Wei Wuxian woke feeling slightly groggy, with the familiar, gentle dullness of having drunk too much before sleeping. Memories of what had happened at the tavern flooded back, causing him to sit bolt upright in bed. He groaned, ignoring the minor dryness in his mouth which was the only residual effect of the alcohol he had drunk earlier in the day (and even that was unusual, with Wei Wuxian being blessed with an unusual alcohol tolerance even as a youth). He was somewhat surprised that he had actually managed to fall asleep after Lan Wangji had left, but the alcohol combined with his physical exhaustion from pushing his body harder than he'd been used to earlier that morning had worked against him.
A quick glance at the window told him that it was approaching dinner time. He was surprised that Wen Yuan hadn't come looking for him, but he supposed that Lan Wangji had found some way to entertain the child while Wei Wuxian slept. The thought made him curious as to what the two of them might be doing. Lan Wangji was so cold and still to most people, and A-Yuan always was full of energy and affection. He found himself smiling at the thought of what they would look like, playing together.
He pushed the coverlet off and levered himself out of bed, grateful - not for the first time - that alcohol had only minimal after-effects for him. He used the wash basin and cloth to clean himself, knowing it would take too long for a full bath to be brought but wanting to be at least somewhat tidied before he went in search of Lan Wangji and A-Yuan.
Wei Wuxian felt some of the odd tension coiling back into his body as he recalled the conversation he'd had with Lan Wangji in his rooms earlier. For a moment, Wei Wuxian had thought that Lan Wangji had wanted to kiss him.
It hadn't happened, of course. Wei Wuxian had likely just projected his own desires on Lan Wangji. But still, there had been something.
"Not a wife. A cultivation partner," Lan Wangji had said.
Just because he had said that, it didn't mean the cultivation partner would be Wei Wuxian. Except that was not all that Lan Wangji had said, and he was not one to say words without thought or meaning.
"I have no reluctance with physical proximity with Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian reminded himself of the many reasons why he was likely misreading this. Lan Wangji had probably been annoyed at Wei Wuxian's insinuation that he would not be able to meet the demands of marriage and had meant that 'if he could learn to tolerate Wei Ying, he could tolerate someone else who was less annoying as well.'
That was the only thing that made sense.
The Lan elders needed a political alliance, not a cultivation partner. Even if they were willing to be flexible on that point due to their love of Lan Wangji, they hated Wei Wuxian and had banned him from not just Cloud Recesses but all of GusuLan. And then there was Lan Wangji himself. While he had certainly shown that he no longer actively disliked Wei Wuxian like he had in the past, he also had never shown any romantic interest in him, either. They were great at night hunting together, and respected each other and were… friends? But Lan Wangji had never been interested in flirting or kissing or sex for as long as Wei Wuxian had known him. If anything, he had seemed annoyed and mildly offended by the idea of all of it.
Still.
There had been that moment when Lan Wangji had boxed him in, looking at him with an intensity that had been… something. Lan Wangji had said that they would talk when Wei Wuxian had sobered up.
He was sober now. And he was going to find Lan Zhan.
It didn't take long for Wei Wuxian to find them. Hanguang-Jun was a figure that people took note of, and Wen Yuan had made friends with just about every person in the main hall. With just a few inquiries, Wei Wuxian found himself directed to a small courtyard just outside the kitchen.
The sight that greeted him stole his breath and made his chest feel both warm and painfully tight all at the same time.
Lan Wangji was sitting elegantly on the flagstone ground with A-Yuan crouched next to him. The warm, orange-glow of the late-evening sun filtered through the air, causing a halo-like effect around their heads. The white of Lan Wangji's robes caught the light and seemed to glow with it, his sleeves fluttering with the evening breeze and moving with a soft, susserated sound.
A-Yuan appeared to have found the den where the kitchen cat (who was kept to keep mice and rats away from the food stores) had recently given birth to a batch of kittens only a week or two ago. Wen Yuan had endless curiosity and excitement about the world around him, despite all the tragedy he'd suffered. It was one of the things that Wei Wuxian loved the most fiercely about the child he had come to think of as his own.
Growing up, Wei Wuxian's endless curiosity had generally exhausted and or annoyed the people around him, resulting more often than not in being told to piss off or shut up, if not being outright disciplined for talking too much. Given the Lan sect's overall austere and rigid culture, he was shocked to see the calm, focused way that Lan Wangji was paying attention to Wen Yuan's excited chatter and rapid fire questions about what kittens ate and how they were born and what they needed to be safe and ' Look how soft, rich-gege !'
The hands that had gripped Wei Wuxian's wrist so tightly just hours ago were now gently guiding A-Yuan's as they lifted the smallest kitten from the litter for A-Yuan to hold.
Every question from A-Yuan was patiently answered in the order it was asked, even when they came several in a row all piled on top of each other. Lan Wangji gave A-Yuan the same focused attention he gave his sect elders, and was endlessly gentle and patient as he showed A-Yuan how to safely hold the kittens.
Wei Wuxian had never had anyone be that gentle and focused on him when he was young, but it was all he could ever wish for for A-Yuan.
Lan Zhan will be an amazing father, when he has children of his own.
The thought struck Wei Wuxian like lightning, and he had to force his lungs to work with how fiercely he wanted to be there for that. How much he wanted A-Yuan to have that sort of solid, steady care in his life.
The wind picked up, blowing a strand of hair across Wei Wuxian's face, and he lifted a hand to brush it away. The motion caught Lan Wangji's attention, and his gaze shifted from A-Yuan to lock on Wei Wuxian.
The intensity of the look in Lan Wangji's eyes seemed to suck all the air out of Wei Wuxian's lungs. Before he could catch his breath, Lan Wangji was rising and walking over to him.
"Wei Ying," he said, studying Wei Wuxian's face. "How are you feeling?"
Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off by an excited cry from A-Yuan.
"Xian-gege! Come see the kittens! They are tiny and drink only milk now but when they grow up they won't drink milk at all and will hunt instead! Rich-gege told me!"
Wei Wuxian smiled at A-Yuan, though his whole body was tuned to Lan Wangji's presence, less than an arm's length away.
"Coming!" Wei Wuxian said, then turned back to Lan Wangji.
"I'm fine. Alcohol doesn't really affect me that much, you know."
They walked over to Wen Yuan, Lan Wangji gracefully sat down on the ground again with his ever-perfect posture while Wei Wuxian sprawled out on the other side of Wen Yuan, who was excitedly showing Wei Wuxian the kittens and repeating every scrap of knowledge Lan Wangji had shared with him.
Wei Wuxian was grateful that A-Yuan's focus was firmly on the kittens, because Wei Wuxian looked over at Lan Wangji, and met golden eyes looking back at him. He struggled to get his lungs to keep working, and his heart was rabbiting frantically in his chest.
He was so in love with Lan Wangji that he was drowning in it. Had it always been like this?
He sort of thought it had.
"Wei Ying. We must talk."
Lan Wangji's words were steady, a life line that somehow soothed Wei Wuxian at the same time it tightened around him like a vice.
Wei Wuxian nodded, his mind sluggishly trying to find a way to extricate them from A-Yuan for a little while, since he was very sure this was not a conversion that they should have in front of others.
"Wei-gongzi. A-Yuan. Hanguang-Jun. Dinner is being served. Jiejie sent me to bring you in."
Wen Ning appeared, and Wei Wuxian had to force himself to look away from Lan Wangji and greet his friend.
"Wen Ning. Can you take A-Yuan to get washed up?"
A-Yuan made a noise of distress at the impending separation from the kittens, but his stomach growled, making the argument so the adults wouldn't have to.
"You may return to see them after you have finished your meal," Lan Wangji stated as he stood, brushing off invisible specs of dirt from his white robes. Wei Wuxian had spent much less time on the ground, but somehow had managed to get more dirt on him than Lan Wangji.
Wen Ning looked thoughtfully from Wei Wuxian to Lan Wangji, then gave a nod. "I can take A-Yuan. We'll meet you in the hall."
People would come looking for them if they delayed too long, but a few moments alone were better than nothing. The end of the war had meant that no one had free time, especially not people like Hanguang-Jun, who were in demand for political conversations as well as dealing with restless spirits that the war left strewn about the lands like rice. He needed to take whatever opportunity was given to him, but he didn't know how to start the conversation that they had put on hold from earlier.
"Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian turned to face him, surprised that - of the two of them - Lan Wangji had been the first to speak.
"I was confused about our interactions since I returned. You were avoiding me. You were… angry."
Wei Wuxian looked away, not really sure what to say. He had been avoiding Lan Wangji.
"I wasn't… angry. I was just…" Confused? Upset? Jealous? He didn't really know, and didn't have a right to feel any of those things, anyway.
"Wei Ying said my sect would have me married to a proper wife. I was not aware of the rumors regarding Luo Qinyiang."
Wei Wuxian felt his face heat up, still turned away from Lan Wangji.
"Gossip is forbidden," Wei Wuxian quoted, not sure if he was teasing Lan Wangji or acknowledging that it wasn't surprising that the man hadn't heard the whispers, given how he kept himself separated from that sort of conversation.
"I am not interested in a marriage with Luo Qingyiang."
Wei Wuxian was torn between a fierce relief and a desire to defend MianMian.
"MianMian is great, though! And you two work so well together. She's got a good reputation in the cultivation world, and - even though she's not bloodline - she's still got close ties with the new Jin sect leader. You can't tell me your uncle and the other elders aren't pressuring you to make an offer for her."
"I am not interested in a marriage with Luo Qingyiang," Lan Wangji repeated stubbornly.
Despite how much the topic was twisting him up inside, Wei Wuxian found himself smiling at the implacable tone in Lan Wangji's voice.
"Lan Zhan. You probably aren't going to be given a choice in this. That's not the way these things work. You're the sect heir."
"I have told the elders it is impossible, as it would violate sect rules."
Wei Wuxian's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Your sect has a rule against arranged marriages?"
It seemed odd, because almost every sect had had arranged marriages and he was pretty sure he remembered reading about several of them in the study of GusuLan history.
Lan Wangji shook his head once.
"Not against arranged marriages. It is forbidden to pledge affection to one if it is already owned by another. Desire for one other than one's spouse is forbidden. Placing loyalty to another above loyalty to one's spouse is forbidden."
Wei Wuxian had always prided himself on his intellect, but Lan Wangji's words were not making sense to him no matter how he tried to force them to. Lan Wangji had said he would not marry anyone the clan tried to arrange for him. Because it would violate a set of rules that seemed to imply that Lan Wangji already had feelings for someone else. Someone that his sect would not approve of.
And he was standing in front of Wei Wuxian, looking at him intently, studying Wei Wuxian's face with a tension that was beyond anything Wei Wuxian was prepared to interpret.
Lan Wangji had said he wanted a cultivation partner.
"Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian breathed, not willing to put into words what he was starting to hope, still waiting for reality to come crashing back down and remind him all the very important reasons why this could not possibly be what he was thinking.
"I will night hunt with Wei Ying. I will not marry anyone else."
Wei Wuxian could not respond, his voice was frozen in his throat. Lan Wangji was not proposing, because how could he, with his sect so against Wei Wuxian? But it was a commitment. It was a confession. Lan Wangji said he would not marry anyone else. Wei Wuxian needed to reply, if he could just get his mouth to work.
He drew a shaky breath, the tip of his tongue darting out to wet lips that were suddenly dry as dust. Lan Wangji's eyes tracked the movement, and the thick electricity he had felt at the tavern was back in the air that stood between them.
"Wei Wuxian!" Jiang Cheng's voice sliced across the courtyard like his whip. "Everyone's waiting. Get your ass in here!"
Wei Wuxian was not able to move, wasn't even able to turn his gaze away from Lan Wangji to acknowledge his brother's words. Luckily, Lan Wangji had more control, though his eyes sparked with annoyance and frustration as he turned to acknowledge the source of the interruption.
"Jiang Wanyin," Lan Wangji's voice was the exact opposite of welcoming, but Jiang Cheng had received far harsher greetings from his own mother, and didn't even blink.
Lan Wangji placed his hand on Wei Wuxian's lower back, the heat of the touch searing through the layers of cloth that separated them as he gently pressed Wei Wuxian in the direction they needed to move.
"We will speak after eating," Lan Wangji said quietly, ignoring the huff of the impatient, purple-garbed man watching them approach.
Wei Wuxian somehow managed to gather himself enough to not trip over his own feet as they walked to the hall, where so many cultivators were already waiting.
Wei Wuxian was not sure how he made it through the dinner. He was also not sure if he actually managed to eat anything, though he was at least sure he had fed A-Yuan. All of his concentration was on the steady, solid presence of the man seated on the other side of A-Yuan from him.
Lan Wangji looked as serene as always as he gracefully placed two pork dumplings in A-Yuan's bowl. No one mentioned the way that Jiang Cheng was glaring at Lan Wangji throughout the meal, nor Nie MIngjue's amusement as Lan Wangji continued to place food in A-Yuan's bowl and see to his needs almost as much as Wei Wuxian himself did. Wei Wuxian did not know how to read the frequent looks between his sister and Nie Huaisang, nor the sharp ones from Wen Qing that were directed their way.
The entire room seemed to be having a conversation about something that Wei Wuxian himself was involved with, but excluded from being told about before-hand.
Shijie at least smiled at him kindly, with the smile she used to give him when he was struggling with mastering a new technique and was assuring him that he would figure it out soon.
If Wei Wuxian was struggling trying to sort out what was going on outside his head, he was even more overwhelmed by the tangle of thoughts within it.
Even his extremely clever, agile mind was not able to spin Lan Wangji's words as anything other than a statement that - whether or not he was able to marry Wei Ying due to politics - he would remain by his side and would not marry anyone else. This ran in the face of the filial duty Lan Wangji had as heir to the Lan Sect. It ran against so much of what defined Hanguang-Jun, as being a man of loyalty and self-sacrifice.
Lan Wangji making this choice made no sense. It was a mistake, and Wei Wuxian did not want to be Hanguang-Jun's first and only mistake.
A sickening thought struck Wei Wuxian. Maybe Lan Wangji just felt indebted to him for warning the Lan sect about the Wen invasion. Hanguang-Jun was nothing if not honorable. Did he feel this was a debt to be paid? Had he somehow detected Wei Wuxian's feelings even before Wei Wuxian had himself, and felt like this was what was owed? The thought made his stomach turn.
Or maybe it was due to their bond during the war. There were many bonds of brotherhood that were formed in such circumstances, and many of those crossed the boundaries of what would be considered anything but brotherly. Was this all just some sort of trauma brainwashing that Wei Wuxian had unintentionally ensnared Lan Wangji with when he asked him to accompany him?
Wei Wuxian nearly jumped when a large, firm hand pressed against his forearm. Lan Wangji's cool, soothing qi flowed into him where the man's fingers brushed against the back of Wei Wuxian's bare wrist.
"Making assumptions is forbidden. Wait until we speak."
Wei Wuxian looked up to find Lan Wangji's steady gaze on him, the white-silk-encased arm passing behind Wen Yuan's shoulders to reach Wei Wuxian's wrist. The solid weight of Lan Wangji's touch grounded Wei Wuxian, causing his churning stomach to settle.
Wei Wuxian was embarrassed that his face must have been doing something that let Lan Wangji read so much of his thoughts, but he felt steadier nonetheless.
A-Yuan looked between them curiously, asking whether there would be sweets after dinner or not. The distraction was enough for Wei Wuxian to get himself under control.
Lan Wangji removed his hand from Wei Wuxian's wrist, but kept his arm around Wen Yuan (earning another amused look from Nie MIngjue), his hand resting right beside Wei Wuxian's on the table as the meal continued uneventfully around them. Jiang Cheng scowled even more fiercely at them, but Nie Huaisang and Jiang Yanli exchanged what could only be called a smug look.
Wei Wuxian decided to ignore everything except wiping A-Yuan's mouth and hoped the meal would end quickly.
Dinner ended and Jiang Yanli appeared at Wei Wuxian's shoulder, offering to take A-Yuan and help him with his bath. Wei Wuxian wondered if he should invite Lan Wangji back to his rooms, but A-Yuan would be there soon and this was definitely not a conversation that should be had in front of the child.
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji gave Wei Wuxian a look and then turned and walked down the corridor in the direction the sleeping chambers were located, but - before reaching either of their rooms - turned into a small room that was empty save for what appeared to be a writing desk and a few chairs.
Wei Wuxian followed him inside, wishing that he could keep his mind as still and calm as Lan Wangji seemed to be able to do. That was not a skill that Wei Wuxian would likely ever master, however, so he gave up and instead focused on what he needed to say. The words kept racing through his head in a jumbled swirl, all tangled up with no clear starting place nor conclusion.
The door closed behind them, and Wei Wuxian's lips were moving before Lan Wangji had even turned around to face him.
"Lan Zhan. You have to be more careful about what you say. If people overheard you, earlier, they might think you were saying you wanted me as a cultivation partner." Wei Wuxian made himself say the words that his thoughts had been skirting around all through dinner.
Lan Wangji's cultivation partner.
Lan Wangji wanting Wei Wuxian to be his cultivation partner.
The idea was more dangerous to Wei Wuxian's sanity than any amount of demonic cultivation could ever be.
It was impossible.
Lan Wangji simply looked at him, as though Wei Wuxian hadn't just said something completely insane.
"Who else but Wei Ying?"
Wei Wuxian thought he might actually have lost his mind. Maybe he was hallucinating and this was just some fever dream.
" Anyone else but me, Lan Zhan! Literally anyone else would be a better choice."
A small furrow appeared between Lan Wagnji's brows, displeasure clear in his expression. Wei Wuxian had been around Lan Wangji long enough to be able to recognize the stubborn set of his jaw. Lan Wangji was preparing to dig his heels in, and Wei Wuxian needed to head this off at the pass.
Wei Wuxian knew what the right thing to do was, and it was not to take Lan Wangji up on whatever self-sacrificing offer he was about to make. But still, Wei Wuxian was only one man and if Lan Wangji actually offered , Wei Wuxian was not fully sure he could say no.
"Lan Zhan. It doesn't make any sense. I know we have fought together, and - because of that - you've learned to tolerate my presence. But marrying someone or being their cultivation partner is so much more than just being able to tolerate them."
Lan Wangji's eyes flashed, his lips parting, and Wei Wuxian spoke louder and faster, desperate to get the words out before Lan Wangji said something they would both regret.
"Your sect hates me. It's not just a matter of approval or disapproval. They would lock me up for the rest of my life or possibly even execute me for being a heretical cultivator if they had the chance. Even before the war, when all they were looking for was someone who could match you in cultivation, I would have been a stretch. I'm the son of a servant and you're the heir to GusuLan."
"It does not matter," Lan Wangji began, but Wei Wuxian was having none of it.
"Lan Zhan . Don't say ridiculous things like you always accuse me of. You've spent your whole life meditating, cultivating, and studying the rules in GusuLan. You have a lot of experience night hunting, but you don't really have that much experience interacting with people. You have to be more careful with what you say. You say you want a cultivation partner, but I'd bet you haven't even kissed someone yet! You don't really have an interest in that sort of thing. Which is fine! Lan Zhan is so good of a cultivator, he doesn't need such things! You really need to research more before you start talking about… things like that. Luckily, I know my Lan Zhan and I know not to take what you say so seriously! You think you might be able to tolerate me...," Wei Wuxian stumbled over the words. He couldn't keep saying them aloud, making it seem real when it wasn't. "... in that way. More than you would be able to tolerate other people. But the only reason you think that is because you just haven't had the chance to work with other cultivators as much as you have with me, because I'm always getting into insane shit and bringing you down with me. That's not… Lan Zhan! You deserve someone so much better! I am very annoying. You've said so yourself, many times! There are people way more tolerable than me. You shouldn't rush into this.
"You're the heir to GusuLan, the sect that has the reputation for being the most strict on pretty much everything . And of all the disciples of GusuLan, Hanguang-Jun is known as the best . The most devout, the most filial. Everyone knows this, Lan Zhan! Even without that, you're famous as a powerful cultivator. When it comes to marriage, you pretty much just need to pick someone and point at them and they will sprint to your elders to make a marriage offer. They'd be pounding down your door."
"Wei Ying. " Lan Zhan didn't seem impressed by what Wei Wuxian was saying.
"No, seriously. You will need to have the junior disciples stay off the path to the Jingshi when you make your choice, because they might get run down." Wei Wuxian gesticulated wildly, pacing back and forth, his body filled with a restless, dissatisfied energy.
"Mm," Lan Zhan replied, his gaze shifting from annoyed to calculating.
"In fact, you wouldn't even need to wait for them to come to you. Lan Zhan, you must have been spending so much time with all the other high profile cultivators over the past few weeks, with all the negotiations going on. If there is anyone who caught your eye, even if you're not sure yet, you can spend more time with them. Get to know them. Anyone would want to spend more time with Lan Zhan if they had the chance!"
Wei Wuxian couldn't exactly imagine Lan Wangji doing the traditional courting methods, as that tended to involve more talking than Lan Wangji was usually up for, but a cultivation partner could be won in other ways.
"Take them night hunting with you!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed. "Seriously, Lan Zhan. Anyone who goes night hunting with you even once would want to be your cultivation partner. Lan Zhan is so skilled, and so beautiful when he fights! No one could resist you, Lan Zhan. You just need to get out there and give people a chance. You deserve the best. Don't just settle for someone who doesn't even have a sect behind them, just because you've been forced to deal with them for a while by war and demon tortoises."
Wei Wuxian didn't know why he was feeling slightly nauseous at his own words. He knew them to be true, though and Lan Wangji deserved whoever he wanted.
He felt the weight of Lan Wangji's stare, and looked up to find amber eyes locked intently on him. Lan Wangji always had a pretty intense stare but this was… more. Wei Wuxian met his gaze until he felt like he was going to come out of his own skin.
"Wei Ying says I deserve the best?"
It felt like a trap, but Wei Wuxian couldn't tell what it was. Lan Wangji did deserve the best. That was just the truth.
"Yes. Only the best for Lan Zhan."
"Mark your words."
Lan Wangji began walking slowly towards him, the air heavy with intent. Wei Wuxian might be the most powerful cultivator that had ever lived, but in that moment he felt like prey, rather than the predator the world knew him to be.
"Wei Ying thinks that I do not know others well enough to make him my choice."
Step.
"Wei Ying thinks that I should marry an equal."
Step.
"Wei Ying thinks I should marry someone my sect elders will give their blessing to."
Step.
"Wei Ying believes I do not desire him, but only tolerate him."
Step.
"Wei Ying does not believe I know what a cultivation partner really means. Because I have not kissed anyone."
Step.
Lan Wangji was now only half an arm's length away from where Wei Wuxian was standing. Wei Wuxian's pulse was racing, the heat of his body spiking up as he focused on Lan Wangji's words.
"I… yes. Lan Zhan, yes, all those things are true."
Lan Wangji gave a small nod, not in agreement but in acknowledgement of Wei Wuxian's response.
"Anything else?"
Wei Wuxian wondered if the alcohol he had consumed earlier had somehow reappeared in his system, because his thoughts were getting fuzzy again with Lan Wangji standing so close, focused on him so completely. The subtle scent of sandalwood made it even more clear that he was in Lan Wagnji's personal space. A place that was usually fiercely off limits. Silence stretched, and Wei Wuxian realized that Lan Wangji had asked him something.
"What?"
"Do you have other objections to being my cultivation partner?"
Wei Wuxian sucked in a breath as though he'd been punched. He had been trying so hard to avoid having Lan Wangji speak those words aloud. Even if they came at the end of a long list of reasons why it wouldn't work.
But Lan Wangji appeared to be waiting for his answer, so Wei Wuxian quickly reviewed what Lan Wangji had said.
"I mean. Being a cultivation partner is not just kissing , Lan Zhan. I'm not saying you have to do that before a commitment, because of the rules you have about promiscuity, but. Just. Think about it."
Lan Wangji gave a short nod, though his expression looked heated. Almost angry, but… not. Or, at least, not only anger.
"Any concerns about what Wei Ying wants?" Lan Wangji's voice was steady and methodical. As though they weren't talking about things that were totally crazy like Wei Wuxian somehow not wanting Lan Wangji in any way he could possibly have him.
But even Wei Wuxian's shamelessness had limits, so all he could do was give a scoffing huff and a soft headshake.
"Very well," Lan Wangji said, as though they'd just negotiated something binding rather than confirming that this was never going to happen.
"Some will take time. Others will not."
With that cryptic sentence, Lan Wangji stepped forward, closing the distance between them. One large hand closed on the nape of Wei Wuxian's neck, the fingers tangling into his hair while the other settled firmly on Wei Wuxian's hip.
Lan Wangji tightened his grip slowly enough that Wei Wuxian could have objected. He could have stepped back, or fought the way his body was arching, his head being pulled inexorably back as his hip was anchored in place.
Wei Wuxian did not object.
Instead, a hot spike of arousal lanced through him. He tried to tamp it down, but it burned too hotly. Surely, Wei Wuxian was missing something, interpreting something very wrong. There was no way...
"Lan Zhan, what-?" Wei Wuxian was too shocked by the feel of Lan Wangji's thigh sliding purposefully between his legs to finish the thought.
"Wei Ying said kissing was required."
An instant after the words left Lan Wangji's lips, Wei Wuxian's brain ceased to function because Lan Wangji's mouth was moving against his own. Wei Wuxian had never really given much thought to what the physical sensation of a real kiss would be, how the mechanics of it would work beyond two sets of lips pressing together. But Lan Wangji's lips were firm against his own just as Lan Wangji's thumb slid along the side of his throat to press along the hinge of Wei Wuxian's jaw, guiding Wei Wuxian's mouth to open as they moved together.
Wei Wuxian's entire grasp on reality seemed to shake as he was faced with the incontrovertible fact that Lan Zhan, Lan Wangji, Hanguang Jun was kissing him.
Wei Wuxian was so shocked that it was all he could do to relax his jaw and follow along, which also made no sense because, of the two of them, Wei Wuxian had always assumed that Lan Wangji thought even less about things like kissing than Wei Wuxian did. But somehow Lan Wangji was aggressively taking the lead, pressing into Wei Wuxian with both his body and his mouth.
Lan Wangji kissed like he fought: forceful, commanding, and sure. Wei Wuxian had never really thought about what kind of kissing he would be into, but the answer was definitely this , being held in the bruising grip of Lan Wangji's hands while his mouth was pressed open by Lan Wangji's lips. A dark curl of desire snaked through Wei Wuxian's lower dantian and further south as a dangerous thought emerged in his mind, whether Lan Wangji would fuck the same way as he kissed.
The tip of Lan Wangji's tongue brushed against Wei Wuxian's lower lip, sending the sensitive nerve endings tingling, just as Lan Wangji sent a tendril of qi through where his fingertips were pressing into the nape of Wei Wuxian's neck as he gripped his hair tighter, his teeth nipping at Wei Wuxian's lower lip before his tongue returned to soothe the sharp sting.
The feel of Lan Wangji's cool, powerful spiritual energy surging into him at the same time the heat of Lan Wangji's hot, velvet-soft tongue was pressing between Wei Wuxian's lips had Wei Wuxian fisting his hands into the back of Lan Wangji's silken robes. In the past, Lan Wangji had nearly drawn his sword on Wei Wuxian for just daring to tug on his sleeve. Now Wei Wuxian's hands were latched onto the expensive silk, wrinkling it in his fists, and Lan Wangji only kissed him harder, the tip of his tongue sweeping into his mouth, smooth and strong against his.
He tasted like the light tea they had with their meal at dinner, clear and warm.
Lan Wangji was kissing him. The thought kept playing on frantic, emphatic repeat in Wei Wuxian's head. Not just some chaste, gentle touching of lips.
Lan Wangji was kissing Wei Wuxian with his entire fucking body and Wei Wuxian was not entirely sure he was going to survive it.
"Wei Ying." Lan Wangji lifted his lips from Wei Wuxian's only long enough to breathe out his name before diving back in, then moving to trace a path with his mouth along the arched line of Wei Wuxian's throat.
Lan Wangji had said Wei Wuxian's name a thousand times, but none of them had sounded like this. There was a dark, possessive note to it, edged with desperation and almost awe. Wei Wuxian was able to recognize all of those emotions swirling and twisting within himself as well.
The shadowy images from Wei Wuxian's dream had not prepared him for what it would feel like to have Lan Wangji's hands gripping his body and his mouth moving over his.
Wei Wuxian could feel his dick swelling and lengthening against the thin fabric of his pants, the friction of the cloth against him made him gasp slightly. His blood couldn't decide where to rush, some of it making him dizzy with the heady rush to his head, and some flooding south with arousal.
Wei Wuxian made a low sound in the back of his throat, moving his legs wider apart to make more space for Lan Wangji between them.
The slight sound seemed to encourage Lan Wangji, who gripped him harder and pressed tighter against him, bringing their bodies flush together. Wei Wuxian was on a sensory overload, his fingers gripping the fluid silk of the back of Lan Wangji's robes, the soft slide of Lan Wangji's hair brushing across the back of Wei Wuxian's hands. The scent of sandalwood. The harsh sounds of Lan Wangji's breathing, the hot puff of his breath across Wei Wuxian's cheek.
It was too much. Wei Wuxian could not process it all, his eyes fluttering closed.
Wei Wuxian was not aware of moving, but his back was somehow pressed up against the wall and Lan Wangji's hand had released his hair to join his other hand in gripping Wei Wuxian's waist hips and pulling him forward to press harder against Lan Wangji's hard-muscled thigh.
He would have been mortified by the fact that there was no way that Lan Wangji could miss the painfully hard ridge of Wei Wuxian's arousal except that he could feel the large, nearly obscene prominence of Lan Wangji's erection pressing against his hip.
That thought made Wei Wuxian's mind do a stutter step.
Lan Wangji was not just kissing him. Lan Wangji was aroused.
Lan Wangji's dick was hard for him.
The thought of having any knowledge whatsoever about Lan Wangji's dick was almost too much for Wei Wuxian to handle. One of his hands released its death grip on Lan Wangji's robes to slide down his back and around his slim waistline towards the front of his robes. His hand had just brushed against the robes covering the outer edge of Lan Wangji's erection (and holy shit was there nothing about this man that was average?) when Lan Wangji gripped his wrist, moving his hand away.
Wei Wuxian let out a soft sound of protest that was immediately swallowed up by Lan Wangji's mouth. Lan Wangji gripped both of Wei Wuxian's hands, pinning them roughly over his head against the wall as he kissed the life out of him.
Wei Wuxian had never known he wanted to be pinned against the wall by Lan Wangji, but he realized that he never wanted to do anything else for the rest of his existence. Without conscious thought, Wei Wuxian's hips flexed, grinding his cock into the hard muscle of Lan Wangji's thigh.
"Oh, fuck," Wei Wuxian shuddered, then did it again, settling into a dirty grind against the pristine robes covering Hanguang Jun's thigh.
He had gotten himself off many times in his life, but having his dick moving against someone else's body was an entirely different thing.
Having his dick grinding against Lan Wangji's body was…
"Lan Zhan!"
Wei Wuxian felt his entire body tightening with a writhing sort of tension. His eyes shot open and he was met with the sight of Lan Wangji staring down at him, eyes dark with a fierce arousal and… and… Wei Wuxian could not figure out what the other emotion was because suddenly his vision whited out and he was cumming, fully clothed, pressed up against the wall by Lan Wangji
Lan Wangji didn't take his eyes off him the entire time Wei Wuxian shuddered through his climax, his hands gripping Wei Wuxian's wrists so tightly that they were likely to leave bruises.
That thought sent another ripple of arousal through his already wrung-out body, making his cock pulse one more time. Yet another fact he was learning about himself that day, and by the heavy-lidded, burning look directed at him, Lan Wangji was learning it as well.
Wei Wuxian was not sure he would have been able to remain standing if it weren't for the solid support of the wall behind him and Lan Wangji's grip. All he could do for several moments was to stare wide-eyed at Lan Wangji as his breath came in short gasps.
He realized, when he was finally capable of thinking again, that Lan Wangji was still hard against his hip. Lan Wangji had loosened his grip enough that Wei Wuxian was able to easily pull his hand free, reaching down to help Lan Wangji finish. But once again, Lan Wangji stopped his hand.
"Not necessary," he said briskly.
"But you didn't…," Wei Wuxian began, but Lan Wangji cut him off.
"Not necessary. When there is more time."
Wei Wuxian still felt a little bad, but he was not going to touch Lan Wangji without his consent. And Lan Wangji had basically said there was going to be a 'next time', which Wei Wuxian was fully on board with.
Lan Wangji released him, then took a small step away.
Wei Wuxian had to force himself to not take a step forward and reclaim the warmth of Lan Wagnji's body against his.
"There are six left." Lan Wangji stated.
Wei Wuxian wondered if sex somehow killed brain cells, because he had no idea what Lan Wangji was talking about.
"Six what?"
"Six requirements. Wei Ying had laid out seven, but one has already been met."
"Requirements? Wait, Lan Zhan!"
But Lan Wangji was already turning to leave. Unlike his usual pristine appearance, the wrinkles in the back of his robe where Wei Wuxian had gripped him were visible. Wei Wuxian felt oddly pleased at the sign of his mark on Lan Wangji.
"It is time for rest. We will speak again tomorrow. I will inform Brother and Uncle."
"You're going to inform them? Of this ?!" Wei Wuxian gestured somewhat wildly, half panicked at himself and Lan Wangji's general state of debauchery.
"About our betrothal arrangement. Yes. Good night, Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian stood, half slumped against the wall, wondering if he had hallucinated the entire evening or if he had really just become engaged to Lan Wangji.