Lan Zhan POV
Lan Zhan had been pushing away every thought pertaining to Wei Ying's injury until now. He couldn't bear the thought of that beautiful body being harmed in any way, but to see Madam Yu inflict the full wrath of her Zidian upon a meek and submissive Wei Ying...he had so many questions filling his mind.
Those silver eyes were watching him with a mixture of pain and concern, but only when Wei Ying lifted his hand to touch Lan Zhan's face, was he brought out of his spiraling thoughts. His eyes fell upon a forgotten bottle of powder, and he remembered the reason he had been looking for his husband-to-be.
Wei Ying had a lot of explaining to do.
Lan Zhan could not keep the sharpness out of his voice when he demanded it. But that single word brought fear into those lovely eyes, and for just a second, Lan Zhan regretted his tone.
"Wei Ying said, this is our safe place." Lan Zhan stared at him meaningfully, hoping to convey that mostly, to reassure this lovely man that he could say anything here, and it would be safe for him to do so. These words were gentler.
Wei Ying closed his eyes.
Lan Zhan hoped he wasn't falling asleep or pretending to, just to avoid this conversation, because Lan Zhan was not above shaking him awake right now. But just as he was about to reach for him, those silver eyes snapped open with determination.
"You're right. I did say that, and I meant it." He took a deep breath. "What do you want to know?"
There were too many things: why was Wei Ying being punished? Why had he not defended himself? Why was he keeping it a secret? And this one hurt the most, why had he lied in order to go to that woman in the first place?
Perhaps this would be easier to understand if he knew how it began.
"Start at the beginning. Why does she punish Wei Ying?" Lan Zhan kept his eyes on Wei Ying, but he let his fingers entwine with those sun kissed ones, wanting to offer his strength.
A part of him felt whole and connected through this small touch, as if it was a balm to the fear and pain he was suppressing until now. But he would not allow himself to examine his own feelings until Wei Ying told him everything. Years of meditation and discipline were coming in useful right now, so he could focus with a single mind.
"I...if I tell you everything...some of it, no...most of it is... painful. I don't want to hurt you, Lan Zhan."
There was desperation in those mercurial eyes, shifting between pain and worry.
Lan Zhan lifted their joined hands up to his lips and kissed the back of Wei Ying's hand. He watched the change, as those eyes burned with a silver flame. There would be time for that later, but right now, Lan Zhan wanted him to open up, to relieve his mind, and it wasn't getting across. He sighed internally, wishing once more that he had his brother's gift for loquaciousness. He searched for the right words, grateful for Wei Ying's patience with him.
"Wei Ying should say everything. Better for here," he placed a palm on that warm skin over his heart, "and here." He touched a finger to Wei Ying's temple.
Wei Ying rose up and climbed into his lap, pressing his chest against him. His arms wrapped around his neck.
"I can't do it if you're looking at me. Is this okay?"
It was more than okay.
"Mn. But...pain?"
"Huh? Oh, you mean my chest? Don't worry, your robes are cool and it actually feels great."
It did feel great. Lan Zhan wrapped his arms gently around Wei Ying's body, holding him closer. He could feel each of his heartbeats through his clothes, the reassurance that Wei Ying was alright, or at least that he would be.
"When I was younger, maybe ten or eleven, there was a situation in Yilling. The Burial Mounds, always full of resentment energy, were becoming unstable and the local farmers had petitioned our clan to help out. It required my parents to spend three days and nights trying to suppress it." He was quiet for a moment. "Lan Zhan...how much do you know about resentment energy?"
"That it is hard to control and has adverse effects on the body." Lan Zhan tried not to let it sound like a quote from one of the few books in the Gusu library. But the truth was, not much was known about it. Whenever he had asked questions for which no answers were found in texts, he had been discouraged to do so.
"That's mostly true. My parents knew that when they returned, they would have to meditate and call upon their cores to counteract the effects. In short, they preferred me not to be there then. So they arranged a summer vacation for me to stay in Yunmeng with Jiang YanLi and Jiang Cheng. It's how we became so close."
Lan Zhan could hear him taking deep breaths, as if preparing himself for what he was about to say.
"Madam Yu always hated me. It started on their training grounds. Jiang Cheng challenged me to a sword fight, and we had both just gotten our spiritual weapons, so we were excited. I kind of won. Like, really easily, and I thought he was doing it on purpose, you know, letting me win because I was a guest here. I didn't know she was watching."
Lan Zhan reached out to the table close by and poured out some water for Wei Ying to drink, holding it up to those beautiful pink lips. Silver eyes studied him all the while, before Wei Ying took the cup and held it for Lan Zhan to drink too. Then he resumed his koala bear hug. This time, Lan Zhan let his fingers sink into that glorious curtain of ebony locks, loosened from the grey ribbon still on the pillow. He began to knead and stroke, listening for any sign of distress, but there was only a deep sigh of relief.
"That was the first time she made me kneel in their ancestral hall. I didn't even know what I did wrong. I just remember her dragging me there by my arm, and Jiang Cheng looking angry about it. I think he tried to stop her, because after that, it got worse. She decided to punish me in private, and at the beginning, she would just say things about how useless I was, and just because I was the Wei heir, it didn't mean anything. But one time, I accidentally broke a vase. That was the first time....first time she used Zidian on my back."
Wei Ying sniffed.
Lan Zhan's heart broke for the little boy, all alone. Here, in this new place, without his parents, or anyone to save him from that monster.
"She said...she said if I told anyone, she would make sure to destroy my family, and I...I believed her. She said I was nothing, and since I was an only child, she could wipe out our entire clan by teaching me a lesson. She made it sound like she could, you know? I don't mean to be so scared of her, but I can't help it."
"Wei Ying is not alone. Not anymore." Lan Zhan told him firmly. He felt Wei Ying rest his cheek on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Lan Zhan."
Lan Zhan sucked in a breath.
"No need. Thank you is for strangers." But his heart was hurting for this young man, for the little boy so lost and confused.
"I know what you mean, but Lan Zhan..." he lifted his tearful face to look at Lan Zhan. "Nobody has ever stopped her before...before you. You saved me from her."
"Not fast enough." Lan Zhan wished he had been faster, had listened to the warning in his heart. He looked at the bracelet on his wrist... hadn't it gotten warmer when Wei Ying was in danger?
"How did you find me? How did you know to look for me there? Not many people know where her office is." Wei Ying asked, his bright eyes full of curiosity.
"This." Lan Zhan showed him his wrist.
"This? You mean your bracelet? How? What happened?" He sat up excitedly.
Lan Zhan missed the warmth from his body immediately.
"Hot..it was hot. And here." Lan Zhan put his own palm over his heart. "Had to find Wei Ying."
Wei Ying covered his hand with his own. He looked in awe at first their hands and then up at Lan Zhan.
"I still don't understand."
"I also do not."
"You don't?"
Lan Zhan shook his head earnestly.
"Maybe we can figure it out later. I'm guessing we have a lot to learn about these, and each other." He looked thoughtful.
"Madam Yu." Lan Zhan prompted him. It was best to get everything out now, all in one go. But he hated the change in Wei Ying's expression, the way the fear returned.
Lan Zhan poured more water for him, and Wei Ying drank it, and same as before, offered the cup back to him.
There was something both sweet and carnal about drinking from the same place their lips had been.
Wei Ying put the cup back and draped himself over Lan Zhan again.
"Afterwards, I learned that anything could set her off. I could breathe in the wrong direction, and she would get this look in her eyes. And it meant that once everyone was asleep, I'd have to go to her office."
"No more. Promise me." Lan Zhan pulled away so he could make sure Wei Ying wasn't lying.
Wei Ying stared at him for a few moments.
"I can protect Wei Ying. I will protect Wei Ying." Lan Zhan vowed, hoping it showed how serious he was.
"I...I believe you. Alright, Lan Zhan. I promise...I won't let her punish me any more." He smiled softly.
Lan Zhan laid him down and pushed his robe all the way off.
"Are you going to have your way with me now, Lan Zhan?" He shivered, waggling his eyebrows.
"Shameless!" Lan Zhan couldn't help being embarrassed at those words, or how much he wanted them to be true. But he dutifully pulled out his healing paste.
Now, when he looked at the wound, or what should have been one, he frowned. The skin looked a little red, but it was no longer weeping blood, or looking fiery and painful. He glanced at those silver eyes still hiding something...maybe that was a conversation for another day. He still had other questions he needed answering.
So he opened the lid and took out a dollop of the paste, maintaining eye contact all the while. He watched as Wei Ying swallowed hard, the tenseness of his body and the involuntary gasp as the cold gloop came into contact with his warm skin. Gently, in a circulating motion, he began rubbing the paste into that soft skin. His hands were warm, and there was something dangerous in those silver eyes, as need flourished within their depths. But Lan Zhan kept his focus strong.
His fingers massaged the skin, warming with the textured callouses, causing the younger man to relax fully. His eyes began to droop closed, and that's when Lan Zhan chose to speak.
"How do you feel now, Mo XuanYu?"