In Love, Everlasting

Wei Ying had woken up hours ago. At first, he couldn't will himself to move. It was funny, really, how for those few minutes, he wasn't aware of anything except the fact that he simply was. He existed, and was able to do so with no train of thought. No joys, no griefs, no feeling whatsoever. He was not bound to anything. Then, his life was breathed back into him, and he was finally, truly awake.

It took the might of several healers to keep him down.

Not a soul on the Earth could force him back to sleep- only to watch his soulmate lay in deafening silence on their bed. Wait, was he put on the guest bed? Damn. Apparently, that was for 'safety', as the Lan healers didnt know if he would become 'violent' when he woke... Fair. So he sat, he waited, and for once, he tried to be forbearing. "Hanguang-Jun will be fine," they said. "He's just recovering, he will wake up soon," someone would repeat. These voices with irrelevant faces were doing a bad job of reassuring him. Wei Ying would only believe their claims when he saw his Lan Zhan awake.

After what seemed like half an eternity, he was deemed stable enough to not be a threat, and he was freed from the circle of Lans that had been surrounding him. He immediately rejoined his husband, climbing into their bed with a sense of urgency. On his knees, he inched towards the other and frantic eyes glanced him over.

...Recovering from hypothermia was in fact, not a fun experience. This wasn't his first time dealing with it. Winter on the streets was brutal. Earlier, adrenaline may have numbed the way his body was stunted, but now he wasn't so fortunate. The Yiling Patriarch eventually noticed his own arms were laced up and down in bandages that ran from the tips of his frostbitten fingers to the ends of his elbows. Wei Ying didn't need to see the damage to know he was lucky these hands hadn't fallen off, with his weak core doing next to nothing to aid him. Lan Zhan, though, he looked like he was more fortunate. His lover hadn't been entirely frozen for long, and his stronger core on overdrive made sure of that. The fever- it was from his core's quick reaction. Like it had once been in his own case all those years ago... Luckily, the warmth radiating from his love's had diminished enough for now. Only occasionally did sweat drip down Lan Zhan's forehead, which Wei Ying would gracefully meet with a wet cloth. A proper one, this time. Not the edging of his outer robes. It was only then that the healers finally decided to, respectfully, butt out for the the time being. They would probably be back, but for now, they were alone.

His impatient hand was resting beneath the other's head, as the rest of his own aching body hovered over the Second Jade. Nothing was more important than this. Nothing was more important than Lan Wangji. Nothing ever would be. How could... How did Lan Zhan not see that?

Wei Ying couldn't fool himself. He had questions. So, so many questions beyond just that. So much he wanted to talk about. How did the group find them? Why was A-Cheng here? Why had Zewu-Jun come? What was the fate of the missing child? The fate of the townspeople? Was the spirit taken care of? Of course he wanted to know these things! Was it a crime to have other thoughts running through his head right now? Curiosity killed the cat and- well, he was the most notorious black cat of the mortal world, and he had already died once.

But none of that would matter until his Lan Zhan opened his eyes. He would not leave, would not speak, would not do anything until it was all okay. Because this? This was never going to happen again. Wei Ying already made the vow. One he intended to keep. He'd be faster, now and forever, wherever and whenever Lan Zhan should fall. He would do anything for his heart's other half- even if it meant clinging to his side in the Cloud Recesses for the rest of their lives. Even if it meant throwing himself into the Burial Mounds again. Even if it meant taking the lashes from the discipline-

Wangji's breath hitched, and then he turned. The Second Jade was upright, and fast, hands weakly holding his body against the bed. A whirlwind of hope shot through Wei Ying's chest, as heavy coughs ravaged the other's. He was awake. Lan Zhan was awake. He was okay. More or less, they were both okay, and the red-robed of them wanted to hug the other so bad, so desperately, that it hurt to hold back the urge. A part of him was afraid that he could crush the life right back out of him, and the Second Jade was never one he'd ever consider weak.