[He follows the instruction, gripping his husband’s considerable length with a similar pressure to the demonstration. Has Lan Zhan always preferred a (relatively) light touch? It’s not like his usual touching is ineffective, but he’s curious.]
Just this? You’re sure it’s enough?
[He wants to move his hand faster or touch Lan Zhan somewhere else while one hand works Lan Zhan’s cock, but he persists because Lan Zhan rarely talks about his own wants. By the way Lan Zhan is breathing, he can tell that this is truly what he wants right now. It makes him smile because it’s rather adorable.]
Are you sure you don’t want more? What about this? [He leans closer and brushes his lips over Lan Zhan’s cheek.] Or this? [He pulls back enough to kiss his mouth. He’s testing the waters, trying to figure out what he can get away with and what Lan Zhan will respond well to.]
( There, his pretty siren answering the call, giving Lan Wangji precisely what he did not know to ask for — his sweet mouth, their tender kisses, a pace unbroken by wanton lust. He shivers with tension outpouring from his limbs, his back, barely contained within flesh that does so well to serve him.
His hands round on Wei Ying's hips, stilling him close while he deepens the connection of their lips. He feels on the cusp of relieved and overwhelmed, straddling an invisible line over which Wei Ying's grip slowly delivers him. A tendril of friction, a little more — he moans his greed in Wei Ying's plush mouth and spills with urgency between them.
After, he is long to exhale, to recover his bearings, leaning into Wei Ying as his crutch and hopelessly breathing him in. Too good. Too good by far. )
[He kisses generously, following Lan Zhan’s lead on how he wants to be kissed. He could kiss his husband for hours by how much he likes the simple pleasure of it. His tongue slips between their parted lips and explores his husband’s mouth. He feels warm all over and there’s a gentle stirring of his own interest.
He keeps kissing while Lan Zhan unravels from such a simple touch. Grinning onto the kiss, he keeps his steady pace because that’s what Lan Zhan likes, milking the pleasure until Lan Zhan settles, satisfied, after. He’s more surprised that such light touch brings him to completion than anything else.
He breaks the kiss only after he knows the aftershocks of orgasm are finished. He covers Lan Zhan’s face is a litany of little kisses. His forehead, nose, cheeks, lips again. All of it, before he sits back and smiles.]
What do you mean? You satisfied me well and you seem satisfied, too. [He lets go of Lan Zhan’s cock and wraps both arms around his neck again. He’s close enough that their noses touch a little.]
The only way I’d be disappointed is if you wanted to sleep uncomfortably hard or something. I’m just surprised is all. I thought you liked a firmer touch… if anything, I should apologize that we’ve been sleeping together nearly every day since we got married and I didn’t know that about you.
( They settle, the thought of languishing in waters tainted by their mess too dispiriting to idle long — before Lan Wangji studiously takes in the look of Wei Ying up close, yielding to fit the cup of his hands, their honeyed caresses.
He kisses Wei Ying again, only a crisp and unbidden peck, only a moment. His to claim. )
Not always. ( Soft, nearly bashful, unpolished. As if they are still children with much to learn about each other. Perhaps they do, both fundamentally innocent of the granular detail of how to bring the utmost satisfaction in bed. )
Today, it felt... wise. The alternative, too much after being inside you. ( He was breathless, overcome, maddened by a deluge of pleasure. Wholly profligate. )
[His smile twitches and he bites the inside of his lip so he doesn’t laugh. He feels relieved to know that Lan Zhan doesn’t always prefer a light touch because that means how they usually do it has been good for both of them.]
You’ll let me know when you want a lighter touch, won’t you?
[His heart stirs at how adorable Lan Zhan is when he’s being shy. He squeezes Lan Zhan close for a moment before moving back and stretching out his arms and upper back. His legs could really use a stretch but he lets Lan Zhan determine when it’s time to get out of the bath.]
You’re so interesting, Lan Zhan. I feel like I learn something new about you all the time. [Though some of that could be because he doesn’t always pay attention and needs to be guided.] You’re right about the pleasure and pain thing, though. Sometimes I’m so worked up it aches to be touched, but it feels good, too.
( He murmurs, pledging himself both for his own needs and Wei Ying's tacit reassurance. Of course they are men, grown men, survivors of war and creatures of passion. Of course Wei Ying and he have accidentally tumbled or enthusiastically bedded on every flattened surface that failed to oppose them. Of course they will have what they want, whether kisses or bruises, and Lan Wangji has on countless occasions claimed his husband to exhaustion.
But there are moments when they can have this: a slow unraveling, a gentle collision. When he can finally come up, crippled by the start of inertia, and call Wei Ying to him — and start them on the trickling path of exiting their bathtub and steering toward their towels, to dry. )
Do you always tell me when you wish to be touched in certain ways? ( Breezy, unassuming, for all some part of him doubts that he meets each of his lover's needs. )
[He complains in a series of whines and groans, but eventually lets his arms fall from his husband so they can get out of the tub. His legs feel sore and wobbly from being bent so long, but he’s able to remain upright when he finally stands up.]
You already know what I like.
[Does that mean he shouldn’t have the reassurance of being told? No, it’s only fair if they’re both upfront about it, otherwise one of them - Lan Zhan, in this case - will wonder if they’re doing things the other might not want.
He steps close to Lan Zhan and lets himself be pampered and dried.]
No, you’re right. If I want you to tell me when you want something different than our usual thing, then I can give you the same. [He stands up on his toes and kisses Lan Zhan’s lips. Just a light peck so they don’t stand around dripping wet for too long.]
It would be boring if we start planning every time we sleep together, but we can talk while we’re getting each other worked up. It’s nice to make love gently sometimes and it’s nice to have you throw me over the nearest surface and pound me to oblivion, too.
[Once he’s toweled off, he grabs the nearest towel to do the same for his husband. Washing and drying each other is just something that comes naturally to them. They both want to please the other before themselves, which is why he’d been so happy and open to listening to Lan Zhan’s wants. And why he chose to answer seriously instead of brushing it off.]
( His mouth, ever a telltale of his moods, crinkles and briefly sours at the fleeting mentions of pounding his lover into oblivion, when he has told Wei Ying repeatedly that even between the worst of their bruises — they make love. Vulgarity and dismissiveness do not suit their act. He begrudges it in principle.
Yet he holds unfailingly still, waiting for Wei Ying to finish both Wangji's toweling — gratefully accepted with a low nod — and his argument. It is fair, on both counts. )
I know which way Wei Ying's tastes turn.
( Never, in truth, to gentleness or delicacy, never to treating himself with sweetness. Wei Ying is for roughness, for pinning, for hunting, for throwing down. And Lan Wangji — )
[He can tell he’s misstepped and he thinks he knows what he said to upset Lan Zhan. He doesn’t apologize for it, but he does reprimand himself internally. Only he knows he’ll make the same mistake in the future. Censoring himself doesn’t come naturally.]
You don’t.
[He reaches up to cup Lan Zhan’s cheek.] I know I’ve called you boring before, and back then I thought you were a personification of the Lan rules, but you’re not boring now.
[One more little kiss and he lets go and moves to climb out of the tub. His foot slips, but he catches himself and looks down at the floor. The area near the tub is flooded and it’s spread out a considerable distance.]
At least we didn’t break the tub this time. [He drops the towel Lan Zhan’s used on him onto the floor. It absorbs as much as it can, but it’s not enough to make a dent in the puddle.]
( Ah, the mess his beauty makes. For someone so bereft the privileges of a young master, Wei Ying has ever prevailed to require complete and utter care. An entire household could be picking up behind him, and he would still make a mess.
Even now, once their toweling has completed, Lan Wangji puts down the cloth to wipe their waters, steering Wei Ying to make his way toward their bed where they can pick up fresh layers. It will do, for now. Wei Ying will do.
Taking his lover's hand, he guides them until they sit before their coffers where Yunmeng disciples have obediently already delivered Wei Ying's possessions and Lan Wangji has collapsed his smaller own. He ruffles through both his and his husband's bearings, ever at ease with selecting Wei Ying's garments as if he is a beautiful doll to please him: deep azure tonight, a beautiful transition between Wei Ying's loyalties to Lotus Pier and Cloud Recesses. A few meager white layers for Lan Wangji himself, only hesitating at the third round of silks — )
[He stays close to Lan Zhan and only makes a few casual attempts at helping with drying the floor before he’s walked over to their belongings. The water will evaporate on its own if they don’t bother with cleaning it thoroughly. Dampness is merely a part of life this close to the lakes.
He brings their hands up to his mouth to press kisses on each of Lan Zhan’s fingers. He watches as Lan Zhan picks through their clothes, curious to see what he chooses. Ah, the ones that look like the ocean. Blue and vibrant, and even he can see what Lan Zhan means by it. He gives the hand a little squeeze before letting go and hugging his husband from behind.]
It gets humid here, too. You’ll kick the covers off and push me away from you in your sleep or you’ll wake up sweating buckets. It’s only spring, so it won’t be too bad, but if we come in the summer even you will want to sleep naked!
[He rests his chin on Lan Zhan’s shoulder and squeezes him tight before letting go and taking the azure robe to put on.] As long as you drink enough water and don’t exert yourself too much, you should be fine. If you get light-headed, let me know and I’ll grab some for you.
( But they both know the truth of his fragility before heat, and he would be a liar and a fool to play pretend with proof so readily apparent. Leaning back into Wei Ying's touch he releases a punched-out sigh, tacitly resigning himself a few days' wretched malaise. Wei Ying's notion of won't be too bad will likely translate to conditions near infernal under Lan Wangji's diminished tolerance.
They will not, he pledges, come in the summer. Not unless Wei Ying is wholly welcome as a brother of the sect, greeted warmly by Jiang Cheng and those who follow him. Not unless he is restored in their graces and afforded every privilege. Not unless Lan Wangji, entirely begrudging but ever dutiful, must come collect him at the turn of the season from his travels in his ancestral home.
For now, his hands lock over Wei Ying's where they sit on the flattened span of Wangji's waist, desperately attempting to ignore the start of humid discomfort between them. )
We shall bathe both at night and morning. ( Perhaps this is why the locals so often take their dips in the lakes. ) And practise chastity.
[He does the smart thing, for once, and doesn’t respond to Lan Zhan’s claims about his fragility. He’s seen how grumpy and miserable Lan Zhan is during Gusu summers, so he’s expecting some amount of ruffled feathers at some point in their stay. It’ll probably concern Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling, or both of them.]
Did you say chastity?
[Lifting a hand up to his chest, he gives Lan Zhan his best scandalized pose complete with a gasp.] And leave your poor wife wanting? How could Hanguang-Jun be so cruel?
[He reaches over Lan Zhan’s shoulder and picks up one of the layers he’d set out for himself.] Do you have anything thinner? On second thought, maybe you should only wear one layer to sleep. [He drapes the robe over one of his husband’s shoulders.]
I’ll take you swimming tomorrow. It’ll help cool you down. It’s near the end of loquat season, but I bet we can find some in the markets.
( He is fleetingly stunned, watching Wei Ying's hands on drzwn silk as if he threatens the very foundation of Gusu Lan's precepts, the core of every virtue. And he says mutely: )
One... layer? ( As surely only courtesans and the free spirits of Yunmeng don. Surely.
He is still dismayed as Wei Ying speaks onward, promising everything he might have gladly delivered in his first lifetime, were Lan Wangji only helpfully more willing. How they both failed each other, unknowingly. How Lan Wangji regrets still. )
We may pace ourselves. I worry foremost for Liang. ( Though children, he supposes, are excused immodesty. ) He is not yet for lake dips. Perhaps if Wei Ying may devise a cooling talisman.
[He ties the sash around his waist loosely, leaving a plunging neckline that does nothing to cover most of his chest. It’s been a nice day out today and the weather is naturally coolest in the middle of the night, but come morning he’s sure Lan Zhan will melt if they’re not careful. He hadn’t been thinking about the weather when he’d made plans for this trip.]
You think so? Babies have an instinct for swimming. I’ve seen kids younger than him tossed into the water. Don’t worry, I won’t throw Lan Liang into the water!
[He sits down on the foot of the bed, legs spread out but his robe manages to cover up the important parts.]
I forgot all about those! I was working on them for a while… I’m sure I have my notes somewhere. I have a new idea for how to make them work that I wanted to test out. [He pushes himself off the bed again to go to his qiankun pouch to start digging around in it.] I think I can get it to work with a few alterations.
( Strange to watch Wei Ying indulge languidly in chatter, no longer possessed of the frantic energy that governs him when he assaults Lan Wangji at their end-of-day reunions in Cloud Recesses. He sprawls now, ungainly in ways Lan Wangji does not remember, immodest and irreverent and... easy.
It strikes him, not for the first time, what lingering under the tutelage of Gusu Lan costs his husband. )
You are more at ease here. ( He need not say, unlike home. Instead, he drifts to sit beside his lover, obediently composed, hands on his knees and their limbs studiously not touching to avoid the warmth of connection. )
[He thinks about that for a moment. This is the first time he’s felt welcome in Lotus Pier since he’d defected all those years ago and that most likely has a lot to do with his current state of comfort. And after his harrowing evening of cleansing and exorcising, it’s a physical and emotional relief to be done with it.
But then he realizes with a start that Lan Zhan is probably comparing him to how he feels at home rather than how he feels tonight specifically. He leans towards Lan Zhan, closing some of that distance until they’re shoulder to shoulder.]
I guess you’re right. It’s not just being in Lotus Pier, though. I’m feeling better. [He rests his head on Lan Zhan’s shoulder, closing his eyes to rest them for a moment.] After tonight, I feel like I’ve done something good. By releasing all those souls from ongoing torment, I feel like maybe my soul is lighter for it, too.
[But there’s no denying that he has a hard time being the perfect Lan spouse when they’re back home. He knows Lan Zhan doesn’t expect perfection from him, and he appreciates that, but he does feel some amount of pressure to follow the Lan precepts. At least, in public.]
( Mere moments prior, Wei Ying straddling him in waters, he had felt only connection, only affection, only comfort. Now, his husband collapsed on his front, Lan Wangji visits every prickle of inconvenience that sudden warmth may deliver, grumpily settling his gaze where his lover leans to rest his head on his shoulder. This... may prove a taxing sojourn.
For his part, at least, he can direct more of his attention to Wei Ying, ungainly stroking his back with his very fingertips to avoid an irritating bout of excess contact. )
This should not have been Wei Ying's burden to bear. ( But it was, with hungry inevitability. ) You have done well, my love.
( Certainly better than the man who did owe the spirits his apologies, his repentance. )
[He pats Lan Zhan’s knee a couple times and gives them both a little space. Something they haven’t needed during the long Gusu winter that seems reluctant to give up its icy grasp even through the first parts of spring. He might just be acclimated to his new climate, because the heat seems to be more annoying than he remembers this time of year feeling.
He stretches both arms above his head and flops back onto the mattress with a sigh.]
Lan Zhan, I’m tired but I want to try out that new idea I had for the cooling talisman. What do you think? Should I take… maybe an incense time or two to work? It’s a matter of sleep. If we go straight to bed, we can sleep longer but if I work for a little while, we have a chance to sleep better. You’re good at being the voice of reason, so what do you think?
[He kicks his feet idly and tugs on Lan Zhan’s sleeve. The more he stays horizontal, the more he’s going to have a hard time getting out of bed. If it’ll make Lan Zhan and Lan Liang more comfortable and let him sleep tangled up in his husband’s arms, it would be worth it.]
( The voice of reason, sorely tempted to coax his husband in his arms despite heat and humidity for another tumble, purely because, on his latest sprawl, Wei Ying showed an indecency of ankle. Ah, but Lan Wangji too is a beast.
He arms himself with moderation, nudging Wei Ying with a light knock of their elbows after his sleeve is tugged, before obediently starting to withdraw beneath their sheets. Another complication — further layering. This... will be unpleasant business throughout his visit. )
The cooling talisman, now. ( Let it never be said Hanguang-Jun is incapable of selfishness. ) Else you will don a widow's whites imminently.
[He half-rolls to the side to let Lan Zhan lift up more of the sheet. He’s already leaning towards staying up to work because he’s unlikely to be able to fall asleep when he feels inspired. It’s just better to spend the time working than laying around restlessly.]
And then I’ll die from heartbreak and Sizhui and Jin Ling would have to adopt Lan Liang.
[He sits up and climbs out of bed to leave Lan Zhan with the image of his nightmare future. He’ll work all night if he has to in order to keep it from coming to fruition. He knows Lan Zhan won’t really die so easily, but he knows his husband must be severely uncomfortable to request him to stay up instead of coming to bed. Or maybe he’s only worried about Lan Liang? Either way, his family needs him and he likes the feeling.]
Let’s see… I don’t know why I didn’t think about this before. But if pushing cold outward doesn’t work, I might be able to pull heat inward instead. I’ll be specific about how much heat so it doesn’t get too cold, but that shouldn’t be a problem.
( There is an element of pride, of chest-filling affection that overwhelms him whenever he watches Wei Ying at his work, holding nothing back. He is magnificent in his industry, the finest mind of his generation, a wizard of talismans. And maybe Lan Wangji's partisanship is entirely too saccharine, but he will abide no correction on this point.
Wei Ying withdraws to attend to his duty, and Lan Wangji spreads out in the bed, obediently casting the single sheet over him and intent to tolerate whatever indignity the heat throws at him — until the reassurance of Wei Ying's murmurs confirms it will be only a short inconvenience. )
My wife is brilliant. ( And softer, siren-like: ) If he completes his work, shall I wake him in my mouth or speared on me?
( After all, they are already in a land of wine and spices. The only rewards that Lan Wangji can offer are the satisfaction of Wei Ying's body. )
[Once his supplies are laid out, he starts sketching on regular stationary to draw out iterations of what he’s thinking. He strikes out the first two and leaves the third as is. It’s a relatively simple idea that uses the same concept he’d used when devising the spirit attraction flags. That’s only the first and easiest step. He also needs to regulate the strength of the attraction.
He hears Lan Zhan behind him and can’t help but grin at the proposal. He doesn’t like waking up early and he naturally sleeps in even if he does get to sleep early. But the exception is when Lan Zhan wakes him to sleep together first thing in the morning.]
Surprise me! If Lan Zhan wakes up feeling amorous, he should take me! If not, his mouth will probably lead to him taking me afterwards anyway.
[He ponders for a few moments, scribbling on his parchment again while he works out the strength of the effect. It’s not typical to limit the strength of talismans so this is where creativity meets science.]
( A well humored truth, this once honeyed. He has never failed to covet his husband's body, barring when Wei Ying was too exhausted to bear him, or their quarrels too fresh and tinted by anger to entertain. These circumstances, few and far between, pale before the unnatural hunger with which he has always welcomed Wei Ying in his arms.
Still, he must pretend himself composed, decent. His ardor manageable and readily controlled. He betrays himself neatly with the rise of a brow, the careful telltale announcement of skepticism. )
You have been wanted longer than you knew what it meant to desire a man.
( If there is one between them who has lacked in transparency in this, it has not been Lan Wangji alone. )
[He smiles at Lan Zhan’s words, briefly wondering if Lan Zhan’s steady sleeping schedule is the only reason he hadn’t seen or felt his husband’s ardor come every morning. His husband is truly insatiable, yet Wei Wuxian is the one that benefits from multiple orgasms more than half the time they sleep together while Lan Zhan rarely has more than one.]
So that’s why you want me to observe earlier sleeping hours. You’d be able to wake me with pleasure every morning. [He scratches out his current design and starts over again.] Would Lan Zhan insist on two baths per day even after going back home? I don’t know if I can take it twice a day! I wouldn’t be able to sit down.
[He feels the heat rising up his neck and cheeks at that last part. He knows he’s loved and wanted now and he realizes he must have been wanted when they were younger too, but he hasn’t thought so deeply about it. If he’d known how desired he was back then, would he have walked the same path? Probably, he would have just invited Lan Zhan to the Burial Mounds more than the one time they’d spent the day in Yiling together with A-Yuan.]
I have a lot of wanting to catch up to, don’t I? You’ll always have me beat, but I won’t make it easy for you!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Just this? You’re sure it’s enough?
[He wants to move his hand faster or touch Lan Zhan somewhere else while one hand works Lan Zhan’s cock, but he persists because Lan Zhan rarely talks about his own wants. By the way Lan Zhan is breathing, he can tell that this is truly what he wants right now. It makes him smile because it’s rather adorable.]
Are you sure you don’t want more? What about this? [He leans closer and brushes his lips over Lan Zhan’s cheek.] Or this? [He pulls back enough to kiss his mouth. He’s testing the waters, trying to figure out what he can get away with and what Lan Zhan will respond well to.]
no subject
His hands round on Wei Ying's hips, stilling him close while he deepens the connection of their lips. He feels on the cusp of relieved and overwhelmed, straddling an invisible line over which Wei Ying's grip slowly delivers him. A tendril of friction, a little more — he moans his greed in Wei Ying's plush mouth and spills with urgency between them.
After, he is long to exhale, to recover his bearings, leaning into Wei Ying as his crutch and hopelessly breathing him in. Too good. Too good by far. )
...I apologise if I disappoint you.
no subject
He keeps kissing while Lan Zhan unravels from such a simple touch. Grinning onto the kiss, he keeps his steady pace because that’s what Lan Zhan likes, milking the pleasure until Lan Zhan settles, satisfied, after. He’s more surprised that such light touch brings him to completion than anything else.
He breaks the kiss only after he knows the aftershocks of orgasm are finished. He covers Lan Zhan’s face is a litany of little kisses. His forehead, nose, cheeks, lips again. All of it, before he sits back and smiles.]
What do you mean? You satisfied me well and you seem satisfied, too. [He lets go of Lan Zhan’s cock and wraps both arms around his neck again. He’s close enough that their noses touch a little.]
The only way I’d be disappointed is if you wanted to sleep uncomfortably hard or something. I’m just surprised is all. I thought you liked a firmer touch… if anything, I should apologize that we’ve been sleeping together nearly every day since we got married and I didn’t know that about you.
no subject
He kisses Wei Ying again, only a crisp and unbidden peck, only a moment. His to claim. )
Not always. ( Soft, nearly bashful, unpolished. As if they are still children with much to learn about each other. Perhaps they do, both fundamentally innocent of the granular detail of how to bring the utmost satisfaction in bed. )
Today, it felt... wise. The alternative, too much after being inside you. ( He was breathless, overcome, maddened by a deluge of pleasure. Wholly profligate. )
Too much pleasure turns to ache.
no subject
You’ll let me know when you want a lighter touch, won’t you?
[His heart stirs at how adorable Lan Zhan is when he’s being shy. He squeezes Lan Zhan close for a moment before moving back and stretching out his arms and upper back. His legs could really use a stretch but he lets Lan Zhan determine when it’s time to get out of the bath.]
You’re so interesting, Lan Zhan. I feel like I learn something new about you all the time. [Though some of that could be because he doesn’t always pay attention and needs to be guided.] You’re right about the pleasure and pain thing, though. Sometimes I’m so worked up it aches to be touched, but it feels good, too.
no subject
( He murmurs, pledging himself both for his own needs and Wei Ying's tacit reassurance. Of course they are men, grown men, survivors of war and creatures of passion. Of course Wei Ying and he have accidentally tumbled or enthusiastically bedded on every flattened surface that failed to oppose them. Of course they will have what they want, whether kisses or bruises, and Lan Wangji has on countless occasions claimed his husband to exhaustion.
But there are moments when they can have this: a slow unraveling, a gentle collision. When he can finally come up, crippled by the start of inertia, and call Wei Ying to him — and start them on the trickling path of exiting their bathtub and steering toward their towels, to dry. )
Do you always tell me when you wish to be touched in certain ways? ( Breezy, unassuming, for all some part of him doubts that he meets each of his lover's needs. )
no subject
You already know what I like.
[Does that mean he shouldn’t have the reassurance of being told? No, it’s only fair if they’re both upfront about it, otherwise one of them - Lan Zhan, in this case - will wonder if they’re doing things the other might not want.
He steps close to Lan Zhan and lets himself be pampered and dried.]
No, you’re right. If I want you to tell me when you want something different than our usual thing, then I can give you the same. [He stands up on his toes and kisses Lan Zhan’s lips. Just a light peck so they don’t stand around dripping wet for too long.]
It would be boring if we start planning every time we sleep together, but we can talk while we’re getting each other worked up. It’s nice to make love gently sometimes and it’s nice to have you throw me over the nearest surface and pound me to oblivion, too.
[Once he’s toweled off, he grabs the nearest towel to do the same for his husband. Washing and drying each other is just something that comes naturally to them. They both want to please the other before themselves, which is why he’d been so happy and open to listening to Lan Zhan’s wants. And why he chose to answer seriously instead of brushing it off.]
no subject
Yet he holds unfailingly still, waiting for Wei Ying to finish both Wangji's toweling — gratefully accepted with a low nod — and his argument. It is fair, on both counts. )
I know which way Wei Ying's tastes turn.
( Never, in truth, to gentleness or delicacy, never to treating himself with sweetness. Wei Ying is for roughness, for pinning, for hunting, for throwing down. And Lan Wangji — )
I do not wish to bore you.
no subject
You don’t.
[He reaches up to cup Lan Zhan’s cheek.] I know I’ve called you boring before, and back then I thought you were a personification of the Lan rules, but you’re not boring now.
[One more little kiss and he lets go and moves to climb out of the tub. His foot slips, but he catches himself and looks down at the floor. The area near the tub is flooded and it’s spread out a considerable distance.]
At least we didn’t break the tub this time. [He drops the towel Lan Zhan’s used on him onto the floor. It absorbs as much as it can, but it’s not enough to make a dent in the puddle.]
no subject
Even now, once their toweling has completed, Lan Wangji puts down the cloth to wipe their waters, steering Wei Ying to make his way toward their bed where they can pick up fresh layers. It will do, for now. Wei Ying will do.
Taking his lover's hand, he guides them until they sit before their coffers where Yunmeng disciples have obediently already delivered Wei Ying's possessions and Lan Wangji has collapsed his smaller own. He ruffles through both his and his husband's bearings, ever at ease with selecting Wei Ying's garments as if he is a beautiful doll to please him: deep azure tonight, a beautiful transition between Wei Ying's loyalties to Lotus Pier and Cloud Recesses. A few meager white layers for Lan Wangji himself, only hesitating at the third round of silks — )
Will the heat be as abominable as you threaten?
no subject
He brings their hands up to his mouth to press kisses on each of Lan Zhan’s fingers. He watches as Lan Zhan picks through their clothes, curious to see what he chooses. Ah, the ones that look like the ocean. Blue and vibrant, and even he can see what Lan Zhan means by it. He gives the hand a little squeeze before letting go and hugging his husband from behind.]
It gets humid here, too. You’ll kick the covers off and push me away from you in your sleep or you’ll wake up sweating buckets. It’s only spring, so it won’t be too bad, but if we come in the summer even you will want to sleep naked!
[He rests his chin on Lan Zhan’s shoulder and squeezes him tight before letting go and taking the azure robe to put on.] As long as you drink enough water and don’t exert yourself too much, you should be fine. If you get light-headed, let me know and I’ll grab some for you.
no subject
( But they both know the truth of his fragility before heat, and he would be a liar and a fool to play pretend with proof so readily apparent. Leaning back into Wei Ying's touch he releases a punched-out sigh, tacitly resigning himself a few days' wretched malaise. Wei Ying's notion of won't be too bad will likely translate to conditions near infernal under Lan Wangji's diminished tolerance.
They will not, he pledges, come in the summer. Not unless Wei Ying is wholly welcome as a brother of the sect, greeted warmly by Jiang Cheng and those who follow him. Not unless he is restored in their graces and afforded every privilege. Not unless Lan Wangji, entirely begrudging but ever dutiful, must come collect him at the turn of the season from his travels in his ancestral home.
For now, his hands lock over Wei Ying's where they sit on the flattened span of Wangji's waist, desperately attempting to ignore the start of humid discomfort between them. )
We shall bathe both at night and morning. ( Perhaps this is why the locals so often take their dips in the lakes. ) And practise chastity.
no subject
Did you say chastity?
[Lifting a hand up to his chest, he gives Lan Zhan his best scandalized pose complete with a gasp.] And leave your poor wife wanting? How could Hanguang-Jun be so cruel?
[He reaches over Lan Zhan’s shoulder and picks up one of the layers he’d set out for himself.] Do you have anything thinner? On second thought, maybe you should only wear one layer to sleep. [He drapes the robe over one of his husband’s shoulders.]
I’ll take you swimming tomorrow. It’ll help cool you down. It’s near the end of loquat season, but I bet we can find some in the markets.
no subject
One... layer? ( As surely only courtesans and the free spirits of Yunmeng don. Surely.
He is still dismayed as Wei Ying speaks onward, promising everything he might have gladly delivered in his first lifetime, were Lan Wangji only helpfully more willing. How they both failed each other, unknowingly. How Lan Wangji regrets still. )
We may pace ourselves. I worry foremost for Liang. ( Though children, he supposes, are excused immodesty. ) He is not yet for lake dips. Perhaps if Wei Ying may devise a cooling talisman.
no subject
You think so? Babies have an instinct for swimming. I’ve seen kids younger than him tossed into the water. Don’t worry, I won’t throw Lan Liang into the water!
[He sits down on the foot of the bed, legs spread out but his robe manages to cover up the important parts.]
I forgot all about those! I was working on them for a while… I’m sure I have my notes somewhere. I have a new idea for how to make them work that I wanted to test out. [He pushes himself off the bed again to go to his qiankun pouch to start digging around in it.] I think I can get it to work with a few alterations.
no subject
It strikes him, not for the first time, what lingering under the tutelage of Gusu Lan costs his husband. )
You are more at ease here. ( He need not say, unlike home. Instead, he drifts to sit beside his lover, obediently composed, hands on his knees and their limbs studiously not touching to avoid the warmth of connection. )
Your smile is wider. You speak more readily.
no subject
[He thinks about that for a moment. This is the first time he’s felt welcome in Lotus Pier since he’d defected all those years ago and that most likely has a lot to do with his current state of comfort. And after his harrowing evening of cleansing and exorcising, it’s a physical and emotional relief to be done with it.
But then he realizes with a start that Lan Zhan is probably comparing him to how he feels at home rather than how he feels tonight specifically. He leans towards Lan Zhan, closing some of that distance until they’re shoulder to shoulder.]
I guess you’re right. It’s not just being in Lotus Pier, though. I’m feeling better. [He rests his head on Lan Zhan’s shoulder, closing his eyes to rest them for a moment.] After tonight, I feel like I’ve done something good. By releasing all those souls from ongoing torment, I feel like maybe my soul is lighter for it, too.
[But there’s no denying that he has a hard time being the perfect Lan spouse when they’re back home. He knows Lan Zhan doesn’t expect perfection from him, and he appreciates that, but he does feel some amount of pressure to follow the Lan precepts. At least, in public.]
no subject
For his part, at least, he can direct more of his attention to Wei Ying, ungainly stroking his back with his very fingertips to avoid an irritating bout of excess contact. )
This should not have been Wei Ying's burden to bear. ( But it was, with hungry inevitability. ) You have done well, my love.
( Certainly better than the man who did owe the spirits his apologies, his repentance. )
no subject
He stretches both arms above his head and flops back onto the mattress with a sigh.]
Lan Zhan, I’m tired but I want to try out that new idea I had for the cooling talisman. What do you think? Should I take… maybe an incense time or two to work? It’s a matter of sleep. If we go straight to bed, we can sleep longer but if I work for a little while, we have a chance to sleep better. You’re good at being the voice of reason, so what do you think?
[He kicks his feet idly and tugs on Lan Zhan’s sleeve. The more he stays horizontal, the more he’s going to have a hard time getting out of bed. If it’ll make Lan Zhan and Lan Liang more comfortable and let him sleep tangled up in his husband’s arms, it would be worth it.]
no subject
He arms himself with moderation, nudging Wei Ying with a light knock of their elbows after his sleeve is tugged, before obediently starting to withdraw beneath their sheets. Another complication — further layering. This... will be unpleasant business throughout his visit. )
The cooling talisman, now. ( Let it never be said Hanguang-Jun is incapable of selfishness. ) Else you will don a widow's whites imminently.
( And then chastity will truly be inescapable. )
no subject
And then I’ll die from heartbreak and Sizhui and Jin Ling would have to adopt Lan Liang.
[He sits up and climbs out of bed to leave Lan Zhan with the image of his nightmare future. He’ll work all night if he has to in order to keep it from coming to fruition. He knows Lan Zhan won’t really die so easily, but he knows his husband must be severely uncomfortable to request him to stay up instead of coming to bed. Or maybe he’s only worried about Lan Liang? Either way, his family needs him and he likes the feeling.]
Let’s see… I don’t know why I didn’t think about this before. But if pushing cold outward doesn’t work, I might be able to pull heat inward instead. I’ll be specific about how much heat so it doesn’t get too cold, but that shouldn’t be a problem.
no subject
Wei Ying withdraws to attend to his duty, and Lan Wangji spreads out in the bed, obediently casting the single sheet over him and intent to tolerate whatever indignity the heat throws at him — until the reassurance of Wei Ying's murmurs confirms it will be only a short inconvenience. )
My wife is brilliant. ( And softer, siren-like: ) If he completes his work, shall I wake him in my mouth or speared on me?
( After all, they are already in a land of wine and spices. The only rewards that Lan Wangji can offer are the satisfaction of Wei Ying's body. )
no subject
He hears Lan Zhan behind him and can’t help but grin at the proposal. He doesn’t like waking up early and he naturally sleeps in even if he does get to sleep early. But the exception is when Lan Zhan wakes him to sleep together first thing in the morning.]
Surprise me! If Lan Zhan wakes up feeling amorous, he should take me! If not, his mouth will probably lead to him taking me afterwards anyway.
[He ponders for a few moments, scribbling on his parchment again while he works out the strength of the effect. It’s not typical to limit the strength of talismans so this is where creativity meets science.]
no subject
( A well humored truth, this once honeyed. He has never failed to covet his husband's body, barring when Wei Ying was too exhausted to bear him, or their quarrels too fresh and tinted by anger to entertain. These circumstances, few and far between, pale before the unnatural hunger with which he has always welcomed Wei Ying in his arms.
Still, he must pretend himself composed, decent. His ardor manageable and readily controlled. He betrays himself neatly with the rise of a brow, the careful telltale announcement of skepticism. )
You have been wanted longer than you knew what it meant to desire a man.
( If there is one between them who has lacked in transparency in this, it has not been Lan Wangji alone. )
no subject
So that’s why you want me to observe earlier sleeping hours. You’d be able to wake me with pleasure every morning. [He scratches out his current design and starts over again.] Would Lan Zhan insist on two baths per day even after going back home? I don’t know if I can take it twice a day! I wouldn’t be able to sit down.
[He feels the heat rising up his neck and cheeks at that last part. He knows he’s loved and wanted now and he realizes he must have been wanted when they were younger too, but he hasn’t thought so deeply about it. If he’d known how desired he was back then, would he have walked the same path? Probably, he would have just invited Lan Zhan to the Burial Mounds more than the one time they’d spent the day in Yiling together with A-Yuan.]
I have a lot of wanting to catch up to, don’t I? You’ll always have me beat, but I won’t make it easy for you!
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)