The Last Phoenix

Chapter Eight

If mistakes are noticed, I apologize for that as no matter how many times I read over this, I still manage to not spot them. Enjoy, my dearest readers!

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Lan Wangji once more woke up in the same bed he's slept on ever since the first night he arrived to Lotus Pier, the dim sunlight beginning to swim through the sheer purple curtains hanging from the top of the window. His eyes traveled along the two thin curtains, and he sighed quietly.

He did not know what time it was, since his once strict sleep schedule had turned into a non-existent one. He had started to wake up at different times of the morning, and it was aggravating him. 

"You're awake."

Lan Wangji startled at the sound of the voice beside his bed that he hadn't noticed. His head turned to the person whose voice spoke to see his brother sitting there with a soft smile. 

"How are you doing?" Lan Xichen suddenly spoke again. Lan Wangji raised a brow as if telling him 'are you seriously asking me that?' when both of them knew that Lan Wangji was not in perfect condition. Lan Xichen huffed a quiet laugh, reading Lan Wangji like a book. 

He sat quietly for a moment, almost seeming to wait for Lan Wangji to speak up. But Lan Wangji did not. The conversation that hadn't even started properly did not last long. Lan Xichen opened his mouth to ask another question, until another voice joined the Lan duo.

"Pretty-Gege!" A small and high-pitched voice called out as a pair of little footsteps quickly entered the room. He turned his head towards the door to see A-Yuan running through with tears streaming down his face. Lan Wangji immediately felt a surge of alarm. He sat up almost faster than he could blink, and his head went dizzy, eyes blurring for a moment for a moment from the swift movement. 

He ignored the dizziness and focused on the small child instead who ran up to grab onto the thin layer of the robe around his body, trying to climb up onto the bed. Lan Wangji's arms immediately reached out. He picked the young child up with ease and sat him on his lap as he continued to cry. 

"A-Yuan?" Lan Wangji asked in a soft murmur before he gently wiped one of the tears away. A new set of tears fell from the eyes of the small child and he wrapped his little arms around Lan Wangji. The Second Jade of Lan was beyond worried and Lan Xichen was close behind. 

He was not close with A-Yuan. He never was and perhaps never will be, but he couldn't help but feel as if he knew A-Yuan for the four or five years he has been in this world. He felt close to the child when he never was, and it was not a good feeling while at the same time it was. 

"What happened?" He held the young boy in his arms protectively. A-Yuan shook his head, unable to say another word. 

Lan Wangji sighed again. He should've known that he wouldn't answer, but just a hug from Lan Wangji had begun to calm the child down. He didn't know what had caused him to be in such distress, and he wanted to find out. 

A-Yuan completely ignored Lan Xichen who sat still, quite baffled at the sight of Lan Wangji actually hugging someone. Willingly, for that matter. His baffled expression soon turned into a warm but concerned smile. 

Lan Wangji knew what Lan Xichen wanted to know. 

Lan Wangji did not say anything to his elder brother, as he still did not know what had gone wrong with A-Yuan.