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Chapter Text

When you’ve been alive for millennia, it becomes difficult to be surprised – you’ve practically seen it all at that point. Nothing is new and everything is predictable. For this, Lan Xichen was no exception; it was rare for him to find anything truly novel or that could catch him off guard enough to occupy his thoughts for more than a few weeks, months, years, or even decades. Finding something that really shocked him? Basically impossible.

Tonight though – tonight he legitimately thought he might be going a little crazy.

He’d heard news of a “large animal” wreaking havoc all over the city for the past few months, of course, but not once had he even entertained the idea that his fleeting thought of yāoguài could be true. He hadn’t encountered one in over three hundred years! Even then, it hadn’t even been a true yāo but a European werewolf, deep in the forests of what became modern Germany. They were extremely rare in the best of times, yet here one was, laying wounded and bloody in the alley next to Lan Xichen’s apartment, directly in front of him and barely five feet away. An absolutely massive wolf at that, its impressive teeth bared in a snarl.

To the uninformed it looked just like an extremely large wolf but to someone like Lan Xichen, everything about it screamed ‘supernatural’; its amber eyes were too bright, too human, with teeth too sharp and fur too thick. And the way it stared at Lan Xichen – there was a deep understanding in that gaze. Understanding and so, so much anger. This creature couldn’t be anything else.

Lan Xichen had stumbled upon the scene in front of him by accident; the route for his usual midnight walks had been blocked by construction, leading him to take a couple back alleys in order to reach home. He’d been slightly distracted so he hadn’t noticed the wolf till he was uncomfortably near to it and a loud growl had pulled his attention to the matter at hand.

The yāo had several long, ragged slices along its left side and another shorter one right across its muzzle, curiously still open and bleeding despite how they should have an enhanced healing speed – perhaps who had attacked it had used a special weapon meant for supernatural beings. Lan Xichen didn’t dare take any more steps toward it even though he was truly curious and, admittedly, fairly concerned for the poor beast. What could have so severely harmed such a powerful creature?

“Strange to find a yāoguài so deep in the city,” he called softly. Strange to find one at all. “And here I thought I knew all of the unnaturals who lived here.”

The wolf yāo’s low rumbling softened slightly, its overly wise eyes assessing Lan Xichen carefully.

Lan Xichen raised his hands placatingly. “I won’t harm you, friend, you have my word.” At this, he flashed his own fangs, four in total, the light from the nearby street glinting off their distinct points.

Apparently, this was enough to convince the wolf to at least trust Lan Xichen for now. Maybe it already understood or at least sensed how intensely binding a vampire’s word was, or maybe it decided that Lan Xichen not being strictly human was good enough – it stopped its angry noises all together. Instead, it dropped its large head to the ground and whined.

“What happened to you,” Lan Xichen whispered as he slowly approached, hands still held up in peace.

The wolf watched him move, its eyes never leaving Lan Xichen as he crouched down to its level. When Lan Xichen finally reached out and gently touched the area around the raw flesh, it jerked its massive head over and snapped its jaws, a deep snarl ripping from its throat; Lan Xichen barely pulled back in time to avoid losing a limb, thankful for his inhuman speed.

“Alright now, there’s no need for that; I already told you that I mean you no harm. I even gave you my word.”

With eyes that seemed to say ‘don’t fuck this up’, the beast calmed down once more, though it continued to stare at Lan Xichen as he carefully put his hand back to move its fur aside and examine the damage.

“These are quite deep...” Lan Xichen leaned back on his heels and sighed. “I suppose a vet is out of the question – and I’m willing to bet you heal faster in this form anyway, am I right?”

A short huff was the wolf’s reply, its head nodding in an intimately human manner. It had rumbled in its chest at the word “vet” but made no attempt to bite again. On unsteady legs, it tried to stand; Lan Xichen quickly reached out to steady it, a frown on his face.

“Stop it! You’ll only make things worse.” He pushed the beast back to the ground where it groaned and started to pant heavily.

It was clearly in a lot of pain and, judging by the large pool of deep red it was lying in, had lost an unhealthy amount of blood; the heady scent of it all burned Lan Xichen’s sinuses, the yang contained in it more than enticing. Frown deepening, he stood again and glanced down the alleyway before looking back at the yāo.

“You won’t like it but I’m going to have to carry you; can’t very well just leave you here, can I?” The wolf tilted its head to the side and made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a strained laugh. “Yeah yeah, you’re a big bad wolf, I know – but I can still lift you.” Lan Xichen rolled his shoulders and pointed to the fire escape. “I live on the top floor, so you better brace yourself.”

Without much more preamble, he crouched down once more, looped his arms under his new acquaintance's sizable body, and hoisted it up with a small grunt. Even with his enhanced strength, the creature was heavy.

“You sure seem to be getting enough food,” he ground out as he walked over to the wall right below the fire escape.

Lan Xichen was careful to not touch the metal, the iron essentially poison to both him and probably the shifter – old fae nonsense not even of this land or something like that, completely unfair. Instead of pulling the bottom ladder down, he bent his knees and jumped, landing perfectly on the first platform. He continued like this up and up and up until the metal grating switched to solid balconies, the wolf whimpering quietly with every leap no matter how careful Lan Xichen was trying to be. Even so, they reached the open patio outside his apartment within a minute, all 100 floors of skyscraper conquered without him getting too winded.

The glass door that led into his spacious living room remained unlocked – who needed to lock up when they lived so far up and happened to be a deadly supernatural being? – so Lan Xichen easily used his foot to slide it open and closed it the same way once inside. He gently laid the wolf onto the floor, heedless of the blood that would most definitely stain the carpet, and started walking towards the bathroom.

“I don’t have a first aid kit, as you can probably understand, but I can at least get you cleaned up a bit, make sure you’re comfortable while you rest.”

A soft woof was the only reply.

By the time Lan Xichen came back with several towels, some dampened with warm water, the wounds on the shifter’s side and face had already started to close and heal. He began the delicate process of wiping away the blood that was partially dried in the surrounding fur, taking extra care when cleaning the cut on the wolf’s snout. As he did so, those very human amber eyes continued to stare at him with intense but unknowable emotion, exhaustion seeping in as time went on. Soon it could no longer hold out and fell asleep, all of its energy going into sealing its wounds.

Once he was done, Lan Xichen moved the yāo onto the couch and covered it with one of his large blankets, the thought crossing his mind that perhaps if it returned to human form, it wouldn’t have any clothes on – he recalled seeing something like that, years and years ago. He retired to his study for the night when he was satisfied that he’d done all he could. A pleasant anticipation for the next day spread through him when he made one final glance back at the giant wolf on his couch.

It had been a while since he’d had company.

...............................

Jiang Cheng woke up covered in a large blanket, naked as the day he was born. Soft light was filtering through fluttering white curtains of the open, unfamiliar room he found himself in, the couch underneath his body wide and plush. If it weren’t for the dull ache in his side and across the bridge of his nose, he might have actually considered his whole situation quite comfortable; weirder things had happened to him, so why concern himself with waking up in a strange place when it could have been much worse?

With a gravely moan, Jiang Cheng slowly sat up, the knitted blanket slipping off his shoulders and exposing his bare chest to the morning chill. The sound of a coffee maker percolating reached his sensitive ears from somewhere behind him, the lightly burnt scent permeating the air.

“Good morning.”

Jiang Cheng practically jumped out of his skin, half falling off the couch; how had he not heard another person in the room with him? He could normally hear someone breathing from dozens of feet away or sense their heartbeat from even further.

“FUCK!” He shouted, head whipping around to face the speaker and heart pounding like it might jump out of his chest.

A man he had only vague memories of sat on another couch with his long, sweatpants-covered legs crossed and an old-looking book resting in his lap. The angles of his face were sharp and attractive and his loose t-shirt exposed the lithe muscles of his arms. He seemed to be around the same age as Jiang Cheng but there was something in his bright chestnut eyes as he stared back without blinking, one eyebrow raised.

“How are you feeling?” The other man had a gentle tenor with an unplaceable accent that somehow put Jiang Cheng a little more at ease the more he spoke.

Jiang Cheng pulled himself back onto the couch fully, the blanket now just barely covering his important bits; he’d never been shy about his body, so there was no real reason to start now. “Like I got the shit kicked outta me.” He squinted as memories from the previous night slowly resurfaced in his mind. “You’re the life-sucker who found me.”

The man stuck a bookmark in his book – was that a receipt?? – and set it on a side table, a wry smile on his face. “That was me, yes. You seem very relaxed about that.”

“Dude, I’m literally a man who changes into a wolf – why would I be surprised by a jiāngshī?” Jiang Cheng settled back into the cushions and waved his hand around flippantly. “Besides, I’d rather another freak find me than a normie; I’m kinda done with animal control at this point.”

With a snort, an easy smile graced the features of the other man. “I’m Lan Xichen.”

“Jiang Cheng,” he replied, legs splayed dangerously in front of him. “Not gonna lie though – I thought you’d be, I dunno...scarier.”

Lan Xichen grinned, flashing molten red eyes and two sets of razor-sharp fangs. “Would you prefer me like this?”

A jolt of nervous electricity raced through Jiang Cheng at the sight. “Yeah, actually.”

“Interesting,” Lan Xichen laughed, his features going back to the way they were before. He stood up and headed towards the kitchen. “Would you be interested in some coffee?”

Jiang Cheng got up and followed, wrapping the blanket around his waist as a second thought. “I didn’t think your kind drank anything but the red stuff.”

Lan Xichen gave him a scathing look as he poured coffee into a clean mug and handed it over. “I may not need to but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the finer things in life.”

“Alright, alright, my bad.” Jiang Cheng took a sip – now that was some strong coffee! Just how he liked it – and leaned one hip against the island counter. “You’re actually the first jiāngshī I’ve ever met.” He paused, a thought suddenly striking him. “You are a jiāngshī, right, not something else?”

There was humor in Lan Xichen’s gaze when he responded. “I’m most definitely what is considered to be a jiāngshī. Some have even called me a vampire in the past; I’ve tried not to take offense to it.” He took a drink from his own mug. “I must admit that you are the first real yāo I’ve met in a very long time.”

“I’m not your traditional yāo, actually,” Jiang Cheng said, a note of pride coloring his voice. “Had some tourist scream ‘werewolf’ when he accidentally saw me shift but, you know, I can see the confusion. Has nothing to do with the moon, at least not that I’ve noticed.”

“Interesting,” Lan Xichen observed. “I think the last yāo I encountered was affected by the moon phases. I wonder what makes you different?”

Jiang Cheng shrugged. “Probably different method of creation or something, like different species.” He took another drink, the caffeine gradually starting to make him feel more awake.

“Hmm.”

“What about you? Aren’t you supposed to be allergic to the sun or something?”

Lan Xichen sniffed. “That would be a more Western idea. There are so many stories about my kind that aren’t exactly true.” He laughed quietly into his cup, a small cloud of steam puffing over the rim as he took a drink. “Although I do seem to remember meeting some in the American colonies who were sensitive to garlic, but that may have just been a food allergy.”

“Hey, I’m cool with whatever kind of monster you are, as long as you don’t do anything weird to me.” Jiang Cheng set his empty mug down on the counter. “Speaking of, thanks for helping me out – I don’t think I’d have died but you saved me a lot of trouble.”

Lan Xichen gave him that gentle smile again. “I’m glad I could be of some help.”

Jiang Cheng looked down at the low-slung blanket on his waist, the mostly healed wounds on his side a startling pink against his pale skin. “You got any spare pants?”

................................

The next evening came around and Lan Xichen sat patiently as the professor enthusiastically rambled on at the front of the lecture hall about the differences and similarities between Icelandic and Irish fairies. This particular class would give him the last three credits he needed for the (twenty second? twenty third?) history degree he’d been working on in his spare time but he really didn’t need to concentrate too much; hadn’t he lived through most of the things he was “learning” about anyway? He’d normally be paying closer attention – he actually really liked this class, mostly due to the professor himself – but his mind was preoccupied with what Jiang Cheng had said about different yāo ‘species’.

It made sense, it really did; after all, over all the years he’d been walking the earth Lan Xichen had found that most of the stories and myths people told about various fantastical creatures were false, or at least not as extreme as described. Even so, a dragon in east Asia might not look the same as its Aztec brethren yet they were both still dragons, in the end.

Halfway through the lecture, Lan Xichen made the decision to broach the subject with the professor after class. He honestly seemed like a genuine man with an actual passion for the subject and Lan Xichen felt confident that he would at least have some interesting ideas. The class itself was supposed to be on the history of the Anglo-Saxons but the man constantly got sidetracked by other more interesting topics, and the students had no problem getting him to go on one of his tangents. They were always far more interesting than the study material anyway.

Once class was over and students started to filter out of the room, Lan Xichen slid his unused notebook back into his backpack and zipped it up. He slung it over his shoulder and made his way to the front of the room, his casual clothes and youthful face stuck permanently in his early 30s meaning he stood out only a little among the night college crowd. The professor looked up from where he was organizing his own things when Lan Xichen reached him.

“Ah, what can I do for you, Mr...?”

“Lan.”

The professor nodded his head. “Mr. Lan.”

Dr. Jin Guangyao was a spry young man, perhaps in his late twenties, young for his title but certainly worthy of it. He always showed up to lectures impeccably dressed in tailored suits and expensive-looking leather shoes. There was something about him that exuded a quiet confidence subdued by a generally calm attitude.

“I was wondering if I could discuss some things with you, professor,” Lan Xichen answered with mostly false eagerness. “You’ve spoken in the past about supernatural beings and I was hoping to maybe go more in depth about some with you? I’ve always been interested in that kind of stuff but never really had the opportunity to talk to anybody else about it.”

With a kind smile and curious eyes, Dr. Jin put the last of his things into his briefcase and swept his arm out in front of him. “Then by all means, let’s go to my office and have a chat. I won’t be able to stay for too long – I have animals that need taking care of – but I would be happy to indulge for a little while. It’s not often that a student wishes to, ah, chat with me about things beyond the assigned curriculum.”

So, Lan Xichen followed the professor out of the lecture hall and down the hallway to his small office. The door was unlocked and the two men stepped inside. Lan Xichen looked around the room while Dr. Jin put his stuff down.

“You’ve got quite an extensive knowledge of the paranormal,” Lan Xichen commented idly.

Dr. Jin’s mouth quirked as he sat down behind his desk, wool jacket hung on a hook off to the side. “History is my job; cryptology and monsters are my real interests.”

Lan Xichen mirrored his movements. “A few weeks ago you spoke about vampiric myths from around the world; what is your take on jiāngshī?

There was a considering look on Dr. Jin’s face as he leaned back and looked at Lan Xichen, his now clasped hands sat in his lap. “They are not so different from those originating in eastern Europe.” He tilted his head slightly and Lan Xichen could hear his heartbeat pick up speed the tiniest amount. “Though I’ve always found the idea of them hopping kind of silly.”

Lan Xichen shrugged. “I always found the idea of them consuming yáng to be of more concern.”

“Ah, well, that’s to be expected.” For a moment, the professor did nothing but stare. His pulse quickened some more but he did not smell of fear. Then, with all the nonchalance of someone who knows they’re in the room with a deadly predator but holds no real fear, he stood up and turned his back on Lan Xichen. His hand fluttered over the old books on the overstuffed helves behind his desk. “How many times have you been to University, Mr. Lan?”

Ah, just as Lan Xichen had suspected – Dr. Jin was a true believer, and far more observant than most probably gave him credit for. “Oh, quite a few, I think. Though, the times at the very beginning couldn’t very well have counted for much; things were a bit different back then.”

When the professor turned back around, his eyes were bright and he held an extremely old leather-bound tome. “I’m glad that you have chosen to continue to learn; education is a wonderful privilege.” He placed the book on the desk in front of Lan Xichen and sat down. “How old were you?”

“35, if I remember correctly.” Lan Xichen paused. He didn’t, in fact, remember; it was somewhere around there though, he was pretty sure. “Aren’t you going to ask me how old I really am?”

“Mr. Lan,” Dr. Jin said with a mock-scandalized expression. “I finally have one of the supernatural beings that I’ve been so fascinated by for my whole life – even when no one believed me when I said they were real – sitting in front of me and you think I would ask such a personal question?”

Lan Xichen couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “You must have so many questions.”

“I cannot begin to describe to you how wonderful this is! You must be an absolute reliquary of knowledge! I’m surprised that you signed up for my course in the first place.”

“I enjoy keeping up with popular theories.” The corners of Lan Xichen’s eyes crinkled. “Your class in particular was of interest to me – I lived among the Saxons for a time.”

The professor’s eyes lit up with increased interest and he began to speak in an odd sounding language. “How long for you did there live?”

There was humor in Lan Xichen’s voice when he responded in the same tongue. “Your Old English is surprisingly strong yet you have a few errors.”

“This is wonderful,” the other man decreed. “What stories you might tell!”

“I was merely an observer, you see.” Lan Xichen smiled wistfully. “You should have met my friend Beowulf.”

The look of complete shock on Dr. Jin’s face was priceless. “Beo- ah, pardon me – Beowulf? As in the character? But that was just a story!”

Lan Xichen lifted an eyebrow. “You of all people should have a more open mind about these things, professor.”

Dr. Jin shook his head slightly. “Does this mean that-”

“Yes,” Lan Xichen interrupted. “Grendel was also very much real. Real nasty thing, though not nearly as bad as his mother.”

“Incredible,” Dr. Jin murmured to himself, seeming to take a moment to process everything before moving on suddenly. He pointed to the book on the desk. “This is where I gathered most of my information on vampire legends from around the world; perhaps you would like to study the entire work and inform me of other inaccuracies I might have picked up?”

“I might be persuaded.” Lan Xichen glanced back at the bookshelves. “You wouldn’t happen to have any information on animal yāo, would you? I’m working on a new theory.”

Dr. Jin’s smile grew and his heartbeat picked up again, excitement clear on his face. “How specific of a historical period or location would you prefer? I have many options.”

Lan Xichen hummed to himself. “Surprise me.”

Chapter Text

“-and that marks the fifth body found in three weeks. Officials haven’t stated whether or not they think these cases are connected but sources have confirmed that the similarities between cause of death are too numerous to rule out a serial offender-”

Lan Xichen turned off the TV.

It had been a week since he’d last seen Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen had only just admitted to himself that he might want to see him again and now there were clearly hunters in the city; every single victim had been someone that Lan Xichen knew to be inhuman and only a skilled monster hunter could be the source of such a ‘coincidence’. The latest body belonged to a soft-spoken dī rén that used to paint beautiful watercolors on the canal, and only 8 days prior to that it had been a dāng kāng he recognized from the night market in the international district. Lan Xichen couldn’t help but be a little worried; he’d only just met Jiang Cheng but there was an instinctual pull towards him that Lan Xichen couldn’t ignore.

It was therefore a bit of a drag that the wolf hadn’t left so much as a phone number to contact him by. And to top it off, he still had Lan Xichen’s clothes.

Deciding not to dwell on it too much – Jiang Cheng was an adult, he could take care of himself – Lan Xichen got up off the couch and made his way into his bedroom. Despite popular theory, he did indeed sleep; he might not need as much as the average human but he got rather cranky if he didn’t get at least four hours every night.

While he got changed for bed, Lan Xichen hummed an old Thai folk song to himself, his conversation with Dr. Jin from after class earlier that evening sparking memories of his time living in Mueang Thai during the 17^th century. They had been discussing spirits and ghosts and it had made Lan Xichen slightly homesick for a people he hadn’t seen in centuries. At least this particular memory was still sharp enough to remember their songs.

He had just slipped under the covers when a series of loud scratching sounds came from his front door. Immediately, Lan Xichen was on high alert, both sets of fangs dropping low and eyes shifting into their startling crimson. The lights were off in his apartment but he could see perfectly, almost as if the rooms were filled with bright sunlight. He listened carefully as he silently made his way to the door; a slow heartbeat pulsed on the other side, steady and even.

A few more scratching noises and then a dull thunk came about thirty seconds later. Lan Xichen stood up from his crouch, looked through the peep hole, and there in the hallway was an utterly filthy and soaking wet wolf. He sighed heavily and opened the door.

“What in the world have you been up to?”

Jiang Cheng just looked at him from his seated position and let his tongue loll out of his wide mouth, looking for all the world like a happy puppy who had just rolled in a puddle.

Lan Xichen let out another loud sigh and moved away from the door to let Jiang Cheng in. “How did you even get in the building like that?” Jiang Cheng made no action to indicate that he was even listening and just sauntered into the apartment like he lived there, muddy paw prints following behind him on the wood floor. “Fine, whatever, just don’t get mud on the carp-”

It was too late; Jiang Cheng looked at him as sheepishly as a wolf could and slowly removed his one paw from the edge of the living room carpet.

“Great. Just great. It was hard enough getting your blood out and now this.” Lan Xichen rubbed his face with both hands, suddenly much more tired than he had been before. “Transform back already so you can at least take a shower.”

“Way ahead of you, Dracula.”

When Lan Xichen removed his hands from his face, all he saw was the mud-covered, absolutely buck-naked backside of a very much so human Jiang Cheng walking down the hallway towards the bathroom. Lan Xichen felt warmth fill his gut at the sight and quickly looked away. Why was that man so shameless? The sound of the shower being turned on reached him, a series of happy little sounds echoing down the hall. Suddenly, the couch looked very inviting and Lan Xichen flopped carelessly down and stared at the ceiling, groaning as he realized the not-so-pure direction his thoughts were going in.

He sat there for who knows how long before a thankfully towel-covered and still damp Jiang Cheng emerged from the bathroom, steam billowing out behind him. The scars from the first night they’d met were all but gone by that point, the one on his face barely visible. His shaggy hair dripped down his bare chest and Lan Xichen had to make a conscious effort to not stare.

“If you don’t want me wandering around your apartment naked, I’m gonna need to borrow some clothes again.”

Lan Xichen huffed and got up. “You have a funny definition of ‘borrow’; borrowing implies intent to return. What happened to what I gave you last time?” He’d lent him some old athletic shorts that he hadn’t worn in years.

Jiang Cheng shrugged. “Left ‘em at my, uh, home base. I don’t really need them when I shift, do I? Besides, I do intend on returning them. Eventually.”

Back in his bedroom, Lan Xichen grabbed the first clean pair of sweatpants he could find. He passed them to Jiang Cheng when he returned. “Well, don’t make this a habit; I don’t actually own many clothes that’ll fit your frame properly.”

“I’ll bring them back at some point, Scout’s honor.” Jiang Cheng dropped the towel right there in the middle of the room and Lan Xichen thought he might have a heart attack if his supernatural heart would allow such a thing. “I do appreciate your help though, really.”

True to what Lan Xichen had said, the sweatpants didn’t really fit Jiang Cheng’s more muscular frame; they were tighter at the thighs and sat low on his waist to make room, the V of his hips prominent.

Mistakes had been made.

Pulling himself back into the present, Lan Xichen walked into the kitchen and pulled out some cereal from one of the cupboards and milk from the fridge, pouring himself and Jiang Cheng a bowl. The younger man grinned wolfishly (ha!) and greedily swooped in to grab his serving. He hopped up onto the island counter across from where Lan Xichen was leaning and dug in, humming happily upon the first bite.

“’ow’d you know I wah stharvin’?” He asked with his mouth full.

Lan Xichen finished chewing and swallowed before responding. “I could hear your stomach growling from all the way out here.”

Jiang Cheng looked at him with wide eyes, then glanced down at his belly with a laugh. “Yeah, I haven’t eaten in, like, two days? Ran outta granola bars last week.”

“What??”

“Eh, it’s nothing,” the other man said, completely ignoring how shocked Lan Xichen must have looked at the revelation. “I go longer, sometimes, depending on if I’ve got the cash. Been sleeping in my car for a while and there’s no way to keep food in there for too long.” He took another huge mouthful of cereal, this time chewing through most of it before speaking again. “Being a yāo isn’t exactly a job, you know.”

Once, when Lan Xichen was maybe around 600 or so years old, he’d met a young boy who reminded him of Jiang Cheng; his name had been Ahmes, twelve at the time, and had only been in Lan Xichen’s life for a day but had left an imprint so strong that he recalled it even now. Ahmes had been a street urchin in Cairo, scrabbling around for any and all scraps he could find, thinner than anyone his age should be, and he had smiled so brightly at Lan Xichen while he bought fruit at an open market stall that Lan Xichen had been unable to resist giving him half of his purchase. The little boy had unabashedly devoured each and every fruit right in front of him within minutes. When he was finished, he had looked at Lan Xichen and said thank you, that will last me another four days at least! before running off without looking back, sounding for all the world like nothing was wrong with what he’d just said.

Lan Xichen couldn’t help but think of Ahmes as he watched Jiang Cheng finish his bowl of cereal, easily handing over the whole box when he saw the younger man stare at it longingly.

“Do you want to stay here tonight?” Lan Xichen hadn’t meant to blurt that out but there was no going back on it now.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

Jiang Cheng observed him cautiously from his perch on the counter, chewing slowly. He still smelled slightly of wet dog but there was no hint of real fear in him. When he finished his bite, he set the bowl down and glared at Lan Xichen. “What’s your angle?”

“What?” Lan Xichen said dumbly for the second time in as many minutes.

“What do you want from me if I stay? A long drag from my carotid, maybe? A little sip from my core?”

Lan Xichen flinched. “No,” he said with feeling. “I just want to – you need a place to stay, and I have a really nice couch-”

“I remember.”

“-and I’ve got plenty of food. You can stay the night, eat something solid for breakfast, and then be on your way.” Lan Xichen schooled his features into an expression of calm. “You obviously don’t have to, I know that we’re still mostly strangers, but I’d like to help if you’ll let me.”

Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and let it all out slowly. Then he slipped off the counter, grabbed both of their bowls, and moved to put them in the dishwasher. “Alright,” he said once he was done, “but you better have more than just cereal for breakfast tomorrow.”

Something settled deep in Lan Xichen’s stomach. “I’ve been told I make a mean savory congee.”

It was easy after that to gather blankets for Jiang Cheng’s makeshift couch bed. The younger man seemed perfectly content with the situation and was out like a light not a minute after shooting a quick see ya in the mornin’, bitey to Lan Xichen as the older man walked towards his room. It must have been the fact that he could transform into a massive wolf that made Jiang Cheng so relaxed now – there had been a certain confidence in his gaze from the very beginning.

In his bedroom, Lan Xichen let himself fall backwards onto his bed to stare blankly off into space. What the hell have you gotten yourself into this time, Xichen?

................................

For the second time in a little over a week, Jiang Cheng woke underneath a warm blanket in a strange room. At least had pants on this time and could remember where he was.

Lan Xichen’s apartment.

He hadn’t known exactly why he’d gone to the vampire last night – it’d just seemed like what he should do in his particular situation. Like it or not, Jiang Cheng felt comfortable here; this was a safe place and there weren’t many of those in Jiang Cheng’s life right now.

The smell of coffee filtered through the air, filling Jiang Cheng with a strong sense of deja vu along with a pang of hunger. All that was needed to be an almost perfect repeat of last time was-

“Good morning.”

“Fuck!” Jiang Cheng shouted, fully falling off the couch this time. Why hadn’t he bothered checking his surroundings first thing after waking up? He was usually so much better about that! “Would it kill you to make a little noise first? You gotta warn a guy!”

When Jiang Cheng followed the sound of a low chuckle, he saw Lan Xichen standing near the kitchen island with two mugs of coffee in his hands. He was already dressed in a pair of fitted jeans and a charcoal gray Henley. His socks had little green rubber duckies on them.

“Sorry, I figured you’d be able to hear me moving around. With your, you know-”

Jiang Cheng snorted and forced himself up off the ground and back onto the cushions. “Special dog ears? Yeah, no, they’re not as good first thing in the morning, and you’re a real quiet fucker.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

There was a next time hidden in there and Jiang Cheng couldn’t piece together how he felt about it. Not bad, though. No, definitely not bad.

He got up from the couch, borrowed sweatpants sliding down a little; Jiang Cheng didn’t bother hitching them back up. Lan Xichen seemed to be purposefully avoiding glancing anywhere near where they rested on his hips. Interesting.

“Is one of those for me?” Jiang Cheng inquired as he walked to the kitchen.

“No,” Lan Xichen replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “I drink two cups of coffee in the morning but each of them is prepared differently so I can keep things interesting.” He said even as he handed Jiang Cheng one of the steaming mugs.

“I appreciate your sacrifice.”

They stood in silence for a few minutes and Jiang Cheng used this time to slowly wake himself up. The quiet didn’t make him feel awkward and it gave him a chance to finally take in his surroundings; the mud tracks on the floor were gone (though the dirty stain on the carpet still remained, faded but still noticeable), two of the walls in the large room were taken up by windows covered with cream colored curtains, and an extensive record collection was situated on dark shelves behind one of the couches. The entire wall perpendicular with the kitchen was taken up by a huge bookshelf, what must have been hundreds of various books, scrolls, and etchings of varying condition stacked neatly within them.

And scattered throughout the room were an odd assortment of artifacts and knickknacks ranging from fairly new to practically ancient. On one of the side tables in the living room, Jiang Cheng swore he saw a grainy photograph of Lan Xichen standing with what looked suspiciously like a battalion of American WWI soldiers, and on the wall behind it was a framed piece with faded ink on silk depicting a garden scene with what appeared to be several other people enjoying a meal together, a figure heavily resembling Lan Xichen at the center of the table, looking for all the world like it belonged in a museum.

Just how old was he?

Jiang Cheng’s thoughts were interrupted by Lan Xichen moving behind him, almost like he was purposefully making more noise than he normally would; he was pulling bowls out of the cupboard, a steaming pot already on the stove. “How many servings would you like?”

Jiang Cheng’s stomach growled as if it was listening too. “As much as you’re willing to part with.” He watched as Lan Xichen looked at one of the bowls he’d grabbed, paused, and then replaced it with a serving bowl instead, using a ladle to serve out portions of the pork congee.

When it was all done, the older man set the serving bowl down in front of Jiang Cheng; it was piled high with at least eighty percent of the pot.

“Are you trying to fatten me up or something?” Jiang Cheng asked, a heaping spoonful of savory rice pudding already halfway to his mouth.

With a raised eyebrow, Lan Xichen sat down at the counter. “I don’t eat animals.” At Jiang Cheng’s glare, Lan Xichen grinned sharply and took a bite of his own portion. “Besides – I already had a nice filling meal two nights ago.”

Realization struck Jiang Cheng and he choked on his food; the vampire’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he silently laughed.

The rest of breakfast went quietly, though it didn’t last long since Lan Xichen had a small serving and Jiang Cheng practically inhaled his. Once again, Jiang Cheng took care of the dishes, his host content to stay seated and enjoy his second cup of coffee. It was inevitable that they would have to talk about why exactly Jiang Cheng was there but they both seemed reluctant to start the conversation.

Eventually, Jiang Cheng poured his own second cup and stood across from Lan Xichen on the other side of the counter. He put on a fake businessman voice and stared the older man down. “I bet you’re wondering why I brought you here today.”

Lan Xichen schooled his features but a smile tugged at the edge of his mouth. “The thought had indeed crossed my mind, yes.”

“Right, well, it’s pretty dumb, so prepare yourself.” Jiang Cheng slouched on the stool and held his mug with both hands. “You’re gonna think I’m a poor excuse of a yāo.”

The vampire turned in his seat to look at Jiang Cheng more straight on. “Try me.”

For a moment, Jiang Cheng said nothing; he rubbed his thumbs against the smooth sides of his cup, sliding them across black letters that spelled ‘espresso yourself!’ in blocky English lettering. As he finally spoke, there was a tint of self-deprecation in his voice. “Somethin’s been following me.”

A flash of worry crossed Lan Xichen’s face. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Jiang Cheng said, stretching his words out and scowling. “I haven’t been able to get back to my car for a few days. I keep feeling like I’m being watched and I swear I saw somebody following me yesterday while I was looking for food. I wasn’t even in wolf form – it just felt like they could tell, ya know?”

Lan Xichen shifted more towards him, his eyes intense. “You need to be more careful – there are hunters out there who would love to see you dead.”

He’d originally thought that it had been the police that attacked him the week previously but when he actually considered it, Jiang Cheng supposed that cops probably wouldn’t use blades like those that had caused his injuries, especially since they had taken so long to heal. “That’s probably who got me the other night, then.”

“Don’t do anything reckless until I can figure out who’s doing this.”

Jiang Cheng laughed at the serious expression on Lan Xichen’s face. “What? Like you’re some sort of vigilante hero, protector of the local monster population?” The expression on Lan Xichen’s face didn’t change. “Holy shit, you’re serious!”

“This is serious, Jiang Cheng, you could get hur-”

“Oh my god, you’re Li Ge Xiao.” He was practically giggling at that point.

The other man huffed indignantly. “I don’t think – that’s not-”

“Where’s the rest of One Plum Blossom??”

Lan Xichen was clearly getting flustered. “You still haven’t told me why you showed up at my apartment last night!”

“Deflecting, I see – smooth.” Jiang Cheng took a few seconds to pause his laughing, not actually sure how he could explain his thought process from the night before; he’d felt in danger and had been running for hours, and the first place he could think of to hide had been Lan Xichen’s place. “I dunno, it just feels safe here, I guess.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “It felt like the smartest decision.”

At first, Jiang Cheng thought he was seeing things – the lightest tint of pink appeared on Lan Xichen’s cheeks and he averted his eyes. Could vampires blush? Because this one certainly was doing just that. Something in Jiang Cheng’s chest twitched.

“I’m glad you feel that way,” Lan Xichen muttered, not looking at him anymore, too focused on staring at what must have been a particularly interesting coffee swirl in his mug.

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to the fluffy words,” Jiang Cheng grumbled while standing up, filled with the desire to break whatever weird tension that had formed between them. “I’m gonna go back to my car today and move it somewhere new, hopefully figure a way to lose whoever’s following me, maybe cause some trouble while I’m out and about.”

Lan Xichen stood to collect the mugs. “As I said, don’t take too many chances.”

Trying for a cocky smirk, Jiang Cheng folded his arms across his chest and watched as the other man cleaned up. “Aw, worried about me, old man?”

“Yes, actually,” Lan Xichen admitted; he looked almost shocked that he’d said it.

It was Jiang Cheng’s turn to flush slightly; he turned away and stalked into the living room. “I’m a big bad wolf, remember? I’ll be fine.” Desperate to change the subject, he glanced down at his bare chest, for the first time fully aware of just how much skin was on display. “If you really wanna help though, I could use another shirt.”

Chapter Text

After that second instance of using his apartment as a sort of safehouse, Lan Xichen had insisted on dropping Jiang Cheng off directly at his car instead of just letting him leave after he was given clothes, especially since he was apparently being followed. He also asked that they exchange phone numbers in case Jiang Cheng ran into any more trouble. Call me if anything happens, Lan Xichen had said. Jiang Cheng had rolled his eyes and given an overexaggerated bow.

Small victories.

With things as they were, Lan Xichen could do nothing but hope that the other man actually contacted him if something occurred or if he was in danger again. It wasn’t like they were anything more than casual friends at best, yet Lan Xichen couldn’t help but feel a strong pull towards Jiang Cheng, like the universe was trying to tell him something in a language that he didn’t understand – and he spoke over five dozen languages.

He slipped back into his current normal routine after that; work on commissions and pieces for his gallery – he’d taken the time to convince Da Vinci to give him some pointers, so why not utilize them? – go to Dr. Jin’s class and his office afterward for discussions, and then wander the streets at night dressed in all black and hooded, nightmare of the city and protector of those who couldn’t defend themselves. The public had started to call him the hēi yóuxiá after several people reported various close encounters and he’d just let the silly name spread.

The first time he’d gone out after Jiang Cheng’s impromptu sleepover, the man’s words had flashed in his head: maybe he really was Li Ge Xiao. Shit.

Yiling had been his home for a little over a decade now and Lan Xichen was happy. He had centuries of wealth stashed away in various places under various names, so he could live comfortably without having to do much, but he enjoyed the thrill of it all, didn’t he? The hunt, the inevitable capture, the kill – he was a monster, after all. And no matter how much he changed over the years, from healer to wicked king, raider to teacher, he always seemed to come back to the Lan Xichen who hated those that attacked the weak and defenseless, refusing to let bitterness invade his soul again. He would never be able to forget the countless lives he had ended, often in cold blood, but at least now he could say these ones deserved it.

Like the would-be rapist’s neck he currently had his jaws wrapped around, bent to the side for ease of access to the pulsing veins underneath such thin skin.

Lan Xichen had caught him just as he was about to commit one of the vilest acts a human could. He’d pulled his hood down lower to cover his face and jumped down from a nearby roof into the bar parking lot where the sorry excuse for a man had a woman trapped up against a car. The woman had screamed when she saw Lan Xichen but he’d continued to stalk closer, mind raging. With speed no human could produce, Lan Xichen had snarled and pulled the man backward by the hair.

“Run,” he’d growled at the woman. She hadn’t needed to be told twice.

When she’d made it far enough away, Lan Xichen slipped the hood up a little so he could hungrily sink his teeth into the attacker’s jugular. The man’s struggles and shouts of surprise and anger had subsided almost immediately as the venom from Lan Xichen’s fangs quickly paralyzed him. Soon the only sounds came from the ripping of flesh and the messy gurgling coming from the man’s mouth as he slowly died, his yang pulled viciously out of his body via his blood.

At the point where he couldn’t hear a heartbeat, Lan Xichen unceremoniously dropped the body to the ground for the police to find in the morning. No evidence would be left behind or discovered; he wore gloves and his DNA wasn’t human, his bite marks more violent tearing than pinpricks, so what was there to find? He licked his lips, savoring the slick heat of the blood staining his face. There was no other feeling quite like being completely full and satiated; he felt warm all over and a little fuzzy, almost like being drunk.

His pocket vibrated. Lan Xichen carelessly wiped his mouth with his sleeve and pulled the device from his pocket, not quite sure who in the world would be contacting him this late at night. Hell, he wasn’t sure who would be contacting him at all; he really didn’t stay in contact with many people. Then the name ‘Jiang Cheng’ flashed on the screen and the corner of Lan Xichen’s mouth quirked upward.

It was a text message with a dark and grainy picture of a scruffy looking dog in a random front yard with the simple caption ‘my cousin’. Lan Xichen huffed out a small laugh and typed back a response: ‘you have the same eyes’. He shut his phone screen off and put it back into his pocket before walking away from the gruesome scene he’d created, careful not to step into the leftover blood splattered and pooling on the ground.

Things had been going on like this for several weeks now – Jiang Cheng would send him random texts of silly things he saw around the city and Lan Xichen would reply with a sarcastic quip. Once, he had received a photo of a small bat tucked away in the eaves of an old house with ‘stop stalking me’ in the message underneath. Despite the incorrect legend, that one had really made Lan Xichen laugh.

Jiang Cheng was sporadic in his messages but at least nothing seemed to be amiss. He would still sometimes show up unannounced at Lan Xichen’s apartment door late at night, a little dirty but no worse for wear – more often than not (and unfortunately for Lan Xichen’s heart) completely naked. He’d act like nothing was wrong and Lan Xichen would let him get cleaned up in his bathroom, supply him with dry clothes, and leave him to sleep on the couch. It became so common that Lan Xichen eventually went out and stocked up on clothing in Jiang Cheng’s size and his favorite foods just so he could be prepared. Not once did the younger man ever exhibit fear or apprehension; everything about his actions indicated that he was comfortable in Lan Xichen’s home. Which was...nice. Yeah.

Tonight’s text seemed no different from any of the others, just a silly picture, but it still calmed some of Lan Xichen’s nerves that he forced himself not to acknowledge; Jiang Cheng was fine, there was nothing wrong. It added to the lightness already spreading through him after his feast as he leapt back onto the roof he’d been lurking on earlier and began his silent journey home.

Like he did most nights after a successful hunt, Lan Xichen entered his apartment through the balcony door – it was best not to scare his neighbors with his bloody clothes and face. He was looking forward to a hot bath and his soft sheets. What he failed to notice, however, was that the lights in his living room were already on.

“Holy shit, you’re him.”

It was Lan Xichen’s turn to be scared half witless by someone else being in the living room because there, lounging haphazardly on the chaise, was a slightly shower-damp Jiang Cheng wearing nothing but boxer briefs and one of Lan Xichen’s favorite over-sized sweaters.

He pulled back his hood and glared at the other man. “How did you get in here.”

“First, that’s a pretty rude way to greet a friend,” Jiang Cheng admonished while sitting up, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Second, I used the front door? You really need to get better locks. And third, holy shit you’re the hēi yóuxiá.”

Lan Xichen suddenly felt very self-conscious, acutely aware that his fangs were still down but still too fresh from the hunt to retract them just yet. “You’re the one who keeps calling me Li Ge Xiao.”

Jiang Cheng practically cackled. “Yeah but I didn’t actually think you were literally the most dangerous man in Yiling!” His smile widened. “I can’t believe I’ve been staying over at your house this whole time and not known.”

“I never forced you to keep coming back,” Lan Xichen grumbled.

There was a certain type of smugness in Jiang Cheng’s gaze as he stood to walk closer. “No but I’m glad I do – I’d have missed this whole vigilante development.”

Something in Lan Xichen’s chest tightened and his fingers twitched. “I might as well just give you a key at this point.”

“Nah, that would take all the fun out of it.” Jiang Cheng tilted his head and reached a hand up to Lan Xichen’s face. “You’ve got a little something right here-”

Lightning sparked on Lan Xichen’s skin at the contact, Jiang Cheng’s thumb wiping away what must have been leftover blood. But then the younger man’s eyes widened and he jerked back, almost like he’d just become aware of what he was doing. Lan Xichen stood there with his mouth slightly agape, not moving, mind racing.

“Uhhh,” Jiang Cheng said intelligently. “Right. So.” He rubbed the back of his neck and Lan Xichen couldn’t help but glance down at the tiny strip of skin exposed at his waist as he stepped away. “Sorry for stealing your clothes and breaking into your apartment and startling you and-”

“Jiang Cheng,” Lan Xichen interrupted with a slightly rough voice. “It’s ok, I don’t mind.”

“Good. Ok. Yeah, good.”

Silence stretched awkwardly between them. Lan Xichen’s thoughts were all jumbled and he kept feeling phantom fingers on his cheek, right next to his mouth. Jiang Cheng was looking anywhere but at him and the air felt thick around them. It was unbearable.

Fuck it, Lan Xichen thought, taking a shaky breath; he needed to get out of there. “I’m going to take a shower.”

The look on Jiang Cheng’s face spoke of relief. “Yup, mhmm, I’ll just – uhh-”

“Help yourself to the ice cream in the freezer; I bought Cornetto yesterday – you said that was your favorite.”

“Cool cool cool.”

As soon as Lan Xichen closed the door to the bathroom, he put his hands on the counter and leaned forward to stare into the mirror. It was times like this that he wished the Western rumors that vampires didn’t have a reflection were true; he hated seeing his face this red and it not be from a feeding. Gently, he brushed his own fingers over where Jiang Cheng’s had been, little smears of blood stark against his skin. He really was a mess, wasn’t he?

................................

What was he doing.

What was he doing??

Jiang Cheng couldn’t sleep. How could he sleep when he kept remembering how ridiculous he was being? Why had he decided that breaking into Lan Xichen’s home – a vampire and a deadly antihero, apparently – was a good idea? And then! And then Jiang Cheng had just gone and touched him like that?? Honestly, he might as well have thrown himself off the balcony.

Yes, Jiang Cheng thought the older man was unfairly attractive and yes, he felt safer in this apartment than anywhere else, but there was absolutely no good reason for him to act the way he had.

He replayed it in his head over and over and over: the hēi yóuxiá coming in through the sliding door and then revealing Lan Xichen underneath; Lan Xichen’s face smeared with crimson and eyes still burning red; Lan Xichen’s terrifying double set of fangs peeking out when he spoke; Lan Xichen’s soft skin as Jiang Cheng wiped away some of the blood without thinking-

A groan escaped Jiang Cheng’s throat and he turned to hide his face in his pillow. Which, regrettably, was also a mistake because it was technically Lan Xichen’s pillow so therefore smelled like the man himself – lemongrass, jasmine, and something that reminded him of a forest right after it rained. Jiang Cheng turned back around and stared at the ceiling, cursing his decision to not wear one of the shirts meant specifically for him; the sweater smelled like the vampire too.

But hadn’t Lan Xichen also been checking him out every time he was there anyway? Or at least trying (and completely failing) to hide that he was staring? Jiang Cheng was sure that he’d caught Lan Xichen looking at his bare legs earlier that night too. Maybe it had all started with Jiang Cheng simply unable to avoid the fact that he always shifted in the nude to avoid ruining his clothes but Lan Xichen’s reactions were always so funny to see, so he’d continued to be shameless. Only now did it feel like he was the butt of his own joke.

Despite how comfortable he was – and clean and fed and content – Jiang Cheng just couldn’t seem to fall asleep at all. He may have dozed off a couple times but it seemed like forever before dawn was breaking and the light from outside filtered through the curtains. There were no sounds coming from Lan Xichen’s room, so Jiang Cheng figured the other man must still be asleep. He resigned himself to being exhausted all day and turned the TV on at low volume; might as well get caught up on the news while he was awake.

About an hour later, after the early morning news anchors had reported the latest stories twice and gone over the weather (mostly sunny with a chance of rain later in the afternoon), Jiang Cheng heard movement from Lan Xichen’s room. He turned the TV off and rose to make coffee for the two of them; it was usually Lan Xichen who did that but Jiang Cheng figured it was far passed his turn to be helpful.

As soon as Jiang Cheng saw Lan Xichen enter the kitchen a few minutes later, his stomach did a funny little flip; there was something about seeing the vampire in pajama pants and a ratty t-shirt, hair all mussed up and pillow creases on his face. How this man could be the most feared person in the city, Jiang Cheng would never understand.

Lan Xichen looked over gratefully at the steaming coffee pot. “Mornin’.”

“Morning.” Jiang Cheng’s brain may have been sluggish from lack of sleep but he could still tell that something was off. “Shouldn’t you be, I dunno, a bit livelier? Looked like you had a nice meal last night.”

The older man grimaced. “I think I had too much; got a bit of a hangover.”

“You do look kinda dead.” Jiang Cheng said offhandedly; Lan Xichen looked up at him, mildly unamused. “Oh shit – sorry-”

Thank whatever god was out there that the coffee finished brewing just a few seconds later. Jiang Cheng hastily poured each of them a cup and immediately went to sit down at the counter, wracking his brain for something else to talk about. Why was he so good at making conversations awkward?

Then he remembered one of the stories he’d watched on the TV earlier.

“News says a woman was assaulted last night but got rescued by a scary man in a hood,” he remarked before taking a scalding sip of coffee. “Said he ripped the guy’s throat out.”

Lan Xichen stared at him from over the rim of his mug. “Your point?”

“I mean, that was you, wasn’t it? That’s where you satisfied your munchies.”

“Don’t say it like-” Lan Xichen scrunched up his face. “I only feed on those that deserve it and trust me, that guy deserved it.”

Jiang Cheng took another drink. “Don’t worry, I’m not disagreeing with you on that.” He grinned devilishly. “Not like I haven’t ever taken a bite out of some piece of shit who thought they could do whatever they wanted.”

A small smile crept over Lan Xichen’s face and Jiang Cheng found himself thinking there it is, which, what was that all about? The two of them drank in silence for a few minutes, the weird tension from the night before long gone; instead, there lingered a strange warmth that made everything seem a little softer. The pleasantness was only interrupted by Jiang Cheng’s stomach loudly grumbling.

“Ah, I forgot that you still need to eat,” Lan Xichen responded good-naturedly, already turning towards the fridge. “Congee again? I found a recipe online that only takes 15 minutes; the key is to boil and freeze the rice the night before-”

The warmth spread to Jiang Cheng’s face a little. “You don’t have to-” he tried to interrupt.

“Somebody needs to eat it and I’ll be full for another few days.” Jiang Cheng could have sworn he saw a tinge of pink on the tips of the older man’s ears. “You’re my guest; what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t at least feed you?”

That little stutter in his chest was back as Jiang Cheng realized that this was the first time Lan Xichen had called him ‘friend’; it did weird things to his heart. “Yeah, ok, that sound – that sound great.”

Chapter Text

“I can see where your concern lies.”

Lan Xichen glanced over at Dr. Jin from where he was reading through some of the professor’s notes on chimeras; they’d been discussing the most recent murder of an inhuman – this one marked number sixteen. “It’s been a while since hunters were in the city and these ones seem to be very good at avoiding detection.”

“I imagine that they would not want to be found, if they are doing what you say they are,” Dr. Jin speculated. “Though you seem to be quite confident that you would be able to find them.”

“Normally I would be.” Lan Xichen set the notes down. “I like to keep tabs on things.”

Dr. Jin chuckled. “For your own safety or other’s?”

“Everyone’s.”

The professor hummed in assent. He scratched at his sleeve absentmindedly and stared off into space, a distant look on his face. Lan Xichen could tell he was holding back something.

“Out with it,” he told the other man. “I know you’re cooking something up in the big brain of yours.”

Again, Dr. Jin laughed. “I was just supposing that these hunters would have to be quite specialized and know quite a lot about people and creatures such as yourself.”

“What, are you planning on tracking them down so you can compare notes?” Lan Xichen joked but paid extra close attention to Dr. Jin’s heartbeat when he answered, careful not to trust fully, even with the professor; he’d been burned in the past, sometimes literally – he still had the faded scars to prove it.

“No no no,” the professor assured with a smile, eyes focusing on Lan Xichen’s once more, pulse as steady as always and scent filled with nothing but his ever-present excitement. “I only mean that one would need very specific knowledge on very many things to be a successful ‘hunter’, as you call them. And here I am, self-professed expert on the paranormal and extraordinary, jealous of apparent murderers.”

Lan Xichen shrugged. “It’s only natural to want to know more.” He grinned. “But that’s what I’m for, isn’t it?”

“Ah yes, my veritable encyclopedia of monster facts!”

There had been people like Dr. Jin before, the rare human whom Lan Xichen trusted with his identity and who had helped him in times of trouble. He’d always inevitably had to leave them behind but their trust had been invaluable; it was difficult to find someone who was willing to keep such a powerful secret and over the past many weeks, he’d grown quite fond of Jin Guangyao. And even though Lan Xichen knew to never give away everything, to keep his deepest and darkest secrets locked up, it felt so good to be able to be free with himself, to talk to someone who wouldn’t turn around and betray him right off the bat. It had been months now and the only other person he felt more at ease around was Jiang Cheng.

But that was a whole other story.

“Tell me Mr. Lan, what has you so interested in lángyāo?”

Lan Xichen startled internally at the quick change in subject; it was true that the most common subject he discussed with Dr. Jin was wolf demons, especially since the professor seemed particularly eager on the topic, though it hadn’t been anything close to what they had been conversing about before.

“Why do you ask now?”

The professor pulled a new book from his shelves and placed it in front of Lan Xichen. “You never did tell me in the beginning, you know. I was recently going through some more material on húlijīng – like we were discussing a few weeks ago? – and happened across a book of legends from Mongolia that speaks on shapeshifting. You have mentioned before your interest in the, ah, ‘turning’ process, so I thought I might show it to you and ask your opinion, especially if you have met any before.”

No matter how much he trusted Dr. Jin, Lan Xichen felt a surge of fierce protectiveness wash over him. “I have, though it’s been many years. My theories are just that – theories.”

“Of course, I understand. The book is very interesting though, I recommend it! It contains information on how to ‘take care of’ certain creatures, so to speak, so it’s quite topical for our current discourse.”

Quickly, Lan Xichen picked the book up off the desk; it appeared to be a modern translation of a collection of Yuan dynasty myths and legends, specifically on the stories of how humans were able to overcome the ‘beasts of the night’, as they were referred to. He flipped through it rapidly, noting how it did indeed have a few stories of shifters who would kill or kidnap their victims and how the heroes were always able to stop them. It made his skin crawl.

“Would you believe that most of this is new to me?” Lan Xichen lied with a well-practiced fake smile.

With an answering grin, the other man shook his head slightly in amusement and grabbed his notebook from off to the side. “Tell me more about these ghosts you’ve spoken about before! I admit that I have very little experience in that particular subject.”

They were back on solid footing now and Lan Xichen felt himself relax just a little, thankful for the change in subjects. This part was easy: Dr. Jin would ask a question and Lan Xichen would answer it to the best of his abilities, only sometimes leaving out little bits and pieces of the facts, just in case.

You could never be too sure with humans, after all.

................................

Being a shifter had its downsides – a little extra hair, ruining a bunch of clothes, and the occasional flee problem, to name a few – but there were way more upsides; Jiang Cheng’s favorite was the freedom.

There was nothing like changing into his wolf form and running as fast as possible through the streets or in the sprawling hills up north; there wasn’t anything that could compare to how it felt when he ran alongside a pack of real wolves on a hunt, or chased after unsuspecting flocks of birds, or stalked through the night like some kind of specter, stealing chickens and scaring cattle. It was so incredibly liberating to not be stuck in a small, insignificant human body all the time. What was even better was the righteousness he felt taking down creeps that lurked in alleyways and stole from those who couldn’t afford it – Lan Xichen wasn’t the only one who sometimes ripped out throats.

Something not so great about shifting? When people saw you do it.

It wasn’t like it happened often; Jiang Cheng took great pains to prevent people from seeing him transform. While most people might excuse it as being their mind playing tricks on them, there was always the chance that the person who saw actually believed that it was all real. Worst of all was if they also happened to be the kind of person who hunted people like Jiang Cheng.

He’d been attacked before, back when he still lived in Yunmeng. It was one of the reasons why he moved to Yiling in the first place – make one too many mistakes and you’re bound to crash spectacularly. There were still scars on his body where hunters had managed a few lucky hits. He’d survived every attempt on his life thus far but Jiang Cheng knew there was never a good time to get complacent.

Like ten minutes ago when he’d been asleep in his shitty car while parked in an abandoned lot and only the slightest hint at a heartbeat had alerted him to the man outside, gun in hand. At first Jiang Cheng had thought him just another crazy person out for a quick score – wouldn’t have been the first time – but it quickly became apparent that was incorrect; whoever it was had fired a single shot into the car’s front window, the glass spiderwebbing out from the hole, the bullet ripping through the worn upholstery mere inches from his head. Within seconds the assailant was a bloody corpse on the ground, Jiang Cheng’s wolf form crouched over it, his chest heaving and eyes bright.

Now though – now Jiang Cheng was standing at the door to Lan Xichen’s apartment, his only surviving pair of clothes a pair of basketball shorts hastily grabbed from the trunk of his car. He could feel the dried blood that he’d missed behind his ears when using a nearby public bathroom to quickly wash his face as best he could. The adrenaline he’d been feeling up until then had worn off and now Jiang Cheng was just tired. Bone tired. With barely any thought on the matter, he’d snagged his shorts, wallet, phone, and the spare key Lan Xichen had given him when he’d left last time before running as fast as his human legs could on a winding route all the way to the older man’s high rise.

He knocked, of course; he wasn’t a complete delinquent. It had been a little over two weeks since he was last there and a tiny part of him worried that maybe Lan Xichen had forgotten him, no matter how ridiculous that thought was. The vampire clearly wasn’t home though – probably out causing trouble as the damn hēi yóuxiá, Jiang Cheng thought ruefully before unlocking the deadbolt and entering the space beyond. Not like he’s ever minded me barging in before anyway. If there was one constant in Jiang Cheng’s life right now it was Lan Xichen, ever patient and perpetually generous. Even the smell of the older man’s home put Jiang Cheng at ease – coffee jasmine and that unique smell of thunderstorms that was all Lan Xichen.

Inside the apartment wasn’t entirely dark; the curtains were open to let in the city lights, adding a slight neon tint to the walls. It was as peaceful as the first time Jiang Cheng had broken in when Lan Xichen was gone, the low hum of the fridge and distant car horns the only disruption. He didn’t bother to turn on the lights before wandering the familiar path to the bathroom with only thoughts of a hot shower running through his exhausted mind.

Jiang Cheng took his time, letting the spray and steam warm his whole body, completely and blissfully at ease knowing that at least here, in the literal den of the figurative lion, he was safe. Being a shifter had its perks, sure, but this? This was more than the freedom allotted by transforming and running through the woods; being able to stay in Lan Xichen’s home and wear his clothes and feel this safe was a gift, one that he didn’t yet know how to pay back.

When he finished in the shower, Jiang Cheng went into Lan Xichen’s bedroom to grab some clothes from his special part of the closet, something cozy and preferably warm – wolves may run hot but it had been a particularly trying night and he just wanted to relax a little. Turns out there was something even better than his usual hoodies and pants; folded on the end of the bed was the pair of sweats Lan Xichen had been wearing that very first morning after he’d helped Jiang Cheng. Grey and worn-in and sure to smell just like the vampire.

Without thinking too much about it and ignoring the little voice in the back of his mind that was laughing at him, Jiang Cheng slipped them on right over his bare legs – they were a little snugger than he might have preferred but that wasn’t nearly enough of an issue to make him take them off.

The scent was strong and it made his head spin a little. Following the odd feeling it caused in his stomach, Jiang Cheng pulled one of Lan Xichen’s larger sweatshirts out from his dresser – faded text on it advertising the Grand Canyon – and put that on too, the smell fully surrounding him now and warming him in a way that couldn’t be accounted for by the clothes themselves. He’d given up ages ago on trying to figure out what the hell that all meant.

The only thing left to do was make some food and wait for the other man to get home.

Jiang Cheng resolutely ignored how happy that thought made him.

Chapter Text

“It’s 2:00 am, shouldn’t you be sleeping at this point?”

Jiang Cheng looked up from where he was eating cereal on the counter, bundled in what were most definitely Lan Xichen’s clothes. “What’re you, my mom?”

Even if Lan Xichen had been thinking all night that it would be nice to see Jiang Cheng again, it was still a pleasant surprise to see the younger man making himself at home. Dismissing the questioning look that Jiang Cheng sent over to him, Lan Xichen made his own way into the kitchen, stripping out of his hooded jacket as he went and hanging it on the back of one of the dining table chairs; he hadn’t fed on anyone tonight but there always seemed to be some sort of ick hanging about on his clothes after a long night of patrols and he didn’t want to get it anywhere near his spotless kitchen. Or Jiang Cheng, who looked freshly showered and clean. And in Lan Xichen’s clothes again, despite the clothes he’d bought him.

“Did you at least leave some for me?” He asked Jiang Cheng while he hopped up to sit next to him on the counter.

Jiang Cheng passed him the almost empty cereal box. “’Course I did.”

Lan Xichen laughed softly and dug in to grab whatever was left with his hands, crunching absentmindedly. They sat in companionable silence for a while, Jiang Cheng’s heartbeat a calm and steady beat right next to him. It was...nice. Really nice. Lan Xichen had missed this, even if it hadn’t been that long since they’d last seen each other.

“I was.”

Noticing how Jiang Cheng’s pulse sped up a fraction, Lan Xichen stopped eating and looked at him. “What?”

“Sleeping,” the younger man continued. “Got woken up by some crazy guy with a gun, figured I’d come crash here.”

Turning his whole body to face him, Lan Xichen scanned Jiang Cheng up and down. “Are you ok? Did you get injured at all?”

Jiang Cheng squirmed a little under his scrutiny, smiling sardonically. “Who do you think I am?” He laughed but it lacked its normal humor. “Besides, he won’t be a problem anymore.”

Lan Xichen trusted that Jiang Cheng was telling the truth, he really did, but it felt like there was something he wasn’t saying. He decided that if the younger man didn’t feel the need to say it out loud, then Lan Xichen wouldn’t push.

“If you say so.”

With their impromptu meal now done, Lan Xichen watched Jiang Cheng chew on his lower lip for a few long seconds, the younger man’s gaze fixated on the tile below. For once, Lan Xichen didn’t know what to say, so instead he sighed and got down from the counter to dispose of the cereal box. He could feel Jiang Cheng’s eyes on him now and it made a shiver run down his spine; so this is what it felt like to have the full attention of a predator.

“You should take my bed tonight,” he suggested to Jiang Cheng, more confidence in his voice than he actually felt. “I’m not particularly tired tonight and you look like you need something a bit more comfortable than the couch.”

Lan Xichen didn’t turn around but he could hear the other man huff, whispering under his breath something to the effect of it’s actually a really comfy couch before snarking back. “What, already trying to get me into bed with you?”

“No – what? I-” A flush spread up the sides of Lan Xichen’s neck and onto his ears.

With a chuckle, Jiang Cheng dropped down from the counter. “Relax, Nosferatu; I’m just giving you shit.” When Lan Xichen turned around to face him, Jiang Cheng’s cheeks were tinged a light pink and he looked the tiniest bit shy, which tugged at something in Lan Xichen’s chest. “Where’re you gonna sleep then?”

It wasn’t like Lan Xichen had meant to offer up his own bed; it had just sort of slipped out of him. At this point it was useless to take it back and anyway, weren’t they close enough by now for it not to be weird? This was what friends did, right? Granted it had been a long while since Lan Xichen had had anyone stay over at his house and in his bed, but that was usually reserved for the times that he was craving the more carnal desires and wow, he needed to get his mind off that train of thought immediately.

“I’m technically dead, remember? I don’t need nearly as much sleep as you.” At Jiang Cheng’s doubtful expression, Lan Xichen forced a smile – in all honesty, it had been a long night and he was bone tired but he found himself feeling that strange want that he experienced when the other man was involved; he could sacrifice one night of sleep if it meant that Jiang Cheng could profit from it. “Really Jiang Cheng, I’m not tired. You get some proper sleep for once and I’ll be in my studio; I have a few details on my latest piece that I need to finish anyway.”

Jiang Cheng still looked unsure but eventually returned Lan Xichen’s smile with one of his own, this one small and genuine. “Well then, thanks man – your bed’s always looked so inviting.” Realizing what he’d just said, the blush on his face turned slightly brighter. “Shit, I mean – you know – it’s really big and you’ve got all those blankets and-”

“It’s alright, I know what you meant,” Lan Xichen interrupted with a laugh.

“Right. Well.” Jiang Cheng turned and made his way down the hall to the bedroom. “Night!”

That weird tugging in his core was back but Lan Xichen tucked it away like normal and he began the distracting process of making coffee. “Goodnight, Jiang Cheng.”

The distant click of the bedroom door shutting echoed in his head.

Coffee in hand, Lan Xichen entered his studio and sat down in front of his easel. He meticulously gathered the materials and paints he would need and sipped his coffee while staring absentmindedly into the middle distance. He tried to gather the motivation to start but couldn’t seem to find any. At least a half hour went by where he just sat there, coffee mostly ignored and the paint on his brush slowly drying between what few additions he managed to make.

It was no use; Lan Xichen couldn’t focus. He stared at the canvas, the stark lines of his most recent commission blurring together as his thoughts got more and more muddled. Whatever fresh paint he’d managed to put down seemed all wrong, too dull and too bright at the same time. He tried to ignore the direction his mind was taking him, tried to pretend like nothing was different and this was just another average Thursday night, but how could he do that when the most beautiful man he’d ever met was sleeping only one room away, in his bed?

Lan Xichen couldn’t get the image of Jiang Cheng’s muscular form sprawled out under his deep blue sheets out of his head; the mere thought gave him goosebumps. Would the other man be a side or a back sleeper? Would he snore or move around in his sleep? What would his hair look like spread out on the pillow in the gentle glow of sunrise? By the time Lan Xichen realized his thoughts were spiraling, it was too late – he was far too gone to care, painting all but forgotten.

He startled when a knock came from the studio door before it slowly opened behind him. When he turned his head, Lan Xichen saw Jiang Cheng standing there awkwardly, one of the old quilts from the bedroom wrapped around his shirtless body, eyes looking anywhere but at Lan Xichen.

“Jiang Cheng-”

“I forgot you painted,” the younger man cut in.

Lan Xichen set his paintbrush down on the easel. “It’s technically my day job, you could say.” When it appeared that Jiang Cheng wasn’t going to respond, Lan Xichen shifted on his stool to fully face him. “I’m going to assume you didn’t come in here to chat about my work. Is anything wrong?”

Jiang Cheng shifted back and forth on his feet, eyes flicking about, not focusing on any one thing. “I – I’m not-” He cleared his throat, gathering his words before trying again. “I can’t sleep.”

“Oh?” Lan Xichen cocked his head to the side – he knew that his bed was extremely comfortable, and Jiang Cheng had looked more tired than usual, so why was he having trouble? “How can I help you in that regard?”

“I don’t know.” The other man seemed almost agitated now, though more at himself than anything.

“I could make some tea, if you’d like-”

“No, I don’t – I want-”

Lan Xichen waited a moment to see if the other man would continue. When he didn’t, Lan Xichen sighed lightly and put his hands in his lap. “What do you want, Jiang Cheng?”

It seemed like Jiang Cheng was fighting himself internally over something, his face scrunched up and body rigid. Suddenly, he growled lowly at himself and looked directly into Lan Xichen’s eyes.

“I want you to come to bed with me.”

Well. That was definitely not what Lan Xichen thought he was going to say.

“You want me to...sleep with you.”

Jiang Cheng’s face was a bright shade of pink but he refused to look away, no matter how clearly he wanted to. “Yes. NO. I mean, literally sleep with me.” He visibly flinched. “Just sleep! In the bed. With me.”

Lan Xichen could do nothing but stare at him dumbly, all sorts of emotions coursing through his body. He wanted him to what?

The younger man let out a heavy exhale and finally looked away, only to shake his head and look back once again. “I can’t sleep by myself right now, alright?” The pink hadn’t left his cheeks – it might have even darkened – but he forged on. “So you’re gonna get up, get changed, and get into that stupidly big bed of yours with me. Ok?”

How could Lan Xichen turn down something like that? He might grow to regret his choices later but right now, all he could think about was Jiang Cheng. “Ok.”

“Right. Good.”

With decisive steps, Jiang Cheng spun on his heel and led the way back into the bedroom, Lan Xichen dutifully following. While the brunette got under the covers, Lan Xichen quickly swapped out his jeans and Henley for a pair of plaid pajama pants and a large t-shirt before crawling in too. He settled next to Jiang Cheng, careful to leave not quite two feet between their bodies. Jiang Cheng’s eyes were closed but Lan Xichen could hear that his heart was beating too fast for him to be asleep. The now-familiar need to be close to the other man was back, creeping along Lan Xichen’s skin like a physical sensation. Being this near – so near that he could distinctly count the freckles on Jiang Cheng’s face – was a bad idea; how was he supposed to deny his feelings now?

“Thank you.”

If Lan Xichen’s attention hadn’t been so heatedly focused on Jiang Cheng, he probably wouldn’t have heard those two words. Perhaps Jiang Cheng hadn’t even meant for it to be heard at all. It sent an incredibly foreign sensation bubbling up Lan Xichen’s throat to settle honey-sweet in his mouth.

Yeah, he was definitely regretting his choices now.

................................

Despite what the stories might have people believe, vampires were actually incredibly warm creatures. At least this one was, all long limbs and elegant features, practically radiating heat even while half covered with sheets. They weren't even touching! Lan Xichen was scant feet away from Jiang Cheng on the other side of the bed but his warmth could still be felt as if it were inches. Jiang Cheng wouldn't normally complain – and he wasn't really complaining now – but maybe it wasn't just their proximity that was the thing really getting to him.

Maybe it was the way Lan Xichen's face softened when he was asleep, centuries of life fading away so only the young man he appeared to be remained; maybe it was the solid core of contentment and safety that grew exponentially for every second Jiang Cheng stayed in his presence; maybe it was the barely-there tingle down Jiang Cheng's spine every time a puff of breath ran across his face. It could have been any combination of those things or something completely different but the only thing Jiang Cheng could be sure about was that he was so, so fucked.

He thought about how the first solution he'd come up with for his sleeplessness was to call the vampire into his room, and how easily Lan Xichen had agreed – no resistance, no questions, just an understanding that was left unspoken. Jiang Cheng wasn't used to this kind of thing; no one had ever trusted him like this or treated him the way Lan Xichen did, allowing him to let his guard down completely, not since his beloved sister. It was overwhelming to say the least, and completely out of his comfort zone.

It was all just too much.

Jiang Cheng was thankful that Lan Xichen apparently slept like the dead man he was; it made it easier to silently slip out from under the covers and out of the bedroom. He easily found his phone in the pre-dawn darkness and started towards the apartment's front door, steps totally soundless. As his hand reached for the handle, Jiang Cheng paused, the vampire’s shirt he’d grabbed randomly and put on wafting the delicate smell of Lan Xichen's unique scent into his sensitive nose. His chest clenched but he couldn't make himself leave it behind.

Leaving was painful but staying? Jiang Cheng didn't think his heart could handle staying.

The streets of Yiling never truly emptied but this early in the morning, there were very few cars driving by and nearly zero other people walking down the sidewalks. It was easy for Jiang Cheng to navigate the familiar city, avoiding areas he knew were more likely to have people around despite the time and quickly make his way out towards more open land. He could always stash his things somewhere and shift, run as far away as he could, but something in the back of his mind told him that it wasn’t a good time to reveal himself, even a little. Besides, he wanted to have his phone on him in case Lan Xichen-

Well, in case he needed to call...someone. Whatever.

Winters in Hubei were usually fairly chilly but Jiang Cheng’s higher than normal body temperature helped keep him warm. However, this morning he felt a chill in the air that cut through the clothes he’d taken, goosebumps crawling over his arms while he walked. It would be warmer in his wolf form and he desperately wished he could transform safely. Instead, he tucked his hands into his armpits and walked faster. Regret filled him as he chided himself for switching out Lan Xichen’s sweatpants for the basketball shorts he’d managed to grab from his car before bolting. Even if they would add to the already powerful sinking feeling in his stomach every time he took a breath – jasmine, coffee, warm sunshine – at least he wouldn’t be so cold.

It took him two hours to get all the way out to the hills surrounding Yiling, the sun already halfway risen and providing a small increase in temperature. Jiang Cheng made his way to a specific tree nestled in a small collection of boulders where he’d long ago made a hidden cache where he could hide things while running out in the wilds. He glanced around several times – he couldn’t see or hear anyone nearby but that little voice in his head kept nudging him to be extra cautious – before stripping off his clothes, tucking them and his phone away after turning it off, and transforming.

Immediately, Jiang Cheng was warm again, all thoughts of the cold banished from his mind as the thrill of being in his wolf form coursed through him. Even the image of a sleeping Lan Xichen fled as soon as he began to run. His powerful legs took him faster and faster, racing up the hills before he could second guess anything, the freedom of his animal form the only thing he let himself focus on.

About a hundred yards behind him and keeping a surprisingly easy pace, a figure in green and brown camo followed him into the trees on an electric mountain bike, a long rifle strapped to its back.

Chapter Text

Three weeks. Three long, silent weeks with no word from Jiang Cheng. Three weeks of Lan Xichen wondering what the hell he’d done for the younger man to just up and leave in the middle of the night without saying anything, all after specifically asking to share the bed, and then not send any texts or reply to any of the ones that Lan Xichen had sent. He’d stopped sending them a week ago, convinced that he wasn’t wanted. It had hurt, waking up alone, the other side of the bed cold enough to say that the yāo had left long before Lan Xichen woke up. He’d clearly made a mistake in thinking that Jiang Cheng felt anything close to what he did – like the monster that he was, he’d scared the other man away.

He couldn’t say that he was surprised but Lan Xichen had let himself hope and that made it sting all the more. It wasn’t often that he let people get under his skin and Jiang Cheng had successfully burrowed deep without even trying. It had seemed, for a while at least, that maybe the powerful want that Lan Xichen felt around him was shared, though the wordless and unprompted departure proved that to be a baseless dream. Had Jiang Cheng not actually trusted him? Had it all been one extended lie?

Lan Xichen distracted himself as best he could; he threw himself into his work, finishing several commissions in record time, as well as finding time to paint some new pieces for the gallery that he hadn’t been to in person for at least a year (Mian Mian did such a nice job as a curator, why would he need to bother checking in?). He went out every night, catching criminal after criminal and delivering them to justice – he only fed on a few of them, simply leaving the others either for dead or tied up for the police to find. If he let his mind wander for too long, it would always find its way back to an endless stream of ‘what ifs’.

One of the only solaces life seemed to want to provide were his meetings with Jin Guangyao. They were the most regular thing about his weeks and made Lan Xichen feel more grounded, more focused. That night, however, he couldn’t seem to keep his thoughts in order.

“You seem distracted tonight, friend,” Dr. Jin commented, concern flavoring his voice. “Is everything alright?”

Lan Xichen gave himself a small shake and looked up from where he’d been staring emptily at the bookshelf behind the professor. “Ah, yes, no, I’m alright – just a bit tired.”

Dr. Jin tilted his head. “Is it the murder cases? I saw this morning that the body count had gone up another four.”

That hadn’t been what was distracting Lan Xichen, not exactly, but the image of Jiang Cheng’s body lying broken in some alleyway, slaughtered by murder-happy hunters, had been crossing his mind more and more often. Jiang Cheng was intelligent, crafty, and powerful, and there was no real reason for Lan Xichen to worry that he’d succumbed to the same fate as all those other poor people, but the thought was still there and he couldn’t get it out.

He used Jin Guangyao’s almost correct inference as an out – he’d so far kept Jiang Cheng a secret and he wasn’t going to change that now, especially since he had no idea where the other man was. He sighed. “I thought that I’d have been able to catch the hunters by now but they’ve been so careful to leave no evidence behind or create any trails I could follow.” It was true; most of his nightly outings were meant as a way for him to try and track down the hunters responsible, but he’d been unable to prevent new attacks or gather new information. “These people are far more skilled than any other hunters I’ve ever had to deal with.”

“Have you encountered many, then?” The professor still looked mildly concerned but his curiosity had clearly been piqued as usual.

Lan Xichen snorted. “When you’re as old and monstrous as I am, you’re bound to meet any number of people who want you destroyed.” He could hear Dr. Jin’s pulse speed up a tiny bit at the prospect of another one of Lan Xichen’s tales of his past. “Hunters have come a long way since talismans and holy water.”

“Don’t so hard on yourself, Xichen; you cannot save everyone.” A buzzing noise came from the professor’s phone where it sat on the desk. Glancing at it with a frown, he picked it up to read the text he had received, a steely glint appearing in his eyes as he read. “I’m sorry to cut our meeting short but there is something urgent I must attend to at home.” He stood up and pulled his coat on, the tangy scent of agitation filling the small office space.

Truth be told, Lan Xichen was quite happy to be done for the night; he really just wanted to go home and, well, sulk, for lack of a better term. “I hope everything is ok,” he replied while collecting his things and standing as well. “Feel free to let me know if you need any assistance.” Please don’t ask me for help, please don’t ask me-

“Oh, no no no, it’s nothing you need to be concerned over. Just the neighbors causing trouble again. This city seems to bring out the worst in people, as you probably know.” Dr. Jin gave Lan Xichen a tight smile. “I will see you in a few days’ time, then?”

“See you, Doc.”

They parted ways in the hallway, the professor locking up the office behind them. Lan Xichen made his way slowly outside, campus practically empty, all the faculty gone home by that point and the only students boarded up in the library a few buildings down. The excessive sounds of Yiling on a Friday night only got louder as he began his short walk home. There were people everywhere, going in and out of bars and restaurants, loitering in the streets, tucked away in alleys bumming cigarettes off strangers. It was, for all intents and purposes, the perfect night for a hunt, and maybe finding a fresh meal would make him feel better.

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take him long at all to find a suitable victim; a greasy middle-aged man with a nasty right hook tried to rob a group of young women while wielding a rusty blade right in front of him – it was almost laughable. The acrid stench of urine stung his nose seconds before he sunk his sharp teeth into the man’s neck and oh, but the sweet, sweet taste of hot blood rushing down his throat, the buzzing feeling of yang energy pulsing through his bones, and the sound of a heart stopping was truly a wonderful combination.

He drank his fill. It hadn’t been that long since his last feeding but at least it did seem to make him feel a little better. Lan Xichen supposed he was only delaying the inevitability of him going home and spending the time he should be sleeping coming up with wilder and wilder scenarios involving Jiang Cheng and what was going on with him, wherever he had gone. For now though – for now he was content to watch the body of his victim crumble to the ground in a lifeless heap, sallow and cold.

The rest of the night went by in a blur; he eventually made his way home, cleaned himself up, and poured himself a glass of the fanciest wine he owned. The stars were barely visible through the oppressing lights of Yiling but for once Lan Xichen couldn’t care less; his usual longing for the open skies of some faraway place and time was replaced by the ache of knowing Jiang Cheng was somewhere that wasn’t here. He tried not to think about it but wine always had a way of making him feel overly sentimental, the ever-consistent flavor taking him back to the earliest stretches of his memory.

It was close to dawn when his phone pinged from the side table he’d set it on earlier, the little blue light at the top of the screen indicating that he’d been sent a text. Lan Xichen reached for it, the knowledge that no one else bothered to text him filling his head and sending his heart into his throat – please be him please be him please be him-

It was Jiang Cheng. After 22 days of waiting, of self-doubt and worry and not knowing what to do, there on the phone screen, backlit in cold white light, was a single word that sent jagged shivers down Lan Xichen’s spine:

Hunters.

They’d found him – the murderers had somehow found Jiang Cheng and now the younger man was in danger. How was Lan Xichen supposed to find him and help him now? Jiang Cheng had left without a word, without any indication of where he was going, and had left Lan Xichen on unread for weeks; other than this one clue on what was happening, Lan Xichen had nothing to go on, and that made him even angrier. A small part of him wanted to ignore the message, pettiness welling up in his chest and sinking into his thoughts, but more of him burned with rage and knew that if he had to find some way to help. He had time enough to be mad at Jiang Cheng once the younger man was safe, safe and at home with Lan Xichen.

The wine glass in his hand shattered with how hard he gripped it, shards of wet glass digging into his palm but barely scratching the surface.

Heart in his throat and ancient blood boiling, Lan Xichen grabbed his coat, slammed open the balcony door, and leapt off into the night.

................................

He’d fucked up.

He was soaking wet and frozen to the bone, his fur and skin were stained crimson from the blood that wouldn’t stop flowing from wounds that refused to heal, and it was becoming excruciatingly apparent that his body would give out at any moment from pure exhaustion. Whoever was following him – hunting him – was good, really good, and wasn’t being bogged down by the same circumstances; they just always stayed two steps behind him, only getting close enough to fire a few rounds in his general direction every few days before retreating back again and continuing their stalking. Things were compounding and Jiang Cheng understood very well that he’d really, really fucked up this time.

There was no excuse for his carelessness, no reason good enough to make up for the fact that he’d purposefully made the decision to leave the safest place he’d ever experienced, all so he could what, run free in the woods? A single week of nothing had passed before things went to shit, and then he’d made a series of idiotic and unobservant choices that had made it so easy for the hunters on his tail to continue to track him. Jiang Cheng would kick himself if he had either the energy or free time to do so but instead he was forced to just keep running.

There were a few moments of peace, small pockets of time where he was allowed to close his eyes for a few hours inside a public restroom before security kicked him out, or steal a bottle of water from an isolated gas station and chug it down while tucked away behind farming equipment, or even that one night where he simply passed out in the chip conveyor belt at some logging processing plant and slept for who knows how long. The rest of his time was spent moving as quickly as possible between locations, more often than not in his wolf form.

Jiang Cheng had been unable to make it back to where he stashed his clothes and phone the night he left Lan Xichen’s apartment; he hoped that they were still there, hoped that he could somehow make it back and contact the older man, though the hunters always seemed to anticipate his desire to travel south, back to the city, and would block his way. These encounters usually resulted in one or two new bullet holes in his already abused flesh.

He hurt. Everywhere. His muscles burned and his head pounded and even his teeth felt strained. It felt as if his bones were cracking under the pressure, crumbling to dust from the effort of keeping him going. All Jiang Cheng wanted to do was give up, to drop to the ground and just let whoever wanted him catch up and take him away, but the image of a certain someone kept flashing in his head and he couldn’t help but want.

Lan Xichen had told him that he would help him whenever, that he could be trusted to keep him safe, and Jiang Cheng had given that up like a moron. And now all he could do was berate himself and push through his fatigue and keep running.

It hadn’t taken Jiang Cheng long to figure out that the hunters tracking him could have easily caught up to him by that point; he’d given them ample opportunity, though they never took him up on it. They were the type to play with their food before eating it, he decided, and hated them even more for it. Would it really be worse to be captured? All this extra effort and Jiang Cheng was done with it.

CRACK!

Searing pain ripped through Jiang Cheng’s right arm as he tried desperately to skirt around a boulder – they’d gotten close enough to shoot him again and boy did they know where to hit to do the most damage; his wolf form stumbled, long limbs tangling while he tried to recover. He could hear the tell-tale sound of a dirt bike rumbling somewhere nearby and felt his stomach roil, the scalding sensation from the gunshot wound spreading, whatever special bullet the hunters had devised sending poison coursing through his veins. Jiang Cheng knew – he knew, deep in his bones – that if he was hit just one more time he’d go down for good.

And yet somehow, miraculously, the familiar collection of stone came into view just up ahead; how had he not noticed where he was until now? And how come the hunters hadn’t stopped him from successfully navigating back to where he’d started? No, this wasn’t some mistake, this had to be part of some larger plan, some orchestrated plot to make him falter – there was no way they would have messed up like this, not when they’d done such a good job up until that point to keep him as far away from Yiling as they could.

Well, he would just have to subvert whatever plan they were designing and give himself enough time to grab his phone and send a message to Lan Xichen; Jiang Cheng had no one else he could trust – he had no one else in general – and he needed to get over his irrational fear of intense emotions before it was added to the long list of reasons he was killed. Pride be damned, he needed help and Lan Xichen was the only one who could.

As soon as he reached the tree where his stash was located, Jiang Cheng transformed out of wolf form. The pain and weariness was worse like this, his human body unable to handle the stress as well as his animal body could. He ignored it in favor of snatching out his phone and turning it on while sprinting further towards the city. Not wasting any time, cognizant of the battery signal flashing at him and dismissing all the notifications of the concerned and confused texts Lan Xichen had sent during the past few weeks – and oh god, what had he done to deserve that kind of worry – the second he was able to Jiang Cheng shot off a text with a single word: hunters. His phone died seconds after he sent the message and he could do nothing but hope it had sent. He dropped it, the sound of engines getting closer once again and he was forced to revert to wolf shape in order to go faster.

Whatever happened – whether Lan Xichen forgave him or not – Jiang Cheng had to keep running, had to get into the city however he could and lose the hunters within the towering skyscrapers and busy streets. He had no other options, no other paths to take except onward, the knowledge spinning through his head that if he slowed down even for a second, he’d die. He’d die and he’d never see...he’d never see...

Well, he’d never see Lan Xichen again.

And that couldn’t happen, it really couldn’t; Jiang Cheng was attached and it was stupid of him to think that he could just leave and solve all his problems the way he always had – by running away from them. He’d ran away from home once he’d been turned, had run from Yunmeng when he’d started to raise suspicion, and had run from truly accepting any real responsibility for his entire life. It was time to stop running and there was no better place to do so than at Lan Xichen’s feet, begging to be trusted again, to let him exist in the same space again. He’d do anything. Anything.

He just had to get there first.

Chapter Text

Once, when Lan Xichen was living in Moscow during the early 1800s, he’d met a small group of people who had dedicated their lives to studying all things unnatural and strange. They’d called themselves khraniteli prizrakov, or the ghost keepers, and had been an incredibly wonderful source of entertainment. While mostly harmless in practice, they would sometimes get a little too close to the truth and Lan Xichen would have to steer them a little off course to prevent them from coming to any harm. He told himself it was for their own good but it always came back around to self-preservation, didn’t it?

Since then, he hadn’t encountered any groups, only individuals who spent their time seriously examining the occult or mythic creatures, like the professor. Sure, there was the scattered social or school club but they were never anything to worry about. Lan Xichen had always been especially fond of the Ghostbusters series of films – they never seemed to get it quite right but damn if they weren’t funny.

A few days before Jiang Cheng’s message though, he’d come across a short ad in the paper inquiring about any strange sightings and to call a certain number if anyone had something to report. There was even an address provided, somewhere in the industrial districts. Lan Xichen couldn’t help but snort when he saw the ad; these people had no tact, just like Bill Murray’s character in the movies. This didn’t stop Lan Xichen from listening to the little voice in the back of his head that told him that they could be legitimate and how funny it would be if they were. He’d pushed it aside at the time but now that Jiang Cheng had sent him that ominous text, Lan Xichen pledged to check every source.

So that was why he found himself standing outside of their little warehouse just outside of downtown in the early hours of the morning. He’d had no luck finding hide nor tail of Jiang Cheng in the past several hours of searching and had decided that it couldn’t hurt to check in these so-called investigators. If anything, it would be good to take care of them anyway – there was no good reason for people like them to exist in a city full of inhumans like Yiling, especially one guarded by someone like Lan Xichen. The least he could do was pay them a visit.

The building was situated underneath an overpass, windows dark with only a single halogen light illuminating the parking lot from where it stuck out from the building above the front entrance. If he stood perfectly still and listened very carefully with his ear pressed against the door, Lan Xichen could hear several slow heartbeats coming from somewhere towards the back of the building. Now he needed to decide if he was going to knock first or ask questions later. Unfortunately, the decision ended up being made for him.

He barely had time to register the feeling of someone standing right behind him before he was being thrust forward into the closed door by some unseen force. If pressed, Lan Xichen didn't think he could quite describe the sensation of something passing right through him but that was exactly what happened; a semi-opaque specter rushed into his back and out his front, the momentum carrying him forward so his head slammed into the solid metal. His chest protested as something bitterly cold filled his lungs and then just as abruptly abandoned them, his eyes straining in their sockets from the pressure, his very core jumbled about and pulled. Even if he hadn't hit his head violently, Lan Xichen knew he would have felt disoriented beyond belief.

Ghost, his rattled brain supplied. While he was distracted, burning lines crisscrossed around his body and tightened – he was being wrapped in glowing gold chains, the old metal a familiar sting.

It wasn't the first time this had happened but he hadn't prepared for this kind of spiritual defence and Lan Xichen wasn't quite in the right mind, his brain and body still quite shaken up. He couldn't help but grunt in pain as the chains tightened, constricting his ribs even more and holding his arms to his sides. Suddenly, the door whipped open and he could do nothing to prevent himself pitching forward onto the ground. He heard shuffling from somewhere off to the side, a cruel giggle that sounded like rusted bells in the wind, and an exasperated voice saying something about 'damn immortals'. A pair of dark boots filled his field of vision and he found himself being hoisted up into muscled arms.

"Please don’t move," an oddly kind voice said into his ear. “I’d really prefer not to have to hurt you.”

"Wouldn't dream of it," Lan Xichen responded hoarsely, his mouth forming a small guileful smile despite the situation.

A different voice started speaking, this time attached to a face – tired grey eyes, long black hair pulled up into a messy half bun, plain black clothing on a tall, thin body. "I'd have thought your kind would be a bit more cautious."

Lan Xichen hoped his vision would stop swimming soon; it was difficult to figure out which of the two figures in front of him was the real one. "I was under the impression that you would be a bit more accommodating to someone who just wants to ask a few questions."

"You're more than welcome to ask away," the other man said. "I just like to have things under control is all."

Well then, that just wouldn't do at all now would it? Lan Xichen waited a few seconds longer for his body to settle and then let the monstrous part of himself take over; his fangs descended and he put all his energy into pushing against the chains and arms around him. It didn't take much to shatter the metal and reverse the position of him and his captor, steel-like grip around one arm while holding their head to the side so Lan Xichen had clear access to their throat. He opened his mouth and bit down, hot blood spurting onto his tongue and venom pulsing in, the other person's whole body convulsing as a small amount of yang was syphoned out.

Letting go to glare at the man from before, Lan Xichen snarled out his next words. "It was really stupid of you to think you could keep me down." The body in his arms started to go slack and Lan Xichen shook it like a rag doll. "What was it he said? I’d really prefer not to have to hurt you? Well, I won’t hesitate."

The tall man didn't look nearly as worried as he should have, Lan Xichen thought. Instead, he looked mildly amused. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't harm my son," he reprimanded in a lighter-than-warranted tone. "Tell me what you came here for and perhaps we can come to an accord."

"Where is he," Lan Xichen growled, the scent of blood pervading his nostrils. "What did you do with him."

Now the dark-haired man looked confused. "Where is who?"

"You know damn well who!"

"Seriously man, I've got no idea what you're talking about; it's just us here."

Lan Xichen could feel himself getting a little unhinged, the thought that maybe he was overreacting fresh in his mind; he tried to calm himself but was only partially successful. "He's – he's a friend, he's being hunted and I need – I need to find him."

Another tall man with dark hair walked up behind the man he’d been speaking to, this one in severely outdated, flowy white robes that seemed to rustle in an invisible wind. "I am sorry to say that there is no one here that is not supposed to be." The man’s cold, golden eyes seemed vaguely familiar, a long-forgotten memory from lifetimes ago. " Sizhui, stop playing dead and step back from our guest."

The body in Lan Xichen's grip, formerly just dead weight, promptly spun in his arms and smiled guiltily up at him, the boy’s – Sizhui’s – brown irises spreading until there were two of them in each eye, slitted pupils (four of them!) staring into Lan Xichen's soul. It wasn't until Sizhui was standing two feet away that Lan Xichen realized he couldn't move.

"Basilisk," he groaned. It was rare to find one outside of Europe or South America.

“Hello,” Sizhui responded good-naturedly with a small wave. He looked to be in his late teens but it was always hard to tell with unnaturals.

The first man who spoke made his way over to where Lan Xichen was frozen to stand next to Sizhui, his expression a mix of exasperation and frustration. “Seriously man, none of us have any idea what the hell you’re talking about.”

“Perhaps we could help you,” the man in white offered in his steady voice. “If your ‘friend’ is being hunted, our knowledge of hunters in the area could be of help.”

Lan Xichen didn’t know what to do; if these people had a basilisk – and some sort of ghost too – at their disposal, they were most likely not the kind of people to kill monsters like him, at least not outright or without good reason. Even the two apparent leaders had an air of something that made Lan Xichen’s teeth ache, especially the man in black. Then again, the first thing they’d done was capture him. He guessed he couldn’t really blame them for that one though. Lan Xichen took several deep breaths he really didn’t need to steady himself and directed his next words to the man with grey eyes.

“I think it’s the hunters who’ve been murdering inhumans all throughout the city the past few months.”

The man scowled, literal shadows briefly flickering around him. “We’ve been trying to find them but haven’t had much luck. We’ve been here peacefully for years, taking care of rowdy beasts and the like and shooing away new hunting groups but these guys are more experienced than those we’ve dealt with previously.” He ran his hand through his already unruly hair. “I mean, we can sure try to help but I don’t know how much we’ll be able to provide; I don’t want to get your hopes up, especially since I get the feeling that you’re the other party involved with keeping the city clean.”

The feeling of invisible bonds loosened from around Lan Xichen’s body and he found himself jerking a little bit to stabilize himself, eyeing the men in front of him warily. He brushed his hands down the front of his coat, standing up straight to look back at the basilisk.

“Thank you.”

Sizhui’s smile had never faltered, though his eyes had gone back to normal. “It’s alright, thank you for the new cool scars.”

Lan Xichen winced. “I may have...gotten a little carried away; I apologize.”

“It wasn’t the first time I’ve been bitten by something like you – your venom doesn’t exactly work on me but it’s not always a pleasant feeling to have your insides pulled outside, so I appreciate you keeping that to a minimum.”

The man in white walked closer. “What is your name?”

“Lan Xichen,” he responded hesitantly. “And yours?”

“Lan Wangji,” he replied, a flash of recognition in his expression. “I believe we have met before, a very long time ago.”

Lan Xichen wracked his brain for the memory that housed this name and face – ah! Sūzhōu, Northern Song dynasty! “You were a young boy then, as I recall.” He examined Lan Wangji’s face closer; his golden eyes were the only feature to betray his age, old and deep. “I see that you adopted a new name.”

The tips of Lan Wangji’s ears turned pink. “I had no use for the old one.”

Next to him, the man in black looked gleefully between them. “Lan Zhan! Did you take your surname from a vampire??”

“As I said, I had no use for the old one.” He cleared his throat. “Lan Xichen was a mentor to me. I did not know what he was.”

“It brings me joy to see that you are doing so well for yourself,” Lan Xichen responded with a soft laugh, “though I did not expect you to also be an immortal.”

Lan Wangi’s mouth twitched. “There were…developments, after you left.”

“Well, I’m Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan’s husband,” the man in black continued. “You’ve already met Sizhui and Xue Yang.”

That strange tinkling laugh was back, this time coming from behind Lan Xichen. When he turned, a young man with dark crimson eyes and black hair that rustled slightly like he was underwater was floating gently a foot off the ground, the very air around him seeming to shimmer. “Dì fù líng, specifically, but it doesn’t really matter; it’s all semantics anyway.”

“He likes to emphasize the chaos part,” Sizhui said humorously. “Don’t let him fool you with his innocent act.”

“Whatever do you mean? I’ve never done anything wrong in my entire life.”

If he hadn’t just been tangled in iron chains and then paralyzed by a mythical snake creature, Lan Xichen might have felt like he was completely welcomed, embraced even, by this weird little group. “It’s, uh, wonderful to meet you all. I appreciate you not trying to kill me. Well, not trying very hard, at least.”

Wei Wuxian huffed out a laugh. “You’d be dead if we wanted you do be.”

Lan Xichen graciously didn’t bother disputing that claim, despite it truthfully being completely baseless and false; he’d lived as long as he had for a reason.

“We do not make it a habit of killing when we do not have to,” Lan Wangji said. “It is a waste of resources and most of the time the beings we hunt are not actually a threat to anyone; people are just scared of things they cannot understand.”

“That’s been my experience as well.” Lan Xichen agreed.

Sizhui rocked back and forth on his heels. “So what’s the plan? We helping or what?”

“Well, we should probably start by comparing notes, and then we can move from there. I’ll give Xiao Xingchen a call and have him come in early to assist.” He looked at Lan Xichen. “When’s the last time you saw your friend?”

It was heartache this time that pulsed in Lan Xichen’s chest. “He was – he was staying with me a few weeks ago, and then he...left. Early in the morning, without saying anything.” He cleared his throat and looked away. “He used to like running up in the north hills but if he’s being chased, he’s been extra careful to leave as little evidence of his movements as possible, or someone’s been cleaning up after him. I haven’t been able to find any hint of him in the city proper either, so I don’t think he’s been able to get back, if he ran north.”

Wei Wuxian hummed thoughtfully. “We might not have a lot but hopefully with our combined efforts we can figure something out.” He came forward and stuck out his hand. “It’ll be good to work with someone new. Just know that if you make any moves to harm my people, I will personally end your most likely long-ass life.”

“I appreciate your offer.” Lan Xichen shook the offered hand. “And despite appearances, I don’t have any plans to hurt anybody but the hunters out for my friend.”

Lan Wangji put his hand out as well; he had a warm, firm handshake and a calm voice that put Lan Xichen at ease. “What is your friend’s name?”

Lan Xichen swallowed heavily, more feelings of guilt and regret swirling within, as the image of Jiang Cheng’s laughing face came to mind – the crinkling at the corners of his eyes, the loud and boisterous way he cackled, the little crooked smile he’d give Lan Xichen when he thought the vampire wasn’t looking after they were both done laughing. Lan Xichen missed him, plain and simple; he wanted him back, safe and unharmed.

“Jiang Cheng. His name is Jiang Cheng.”

................................

If Jiang Cheng believed in luck or fate or any of those silly notions, he might have assigned one of them to the events that led him to where he was right then, but because he was who he was and didn’t believe in any of that shit, he could only blame sheer coincidence. How else could he have successfully lost the hunters following him and found himself inside of Lan Xichen’s apartment building? Maybe they were just as tired as he was.

Because holy shit was he tired; weeks of running would do that to anyone, supernatural or not. He was cold and exhausted and hungry enough to eat practically anything, though all he really wanted was a hot shower and access to that ridiculously comfy couch in Lan Xichen’s living room. He was also, unfortunately, stark naked and in the staring match of the century with the woman who tried to get in the elevator with him on the second floor.

He’d managed to get into the lobby just fine in his wolf form – it really wasn’t as hard as it should have been – security needed a big upgrade – but was much too large to fit comfortably in the elevator, so he’d shifted back into a human for the long ride up to the top floor. It wasn’t his fault that this poor woman just needed to get downstairs, and it surely wasn’t hers either. Jiang Cheng knew he must have looked terrible and probably a bit frightening; he was naked, filthy, bloody, and felt more than a little feral from how long he’d been an animal.

“I’ll just, uh, take the stairs then,” she squeaked, cheeks pink and refusing to look anywhere but at the empty space just to the side of Jiang Cheng’s face.

Jiang Cheng attempted a smile and gave her a little wave as the doors closed.

The door to Lan Xichen’s apartment was locked as usual and Jiang Cheng felt a rush of regret at having lost the key that the vampire had entrusted to him. There was also the fear that maybe Lan Xichen wouldn’t want to see him, not after what he’d done. And honestly? Jiang Cheng couldn’t blame the guy; it was pretty shitty of him to just up and leave like he did, then not contact him even once except to send a cryptic text about being in danger. If it had been the other way around, Jiang Cheng would have been rightfully upset as well.

He’d finally settled on knocking when the door abruptly opened, a very ruffled looking Lan Xichen staring at him from inside the apartment. A rapid litany of emotions crossed the older man’s face – disbelief-guilt-worry-hurt – but he didn’t say anything, just stared at Jiang Cheng like he might up and disappear again at any moment. Jiang Cheng squirmed under the attention, more aware than ever of his current state of undress and injury, feeling shame for the first time since they’d met.

He unconsciously crossed an arm over his chest to hide the worst of the gunshot wounds and his other hand moved to cover his groin, folding himself tighter into his own body. He couldn’t look Lan Xichen in the eyes, not with how intensely the other man was staring. Jiang Cheng cleared his throat and tried to give a little laugh, though it came out more like a sniffle.

“Hi.”

And then there were arms being wrapped around him, his head tucked snugly into a warm chest. The familiar and soothing scent of Lan Xichen pervaded his nose and filled him with something inexplicable, something wholly unique and terrifying that he couldn’t put an accurate name to. Jiang Cheng found himself starting to shiver as the embrace became stronger, the trembling spreading from his fingers and toes to his arms and legs, then to his chest and belly. It almost felt like his internal organs were vibrating, his lungs not quite able to catch up to how many breaths he needed to take to deal with it all.

Slowly, afraid he might break the tension that was holding everything together, Jiang Cheng allowed himself to wrap his arms around Lan Xichen too.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” the vampire rasped; the fingers cradling Jiang Cheng’s head shook almost imperceptibly.

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and breathed in Lan Xichen’s warmth. “Don’t you know by now that I always find myself back here when things go to hell?”

Chuckling, Lan Xichen loosened his grip so he could pull back and look at Jiang Cheng’s face and oh, Jiang Cheng had missed that laugh.

“You really do, don’t you?” The gentle smile that Lan Xichen had on his face fell, his eyebrows pinching together in concern. “Come on, let’s get you inside so I can take a look at those injuries and you can get cleaned up.”

The inside of Lan Xichen’s apartment looked exactly as it had when Jiang Cheng left three weeks ago, everything in its correct place. The only difference was Lan Xichen himself, his hair messy and unwashed, clothes rumpled like he’d been wearing them for a while without changing. Still, it was warm and bright; it was home. Without the other man holding up almost all his weight, Jiang Cheng knew he would have collapsed on the floor already.

Once in the bathroom, Lan Xichen wrapped one of his plush towels around Jiang Cheng’s waist and lifted him easily onto the wide counter. His eyes were serious as he went about his examination, hands careful and steady when he began cleaning the collection of entry and exit wounds, his focus single-minded even when dealing with the injuries on Jiang Cheng’s upper thighs. He had to dig quite a few embedded bullets out but even in this he was gentle. Jiang Cheng waited and waited for angry words and admonishments but none ever came.

“What happened?” He eventually asked instead.

Jiang Cheng wasn’t quite sure where to begin; did he say why he snuck out, or did he get right to the part where he was being chased? “Hunters,” he decided on after a few seconds of consideration. “Kept on my trail like I wasn’t even trying to avoid them. They never got close enough for me to see them but they sure did have plenty of opportunities to shoot me.”

Lan Xichen frowned but didn’t respond.

“It’s almost like you have experience doing this kind of stuff,” Jiang Cheng forced out through gritted teeth when a particularly deep bullet one was removed, hopeful that they could avoid talking about his whole ordeal soon; he’d come back, hadn’t he? He was done thinking about his mistakes.

With a snort, Lan Xichen dropped the bullet into the sink. “It’s definitely not the first time I’ve done this.” Finishing up with a wound on Jiang Cheng’s bicep, he continued, eyes never straying from his work. “I’ve been a doctor or surgeon at least a dozen times in my life.” He ran a wet cloth over the last of the entrance wounds to clear the blood. “That seems to have done it.”

Jiang Cheng looked down at himself; to his surprise, now that the bullets were gone, the wounds they’d left behind were beginning to very slowly close up.

“Hmmm...” Lan Xichen observed curiously, his clinical gaze sharp. He picked up one of the discarded bullets and took a long sniff. His nose scrunched up immediately. “Peach wood.” The chunk of metal was tossed back. “No wonder you weren’t healing. Now that most of it’s gone from your body, things should react normally.”

“That’s good to know.”

Lan Xichen stood up straight. “Now – time for you to take a shower. I’ll grab some of your clothes and then we can get you bandaged up.”

“Aye aye, captain.” Jiang Cheng slowly lowered himself down from the counter and wandered over to the large shower.

“Oh, and Jiang Cheng?”

When he turned towards the doorway, Lan Xichen was looking at him strangely. “Yeah?”

The vampire looked at him with a burning intensity for several long seconds. “I’m-” He paused, interrupting himself with a frown. A few moments later, he schooled his expression and tried again. “Please try not to pass out in my shower.”

Jiang Cheng stared at the back of the door for several long seconds after it closed, thoughts whirling; what had Lan Xichen really wanted to say to him? What was behind that weird look he’d had? Everything that night had gone so fast already that Jiang Cheng wasn’t quite sure what to think. He forced himself to look away and turn the shower on – he could think about these things after he’d washed all the blood and dirt away.

At first he scoffed at Lan Xichen’s request – he wasn’t going to pass out, he wasn’t that weak – but after only a few minutes, Jiang Cheng felt himself starting to doze off while standing up, the events of the past few weeks catching up to him in waves. He eventually decided to just cut his shower short; it was probably a better idea to get patched up before he caused any more damage by falling, preferably somewhere warm and surrounded in soft blankets. Well, Jiang Cheng figured he could sleep just about anywhere at that point but why not take advantage of his current circumstances?

He managed to get a fresh towel around himself before Lan Xichen returned with clean clothes. The sight of the older man standing in the doorway to the bathroom holding the clothes and a small lopsided smile gracing his face sparked a growing fire deep in Jiang Cheng’s bones, that oh so familiar pull in his gut nestled right back where it had been since the two of them met.

Lan Xichen stepped further into the room and took a closer look at the bullet holes in Jiang Cheng’s flesh. “I was hoping these would start healing a little faster but it looks like the peach wood remaining in your system is still affecting you for now.” He set the clothes down onto the lid of the toilet. “Let’s get the worst of them wrapped up so you at least don’t bleed on the sheets, shall we?”

“Okay.”

Any words that Jiang Cheng wanted to say kept getting caught in his throat; how he felt like he would ignite at any moment when Lan Xichen’s hands touched his bare skin; how the sound of Lan Xichen’s soft words of apology when he wrapped a bandage too tight vibrated in his own chest; how the very thought of sharing space again sent bolts of electricity up and down his spine. It took Lan Xichen ten minutes to completely wrap up all of the wounds and in those ten minutes, Jiang Cheng could barely breathe.

When Lan Xichen moved away after finishing up, Jiang Cheng watched him wash his hands, the sink now filled with pink water as his own blood flowed down the drain.

“Thank you,” he mumbled, eyes barely able to stay open. “It must be hard to clean up so much blood. You know, with all the smells and stuff.” Slowly, his muscles protesting the whole way, Jiang Cheng managed to get the clean clothes on. “You ever get, I dunno...hungry?”

Lan Xichen looked exasperated at that comment – exasperated, but fond. “I’d never harm you; you know that right?”

Jiang Cheng flushed and dropped his gaze from Lan Xichen’s eyes to his chest. “Sorry, I know, I’m just-”

“It’s alright Jiang Cheng, I get it.” The vampire smiled again, that soft one that crinkled the corners of his eyes just so. “Now come on, let’s get you to bed.”

There was no room for argument in that tone but really; where else was there to go at that point?

With heavy steps, Jiang Cheng followed Lan Xichen out of the bathroom, his eyes zeroing in on the welcoming sight of the big couch in the living room – there was no way Lan Xichen would want him in his bed after the stunt he’d pulled – but when he tried to continue walking, a warm hand took his and stopped him. Jiang Cheng didn’t dare to turn around. If he was being honest with himself – which he didn’t have a good track record of in cases such as these – he knew that it was because he was scared, scared of what he might see when he looked at the man behind him. It was the same fear that had caused him to run away in the first place.

“Jiang Cheng.” Lan Xichen’s voice was low, barely a whisper but echoing inside Jiang Cheng’s head like a shout.

In lieu of responding, Jiang Cheng held his breath, heart sore from pounding so fast for so long.

Lan Xichen tried again, this time his words a little louder but no less intense. “Jiang Cheng, please.”

“I-”

“Come back to bed with me.”

And oh, oh, how was he supposed to ignore that? How was Jiang Cheng supposed to explain away that tone, the one that could only be described as wanting? He could do nothing – was never really able to do anything – to resist the pull.

He was done running.

Jiang Cheng emptied his lungs in a long exhale before turning to look at the other man; Lan Xichen’s face was nothing but pleading, a tiny spark of hope just barely visible. “Okay.”

The bed was just as big and wonderfully plush as before, welcoming him back with its thick blankets and expensive sheets. Lan Xichen guided him towards it and they both slid under the covers in a mirror image of the last time. Only now, instead of that unspoken resolution to stay apart, Jiang Cheng found himself tucked once more against Lan Xichen’s chest, face nestled into the other man’s collarbones. They fit together as if they were always meant to. And maybe they had; maybe this was exactly where they were supposed to end up. Jiang Cheng dared not say anything in case he ruined it all again.

“You had me so worried,” Lan Xichen murmured to fill the silence instead. He sounded both content and wary, his words rumbling through his throat.

The guilt was back in Jiang Cheng’s chest. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled into the hollow of Lan Xichen’s neck; the older man shivered at the barely-there touch of lips against skin. “I just – I couldn’t-”

Lan Xichen’s arms tightened around him. “No, you don’t have to explain it to me. You came back and that – that’s all that matters to me, alright? That you’re ok and you’re here.” Jiang Cheng shivered at the feeling behind those words. “You’re here.”

He was there; safe and clean and cared for more than he deserved, more than he’d ever thought he could be. Jiang Cheng held on tightly to the front of Lan Xichen’s shirt and pulled himself somehow closer as wave after wave of longing crashed over him. He never wanted to be anywhere else.

No, he wasn’t going anywhere, not anymore.

Chapter Text

Mornings had never been Lan Xichen’s favorite; he preferred the shadowed secrecy of night and the peacefulness that it brought. He liked the chilled air, the sight of a starry night, the way the world felt all the more open to him in the hours before dawn. Yeah, sunrises were beautiful and all but the full moon in a perfectly clear sky? Lan Xichen would pick that over morning fog and grouchy pedestrians any day.

But if he could wake up every day like this…

Well, then mornings would be his new favorite time of day.

Jiang Cheng had shifted in his sleep so that he now lay on his side with his head on Lan Xichen’s chest, one arm slung over the older man’s belly and their legs partially tangled. The shirt Jiang Cheng wore was rucked up his stomach and showing off enough skin and lean muscle to make Lan Xichen shiver with want and every time Jiang Cheng took a breath, his exhale would brush warm air over Lan Xichen’s throat. He couldn’t help but run his fingers gently through the younger man’s hair. The something in his chest grew roots around his heart.

It was late in the morning, if the light streaming through the bedroom curtains was anything to go by. Lan Xichen had been awake for several hours at that point but he didn’t have it in himself to wake Jiang Cheng up – he deserved the sleep. Besides, he figured it was ok to be a little selfish for once and enjoy the peace while it lasted. He would be content to lay in bed all day, wrapped up together with Jiang Cheng, if only life would allow it.

He would have to wake Jiang Cheng up eventually though; they needed to go back to Wei Wuxian and the others to work on a plan to stop the hunters responsible for the murders – and for harming Jiang Cheng. Lan Xichen knew that they would be able to help keep the shifter safe and that they would all be able to solve the crimes if they just put their heads together. He was, for once, excited to work with other people, especially those who were either inhuman themselves or invested in keeping them safe.

At some point Lan Xichen would have to contact the professor too; Dr. Jin would definitely be able to aid their search for justice, his knowledge of the occult invaluable in a case like this. Lan Xichen also wanted his friend’s presence, someone else who held a deeper understanding of things to get involved and be by his side. It would be good to finally introduce him to Jiang Cheng too, now that things were getting more dire; they could use all the help they could get.

A small grumble knocked Lan Xichen out of his thoughts. He removed his hand from Jiang Cheng’s hair and put it on his shoulder instead.

“Good morning, sleepy head.”

Jiang Cheng groaned as he turned his face into Lan Xichen’s shirt. “No.”

Lan Xichen chuckled lightly and wrapped his free arm more around the other man. “Yes.”

The body in his arms suddenly stiffened, the realization of where he’d ended up seeming to register with Jiang Cheng. It didn’t take long though for him to relax once more into the hold. After a few minutes of silence, he hesitatingly turned himself enough so that he was essentially on top of Lan Xichen, grabbing the vampire’s arm to hold around himself even more. He started to fiddle with Lan Xichen’s long fingers, a light flush spreading up his neck.

“Can’t we stay here a little longer?” he asked quietly.

With an amused huff, Lan Xichen let himself briefly imagine spending the whole day in bed; it sounded...wonderful, soaking in the muted rays of sun spilling into the room, exploring the new and boundless understanding between them. But they had things to do. “I promise next time we will but I wanted to introduce you to some people today.”

Jiang Cheng didn’t mention the reference to a next time and it planted a seed of anticipation in Lan Xichen’s chest. “Fine. What time is it anyway?” The shifter asked.

“Judging by the sun, probably nearing noon.”

The shifter let out another groan. “Ugh. I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

“You definitely need it; those dark circles are not a good look on you,” Lan Xichen teased, fully accepting the sharp jab to his waist he received in retaliation. “How are your injuries?”

Jiang Cheng stretched his limbs while remaining in Lan Xichen’s embrace. “I feel stiff all over but everything doesn’t burn anymore, so that’s a good sign.”

“Mn, that’s good. I’ll take another look at them when you eventually set me free.” To illustrate his point, Lan Xichen wiggled the shoulder where it was partially trapped beneath Jiang Cheng; it was, in fact, starting to go a little numb.

“Pfft, you’re the one trapping me with your stupid superior vampire strength, oh great lord of the night.” Jiang Cheng tugged on that same arm – the one he was holding to his own chest to entwine their hands together – but not nearly enough to dislodge himself. “Who’re these people you want me to meet?”

“They’re a group of hunters-”

“Excuse me??”

“-who specialize in keeping the peace, in finding those who would do or have done harm. Most of them are inhumans themselves. I think you’ll like them, actually.”

Jiang Cheng gave him a disbelieving glare. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Despite saying they needed to get up, Lan Xichen stayed put for a few minutes longer; it was nice to just exist without worries, to enjoy the company of someone he cared for and think about nothing other than the way Jiang Cheng’s hand felt in his or the heat of their bodies pressed together. Reality could wait for a little while longer.

Jiang Cheng was the first to get up, his movements slow as he slid out of bed. Lan Xichen soon followed and they both went into the bathroom together. There had long since been a toothbrush and other such toiletries purchased and left there for Jiang Cheng – little reminders of Jiang Cheng’s presence were scattered around the whole apartment, not just here, evidence that he had and was allowed to take up space in Lan Xichen’s life in a manner not allowed to other people – so they stood in front of the mirror and brushed their teeth as if they did it like this every morning. It was, by all accounts, the most domestic Lan Xichen had felt in a very, very long time.

He could get used to it.

“Quit staring,” Jiang Cheng admonished, though there was a faint tinge of pink to his cheeks that belied his outward grumpiness.

Lan Xichen only hummed in response, a sly grin reflecting back in the mirror.

They got dressed separately after that, effortlessly moving around each other to pick out clothes and give each other privacy to change. Almost all of the pieces Jiang Cheng ended up wearing were selected from the small collection meant just for him but Lan Xichen was pleased almost to the point of being smug to see that the younger man was also wearing that one particular over-sized sweater again – apparently it was a favorite. The roots around his heart dug deeper.

It was Jiang Cheng who made breakfast this time; he turned the coffee pot on and steamed a large batch of bāozi. They enjoyed it mostly in silence, Lan Xichen filling some of the quiet with what he knew about Wei Wuxian’s group – who his people were, the kinds of things they dealt with, what they were like. Jiang Cheng asked a few questions but spent most of his time eating and watching Lan Xichen speak.

Lan Xichen felt like he was being laid open by that stare, like the other man could see everything he’d been holding back. But Jiang Cheng was not afraid, had never been afraid, and all Lan Xichen knew was that he would gladly let the yāo take him apart piece by bloody piece if it meant that he would never take his eyes of him. A disturbing thought, yes, but if the truth was ever anything, it was messy.

They quickly packed some clothes and supplies in anticipation of hiding out with the other crew for a while. On the way down to the underground garage where Lan Xichen’s car was parked, they stayed close together; with sparse inches between them, Lan Xichen could feel the heat from Jiang Cheng's body and his brain kept telling him to take his hand take his hand take his hand – but not once did they touch, despite having been wrapped up in each other’s arms not long ago. Even during the drive to Wei Wuxian’s warehouse, Jiang Cheng's arm rested on the middle console, tempting in its brazen placement. It was almost nice though, the easy yet charged air, and how Jiang Cheng kept sneaking glances at him the whole way; to be wanted – now that was a feeling he would never tire of.

Wei Wuxian was at the door as soon as the two of them pulled up, quickly ushering them inside. The warehouse was well lit this time and Lan Xichen finally got a good look at it: wide, open spaces with a corner devoted to a huge collection of computer equipment, a sizable gym setup against another wall, and an armory that would make even the most professional of hunters jealous. Lan Xichen was surprised to see weapons from centuries passed, like the bows that he used during his earlier years and even long swords like his beloved Shuòyuè. It made sense, being that hunters needed different weapons for different monsters.

“You must be Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian said, addressing the yāo once the front door was shut and locked.

Jiang Cheng regarded the other man with a critical eye. “That’s me. And you’re Wei Wuxian.”

“Correct. And this-” his partner came walking over from the computers, head held high. “-is Lan Wangji.”

Lan Wangji bowed his head in silent greeting, his hands held behind his back. “We should introduce the others.”

He led them over to the gym area where Sizhui was stretching, his skin covered in sweat and a light dusting of pale red scales. He stopped what he was doing when they walked up.

With pride, Wei Wuxian held his hand out to help the boy up. “Sizhui, this is Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng, this is Sizhui, our son.”

The teen in question smiled at Jiang Cheng. “I’ve never met a lángyāo before,” he said with soft excitement. “It’s great to meet you.”

Lan Xichen could tell that Jiang Cheng was still tense, though the presence of another inhuman seemed to calm his nerves a little. “Likewise.”

“Eh, he’s nothing special.”

There was a swoosh of cold air and then suddenly the semi-transparent form of Xue Yang was floating in front of them resting his chin on his arms on top of Sizhui’s head; he looked immensely pleased with himself.

“What the fuck...” Jiang Cheng said under his breath so that only Lan Xichen could hear him.

Sizhui shrugged his shoulders. “This is Xue Yang.”

“I’m very dead, as you can probably tell.” Xue Yang said with a grin a little too manic to be particularly healthy.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough,” Wei Wuxian admonished. “We’ve still got a couple others to meet.”

They quickly made their rounds and were introduced to the rest of the crew. Lan Xichen had yet to meet them in person as well, so it was a welcome experience. Over by the computers, a white-eyed man named Xiao Xingchen waved sightlessly at them (he’s a boring ol’ human, Xue Yang had informed them with a strange expression on his face) and a young man who said his name was Wen Ning spoke to them quietly in a voice that sometimes sounded like a thousand people were talking at once. Over in the armory, a stern-looking woman with red and gold feathers in her hair and piercing blue eyes introduced herself as Wen Qing, older sister of Wen Ning.

It was a small crew but Lan Xichen already liked them and could tell that they all cared for each other deeply, something that he admired – and was, admittedly, vaguely jealous of. If they were as competent as they seemed, he was confident that they could both help keep Jiang Cheng safe and be of great assistance in dealing justice upon the hunters responsible for the recent murders. And judging by the way Jiang Cheng relaxed more and more with every person they met, he was also willing to give them a try. They would have to discuss it in more detail in private later but Lan Xichen was ready to get started.

“That about wraps it up, I think,” Wei Wuxian announced while gesturing for the group to move over to a large table near the computers. “Unfortunately, Song Lan is out on assignment right now but he should be back later tonight. He’s the best at recon, so he’s been scouting.”

Xue Yang stuck his tongue out. “He’s only the best because he’s literally made of shadow,” he complained. “I’d be better!”

“You’d have to get unattached from Xiao Xingchen first, and he barely leaves the warehouse without Song Lan.” Sizhui’s face said that this was an old argument. “And I don’t think Song Lan would be happy if Xingchen was put into needless danger.”

“It’s not my fault I got stuck haunting him!”

When Lan Xichen looked over at Xiao Xingchen, he was smiling like this was a common occurrence.

“Aya!” Wei Wuxian clapped his hands together. “Could we please save this for another time? We have guests.”

Sizhui looked appropriately guilty, though he still stuck his forked tongue out at a scowling Xue Yang when neither Wei Wuxian nor Lan Wangji were looking.

Once everyone was seated, Wei Wuxian ran his fingers through his messy hair and sighed heavily. Whisps of black smoke spread from between them, dissipating into the warehouse air. “Alright, let’s get to it; it’s time to catch us some killers.”

................................

Jiang Cheng was, for lack of a better term, fucking exhausted. Again. It felt like he hadn't slept at all despite having the best sleep of his life the night before – being wrapped up in the arms of a ridiculously good looking and warm-blooded vampire will do that to a person. He'd felt alright during the day but the longer it dragged on, the more tired he became. Don't get him wrong, he was happy that it felt like they were finally getting somewhere with the whole being hunted down by crazy people thing, it was just that being around so many people for so long drained him.

Despite this, he actually really liked them; Jiang Cheng was kind of a recluse by nature and usually gruffer than the average person wanted to deal with, yet these people all seemed alright. None of his hackles were raised.

They'd given Lan Xichen and him a room down the hall next to Wei Wuxian's office where they could stay. It had a table with two chairs, a TV, and a fold out couch bed that was barely a queen. Even though the two of them had quite literally spent the night before tangled up together, the thought of sharing this bed gave Jiang Cheng pleasant goosebumps.

Lan Xichen had convinced the others that his professor friend would be a great asset in their search and Wei Wuxian had agreed to him coming in to talk. Apparently this Dr. Jin was an expert in all things weird and Lan Xichen trusted him, even so much as to reveal his true identity. Jiang Cheng was always skeptical of new people but if Lan Xichen said he was credible, then who was he to argue? The professor would be there later in the evening, after classes, so Jiang Cheng took the opportunity to have a little nap; he didn’t bother pulling the bed out and fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the couch.

A gentle hand to his shoulder woke Jiang Cheng up – Lan Xichen stood next to where he’d been sleeping, a subtle fondness in his eyes.

“Sorry to wake you but Jin Guangyao will be here shortly,” the vampire explained as he pulled his hand away.

Jiang Cheng rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes and sat up. “Wei Wuxian come up with any other ideas on why I wasn’t healing from those bullets even after you took them out?”

“No,” Lan Xichen replied with a sigh. “He and Xiao Xingchen examined the pieces we brought in some more and they both concluded what we had already discovered – that they were laced with peach wood, though that doesn’t completely rule out anything else being present as well. Even Xiao Xingchen admitted that they weren’t aware of every substance or method of harming inhuman creatures.”

“Well that’s reassuring.”

The two of them left the room and made their way towards the main area, Lan Xichen chuckling lightly as they walked. “Could be worse – at least we know how to deal with peach wood.”

Jiang Cheng yawned. “Mn.”

Back at the large meeting table, everyone else was already seated. Well, except Xue Yang, who apparently felt the need to float on his back directly over the middle of the table. The others were listening to Wei Wuxian as he lectured about security improvements and how they were going to deal with the possibility that the other hunters they were after would find their way to the warehouse. Lan Wangji looked over and nodded as Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen approached. Two seconds later there was a light knock at the door.

Wei Wuxian furrowed his brow and glared at the door. “Xue Yang.”

“On it.” The ghost disappeared with a soft pop! and was only gone about ten seconds before reappearing next to Lan Wangji. “It’s some guy with an ugly tan jacket. That your doc, Lan Xichen?”

When Jiang Cheng looked over, Lan Xichen was smiling. “Yes, that’ll be Dr. Jin. Shall I let him in?”

Across the table, Wen Ning stood up and started walking away. “Come on Xue Yang, we’re on guard duty.”

Xue Yang floated over and saluted backwards at the rest of them.

“Guard duty?” Lan Xichen questioned.

“You may trust this guy but we don’t and I like keeping all my bases covered.” Jiang Cheng watched as Wei Wuxian surreptitiously adjusted the belt at his hip, a strange black flute tucked in the waistband; glancing at Lan Xichen, the older man also seemed to see him looking, his eyes squinting almost unnoticeably. “As long as your professor doesn’t do anything funny, everything will be fine.”

Jiang Cheng found this to be completely reasonable – even if Lan Xichen had all the faith in the world that Jin Guangyao was a curious scholar and nothing more, this wasn’t his home and there were other things at risk. One look at Lan Xichen told him that even the vampire was at least mostly in agreement.

“I will be at my station,” Xiao Xingchen said in a calm voice. “Call me if you need me.”

Sizhui stood up too but started walking to the door instead of following the other man. “I’ll let the professor in.”

The following half hour went by in a bit of a blur; Jiang Cheng spent most of it a little lost as Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Lan Xichen, and Dr. Jin compared notes. His only companion was Sizhui, who looked just as confused and kept making weird faces that made Jiang Cheng have to hold in laughter. At some point, Lan Wangji brought up their mission of finding the hunters responsible for the recent murders and the professor seemed to perk up, saying something about paying extra attention to the news reports to try and help Lan Xichen.

“I was unable to find anything useful in the end,” he said, “but I am glad that Mr. Lan has found you so that things may be cleared up.” Jiang Cheng startled when the old man’s eyes found his briefly before looking at Lan Xichen with a knowing smirk. “I am also glad that he was able to be reunited with Mr. Jiang here – he was quite out of sorts for a few weeks there.”

Jiang Cheng stared at the side of Lan Xichen’s face but the other man refused to look at him; there was the faintest pink tinge to the tips of his ears.

Dr. Jin spoke again, startling Jiang Cheng out of his observations. “Ah, speaking of – may I take a look at your injuries, Mr. Jiang?”

“Uh, yeah? Sure.” Never one to be shy, Jiang Cheng grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, the bulk of his wounds collected on and around his torso. He didn’t feel self-conscious while Dr. Jin came closer and paced around him, examining him carefully, but he did feel a flush of his own on the back of his neck at the feeling of Lan Xichen watching. “See anything interesting, doc?”

With a small chuckle, the professor pulled Jiang Cheng’s arm out to get a closer look at the puckered skin where one of the bullets had needed to be dug out the night before. “Oh, I consider everything about you interesting!” At this, Jiang Cheng felt a little queasy but he wasn’t sure why, whether it was from the professor’s words or something else. “But regarding your wounds, I don’t know enough to make any claims. As it is, many of my former assumptions about lángyāo have already been refuted by your jiāngshī friend.” He smoothed his thumb over the fresh scar almost reverently, Jiang Cheng’s skin burning a little at the contact. “It’s true that these did not start healing until the trapped bullets were removed?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Cheng confirmed. “I spent far too many days covered in my own blood for me not to notice that when Lan Xichen pulled them out, they started getting better. Way too slowly, but better.”

The professor hummed and dropped Jiang Cheng’s arm before standing up straight and addressing Lan Xichen. “What was so special about them then?”

“They were tainted with peach wood though,” Lan Xichen explained.

The professor tapped his chin thoughtfully. “As dangerous to our friend here as it was to Hòu Yì.”

Jiang Cheng didn’t like the way Jin Guangyao looked at Lan Xichen – he couldn’t put his finger on why exactly but he just had a gut feeling, his instincts telling him that those eyes were too angry, too hungry or disgusted or something. Nothing had tipped him off to anything dangerous, so why was he thinking any of this? Lan Xichen was clearly close with him, and Xue Yang and Wen Ning hadn’t come out yet, so things should have been totally fine. So, like he sometimes did, Jiang Cheng blamed those feelings on his exhaustion and moved on to other things. Other things such as a new, weird scent coming from somewhere nearby.

It was subtle, barely enough for even his heightened senses to pick up, like ozone and wet dirt. He couldn’t quite place either the scent itself nor where exactly it was coming from; none of Wei Wuxian’s crew had smelled like that earlier, and Lan Xichen sure as hell didn’t smell like rain, so it had to be the professor.

Whatever the case, Jiang Cheng was quite done with being examined; he was even more tired than before, his eyes drooping and limbs feeling heavy. Dr. Jin was finished so he could go take another nap, right? Maybe he could convince Lan Xichen to join him too. That would be nice.

“-eng. Jiang Cheng.”

“Mn?” Jiang Cheng tried to open his eyes wider and focus on Lan Xichen but couldn’t quite get it right. “What’s up?” His words sounded slurred even to himself; he took back his earlier conclusion that everything was fine.

Lan Xichen placed a warm hand on his shoulder and Jiang Cheng leaned into it, suddenly feeling a heavy wave of vertigo. “Jiang Cheng, are you feeling well? Do you need to go lay down?”

It took all of Jiang Cheng’s energy to lift his head and lock eyes with the other man. “I don’t...feel right.”

“Are you sure you got all of the tainted metal out of him?” Dr. Jin asked as he leaned in closer, placing his own fingers at Jiang Cheng’s neck like he was checking for a pulse. His skin was damp.

The scent became even stronger and it became clear, even to Jiang Cheng’s foggy brain, that the professor really was the source. Jiang Cheng tried to move away but only ended up slipping a little off his chair, Lan Xichen quickly grabbing his arm to hold him steady. Moaning low in his throat in a way that was almost like a growl, Jiang Cheng turned his gaze onto Jin Guangyao; the old man’s eyes were filled with an arrogance bordering on righteousness and Jiang Cheng knew he had to get away.

Lan Xichen was still addressing his friend. “I’m sure – I couldn’t smell anything else on him and I was careful to inspect each of his wounds.”

“Maybe you are mistaken?” The professor replied, moving even closer. “He still has some sort of odor about him.”

Jiang Cheng heard Lan Xichen take a deep breath and then the exact moment when the vampire smelled it, that strange aroma that made the his head swim. A split second after that, Lan Xichen was being aggressively pulled away and the cold, wey sharpness of a knife was pressed into Jiang Cheng’s neck as he was yanked up and away by a deceptively strong Jin Guangyao. The scent became incredibly strong, the blade and the old man’s hands utterly reeking of what could now only be described as the earth after a thunderstorm. Lan Xichen had been distracted just enough to allow the professor to gain the upper hand.

“Get off him!” Came Wei Wuxian’s voice from somewhere off to the side – Jiang Cheng was having trouble identifying up from down at that point.

There was the sound of shuffling from the same direction and the knife at his throat dug in a little more. “Ah ah ah,” Jin Guangyao chided with a voice dripping in self-satisfaction as he maneuvered Jiang Cheng away from the others. “If you come any closer, I am afraid that I do not know what I will do to your precious dog here.”

“How dare you.”

Jiang Cheng had never heard Lan Xichen use that tone of voice before; it was cold and venomous and just on this side of manic. Something in it screamed I will hurt you and despite the way he felt like passing out from the dizziness, Jiang Cheng felt the hair raise all over his skin – so this was where the terrifying hēi yóuxiá was hiding, dreadful and lethal as he was said to be, completely opposite from the gentle man he knew. All of the fear he should have felt though, all the terror a normal person should feel, was lost among the intense trust that Jiang Cheng had in Lan Xichen.

The professor made no moves to let Jiang Cheng go, simply laughing at Lan Xichen’s accusation. “How dare I? Why Xichen, you really have no one else to blame but yourself; how else was I to infiltrate this lovely place without acquiring your utmost trust?” Jiang Cheng felt sick to his stomach, in more ways than one. “Honestly, I’ve been right here all along – you had ample opportunity to find me out but you could not. And now – ha! – now I have your ‘friend’ and I think we will be going. I wanted the jiāngshī and these other so called ‘hunters’ but I think a wolf will do for now.”

The sound of multiple guns and blades being drawn reached Jiang Cheng’s ears through the fog that was starting to envelope his entire world. But Dr. Jin had come prepared – the knife at Jiang Cheng’s throat dug in a little more, this new strange poison stinging his nostrils and rendering him useless. If he was in his right mind, he might have exploded in violent fury.

“Do not try anything stupid or I will end this filth’s life in an instant.”

Ever the stubborn bastard, Lan Xichen still stepped forward into Jiang Cheng’s limited and very blurry point of view, a long white blade now held tightly in his hand. “Let. Him. Go.”

“And why should I do that?” Jin Guangyao adjusted his hold on Jiang Cheng with little effort.

Lan Xichen’s voice was acidic. “You said you wanted the vampire – well, here I am; let him go and take me.”

Dr. Jin laughed loudly, the knife twitching dangerously at Jiang Cheng’s throat; Lan Xichen’s eyes flashed as a small bead of blood dripped down Jiang Cheng’s neck. “Ah, but I will always have the chance to kill you another time – I am not going to pass on this particular opportunity now that it has presented itself.”

And then everything fell apart.

One second Jiang Cheng was being held at poisoned knife point and the next he was falling to the ground like a rag doll, the blurry form of Lan Xichen rushing by him. He could feel the frigid touch of Xue Yang as he fruitlessly attempted to hold him up – he must have been the one to distract Dr. Jin enough so that he dropped Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen could use his superhuman speed to catch him off guard. He felt warm hands brush against his cheek for a split second before they were gone.

About fifty feet away, Jin Guangyao backed up towards the front door with a gun now pointed in their direction, knife forgotten on the ground. For a split second, everything stood still, time pausing as if everyone was waiting for someone else to move first. Then Jiang Cheng blinked and Lan Xichen was lunging at the professor.

Gunshots rang out in the echoing chamber of the warehouse but Lan Xichen kept running even as his former friend bolted out the door. Lan Xichen had to duck behind several pieces of machinery and crates to avoid getting hit and by the time he reached the door, Dr. Jin was gone. Jiang Cheng expected the vampire to keep chasing him but instead Lan Xichen turned around to look in his direction, conflicted worry clear as day on his face.

“Sizhui, Sizhui, go around front!” Wei Wuxian shouted from somewhere nearby; several muffled voices responded but Jiang Cheng couldn’t hear them clearly.

He could only keep his focus on one thing at a time and right then it was Lan Xichen, who had started walking back to him with that same concern still saturating his gaze.

The vampire made it halfway before he stopped, swaying on his feet slightly; he looked down to his waist questioningly before brushing his hand against it. The surprise on his face mirrored that on Jiang Cheng’s as they both observed the deep crimson liquid now staining his fingers. Lan Xichen looked up into Jiang Cheng’s eyes again and tried to take another step forward.

“Oh,” was all he managed to say before dropping to the ground, a puppet with his strings cut.

One second. Two seconds. Three. Four.

Jiang Cheng screamed.

There was far too much blood, way more than there should have been seeping out from under Lan Xichen’s prone form and pooling around his hips. How did a dead man produce so much blood? He shouldn’t have been taken down by one shot. Jiang Cheng needed to get to him, needed to figure out why the vampire had collapsed and why there was so much blood. His body objected but he pushed and pushed until he was dragging himself towards the other man.

“Lan Xichen!” He cried, voice sounding ragged and distorted through the fog in his head. “Lan Xichen!”

The chilling sensation of ghostly hands wavering over his skin alerted him to Xue Yang’s presence again. “Stop moving, idiot; Lan Wangji’s on it, he’ll help him.”

He ignored him, concentrating solely on reaching Lan Xichen. It took every ounce of energy to do it but eventually Jiang Cheng was able to curl his knees under himself and reach trembling hands out to find the bullet wound. Lan Wangji crouched next to him and dug through what must have been some sort of med kit.

"You stupid asshole, what the fuck were you thinking??" Jiang Cheng ground out.

The other man could barely focus his eyes on Jiang Cheng. "'M'sorry."

Jiang Cheng's insides churned; no matter how hard he pressed down or how much time passed, blood continued to seep from between his fingers. "What’s happening? Why the fuck aren't you healing?" he demanded in a choked voice. "You're a jiāngshī, why aren’t you healing??”

Lan Xichen's only response was to choke a little on his own blood.

With red-slick fingers, Jiang Cheng placed one hand along the side of Lan Xichen's face to cup his cheek and turn it to look at him. "You are not allowed to let go, you damn idiot, you hear me?? You don't get to live for hundreds of years just to lose it all to a fucking poisoned BULLET!"

"...s'ry..."

Jiang Cheng could feel the hot sparks of angry tears forming and he couldn't stop them, not with how muddled his brain still was. "Dammit! You don't get to do this! Not when I – we're not finished, I'm not fucking done with you!" Lan Xichen’s skin under Jiang Cheng's hand felt chilled to the touch, a stark contrast to the heat he’d felt when they’d shared the bed. "You don't get to just leave me in this shit hole of a city, not when you – fuck! – when you keep me safe, make me, make me-"

Dark blood dribbled out the corner of Lan Xichen's lips as he tried to form words but nothing came out. He coughed wetly, though it sounded more like gargling. Jiang Cheng stroked his thumb gently across the vampire's cheekbone despite the rage he felt inside.

"Whose shirts am I gonna steal if you – if you leave me, huh? Who’s gonna make sure I eat a complete breakfast and get a full night's sleep?" He continued to put pressure on the wound alongside Lan Wangji but Lan Xichen's blood continued to flow. Jiang Cheng looked back at Lan Wangji, furious desperation in his eyes. "How do we save him?"

"I don't-"

"How the FUCK do we save him??"

The other man could only look at him helplessly. "I am sorry, I do not know – you said you started healing once the bullets were removed?” At Jiang Cheng’s nod, Lan Wangji slipped his hand behind Lan Xichen’s back and felt around for a few seconds before grunting in frustration. “It was a clean shot, all the way through; his healing factor should have kicked in by now.”

“Maybe they upped their dose when they figured out they’re original recipe didn’t take Jiang Cheng down the first few times,” Xue Yang hypothesized.

“It would make sense...whatever the case, we need to get him somewhere where he can be patched up, now, and we cannot stay here; our location is compromised.”

Jiang Cheng's heart was pounding in his ears, the others’ voices muted as he stared at Lan Xichen’s unmoving face. It couldn't end like this, it just couldn't; he refused to accept it, not when they hadn't gotten to the point of exploring whatever the hell it was between them. Jiang Cheng had plans! He was going to tell him all of the weird feelings he got when they were near each other and kiss him stupid and then finally drag that damn vampire into his room and celebrate all night. He was going to show Lan Xichen how important he was to him.

He was going to show him how good he was.

It was hard to tell what happened after that; Jiang Cheng was pretty sure he saw Wei Wuxian kneeling at Lan Xichen’s side, and a new voice mumbling near his head sounded an awful lot like Wen Ning, but all his thoughts kept getting all sorts of mixed up and wispy. He was vaguely aware of Lan Wangji grabbing onto his jaw, something cold being sprayed into his nose that made his eyes water, and of someone holding his shoulder.

“Xi-” he started to call out again; smooth fingers gently held the side of his face and rotated his head to look into the young face of Wen Ning.

“Shh, you need to stop yelling,” he told him, not unkindly, in that strange, multi-layered voice. “Just go to sleep, things are going to be fine.”

Jiang Cheng didn’t believe him. How could he? That fucking maniac of a professor – if he even was one – had gotten away and Lan Xichen was seriously injured, maybe even dying, and here he was trapped in his own useless head. Everything was the opposite of fine.

Things had been so, so good just that morning – how had they gone to shit so fast? Jiang Cheng should have known better than to think he was actually going to be allowed something good in his life for once and for it to last longer than one night. Really, he should have better appreciated his time with Lan Xichen because now all he could think about was blood. Black shadows raced in at the edges of his vision and he felt himself drift further and further from reality, all of the sounds around him fading away.

The last thing that ran through Jiang Cheng’s head before oblivion took him was Lan Xichen falling, shocked face staring right into his soul.

Chapter Text

Wake up.

Please wake up.

Four days. It had been four days since Jin Guangyao’s betrayal and Lan Xichen’s subsequent almost-death. Jiang Cheng had been unconscious for two of them but had spent the next two planted firmly in the chair at the side of the other man’s bed. Whatever concentrated combination of poisons that had taken Lan Xichen down had been somehow leeched from his body by an aggregation of Sizhui’s mystical powers and Lan Wangji’s medical talents but he remained comatose with no signs of waking up any time soon, though the hole left behind by the bullet had finally closed. No more worse for wear than he had been before the attack, Jiang Cheng hadn’t left Lan Xichen’s side.

He spent most of that time repeating the mantra of please wake up over and over again in his head and trying not to fall apart completely. He felt too big for his skin, like he was constantly on the verge of bursting at the seams and dissipating into the air. Any food that the others brought him was barely picked at and the only words he spoke weren’t really words at all, just pathetic whimpers that he tried and failed to hide.

Those two days of waiting gave Jiang Cheng far too much time to think; he reevaluated every single moment he’d spent with Lan Xichen, every word they’d said to each other, every lingering glance, all the subtle touches they exchanged without any real thought behind them. Not once had he stopped to consider the implications behind them or noticed how they’d added together over time without him seeing it. Everything had seemed so natural, so right, that he’d never bothered to question it.

God, he wished so much that he’d been able to see it sooner.

A quiet knock came from the door and someone entered the room, interrupting Jiang Cheng’s spiraling thoughts.

“Hey there,” Wei Wuxian said as he sat in the only other chair in the room, next to Jiang Cheng. “Any changes?”

Jiang Cheng continued to stare at Lan Xichen’s sleeping face. “No.”

“And...how are you feeling?”

Wei Wuxian had made it a habit to check in on him every few hours but up to that point had not attempted to pry into his thoughts, which Jiang Cheng had appreciated; he struggled with the question now that it had been asked.

Because how was he supposed to articulate what he was feeling when he wasn't even sure himself? How could he even begin to describe the empty pit in his chest, or the festering guilt that had taken root in his lungs, or the way his heart ached and ached and ached? He didn't have words big or complex enough to explain how every intake of breath made him feel further and further from the man in the bed next to him. Lan Xichen had become his safe harbor, his refuge in the never-ending storm that was his life – Jiang Cheng was adrift without him, left to rot in the great expanse of his own loneliness.

He'd never meant for Lan Xichen to become so crucial to his very existence but by the time he'd realized they were intertwined with no way to loosen the knot, it was too late; they were two planets caught in the same orbit, dancing around each other in a cosmic tragedy – it had never been a question of if they would eventually crash together but when. And now, sitting there with no way to know if Lan Xichen would ever wake up, Jiang Cheng was terrified that they would never get that chance.

Of course he blamed himself; if only he'd been more wary of the professor, had realized sooner what was happening; if only he had reacted quicker to Jin Guangyao’s attack or hadn't been so stupid in general and gotten himself in so much danger in the first place – if only, if only, if only.

Regret tasted bitter on his tongue, the iron tang of blood that wasn't his staining Jiang Cheng's mouth. It almost felt cruel to be sitting next to an immortal creature who was dying; the irony stung like a fresh paper cut.

Except Lan Xichen wasn't dying – he couldn't, he just couldn't. That's what Jiang Cheng had to keep telling himself to stave off the madness threatening to overtake him. Wei Wuxian was a surprising yet gentle comfort at the back of his mind but there wasn't anything to be done about the endless onslaught of grief that washed over Jiang Cheng, drowning him in an agony he could do nothing except feel he deserved.

What if Lan Xichen didn't make it? What if his impossibly long life was cut short by misguided trust and a bullet meant for someone else? The world would lose a soul old enough to intimately know the sound of time passing, one who had touched the face of death and laughed in her face.

Jiang Cheng would lose a piece of his heart that he’d only recently discovered he was missing.

"I can't lose him," he whispered hoarsely, whether to himself or Wei Wuxian, even he wasn't sure, eyes never leaving Lan Xichen’s sleeping face.

Wei Wuxian carefully grasped the hand Jiang Cheng wasn’t using to hold Lan Xichen’s. "He's not gone," he reminded him. "He will come back to you."

Jiang Cheng didn't question how he knew how he felt about Lan Xichen; he kind of figured it must have been obvious to everyone but himself at that point.

"I think..." He cleared his throat. “I think I love him."

Wei Wuxian smiled bitter-sweetly at him. "Yeah, I'd reckon you do, too."

Hot tears slipped unhindered down Jiang Cheng's face as he turned to the raven-haired man next to him. "It hurts."

There was understanding in his new friend's face as he squeezed Jiang Cheng’s hand. "I know.” Wei Wuxian looked into the middle distance, caught in a memory. “I didn’t understand how I felt about Lan Zhan for a long time – it took a lot of bad things for me to finally look at myself and see it.” He bumped their shoulders together. “I’m glad it’s taken you far less time than it did for me.”

"I've never – I don't – I don’t know how to feel." Jiang Cheng couldn't raise his voice more than a murmur, turning back to stare at Lan Xichen. "Or, at least, I don't know what to do with what I feel because it’s so much.”

Wei Wuxian was silent for a few long seconds. Jiang Cheng gripped the vampire’s hand tighter and took a shuddering breath.

“There is no stronger emotion than love, I think,” Wei Wuxian started, words delicate yet assured, “and when so much of it is forced to be contained in one single body, there’s not much else it can do but burn.”

Jiang Cheng choked back a small sob. “What do I do?”

 “You burn, Jiang Cheng; you burn for him and when he wakes up – because he will wake up – and you let it out and you love him with all you have because if you have to hurt, you shouldn’t do it alone.”

Burn, huh? Jiang Cheng could do that.

He would burn for however long it took for Lan Xichen to come home.

................................

Lan Xichen knew he was in a dream the instant Jiang Cheng kissed him.

At the start, everything had seemed completely normal: his flat was filled with boisterous chatter as Jiang Cheng joked about something or other, the sounds of the city below echoing distantly, and he was happy. Presumably Jiang Cheng had arrived for another one of his sporadic visits because his hair was damp from a shower and he was wearing one of Lan Xichen’s over-sized sweaters with nothing else but boxers on while seated on the kitchen counter eating a 2:00 am breakfast. Things were in their place, as they should be.

Except Jiang Cheng never looked at him like that, did he? All hooded eyes and shy smile. Lan Xichen certainly never approached him to stand between the wolf’s legs, hands place possessively on his thighs. And Jiang Cheng never, not ever, kissed him like that. Never kissed him at all.

Which is why it all had to be a dream. A wonderful dream but a dream nonetheless. That didn’t prevent him from letting the kiss continue, to linger on his lips the way he’d been imagining for weeks; it felt so real and for just a moment, Lan Xichen desperately didn’t want to wake up – he wanted to remain in this space forever, this space where Jiang Cheng was his and he was Jiang Cheng’s, this space where he could set all of his feelings free without fear of rejection or consequence.

But dreams often turned to nightmares and Lan Xichen suddenly found himself holding up Jiang Cheng’s limp body as the younger man collapsed into his arms, breath coming in gasps. He was back in the warehouse with the hunters and Jin Guangyao and Jiang Cheng had been poisoned again. Reliving it hurt almost as much as watching it the first time – he was helpless and full of rage and hated himself for falling into this trap.

And then the world was shifting once more and he was suddenly back in his apartment at the start of the dream, Jiang Cheng sitting on the counter again, exactly as he had been before. He paused his rambling and looked at Lan Xichen with concern.

“Xichen?”

Lan Xichen jerked forward back into his position from before, shakily cupping Jiang Cheng’s face in his hands. “You’re ok,” he whispered.

Jiang Cheng smiled at him and placed one of his own hands on top of Lan Xichen’s. “Course I am, why wouldn’t I be?”

This time, when Jiang Cheng pulled him in for the kiss, Lan Xichen let himself fall into the dream and didn’t look back.

................................

Day six finally brought a close to Jiang Cheng’s watch; he was drifting in and out of sleep, head resting on the edge of Lan Xichen’s bed, when the vampire’s body shifted. Jiang Cheng jerked his head up and stared down into half open eyes, heart threatening to pound straight out of his chest.

"Hey there."

The familiar voice was breathy and low but Jiang Cheng had never been so happy to hear someone speak in his entire life.

"Don't you ever do something like that again," he growled even while dropping his forehead onto Lan Xichen's chest. He could feel tears beginning to form but resolutely refused to let the other man see them.

Lan Xichen chuckled deeply. "Didn't really plan on it this time but I'll do my best to prevent a repeat."

"You better," Jiang Cheng warned with a wet mumble.

A warm hand landed almost hesitantly on the back of his head, long fingers slowly carding through the unbound hair. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

"You worried all of us," Wei Wuxian said from across the room – Jiang Cheng hadn’t even noticed he was there. "Though Jiang Cheng was the one who hasn't left your side the whole time you were out."

"Oh?" Lan Xichen's hand paused its ministrations.

Jiang Cheng’s ears warmed at Wei Wuxian’s admission. "I was tired and didn't feel like moving," he shot back, which wasn't necessarily a lie; the whole ordeal had been utterly exhausting after all.

Fingers once again moving in Jiang Cheng's hair, Lan Xichen laughed quietly again. Quickly though, it turned into a hiss as the movement pulled on his recently closed injury. Spurred by the sound and the full body flinch it elicited, Jiang Cheng immediately sat bolt upright, suddenly afraid that he'd hurt the other man.

At Jiang Cheng's panicked expression, Lan Xichen forced his grimace into a half smile. "I'm alright, just need to stop moving so much." He carefully pressed a palm to his side where bandages still covered the bullet wound that almost killed him; he winced, frowning slightly. "Seems the professor did quite the number on me, huh?"

"Don't touch it, idiot!" Jiang Cheng admonished, yanking Lan Xichen’s hand away.

"Keep acting like that, Jiang Cheng, and you might convince me you care."

A flush spread across Jiang Cheng's face. He knew Lan Xichen was only teasing but his words still stung. "Shut up, I'm still mad at you."

The look that the older man gave him held an emotion that Jiang Cheng couldn't decipher. It made something heavy and confusing settle deep in his gut. He shivered and looked away, busying himself with shuffling the various medical supplies on the table next to the bed.

“It wasn’t just a bullet that took you out,” Wei Wuxian explained.

Lan Xichen hummed. “More poison?”

“Something we didn’t recognize at first but seems to be some sort of mix of peach wood, dog blood, and rootless water. We couldn’t find a bullet but you still weren’t healing, so we assume it was mostly used as a delivery system. Sizhui was able to pull most of the toxins out of your system but a large portion had already entered your bloodstream – we couldn’t do anything else except wait it out.”

Jiang Cheng shivered at the reminder of how little they actually knew about Jin Guangyao’s poison; he’d been so close to losing Lan Xichen and it had all come down to waiting. Helplessness had been his closest companion during all of this and he visibly trembled at the thought. Something touched his hand and he glanced down to see that Lan Xichen had laced their fingers together in comfort, though his light eyes were still focused on Lan Wangji. Sparks lit up Jiang Cheng’s body at the contact.

“I’m not surprised that the professor was able to concoct something so potent; it was me, after all, that essentially told him exactly how to best kill me.” Guilt clouded his features as his eyes flicked over to Jiang Cheng’s briefly. “And you.”

“You didn’t know,” Jiang Cheng murmured back. He slowly rubbed his thumb on the back of Lan Xichen’s in comfort.

“It doesn’t change the fact that I still fell for his act. I should have known better, and I shouldn’t have hesitated when he was right there in front of me.”

Wei Wuxian lightly knocked once on the table with his knuckle, letting the air settle for a few seconds before moving towards the door. “I’ll go let the others know you’re awake.”

Carefully, Jiang Cheng lifted their conjoined hands to his chest and pressed them there so that Lan Xichen could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest. “I don’t blame you but I know you need to hear this, so – I forgive you.” He tried to smile but he knew it must have come across all sorts of wobbly. “I’m also still alive because of you. Again. So there’s that.”

Lan Xichen smiled back at him, though the guilt was not completely gone from his face. “We really need to stop meeting up like that, don’t we?”

Jiang Cheng gave no response except to huff out a small laugh and lean back down to lay his head next to Lan Xichen’s on the pillow, their conjoined hands now resting in between their bodies. Now that he knew Lan Xichen was going to be ok, sleep once again began pulling him into its grasp.

“Tired?”

“Mn.”

“Alright then, sleep well. And don’t worry – I’m not going anywhere.”

Lan Xichen readjusted his position slightly and Jiang Cheng could have sworn he felt a gentle press of lips to the crown of his head.

Chapter Text

As it turned out, their new friends had transferred them to a large yacht anchored in the middle of the river; it normally served as their mobile base of operations but had been converted for more permanent residence after the attack on the warehouse compromised their location. The boat was so big and the waters mostly calm that they could barely feel it rocking. Wei Wuxian had assured them that they were very safe and that they were keeping extra watch to ensure that promise.

Jiang Cheng, for his part, had barely left Lan Xichen’s side since he’d woken up. Which, really, was the most pleasant thing about the whole experience, if he was being honest with himself. And why shouldn’t it be? It felt so good to be near the younger man that Lan Xichen barely even noticed the constant pain in his side.

Ok, so that was a lie – it was incredibly hard not to notice the pain – but Jiang Cheng was a perfectly good distraction; while Lan Xichen spent most of his time slipping in and out of sleep while propped up on several large pillows, the yāo continued to keep dedicated vigil, sometimes napping in his own chair with his head tipped back and mouth wide open, sometimes running his fingers soothingly through Lan Xichen’s hair. He was healing far too slowly for his own liking but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Well, maybe that was a lie too, but he didn’t have the energy to go to shore for a meal and he was pretty sure that Wei Wuxian and the others didn’t keep blood bags handy.

“Why aren’t you better yet?”

It was just like Jiang Cheng to basically read his mind.

Lan Xichen shifted his gaze from out the small window and the view of the clear night sky to Jiang Cheng’s brown eyes; the younger man was staring at him from where he was leaning against the arm of his chair. “Whatever do you mean?”

The younger man huffed. “I mean, shouldn’t you be up and about already? You’ve had plenty of time to recover but I can tell you’re still in pain even when you think you’re hiding it, and you’re constantly fatigued.”

“Ah,” Lan Xichen chuckled darkly. “Probably because I’m a little hungry.”

Jiang Cheng studied him for a moment, expression considering, then sat up straight and stuck his arm out towards Lan Xichen, rolling his sleeve up in the process. “Snack away.”

“Pardon?” There had been so many ways that Jiang Cheng could have responded but this was definitely not one that Lan Xichen could have prepared for.

“You said you were hungry and it makes sense that if you don’t feed, you won’t have enough energy to heal, so, yeah – drink from me.” There was determination in Jiang Cheng’s gaze, a familiar stubbornness that made Lan Xichen feel both fond and exasperated.

“No.” It was simple: he could not, and would not, drink from Jiang Cheng. Or any of the people on that boat for that matter. There was no way.

Jiang Cheng scooted himself closer and shoved his arm out more. “I’m volunteering, it’s not a big deal-”

“It is a big deal, Jiang Cheng!” Lan Xichen interrupted. “It’s far too dangerous, I could seriously hurt you! It’s not just the blood that I consume – it’s your yang, the pure essence of your like; if I take too much, you’ll die.”

“I trust you.”

Lan Xichen felt something clench tightly in his chest, the roots growing there clutching his heart in their rough grasp. The absolute conviction in Jiang Cheng’s words, the complete and utter belief he had in Lan Xichen – it hit him like a typhoon, battering him in a way that he had never felt, not once in his long life. It was almost painful how much he wanted to live up to those expectations.

“You shouldn’t,” he warned Jiang Cheng in a small voice, already feeling his walls crumble.

“But I do,” he countered. “Please Lan Xichen – I need you to be ok and if that means I lose a little blood, a little yang, then so be it.”

It shouldn’t have been so easy to abandon his former refusal but Lan Xichen had realized early on that he couldn’t really deny Jiang Cheng anything, even if it was dangerous. With careful hands, Lan Xichen took Jiang Cheng’s wrist and held it up to his face. He breathed in, the clean and slightly oaky smell so unique to the other man inundating his senses, the pulse under thin pale skin thundering in his ears. He spoke his next words through descending fangs and with his lips dragging along deep blue veins, eyes never leaving Jiang Cheng's.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop, if I get...out of control.”

Jiang Cheng smiled at him, no trace of apprehension in his expression at all. “You won’t hurt me – you would never hurt me.”

With his body screaming for him to taste, to claim, to feed, Lan Xichen opened his mouth and bit.

Jiang Cheng barely flinched at the initial pain and Lan Xichen made sure to only release enough venom to numb the area around where his teeth punctured. Hot blood rushed into his mouth and he drank deeply, sucking ever so slightly to pull out more and more. It sent pulses of euphoria throughout his body and he was already feeling better, more awake, as Jiang Cheng’s life force filled the gaping maw that was Lan Xichen’s core. He drank for a long minute, taking his fill but still wary of the other man’s condition.

He never took his gaze from Jiang Cheng, watching as the younger man’s pupils expanded and his breaths became more like pants, his mouth hanging slightly open on a flushed face. Lan Xichen released his jaws and glanced down to see his handy work; four pinpricks of blood leaked slowly down Jiang Cheng’s arm, warm and inviting. When Lan Xichen looked back up, he was staring right back at him.

“You can take more if you need,” he said to Lan Xichen, voice completely wrecked.

Lan Xichen didn’t need to drink more, not really, but his mind was clouded by the fresh scent of blood and he couldn’t stop thinking about the feel of it rushing down his throat, so he licked over the shifter’s wrist and bit down once more. Jiang Cheng whimpered and Lan Xichen lost it.

Every single pull of blood sent him closer to the edge, the taste nothing like he’d had before; it was rich, subtly sweet, with something distinctly inhuman about it that fit Jiang Cheng perfectly, and Lan Xichen couldn’t get enough of it. He’d never consumed the energy of a yāoguài before and could easily see himself becoming addicted to the heat it brought him. At the back of his mind, he knew that he should be paying more attention to how much he was taking, but there was an emptiness in his gut that he hadn’t known was there that was finally being filled. Stopping was the last thing on his mind-

A light shove against his shoulder ripped him right out of his feeding frenzy and Lan Xichen immediately retracted his teeth, looking in horror at the two sets of bleeding marks he’d left on Jiang Cheng’s flesh.

“Oh, Jiang Cheng, I’m so sorry-”

The other man smiled wanly at him though did not pull his arm away. “It’s ok, I’m alright, you didn’t hurt me.” He looked paler than usual.

Lan Xichen made a small noise in his throat as he began to lave gently at the marks, cleaning up the blood as best he could. “I told you-”

“Shut up, I’m fine; you know I’ll just regenerate everything in a few hours,” Jiang Cheng scolded with a voice that still sounded out of breath. Every time Lan Xichen’s tongue slipped across the skin of his wrist, his entire body shuddered. “Did you get enough to eat?”

It was frightening how at ease the other man was with the whole situation; Lan Xichen’s chest ached and he struggled to meet Jiang Cheng’s gaze. “More than.”

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and nodded, laying his head down on Lan Xichen’s shoulder. “Good. Now stop talking; I’m fucking tired.”

Lan Xichen slowly lowered Jiang Cheng’s hand down into his lap but didn’t let go, just held it there in both of his own hands. He kept two fingers on the pulse point of the wrist and focused on the slow but even thrum of Jiang Cheng’s heartbeat, the evidence that he was alive and real and present, that he hadn’t balked at Lan Xichen’s intensity – had welcomed it in fact. It was at once terrifyingly disorienting and impossibly moving. Like coming home.

Nothing could have prepared Lan Xichen for the riddle that was Jiang Cheng.

Nothing could have prevented him from falling in love either.

................................

“How did you die. The first time.”

The two of them were pressed close to each other in the small bed, Lan Xichen’s arm around Jiang Cheng and rubbing circles into his shoulder with his thumb, their legs tangled together under the sheets. Jiang Cheng had long since abandoned his post in the chair next to the bed and decided that curled up against Lan Xichen was the better place to be; it was warmer, comfier, and more convenient since all he wanted to do was be as close as possible. It just so happened to give him an easy opportunity to ask the questions he’d been holding back for weeks.

Lan Xichen took several seconds to respond, words quiet when he eventually did. “I was murdered.”

With a jolt, Jiang Cheng tried to lift himself up enough to look at the other man. “What-”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Lan Xichen cut in, gently pushing Jiang Cheng back down. “It can’t be taken back.”

Something stung inside Jiang Cheng’s lungs; he took a deep breath and let it out slowly before trying again. “What – what happened?”

“It was...centuries ago. I lived in a small community in northern China,” the older man began. “I was an inventor, of sorts, and the others didn’t take well to that after a while.”

“Witchcraft,” Jiang Cheng guessed.

Humming, Lan Xichen continued. “Something like that, I suppose. They never really explained themselves but I think they believed I was being inhabited by some sort of evil spirit, or that I was one. Whatever the case, they eventually decided that I could no longer exist among them and decided to end my life.”

Jiang Cheng blanched. “They didn’t try to, I dunno, banish you first or something?”

“No. These were different times, and a very different place.” Lan Xichen was silent after that.

Reaching out with the hand he’d previously been resting on Lan Xichen’s stomach, Jiang Cheng grabbed the vampire’s free hand in his and pulled it to his lips. “What did they do?”

Lan Xichen hesitated, body rigid, but relented when Jiang Cheng placed a chaste kiss to his knuckles. “They attacked me one night – burst into my home and dragged me to the big willow tree at the edge of the village, then tied me up on its trunk.” His voice was barely a murmur but Jiang Cheng could hear an ancient sort of sadness in Lan Xichen’s words, something that made his own heart ache at the sound.

“They stuffed my mouth full of stones and trapped them in with braided rope, then cut me deep with dirty iron blades and covered me in talismans written with blood. I screamed, of course I did – cried out the whole time for them to stop, that I was innocent – but they were far too full of rage and fear at that point to stop. I was left there for hours – I don’t know how many – bleeding onto the forest floor, alone save for the stars in the sky.”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes felt wet and his voice shook slightly when he responded. “How old were you? You must have been so scared.”

“I don’t remember how old I was,” Lan Xichen replied. “Somewhere in my thirties, I think, though no older than that.” He pulled Jiang Cheng in closer, a shiver running through his lithe frame. “I was. Scared, I mean. Terrified, even. But I don’t remember the actual dying part – which I suppose is a good thing. I just remember waking up and being hungrier than I’d ever been in my life. I-” the words stopped suddenly and Lan Xichen cleared his throat. “I broke out of my bonds and...slaughtered them all.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Jiang Cheng assured him. “You’d turned – they’d turned you.”

Lan Xichen let out a tiny laugh that lacked any humor. “The ironic thing was that they thought they were killing a demon but instead they created one.”

They were both silent for a while, each of them focusing on the other’s breathing and heartbeat. Jiang Cheng wasn’t sure where to go from there, how to move on from such a traumatic tale or comfort Lan Xichen. He wasn’t even sure he could, not with something like what the older man had told him. To bare himself so openly like that – Jiang Cheng bled for him, figuratively and literally. What words could he provide that could possibly help; empty condolences and pledges? No, those wouldn’t do at all.

“I was 28,” he began instead. “November 1979, 10:05 pm.”

The hand on his shoulder stopped moving and Lan Xichen took his turn pulling their conjoined hands up to his mouth and kissing Jiang Cheng’s fingers. “You don’t have to.”

“I know,” Jiang Cheng said, “but I want to.” He shifted in Lan Xichen’s embrace so that he could look into the vampire’s eyes. He’d revealed to no one what he’d become, not in all the years since it happened; it felt strange to say it all out loud but if he told anyone, Jiang Cheng wanted it to be this man. He closed his eyes and let the warm presence of Lan Xichen wash over him. “I was out with some of my friends and they dared me to jump in the half-frozen lake near our neighborhood. It was obviously too cold for that and I drowned.”

Lan Xichen took a quick breath in. “You died.”

Opening his eyes again and curling himself even closer, Jiang Cheng turned his face more into Lan Xichen’s chest. “Only for a little bit – a strange man we’d never seen before performed CPR and got my heart going again – I was back to full health in a couple days. I only noticed something was different when I started to change one night while those same friends and I were out at a bar like a week later.” He chuckled. “I bet those guys are telling their grandkids stories about that night – how their old buddy went mental, ripped up the whole bathroom, and ran off into the night.”

“Did you fully transform?” Lan Xichen sounded much calmer now, like Jiang Cheng’s story was distracting him from his darker thoughts.

“Yeah, eventually. Woke up the next morning buck naked and half smothered in a deer carcass. Wasn’t a pretty sight.”

“I can imagine.”

Jiang Cheng laughed again, this time a little easier. “It took me a while to get home; it’s difficult to move around a town when you have no clothes and are covered in blood.”

“I’m sure you were a sight to behold,” Lan Xichen joked.

“Oh probably,” Jiang Cheng confirmed with an answering quirk of the lips. “And then a real wolf visited me one night – I think I should have been more scared than I was – and spoke to me. Like, fully spoke to me in a human voice. He said he was checking to make sure that the core transfer worked.”

Lan Xichen sucked in a breath. “You received the core of a lángyāo.”

“Apparently,” Jiang Cheng confirmed. “He hadn’t meant for me to become one myself but there was something wrong with the timing – something about the moon being full and that particular month – where the levels of yin energy are highest, and how my literal death had all but eradicated my yang energy – everything just sort of added up and, you know, here I am.”

“Incredible.”

They remained quiet again after, this silence comfortable and safe, just the two of them pressed as close together as they could be, slipping in and out of semi-sleep. Lan Xichen resumed his soft caresses of Jiang Cheng’s shoulder and the air was only disturbed by his gentle breathing. Jiang Cheng was content to just stay there forever; it reminded him of that first morning waking up in Lan Xichen’s arms. Had that only been a week ago? It seemed like years.

After a while, when Jiang Cheng was on the verge of falling fully asleep, Lan Xichen put his face to the top of Jiang Cheng’s head and stayed there for a few seconds before whispering an almost silent thank you. And this time, Jiang Cheng was more than sure that he felt a kiss being pressed into his hair.

Chapter Text

The man called Song Lan met everyone in the main meeting room on the yacht to reveal the information he’d gathered on Jin Guangyao and his hunters. Well, ‘man’ was a technical term, Lan Xichen supposed – Song Lan seemed to be a manifestation of shadow who just preferred to take the shape of a man in his early thirties with long, dark hair and a stern face. Every time he spoke, Lan Xichen felt his words tickle the back of his mind as if little tendrils were slipping in and out.

“There are about ten of them in total,” Song Lan informed the group from his spot next to Xiao Xingchen at the large round table they all sat at. He had one of his barely corporeal arms looped with that of the very pleased look blind man. “This includes Jin Guangyao.”

Lan Wangji typed away on a laptop and building schematics popped up on the screen behind him. “According to Song Lan, this is the building they have made into their home base. It is small but we suspect there will be many traps.”

“Do we have a plan?” Sizhui asked.

“Besides our usual of get in, mess them up, and get out?” Wei Wuxian leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face. “Try not to die.”

Laying his hand on his partner’s shoulder, Lan Wangji corrected him. “We will move in groups of two, trying to keep them occupied at different locations to separate them as much as we can.”

“I will be with Jiang Cheng.” Lan Xichen stated it as a fact, no room for argument or debate.

Sizhui giggled and traded a pointed look with Wen Ning, who stood off to the side with a soft smile on his face. “Oh, don’t worry, we already planned for that,” he teased.

If he wasn’t so schooled in the art of pretending he wasn’t embarrassed, Lan Xichen might have blushed. Instead, Jiang Cheng did it for him, a flush quickly spreading over his cheeks, though he didn’t deny anything. A satisfied hum rippled through Lan Xichen at the sight.

“When are we leaving, a-die?” Sizhui asked Lan Wangji; Lan Xichen noticed that the younger man kept fidgeting, like he couldn’t wait to get off the boat and get to work. Me too, buddy.

Wei Wuxian glanced at Lan Wangji, who nodded, then addressed the group. “Tonight. Our new friends seem to be all fixed up and ready to go.” He looked at Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen in turn, who inclined their heads in agreement. “There’s no use in beating around the bush – best to get down to it and ruin these bastards before they kill any more innocent people. I imagine they’re expecting us, so be extra careful.”

It didn’t take them long to prepare; Wei Wuxian and the others had transferred a large portion of their armory to the yacht and each person grabbed what they needed, then studied the map of the hunters’ base and where their group would be entering from. Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng chose to enter from a larger side door so that Jiang Cheng’s wolf form could fit. Neither of them took any new weapons – Jiang Cheng was powerful enough once transformed and Lan Xichen still had Shuòyuè. He was, of course, also the deadliest creature in Yiling without them anyway.

That night they took a small boat to shore to where their cars were hidden, the group hopping in two of them to drive back into the city. Lan Xichen rode in one car with Jiang Cheng, Wen Ning, Xiao Xingchen, and Song Lan, the last of which seemed to keep flickering in and out of existence in the deep shadows of the back seat, Xue Yang safely invisible and flying alongside them.

It didn’t take them long to reach the base but it was still almost eleven by the time they arrived, the darkness of night already deep and established. They huddled together a few blocks away to go over the plan once more. When they felt ready, Wei Wuxian gave the signal to move out.

“And remember: we don’t have a fast way of saving you if you get poisoned, so – uh – don’t get poisoned.”

And they were off; Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng circled around to the side of the building where they would be entering and Lan Xichen turned away as the shifter stripped, tucked his clothes behind a bush, and transformed. Lan Xichen turned around only when he felt a large furry head bump his hand. The corner of his mouth quirked up as he scratched the massive wolf between the ears, Jiang Cheng leaning into the contact with his tail swishing along the ground as it wagged back and forth.

“Come on then,” Lan Xichen chuckled quietly. “Time to go find ourselves a lying murderer.”

Jiang Cheng let out the tiniest of woofs and took off running on silent paws.

It was easy for Lan Xichen to keep up and they were quickly at the hunter’s base. They waited till precisely 11:15, the agreed upon kick off time for their raid, and then Lan Xichen slammed his boot into a large door on the side of the building, effectively knocking it off its hinges. Jiang Cheng charged in first, the sound of other entrances being forcefully opened and angry shouting filling the night air. The building was dark and smelled of gun oil and gasoline, as well as some unidentified, floral-like scent that made the hair on the back of Lan Xichen’s neck stand up. Poison, his brain supplied.

Suddenly, there was a loud snap and Jiang Cheng jumped back with a yelp as several arrows whizzed out of nowhere and embedded themselves into the wood flooring right in front of them. Lan Xichen gave the shifter a rapid once-over; there didn’t appear to be any new injuries and the large wolf was still standing and alert. Scanning the hall up ahead, Lan Xichen listened carefully for the familiar measured pulse of Jin Guangyao’s heart. He would recognize it anywhere – he’d been listening to it for months in that tiny office.

A foul rage spiked behind his ribs as soon as he heard it. “Upstairs!” He growled at Jiang Cheng.

The wolf didn’t wait for any more instruction before bounding down the hall in search of the stairs, Lan Xichen following right behind. Along the way they encountered more arrow traps and a small gas bomb that Lan Xichen had to yank Jiang Cheng back from by the tail to avoid. They encountered only two hunters, one each for them to dispatch violently. Lan Xichen reveled in the release of so much yang energy; he didn’t really need to consume the blood of his prey to reap its benefits – the taste and a little extra qi were just the icing on the cake.

They found the stairs eventually and quickly ascended the three flights to the floor where Lan Xichen heard Jin Guangyao’s heartbeat. True to their word, Wei Wuxian and the others were successfully keeping the hunters occupied in other rooms, leaving the way wide open for Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng to reach the professor in good time. The traps on the stairs were numerous but expected; they avoided them with the same ease as the ones before. Jiang Cheng’s fur got a little singed on one haunch from a blast of flame and Lan Xichen had a slight headache from the weird smoke bomb but otherwise both remained unscathed. They were, as Lan Xichen had known they would be, an excellent team.

At the top of the stairs, Lan Xichen pointed down the left hallway and Jiang Cheng started prowling slowly in that direction. Nothing came out of the walls this time, no traps tripping from their movements; perhaps the hunters kept the upper floors free of hazards so they could move around without worry. Or maybe – and Lan Xichen thought this more likely – they thought themselves too good to allow anyone past them. In either case, Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng made it down the hall and stopped at a locked door that Lan Xichen indicated was the one they needed. With no preamble, Lan Xichen backed up and kicked this door down too.

There was an excruciatingly loud piercing sound as soon as the door crashed open that sent a shooting pain through Lan Xichen’s skull and caused his stomach to roil – another trap. He distantly heard Jiang Cheng whine and saw him stumble as they entered. A strong ringing remained in Lan Xichen’s ears but they both managed to run into the room despite the attack. It was all worth it though because there, standing on the other side of the room pointing a rifle at them, was Jin Guangyao, face placid and posture relaxed.

Lan Xichen wouldn’t hesitate this time once an opportunity presented itself; he couldn’t wait to tear him to shreds.

................................

The only thing stopping Jiang Cheng from leaping forward and ripping the professor’s head clean off right then and there was the gun aimed straight at him; he’d seen what the hunters’ poison could do and really didn’t want to be on the receiving end again, especially when they were so close to taking the killers down. Instead, he slowly started to step to the side, never taking his eyes off his prey. In turn, Jin Guangyao kept his gaze focused on Lan Xichen.

One glance at the vampire showed him in a predatory stance with his eyes practically glowing in the low light of the room.

“Welcome to my humble residence,” Jin Guangyao said with a frankly insulting nonchalance. “I hope you have found your reception to be acceptably pleasant.”

Lan Xichen glared coldly at the other man, contempt clear as day on his face. “You’re sick.”

“Oh, maybe so, but I only ever do things that need to be done – I do not like to waste resources.”

Hackles raised, Jiang Cheng let a low rumble build in his chest, annoyed that his current form didn’t allow him to express his true feelings in all the colorful words that he knew. The professor just glanced over at him with a leer, the grip he had on his rifle lax in a way that belayed a confidence born from years of use. Jiang Cheng knew he had to tread lightly in order to keep both himself and Lan Xichen out of the line of fire. He let the growl in his chest grow louder.

“Look at you,” Jin Guangyao sneered, “all brutish and terrifying; I’m practically shaking in my boots!”

Jiang Cheng wanted to rip that stupid smirk off the professor’s face. He snarled, his whole mouth of cruel teeth on display as he continued to stalk around him in a wide arc. He could see Lan Xichen a few feet to his side with his sword still held at his sides.

“Why did you do it.” Lan Xichen’s voice was void of any of its usual softness.

Jin Guangyao switched his gaze from Jiang Cheng back to Lan Xichen and a wild glint sparked in his eyes. “Jiāngshī took everything from me, Xichen, your kind and all the other monsters – it’s only right that I should take everything from you too.”

“But why all of the innocent victims? What did those people ever do to you?”

“Innocent? People?” The professor cackled; it made Jiang Cheng nauseous. “Those things are just as filthy and vile as you and your beast! It was my pleasure to have them exterminated.” He swiveled so the gun was pointed at Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen’s face twitched. “In fact, I think I will take care of that particular problem right now.”

Realistically, Jin Guangyao should have expected what happened next – wasn’t he supposed to be some sort of elite monster hunter? – but he just stood there with those manic eyes and cruel grin while Lan Xichen slit his throat.

Jiang Cheng barely saw it; Lan Xichen was too fast for even his supernatural eyes to track – Jin Guangyao stood no chance in hell. His eyes did widen though as bright red blood gushed from the perfectly straight across and fatally deep slash that appeared on his neck. He let out a single wet gurgle and dropped to the ground, Lan Xichen standing over his body with hot arterial blood splattered on his face and chest, face as calm as ever save for the burning of his eyes. There was no preamble, no monologue, just deadly skill fueled by intense hatred.

He turned to Jiang Cheng eventually and wiped the offending blade on his pant leg. “Should we go help the others?”

Sounds of fighting coming from the rest of the building filled Jiang Cheng’s sensitive ears again; he’d completely forgotten about the rest of their group the moment that Lan Xichen smashed open the door to reveal Jin Guangyao. He trotted up to Lan Xichen and huffed, bumping his head into the older man’s thigh. Lan Xichen smiled down at him and slipped a hand through the thick fur at Jiang Cheng’s neck, an assurance as much as a comfort to both men.

It took them barely a minute to reach the main area where the others had engaged the hunters. There were already several bodies on the floor, bleeding from various wounds, and at least one man was paralyzed in a running position, his eyes frantic as he stayed frozen right out in the open. Jiang Cheng watched as a shadow at the corner of the large room shifted and a hunter was ripped from his hiding spot with a scream and immediately silenced when that same darkness forced its way down his throat.

A dozen or so feet away, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were engaged with three masked individuals; Lan Zhan wielded some kind of bright white light as a vicious blade and Wei Wuxian’s entire frame had been engulfed in swirling tendrils of shadow that he used like innumerable whips. They fought back to back, hundreds of years of experience evident in every single movement.

“I thought you said there were only ten hunters?” Lan Xichen shouted at the shadow creature that was Song Lan.

Xiao Xingchen, calm as ever, thwacked an approaching assailant with his walking staff without looking before replying for his partner. “There is always room for deviation.”

“No matter,” Lan Xichen said as he deftly avoided being shot by an approaching hunter. “Jiang Cheng?”

In lieu of an answer, Jiang Cheng sprinted out and tackled the hunter, sharp teeth at the poor man’s throat immediately. Stray bullets sprayed the ceiling as his gun was dropped to the ground.

All in all, there ended up being more than twenty hunters in the base, all of which appeared to be armed with weapons laced with poison, if the overbearing smell of peach wood and wet earth was anything to go by. They were no match for the combined efforts of Jiang Cheng, Lan Xichen, and Wei Wuxian’s crew; the fighting continued on for only five or so more minutes. Jiang Cheng knew that if the poison wasn’t involved, it would have taken a fraction of that time.

Song Lan and Sizhui were a terrifying force to behold, all streaming shadows coalescing into far-reaching limbs and petrifying stares, and Wen Ning’s pinpoint accurate words caused their enemies to cry out and bleed from their ears. Everyone worked together like a well-oiled machine and Jiang Cheng found himself enjoying the fight more than he thought he would, considering the circumstances.

But the most enjoyable part wasn’t the satisfaction of hurting those who had spent days upon days chasing him and peppering him with bullets, using his teeth and claws to tear them open and leave them in a gory mess on the floor, nor was it the thrill of the hunt he so loved; it was watching Lan Xichen.

The vampire was a whirlwind of movement, dashing in and out of cover to avoid getting shot yet still managing to inflict damage wherever he went. The beautiful white sword that Lan Xichen carried sliced through the hunters’ armor and flesh, staining the room with red, his fangs bared as he used his incredible strength and speed to rip through anyone that he came into contact with. Jiang Cheng kept searching him out among the chaos; just the sight of Lan Xichen sent static through his veins.

When the fighting was over and all the hunters lay dead on the ground, when the crew stepped out from their cover and began to search the rest of the building carefully for any remaining threats, Jiang Cheng stood where he’d throttled his final kill to death with jaws at the man’s throat and observed the carnage with a sick sort of glee as relief flooded through him – they were finally safe.

And then he took one look at Lan Xichen from across the room – clothes soaked in blood, fangs sharp and bared, body tense and panting though he didn’t need to breathe – and everything boiled over.

It took him three bounding leaps to reach the vampire, the last of which ended with him shifting back into his human form, Lan Xichen's eyes zeroing in on him just as Jiang Cheng lunged, dropping his sword with a clatter. The kiss was desperate and heated and so long overdue that Jiang Cheng's head spun with the overwhelming need to get closer. He curled his hands into Lan Xichen's hair and gasped when sharp teeth scratched his lips and made them tingle. It didn't matter that they were both covered in blood – it didn't matter that death still surrounded them – all that mattered was that they were finally wrapped in each other's arms and kissing.

"You're so fucking hot when you're like this," Jiang Cheng rasped out when they finally came up for air.

Lan Xichen let out a breathy laugh and smiled crookedly, the sight of his fangs sending shivers down Jiang Cheng's spine as they kissed again.

Then somebody nearby let out a loud whistle. "Get a room!"

The two of them broke away again and grinned wildly at each other. Lan Xichen's eyes raked down Jiang Cheng's body hungrily and that was the exact moment that he remembered that he was completely naked for everyone else to see.

"Fuck."

................................

The drive back to Lan Xichen’s apartment was uneventful except for how tightly Jiang Cheng held his hand and sat pressed as close as possible to him in the back seat of Wei Wuxian’s car, Lan Xichen’s coat wrapped around his waist. Their friends had been gracious enough to take them directly home instead of back to the yacht.

Home. They were going home.

It felt like years instead of days had gone by since they’d set foot in Lan Xichen’s penthouse suite and it felt even better knowing that Jiang Cheng was coming too; Lan Xichen didn’t want to call anywhere ‘home’ that didn’t include the younger man; not anymore, not after everything.

“Here ya go,” Wei Wuxian called from the driver’s seat as he parked in front of Lan Xichen’s building. “Don’t be strangers.”

Lan Xichen didn’t think that they could be even if they wanted to be; there was a bond between them all now, something new and fresh but with the promise to be great if they let it flourish. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Jiang Cheng opened the door and they both stepped out. As they walked away, the driver’s side window rolled down and Wei Wuxian stuck his face out. He wore a friendly smile and spoke in an even kinder voice.

“Thank you again,” he said, “for all your help, and for trusting us.”

With his hand still holding Lan Xichen’s, Jiang Cheng bowed his head at him, a light flush dusting high on his cheekbones. “Thanks for, you know...everything.”

Wei Wuxian’s gaze turned fond and knowing. “Tell him.”

The blush on Jiang Cheng’s cheeks darkened as they watched the car pull away. “Tell me what?” Lan Xichen asked him.

Jiang Cheng wouldn’t look at him, poorly concealed panic written clearly on his face. “N-nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Lan Xichen took a few seconds to consider the evasion but decided to just wait and see. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.

They walked in silence the rest of the way into the apartment, thankful that they encountered no one and Jiang Cheng’s state of undress could go unnoticed. Even the elevator journey was quiet, though Jiang Cheng never once let go of Lan Xichen and remained standing as close as he could. It was pleasant, if a little awkward, and Lan Xichen couldn’t wait to finally get inside.

“I suppose you’ll be wanting a shower,” he remarked while unlocking the front door.

Jiang Cheng made a noise of assent and walked in behind him. But instead of dropping his grip on Lan Xichen’s hand as the door was closed and locked, he continued towards the bathroom, dragging the vampire along with him. Lan Xichen swallowed thickly and let himself be pulled, anticipation curling in his gut.

Lan Xichen’s coat was dropped on the floor once they entered the bathroom and Jiang Cheng finally released his grasp to reach into the shower and turn the water on. And oh, Lan Xichen had seen the other man naked before, obviously – Jiang Cheng had always been shameless, even before the events of that night – but there was something different about this time, something charged and tangible radiating in the space around them. Lan Xichen closed the bathroom door and let himself stare at the muscular and scarred lines of Jiang Cheng’s back, willing himself not to make any assumptions.

The flush was back on Jiang Cheng’s features when he turned back around to face Lan Xichen, though this time he didn’t avert his eyes. “You don’t need to shower in your clothes – I know you have a washer.” His words were teasing, nerves not quite hidden behind them.

“Oh,” Lan Xichen breathed.

Jiang Cheng didn’t respond. There was a hint of fervor in his eyes and the pink had spread to his chest now and gods he looked so beautiful like that.

Finally, Lan Xichen shook himself out of his stupor and slowly began stripping out of his filthy clothes. He felt Jiang Cheng’s stare on him the whole time and boy did that do something to him. When they were both completely naked, Jiang Cheng reached out his hand again and Lan Xichen took it, letting the younger man pull him forward once more, once more into inevitability.

They didn’t speak, using their touch to communicate what neither of them had figured out how to say yet. Lan Xichen took his time to clean Jiang Cheng first, the blood formerly staining the gray fur of his wolf form now inked all over his pale skin like red brushstrokes and messy tattoos. The heat of the water couldn’t compare to the raging inferno threatening to take over where his beating heart used to be, every touch of skin on skin sending an electric shock straight to his brain. He was almost disappointed when the water ran clear.

That feeling didn’t last long as the younger man turned and began washing him. Jiang Cheng’s hands were gentle but firm as he used a washcloth to wipe away the blood that had dried on Lan Xichen’s neck, his eyes focused on his work while his body moved around to stand behind the vampire. Lan Xichen had to close his eyes against the sudden crash of emotions that teetered dangerously close to veneration. He was a man on fire and Jiang Cheng held the match.

Lan Xichen hardly noticed when Jiang Cheng stopped brushing the cloth along his spine, only falling back into the present when the younger man leaned forward and pressed his forehead where his hands had just been. A loaded pause, like the very air had been removed from the room, and then-

“I think I’m in love with you.”

The words were felt more than heard, spoken into the space between Lan Xichen’s shoulder blades just above a whisper, dangerously close to being washed away. Lips grazed tentatively on top of where the admission still burned; it was the opposite of a balm that only served to scald even more. The heat of the water couldn’t hope to prevent the shiver that ran from his toes to the back of his skull. Lan Xichen couldn’t move, could hear nothing but the pounding of water against the shower glass. Gods, he was so in love with this man.

“I know that’s kind of a big deal and, and, you might not feel that way, but I just – I just needed to tell you.”

He sounded so fragile and Lan Xichen fell even harder.

It was surprisingly easy to change positions so they were facing each other. Lan Xichen lifted his arms to place his hands lightly on either side of Jiang Cheng’s face as rivulets of water slid down his cheeks along with his tears. There was so much soft hope in Jiang Cheng’s eyes – he really was beautiful. He was everything Lan Xichen had always believed he would never have.

“What can I do to make you know it?” he asked, just barely audible over the rushing water. “Because I would pull the moon from the sky if it meant I could love you for as long as you’d have me.”

Rich brown eyes flicked back and forth between Lan Xichen’s for several long, aching seconds and then Jiang Cheng was kissing him again, this time without all the desperation from earlier but all the same heat. He pressed their bodies together and Lan Xichen forgot how to breathe, forgot how to think about anything other than the taste of Jiang Cheng’s tongue, the feeling of Jiang Cheng’s hands gripping tightly to his hair and at his hip, the way Jiang Cheng fell back against the shower wall to pull him closer and deepen the kiss – he forgot how to think about anything other than Jiang Cheng Jiang Cheng Jiang Cheng-

“I love you,” he whispered into Jiang Cheng’s mouth. “I love you.”

Jiang Cheng growled and Lan Xichen let his knees give out.

Ah well – this position worked just fine for him anyway.

Chapter Text

Jiang Cheng awoke to the sensation of someone kissing his shoulder.

The light filtering in through the curtains was soft and Jiang Cheng was warm all over, not quite fully awake yet but pleasantly muzzy. He turned his head to stare at the man responsible and melted; Lan Xichen looked so soft, so gentle, adoration clear in his sleepy expression and arms a comforting weight on Jiang Cheng’s waist.

“G’mornin’,” he mumbled.

Lan Xichen smiled, pulling them both up so he could lean on a few pillows against the headboard and better hold Jiang Cheng to his chest. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

The term of endearment so easily used set butterflies loose in Jiang Cheng’s belly. Lan Xichen must have noticed the change in his emotional state because he chuckled lightly and leaned down to kiss the tip of his nose. Jiang Cheng tucked his face into the crook of the vampire’s neck in response, embarrassment burning pink on his cheeks. He wiggled around a bit in Lan Xichen’s arms as the vampire continued to laugh – this man would be the death of him.

“You can’t just say things like that,” he complained against Lan Xichen’s bare skin. There were light marks on his chest, almost like he’d worked somehow to keep this particular evidence of their escapades from supernaturally fading overnight.

“What, ‘sweetheart?”

Jiang Cheng groaned. “Yes, that!”

Lan Xichen huffed playfully. “What about beloved?” Jiang Cheng felt warmth spread through his body. “Darling? Moon of my life?”

“That’s it, old man! You’re done!” Jiang Cheng groused as he pulled himself away to look at Lan Xichen’s devilish smirk with a fake glare.

The vampire just grinned like an idiot. “Oh? And how do you figure?”

Jiang Cheng forwent responding with words and crashed their lips together instead, moving to straddle Lan Xichen’s thighs and shift their bodies to a more advantageous position. Judging by the way Lan Xichen’s breath quickened and the growing heat where their bodies met, that had been the right move. It was easy to slip into a give and take from there, neither of them caring much for propriety at that point and going straight to rocking together in a way that sent sparks down Jiang Cheng’s spine and caused Lan Xichen to release tiny noises that went straight to Jiang Cheng’s lower half.

And then a loud buzzing broke the rising tension.

Lan Xichen tossed his head back in exasperation, glaring at his phone that sat ringing and flashing on the nightstand. Reluctantly, Jiang Cheng reached over and grabbed it, laughing at Lan Xichen’s flushed expression. The caller ID simply said ‘W’ but Jiang Cheng had a pretty good idea of who it was.

“This better be good,” he answered, eyes never leaving Lan Xichen’s heated stare.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” came the playful voice of Wei Wuxian from the other end of the line.

Jiang Cheng reached his free hand out to wander down the flat plains of Lan Xichen’s stomach, the muscles twitching underneath his touch. “Nah, it’s all good,” he lied. Lan Xichen closed his eyes to take a steadying breath and Jiang Cheng smirked triumphantly when he found his target and wrapped his rough hand around Lan Xichen’s rapidly filling erection. “What can we do for you?”

“We would like you guys to come into the base today,” Wei Wuxian replied with obvious humor. “We’d like to formally extend an offer of employment, so to speak.”

With a hum of understanding, Jiang Cheng increased his attention on Lan Xichen, who was panting heavily by this point, precum leaking from the tip of his cock and dripping onto Jiang Cheng’s attentive hand. He still hadn’t reopened his eyes. “We’ll swing by later today.”

Wei Wuxian sounded far too smug when he responded. “Sounds good! I’ll let the others know.”

“See ya.”

Hanging up before Wei Wuxian could make any more sarcastic remarks, Jiang Cheng turned the phone off and chucked it behind him carelessly. He lay his now unoccupied hand on the side of Lan Xichen’s face and used his thumb to stroke across the vampire’s cheekbone until he opened his hazel eyes to look at him.

“You are – cruel,” Lan Xichen said between gasps.

Jiang Cheng kissed him soundly. “You like it.”

Lan Xichen moaned, both in apparent pleasure and frustration, eyes going half-lidded. “God, I’m an idiot for it but I do.”

“Good.”

Pulling both hands away, Jiang Cheng moved a little so he was seated slightly further up in Lan Xichen’s lap, blankets long since abandoned around them. He slowly rotated his hips so both of their cocks slid against each other with lewd slickness, watching the vampire’s face the whole time, admiring the view in front of him – how every small movement would trigger a minute change of expressions. He was bigger than Jiang Cheng but not by much, long and slightly curved to the left. Lan Xichen stared back at him, unguarded lust and idolization piercing Jiang Cheng right through his heart.

“I want you,” Lan Xichen said between kisses. “I need you.”

“Then have me.”

Trembling slightly, Lan Xichen rubbed his hands up and down Jiang Cheng’s sides. “Bedside table, second drawer.”

Jiang Cheng huffed a nervous laugh as he leaned over to search said drawer, pulling out a small bottle of lube. “I’m sure you have lots of people over.”

“Not in a while,” Lan Xichen admitted. “That’s mostly for myself.”

“Oh.”

Lan Xichen stared at him with concern. “Have you ever-?”

“Yes!” Jiang Cheng blurted out. “Yes, but – but not the other way around.”

Lovingly, Lan Xichen took his hand. “I have and am willing, or we don’t have to-“

Jiang Cheng interrupted him for the second time. “No, no, – I want to.” He shifted nervously, their cocks rubbing together again, igniting a further fire in his gut. “Please, show me how.”

There was hunger in his eyes when Lan Xichen took the lube from him. He opened it and distributed a liberal amount onto his fingers. “Lean forward, sweetheart, and relax as best as you can, alright?

Jiang Cheng nodded and did what he was told, leaning until his face was nestled in the crook of Lan Xichen’s shoulder, his ass displayed to the cool morning air. He sucked in a quick breath as cold fingers pressed against his hole, whimpering a little as Lan Xichen’s middle digit slid in with more ease than he’d expected. It didn’t feel bad, it felt…weird, at first. Nothing he couldn’t handle but Jiang Cheng still had to really concentrate on not clenching down too much.

The second finger was a surprise; Jiang Cheng flinched a little, enough that Lan Xichen paused and waited for him to nod to continue. The lube made it easier, so Lan Xichen added more to his fingers, working them in and out until Jiang Cheng felt relaxed enough to insert a third finger. At this, Jiang Cheng began to pant, and when Lan Xichen crooked them just so, he called out in shock at the bright spark of pleasure that shot through him.

“That’s it,” Lan Xichen murmured, turn his head so he could kiss Jiang Cheng’s cheek, “you’re doing so well, a-Cheng. Only a little more before you’re ready for me.”

Jiang Cheng could only respond with a whine as a fourth finger slid into his hole. He felt so full, so utterly wrecked already that he didn’t know how he would last long enough to take Lan Xichen in the way he wanted to. Every press against his prostate made him want to burst into flames.

Finally, right before Jiang Cheng thought he might erupt, Lan Xichen removed his fingers, leaving him empty and aching.

“Sit up for me, my love.”

Jiang Cheng could do nothing but obey, he forced himself to sit upright again. His cock was so hard it hurt, and Lan Xichen’s didn’t look much better. “Please,” he whispered.

Lan Xichen coated his cock in lube and set the bottle off to the side. It was easy for him to then lift Jiang Cheng up by the waist and position him above his own erection.

“Are you ready?” he asked, ever the gentleman even after all that had occurred.

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng responded.

And then he was being lowered down onto the hottest thing he had ever experienced.

A searing rod of beauty pressed against his hole, popping past the rim with just a little thrust. Jiang Cheng keened as he was dropped further down the shaft, Lan Xichen careful to go slow even though he’d been thoroughly prepped. It was a good thing he was being held up because Jiang Cheng didn’t think he could have managed this all himself.

By the time he was fully seated on Lan Xichen’s cock, Jiang Cheng was panting and shaking all over. “Ha – hng – ple, please – Xichen, please-“

“Patience, dear heart,” the vampire said with a soft chuckle. “ I do not want to hurt you.”

Jiang Cheng’s heart swelled. “You wouldn’t.”

He was lifted up, almost till the cock inside him was fully removed – all eight beautiful inches of it – and then slammed back down so fast that Jiang Cheng saw stars.

“AH!”

Lan Xichen sat upright so he could hold the back of Jiang Cheng’s neck and pull him into a searing kiss. “Only in ways that would make you feel good,” he told him, lifting and dropping Jiang Cheng again on ‘good’.

It was easy for Lan Xichen to flip them over, so easy that Jiang Cheng briefly thought about how else he could toss him around, but then his mind went into static as Lan Xichen started to fuck him in earnest.

The vampire’s thrusts were deep and powerful, the sound of their hips meeting stark in the quiet bedroom. Jiang Cheng let out little ‘ah ah ahs’ every time. His existence narrowed down to one thing and that was Lan Xichen. He let himself be pushed further and further until he was practically folded in half, his cock weeping precum onto his belly as Lan Xichen’s slammed into and past his prostate over and over.

“Why are you crying,” Lan Xichen asked, his voice just as wrecked as Jiang Cheng was feeling.

It was hard for him to think of a response, let alone speak; Jiang Cheng hadn’t even noticed the tears running unbidden down his face. “I – ng – please! – ah – I don’t – I don’t know, please-“

Lan Xichen kissed away the tears. “Shh, don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

Yes. Lan Xichen had him, that was truer than anything else had ever been in his life. Jiang Cheng allowed himself to let go; he let go of his restraint, his anxiety, his self-doubt. There was no room for it here, here in the arms of the man he loved, getting the ever-living daylights fucked out of him. He laughed at the thought, hiccupping as he raced closer and closer to his finish.

“Will you cum for me, a-Cheng?” His lover asked, hand moving to start jerking Jiang Cheng’s neglected cock. “Will you please cum on my cock?”

Jiang Cheng let out another whimper at the filthy words coming from Lan Xichen’s mouth along with the little blip of familiar politeness inherent in ‘please’. He could only supply a vigorous nod, his mouth too busy moaning to form words.

Smiling against his lips, Lan Xichen commanded him: “Then do it – let go.”

Somehow, beyond any explanation, Jiang Cheng complied; the world around him exploded as his orgasm slammed into him like an avalanche. The edges of his vision turned grey, his release splattering all over his front and Lan Xichen’s hand, which was still sliding up and down his cock. This and Lan Xichen’s continuous thrusting milked him for all he was worth and then beyond, so far beyond that Jiang Cheng felt another orgasm build, crest, and break over him. It felt like his prostate was being abused.

“So good – for me-“ Lan Xichen ground out between gritted teeth. Jiang Cheng couldn’t stop sobbing as the overstimulation began to be painful. “Can you manage – one more – for me-?”

Jiang Cheng didn’t think so – there was no way, not after the two he’d already had; his body couldn’t possibly take that.

Except it did.

Lan Xichen’s thrusts became more erratic and deeper than before; he bent Jiang Cheng even further in half, the burn in his thighs only topped by how his airflow was being constricted by his own cum-covered belly. Jiang Cheng gasped, sound no longer able to escape his throat at all. He felt his eyes roll into the back of his head at the shear overwhelming power of it all. His cock was soft in Lan Xichen’s hand as he continued to jerk him off, Jiang Cheng’s own release acting as lube.

But it was what Lan Xichen did next that finally sent Jiang Cheng, impossibly, over the edge; he bit him.

As soon as those razor-sharp fangs pierced the vulnerable skin of his neck, just next to his carotid, Jiang Cheng came with a silent scream, his cock empty. Lan Xichen quickly followed, fucking his cum into Jiang Cheng’s ass like his un-life depended on it. He growled into where he bit, releasing just enough venom to numb the area as he sucked in several cups of blood.

When he was done – when he’d finally had his fill and released his bite – Lan Xichen seemed to come to his senses; with a sharp intake of breath, he carefully unfolded Jiang Cheng, horror in his eyes.

“Oh no, oh gods, Jiang Cheng I’m so sorry-“

“No,” Jiang Cheng somehow managed to get out through exhausted vocal chords. “No. I liked it.”

Lan Xichen gathered him into his arms, carefully licking over where he’d fed. “I got carried away, I shouldn’t have, not for your first time!”

Again, Jiang Cheng shut him down. “NO. You didn’t do anything wrong, I’m fine, please stop thinking that way.”

The vampire shuddered. “It won’t happen again,” he promised.

Jiang Cheng huffed. “You better be lying.”

Gently, oh so gently, Lan Xichen gathered him into his arms and carried Jiang Cheng into the bathroom. He set him carefully on the bench in the large shower, turning it on and using the soothingly hot water to clean Jiang Cheng’s body, wary of the tenderness between his legs. Jiang Cheng just let himself be taken care of; he drifted off a couple times, his mind pleasantly muddled, smiling when Lan Xichen dried him off with a fluffy towel and carried him back to their bed, where he stripped the sheets and wrapped both of them up together under a thick knitted blanket.

They lay there like that for a while, basking in each other’s presence and the soft morning light filtering through the window. Jiang Cheng tucked himself into Lan Xichen, swinging one leg over the vampires and nuzzling up into his warm, solid body. He had never been more content.

Lan Xichen pressed a lingering kiss onto his forehead. “You’re so beautiful,” he said as if a fact; reverently, like it was scripture in a holy book. Jiang Cheng shivered at the declaration, an ‘I love you’ disguised in a different declaration. He smiled into the skin of Lan Xichen’s chest.

How lucky was he to have this, to be loved so thoroughly by someone like Lan Xichen and to get to experience such deep emotions and expressions of love. Maybe he would have questioned it before, doubted that any of it could be real, but it was so hard to even consider that when Lan Xichen held him like he truly mattered; like he was wanted; like he belonged.

If he could spend every morning this way for the rest of his life, however long it might be, Jiang Cheng would be – finally and forever – happy.