Backlash Part 1

Chapter 101: Scattered Clouds

Wei Wuxian awoke to an empty bed. The Jingshi was dark and silent. Wei Wuxian frowned. He wasn't certain what had woken him. Most likely he was just restless and uneasy. Wei Wuxian quickly got to his feet. Lan Wangji wasn't in bed, and there were no good reasons for him to not be in bed in the middle of the night. Wei Wuxian's eyes adjusted to the cold light of the waning moon. There was no sign of Lan Wangji inside the Jingshi, but the door wasn't closed completely.

Wei Wuxian could hear muffled hacking sounds coming from nearby. A figure in pristine white inner robes was crouched in the courtyard. Wei Wuxian let out a soft sigh. He walked to Lan Wangji slowly, trying to deliberately make his footsteps loud. He crouched beside Lan Wangji and gathered the dark silky hair back and away from Lan Wangji's face. Gently he began rubbing circles on Lan Wangji's back.

Wei Wuxian did his best to ignore the sharp sour odour of vomit. Honestly he was impressed that Lan Wangji had held off this long. A number of disciples had emptied their stomachs within the first hour of the QishanWen Sects departure. Since they opted to hold off on lowering the array until they had sent a group to scout through Cloud Recesses and ensure it was safe, that meant they were left to sit in a cave reeking of sick for almost two hours.

It was one thing to slay monsters and banish spirits. Killing a human was different, and the haunted pale expressions in that cave seemed to agree. After several minutes of dry heaving Lan Wangji slumped back against Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian placed a soft kiss on Lan Wangji's temple. He let Lan Wangji lean against him, relearning how to breathe.

"Do you feel well enough to go back inside?" Wei Wuxian asked gently. Lan Wangji nodded wordlessly. Wei Wuxian helped Lan Wangji to his feet, guiding him back inside. Wordlessly, Wei Wuxian wiped Lan Wangji's face clean with a damp cloth. He brought water for Lan Wangji, and made sure he drank it before sitting next to him on the bed.

"Whenever you're ready to talk I'm here." Wei Wuxian whispered softly.

Lan Wangji pulled gently on Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian looked at him, but Lan Wangji kept his head ducked and his face obscured. Lan Wangji pulled again, forcefully tugging Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian frowned slightly before taking a guess at what Lan Wangji was trying to ask. He climbed into Lan Wangji's lap slowly, waiting for any indication that might give him more hints. As Wei Wuxian settled onto Lan Wangji's lap, Lan Wangji abruptly wrapped his arms around Wei Wuxian's torso and buried his face in Wei Wuxian's shoulder.

Wei Wuxian sighed in relief. He wrapped his arms and legs around Lan Wangji like a panda. Slowly he brought one of his hands up to gently card through Lan Wangji's hair. His nails scratched lightly at Lan Wangji's scalp, tugging gently through the long silky hair. Lan Wangji's shook quietly in Wei Wuxian's embrace. His grip on Wei Wuxian's torso was almost crushingly forceful.

Wei Wuxian placed a series of soft kisses on Lan Wangji's temple. He held Lan Wangji close and let Lan Wangji cling to him for as long as he needed. He let the tears soak into his inner robe while Lan Wangji cried soundlessly. Lan Wangji had been numb and rigid ever since the end of the attack. Perhaps no one else had noticed. Certainly everyone was shaken by what had happened.

Once Cloud Recesses was cleared Wei Wuxian and a few elders had gotten the broken barrier back up. Disciples that were uninjured searched for wounded survivors throughout the carnage that had become Cloud Recesses. There were too many wounded to bring them all to the infirmary. Only the most severely injured were taken to the infirmary. The Orchid room overflowed with those who were severely injured, but not at risk of dying. Those with minor injuries had to assist in gathering the dead.

Among those with life threatening injuries were Qingheng-Jun and Lan Qiren. Qingheng-Jun was found when searching for survivors, barely clinging to life. Lan Qiren had suffered numerous injuries, the most severe being the wound he acquired as one of the last defenders covering the retreating disciples. Lan Xichen was once again missing. With those three currently out of commission everyone had looked to Lan Wangji for leadership.

Lan Wangji had kept moving. Everyone was used to him being quiet and unreadable. If he was taking a bit longer than usual to respond to questions, it was likely no one would notice. Wei Wuxian had done his best to keep an eye on him while helping where he could. Unbeknownst to most of the GusuLan sect, Wei Wuxian was somewhat accustomed to the aftermath of battle. Wei Wuxian had put the young disciples in charge of the younger children.

Wei Wuxian had kept both groups in the cave until they had cleared the path between the cave and the children's dormitory. Then he had escorted the group himself. The typical caregivers brought in extra sleeping mats. Wei Wuxian suggested the kids might feel safer in a group for a few nights as opposed to individual family residences as some of them were accustomed to. This was also helpful for those families that may have lost one or both parents. It ensured all the children would be safe and cared for while they sifted through the aftermath.

Neither Wei Wuxian or Lan Wangji got a chance to rest. Lan Wangji was, numbly, providing the leadership that the GusuLan sect was seeking while Wei Wuxian was helping everywhere and anywhere. It wasn't until the next evening that the two of them had the chance to actually take a rest. They checked in with the healers.

The healers had managed to stabilize Qingheng-Jun, but they were uncertain whether he would recover. Lan Qiren was likewise stable, but the healers were more optimistic. They expected him to wake up in a few days, but the damage to his shoulder was severe. The healers couldn't say at this time whether Lan Qiren would retain the use of his arm. Lan Wangji had thanked the healers for their hard work, though with fewer words than that.

The two of them had barely managed to remove their outer robes before they crawled into bed and promptly passed out. Wei Wuxian couldn't say he was surprised to find Lan Wangji woken in the middle of the night. Wei Wuxian wasn't sure what was going to hit Lan Wangji first. He hadn't been here in his last life. He didn't know what the days following the attack on Cloud Recesses were like for Lan Wangji. All he knew was that Lan Wangji had broken down crying when they were alone together in the cave in Qishan.

Wei Wuxian continued to hold Lan Wangji. There were hundreds of things Wei Wuxian could say. He could remind Lan Wangji that his brother would be alright. He had gone missing last time, and he turned out to be okay. The same was true of Lan Qiren. He had been badly injured, but ultimately recovered. Qingheng-Jun had died last time. Wei Wuxian had shared that before, and no doubt Lan Wangji believed that was the likely outcome this time as well.

Ultimately Wei Wuxian chose to say nothing. Lan Wangji wasn't ready to talk. He didn't need to hear these words right now. He just needed somewhere for all the emotions to go. Scarcely twenty four hours ago Lan Wangji had experienced his first taste of war. For the first time in his life Bichen had claimed human lives. People he loved were missing, injured, dying.

Wei Wuxian held Lan Wangji close and hummed softly in his ear. Lan Wangji had done this for him several times. When there were no words to say. When Wei Wuxian just needed something to focus on. Wei Wuxian repeated his favourite melody that Lan Wangji had hummed for him. As soft as a whisper he hummed against Lan Wangji's hair. Wei Wuxian scratched soothingly at Lan Wangji's scalp.

Slowly Lan Wangji began to stop shaking. His breathing began to even out. Wei Wuxian began the arduous task of trying to get Lan Wangji to lay down. It was not as easy as Wei Wuxian had thought it would be. Possibly because he was sitting on Lan Wangji's lap and not the other way around. Of course maybe it was just Lan Wangji's freakish arm strength that made this sort of thing look easy. Wei Wuxian tried climbing off of Lan Wangji's lap first, which apparently the exhausted Lan Wangji did not like. A few quiet growls of displeasure were accompanied by a painfully fierce grip on Wei Wuxian's torso.

"Lan Zhan. Do you want me to sit on your lap all night?" Wei Wuxian prodded. The arms around him squeezed. "Lan Zhan." Wei Wuxian prodded. Wei Wuxian sighed heavily.

"Lan Zhan. It hurts to sit up all night. Lay down with me. I won't leave." Wei Wuxian whispered gently. Wei Wuxian felt Lan Wangji's hands fist the fabric of his inner robe. He had managed to slip off of Lan Wangji's lap, if not out of his grip. He guided Lan Wangji to lay down. Lan Wangji resisted at first, but slowly responded to Wei Wuxian's prodding. As long as Wei Wuxian didn't try to escape Lan Wangji's hold, Lan Wangji was mostly compliant.

Wei Wuxian heaved a sigh when he finally managed to pull the blanket over them. Lan Wangji had curled himself tightly around Wei Wuxian, with his face buried in Wei Wuxian's hair. Wei Wuxian had never seen Lan Wangji sleeping in such a position before. He placed a soft kiss on Lan Wangji's forehead before wrapping his arms comfortably around Lan Wangji.

"I'm here Lan Zhan. Whatever happens, you're not alone." Wei Wuxian whispered quietly.