The Bride of Dragon

8. Garden

Another month flickers by—much faster than Wei Wuxian thought it would or even could—and Wei Wuxian hums non committally to himself as he sways through his home's hallways and mentally writes himself a checklist for his next trip into town. He adds a small question mark to his usually underlined item of alcohol, reminding himself to check the newly built altar he found a couple of weeks back halfway down the mountain.

(Since his first trip, when he had been forced to leave a jar behind, the villagers have misunderstood and begun leaving their own "tributes" for the great Hanguang-Jun in the form of various types of wine and drink. The dragon, of course, showed little to no interest in such gifts, but Wei Wuxian had been most delighted. While Lan Wangji still won't help him bring the numerous heavy bottles up, he has stopped trying to shatter them upon arrival, so Wei Wuxian decides to count his blessings. )

He's also on the lookout for some new farming tools after Lan Wangji accidentally cracked three in half by stepping on them. His garden is doing quite well for being so high up in the mountains, with some vegetables already beginning to sprout and break through the chilly dirt.

 However, WeiWuxian has noticed some tracks quite unlike his own leading to and from his garden as of late. Tracks that always seem to appear right around the time several of his crops gain tiny bite marks or even go missing entirely. He accuses Lan Wangji of slacking on his guard duty whenever another goes missing, but the dragon always swings his head away and ignores such claims. At the thought of his odd, dragon husband, a smile breaks across Wei Wuxian's face. Slow but vibrant, much like the dawn breaking across their home's mountain peaks.

 They've grown closer in their time together and Wei Wuxian knows the dragon is fond of him, even if he still refuses to admit it. With his smile now slanting to a more mischievous one, Wei Wuxian increases his pace. He's due at the library and already quite late. He's three turns away when he comes around a corner and comes to a dead stop."Lan Zhan?!" Wei Wuxian cries, astonishment fumbling his words as he scrambles forward and tosses himself right into his husband's entirely human arms.

 "You're...! You're human! And it's daytime! The curse, is it lifted? Did we do it?" Lan Wangji, similar to the month before, appears quite befuddled at the intimacy Wei Wuxianfosters between them.

 But, instead of going as stiff as a board, he only pauses very briefly before every gently begins to put some distance between them. A gracious smile also soon lights his face, sending Wei Wuxian into his own state of bewilderment. In the end, Wei Wuxian is quite grateful for the growl that interrupts them, as he's not sure how well he would have been able to form an actual word.

"Ah?" Wei Wuxian says, turning to the previous sound, only to find his now dragon husband glaring at him from outside the window. WeiWuxian blinks and tilts his head at the Lan Wangji in his arms—who is still holding him politely by his elbows." I do believe there has been a misunderstanding," then maybe not Lan Wangji says kindly, still smiling.

 A furious blush begins to grow on Wei Wuxian's face. " I think so ...!" He replies, his voice strained as he stands there, frozen and embarrassed. Another growl comes from Lan Wangji, which finally breaks Wei Wuxian out of the not Lan Wangji'sarms as he throws himself at the window, shouting at the dragon now stalking off. 

"Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan, come back here! Who is this?! Lan Zhan!!"

"This'' turns out to be Lan Wangji's elder brother, Lan Xichen. More formally known as the king, Zewu-Jun. Wei Wuxian quickly hurls himself into a low bow when he discovers this, but LanXichen waves him off with another smile as he quite understands the confusion." Wangji mentioned you in his last letter," Lan Xichen tells him later that evening as they prepare dinner. Wei Wuxian had tried to insist he could cook himself, that Lan Xichen was a guest and the king, but Lan Xichen had shaken his head and insisted, quietly eyeing the large assortment of chili oil and flakes taking up most of the shelf space in the kitchen.