WangXian: The Arrangement ✔️ [Untamed Fanfic]

17-Wishes & Promises

Over the next two days, Lan Zhan watched as more people began to orbit around Wei Ying. His brother and Nie Huaisang were the obvious additions, but Sizhui and some of the other junior disciples had as well.

Even Jinling, though he seemed to just enjoy baiting him.

He, on the other hand, kept his distance. He wasn't avoiding him, he told himself. He just didn't want to be one of Wei Ying's many admirers. 

"If you'll tell me what you hope to get out of this... marriage... I'll do my best to give it to you."

Wei Ying's words were seldom far from his thoughts. It had been an honorable response to an unexpected situation. Lan Wangji wasn't sure he would have been so honorable right from the start.

But at the start, he hadn't wanted anything. And yet now...

His brother's sword flashed in the sunlight, and Wangji realized too late that he hadn't been paying enough attention to their practice session. He partially dodged, but still caught the blade across his right shoulder.

"Wangji!" His brother looked stricken as he rushed to his side.

Wangji was embarrassed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd made such a mistake. 

"Is it deep?" his brother asked, concern etched into his handsome features.

He slid his hand over the torn, bloody cloth of his sleeve, but didn't feel any pain. Puzzled, he pried the cloth apart to see that the wound had already closed.

"No," he said, waving his brother off. "It's fine." He knew his brother wouldn't touch him without permission.

"Are you--"

"Lan Zhan!" Wei Ying's voice rang out as he ran across the field. "What happened?"

Lan Wangji shook his head. "It's nothing." He felt his heart pounding. 

His brother was looking back and forth between them, confused. "Weren't you in  the library?"

Wei Ying gave a nervous laugh and spouted some ridiculous explanation. Lan Wangji was only half-listening. 

With the other half of his brain, he was processing the fact that Wei Ying had obviously finished the protection wards the other night without him knowing. Which brought disturbing images to his brain and disturbing feelings to his heart.

He does keep his promises.

***

He found Wei Ying waiting for him in his room later that night. He'd dug out their remaining bottle of Emperor's Smile and was helping himself.

"Why are you avoiding me, Lan Zhan?" he asked, putting the bottle on the bedside table. He leaned back to rest his weight on his hands, his long legs stretched out front. 

Why did he have to sit on the bed?

Lan Zhan averted his gaze. 

"Don't pretend you haven't been." He poured some wine into a cup and handed it to Lan Wangji. "Here," he said.

Wangji took it and downed it in one gulp. Rules were one thing. Wei Ying in his bed was something else.

Wei Ying laughed. "Lan Wangji. Oh, Lan Wangji. What's got you so upset?"

"How did you know it was Wen Ling?" he asked, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"Huh?" Wei Ying looked at him blankly.

"On the road outside the village," Lan Wangji supplied. "When he was in the form of a bird."

"Oh." Wei Ying's mouth went into that exaggerated 'O' shape he made when he was stalling for time. 

Lan Wangji swallowed hard.

"It's one of my special skills," Wei Ying said. "Since we're so close, I guess you should know this. I can see the spiritual cores of cultivators."

"Really?" It wasn't the answer he'd been expecting. He looked down. "Can you see mine?"

Wei Ying put his hand up as if shading his eyes. "Yes. It's bright as fuck-all."

Lan Wangji considered. "Is that good?"

Wei Ying got up and put his arms around Lan Zhan's waist. "It gets brighter when I'm near you," he said, his voice going soft and husky.

Wangji found himself staring at Wei Ying's red lips as they drew out the word "Why?"

He shook his head. "Why what?"

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

"Oh." He took a deep breath. "Too many people."

Wei Ying leaned back. "That's it?"

Wangji nodded.

"I was imagining all sorts of things," Wei Ying said. "And you just don't like crowds?"

Lan Wangji closed his eyes, then opened them. "I don't want to be one of the crowd to you."

Wei Ying's eyes went wide, and a hint of red stained his cheeks. "Oh," he said. "Then... what do you want?"

Lan Wangji shook his head. "You first."

***

What did he want? 

Wei Ying wasn't sure how to respond. How did you answer that to someone you'd just met, but felt like you'd known for a lifetime?

"Lots of people like me," he said. "After my parents died, I worked hard to make sure they did. A few respect me or admire me. A few even love me."

Lan Zhan turned away. 

"But no one puts me first." It hurt to say, but it was true. "Not my adoptive parents, not Jiang Cheng or Yanli. Not any of the juniors. No one."

Lan Zhan had turned back to him, but he found it too hard to say while meeting his gaze, so he stared at one of the embroidered cloud designs on his robe. "So if you're asking what I really want, it's that - for someone worthy to love me best, ahead of everyone else."

Lan Zhan tightened his arms around Wei Ying and pulled him close. Wei Ying rested in his embrace for a moment, but then pulled back.

"Your turn."

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