WangXian Untamed Together

Chapter 12 - In Cloud Recesses

5:00 AM. As usual, Lan WangJi's eyes opened without conscious thought and he took a moment to focus. His mind quickly sorted through the traces of sleep and placed him in his bed, beside his husband, waking in the morning... all was as it should be. Wasn't it? No... there had been a midnight interlude...

Lan WangJi lay still, his left arm holding his husband close and his free hand gently pushing the wild mop of inky locks away from their faces. Wei WuXian's face lay a solid weight on Lan WangJi's chest, the breath he exhaled a warm and steady reassurance. Lan WangJi thought back over the events of the night, from the time he was awakened by Wei WuXian. The meditation conversation with the resentless energy and the dispersal of resentful energy. Only an hour awake in the night, but he could feel the unease as a kind of discordance in his spirits and his concern for his husband's wellbeing was once more elevated, thrilling like icy currents in his veins. Quietly he slipped from bed. Wei WuXian muttered incomprehensibly in his sleep, arms grasping at space until Lan WangJi slipped his pillow into his arms and pulled the covers snug once more around Wei WuXian's shoulders. Wei WuXian stopped muttering and sighed as he settled down, his furrowed brow smoothing into easy sleep as he grew quiet once more.

Lan WangJi fell to his usual routine to sort out his disturbance of mind. Unthinking muscle memory carried him through tidying, dressing and fetching breakfast. He settled it on their table, kept warm by talismans, and used his meditation to restore his equilibrium. He welcomed the freedom of letting go, feeling the tangles in his thoughts unwind and grow smooth as he released them to the unbeing. When he once more felt centred and stable it was time to wake Wei WuXian.

Lan WangJi moved to sit on the side of the mattress and pulled the covers away from where they shielded Wei WuXian. Lan WangJi's fingers were gentle as he brushed Wei WuXian's hair back from his face, where it had once more slid into place as a dark veil. A sleepy smile was his reward, as silver eyes blinked open. Once they focussed on Lan WangJi's face, Wei WuXian's luminous smile grew brighter.

"Lan Zhan... good morning, my love. Did you sleep well?"

"Mn," agreed Lan WangJi. "Except when Wei Ying was awake in the night."

Wei WuXian made a face as he lurched up, awkward in his newly awakened state, to sit in the bed. He scrubbed his hands over his face.

"Aiya... about that..." he started before Lan WangJi shook his head.

"Eat first. Talk after."

Lan WangJi led his husband to the table and the two men broke their fast. As usual, Lan WangJi provided a bottle of the chili oil so enjoyed by Wei WuXian, whose congee was soon a vivid red. Lan WangJi gently shook his head at the sight. He would never understand Wei WuXian's love for the painfully hot condiment, but he would provide anything if it meant his husband would eat a proper meal. When the food had been consumed, Wei WuXian dressed for the day. Lan WangJi rejoiced in seeing Wei WuXian's red inner robe peeking from the collar of his Lan blue robes and flashing where the skirts of his robes split as he moved. Blue Lan robes! On his Wei Ying! Even if they were the darkest possible shades of his Clan colours, Lan WangJi was captivated. There was something that utterly satisfied in the sight and Lan WangJi smiled softly in pleasure at the vision. Once both men were sat back at the table with a cup of tea, Lan WangJi looked expectantly at Wei WuXian.

"Well?" he asked.

Wei WuXian screwed up his nose and shook himself before replying.

"So... about the Yin Iron and everything..." Wei WuXian paused, partly to formulate his thought and partly unsure how to phrase what he suspected.

Lan WangJi waited patiently... at least externally. Inside he felt the jangling of nerves as a whisper of concern started to take root, one he hoped Wei WuXian would somehow dispel.