text | un: wangxian

[taciturnly]

Name: Lan Wangji
Date: 10/03
Format: text

( and a wild lan wangji appears. textually, anyway. it’s a rare sight around here, a quiet presence, easily missed, but he grieves, and nie mingjue deserves to be remembered. )

Chifeng-zun, now departed. His life abridged yet again, and ours forever changed.

His name, Nie Mingjue. Never to be forgotten.

May he rest peacefully.

---

If you have left Aefenglom and returned, have your memories perdured?

Who among you has died before, and returned home alive?

Comments

[taciturnly]

( in some ways, nie mingjue was the father he never truly had. in some others, the brother he feels he has lost. anger tainted his mind, often unrestrained, especially before his death. but his heart beat true, unlike the hand at which he died.

lan wangji’s fingers naturally curl around wei wuxian’s, a light squeeze as he keeps his eyes on the painting. ) With the traditions you wished to uphold? Eventually, certainly. ( but much later, and lan wangji will never be able to thank him enough now, for giving wei wuxian what no one else ever could. )

If our realities differ as you suggested… ( his voice trails off, head slowly turning his way. ) ...then perhaps he was granted life elsewhere, untwisted.

[weiward]

Maybe.

[he nods, wishing that to be true. he lifts his head and looks lan zhan's way, and then his smile truly warms a little.]

There's also this life waiting for him, if he's able to return to it.

[a life that's increasingly precious to wei wuxian. that he never wishes to leave.]

Want some tea?

[taciturnly]

Perhaps.

( some have come and gone. the details elude him, but chifeng-zun deserved better, more than a second chance abridged, and lan wangji can only hope that wei wuxian’s optimism will come true.

it’s a life he’s grown to love, too. nearly a year down the road now, and he can’t imagine going back. his mouth faintly stretches in response to his bonded’s smile, and he shakes his head, a shuddering breath as he shifts closer. it’s a sudden wave of gratitude that crashes over him, despite his sorrows, and he cups his face and he gazes reverently, pressing a lingering kiss to the middle of his forehead. )

[weiward]

[when they first arrived, wei wuxian had thought that this world offered him his only chance: his only chance to avoid the nothingness of death. his only chance to be with lan wangji. his only chance to be anything but reviled. since then he's been reassured that nothing can keep them apart, that to be torn from lan zhan's arms here really just means running into them somewhere else.

still. aefenglom is special.

he blinks when his husband cups his face, but smiles and wrinkles his nose in a shameless attempt to be endearing.

it must work. bright laughter spills from his lips after the kiss.]

Lan Zhan, I know I don't do enough around the house, but I don't think that offering to make a little tea deserves that much appreciation.

[taciturnly]

( of course it works. lan wangji has been utterly smitten for the better part of his life now, and everything that makes wei wuxian wei wuxian is endearing in one way or another. even his ridiculous theatrics. soulmates, they called each other once. he believes it. here, anywhere. yesterday, now, tomorrow. but it doesn’t keep him from being immensely thankful, perhaps even more so than he might have been otherwise, without that certainty.

how stupidly lucky he is. and so few share his fortune.

wei wuxian’s laughter stretches his own mouth wider, an amused huff in turn. no, he doesn’t do much around the house, but when you’re literally everything, you get to skip on chores. so he squishes his face a little tighter, heart full. ) No. But you do.

[weiward]

Ah...

[but lan zhan's response is too genuine, too giving. it's a reminder of where their opinions might always differ - wei wuxian isn't worthy of the love that he's been given. he turns more bashful in the face of it, reaching up for his husband's hands, pressing them together before placing a kiss against them.]

But surely there's something that I can do for you. I'm feeling a little restless.

[the usual suspects run through his mind, which include a bath, combing his hair.

making some of lan zhan's favorite congee.]

[taciturnly]

( no one is worthier of love than wei wuxian. lan wangji’s affection is nothing out of the ordinary, but it’s whole, fierce and strong and tender, and it’s his. before, now, tomorrow. every day, a treasure, and his gratitude has grown tenfold.

he gives his hands a gentle squeeze, an equally gentle glint in his eyes, mildly amused. what more could he do for him, now that he exists within reach? what more, when he sleeps in his arms, smiles and laughs and lives exuberant, lan wangji’s anchor, his lifeline. but he understands the sentiment, has felt the same numerous times. and so he indulges. )

You may undo my hair, if you wish.

[weiward]

[caution, loyalty, love. lan wangji has always given him exactly what he needed, and now is no exception. it's a small task, but wei wuxian's face brightens with the offer. there's something simple yet intimate about helping him undo his hair at night, or combing it in the morning. sliding the pale ribbon free or guiding it under the strands.]

Okay. Lan Zhan, come sit down on the bed!

[he stands and hurries ahead of him, moving a pillow to kneel on the mattress while still leaving room for the other man to sit.]

[taciturnly]

( it’s simple, perhaps even insignificant in the eyes of most, but to lan wangji, it means everything. a moment spent with wei wuxian is a moment more towards eternity, his own everlasting joy… but the truth of this world, as well as theirs, has unfortunately proved many times that nothing lasts forever.

the home they’ve built here, the memories they’ve made. the love. realities twined, he knows this wei wuxian is his wei wuxian, and he doesn’t want to forget anything. nie mingjue’s departure was abrupt, but what if. what if there was a way, to remember, to live. to stay.

he sits, a pensive curve to his lips, gaze tender. it never strays off his bonded, not until he turns for wei wuxian to remove his hair piece, to untie the ribbon that still links him back to a past that seems so distant, suddenly. his hand lifts, delicately lands on his husband’s thigh. )

Wei Ying. ( he breathes in, tilts his head to look at him, a soft scrutiny. ) If we could… Would you stay here?

[weiward]

[wei wuxian smiles at him before inching closer on his knees. the same happiness that curves his lips also makes his short tail wiggle behind him. he removes the ornament first, the ribbon second, leaning back then as if gauging his husband's self-control. there's often something symbolic about the lan head ribbon's removal. it means all bets are off.

he finishes taking his hair down, letting the inky strands of it fall down between his fingers. wei wuxian brings some of it to his lips and presses a kiss against it. but he looks up at his touch.

wei wuxian doesn't want to dwell on the bad things, and there have been plenty of those in his life. aefenglom has been a blessing by comparison, a place that's given him so much. but chifeng-zun is reminder that the mirrors can take as quickly as they give.

still, he knows his answer.]

I would stay. [he admits it softly, unsure of what lan wangji's decision would be. he's always been serious about his responsibilities, and they do have a son who wei wuxian also misses.] It'll be winter soon, and the fur will keep me nice and warm.

[of course his reasons are more serious than that. but they're selfish too.

his eyebrows lift.]

Would you?

[taciturnly]

( bunnies and wei wuxian, all packed into one hell of a man. is his husband the cutest thing that’s ever cuted or is he. lan wangji’s focus faintly drifts as he kisses and plays with his hair, half-drowsy and comfortable. ribbon removed, he has no shield left, no walls, fully exposed, but wei wuxian has never taken advantage of his vulnerability. it’s the reason why he allows himself to ponder and reminisce, a brief, mournful smile; he’s known the answer all along, and he does miss sizhui, more than anything, but at the end of the day... )

Yes. ( he moves, graceful and swift, gently pinning him down as he towers above him, loose strands falling on each side of their faces. ) With you, forevermore. ( because he doesn’t want to erase the past months since their arrival, and the thought of him leaving is more than he can bear. and he’s endured a lot. still overwhelmed with fresh grief, the corners of his eyes shine faintly as he leans down and touches his lips with his, a faint taste of desperation, a thousand thanks in his sigh. )