Inquiry - Lan Zhan x Wei Ying/Lan Wangji x Wei Wuxian

Inquiry - [8] - Heaven's Gift

In his dreams, Wei Ying met a boy dressed in white. A boy, with eyes that sparkled like gold, he was kind, and younger than Wei Ying. But his eyes said that he'd seen more than Wei Ying ever will.

He said he was a god, which Wei Ying had laughed at much to the other's despair. He explained, that he only laughed because if there was a god, he never intervened at his darkest times. The other's expression turned sour at that, and they sit in silence.

"I'm Xie Lian," the boy -no, Xie Lian- said.

"Wei Ying."

"That's a lovely name." Xie Lian's voice is kind and soft, and so is his voice. There's something in his voice that's genuine, and Wei Ying let himself live in the illusion. Just for a while, he promised.

In this world, he doesn't have to worry about Lan Zhan.

"You're worried for your lover, aren't you?" Xie Lian asked and Wei Ying blinked in surprise until he remembers, it's a dream. This isn't real, it's his imagination after all. He nodded, letting his guard down and confessed.

"Yes. And no."

Xie Lian raised an eyebrow at that.

"He could - can - do so much better, this marriage, it might be better for both of us, he can move on. And if I don't, he'll have a good life." Wei Ying began, and his rant continued. "Lan Zhan was the only person there for me when I came back, and he's still the only person who really trusts me now."

Wei Ying stoped, suddenly hyperaware of the information he was telling a stranger. But Xie Lian only nodded in understanding, and they sat in silence as Wei Ying delved into his thoughts. Lan Zhan had a title to live up to, Hanguang-Jun wasn't a name for the average person. It was earned through years of hard work. Lan Zhan was known for his righteousness, but he was respected by power and name. Wei Ying still can't understand how he got so lucky.

"Do you regret anything?" Xie Lian asked, breaking his thought stream like a rock crashing into a lake.

"Everything."

"Do you wish you could restart?"

Wei Ying's answer is much slower this time, he furrowed his brows before opening his mouth to respond. "Yes and no."

Xie Lian paused this time, and he nodded slowly.

"Do you regret Lan Zhan?"

Wei Ying shook his head. If anything, he regretted what he did to Lan Zhan those 13 years. He still didn't understand why he was gone for so long, leaving Lan Zhan by himself to deal with the mess he'd left for him. 33 discipline scars left on his back, marks of Lan Zhan's mistakes, and every time he saw Lan Zhan's back, all he felt was regret.

Xie Lian smiled, getting up quickly. Moving his bamboo hat onto his head, he dusted himself off. Somehow the dirt hadn't stained his white cultivation robes at all, they looked so spotless and impeccable that if Wei Ying hadn't been sitting next to him, he'd have believed he'd never even sat down. Xie Lian offered a hand, and Wei Ying took it.

Wei Ying smiled, and he felt lighter somehow, as if he's in the clouds. Xie Lian's hand feels too warm and real for a dream, and Wei Ying is almost able to convince this is real, a reality where someone believed in him.

"Good luck, Wei Wuxian. You'll need it." Xie Lian said, and he's honest. Wei Ying nodded, and when he woke up, the sun is already peeking over the mountains and he swore the bushes weren't arranged like that last night.