Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sirens outside the hospital signaled to Lan Wangji that his 8 hour shift was about to turn into another painful 12 hour shift. He never showed any stress though, but instead finished reassigning his patients’ rooms while he tries to accommodate the 5 new ER patients. 5 was a large number, and Lan Wangji cringed at the amount of injured, and he came to the conclusion that there were likely as many dead after the massive 6 car accident.

“Dr. Lan, would you please help us bring in some of the patients?” A triage nurse walks up to him, looking grimmer than he had ever seen her. He only replied “hm” as he followed the girl to the entrance of the emergency room. The room was buzzing with nurses, patients waiting to be admitted, and most importantly, dying victims.

“Rooms 2, 4, 6, 7, and 13 are clean.” Lan Wangji said louder than he would’ve normally said anything, but he also wanted to reach the people that were right outside the door.

“Let's take this one to room 2 then.” The man leading the first gurney into the hospital told the other two people pushing the unconscious woman into the hospital. Lan Wangji and the nurse he was following passed them, giving them plenty of room around them.

There was an anxious ambulance driver who had barely opened the door of his ambulance and put down the ramp. When he saw the two approach, relief washed over his face. “Thank the heavens you’re here. This man likely has head trauma that needs to be looked at immediately.”

Lan Wangji was able to take a better look as the stretcher was pulled out of the vehicle. Just like the man said, the person on the stretcher had a nice wound on the side of his head that was bleeding through the bandaging. There was blood coating his long brown hair and white tee-shirt. He was also unconscious, and if the machine attached to him didn’t show a steady heartbeat, Lan Wangji would’ve believed that he was dead.

“Room 4.” Lan Wangji said as he pushed the stretcher from the back, near the head of the patient. The three worked in silence as the ambulance driver helped push and guide the gurney and the nurse opened the doors and led the way. The halls cleared for them, and it was only a few minutes before the gurney was in the room.

“Severe head injury, the car he was in was flipped over and down a ditch. There were another two individuals who were DOA, and this man was barely alive. His driver’s license says his name is Xie Lian.”

“Look up the name and pull up a blood type.” Lan Wangji said to the nurse as he moved the machine cords from the ambulance machine and onto the more advanced ones in the room. He also carefully pulled back the light bandaging covering the wound on his head, almost wincing at the deep cut that showed the white of his bone. Luckily, there didn’t appear to be anything lodged into the wound. He placed a new gauze pad to the wound and pressed slightly down.

“I believe his head hit the door as the car rolled. I am not sure if there are more injuries.” The ambulance driver said as he prepared the hospital gurney for the switch. “He hasn’t been conscious since I arrived.”

“Hm.” Lan Wangji acknowledged the info as he moved medical cords over to make room to safely move the patient. Once they successfully moved him over to the new bed, the ambulance driver pulled the soiled gurney out of the room. Lan Wangji never stopped working; he added fluid to Xie Lian’s IVs and jotted down the vitals. Despite the terrible condition he appeared to be, his heart was steady and oxygen was manageable with a ventilator.

Lan Wangji’s only concern was the condition of the brain after the impact.

Chapter Text

~17 months later~

“I don’t remember a shrine being here?” Wei Wuxian rolled on the balls of his feet as he assessed the small building he was called to. His long black hair was pulled up in his usual high pony-tail, but unlike normal, he wore his husband’s white jacket over his black shirt. Lan Wangji had put it on him after Wei Wuxian had complained about the chilly breeze. Now he felt bad, especially since Lan Wangji would have to travel home without his jacket.

“If I hurry here, I can meet up with him before he makes it home.” Wei Wuxian smiled at the new plan as he almost skipped to the tattered doors of the shrine. He had been to buildings like this before, in fact, he was more familiar with them than a millionaire's mansion. The abandoned places were the best places for a ghost to hide.

The door creaked open, and Wei Wuxian was stunned by the sight. Unlike most abandoned places haunted by ghosts, the small shrine looked freshly swept. There was a table working as an altar placed in the middle of the room, a single stick of incense being held up by a small piece of wood. There wasn’t any speck of dust, and the shrine didn’t smell of incense, but fresh like the outdoors.

Wei Wuxian was intrigued.

He walked up to the altar, keeping his eyes peeled on his surroundings. Being jumped by a malicious ghost wasn’t fun, and he would rather not repeat that event. He held onto the flute he kept with him, ready to pull it to his lips and begin playing one of his exorcism songs.

Nothing came out to greet him.

It wasn’t the first time. Being an exorcist for 9 years means he has dealt with every type of ghost out there: malicious, mischievous, or shy, it wouldn’t surprise him. Not even a ghost who was terrified of him would surprise the 25 year old man.

Wei Wuxian waited for a few minutes while his patience fleeted away. He clasped his hands together, smiling as an idea came to his mind.

“Dear god that’s worshiped in this shrine, let me meet an interesting ghost today.” Wei Wuxian prayed in the most sarcastic tone he could use, the same one that gave his uncle in law an ulcer whenever he heard it. Thinking about it made Wei Wuxian laugh.

“Interesting ghost, huh?” A voice echoed off the walls of the shrine. While Wei Wuxian had expected a reaction, he didn’t expect a mocking tone to respond to his own. Anger, yes. Insincerity? Absolutely not.

“Well, looks like I may have gotten one.” Wei Wuxian kept his smile, leaning against the table. “I mean, hiding from me even though you don’t fear me. That’s not typical of most ghosts.”

“I agree.” The ghost replied. “I pride myself on not being like those worthless spirits.”

Wei Wuxian got a bad feeling following those words. “You think yourself superior to other ghosts?”

“Of course I do. I killed many of them.”

The voice didn’t change tone, but the words were enough to make Wei Wuxian act. He whipped out Chenqing, putting it up to his lips in the same fluid motion. He began playing Cleansing, putting most of his qi into it. The peaceful sound permeated the shrine, bouncing off the wooden walls. After he had played it 3 times, he stopped playing and kept the flute to his lips. He waited to see if the ghost would reappear, ready to play his last resort song.

Silence was all he heard for a few minutes before a small silver butterfly fluttered in front of him. He tensed, but quickly relaxed when he realized the butterfly was simply fluttering to the shrine. He dropped the flute to his side as another few silver butterflies fluttered from other sides of the room to meet their friend. More kept coming until it was a mass larger than Wei Wuxian. It was seconds before a darker mass formed in the center as the outside layer of butterflies flapped their wings more violently than any butterflies he had ever seen.

“The music was sweet, but I will say…” The same voice from before came from the mass as the butterflies melted into a man. He was wearing a red outfit that wasn’t common in the modern age, but more like a stage costume. It was a kimono style outfit, but sported black pants and boots. Silver vambraces decorated his wrists, and silver also lined his neck, waist, and even his boots. His hair was as long as Wei Wuxians, but hung loose with only the small braid on the right side. The black eyepatch complimented the amused look on the butterfly man’s face. “… it was useless.”

“I see you are stronger than most ghosts now.” Wei Wuxian smirked, accepting the challenge as he brought the flute up to his lips and tried to play his backup song, but when he blew lightly into the flute, it gurgled. He pulled it back, baffled as the flute suddenly felt heavier in his grip. Upon further inspection, the flute was leaking blood from the sound hole. Wei Wuxian immediately dropped the flute, shock heavy in his eyes.

“That’s revenge for the 357 ghosts you have exorcised over the years.” The ghost didn’t change his expression, neither mocking or teasing, but serious. “They asked that I bring retribution, but the way they wanted it would’ve left human blood on my hands.”

Wei Wuxian looked at the ghost, finally coming out of his shock to laugh. The action surprised the red clad man, but he didn’t respond differently. He simply watched as the exorcist continued to laugh until it subsided.

“Well, you bested me today, but I want to know your name.” Wei Wuxian said, not wanting to tell the ghost that he would likely be back to try exorcising him again.

“Hua Cheng.” The ghost leaned back against the altar table. “Though, I don’t know your name either.”

“Wei Wuxian.” He smiled, carefully picking up the flute and tipping it to let more blood pour onto the floor. “I guess I will have to do some serious cleaning, won’t I?”

Hua Cheng smirked. “You may need to get a new flute, but at least it’s only a flute being replaced, and not an exorcist.” He didn’t spare another second before disappearing into another cloud of butterflies. They fluttered slowly away from the altar, and one by one began to disappear. It didn’t take more than a minute for all traces of the ghost to disappear.

“Huh…” Wei Wuxian chuckled. “Guess I should figure out which god I prayed to, since I’ll need to thank them for making today interesting.” He kept smiling as he walked out of the vacant shrine, twirling Chenqing at his side.

Chapter Text

By the time Wei Wuxian made it home, the blood had completely dried from his hands and the inside of his flute. He could only mourn the amount of work it would take to clean it, but also couldn’t complain.

He knew that if Hua Cheng really wanted to, Wei Wuxian would’ve been dead.

The door of their small house creaked less than the shrine door had, but it still alerted the other occupants of the house.

“Mama!” The hurried footsteps of a 7 year old boy rang through Wei Wuxian’s ears, accompanied by a crash into his legs. That was the boy’s favorite way to greet people.

“Hey little radish, how was school?” Wei Wuxian asked as he picked up the boy.

“I made twu friends!” The mispronunciation of 2 made Wei Wuxian chuckle, but it quickly died when the boy spoke again. “Why is Mama’s hand red?”

Wei Wuxian didn’t come up with a decent lie before Lan Wangji turned the corner. He still wore his work clothes, and Wei Wuxian guessed that he had bolted with Lan Yuan’s words.

Lan Wangji’s glare cleared any lie from Wei Wuxian’s mind, and he looked back down at the kid.

“Can Little Radish plant himself in his flower garden for a minute while Mom and Dad talk?” Wei Wuxian asked, setting down the boy.

“A-Yuan will grow up super big!” The boy had completely forgotten about the red hand in favor of bounding off to his room.

As soon as the door was shut, Wei Wuxian’s smile faded as he looked at his husband. Lan Wangji had paused at the entrance of the entrance hall, but continued when the others looked at him.

“What happened?” Lan Wangji didn’t say more, but Wei Wuxian knew what Lan Wangji wanted to know.

“Aya, Lan Zhan it really isn’t much, it’s not even my blood.”

Golden eyes furrowed as they stared down the silver ones. The look was so Lan Wangji could see if Wei Wuxian was lying.

“Whose blood?”

Wei Wuxian shrugged. “I’m not positive, but look, Lan Zhan, if I don’t get this washed off soon, it’ll stain under my nails for days.” He pulled slightly away from Lan Wangji, who kept a tight hold on Wei Wuxian.

“Wei Ying.” The cool voice gave away Lan Wangji’s anger, even though strangers wouldn’t be able to hear it.

“Okay, okay…” Wei Wuxian waved his free hand at his husband. “I honestly don’t know. It was the ghost that caused my flute to bleed.”

“Chenqing?” Lan Wangji looked at the flute strapped to the waist

“Yeah.” Wei Wuxian whined as he pulled out his flute, letting his husband take a better look at it. “I played Cleansing and it didn’t do anything.”

Lan Wangji didn’t respond. Wei Wuxian chuckled at his unspoken confusion. “Should’ve worked.”

“I know, but either I was hallucinating or this ghost is too strong for some reason.” Wei Wuxian dragged Lan Wangji with him to the kitchen sink. He washed his hands as his husband spoke.

“Not hallucinating.” But Lan Wangji also looked disturbed by the idea that the banishment song would actually fail. “Not too strong.”

“It has to be one of the two.” Wei Wuxian sighed as he took Chenqing from the other’s hands and began to carefully clean it of the blood. “He said his name is Hua Cheng. Do you know anyone who recently died at the hospital with that name?”

“No.” Lan Zhan furrowed his brows in the Lan way as Wei Wuxian defined.

“I wonder when he died then…” When Chenqing was cleaned, Wei Wuxian grabbed a handful of paper towels, too many for the task at hand and received a passive look of disapproval from Lan Zhan. He was about to continue his verbal analysis when his phone started to ring, startling both the men in the kitchen. The little boy barreled back in at the sound and jumped up and down

“Is it Jin Ling? Is it Jin Ling?” Wei Wuxian looked down at the phone as his adoptive son started to pull on the hem of his shirt.

“No A-Yuan, it’s too early for A-Ling to call.” Wei Wuxian pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear. Before he could say anything, a boisterous voice came from the other end.

“Wei-xiong I thought you were meeting up with me at the Heaven’s Lounge today?” The familiar voice of Shi Qingxuan sounded a little exasperated.

Wei Wuxian mentally cursed. He had completely spaced meeting up due to everything that happened at the small shrine earlier. “I’m so sorry Qingxuan, I will head over right now!” He heard the other say good before the phone disconnected. Wei Wuxian sighed at the sound of his friend’s final words. They weren’t upset persay, but they were certainly a little tense.

“Ah Lan Zhan! I promised to visit with Shi Qingxuan today!” Wei Wuxian embraces his husband before running back towards the door. A hand held onto his wrist and prevented him from leaving.

“Change clothes.” Lan Zhan's cool voice didn’t hold anything in it, and Wei Wuxian didn’t see anything but a tiny bit of skepticism from his husband's eyes.

“Right! Can’t wear blood to a bar.” Wei Wuxian laughed as he changed his direction to the bedroom. He was surprised again that Lan Zhan hadn’t released his wrist. “Ah, are you sad I’ll be leaving so soon?”

“Not sad.”

“Then why grab my…” Before the sentence could finish, Lan Zhan pulled him in for a deep kiss.

Chapter Text

“You are not a gentleman!” The chirpy voice of Shi Qingxuan yelled at Wei Wuxian as he walked up to the bar and took a seat next to his friend. “Making a girl wait for an hour while you did the tango with your husband.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “No tango yet, foreplay, maybe…”

“Forget I said anything!!!” Shi Qingxuan waved her hands furiously in front of Wei Wuxian. The latter just continued to chuckle as he ordered a scotch.

The two sit in comfortable silence for a minute before Wei Wuxian turns to his friend. “I am sorry I forgot. It has been a few weeks since we have hung out like this.”

Shi Qingxuan sighed loudly before setting her wine glass onto the counter and requesting another fill. “It was boring!!! He-xiong has been unbearable, complaining non-stop about finances, as if I didn’t have enough to worry about!” She slammed the next drink placed in front of her.

“Speaking of which, how is Xie Lian doing?” Wei Wuxian took a hearty gulp of his own drink before throwing his thumb back at the door. “I know Lan Zhan will want to know.”

“Aw, you are concerned too!” Shi Qingxuan nudged the other, nearly falling off her seat. “He-xiong is caring for him today since I wanted to party~”

“Is he doing better after his last fall?”

“Yeah, at least as good as he can be.” Her carefree nature fell as she stared at her empty glass.

Wei Wuxian frowned as he took another sip. “You know it is only 3pm.”

“3pm is still a good time for a drink! Another!” She slammed the cup down on the counter, barely flinching as it cracked. “Oops.”

“Yeah!” Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but laugh. After a couple minutes of the bartender scolding his friend about not destroying others property, Wei Wuxian nudged his friend. “You wanna know how my day went?”

“Oh, with the ghost at the old shrine on Heaven Drive?” Shi Qingxuan asked.

“Yes, that’s the one. Guess what?”

“Hm?”

“Oh don’t pull a Lan Zhan on me…”

“Just tell me damnit.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “Okay. The ghost totally won.”

Shi Qingxuan furrowed her brows. “Won? I thought they would never win…”

“If they aren’t destroying my instruments, then yes.”

“Oh goodness!” She perked up. “How did they destroy it? Did it explode? Did it disintegrate?”

“It just bled.”

“... bled?”

“Yep.”

“...”

“It got all over my clothes, you should’ve seen Lan Zhan’s face…”

“Forget I asked…”

Chapter Text

The shrine was as empty as Wei Wuxian saw it last time. There wasn’t blood on the floor any longer, which caused the exorcist to raise his eyebrows. The blood that got on his clothes was still there this morning when he tried to remove the stains. Normally a ghost would either leave behind all traces they left, or they wouldn’t be able to impact the mortal realm. He couldn’t understand why Hua Cheng had cleaned up his mess in the shrine, but not on his clothes.

“Okay, first off, rude. Second off, why?” Wei Wuxian almost mocked the ghost.

“I thought I already explained it.” This time, only a solitary butterfly perched on the altar. The stick of incense was gone. “Though I think I should ask why you came back, unless you think you can exorcize me so easily.” The word was spat with venom, which would’ve been cute if Wei Wuxian didn’t have his previous run-in with Hua Cheng.

“I am surprised you thought you could get rid of me so easily.” Wei Wuxian smirked. “I will have you know, I am #1 nuisance for my in-laws. I don’t think one ghost can scare me away.”

Hua Cheng’s laugh was more menacing than friendly. “You are #2 nuisance for me, which is still higher than most low-lives.”

Wei Wuxian leaned against the shrine altar, but the movement didn’t disturb the butterfly. “Low lives, what do you mean by that?”

“The lower ghosts, the gods, everyone.”

“Ah, such a spiteful spirit.” Wei Wuxian murmured. “Were you a murderer before you died?”
The air in the shrine dropped at least 10 degrees, causing Wei Wuxian to shiver violently.

“I do not lower myself to the point of killing.” Hua Cheng’s voice reverberated throughout the shrine. “I also do not answer questions from nosey exorcists.”

At the final word, the room suddenly rained blood, which seemed to form from the air, rather than leaking from the ceiling. Wei Wuxian jumped up, pulled out his flute and began playing Rest. Despite pouring his soul into the song, the rain didn’t cease, and made it more difficult to play the flute. Wei Wuxian stopped playing, running out of the shrine.

The outside seemed scorching as Wei Wuxian stood there, unable to even comprehend what was happening, especially since it didn’t appear as if the blood rain was from spite or anger, but pain.

–

“Lan Zhan!!!” Wei Wuxian ran into the home, barely throwing off his shoes. Lan Wangji barely managed to get off the couch before Wei Wuxian tackled him. “You won’t believe the kind of day I…”

He paused when he saw Lan Wangji’s face. His normally stoic husband was a look of absolute fear. It was accompanied by a thorough investigation of Wei Wuxian.

“What happened?” He pulled away the blood-crusted bangs from Wei Wuxian’s face.

“Oh, I am still covered in blood.” Wei Wuxian chuckled lightly as Lan Wangji dragged him to the bathroom. He took no time stripping the blood-covered man. “Woah! What about A-Yuan? He will see us!”

“At Jiang Wanyin’s place.” Lan Wangji didn’t slow down as he continued to examine for any injuries.

“Ah, that’s why he didn’t run to me as soon as I got home… Wah gentle!” Wei Wuxian squeaked before being grappled and taken to the bathtub, the only thought crossing his head was please not another bathtub broken.

Chapter Text

“Lan Zhan, you could’ve been nicer!” Wei Wuxian whined from his place on the couch, a plate of spicy wontons steaming on his lap. “I fear I won’t be able to get up off the couch!”

“Hm… sorry.”

“No you aren’t!” Wei Wuxian laughed before popping a wonton in his mouth. They sat in companionable silence for some time before he continued. “I am at a loss for this ghost. He is a slippery one.”

“Strong.” Lan Wangji agreed.

“I am almost wondering how Huaisang heard of this one.” Wei Wuxian took a sip of his Emperor’s Smile. “Did he pass by and hear something, or was it through his network?”

“Ask him.”

“I could, though I don’t think he would give me a good answer.” Wei Wuxian threw the last wonton into his mouth before pulling out his phone and dialing his friend. It rang only once before he answered.

“Wei-xiong, I wasn’t expecting you to call!” Nie Huaisang’s voice seemed happy.

“You should always expect a call from me!” Wei Wuxian laughed. “I am your most obnoxious friend!”

“Oh, I am not sure about that. Though maybe to Hanguang-Jun you are.” Nie Huaisang chuckled.

“Lan Zhan only thinks I am the best man he has ever met!” Wei Wuxian gloated before switching the subject. “Hey, I have a question about that ghost you assigned me to exorcize.”

There was a pause. “Which one are you talking about?” Even with the question hot on his tongue, Wei Wuxian knew that Nie Huaisang already knew the answer.

“The one at the abandoned shrine.”

“You mean the one in Banyue or the one in Yi City?”

“The one here in Puqi you assigned to me last week. The abandoned shrine on Heaven Drive?”

“Oh… that one.” Nie Huaisang said quietly enough that the phone barely picked it up.

“So there is something weird about that ghost.”

“I swear I don’t know! All I was told was the shrine was abandoned minus a bunch of silver butterflies that blinded anyone that entered. Is it really that bad?”

“I haven’t been eaten by butterflies, but my flute has almost been rusted by blood two times.”

“...blood?”

“Yep!” Wei Wuxian tried to sit up and audibly winced. He shot an incredulous look to Lan Zhan, who didn’t bother to even look up at his husband.

“I honestly don’t know much more than that, but I can try to find more info for you.” Nie Huaisang said.

“I guess if you have nothing else to do it could help.”

“Okay, I will get on it.”

“Thanks!” Wei Wuxian hung up before groaning in pain. “Seriously, lighter next time!”

Lan Zhan looked up. “Everyday means everyday.”

Chapter Text

The next time Wei Wuxian entered the shrine he brought three things: an umbrella, a raincoat, and a picnic basket with two bowls of spicy congee.

Just like the past two times, the shrine was clean, despite the bloody mess it was in when Wei Wuxian left the day before. If Wei Wuxian knew better, he would’ve thought that the past two encounters with Hua Cheng were only in his dreams.

“Oh scary spirit of blood and butterflies, care to share a meal with me.” Wei Wuxian smiled as he placed the basket on the altar, careful to keep distance from it and the incense holder.

“I don’t trust food from strangers like you.” Hua Cheng’s voice said with the usual sharpness often shared near the end of their encounters.

“Guess someone is in a bad mood.” Wei Wuxian pulled out one bowl and removed the lid. He slid it on the altar away from himself and unpacked the other bowl. “Besides, we are basically pals at this rate.”

“At this rate, you are a thorn in my side.” As the aura changed in the shrine, Wei Wuxian whipped out the umbrella and covered the bowls of congee, only managing to cover half of himself before the blood rain began. It lasted for a few minutes before it subsided, blood pooling the floor up to Wei Wuxian’s ankles.

“So… no more blood rain?” Wei Wuxian tilted his head out from the umbrella, looking around the shrine. “I would really like to eat my congee before it gets any colder.”

“And I would like you to disappear, but it seems like neither of us will get our wish.” The voice said as another bout of blood rain showered the shrine.

_

“I am absolutely famished!” Wei Wuxian shouted as the door to his house swung shut, however, he wasn’t expecting the reception he got.

“Wei Wuxian!” A purple inferno shouted from the end of the entrance hall. “I can’t believe you would dare murder someone so blatantly and bother to come home with soiled clothes!”

“Ah, Jiang Cheng! No, no murder on the docket for me today. Maybe tomorrow.”

“You!”

“Wei Ying.” A softer, yet more demanding voice called out from the kitchen, immediately drawing Wei Wuxian’s attention away from his brother.

“Lan Zhan, you won’t believe what that ghost did to my congee!” He jokingly wailed as he ran past Jiang Cheng and into the kitchen. If he wasn’t covered in blood, Jiang Cheng likely would’ve grabbed his arm in a death grip to stop him.

“If it wasn’t murder, what the hell caused you to be covered like this and not be dead?” Jiang Cheng didn’t let the other off so easily regardless.

“The ghost nearly flooded the shrine to the point I would’ve had to swim out of it! He only stopped once the congee had been tainted by it!!!”

“Ghosts can’t do this.” Jiang Cheng said, though his anger had finally calmed down a decimal.

“Stronger ghosts can.” Lan Wangji said as he pulled rice out of the rice cooker. “Jiang Wanyin, do you and Jin Rulan need food?”

“With this mess?” Jiang Cheng pointed at Wei Wuxian. “I would rather eat a bowl of Wei Wuxian’s congee than stay here.”

“Hey!”

“Jin Ling, we are leaving. Cover your eyes when you come out here though!” Jiang Cheng went down the hall towards Lan Yuan’s room.

“Oh, I need to change!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed as he ran towards his room, only faintly hearing Jiang Cheng shout “You just now realized that?”

Chapter Text

“So, you finally ran out of your darker clothing?” Hua Cheng’s voice almost seemed proud.

“No, but Lan Zhan wanted me to wear something more waterproof to hopefully prevent staining.” Wei Wuxian explained as he placed a new stone on the Go board. “Gonna respond with your usual blood rain?”

For the first time in the hour that Wei Wuxian had sat down trying to play Go, blood rain wasn’t the response to his comment. Instead, the room was simply flooded with his arrival. He had to use the altar to place the Go board.

“You should just leave.”

“Before winning this game?”

“You are losing the game to yourself.”

“Cause someone won’t play their own turns!” Wei Wuxian whined as he grabbed an opposing stone to place on the board. “Isn’t it generous that I am letting you win?”

“Idioc maybe…” The voice faltered, which caused Wei Wuxian to pause putting the piece on the board.

“Do you actually want to play now?” Wei Wuxian smiled.

“I have no time for your antics.” Hua Cheng’s voice almost seemed distant, maybe not even directed to Wei Wuxian. “Get lost before I make you.”

Wei Wuxian furrowed his brows. “What do you…?”

“WELL ISN’T IT THE WORST DOG FUCKER OUT THERE?!?”

Wei Wuxian’s ears nearly exploded from the cacophonous shout. The room dropped below freezing, nearly freezing the blood that covered Wei Wuxian’s legs.

“I didn’t think you were foolish enough to come here.” Hua Cheng’s voice was cold but still seemed distant to Wei Wuxian. “Did you come because you missed being slain by me?”

“FUCK YOU AND THAT ARROGANT EYE!” The voice was less piercing now that Wei Wuxian was aware of it.

“So it is a yes.”

All hell broke loose. The entire shrine shook, almost completely collapsing from the shock-waves of the battle between the two ghosts. The altar started toppling, causing the Go board and stones to go flying. The incense holder held fast to the table, but the stick was purged by blood. The lake of blood started moving upwards, like the rain was reversing its usual course.

Wei Wuxian couldn’t see either of them, which would’ve terrified any exorcist that had a lick of survival instincts in them. Fortunately, Wei Wuxian didn’t have any. Instead, he pulled out Chengqing and began to play Evocation, aiming it at the unfamiliar ghost. As he poured his qi into the song, he almost expected that Hua Cheng would interfere once again, and the blood would block the flute’s sound. It was a blessing when he realized that the blood that was rising seemed to avoid his flute.

It was half way through Evocation before a green mass of smoke began to form in the center of the shrine. Wei Wuxian devoted more power to the spell, drawing the spirit into being. He was shocked to see a handsome ghost, who likely died at a similar age to himself. Despite the regal features, he held a deranged look that most ghosts have. He solely focused on Hua Cheng, who manifested in deep red smoke. He held a menacing scimitar towards the other ghost.

“You decided to wear that fucking outfit in death? You are more pathetic than my shitty cousin.” The green ghost mocked with a crazed laugh.

Hua Cheng charged at the other, who didn’t have more than a second to dodge to the side. The scimitar pierced the crazed ghost’s shoulder, which caused him to cry out. Hua Cheng scoffed, “And you are still a sight for sore eyes.” He swung the sword, slicing the ghost in half.

Wei Wuxian was baffled watching the entire exchange, but he pulled his flute down to watch the victor. Hua Cheng held a sharp smirk as he turned to the table that had been messed up in the conflict. Once the ghost had completely dissipated, the blood froze, causing the room to glisten in red hues.

He lifted his hand to it, and everything almost went in reverse. The rain fell down to the ground, and the flooding started to seep into the wooden floor of the shrine. The Go pieces floated back to the board, and Wei Wuxian was shocked to see the pieces were exactly where they were on the board before the green ghost had shown up. The only thing that didn’t return was the incense stick.

“I thought the flute was just for show.” Hua Cheng said as a new stick of incense formed in his hand. He lit it with a touch of his finger and placed it in the incense holder.

“Ah for normal ghosts, it isn’t.” Wei Wuxian laughed as he slung it back onto his waistband. “Though I am surprised you let it affect you as well as the green ghost.”

“I didn’t care to negate your efforts to see the fight.” Hua Cheng waved carelessly.

Wei Wuxian walked to the table, sitting back down to play the game. He smiled slightly when noticing the blood had left his clothes along with the floor. “Who was that ghost anyway?”

“One not worth mentioning.” Hua Cheng brushed off the other’s question. He waltzed over to the table, the sound of bells accompanying his every step. He grabbed a black stone and placed it on a spot that claimed 7 pieces.

Wei Wuxian smiled as he bounced over to the table. “Wait, so you are going to join me now? Maybe you aren’t such a fuddy-duddy as my husband.”

“Don’t test my patience.”

Chapter Text

“Doctor Lan, can I get your help here?” Lan Wangji heard the frantic voice of Wen Qing through the cracked door of a nearby room. He smoothly but quickly set the clipboard down onto the counter before running to the room nearby.

Inside was a rough sight, a man who was having a severe seizure. The room was cluttered from the pull up table that had been knocked over, two friends were hovering over the person, trying to hold down his shoulders and his arms. Wen Qing was fiddling with a vial full of what Lan Wangji guessed was benzodiazepine.

“Follow my directions.” Lan Wangji said calmly as he walked to the side of the bed facing the door. He gently but firmly grabs the patient’s shoulder with one hand and his head in the other. “Gently turn him towards me.”

The two men with the patient kept quiet as they helped Lan Wangji. Once the patient was turned to his side, Lan Wangji bent the leg to prevent the patient from turning over more. “Don’t hold him down.”

“Even if he is flinging his arms around?” The one with dark brown hair asked.

“He won’t fling his arms around and hit something, they just shake.” Wen Qing explained as she walked over to the IV drip. “I am giving the medicine now.” Wen Qing said as she connected the vial to the IV drip. “It should kick in a few minutes.”

The two guests nodded in unison while the four waited with patient, but restless anxiety. Luckily the seizure began to quell, and the shaking slowed to a stop. Wen Qing breathed in a sigh of relief.

“I am going to take his vitals, you are all welcome to back off now.” She said as she walked over to the mobile stand beside the patient’s head.

“He has never had a seizure, so what happened?” The lighter brown haired man inquired in a forlorn tone.

Before Wen Qing could answer, the other man threw at the other. “He hit his head again, or did you forget?”

“I would never forget.” The man snapped back before looking at the doctors. “Will this happen again?”

“It likely will.” Wen Qing wrote down some numbers on a nearby clipboard. “His head trauma is severe, and multiple different injuries have been acquired since the car accident, so I think it wouldn’t be unheard of to have chronic seizures.”

The room was silent, but emotions spoke loud enough to communicate the dire situation.

“What can we do to help him?” The brown haired man asked.

“The best ways to combat seizures are to give specific medications, minimize extreme stimulation, and just be aware of him. What we did this evening is what you will need to do if he does go into another seizure.”

“So, there’s nothing we can do, other than what we have been doing for the past year and a half?” His face was torn, and while Lan Wangji couldn’t read people perfectly, it was clear he was on the edge of violent exasperation.

Wen Qing sighed, flipping through a few pages on the clipboard. “I think it is important to get another CT scan, and I want to run an EEG to determine how severe the seizures are.” She looked over to Lan Wangji. “Doctor Lan and I will be out for a minute, but I will be back once I order these.”

Lan Wangji followed Wen Qing out, leaving the three behind. They closed the door and Lan Wangji grabbed the clipboard he left behind. “Seizure came after they arrived?”

“Yes, they came in because he was barely responsive for a few hours. Guess it could’ve been a long Aural stage.”

“Too long.” Lan Wangji looked back at the room they had left, noticing the name on the door was smudged, making the Xie in Xie Lian harder to read.

“I just don’t know why he was unresponsive for so long, but I don’t like what it implies.” Wen Qing sat down at a computer not occupied by anyone else. “I just hope these scans will shed some light on this.”

Lan Wangji hummed in agreement.

Chapter Text

“Will you really not answer any of my questions?” Wei Wuxian grabbed a tile from the pile of Mahjong pieces.

“The more you know, the more you can weaponize it.” Hua Cheng scoffed at the mere audacity that he believed Wei Wuxian to be.

Wei Wuxian raised his hands in surrender. “Why would I get rid of a good friend? I mean, I still need to beat you at one game.”

“Weren’t you sent here just to exorcize me, as you did to so many before?” Hua Cheng mocked him, but it lacked the venom that it would’ve had in their first meeting.

“Yes, but that was weeks ago.” Wei Wuxian discarded a 6 character tile. “The Wei Wuxian you now see is one who has gone away from exorcist work, and vowed to become a professional strategist.”

Hua Cheng laughed, which was a more common occasion. However, Wei Wuxian knew they are always soaked in mockery, rather than pure joy. He had even debated many times if the ghost knew how to laugh in happiness.

The game continued, but Wei Wuxian couldn’t convince himself that the silence was doing either of them any good. So in typical ‘Wei Wuxian’ fashion, he decided to do the bulk of the talking.

“I know for many ghosts, it is a regret or strong emotion that ties them to the world. Most ghosts like you have a regret, but I don’t think you would be so strong on that alone. You see, I have exorcised a ghost that was fueled by pure hatred and the only regret he had was not succeeding in causing someone else suffering of their own. He was strong, so strong my husband had to step in and help.”

“And you have yet to bring your husband here.” Hua Cheng picked up a discarded tile and played 3 north wind tiles.

“Lan Zhan is too busy to join me any more.” Wei Wuxian paused, realizing his voice said more than he initially meant to. He wanted to keep his voice upbeat, but he wasn’t able to keep himself from mourning the days in their youth when they would exorcize ghosts together.

Hua Cheng didn’t continue the topic of conversation, and Wei Wuxian appreciated the silence returned. He picked up a new tile and lit up when he realized it matched his two remaining tiles. He played the three, jumping up. “I finally won a game!”

The ghost looked amused by Wei Wuxian’s reaction. “Maybe I should run my own casino.”

Wei Wuxian looked at Hua Cheng with an excited expression. “You should! There are not enough of them around.”

Hua Cheng scoffed. “I think you forgot that I am already dead, even if I did open a gambling den, it wouldn’t be for living people, but ghosts.”

“So?”

“Isn’t it against the ‘ghost extermination code’ to encourage spirits to amass other ghosts in one area?”

Wei Wuxian shrugged. “I don’t think it would be bad if you were to run it.”

“Oh?”

The exorcist sat down at the short table. “I am different from most exorcists. I don’t believe that ghosts are innately evil. Ghosts… Spirits… They are all souls that used to live a life, so they are both good and bad. I have met more people that are messed up than I have met ghosts. So, I don’t think someone who has allowed me to hang out at this shrine is all that bad. If it were any other ghost, I would’ve been hounded endlessly or killed.”

There was silence for a few seconds before Hua Cheng laughed. This time, it wasn’t the usual mocking laugh Wei Wuxian was expecting, but a sorrowful laugh.

“You really remind me of him.” Wei Wuxian barely made out Hua Cheng’s whisper.

And that was the first clue Wei Wuxian ever got about Hua Cheng’s life.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian started keeping a notebook with all the information he gathered about Hua Cheng.

He initially did it because he wanted to know the weaknesses Hua Cheng had. He had kept simple notes, mostly telling what Hua Cheng was like, but also included any significant interactions between them.

He was analyzing the contents of the notebook, which rested on the restaurant table in front of him.

Hua Cheng

Preferred weapons: Blood intimidation schemes, Silver ‘Wraith’ Butterflies, and a scimitar with a glowing red eye on it.

Triggers: Ghosts and people that invade the building. He doesn’t enjoy talking about his past, refusing to share any information.

Hua Cheng is incredibly skilled in all games. He has luck to par with the lottery winners, but it seems he could turn it off at will. He only loses a game when it is to enlighten the mood, or when he is bored.

He briefly mentioned a man who I remind him of. He refuses to share any info about him, either changing the subject or getting violent.

Wei Wuxian turned to the next page, looking at the information that Nie Huaisang had given to him just a few minutes ago.

The building has been abandoned for many years, but used to be a small store. Was never used as a typical place of worship, only one boy was ever seen praying there. No further information was found out about the boy.

Wei Wuxian hummed. He wondered if the boy was Hua Cheng, though that wouldn’t explain why he would stay in this world after death. After doing a quick internet search, Wei Wuxian found that the last time the building was used as a vendor shop was over 30 years ago. There was little information regarding the couple who owned the store.

Wei Wuxian tapped the pen against the book, drawing his husband’s attention, who sat at the table across from him. The two had just met up with Nie Huaisang, who made a quick get-away after giving Wei Wuxian the information. Now they were at a small restaurant that had divine alcohol, as Wei Wuxian says.

The exorcist groaned. “If a ghost was here because they wanted to be with someone, they would haunt that person, not some old building.”

“Sentimental value.” Lan Wangji shared while continuing to read the book he had brought along.

“I guess, since he is so defensive of the place.” Wei Wuxian started doodling on the page. “He also uses butterflies, ones that I can’t even begin to classify. They aren’t like any butterfly I’ve seen before.”

“Image of his soul?”

“I guess, but why butterflies?” Wei Wuxian stared at the little butterfly drawing that was on the page. “They symbolize freedom, do you think he felt trapped when he was alive?”

Lan Wangji didn’t respond, and the food they had ordered was brought to their table. Wei Wuxian was ecstatic to also receive his second cup of osmanthus wine.

“You know, I have to wonder if his regret has something to do with the shrine like I initially thought. It doesn’t match the little bit I know about him.”

Lan Wangji looked at Wei Wuxian with the look Wei Wuxian knew too well.

“I know I know, no talking during meals, but that’s why people come to restaurants in the first place Lan Zhan!”

His husband didn’t respond.

“I wonder if he had any family I could talk to.” Wei Wuxian hummed as he took a bite of his spring roll. “I doubt he would be willing to tell me.”

Lan Zhan was still silent, which caused Wei Wuxian to pout.

“At least hum so I know you are listening to me…” Wei Wuxian whined.

“Rule 172: Do not speak during meals.”

“How about this, I made a new rule: Do not ignore your husband when he is speaking to you!”

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian shook his head. “I still don’t know how to play this game.”

“Oh? You were the one to bring it.” Hua Cheng smirked.

The game that Wei Wuxian decided to bring along was Xiangqi. While he wasn’t a huge fan of this game, he had hoped it would be one that would speak more about Hua Cheng.

“I have only played this twice, and I was terrible both times!” Wei Wuxian cried, moving his horse to a spot that was no longer threatened by one of Hua Cheng’s cannon pieces.

“I can tell.” Hua Cheng captured one of Wei Wuxian’s chariot pieces.

“Oh come on.” Wei Wuxian groaned. “I didn’t even see your own chariot there!”

Hua Cheng folded his arms in satisfaction. “I thought you were the one who wanted to ask a question.”

Wei Wuxian mentioned a bet, looking back at the time Hua Cheng had mentioned wanting to own a casino. Hua Cheng was intrigued, until he heard the loser had to answer any question from the winner.

“I do!” Wei Wuxian moved a soldier, but it was quickly claimed by Hua Cheng. They did a few more rounds before Hua Cheng laughed.

“I can’t tell if you wanted to tell me everything about yourself or not, because this is a checkmate for you.” Hua Cheng moved his chariot to trap Wei Wuxian’s captain piece.

Wei Wuxian rubbed his head. “Wow, I forgot the chariot can move across the river.”

Hua Cheng looked at Wei Wuxian as if he were a small dumb child. Wei Wuxian laughed when he received the look, putting the game pieces back into the storage sack.

“Not going to challenge me to a second round?”

“No.” Wei Wuxian sighed, placing the board in the carrying bag. “I don’t think I would be able to win against you.” Wei Wuxian planted his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his folded hands. “So I will accept interrogation by the evil leader of ghosts.”

Hua Cheng stood up from his sitting position. “I don’t care to learn anything about you.”

“I know that’s a lie.”

“How are you so sure of that?”

“Because after all the time we spent together, you have never asked me anything, while I have tried to get you to share anything about your life.” Wei Wuxian waved one hand towards the red-clad ghost.

Hua Cheng rested a finger on his chin. “I guess I could humor your desire to talk about yourself. Tell me about your hobbies.”

“I enjoy drinking with my friends. I also spend a lot of time with my husband and A-Yuan.”

“A-Yuan?”

“That’s our kid. One of Lan Zhan’s coworkers had a cousin that wasn’t able to provide for her kid, so instead of sending them to an adoption agency, we decided to adopt him.”

Wei Wuxian was able to catch a glimpse of some mournful emotion in Hua Cheng’s eyes before Hua Cheng looked away.

“You have a family, and you have mentioned that your husband works at a hospital. Why do you bother exorcizing ghosts?”

Wei Wuxian paused. “I guess it’s because I feel bad.”

Hua Cheng didn’t respond.

“I mean, if I wasn’t out here exorcizing spirits, they would still be out there, causing others grief while they are hurting themselves.” Wei Wuxian leaned backwards, looking at the oak ceiling. “Every ghost has a story to tell, and I want to help as many as I can.”

Hua Cheng turned away from Wei Wuxian. “I hate to tell you this, but not every ghost you meet wants to be saved.”

Wei Wuxian watched as the ghost dissipated into hundreds of silver butterflies. They scatter and disappear into the walls of the shrine, leaving Wei Wuxian alone.

“And I guess that you are one of those ghosts yourself.”

Chapter Text

“You still haven’t exorcised the ghost?” Shi Qingxuan wrapped his arm over Wei Wuxian while waving his fan at the other in a chiding motion. “What are you doing, Wei-xiong!”

Wei Wuxian laughed, wrapping his own arm around Shi Qingxuan. “You see, this ghost is an enigma. He is mysterious, and I have been so entertained by his antics!”

“Ah but you forget, these ghosts are the ones that are dangerous enough to kill innocent people.” He pulled away, opening his fan. “I mean, that’s what you said.”

“But I am still here~” Wei Wuxian brushed it off with a sing-song attitude. “Besides, I want to know his full story before I exorcize him.”

Shi Qingxuan hummed. “Listen Wei-xiong. I am all for taking risks and having fun, but there is a fine line we walk. One slip-up with a ghost like this and then I would have to explain to your scary husband how you died.”

“Lan Zhan wouldn’t get mad at you.” Wei Wuxian laughed nonetheless. “Besides, he is also of the same mind. He wants to go with me to see this ghost next week when he is off work.”

“Ah that’s right, I remember you mentioning about some sort of family reunion happening next week.”

“Yep, and it is a great time for me to further annoy my uncle in law!” Wei Wuxian walked over to the kitchen. They were currently at Wei Wuxian’s place, waiting for Lan Zhan to get off work. They were going to plan a small birthday party for Shi Qingxuan’s boyfriend, He Xuan. From what Wei Wuxian understood, it was more like an ornate feast, rather than a party.

“I am surprised Lan Zhan doesn’t stop you.”

“He tried, back when we were younger. Now, he just quietly shakes his head and chastises me later.”

They laughed as the front door opened. Lan Zhan took off his shoes before walking over to Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian practically jumped on Lan Zhan, tackling him in a huge hug.

“Lan Zhan, welcome home! Shi-xiong and I were talking about the ghost I am exorcising.”

“Not exorcising.” Lan Wangji retorted.

“Ah, not you too!” Wei Wuxian bounced back slightly, placing his hands on his hips. “I’ll have you know, I found out something interesting about him yesterday.”

“Oh, and you neglected to tell me!” Shi Qingxuan pointed at the couple. “I bet you told him everything, because you refuse to tell me anything. Not even the ghost’s name. Help a poor man out!”

“You didn’t share?” Lan Zhan asked.

“No, I figured that if this ghost knew I told people his name, he would likely be more spiteful.”

“Then you should take care of him!” Shi Qingxuan exclaimed. “I don’t want to lose my life.”

“Ah, but you won’t if you don’t know his name.” Wei Wuxian grabbed the grocery list that was kept on the fridge. “Shall we plan this party for He Xuan, or what?”

Shi Qingxuan happily dropped the subject of killer ghosts in favor of discussing matters of his boyfriend. “Yes, I know He-xiong will love the food we have planned, but I am worried about one thing.”

Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan took a seat at the table, and Shi Qingxuan folded up his fan to point at one of the items on the list Wei Wuxian brought over. “Why do we need 8 red chilis for a rice congee?”

“It’s a Jiang family special.” Wei Wuxian said. “Normally, we at least add 10, though I normally like around 13.”

Shi Qingxuan froze, and that was enough of a clue to Lan Zhan to add. “I make one too.”

“But then it has no flavor!” Wei Wuxian complained loudly. “I know you add chilis to my bowl, but yours is normally so boring.”

Shi Qingxuan sighed. “Well I guess we can just mix the two.” He pulled out his phone. “And Monday still works for everyone right?”

“Yep! Then we can pack Tuesday and leave Wednesday.” Wei Wuxian nudged Lan Zhan. “Why are you still in your scrubs?”

“No time to change.” Lan Zhan said.

“Lan Zhan, go change. You smell like antiseptic spray.” Wei Wuxian waved at him, but Lan Zhan didn’t move.

“No need.”

“Are you heading back after?” Wei Wuxian asked incredulously.

“Hm.”

Wei Wuxian tried to play off the disappointment for any other emotion, and only managed to play it off as pride. “Ah, Lan Zhan is such a hard worker.” He patted his husband’s shoulder before turning back to Shi Qingxuan.

Shi Qingxuan raised his eyebrows, looking between the two. He wasn’t fooled by Wei Wuxian’s statement. Regardless, he decided that it would be best to not say anything about it. “Then let's plan for then, at 4pm sharp.” He smiled, collecting the papers he had brought with him. “We are gonna have a feast that puts Thanksgiving to shame!”

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian was used to receiving a sarcastically bitter reception whenever he made it to the shrine. Some days the room would be immediately covered in butterflies, while other days, there would be blood rain that never died down. Only more recently was Hua Cheng a hospitable ghost, allowing Wei Wuxian entrance without any basic antics.

When Wei Wuxian entered the shrine this time, he was greeted with nothing. No blood rain, no butterflies, and no snarky voice.

Nothing.

“Oh scary ghost~” Wei Wuxian sang out, hearing the echoes in the small room. “I decided to try beating you at Chinese Checkers today.”

There was no response.

Wei Wuxian furrowed his brows at the altar, spotting a simple white peony placed on it. Most days, there was only a single stick of incense on the small table, minus the games Wei Wuxian brought to play. It was likely used as a table to display produce, then converted to an altar table by the boy that used to pray there. It was so worn that it likely would’ve collapsed if Hua Cheng didn’t use his power to hold it together.

Placing the box on the ground by the door, Wei Wuxian walked over to the altar, reaching out to touch the flower. Before his fingers touched it, a sharp piercing voice rattled his bones.

“Don’t touch that!”

Wei Wuxian jumped back, reaching for his flute. However, he realized that he hadn’t brought it today, because he hadn’t been planning on using it on Hua Cheng, or any other ghost. He mentally cursed himself out before standing straight in the center of the shrine.

“Why the flower?” Wei Wuxian asked, not actually expecting an honest answer.

“It isn’t for you.” Hua Cheng’s voice was melancholic and distant. “I don’t want your presence. Leave before I make you.”

Wei Wuxian was shocked by the cold attitude the spirit gave him. He had believed that the two were finally coming to an understanding, even a friendship. However, Hua Cheng’s attitude seemed more akin to a mourning ghost that just lost the love of their life. This Hua Cheng wasn’t the one that mocked Wei Wuxian for playing games terribly. He also wasn’t a ghost that peacefully played pranks on unsuspecting exorcists.

This was a ghost that could kill someone in their grief.

“Does that mean you are forfeiting this round of Chinese Checkers, because I would prefer to win an honest game.”

“Leave.”

Wei Wuxian debated leaving, but only for a second before turning back to the box he left on the ground. He picked it up before sitting in its spot on the ground. He began to lay out the pieces, ignoring the sane part of his head that screamed that this was a bad idea.

He was quietly setting up the board on the ground, waiting for retaliation from the ghost. By the time the entire game was set up, nothing had changed in the shrine. No blood rain pelted him, no butterflies tried to nip him to death or chase him out of the shrine. There was only silence.

There were a few minutes of silence before Wei Wuxian moved a piece on the board. He then waited another minute before moving the next person’s piece. He continued the game like this for 30 minutes, and he was left in complete silence. Wei Wuxian didn’t expect Hua Cheng to ignore him, but he also didn’t expect Hua Cheng to appear before him, holding his scimitar at his throat.

“Did you not hear me say that you should leave?” Hua Cheng’s single eye was showing anger.

Wei Wuxian smiled at Hua Cheng. “I think if you truly didn’t want me here, you would try harder to get me to leave.”

“You don’t know anything.”

“You are grieving someone you lost, and you can’t help but remember him when you talk to me.”

The sword quivered.

“You think of yourself too highly. You could never be him.”

“Of course not. I am Wei Wuxian, and the one you love isn’t me.” Wei Wuxian waved his hand, careful not to move any closer to the ghost, or the sword still at his neck. “Besides, I am taken and have no interest in dating another man.”

The sword continued to shake, and Wei Wuxian looked down at it. He was startled to see the eye quivering, as if it was about to cry. The ghost himself wasn’t shaking, but the sword was. Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but be mesmerized by it, and if the sword wasn’t about to behead him, he would’ve said something about it.

“Listen, the reason I come over to this shrine is to talk with you. As you can tell, I didn’t bring anything that could cause harm to you. I come to play a game, and to be honest, I still will lose to you, or myself in this case.” Wei Wuxian looked up at Hua Cheng, whose face was starting to soften. “If you really don’t want my presence here, tell me and I won’t come back.”

They have a stare-off for a minute before the blade is pulled away from Wei Wuxian’s neck. Hua Cheng turned away from Wei Wuxian, looking back at the flower on the altar. “Your presence is… tolerable. Today is not a day I wish to ‘play games’, so leave me be.”

Wei Wuxian nodded, collecting the pieces of the game. He quietly collected himself before standing. “I will be leaving then, but so you know, I won’t be able to visit for a few days.”

The silence was deafening as Hua Cheng didn’t look back at Wei Wuxian as he left the small shrine. Almost immediately after closing the door, Wei Wuxian heard the inaudible cries of the ghost.

Chapter Text

Despite He Xuan’s displeasure of large groups, there were still quite a few friends that arrived for his birthday feast.

The small townhome was quickly filled with people and food. Everyone brought dishes to share: Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji brought an assortment of congee, as well as some Lotus Root Soup, courtesy of Wei Wuxian’s sister, Jiang Yanli. Feng Xin brought an array of spring rolls, while Mu Qing brought meat buns. Some other friends of He Xuan brought other food, which easily covered every flat surface in the small kitchen and dining room.

The place was lively, but Wei Wuxian still felt forlorn from his meeting with Hua Cheng the day before. Something was ailing the ghost, and Wei Wuxian couldn’t pinpoint what caused him to suddenly lash out. Wei Wuxian tried to puzzle together the implications of what Hua Cheng had said earlier, as well as his sudden change from one day to another.

It was clear that Hua Cheng was closely tied to another person, likely someone living. If he had been mourning a dead person, he wouldn’t have stuck around as long as he has. Wei Wuxian also knew there was something Hua Cheng regretted, and he had an itching suspicion that it was tied to his beloved person.

“Wei-xiong, you haven’t had a single drink!” Shi Qingxuan snapped Wei Wuxian out of his internal analysis. “I can’t be the only guy to drink!”

“Oh, sorry Qingxuan.” Wei Wuxian grabbed his emperor’s smile that rested next to him on the counter. “I guess I am just feeling a little more down than I would normally.”

“What’s the matter?” Shi Qingxuan pulled over a barstool and sat down on it. He took another gulp of his wine as Wei Wuxian sighed.

“I think there’s something wrong with the ghost.”

“Come on Wei-xiong!” Shi Qingxuan threw an arm over Wei Wuxian’s shoulders, nearly causing him to drop his jar. “Please tell me that you aren’t thinking about work at a party~”

Wei Wuxian would’ve denied it, except he still had the feeling that something bad was going to happen. He was never one to disregard his intuition, and it was screaming at him that it involved Hua Cheng.

“Well, I say we pull out the cake to finish off the party.” Shi Qingxuan stood up and looked over at He Xuan, who was still happily eating a few ribs that were left over. “He-xiong, are you ready for the cake?”

He Xuan shrugged, finishing off his last rib before wiping his fingers off on a napkin. “I am fine with doing dessert now.”

Shi Qingxuan disappeared into the kitchen to grab the dessert. Wei Wuxian looked at his jar of Emperor’s Smile before taking a large swig. He placed it back on the counter before wandering to find Lan Wangji.

Shi Qingxuan previously mentioned that since Xie Lian was in hospice care, he would be in his room during the party. Wei Wuxian knew Lan Wangji would likely be with him, partially because he didn’t care for the party environment, but also because he would want to be there to help if necessary. Lan Wangji had checked with Wei Wuxian if that was okay, and Wei Wuxian had only been slightly hurt that he would rather be with Xie Lian than Wei Wuxian himself.

It wasn’t difficult for Wei Wuxian to find the room, especially since he heard the sound of a guqin. He waited outside the door, listening to the song. Lan Wangji was a talented musician, and he composed quite a few songs for both the guqin and the flute. There was even a song he composed when proposing to him, and that song was always Wei Wuxian’s favorite to listen to.

Now he was playing a soothing melody Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure he had heard before. It was in a minor key, filled with unspoken sorrow that Lan Wangji had only shown when his father passed away years ago. Wei Wuxian was only at the funeral, and the song Lan Wangji had played had spoken louder than his tears ever could.

Wei Wuxian opened the door slowly, not wanting to disturb the music. The inside of the room smelled strongly of medicine and cleaners. There was a large bed laid out, with an unconscious man laying down on it. He was connected to multiple different machines, one seemed to be giving him medicine, and another was likely an oxygen pump.

Wei Wuxian hadn’t met Xie Lian before, but he knew about him from Shi Qingxuan. As much as Wei Wuxian knew, Xie Lian was in a massive car accident over a year ago, and now he is close to paralyzed with amnesia of some sort. The last thing Wei Wuxian had heard was that his health was declining, and he likely was only going to live for another few weeks at most. Given his condition, Wei Wuxian was guessing it wouldn’t be for that long.

Xie Lian’s hair was cut short, and he had a bandage wrapped around his head. His pajamas barely fit his frail body, more akin to drowning him. His skin was almost as pale as the white bedding surrounding him.

Lan Wangji was sitting at a small coffee table, a guqin placed on top of it. He had continued to play the song, even when he looked up to see his husband walk into the room. After entering the room, Wei Wuxian walked over to Lan Wangji, sitting down on the opposite side of the table, facing the other.

“You are not partying?” Lan Wangji asked in a low voice that matched the music beautifully.

“No, I don’t know why, but I feel like something is off.”

“What you said earlier?”

“Yeah, I feel more uneasy as time goes on.” Wei Wuxian placed his elbows on the table, staring at Lan Zhan playing the guqin. “However, I always feel more relaxed when I get to watch you play.”

Lan Zhan gave a hint of a smile, wrapping up the song. He then started playing the familiar melody that never failed to make Wei Wuxian smile.

Wei Wuxian hummed along with Lan Wangji. The harmony in their voices swept them both away. All of the anxiety Wei Wuxian had been feeling bled away, and Wei Wuxian wished even more that he had brought his flute. His humming couldn’t compare to playing the flute. The more he thought about it, he realized that he hadn’t been playing the flute as much lately. He would normally play the flute every time he exorcised a ghost, or often would take his flute to Lan Yuan’s school to play for the class. However, he had put most of it on hold in favor of hanging out at the little shrine.

“Lan Zhan, we need to go to A-Yuan’s class to play for them again.” Wei Wuxian whispered.

“Mm.” Lan Wangji hummed, finishing up the last of the song. With the silence in the room, it was easier to hear the small voice coming from the man on the bed. Wei Wuxian couldn’t make it out, but Lan Wangji was able to.

“That song is called WangXian.” Lan Wangji told Xie Lian, who had attempted to lift his head, but couldn’t move it more than side to side. Seeing his dilemma, Wei Wuxian walked over to him right as the door leading into the room opened. Two men that Shi Qingxuan introduced as Feng Xin and Mu Qing walked into the small room.

“Couldn’t you just have opened the door sooner?” The darker-haired male, Mu Qing, said.

“If you wanted to interrupt the music, you could’ve done it yourself.”

The arguing between the two continued as Wei Wuxian helped place some pillows behind Xie Lian’s head. It took a while of maneuvering and lifting on Wei Wuxian’s part to get Xie Lian back into a relaxed position. Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but be startled by the frailty the man was, especially since all the stories and praise Shi Qingxuan gave him drew him as a strong man who would overcome anything placed before him.

Xie Lian’s golden eyes fluttered open, meeting Wei Wuxian’s gray ones. The time paused as recognition hit Xie Lian, then worry, then finally panic.

“San Lang?”

The name drew everyone’s attention, especially the two friends that had stopped arguing at the mention of the name.

“Um…” Wei Wuxian furrowed his brows before looking at his husband, who didn’t show any signs of shock or confusion.

“San Lang, don’t argue… I don’t mind it…” Xie Lian’s hand twitched, before his entire body jerked and he screamed.

Chapter Text

The room was a flurry of movement. Feng Xin was the first to Xie Lian, trying to soothe him with his words. Mu Qing rushed to pull away the blankets that were slightly too close to Xie Lian’s face. Lan Wangji had jumped from his seated position to look through the clutter on the nightstand nearby, looking through different vials of medicines. He looked at Wei Wuxian, who was stunned by the sudden outburst.

“Wei Ying, grab Shi Qingxuan.” Lan Wangji said, louder than Wei Wuxian had ever heard him.

Wei Wuxian nodded, running out the door and back towards the kitchen. The sound of screaming had also drawn the attention of everyone else, who had grown silent. Shi Qingxuan had begun moving away from the table, which was covered in an assortment of desserts. He Xuan was still seated at the table, but he had stopped eating a piece of pie.

“What’s wrong with Xie-xiong?” Shi Qingxuan asked, as he followed Wei Wuxian back to the room.

“I don’t know. Xie Lian looked at me, said some things, then started screaming.” Wei Wuxian explained as the two entered the room. The flailing had turned into a seizure in the time Wei Wuxian had left. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were turning Xie Lian to his side, moving the pillows that weren’t directly under his head. Lan Wangji was still looking through the nightstand, looking at Shi Qingxuan.

“I think the nurse kept extra seizure medicine in the second drawer of the nightstand.” Shi Qingxuan answered his unspoken question. Lan Wangji opened the drawer to find a box, which he opened to reveal a vial. He swiftly removes the protective plastic and connects it to the IV.

There was no sound except for the small grunts as Xie Lian slowly started to calm down. His breathing was still labored, even after the shaking stopped, and Lan Wangji helped Feng Xin turn him onto his back.

“Why does it have to be him?” Feng Xin nearly growled, which sparked Mu Qing.

“I think we all ask ourselves that question. Why Xie Lian…?”

“Not Xie Lian!” Feng Xin snapped, smacking Mu Qing. “Why does he have to mention that fucker’s name? He is the one who caused all of this!”

“Feng Xin…” Shi Qingxuan tried to calm the other down.

“Why are you yelling at me as if it was my choice that they were dating?” Mu Qing retaliated, smacking back.

“Because neither of us could stop it. Stop this from happening.” Feng Xin gestured to Xie Lian before grabbing Mu Qing’s shirt. “I know you feel as helpless as I do!”

“Don’t determine how I feel!” Mu Qing shoved Feng Xin, and the two stood apart, glaring at one another.

Wei Wuxian looked to Lan Wangji, who didn’t seem surprised by all this information being dropped out of the blue. Wei Wuxian seemed to be the only one completely clueless to the information.

“I guess it was my fault, though I don’t know why he mistook me for a third son…” Wei Wuxian explained.

“A third son?” Shi Qingxuan asked.

“He called him San Lang.” Lan Wangji explained.

With the name Shi Qingxuan knew the entire situation, even analyzing Wei Wuxian. “Ah, I guess he does look like Hua Cheng. He probably thought he was here to visit him.”

Wei Wuxian was stunned as the others continued to talk.

“He doesn’t look anything like him!” Feng Xin glared at Wei Wuxian. “He is also a hell of a lot nicer than Hua Cheng.”

“But Xie-xiong still believes he is alive.” Shi Qingxuan chided. “He is stuck in the memories before the car accident.”

“I think that is what he was reliving.” Lan Wangji mentioned, and Wei Wuxian was finally able to snap out of his thoughts with the sound of his husband’s voice.

“Hua Cheng…” Wei Wuxian whispered before turning to Shi Qingxuan. “You know Hua Cheng?”

Everyone in the room raised their eyebrows, and Shi Qingxuan nodded. “Yeah, but how do you know him?”

“He died.” Wei Wuxian said, which didn’t answer the question nor enlighten the others of his thought process.

“Yeah, he died in that car accident that is also taking Xie Lian’s life!” Feng Xin yelled, causing the tense situation to immediately drop.

Before anyone had time to continue the conversation, Wei Wuxian bolted out the door. He heard quiet shouts from Shi Qingxuan and the others, but he didn’t care. For once, everything was making sense to him.

Hua Cheng’s special person is Xie Lian, and he is dying.

Wei Wuxian didn’t bother saying anything to He Xuan, who was walking towards the hallway from the dining room. He Xuan also didn’t stop him, which Wei Wuxian was grateful for. He was able to run out of the townhome without anything slowing him down. He only paused when he was half-way to the car and realized he didn’t have the keys. Lan Wangji had driven them, so consequently, the keys would be with him.

“Wei Ying?” In answer to his prayers, Wei Wuxian heard his husband’s voice, which conveyed the concern he had for Wei Wuxian’s sudden actions.

“Lan Zhan, I need to go to the shrine.” Wei Wuxian turned to Lan Wangji, who was standing on the porch. He seemed to read Wei Wuxian like a book, and pulled out his keys before walking over to him.

“Not alone.”

Wei Wuxian smiled. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Chapter Text

The worst day of Hua Cheng’s life was the day he died.

It wasn’t the worst day because he died; he never cared about his own life. He didn’t have much self esteem and he never saw purpose in his life. He had many moments where he wished he wasn’t born, just like his parents wished he wasn’t. So his own death was something he had always wanted.

It was the worst day because he had hurt his beloved.

Hua Cheng remembered the day he met Xie Lian. It was when he was entering Junior High School. He had spent the entire year being bullied for his eyepatch, since he wore it to cover his heterochromia. The day before, some other teens pried his eye open to see it, which was a stark red color. The severe bruising it left behind was a common, but still annoying occurrence.

There was an assembly from a team at the nearby High School. They came to perform a play about an ancient civilization that went through a war after a god had descended in an attempt to help. Hua Cheng didn’t initially care about the story, as it was a legend told by books, movies, and even a manhua. What drew his attention was the person who played the god.

He was magnificent, gowned in elegant robes and jewelry that reflected the stage lights. He had a beautiful dance sequence, where he was supposed to be exorcising some ghosts in a nearby town. His sword was swung with grace and precision, and it drew all gazes to it. The finale of the dance was also beautiful as he placed a lone flower onto the bridge leading to the town.

Hua Cheng knew that he was exquisite.

The first time they talked to one another was a few weeks later, when Hua Cheng decided to join the theater group. No matter what Hua Cheng tried to do, he couldn’t remove the thought of the flower crown martial god that had plagued his dreams.

At the first meeting, everyone around kept their distance, though none of them necessarily commented on his appearance. He was left alone, until the one he wanted to see walked in. He was wearing simple clothes, but his radiance matched his previous role of god. He met Hua Cheng’s eyes, and smiled at him. Hua Cheng almost died then.

“Are you new?” He had asked Hua Cheng. “My name is Xie Lian, and I am the president of the drama club. This is Feng Xin, who is the stage crew manager. Mu Qing isn’t here, but he is in charge of the outfits and decor.” After some silence from Hua Cheng, Xie Lian placed a soft hand on his shoulder. “It is a little intimidating at first, but you will start getting used to it soon enough.”

They got to know each other better the next few years as they put on productions. Hua Cheng was a natural at acting, and almost always filled the role of villain. Hua Cheng also became more popular, and was no longer bullied for his eye-patch. He even adopted the role of the drama club president after Xie Lian graduated. When he graduated, he was offered scholarships to multiple different colleges in hopes of joining a drama team somewhere.

But he refused them all in favor of being around Xie Lian.

Unlike Hua Cheng, Xie Lian wasn’t fortunate enough to get scholarships, so when his family’s business went under during his third year in college, he had to drop out. Hua Cheng had only found out from his friend He Xuan, who was friends with one of Xie Lian’s closest friends, Shi Qingxuan. He Xuan mentioned that they both had gotten a job at a coffee shop not too far away from where Hua Cheng was able to get a job. He would swing by to buy a coffee every morning before going to the bank to work as a loan advisor.

It was on a random trip to the coffee shop that he realized Xie Lian was in tears.

Hua Cheng talked with him for a while, learning that Xie Lian’s parents had killed themselves more recently after the failure of their business, and Xie Lian was alone. Shi Qingxuan had offered a room at their townhome, which is where Xie Lian lived. He would pay rent, and help care for the townhome while Shi Qingxuan was out of town.

It was during this conversation that Hua Cheng vowed to Xie Lian that he would never be alone again.

They started dating months later, after Xie Lian had confessed to Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng was devoted to Xie Lian, and the two were planning on marriage. They had their date planned, and even had rings made for one another. They were happy, and Hua Cheng felt for the first time in his life that he was glad he hadn’t ended his own life when he was younger.

—

That day was only unique in the fact Qi Rong accompanied them to a play.

Xie Lian had felt a responsibility for Qi Rong for the past few years. Qi Rong had been over at Xie Lian’s house many times as they grew up, and for many years, Qi Rong nearly worshiped the ground Xie Lian walked. Once the business failed, Qi Rong went back to his parent’s place, despite them being deathly ill. Xie Lian wanted to help Qi Rong, but any time he reached out to his younger cousin, he was cursed out.

That was what was happening during their trip back following the performance.

“You two were critiquing the entire set the whole time I couldn’t hear a fucking word from any of those damn actors.” Qi Rong complained.

“Well, we came to reminisce, not care for a spoiled brat.” Hua Cheng retorted.

“Oh and the simple fact that you fucking drooled at my cousin when he smiled during the dance of Tianyu Bridge. Gross.”

“If you are that repulsed, you are welcome to walk home.”

Xie Lian had attempted many times to end their arguments, but the two were too riled up to listen to him.

“You aren’t the one paying for this trip, so you have no fucking say over whether I go home on foot or not. You better bow down and kiss my feet that it was my mother that wanted to invite my shitty cousin along.”

“You are right, I shouldn’t have to babysit her son just to enjoy time with my beloved.”

“Please San Lang…” Xie Lian had rested a hand on Hua Cheng’s shoulder. “...don’t argue with him… I don’t mind…”

“Maybe you are both perfect for each other. One cursed dog-fucker with a failure of a man.”

“Take that back.” Hua Cheng growled, the urge to retaliate getting stronger. He kept his sight on the road though, trying to keep himself from swerving off the highway.

“Oh, did I hit a nerve? You know that Xie Lian was such a failure that he couldn’t even prevent the fall of the business he was supposed to own? Instead, he decided to continue pursuing a degree he was never able to get. How more can you fail before you die?”

Hua Cheng saw red, and there was no way Xie Lian could’ve stopped him. Hua Cheng hadn’t seen that the red was the stop light, rather than his blood pumping to his eye.

The last he remembered of that terrible day was Xie Lian’s cry as the car was hit by a semi-truck.

Chapter Text

Even though Wei Wuxian was in a rush to get to the shrine, Lan Wangji insisted that they grab Wei Wuxian’s flute and Lan Wangji’s guqin. Wei Wuxian wasn’t necessarily happy with the delay, but he also knew that it would be best to have it, given how Hua Cheng acted the last time he had visited.

They pulled into a parking spot at a nearby convenience store before walking the short distance to the shrine. Wei Wuxian was fidgeting, and it was only quelled slightly by Lan Wangji’s firm hand in his. On the way to the shrine, Wei Wuxian had told Lan Wangji the important facts regarding Hua Cheng, and some of the subtle hints the ghost had given. They had come up with a plan as well, both in case Hua Cheng started getting hostile, and in the rare case he would be willing to listen to them.

The two finally reached the shrine, and Wei Wuxian hesitated when he had reached out to the door. What did he hope would happen with this conversation? Did he want Hua Cheng to disappear?

This would be the first time Wei Wuxian actually hated the idea of exorcism.

He opened the door of the shrine and was met with the familiar sight he was used to seeing. An old shrine, somehow clean, with a simple small table for a shrine. On the shrine was the peony that Wei Wuxian realized was still the same one he had seen a few days ago. It was even wilted and starting to dry up, just as a flower that had been picked would be bound to wither.

“Hua Cheng, I need to talk to you.” Wei Wuxian called out to the small shrine, hearing his voice echo.

No response.

“I know Xie Lian, and I know what happened.”

No response.

Wei Wuxian sighed. “Please just talk to us, San Lang.”

As the nickname escaped his mouth, Lan Wangji pulled Wei Wuxian back as the whistling of a sword crossed the air in front of him. In a flash, they see Hua Cheng appear as silver butterflies start covering the room, nearly blinding Wei Wuxian. The scimitar was pointed at the two, and Hua Cheng’s face was full of rage and sorrow.

“Don’t call me that.” Hua Cheng snapped at Wei Wuxian, and it was at this moment that the exorcist realized that the sword was quivering. The solid red eye that rested in its hilt was crying.

“I wouldn’t have said it if you had shown up the first time.” Wei Wuxian retorted.

“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji gave a small warning to his husband, and still held a firm hand onto his arm.

Hua Cheng looked at Lan Wangji, scoffing at the two. “So now that you know my story, you plan to disperse me, is that right?”

“No!” Wei Wuxian was able to respond before Lan Wangji pulled him to the side, nearly avoiding another swing. In the same step, Lan Wangji pulled the case of his guqin from off his back.

“Wei Ying, play your flute.” Lan Wangji urged him as he proceeded to unclasp the case.

Wei Wuxian hesitated, even though he had nearly been sliced in half two times. “I brought him here because I promised I would let you meet him. I didn’t come here with the plan to exorcize you. I came here to talk to you, as one friend talks to another.”

“We are not friends.” Hua Cheng swung the sword towards him again, and Wei Wuxian debated moving to the side.

Instead of dodging it, Wei Wuxian closed his eyes. If he had moved, Lan Wangji would’ve been hit, and Wei Wuxian would’ve preferred being hurt than Lan Wangji. Besides, he was gambling on something.

A single note of the guqin rang out, and it wasn’t as smooth of a sound, but it worked the same. It repelled the blade back, stopping Hua Cheng from piercing Wei Wuxian. Another, more smooth note rang out, pushing back Hua Cheng. Growling in frustration, the ghost waved his hand forward, the butterflies swarming the two. Lan Wangji continued playing another note, dissipating the butterflies. The light in the small shrine dimmed to a degree that Wei Wuxian didn’t need to squint to see everything. He was able to make out Hua Cheng, who still held his blade. The more Wei Wuxian looked, the more he realized that Hua Cheng wasn’t as vibrant as before.

“He’s weakening.” Lan Wangji whispered to the point that Wei Wuxian barely heard it.

“We don’t need to exorcize you, because you are already fading.” Wei Wuxian stepped forward. “Your tie here is with Xie Lian, so you shouldn’t be here. You should be with him!”

Hua Cheng didn’t retort, simply looking away from Wei Wuxian and over to the flower.

Wei Wuxian took it as an invitation to continue. “I know he would want you there with him. He even thought I was you…”

“I am not worthy of seeing him.” Hua Cheng’s voice was barely above a whisper, which was the quietest Wei Wuxian had ever heard him.

“Since when is it about worthiness?” Wei Wuxian gritted his teeth. “If he loves you like you love him, he wouldn’t care about what happened!”

The shrine was silent, tension still high between Wei Wuxian and Hua Cheng. It was only when a sound of a guqin play that snapped them out of their stand-off. Wei Wuxian turned around to see Lan Wangji, who pulled out his guqin from the case and had it resting on his lap. He was playing the song that Wei Wuxian had heard earlier that day in Xie Lian’s room.

The song was still full of melancholy, and now that Wei Wuxian was able to think about the full story, he knew his husband had written this song for Xie Lian. No… Not just Xie Lian, but both him and Hua Cheng.

The song soothed away the frustration, guilt, and tension, leaving behind a sorrow for two souls that were suffering. Wei Wuxian felt tears linger behind his eyes, and as he turned back to Hua Cheng, he noticed that the ghost was over at the table, with the peony in his hand. Petals fell off and onto the floor of the shrine as Hua Cheng shakily kissed the flower.

The song ended with no additional fan fare, and everyone was in silence, waiting for what the ghost would do. The aggression was completely gone, and the ghost still held onto the flower.

“I will go see him.” Hua Cheng brokenly said as he turned to Wei Wuxian. “My connection is with this shrine, so you have to take this flower to him. I will be able to follow this flower, because it means more to me than this shrine does.”

He held out the flower to Wei Wuxian, who gingerly took the withering peony in his hands. It was almost completely dried up, and Wei Wuxian had a feeling that the flower wouldn’t be in good condition for too much longer.

Wei Wuxian looked up, but Hua Cheng had already disappeared. Filled with determination, he turned back to his husband, who had already started putting away his guqin.

Wei Wuxian sighed before smiling at Lan Zhan. “That went better than I thought it would.”

Chapter Text

“Wei-xiong, don’t do that to me!” Shi Qingxuan almost smacked Wei Wuxian as he entered the townhome, but stopped when he saw the flower that was resting in Wei Wuxian’s palms. “What is that for?”

“I can explain it in a minute, but I need to see Xie Lian.” Wei Wuxian walked in, followed by Lan Wangji.

Shi Qingxuan’s face fell. “He isn’t doing too well right now.” He led the two into the room. The door was open, but it didn’t help the room feel any less cramped. Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and He Xuan were sitting on folding chairs that were placed around the room. There was another chair that was vacant, likely Shi Qingxuan’s chair. Next to the bed stood a nurse, likely called in when Xie Lian had his seizure. He nodded to the two newcomers.

“Finally going to tell us what is going on?” Feng Xin asked Wei Wuxian, then noticed the flower. “You went outside to find a dead flower to bring him.”

“Quiet.”

The word stopped any other questions that were about to be thrown at them. Lan Wangji had that effect on people.

Wei Wuxian carried the flower over to Xie Lian, who’s breathing was barely visible. Since they had left, Xie Lian had become paler, which wrenched Wei Wuxian’s heart into knots. With the most care he could, he placed the flower on Xie Lian’s chest, then stepped back.

A single silver butterfly seemed to peel itself from the flower. It fluttered its wings for a short time before fluttering towards Xie Lian’s head. It rested on his forehead, and with it, Wei Wuxian could hear the voice of Hua Cheng.

“Dianxia, I am so sorry.”

Everyone in the room jumped at the voice. Feng Xin and Mu Qing bounced to their feet, looking around rapidly.

“Who was that?” Feng Xin demanded.

He Xuan was the one who had a small smile as he looked at the peony. “It’s Hua Cheng.”

“But he is dead!”

“Quiet.” Lan Wangji glared at Feng Xin, who almost appeared to have his lips sealed shut.

Mu Qing sat down, looking up at Xie Lian in quiet contemplation. Feng Xin eventually sat down, but he was clearly not happy about it.

“I had hoped we would be able to grow old together, maybe perform on stage like we had back in school. I even had plans to open my own amphitheater. I was saving for it, and I was planning on pitching the idea after our honeymoon.

“I don’t know if you knew this, but I was really mad at Qi Rong. I wasn’t thinking clearly, because I didn’t see the light. I was too busy raging at that waste of space that dared to insult you!” The voice was so loud that some of the listeners had to cover their ears.

“Because of that, you had to suffer. You had to endure pain I couldn’t even begin to understand. You had to live every day believing that everything was fine. That you weren’t disabled, that you were still going to work at that coffee shop…” The butterfly quivered its wings. “You had to live everyday thinking I abandoned you, even though I promised I would stay by your side.

“In the end, I couldn’t keep that promise.”

The room was deathly silent as everyone in the room waited for the next sentence. After a few minutes of silent fidgeting, Wei Wuxian saw the butterfly go over to Xie Lian’s hand, and for a short minute, he thought he saw a faint red string around Xie Lian’s ring finger.

“I promise I will never leave you again, just please, let me stay with you.”

It was only a few minutes later when Xie Lian’s heart monitor grew silent. The small butterfly disappeared in the chorus of tears and grief.

The only thing left behind was a wilted white peony.

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe that uncle would treat me so coldly after all that we went through the past week!” Wei Wuxian whined as he inspected his flute. “Just because I was playing it late at night, doesn’t mean he had any right to take it away when I was trying to practice!”

Lan Wangji hummed as he set up his own guqin. The two were back at the small shrine, which was slowly starting to fall apart. Since Hua Cheng left, the building was beginning to collapse from the old decay. Wei Wuxian guessed that Hua Cheng’s power had likely kept it from wearing down over the past few months. Wei Wuxian wouldn’t have been surprised if Hua Cheng had even used his powers to repair minor damages to the building.

“I mean, doesn’t he understand how important this is? He was being unreasonable.”

“Lan rule 354: ‘do not work past 9pm’.” Lan Wangji mentioned as he started tuning his guqin.

“I know…” Wei Wuxian whined, inspecting his flute closely. “I will say that Chenqing looks cleaner than it was before.”

Lan Wangji didn’t say anything as they simply listened to the guqin’s notes being tuned. After adjusting the strings necessary, Lan Wangji nodded to Wei Wuxian, who pulled his flute up to his lips.

A familiar melody rang out through the small shrine, one that was previously played here with only one instrument. This time, a flute added a melody that combated the minor key of the guqin. Instead of the song telling a tragic tale of loss and regret, it became a beautiful tale of love having been found, despite treacherous events. The finale was the bittersweet reuniting of the lovers, who had been alone for far too long.

The song wrapped beautifully, and the two stood in the silence left behind. There was the sadness left behind by the two who had gotten to know the couple. Despite the grief, Wei Wuxian smiled knowing that instead of being forcibly exorcized by him, Hua Cheng was able to get his final regrets off his chest.

“You have work.” Lan Wangji broke the silence, starting to store his guqin into his case. Wei Wuxian sighed, putting his flute back onto his hip. He waited for Lan Wangji to finish putting his guqin away when a flash of silver caught his eye.

On the table rested two butterflies, one made of silver light, while the other was made of pure white light. Wei Wuxian stood speechless, watching as the two butterflies flew off the table, circling one another in a beautiful dance. As they rose to the ceiling, they began to fade, until the two musicians were left behind.

Wei Wuxian smiled up at the dissipated remnants of the butterflies. “See you around, friend.”

—

“You know, I have to thank that old shrine?”

“Oh? And why would you thank that old place?”

“Because for so long, it was your home. Both before death and after.”

“It is just an old shack that I decided to stay in when I didn’t want to sleep outside.”

“But it means more than that for you. This is the place you found comfort in for so long, and it is what gave you a chance to recover from all of your troubles.”

“Hm… I guess that’s true, but I don’t need that old shrine any longer.”

“Oh?”

“It’s because you are with me. As long as you are here with me, I don’t need to hide in the shadows alone.”