Beautiful (Between a rock and a hard place 2)

Chapter 15

Wei Ying did not wake up in time for lunch and Lan Wangji did not want to leave him so he did not go out to eat either. When it was already time for dinner however, his stomach reminded him that going without food for much longer would not be a good idea. He also thought that his beloved would be hungry upon waking up. After all, the last time he had seen him eat anything had been yesterday's lunch.

Although unwillingly, Lan Wangji got up, resigned to go to the dining hall to procure a dinner for the both of them. Wei Ying had yet to wake up but there had been signs of him regaining consciousness for a while now. He would stir a little or mumble something from his sleep. He would also move his head slightly or his fingers would twitch. It would not take long now.

Lan Wangji was thinking if he should not wait a bit more. Perhaps Wei Ying would wake up by then and he would know he had nothing to fear. He was extremely nervous about leaving his beloved's side even for a second. What if Wei Ying would not want to stay in the Jingshi upon waking up? What if he would go out searching for him and someone would attack him again? No, Lan Wangji did not even want to think about those possibilities.

He wanted his Wei Ying to be safe, and he could only do that by keeping him away from the cruel world which had hurt him, he could only do that by having him here in the Jingshi and keeping an eye on him and protecting him all the time. He had to find a way to assure himself that the younger boy would not leave before he would come back with their dinner.

Lan Wangji was thinking hard. He could of course set up a barrier but that would be less than ideal. For one, it could attract unwanted attention. And it would also not work as intended, not in a way he needed Wei Ying to stay inside. After all, his loved one was an expert in the arts of talismans and arrays, it would not take him long to find a way to break it just out of pure boredom. Lan Wangji clearly remembered that he had broken through the Cloud Recesses barrier without any visible effort on his first day here.

That only left Lan Wangji with the option of physical restraints. He did not want to fall as low as Jiang Wanyin but no matter how hard he pondered on the question, he did not find any other plausible solution. For Wei Ying's wellbeing, he would do anything. He would even strip him of his freedom until he would understand that it had been necessary. He could always ask for forgiveness and explain himself later.

Lan Wangji did not want to admit it but there was also a small part of him which really wanted to see Wei Ying tied up again. The ropes had looked extremely good on him and he wondered if some white silk would be even more compatible with his beloved's tanned skin. The contrast would surely be stunning.

Lan Wangji took a long look at Wei Ying. Images were running in his mind and he was more and more curious to discover how exactly it would look and feel to have the younger boy completely at his mercy, unable to move unless Lan Wangji permitted it. White silk would look very good on him; he was certain of it. The part which had been very small and easily overlooked just seconds ago was now growing in size and its calling for action was overshadowing any rational thoughts.

Almost despite Lan Wangji's best conscience, his body moved towards the chest where he was storing his robes. He did not have any proper silk ropes; he would have to acquire some for the future. For now, he had to content himself with one of his inner robes which he tore in neat long strips to serve as bindings.

He went back to the bed and secured Wei Ying's limbs in the same way Jiang Wanyin had had. It was not that he wanted to copy that cruel and despicable Yunmeng Jiang sect heir, he only thought that it was a very efficient way of keeping the younger boy in place. As he way tying the silk around the younger boy's limbs, he kissed the skin he was covering with them before fastening the makeshift ropes to the bed frame securely. Wei Ying laid still and Lan Wangji was grateful for that.

He made sure that the silk ropes would not hurt his beloved's skin as the true ropes had had but would still be tied tightly enough for Wei Ying to not be able to free himself. Despite its texture and smoothness, silk was after all quite a durable material and even a cultivator of Wei Ying's calibre would not be able to tear it easily. Although he had folded it in several layers just to be sure.

He stood up and admired his work. If he had thought that Wei Ying had been beautiful before, the image in front of him now was on another level entirely. Just as he had expected, the white looked exquisite in contrast to the darker tanned skin. Moreover, the way the bindings made his beloved's legs stay apart and his knees in air and revealed his backside and the decorative pink jade stone inside of it was the highlight of it all.

The sight truly took Lan Wangji's breath away.

He mourned that he could not stay anymore, if he delayed his trip to the dining hall any longer, he would be turned away as it would be too late to get any food today. He and Wei Ying would have to go hungry for the day. That was not an option. Lan Wangji sighed and memorized what he was seeing in order for the picture to last him for the way. He would just have to make sure to come back quickly.

"I will be back, Wei Ying," he whispered and used all his will power to turn his back to the younger boy and go out of the Jingshi.