[pfsb] sword forms by the lake

[lightamidchaos]

It is late afternoon by the time he makes his way outside.

Lan Wangji is well aware that Wei Ying would probably very much prefer him to be resting again at present, and in truth he likely should be, especially given what had just come to pass in the library not long before.

But. But. It has been three days, and he needs to know how much strength he can regain, how quickly, before he returns to Cold Pond Cave and faces his brother, tomorrow.

(He is fairly certain Shufu did not intend the injuries to be quite as severe this time, either. Fairly certain.)

Bichen flashes into his hand, gleaming along the blade with a faint, icy blue-white shine. Lan Wangji draws a deep breath, and begins to move through each of the Lan sword forms in a slow motion routine, his concentration absolute.

Comments

[lightamidchaos]

"Almost three years."

[acrookedpath]

He'd been half-expecting that answer, and it still lands like a punch to the chest, cracking apart the buffer of shock and sending all the air from him.

His arms tighten convulsively on Lan Zhan before he can stop himself. When he shuts his eyes tight in the same spasm of movement, sudden tears trickle down his face.

[lightamidchaos]

Wei Ying jerks slightly in shock, and he holds him as close as he can, trying to shelter him in his arms the way he could not with words, not with this.

He realizes Wei Ying is crying when he feels the dampness of tears against his skin, and draws in a ragged breath.

"Wei Ying," he whispers. "Wei Ying."

[acrookedpath]

So many words crowd up his throat that he cannot say a single thing.

How can you still be trying to comfort me?

You keep saying you'll be fine when they almost killed you.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

The black cloud keeps unfurling, and he cannot see Cloud Recesses at all. He can hardly feel Lan Zhan's arms around him anymore.

[lightamidchaos]

He shifts slightly, keeping Wei Ying close in the circle of one arm as he frees his other hand. He curves his fingers against Wei Ying's cheek, and uses his thumb to wipe away some of the tears.

"Wei Ying," he whispers again, and bends his head to kiss his lips, a gentle benison. "I am here. I am here now, with you."

[acrookedpath]

Wei Ying.

He sucks in a shuddering breath. The black cloud retreats; his eyes open, unseeing for a fractional moment before they focus on Lan Zhan.

I am here.

Lan Zhan is not dead. He is hurt, but healing. He is here.

Shakily, he covers Lan Zhan's hand where it rests on his cheek. He tries to nod, then turns his head enough to kiss Lan Zhan's palm, a few fresh tears escaping his eyes.

"You will be all right," he whispers.

[lightamidchaos]

"I will," he promises, searching the other man's expression.

"I am. It looks worse than it is, now. It is almost completely healed."

[acrookedpath]

Almost completely healed, and it still looks like that. Lan Zhan will never be free of the desecration they forced on him for daring to stand at Wei Wuxian's side.

"And you are still lovely." No louder. "My Lan Zhan. No matter what they have done to you."

[lightamidchaos]

His ears flush a light pink.

"My Wei Ying."

He strokes his thumb over Wei Ying's cheek again, then says, a little too casually,

"I knew someone once who told me that a man should have some scars."

[acrookedpath]

Wei Wuxian sputters out a watery laugh -- fresh tears well bright in his eyes -- and wraps his arms back around Lan Zhan, hiding his face in the crook of his neck.

[lightamidchaos]

He hums a low, pleased sound, and kisses Wei Ying's temple.

[acrookedpath]

The sounds he make wobble in the awkward, horrible space between sobs and laughter. Lan Zhan has said Wei Wuxian will not hurt him, but he still cannot make himself cling too tightly. At least he knows where it is safe to put his arms, more or less: he has mapped the fresh bruises and wounds well enough.

"I love you." He winds one hand into Lan Zhan's hair. "We are here."

[lightamidchaos]

"We are here," he agrees, appreciating the feel of Wei Ying's hand in his hair.

It is slowly beginning to dawn on him that he is sitting with his robes still around his waist, chest bare, cradling the other man in his lap.

"We are together."

He draws his fingers slowly along the side of Wei Ying's face, then trails them down his neck to the hollow of his throat.

"And I love you. I will love you forever."

[acrookedpath]

He veers closer to a true laugh now.

(Even if he is dead, it is difficult to imagine any real kind of forever. But if he is lucky enough to have one -- it is good, and right, to know Lan Zhan will be there.)

He catches Lan Zhan's mouth in a brief kiss. Or, well, he intends it to be brief; he can't quite make himself pull away, and when he does, his throat bobs underneath Lan Zhan's fingertips.

"I do not want to say it," he murmurs, voice still tinged with laughter. "But you are not recovered yet. We should..."

He reaches down to grasp Lan Zhan's fallen robes.

[lightamidchaos]

"I do not want to hear it."

Stubbornness is clear in his expression - if, that is, one is familiar with his expressions.

He leaves his hand resting at the hollow of Wei Ying's throat.

"Especially if it means that you are about to move."

[acrookedpath]

"Shameless Lan Zhan." Still laughing. "I did not think I would ever call you that!"

He kisses him again.

"Very well. I won't move. And if you catch a chill I will simply have to take even better care of you."

[lightamidchaos]

"Mn."

He considers, and reluctantly concludes that Wei Ying has a point.

"Sit still," he orders, and begins to slip his robes back on.

[acrookedpath]

It's a simple enough order to follow, when he already doesn't want to move too far.

As Lan Zhan shrugs each layer of his robes on, Wei Wuxian finds the ties and secures them in place. His hands trace over the fine silk with a gentle reverence, as if he were helping to unbind Lan Zhan rather than cover him again. Soon, he thinks. Lan Zhan has been patient for years; Wei Wuxian can be patient for several more days.

[lightamidchaos]

His breathing is a little ragged by the time they finish securing his outer layer of robes, and his eyes are very dark.

He puts both arms back around Wei Ying and pulls him closer, then kisses him very thoroughly before drawing his head back down to his shoulder.

[acrookedpath]

...all right, in theory, he will be patient for several more days. In practice, if Lan Zhan keeps kissing him like that -- well.

His pulse has quickened considerably, thrumming hard enough that he's certain Lan Zhan can feel it. When Lan Zhan coaxes him to lay his head back onto his shoulder, he moves without complaint, trying to school his desire with a few slow, careful breaths.

What can they talk about? Something that isn't terrible, but also isn't so distracting that they fall straight into bed despite all of Lan Zhan's injuries. It's a fine line. There must be something.

Ah, he thinks as it strikes him, and he chuckles faintly.

"I will not retrieve it now," he murmurs. "But I have one of the photographs from when I visited London Above with Ingress, if you wish to see it."

[lightamidchaos]

As close together as they are, Wei Ying cannot miss the way that he jerks in surprise.

"...mn."

He sounds a little sheepish, for some reason.

[acrookedpath]

That wasn't a reaction he expected. Wei Wuxian lifts his head, puzzled.

"What is it?"

[lightamidchaos]

"I encountered Ingress earlier. While I was practicing."

He can almost see the look that Wei Ying will give him if he mentions offering to spar, and prudently decides to refrain from doing so.

"She gave me a number of pictures to give to you. I have them in my qiankun bag."

[acrookedpath]

"Oh!" He laughs. "So you have seen some of them already. Nothing too embarrassing, I hope? I cannot begin to tell you where we might have gone after -- the fourth or fifth bar, I suppose?"

[lightamidchaos]

"Mn. You were having fun. And you looked--"

He shifts slightly, enough to reach for the bag with one hand, sets it in Wei Ying's lap, and opens it one-handed to retrieve the stack of pictures from inside it.

He hands them over, with the picture of the beaming and waving Wei Ying topmost, the first one that he had seen.

The look on his face is very soft, but his eyes are even darker and more intent than before.

"What are those clothes that you are wearing?"

His tone is low, and very appreciative.