Chapter Text
"Lan Zhan" Wei Wuxian called out from the bed, where he had been lounging around for the past few hours. Lan Wangji turned his head to glance at him when the boy failed to continue speaking. That was unusual, to say the least, he thought, as Wei Ying rarely stayed quiet like that.
"Lan Zhan" Wei Wuxian called out again, in a contemplative voice, but once again did not continue speaking.
At that point Lan Wangji was getting worried, so he put down his calligraphy brush and stood up. The unusual behaviour called for a proper investigation.
"Wei Ying, what's wrong?" He asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed, poking the boy's side gently. Wei Wuxian just hummed at that, still laying on his back and staring at a notebook held in his outstretched hands, right above his head.
Lan Wangji waited patiently, patting Wei Wuxian on his head, arms and anywhere else his hands wandered to. He did not know what occupied the mind of his sunshine, but he knew that if it was something important, he would know in no time.
"Lan Zhan" Wei Wuxian called again, this time turning his head to look up at Lan Wangji. The boy smiled when their eyes met, dropping the notebook to the side and crawling over, to lay his head in Lan Wangji's lap. When silver met gold once again, Lan Wangji knew that he was being asked for more head pats. Without waiting for even a second, he pulled out the red ribbon and started to gently comb the long black hair with his fingers. Wei Wuxian sighed in appreciation, closing his eyes and simply enjoying the moment.
"Lan Zhan" Wei Wuxian mumbled in a lazy tone. "I've been thinking about this idea for a while now, and I really, really want to do it."
"Mm." Lan Wangji said noncommittally. He trusted his fiancée and wanted to support him the best he could, but he also knew what Wei Wuxian was like. Some of his ideas were, to put it gently, silly.
"I want to make a place just for us, somewhere on a mountain." Wei Wuxian continued explaining. "We could build a house at the top, and populate the mountain with bunnies. Just imagine, a whole mountain completely overrun by them." Wei Wuxian chuckled. "And most importantly, it would be our secret place, no one would know unless we decided to tell, and no one would be able to come in unless we invited them."
That was not a bad idea, Lan Wangji thought. It did sound nice to have a place like that with Wei Ying, to have a place where they could just be together, with no one interrupting.
The idea of a whole mountain covered in bunnies was a bit unrealistic, as that way they would quickly run out of grass to feed on, but it would definitely be possible to have at least a couple hundred of them. The thought of a couple hundred of those little furballs running around on a mountain side put a little smile on Lan Wangji's face, making Wei Wuxian laugh delightedly at the sight of it.
Lan Wangji noted that Wei Wuxian seemed to have more to say, apparently encouraged by the positive reception. Lan Wangji continued smiling gently, just because Wei Wuxian liked it, while still moving his fingers through the boy's hair. This was where the silly part would come out, Lan Wangji thought. He liked Wei Wuxian's idea so far, and so he couldn't help but hope that the rest of it was not as bad as he feared it would be.
"I even have a place in mind already." Wei Wuxian said, a lot quieter and more hesitant this time.
Lan Wangji's hands stilled, as he tried to make eye contact with the other boy. Wei Wuxian, however, turned away to avoid it. So there was something about the location then, Lan Wangji realized, something that Wei Wuxian hadn't told him yet.
Lan Wangji tried to think of what could be so bad that it would make Wei Wuxian so hesitant, but his imagination failed him. Whatever the problem was, it just couldn't be that bad, he decided, going back to running his hands through the locks of hair.
It took a while, but eventually Wei Wuxian started speaking again. "The place will need a bit more cleanup and purification than normal, but that's all." He said, and Lan Wangji got the feeling that Wei Wuxian was trying to hide something. Or maybe downplay the difficulty of this 'cleanup'.
"Where is the mountain located?" Lan Wangji asked, trying to get to the core issue. Wei Wuxian stilled momentarily at the question, and Lan Wangji was quick to notice it, getting concerned about the place even more.
"It's close to Yunmeng Jiang Sect's territory, but not within it. In fact, it does not belong to anyone as far as I know, so there's no issue with that." Wei Wuxian started to ramble, obviously trying to delay the inevitable. "The mountain has a bit of a bad reputation because of resentful energy within it, but nothing that can't be fixed with some purification arrays."
"What is it called?" Lan Wangji asked, hoping that it was not what he thought. He was not too familiar with the location, so there could always be another mountain, one that he didn’t know of, around there. There could always be another mountain there with some resentful energy issues, right? Wei Ying wouldn't mean 'that' mountain, right?
Wei Wuxian, after hearing the question, pulled his head out of Lan Wangji's lap, and instead straddled his thighs. Once he got comfortable, Wei Wuxian placed his hands on Lan Wangji's shoulders and stared seriously into the golden eyes.
"It's called Burial Mounds" Wei Wuxian said, now wrapping his hands around Lan Wangji's neck and pulling him close.
It was so obvious what he was trying to do, Lan Wangji thought, but he did not resist the pull, did not hesitate in pressing his lips against Wei Wuxian's waiting ones. Lan Wangji would never refuse these little acts of affection, even if the purpose of them was to distract him from the fact that Wei Wuxian just said that it's the Burial Mounds he wanted to 'purify'.
Lan Wangji placed his hands on the sides of Wei Wuxian's face, trying to pull him even closer, deepening the kiss. There was no harm in getting lost in the moment for now, Lan Wangji believed, as his objections could wait for later.
After some heated moments, Wei Wuxian started pulling away to get some air. Lan Wangji allowed that, but not before biting the boy's lower lip and pulling lightly.
The two boys breathed roughly, looking intently at each other. Wei Wuxian's cheeks were flushed red, while Lan Wangji's ears were in no better state.
"Burial Mounds" Lan Wangji finally said, voice full of disbelief, still panting harshly after the kiss. Wei Wuxian made a little dissatisfied sound, leaning in for another kiss. Lan Wangji welcomed him again, but pulled away after a short moment. "Wei Ying. I know what you are trying to do." He said, making Wei Wuxian cross his arms across his chest and turn his head to the side, pouting.
"Wei Ying." Lan Wangji called, trying to coax the boy into looking at him, talking with him.
"Wei Ying, it does not have to be that one, right?" Lan Wangji tried again.
"It does!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed indignantly, finally turning to look into the jade's eyes.
"Why is that?" Lan Wangji asked gently, trying to understand. His hands wandered up, to cup Wei Ying's face in his hands, to brush his fingers over the boy's cheeks in an attempt to remove the pout from that face.
After looking at Lan Wangji for a while, Wei Wuxian finally sighed and placed his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. The two of them stayed that way for a while, until Wei Wuxian finally spoke, quietly.
"There's not really any deep reason for it. I just want it to be there, it just feels right for it to be there." Wei Wuxian turned his head to the side, his nose now pressing into the other boy's neck.
Lan Wangji gave him time to think, to collect his thoughts, to speak again, while he himself started to once again move his hands through Wei Wuxian’s still untied hair.
"It would even be perfect as a secret place, as no one would consider going there. After a bit of purification, if we just add a barrier and an illusion of resentful energy, then everyone will believe that the mountain is still dangerous." Wei Wuxian said slowly, in a calm voice.
Lan Wangji was glad that Wei Wuxian finally decided to talk it out, that he realised that there was no going forward without it. Lan Wangji was, admittedly, surprised at Wei Wuxian’s reluctance to talk, as the boy was usually good at that. In fact, this was the first time Lan Wangji saw him hesitating and avoiding conversation.
Despite the initial surprise, Lan Wangji did understand what it was like to not be able to say what you wanted. To try your best to convey your thoughts just to have your mouth failing you. To have your lips finally move, just to say something different than you wanted to. Lan Wangji knew about all those, and so he wanted to make it as easy as possible for Wei Ying to say what he wanted to say. To say what needed to be said. If helping Wei Ying meant prompting the conversation, if it meant talking more than he would usually need to, if it meant pulling the conversation in the direction it needed to go, then Lan Wangji was going to do that. He was going to do all that and more, all the way until Wei Wuxian had said all the things he found difficult to say, until the smiles and the easy chatter once again filled the space between them.
"You just said it - it's dangerous. So why.." Lan Wangji stopped, not knowing how to continue. Why that mountain? Wei Ying already said that there was no particular reason for that. Why not something else? That was answered as well. Wei Ying said it felt right. It was unclear why it felt right, or why that mountain pulled Wei Wuxian’s attention that much, but if the boy himself doesn't know then asking about that was not going to move the conversation.
In his contemplation, Lan Wangji did not notice Wei Wuxian shifting his head to look at him, did not notice the small smile appearing on the boy's face. It took him a while, but Wei Wuxian did realise that Lan Wangji was trying to help him. That the second jade of Lan clan was trying his best to continue the conversation, to understand, to reach an outcome that both of them would be satisfied with. Wei Wuxian's fear of Lan Wangji rejecting anything relating to resentful energy clouded his mind, did not allow him to see that from the very start, Lan Wangji was worried about him, worried about how dangerous that would be and not simply rejecting the idea.
"Why would you put yourself in danger like that?" Lan Wangji finally managed to say, his voice lacking any firmness or confidence. He raised his hand higher, to gently lift up Wei Wuxian's face from his shoulder, to be able to look at the boy once again. He saw the smile on the boy's face then and allowed himself a moment of happiness and a small feeling of accomplishment for not failing completely.
"Lan Zhan. Are you worried about me?" Wei Wuxian then asked, in a slightly teasing tone. He knew the answer already, but he just couldn’t help but ask anyway.
"Of course I am worried." Lan Wangji replied, voice unmovable like a mountain, warm like midsummer's sunlight.
"Would it change anything then, if I promised not to put myself in danger? If I did not enter the mountain before it's purified enough for it to be safe?" Wei Wuxian inquired, placing his hands on either side of Lan Wangji's face, squishing his cheeks lightly. Lan Wangji hummed, contemplating, looking for an answer. Wei Wuxian knew however, what victory was like when he achieved one. Even without Lan Wangji's reply, he knew there would no longer be any objections.
"As long as you promise to prioritize your safety, I'll promise to support you and help you the best I can." Lan Wangji finally said, moving wei Wuxian's hands to his lips, kissing his palms gently. He then moved his lips over to the wrists, leaving a trail of soft kisses, making Wei Wuxian giggle in delight.
Just as Lan Wangji said, he indeed did not have any more objections. As long as Wei Wuxian was safe,did it matter what he spent his free time on?
"Yes, yes!" Wei Wuxian laughed, unrestrained. "I promise to not do anything dangerous! I.. I.." He continued, not knowing what else he wanted to say, but not willing to stop speaking.
Lan Wangji, meanwhile, moved on from his wrists and was now placing soft kisses and light bites on Wei Wuxian’s neck, his jaw, moving up to shower the whole face with affection.
"Lan Zhan." Wei Wuxian called out, more calmly this time, causing Lan Wangji to hum between kisses, the vibrations tickling Wei Wuxian’s skin. "I know that it hasn't been long since we… since we started courting, since the engagement and I think… I think I love you." Wei Wuxian said haltingly. "Or rather, I know that I love you. And I think. I think I haven't said this enough times yet."
"I Love Wei Ying too." Lan Wangji replied instantly, stopping with the kisses and smoothing out Wei Wuxian's slightly messy locks of hair. "So, what's the plan?" He asked, glancing over at the previously abandoned notebook.
Wei Wuxian, noticing where Lan Wangji was looking, reached out and grabbed the notebook. He opened it then and held it out in front of Lan Wangji, pride seeping out from every piece of his existence and a big bright smile adorning his face. He allowed a moment for Lan Wangji to look at the scribbly notes and wild diagrams, before starting his explanation.
"So, it is known that many have tried to purify Burial Mounds, but none have succeeded, right?" Wei Wuxian waited for the nod of confirmation from the other boy and then continued. "Well, from what I know, all those that tried were in groups of no more than 5-10 people which is, in my most humble opinion, too few to purify even a small piece of that mountain." He continued explaining, occasionally pointing at the diagrams and calculations he had drawn on the page and other times moving his hands wildly.
Lan Wangji listened, amused at the excitement and overflowing energy of his little sunshine. Whatever the plan was going to be, he would try his best to support Wei Wuxian, just to see more of that endless ocean of happiness.
"Purifying the whole mountain will require a lot more spiritual energy than a handful of people can provide, so the plan is to borrow the spiritual energy of as many cultivators as possible, without them realizing it. I'm thinking something along the lines of little gift boxes that need to be infused with spiritual energy to be opened. I could make something like a transportation array that only moves spiritual energy, so when someone infuses the box with their energy, it would be transported to a set location in the burial mounds, powering purification arrays. Or something like that." Wei Wuxian kept chattering, bouncing excitedly on Lan Wangji's lap, causing the latter to move his hands to the boy's waist to make sure he didn’t fall off.
"Since the cultivators would be getting whatever is in the box, I'm sure they wouldn't mind losing some spiritual energy. And it's for the greater good too." Wei Wuxian, finally noticing how careless he was being, stopped bouncing and fidgeting, instead stilling completely. "So, what do you think?"
"Mn. Not bad." Lan Wangji agreed. "However, many parts are still vague, and there's no clear plan on how you plan to achieve many of these things." He continued, and was glad to see that his words did not dampen Wei Wuxian’s enthusiasm in the slightest. Of course it wouldn't. Wei Wuxian was smart, of course he would know that his plan was far from being fully developed.
"Hehe." Wei Wuxian puffed out his chest proudly. "I have a solution for many of those already. I know someone who can be trusted to keep secrets and provide good help." He glanced at Lan Wangji, and only continued when the latter hummed inquiringly.
Wei Wuxian had no way to know what Lan Wangji was thinking, and it was best left that way. He would not be happy that Lan Wangji hadn't been fully concentrating on the explanation of the plan, but instead just couldn't help but keep staring at the boy in front of him. He couldn't help but adore how Wei Wuxian lit up with happiness and excitement, couldn't help but find it cute when he showed off his plan confidently, while his whole body screamed of pride. He just couldn't help but want to pat Wei Wuxian on the head and praise him, couldn't help but want to reward the boy for his efforts and hope to receive a wide and genuine smile in exchange. One that would be caused by him and only meant for him.
"Lan Zhaaaan" Wei Wuxian whined, shaking Lan Wangji by the shoulders. "Are you even listening?" The boy pouted dramatically.
The pout was adorable too, Lan Wangji decided at that moment. He was about to give Wei Ying the attention he wanted, however the moment was interrupted by a voice from outside the door.
"Wangji. Can I come in?" A gruff voice asked in a demanding tone that did not leave space for a refusal.
Lan Wangji lifted Wei Ying off from his lap and placed the boy on the bed. He then walked past the folding screen separating the sleeping area from the rest of the Jingshi and went straight to the door.
"Uncle." The second jade said, opening the door and allowing the older man inside.
Lan Qiren came prepared for a proper talk, Lan Wangji noted, as he had a disciple bringing in a tray with tea right behind him. Complete silence filled the space once the disciple had left and the two men sat down at the table. Lan Wangji reached out for the cups to pour tea for his uncle, but what he saw on the tray momentarily stilled his hand. He saw three cups there and before he could start contemplating how likely it was that his uncle knew, the older man spoke up.
"I know that he's here." The man said loud enough to be heard in the whole Jingshi.
Lan Qiren’s words seemed to quieten and still everything around them, even the chirping of birds from outside could no longer be heard. After a moment of this quietness, the sound of light footsteps reached Lan Wangji's ears, bringing him back to reality.
With an unnoticeable sigh, Lan Wangji continued his quest of pouring tea. He was going to pour the best damned cup of tea just to stop his mind from panicking. Harbouring Wei Ying here for a week without being caught was already a big achievement.
"Uncle!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed cheerily, poking his head from behind the folding screen.
Lan Wangji moved to the side to allow the boy to scurry over and sit beside him, while his uncle kept glaring at the newcomer disapprovingly.
We Wuxian continued grinning, Lan Qiren continued glaring, and Lan Wangji, with his concealed panic, continued pouring tea even after the cup was filled up completely.
"Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian, noticing the issue, took the teapot out of Lan Wangji's hands, placing it to the side.
With nothing left to do, Lan Wangji froze in place, looking like a statue more than ever before. Wei Wuxian patted him comfortingly, trying to snap him back to reality, while at the same time tapping at the spilled tea with his sleeve. Only when the older man sighed did Wei Wuxian remember that he was still here, causing the boy to laugh awkwardly.
"Teacher Lan, what brings you here?" Wei Wuxian asked, in a completely calm and polite tone, while hurriedly pouring another cup of tea and pushing it in front of Lan Qiren.
Lan Qiren picked up the tea and drank slowly, looking at Wei Wuxian.
‘Is he really going to pretend that everything is fine here’, Lan Qiren thought.
Was Wei Wuxian really going to pretend that it was not unusual for him to be there, in secret and without permission. Lowering the cup back on the table, Lan Qiren decides that yes, Wei Wuxian would do that. That innocent smile that hadn't left Wei Wuxian’s for even a second was proof enough.
"I believe you've been sheltered here for long enough. I expect you gone by nightfall, or else there will be consequences. Am I understood?"
Wei Wuxian gulped and laughed nervously at the tone of the older man. All his thoughts of protesting were swept clear and he could only nod in agreement.
At this, Lan Qiren grunted in approval, while giving worried glances towards his still frozen nephew. As silence once again started to fill the space, Lan Qiren stood up, deciding it was time to leave. Wei Wuxian bowed at the leaving man quickly, before focusing all his attention on Lan Wangji.
"Lan Zhan" he lightly shook the jade "Lan Zhaan." Whined Wei Wuxian.
The time for him to leave was close, and he didn't feel like spending that time with a literal statue.
What ended up snapping Lan Wangji out of the daze was a quiet knock at the door.
"Wangji? Can I come in?" Was called out from outside, for the second time that day. This time however, instead of a gruff voice, a quieter and gentler one sounded out.
"Brother." Lan Wangji answered, just as the door opened and Lan Xichen came in. Unlike what Wei Wuxian expected, the man did not look surprised at seeing him inside the Jingshi. That was suspicious, he thought, narrowing his eyes at the gently smiling jade.
"How did master Lan find out?" Wei Wuxian asked, still looking at Lan Xichen, whose smile only became wider.
Lan Xichen sat at the table and looked Wei Wuxian and then Lan Wangji in the eyes.
"I believe uncle received a letter from Yunmeng Jiang sect, requesting to return their runaway disciple." He finally said, amusement clear in his voice. "Though they might have mentioned a 'kidnapped bride' at some point as well."
Wei Wuxian laughed nervously, trying to hide his embarrassment. Neither he nor Lan Wangji were doing a good job at that, however.
"I believe uncle was quite impressed with how young master Wei was able to hide so quietly, without getting caught earlier on." Lan Xichen continued, occasionally glancing at the overflowing cup still standing proudly on the table. "I knew about this since the first day though. One look at Wangji and it was quite obvious." He chuckled.
"Brother." Lan Wangji glared at his brother in betrayal. This only amused Lan Xichen further.
"I'll take my leave so you can say your good-byes in private." He said after a moment, deciding that he would have many more opportunities to tease the two boys in the future.
A few hours later, the two lovers were saying their final farewells at the gates of Cloud Recesses, while the overflowing cup of tea was the only one left behind in the Jingshi.
That cup was the first, out of many yet to come, masterpiece of the self proclaimed best damned tea pourer in the world.