Lan Wangji was reading the offending letter again, already trying to find the right phrase for a resolute "absolutely the fuck not" to the demand in it when Wei Ying's contemplative words wiped all thoughts of annoying sect leaders from his mind:
"You would look so beautiful with our baby growing inside of you."
His brain, just a moment ago busy coming up with phrases, was suddenly as blank as the waiting paper in front of him. His whole body froze, unsure on how to proceed, as his mind tried to process what it had just heard. Had Wei Ying gone insane while he had been trying to keep his own sanity from snapping under the unreasonable demands of too many sect leaders?
"Just think about it," Wei Ying continued, clearly enjoying his reaction, or the lack of one. "I would have to fuck you over and over again, to make sure that it took. Then, some months later, your belly would be heavy with the child I put into you, reminding you of how much I love you with every movement. Maybe even every breath you take."
He still wasn't quite sure what was going on but he was starting to understand. He put down the annoying correspondence - today there would be no further work, he knew. He could already feel arousal stir deep inside of him, ignited by those scandalous words.
"Is this your way of saying it has been too long since you were inside of me?" he said as evenly as possible. Lan Wangji had taken out his frustrations on his very willing husband recently and maybe this was Wei Ying's way of telling him that it was time to switch things up again?
Wei Ying nodded enthusiastically and grinned brightly. "It's been a while since I fucked you, Lan Zhan. You can say it, you know? We've done it more than enough times that even you shouldn't be shocked by it anymore."
No, he couldn't. Even thinking about it heated up far more than only his ears with embarrassment - yet another reaction Wei Ying loved dearly and provoked as often as possible. Not even repeated and long-time exposure had managed to train Lan Wangji's body out of it, even though it had allowed himself to be trained into quite another few things by Wei Ying.
He set aside the last of the papers and writing utensils and allowed his posture to relax, as far as his growing arousal allowed him to. Wei Ying followed every movement as if he wanted to devour him on the spot.
"You're already getting hard just thinking about, am I right? I would splay my fingers over your stomach, feeling the bulge beneath. I would watch you grow large with our child inside of you and still fuck you every day. You would be so sensitive, open and wet, that I could just take you whenever and wherever I want. You would need silk padding to be comfortable in your clothes."
Lan Wangji allowed himself a dry smile at that. "Would I even be allowed to wear clothes in this little fantasy of yours?" Almost against his will he was intrigued by the impossible picture Wei Ying was painting for him.
For them.
To be a vessel for Wei Ying's pleasure, to carry their baby and not having to think about anything but when he would be taken the next time… it sounded far better than it had any right to, really. "Surely it would be far easier to just keep me naked if you want to have unrestrained access whenever you want."
They had played like that, a couple of months ago, over the span of two days when they knew they would be undisturbed thanks to a snow storm. It was one of Lan Wangji's favorite memories of their sexual exploits. To be available for Wei Ying to take, and Wei Ying being equally ready to receive him.
But not in this new fantasy, Lan Wangji realized. This time, Wei Ying didn't want them on equal footing. He wanted…
He lowered his eyes, only half in play, showing that he approved of the direction he suspected Wei Ying wanted to take this. "I would be honored to carry your child, Wei Ying." He licked his suddenly dry lips. "To be yours to do with as you see fit."
Wei Ying's eyes and smile lightened up even more the moment he realized Lan Wangji was more than willing to indulge him in this insane little scenario of his.
"Oh, but you're the Chief Cultivator, Lan Zhan. I can't hide you away from the world, even if I wanted to. You would have to reduce your workload by a lot, yes, and I would make sure that you do that, but I'm a greedy man, you know? Nobody but me would be allowed to see your naked body and eventually you'd have to enter seclusion to keep you and the baby safe."
Nobody but Wei Ying was allowed to see him unclothed even now but pointing that out would be futile so Lan Wangji stayed silent.
"But don't worry. I would be there for you. I would make sure that you're as comfortable as possible - thick padding between your legs, loose-fitting robes, hair put up simply because a headache could be dangerous for you in your condition and your usual hairstyle is so severe. You would be so sensitive."
Delicate, Lan Wangji heard and that was something Wei Ying had alluded to a couple of times before, but never as blatantly as just now.
Wei Ying wanted him helpless, dependent, fragile. His to control. All the things he wasn't but sometimes wished he could be, just to be able to let go of everything for a few precious moments. Oh, how he wanted, needed that - and his beautiful, wonderful, breathtaking husband had seen the signs and decided to give it to him.
Lan Wangji licked his lips and a moment later Wei Ying was behind him, wordlessly urging him to lean back against his chest even while his clever fingers undid the sash around his waist and found their way through layers of fabric to the skin beneath.
"You're so beautiful, my Lan Zhan," a hand splayed possessively over his belly and Lan Wangji shivered in the warm summer air. "I can already feel it. Can you feel it, too? The slight bump? Our baby, inside of you? The living proof of our love?"
The switch was so seamless that it took Lan Wangji a moment to realize that they had slipped from tantalizing possibility into full blown role-play.
It had been weeks since Wei Ying had taken him the last time, vigorously and multiple times, it must have happened then. He could still barely believe it.
He put his own hand over Wei Ying's.
"Yes," he said simply, still flushed. "I can feel it."
He felt so empty all of a sudden and wanted nothing more than for Wei Ying to fill him up. Fingers, cock, his essence - Lan Wangji wanted all of it, now.
"I need you, Wei Ying." He was barely conscious of the whine that had crept into his voice.
He was fully hard by now, trapped by his clothes and couldn't wait for Wei Ying to get him out of them and take him.
"We tried so hard and it took so long for you to conceive," Wei Ying murmured directly into his hear while gently squeezing his hip. "I'm afraid I'll hurt you or the baby if I fuck you while you're pregnant. If we even dare we will have to be very careful."
Lan Wangji swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. Wei Ying wanted far more than to just take him and also more participation from him than he had expected. He had also clearly laid out the direction he wanted this to go into. How long had he been planning this? Seeing the tension and stress pile up, waiting to catch Lan Wangji in the right moment to bring him down?
Did Wei Ying even know how a pregnancy worked apart from the commonly known minimum? Lan Wangji didn't, not really. He'd been kept away from this part of life by virtue of being not being interested in women, or anyone who wasn't Wei Ying, to be brutally honest. He had no idea how a pregnancy progressed or what was possible and allowed and what was not.
But this was their fantasy anyway. It could be whatever they wanted it to be.
"Unacceptable," he forced out. "I will not stay unsatisfied until after the child is born. You will continue to take me whenever you want. I - we - will be fine."
He could feel Wei Ying's grin against his skin just before sharp teeth sank into his shoulder.
His groan of pleasure surprised even himself.
"We need to be careful," Wei Ying repeated in a whisper as he soothed the small hurt with his tongue. "You need to learn to let me take care of you now."
So Wei Ying wasn't in the mood for their usual energetic and wild intercourse but something far sweeter. Lan Wangji could and would oblige him.
"How do you want me then?" He would not be bent over his writing desk today, he knew, and neither he be put against the wall, desperately scrabbling for something to hold onto while Wei Ying took him apart with his tongue.
Wei Ying petted his stomach once more before he withdrew his hand and shuffled around to get out of his robes. He arranged them on the floor behind him before turning around to divest Lan Wangji of the pins in his hair, followed by his clothes. The jewelry was laid on the desk, their robes got mingled together into a nest.
"On your side," Wei Ying said eventually. "I think that will be the easiest for you in your condition. In a couple of months, near the end, you won't be able to move much and this will probably the only possible position so it would be best to get you used to it now."
Lan Wangji forgot to breathe for a moment. On his side. That was new. He'd seen illustrations and read about it but Wei Ying had never had him like that before. It didn't offer enough freedom of movement for their usual tastes and would also keep them from seeing each other's faces.
Lan Wangji had been bent over furniture, he had been taken against the wall of the library as they replayed a moment from their youth, he had been tied to their bed as Wei Ying rode him and had done a thousand other things, one more wanton than the other. But the idea of being taken on the floor of his home, on his side, one leg bent and pushed up towards his chest to expose him to Wei Ying's gaze and touches, unable to truly push back as Wei Ying pushed into him… it was something new. Depraved. It made him dizzy with want.
He shivered again.
"You okay, Lan Zhan?" A gentle hand on his cheek. "If not we can…"
"No!" he said quickly. "I'm fine." Wei Ying had just opened a whole new world for them and he felt unmoored. "I want this," he quickly reassured his husband. "I want you, inside of me. I need you inside of me." It was just a lot, at once, to take in.
Wei Ying smiled, almost wistfully. "I know, it's so much for you, all at once. You're carrying our child. Finally, after so long and after we almost gave up hope. You're barely showing now but you will have to adjust to a lot of things and it's better to start as quickly as possible."
The words were almost hypnotic and Lan Wangji swayed towards Wei Ying without consciously doing so. Wei Ying caught him with a laugh and pressed a gentle, chaste kiss against his lips.
"Thank you for indulging me, Lan Zhan," he whispered, breaking the spell he had woven around them for a moment.
Lan Wangji blinked, once and slowly, in answer. He was too far gone into their new little world to verbally express himself. Everything for you, Wei Ying. I want this, too, please don't worry.
"Is there anything else we need to be careful of?" he asked. He hoped he managed to convey the wide-eyed innocence he wanted to get across. His voice was hoarse and he could feel how flushed he was. "I must confess that I barely know… I hoped but I didn't really expect…"
He trailed off when his lips where once again captured in a kiss. This time it wasn't a chaste one, no. This kiss was swift and brutal just like Wei Ying liked to take him. Used to. Before… before Lan Wangji had gotten pregnant.
He was carrying Wei Ying's child. Finally, after so long. He needed to step back now, to give in, to allow Wei Ying to take care of him and their unborn baby.
"Lay down, Lan Zhan. Slowly. Yes, like that." Gentle words of encouragement and even gentler hands guided him down on his knees. Wei Ying's erection - looking proud and so very tempting - was right in front of his face but Lan Wangji bit his lip to reign himself in. He wanted, needed, Wei Ying inside of him. There was no time for an indulgence like that.
A soft laugh. "Ah, Lan Zhan. How typical. You want all of me, all at once. You can blow me tomorrow, okay?" He loosened and pulled off Lan Wangi's headband with a practiced motion and wrapped it around his own wrist for safekeeping.
He nodded eagerly as Wei Ying directed him further down. Out of habit he wanted to settle on his back but a soft, slightly disappointed sound kept him half-upright.
"On your side, Lan Zhan," he was reminded gently. Wei Ying was kneeling behind him now, one hand once again possessively splayed over his stomach, his erection almost nudging Lan Wangji's behind. "This will be better for your back, too."
Wei Ying was always so careful with him, even when it wasn't necessary. Always worried that the ropes might chafe against his scars or that a wrong movement might hurt his leg, broken and healed so long ago. It would have been stifling, if it didn't made him feel loved and treasured like never before in his life.
He bit his lip to keep an unneeded and unwanted apology inside and allowed Wei Ying to arrange his body to his liking. Predictably, he ended up in his right side - keeping his right leg straight out and putting the strain of bending on his left one.
"Move your leg forwards, Lan Zhan."
He did, he movement exposing him. It had been a while since Wei Ying took him and that, coupled with the unfamiliar position, led to a feeling of vulnerability he had thought left behind a long time ago. He took a carefully measured breath to calm his fluttering nerves down. There was a strange feeling in his stomach - nerves or the baby? He didn't know and that only heightened the sensation.
"Breathe, Lan Zhan. You're doing so well. I know it's unfamiliar. You're used to being able to look at me and being taken hard and fast but we can't do that anymore. It wouldn't be good for either of you."
He was with child now and Wei Ying would take care of them and tell him and guide him into what he was still allowed to do.
From Chief Cultivator to pampered spouse who needed to be trained on how to position himself as not to be hurt during intercourse. Wei Ying would teach him. Others would have seen is as a fall down from the dizzying heights of power but Lan Wangji relished in it.
After so long he could finally relax. Wei Ying would take care of everything. Wei Ying would take him every day now, he had promised. Lan Wangji had to do nothing but lie on his side and welcome his husband into his body while their child grew inside of him.
With a deep exhale he closed his eyes. He forced himself to let go of his concerns and concentrated only on the feeling of Wei Ying's hands on his body, still carefully arranging him to his liking and the faint feeling of warmth deep inside.
A touch on his hip brought him back from the warm place without thoughts he had sunk into. "I'm going to open you up now, Lan Zhan." Wei Ying's words were very quiet, as not to disturb the silence of the night that had fallen around them. Lan Wangji could feel the heaviness of it outside, even as he kept his eyes closed.
He nodded, almost imperceptibly, to show Wei Ying that he had understood.
A moment later a finger, slick with oil, teased his entrance but didn't push in.
"You're so tight, Lan Zhan, I can't believe I managed to put a baby inside of you." Wei Ying sounded truly surprised.
"I can take you without problem," he assured his husband.
A kiss was pressed against the nape of his neck, where his hair fell down, loose and free. Soon, he would feel like that, he knew.
A soft laugh. "You used to be able to, yes." The tip of the finger pushed inside of him and he tensed up out of reflex. "Things are different now, Lan Zhan," Wei Ying explained patiently. "Your body wants to protect what's inside of you and I have to persuade it to let me in."
Slowly, Lan Wangji began to understand why Wei Ying suddenly was so gentle with him and what he had meant when he said that Lan Wangji's body would change.
"Wei Ying's touch could never hurt," he tried to proclaim but it came out as a breathy whisper.
"It could," Wei Ying disagreed, "which is why I need to be so careful with you from now on." He pressed Lan Wangji's left leg higher up against his chest, exposing him even more and forcing him to keep the position with the help of his arms. "Keeping you safe as your body cradles new life is my only duty from now on."
Wei Ying routinely was rough with him because they both liked it that way. Lan Wangji, in his naiveté, had thought it would go on like this, but it seemed as if his body had a different idea.
Wei Ying took his time with first one and then two fingers. He opened up Lan Wangji with exquisite gentleness and slowness. Never before had he taken so much time or used so much oil. When a third finger slid inside Lan Wangji tensed up again in surprise - it had never been more than two before Wei Ying had deemed him ready. The feeling of three fingers moving inside of him was strange but pleasurable, even if they carefully avoided that one particular spot Lan Wangji wanted them to touch most.
He was leaking, had been for a long time, but the thought of his own satisfaction had been pushed to the back of his mind. Wei Ying would take care of it when it was time. He had no idea what Wei Ying deemed permissible now - would Lan Wangji be allowed to touch himself? Would Wei Ying get him off with his hands or his mouth? Or would he be forced to come from Wei Ying's taking him alone?
Something that was not impossible, but almost so, as previous experience had taught them. Lan Wangji needed external stimulus to come but what if that wasn't allowed in his current condition? Or would Wei Ying only take his pleasure from his body and Lan Wangji wasn't allowed to reach the heights of an orgasm? It seemed cruel but what did he know?
Things are different now, he reminded himself. As if in answer there was a slight pulse of something deep inside of him. Deeper than Wei Ying had ever been but now a part of him was there, wasn't it? Wei Ying was so careful with him now because he had become fragile in a way he had never been before. He longed to touch his abdomen, to feel the bump Wei had said was already there, but the position Wei Ying had put him into made that impossible.
He was barely showing it yet, he knew. It was too soon. He had barely even discovered his pregnancy. Or rather Wei Ying had because Wei Ying always paid more attention to his body than Lan Wangji did and so he had seen and recognized the signs.
Soon, he knew. He just had to wait. Soon everyone who would look at him would know that he was carrying Wei Ying's child. For a short while anybody would be able to see but then Wei Ying would hide him away to keep him and the baby safe. Just a couple more weeks of being Chief Cultivator and then Wei Ying would stage an intervention and bring him home, put him into the same position he was in right now and fill him with his cock while his belly grew. Lan Wangji would be able to concentrate on being taken and eventually bringing their child into the world while Wei Ying held the same world at bay.
Three fingers and Wei Ying finally touched that spot inside of him that made him yelp and his whole body tense up - not that his current position offered much possibility of movement. Wei Ying had pretty much immobilized him forcing his leg so high up he needed to hold on to it to keep it there.
Wei Ying laughed at his reaction and touched the spot once again before withdrawing with one last caress against Lan Wangji's inner walls. The gesture made him shiver in happy anticipation even as a feeling of desolate emptiness overtook him the moment they had left his body.
You're not empty, he told himself sternly. You have something of Wei Ying inside of you and it will stay with you for months yet. He would very probably not be capable to get with child again, not after how long it had taken this time and with them trying so hard, so he had to make the most out of this time. He had to let Wei Ying do everything he wanted to him because Wei Ying knew so much better what was going on with Lan Wangji and would take the appropriate precautions.
The thought calmed him down and allowed him to stay relaxed as Wei Ying lined up and pushed into him with one long, slow push.
"You're so open, Lan Zhan, it's incredible." Wei Ying's voice was full of breathless wonder and it was the only thing tethering Lan Wangji to reality. "It feels… you feel…"
All thoughts of the play between them vanished as Wei Ying slowly rocked into him and he was taken slowly and gently like never before.
It was too much. He couldn't bear to be taken like he was something precious and fragile that might shatter at the wrong touch.
"Harder, Wei Ying," he demanded when the gentleness became too much like torture and he needed more. Wei Ying was giving him so much but it was too much and he couldn't take it, he wasn't meant to be treated like this he needed… he needed…
"Tell me what you need, Lan Zhan."
Lan Wangji closed his eyes in an effort to hold back his tears of frustration and tried to gather his fraying thoughts for an answer.
"Fuck me, Wei Ying," he finally demanded, far too gone for thoughts about propriety. After all what they had done tonight it didn't matter anymore.
"Fucking finally," Wei Ying muttered and somehow managed to pull Lan Wangji up and put him on all fours without completely pulling out. He was gripping Lan Wangji's hips hard now, more than hard enough to leave bruises that would stay for a little while and which they would both treasure.
Every thrust hit true now and Wei Ying sneaked an arm around Lan Wangji's waist to grab his cock and jerk him off with efficient, brutal strokes designed to make him come as soon as possible.
Lan Wangji did, after Wei Ying pushed him over the edge with a harsh verbal command, coupled with an especially vicious thrust.
He wanted nothing more than to collapse into an exhausted heap on the floor but Wei Ying pulled them both up and back until Lan Wangji was sitting in his lap, his back against Wei Ying's chest, cock still buried deep inside of his by now oversensitive body.
Wei Ying once more put his hand over his belly, gently pressing against it but taking care to not touch his sensitive and still twitching cock. "We can be more careful next time," he promised breathlessly. "See if you can learn to take it." A couple more thrusts and he, too came, finally shortening out Lan Wangji's overtaxed senses for good.
He was barely conscious of the weak shout he gave as Wei Ying finally pulled out. It hurt but in the good way and he felt looser than ever before. He wanted nothing more than to let go into the beckoning warmth of satiated oblivion that was waiting for him but something held him back. Something was still missing, he needed…
"You've done so well, Lan Zhan. I'm so proud of you. You can let go now. I've got you."
Dimly he was aware that Wei Ying was bundling him up in his robes but as the softly spoken words of praise filtered through to his mind he could finally let to and let himself fall into the waiting warmth.
He was aware enough of his surroundings to respond to Wei Ying's worried questions with small sounds of affirmation, even if words were still far beyond his reach. Thankfully, Wei Ying knew him more than well enough to understand him anyway.
Just like had seen and understood the every growing shadow of despair and stress that had been dogging Lan Wangji's every steps and known what to do to get him out of his head for a glorious few hours.
He was conscious but still floating in that warm place where everything was perfect when Wei Ying first coerced him into drinking some cool water before he put them into the bathtub to clean up. Cuddling in the warm water was grounding and not even Wei Ying saw a need to disturb the silence between them, apart from the occasional question if everything was alright and if there was anything else he could do.
There wasn't. Wei Ying had seen the signs he himself had refused to acknowledge for far too long, had devised a cunning plan to get him to relax and had fucked him until he couldn't take it anymore. His body was a mess now, with bruises blooming where Wei Ying had gripped him hard during those frantic last few moments and his neck aching from the bite, but his mind was clearer than it had been in a long time, even in the post-sex haze that was still enveloping him.
"Thank you," he finally said, his first words since he had found his release. Tears were still threatening but now there were ones of gratitude, not helpless frustration.
Instead of answering verbally Wei Ying kissed him before helping him out of the tub and carrying him to their bed.
The traces of his tears were wiped away without a comment while Wei Ying smiled softly at him.
"You did so very well, Lan Zhan," he said once again and Lan Wangji closed his eyes in helpless surrender, unable to bear the weight of that far too perceptive and loving gaze.
"How did you come up with the idea of me being pregnant with our child?" Lan Wangji asked some indefinable time later, dried off, hair properly braided, sitting in bed with Wei Ying behind him, holding him. He could still feel the echo of Wei Ying inside of him, already missed. If he concentrated he felt something else deep inside of him but that was a product of his imagination, no matter how much he might wish it to be otherwise.
And where had that thought come from?
Wei Ying laughed. "Don't you remember, Lan Zhan? I already birthed A-Yuan! It's your turn now."
He smiled at that, memories of a long ago day in Yiling swimming to the surface of his mind. He carefully didn't think about how Wei Ying, apart from the obvious, could never have carried a child to term back then - starved and eaten alive by resentful energy as he had been. Instead, he thought about Sizhui, so little and clinging to his leg and Wei Ying in the sunlight, smiling at them as radiant as the sun itself.
"I'm surprised you still remember that," he gave back mildly.
Wei Ying laughed. "As if I could ever forget the picture you made. You were so panicked, in that dignified Lan way of yours, and so beautiful it hurt to look at you. If I hadn't already loved you I would have fallen for you right there and then." Lan Wangji's heart speed up at that, just like it always did when Wei Ying spoke about loving him even back then, and he snuggled deeper into his husband's arms. Wei Ying's arms around him tightened to an almost painful degree. "I could never have imagined what a wonderful father you would grow to be, Lan Zhan. I'm just sorry I couldn't be with the two of you for so long."
"You are with us now." A miracle he still could barely believe, even with Wei Ying's arms around him and his seed inside of him. "That is more than I've dared to hope for even in my wildest dreams. Regrets that change nothing are futile."
"Aw, my Lan Zhan. Always the brutal realist."
He was far from that, as his brother and uncle would testify, and Wei Ying knew it. Still, Lan Wangji refrained from an answer.
Instead, he took Wei Ying's hand and put it low on his stomach, his own atop it.
"I would gladly carry your child, Wei Ying, if I were able to do so," he said.
He felt Wei Ying freeze behind him. "Even if," he started but Lan Wangji didn't want to hear whatever objection Wei Ying's overactive brain had conjured up in the span of a heartbeat.
"Yes," he hissed. No if, no when. If he were physically able to, he would do it, joyfully, no matter that sacrifices it might demand of him and his body.
Wei Ying laughed again, deep and low. "So does this mean that my husband wants to be put into this particular position again?" he asked, voice low and breathy, directly into Lan Wangji's ear.
He shivered. "I could be persuaded to allow that," he agreed, "although I might need help with keeping it as my condition, um, evolves."
He could feel Wei Ying's delight at that prospect. "Oh, don't worry Lan Zhan. When you're so far along that you can't do anything yourself anymore I'll be more than willing to tie you down to keep you and our baby safe."
The promise, threaded just with a hint of darkness, of what Wei Ying might do in his quest to keep Lan Wangji safe from everything that might do him harm - even himself, if seemed - sent another shiver through him, one strong enough to wrack his entire being.
His body was still relaxed from his release and there was no chance of him getting aroused again tonight, not after how masterfully Wei Ying had played his body, but that didn't keep him from spreading his legs and allowing Wei Ying access. He was still loose and slick enough with oil for Wei Ying to slip in his fingers without further preparation but Wei Ying didn't take his offer.
Instead, he took his free hand and turned Lan Wangji's head until they could kiss, slow and deep but without any urgency.
The other hand stayed on Lan Wangji's stomach, held in place by Lan Wangji's, their fingers intertwined; a silent promise of things to come.