This story started as the XianWang one-shot for my friend Neha's birthday before I realised it had grown into a much longer story.
Neha asked me to write a story where Wangji stands by Wei Ying's side and stays there no matter what happens around t...
After the war, they thought things would finally settle down, but the reality was far from peaceful. Multiple conferences and celebrations were tiresome, especially with never-ending questions about Yin Hufu. There were voices that such a powerful artefact shouldn't belong to a person unaffiliated with any sect. As a result, Wei Ying snapped and accused Jin Guangshan of being a greedy bastard, acting like Wen Ruohan. It didn't bode well with sects. Then they started to question his close relationship with Hanguang-Jun. It wore him thin. Wei Ying was tired and sometimes wished to vanish from the earth's surface.
Wangji was growing worried about his soulmate. Especially when he noticed that Wei Ying was slowly distancing himself. First, Wei Ying decided it was safer to keep their relationship secret, despite him not having issues with being open about it. He loved him and didn't care what others thought about it. Lan Zhan was sure it was some misguided attempt to protect him, but he would rather go down with Wei Ying than keep his reputation.
Wangji kept watching him during the opening ceremony at Phoenix Mountain, trying to figure out what was happening inside Wei Ying's head. He was so distracted he missed a question directed at his brother. Wangji only realised it must have been bad when Wei Ying's face sank, and he slipped away.
"I'm sure Qin Su would make a lovely wife for Wangji," Xichen agreed, looking at him expectantly.
"Huh? I have no interest in women," he blurted out, then rushed after his soulmate, leaving everyone speechless.
Wei Ying found it hard to breathe, and before he realised it, his feet carried him into the woods. Far from everything... far from the person he needed to survive... the only person he couldn't have. Xichen's words kept echoing in his head, breaking his heart all over.
"Wangji has a bright future ahead, Master Wei. You wouldn't want to be the one to ruin it for him, right? You should start considering how your actions are affecting him. We both know, Wangji deserves a proper family. Can you give him that? I thought so. Why don't you leave him before it is too late?"
Then the sudden marriage proposal nailed his coffin. The life slowly disappeared from his eyes, leaving an empty shell of a man. He felt like nothing. A burden and stain on Lan Zhan's pristine image. It hurt like hell, but it was better this way. He didn't want to ruin Wangji's bond with his brother and end up like him... without family. All he had to do was to push him away and disappear, but his heart wasn't ready to lose his love... His ray of light that kept him alive.
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Wangji found him deep in the woods, sitting on a fallen tree. Wei Ying looked so sad and lonely that it broke his heart. Once sparkling with life, eyes were like bottomless pools of emptiness. It seemed like Wei Ying had given up on everything, but he didn't. Wangji made a promise, and he intended to keep it. Lan Zhan would stay by his side no matter what. He would fight for them till the last drop of blood. He approached him, firmly grabbed his hands, and gazed deep into silver orbs, but Wei Ying instantly looked away.
