[ He won't stop Wei Ying from whatever he decides to do with regards to letting Jiang Cheng know that he knows. ]
I wonder what is taking him so long in informing Xiongzhang.
[ Perhaps he was not so serious as he had intended. Or maybe he'd decided not to after all, which was sad, and then Lan Wangji would have to devise new plans to get his brother back on the market post-haste.
On the other hand, there was another matter to discuss. ]
Wei Ying, I think we should have a tea ceremony. For just our family.
[He drums his fingers on the table, thoughts miles ahead on Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen, and it isn't until Lan Zhan brings up a tea ceremony that he blinks back to the present.]
A tea ceremony, for...
[He repeats the words before they fully process and then he suddenly sits up straighter, eyes focusing on his husband.]
A- oh! You mean- Ah.
[Wei Wuxian scratches his head, somewhat embarrassed.]
Mm, I'm sure Shijie would appreciate that. And I don't know if you've managed to miss Jiang Cheng's very subtle irritation about not being invited in the first place. [He shakes his head.] As if we could've just summoned him over to the hotel back then.
[He pounces forward, taking Lan Zhan's hands, his smile bright and pleased.]
We should though, I mean, absolutely. It's a great idea!
[ As Wei Ying moves closer to him, so is he drawn forward, pressing their foreheads together and soaking him in for a moment. ]
Sizhui also does not remember our nuptials.
[ And he remembers that all Wei Ying had really wanted for the wedding was family. Not a big party, not great music, no fireworks. Just food and family. And so, now that they have an abundance of both, why not renew their vows?
He quickly slips Wei Ying a kiss. ]
I did offer to marry you twice. Yet, we are not home.
[He lets out a breath, calmed somewhat by the press of their foreheads and Lan Zhan's touch.
The more he thought on it, the more it did make sense. Even if they didn't need it, necessarily, it would be a nice gesture. And it would mean a lot to have family in attendance. They had such a miracle on their hands, it would be foolish not to appreciate it and celebrate with their loved ones.
A smile breaks across his face as Lan Zhan kisses him.]
A~ah, then at least one more couldn't hurt. Let's make the most of what we've been given, hm?
[He kisses Lan Zhan in return, high on his cheekbone, before settling back in his seat, though his hand doesn't let go, and his thumb brushes slowly back and forth. The smile fades, if only a fraction; he's been trying to think of how to talk about this, when he'd never really wanted to talk to anyone about it, ever.]
Lan Zhan? Mm... speaking of Jiang Cheng, there's something else too. Ah- I mean, it's not anything that would change our plans, it's not even that big of a deal. You'll probably just shake your head and tell me it's foolishness, right?
[ This was a very cute moment up until Wei Ying starts to mention Jiang Cheng. He wonders what that's all about. It seems important, but irrelevant to their nuptials. What on earth would involve Jiang Cheng that would sway Lan Wangji's heart? ]
Tell me.
[ He rubs Wei Ying's hands, sitting closer, trying to make it known that no matter what, Wei Ying will have Lan Wangji's support. ]
[Wei Wuxian was generally just as he appeared on the surface. He didn't like talking around things, and while he had his secrets, keeping them was only to spare others a bit of trouble or pain. Clearly, it hadn't helped much in this case, but he had a feeling Lan Zhan might be irritated if it came up in a conversation with someone else or took him by surprise, so...]
Mm, well, it's old news, hardly matters now anyway.
[Right, the best way was just to spit it all out at once, wasn't it? His eyes flick from Lan Zhan's to the floor once or twice before the words start to spill out, messy and rough.]
I was talking with Jiang Cheng, and- well, I was talking, he was yelling and grousing, but he was mad I didn't tell him how we- I mean, Wen Qing and Wen Ning really, how they fixed his core back when it was melted, not Baoshan Sanren.
Why does the how matter? Ah, but I told him it was no big deal and he got even more annoyed about it.
[Sigh.]
You can't just fix a melted core, but you can get a donor, and then it's just a matter of putting in the new one. And Jiang Cheng was the sect leader, not to mention my brother, so-I-just-gave-him-mine, besides- it's not like there were other options, and everything turned out fine anyway, so why get mad now? It's all in the past, right?
[His fingers are tense and fidgety, even in Lan Zhan's grasp, and his laugh is nervous and breathy.]
I mean, I don't think he'd bring it up, but since he found out about it, I thought I should tell you too, just in case, since I thought you should hear it from me. I guess? You can laugh, it's fine, it's fine, it's silly, right?
[ He knows all this, but he'd made a promise to Wen Ning not to reveal that he'd been told already. He is a man of his word, so he looks surprised with wide eyes as he listens to this recount.
After awhile, he lets this information digest. Or, pretends to let it digest. Until finally, he says: ]
It is not silly.
It is... why you have stopped using your sword.
[ He lets this dawn on him a second time, reviewing all the other times that Wei Ying had let everyone know that he'd done this. ]
It is very dangerous. But you survived.
[ He squeezes Wei Ying's hand, and hopes he doesn't get too suspicious. ]
[Lan Zhan does seem surprised, but thankfully not upset, which was his biggest worry. It reinforces what he's been trying to tell himself; it's not a big deal, it was the best decision he could've made, even if the ones that followed might have been lacking. He lets out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.]
Ah. Yeah, that's why.
[He shakes his head though, not wanting Lan Zhan to dwell on the what ifs and maybes.]
But, dangerous? No, no, Wen Qing was very skilled, it was nothing, just a little inconvenient. And now I have this body anyway. It's not the same as where I was, cultivating, but it's got potential.
[He squeezes lightly in return, his eyes searching.]
[ It doesn't take long for Lan Wangji to respond, because he'd been thinking about this for awhile now. ]
Let me help you cultivate.
[ Maybe with the two of them, they'll be able to figure something out. He doesn't want to live a life without Wei Ying, and he knows Wei Ying would gladly try and live a long time for him. ]
[Wei Wuxian had run through this script in his head a number of times; arguments, yelling matches, tears, or worse, silence, but he had to admit, he'd never seen Lan Zhan jumping to dual cultivation. He nearly chokes, thrown for a moment, brows raised.]
[That still seems several steps ahead, and Wei Wuxian is already feeling off-balanced, so he fixates on the offered idea instead, rubbing a finger across his nose.]
Lan Zhan, are you telling me you studied dual cultivation techniques?
[ He takes a sip of tea, and carries on this conversation as if it were totally normal to be told his husband's lost his golden core and needs help getting it back. ]
[Lan Zhan has definitely succeeded in riling him up enough to put the more serious stuff aside, at least for the moment.]
But there's probably a difference between just having a lot of sex and dual cultivating. It's not like I'm concentrating on the flow of qi through my meridians when you're- you know.
We'd have to be all... serious and logical about it.
I have heard neither of us are supposed to... finish. Though I do not know if it benefits both parties.
[ Since, from what he understands from a completely academic point of view, female cultivators with male partners would be much stronger than their male counterparts. ]
But if we do finish, we gain manna.
[ So, maybe the trick is, they can make like rabbits. Literally. ]
[He trails off, making a face, well and truly distracted.]
Is that even possible?
[Wei Wuxian can be bratty and impatient on the best of days. Having to not just wait, but not get off at all?]
I guess it depends on how compatible manna is with forming a golden core. Not that you need one to use the magic available here, but hm...
[The scientific side of him was extremely curious what that sort of power would be like, if pooled together with one's qi, but forming a core was difficult and often delicate work. It was probably better to stick to cultivation methods, though dual cultivation was a tried and documented method... even if it sounded like an awful lot of suffering.
He lets out a huff of breath, then lets his mouth quirk into a smile.]
We can try it, at least. Bet I can hold out longer than Lan Zhan.
[ He takes a peek towards Wei Ying's ass, and then back at him, and deadpan responds: ]
You are probably correct.
[ But he is willing to make the attempt, for him, and lays a hand on his thigh, moving it upward, trying to shift this conversation away to something else entirely from where it started. ]
Lan Zhan, are you really getting all fired up about this? You won't last, at this rate.
[Staring at his ass, groping his thighs, Wei Wuxian doesn't try to stop him, of course, but he gives him an amused raise of his brow. As if Lan Zhan would ever run out of steam. Even if they failed the first few rounds, Lan Zhan was liable to try it for as long as it took.]
If I knew it was such a turn on, I'd have mentioned it in my last life, hm?
[The joke is tasteless, of course, but Wei Wuxian has never had much of a filter between his mind and his tongue. He leans forward, running his fingers over Lan Zhan's collar, his tongue peeking out briefly to lick his lips.]
If I knew you weren't just joking, I might've taken you up on the offer.
[ He knows he would have fought it. It's improper, to have slept with Wei Ying with not even a proposal in sight, what would people say? And to have proposed to him so young, people would have thought the worst of them, wouldn't they have? It wouldn't unite the clans, wouldn't produce any heirs, just... there was a clear motive and no one would have believed it was love.
But as it was then, it is now, and Lan Wangji gazes at Wei Ying as if that dart of tongue is a slice of strawberry placed on top of a decadent dessert. ]
Come closer.
[ He beckons, his lap open as he sits in a lotus position.
[Wei Wuxian is often, if not always coy in his flirtation, though his hesitation this time is less tease and more feeling something amiss. It didn't seem like the conversation ought to have gone so easily, but was he really upset that things weren't difficult? What kind of logic was that?
Normally, he'd throw in a snappy retort, joke about how cold Lan Zhan had been to him in their youth or how he'd convinced himself Lan Zhan was infatuated with Mianmian instead. Now, he crawls a little closer, not quite climbing into Lan Zhan's lap, but just outside it, leaning forward and resting his hands on Lan Zhan's thighs before he leans in for a kiss.]
A late start is better than none at all.
[He breathes lightly as he pulls back, eyes searching, a shade more vulnerable than his usual boisterous front.]
[Just as he's trying to get himself in the mood, Lan Zhan has to hit him with that. It didn't surprise him that Lan Zhan put the pieces together quickly- of course that was why he hadn't carried his sword, why he put up that stupid, cocky front, pretended he'd strayed to darker paths just for the power of it, and not because it was the only option left to him.
What surprises him is the compliment, commending him on being brilliant, able to take that route, when he was looked down on and spit upon by all the rest of the cultivation world for even trying it. How was that brilliant? If he were truly so gifted, he wouldn't have gotten his family killed, or been responsible for the annihilation of the Wens, or-
His lips barely move against Lan Zhan's as he's kissed, as he tries to rally, crawling the rest of the way into Lan Zhan's lap, desperate for the distraction it offers.]
We don't have to dwell on it, come on Lan Zhan, you're the brilliant one, show me this dual cultivation you've studied, hm?
[He starts pressing kisses along Lan Zhan's neck, his hand starting to slip beneath the pristine white collar to give him better access.]
[ Well, alright, it's hard to argue with Wei Ying when he's sitting on Lan Wangji's lap and insisting that his husband pay him a very specific kind of attention that he does love to shower him in.
He starts to undo his waistband, shrugging off his long coat, letting the silken cloths slide down his arms, baring his chest to Wei Ying as he busies his hands in Wei Ying's hair, letting loose his little hair tie and getting his hands underneath Wei Ying's layers of robes.
Even as he turns his head and bares his neck for Wei Ying to leave kisses enough to mottle in patterns of blossoms, his hands move as if possessing a mind of their own, trying to divest Wei Ying of his clothes and get on his soft skin and firm muscles underneath. ]
Remember
[ His voice the even timbre it always is. ]
When our swords first crossed?
[ He means on the roof but he'll take any interpretation. He gets his arm around Wei Ying's back, and pulls him in, hips moving together to the start of a familiar dance. ]
I did not know, but I loved you, then.
Edited (I KEEP SWITCHING THE FORMAT) 2021-04-20 04:30 (UTC)
[Wei Wuxian gives his husband an appreciative glance before leaning in to busy himself with the newly exposed skin. He's not as liberal in the use of his teeth as Lan Zhan tends to be, but he leaves the occasional brush of teeth over skin as he moves along Lan Zhan's neck.
It's unfair that Lan Zhan's tone remains so even, despite his efforts to rile him up. He pauses at the question, the first time their swords crossed? That was easy, the first night he'd arrived in Cloud Recesses, but-
Wei Wuxian makes a helpless sigh of a noise and buries his face against Lan Zhan's shoulder.]
Mm, that's why you were so keen to keep me out and fight and then punish me, is that it?
[He gives Lan Zhan a little poke to the ribs because feelings are best deflected with humor, aren't they?]
[ Oh, is he still sore about that? He looks honestly apologetic. Or, at least, as apologetic as Lan Wangji can look. ]
I knew I felt something for you.
And I did not want to.
[ Surely Wei Ying can understand because he'd had that conversation with Jiang Yanli. Not that Lan Wangji had been privy to that talk, but - ]
I take responsibility.
[ He holds Wei Ying in his arms, enfolded around him like wings. He would never want to jeopardize their relationship now, but feels they're in a spot he can finally divulge all the selfish things he did as a misconceiving teen. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I wonder what is taking him so long in informing Xiongzhang.
[ Perhaps he was not so serious as he had intended. Or maybe he'd decided not to after all, which was sad, and then Lan Wangji would have to devise new plans to get his brother back on the market post-haste.
On the other hand, there was another matter to discuss. ]
Wei Ying, I think we should have a tea ceremony. For just our family.
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A tea ceremony, for...
[He repeats the words before they fully process and then he suddenly sits up straighter, eyes focusing on his husband.]
A- oh! You mean- Ah.
[Wei Wuxian scratches his head, somewhat embarrassed.]
Mm, I'm sure Shijie would appreciate that. And I don't know if you've managed to miss Jiang Cheng's very subtle irritation about not being invited in the first place. [He shakes his head.] As if we could've just summoned him over to the hotel back then.
[He pounces forward, taking Lan Zhan's hands, his smile bright and pleased.]
We should though, I mean, absolutely. It's a great idea!
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Sizhui also does not remember our nuptials.
[ And he remembers that all Wei Ying had really wanted for the wedding was family. Not a big party, not great music, no fireworks. Just food and family. And so, now that they have an abundance of both, why not renew their vows?
He quickly slips Wei Ying a kiss. ]
I did offer to marry you twice. Yet, we are not home.
I will marry you as many times as required.
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The more he thought on it, the more it did make sense. Even if they didn't need it, necessarily, it would be a nice gesture. And it would mean a lot to have family in attendance. They had such a miracle on their hands, it would be foolish not to appreciate it and celebrate with their loved ones.
A smile breaks across his face as Lan Zhan kisses him.]
A~ah, then at least one more couldn't hurt. Let's make the most of what we've been given, hm?
[He kisses Lan Zhan in return, high on his cheekbone, before settling back in his seat, though his hand doesn't let go, and his thumb brushes slowly back and forth. The smile fades, if only a fraction; he's been trying to think of how to talk about this, when he'd never really wanted to talk to anyone about it, ever.]
Lan Zhan? Mm... speaking of Jiang Cheng, there's something else too. Ah- I mean, it's not anything that would change our plans, it's not even that big of a deal. You'll probably just shake your head and tell me it's foolishness, right?
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Tell me.
[ He rubs Wei Ying's hands, sitting closer, trying to make it known that no matter what, Wei Ying will have Lan Wangji's support. ]
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Mm, well, it's old news, hardly matters now anyway.
[Right, the best way was just to spit it all out at once, wasn't it? His eyes flick from Lan Zhan's to the floor once or twice before the words start to spill out, messy and rough.]
I was talking with Jiang Cheng, and- well, I was talking, he was yelling and grousing, but he was mad I didn't tell him how we- I mean, Wen Qing and Wen Ning really, how they fixed his core back when it was melted, not Baoshan Sanren.
Why does the how matter? Ah, but I told him it was no big deal and he got even more annoyed about it.
[Sigh.]
You can't just fix a melted core, but you can get a donor, and then it's just a matter of putting in the new one. And Jiang Cheng was the sect leader, not to mention my brother, so-I-just-gave-him-mine, besides- it's not like there were other options, and everything turned out fine anyway, so why get mad now? It's all in the past, right?
[His fingers are tense and fidgety, even in Lan Zhan's grasp, and his laugh is nervous and breathy.]
I mean, I don't think he'd bring it up, but since he found out about it, I thought I should tell you too, just in case, since I thought you should hear it from me. I guess? You can laugh, it's fine, it's fine, it's silly, right?
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After awhile, he lets this information digest. Or, pretends to let it digest. Until finally, he says: ]
It is not silly.
It is... why you have stopped using your sword.
[ He lets this dawn on him a second time, reviewing all the other times that Wei Ying had let everyone know that he'd done this. ]
It is very dangerous. But you survived.
[ He squeezes Wei Ying's hand, and hopes he doesn't get too suspicious. ]
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Ah. Yeah, that's why.
[He shakes his head though, not wanting Lan Zhan to dwell on the what ifs and maybes.]
But, dangerous? No, no, Wen Qing was very skilled, it was nothing, just a little inconvenient. And now I have this body anyway. It's not the same as where I was, cultivating, but it's got potential.
[He squeezes lightly in return, his eyes searching.]
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Let me help you cultivate.
[ Maybe with the two of them, they'll be able to figure something out. He doesn't want to live a life without Wei Ying, and he knows Wei Ying would gladly try and live a long time for him. ]
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Lan Zhan, you're taking this awfully well.
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If your golden core heals... And we dual cultivate...
[ He looks over, quite seriously. ]
I do not see how there is any negative.
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Lan Zhan, are you telling me you studied dual cultivation techniques?
[A smirk quirks at the corner of his lips.]
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[ He takes a sip of tea, and carries on this conversation as if it were totally normal to be told his husband's lost his golden core and needs help getting it back. ]
I have only practiced with you.
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[Lan Zhan has definitely succeeded in riling him up enough to put the more serious stuff aside, at least for the moment.]
But there's probably a difference between just having a lot of sex and dual cultivating. It's not like I'm concentrating on the flow of qi through my meridians when you're- you know.
We'd have to be all... serious and logical about it.
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[ Is that a challenge? ]
I have heard neither of us are supposed to... finish. Though I do not know if it benefits both parties.
[ Since, from what he understands from a completely academic point of view, female cultivators with male partners would be much stronger than their male counterparts. ]
But if we do finish, we gain manna.
[ So, maybe the trick is, they can make like rabbits. Literally. ]
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[He trails off, making a face, well and truly distracted.]
Is that even possible?
[Wei Wuxian can be bratty and impatient on the best of days. Having to not just wait, but not get off at all?]
I guess it depends on how compatible manna is with forming a golden core. Not that you need one to use the magic available here, but hm...
[The scientific side of him was extremely curious what that sort of power would be like, if pooled together with one's qi, but forming a core was difficult and often delicate work. It was probably better to stick to cultivation methods, though dual cultivation was a tried and documented method... even if it sounded like an awful lot of suffering.
He lets out a huff of breath, then lets his mouth quirk into a smile.]
We can try it, at least. Bet I can hold out longer than Lan Zhan.
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[ He takes a peek towards Wei Ying's ass, and then back at him, and deadpan responds: ]
You are probably correct.
[ But he is willing to make the attempt, for him, and lays a hand on his thigh, moving it upward, trying to shift this conversation away to something else entirely from where it started. ]
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[Staring at his ass, groping his thighs, Wei Wuxian doesn't try to stop him, of course, but he gives him an amused raise of his brow. As if Lan Zhan would ever run out of steam. Even if they failed the first few rounds, Lan Zhan was liable to try it for as long as it took.]
If I knew it was such a turn on, I'd have mentioned it in my last life, hm?
[The joke is tasteless, of course, but Wei Wuxian has never had much of a filter between his mind and his tongue. He leans forward, running his fingers over Lan Zhan's collar, his tongue peeking out briefly to lick his lips.]
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[ He knows he would have fought it. It's improper, to have slept with Wei Ying with not even a proposal in sight, what would people say? And to have proposed to him so young, people would have thought the worst of them, wouldn't they have? It wouldn't unite the clans, wouldn't produce any heirs, just... there was a clear motive and no one would have believed it was love.
But as it was then, it is now, and Lan Wangji gazes at Wei Ying as if that dart of tongue is a slice of strawberry placed on top of a decadent dessert. ]
Come closer.
[ He beckons, his lap open as he sits in a lotus position.
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Normally, he'd throw in a snappy retort, joke about how cold Lan Zhan had been to him in their youth or how he'd convinced himself Lan Zhan was infatuated with Mianmian instead. Now, he crawls a little closer, not quite climbing into Lan Zhan's lap, but just outside it, leaning forward and resting his hands on Lan Zhan's thighs before he leans in for a kiss.]
A late start is better than none at all.
[He breathes lightly as he pulls back, eyes searching, a shade more vulnerable than his usual boisterous front.]
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Wei Ying...
[ He won't betray Wen Ning, who asked him to keep it a secret that he's the one who told them all. He doesn't need that. ]
It's why you don't take your sword with you. It's why you created your own school of cultivation.
[ He says these as if they are observations that he'd made, that he'd already come to peace with. He offers Wei Ying another kiss. ]
You are brilliant.
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[Just as he's trying to get himself in the mood, Lan Zhan has to hit him with that. It didn't surprise him that Lan Zhan put the pieces together quickly- of course that was why he hadn't carried his sword, why he put up that stupid, cocky front, pretended he'd strayed to darker paths just for the power of it, and not because it was the only option left to him.
What surprises him is the compliment, commending him on being brilliant, able to take that route, when he was looked down on and spit upon by all the rest of the cultivation world for even trying it. How was that brilliant? If he were truly so gifted, he wouldn't have gotten his family killed, or been responsible for the annihilation of the Wens, or-
His lips barely move against Lan Zhan's as he's kissed, as he tries to rally, crawling the rest of the way into Lan Zhan's lap, desperate for the distraction it offers.]
We don't have to dwell on it, come on Lan Zhan, you're the brilliant one, show me this dual cultivation you've studied, hm?
[He starts pressing kisses along Lan Zhan's neck, his hand starting to slip beneath the pristine white collar to give him better access.]
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He starts to undo his waistband, shrugging off his long coat, letting the silken cloths slide down his arms, baring his chest to Wei Ying as he busies his hands in Wei Ying's hair, letting loose his little hair tie and getting his hands underneath Wei Ying's layers of robes.
Even as he turns his head and bares his neck for Wei Ying to leave kisses enough to mottle in patterns of blossoms, his hands move as if possessing a mind of their own, trying to divest Wei Ying of his clothes and get on his soft skin and firm muscles underneath. ]
Remember
[ His voice the even timbre it always is. ]
When our swords first crossed?
[ He means on the roof but he'll take any interpretation. He gets his arm around Wei Ying's back, and pulls him in, hips moving together to the start of a familiar dance. ]
I did not know, but I loved you, then.
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It's unfair that Lan Zhan's tone remains so even, despite his efforts to rile him up. He pauses at the question, the first time their swords crossed? That was easy, the first night he'd arrived in Cloud Recesses, but-
Wei Wuxian makes a helpless sigh of a noise and buries his face against Lan Zhan's shoulder.]
Mm, that's why you were so keen to keep me out and fight and then punish me, is that it?
[He gives Lan Zhan a little poke to the ribs because feelings are best deflected with humor, aren't they?]
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I knew I felt something for you.
And I did not want to.
[ Surely Wei Ying can understand because he'd had that conversation with Jiang Yanli. Not that Lan Wangji had been privy to that talk, but - ]
I take responsibility.
[ He holds Wei Ying in his arms, enfolded around him like wings. He would never want to jeopardize their relationship now, but feels they're in a spot he can finally divulge all the selfish things he did as a misconceiving teen. ]
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