The Untamed Oneshots / CQL / WangXian

Possibilities

The morning breeze that whispered in through the window contained a soft crispness to it, invigorating the soul when Wei Wuxian inhaled deeply as the sensation ghosted over his skin, leaving telltale signs of goose bumps in its wake.

Outside, the usual vibrant green lace that their mountain home wore on its bodice and skirts had given way to toasty hues of brown, sunbeam yellows and nectarine oranges. Trees and bushes shed their leafy ornaments in exchange for dull bark, the walkways now littered in the crunch of shrivelled up leaves underfoot.

The sun, although still as bright as ever, had retreated to a more timid intensity with its glare, splotches dancing here and there as the hours ticked past.

He always found it strange how Autumn is full of so much beauty, yet everything is dying. Perhaps it was the cycle of nature that gave it the mysterious air of foreign beauty. After death, there must be life. After the dreaded fall to perish, there must be a rebirth. The promise of what is yet to come, that is what makes you appreciate the smell or roasted nuts, the steam of tea dancing in the air, the warm snuggle of your loved one in the crook of your neck. Autumn served to remind us that there are endless possibilities for the future, we need only wait to experience them.

Speaking of loved ones, from his post at the window where Wei Wuxian gazed at his marital home, the wind making his robes billow slightly as if they were dancing to a piper's tune, a pair of sturdy arms snaked around his waist, muscles from years of training perfect stances with a sword rippling under the thin inner robe.

"It seems my Love has managed to wake before me." A voice so warm and tender, an ocean of emotions. It invited him to the heart he now calls home.

It was indeed true. The first knell of morning had not yet sounded before Wei Wuxian felt the need to rise. Quite unusual for him, considering he never dared to even squint his eyes before ten in the morning, let alone when the sun was yet to ascend from behind the dragon teeth surrounding their quaint abode, private and secluded from the rest of Cloud Recesses.

He hummed softly in response, huffing tiny bubbles of laughter as his Lan Zhan peppered him in kisses, sweet and soft, from his shoulder up to his neck until finally settling on his lips, the Jade's soft cushions a familiar feeling against Wuxian's, and still forever welcome.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

His curtain of midnight hair swayed as the demonic cultivator shook his head.

He had nightmares sometimes. About the past. Phantom images of his parents walking away for a night hunt, the promise of their return lingering in the air, only to never be seen again. Hounds foaming at their maws as they chased after him when he was a homeless child living off of scraps that he managed to find. The death of his Shijie when she'd sacrificed herself to save him, a lowly one of society, the demon that razed havoc to the cultivation world and walked a crooked path.

The list goes on. But that was not the problem today. In fact, there was no problem.

Wei Wuxian usually woke up with at least a bit of lingering dread or resentment in his heart. Never enough to put a damper on the joy that outweighed it, the joy of knowing he had not moments, not days, but lifetimes to spend with his soulmate, but enough to make it seem that his shadow might be a bit darker than the shadows of those around him.

Until today.

Before he'd even opened his eyes, he'd heard life. The rustle of a few bunnies, adorable little cottontails, playfully hopping about between the gentian flowers in the garden. The ripple of the water in the pond, sourced from the great waterfall that veined out in circulation through Cloud Recesses. Birds flirting sweetly in their song as the wind ruffled their feathers, a promise of the coming winter on its breath.

And so Wei Wuxian rose, wanting to see the beauty himself.

"Tell me, Bunny," a shiver of glee overtook his body at the pet name as Lan Wangji stepped next to him, his taller frame a pillar of safety and comfort, running his calloused fingers over his side, playing him as if he was a zither, able to make him sing him the sweetest tune if he plucked the right strings, "What is it?"

The esteemed Hanguang Jun was never one for words, whereas Wei Wuxian always spoke at any given chance, telling tales that were sometimes as tall as the grassy bamboo forest. Today, it seemed, the roles were reversed.

The flute player nearly purred at the sensations his closest confidant played on him, snuggling deeper into Lan Wangji's side and inhaling his familiar sandalwood scent.

"I just feel so lucky," Wei Ying murmured, his words muffled by the soft fabric of the Lan robes. "Lucky to be alive, to be here, with you by my side as my soulmate. Just yesterday, I still felt telltale reminders of my wrongdoings pricking at my heart, yet now..." he trailed off, not finding the right words to voice his chaotic thoughts.

Wangji hummed, waiting ever so patiently for his Love to get his bearings, as he'd always done. No matter how long it took, no matter the punishment he had to endure, he always waited for his Wei Ying. That thought alone made Wuxian's chest feel so warm and full that it felt like he might burst.

"I feel free," he finally whispered. "It's so beautiful. Life. And I get to spend every moment with you, experiencing all it has to offer. Just think, there are so many possibilities, so many opportunities. I died, more than once, yet through twists and turns I was brought back to you, the one who always stood by my side, no matter the consequence."

Wei Wuxian pulled away from his hiding spot in Lan Wangji's embrace and cupped the jaded beauty's face with his palms, gently tracing his features. Strong, sharp jaw line. Hazel orbs glowing with fiery passion and resting atop marvellous cheekbones, lashes fanning over them like black lace when he closed his eyes and leaned into Wuxian's touch. Well-sculpted nose and finally, sinfully kissable lips in a shade one would expect people to have when they've finished having wine and the lushness remained as reminder on those two pillows.

"What have I ever done to deserve someone as wonderful as you?" The Yiling Patriarch asked thoughtfully.

"Wei Ying is Wei Ying," came the answer, as if that made an entire world of sense. But that is why Wei Wuxian loves him so. Lan Zhan did not judge him based on his background, his past or his mistakes. He accepted his flaws and gave Wei Wuxian what he never had the honour of having: a home. A family. A place where he belonged, right there in his arms.

"I love you so much." Wei Wuxian's words were laced with more emotions he ever thought was humanly possible to feel at one moment.

"Mn. I love you too, Wei Ying."

Lan Wangji leaned down and captured his lips once more, making Wuxian's toes curl and knees go weak at the pure and undiluted love that was poured into that one action.

Laying his head on a white robed chest, the first streaks of morning basking them in hues of gold, Wuxian listened to Lan Wangji's heartbeat, steady and unfaltering. Familiar.

He didn't fight the playful imps pulling his lips into a smile and in that moment he knew. With his soulmate by his side, Wei Wuxian could do anything. Survive a thousand painful deaths. Walk through deserts full of burning, endless judgement. And, live a quiet and peaceful life, enjoying the domesticity and mundane acts of care and love that everyone else gets to feel. Everything, all of it, as long as it's with his Lan Zhan.

"Endless possibilities, endless love, endlessly, just me and you. For now, forever. Always," he murmured. How could he ever ask for more? He already had everything he needed, the most precious treasure, here, enveloped in his arms.

And Wei Wuxian wouldn't have it any other way.