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“Wèi Yīng should have a few scoops.”
The Jìngshì welcomes the fresh spring air, inviting the eternal spring with new and brilliant clothes. A new beginning, one says. But, it is not necessarily applicable to everyone to have that luxury.
The spring air felt suffocating with the metallic smell of people’s vessels, just the previous night.
‘Help us escape, and we will get you the revenge you want. You want those Wēn dogs to suffer, don’t you? Get revenge for your shīdì, for Jiāng Fēngmián, for Yú Zǐyuān, for the disciples you love so much. Hell, for the whole of Lotus Pier that was stained with the blades of the Wēn, don’t you? Accept us, and we shall help.’
‘Kill the Yílíng Lǎozǔ! He should not walk the face of this earth, honor the ones who died in his hand and end his pathetic life.’
‘Wēn Níng! How could you just— How can I answer to Shījiě now?! Let alone face her… Jīn Zixuān is gone… Not just gone for a day or two, GONE! Forever! He’s dead! You plunged a fist into his chest, You!... I- I killed him, fuck, I was the one who killed him…’
‘Shījiě, why did you— No, you’re staying. You’re not going to leave… Please… Not you too… I’m sorry, I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for going down this crooked path, I’m sorry for this whole thing, so please, please do not go… You’re not going to die!’
‘Hánguāng-Jūn, Lán Wàngjī, Lán Zhàn… You were right, I should have returned back to Gūsū with you… Look at me now, I should have just asked you to petrify me. Now it's too late… Let me go, Lán Zhàn. This world shouldn’t have someone like me walking the face of the earth. Let me die. Please.’
The memory lane last night in his dreams is still vivid, lingering around the resentful energy he is emitting unconsciously. Suffocating Lán Wàngjī physically, Wèi Wúxiàn mentally.
The light gray eyes that usually give an illuminating heavenly shine to Lán Wàngjī’s suffocating self, is replaced with a slight pale sight.
Dark eyebags camouflage the originally pale skin Wèi Wúxiàn acquires, the mouth’s end not reaching his eyes when he gives a kind gesture, and the disheveled hair sprawled across his hunched back, to the floor.
But Lán Wàngjī’s eyes never deceived the feelings he experiences whenever it is based on his cultivation partner, he knows the crooked smile his husband provides whenever something is wrong. But before Lán Wàngjī can even state his investigation, it is the latter who voices out his answer instead.
“Lán Zhàn, I believe one should not sacrifice his share of rations if he requires it too. Just have your fill, wasting food is too much of a disrespectful action if you pass your meal to me.”
Lán Wàngjī’’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and gives a small frown that seems like a normal expression he carries usually, but Wèi Wúxiàn understands his husband’s expression a lot clearer than most people.
“It is not a burden if Wèi Yīng doesn’t finish everything, so Wèi Yīng does not have to worry about judgment in Cloud Recesses. If anyone possesses that trait, I want Wèi Yīng to know that it is unacceptable for one to carry the ribbon of Gusu Lan if they do not behave themselves according to the rules in Gusu Lan. Has… Has anyone behaved that way, to Wèi Yīng…?”
A few moments of silence follow right after, leading to a small huff of amusement coming from the man in the dark robes.
“That’s… probably one of the few rare times I have seen you speaking so much, Lán Zhàn. Oh no, did I break the great Hánguāng-Jūn from his personality? Please, do tell me how to fix it! I wish for my Hánguāng-Jūn to be in perfect health in our entire lives together!”
Lán Wàngjī just gives a small sigh of defeat, gathering his own skillset of a certain conversation that is commonly reserved for his very own cultivation partner.
“Wèi Yīng should not tease, but… this Hánguāng-Jūn has already been broken into the love Wèi Yīng provides for him.”
Wèi Wúxiàn lets out a small gasp, and scrambles up to lean heavily onto the lacquer table that they both share currently.
“Lán Zhàn! You do know my poor heart cannot handle this kind of conversation! And who was the one who literally said to not tease? And what is that you are doing then, is it not also teasing?”
Lán Wàngjī gives a slight smirk and shakes his head, stopping Wèi Wúxiàn’s train of thoughts with his soft tone.
“There is no need for teasing when it is the truth, it is not teasing when it is genuine.”
This brought the Yílíng Lǎozǔ to be entirely speechless, leaving a few moments of awkward staring between the two partners.
“A-Anyways~ If Lán Zhàn wishes to state it like this, then I shall entertain you by saying you are right! Not that my stands always matter when my husband just comes back with another crummy comment. Fine, if my husband wishes for me to eat, I shall eat. After all, I won’t say no to the pork rib soup the maidens have prepared for us!”
Lán Wàngjī has an inner persistence in needing to correct his husband by saying that he was the one who prepared the soup in the kitchens, but he knows it is only a last-minute resort tactic to get his partner to fill his belly for the afternoon. As he knows Wèi Wúxiàn will definitely give in and consume the soup if the knowledge comes up that Lán Wàngjī was the one who poured his love into the soup.
“Mn, Wèi Yīng should finish the soup. There are extra servings of pork ribs, for Wèi Yīng to enjoy his afternoon meal.”
It is certainly a blessing to see Wèi Wúxiàn’s facial expression immediately brightening up at the sight of the number of pork ribs piling in his own bowl of soup. But it gives himself a heartwarming glee, when his husband places a few ribs in his bowl as well. Despite being a person to not consumed any meat for almost his whole life, he has given in every now and there, especially since this soup is meant to help Wèi Wúxiàn in his difficulties throughout the night.
“Mmn! Lán Zhàn, is it just me, or is today's soup a lot more flavorful than the other days? I mean, I do know that the maidens put extra care of spices in my meal, but this isn’t just spices, this is pure love! The maidens must love me very much to put this much effort into this soup! Ah- Don’t look at me Lán Zhàn, of course, nothing beats the amount of love you pour for me every single day! Am I right, husband of mine?”
The narrow frown staining the precious face Lán Wàngjī carries is instantly replaced with a small smile tugging at his lips, he just can’t express in this whole wide world how much he cares for his husband. Giving in to his emotions and producing a faint blush across his face has Wèi Wúxiàn to correspond with him.
“Ahem, now… now that you are blushing… Don’t say I am teasing! Because my feelings for you are genuine as well! Just like your love… is genuine for me too… right?”
Lán Wàngjī gives a small sigh, it is one of these moments again. A moment where his husband will have low esteem issues gets the better of him. Even though Lán Wàngjī wouldn’t mind rewarding his partner with love every day, showing him the depths of how much he is willing to do for him. But it also pains Lán Wàngjī to see Wèi Wúxiàn thinking that he is not good, and might never be good enough for his partner.
“Of course. My love for Wèi Yīng...” Lán Wàngjī reaches forward and gently holds onto Wèi Wúxiàn’s wrist and rubs his knuckles with his thumb, a touch of affirmation.
“...Is always there, and…” A brush of lips to the back of the hand, connecting the relationship between Lán Wàngjī and Wèi Wúxiàn.
“...It will never fade.” Tilting his head back for the fingers to brush across the forehead ribbon, an item of sacrecy.
“I will never stop loving Wèi Yīng.” Reaching up to untie the knots of the ribbon and slips it off, a trust of a bond.
“And I wish for Wèi Yīng...” Slipping the ribbon softly, like heavenly water flowing down to the palm of the hand.
“To never stop loving me too.” Connecting the hands of the two souls, fingers interlocking the shattering of one’s self-regulation.
“Oh Lán Zhàn… Of course I will, I will never stop loving you Lán Zhàn… Don’t ever think that way of my feelings for you… I like you, Lán Wàngjī. I fancy you, love you, want—”
Lán Wàngjī lunges forward, wrapping one of his arms around his partner’s waist and pulling him onto his lap, all while interlocking both of their hand together, before burrowing his face into Wèi Wúxiàn’s chest, drawing a yelp of surprise from the latter.
“Want you… Can’t bear to part from you…”
Wèi Wúxiàn sniffs softly, and snuggles his face to his husband’s soft hair.
“I want to go on night hunts with you for the rest of my life, and be with you every single day!”
“Don’t want to be anyone else but Wèi Yīng, it can’t be anyone but you, Wèi Yīng…”
Wèi Wúxiàn gives a small nod, and combs through the end of Lán Wàngjī’s hair, and gives a light kiss to the crown of his hair.
Lán Wàngjī, on the other hand, is rubbing Wèi Wúxiàn’s back, and gives in to a few minutes of silence before pushing his torso down and lies onto the wooden floor, bringing Wèi Wúxiàn down with him, protectively settling his head under the former’s chin.
Wèi Wúxiàn lets out a small hum of contentment from the warmth before adding on, “Lán Zhàn, are you intending to sleep now?”
“Mn, Wèi Yīng should sleep too.”
Lán Wàngjī mumbles softly, taking the fold of the forehead ribbon and slowly binds a fresh knot over both of the partner’s wrists together.
“Sleeping now… What happened to the great Hánguāng-Jūn, a man who is stubbornly obedient to the rules of his very own clan? Wants to sleep, in the middle of the day of spring? Lán Zhàn! Spring is supposed to be the new beginning, but that doesn’t mean you should start breaking the rules of your own clan! Besides the weather is—”
Wèi Wúxiàn’s words are cut short when Lán Wàngjī places a gentle kiss to the former’s mouth, sealing his mouth shut with brushes of physical contact.
“This Hánguāng-Jūn believes no rules matter, when it comes to the love of his husband. My Yílíng Lǎozǔ. My Wèi Yīng.”
Wèi Wúxiàn lets out a small squeak and laughs quietly.
“Aiya, Lán Zhàn ah, Lán Zhàn. How can one be this adorable, and yet be so humble and righteous in this world? You are too good for this world, this Yílíng Lǎozǔ shall be yours, and of course, Hánguāng-Jūn shall be mine too.”
Lán Wàngjī gives a small smirk and nods, before closing his eyes and bringing his free hand up to brush his partner’s hair.
“Mn, is Wèi Yīng’s. And Wèi Yīng, is also mine.”
The end of an era, filled with suffocating words and actions.
The start of spring, the season of a new beginning.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬.