The Untamed Oneshots / CQL / WangXian

Mafia's Mistake (Vol. 3)

The third instalment of the Mafia's Mistake series.
Jheril19, since you asked. Enjoy sweetie.

Lan Wangji knew the definition of fear. He knew fear existed. He just never associated the emotion with himself. You don't become the fearsome Second Warrior of the Gusu Lan Mafia if you allow yourself to be weak and afraid.

He bolted up the stairs after Wen Qing, eating her dust as she flew through the corridors, his brother hot on his heels until the trio entered the bedroom where Wei Ying was staying.

His heart stuttered, an injured bird fluttering its wings in vain to try and escape a predator. His breath caught in his throat, a choked sound forcing itself past his lips.

In that moment, Lan Wangji felt fear. It rushed over him like a crashing tidal wave of feelings that had lain dormant inside his core for more than a decade.

Wei Ying was thrashing on the bed, lashing out at the Wen siblings and battling against a foe only he could see. His eyes were scrunched shut, be it from fear or pain was a question no one had the answer to. The white button up shirt he was wearing (courtesy of Wangji and as such hung loosely around his smaller frame), was drenched in sweat and bloody rose petals bloomed on the front from his newly ripped stitches. But none of that came close to the screams that tore themselves from the boy's throat, raw and terrified.

Yes. Lan Wangji, the most notorious mafia leader apart from his brother that shot down rivals without so much as a second glance and made the mightiest of men grovel at his feet for mercy, was terrified.

Lan Xichen caught Wen Qing in a steadying grip when Wei Ying managed to knock both her and her brother back with strength born of hysteria. "What's wrong with him?" The serene blue mafia Jade asked, his kind expression clouded with confusion.

"He's completely out of it!" Wen Ning, the usually quiet soul, exclaimed as he got back up off the floor.

His sister scrambled through her medical bag, throwing out what she didn't need until she found a syringe and a bottle. "It's his fever." She explained as she extracted some clear liquid out of the bottle. "It spiked drastically and is causing him hallucinations. We have to knock him out, otherwise I can't treat him." She rushed to the boy's side and aimed for his arm, his thrashing knocking the syringe right out of her grasp and onto the floor. "Damnit!" Wen Qing cursed, kneeling to pick it up.

"We have to do something before he ends up hurting himself even more," Xichen exclaimed, stepping forward.

An idea suddenly came to mind. It was a long shot but Wangji was willing to try anything, anything, to keep this boy safe. To protect him. He owed him his life.

He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath...

Wangji began to hum.

It was soft, each word containing a ballad lilt. It spoke of youthful days and carefree smiles. A peony floating on the wings of the wind and bunnies hopping through green grass. Long walks on a summer day and wind chimes singing sweetly in the evening. Fond smiles and loving touches, meeting and parting. Wandering the world and finally coming home. Longing...and love.

With each note uttered, he stepped closer to the bed. The room had fallen silent, three gaping faces following his every move which he chose to ignore. His attention was on the only person that mattered. Wei Ying.

The boy on the bed visibly began calming down, his thrashing becoming less and less until they were only tightly clenched fists in the sheets and whimpering sounds.

Lan Wangji got on the bed and supported Wei Ying's upper body against his chest, cradling him near his heart as he hummed. Brushing his fingers over his fists, he marvelled at how they unfurled and fell limp. He gently rocked them from side to side, never faltering in his song.

Wen Qing let out a breath, murmuring so softly that even he had to strain his hearing to catch her words.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it."

When the song came to an end, Wei Wuxian was shivering but relatively calm. He leaned fully against Wangji, seeking the heat of his embrace and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Lan Wangji held out his one hand, not tearing his gaze away from the boy in his arms. He seemed so small, so fragile, as if the wind would come and whisk him away if they weren't careful.

"Give me the syringe."

A few moments later, it landed in his palm. He continued rocking Wei Ying, murmuring nonsense words of comfort as he took his arm and looked for a vein. The boy stiffened in his hold when the point breached his skin before going slack, the sedative taking effect.

Wangji rocked him until his breathing evened out and his eyes stopped searching behind his lids before ever so gently putting him back to bed. As he tucked him in and pulled the covers up to his shoulders, he whispered for only the younger to hear. "Rest well, Wei Ying."

Turning, his stoic mask was back in place when he looked at his brother. "This environment is not good for him. He needs a safe place to recover."

Cloud Recesses manor was the epitome of serenity and peace. It was also one of the safest places in all of China. But it was bustling with mafia members and that in itself was enough to make it dangerous for Wei Ying, because it made him feel scared.

Lan Xichen nodded in understanding. He knew his brother was attached to this boy in a way he's never been with anyone else. This one seemingly normal boy was enough to make his little brother feel, to make him show a spark of emotion right there on his face for all to see. Fondness, concern and dare he say a form of attraction? Whatever it was, he wasn't going to deny his baby brother any of it. He's suffered enough after the death of their mother. If he wants to help this boy, then Lan Xichen would stand by him every step of the way.

Wangji turned to the Wen siblings who were now worrying over the vitals of their patient, understandably so considering his fever was raging like the fires of hell. He cast a quick glance at the boy swimming in a deep sea of slumber before he made up his mind.

"Make the preparations." He demanded, earning him a sidelong look from Wen Qing. "Take him to your family hospital in Yiling."

I won't lose you too, Wangji thought to himself as he left the room. No matter the cost, he'd make sure Wei Ying recovered. He'd make sure to keep him safe.

He felt drawn to the boy he'd met on that fateful night. Drawn in a way that he cannot explain. He just knew that for whatever reason, he wouldn't be able to live without him. And if only for that, he would keep him safe.

Whatever it takes.