Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In the land heralded by the second star,

a peaceful existence was marr’d

Where the seasons flourish side by side

A love hidden in tragedy’s design

The fairies no longer cross the forbidden border line,

Forced to cut ties that fate had intertwined

—.—..—.—

Wei Wuxian careened into the delivery yard with only minutes to spare, flying around corners at such a pace that he nearly tripped several fairies carrying armloads of fiber. He slammed his things down onto one of the open worktables, beginning to rifle around in his bag for the stick of cinnabar he was certain that he had packed. 

“You know, maybe you should have been a fast-flying fairy after all,” Nie Huaisang commented, twirling a paintbrush between his fingers. Wei Wuxian finally found the cinnabar and began putting the finishing touches along the length of the lost thing he was working on.

He waved him off, “Nonsense! Who made the entire conveyor system here? If it weren’t for me, we’d be carrying all of the baskets by hand to the delivery pad.”

Nie Huaisang placed a few delicate lines on the paper in front of him, his draping sleeves tied back so they wouldn’t drag through the ink. 

“Fine, fine, but you better have an excuse for our supervisor as to why you didn’t have time to finish delivering the grasses to the basket weaving zone.”

“Unless I get it done before the deadline,” Wei Wuxian said as he grabbed the item on his desk and flew away. Based loosely on a human fishing rod and combined with a strengthening talisman, his new invention would allow a single fairy to transport five times the amount they could usually carry in their arms. His task was easily finished in just a couple minutes.

When he arrived back at his desk, he quickly swept into a kneel at the sight of the Lord of the fairies. However, he stood up again a moment later when he realized that Chifeng-Zun was only there to berate his brother, and probably hadn’t even noticed his arrival. The Fairy Lord stood tall, with a cloak of golden yellow fall leaves draped across his broad shoulders, contrasting the deep taupe of the rest of his robes. He leaned forward with one hand on Huaisang’s desk, brow furrowed as he glared at the table’s contents. 

“But Da-ge, I already finished my assigned baskets! Why can’t I work on my own projects?”

“Because all you ever do is make folding fans! Winter is coming up on the mainland, they are unneeded at the moment.”

“But I live in the summer meadow,” Nie Huiasang began. 

“Besides, shouldn’t you be setting a good example and helping your fellow tinker fairies if your own work is done?”

“…Yes, Ge.”

Nie Mingjue straightened up, crossing his arms. 

“Then don’t let me catch you working on those again until all the deliveries to the winter woods have been completed.” 

Pleased that he had won the argument, he turned and mounted his great horned owl steed and departed. The second he was out of sight, Nie Huaisang stopped wringing his hands and sighed with exasperation as he resumed painting. 

“Didn’t you just say—“

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll help with the other baskets as soon as I finish with this tree branch.”

The first snowy owl swooped down and took a basket handle in its talons with a crack. Then the second, and the third, and so on. One owl was a bit shaky as it flew off with its newly acquired basket. Wei Wuxian guessed it was a new recruit.

The flock flew back in the direction of the Winter Woods, to the high mountain peaks in the distance, cold and austere with a heavy coat of white powder laid atop them. They formed a firm barrier, locking the rest of the wood away from his eyes, and despite his trips to cursed pirate coves and the distant mainland itself, he couldn’t even hazard a guess what might lay beyond them.

He tried not to think about it too much because the curiosity was honestly driving him insane.

One final, lone owl soared overhead, dropping a delicate parasol of ice so clear that it looked like glass. It slowly drifted into the hands of the waiting supervisor. In the few seconds it took for her to read the note scratched into the snowflake’s surface, it melted in her hands and dripped to the floor in a puddle. Wei Wuxian hadn’t even gotten close enough to get a clear look at how the note was made before it was gone.

“Another twenty snowflake baskets, due to be picked up tomorrow!” Mianmian shouted, clapping her hands twice. “Everyone, pick up the pace!”

As he began weaving the newly ordered baskets, Wei Wuxian felt his gaze being drawn to the peaks once more. 

“Wouldn’t you want to go into the Winter Woods?”

Nie Huiasang’s wings twitched at the last two words, his face dark for just a second before he smiled and waved a hand. 

“I wouldn’t last a day in that cold, Wei-xiong! Besides, my fans would be entirely useless there.”

Wei Wuxian hummed.

“Besides, what would you even do in the Winter Woods? I heard that the fairies there are so strict that they have three thousand rules they have to follow all the time!”

Before Wei Wuixian could answer, a rabbit burst through the bushes and into the workyard. It tried to jump over a table, but clipped the corner, sending supplies rolling all across the dirt. Shocked gasps came from the tinkers all around.

A fairy in deep purple darted into the clearing a second later, his dark hair pulled into a bun. He had a stern look on his face as he yelled, “Hey, you! Get back here or so, help me!”

He chased the bunny across the yard, but it evaded him at every turn, and he became more and more angry.

Wei Wuxian brightened, snatching up his fishing pole once more to put it to the test. After only a couple tries, he looped the rope over the bunny and pulled it gently to a stop. 

“Jiang Cheng!” He said. “What brings you here?”

Jiang Cheng leveled a glare at him. “Oh, just passing through— OBVIOUSLY the fucking rabbit, Wei Wuxian!”

Wei Wuxian waved a hand, keeping one firmly holding the rabbit. 

“Hey, hey, calm down Jiang Cheng. You know what I meant. Where are you taking this little guy?”

“To the Winter Woods, for migration. He got distracted by a butterfly.”

“...The Winter Woods? Can I come? I can keep an eye on our friend here.”

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Can’t I just want to help out my brother every once in a while?” Wei Wuxian shrugged. “Plus, I’ve never seen a migration before.”

Jiang Cheng relented with a sigh. 

Wei Wuxian quickly started to regret his offer to help as said “friend” yanked him in all directions across the forest path as it chased after butterflies and tasty morsels of grass, causing him to get slapped in the face by tree branches several times. He tried using his wings to flutter backwards and slow the rabbit’s momentum but to no avail. 

“Little Apple! Please slow down!” Wei Wuxian called the rabbit by the name he had given it after it got distracted by the garden fairies who had been trying to harvest the apples in peace before they came along.

Jiang Cheng didn’t care to hide his laughter as he led the rest of the calmer animals from ten steps behind. 

Without warning, Little Apple suddenly stopped, flinging Wei Wuxian flat onto his back. 

“What was that for?” Wei Wuxian rubbed his head.

Then he looked up. Just a few feet ahead, there was a riverbank. The stream was not very far across, just a dozen wing flaps to the other side. A twisted tree root formed an arching bridge that spanned the distance, and exactly at the midpoint it became covered with a thick layer of snow. Unlike how spring and fall melted into summer gradually at their edges, the change to winter was instant. In one step, the sky went from clear and decorated with colorful falling leaves to overcast with a cascade of falling snowflakes. Wei Wuxian was entranced; it had been many years since he had come this close to the border.

He turned to Jiang Cheng with a grin. “So, how far do we take the animals in?”

Jiang Cheng scoffed, “We don’t cross the border, Wei Wuxian. We just help the animals make the crossing.”

“But,” Wei Wuxian’s heart sank. “I thought animal fairies got to cross with the animals.”

Jiang Cheng flicked him on the nose, “It’s freezing over there. Plus, you know that no warm fairies are allowed in the winter woods, just like no winter fairies are allowed over here.”

“Who made up that rule?” Wei Wuxian crossed his arms with a pout.

“I’m pretty sure it was the Lord of Winter.”

Wei Wuxian didn’t know Winter had a Lord, though he guessed it made sense since Chifeng-Zun also wouldn’t be able to cross the border to keep an eye on things according to that rule.

“Come on, let’s get them across.” Jiang Cheng waved a couple of stoats across the bridge, their brown coats melting into bright white as they hopped across the invisible border line and into the forest. 

“Incredible,” Wei Wuxian breathed.

Jiang Cheng’s expression softened as he watched them. “They get their winter coats to protect them from the cold.”

A couple of foxes crossed, then several bunnies. Little Apple still eyed the bridge warily. After gentle coaxing failed, Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian were forced to push the unwilling rabbit to the middle of the bridge. Finally, it stuck its nose into the cold, leaving it with a single white spot on its face. Seemingly satisfied that the snow wasn’t dangerous, it finally wiggled away from their grasp and jumped into the forest beyond.

Wei Wuxian waved it goodbye. 

“That just leaves… No! You’re not supposed to hibernate until you get OVER the Border!” Jiang Cheng whirled around, attempting to wake the groundhog that had fallen asleep at the edge of the path.

Wei Wuxian stayed where he was, looking into the white landscape beyond. He leaned forward, barely sticking his own nose across the border. The cold prickled at his skin, and he quickly jumped back. 

Well, it hadn’t hurt. The cold was actually kind of, inviting, almost?

He glanced behind him. Jiang Cheng was still thoroughly distracted. Surely just a second wouldn’t be a problem. Before he could think too deeply about it, he jumped.

The silence wrapped around him like a blanket, snow enveloping every sound before it could so much as reach him. His feet sunk into the soft powder, and goosebumps raised on his exposed arms. He took a step forward to catch a falling snowflake in his hands that quickly melted as it made contact. 

“Wow,” he breathed, teeth chattering ever so slightly. 

As he took another step, a flash of color at the edge of his vision caught his eye. Wei Wuxian looked over his shoulder, jaw falling open as he realized that it was coming from him. His wings were shimmering, emitting their own sparkling light in a mixture of glowing iridescent tones. He flapped them twice, but the color didn’t fade. He reached out to touch them, but before he could, a rope flung out like a whip, wrapping around his waist and yanking him backwards, back to the Fall side of the border. He quickly glanced behind him again, but his wings had faded back to their usual transparent state.

Jiang Cheng dropped Wei Wuxian’s fishing rod now that the job was done. 

“What the fuck were you thinking! Your wings!” 

“I know! They were sparkling—wasn’t it amazing?”

“What? No— Shit, they’re freezing! We need to get you to a healing fairy, right now.”

Chapter Text

Wen Qing whacked him upside the head.

“What were you thinking?”

“I—”

“Let me guess, you weren’t?”

Wei Wuxian’s mouth shut.

As Wen Qing pulled out a magnifier to check on the stability of his wing structure, three more fairies in fuschia, gold, and green entered the room.

“Are you okay A-xian?” Jiang Yanli asked, worry painting her features. 

Wen Ning wrung his hands, “We got here as soon as we could.”

“Did you really cross the border?” Nie Huaisang asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Will you three keep it down, please?” Wen Qing asked, refocusing on her task.

“I brought you some fresh soup so you can keep warm.” Jiang Yanli presented him with a small cup of lotus soup. 

“Thank you, Shijie!” Wei Wuxian took a grateful sip of the broth.

Jiang Cheng looked at him enviously.

“Well, did you?” Nie Huaisang repeated.

Before Wei Wuxian could answer, Wen Qing said, “I don’t see anything unusual. Your wings look normal. Can you give me a couple of flaps to test them out?”

Wei Wuxian did as she instructed, not wanting to get slapped again, but still asked, “But what about the sparkling?”

Wen Qing put a hand to her forehead. “That must have just been the light reflecting off the snow.”

“But—”

“Winter is too cold for our warm fairy wings, Wei Wuxian. You got lucky this time. Come back if you have any issues, but so help me if you do something that reckless again, you’re getting the needles.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened, and he nodded vigorously. 

As his friends escorted him out, he explained how his wings had lit up upon entering the Wood once more. Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, now having heard the ridiculous tale three times. 

“It was incredible!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed. “It felt like… the Winter Woods was calling me, you know?”

“No?” Wen Ning said, fiddling with a spark of light between his fingers.

Nie Huaisang whispered to Jiang Cheng. “Get. the doctor.”

Wei Wuxian threw his hands up in exasperation.

—.—..—.—

The library had to have a book that would explain what had happened to his wings. He just knew it. Luckily he had found the book of Wingology more quickly than expected. Unluckily, the book tried to fly away from him the second he undid the latch, resulting in him attempting to chase it down as quietly as possible through the library stacks. 

Once he pinned it down, he flipped through the index. Wing care, Wing drying, Wing strength, Wing span… Wing sparkling! He flipped to the final chapter of the book. 

Triumphantly, he read the title, “Sparkling Wings!”

Unfortunately, the rest of the page was riddled with holes, leaving only a handful of words intact. He glared at the bookworms patrolling the shelves before turning back to the book, scrutinizing what he could see.

“When a… most incredible… that the sparkle… there were two— Two what? Two wings? Two… feet? Ugh—”

Wei Wuxian pushed himself to his feet, and approached the librarian’s desk, book in hand. He pushed aside the large stack of open books blocking the librarian from view. 

The dust keeper fairy sitting there wore dark robes, his hair messily piled atop his head, with several pieces already in the process of falling into his face. He was frantically taking notes on the journal in front of him, which Wei Wuxian actually recognized as one of his own works.

“Hello?”

The fairy jolted, blinking owlishly up at him. His face was covered in makeup, rouge painted heavily around his brown eyes almost like a mask. He brought a hand up to cover his mouth.

“Oh my gosh! You’re Wei Wuxian!”

“...Yes?”

“I’m such a huge fan! I was just reading your book on how you designed the pulley system for the pixie dust distribution offices— Ingenious!”

“It was no big deal,” Wei Wuxian laughed.

“And what you did with the moonstone when you were assigned to design the autumn scepter? I’ve never seen so much blue dust in my life!”

“Oh, that was—”

“And you were the first non-elemental talent fairy to be given permission to go to the mainland! It is such an honor to meet you. Could you sign my book?”

“My name is Mo Xuanyu,” he provided as Wei Wuxian picked up a brush.

Wei Wuxian huffed out a breath of amusement as the fairy hugged the book to his chest after it was signed.

“Sorry, did you need help with something? It would be my honor.”

“Yes. Do you know anything about sparkling wings?” He held open the damaged page for him to see.

The librarian deflated. “No. That book was damaged by the bookworms soon after its arrival. I never got to read it… The Keeper would know, though.”

“Who’s the Keeper?” Wei Wuxian asked. 

He had never heard of such a person.

“He’s the keeper of all fairy knowledge; he wrote most of the books you see here.” Mo Xuanyu’s eyes took on an awestruck look once again.

“Where could I find him?”

“Oh, you can’t go see him, I’m afraid. He’s a winter fairy, and you can’t go to the winter woods— your wings would freeze and shatter! I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“That’s okay. I’m sure I’ll be able to figure it out,” Wei Wuxian drifted off, already beginning to think.

“You always do!” Mo Xuanyu returned to his book.

The memory of Jiang Cheng’s words earlier that day replayed in his mind. “They get their winter coats to protect them from the cold.” 

Wei Wuxian smiled.

—.—..—.—

Laid out on the table in front of him was a completed set of winter weather gear. His black coat was trimmed with a warm wool lining, and he had worked through the night to finish a new pair of pants and boots. 

He was ready.

Mianmian had given him the day off to recover from his “ordeal” yesterday, so no one was expecting to see him in the yard. It was simply too easy to scamper into one of the waiting baskets on the conveyor and then fasten his coat in place. 

Right on cue, the conveyor began moving. As it made its way up the ramp, Nie Huaisang’s face came into view over the top edge of the basket. 

Wei Wuxian cursed under his breath as Nie Huaisang fluttered back for a second. He had forgotten about final inspections.

“Everything alright up there?” Mianmian asked. 

Wei Wuxian sent him a pleading look. 

“I have to,” he mouthed.

“Everything’s just fine, Luo Qinyang,” Nie Huaisang said, winking at Wei Wuxian before he disappeared once more.

The pickup was rockier than expected. He guessed he had had the luck of getting the new recruit. The flight quickly smoothed out once they got back into the sky, though, and Wei Wuxian pushed himself up to peer over the lip of the basket. The border was fast approaching, and the temperature dropped immediately once they had crossed it. Wei Wuxian coughed as he took the first breath of icy air into his lungs. They soared above the peaks of frosted pines still covered in needles alongside the skeletons of oaks and maples. The landscape whipped by in a blur of whites and blues and grays. 

Then they were passing through a narrow gap between the mountains, so thin that his owl’s wings were just shy of brushing the rock on either side. Wei Wuxian’s eyes were just beginning to get used to the dimness when the passage opened up in a burst of light revealing a large valley dotted with frozen lakes and forests and ringed by mountains.

“Wow,” he breathed, before ducking down as he noticed a fairy approaching.

Said fairy was cloaked in white, flying in perfect posture even as he kept pace with the flock of owls. His dark hair was pulled back properly with a white ribbon drawn across his forehead, and he smiled warmly at the owl carrying his basket. 

“Welcome back. Are you ready for the dropoff?”

The owl chirped nervously.

“You did it yesterday. You’ll be fine.”

Wei Wuxian scrambled to a different corner where he would be more hidden, but quickly realized his mistake as his back flipped the lever that opened the basket’s bottom. Wei Wuxian tried to fly for a moment before remembering his wings were trapped in his coat, then frantically grabbed the side of the basket. The shifting weight yanked the owl off course, and he yelped, frantically slamming the lever back in place. It was already too late to correct course, and the owl and basket promptly slammed into a snowdrift before skittering across the ice. 

The assembled cold fairies were chattering among themselves.

“Is everyone alright?” one asked, and others muttered their assent. 

Wei Wuxian frantically began gathering his things so he could escape before someone checked the basket only to realize that the book was missing. He looked around the corner. It lay just a few feet out of his reach.

Quiet gasps came from across the pond as a tall fairy flew down to meet them. His robes were of the lightest blue they could be before they could be called white. He wore his black hair down, where it reached all the way down his back, but wore a ribbon just like the other fairy he had seen.

“What happened here?” He asked.

“Lord Zewu-Jun, it was just a bumpy landing. It’s only his second dropoff,” the fairy he had seen before said.

Zewu-Jun’s dark eyes were warm as he smiled, “As long as the basket made it, I’d say he did just fine.”

That was the Lord of Winter? Wei Wuxian definitely couldn’t let him know he was here if that was the case. 

Zewu-Jun continued to make polite conversation with the fairies, asking about the animal migration and the progress on snowflake production. While they were distracted, Wei Wuxian reached out to snag the edge of the book, but to his utter dismay, this sent the volume sliding across the ice, until it came to a halt right at the Lord of Winter’s feet.

Zewu-Jun raised a brow. “That is odd… It must have been left in the basket by accident. Lan Sizhui, return this to the Keeper. He can send this back to the warm side with his next delivery.”

The young master who had been checking on the owls in the air took the book and flew off in the direction of a nearby mountain.

Wei Wuxian followed.

By the time Wei Wuxian reached the doors of the Keeper’s library, Lan Sizhui was just leaving.

“I’ll see you again soon!” he called before departing.

Before the door could close, Wei Wuxian slipped inside.

It was dead silent in the library, the floors piled high with stacks of books carved from ice. He tiptoed around them, feet sliding slightly on the slick floor. He wondered where the keeper might be.

A minute later, he spotted a desk with the wing book laying on it, but no one was there. He saw a reflection of iridescent light on the ice in front of him. His wings were beginning to sparkle again. He took another step forward, and between the stacks, he caught sight of the most beautiful fairy he had ever seen.

The fairy was tall, wearing robes of the brightest snowy white. At first glance, he looked similar to Zewu-Jun, but his hair was a darker shade of ebony, half pulled into a bun and half cascading over his shoulders. He stood perfectly still, as if carved from jade, a stern expression on his face as he examined his wings, which were sparkling with a luminous glow just like Wei Wuxian’s own.

He gasped, and at the sound, bright golden eyes met his own.

Chapter Text

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Wei Wuxian was drowning in liquid gold, and, for once, he didn’t know what to say. The man took a step towards him, long robes dragging against the ice with an elegance Wei Wuxian hadn’t thought possible. He was still staring at him intently.

“You are not from the Winter Woods. Your presence here is against the rules; You will have to leave.”

Wei Wuxian finally broke through whatever spell he had been under. He hopped over the stack of books separating them.

“Wait! My name is Wei Ying, courtesy Wuxian. Are you the Keeper?”

“Mn.”

“I came here looking for you.” Wei Wuxian slid slightly, taking hold of the Keeper’s wrist for balance. 

Something in Keeper’s expression hardened as he stared at their joined hands. Wei Wuxian immediately let go. 

Great, five seconds and I’ve already made him angry with me.

“I came here to ask you about this.”

Wei Wuxian removed his coat.

As the Keeper caught sight of Wei Wuxian’s wings, his eyes widened minutely.

“Do you know what this means?” He asked. 

The Keeper blinked at him, eyes darting back to his own wings for a moment, the tips of his ears turning a bright scarlet as he opened his mouth to speak. 

The massive doors of the library opened once more, the sound echoing against the high ceilings. 

“Wangji?” Zewu-Jun’s voice rang out. 

Without hesitation, Lan Wangji grabbed Wei Wuxian by the arm and dragged him through a doorway at the back wall of the building. 

“Stay here,” the Keeper ordered before slipping out and closing the door behind him. 

As his footsteps retreated, the glow in his wings subsided until they returned to normal. 

Lan Wangji was back at his desk before his brother arrived, making himself look busy by repairing the missing page in the book Wei Wuxian had brought. 

He rose when he sensed his brother’s presence. 

“Xiansheng,” he greeted. 

“I need to speak with you. It’s important,” Lan Xichen landed and began to pace. “Did you receive that wing book?”

Lan Wangji nodded once. “I just finished repairing it.”

Lan Xichen sighed, a frown coming over his usually peaceful face. “It has me worried. What if a warm fairy brought it here?”

“That would be—“

Silver eyes and a quick smile flitted across his mind for a single moment. 

“—Unexpected, but not necessarily bad.”

Lan Xichen paused, eyes widening slightly in shock. He looked away. “It’s… too cold. Besides, crossing the border is forbidden.”

“It was not always so.” Lan Wangji gestured to the wall of historical tomes behind him. 

“The rule is in place to keep the fairies safe, and that will never change.” Lan Xichen took a breath. “If a warm fairy ever comes here, you will send them back.”

“Of course, Xiansheng.”

And with that confirmation, Lan Xichen flew away in the direction of the Hanshi. 

—.—..—.—

Wei Wuxian looked around the room he had been escorted to. It was simple, with a tea set on a low table to his right, and a round window cut into the cliff face that overlooked the rest of the Winter Wood. At the opposite end, there was a screen obscuring a bed from view. Was this the Keeper’s home? He guessed if there was a place that the Lord of Winter wouldn’t be likely to go it would be the Keeper’s own bedroom after all. He wandered back to the door, pressing his ear against it to listen. 

The Keeper is Zewu-Jun’s brother??? 

Oh this was bad, he would surely get turned in and punished now. 

Well, at least the book page was repaired. Maybe he could escape with the book before he was captured and just read it himself later. He tried the handle. 

It was locked— he already was captured, wasn’t he? 

Wei Wuxian slumped down with his back against the door to wait for the Keeper to come back. 

To his surprise, that happened just a few seconds later, and when the door opened, Wei Wuxian found himself sprawled on his back across the ice. He quickly hopped to his feet under the heavy weight of the Keeper’s gaze. 

“You aren’t going to send me back, are you?”

Without thinking, he once again grasped the Keeper’s hand. The Keeper’s ears once again flushed red, and after a pause, he said, “Brother did not say when.”

Wei Wuxian rose on his wings to make a twirl in the air. 

“Ah! Thank you, Keeper! There’s so much I want to know about Winter.”

“Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian returned to the ground. “Yeah?”

“You may call me Lan Zhan.”

“Well, Lan Zhan, can you show me around?”

Lan Wangji glanced at the desk piled high with papers for only a moment before he nodded. 

“Mn.”

Wei Wuxian swiped the wingology book off the desk and tucked it in his bag before pulling his coat back on and following Lan Wangji out the door of the library. 

Wei Wuxian noticed that after being together for a few minutes, the shimmer of their wings started to fade. For some reason, this made Wei Wuxian’s heart sink, but at least they would be less conspicuous like this. Lan Wangji flew at a steady pace, slow enough that Wei Wuxian had no issues keeping up on foot. 

“Lan Zhan!” 

Lan Wangji tilted his head. 

“Where are we going?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“Where would you like to go?”

“Whatever place is your favorite.”

“It will take a long while to reach that place on foot.”

“Then you can show me everything else on the way there!”

They arrived first at a forest where everything was covered in a layer of sparkling frost, from ferns curled up on the ground to the branches high above. Lan Wangji explained to him that frost magic was a common talent that most ice fairies could perform in order to keep certain plants and trees from dying in sudden, harsh freezes. A few trails of pixie dust fluttered to the ground in front of them where fairies flew up above continuing their work. 

“Lan Zhan, this is beautiful!” Wei Wuxian shouted as they entered a cave. 

Icy crystals hung down, shining enticingly from the ceiling and casting colorful shafts of light across the cave floor, which sloped steadily downward. The two fairies’ footsteps echoed in the large space as they walked. Wei Wuxian continued to spout question after question about how the cave had been formed, and Lan Wangji always had an explanation ready for him. The At the midpoint of the cavern, where the basin was lowest, there was a clear lake that reflected the crystals above which were carved with runes that made the surrounding air even colder than it would have been naturally. Wei Wuxian peered up at the designs intently. 

“What is that?”

“The Cold Springs.”

Wei Wuxian inched closer. He had been to hot springs before when visiting Jiang Cheng in Summer, but he had never heard of a cold spring. He dropped to a crouch and dipped one finger into the water. He immediately sprung back with a yelp. 

“Lan Zhan! Don’t tell me you actually go in these!”

Lan Wangji nodded stoically, but if you looked closely there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. 

“They are cleansing for the spirit and body, and aid in healing.”

Wei Wuxian tried to touch the water once more at that, but with the same results. 

“No, no, no way! Not doing that one; Lan Zhan, please tell me this isn’t your favorite place, because I may have to pass on this experience.”

Lan Wangji shook his head. 

“Then where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see.”

Once they exited the other end of the Cold Spring Cavern, they reached the edge of the Frosted Forest. As they crested a hill, a picturesque community came into view. Every building was constructed in the same style, made of ice and compacted snow, nearly blending into the landscape beyond. Fairies all in white and blue with matching forehead ribbons flitted from house to house. 

Wei Wuxian stole a glance at the man beside him. Lan Wangji stared intently at the village ahead. Wei Wuxian’s eyes traced his straight nose, his high cheekbones, the ribbon bound across his forehead, its tails trailing down to mingle with ink black hair. It caught in the breeze for a moment, its end just shy of brushing Wei Wuxian’s arm.

“Follow me. Stay out of sight,” Lan Wangji instructed.

Wei Wuxian grinned. 

He was not grinning for long. Sticking to the shadows was not working in a place where there were basically none, black robes making him stand out like a sore thumb against the snow. Thankfully, everyone seemed so preoccupied by Lan Zhan’s presence that no one thought to look at the little figure skirting the edges of buildings twenty steps behind. He was very nearly distracted to the point of tripping when he spotted the waterfall of pixie dust that collected at the center of the Cloud Recesses. Several fairies seemed to be meditating nearby it. A couple others were doing… handstands? Wei Wuxian thought that odd, as he had assumed the Winter fairies did not play around like that. Wei Wuxian was so curious about what it all meant. He longed to explore the town, but it seemed it was not meant to be, at least not today that is. Maybe Lan Zhan could lend him some robes…

Just a minute more, and they would be in the clear.

“Wangji.” A sour-looking fairy with a goatee approached with measured steps. 

The man was looking in Wei Wuxian’s direction. He froze. Lan Wangji took a single step forward, blocking him from view.

“Shufu,” he greeted.

“You are out of the library sooner than usual. Where have you been? Are you here to aid in the disciples’ lessons?”

Lan Wangji paused. “I have been at the Cold Springs. I will aid the disciples in the morning.”

Lan Qiren replied. “It is good to hear you are putting your health first, but make sure you do not neglect your duties.”

“Mn.”

Satisfied with the confirmation of Lan Wangji’s assistance in the morning, Lan Qiren flew away. Wei Wuxian nearly fell to the ground in relief, but forced himself to stay upright until the last house was out of sight.

“Lan Zhan, why didn’t you tell me how hard it would be to sneak through the Cloud Recesses?”

Lan Wangji’s eyebrows raised marginally.

“Okay, fine. I know it’s my fault for wearing a color that clashes so horribly with… well, all of Winter. But, I’ll have you know it took me nearly a year to perfect a permanent leaf dye that doesn’t rub off and turn your skin green, and I’m very proud of it.”

Lan Wangji led him to a barrier of tall shrubbery, juniper leaves scratching at his face as he pushed his way through. 

“Just across the pond,” Lan Wangji said.

How was he supposed to get across, though, when after one step he had already slipped and fallen on his butt? Lan Wangji had no problems, gliding on the ice with an unearthly grace. He couldn’t stop now; he and Lan Wangji had already walked so far to get here.

He reached into his bag to grab some of the lost things he had packed for the trip. Tying two paper clips to his boots, he fashioned himself a pair of makeshift ice skates and shakily made his way onto the ice to grab Lan Wangji’s arm. He was gently tugged along by strong hands with calloused fingertips across the surface of the lake. He finally began to get the hang of balancing on the thin blades just in time for them to reach the opposite bank.

“Wait, Lan Zhan! I don’t know how to brake!” 

A second later, he was half buried in a snow drift, howling with laughter, and Lan Wangji was already there, holding out a hand to pull him up. Then there was soft fur nudging at his arm. He turned to see a familiar face. 

“Little Apple! How have you been enjoying Winter, buddy?”

Lan Wangji’s nose scrunched at the name.

“I helped this little guy over the border yesterday! Oh, isn’t that just the greatest coincidence that we ran into each other, little guy?”

The bunny blinked at him, unimpressed.

“Not a coincidence,” Lan Wangji said.

“Huh?” Wei Wuxian paused in his petting, resulting in a displeased noise from Little Apple.

“I was also at the border for the crossing yesterday.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because this is my favorite place.”

Wei Wuxian looked up to see dozens of rabbits, each with nearly identical snowy white winter coats, blinking at him with big eyes. Within seconds, Wei Wuxian was buried in a mound of squirming fur as all of the rabbits competed for affection, laughing so hard that tears sprang from his eyes. He looked over to Lan Wangji.

“I think this one might be my favorite, too.”

At that, the corners of Lan Wangji’s mouth twitched ever so slightly as a soft smile finally graced Lan Wangji’s face, melting the frost from his expression like rays of golden sunlight breaking through clouds. In that moment, something Wei Wuxian’s heart hadn’t even known he’d lost, was found.

—.—..—.—

They remained in the pile of rabbits for a long, long time, until the sun was just beginning to set in the sky. 

“Wei Ying?”

“Lan Zhan?”

“It is time to go.”

“Oh, come on. I could stay here forever!”

“Wei Ying, we need to get you back to the warm side before sundown. The temperature drops rapidly after nightfall; I don’t know if your coat will be warm enough.”

Wei Wuxian pursed his lips. “Fine.”

They traveled back the way they came, this time skirting the Cloud Recesses to avoid any more unwelcome encounters. Wei Wuxian’s breath was now visible in the evening air as they hurried along. All too soon, the bridge came back into view. Between one step and the next, the cold was replaced by the humid night air of early autumn. Lan Wangji stopped a step short of where Wei Wuxian stood. He nodded and made to turn back into the snowy night. 

Wei Wuxian felt something desperate in his chest as he jolted forward to grab Lan Wangji’s hand before he was out of reach.

“Wait! Wanna meet at the spring border, tomorrow at sunset?”

Lan Wangji blinked, his ears going that pinkish color again, clearly highlighted against the white ribbon.

“Okay,” he replied, before disappearing into the Wood once more.

Wei Wuxian returned home in a daze, too in awe of his experience to even think of sleeping anytime soon. He dropped his bag by the door, and the clasp fell open, spilling its contents across the floor. The bright blue cover of the book he had taken caught his eye.

Lan Wangji had never answered his question, and Wei Wuxian had been too distracted by adorable rabbits to reiterate it.

He snatched up the volume, immediately flipping to the final page, which had been repaired to its original state.

“Sparkling Wings,” he read. He would finally know what it meant.

“When a baby breathes its first laugh, a fairy will come into being, it is true.

However, in a certain circumstance, a most incredible phenomenon may occur— two fairies’ souls, inextricably intertwined, born of the same laugh. Whenever the two may meet, their wings will shine. It may be said that the sparkle showcases the identical nature of both their wings and their souls.

For, from a single laugh, there were two soulmates born, and no fate could hope to separate them.”

Chapter Text

The book clattered to the floor before fluttering away once more. Wei Wuxian let it circle his room, unable to care enough to chase it at the moment.

Soulmates.

Lan Zhan was his… no, there was no way, was there?

A face of cold jade, precision and grace laced in every movement. A brilliant mind and even more brilliant smile. He would make a fool of himself to make him smile like that again. 

His heart soared. His soulmate.

But Lan Wangji hadn’t told him. He clearly knew; he had written the book, after all. So, why hadn’t he told Wei Wuxian when he asked what the sparkling meant?

Wei Wuxian felt his heart sink, falling until it burrowed deep in the earth below his feet, as he realized that maybe Lan Wangji hadn’t told him because he didn’t want to be soulmates. 

Wei Wuxian was loud, and clingy, and messy, and rambled on and on despite the fact that Lan Zhan clearly enjoyed the silence of his library. He probably didn’t like him in that way, because why would he, and so had avoided answering his question.

Lan Wangji had agreed to meet tomorrow, though. Maybe that was a good sign… unless Wei Wuxian had forced him into it with his offer and he hadn’t known how to refuse! Wei Wuxian buried his face in his hands in a silent scream.

He had to distract himself with something.

Wei Wuxian pulled out his paper and began to idly sketch out a new idea that the Cold Springs had given him. The Wingology book that had been so evasive before now perched on the corner of his desk. Every couple of minutes, its wings slowly opened and closed, the movement bringing Wei Wuxian’s attention to the page once more before he resolutely looked away.

—.—..—.—

“Wanna go out to the lotus fields once we finish our shift?” Nie Huaisang asked.

“Um, not tonight.”

“What? Don’t you want to steal some loquats? Or a few seeds at least?”

“I’m working on some research about a new topic right now; next time for sure.” 

Nie Huaisang shrugged, long used to how Wei Wuxian got when he was working on a project. What he didn’t know was that by “new topic” Wei Wuxian meant Lan Wangji and by “research” he meant having a nice conversation with the man. 

Wei Wuxian finished his work as quickly as possible and shot off like a comet towards the Spring border. When he arrived, Lan Wangji was already there, sitting cross legged in the snow with his eyes closed as if in deep meditation. There were snowflakes caught in his eyelashes. It looked as if no mountain could move him.  

Wei Wuxian studied the set of his shoulders, the way he sat in perfect posture as if he had been sculpted there. His wings hung in the air, a mirror image of Wei Wuxian’s own. His eyes traced the swirling pattern.

The second Wei Wuxian set foot in the grass with a gentle crunch, Lan Wangji looked up. 

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian said. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come!”

Lan Wangji looked at him like that was the most preposterous thing he’d ever heard. 

“I told you I would.”

“Well, you never know,” Wei Wuxian trailed off, bringing a hand up to his neck. He shook the thoughts from his head. He came here to have a nice time with Lan Zhan, and even if he feared it would be the last time, he wouldn’t let that ruin it.

Unlike the Fall border, the Winter melted into Spring in the middle of a glade, the grass dying away to be replaced by untouched snow, surrounded by trees on every side. Dormant trees gradually budded as they gained distance from the bitter cold. 

“Today was so boring, Lan Zhan. All of the winter shipments are finished now, so there’s a bit of a lull until spring preparations begin. Besides, I couldn’t wait to come see you.”

“I could not wait to see Wei Ying either.”

Wei Wuxian blinked, caught off guard. He couldn’t possibly mean that.

“What did you do today?”

“Recorded the crossing, and how the animals have been adjusting to the Wood.”

“Oh, how is Little Apple doing?”

“He is fine.”

“Jiang Cheng would be relieved to hear about that; he had such a hard time getting him across the border. No matter how much he pretends, I know how much he cares about the little guys.”

Lan Wangji’s eyes hardened. “Jiang Cheng?”

“My brother. He acts so grumpy when the animals misbehave, but I know how much he cares about them.”

Lan Wangji’s shoulders lost their tension but remained impossibly straight.

“I’ll have to come back and visit them again soon. Not too soon, of course. Too risky. We almost got caught last time; we need to wait to avoid suspicion.”

“Mn.”

Wei Wuxian grabbed a bottle from his knapsack. 

“Dandelion Wine?” he offered.

Lan Zhan shook his head sharply. 

“Alcohol is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses.”

“But you’re not in the Cloud Recesses,” Wei Wuxian argued.

“Even so,” Lan Wangji began. Then, noticing Wei Wuxian hesitating, he continued, “You may drink, though.”

Wei Wuxian wiped imaginary sweat from his brow. “Phew! I really needed it after today.”

He held the bottle to his lips, taking several deep gulps. Warmth flooded his veins, dampening the uncertainty he had felt since he read the book the night before. Wei Wuxian set down the bottle. 

Lan Wangji was looking at him with an intense expression.

“What? Upset I broke your winter-y rule book?” He asked, despite the fact Lan Wangji had said it was okay.

“Not a book,” Lan Wangji replied haltingly. “A wall.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “A wall? A whole wall of rules?”

Lan Wangji’s right eyebrow twitched upward.

“We don’t have anything like that in the warmer months. I can’t even imagine enough rules to fill a whole wall!”

The conversation slowly petered out as Wei Wuxian considered what he was about to do.

He reached into his bag again, taking a breath before pulling out the Wingology book and sliding it across the border. It stopped at Lan Wangji’s feet.

See, it’s okay, Lan Zhan, he thought. I know what the book says, and you don’t feel the same, but we can still be friends, right?

“Here’s your book back. I might have stolen it off your desk.”

Wei Wuxian stared at Lan Wangji, willing him to say anything, make any reaction that might tell him how he felt. His face gave nothing away as he took the book, ears burning that strange red once again. Lan Wangji only stared back. For several minutes, they remained there in silence, each daring the other to make the next move to no avail. The sound of an owl’s call echoed through the forest. Lan Wangji finally nodded and stood.

“It is almost curfew. I must return to the library.”

“Oh,” Wei Wuxian trailed off. Was this all it would ever be? Why hadn’t he said anything? He studied the Keeper’s face in the moonlight, soaking up every detail, before turning away himself. 

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said.

Wei Wuxian glanced back over his shoulder.

Lan Wangji stood, clutching the book to his chest, white robes glowing in the moonlight. “Meet here again tomorrow?”

“Yes!” Wei Wuxian replied, too quickly and a bit loud, but he couldn’t bother being embarrassed at the moment. 

Wei Wuxian couldn’t help it; he was already hopelessly attached.

—.—..—.—

They met every night that week. 

Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure he had ever enjoyed himself as much in his life.

At their third meeting, Wei Wuxian pulled out his dizi, playing a merry little tune as they sat side by side, only separated by a handbreadth on either side of the border. 

“I did not know you also played,” Lan Wangji remarked. 

“Oh! What do you play?” Wei Wuxian asked. 

In response, Lan Wangji reached into his own bag and an entire guqin sprang into existence at his touch. 

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened at the improbably sized objects the bag could presumably hold. “Oh my, how in the world did you do that? Can I study the spell work?”

“Mn.” Lan Wangji handed over the bag. “You may borrow it if you wish. I can carry Wangji back with me.”

Wei Wuxian paused in his examination of the talismans stitched into the bag’s lining. 

“Wangji? Isn’t that your name.”

“It is also the guqin’s name.”

Well, that was adorable, and also hilarious. Wei Wuxian held back laughter as he asked, “In that case, would you and Wangji treat this Wei and Chengqing to a duet?”

Lan Wangji nodded. 

—.—..—.—

Wei Wuxian presented Lan Wangji with a cherry blossom a week later. The corners of Lan Wangji’s mouth twitched ever so slightly as he accepted the gift, carefully preserving it in a layer of frost before placing it in his bag to take home with him. 

“What’s your favorite flower, Lan Zhan?”

“Don’t know.”

“What?” Wei Wuxian cried, horrified. 

“There are few flowers in the winter wood. I have only seen illustrations of most species.”

“Well, that just won’t do! I guess I’ll just have to bring you a different flower every time we meet until you know which one you like the best!”

Lan Wangji opened his mouth to say that it wasn’t necessary, then closed it. It would be rude to refuse a gift. 

—.—..—.—

It was only a matter of time before something went wrong, of course. Lan Wangji had left to return home just before curfew. When he arrived back at his library, he found Lan Xichen moments away from opening the door to the Jingshi. 

“Brother, what brings you to the library so late?”

“Wangji! Where have you been? I came here to ask about preparations for the next trip to the mainland, but you were nowhere to be found.”

“I was on a stroll and became distracted.” By Wei Ying’s beautiful silver eyes. “ I apologize for missing curfew.”

“It was only by one minute, Wangji.”

“Even so. What was it you wanted to ask me about?”

By the time Lan Xichen left, Lan Wangji was ready to collapse from exhaustion. He opened the door to the Jingshi, and thank goodness Xichen had not entered and seen the entire wall full of frosted blooms he had saved from his visits with Wei Ying. 

He really needed to find a better place to hide those. 

Chapter Text

Their visits grew less frequent after the near discovery by Lan Xichen, but still never less than three times a week. Wei Wuxian used the time to catch up with his friends and divert suspicion, and also to pick flowers. He had already given him all the more common ones, but Wei Wuxian was determined to show Lan Wangji every plant that bloomed on Neverland since he had clearly been missing out for his entire life. 

Tonight’s pick was a lotus, which had been put off until now due to its sheer size. They obviously looked better in the water, but it was the best he could do for now. 

“I’d love to take you to the lotus lake sometime, Lan Zhan. It’s my favorite place to play games and watch the fireflies at sunset. Plus, swimming in the water with all the massive flowers around is just magical!”

“Mn.” Lan Wangji ran a fingertip over one of the lotus’ petals, coating it in ice crystals.

“What do you want to show me next time I come over? ...Not that I have to cross again.” Wei Wuxian paused, backtracking. “I’m happy to just meet you at the border like we have been doing, and I know we have to avoid your brother—”

“Zewu-Jun will be accompanying the fairies to the mainland for the winter,” Lan Wangji interrupted. “He will not be an issue after they depart tomorrow night.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes shimmered. “Really? Wow, there’s so much to do. I need to find a plausible excuse not to go to work, one that none of my friends will question or come to check up on me for, and—”

Lan Wangji’s eyes crinkled ever so gently as he watched Wei Wuxian rant, and his heart squeezed in his chest.

“I will show Wei Ying the Northern Lights this time.”

—.—..—.—

Wei Wuxian was so overcome with excitement about his upcoming second visit to the Winter Woods that he didn’t realize that the front door of his house was slightly ajar when he arrived. In fact, he didn’t even notice anything amiss until he threw his bag into the chair in the corner, and it yelped in pain.

“Huh?”

“No one could say you don’t have good aim, Wei-xiong.” Nie Huaisang stood, stepping into the light as he rubbed at his chest. “That’s gonna bruise.”

“Huaisang? What are you doing here?”

Nie Huaisang raised an eyebrow. “I think a better question is what have you been doing out there?” 

“What? I haven’t done anythi—”

Nie Huaisang looked unimpressed as he grabbed an item that had been sitting behind the leg of Wei Wuxian’s desk for the past two months. It was a bag made of snow-white cloth, embroidered with a pattern of delicate snowflakes and sewn together with talismans. It weirdly always carried a hint of a floral scent despite the fact its owner had never seen most flowers. Wei Wuxian had gotten distracted while studying and had never returned it.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened.

“Oh, that’s a new bag I’m working on—”

“Don’t try that with me, Wei-xiong. You’ve never worn white in your life; no one around here does. No one except the fairies in the Winter Wood.” Nie Huaisang looked at him as if he were hurt. “Besides, did you forget I helped you sneak in? Ever since you came back, I’ve been waiting to hear all the juicy gossip about what happened when you went over there. But instead, you’ve been ignoring me every time I ask to hang out!”

To be totally honest, Wei Wuxian had forgotten. His day in the winter woods had been a whirlwind of activity and revelations, and he had been too focused on meeting with Lan Zhan ever since.

Wei Wuxian closed the door.

“Fine, but you can’t tell anyone.”

“Who do you take me for?” Nie Huaisang smiled. “I’ve already kept your secret this long.”

“Fine, you’re right.” Wei Wuxian plopped down on the floor, patting the ground next to him for Nie Huaisang to join. “I… met someone that day… my soulmate.”

He explained to Huaisang what he had read about sparkling wings in the borrowed book, about how they had been meeting at the border. 

“Wow, you’ve got it down bad,” he commented.

Wei Wuxian buried his face in his hands. “Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s not like Lan Zhan likes me back so—”

“Wait… Lan Zhan? Do you mean Lan Wangji?”

Wei Wuxian nodded, a bit bewildered. “Yes? How do you know him?”

Nie Huaisang pinched the bridge of his nose. “How do I know him? He’s literally the Keeper… Hanguang-Jun… the brother of the Lord of Winter! How did you NOT know about him?”

Wei Wuxian shrugged. He had been so caught up in his projects and adventures over the years… he guessed he just hadn’t thought much about the fourth season until recently, especially not enough to remember the names and relations of its ruling family. 

“Wei-xiong, I don’t know how you always… Everyone knows that the Keeper is stricter about the rules than anyone in the Cloud Recesses. How in the world did you manage to convince him not to turn you in?”

Wei Wuxian shrugged again. He really hadn’t done much. 

He thought of Lan Wangji’s expression when he had taken his hand, asking him to let him see Winter before he went. There had been almost no hesitation in his answer. He thought of golden eyes, watching him sneak around the corners of the Cloud Recesses, only barely avoiding notice; strong hands plucking the strings of a guqin alongside a fairy that he, by all accounts, should never have met but continued to anyway.

“Wei Wuxian?”

“Huh?”

“Did you hear me?”

“No,” he admitted.

“I said, do you think you could sneak me in sometime? There’s a few things I’ve always wanted to see in the Winter Wood.”

Wei Wuxian thought of distant peaks and bitingly cold air.

“... Maybe one day.”

—.—..—.—

Lan Wangji couldn’t focus as he flew home. As he had been playing his guqin at the border, a strong breeze was stirring the air. When he looked up from the strings, what else could he have seen but Wei Wuxian— Wei Wuxian playing with a long, white ribbon embroidered with clouds. 

His hand immediately flew to his head, only to find nothing there. 

“Why’d you stop, Lan Zhan? I liked that song.”

Lan Wangji only stared pointedly at the ribbon. He couldn’t seem to string together even the words to ask for it back, seeing as his brain was entirely filled with alarm bells. The only people allowed to touch that ribbon were— did Wei Ying know? He probably didn’t… right?

Wei Wuxian had started laughing after a few seconds. “Oh? You want the ribbon back?” 

He held out his hand. Lan Wangji reached out for it, but Wei Wuxian snatched it back. Lan Wangji’s hand stopped just a few centimeters from the border line. 

He frowned. 

Wei Wuxian laughed even harder, and Lan Wangji couldn’t find it in himself to be upset with him. He only stared again. 

“Okay, okay, sorry. Here you go, for real this time.”

Lan Wangji had tied the ribbon back in its proper place and bid Wei Wuxian goodnight before he could spontaneously combust. The doors of the library clicked shut behind him and he let out a breath. 

“Hanguang-Jun?”

Lan Wangji’s head shot up, and he made eye contact with Lan Sizhui, who gave him a small wave. 

“Where have you been? And where did you get that flower?” he asked innocently.

Lan Wangji fought the urge to hide the offending object behind his back; the lotus flower was much too large for that to be effective. 

“That is not important.”

Lan Sizhui smiled. “It’s from the warm fairy that came here a few months ago, isn’t it?”

“How—”

“It was my day to feed the bunnies. I decided not to interrupt your moment, and you’ve been gone from your office at the same time almost every day since.”

Lan Wangji felt like he was short-circuiting.

Something must’ve shown in his face, because Sizhui continued, “Don’t worry. No one else has noticed.”

“Will you—”

“I won’t tell anyone. You aren’t breaking any rules by going to the border anyways.” 

Lan Wangji scoffed. The visits were only barely legal. By Zewu-Jun’s decree, fairies were only supposed to approach the border when absolutely necessary. Of course, Lan Wangji felt like his heart might burst out of his chest whenever he and Wei Ying were separated, so maybe it could be counted as a necessity to see him.

He changed the subject. “Is everything ready for the fairies’ departure for the mainland tomorrow?”

Lan Sizhui nodded. “Everything is in place… I’ll miss Jingyi and Zizhen while they’re gone.”

“I’m sure you will find ways to keep busy until their return.”

“Of course.” A small smile played on his face as if he were biting back a remark of I’m sure you will as well.

Lan Sizhui picked up the book he had been searching for from the stacks and headed towards the door. He placed a hand on Lan Wangji’s shoulder. 

“I’m glad you met that warm fairy. He—”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji cut in.

“I'm glad you met Wei-gongzi. I’ve never seen you quite so happy before.”

With that, Lan Sizhui flew off into the night, leaving Lan Wangji studying the petals of the lotus flower cradled in his arms.

—.—..—.—

It was a month into winter on the mainland when they met at the border a few minutes after sunset. Wei Wuxian was wearing an even heavier coat than the first time to guard against the nighttime chill, waiting just a footstep away from the snow. His wings glowed with a shimmering light as they always did as Lan Wangji approached, and then for the first time in months, he stepped forward and was enveloped by freezing air like a blanket, feet crunching in the powder. The two fairies traced the narrow path through the mountains on foot since Wei Wuxian’s wings were bound.

“Hey, at least the black is less suspicious at night,” Wei Wuxian commented. 

In retrospect, it had been much easier to figure out how to turn his clothes black than it had been to make them lighter. He should probably ask Lan Zhan how the winter fairies made their clothes.

Wei Wuxian proceeded to become distracted by every new sight they passed and did not get around to asking about the clothes. There was always another day to discuss it, though, so he wasn’t too worried. Lan Wangji gave a succinct explanation of every curious phenomenon of the Winter Woods as they continued along until they reached the summit of the mountain where the Jingshi was located.

“And then I told Jiang Cheng to—”

“Wei Ying.”

“Yeah?” Wei Wuxian looked up as something caught the corner of his vision.

Above them, the sky lit up in a flurry of blues and greens, cutting through the blackness all around them. As he watched they shifted back and forth in ephemeral lines, like celestial snakes winding through the stars. Captivated, Wei Wuxian sat down on the peak to better study them. Something about them just drew him in. 

“The northern lights- Aurora Borealis. This is the only place in Neverland they show themselves.” Lan Wangji whispered. 

“Do you think I’m the first warm fairy to see them?”

“It is quite possible.”

Wei Wuxian turned to glance at Lan Wangji. He was bathed in the blues and greens of the aurora above him, the lights dying his white robes and the lines of his wings in a familiar sheen… and that was it. The sky was just the same as Lan Wangji’s wings whenever they met, like his own personal aurora was on display for the whole world to see. His eyes traced the swirls of Lan Wangji’s wings, just the same as his own, and he had the urge to compare them, to hold their wings next to each other in the light and let them finally be united as a matching pair.

He held himself back and leaned back on his hands with a shiver.

“Is Wei Ying cold?”

“Oh, I’m really okay. I just—”

A weight settled on his shoulders as incredibly soft, enticingly warm, fabric brushed his neck. His fingers wrapped around the edge of Lan Wangji’s cloak to keep it from slipping down his shoulders.

“Lan Zhan, I don’t want you to get cold.”

“I will be fine,” he reassured. 

Wei Wuxian didn’t protest any more, as the cloak really was very comfortable. He glanced over at Lan Wangji and froze. He blinked, swallowing hard. 

Lan Wangji was ripped, arms wrapped in hard muscle. The contours were highlighted in the light of the sky above them. Wei Wuxian didn’t know what he had expected of a librarian, but it certainly wasn’t that. 

He thought of the group of fairies doing handstands in the middle of town. Were all winter fairies like this? Wei Wuxian attempted not to stare at Lan Wangji out of respect, but it wasn’t quite working out for him.

He watched their breaths curl like smoke into the air.

He reached into his bag.

“My sister made this for us— well, for me, because she doesn’t know about you yet. It’s my favorite. Do you want to try it?” Wei Wuxian offered a jar full of lotus root soup, sealed with a talisman to keep it warm.

Lan Wangji took a sip, followed by a low “Mn” of appreciation, before passing it back. Wei Wuxian drank, the warmth melting into his bones like home. It wasn’t quite as spicy as what Yanli-jie usually made for him, but it was still flawless as always. 

The two stayed on the mountaintop long after the soup ran dry.

Chapter Text

“What’s up with you?”

Wei Wuxian jolted, the pebble in his hand falling into the water with a plop.

“What? Nothing. What’s up with you?”

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes but did not abandon the turtle he was helping yet. “I’ve never seen you sit still for this long in your life. And yet here you are, staring into the water with a pocket full of skipping rocks looking like a lost puppy.”

Wei Wuxian’s heart rate picked up for a moment at the mention of puppies, but he took a deep breath and didn’t immediately bolt. It was just a turn of expression… and he didn’t want Jiang Cheng to laugh at him again.

“I’m literally just trying to relax, Jiang Cheng. You’re the one reading into things.”

“You? Relax?” Jiang Cheng mocked.

Suddenly, an otter ran towards the water, peaking its face through the cattails. The turtle spooked, jumping into the stream and soaking Jiang Cheng from head to toe. 

“Fuck! My wings!” Jiang Cheng shouted as the water weighed him down and he immediately fell into the stream with a similar plop to Wei Wuxian’s stone.

A younger fairy in buttercup petal robes flitted into view. 

“Jiu-jiu!”

Jiang Cheng’s face broke the water. He sputtered. “Jin Ling! What did you do?”

“It ran away! How was I supposed to do anything? The otter’s like thirty times my size!”

Jiang Cheng groaned as he pulled himself up onto the bank, a sound which was immediately drowned out when Wei Wuxian jumped into the river after him, soaking him all over again.

He was going to be late to his meeting with Lan Wangji since he couldn’t fly at the moment, but it was worth it for the outrage on Jiang Cheng’s face.

Wei Wuxian made it to the edge of winter with the ends of his hair still dripping. He plopped down in the grass, letting the dying embers of sunlight soak into his wings to finish the drying process.

“Sorry it took me so long,” he commented, retrieving his wine and taking a sip.

“Mn,” Lan Wangji replied, plucking out a melody that was starting to become familiar to him over the course of their visits.

Lan Wangji was staring at him once again. Those luminous eyes made his breath catch.

“Are you sure you don’t want some?” He offered the bottle.

He was about to retract the offer when Lan Wangji nodded and reached for the container. Their fingers brushed as the jar was transferred into the winter fairy’s hand, leaving flaming trails behind on Wei Wuxian’s skin.

The bottle was almost to his lips.

“You know you don’t have to, right? I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”

Lan Wangji didn’t respond, but still took a drink. His lip twitched ever so slightly at the sharp taste of the alcohol, and he handed it back to Wei Wuxian, who drank once more.

He chuckled. “So, Lan Zhan, what did you th—”

There was a soft thud beside him.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened, and he turned to see Lan Wangji lying on his side in the snow. 

“Oh my god. He’s never drank anything before— what if I poisoned him or something? Lan Zhan? Lan Zhan! Are you okay?”

Wei Wuxian waited a few moments for an answer before reaching over the border, air prickling at still damp skin, to grab Lan Wangji’s wrist. 

Before he could make contact, Lan Wangji’s seemingly limp arm suddenly came back to life, grabbing Wei Wuxian by the hand and yanking him forward. Wei Wuxian stopped a hairsbreadth from where the snow began to fall. Using Wei Wuxian for support, Lan Wangji sat up once more. His eyes bore into him with even more intensity than usual, golden and unblinking as if he was trying to take in every detail of Wei Wuxian, like it was his only time to see the sun. 

“Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian asked, bewildered. It did not escape his notice that their hands were still joined. 

He studied Lan Wangji’s posture, still ramrod straight.

“Lan Zhan, are you drunk?”

Lan Wangji blinked, answering a half second slower than usual, “Mn.”

Wei Wuxian tutted. “You weren’t kidding when you said you don’t drink. You’re a total lightweight.”

Lan Wangji said nothing. His grip on Wei Wuxian’s hand tightened. 

“Hey, Lan Zhan. Wanna play twenty questions?”

Lan Wangji nodded slightly. 

“Okay, let’s start with an easy one. What’s your favorite animal?”

“Rabbits,” he answered without hesitation.

“See? I told you that was too easy. Hm, which flower is your favorite?” Wei Wuxian asked. Lan Wangji had refused to answer before.

“Whichever one Wei Ying brings next.”

“Oh, Lan Zhan. You flatter me too much.”

“Not enough.”

Wei Wuxian’s next question was lost as he processed Lan Wangji’s words, his face turning a deep crimson. It was several long minutes until he spoke again. 

“What would you like to see most if you came to the warm side?”

“Wei Ying saw my favorite places. I would like to see his.”

Wei Wuxian contemplated for a moment.

“What do you really think about the wall of rules?”

“The rules are in place to protect.”

“So, why do you come to meet me?”

“Some people are worth it.”

Wei Wuxian’s heart fluttered. “Worth it?”

“Worth breaking them.” 

“Lan Zhan, what do you think of me?”

There was no answer, and Wei Wuxian worried that he may have overstepped, but then a gentle weight leaned against his shoulder. Lan Wangji had fallen asleep again. Wei Wuxian took comfort in the steady rhythm of Lan Wangji’s breathing for a long time, until the stars were bright and the moon hung high in the sky. He tapped Lan Wangji’s shoulder, but he showed no signs of waking.

“You better be grateful I packed my coat today,” Wei Wuxian shook his head fondly.

He tucked Lan Wangji’s guqin back in his bag, and threw Lan Wangji’s arm over his shoulders, beginning the long trek back to the library. Lan Wangji was loath to let go of Wei Wuxian after he had been delivered to his bed, but Wei Wuxian gently peeled his fingers from his wrist before throwing the blanket over him. A chill ran through him; he should really be getting home. 

Emboldened by the fact that he knew Lan Wangji was asleep, he blew a kiss as he shut the door.

—.—..—.—

“Hey, can I have a bit of extra pixie dust?”

The Head Pixie Dust fairy narrowed his eyes at him.

“You should be able to get by on your daily ration, Wei Wuxian.”

“Oh, come on. I’m working on a new invention. Last time I did that, you got a brand-new distribution system, and everyone has been singing your praises for months due to your increased efficiency.”

The Head fairy brought a hand to his forehead near the vermillion mark between his brows before gesturing to the stack of papers before him with a broad smile. 

“You can apply for extra dust with the proper paperwork like everyone else.”

“You know that half the time I end up inventing something different than what my initial idea was! If I put it in writing and then don’t do what I said, I’ll feel just awful. Can’t you make an exception, just for me?”

“I’m sorry, but—”

“San-ge!” Nie Huaisang burst into the office. “San-ge, I dropped my pixie dust pouch and now I have nothing; Da-ge will kill me if I don’t get my work done on time!”

“Oh, Huaisang. Don’t worry.”

“Too late; I’m extremely worried.” Nie Huaisang sobbed, not seeming to notice Wei Wuxian sitting in the chair by Jin Guangyao’s desk. 

“What can I do to help?”

“I really need some pixie dust right now; Brother is coming to visit in a sichen and I need to at least have something done to show him.”

Jin Guangyao plied Nie Huaisang with an extra pouch of pixie dust and shooed him out the door as Nie Huaisang gave him tearful thanks.

“What was that?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“What was what?” Jin Guangyao replied with a smile.

Wei Wuxian caught up with Nie Huaisang at the tinkering yard. 

“How did you do that?”

Nie Huaisang shrugged. “It’s not hard to convince Jin Guangyao to give me whatever I want. He’s always trying to keep on my brother’s good side, you know.”

“Do you think you could get me some extra dust, too?” Wei Wuxian asked.

Nie Huaisang raised an eyebrow, tapping his fan against his lips as if in deep thought. “What are you up to, Wuxian?”

He leaned in to whisper, “Is it about… the cold place that shall not be named?”

Wei Wuxian glanced around. There were quite a few fairies in the yard today. 

“Come over after work and I’ll explain everything, but do you think you could help me out?”

Nie Huaisang said, “You know what, I’m intrigued… but you’re going to owe me for this, and you’re going to start by helping me get this seed sower up and running before my brother gets here.”

With only seconds to spare, Wei Wuxian loaded the basket with seeds for the machine’s trial run and stepped back to admire his handiwork.

A shadow darkened the clearing for a moment before a great horned owl landed with a soft thud at the edge of the tree line. Chifen-zun dismounted with a surety that almost seemed graceful and made his way towards the pair. Fairies scrambled to get out of his way. 

“Da-ge!” Nie Huaisang called. “See, I told you I’d get it done.”

Nie Mingjue’s eyes trailed over the machine with appreciation, but he said, “What are you looking at me like that for? Expecting me to praise you for actually doing your job for once?”

The sounds of the conversation dulled as Wei Wuxian’s mind drifted to the blueprints he had made the night before. He had made a detour after taking Lan Wangji home to examine the Cold Springs. He really hoped this idea would work.

Chifeng-zun smiled and ruffled Nie Huaisang’s hair, much to Huaisang’s dismay. As he turned, the wind stirred at his cloak, revealing the jagged edges of his broken wings for just a moment as he mounted his owl and disappeared once more.  

This incident began the month-long stint of late-night work, sneaking parts from the yard, and a large amount of borrowed pixie dust from Nie Huaisang, whose painting skills proved useful in copying the runes from the Cold Springs.

He was putting the finishing touches on the wheels when Jiang Cheng burst through the door at an hour most people would have been asleep. Jiang Cheng’s eyes darted between Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang (who was reclining on Wei Wuxian’s couch with a bottle of Wei Wuxian’s wine in hand).

“I KNEW you two were up to something!” He shouted. His brow furrowed at the machine. “I’m not sure quite what that is yet… but something nonetheless!”

“Now, Jiang Cheng. I can explain.”

—.—..—.—

By midafternoon the next day, there was a small crowd of Wei Wuxian’s friends crammed into his little house. All of their expressions were some variation of outraged.

“You went back into the Winter Woods, TWICE? After I specifically told you not to?” Wen Qing yelled. 

“You told Nie Huaisang about this, but not the rest of us?” Wen Ning said.

“You didn’t tell me about your soulmate, A-xian?” Jiang Yanli asked, sounding hurt.

“And you’re building a machine to break the law and bring him over here?” Jiang Cheng said.

Wei Wuxian looked to Nie Huaisang for help. 

He shrugged. “This is your drama, not mine.”

“If you had listened to me about the sparkling wings, I wouldn’t have had to cross the border to get the Keeper’s advice.” Wei Wuxian said. “I was trying to keep it a secret, because, as you pointed out, Jiang Cheng, everything about this is totally illegal. And yes, I want him to come over here and see what the other seasons are like, to meet all of you.”

“Did you think we just were not going to question him being a winter fairy when you introduced us?” Wen Qing quipped.

“Well, I was obviously going to tell you before then! Anyway, if he can use my machine to come over to this side, we can tell Chifeng-zun about everything, and he can overturn the Lord of Winter’s rule! And then everything will be fine and not illegal!”

“That… might actually work,” Wen Ning said.

A tense look crossed Nie Huaisang’s face at Wei Wuxian’s explanation, and he opened his fan to flutter it in front of his face.

Jiang Yanli smiled. “I’ll be delighted to meet him, and I’ll definitely make him something delicious to try while he’s here.”

“Amazing! There’s just a few more things I need to do before it’s ready.”

That night, Wei Wuxian told Lan Wangji about his plan, showing him the blueprints he had made. 

“And if you don’t want to, it’s alright. I know it’s against the rules, but I just thought I got to see your world and you might want to see mine. You can see the butterflies, and the lotus lake, and the rabbits! But if you don’t think—”

“I will.”

“...Really?”

“Mn.”

Chapter Text

It didn’t take much to convince Lan Sizhui and his friends to help him in his mission. He had to get a block of ice per Wei Ying’s request in order for his machine to work. Sizhui would help him carry the ice to the border, and Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen had the important task of luring Lan Qiren from the icy lake where he usually went to meditate. 

Lan Wangji thanked them. 

“No problem! I love messing with him!” Lan Jingyi said. 

“Anything for true love!” Ouyang Zizhen said.

Lan Wangji glared at both of them.

“Fine, I won’t mess with him too bad.”

The two flew off, trailing pixie dust behind them.

Soon, they had arrived at the Fall border. Lan Sizhui’s eyes widened as he witnessed the sparkling wings firsthand. Wei Wuxian’s face broke into a wide smile as he waved at them. A couple other fairies stood by him, alongside a large machine that matched the blueprints he had been shown.

“Lan Zhan! You made it!” he cried.

Like he would ever let Wei Ying down.

Lan Sizhui’s brows furrowed as he studied Wei Wuxian’s face, as if he was trying to remember something but couldn’t quite grasp it. They set the ice down on the platform next to a shredder-like object carved with familiar-looking runes. 

“Lan Zhan, this is my brother, Jiang Cheng!” 

Jiang Cheng glowered at him, eyes tracing up and down with disapproval. What an abnormal reaction to seeing the Keeper for the first time. 

“And my sister, Jiang Yanli!”

A woman enrobed in soft lavenders smiled warmly at him. 

“You made the soup.” Lan Wangji recalled. “It was wonderful. Thank you.”

Jiang Yanli blushed, looking away. “It was nothing. Here, for your first visit.”

She handed him a small bag filled with cakes.

He nodded in thanks, tucking them into his sleeve. If they were nearly as good as the soup, they would be an excellent reward for the juniors in exchange for their help today. 

A fairy in green stood a few steps back, eying him with curiosity over the lip of his fan.

“So, Lan Zhan, the machine works like this. You two put the ice on this pedestal, where the talisman will cause this shredder to move back and forth, forcing ice particles into this tube. Inside, the runes from the Cold Springs will supercool the crystals along with the air and force it all out of this horn, basically creating a mini Winter Woods in its direct path. As long as you remain in it, you shouldn’t experience any adverse effects from the heat!”

The reasoning was sound. The spellwork was impeccable. 

Lan Wangji nodded. “I am ready.”

Wei Wuxian flipped a lever, and the machine burst into life. After just a few moments, snow began to fall in a single column on the Autumn side of the border. 

Lan Wangji stared at it in wonder. Was there anything that his Wei Ying could not do? He stepped across… and felt no difference at all.

“Well?” Wei Wuxian asked, worry glinting in his eyes despite the smile.

“It feels perfect.” Lan Wangji said, and Wei Wuxian broke into a full grin.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Wei Wuxian cried, taking him by the hand.

Warmth spread up his arm, and he almost couldn’t resist the urge to smile as well. He followed.

As Wei Wuxian led him towards the tree line, Lan Wangji swore it felt like someone was watching him. He looked, but there was nothing there but the shifting of shadows as leaves quivered in the wind overhead.

—.—..—.—

Wei Wuxian led Lan Wangji through the forest, telling him all about the things they passed. In retrospect, he probably already knew about most of it, given the whole “Keeper of All Fairy Knowledge” thing, but he still watched Wei Wuxian attentively, giving an “Mn” at appropriate intervals.

Lan Wangji’s eyes went wide when they reached the spring meadow. As they walked along the path, flowers opened up all around them. Jiang Yanli quietly thanked Jin Zixuan behind them. He preened, saying it was nothing. As much as Wei Wuxian had hated asking the peacock for help, he had to admit he had done a good job.

Wei Wuxian grinned as he watched Lan Wangji pet the brown baby bunnies in spring. He touched their heads so softly, as if they were made of glass. Even Jiang Cheng was having a hard time not smiling at the sight. 

As the group paraded into Summer, the sky broke into a large rainbow as Wen Ning refracted the light overhead. The rays of color seemed to dye Lan Wangji’s robes iridescent for a moment as he stood, serene, in his band of snow. Wen Qing stood by, examining him for any changes in the warmer season before giving them a curt nod. 

“And here is the Lotus Lake!” Wei Wuxian said. “Told you the flowers were better in the water. Aren’t they, Lan Zhan?”

“Mn.”

Lan Wangji’s gold eyes trailed after him as he flitted back and forth pointing out all the things he had told him about. Seeing Lan Wangji standing there, with all of his family around, made Wei Wuxian’s heart full. It felt complete. He picked a small wildflower from the bank and presented it to him. 

“Thank you, Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji frosted the flower to keep it safe. 

Unconsciously, he brought his hand to his forehead for a moment before tucking the flower gently into his draping sleeve.  A small smile crossed Jiang Yanli’s face as she watched the two.

Wei Wuxian flew up to peek over the trees.

“I was thinking we could go to the tinker yard next.”

There was no answering “Mn” to his statement. 

“Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian looked back. 

Lan Wangji looked dazed for a moment before, to the horror of all present, his wings abruptly stopped beating and he fell to his knees. 

“Are you okay?” Jiang Yanli asked. 

Wei Wuxian rushed to his side. A few beads of sweat rolled down Lan Wangji’s forehead as he struggled to take in a breath. His wings hung limply behind him.

“— Hot,” he rasped, brow furrowed. 

“Isn’t your machine supposed to keep him cold?” Jiang Cheng asked. 

“Wei-Xiong! The ice!” Nie Huaisang pointed to the platform. 

Only a few small pieces of ice remained, rattling weakly against the shredder. Despite the talismen spinning the gears wildly, only a handful of snowflakes continued to fall. 

“We need to get him back to Winter right now.” Wei Wuxian said.

“Wrap his wings!” Wen Qing ordered, ordering her brother to bring some leaves and grabbing a few of the smaller ice pieces to make a compress. 

Wei Wuxian laced his arm under Lan Wangji’s shoulder and gestured for Jiang Cheng to support his other side before making a mad dash towards the closest border. 

Nie Huaisang dropped his fan in his hurry to hold the last remaining piece of ice firmly to the shredder to keep the cold for as long as they could. 

Lan Wangji’s face was flushed, and he said nothing. 

The trees changed from green to orange. Lan Wangji’s eyes tried to flutter closed. 

“Hey, Lan Zhan. Look at me.”

In an instant, eyes were focused on his.

“No falling asleep on me.”

“Wei Ying. I cannot feel my wings.”

Wei Wuxian’s breath caught. 

“Jiang Cheng, hurry.”

Wei Wuxian kept talking as they flew, not really even aware of what he was saying but determined to keep Lan Wangji’s eyes open. His heart thudded in time with his wings as they rounded a familiar corner, and the branch bridge came into view. 

With a final push, they ran over the border, gently setting Lan Wangji down to sit in the snow. 

“I’m so sorry, Lan Zhan.”

Jiang Cheng had to basically rip Wei Wuxian away from Lan Wangji to take him back to the warm side and had to hold him back by the shoulders to keep him from immediately running back to him. Nie Huaisang’s face was frozen in horror at the scene. 

A shadow passed over them as an owl landed just feet from the bridge. Jin Guanyao landed beside and extended a hand to Chifeng-zun, which was promptly ignored as Nie Mingjue dismounted on his own and hurried to the border. 

“What is going on here?”

“It’s just as I warned you about. I saw Wei Wuxian bring a cold fairy across the border this morning despite the law,” Jin Guanyao said.

Nie Mingjue pushed his way forward, stopping in his tracks when he saw the figure kneeling in the snow.

“Hanguang-Jun!” Lan Sizhui ran out from the tree line to Lan Wangji’s side. “Are you okay?”

Lan Wangji was taking deep breaths of the freezing air. He seemed almost ready to respond when another figure ran towards the border. Long, dark hair flew out behind him as he approached. There was a sharp intake of breath from Chifeng-zun’s direction.

“Wangji…” Zewu-Jun breathed, fear knitting his brows. 

Tears bit at the corner of the Lord of Winter’s eyes.

“Can you help him?” Wei Wuxian asked.

Zewu-Jun’s eyes darted up to him, narrowing, then to Chifeng-zun, before he nodded. Removing the wrappings from Lan Wangji’s wings, he took his hands and pulled him to stand. Lan Sizhui held him by the elbow.

“Gently. Extend your wings… Let the cold surround them.”

After several moments that were much too long, Lan Wangji’s shriveled wings began to straighten out— not fully; they would need more time to heal before he could fly again, but Wei Wuxian let out a breath of relief.

“This is why we do not cross the border, Wangji.”

“Xiongshang… Wei Ying’s invention worked; it would have continued to work if we had more ice.”

“And when that was gone? Your wings could have been broken, Wangji.”

“They did not… thanks to them.” He gestured back to the group of warm fairies. 

Xichen stared hard at the ground. “The rule is there to protect you.” Then his gaze bore into Wei Wuxian, who was hovering just a breath away from the border. “I’m sorry. You two may never see each other again.”

It felt like his heart was shattering.

“But— Xiongshang— Wei Ying is the match to my soul. We were born of the same laugh.” Lan Wangji’s voice was gaining strength as he regained his breath.

Wei Wuxian stared at Lan Wangji’s back. The match to his soul… That meant he felt the same? Relief at his recovery and joy at the revelation threatened to bubble up in laughter that would be deeply inappropriate in this situation. He held it back.

Zewu-jun’s eyes darted back to where Chifeng-zun and Jin Guanyao stood. 

“All the more reason you should want to keep each other safe.” Lan Xichen turned away. “Sizhui, help him home. He must get deeper into the cold.”

Lan Wangji looked back over the border, something desperate in his eyes, but in his condition, he was too weak to stand alone. Lan Sizhui held him up as they began to slowly walk further into the Winter Woods.

“No,” Wei Wuxian said. He couldn’t lose him right after he… “Lord Nie, please,” he begged. “Can’t you do something?”

Nie Mingjue just continued to stare across the border, something haunted in his eyes as he tried to catch the Lord of Winter's gaze. “I’m sorry. I cannot.”

Zewu-jun made to follow the pair, but before he got too far, he spun around. He threw his arms to the side, and in his wake, a torrential gust of wind knocked the ice-making machine off the bridge, where it tumbled into the stream below and floated out of sight before the three fairies had even reached the first tree at the edge of the Winter Wood.

Chapter Text

Back at the Pixie Dust Tree, Wei Wuxian was pacing back and forth, trying as hard as he could not to let the tears that pricked at his eyes fall. 

“But, why, Lord Nie?”

Chifeng-zun continued to stare out the window towards the mountains. He gripped the windowsill hard, muscles in his arms flexing as if he were considering ripping it out of the wall. Then he took a deep breath and shook his head, letting his ponytail cascade over his shoulder. 

“A long, long time ago, when Pixie Hollow was very young, two fairies met and fell in love.” Chifeng-zun began. “One was a winter fairy, and the other was from the warm seasons. The two were enchanted with each other, and every sunset, they met at the border where spring touches winter.”

A wistful smile crossed Nie Mingjue’s normally stoic face.

“But, one day, there was an accident. Fearing for their love’s safety, the warm fairy crossed the border despite warnings of the danger… His wings were shattered in the cold, for which there is no cure.”

“You broke your wings crossing the border?! I always thought you fought a hawk or something,” Wei Wuxian blurted. 

Nie Mingjue glared at him before continuing, “From that day on, Lord Xichen declared that fairies must never again cross the border.”

—.—..—.—

One day, many years ago, Nie Mingjue was patrolling the edge of the spring border. In those days, much of his time was spent in solitude as there were only a handful of fairies that had sprung into being at the roots of the Pixie Dust Tree. It was his duty as Lord of the Fairies to protect this land, and he took his job quite seriously. 

That was why, when he saw a flash of ebony in the field of white to his right, his gaze instantly snapped to the spot. 

“Who goes there?”

A willowy figure emerged from behind a tree trunk. 

“It is only me. I didn’t mean to startle you,” a kind voice called out. 

The figure approached. It was a man with long, silken black hair, which was partially pulled back and held with a delicate crown of ice crystals. He wore long robes in the palest of blues that barely brushed the snow when he landed. His dark eyes were as warm as his smile. 

“Who are you?” Nie Mingjue asked. “I didn’t know fairies lived in the Winter Wood.”

“I didn’t know anyone lived outside it! How do you survive the heat?”

“I’m… not sure, actually,” Nie Mingjue stumbled over his words, having not expected the question. 

The winter fairy laughed, a joyous sound, and Nie Mingjue broke into a smile. 

By the end of their conversation, Nie Mingjue had learned that Lan Xichen and his uncle had been the first two fairies to appear in the Winter Woods at the base of a waterfall of pixie dust that seemed to have traveled all the way from the Tree itself, and more fairies had begun to appear in the years since. They built their home with the waterfall as its center, and rarely left the mountains where they resided. Lan Xichen had attempted to cross the border one time but had almost immediately felt like he may pass out from the heat, and so had given up on the endeavor. At this, Nie Mingjue stepped forward, but flew back after just a few seconds in the snow, shivering intensely. 

As they parted ways, Nie Mingjue felt a tugging in his chest, and without thinking, he asked if they could meet again. He berated himself internally at Lan Xichen’s silence, but then the winter fairy was smiling once more and agreeing. 

—.—..—.—

“What do you do for fun in summer?”

Nie Mingjue weaved Lan Xichen a tale of adventures and wonder, telling him of the flowers, and swimming in lakes, and sitting on tree branches in the warm night air counting stars. Though, those things didn’t draw his attention like they used to. Now, his free moments were spent wondering when Xichen would send his next letter inviting him to sit by the border, and the only thing that could really pull him from his work was going to be by his side. 

Lan Xichen smiled, enraptured by the story, and said “We’ve had a lot of new fairies arriving recently. They’ve introduced us to some new activities as well— like snowboarding, ice skating, and snowball fights. Uncle thinks it’s dangerous and that we should just focus on activities essential to bringing winter to the Mainland, but… I don’t know. I think they should be able to have some fun, especially if they’ve finished their duties.”

Nie Mingjue nodded decisively in agreement, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. 

Then, Nie Mingjue asked, “Hey, what’s a ‘snowball fight’ by the way?”

A second later, a ball of snow hit him square in the face with surprising strength. He fell back into the grass, blinking in surprise. 

“I am so sorry; I was aiming for your shoulder and then you moved!” Lan Xichen said, then muttered, “I didn’t think I threw it that hard… guess the handstands have been paying off.”

And as Nie Mingjue lay with the grass tickling at his neck, wiping the melting slush off his face with the back of his hand, he realized he might just be in love. 

—.—..—.—

“Nie Mingjue?”

Nie Mingjue startled, having been deep in thought when Lan Xichen approached. 

Lan Xichen settled into a kneel beside him. 

“What’s wrong? You always notice when I get close.”

Nie Mingjue muttered something under his breath. 

“What was that?”

“I said, I have a brother now,” Nie Mingjue said.

“How does—“

“He appeared last night, and somehow, deep down, both of us just knew.”

“Ah,” Lan Xichen said. “That sounds like my uncle and me. That’s wonderful, Mingjue.”

Nie Mingjue’s brows furrowed. “I don’t know. I just— I don’t want to mess this up.”

“How would you mess it up?” Lan Xichen’s face scrunched up like he couldn’t imagine such a concept. “You’re wonderful.”

Nie Mingjue scoffed, “To you, maybe.”

“To all of us. You are not only my friend, you know. You are the Lord of the Fairies. Everyone looks up to you.”

“Exactly!” Nie Mingjue said, ripping a few chunks of grass from the earth and then scattering them. “I’m good at leading people, at protecting our home. I don’t know if I’ll be a good brother. It’s only been a day, and I can already tell we’re nothing alike. What if he doesn’t even like me?”

Lan Xichen was silent for a few minutes. Nie Mingjue sighed. If even Lan Xichen couldn’t think of a good way to spin this situation, then—

There was a hand on his shoulder, the grip firm.

“You don’t have to be alike to be a good brother to him. Just accept him for the way he is, and he’ll do the same for you. He’ll look up to you— just probably in a different way than you’re used to from the others. For the record, I think you’ll do a great job.”

A few weeks later, when the newest tinker fairy discovered they could decorate the wings of butterflies using brushes and pixie dust-infused paint, Nie Mingjue was there to congratulate him. And when Nie Huaisang hugged him tightly in response, he had to admit that Xichen had been right.

—.—..—.—

“Are all warm fairies’ wings like this?” Lan Xichen asked as his hands trailed through Nie Mingjue’s hair. 

Nie Mingjue had arrived at the border with his hair loose from its normal ponytail, having lost track of time due to an unexpected migration of sprinting thistles and not wanting to keep Xichen waiting. He had intended to leave it down, but with the frustration of the wind whipping it into his face, Lan Xichen had offered to put it in a braid for him. How the wind was not bothering Lan Xichen was a mystery… either there was no wind on the winter side, his forehead ribbon was imbued with some kind of magic, or Xichen was just that perfect. Nie Mingjue was inclined to believe the latter.

He fiddled with something in his hands. “No, all of their wings look like yours. I guess these are my gift for being the first fairy born of the Tree’s magic. It’s like it’s always with me.”

Golden light shimmered across Nie Mingjue’s hair as golden flecks of pixie dust cascaded through his wings. They thrummed with a quiet power that mirrored the Tree. Lan Xichen hummed softly as he worked through the tangles, a tune Nie Mingjue recognized from the many times the winter fairy had brought his xiao to play for him over the years.

“May I?” Lan Xichen’s hand hovered over the surface of his wings as he finished tying off the braid with a spare ribbon from his bag.

“En.”

Nie Mingjue held back a shiver as Xichen ghosted over his wings, tracing the pattern of the pixie-dust’s flow from the outermost edge to the center of his back. 

“Stunning,” Lan Xichen whispered so softly that Nie Mingjue could barely hear it.

He drew back a second later as if realizing what he said. Nie Mingjue tried to force away the blush he could feel creeping up his cheeks before he turned around.

“Thanks.”

“—No problem,” Lan Xichen replied, strained.

Nie Mingjue handed him the crown of small daisies he had made. “For you… maybe they’ll stay alive long enough for you to wear it.”

Lan Xichen immediately placed the crown on his head like a second forehead ribbon. He looked beautiful.

“Thank you, they’re perfect… I should probably be heading back. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Nie Mingjue looked over his shoulder the second Lan Xichen disappeared, feeling like someone was nearby, but he saw nothing but leaves blowing in the wind.

—.—..—.—

A week later, Nie Mingjue was listening to Lan Xichen playing his xiao when the unthinkable happened.

Someone found them. 

A man in a golden set of dust keeper robes fluttered out from the treeline.

“Chifeng-zun! There you are! I needed to ask you about some urgent business concerning summer preparat— Who are you?” Jin Guanyao asked.

Xichen set down his instrument. “I—”

“This is the Lord of Winter, Zewu-jun. I’ve mentioned him in meetings with the ministers in the past,” Nie Mingjue said.

“You can call me Lan Xichen if you wish.”

Jin Guanyao smiled. “Of course. This one is Jin Guanyao, head dust keeper of Pixie Hollow. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“I’m sure whatever you have to tell me can wait. I will come find you when I’m done here.” Nie Mingjue informed him.

“Oh, it’s no trouble. He can sit here with us and tell you about whatever needs to be done, and then we can continue with the music afterwards,” Xichen said.

“Well, if it’s not a bother, this really cannot wait.”

Jin Guanyao stayed long after he finished discussing the matter with Nie Mingjue to listen to Lan Xichen’s playing. The three made pleasant conversation, and honestly, though the dynamic was somewhat different than when it was just the two of them, something just felt right. Nie Mingjue had always respected Jin Guanyao’s work, and it seemed like the man was also sharp and cunning. He might actually enjoy getting to know him better, and it seemed he had also made a good impression on Lan Xichen, who had even invited him to join in on their next meeting.

Maybe things would be alright after all.

Chapter Text

The seasons continued to change, from spring and summer into fall. Jin Guangyao had climbed the ranks while in Nie Mingjue’s esteem, joining the likes of the seasonal ministers in official meetings. Nie Mingjue had even enjoyed his company while Lan Xichen was gone to the Mainland for winter, his clerical skills indispensable for spring preparations.

Nothing could compare to when Lan Xichen returned, though. It was like a breath of fresh air in his lungs.

“What’s up with you?” Nie Huaisang asked, suspicious. “I haven’t seen you smile like that in months!”

His brother leaned in to peer over his shoulder at the snowflake note in his hand, but the ice had melted before he could get a good look at the invitation.

“Nothing.”

“Da-ge! Don’t lie to me. It’s definitely not nothing!”

He really shouldn’t have been surprised when Nie Huaisang secretly followed him to the border the next day.

Fingers that had been intertwined with his own jerked away when the sound of a twig snapping at the tree line broke their comfortable silence. Nie Mingjue narrowed his eyes at the sliver of green he could see peeking out ever so slightly from behind a tree trunk.

That’s what he gets for wearing robes with such large, draping sleeves.

Under the weight of the stare, Nie Huaisang emerged.

“What are you doing here, Huaisang?” he sighed.

Lan Xichen perked up at the name.

“Da-ge, I had to know what you were being so sneaky about.” Nie Huaisang grinned. “Or should I say, who?”

Nie Mingjue groaned.

“Is this your brother?” Lan Xichen asked.

Reluctantly, he nodded. 

“Come over here,” Lan Xichen called. “I need to see this wonderful brother Chifeng-zun is always telling me about.”

Nie Huaisang shot over like a flash, invading their picnic and taking all of Lan Xichen’s attention as the winter fairy tried to be courteous to their guest. Nie Mingjue shook his head as his brother preened under the praise.

“Okay, okay. I’ll leave you two to it,” Nie Huaisang said as he stood.

He leaned in for a hug, then whispered, “He passed.”

“What?”

“The test to see if he’s good enough for you, of course.”

Nie Mingjue felt like his face was on fire. “Huaisang!”

His brother simply fluttered his fan and laughed as he flew away. “Bye, Da-ge!”

—.—..—.—

“Chifeng-zun, there has recently been a group of dissenters who are protesting the daily pixie dust rations. They say everyone should be able to use whatever they want,” Jin Guanyao said.

“Who is it? I will just have to explain to them that with the recent influx of fairies in Pixie Hollow that that isn’t possible.” 

Jin Guangyao had a certain look on his face he wasn’t able to read.

“Well, what do you suppose we should do about it?”

“We could, possibly, grant them an extra percentage, and pacify them that way.”

“You want to bribe them.”

“I wouldn’t say that. It’s just taking care of the matter quietly so that they don’t spread their displeasure to others.”

Nie Mingjue thought about it for a moment, but there was a bad feeling in his gut at the sentiment. He shook his head and turned away. “I will talk to them.”

“And that is why you didn’t want A-Yao to come today?” Lan Xichen asked. 

“Well, it was mostly because I just wanted to meet with you alone,” Nie Mingjue admitted. “But yes, he has said a few things like that lately, and I do not condone his underhanded means.”

“I have missed our private meetings as well.” There was a slight tinge to his cheeks. “I think we should make plans like this more often; however, we cannot blame A-Yao for ideas—things he hasn’t actually done. Just try to talk to him, explain your position. I’m sure he will understand. You may even change his mind.”

“I don’t—“ 

Lan Xichen looked at him with pleading eyes.

“Fine, I’ll try.”

Jin Guangyao seemed to take it well, even if Nie Mingjue didn’t feel like he phrased his thoughts as well as he hoped. 

“Of course. I’m sorry if you felt I was trying to pressure you.”

Jin Guangyao had smiled, but for some reason, Nie Mingjue had felt a chill down his spine as soon as his back was turned. 

—.—..—.—

Nie Mingjue was waiting by the border for Lan Xichen by himself that day. He had not told anyone he was coming because despite the growing distance between himself and Jin Guangyao, if the dust keeper ever heard mention of Lan Xichen, he would stop at nothing to accompany him. 

It was reaching the appointed hour when Nie Mingjue heard a thump coming from the direction of the mountains. His gaze was immediately drawn to the peak, where a large section of the snow started to break away. It fell rapidly, gaining speed and more snow as it tumbled down into the pass between the two mountains. A few seconds later, the dust cleared. Then the sound of a rumbling crash reached his ears. His eyes widened. That was the path that Lan Xichen always took when he was coming to meet him. 

Surely he had not been in the pass when the avalanche hit.

Surely he already passed through by that time. 

Surely, he would be here any second.

A minute passed. 

Another minute passed. Nie Mingjue’s heart was about to beat out of his chest. What if he was in danger? What if he was trapped? What if none of the winter fairies had seen the avalanche, and none of them knew that Zewu-Jun was in danger?

They had agreed long ago that it was a horrible idea to cross the border. 

That didn’t seem to matter anymore as Nie Mingjue steeled himself, and without a second thought, barreled into the Winter Woods. He winced at the sudden sting of the wind on his face, but there was no time to pause as he pushed himself to fly faster than he had reason to in many years. 

The cold air was burning in his lungs by the time he reached the base of the mountain, where snow was piled many times higher than a fairy’s standing height. 

He called out.

“Zewu-Jun?”

It was eerily silent. Nie Mingjue glanced up and saw the distant figure of a man at the peak. He yelled for help, and the figure froze for a moment before flying away in the direction of the border. He cursed the man in his mind, whoever he was, for not immediately going in the direction of the Cloud Recesses for aid. If anything happened to Lan Xichen because of this, he would be finding out who that fairy was. So help him…

He called out again.

“Lan Xichen!”

He strained his ears and heard a muffled cry from the east.

Nie Mingjue immediately ran to the spot and began to dig through the snow. 

“A-Huan! Are you here?”

The snow shifted to his left, a muffled answer. Nie Mingjue changed his position and dug again, fingers burning from the cold as they scrambled against the icy powder. His breath was visible in the air as he worked. 

After what could have been minutes or hours, he finally caught a glimpse of something that wasn’t white. A blue sleeve, followed quickly by a reaching hand. Nie Mingjue felt strength return to him despite the aching stiffness behind his shoulder blades, and redoubled his efforts. 

Once the hand was free in the open air, it formed a seal, and the surrounding snow was forced from around it. Nie Mingjue took him by the arm and helped him up. Lan Xichen stood, wavering as if he may fall again, as he took in the sight around him. Nie Mingjue pulled him into a fierce embrace.   

“I thought you were… A-Huan, I’m so glad you’re safe.”

 Lan Xichen melted into his touch, a slight shake to his limbs from the shock. He could feel his breath, warm against his neck. Then he pulled back. 

“Mingjue? What are you doing here? You aren’t supposed to be here.”

“You were in danger,” Nie Mingjue said simply. 

“I— We need to get you back to the warm side immediately. Your hands are like ice; your lips are turning blue. Come on!”

And so, back they went. 

Nie Mingjue could hardly focus on anything except for Xichen’s determined face as they flew. 

He was safe. 

From the tips of his toes to his neck, his skin stung with pins and needles, entirely numb save the wild pulsing on pixie dust through his wings in time with his heartbeat. He felt so tired, the adrenaline from his fear faded.

“How are you doing?” Lan Xichen asked.

“Fi—”

Pain like daggers shot through his back, and Nie Mingjue fell to the ground, knees sinking into the powder. With every breath, pain was a vice grip around his rib cage and his shoulder blades. A cry was threatening to crawl up his throat, but he forced it back so as to not worry Xichen.

“Mingjue!” Lan Xichen whirled around to face him, and Nie Mingjue’s effort was for naught as a hand went to Lan Xichen’s mouth to cover a gasp. 

His face was deathly pale as he reached out and took Nie Mingjue’s hand again. “Your w— Can you move?”

Nie Mingjue nodded, and with great difficulty, stood. 

The trees were spinning overhead.

He tried to take a glance behind him to see what had happened, but only succeeded in worsening his dizziness and glimpsing a strange gold glow out of the corner of his eye.

He tried to flap his wings, but Lan Xichen quickly stopped him. 

“We’re almost there; let me carry you.”

Nie Mingjue took a step forward. 

“I’m fine.”

He didn’t get far before he staggered, pain blanking out his mind as it raked through the other side of his back. Before he could fall, a pair of arms was wrapped around him. As soon as he was safely in Lan Xichen’s grasp, they were racing towards the border. 

Flames were crawling up his back.

The edges of his vision were swimming with darkness.

Nie Mingjue’s gaze was locked on Lan Xichen.

He brought a hand up to his cheek, thumb brushing his cheekbone.

At the touch, the winter fairy’s eyes darted to him. “We’re almost there.”

Nie Mingjue’s throat was dry. He could barely force out a sound.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” A stream of muttered apologies fell from Lan Xichen’s lips. 

Nie Mingjue’s mind felt fuzzy, but for the life of him, he could not figure out why Lan Xichen was apologizing so much.

Color caught his eye. 

Fall.

He turned his head to see the branch that bridged the gap between the seasons. 

Lan Xichen let out a relieved breath and sped up.

On the bridge, a fairy in yellow was pacing back and forth. Jin Guangyao looked exceptionally worried, brow creased and a deep frown on his lips. He looked up, horror on his face as he took in Lan Xichen with his bruises, slight limp, and ripped robes and Nie Mingjue in his arms, pixie dust spilling from his wings and leaving a glowing trail behind the pair.

“Get the healers!” Xichen said as he laid him on the other side of the border.

The dust keeper nodded and flew towards summer as fast as his wings could carry him.

A gentle hand brushed the hair from Nie Mingjue’s brow as everything faded to black

—.—..—.—

Nie Mingjue’s eyes shot open, then shut tightly again at the brightness.

“Da-ge?” Nie Huaisang said.

His muscles were stiff, and everything felt uncomfortably numb. He shifted, wincing at the sudden sting in his upper back. 

“Da-ge, you’re awake.”

Nie Mingjue opened his eyes slowly this time, first looking down to see his upper torso bound tightly with bandages, then to his right where Nie Huaisang was sitting. His face was blotchy red, as if he’d been crying recently. He looked like he hadn’t slept. 

Nie Mingjue tried to sit up, but Nie Huaisang stood and rushed over to the bed. 

“Don’t move around, you might aggravate your wounds.”

“What?” Nie Mingjue asked, voice rasping and dry. 

His mind felt foggy. Something felt wrong, missing. 

“San-ge brought you from the border. The healers weren’t sure… you’ve been out for almost three days.”

“Th—“ Everything came rushing back. “Wait, is Lan Xichen okay?”

Nie Huaisang’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly. “Yes, he’s recovered.”

Nie Mingjue’s racing heart calmed. 

“Jin Guangyao brought me back?”

“Yes. He said he went to look for you when you didn’t come back from your visit with Lan Xichen.”

“I didn’t tell him I was visiting Xichen,” Nie Mingjue muttered. 

Nie Huaisang’s eyes widened slightly. 

The door banged open. “Nie Huaisang, you were supposed to tell me when he woke up.” Wen Qing strode into the room. 

“He’s only been awake for like thirty seconds!” Nie Huaisang argued. “I was about to get you.” 

Wen Qing set about checking Nie Mingjue’s vitals, nodding slightly as she took his pulse. 

“What you did was very reckless. You’re lucky Zewu-Jun got you out when he did.”

Nie Mingjue swallowed, the memory of Lan Xichen, heavily injured, carrying him to the border, flashing in his mind. 

“So, I’m alright?”

Wen Qing pursed her lips, jaw working. “I wouldn’t say alright… Do you remember anything?”

Only fear, relief, and pain. 

“I went into the Woods. Zewu-Jun was in danger.”

Wen Qing sighed. “Warm fairies were not made to handle freezing temperatures. You stayed in the woods for too long, and the cold made your wings brittle. We exhausted the talents of every healing fairy we have, but there was nothing we could do. I’m so sorry, but your wings were broken. You won’t ever be able to fly again.”

Nie Mingjue thought of the pain in his back, the gold at the edge of his vision. He tried to feel for the pull of the Pixie Dust tree, but there was nothing. Only the faintest hint of a beat remained, and everything felt so much duller without it. His heart sank. 

“This is...”

“Are you okay?” Nie Huaisang asked when he saw the desolate look in his eyes. 

Nie Mingjue took a deep breath, and thought of how tightly Xichen had held him when he pulled him from the snow. He didn’t regret a thing. 

“I will be.”

The next few days drug by. Nie Mingjue wanted nothing more than to run right back to the border, but at the moment he couldn’t even stand. Nie Huaisang kept him company in between doctor’s visits. 

Jin Guangyao came to visit each morning. He quickly explained away his presence at the border by saying that he had been looking for him to ask about a shipment order for the coming summer supplies. He had assumed Nie Mingjue was meeting Lan Xichen since he couldn’t be found elsewhere. 

Nie Mingjue didn’t press upon the fact that Jin Guangyao knew that they always met at the spring border, not fall. 

When Wen Qing finally let him out of bed, the first thing he did was ask to see his wings. He steeled himself as he walked with her aid to the mirror, pain still marring his steps. 

Jagged edges, longer on the left than the right. 

Glow dulled to a gray, only a few specs of gold trailing through their veins. 

Hung limp and unmoving at his back. 

He closed his eyes, nodding. 

“Okay.”  

—.—..—.—

The next day, the letter arrived. Unlike the ephemeral notes scrawled on crystalline snowflakes that usually held invitations for sunset rendezvous, this one felt heavy in his hands, inscribed in stone. 

“From this day forth, no fairy shall cross the border into the Winter Woods. One shall only ever approach the border in cases of necessity or danger. Anyone found in violation of this rule shall be punished to the fullest extent of the laws of Pixie Hollow.”

It had Lan Xichen’s seal on it. 

Over the years, Nie Mingjue sent countless letters across the border, explaining that he was alright, that he didn’t blame Xichen, that he had started training an owl to be his steed. He told him all that was going on in his life, and in each letter asked that Lan Xichen would let him know how he was doing. 

He never received any answer, only sparse official documents about seasonal preparations. 

Nie Mingjue had to hear it from Jin Guangyao that Lan Xichen had a brother. Apparently, he still cared enough to tell the dust keeper these things. He wished that he could comfort Lan Xichen the way he had been comforted, assure him that he would be a great older brother. He told him as much in that month’s letter, not that he would receive any response to it. 

The next time he got to see Lan Xichen, it was when that very brother was lying, weak and shaking, on the very same bridge so many years later, and it felt like his heart was being ripped open all over again. 

Chapter Text

“And the two fairies? What happened to them?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“They never saw each other again.”

Wei Wuxian made his way home in a daze, worried for Lan Wangji’s condition and terrified at the thought of never seeing the person he had come to hold so dear, who had apparently loved him back the whole time.

They said he would recover. He would be fine.

He just had to be.

Wei Wuxian felt sick at the memory of Lan Wangji, nearly unconscious, as they crossed into winter. 

This was all his fault.

Why had he been so insistent about bringing him here? He could have—

He wanted to see him. He knew it would be a horrible idea to try to sneak in so soon after the incident, though. He would just have to wait for Lan Wangji to contact him.

Wei Wuxian sat at their usual spot each night for a week, just in case Lan Wangji came to look for him.

No one came.

—.—..—.—

Lan Xichen entered the bedroom of the Jingshi.

“How are you feeling today?” Lan Xichen asked. 

Lan Wangji had been stuck in his bed for nearly a week now, the pain in his wings and back so horrible that he could barely walk unsupported. He did not answer.

“Don’t be like this, Wangji. I know you’re upset with me, but—”

He was cut off by Lan Wangji’s sharp glare. Lan Xichen let out a sigh. 

“I’ll check on you again tomorrow. Just, please, try to understand that this is for your safety. If anything happened…” Lan Xichen’s voice faded, a haunted look in his eyes. “I couldn’t bear it.”

There was a small wildflower on the bedside table.

With that, he was gone. 

As soon as Lan Wangji could move, he was going right back to the border for Wei Ying.

—.—..—.—

Nie Huaisang shivered a bit in the shade of the trees near Wei Wuxian’s house. Those looks between Da-ge and Zewu-Jun on the bridge had been the final straw. It was time.

He knocked firmly on the door, ready to ask Wei Wuxian for the favor he had been promised. There wasn’t an answer, so he let himself in to wait for Wei Wuxian to return. It was dark in the cottage, and it took his eyes a minute to adjust to the light, but when they did, he was shocked to see Wei Wuxian lying face first on the couch crying. 

“Wei-xiong! Are you alright?”

“Obviously not,” came the muffled reply.

Nie Huaisang placed a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you should go get some fresh air.”

“What’s the point of fresh air if there’s no Lan Zhan to enjoy it with?” Wei Wuxian lamented.

“It’ll be okay, Wei-xiong… Here, maybe this’ll cheer you up.” 

Nie Huaisang retrieved a bottle of wine from his sleeve and set it on the windowsill by the couch. Wei Wuxian made no move to grab it.

“Okay… well, I’ll just be going now,” Nie Huaisang said.

As he walked out of the room, he snatched Wei Wuxian’s coat off the back of the chair.

—.—..—.—

There was a knock at the door.

Surprise at someone visiting the Hanshi quickly turned to shock as Lan Xichen took in a face so similar to the one he used to know, but at the same time so different. 

“Nie Huaisang? What are you doing here? How are you here?”

This couldn’t be happening again. Yet, Nie Huaisang didn’t seem concerned in the least. 

“Didn’t you wonder how Wei Wuxian got over here?” Nie Huaisang gestured to the coat, where his wings were carefully tucked away. 

Honestly, Lan Xichen had been so worried for his brother these past couple weeks that he hadn’t even stopped to think about that. He let out a breath at the implication, though. Nie Mingjue’s brother wasn’t in danger. That didn’t mean he could stay, though.

“Crossing the border is forbidden. You have to go back.”

“No.”

“No?” Nie Huaisang had always been so cheery and polite back then. Now, he had his hair tied in a ponytail and there was anger simmering in his eyes that clashed with the polite expression painted on his face. Despite the height difference, he looked so much like his brother.

“No. I will say what I came all the way here for, and you will listen. Then, I will go back.”

Lan Xichen let him inside.

“I just don’t understand; I’ve been trying to figure this out for so long, but I couldn’t get in contact with you. Don’t ask me why I never thought of making a coat; apparently no one else did until now.” He gestured with his fan. “I thought you cared about him. Why did you cut contact with my brother after the accident? He was devastated; he’s still devastated.”

Lan Xichen was taken aback. “I thought he hated me.”

Nie Huaisang looked at him like he was an idiot. 

“What are you even talking about? In every single letter he’s sent you, he said he missed you, that he wanted to talk to you. You were the one who never responded!”

“He... sent letters?” Lan Xichen asked, eyes wide.

“Every month. For the last five centuries. Don’t tell me you never saw them.”

Lan Xichen shook his head, feeling gutted. “Not one... A-Yao said he didn’t want to see me.”

Nie Huaisang tapped his fan. “Look, it’s not my business, but it seems like someone is messing with your head, tampering with your relationships. I don’t know what they want, but you should really think about who you’re choosing to trust.”

“I—”

“Now, what I want to know is if you still have any intentions towards my brother.”

“What?” Despite everything, a blush crawled up his cheeks.

“That’s what I thought. He may not fault you for it, but you hurt him badly when you left. If you want him back in your life, you need to make things right.”

“Of course,” Lan Xichen breathed. 

With that, Nie Huaisang nodded briskly and left, mounting a tawny owl and taking off.

A few seconds later, Lan Xichen let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and sank to his knees. His hands shook slightly as he supported himself, something halfway between a laugh and a cry caught in his throat. Tears gathered in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

So many years. 

Nie Mingjue didn’t hate him.

He left him alone in his recovery, and in all the time afterwards.

He had made it illegal for them to meet, putting distance between them that he thought that Nie Mingjue had wanted. Maybe he had only agreed to the law because he thought it was what Xichen wanted.

After the first ban had gone into effect, he had come to believe that his uncle had been right. A cascade of rules meant to keep everyone safe, an isolated village in the mountains like a crystal globe.

He was so afraid that if he actually told anyone about what had happened that day, it might all shatter.

That he might shatter.

Who would’ve thought that the rules would’ve made Wangji desperate enough to… He had looked so much like…

He had been pretending he was over it for so long he almost forgot he was broken. 

He stayed there long after the tears had dried.

—.—..—.—

“A-xian, may I come in?”

There was a muffled groan from inside the cottage. Jiang Yanli entered, a large pot of soup in her hands.

“A-xian, no one has seen you in a week and a half. Are you doing okay?”

Wei Wuxian was lying on the couch, eyes rimmed slightly with red as he stared up at the ceiling.

“Shijie,” he said. “I haven’t heard anything from him.”

She sat down by him, placing an arm around his shoulders.

“I’m sorry.”

“What if he never comes back?”

Jiang Yanli gave him a knowing smile, “I think he will.”

Wei Ying is the match to my soul.

“But, what if he doesn’t?”

Jiang Yanli gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead. “If it comes to that, you will have us by your side. Here, eat. I brought your favorite.”

It was quite cold in the dusk air, so he nodded despite his lack of appetite.

At the smell of the lotus root soup, a starlit night in the snow flashed in his mind. The memory of a warm, heavy cloak around his shoulders felt like an embrace. 

Tears pricked at Wei Wuxian’s eyes, but he smiled a bit as he took a long drink.

—.—..—.—

There was a knock at Su She’s door.

The former glacier fairy opened the door, but his expression quickly turned to shock when he saw who stood there. Lord Zewu-Jun smiled, but something in his expression felt cold.

“Ah, Master Su She, it is great that we caught you while you were at home.”

“It is?”

“Yes. We have received some complaints about the speed at which some people’s mail has been delivered as of late.”

Su She’s smile looked incredibly fake. “Of course; who has been complaining?”

“That isn’t important. We just need to perform an inspection and make sure everything is working alright. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course, Lord Zewu-Jun,” Su She said, sounding ever so slightly pained.

Many years ago, Su She had been a glacier fairy, but after a series of accidents and rule infractions, he had been demoted. Lan Xichen had thought he did well in this position, but… well, he had to check.

Su She gave Xichen and his entourage a very thorough tour of the mail office in the back of his house.

Everything was in perfect order.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the least. 

“Well done Su She. Everything seems to be doing well here. The issue must be on the other end.”

“I’m so glad to have your esteemed approval. Good day.”

Lan Xichen stopped. “What’s this door?”

There was a door with a side table pushed roughly in front of it in the far corner.

“Oh, nothing. Just my personal office.”

Why would his office door have a table in front of it?

“That certainly is something. If it’s your office, it should definitely be part of the inspection.” Xichen stepped forward.

“Did I say office? I meant private broom closet.”

Xichen strode across the room, easily pushing aside Su She when he tried to block the way. The table slid to the right, and he grabbed the handle despite Su She’s continued protests.

The door opened.

And letters spilled across the floor.

Each one had his name scrawled across the front.

Lan Xichen's breath caught in his throat.

He turned. “Why— Did someone instruct you to do this?”

Su She’s eyes darted to the side, then back to Lan Xichen. “No.”

It was clearly a lie, but Su She seemed to have nothing else to say besides insults, so he was taken outside, leaving Lan Xichen alone with the letters. 

It looked like there were hundreds, some almost brand new, others yellowed with age. His heart weighed heavily with the realization. He picked one at random and scanned a few lines. 

“Nie Huaisang recently got into painting folding fans, an invention that Wei Wuxian picked up when he traveled to the Mainland. He’s utterly obsessed, and nothing I say can convince him to do his work.”

Lan Xichen huffed out a laugh, setting aside the paper for later and taking another from the unorganized pile on the floor.

“A new fairy arrived recently, and he’s nothing but trouble. The tinker thought he could switch talents, and nearly destroyed half of spring in the process! The thing is…”

“Despite the fact it’s been so long, I still feel so relieved when I see the Winter fairies returning to Neverland at the beginning of spring. It’s reassuring to know you’re safely home.”

“I heard that you recently became a brother. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it seems. I’m sure you’ll do a great job; better than me, most likely.”

“I’ve been training a spirit owl to serve as my mount. She will be a worthy companion. Her name is Baxia.”

Lan Xichen chuckled slightly at the name. It was so him.

Letter after letter, Nie Mingjue recounted centuries of memories and hopes. Lan Xichen wondered why he had never stopped writing despite the lack of response. A paper yellowed with age found its way into his hands, crackling as he gently unfolded it.

“I had wanted to rush to see you as soon as I was able to stand, but after receiving your decree, I had to give up on that endeavor. I don’t know why you’ve made this choice, but if it is what you believe is best, I will not stop you.

Do not blame yourself, Xichen— I would run into that forest all over again in an instant.”

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian took a deep breath as he stepped outside. He had told his Shijie that he would try to go outside today, and he was going to do it.

Besides, he needed to return her soup container. 

He would not sink any further into despair; Lan Zhan wouldn’t want that. 

The problem was that everything reminded him of Lan Zhan. He passed the library, where Mo Xuanyu waved excitedly at him. The chill of the morning air tickled at his lungs as he gazed at a field of flowering jasmine vines. 

He stopped by Jiang Yanli’s kitchen on the way to the tinker yard. She greeted him as he stepped inside but continued to chop her vegetables.

“A-xian, I’m so glad you decided to come out today, and that you came to visit.” She scraped the minced carrots into a bowl and placed an onion on the board.

“I brought your pot back,” Wei Wuxian said.

“Ah, thank you. It’s actually great you brought that. Can you wash it and put it on the stove? I needed an extra pot.”

Wei Wuxian did as she requested, only to realize there were already five pots over the fire.

“Sorry; I can’t stop to talk for long. I got so many orders for soup for today; I don’t think I’ve ever had so many.”

Wei Wuxian nodded, pausing in his endeavor to steal a spoonful. He would hate to put her behind on such a busy day.

“By the way, do you think you could check on Jin Ling when you get off work? He said the animals were acting odd, and I just want to make sure everything’s going alright. I’d ask A-Cheng, but I’m sure he already gives him a hard enough time during training.” 

Wei Wuxian laughed and agreed, already feeling lighter than he had in weeks. 

In the tinker yard, Nie Huaisang was actually… working?

He was scowling at a set of documents, which he quickly folded and put away when he saw Wei Wuxian approaching. 

“Wei-xiong, you’re back. Did you enjoy the wine I brought you?”

“Of course! You brought me the good stuff. Thanks.”

“I thought it was only fair given the favor you gave me.”

“What favor?”

“On a totally unrelated note, here’s your coat back. I found it somewhere.”

Wei Wuxian thought he had brought the coat home with him. He thought he remembered seeing it on the back of the chair, but he shrugged. He probably just forgot.

Wei Wuxian tied together some grasses into a sling, per the instructions left on his desk by Mianmian. As he worked, he tried to let the simple motions occupy his mind.

It didn’t work.

He ended up asking Huaisang, “So, how is Chifeng-zun doing?”

They never saw each other again. His voice had cracked just slightly when he said it.

Clearly, the story had been about Chifeng-zun himself. Wei Wuxian wondered who the winter fairy was, though he had his suspicions.

“He hasn’t left the Tree since the incident.”

That afternoon, Wei Wuxian did as he was asked by his dear sister and went to check on his nephew, who he found in the process of kicking a tree due to frustration. He immediately regretted this choice, howling in pain as he hopped up and down on the opposite foot.

“What’s up, buttercup?” Wei Wuxian asked, landing on a tree branch.

“I’m not— Nevermind,” Jin Ling groused, long used to his uncle’s antics. “The animals won’t do a thing I say!”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know! They just keep falling asleep for no reason! Jiujiu will be angry with me!”

“Now, come on. He can’t get mad at you for them falling asleep. I’ll let you know; a groundhog fell asleep on him last autumn. Nothing you can do till the big guy wakes up.”

“Really?” Jin Ling sounded both skeptical and relieved.

“Well, typically. You see, I found this amazing device on the Mainland called an “alarm clock” that we could try out…”

Wei Wuxian sat by the border that night. Dizi raised to his lips, the notes of a song Lan Wangji once played him floated up and away on the wind.

Getting out of bed the next morning was a challenge. This was partly because of how long he had stayed out the night before and partly because the bed was just too comfortable. It took a long time to force himself to sit, and he immediately regretted the decision when his feet hit the cold floor. He hovered until he found his shoes and slid them on without hesitation. He milled about grabbing breakfast and slipping some cinnabar into his work bag before finally getting outside.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Wei Wuxian realized he would not be going to work today.

Wei Wuxian’s cottage was in spring, which meant that every morning he woke up to a sea of blooming flowers and sunlight. Today, the sky was grayish-white and overcast, which wasn’t terribly unusual aside from the fact that the flowers were gone.

Petals littered the ground like a carpet. They seemed to have just fallen apart overnight, leaving only the sticks of their stems upright. A blur of gold flew past. 

“Hey, peacock! What happened?”

Jin Zixuan only paused for a moment to yell back, “I don’t know! They won’t stop dying!”

Wei Wuxian left to investigate, and quickly found a group of fairies at the edge of the stream that wound its way through the meadow. They were all whispering to each other and pointing at something. 

“What’s up?” Wei Wuxian asked. 

One of the water fairies pointed once more at the bank. “I came here this morning to grab water to make the morning dew, and I found this!”

The surface of the water was coated in a thin crust of ice.

“Oh, no.” Wei Wuxian took off.

The spring meadows were wilting fast, and leaves were falling off the trees in droves in Fall, leaving only bare branches in its wake. Summer seemed untouched for the moment, but the closer he flew to the border, the colder the air became. At the edge of Fall, the grass was completely frozen through. 

What could be causing this?

“Wei-xiong!” Nie Huaisang called. “Thank goodness you’re here. It's your machine!” 

He grabbed Wei Wuxian by the hand and took him down, over the edge of the waterfall. Near the north bank of the river sat his snowmaking machine. It was wedged between two rocks, and the flow of the water was continuously pushing ice into the shredder. The runes carved into the horn were glowing slightly as it threw out a blizzard in its wake. 

The machine must’ve been running for weeks at this point, and Wei Wuxian had strengthened the runes to make Summer cold enough for a winter fairy. They had to stop it. 

Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang pushed will all of their might to free the machine from the rocks, but it was stuck. Finally, they decided to dismantle the horn and shredder. As it detached, the runes flashed blue for a moment, releasing one last blast of freezing snow magic. 

Wei Wuxian sighed in relief. 

Nie Huaisang tapped his shoulder. “I don’t think it’s over quite yet.”

The blast hit the nearest trees, and the ice coating them began to spread even faster than it had before. There was a crack, and one of the branches snapped and fell to the ground with a thud. They looked at each other with a dawning realization.

“The Pixie Dust Tree!” Wei Wuxian breathed. 

“We need to tell my brother, right now.”

Everyone had been called to the Pixie Dust Tree to be given tasks. Wei Wuxian was guiding a small collection of animals to shelter in his cottage, and then he was supposed to return to the Tree to shelter himself. He had seen fairies frantically placing blankets as an insulative layer across the Tree’s branches in a desperate attempt to keep it alive through the freeze. Nie Mingjue claimed he could feel the magic pulsing in panic, which was apparently a very bad sign if it was strong enough for him to sense clearly.

 A white pouch on the corner of his desk caught his eye. He still hadn’t returned it. He thought of Lan Wangji, and how he frosted every flower he had been gifted.

“It gives the flower a protective barrier against the cold,” he had explained.

Wei Wuxian dropped the basket. 

He grabbed his coat and flew to the Cloud Recesses as fast as his wings could carry him. 

This was all his fault, but he could fix it. 

He just had to be fast enough.

It was freezing, but he couldn’t put on his coat. He didn’t have the time to walk. He was buffeted by strong winds, but he had to keep going.

Was the Cloud Recesses always so far away? His shoulders ached and he couldn’t stop shivering. 

The first buildings came into sight.

He caught a glimpse of Lan Wangji, walking slowly in the center of town supported by Lan Sizhui. His wings began to glow.

He was alright. He was really alright. 

His heart calmed, and he called out for him.

Then he fell.

Wei Wuxian rolled across the snow due to his forward momentum before skidding to a stop, wincing with the pain blossoming from his shoulder. 

“Wei Ying!”

He glanced back, swallowing roughly at the sight. Despite the fact that he could barely move his arm, he pulled on his jacket, letting out a breath of relief at the warmth. He looked up, and Lan Wangji was running towards him, a slight limp to his step but still faster than Lan Sizhui could keep up with. 

“Hanguang-jun, please mind your injuries. Where are you going?” Lan Sizhui asked. Then, he spotted the black figure in the snow. “Wei-gongzi, why are you here?”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji breathed, folding him into an embrace. 

Wei Wuxian held back a wince, at which Lan Wangji attempted to pull back. There wasn’t time. He pulled Lan Wangji back into the hug, trying to assure him everything was fine.

“Lan Zhan.”

Wei Wuxian was tempted to lose himself in the feeling of safety he felt here in Lan Wangji’s arms, but after a few moments, he let go.

Over Lan Wangji’s shoulder, he spotted a small crowd of winter fairies that had gathered to see what was happening. Lan Xichen stood at the front of the group, looking weary and almost hollow as he stared at the two. 

“Look, I know I’m not supposed to be here right now, but the Pixie Dust Tree is in danger. There’s a freeze moving across all of the seasons, and I think your frost may be able to save the tree. It’s getting cold enough over there that you should be able to cross safely.”

Lan Wangji’s gaze flickered to the waterfall at the center of town. The steady flow of dust had slowed to a trickle.

Taking a breath, Lan Xichen nodded. 

A mount was prepared for Wei Wuxian, and Lan Wangji joined him even though he was nearly recovered. As they prepared to take flight, Wei Wuxian laced his fingers together with Lan Wangji’s.

“I missed you,” Wei Wuxian admitted.

“Missed Wei Ying as well.”

The eye contact too intense for his next question, Wei Wuxian looked away. “Did you… mean what you said… on the bridge… about me being the match to your soul? Because if I misunderstood, I’m sorry, and I’ll forget all about it, but I just needed to ask because I—”

“Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian’s mouth clicked shut.

“Yes. I meant it.” His eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly. “Did you not— I thought you knew. You gave me the book, so I assumed you had read it.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about it because you didn’t feel the same way!”

“Ridiculous.”

“Well, what did you think I felt?”

“I thought you just wanted to be friends.”

Wei Wuxian laughed again. “Ridiculous,” he repeated.

The corners of Lan Wangji’s mouth raised slightly.

Wei Wuxian continued, “I better make myself abundantly clear then! I like you. I fancy you. I adore you. I’d want to spend every day and night with you for the rest of my existence. And I’ve wanted to kiss you ever since I saw you buried in a pile of rabbits.”

Lan Wangji’s eyes were filled with disbelief even as Wei Wuxian tugged him forward into a kiss. His lips were warm, slotting perfectly into place like they were made for this. His eyes fluttered closed as his hands carded through silken hair and—

A polite cough sent them flying apart from each other. Lan Sizhui was smiling at them. Two other fairies hovered behind him, one of whom had his hands over his mouth as if holding back an excited gasp.

“Hanguang-jun, Wei-gongzi, sorry to interrupt, but we’re about to take off.”

“Oh, of course. This can wait until… after…” Wei Wuxian trailed off, holding back nervous laughter.

The freeze had nearly devoured spring and fall by the time the winter fairies arrived and was rapidly approaching summer. Lan Xichen directed groups to save what they could of the other seasons, but led the majority of the group to the area surrounding the Pixie Dust Tree. 

Lan Xichen’s eyes seemed to examine every detail of the tree, the way the dust traveled through the tree’s veins with its warm glow. 

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s hands had been joined the entire journey, but now, Lan Wangji turned. 

“I must help.”

“Go; I’ll wait for you at the Tree.”

Lan Wangji nodded and rose, wings beating hesitantly at first then stronger as he took flight, albeit a bit slower than normal. He raised his hands to begin the process of coating the branches of the Tree in a thick layer of frost.

Wei Wuxian stood watching on a limb as the land around him turned from green to white. He pulled his coat tighter around himself as the icy blizzard drew ever closer, earning another stab of pain from his shoulder. 

Lord Zewu-Jun called all the winter fairies to gather at the base of the Tree, proclaiming that they had done all they could.

Lan Wangji led Wei Wuxian inside to shelter.

Chifeng-zun was still watching the approaching calamity, shivering against the raging wind. 

Zewu-jun approached.

“Chifeng-zun… Mingjue. Please, take this.”

There was something unreadable in his eyes as he took in the robe held in his direction. Then, he nodded, and Xichen set it gently on his shoulders. The shivering subsided. 

“Thanks,” Nie Mingjue choked out.

“Mingjue… Could we talk, after this has passed? There are some things I need to tell you.”

There were tears budding at Lan Xichen’s eyes. Nie Mingjue looked at him in disbelief. 

“Yes.”

Lan Xichen smiled, nodding to himself. “Please, Chifeng-zun, take cover.”

“I need to stay and defend—”

“ Please. I will keep watch in your stead.”

Nie Mingjue relented, turning to head inside where his brother was waiting.

The door closed behind him, and a few minutes later, it was frozen shut. There was nothing left to do but wait.

Chapter Text

The Tree creaked around them as the ice set in, blocking out the light. As they waited in the darkness, Wei Wuxian wondered if the frost was strong enough to withstand this magnitude of ice magic. His fingers twitched, wishing that he could hold Lan Wangji’s hand for comfort, but he was outside, standing guard over the entrance.

Jiang Yanli was comforting Jin Ling, who was expressing his concern for any animals they might have missed. Nie Mingjue sat with his brother, hands gripping at the robe that Lan Xichen had given him to keep it pulled over his shoulders. Jin Guangyao kept to himself in the corner, watching warily.

It felt like an eternity had passed when the ice finally began to drip and melt. Light pierced through the space, and finally, the door was open once more. 

The fairies were silent as they exited their shelter, ice crunching under their feet as they walked along tree branches. At the sound, Lan Wangji’s eyes immediately locked on Wei Wuxian. He opened his arms, and Wei Wuxian took the opportunity to nestle into his side.

They watched for what could have been minutes or hours to see if the Tree had survived the freeze. The longer that there was no sign of movement, the more their hearts sank. 

Fairies began to whisper to each other.

What would they do without their Pixie Dust? None of them would be able to fly again. They could not perform their talents, and the seasons on the Mainland would screech to a halt.

Lan Xichen was speaking in hushed tones to Nie Mingjue, whose harsh expression was melting by the second. He took Lan Xichen by the hand and opened his mouth to say something—

Instead, he gasped and turned to look to the heart of the Tree. 

A few seconds passed, and then a few grains of pixie dust fell, followed by a trickle, and then finally a roaring stream of dust began to fill the basin where they stood.

A cheer sounded out from all the present fairies, and they took to the skies, celebrating the miraculous recovery of their tree. Jin Ling, in an attempt to show off, flew backwards straight into another fairy.

“Hey! Watch where you’re—” Jin Ling started.

“You were the one flying backwards!” Lan Jingyi retorted.

“Now, now,” the one he had hit said calmly. “It’s alright. No harm done.” He turned to Jin Ling. “I’m Lan Sizhui. Would you like to fly with us?”

Jin Ling looked askance, but nodded anyway and joined the group.

Even Jiang Cheng seemed to be having a good time. He laughed and beckoned. “Come on, Wei Wuxian! Join us.”

Wei Wuxian shook his head, saying he was quite content to stay right there in Lan Zhan’s arms for the time being. Jiang Cheng fled as Wei Wuxian made to kiss his soulmate once more. 

The two sat together until the sun began to peak through the clouds and the air started to warm.

“We’ll have to head back towards Winter soon,” Lan Sizhui commented.

“Will you accompany me to the border?” Lan Wangji asked as he stood, extending a hand to Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian swallowed.

Sensing his hesitation, Lan Wangji’s brow furrowed. “Wei Ying? Is something wrong?”

Wei Wuxian didn’t say anything for a long moment, then nodded. He turned around, screwing his eyes shut as he untied his coat. It slipped down his shoulders, and the whole world seemed to hold its breath.

Wei Wuxian’s wing was ripped down the middle, almost all the way through. There was only a small strip along the side holding the wing together. It hung limply at his back. 

He turned back to face Lan Wangji, whose eyes were brimming with sorrow. Over his shoulder, he could see Wen Ning and Jiang Yanli with their hands over their mouths, Jiang Cheng with his eyes wide, and Wen Qing looking off into the distance, haunted. 

“When you fell—” Lan Sizhui trailed off.

“Don’t you guys look at me like that. It’s okay, really it is.” He held back the laughter and tears biting at his throat.

“Wei Ying, why didn’t you tell me?”

“We had to save the tree. That was most important. I… besides, there's no cure for a broken wing.” 

He shrugged, then fell forward into Lan Wangji’s arms once more.

Lan Wangji held him so gently, and Wei Wuxian finally let a few tears fall.

Lan Xichen’s face was twisted in worry, and he stepped forward.

“I am so sorry. This happened because I tried to keep you apart. That won’t ever happen again.”

Nie Mingjue placed a hand on Lan Xichen’s shoulder and nodded. 

Wei Wuxian broke into a smile. “You hear that, Lan Zhan? I’ll be waiting for you at the border tomorrow. Don’t you dare miss it.”

“I wouldn’t ever.” Lan Wangji looked reluctant to leave, but the air was getting warmer.

“Hey, I’ll be okay,” Wei Wuxian assured. “Besides, maybe now Chifeng-zun will teach me how to ride an owl.”

Lan Wangji huffed a short laugh. 

Wei Wuxian pulled Lan Wangji towards him one more time. “I’ve always wanted to do this. I know our wings don’t exactly match anymore, but can we—”

Wei Wuxian turned around, and despite the pain, held his wings up straight. Lan Wangji, with an air of melancholy, nodded and did the same. Wei Wuxian looked over his shoulder as the veins of their wings slid into alignment with each other. 

He was blinded by sparkling light.

“Ah!” He drew back, rubbing his eyes. “What was that?”

“I… don’t know,” Lan Wangji said, freezing as he caught sight of Wei Wuxian’s wing.

Wei Wuxian followed his gaze to see the crack, glittering light along its edges, was slowly knitting itself back together. He nodded, and they returned to their positions, closing their eyes against the light. It all went white, and when the glow faded, Wei Wuxian’s wing was whole again. A white scar ran along its surface where the break had been, but it no longer fell limp to his side.

“I guess you need to add a new chapter to your boo—” Wei Wuxian’s joke was interrupted by lips slamming into his own. 

They pulled back for air for a moment and looked around just in time to see Nie Mingjue lean towards Lan Xichen. 

“I never stopped loving you either,” Nie Mingjue said, and tugged him forward into a kiss as well.

Wei Wuxian heard Lan Wangji mutter under his breath. “Guess they’re telling people now.”

He laughed, his heart light. “Lan Zhan, you knew?”

Lan Wangji looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “Inferred.”

“I have such a smart soulmate.” Wei Wuxian threw his arms around Lan Wangji’s neck, leaning in once more.

—.—..—.—

Wei Wuxian held Lan Wangji’s hand as they skimmed across the surface of the ice. After a long process of teaching the other tinkers how to make coats, they finally had enough for all the fairies who wished to cross the border. The air was bitingly cold, and Wei Wuxian leaned into Lan Wangji as a shield against the wind. 

“Would you like to take a rest?”

Wei Wuxian had stayed up all night working on a project, but he was fine, really. Lan Wangji was having none of that, though, and scooped him up in his arms to go sit at the edge of the pond.

“Ah, Lan Zhan! Taking me against my will, how dare you!”

Lan Wangji shook his head fondly.

As the two sat side by side watching Jin Ling slide across the ice with his new winter fairy friends, they heard a sharp intake of breath. Wei Wuxian looked towards the source of the sound. A dust keeper fairy with brilliant red eyeliner and dark robes looked towards them excitedly. 

“I never thought I’d see the Keeper in the flesh, let alone with Wei Wuxian at his side!” Mo Xuanyu squealed. “Would you sign this?”

Mo Xuanyu held out a brand-new copy of Wingology, revised edition. This book had two names at the bottom. Wingology, by Hanguang-jun and Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji looked like he might say no, but Wei Wuxian elbowed him, taking the pen and signing it before handing it over to Lan Wangji. At his urging, he also signed the book. 

Mo Xuanyu thanked them with sparkling eyes, tucking the book quickly in his bag before it could fly away. In his haste to make a swift and graceful retreat, though, he stepped on to the edge of the ice, sending him skidding across the surface. Just before he could fall on his face, a winter fairy caught him, setting him back upright.

“Are you alright?” the man asked.

Mo Xuanyu blinked several times. “Never better, my knight in shining armor.”

The winter fairy’s face went bright red. “Um, would you, like to skate?”

Mo Xuanyu nodded.

“Good for him,” Wei Wuxian commented.

Across the ice, Lan Xichen sat contentedly braiding Nie Mingjue’s hair. Nie Mingjue smiled wide, leaning back to land a kiss on Lan Xichen’s cheek. Nie Huaisang was painting nearby, a grin on his face.

“I can’t believe I wasted so much time…” Lan Xichen trailed off. 

“What did we talk about?” Nie Mingjue said, taking Lan Xichen’s face in his hands. “Stop blaming yourself for what is past. You’ve apologized many times over. Let yourself rest, here, with me.” 

Lan Xichen shook his head. “You’re right. I just… I guess I’ll never understand why A-Yao— Jin Guangyao, I mean, would do that.”

“All I can say is that I’m almost glad he ran with his tail between his legs; I wouldn’t have gone easy on him if he’d stayed.”

Shortly after the Great Freeze, Jin Guangyao’s schemes had come to light. Once Su She realized that Jin Guangyao was going to leave him to take all the blame, he talked. And talk he did.

He told them how he had been ordered to block all correspondence addressed to Lan Xichen. He showed them the note he was supposed to destroy in which Jin Guanyao had instructed him to cause an avalanche right before Zewu-jun entered the pass, to sow confusion and lure Nie Mingjue into the forest, to keep him there until it was too late. The plan had gone a bit awry in that Lan Xichen had actually been caught in the avalanche (Su She wasn’t about to admit that he had been late on purpose, but everyone knew he had a grudge). Jin Guangyao had clearly expected worse injuries than just broken wings to result from the incident. 

Before they could confront Jin Guangyao, he had disappeared, and the next night, his house had spontaneously gone up in flames.

“And he better never even try to come back,” Nie Huaisang hissed under his breath.

“And what would you do about that?” Nie Mingjue asked jokingly.

“Oh, nothing, Da-ge.”

—.—..—.—

Nie Huaisang had caught Jin Guangyao the night after he disappeared, when the man, unsurprisingly, went back to his home to retrieve his belongings before he left. Jin Guangyao had been in such a hurry; he hadn’t realized his door was unlocked until he struck a match. He immediately dropped it when he saw Nie Huaisang already sitting at his desk.

“Huaisang.”

“San-ge,” Nie Huaisang had said dryly. “It’s so great to see you. I was afraid you wouldn’t show up.”

“Now, Huaisang, we’ve been friends all these years, haven’t we?”

Nie Mingjue would’ve been proud of the glare Nie Huaisang had leveled at the man.

When Jin Guangyao tried to flee, he didn’t get far before he was plucked up by the sharp talons of Nie Huaisang’s owl. He begged for mercy, but Nie Huaisang didn’t answer. The wind had whistled around them in silence for a long time before they descended. Nie Huaisang left him on the shore of Skull Rock.

“This is your mercy. I’m leaving you here, but if you ever come anywhere near my brother or Pixie Hollow ever again, I’m dropping you in the middle of the Winter Woods so you know just how it feels. Understood?”

“Of course, of course,” Jin Guangyao had said, eyes wide, as Nie Huaisang mounted the owl and left.

—.—..—.—

“Lan Zhaaaan!” Wei Wuxian pouted as he lay back across the desk, blocking all of Lan Wangji’s papers from view.

“Wei Ying.”

“Come on, you don’t have to do this all today, do you? You can save some of it for tomorrow.”

“That is what you said yesterday.”

“Bu—”

“And the day before.”

“Wouldn’t you much rather look at me than those dull papers?” Wei Wuxian struck a pose as he lay there, fluttering his eyelashes at Lan Wangji.

“Mn.”

By the time they were done, it was much too late for paperwork, and Wei Wuxian’s face had more than a few streaks of ink across it. Thankfully, his clothes were black.

The door of the library opened, and the two quickly composed themselves. Lan Wangji was just wiping the last of the ink from Wei Wuxian’s forehead when Lan Sizhui rounded the corner.

“Hanguang-jun, Wei-gongzi,” he greeted.

“A-Yuan!” Wei Wuxian pulled him into a hug. “What’s up?”

“Jin Ling has invited Jingyi, Zizhen, and I to the spring border tomorrow. He said he’s going to show us the butterflies.”

Though he said it calmly, the excitement in his eyes was obvious.

“Oh, do you like butterflies?”

“I always have.” Sizhui said. “Would you like to join us?”

“Sorry, but Hanguang-jun and I already have plans for tomorrow.”

—.—..—.—

The fireflies lit up periodically in the night air all around them. The water was still as Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangi sat together in the center of a lotus flower. Wei Wuxian laced his fingers together with Lan Wangi’s. The new ice machine was much improved, barely even audible as it released a fine stream of snow. As Wei Wuxian took a sip of wine, Lan Wangji’s other hand was carding through his hair. 

Wei Wuxian relaxed against him, taking in a breath of sweet night air. Lan Wangji kissed his temple. Weu Wuxian could feel the winter fairy’s smile against his skin.

“I think this flower might be my favorite,” Lan Wangji whispered.

“The lotus?”

“No. Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian covered his burning face, kicking his feet. “Lan Zhan! You can’t just say these things without warning!”

“Can-- and will.”

“You know, we never finished our game of twenty questions.”

“What game?”

“Oh yeah, you wouldn’t remember that,” Wei Wuxian laughed. “It’s not important, but we left off with the question ‘What do you think of me?’ You don’t have to—”

“I love Wei Ying. He is bright, and exuberant, and brilliant, and joyful. I cannot imagine my life if he was not in it.”

“Lan Zhan!”

“Mn?”

Wei Wuxian pulled him down into a kiss.

—.—..—.—

No longer forced apart by Great Divide,

Rules once laid in stone defied,

The seasons truly flourished side by side