The Light's Dark

Outing

Wei Ying whimpered softly in his sleep, Lan Zhan instantly moving to his side, his eyes not daring to move from the youth's sleep, wide with worry. Gently, Lan Zhan moved his hand out and traced the boy's face, humming their melody softly, closing his eyes as he felt Wei Ying's skin under his own...

He knew that Wei Ying had suffered. That alone was obvious, the screams that the other had given in the hotel...that would forever haunt him, and Lan Zhan knew that Wei Ying had a very long road to recovery before he was going to be able to even return to a somewhat normal existence. The poor boy had suffered...so much. He would do all that he could to alleviate as much suffering as he could. 

Lan Zhan watched as, under the influence of his melody that he had created, the boy began to settle, and he closed his eyes, breathing out softly in relief. It had been like this for three days. He had been watching over Wei Ying. At first, there had been slight worry from Lan Qiren that it was disturbing his sleeping patterns, but upon the realization that should Lan Zhan not be nearby the other would suffer he worst nightmares that even Cleansing would not help...his uncle was quick to relent. 

It was not as though it was new information, in Lan Zhan's eyes. After all...the hotel...Lan Zhan was still angry with himself for not suggesting he and Wei Ying room together. What had gotten over him? Because of that the boy had suffered. it had been a traumatic experience for Lan Qiren, and Lan Zhan doubted the other was even able to understand the beginnings of what had happened.

He may not want to admit it, but there was just so much that they simply did not know. They knew that the boy was able to handle resentful energy, and for some reason it did not seem to affect him as severely as it should, but it most certainly still affected everyone else around him. They did not know the details of what happened in the Burial Mounds, and Lan Zhan still had a bad feeling about this unknown mysterious person that had shown up during his time in the dungeons with Wen Chao.

He could not say that Wei Ying was lying, but he was not giving them the entire picture either. Something which Lan Zhan knew that, unless pressed, would likely never happen. One thing was for certain, Lan Zhan was not going to let the other boy out of his sights. He refused to make a mistake like the last time. He had been taken and despite their searching relentlessly they had not found him and now that he was here, there were so many things....Lan Zhan was grateful that they had just managed to find him...though he supposed that they had not necessarily found him, more like he had found them again, from his time....

He knew that Wei Ying was...different. He was no longer as carefree, there was a hardness around his eyes that had not been there before, there was a darkness that swirled within their depths, again, which had not been there before, but despite what others may say he was still his Wei Ying, and he would not trade that for anything. If all that he could do was be by his side as he slept and try to ease the other's nightmares throughout the night, then that was exactly what he was going to do.

"Lan..." Wei Ying paused, trying to clear his eyes, white blurring into blues before finally they cleared and settled upon the figure before him. "Lan Zhan," He said with a small smile, he moved his arm forwards, grabbing the young Lan's hand. "Thank you," He said. "Now sleep, please, we cannot have you being exhausted now." Wei Ying muttered softly. 

It was adorable, and very obvious that the other was half delirious with sleep. Lan Zhan knew that when the other woke up, he would probably regret his actions, but Lan Zhan was content to lay his head on the others stomach and close his eyes as Wei Ying held his hand in his own, and they drifted to sleep together. 

Lan XiChen...had not expected to stumble upon that very scene the moment he walked through the healing wards. Still, he could not say that it was a bad thing, necessarily, however Lan Zhan's quick attachment was...slightly worrying, it was obvious that Wei Ying cared deeply for Lan Zhan, and that was truly all that he could ever ask for his baby brother. 

He had always been worried for his brother, especially since their mother had died, and Lan Zhan was not all that great at...socializing. He would have to have a talk with Wei Ying about his brother, but that would have to wait until the other did not have resentful energy filling nightmares any night he was left without Lan Zhan. 

Besides, he had other matters to attend to at the moment. While he was loathe to ask this of his brother, he also knew that it was not good for Wei Ying's mentality to be shoved in the Cloud Recesses the entire time. He knew the boy well enough to know that, despite Lan Zhan's soothing affect on the other, sooner or later he would try and leave, and they needed to avoid that...very much so, and as such he had spoken to the healer about it. 

Though the Healer most certainly had reservations, Lan XiChen knew that it would be good for both his brother and Wei Ying, and as such, he had already taken the necessary steps. He had talked to his uncle about his idea for an outing, and as loathe as Lan Qiren was to allow such things, he also would not admit that he was actively worried for Wei Ying either, and as the Healer had already cleared Wei Ying for a day long outing to the nearby town, there was no way for him to complain and still manage to keep Wei Ying within the safety of the Cloud Recesses. 

It was better then waiting for Wei Ying to try and jump through the  barrier, was his own thoughts, and his Uncle and the healer had reluctantly agreed to that. Furthermore, Wei Ying was at the very least in better physical condition and also mentally he was more stable as well, even if his nightmares still persisted relentlessly. Lan XiChen would also be there to ensure nothing went amiss.