Lan Zhan?”
Lan Zhan straightens, and for a moment Wei Ying thinks he had failed. Then the other turns to stare at Wei Ying, eyes wide and lips half parted.
“Wei Ying”, he says, and there’s so much in his tone, so much depth that had been lacking before.
Wei Ying laughs, feeling tears burn his eyelids. He hurts everywhere, he’s freezing and soaked to the bone, but he has never felt so relieved.
“Lan Zhan…”, he chokes out, “You’re back!”
Lan Zhan opens his mouth, closes it, holds a hand up to his face, blinks twice in quick succession, “Mn. I’m… back.”
Wei Ying stands, stumbling towards the other boy. The Guqin strums again, but this time Lan Zhan uses Bichen to deflect the blow away. Wei Ying grins so hard it hurts.
Lan Zhan’s back is tense and his hands clench and unclench at his sides fitfully. He stands still for a long moment, staring at the cave and the instrument in front of them.
“That’s Lan Yi’s Guqin”, he says slowly, reverently, “It won’t attack those of the Lan sect.”
Wei Ying has to swallow twice before he can answer, wondering how likely it is that this is all happening in his imagination. It feels too good to be true.
“Ah, I guess I’m not welcome, then”, he mumbles, exhausted. He spots something moving on the ground by the Guqin.
“Aiya, even the rabbits are fine…”
Lan Zhan looks between the Guqin, the rabbits and Wei Ying before reaching up and untying his ribbon.
He reaches a lightly trembling hand out to take Wei Ying’s, and Wei Ying allows it. One end of the forehead ribbon is wrapped securely around his wrist, and the other around Lan Zhan’s.
They approach, and the Guqin doesn’t strum. Wei Ying lets out a long breath of relief. He grins at Lan Zhan and his heart skips a beat when Lan Zhan looks back at him and blinks. His expression is softer than it has been in – in a long time. Wei Ying grins harder, and rubs his eyes to waylay the threat of tears.
It worked. It worked!
Without thinking, he throws himself at Lan Zhan and hugs him as tightly as he can. Lan Zhan freezes in his arms and even that’s more proof that it worked. It’s such a silly thing to be so happy about but Wei Ying is, so happy he bursts into relieved, joyous laughter. He’s practically vibrating in excitement.
“Lan Zhan, you’re really back! I’m so glad it worked, it worked, it – hah!”
Lan Zhan relaxes against him, and presses a soft hand into his back. His body starts trembling as Wei Ying holds him close.
“Mn.”, Lan Zhan says quietly. It sounds like relief.
Then he whispers in Wei Ying’s ear, “Thank you”
Wei Ying abruptly loses his capacity for speech. He hugs Lan Zhan tighter instead.
They move apart after only a few more seconds and turn their attention back to the cave and the white Guqin. Wei Ying can’t quite get rid of the blush trying to take over his face. He’s suddenly glad for the cold hiding the reason for the red staining his cheeks.
Lan Zhan doesn’t move for a long moment, breathing shaky inhales and long exhales. Wei Ying watches as he runs his fingers over the ribbon tied over their wrists and straightens his shoulders.
It’s with an edge of hesitation that he kneels and plays a few notes on the Guqin. When Lan Yi herself appears, he startles before recovering himself. Wei Ying is honestly in awe at the ancestor’s presence, but he still finds his attention drawn inexorably back to Lan Zhan. Every twitch of the other’s brows shoots a mix of warmth and protective anger through Wei Ying’s body.
After a long discussion, some history and serious promises, Lan Yi disappears, leaving them alone in the cold cave with a chunk of Yin Iron and half a dozen rabbits.
“Wei Ying.”, Lan Zhan murmurs, a tiny frown on his face. Wei Ying’s mind flicks straight back to those months of terrifying listlessness.
Wei Ying looks at him and bites his lip, “Do you know who – who did that to you?”
Lan Zhan tenses but shakes his head, “Lan elder, I think. My memory is… unclear.”
Wei Ying feels his lips sneer. Lan Zhan’s hands are clenched tightly around Bichen’s hilt. Wei Ying calms himself with difficulty, “What do you want to do?”
Lan Zhan is silent for a long moment, eyes cast down. He looks back at Wei Ying and speaks softly.
“I… I will discuss it with Brother. I do not think it is wise to reveal what happened here.”
Lan Zhan swallows, and his shoulders hunch, “I do not think they would be able to tell the difference. I can fake the effects.”
Wei Ying frowns at that, angry for reasons he isn’t sure he understands. Nevertheless, he nods seriously.
“You can trust me.”, he vows.
This time, it’s Lan Zhan who hugs Wei Ying of his own volition. Wei Ying is so shocked he falls, finding himself held up solely by Lan Zhan’s arms. His heart is beating just a little faster than it should and he feels warm all over.
“Aiya… Lan Zhan… …”, he fumbles for words, sagging into the embrace, “…I’m glad you’re back.”
There’s a pause.
“Mmh”
Wei Ying laughs, helpless and fond.
--
Lan Zhan stays by the Guqin for what feels like an eternity. Wei Ying doesn’t dare say a word, heart squeezing at the tension held in the other’s shoulders. He tentatively settles so he’s just shy of touching Lan Zhan’s side, pushing down the angry burning in his chest, aimed at the nameless Lan elders who had bound Lan Zhan in such a way. They sit together until the tension in Lan Zhan’s shoulders eases.
By the time they stumble out of the cave, Yin Iron in tow and some measure of calm over their minds, Wei Ying is exhausted. They trip, and Wei Ying ends up sprawled on top of Lan Zhan in what is possibly the most shameless display he’s ever been part of. Wei Ying peers at the second Jade of Lan, pinned beneath him and feels a surge of fear. Now that they’ve left the cave, what if Lan Zhan’s back to the emotionless puppet he had been?
“Wei Ying. Get off.”, Lan Zhan grits, tone tense, somewhere between irritated and mortified.
Wei Ying smiles reflexively. He clumsily gets off, unable to keep the huge grin off his face even knowing that they have an audience.
Lan Zhan unties the ribbon around their wrists with gentle hands, and his eyes are soft when they rest on Wei Ying. There’s a blush riding up Wei Ying’s neck. He coughs, suddenly embarrassed.
“Right…”, he looks around, waving at Jiang Cheng to distract himself.
He sends a last reassuring grin at Lan Zhan before the other disappears to see his uncle and brother. He swears he receives something just like a smile back.