Letting go of self-restraint 5 - Great happiness in a small package

Chapter 40

Note: This chapter contains a brief description of a panic attack, please be warned and proceed at your own discretion

Wei Wuxian was running ahead in the vast grassy field of the Burial Mounds. Lan Zhan was walking just behind him, keeping easily up with brisk steps. He could feel waves of pride and happiness coming from his Alpha and it was making his blush. He was glad he had managed to make his husband feel good instead of worried for once.

And he was excited about the night hunt as well. It would be his first one in more than two years, he could not wait. He was playing with his sword, weighing it in his hand and gripping the handle tentatively. He wanted to recall the sensation of wielding a weapon properly. Although he and Lan Zhan had trained several times since the decision to go on the night hunt was taken, it was never like the real deal.

"Lan Zhan, I am so excited to do this!" he chatted endlessly as he was skipping about. "I cannot believe it took me so long to come here. I have been such a fool. And Xichen and Brother Nie are so considerate to offer to take care of A-Yuan, he seems to be having a good time, I am jealous that we will not get to see it."

Indeed, there were never stopping child's giggles and excited laughter coming out of the talisman that was attached close to Wei Wuxian's heart. The knowledge that his son was safe and sound was making him completely at ease, he knew that if something happened, he would immediately know about it.

"Mn," replied Lan Zhan, making him smile more widely in anticipation, "we will play with A-Yuan plenty when we come back."

"That we will, Lan Zhan. And what if your uncle does not like all the ruckus, the Cloud Recesses could sometimes use a little excitement and liveliness."

The fact that his husband did not give any comeback to this, only the corners of his lips twitched, was agreement enough for Wei Wuxian. His plan for several following days was all set.

Suddenly, he felt a familiar chill envelop him, there were traces of resentful energy nearby. They were faint but unmistakable. They must have been approaching their prey. Wei Wuxian's heart started beating faster, preparing him for the upcoming fight. He immediately stopped talking and stood in place, trying to pinpoint the location of the resentful creatures.

"Lan Zhan, do you feel it?" he asked his husband even though he knew the answer already.

"Mn," Lan Zhan replied and readied his weapon. "This way."

Wei Wuxian did not need to be prompted and he followed his husband without any questions. He could feel it too. The resentful energy was way more potent in the direction up ahead. They were getting closer. He gripped his sword tighter and let his blood boil in his veins in anticipation. This was it, this was what made night hunts so exciting, and dangerous at the same time.

Wei Wuxian stopped abruptly on the spot and suddenly, all the heat left his body, leaving only ice-cold terror. Something was wrong, and it was not anything in connection with the night hunt. It was the silence. The talisman from which A-Yuan's giggles had been coming only a heartbeat back was now completely silent. Wei Wuxian felt panic creep on him and did not even notice that Lan Zhan was by his side, trying to tell him something. His body was frozen in fear, something must have happened to his baby.

His hand went automatically up to the talisman, checking if perhaps the supply of spiritual energy had not been cut, stupidly hoping that it would be an easy fix if that was the case. His mind was overwhelmed and he refused to believe the worst have happened. He felt hands shaking him but he could not find it in himself to care. All that was important was to know what happened to A-Yuan.

Wei Wuxian tried to turn on his heel and run back in the direction of the town. His fear was now becoming all-consuming, they were so far away from Yiling, he would never be able to make it in time!

However, as soon as he took only two steps, A-Yuan's voice was back like it had never disappeared in the first place.

Wei Wuxian could not believe it. His hand was now clutching the talisman so tightly it could rip any second. He would have fallen to the ground from the overwhelming relief he was feeling, be it not for Lan Zhan holding him up. It was only now that Wei Wuxian started also registering the world outside of his terrified mind. His husband was calling for him in their shared mental bond and at the same time, he was gently brushing away tears that Wei Wuxian did not know he was shedding.

He could still not understand what had happened but the fact that he could hear his baby again made all the difference. All strength was lost in his legs and he was dangling from Lan Zhan's soothing and pheromones filled embrace like a puppet with its strings cut. Slowly, his Alpha lowered him to the ground and sat him in his lap. He pulled Wei Wuxian's head to his chest and stated humming their special song while reassuring him ceaselessly:

"Wei Ying, it is fine. Nothing happened, please calm down. We have just reached the talisman's effective range, that is why it had stopped working. A-Yuan is perfectly fine, I promise."

Wei Wuxian gave out a loud sigh, recovering a part of his composure. He scoffed at himself and laughed wetly and self-deprecatingly. Why was he overreacting because of something so mundane? He had helped Nie Huisang tweak with the talisman, he should be the first person to know its effective range. He had just not expected to reach it in the middle of the night hunt, the possibility had never even occurred to him.

He snuggled closer to Lan Zhan and let his husband's calming pheromones and his child's happy laughter work their magic. His breathing was slowing down steadily as was his previous frantic heartbeat. His fear was being washed away with how much he was still sweating from his panic. It however still took a while for him to go back to normal and to let himself be completely soothed. The shock had been way too unexpected and sudden. 

A quick reminder here, Burial Mounds in this series are not the sentient terrible place from canon, just a vast waste land. I imagine it a little like wild wild west prairies and forest in those old western movies. So they are free to sit around as long as they want to without beign disturbed :)