A Means to an End (WangXian)

Truth

Wei Wuxian felt sick. He tried to prepare himself for what he was about to do, but the twisting knot in his stomach made him want to curl up into a ball and disappear.

It had only been a couple of days since the event with his spiritual energy. He needed to recover at least a little bit first before forcing himself to relive through all his nightmares. If there was a way to prove to Lan Wangji that he is from the future without using empathy, then he would do it in a heartbeat, but he knew that wouldn't be the case.

Nie Huaisang sat at the table with Wei Wuxian in the private room of the infirmary. He saw Wei Wuxian's pale complexion that was tinted a little green. He was worried how this might impact Wei Wuxian. Part of him wanted to tell him that they shouldn't do it anymore, it wasn't necessary, but that was a lie. In order to stop the horrific events of the future, they need allies who knew the truth.

It didn't help Nie Huaisang's nerves when he noticed how Wei Wuxian hasn't even touched the soup his shijie brought in. It sat there, now cold, the spoon still sitting on the side of it, while Wei Wuxian stared off at the distance.

"Wei-xiong," he called. "You don't have to do this. We can think of a different way to convince him."

Wei Wuxian shook his head. "No, this is the only solid way. I don't want there to be a single doubt."

"He would never doubt you," Nie Huaisang commented.

"He did once," Wei Wuxian uttered, "because I held the truth from him."

Nie Huaisang pursed his lips at this and promptly kept quiet. There were many things that Nie Huaisang did not fully understand himself. He was completely kept out of the war and everything he learned was from others talking about it. He does not know the full extent to how Wei Wuxian's and Lan Wangji's relationship had been strained. He knew it was bad, but he wish he had a clearer picture to better help him.

Lan Wangji should be back at any moment. He had to meet with his brother and uncle about Wei Wuxian's condition. He promised Wei Wuxian that he would not be gone for long.

The two of them needed to explain to their uncle why Wei Wuxian won't be in class for a little while, without alerting him. The moment Lan Qiren finds out that Wei Wuxian's spiritual energy lashed out, he would immediately contact the Jiangs, and they knew that was the last thing they needed at the moment.

Wei Wuxian convinced Jiang Yanli and Jiang Wanyin to go back to their lessons for the time being. The night hunt is soon, and he knew Jiang Wanyin needed to be prepared. He didn't need another reason for Madam Yu to be mad at him if Jiang Wanyin missed too much class.

He also convinced Wen Qing and Wen Ning that he needed to be alone with Lan Wangji for a little while, with the exception of Nie Huaisang, whom everyone realized knew more about what was going on than anyone else.

There was a knock on the door. Nie Huaisang stood and opened it. Both Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen entered the room. They greeted Nie Huaisang, then approached where Wei Wuxian was sitting. Lan Wangji had a tray with fresh tea in his hands.

"Wei Ying," he called and sat beside him at the table. He placed the tray down and poured Wei Wuxian a cup.

"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian gave him a shaky smile.

Lan Wangji frowned and gripped his wrist lightly to check his pulse. It was stable, if not a little heightened. He then gently laid the back of his hand on Wei Wuxian's forehead, checking for a fever.

Wei Wuxian giggled. "I'm fine. I promise. Wen Qing says I'm healing nicely."

"You look pale," he commented.