Chapter Text
Wei WuXian was dead. Everyone knew that. Even the man himself, barely conscious enough to form a coherent thought, knew it.
Wei WuXian was dead and yet he felt unbearably cold. Why was he cold? Was it his personal punishment from the gods to freeze for eternity, all alone?
He hated the cold, winter was his least favourite season. He hated being alone, too, so this was a rather fitting punishment.
Wei WuXian was cold and alone, until he wasn't.
⬒ ⬓
Something next to him was repeatedly making high pitched noises, which, despite him being dead, were extremely annoying. Wei WuXian wanted to rest in peace, damnit!
Then he noticed that it wasn't cold anymore. He was lying in a warm bed. He grimaced when he tried to open his eyes, immediately shutting them tightly. Too bright.
Apparently, he wasn't the only one in the room, as an alarmed voice began speaking to him. Or maybe to another person, there could be more people. Wei WuXian couldn't understand what they had said, anyway. The language was definitely not Chinese, that much was clear, despite his dizzy state of mind.
Slowly, he squinted one eye open and then the other, trying to adjust by blinking. Wei WuXian had to find out where he was, because he definitely wasn't in Diyu. Did he even die from the backlash of the Yin Hufu's destruction? It had surely felt so back then, but the pain in his bones told him something different.
A door opened somewhere and two more people stepped into the room to his bed. Wei WuXian's companion talking to the newcomers before retreating to wherever. Both of them looked similar, with the white clothing and black hair, but only the sharp eyes of one caught Wei WuXian's attention.
Eyes colored a brown so light, they gleamed golden like honey Eyes so beautiful, the heavenly ruler themself must've forged them. Eyes, which gaze he had always longed to be under, every shichen of the day, ever since that fated night. Eyes with a glare so intense, it pierced through his entire being; mind, body and soul. Wei Wuxian could go on and on, but he could never forget to whom those eyes belonged.
Lan Zhan, Lan WangJi, Lan-Er-Gege, HanGuang-Jun.
Had the explosion really thrown him all the way to Gusu? It would explain why it had been so cold.
The newcomers—Lan WangJi and the other continued their conversation. The language they spoke sounded different from the one he'd heard before. Wei WuXian was once again awed by Lan WangJi's talent. He had never known the older male spoke a language other than Chinese.
Wei WuXian was slowly lulled to sleep by the mellow voice of his friend. Rival? Former classmate? The guy that wanted to drag him back to Gusu and had succeeded?
⬒ ⬓
Wei WuXian opened his eyes to see the same weird ceiling as before, this time clearer. His headache was gone, but all of his bones and muscles still ached. Turns out the healers in Gusu weren't that great.
Wait. The healers—then, his core? Shit, they definitely knew and by now most likely the whole cultivation world too. It was surprising Jiang Cheng still hasn't kicked the doors down—No. The Lans wouldn't spread such personal information, especially Lan WangJi, without his consent, or at least a conversation about the how and why. Still, more people than he ever wanted to know, knew. Maybe they'll be merciful and soften his punishment for using demonic cultivation, given his situation.
Only now Wei WuXian noticed the cultivator sitting on a weird stool, slumped over a guqin on the rather tall table (seriously, what's wrong with the interior design of Cloud Recess's infirmary?). Despite his position, the Lan looked as graceful as ever. The darkness of his eye bags was just as painful as his beauty.
Wei WuXian's heart tinged with worry at the thought of Lan WangJi not getting enough sleep, too stressed to properly take care of himself. Wei WuXian wanted to call out to his friend, wake him up and tell him to go rest in his bed in the jingshi, but a coughing fit ruined his plan.
Lan WangJi's head immediately shot up, his "Wei Ying." almost yelled. He immediately rushed to Wei WuXian's side, offering him a transparent cup of water that had stood unnoticed on the nightstand. Wei WuXian only dared to drink once his coughs had completely gone away. The water tasted slightly weird, as if someone had failed to brew herbal tea.
Lan WangJi put the cup away once it was empty, simply eyeing Wei Wuxian afterwards, as if afraid he would disappear into thin air. Wei WuXian felt himself growing slightly shy under the undivided attention of those golden eyes.
"Good morning, Lan Zhan." He said, his voice raspy. Lan WangJi's eyes and mouth corners lost their tension, appearing softer, making him look content. "Too early. Only two minutes after midnight."
"Two what." He blinked. Wei WuXian knew what midnight wast, but what in the world was 'minutes'?
Realization seemed to dawn on Lan WangJi as he simply shook his head. "Later. How are you?"
"I'm good, actually! Quite comfortable here. Say, Lan Zhan, why does Cloud Recess' infirmary look so strange? I know you had to rebuild, but it’s just too weird, even for me."
"Not in Cloud Recess."
Wei WuXian halted. "Really? Are we even in Gusu?"
He received a head shake. But that didn't make any sense. Why would Lan WangJi have taken him somewhere other than Gusu, especially after all his pestering? Had Wei WuXian been thrown to some place out of the great sects' territories? Even so, the man would've been able to carry him all the way back. Wei WuXian had witnessed the legendary Lan arm strength first hand. Perhaps Wei WuXian's, or even both men’s condition had simply not allowed any travels.
"Either way, Lan-Er-Gege should get some rest. I'm too weak to run away and fatigue really doesn't suit your pretty face! You even have string marks on your cheek from the guqin," Wei WuXian teased.
While tiredness did not suit Lan WangJi, the whole ordeal of waking up and him just being there was too domestic. It reminded Wei WuXian of a long forgotten dream, of a small forest house and—It made him want. And Wei WuXian knew what happened whenever he acted upon his desires. He felt vulnerable and that needed to change, quickly.
"Wei Ying, too. Not healed yet. Will come back later." Lan WangJi said, making no move to leave the bedside.
"I'm not tired! I just woke up," Wei Wuxian complained and he wasn't even lying. "But if you're not leaving yet, let's talk some more, okay? Like, what happened to your hair? Why is it so short?"
Wei WuXian reached out to smooth some of the black stands and Lan WangJi actually let him, even (to Wei WuXian's shock) leaning into his touch. Wei WuXian was, however, careful not to touch the forehead ribbon.
"Does Wei Ying not like it?" The Lan asked, a barely visible pout on his face that turned Wei WuXian’s brain into soup.
"No, no! I mean—yes, I like it! HanGuang-Jun is the handsomest there is! You could shave yourself bald and grow a beard like your uncle and still be under the top 5 of the most eligible young masters!" He rambled on, embarrassed, pulling his hands back to himself. "Ah, but Lan Zhan, who dared to cut your precious hair? Was is a bandit? I'll chop their hands off! Lan-Qianbei and ZeWu-Jun won't have to worry!"
"Wei Ying," Lan WangJi called and the stiffness in his voice made Wei WuXian lower his hands from the gestures he had been making. "Shufu and Xichen-Ge are dead."
Wei WuXian sat there, probably an incense stick's time, simply processing that information. A look into Lan WangJi’s eyes told him that the mourning was long over. Suddenly, Lan Wangji seemed old, older than popo had been. Wiser, too.
Finally, Wei Wuxian managed to croak out some words. "How long? Lan Zhan, how long have I been gone?"
Lan WangJi seemed to hesitate.
"1403 years."
⬒ ⬓
The constant beeping of the heart monitor was still as annoying as the first time he'd heard it, but just as grounding, reminding Wei WuXian that he was alive and recovering, that his talk with Lan WangJi had been real. He didn't know wether that was a good or bad thing.
It had been one shichen—which were two hours, which again translated into 120 minutes—since Lan WangJi had left Wei WuXian to his thoughts.
Basically, Wei WuXian had crashed into the capital city of Russia, a country not that far from China. One of the doctors in the hospital he had been brought into, had somehow recognized him as the Yiling Laozu and thus informed HanGuang -Jun.
Lan WangJi had admitted that he had first thought it to be a scam, as quite a handful of people had tried to imitate Wei WuXian before.
Lan Wangji himself had a long road behind him. The man had achieved immortality at the age of 37 and lived to see his relatives die, dynasties fall and two whole world wars. He had not fought, but had assisted in hospitals and medical tents in both. A few years ago he had been chosen as the Representative of China's Cultivators. It was something akin to Chief Cultivator, but less about power and more about traveling and looking good.
Even without Wei WuXian asking, Lan WangJi had told him about Jiang Wanyin and his nephew. "Jiang WanYin never married, but did adopt a daughter. He died old. Jin RuLan grew up to be like his uncle. He became sect leader after Jin GuangYao's death."
They had switched the topic afterwards, talking about the modern world. Wei WuXian asked about the things he had found weird (and still did) and Lan WangJi had explained. He couldn't wait to get his fingers on that 'television' thing, to pick it apart and find out how it worked. Or the smaller portable version, which he'd seen Lan WangJi talk into.
⬒ ⬓
Wei WuXian was absolutely thrilled. Lan WangJi had given him his 'phone', given him permission to fool around. He wasn't allowed to pick it apart, though.
"What does this—uh... app! What does this app do?" Wei WuXian asked, opening the app before even receiving an answer.
"Music app. Gives access to songs and compositions from different musicians."
Wei WuXian let out a "woah", before tapping through the different functions. "Is that playlist thing a collection of different songs? Put together like a composition book?"
Lan WangJi thought if one could put it that way, before confirming his guess with a nod.The first playlist was titled ‘Students’, which made Wei WuXian laugh a bit. He wondered if Lan WangJi was a strict teacher like his uncle had been. The next one was simply called ‘Mine’. He stared at the third and last playlist.
WuJi.
Was that a person Lan WangJi knew? A friend or perhaps his lover? The name sounded weird, but it’s been over 1000 years, language and culture change with time. Wei WuXian’s guts churned uncomfortably and he mentally cursed hospital food. Even Cloud Recess food had been better than that.
After going through a few more apps, Lan WangJi showed Wei WuXian how to take pictures and videos and how to delete them. Wei WuXian’s former discomfort got replaced by warmth, as he looked through the several ‘selfies’ he had taken with Lan WangJi.
⬒ ⬓
Wei WuXian laid down the book about the invention and evolution of technology he had been reading, as Lan WangJi played Cleansing on the table.
"Lan Zhan," he called, unsure how to phrase his thoughts. Lan WangJi hummed in response, not looking up. "What will happen after my punishment in Gusu? Will I just live there or could I go back to Mount Lunzang? Unless my punishment is death, then ignore this question."
Lan WangJi tugs the wrong string, playing a note too low, before Cleansing stops altogether.
"Punishment?"
Wei WuXian fidgeted under his glare. "Well, yes. You've been trying to make me face punishment ever since the war, but then I died—time traveled. Now I can't run away anymore."
Lan WangJi left the table to sit on the bed, taking Wei WuXian's hand in his, gently, as if he was afraid to hurt him with a single touch.
"Wei Ying. Come to Gusu for protection and healing. Never punishment."
Protection and healing? Lan WangJi wanted to protect and heal him. Thinking back, Wei WuXian noticed that the Lan had never mentioned any sort of punishment, it had always been just 'Come to Gusu with me'. It was truly righteous for HanGuang-Jun to overlook his hate for Wei WuXian's wellbeing.
(A doubt over the innocence of Lan WangJi's motives began unconsciously forming in the back of his mind, thinking about the ways he had been touching Wei WuXian.)
"Wei Ying uses dark cultivation—"
"It's called demonic cultivation, fuddy-duddy Lan Zhan."
The Lan shook his head. "Dark cultivation. Only demons use demonic cultivation. It is the official term."
When Wei WuXian didn't protest, he continued. "Wei Ying uses dark cultivation, which—without proper treatment—harms body and mind. Your golden core had been surgically removed as well, which made you vulnerable."
Lan WangJi answered his question before he could ask. "The scar on your lower dantian. Wen-Guniang had not been the only to ever come up with the theory. Golden Core Transfer is illegal in all countries."
Wei WuXian nodded. It made sense, especially the illegal part. He was just glad Lan WangJi hadn't asked why he'd done it.
"What will happen with me in Gusu, then?"
"Live with me to fully naturalise into modern society."
Wei WuXian hummed. A few seconds later he groaned. "If I'm not dying from whip lashes, I will die from writing 3000 rules over and over again."
"200."
The silence that followed Lan WangJi's statement was deafening.
"No," Wei WuXian exclaimed in disbelief. "Lan Zhan, who the fuck removed 2800 rules?! Surely you're lying!"
"XiChen-Ge never married. Elders were dead."
"So you just removed over a half of the rules? But you're the most perfect Lan to exist!"
"After Wei Ying's supposed death, elders added another 1000 rules. Utterly ridiculous. Only removed 1090, successors removed the others."
Wei WuXian's grip on Lan WangJi's hand tightened. He ignored the fact that they had been holding hands like lovers and laughed over the new revelations, instead. Lan WangJi never ceased to surprise him.
⬒ ⬓
Lan WangJi brushed through each wet strand, careful not to rip out any hairs while untangling the bird nest on Wei WuXian’s head. A few droplets of water landed on the pillow and blanket, but that was future Wei WuXia’s problem. Present Wei WuXian was too occupied to care.
The TV was showing a Russian cartoon about animal musicians and their human friend that fell in love with a princess. The romance part was cute, but also weird, because the dude and princess looked like twins. When he had pointed that out, Lan WangJi had said that it had been done on purpose, to make it look like the couple were soulmates (which was stupid because him and Wei WuXian didn’t look alike at all and they had still been—).There was no dialogue and Wei WuXian couldn't understand the lyrics, but the funny scenes and catchy tunes made up for that.
Halfway through the second part of the movie series, Lan WangJi let go of hair and laid it over his shoulder. He moved away to admire his work better. The red ribbon hung at the end of the braid, tied into a neat bow.
"Picture?" Lan WangJi held up his phone, silently asking for permission.
"Of course!" Wei WuXian smoothed out his robe and the blanket, before turning to the phone and calling "Cheese!"
It was another modern custom, which the dark cultivator found quite nice. And if Lan WangJi took eight pictures instead of just one, that was only for him to know.
⬒ ⬓
Lan WangJi helped Wei WuXian through the head hole of the wool sweater, having already helped with the belt and boots. Underwear, pants and socks were something Wei WuXian had figured out on his own.
The man looked rather adorable in Lan WangJi's clothes, which were one or two sizes too big. The immortal wondered if they would smell like Wei WuXian later, brushing a few creases out of his beige winter dress.
He led Wei WuXian down the corridors as the other struggled with the zipper of his coat. At the entrance Lan WangJi gathered Wei WuXian's hair into a bun and pulled the fur lined hood over his head. He nodded to himself, satisfyed with the way his beloved was wrapped up, then opened the glass door into the cool night.
⬒ Bonus Scene ⬓
Wei WuXian fell face first onto the weird bed in Lan WangJi's 'living room', both from tiredness and embarrassment.
He was tired, because he had not once closed his eyes for sleep, neither during the plane flight nor car ride, simply overwhelmed with excitement over the new foreign world.
He was embarrassed, because he had clinged to Lan WangJi like a leech during the whole way, either wrapping his arms around his or holding his hand. Wei WuXian was just glad his friend hadn't seemed too bothered by it.
The clinking sound of glass filled the modern jingshi (which was still as plain as the old one from hundreds of years ago) and Wei WuXian sat up to see Lan WangJi fill a big weirdly shaped glass with liquid. Due to the label on the white jug, he immediately recognized it to be the oh so sweet Emperor's Smile. Wei WuXian was just as delighted as he was surprised at his favourite wine being brewed to this day.
"Lan Zhan, isn't alcohol forbidden in Cloud Recess? Surely you haven't removed that rule as well."
Lan WangJi shook his head as he placed the full glass on the table, inviting Wei WuXian to sit with him. "Alcohol is only allowed on special occasions."
Wei WuXian lifted the glass of wine. "What are we celebrating, then?"
"Wei Ying's return."
'To me' left unsaid.