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“Do we really need to get up before 5 A.M. tomorrow morning, Wei-qianbei?” Lan Jingyi complains—half-complains—and Lan Sizhui shoots him a look.
“With the beast that we need to help get rid of, yes, we do. It’ll be a long journey,” Wei Wuxian says as he twirls Chenqing around his fingers playfully, but with an elegance no one but him has. Well, Wei Wuxian thought, maybe ‘no one’, barring Lan Wangji. “Wen Mao took eighty-one days before he successfully claimed the life of…” he stops suddenly—so does the twirling.
“Wei-qianbei?” Lan Sizhui asks softly as he looks at Wei Wuxian in the eyes; eyes that look like they’re in a world of their own.
It has been so long since Wei Wuxian had stepped foot in that place. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think of what had happened there. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. It was, after all, the day when everything had changed; everything. People in both the common world and cultivation world alike, say the Qiongqi, one of the four divine beasts, represents deviousness. They say it is a beast of chaos that only knows to punish the good and encourage the evil. It devours the loyal and the righteous, just to reward the malicious.
The Qiongqi…was like that—through and through, in every form.
Memories of Jin Zixun and his hundred-man ambush, memories of Jin Zixuan coming with the right intentions, memories of everything that started it all—they all came rushing back to Wei Wuxian, as if they happened just yesterday. A lifetime ago feels just like yesterday. It’s true. The Qiongqi did punish the good. It devoured the loyal and the righteous.
And now, someone is recreating it, rearing it, feeding it.
“W-Wei-qianbei?” Lan Jingyi snaps his fingers and waves his hand in front of Wei Wuxian.
“S-Sorry,” he replies, blinking a few times. “Where was I?”
“You were saying that Wen Mao had claimed the life of…”
“Ah yes. Wen Mao was founder of the then most-powerful sect in the whole of the cultivation world, Qishanwen. He rose to fame after successfully killing the Qiongqi.”
“Is that why the place is called Qiongqidao? Because he slayed the beast there?” Lan Sizhui asks.
“That’s correct, Sizhui,” Wei Wuxian smiles warmly. Always so smart, so diligent, A-Yuan.
“Eh… I was just about to say that!” Ouyang Zizhen chimes in.
“It is pretty obvious,” Jin Ling clicks his tongue. “Anyway, if it’s already been slain, why do we need to go there now, Da-jiujiu?”
If there was a way for Wei Wuxian to make Jin Ling not go and instead stay at the Cloud Recesses, he would. But Jin Ling would never listen to him, especially when it's something that involves a night hunt. Besides, if his nephew asked exactly why Wei Wuxian was hesitant to let him go along...
...Wei Wuxian wasn't sure he would be able to find the strength to answer.
Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng had promised each other something, again. This time, they promised that they would not burden Jin Ling any further. He had broken his promise to Jiang Cheng last time. He will make sure that won’t happen again.
“Do it not for me, not for you, but for A-Ling. When it’s the right time, we will tell him.” His shidi’s words ring in his head.
Jiang Cheng isn't one to ask for things, not anymore. But for Jin Ling, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do. Wei Wuxian is the same. For their nephew, they would go to the ends of the Earth, to the moon and back. They don’t say it out loud, but they would also do the same for each other. Yunmengshuang Jie seemed attainable once, and then seemed unattainable afterwards; through all that they have been through, deep down, both brothers still want to make it work.
“Da-jiujiu?” Jin Ling calls.
“Are you okay, Wei-qianbei?” Ouyang Zizhen asks worriedly; Wei Wuxian is not one to not be present whenever they discuss and plan their night hunts.
“Probably just missing Hanguang-jun,” Lan Jingyi blurts out.
“Jingyi!” Lan Sizhui elbows him in the ribs.
“Ow!” he exclaims. “But it’s true, is it not, Wei-qianbei?” Lan Jingyi folds his arms and purses his lips, looking a little too smug.
He had been so busy preparing the children for their night hunt that he hadn’t had the time to think of or do anything else. It only just occurs to Wei Wuxian that Lan Wangji has been gone for quite some time now. His husband had told him that the discussion conference today would run over by a little. Ever since Lan Xichen had gone into seclusion, Lan Wangji has been taking on the role of Sect Leader.
“Mn,” Wei Wuxian nods; he chuckles, knowing full well that he’d just mimicked his husband. Not quite perfectly, though.
“To answer your question, A-Ling,” he pats his nephew on his head, who rolls his eyes but doesn’t shy away from the affection, “you are right. But only half-right.”
“Half-right?” Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen say in unison and in curiosity.
“Mhmm,” he begins twirling Chenqing once more. “The Qiongqi had already been slain, so you’re right; we don’t need to go and hunt it.”
The juniors are now so quiet that the chirping of the birds outside the Hanshi is audible.
“But!” Wei Wuxian holds up a finger. “Someone is rearing another Qiongqi.”
“Rearing!?” they repeat in unison.
“Precisely. It’s not the original Qionqgi. You could say it’s a deformed one. If Xue Chonghai could control the deformed Tusha Xuanwu to increase the power of the Yintie, who’s to say someone couldn't do the same for Qiongqi? There may be other reasons for his doings, which your Hanguang-jun and I aim to get to the bottom of.”
The juniors look at Wei Wuxian, mouths agape and nodding.
Lan Sizhui is the first to speak up. “I read it in the Library Pavillion that Xue Chonghai used and controlled Tusha Xuanwu to eat the souls of many people. Strong cultivators even once banded together to try to kill it, but they failed to locate it as it had gone into hibernation.”
“Right again, Sizhui,” Wei Wuxian pats his head. “Come to think of it, Xue Chonghai should be called the true inventor of demonic cultivation, not me!” He looks at Chenqing. “Wouldn’t want to take credit for something like that now, would we?” Wei Wuxian laughs.
“Three shichen…” Lan Jingyi says softly.
“Hm?”
“You and Hanguang-jun took three shichen to finally take down the Tusha Xuanwu, didn’t you, Wei-qianbei?”
Ouyang Zizhen raises his hand, as if he was in class, “Wasn’t it Wen Chao who brought the tortoise to its demise? I recall my dad told me that it was because of Wen Chao’s smart plan that they managed to capture and kill it.”
“Pfft,” Lan Jingyi snickers. This time, Lan Sizhui doesn’t give him the side-eye or an elbow to the ribs. “Of course the tortoise was handled by our Hanguang-jun and Wei-qianbei. Who else would’ve been able to do it, other than them?”
“It was all Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian says dismissively.
“Xiao-jiujiu said he took seven days to look for you. I can easily believe that you and Hanguang-jun killed Tusha Xuanwu. But what I cannot believe is how Hanguang-jun could stand being around you for seven days,” Jin Ling says in a serious (albeit curious) tone.
“Actually…” Wei Wuxian taps his nose. “I wonder that as well, A-Ling. I mean, I wouldn’t have been able to stand myself for half a fortnight! But—”
“But Hanguang-jun still stood—sat—by your side and never left,” Lan Sizhui smiles.
“That he did,” a smile graces Wei Wuxian’s face all the same.
Still can’t believe Lan Zhan sang to me when I asked him to… Lan Wangji, ah, Lan Wangji, what would I do without you?
Just a moment ago, memories and thoughts of the bad things of his previous life had been plaguing his mind. But now, at the mere mention of Lan Wangji’s name, the dark thoughts crawl away and immediately brighten up at his husband’s glory. Lan Wangji is indeed Hanguang-jun, the Light-Bearing Lord, bearing light to the darkest of his days.
Wei Wuxian always wears a bright smile on his face, always. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t ever feel the opposite of how he looks. He’s afraid that his past will come back and haunt him—that his past will one day catch up to him.
“I am here,” Lan Wangji would always say, and Wei Wuxian’s fears would fade away.
Just.
Like.
That.
Lucky are the ones who find love, but luckier are the ones who find love reciprocated. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji together, in that respect, are the luckiest of all—though the other would always argue they’re luckier than the other.
But with any sort of argument or disagreement comes compromise.
They always meet in the middle, and most of the time, put the other’s needs over their own. They talk everything out now; even if it’s not instant, they make sure to do so by the end of the day. They give each other time until they’re ready to speak up. They spent the whole of Wei Wuxian’s first lifetime not saying what their hearts desired, not wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Now, it’s the total opposite.
There’s never a time when they go to bed bearing any form of negative feelings, about their own selves and about the other.
Back to love, they will always turn to. And to each other, they will turn to.
How could Lan Wangji ever stay mad at Wei Wuxian when the latter would just smile like the fucking sun?
How could Wei Wuxian ever stay mad at Lan Wangji when the latter would just say “Wei Ying” in a way that would just melt him into a puddle?
That is how it’s always been, and how it will be forever.
Wei Wuxian has come to know every single minute change in his husband’s beautiful face that no one can ever notice. That almost-unnoticeable ‘v’ that forms between his perfectly arched brows. The way he side-eyes things he find incredibly preposterous, stupid and not in his control. An example?
It was just last weekend, that the lovely couple went night hunting at the outskirts of Yiling. They were fighting alongside one another, but each attacking their own enemies. Suddenly, Lan Wangji heard Wei Wuxian’s robe tear.
And there he was, Wei Wuxian under the bright, round moon with his neck and shoulders unrobed, unclothed. As he continued to fight without realising—he really was focused on trying not to get hurt—his robe slipped down lower and lower until his upper body was almost naked. But he never wavered, neither did he get distracted from his fight. The one who was completely distracted though was his husband, the great and highly esteemed Hanguang-jun, with that side-eye that Wei Wuxian had come to notice and understand.
“Lan Zhan, focus!” Wei Wuxian shouted, swinging Suibian at the corpse that headed his way.
“I am,” Lan Wangji replied with composure as he continued to strum the strings of Wangji, his eyes not once leaving Wei Wuxian and his collarbone.
“Not on me, you silly!” the cultivator in Gusulan’s white outer robe and his own red inner robe responded loudly.
“Always on Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji finalises as he strums the final chord of Sound of Vanquish.
Oh God, Wei Wuxian thought. How was Lan Wangji able to do that? Well, "hows" aside, of course he was able to back then, and always can. The highly esteemed Hanguang-jun on the streets, but Wei Wuxian’s freak in the sheets.
He has also come to learn just how many different “mn’s” his husband has, just how many different emotions each “mn” carries, including frustration and impatience. Feeling that way is against the Gusulan rule of maintaining one’s discipline. But does that make Lan Wangji imperfect? No, not in the eyes of Wei Wuxian. To him, those imperfections are what make him perfect.
“Wei-qianbei,” Ouyang Zizhen raises his hand, “Do you think this Qiongqi—”
“Deformed,” Wei Wuxian raises his finger.
“Oh! Do you think this deformed Qiongqi will be as difficult to attack as the original one?
“That would be hard to say,” Wei Wuxian taps his nose. “It all depends on its master, and how much resentful energy and souls they have sacrificed to rear it. This deformed one could be stronger, it could be weaker. But it is best we assume the worst; assume that it’s stronger. That way we will all be better prepared.”
The juniors swallow hard, hearing the reply of their qianbei, spoken without any sugar-coating.
“Eh, you all look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Wei Wuxian laughs.
Lan Jingyi is the first to answer. “We-Wei-qianbei, how are you still so unbothered by this! Wen Mao took eighty three days—”
“Eighty one,” Lan Sizhui, Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen say together.
“Wen Mao took eighty one,” Lan Jingyi clears his throat, placing emphasis on the ‘one’, “days to defeat the original Qiongqi!”
“That he did,” Wei Wuxian snaps his fingers and nods his head. “But he is not your Hanguang-jun and Wei-qianbei,” Wei Wuxian, who’s always loved a challenge, winks.
The worried faces on the two Lan and Ouyang disciples turn into relieved, smiling ones. Jin Ling rolls his eyes, but is also seemingly not worried anymore.
A-ling, you are so alike your Xiao-jiujiu, Wei Wuxian muses mentally.
“That’s the spirit! Moreover, we shouldn’t worry too much now, for it will just distract us from our focus.
“That reminds me, what exactly is our plan, Da-jiujiu?” Jin Ling holds his Suihua in his hands and crosses his arms.
“P-plan…”
“We do have a plan, right, Da-jiujiu?”
“Well—I don’t,” Wei Wuxian scratches his head and laughs nervously.
“What!” Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi shout at the same time.
“But that doesn’t mean Lan Zhan doesn’t have one!”
“Yes, Wei-qianbei is right!” Lan Sizhui says in a calming, confident tone, in hopes of calming his two easily-alarmed comrades. “Hanguang-jun always has a plan.”
A-Yuan, you know your Rich-gege very well, Wei Wuxian’s heart smiles and warms.
The bell in the Cloud Recesses tolls—time for everyone to gather for dinner.
“You children better get going before Shufu starts sending the other inner disciples to look for you,” he tells them.
A smile graces Lan Sizhui’s face as he hears his Wei-qianbei address Lan Qiren as Shufu, just as Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen do. Wei Wuxian, noticing this, reciprocates with a wider smile. Without any hesitation, he lifts his hand and softly pats Lan Sizhui’s forehead, slightly touching the side of his forehead ribbon.
A-Yuan.
Xian-gege.
Both know the significance and sacredness of Gusulan’s forehead ribbon. And with that, their smiles linger for just a little bit longer.
The bell tolls for the second time and they hear hurried—though still walking—footsteps drawing closer. The group of five turn around and see two younger Gusulan disciples approach them.
“Jiang-zongzhu, Ouyang-gongzi,” they clasp their hands in front of them and bow deeply before turning to the other Lans. “Wei-qianbei, Sizhui-xiong, Jingyi-xiong,” they bow again, “Grandmaster Lan requests your presence at the Main Hall.”
“Thank you for letting us know,” Lan Sizhui appreciates, “we will be right there.”
The two younger disciples bow to the older group again and turn on their heels.
“Ah, let’s get going then! I can already imagine Shufu waiting on his table, trying hard not to get his beard in a twitch,” Wei Wuxian laughs and prompts the children to move to the Main Hall. They do as they’re told—the bell had just been rung, for the third time.
Their suppressed laugh fills the quiet, cold air of the Cloud Recesses as they walk in the direction of the hall. Wei Wuxian reaches out and tugs Jin Ling’s sleeves, asking him excitedly, “Did you bring it?”
“Shh, keep it low!” Jin Ling shushes his jiujiu.
“Sorry, sorry,” Wei Wuxian chuckles. “So, did you?” he asks again, softer this time.
“Of course I did,” Jin Ling tells his uncle, whose eyes seem to light up at the information. “It’s back in my room, I’ll quickly go fetch it and meet you in the Main Hall,” Jin Ling says before he turns in the other direction.
“Eh? Where’s Young Mistress Jin going?” Lan Jingyi notices and asks loudly almost immediately, causing Lan Sizhui to shush him a little.
“Oh, just back to his room to get something!” Wei Wuxian says with a grin.
“What 'something'?” Lan Jingyi squints suspiciously.
“Now that’s a secret between A-Ling and I,” Wei Wuxian winks.
“Hmph, not sure if I want to know anyway,” Lan Jingyi retorts playfully, making Wei Wuxian laugh.
As they are about to enter the Main Hall, Ouyang Zizhen tugs on his sleeves, “Wei-qianbei…”
“Yes, Zizhen?”
“That secret of yours with Jin Ling…”
“He told you, didn’t he?”
“Well… I may have accidentally eavesdropped on his conversation with Jiang-zongzhu,” Ouyang Zizhen flashes his teeth.
“So I suppose now we’re all sharing, huh?”
“PLEA—!” Ouyang Zizhen stops himself, realising that he is indeed loud by Lan standards, “Please Wei-qianbei, could I have some, too?”
Wei Wuxian sighs, “How could I ever say no to someone who needs saving from the bland food here?”
Not long after, Jin Ling arrives at the Main Hall and joins them. Tucked under his sleeves is a jar of chilli paste. Not just any jar of chilli paste; one that’s made by a certain kitchen helpers back at the Lotus Pier.
Wei Wuxian doesn’t think of this just as just a way to make the food here taste a little bit better but it reminds him of home. He misses home, so very dearly.
But home is not just a place, Wei Wuxian muses. Just another shichen to go before Lan Wangji is set to return.
My home...coming home.
Any time now… Wei Wuxian muses to himself as he takes another sip of the Tianzi Xiao that his husband brought back from Caiyi Town the last time he went there.
And there it is, a perfect silhouette appears on the door of their Jingshi. Wei Wuxian can hear the soft clink that comes from the jars of his favourite wine.
He’s home!
The door slides open.
“Lan Zhan, you’re back!”
“I come bearing gifts for Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji presents two jars of said wine to his husband in one hand, his other hand holding a wooden box.
“Hanguang-jun, are you courting me?”
Lan Wangji breathes a smile, “Does Wei Ying not like it?”
“I don’t like it, I love it.” As Wei Wuxian touches his husband’s cold cheeks with his warm hand, he smiles from ear to ear.
They never had a chance to court each other, because time had not been on their side. But now, it is, with nothing and no one standing in their way. They will never have a distance to close anymore, as their entire souls have become one.
“For Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji motions for his husband to open the box.
It’s not the first time Lan Wangji has bought him a gift. But every time always feels like the first time. Wei Wuxian will always be excited, nervous, shy.
Wei Wuxian’s fingers trace the edges of the box slowly, admiring it. The wooden box is not one that’s out of the ordinary; in fact, it really is just an ordinary box. However, that doesn’t take away any novelty or significance. After a beat, he slides the top lid upwards to reveal the contents.
“Zhu qing ting…” His fingers hover over the bamboo dragonfly that sits in the wooden box.
“Mn.”
Such a simple item, and yet one that holds one of Wei Wuxian’s greatest memories. Wei Wuxian had brought A-Yuan to their small town in Yiling. They say things happen when you least expect them to; he certainly had never expected to see someone his heart had missed so much. He never expected to see Lan Wangji. But there he was, with a crying A-Yuan hugging his legs. This memory… is one that Wei Wuxian will hold on to forever.
“Tell me, Lan Zhan. Were you really there for a night hunt?”
“No,” Lan Wangji doesn’t lie this time.
“So, you were there to see me?”
“I was,” Lan Wangji tells the truth this time.
He was.
The two exchange a smile only their hearts understand.
“Come, Lan Zhan. Let me take off your robes for you. I’ve also brewed your favorite tea.”
The second half of what Wei Wuxian said clearly doesn’t register to Lan Wangji’s head.
“Aiyo Lan Zhan! Don’t give me that look…yet!”
“What look?” The man clad in perfect white puts his arms around Wei Wuxian’s waist.
“Hanguang-jun! You know what look. Don’t try to act innocent!”
A smile forms on Lan Wangji’s face and Wei Wuxian starts to take off his husband’s first layer.
“You must’ve had a long journey. Let me take care of you tonight, okay?” Familiar fingers undo Lan Wangji’s forehead ribbon. Once it’s off, Wei Wuxian folds it neatly and places it on the shelf specifically made to hold only their Gusulan’s sacred forehead ribbon.
“It is supposed to be my turn to take care of Wei Ying tonight,” Lan Wangji says softly as his love removes the silver cloud-headpiece from his head.
Wei Wuxian puts his finger on his husband’s lips, “Let me.”
They’re now married and are partners for life, and things have to be equal, to be shared. They would sometimes argue about this. Lan Wangji is one to always want to take care of Wei Wuxian—pamper him, love and care for him, give him the world, his heart, give him himself. Wei Wuxian, on the other hand...is also one to want to do exactly the same.
A marriage is not perfect if you don’t learn from each other. Neither is it perfect if you don’t compromise and find ways to meet in the middle, to give and take at the same time. It’s undoubtedly difficult at times, especially when both are stubborn and adamant in their own way. But that’s the thing, isn’t it? Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian will always make it work, always.
“Want to give Wei Ying everything,” Lan Wangji says as he stands in front of his husband fully naked, “and all of me.” He takes Wei Wuxian’s hand, and places it across his chest, beneath where his heart lies.
“Then, Lan Zhan must also know that I want to do the same, too. Let me take good, good care of you tonight, my dear husband,” he takes Lan Wangji’s hand and leads him to their bathtub.
Lan Wangji follows his husband, and his eyes never once leave him.
They take turns, taking care of each other.
After Lan Wangji lowers himself into their bathtub (sixth new one this week), Wei Wuxian moves Lan Wangji’s long, black stark hair from his back and over his shoulders, revealing the broadness of his form underneath. He then scoops warm water using the wooden ladle and slowly pours it over his husband’s head. His tense shoulders relax as the warm water and steam hit his skin.
Wei Wuxian leans closer to the bathtub and plants a soft kiss on his Lan Zhan’s shoulder, “That’s it, Lan Er-gege. Just close your eyes and relax. Let your husband do it all for you.”
He indulges, but not for long. After a beat or two, Lan Wangji turns around, water sloshing and pouring out of the bathtub, and pulls Wei Wuxian into it.
“L-Lan Zhan! What are you doing?”
“My turn to take care of Wei Ying.” Soft golden eyes made even softer by the warm steam tell Wei Wuxian.
“But it’s my turn tonight,” he pouts.
“We can do it, together.”
“That...actually sounds like a good idea, Lan Zhan. I was starting to freeze!”
With dexterous hands, Lan Wangji takes off—tears apart—Wei Wuxian’s robes and gracefully tosses them outside the bathtub.
“I’m not paying for a new one!”
“Mn, I will pay.”
Of course he will, it’s always Hanguang-jun’s doing.
“Turn around, Lan Zhan.”
Much to his surprise, Lan Wangji duly does that. He supposes with him being inside the bathtub with him, Lan Wangji has already gotten what he wants.
His chest on his husband’s back. He sees his scars, scars from wounds that Lan Wangji endured; endured for him. Wei Wuxian cannot begin to understand how much it hurt. He could only imagine. And now, he can only offer soothing comfort. He places his hands on the scarred, perfect nonetheless, back. He sees Lan Wangji in all his beauty, in all his glory.
“Wei Ying,” always music to Wei Wuxian’s ears, the notes played by Lan Wangji’s mouth.
“Shh, Lan Zhan. Let me love you. Let me love all of you.”
Wei Wuxian traces his wet fingers over the marks on Lan Wangji’s back, inch by inch. He leans slightly in, closing the distance between them.
Lan Zhan…
A peck, on the first scar that marks itself below Lan Wangji’s right shoulder, causing the body under his lips to shudder just a little as he takes a deep breath.
Another peck, on a scar to the left of the first, and he takes a deeper breath. It's almost unnoticeable, just a slight shudder in his breathing, but Wei Wuxian hears it all the same..
He holds Lan Wangji from the back, wrapping his arms around him and placing both his hands on Lan Wangji’s chest, feeling his heartbeat. He can never understand why someone would go through something like that, for him. Was he worth it? Is he worth it?
Sorry, and thank you, his heart whispers.
As if Lan Wangji’s own heart could hear those soft, but heavy whispers, he places his own hands over Wei Wuxian’s. “I would do it a thousand, million times over.”
It was as if Lan Wangji could hear every self-doubt that Wei Wuxian has had, and he has never failed to make it all—make everything—better.
The water in the bathtub sloshes as Lan Wangji finally turns around to face his husband. Those moments when he hadn't been able to look at him evoked more pain than any whip could ever deliver.
“What have I done to deserve such kindness, to deserve you, Lan Zhan?”
Lan Wangji takes Wei Wuxian’s hand, and kisses the centre of his palm. “Wei Ying is generous. Always giving, never taking.” He leans in and kisses his forehead. “Wei Ying is kind.” A kiss on his cheek next. “Wei Ying always puts others first before him.” Lan Wangji takes the hand he holds, and puts it over his own chest. “Wei Ying is Wei Ying, and Wei Ying deserves only the best.”
“And Wei Ying deserves Lan Zhan, because Lan Zhan is the best,” Wei Wuxian makes another point.
“Only the best when he is with his Wei Ying.”
“Your Wei Ying.”
“Only mine,” Lan Wangji finalises. “My turn.”
Wei Wuxian knows what he means. It’s his turn to be washed now.
The room is dark, only lit by the candles near their bathtub. The room is quiet, only filled with the sound of water splashing. As Lan Wangji continues to clean his husband, his hands stop as he places them on Wei Wuxian’s hips.
Wei Wuxian sighs, “I know, I know. I’ve gained weight. I’ve been eating so much this past fortnight, thanks to the chilli paste you made. So it’s not really my fault, Lan Er-gege!”
“Your cheeks do look a little rounder.”
Wei Wuxian gasps and immediately pats his own face, “Really!?”
“Cute.”
“Are you teasing me, Hanguang-jun!?” Wei Wuxian raises his eyebrows and splashes water playfully at his stoic husband.
“Not teasing.”
“Will you still love me, even if I get cuter and cuter?”
“Need you still ask?”
“Well, just making sure!”
“I will love you, always, in all ways.”
“You promise? Even when I have love handles?”
“Even when you have love handles, my love.”
“Aiyooooo! How did I get so lucky!?”
“I am the lucky one.”
“No, me!” Wei Wuxian playfully splashes the water again.
“Me.”
“Lan Wangji, did you just… splash water back at me!?” He fake gasps aloud.
“Noise is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses.”
“That’s not what you say whenever I moan and call out your name, Lan Er-gege. I’d never have known that this esteemed second jade,” Wei Wuxian’s finger traces around Lan Wangji’s jaws, “has such double standa—”
Lips on lips. Body on body. Their silent room is filled with giggles from Wei Wuxian, low and soft moans, and erratic breathing from the two. It's also safe to say that they spend longer in the bath than they should.
5 A.M.
The bell tolls the Cloud Recesses awake, as the day begins for all that inhibit it.
...Wei Wuxian included.
To say that it didn’t take him any effort to rise at 5 A.M. is a lie. But, for his husband, Wei Wuxian makes it his (second) life mission to do right by him, right by them—though he stays up well past 9 P.M. (but, in all fairness, so does Lan Wangji). Lan Qiren wasn’t that pleased at first to see that the Jingshi's second resident only slides open the doors two shichen’s past 5 A.M. But as days go by, admittedly, Wei Wuxian has changed for the better. Better in Lan Qiren’s terms. Though the elder wouldn’t admit it or say it aloud, Wei Wuxian is indeed a Lan, and makes a good one out of it.
Bottom line is, Old Man Lan knows that his nephew-in-law is trying to change, to be better, for his nephew. And even Lan Qiren himself thinks: who is he to come in between that? Not again, not anymore.
“Good morning, Shufu, Xiong-zhang,” Lan Wangji clasps his hands together and bows as he enters Lan Xichen’s Hanshi.
“Shufu, Xiong-zhang!” Wei Wuxian follows suit, in his chirpy self and cheerful tone.
“Wangji, A-Xian,” a smiling Lan Xichen approaches them, lifting their arms and pulling them out of their bows. Lan Qiren, still seated, pours a third and fourth cup of tea. “Come, it’s your favorite pu’er tea, A-Xian.”
“Xiong-zhang really is the best!” Wei Wuxian cheers, “Am I right, Lan Zhan?”
Lan Wangji nods and smiles ever-so-softly, almost unnoticeably. To those present in the Hanshi, however, it’s as bright as the sun, like pure sunlight on the whitest snow.
Lan Qiren forces a cough. He tells himself he needs to get used to seeing this side of his beloved nephew, and face the fact that it’s going to be like this for a long, long time. It’s refreshing, he acknowledges deep down. Though it’s taken them someone’s two lifetimes to get to this point in their lives, he's grateful, and he knows they all are.
“Are all preparations done, Wangji?” Lan Xichen asks after sipping his tea. “Wow, Lan Zhan,” a whispering Wei Wuxian swallows his tea, “this pu’er is really good”.
“Have more,” Lan Wangji presents his own teacup to Wei Wuxian. Though the right thing to do would’ve been to just refill Wei Wuxian’s teacup, Lan Wangji feels it better to hand him his own share.
Another cough from Lan Qiren and a headshake from a smiling Lan Xichen.
They really have to get used to this (although it seems that Lan Xichen already has).
Lan Qiren sighs, repeating, “Wangji, have the preparations for the night hunt tonight been made? Are you,” he pauses for a beat, “and A-Xian ready?”
“We are, Shufu,” Lan Wangji says, holding Wei Wuxian’s hand and squeezing it gently for confidence and reassurance.
“Are you certain? This deformed Qiongqi...we don’t know why it’s appeared all of a sudden, and why someone is rearing it. Though I notice the timing is too much of a coincidence, considering the fact that the waterborne abyss has been sighted again at Biling Lake again,” Lan Xichen asks in a more serious tone.
“We aim to find out more tonight, Xiong-zhang,” Wei Wuxian is the one who answers this time. “Its nature is deformed. I am one hundred percent sure that our,” he tugs on his husband’s sleeve, “Hanguang-jun here will have absolutely no issue in defeating it.”
“I mean, he could just smile a little bit and it’d already be so bright that it’d scare that dark creature away, hahaha!” he throws his head back and begins to laugh, before stopping himself, remembering whose presence he’s in. “S-Sorry, noise is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses.”
“Wei Ying’s laughter is not noise,” Lan Wangji corrects.
Another cough from Lan Qiren; Lan Xichen says, “It truly is not. And if I know my brother as well as I think I do, I believe that your laughter is one of the many things my Wangji loves about you, A-Xian.”
“Wangji, are you taking Sizhui and Jingyi along?” Lan Qiren intentionally interrupts his nephews and nephew-in-law, stopping the exchange before his blood pressure gets higher.
“Mn.”
“A-Ling and Zizhen too!” Wei Wuxian adds proudly.
Lan Xichen gives a proud hum. “Ah, it will be a good experience for them. Furthermore, they will be able to lend a hand. I’ve seen them train together; they really are in sync.”
“To be praised by none other than Zewu-jun himself!”
Lan Xichen laughs softly, “As they deserve. They have great teachers, too.”
“Zewu-jun, you are too kind with your compliments!” Wei Wuxian says.
“Only speaking the truth, A-Xian. You and Wangji have trained them well.”
“Their sword techniques are a mess,” Lan Qiren interrupts. The statement holds truth. The four young men—two from Gusulan, one from Lanlingjin, and the other from Balingouyang—do not only show techniques from only their respective sects, but each other’s as well.
“They may present a mixture and combination of skills, but they learn from one another, Shufu. It allows them to explore their strengths and weaknesses. It allows them to further improve. After all, they have been through a lot together as comrades and as friends,” Wei Wuxian points out, recalling how the children, back then, faced danger at Yicheng.
“You—” Lan Qiren humphs and throws his sleeves in place of continuing his train of thought.
“Shufu, as long as the children show strength and unity, and can be safe because of it, adapting may not be a bad thing after all. As long as their roots are still strong and the respective sacred sect techniques remain sacred, I believe that learning from others is beneficial for them,” Lan Xichen supports reasonably.
Wei Wuxian bows his head slightly, as a sign of gratitude for his brother-in-law’s support. Somehow…somehow it reminds him of his Shijie, how she would always have been supporting him at his side while also remaining reasonable. People around would just… listen to her. Lan Xichen has that in him, too.
It’s no wonder Lan Wangji looks up to and respects his Xiong-zhang as much as he does. It’s exactly how Wei Wuxian respected and looked up to his Shijie; how he still does, even now. It’s also no wonder that he respects Lan Xichen, respected him even in his first life. Some things just never change, especially for Wei Wuxian, someone who, no matter how many lifetimes pass, will care deeply for such things.
“Wei Ying?” Lan Wangji senses that his husband is in his deep thoughts again.
“O-Oh! I’m fine, Lan Zhan!”
Lan Wangji’s eyebrow raises unnoticeably and Wei Wuxian catches it almost immediately, “Just thinking how great both Zewu-jun and Hanguang-jun are!” What he says is not a complete lie.
His eyebrows remain raised, and Wei Wuxian knows that he’s been seen through. “I just suddenly thought of Shijie; your brother over here is as caring as she was.”
He even calls me A-Xian.
“Jiang-guniang is a gem that nothing can ever compare to. Her gentleness, tenacity and selflessness to help those that didn’t even know they needed help, was admirable. Wangji and I wished we could get to know her better at the camp during the Sunshot Campaign.”
“I’m sure my Shijie would have loved that, Xiong-zhang, and she would’ve loved to get to know the Twin Jades better.”
Lan Xichen raises his teacup, “To the ever gracious and loving Jiang-guniang.” Lan Qiren does the same.
“To my beautiful Shijie,” Wei Wuxian follows.
“To your beautiful Shijie, Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji says as he looks at his husband, making sure that he’s all right.
“Our beautiful Shiije,” he corrects sweetly.
The four drink in unison as they toast to Jiang Yanli.
“Lan Zhan, I better go and check if the boys are all set for tonight,” Wei Wuxian leans in closer to Lan Wangji, “And by that I mean, I better go wake A-Ling and Zizhen up. See you later, Lan Zhan!” He gets up from his seat, bows to his uncle and brother-in-law. “Wei Ying taking his leave!”
“Always a cheerful one, isn’t he, Wangji?” Lan Xichen cannot resist a gentle tease at his little brother, as Wei Wuxian leaves the Hanshi.
“Mn,” Lan Wangji agrees, without taking his eyes off Wei Wuxian. His gaze only returns after Wei Wuxian is completely out of sight.
“How’s he settling in? It’s been nearly six months since he's started calling the Cloud Recesses his home.”
“Wei Ying is settling in just fine,” is all Lan Wangji responds with and Lan Xichen acknowledges that it’s enough.
“He misses home,” Lan Wangji continues, surprising both Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen; normally, he rarely would. This new openness of Lan Wangji’s, it’s something that only shows itself around those he’s close to, and when it does, it still comes off as unexpected. It’s become much, much more effortless now with Wei Wuxian around.
Lan Xichen knows that by “home”, his little brother is referring to the Lotus Pier.
“It’s only natural that he does. Why don’t you take him to Yunmeng and visit some day? I can take over for your lessons and training sessions with the disciples during your absence,” Lan Xichen offers.
“Won't you be busy preparing for the upcoming Discussion Conference, Xichen?” Lan Qiren asks begrudgingly.
“Thank you for your concern, Shufu. I’ll be able to handle it.” Lan Xichen smiles respectfully. “Wangji, consider taking A-Xian on a trip to Yunmeng after the night hunt is complete, won't you?”
“Wei Ying and I should focus on the night hunt. We will see how things go after tonight. Thank you, Xiong-zhang,” Lan Wangji bows his head.
“It’s the least I can do for you two. Wangji, you should get going before you miss A-Xian more than you already do,” the older Jade teases.
That obvious? Lan Wangji’s ears start to warm.
Lan Wangji gets up and bows, “Shufu, Xiong-zhang.”
“Safe journey tonight, Wangji,” Lan Qiren wishes his youngest nephew.
As Lan Wangji is about to step out of the Hanshi, Lan Xichen calls after him, “Wangji, are you happy?”
He turns around and looks at both his elders, “The happiest I could ever be.”
“Shufu and I are glad that you are.”
Lan Qiren looks at Lan Xichen. He doesn’t say anything, just giving a nod.
Lan Wangji smiles at them and closes the door behind him.
He didn’t lie, neither did he sugar-coat. Lan Wangji is really the happiest. How can he not be? He is the first to wish Wei Wuxian good morning whenever they rise, and is the only one to kiss him goodnight whenever they call it a day.
He is the happiest, and the luckiest.
“Are we there yet!?” Ouyang Zizhen shouts, trying to balance himself midair on his sword.
“No, I don’t think so!” Jin Ling answers, Suihua under his feet gleaming the brightest of any sword in the air.
“That's the fourth time you’ve asked, Zizhen!” Lan Jingyi scolds.
“What!? I’m just making sure!” Ouyang Zizhen flies in front of Lan Jingyi and sticks out his tongue at him.
“You think I’m still four years old and you doing that is going to tick me off!?” the naughtier Lan retorts.
Ouyang Zizhen sticks out his tongue once more.
“Heavens, can’t believe I’m being surrounded by four year olds,” Jin Ling says, rolling his eyes. He is Jiang Cheng, Sandu Shengshou’s nephew after all. “What was that you said, Young Mistress Jin? Say it louder, won’t you?”
“Lan Jingyi! Watch your mouth!” Jin Ling overtakes him.
“Cut it out, you guys!” Lan Sizhui tries to mediate.
“Aiyo, you children! You’re so loud that Hanguang-jun and I can hear you all the way from the front!” Wei Wuxian turns around and teases.
“H-Hanguang-jun, sorry!” the two Lan juniors, Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen apologise (ironically, shouting the words).
“Hahahaha! If only you could all see your faces now!” Wei Wuxian throws his head back as he laughs boisterously, almost losing his balance on Suibian.
It takes only a split second, and Lan Wangji is already next to him, holding him by his waist. “Be careful, Wei Ying,” he breathes worriedly. Wei Wuxian may have a new body, a new jindan. But it’s still weak. Nothing dual cultivation on the field and in their bed cannot fix, though. It kills two birds with one stone, as Wei Wuxian puts it, strengthening his core while having Lan Wangji fuck him to no end. Blessed by the gods, is what he calls himself.
“Do I need to be, if Hanguang-jun is around to protect my weak self all the time?” he pouts.
“You need not be. But I ask you to be careful for me, for my heart, Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji asks of him once more.
“Who am I to deny Hanguang-jun? I’ll be careful, Lan Zhan. Don’t worry,” Wei Wuxian smiles.
Suibian and Bichen only a short distance away from one another, Lan Wangji leans his body close to Wei Wuxian.
“Good,” Lan Wangji whispers as he pecks Wei Wuxian longingly on his cheek.
“Love you,” Wei Wuxian says.
“Love Wei Ying even more.”
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are far ahead of the youngsters, so they probably hadn't seen their public, mid-air, display of affection.
Or maybe they had, it doesn’t matter.
“Wei-qianbei, it looks like it’s going to rain!” Sizhui alerts, noticing that the clouds are getting darker and heavier around them.
“Lan Zhan, we should touch down and go on foot,” Wei Wuxian urges Lan Wangji.
Lan Wangji nods and the group descends to the ground.
“We should find shelter before it actually begins to pour,” Jin Ling suggests, straightening his gold, peony-adorned white robes as he sheathes Suihua.
“What, Young Mistress Jin can’t take a little bit of rain?” Lan Jingyi mocks jokingly, crossing his arms, sword in hand.
“Jingyi,” Lan Sizhui warns him gently.
“Say that one more time and I’ll break your legs!”
“Aiya, you always say that but you never do!” Ouyang Zizhen points out.
“With that, I have to agree,” Wei Wuxian raises his hand. “Just like how his Xiao-jiujiu always says he’ll break my legs, and yet look! I’m still standing!” He jumps on the ground.
“I-It’s just that we don’t want to waste our time doing something so insignificant like that! Hmph! I’m going to go find a place to take shelter. It’s better than standing here and arguing,” Jin Ling stomps away.
“Ah, there goes our Young Mistress,” Lan Jingyi laughs, but still follows behind Jin Ling. “Eh, we were just pulling your leg, Young Mistress! Don’t get mad!”
Ouyang Zizhen runs after the two. Lan Sizhui takes his first step to also run, but remembers not to. He just walks...but quickly.
“Go on ahead, Sizhui. We’re not at the Cloud Recesses, are we, Lan Zhan?”
“We are not.”
Lan Sizhui’s face lights up and he runs to meet his friends.
“To be young again, eh, Hanguang-jun?” Wei Wuxian says.
What if…
Wei Wuxian suddenly takes Lan Wangji’s hands.
“Wei Ying.”
“You yourself said we’re not at the Cloud Recesses,” Wei Wuxian winks. “Run with me, Lan Zhan.”
He doesn’t say anything in response, only nods.
Then they run. They run together, hand in hand. Wei Wuxian, in front of his husband, looks back at him, smiling ear to ear. The skies may be growing dark, but in that moment Lan Wangji sees nothing but the sun. His sun.
It’s as if time is standing still for them. It’s as if there’s no one else there but the two of them.
Until...
They hear an ominous, loud growl. No, it’s not a growl. It’s a shriek.
Lighting dances. Thunder claps.
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian look at each other instantly, “Qiongqi.”
And the children, they think simultaneously.
Wei Wuxian immediately takes Chenqing from his belt and holds on to it tight. He knows that Lan Wangji is already planning to materialise Wangji any time now.
“Da-jiujiu!”
“W-Wei Qianbei, Hanguang-Jun!”
“Are you lot okay!?” Wei Wuxian asks worriedly, checking their faces one by one.
“We’re fine, Da-jiujiu! Stop touching my face! Did you hear it!?”
“We did. We thought you had found it. Scared the daylights out of your Hanguang-jun and me,” Wei Wuxian clutches his chest. He shouldn’t have agreed to have them tag along. What was he thinking? Regretting it now is futile. Getting them back to safety is what they must now do.
“No, Wei-qianbei. We only heard that loud noise too. It must be close. Five li’s, at most,” Lan Sizhui deduces.
“F-Five?” Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen repeat in unison.
“Lan Zhan, let’s retrace our journey and get them to safety first. With the weather in a state like this…”
Lan Wangji sees Wei Wuxian’s point and nods.
But it’s too late.
“S-Sizhui…you were w-wrong about five li’s,” Lan Jingyi points ahead and above them.
The Qiongqi, the deformed Qiongqi, is midair in front of them. It's undoubtedly majestic, in a havoc-wreaking way. Its wings flare out from its back, telling everyone present that they should be scared—telling everyone that it’s ready to kill.
It cries like a wild dog, sending shivers down the spines of the group of cultivators, even Lan Wangji’s. He doesn’t show it. Neither does Wei Wuxian.
His eyes are locked on the creature, but Wei Wuxian’s mind is running wild.
“Now, all of you listen to me,” Wei Wuxian doesn’t turn back to face the juniors but his words are meant for them to heed. “Run as far as you can, fly as far as you can. Don’t look back. Hanguang-jun and I will catch up. We will find you.”
“B-but Wei-Qianbei!”
“Da-jiujiu!”
“Go!” Wei Wuxian shouts, his hand gripping Chenqing tightly. Lan Wangji has already materialised his guqin, fingers on the instrument’s strings.
The Qiongqi flares its wings again and lets out a menacing growl as it lands on the ground. It glares its carnivorous, blood-stained teeth. It must’ve just been feeding.
It backtracks a little, body hanging low.
It’s going to prowl.
Lan Wangji strums a chord of the Sound of Vanquish; the Qiongqi is pushed back, giving time for the children to escape safely. Lan Wangji turns around to check if they’re still in sight.
“Lan Zhan, watch out!” Wei Wuxian calls out loudly, Chenqing at his lips, fingers at the ready.
Darkness envelops Wei Wuxian all of a sudden.
“Get out of my way, Jin Zixuan. I do not want trouble with you. I only want Jin Zixun to hand me back the gift I made for A-Ling.”
“Hah! Don’t listen to him, Zixuan. Look at what he did to me!” Jin Zixun opens his robes, revealing his chest, marked by the Hundred Holes Curse.
“I did not do it,” the Yiling Laozu said, for the umpteenth time.
“Other than you, who could’ve done something so evil!?” Jin Zixun shouts, his hand covering his chest.
“If I wanted to kill you, it wouldn’t have been such an easy death as this. It’s beneath me. You’re beneath me. I will say it one last time: I did not do it.”
“Maybe you just don’t know how many enemies you have made along the way, with the way you act.”
“Wei Wuxian, it doesn’t have to be this way,” Jin Zixuan stands in between his cousin and his brother-in-law.
“What, are you here to apprehend me too? Don’t tell me you never knew of their plan to attack me. Did you plan all this?”
“Stop…stop all of this,” Wei Wuxian begs.
Jin Zixuan lies on the ground, a hole in his chest. Wen Ning stands still over the warm, dead body.
Look at what you did, Wei Wuxian. Jin Zixuan was only there to invite you to your nephew’s full moon. Your Shijie was waiting for your arrival at Jinlintai. But you had to ruin it, didn’t you? She was waiting for her husband and for you, her beloved shidi, to come back to her, but none of you returned. None.
And it’s all your fault. It’s the Yiling Laozu’s fault. No one else’s.
“Get lost!!”
Wei Wuxian feels a tight grip on his wrist.
“Wei Ying, I am here.”
His heart is racing. His eyes snap open, and he finds himself being dragged out of the darkness right back into the light, back to Hanguang-jun.
“I—”
“I know,” Lan Wangji reassures.
The Qiongqi seems to be injured, limping on its hind leg. Lan Wangji must’ve been able to hold it off while Wei Wuxian was in darkness—his own darkness. He’s tried to run from it for the longest time, and he’s always been afraid of it catching up to him. It finally has. What happened here, at Qiongqidao, a lifetime ago, has caught up.
Wei Wuxian thought the past had escaped him. But his past will always be his past, will always be a part of him, no matter how hard he tries to flee from it.
“I am here.”
His past may has caught up to him. But it’s his present that matters. It’s his present that will determine his future, and Wei Wuxian wants his future to be as bright as possible, with those he loves and those who love him by his side. Like Lan Wangji is here, with him.
“I know,” Wei Wuxian finally, finally smiles. “Now, let’s get this over and done with so we can find the children. Shall we?”
“Too many words,” Lan Wangji's fingers flex on his guqin.
“You’re right. Time to fight.”
The Qiongqi leaps forward, drawing shapes in the air with its long body. Every movement it makes is forceful and wild. It’s as if the creature is on its last breath. The golden, tiger-like stripes on its body glow bright. It releases a powerful wave of energy, burning with its blue aura.
Lan Wangji creates a protective orb around him and Wei Wuxian. It doesn’t take long for Wei Wuxian to realise that the aura that is surrounding the bubble is imbued with nothing other than resentful energy. It’s strong, very strong. It only shows how many lives this creature has laid waste to.
And he can control it.
The Qiongqi’s attack cannot seem to penetrate the layer that protects the two strong cultivators. Seeing that its prey is not as weak as usual, the Qionqgi takes in another breath.
“Lan Zhan, want to do what we always do?” Wei Wuxian manages, even now, to find the time to tease. Teasing seriously, of course.
Wei Wuxian sits down on the ground, tossing Chenqing to his husband. The guqin appears on Wei Wuxian’s lap.
They switch their spiritual weapons.
They have dual cultivated—fucked—so much that their jindans have become one, even in separation, a feat only theorised about by a few radical scholars. Their spiritual weapons each recognise the other as their owner.
Seeing the change in dynamic and the threat it poses—after all, after doing something as unpredictable as changing weapons, anything could happen—the Qiongqi growls loudly, baring its teeth menacingly. It knows it holds no upper hand as the two cultivators that it’s fighting, the two cultivators that are fighting it, are no normal cultivators.
The Qiongqi spreads its wings once more, this time taking off from the ground.
It’s escaping before it’s too late.
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian don’t take the chance to easily finish the creature off; their priority now is not the creature. It could be dealt with later. It’s the children. They make their way in the opposite direction, headed towards the place to which Wei Wuxian had demanded they escape to.
“We probably shouldn’t worry too much, Lan Zhan. Sizhui is smart. He would have gotten them to safety,” Wei Wuxian tries to calm them both down (well, mostly just himself).
“They will protect one another,” Lan Wangji adds.
“They will.”
The two don’t run, but they do quicken their pace.
To Wei Wuxian, it feels like a lifetime has passed in the time it takes to walk down the path.
What happened just a few moments ago comes back to him; he stops in his tracks.
“L-Lan Zhan, just now…”
“The past.”
“Yes, I kept seeing Jin Zixuan and Shijie. I couldn’t get it—what happened—out of my head.”
“It was the resentful energy,” Lan Wangji reasons.
“It was, but it was also what happened. It’s my fault. Everything is my fault,” Wei Wuxian hangs his head low.
Lan Wangji reaches out and tilts his chin up so he's looking him in the eye.
“But…" Wei Wuxian continues, "I know my Shijie wouldn’t want me to live in guilt. She gave me her life, so I could live one.”
He pauses and takes a deep breath, taking in what had just happened, “I was so scared, Lan Zhan. I was so terrified that I’d never break out of the cycle, out of my own messed-up head. But your voice… it called me back. Just like how I heard it when I was tossed down to the Burial Mounds. I heard your voice. You were there, with me.”
“I am now here, with you. I always will be.”
“When I said 'get lost' just now, it wasn’t to you, Lan Zhan. I swear it.”
Lan Xichen’s words at the Guanyin Temple still ring loud and clear in Wei Wuxian's ears.
He brought you back to safety to your cave, despite his own injuries and the rules he’d broken. And all you said to him was 'get lost'. “I’m sorry, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian crashes his body into Lan Wangji’s arms. He’s spent. The fight with the creature had somewhat taken a toll on his body.
“Nothing to be sorry for. Even if you did ask me to get lost, I would still stay by your side. Will never leave Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji cradles the back of his husband’s head.
“Even if I’m old and gray?” He sniffles, snot running down his nose and dripping on Hanguang-jun’s robes. Lan Wangji doesn’t mind at all.
“Even if you’re old and gray.”
Wei Wuxian, taken aback, slaps his husband’s chest playfully, “Who said you could be this romantic? I’ll die from a heart attack even before the deformed Qiongqi can even scratch me ever-so-slightly!”
“Not romantic. Only honest,” the Lan speaks with his golden eyes, with his heart. “Will also not let the Qiongqi get anywhere near you.”
“Lan Wangji, ah, Lan Wangji! You really...!”
They kiss. They kiss deeply.
Wei Wuxian reluctantly pulls away before something else happens. A string of saliva visible between their lips. “L-Lan Zhan, w-we should really get going.”
“Yes, we should” Lan Wangji breathes.
They say they should get going for the fourth time now. But Lan Wangji can’t stop kissing him. Neither can Wei Wuxian, really.
They really have been apart (their definition of 'apart') for too long.
It’s a funny thing, really, how someone is able to change the way you see and feel things. It’s a powerful thing. Just moments ago, Wei Wuxian felt that he could never be free of the shackles of his past that bound him.
Perhaps, love is really just that powerful. It can be from a friend, from someone who shares your blood, from someone who doesn’t, or from a lover who’s loved you from afar and through lifetimes.
Love.
Lan Wangji loves. Wei Wuxian loves.
They love.