The day after the QiXi festival and their second experience of Dual Cultivation followed its usual beginning, for which Lan WangJi was properly grateful, having had his fears given the state of Wei WuXian when he had tucked him into bed the previous night.
Lan WangJi rose at 5:00 am as usual. Before going about his daily routine he paused and checked carefully on Wei WuXian, still fully in the throes of a deep sleep, barely stirring when Lan WangJi slipped carefully from his hold and out of the bed. A short restlessness without waking was resolved when Lan WangJi placed his own pillow, still warm from use, into Wei WuXian's grasp and he subsided fully into sleep once more, sighing deeply into the bedclothes. Lan WangJi took careful hold of Wei WuXian's wrist and was pleased to find the pulse strong and steady and Qi circulating as it should, minus the now-expected disturbance where the Yin Iron had taken up residence, occluding the Core from direct inspection. Wei WuXian's long locks were a tangle of dark tumbled across the bed and his golden skin looked faintly flush with health. Reassured, Lan WangJi completed his morning routine then woke Wei WuXian about 7:00 am. The morning meal had been brought to the Jingshi by Lan WangJi and kept warm until the two men could enjoy it in company. After they had eaten, Wei WuXian purged himself of the accumulated resentful energy while Lan WangJi tidied away the detritus left by the morning meal. Once both cleanup and cleansing were done, however, the men sat lingering over tea.
"Wei Ying," started Lan WangJi.
Wei WuXian looked over at his husband, a smile sitting sweetly on his lips at the sight.
"Ah, Lan Zhan. You look so beautiful in the morning, it's really not fair to us mortals," he teased gently.
"Wei Ying," admonished Lan WangJi.
Wei WuXian put down his tea cup and clasped his hands on the table.
"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, where to start?"
"At the beginning," replied Lan WangJi.
A brief laugh and Wei WuXian nodded his head.
"Indeed, my love. The beginning it is." Wei WuXian wiggled more comfortably in his seat, leaning forward on his elbows.
"So, the Dual Cultivation last night..." Wei WuXian's voice trailed off, his eyes on the middle distance, as he contemplated how to describe his thoughts.
When Wei WuXian did not continue Lan WangJi simply said "Wei Ying?" and Wei WuXian nodded in response.
"Alright. Alright, sweetheart. So... I'm quite certain you noticed another form of energy join us?"
"Mn."
"Well, my very dear husband, that was the resentless energy introducing itself to you."
"Wei Ying?" A tone comprised of both concern and dismay carried Lan WangJi's soft utterance to Wei WuXian's ears, who lifted his hands in a helpless gesture before returning them to his lap.
"What can I say? I had no idea this was possible, and it was as much a surprise to me as it must have been to you... we've only Dual Cultivated once before, and the resentless energy and I hadn't spoken with each other yet at that time. I... in the..." Wei Ying's eyes went unfocussed, seeing something internal that Lan WangJi was not privy to, yet he continued to seek out words, as he tried to convey how he perceived their shared experience of the night before.
"It didn't talk with me if you were wondering. I only knew what it was because we've spoken before, when you helped me into meditation deep enough for a conversation. It was... it felt like it was tasting our energy somehow, looking to understand what it was. I didn't feel anything malicious at all, did you?" Wei WuXian looked up and Lan WangJi shook his head gently.
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WangXian Untamed Together
FanfictionSequel to WangXian Untamed. Two souls bonded beyond death into a second life. They will do whatever it takes to protect their world, their loved ones and each other. Anything - as long as they're together.
