For Wei Ying - Courting Take 3

[lan_wangji]

Lan Wangji would be the first to admit that he knows little of courtship or marriage, not the details at least. It had not been a subject he'd received any instruction or advice on so he must rely on what little he has witnessed in his youth outside of Cloud Recesses. The hair pin and comb had been the obvious choice but the second is less so. He provides Wei Ying with food and drink daily so there would be no great gesture in such gifts.

The idea had finally come to him as he had flown home one evening and array of animals in the countryside.

It had not been hard to conceal the building of a small structure by Bunny's own hutch as Wei Ying rarely noticed such things or took part in the maintenance of the home. He had smuggled them home under the cover of night when he'd known Wei Ying would be in the city, fraternizing with Klaus and likely speaking of all manner of subjects Lan Wangji would rather not know of. The four chicks, two yellow and two black had seemed cozy when he had left them that night and again when he'd checked as the sun rose the next morning.

He opens the door to their room and smiles softly at the still sleeping bundle of blankets now in the middle of their large bed. He kneels onto the bed, pushing his fingers through the mess of black hair half buried by blankets. "Wei Ying. Wake up."

Comments

[yiling_laozu]

"Perhaps so," Wei Wuxian murmurs, allowing Lan Wangji's warm touch to dispel the worst of the anxiety crawling in his stomach. Still, Lan Wangji's silence is not insurmountable. Many remarked on their relationship before they were ever intimate - somehow, everyone simply knew.

"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian says, "I am very smart sometimes. But I think I must also be very stupid. I did not know you cared for me in such a way at all. When did it begin?"

[lan_wangji]

"In your defense, who would have believed Hanguang-Jun to harbor such feelings for anyone?" he points out, face a little pinched as he pictures it from any perspective but his own.

"Respected you at the lantern festival, gained affection when we journeyed with the Yin Iron. Affection grew in your absence to love by the time we were trapped in that cave. Told brother I wanted to hide you in Cloud Recesses."

[yiling_laozu]

"Yes, but I was very proud to be close to you and know more of your thoughts than most," Wei Wuxian huffs, for a moment jealous even of Lan Wangji's own brother, though the ridiculous thought has the decency to dissipate almost at once.

"You wanted to hide me?" he asks, turning towards him. "When? Ah." Wei Wuxian's expression sours, though not because of Lan Wangji. "When I stood against everyone and took the Wens?"

[lan_wangji]

"Before that, after Sunshot campaign but before that. Knew they would never leave you alone after you used the Stygian Tiger Seal in such a way," he answers, fingers plucking a piece of apple out for Wei Ying to eat, as always attempting to keep him regularly fed.

"Knew you would not leave them, was banned from seeing you after you had left. When I came, was under false pretense. Was not brave enough to stay."

[yiling_laozu]

Wei Wuxian also knew this, but he had hoped somehow that righteousness would prevail over greed, and that he would be allowed to do what he did because it was what should be done. He opens his mouth automatically for the apple, tasting nothing until he smiles all at once.

"I wondered," he says. "You came for a hunt, yet did no hunting. Instead, you ate with A-Yuan and I and even bought him toys. I was so happy to see you then, Lan Zhan. It hurt so much when you left, but even so, I knew that the short time was a gift." His grin widens. "Lan Zhan came because he missed me."

[lan_wangji]

"He did, very much."

He picks up the other half of Wei Ying's discarded zongzi with his chopsticks and holds them to Wei Ying's mouth, determined to have him well fed before they start their day in earnest.

"Uncle was furious. More so when I offered no remorse or apology. I feel regret for how strange it must have been for him, to find me so changed in a matter of a few years."

[yiling_laozu]

His Uncle. "Did he beat you then, also?" Wei Wuxian huffs, though he knows if he had, it could not have been as egregious as the beating Lan Wangji took later. He would have no back left to speak of.

"I did wish you would come," Wei Wuxian says. "The Wens were lovely, but there was no one I could talk to in the way I'm accustomed to enjoying besides Wen Qing, and she was very busy taking care of all of us. She would chase me with needles if I took took too much of her time. But it must be better that you didn't."

Wei Wuxian smiles, sad but not entirely mournful. "They would have only turned against you as well, and we would both be dead."

[lan_wangji]

"Did not beat me," he says, choosing to leave out details of the actual punishment as it would only rile Wei Ying further. It no longer matters. It had been well worth it.

"Eat," he commands, holding the sticky rice up again to Wei Ying's mouth. "Then enough sad memories. It is a courting day. Day for swimming or going to town. Both."

[yiling_laozu]

The answer is vague enough that Wei Wuxian resolves to ask again later. For now, he eats his breakfast, reaching towards his shoulder again to lightly ruffle Meimei's downy feathers. "We should do both," he says. "These babies need room, so we'll get started on their coop, and then reward ourselves with swimming after."

Wei Wuxian grins. "Lan Zhan can wear his new little pants."

[lan_wangji]

"Just today. Because it is a day for Wei Ying. Not other days," he clarifies, looking over Wei Ying's plans once more to calculate the need for lumber and wire. He thinks they have enough left over from Bunny's hutch construction to do Wei Ying's vision justice.

"If Wei Ying wants work before play, we can do that. You can direct, I will build. How does that plan find you?"

[yiling_laozu]

"Fine, fine," Wei Wuxian breezes, consumed with thoughts of Lan Wangji in his little pants. Why does the idea somehow seem more scandalous than Lan Wangji in nothing at all? "But I think we shouldn't build it all today," he says, rallying. "Just the bones. I want to carve the beams, and they should be done before they go up. And - "

Wei Wuxian's eyes slide sideways. "I want to cook your dinner."

[lan_wangji]

"I would enjoy that very much," Lan Wangji says, tucking an errant curl behind Wei Ying's ear before he stands. He wonders if this is Wei Ying's attempt to court him, as he had declared and resolves not to interrupt Wei Ying during his efforts as much as curiosity might drive him to do so.

"We can build as much as Wei Ying desires until the swim lures his attention away." He walks over to the neat pile of lumber and pulls out an armful that he thinks will suffice to start.

"Direct me."

[yiling_laozu]

Wei Wuxian nods, gathering his pages to him before he looks up, brow quirking. How much direction might he give Lan Wangji today? "Lan Zhan," he says, fanning himself with a sheaf. "It's quite warm today. Should you be doing so much labor in such heavy robes?"

Wei Wuxian frowns. "Perhaps you should leave off a layer or two."

[lan_wangji]

"Not the direction I meant," Lan Wangji murmurs as he eyes the lumber and starts to lay out a base roughly the size he believes Wei Ying desires. "And hardly subtle."


Wei Ying is not incorrect, however. Although he does know various charms to ward off sweat and the worst of unpleasant side effects, he is simply unused to the heat of this place. It is incredibly irritating. He undoes his top layer only, refusing to look at Wei Ying as he does it lest he give him the satisfaction of being right.

[yiling_laozu]

Wei Wuxian offers him a beatific smile all the same, resting back on his elbows now while Meimei flits all over him, exploring his robes. "You're doing very well," he calls. "Am I imagining it, though?" he wonders, looking at the far plank. "Is that one a bit crooked?"

Lan Wangji will need to bend over and check, just to be thorough.

[lan_wangji]

"Impossible," he huffs, shooting a fierce glare at said corner before bending down to check. It is precisely aligned, as he had suspected and sends a suspicious glance over his shoulder to Wei Ying.

Who looks far too pleased with himself.

"Not crooked," he mutters, sealing the boards together with a few neat flicks of his fingers and turning back to Wei Ying for approval. "This base, big enough?"

[yiling_laozu]

"But now we are sure," Wei Wuxian reminds him, "So Lan Zhan's efforts have not been wasted." He lifts his chin, looking at the dimensions of the coop base. "I think so. All that I can survey before me looks very good indeed," he observes with a smile. And it truly is his day, for he can feel the sun beating down on them where it breaks through the clouds. Poor Lan Wangji is going to grow even more uncomfortable in his thick robes.

"Perhaps lay the boards now for where the roost will go?"

[lan_wangji]

"Mm," Lan Wangji hums in agreement, trying to cast a surreptitious cooling charm around himself as he picks out boards the correct length and width and looks up at the sun, not wanting any direct sunlight in the place where the chickens will need to be able to rest.

"Is this adequate?" he asks, frowning a little at the realization that it will clearly be a very warm day. He is Hanguang-Jun. He hardly breaks a sweat on the battlefield. But there is something about his magics in this place that are not quite up to the task of cancelling out the heat.

It is infuriating.

[yiling_laozu]

"I think so," says Wei Wuxian, looking both the soon to be coop over and his Lan Zhan. He is overwarm just gazing at him, and not entirely in the good way. "Ah, Lan Zhan, I'm so hungry," he says, patting his stomach with a groan. He carefully scoops of Meimei and puts her back in the cage with her sisters.

"I'm going to cook our lunch before I faint away."

[lan_wangji]

"You didn't eat enough breakfast," Lan Wangji immediately fusses, berating himself for not forcing for food on Wei Ying during his chicken induced distraction. "You should not be in this heat if you are hungry, come," he says as he attempts to hustle Wei Ying back inside the cooler house.

"Can swim afterwards if you desire."

[yiling_laozu]

"Ah, Lan Zhan, don't fuss," Wei Wuxian protests as he is herded towards the door, fighting back half-heartedly. "Perhaps I'm only thirsty from the heat." He rubs his stomach. "I will pour us both some nice, cool waters, and then we can swim."

He smiles, pushing an errant lock of dark hair back over Lan Wangji's shoulder. "My Lan Zhan looks overwarm from his work in the sun."

[lan_wangji]

He carefully does not acknowledge Wei Ying's observation, instead peering closely at Wei Ying's face to ensure he does not look to pale. He could still do with more food. "You should eat a snack," he declares, catching Wei Ying's hand to give it a quick kiss.

"Let me make a snack while you prepare something cold to drink. Perhaps will make one for Jin Rulan as well," he says, having recently forced himself to stop calling the cat, Cat.

[yiling_laozu]

"Oh?" Wei Wuxian brightens further. He knew Lan Wangji would warm to the cat eventually, and now he's preparing him snacks. "I'm sure Jin Rulan would enjoy that very much."

Still smiling, he searches the teapots from breakfast, finding a half pot of oversteeped leaves that will be perfect for what he has in mind. The house had come with a cold box, and an even colder box above it, which Lan Wangji pretends not to indulge in, but Wei Wuxian has his doubts. He reaches into it now and finds many cubes of ice to put into the tall glasses Darrow favors, pouring the bitter tea over the cubes so that the melting ice mellows the flavor. "There," he murmurs. "Cold as Gusu."

[lan_wangji]

Lan Wangji turns from where he has take the leftover sticky rice dumplings from breakfast and all but smothered them in spicy pepper sauce and takes in the glass of cold tea with wonder, condensation already starting to form.

"This is perfect," he murmurs, accepting the glass carefully as he takes in Wei Ying's thoughtfulness. It has truly never occurred to him to prepare it in such a way and it is perfectly Wei Ying to do so. He takes a long sip, feeling the cold wash over him in a way that makes it certain that he will give in to the allure of the ice, yet again. It is as good as one of his charms. "This is yours," he finally says, handing over a plate for Wei Ying and a smaller plate of chopped chicken. "And the cat's."

[yiling_laozu]

"Some of their inventions are so clever," Wei Wuxian muses, glad not to have to venture all the way to an ice house when he wants to make Lan Wangji a cool treat. He smiles at the refreshed look on his face, then even wider for the food.

"Jin Rulan," he calls, "Come for lunch, Lan Zhan has made you food!" He sets it on the ground and accepts the dumplings happily, making short work of them in spite of - or perhaps because of - the spice. He does make sure to drink his tea after, though, for he has every intention of kissing Lan Wangji as much as possible today.

Smacking his lips, he asks, "Is it now time for your little pants?"