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Wen Ning wakes up to the brush of soft lips against his forehead and fingers caressing the corner of his eyes and cheeks. Face pinched in disgruntlement, he turns away to resume sleeping. “Aww, cutie,” A low voice coos. “Wake up, baobei.” Wei Ying, he realizes with a skip of a heartbeat.
Turquoise eyes squint open, grateful that Wei Ying hasn’t turned on the lights. His eyes were still stinging from the tears he shed earlier. It’s only four o’clock, but Wen Ning had drawn all the curtains to lay miserably in the dark the moment he was dropped off by Wen Qing. He’s not sure whether he’s glad for Wei Ying's interruption of his wallowing, torn between relief and embarrassment. “W-Wei Ying. What are you doing here?” He asks, voice small.
A hand brushes his bangs back and he shivers. “Baobei,” Wei Ying says, drawing out the word.
Wen Ning flinches at his scolding undertone, wondering what he managed to do to upset him already. He always failed to notice when he was saying or doing the wrong thing. “Did you really think we’d leave you alone after a whole week with your awful family?”
Before he gets the chance to respond, the door creaks open slowly, letting in a sliver of light that illuminates an imposing figure. A low, familiar voice calls into the room. “Hello, Wen Ning. May I turn on the light?” Lan Zhan.
Flushing, Wen Ning burrows deeper under the cocoon of blankets he wrapped himself in before falling asleep. “L-Lan Zhan! Yes, of course!”
Light floods the room with the flick of a switch and Wen Ning stares at the two men in his room with lidded eyes. Lan Zhan sets down a glass of water on his nightstand before sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Wei Ying. Their eyes hold concern as they watch him fidget with the tag of his comforter. “I-I’m fine! You didn’t have to come all the way here just for that!”
He tries to laugh, but ends up coughing. Lan Zhan frowns and a jolt of guilt hits him for making them worry so much. Wei Ying grabs the water to bring to his lips for him to drink gratefully. When he’s finished, he looks at them sheepishly from under his lashes. “S-so—”
“No.”
Wen Ning turns to Lan Zhan, startled by the vehemence in his tone. “N-no?”
The man’s stern expression would be intimidating if Wen Ning wasn’t used to reading the golden depths of emotions in his eyes, which were gazing at Wen Ning softly. “No apologies, remember, baobei? Preferably forever, but definitely none from you this weekend.”
Wen Ning flushes. He had forgotten that he been strong-armed into such a ridiculous promise before he left for the third wedding of his dreaded cousin. He had been able to avoid the first and second one, but the family patriarch, Wen Ruohan, had demanded everyone’s attendance this time. He doubted it would have its intended effect of encouraging his whorish son to make the third marriage his last, but he wasn’t able to decline without causing trouble for his sister.
Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had been extremely upset that he wouldn’t allow them to accompany him, but he knew putting Wei Ying in a room with Wen Chao, and other derisive members of his family, was courting trouble. Lan Zhan had been confused when he was also barred from attending. Wen Ning didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was just as afraid of Lan Zhan’s reaction to his relatives. Despite his calm demeanor, Lan Zhan reacted unpredictably when his partners were mistreated or disrespected. Wen Ning, who had resigned himself to a week spent acting as the punching bag for the Wen Clan, refused to put his boyfriends in the line of fire. He was well aware of the lengths they would go to protect him, especially Wei Ying. It would be better for them to stay and comfort each other while he was gone.
Neither had been pacified by the fact that his sister would be there, preferring to keep an eye on him at all times. They knew that wasn’t possible for Wen Qing, who usually spent family events being paraded around by their patriarch. Finding him like this will only worsen their concerns, he realizes. He’s clearly been crying, face puffy and blotchy. He’s positive everything worked out for the better— if either of them had seen or heard some of the things he put up with this week, they might have left the event in handcuffs. Despite the validity of his concerns, he still feels despicable for excluding them. He hopes their appearance means they understood his position. Even if they were upset with him, as long as they were here, he didn’t mind.
Wei Ying’s clever hands untuck him from the comforter, climbing into bed with him before he can think of offering an apology anyway. He yelps when his hands slip under Wen Ning’s shirt. “W-Wei Yi—”
The other interrupts him, pecking his lips smartly. “Ah! A-Ning, you’re being so bad. Ying-ge or A-Ying,” he says sternly, gazing into his wide eyes. “I’ll take A-Xian because you’re so cute, okay?”
Oh, right. In his determination to get his overprotective partners to abandon him for a whole week— their words, not his, he may have been overeager in conceding to their demands. In their two decades of knowing each other, Wen Ning has only called Wei Ying by his birth name a few dozen times. It was more out of habit than formality and because he loved the way the other’s nose would wrinkle in distaste every time he heard it. When they started dating, he knew it was only a matter of time before he crumbled under his insistence. He hadn’t expected it to come in the form and loud, inappropriate objections in public but he probably should have. After the third yell of, “A-Ning, you’ll put our dicks in your mouth, but you won’t call us by our birth names,” and other variations of the same, he chose the lesser of evils. The intimacy of it still made him blush, but it was better than everyone in the vicinity knowing what they did in the bedroom.
This was something else entirely, he thinks, face exploding with color. Like a shark sniffing out bleeding prey, Wei Ying leaps at the opportunity to embarrass him. He rubs his cheeks against Wen Ning’s back and forth slowly, soft skin cool in contrast to his own heated face. “Won’t you be a good boy? Lan Zhan-gege has been waiting all week to hear you call for him, baobei!”
He’s pretty sure they’re all surprised when he bursts into tears at Wei Ying’s teasing, but none more than him. He was sure that he had cried as much as he was capable, going as far as to put off notifying them of his return for the sole purpose of crying his heart, eyes, and lungs out. They had obviously bypassed him for his sister when he failed to reach out so they had no one but themselves to blame for being forced to witness the mess that was Wen Ning after spending time with his family.
After a week of being treated like he’s less than dirt, Wei Ying’s admonishment struck at the open wound in his chest that tore open at any implication that he wasn’t good enough, not just for them but for everything. He was too raw to hear anything of the sort from them right now, even though he knows Wei Ying is just teasing him. He’s not sure if it helps to hear that Lan Zhan was waiting for him, longing for something as silly as hearing Wen Ning call for him affectionately. It stirs the greedy little creature in him that needs to hear that they still want him around. He had heard more than enough comments on his relationship that went from implying to outright jeering that he didn’t deserve such prestigious partners, something they would realize in a matter of time. Yet within minutes of reuniting, they were able to contradict a week of abuse with only Wei Ying’s silly attitude. There’s a very confusing mix of emotions in his chest that he can only banish by crying. He really needs to work on his coping mechanisms.
For now, he tries to stifle his hiccuping sobs, burying his face in Wei Ying’s neck and reaching weakly for Lan Zhan. He sighs happily when the other immediately slots himself against Wen Ning’s back, leaning into the broad, warm chest. He doesn’t need to open his eyes to know it’s Lan Zhan who begins stroking his hair gently, familiar with his thin, nimble fingers working their way through every strand. When he finally quiets down, Wei Ying places his fingers under his chin to lift his head, gray eyes peering at him sadly. “I’m sorry, A-Ning, that was callous of me. I’m the bad one, it seems. You’re always perfect, baobei.”
Wen Ning shakes his head frantically. They’re all upset enough without blame passing between them. “I-I just missed you guys. A-and I really h-hate my family.”
His laugh is more genuine this time and Wei Ying’s eyes light up with mischief, the only warning he gets before his face is being peppered with kisses. Wei Ying gushes, a bit dramatically, as he does so. He has to admit that Wei Ying’s, “We missed you so much, A-Ning! Nothing was the same without you,” “We’re never letting those grimy bastards get their hands on you again, you’re too precious,” and “You can just start another family with us and the non-bastard Wens, mkay? If any of them have something to say, we’ll kill them!” stitch closed the wounds his family were experts at cleaving open.
Lan Zhan makes quiet “Mn”s of affirmation behind him, even at Wei Ying’s final ludicrous promise. It startles a laugh out of him, the image of composed and stone faced Lan Zhan taking part in something so violently emotional. It definitely shouldn’t make him feel better, but it does. He ignores the tiny part of him that warns him that they’re only somewhat joking, hence the segregation. He only has the brainpower and confidence to respond to the last sentence. “W-we can’t start a family if Y-Ying-ge and Z-Zhan-ge go to prison for mass murder,” he murmurs.
Wei Ying pauses and Lan Zhan’s hand stills in his hair. It’s quiet for a few beats, Wen Ning becoming increasingly nervous at their lack of response. “You—” Wei Ying breaks off, voice strained enough that he blinks his doe eyes up at him in worry. His heart jumps to his throat when he sees a flash of desire in those gray eyes and Wei Ying sighs harshly. “Yaah, that’s dangerous. I think I like it too much.”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan says thickly. “Say it again.”
He flounders, thrown off by their heated reactions. He should have known the title would provoke them in that way, the two were notorious sex fiends. People assume a lot of things about Wen Ning, one of which is that he’s repressed, or prudish. Lan Zhan, Wei Ying, and some of their more unfortunate friends and family are aware of how wrong that assumption is. Wen Ning is shy, that’s true. So he shyly makes eye contact with Wei Ying before lowering his gaze, chewing his lip before stammering, “Ying-g-ge, Z-Zhan-ge, please kiss me.”
Lan Zhan makes a hungry sound behind him, hand sliding up to cup his cheek and turn his face towards him. He claims Wen Ning’s lips in a bruising kiss, pushing his tongue into the younger man’s mouth to taste him after being deprived for what felt like an eternity. Wei Ying’s whine of, “No fair, Lan Zhan!” goes ignored as he dominates Wen Ning’s pliant mouth. Not one to take being ignored lying down, Wei Ying mouths at Wen Ning’s neck and collarbone, biting meanly until the blood vessels under his tongue burst. He stares at the bright pink marks littering pale skin, signs of his ownership, with a pleased expression.
Wen Ning gasps into Lan Zhan’s mouth, whining when he takes the opportunity to swallow Wen Ning’s tongue. He squirms between them, body flooding with warmth and brain rushing with endorphins until they both place a firm hand on his hip to force him still. “Your Geges missed you so much, sweetheart. We didn’t think we would make it the whole time. We’re going to take good care of you since you deserve a reward for being so brave and coming back to us.” Wei Ying croons, voice low and seductive. “Would you like that?”
Lan Zhan moves his hand to the column of Wen Ning’s throat so that he can answer. He’s familiar with his lover’s fervent stare, the way his eyes dart around to observe every inch of his burning face, the wickedness behind the lips curling into a smile. There’s a crazed gleam in Wei Ying’s eyes as he leans forwards to brush their lips together, put there by his absence. It promises retribution against Wen Ning for leaving for so long. A shiver of anticipation crawls down his spine. “Y-Yes, please, Ying-ge.”
Wei Ying grins. He speaks against Wen Ning’s lips, gray eyes boring into turquoise ones, making it hard for him to concentrate on his words. “Good boy. You just have to promise that you won’t ever ask your Geges to abandon you again.”
Wen Ning blinks and Wei Ying’s eyes curve into crescents. “W-what?”
“No more visiting family alone. We’ll go, protect Wen Ning.”
This time it’s Lan Zhan who speaks, sounding severe and a tiny bit hurt. Opening his mouth to protest, Wei Ying interrupts him with a finger against his lips. “A-Ning, please think of your poor lovers. I think we’ll die next time!”
Wen Ning pauses, taking in the tightness of Wei Ying’s smile and the way Lan Zhan is squeezing him to his chest. He’s starting to second guess whether he did the right thing by refusing to let them attend. He had thought he was making it convenient by absolving them of any responsibility towards him and the baggage of his family. There’s still a small part of him that expects them to be perfect when he’s not around, to simply fill the gap he’s left with each other and move on. He frowns, concerned that he may have let it influence his decision to go to the wedding alone. They wouldn’t miss him that badly with the other around, he had rationalized. Who would want to spend a week with known scum of the earth just for him? What if they realized just how corrupt his family was? It’d be hard to forget that these are the people he grew up amongst, for lack of better phrasing, since he could never classify the way they treated him when he was younger as ‘raising’ him.
He had pictured their expressions after the first couple of nights amongst the Wen, irritated and exhausted from having to constantly field rude questions or ignore unseemly behavior. He convinced himself he was doing them a favor by the time he broached the subject with them. Wen Ning didn’t want them to bear witness to the glaring flaws of his family and their dysfunction so he pretended not to understand how much they disliked the idea of letting him go alone, of leaving them behind. He ignored the reality that they would have preferred to be with him to defend him from the abuse that has returned him to them in such a vulnerable state.
It’s clear to him now that he had simply made himself an easier target of his family’s antics. He feels childish and selfish and stupid for depriving himself of his support system in his usual self destructive manner. He’s infinitely grateful that the two of them are here to prevent him from continuing with it, nipping the behavior in the bud as best they can. There are tears pooling in his eyes again, but he kisses his Wei Ying before he can panic and returns Lan Zhan’s squeezes with twice as much pressure. He buries himself deeper into their embrace and mumbles, “Stay with me, Ying-ge, Zhan-ge. Even if I’m being silly and tell you not to.”
Who cares anyway? Some of his family members have lived long enough.
Wei Ying beams at him, lovingly and a little smug while Lan Zhan tucks his chin into Wen Ning’s shoulder. “A-Ning is always silly, so we’ll have to never leave your side. Right, Lan Zhan?”
The ‘Mn’ the other lets out is drawn out and a little sleepy as Lan Zhan cuddles closer to Wen Ning, relishing in the feeling of having him back in his arms. Neither of them had slept well with him gone, too busy fretting over how he was being treated by his so-called family and hyper aware of the empty space left by their missing partner. Lan Zhan eyes are fluttering closed as he does his best imitation of an octopus, long limbs wrapped possessively around Wen Ning, making Wei Ying sigh fondly. “Let’s get some rest. It seems Zhan-ge is all worn out from missing you, baobei. He might be a little mean when he’s dishing out your reward.”
Wen Ning smiles bashfully, reaching for Wei Ying’s face to run his fingertips over gently. He wants to kiss him so he does. “That’s okay. Zhan-ge can be mean and Ying-ge can kiss it better.”
An adorable blush blooms on Wei Ying’s cheeks before he’s pressing a heated kiss to Wen Ning’s lips. “Go to sleep before this Gege's patience snaps, okay? You’re going to need it. A week is a long time, NingNing.”
Wen Ning shivers at the barely disguised lust in Wei Ying’s voice and opts to sleep instead of poking the bear any further. He’s completely unaware of the dark path Wei Ying’s thoughts take once he’s the only one still conscious. If he had been, he might have prepared himself more for their consequences.