Fly free again

Chapter 7

Lan Wangji watched his husband return back to his lap after sending the now relieved and reassured juniors away. When Wei Ying had settled himself in his arms again, Lan Wangji was about to ask him what he wanted to do about his aversion towards flying, but he hesitated. He did not want to remind him of his fear so soon after getting better, he had only calmed down mere minutes ago.

It looked like he did not have to worry as Wei Ying spoke about it first: "You know, Lan Zhan, I also think that I cannot stay like this. If I ever need to get somewhere fast, I should be able to do it, otherwise I would be just a burden."

There he went again, sighed Lan Wangji internally. "Wei Ying is not a burden," he reminded his husband but Wei Ying just shrugged it off and continued as if he had never been interrupted in the first place.

"I really wish to do it, but I am too afraid. Even though, I want to try overcoming this fear of mine, to conquer it and not be bothered by it anymore. I know my memories are not going away, and that is perfectly fine, I have good ones I do not wanted to forget as well. I just should not let them get the best of me in such a situation.

Lan Zhan, you promised to help me. That I could count on you. I have perhaps come up with a solution. Will you hear me out?"

"Mn," Lan Wangji would never deny his husband anything, much less support he so dearly needed at the moment.

Wei Ying snuggled a bit closer to him and hummed happily: "I think I would probably be fine if you took me on your sword. Not too high, just above the ground so I could get used to the sensation once again. I want to feel safe while flying, perhaps then, the fear of falling will go away on its own..."

Lan Wangji could not see his husband's face but he was sure the other was blushing right now, as always when he this directly requested help. It was both adorable and unnerving. His husband, even after all those years, had a hard time asking for help openly, he always said he was ashamed of his weaknesses. At least they had gotten to this point when he would actually voice his desires.

"Whatever Wei Ying wants," he reassured him immediately, earning himself a kiss on his chin.

They had decided to not push their luck that day anymore and only headed towards where the flying lessons were usually held the next morning.

When they arrived, Wei Ying left Suibian on the side and stepped closer to Lan Wangji. He looked nervous, albeit determined, he also had not had any nightmare that night which Lan Wangji had been secretly relieved about. It looked like he was all in all in much better condition than yesterday.

"Are you ready?" Lan Wangji asked, making sure that he was not forcing Wei Ying this time.

"As ready as I can be," nodded his husband with a strained smile on his lips. For a second, Lan Wangji was not sure they should go through with this after all, he did not want to cause Wei Ying any distress or make him recall his painful past. A second later, his hesitation melted when his husband reassured him again, as if he was the one who had to make a tough decision and face his fears: "Do not worry, I will try and tell you if it is too much, alright? We do not want a repeat of yesterday, do we?"

Lan Wangji nodded in agreement. Then he unsheathed his sword and slowly stepped on it, leaving it hover just a foot or so above the ground level. He extended a hand towards his beloved and waited for him to take a hold of it so he could help him up. He did not want to rush anything, he waited for Wei Ying to be ready.

His husband took a steadying breath and then hesitantly accepted the help, stepping onto the sword in front of Lan Wangji. The Second Jade helped him to find his balance and hugged his tightly around his waist so he would feel safer. Wei Ying turned his head a bit to the side and looked at him with a small but tense smile.

"Tell me when you are ready," Lan Wangji proposed and then continued to keep his sword in place, completely steady.

Wei Ying was taking deep breaths for a while longer and Lan Wangji could feel his body slowly relaxing against him, he decided to take as a good sign. Then his husband all but breathed out: "I am fine, we can start moving."

Lan Wangji nodded slightly, not trusting his voice right now. Wei Ying seemed so fragile in his arms, so trusting. He could not, no, he definitely must not, betray that trust. He prompted his spiritual sword to start moving forward, slowly, very slowly, still keeping close to the earth. Wei Ying tensed against him again, luckily less than the first time and Lan Wangji wanted to believe he was getting used to the motion. He started making small circles and moving around some more. Wei Ying put his hands above Lan Wangji's as if to steady himself further.

The Second Jade proposed to stop for the day when he could feel his husband's hand becoming cold against his skin and starting to slightly tremble. Of course he had not expected that a single time would be enough for him to overcome his fear. They would need to practice more, another day that was.

He helped his husband to get down from the sword and Wei Ying immediately threw himself onto his chest, breathing heavily. Lan Wangji had been right to stop lest Wei Ying would have been pushing himself too much and everything could come to naught.

The next two weeks passed at a quick pace. Lan Wangji would go to the flying field every day and help his husband to overcome his fear. Where Wei Ying could not bear being higher than one food above ground on their first day, he was now fine with soaring through the skies. Where he had been nervous at every slight movement, he could now enjoy swift turns and higher speed.

But he had never let go of Lan Wangji, he still refused to mount his own sword which worried the Second Jade. Not much however, there was no reason to rush this, they had a lot of time. And truth to be told, Lan Wangji enjoyed immensely spending time with his husband like this, snuggling together high up in the air, completely unrestrained, with their hair fluttering around them as the wind played with it.

It was peaceful, a true balm for the soul. They were alone and for a few moments, he was allowed to forget all about being the Chief cultivator and having heavy duties, all about their painful past and the long years of yearning. They could just be Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, two cultivation partners who were destined for each other; soulmates in this life and all the next ones.

I will be out of town for the next few days with a scarce access to the Internet so I may not be able to post chapters every day. I am sorry in advancve for any inconvenience. I will make up for it after returning and post a new story too.