Savage Wolf, Lotus Heart [Never Let You Go, Again: Book 4]

7: Toast To The Lotus Heart

"A-Ying?"

"Yes, sweetheart? Ah, you woke up?"

"A-Ying didn't sleep?"

Wei Wuxian, lying on his side, had been gently caressing his husband's hair while the latter had been asleep. Lan Zhan had just woken up, to find Wei Ying staring at him with a wistful smile and a faraway twinkle in his eyes. "A-Ying?"

"Nothing, A-Zhan, I'm good. I was merely watching you sleep," he grinned, kissing Lan Zhan's forehead lightly. "What woke you up?"

"Isn't it five?"

"Oh, yeah, it is."

"Why is A-Ying awake?"

"Ah, didn't fall asleep."

"But..." Lan Zhan frowned. "You did fall asleep..."

"Oh yeah, for like, ten minutes? By the time I woke up you'd already drifted off. Spent some time up at our garden checking my lotuses but came back down to check my magnolia," he chuckled, tapping Lan Zhan's nose.

"Magnolia? Oh," Lan Zhan smiled subtly realising he was talking about him. "But is A-Ying ill?"

"No, just... Nothing. A night hunt or two would do great."

Lan Zhan shot up on bed, sitting up, cross-legged, glaring grumpily at Wei Ying. "A-Ying used Plan B?"

"I..." Wei Wuxian sighed and sat up. He grasped Lan Zhan's hands in his and pouted. "Hm, why so mad? Look, using the sceptre really doesn't hurt me! Just doubles the demonic rage within me, so all I need to do," Wei Wuxian spoke in a low, soothing, singsong voice to his husband, kneading his knuckles. "Is to go on a few night hunts with my darling and kill off a couple of beasts, and I'll be better in no time! Of course I'm not going alone, now am I? Even if I do, my darling's going to come with me, right? So let's go together, hm? Remember when we slew the Nine-Tailed Fox? Let's go like that, hm?"

"On a trip?"

Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to say yes but then shut it, sulking. "Oh dear, we've got so much to do..."

"What?"

"Gege's wedding, you dimwit! Your brother's wedding!" Wei Wuxian laughed and tapped Lan Zhan's head. "Got to complete the banquet and the final ritual and send them off on the honeymoon. And then we've got Meilien to take care of... Tsk," Wei Wuxian moped. "We'll be holding the banquet tomorrow... when will we go on the night hunting?"

"We can go with Meilien?"

"Ehhhhh?" Wei Wuxian tapped his nose, slowly nodding. "Now that'll be great! Good for me and for her! A-Zhan's the best!" He grinned, flinging his arms around his neck and kissing his face all over, like how he would lick him when in beast form.

"Mn, good. Then we can go to a lake and let out your Kun Peng form, too."

"Hurray! This time, I really am taking the both of you on a ride! So? Shall we go?"

"For breakfast?"

"Yeps! Gege must be waiting. I'd bet on anything A-Cheng's here too, now that the plague's sorted. Ooh, I've got work today," Wei Wuxian rubbed his hands as he and Lan Zhan got off the bed. "Archery class with Wen Ning's batch of students, got a special lesson today. And then there's all those wards to lift, with Nie-xiong's permission. And then I've got to get the ladies and get some help with setting up the boat banquet on our Red Rose......................." And on and on, Wei Ying sat at the table and ranted about his terribly busy day. Lan Zhan was beginning to wonder if his husband was becoming busier than he was in the Lan sect. Grinning subtly, Lan Zhan nodded to everything Wei Ying said, mumbling 'Mn' or 'Good' to any pauses in the chatter, picking up the robes they had tossed away last night and fishing out fresh ones from the drawers.