Chapter Text
“Wei-Gongzi, you expected me to marry, but did you never think I might compare that person to you?”
Wei Wuxian replied, “What is there to compare? I’m a man, and the person you marry will be a woman.”
Lan Xichen released the hands he had been holding and instead lifted his own to Wei Wuxian’s face, gently brushing the corner of his eyes. “What to compare? For example, wouldn’t I compare why their eyes are not as charming as yours?”
His index finger drifted downward, lightly nudging his nose. “—Wouldn’t I compare why their nose is not as exquisite as yours?”
He traced lower. “—Or why their lips are not as red… and as inviting as yours?” His thumb pressed against Wei Wuxian’s lower lip, causing the young man’s mouth to part slightly.
Wei Wuxian called out, “Zewu-Jun, you—”
Lan Xichen cut him off, sighing as if in lament. “—I would also wonder why their face is not as bright as yours when they smile. Or why they are not as flirtatious when they glance at me.”
Wei Wuxian froze as he heard this, forgetting what he was about to say.
Lan Xichen smiled and guided his fingers further down, tracing along the slender line of his neck and the parted robes that revealed a generous portion of his chest. “—I might also wonder why their collarbone is not as delicately shaped as yours.”
Finally, he slid his other arm around Wei Wuxian’s waist. Lowering his head, he whispered near his ear, “—Surely I would compare why their waist is not as slender as yours, and—”
Lan Xichen paused, suddenly giving a squeeze to the tender flesh on the sides of his waist.
Wei Wuxian let out a loud gasp, and his body inevitably softened, toppling forward. Lan Xichen immediately took him right in his arms, all while continuing to speak,
"——may wonder why their waist is not as sensitive as yours." He concluded with a triumphant smile on his face. "——And why they're not as comfortable as you to....embrace."
Lan Xichen woke up with a start.
His chest rose and fell vigorously.
He felt one of his arms feel numb, and when he glanced to the side, it turned out a certain person was entangling him like an Octopus and using his shoulder as a pillow to support his head.
Faintly, the sound of the bell ringing in the Cloud Recesses was heard.
It was early Maoshi.
Carefully, Lan Xichen lifted Wei Wuxian’s head from his shoulder and gently disentangled the young man’s arms and legs from around him. He adjusted him into a proper sleeping position and covered him with the blanket. Sitting upright on the bed, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
'What a dream!'
He rubbed his face and wailed in his mind.
Deep down inside, he accounted such a dream due to Wei Wuxian's, again, provocation last night.
After they had reached an agreement and Wei Wuxian finally accepted the marriage arrangement, they had eaten dinner together. Around Haishi, Lan Xichen habitually checked Wei Wuxian’s pulse again in the bedroom. Afterward, when Wei Wuxian saw him about to enter a side room to sleep, he had stopped Lan Xichen,
"Isn't this your own bedroom? Why do you have to sleep like a guest? Just sleep here together. Or else, I will be the one to sleep in the side room."
Lan Xichen was still hesitating to explain, but Wei Wuxian came to tease him again, "Why? You dared to do many things, but you don't even dare to sleep in the same bed? Are you afraid I will do something to you? Don't worry, I won't do anything."
As it turned out, the person who claimed he “wouldn’t do anything” rolled around in his sleep and clutched him like an octopus the entire night.
Perhaps Gusu was much colder than the humid Yunmeng. In Lotus Pier, Wei Wuxian would have slept sprawled on the bed and disliked having to crowd with others. But here in the Cloud Recesses, he seemed to unconsciously seek warmth.
Putting what happened last night aside, Lan Xichen was convinced that it must be due to Wei Wuxian's teasing that he had such...such a lascivious dream!
That's right. It must be Wei Wuxian's fault. It was absolutely not because, he, Lan Xichen himself had such a thought!!
Lan Xichen sighed again.
Wei Wuxian might have been compliant in Jinlintai that night, since he was weakened and affected by the medicine, but if, in his sensible state, Lan Xichen had harassed him as in the dream, he wouldn't have believed the young man would have stayed still and let him do whatever he wanted!
'A dream is a dream after all...'
Lan Xichen lowered his legs from the bed and rose, beginning his morning routine.
The Hanshi was located in a secluded place at the other part of the GusuLan Sect mountain. The residence for every generation of Lan Sect Leader was built no differently than the general style of the Cloud Recesses. It's putting more on elegance rather than gaudiness. The residence had finely carved wooden beams and lattice windows framing throughout the building.
In the late afternoon, the sun bathed the yard in a warm glow. The gentle rustling of bamboo leaves in the surrounding area created a soothing rhythm under the light breeze, adding to the tranquility of the scene.
Lan Wangji stood on the small path among the bamboo grove.
His gaze was fixed on the courtyard a short distance away.
It wasn’t the first time he had come here, standing quietly for who knew how long. Over the past month, he had returned again and again. He knew the person he wished to see most was inside the building, yet he could not bring himself to step forward and check on him.
Yesterday, Lan Xichen had informed the clan that Wei Wuxian had woken up.
…As well as the news that Wei Wuxian had agreed to the marriage arrangement.
The more reason Lan Wangji was unable to bring himself to see him.
His eyes were unfocused as his mind was filled with various struggles.
It was because of this that he was caught completely unprepared when the courtyard door suddenly slid open.
A young man in a white GusuLan garment walked out.
As he looked around the yard, he exclaimed in surprise upon spotting Lan Wangji on the bamboo path.
"Lan Zhan! It's you!"
It was too late for Lan Wangji to walk away. The other party had already hurried over excitedly. “Perfect timing! I’m so bored inside. Why don’t you keep me company and chat for a while?”
That morning, when Wei Wuxian woke up at the late hour of Chenshi (09.00), Lan Xichen was no longer in the residence. A small breakfast tray had been left behind, along with a note:
"Wei-Gongzi, I am going down the Mountain to take care of a small matter until Shenshi (17.00). Wei-Gongzi is free to do whatever he wants, and you may use the Hanshi however you like."
Lan Xichen.
Wei Wuxian had slandered him in his heart, 'You're clearly going out, but you didn't bring me along to play! What injustice!'
But then again, considering that Lan Xichen had probably left at Maoshi (07:00), it was no wonder he hadn’t thought to bring him.
It was his own fault for not waking earlier!
After breakfast, Wei Wuxian tried rummaging around the Hanshi, but found nothing that captured his interest—at least not enough to hold him down. To be honest, he simply felt restless and wanted to go out. Even when he spotted books he would normally love to read, he couldn’t force himself to sit still. When he wanted to do something, he wanted to do it immediately; nothing else could restrain him.
It was at this time, when he planned to take a peek around and see what Hanshi's yard looked like, that, to his surprise, he found Lan Wangji instead.
On the other hand, when Wei Wuxian excitedly greeted him and asked for his company, subconsciously, Lan Wangji wanted to refuse. However, his thoughts drifted back to that regretful night in Lanling. If he refused again today, would he be adding yet another regret he could never reconcile?
Lan Wangji veered his gaze downward, staring at the tip of his white boots. When he looked up again, he calmly replied, "What do you want to talk about?"
Wei Wuxian grinned. "Whatever is fine. Hmmmm, let's say, for example, how about you first take me and have a look at the newly built Cloud Recesses?"
The person before him hesitated. "...Why not go with Xiongzhang?"
"Why should I go with him?" Wei Wuxian asked, puzzled. "It's just strolling around, there's no need to bother Zewu-Jun."
Lan Wangji dazedly thought, 'Just strolling around...'
——but this kind of thing, should it not be done between couples to spend some more time together?
However, if...if Wei Ying wanted to go with him instead,
He turned and said softly, "Follow me."
Wei Wuxian cheered and immediately rushed past him. The young man later walked backward, putting his arms behind his head, chatting as he moved,
"Lan Zhan, you used to be so persistent in bringing me to Gusu. Too bad for you now, you can't force me anymore, haha! Now I can be considered your elder. You’ll have to think twice before lecturing me. If you make me angry, I’ll complain to your older brother."
Lan Wangji said nothing, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Wei Wuxian didn't mind his silence either. In reality, this was how their usual "conversation" often went. He spoke; Lan Wangji listened.
Looking around the sparsely populated mountainside, Wei Wuxian suddenly asked, “By the way, why don’t you show me where you’re planning to imprison me during my detainment?”
Lan Wangji was taken aback. "Who said I would detain you?"
Wei Wuxian whipped his head around. "Weren't you? With how tenacious you are criticizing me over and over about my cultivation, were you not planning to convert me back to the right path at all costs?"
"The visit has never been intended to denounce you!" Lan Wangji stopped abruptly and interrupted.
"Hm?" Wei Wuxian stopped as well. "Oh? Is it not to denounce me? Than what? To rehabilitate me? If I'm still unwilling to stop, will you resort to a more severe method? Well, either way is the same."
Lan Wangji looked momentarily lost. "I am not...Wei Ying, I have never...I do not think that way."
Wei Wuxian raised his brow. "You don't? Then why did you keep telling me that GuiDao harms the mind and body, saying it as if the nature of the path is malevolent? Where is your evidence? Aside from me, has anyone successfully manipulated resentful energy? No one, right?"
He suddenly laughed lightly. "…But it’s to be expected. After all, what I’ve shown you all—my mastery of this path—has left nothing but a bloody trail."
He turned away, waving his hand dismissively. “Forget it. Let’s not talk about it. I’m already in Gusu anyway.”
Hearing this, Lan Wangji looked even more at a loss.
Indeed, regardless of the reason, Wei Wuxian ultimately came to Gusu.
No matter who had brought him here, the goal of keeping him safely in Gusu was achieved in the end.
"...You are right...You are in Gusu, after all of this..." He murmured under his breath.
Wei Wuxian resumed his walk and strolled along the stone paths.
He started the conversation again, "Lan Zhan, now that I remember, I gave you two rabbits before, didn't I? Where are they now? Are they still alive? Oh, wait, I'm sorry. I heard wild rabbits only live around five or six years. It's been about that long."
Wei Wuxian said that, but actually, he realized that the Cloud Recesses had once had parts of their buildings burnt down. During the chaos, who knew, maybe the rabbits back then were frightened away by the commotion, or worse, died from stress. Keeping pets was never easy.
He kept walking forward, but suddenly noticed Lan Wangji had stopped following him.
"Lan Zhan?" He turned back.
The other man stared back at him quietly. "It is this way."
"Hm?"
Lan Wangji, "You said, you wanted to see the rabbits. It is this way."
Wei Wuxian followed the direction of Lan Wangji’s gesture. The stone path branched toward a small mountain trail. His eyes widened in surprise.
The next moment, he spun around and trotted back to Lan Wangji’s side happily, urging, “I want to see them! Let’s go, let’s go look at the rabbits, Lan Zhan!”
To no one’s surprise, the situation soon turned into a one-sided love shura field. In other words, Wei Wuxian’s popularity with small animals had not improved in the slightest. The cluster of rabbits scattered the moment he tried to catch them.
Wei Wuxian felt that the relationship among him, the rabbits, and Lan Wangji was like that of a pet seller, the pets, and the pet owner. Once the pet changed hands from seller to buyer, these little rascals forgot the person who had rescued them and brought them to the warm house, and soon pledged their love to the new owner.
Thus, pet owner Lan Wangji had to catch the rabbits himself and place them properly into Wei Wuxian’s arms.
Looking at the pair of rabbits—one cheeky, one docile—Wei Wuxian wondered, “Lan Zhan, how did you pick these two out from the group? I can’t tell the difference.” He glanced back at the fluffy white cluster in the distance. “How strange… They all look like chubby little buns to me. Are you sure you haven’t been overfeeding them? They’re so round. Oh! Hahaha—on second thought, they fit the term 'Chang'E bunnies', as round as the Autumn Moon! What do you think, Lan Zhan?”
Lan Wangji examined the two furry creatures seriously, reflecting inwardly, 'Have I given them too many treats these past months?'
During the war, Lan Wangji didn't have much time to care about the rabbits. Therefore, as soon as the war ended and they returned to settle back in the Cloud Recesses, he couldn't help but spoil them. However, as rabbits' staple foods were hay, other delicacies like carrots, apples, strawberries, or bananas shouldn't be given too often and only in moderation.
“…Mn. I will pay more attention to their meals,” he replied afterward.
As if sensing their fate, the two rabbits suddenly struggled fiercely in Wei Wuxian’s arms.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?" Wei Wuxian had to set them down, and as soon as the two were put on the ground, they gave him a resentful look, as if denouncing him: 'Whoever says to reduce our treato time is a Heinous Human!'
Wei Wuxian was amused by their baleful little stare and laughed instead. "Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, look at these two! Hahaha, they're amazing. Do you think they know that they're going to have fewer snacks?"
Lan Wangji bent down and gently petted the two rabbits, soothing them. “…I do not know.”
His eyes were filled with gentleness.
Wei Wuxian thought that Lan Wangji must have liked the rabbits very much...to show such a soft expression.
It was unknown how long they sat in the clearing, with Wei Wuxian talking and Lan Wangji responding from time to time, all the while gently petting the rabbits.
They only became aware of the passing time when someone suddenly called out,
"Wei-Gongzi! So you were here..."
It was Lan Xichen.
He descended, with slow and graceful steps, to the clearing on the slope. The man smiled the entire time. Coupled with his white robes fluttering in the mountain breeze, he appeared even more elegant and picturesque.
"Zewu-Jun!" Wei Wuxian greeted him in surprise.
"Xiongzhang." Lan Wangji also greeted him in a low voice.
Lan Xichen approached them and said, "I went back to the Hanshi and couldn't find Wei-Gongzi, so I thought you might have come to look for Wangji. It seems I was right."
Bending down and petting one of the bunnies, he apologized, "I should have realized you might feel bored without company and things to spend time with in the Hanshi. It was my negligence."
“No, it’s not that serious,” Wei Wuxian laughed. “It’s just a coincidence. I came out to look at the yard and ran into Lan Zhan, and then I ended up bothering him.”
Lan Xichen smiled. "Is that so? You can tell me if you would like to get some items to pass the time, or if you would like to do something else."
"Hmmmmmm..." Wei Wuxian relaxed his posture and tilted his head, gazing up at the sky.
Only then did he notice the horizon had turned orange, dotted with sparse clusters of dark clouds. It was already dusk. No wonder Lan Xichen had returned.
After mulling for some time, Wei Wuxian was still humming without giving an answer.
"Can not decide yet?" Lan Xichen chuckled.
Wei Wuxian raised his brows and looked back at him. "If you suddenly ask me like this, I can't make up my mind right away. My interest often comes out of nowhere."
Lan Xichen patted his arm gently. "That is fine. Just tell me whenever you think of something."
Lan Wangji lowered his gaze, deeper.
His knuckles grazed on the rabbit's fur absentmindedly, giving them a stiff grating, rather than rhythmic stroking.
The rabbit he was petting let out a small whine, complaining why didn't this petting officer work conscientiously?
But the petting officer didn't notice their complaint. The corner of his eye caught the scene not far from him. Even if he wished not to see it, he couldn't help but glance at it.
Right now, whoever was here witnessing the scene, they must think that the picture of these two people was so pleasing in the eye.
The view of two good-looking men sitting closely facing each other with smiles on their faces —— one appears as gentle and elegant as an Orchid, while the other is as amorous and charming as Peach Blossom —— it's breathtaking.
Looking so harmonious that no third person could get in...
"——Ji, Wangji? Wangji? Did you hear me?"
Lan Wangji snapped out of his trance.
He looked up to find both Lan Xichen and Wei Wuxian staring at him expectantly.
His older brother repeated, "I was just telling Wei-Gongzi, if he would like to help you in arranging the Library Pavilion. Wei-Gongzi said he is interested in seeing our book collections. In that case, starting tomorrow, he will join you there. What do you think?"
Lan Wangji blinked his eyes, digesting the information given.
"Xiongzhang?"
Why?
Lan Xichen smiled warmly at him. "These days, I have many matters to attend to. Since Wei-Gongzi is here, why don't you accompany him in my stead?"
He had seen how anxious his younger brother had been—both the morning after the Flower Banquet incident and throughout the month of Wei Wuxian’s coma. After hearing Lan Wangji’s confession in the Ancestral Hall, he understood the two had parted on bad terms. If he had not given them a push, Lan Wangji would never have stepped forward on his own.
So, it's just right. Letting Wei Wuxian participate in reorganizing the Library Pavilion would also help the young man feel more at ease and instill a sense of belonging in him to the Cloud Recesses. And with Lan Wangji supervising, their previously tense relationship might gradually ease.
Meanwhile, Lan Wangji dazedly thought in his heart,
Didn't this mean he would spend the whole day with Wei Ying, in the library, starting tomorrow?'
Wei Wuxian snickered at the side.
“Lan Zhan! First of all, I’m not going there as punishment. So you absolutely cannot silence me like before! Zewu-Jun, how about you give your younger brother a reminder?”
Lan Xichen assured him, "Do not worry, Wangji will not place you under a silencing spell. But also, Wei-Gongzi, you should lower your volume somewhat...at least so that it can not be heard from several courtyards away." He joked lightly.
Wei Wuxian immediately looked triumphant. “You heard that, Lan Zhan!”
Lan Wangji lowered his eyelid slightly. His eyes trembled for a moment.
"...Mn." He answered.
There's a minuscule smile in the corner of his lip
He promised, "I will never silence you."
Whatever you want to say, I will hear it.