Treasured Souls Part 3

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It was a beautiful day.

Sunshine warmed his face as XiChen walked to the one place he had no doubt of where his baby brother currently was.

Larks and songbirds called to each other, as butterflies fluttered on by, intoxicated with sweet nectar as they drank from one heady bloom to another. Fat and fluffy bumblebees danced merrily upon this narrow path rarely walked upon these days.

XiChen ignored everything in his haste to reach his brother. The double mahogany doors were slightly ajar, as he had expected. Sandalwood scent greeted him as he entered the Discipline hall.

It was bare except for a lone figure.

At the far end of the hall, he saw Lan Wangji kneeling, his back ramrod straight, arms outstretched holding the discipline whip in both hands. His devout brother was feeling terrible, regretting whatever he was misled into believing.

It reminded him of another day, another night in the snow...where again Wangji was being punished, and ironically also because of Wei WuXian that time too. There were moments when XiChen wanted to ask his brother if it was worth it. But that would just be a waste of words and the breath it took to say them out loud.

He knew what his brother would say, every time. And if it were not for the fact that he could see it for himself whenever his brother was around Young Master Wei, he would have asked this too silent question.

There was a kind of magic about them, how they gravitated towards each other without being conscious about the fact. How they needed each other even if neither could see it. Perhaps Wangji knew, to a certain extent, but Young Master Wei was gleefully oblivious to the true nature of their relationship.

"Wangji..." He said softly, coming to sit next to him. Where to start?

Lan Zhan remained characteristically silent.

"Didi...you don't need to do this. Young Master Wei told me what happened. He was joking when he...said things." Perhaps it would be better to tackle this in parts, XiChen decided.

"Joking?" Lan Zhan did not let go of the sticks.

Maybe this could be harder than he first thought.

"Didi...how much do you think Master Wei knows about..." Oh dear, this was not what XiChen wanted to get into...

However, he finally had Lan Zhan's full attention. As brothers, they never had a problem understanding each other. Sometimes, and especially when speech was frowned upon, they found they could communicate with a single look. Many a time, XiChen had discovered his baby brother had a sharp sense of humour, albeit hidden.

"Please explain." Lan Zhan lowered his arms, much to Xichen’s relief.

"Master Wei wanted to tease you, and it was supposed to be harmless...he is not aware of how seriously you would have taken such an accusation." XiChen cleared his throat, feeling his ears burning. "He meant to tease you by suggesting you kissed him when you visited the bunnies. That's it. Only kissing."

He did not miss the way those golden eyes widened, or the ears blushed.

"Wangji, you haven't done anything wrong, especially nothing to warrant this. You do not need to punish yourself."

Maybe not, Lan Zhan thought, standing up. But there was someone who should be punished instead.

"Maybe if you concentrate on talking things out with Young Master Wei, it will stop any misunderstanding from happening in the future." XiChen suggested, not missing the look in Lan Zhan's eyes. "And perhaps a deeper exploration of what you both expect from this...this relationship might help to clear things up."

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