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Wei Wuxian leaves. Lan Zhan does not come with him.
He quite enjoys travelling alone at first. In the many years since he first rescued the remnants of the Wen Sect and his fall off the cliff at the Nightless City, his name has only gained notoriety; he's the evil spirit in the steep mountain path and the rapid river that people tell tall tales about to warn others away, the monster that eats children who don't finish their vegetables and refuse to sleep at bedtime, the hideous visage drawn on "talismans" by street pedlars to ward off ill-fortune. But most people don't know what he's really supposed to look like anyway, so for once he's free of his own spectre, just a nice young wandering cultivator who's greeted with sincere smiles and warm gratitude when he helps the common folk get rid of malicious spirits and murderous dark creatures.
Lan Zhan, on the other hand, would have been far too recognisable with his forehead ribbon and his blue and white robes embroidered with the cloud motif of the Lan Sect. If Lan Zhan had come along with him, everyone would know that he was the Yiling Patriarch, just by association. He should have known that Lan Zhan had other reasons for not coming along with him to see the world, other than a sense of duty. Truly, Lan Zhan’s foresight and thoughtfulness in politely declining to join him and staying behind to clean up Jin Guangyao’s mess and help restore order amongst the cultivation sects is to be expected, and he should appreciate this new freedom, another of the many gifts his old friend has given him since his return to the land of the living. He holds on to that thought when he sits in his clean and comfortable room at the inn, belly warm and full of wine and good food but strangely unsatisfied, sorely tempted to take out his flute to play that song Lan Zhan wrote, just to fill the silence.
Every morning, his room at the inn looks different in the daylight than it did in the night; it almost feels like he wakes up in a different place, but what difference does it make? All of them are just places to spend one night and unfamiliar either way.
Wei Wuxian sleeps fitfully. His nightmares are more frequent now than when he was staying at the Cloud Recesses, and playing the Song of Clarity for himself doesn't work as well as when Lan Zhan played it for him. He chalks it up to the anxiety caused by the completely normal but unfamiliar creaking of floorboards in the night and the sounds made by the other guests and employees of the inn. He's always lived with people he knows and trusts, be it at the Lotus Pier or in the Burial Mounds, or even in the Cloud Recesses with Lan Zhan and his little flock of juniors. Travelling alone means he has nobody to watch his back, and the strain of always having to keep his guard up must be bleeding into his dreams.
The freedom of travelling alone and having to answer to nobody else's whims but his own starts to lose its shine sooner than he thought it would. He idly wonders if he should try to figure out where Wen Ning and A-Yuan might be and meet up with them, or perhaps if he should visit Jin Ling - except that would mean being around Jin Ling's spiritual dog and running the risk of meeting Jiang Cheng. Even the thought of having to wake up at some ridiculous hour in the morning if he wants to get any breakfast at the Cloud Recesses doesn't seem so bad now, and anyway Lan Zhan always made sure the kitchens kept his share of the food warm.
He tells himself that he isn't completely blameless in everything that happened, so he shouldn't leave it all to Lan Zhan to clean up on his own. The weather in Gusu is nice this time of the year as it gets warmer, and there might be trout in the rivers. It's been almost half a year since he's last seen Lan Zhan and he's not good at writing letters, so they should at least meet over a meal to catch up. Anyway, he shouldn't need any reason to want to see his best friend. Lan Zhan wouldn't refuse to see him, would he?
Still, he takes the long way around to Gusu. Lan Zhan is Chief Cultivator now and is probably very busy. Maybe his sudden appearance will make more trouble for Lan Zhan, and he hasn't been in touch with the cultivation world in general so he has no sense of the latest gossip. He chases down a few rumours of evil spirits and supernatural activity even when they're out of his way. Maybe that's why it's a surprise when he hears a familiar voice calling out his name when he's on the way to investigate stories of a cursed forest, and at first he thinks he just imagined it because he was thinking about Lan Zhan.
"Wei Ying."
He turns. His breath catches in his throat and his heart beats a little faster at the sight of Lan Zhan in robes of white and pale blue, his handsome face serious as ever. He's missed him so, so, much. Is this how one normally feels when seeing your best friend again after a long time?
"Lan Zhan!" He's smiling so hard his face hurts. He tugs on Little Apple's reins and gets off his donkey. "What are you doing here?"
"We are not far from Gusu," Lan Zhan replies. Wei Wuxian senses his puzzlement, but Lan Zhan seems pleased to see him too and his fears of being unwelcome ease a little.
"But you are Chief Cultivator now. Surely a minor issue like this could be delegated to your little herd of junior cultivators."
“There is more to it than meets the eye," Lan Zhan replies gravely, falling into step easily with Wei Wuxian.
"That's true. I heard stories from the folks around here that nobody dares to venture into the woods for firewood or hunting because nobody who goes in ever comes out, but yet they've seen no signs of monsters or evil spirits. That's why I came all the way here to take a look, because it sounded so unusual," Wei Wuxian says, and quickly adds, "And since it's so near the Cloud Recesses, I thought I'd visit you afterwards, maybe stay a couple of nights. If it's not too much trouble, of course."
"Wei Ying is always welcome at the Cloud Recesses."
Wei Wuxian laughs. "I don't think Lan Qiren would agree with that. I did see the new rule on the Wall of Discipline, you know - 'All residents of the Cloud Recesses are to keep their distance from Wei Wuxian'."
"Wei Ying is always welcome at the Cloud Recesses," Lan Zhan repeats firmly.
"If our esteemed Chief Cultivator says so," Wei Wuxian teases.
Wei Wuxian leaves Little Apple in the care of a farmer, handing him a few coins for the favour and promising to pay him more when he returns later after their work is done. Lan Zhan remains outside, but the farmer looks uneasy when he obviously recognises Lan Zhan and probably starts to wonder who Wei Wuxian might be, but it's a small price to pay for the pleasure of enjoying Lan Zhan's company again. On the way to the cursed forest, Lan Zhan tells him that A-Yuan has already returned to the Cloud Recesses, but Wen Ning did not linger. Lan Xichen is still in seclusion, and Jin Ling seemed to be in good health the last time Lan Zhan saw him, picking up the reins of being Sect Leader under Jiang Cheng's guidance. Wei Wuxian tells Lan Zhan about all his adventures since they parted, including an abandoned temple that was the lair of a demon rat and a young woman who was haunted by the ghost of a former admirer.
"Her father was so grateful that he wanted to offer me his daughter's hand in marriage, but I said no," Wei Wuxian told Lan Zhan.
"Why did you decline the offer? You said she was very pretty," Lan Zhan says stiffly.
"The idea of settling down in the countryside to a peaceful life of farming was very tempting," Wei Wuxian admits. "But you know how it is, I'm the sort of person who attracts trouble wherever I go, whether I’m looking for it or not. I would only bring them grief. I’m more trouble than I’m worth, and the Yiling Patriarch is welcome nowhere."
Lan Zhan frowns at that, but Wei Wuxian interrupts him before he can repeat himself again.
“Except at the Cloud Recesses, of course,” Wei Wuxian acknowledges with a grin.
The supposedly-cursed forest lies at the foot of a hill, creeping at the edge of the small town. Wei Wuxian can hear birds chirping and insects singing, and while whatever man-made path that used to cut through the forest has since been overrun and reclaimed by nature, he doesn’t sense anything sinister even as they make their way deeper into the forest. It’s a peaceful place, and the air is sweet with the scent of crushed pine needles and something else that Wei Wuxian can’t quite place.
"This forest is too big and I don't sense anything malicious in here. I don't even know where to start looking. Maybe we should split up," Wei Wuxian comments.
Lan Zhan shakes his head and sits down on a fallen tree trunk, summoning his qin. His fingers move across the strings, playing a tune that Wei Wuxian recognises as Inquiry. When he finishes, the strings remain completely still - not a single spirit responds.
"That can't be right. From what we've heard, people have been disappearing inside these woods for years," Wei Wuxian says. "Unless whatever attacked them devoured their spiritual consciousness as well.”
“Or they do not realise that they are already dead,” Lan Zhan suggests.
“Ah, that’s troublesome. So after we’ve gotten rid of whatever is lurking in this place, we’ll have to help the victims move on as well so that they won’t become restless ghosts,” Wei Wuxian says with a sigh.
But they both agree that it would probably be a bad idea to split up when they still don’t know what they’re up against, so they stick close as they move deeper in. Every now and then, Lan Zhan stops to play Inquiry, but there is always no answer. The trees are much older here, their trunks so broad that Wei Wuxian probably wouldn’t be able to put his arms around one and so tall that he can’t quite see the top. These aren’t pine trees, but the scent of something thick and grassy remains.
“Lan Zhan, do you know what kind of trees these are?” Wei Wuxian asks, picking up one of the hard greenish-yellow fruits that litter the forest floor. It looks a bit like an immature apple.
Lan Zhan shakes his head. Wei Wuxian blinks as his vision swims and suddenly he sees two Lan Zhans, rapidly multiplying into four, eight, sixteen. Lan Zhan’s expression changes to one of horrified realisation as they both reach the same conclusion, far too late, and just as Wei Wuxian’s knees buckle and his legs give way under him, he sees Lan Zhan try to reach for him.
--
Wei Wuxian wakes up with a start in a very familiar room but an unfamiliar bed.
He's back in his old room at the Lotus Pier. He can tell that it's just after ten in the morning from the angle of the light slanting in through his window and which support beam in the ceiling the morning light reaches. But his bed is bigger now, and he's apparently recreated that little carving in the headboard that he did when he was younger, except that now the two people kissing are very clearly him and Lan Zhan. He yelps and covers it with the spare pillow. Why would he have done something as stupid as that?
There are other things in the room that seem a little out of place and something is nagging at him, but his head feels like it's full of cotton and he can't figure it out, so he gets dressed and goes in search of some breakfast. He treads the familiar path to the kitchen and his heart clenches at the sight of a very recognisable figure standing at the stove stirring a pot of soup.
"Shijie!"
"What's the matter? You're behaving like you haven't seen me in years," she says with a laugh when he runs up to her and hugs her tightly.
It hits him like a lightning strike - he hasn't, because she's supposed to be dead. But right now she feels so real and warm in his arms, and he doesn't know what to think. He lets go of her only when he's sure he has his expression under control and takes a good look at her. She seems older than he remembers, and to his surprise, he recognises the distinctive braiding and silver flower pins in her hair as well as the silver and green motif on her robes as symbols of the Qinghe-Nie Clan.
"Are you sure you're alright?" she asks him, a small crease of worry appearing between her brows.
"I'm just really hungry," he replies.
"The soup is almost ready," she tells him with a smile.
"A-Li!" he hears someone call out in a deep booming voice. Nie Mingjue comes into view, carrying a tiny little girl who can't be older than four. She's wearing light green robes and looks like a miniature version of Jiang Yanli. Nie Mingjue smiles at his wife, then turns to Wei Wuxian and greets him. "Er-di."
"Da-ge," Wei Wuxian responds, hoping it's the appropriate greeting.
"Da-jiu! Play with me!" the little girl chirps, holding out her arms to him.
"Yulian, let your uncle have his breakfast first," Jiang Yanli chides her daughter gently.
"It's alright, I don’t mind," Wei Wuxian says, taking her over from Nie Mingjue. It reminds him of carrying A-Yuan when he was young. "What game do you want to play?"
He glances back to see Nie Mingjue looking at Jiang Yanli with such warm affection that it makes him grin. How strange it is to see a softer side to Nie Mingjue! His Shijie looks happy and contented too, and he personally likes Nie Mingjue a lot better than Jin Zixuan. He doesn’t remember how he ended up here, but it seems like he's in a world where Jiang Yanli married Nie Mingjue and that changed everything, possibly for the better. At least they are both alive and Wei Wuxian noticed when he was getting dressed that he still has the Wen Sect brand on his chest, which means that he never died and is in his own body instead of Mo Xuanyu's body. He wonders why Nie Mingjue called him "second-oldest younger brother" though; he is older than Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng, so who else is there that Nie Mingjue would consider family?
His niece wants to catch tadpoles in the pond. He carries her out to the courtyard where the junior cultivators of the Yunmeng-Jiang Clan are practising their sword fighting skills under the watchful eyes of Jiang Cheng - and Lan Zhan.
"Look who finally decided to grace us with his illustrious presence," Jiang Cheng gripes, but he's smiling.
"Morning, Xiao-jiu! Morning, Jiu-zhang!" little Yulian greets them sweetly, and it takes Wei Wuxian a moment to wrap his mind around that second one. She greeted Lan Zhan as her uncle's husband - his husband. That explains the bigger bed and the extra pillow.
He goes through the rest of a day in a daze. He's unsure of how to react to Lan Zhan picking the sweetest parts of the steamed fish dish for him, carefully removing the bones before placing them in his bowl at mealtimes, but from Jiang Cheng's snide remarks, thankfully his flustered and bewildered expression is pretty much the same as always. Nie Mingjue and Jiang Yanli have a 7-year-old son as well, and Jiang Cheng is apparently courting a lady who isn't a cultivator, and Wei Wuxian can't remember how long it's been since he's had the chance to have a peaceful meal with his siblings. He has clear memories of another reality where none of this is possible, but when he tries to remember how he got here, all he gets for his troubles is a terrible headache.
Besides, does he really want to go back there? What he does remember of the other world is coloured with pain and grief, while this world is a place where all of his wishes have come true, even those he hadn't properly admitted to himself.
Before he knows it, it's time for bed, and it's only when Lan Zhan shuts the door behind him and puts a hand on the small of his back that Wei Wuxian finds that he can finally put his finger on what's been bothering him.
"You've been quiet today. Is everything alright?" Lan Zhan asks, so close that Wei Wuxian can feel his breath on the back of his neck.
"Just tired," Wei Wuxian replies, trying not to freeze up but not allowing himself to lean into Lan Zhan's touch either.
"Do you want to take a bath together?" Lan Zhan asks, and Wei Wuxian's brain nearly stops working right there. It would be so easy to say yes.
"Not tonight. I think I'm just going to bed right now," Wei Wuxian mumbles. Thankfully, Lan Zhan doesn't push the issue and leaves him alone in the room.
This world is peaceful and wonderful, but it isn't real. And it would be unfair to himself if he stayed here, in a dream where he doesn't remember what it felt like to kiss Lan Zhan for the first time because it never happened, because he's never even tried to make it happen.
"Remember, you have to remember," Wei Wuxian mutters to himself. What is the last thing he remembers from the other world?
The Guanyin Temple. Making peace with Jiang Cheng. Lan Xichen stabbing Jin Guangyao. Hugging A-Yuan. Sharing a drink with Lan Zhan in Gusu before he left to travel the world alone. A temple with a gigantic rat. A pretty girl offering him a cup of tea with a shy smile. Leading Little Apple down a quiet path. Then...
Wei Ying.
Everything comes back to him, the forest and the odd trees.
"The incense burners!" Wei Wuxian gasps in realisation. He didn't even recognise the scent that permeates the whole place until now, and incense burners are a common fixture in every room, constantly lit to keep insects away.
Wei Wuxian grabs the teapot of water from the side table and upends it over the incense burner on the table.
--
Wei Wuxian wakes up to find that his legs have sunk into the forest floor and his entire body is wrapped in tangled tree roots that are trying to drag him underground and bury him alive. He lived a whole day in his dreamworld but in reality probably less than an hour has passed. He looks around frantically and sees Lan Zhan just out of reach, already buried to the waist. No wonder they didn't see any bodies or bones, and no wonder none of the spirits of the people who died here have responded to their attempts to communicate - the ground in the shade of these carnivorous trees must be full of dead bodies trapped in the roots like macabre tubers, the victims' bodies feeding the trees while their souls are still trapped in the dreamworlds in their heads.
Wei Wuxian wriggles until he gets one hand free, and manages to tear a strip of cloth off his clothes to cover his mouth and nose so that he doesn't breathe in more of the hallucinogenic fumes produced by the trees and succumb to the dreamworld again. He doesn't have a sword, but he does have a short knife in his belt, and with some effort he finally manages to free himself completely from the tree roots and dig himself out of the ground. By now, Lan Zhan is chest-deep in the ground.
"Lan Zhan! Wake up!”
Wei Wuxian has talismans that could blow up the dirt, but it’s too risky to use them with Lan Zhan trapped inside. It’s slow work digging Lan Zhan out bit by bit and cutting through the roots as they are exposed, and the trees are reluctant to relinquish their prey. It would be easier if Lan Zhan was conscious and helping him, but even though he's covered Lan Zhan's mouth and nose, no matter how many times Wei Wuxian calls his name or shakes him, he gets no response.
"Lan Zhan, you have to wake up,"Wei Wuxian says a little desperately. “I’m an idiot who’s just realised how I feel about you, and I haven't even had the chance to tell you so that you can reject me."
His fingers are now numb and slippery with blood, making it harder for him to cut through the roots, and he can feel exhaustion setting in from constantly having to fend off little tendrils of roots that are trying to ensnare him again. There’s no choice - he’ll have to use Empathy to find out what is keeping Lan Zhan inside his dreamworld, even though it's dangerous to use the spell with no one keeping watch to pull him back out. There's a very real chance that both of them will be trapped in Lan Zhan's dreamworld for so long that the trees will devour them both, but at least they will be in the same dreamworld.
Wei Wuxian sits down in front of Lan Zhan, grips him by the shoulders with both hands, and closes his eyes.
--
It is nighttime in Lan Zhan's dreamworld, and Wei Wuxian finds himself in the sitting area of the Jingshi, in the Cloud Recesses. There's an incense burner on a low table right in front of him; Wei Wuxian pours what remains of a pot of tea on it immediately, but it doesn't go out. It appears that only the dreamer can choose to end the dream.
At first, Wei Wuxian wonders if the reason he hasn't managed to wake Lan Zhan up from the dreamworld because it's past his bedtime and he's asleep, but he can hear faint noises coming from the other end of the pavilion where the sleeping area is. He isn't concerned about making too much noise since the whole point is to wake Lan Zhan up, so Wei Wuxian walks forward boldly - then quickly ducks down to the floor when he sees the silhouette of two people through the blue curtains.
There is another person in bed with Lan Zhan.
Eyes wide and with a lump in his throat, he considers creeping away quietly because from what he can tell, the person who is straddling Lan Zhan isn't wearing any clothes, but a perverse curiosity keeps him there. There is a sharp gasp of pleasure and surprise from Lan Zhan, quickly muffled, like he's clapped a hand over his mouth. What does it say about Wei Wuxian that the sound causes heat to stir low in his belly?
Their features are blurred through the curtains, so it comes as a shock when he recognises the voice of the person Lan Zhan has chosen to share his bed with. “Did that feel good? I want to hear you, Lan Zhan."
It’s probably impolite to watch Lan Zhan being seduced by a dream-version of himself, but Wei Wuxian keeps watching anyway in horrified fascination. He watches himself lean forward to kiss Lan Zhan; Lan Zhan turns his face away, but his dream-self is unperturbed, kissing Lan Zhan’s cheek instead. Then he moves lower, rocking his body as he kisses his way down Lan Zhan’s neck, and this time Lan Zhan doesn’t manage to stifle his moan.
“Wei Ying, stop.”
“Why? You seem to be enjoying it.”
“We can't do this.”
“If I can’t kiss my own husband, who can I kiss?" the dream-version of himself asks plaintively.
“Wei Ying, please,” Lan Zhan whispers, gently pushing him away and getting out of bed.
Wei Wuxian has been crouched down in the open space between the sitting area and sleeping area all this time and suddenly finds himself with no place to hide when Lan Zhan pulls aside the curtain. They stare at each other in shocked silence for a moment, and Wei Wuxian looks away first. But he doesn’t quite know where else to look - Lan Zhan is thankfully wearing his under-robes at least, but there is a very obvious bulge in the front, and the dream-version of Wei Wuxian is still in Lan Zhan’s bed and very naked.
"If you put out the incense burner, we'll wake up," Wei Wuxian tells Lan Zhan, gesturing vaguely behind him.
It happens so fast that Wei Wuxian almost doesn't get to Lan Zhan in time. Wei Wuxian was alone in his dreamworld when he tried to leave, so the people who manifested in the dream didn't get a chance to stop him, but in the blink of an eye, the dream-version of himself is launching himself at Lan Zhan with a vicious snarl on his face.
Wei Wuxian blocks him with a blow to his stomach. "Lan Zhan, quick! Put out the incense burner!"
"We were so happy here. Why did you have to ruin everything?" his dream-self growls at him as he attacks again.
As it turns out, it's a challenge to fight yourself off when you know each other's moves and tricks perfectly. They have their hands around each other's throats when Wei Wuxian hears a splash - and wakes up to find a tree root wrapped around his throat instead.
Lan Zhan doesn't say a word while they work together to free themselves from the clutches of the tree. Wei Wuxian doesn’t blame him - he’s not sure what to say either. They are muddy but mostly unharmed at the end of it, but there’s still a whole grove of murderous trees and dead bodies to deal with.
“These trees are unusual but I don't think they're malicious or evil. They’re just doing what nature does - try to survive,” Wei Wuxian observes, carefully wrapping a couple of the fruits in a cloth and placing it in a qiankun pouch to study later. “But I think it would probably be safer for the people around here if we burned them all.” Lan Zhan nods in agreement.
They place talismans on the trunk of all the unusual trees, then Lan Zhan puts an arm lightly around Wei Wuxian’s waist to steady him as they step on Bichen and soar off into the air. Once they are high enough, Wei Wuxian snaps his fingers and the strange forest goes up in flames.
--
They stay long enough to make sure the fire doesn’t get out of control. While the ashes are cooling the two of them play the Song of Restfulness to put the souls of the dead to rest, Lan Zhan on his qin and Wei Wuxian on his flute, until the sun sets on the smoking, blackened forest.
By the time they get back to the farmhouse to collect Little Apple, the rumours have spread that Hanguang-jun is travelling in the company of the Yiling Patriarch, and they are no longer welcome. Lan Zhan pays the farmer a piece of silver on Wei Wuxian's behalf anyway.
"I guess we have no choice but break curfew to enter the Cloud Recesses now," Wei Wuxian says with a sigh, looking up at the dark moonless sky. “Luckily, I have the Chief Cultivator with me."
"Do you really still want to go to the Cloud Recesses?" Lan Zhan asks quietly, the first time he's spoken in hours.
"...Yes? Why would I not?" Wei Wuxian asks, puzzled at first, then realisation dawns. "Oh. Yes, I still want to go back with you to the Cloud Recesses," he says firmly.
Lan Zhan leads the way without saying another word. It is a few hours' journey by foot, and by the time they reach the foot of the mountain, the tension between them is strung so tight that even Little Apple is clearly relieved when they set it free to graze in the back of the mountain.
Lan Zhan insists on drawing the water for Wei Wuxian to bathe since his hands are still sore from digging them both out twice, and Wei Wuxian sinks gratefully into the tub of hot water after a very, very long day. But just as he's finally starting to relax, a memory comes to him, of the Lan Zhan from his dreamworld.
Do you want to take a bath together?
Wei Wuxian sits bolt upright in the tub and sighs, running a hand over his face. He's going to be spending the night in the Jingshi with Lan Zhan tonight, and even though he stayed here for a full month the last time with no issue, tonight his imagination is running wild.
Did that feel good? I want to hear you, Lan Zhan.
He's getting hard. He reaches under the water, eyes closed and face flushed as he touches himself, wrapping a hand around his cock to give himself a few tugs. He cups his balls, then his hand moves even further down to brush against his entrance and he shivers despite the heat of the water. Unfortunately, his fingers really hurt right now, which makes it uncomfortable for him to touch himself properly and he eventually gives up, still frustrated.
When he gets back to the Jingshi, Lan Zhan is already back from his bath. He's laid out the spare bedding for himself in the sitting area, a similar arrangement to the last time Wei Wuxian stayed over, and Lan Zhan is meditating, his hair damp and loose around his shoulders. All the incense burners in the room are conspicuously missing.
"Please take the bed," Lan Zhan tells him.
Wei Wuxian glances over at the bed, and back at Lan Zhan, and decides that if they don't talk right now, there's no way either of them are getting any sleep tonight.
"Why did you tell me to stop? The dream version of me, I mean," Wei Wuxian asks.
Lan Zhan looks up in surprise at his blunt question but quickly drops his gaze to the table. "Because I knew it wasn't real."
"If you already knew it wasn't real, why didn't you try to break out of the dream?"
Lan Zhan closes his eyes. "I was weak at first, and I was tempted. I let it go too far," he says heavily. "I'm sorry. I did not mean any offence, and I hope that you will forgive me for my moment of weakness." It hurts to see Lan Zhan like this, blaming himself for something that isn't his fault.
"Do you know what my dream was?" Wei Wuxian asks him softly. He crouches down next to Lan Zhan, heart pounding furiously. "I dreamt that I was back in the Lotus Pier with Shijie, Jiang Cheng - and you."
He can see tentative hope blooming on Lan Zhan's face, and his own blooms together with his.
"I was tempted to stay, too. I miss my Shijie and Jiang Cheng, and I miss a time when life was simpler. But Mo Xuanyu sacrificed his own life to bring me back, and I have a second chance at life now. It would be a waste if I threw it away on a dream without ever trying to do this," Wei Wuxian says, cupping Lan Zhan's face and leaning in slowly until their lips touch.
Lan Zhan's breath catches in his throat. For a moment, time stands still; then it rushes in all at once, and Lan Zhan is pulling him closer, deepening the kiss with a hunger that Wei Wuxian feels in kind. They're both trying to undo each other's belts, but in the end Wei Wuxian bats Lan Zhan's hands away so he can do it himself, and they shed layers of clothing all over the floor as they stumble towards the bed, still kissing.
He gasps when Lan Zhan pushes him down onto the bed and lets his thighs fall open so Lan Zhan can get between them. He wraps his arms around Lan Zhan's neck to pull him closer and moans when Lan Zhan lets his full weight rest on him, his hard cock digging into Wei Wuxian's stomach even though they are both still wearing their pants. They pause for a moment to catch their breaths, faces only inches apart, and they both smile in a mixture of wonder and disbelief.
"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian murmurs, and Lan Zhan leans down as if he wants to catch his name from Wei Wuxian's lips.
Lan Zhan's fingers find the waistband of his pants and he lets Lan Zhan remove his last piece of clothing. The bold desire in Lan Zhan's eyes is intoxicating and holds Wei Wuxian in place more easily than any restraints. He can feel a blush rising in his cheeks but he doesn't move to cover himself up. Instead, he reaches for the drawstring of Lan Zhan's pants and pulls open the knot with clumsy fingers, and it falls off his hips only to catch on something. Wei Wuxian can't resist grinning teasingly as he frees Lan Zhan's cock from the cloth, and the pink in Lan Zhan's cheeks starts to spread down to his chest.
Whatever he's done, surely not all of it has been bad for him to have the good fortune to be here, in the bed of the most beautiful man in Gusu.
Lan Zhan pulls away to let his pants drop on the floor and reaches for a small jar hidden under the bed. Wei Wuxian watches him coat his fingers with the oily fluid inside with a bit of trepidation. He's read enough scintillating books in his youth to have an idea what that is for, but he has never put more than one finger inside himself. He squeezes his eyes shut, trying not to tense up when he feels a light pressure at his entrance. Lan Zhan's finger slips inside him, up to the first knuckle.
“Ah!”
“Does it hurt?”
“No,” Wei Wuxian replies quickly. It’s not a lie, exactly. Lan Zhan's finger just feels different from his own. “Kiss me, Lan Zhan. Kiss me and I’ll be alright.”
Lan Zhan acquiesces, swallowing Wei Wuxian’s moans as he pushes his finger all the way inside him. Wei Wuxian runs his hands down Lan Zhan's back, tracing the shapes of the scars that Lan Zhan bore for him by disobeying his Sect rules, and he wonders how he ever doubted the nature of Lan Zhan’s feelings for him. He arches into Lan Zhan as Lan Zhan adds another finger, then another, and buries his face in Lan Zhan's shoulder with a groan of protest when Lan Zhan finally removes his fingers, leaving him uncomfortably empty and aching with need. He wraps his arms and legs around Lan Zhan and flips them around; Lan Zhan lets out a grunt of surprise, and now their positions are reminiscent of how he found Lan Zhan and his dream-self in the dreamworld.
Lan Zhan looks conflicted, probably still guilty about whatever wrongs he thinks he committed against Wei Wuxian in his dreamworld, but Wei Wuxian is having none of that. He reaches behind himself to get a firm grip on the base of Lan Zhan's cock, and Lan Zhan's eyes widen as Wei Wuxian lines up the tip of his cock with his slick entrance.
"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan whispers, then they both cry out as Wei Wuxian bears down and takes the head of his cock inside his body.
Lan Zhan’s hands fly to his hips, gripping hard enough to bruise as Wei Wuxian lets his weight drag him slowly down onto Lan Zhan’s cock. The stretch of it inside his body is unfamiliar and unbearably intimate, but the look of rapture on Lan Zhan’s face is enough encouragement to keep going. By the time he has taken all he can possibly take, both of them are breathing hard.
"Does it feel good?" he asks.
"Yes," Lan Zhan answers without hesitation.
"Good," Wei Wuxian says, and lifts himself off a little, letting Lan Zhan's cock slide out slowly from his body before sitting back down to let it fill him again.
It sends little frissons of pleasure through him and he repeats the motion, a little smoother each time. He knows that if he gets the angle just right, there's something inside him that will make this feel even better, and he can't help crying out when he finds it.
"Ah! Lan Zhan!" he moans, bracing his hands on either side of Lan Zhan's shoulders as he begins to ride Lan Zhan's cock more fervently.
The heat pooling in his gut is growing, his cock bobbing as he chases his own pleasure, and his thighs are starting to ache but it feels so good that he can't stop. It's almost a relief when Lan Zhan holds him close to flip him onto his back again.
"Take my forehead ribbon off," Lan Zhan says.
He reaches out for Lan Zhan's forehead ribbon and tugs it off, and it's like a dam breaking. Lan Zhan pushes Wei Wuxian's knees against his chest and thrusts his cock into him, hard and fast. It's too much, too good, and Wei Wuxian clutches the ribbon in his hand so hard that his nails bite into the palm of his hand. Then Lan Zhan wraps a hand around his cock and his vision goes white. He lets out a wordless shout as he comes on Lan Zhan's cock, and Lan Zhan follows him over the edge only moments after, pushing in deep as he fills him with his release.
They lie tangled under the blankets after, bodies touching from chest to calf and deeply sated. Lan Zhan’s forehead ribbon is still looped loosely around Wei Wuxian’s wrist; he wonders with some amusement how much of a ruckus it will cause if he refuses to give it back and wears it around the Cloud Recesses like this.
"After all that, I still forgot to tell you the most important thing," Wei Wuxian says.
"What is it?" Lan Zhan asks.
"That I like you, Lan Zhan. I like you a lot."
Lan Zhan smiles. "Mn."
"You're supposed to say it back!"
"I already did. I said Wei Ying is always welcome at the Cloud Recesses."
"Lan Zhan!"
Lan Zhan chuckles, and something warm settles in his heart when it suddenly occurs to Wei Wuxian that Lan Zhan is actually capable of teasing him too.
"I like you too, Wei Ying. I like you very much," Lan Zhan finally replies, and Wei Wuxian kisses him just because he can.
Outside, the sun is rising. It's time for the residents of the Cloud Recesses to wake up and go about their duties. But in the Jingshi, Lan Zhan holds his Wei Ying a little closer, and they finally drift off into a deep, peaceful sleep.