Chapter Text
Three months in Cloud Recesses flew by before Wei Ying was really even able to tell. He had been going to his weekly mediation sessions in the Cold Springs – Lan Zhan having to drag him there every time and coach him through the process to keep him on track – but he was able to see and feel not only his cultivation increasing but the whip scars on his back were no longer as tight as they had been.
Wei Ying looked up from the notes he was taking, a small smile on his face as he watched Lan Zhan smoothen out his bed sheets.
A frantic knock at the door caught both of their attention.
“Come in.”
Lan Shi rushed into the room, closing the door behind him as his eyes darted from Lan Zhan to Wei Ying – sighing in relief to see both of them in the room.
“Lan Shi? What’s going on?” Wei Ying spoke, watching as the Lan took a deep breath.
“Jiang Fengmian has been spotted at the base of the mountain, headed straight into Cloud Recesses.”
A drop of ink fell onto the table.
“It has been stated by both Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren that all disciples are to watch for any suspicious behavior or anyone near or inside Cloud Recesses that should not be. They both have also demanded that Wei Ying stay exactly where he is, that one of them will come to him when it is safe.” Lan Shi swallowed.
“We will remain within our room.” Lan Zhan spoke, his voice barely registering in Wei Ying’s ringing ears. Lan Shi nodded.
“If there is anything I can get-“
“We’ll be fine.” Wei Ying managed to softly get out, his eyes focused on the inkblot seeping into the table below him – his brush long having fallen out of his hand and residing on the floor.
“Please be assured Wei Ying, no one in Cloud Recesses will let Jiang Fengmian and the Jiang Sect get away with what they have done to you.” He gave a small bow to the pair before turning to open the door. “They’d have to fight every single one of us to get to you.”
Wei Ying watched as the door closed, Lan Zhan approached and cast a ward around the room – no doubt Lan Shi also did the same on the other side of the door. He jumped at the hand on his shoulder before practically melting into Lan Zhan as the Lan pulled him into his arms.
“Wei Ying is safe here.” he heard Lan Zhan mumble. “This is where he belongs.”
“Right here?”
“Mn.” Wei Ying pulled his head away from Lan Zhan’s shoulder, a slight blush on his face.
“Right here…in your arms?” Despite the quite serious situation, Wei Ying couldn’t help himself. Lan Zhan’s eyes never tore away from his as the boy nodded.
“Wei Ying may stay in them forever if he wishes.”
He quickly buried his face back into Lan Zhan’s shoulder, his arms tightening their hold around him. Wei Ying felt himself being picked up, his feet slightly hovering over the wooden floor before he felt them moving in the direction of one of their beds.
Rather than let Wei Ying go, Lan Zhan leaned back onto the bed and pulled Wei Ying on top of him.
“Lan Zhan, I thought napping was forbidden.” Wei Ying spoke, pulling his head up and looking down at the Lan. A hand came up and cupped his cheek, his eyes closing as he leaned into the warmth.
“I thought Wei Ying was excused from strict adherence to the rules.”
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying whispered, a few moments later into the quiet room, “I’m not reading into this too much, am I?” His eyes staring into Lan Zhan’s.
Wei Ying was met with a hand resting at the back of his head, guiding downwards before-
He watched Lan Zhan’s eyes close, his following moments later, as their lips connected. If possible, Wei Ying felt himself falling even more relaxed and pliant in Lan Zhan’s grip. Lan Zhan pulled away, resting their foreheads together.
“Wei Ying, we have only known each other for three months, we are both still too young for any formal steps,” Wei Ying could feel Lan Zhan shaking below him as he continued to speak, “but you are it for me. You are the only person I wish to be with, the only one I wish to let into my very soul, to know my most inner thoughts. When you came into my life, I saw life again. I saw the color in the trees, the flowers that paint the ground outside my mother’s home. Your voice, your laughter, has brought me joy and happiness I thought had gone away when mother died. There is not a single part of me that wishes to ever leave your side, or for you to leave mine. There is not, and will never be, someone that completes me as much as you, someone that knows my soul as you.” Lan Zhan swallowed, a hand raking up Wei Ying’s side.
“If you will have me, I would like to never leave your side again - to nighthunt with you, to travel the world, to make our own family.”
A tear fell onto Lan Zhan’s face, Wei Ying’s eyes widening as he realized that it had came from him - before quickly reaching up and wiping it away and the other tears that had unknowingly fallen down his face as the Lan spoke.
“Yes. Yes. ” A sob escaped Wei Ying. “Lan Zhan, I thank Dianxia for every second I am within the boundaries of Gusu, the walls of Cloud Recesses, for every second I am no longer in Lotus Pier. For all that has happened, every horrific thing that has been revealed to me, my entire life being flipped upside down in a matter of days, I would go through it all again and more if it meant I would end up with you.” A tear fell down his face.
“I have learned more about my parents from your uncle, from the elders and teachers here, than I would have ever learned from anyone in Lotus Pier. Your uncle has been nothing but kind to me, everyone has been kind and caring and supportive and-” Wei Ying’s head fell down onto Lan Zhan’s shoulder, sobs wracking his body as he spoke.
“No one’s ever…ever been that kind to me. They’ve never been patient with me, never came to me for help. There’s no judgment here, no competition between disciples, no unnecessary comparisons. Every time I walk around, going from building to building, I imagine what it would have been like if my parents hadn’t died, if they had settled down here like they were going to.” He lifted his head up, eyes red as tears continued to make their way down his face.
“I love it here Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying whispered. “I love the people, the buildings, the knowledge. I love the way the Lan sect functions, the way everyone here looks out for each other, supports each other, truly cares for one another.”
“Every moment I have spent with you is a moment I cherish. Every memory I have made with you, every memory I will ever make with you, will always be cherished. You say I brought life back into your life, but you, Lan Zhan, have brought meaning back into mine.” Wei Ying brought a hand up to Lan Zhan’s face, brushing away the single tear that had fallen. “To be able to remain at your side, to experience all life has to offer, to make memories together , is nothing less than what I wish. I am fearless by your side, I am strong, powerful. And, well,” he huffed out a short laugh, “Lan Shi did say Sect Leader Jiang and anyone in the Jiang sect would have to fight everyone in Cloud Recesses to get to me, so I quite like my chances.”
Lan Zhan let out a huff, a small smile on his face as he guided Wei Ying’s head onto his shoulder.
“Sleep, Wei Ying. I will wake you if someone comes.”
Lan Qiren took the longest route he could as he approached the dormitories. It had taken over four hours to convince Jiang Fengmian to leave Cloud Recesses, that Wei Ying was not residing within Cloud Recesses, that Lan Qiren had absolutely no idea where the boy had gone - that he didn’t even know Baoli Tengfei and Wei Changze had a son, that the pair had never told him.
Even allowing the man into Cloud Recesses was a tough decision Lan Qiren had to make, but he needed to look as innocent, as not on edge, as possible.
Jiang Fengmian believed him when he spoke in shock when the Jiang mentioned a Wei child. Jiang Fengmian believed him when he said he would send Wei Ying back to the Jiangs if he happened to encounter the boy. Jiang Fengmian looked relieved that Lan Qiren had never heard of Wei Changze’s son, that the Lan likely then hadn’t ever looked for the boy, that he didn’t know Wei Ying existed prior to today, so why would he care about the boy now?
Jiang Fengmian, and the rest of the cultivation world, were not aware of the close friendship Lan Qiren and Cloud Recesses held with Wei Changze and Baoli Tengfei - that Cloud Recesses once housed the couple for over two years and was supposed to be their permanent residence. Everyone assumed that the Lan clan was the worst place for someone as free spirited as Baoli Tengfei, that she likely wouldn’t spend any more time than she needed to in such a rule strict environment.
Lan Qiren sighed, running a hand through his beard as he approached Wei Ying and Lan Wangji’s room. Holding a hand out towards the door, he could feel the wards his nephew and Lan Shi had placed, silently approving before he reached through them and opened the door - the wards not recognizing him as a threat.
Slowly opening the door, Lan Qiren was met with what should have been a shock - but he himself was Lan, after all.
Lying on what he could assume was Wangji’s bed, was his nephew and Wei Ying. Both boys appeared to be asleep, with Wangji’s arms wrapped around the Wei almost protectively as they slept - Wei Ying’s head tucked into Wangji’s neck.
Lan Qiren couldn’t help but smile at the sight, knowing that Tengfei and Qiaolian would have absolutely loved that their sons found love in each other, that they would’ve been family. The two women adored each other’s children. Qiren hoped that wherever the women were, that they were smiling.
As quietly as he could, Lan Qiren wrote a note to the pair and left it on the table next to their swords, before quietly leaving the room.
Jiang Fengmian has left. When you both wake, I will be in the Hanshi. Wei Ying is, and will always be, safe within the walls of Cloud Recesses.