Chapter Text
The nap is broken up into three parts. The first time Wei Wuxian wakes up, it’s immediately noticeable how comfortable he is. Lan Zhan must have moved him from that pile of blankets to the bed, complete with all he could ask for to make a nest. There’s a large pile of clean blankets, several pillows, and even what look like Lan Zhan’s robes. Perfect.
Wei Wuxian grabs them and immediately starts arranging them around himself to start his nest. He must remember to leave room for Lan Zhan. Wherever he has gone, he must return soon.
Perhaps he’ll be back in time for Wei Wuxian to wake up again.
Lan Zhan is, in fact, back when Wei Wuxian wakes again. This time he knows he’s done for: he’ll be lucky to fall asleep before he’s entirely lost to his heat and completely embarrassing himself in front of Lan Zhan.
That’s when his fears start to dig their claws deeper into him. What if Lan Zhan doesn’t touch him? What if Lan Zhan doesn’t want to claim him, or knot him? What if he hated how Wei Wuxian kissed him and (not) touched him that night before the hunt? Sober Wei Wuxian knows that he is overreacting. In-heat Wei Wuxian is horrified.
Wei Wuxian hears a shuffling and when he looks up, that horror dissipates. There’s Lan Zhan! He’s dressed down from the heavy red robes and his fancy guan. Apart from the simplest clothing, all Lan Zhan wears is his forehead ribbon.
Restraint. Keeping himself in check.
Wei Wuxian smiles, knowing that Lan Zhan feels the need to keep himself in check.
Lan Zhan has probably never been near an omega in full heat.
Wei Wuxian ignores the painful cramp deep in his gut, and purrs, reaching for Lan Zhan.
Except Lan Zhan… doesn’t appear moved. He does move, though, towards the bed. And with a tray of food, no less! Wei Wuxian never figured Lan Zhan would be someone who appreciated food in bed.
“Eat.”
Wei Wuxian doesn’t even get a chance to speak before Lan Zhan is filling Wei Wuxian’s mouth with bite after bite of food. He doesn’t want it, he has no appetite whatsoever. He just wants to curl up beside Lan Zhan and let Lan Zhan touch him and—
His heat causes another wave of fatigue to crash over him. By the time he’s seven bites into whatever Lan Zhan is making him eat, Wei Wuxian falls back into his nap.
Pre-heat is aptly named. The body temperature of an omega in pre-heat experiences a slow and gradual rise. The name makes sense.
Heat is a whole different beast.
When Wei Wuxian wakes up for the third time, his body feels like it’s on fire. He flings the blankets and robes and pillows off of himself and rolls around in an attempt to get comfortable. The nausea is there—minimal and non-threatening, but present and uncomfortable. The cramps… The cramps are constant and it takes very little time for Wei Wuxian to notice that he is wet. The feel, the smell, the sound as he moves his legs…
He whines a little bit in his misery. Normally by this point he would have a toy to help him through these first couple surges but he’s going to be mated, soon. What need does he have for a toy when he has an alpha—
His eyes shoot open. Where is his alpha?
Shouldn’t Lan Zhan be right there, in the nest? Wei Wuxian’s anxiety spikes. He hasn’t been abandoned, has he? Lan Zhan would never do that. Lan Zhan is good. So good. He’s the best. Therefore, he can’t be far!
He whines again and soon enough he can hear shuffling coming from outside the door, and then…
There he is, again. Lan Zhan, looking a little harried. Is he worried? Affected? Scared? Ready? It doesn’t matter to Wei Wuxian right now. All he wants is his alpha at his side, touching him and claiming him and loving him.
“Lan Zhan,” he hums, in what he desperately hopes is a very sexy way, but in the back of his mind knows sounds… helpless and pathetic. But it’s fine.
Wei Wuxian reaches towards Lan Zhan. This is it, it’s time.
“Lan Zhan, please, I want…”
Lan Zhan comes closer and Wei Wuxian can’t bring himself to feel shame or embarrassment of his naked form. He’s uncomfortable and if he wants Lan Zhan to fix it… it’s a necessity.
And then Lan Zhan stops. Several paces away from the bed he stops, and looks at the display that is Wei Wuxian in heat. Wei Wuxian’s eyes rake down Lan Zhan’s body—still lightly clothed in that single layer—and he can see his effect on Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan is hard, and precum has left a wet spot at the front of his robe. It should be shocking that Lan Zhan has let himself be seen like this. Or maybe Lan Zhan is suddenly even-tempered about biological functions?
That makes no sense, not to Wei Wuxian, and the only thing he can think to do is to tease the poor man.
“Even Lan Zhan is hard…! I can help, let me help, please… We can help each other.” He purrs loudly, unable to ignore the way Lan Zhan’s scent has grown so much stronger and how it makes him want to squirm. So why is Lan Zhan just standing there? Shouldn’t he want to touch Wei Wuxian? Shouldn’t he want to grab him and kiss him and squeeze him and fuck him? Why is he just there?
It doesn’t take more than a few more seconds before Wei Wuxian is keening with desperation. He hurts and he needs attention!
He closes his eyes and when he opens them again, he can’t determine if Lan Zhan is nearby or not. He can’t see him, can’t smell him…
He could cry.
Wei Wuxian relaxes deeper into his nest of blankets, robes, and pillows, just in time for a powerful cramp to grip him.
He whimpers, eyes clenched shut as his fingers clutch at the bed’s blankets. He tries to breathe through it; tries to make as little noise as possible. If Lan Zhan won’t help him, what use is there in letting his discomfort be known? It’s fine! He’s done this before. The environment is different, his body feels much different, but a heat is a heat, right? When he thinks back on it later, he’ll realize what a silly thing it will have been to assume that Lan Zhan would want to consummate anything. Lan Zhan probably found some loophole in the contract that he forgot to tell Wei Wuxian about and now here Wei Wuxian is making a mess of their bed and honestly he really should have known better.
He’d been so concerned over not getting his hopes up about Lan Zhan not returning his feelings, he’d never considered the physical and sexual aspect at all. He’d assumed that this part was a given, a requirement. He supposes that all Lan Zhan needs to do is bite him—no knotting necessary.
Well then! This is going to be so much harder with just his fingers. Maybe Lan Zhan can make a tea that will keep him asleep throughout the whole thing.
For the first time since signing the contract two weeks ago, Wei Wuxian finally allows a little bit of his heart to crack, and buries himself back under the blankets to force himself to sleep.
The fourth time Wei Wuxian wakes, something is very different. He’s still hot, in pain, miserable, and ridiculously horny but he feels… clean?
It takes only a second to register Lan Zhan sitting at the side of the bed.
With food.
“You’ve been asleep for several hours. You should eat.”
“No,” Wei Wuxian groans. “No food...” The thought of ingesting anything makes his stomach twist. On its own, the imagined nausea is fine. Combined with his body cramping and slicking itself up in response to his alpha’s proximity? That’s another matter entirely.
He’s still completely naked, he notices. Completely exposed, and Lan Zhan’s right there, and can see him. He can see the flush of every inch of skin, see how hard he is, see the slick shining from between his legs.
Lan Zhan is still hard. He just doesn’t want Wei Wuxian.
The rejection continues to hammer home, but Wei Wuxian keeps his composure as well as he can.
This time, the next cramp happens in time with another fissure of his heart, and Wei Wuxian curls up, hissing through the pain.
“Wei Ying?!”
“M’fine! H-hah, just. My heat…”
“Is it that painful?”
…Does Lan Zhan not know? Does Lan Zhan not have an older omega brother?
“Haha… L-like I said, m’—” He curls up even tighter, a high-pitched whine eking from his throat.
“How can I help you?”
Something like ice rains down on Wei Wuxian, and it does nothing to soothe his temperature. It does, at least, offer him a moment of clarity that he’s not sure he’s pleased to have. “L-Lan Zhan. You’re not… seriously asking this, are you? Is this… Is this a joke?”
Lan Zhan remains quiet. Right. Not a joke. Lan Zhan honestly doesn’t know.
Wei Wuxian laughs, twisting onto his front and burying his head beneath the pillows and blankets. It’s useful: He can bite into it to stifle his reaction to the next cramp, and also wipe away the start of frustrated tears.
How unfair all of this is!
“Okay!” he moans, voice muffled. He tugs his head out but pulls the blanket up to cover himself. It’s uncomfortable and sticky and far too hot, but he’ll at least attempt to salvage whatever modesty he can. At least he hasn’t done anything embarrassing like presenting himself.
“It’s fine,” he lies. “If your sheltered Lan education has not prepared you for this, I certainly won’t be the one to teach you.”
“Wei Ying, I know—”
“How long have I been in this bed suffering? If I had known your intention I’d have prepared myself much differently.”
“You…”
“So cruel to me, Lan Zhan!” He wants it to be another joke, but. Perhaps he’s more honest than not. He takes a deep breath as another cramp starts to threaten him, and his hips twitch to rut against the mattress. “You—hnng, owowow… We can… try to annul the contract. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they know it was me, your reputation will remain! Just be—be honest this time, yeah?” He forces out a laugh. “I bet Yu-furen is cackling. I bet she timed it like this for this reason. Ahh, joke’s on her! I’ll be Jiang again! Ah, what a fun game I am.”
Lan Zhan has, as far as Wei Wuxian can tell, gone still. He’s not sure the man is even breathing but Wei Wuxian is a little too preoccupied with making sure that he, himself, remains breathing.
Everything hurts, physically and emotionally. It’s so much and he buries his face into the sides of the nest once more, groaning through another wave of pain. Once it’s passed, he lifts himself onto his elbows, fixing Lan Zhan with a pleading, inquisitive look.
“Did you really not know what happens to an omega in heat? Did you think I'd be okay alone, if I thought you'd help me? Lan Zhan, if you hated the idea of being mated to me and not taking care of your responsibilities as such, why did you agree—”
Wei Wuxian’s words smother into the blankets as he’s shoved down into them, and like a jolt of lightning he registers the secure grip at the back of his neck. He struggles to turn his head for air but when he does he sees flashes of red and white fluttering off of them and onto the bed. The blanket? Lan Zhan’s robes? Followed by… Lan Zhan’s ribbon?!
Wei Wuxian gasps, lamentations forgotten, when Lan Zhan’s free arm slides under him and lifts his hips. It’s like his heart is gasping when he feels Lan Zhan’s cock pressing against his ass. His breathing shudders and as much as he knows he should wish to stop the way his ass presses back… he simply doesn’t care.
So Lan Zhan does know. Was he just shy? Afraid?
It doesn’t matter what held Lan Zhan back. Lan Zhan has to be ready to fuck him, now. Wei Wuxian can feel how hard he is; can smell how aroused he is. Certainly Lan Zhan wouldn’t be so cruel to tease him so explicitly and then abandon him.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan says, and his voice is so light, so airy, next to his ear, Wei Wuxian wonders for a moment if he even heard it. “This is what you want?”
“Please,” Wei Wuxian gasps. “Lan Zhan, please, it hurts, I need it! Please don’t make me suffer any more! Please, please, Lan Zhan, don’t be so cruel to me, plea—ohh, oh, fuck…!”
It doesn’t hurt, as Lan Zhan starts to press his cock inside. Not the way his toys do when he uses them too early. Wei Wuxian has been wet and ready for a long time, in pain with need. If it does actually hurt, his body is doing a great job of not letting him realize that. The relief as Lan Zhan slides into Wei Wuxian and stretches him is damn near heavenly, and his body at last relaxes in a way he’s never experienced during his heat before.
For a moment.
Lan Zhan stops moving and Wei Wuxian whines, trying to press back once more, just for more movement, but Lan Zhan’s hands are tight on his hips. Wei Wuxian is not moving.
The rest of him is shaking. The rush of adrenaline with his excitement is strong, and though he’s nose-blind to it by now he just knows his scent is out of control. His desperation grows quickly. “Lan Zhan! You! Move!”
Lan Zhan must listen because the next thing Wei Wuxian knows his body is jolting forward and then being pulled back to slam against Lan Zhan’s hips. His body wants to collapse, and that would be fine, right? Lan Zhan is the one doing most of the work, pulling Wei Wuxian back to meet his harsh thrusts and pushing the air from his lungs.
It feels like Lan Zhan is fucking him with intent.
And heavens does that make him shiver. It feels like with every thrust into him he loses yet more of his already extremely limited coherency. All he can focus on is the slick slide of Lan Zhan’s cock in and out of him; the way his own cock bounces against his stomach and drips heavy globs of precum; the way Lan Zhan every so often brushes past his prostate…
There is no shame left in Wei Wuxian. At least not enough left to keep him quiet as Lan Zhan fucks him. He knows he’s loud but how is he supposed to keep quiet like this? When he feels so good? When Lan Zhan feels so good?
Wei Wuxian’s back bows down for a moment and then his arms and legs give out on him. Though he has a secure grip on Wei Wuxian’s hips, Lan Zhan stops, pulls out, and—
“No! No, no, please,” Wei Wuxian gasps. “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan…!” Oh, he could sob. The anxiety infects every part of him and the whines he makes are brutally pathetic. He’ll never live this down but there’s not a single cell in his body that cares, right now.
Wei Wuxian is flipped onto his back and his legs pushed up…
And pushed back…
He’s exposed. His cock is dark red and still oozing precum over his stomach, his balls tight in his eagerness to come. His hole is open, clenching desperately to be filled once again.
When Wei Wuxian looks, he sees Lan Zhan just staring at him—all of him, as his fingers dig into the fat of Wei Wuxian’s thighs. Wei Wuxian watches as Lan Zhan’s eyes rove over his… everything. His own eyes wander down to Lan Zhan’s cock—big, heavy, and wet with Wei Wuxian’s slick.
He swallows, and cries a little bit. “Please, please, I need your knot, Lan Zhan, it hurts, please!”
Those eyes snap and bore into Wei Wuxian’s gaze, and then Lan Zhan is slamming back into him and grinding his hips as if trying to get even more of himself inside Wei Wuxian.
“Yes—! Alpha, Alpha, yes—” Wei Wuxian gulps for air as Lan Zhan drapes over him completely, keeping his legs bent back as far as possible. Lan Zhan starts fucking him again, hard and smooth and Wei Wuxian knows that even outside of a heat, with all of his faculties in order… He doesn’t think he’d be able to keep up.
“L-Lan Zhan, can’t—breathe, you’re so big,” he pants. “Taking up… so much space inside me, good alpha, excellent alpha, best alpha—mate, wonderful mate…”
Lan Zhan growls, lips and teeth kissing and biting up and down Wei Wuxian’s throat. Wei Wuxian lifts his chin to give Lan Zhan more space to find the right spot to bite down and officialize their mating. But not before—
“L-L’n Zha… Lan Zhan, I’m…”
Wei Wuxian barely has the thought formed in his head before he feels his body snap. He comes hard, and barely feels the splash of his cum amidst the rolls of pleasure and how his ass tightens around Lan Zhan’s cock. He just hopes that Lan Zhan keeps fucking him; this orgasm won’t be enough. His body needs a knot. He wants to feel how Lan Zhan’s knot will stretch him and lock them together. He wants to feel Lan Zhan spill inside of him.
His body shivers, and Lan Zhan does indeed keep fucking him. Harder and harder, as much as Lan Zhan is physically able. For as uncomfortable as it is, Wei Wuxian’s cock doesn’t have a chance to go soft. He stays hard, if not as hard, as Lan Zhan keeps going, and this time Wei Wuxian really does start to cry.
“Please, don’t stop,” he breathes. “Want your knot… Please, fill me up, want it….” His arms, weak as they are, come up to wrap around Lan Zhan to keep him in place. “Alpha, knot me, knot me, please—mate, mate, Lan Zhan, mate…”
Whatever it is that makes Lan Zhan come matters little to Wei Wuxian. Not when he feels Lan Zhan’s knot start to swell and tease around his hole; not when it bullies its way inside of him to tie them. Wei Wuxian groans, in pain, maybe relief, maybe even sorrow? To know that this round is already done.
But he can feel Lan Zhan spill into him, and he is overcome with satisfaction.
For two seconds, at least, because at the third second, Lan Zhan’s weight presses a little harder against him, and at the fourth second, Lan Zhan’s teeth are biting into Wei Wuxian’s throat and breaking the skin.
Everything at once tells him to thrash—it hurts! But it also tells him to lay still and take it. This is his alpha carving proof of ownership into his omega. As much as Wei Wuxian may hate the general idea of ownership, he can’t deny the heady run of satisfaction flowing through his veins.
He’s Lan Zhan’s. Lan Zhan will always be in his life and at this moment, nothing is better. Right now he’s tied to Lan Zhan, whose weight on him is comforting, and who is taking care of the wound he left on Wei Wuxian’s neck.
Despite all of the different sensations he’s feeling, Wei Wuxian can’t help but start purring again and lazily wrap his arms around Lan Zhan. He wants to make a mantra of Lan Zhan’s name, but he can’t bring himself to stop purring.
He’s so very content…
Wei Wuxian wakes again.
Lan Zhan is already spreading his legs.
When they’re done, Wei Wuxian falls asleep to Lan Zhan’s gentle affections.
The next time he wakes, Lan Zhan refuses to touch him unless he eats something and drinks some water.
Wei Wuxian is more petulant about this than he normally would be, but he gets a pass, right?
Lan Zhan lets him come only as a reward.
Lan Zhan wakes up from their nap-break only because Wei Wuxian lacks any finesse in crawling on top of him and trying to impale himself on Lan Zhan's cock. Once that's figured out, Wei Wuxian tries his best to ride Lan Zhan. Unfortunately, coordination is not one of his strong suits while in heat, and Lan Zhan ends up grabbing his hips to lift him, and slam him back down.
Wei Wuxian enjoys it; Lan Zhan is so deep, and his knot fits nice and snuggly inside of him.
Wei Wuxian’s legs wobble as he tries making his way to the tub. He’s sore, tired, and weak.
Lan Zhan bends him over a chair when Wei Wuxian’s scent spikes right before getting in the water, and refrains from tying them.
Wei Wuxian’s behavior turns obstinate and mean at being denied a knot, but it does not interfere with Lan Zhan’s care. Wei Wuxian dozes off for a moment and when he wakes again, Lan Zhan knots him. When he pulls out, Wei Wuxian is too alert and anxiously scrambles to crawl back on to Lan Zhan’s cock. Lan Zhan too easily forces him down, tries to wipe the worried tears away, and slowly fucks him once more.
This time, he does not pull out.
When Wei Wuxian wakes up the morning of the fourth day, he can finally feel some kind of relief. The last remnants of his heat remain but they are, mostly, ignorable.
Thank every star in the sky.
He stretches, feeling the blankets shift along his still-naked skin and breathing deep through a yawn. His body is sore and in pain, muscles tense. His neck is stiff, and his ass hurts to the point he’s careful with how he positions himself. He’s hardly opened his eyes but it feels like he’s covered in bruises. And it stinks—
Well, no. No, it doesn’t, actually. Does it? There’s a hint of sex, of slick, but it’s not that sickly stale smell that lingers when he’s in the medical dens. Prevailing over it is something clean. It’s nice. Like incense is burning across the room and the windows have been opened for some fresh air, and isn’t that nice?
Finally Wei Wuxian opens his eyes and it takes a moment for his memories to align themselves.
Mating ceremony. Taken home to his new den. Suffering the onslaught of his heat alone. Lan Zhan helping him.
It doesn’t take long for Wei Wuxian to bury his head under his pillow. While any visual recollection is hazy, Wei Wuxian still very much remembers Lan Zhan with him in this bed. In his nest. Naked. And knotting him. Many… many times.
Oh, heavens.
“Wei Ying.”
Wei Wuxian pops his head up from under the pillow in surprise, attention spinning immediately to Lan Zhan. (Clothed, thank goodness.) He’s carrying a tray of food and moving to sit on the bed—which Wei Wuxian recognizes has had its sheets changed already. From the lucky red silk that draped it before, its sheets are now much softer, and are a soothing, gentle blue. Comfier.
He glances around the bed to find that there do remain some pieces from his nest.
Some.
He has conflicting feelings about that, about his nest being tampered with, but he’ll sort them out later. They are new feelings and he just can’t dedicate to them the attention they require.
“Ah, Lan Zhan, how…?” He gestures to the bed, wiggling the sheets just enough to communicate exactly what he’s asking.
“You are a heavy sleeper.”
Wei Wuxian sits up properly, and carefully, pulling the sheets to cover his lap. (Should he still make sure to practice such modesty after the behavior he displayed during his heat…?) Lan Zhan’s answer, implied well enough, blooms warmth in Wei Wuxian’s chest and he thinks he sees something warm in the corners of Lan Zhan’s eyes. Just the idea of Lan Zhan caring for him while he rested makes Wei Wuxian smile. He knows it can’t be easy taking care of an omega in heat, and that he received such steadfast care and attention? He’s so lucky. Wei Wuxian is so lucky. He has such a good alpha. The thought alone keeps the last flames of his heat well and alive.
“That I am,” he says, and watches as Lan Zhan carefully balances the tray on the sheets.
Lan Zhan is now stuck with him. Wei Wuxian will need to work hard.
“Ah, Lan Zhan, um…” Wei Wuxian clears his throat. “Uh, I hope… I mean. Thank you. For helping me. I’ve never had a heat that intense and having you here to help was…”
So good.
“It was nice.”
It was nice? What an understatement! He is terrible at this and he ought to burrow right back under the pillow.
But Lan Zhan nods like it wasn’t a hardship on him. Like he was just asked to help one of the music teachers. Wei Wuxian isn’t sure about his feelings on that one, either. He has a lot of thinking to do.
He opens his mouth to speak once more but before any sound can escape, Wei Wuxian’s stomach growls loudly. His face turns red and he tries to hide half of it in his hands.
“You refused a lot of food and water during your heat. Is this normal for you?”
Wei Wuxian tries to laugh into his hands but it just comes out as a feeble and muffled attempt at sound. “Promise not to get mad?”
Lan Zhan stays quiet, but that’s totally his ‘I promise not to get mad’ face. Right?
Wei Wuxian’s hands drop from his face and he sighs. “I manage a single bowl of congee at the start, and don’t eat or drink through the rest of it.”
Lan Zhan’s face does something. At first, he looks ready to explode but once a moment has passed, Lan Zhan looks more composed.
Right. Maybe eating will be something Wei Wuxian will have to work on? He knows he's not the best at caring for himself, and he knows Lan Zhan likely takes issue with this, if his minute facial expressions were any giveaway. Maybe it's a fear of Wei Wuxian not taking care of himself—which is valid a lot of the time, honestly, but he’s made it this far! He’s still alive!
“It’s not on purpose! The first day I feel nauseous and just thinking of food makes me feel ill. By the time the nausea passes, uh… Food is the last thing on my mind, haha…”
“I noticed.”
Wei Wuxian’s eyes widen and he’s pretty certain that his face could cook an egg. “Lan Zhan!” he gasps, and covers his face with his hands once again. If it wasn’t for the tray of food sitting on the bed, he would pull the blankets up to hide himself entirely. “It’s not like I could help it!”
He does his best to try and suppress the last threads of desire trying their best to stay alive as his memories turn vivid.
When Wei Wuxian peeks through his fingers, he’s fairly certain he sees something that looks suspiciously like sneaky satisfaction sparking in Lan Zhan’s eyes.
Evil. If only he’d known how evil Lan Zhan is… But that’s fine! Some people like to think of Wei Wuxian as a shameless menace. If the way to get back at Lan Zhan is to employ that assumption against him as well? So be it. He forces the blush from his face and drops his hands with purpose.
“I can only presume you’re here to feed your feeble omega after such an eventful heat?” Oh, getting used to the knowledge that Lan Zhan helped him through his heat… That’s going to take a while. But it will have to wait. “You really wore me out, you know! I’ve never been so fatigued during one.”
Wei Wuxian has many plans to fluster Lan Zhan, but this one is a failure. Lan Zhan’s face remains as passive as ever and he’s instead focused on preparing a bowl of food.
“You need to eat. Your sister delivered breakfast to us, as well as your introduction robes. They are on a rack across the den.”
“And you expect me to eat it on my own? Lan Zhan, I’m so tired. My arms? Noodles. Overcooked!”
Lan Zhan shakes his head, scoots closer, and lifts a bite of food on a pair of chopsticks.
Wei Wuxian blushes once more but opens his mouth to accept the bite. They stare at each other as Wei Wuxian chews, and he contemplates asking just why Lan Zhan had procrastinated touching him. He’d been in a world of pain and misery and need.
But he also doesn’t want to open up a can of worms that leaves him untouched during his next season. Lan Zhan probably has his reasons! Maybe he was just nervous! It’s fine, really. Everything worked out in the end. Lan Zhan mated him and kept him sated, clean, fed, and watered (as well as he was allowed), and Wei Wuxian has no reason to not be thankful. His instincts click and he sighs, throwing a little bit of caution to the wind.
He swallows his bite, and leans forward to smile.
“Of all the things you did to me, Lan Zhan, not a single one of them was kissing me. And you kissed me so much before your hunt! What's this about?”
Lan Zhan’s stare intensifies, and it sends the most pleasant chill down Wei Wuxian’s spine.
“The worst of it might be gone, but I am technically still in heat, you know.”
The food is set aside before Wei Wuxian can blink, and he finds himself pressed back against the bed once more, except this time Lan Zhan’s mouth is on his.
Lan Zhan kisses deeply, claiming all of Wei Wuxian that he can. It sends Wei Wuxian’s heart fluttering, and his fingers moving desperately along the lines of Lan Zhan’s robes to open them up.
These last flickers of his season have his body reacting immediately—half-way to hard, wet, and aching.
Wei Wuxian pulls back from the kiss, taking a deep breath and groaning. “Please, Lan Zhan? I want… One more time?”
To see you? To be present. To connect.
Wei Wuxian knows that Lan Zhan isn’t a mind reader, but it’s nice that he seems to know what Wei Wuxian wants.
When Lan Zhan slides into him this time, it’s with unbroken eye-contact. It makes Wei Wuxian want to hide but looking away is losing whatever imaginary challenge he’s spontaneously decided he’s a part of.
It’s also more painful than he remembers it being. He refrains from whining at the pain, knowing Lan Zhan will make it better shortly. They’re mated, now, it would be very rude if Lan Zhan doesn’t make him feel better.
Wei Wuxian reaches his arms around Lan Zhan’s neck and tugs him down for another kiss, just as his legs lock around Lan Zhan’s waist.
“Lan Zhan,” he mumbles sweetly against Lan Zhan’s lips, and presses lazy kisses all around. “Won’t you fuck me? I’m here, you know. Your mate, your Wei Ying. You can have me however you want…”
Once more Lan Zhan is kissing the air from Wei Wuxian’s body, and slams himself forward until Wei Wuxian is moving further along the bed and dragging the blankets with him. It’s no matter though when Lan Zhan drags him back just to do it all over again.
“W-wait, ahh, Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan! Slow down, slow!” Wei Wuxian cries, though he’s not sure how serious he sounds between the desperate moans he releases each time Lan Zhan’s cock teases his prostate. Which is often.
It must finally get through to Lan Zhan, though. He slows his pace, Wei Wuxian still clinging to him, but now… Now Wei Wuxian can see him properly. See the feelings flash in Lan Zhan’s eyes that he won’t show on his face.
He wonders if his own feelings are readable. They’re things he wants to keep hidden, secret, but there’s no keeping the smile and laughter away when he admits fully, though silently, with every inch of his body,
I love you, Lan Zhan. I love you so much!
He gives himself a moment to touch Lan Zhan’s face, brush his brow, cheek, and lips with his thumb, and he can't help how bright his smile shines, even as he starts pressing quick kisses everywhere, even as he starts to come. Even when Lan Zhan knots him one last time, and gives Wei Wuxian that tiny, amused little huff.
Maybe, Wei Wuxian thinks, this will be one of the best things he’s ever done.
Breakfast is filling. There are so many lucky dishes he and Lan Zhan need to eat and by the time they're finished, Wei Wuxian is sure he'll explode with just one more dish. Thankfully they were given only so many dishes, and he and Lan Zhan finish their breakfast.
After, Lan Zhan gives him a brief tour of their siheyuan. As it turns out, it had originally been built for Lan Zhan’s mother in a mad fit of grief. This fact is bittersweet, but it is made all the sadder by learning that it was built for her out of the guilt resulting from said grief. She passed before the Lans had even considered joining the conglomerate, and the former Lan-zongzhu ordered it built in her memory.
Lan-zongzhu had also, unfortunately, passed before it was finished. Lan Xichen took the helm for its construction once he came of age but despite its completion, no one paid it any mind. Instead, Lan Zhan had taken responsibility for it. Though he had resided in the alphas’ den as prescribed, he had been steadfast in its upkeep.
At least, this is what Wei Wuxian manages to pull out of Lan Zhan about it. Lan Zhan's speech normally carries a level of separation, but this time, Wei Wuxian notices, Lan Zhan's voice is a little sharper. It carries a brand of anger that Wei Wuxian has never heard on it. There's clearly more to this story but Wei Wuxian knows that now is not the time for that.
For now, it's just him and Lan Zhan introducing themselves to their new life together. That Lan Zhan would gift something so obviously precious to his mate washes away any need Wei Wuxian may have for any more history. Lan Zhan may not love him romantically, but there is certainly platonic. Such a gift is still meaningful and Wei Wuxian will do his utmost to care for this den.
Once Wei Wuxian cleans up and dresses in some light robes, he peeks around their room. Their bed is tucked to the side of their room, a gorgeous moon window in its wall. Wei Wuxian notes with delight that the chest that Lan Zhan had gifted him is already here, as well as the rest of his few belongings. On the vanity, the beautiful ornament box also gifted by Lan Zhan awaits Wei Wuxian’s attention. When he opens it up, there rests his chāi—also a gift meant for Lan Zhan’s mother—as well as both pieces of his mother’s zān.
Seeing them rest beside one another gives him some kind of settled joy, as if they are a blessing for his mating.
Then, Lan Zhan shows him around the den.
It is much larger than Wei Wuxian had anticipated. When Lan Zhan said it had been for his mother, Wei Wuxian assumed it would be a single building; a single space. Instead, it’s far more akin to the siheyuan the Jiangs and other pack leaders had built for themselves. Smaller, perhaps, but it still retains all of the aspects he’d grown used to while living with the Jiangs.
(He is also steadfast in pointing out to Lan Zhan that they’ll already have space available for any future little ones. Lan Zhan doesn’t respond, but his ears become an endearing shade of pink. Wei Wuxian, meanwhile, squashes down any part of him getting excited as his heat continues to pass.)
The courtyard is as beautiful as Wei Wuxian would imagine it to be. With the season, the trees’ leaves look like fire, and the few flowers that are still in bloom add a pleasant fragrance to the space. There are benches to sit on, rock gardens, and what looks like a dugout for a fish pond. Wei Wuxian can see himself spending many lazy afternoons here, lounging on the benches and falling asleep in the sun…
Because Wei Wuxian’s heat hasn’t completely dissipated, the introductory dinner with Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen is postponed. This is excellent news. It allows Wei Wuxian time to gather his energy and to continue spending time with Lan Zhan without worrying about chaperones or whether he’s going to say or do something that will send Lan Qiren into a fit of rage.
Instead, he gets to spend his day playing games with Lan Zhan, playing duets together, and convincing Lan Zhan that just one more time will break the last hold of his heat. He lets himself pretend for the day, demanding Lan Zhan’s attention, that perhaps it’s more than it is.
It’s hard to moor his thoughts when Lan Zhan looks at him with all the depth of the sea.
That night, he curls up comfortably on top of Lan Zhan, and has the best sleep he’s had since he was held in his parents’ arms.
It goes well.
Enough.
Lan Qiren, though he appears disgruntled, can't actually be mad with anything. Wei Wuxian is wearing his introduction robes and Lan Zhan helped with his hair so he could wear his chāi—and he's on his best behavior, Thank You Very Much. Lan Xichen at least greets him warmly, and Nie Mingjue huffs.
Dinner is silent, as expected with a Lan majority present, but once food is eaten and taken away, everyone moves to the courtyard for tea. It looks… nothing like his and Lan Zhan’s. Though his and Lan Zhan’s siyehuan does have a traditional order to follow, Lan Xichen’s is terribly strict in its adherence to feng shui. It's not that Wei Wuxian finds it uncomfortable, he's just afraid he's going to knock something important over. Wei Wuxian keeps close to Lan Zhan, never more than a few steps away.
It feels strange to be much further from him, and he blushes to think that it’s their mating at work even if another part of him chalks it up to the unease of being in Lan Xichen’s and Nie Mingjue’s den. He’d much rather be in his own and learning more about it. Lan Zhan had given him a tour, but he has yet to explore.
“Are you enjoying your new den? It’s far more spacious than the omegas’ dens, isn’t it?” Lan Xichen prompts, and directs everyone to take a seat at a quaint table under a large tree.
Wei Wuxian nods. “It’s very nice. I like it.” Part of him thinks he likes it far more than he does Lan Xichens, too.
“Good. I’m pleased the den is seeing life in it. It would be a shame for it to be neglected.”
Wei Wuxian grins softly. “Lan Zhan was explaining its history to me. It doesn’t sound like he neglected it at all. I’m pretty lucky to help with it, now.”
He intends his words to be pointed. Directed. Even if Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren don’t react outwardly, he knows they know what he means. That’s enough for Wei Wuxian.
The moment passes, and Lan Qiren changes subjects as some servants bring out the tea and serve their initial cups.
“I suppose you won’t be donning our traditional robes?” he asks.
Wei Wuxian felt that might come up.
“Ah, no, probably not. White and blue don’t really look good on me? And Nie-zongzhu seems to be doing just fine without it?”
“Nie-zongzhu still heads his own pack. You do not.”
Nie Mingjue tries to hide it, but Wei Wuxian spots the relief slide off of his shoulders. It's a fair point, though. Wei Wuxian shrugs. “If Lan Zhan prefers I wear them, then I will.”
Lan Zhan, blessedly, shakes his head. “There is no need.”
The answer very visibly does not sit well with Lan Qiren. Lan Qiren switches tactics. “You are no longer Jiang. If Yu-furen sees you wearing Jiang colors she may question the Lans’ ability to absorb others into our pack.”
“I have plenty of robes that aren’t associated with the Jiangs. I don’t believe I’m wearing any purple now?” He makes a small show of checking his robes. Just the luxurious black shades of his introduction robes. “Please don’t worry, Lan-xiansheng. I won’t do anything that might cause others to look poorly on Lan Zhan. Including making sure that I’m not wearing anything of my former pack.”
He’ll have to double-check for any Jiang-related items and make sure they’re packed away where he won’t accidentally wear anything. He has a feeling it won’t be an issue, though. Jiang Yanli was probably very thorough in determining what had to stay back.
His heart feels warm. He’ll need to make it a point to find her and thank her for everything. He doesn’t deserve her.
“And when you bear Wangji’s pups? You realize they will be required to wear Lan regalia, yes?”
Wei Wuxian very carefully controls his face and its temperature. When he thinks about it, he wants very much to give Lan Zhan pups, and he wants very much to see them in Lan robes with their cute little ribbons. Not yet, of course. But one day.
“Yeah, that’s fine. As long as it’s what they want.”
Wei Wuxian very pointedly ignores the slight choking coming from Lan Qiren as he reaches to pour everyone some more tea. Of course, everyone else also ignores it. Lan Xichen included, though it is in favor of starting a slightly different conversation.
“It looks like Wangji did quite a thorough job.”
“Huh?”
Wei Wuxian stares at Lan Xichen, baffled for a moment, until Lan Xichen gestures towards his neck, where Nie Mingjue’s bitemark peeks just above the neck of his robes. Wei Wuxian feels how red his face becomes, and Nie Mingjue barks out a laugh.
“Still waters run deep!” he cheers, and reaches across to slam a hand on Lan Zhan’s shoulder in what Wei Wuxian assumes is supposed to be some kind of alpha camaraderie. Wei Wuxian thinks he sees Lan Zhan buckle under the unexpected force, but he’s for sure not missing the red that curls around his ears.
Lan Xichen, at least, keeps his focus on Wei Wuxian. “You’ll likely be bruised for a little while yet. I have some ointment if you’d like to try some. It won’t affect the scarring. Just help with the soreness and bruising.”
In all honesty, Wei Wuxian had simply ignored the soreness. It’s probably been made easier thanks to the hormones related to his heat, and those are fading fast.
“Ah, yeah, that… I would appreciate that, Xichen-ge. Thank you.”
Lan Xichen nods and stands, leaving the table to fetch the ointment. In the meantime, Lan Qiren returns to himself. Old, cranky, and perpetually miffed. There’s a certain type of charm to it, Wei Wuxian supposes—as long as he’s not the intended target.
Which he usually is when he’s anywhere near Lan Qiren.
“I suppose neither of you have heard. There were more rogue attacks. Hunts have been called off for the time being.”
That catches Wei Wuxian’s attention and he looks up at Lan Qiren. “More attacks? Has anyone—”
“Two murders,” Nie Mingjue grinds out. “Another Jin brat and one of the Nie omegas.”
Wei Wuxian winces. The Jins don’t seem to be having a great time, but for Nie Mingjue to lose one of his already-diminished pack’s omegas? It’s a harsh blow.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
Lan Zhan nods, and moves to place a small dessert on Wei Wuxian’s plate. Despite the conversation, the small act has Wei Wuxian smiling his thanks to Lan Zhan.
“We’re putting together a team to scour the surrounding woods to track them down and destroy them before they can lessen our numbers further. It’s what we should have done in the beginning. Thankfully Jin Guangshan seems to actually be concerned this time, so we’ll have access to whatever resources they still have.”
Lan Xichen returns at that moment, blessedly taking Nie Mingjue’s attention away. Like this, Wei Wuxian can make sure his expression isn’t betraying his concern for the plan that Nie Mingjue is putting together. He takes the tin of ointment that Lan Xichen hands him, thanking him with a nod as he ponders Nie Mingjue’s potential ideas.
If Nie Mingjue sends out a team to destroy rogues, then the Wens will be massacred. Exterminated. There won’t be anything left of them. Part of him wants to ask outright what the plan is if they find the Wen encampment, but he already knows the answer. Nie Mingjue hates the Wens. He’ll attribute any of this rogue activity to them and use it as grounds to eliminate them.
Wei Wuxian likes Nie Mingjue but they don’t see eye-to-eye about a lot of things.
“I’d like to join and help!” Wei Wuxian announces. That captures everyone’s attention and Lan Zhan’s tightening grip on his tea cup does not go unnoticed. “I’m an excellent tracker and one of the best archers in the entire conglomerate.”
“You haven’t been on a hunt in over two years.”
“No, I haven’t been allowed on a hunt in over two years—because almost everyone here thinks omegas are incapable.”
“Wei Wuxian!” Lan Qiren wheezes. “You are young and newly mated. You have one concern to be taking care of right now.”
Ugh!
“With all due respect, Lan-xiansheng, my mate and I will worry about that on our own time. I really wish to press my interest in assisting this group before people I personally know and care about are picked off. These rogues have killed not just a Jiang but two Jin, and now two Nies. They know they're capable of aiming higher, and more broadly.”
He looks from Lan Qiren to Nie Mingjue, who’s sat there and glaring at him, silently assessing.
“Let me think on it. I’ll let you know in a couple days.”
Wei Wuxian bows down as deeply as he can while seated. “Thank you, Nie-zongzhu.”
He has to get to the Wens.
It turns out to be a far more harrowing experience than it used to be. Curfew, Wei Wuxian finds, is more strictly enforced than before, and the perimeter of the packs’ grounds now has guards every several hundred feet. In the market and square, he noticed earlier, no one is walking alone. Mated omegas are never seen without their alpha, and pups are always in a group with no less than 3 adult guardians surrounding them.
Wei Wuxian has always snuck out at night, so how busy it gets during the day isn’t the issue.
It’s the guards, and the fact that he now lives with Lan Zhan, his mate (his mate!), who is a very vigilant alpha and cares for Wei Wuxian’s safety. The only leeway he gets here is that Lan Zhan has a pretty strict sleep schedule and by hai shi, he’s fallen asleep. That’s a fact that Wei Wuxian has always known about Lan Zhan, and he's grateful when he finds it's still true even after their mating.
Wei Wuxian takes care to dress in all black and make sure he’s as covered as possible. Slipping out of the den is easy enough—it’s just avoiding detection. But slipping past guards…? That’s far trickier. The moon is full and bright, stealing away the cover Wei Wuxian had been counting on, and there’s not even a song on the breeze to whistle past the guards’ ears.
He watches the two nearest guards, clocking their habits for a few minutes. They’re assaulted by yawning, and once or twice Wei Wuxian catches one shaking their head to stay awake. It’s not terribly late, is it? For the Lans, sure, but everyone else…? Maybe these guys’ shift is ending soon? Wei Wuxian can slip through during the shift change.
It’s easier than he initially anticipates. The shift change doesn’t happen, but one guy starts swaying where he stands and just one more glance around, Wei Wuxian slips out past the guards and dashes softly to the forest.
He’s as quick and quiet as can be and he knows that the wind is most definitely carrying his scent back—omega, just out of heat, just mated—so he must try to be as expeditious as possible. The Wens need to know what’s going on.
He doesn’t allow himself to think of the possibility that the Wens may have already met these rogues.
Wei Wuxian follows the same trail he always does to the Wens. It feels like it’s taken him twice as long but he’ll attribute that to his repressed anxiety.
Just when he’s sure that the forest has moved things on him, Wei Wuxian reaches the Wens’ little makeshift village. Nearly all of the dens’ lights are extinguished for the night, except for a few he recognizes as Wen Qing’s and Uncle Four’s.
Quickly he shuffles towards Wen Qing’s door, knocking on it lightly, though hurriedly. He waits (im)patiently, toe scuffing on the thin dirt beneath his feet, until at last the door swings open.
“Wei Wuxian—!”
And then suddenly Wei Wuxian is tugged back with a force that very nearly knocks the wind out of him, and there’s the shing of a sword and a terrified gasp.
Once sure that he’s not going to stumble to the ground, Wei Wuxian draws his own sword with a growl and twists around to point it at his captor—
Just until his eyes catch up with his brain, and his nose catches that scent.
Lan Zhan.
His eyes widen in fear and he drops Suibian to grasp Lan Zhan’s robes.
“Lan Zhan! No! Drop your sword! She’s not a threat! Lan Zhan!”
Lan Zhan doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t move, either. Just growls in Wen Qing’s direction, Bichen as steady as the hand that holds it. Wen Qing is as stiff as a board, eyes shut tight and fear lacing her outline.
Wei Wuxian dashes around Lan Zhan, shoving Wen Qing back to stand in her place, arms out to shield her as he stares Lan Zhan down.
He and Lan Zhan have certainly dueled and sparred before. Both of them have a competitive streak, and their win and loss rate balance between the two of them. In those moments, even in loss, Wei Wuxian has always found the excitement and challenge in Lan Zhan's eyes.
But right now, all he sees is a calculating chill that can and will strike to harm if necessary.
Wei Wuxian hates it. But he stands his ground, glaring into Lan Zhan’s gaze. The only thing keeping him from growling back is his instincts. A part of him wants to present his throat in submission. Another part of him wants to grab his sword and tell Lan Zhan to leave.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan finally says, and he lowers Bichen. He doesn’t sheathe the sword, not yet, but just getting him to lower it feels like an accomplishment.
Wei Wuxian lets his shoulders slacken, but his arms remain outstretched. “Lan Zhan,” he answers. “Lan Zhan, she’s safe.”
Lan Zhan doesn’t speak to that. He does seem a little skeptical, though, and honestly: Wei Wuxian can’t begrudge him that. He knows what’s been said around the packs’ grounds at home. He knows the sentiment towards the Wens. He can’t blame Lan Zhan for trusting his peers and elders. But he can at least trust that Lan Zhan will listen.
He keeps his gaze steady on Lan Zhan.
Lan Zhan at last sheathes Bichen.
“An explanation.”
Wei Wuxian’s arms lower, and he smiles in relief. He can always trust Lan Zhan.
Quarter of an hour later, tea is cooling in its cups as the three sit around the small table in Wen Qing’s den.
Wei Wuxian adores that Wen Qing almost immediately clocks how to communicate with Lan Zhan. She keeps her words concise. To the point. She doesn’t waste time on trifles. Lan Zhan’s only interjections are his hums of acknowledgement, and Wei Wuxian can see him connecting dots and rewriting his opinions as he listens.
He loves Lan Zhan so much. He’s so good. He’s fair, he’s virtuous, he’s endlessly patient with Wei Wuxian… Wei Wuxian, again, counts himself so lucky.
“Hey! Wei Wuxian! Are you listening to me or are you just going to keep staring like some freshly-presented pup at the first pretty alpha you see?”
Wei Wuxian’s back straightens, and before he can let his embarrassment at being caught in the act show, he instead one-ups it himself.
“Hm, wrong on both counts! I planned on continuing to stare like some freshly-mated omega at their pretty alpha. Now, what were you saying?”
Lan Zhan sits a little straighter and Wen Qing rolls her eyes and sighs. “I stand corrected, then… I asked what brought you here at this hour. It’s late. I’m usually asleep. Were you planning on disturbing everyone until someone woke up?”
“If I had to, yeah,” Wei Wuxian answers. There’s no hesitation, no joking lilt to his voice, and he fixes his posture a little now that they’re finally able to get down to business. “The packs have lost several members to rogues. A Jiang, and two each for the Jins and Nies.”
Wen Qing’s face visibly blanches. She's already concluding all that Wei Wuxian is. “It’s not us.”
Wei Wuxian shakes his head. “I didn’t come here to accuse you. I know it's not you. And Lan Zhan won’t, now that he knows the truth of your situation. Right, Lan Zhan?”
Lan Zhan nods, and brings his tea up for a sip. Wei Wuxian returns his attention to Wen Qing.
“I’m concerned about you guys. I was worried the rogues might have gotten to you, and… I wanted to warn you…? Nie-zongzhu is putting together a scouting party to hunt them down.”
For all that fatigue is often a feature on Wen Qing’s visage, it looks to almost double at Wei Wuxian’s warning. She slumps forward just slightly, a single finger rubbing the side of her teacup.
“What am I to do?”
Wei Wuxian can’t answer that.
“Where are we supposed to go? Meager as it is, this has become our home. Everyone’s been through so much, and now I need to tell them to be ready to leave everything behind? Again? What about Wen-popo? A-Yuan?”
“I know. Wen Qing, I’m sorry. I requested to join the team, I’m going to try and make sure they stay away but—”
“We will ensure that there is no reason for them to travel in this direction,” Lan Zhan says.
It takes Wei Wuxian by surprise. Lan Zhan is not prone to interrupting, but maybe he sees this as an important-enough endeavor that he wants to impress his dedication and honesty. (Again: Wei Wuxian is so in love with him.)
Wen Qing eyes him, brows steepling a little. “Wei Wuxian trusts you enough to have mated you, and I trust that you want to do right by him. But please understand that I don’t know you.”
Lan Zhan nods his head. “As you will.”
Wei Wuxian almost has to hide his grin. Watching Wen Qing learn Lan Zhan’s quirks and mannerisms is not a show he expected, but here it is.
Wen Qing slouches forward, and Wei Wuxian goes to refill her tea for her. She mutters a thank you, and then, “I’ll talk with Si-shu and Popo tomorrow. Can I expect you to return with a warning, at least?”
“Yes,” Wei Wuxian says, holding up three fingers in salute. “I promise to do everything I can, even if it means I get hurt. Or worse.”
“Wei Ying!”
“Wei Wuxian!”
“Oh! Damn! Okay! Maybe not—!”
Lan Zhan’s glare comes often enough that, though he feels the heat of it, it is familiar. Wen Qing’s? That’s a different story. When in her presence, it’s less heat and more stinging anxiety. Which he understands. They don’t see each other as often as they’d like and they share a mutual concern for each other. It goes for all of the Wens, of course, but Wen Qing is the one he connects with the most—Wen Ning a very close second. He understands the anxiety.
“Warn us only if it doesn’t put you in direct danger. You’re foolish enough to suffer fatal injury just for something like that? Lan Wangji, make sure you keep an eye on your mate. You saw how wont he is to sneak out to get in trouble.”
“H-hey, now, I’ve snuck out plenty of times before!”
“When rogues were murdering your pack?”
“I mean—”
“I refuse to speak any more reason to you. That’s your mate’s job. Not mine.”
“Aww, Qing-jie!”
“Don’t Qing-jie me. Now is there any other reason you’re here, apart from pushing me to an early grave with your annoyance?”
Wei Wuxian crosses his arms and grumbles. “Well it’d be nice to know how A-Yuan is doing.”
“He’s alive. Thanks to you.”
“He’s better, then?”
Wen Qing nods. “It took a few days but he pulled through. I worry, though. I’m afraid it may have made him weaker, being as young as he is... I wouldn’t fear the winter as much as I do if he hadn’t gotten sick. We can keep him warm, of course, but illness travels easily in the cold. If he could shift, it wouldn’t be so scary a prospect. But he’s still a few years away from that.”
Lan Zhan sets his tea down with a gentle clack against the table. “Early conditioning may assist in his ease and capability.”
Wei Wuxian feels himself blanch. He knows it’s strange, that it’s weird; that it isn’t right. But he can’t help the way that fear suspends him when he sees anyone, even the Jiangs, shift to their wolf forms. He knows there was a time that this didn’t bother him; that he had been capable as well. But he’s survived a war he was too young for and seen the horrors of it before he’d ever been ready.
That he got away with only a fear of canines?
He counts that as nothing short of a miracle.
Wen Qing shakes her head just slightly, and apparently decides to focus on something else. Something entirely different.
“So. Mating went well, I take it.”
By the time Wen Qing is done making Wei Wuxian want to sink into the earth, it is well-past even Wei Wuxian’s bedtime. Whereas it’s normally Wen Qing needing to force Wei Wuxian to leave, this time it’s Wei Wuxian doing his absolute best to usher Lan Zhan towards the door and to say his goodbyes.
He really does love Wen Qing. It’s a shame, he thinks, that he couldn’t have grown up with her and Jiang Yanli as his big sisters.
But he’s grateful for what he has. He still has them both in his life, he has Jiang Cheng, and Nie Huaisang, and he even has Lan Zhan. He’s thankful, and he can’t complain.
He is so incredibly lucky to have what he does. He’s never needed Yu Ziyuan consistently stabbing him with reminder after reminder. He’s only ever needed to see the kindness in Jiang Yanli’s eyes; the fraternal annoyance set on Jiang Cheng’s face.
The gentle adoration in the curve of Lan Zhan’s lips. That soft grin only he’s gotten to see.
His heart is racing at just imagining Lan Zhan's face. His mind is screaming at him, telling him to communicate his feelings. He's not sure how much longer he can keep them fastened away, but how can he say something so bold when he is so shaken with fear for Lan Zhan's response? What if Lan Zhan says no? Worse, what if Lan Zhan says no?
But surely… Surely it can't be a no! Not when Lan Zhan is so fastidiously making sure that rogues are nowhere near them on their way home. Not when he pushes Wei Wuxian forward while the guards aren’t looking. Not when he stares Wei Wuxian down inside the front courtyard of their den as if to make sure he’s okay.
“You are well.”
“Ah…” Wei Wuxian stares and blinks, and has to remind himself to respond. Nod. Speak. Anything. “Yes! Yes I’m fine! Of course I’m fine!” He nods quickly, and then, “Are you well? You came out of nowhere.”
“I am well. I followed you almost immediately.”
“You were sound asleep!”
“I was not.”
“...Suspicious… I’ll have to be careful, then…”
“Are you planning on sneaking out again?”
“...Not without you, I guess…”
That seems to pacify Lan Zhan for now. Wei Wuxian will have to rework his plans—whether they include Lan Zhan or not. He doesn’t seem to be particularly worried about the Wens, despite his having every right to be wary after his father’s death. Wei Wuxian knows that he, himself, will continue to defend the Wens even without the excuse of A-Yuan, but A-Yuan being there…
Wei Wuxian shakes himself free of the thoughts, as Lan Zhan starts walking ahead and says, "I'll prepare the bath."
"Ah, mm, okay! We probably need one, huh?"
Bathing turns out to be a separated affair, giving Wei Wuxian the time alone to pretend he's not overthinking anything about Lan Zhan's actions or responses since being caught with the Wens, or the fight with his feelings earlier. It's only after drying, dressing, and emptying the tub that he forces himself to think of happier things and throw a smile on. If Lan Zhan hasn't said anything, then Lan Zhan doesn't deem the Wens an issue. That's definitely how Lan Zhan has always worked!
So why, when he returns to their bedroom and sees Lan Zhan sitting on their bed and brushing his hair in the dim candlelight, does he feel himself lock up? This is not something that happens with anyone who isn't Madam Yu.
How does Lan Zhan look so relaxed? He doesn't look tense, or rigid, or angry. Should Wei Wuxian not expect any kind of scolding, or reprimand? To an extent he deserves it: he snuck out after curfew and past the guard while rogues have been out murdering. He put not only himself at risk but, though unknowingly, Lan Zhan. That he and Lan Zhan returned home safely and in one piece is amazing.
“I’m not turning them in,” Wei Wuxian blurts out. “They’re innocent.” His body trembles with nerves as he watches Lan Zhan's brush stop, and his body turn some to look at him.
Lan Zhan studies him for a moment. The silence adds, in Wei Wuxian's opinion, a certain tension to the air until finally Lan Zhan says, “I have no intention of doing so, myself,” and returns to his hair.
The trembling stops, and Wei Wuxian's breath leaves him in a rush as he watches Lan Zhan stand a moment later to put his brush away and finish readying for bed. He steps after Lan Zhan, coming up beside him and grasping his wrist. The brush falls to the floor, but the only thing either of them look at is each other.
“Lan Zhan, I—! I don’t know if I’m allowed to ask you, and I’ll respect your answer no matter what it is. But I need to know if you’ll help me protect them. Whether it’s keeping their presence a secret or fighting to keep them safe. I need to know what you plan to do so I can make my own plans. I will not stop helping them however I can.”
Lan Zhan looks between Wei Wuxian’s eyes and where Wei Wuxian’s grip is held tight around Lan Zhan’s wrist. It only makes Wei Wuxian hold him even tighter. When Lan Zhan’s gaze returns to meet his, it’s…
So warm, offering it's own light to the candles around them.
“I am your mate, and your friend. Wei Ying, I didn’t…”
Lan Zhan stops, face scrunching as he rethinks his words. This has happened more frequently in the last month or so and where Wei Wuxian used to feel accomplished at getting Lan Zhan to this point, he now feels a little… worried. The ever-confident Lan Zhan being at a loss for words cannot be good because it means he's lost his confidence and Wei Wuxian doesn't want to live with the knowledge that he's broken Lan Zhan.
Before Wei Wuxian can determine how to fill the silence, brief as it is in reality, Lan Zhan turns to properly face Wei Wuxian. He doesn't pull his wrist away from Wei Wuxian's grip; just makes sure they're still looking at each other before he speaks.
“I support you. I do not think your aims are malicious. I will help you in whatever manner you deem necessary, provided it is safe and you are not put at unnecessary risk.”
The weight Wei Wuxian heart has been carrying leaves him. Lan Zhan wants to help him. With the relief gifted to his heart and soul, there is so much room for Wei Wuxian's heart to grow as it expands and explodes with his love and adoration for Lan Zhan. When Wei Wuxian gazes upon him, it's like he can see every single one of the billions of stars in the sky.
His smile grows slowly.
“I mean. Sometimes I definitely cause problems on purpose.”
Lan Zhan grins (fuck) and even laughs (double fuck). “Perhaps sometimes. But not when it matters most.”
Wei Wuxian only realizes he’s released his hold on Lan Zhan when Lan Zhan picks up the brush to finish putting it away, and starts snuffing out most of the candles on the way back towards their bed.
Wei Wuxian shakes his head, and forces himself to follow. Lan Zhan sits on the bed already, blankets pulled back so Wei Wuxian can slide in.
Earlier, Wei Wuxian had not yet been ready for bed. He'd still been awake and reading when Lan Zhan had fallen asleep. (Or not, depending on who should be believed.) He hadn't given any thought to joining Lan Zhan in bed. His heat had passed.
But now there's a spot for him that Lan Zhan clearly expects him to take.
Does Lan Zhan plan on…?
Does he—!
“What is bothering you?”
Even though his heat has well and truly finished its cycle, Wei Wuxian's instincts demand his mate’s proximity. It's such a new feeling he isn't sure how to deal with, but part of him just knows that he should give in.
Wei Wuxian hunches his shoulders instead. “You'd… like me to sleep with you tonight?”
And all the rest of the nights?
It’s not that Lan Zhan stills, or anything, but he definitely doesn’t move. “You are comfortable with that?”
“Hahaha, Lan Zhan, I'm asking if you are. Why wouldn't I be comfortable? Maybe you don’t remember, but we did have sex. Several times. Unless I wasn’t pleasing enough to remember?”
Wei Wuxian sends pleading eyes Lan Zhan’s way, and he beats back the sudden concern that Lan Zhan didn’t enjoy having sex with him.
(Sure he was in heat and kind of hazy, sure he was just taking and hardly giving, but he refuses to blame himself!)
"Perhaps you do not remember, but we did have sex. Several times," Lan Zhan mirrors, and Wei Wuxian feels embarrassment flood him. Lan Zhan is so sneaky! How dare he use Wei Wuxian's words against him!
And then Lan Zhan levels him a look and says, "Unless I wasn't pleasing enough to remember."
…How dare he use his words against him!
"I—! No! You…!" Wei Wuxian covers his face while (somehow) refraining from whining. "That's not…! You were! Please, I mean!"
"Do you remember, though?"
Wei Wuxian stills.
This had been a conversation about the Wens. Are they now talking about having sex? Is that what Lan Zhan is getting at, right now? Wei Wuxian drops his hands and scrutinizes his mate.
"Lan Zhan! You are secretly a fiend, aren't you? You've hijacked this very important conversation to ask if I remember how good you are in bed? I never expected this type of behavior from a Jade of Lan!"
"I believe you are the one who started this thread of conversation but if you would like to resume our previous discussion then I am happy to recourse."
There's a battle being waged in Wei Wuxian's head, but the important side is losing. Quickly.
"No it's okay! We should probably save discussion about the Wens until tomorrow, when we've actually had rest!"
Totally a valid excuse, right? Wei Wuxian shuffles to snuff out the remaining candles before making his way towards the bed and crawling in.
(If he steps a knee on Lan Zhan's shin, or elbows a rib, it's fine. Right? Lan Zhan hasn't made any sound indicating otherwise!)
Wei Wuxian gets comfortable, giggling a little bit in happiness at the comfort and warmth.
“Is that what you want?”
And Wei Wuxian stops his light laughter to ask, "Want what?”
“To copulate.”
And Wei Wuxian starts laughing again. “Lan Zhan!” he wheezes, curling up as he laughs at the stuffy word. Of course Lan Zhan would say it that way! He can’t imagine the look on Lan Zhan’s face—probably mortification at such a rejection from his own mate—but he can’t even see Lan Zhan’s face through his tears when he finally straightens up.
“Lan Zhan!” he gasps. “Okay okay okay, first… Don’t call it that. Copulate? Who uses that word at all? Just text books!” He wipes the tears from his eyes. He finds Lan Zhan turning away from him, hair cascading to reveal the red of Lan Zhan’s ears. He’s so cute! "Aiyo, Lan Zhan! Stop that!" He reaches for Lan Zhan's shoulder, forcing him to stop turning, and to face him. “Just call it sex. You did earlier! Or fucking—though I feel like that one’s probably a little too cavalier for you, huh?”
“Promiscuous language is forbi—”
“Forbidden, I know, I know.” Wei Wuxian scoots closer, determinedly fighting his nerves as he tangles his feet with Lan Zhan's. “You may be Lan, but this is your home now and you can relax. Okay? And I’m your mate, now. So if that’s something you want… Sex, I mean. I’m happy to give that to you.”
It takes every ounce of bravery he can muster to say that. Not because it’s true (which it is), it’s just very forward. Even if Lan Zhan is his mate.
Lan Zhan stiffens, and Wei Wuxian knows immediately that he messed up. He pulls his feet back and scoots back to his original spot.
“Or just during your rut! Or my heat! We can definitely keep it to just those times! But just sleeping together. Side by side. That’s okay, right?”
Lan Zhan’s brow scrunches and it is simultaneously the cutest and most nerve-wracking thing he’s ever seen on Lan Zhan’s face.
A warm hand presses at the small of his back, pushing him towards Lan Zhan until their bodies are flush against each other. He can feel Lan Zhan's cock hardening, and Wei Wuxian can't help the satisfied grin.
"Lan Zhan! Can't you ever just use your words? Answer my questions instead of letting me come to silly conclusions? Do you enjoy making your Wei Ying embarrass himself?"
Lan Zhan presses Wei Wuxian onto his back and moves to hover above him. Even in the dark, Lan Zhan's eyes manage to reflect the sun.
"I've been remiss."
That's when Lan Zhan leans down to kiss every bit of oxygen from Wei Wuxian's lungs and he lifts his hips up to press against Lan Zhan's.
"Oh thank the heavens," Wei Wuxian breathes in between kisses, and vows, as Lan Zhan starts to undress them, to make sure he gives as much of himself to Lan Zhan as he possibly can.