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Chapter Text

Lotus Pier is especially beautiful during summer nights like these, when the stars are sprinkled across the sky like fairy dust, glimmering atop their own lake of blue and the crimson horizon still holds a dreamy after-sunset glow about it, and the crickets are chirping merrily as the fireflies come out to frolick. 

The many vendors and market stalls of Lotus Pier have already packed up for the day. No boats are out in the lake at this hour either, and the pond is aglow with blooming lotuses, their fat, juicy pods, and the soft humming of mosquitoes. 

There is really no one here but Wei Wuxian, in the water by the docks for one of his solitary night swims.

He’d missed his Shijie dearly when he was away studying at the Cloud Recesses. Of course he missed Jiang Cheng, too, who was still studying there because HE hadn't been kicked out by starting a fight with that damn peacock.

But it had felt so lovely to return home again, the familiar sounds of children laughing and the burst of sweet loquats as his teeth pierced skin and the spiciness of the food and laughter of all his other shidi’s. 

Sure, Madame Yu was getting ready to sell him to the highest alpha bidder now that he had recently presented as an omega, but he didn’t want that worry to overtake his life. He would wouldn't marry some old pervy alpha just so Madame Yu could get rich off his back, but there was the dowry. Now that would be a nice, a lump sum of money to ensure that Shijie and Jiang Cheng and Jiang Shushu could live comfortably for the rest of their days.

There is nothing more taboo than for omegas to sneak out at night and to strip themselves bare 

and jump into the lake bare naked as if they were born yesterday. 

But Wei Ying is born to be taboo and to be wild and free and to live in the moment. 

Without another thought he does just that, untying the sash holding his robes together and removing all two layers that he'd been wearing through the soaking of his sweat in the dewy summer heat. 

He let out a sigh as the fresh night air made contact with his skin, stepping out of his boots and socks before kicking his trousers aside. Naked as the day he was born, he sinks into the water with much familitary and swims gentle semi circles within the cool midnight waters, his hair 

dreamily floating behind him and tangling with the lilypads. 

How wonderful it is to have some time for oneself, to be able to think and breathe and just exist, floating alone with no worries at all. 

Only he isn’t alone. Wei Ying suddenly opens his eyes, realizing that he is still very, very naked in the middle of the lake, but he is no longer alone. 

Wei Wuxian holds his breath, swimming closer to get a better look at the tall shape of the figure that he could clearly make out now, standing at the edge of the docks.

Whoever it was, must have seen him too, for the figure held a hand to what must be the hilt of its sword and was nearing closer. 

He calls out, "Who goes there?" 

He has half a mind to get out and confront the figure, but he suddenly realizes that his pile of clothes were still carelessly strewn on the dock. Cursing his carelessness for maybe the first time in his life, he swims closer to get a better look and almost does a double take when he sees the other person more clearly.

"Lan Zhan?" he asks almost in disbelief, dumbstruck by the sight of the tall figure dressed so eloquently in white. 

When Lan Wangji realized he'd managed the spell, he thought that perhaps he'd simply shifted in space instead of time. It had been quite bright outside when he'd cast the spell, after all. But then, realization had dawned on him like a tidal wave: this was Lotus Pier, and not only that, but Lotus Pier as it had been before the burning . He'd remembered, after it was rebuilt, that the windows had been different, nothing nearly as ornate. This was Lotus Pier at its height. Which meant...

He began to look around, trying in vain to find any sign of what year this might possibly be. Nothing revealed itself to him, and he couldn't exactly use another spell to inform him. He would have to keep looking... 

Until he spotted a dark shape in the lake. The alpha headed there, knowing that any witnesses to his sudden appearance here, looking very out of place, could be dangerous. His right hand rested on Bichen, ready to pull it from its sheath should the need arise. Golden eyes searched the lake, and saw... a teenage Wei Ying?

He approaches, drawing closer, hoping not to spook him. If this was Wei Ying, it was simply too good to be true... after his Wei Ying had died a decade ago, he'd lived his life in mourning, wondering if he'd ever get the chance to atone for his past sins. For abandoning his one true love and leaving him to be devoured by the ruthlessness of the world.

Wei Ying tilts his head and then breaks out into a grin, bright and carefree as the summer sunshine that blesses Yunmeng during the daytime. “Lan Zhan! It is you!”

 There was something different about Lan Zhan…he has the same handsome face, the same air of elegance and untouchableness. But his jaw seems sharper than before, his cheeks more pronounced, and his eyes not as stern, did not hold as much contempt when his golden gaze turns onto Wei Wuxian. There is something more mature and yet at the same time more gaunt, hollow about him. 

"What are you doing here, Lan Zhan? Have you decided to come visit me after all?" Wei Ying grins. 

He is so excited and his mind races with so many thoughts and questions, his mouth can barely keep up. 

And then because he is a young omega and he knows Lan Wangji is an oh-so-righteous alpha, he is struck by the most gremlin thought in the world. He swims closer to the dock, standing up where the water turns shallower, not getting out of the lake but not bothering to reach for his clothes in the least.

He stands there and winks at Lan Zhan before grinning and adding, "I knew you'd miss me! I knew you’d eventually wise up and come see Yunmeng! But you picked a really weird time of the day, you fuddy-duddy. It's after hours now, all the pretty girls are already asleep!"

Lan Wangji looks at his old friend's face, pointedly ignoring his nudity ( shameless!, he thinks ) and dared not move, his hand slowly loosening its grip on the hilt of his sword. If he thinks about this too much, he might begin to cry. 

"Wei Ying."

How should he even begin to express what he'd missed in all these years? That he'd spent the last decade trying to find a way to bring the one before him back to life after a death he never deserved? That he’d fallen down an abyss, digging himself deeper and deeper down a dark hole of no return while Lan Wangji had only stood by and watched... it would sound more than outlandish; Wei Ying might think him crazy, or worse.  What could he possibly do?

"Was looking for you."

"Looking for me?"

Wei Wuxian asks, but his voice is warm with flattery. “I’ve been here almost the entire time, silly fuddy-duddy! I’ve always asked you to come visit Lotus Pier, and I’m so glad you did!” 

He stepped onto the docks, fully in the nude now while wringing droplets of water from his dark brown hair. A stray lilypad clings onto the side of one of his bare asscheeks, but he didn't really notice as he halfheartedly wraps himself in a thin layer of robing. But he is still dripping water, and alas the thin robes melt into his skin, becoming soaked and transparent. "I’m so flattered you decided to accept my invitation after all! But what in the world could the virtuous and prestigious Hanguang-Jun want with little old me, especially at this hour?"

Lan Wangji only dares to look at Wei Ying once he had his robe on, even though he still got rather more of an eyeful than he'd intended. But... Wei Ying was really here. Really before him. "We must talk," he forces himself to speak, daring to reach out and caress the delicate face before him. "Where can we talk, Wei Ying?"

There was so much he had to say... about where he'd come from, what had happened there, what could still happen here , apparently... but most of all, he would have to tell his dear, precious Wei Ying about how much he means to him, how much Wangji loves him. He’s failed him once, and rarely does fate offer a second chance. This is a once in a lifetime happenstance, and he would never, ever fail again.

Wei Ying lets out a small gasp as the large warm hand comes to caress his cheek. This is so out of character for the other man, if he even was Lan Wangji. He resembles him so much and at the same time, he seems as if he comes from another dimension. 

Wei Wuxian is frozen not with fear but with surprise and something else he doesn’t know what to call except attraction towards the older man. 

"This is not a dream..." Lan Wangji’s fingers move to run through the younger man's bangs. "Missed you... I missed you so much."

Without thinking further on his impulse, he pulls Wei Ying into a tight hug, uncaring if his robes get wet in the process. He presses his nose into the damp hair, inhales the delicate scent of lotus, and could have cried for it. "Wei Ying... my Wei Ying..."

"EHHHHHH?"

Wei Wuxian lets out a noise of surprise as he feels Lan Wangji of all people embrace him tenderly, and dare he say it, lovingly .

"Have you gone mad, Lan Zhan? Are you sick? Hmm, your forehead doesn't feel hot! Of course this isn't a dream, you silly fuddy-duddy!" he laughs, eyes bright and merry. "But it sure feels like one because you're hugging me! I would never have thought! Seriously though, what's gotten into you? Are you alright?"

Silver eyes with flecks of blue meet gold ones, so full of emotion and things Wei Wuxian couldn't describe in this moment. He would have never imagined Lan Wangji would be standing in front of him, telling him he missed him, being an emotional wreck in front of him.

He reaches up to awkwardly pat Lan Wangji on the shoulder, doing his best to wriggle out of the hug. "We can talk right here if you want, Lan Zhan, if it's that important. But erm could you...let go

of me? I know there's no one around, but if anybody sees....they might think you and I were cut-sleeves !"

Lan Zhan immediately lets go as if he'd been burned, looking shocked. Fuck, he'd definitely gone too far. Taking a seat at the edge of the pier, he hung his legs over and watched them for a moment, thinking about how he could explain this. He gestures for Wei Ying to sit beside him, which the younger man does so after a moment’s hesitation.

"I am not who you know," he begins, considering his words very carefully. "I am Lan Wangji from... elsewhere. Another time. There, you died, Wei Ying." Those words almost made him sob to even speak aloud, but he has to carry on. "I tried to find you for ten years, and it brought me here."

Wei Wuxian does not meet his eyes, trying to ignore the shock of guilt he'd felt at making the biting cut-sleeve remark. 

"So what you're telling me is that...you're from another time and place? You're not the Lan Zhan that I know, right?” 

“Yes.” 

"What are you doing here? How did you even know that I was here...? The Lan Wangji I know would never have never have said anything as sappy as you…”

Truly, the steel-faced young man he’d come to know would practically qi deviate before allowing himself to express this much emotion liberally in front of Wei Ying. 

"I am not the one you know, but the same. I am him, but older. Wiser.”

Wei Ying ponders this, reaching out to feel Lan Zhan’s face, just to make sure this is all real. A blush creeps over his face when he realizes the older man seems to lean into his touch instead of jerking away. His heart softens, and he is too kind to remove his hand.  "This doesn't feel like a dream."

“Wei Ying, it is not a dream.” It has taken Lan Wangji over a decade to be able to find and perform this particular spell. It has taken him over a decade to try and make amends with his Wei Ying, and no matter  how many lifetimes it takes him, it seems as if nothing would ever be enough, would ever be too much. 

"I died, huh? Will I die in this lifetime too?" Wei Ying asks, wincing at how this makes a tremor go through Lan Wangji. 

It is almost too much for him to bear. "If I can help it, you will not die. Did not try to start over, but tried to find you. Love Wei Ying."

Perhaps it is too much in one night, but Lan Wangji hopes that last bit wouldn't be too much. How he'd been burning to tell the younger man so for over a decade. He couldn't wait any longer, not with Wei Ying right here, right in front of him again. "Wanted to marry Wei Ying."

For the first time in his life, Wei Wuxian feels his jaw drop in shock, unable to utter even one sound.

"........." 

Not knowing what else to do, not knowing how else to react, he lets out a nervous chuckle. 

"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, do you understand what you are saying right now? Oh no, please don’t look so sad, I’m not laughing at you, I promise. This is just so much to take in at once....since when have you loved me? I always thought you, or the younger you, hated me when we were at the Cloud Recesses. I thought you were glad that I got kicked out.

“....will you tell me what happened in the other timeline that made you so sad? Please don't cry, it

would make me very sad to see you cry."

Lan Wangji has decided he must not spook Wei Ying and cause him to bolt, even if somehow the younger man is miraculously believing his words. Thus, he would handle the question about feelings in a moment.

"Where I come from, the Wen Clan burned my home and killed Sect Leader Lan, my father. They came here next, and Lotus Pier burned. Most died. Jiang Wanyin lost his core, then regained it, but you left afterwards, to Yiling, with refugees. Jiang Wanyin denounced you to the world. Jin Zixuan was killed, and they blamed you, killed the refugees. Then... Jiang Yanli died. Then you died. The world was happy, then, but I was not. Never."

He tries to sum everything up as succinctly as possible, to make clear the scale of devastation without complicating matters too much. When and how he should tackle explaining his feelings remained a whole other matter.

"Oh Lan Zhan…” Wei Ying feels as if his jaw couldn’t drop any lower. He feels his mind numb with shock, then horror, then rage, and finally decides to settle on sadness. He can physically feel his heart breaking for the other man. To have his love unrequited all this time and to have watch his world practically burn... he could never imagine enduring such atrocities. 

"That sounds terrible! What an awful, awful world you come from. Shijie died? I went to Yiling? Jiang Cheng lost his core? Even that peacock died? They blamed… me?

“Lan Zhan! You must be lying! That world sounds too horrible to bear! Is there anyway we can prevent all of that from happening?! Please don't let Shijie die! Please, please don’t!”

Wei Ying feels himself growing more and more upset, panic arising in the most sensitive parts of his chest as he clutches at the front of Lan Wangji's robes. The future almost seems too horrible to believe, and he didn’t want to believe any of it. But he knows in his heart that Lan Zhan, no matter from this world or another, would never lie to him. What a bleak reality life is turning out to be! 

"Please...Lan Er Gege...tell me what I need to do in order to change the future! That's why you came back, right? To change things!"

Personally, Lan Wangji feels unsure of that himself, but to see Wei Ying reacting like this absolutely shatters his heart into pieces. “Perhaps it is why. I do not know. Only know I will stop what I can. Save Wei Ying. Save my home. Save Lotus Pier. Stop the deaths.”

In truth, Lan Zhan really has no more answers to some of this than Wei Ying himself did here or how much he could prevent all of that or how he’d even stumbled back in time. But there is one of those things he would dedicate the rest of his life to.

He pulls Wei Ying close, daring to touch his face. “Will try, I promise.”

Wei Ying is about to scream at the older man, scream at how he could be calm and collected with what he'd just told him. He is opening his mouth but closes it again as he feels himself being pulled into a gentle, warm embrace.

He never would have thought he’d get embraced like this, truthfully, and by Lan Wangji himself… Wei Ying feels his heart beating erratically, a blush creeping over his face again. He could hear the other's heartbeat thumping just as loudly with his ears right there close to his chest, and he is starting to feel himself grow warm.

He'd never had this much contact with another person before, much less a man, and although he doesn’t have a problem with cut sleeves, he never would have taken himself for one. Didn’t he like pretty girls? Well now that he has a moment to consider it, he enjoys flirting and looking at him but he’s never gotten a boner thinking about them, like the one growing through the thin layer of his robe now. 

He shifts awkwardly, hoping Lan Wangji hasn’t noticed. He was never going to swim naked again. 

"I...I want to help you Lan Zhan. I want to help you save everyone. I won't let Shijie die." He looks up, his mercury-blue eyes clouding over with mist. "I don't want to die either, Lan Er Gege. I’m really sorry you were hurt so much, and it sounds like a lot of it was by me. had no idea that you...that you were in love with me."

“I was foolish. Didn’t tell you... had no chance to, before you.... died.” Lan Wangji admits softly, his gaze intense. “Love my Wei Ying. Wanted to marry.”

To his own embarrassment and chagrin, he could feel his body responding to the scent and weight of the omega in his arms. Did Wei Ying even grasp how much he’d missed him, and how badly he longed to kiss chosen mate silly, right here and out in the open? Already he could feel his ears flushing red. Hopefully Wei Ying couldn’t see.

"Even if I...die in this lifetime, you can come find me again, couldn't you? You can keep coming back and finding me until we figure out the right things to do in order to save everyone. Your cultivation must be so powerful since you've had more time to practice it, I believe you would be able to do anything! With you and I working together, we would surely be able to figure something out. I really meant it when I said I'll help you, Lan Er Gege. There's no way I would ever let my Shijie die!" 

Then Wei Ying inevitably leans closer, feeling his brain cloud over. The night is still young and this has been so much to take in, and the closer he leans in, the fuzzier his brain grows, the stronger the scent of the alpha. "I guess you really are my Lan Er Gege in every way now, ahahaha! Gege, you smell so good…”

Naturally in response., he begins to release his own omega scent out into the open. "This was a lot to take in, and I don't even know what to say, but I'm really happy, Lan Zhan, that you came back for me."

He hovers close, dangerously close and asks Lan Wangji, "What would you do differently this time?"

What Wei Ying couldn’t have known was that this was Lan Zhan’s single chance to make things right. He’d never get another.

Matching Wei Ying’s gaze, he gently strokes his face, his ears burning red, his heartbeat thundering and his blood roaring in his ears. “I would marry my Wei Ying and love him every day.” 

Wei Wuxian flushes from the tips of his ears to his toes. “Lan Zhan! The things you say are doing

weird things to my heart.”

Nevertheless, Wei Ying leans in even further into his touch, his own heartbeat roaring in his eardrums. “Lan Er Gege, I just recently turned sixteen. Madame Yu was going to try to sell me off to a wealthy alpha family any day now. You...you still want to marry me?”

Lan WangJi holds the younger man close. “Mn. Want to marry Wei Ying.” If that meant formally asking the Jiang family for his hand or paying Wei Ying’s dowry himself, so be it. If that meant abandoning all attempts to stop Wen Ruohan, if that meant allowing things to take their course after he’d taken Wei Ying away...so be it. 

“I know a way where we’ll have to be married, Lan Er Gege.” Giving him his usual impish smile, Wei Wuxian bares his neck to Lan WangJi where his sensitive, soft mating gland pulses with his sweet omega scent. 

“You don’t have to go back to your horrible timeline, if you don’t want to. If you want to marry me, you can stay here...and we can save everyone together! If I’m going to die no matter what, I would definitely want to know what love feels like.” His smile is sunny and earnest, and Lan Wangji feels himself gulp with every shuddering breath he takes.

The sudden onslaught of Wei Wuxian's lovely scent on his nose nearly overwhelmed his senses, and he has to keep a strong hold on himself to stay in control. Wei Ying's proposition is attractive to him, and it was not like he had much to go back to, but...

"I am twice your age, Wei Ying," he says this not as a dissuasion but as a statement of fact. "You would want me?"

If he had a chance at being with his lost love here, he would be a fool twice over not to take it. But he also would not chain his love's beautiful spirit to a life he did not want.

“Lan Er Gege, you came back for me.” Wei Wuxian states, his voice touched and dreamy, “That’s the most wonderful, touching thing anyone has ever done for me! You love me and want to try to change things with me, and that moves my heart very much.

“Besides,” he adds, “It goes both ways. I could be a child in your eyes, and I can probably not offer you everything the other me could have. You’ve probably been through so much with him.” 

Wei Ying has a true teenage maiden heart, both lovestruck and charmed and riddled with omega hormones. “As long as it’s with you, it’s okay, Lan Er Gege.”

Lan Wangji does not need to hear anymore. "With you, I stay."

Keeping his hold on the younger man, Lan Wangji nuzzles into his neck and breathes in, feeling wholly intoxicated by the scent and how right it feels . He knows then that he could never leave, no matter what would happen. He didn't care about their age difference, nor did he care that he would undoubtedly be leaving something behind by not going back. As much as he loves Uncle and Brother, he would stay here with his beloved and never go through the pain of losing him again.

"My Wei Ying," he murmurs, pressing his lips over the gland on the omega's neck. "Not a child."

He pauses for a moment, and then adds, "I am Lan Zhan."

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying echoes, nearly whimpering, feeling a little dizzy as the lips ghost over his mating gland. I never thought this would be possible, not only am I a potential cut sleeve but it’s also Lan WangJi who is chasing after me . It's almost like a dream I don’t want to wake up from. If only the younger him could see himself right now! 

He could both see and hear with his heart just how much suffering the alpha had gone through, and the omega in him calls to him, wants to be a source of comfort for him, wants to learn how to treat his alpha right. His alpha .

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says, still rather dazed, “If you bite me right now, I will be forever bound to you. Besides, you’ve seen me swim naked. You should take responsibility, Hanguang-Jun.”

Now the flush spread to Lan Wangji’s actual face, but he dearly hopes Wei Ying couldn't see it. Holding the young omega tightly, he draws back just enough to look him in the eye. "You truly want me to?"

He would not do such a thing without the younger man being more than sure. Although he'd never been mated himself, Lan Wangji knew that mating bites tended to hurt and even bleed. Bandaging the wound or stopping its bleeding would not be an issue, but it should not be taken lightly, either. "You must swear, Wei Ying, that you want it. It cannot be undone. It will hurt. It will bleed."

“Yes, Lan Zhan. I am sure—it cannot be anyone other than you. Besides,” Wei Wuxian chuckles, still lovestruck and dazed, “You’re super cute when you get all pink like that.

“If my time here is limited, then why wouldn’t I want to make the most of it with someone who so clearly loves me? I swear to you, Lan Zhan, Lan Er Gege, Lan WangJi, that I, Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying, want you to bite and mark me as yours.” He raises his right hand in solemnity. 

Before Lan Wangji can think of a response, Wei Ying decides to chime in again. “Oh! Perhaps we should pay a visit to the current you right now—if you’re still back at the Cloud Recesses—so I can explain to the current you, and apologize that I won’t be able to marry him.”

That almost makes Lan Wangji panic. "No, Wei Ying. I cannot see him." 

Although very little was known about time travel, Lan Wangji had read enough scripture to know that he had reason to suspect that to meet one's own counterpart in another timeline could potentially cause irreparable damage to. "I can never see him."

That did not mean, however, that he would not stay and mark Wei Ying as his own with a Claim. And despite what Wei Wuxian might imply, he would not let anything or anyone take his beloved omega away, ever again. If he was successful, it wouldn't even be an issue. "You will not die, Wei Ying. You will stay with me. Forever."

Wei Ying beams at him, but then tilts his head in confusion. “Lan Er Gege, how come? He’s still you. Are you worried he’ll freak out? I mean, it’s very possible but I owe him at least an explanation. If you’re going to claim me as your own, then I should at least go and tell him. Besides,” he continues rather dreamily, looking up at him, “Forever is a long time, and I’m grateful to have this moment with you even now, Lan Zhan. Don’t let me die, okay? I’m yours now, so you have to take responsibility. And even if somehow the worst happensㅡcould I reincarnate and come back to you again since you were able to come back and find me?”

"I cannot see myself... too dangerous. There are consequences. Bad ones." Lan Wangji does not know how to explain that he feared the very fabric of time itself could come undone if such a thing happened. "You see him, I cannot. You will not die."

Wei Ying was his and would be his forever. That was more than Lan Zhan ever could have hoped for, if he'd stayed back in his own timeline. He wasn’t going to let anything even potentially come in between this time around. Despite their relative age difference, he didn't care. Wei Ying was and would always be Wei Ying. "I will take responsibility."

Leaning forward, he ghosts his lips over the omega's scent gland.

“Ah!” says Wei Ying, letting out a small gasp before his tone turns teasing like the Wei Ying Lan Zhan knew and loves so much. “If you want to claim me, you better do it soon before the other you does! If that happens, I will have no idea what to do!”

Truth be told, Lan Wangji does indeed worry about Wei Ying returning to Gusu, especially alone but not because that his other self would try to “steal him.” "I will go with you, but will stay out of sight," he answers, not wanting to take any chances now that he had his beloved back in his arms. 

The fabric of time would be unpredictable, but could he understand that this didn't have to be strange? They could live away from everyone... run away together. Elope. Have a family, and live apart. That sounds nice after so long spent yearning for his lover.

With utmost delicacy, he smoothes Wei Ying's hair back from his neck and secures his hold. He kisses over the sensitive gland once, then twice, and finally, finally sinks his teeth in before he loses his courage, eliciting a cry from Wei Ying. 

It hurt. Of course it hurts. He tries to make it as quick as possible, breaking the skin efficiently and without incident, before pressing his tongue to the wound and suckling at it to stem any blood flow. As Wei Ying's scent shifts ever so slightly, he knows that it has worked. This time around, Wei Ying would be his forever.

"Lan Zhan, oh my Lan Zhan, I didn't know you were such a romantic!” Wei Ying tries to smile at him through his tears the pain has brought on. “Let's go first thing in the morning! Are you still an early riser!” 

He lets out a small gasp as Lan Wangji brushes his hair aside, tilts his neck back, and again sinks his teeth right into his flesh.

Wei Wuxian tries not to scream, less he wanted to wake up the entirety of Lotus Pier. His gland is sensitive, and the second bite hurt quite badly even more than the first that it is enough to make his already-dizzy head spin. 

He focuses on drawing deep breaths in and out, chiding with himself internally for it to be over. When it was said and done, Lan Zhan, being ever so kind and thoughtful, sucks on his wound, leaving Wei Wuxian whimpering due to the stinging.

"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!" he says as soon as the other has finished, peering over the dock to gaze at his new mating mark in the reflection of the cool blue water. "I take back what I said about you being romantic! That hurt like hell! Why does your teeth have to be so sharp? Were you ever this rough with the other me?"

He places a hand on his newly mated mark, as if he couldn't believe that it was really there.

Lan Wangji would never wish to cause Wei Ying any pain. To know that he has this time does cause a wave of regret to run through him, but it passes quickly when he sees that beautiful mating mark in its full glory. "Never had a chance to tell Wei Ying," he replies in answer to the question, thinking he would have loved to claim him like this, mate with him, be one with him. 

And then before he even really has a chance to consider his actions, he is parting the front of the younger man's flimsy robes and kissing the newly-revealed skin. His hands begin to wander, eager to discover what they'd missed for so long.

“Ah!” Wei Ying whines as his sensitive, tender skin is exposed to the cool night air. His pink nipples stand to attention, feeling exposed more so than ever. “Lan Zhan,  Lan Zhan, we...” he mutters weakly. “We can’t... we shouldn’t go too far....we should wait until we’re married.....”

Normally, Lan Wangji wouldn't ignore something like this. Right now, however, with his blood already rushing and his desire blinding him to decorum, he only spurs on faster, tightening his hold on Wei Ying and attacking his skin with lips and teeth alike. The younger man has already allowed him to bite his mating gland; what else is there to it? 

With a soft growl, Lan Wangji presses his face into his love's skin and inhales. "Mine," he states simply, kissing his way up to Wei Ying's mouth. He kisses the younger man deeply, pouring ten plus years of love and desire into it, trying to show just how much he'd missed him, wanted him, needed him .

“Lan Zhan...” Wei Wuxian whines, “Please stop. Yes, I am yours, all yours. But please wait for me? I want to lose my virginity to you on our wedding night. I want to have a big, beautiful wedding with you where we dress in red and complete our three heavenly bows to each other, and for it to be official and everything. Can you-can we not go too quickly about this? My neck is still hurting....and you’re being so rough...”

However, Wei Ying moans with fervor as the other man attacks his mouth, kissing him passionately with tongue and teeth and saliva. Nothing has ever felt this good before, and it is getting harder to think clearly. He tries to keep his legs tightly crossed together, trying to push at Lan Wangji’s broad and muscular chest. “Lan Zhan! Let’s not have our first time on a dock where anyone can see, eh?”

Words didn't make sense to him like this, when all he could feel was his instincts and just how long he'd been waiting for his beloved to return to him. He easily slips his hands beneath Wei Ying's thin robe, caressing him and gasping in shock and delight at the warmth of the omega's skin. As far as he was concerned, the world should see this―they should see how very dearly he loved his Wei Ying. His Wei Ying. 

If it were possible he grows even more insistent, remaining gentle but forceful as he strips Wei Ying out of his robe and removes his own. Anything, so long as he could touch that beautiful tanned skin. 

“Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian is panting by now. He isn’t immune to the scent of the alpha, and it dawns on him how his own cocklet was growing and how much slick is dribbling out of him, even though he’d never missed a suppressant before. It is getting harder to resist him by the minute. 

He knows it was very difficult for alphas to control themselves when they could get going, and he knows that the more he tries to resist Lan WangJi, the more futile it would be. “Lan Zhan, if this would make you less sad...then would you be gentle? I’ve never done this before...”

Pulling back, Lan Wangji studies him for a long moment. "Mn," he grunts softly, caressing Wei Ying's face and admiring how gorgeous the young omega is. "I will be gentle with you, Wei Ying." 

How could he possibly explain that he'd been thinking of little else than of making love to the omega in his lap for the better part of a decade or longer? How could he explain the joy thrumming in his heart when he no longer had to be without the only being he'd ever loved?

"I love you, Wei Ying," he murmurs, his hands still wandering even if they'd slowed. "Want you. Want to give you a home. A life. A family."

“Lan Er Gege,” Wei Ying gasps, leaning into his touch, “Tell me this isn’t a dream. Because if it is I will be very sad. If you’ve been with anyone else before me, I’ll also be very sad.” A deeper part of him wants more, more kissing, more touching, more passion from the alpha hovering above him. So much has happened in one night. 

"Never anyone else," Lan Wangji honestly, for he had never even so much as looked in someone else's direction. It would feel like a herculean effort to pause himself and give Wei Ying a choice, and he is so broken, and the young, beautiful omega underneath him looks at him with such sweet eyes that he cannot help but dive on.

Much to his relief and chagrin, Wei Ying gives him a small, shy smile and spreads his legs.

“My brave, wonderful Lan Er Gege. Take me to Gusu tomorrow.... and tonight, you may give me a family...and make me yours.” 

Lan Wangji does not need anything more than that. Surging, he all but rips the rest of his own under robes off and then strips the omega of his, laying him back and kissing him deeply. He couldn't remember the last time he'd wanted anything this badly, and the scent of Wei Ying's heat flooding his senses only further clouds his thoughts.

Dragging his fingers down, he gives the hardened cocklet a couple of strokes before reaching between the omega's legs to penetrate him first with one finger, knowing he'd need to be stretched properly before really taking his cock. He gasps as his finger slid through the wetness and into the warm silky folds of the omega's body, and then he almost sheds a tear. "Wei Ying is perfect," he gasps softly, giving him a moment to adjust before he begins to open him a bit.

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying whimpers for his part, feeling the hard, strong finger thrust in between his soft pink folds. “That feels weird...it’s cold and hot all at once! It kind of hurts…” 

But he is curious in spite of himself, and he reaches out with one hand to fondle the length between the older man’s legs, letting out a little gasp as he is really able to grasp its girth for the first time. “Oh,” he blushes, for it feels incredibly hot and heavy and throbbing, “You’re really going to put that inside? Will it even fit? You’re really going to put a baby in me?”

Lan Wangji slows his fingers down, concerned with hurting his beloved omega. If he focuses, he could bring warmth into his hands, so that the temperature in his fingers might be less of a bother. Instead, he decides to perhaps try to make Wei Ying cum first so that it might hurt less when he finally enters him. "Won't hurt Wei Ying."

Taking his finger out, he traces up to tease the little cock, using three fingers to work and pump at it with soft, gentle strokes. Hopefully, this would feel less painful. He cradles Wei Ying with his other arm, body still covering him, and leans forward to give him a loving kiss. "Want to, but only if Wei Ying wants it. Someday, there will be many children."

“Many children,” Wei Ying sings sweetly, innocently, “If Lan Zhan wants to give Wei Ying a baby and start a family, then please make it happen. Do it... deep inside, if that’s what will make Gege happy.” He is flushed like the virgin he was, but he has never felt his loins light up with such desire, such horniness. He’d never done anything of the sorts, and he couldn’t imagine the pain he would feel if they were to stop now.

Wei Wuxian is sensitive, letting out little ah, ah, ah’s as he lifted his legs to wrap them around Lan Zhan. He moans as Lan Zhan strokes his cock, his hormones raging and his hips humping the air, gasping as his vision turns searing and white-hot. He cums in seconds, his body giving a shudder as he slumps into his betrothed’s arms. 

It feels quite satisfying for Lan Zhan to see Wei Ying take his pleasure and to have his hand be painted with spend. Kissing him deeply, he once again tries to finger him open, hoping that things might be more lax this time and less painful. Dropping his voice to a low purr, he continues. "Lan Zhan will give Wei Ying a baby... and will take responsibility." His lips brush against the shell of his ear as he adds a second finger inside those deliciously soft folds, marveling and wishing he'd been able to do this so much sooner.

He'd dreamed for years of marrying Wei Wuxian and making an honest omega of him. He even had names in mind, though he wouldn't bring that up so soon, not when he hadn't even succeeded yet at giving his love the child they wanted. The only thing he knows for certain is that from then on he did not want to ever spend another day without his beloved.

Wei Ying laces their fingers together, letting out a long, languid moan when one of those fingers strikes his prostrate dead-on. “I’m your omega now, aren’t I? Take responsibility well, my Lan Zhan.” He didn’t even care that they were at the dock or technically in public anymore, “Please, please fuck me and breed this omega well.”

Wei Ying’s unabashedly wonderful moans really break through the rest of Lan Zhan’s reservations. He is quick to remove his fingers and finally, finally position himself to enter his omega in one deep but gentle thrust, and his vision explodes into a world of color. 

Wei Ying couldn’t help it; he lets out a cry of pain at something so large entering his soft and tender insides for the first time. His feet dig into the small of Lan zhan’s back, his toenails seemingly scraping across some old but deep scars. He mewls a small apology and shuffles his feet awkwardly until he could place them accordingly onto Lan Zhan’s shoulders. He lets out a moan of pain at the first few thrusts; they hurt, so, so much, and it felt like he was being torn apart no matter how gentle Lan Zhan was being. 

But he adores being cradled, and he’s never felt this loved before, and he leans up into Lan Zhan’s touch, leans up into the feeling of pure love, pure adoration for the first time, and his nose is running wildly and he is pretty sure he’s shed a few tears over the pain, but nothing, nothing in this world could compare to feeling of Lan Zhan fitting so tight inside his wet and warm heat. 

As for Lan Zhan, would never have been able to predict how good this would feel, at how right this would feel. Groaning in ecstasy, he cradles his omega carefully so that he could feel safe and gives him a moment to adjust. 

Slowly he begins to thrust, his rhythm deep and unhurried. More than anything, he wants Wei Ying to feel every bit of the love and desire he'd been dying to give him over the years. 

Now that he’s had a taste, he doubts that he could even live without this nearly every day. "Mine," he growls softly, pressing his lips to Wei Ying's hair. "Perfect. Beautiful. Strong. Have our baby, Wei Ying."

“I will have our baby,” Wei Ying vows solemnly, wailing, “I’ll give Lan Zhan as many children as he wants. He’d be an amazing father! Lan Er Gege deserves happiness and healing and family!”

He swoons as Lan Zhan presses his lips into his hair. “Lan Zhan is the most handsome man in the world!” Wei Ying declares, his heart absolutely captivated. “I want to do this everyday with you! I want you to push me up against your wall of rules and do all sorts of things to me there too! My childhood bed, your childhood bed! Everywhere! Oh just like that, Er Gege, more, more!”

 He doesn’t know very much about love yet, but he has already decided he wouldn’t mind  being bonded to this Lan Zhan for life. This Lan Zhan who was warm and kind and everything Wei Ying had secretly hoped for the younger Lan Zhan to be. He claws at the other’s back, trying to move his hips in response to the alpha’s thrusts. 

When the omega scratches his scars, Lan Wangji barely notices. They weren't sensitive, after so many years, no matter what others might have thought. The only time they ever caused him pain was when they felt too tight, too inelastic, for his movements. Right now, that wasn't any sort of an issue.

Each new thrust feels more and more like a new revelation, a new solidifying of his reality with the beautiful omega in his arms. Yes, this is his. Yes, this one would stay with him for their lives, bear him many children, and be happy with him. They would be together, and he would never let any harm come to his beloved. 

Lan Wangji groans with pleasure at Wei Ying's movements, feeling as though his soul was being sucked from him through his cock in the best sort of way, and all his words only seemed to dizzy him further and further into a haze of bliss. "We will be happy," he corrects softly, voice hitching at one beautiful thrust of his cock. "Together, with our baby, Wei Ying. Mark your words. Everyday is everyday."

And they would certainly be doing this every day, no doubt of that. And everywhere. This alpha loved this perfect omega, and he would have the world know about it. 

As soon as morning comes, they would have to go to Wei Ying's guardians and get a blessing for the marriage. Even if they didn't know that it was Lan Zhan, this Lan Zhan, who would be marrying him. They could lie and say it was the Lan Zhan in Gusu, or a mysterious but wealthy alpha who admired Wei Ying from afar... the possibilities feel endless, and his soul will feel the bliss of liberation as long as he is one with Wei Ying. 

He is nearing his end, and he knows it too. 

“Every day....” Wei Ying repeats dumbly, his insides feeling more and more sensitive at the onslaught of Lan Wangji’s cock penetrating inside him. “We’ll do this every day...until I can give you a baby...”

That idea sounds perfectly blissful to Lan Zhan. As he gives a couple more thrusts they grow erratic, and he knows he couldn't possibly take it anymore. He comes hot and thick, his knot expanding to fill Wei Ying and keep him plugged with all his seed. In all but name now, they were married. 

Wei Ying moans at the feeling of hot seed filling his insides, his stomach feeling pumped full and round. The knot is an extra stretch in his channel and nothing but bliss. 

If Wangji focuses, he could almost imagine that he felt a kind of spiritual bond between them, growing and forming with this final act, tying them irrevocably to one another for so long as both their spirits existed. Even in the next life, perhaps, they would be drawn together. It was a comforting thought, but not one that he dared to dwell on. Not when he and his love were quite literally knotted together for the next half-hour or so. 

“What happened to your back, Er Gege?”

Fingers run idly through wavy brown hair, and he thinks back to when he'd warranted those scars when Wei Ying asks about them. Sighing gently, he decides to tell Wei Ying--after all, there would be no shame in it, and it would serve as tangible proof of his willingness to do anything and everything for his beloved. "In my world, before you died, they tried to take you from me... I fought against thirty-three of my own sect to keep you. Then, thirty-three strikes of the discipline whip for my actions. I would do it again, every time, for Wei Ying."

He hopes that story would not be too gruesome for the younger man to handle, especially since he felt it to be important that Wei Wuxian knew the depth of his feelings. Cuddling him, he presses little kisses to the teen's face, still in awe of him. 

Wei Ying goes very still as he listens to Lan Zhan’s explanation. “I wish I was there to comfort you, Lan Zhan. I’ll kiss each and every single one of your scars every time we lie together, and pay you back one hundredfold for the things you have done for me.” 

Then his affections turn playful, and he rubs his nose against Lan zhan’s taller aqualine one almost like that of a puppy. “Lan Zhan! Will where we go after Gusu? I doubt Madame Yu will be okay with me bringing home a man in his thirties who deflowered me before marriage and let him sleep in my childhood bed, haha! I doubt we would both fit in my childhood bed!” 

Having already considered the possibilities, Lan Zhan strokes his love's hair and kisses him reassuringly. "Say I am a rich and powerful alpha and wish to pay your bride price. It is the truth, after all. I will produce a letter for you."

It seemed like it could be the easiest way to skirt around the issue, for in truth he had no desire to meet Wei Ying's family, except for maybe his sister. What he recalled of Sect Leader Jiang, Madame Yu, even Jiang Wanyin... none of it had been particularly flattering in his own opinion.

Wei Ying sighs. “Lan Zhan, I am not anyone’s property. You should not have to buy me off a woman who can’t wait to get rid of me.”

"Not property. Bride price is respect," he answered simply. Even if he did not respect Madam Yu's attitude, he could respect her station as leader of a Sect.

“Well, don’t let her swindle you out of house and home,” he tells Lan WangJi rather firmly, making the older man smile. 

In the morning light, Wei Ying's skin seemed to shine, and his hair looked flecked with copper, almost as if it carried with it an inner fire. He'd never seen something so beautiful in all his life. 

With his right hand, Lan Wangji reaches up to remove his forehead ribbon and loops it simply first around Wei Ying's wrist, then his own. "Now, we are truly married," he intones softly, holding up their wrists. "You are mine. I am yours. Forever."

Holding Wei Ying tightly, he very carefully shifts and maneuvers them so that he lay back against the dock, and the omega lay upon him. He gazes up at the gorgeous brunette and looks in awe at his ribbon, recalling how just a week ago he'd been certain that they'd never find one another again.

Now, he couldn't wait to see where this life would take them. He couldn't wait to see Wei Ying, fat and round with their child growing inside him. The alpha might have shed a tear, or two, for his happiness. "I love you most, Wei Ying."

Wei Ying smiles at him and places a kiss upon his lips. “I am your Wei Ying. You are my Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan has the prettiest eyes and the most handsome face. If he has the power to make me fall for him in a single night, I am afraid to see what else he is capable of doing to my heart.”

Laying there, the comforting weight of his one true love resting atop him, grounding him, Lan Wangji knew he'd found his place in the world. Wei Ying's compliments made him flush from the tips of his ears to his face, and he pulls the younger man down for a kiss, a gentle smile on his face.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

        When the sun has risen some more, so do they, for the streets would be bustling with merchants anytime soon and Lan Wangji would rather no one else have the privilege of seeing his beloved naked.

Running his finger through a wavy brown lock, he presses it to his lips and inhales its musky lotus scent. "You must bathe, Wei Ying, or they will know." At his age, of course, he had enough magical knowledge and cultivation to appear and seem spotless, but he doubts the younger had so much and he wouldn’t want anything to tarnish Wei Ying’s delicate reputation. His own he could care less for.

He tossed his ratty brunette hair over his shoulder, long lost their luscious ness after their tumble on the dock  earlier than night. “I don’t need to bathe,” he pouts, “I thought Lan Zhan wanted everyone to know. Unless Lan Zhan changed his mind and is ashamed of what we did?”

Of course Lan Wangji didn't care who knew, but it was one thing to be seen looking ratty, and quite another to pay an official visit to a distinguished, notoriously straight-laced sect, looking like they'd just taken a roll in the hay. "Rinse off," he repeats, wanting Wei Ying to at least look presentable. "They will not admit you if they suspect you and I have been.... immoral. No regrets. Want to marry Wei Ying and start a family." Those last words felt essential, to communicate that he did not hate what they did in the slightest. To the contrary, it had been one of the happiest moments of his life.

As for the bride price, well. "I have plenty," he murmurs, not bothering to mention that he also knew of ways to get much more where that came from. In a sense, because of additional years to hone his magic, his coin purse would never be empty. "We will go to Gusu when your hair is fixed."

Wei Ying pouts before sticking his tongue out rather childishly and then cannonballing right there into the lake.

He emerges with his hair soaked, a lotus pad on his head, grinning up at Lan WangJi with his bunny teeth as he saw how some of the water had splashed onto the other’s clothes. “Now we’re equal!” he says, laughing loudly.

Happily shaking the lotus pad off his head like a puppy, he begins splashing about in the water, more play than bathing in all honesty and Lan Wangji just pulls on his own clothes and watches from the shore with fondness, never being able to take his eyes off Wei  Ying in the morning sunrise for even one second.

*********

They decide to visit Gusu first.

True to his word, Lan WangJi had not stepped foot into the Cloud Recesses but arranged a spot not far outside the gates where he would wait for Wei Wuxian to be done.

Instead of heading towards the main gates he had been kicked out of, Wei Wuxian secretly hops over the rooftops in order to make his way to the younger Wangji’s jingshi. Still feeling a little sticky between his wobbly legs, he shrugs off his embarrassment and uses a talisman to materialize into the younger LWJ’s room, knowing it by heart since he’s been forced to copy rules in both there and the library pavilion at least a dozen times.

“Lan Zhan!” he calls out as soon as he is inside. “It’s me, it’s your old friend, Wei Wuxian!”

He hadn’t tied his hair up and he still probably smelt like a lake full of lotus and midnight sex, but the mark on his neck should be loud and clear.

Lan Wangji had been peacefully copying down a sacred text, minding his own business, when suddenly he shared a room with what seemed to be a demon. No, not a demon, but Wei Ying. Close enough, perhaps. Narrowing his eyes he took his peer in; the first thing he noticed was that he stank, rather like a brothel. And his clothes looked mussed. And... heavens, there was an enormous claim mark plain as day bitten into his neck.

"Shameless!" he growls, nearly spilling his ink bottle, feeling a surge of mysterious anger well up from deep within him. How had the boy gotten in here, anyway? It should have been impossible without a jade pendant.

No matter, he would have approximately ninety seconds to explain himself  before Wangji raises the alarm and brings his father, brother, and uncle to bear upon this situation. "What do you want?"

“Lan Zhan, please listen to me!” Wei Wuxian tries to say loud and clear, but it comes out more of a whimper because of the limp between his legs. “I'm not here to hurt you or to cause you any trouble!” He skitters to a stop in front of Lan Wangji, suddenly feeling insecure about his damp hair (he’d tied it up the best he could) and his flimsy robes.

He is going to sound even crazier and this Lan WangJi might hate him even more, but he owes this Lan WangJi an explanation, didn’t he? How had he ever managed to seduce this man in the other world?

Swallowing hard, he speaks rather softly, “Last night I met a time traveler, but it wasn’t just anyone! It was you, an older version of you, and you came here looking for me. You told me about how terrible things will happen to everyone in the future, and you told me how you never got to tell me you love me before I died. Then I let you make love to me, we bonded, and now I’m here to tell the younger version of yourself...goodbye and I’m sorry, before we run away together.” He then added, “Well, maybe not goodbye forever. We will save everyone we can, of course. You must caution. The Cloud Recesses will be burnt!”

What had happened to Wei Wuxian that he somehow showed up here and was now spouting nonsense? Surely, there must be something. Time travel?

"Foolish," he iterates, all but ignoring the second part of what he'd said. Lan Wangji may have found Wei Ying to be pretty, but he certainly didn't love him. In truth, Wangji doubted if he loved anybody--save for his mother, once, and perhaps his brother. Love of the romantic sort was for mediocre cultivators with nothing between their ears. And he certainly would never do... that, and out of wedlock, for shame! He couldn't even bear to think about it. Even if a small part of him screams that making love to Wei Ying was his ultimate fantasy, he ignores that.

"You dare threaten the Cloud Recesses?" he splutters angrily instead.

"I'm not threatening the Cloud Recesses!" Wei Wuxian says rather frantically, for this was going just as well as he should have expected it to be. "I am warning you of terrible things that will happen in the future... a lot of people will die, your father included. I don't know if there's any way to prevent it, but if it means there's a chance, I am risking everything to be here, but Lan Zhan, I needed to warn you."

He swallows, persistent to carry on with his explanation, no matter how increasingly frightening the younger Lan Wangji is becoming. "I wanted to let you know that no matter what happens, I will do my best to save everyone. And I will do my best to be good to the future you."

"I know you may think I'm crazy right now, and you must hate me, and you might never forgive me. And that's okay. I just thought I owed you an explanation for how I am trying to change our future. I'm sorry I can't marry you...

“But I'll never forget our time at the Cloud Recesses. I really did have some good times with you."

Wei Ying turns away. "You don't have to call your uncle or brother. I'm leaving now."

Pausing, he adds, "Unless I can get a chance to prove it to you...." He pulls back his clothing so that the mark on his neck is even more explicitly shown. "Are these not your teeth marks?" And then Wei Ying reaches down into his robes with an ease and swipes a finger into himself to pull out a little bit of the semen leftover from the night before. "This semen even smells like your unique scent, does it not?"

Now Lan Wangji feels even more certain that Wei Ying had either gone mad or was playing the most disgusting practical joke he could have ever thought of. The brush in his hand snaps, and he nearly cracks the table from the force with which he grips it. "Absolutely shameless!" he shouts, paying no mind to the fact that he did smell himself on the omega. It must be some cheap trick. As for the teeth marks, well...

"Get out," he states flatly, noting to himself to have his father up the defenses around the Cloud Recesses. Just in case that bit of information had any merit to it.

“But--”

“Get. Out. You smell like a brothel.”

Wei Wuxian freezes, then sighs. He inclines his head politely to Lan Wangji, though the smile has been wiped from his face. "Then I bid you bidwell, Lan Er Gongzi."

He turns around and began making his way out of the Cloud Recesses, eager to reunite with the more friendly, more kindred version of Lan Wangji.

It takes a lot out of him and his sore legs to hop from rooftop to rooftop and make his way out of the Cloud Recesses.

Unfortunately, in his dejected state, he didn't notice the presence of someone noticing him and following him.

"Lan Zhan, where are you?" he calls as he steps off the mountains. "I'm done! I completed the mission!"

"Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan! Where are you? Are you here?"

He is interrupted by a loud yell of his name. "WEI WUXIAN!"

He whirls around, unable to stop the smile from whirling across his face. "Jiang Cheng!"

"WEI WUXIAN!" Jiang Cheng comes over screeching at the top of his lungs. His eyes widen almost comically at the large mating mark on Wei Wuxian's neck.

"What are you....WHAT IS THAT?" he snaps, pointing at his neck rather aggressively.  

Wei Wuxian put a hand over his mark, wishing that Lan Wangji would appear soon. "It's my mating mark....I'm betrothed to Lan Er Gongzi, Jiang Cheng!"

Now that sounded like the typical sort of idiocy to come out of his adopted brother's mouth, but actually going and getting himself mated? That hadn't been expected, and Jiang Cheng feels his veins boil.

"What the fuck are you talking about? And why in the ten hells do you stink like a brothel? Obviously you can't be marrying Lan Wangji, since they haven't announced anything about it and Father hasn't mentioned anything about it, either. Why are you lying to me, Wei Wuxian?"

“It’s a long story Jiang Cheng, and I’m not lying to you. I’m here because a time traveling Lan WangJi came from the future last night, and he told me about some horrible things that were going to happen.”

He explains everything in great detail, including how it was hard for him to believe at first too, but he knew Lan WangJi would never lie to him, he told him about how he said Shijie would die, Lotus Pier would burn, a lot of innocent people would die if he didn’t attempt to change the course of their future. He could tell that his brother’s eyes were suspicious, but he is simply begging him to believe him.

“And I was going to die, and you were going to renounce me to the world,” he finishes, rather sadly. “Jiang Cheng, you’re my brother. I would never lie to you. Please believe me. I smell a little like him because he and I... well, we mated last night. He didn’t force me, I swear! He was so sad and he needed me... we made love right out on the dock, underneath the stars! Isn’t that romantic?”

This information is almost too much for Jiang Cheng to take in. He feels as if something must be going on with Wei Wuxian for him to be raving like this, but he took death seriously. Very seriously, especially when it involved his family whom he never wanted to see hurt. As he listens to the explanation, he begrudgingly comes to accept that at the very least, Wei Wuxian was not playing a cruel and elaborate prank on him. Any other decisions, well, he'd sort that out later. He didn’t care much for romance, and especially for anything to do with that arrogant Second Jade of Lan.

"Pah, you know that I care nothing for romance. And besides, what does that have against our entire family dying? My parents, our sister? Even the peacock! How do you know for sure that’s the future? What if he was lying to you, hm? Let me meet this 'Lan Wangji', I have half a mind to slug him in the face for defiling my shixiong!”

“Don’t hurt him, he’s already been hurt enough. But awes, I’m so touched! Does this mean my shidi cares for me a lot more than he’d like to admit?”

“Get off me! You stink!”

Lan Zhan had requested one thing and one thing only: that he would not appear before anyone on this trip. Clearly, however, he would be needing to break his own rule and show himself. He disperses the glamour hiding him, appearing from behind a large rock.

"Wei Ying, I am here," he answers, going to Wei Ying and hugging him tightly. Then he glances forward and narrows his eyes. This must be Jiang Wanyin as a teenager. Brilliant.

"Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian cries, throwing his arms around him forgetting all about Jiang Cheng in a second. "Oh my betrothed, how I’ve missed you so! Your younger self was so, so mean to me and acts as if I am the scum of the earth! It really makes a world of difference when you are with me, showering me with your warmth and affection!”

Jiang Cheng wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but it sure wasn't... this.

"W-Wei WUXIAN! Are you absolutely mad? He's at least twice your age! And we've never seen him before... how do you know he's not just impersonating a Lan?!"

Wei Wuxian just coos like a lovesick maiden and buries his head into Lan Wangji’s chest, who towers over both of them in height.

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Lan Zhan unsheaths and presents his sword, Bichen, which was identical in wear marks down to the Bichen of this world. He also displays his jade pendant, which would show his name engraved as Lan Wangji. "Believe me or don't. Wei Ying is mine now. We are as good as married."

The red-faced teenager sputters. "What the fuck?! Wei Wuxian, how could you do such a thing? What's Father going to say?!"

Wei Wuxian shakes his head, his long ponytail swinging back and forth and almost hitting Jiang Cheng in the face.

"I know it happened very suddenly, but shidi, can't you see how much he needs me?" he asks gently, placing a hand on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder, who simply grunts and tries to shake him off (Lan Wangji glares at him for this). "I know it sounds crazy, but I just know he's really Lan Zhan. I would know if he was lying. Besides, they have the same smell, the same composure, the same eyes. When I found out how horrible his world is, I couldn't blame him for using magic to come to our world.”

“Wei Wuxian, you fucked a man twice your age out of wedlock! How could you do this to my family after everything we’ve done for you?! Do you know how much face my parents will lose?!”

“Shidi, it’s not like that! Lan Zhan and I were heading to Lotus Pier after this specifically so we can speak with your parents. He will pay your parents as a token of respect, and I am beyond grateful to everyone for raising me all these years. I...I owe a great deal to you, and a part of my heart will always rest with Lotus Pier. I won't rest until I assure that Uncle Jiang, Shijie, and the rest of your family will be safe.”

“Youㅡ! What do you mean, a token of respect?! My parents deserve far more than that!”

"A-Cheng," Wei Wuxian says, finding strength in lacing his fingers with Lan Zhan’s, "It doesn't matter to me if he's twice my age or a hundred years older than he looks. He is an immortal cultivator who is looking for a second chance and trying to help save my family. How can I refuse destiny offering me an opportunity as rare as this?"

Jiang Cheng narrows his eyes, hackles rising at the show of defiance from his omega brother, who ought to be under his control. "Do you not care at all, Wei Wuxian? Did my family mean nothing to you?! Surely Mother was right about you."

"Of course I care!" Wei Wuxian snaps, turning his nose into the air to his alpha husband-to-be. "I hope you know how much I care, Shidi. I care so much for you and Shijie, and I’ll write to you everyday, if you’d like! But Lan Zhan needs me...he says he wants to start a family together!”

At those last words, young Wei Ying bursts with emotion and hugs Lan Wangji tightly against himself, making Jiang Cheng’s face scrunch in disgust.

He huffs, his scent turning domineering. "You were so eager to abandon your family the second that old man came sniffing around, and you sold yourself so cheaply! But then, what else would there be to expect from the son of a servant?"

Lan Wangji couldn't take it anymore, as his own protective scent began to permeate the air. How could he stand there when he spent all these years without Wei Ying, to see him being disrespected by somebody unworthy of him completely?

 In a very un-Lan-like move for him, he surges forward and punches Jiang Wanyin in the jaw. "Disrespectful lout, do not insult Wei Ying again."

Both Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng’s jaws drop in shock.

“L-Lan Zhan!”

Jiang Cheng’s eye is turning as purple as his robes, and when he realizes what happens, so does his face. “LAN WANGJI!”

Even though Lan Wangji towers over them both, Jiang Cheng is angrily trotting forward as if to retaliate. The haughty look on that old man’s face boils his blood even further!

But before he can do anything, Wei Wuxian steps in-between them.

“Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng bellows. “Get out of the way!”

“Jiang Wanyin, if you lay a finger on Wei Ying…”

“Both of you stop it!” Wei Wuxian pleads. “I don’t need my brother to be fighting my betrothed! Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, you shouldn’t have done that. A-Cheng, A-Cheng, please don’t make accusations at him when you don’t even know him.”

Jiang Cheng looks absolutely infuriated, as if steam would bellow out of his ears at any second so Wei Ying steps forward and gives him a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, we will leave instantly. Some nice mint leaves should heal that up in no time! You’d better head back to the Cloud Recesses, so you’re at least safe there from the Wens. Lan Zhan, let us go to Lotus Pier, my love."

Lan Wangji nods at Wei Ying's request and takes out his sword. In a moment, he'd readied it to fly with his omega back to Yunmeng.

Jiang Cheng, meanwhile, looks ready to murder. He gives Lan Zhan the dirtiest look ever, knowing then and there that there was nothing he could do to possibly convince Wei Wuxian otherwise.

"Goodbye, A-Cheng!" Wei Wuxian calls to him sweetly as he hops into Lan Wangji’s waiting arms to be carried like a princess. "Oh and make sure you don't stay a virgin forever! It feels really good, trust me!"

They decide to stop in Caiyi Town for breakfast because Wei Ying had whined that he was hungry and well, that wouldn’t do.

"Lan Zhan!" he says as they step off Bichen and he is set down gently, carefully, lovingly. “I know what A-Cheng said isn’t okay, but you shouldn’t have done that. I’m shocked that Hanguang-Jun would ever do something like that!”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji says, and bows his head to his young betrothed. “I should have controlled myself better in such a situation. I apologize to Wei Ying for the embarrassment I have caused.”

“Lan Zhan, there’s no need to apologize to me! It was A-Cheng who you should have said sorry to!”

At this, Lan Wangji stays silent, and Wei Ying can read on his face that he actually isn’t very sorry he’d punched Jiang Cheng at all. As much as he hated to admit it...it was amusing in some aspects. He’d never thought he’d see Lan Wangji physically fight anyone with fists, he’d never seen Jiang Cheng punched before, even in training practice with the other disciples (who probably feared the wrath of Yu Furen too much). Most of all, he’d never been fought over like that, and it brings his omega senses a tingle of pleasant giggles.

Caiyi Town is as lively as ever, with its hustle and bustle and its vendors grilling all sorts of delicious meats and offering many varieties of food and drink.

“What would you like to eat, Wei Ying?” Lan Wangji asks softly. “It will be my treat.”

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian covers his hands in his face, flushed. “You’re so generous! I wonder what I did to land such a betrothed like you!”

“Mn, Wei Ying is Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji’s golden eyes seem to glimmer with a hidden emotion as he pries Wei Wuxian’s hands away.

“Lan Zhannnnnn, you have to warn me before you say things like that or else my heart won’t be able to take it!”

In the end they stop at this little shop selling sizzling chickens, roast ducks, and fresh, steaming stuffed buns. Wei Ying orders the all meat buns, of course, and proclaims, “Look, Lan Zhan! They even have boring old vegetarian buns for people with boring tastes like you!"

To which Lan Wangji does not only not get offended, but he actually chuckles, and pays for them both with a generous tip so that Wei Ying gets to take a bag of buns on the road afterwards.

Wei Ying stares at him in awe and admiration. Age was supposed to deteriorate one’s looks but as for Lan Zhan, time had been nothing but kind to him, sharpening his jawline and enhancing his features. He is an alpha in his prime, a shining beacon of masculinity that would make any omega drool.

As they sit down, he closes his hands around Lan Zhan's, very much a teenager smitten by his first romance. "Lan Zhan, what was your favorite part about making love to me?" he asks through a mouthful of food.

Threading their fingers together, Lan Wangji kisses them. "Silence while eating, Wei Ying. You will know after we finish."

"But I want to know now!" Wei Ying whines rather childlikely, determined to see how far this Lan Wangji would go to spoil him completely.

He dies when Lan Wangji takes a chunk of the meatbun and blows on it before feeding it to him.

“Lan Zhan, who knew you could be this romantic! Ahhhhhhh certainly not me! Your younger self was so mean to me, no wonder I thought he'd hated me all over again! You became really kind and wiser as you grew older, which I'm so grateful for! I tried to explain things to your younger self, but instead of believing me he told me to get out and just kept on threatening me with his eyes. He even said I smelled like a brothel!”

"Not me," Wangji responds softly, wiping a crumb off Wei Ying’s chin. "I was foolish."

“Oh Lan Zhan...it’s okay. I forgive you! You, my dear betrothed, have never ever wronged me!”

Wei Ying happily chomps away at his meatbun, and Lan Wangji’s heart melts, feeling as though he could stare at him forever. No matter how much Wei Ying stuffs his face, he is still the most beautiful person Lan Wangji has ever seen.

"Also, Lan Zhan I meant to ask this earlier, but where will we go after this? I take it that you don't exactly want to go back to your world, and we can't exactly stay at Lotus Pier, can we?"

The Cloud Recesses would be out of the question, for sure.

These were things Wangji had thought about, given consideration to the previous twelve hours. Lan Wangji suspects he knew of some places where they could go that they might not be bothered, and that would not be infiltrated upon by the Wens. He could build them a cottage, and they could live together in relative peace. Although going back to his own world could technically be an option, he hadn't the heart to tear Wei Ying from his loved ones who still lived. There is nothing beautiful left in his world.

"There are places we can live," he answers, after he has finished eating his own vegetarian buns, "Forests. Lakes. Rivers. Cities. Baoshan."

Wei Wuxian whines through a mouthful of steaming meatbun. "Hnn. all those places sound so far away. We can't live at Baoshan! You have to be immortal to live at Baoshan, and once you go, you can never leave. Besides, we can't leave until we make sure my family is safe."

He wipes his mouth, taking his hand out of Lan Wangji's with a rather concerned expression. "You are my fated one now, but I can't just leave my family to suffer their fate, Lan Zhan. We need to figure out a way to save them before we go and build our own lives together. I can't just leave them to die here."

"We will help before we go, Wei Ying." In truth, Lan Wangji’s mind is half wandering off, exploring thoughts of taking his mate again against some wall or other, although he also had years of cultivated patience to help him with these urges. Wei Ying is going to be his, his his. "Not to the mountain. We can wander."

Wei Ying’s eyes widen. “Wander? You mean like rogue cultivators and travel the world as faraway wanderers? Ai-ya, Lan Zhan, the world seems like such a wonderful place with so much tianya haijiao for us to explore!”

Wangji smiles at Wei Ying’s youth, his energy, his exuberant soul for the very nature of life. “Will see the heavens, earth, and seas with Wei Ying.”

“Lan Zhan, oh my Lan Zhan! What am I going to do with you? What other wonders could you possibly offer me next that I don’t already have in front of me right here, right now?!”

Wangji’s voice grows softer, and he gazes at his betrothed from over his tea cup, the tips of his ears flushed quite red.  "Baby," he says simply. Truthfully, the act of making love to Wei Wuxian wholly enshrouded him and no particular aspect could be teased loose, but imagining that he and Wei Ying could have a child together had been the most arousing thought of all.

This causes the usually shameless Wei Ying a rare moment where he flushes scarlet.

"Truthfully, you've probably already put a child in me," he mutters, sipping his sweet, fruity, sugary tea, "Especially with how much you came inside.”

Wangji could only hope so. Giving his beloved a tender look, he takes the teenager's hands in his own and kisses them. "My Wei Ying, perfect. Our baby, perfect. You are perfect."

Wei Wuxian swoons at him, actually swoons. "Let's go meet Jiang Shushu and Madame Yu. I could see it in your eyes, Lan Zhan, how much you needed me. At least this version of you. And I never doubted you for a second. Isn't that crazy? For some reason, I could just tell it was you."

He gives a laugh, which comes out a little choked because of how much his stomach was bothering him. "Lan Zhan is more perfect than I'll ever be. After all, you're still Hanguang-Jun. People look at you with respect in their eyes from your reputation alone. Me? I'm nobody that special. Tell me how much you love me again, Lan Zhan. Hearing it said out loud is so nice! Is love always this beautiful?"

"Love Wei Ying," Wangji murmurs, picking him up easily and carrying him in his arms after paying for both of them. If he could help it, he'd never let this one go, ever again. "Stay with me always, Wei Ying. Forever."

Before they went to see the Jiangs, he did decide in the end to take Wei Ying to a bathhouse, so that they could at least both smarten up a bit. It didn't take long to wash off in the hot water and scrub themselves briefly with fine soap, all of which Lan Zhan happily paid for. He dries them with his magic, robes and all, and they were ready to head to Lotus Pier.

Nausea claws at the edges of his mind; he worries about what might happen if Yu Furen denied him, or wanted something he could not give in exchange for Wei Ying's hand. Would Lan Wangji kidnap him if that were the case? Probably.

He would go to the edges of the earth for Wei Ying; no tianya haijiao could ever be enough to stop  him, for what is heaven and the earth in comparison to that of this endless universe and its dimensions of existence?

For Wei Ying, his love is fathomless, his devotion unparalleled beyond that of time and space.

."Ridiculous!"

Madame Yu whacks the top of the tables with a hand so forceful that the teacups atop it rattle with fear.

She huffs and turns to her husband, angrily. "How can you remain calm over something as atrocious as this?" she snaps at him. "Jiang Fengmian, don't you have a pair of balls anymore?!"

"And you!" she points an accusing finger at Wei Wuxian, who steps closer to Lan Wangji. "Did you know that Yanli was worried sick this morning when you didn't come to breakfast? She always spoiled you too much, but I saw you for what you really are, a good-for-nothing mooch!

Look at the disgrace you've brought upon us! Bringing a man almost twice your age into our home... already marked and mated before marriage! What would your mother say if she could see you now, hm? She would die twice over of shame again!"

Wei Wuxian looks as if he is struggling to bite his tongue in regards to his stepmother. He glances helplessly at Uncle Jiang, then Lan Wangji, whose fists were balled but who could not risk losing Wei Ying for any trivial reason.

"I disapprove," Madame Yu snaps, “But no matter. However much money you offer, he's basically as cheap as a street whore now. You can take him off our hands for nothing."

Well, this is certainly not how Lan Zhan had hoped this meeting might go. It would appear that Jiang Fengmian shared his feelings, although there appears to also be quite a bit of trepidation on the man's tired face.

"San-Niang, you were the one who wished to make an advantageous match for Wei Wuxian. The man he brings before us is wealthy, powerful, and apparently quite enamored. Although the order of these actions are... regrettable, it appears that the work of matchmaking has been done for us. Now," he turns to Lan Wangji.

"Although I cannot condone what you have done with my ward, I still believe he is worth his bride price. We had planned upon ten thousand as a bride price for him. Perhaps you will pay us twelve for the trouble, or is that too dear?"

Lan Wangji shakes his head no, no trouble and reaches into his money pouch with relief, pulling out two rather large nuggets of gold and a couple smaller ones of silver. He places them into another, empty pouch, and knelt, offering it to Jiang Fengmian, who accepts them quite graciously.

Madame Yu turns up her nose. "This is prostitution money. I will not touch a penny of it."

"And you! she points an accusatory finger at Jiang Fengmian, "Would you have let Jiang Cheng off like this? How would you have reacted with your own? You would sell him, you would whore out your own son if your own son if the pile of money were large enough! Thank goodness Jiang Cheng is not an omega, or else twelve thousand would be too cheap for the trouble this has caused.”

"And you..." she turns to Lan Wangji, whose eyes are ablaze with fury but mouth set firmly in a straight line of silence. "I don't even want to have to speak to you, but you're definitely not someone who I would have chosen.”

Wei Wuxian squeezes his eyes shut, feeling guilty, ashamed, awful that Lan Zhan had to endure this with him. He turns to look at him, trying to show him how sorry he was with the emotions welling across his grey eyes.

To all of their reliefs, Madam Yu throws her hands into the air. "I wash my hands of this entire affair! Don't you ever dare show your face in Lotus Pier again, you hear me?”

And with that, she storms out of the room with her two servants in tow.

Jiang Fengmian sighs deeply, watching his wife go before turning to Wei Wuxian. "A-Xian, don't listen to her. The man standing next to you seems to be an upstanding cultivator and never dishonorable, if my intuitions are fair. For now, it may be best if you go, but do visit your sister before you leave. She will be very worried about you, otherwise."

He turns to look at Lan Wangji again, his gaze hardening a bit. "I still can't say that I am thrilled with you, or with A-Xian's choice of you, but I suppose there is no choice I have in the matter. You will not have my objections to your bows."

Wangji understands and gives him a short bow of thanks, then moves to gather Wei Ying into his arms. The bride price has already been accepted, after all.

Wei Wuxian nodded. "Thank you, Jiang Shushu. For doing everything for me. For all the trouble I've caused you."

He bows deeply. "Of course I'm going to visit Shijie before I go. I'm going to miss her very much…”  He would miss her the most of all; he had not imagined parting so soon from his childhood.

He turns back one more time to Jiang Fengmian before he and Lan Wangji step out of the room and into their new life together. "Jiang shu-shu, thank you again. You were an amazing guardian, and I'll forever be grateful to you for raising me. I am sorry for disturbing your marriage."

“A-Xian, do not speak nonsense. This is as much your home as ours, and you are welcome back anytime for a visit with your new husband.”

"I'm sorry," Wei Wuxian whispers once they were out in the courtyard and alone, "I should have stood up for you when they said they wouldn't have chosen you."

Wangji presses one finger to his omega's lips and hushes him softly. "No need." He'd anticipated their meeting might go like this, and really he was just glad to have it be over. He didn't know what to make of Yu Furen's outbursts but none of it really mattered in the end, he supposes.

Hugging Wei Ying close, Lan Zhan kisses his collarbone. "You should be with me because you want to be, Wei Ying.”

Wei Ying buries his head into Lan Wangji’s shoulder. “I want to! More than anything.”

Spotting a vacant courtyard with a bench and a tree, he takes Wei Ying there to sit down and reflect for a moment, with the teen cradled in his lap. Tipping his head up by the chin, he kisses him briefly before wrapping his arms around him to hold him close. "My Wei Ying."

Wei Ying’s smile is as beaming and as brilliant as the sun. “My Lan Zhan!” He sighs and whines into Lan Wangji's shoulder, snuggling closer, never having felt so loved, so cherished before. Nothing in the world could ever compare.

Although he does jump up and scramble off Lan Zhan's lap as quickly as he can when he hears Jiang Yanli's voice call out to him.

"Shijie!" Wei Wuxian exclaims, hurrying over to her and giving her a great big hug. Thinking of what happened in Lan Wangji’s world, he hugs her tighter than normal.

Once Yanli heard that her beloved brother had returned home after his night of carousing, she'd rushed to see him. "A-Xian!" The squeeze of the hug catches her off guard for a split second, but she melts into it, cuddling the boy she almost considers to be a son to her.

"Let me look at you. So handsome, so charismatic as always. Father mentioned you went and did something naughty," she admonishes. A mating mark hadn't been what she'd expected! Tears burst into her eyes as she hugs him tightly again. "A-Xian, oh my A-Xian! Who did this to you??"

Lan Wangji steps forward, bowing to her. Of course the first thing Yanli notices is his age―despite appearances he had to have been at least in his late 20s, if not older. He seemed to be a member of the Gusu Lan Sect, or dressed like one, at any rate, and he carries...even she, who practices the arts and culinary arts more than cultivation, recognizes the famous sword Bichen. How was this even possible?

She narrows her eyes and studies him closely, looking a bit like Yu Furen in that moment. "Did you force him?" she asks with a hint of protectiveness in her voice.

"Absolutely not," he answers truthfully, remaining in his bow.

“Shijie, Shijie, please don’t be alarmed,” Wei Wuxian says, pulling back from the hug at last but holding her hand tightly, “He’s a good man. He didn’t force me to do anything. We met at the dock last night...and realized we knew each other from a different time and place.” He gently wipes some of her tears off her face.

“I know this must come as a shock for you, and it’s really sudden news to me as well! I came to say farewell, Shijie. Xian-Xian is not hurt! Xian-Xian landed in the hands of a very good man who was able to pay your parents a nice dowry, should help them and you live comfortably for a good number of years, Shijie! I don’t mind his age, he is strong and an immortal cultivator. He will be able to take care of me, and now Xian-Xian has to leave for awhile.”

He looks at Lan Zhan, wondering if he could tell his Shijie the truth about him.

“Can I tell her, Lan Zhan?” He didn’t want to be the one to tell Shijie about her impending death, but if it were to happen...he would definitely never let any harm become of his beautiful and dear Shijie. Plus he would like to give his kind, beautiful, good-hearted Shijie some reason to see why he trusts this man so much.

Lan Zhan nods and bows to her once more.

"A-Xian, what is it you need to tell me? How do you know him? Where? I.... I'll miss my Xian-Xian so much, I barely know what to do without you!" She hugs him tightly again. All of this is so much to consider and to process... and happening so quickly.

“Shijie, the truth is...he is Lan WangJi, an older version of Lan WangJi from the future. He came back in time to try to find me and warn me...”

And just like he explained to Jiang Cheng, but perhaps with a greater detail, he proceeds to explain to his dear Shijie everything that Lan WangJi had told him. The burning of the Cloud Recesses, the massacre that would happen at Lotus Pier, and finally her own death in the other world.

“I’m not trying to scare you, Shijie,” he says, a few teardrops rolling down his cheeks at the thought of possibly losing her, “I just wanted to warn you. I could never let you get hurt, and if what happened in the other world will happen here, I want to figure out a way to change destiny. I want to protect you at any cost. You’re one of the most important people in the world to me, and I am not going to let anything bad happen to you.”

He then proceeds to explain how after he and Lan Wangji met, they decided they would go to the Cloud Recesses this morning, then here to Yunmeng Jiang.

“I know everything is happening so fast,” he says, and at some point his hand had intertwined with Lan zhan’s for support, “I’m so sorry this is such short notice, Shijie. But I won’t leave for good. I’ll come back to visit you once I figure out a way to save you. I’ll always come and check in on you.”

For her part, Jiang Yanli listens well. She tries to take in everything her A-Xian is telling her, although the sheer amount of information meant it was quite something to try and process. "A-Xian," she murmurs, stroking his hair gently. "I.... don't know what to say. That sounds like so much to take in so quickly... what will you plan to do to stop... the future? And... how can both a future and present version of the same person exist safely? Do come back and visit, or Shijie will miss you far too much. Or, I can come and visit you."

The concerns Yanli raised had been Wangji's exactly, or rather similar, and he feels slightly comforted to know that at least she could maybe grasp some of this. "He and I cannot see one another."

"Shijie, I will always come back for you," Wei Wuxian declares solemnly, holding her tightly. "I'm not going to let you die, Shijie. I won't let it happen! I promise I'll never be too far from you."

He reaches back and undoes the ribbon holding up his thick ponytail, letting it bounce free into a cascade of brown tresses. He holds it out to her. "Take this as a token of my appreciation for you," he says, "I must leave now, before your mother raises hell with your father. I promise to come back and visit. You’ll have to come and visit me too, Shijie! I’ll miss you so much! I'm going to be okay. Lan Zhan will take care of me."

Putting on a smile to stop his tears, he turns to his betrothed. "Let's let Shijie visit a lot, okay?"

Lan Wangji nods, and with a few more parting words, some more sobs, tears, declarations of love, Wei Wuxian bids Lotus Pier goodbye.

Their first night together is spent at an inn. After Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian speaks to the owner, and showing him Lan Wangji’s never ending bag of gold, he’d provided them with his biggest room, a small cottage, complete with full meals and a month's accommodation exchange for help with some minor cultivation tasks. The property is rather sparse, but at least they had the accoutrements of a good home, and a fresh water spring nearby to bathe. The owner even offers to let them use his donkey and cart if they need to make trips to the market, providing they would help his family with the shopping, too.

It seems to be a fair deal, in Lan Wangji's opinion, and he did not hesitate to shake on it. Once they'd settled in, he could consider further the implications of what happened.

There are some things in this world that he could not believe much less fathom. But who was he to refuse when he had been drowning in his sorrows for nearly a decade and fate offers him this second chance? If there is an illusion, let him never wake up. Let him drown in this ocean of sin and imperfection and never look back.

But Wei Ying... Wei Ying was perfect. Wangji would hug him tightly and sleep with him in his arms every night. He would press his face into the omega's hair and let himself become lost in the musky lotus scent of him. His own scent turns possessive, dominant, the sandalwood mixing with a smoky edge. "Mine," he would purr, kissing the shell of his love's ear, then nipping at it.

“And I am yours as well,” Wei Ying would reassure for the umpteenth time. Though still a teenager, in his own mind, Wei Ying is very much a man and a most mature one at that. He wouldn’t have chosen to be born an omega but since he was, well, he was going to be the best damn omega in the world for the best damn alpha to ever exist.

His cheeks would be flushed and moans would tear from his throat whenever he would feel Lan Wangji’s tongue licking, kissing, nipping at his sensitive ears. He would then turn to look up at Lan WangJi through his eyelashes, an impish grin forming on his face .

“Ever since I’ve been kicked out of the Cloud Recesses, Lan Zhan, I've been busy studying...studying my porn books, that is,” he would laugh, “I’ve learnt some pretty outrageous things there. Will you let Wei Ying make you feel good?”

As if to emphasize his point, he would get down on his knees and open his mouth wide, tongue lolling around as his hand fumbled with Lan Wangji’s growing erection through his trousers.

Wei Ying on his knees never fails to bring a smile to Wangji’s face. His fingers would delve into his love's wavy brunette locks, the thought of what they were about to do almost enough to make him insane. He wants this, has been wanting Wei Ying for who knows how long.

He plans to only let Wei Ying have his way until he grows close, since he also wants to make love to him properly again, and put a baby in him, if he didn't have one already... surely he didn’t impregnate him during the first, second, or third couple of times they’d slept together?

"Wei Ying... you are perfect," he would breathe, and earn the most beautiful smile in return.

“I am not perfect. Lan Er Gege is the most handsome.”

Wei Ying would give him a wink before reaching into his trousers and pulling out his long, curved, thick, leaking cock. He would give it an experimental, almost-kittenish lick before gingerly taking the head of it into his mouth. His moves are clumsy and inexperienced, but his enthusiasm more than makes up for it as he sucks like a hungry baby calf. Remembering everything the pornography book had taught him, he would bob his head up and down the shaft before letting the warm insides of his throat coat it with saliva and run his tongue along the sensitive head. He would always take as much of it as he could into his mouth, and watch Lan Zhan’s face carefully for his reactions. Another thing Lan Wangji loves about Wei Ying, so young and eager to please.

Wei Ying isaware of his own face drooling as he deep throats the cock that had been inside him before, his throat constricting around it. He would suckle as eagerly as he could, begging Lan WangJi with his eyes to come inside his mouth.

Despite the inexperience, Wangji would still find the sensations encompassing. Lack of skill would only mean he'd last longer, after all, and be able to enjoy Wei Ying’s face stuffed with his cock longer.

"Wei Ying," he would groan softly, holding the omega's head in place as he thrust slowly into him, "So good, so good for me....."

He would want to rip his love's robes off and fuck into him right then and there. He would want to paint his insides white with seed and knot him and claim him thoroughly. Again. "Wei Ying..." A pleasured shudder, and they both tremble.

Wei Wuxian moans around his cock, feeling it tickle the back of his throat. He could never get used to its size no matter how many times he takes Lan Wangji Inside his mouth. How had this thing ever fit into him?

He would take his mouth off Lan Wangji’s dick with a lewd pop, opening his mouth to show Lan Zhan how much of his precum that he had already swallowed. “Lan Zhan...if you’re really an alpha...if you really want me that much, you wouldn’t ask. Just take. After all, I am yours already.”

He would then open his mouth, his tongue sharing his saliva and precum and the taste of Lan Zhan himself with him.

"Mark your words," Wangji would murmur, surging into action and bodily hauling Wei Ying over to the bed. He would use his forehead ribbon to tie his wrists and hold them in place. Once Wei Ying is secured, he would all but rip his clothes off and spread his legs to sink inside him in one long thrust. His scent would take on that same possessive, dominant edge from before as he fucks his beautiful omega slowly, biting and nipping at his skin, suckling at his nipples, and debauching the younger man in any other way he could think of through the haze of his lust.

 "Mine," he would ground out, wanting everyone to know.

“Yours,” Wei Ying would echo.

"Wei Ying," he murmurs one day against the omega's ear, nipping at it. "Take my knot. Give me a child."

“I’m pretty sure...I’m already with child,” Wei Ying only has the energy to whisper the last part.

Lan Zhan didn't even have the wherewithal to consider more than Wei Ying's final words then. Could it really be possible? A couple times, and his beloved was already giving him new life? He could cry. It was all he'd dreamed of for a decade, how he'd wanted someday to marry and have a family with his beloved Wei Ying.

Ignoring the spend and sweat, swiping it away with his fingers, he bends forward and kisses his omega's flat belly. It would be far too soon for him to tell, but... he could certainly hope the intuition was correct. A few tears of joy escapes him and he quickly wipes them away, moving to kiss his love deeply as he gentles his movements inside of him. "Wei Ying, are you sure?"

“I’m not certain yet,” Wei Wuxian says, flushing heavily as he felt the pair of silky soft lips descend upon his stomach, “I didn’t tell you this earlier, but I’ve feeling pretty nauseated and I’ve been told we tend to show faster than betas normally do. Doctors have told me I’m a pretty fertile omega, so...”

He rolls his hips, looking rather insulted that Lan WangJi has temporarily slowed his thrusting. The sensation of having his alpha’s cock inside him is so hot and raw that he didn’t want them to pause at all.

Wangji wipes his face with his sleeve and kisses Wei Ying deeply, tears already pricking at his eyes. "Wei Ying, you... we...."

He cradles the younger man against him and thrusts into him at an even deeper angle, holding him close. Words fail him right now, in the face of the enormous love and joy he feels beyond all measure. "Wei Ying," he murmurs, "we must marry. Soon."

“Yes! Soon!” Wei Ying cries in frustration. “Fuck me, Lan Er Gege! Make sure I’m carrying your child by the end of tonight!”

Well, who would this alpha be to deny his mate anything? With a growl, Lan Wangji obeys.

Pulling out for a second, he flips Wei Ying onto his stomach, then keeps thrusting at a bruising pace. They really would need to clean up after this, but it would be worth it.

Wei Ying is rendered breathless in the delicious scent of his alpha, trying to soak up as much of Lan Zhan’s scent as possible onto his own skin. His own scent glands are going insane and into overdrive as he moans and scratches at Lan Zhan’s back, feeling the alpha drive his powerful cock into him over and over again.

“Ah—ah—ah—!” he screams. “You’re so aggressive!”

In spite of his words, he raises one of his legs in order to give Lan Zhan better access to his hole, a deeper angle inside of him. He clenches at him, and when the alpha hits the right spot one too many times, Wei Wuxian comes splurging his white liquid all over the place and onto Lan Zhan’s stomach and face and onto his hair and Wei Ying’s hair.

“Ngh, Lan Er Gege you…” Wei Wuxian moans, “For someone who is supposedly pregnant, you’re being way too rough with me! I wonder if the younger version of you would be more gentle with me!”

"Won't be sharing," Wangji growls against his ear, his hips faltering as he draws closer to his climax. The new angle feels even more satisfying, and it didn't take him long to cum inside the younger man, crying out his pleasure and biting his shoulder.

"Love you, Wei Ying," he murmurs against his ear.

Wei Ying whimpers as he feels the older man cum inside him, filling his stomach with another round of hot white seed. His whines grow higher in pitch as he feels the knot tie them together again, his over sensitive sides warm and sensitive like the slick and cum and blood trickling out of him.

Wangji holds his omega, shifting them so that they could both lay down, locked together by his knot. The alpha doubts he'd ever get tired of everyday, but then how could he, when he'd waited over ten years for this one to return to him? He nuzzles his love and pressed little kisses to his face.

“My beautiful Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian purrs and rolls over, sighing with content as he feels the alpha nuzzle into him, the little kisses to his face feeling like heaven. "Lan Zhan!" he says. "We aren't realllyyyy going to do it everyday, are we? I don't think my ass would survive that." He pouts and gave the older man a look of concern. "Besides, your compliments are going to give this poor little omega a heart attack someday! What chance do I stand against you or that gigantic cock?"

“Mn, nothing. Wei Ying must be willing to admit defeat.”

“Lan Zhan! When you become so shameless?”

“After meeting Wei Ying.”

Wei Ying laughs, before a serious thought strikes him. “Lan Zhan, is there anything I can do in this life….to make up for all that time lost in the other one?” He strokes Lan Wangji’s face gently with his hand, not wanting to ever stop touching his lover.

Lan Zhan nuzzles him. "Wei Ying is perfect as Wei Ying. No need for more." It is true, since he loves and adores his omega and couldn't imagine returning to a world without him. Wei Ying didn't need to do anything particularly special to improve or change that.

“I’ve realized that now... it can’t be anyone else but you, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says dreamily, focusing the feeling of Lan Wangji’s knot inside him, “It has always been you. I’ll try to be a good wife to you. I’ll be faithful, and I’ll stay by your side and warm your bed at night. I’ll stay with you forever.” He cups the side of his Lan Zhan’s face. “I’ll never let you hurt again.”

Lan Zhan turns his face to kiss Wei Ying. "With you, I'll never hurt again."

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