WangXian Untamed

Chapter 26 - Alteration

5:00 AM. Again, no sense that Wei WuXian had moved at all during the night. Lan WangJi knew that he himself would lay back at 9:00 PM with his hands on his chest and awaken eight hours later in the identical posture. It had been so since early childhood. He also knew that he had never until the previous night known Wei WuXian to remain immobile all night, yet here again, it seemed he had not moved at all. Is it exhaustion? Simply from a poor sleep quality? If his sleep is disturbed, why does Wei Ying not move? wondered Lan Zhan. The Healer did say he found nothing needing treatment...

Lan WangJi rose, carefully slipping free of Wei WuXian, who lay without stirring. Unlike previous mornings, no arms grasped blindly as they sought a warm body suddenly missing. No legs scissored over the bed in search of missing limbs on which they preferred to lay. He arranged the pillow beneath Wei WuXian's head and tucked the covers gently around him, before turning to start his routine.

Lan WangJi tidied the room, removed the bath, and completed housekeeping details in short order, then he folded himself into his habitual posture to meditate until time for his husband to rise. Today he chose to bring himself out of his meditation early, so it was with a warm breakfast already on the table, that he went to awaken Wei WuXian.

Mmmm, nice, thought Wei WuXian sleepily, not really registering what was going on. Oh yes, very nice....

His eyes drifted open to see his husband's gentle face, lifting away from a kiss.

"Lan Zhan, to rise so early requires at least five kisses and you've granted only two," teased Wei WuXian in a soft and sleepy tone.

"Ahhh...." He sighed through another kiss. Raising sleep-clouded eyes to his husband's face, Wei WuXian stretched his lean frame and gave a lazy grin. "Come now, my love, surely you won't be cheap and hold back two more kisses?"

A gentle moan from this fourth kiss, as a shiver ran through him and awakened sensations that had lain dormant in sleep.

The fifth and final wake up kiss was given with all Lan WangJi's heart and soul and scorched Wei WuXian awake from the tips of his curling toes to the tingling scalp beneath Lan WangJi's hands.

"Oh!"

"Awake, Wei Ying?" Lan WangJi stepped away and took his place at the table. Wei WuXian swung himself up in bed and planted his feet on the floor.

"Lan Zhan! To kiss like that then walk away? How cruel you are!" Muttering imprecations about his heartless and uncaring spouse, Wei WuXian stood up... and was promptly shocked as his trousers fell about his ankles.

"Lan Zhan! You trickster! Did you undo my trousers to trip me?"

Lan WangJi looked at his husband in surprise. "No."

Reaching down, Wei WuXian realized the ties were still fastened. His mind not yet fully awake he stood a moment just looking, before he shrugged and pulled them up again, redoing the fastenings. "Whatever. I suppose I was careless dressing last night."

Breakfast was brief and the men began to dress for their day. After a few minutes Lan WangJi stopped and looked at Wei WuXian. He was sitting on the end of the bed putting his boots on, then taking them off to adjust his socks, then putting the boots back on again.

"Wei Ying?"

"Oh, it's just strange, Lan Zhan. I think the seams in these socks must be unusually thick. My boots feel tight when I put them on." Wei WuXian tried to adjust things another time or two, as he wiggled the socks about his feet and replaced the boots, before finally shrugging in surrender. "Well, no matter. They'll crush down soon enough."