Archive of Our Own ^beta

Wei Wuxian pushed through the bushes, which parted onto an open garden that took his breath away. All of the gardens in the imperial palace were, of course, stunning, but they all had a very studied air to them, especially those closest to the emperor's quarters, near the throne room.

This garden was on the other side of the palace, so very far from the literal seat of imperial power. It was wide and open, with a large pool near the centre. There were seats and contrivances, but somehow they felt natural, a part of the garden. There was also an overlook with a view down over the river. Wei Wuxian felt like he could happily curl up here and sleep the day away, surrounded by beauty.

He glanced around before stepping out. Being so far away from the emperor, Wei Wuxian was pretty sure there would be little objection to him visiting the garden, but he wanted to make sure that there weren’t any obvious guards about to make a fuss.

The coast was clear.

He darted straight over to the pool and dipped his fingers in. It was so cool, pleasant on such a warm day. He pressed his wet hands to the back of his neck, letting the cold make him shiver.

It was nice to stretch and cool down a little. The robes he had to wear were so stifling and warm; Wei Wuxian hated them. He wanted to lie down on the bank of the pool and play with the fish, or to sit with his feet in the water. But Yu-furen had made it very clear that his job was to remain looking pristine and attractive at all times.

It was awful. Everyone knew that the emperor never chose any of the prospective marriage choices put to him. It wouldn’t be any different for Wei Wuxian, and he knew it. They all knew it. But they had to pretend to take it seriously for negotiation leverage.

Wei Wuxian wished he could be part of the negotiations at least. He was good at that stuff. He was head disciple for a reason. But they had to offer as high-profile and beautiful a marriage offer as they could. Jiang Yanli was already married, and Jiang Cheng was the heir.

Wei Wuxian liked knowing he was handsome and important enough to be chosen, but being the marriage offering meant he was excluded from the negotiations. Apparently to be offered for marriage to the emperor meant being purely decorative. Wei Wuxian snorted at that, still staring into the pool. He, for one, would never want to marry someone who had no other skills.

He made up his mind and stalked back over to the bushes next to the gap in the wall he had squeezed through. He stripped off the top flowing robe, then the second heavy, highly embroidered one. He draped them as carefully as possible so they wouldn’t get creased and made sure they were out of sight. It left him in three layers, still perfectly respectable. He stretched his arms up, then out to the side, relishing the freedom of movement and lack of annoying sleeves getting in the way.

Wei Wuxian jogged back over to the pool and flopped down next to it, tickling the fish and laughing as they darted about. Then he rolled on his back, arms folded behind his head, and smiled up at the bright blue sky, watching the white fluffy clouds scudding slowly along. This was much better than sitting and waiting for days until the final part of the negotiations, where he would be placed in front of the emperor for him to decline to marry him.

A face appeared above him. “You should not be here.”

“Gah!” Wei Wuxian flailed, long-practised reflexes kicking in as he flowed to his feet, immediately assuming a fighting stance, despite not having his sword.

When he got a proper look at the man, Wei Wuxian relaxed. He was clearly a scholar of some sort, dressed in soft blue robes, bound at the wrists to hold them out of the way like Jiang Fengge did when writing.

“Ooof, xiansheng, you made me jump. You should wear clothes that rustle more, or jewellery that tinkles to announce you.” Wei Wuxian cricked his neck, rocking his head side to side. “I could have fallen into the pool.”

The man’s face didn’t move from the set expression, displeasure radiating from every part of him, despite how handsome he was. Wei Wuxian finally took in some key information about his appearance, specifically the head ribbon that denoted the man as a member of the Lan family. Wei Wuxian assumed that he must be part of one of the junior branches, probably used to having this garden to himself.

Wei Wuxian sighed and bowed. “I’m sorry, Lan-xiansheng, I didn’t mean to interrupt your garden’s peace.” He stood up from his bow and gestured around. “It’s just so lovely, and I really needed to get away from things for a while.” He pointed over to the carefully contrived seating area that overlooked the river, but was blocked from view from the rest of the garden. “I can go there and you won’t even know I’m here.”

Wei Wuxian turned and jogged off towards the overlook, looking back to wave once. The man had his mouth ajar, like he had been about to say something, maybe to tell Wei Wuxian to leave, but Wei Wuxian figured if it wasn’t said, he didn’t have to obey.

He ducked behind the wall, realising how beautiful the view actually was. He grinned and sat down on the grass, choosing to sprawl out there rather than confine himself to the array of seats.

The man in blue rounded the wall, eyes unerringly landing on Wei Wuxian again.

Wei Wuxian huffed. “Xiansheng, I left you alone deliberately.” He grinned. “I know I have a very handsome face, but you should go about your usual day, not follow me.”

Whatever the man had been about to say was apparently lost to him as he snapped out, “Shameless.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “That’s me! Shamelessly enjoying the view here. This is definitely the best garden in the palace.”

His words seemed to cut through the man’s annoyance somewhat. “You think so?”

“Of course,” Wei Wuxian said. “It’s so lovely.”

The man swallowed. “Most would say that the emperor’s own garden was the most beautiful.”

Wei Wuxian made a dismissive sound, causing the man’s eyebrows to rise slightly. “No way.” He realised that the man might be protective of his family’s gardens. “I’m not saying it isn’t lovely, but it’s very full of…things. Decorations and perfectly laid out beds.” He shook his head. “I prefer this one, it’s more natural and open.”

The man was looking at Wei Wuxian very frankly now. “You have seen the emperor’s garden?”

Wei Wuxian hemmed slightly. “Well, I peered over the wall.” At the man’s stare, Wei Wuxian sat up and held up three fingers. “I didn’t go in, xiansheng, I promise! You don’t have to tell the emperor that his garden was infiltrated.” he shrugged. “I just wanted to look. See what all the fuss is about.”

The man looked at him for a few moments, appraising. “I also prefer this one.”

Wei Wuxian beamed at him. “Xiansheng has good taste.” He tilted his head. “Do you come here to work?” He gestured at the scrolls the man still had in his arms. At the man’s nod Wei Wuxian nodded too. “I do something like that in Lotus Pier. I take my work to the side of the lake. The breeze is lovely, so when I finish I can take a nap.”

The man was still eyeing him assessingly, especially when he mentioned Lotus Pier. “You are a part of the Jiang delegation?”

Wei Wuxian nodded. “I’m the Jiang head disciple.” He tapped his chest proudly. “The youngest ever, back when I was appointed.”

The man looked less impressed than Wei Wuxian had anticipated. “Yet you are here rather than in the negotiations.”

“Well -” Wei Wuxian rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, don’t give me away, Lan-xiansheng, but I’m actually meant to be the marriage offer to the emperor.” The man blinked and took a step back, the biggest reaction Wei Wuxian had seen from him. “It’s okay! Everyone knows that the emperor doesn’t choose any of the marriage offers.” Wei Wuxian shrugged. “He’s turned down some very beautiful people, so despite my obvious good looks,” he grinned at him, “I’m just here to wait, be offered, then go home.” He groaned theatrically. “But waiting is so boring. Especially in stupid, stuffy robes.”

The man continued to eye Wei Wuxian for a few moments, face giving nothing away, until he finally spoke. “I will not give you away.” He looked over Wei Wuxian’s relaxed pose. “You may stay.”

“Ah! Thank you, xiansheng!” Wei Wuxian stretched again. “I promise I won’t interrupt your work.” The man nodded and sat on one of the seats, placing his scrolls on the small table. “I’m Wei Ying, courtesy name Wuxian.”

The man met Wei Wuxian’s expectant gaze. “I am Lan… Zhan.”

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian repeated. “Nice to meet you.” He waved his hand towards the scrolls. “Enjoy your work.” He smiled at Lan Zhan, then turned back to the view.

It really was a perfect spot, shaded and cool. Wei Wuxian folded his arms behind his head again, and let his eyes drift closed.

He woke some time later, enjoying the soft rustles of Lan Zhan working lulling him gently to awareness. He stretched out, groaning with pleasure at the pull of rested muscles. Then he rolled over to prop his chin on his hands. He had expected Lan Zhan to be deep in paperwork, but he caught him watching Wei Wuxian instead and gave him a little wave. “Taking a break?”

Lan Zhan’s ears went adorably pink, making Wei Wuxian grin. He was used to people looking at him, he knew what he looked like, but it was even nicer when it was someone as handsome as Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan must know that he was handsome too, but maybe people didn’t often flirt with members of the emperor’s household. And if he was a scholar, he possibly didn’t get out and about much.

Wei Wuxian felt an overwhelming desire to tease. “A doubly lovely view for you today, Lan Zhan.” He grinned, tilting his head and raising his eyebrows. “Was I pretty to look at in my sleep?”

Lan Zhan snapped out, “Shameless,” and looked back down at his work.

Wei Wuxian tutted. “No need to be like that, Lan Zhan.” He shifted himself around so he was sitting, legs crossed. “I can admit that sitting here I have a lovely view, no matter which direction I face.” He twinkled a smile at Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan looked up to glare at him and Wei Wuxian laughed. “So serious, Lan Zhan.” He faked a pout. “Aren’t you going to tell me how handsome I am?” Lan Zhan continued to glare so Wei Wuxian shrugged. “It’s fine, I know I am, you don’t have to tell me.”

Wei Wuxian stretched his arms over his head. “I wish I had my sword with me.”

“Swords are not permitted in the general palace grounds,” Lan Zhan snapped.

Wei Wuxian stared back at him. “I know that. That’s why I left it in the guest quarters and why I said I wished I had it.”

Lan Zhan didn’t look appeased. “Why would you want it here?”

Wei Wuxian made a dismissive sound. “Lan Zhan, so snappy. And on such a beautiful day.” He looked up at the sky. “That’s why I want my sword. Look how open this garden is! It would be so great to do my sword drills here.” He thumped a heel against the ground. “So much nicer on the feet than the hard ground we practise on at home.”

Lan Zhan looked slightly appeased. Wei Wuxian noticed he definitely liked it when Wei Wuxian appreciated the garden.

“It is a good place to practise,” Lan Zhan said.

Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows went up. “You carry a sword?”

“Of course.” Lan Zhan snapped again. He was so touchy.

“Aiyo, Lan Zhan, you don’t have to be so sensitive.” Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. “I’m sure your sword skills are excellent.”

He tried not to sound patronising; very few people had skills as good as his own. From Lan Zhan’s expression, though, it seemed like he hadn’t managed it very well.

“Maybe one day we can spar,” Wei Wuxian allowed. “See how our skills compare.” Lan Zhan opened his mouth, looking like he was about to rebuke again. Wei Wuxian cut him off. “I know swords aren’t permitted in the general palace, but maybe we could meet up elsewhere.”

Lan Zhan’s mouth snapped shut. He stared at Wei Wuxian like he had suggested something outrageous. Maybe Lan scholars really didn’t get out much.

Wei Wuxian smiled at him, trying to be reassuring. “If you’re not used to leaving the palace it’s okay, I can show you around.” He had a brilliant idea. “Oh, you can come and visit me in Lotus Pier! I could show you around, take you to the place where I do my work, seeing as I’ve got to see yours.”

Lan Zhan just looked at him. Wei Wuxian wasn’t used to someone so inscrutable, even if there were little giveaways like his adorably red ears.

Wei Wuxian shrugged. “Well, think about it.” He groaned and stretched again, getting to his feet. “I should get back. If Yu-furen finds out I’ve been gone she’ll whip me.”

Lan Zhan looked displeased at that. “Don’t worry about me, Lan Zhan, I can take it.” He grinned. “And she’ll make sure it’s somewhere the robes can cover. Can’t risk the emperor’s choice!” He snorted at his own joke.

“Maybe the emperor will choose you,” Lan Zhan said, but slowly, like he wasn’t sure.

“Ah, it’s nice of you to say so, Lan Zhan, but I think we both know that’s not true.” He sighed. “Whatever the emperor is looking for in a spouse it’s clearly not the beauties that he’s being offered.” Wei Wuxian wrinkled up his nose. “Honestly, I don’t blame him. Why would you want to spend the rest of your life with someone who looked pretty, but had nothing else to offer?” Wei Wuxian shook his head, imagining how boring it would be.

“There must be an heir,” Lan Zhan pointed out.

Wei Wuxian waved this away. “He could adopt an heir. There’s no lack of talented orphans. I should know!”

Lan Zhan’s gaze sharpened. “You are an orphan?”

Wei Wuxian nodded. “Yeah. My parents died when I was about four or five, I don’t remember very well. Jiang-shushu found me and took me in.” Lan Zhan’s face had softened quite a bit, making Wei Wuxian feel some kind of way. “Now, Lan Zhan, no need to feel sorry for me. He raised me with his own children, my shijie and shidi.” He paused. “And-” he pointed a finger at Lan Zhan “- you see how well I turned out. Adopting orphans is always a great option.” He nodded definitively.

Lan Zhan was watching him with an open speculation now, with an intensity that made Wei Wuxian want to bask in it, but also to squirm.

“Right, well I have to go,” Wei Wuxian said. He started to edge away when Lan Zhan spoke.

“Will you be back tomorrow?”

Wei Wuxian felt his mouth spread into a smile. “If Lan Zhan wants.” He winked and ducked away behind the wall before Lan Zhan could reply.

He sauntered over to where he had left his robes and grinned as he tugged them back on, fingers fumbling with fiddly fastenings. A lovely garden to sleep and play in, and a very handsome new friend. Maybe the long negotiations conference wouldn’t be quite so boring after all.

“Lan Zhan! Hi!” Wei Wuxian waved from where he was sitting with his feet in the pool, robes resting on his thighs and trousers rolled up.

Lan Zhan had just rounded a corner, presumably having come from his wing of the huge, sprawling palace. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Wei Wuxian, mouth opening in shock before closing again with a snap. He stalked over towards Wei Wuxian, but stopped at a small distance.

“Wei Wuxian, that is – inappropriate. Indecent.” He sounded almost strangled.

Wei Wuxian laughed. “Don’t be such a prude, Lan Zhan, it’s just my calves and feet. In Lotus Pier we do this all the time.” He leaned back on his palms. “It’s too hot, I needed to cool down somehow.” He sighed with contentment, waving his feet through the water. “You should join me.”

“Shameless,” Lan Zhan bit out.

Wei Wuxian tried to look affronted. “How is it shameless? We’re friends. You can call me Wei Ying if you want.” Lan Zhan remained standing and Wei Wuxian shrugged. “So stay too warm then, it’s up to you.”

“You are an unwed omega. I am an alpha,” Lan Zhan said.

Wei Wuxian peered up at him again, shading his eyes from the bright sun. “Come on, Lan Zhan, you don’t believe all those stories about alphas and omegas not being able to control themselves, do you? I grew up playing in the water with everyone, way more skin on show than this.” He waved towards his feet. “And nothing happened.”

Lan Zhan scowled and walked away, taking himself around the wall of the overlook. Wei Wuxian grinned to himself and splashed his feet, letting the cool water swirl around his legs.

When he had cooled down enough, Wei Wuxian stood up, letting his trousers and robes fall over his damp skin. The trousers stuck, but he knew from practice that as they dried they would keep him cool.

He picked up his boots and carried them around to the overlook, placing them down on the ground before sitting next to them, under the shaded canopy. He looked up at Lan Zhan who was watching him.

“See? Nice and cool now.” He scrunched his toes into the grass, then lay back, folding his arms behind his head again.

After a few moments he heard the brush sounds that indicated Lan Zhan was working. He let the sounds lull him. They blended with Lan Zhan’s scent to make him feel cocooned and safe. He drifted off.

When he woke, the sun had moved across the sky, but the canopy still kept the overlook shaded. Wei Wuxian smiled and stretched, then rolled over to look at Lan Zhan, who had his head dutifully in his scrolls, even if his ears were bright pink. Wei Wuxian hoped it was because he had been secretly watching him stretch. He liked Lan Zhan’s eyes on him.

“Did you get a lot of work done, Lan-gege?” Wei Wuxian laughed as Lan Zhan’s eyes snapped up. He looked like he was about to say something, but clenched his jaw instead. Wei Wuxian beamed at him. “I feel like it was a very productive afternoon.” He rolled onto his back again and rubbed his stomach. “I wish I didn’t have to miss lunch every day though.”

“You are hungry.” Lan Zhan’s voice was low and almost accusatory.

Wei Wuxian sat up to face Lan Zhan. “Well, yes.” He held his arms out to indicate his body. “Do you see anywhere to store food? Trust me, I’ve tried to sneak some things, but your cooks here are very mean about people being in their kitchens.”

Lan Zhan’s eyes raked down Wei Wuxian’s body, then snapped back up. “Strangers in the kitchen could be a poison attempt.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes went wide. “What?” He considered that. “Oh. Wow, I hadn’t thought about that.” He tapped his chin. “Okay, I won’t try that again.” He shrugged. “I’ll just eat at dinner.”

“You should not skip meals.” His words seemed solicitous, but Lan Zhan’s face was intent and serious.

“Well, I don’t want to,” Wei Wuxian pointed out. “But you haven’t had lunch either.” He raised his eyebrows at Lan Zhan to emphasise his point. It made Lan Zhan’s ears go even redder, which delighted Wei Wuxian. “Anyway, I’m used to it, it’s fine.”

Lan Zhan’s glare intensified. “You are used to going hungry?”

“Not all the time, Lan Zhan, don’t worry.” He laughed at the distress smells that spiked in Lan Zhan’s scent, sharp enough for them to carry to Wei Wuxian. “Just when Yu-furen is angry with me.” He flashed a conspiratorial grin at Lan Zhan. “And my shijie usually manages to sneak me something anyway.”

“Mn.” Lan Zhan didn’t look wholly mollified. “You visit the kitchens at Lotus Pier?”

“Oh yes! All the time!”

Wei Wuxian was off. He told Lan Zhan all about the different cooks and how each treated him differently - some kind, others caustic - but they all let him eat. It led into talking about life in Lotus Pier more generally. Lan Zhan didn’t talk a lot, but he was surprisingly a very good conversationalist. He asked interested questions, made appropriate comments, and shared a few insights on how certain things differed between Lotus Pier and Cloud Recesses.

Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure exactly how long they had been talking, but the afternoon was definitely stretching on. He rolled his neck and stretched out his arms. “Well, I should get back.” He sighed, blowing out a breath. “This is much more fun, but if I’m not back before the negotiations end then” - he snorted a laugh - “well, I’ll be missing more than lunch.”

Lan Zhan looked almost disappointed for a split second, before his usual stern look settled back over his features.

“I will see you tomorrow.”

Wei Wuxian stood up. “You will.”

Wei Wuxian arrived in the garden and was disappointed to see that Lan Zhan wasn’t there. He shouldn’t have been, Lan Zhan had arrived after him on the previous days, but he was so much fun to tease. And he was very, very handsome. Wei Wuxian would happily admit that the view was definitely a bonus.

When getting dressed that morning he had deliberately worn some of his favourite robes underneath the fancy, brocaded outer robes that Yu-furen had ready for him this morning. They were different every morning, because of course the emperor’s marriage offer had to be unique and beautiful each day. Not that anyone saw him. Or, well, was meant to see him, if he stayed in the Jiang rooms. Which he was meant to.

Wei Wuxian stretched out again next to the pond, trailing his fingers in the water. Of course he had chosen the robes because they were cooler, but if they also happened to be ones that he knew he looked particularly good in, well, that was a happy coincidence.

Staring down into the water, Wei Wuxian again wished he was allowed to carry his sword. The gardens were perfect for practise, and waiting for Lan Zhan to arrive would feel less boring.

A fish flashed past his fingers and Wei Wuxian sat up. There was something that he could do to help the time pass faster that would also give him something to eat as well. It would also help to keep him cool in the rapidly warming mid-morning.

He tied the bottom of his robes up, kicked off his boots, and waded into the water.

When Lan Zhan finally arrived, his shocked, “Wei Ying!” startled Wei Wuxian out of his concentration and he whipped around.

“Lan Zhan! Hi!” He pointed to the three fish on the bank. “Look what I caught us for our lunch!” He beamed.

Lan Zhan didn’t look impressed. His eyes didn’t even move to take in the fish as he stalked over towards the pool. “Wei Ying, that is – you are –”

“Shhhhhhh.” Wei Wuxian flapped a hand at him as he peered into the water again. “You’ll scare them away. I just need one more for us.”

“The fish are not for catching or eating,” Lan Zhan snapped. “You cannot be dressed in such a -”

“Got it!” Wei Wuxian gripped hard against the wriggling fish and threw it expertly to join the others on the bank, wading out after it and flopping down onto the soft grass. “Wow, they’re so wily. I didn’t expect that from pampered palace fish.” Wei Wuxian shaded his eyes to look up at Lan Zhan, who was still glaring at him.

Wei Wuxian sighed and pushed to his feet, gathering the fish up by making a hammock from his robes. “Don’t be so prudish, Lan Zhan, they aren’t the emperor’s fish. They only swim in the emperor’s own garden. The rules are very clear on that point, but they don’t say anything about other fish, so we’re free to eat them.” He turned and walked toward the overlook. “Come on, Lan Zhan, I set up a place to cook these!”

Wei Wuxian glanced back to check that Lan Zhan was in fact following on. He was, face still fierce and sour. He was so cute! Wei Wuxian liked him a lot.

Wei Wuxian dropped the fish next to the rocks and sticks he had gathered when he’d taken a break between fish two and three. They really had been wily; he had anticipated catching at least three each, to make up for how small they were, but two each would have to do.

Lan Zhan glared at the pile as Wei Wuxian arranged it for best heat and fish roasting. “You are going to light a fire?”

“Yeah!” Wei Wuxian finished his arrangements and sat back, admiring it. “We do this at Lotus Pier all the time, although the fish there are a little more cooperative, which I didn’t expect.” He patted the ground next to him. “Come on, Lan Zhan, it’s a lovely day and the view is beautiful. We should enjoy it while we can.”

Lan Zhan was still glaring and he stalked over to the table he usually worked at, placing his scrolls down and pinning them with the usual paperweight. But then he turned, paused for a moment, and walked over to Wei Wuxian. He hesitated again, then sat down, folded into a neat meditation pose.

Wei Wuxian patted his leg, making Lan Zhan twitch. Wei Wuxian laughed.

“Okay, let’s light it.” Wei Wuxian drew the sigil in the air and sent the instruction into the heart of the bundled sticks. The fire caught immediately.

Lan Zhan watched, eyes following Wei Wuxian’s movements closely. “You do this a lot?”

Wei Wuxian nodded. “We do. When you’re out swimming, you don’t always want to go all the way back to get some lunch. And food doesn’t exactly last well in qiankun pouches that are waterlogged.” He laughed at the memory of the time he had tried to bring some bao along swimming. Maybe he would tell Lan Zhan that story later.

Lan Zhan pointed at the rocks. “Are they a part of it?”

“Yes!” He nudged Lan Zhan with his shoulder. “See, of course you’re clever, Lan Zhan. These ones” - he pointed at the rocks underneath - “protect the ground from the flames and stop it from spreading on dry days.”

Lan Zhan nodded. “Mn. Sensible.”

Wei Wuxian nodded too. “I know some disciples who nearly burned down half a forest that way. Luckily a group of us were nearby and managed to put it out before only a few trees were burned.” He pointed at the flat rocks around the outside. “These ones are to cook the fish on. The fire warms the stones, which cooks the fish. Putting them on the fire itself would just char them and leave the middle raw.” He huffed a laugh. “I made that mistake the first time. It was not tasty.”

“Mn?” Lan Zhan said.

“I was too impatient and hungry,” Wei Wuxian explained. “I thought that putting the fish directly on the fire would cook them faster.” He shrugged a shoulder as he descaled the fish as much as he could without a knife. “I was very young. It was before Jiang-shushu found me.” Wei Wuxian arranged the first fish in place, speared with a sharp stick.

Lan Zhan watched him with avid eyes. “Jiang-zongzhu found you?”

Wei Wuxian looked up at him. “Oh, yes, I suppose it wouldn’t be something as well known here. My parents were good friends with Jiang-shushu. Best friends. But when they died he didn’t find out for a year or so, because they were too far away. He came looking for me, to check I was okay, and when he found me he brought me home.” Wei Wuxian smiled, remembering the day. “He raised me alongside Jiang Cheng and shijie - Jiang Yanli.”

“And were you?” Lan Zhan wasn’t watching Wei Wuxian’s hands preparing the fish now, he was looking directly at Wei Wuxian”s face.

“Was I what?”

“Were you okay?”

Wei Wuxian blinked and looked up at Lan Zhan’s face, surprised by the concern there. It made him feel slightly jittery. “Ha ha, of course. I was managing.” He looked back at what he was doing, using it as a distraction. He tried to make a joke of it. “What’s wrong, Lan Zhan, were you worried about tiny me?”

“Mn,” Lan Zhan agreed.

Wei Wuxian felt himself blushing and wished he had more fish to prepare so he could keep his attention there. He flipped the first fish just for something to do with his hands. “It was a long time ago, Lan Zhan.”

Lan Zhan was silent for a moment, then spoke quietly. “I apologise if I pushed too far, Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian looked up. ‘What? No!” He reached out and went to grip Lan Zhan’s hand before remembering his hands were covered in fish scales and grimacing. “No, Lan Zhan, you can ask me anything you want. I just don’t want you to feel bad. I’m okay.”

Lan Zhan’s eyes roamed across his face, like they were searching for something. Finally he glanced away, back at the fire. “Did someone take you in?”

Wei Wuxian licked his lips and swallowed a lump at the soft concern in Lan Zhan’s voice. “Uh, well, no.” Lan Zhan looked back up at him and he tried to shrug. “I was just some kid no one knew. Who would take me in?” He smiled at Lan Zhan. “But I got by. And then Jiang-shushu came and got me. And look!” He held his arms out the sides. “I’m fine now!”

Lan Zhan looked him over, like he was actually checking that Wei Wuxian was okay. “Mn. You are.”

Wei Wuxian nudged Lan Zhan with his shoulder again. “I can’t believe you were worried about me from so long ago, Lan Zhan.” He grinned at him. “You’re such a secret softy.”

Lan Zhan scowled, making Wei Wuxian laugh harder.

“Right,” he said, “I’m going to wash my hands.” He held up his scaly fingers.

Wei Wuxian used the trip to wash his hands in the pool as a chance to breathe a little. Lan Zhan’s scent was so rich and lovely, even with the blocking perfumes, and his concern was heady.

When he got back, Lan Zhan had turned some more of the fish and was poking the first one with a small twig.

“Oh ho ho, master cook Lan Zhan has taken over.” He sat down next to Lan Zhan again.

Lan Zhan ignored his jokes. “This one may be done.”

Wei Wuxian took the twig and poked at it. “You might be right.” He twitched it away from the fire and onto a separate stone that he had scrubbed to use almost as a plate. “Lan Zhan gets the first one.”

Lan Zhan frowned. “No, you caught them and cooked them. You should eat first.”

Wei Wuxian shook his head adamantly. “No no, you are my guest, you eat first.”

“It is my –” Lan Zhan cut himself off. “It is a Lan garden in Cloud Recesses and I am a Lan. You are my guest.”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t help laughing at how serious Lan Zhan sounded. “Okay, okay, how about we split it? Half each, while we wait for the next one.”

Lan Zhan nodded. “But you eat your half first.” He looked pleased with himself and Wei Wuxian wanted to squeeze him in a hug.

Wei Wuxian shook his head, but couldn’t help grinning. “Fine, you win.”

They finished the first two fish, trying not to burn themselves. They were small, but very tasty. Wei Wuxian eyed the last two sadly.

“Aiyah, Lan Zhan, I’m sorry I could only catch four. It’s better than nothing, but a sorry, small lunch for you.”

Lan Zhan looked at the fish, then down at the ground. He seemed to come to a decision. He reached inside his sleeve, making Wei Wuxian realise that they must be qiankun sleeves, and pulled out some wrapped parcels. He untied them to reveal a collection of baozi, jianbing, and jiaozi, all kept warm with a talisman. He laid them out next to the last two fish.

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian looked in surprise from the food to Lan Zhan’s face. “Where did you get those from?”

Lan Zhan kept his face straight, but Wei Wuxian saw his ears turning pink. “You were hungry yesterday.”

“So you brought me lunch?” he asked. Lan Zhan nodded, eyes still on the food. Wei Wuxian looked down at it too. “Oh.” He swallowed. An alpha bringing food for an omega was… It meant something. It was courting behaviour. His breathing felt like it was a little fast. “Thank you, Lan Zhan.” He took a breath. He reached out and picked up a baozi, breaking it open to smell the rich filling. He handed half to Lan Zhan who took it, finally meeting Wei Wuxian’s eyes. Wei Wuxian held Lan Zhan’s gaze as he bit into it, knowing he was blushing, but not caring.

Lan Zhan lifted the other half of the baozi to his mouth and took a careful bite, much neater than Wei Wuxian’s.

Wei Wuxian smiled and ducked his head. He liked Lan Zhan so much, and it maybe looked like Lan Zhan liked him too.

Wei Wuxian glanced up at the overcast sky as he stripped off his heavy over robes again. It was muggy and warm despite the lack of sun, and Wei Wuxian was anxious to get his feet into the pool again.

The previous day Wei Wuxian hadn’t gone fishing, hoping that Lan Zhan would bring him some food again. But Lan Zhan hadn’t turned up. Instead Wei Wuxian had found a package of food, kept warm with a talisman. There was a note attached that apologised for having to miss seeing Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian had tucked it into his robes, feeling giddy at being remembered, sad at missing Lan Zhan, and silly for feeling giddy all at once.

Liking an alpha was certainly good for mixing up how many feelings you could have at once, Wei Wuxian had decided.

Wei Wuxian kicked off his boots as he approached the pool and laughed as one soared through the air to land with a splash in the water. He hiked up his robes and waded out to grab it, tossing it haphazardly back to the shore, before hoisting himself up to sit with his feet dangling in. Lan Zhan hadn’t said anything about being busy today in his note, so Wei Wuxian was hoping he would come.

He glanced up at the sky again, hoping that it wouldn’t rain. He would wait for Lan Zhan all day if necessary, but rain made it much more unlikely that he could come. He watched the clouds as he splashed the cool water of the pool around. It really did look like there would be rain. There was a strong breeze picking up, the kind that often heralded a storm in Lotus Pier.

Maybe it wouldn’t, though. Cloud Recesses was different.

“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan’s voice cut through his reverie and Wei Wuxian looked down to see him standing on the other side of the pool, in the direction he always arrived from. Again his arms were full of scrolls, tucked up neatly to carry. Surely Lan Zhan wouldn’t be planning to work in the garden if it was likely to rain?

Wei Wuxian jumped to his feet, shaking the excess water off. “Lan Zhan! Hi!”

Lan Zhan stared at him for a few moments, then frowned. “It is going to rain. You should not be here.”

Wei Wuxian laughed and held his arms out, feeling the wind picking up his robes. “Then why are you here?”

The wind whipped at Lan Zhan and he turned towards the overlook. Wei Wuxian followed from his side of the pool. Just before he reached the shelter of the overhang he could see almost a line of rain travelling across the river, like a curtain approaching. He ran the last few metres and got under the overhang just before the rain poured down.

The wind seemed to whip one last time, sweeping some of the rain under the overhang and misting Wei Wuxian, who laughed again. It sent a chill through him, a quiver. The sound of rain always made him feel safe and shivery. Like he should be bundled up in bed, hearing it thunder down on the roof while he slept.

It was warm enough that the rain didn’t freeze, but made everything cooler. Pleasant. Wei Wuxian dropped onto the bed of soft grass he usually slept on. He breathed in the damp air. The canopy was deep enough that he wasn’t being rained on, but the air was cool and the rain was making little eddies of breeze.

When he turned to look, Lan Zhan’s scrolls were not faring so well. They were curling at the edges and twitching with the now small breeze.

“It must be annoying to read or write when it’s raining like this,” Wei Wuxian commented, watching Lan Zhan pull his paperweight out of his qiankun sleeve to hold the paperwork down.

Lan Zhan finally got everything to stay in one place, but he wouldn’t be able to get much done like that.

“I usually do not work out here when it is raining.”

Wei Wuxian smirked. “Oh, I see. You came anyway because you wanted to see my handsome face, right?”

Lan Zhan glared at him. “Nonsense.”

Wei Wuxian laughed, delighting in getting Lan Zhan to snap at him again. “It’s okay, Lan Zhan, seeing you is my favourite part of coming here now.” He patted the ground next to him. “It’s dry here, and comfortable. We can look at the rain and enjoy ourselves, not wrestle with scrolls.”

Wei Wuxian didn’t expect Lan Zhan to move, but his eyes on Wei Wuxian’s face had become intense when he admitted enjoying seeing Lan Zhan. He stood up and walked over to Wei Wuxian, sitting elegantly, legs crossed.

Wei Wuxian poked his knee. “You won’t be comfortable like that.” Lan Zhan looked surprised at the touch. “Come on, lie down.”

Warily, Lan Zhan uncurled and lay back, stretching out long legs and placing his head next to Wei Wuxian’s.

“See? It’s comfortable, right?” And it was. Lan Zhan’s scent was noticeable past his perfumes, but not overwhelming. He didn’t reek like a lot of alphas Wei Wuxian knew.

“Mn,” Lan Zhan said.

Wei Wuxian sighed. “Such a beautiful view here, right Lan Zhan? Don’t you think so?” He turned his head to see that Lan Zhan was looking at him, rather than down across the river.

“Mn. Beautiful.”

Wei Wuxian felt himself blush, feeling flustered in a way he wasn’t sure had ever happened to him before. “Lan Zhan.”

Lan Zhan’s eyes were tracing Wei Wuxian’s face. “The most beautiful.”

Wei Wuxian’s lips parted, his heart thudding. He didn’t know what to say. He wanted to tease, to break the tension, but Lan Zhan’s gaze was so intense, so close, that Wei Wuxian didn’t want to make him look away.

Lan Zhan leaned in closer, lifting a hand to cup Wei Wuxian’s cheek. “Wei Ying?”

It was an acknowledgement and a question; Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure what he was being asked. He licked his lips, but words wouldn’t come. It seemed to be answer enough for Lan Zhan, though, and he leaned in to kiss Wei Wuxian.

It was a light, gentle kiss. Fleeting, there and gone. Barely enough time for Wei Wuxian to enjoy it, and he frowned when Lan Zhan moved back slightly.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian objected, voice too breathy.

Lan Zhan leaned back in, the kiss firmer this time; lingering. Wei Wuxian turned into it, lifting himself up, and Lan Zhan leaned up on an elbow to press closer, their lips parting as the kiss got deeper.

Wei Wuxian was surrounded by Lan Zhan’s scent now, rich and warm, welcoming him, wrapping him up. It blended seamlessly with Lan Zhan’s taste and Wei Ying licked his lip to taste it better. Lan Zhan took a sharp breath at that and rolled them so Wei Wuxian was again on his back, Lan Zhan over him, pressing him down into the soft earth, claiming kiss after kiss, each blurring into the next until it was just a continuous sensation of lips, tongue, taste, breath.

Wei Wuxian knew it was a bad idea. He was an omega due to be offered as bride to the emperor. He should not be rolling around on the ground kissing anyone else, nevermind a member of the emperor’s own household. If anyone saw, caught them, it would be such a scandal. The Jiangs would lose so much face. Any hope Wei Wuxian had of helping them secure alliances with a good marriage would be gone forever.

He couldn’t seem to stop, though. His hands gripped at Lan Zhan’s soft robes, holding him close so he could tilt his head into the kissing, again and again.

Lan Zhan rolled closer, pressing in so he was almost on top of Wei Wuxian. As they rolled together Wei Ying felt something hot and hard pushing against him. A rush of heat pulsed through him when he realised it was Lan Zhan’s cock. He flushed, arching his own hips to show Lan Zhan just how hard he was too.

Lan Zhan made a low, rough sound in his throat. It made Wei Ying want to spread his legs, a slick feeling of arousal coursing through him, but it was also what finally made him jerk back out of the kiss.

They looked at each other, faces still so close. Lan Zhan’s eyes were half-lidded, lips red and parted. Wei Wuxian knew he must look equally kiss-drunk.

“We can’t,” Wei Wuxian managed to say. He let go of Lan Zhan’s robes and pushed at his chest slightly. Lan Zhan moved back. “I -” he touched his lips “- I can’t, Lan Zhan.”

Lan Zhan clenched his jaw, looked away, then back. “I know.”

Wei Wuxian reached out to touch Lan Zhan’s lips. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but…” He trailed off helplessly.

Lan Zhan reached up and took Wei Wuxian’s hand, cradling it against his chest. “It’s alright, I understand.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I apologise, I should not have kissed you.”

Wei Wuxian shook his head. “No, Lan Zhan, I liked it.” His eyes seemed incapable of staying away from looking at Lan Zhan’s kiss-swollen lips. He made a sound of frustration. “If only this was after the emperor had rejected me, then it wouldn’t matter so much.”

Lan Zhan watched him. “The emperor may not reject you.” His eyes were still dark, possessive. It made Wei Wuxian’s insides squirm.

“He will.” Wei Wuxian was confident of that and put it into his words. “We’ll be going back to Lotus Pier, but you could visit?” Lan Zhan shook his head, like he didn’t think this was possible. “No, Lan Zhan, you could! I could show you around, take you to all the best places. You could meet my brother, and maybe my shijie if she’s visiting. Wouldn't that be wonderful?”

Lan Zhan watched him, eyes hooded, but face soft. “It would.”

Wei Wuxian sat up. “Don’t promise anything right now. Just think about it.” Lan Zhan nodded and Wei Wuxian was satisfied, breaking into a wide smile. “Okay.” He looked down at Lan Zhan’s lips again, then dragged his eyes up again. “Okay. I should go.”

Lan Zhan looked startled. “It is still raining.”

Wei Wuxian nodded. “Yes, but I have to get back. I can’t stay.” He grinned, feeling his ability to tease coming back now that he had a little distance from Lan Zhan. “Your eyes are too hot for me, Lan Zhan, how can I risk staying?”

Lan Zhan cut his eyes away and Wei Wuxian laughed, causing Lan Zhan’s gaze to flicker back.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan started, but Wei Wuxian jumped to his feet.

“I probably won’t be able to come back tomorrow, Lan Zhan, I can’t risk it.” He sighed. “But remember, okay? Think about it. I would love for you to visit me in Lotus Pier.” He held Lan Zhan's eyes. “Don’t forget.”

“I won’t forget.” Lan Zhan’s voice was deadly serious, making Wei Wuxian laugh with a strange joy in his heart.

He waved and jogged out into the rain. He made it to where he stashed his outer robes to find that, of course, they were also soaked through. He dragged them on anyway, the rain making the embroidered layer even heavier, and left the garden.

Wei Wuxian kneeled, head bowed as appropriate. As an offering he was allowed to raise his eyes to the emperor’s, but only when being presented, to let the emperor see his face and eyes to best effect.

It was pointless. The emperor was not going to choose him. He never chose anyone. They were going through this farce of a performance, making Wei Wuxian wear these ridiculous, heavy robes. Showing him off like a prize, like he was some decoration.

Worst of all, being here meant he wasn’t meeting with Lan Zhan in the garden. He hadn’t gone the day before and it had been so boring, sitting reading in their assigned apartments. As he knelt he thought back to their kissing, the same thing he had been thinking about ever since he had walked away. He was sure he hadn’t mistaken the heavy desire in Lan Zhan’s eyes. The possessive spike of his scents. He didn’t just want to kiss Wei Wuxian, he wanted more. Like Wei Wuxian did. Surely he would come to Lotus Pier and start a courtship?

The gong rang out, signalling the emperor entering the throne room. Wei Wuxian tried not to sigh. The emperor was apparently a very handsome man; the desire many had to marry him wasn’t just about power. But Wei Wuxian was sure that no one could be as handsome as his Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan was more beautiful than anyone else could ever be.

He was suddenly very glad of the heavy robes and perfumes hiding what his scent was doing. It surely wasn’t appropriate to be putting out longing scents for one alpha when being presented as a potential husband to another.

The gong and rustles of bodies moving around in brocades subsided and Jiang-shushu started his presentation, explaining Lotus Pier’s dedication to the emperor and offering their highest-ranking available omega for his consideration to marry.

Wei Wuxian fought not to fidget, knowing he was the centre of all attention, but unable to do anything.

Jiang-shushu finally reached the end of his presentation and, as practised far too many times at home, Wei Wuxian flowed to his feet so the emperor could see all of him. He took a breath and raised his eyes to meet the emperor’s gaze.

An intense gaze that he recognised far too well.

Wei Wuxian’s mouth fell open. “Lan Zhan?!”

The words burst out of him before he could even think to hold them back. The flurry of shocked mutterings was immediate, and the old regent, Lan Qiren, snapped out, “You will address the emperor correctly.”

Wei Wuxian barely heard any of it. He couldn’t take his eyes off Lan Zhan, sitting there, dressed in all of the imperial finery. Lan Zhan.

Lan Wangji. The emperor.

He knew that decorum meant he should lower his eyes again, but Lan Zhan held his gaze, eyes pinning him.

Finally Lan Zhan spoke. “Thank you, Jiang-zongzu. I accept your offer to marry Wei Wuxian.”

Wei Wuxian’s mouth fell open, words desperate to come out, but the insistent tugging on his sleeve by Jiang Cheng was distracting.

“Kneel down!” Jiang Cheng’s hiss was thankfully drowned out by the hum of voices that had sprung up with the emperor's words.

Wei Wuxian dropped back to his knees, finally lowering his eyes from Lan Zhan’s. His heart was beating harder than he could ever remember it. He barely heard Jiang-shushu’s response, surprised laced through his voice.

“If you will join me in private, we can discuss the formal agreement of the betrothal.” Lan Zhan’s voice was just as rich, just as firm as it always was. And it made Wei Wuxian shiver.

He had kissed Lan Zhan the day before yesterday. He had been accidentally meeting with the emperor all week, and that day he had made the emperor lie on the grass with him. And they had kissed.

Lan Zhan was the emperor.

Wei Wuxian felt himself flush red, thankful for all of the makeup that he had hated having put on him earlier. He had felt the emperor's hard cock pressed up against him. The emperor had felt his.

There were more sounds, more gongs and rustles as the emperor, as Lan Zhan left. Jiang-shushu and Yu-furen rose and left with them, although Wei Wuxian was sure Yu-furen wouldn’t be permitted into the negotiations itself. It did allow the rest of the audience to lift their heads, to get up and leave. Wei Wuxian raised his head to find that he was the object of much scrutiny. He was the omega who had finally compelled the emperor to marry. Everyone looked like they were scouring his face to see what the emperor had seen.

They didn’t know that Wei Wuxian had been rolling around on the grass with the emperor just a few days before. They didn’t know that the key to getting the emperor to marry you was, apparently, to sneak into his favourite garden and tease him until he rubbed his –

Wei Wuxian stood up, Jiang Cheng rising next to him. He bustled Wei Wuxian out, deftly avoiding those who tried to stop them to talk. The Jiang sect was suddenly a force to be reckoned with; they were about to be related to the imperial family. Everyone wanted to be the first to curry their favour.

They made it back to their suites, getting the door closed before Jiang Cheng rounded on him.

“What was that?”

“What was what?” Wei Wuxian pulled out some of the elaborate pins from his hair, the ones that had been tugging. He also shoved off the outer robe, grasping at the next to remove it too.

Jiang Cheng reached out to help him with the fiddly fastenings. “You called the emperor ‘Lan Zhan’! And he agreed to marry you. What was that?”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t bring himself to tell Jiang Cheng the truth right then. He barely had it straight in his own head. “I – I thought he was someone else. The forehead ribbon threw me.”

Jiang Cheng looked even more incensed. “You called the emperor by someone else’s name?” He stared at Wei Wuxian for a moment. “I can’t believe he didn’t have you executed instead of agreeing to marry you.”

No one knew what the emperor’s birth name was. His courtesy name was given to him straight away and no one but immediate family would ever know him as anything else.

Immediate family. Like a husband.

Wei Wuxian sat down. “Jiang Cheng, he said he’d marry me.”

“I know, you idiot, that’s what I’m saying!” Jiang Cheng started pulling pins out of Wei Wuxian’s hair for him, surprisingly gentle despite his tone. “You’re going to be the emperor’s omega.”

Wei Wuxian felt a flush go through him, almost feeling sick with the intensity. “The emperor’s omega.”

Lan Zhan’s omega.

His face heated at the thought of Lan Zhan claiming him. The emperor needed an heir. Wei Wuxian's job would be to provide that. They would have to be diligent and try very hard, every day. And when it happened he would be shown off. Proof of the emperor’s virility, that he was continuing his line.

Proof that Lan Zhan had fucked a baby into him. Everyone would see. Everyone would know.

Wei Wuxian’s face had never felt so hot in his life.

He reeled his thoughts in. Jiang Cheng was right there. He might be a beta, but if Wei Wuxian didn’t get himself under control no amount of perfume would be able to overpower his scents.

Wei Wuxian got up and washed his face in a basin, cleaning off the makeup and cooling his face at the same time. When he was done, Jiang Cheng made him put some outer robes back on. Not the extremely opulent ones he had been presented in, but the merely ornate ones he was expected to wear as the offering.

“You are the emperor’s betrothed,” Jiang Cheng lectured him. “You can’t wander around in any old robes.”

Betrothed.

He was betrothed to Lan Zhan. To the emperor.

Unless, what if Jiang-shushu came back and said it was all a misunderstanding? What if he had misheard? What if Lan Zhan, the emperor, Lan Zhan, didn’t really want him.

Wei Wuxian settled in to wait, anxiety radiating from him.

It was hours before Jiang-shushu and Yu-furen returned.

Every time Wei Wuxian felt too overwhelmed he got up and paced, quickly getting frustrated by the heavy robes, then sitting back down again. When the doors finally slid open, Wei Wuxian was in mid turn about the room. He and Jiang Cheng both spun to face the door.

Wei Wuxian had about three hundred questions that had been running through his head, but at the sight of them he felt frozen.

“How did it go?” Jiang Cheng asked. He had actually been doing helpful things, like keeping water warm for tea when they got back.

Jiang-shushu moved to sit at the table, but Yu-furen held Wei Wuxian with a sharp gaze.

“Have you shamed us, Wei Wuxian?” she asked.

“A-niang!” Jiang Cheng’s shocked tone made him forget his usual deference to his mother, but this time Yu-furen just kept her eyes on Wei Wuxian.

“Well?”

Wei Wuxian saw Jiang-shushu’s exasperated headshake behind her and he stumbled to reassure.

“No, furen, no. I wouldn’t do that.” He thought back to kissing in the grass, but it hadn’t gone further than that. He hadn’t shamed them.

Yu-furen continued to pin him with her gaze. “The emperor wants to marry you at the soonest possible opportunity and we need to know if that has to be very quickly, so you make sure you tell me the truth.”

Wei Wuxian went down to his knees and bowed to Yu-furen. “I promise, I have not shamed you. I don’t know why L – the emperor wants to marry me so quickly, but I swear that isn’t why.”

“Let the boy up,” Jiang-shushu said.

Yu-furen made a sharp sound and walked over to the table, taking her seat. When Wei Wuxian didn’t move she snapped, “Get up.”

Wei Wuxian scrambled to his feet and moved over to sit at the table, heart thumping. He hadn’t considered that some people might think that was why… He glanced at Jiang Cheng who had a guilty flush and realised that he had at least considered it might be the case. Wei Wuxian clenched his jaw, suddenly angry as well as guilty, emotions swirling. Why hadn’t Lan Zhan warned him? Told him the truth?

The tea was served and Jiang-shushu settled back on his heels.

“The agreement has been made.” He looked at Wei Wuxian. “You are formally betrothed to the emperor.”

Wei Wuxian felt like a rush of hot and cold went through him simultaneously, and he knew he must be flushing with it.

“Really?” Jiang Cheng asked.

“You think your father would lie?” Yu-furen snapped out. Jiang Cheng pursed his lips shut.

“The exact date is still to be fully agreed,” Jiang-shushu went on. “But we have agreed on terms. The emperor knew so much about Lotus Pier, about our needs. He must have done a lot of research.”

Wei Wuxian suddenly felt slightly sick. Research. Or all of the information that Wei Wuxian had handed over just chatting to Lan Zhan. He felt cold. Was that why Lan Zhan had met with him? Had he been looking for an excuse to get Wei Wuxian talking?

And Wei Wuxian had just done it. Had shared so much. Not about their strengths and things, he wasn’t stupid, but surely enough for someone as astute as an emperor to use that knowledge to bolster his negotiating position. To know what best things to ask for.

The anger stoked further. Wei Wuxian was a fool. Had he really thought that Lan Zhan, Lan Wangji, the emperor, had just fallen for some omega son of a servant? In a few days? Or had he really been a helpful tool that someone as astute as an emperor had seen how to use?

His stomach clenched and he fought not to bend over the table right there. He wasn’t hearing Jiang-shushu anymore, though. Instead he remembered Lan Zhan’s reaction when Wei Wuxian had told him he was there to be offered for marriage by the Jiang sect. Lan Zhan had been shocked, yes, but had quickly recovered and said that Wei Wuxian could stay.

Had he made his plans even then?

Wei Wuxian stood up, everyone turning to look at him. “I need – I think I need to lie down. I don’t feel well.”

Yu-furen’s eyes were sharp on him again, but he didn’t have the thoughts available to feel affronted or to reassure him it wasn’t pregnancy-related.

“We’re leaving later today, or have you forgotten?” Jiang Cheng’s tone was exasperated. He always complained about Wei Wuxian’s tendency to pack last minute.

“I’ll be ready,” Wei Wuxian reassured, swallowing and stumbling through towards his room. He heard Jiang-shushu say, “...overwhelmed,” and was happy to let them think that he was shocked at the betrothal. He was, but that wasn’t what was making him feel sick.

He slid the doors to his rooms shut and locked them to prevent Jiang Cheng from barging in to check up on him. He ignored the bed and his packing, though, and pushed open the screen for the window furthest from the main doors. He hesitated for only a moment, then stripped off the heavy, ornate outer layers. They would hinder his progress and also pick him out. No one would be expecting the newly betrothed of the emperor to be running around Cloud Recesses in plain black robes.

Wei Wuxian boosted himself through the open window and dropped lightly down onto the path. He had to speak to Lan Zhan. He had to. And the only place he knew to find him was the garden. He didn’t even know if Lan Zhan would be there, but he had to try.

Days of avoiding guards and servants made it easy to get to the garden unseen, especially now he could move more freely. He pushed through the bushes, convinced that Lan Zhan wouldn’t be there, couldn’t be there so soon after the negotiations, but as he emerged his eyes immediately caught sight of Lan Zhan sitting on one of the benches, facing slightly off to the side.

Wei Wuxian hesitated, watching him for a few seconds, until Lan Zhan noticed him and lifted his head. He stood and the movement galvanised Wei Wuxian to walk forward again. They met in the middle.

“Wei Ying. I hoped you would come.” Lan Zhan’s voice was low, no different from usual, but his jaw was clenched. Was he feeling guilty? Or exposed now that Wei Wuxian knew the truth.

“Why?” Wei Wuxian asked. He had so many questions, but that one just burst out of him.

Lan Zhan looked at him. “Because I wanted to see you before you left.”

Wei Wuxian shook his head, frustrated. “No, why did you do this? Why did you trick me into thinking you were someone else? Why did you let me talk to you about the Jiang sect, let me shame my family by giving you all the information you needed to win any negotiation with them?”

Lan Zhan’s mouth parted. “Wei Ying, no, I didn’t trick you.” Wei Wuxian let out a barked laugh. Lan Zhan pursed his lips. “That was not my intention.” Wei Wuxian shook his head again, turning away, but Lan Zhan gripped his arm. Wei Wuxian looked at his hand and Lan Zhan released him. “Wei Ying, I was not -” He broke off, making a frustrated sound. “I enjoyed talking with you, including about your family. There was no intention to use that information against you or the Jiang sect.”

Wei Wuxian turned back to him, eyes meeting, holding. “Then can you tell me, honestly, that nothing I told you here about my family, about Lotus Pier, affected anything you used to negotiate?”

Lan Zhan didn’t answer. His jaw was fixed, clenched, like he wanted to speak, but he stayed silent.

Wei Wuxian swallowed and nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

He turned to leave, walking straight-backed.

“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan’s voice was rough and his hand reached out to grab Wei Wuxian’s wrist again.

Wei Wuxian looked down at Lan Zhan’s hand, then back up. “Emperor.”

Lan Zhan snatched his hand back. “Please understand -”

Wei Wuxian cut him off. “I understand perfectly, emperor. You don’t have to worry. I will be a perfect omega for you when we marry. Please don’t concern yourself with me, I won’t show you up.”

He turned and walked away again. When Lan Zhan called out another, “Wei Ying,” he didn’t stop.

Wei Wuxian wiped his forehead with the back of his arm as Yu-furen swept into the courtyard.

He had been drilling the disciples extra hard these last few weeks and they had made many jokes about why. Wei Wuxian smiled and laughed along, just glad that they didn’t treat him differently now that he was engaged to marry the emperor. One or two had tried to curry some favour, but he dealt with everyone the same as ever and it quickly stopped.

Yu-furen sometimes came by when they were drilling, usually to make disparaging comments about his work, but she was a great fighter so he didn’t mind so much. She always made the female disciples push themselves harder when they could see that their gender wouldn’t hold them back.

Today, though, she swept in with her two handmaids, pointing at Wei Wuxian.

“There.” A further collection of maids gathered in as well, making the disciples stare. “Aiyo, he’s filthy. Get him to a bath.”

Maids came over and gripped Wei Wuxian’s arms, bustling him along.

Wei Wuxian planted his feet, confused. “Yu-furen?”

“Go with them, stupid boy.” She glared at him. “The emperor will be here in a few hours.” Wei Wuxian’s shock allowed the maids to force him along, Yu-furen stalking along with them.

“But,” Wei Wuxian objected. “The emperor can’t be coming here. He never leaves the capital.”

Yu-furen made a disgusted sound. “And yet we received a note giving us the minimum of polite notice that he is on his way and he will expect a clean, appropriately dressed betrothed, not -” She waved a hand to indicate all of him.

Wei Wuxian let himself be bossed into a bath, thankfully at least behind a privacy screen, then dressed in some of the most elaborate robes he had seen yet. When he commented on them, Yu-furen snapped at him, “Would we let an omega from the Jiang sect go off to the palace looking like a pauper?”

Still pink from exertion and the hot bath, one maid lamented over his skin and patted powder on thickly while another fanned him, which was actually quite nice. Maybe when he was a cosseted palace omega he would get someone to fan him all the time.

He laughed at the ridiculous image, earning himself a poke in the cheek and a hiss. The maids also weren’t impressed by his status as the emperor’s betrothed. Wei Wuxian preferred it that way, although it did mean they glared at him when he flirted now, rather than being coy.

Within record time, Wei Wuxian was knelt in place in the Jiang throne hall and instructed to stay still and cool while everyone else bustled around him and finished getting the hall ready. Only then did he have a chance to really think about what was happening.

Lan Zhan. The emperor. Lan Zhan was coming here, to Lotus Pier.

His stomach curdled. It was unheard of. What if he was coming to break off the engagement? He’d had many moments of regret over the past few weeks: regretting his anger, regretting not getting more angry. Regretting not kissing Lan Zhan goodbye. Regretting not punching him in his stupid, handsome face.

But this was the first time he had felt sick with regret.

No matter how angry he had been, the thought of being married to Lan Zhan was still there, hovering. Now that he considered that might be taken away, he had to swallow thickly to maintain his composure.

Time seemed to crawl slowly, yet it still seemed far too quickly that everyone was in place for the emperor to be greeted. Wei Wuxian kept his head bowed properly, but strained to see what he could.

Despite being unable to look at his face, Wei Wuxian immediately knew which person was Lan Zhan. He could mistake that upright posture, the considered pace.

Jiang-shushu stood as Lan Zhan approached, but in a total break from the usual protocol Lan Zhan stepped forward and bowed. He bowed! It was only a slight nod of the head, but it was there. The emperor had bowed to Jiang-shushu.

“Jiang-zongzhu. Thank you for receiving me.” Lan Zhan’s voice was just as deep and rich as Wei Wuxian remembered, but he dared not fully look up from his studied pose of respect.

“Emperor, of course you are always welcome.” Jiang-shushu bowed low, lower than he usually would, doubtless humbled by the emperor’s deference to him. “Please, make yourself comfortable and we can discuss what brings such an honoured visit.”

“There is no need to delay explaining why I am here,” Lan Zhan said. Wei Wuxian almost snorted. That was Lan Zhan; direct and to the point. “I am here to court your ward, Wei Wuxian.”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t help it, his head jerked up and his eyes met Lan Zhan’s, heavy and intense on him.

Jiang-shushu hesitated for a few seconds, clearly as shocked as Wei Wuxian, but hiding it better. “Emperor, that is – it is not necessary. You are already betrothed. The wedding plans are in motion.”

Lan Zhan nodded, still looking at Wei Wuxian. “Nonetheless, I would like to court him, here, in his home.”

Wei Wuxian was glad of the thick makeup to hide the flush that ran through him. Lan Zhan had come to Lotus Pier to court him. Not to break off the betrothal, but to spend unnecessary time and effort to court someone who was already his to marry. The whole country would run rife with the knowledge that the emperor had done this. Had wanted his new omega betrothed so much that he had left the capital to court him.

Wei Wuxian laughed at the fact that they ended up with two chaperones. The emperor of course had to have at least one of his own, out of the selection in his entourage, but Yu-furen also insisted that a Jiang chaperone accompany them as well. Wei Wuxian knew she still wondered if more had gone on in Cloud Recesses than was proper. Wei Wuxian wouldn’t tell her that she was right to be suspicious, just wrong on the details.

One of the chaperones was a Lan beta whose name Wei Wuxian immediately forgot. Wei Wuxian had expected the other to be the same old ayi that had chaperoned Shijie when she was engaged to Jin Zixuan. But instead it was a middle-aged man, a beta in scholar’s robes, who Wei Wuxian didn’t even remember seeing around before. He tried not to be amused at Yu-furen having apparently so little trust that they needed someone younger and sprier.

They were escorted down to one of the pavilions overlooking the lake where tea and snacks were laid out. Wei Wuxian was impressed at the speed at which it had been set up, using all of the best dishes and tea set. When an emperor visited, apparently anything could be achieved.

They settled and the tea was poured, the servants withdrawing to a polite distance afterwards; too far to eavesdrop, but close enough to be easily called back.

Lan Zhan’s gaze settled on Wei Wuxian and Wei Wuxian licked his lips. Lan Zhan’s eyes darted down to trace it, then back up.

“Wei Ying.”

It broke the silence and Wei Wuxian laughed, nervous and unsure. “Well, this is unexpected.”

“You said you would like for me to visit you in Lotus Pier,” Lan Zhan said.

Wei Wuxian huffed an ironic laugh this time. “Well, I didn’t exactly know that you were the emperor then. I wouldn’t have -” He broke off, unsure what to say.

Lan Zhan’s gaze was heavy. “Noneless, I am here to court you.”

“You don’t have to court me, emperor. I am already your betrothed,” Wei Wuxian said.

“I may be betrothed to Wei Wuxian, but I hurt Wei Ying in the process, which I regret.” Lan Zhan’s voice was low so only he would be able to hear him.

Wei Wuxian swallowed, licked his lips, looked away. “They are the same person.”

Lan Zhan nodded once. “They are, in the same way that Lan Wangji and Lan Zhan are, yet I would choose to return to when you called me Lan Zhan.”

Wei Wuxian’s mouth twisted, unsure himself if he was going to laugh or grimace. “That was inappropriate of me.” He looked back at Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan’s face softened. “It was.”

This time it caused a smile on Wei Wuxian’s face, one he couldn’t control. “Are you smiling?”

Lan Zhan ducked his head, mouth softening even further. “Mn.”

Wei Wuxian reached out as though to push Lan Zhan’s head back up so he could see, but stopped himself at the last moment. “Mean, not to let your betrothed see you smile.”

Lan Zhan glanced back up, the tiny smile slipping away, but still there. He reached out to touch Wei Wuxian’s cheek. “I would rather see your smile again.”

Wei Wuxian knew he was blushing. Their chaperones were right there, and he was sure that plenty of others would be, coincidentally, finding things to do around the lake edge so they could catch a glimpse of them. They would see the emperor cradling the face of his betrothed, something at the limits of propriety before marriage.

Yet it was also just Lan Zhan, touching him, holding his eyes with a look filled with meaning.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian whispered, his heart cracking open in his chest.

“My Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan said.

Wei Wuxian felt his throat closing and moisture spring to his eyes. He blinked and ducked his head down, mortified that he would react that way. He was the Jiang first disciple! He was the best archer in Yunmeng. He didn’t cry at a few sweet words.

Lan Zhan tilted his forehead to rest it against Wei Wuxian’s. “I am sorry, Wei Ying. I should have told you the truth. But I enjoyed being seen for myself for once, not as my role.”

Wei Wuxian considered how differently he would have acted if he had known Lan Zhan was the emperor. The simmering anger that had stayed inside him, already doused by the huge gesture of Lan Zhan coming here, finally extinguished. He sighed. “I understand.”

Lan Zhan sighed too, like a relief of tension. “I will make it up to you.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. He wiped the water from his eyes and lifted his head to look at Lan Zhan. “Yes, you’ll have to stay and court me for at least a week if you don’t want people to talk.”

Lan Zhan’s eyes were sparkling at him now, “A hardship indeed.”

Every day for the rest of his visit, Lan Zhan spent the maximum amount of time with him as decorum would allow. They walked for miles, chaperones and guards in unseen orbits around them.

Wei Wuxian took Lan Zhan to all of his favourite places, though he wasn’t able to convince anyone to let them swim in the lake. When he complained that he couldn’t take Lan Zhan to the market to buy him local delicacies, Lan Zhan arranged for two of every food to be purchased and brought to them so Wei Wuxian could offer each in turn. Wei Wuxian wanted to kiss his ridiculous, beautiful face.

Every day brought new gifts, too. If Wei Wuxian had thought about it, he would have assumed that imperial gifts for an omega would be decorative: jewellery, robes, fine pieces of art. And there were plenty of those, but interspersed with a new bow of the finest make, art supplies, as well as the most exquisite robes, but made of cuts that still allowed for sword and bow work.

Lan Zhan must have spent the weeks between Wei Wuxian leaving Cloud Recesses and his own arrival at Lotus Pier doing nothing but sourcing unique gifts for Wei Wuxian. Just the thought of it made him run warm.

When they weren’t together negotiations for the wedding itself continued, made more intense by the presence of the emperor himself, something his negotiators clearly found frustrating. While Wei Wuxian wasn’t allowed to be present for those, Jiang Cheng was more than happy to tell him everything. At least, more than happy to tell him so that Wei Wuxian would stop bugging him for details.

Lan Zhan was pushing for a wedding on the earliest auspicious date, and the immediacy offered by him being right in Lotus Pier there made that more possible. Yu-furen, however, insisted that they leave it until the next auspicious date, long enough to make it clear that there wasn’t another reason for a quick wedding. There had already been some rumours of that kind going around.

Wei Wuxian always felt conflicted at those rumours. Of course they weren’t true, but late at night he liked to imagine that they were. That Lan Zhan had taken him that day in the garden and now he was growing hiss baby, getting bigger day by day. He imagined Lan Zhan having to look at that, to know that Wei Wuxian was filled with his child and not be able to touch. What would Lan Zhan do when he finally could take what was his?

On the last day before Lan Zhan was due to leave, Wei Wuxian took him out to the farthest pier by the lakeside where he had asked for a small pavilion to be set up, ostensibly to shield them from the heat, but in reality Wei Wuxian was determined to get at least one kiss before Lan Zhan left. They wouldn’t see each other for the five months until the wedding and he didn’t want to have to wait that long to remember what Lan Zhan tasted like.

Stolen kisses were absolutely a part of courting, Wei Wuxian knew. His shijie had told him that, and he’d heard other courting couples whispering about it. Just because Lan Zhan was the emperor didn’t mean that Wei Wuxian should be denied that. With the pavilion in place, only the chaperones would be able to see them and Wei Wuxian hoped they would turn a blind eye for a few moments. Or hours.

When they arrived at the pavilion Lan Zhan’s eyebrows raised.

Wei Wuxian shrugged. “Maybe I want my betrothed to myself for a little while, instead of under the eyes of everyone in Lotus Pier.”

Lan Zhan eyed the chaperones with an irritation Wei Wuxian enjoyed. His favourite moments were those when Lan Zhan pinned him with a look reminiscent of how he had appeared in the garden. It reminded him that Lan Zhan wanted this too.

The nearby maids bowed and reached to serve the tea as they sat, but Lan Zhan waved them off. “I will serve.”

Everyone turned to Lan Zhan in shock, but Lan Zhan ignored them. The maids scurried away and Lan Zhan reached out, holding back a long sleeve to pour the tea.

Wei Wuxian swallowed thickly at the sight. “The emperor should not be the one to pour for anyone.”

Lan Zhan finished and held out a cup to Wei Wuxian. “The emperor is not. I am serving my beloved intended.”

Wei Wuxian flushed scarlet, taking the cup, but completely speechless. He could and did tease, but when Lan Zhan was so earnest he didn’t know how to respond. He sipped his tea to cover his fluster.

They drank their tea, not talking like they usually did. Wei Wuxian was the one who spoke most, but he was caught up in his plans and kept drifting into silence. Lan Zhan seemed perfectly content either way, soft eyes resting on Wei Wuxian regardless.

After a short while, Wei Wuxian glanced over at the chaperones who were both staring in the same direction, like they always did. Not watching them directly, but keeping them in their field of vision. He looked back to see Lan Zhan observing him, tracing the path of his eyes, then pinning him with a heated look.

Seated at the adjacent side of the table it was difficult to get too close - the intended effect. But Wei Wuxian leaned in as Lan Zhan did the same, their intent clearly telegraphed, but thankfully drawing no response from their chaperones.

Wei Wuxian thought their kiss would at first be gentle and almost chaste, in deference to their audience. But as they got closer he saw Lan Zhan’s nostrils widen as he caught Wei Wuxian’s scent. Then his hand came up to grip the back of Wei Wuxian’s neck and brought him into a bruising kiss. Wei Wuxian opened to it immediately, arousal pouring through him like floodgates had been opened. He held back a sound, desperate to keep kissing for as long as possible.

This close Wei Wuxian could smell Lan Zhan’s scent deepening, arousal scents escaping past the perfumes, and it made him even warmer. Lan Zhan must be able to smell Wei Wuxian’s own in turn, and the knowledge of that, of Lan Zhan knowing how Wei Wuxian wanted him, was wet for him, built it even more.

Lan Zhan had just nipped at Wei Ying’s lower lip, making him gasp, when there was a shuffle of movement and a pointed cough from the chaperones. They broke out of the kiss.

Lan Zhan’s eyes were dark and hooded, like they had been in the garden. Wei Ying said, “Lan Zhan,” hoping it conveyed everything he couldn’t say out loud.

Lan Zhan looked down at Wei Wuxian’s mouth, then dragged his eyes away. He reached out and took Wei Wuxian’s hands, holding them tight. Wei Wuxian gripped back. It was going to be a long five months.

The months felt exactly as long as Wei Wuxian had feared they would. He had plenty to keep him occupied, including training the new head disciple who would take over from him, but the time dragged.

Lan Zhan wrote to him daily, which both helped and made the wait worse. The letters were hand-delivered by imperial couriers, to ensure delivery, but with a still small chance of them being intercepted, the letters were far tamer than Wei Wuxian hoped Lan Zhan would be otherwise.

His own return missives, sent back with the same courier on his return, certainly didn’t say as much as Wei Wuxian would have preferred. He did always rub his letters against the scent gland in his neck each time, though, shameless despite knowing that the courier would smell it. As long as Lan Zhan could scent him on the paper, Wei Wuxian didn’t care.

Often he could scent Lan Zhan on his letters, and wondered if he did the same. When one arrived with a strong enough scent on it, Wei Wuxian would take it to bed that night and touch himself with the letter pressed to his nose. He hoped that Lan Zhan did the same with his. In fact, his thoughts were often imagining just that. Lan Zhan touching himself, making himself come, thinking of Wei Wuxian.

A week before the day of their wedding, the Jiang contingent travelled to the capital. It was completely different to their last visit, when they were an object of mild interest, but little more. Now their procession was the arrival of the emperor’s betrothed ahead of the wedding, and the people thronged around them, everyone trying to somehow get a look at Wei Wuxian.

He had complained about Yu-furen’s insistence that he travel in a litter, adamant that he could manage fine on his own feet or a horse, despite tradition. But he quickly realised that she’d been right. Only the Jiang disciples tightly ringing the litter prevented him being grabbed at.

He was glad that the wedding litter on the day would just be travelling within the Cloud Recesses, from the opulent suites the Jiang were afforded in the palace.

Once they were all secure inside Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian was guarded by the Jiang sect as well as imperial Lan guards. He had imagined that once he got there he might at least be able to sneak back into the garden that he now thought of as theirs - his and Lan Zhan’s - and maybe even get another kiss if Lan Zhan turned up too. But being the imperial husband-to-be, present to prepare for marriage, apparently brought a lot more focus on where he was and what he was doing. He never got a chance to slip away.

An unwelcome addition to his days was a regular morning visit from Lan Chuanli. She was a gnarled omega who came far too early in the day to teach Wei Wuxian about all of the complex rules and protocols he would apparently need to know as the husband of the emperor. She also drilled him on the Lan rules, a book of which had been sent to him months ago, to ensure he had learned them.

Wei Wuxian was excited to get married to Lan Zhan. He was decidedly less enthusiastic at the thought of being married to the emperor.

Still, it seemed like no time had passed until his shijie, who had arrived early to support and assist him, was helping him into his wedding robes. The robes were layered, making them a frustrating mix of heavy and delicate. Shijie patted his hand when he complained, which made him feel a lot better. She was there mainly as the wife of the Jin heir, reminding Wei Wuxian yet again that this was the wedding of an emperor, not just Wei Wuxian marrying the alpha he wanted.

Shijie had told him that the whole capital was adorned with red and gold, and the people had been celebrating since the previous day. It felt strange to think of random people in the street celebrating his marriage, while also knowing that it wasn’t about him. The people’s emperor was marrying; of course they were happy and excited.

When he was ready, Wei Wuxian was unperfumed for the first time since he had presented. His husband would be the only alpha permitted close enough to him to take in his full scent. Only betas or other omegas were allowed to come close until he was taken into his new husband’s care. Wei Wuxian thought it was all a little much; he may be an omega, but he was also possibly one of the best swordsmen in the whole city. He wasn’t helpless. But it was tradition, and Lan Chuanli had drilled into him that he was going to be a representative of the imperial household.

The wedding itself passed in a blur. Lan Zhan was also unperfumed and despite his veil, Wei Wuxian felt like all he could smell was Lan Zhan’s sandalwood scent, curling around him possessively. With his limited vision and Lan Zhan’s scent wrapping him up, Wei Wuxian could pretend that there was only them and their families present, not groups from every sect.

Finally it was time to go to their wedding chambers. Wei Wuxian had to allow himself to be led, watching where he placed his feet, but reliant on his grip on Lan Zhan’s arm otherwise. There was an absence of the cheers and good-natured calls he had heard at Shijie’s wedding, which made him feel even more self-conscious. This was an emperor.

Wei Wuxian heard the doors to the chambers slide closed and the click of a lock. He breathed deeply, taking in Lan Zhan’s scent and shivering with the heavy taste of it.

“Lan Zhan.”

Lan Zhan came back to him and pulled off the veil, eyes seeming desperate to take in every part of Wei Wuxian’s face now that he could see it. Wei Wuxian reached out and gripped Lan Zhan’s hand, earning a squeeze in return. He expected Lan Zhan to lean in, to kiss him, to take him to the bed so ostentatiously decorated and central to the room.

Lan Zhan released him and stepped back. He stared at Wei Wuxian with a fire, yet moved away and sat on the edge of the bed, not touching.

Wei Wuxian sat down next to him, uncertain. He felt like his body was buzzing, desperate to touch and be touched in return. But it was also odd. He had spent so long knowing that it wasn’t allowed. Wanting it, yet having to deny himself, it felt strange to now know that whatever they wanted was permitted. Encouraged, even.

Wei Wuxian wondered if Lan Zhan was having similar thoughts. He could scent Lan Zhan’s arousal pouring off him in waves, yet he sat rigid, only looking at Wei Wuxian from the corner of his eyes.

Wei Wuxian took a breath and reached out for Lan Zhan’s hand. “Lan Zhan.”

Lan Zhan seemed about to jerk his hand away, but stopped himself and instead gripped Wei Wuxian’s fingers like he thought he might disappear. Wei Wuxian squeezed Lan Zhan’s hand in reassurance, not quite sure what was happening. He had really thought that by now they would be –

“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan’s voice was low, plaintive. “Do you -” he cut himself off, looked away, looked back. It was so unusual; Lan Zhan was always so direct. “Is this what you want?”

Wei Wuxian was startled into a laugh. “What? Yes, I married you, didn’t I?”

Lan Zhan nodded once, but went on. “Because I made you, and the Jiangs made you. It was not your choice.”

Wei Wuxian understood and stared at Lan Zhan with open shock and awe. “Lan Zhan.”

Lan Zhan finally looked at him full on. “I can wait, Wei Ying. If this isn’t what you want. Or you don’t want it yet.”

Wei Wuxian closed his eyes, unable to make his heart take the earnestness in Lan Zhan’s beautiful face. He leaned forward and rested his forehead on Lan Zhan’s shoulder. He wrapped his arms around Lan Zhan and pulled him in, Lan Zhan’s tentative hands on him making him sigh out a joyful laugh.

He pulled back to look at Lan Zhan, to cup each side of his sweet face. “Lan Zhan, I want this. Can’t you scent it on me? I want you.”

“You wanted the man you met in the garden,” Lan Zhan pointed out.

Wei Wuxian laughed, ducking his head. “Yes, I want him. It just turns out that he has a job that is a bit more important than I realised.”

They kissed, and it was perfect. No one would stop them, no one would interrupt. If he wanted to do nothing but his Lan Zhan all night, that would be okay. Wei Wuxian stoked his tongue against Lan Zhan’s and Lan Zhan pulled him tighter against him. Wei Wuxian made a helpless noise and Lan Zhan kissed him harder, rougher, panting into it.

Wei Wuxian reached out to touch Lan Zhan’s chest, but Lan Zhan pulled back and grabbed his wrists, eyes wild and wide. “Wei Ying?” Lan Zhan said, grip tightening on his wrists, questioning.

“I’m yours, Lan Zhan.” Lan Zhan’s eyes darkened. “Take anything you want. I want it too.”

Lan Zhan kissed him, raw and open. Wei Wuxian had sensed a depth to Lan Zhan’s passions every time they had kissed, held back due to necessity. There was no need to hold back anymore, and Lan Zhan didn’t. He pushed Wei Wuxian down onto the bed, pinning his wrists above his head with one hand and pushing open Wei Wuxian’s tunic with the other.

Wei Wuxian wriggled against the hold, enjoying it, but also wanting to get his own hands on Lan Zhan. “Lan Zhan,” he gasped between biting kisses. “Will you let your Wei Ying touch you?”

Lan Zhan seemed to almost growl deep in his throat and held Wei Wuxian’s wrists tighter. Wei Wuxian felt a rush of heat through him, arching his body up into Lan Zhan’s weight on top of him. Lan Zhan gripped his hip, pulling Wei Wuxian up even as he ground down against him, his cock a hot, hard line that Wei Wuxian was desperate to feel more of. Lan Zhan then slipped his hand down the back of Wei Wuxian’s trousers. Wei Wuxian made a breathy sound as Lan Zhan’s fingers pressed in, rough despite how slick and open he felt.

When Lan Zhan slipped two fingers inside him, Wei Wuxian jerked. “Lan Zhan, unnhhhh, are you so desperate for me, er-gege?”

Lan Zhan kissed him harder, then pulled back to watch Wei Wuxian’s face while he worked his fingers in and out. He hit a particularly sensitive spot and Wei Wuxian’s eyes fluttered closed, his body shivering into it.

Lan Zhan grated out a choked, “Wei Ying,” and pulled his other hand down to manhandle Wei Wuxian out of his trousers. Then he flipped him over, pushing Wei Wuxian face-down onto the bed, covering his body with his own.

Feeling the hard line of Lan Zhan pressed so close to where he was desperate for him was too much for Wei Wuxian. He moaned, deep and resonant, pushing his hips back to feel it, making Lan Zhan jerk his own forward in response.

His breath was hot against Wei Wuxian’s neck as Lan Zhan mouthed his scent gland there, almost seeming to drink it in. He must be able to scent how strongly Wei Wuxian wanted this. How much having Lan Zhan manhandle him this way was making him burn.

Lan Zhan’s legs pushed between Wei Wuxian’s, forcing his thighs apart. He drew his knees up and to the side so he could get some leverage to push back against Lan Zhan. As he did, Lan Zhan reached down, mouth still on Wei Wuxian’s neck, tugging his own trousers down so Wei Wuxian could feel the hot brand of his cock against his skin. He whined as Lan Zhan shifted, using his fingers to blindly line himself up and thrust roughly inside.

Wei Wuxian bit out a sharp moan. It didn’t hurt, he was too wet for that, but it was bigger than anything else Wei Wuxian had ever had inside him and it made him writhe.

Lan Zhan thrust again, pushing all of the way inside so his pelvis was flush with Wei Wuxian’s. He groaned out, “Tight,” close to Wei Wuxian’s ear and Wei Wuxian sobbed out another moan. To be taken in such a way, roughly, wantonly. It was filthy, obscene, and so exactly what he wanted that he was delirious with it.

Lan Zhan pulled out and thrust back in, forcing Wei Wuxian harder into the bed. He brought his arms up to push Wei Wuxian’s free wrists back against the bed, holding him down, holding him in place while Lan Zhan fucked him. Wei Wuxian’s cock, trapped between the bed and his own body, throbbed in time with every thrust, and he knew he would come sooner rather than later.

Lan Zhan shoved in again, breathed a low, “Wei Ying,” as he pulled out, then did it again. “Mine.”

Wei Wuxian writhed and moaned at the words. “Yours, Lan Zhan, all yours.” He felt hot and overwhelmed at his own words. “Yours to do what you want with.”

Lan Zhan got faster, fucking Wei Wuxian desperately, his mouth against Wei Wuxian’s scent gland, starting to press down. The claiming bites were meant to be a romantic moment, possibly as part of an afterglow, or in the morning before they dressed, but Wei Wuxian couldn’t think of anything more romantic than Lan Zhan right where they both wanted him to be.

“Do it,” Wei Wuxian gasped out. “Lan Zhan, do it.”

Lan Zhan growled and sunk his teeth in. It struck like a bolt of lightning through Wei Wuxian’s body and he jerked, whole body writhing as he came. Lan Zhan’s teeth held him as he shuddered through his orgasm, Lan Zhan’s hips still snapping, taking his pleasure from Wei Wuxian’s body, making everything more raw and real.

Wei Wuxian was still reeling from the onslaught of sensations when Lan Zhan thrust his hips in violently and groaned, finally releasing his bite. Wei Wuxian felt something opening him up even further, catching inside him and feeling like it was forcing more pleasure inside him, filling him up in a way he hadn’t known he had always craved. He knew the sounds he was making were shameless and abandoned, but that was how he felt.

It took Wei Wuxian a few pleasure-drunk moments to realise that it must be Lan Zhan’s knot. Lan Zhan was knotting him, coming inside him, filling him up. He twitched again at just the thought. He had an alpha’s claim bite on his neck and his knot inside him. Lan Zhan’s knot. A second orgasm tremored through him. He hadn’t even known that could happen to him.

Lan Zhan couldn’t move very far, but he was rocking his knot slightly in and out, like he couldn’t get enough of the feeling of Wei Wuxian’s body clenched around him. With every flex of his hips his voice growled a quiet, “Mine,” against the skin of Wei Wuxian’s neck. Wei Wuxian was dizzy with bliss.

Wei Wuxian had no idea how long knotting lasted for, but when Lan Zhan’s hips slowed and the pressure between them started to lessen, he felt disappointed. If he could, he would have spent the rest of his life exactly like that, with Lan Zhan inside him, making him full and telling him who he belonged to.

When Lan Zhan pulled out, Wei Wuxian made an involuntary sound of disappointment. Lan Zhan kissed the nape of his neck and lifted his weight off Wei Wuxian, shifting to the side. Wei Wuxian exhaustedly rolled to face him, curling easily into Lan Zhan and kissing him, feeling drunk.

“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan murmured against Wei Wuxian’s lips between kisses. “Did I hurt you?”

Wei Wuxian pulled back indignantly, making Lan Zhan’s face smooth into a smug smile. “The only thing that’s hurting me is that you’re still dressed.” He looked down at Lan Zhan’s crumpled and stained robes.

Lan Zhan hummed and stood up, stripping quickly and efficiently. Wei Wuxian had no idea how Lan Zhan could even move, but he flopped back with an arm propped behind his head to watch. Lan Zhan was his now. His alpha. He was allowed to look at Lan Zhan’s body, to enjoy seeing it naked. It wasn’t just allowed, it was actively encouraged if he was to do what everyone wanted and provide an heir.

He stretched muscles limp from exertion, smiling. “Hey, Lan Zhan, you were pretty good.” He patted his flat stomach. “You filled me all up. Do you think I could be pregnant already?” Lan Zhan, who had been climbing back onto the bed, froze to stare at Wei Wuxian with intense eyes. Wei Wuxian felt a curl of satisfaction. He ran a hand down Lan Zhan’s arm. “Would you like that, Lan Zhan? Knowing you fucked a baby into me?”

Lan Zhan rolled on top of Wei Wuxian, who spread his legs to accommodate him. Shockingly he could feel Lan Zhan getting hard again. He pressed up into it. “It feels like you do like that thought, Lan Zhan.” He kissed Lan Zhan’s jaw, near his ear. “What do you like best about it? Making me yours?” Wei Wuxian remembered his own shameless thoughts. “Or would it be having everyone see the proof that you fucked me so well?”

Lan Zhan reached down to grab one of Wei Wuxian’s thighs and push it up, holding it as he lined up and pushed inside Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian’s eyes closed at the overwhelming feeling of being full again so soon after finishing.

“Lan Zhan,” he complained. “How can you get hard again so quickly?”

Lan Zhan made a satisfied sound as he thrust into Wei Wuxian, mouth nipping at Wei Wuxian’s lower lip and jaw. “It’s you. This is what you do to me.”

Wei Wuxian groaned, head thrown back, not able to look at the way Lan Zhan’s eyes were dark and possessive. It was too much. If he looked he would come on the spot, he was sure, and he wanted his new husband, his alpha, his mate, to know he had some stamina.

Lan Zhan’s mouth closed over his, kissing Wei Wuxian deep and messy. Wei Wuxian kept having to break off and breathe, panting as Lan Zhan rocked into him over and over. Even the sound of Lan Zhan’s rough breath as he fucked him made Wei Wuxian feel hot all over. Lan Zhan, who always seemed so unaffected, but couldn’t control himself inside Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian’s leg was pushed up so far that he couldn’t move anymore, just letting Lan Zhan fuck him. It felt so good, like he was just here for Lan Zhan’s pleasure, to make the emperor feel good, to take his seed. He managed to get a hand between them and wrapped it around his cock, stroking in time with Lan Zhan’s surging thrusts. He let himself coast the edge of coming until he felt Lan Zhan’s hips faltering, then let himself come, clenching around Lan Zhan’s knot and feeling his body react to Lan Zhan coming inside him again.

When Lan Zhan’s knot finally went down again, they collapsed onto the bed, damp with sweat. Wei Wuxian’s whole body felt shaky and drained, but he rolled up on his elbow to lean over Lan Zhan, He reached out and pushed Lan Zhan’s hair off his face. He was so beautiful, especially undone like this.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Lan Zhan took Wei Wuxian’s hand and kissed the palm. “Hmmm?”

“Who you were,” Wei Wuxian explained. “I know what you said about me treating you differently, but even just when you found me there. You could have just sent me away, or called for some guards.” He looked at Lan Zhan’s face, soft and open. Beloved. “You didn’t. What stopped you?”

Lan Zhan’s gaze turned inwards as he recalled. Wei Wuxian rested his chin on his chest and waited, content.

“At first I was surprised,” Lan Zhan said, finally. Wei Wuxian nodded encouragingly. “No one had ever found their way to that garden before. Almost no one knew that I used it. I felt I could be me, there. No guards, no others.”

“Hmmm, yeah.” Wei Wuxian understood that.

“I could have called guards, they always wait just inside, or told you who I was, but then -” He broke off like he couldn’t think of the words.

Wei Wuxian smiled. “Then you would have been bringing the emperor into Lan Zhan’s space.”

Lan Zhan nodded. He looked at Wei Wuxian, ducked his eyes away, then looked back. “By the time I had recovered from the surprise enough to consider my choices, you had already made yourself comfortable and,” a smile peeked out at the corner of his mouth. Wei Wuxian kissed it. “You were Wei Ying.”

“I was Wei Ying,” Wei Wuxian repeated. Lan Zhan looked at him like it was a full explanation. Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

Lan Zhan reached up to cup his cheek. “You were my mate.”

Wei Wuxian grinned, then laughed, ducking his face against Lan Zhan’s chest, giddy and happy. “Lan Zhan, who knew you were such a sweet-talker, hmmm?” Lan Zhan hummed back at him, pulling Wei Wuxian in even closer, wrapping his arms around him.

“I was not raised to be the emperor,” Lan Zhan told him. Wei Wuxian nodded. He knew that. Lan Xichen was the older brother, but he was a beta.

“It’s a stupid rule,” Wei Wuxian told him. Lan Zhan hummed. “Why can’t a beta, or an omega even, be able to lead?” He shook his head.

“Mn,” Lan Zhan agreed. “I tried to change it when I first took my seat.”

Wei Wuxian lifted his head. “You did?”

Lan Zhan nodded. “I was counselled from it, though.” Wei Wuxian pulled a face, making Lan Zhan smile. “I argued that my brother would be a much better emperor, and it is true. But it is also true that if I changed it all at once it would risk the sects over-throwing me.”

Wei Wuxian considered this for a second. “Yeah.” He sighed. “Yeah, maybe.”

Lan Zhan kissed his temple. “I decided to change things slowly instead. By choosing any presentation as my advisors, guards, ministers.”

Wei Wuxian rested his forehead on Lan Zhan’s chest again. “You’re a good man, Lan Zhan.” He stayed there for a few moments, then had to muffle a jaw-cracking yawn.

“We should sleep,” Lan Zhan said.

Wei Wuxian made a sound of agreement and turned his head so it was resting on Lan Zhan’s chest, using it as a cushion. He could hear Lan Zhan’s heartbeat. Lan Zhan kissed the top of Wei Wuxian’s head.

“G’night, Lan Zhan.” Now that he had settled, Wei Wuxian felt the exhaustion of the day take over him. He felt Lan Zhan kiss him again and say something that sounded like, “My Wei Ying,” as he started to drift off.

EPILOGUE

Lan Zhan escorted Wei Wuxian around his new home after they managed to make it out of bed in the morning.

Wei Wuxian had known, of course, that the palace was impressive, but he expected that the emperor’s own quarters would doubly so. Yet the palace also seemed very Lan Zhan. Everything seemed to have a place and a function. No space was wasted, yet nothing was cluttered or too much. It was beautiful.

“I’m going to break something, Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian put his hands on his hips as he stopped in front of another gorgeous vase, looking at the beautiful design. “I can be clumsy, and I’m going to end up breaking something.”

Lan Zhan walked back to join him, tugging Wei Wuxian until he was pressed back against Lan Zhan’s front, Lan Zhan’s arms wrapped around Wei Wuxian’s waist. He had been like that all morning, barely able to stop touching Wei Wuxian, pulling him into his arms, for more than a few moments. Wei Wuxian loved it.

“It doesn’t matter.” Lan Zhan spoke the words into Wei Wuxian’s neck as he nosed his own claiming bite, then inhaling Wei Wuxian’s scent. “This is your home.”

Wei Wuxian felt complex emotions about that. It was the imperial palace at Cloud Recesses. A place of stories and intrigue. Not a place where Wei Wuxian should be getting his ass felt up in front of some heirloom. And yet –

“Your uncle would be very unhappy if I broke something, Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian felt a little breathless. It was difficult to concentrate when his husband’s scent was doing – that. And when he could feel Lan Zhan’s length hardening against him. “Lan Zhan.” He tried to sound chiding, but it just came out eager.

“Uncle is not the emperor,” Lan Zhan breathed against Wei Wuxian’s ear, pushing him forward towards the wall.

Wei Wuxian brought his hands up to brace himself against the wall. “Lan Zhan?” Lan Zhan reached down and started tugging Wei Wuxian’s robes up as he kissed and mouthed at Wei Wuxian’s neck. Wei Wuxian breathed a laugh. “Right here, Lan Zhan? Anyone could see.” Lan Zhan hummed a pleased sound as he tugged down Wei Wuxian’s trousers to his thighs and pulled his hips out. Wei Wuxian’s breath hitched as Lan Zhan’s fingers pushed in where he had already been barely an hour before. “You’re insatiable, Lan Zhan.”

Wei Wuxian felt Lan Zhan pull back to free himself just enough, then he was pushing inside, gasping with pleasure as he did so, chest pressed tight against Wei Wuxian’s back. When he was fully in, he wrapped his arms tight around Wei Wuxian, pressing them as close together as they could get like this.

“Mine,” Lan Zhan growled as he fucked into Wei Wuxian.

“Yours,” Wei Wuxian repeated, loving how his body and heart reacted to those words. Knowing he belonged to Lan Zhan. That Lan Zhan would take him whenever and wherever he wanted.

Lan Zhan fucked him hard and fast, mouthing at his ear, his neck, his scent gland. Wei Wuxian pushed back into it, desperate for more even as he was being given everything. He wanted to spend his whole life like this, being fucked by Lan Zhan whenever he wanted.

As he sped up, going harder and faster, Lan Zhan reached down and gripped Wei Wuxian’s cock, stroking it in firm counterpoint. Wei Wuxian would absolutely have come just from Lan Zhan’s cock inside him, from the knowledge that they were fucking in a random hall of their home, but Lan Zhan’s touch was spectacular. Wei Wuxian felt his orgasm gathering at the base of his spine and he tried to warn Lan Zhan, but all he could manage were some stuttered moans before he was coming, body jerking between the wall and Lan Zhan’s body holding him up while he rode out the ecstasy.

Lan Zhan made a sound low in his chest and fucked into him, pushing him hard into the wall as he came, shoving in deep. Wei Wuxian could feel it inside, his body twitching in response.

After a few moments of heavy breathing against Wei Wuxian’s skin, Lan Zhan pulled out, making Wei Wuxian mutter at the feeling.

“Lan Zhan, you’ve made a mess of me,” he groaned out.

Lan Zhan made an interested noise, then his fingers were back at Wei Wuxian’s hole, touching where Wei Wuxian could feel his come trickling out. Lan Zhan hummed, a pleased sound, and pushed his fingers back in, making Wei Wuxian gasp.

Lan Zhan pulled his fingers out, then tugged Wei Wuxian’s trousers back up, dropping his robes. By the time Wei Wuxian was able to turn, still leaning against the wall, Lan Zhan’s own robes were back in order and he looked pristine, nothing like the debauched mess Wei Wuxian knew he must look.

And felt.

“I can’t believe you did that,” He said. Lan Zhan looked exceedingly pleased with himself. It made Wei Wuxian laugh. “You haven’t even shown me our bedroom yet.” He pushed away from the wall, grimacing at the mess in his trousers. “I need to get cleaned up.”

“Mn,” Lan Zhan said. “I will show you.”

Wei Wuxian laughed at the predatory look in Lan Zhan’s eyes. “We’re never going to get anything done, are we.” It was a rhetorical question. He already knew the answer.

Lan Zhan turned to start walking again and Wei Wuxian followed. Lan Zhan reached out with his clean hand and Wei Wuxian took it.

“The most important task I have right now is to obtain an heir,” Lan Zhan said. He threw a glance at Wei Wuxian. “I am being diligent.”

Wei Wuxian threw back his head and laughed. “Then, by all means Lan Zhan, let's get this job done.”

Lan Zhan led them onwards. Wei Wuxian was, admittedly, a little lost - the palace was huge and sprawling - but he was sure they were heading away from the emperor’s garden, which he had assumed was right next to the emperor’s home.

When Lan Zhan finally brought them to some doors and slid them open, Wei Wuxian was very confused about where exactly they were.

Lan Zhan stood aside and gestured Wei Wuxian in. “Our new home.”

Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows and stepped inside, immediately peering around. It was beautifully appointed, but much more sparse than he had assumed an emperor’s suites to be. Lan Zhan definitely seemed like the kind of person who would keep things neat, but this went beyond that. There was nothing personal inside, just the furnishings and a few decorations.

He looked back at Lan Zhan who had been watching him explore. “Our new home?”

Lan Zhan nodded. “Mn.”

Wei Wuxian looked around again, still confused. “I don’t understand. Don’t you – you live… wouldn’t we live in the emperor’s suites? You didn’t have to move for me.”

Lan Zhan stepped in and settled a hand on Wei Wuxian’s waist. “I wanted this for us. To create a home together.”

“Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian curled in to wrap his arms around Lan Zhan, leaning into the comforting warmth of his scent and his warm arms wrapping Wei Wuxian close.

Lan Zhan held him for a few moments, then spoke. “This was my mother’s home.” Wei Wuxian lifted his head to look at Lan Zhan. “I lived here until I presented as an alpha and was ascended to emperor.”

“You had to move?” Wei Wuxian asked.

Lan Zhan nodded once. “I did not want to, but I was persuaded that it was necessary.” He pursed his lips. “I was new to the position and relied on my uncle’s guidance.” Wei Wuxian nodded understanding. “But now I would prefer that we live together somewhere that is not a statement of position. Somewhere that is –” He hesitated.

“Somewhere that is a home,” Wei Wuxian finished.

“Mn.”

Wei Wuxian smiled at him. “You’re such a softie, Lan Zhan. If only everyone else knew.” He kissed Lan Zhan. “You can move in some of your stuff, though.”

“Mn,” Lan Zhan said. “Aside from my personal items, we can choose which pieces together.”

Wei Wuxian felt aglow. He had been expecting to move into wide, opulent suites. To feel awkward and out of place for a while. But Lan Zhan had given him a home. Somewhere they could be together, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, leaving the emperor and his husband at the door. He held Lan Zhan tight and buried his nose against his neck.

Lan Zhan showed him through to their bedroom, allowing Wei Wuxian to clean up and change. It felt indulgent and decadent to do so in front of an alpha, but it was Lan Zhan. His husband, with eyes that clearly wanted to take in everything about Wei Wuxian.

When Wei Wuxian was freshened up, Lan Zhan pulled him in for a kiss and stroked his hair. “Wei Ying, I have a gift for you.”

Wei Wuxian lifted his head back up. “What?” He gestured around. “This isn’t gift enough?”

Lan Zhan’s mouth tilted into a small smile. “The suites are for our lives together. The gift is my wedding present to you.”

Wei Wuxian pulled back further. “Lan Zhan, you were more than generous -”

Lan Zhan shook his head. “Not from the emperor to the Jiang sect, or his betrothed. My gift. To Wei Ying.”

Lan Zhan took his hand and led them through the suites. Wei Wuxian noted in passing that there was plenty of room to raise a child here. More than one, actually. Many children. He grinned at the thought.

Lan Zhan brought them to stand in front of some doors and slid one aside. Wei Wuxian blinked for a second, looked at Lan Zhan, then back out.

It was their garden. He stepped through the doors and out, mouth open. This must have been where Lan Zhan entered the garden from every time. The suites were connected to it.

“Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian didn’t have any other words.

Lan Zhan laced their fingers together. “The garden is now yours. The wards have been replaced and the gap” - he gestured towards where Wei Wuxian had always entered the garden from - “has been closed.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “Spoilsport.” The laugh tapered off as he looked around at the garden. His garden. When he looked back, Lan Zhan’s smile was soft and indulgent. Wei Wuxian wanted to bask in it forever. “Lan Zhan.”

His throat felt thick with emotion, but he knew what he wanted to do. “Come on.” He tugged on Lan Zhan’s hand, leading him towards the overlook. “Let’s go lie down.”