Lan Zhan POV
When they woke up, it was the beginning of a new day. Wei Ying woke up and yawned. Next to him, Lan Zhan was already awake.
The carriages were parked on the side of the road, and Lan Zhan couldn't help the slight upturning of his mouth at the cute sight of a bunny waking up right next to him.
They were alone in the carriage, XiChen having already left to check on their breakfast.
"Good morning, Lan Zhan." Wei Ying yawned and then almost absentmindedly reached up to kiss his cheek.
Lan Zhan felt warm all over, his ears heating up. Wei Ying snuggled closer, and Lan Zhan could feel a pull on his core, a quiet sort of happiness that came from deep within himself.
He thought back to their mind blowing kiss, excitement growing in the pits of his stomach, as goosebumps broke out across his skin.
Was it possible to feel like this? As if he was flying, soaring to the heavens whenever Wei Ying was so close to him like this. The feeling that something very powerful was growing inside of him, that thought kept popping up at random times, and yet all he could think about was the way those soft, pink lips felt when he kissed this beautiful man. How his heart had opened up with an intensity never felt before, not even when he had kissed his dancer.
He felt ashamed now, with Wei Ying practically in his lap, and him comparing kisses with the other man.
He should not be thinking about his, no, the dancer any longer. Now that he was engaged to be married to Wei Ying, no one else would exist in his mind like that. But wasn't it strange that the dancer had disappeared just like that? He was part of a troupe so it was quite possible they had travelled to another destination and the dancer had forgotten about him.
That last part made him feel sad. To be a forgotten memory in someone's mind...taken out and dusted off like an old book lifted from a high shelf. Wasn't that what he was going to do, too?
No.
Lan Zhan resolved to burn that book, no matter how tempting it was to look at. His whole attention would be to look after Wei Ying now, his husband-to-be. It would be grossly unfair to be with one man, while pining after another.
"I'm starving!" Wei Ying yawned again. "Should prolly get up and stretch my legs."
He stood up rather unsteadily, and Lan Zhan caught him before he fell down.
"Come."
Lan Zhan jumped off the edge of their carriage and took hold of Wei Ying's slim waist, effortlessly swinging him onto the ground in a display of shocking strength, lowering him gently so his feet rested next to him.
Lan Zhan thought it was adorable the way he blushed, burrowing into his side.
He spotted XiChen walking towards them, and alerted the man at his side.
"Xiongzhang." He murmured.
Wei Ying stood to attention immediately.
"Did you rest well, Didi?" He asked, pointedly ignoring the younger man.
They both bowed and greeted him.
"Mn."
"Then come. Breakfast is simple but adequate." He smiled at his brother, but it faltered when he saw their joined hands.
Lan Zhan didn't care. He had made his mind up that he was going to take care of Wei Ying, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
He walked past his brother, aiming for the fireside, and sat down in front of it, pulling Wei Ying next to him. He handed him a bowl of congee after spooning it out for him and then he filled a bowl for his brother, before serving himself last.
There was a shout from one of the carriage hands, and a bag of peaches was given to XiChen. He tossed over a couple before going to share them with the others.
Lan Zhan held the soft fruit in his hand, watching the way Wei Ying bit into his, the slurp of juices doing something to his insides, while he could not take his eyes off the delighted man sitting right next to him. A stream of peach juice leaked out from the side of Wei Ying's mouth, making its way down his throat, down...down into his robes, and all Lan Zhan wanted to do was rip those clothes off and lick him clean.
He thrust his own portion into Wei Ying's hand once he'd finished his own one, too riled up to eat now, but in doing so, he only added to his own torture.
Wei Ying was oblivious, enjoying his sweet treat, and Lan Zhan was having trouble sitting still.
Right next to him.
He tore his gaze away, looking at his brother, who was discussing something with Jiang Fengmian, while Madam Yu was speaking to her son, who in turn was scowling at Wei Ying, who hadn't noticed anything amiss yet.
A ball rolled up to them, surprising them both. They looked up to find a group of little children too scared to come and get it, pushing each other forward in the hopes of finding someone brave enough to retrieve their property.
Wei Ying was already wiping his hands in his clothes and standing up, even before Lan Zhan could pull out a clean handkerchief to give him.
He eyed it dubiously, until he realised why it was being offered, and then giggling, he picked up the ball and ran off to play with the children.
Lan Zhan would have continued to watch him, if not for the presence of his brother, who chose to sit in the place newly vacated by Wei Ying.
He had a serious look on his face and Lan Zhan knew what was coming.
He readied himself.
"Didi... this is the first chance we've had to speak alone."
His tone was accusing.
Lan Zhan ignored it.
"Mn. What does Xiongzhang wish to say?" He kept his tone as neutral as he could manage.
"Are you sure about this? You know what I mean. You do not have to go along with it." XiChen kept his voice low and his back straight, wary of being overheard.
"I have promised, Xiongzhang. This punishment...it is acceptable to me." He stated, unmoving.
XiChen let out a noise of disgust.
"Even if you're okay about all this, have you given a single thought to how this will affect our clan? How do you think they're going to take the news? Do you really believe the Elders are going to welcome him into our home with open arms? If you do, you're more naive than I thought."
XiChen stopped to breathe, lowering his voice further.
"We are at war with the Wei clan. Now you want to bring home the son of our common enemy, to live with us, eat with us, train with us in Cloud Recesses. I do not care how much you have been beguiled into thinking you have some sort of affection for him, you need to stop this, right now."
"I will not." Lan Zhan stood up.
What XiChen was asking him to do, it was causing him a physical ache in his chest. He just wanted to walk away, but XiChen grabbed his hand.
The familiar warmth, the trust he had always felt towards his brother, ebbed away, leaving just a lot of hurt.
"Xiongzhang...does not understand." He said quietly, before taking his hand away.
He had never actually been in a disagreement with his brother... this was the first time ever. He felt like a boat torn away by a storm from its safe harbour, left floundering in the currents of a chaotic sea.
Xiongzhang was always on his side, always knew how he felt. Always knew what to say to make him feel better. What could Lan Zhan do now? Now that it was the very person who always provided comfort causing his unrest?
Where could he go to ease his mind?
The sounds of children laughing loudly poured into his mind, breaking him free from his thoughts.
Up ahead, a child was asking Wei Ying a question.
"Gege, can anything be made into a weapon?"
"Of course!" Wei Ying answered confidently.
His answer made Lan Zhan proud.
"Even a rock?" Another kid asked before being pushed by another.
"Of course, silly! You just throw it!"
"What about a fan?" A little girl was holding her fan out to him.
The other children burst out laughing. The little girl retracted her hand, the look on her face as if she wanted to run and hide.
Lan Zhan frowned and resumed walking towards them.
Wei Ying was crouched down next to her, saying something that Lan Zhan couldn't quite hear. He watched Wei Ying wipe her eyes with the hem of his black sleeves, and Lan Zhan frowned, wondering why Wei Ying did not carry a handkerchief.
Then Wei Ying took the fan from her and stood in a fighter's pose. He stood with both of his legs about three feet apart, his right hand holding the fan slightly above his head. His left hand had two fingers folded and two pointing straight, together.
Lan Zhan did not want to interrupt his concentration, so he stood back and watched, mesmerized.
Wei Ying began to complete the Wei clan first form, usually performed either with empty hands or a sword, a sequence of twenty four moves, designed to stretch out every muscle in the body, to calm the mind and cleanse the heart.
Lan Zhan recognised his form from the basic training he himself had undergone whilst studying the fighting forms of all the clans and distinguishing between all the rest.
Every sect had its own style, and every sect thought theirs was the best.
But even as Lan Zhan watched, something about the way Wei Ying whirled and lunged, it was niggling away at him, like a phrase or word sitting on the edge of memory, wanting to be touched but staying out of focus.
Enraptured, his feet were bringing him closer and closer and suddenly, he was right there, caught inside the cage of Wei Ying's arms.