[MDZS] My Dark Angel

Worry

Jiang Cheng watched as Wei Ying struggled to pick up his dizi which had fallen on the floor. "You're certain you don't want me to grab that for you?" he offered for umpteenth time.

Wei Ying was annoyed and sighed dramatically. "No! For the final time, I can grab it myself. I don't need help."

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. He knew his brother was struggling on his own on purpose. "I'll be leaving to my room then. You can struggle without me having to watch."

Wei Ying shot him a glare. He was only five months, and his belly was still small, but he had trouble bending over. "No one told you to watch in the first place!" he hollered at the other as they were walking out the door. Wei Ying was crying.

Lan Zhan, having heard his husband shout, ran into the room. When he saw Wei Ying crying, he immediately thought something was wrong with the baby. "Wei Ying. What happened?"

Wei Ying wiped his tears away. "Oh, Lan Zhan! I'm fat and clumsy! I dropped my dizi on the floor, but I can't bend down to grab it!" He cried into the other's robes. Lan Zhan picked up the dizi and handed it to his husband. More sniffles and tears left the boy.

Lan Zhan wiped his husband's cheeks with his thumbs. "Wei Ying is beautiful. Wei Ying is not fat. Love Wei Ying the way Wei Ying is."

Wei Ying felt a slight movement and rubbed his belly. "They don't seem to be growing much, do they? My belly was bigger than this with Mu-Mu." He poked at his belly and watched as the baby responded with a light kick. "Something feels off about this pregnancy. I don't know what it is, but I know there's something strange about it."

Qiru had checked up on Wei Ying multiple times, telling him there was nothing wrong. "All babies grow and develop differently. Some are born small, and others are born fat and plump. There's no need to worry about it. The baby is fine."

Wei Ying, however, couldn't shake the feeling something was off. He didn't have any cravings as he did with the others. He wasn't as hungry either. Maybe the healer was right. Maybe Wei Ying worried over it too much.

Lan Zhan bent down and laid his ear on his husband's belly to listen. He closed his eyes, listening to the fast-paced heartbeat and the sound of the qi flow. A small kick was felt. It was a bit weak. Maybe the baby was just calmer than the others had been. He felt his husband was right to be worried, but at the same time, the heartbeat and qi flow were strong.

Wei Ying's voice came from above him. "How long do you plan to listen to them, Lan Zhan? My back hurts." Lan Zhan stopped listening to attend Wei Ying. He accompanied the pregnant male to the bed. Wei Ying laid down on his side with his back facing Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan rubbed his husband's back, gently massaging him. "Mmm. That feels better. Keep doing it." Lan Zhan obliged. Soon he could hear light snoring coming from Wei Ying. He sighed. His poor husband was exhausted.

Wei Ying hadn't been sleeping much. He complained about cramps and how his back always ached. Qiru had prescribed some pain medicine, but it didn't seem to be helping. Wei Ying refused to stay in bed all day, instead preferring the back yard of the Jingshi where the rabbits were. He would even play their song at times on his dizi. However, none of that seemed to satiate his boredom, nor did it leave him happy. As the baby grew, he was unable to do most of what he was used to. As with his other pregnancies, he could only stay within the confines of the Jingshi. It didn't seem to stop him, however, and he went walking around all of Cloud Recesses anyway. It wasn't as if there was anything dangerous he could hurt himself with. Lan Zhan, being his worrisome self, made him stay around the confines of the Jingshi. Wei Ying was growing more restless as the days passed, and he grew more depressed for not being able to leave. At least he was thankful Lan Zhan hadn't tied him to the bed.

Wei Ying's moods grew progressively worse, until Lan Zhan snapped one day and left him by himself for an entire week. Needless to say, Wei Ying watched his words from there on.

On one particular day, he wanted to go to the library. Lan Zhan escorted him there. Two figures were chasing each other down the pathway. As they drew closer, the couple noticed they were Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng. Xichen was smiling away as always, only today he was glowing with happiness. Jiang Cheng was the opposite. He was angry at the sect leader for whatever reason. He wasn't watching where he was going and nearly ran Wei Ying over if it wasn't for Lan Zhan pulling him out of the way in time.

Xichen didn't seem to see them either as he passed by, walking gracefully at a fast pace. "Stay away from me, Lan Xichen! I'm warning you! If you kiss me one more time, I'm gonna break your legs!" Wei Ying rolled his eyes at the same time as Lan Zhan. They continued their stroll to the library. Wei Ying was happy. He walked around, reading all the titles, trying to find one which interested him the most. He finally found one. It's title read "Ancient Musical Scores". He opened it, flipping through the many pages of music, finally landing on one which caught his interest. He didn't recognize the lettering, however, and decided to consult with Lan Zhan on it.

Lan Zhan wondered why this particular piece fancied his husband so much, but proceeded to translate the title. "'Worry'. The title reads 'Worry'." Wei Ying found it fascinating. He didn't have his dizi with him at that moment, but he would play it next time. Lan Zhan took out Wangji, his guqin, and proceeded to play the score. It was beautiful. Wei Ying listened to it intently.

There was a stabbing pain in his head after only a few measures were played. Lan Zhan stopped playing. "Wei Ying! What's wrong?"

Wei Ying had his eyes clenched shut. "Lan Zhan...my head...it hurts!" He blacked out.

Lan Zhan: "Wei Ying. Wei Ying! Wake up!" He carried his husband to the Jingshi. He ordered a disciple to fetch the healer.

Qiru sighed. This boy was always having something wrong with him. Yet when he heard the story, he couldn't help but to wonder. He grew curious more so than before. He checked Wei Ying's qi. It was the same as before, so it baffled him as to why the song made him pass out as it did. "Look into this more. When you find out something, let me know. I feel something worse may be happening."

Lan Zhan nodded. Wei Ying's breathing became ragged. "Lan Zhan, it hurts! Do something! Help me, Lan Zhan!" Poor Lan Zhan. There was no way to comfort the boy at that moment. He could only try and keep his temperature down. Lan Zhan moved a few stray hairs from his husband's face. "Lan Zhan..." The pained cry broke Lan Zhan's heart.

Lan Zhan: "Wei Ying. Am here. Sleep." Wei Ying. I am so sorry. If I'd known the song would affect you in this way, I wouldn't have played it.

Wei Ying's eyes flew open, only they weren't their usual silver color. Instead, they glowed a deep red. Lan Zhan, for once in his life, was severely frightened.