Chapter Text
He had been carrying the ring around for almost three years now. It was silver and fairly simple, small diamonds and sapphires decorating half the band on either side of a square cut ruby. He had tried to choose something that represented both of them. And then he had to decide how to propose. Part of him wanted to just rush home and do it then and there.
He decided to wait and do something more romantic. His resolve was tested when he arrived at the apartment and Wei Ying smiled at him. His knees almost buckled and the proposal almost leaped out his mouth on the spot. Wei Ying didn’t know what he could do to Lan Zhan with a single smile.
He lived in that state for two weeks. The little black velvet box lived in his pocket, and every time Wei Ying laughed or spoke or brushed a strand of hair out of his face it was temptation. He knew he would say yes, even if he proposed by the washing machine or on the corner next to the bus stop - Wei Ying would make fun of him for proposing in the middle of laundry or in the middle of the street but he would say yes. He would laugh giddily, and try not to cry, and shower Lan Zhan with kisses. He would put the ring on immediately, greedily, eyes lighting up as he admired the jewels and what they meant. He would show it off constantly, dragging Lan Zhan along so he could show off his fiance, as well.
Lan Zhan knew all this. He knew all Wei Ying needed to be happy was Llan Zhan, and all Lan Zhan needed was Wei Ying. But he knew Wei Ying loved dramatics, and appreciated things being grandiose. Lan Zhan could do that - he just needed to figure out the perfect proposal.
Then there was the matter of Wen Yuan. He had been fostering the teenager for some time now. The three of them were already a little family, even if none of it was official. Lan Zhan planned to make it all official - he was going to marry Wei Ying. Now he just needed to adopt A-Yuan. A-Yuan was the only one who knew about the ring. Lan Zhan had decided to sit his son down and discuss his marriage plans straightforward. After all, he would be accepting not just one, but two fathers.
He had been ecstatic. Wei Ying had been just as instrumental in his life as Lan Zhan; since they found him through Wei Ying’s nephew, Jin Ling. He had voiced the same thing Lan Zhan thought; they were already family. So Lan Zhan started working on the adoption papers.
His life was going in a direction he had never expected, if you had asked him ten years ago. Now, he couldn’t imagine it any other way. He didn’t want it any other way. Everything was perfect.
And then the apocalypse happened.
A real, honest-to-life zombie apocalypse.
His life was going in a direction he had never expected, if you had asked him ten days ago. The adoption papers didn’t go through, but they grabbed Wen Yuan and ran. Lan Zhan tried to contact his brother, who told him he was going to try and get back to Cloud Recesses and to stay safe. That was the last he heard from Lan Xichen. He was swept away with Wei Ying’s family and their friends to the nearest shelter.
They didn’t stay there long. Emergency after emergency and disaster after disaster left them wandering on their own in a world that had crumbled completely. Their group dwindled, and instead of seeking out other survivors they became wary of them. They learned the laws of this new world and the monsters they shared it with. They eventually made their way to Cloud Recesses only to find it abandoned. They decided to move on to Wei Ying and his sibling’s hometown Lotus Pier. Jiang Cheng said it would be easily defensible because it was surrounded by so much water. Traveling by water would be safer, too. He didn’t say he missed his home and wanted to see it again, but they all understood.
Their journey was hard, but it wasn’t entirely awful. There were moments of joy and happiness, laughter and peace. There were nights by the fire when everyone’s faces were warm and cheeks hurt from laughing. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan would lay under the stars and listen to the quiet together. Or Lan Zhan would listen to Wei Ying talk, and his mind would wander to the little velvet box still nestled in his pocket.
And then even that happiness was snatched away. On their trip to Lotus Pier, they encountered Wen Chao. They had heard rumors and rumblings about another group of survivors who had created a permanent settlement up on Qishan. Apparently they were cruel and ruled those who joined their number with an iron fist. Those who refused to join were hunted down and murdered. They were even stories that they had an army of zombies they would unleash on their victims.Their group had encountered other survivors who were hostile, but Wen Ruohan and his cronies were on another level.
Their hopes of going undiscovered by this group were dashed when they ran into Wen Chao on the road. A nightmare of events followed, every choice seemingly leading them directly towards the disastrous end. Looking back on it now, Lan Zhan could only criticize their every step. Why had they not taken a different road? Why had they stayed and fought instead of running away? Why had they run when they should have fought? Why hadn’t they kept everyone closer? Why had he ever not been right at Wei Ying’s side? Why had he let Wei Ying die?
He closed his fist around the ring, the settings digging into his palm. Three years he had carried this ring, and now it was too late. He wished he had proposed that night. Or on their walk home from the grocery store. Or during laundry. Or the next morning. He wished had proposed at any moment - thought he wondered if it would have changed anything in the end. At least Wei Ying would have died knowing the true depths of Lan Zhan’s love. He bowed his head, resting his forehead against his fist. Who was he kidding. It would take a lifetime to show Wei Ying how much he loved him. Why had he kept any of it hidden away?
Unwanted memories flashed through his mind, and like always he was helpless to shut them out. Wen Chao and his minions standing above them, glaring down with twisted smiles. Wen Zhuliu firing a gun. Wei Ying jumping in front of his brother. Blood spilling down his clothes, pooling on the ground. The hoard of zombies appearing. Wen Chao laughing. Someone grabbing Lan Zhan and holding him back, pulling him, dragging him away from Wei Ying. Jin Zixuan picking Yanli up and running, her face anguished as she screamed her brother’s name. Wei Ying crumpled on the ground, barely holding himself up, face pale. He was saying something, but Lan Zhan couldn’t hear. The hoard was closing in around him. In another moment Wei Ying was swallowed up, and Lan Zhan was thrown into a car and driven away. They barely escaped, but sometimes Lan Zhan wished he had been swallowed up by the hoard as well.
They made it to Lotus Pier, and Jiang Cheng was right. It was a good location. There was room to live, grow food, and build up defenses. They started putting down roots and building a home. Lan Zhan tried, more for Wen Yuan than himself. They were all trying. Zombies still roamed nearby, Wen Ruohan and Wen Chao still loomed over them, but these hardships seemed to pale in comparison to the hardship of living without Wei Wuxian.
Lan Zhan took a deep breath and straightened up. He opened his palm and stared at the ring. Part of him wondered if he should get rid of it and try to move on. The thought made his heart clench, and tears pricked at his eyes.
It was exactly at that moment when there was a knock on the door.
“Lan Wangji, dinner is-” Yanli began, quickly cutting herself off when she saw Lann Zhan’s expression. He closed his hand around the ring and shoved it into his pocket, then stood and gave a brief bow. “I’ll be there shortly.”
Yanli hovered in the doorway, looking as if she wanted to say more. After another moment, she gave him a sad smile and nodded, moving away into the night. He took a deep breath, took the ring back out, and carefully put it in its proper place in the velvet box. Then he moved to follow Yanli.
They had built their little settlement on the pier itself, expanding and extending the wooden platforms. There had been enough buildings for their needs already on the pier, but they added onto them and built gardens and water mills. They were surrounded on three sides by the lake, and where the pier met land they had constructed a tall wooden wall. So far, their defenses had gone unbreached. Despite the circumstances, it was beautiful and homey. Wei Ying would have loved it.
The others were in the pavillion, gathered around a fire and spooning soup into bowls. Lan Zhan’s eyes quickly passed over the group and noticed two figures missing.
“Where’s Wen Yuan and Jin Ling?”
“They’re at the watchtower. I already took them some food, Lan Wangji.” Wen Ning answered, approaching Lan Zhan with a tray loaded down with soup bowls. Lan Zhan nodded, taking his portion and sitting. He sat on the edge of the group, still part but apart. Yanli glanced at him, but didn’t move from her spot beside her husband. Wen Ning finished serving portions and sat beside his sister. Jiang Cheng was sitting with some of the other adults, going over plans to build some sort of wall or tower in the water. Lan Jingyi and some of the other kids were loudly talking about the real winner of some archery contest they had held earlier.
Lan Zhan slowly ate his soup and tried to ignore the empty, aching feeling in his chest.
“I totally won the archery contest. I don’t care what Ouyang Zizhen says.” Jin Ling said, fiddling with his bow and propping his feet up on the railing. Across from him, Wen Yuan smiled and shook his head.
“What? Don’t believe me?” Jin Lng was suddenly on his feet, arms crossed and a fierce frown on his face. Wen Yuan didn’t react except to raise his eyebrows slightly.
“Well, the arrows floated away, so there’s not really any way to tell.”
“I hit every boat! Everyone saw!”
“Everyone saw, and that’s why we got in trouble. We shouldn’t have been wasting arrows.”
Jin Ling sat, pouting a little. “It’s not my fault. I didn’t think about the fact we couldn’t retrieve them.”
“We’ll have to make it up to Uncle Jiang somehow.” Wen Yuan said.
Shooting paper boats floating on the river had been the most fun Wen Yuan had in a while - getting chewed out by Jiang Cheng had been less fun, but it had almost been enjoyable. Getting in trouble for goofing off instead of fighting for his life in a zombie wasteland was a nice change of pace.
Sitting in the watchtower staring out at the dark, quiet evening, his thoughts were starting to wander. They were getting dangerously close to the person who had been missing from today’s shenanigans. The person who would have been right there beside him shooting arrows, and right there beside him getting chewed out by Uncle Jiang. There had been no snarky comebacks or brotherly pandering though, just all the teenagers shuffling awkwardly until Jiang Cheng dismissed them.
“Hey.” Jin Ling’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. Wen Yuan blinked and looked at his friend. Jin Ling was no longer in pouting posture - he was leaning towards the railing, alert and tense, his eyes fixed on something in the dark.
Wen Yuan was immediately at the railing as well, nocking an arrow and peering into the shadows. The view from the watchtower was actually quite pretty; it looked over the town of Lotus Pier and the distant treeline, as well as the surrounding roads and lakes. Right now, however, the forest was a mass of shadows and the lakes were pockets of darkness, and every building and alley was a hiding place where something dangerous could lurk.
“What is it?” Wen Yuan whispered.
“I saw something. On the main road.” Jin Ling answered.
They both crouched, shoulders tense as they held their bows, scanning the landscape for movement. Finally, after another minute, Wen Yuan spotted it. A figure slowly walking up the main road.
“There.”
They both watched, trying to determine what the figure was. Human, zombie, or animal? As it got closer it was obviously standing upright - not an animal. It’s path was meandering, zig-zagging and stopping outside buildings, but it walked a little too steadily and quickly to be a zombie.
“A scavenger?”
Jin Ling hesitated. “Maybe. They don’t look like they’re really searching through anything though. They’re just...looking.”
“Do you think...it’s one of Wen Ruohan’s guys?”
Jin Ling’s grip tightened, his jaw clenching. He suddenly stood and aimed his arrow at the figure. Before Wen Yuan could say anything he took the shot. The string twanged and the arrow flew, whistling through the air before vanishing into the darkness. Below them in the street, the figure jumped out of the way just before the arrow clacked against the pavement - the noise sounded like a gunshot in the otherwise quiet night. The figure turned towards them.
“Who are you?” Jin Ling shouted.
Wen Yuan’s heart was beating so fast, he was sure the stranger could hear it. He stood and aimed his bow as well, ready to shoot if they revealed themself to be a threat. Instead, a familiar voice rang out through the darkness.
“You mean you don’t recognize me? You must have a worse memory than I do!”
Wen Yuan’s grip weakened in shock, and the arrow flew wildly into the night. Below, the figure ducked.
“Whoa, hey! Do you really not recognize me? What kind of greeting is this?”
Jin Ling gripped the railing with white knuckles, leaning so far out of the watchtower Wen Yuan was afraid he might fall out. “Unc- Is that- Who are you! Come out!”
The stranger fiddled with something, and after a few seconds a bright flashlight beam shone out and bounced around erratically for a moment before the stranger aimed it right at them, then turned it on his own face. Wen Yuan’s heart stopped beating.
Wei Wuxian smiled, giving a little wave.
“I’m back!”
Jin Ling seemed frozen, but Wen Yuan had dropped his bow and was already unrolling the rope ladder coiled at the top of the watchtower, climbing down before it had entirely unfurled. He jumped down the last rungs and took off at a spring towards Wei Wuxian.
He had lowered the flashlight so the beam bounced off the pavement and lit him at a strange angle, making him look a little ghostly. Part of Wen Yuan wondered if he really was a ghost - he had seen him die after all, hadn’t he? But that was a very small part. Most of him was overjoyed. He ran straight at Wei Wuxian and tackled him in a hug, causing Wei Wuxian to stumble back a little bit. He chuckled, ruffling Wen Yuan’s hair before returning the hug.
“Dad!” Wen Yuan choked out, tears spilling out of his eyes. “Is it really you?”
“It’s really me.” Wei Wuxian answered softly.
Footsteps approached and they turned to see Jin Ling run up and stop a few feet away.
“Uncle Wei.” Jin Ling’s mouth was hanging open, his eyes wide.
“Jin Ling.” Wei Wuxian answered back, copying his nephew’s expression for a moment before breaking into a broad smile. He took an arm away from Wen Yuan to open it towards Jin Ling. The teenager snapped his mouth shut and didn’t move for a moment before tackling Wei Wuxian in another fierce hug, almost knocking him down. Wei Wuxian laughed and then closed his arms around them both, giving them a tight hug. They stood that way for a moment longer, and Wen Yuan felt Wei Wuxian’s grip tighten on the back of his shirt, and his head bowed down to bump his. He took a deep breath, and when he straightened up again Wen Yuan could see tears in his eyes.
“We should get inside. It’s dangerous out here.” Wei Wuxian said.
Jin Ling broke away first, excitedly leading the way back to the rope ladder. Wei Wuxian and Wen Yuan followed after, Wen Yuan clinging to his arm and staring at him to make sure he didn’t disappear. He looked thinner, a little gaunt, and pale. But he was alive. He looked down at Wen Yuan and smiled, reaching up to tap his chin and rub his cheek. Wen Yuan grinned.
“Come on! Come on! We have to go tell everybody!” Jin Ling was at the top of the ladder, waving at them to follow. Wei Wuxian peeled Wen Yuan off and pushed him towards the ladder. Wen Yuan kept looking behind him, making sure his basically-dad was still there.
Wei Wuxian moved his hand in a “keep going” gesture, his expression gentle and a little concerned. He put on a reassuring smile. Wen Yuan kept going. They reached the top of the watchtower and Wei Wuxian paused, looking over the pier.
“It looks different.” he said.
“Oh.” Wen Yuan said. “We’ve built on a lot.”
“It’s great. You’ve done good.”
“Come on!” Jin Ling groaned, hopping from foot to foot. When he had successfully gotten their attention, he turned and dashed down the stairs towards the pavillion. Wen Yuan moved to follow, but Wei Wuxian stayed rooted in his spot. His eyes were wide, eyebrows furrowed, mouth parted slightly in a not-quite frown. Wen Yuan took his hand, and Wei Wuxian jumped a little.
“It’s okay.” Wen Yuan said.
Wei Wuxian looked back at him, face still worried. Then he nodded.
“Lead the way.”
Jiang Cheng was stressed. He thought he had been stressed before the apocalypse, but he had been wrong. Trying to survive in a world gone to shit, fighting off zombies and crazy humans, learning to survive off society’s left-overs and what nature had to offer - that was stressful. Taking apart his childhood home and putting it back together as a fortress was stressful. Trying to lead their group and hold everyone together was stressful. Trying to hold himself together was stressful. His brother being dead was stressful.
He thought he was managing alright, though. Their new home hadn’t been breached by outsiders or monsters. No one was starving. Wen Qing made sure no one stayed sick. They had beds, they had clothes, they had roofs over their heads. They had each other. He looked at his sister, and she was smiling. Her husband was smiling, too, looking at her as though she were the entire world. Everyone else seemed happy enough, as well. The teenagers were being rowdy, the adults were peacefully talking...the only one not participating was Lan Wangji. A pain shot through his chest when he saw Lan Wangji sitting alone at the edge of the group, face stoic as always.
He turned away and tried to focus on what Qui Gui Su was telling him about the water watchtowers. They were debating over whether it would be better to try to build something that floated on top of the water or try to sink beams into the lakebed. She thought it was worth the time and effort to build into the lakebed, but the others were worried that taking too much time would leave them open to an attack from Wen Ruohan. They had escaped his clutches once, but that would only make him more determined they didn’t get a second chance. The conversation started veering towards what they should do in case of an attack, and Jiang Cheng’s mind began to wander again. This was a discussion they had had many times before. It was a source of constant anxiety for everyone in the group, and one problem he couldn’t figure out a solution to.
He realized everyone had stopped talking and was looking at something. He turned to see Jin Ling run into the pavillion, breathless and pointing behind him. Immediately Jiang Cheng was on his feet, hand reaching for his blade. So much for never being breached; it looked like Jiang Cheng couldn’t even do that much.
Then two more figures walked into the pavillion, and the world stopped. It wasn’t zombies or Wen Chao or his minions that walked into the light - it was his dead brother.
Something shattered behind him, and he instinctively turned to look. Lan Wangji was standing, his soup bowl in shards at his feet. Jiang Cheng turned back to his brother. Wei Wuxian smiled uncertainly at everyone, eyes darting from face to face. He locked eyes with Jiang Cheng.
“How?” Jiang Cheng breathed.
Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He slowly closed his mouth again, staring at Jiang Cheng helplessly. Wen Yuan was holding his hand, and he tugged Wei Wuxian towards the group, making him stumble a bit as he tore his eyes away from Jiang Cheng. Someone rushed past Jiang Cheng in a blur, and in the next breath Lan Wangji was at Wei Wuxian’s side, clutching his free hand and staring into his eyes, their noses nearly touching.
The uncertainty melted from his brother’s face as he looked at Lan Wangji, replaced with soft eyes and a wide smile. He heard Wei Wuxian’s voice for the first time in three months.
“Lan Zhan.”
His voice seemed to break the spell, and in the next moment everyone was in a clamor. Yanli raced forward to embrace Wei Wuxian, and the teenagers all gathered around him in excitement. Wen Ning was hovering, smiling and trying to speak but stuttering and being interrupted by dozens of other excited voices. Wen Qing was standing back trying to remain collected, but even she couldn’t hide her excitement, a smile stretching across her usually composed features. She made eye contact with Jiang Cheng and tilted her head, raising her eyebrows slightly.
He had remained where he was, brow furrowed, staring at the scene with confusion. There was a rage of emotion within him, but at Wen Qing’s look the bubble of stress and anger and confusion and everything else he couldn’t process seemed to pop. He let out a sigh - relief. He felt relieved. It almost brought him to his knees. Then joy rushed in and gave him strength again, enough to push through the crowd surrounding his brother and pull him into a tight hug. For a moment Wei Wuxian’s hands stayed by his sides, but then they came up and wrapped around Jiang Cheng.
“Where have you been, idiot? I thought you were dead!”
“You’ve got to try harder to get rid of me,” Wei Wuxian answered.
Jiang Cheng gave his brother one last squeeze then held him at arm’s length. Wei Wuxian laughed, and Jiang Cheng recognized that laugh. It was the sound Wei Wuxian made when he was deflecting attention from something. At the moment, Jiang Cheng didn’t care. They could talk later. He just wanted to be glad for the moment.
“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan’s voice came from behind Wei Wuxian, and he turned around, breaking out of Jiang Cheng’s grasp. He just wanted to be glad. He got his brother back. But the familiar creak and groan of stress was already beginning again. Something was wrong with this picture. How had Wei Wuxian survived? How was he back? He was here, but he was different somehow. Jiang Cheng couldn’t put his finger on how. He was thinner, paler. Probably from being on his own for months. Probably from recovering from being shot. Probably from fighting off a hoard of zombies by himself…
Jiang Cheng’s smile was slowly fading. Wei Wuxian was talented, but even Wei Wuxian had limits, right? He was human, after all. Had someone helped him? The thought pained Jiang Cheng, that a stranger had been able to do what he couldn’t, but at least that made sense. If it wasn’t that...then it was something unknown, and that made Jiang Cheng afraid.
Wei Wuxian was holding hands with Lan Zhan, standing close enough to be kissing. They hadn’t kissed yet, which was strange for his brother, who usually wasn’t shy about public displays of affection, but this was a highly unusual situation all around. Wen Yuan and Jin Ling were butting into the couple’s space like puppies excited to see their master come home. Mianmian was hugging Yanli, who was crying. Jin Zixuan stood awkwardly to the side. Wen Qing was admonishing Wei Wuxian and giving him orders to come to her house later so she could give him a medical examination. Wei Wuxian complained loudly and fell into Lan Zhan’s arms, saying he only needed his boyfriend to look after him. Lan Zhan was looking at Wei Wuxian like he was a precious treasure, totally ignoring Wen Qing.
Everything was as it should be. Things could go back to how they were, but somehow Jiang Cheng knew things would never be the same now. Something had changed. It had to be for the better - Wei Wuxian was back! But he also knew Wei Wuxian brought trouble wherever he went. He shook his head. What was he thinking? Of course there would be trouble - they were living in a zombie apocalypse, and Wei Wuxian was his brother. But as long as they were together, they could handle it.
He pushed away the niggling fear and brought his smile back, joining in the celebration again.
“Jiang Cheng, tell your brother he has to undergo a medical exam! He’s been out who knows where for three months! He needs a check-up!” Wen Qing said.
“Ahh, I just got back and you’re already trying to torture me!” Wei Wuxian said, clutching onto Lan Zhan. The teenagers laughed.
“You’re being such a baby, Wei Wuxian. I thought you were braver than this.” Mianmian teased.
“No, I’m a big coward! Lan Zhan, rescue me!” Wei Wuxian sagged his weight onto Lan Wangji so he was forced to catch him and hold him up.
“Surely it can wait until morning, Wen Qing?” Yanli said, smiling at her brother’s antics.
“I think so.” Jiang Cheng agreed. Wei Wuxian put a hand over his heart.
“Yanli, Jiang Cheng, you do love me!”
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes while Yanli said “Of course!”
Wen Qing crossed her arms. “Fine. But first thing tomorrow morning.”
“First thing in the morning?” Wei Wuxian suddenly looked mischievous before his face grew serious. “But I’ve been on such a long journey, and I’m exhausted to the bone. I’ll probably need to sleep for hours and hours. Actually, I don’t think I can stay awake another minute.” His eyes fluttered shut and he went completely limp. Lan Zhan was quick to catch him, and then hoist him into a bridal carry. Wei Wuxian’s eyes flew open in surprise.
“Whoa! Lan Zhan!”
“Bed.” Lan Zhan said.
Wei Wuxian tittered, putting his arms around Lan Zhan’s neck. “So forward!”
“Rest.”
Wei Wuxian pouted. “I’m not tired!”
“I thought you just said you were going to sleep for hours? Unless you’re ready for your exam now?” Wen Qing said.
Immediately Wei Wuxian closed his eyes, letting his head fall against Lan Zhan’s shoulders. Wen Qing rolled her eyes and walked away. Most of the group went back to their spots around the fire, leaving Jiang Cheng, Yanli, Jin Ling, Wen Yuan, and Lan Zhan standing around Wei Wuxian, still cradled in Lan Zhan’s arms. Jiang Cheng gave the two boys a look and jerked his head, and they said their goodbyes before skittering back to join their friends.
“Wei Wuxian, we do need to talk.” Jiang Cheng said.
“Morning.” Lan Zhan said.
“Afternoon.” Wei Wuxian said, his eyes still closed.
“It can wait, A-Cheng. Let him rest.” Yanli said, tugging him back towards the fire. He hesitated, then acquiesced. He gave one last look over his shoulder as Lan Zhan carried Wei Wuxian back towards his house. Yanli was right - it could wait.