The Path In-Between

Chapter 17: The Sect in the Clouds; The Lectures Begin!

Wei Wuxian cried out his dismay, pointing an accusatory finger at Lan Wangji, "You! Gah-my heart~ Lan-er-gege, my heart can't take this~" Wei Wuxian draped the hand previously pointing at his zhiji across his forehead, the perfect picture of a damsel in distress.

Lan Wangji huffed, "Ridiculous."

Had it not been for the way Lan Wangji's lips curled upwards before he turned his head away, Wei Wuxian wouldn't have known that his heart said something else.

Years ago, at this very place, two young men representing the prime of their generation met. One was a strict, reticent young man who lived with the rules of his sect carved into his heart. The other was an embodiment of compassion and chaos, the untamed hero, as kind as he was mischievous.

When they met, one was the keeper of the rules and the other, the breaker. They wielded their swords against each other for the first time, falling in love only to realize years later when it was too late.

They never clashed swords after the end of the lectures until the fateful siege.

Tonight, they were no longer young rivals with the intent of unending mischief or frustration. Tonight, they were kindred spirits. A love that began under the moonlight finally recognized the same night, years later.

Wei Wuxian watched from his reclined position, spinning Chenqing leisurely, as Lan Wangji rose from his side and gracefully stepped down from the roof to the ground. Wei Wuxian got up, making his way closer to the edge to see Lan Wangji looking up at him with warm expectation in his eyes. Lan Wangji reached out a hand towards him.

Wei Wuxian smiled, lips only slightly raised in melancholy, "What if I fall, Hanguang-Jun?"

Lan Wangji looked startled for a second. However, he seemed to see something in Wei Wuxian that Wei Wuxian himself did not understand. "I will always catch you, Wei Ying."

Lan Wangji was surprised by the question as it was out of the ordinary for a cultivator at the level of Wei Wuxian. When he looked at the younger boy above him, he saw that the smile on his face was sad and reminiscent of the time he spent with the Wen remnants in Yiling. He saw the vulnerable desperation in the boy's eyes and realized that his Shufu was correct. His Wei Ying had gone through too much alone. Lan Wangji wished to remind him that he was no longer alone. The Lans would protect him now.

And then, Wei Wuxian fell.

Wei Wuxian's body automatically braced for impact with the ground, memories of almost falling to death in another life invading his mind. Arms curling over his head and feet drawing closer to his body from instinctual habits that had built up since he had lost his parents and found himself stranded in streets surrounded by vicious animals and even more vicious people, Wei Wuxian waited for the inevitable harsh reckoning with the ground only to be surrounded by soft, billowy fabric and strong arms.

Wei Wuxian opened his eyes in delightful surprise, gazing up at the beautiful man who had all but gathered him into his arms like a cherished bride on their wedding night and began walking.

Silence was something that Wei Wuxian had been immensely uncomfortable with his entire life. As he grew older, he began understanding that silence was precious and rare. Resentful voices that sang stories of death and lullabies of anger accompanied him without relief throughout the war. The process of mastering resentful energy was exhausting and most do not survive it. There was a reason he was called the Grandmaster.

In moments where it became too much, he desperately wished for silence in his head, even to the point of death. With Lan Wangji, the companionable silence pervaded his mind and quieted the voices reigning chaos in his head. The treasurable moments were few and far-in-between as they stopped interacting quite as much after the war.