Bring him home

Notorious Yiling Patriarch

    "How can that be," Lan Xichen says, utterly confused. Lan Zhi shakes his head.

    "I have never seen or heard of this before," Wei Ying looks overwhelmed, and everyone in the room seems to pick up on that just a bit. " I am sure there is a reasonable explanation for it, however," Lan Zhi says, bowing to Sect leader Lan and then the two brothers and lastly Wei Ying.

Everyone gives him a curt nod back. 

    " Food," Lan Zhan said just as Wei Ying's stomach rumbles. Lan Xichen laughs at the two. 

    " I will be back, you two rest,"  Lan Xichen says fondly. Lan Qiren follows silently, he might dislike Wei Ying a little less, but that does not mean he needs to lose face over it.

Lan Zhan's arms snake around Wei Ying holding him close to his chest. He feels a sense of calm wash over him when he holds Wei Ying. 

Wei Ying stops for a minute.

breathing 

blinking 

thinking

He just stops and lets Lan Zan hold him.

Out of all the places Wei Ying had ever traveled or seen, this was the place he missed the most. 

These strong arms. 

    "Wei Ying," Lan Zhan says finally. Wei Ying is startled by the deep baritone of his voice so close to his ear.

    "Hmm," Wei Ying hums. Lan Zhan's impassive face does not move one inch from its typical stone sheath, but Wei Ying sees something profound in his eyes.

    " Wei Ying, stay," is all Lan Zhan said, but Wei Ying understood one-hundred-percent, and he would comply with anything Lan Zhan asked of him. 

    " Don't worry, I won't leave," Wei Ying says, tucking a stray hair back from Lan Zhan's face. " You Lan Zhan are stuck with the notorious Yiling Patriarch," he said as the ghost of a shadow crosses his face.

    " Good," is all Lan Zhan says. Wei Ying lights up thinking that Lan Zhan wants it that way.

    " Think of the gossip the esteemed Hanguang-Jun befriends the notorious Yiling Patriarch," Wei Ying jokingly says. 

    " Marries," Lan Zhan says. Wei Ying looks up to Lan Zhan's face. Searching for the answer hoping maybe it would appear on his forehead. 

   "What," he says, waiting for Lan Zhan to laugh or show some other sign he was kidding.

    " The esteemed Hanguang- Jun marries the notorious Yiling Patriarch," Lan Zhan says. Wei Ying opens his mouth like a fish out of water. Then his cheeks go flaming red. Lan Zhan's eyebrow quirks at this new development.

Lan Wangji had just rendered Wei Wuxian speechless.

    " Be my cultivation partner Wei Ying," Wei Ying's eyes fill with unshed tears.

     "Oh, Lan Zhan, how can I be enough I have no core I can not give my spiritual energy to you when you fall ill I cann-" he is cut off by Lan Zhan's warm finger being pressed against his lips in a be quiet manner.

    " Wei Ying is amazing, Lan Zhan only loves Wei Ying," Lan Zhan continues, " Always has," he pulls Wei Ying closer. 

    " So shall we announce that as well," Lan Xichen says, walking in with a tray with food on it. 

Lan Zhan looks up with quirked brows, Wei Ying can not pull his face from Lan Zhan's white robes and sandalwood scent. 

    " Well, if I am to be quite frank, I thought you two had eloped," Lan Qiren said, pulling a sharp gasp from Wei Ying whose tear-stained cheeks bunched up sweetly as he smiled. Lan Qiren though he would never admit it out loud, was growing fond of the boy. 

No, he did not like him.

Not one bit.

Just a little fond of him, that's all.

    " Wei Ying, eat," Lan Zhan said as he picked Wei Ying up as he clung to Lan Zhan like a little monkey. It was then obvious how small Wei Ying was. How entirely petite his frame was. 

It scared Lan Zhan. He was worried, but it was whipped out of his mind when Wei Ying slid off of him and onto the floor less than gracefully as his backside smashed into the wooden floor. 

Thud.

    " Ouch," Wei Ying complained with his signature pout. But his stomach reminded him that he needed food. 

Wei Ying looked at his food funny. He had not had any food for seven years now. He was a little scared as to how his stomach would react to food. 

Hesitantly he lifted the food to his mouth. 

Just as bland as he remembered. Not like what food was like back in- his train of thought suddenly crashed. 

Jiang Cheng.

 What would he think? Would he seek him out to kill him? No, certainly, he would not attack him here at Cloud Recesses. He was close friends with Lan Xichen, right?

Suddenly there was a hand on his lower back. He snapped back into reality. Lan Zhan was looking at him with worry.

    " Ah, ah, sorry," he mumbled. Lan Zhan frowned. 

Well, actually, his face didn't really move. But to Wei Ying, he saw a slight difference in his eyes.

Wei Ying always thought he could read Lan Zhan a bit better than anyone around Hanguang-Jun just because he had grown up a-mist a bunch of rabid dogs. Dogs don't have facial expressions, but you can see what they are thinking in their eyes. So where others saw and expressionless Lan Zhan, Wei Ying saw the truth.

He realized he had spaced out again. The food was beginning to agitate his sensitive stomach. He winced. 

    " Full," Lan Zhan asked, looking at Wei Ying's half-finished rice. Wei Ying nods. 

Lan Xichen grabs the dishes and suggests the two rest a bit more. They both nod their heads, respectively. Lan Zhan helped Wei Ying back to the bed.

    " Lan Zhan," Wei Ying called, looking up.

   " Mn," Lan Zhan said.

   " I never said yes," Wei Ying replied, a  cheeky smile on his face.

    " Will you," Lan Zhan says, not breaking eye contact with the beautiful boy in front of him.

Wei Ying nods.

    " Of course, I love you, Lan Zhan."