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“Are you finally awake?”
Wei Wuxian blinked blearily, the shrill voice of the woman ringing in his ears. The room was bright, so it took him a moment to adjust. It was, undoubtedly, a hospital room. White walls and beeping machines.
There stood an angry-looking woman next to where he lay, glaring down at him.
“I wonder if you have lost your mind completely,” the woman snapped as Wei Wuxian kept blinking at him. “Going and fainting like that!”
Even while not being entirely aware of the context of the conversation, Wei Wuxian found the accusation a little bit unfair. Did fainting happen willingly? Wasn’t this lady a little bit unreasonable?
“We finally managed to arrange you a suitable marriage,” she continued, “and to a Lan, no less! The second most sought-after alpha around here! And this is how you behave? Causing trouble after only a few days?”
“Whah –?”
“To do something like that, in the middle of an afternoon! Are you really this desperate for attention?”
Wei Wuxian didn’t know what to say. He shifted a bit in place, baffled.
“Your job is to be silent and do what your alpha says, do you understand? It is because of your mother you have these ideas in your head! Both of you, pathetic!”
“Madam Mo,” came a deep, silky voice from the doorway.
“Lan Wangji! Please come in, come in, he has just woken up.” The woman’s tone changed immediately into something much more amicable. “Xuanyu, greet your husband!”
Wei Wuxian stared at the most handsome man he had ever laid his eyes on. Tall, imposing, and so elegant he might have been just created out of high-quality jade. His eyes were impossibly pale, and there was no visible expression on his face. Wei Wuxian felt a bit like laughing – was this how someone looked at their evidently injured spouse?
“Hi, husband!” Wei Wuxian greeted as told, a wide smile spreading on his face.
There, momentarily, an expression – or something similar to it, flashing past Lan Wangji’s eyes. It might have been shock. Just as soon as it came, it disappeared, though the earlier look that had neared disinterest did not settle in its place anymore.
He looked at Wei Wuxian one, two, three seconds more. Then,
“Xuanyu,” the man said, then turned to the angry woman. “Madam Mo, the physician found nothing wrong with him.”
“What a relief to hear!” Madam Mo said, in what must have sounded like a sincere voice to her but did not convince Wei Wuxian. “You will be taking him home, then?”
Lan Wangji nodded. “Thank you for coming.”
“Of course, of course! I would not leave family to suffer alone,” Madam Mo said. “I was certainly worried when I heard he had fainted, what a relief it is to hear it’s not serious after all!”
Wei Wuxian stopped paying attention to her performance and instead looked down at himself, the body he was inhabiting. Shorter than his earlier one, and a bit more dainty. He stretched his fingers, pretty and long. All ten attached and in working order.
So he was someone called Xuanyu, married to the most handsome man in the universe, who was also an alpha. He did not know what an alpha was, but it had to be something great because he found himself somehow extremely aware of the man’s presence whether he looked that way or not.
He also – a weird thing to note, admittedly – smelled pretty great. Wei Wuxian could somehow smell him all the way from the doorway, where the man was still standing tall and stiff. All earthy and woodsy and sensual.
“Xuanyu,” the man said, as Wei Wuxian looked up at him again. “We are leaving in ten minutes.”
With that, the man nodded at the world’s angriest woman again and left.
Madam Mo turned back to him, the display of amicability dropping instantly. She seemed to be a woman keen on keeping up appearances. “Hmph, look at how your husband is regarding you! Do you think you will be able to keep him happy this way if he is so cold to you still after days? Your scents are barely mixed at all – it’s almost as if he has not touched you once after the wedding!”
Wei Wuxian blinked. What was that supposed to mean? How could you look at a person and tell they had not been touching each other? Wasn’t this lady just making up reasons to get upset, now?
“Well, get up! Get dressed, you simpleton! Your husband is waiting,” the woman said, and after giving him another glare chock-full of hatred, she walked out.
Wei Wuxian was left staring dumbly after her, alone in the hospital room. Well, at least the hostility was familiar to him. Every other aspect of the situation was definitely not.
-
Now, Wei Wuxian didn’t wake up every day to find out he was in another world, in another person’s body. Seeing as he vividly recalled dying in his first life, he did not take it too harshly when he realized this new situation. Second chances, and all that! Though the husband situation was definitely something he should figure out at some point.
Lan Wangji clearly noticed something was off about him, though he did not say anything when he walked up to him later, or during the cab ride home. He kept giving him unreadable looks as Wei Wuxian paid him no mind, too curious about all the other fun things happening around him.
His sense of smell in this body was really something else! Curiously, it seemed very easy to now know which people were together, and which were not. Madam Mo’s earlier comment started to make a bit more sense. There was also something intrinsic in him categorizing people into about three different types, from the way they smelled and acted. He figured this was the whole ‘alpha’ thing. Some people had the same type of feel to them as Lan Wangji, though none could quite reach the alpha-ness of the man he’d been told was his husband.
When Wei Wuxian excitedly bounced around, taking note of all the strange things in his surroundings, he could feel Lan Wangji’s eyes on him.
The most informative pieces of knowledge to him currently were the advertisement he saw as they sat in the car, driving through the city. A place that sold wedding garments had a text in the window, for alphas and omegas of all genders. An omega – that was Wei Wuxian, then, right? There were some ads for alphas about scent-enhancing mixtures, some ads targeted at omegas about heat suppression, and then one very funny self-help book ad for betas, that had a title, ‘ Alphas and omegas around me: how to survive in a sex-obsessed society ’.
His husband seemed like the least sex-obsessed person Wei Wuxian had seen in either of his lives, and he was apparently an alpha. The man gave off the vibe of someone who did not need to put up distance between himself and others consciously because the cold aura he projected was a natural repellent for that sort of thing.
Said man had at first stared at Wei Wuxian’s excited prancing, and now when sitting in a car, his eyes were seemingly stuck on Wei Wuxian’s fingers tapping a rhythm on his thigh. When Wei Wuxian noticed this, he gave the man another wide, toothy grin, which seemed to only make him frown.
At their house, Wei Wuxian almost let out a gasp. It was huge and beautiful, and when he got inside, he realized it was probably also the cleanest place he had ever visited.
“How are you feeling?” asked the deep voice, when Wei Wuxian got stuck staring at a family portrait. It was of his husband, clearly, and his brother, who looked exactly like him except more smiley and less handsome. The severe, older-looking guy had to be his father, then.
“Oh? I’m great, thank you!” he waved a hand. “Say, husband, how old were you in this picture?”
There was a short pause. “Twenty.”
“So young! Yet so handsome already,” Wei Wuxian cooed, and then, when he got no response, realized that perhaps the body’s original owner wasn’t praising his husband too often. Lan Wangji looked rigid.
Wei Wuxian laughed, and there was another moment of shock barely visible on the man’s face. “Hahah, sorry, I bet you hear that all the time! I suppose it gets tiring?”
The man only stared. Then, if it was even possible, the man’s demeanor turned even stiffer.
“Regardless of what Madam Mo may have said to you,” he started, the voice holding no emotion. “I wish to remain within the terms of our agreement.”
Wei Wuxian blinked. Agreement. This handsome man and he had an agreement, that had something to do with Madam Mo’s wishes.
Sure, he could ad-lib this. Wei Wuxian nodded. “The agreement. Yes, the agreement! Where I…don’t call you handsome?”
The man stared again. “You do not need to call me ‘husband’, either.”
Wei Wuxian nodded seriously, though inwardly, he was kind of shocked. What kind of a marriage was this?
“I do not want a relationship,” Lan Wangji said, and Wei Wuxian had to keep his expression under control, and not shout aahhhh?? “I do not believe this will change.”
“Ahah, yes, of course, I knew that,” Wei Wuxian said. “This is a…marriage of…convenience?”
“…” Lan Wangji’s expression was now so unreadable it would have been impossible to tell what he was thinking. “If you wanted to break the agreement and go our separate ways, we may.”
So. Wei Wuxian wasn’t daft. It was pretty easy to piece together the situation from the bits of information he’d gotten so far. Clearly, Lan Wangji was not in love with him and was very straightforward about not wanting a real marriage. Mo Xuanyu, again, seemed like he had been under pressure to marry well, and that his home life had seemed to suck quite a bit, if the angry lady was the head of the household.
Clearly this was some sort of two birds one marriage-shaped stone type of thing.
“No, no,” Wei Wuxian rushed to say. “I wouldn’t want to live with, uh, Madam Mo again, would I?”
Suddenly, the man’s face shifted a bit, a certain look appearing in his eyes. It was clear that he was sympathetic to Mo Xuanyu’s situation. Damn, how bad had his life been before, if even this ice block man seemed to agree that the better place for him was in a fake marriage?
Wei Wuxian clapped his hands together. “So, no worries! I will stay out of your hair, and won’t call you my husband!”
Seemingly satisfied with the declaration, the man nodded. He was already going to move away when Wei Wuxian a-pa-pa-pa’d him to a halt.
“So uh, I just wanted to ask – I don’t remember much before waking up at the hospital,” he said. “How did I…?”
“I found you here unconscious,” Lan Wangji said. “There was no clear cause.”
“Huh.” Wei Wuxian pursed his lips. “So do I get a sick leave?”
Lan Wangji stared again. “You are unemployed.”
“See, this is the part where I’d joke about marital duties, but I respect our agreement too much for that,” Wei Wuxian said, placing his hand at his heart. Secretly, he was a bit relieved – unemployed! That meant he didn’t have to fake his way out of another impossible situation!
This seemed to be the point where Lan Wangji realized he was not interested in continuing the conversation. He only gave Wei Wuxian another look before disappearing into one of the rooms.
Now, Wei Wuxian probably should have said something about the fact that he was actually not Mo Xuanyu, and instead a whole other person possessing his body. Only, he found himself a bit hesitant to do that. Not only because the chances of him being believed weren’t especially high – transmigration was known in very few universes, after all, and he didn’t want to get admitted to a mental hospital quite that fast – but also because of what the situation seemed to be.
There had been some transmigration cases in his earlier world. It was exceedingly rare, and generally poorly documented, but one thing seemed to be a recurring theme – the people who had their bodies taken over often left messages saying they did not want to continue to live this existence.
Mo Xuanyu must have truly hated his situation, if even after getting away from his original family, he wanted to dip out! Perhaps he had expected something more from this Lan Wangji guy, or perhaps he just found the reality generally too depressing to continue living in this body.
Personally, Wei Wuxian found himself completely accepting of where he’d ended up. There seemed to be no expectations of him from Lan Wangji, or anyone else. What was there to do now, but to continue on with this new life?
Now that he had time, Wei Wuxian confirmed his suspicions from Mo Xuanyu’s phone. There were no contacts there, except for Lan Wangji’s, and they had not exchanged a single message so far. The camera roll was empty, except for one selfie, which Wei Wuxian actually found quite nice. He was not bad-looking at all, in fact, although in the picture the guy was wearing lots of bright blush and way too light foundation.
In the phone’s calendar, there were some days marked. One for pickup of some prescription, as well as an unnamed stretch of days the next month. Wei Wuxian figured they would have been named if it were something important. He put the phone away and started looking at the house.
There were two bathrooms, and Wei Wuxian was pretty sure they were to be used by only either one of them. The messy one was obviously his; Lan Wangji seemed like a man who could not tolerate clutter in his space.
Next to the room where Lan Wangji had disappeared was another room, this one untidy as well. Having found his own place, Wei Wuxian snooped around. There were some pretty depressing-looking books, as well as a closet full of clothes that were almost-but-not-quite Wei Wuxian’s style. The red and black he approved of. He would have the time to make it more like him, later.
There was also the marriage certificate in the desk drawer with other important documents, dated a few days ago. He was freshly married to Lan Wangji, it seemed.
He went to lie on the bed next, thinking about the plan of action. The wisest move, probably, would be to get a job, get some money, and then divorce Lan Wangji. He could start a new life! He could become anything he wanted, with no heavy past or anything to drag him down!
It would definitely be just fine!
-
So being a housewife was pretty uneventful. Lan Wangji kept his house spotless himself, seemingly automatically, so there was nothing to clean except for his own stuff (Mo Xuanyu’s stuff) that Wei Wuxian didn’t really care about keeping in order. There were no kids to take care of, or any marital duties to attend to (not that he would have – there was a line with the pretending, and that would have definitely crossed it).
In short, Wei Wuxian was bored out of his mind! On the first day, he had excitedly tried to figure out everything about Mo Xuanyu, whose life was terrible and depressing and lonely and probably better left alone. He then moved on to prying into Lan Wangji’s life.
This is what he’d learned so far: Lan Wangji taught music in some sort of an academy that had his family name in it, which would have totally been nepotism, except that Lan Wangji played his guqin at some point in the evening and the music was otherworldly, so Wei Wuxian had to admit that it was probably fifty-fifty talent and being born with the right surname.
Lan Wangji was also an especially strict man, who seemed to follow about a thousand different rules on how to live his life behind these four walls. No running, no speaking while eating, bedtime is at nine, no excessive noise, no happiness nor joy nor wonderment whatsoever.
Fine, the last ones were added by Wei Wuxian, but since Lan Wangji kept snapping rules at him, they were at least heavily implied.
“You knew these rules before we wed,” was Lan Wangji’s only reply when Wei Wuxian whined about it to him, and also the strange look he was yet again given.
“Maybe I was expecting a bit of leniency,” Wei Wuxian argued, but then Lan Wangji started eating his bland vegetables and would not answer anymore, and Wei Wuxian didn’t actually want to get kicked out, so he stayed silent as well.
He found out that the serious-looking man in the picture on the wall was actually Lan Wangji’s uncle, and the smiley version of Lan Wangji was his older brother, Lan Xichen. There was exactly one photo album inside Lan Wangji’s own room, where Wei Wuxian spent most of the morning when the man himself left for his work.
There were baby pictures, where Lan Wangji’s now sharply sculpted cheeks were round and soft. Wei Wuxian cooed watching them. What he knew of the man, having spent exactly one night with him, was mainly his absolute fuddy-duddyness. As a child, he had seemed to have held the same sort of severity.
There was one picture of Lan Wangji’s mother, and it was old. Wei Wuxian reasoned there would likely be more recent ones, were she still alive. In the picture, she was holding the most expressionless toddler in her arms, and laughing with a teasing twinkle in her eyes.
One picture showed a teenage Lan Wangji under his gently smiling brother’s arm, and the text underneath read after presenting as an alpha.
The whole alpha-beta-omega thing was still a huge question mark for Wei Wuxian. It was obvious that this was a quality in this world that was so intrinsic part of society that no one felt the need to explain it. He would’ve preferred some sort of a guide pamphlet at the start of it all.
After putting everything back in its place, Wei Wuxian went around the house to find more things to do but quickly realized the hobby department of the house was severely lacking. There was no television, and the laptop on the table was password-secured.
In his complete boredom, Wei Wuxian started taking apart different kitchen appliances and putting them back together with the toolset he’d found in the neatest closet he’d ever seen in anyone’s house. In his earlier life, Wei Wuxian had been a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, being as he was both pretty quick at developing a skill, and relentlessly interested in all kinds of crafts.
He was in the middle of making the microwave sing a little tune as the alert sound when Lan Wangji got back home. They stared at each other for a long while, Wei Wuxian with a tool in his hand and Lan Wangji carrying what seemed to be a bag of groceries, before the man asked, “What are you doing?”
“Killing time,” Wei Wuxian replied honestly.
Lan Wangji was silent for a moment. “The microwave is new.”
“I’m not breaking it!”
“Fiddling with electronics is dangerous,” Lan Wangji continued.
“I’m not breaking myself either,” Wei Wuxian stated. “I know my way around mechanics. Actually, if you’ve got some broken stuff, I can fix it for you!”
There appeared a line between Lan Wangji’s eyebrows. “You do not have the proper training.”
So maybe he didn’t. In his earlier life, Wei Wuxian had read a few instruction manuals and worked on his own stuff a lot. It was a fun way to spend time, after all. He just didn’t have any graduation papers to convince people he knew what he was doing.
“Speaking of which – Lan Wangji, I should probably get a job.”
“What kind of a job?”
Wei Wuxian squinted. In the personal belongings of Mo Xuanyu, there didn’t seem to be any indication of his area of expertise. Maybe there were none.
“Any kind,” he mused. He wasn’t going to be picky about it. A job was just one part of life. If he wanted to focus on something else, he could do it in his spare time, or change careers. “What would be fun, do you think?”
The man seemed to have slowly accepted the fact that this strange behavior was just a new quality to the earlier Mo Xuanyu, so he went to put the groceries in their right places as he asked, “What are you interested in?”
“Everything! Engineering, martial arts, music, teaching, literature –“ Wei Wuxian started listing.
“Music?”
“I play the flute,” Wei Wuxian said. His dizi skills were great if he said so himself. He’d impressed many a teacher with his playing. “Very expertly, even.”
“…” Lan Wangji put a bag of carrots in the fridge. “I did not know that.”
“Hahah, is that any wonder? Lan Wangji, tell me, just how many conversations have we had in the past days?”
It wasn’t that Wei Wuxian believed Lan Wangji was deliberately mean. It was just very obvious that the man had not known Mo Xuanyu enough to suddenly accuse him of acting way too strange. Surely a man as seemingly smart as Lan Wangji would have something to say about the changed behavior, were he familiar with him at all.
“Ah, now, don’t feel too bad – it’s a fake marriage anyway, isn’t it? So let’s not worry about it,” Wei Wuxian said when he noticed the stiffness in Lan Wangji’s frame again.
There was a moment of quiet again, as Lan Wangji finished putting the stuff in its place. Then, he turned to him again. “There are auditions for the academy. If you are as proficient as you claim, you could get in.”
“Would you be my professor?” Wei Wuxian asked curiously and was given another one of those trademarked glares. “Haha, of course not. Conflict of interest! You know, some people would be outraged at their husband for not clearing their way into a study position.”
“I do not practice favoritism,” was the short, cool reply.
“Really? And you seem so lax!”
The joke wasn’t received well: the man’s glare doubled. Wei Wuxian’s smile stayed bright on his face. Lan Wangji was kind of fun to rile up, wasn’t he? He looked beautiful even in his anger, eyes narrowed like that.
There was something truly attractive about him, that spoke to Wei Wuxian on a deeper level. Not only the undeniably good looks, though there was certainly nothing to complain about that aspect of him. It was just very fun to be around Lan Wangji, for a lack of a better description.
“I don’t have a flute here, though,” Wei Wuxian said.
The other nodded. “I will buy you one.”
Immediately, Wei Wuxian perked to attention. “Oh? Will you buy me other things too, if I ask?”
Lan Wangji blinked. “What do you need?”
-
So as it turned out, it was very easy to convince Lan Wangji to buy him all kinds of stuff. Actually, he needed only to ask, and that thing would be immediately added to the cart. Well, there were some things he knew would only earn him a glare. He’d learned enough of the man by now.
In any case, soon they had ordered Wei Wuxian a flute, art supplies, some books on various subjects, and his own laptop, which he apparently didn’t already have. These were all very useful things to own, and clearly, Lan Wangji was just rich enough to not mind the atrocious sum of money he spent on Wei Wuxian.
Rich, phenomenally good-looking, and only a little bit the most boring man in the universe who went to bed earlier than a senior citizen. Wei Wuxian wondered how on earth Madam Mo had managed to arrange the whole marriage thing. Clearly, Lan Wangji should have been sought after enough for that to be impossible.
Then, perhaps Lan Wangji’s only criteria for his spouse was that they should not expect any kind of romance from him. The man was so proper and particular it was no wonder he didn’t want anyone to come and mess up his perfectly good regular schedule with their pesky needs for closeness and love.
Thankfully, he was now stuck with Wei Wuxian, who didn’t mind having such a handsome and generous roommate at all!
“You are skilled,” Lan Wangji said that evening, eyes on the quick sketch Wei Wuxian had made of the man.
Wei Wuxian grinned. “No, no, my model is just extremely handsome!”
“Ridiculous,” Lan Wangji muttered, but then he didn’t walk away, as he’d done a few times so far. His solution to Wei Wuxian being annoying seemed to be both fight and flight, depending on the occurrence. Snap or scat.
“You know what this is missing?” He made a few strokes on the drawing, and voila, the picture was perfect. “There we go! So beautiful. We should put this on the fridge!”
Lan Wangji didn’t seem particularly happy about the flower drawn behind his ear. He also didn’t look like he wanted the picture on the fridge.
“What’s with the unhappy face, Lan Wangji? Don’t you think it’s good that I’m expressing myself?”
There was a long silence when Lan Wangji merely looked at him.
“You are different,” he said. “From the first impression.”
Wei Wuxian let out a short laugh. “Isn’t everybody?”
“Like a different person.”
“Maybe I am,” Wei Wuxian said. “Having regrets? I think initiating a divorce is possible from your end too.”
Lan Wangji said nothing, only stared. Then, he shook his head lightly. Wei Wuxian found himself relaxing. Say what you may about him, but Wei Wuxian wasn’t actually stupid. In this situation he’d found himself in, the best possible scenario was to stay with Lan Wangji long enough to establish a solid base for a good life.
Getting an education had been a bit of a tricky thing in his past life, where his money situation had been just as tragic as his death at twenty-five. He’d mostly just done easy fixing jobs for people who were willing to hire someone without any certificates to verify his skills.
Here, Lan Wangji was not only going to pay for his stuff but also seemed to be in favor of leaving him alone to do his own thing.
“Lan Wangji,” Wei Wuxian said, getting a new paper to sketch another piece of this new muse of his. “Have you ever heard of transmigration?”
“Reincarnation?” Lan Wangji asked.
“Hm, more in the sense where a soul takes over another person’s body,” Wei Wuxian said. “So, what if that happened to Mo Xuanyu, and now there’s another person’s soul living with you?”
“…I do not understand.”
“I’ve transmigrated here, is what I’m saying.”
There was a long silence full of speechless staring, before Lan Wangji stood up. Without a word, the man disappeared into the bathroom. Wei Wuxian’s bathroom, that was. After a moment, the man appeared again, with what seemed to be a pill dispenser in his hand.
Ah, Wei Wuxian clearly hadn’t snooped well enough. Had Mo Xuanyu been on medication?
“You have not been taking your antidepressants,” Lan Wangji said. His tone was not accusatory, though it was blank in a way that perhaps spelled concern.
Wei Wuxian wanted to laugh a little. He had expected not to be believed, but to immediately imply he was crazy for even approaching the topic was truly a faster swerve than he could’ve expected.
“Isn’t it very rude to go look through other people’s stuff?” Wei Wuxian asked. As if he himself hadn’t done the same thing to Lan Wangji only a day before.
“I apologize, but this is important,” Lan Wangji stated. “It is about your health.”
“Do I seem depressed to you?”
Lan Wangji frowned. “I believe there is a period of time one may feel a bit better, before crashing.”
“Well,” Wei Wuxian mused. “If I start seeming depressed again, I’ll take those pills.”
“This is a matter that should be discussed with a doct–“
“Lan Wangji, correct me if I’m wrong,” Wei Wuxian cut in. “But wasn’t our situation purely out of necessity? We are basically roommates. If you wanted the husband privileges, you have to earn them.”
This seemed to hit in the right place. Lan Wangji was stiff, his jaw squared, but it seemed he found no counterargument to lay on Wei Wuxian. There really wasn’t anything he could say, was there? When it came to such personal things, Lan Wangji had no rights, except perhaps in the legal sense. Something in Wei Wuxian told him this man wouldn’t act in such a hypocritical way.
To soothe him, though, Wei Wuxian gave him a wide smile, trying to appear sincere as he said, “I really am feeling just fine. See, I’m creating things! I’m planning my future!”
Lan Wangji let out an exhale through his nose. Then, he turned around and disappeared into his room. The door closed with a soft click, a sound of ‘I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed'.
Well, when Lan Wangji wanted to continue the transmigration conversation, Wei Wuxian would be there to talk it through with him.
-
Wei Wuxian had found that this new universe quite suited him, and so far hadn’t felt like anything truly surprised him. Most things were the same! He had arts and modern machinery and the internet! Only, that night, Wei Wuxian found that this body held bewildering differences from his earlier one.
It was ten thirty, and he was lying on his bed. Lan Wangji had spent the evening giving him the silent treatment, which was barely a silent treatment at all, as Lan Wangji was clearly not the chattering type anyway. There was just the added distance that had not been much present in the past two days, evidently put there by Wei Wuxian’s reminder of their situation.
In a slightly apologetic effort, Wei Wuxian had gone to bed at the man’s preferred time without whining about it. And he had lied there, for one and a half hours, unable to sleep.
In these situations, in the comfort of the darkness, one often indulged in bodily explorations. Wei Wuxian didn’t have many explicit fantasies – he had very little experience in romance, after all – but his imagination could fix the blank spots very easily. And he was bored!
He had only managed to put his hand inside his pants, lazily touching his half-interested dick, when something dribbled between his cheeks. His cock definitely wasn’t wet enough to do that quite yet, so a little baffled, he felt himself at the source.
Which seemed to be his hole. Which was getting wet all on its own, and was apparently very sensitive, because he let out a noise that was loud enough for him to immediately bite his lip in terror.
Heart thumping in his ears, he listened for the sounds of Lan Wangji having woken up to his moan. After what felt like way too long a time, he felt safe enough to continue.
So. As it turned out, his hole produced its own slick. Not only that, but also touching that place of his felt like he’d set his skin on fire, the pleasure of stroking around it and dipping his fingers inside the tight, slippery rim better than anything he’d ever felt just from stroking his dick.
Doing these explorations, Wei Wuxian came in record time. He had to bite his own knuckles to keep himself from being loud and possibly disturbing Lan Wangji.
He needed no witnesses for the little meltdown that followed.
-
Now, he couldn’t just ask Lan Wangji what the whole hole-leaking-slick thing was about. Wei Wuxian might have been shameless, but there were some things even his thick face could not dare talk about like that. Besides, Lan Wangji would probably just throw him out, should he even make an attempt!
On his phone, Wei Wuxian searched for a hole-slick explanation but was mostly shown only porn sites about omegas getting railed. At least that explained one thing: it seemed to be an omega-only quality. Which made him definitely wonder about the uses for that. There had to be a biological explanation for that, right? For things to be slippery down there, it implied ease of movement for something to go in, and for something to go in, that meant that –
“Oh my god, I can grow a person inside me, can’t I?”
Lan Wangji froze mid-move, his cup of tea halfway to his mouth. Wei Wuxian could do nothing but stare at his new body, and this massive thing he had just realized.
When he turned to look at Lan Wangji with wide eyes, the man seemed to snap out of it, and only took a sip of his tea. This probably wasn’t a morning tea kind of conversation. Lan Wangji looked very stiff and uncomfortable.
That was just fine as well! It wasn’t like Wei Wuxian was in any danger of getting pregnant, anyway! So he could just move on from this shocking revelation as if it had never happened! In fact, if he only continued to ignore it for the rest of his life, it wouldn’t become a problem at all!
“Ahaha, anyway, Lan Zhan, what are you up to today?”
“…” Clearly taking the opportunity to ignore Wei Wuxian’s earlier declaration, Lan Wangji replied, “My brother will be visiting.”
“Oh? Oh, Lan Xichen?” He thought about the smiley man in the photo. “Ah, about that – are we supposed to keep up the ruse when he’s here?”
There was a moment when Lan Wangji looked like he might have wanted to protest the use of the word ‘ruse’, but in the end, only nodded.
“I can call you ‘husband’, then? How exciting,” Wei Wuxian said, laughter in his voice. “Are we supposed to be a very physical couple? Lan Wangji, will you hold me under your arm?”
“No,” Lan Wangji said, ever-suffering. “There is no need to change our behavior.”
Wei Wuxian looked at him, considering. Sure, it was pretty hard to picture the man as someone overly touchy or open with his affections. But then, it was reasonable to assume that he was also acting out of his family’s wishes. Marriage was pretty important, after all, and from what Wei Wuxian had so far seen, it felt like Lan Xichen was the concerned type of older brother who would certainly be worried over his brother’s lack of interest in relationships.
“Ah, Lan Wangji, you married me because your family hoped to see you happy and in a committed relationship, right?”
Lan Wangji did not reply, but he, crucially, did not deny it.
“So it reasons your brother would get worried if it seemed we don’t get along,” Wei Wuxian continued.
“We get along,” Lan Wangji said, as if he hadn’t been completely exasperated for the past days spent together.
Wei Wuxian grinned. “Like a house on fire! Though, you know, Madam Mo said something to me at the hospital – she was sure I was displeasing to you somehow because our scents hadn’t mixed at all or something like that.”
This made something flash past Lan Wangji’s face, though Wei Wuxian was quick to continue, “I’m not saying we should rub all over each other or anything! I’m just letting you know!”
Truthfully, Lan Wangji smelled pretty good, so it wasn’t like the thought appalled Wei Wuxian or anything. He couldn’t exactly know what he himself smelled like, but he was sure it couldn’t be that bad if Lan Wangji managed to hang around him that much.
Besides, in close proximity to Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian felt solidly comfortable. Safe, even. It wasn’t a feeling he’d been all that familiar with in his past life, so he definitely wouldn’t complain if that feeling stuck.
Lan Wangji seemed to consider his words, quietly keeping his gaze on his cooling cup of tea.
In the end, the man only said, “Give me your hand.”
“Ah?” Wei Wuxian hadn’t really expected Lan Wangji to do it. His discomfort was clear when it came to touching other people.
Still, Wei Wuxian eagerly reached out his hand, and Lan Wangji took a hold of it, almost clinical. Without once meeting Wei Wuxian’s eyes, he patted their wrists together. Once, twice. And then it was clearly done, as the man let go.
Wei Wuxian brought his hand to his face, and indeed, the smell was there, as if it had been soaked in perfume. The best kind of perfume. Wei Wuxian breathed it in and then noticed that Lan Wangji was staring at him.
He grinned. “What? You smell good!”
Lan Wangji only let out an exhale that was definitely a type of a sigh.
“Your scent has changed,” the man said then.
Wei Wuxian put his hand down, eyebrows rising. “Oh? Is that unusual? How do I smell?”
“Yes,” Lan Wangji said. Then, after a long pause, “Like spices.”
“Oh.”
Lan Wangji disliked spices. It was obvious, from the color of his food and his general being. Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Wouldn’t it have been fair for them to smell equally good to each other?
He let out a light laugh, then. “Well! Thankfully your brother won’t be visiting every day!”
A hint of a frown was apparent on Lan Wangji’s face, but in the end, he only nodded. “Mn.”
“So, tell me, before you leave for work,” Wei Wuxian said then, eager to move on to other topics, “where’s the nicest cafe around here?”
-
Wei Wuxian’s plan was mainly to familiarize himself with the part of the city they lived in. It was, after all, very easy to come up with things to do, when you were familiar with the selection. It was early spring, so Wei Wuxian’s audition for the Lan Academy would come in no time, but the fact still existed that he had very little to do in the meantime. Lan Wangji had forbidden him from touching the kitchen appliances, too.
He did go to the cafe Lan Zhan had suggested and immediately made the decision to become best friends with the barista, who got his name wrong and then spent the rest of the time apologizing to him and looking extremely pitiable.
His name was Wen Ning, and Wei Wuxian assured him that he definitely wasn’t upset and that he would definitely pay for the drink no matter how many times he insisted on it being on the house for the little slip, because his husband was extremely wealthy, and nothing brought Wei Wuxian more joy than using his money.
So that was fun. Wei Wuxian’s day was fun!
He had already forgotten the whole ‘Lan Xichen visits today’ thing, until he reached the house late that afternoon again. He had apparently not barged in loud enough, because he could tell the men in the living room had not noticed his presence.
“–with you and Mo Xuanyu?”
Lan Zhan stayed quiet for a long time, before answering, “He has...changed.”
“Ah. Is this a bad thing?”
Another long pause. “No.”
“I see,” Lan Xichen replied. “You seem troubled.”
“He behaves in a way that,” Lan Wangji said, “I find…”
“Hm? Wangji?”
Wei Wuxian heard the steps, thankfully, because he slid back to the door and slammed it shut behind him just in time for Lan Wangji to appear.
“Honey, I’m home!” he declared.
Lan Xichen followed behind his brother, a gentle smile spreading on his face. It looked a bit weird, to be honest, to see a face so familiar to Lan Wangji look so soft and approachable.
“And we’ve got a guest – sorry for being late, I stayed to haras– ahah, talk to the barista at the cafe you mentioned,” he said, smiling widely. “Lan Xichen, it’s good to see you!”
“You as well,” Lan Xichen said, looking delighted. “You seem to be in high spirits.”
“Married life suits me,” Wei Wuxian said, winking at Lan Wangji, whose expression was as unreadable as ever. “Besides, anyone would look elated, married to a catch like Lan Wangji!”
Lan Xichen’s smile was wide. “Indeed.”
“Brother.”
Not wanting Lan Wangji to storm out in displeasure, Wei Wuxian immediately slapped his hands together. “Anyway, let’s have some tea, shall we?”
Soon enough, they were all settled at the table, Wei Wuxian having sat very close to Lan Wangji as his surefire method to make them seem like a unified front. A happily married couple. They would’ve just oozed newlywed happiness, had Lan Wangji not looked so constipated about it.
“So,” Lan Xichen said. “I realize we have not talked much, since the wedding was so fast.”
“It was, wasn’t it? Almost feels like I wasn’t there at all,” Wei Wuxian replied. “Thankfully, all the fun stuff comes after the wedding, anyway!
Lan Wangji was stiff next to him, though his brother’s eyes twinkled. “Yes, I believe that is the case. Wangji seems very satisfied.”
“Brother,” Lan Wangji said, as Wei Wuxian’s head whirled to take a look at him.
Huh . Understanding his blank face seemed to be a finely honed skill one learned in close proximity to the man, since Wei Wuxian could read nothing of him, except perhaps his current mild annoyance towards his brother.
“I am, of course, very happy for you,” Lan Xichen said. “He had been alone for so long! We older brothers do worry.”
“How is uncle?” Lan Wangji cut in, before Wei Wuxian had the time to reply. It was such an obvious diversion he couldn’t help the little snort.
“Very well. He will be pleased to hear you have adapted to marriage so finely.”
“Mm-mh, we’re truly a power couple,” Wei Wuxian agreed.
He was perhaps laying it on a little thick, but the fact that Lan Wangji was sitting next to him so rigid definitely balanced it out. What was he doing, trying to sell their wedded bliss with a face like that? It was as if he wanted to make his brother leave with extreme concerns.
“And how is your work?” Lan Wangji pushed on.
“Just fine, Wangji. And yours?”
“He works so much,” Wei Wuxian sighed dramatically. Truthfully, Lan Wangji did work pretty long days, from what he’d seen. “I barely see him around!”
“It must be tedious being here alone all day,” Lan Xichen said empathically.
“Xuanyu is applying for the academy,” Lan Wangji intoned.
“Oh?” The smile on Lan Xichen’s face seemed quite surprised. “I did not know you played an instrument.”
It occurred to Wei Wuxian that despite Lan Wangji being generally unaware of Mo Xuanyu’s anything, this might not have been the case with Lan Xichen. The man seemed like someone who would perhaps do a bit of background research about the person marrying their brother.
“I’m self-taught,” he only said, which wasn’t a lie. “Obviously I’m nowhere near as good as my dear husband, but that’s what formal education is for, isn’t it? Anyway, I hear you play too!”
“Yes, the xiao,” Lan Xichen said, but there was still something searching in his eyes. He sipped his tea. “It is good to have another flutist in the family. It is a delicate practice, is it not?”
“Right! I may not have the same fingering skills as a guqin player, but I sure do know how to blow well,” Wei Wuxian said, keeping his grin wide.
Lan Wangji stood up next to him, finally completely and utterly done, and only said frigidly, “I will make more tea.”
Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen sipped from their full cups.
“Well, I am glad to see you get along so well,” Lan Xichen stated. “Such a prosperous environment for family building.”
“Hahaha, isn’t it a bit early for that?” Wei Wuxian asked. From the corner of his eye, he could see Lan Wangji stiffening again.
Lan Xichen blinked innocently, which was definitely a sign of his secretly duplicitous nature. “Is it something you two have not considered? Do you not like children?”
“I do!” Wei Wuxian answered honestly. “I’d like a lot of them, in fact. One for each finger! Or however many my lovely husband is willing to give me.”
“Uncle would be happy for some grandnephews and -nieces.” Lan Xichen’s eyes crescented with his smile.
Wei Wuxian cleared his throat, and carefully didn’t look at Lan Wangji at all. “Is that so? Anyway, I don’t think that’s very topical for us now!”
Lan Xichen seemed to take the answer with much grace, as he continued on to other topics. The stiffness in Lan Wangji’s frame did not disappear, though, as the minutes ticked by. Wei Wuxian aimed to ignore this, and keep up the good work for both of them.
An hour later, before Lan Xichen left, he turned to Wei Wuxian with a kind smile. “Truthfully, I did not expect you to be this kind of a person.”
“Ahah, is that so?”
“I hope you do not mind me saying, but during the wedding, you truly seemed a bit more…quiet. I do not recall you smiling once.”
“Oh. Uh, I had a long day, I suppose?”
“Mn. I feel...the sort of person you are, so open and lively, it suits Wangji well. Please continue taking care of my brother.”
For a bit, Wei Wuxian felt a twinge in his chest. “Mn. Will do!”
Lan Xichen smiled.
-
“Fine, it was a bit of an overkill,” Wei Wuxian admitted, once Lan Xichen had left and Lan Wangji had turned his full glare on him. “But he definitely thinks we’re getting along well, isn’t that the most important thing?”
Lan Wangji looked at him with a blank face. “I do not understand you.”
Blinking, Wei Wuxian asked, “What do you mean?”
There was a moment when Lan Wangji seemed to only study his face, as if seeing him for the first time.
Instead of answering straightforwardly, Lan Wangji asked, “Did you mean what you said?”
“What, about the thing with the blowing? Sure. My lung capacity is admirable.”
“About wishing for a family.”
“Oh.” Wei Wuxian blinked. “Ah. Well, Lan Wangji, I realize it is not something I’m getting with you. There’s no need to get concerned about that, I just say things.”
“You say a lot of things.”
“And you say barely anything at all!” Wei Wuxian grinned to hide his confusion. “See, we’re complementing each other in that regard.”
Lan Wangji said stiffly, “Do not flirt.”
“Is that what’s got you in such a mood? It’s not like I mean any of it,” Wei Wuxian said. “It’s harmless!”
“Frivolous,” Lan Wangji snapped. “Do you treat every alpha you meet in this way?”
“Did I treat your brother like that? Isn’t he an alpha?” Wei Wuxian was pretty sure he was. “Lan Wangji, I really don’t know what you want from me.”
For a stretching, painful moment, this husband of his did nothing but stared. Then, he only said, “I want nothing from you.”
Somehow, something in Wei Wuxian felt a bit unbalanced. He kept the grin on his face still. “There you go.”
Without another word, Lan Wangji nodded and left Wei Wuxian to stand in the kitchen alone, confused and a bit bereft and wholly, completely unsure of what had just transpired.
-
The next few days went by fast, though the initial pleasantness of living with such a calm presence was somewhat gone now. Lan Wangji did not seem to want to spend a single spare moment with him. They saw each other mainly in passing – Wei Wuxian did not wake up early enough anymore to catch Lan Wangji during the morning hours, and he spent a lot of time outside the house now, anyway.
The Wen Ning guy at the cafe was fast becoming a friend for him. He spent a lot of time ordering coffee with Lan Wangji’s credit card, and a little bit out of spite, always bought the most extravagant option.
Wen Ning was a great person to hang around, truthfully. Behind the meek stutter was a truly caring sort of person, who always seemed to have the time to listen to Wei Wuxian’s chatter during and after his shift. He was working part-time, studying to become a nurse, apparently.
“My sister is a doctor,” Wen Ning explained one time. “I-I’m not as good as her, but I find that kind of work very important.”
“That’s a great type of job! You’ll be so good at it, I’m sure,” Wei Wuxian stated in a very assuring manner. Wen Ning blushed, the sweetheart.
“What about you?” he asked earnestly.
“Can’t you tell? I’m a housewife! Sweet little kept omega,” Wei Wuxian declared. “Keeping my darling husband happy is my main duty!”
So far, from what he’d learned of stereotypes about such things, omegas were apparently thought best suited for household things. Of course the reality was much different – wherever Wei Wuxian went, he saw all kinds of people working all kinds of jobs.
Wen Ning blinked at him in apparent surprise. “R-really? I didn’t think...um.”
“What?”
“It’s only that,” he started, then flushed a bit red, and shook his head. “Never mind. I shouldn’t say.”
“Come now, Wen Ning, you can’t leave me hanging like that!”
“You don’t smell like him,” Wen Ning blurted. “And you don’t have a claiming bite, so – I’m sorry! I shouldn’t say that, it’s so rude of me! I’m sorry.”
“Stop that, what are you apologizing for?” Wei Wuxian said, though he was now presented with another thing he hadn’t been aware of. What was a claiming bite? The smell thing he understood – Lan Wangji spent so little time around him, it would have been impossible for him to catch a whiff of that scent even accidentally now.
When Wen Ning still looked kind of mortified, Wei Wuxian waved his hand. “You’re right, in any case. It’s not that kind of a relationship. Besides, actually, I’m going to start studying at the academy where he teaches.”
“O-oh? That sounds amazing,” Wen Ning said, sounding actually happy for him. “Did you audition?”
“No, that part comes in a month,” Wei Wuxian said. “It’s no big deal, I just need to prepare a few songs for them.”
“I’m s-sure you’ll do great!”
Wei Wuxian smiled. “Thanks, Wen Ning. Anyway, if you ever need help with studying, let me know! I’m pretty good at that, if I say so myself!”
Seeming delighted, Wen Ning nodded.
Later that day, Wei Wuxian did a quick phone search for claiming bites, and found only more porn. This world was truly sex-obsessed, wasn’t it?
-
It was a few days later still, when Lan Wangji caught him in the middle of testing his flute that had finally arrived. He was playing a fun little tune, something carefree and melodious, when he noticed Lan Wangji standing in the open doorway.
He stopped, turning to look at the man.
There was yet again not much visible expression on Lan Wangji's face (when was there?) but his tone was sincere when he said, “You play well.”
“Mm-mh, you should hear me play something actually difficult,” Wei Wuxian said with a pleased smile. Lan Wangji’s compliments were so honest it felt way too good to hear them. “I suppose I should prepare something classical for the audition, huh?”
“Mn.”
There was a stretch of silence, which Wei Wuxian found entirely too typical nowadays. In the end, Lan Wangji spoke again, “I am leaving for a conference on Friday.”
Somehow, hearing this, Wei Wuxian felt a bit displeased. He was naturally the type of person who enjoyed company, and even Lan Wangji’s quiet presence was something to appreciate.
“Oh? Are you gone for long?”
“I will return late Sunday evening.”
“Well,” Wei Wuxian said, despite the sour taste in his mouth. “Have fun! Not too much fun, though. You’re a married man, after all!”
He topped it off with a wink. By Lan Wangji’s side, his hand seemed to twitch. Taking this certain way, Wei Wuxian immediately continued, “Or not! It’s really not any of my business, right? If you keep it discreet –“
“No,” Lan Wangji said, abruptly, and there was something like offense in his voice, frigid like Wei Wuxian had insulted him gravely.
“Right, right,” Wei Wuxian said, placating. “A vow’s a vow, whether fake or not.”
Lan Wangji’s mouth had thinned into a line as he glared at Wei Wuxian. “You would do well to remember this.”
Wei Wuxian scoffed. “Are you accusing me of something, dear husband? Honestly, if you’re so worried, you should stay around to keep watch. Who knows what happens when you leave your helpless, gullible little omega all on his own here –“
“Enough,” Lan Wangji snapped, and seemed to immediately regret his loss of temper, as he breathed out a steadying breath.
A little guiltily, Wei Wuxian flashed him an assuring smile. “I was just teasing, ah, Lan Wangji! You’re really all too serious. Besides, I’ll be way too busy practicing my playing to indulge in any illicit affairs behind my husband’s back.”
Seemingly having heard enough, Lan Wangji left him to his own devices again. It seemed spending time around Wei Wuxian any more than was necessary was too much to ask of him.
Sighing, Wei Wuxian got back to his flute playing.
-
The weekend came fast, and soon enough, Lan Wangji was giving him his curt goodbyes, his blank face entirely too handsome for the grave look in his eyes. He looked like he had wanted to say something to Wei Wuxian before leaving, but in the end, seemed to decide against it.
And then Wei Wuxian was left alone. The house felt curiously empty without Lan Wangji, all big and hollow. Wei Wuxian thought about asking Wen Ning to come over, but had to reconsider, when the thought of Lan Wangji coming back to realize he’d indeed had a strange alpha over crossed his mind.
The man had clearly very little trust in him anyway, and it wasn’t like Wei Wuxian was going to intentionally worsen that suspicion. He really didn’t know what that was about! Lan Wangji was very clear about drawing the line between them, constantly reminding him that there would never be anything between them, and that the marriage was a show for other people!
But it did make sense, too. If it ever came out that Lan Wangji was married to a cheater, it would be bad for both of them. Besides, even if Wei Wuxian thought that he himself had no right to ask after Lan Wangji’s comings and goings, it would have been going against his own morals to even consider such a thing. As long as they were married, Wei Wuxian wouldn’t even think about it.
Not that he’d even been much of a player, in any case! Wei Wuxian was friendly, was all. He was easy with his smiles and touches, and did not hesitate to flirt every now and then to get a better deal at the market or special treatment from places of service! He was just being very economical about that!
He found himself a bit sullen over the thought of Lan Wangji viewing him in this negative light. Sure, it was very funny to see Lan Wangji mad at him, but whenever that dipped into disappointment, or worse, contempt , Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but feel sulky about it.
He would’ve preferred it if Lan Wangji liked him! It would have obviously been better for their continued coexistence!
However long Lan Wangji wanted him around, Wei Wuxian would only have to make it his mission to make Lan Wangji like him. It wasn’t like Wei Wuxian was in any hurry to get out of the agreement!
So he thought very decisively that he would behave that weekend. He would make no mess, and he would cause no trouble for his husband.
The obvious conclusion was to keep himself busy. On the first day, he spent the day out at the cafe, hanging with Wen Ning. At some point, though, he started to feel a bit warm and uncomfortable, so with an off-hand comment about possibly being a bit sick, Wei Wuxian got back home.
He started practicing a piece with his flute then. The warmth in him was only getting worse, though, and by the end of the first hour, he found his entire forehead damp with sweat. At this point, he went to find some ibuprofen and a fan.
It was only after taking the painkiller and lying down on his note-sheet-filled bed that he realized something else. Between his legs, he had started dripping slick. Now, since realizing this was something that happened to him, Wei Wuxian had mostly tried to ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen whenever he got aroused. It was somehow way more difficult to ignore now.
There was a simmering heat in his belly, ever-growing. It made his thoughts a bit hazy. Like he could not focus on anything but the sensations on his suddenly sensitive skin.
Distantly, he thought about sending Lan Wangji a message, though the embarrassment of such a situation overpowered him. The whole thing had probably something to do with him being an omega, anyway. Now that he thought about it, there definitely had been some dates marked in Mo Xuanyu’s calendar for around this time. Was this about that?
He groaned a bit when he shifted against the sheets. His underwear was probably soaked by that time, clinging to his skin in an uncomfortable way.
He felt like he needed something. Very deep within he was sure he knew what it was. It was such a shameless feeling, he pressed it right back down where it attempted to form into a real thought.
The heat was the worst part of it; while Wei Wuxian could ignore his hard dick, he couldn’t very well ignore the unquenchable thirst that worsened each time another hot flash wracked through his body.
He stumbled into the kitchen with weak legs, slick dripping down his thighs, to get a glass of water. He drank, and then when that wasn’t enough, he put his whole head under the tap to get as much out of the cooling sensation as he could.
On his way back to the room, he walked past Lan Wangji’s, and came to a stuttering stop. The smell in that room was better, way better, and comforting, and something that he should definitely wrap himself around.
With barely any thought, he made his way to Lan Wangji’s bed and lay over his sheets. He was so disgustingly sweaty, but it never once crossed his mind to care about how he was going to explain this to the man himself. There would definitely be evidence of his having been there.
The warmth got worse, and the slick was just flooding out of him, and Wei Wuxian groaned against Lan Wangji’s pillow. He pressed his face against it, hands fumbling beneath his waistband. Touching the dick did nothing – touching himself lower, probing at his own hole, was enough to make him cry out in relief and embarrassment alike.
He was gasping and groaning by the time the orgasm hit him, and yet, nothing happened. His dick was still standing proud, the itch under his skin was still there, and he was so, so hot. He was thirsty, so overheated and desperate he could have done anything to stop it.
Half out of his mind, he kept going. He was working with two fingers, then three, and it was all too little, and nothing he did was enough. He’d rolled up his sweat-soaked shirt to play with his perked-up nipples, extra sensitive, and everything about it screamed ‘wrong’ to him.
The whole situation had escalated from zero to a hundred before he’d truly even realized it. The last coherent thought he recalled was the desperate wish to have Lan Wangji there to take care of him.
-
Wei Wuxian woke up, once again, in a hospital room. This time, there was no angry woman yelling at him. The lights were too bright, and he was dealing with a massive headache. His entire body felt weak. He had that iv thing connected to his arm – in movies, the heroes usually just took that off the moment they woke up. Wei Wuxian couldn’t lift his hands long enough to even make a joke attempt.
Next to him, sitting by his bed, Lan Wangji was looking at him with his serious brows furrowed, and something strange in his eyes. Wei Wuxian blinked at him.
His throat felt like it had been used to hold a piece of coal, as he said, “Hi.”
Lan Wangji’s long lashes fluttered. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been run over by a truck,” Wei Wuxian croaked. “What day is it?”
“Monday.”
Wei Wuxian frowned. Monday. His last memory was from Friday.
The more important thing was – “Lan Wangji, you have work! Am I keeping you?”
It was probably shock that flashed over Lan Wangji’s face, but that quickly settled into clear displeasure. The man said coldly, “I believe this is more important.”
“What, did I pass out again? Ha, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to give you that kind of a nasty surprise.”
For a few moments, Lan Wangji only looked at him in both disbelief and indignation. Then, with a barely steady tone, he said, “I found you unconscious and severely dehydrated in my bed. Your condition was life-threatening.”
Wei Wuxian swallowed. No wonder his throat felt dry. “Oh. I’m – sorry?”
Only getting angrier, Lan Wangji’s breath came out as a huff, a sudden, sharp noise. Instead of yelling, the man only closed his eyes for a moment. Then, when he opened them again, the look in them was something Wei Wuxian did not recognize.
The man only asked, “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you stop taking your suppressants?” Lan Wangji asked. Then, in a way that would have been stumbling over the words with any other person, he continued, “Did you mean to…?”
Wei Wuxian stared until the implication hit him. “No! No, no, Lan Wangji, I didn’t – I didn’t know I had those, I didn’t know I was supposed to take something to stop – uh, that, from happening!”
As if trying to decipher whether he was telling the truth, Lan Wangji only stared at him. Then, his eyes dropped.
“When you first felt it, why did you not contact me?”
Seeing the displeasure, the worry in the stiff lines of Lan Wangji’s frame, Wei Wuxian truly felt terrible. He had not meant to be this big a weight for Lan Wangji. To have to witness such a thing after a long trip must have been terrible.
He tried clearing his throat before he spoke, quietly, “Lan Wangji. I do not know what happened just then. I didn’t know I had suppressants, and I didn’t know I should tell anyone about it when I got...like that.”
Lan Wangji only looked at him, completely unreadable.
“My name is Wei Wuxian. Not Mo Xuanyu. I don’t know what’s going on half of the time,” Wei Wuxian stated. “Ever since I woke up the last time in a hospital, it’s just been me here in this body. And I’m not Mo Xuanyu.”
For the first time, it seemed like Lan Wangji was listening to him in this. The man's stare was heavy, considering.
“I don’t think Mo Xuanyu ever played the dizi,” Wei Wuxian said. “You can go and ask. I know many things that Mo Xuanyu probably didn’t and very little about what he probably did.”
Lan Wangji had heard him play, and no matter how good a person was at picking up a skill, they couldn’t play like that after only just having bought a flute. And someone would have surely heard him practice back home, even if he’d been self-taught!
It had to be some sort of a compelling argument for Lan Wangji, as the man’s gaze dropped again. He was probably thinking about the past weeks, the behavior he’d seen from Wei Wuxian. How different he was from the original goods.
“Wei Wuxian,” Lan Wangji said, after a long silence. The name sounded good, spoken in his deep voice.
“Well, you can call me Wei Ying, I think,” Wei Wuxian said, his smile turning a bit playful. “We’re married and all that, after all.”
He half-expected Lan Wangji to refuse, but the man surprised him, and instead offered, “Then you may call me Lan Zhan.”
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian said immediately, and something deep in him was very delighted.
“Then, if you are Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said, “Who is Wei Ying?”
“Legally dead in my original world, I believe,” Wei Wuxian mused. “It was an accident. Honestly, the more I try to think about my last life, now, the blurrier it all gets. I have my skills and personality but it gets harder and harder trying to remember how I got them.”
“…” Lan Wangji’s brows were furrowed. “And where is Mo Xuanyu?”
“I’m pretty sure he transmigrated somewhere else,” Wei Wuxian said. “There were a lot of theories in my original world, and that seemed to be the most –“
“I see we are awake,” came a female voice from the door, cutting him off. A beautiful, serious-looking woman stood there in her white coat. “Good morning, Mr. Mo. I can see that you are well enough to have conversations.”
“Really well,” Wei Wuxian said as if he still didn’t feel weak enough to stay in that hospital bed for a week.
The doctor clicked her tongue. “You should thank your husband for acting fast. That was a near call. You could have had severe after effects, had you been in that state any longer.”
Wei Wuxian nodded seriously. The lady was a bit scary, wasn’t she? Especially using that dry tone.
“Thank you, husband,” Wei Wuxian told Lan Zhan, who only nodded. He didn’t even seem annoyed about the ‘husband’.
“Now, with a couple of days of treatment, you should be fine,” the doctor said. “We obviously need to do a psychological evaluation.”
“What? Why?”
“Your husband told us that you have not been taking your antidepressants,” the doctor stated. “That added to the fact that you did not seek out help during the first signs of the incoming heat seems, all things considered, serious.”
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian whined. “I can’t believe you snitched on me!”
“He is rightfully worried for you,” the doctor said.
“Can’t we have a marital quarrel in peace, Doctor…?”
“Wen Qing,” the woman said, and Wei Wuxian’s mouth fell open.
“No way! Are you Wen Ning’s sister? What a coincidence!”
The woman blinked at him, clearly surprised. She then frowned down at his file. “A-Ning has not mentioned anyone called Mo Xuanyu.”
“Has he talked about Wei Wuxian?” he asked eagerly.
She raised his eyebrows at him, and then checked the name from the file again. “Did you introduce yourself to my brother using a fake name?”
Ah, right. Wei Wuxian’s smile turned a bit awkward. “Ahah, no, no, I’m in the process of changing it. Difficult family situation, you know?”
She nodded, though her eyes were a bit narrowed. Then, she only said, “Well, you seem to be fine. I will be coming back with a psychologist later.”
“Sure thing! Nice to have met you, Wen Qing!”
She gave him a look before disappearing out of the room.
Next to him, Lan Zhan was staring silently, and something was clearly off about his demeanor.
“What?” Wei Wuxian asked.
Lan Zhan took a moment before he gave a question in reply. “Who is Wen Ning?”
He couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. Had he never really mentioned him to Lan Zhan? Perhaps not. Lan Zhan had been avoiding him for a while, after all.
“Ah, Wen Ning! I met him at the cafe you recommended. He’s a really great guy! Very shy, but very nice!” Wei Wuxian gushed immediately.
Lan Zhan did not look too happy about it. He only said, “The barista?”
“Yes, him! He’s working as a part-timer,” Wei Wuxian said.
“I see,” Lan Zhan replied.
There was a somewhat awkward pause, when Lan Zhan looked like he might have wanted to say something more. In the end, though the man only let out another sigh-like exhale, before saying, “You should rest. Do not speak needlessly.”
Wei Wuxian huffed. “My voice sounds pretty bad, huh? Tell you what, I’ll take a nap if you stay right here and make sure Wen Ning’s sister doesn’t come and strangle me in my sleep.”
“Mn.”
So Wei Wuxian let his lids slide shut, and for a while, felt only happy that he had finally gotten through to Lan Zhan.
-
“So,” Wei Wuxian said, very casually. “What’s with this heat stuff, huh?”
Lan Zhan froze in place, where he was making them the first meal back home after two excruciatingly boring days spent at the hospital, where Wei Wuxian in turn just slept and basked in Lan Zhan attention.
The man had taken a week off from work, despite Wei Wuxian’s adamant protests. Secretly, he was a little happy about that. He was clearly growing on Lan Zhan.
Now, the man looked so uncomfortable he might’ve combusted. Wei Wuxian fed the fire, “I mean, it’s apparently something that happens regularly. I think I should know about that.”
“Why did you not ask Doctor Wen?”
“She’s a lady! How embarrassing would that have been? Besides, I definitely wouldn’t have passed the psych evaluation then, not knowing such common things,” Wei Wuxian argued. “Come now, husband. Explain to your wife the birds and the bees.”
It was hilarious how red Lan Zhan’s ears turned while his face stayed passive. “There are books.”
“I’m asking you. Lan Zhan, don’t tell me you are this prudish about it? Aren’t we both adults? Surely my husband is mature enough to explain to me why I was suddenly wet enough to soak through my underwear.”
“Wei Ying!” Lan Zhan hissed.
Wei Wuxian laughed. “Hahaha, fine, fine, I won’t use such crass language. Just tell me how often that happens and what I should do then.”
“Once every three months,” Lan Zhan said stiltedly. “Please inform me, so as to prevent this from happening again. I will provide you with the necessary items.”
“I don’t get how I won’t be ending up in a hospital again,” Wei Wuxian mused. “Unless you make me drink while I’m like – that.”
“...Usually, the heat is not so overwhelming.” Lan Zhan kept his gaze pointedly away from him. “The one after stopping suppressants is particularly harsh, I have heard. You should not lose consciousness.”
“Great,” Wei Wuxian said. “Well, as long as I don’t have to worry about that, we’re good!”
“Mn.” Then, after a pause, “I asked about the flute playing. Mo Xuanyu has never played an instrument.”
Wei Wuxian perked up. “You believe me, then?”
Stopping the steady motion of cutting the carrots, Lan Zhan turned to him. “Mn.”
“Well, I’m glad. I do like to be called by my own name, you know,” Wei Wuxian said. “What are you telling your family?”
“The truth,” Lan Zhan said, continuing his meal preparations. “...To my brother.”
“Oh, we’re making an exception with Lan Qiren? That’s alright, I trust your judgment! I don’t think too many people need to know about this,” Wei Wuxian agreed. “We don’t want me to end up as a lab rat.”
“Doubtful.”
“Haha, yeah, they’d probably just do another psych evaluation,” Wei Wuxian said. “Hey, I would’ve told you about it sooner. Especially if this had been a real marriage.”
Truthfully, it just hadn’t felt like anyone had missed Mo Xuanyu. And what Wei Wuxian had witnessed in the past weeks, this was an unfortunate fact. None of Mo Xuanyu’s family members had reached out, and the guy didn’t seem to have any friends, either.
Lan Zhan, ever so steady, replied only, “I know.”
“Good! And it’s not like I have been pretending to be anyone else, either,” Wei Wuxian stated. “You’ve been around fully organic, hundred percent real Wei Wuxian the whole time. I was taller before, though, so keep that in mind!”
“Why?”
“Well, I don’t want you to think about Mo Xuanyu when you look at me.”
“I do not.”
Wei Wuxian let out an interested noise, a bit surprised.
A little delayed, Lan Zhan continued, “Your mannerisms and expressions are different. The way you speak. Your scent.”
Right, Lan Zhan had mentioned that before. Him and his spicy scent. It probably made sense, that Wei Wuxian would move this body differently as well. He was a confident person, and took space easily. From what he’d gathered, Mo Xuanyu had been the meek, quiet type.
“Hahaha, I suppose I can’t really be anyone but me, even in a different body,” Wei Wuxian reasoned.
Lan Zhan hummed. Before the heat debacle, there had been lingering tension in him, something barely noticeable but there nonetheless. Now, Wei Wuxian was relieved to notice it had eased away.
Honestly, Wei Wuxian couldn’t have been more glad about getting to transmigrate here. Who wouldn’t want to hang around such a specimen? Lan Zhan was such a good cook, too. Wei Wuxian had mentioned his preference for spice, and the man had bought him chili oil. So thoughtful!
Lan Zhan put the cut carrot pieces in the pan, then took a spatula from where it was neatly hanging with other kitchen utensils. Wei Wuxian watched him, a thought he’d been mulling over for the past few days simmering in his mind.
“Lan Zhan,” he said, and when the man glanced at him, he continued, “I wondered…since I’m really not Mo Xuanyu, are you still fine being like this?”
The spatula stopped an inch above the pan. “Your meaning?”
“I mean, I would get it if you wanted to divorce, now,” Wei Wuxian said, with way more bravery than he felt. If Lan Zhan decided to kick him out now, he wasn’t sure what he would do.
There was a moment of silence, when only the sizzling of the oil in the pan could be heard. Then, Lan Wangji replied, “I have not changed my mind.”
“Oh,” Wei Wuxian said, relaxing. “Good. I mean, Wen Ning would probably lend me his couch if it came to that, but I’m really enjoying this arrangement.”
“No need,” Lan Zhan said, and it came out a bit sharp. Then, slightly more steady, “You may stay. As long as you want.”
Something warm pooled in the bottom of Wei Wuxian’s stomach. Such a good man, his Lan Zhan! The grin was already on his face before he fully realized it. “Ah, Lan Zhan, don’t you know it’s dangerous to say things like that? You know, I could very well abuse your benevolence and stay forever.”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan replied, unbothered. “Then stay.”
And now Wei Wuxian was blushing, too. He wanted to groan, but instead he only rubbed his hands against his cheeks to stop the silly little grin. He didn’t want to annoy Lan Zhan too much, after all. If he was planning to stay here forever.
-
It got easier after that, between them. Wei Wuxian practiced his playing, and Lan Zhan even joined him sometimes with his guqin. Whenever he lied on the living room floor and tinkered with something, the other would inevitably show up to do his own thing there, and Wei Wuxian couldn’t very well leave him alone about it, now could he? Wei Wuxian didn’t know what exactly had changed between them, but it felt as if Lan Zhan was way more tolerant towards him now.
There was none of the avoidance from before, and very little of the annoyance. Lan Zhan was Lan Zhan, after all – it couldn’t be helped that sometimes he frowned at Wei Wuxian’s shameless comments, or threw a rule at him when he misbehaved. But overall, the atmosphere in the house got more relaxed.
They hadn’t really spent time together like that before, so Wei Wuxian took it on himself to specifically do things with just the two of them. Lan Zhan wasn’t even too hard to wheedle into it, now. He only refused when there was an actual reason for it, such as grading, or if he felt Wei Wuxian hadn’t practiced enough to his liking.
One day, Wei Wuxian managed to drag Lan Zhan out with him to the movies, which was an experience in and of itself, because the whole alpha-omega thing was definitely played up in the film they watched. The alpha was the strongest, most handsome, most aggressive man, and the omega the tiniest, most innocent waif.
Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but constantly whisper Lan Zhan his thoughts on the movie as they sat in the dark room. He couldn’t stop, even when Lan Zhan stopped replying with ‘ Wei Ying, be quiet' and just didn’t react at all.
When things heated up on the screen, Wei Wuxian whispered, “Lan Zhan, is that what it’s like with a mated couple? I don’t think my heat was like that at all!”
Lan Zhan looked like he was suffering greatly.
“Really, how come she’s so willing to go to bed with him now? Didn’t she just hate him? This is very unrealistic!”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan hissed.
“What, the alpha’s in heat now too? No, wait – Lan Zhan, what’s a rut?”
At that point, Lan Zhan put his hand under Wei Wuxian’s chin, so he could not open his mouth without bending his head back, which would have made watching the movie very hard. Wei Wuxian accepted his fate, and from then on did not open his mouth.
He did glance Lan Zhan’s way a lot, to see his reactions. There weren’t many, but sometimes Lan Zhan met his eyes, and one time, he was already looking at Wei Wuxian when he turned. It made Wei Wuxian feel a little strange inside.
He tried to bring up the rut thing later, when they were at a restaurant near the cinema, but Lan Zhan only stated curtly that it was a public establishment and such discussions should be left in the privacy of their home.
“So you’re going to explain it to me once we get back?” Wei Wuxian asked, fully knowing Lan Zhan would do his utmost to escape him once they were left alone.
Lan Zhan did not reply, because lying was forbidden, too. Wei Wuxian laughed. Such a ridiculous man.
“Fine, pretend you don’t hear me,” he said. “I’m going to ask Wen Ning, then.”
As expected, Lan Zhan’s demeanor changed immediately. “Do not.”
“He never calls me shameless,” Wei Wuxian stated primly. “In fact, he thinks I’m very charming.”
“Does he,” Lan Zhan asked tonelessly, and the look in his eyes was extremely cold.
“Well, he hasn’t said it, but I think it’s obvious. I can be very charming when I want, Lan Zhan. You should really take notice of that, too.”
“Why?”
“For a prosperous marriage,” Wei Wuxian declared. “Spouses are supposed to notice each other’s good qualities, you know! For example, I always admire how handsome my husband is, how well he plays his guqin, how dutifully he does his work –“
Lan Zhan was saved from listening to him list more, as the waiter arrived with their food. And then Lan Zhan didn’t even have to reply, because he didn’t talk while eating. Wei Wuxian’s attention was on the dishes before them, and his chatter reflected that. The rut thing was, momentarily, forgotten.
Later, when they got back home and Lan Zhan predictably escaped to his own room, Wei Wuxian made a search for rut on his phone. He got porn again, but this time he clicked it. Fascinated, he watched an alpha aggressively toss around his little omega, and then fuck him as if his life depended on it.
So! Wei Wuxian was pretty sure this was all some nonsense he wouldn’t have to worry about, because he was considering doing that suppressant thing that Mo Xuanyu was doing, and when Lan Zhan had his rut, Wei Wuxian would just…
He blanked on that. A ridiculous option crossed his mind, but he shamefully discarded it very quickly. He would stay out of the way, of course!
-
When Wen Ning asked him to hang out with his group of friends, Wei Wuxian was delighted. He liked people, and truthfully, Lan Zhan’s social circle wasn’t big enough for him to start familiarizing himself with anyone. Lan Zhan knew about three people, most of whom were related to him.
Wei Wuxian asked Lan Zhan to join him on this outing, but Lan Zhan informed him he had work to do, and then didn’t even sound sad about it. Wei Wuxian had a lingering feeling that he didn’t very much like Wen Ning, for one reason or another. Perhaps the poor man had once screwed up Lan Zhan’s coffee. It was impossible to know for sure.
Lan Zhan had scented him, though, without much of an explanation. He’d all of a sudden caught Wei Wuxian’s wrist in his hand and only after doing that, did he seem satisfied letting Wei Wuxian leave. Perhaps it was very important to him they keep up the ruse in front of strangers. Wei Wuxian wouldn’t complain.
Anyway, when Wei Wuxian showed up at Wen Ning’s house, he was greeted by multiple friendly faces. Well, and Wen Qing, who was looking at him still with the same suspicion as she had in the hospital.
“Thank you for coming!” Wen Ning said, smiling genuinely, and then started introducing people to him.
Mianmian was a pretty lady who scoffed at his Yuandao joke, but next to him, a really nice-looking girl laughed. She was called Jiang Yanli, and she was probably the friendliest person in the room, and that was saying a lot because Wen Ning was also there.
He told her this, which made Wen Qing roll her eyes. “Aren’t you married? What does Lan Wangji think about you going around flirting with people?”
“Can’t I tell a compliment?” Wei Wuxian whined, dramatically flopping on the couch next to Jiang Yanli for her entertainment. “Besides, Lan Zhan really doesn’t care!”
The others exchanged a look, which Wei Wuxian almost missed. He straightened up into a sitting position. “What?”
“I mean,” Mianmian said, her eyebrows raised. “He scented you pretty heavily. Even the densest person wouldn’t miss the fact that you’re clearly taken.”
Right, Lan Zhan had scented him. It figured he was in this, like in everything else, especially careful and meticulous. Wei Wuxian was probably wearing two wedding ring’s worth of pheromone commitment on him right now.
“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do if you’re married?” Wei Wuxian asked. He knew that Jiang Yanli was married, at the very least. She had one of those bite marks on her neck, and there was a hint of peony in her scent.
The girls looked at him like he was particularly stupid, but Wen Ning rushed to assure him it was indeed how some people did it.
“There you go! Just a regular marriage between me and Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian stated. “Who doesn’t mind me flirting at all. Even though we’re happily married! Did that answer your question?”
Wen Qing sighed, but then the conversation turned easily into other things. Everyone of course wanted to hear more about Wei Wuxian, and he gladly told them the basics. He was married to Lan Zhan, he was going to be studying at the academy where Lan Zhan taught, he usually spent his days now hanging with Lan Zhan.
Mianmian was seeing some nice beta guy, apparently, so the topic shifted first to that, and then to Jiang Yanli’s and his husband’s baby plans, and then to Wen Ning’s studies, and then to so many other things Wei Wuxian was sure that, by the end of the night, he knew most of the important things going on in their lives.
When he got back home, Lan Zhan welcomed him with a cup of tea, and when he recounted how nice the evening had been, the man seemed to only be pleased about it. It crossed Wei Wuxian’s mind absently, that Lan Zhan had scented him again at the door with a slight passing touch, but the thought faded as soon as it had appeared.
-
“There is no need to be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” Wei Wuxian said. “I’m not! It’s just that you never mentioned that your uncle would be one of the people who decide whether I’m good enough to get in!”
“He is not,” Lan Zhan stated calmly. “That would be highly unethical.”
“He’s in the room! They’re going to look at him, and then they’re going to see him do that deep frown, and then I’m going to have to apply to some other place because he clearly doesn’t like me!”
Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan had visited the guy for the first time last week, and he’d immediately made an unforgettable impression by jokingly saying some fun things to Lan Zhan at the front door where he hadn’t noticed the door had already opened, until Lan Qiren had spluttered in outrage and shouted “shameless!” at him.
What had followed was a terribly awkward hour of Wei Wuxian attempting to make small talk, Lan Zhan doing nothing but staring at his teacup in silence and Lan Qiren glaring at the wall behind him.
“Improbable,” Lan Zhan only said.
“Yes, well, you were in the bathroom when he gave me a lecture about respecting one’s elders, and about how making tasteless jokes about convincing one’s husband’s uncle about the strength of their relationship by having intercourse on said uncle’s table was completely –“
“Wei Ying.”
“Lan Zhan, aren’t you supposed to comfort me? I don’t expect you to give me a kiss for encouragement, but as your friend – we’re friends, right, Lan Zhan ?– you should definitely offer a word or two in consolidation,” Wei Wuxian argued. “See how terrified I am? Nervous, like you said!”
Lan Zhan sighed. “You will do well.”
Truthfully, fishing compliments out of Lan Zhan was much easier nowadays. Wei Wuxian really wasn’t nervous, but it still felt good to hear it. In thanks, he gave Lan Zhan a bright smile.
“There you go, all supportive! Lan Zhan, tell me, are you certain I’m going to get in?”
“Mn.”
Another flash of warmth inside of him. Lan Zhan had a tendency to say things in earnest, without a hint of sarcasm, so Wei Wuxian couldn’t have felt any more assured even if he’d tried.
He leaned a little closer to his husband, and one of the other people waiting for their audition gave them an embarrassed look.
“Ahaha, is that so? Hm, my husband seems confident in me! What if I changed my mind about that kiss? Shouldn’t you go all in, now that it’s such a serious situation and all?”
“First, do something to earn it,” Lan Zhan said, and then immediately froze, as he realized what had left his mouth. Wei Wuxian’s breath got stuck in his throat, a little strangled.
Clearly not willing to hear Wei Wuxian’s answer, the man only added, “I will come to pick you up after it is over.”
He then made quite a hasty retreat for someone not willing to take even one fast step. Wei Wuxian was left there, dumbfounded, and feeling a little bit like he was going to start laughing hysterically. This man! Saying such shameless things with a straight face like that!
Thankfully Wei Wuxian had very little time to start thinking further on it, as he was called in. Now, with a little bit of nervous excitement coursing through him, he made his way to the door. And if that feeling had very little to do with the audition itself, it was for only himself to know.
Afterward, when Wei Wuxian was recounting the experience to Lan Zhan, the man did not pull him into a passionate kiss even though by all appearances, it had gone very well. The Lans had been very serious and Lan-like, but Wei Wuxian had made no mistakes!
“Mn. You will get in,” was the only thing Lan Zhan told him, and then didn’t kiss him at all. Which was just fine! They had an agreement. And if one day Wei Wuxian wanted a kiss from Lan Wangji, well, he only had to earn it.
-
As well as they got along, a week after the audition, Wei Wuxian started noticing Lan Zhan acting a little strange. It was mostly about small things; a lingering look here, an aborted movement there. Wei Wuxian would lean over Lan Zhan’s shoulder when he cooked, and Lan Zhan would freeze completely.
Once, when Lan Zhan passed him in the living room, their arms touched, and Wei Wuxian could notice the smallest shiver coursing through the man’s body. He then of course had to insist on checking if Lan Zhan was sick, and he did feel a bit warm, but the man only told him he was fine and there was no need for Wei Wuxian to keep holding his forehead or patting his cheeks.
“I’m just worried! What will I do if you get sick? I’ve never taken care of a patient before, what if I do it wrong? Lan Zhan, you have to teach me how to tend to you as attentively as you did to me when I was in the hospital!”
Lan Zhan only sighed at him.
It was also pretty tough not to notice how touchy Lan Zhan had suddenly become. It wasn’t any kind of regular physicality, where a friend might tap you on the shoulder or give you a hug. Lan Zhan’s touches were as fleeting as they were sudden and always left Wei Wuxian feeling a bit light-headed.
Before Wei Wuxian left the house, Lan Zhan took him by the wrist to scent him, and when they were in public together, the man’s hand sometimes appeared on his waist to steer him in another direction. Once, Lan Zhan swiped a piece of food from the corner of his mouth, and Wei Wuxian’s head turned empty for a few long seconds.
Lan Zhan’s eyes seemed a bit dark, sometimes, when he watched him. It was not a familiar look on that face, and Wei Wuxian had lived with him for quite a while already. There was a strange thrill to it, whenever it happened.
And then there was the hallway incident.
One day, after coming home from an outing with Jiang Yanli, Wei Wuxian immediately went to Lan Zhan’s door to share all the fun news. He didn’t manage to even knock when Lan Zhan’s shadow fell over him.
“Oh, I thought you were in –“ Wei Wuxian said, turning around to the man, and the rest of his sentence evaporated from his head.
Lan Zhan was shirtless. And pantless. Only wrapped in one of his fancy, fluffy towels, fresh out of the shower, and smelling like soap and sandalwood.
There was no way Lan Zhan didn’t work out, was the first thought passing Wei Wuxian’s mind. There were a lot of muscles at a biting distance from Wei Wuxian’s face. Lan Zhan was built. And a little damp, still, from the shower.
How did he manage to hide those pecs under his boring cashmere shirts? And those arms? They looked like it would take no effort for Lan Zhan to pick people up and press them against the wall. Well, not people. A person. And then hold them there, for a while.
“Wei Ying,” the man himself said, as Wei Wuxian’s eyes dipped lower. That was a dick print. A big dick print. Wei Wuxian was suddenly certain he was going to die.
“What’s up?” he squeaked, still looking at the outline of the biggest dick he had ever seen outside of porn. And Wei Wuxian didn’t really watch a lot of porn, except for when he had to search for unfamiliar terms he came across in this world.
“…” Lan Zhan was standing so close Wei Wuxian could notice something changing in the way he stood, the posture drawing in a bit. “You are in the way.”
Finally, Wei Wuxian managed to meet his eyes. Immediately he felt like that had been the wrong choice. There was something dark and heady in Lan Zhan’s gaze, his pupils blown.
Wei Wuxian swallowed dryly. “Just wanted to say hi.”
Lan Zhan did not reply, and only kept staring at him with the same intensity.
“And – now I’ve said it. Hi. Let’s talk after you’ve got all of this – “ Wei Wuxian waved a hand over the general area of Lan Zhan’s...everything, “– covered.”
Lan Zhan’s eyes had slid down to Wei Wuxian’s mouth, the one that was still somehow working after the clear aneurysm the whole situation had caused him.
He still wasn’t moving. Why wasn’t he moving? Lan Zhan was also just...standing there. So close to him.
Then the man reached out a hand, not breaking eye contact, and took Wei Wuxian by the wrist. There was no way he wasn’t now aware of the embarrassing state of Wei Wuxian’s pulse. Lan Zhan’s fingers were strong as he pulled Wei Wuxian out of the way, and then didn’t immediately let go of him. The hold on the wrist stayed for five long seconds, before Lan Zhan’s grip loosened.
The spell having finally been broken, Lan Zhan went into his room and closed the door with a soft click. Wei Wuxian hurried into his own room, trying very hard not to think about silly things like dick prints or muscles or the devastating darkness of Lan Zhan’s eyes.
-
When the next day Lan Zhan scented him by putting that strong hand on his neck, Wei Wuxian had to broach the topic. Well, at first he squawked and jumped in place, and then pointed an accusing finger toward Lan Zhan in chastisement.
“You can’t do that from behind! I almost died of fright, is that what you’re trying to do?” He asked as Lan Zhan only watched him. “Where are your manners, Lan Zhan, ah? Aren’t you supposed to be the polite one of us?”
Before Lan Zhan had the time to so much as defend himself (he didn’t look like he was going to), Wei Wuxian continued, “This is about that whole rut thing, isn’t it? You’re getting pretty handsy with me, husband!”
This, it seemed, caused a reaction. Extremely minimal, obviously, as it was still Lan Zhan, but the effect was clearly still there. The man took a whole step back, turning his face away. “My apologies.”
“What are you apologizing for? Did I apologize about that heat thing, huh?”
Lan Zhan glanced at him. “You did.”
“Well, I – that was because I was bothering you, not because it was happening! I wouldn’t apologize for it happening,” Wei Wuxian defended. “Lan Zhan, are you going to –“
“No,” the man said immediately.
Wei Wuxian squinted. “Wait until I ask the question! You’re having a...a rut thing going on! Aren’t you supposed to do something about that?”
What followed was a short silence, where Lan Zhan still only looked at the wall. It was obvious, now that Wei Wuxian really looked at him. The way he held his body tight and strained, and how dark his eyes had seemed lately. Like in that one video, where the alpha was extremely aggressive. Was Lan Zhan going to become aggressive?
The thought should have probably concerned Wei Wuxian. He ignored the slow pooling of heat in his lower stomach.
“In a few days,” Lan Zhan said curtly. “You need not worry.”
Wei Wuxian immediately objected, “I’m not worried! What would I be worried about? It’s not going to be like with me, is it? You’re not going to end up in the hospital?”
“No.”
“So what’s going to happen then?” Wei Wuxian asked. He had an image of Lan Zhan stuck in his room for days, not leaving until the whole thing was done and dealt with. It sounded like something Lan Zhan would do, suffering through it on his own with a stiff upper lip and a straight back.
It was impossible to imagine Lan Zhan desperate the way Wei Wuxian had been. It wouldn’t be like that anyway, would it? Lan Zhan probably had a different kind of need from what Wei Wuxian had experienced. Something that could be satisfied with a good cocksleeve.
“I will leave,” Lan Zhan stated.
For some reason, the thought made Wei Wuxian’s stomach drop a bit. “You don’t have to do that! It’s your house, isn’t it?”
“It is fine.” The tone was controlled, steady. “I have a place booked.”
“A place? Where they…” Wei Wuxian was trying to find words that would not make Lan Zhan glare at him and walk off. “…help you…with that?”
“No,” Lan Zhan said immediately. “There is no need for help. Only a room.”
“A room,” Wei Wuxian said. “You know, I have friends here. I can borrow a couch.”
Eyes narrowing, Lan Zhan turned to him. “Whose?”
Wen Ning’s name was already on his tongue, but he figured that wouldn’t fly over well right now when Lan Zhan was already clearly feeling heated. Wei Wuxian had concluded it was probably a propriety thing; Wei Wuxian was officially married, and Wen Ning was an unmarried alpha. Lan Zhan was pretty particular about that stuff.
So instead he said, “Jiang Yanli’s! She was here for tea the other day. The married omega lady?”
Despite this, Lan Zhan only shook his head. “There is no need.”
“Ah, Lan Zhan, I really don’t want to drive you away from your own home,” Wei Wuxian sighed. “Is that what you were planning to do for the entire marriage? Have Mo Xuanyu on suppressants and then sneak away for your own turn?”
Lan Zhan didn’t reply, but the look on his face told Wei Wuxian everything he needed to know.
The thought truly did bother him. Didn’t Lan Zhan deserve the privacy and comfort of his own home? Especially when he had to be in such a vulnerable position? What if someone stumbled in when Lan Zhan was like that, and took advantage? Lan Zhan was so handsome he turned heads on the street! Anyone would surely jump at the opportunity to sleep with him!
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian whined. “You shouldn’t have to be the one leaving!”
“Neither should you.”
Licking his lips, Wei Wuxian voiced the third option, “And I would have to?”
It wasn’t like Wei Wuxian would be weird about it! He could put his headphones on and just ignore the whole thing, not thinking at all about what Lan Zhan would be doing one wall away from him. He would be normal about it!
It didn’t seem Lan Zhan thought about it so simply, though, as the man’s look was suddenly almost wild. “You wish to stay?”
Ah. Wei Wuxian could feel the heat rising up to his cheeks. “I didn’t mean like that! I could just stay in my room while you stayed in your room!”
For a moment, Lan Zhan closed his eyes. It looked like he was collecting himself, before opening them again and stating, “It would not be safe.”
“Oh,” Wei Wuxian said. “Would you…I mean, is there a possibility you would –“
“No,” Lan Zhan said immediately. “But staying in close proximity could trigger your heat.”
The image of that – the two of them both out of their minds, so close to each other – made Wei Wuxian’s brain turn off for a bit. That situation would likely escalate to directions Lan Zhan definitely wasn’t comfortable with.
“Ah, ahah, I see,” Wei Wuxian said, and then quickly added, “I wasn’t doubting your restraint! I was just –“
“I know.” Lan Zhan nodded. “I will leave.”
So Wei Wuxian nodded his agreement. There was no way he was going to convince Lan Zhan to stay, with or without Wei Wuxian there, so the conversation was all but done.
-
A few days later, Lan Zhan left. Again, Wei Wuxian was faced with the emptiness of the house, and how lifeless it felt without Lan Zhan in it.
Truthfully, it wasn’t even the house. It was Wei Wuxian himself. As days passed, he’d grown accustomed to this new life around him. Waking up and having breakfast in Lan Zhan’s calm company, the little moments of shared music, the easy companionship, the scenting. It was now the new familiar to him, and without Lan Zhan, he felt a bit bereft.
To ease his terrible boredom, he went to bother Wen Ning to his apartment and bemoaned his heart-wrenching loneliness to one of the two people who had the patience for that. Jiang Yanli was otherwise occupied though, and besides, Wen Ning was the only other person aware of his and Lan Zhan’s actual situation.
“– and I just think it’s really unfair,” Wei Wuxian sighed. “I got to stay in my own bed!”
Well, Lan Zhan’s bed. It had smelled right. He wondered if his husband was out there thinking about how off-putting his rented room was.
Wen Ning hummed at him in a strange way, not meeting his eyes, which made Wei Wuxian perk up and turn to him fully.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, nothing,” the man said, still looking somewhere else.
“Wen Ning! Are we keeping secrets from each other? Can’t we talk plainly? Out with it!”
“I-it’s only that,” Wen Ning said, a little hesitant. “Is that really the thing that’s bothering you?”
Wei Wuxian stared at him blankly.
“That he doesn’t get to be in the house,” Wen Ning continued. “Many people do that. Rent a place for their rut or heat, I mean.”
“I know! It’s just – Lan Zhan should get to be comfortable,” Wei Wuxian said, still not really understanding what Wen Ning was hinting at. What else was there, really?
Wen Ning made the sound again, and Wei Wuxian groaned loudly. “What? What is it?”
“I-I’m only just wondering if maybe,” Wen Ning said, sounding extremely awkward, “you would have liked for him to s-stay. You know. With you.”
Wei Wuxian blinked. “With me?”
“Through the rut,” Wen Ning clarified, and looked so red it was impossible for Wei Wuxian to not blush as well.
What, was Wen Ning implying Wei Wuxian wanted to be the one to help Lan Zhan out with it? To be there for Lan Zhan to – to –
“Wen Ning!” He whined. “It’s not like that with us! You know that!”
“I know about your agreement,” Wen Ning said. “But sometimes feelings can change.”
Face matching his red shirt, Wei Wuxian immediately protested, “Lan Zhan doesn’t see me like that! He just needs to keep up the appearances for his family!”
“If you say so,” Wen Ning said.
“I do say so!”
The silence that followed was an awkward one. Wei Wuxian was trying very hard to will the blush away from his face. Wasn’t he a shameless person? What was it with this ridiculous reaction?
“I just thought it was something to consider,” Wen Ning said then, very gently. “You care about each other, don’t you?”
“Well, yes,” Wei Wuxian agreed.
They did, right? Wei Wuxian did, at least. He liked seeing Lan Zhan daily, and he liked being the person who Lan Zhan took by the wrist and scented. But his position here had been made very clear, and it wasn’t like he was going to get greedy and ask for more!
Lan Zhan had been so good to him in so many ways already. Giving him a place to stay, buying him necessities, allowing Wei Wuxian to invade his space, and even encouraging him in the mission to become a productive member of society by applying to the academy.
It had not fazed the man to know that the original person he’d made the deal with was no longer there, and in his place was Wei Wuxian. Lan Zhan was such a steady presence, someone that Wei Wuxian could not recall ever having met in either of these lives, and he was just so good that for Wei Wuxian to start having thoughts that could put the whole thing in jeopardy felt too risky to even consider.
So what if Wei Wuxian was desperately attracted to him? Everyone was! It was Lan Zhan! And he was already married to the guy, so wasn’t that already fine?
Even if Wei Wuxian would have liked to keep waking up next to him each morning for the rest of his life didn’t mean that Lan Zhan did! They’d gotten closer already, and surely Lan Zhan would have mentioned it if he thought changing the arrangement for something real was an option.
“He’s scenting you a lot nowadays,” Wen Ning added when Wei Wuxian took his time to respond.
He waved his hand. “That comes with the whole marriage thing. He’s more comfortable with me now, so he does it more.”
Wen Ning was quiet again, so Wei Wuxian dug the hole he was just that much deeper by asking, “What?”
“You are only mentioning how you think he feels,” the man said. “Don’t your own feelings matter at all?”
“Of course they do,” Wei Wuxian said. Because they did!
Currently, his feelings were quite obvious, in fact. Sometimes one had to be realistic about that sort of stuff. After all, what were his options here? To ask Lan Wangji for more, and then what? The possible rejection would not only involve hurt feelings. It would make them question the arrangement, the possible implications of staying together when one of them had feelings like that.
“I’m just being pragmatic about it, is all. It’s not like I’m going to die if…if we continue like this. It’s really quite good this way!”
Wen Ning’s look was almost pitying now.
“Anyway, let’s talk about something else,” Wei Wuxian said then, because the conversation was going to make him lose his mind if it continued any longer. “How’s your sister? Is she still mad at me for the name thing? I got it officially changed, I wasn’t lying!”
Wen Ning was very graceful about letting him move on, but the meaningful look in his eyes definitely didn’t go away for a while.
-
When Lan Zhan finally came back after three days, Wei Wuxian still hadn’t thought about it too much. In fact, when they stopped to stare at each other in the doorway, Wei Wuxian tried very hard not to think about it still.
Lan Zhan looked a bit exhausted. His already sharp cheekbones were even sharper, somehow, and while Lan Zhan was chronically incapable of getting eye bags, there were the slightest shadows under his eyes.
“Hi,” Wei Wuxian said after a moment of staring.
“Hello,” Lan Zhan replied. Then, “How are you?”
“I missed you,” Wei Wuxian blurted, then immediately continued, “I was so bored here without you! I almost went out to buy a television with your credit card!”
“If you want one, you can have it,” Lan Zhan said, and finally stepped into the house. The door closed behind him.
“I don’t need it. I just need my husband here, right? I’ll charge up so that the next time I won’t go insane either.”
“Charge up how?” Lan Zhan asked, putting his bag down by the door.
“You know. Spending time with you a lot, never letting you out of my sight, that sort of thing.” The explanation sounded way less jokey and way more clingy spoken out loud than what it had been inside his head, but Lan Zhan did not seem disturbed.
“Mn.”
“You missed me too, right?” Wei Wuxian asked then, because having Lan Zhan here was making him feel almost jittery with the emotions. “Tell me you missed me, Lan Zhan! Oh, no – wait, I’m sorry, you probably had some…uh, other things in mind. It’s fine though! You didn’t –“
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan cut in. “I missed you.”
Wei Wuxian let out a breath, then smiled, as the words warmed him up to his core. “Lan Zhan, such a flatterer! Come on, put your stuff away, I’ve made us some food. I accidentally dumped half a bottle of chili oil in there so it’s inedible for you, but I predicted this and ordered a pizza too.”
“Mn.”
So Wei Wuxian didn’t bring it up, and Lan Zhan didn’t seem to have anything to say about the state of their relationship either. It would be fine for now. It would be just fine.
-
To turn his own thoughts further away from the whole ‘being in love with your kind of fake husband’, Wei Wuxian wanted to make said husband finally get to know his friends. Lan Zhan had been good at avoiding that so far, but Wei Wuxian had to put his foot down. He invited them to visit one Friday evening. The early summer weather was very nice, so Wei Wuxian insisted they had to use the backyard patio and hang there.
Lan Zhan indulgently went and bought a whole outdoor sofa for the occasion, which was such a rich person move Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but laugh desperately about it for at least twenty minutes.
To make the situation more comfortable for Lan Zhan, they also invited his brother, who had visited quite frequently even after finding out about the transmigration thing. It wasn’t completely clear whether the guy believed them, but he seemed to kick no fuss about it.
In any case, soon enough he was introducing his friends to Lan Zhan, who had done the neck-grab thing again a bit before they arrived, which had to be some sort of a power move, because now Wei Wuxian smelled more like Lan Wangji than himself.
He didn’t have the time to chastise him for that, and besides, he was too happy about seeing people he liked to give it too much thought. They all seemed to get along so well, too! Lan Xichen was especially good at making friends, immediately getting into a deep conversation with Wen Qing about some medical thing.
Jiang Yanli had brought his husband Jin Zixuan, who was head to toe covered in luxury brand clothing and could have been mistaken for an arrogant prick if it weren’t for the way the guy was clearly completely simping for his wife.
It then turned out that Jin Zixuan and his husband were acquainted.
“What? What do you mean ‘from work’?” Wei Wuxian squawked in outrage, poking Lan Zhan’s muscly chest with his forefinger. “Is this something you leave out when you discuss your day with your dear husband, ahh?”
“The Jins are one of the families funding the academy,” Lan Zhan said calmly, grabbing his hand to stop the poking. “We have met only a few times.”
“That’s no excuse! Remember that day I saw a worm on the sidewalk? I told you about that worm! How come you didn’t tell me about a whole connection you had to my friend, Lan Zhan?”
“Is he always this loud?” Jin Zixuan whispered to Jiang Yanli, which made Lan Zhan turn to him with quite the painfully flat look. It was one of those Wei Wuxian wouldn’t have liked to be on the receiving end of.
“Hey, hey, focus on me,” Wei Wuxian told his husband. “Lan Zhan, open communication is the most important part of marriage, so –“
His phone started ringing, which stopped the conversation entirely. Lan Zhan let go of him, so Wei Wuxian dug out the phone from his pocket and went to answer it.
While a pleasant female voice talked into his ear, Wei Wuxian watched as Lan Zhan exchanged pleasantries with Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli. Wei Wuxian thought it would be fun to have one of those married people’s double dates with them, someday.
As the woman continued talking, Wei Wuxian’s chest started to feel warmer. He asked a few questions, got his answers, and then thanked her.
When he ended the call, he met Lan Zhan’s eyes. It was almost as if he knew what it had been about – his eyes were bright, almost mirthful.
Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but grin brightly. “Lan Zhan, your husband is going to become a student!”
He got cheers and congratulations from everyone there, his friends clearly delighted for him, but the best thing was definitely the proud look in Lan Zhan’s eyes. He looked so handsome like that, all approving.
“Do we have a bottle of Emperor’s Smile somewhere in the kitchen? I think the occasion calls for it!”
Lan Zhan nodded, and Wei Wuxian, standing closer to the door, turned to go fetch it. Lan Xichen slipped in with him, “I will carry the glasses.”
Once inside, brimming with excitement, Wei Wuxian turned to chatter to the brother of his husband. However, there was a strange look on Lan Xichen’s face, the smile somewhat complicated.
“Congratulations,” the man said. “You must be happy.”
Bending down to the cabinet where Lan Zhan kept the untouched alcohol Wei Wuxian had pestered him to buy – Lan Zhan himself didn’t drink – he replied, “I am! As much as being a housewife suits me, I think I’ll be less troublesome for Lan Zhan if I have something to fill my days.”
Lan Xichen was quiet for a moment, picking up a tray and putting wine glasses on it.
“Wei Wuxian,” he said then. “May I speak honestly?”
Wei Wuxian blinked. “Of course.”
“This arrangement you have with Wangji,” the man said, and something inside Wei Wuxian froze at the words. “I believe you should end it.”
Wei Wuxian stared at him in shock, the grip on the bottle tightening.
“How…?”
Lan Xichen’s smile was a bit sorrowful. “As much as my brother likes to believe I do not see through this, I am not a child. What he and Mo Xuanyu were doing, I believe it was obvious to anyone who looked.”
Well. Wei Wuxian could not deny it – from what he understood, their relationship had been as cold and distant as that of complete strangers with nothing in common, for the few days it had lasted.
“When I met you the first time after the wedding, I was hopeful,” Lan Xichen continued. “I had wished the companionship would be enough to ease his loneliness, but it seems I did not think everything through.“
Wei Wuxian swallowed, a bit hesitant to ask, “What do you mean?”
“You are planning to leave him at some point.” It was said matter-of-factly, without the usual beating around the bush. “That was your agreement, no? For you to get a chance at an independent life, and Wangji to get me off his back for a bit.”
Terrifyingly insightful, this man.
“Well – I –“ Wei Wuxian stuttered. “It’s not – we’re good like this right now.”
Lan Xichen’s look was a bit regretful. “What you said to me when we first met, do you still feel this way?”
The conversation replayed in his mind, how he’d talked about marriage and children. He did want those, he truly did, but how could he reveal to his man that he wanted none of it if it weren’t with Lan Zhan? He couldn’t confess to his husband’s brother before he did it to his husband!
“Do you not want a real marriage? You have a place to study now, you could get a part-time job and live on your own,” Lan Xichen said. “I understand that it is a difficult situation, but if you want a family at some point, would it not make sense to start looking for someone now?”
“I’m not...I don’t need to actively date right now,” Wei Wuxian said.
There was no pushing from Lan Xichen’s side, but his eyes had some sharpness to them when he stated, “I don’t think people are considering you as a possible dating option when you are so clearly claimed by Wangji. You are married right now, and it is quite easy to tell. Even without the bite.”
Wei Wuxian touched his neck, the bare skin of it. Unmarked. “Really, it’s fine like this!”
“Will it be fine forever?” Lan Xichen said. “Truthfully, the way I see it, this cannot end well if you two continue this way. Only if both of you feel the same way, things could work out.”
It was as if Lan Xichen was hinting at something Wei Wuxian could not quite catch. Like Lan Xichen was testing him, and he was somehow failing for not understanding. Did he know about Wei Wuxian’s feelings? He had been perhaps a bit obvious about it, now that he thought about it.
Straightening up with the bottle in his hand, Wei Wuxian could only nod. “I’ll talk to Lan Zhan about it.”
Lan Xichen hummed, and somehow, for a fleeting moment, looked just as unreadable as his brother. “I think you should.”
There was a noise at the door, then, and Wei Wuxian looked up to see Lan Zhan appear from around the corner.
“Do you need assistance?” he asked.
Wei Wuxian smiled. “No need, we’ll be out there in just a moment.”
Lan Zhan nodded, though his eyes lingered.
-
The conversation was stuck in the back of his mind the rest of the time his friends stayed there. He attempted to not let it bother him, talking and laughing in a carefree manner, as if nothing could ruin his good mood over having gotten into the academy.
Sitting next to him on their brand new couch, Lan Zhan said very little and felt a bit distant. He participated in the conversation as much as Wei Wuxian had expected, which was not much at all, but the most important thing was that he was there.
As the evening went by, the bottle of Emperor’s Smile long empty, people started heading out. Jiang Yanli kissed him on the cheek, which made Jin Zixuan look quite unhappy, and when Wei Wuxian gave Wen Ning a hug, it was his own husband’s turn to look sour.
Finally, half an hour past Lan Zhan’s usual bedtime, they were left alone in a strange, heavy silence.
From only one look, Wei Wuxian could tell they wouldn’t be turning in for a while.
“You heard the conversation,” Wei Wuxian said.
Lan Zhan nodded. “Mn.”
There was something unreadable in his eyes, a look that had lingered in them for the entire evening.
“...Do you think your brother was right?”
He didn’t want to think about how that thought made his insides twist. If Lan Zhan wanted to let him go because there was no future for them, just because he thought Wei Wuxian wanted that with someone else.
“The arrangement was never supposed to be permanent,” the man said quietly, voice still somehow too loud in the ringing silence. “When I said you may stay here as long as you wish, I meant it. But I would not hold you here against your will.”
Wei Wuxian argued, “Is it against my will? Didn’t I tell your brother that I’m happy with the way things are right now?”
“Right now,” Lan Zhan repeated.
For a moment, they only studied each other. Even now, Lan Zhan looked unfairly handsome in the dimming light. His husband, who the universe had dropped into his lap just like that. Having been living with such ease for months now, with the kind of person that felt like a creation of his imagination for being so perfect, how could Wei Wuxian ever feel differently about this?
But Lan Zhan only looked at him like there was really nothing else to it. Like getting a divorce now, after all, was the most sensible thing to do.
What was there left to do, but to make his case?
To be made to say it like this, without preparation, had not been something Wei Wuxian wished for. Still, the sinking feeling in his heart would not release if he did not make his wishes known.
What did he have to lose?
In the stretching quiet, Wei Wuxian spoke seriously, “I don’t want a divorce.”
Lan Wangji’s lips parted slightly, a breath escaping him, as he looked at Wei Wuxian with a complex expression.
He continued a bit desperately, “I don’t want a divorce, alright? I want to stay here with you, and spend the rest of my life here with you.”
To say it so clearly, how could there be any room for misunderstanding? Still, Lan Wangji’s eyes only scanned his face, as if trying to comprehend what he was saying.
“Wei Ying,” he said, “I will continue to support you, whatever you may choose to do. You would not have to worry about money.”
As if this was about the financial aspect of it!
Growing louder, Wei Wuxian took a step closer. “Support me? Don’t you understand? Lan Zhan! Lan Wangji! When you had your rut, I really wanted you to stay with me!”
This time, the reaction was more obvious. Lan Wangji’s eyes went wide, almost shocked. As if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, even after having seen the way he affected Wei Wuxian. Hadn’t he been completely embarrassing in the hallway that time? Did he not constantly go out of his way to get Lan Wangji’s attention, flirting with him? Weren’t they already acting like a married couple in all the ways except physical?
Lan Wangji only breathed, “Wei Ying.”
But now that Wei Wuxian had said it, had gotten the most shameless part out of the way, there was nothing to it but keep going on, “I kept thinking about you alone in some strange room, doing some toy, when you could have just asked and I would have been there for your pleasure! For – for my own pleasure! Don’t you get it? Lan Zhan, you’re not this blind, surely you can tell.”
Still, Lan Wangji cast his eyes, as if pained.
“Wei Ying,” he said. “It is not enough.”
The words made everything screech to a halt in Wei Wuxian’s crescendoing courage. The flickering hope in his heart almost died out, as he said, the words punched out, “It’s – it’s not?”
“To have your body,” Lan Zhan said, “would be a bliss. But it would not be enough for me.”
Oh. Wei Wuxian’s heart felt a little bit like it was going to shatter and piece itself back together for the stress it was under.
Was he understanding it correctly? Lan Zhan meant...Lan Zhan was saying that...
“So then…”
With the strength of a properly raised Lan, his husband held his head up while looking Wei Wuxian squarely in the eye, words unwavering. “You are not blind either.”
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian breathed. “You want…”
“Everything,” Lan Zhan stated, setting the little candle in Wei Wuxian’s chest completely aflame. “All of you. Every day, for the rest of my life.”
In either of his lives, Wei Wuxian could not recall having experienced the kind of happiness that overtook him with those words. His Lan Zhan, looking so earnest and vulnerable yet being so brave for him. Wei Wuxian was going to die, surely.
His breath stuttered as he jumped into Lan Wangji’s arms, the man somehow ready for him despite the uncertainty, wrapping his arms around Wei Wuxian.
With wide eyes, he looked at Wei Wuxian letting out a laugh of relief.
“You..”
“Me! Lan Zhan, did you really think I only wanted you in bed?” Wei Wuxian asked, exhilarated. “As if I haven’t been head over heels for you since the beginning!”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan gasped, almost disbelieving.
“I want everything with you, too! I want so many things! Lan Zhan, whatever you’re willing to give to me, I want that!” he stated without a hint of insecurity.
His husband seemed to process this declaration, eyes studying his face like he was not quite believing it yet. Despite this, he pulled Wei Wuxian somehow even closer to himself.
Wei Wuxian’s smile turned a bit teasing as he continued, “Lan Zhan, husband, how could you put me through that kind of distress? I thought you would kick me out for having gotten such ideas into my head!”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan said. “I would not.”
“You were so clear about not wanting a relationship,” Wei Wuxian whined. “What was I supposed to think?”
Looking a bit remorseful, Lan Zhan tightened his hold on him further. “Those words…I regretted them more by each passing day.”
“You have changed your mind?”
“It was changed,” Lan Zhan replied, a bit helplessly, “from the moment I first saw you smile.”
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian groaned against the collar of his shirt. “That’s a lie! You were so angry at me at the start!”
“…I had not felt that way before. It was difficult to…” Lan Zhan seemed to have trouble finding the words, but luckily, Wei Wuxian understood his meaning.
He’d never felt anything like this either and was completely overwhelmed about it. For Lan Zhan, who had never once entertained the idea of falling for someone, the whole thing must have been doubly confusing, and perhaps even a bit infuriating.
“I get it,” he said. Besides, there was the other thing as well. “You were also thinking I was acting like a different person at the start, right? You thought there was something going on with me.”
Lan Zhan nodded. “I was...concerned.”
“I can’t blame you for that! How could you have known you were married to a completely different man, all of a sudden?” Lan Zhan had acted admirably patient with him, too. “Lan Zhan, when you believed I wasn’t Mo Xuanyu after all, didn’t you start scenting me all the time? Why didn’t you just tell me then? I would have been thrilled!”
There was a complex, almost embarrassed expression flashing past his beloved’s face. “I was not sure if you had already…”
Wei Wuxian blinked. “Already what?”
“…” It seemed Lan Zhan was truly not willing to end the sentence.
Wei Wuxian frowned at him, squeezing him where his arms circled him. “What is it?”
“I thought your affections were already secured by another,” Lan Zhan said finally, looking truly embarrassed and stiff while saying it.
He could not have helped the gaping of his mouth then, nor the sudden burst of loud laughter he let out. “Hahaha, you thought what? Who could have I even –“
Lan Zhan didn’t meet his eyes, which made Wei Wuxian come to an abrupt realization. He was almost too hysterical to laugh about it. Almost. “Lan Zhan! You thought I was interested in Wen Ning?”
The man was attempting to pull back, but Wei Wuxian held onto him, sticky as the melting marshmallow his heart had become. “Oh, and you scented me so heavily whenever I saw him! Hahahaha, what a sneaky man I have! Sabotaging my possible affair like that, who would’ve thought this about the righteous and proper Lan Wangji, ah?”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan said, sounding almost pained.
“This explains why you dislike him so much,” Wei Wuxian sighed, still amused beyond anything. “Poor Wen Ning! And he has been such a good advocate for you, forcing me to acknowledge my feelings towards you when I was being all cowardly!”
Almost looking surprised, Lan Zhan blinked down at him. His ears were so red. Wei Wuxian liked him so much.
“You’ve had me from the start, Lan Zhan,” he told him. “I’ve only ever had eyes for you. I wouldn’t think of looking at anyone but my dear husband!”
The corners of Lan Zhan’s pretty mouth softened.
Then, smiling cheekily up at him, Wei Wuxian asked, “I can now call you my husband, can’t I?”
“You already do,” Lan Zhan said.
It was true. Wei Wuxian had not cared about Lan Zhan’s original protests for weeks now. After all, Lan Zhan had never repeated them.
“Yes, but with permission?”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan agreed. Then, “Wei Ying. You got into the academy.”
“Hm? I did,” Wei Wuxian said, not entirely sure what this was about. “Did my husband doubt me?”
“No,” Lan Zhan said, and then only looked at him.
It took a moment for it to click, but when it did, Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but grin, happiness and excitement soaring inside him again.
“Lan Zhan, do you think I’ve earned my kiss now?”
“Mn.”
Lifting his chin up, Wei Wuxian gave him a crescent-eyed smile. “Well! Er-gege, I’m ready to claim my prize!”
He didn’t need to say anything more. Lan Zhan pressed his lips against Wei Wuxian’s, deceptively gentle for what followed only seconds later. Already in his arms, Wei Wuxian was easy to pick up and press against the wall, it seemed, because that’s exactly what Lan Zhan did while deepening the kiss.
It was completely, utterly overwhelming. What a good thing it was that he had such a strong grip on Lan Zhan, because way too soon, he was already feeling a bit dizzy, his legs weak under him.
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian gasped when he was finally allowed some air. “Who taught you to kiss like that? Save your poor wife, I’ll die if you do that again.”
Lan Zhan’s gaze flickered down to his spit-slick lips, and caught them into another bruising kiss. Clearly his husband had no shame!
It was too bad Wei Wuxian liked it so much, or else he would have certainly had words with Lan Zhan about it.
“Hm,” the man hummed against Wei Wuxian’s lips once he deemed them kissed enough. “Not dead.”
“Were you testing that out? Test some more,” Wei Wuxian said. “I’ll be your guinea pig for the whole night.”
There was the tiniest hint of a smile on the corners of Lan Zhan’s lips, his eyes awfully tender.
“Lan Zhan, will you take me completely now? I heard the claiming bite is irreversible, are you certain you want me to be yours like that forever?”
For an answer, Lan Zhan’s lips slid down to his neck, and pressed a kiss into the overheated skin, making Wei Wuxian shiver.
Feeling daring, he continued, “Why don’t you take me to bed, husband? We’ve got a long overdue wedding night to experience. You’ll have to show me all the ropes, your bride is inexperienced and virginal– OUCH, Lan Zhan, Lan Wangji, your grip is too tight! Lan Zhan, what are you–? Ah!!”
-
“Lan Zhan, that’s unhygienic! Don’t put your mouth there! Lan Zhan, what do you think you’re doing, ah? Ah! A-ah, Lan Zhan!”
Despite his protests, Lan Zhan’s hold on his cheeks only tightened, spreading him more open while his tongue lapped over Wei Wuxian’s leaking entrance, tasting him where no one else had before. It felt too good to be real.
Wei Wuxian’s face was burrowed in the pillow, head so dizzy it was almost impossible to have a coherent thought. For someone who claimed to be as inexperienced as him, Lan Zhan was way too good at what he was doing!
His husband was as studious at learning Wei Wuxian’s body as he was in everything else he did, wringing out embarrassing noise after another. His tongue breached in easily, the overflow of slick making each stroke effortless.
Wei Wuxian writhed in place, feeling a bit like a bitch in heat, so unable to do anything but let Lan Zhan work him open.
“Lan Zhan, stop that, can’t you see that you can just easily slide in? You could be fucking me already, why are you making your poor wife wait?” he groaned against the softness of the pillow.
Lan Zhan pulled back enough to look at his work, eyes burning as he watched Wei Wuxian’s glistening hole. It was obvious he was enjoying the show – the bulge in his pants was massive, clearly no longer in the half-mast state it had been during their making out.
Lan Zhan’s fingers tightened as he kneaded Wei Wuxian’s ass, looking like he could continue playing with it for the next few hours. But while the thought was incredibly hot, Wei Wuxian hadn’t felt this kind of desperate need since the heat debacle, and he could not wait any longer.
Having so bravely confessed, Wei Wuxian felt he deserved some rough love-making now!
“Husband, won’t you take me already? Or are you satisfied with just looking?” Wei Wuxian said, and then for his answer got a little swat to the fattest part of his cheek, making it jiggle.
Immediately outraged, he yelped, “No! Bad husband, what do you think you’re doing?! No hitting! You can play with it, you can even eat it and pinch it, but you can’t spank me like a child!”
While saying this, his hole spurted out more slick, making the words completely unconvincing. His body was doing nothing but betraying him, feeling so good! The embarrassment only seemed to work for Wei Wuxian’s arousal, not kill it!
Thankfully, despite the smug look on Lan Zhan’s face, his eyes looked dark enough to reveal how close he was to just pulling his dick out.
“Lan Zhan, Lan Wangji, a-ah, have some mercy,” he whined. “Do you need directions? I can teach you, there’s a good boy – ah! Ah! Lan Zhan! I said don’t!”
His bottom was given two more slaps, and then Lan Zhan pulled him closer by the hips, grinding his crotch against Wei Wuxian’s ass in a pantomime of the real thing. For a moment, Wei Wuxian’s head went empty, feeling the outline of Lan Zhan’s sizable erection grinding between his cheeks.
The front of his pants was now wet, but Wei Wuxian could not feel too bad about it. He himself was sensibly naked already, and it was Lan Zhan’s own fault for not getting rid of his layers before doing that.
Wei Wuxian groaned and closed his eyes tightly, the want in him over-consuming. Behind him, he heard rustling, and then he felt the naked tip of Lan Zhan’s cock rubbing against his hole.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan said. “Look at me.”
He opened his eyes, met Lan Zhan’s burning gaze over his own shoulder. The man took himself in hand while pressing tighter against Wei Wuxian, forcing another desperate noise out of him. While holding that eye contact, Lan Zhan started pushing in.
It was entirely too much. Lan Zhan was too big and unyielding and splitting Wei Wuxian completely open, and he had never felt such a mix of pain and pleasure before. When the tip popped in, Lan Zhan did not waste time – in a second he had completely sunk into the tight, wet heat of Wei Wuxian, the shivering of their bodies matching.
For a second, he stayed there, and Wei Wuxian got to feel the incredible fullness of his husband’s dick inside him. And then, Lan Zhan started moving, and Wei Wuxian saw stars.
“N-not so fast, Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian moaned, which did nothing but sped up the thrusts, Lan Zhan’s hips smacking wetly against his as, making the most obscene noise. “It’s too much, you’re too much, Lan Zhan – ah!”
The terrible man spanked his ass again, making the skin of it burn, but Wei Wuxian could not focus on anything but the movement of his cock inside him, unable to not hit all the important places because Lan Zhan’s dick was just too big.
Half out of his mind, Wei Wuxian did nothing but whined, “Lan Zhan, husband, does it feel good? Am I tight for you?”
Spurred on by the shameless nonsense, Lan Zhan draped his front over Wei Wuxian’s back, getting closer and deeper. He pressed his forehead against the nape of his neck, bending Wei Wuxian’s back into an arch, ass up, chest down. It felt filthy, and Lan Zhan did not for a moment slow down his fucking.
“Husband,” Wei Wuxian said in between moans, “tell me it’s good. You can have me like this every day, whenever you want. I like it so much, I like you fucking me so much…”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan groaned.
“It’s true, I love you and I love what you’re doing to m – AH! Lan Zhan! Not so deep!”
“Love it,” Lan Zhan only told him, and Wei Wuxian didn’t know if he was talking about himself or Wei Wuxian, but he didn’t think it mattered, because either one was true.
Lan Zhan teetered the line of being entirely too much, and Wei Wuxian could do nothing but bear it because he never wanted it to stop. Feeling the heavy drag of Lan Zhan inside him was more than enough to drive him out of his mind.
It could not have been too long before Wei Wuxian felt so good he knew he was close to coming, Lan Zhan’s steady, fast pace driving him closer and closer to orgasm, so he begged, “Claim me! Lan Zhan, ah, ah, claim me, make me yours, I’ll only be only yours!”
“Mine.” Lan Zhan’s voice was deep, hoarse. His mouth found the sensitive place in Wei Wuxian’s neck, and with both of their hearts beating faster than they had ever before, Lan Zhan sunk his teeth into him.
It felt like a mixed shot of adrenaline and serotonin, so overwhelming that Wei Wuxian could not think about anything for a long time. Dazed, almost drooling, he only managed to whimper and grind back into the rhythm of Lan Zhan’s hips against his, chasing the pleasure mindlessly while swimming in the ecstasy of a newly formed bond.
It felt right, having Lan Zhan so close. Like suddenly he was even more fine-tuned to his presence, entirely aware of each movement of his body, gasping and moaning and calling his name.
He came like that, head still in the heady cloud of bliss. Everything was already so wet he could not tell if Lan Zhan had come too, but he must have, because suddenly his husband slumped against him.
“Don’t pull out,” Wei Wuxian gasped. “Stay in, Lan Zhan, let’s stay like this forever.”
Only then did Wei Wuxian realize Lan Zhan had not let go of his neck yet, because when he did, the pain was a lot sharper, clearing his mind a little bit.
“Ouch,” he said.
Lan Zhan licked the bite mark, then kissed it, before turning them on their sides to spoon. The dick stayed where Wei Wuxian wanted it, keeping him full and comfortable.
“I’m yours now, Lan Zhan,” he said between heavy breaths, willing his heartbeat to settle. “You have to keep me.”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan said, and Wei Wuxian regretted he was behind him where Wei Wuxian couldn’t see him, because it sounded like he was smiling.
“Let’s make a new agreement, okay?” Wei Wuxian offered. “Let’s be the most married couple there is! Let’s have sex every day, and you can scent me so much people gag when I walk by, and let’s be so shamelessly affectionate that people hate to be around us!”
“Mn,” his husband agreed easily, and Wei Wuxian beamed.
He had barely caught his breath, when Lan Zhan started suddenly moving again inside him, and only then did Wei Wuxian realize he had not softened for a moment.
He laughed. “Lan Zhan – again? Already? Is my husband insatiable? Lan Zhan, who would have thought this about you, hahaha – AH! AH, Lan Zhan! I said don’t spank me!”
-
Wei Wuxian woke up to a slowly brightening room, head pressed against the warm skin of his husband’s chest. His body was aching pleasantly, the feeling of last night’s activities delightfully present. The sorest spot was his neck, the claiming bite on it fresh.
Lan Zhan’s hand was petting circles on his back, a soothing motion that made Wei Wuxian’s heart feel so light he couldn’t help but smile.
This life he had been thrust into truly wasn’t bad at all.
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