It was hot but the first clouds were gathering on the horizon. Lan Wangji hoped that the storm would break the brutal heat wave that had held Lotus Pier in its grip for the past few days. He was done with the heat and longed for a night full of thunder and lightning.
The unforgiving sun once again almost blinded him. He suppressed a sigh and shook his head to dislodge a few strands of damp hair from his face before he forced his concentration back to his task.
"You don't have to do that, you know?" Wei Ying playfully splashed a few drops of water into his direction; probably to entice him to finish up, strip and join him in the secluded pool that Yu Furen had given over to the two of them for exclusive use.
Wei Ying - after he had overcome his shock - had accepted it with a delighted joy and surprise that was totally at odds with an emperor-to-be who should be able to command everything he wanted and expect gifts as his due.
That he managed to get flustered at a gift was just one of the many, many reasons Lan Wangji was hopelessly in love with him.
Officially it was to 'keep your scandalous behavior out of sight' but Lan Wangji recognized it as the gift and official acknowledgement of their relationship that it was.
A relationship that was unconsummated so far but it was only a matter of time now. Lan Wangji was looking forwards to it with a mix of anticipation and trepidation but most of all helpless longing. He longed to give himself over and finally be Wei Ying's in every way possible.
"Lan Zhan! Did you hear me? You don't have to fix my clothes!"
Lan Wangji knew that very well so he ignored the words and continued to mend the rip in Wei Ying's outer robes. Only a few more stitches and he would be finished. Then he could join Wei Ying in the pool. He was looking forwards to the cool water and escaping the sweltering heat of high summer in Lotus Pier. It had been Wei Ying who had taught him to swim and how delightful splashing in the water could be and he had come to love what he once feared out of ignorance.
Just like he had once feared - but never hated - Wei Ying.
"Lan Zhan!"
He almost smiled at the whiny tone. One couldn't exactly say that Wei Ying had grown up spoiled, Yu Furen had made sure of that, but he had been spoiled with Lan Wangji's attention for years. Now he couldn't bear it when he didn't get it immediately.
"Patience," he murmured. "I'm almost finished."
"Seriously, Lan Zhan. You don't have to do that. We have people here for work like that."
Lan Wangji looked up at that and sat down the robe onto his lap. Time to set some things straight.
"I'm one of them," he said quietly.
He was Wei Ying's, yes, in every way possible, and by now he held an high but unofficial status in the household. But he still saw it as his duty as well as his privilege to look after small things like a torn seam. Especially since he had been the one to rip it open during their sparring session; an accomplishment that still filled him with the warm glow of pride.
He expected a protest and when none came he looked up and was almost blinded by the radiance of Wei Ying's grin.
"You're smiling." Wei Ying's surprised delight was clear. He loved to tease every kind of reaction out of Lan Zhan but he especially liked his smiles, tiny and subtle as they were. "It makes you extra pretty, you know?"
Lan Wangji lowered his eyes back to the needlework at that. It was useless to try to hide the blush he could feel creeping up his neck and up to the tips of his ears but he instinct was still there.
"Wei Ying." He tried for an admonishing tone but it came out incredible fond instead. He forced his fingers to make the last two stitches as regular and neat as all the prior ones before he put the robe aside. He could take care of the rest of the thread and the needle later, now Wei Ying wanted his full attention and he was incapable of not giving it.
Wei Ying was still staring at him but it was in a much quieter, yet more intense way. "You did good today, Lan Zhan." He nodded towards the bundle of black fabric on Lan Wangji's lap. "I'm lucky you only got the seam of my robe and not my skin."
Lan Wangji flinched at the reminder at how close he had come to actually hurting Wei Ying. The thought was unbearable and extinguished the glow of pride in a heartbeat.
"Hey, hey! Lan Zhan!"
Wet and cool hands suddenly took his own and when he looked up Wei Ying was kneeling right in front of him, naked and dripping water all over the sun-heated stones. He could feel Wei Ying's spiritual energy reaching out and accepted it joyfully, let it test and tease his own. He could feel his own golden core reach out and an accept the playful challenge. He immediately felt more settled.
"You did good," Wei Ying repeated stubbornly. "More than good." The grin was gone and replaced by a serious expression that still conveyed fondness. His fingers slowly stroked over the scar Zidian had left on his wrist on that fateful day that had set him onto his path in life for good. Lan Wangji knew that its mere existence was an anathema to Wei Ying, no matter that it was only one of many marks on his body."If you're to be my sword and shield you need to be better than me, anyway. You realize that, right?"
Lan Wangji, who had been staring at their joined hands, looked up at that. Wei Ying was the lawful emperor, one of the strongest Cultivators the land had seen in over a century. Lan Wangji was meant to be his blade and his protector, but he had always known that he would never get up to Wei Ying's level.
Nobody could, he was sure of that. Wei Ying was too good, too talented, to bright. Radiant like the sun high up in the sky while Lan Wangji himself was a creature of the night. The moon to Wei Ying's sun. Those once rigid boundaries had given way over the years as Lan Wangji became stronger and more secure in his standing within the Jiang Clan but they were still there.
It was still Wei Ying who had taken his hand after their sparring session the early morning light and dragged him to their pool.
"Lan Zhan! Even you need sunlight to flourish! You look just as beautiful under the sunlight as you do under the light of the moon so there's really no excuse for you!" he had said and Lan Wangji, as always, had been helpless and had followed without a hint of resistance but a lot of satisfaction at the compliments. He was still struggling with just how much he liked it when Wei Ying complimented and praised him but while he had once reacted with instinctive denial he now the attention made his heart beat faster for other, more pleasant reasons.
Wei Ying laughed quietly. "You don't realize how good you have become, have you? Apart from A-Cheng, Yu Furen, her pit-vipers, and me you have no serious opponents left in Lotus Pier." Wei Ying smiled at him, soft and tinged with a bit of sadness. "You're already one of the strongest fighters and you're going to be even stronger." He let go of Lan Zhan's hands to cup his face. "You made a promise and then moved heaven and earth to fulfill it." He looked wistful at that and Lan Wangji longed to cheer him up but didn't know how. "Nobody thought it possible, not even me if I'm being honest, and you went and did it anyway."
He pressed his forehead against Lan Wangji's and gathered him into an embrace. The cool water soaked into his robes but Lan Wangji's mind was in far too much turmoil to pay the sensation any mind. Instead, he clung back with all of his might.
He wasn't mad or disappointed at Wei Ying's confession. Truth be told he hadn't thought himself capable of becoming an almost-equal to Wei Ying either, no matter his grand promises years ago. He wasn't stupid, he knew that he had gotten stronger, faster and more vicious than most disciples of the Jiang Clan, but his mind had obviously shied away from letting him recognize just how far he had come.
"I'm yours to direct as you wish. I always have been. It is my duty to do everything in my power to become the strongest weapon in your arsenal."
Wei Ying drew back and pressed a kiss against Lan Wangji's unadorned forehead.
"You're so much more, Lan Zhan. You're the man I love, the only one I ever will, the most precious human being I will ever meet. We'll always stand side by side."
As equals, Lan Wangji heard. It was something Wei Ying had always emphasized. He might be the only legitimate heir to the throne while Lan Wangji was only a very distant relation with the most feeble of claims but Wei Ying had never been one for minding differences in status.
"We'll stand side by side," Lan Wangji repeated slowly as he leaned back and allowed Wei Ying access to unfasten the bindings of his robe, "until the moment when there is danger. Then I will stand in front of you, ready to repel the attack on your behalf."
Wei Ying hummed and slowly let the fabric slide down Lan Wangji's shoulders. It fell down and gathered around his waist. His touch was gentle as always as he traced Lan Wangji's collar bones and his neck before he moved down his scarred back. There was a promise in the touch. It wouldn't be long now, Lan Wangji was certain of it. Soon Wei Ying would spread him out and finally make him fully his. In the meantime he would cherish the feeling of anticipation coursing through him.
"And when the attack comes from behind? A knife in the back?"
Wei Ying's hand slid lower until it came to rest on the small of his back, gently urging Lan Wangji forwards until he, too went down on his knees into a mirror position to Wei Ying's. The stones were almost too hot under his knees, even through his clothes, but he didn't flinch.
The answer was clear but it still needed to be spoken. Lan Wangji longed to rest his head on Wei Ying's shoulder and hide his face but instead he straightened his back, caught and held his gaze. "Then I will stand at your back, ready to take it on your behalf." He spoke slowly and clearly, trying to impress how serious he took his duty towards the man he loved.
He was willing and ready to take whatever Wei Ying decided to give to him, but he was equally willing to take whatever the world might throw at Wei Ying in his stead.
Wei Ying sighed at that but didn't say a word. Instead he motioned for Lan Wangji to stand up. He watched in silence as Lan Wangji stepped out of his shoes and trousers and held out his right hand. Lan Wangji took it and let himself be helped into the cool water of the pool.
He shivered when Wei Ying let a handful of water rain down on his sun warmed skin. He was still holding on to Wei Ying's hand and allowed him to lead them towards the deeper end of the pool. Once there Lan Wangji quickly submerged himself to finally cool down his overheated body.
"I guess when that happens we'll see who's the quicker one of us," Wei Ying murmured, his words almost lost in the splash of water.