Dearly Detested: Grooms in Hate

Realisations

After being consoled by his sister and eventually having to leave due to Jiang Cheng's return, (the man made a fuss about how the person he was to visit was too preoccupied with his brother), Wei Wuxian went back to the Burial Mounds, the same sentence echoing in his mind and heart as he spaced out, "Do I love Lan Zhan? Maybe I love Lan Zhan. I think I love Lan Zhan. I love Lan Zhan!"

He thought back to all the things Lan Wangji had done for him over the past few days and the past few years. In retrospect, he had liked Lan Wangji since the moment he had laid eyes on him. The incessant need to want Lan Wangji's attention, to bask in his presence, to mean something to him had always overtaken Wei Wuxian, without him realizing why.

Only now did he realise it for what it was: love. But were his feelings reciprocated? Probably not. Jiang Yanli had told him that Lan Wangji treated him differently, but it was just because Wei Wuxian got on his last nerve. Lan Wangji only tolerated him, because he had to. There was no love between the two. 

"Wei Wuxian! Stop trampling on the potatoes!" Wen Qing called out from behind him, breaking him from his reverie. 

Great. Now he was confused about the state of his emotions as well as the potatoes. What a day!

He was also still in turmoil over missing his sister's wedding as well. The Wei Wuxian of the past, who could steal into Cloud Recesses, had died when he fell into the Burial Mound. All that was left was the shell of a man, barely holding himself together. He felt like he lost everything, his purpose, his sanity and his happiness, and even the newly found love to Lan Zhan was doomed to fail and make him more miserable.

Broiling in these thoughts, Wei Wuxian went back to his cave. There, he threw himself onto his and Wangji's shared bed, and started to cry. 

Months upon months of pent up emotions were laid bare, as he wept his eyes out. His fall into the Burial Mounds, the deaths he saw and fueled during the Sunshot Campaign, the people he killed to save Wen Ning, the spirits were all hounding him, holding him accountable. The resentful spirits had been promised revenge and Wei Wuxian settling down peacefully and quelling his urge to destroy were counterproductive to their mere existence. They wanted him to use these powers, get more vengeance and take over everything that had been taken from them. Settling down and forgiveness were not the way! 

Slowly, a tendril of dark energy rose out of the ground, without his knowledge, while all these emotions and voices flooded his head and out of his eyes as more and more tears. Then one more tendril. Then two more. Four more. Eight more. Soon enough, Wei Wuxian was surrounded by a cage of dark resentful energy. 

But he didn't know. After bursting like a dam, he had no energy left in him. Completely drained, he lost consciousness, unaware of his surroundings.

***

"Wei Wuxian! Stop it! Wake up!"

"Young Master Wei! Can you hear us?"

"Can anyone reach him?"

"If only those resentful tendrils stopped attacking us!"

When returning Lan Wangji could hear screaming and shouting in the distance. Hearing Wei Wuxian's name, his blood ran cold. He rushed towards the cave, still holding a sleepy A-yuan in his arms.

At first glance, the cave was completely empty, a little too empty, it seemed completely absent of any light. Getting closer, Lan Wangji realised that it was even worse, the mouth of the cave was covered with a thick, translucent film of resentful energy. 

"What happened?"

The residents of the Burial Mounds turned towards him, faces aggrieved.