The Jingshi is in semi-darkness, and as Wei Ying enters, his eyes have to adjust to the dimness. He moves over to the cupboard where the candles are kept and lights one with a talisman. As the candle flares to life, throwing dark shadows across the room, he places it in a holder and goes towards the bed.
Lan Zhan is safely asleep.
Wei Ying places the candle on the stand next to the bed, and then he sits down next to his husband.
That word still gives him a secret thrill.
That Hanguang-Jun, the Second Jade of Gusu, Lan WangJi, is his husband.
That Wei Ying is married to the best person he knows.
And for all his titles, Lan Zhan offered his own name, his birth name to Wei Ying.
His first ever gift.
Watching Lan Zhan sleeping is like another gift, too.
Wei Ying is rarely awake to see this, and these moments feel even more precious.
Lan Zhan has the most beautiful face Wei Ying has ever seen. It's not just the wide expanse of his forehead, beautifully arching eyebrows that provide a canopy over the loveliest golden eyes ever to grace anyone's face.
It's not even his shapely nose, for as Wei Ying reflects, it could have been too small, or too large, or even bulbous. But Lan Zhan's creator was a true artist, having created such masterful elegance and beauty in one fatal swoop.
Wei Ying can recognise that he was gone for him; from that first ever moment of laying his eyes on Lan Zhan.
He still thinks it the strangest of oddities; how he had been living his best life among the lotus flowers and reeds of Yunmeng, and in a split second, the entire course of his life changed.
How the meeting of a single person could impact the map of his life.
His attention is captured by the smallest sounds of discomfort from the one lying next to him.
Lan Zhan's full mouth opens slightly, a whimper, a distressed noise, and Wei Ying is immediately covering his hands with his own, murmuring words to soothe and calm.
Who dares to interrupt his slumber? What could be brave enough to give Lan Zhan bad dreams?
"Wei Ying..." the words are whispered, as if the one saying them is distraught.
"I'm right here, my love." Wei Ying whispers back, his mouth close to Lan Zhan's ear.
It seems to do the trick as Lan Zhan's expression clears, and he truly settles back into a peaceful sleep, his face full of serenity and contentment.
Wei Ying smiles sadly as he begins to hum their song.
The only thing that could cause Lan Zhan to have a bad dream is ironically himself. His absence, to be exact.
And so he continues to hum and watch over his faithful husband, just to make sure that nothing else disturbs his rest for the remainder of the night.
***********
When Wei Ying opens his eyes, he is snuggled next to a firm chest, feeling warm and rested. Loving lips press against his forehead, and he smiles gently.
"How do you feel, my love?"
Lan Zhan does not answer. His mouth is busy tracing a loving path across a brow that is achingly familiar, a body that houses the love of his life. He doesn't know which good fortune he merited, to which of his previous lives he owes the good karma that gave him Wei Ying to love in this one.
But he does know he will be eternally grateful.
His lips kiss smoky eyelids sheltering diamond eyes that throw clarity everywhere they look, that hold all of the stars in the Universe with all of their brilliance in them, before kissing his way down a cute button nose, one that scrunches up like his favourite bunny.
Wei Ying is patient like this, letting him continue this marvellous exploration in his own time. Lan Zhan knows how hard it is for one who is constantly moving, to lie still and accept this reverential touch, a worship of his God. For what else shall Wei Ying be called, if not the master of his Soul, the challenger of his beliefs, and the guiding light of his life?
Lan Zhan doesn't care about names or outward beauty; he knows only this: he would willingly follow anywhere this wonderful soul will lead him.
His lips continue to seek, across soft cheeks that change shape as Wei Ying smiles, and patiently waits.
And then Lan Zhan, saving the best for last, kisses Wei Ying's lips.
The sigh that leaves their lips simultaneously is one of relief, of waiting for so long for something to happen, and then finally receiving it. It is the end of waiting, the culmination of penance, the reward of a gift.
Soft lips caress and slide and speak without words, an affirmation of love and all its different facets. The heated touch, of urgency and need, quickly escalates into something else, and the sweetness turns into a raging fire of desire.
Clothes are ripped apart, and love is given and explored, taken and basked in.
A different kind of appreciation, to see one's other half. The completion of a circle, like their golden cores are now a brilliant white, a perfect love.
It is only afterwards Wei Ying remembers that he had questions for his husband. (Still a wonderful thrill).
"My love...I can see and feel that you're better now. Any headaches? Are you well?" He asks, after catching his breath.
Lan Zhan is the one seeking warmth now, as his arms sneak around Wei Ying's waist and pull him closer. That lovely, fragrance which never fails to remind him of hot summer days and perfumed nights, of blue, cloudless skies and fiery sunsets, of evenings basking in the magic of twilight, a brief interlude until sparkling diamonds light up the night sky.
His Wei Ying is the epitome of life, of living one's best.
He does a quick inventory of his body and is surprised to feel extremely well rested and alert.
"I am well. Wei Ying?"
"Oh...I'm quite well, too. Except, I have some questions for my esteemed Jade." Wei Ying flips them around so fast, Lan Zhan has to hold on as their legs tangle in the sheets.
"Mn?" Lan Zhan is suddenly wary.
He saw the flash of red in those gorgeous silver eyes, and he thought about yesterday.
What exactly happened? Did he do something?
He's torn between curiosity and repentance. Curiosity wins, for now.
"So, I bet as usual, you don't remember much, right?" Amusement flickers on Wei Ying's face before he remembered the other thing.
"Mn. I remember drinking. And then just now." He smiles at the memory of kissing his husband. "But nothing in between. Did I do something...questionable?"
"Oh, yes!" Wei Ying can't help his excited reaction because this is a prime opportunity for teasing Lan Zhan. "But, we'll get to that later. For now, I want to know: who dared to send you marriage proposals? And when?"
YOU ARE READING
WangXian Forever Book 9: The Flower Demon
RomanceThings have settled down for our favourite couple and they're just getting used to living in the domestic bliss that Wei Ying always dreamed of. However, there is still the question of Jiang Cheng and his mysterious curse, the JingLing that can't re...
