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Blood dripped down the sharp edge of Bichen's blade. It joined the pool of blood that was slowly soaking into the earth beneath tired feet. Lan Wangji let out a breath and flicked his sword before sheathing it. The air was scented with blood and sweat, leaving a metallic tang on his tongue. He was too young to be used to this unique flavor. Too young to be caught up in this war. They all were.
His eyes flicked over the fallen bodies. They had come head to head with a group of Wen cultivators while on their way back to the main camp. Several of the dead were allies but most were not. Lan Wangji's gaze slid past the recognizable faces quickly. None of them were who he was searching for. That was good.
He looked over those still standing, instead. Many were injured, most were tired. That bone weary tiredness that had been sitting with them since the indoctrination camp. Another thing they were too young to be familiar with. None of these faces were the man he was looking for either. Lan Wangji's brows furrowed. Then he heard a short, rough, mocking, laugh in the distance and turned.
He would know that laugh anywhere. Despite how wrong it sounded now. Despite how different. Lan Wangji was certain he would still know that laugh in his next life. It was imprinted on his very soul. It made the blood in his veins grow warm.
His shoulders relaxed. The tension he had been unconsciously holding released him from its grasp. The owner of the laugh was standing on the opposite side of the field discussing something with another companion. He twirled a black dízǐ in his hand. Lan Wangji glanced down to his waist out of habit. Still no sword.
Something about that itched under his skin. A memory from years prior of that same laugh filled with warmth and pride as the other announced the name of his blade. Lan Wangji's lips thinned, joining his furrowed brows, making his expression look dark and judgemental.
It was then the other seemed to notice he was being stared at. He looked up and over to Lan Wangji. He paused, huffed, and then turned his back before walking further away. From this distance, Lan Wangji did not notice the slight limp in the other's step.
Lan Wangji always heard people relate his demeanor to ice. Watching Wei Wuxian walk away definitely made that chill enter his bones. His lungs seemed to be filled with shards and his blood refused to circulate through his body. He bit his tongue, took another deep breath of the metallic air, and then headed back to the Lan disciples to perform his post battle duties.
Their group made it to the main camp just before nightfall. The camp was haphazardly thrown together behind the walls of a ruined village. They had fortified the walls and taken over what buildings still remained for communal spaces and meeting halls. The rest of the area was littered with tents that had naturally been divided by sect.
Lan Wangji had his own tent set up with the rest of the Lans. He would have preferred a separated space that allowed silence and solitude but it was important to be near in case of an emergency. He made his way towards his tent. He would be expected to make a full report of their expedition in the morning. He had already written it down before they left but now he would need to add the most recent battle to it.
A light female voice drifted over to him as he passed by the small collection of Jiang tents making Lan Wangji pause. Eavesdropping was forbidden but was it truly eavesdropping if the conversation was happening out in the open? Anyone could be listening in on them, he just happened to be one of them.
"A-Xian," Jiang Yanli's voice sounded strained, like she was barely containing some sort of emotion, "If you won't see a physician, please at least let A-Cheng pass you some spiritual energy. It's been days."
"Shijie," Wei Wuxian's voice was low, it was hard for Lan Wangji to catch everything he was saying, "You worry too much. I'm fine."
Jiang Yanli seemed to deflate, "Promise me you'll tell me if it gets worse?"
"I promise," Wei Wuxian replied, the ghost of his old smile on his lips.
Lan Wangji tensed up again. Wei Wuxian was injured. He was injured and it wasn't healing. Why was it not healing? With the golden core that Wei Wuxian had any injury should be healed in a few days. Even when he was feverish and unconscious on the floor of the Xuanwu cave his golden core had been working to heal his body. Lan Wangji had very vivid memories of those days.
Having been caught in his own thoughts, Lan Wangji did not notice someone approaching until they were too close. His head jerked up from where he had been staring at the ground when he felt the presence and he came face to face with Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian crossed his arms, his face souring, "Isn't eavesdropping forbidden, Lan Wangji?"
Lan Wangji felt his insides flinch at the emphasis on his name. He missed the way his birth name sounded coming from the other. He heaved a sigh and forced his shoulders down.
"Apologies," Lan Wangji stated, "It was not my intention."
"Funny thing," Wei Wuxian tsk'd and turned his head, "Intentions. They can often get misinterpreted."
"Indeed," Lan Wangji's gut clenched. He willed himself not to think about his intentions for Wei Wuxian. To bring him back to Gusu. To keep him safe from the cultivation world from those who would harm him. To…shelter him.
Something must have flickered across his usually neutral face. Wei Wuxian was looking at him again, not with the anger that seemed to always be bubbling just under the surface but with curiosity. A look Lan Wangji had not seen in months. The normalcy of it helped him relax the rest of the way. He nodded.
"You are injured," Lan Wangji did not want the conversation to end so quickly.
Wei Wuxian ran a hand over his face, the dark circles under his eyes prominent in the low evening light, "Ugh. Not you too. The last thing I need is you fussing over this. I. Am. Fine. I can handle myself."
"I have no doubt," Lan Wangji's gaze trailed down Wei Wuxian's body, trying to find the source of the injury. It was likely somewhere under the layers and layers of robes the other would cover himself in now, like a shield against the rest of the world.
Wei Wuxian shifted his weight, favoring one leg. Lan Wangji's eyes shot back up to him.
"Don't," Wei Wuxian raised a hand, "I am not going to Gusu. I am not letting you pass me energy. I don't need a doctor. It's just a minor injury from battle. We all have those. So, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go find some dinner."
Lan Wangji didn't know what to say. So many words were stuck in his throat. His mind swirled with conflicting information. Wei Wuxian saying that it was a minor injury. Jiang Yanli saying it has been days and it hasn't begun to heal. Before he could get his thoughts back in order, Wei Wuxian had already swept past him towards the heart of the camp.
This time, Lan Wangji noticed the limp as he walked away.
Somehow, Lan Wangji made it back to the Lan side of the camp. He only came to realize this when he was standing outside his brother's tent. He blinked as he slowly came back to himself. His mind had been running in circles with worry over Wei Wuxian. He didn't have the right to worry. Wei Wuxian wasn't a Lan, he didn't belong to Lan Wangji, he…
"Wangji?" Lan Xichen's confused voice came from behind him and Lan Wangji whipped around.
He unclenched his fist and bowed to his brother, "Xiongzhang."
"Is everything alright?" There was a new wrinkle between Lan Xichen's brows, one brought on by stressors of war. Lan Wangji hated it. Hated the physical impact that this had on the people he loved.
He forced himself to take a breath, keeping his face decidedly neutral even though Lan Xichen had always been able to read him, "Mn."
Unsurprisingly, Lan Xichen tilted his head and stepped past Lan Wangji to open the flap of his tent, "Come. I'll make tea."
What a luxury it was to have tea with his brother despite everything that was happening around them. Lan Wangji stepped into the tent and took his place on the cushion by the low table. Lan Xichen placed the tea set in the middle of the table as the water brewed.
"Did something happen with the excursion?" Lan Xichen always spoke much gentler than Lan Wangji. He was able to navigate the intricacies of conversation with ease. Lan Wangji envied that at times.
He shook his head then stopped and nodded, "Yes but that is not what brought me here."
Lan Xichen paused as he prepped the tea. He waited in silence for Lan Wangji to continue.
"Xiongzhang," Lan Wangji started again. He stopped searching for the words he needed and looked down at his hands, "If a cultivator is injured but not healing, what would be the cause?"
A rough, worn, cup slipped from Lan Xichen's fingers to plunk onto the table. It caused Lan Wangji's head to jerk upwards startled.
"Wangji," Lan Xichen's eyes were wide, face pale, "What happened? Are you injured? I'll call a doctor."
He made to stand but Lan Wangji reached out to grab his brother's sleeve. Lan Wangji shook his head once more and Lan Xichen sat back down across from him. He placed his hand over Lan Wangji's and squeezed it. Lan Wangji felt a probing sensation of his brother's qi enter his body, searching through his meridians.
"Xiongzhang, I am fine," Lan Wangji pulled his hand back and watched Lan Xichen visibly relax into his cushion.
"Do not scare me like that," Lan Xichen placed his hand over his chest and then gave a soft smile, "Wangji, I was worried something had happened to your core."
Lan Wangji felt that ice in his lungs again. The cold sensation spreading out through his veins as his brother's words washed over him. Worried for your core.
"My core is unharmed," Lan Wangji replied, mechanically.
Worried for your core.
An unhealed injury.
A sword that has not been seen in months.
Darkness that was out of place.
Worried for your core.
"Would a core injury be the only explanation?" Lan Wangji lifted his gaze to Lan Xichen, who was still eyeing him with open worry.
Lan Xichen took a moment to think. Lan Wangji was very familiar with the way his brother's lips tilted, brows came together, and gaze flitted to one side as he worked out a problem.
"I suppose not," Lan Xichen finally replied, grabbing the tea and pouring himself a cup, "It could be due to the nature of the injury. Perhaps it is cursed or blocking qi in some way that would prevent the cultivator from healing it with their core. Has the injury been healing naturally at all?"
Lan Wangji shook his head once more, "I am unsure."
"Ah," Lan Xichen wrapped both hands around his cup and stared at the weak tea in it, "Either scenario would be unideal but a curse is easier to deal with than a lost core."
Lan Wangji nodded, "Mn."
A curse would be easier to deal with. There were plenty of those running around the battlefields. It was most likely just a curse, one that could be easily removed by a skilled cultivator. So why would he not want the Jiang sect leader to treat him? Why refuse a doctor? A curse wouldn't prevent him from using his sword.
"Who is it?" Lan Xichen broke through Lan Wangji's thoughts.
Lan Wangji looked back at his brother and blinked.
"The one that is injured," Lan Xichen clarified, "It's not you. Is it another of our sect?"
"No," Lan Wangji gripped his hands where they rested in his lap, "It is no one. Thank you, xiongzhang."
Lan Wangji stood and bowed as his brother looked at him, perplexed.
"Wangji? You sure everything is okay?" Lan Xichen stood as well and placed a hand on Lan Wangji's shoulder.
Lan Wangji couldn't look his brother in the eye. He knew what he would see there. Concern, of course, but more than that, understanding. His brother knew him well, it was likely he had already figured out who it was that Lan Wangji was worried for. Who else could it be?
"Mn," Lan Wangji nodded and then left the tent, his brother still standing there with his hand out.
A curse would be the most likely cause for an injury to not be healing. But if it wasn't a curse. If it was more…Core-Melting Hand had been taken care of already. Wei Wuxian had seen to that personally. Lan Wangji still saw the gruesome scenes he had come across when he closed his eyes at night. So if someone had lost their core it had to have happened early on in the war or even…even before the war had happened.
Lan Wangji stopped in the middle of the pathway between tents. Several cultivators shot him looks as they diverted around him.
Wen Zhuliu had been there the night that Lotus Pier had burned. That had been in the Jiang's reports. It was more than probable that he had been sent there to administer punishments that Wen Chao had deemed necessary. It was also more than probable that he had been ordered to use his abilities.
Lan Wangji whipped around, his white robes dancing around him as he turned back the direction he had come from. He swiftly made his way back through the Lan section of the camp to the main halls and dining areas. There were several fire pits set up outside with pots of stews and soups boiling on them. Many cultivators meandered around the area filling their bowls and chatting with friends, trying to ease out of the day's weariness.
His eyes roamed the clearing. There were no black robes or red ribbons to be seen.
Jiang Yanli stepped past him, carrying a tray with several bowls of soup on it.
"Pardon," Lan Wangji spoke and Jiang Yanli startled, jostling the tray. Lan Wangji reached out to steady it before the soups spilled, "Apologies, Jiang-guniang, I was just wondering if you have seen Wei Ying."
"Oh, oh!" Jiang Yanli's eyes widened as she looked up at him and then fell into a soft smile, she shook her head, "I spoke to him earlier but haven't seen him in a bit. I can let him know you are looking for him, if I do see him."
Lan Wangji nodded, "Mn, thank you."
"Of course, he-" she broke off and looked out over the camp, shook her head and then looked back at Lan Wangji, "Anything else I can help with?"
"No," Lan Wangji stepped aside.
"Right, okay," Jiang Yanli nodded several times and then continued on her path with her soups.
Lan Wangji did one last sweep around the dining cultivators and then resigned himself to return to his tent at last. He would have plenty of opportunities to seek out Wei Wuxian and confront him about his theories. To confirm that he was incorrect and that Wei Wuxian was fine. It was just a curse. His core was fine. (Well as fine as it could be with his new form of cultivation.)
It was several weeks later when he finally got his chance.
A small group of cultivators had been sent out to survey the area between two villages. This group just so happened to include Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. Sending them both meant their brothers expected trouble. Trouble was something easily taken care of. What were not easily taken care of were Lan Wangji's racing thoughts.
They stood on an outcropping over looking a rarely used path through the trees. The handful of cultivators that had come with them were scattered through out the area to look for anything amiss. Wei Wuxian had also called upon several of the dead to assist in the recon mission.
Lan Wangji shifted his weight. He could practically feel the resentment rolling off Wei Wuxian as the other slid his dark dízǐ back into his belt. Lan Wangji couldn't help staring at him. Watching his fine hands place the instrument were Suibian once lived.
Wei Wuxian sighed, "Enough. I know you're itching to tell me off while we stand here. Just get it over with before we have to start fighting something."
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji started, his voice sounding hoarse even to his own ears.
"What?" The question was sharp. Wei Wuxian turned furrowed brows and a deep frown towards Lan Wangji, "We have a war to win Lan Wangji can't you focus on that instead of imprisoning me?"
Lan Wangji's eyes widened. Is that what he thought of him? Imprisonment? He was about to open his mouth to deny it, to tell Wei Wuxian that was not his goal, when Wei Wuxian took a step towards him. Or, tried to take a step towards him. As soon as the other's foot landed back on the ground, his knee buckled and Wei Wuxian's face contorted with pain.
Lan Wangji was at his side in an instant. He grabbed Wei Wuxian and dragged him down to sit on the outcropping.
"Let go," Wei Wuxian spoke through clenched teeth, "I'm fine."
"You are not fine," Lan Wangji went to his knees next to the other, "Your injury…"
"It's. Fine." Wei Wuxian made to stand again only to slide back down to the ground with a hiss.
If he was going to fight this, Lan Wangji would just have to force him down. He placed one hand onto Wei Wuxian's chest, pushing him back into the ground and exerting his strength to keep him there. Which was surprisingly easy to do. It was like Wei Wuxian had no mass to him. He should have been able to put up a stronger fight against Lan Wangji and yet he had gone down easily.
Lan Wangji looked over at Wei Wuxian's gaunt face. The dark shadows under his eyes that stood out in stark contrast to his skin. The cheeks that were so full of childhood fat the last they had seen each other but were now stretched over bone like a canvas. Lan Wangji took in a breath. He needed to focus. He could fuss over Wei Wuxian not taking care of himself after he assessed his leg. If it was a curse causing him harm it could be related.
He moved to roll up Wei Wuxian's pant leg only to have the other's hand grasp the wrist on his chest.
"Don't," Wei Wuxian said quietly.
Lan Wangji looked back over at him and pulled the pant leg up, without breaking eye contact. He watched as Wei Wuxian tensed, pain crossing his face, and then slumped back down against the dirt. Wei Wuxian let go of his wrist and covered his face with both hands, making an unintelligible noise.
Satisfied, Lan Wangji turned back to the leg. Most of the leg was wrapped in a bandage that was stained red, the stain growing the longer Lan Wangji looked at it. He took one last moment to glance over at Wei Wuxian, assessing that he would not try to leave again, and then began to unwind the bandage with both hands.
He had to bite his tongue to keep the gasp in his chest from escaping. The more he unwrapped the worse it became. Wei Wuxian's leg was mottled in purple and yellow bruises. The lower half was just slightly misaligned from the upper half, and there was a large gash up his calf that was deep enough to see the muscles straining to stitch themselves back together.
"Wei Ying," the name left his lips as lightly as a breath, "What…"
"Does it matter?" Wei Wuxian dropped his hand and turned his head away, "This is war, any number of things could have caused it. Hell, I think the break happened in a different fight from the cut. It's just an injury. We have people with much worse than this."
Lan Wangji frowned at the dismissive nature of the other's words. He acted like it didn't matter at all, like his personal health was not something to be concerned about. Lan Wangji's jaw tightened, he was just going to have to show Wei Wuxian how much this matters.
He reached into his sleeves and pulled out a pouch filled with first aid supplies. It was something that he found useful on more than one occasion during this war. He pulled out ointments, herbs, fresh water and clean bandages. That would help with the gash. If only he had a splint on hand. Lan Wangji lifted his head to look around the forest for anything that could work.
"This brings me back," Wei Wuxian's laugh was half of what it used to be. Lan Wangji froze and looked over to him, raising a brow.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten already? It's been less than a year since I bandaged up your leg in that godsforsaken cave," Wei Wuxian waved a hand in the air as he spoke.
"Mn," Lan Wangji turned back to his task, "Have not forgotten. Could never forget."
"Right, right," That sigh again, "I was the one with the fever. You took care of me then, too."
"Mn," Lan Wangji nodded. He unstopped the jar of water and trickled it down onto the wound.
Wei Wuxian hissed and jerked, "Hey! Fuck. See, this is why I didn't want to see a physician. They just make things hurt more."
Lan Wangji found his face had fallen into a permanent frown. The more Wei Wuxian spoke the more he wanted to wrap the man up in his robes and fly him back to Gusu that very second. But Wei Wuxian didn't want to go to Gusu with him. If this was all he would allow Lan Wangji to do then he would accept it. He would always be grateful for any chance to take care of Wei Wuxian.
"I'm cleaning the wound," Lan Wangji worked hard to keep his voice steady, "I will put herbs on it next and bandage it. I wish to brace your leg, as well."
"You say that like I have a choice," Wei Wuxian huffed and scooted himself up onto his elbows to watch, "If I try to leave you'll just bully me back down again."
"Mn."
As Lan Wangji worked on Wei Wuxian's leg, he used his spiritual energy to prod at the wound. He didn't find anything off about it. No standard curse feedback, no lingering darkness, it seemed like a normal battle wound likely caused by a sword. The furrow between his brows got deeper. He sent his energy further out.
When he finished wrapping the bandage around Wei Wuxian's leg Lan Wangji stood and looked out at the forest again, "Stay."
He turned his frown towards the man below him.
Wei Wuxian blew hair out of his face and crossed his arms, not looking nearly as menacing as he probably hoped while laying flat on his back, "Not like I can go anywhere, anyways."
Lan Wangji nodded and swiftly walked into the tree line. He found a couple of fallen branches that would work for the moment, he would need to make sure to get proper equipment once they got back to camp. For now, this would have to do.
He was happy to note that Wei Wuxian was in the exact same spot on the ground when he came back to the outcropping. Lan Wangji took a moment to look him over. His eyes were closed and his arms had fallen slack, as if he had fallen asleep in the few moments Lan Wangji was gone, but the pinch of his brows told Lan Wangji all he needed to know. Wei Wuxian was in pain. Wether it was the physical pain of his injuries or something else that Lan Wangji wasn't privy too, it was all the same.
Lan Wangji stepped back into the clearing and knelt next to Wei Wuxian's leg again.
"You're back," Wei Wuxian's voice was rough and low. Lan Wangji looked up and saw the other's eyes were red tinted, had he been crying?
"Mn," Lan Wangji placed the makeshift splints against Wei Wuxian's leg, "This may hurt a moment."
"Trust me," Wei Wuxian gave a bitter laugh once more, "I'm used to pain at this point."
Lan Wangji's jaw clenched but he knew better than to pry. If Wei Wuxian wanted him to know then he would have done so. Instead, Lan Wangji focused on setting Wei Wuxian's leg and wrapping it tightly to the two branches he had found. There was a hiss from the other but no other indication of pain. Lan Wangji found his eyes drifting over to Wei Wuxian's face again. He was looking off into the distance, once more, seeming to be li away from where they were.
"Done," Lan Wangji sat back on his heels.
Wei Wuxian came back to himself and sat up. He reached out and poked at his new bandages, hissing again when it jostled the wounds, and then nodded.
"Alright," Wei Wuxian looked over at Lan Wangji, "I'll admit you did a good job."
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji held Wei Wuxian's gaze, those silver eyes seemed much darker than they had been before, "What happened to your core?"
Wei Wuxian instantly stiffened. His eyes darted to the side and then back again before he let out an almost manic laugh.
"What do you mean, Lan Zhan? It's right here," he patted his lower torso.
"You no longer use Suibian," Lan Wangji stated.
"Haha, why would I need to when I've got this bad boy," Wei Wuxian reached for his dízǐ.
"You deny spiritual energy transfers," Lan Wangji continued.
"Just because you eavesdropped on one conversation-"
"You are not healing quickly."
"It's just a bad break, that's all-"
"You no longer cultivate the sword path," Lan Wangji cut him off.
"Ugh, I thought you weren't going to lecture me today," Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes.
"And you are not under a curse."
"Why would I be cursed?"
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji gave him a dead pan stare, "I checked your meridians."
"You-You had no right!" Anger clouded Wei Wuxian's features, "Fuck, Lan Wangji! What makes you think you can just go around checking people's cores like that? Who made you the core corps?!"
"Was it Wen Zhuliu? I heard he was at Lotus Pier when…" Lan Wangji looked down at his hands. Wei Wuxian had every right to be angry with him. He had invaded the other's privacy but he had needed to know. He had to know.
"Does it matter?" A small plume of dust kicked up when Wei Wuxian let himself fall backwards once more.
Lan Wangji kept his eyes down, "I am sorry."
"Fuck, Lan Zhan, can we not do this? Now you know, you can't tell anyone okay," Wei Wuxian grumbled into his hands, "Has anyone else figured it out? I doubt it, no one else pays as much attention to me as you do."
"I-" Lan Wangji found himself at a loss for words, "I do not believe so."
"Well that's good," the sigh Wei Wuxian let out weighed heavy in the air between them.
"I am sorry," Lan Wangji tried again.
"Stop-"
"No," Lan Wangji finally looked up, he was breaking the interrupting rule so much today, "I am sorry for my actions."
"What?" Wei Wuxian propped himself back up on his elbows again, "You didn't do this."
"No, but I…I made assumptions and I said things that…" His gaze dropped to Wei Wuxian's torso, where his golden core should be humming along. He forced himself to look back up at the other, "I am sorry for the way I have treated you."
Wei Wuxian shook his head, "You didn't know."
"I should not have-"
"Lan Zhan, stop, okay, it's okay," Wei Wuxian reached out and grabbed his arm, "It's okay. You didn't know and now you know."
"Mn."
They sat in silence for a while. Lan Wangji wasn't sure what his face was doing. He long stopped putting up his facade around Wei Wuxian, letting his emotions show for once. And it seemed Wei Wuxian was doing nothing to hide his own emotions, as well. His silver eyes were a dull grey, his jaw was tense and one hand was still clenched tightly around his dízǐ. He looked like he was ready for a fight or to be attacked. Like he was ready to protect himself at any moment.
Lan Wangji felt his heart clench. What had happened to put Wei Wuxian on edge like this? Where was he all those months? And without a core?
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji found his throat clogged, making his words sound choked. He cleared it and tried again, "Wei Ying. Come back to Gusu with me."
Wei Wuxian dropped Lan Wangji's arm and closed his eyes, "Lan Zhan, you know my answer."
"Not to be imprisoned," Lan Wangji shook his head. He reached out for the other's hand on, he would not admit that he missed the warmth of it on his arm, wrapping his fingers around a wrist that was way too thin, "Never that."
"Then what?" Wei Wuxian cracked on eye open to look down at their hands, "Your clan won't want me and my cultivation. They barely tolerated me when I was there for school."
"They wouldn't get a choice," Lan Wangji frowned. Uncle would understand, he would not approve but he would understand and hopefully come around. Brother would support him, he always wanted Lan Wangji to be happy, "You have already taken my ribbon."
Wei Wuxian's eyes flew the the ribbon tied around Lan Wangji's forehead, "What does that have to do with anything?"
Tilting his head, Lan Wangji rose a brow. All the times Wei Wuxian had to copy their sect rules, did he only remember the ones that were convenient for him? No matter. Lan Wangji would just have to review them with him again later. He would need to remember them all, if he was to come with him.
"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian's lips tilted up in a smile, the first genuine smile Lan Wangji had seen in months.
Lan Wangji's breath hitched and his heart stopped beating. He didn't realize just how badly he needed that smile in his life. It was like the entire world narrowed down to just Wei Wuxian's smile. His only reason for existence was that smile. He would do anything he had to to make sure he never lost it again.
"You say the most cryptic shit sometimes," Wei Wuxian let out of a short laugh, "Do people know you're so weird?"
Lan Wangji wasn't sure what to say to that. It was obvious from the light that was starting to regather in Wei Wuxian's eyes he did not mean any harm by his question but still it was an odd questions none-the-less.
"Do they know you are also weird?" Lan Wangji found the words sliding off his tongue without his permission.
And then his heartbeat started back up again, fluttering like a hummingbird's wings. His lungs filled with the fresh scent of clean air and the world filled with color it had not held in months. Wei Wuxian laughed. Truly laughed. His head fell back against the ground and he laughed. It was everything.
Lan Wangji stared at Wei Wuxian's wide smile and crinkled eyes. The length of his throat and his chest heaving for breath. He stared and stared and drank it all in. He didn't know when he would be able to see this sight again. He had thought war had stolen it from him. What a gift it was to have it back.
Wei Wuxian stole his hand away to wipe tears from his eyes before pulling himself back to a sitting position, opposite Lan Wangji. He was still smiling as he spoke again, "Alright, fine. Let's say I do go back with you after the war. How can you ensure I won't be locked up or treated like an experiment?"
"You'd be coming back as my partner," Lan Wangji spoke the words deliberately and slowly, making sure each syllable was enunciated as he held eye contact with the other.
He was treated to Wei Wuxian's eyes going wider then he had ever seen them. His jaw dropping to his chest and his hands reaching out to squeeze Lan Wangji's shoulders, as a blush ran up Wei Wuxian's neck to his cheeks. The little bird inside Lan Wangji's chest fluttered harder and a warmth filled him from the inside out melting the ice that had settled there.
"HUH?!"