Way too untamed, way too wild

Fluffy and sweet moments

When they came back to the Burial Mounds, Lan Wangji was once again forced by Wei Ying to hand out the presents, the boy insisted since he was the one to pay for them, he was also the one who got them. He would not let himself be persuaded that he had chosen the gifts and should thus give them out.

After a short argument which the children seemed nervous about, he finally gave out, taking things Wei Ying had chosen for each child from his hands and obediently handing them out. All the children seemed positively ecstatic and he had to smile together with them. The largest smile was however still Wei Ying's as he was watching his small protégés with unparalleled happiness in his eyes.

At last, all the gifts had found their way into their respective recipients' hands and the children have left to play with them. Even Wen Qing and Wen Ning stopped looking at Lan Wangji with so much caution and accepted the presents, a book about medical herbs and a new ribbon for the younger sibling's hair.

Lan Wangji then turned towards Wei Ying. The boy was still watching the children who were sitting or running all around, their hands full with their new possessions, perhaps the only ones they had in this world aside for their clothes and the blankets. Lan Wangji could have sworn that Wei Ying had tears in his sparkling eyes, visibly very emotional. It was making the Second Jade's chest all fluffy in turn.

"Wei Ying," he addressed the other softly.

He had not been expecting the boy to basically tackle him in a tight hug, thanking him once again, just as he had done the whole afternoon at this point. Lan Wangji raised his head and patted the boy's hair gently, trying to both sooth him and coax him into letting go, he could hardly breathe. He wondered where Wei Ying had learned to be so affectionate and loving, surely not in the Burial Mounds; or could it have actually been there?

Finally, the boy let go of him and released him from the hug. Lan Wangji straightened his robes a bit and then reached into his sleeve. He took out the flute he had selected for Wei Ying and presented it to him. It was a simple enough instrument but he had taken a minute or two to carve ornaments into it for it to look prettier.

The boy was looking at him in utter bewilderment and disbelief, as if he did not understand that Lan Wangji was giving him a present. It was very much possible that no one had given him any before this moment. The Second Jade sighed internally and prompted: "For Wei Ying. I have picked a gift for you as well."

It took Wei Ying a whole of ten seconds to close his mouth which had fell open with surprise and to stutter out: "This is... for me?"

Lan Wangji nodded gravely and held the flute higher for him to see better. The boy hesitantly reached out his arm and touched the flute feather light. Then he caressed it again, with a little more confidence before he finally took it out of Lan Wangji's hand and observed it closely, his eyes still betraying his utter disbelief. He let go of the instrument with one hand and started tracing the ornaments Lan Wangji had carved there with a slightly shivering finger.

After another few seconds, Wei Ying finally lifted his head and Lan Wangji got literally blinded. The boy's smile was so bright that he had though for a passing moment that the sun had descended to the Burial Mounds and switched places with the other.

This time, he was somewhat prepared when the boy threw himself at him for a second time, his shoulders shaking suspiciously, much as if he was crying. Lan Wangji let him hide his head against his chest and was patting his back soothingly until Wei Ying had collected himself again enough to be able to speak: "Lan Zhan, that is... I cannot thank you enough. I have never gotten a present from anyone. I... just... thank you."

Lan Wangji hummed under his breath and then replied, having heard enough of the boy's thanks for the whole life: "There should be no 'thank you' and 'sorry' between us." It took a while for Wei Ying to finally calm down.

***

Lan Wangji spent the next few days going back and forth between the town and the Burial Mounds, always bringing enough food for the children to get their stomachs full every day. He could already see the difference, they were becoming more energetic and started smiling more often; and if his money pouch was getting emptier and emptier every time, Lan Wangji did not mind at all. It was all worth it to see the inhabitants of the Burial Mounds, and especially Wei Ying – not that he wanted to play favourites, definitely not – to be this lively and happy.

Lan Wangji was granted free access to the small settlement, no one was wary of him anymore and no one was also surprised to see him dismounting his sword directly in the middle of the small clearing in front of the caves' entrances. Wei Ying had taken a great interest in flying and he would often ask him to take him up in the air or to go visit the town together, to which Lan Wangji agreed easily enough. When the children had seen him leaving together with the boy, they have begged him and he had spent one whole afternoon flying around with all of them on their turn.

All that time, he would spend most of it together with the boy, teaching him how to play the flute. He found out that Wei Ying was very talented and did not in reality needed much teaching at all. He was a natural and once he had been shown the basics, he could recreate any melody Lan Wangji played for him. On the third day, he could also compose his own pieces.

He had surprised Lan Wangji greatly when, on the morning of the third day, he had dragged him away, visibly overexcited, and had made him sit down on a small boulder. Then he had stood before him and had gotten out his treasured instrument. He had put it to his lips and started playing the most beautiful melody Lan Wangji had ever heard. It had been completely foreign to him and he just knew the boy must have composed it himself.

After several verses, he had gotten his guqin out and joined Wei Ying in a duet. They had not needed words to communicate about how the melody should develop, they had only been looking into each other's eyes, their gazes intertwined. At moments, Lan Wangji had followed Wei Ying's lead, perfectly matching the harmony to the beautiful melody, at other times, the boy had followed him into the new depths of the music. It had been incredible and Lan Wangji had felt like they had just created something completely otherworldly together.

That night, when he had gotten to sleep, he had been replaying the melody in his head. He had decided that as soon as he was back in the Cloud Recesses, he would write it down. Not for everyone to play, but just for himself, to never forget it. He would name it WangXian.