Chapter Text
“Ah Xu! Just one time. Say it one time and I will stop bothering you,” Wen Kexing promised, fanning himself as they walked down a crowded alley.
Zhou Zishu highly doubted that. His soulmate would find a way to bother him even after death, which, in their case, was never going to come.
“Why do you care so much about a few words?” Zhou Zishu knew the reason, but he asked anyway to stall a little longer. He would eventually give Wen Kexing what he wanted. He always did.
“Because you never compliment me! How can I know if you find me attractive if you don’t say it?”
“I think actions speak more than words, Lao Wen, and I’ve proven to you a million times that I’m attracted to you.”
They stopped in the middle of the street because Wen Kexing suddenly grabbed Zhou Zishu by the wrist and turned to face him. Zhou Zishu regretted his words the moment he laid his eyes on the smug smirk that crept across his soulmate’s face.
“That’s right, Ah Xu. You have. With your eyes.” He entered Zhou Zishu’s personal space, which was never safe in his presence, and whispered the rest to his ear, “And with your hands.”
“Enough, you shameless bastard.” Zhou Zishu pushed him away a little. “I’ll say it if you promise to behave yourself. We’re no longer in the mountains far from the civilisation. We can’t have conversations like this in public.”
“But it’s you who started it by talking about ‘actions’!”
“No, you started it with trying to get a compliment out of me.”
Wen Kexing sighed. He still stood so close that Zhou Zishu forgot how it felt to have him at a distance of an extended arm but he did not hold him anymore.
“Fine. I promise to behave myself. I won’t even touch you for these three days. After all, it’s nothing compared to eternity. It will pass quickly.”
It seemed that Wen Kexing was trying to convince himself rather than Zhou Zishu that he would keep his own word. Zhou Zishu once again did not believe him. It was only noon and Wen Kexing already gave promises that he would for sure break by the end of the day.
Zhou Zishu smiled at the thought of not being touched by his Lao Wen for three days. Yes, that was indeed impossible. And he definitely would not like that.
“I guess it’s time for me to say what you want to hear, then.” He cleared his throat and looked at his soulmate. “Lao Wen, you are the most handsome man who has ever lived in this world.”
He said it because Wen Kexing had asked him to but he meant every word. When Wen Kexing smiled at him, satisfied with what he had just heard, Zhou Zishu’s heart skipped a beat. He looked at his soulmate whose beauty was still as breathtaking as the day they had met, or maybe even more since they had become immortal. Zhou Zishu sometimes tried to recall how Wen Kexing looked with black hair, but he loved the white one too much to care about what was lost. He loved the way it resembled snow when Zhou Zishu run his fingers through white strokes.
Wen Kexing’s eyes were still full of life and love just like they had been years before, back when they had been both young and broken and in desperate need of someone who would bring warmth to their lives. Wen Kexing had never stopped looking at him like he was his everything, and Zhou Zishu continued to fall for him deeper and deeper every single day.
He was so lost in his thoughts full of admiration for his soulmate that it took him a moment to notice Wen Kexing go from smiling to pouting.
“What’s wrong? Isn’t it what you wanted to hear?”
“Yes, but I made you say it. How can I know you’re sincere?”
“Lao Wen… Are you really that insecure about yourself? Or about what I think of you?”
“No, I know I’m exceptionally good looking.” Wen Kexing grinned at him. “You once said my face was outstanding so I also know you’ve been smitten by my beauty for a long time now.”
“If you know then why did you make me say that?”
“Because it’s like music to my ears. Hey, Ah Xu! Where are you going? Wait for me!”
Zhou Zishu did not go far before Wen Kexing caught up with him. He was once again so close that it felt as if they were one person.
“You promised not to bother and touch me,” Zhou Zishu recalled with a smile. “We’ll see if your word is worth anything.”
“Believe it or not but I’m able to keep my hands to myself. I’m actually worried about you. Can you survive three days without my sweet kisses? They’re addictive and no one knows it better than you do.”
Unfortunately that was true but Zhou Zishu had no intention of giving Wen Kexing the satisfaction of confirming it out loud. His smile might have given away too much though as he was really amused by his soulmate’s boldness and could not help himself.
“Well, if I remember correctly, it’s you who made a promise, not me. I can steal one or two of your precious kisses if I want to,” he teased, having too much fun watching the expression on Wen Kexing’s face change from surprise to curiosity. He was so easy to flirt with. “But I don’t know if I will. After all, I’m much more patient than you are, Lao Wen.”
“You’re so cruel,” Wen Kexing muttered under his breath.
They looked at each other and laughed, both so entertained by their silly conversation that they almost missed the hotel they were supposed to stay in for the next three nights. They stopped in front of the familiar building. Wen Kexing smiled with that beautiful soft smile of his reserved only for his soulmate and their long gone disciple.
“Do you remember when we stayed here once with Chengling?” he said what Zhou Zishu was thinking. “So much time has passed but this place still looks the same.”
“You know what’s good for a wave of nostalgia? Some delicious food and a hot tea. Let’s get a room and then look for something to eat.”
Wen Kexing nodded, visibly grateful for Zhou Zishu and his ability to ground him in the present. They entered the place and quickly found the owner of the hotel. They were both disappointed to find out that all rooms were taken.
“We can’t waste the rest of the day travelling to another town. We’ll pay double the prize, just please let us stay here,” Wen Kexing insisted.
Zhou Zishu understood his desperation. Not only was their time limited, they were also in need of a comfortable and warm accommodation that would allow them to forget the coldness of the mountains for three blissful days.
“I’m sorry but I can’t do anything,” the owner told them. “Those two gentlemen reserved all the rooms for themselves and their disciples. Maybe try talking to them?”
He pointed at the two men sitting in the back of the main room. Before Zhou Zishu could say anything, Wen Kexing was already on his way to persuade them. He had no choice but to rush after his soulmate.
As they got closer to the table, Zhou Zishu took a better glance at the two men. They were wearing clothes in quite opposite colors: one was covered in all black with some red accessories, while the other preferred light blue robes. The former was explaining something in a passionate way, and the other seemed to be listening to him carefully. Zhou Zishu could swear that he saw a smile on his lips, but it was so subtle it might have been just his natural expression.
“Good afternoon gentlemen,” Wen Kexing greeted them, interrupting the man in the middle of his sentence. “I’m Wen Kexing and this is Zhou Zishu. We’re immortal travellers who came here from a place out of humans’ reach.”
The man in light blue looked at them attentively. He must have indeed smiled at his companion then because now his face was completely serious. Zhou Zishu expected him to draw his sword as soon as he recognized a treat in them.
Meanwhile the other man almost chocked on his tea when he heard Wen Kexing use the word ‘immortal’.
“Out of humans’ reach?” He sounded as if he was really trying to understand what that meant. “Do you perhaps come from the sky? Do you leave among the clouds?”
Zhou Zishu could not tell if he was making fun of them or genuinely asking.
“Close enough.” Wen Kexing shrugged.
“We need a room in this hotel,” Zhou Zishu added quickly to stop this conversation from developing in an even weirder direction. “We were informed that you took all of them and wanted to kindly ask you to free just one.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem,” the man in black answered, taking a quick glance at his companion to get a confirmation. The man in light blue did not even blink but the man in black already turned back to them with a smile as if he had got what he needed. “I don’t want the disciples to fight about it, so I’ll just give you my room. We don’t need two rooms anyway, right, Lan Zhan?”
Maybe it was just the light coming from the near window or maybe the man in light blue blushed a little. Wen Kexing, who must have noticed it as well, looked at Zhou Zishu knowingly before he returned his eyes to the two gentlemen.
“Thank you. We’re very grateful.” Wen Kexing bowed a little.
“You can thank us properly by telling us all about that immortality of yours. Maybe during dinner?” The man in black stood up to bow to them too. “I’m Wei Wuxian, by the way, and this is Lan Wangji.”
“The dinner is on us.” Lan Wangji also stood up and greeted them in the right way.
“You’re very kind.” Zhou Zishu felt like he needed to say something too.
After exchanging pleasantries and finding out that the men had also arrived today and Wei Wuxian had not even had a chance to go upstairs yet, Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing excused themselves and went to their room to get refreshed.
“It’s fate, Ah Xu,” Wen Kexing said as they were climbing the stairs. “We were meant to meet those two.”
Zhou Zishu did not hide his curiosity.
“What makes you think so?”
“They remind me of us. They are also soulmates and they are in love. I feel like there are more similarities, but I’ll test my theories during dinner.”
“How can you be sure that they’re soulmates and in love? You only talked to them for five minutes.”
“Which was enough to come to the right conclusions. Their connection is obvious! A blind man would notice it! Oh, Ah Xu, you’re sometimes so anti-romantic.”
Normally Zhou Zishu would now prove Wen Kexing how romantic he could be and that was probably what Wen Kexing was hoping for but, as a good soulmate, Zhou Zishu did not plan on making it difficult for him to keep his promise.
They both stayed decent for the rest of the day, but it was just a matter of time before Zhou Zishu would start doubting his own control too.
It took two hours to exchange their stories.
“You were dead for sixteen years and then came back in someone else’s body?” Wen Kexing shook his head as if he could not believe his ears. “Here I thought I’ve seen and heard everything in my life and yet it turns out I can still be surprised.”
“Says a man who used to be a leader of ghosts, faked his death, almost really died and now is immortal,” Wei Wuxian retorted.
“It’s hard to assimilate all this information while staying sober,” Zhou Zishu concluded, stood up and went buy some liquor.
“He doesn’t like talking about the way we became immortal,” Wen Kexing admitted, looking back at his soulmate until he disappeared from their sight.
“He thought you died for him.” Lan Wangji’s voice was so soft it made Wei Wuxian turn to glance at him. “Those few minutes when it seemed you sacrified yourself for him must have been the worst minutes of his life.”
His words made Wen Kexing quiet, but Wei Wuxian was too busy to check if any emotions were visible on his face. He kept staring at Lan Wangji, not for the first time wondering how he had survived sixteen years of mourning. His situation was much worse than Zhou Zishu’s. The latter had lost his soulmates twice, but Wen Kexing had come back to him soon enough, while Lan Wangji had lived so long without his other half.
Lan Wangji never wanted to talk about it in details so Wei Wuxian could only guess how hard that time had been for him. He had also blamed himself for what had happened to Wei Wuxian, so those sixteen years could not have been easy. Wei Wuxian knew that if it was him who lost Lan Wangji, he would not be able to bear it. He would want to end his own life just like Zhou Zishu when Wen Kexing had faked his death.
Zhou Zishu found them sitting in silence but did not comment on it. He put a jug of wine in front of everyone at the table, including Lan Wangji.
“Oh, no, no, Lan Zhan doesn’t drink,” Wei Wuxian said too quickly and loudly and took Lan Wangji’s jug for himself.
“Why would you deprive yourself of such pleasure?” Zhou Zishu turned to Lan Wangji.
Wen Kexing looked at him as well with genuine curiosity in his eyes.
“It’s not good for me,” Lan Wangji answered in such a serious tone that Wei Wuxian could not help but giggle.
“His liquor tolerance is so low that one bowl can put him to sleep,” he added. “And then he wakes up and becomes unpredictable.”
“Interesting,” Wen Kexing commented, taking a sip of his wine.
Wei Wuxian had known him only for a few hours, but could already tell there was some mischievousness to him. In a way he reminded him of himself, which meant that they would end up either becoming friends or enemies. Wei Wuxian still has not figured out if he liked him or not.
“Coming back to your story,” he started, “you said you can leave the mountains only once a year, right?”
“That’s correct.” Zhou Zishu nodded. “We tested it at the beginning of our immortality and found out that we could stay away only for three days.”
“What would happen after three days?” Lan Wangji asked.
“We would start feeling excruciating pain,” Wen Kexing explained. “We tried it once a few years ago and we barely made it back to the mountains. Our theory is that when we leave the mountains, we lose our immortality and the pain of the things we did to our bodies before and our age manifest themselves by almost killing us.”
“So it’s possible for you to die,” Wei Wuxian noticed.
“If we stay away long enough then yes.” Zhou Zishu put the bowl with grapes closer to Wen Kexing, having noticed the man trying to reach it. “We’re not ready to die yet so we always make sure we go back home in time.”
“You call this place home? It sounds more like a prison. It must be freezing cold there and you’re far away from the civilisation.”
“People can visit us. We have new disciples every few years who not only provide us with the possibility of sharing our knowledge and skills. They also tell us what’s happening in the world and bring us whatever we want. Technically we don’t need food to survive, but we never say no to a good wine.”
Wen Kexing was nodding to everything Zhou Zishu was saying, and when his soulmate finished, he added, “Besides, we have each other. That’s enough.”
They exchanged smiles so bright that they reached their eyes and made Wei Wuxian smile too. His head turned to Lan Wangji as if it was the most natural thing and his breath caught in his throat when he saw his soulmate already glancing at him. A small, easy to miss smile graced his lips.
For some reason, it made him recall their first kiss.
“Wei Ying.”
He would recognize this voice anywhere at any time even if he forgot everything else. It was the only thing that could stop his heart from beating. His world from spinning. His lips and hands from playing music. He slowly pulled the flute away from his chin and turned around.
Everything went silent, even the wind as if in anticipation for what was about to happen. Wei Wuxian first thought it was just his imagination. He was not ready to let Lan Wangji go so he pictured him standing on the hill, just a few steps away from him.
But he seemed real. His light robes. His long black hair. His little smile Wei Wuxian saw definitely not often enough but cherished it more than any other. The smile he would love to hide in his pouch and look at whenever he felt sad. The smile he would like to engrave in his memory forever. The smile of the only man who mattered.
In this moment, he realized four things. First, he loved his Lan Zhan like he’d never loved anyone before. Second, Lan Wangji was real and he was standing there, beautiful as ever. Third, he was also not ready to let Wei Wuxian go.
Why would any of them be? They could just stay together. There was no point in them separating and that was the fourth thing Wei Wuxian realized when he smiled brightly at his soulmate, tears filling his eyes, relief relaxing his tense shoulders.
He did not know who took the first step. He realized he was walking fast, almost running, when he got close to Lan Wangji, meeting him halfway. He also did not know who initiated the kiss. Maybe it felt like a natural thing to do for both of them.
Lan Wangji took Wei Wuxian’s face in his hands and their lips met. If the world stopped existing tomorrow, Wei Wuxian would not care. He had today with its sweetness in the shape of Lan Wangji’s slim body is his arms, in the feeling of his breath that mingled with his own and the taste of his mouth on his.
The years of longing and yearning and wanting and missing cumulated in the passionate kiss that could easily sweep him off his feet if not for Lan Wangji’s touch keeping him together. Wei Wuxian put his arm around Lan Wangji’s waist and opened his mouth more, ready to get so lost in the kiss that there would be no more saving for him.
How could he live so long without this dizzying, mindblowing experience of kissing Lan Wangji?
When their lips parted, Wei Wuxian was ready to protest, but Lan Wangji put his hand on the back of Wei Wuxian’s head and pulled him into a hug. The comfort of it made Wei Wuxian almost melt into Lan Wangji’s arms. He embraced him tightly and rested his chin on his shoulder, partly wishing he could see his soumate’s face that must have been blushing, and partly grateful for this wonderful opportunity of having him so close.
“Lan Zhan,” he whispered, his voice hoarse after the kiss.
It all felt like a dream he never wanted to wake up from.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji replied so quietly that Wei Wuxian almost missed it.
They stood there for a long time, just hugging and listening to silence. They did not have to say anything else. The kiss and their names uttered as softly as love confessions told them enough: they would never part again.
Wei Wuxian blinked a few times, trying to push this memory away. It was neither the time nor the place to think about kissing Lan Wangji. Months have passed and they had kissed more than once since then and yet Wei Wuxian still felt his checks heat up and his heart beat fast when he remembered that beautiful moment.
Not much had changed between them. They kissed now and held hands sometimes, but Lan Wangji remained moderate in expressing his attraction to Wei Wuxian. It was always the latter who initiated all physical touch and though Wei Wuxian sometimes wished Lan Wangji would surprise him by kissing him out of the blue, he was mostly grateful it was unlikely to happen. He would not survive Lan Wangji being that passionate if he still found it hard to get used to them being intimate at all.
“What are you thinking about?” Wen Kexing asked, looking at him with clear suspicion.
It was time to go back to reality. Wei Wuxian chuckled.
“Rabbits!” He said the first thing that came to his mind. “Do you like rabbits?”
He did not have to look at his soulmate to know the interest with which Lan Wangji must have waited for their answer.
“Yes?” Wen Kexing was visibly taken aback by this question. “They’re quite tasty. Ah Xu, do you remember that it was our first meal after you revealed your real face to me? I hunted them for us.”
With enormous regret Wei Wuxian reached out and patted his soulmate’s shoulder. Lan Wangji’s look of sheer horror said it all.
It was dark already when Wei Wuxian and Zhou Zishu found themselves sitting outside on a bench immersed in the conversation.
Lan Wangji had gone to check on the disciples who had spent the whole day in the town and had only come back an hour ago, while Wen Kexing… Well, Wei Wuxian was too drunk to remember what had happened to that man. At least he remembered about his existence but that was thanks to Zhou Zishu who would not shut up about him.
“He fights with a fan!” Zhou Zishu laughed. “Isn’t that the most ridiculous thing? He’s so ridiculous.”
“I’d like to see that.” Wei Wuxian took a long sip of his wine or rather put a little in his mouth and spilled the rest on his chin.
“Lao Wen is such a great martial artist. He fights so gracefully you can’t look away. It’s a mesmerizing sight.”
“Could he defeat my Lan Zhan though? I don’t think so.” The urge to praise his soulmate sobered him for a second. “He’s the best at everything he does. I bet he would be able to fight with a fan too. Give him a fan.”
“I don’t have a fan. And Lan Wangji is not here. Isn’t this wine the best you’ve ever drunk?”
Zhou Zishu hugged his jug to his chest. He was weird. Or maybe Wei Wuxian was weird. It did not matter.
“Oh yes, yes. I like his hair. Wen Kexing’s hair. It’s white.”
“I’ve noticed. It used to be black. He’s always been exceptionally beautiful.”
“More beautiful than my Lan Zhan? I don’t think so.”
He felt something on his arm and only after a moment realized that Zhou Zishu had lightly punched him there.
“It’s not a competition to see whose soulmate is better. Where are they by the way?”
“I don’t know. Doesn’t it feel weird to not have them around?”
Zhou Zishu nodded and went silent for a moment to drink the rest of his wine. It was the first time Wei Wuxian had met someone who could handle liquor as well as he could, but they had overestimated both themselves and each other and had drunk way too much.
“It does. Lao Wen has been following me since the day we met. At first I thought he was a lunatic and wanted him to leave me alone. But now when he’s gone just for a minute, it’s like I’m missing an important part of me.”
“I know that feeling. A few months ago Lan Zhan and I attempted at parting our ways, but it didn’t work out. We’re bound to be together.”
“You two seem completely different. He’s so calm and elegant and you are… well, you.”
Wei Wuxian laughed in response. It did not sound like an offence, rather just a statement of facts, and he had to admit Zhou Zishu was right.
“I guess he brings peace to my life full of tragedies and judgments. He’s the only who could ever keep me in check. And I let him feel free. No rules, no expectations, he can be whoever he wants to be with me. I make him smile and that’s my biggest achievement.”
Zhou Zishu grinned and opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by his soulmate who appeared out of nowhere.
“Ah Xu!” Wen Kexing run to them. “Wei Wuxian!”
“Lao Wen.” Zhou Zishu stood up but he did it too quickly and swayed a little on his legs.
Wei Wuxian giggled seeing him so drunk. Wen Kexing reached to catch Zhou Zishu in his arms but changed his mind in the last second and took two steps back, lowering his hands.
“Stupid promise,” he murmured to himself before he looked at them. “How much have you two drunk?”
“We can count.” Wei Wuxian started picking up the jugs lying on the ground, but the sudden movement soon forced him to sit down again. Zhou Zishu joined him.
“So I’m the only one sober here. Great. Why did I do wrong? That’s too much responsibility, Ah Xu, you know I can’t handle it.”
“We won’t cause any trouble. We’re good boys.” Wei Wuxian put his arm around Zhou Zishu’s shoulders. If looks could kill, the one given him by Wen Kexing would make him drop dead immediately. “And if we do, Lan Zhan will help you clean the mess. Have you seen him?”
Clear annoyance mixed with jealousy on Wen Kexing’s face was replaced by uncertainty and regret. Wei Wuxian had a bad feeling when he let go of Zhou Zishu and sat straight.
“About that…” Wen Kexing avoided his gaze.
Zhou Zishu saw right through his soulmate, “Lao Wen, what did you do to Lan Wangji?”
Wei Wuxian sobered up right before Wen Kexing dropped the dreaded truth on him.
“I… tricked him into drinking liquor. And…” he hesitated.
“And?” Wei Wuxian stood up, approached Wen Kexing and shook him by the shoulders. “There’s more?!”
“I… lost sight of him. I have no idea where Lan Wangji is.”