Work Text:
Let me woo you, Wangji wants to say. Let me court you, with the intention of marriage.
Wei Wuxian, Yiling Patriarch, head disciple of YunmengJiang, Wei Ying. Light of my life, song of my heart, let me love you. Please.
He wants to say it, but the words do not come.
Instead, Wangji stands there, silent and unmoving, and simply gazes upon the ethereal visage that is the omega who owns his heart.
Wei Wuxian is perched in the branches of a low tree, the dark fabric of his blindfold stark against his pale skin. His lips are pursed lightly against the dark wood of his flute, hair flowing in the wind.
He is an exquisite beauty, even seated as callously as he is, even with the dark bags under his eyes and the way previously tanned skin had lightened to sallow, pale flesh. He is beautiful even in the way sallow skin clings to his bones, even in the way resentful energy has sucked the fat from his body and left sunken cheeks and hollow eyes.
Wangji's heart pounds in his chest, a rapid, impatient beat, and his alpha screams at him to take, claim, mark, mate-
Mine, his alpha growls, low and trembling, and Wangji has to force back the thoughts, suppress the urge.
Wei Wuxian isn't something to own- the other man is something to be cherished, to be loved, and Wangji will never take more than what Wei Wuxian offers.
The ends of Wei Wuxian's blindfold flutter in the breeze, the movement catching Wangji's eye. The black of the cloth is dark against his skin, a sharp contrast, and abruptly Wangji wonders how it would look in white.
What if he had given Wei Wuxian his forehead ribbon when he'd asked? What if the black of his blindfold was instead the white and blue of Wangji's own ribbon, tied securely around Wei Wuxian's eyes, Wangji's own scent marking the omega, sandalwood and snow and alpha, rubbing off onto Wei Wuxian himself?
Wangji shudders at the mental image, and cringes away.
He is losing control. He should not- he will not-
On the branch, Wei Wuxian shifts, and the wind changes direction, and Wangji flinches as the breezes brings the scent of lotus blooms and spice to him.
He cannot-
The branches are at the height of Wangji's lips.
He lurches forward before he can stop himself, and then Wei Wuxian's lips are under his, and- they are as soft as he'd imagined, warm and dry and chapped, but so, so soft.
Wangji's head spins.
The bark of the tree is rough under one hand, but Wei Wuxian's hair is soft in his other, and Wangji can't help the desperate way he curls his fingers around silky locks, the way he grips tight and caresses warm flesh. He cannot help the way he steps closer, presses harder, and savages Wei Wuxian's lips with his own.
Beneath him, Wei Wuxian is stiff with shock, and the scent of lotus blooms and spice sours, bitter with panic and confusion, and immediately Wangji's heart plummets.
He has- he did- he-
No. No, no, no.
All those promises to never take advantage of Wei Wuxian's trust, to never take what the other man didn't offer- no- he couldn't- he is the worst kind of sinner- he can't-
What has he-
"Ehh?" That's Wei Wuxian's voice, and Wangji is snapped out of his head.
He should- should he run? Should he stay? Should he-
"I-" Wei Wuxian licks his lips, and they look as soft as they had felt, slick with their saliva and swollen with Wangji's passion, and Wangji's hand comes up, unbidden, to his own swollen lips.
He should-
"Sandalwood," Wei Wuxian murmurs, and Wangji freezes. "Lan Zhan?"
Wei Wuxian rips off his blindfold, and Wangji sees the way he blinks in the sudden brightness of the sun.
There is still time- he can still leave, and Wei Wuxian will never know for certain-
Wei Wuxian's scent is sweet.
Too sweet. He is-
This is-
Heat? No. There was no pre-heat, no warning- this was a pseudo-heat. It wouldn't be as bad as a normal heat would be, wouldn't make Wei Wuxian as desperate, as delirious, as a real heat would, but-
Wangji cannot leave Wei Wuxian alone like this. There is no way he would do something like that- there were countless alphas roaming the forest now, alphas that hated the Yiling Patriarch, alphas that wouldn't hesitate to take their revenge in the form of rape- Wangji couldn't-
He couldn't leave Wei Wuxian alone.
Familial bonds. He had to get Wei Wuxian back to the YunmengJiang delegation, back to his family. A familial alpha- they could help, they would be able to help more than Wangji could.
Jiang Wanyin was still in the hunt, Wangji wouldn't be able to find him- Jiang Yanli, then, she could help-
"Lan Zhan?"
Wei Wuxian has gotten off the branch now, and is stumbling towards Wangji on unsteady feet. "Lan Zhan, kiss me again? Please?"
Wangji forces himself to back away. He cannot- he cannot go near Wei Wuxian until he has regained control, cannot-
His heart is pounding far too quickly in his chest, as loud as thunder but as quick as the footsteps of his rabbits back home.
"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian whines, soft, eyes beseeching, and Wangji shudders, arousal a burning heat within him that he fights down with the thought of Wei Wuxian's terrified eyes after he has sobered.
He cannot-
"Please, Lan Zhan- need you, want you-"
"Wei Ying," he forces out, strained. "Wei Ying, no, cannot- you cannot- you are in pseudo-heat, Wei Ying, I cannot-"
"Please," Wei Wuxian pleads. "Please, Lan Zhan, need you, hurts-"
Wangji's heart stutters in his chest. There are tears in Wei Wuxian's eyes, and the other man is pleading, voice soft and hurt and Wangji feels his heart rend.
Wei Wuxian's scent around them is growing stronger by the minute.
Any longer, and any passing alpha would be able to scent him.
"Lan Zhan, please, need you, has always been you, always wanted you, please…"
Wangji shudders. He is trembling with the effort of holding himself back, fingers clenched into fists and shaking by his sides.
There is- there is an acupoint, near the scent gland on the throat, that offers an omega the briefest reprieve from the addled thoughts of heat. It did not fully negate the physical effects of heat, although it helped immeasurably with the mental clouding, and could only be used effectively once every heat cycle. Wangji hadn't planned to use that knowledge until later, when he managed to get Wei Wuxian closer to the YunmengJiang delegation, saving the omega the embarrassment of being seen in heat by the majority of the cultivation world, but- if Wangji didn't hit that acupoint now, he may not even be able to get Wei Wuxian back to his family before the worst of it hit.
Reaching out with trembling fingers, Wangji watches as Wei Wuxian's entire visage lights up, and the omega all but bounds to his side, nuzzling up against Wangji's open palm, purring.
Wangji's heart skips a beat.
Wei Wuxian is- he is adorable, emitting delighted pheromones, nuzzling up against the scent glands in Wangji's wrist and marking himself with Wangji's scent-
His hand trembles even harder, and Wangji's alpha howls within him.
Mine, mine, mine, mate, claim, bond-
He shudders and forces the instincts down. He has already stolen a kiss, he will not steal more.
Shifting his fingers, Wangji runs calloused fingertips over Wei Wuxian's throat, skimming past his scent gland and biting down hard on his lip at the resounding mewl that spills from Wei Wuxian's lips.
He will not-
Wangji's fingers find the acupoint, and press down.
Like fog lifting, Wei Wuxian's eyes clear. He shakes his head, hard, and blinks. "I- Lan Zhan? What am I-"
Wangji lowers his head, refusing to meet Wei Wuxian's eyes. "You were- are- in pseudo-heat, I- had to hit the suppressing acupoint."
Wei Wuxian shudders. A hand comes up in an aborted movement, and he winces. "Ah. It's been so long since I last- I'd forgotten how wretched this feels…"
Wangji has to hold himself back from trying to comfort Wei Wuxian, has to hold himself back from pulling Wei Wuxian into his embrace and kissing him until he forgets the pain.
He swallows heavily, and gestures with a hand. "Come, quickly, we have to get you back to the Yunmeng delegation before the effects wear off-"
Wei Wuxian's expression twists, and his smile is mournful. "I should, shouldn’t I? But… what if I don't want to?"
“...What do you want then, Wei Ying?”
Wei Wuxian edges closer. For every step that he takes toward Wangji, Wangji steps back, until Wangji’s back is up against a tree and there is nowhere to go.
“What if I wanted you, Han Guang-Jun?”
Wangji shivers. Wei Wuxian’s tone is low, almost ashamed, but even with the worst of the heat suppressed, his scent is still sweet and strong in the air. There is guilt in his scent, but more than that there is want, and Wangji tries to hold his breath, tries to breathe through his mouth instead.
The taste of Wei Wuxian’s scent is even more alluring.
"...Wei Ying. Are you sure?"
Wei Wuxian shudders, and Wangji instinctively pulls him close.
"Please," he murmurs into Wangji's robes, and his lithe form is shivering.
Wangji's control is fraying, and Wei Ying is so- earnest, serious, true, and he cannot help the way his heart beats a hopeful pattern in his chest.
He shuts his eyes, and guides Wei Wuxian's lips to his.
Wei Wuxian's lips are as soft as they had been, but Wei Wuxian is stiff under him, unresponsive.
Wangji pulls back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"
Wei Wuxian shakes his head, tugging lightly at the collar of Wangji's robes.
"No," is whispered against his lips. "Stay."
"...Okay."
Wei Wuxian is beautiful.
Even now, with his robes half on and barely covering his body, his eyes shut in slumber, Wei Wuxian is beautiful.
Wangji is truly blessed. His forehead ribbon is loosely wrapped around Wei Wuxian's wrist, and there is a healing bite low on his throat, not where a mating claim would be, but close enough to mimic one.
Wangji's heart is singing.
Wei Wuxian wants him. Him. Wei Wuxian had said yes, had told him to stay, wanted him enough to share a heat, pseudo or otherwise, with him-
It is not how he had imagined their first kiss, their first time. Those had been dreams of a romantic setting, of soft lips on soft lips, gentle and hesitant. Those had been dreams of a wedding night, under gauzy red veils and the slow undressing of heavy red robes.
But this was good too.
Anywhere, anything, with Wei Wuxian was good.
Maybe Jiang Wanyin would let Wei Wuxian come back to Gusu with him. As Wei Wuxian's Sect Leader and head alpha of his family pack, Jiang Wanyin would be the one negotiating Wei Wuxian's marriage, his dowry.
Wangji makes a mental note to speak to Elder Brother about a bride price, after he has officially asked Wei Wuxian for his hand.
Something extravagant, of course. Nothing less than the best would do for Wei Wuxian, and his family by extension.
This beautiful, amazing, wonderful man wants him, and Wangji feels like he could burst from happiness. This is more happiness than he has ever known, more than he thought he was capable of feeling.
Wei Wuxian wants him. Wants Lan Wangji, no matter that he was uptight, or a stickler for the rules, or that he'd singlehandedly gotten Wei Wuxian so much punishment in his three short months studying at the Cloud Recesses. Wei Wuxian doesn't mind that Wangji doesn't know how to be charming, like Elder Brother, or cheerful, like him. Wei Wuxian doesn't mind Wangji.
Wei Wuxian shared his heat with him. They'd shared a heat- warmth blooms in Wangji's heart as the -his?- omega shifts within his embrace, nuzzling closer to Wangji's scent glands with a soft murmur of his name.
No omega would willingly share a heat with an alpha unless there was an intention to wed- and Wei Wuxian had been very willing.
Wangji feels his ears flush red at the memory.
He wonders how Wei Wuxian would look in white and blue.
"Mm, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian murmurs, still asleep, face buried in Wangji's throat.
Wangji's heartbeat has not slowed down since he'd started kissing Wei Wuxian, and even now it only ever speeds up.
He presses a kiss to the top of Wei Wuxian's head, and wonders vaguely if it is possible to die from loving someone too much.
But if he dies like this, he doesn't think he'll mind that much.
He is happy here.
"Wangji, you look happy."
"Mn."
"Wei Ying, come back to Gusu with me?"
(Marry me?)
"Go away."