[MDZS] The Dragon and the Fox

Fever

Wei Ying felt very cold - almost freezing, as though he was outside in his inner robes in the dead of Winter. Then, he was warm. He cozied up to the thing which was keeping him warm. He held tighter to it. The thing which radiated the warmth disappeared after a while. He shivered again, feeling cold down to his very bones. Then, a wave of heat washed over him. It was excruciatingly hot and painful. Wei Ying felt as though he was burning in a fire.

Lan Zhan watched over the sleeping male. The antidote was working, the healer stated. However, Wei Ying was going to have a bad fever for a few days. Lan Zhan laid a cool cloth on the boy's forehead. Wei Ying whined in his sleep. It was a soft whine, but Lan Zhan heard it. He shushed the other, moving his fingers through the sweat-drenched locks of long, curly hair. Wei Ying whined a bit louder.

Lan Zhan: "Wei Ying...Know it hurts, but bear with it for a while longer. It will be over soon. Promise." He continued to caress the locks of flowing hair.

Wei Ying felt as if every fiber of his being was drenched in fire. His chest hurt. It pained him to breathe. Each breath left his lungs feeling as though something was pricking him inside. The feeling moved over his skin. He wanted to itch, but he couldn't move. It was torturous.

A coolness kept sweeping over him. Lan Zhan was washing Wei Ying in a cool bath. The poor boy was sweating so much, Lan Zhan didn't know what else to do save for bathing him.

Xichen entered at that moment. "Wangji. What are you doing?"

Lan Zhan: "Trying to cool Wei Ying down."

Xichen sighed. "You're going to cause his fever to worsen if you bathe him in cold water. It's better to allow his body to sweat it out than try to cool him down. Place him back in bed. You can leave his robes off. Just make certain he's covered properly."

Lan Zhan did as his brother had instructed. "Brother. Wei Ying is in pain. Don't know what to do about it."

Xichen gave him a sympathetic smile. He placed an encouraging hand on his brother's shoulder. "Wangji. Everything will be alright. You can't alleviate all the pain a person goes through. This is one of those times. Sometimes people must go through hardships in order to become better. The fever is not causing him pain. The poison is. The fever is his body's way of fighting it off. The antidote is helping as well. Why don't you try giving him some of your qi?"

Lan Zhan: "Healer said qi transfer will only aggravate the poison."

Xichen nodded. "Then I'm afraid all you can do is wait. Don't worry. He won't die. He's stronger than he seems."

Xichen left the Jingshi. Lan Zhan went back to Wei Ying's side.

Wei Ying felt cold all the way into his bones. He tried curling up to warm himself more, but the movement caused large amounts of pain to move through his body. He whimpered from it. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around him and pulled him into a warm embrace.

"Wei Ying." A gentle and soft voice called to him. He snuggled closer as best as he could, wincing from the pain. A hand gently caressed his hair, moving it out of his face. "Wei Ying." The voice called to him again. Wei Ying felt as though he didn't want to open his eyes. Someone draped the blanket over him more, wrapping him in more warmth. Wei Ying breathed in satisfaction and fell into a deep slumber.

Lan Zhan continued to hold the fox in his embrace. He didn't want to release him. The other was shivering still, so he took the blanket and wrapped it tighter around them. When they fell into a deep slumber, Lan Zhan continued to hold and caress them.

Wei Ying's fever broke the following day. His head was still pounding, but he found he could breathe easier. He slowly opened his eyes. His eyes widened completely in shock. He found himself completely naked, and Lan Zhan holding him close and sleeping. Wei Ying panicked a bit. He tried escaping the hold, but Lan Zhan only tightened it. "Lay still. Sleep."

Wei Ying: "Lan Zhan! Wake up!" He continued to fight the other, pounding on their chest to awaken them.

Lan Zhan awakened. When he saw Wei Ying was awake, he quickly sat upright and hugged him, forgetting the other was completely naked. Wei Ying sighed in defeat.

Wei Ying: "Lan Zhan. My head is pounding, and my body aches. What happened? Why am I completely naked in your bed?"

Lan Zhan didn't want to answer him at all. He only wanted to hold the fox boy in his arms as long as possible. Wei Ying sighed once more. Lan Zhan released him and moved to help dress him. Wei Ying allowed the other to pamper him. He loved it, especially since he was still not feeling well.

Wei Ying: "Lan Zhan. You never answered me. What happened?"

"You had a bad fever for the past two days," a new voice spoke up. It was Xichen. Lan Zhan was finishing with brushing Wei Ying's hair. "It was so bad, we couldn't move you without you crying from pain. Unfortunately, we don't know what caused it." The two jades knew Xichen was lying. Lan Zhan also knew it was best for Wei Ying to not know exactly what had transpired.

Wei Ying: "So that's why my body hurts, and my head is pounding?"

Xichen: "I will fetch some medicine from the healer." He left.

Wei Ying looked at Lan Zhan. "Lan Zhan. Tell me exactly what happened. I don't ever fall sick like that."

Lan Zhan set the brush on the table next to the bed. "Wei Ying does not need to know details right now."

Wei Ying sighed. Lan Zhan lifted him and carried him outside to the back porch of the Jingshi. The sun was shining, but the shade from the porch helped shield Wei Ying from the brightness. The breeze blowing through felt nice against his face. By the time Xichen showed up with the medicine, Wei Ying had relaxed and fallen asleep.

Xichen smiled at the sight. "Wangji," he spoke quietly. "Make certain Wei Gongzi drinks his medicine. We wouldn't want a relapse."

Lan Zhan thanked him. He offered his brother to stay for a while. Xichen happily agreed. "Brother. We really should tell Wei Ying. Wei Ying has a right to know."

Xichen sighed and sent an understanding smile to his brother. "Wangji. Right now...it is best if he doesn't know. I know you're the honest type. This secret is weighing heavily on you, but trust me. It is best if he never finds out the truth."

Lan Zhan looked down, dejected, though the expression was slight. Xichen read it easily. "Brother. This one doesn't know why, or what, this one is feeling...but it's weird."

Xichen knew very well. "You will understand in time. It isn't something I can explain to you. It's something you need to sort through yourself."

Lan Zhan looked outside to the beautiful male fox, sleeping on the porch. He felt his heart skip a beat at the sight. Xichen knew very well what his brother was feeling, only he couldn't tell him. Trust me, Wangji. Love is a complicated feeling. Even if you think you're in love, it may only be a passing fancy. However, I know very well how much you love and adore Wei Gongzi. Don't ever allow him to slip away again.

Xichen quietly left. Lan Zhan continued to watch over the young fox.