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lwjsbedtime · 1 year ago

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Spoiler from Loverain (roughly half a chapter). My draft notes say its part of Chapter 10, but it's realistically probably a bit further along than that. The really spoilery material isn't massive, but if you didn't pick up on the hints in earlier chapters, it might come as a shock.

JGY comes to visit without prior notice. It goes about as well as you'd think.

Just forewarning, this is very unedited.

----

Lan Wangji had little time to prepare before Madam Rui returned, their uninvited guest trailing blithely behind her. As they turned into the courtyard, it became increasingly obvious the man was a Lanling emissary. Even through the thick vegetation that hedged his quarters, the gaudy robes typical of the Jin clan shone blinding in the sunlight, swooping along the garden path like flames purging the land. Lan Wangji felt himself bristle. The Jins were, as a rule, not fond of his husband, and had little reason to pay their respects at a criminal's home. He could only imagine they were here to ensure Lord Wei remained under house arrest - which brought their involvement in his disappearance into question.

Lan Wangji may not have been privy to his husband's secrets, but he most definitely knew what would become of the Wei household should he be found missing. It was not a comforting thought, most especially for the women and elderly - of which the manor's staff was almost exclusively composed. However, Lan Wangji couldn't very well turn a visitor out without arousing suspicion, so he would have to come up with some excuse for his husband's absence. Mind racing to invent a solution, he almost winced as Madam Rui and the emissary rounded the line of plum trees by his inner gate, and he was met with a familiar face.

"My lord," Madam Rui greeted, ushering in their guest.

Lan Wangji nodded for her to leave, but to his ire she did no such thing, moving back to stand by the gate, head bowed and unobtrusive but for the intense glinting of her eyes. Assuming she had misunderstood him, and the matter could be dealt with later, Lan Wangji returned his attention to their guest.

"Jin Guangyao," he greeted, bowing his head just north of a respectful height - Lan Wangji may have no longer been a young master of the Lan Clan, but he was part of Lord Wei's household, and he had no intention of simpering before a Jin.

Jin Guangyao seemed to take his stubbornness in stride, and didn't comment on the disrespect despite his eyes flashing resentment.

"Wei furen," he greeted warmly, shooting a toothy smile Lan Wangji's way that almost made him flinch. He held it back by virtue of years of rigorous etiquette lessons, courtesy of his maiden clan. Still, it was a near thing. Though the Lans taught to look beyond appearances, Mother had told him to only trust in what he saw - and the image Jin Guangyao presented was extremely hard to stomach.

Beneath the grandeur of his robes, the man was frightfully hideous - all bone and deathly pale skin; milky, unseeing eyes set in a gaunt skull, with the lanky hair of a corpse. Having started out a rather average man, he was now not so unlike his father, or other Jin relatives Lan Wangji had met; so prone to feasting to fill the ache that consumption left within their souls. It was as though their greed had eaten them from the inside out, leaving but a rotted husk behind to bind them to the earth.

The only one of them that appeared somewhat normal was Jin Guangshan's official heir, Jin Zixuan, who was no beauty, but instead possessed a plain-faced charm that put Lan Wangji at ease. From the little he'd seen of him, he'd found Jin Zixuan quiet and fairly righteous, where his thoughts hadn't been led astray by the voices of his kinfolk. Frankly, Lan Wangji thought it a miracle the man had managed to live amongst such ghouls without yet contracting their disease. But then, some things were easy to avoid, when ignorance was at play. Unfortunately, Lan Wangji was anything but ignorant.

Before him, Jin Guangyao began to speak, lips stretched grotesquely wide to show the green-black rot that had eaten through his tongue. Lan Wangji had to swallow down bile, working past the nauseating feeling of disgust to understand the flurry of words he spewed forth from the festering wound of his mouth.

"I trust Lord Wei has taken good care of you." The man's dead eyes flickered down to his stomach and back, causing Lan Wangji's hand to twitch up, reaching to cover himself. The smile on Jin Guangyao's face turned lethal. "Being married suits you. Er ge will be pleased to hear you've settled well."

Lan Wangji's face spasmed, and he had to bite down on his tongue to keep from forbidding the corpse before him from speaking of his brother ever again. Why Xichen still entertained Jin Guangyao's companionship after he'd aired his concerns regarding the man's deceptive nature, Lan Wangji would never know. Though his brother claimed to judge people only by their merits, he sometimes thought being clan leader had made him too concerned with fairness, rather than what was truly just. Had Lan Wangji been in a position to swear brotherhood with Jin Guangyao, he'd sooner have ran to Yiling and married Lord Wei of his own volition than go through with it.

Even so, it appeared he would still have to entertain him. Instead of throwing the man out of his home as he ought, Lan Wangji gestured toward the small outdoor table A-Fei had taken the initiative to dress with tea and cakes. "Tea?"

That brittle, gnashing smile flashed his way once again. "How thoughtful. I would be delighted."

Together, they walked to the table and sat, with Lan Wangji positioned on one side, and Jin Guangyao around the other. Though Lan Wangji wished not to look at the eyesore invading his afternoon, the idea of sitting beside a Jin also made his skin crawl. Madam Rui remained close to his side, positioning herself little more than a hair's breadth from his left shoulder - though whether awaiting further instruction, or out of a penchant for eavesdropping, he couldn't be sure. Of course, she could have been spying to ensure nothing untoward happened between the distinguished visitor and her master's spouse, though Lan Wangji doubted that to be the case. Should he be so inclined, his lord husband was perfectly capable of spying for himself.

"I'm sure the tea must be delightful, in such fine company." Jin Guangyao's words were flattering, though the way his eyes curled up into slits suggested he was more excited to have Lan Wangji serve a man born lower than him, than any real interest in beverages. Sadly for him, the idea was only repugnant considering present company, and had nothing to do with rank.

Stiffly, Lan Wangji lifted his hands from his lap, jaw clenching in frustration. It would be so much easier if he could tell Jin Guangyao to leave. He'd sooner serve dogs than this odious excuse for company, not that he would ever let his distaste show.

Just as he moved to grasp the teapot's handle, a shadow fell over the table and another, broader hand came up to brush his aside. Stunned, Lan Wangji stared dumbly at the person that had dared intervene, as they picked up the pot. Its contents were shortly poured into the cup placed before Jin Guangyao, from a far enough distance that great flecks of water splashed up out of the vessel to splatter over the front of his impeccable brocade robes. Unable to believe the gall of this interloper to be so crass, Lan Wangji found himself speechless.

Jin Guangyao, on the other hand, looked up to meet the person's eyes, a strained smile stretching over his dry, papery face. "My thanks."

"No need, no need. Having friends over is always such pleasant surprise."

A familiar voice sounded from the intruder, drawing Lan Wangji out of his stupor. His head snapped up, gazing straight into the profile of A-Ying - A-Ying who was recovering from a broken leg, and bruised everything else; A-Ying who was meant to remain in bed until Lan Wangji deemed him fit to walk.

Unable to help himself, he hissed. "A-Ying!"

The man turned to him, flashing a wink before turning back to Jin Guangyao.

"Minister Meng," A-Ying began cheerily. "Or is it Minister Jin now?"

Jin Guangyao, who had been given his courtesy name almost a decade prior in a widely publicised ceremony, smiled with thin lips. As he opened his mouth to respond, the tea managed to splash up into his face, making his eyes flinch shut as it dribbled down his front. "...Jin, yes."

"Such an honour that must be, to finally attract your father's attention! Congratulations, Minister Jin," A-Ying goaded, with no sign of viciousness at all. Lan Wangji wondered if he ought to step in, before this tea turned into a brawl.

Before he could make a decision, A-Ying pulled the teapot upright, with enough force to wet the table before Jin Guangyao even further. From a glance, it became clear he'd overfilled the cup so not only would it be too hot to pick up, but would likely spill over the fingers of the one grasping it. If the man's lap wasn't already very obviously pooling with boiled water, he'd think it the most offensive part of the entire debacle.

Surprisingly, Jin Guangyao reached for the cup to gingerly hold it in his hands. "My thanks. My father is a great man. He has many worries."

A-Ying tutted and shook his head. "So great, I can barely imagine. And so busy he forgot he even had another son!" He sighed. "Ah, but of course, we can't all be lazy criminals. Some of us have to earn the title."

The tension between Jin Guangyao and A-Ying was palpable enough to make Lan Wangji tense, before A-Ying grinned and broke eye contact, leaving the other man to smile poisonously at the back of his skull.

"Lan Zhan!" A-Ying's attention shifted back to him, his mouth curved into a grin bright as the midday sky, as if he hadn't a worry in the world. His joviality knocked the breath out of Lan Wangji, and he found himself immediately, disarmingly incensed. How dare he? "Would you like some, too? It's your favourite."

Lan Wangji didn't question when A-Ying had come to know his favourite tea by heart, as the man began to pour - with infinite care compared to how he'd filled their guest's cup, and minimal splashing. He was too busy eyeing A-Ying's chest, where his breath came strong and even - for someone who'd only last week taken a sword through their sternum. Lan Wangji knew he wasn't well enough to stand, much less hover over a table, playing host to a person he seemed to despise.

He was about to excuse himself to put the troublesome man back to bed, when A-Ying thumped down onto the bench beside him, sliding the cup closer to Lan Wangji, a soft smile tugging at his lips. Lan Wangji glanced down to find that tea filled it a sensible two thirds full, before snatching it up with resignation in his heart, his ears colouring the hue of roses. When he picked it up, A-Ying's smile turned proud, and he sat straighter, with all the gravitas of a mortally wounded man pretending to be well.

Lan Wangji slipped one hand down to pinch him under the table - very lightly, on his uninjured thigh - to show his disapproval. He would be facing a very firm reprimand as soon as their guest departed. He immediately regretted giving in to pettiness when the shock of being touched caused A-Ying to jump in place. He turned to flash another rather indulgent grin Lan Wangji's way, his face colouring in what Lan Wangji could only assume was pain, before facing Jin Guangyao with a significantly dimmer expression.

"What brings you all the way to a traitor's home, Minister? Has the emperor sent another decree?" A-Ying's voice was melodic, though his eyes were sharp; caught between tension and anger. To the side, Madam Rui watched on with posture stiff. Until now, Lan Wangji had thought himself the only one to mistrust Jin Guangyao; it seemed at least two others had experience with the man's wickedness - he could think of no other cause for A-Ying's usual kindness to harden to spite. That, or he'd seriously misjudged him.

He glanced to their guest, worried A-Ying's combativeness would cause offence, but Jin Guangyao only dipped his head in acknowledgement, as if sheepish. "You see, there was a storm recently that waylaid my journey home. To avoid waiting it out, the driver suggested diverting to Yiling, as it was more convenient."

A-Ying laughed, the sound taut. "Very convenient, indeed! Though I'm afraid the weather isn't much better out here. Though, if you don't mind the storms, you'll find they're really quite magnificent."

"Really? How interesting."

"They're truly splendid. If you're lucky, maybe a bigger one will hit on your way back to Lanling," A-Ying offered with a smile. "Ah, but look at me interrupting! Why are you here, Jin Guangyao?"

Lan Wangji took a sip from his cup, dropping his eyes to the table to avoid rolling them. With that dark look on his face, and harsh temperament, anyone would mistake A-Ying for his lord. He sighed into his tea. Suddenly, a hand came to rest upon his thigh, giving it a hesitant squeeze. Lan Wangji stared down at it, feeling himself flush hot under the attention. He sincerely hoped Jin Guangyao hadn't realised A-Ying was taking liberties with him under the table, because the alternative would be to very obviously throw him off, which he wasn't yet incensed enough to do.

He looked up to find man's shrewd, narrowed gaze riveted to where A-Ying was pressed close to him, as if he found their closeness personally insulting, and felt his hopes dash along with his sense of humility. For some reason, the idea of Jin Guangyao's disgust irritated Lan Wangji more than the man himself. In an act of defiance, he placed his own hand atop A-Ying's, flinching when long fingers wrapped carefully around his own.

"Minister Jin?" A-Ying prompted, when Jin Guangyao continued to stare at them in silence. His voice seemed to startle Jin Guangyao out of whatever haze he'd been stuck in, and he smiled sweetly, a trail of green pus oozing from his decrepit mouth.

"I had heard Lord Wei broke seclusion, and came to inquire his whereabouts." He turned his smile to Lan Wangji. "And, of course, to meet with the brother of my good friend."

A-Ying's smile turned brittle, his grip tightening around Lan Wangji's hand. "Wei furen is not to speak to unrelated men."

Lan Wangji felt a shiver run through him as he restrained himself from snapping around to glare at A-Ying. Who was he to tell him whom he could or could not converse with? Only the warmth of the palm against his knee kept him from revolting. A-Ying was kind. No doubt, he wished to spare him the agony of Jin Guangyao's attention. Even if that wasn't the case, with the scene A-Ying seemed intent on causing, he had no wish to make it worse with his own protestations. Inhaling deeply, Lan Wangji sat back, directing his attention to the tea in his hand. He could, he supposed, act the part of a demure wife - so long as he wasn't expected to bend to another's whims always, it shouldn't hurt to be obedient.

As he drank, the conversation carried on around him. Though he was no longer expected to contribute to it - as if he'd had a chance to speak in the first place - he found himself listening, still, distrustful of the Jins' purpose in his husband's home.

Jin Guangyao acquiesced to A-Ying gracefully. "Of course. It was not my intention to overstep. I only know his brother worries for him." Both Lan Wangji and A-Ying tensed as the man pulled a thin parcel out from within his sleeve. "I have a letter for him, from er ge."

He then handed said letter over to A-Ying, much to Lan Wangji's ire. Jin Guangyao risked a glance to Lan Wangji, then back at A-Ying with big, wide eyes that would seem beseeching if they weren't so horrifyingly atrophied. "He's sent letters before, but they were never answered." He looked to Lan Wangji once more, expression the picture of innocence. "Perhaps they were lost on the way?"

This was all news to Lan Wangji, though he had no doubt any missing letters had less to do with lost post, and more to do with intentional theft. That Jin Guangyao seemed to be implying this was the fault of Lord Wei only made him suspect otherwise.

"Perhaps," A-Ying agreed with a stiff grin, no doubt offended by their guest's presumptions. Lan Wangji thought for a moment he saw his eyes glow red, before a passing cloud filtered the light, taking the bloody vision with it. A-Ying handed the letter to Lan Wangji without taking his eyes off Jin Guangyao. "As you can see, it's been delivered."

Jin Guangyao's eyes narrowed further, glimmering with pus-like secretions. "Er ge really did urge me to retrieve a reply fro-"

A-Ying interrupted him with the slam of his own cup upon the table's top. "Wei manor is capable of caring for its own, Minister Jin." He gestured towards the garden gate stiffly, causing Jin Guangyao to flinch back. Lan Wangji thought it ridiculous - even if he wanted to, A-Ying would likely topple before landing a single blow on Jin Guangyao's rotting face. "If that's all you came for, may I suggest you leave? It'd truly be a pity if another storm came to strike your carriage down."

His pasty skin turning a sickly green hue, Jin Guangyao laughed in reply, and rose. "Yes. How wise you are. And I trust this manor can survive the rain? I've heard most of the new employs are...foreigners. Surely, they wouldn't know how to make it through a sudden flood."

Lan Wangji was somehow not surprised to feel A-Ying tense beside him, and was canny enough to grip onto his waist, holding him exactly where he was. The last thing he needed was for his patient to die of overexertion, now that he'd recovered enough to pick fights.

"You're mistaken," A-Ying replied, looking as though he wanted to end Jin Guangyao then and there. "Minister Jin, you say 'foreigners' as if you think they might be corpses. Actually, the new hires are from further south." He laughed. "Strangely enough, their old lands were taken out by a flood. The weather is much worse down there, so I doubt a little piss of rain will bother them."

Lan Wangji swallowed down the scolding that wished to escape him at A-Ying's foul language, his throat feeling oddly tight and dry, so it was though he couldn't speak even if he wished to.

Jin Guangyao, however, had no such problem. "I see. That's good then."

By the pinched curve of his mouth, Lan Wangji surmised he was not truly pleased by A-Ying's dismissal, but no longer attempted to overstay his welcome. Rising to leave, Jin Guangyao nodded somewhere towards the middle of both Lan Wangji and A-Ying, as if unsure whether or not he wished to cause offence. "I suppose Wei furen's brother will be pleased to hear what news I have to share with him about today. Zewu-jun was concerned about his brother being mistreated in his new home. He'll be glad to hear that's not the case."

Jin Guangyao's smile was a threat, and Lan Wangji felt himself bristle. No doubt, whatever tale was spun to Xichen about this visit would end with bad blood between Gusu and Yiling. On instinct, his body moved forward, shielding A-Ying from view. Though the man would have brought it upon himself with his attitude, he could not bear to see him harmed, nor stand any threats against him. Ignoring the hand coming up to pull at his wrist, he stood his ground, offering a shallow bow to Jin Guangyao in farewell.

"Goodbye, Minister Jin," he intoned firmly, bleeding all the agitation out of his voice until his words rang monotone. A-Ying stood stiffly beside him, glaring knives at Jin Guangyao as if he could kill him with a glance.

Jin Guangyao held the stare for a moment, as if determining whether or not to assault one of Lord Wei's men upon his own lands. Eventually, it seemed he realised the chance of retribution was too high, and turned to leave. Lan Wangji watched as he was led away by Madam Rui, his eyes focusing upon something in the housekeeper's hand - something long and thin that just barely caught the light with each step forward, almost like a needle's point.

He briefly wondered about it. However, as soon as Jin Guangyao rounded the corner, A-Ying collapsed down to the ground, and Lan Wangji found his attention thoroughly diverted. He rushed to A-Ying's side, swallowing down a mix of fear and annoyance as he pulled the man to his feet.

"You shouldn't have walked," he chastised, steadying A-Ying in his arms, as he fought to push Lan Wangji away. "You are meant to be recovering."

A-Ying grinned blearily up at him, utterly unrepentant, though his brow was beaded with sweat from the exertion of moving.

"Lan Zhan," he whined. "Let me go. You're carrying enough weight."

As Lan Wangji held him, he felt the man's legs shaking, making his heart tremble in turn. He raised his hand to pat the sweat from A-Ying's brow, huffing as he leant into the the touch, like an excitable pet.

"Are you calling me fat?" he quipped, not moving away an inch.

A-Ying was shocked enough by his question to stop struggling. "Of course not! I-"

His mouth hung open and his brow furrowed as he realised he'd been tricked into obedience.

"Lan Zhan!" he complained, hiding his face against Lan Wangji's chest. "That's not very nice, being mean to me like that. I'm injured."

"So you know you're hurt," he said drily. "You shouldn't be here."

A-Ying looked up with a pout.

"He was annoying you," he supplied in his defence.

"Jin Guangyao is an annoying man." Lan Wangji sighed. "You did not have to push yourself for my sake. And you should not have offended him."

"Ah, but If I didn't come to the fair Wei furen's rescue, who would?" Despite his face growing paler by the minute, A-Ying winked. "He would have bullied you about Lord Wei's whereabouts until he got an answer he liked."

It went without saying, that would be an answer everyone living in Wei manor detested.

Huffing, Lan Wangji looped an arm under A-Yings knees, pulling him up into his arms completely. "I am not so easily upset."

A-Ying, whose face had turned a startling shade of crimson upon being lifted, for once had no reply as he was carried back to his bed.

When Lan Wangji set him down on the mattress, A-Ying seemed to be in some state of shock, blinking mildly as he was undressed from the single robe he'd managed to sling onto his body. Lan Wangji flushed a little, wondering what Jin Guangyao must have thought seeing a man come out of his quarters in such a state of undress in the middle of the day. He tried to put the thought from his mind, concentrating instead on running deft fingers over his patient's torso. When he reached his left ribcage, A-Ying flinched back to life, his hands coming up to grip around Lan Wangji's wrists.

"That tickles!" he whined.

Lan Wangji eyed him suspiciously, suspecting it felt much worse than a mere tickle.

"You need to be examined," he explained, frowning as he ran his palm back over the sore spot. A-Ying's breath stuttered, and so he snatched his hand away to avoid causing further harm. "Your rib has shifted. Resetting it will hurt."

A-Ying shot a wavering smile his way. "How can I feel pain when cared for by such a beauty?"

His ears heating, Lan Wangji shifted to rummage through the bedside drawer for gauze.

"Ridiculous," he murmured, but his heart wasn't in it.

----

After resetting the broken rib - an endeavour as painful as he'd suspected, judging by the tears in A-Ying's eyes, and indentations left in the block of leather-wrapped wood he'd been given to bite down on - Lan Wangji went on to reinspect every inch of his patient's body for wounds, cleaning any that seemed irritated, and reapplying a new layer of salve over the site before bandaging it over again.

To dull the pain A-Ying had brought upon himself, he worked on brewing another lot of healing tonic to help with rest. Unfortunately, even in agony, the man was unerringly stubborn, and refused to down the rest after a single sip left him grimacing in disgust.

"Isn't there a way to make this nicer?" he asked, shooting his watery eyes up at Lan Wangji. "It tastes so bad!"

Lan Wangji stared him down until he sank back into his pillow. "You have reaped what you've sown."

A-Ying whined again, but swallowed obediently when another spoonful of the potion was raised to his lips.

"I saved you from social niceties and this is how you repay me?" he grumbled, lips curling down in disgust at the taste.

"Mn," Lan Wangji agreed easily, putting another spoonful to A-Ying's lips.

A-Ying swallowed it, a pained expression to his face that turned into a spluttering cough. Lan Wangji leant forward to pinch his lips together, keeping the potion from being brought back up. A-Ying grunted, putting up a token protest, but ultimately swallowed. Once he was certain it'd all been downed, Lan Wangji let him go, a sliver of satisfaction creeping up his chest.

"Seems like bullying is all I'm good for…" A-Ying muttered darkly. "You really can't make it any sweeter?"

Lan Wangji hummed noncommittally. "There is a way."

As A-Ying opened his mouth to ask, he fed the last spoonful between his lips, the mixture apparently so foul it made the man gag. He shot Lan Wangji a betrayed look, though Lan Wangji steadily ignored him, busying himself with replacing the empty tonic bottle on the table's top.

Turning back to the bed, he bent to wipe a dribble of tonic from A-Ying's lips, where it had begun to escape down to his chin. A-Ying tracked his movements groggily, the potion already working to fog his pain and soothe him. Lan Wangji leaned closer still, dragging the pad of his thumb over the man's cheek. It was soft, and supple under his touch; warm, but not dangerously feverish. He leaned closer. A-Ying's eyelids fluttered rapidly, his eyes widening as Lan Wangji drew in on him.

When there was less than a hair's breadth keeping them apart, he hesitated, letting their breath mingle in the small space between them. Then, Lan Wangji ducked his head. His trembling lips brushed A-Ying's in the most chaste of kisses. Perhaps because it was his first - excluding the poorly executed mouthing instigated through his wedding veil - it overwhelmed him, making his heart jump in his chest, and his mind blank until the kiss had lasted for longer than Lan Wangji supposed was polite. Still, he was loathe for it to end. Reluctantly, he pulled back to find A-Ying looking at him with a dazed expression upon his face.

He stared up at Lan Wangji, his mouth working to produce words, yet somehow managing to emit nothing but startled whooshes of air.

"Lan Zhan?" he finally managed.

He searched Lan Wangji's face - looking for what, he did not know.

"A reward," he explained, voice hushed and soft in the hazy afternoon atmosphere. "To make the medicine sweeter."

The flush that spread to A-Ying's chest from his cheeks then looked so delectable it almost had him licking his lips. Lan Wangji pulled away, realising quite abruptly that he fell in love foolishly fast. That, or he must have loved this man for a long time already - perhaps since their first meeting, or even earlier still. There was no other explanation for the way he felt towards him now, save foolishness. He found he didn't mind it so much.

However, at his words, A-Ying's gaze - so wide and wondering - turned downcast, as if recalling something unpleasant. "Wei furen, you're married. I-"

Lan Wangji leaned down to kiss him into silence, a slight smile upturning the corner of his lip. It was just as pleasant as the first, he found. When he drew back, A-Ying looked so scandalised, laying on his back with hands crossed over his chest for protection, that he couldn't help but want for more.

"Recompense," he said. "I should have stopped you from speaking rudely to Jin Guangyao. He could have ordered you flayed."

A-Ying growled. "He could try."

"Mn. And in your current state, he would likely succeed," Lan Wangji agreed, kissing him for a third time.

This time, A-Ying jerked under him, turning his face away.

"Lan Zhan, I'm…I cannot betray my Lord," he muttered, sounding reluctant to Lan Wangji's ears.

Sighing, he pressed his brow to A-Ying's, so they were facing one another.

"Then do not." He murmured, linking their hands together atop A-Ying's chest. "You said my husband isn't a jealous man."

A-Ying spluttered under him. "That's not-!" He frowned, so deep his nose wrinkled at the bridge. "I take it back! Lord Wei is very jealous. Extremely jealous! If he heard someone else touched you-"

"Then do not tell him." Lan Wangji pressed another kiss to A-Yings lips before rising to walk towards the door. "I will bring lunch."

A squeak of protest followed him outside, where he found A-Fei already standing with a full tray in her hands, evidently having taken it upon herself to deliver lunch. By her flushed face, Lan Wangji gathered she'd been present for a while, listening to A-Ying's whining through the door. For some reason, he felt he should have expected this. Sending the girl a stern look, he took the tray from her hands.

"Discretion," he reminded.

She nodded quickly. "Y-yes, my lor- uh, Wei furen?"

Lan Wangji savoured the title for a moment, testing it in his mind, before he nodded in acceptance. With a quick curtsy, the maid turned, leaving him to watch the fluttering tail of her skirts as she ran away. Shaking his head a little, he returned indoors.

He walked back to stand beside the bed, finding A-Ying had already managed to drift to sleep. Likely, the potion had knocked him out so quickly due to the strain he'd put himself under by moving. Lan Wangji put the tray aside and sat beside him, watching his breaths to ensure they remained even in sleep. A-Ying's eyelids fluttered as he dreamt, his pinched brow smoothing out as the tonic worked to free him from pain. Carefully, Lan Wangji lifted a hand to press against his brow.

The fever he'd been concerned would set in earlier had gone down significantly, leaving his skin pleasantly warm. Relieved, for a moment Lan Wangji merely watched him rest, allowing himself to take in how truly handsome A-Ying was - his broad shoulders, a broad smile upon full lips, with brows and lashes so dark and thick they rivalled the night. His skin was a soft, even spread of honeyed gold, blessed by the sun's rays, and the apples of his cheeks were as red as any such fruit could ever hope to be. When he scrunched his nose, snuffling in his sleep, Lan Wangji huffed, a smile crooking his lips. Softly, so as not to wake him, he leaned in to press a further kiss to the sleeping A-Ying's brow.

This was when he glimpsed the letter from Xichen that he'd left on the low table in his haste to check on A-Ying. Curious, Lan Wangji retrieved it and brought it over to the daybed. As soon as he sat, he ripped the envelope open with the tip of his nail, slightly overgrown from a lack of trimming.

"Sleep well," he whispered.

His hands came to rest under the bump of his stomach as he rose to ready his own bed for a nap. It was early still - a little past wei shi - but carrying a babe was not kind on him, and he found himself exhausted.

He began to read the letter, feeling his expression grow increasingly complicated the further he went. By the end, he could only sit limply and ponder, his remaining strength having left him completely. It seemed, after half a year of living in a new home, with several months prior spent begging for a meeting to discuss his engagement to Lord Wei, Lan Xichen had finally decided to visit him.

----

Wwx(very retired): *swings feet up on table, knocking tea into JGY's face* Since I've been fired, I don't give a damn about anyone.

Jgy: ...

Lwj: 🥵🥵💦💦🥺🥺 *dies of lust*

Wwx: Except 🌸LZ🌸 He's mine. 😡

Lwj: *resurrects to fulfill his dream of being a lapwife*

----

Jgy: *is extremely handsome*

Lwj: 🤮🤮🤮 What the hell did you put in my salad? It's disgusting.

----

Wwx: No need to fear. Your husband isn't a jealous man. 🌸☺️🌸

Lwj: Okay. 💋💋💋