Blooms of a Wilting Garden

Help me! Someone, please help me!

Mo Xuanyu’s chest burns in tandem with his ragged, pained gasps as he hurtles through the air shafts. Though he knows no one is coming to help him, he cannot help the sheer terror racing through his mind. He’s so close, if he could just reach that last grate he’ll make it outside; he practiced for this! No one knows this floor plan inside and out the way he does!

No one other than-

Boom. Boom. Boom.

A sinister, delighted cackle bounces off the tinny walls, followed by ominous banging.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM-

They’re getting louder and louder, and closer and closer, hunting for blood, for his blood- 

Just as Mo Xuanyu sees the tendrils of resentment clouding his way, just as they’re about to grasp him, he barrels through the last air grate and into the night. Though the little bit of energy left in his core allows him to make the twenty-foot drop with only minor bruising, it still knocks the air clean out of him.

“Aw, that’s it? That’s the best you can do? Come on, I even gave you a head start! Guess I’ll be reeeeally nice and start over! Ten, nine, eight-”

Adrenaline forces Mo Xuanyu to a wobbly stand, the playful threat of the countdown reverberating through his skull. Then he’s sprinting across the cold, courtyard and into the grassy field. The facility- no, that fucking asylum, that madhouse of human experimentation- soon looms behind him in the distance, visage covered by the trees.

Where is it, where is the rift, it’s somewhere around here-

A small hill of rocks notes where Mo Xuanyu had found the crack in the veil- he’s almost done with the first part of this damned escape! Slipping through the ward feels as off-putting as ever- suffocating, like sliding through plastic wrap- and then he’s in a dark temperate forest. 

“Why can’t I catch a fucking break,” he cries, though the plea is swallowed by thunder roaring in the sky and strong winds forcing heavy rain down onto him. It’s no matter- he knows he’s where he’s supposed to be. A year of planning, of hiding secret notes and hoarding food and extra warm clothes- all of it trashed. Pure determination and raw hope drive Mo Xuanyu’s exhausted feet forward through freezing rain. From being dumped into the asylum, alone and contactless, to one day finding out that he was being aided by guardian angels- of course he was willing to send back any information he could. Things had been going well, so he thought- and then he found out.

He’d only been barely lucky enough to hide evidence of communication, because that man had been determined to torture it out of him. Who have you been speaking to? How much have you revealed? What do you know? Prolonged solitary confinement, an excruciating heat spent chained up against a cold, stone wall, whatever in hell’s name he’d been injected with that gave him severe hallucinations, strangled him with resentment, agonized him- to his pride, nothing had made him spill.

And today, he’d finally seen his chance, slipping out from the open door and into the vents.

Mo Xuanyu freezes, gasping in exaltation. Somewhere in the long, dark run, he’d long lost his way toward the river, and things started feeling grim.

Oh, please let that be what I think it is. Please, please let me be blessed!

In the distance stands an abandoned park ranger station, but even better- an old four-door truck is parked beside it. Warmth spreads through him, almost enough to bring life back into his freezing cold limbs. He practically slams into the car, using just enough energy to break the glass and unlock it. Sharp pain sears across his hand.

“Ah, shit! Damn, that fucking hurts!” Blood oozes around his knuckles and on the tips of his fingers but he still manages to sweep the rest of the glass off the front cushion. He’s just got the wires in the car exposed when-

“Gotcha!”

Resentment wraps around his body and yanks at him. It’s excruciating, the way his pelvis feels like it’s popping away from his spine, but he refuses to go quietly. Screaming, Mo Xuanyu scrambles out a hand to cling to the gearshift.

“Let me go- no, please- no!”

All hope fades when the slippery blood loosens his hand’s purchase. His head slams into the muddy ground, and he clings wildly at the ground- anything not to be caught in the clutches of the terrible being sent to capture him like a zealous, rabid dog.

Mo Xuanyu’s cries are suffocated by the night, ended when something smashes across the back of his head.

“A-Yu…”

No…

“A-Yu… I know you can hear me…”

Son of a bitch!

The new voice, that damned, pleasant voice! His head aches severely, and he can tell bandages have been wrapped tightly around his skull. His body is limp, and other than to breathe heavily, Mo Xuanyu lays as frozen as a corpse strapped on the cold, metal coroner’s table. Light shines brightly into his swollen eyes, the only sign of movement around him the darkness that weaves in and out of the bright ring.

“A-Yu, please,” the pleasant voice pleads. “Why would you make us chase you like this? Isn’t it all futile? Isn’t it a loss of dignity to fight it? Can't you just see that what you're doing will help make the world better? Can’t you just trust me? Can’t you just believe in me?”

The words spark one final fire of rebellion. “You don’t deserve belief!” The words are stifled as Mo Xuanyu can barely open his mouth, but the meaning hits true. There’s a small, hitched choke, followed by a defeated sigh. 

“Very well. Then I suppose we’ve passed all need for niceties. Xue Yang?”

Calm footsteps echo and fade away, up narrow stairs, followed by the finality of a heavy metal door locking. The ring light cuts out, followed by more mad, joyful cackling.

The thick walls mercilessly cut off the begging for mercy and the bloodcurdling screams from ever reaching the upper halls of the Orchid & Peony Rehabilitation Facility.

All remains well.

The rut seclusion chamber is pitch-black and deathly silent when Lan Xichen slowly steps in, the sharp, cloying smell wrinkling his nose with faint disgust. His foot immediately bumps into something hard, followed by the sound of hollow glass rolling across the floor- that explains the acrid smell of hard liquor. How had Wangji even obtained this?

“Wangji,” he pleads, feeling along the wall for a light switch. “I know things feel hard right now. I know we didn’t get to go visit her tomb on time this year, but it will be okay- once you’re done with your cycle, we can go visit. And then, if it would be all right, I wondered if we could possibly take a vacation together, focus on your health. Please, talk to me. Let your Xiongzhang help you.”

Relief fills his heart when he sees a warm, red light centering from the room, his brother’s silhouette framed with light… and is quickly replaced by horror.  

“Wangji… Wangji, no!”

Before he can lunge forward, the brand disappears with a horrible searing, crackling sound, followed by an agonized, choked wail.

“Wangji! Put that down, put it down!!! What have you done?!”

If one didn’t know him (which is to say, everyone other than his brother) they would think that Lan Wangji was completely poised as he stared out of the luxury car’s window. His posture was straight, navy-blue suit clean and sharp, his forehead ribbon impeccable. However, it was with utter despondency that Lan Wangji watches the world pass by him in a blur, only blinking when the car finally comes to a stop in the far countryside.

“Oh, look- we’ve arrived, Wangji,” reveals Lan Xichen halfheartedly. At his brother’s slow, miserable blink, he sighs, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. “Take it one step at a time, okay? There’s no rush, you can sit out here as long as you need to.”

Genuine as his brother may think he is, ‘as long as you need to’ is laughable in every way. This sort of grace does not exist in their world, not when it comes to Lan propriety. Ever pragmatic, he signals, and the driver comes to open his door. The beautiful, country club-like facility will serve as a ‘getaway’ for him- that was the pretty way Lan Xichen had explained it to his catatonic brother and their livid uncle. More importantly, it would be a place where Lan Wangji would have the space to address his issues, or at least have the peace to focus on better, healthier habits.

It’s bitterly funny, the comment about ‘healthier habits.’ Lan Wangji, a Twin Jade of Lan, was always perfect in every way. As far as anyone knew, looking in, he led the perfect healthy life. An Alpha of a powerful, wealthy family, intelligent, immensely powerful in body and cultivation, hardworking, hyper focused, morals ‘black and white’ and as strong as the stone his ancestors engraved them on. Between he and his brother, no one dared question the stability and the strength of the bloodline descended from the clouds themselves.

And yet, it no longer seemed to matter. This one, singular breakdown after years of suppressed silence and intense discipline, and his uncle and the elders were acting as though Lan Wangji had single-handedly ruined himself and everything they’d ever built.

Maybe he had.

Maybe he wanted to.

He doesn’t know, and he can’t find it within himself to care.

As they walk up the stairs and into the grand, brightly lit foyer, Lan Wangji reads the nameplate on the arch.

The Orchid & Peony Rehabilitation Facility.

The letters have been delicately carved out of the dark wood, making for an opulent yet not gaudy combination. Truly the heart-song of its founders. The floor is a pristine white marble, and in the middle of the foyer is a large desk where secretaries quietly converse with Lan Xichen. Two hallways branch off in opposite directions, and the back of the room’s windows were wide open to the beautiful day outside, the domed window ceiling allowing light to filter in.

It really is an idyllic, gilded cage.

Two men dressed in clean, white scrubs and hats, their pockets and badges decorated with the iridescent flowers, quickly take away his one suitcase and his pair of shoes, replacing them with soft house shoes.

“Er-ge! I’m so pleased you both made it in safely!”

Lan Xichen turns, smile bright in his eyes at the happy man approaching them. Jin Guangyao wears a long, gold doctor’s coat, the flower insignia shining blue against the pocket. A pressed white button up, blue jeans, and a black nurse’s cap completes the look.

“A-Yao! I thought you’d be busy at this time with a board meeting.”

Jin Guangyao waves his hand dismissively. “I was able to end it early. I wouldn’t want to miss greeting my co-lead and our distinguished guest.”

All these airs, and Lan Wangji feels as distinctly uncomfortable as ever, especially when Lan Xichen grasps Jin Guangyao’s hands- the world might as well have vanished around them. Not only this, but Jin Guangyao must know what occurred, being his brother’s closest confidante, and yet he continues to treat Lan Wangji as though he’s just strolled into yet another boring, political dinner. Finished with his brother, Jin Guangyao bows, and Lan Wangji returns the gesture.

“Well, Lan er-gongzi, I’m honored to welcome you to the Orchid & Peony Rehabilitation Facility. And what a lovely day to arrive- all things must be fortuitous! Right now, you can see most of our patients are enjoying this wondrous spring weather during free time outside, and-”

The peace is ruined when a bemoaned wail crashes across the room, followed by a dramatically distraught man in olive green scrubs billowing inside. Jin Guangyao’s face twitches with annoyance, and it’s the most humorous thing that Lan Wangji has witnessed all day, so he’s willing to forgive the noisemaker.

“San-ge, san-ge, it’s just awful!” cries Nie Huaisang, leaning into Jin Guangyao with a dramatic close of his fan.

“A-Sang, we have a new guest,” Jin Guangyao chastises, moving to gesture toward Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji, but Lan Xichen gently stops his hand.

“What troubles you, A-Sang?” he asks. Nie Huaisang beams, before he realizes he’s seeing double and stutters on his words. In a flash, he bows, and then the fan is back up, hiding all but his eyes as they dart at Lan Wangji.

“I ran out of the specific paints I needed, but when I went to the art room, it was locked. I remember when Tang-ge used to be there too, but he vanished so suddenly last month and now I have no one to hold the door open! The piece I’m working on desperately needed a specific color combination before my paints dried out, but…it’s no matter, I can always try again tomorrow! I apologize for my impoliteness!”

Before anyone can stop him, he awkwardly bows and flies back out of the room, fast as he arrived. All three men sigh, though Lan Wangji least audibly. They all know Nie Huaisang- a prolific gossip. News of his arrival will spread like wildfire.

“‘Vanished’. Oh, A-Sang, and his dramatics. Anyway! Let’s make our way to the office, shall we?” Jin Guangyao offers apologetically, immediately returning to form. “We can finish up any paperwork there, then go on the tour of the facility.”

They lead Lan Wangji to Jin Guangyao’s main office, with two large oaken doors. Near the front it is attached via another glass door to the pharmacy and medical ward. The pharmacy and the general area of the medical ward are exposed with strong, layered glass, revealing clean and artful organization for restful healing. In the farthest corner, just behind a privacy screen, Lan Wangji can glimpse an unconscious man hooked up to multiple machines. Perhaps this is not a topic to be discussed, because a side-stepping Jin Guangyao proudly claims that he aids along in medication distribution to those who may need it every morning and evening.

“There is no mandatory medication here, unless of course prescribed by a doctor. There are also suppressants, should we have any discomfort issues with some of our Alpha and Omega patients on file, so you’ll never need to worry about that whenever necessary.”

Lan are known for perfect control of their scents, and Lan Wangji has never had an issue on his end. The stress that comes along with the idea of romance is so much that he’s never found himself attracted to anyone, and therefore has never found himself in a scenario that would require aid in control.

(Well, there was- but no, that wasn’t attraction, it couldn’t have been-)

As for the office itself, it’s mainly administrative, its walls painted a mellow gold, a mahogany desk toward the back, and numerous bookshelves that surround the space. There is also a small area with two chairs, as well as some pamphlets and other trinkets, and a soft plush rug. This, Lan Wangji is told, is where Jin Guangyao will meet with him for therapy discussions.

“Unfortunately, Wangji, we cannot have sessions together. There’s a conflict of interest,” mourns Lan Xichen. “However, you can always come talk to me if you need me.”

Lan Wangji already had zero desire to speak to anyone and finding this out is another nail in the coffin. However, he’s been raised well, so he turns to Jin Guangyao and bows.

“I’ll be in your care.”

Lan Xichen gasps with delight, and Jin Guangyao smiles.

“I’m so grateful for your trust, Lan er-gongzi! It’s such a big step!”

Sigh.

They go through his details together, just to make sure his file is correct.

Lan Wangji.

Age: 24

Height: 6’2

Cultivated core: Y

Gender: Male

Secondary Status: Alpha

Eyes: Amber

Hair: Black, mid-lower back length.

Details of detainment: Mental breakdown, extreme stress leading to dangerous self-harm…

They take the necessary photos of him to put in his file, and then Lan Wangji is handed a pair of scrubs and told to go change in the office bathroom for a second set of pictures. They seem to trust that he won’t harm himself while left alone, because he goes on his own. He neatly folds his old clothes and slips on the light blue scrubs. Every garment a patient wears has been suffused with charms.

Lan Wangji has never been vain about his looks, but even the famed beauty of Hanguang Jun cannot manage brightness in the short-sleeves and loose pants. He just looks pale, wan, and miserable. He goes to reach for the forehead ribbon, but just as he touches, a light knock comes from the door. Lan Xichen lets himself in, seeing his hand lingering on the fabric.

“I discussed it with A-Yao, you don’t have to worry about our ribbon. If you don’t use it to harm yourself or others, you may keep it on. We try to make acceptances where we can.”

The strain in his shoulders releases, and he even manages a small, thankful smile for his brother. The forehead ribbon is sacred to them; the thought of letting strangers touch it, taking away the last piece of his identity…it was entirely too painful. He re-enters the main room to take the rest of the pictures against only free space of yellow wall, zoning out whatever master plan they discuss, preferring to focus on his breathing. It’s only when Lan Xichen softly shakes him, that he realizes they’ve been waiting for him.

“Wangji. I need you to put this on.”

Lan Wangji looks down at the small, white medical wristband and allows Lan Xichen to slip it on. It looks deceptively simple, shimmering with iridescent orchids and peonies; a waterproof plastic tag with his name and secondary symbol. Yet, the moment Lan Xichen snaps the loop into place, his stomach drops with the sudden loss of spiritual energy. Lan Xichen grimaces with understanding.  

“It’s been reinforced for strength purposes. This is what really represses your cultivation, whereas the scrubs are just an extra precaution. It’s meant for the safety of the staff just in case of a patient issue, as well as to make sure that everyone here feels equivalent as they go through their healing process.”

What it does is give Lan Wangji a sense of deep unease, but he says nothing. Lan Xichen squeezes his hand.

“Are you ready for the tour? Afterwards, we’ll lead you to your room, and you can get some rest.”

“En.” With a nod, Lan Wangji follows, listening to Jin Guangyao as he grandly recites the history of the facility.

It’s only three years old, a collaboration between the Lan and Jin (kickstarted by Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao) focusing on the rehabilitation and reintroduction of those dealing with mental health issues back into society using both natural, Eastern treatment and more modern forms of treatment. They figured, that if they could do it on a micro-level with the Orchid & Peony, surely, they could figure out how to expand this venture into the modern world- both for cultivators and non-cultivators alike! Right now, it was clear that it was cultivator-exclusive, and even more so wealth-exclusive, but, Jin Guangyao explains, his goal is to convince the major investors that it would be worth attempting smaller, more accessible versions.

It’s an honorable goal, Lan Wangji can admit. Whether the wealthy investors of the Lan and Jin will see that is another problem, and he pities Jin Guangyao in particular. The young Omega was considered an audacious upstart by many in their social circles; they claimed he was only able to reach his recent heights due to the blessing and eventual acknowledgment of his father and owner of Jin Pharmaceuticals, Jin Guangshan. Many people even whispered that the only reason he was ever accepted and supported in polite company at all was due to Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue’s influence, something Lan Xichen very constantly and firmly rejected.

They reach another expansive room with thin yet soft gray carpeting, spotted with numerous multi-color shag carpet rugs and soft couches and beanbag chairs. There are different sized bookshelves all around the room, and cabinets filled with games. The walls are covered in photos, art projects, and bulletin boards advertising themes. There is a notable lack of TVs, computers, or other multimedia sources.

“This is the indoor recreation hall and common area,” Lan Xichen explains. “As you can see, we try to focus on fostering a sense of community here, meaning that games and group projects are encouraged, and we even have group activities and exercises every day.” He points to the gaping space in the wall that leads out to the back field. “This is normally a giant, glass paned door, but on really nice days, we leave them open so that everyone can choose to be inside or out. The orderlies are very good at their jobs, and everyone is very polite, so we’ve never had an issue with making sure everyone is safe and secure.”

They walk to the edge of the room, allowing the warm breeze to carry happy, quiet voices up to them. The carpet of the room becomes white marble and columns that gleam in the light, and pillowed sea-blue seating and benches are available. Lots of multi-colored scrub-wearing men litter the areas in the green grass, all monitored and well behaved like a perfectly crafted garden.

“Down that way there is a basketball court, a small track and field, and we have a monitored area for those who would like to lift weights. Unfortunately, swords have been deemed unsafe in this environment, as well as other play-weapons, so martial arts practice here is limited to tai chi, no-contact, and other meditations, which I personally lead daily.”

Next, he’s walked to the art room that Nie Huaisang had so bitterly complained about. It’s chaotic, covered in projects and paint and stressful to Lan Wangji’s eyes. Jin Guangyao explains that they have access to many sorts of projects that included drawing, painting, and clay. Some, once they earned the privilege, were allowed access to crocheting as well.

Lan Xichen is especially happy when he leads Lan Wangji to the music room. Where the art room was chaos, the music room is completely peaceful. The light blue room is full of light, and the neat cabinets are all labeled with the sorts of instruments inside of them. His amber eyes glow when Lan Xichen even unveils a guqin.

“We ordered it special once I knew you would be coming, Wangji. I’ve missed hearing you play, and I hope that it brings you peace to do so. Activity sign-up is every night, so make sure you save a little time every day to practice.”

“Thank you, Xiongzhang.”

While Jin Guangyao’s large, grand office was far from the main area and usually meant for private business, Lan Xichen’s smaller, cozy office is close by, the door always open for walk ins. He’s taken the time to paint puffy white clouds on the cerulean walls and ceiling, though much of the surface is covered in pictures, informative pamphlets, and encouraging posters. Plants are in three of the corners, and there’s even some hanging from the window behind the wide, light brown desk in the corner. In the middle, there’s a sea green cozy chair with gold plated feet, and there are numerous bean bags laid awkwardly across from it. There’s a small bookshelf and a little table behind the beanbags, filled with things like dolls, crayons, papers, and books.

When Lan Wangji raises a brow at the dolls and crayons, Lan Xichen laughs.

“You would honestly be surprised how many proud men have decided that drawing their feelings was easier than talking about them. There’s nothing wrong with needing a little extra help, whatever works towards aiding one’s healing.”

“Everyone absolutely adores talking to Xichen-ge,” adds Jin Guangyao, proudly smiling at his partner.

Ugh.

The dining area, yet another yellow room, is reminiscent of a public-school lunchroom- not that Lan Wangji has ever eaten in one.  

“The dining area will serve meals at 8am, 1pm, and 6pm. The meals are vegetarian, standard clean-eating Lan fare. Special meal days are every Friday, and everyone looks forward to those! We have a suggestion box, where we vote to see what the special meal will be. Last week we even had pizza! As for interaction, all conversation is to be kept at a low volume, but we do encourage getting to know one another.”

The grey visiting room consisted of a wall full of phones, and twelve small, square tables with chairs for families to visit. The windows were covered in bars, and there was a scanning area where guests would be checked in and out. Out of every room they’d toured, this one was most reminiscent of a prison- there was no way to make sweet the idea that out of the families sitting at these tables, one would be left behind. Lan Wangji shudders. 

“We’ve had to increase our security measures throughout the entire facility, as in recent months we’ve had an attempt at a breakout,” Jin Guangyao apologetically explains. “We try to allow for freedoms where we can.”

Luckily, they don’t dwell too long in this room, and head toward an elevator.

“The first floor contains the most rooms,” Jin Guangyao explains as he badges the door open, “and most of your time will be relegated to there. There are restrooms at each end of the hall. Upstairs is where the bedrooms are located, and downstairs are where the more… private rooms are located.”

The hall that they step into is the complete opposite of the upstairs. Where the halls upstairs were long and covered with natural light and air, this hall glares with cold, industrial lighting and shady white walls. Where the doors upstairs were light blue and made of a pleasant, light wood, these metal doors were a hideous mustard yellow and were all indistinguishable. It’s menacing, suggesting a completely different purpose to the facility, and when Lan Wangji stiffens with a guttural growl, Lan Xichen is quick to console him.

“Didi, it’s okay! It’s fine. There is a reason that the rooms look like this, though it is unfortunate that we couldn’t manage any sunlight. A-Yao, quick, open one so he can see!”

Jin Guangyao scans into one of the rooms. It’s sterile, the floor covered in a thin white carpet and the extra-long twin bed inside made tightly with white sheets and a thick, white cover. A small black chest sits in another corner of the room. On the other side is a shower and a sink, as well as a toilet. The light inside is at least a warm color, and the walls are evergreen, but it still feels like a prison.

“These are the rooms we set aside for when our Alpha and Omega patients go into their cycles. All the white is to make sure we properly clean and sterilize with every single use. We don’t want there to be any trouble amongst the other patients, so we thought it was safer to make sure they can spend the entire time unbothered.” Jin Guangyao points to the black chest. “We make sure to pre-fill that chest with the necessary toys and lubricants, there are different music options as well as books, and food is fed in through the slot at the same times as the regular meals.”

Memories of a cold, dark room flash back, nothing but a futon and sharp commands to ‘bring yourself under control!’ and searing pain that he must overcome because the head Alpha of the Lan cannot be susceptible to temptation like his failure of a father had-

“Wangji! Didi! Calm down for me, okay? Let’s take a couple of deep breaths, come on.”

Lan Wangji’s chest is heaving at this point, and Lan Xichen allows him to squeeze his hands tight while they try to breathe together.

“I know that it’s like being at home, and part of the idea of it is Lan in nature- to work through one’s self-control despite the urges.”

Lan Xichen is a Beta. He’s never gone through any of the anguish Lan Wangji has every time that damned cycle comes around. He would not know, and this sentiment is clear in his eyes because Lan Xichen amends, placing his hands around Lan Wangji’s face.

“I’ve seen how stressed it has made you, which is why I had the idea that there should still be some sort of aid during the cycle. But you must recognize, we can’t just have an Omega in heat stumble into a room surrounded by Alphas, or an Alpha in rut manage to make their way into a space of vulnerable Omegas. We must be more than careful here- this is not to hurt you; this is not to hurt any of you. Do you understand?”

After a moment, Lan Wangji nods, and Lan Xichen lets him go. Jin Guangyao leads them to another hallway further down and opens the heavy steel door. On the other side lay a small set of rooms only illuminated by one lightbulb, and Lan Wangji doesn’t need an explanation for what these are. Unlike the heat and rut rooms, there lay a tiny glass and barred rectangle allowing a sliver of light to get inside. The white walls and floors are entirely padded.

“Given your prior, valid reaction, I would sincerely hope you would never need to be brought here. However, in the event of a severe penalty, patients can spend up to a week here. Meals are brought and observed, and then one is left to ruminate upon their actions. It is rare that we ever have a patient that needs this sort of punishment. I can count on one hand the incidences.”

Just the thought of being down in this space is enough to make Lan Wangji’s skin crawl, and he’s still on edge from before. Jin Guangyao, recognizing this as the end of Lan Wangji’s patience, claps his hands together.

“Well, no need to spend any more time down here! Let’s head up to the second floor!”

The ride back up the elevator feels like ascending from the bowels of hell, and it’s a relief when the light blue walls and sunlight reappear in the hall. Some of the doors are decorated, though he recognizes the gaudiest, with all the fans, flowers, and paper birds as Nie Huaisang’s door. His plain door stands right across.

His room has the same light blue walls and white thin-carpeted floor, illuminated by the thick paned, un-opening window. The bed is soft, with a white comforter. There is a small dresser to hang his seven sets of scrubs in, as well as one set of ‘outside’ clothes, and his underwear. Within the small, attached bathroom is a standard shower, sink and toilet.

“We are trusting our patients not to do anything dangerous within the bathrooms, though, if need be,” amends Jin Guangyao, “we have had to revoke private bathroom privileges in the past. There are no locks on the doors, and the rooms are checked daily for any dangerous paraphernalia. Also, we maintain surprise check-ins. All patients are to be awake by 7am, and in their rooms by 9pm. We do not require that you be asleep, but you cannot leave the rooms after that time. No guests in any of the rooms! Orderlies are stationed at each end of the hall to make sure there are no problems.”

He pauses, thinking. “I think I’ve addressed everything pertinent, er-ge. Is there anything I’m missing?”

Lan Xichen shakes his head, patting Jin Guangyao’s shoulder. “No, I think that’s fine. As for you, Wangji, we like to allow patients the first day to adjust, so it is fine if you choose to stay up here and nap for a while. Just let the orderly know when you are ready to come down, and they will scan the elevator and press the button for you.”

Lan Wangji nods, and with a couple more well-wishes, Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao finally leave him in peace. Exhausted from the tour, he slides the curtain closed and gets into the bed. He cannot remember the last time he’s taken a nap- they were forbidden, and any time with one’s eyes closed between 5am and 9pm was only to be spent in meditation. Still, he’s not in the Cloud Recesses anymore, and so, he slips under the unfamiliar cover and closes his eyes.

“Gege! Gege! Hey, pretty-gege!”

Silver eyes peer at him through a simple black mask, a somewhat sticky hand clinging to Lan Zhan’s dress shirt. Lan Zhan has been staring at the pretty nighttime lake in complete silence for the past ten minutes, looking at how the lovely pink lotuses float by and the big turtles swim past. Why must someone interrupt his peace now?

“That is not my name,” Lan Zhan chastises, scowling as he pulls away from the boy’s hand.

“Well, what is it then? You can call me A-Ying! I’m six!”

His uncle once told him that these parties were for networking, and that means getting to know people’s names and careers. So, begrudgingly, he answers.

“My name is A-Zhan. I am also six.”

“A-Zhan! Hm… I like calling you pretty-gege more, but a name’s a name! Come play with me!”

“These parties are not for playing! They are for networking!”

“What does that mean?”

Lan Zhan’s breath hitches in his throat. He gets the feeling that the boy knows exactly what networking is, and knows that he’s not doing it either. Rather than put his foot in his mouth, he just stands there silently until the boy giggles.

He’s got such a pretty laugh. Pretty laugh, pretty eyes.

“Well, I know how you can ‘network’ with me- play! That’s what the adults do to play- they drink wine, and they talk! In fact, we can set up our own little party- maybe we can invite A-Cheng and A-Sang to come. Here!”

Before Lan Zhan can protest, A-Ying grabs his hand and they run through over the bridges and into a side part of the mansion. Lan Zhan feels like A-Ying is taking the long way, especially when he pretends to slither and slide past any oncoming adult and hops and leaps unnecessarily over things. And yet, he can’t help but do the same, his heart unusually light. This is fun. Lan Zhan is having fun!

Finally, they make their way into the kitchens and rifle around for a couple cups and a glass jar of water from the fridge. They head back outside towards a small outcrop near the lake water and sit, placing the cups around the jar on the large rock located there.

“Now, I will pour the wine for you, and for me, and one for A-Cheng-”

“What are you pouring for me, Wei Ying?” A petulant voice comes from the dock, and when they turn a little boy wearing a suit and a purple mask stands with his hands imperious on his hips. Hiding behind him another little boy wavers, his green mask too big for his face.

“Wine! Come over here and get some! You don’t want to be rude to our guest, A-Zhan!”

“That sounds nice, A-Ying!”

“Wine! You don’t have that! That’s just water!” Despite his disagreement, A-Cheng still makes his way over and forcibly sits in between Lan Zhan and A-Ying.

Lan Zhan doesn’t like that.

A-Ying- Wei Ying- finishes filling the cups and hands them to everyone.

“Now what?” asks A-Sang, with Lan Zhan wondering the same.

“Well, we hit the cups together and then we drink it!”

“Aren’t we supposed to make a wish?” A-Cheng asks.

“Let’s do that, then!”

Once they all have their wishes in their head, they awkwardly clank their cups together and drink the water, and even though that’s all it is, A-Ying looks so incredibly satisfied that Lan Zhan must smile.

“Your smile is so beautiful, A-Zhan! I wished to see it more often!”

Before Lan Zhan can react, a loud voice shouts over the night. The adults are quick to snatch everyone away, and later that night Lan Zhan is forced to do handstands while copying the rules about propriety. Still, he never forgot the little bit of freedom A-Ying had shown him that night and couldn’t bring himself to be sorry.

Prickling beams of dawn pry open Lan Wangji’s eyes. This might be the first time that he’s ever willingly slept past 5am. Perhaps his room checks haven’t started- that or he’d heard no one enter his room. How disconcerting, he thinks, stretching his stiff limbs with a sigh.

That dream, again. Lan Wangji tries not to think about how he only has that dream when he’s deeply yearning for freedom- these days, it was often, and it frustrated him. It wasn’t like he’d never seen Wei Wuxian again. As a ward of the Jiang family, he would sometimes be seen at events hosted by the larger cultivation families. By the time he was seventeen, the sight of Wei Wuxian had only filled him with an overwhelming, conflicting rage. All the boy did was shamelessly flirt with pretty girls and slip drinks to his friends.

It didn’t help that he was still so strikingly beautiful, so curiously intelligent, so… free. Steadfast, Lan Wangji listened to his elders, and told himself that the burn in his chest was just indignation with Wei Wuxian for his impropriety, and not his secret, growing desire to be included. The last he’d heard, the man was in trouble for an illegal form of cultivation, his name and deeds barred from decent Lan conversation.

Damming the errant stream of thought, he settles into a meditation pose on the bed. Normally, the energy flowing from one meridian to another, circling deep and warm within his lower dantian calms him, brings him a sense of stability and self-direction that he cannot seem to find in his life. Now, thanks to the oppressive wristband, it feels underwhelmingly silent and lacking in purpose- how fitting. An annoyingly pleasant alarm harshly interrupts his thoughts, indicating that it’s 7am and time to rise. With a practiced repetition, Lan Wangji cleans, dresses, and shuts down the moment the door opens for the day with a loud “Checks!”

From youth, he’d learned that his stern countenance and lack of social skills prevent others from approaching him, and rather than acknowledge the loneliness he felt at the distance, it was easier to retreat inward. At breakfast the only interaction he had was a kind nurse reminding everyone to check the whiteboard for their schedules that day. The giant board had a list of the morning and afternoon activity options, and the names written underneath signified who’d be doing what. It also contained a general timeline squished amongst the happy bubble letters, so everyone could infer when their activities are.

Lan Wangji’s schedule this day:

Breakfast: 8-8:50am 

Meditation: 9-9:50am

Music : 10-11:40am

Exercise: 11:50-12:50pm

Lunch: 1pm-1:50pm

Free-time: 2-3:45pm

Art : 4-5:40pm

Dinner: 6-7pm

Mini-group Discussion: 7:05-7:45pm

Free Time: 7:50pm-8:50pm

(Medication distribution immediately after meals, lateness excused for patients who visit pharmacy)

Thick revulsion clogs his throat at the section labeled ‘mini-group discussion’. Surely, they weren’t forced to speak? If he had nothing to contribute (and he does not) he would just stay silent and nod along- this always worked with mundane work meetings and excruciating meetings with his elders. His classic wall of ice works perfectly for him through the morning sessions, the wandering eyes and hushed whispers bouncing off him. It isn’t until first free time that someone finally manages the nerve to approach.

He’s sitting on one of the sea blue cushions outside, looking out toward the koi filled pond when the crisp popping of a fan shatters the peace. He turns to glare at the culprit, and Nie Huaisang is quick to hide his face behind his fan.

“Lan er-gongzi! H-hello, I just- I just wanted to greet you properly now that you’re all settled in! You do remember me, yes?”

Another man, clad in violet scrubs and scowling a storm thumps Nie Huaisang in the head, making him wail.

“Yes, he remembers you, Nie Huaisang! All of our families know each other!”

“It’s just to be polite! This is my friend, and the Jiang heir, Jiang Wanyin, but he’s so nice you can call him Jiang Cheng! Say hello, Jiang Cheng!”

The last bit is practically yelped, Nie Huaisang elbowing the man. Jiang Cheng, forced to propriety, bows shortly, and Lan Wangji bows his head. Jiang Cheng twitches, and Nie Huaisang claps his hands together, seemingly pleased with the turn of events.

“We have art together today, Wangji-xiong- can I call you Wangji-xiong?”

“Lan Wangji.”

“Lan Wangji! Unfortunately, they decided to work with clay again, but whenever we have watercolors for fans, I’d be delighted to work with you! And Jiang Cheng is honorary leader of the workout class, so if you ever take his session, I’m sure things will be great! Okay- bye!”

As quick as they arrived, like a tornado they sweep away, though Lan Wangji is not impervious to hearing Jiang Cheng’s growling (“bowing at me while seated; who the fuck does he think he is, an emperor?! And why did you tell him to be familiar with me?!”) He’s not even sure why the interaction occurred, and something mildly more concerning- why were the Jiang heir and second Nie brother even in this facility alongside him?

The art session soon arrives, and Nie Huaisang tentatively waves at him from the front of class before turning toward his clay project. It’s only when he recognizes that all the noise is coming from the front of the room that he realizes that he’s sitting at a table with only one other person, and that person is just as silent as he is.

The man is strange, to sum it all up. His pale, almost translucent skin stands in perfect contrast to his blood red scrubs, with black veins spidering up his neck and to the middle of his forearms. His limp hair falls to his mid-back, tied in a low ponytail so none of it manages to get in his way as he deftly shapes the clay underneath him into a delicate vase far more proficiently than the others. The man must feel Lan Wangji’s gaze upon him, for he turns and shyly smiles.

“Um… if you try it like this, the vase will shape more easily,” he explains, voice pleasant and quiet. “I like to make things, so they made an exception for me to have art session every afternoon, and every night for second free time. That’s how I know, about how to work the clay! My branch of the family was very good with our hands, you see! Um… oh, I’ve said too much… My name is Wen Qionglin, but you can call me Wen Ning!” 

A Wen. If his appearance were not frightening enough, the name would be a severe black mark upon him for the rest. Lan Wangji nods back anyway.

“My name is-”

“Lan Wangji, right? Lan er-gongzi?”

“Lan Wangji is acceptable.”

“Okay. Well, your presence has certainly excited all the other patients- new people always do. It isn’t the most pleasant of experiences, I’m afraid. When I got here, everyone stared at me. And then they avoided me, for obvious reasons.”

His voice is small, sad, yet accepting. Something in it is familiar, and Lan Wangji gives him a questioning look.

“Why do I show kindness anyway?” asks Wen Ning, understanding. “My sister would demand it of me, to show dignity even at my lowest. I want to stay strong, for her, and for- for those who made sure I could still be here. It’s okay if you don’t want to humor me, Lan Wangji. It really is no fun to be the center of gossip.”

There’s a steel in Wen Ning’s deep green eyes, so dark they’re almost black. This is not a man that has been cowed despite life’s challenges, and Lan Wangji finds himself respecting Wen Ning more than anyone in the entire facility, including himself.

“Gossip is forbidden,” he simply replies, before working with the clay the exact way Wen Ning had shown him.

Wen Ning’s eyes widen, and he smiles as he quietly returns to his work.

Lan Wangji gravitates alongside Wen Ning often for the next three months, his only real acquaintance in what quickly becomes mindless repetition. They eat meals together in a soothing peace, and sometimes sit together in the afternoon when Wen Ning would come outside to enjoy the heat. He learns offhandedly that Wen Ning wants to start a gardening club during first free time, but no one else is willing to do it with him and he needs at least five people including himself to sign up. Lan Wangji wants to support, but alas he is not four people, nor does he really want to be around that many people. They enjoy sitting outside quietly anyway.

He attends music session daily, followed by private practice every other night- no one else plays as well, and no one else wants to interrupt the Twin Jade at possibly his most ethereal. Every Sunday afternoon he sits for tea and sweets with Lan Xichen, who always makes sure to come back with some funny story or update on Uncle’s health. It has always amazed him how much stamina his brother has; to get a medical degree and help run a psychiatric facility, as well as to learn the Cloud Recesses corporation doings at the same time- Lan Wangji has always had the discipline, but never the zeal for all these things.

Then again, Lan Xichen has always had the choice to follow other projects.

Art classes are consistent, sometimes led by Nie Huaisang when they get into fan painting and other styles of paints. When Nie Huaisang isn’t being flighty, he reveals a deep intellect for colors, styles, and fashions, and explains to Lan Wangji that he attended school for fashion design, merchandising, and international art history. He abhors the facility’s scrubs.

“Anyway, my skills are nothing important to my family,” he amended, bitterness quietly concealed. “Unfortunately, I just don’t know enough about ‘the business’.”

Sometimes he’ll attend Jiang Cheng’s workout classes, where the man is determined to slip in more intense, cultivation-strengthening martial arts than is technically allowed. He is loud, proud, and prone to aggressive outbursts. Once, during lunch, Nie Huaisang let slip that Jiang Cheng liked to use the crayons during his therapy sessions with Lan Xichen, and the man stormed off to go lift weights for the entirety of free time because of the harmless laughter. The constant anger seems exhausting to Lan Wangji, but he can admit that the man is organized, logistical, and leads an excellent workout, far more focused and strenuous than the usual ease of their daily scheduled one.

Every second Saturday, there is a sanctioned trip of some kind- this means they will go volunteer under supervision or visit a specific place for a couple of hours. Most importantly (according to Nie Huaisang), this means they can put on real clothing, rather than the personality-erasing scrubs. It’s an invigorating feeling, the temporary sense of individuality and freedom. So far, they’ve visited a couple museums, and have volunteered at a farm and a rabbit shelter. Lan Wangji adored the rabbits, making sure to feed them nice and fat, watching them binky across the hay, roll around and experience more happiness with such a simple life than he. It breaks his heart to leave them behind, and his next art class, he ends up painting a small white rabbit. It sits in his room.

Therapy every second Wednesday at 2pm is…odd, to say the least. Jin Guangyao is never rude, never cruel, but there are times where he feels his brother’s confidante is not trying to hear Lan Wangji express emotionally, more so as he is trying to pry information out of him. It matters not; Lan Wangji simply refuses to speak more than the absolute requirement, answering the most objective questions, so most times Jin Guangyao simply takes notes or works on something else while he meditates quietly. He behaves the same at ‘mini-group discussion’, which usually trails off awkwardly anyway.

Occasionally, incidents occur when a patient starts a rut or heat cycle too soon, and those are usually handled with finesse. The patients disappear, then they return, falling back in line. There’s only been one or two notable deviations, where hysterical patients have had to be restrained and transferred to more stringent psychiatric wards somewhere else in the country. Their rooms are cleaned out, their documentation removed, and their frantic behavior dismissed. The peace resumes with nothing more than a light explanation from Jin Guangyao. Nothing and no one is allowed to create ripples in this perfect pool, disturb the peace in this idyllic garden.

Time blends together like abstract watercolors in art class, the Orchid & Peony regimen perfectly in line with Lan-design and discipline. Three months in, Lan Wangji does feel more at peace- no, more at order within, than when he arrived. It’s not perfect, it’s not the life he would choose, but he only will be here for a year of healing.

Things are fine, he thinks one day while reading a book during second free time. This will pass. His guqin is undergoing maintenance, so Wen Ning kindly joined him for reading on one of the rugs. Light conversation permeates the room, all coming to a halt when the doors dramatically slam open and a man in black scrubs and a high pony is unceremoniously tossed into the room.

So, it’s a wealthy cultivator’s ‘prison’, is how Wei Wuxian summarized the Orchid & Peony when it was explained to him the first time. His defense attorney, Song Lan, had sighed at his usual antics, while his human rights activist husband Xiao Xingchen shook with laughter. Still, he’s ready to take on the place- anything had to be better than regular prison, or the under-funded public mental hospital he was originally headed to.

After a two-year stint in the penitentiary coming back from the lowest time in his life, things are finally looking up. Whatever good karma he amassed must have come back in the form of steadfast, just Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen, who one day opened his dismal prison cell and reminded him of the good in humanity by offering their services, free of charge. They’d tirelessly investigated what happened, far beyond what the detectives and prosecution were willing. After being dragged through the jagged glass of a trial, he’s been cleared of all but one of his charges. As for the illicit cultivation charge, he’d been sentenced to an indefinite time within a public psychiatric ward. This was when Jin Guangyao suddenly stepped in, offering to treat him at the Orchid & Peony Rehabilitation Facility.

It seemed like a great idea, too good to be true even, especially when Xiao Xingchen had another warning for him.

“My team actually has an investigation out on the facility right now. There are concerns surrounding Jin Pharmaceuticals, and what work they might be doing there. I suspect their generosity has something to do with you and your… skillset.”

They’d apparently tried to get an in on the place with a prior, interested mole. That was tragically cut short once it was discovered that the patient- a Mo Xuanyu- ‘harmed himself’ so badly during an escape attempt that he was currently under a medically induced coma inside the hospital. They’d lost contact with him a month prior to the news, a devastating blow to Xiao Xingchen’s team. Wei Wuxian’s arrival was nothing short of a potential miracle.  

Now, to his credit, Xiao Xingchen acknowledged that Wei Wuxian didn’t have to do anything about this- on the face, it was none of his business. He’d finally come back to some form of his old self, able to smile, laugh and function- treatment and relaxation would be ideal. However, if the Jin- a family he already disliked on principle, really- had anything to do with the misery he, his friends, and his family have suffered, he wants their entire empire burned to the ground. So, he gladly offers to help with Xiao Xingchen’s investigation- he’ll already be there, he surmises, might as well kill two birds- two peacocks, even- with one stone!

And so, he allows himself to become the scholarship kid in Orchid & Peony, willingly gives his details- Wei Wuxian, 24, 6’1, Beta, blah blah blah, and puts on the kindly provided black scrubs and the questionable wristband. He only dodges one singular question. He happily goes along with the tour and pumps Jin Guangyao for details on the place. He already knows who Jin Guangyao is, had watched him go from unacknowledged Omega bastard Meng Yao to the highly educated, highly refined man he is today. He can’t even bring himself to hate the guy despite his new family name, only to pity him. It was clear he wanted to be daddy’s favorite boy, though why anyone would want to be loved by Jin Guangshan is beyond him. His superfluous questioning must piss him off though, as Wei Wuxian is practically dragged by two orderlies to the recreation common area and tossed inside.

“Greet your new housemates!” Jin Guangyao exclaims, strain in his voice only slightly noticeable before the door is slammed on him. Wei Wuxian stands, rubbing his side and sticking his tongue out at the door.

“So much for a warm welcome,” he mutters. When he sees the entire room looking at him, he shamelessly beams.

“Hello everyone! My name is-”

“Wei Wuxian!”

Wei Wuxian flinches- he’d know that growling, imperious tone of voice anywhere. He fiddles with his fingers and grins sheepishly to hide his anxiety when Jiang Cheng storms up to him.

“Jiang Cheng! What are you doing here?”

Jiang Cheng’s fingers are near his collar when he deftly spins out of the way.

“Aha! No violence! We’ll get in trouble here!” Jiang Cheng still manages to catch him, patting his shoulders and face with shaky hands as if he’s unsure Wei Wuxian is real.

“When have you ever cared about trouble?”

From the side, Nie Huaisang launches dramatically into his arms. “Wei-xiong! I can’t believe you’re here too- how awful!”

Jiang Cheng yanks Nie Huaisang to the side, re-monopolizing Wei Wuxian. “Where have you been? I know that- after the whole-”

He’s relieved of his struggle when Wei Wuxian wraps an arm around his shoulders and squeezes. The strong, familiar smell of petrichor doesn’t allow Jiang Cheng to hide how relieved he is to see Wei Wuxian, despite his grumpy face.

“It’s fine, A-Cheng,” he soothes. “Everything was… handled and now I’m here. I didn’t know you’d be here, but that’s fine- now I can look after you like the wonderful big brother I am!” He hopes no one hears the way his voice shakes with emotion.

With a scoff Jiang Cheng tosses him off, pouting. “More like I look after you! What kind of brother are you, really?” He pauses, glaring at his feet. “Jiejie will be relieved to see you.”

Jiang Yanli had always been a staunch supporter of his, sending him letters from the very beginning when he couldn’t even face the world. He’d convinced her not to get involved for the sake of the Jiang family face, hoarding her letters and rereading them so often they tore. Perhaps now he’d get to see her in a more relaxed setting, maybe even hug her for the first time in two years. He smiles softly at the thought.

“…Wei-gongzi?”

The voice is soft, incredulous, and yet it manages to cut through all the conversation in the room.

“Holy shit.”

Wei Wuxian turns to an awed Wen Ning, who only takes a second to make his way across and hug him, burying his head tightly in Wei Wuxian’s shoulder.

“Hey, none of that ‘gongzi’ stuff, remember,” he murmurs affectionately. “How have you been?”

“I-I’ve been okay!” Wen Ning sniffles. “I’m so sorry about-”

Wei Wuxian shakes his head. “No need for apologies. If you’re okay, that’s what Wen Qing would want, yeah? We’ll figure out what happened, I promise you.”

Smiling, Wen Ning wipes his face. “Oh! I’ve actually been doing much better, since I’ve made a good friend here.” He pulls away, and gestures to his side.

When Wei Wuxian turns to his left, he can hardly believe his eyes.

He’s only gotten more beautiful; I can’t take it!

Rich, golden eyes, gorgeous skin with a slight tan from the sun, a body that would make a marble sculptor weep and a face that would tempt even angels- this is most certainly-

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian gasps loudly in delight, and Lan Wangji’s ears glow a bright red as his eyes widen. This must be Wei Wuxian’s lucky day!

“You know him?” Wen Ning asks, curious.

“Know him? We’ve been friends since we were kids!” Wei Wuxian replies, elbowing Lan Wangji’s waist before the other man pulls away.

“Presumptuous!”

“Lan Zhan,” he pouts. “We drank together! How can we be anything other than lifetime friends?”

“We have not spoken in years! And it was water!” Lan Wangji hisses, before sharply inhaling. Wei Wuxian wins this round, and he smiles wickedly.

“You even remember every detail, I’m honored!”

Before he can tease Lan Wangji any further, Jiang Cheng pulls him away.

“I know you can’t manage to save your own face, but at least have some decency! He’s an Alpha-”

“And that means nothing to me, Jiang Cheng, because as a Beta I can’t smell him.”

Jiang Cheng stutters, looking intensely at Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian returns the look just as strongly. Finally, Jiang Cheng relents, but still steps firmly in between them.

“You still don’t need to be rubbing all on him like that. Anyone would think you were scenting him in decent company.”

Lan Wangji stiffens and moves to walk away when the nighttime announcement goes off.

“Lan Zhan, where are you going? What about our wonderful reunion?” Wei Wuxian calls, but the other man refuses to turn around. He sighs in disappointment and follows the crowd to the stairs. Nie Huaisang slithers up beside him, knowing eyes peering over his fan. Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning follow, though pointedly not looking at one another.

“You still have a crush on him, don’t you, Wei-xiong?” he teases, and Wei Wuxian ruffles his hair. Squawking, Nie Huaisang quickly moves away to fix it.

“I don’t have to have a crush to appreciate his beauty, Nie Huaisang.”

Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes. “Says the guy who’s been gawking at him since we were teenagers. He hardly even knows you exist!”

“Well, I couldn’t drag the second Twin Jade of Lan into our illicit drinking, now could I?”

“You said you just couldn’t find the right moment to convince him.”

“Same difference!”

They’re just about to enter the stairway when Wen Ning pulls away. Wei Wuxian turns, concerned.

“It’s okay, Wei gon- Wei-ge. Sometimes, because of my health, I have to go to extra check ins. Have a good night!”

He walks away, and Wei Wuxian frowns. What kind of check-ins happen late at night- why didn’t Wen Ning have his appointments during the day? His thought process is interrupted when Jiang Cheng drags him into his room.

“Jiang Cheng,” he chuckles. “It’s 8:55pm- you know there are no guests after 9! And here you were, worried about propriety.”

“Can it,” Jiang Cheng hisses. “Are you still covering up your-” He gestures at Wei Wuxian vaguely, who rolls his eyes.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, isn’t that important here? It’s on our wristbands. They have whole rooms for us during cycles- what if you get into one while you’re here? Have you thought about that? I bet you haven’t!”

“I’ve got it covered.” He’d asked for Xiao Xingchen to sneak him a full bottle of suppressants, and they had their entire system set up with the occasional visits. “I just need to find a place in my room where they won’t find it.”

“They run checks every day. Just… just make sure you’ve got it handled. Because if you don’t, and you start acting funny, I will tell on you.”

“Sure, sure, I understand. Thank you for worrying, Jiang Cheng.”

Assuaged, Jiang Cheng nods. “Whatever. And stop rubbing up on Alphas! You know that’s dangerous!”

“Fine, fine. I’ve never had any problems before. I’ve been around you my whole life!”

“And I’d rather die than touch you that way- but that’s not the same for the rest of these guys, maybe even your precious Lan Wangji.”

Wei Wuxian isn’t worried about Lan Wangji. The Lan family is notorious for self-control, their forehead ribbons serving as both a symbol and a partial scent blocker. And if that wasn’t enough, Lan Wangji was obviously still not a toucher- there’d be no issues.

“I’m not trying to seduce him or anything, relax.” He pauses to think. “I just think he still looks so lonely, and frankly, ever so boring. Maybe I’ll spice his life up a little!”

Before Jiang Cheng can firmly veto this plan, the 9pm announcement comes on, and Wei Wuxian shoots up. “Gotta go! Don’t worry- it’ll all be okay!”

Wei Wuxian dashes across the hall and into his room just as the orderlies begin to check each door. They scowl at him, and he salutes before closing the door.

To be honest, he’d gotten completely lucky. Hiding the hand-sized bottle of suppressants was not going to be a small feat, and he’d been ready to spend all night slowly and silently burrowing a hole in the bathroom walls. However, when he was starting to crack into the tile, it turns out there was already a singular tile loose. And behind it, there was a note.

The guardian angels want YOU to LIVE- Mo Xuanyu

Wei Wuxian’s heartbeat slows to a thud, time pausing as he regards the words. Crazy Mo Xuanyu had written this odd note to himself while hiding whatever else in here. It serves as a reminder to Wei Wuxian that he, too, has a job to fulfill. Multiple jobs. He shoves the bottle of pills into the wall and quickly replaces the tile. With a deep, hopeful breath, he scratches out a couple resentful characters. When they appear, perfectly sealing and erasing the evidence, Wei Wuxian heaves a sigh of relief. The wristband was only linked to spiritual energy, then. Without the power to sense resentment, they would not be able to find his hiding place.

Then he gets into bed, presses his palms to his eyes and ponders his purpose, as he’s been unable to prevent himself from doing every night for two damn years. Restful sleep? What was that?

Jiang Cheng. Wen Qing. Wen Ning.

Jiang Cheng’s appearance was unsettling as lightning on a clear day. Why was he in Orchid & Peony when he was supposed to be learning the ropes at Lotus Pier Engineering? Jiang Cheng had been accepted to an excellent engineering program. It had been better that way, with Madame Yu finally having something to lord over everyone’s head: here was something her own son could accomplish that Jiang Fengmian’s ward could not. Not that it stopped Wei Wuxian; he was always good with his hands. When they were kids, they did a fair amount of small robot building, car building, even car stealing (dragging Nie Huaisang around even though they all knew it was trouble). It was Wei Wuxian’s pride that he knew, fancy education or not, he could tear anything apart and put it back together. Adding his cultivation skills to the mix only further emphasized what he could do. From laptops, to cars, to medical instruments- given some time to study and a little more time to fuck around and find out, and he could do anything. 

It was this mentality, and miserable chance, that led him to Wen Qing.

He was twenty, and it had been a dark, dismal, rainy night when the family’s luxury car was t-boned, full speed. Jiang Fengmian and Madame Yu had perished immediately, but Wei Wuxian had barely been able to drag an unconscious Jiang Cheng out of the car, deeply thankful Jiang Yanli was elsewhere that night. They were deep in Wen territory, in the Burial Mound projects of Yiling- help was going to take its sweet time getting to them, if they could even call for it. Just when Wei Wuxian had lost hope, a miracle in the form of Wen Ning and Wen Qing had dragged them into a nearby home and treated them for their injuries. That same night, Jiang Cheng called himself trying to avenge his family from who he was maniacally sure had hit them. He’d come back, empty and dying.

Wei Wuxian knew what had to be done.

It was a fight, for sure, convincing, arguing, and then finally begging Wen Qing to help him once more. She was already struggling to take care of her brother in an area of town infamously known as a cesspit for the resentment of the poor; she couldn’t afford any extra weight. Still, he begged. He swore that he would help her with anything she needed from that day forth. A shady clinic with a ‘mysterious doctor’ had solved what Wei Wuxian had thought was the most pressing of his problems.  

At the end of it all, a furious Jiang Cheng didn’t understand why Wei Wuxian abandoned him. It’s just temporary, Wei Wuxian promised. I’m helping them because they helped us, and once I’m done here, I’ll come back to you, he explained. Jiang Cheng couldn’t have known how exhausted he was as he pushed him into the safe vehicle that would take him to Jiang Yanli. He couldn’t have understood just how much Wei Wuxian had sacrificed for him.

And then, the sun fell from the sky. The Wen were eventually ripped from their positions in society, exposed for their shady dealings and mafia-like activities in both the cultivation and non-cultivation world. Wen Ruohan was prosecuted and executed alongside his first son, Wen Xu. His second son, Wen Chao, Wang Lingjiao, and the infamous core-crusher Wen Zhuliu had mysteriously died earlier in a car crash. It’s said that the vehicle- built by Lotus Pier Engineering- had been tampered with. The crime scene had teemed with resentment, but not enough to suggest it wasn’t just the infamous area itself.

Same as with the Jiang, the incident had been ruled a tragic accident.

Nothing changed in the Burial Mounds- people hadn’t cared before, and they didn’t try to care after.

Despite this, for the next two years, things seemed okay. Wei Wuxian had been developing a method of cultivation using the ever-lingering resentment. It was historically frowned upon in their society, but he was so sure that if he could prove it was safe to use when controlled properly, it had limitless potential. One didn’t need to cultivate a golden core to use it, which made it more accessible to those with quicker, temporary power needs.

There was still a space for him in this powerful world, his heart would whisper fervently, frenetically. There was still a use for someone like him. He could go home and still support his family.

He dubbed this first project the ‘Stygian Tiger Amulet’- a small trinket that concentrated the energy for use. Unwilling to risk anyone else, he’d been testing his entire methodology on himself, spending two years concentrating all the long-held resentment of the dilapidated Burial Mounds projects into his mind and body. There were good days, and there were really, really bad days, but nothing that he hadn’t found himself able to control.

Wen Qing didn’t necessarily support his idea, claiming it was unhealthy as she constantly had to scrape Wei Wuxian off the ground and patch him up, but she didn’t stop him. She knew she couldn’t stop him. So long as he helped her with her golden core and meridian research, she bothered with none of what Wei Wuxian tinkered with. She knew that if she could get her research off the ground, perhaps somewhere would be willing to pick her up on scholarship, poverty and last name be damned. It was the only straitlaced way out. Despite the ever-present hunger and occasional battles with depression, it was honestly a brilliant time in his life. Both were technical geniuses, making sure the world could be a better place.

And then- fire and brimstone. Glass, brick, and the pieces of all their work became deadly shrapnel. Though covered in bloody cuts, Wei Wuxian had been lucky to be farthest away from the epicenter. Flames quickly licked up the pages on the walls and in the desks.

As Wei Wuxian frantically bent over Wen Qing’s bleeding body, the fire burning all her beloved notebooks to cinders, she’d grabbed him by the collar.

Save A-Ning, she whispered, scowling fiercely despite her life quickly fading. Wen Ning was half covered in rubble, large metal shards sticking out of his stomach and his eyes quickly glazing over.

But you’ll die, Wen Qing, he’d sobbed. The world needs you!

The fury in her eyes burned hotter than the flames.

“My brother comes first… I worked on this world so I could take care of him…”

Her eyes rolled back in her head, and in a heartbroken fury, Wei Wuxian rose the Stygian Tiger Amulet and directed all its energy at Wen Ning. Like a puppet with frayed, weakening strings, Wen Ning jerked, shuddering with resentment and blood, and rose.

Abandoning the destroyed lab and all the burning evidence of their work, they disappeared into the night. The next two weeks are a blank space in Wei Wuxian’s mind- he’s not sure what he did or how he survived. He blinked, and suddenly, he’d managed to repair Wen Ning’s body, and hostile Jin cultivators were banging on their door. Their cruelty could only be matched by the pure, mind-numbing resentment choking Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning. The fight had been fierce and bloody, but in the end, a bone-exhausted, defeated Wei Wuxian was captured and dragged into their prison.

Catatonically mute, it had taken weeks for him to speak, let alone defend himself or make any choices on his own. If Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen hadn’t been there, he’s unsure he would have avoided execution, let alone a clearing of his name. It was clear that the Jin-corrupted prosecution was interested in one thing- how he managed to revive Wen Ning. It was laughable, really, because he honestly couldn’t say. What bad science, Wen Qing might have teased. All that work, and he couldn’t remember what he’d done. Perhaps, while dissociated, he’d willed the amulet to do his bidding. Who knew. Said amulet had been well hidden- and if they didn’t know what to look for, they couldn’t pump him for information on it.

Now, he was finally in their midst, and they treated him as though he were harmless- a madman who needed to be ‘pushed off his dark path and brought back to the light’. They could push Wei Wuxian wherever they wanted, but he will find out the truth.

The next morning, during free time, an orderly summons Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng.

“Patient Jiang, Patient Wei,” he grumbles. “You have a visitor.” Both men shoot to their feet. There could only be one person that wanted to see both of them at once, and they struggle like newborn kittens racing to be first to the visiting area. Jiang Yanli sits primly, wearing a simple lavender sundress and looking elegant and every inch the young Madame that she now is.

“Jiejie!” calls Jiang Cheng, winning the fight as he manages to leapfrog over Wei Wuxian’s head into the room. Smiling, she stands, and both wrap themselves around her in a tight hug. She makes sure to take extra time to hug Wei Wuxian.

“A-Xian, it’s been so long,” she soothes, and Wei Wuxian entire face crumbles in her kindness and the soft smell of lotuses.

“Big guy you are, tearing up,” Jiang Cheng teases, hiding his own tears.

“Which one of us has spent time in real prison,” challenges Wei Wuxian, sniffling as Jiang Yanli gently wipes his face. They both pull chairs to her side, each desperate for her attention.

“Has that peacock been treating you well?” Wei Wuxian demands, checking her arms for any marks. He’d been in prison during her wedding, one of many heartbreaking regrets.

“A-Xuan is a prince,” she replies amicably, gently caressing her mark, and Jiang Cheng gags.

“I still find it hard to think of you as ‘Young Madame Jin’. He sucks.”

Wei Wuxian agrees wholeheartedly.

“A-Cheng! Both of you, stop being mean.” She turns to Wei Wuxian. “Are they feeding you well?”

“Nope,” Wei Wuxian swiftly replies. “With the rabbit food they serve here, I’ll end up floating away in the wind.”

Jiang Cheng chokes on his laughter. “You haven’t even been here as long as I have. Only ‘special Friday’ makes eating the other meals worth it.”

“I miss Shijie’s lotus root and pork rib soup,” whines Wei Wuxian, widening his eyes at Jiang Yanli.

“I’m sorry, XianXian, I couldn’t bring you any food. It’s against the rules.”

“Hmph. I’ll only forgive you because you’re my Shijie and I love you.”

Jiang Cheng takes her other hand. “So, what brings you here today? You aren’t busy with Madame Jin and her business?”

She shakes her head. “A-Xuan and his father are visiting Jin Guangyao today, and I decided to join them. We haven’t been together as a family in so long…”

Her words weigh heavy on Wei Wuxian, who knows he’s the reason behind the need for this impromptu family reunion. He leans into her shoulder, and she gently strokes his hair.

“Have you been taking better care of yourself, A-Xian?”

When he doesn’t answer, she emits a questioning smell, and both men know what she means.

“He-” Jiang Cheng checks around- there are no other visitors. “He’s still hiding it, Jiejie.”

Jiang Yanli frowns, trying to lift Wei Wuxian’s chin, but he shakes his head.

“I have my ways. I’ll be fine.”

Jiang Yanli doesn’t look convinced. “Are you still upset about ou- my presentation, A-Xian?”

“I’m not upset about the presentation itself, Shijie. Of course, not- Omegas are capable of anything anyone else can do! But…I mean, you know what it’s like! You know how they treat people. I’d never be able to do anything without people having something to say about it.”

He’d watched how they treated Jiang Yanli when she presented as an Omega. His sister, one of the sweetest yet strongest people in the world, relegated to looking pretty and becoming breedable, especially to a peacock that acted like he was better than her in all ways. He’d heard how his mother defied the odds, becoming a rogue cultivator despite the idea that being an Omega and a cultivator was laughable. The final nail in the coffin was learning, when he was just a teenager, how Wen Ruohan and his predecessors would take advantage of Omegas by marking them, essentially forcing them into servitude for a multitude of cruelties at the whim of a megalomaniac Alpha. Wei Wuxian would rather die before letting someone take advantage of him like that.

It had been easier to constantly beg his new family to simply say nothing and allow him to continue his training. It had to be, anything was easier than accepting that one day he’d be sold off to whomever would get him out of Madame Yu’s gaze first. It was easy enough to ‘pass’- he’s always been tall, broader than most his presentation, and outwardly confident enough to blow it off. As she was more concerned on Jiang Yanli and her marriageability, Madame Yu had accepted the terms. Now more than ever, though, he felt he needed to hide his conditions- he wasn’t safe otherwise.

Jiang Yanli only looks at him a moment longer, then sighs, squeezing his cheek.

“If things become bad, A-Xian, I want you to swallow your pride and tell A-Cheng just in case, so that he can tell your Shijie and I can get you some help, okay? This is all I ask of you.”

“I’ll take care of him, Jiejie.” Jiang Cheng sounds confident, and Jiang Yanli holds Wei Wuxian’s gaze until he capitulates.

“Okay. I promise.”

Placated, Jiang Yanli pats his cheek one last time.

“So! When I get out of here, the first thing we need to do is go out for some spicy food!”

The baffled look on Lan Wangji’s face when Wei Wuxian plops down next to him is enough for his laughter to boil right over into tears.  

“Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, isn’t it great? We have mini-group together!”

Once more, Lan Wangji’s ears turn a fierce shade of red, but he’s caught- the small group includes himself, Wei Wuxian, Nie Huaisang, Wen Ning, Jiang Cheng, and five other men. There’s nowhere to hide that Wei Wuxian couldn’t simply follow.

It’s made even worse when Lan Xichen is the one leading mini group that day.

“Well! I see we have a new face today! Please, introduce yourself to the group!”

Lan Wangji narrows his eyes infinitesimally at Lan Xichen, who pointedly avoids his look. Wei Wuxian stands, saluting the group.

“My name is Wei Ying, courtesy name Wuxian. Though, only Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan can call me Wei Ying.”

“Oh?” Lan Xichen questions, making a note in his journal. “Lan Zhan. Interesting.”

“Xiongzhang.”

“Do you have any fun facts about yourself?”

Tapping his lip, Wei Wuxian thinks to himself. “Well, I’m really good at working with my hands! When we were teenagers, A-Cheng, A-Sang and I used to jump cars and go joy-riding!”

Jiang Cheng grabs his arm and yanks him to the ground, while Nie Huaisang awkwardly hides behind his fan. Of all the infamous work Wei Wuxian managed ‘with his hands’, jumpstarting cars was not it. Lan Xichen gracefully laughs, leaning back in his chair.

“Well, I’ll just leave that bit out of the notes, okay? It’s good to see that you have existing, positive relationships with some of the other patients- it’s good when it comes to expanding our community. Now, do we have anything we want to discuss tonight? If not, I’ll pick a topic.”

There’s usually silence, prompting the team leads to provide a topic. However, Wei Wuxian is ready with his hand in the air.

“Let’s talk about wine! I miss wine!”

Everyone turns to look at him in shock, and he shrugs.

“It’s been ages since I had a good drink.”

“That is not an appropriate topic,” hisses Lan Wangji, and Jiang Cheng glares his agreement.

“No, no,” Lan Xichen placates, causing Jiang Cheng’s jaw to drop. “It’s an honest thought, and we like to encourage honest thinking. What do you miss about wine, Wei Wuxian?”

“Well, back home, we used to have wines at festivals. I used to try all the tasters, seeing which one was the best of the season. But if you asked me my favorite, there was this one wine I had a long time ago. It was so smooth and crisp, it had just the right amount of burn to it. I think it was a wine from Gusu, even!”

“In the light blue bottle?” asks Nie Huaisang. “That was Emperor’s Smile! I remember that one!”

“Yes! Emperor’s Smile! Who here has had some?” Wei Wuxian turns around the group, seeing only his, Jiang Cheng, Nie Huaisang, and Lan Xichen’s hands go up. When Lan Wangji’s hand stays down, Wei Wuxian leans into him, grinning when he leans away.

“Lan Zhan! I don’t mind everyone else, but you lived in Gusu! How could you not have had Emperor’s Smile? Oh!” He gasps dramatically. “Xichen-ge! Did you drink all of it and not share? How could you treat Lan Zhan like this?”

Giggling travels around the circle, and even Lan Xichen bites his lip to stop his laughter when Lan Wangji’s eyes burn into him.

“I usually do not drink,” Lan Wangji stiffly replies. “May we move on from this topic?”

Lan Xichen’s expression drops infinitesimally, and Wei Wuxian raises his hands in defeat. “Of course! If we continue, I’ll end up moving on to my favorite foods and getting even sadder. What do you want to talk about?”

When Lan Wangji refuses to reply, Wen Ning tentatively raises a hand.

“I…I would like to talk about art class. I really enjoyed the fan making today.”

Snapping his fan shut, Nie Huaisang’s eyes sparkle as he turns to Wen Ning.

“I’m so glad to hear that, Wen Ning! I’ve actually been thinking about asking if we could make giant community painted fans and hang them up as decorations in the lunchroom! Give the space some more color other than this damn yellow.” Realizing what he’s said, he quickly reopens his fan. “Not that there’s anything wrong with yellow, er-ge.”

“It’s fine to feel this way, Huaisang. I will take your idea into consideration.”

The conversation continues for the next hour, and near the end, Lan Xichen brings them back to center.

“I must be honest- I think this was the liveliest mini-group we’ve had! I’ve heard from people that I rarely hear today,” he says, with a pointed look at Lan Wangji and Wen Ning. “I appreciate your willingness to open up and express how you feel with the group. I hope we can continue this energy in the future!”

The announcement goes off, and everyone rises from their spots on the ground. Today’s mini group had been held in the lunchroom, so they make their way to the common area.

“Wangji,” Lan Xichen calls. “Do you mind if I speak with you for a moment?”

Before Wei Wuxian can hear anymore, Jiang Cheng pulls him away.

“Wangji, you seem quite happy to have Wei Wuxian’s attention!”

“I am not!”

“You spoke more today than you’ve ever spoken at any mini-group!”

“…”

“I think he’d make a very intriguing friend, and he seems to enjoy your company. A delight to have in group. Do you want to sit with him more often?”

“No!”

A month passes by, and Wei Wuxian finds that he’s fitting in quite nicely at rich cultivator’s prison. Mini-group is always a fun time to cleverly bitch and moan about the Orchid & Peony under the guise of positivity, while getting credit for being a participating good noodle- his group is the envy of all four. Unfortunately, his mischief means that he has not earned the right to lead a group activity, but he makes sure that he’s always a joy in everything else.

He and Jiang Cheng enjoy group workout together, and it’s refreshing to fight hand to hand without cultivation (until they almost get in trouble and are forced back into regular martial arts practice). It’s such a pleasure to watch Lan Wangji fight in that graceful, grounded Gusu Lan style. Other times, he joins in with Nie Huaisang’s art projects, painting lovely pictures that now grace walls of many inpatients alike, his own included. Sometimes, he and Wen Ning will work on clay pieces together- he once tried to make a replica of an Emperor’s Smile jar, which had been soundly and sadly been rejected by Lan Xichen.

His favorite part so far was breaking down Lan Wangji’s defenses. His first attempt was with the music room. It was clear that everyone avoided the space out of intimidation of the otherworldly man’s nightly guqin playing. Well, Wei Wuxian is no slouch at the dizi, and he plays for fun- that’s the best part of music! It hadn’t gone too well, though he’s sure he caught Lan Wangji’s gaze a couple of times, and he hadn’t left the room altogether (he’s not allowed to once session has started anyway- jokes on him!)

Sitting with him at lunch wasn’t too successful either. The man would avoid him like the plague, though eventually Wei Wuxian managed to catch him, so it seems he’s given up escaping for now. He constantly side-eyes Lan Wangji through the conversations, every day, making sure the man didn’t bail. He shoves down the reality that his self-esteem would take a hit if Lan Wangji ever did push him away, so he’s been waiting just in case to make sure he plays it off. 

Then, he got his break on an extra special day. They’d gone to this rabbit farm for volunteering, and he’d been full of jokes about roasting one of the fat, pampered buns and sneaking it inside. All of them desist when they watched Lan Wangji, a divine sight to behold in his soft, expensive casualwear, gently took care of each rabbit in his group. Each puffball would clamor to sit in his lap, to take the treats in his hands, to be blessed by the long, gorgeous fingers that preened their fur.

“They really like you, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian commented softly, shocked at how ardently he suddenly wished he were the one receiving such gentle treatment.

“En,” is the only response before Lan Wangji turned away from him. He’d been pointedly avoiding Wei Wuxian’s gaze the entire trip, but unlike in the Orchid & Peony, Lan Wangji had seemed so at harmony amongst the rabbits that Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but leave him to it and watch. A quiet, tender man, secretly delighted by tiny bunnies- how precious! And it gave him a great idea!

That night he went to the art room and he made a giant cutout of one white and one black rabbit, intertwined, each with a flower on its head. The white rabbit got a lovely blue flower, and the black one got a red one. ‘Be My Best Friend!’ it practically screams, and Wei Wuxian proudly waited near Lan Wangji’s door at bedtime. Lan Wangji had given him a suspicious look, likely wondering how he was going to get around this.

“Wei Ying…”

“Lan Zhan! I have a gift for you!”

“…a gift?”

“Yes!” He turned towards Lan Wangji’s door and slammed the cutout on it. It’s the perfect size and sits neatly in the middle. “Ta da! What do you think?”

Still jumpy from Wei Wuxian’s sudden movement, Lan Wangji wore a wary gaze, but then he takes in the art. His body relaxed, and his eyes sparkled. And then- then-

“Is that a smile, Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian murmurs, awed. It’s a small, quirk of the lips, but Lan Wangji’s entire face blooms with the simple change, and he felt his heart pounding in response. Of course, once spotted, Lan Wangji had immediately fled into his room, but the stage was set.

Ever since then, Lan Wangji began to tolerate him a little more each day. He lets Wei Wuxian harmonize his flute with his guqin melodies. When he sat next to Lan Wangji for lunch, Lan Wangji didn’t get up anymore. In fact, he’s proprietary about where Wei Wuxian sits! He still doesn’t talk, but he allows Wei Wuxian to fill the air with chatter as he talks to him and Wen Ning about whatever popped in his head that day. Soon, even Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang find the nerve to join them, talking just beneath the volume allowed. Lan Wangji’s eyes never leave Wei Wuxian, and he finds that he likes having someone listen to him so seriously.

Lan Wangji even manages to convince them all to join Wen Ning’s gardening club! Wei Wuxian thinks it’s a great idea when Wen Ning brings it up- they can go out on weekends, play in the dirt, sit in the sun, feel the breeze, and get out of that damn facility. And yet, it had been a hard sell. Nie Huaisang didn’t want anything to do with getting dirty out in the sun, and Jiang Cheng was still adjusting to the idea of Wen Ning as a whole. Suddenly, Lan Wangji silently signed Wen Ning’s petition, and turned to stare pointedly at both, holding out the ballpoint pen.

“Lan Wangji… Lan er-gongzi…” whines Nie Huaisang, once more hiding.

“Who do you think you’re looking at like that?” Jiang Cheng growled. “Think you’re better than me?”

“Please reconsider,” is all Lan Wangji has to say.

Nie Huaisang was first to capitulate under the unflinching gaze. Jiang Cheng, unwilling to miss out and pinned between Lan Wangji’s glare and Wei Wuxian’s classic pout, signed out of spite. Regardless, Wen Ning was delighted, and their first beautification project is planting already growing baby strawberry plants and carrots in a patch near the lake.

Under the hot sun and merciful breeze, there are two things that Wei Wuxian observes. The first, and most important, is that something has been up with Wen Ning. He seems less aware than normal, jumping when Wei Wuxian nudges him, and he stutters more often when he speaks. It’s hard to run any diagnostics on Wen Ning while the orderlies are watching over him- and one of the specific orderlies assigned to them each time has been Su She, who was a gigantic stick in the mud. Wei Wuxian doesn’t know what’s come over Wen Ning, but he’s pretty sure it has to do with those odd night “check-ups” that he has once a week. Instinct tells him that if he can find a time to privately talk to Wen Ning, he’ll have something to report to Xiao Xingchen.

The second thing was that Lan Wangji smelled good. When Wei Wuxian thanks Lan Wangji for the help with the garden, seeing that private smile flash across the other man’s face; at that moment, Wei Wuxian was sure he smelled something pleasant- and it wasn’t Jiang Cheng.

This was a problem for two reasons. First, Lan Wangji wasn’t supposed to smell like anything, as that forehead ribbon was supposed to block most of his scent. He could be accidentally releasing scent, which might be due to him relaxing around Wei Wuxian and the others. The second, and more worrisome, problem was that Lan Wangji might be nearing a rut. This wasn’t inherently bad, except that if Lan Wangji was scenting like this, it meant that it could affect Wei Wuxian badly, especially with how even a small whiff of the sandalwood scent was so scrumptious. He wants to ask Jiang Cheng if he can smell Lan Wangji too, but that would make him fly into worried rage, so he just doubles the number of suppressants he’s taking and tries to focus on other things.

Jin Guangshan is not intimidating at first glance. The Alpha has delicate features, pale, soft skin that suggests he’s never had to work a day in his life, and always wears a beatific smile on his face.

That same sneaky smile his bastard son would inherit.

Anyone who thinks the man is a natural born diplomat is a fool. Jin Guangshan lets money do the talking and thinking for him- and money is charismatic. Unfortunately, it hasn’t bought brilliance this time, and the businessman and sect leader is furious. Evidence of this fury lies in Jin Guangyao’s hat on the floor across the room, the bright red mark on his cheek, the way cloying peony presses overbearingly over tea roses. There is no one to protect Jin Guangyao here, two floors underground, silenced by soundproof concrete and the consequences of dark secrets.

“You continue to fail me.”

Jin Guangyao bows his head low. “I apologize.”

“And what do you think you’re sorry for, I wonder? For daring to bring me into this dank, miserable lab of yours, that only bears failures? You should be. For not managing to complete the one task I’ve given you, that I’ve funneled money into, for three years? An apology won’t be near enough.”

Jin Guangshan gestures at all the sealed doors in the small, dark corridor.

“All this, and nothing accomplished. Mo Xuanyu almost managed an escape, and even when you retrieved him, testing has been useless. He is useless. Wen Ning remains a mystery. I bring you the one person who’s ever come close to a mere semblance of the Stygian Tiger Amulet we managed to finally find out about, and yet every time I return to this abominable place all he’s managed to do is fuck around with demonic cultivation and provide nothing. And now,” he says, raising a hand and watching with satisfaction as Jin Guangyao flinches. “Wei Wuxian himself has been delivered into your hands, and again, you have nothing. Please, explain yourself once more. I’m honestly curious to hear your excuses this time.”

Swallowing white-hot rage, Jin Guangyao raises his head.

“Security has been increased and strengthened since Mo Xuanyu’s escape attempt. I cannot risk doing too much with Wen Ning and potentially ruin our best test sample- I must tread lightly! There is no replacement for him, at least not given our past attempts at replication. Xue Yang is not easy to work with- if I don’t let him do what he thinks he wants to do, he won’t work at all. He is…sporadically effective, at best. As for Wei Wuxian… I am still trying to figure out his angle. Er-ge- Lan Xichen is currently in charge of his therapy sessions, and he hasn’t revealed anything of value- I check his notes every week.”

“Why are you even bothering with this façade? Bind him and drag him down for answers!”

“That is not possible- unlike Mo Xuanyu, there are notable people who will care for his absence or injury, including the Young Madame Jin.”

It brings Jin Guangyao a fierce sense of pleasure to see the way his father flinches at the thought, not of the younger madame, but of his shrewd wife.

He continues. “Not only this, but if something happens to Wen Ning too quickly, Wei Wuxian will notice. How do I fight using demonic cultivation against its creator?”

“Wei Wuxian is here?”

A grinning young adult strides out, grey sweatsuit tie-dyed macabrely with varying ages and shades of blood. It’s clear that he doesn’t care about cutting the strain of the moment.

“I wanna meet him.”

Jin Guangyao does not need this right now. “Xue Yang, please. I’m busy.”

“Oh, I see- Daddy is here. You wanna help me do some experimentation, Daddy?” He suggestively licks his lips, grinning.

The sinister humor visibly disgusts Jin Guangshan, who opens his fan to block Xue Yang from his vision. Finally, Xue Yang shrugs.

“Whatever. I’ll see him one day. I’d love to know what he knows; can you imagine? Tea, blood, and the creator of demonic cultivation himself. I’m orgasmic.”

Jin Guangyao gives Jin Guangshan a pointed look.  You see what I have to deal with?! It isn’t until Xue Yang has returned to whatever he’s doing that they both relax.

“Listen,” comments Jin Guangshan, voice as light as though he was discussing a picnic lunch. “You already botched the first thing I trusted you with. I currently need two things from you: one has been practically resuscitated from death using cultivation no one can understand nor replicate, and both of those men are right in our clutches. Your lack of drive astounds me in this matter.”

He dwells for a moment, tapping his lips with his fan. “Perhaps you need more motivation? Since, apparently, the overwhelming potential for our family to monopolize the healthcare market and make millions is not enough for you. Perhaps you’re greedier than I thought. Keep this in mind- I’ve already promised that if you can manage to recreate Wei Wuxian’s amulet or the strength of his cultivation style, I would fund all your little mental health projects, and make you the sole owner of the Orchid & Peony empire. This is already more respect and power than you as an Omega would ever deserve.”

It’s a sharp thorn in Jin Guangyao’s side- the fact that the current Jin representative of his Orchid & Peony is his legitimate brother, the Alpha Jin Zixuan, even though he had absolutely nothing to do with any of the work involved.

“If you fail me one more time, I have no problem letting all of this fall on your head. No one will believe you otherwise. Don’t push your luck with me, else I will rethink marrying you off and out of my sight, and it won’t be to that soft-headed Lan Beta either.”

It’s not an idle threat. During the Sunshot Campaign against Wen Ruohan, Jin Guangshan had secretly given Jin Guangyao- then Meng Yao- to the Alpha as a buffer against immediate retaliation against the Jin. It was only Wen Ruohan’s madness and his own craftiness that saved him from the man’s lecherous clutches. Jin Guangshan walks over to the fallen cap, dusting it off with a beat of his fan, and hands it to Jin Guangyao.

“Do I make myself clear, A-Yao?” The sugary tone is revolting.  

Jin Guangyao puts on his cap and returns a perfectly saccharine smile.

“Yes. I understand.”

“Quite.”

As they walk up the stairs, Jin Guangyao imagines grabbing the man and tossing him backward; imagines how triumphant the crack of his skull would sound against the concrete floor, the way his problems would trickle away like that rich, pompous blood. Alas, it’s not realistic- the stairway is too narrow. He could lock him in the stairway- but he assumes Jin Guangshan has already thought about that and therefore always walks up first. That, or he thinks that he should always be first. Either way, Jin Guangyao hopes to choke him on his own arrogance one day.

As they exit into the light, the first thing he notices is that the windows are open and… what is that thick, floral smell? The next is panicked yelling. Stomach rolling, he’s rushes to the door and swings it wide open. Chaos abounds as some nurses treat a bleeding Jin Zixuan- hadn’t he already returned to his vehicle- and other orderlies are restraining Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.

“What is going on here?” The demand is stern enough that one of the orderlies- Su She, a devoted man- is quick to answer. As he should- this is Jin Guangyao’s domain, no matter what his father thinks.

“Wei Wuxian started a fight!”  

Okay, to be fair- Wei Wuxian feels like anyone would have responded this way.

One moment he’s sitting in first free time, nudged up against Lan Wangji and joking around after a nice visit with his sister. Next, he’s hearing a bunch of simulated moans coming from a group next to him. He notes that Lan Wangji flinches away from the noises, and after blinking coquettishly, Wei Wuxian sits up.

At first, it’s funny, and he’s relieved to feel a difference in the mood. A patient had recently left the Orchid & Peony, sent off with special lunch and a goodbye, and everyone had been a bit sad to see him go. Any sign of general mood improvement was a good sign.

“What’s going on here?” he teases, winking and nudging one of the patients. “Did someone manage to sneak in some porn? How much you want for it?”

They laugh, and Lan Wangji exhales in disappointment. Perfect reaction.

“No, we’re just talking about the noises we heard coming from Jin Guangyao’s office today. You could hear it up to three doors down!”

Nie Huaisang, who’s conveniently slid closer, raises an eyebrow. “Oh? San-ge! He never seemed like the type to be so unprofessional!”

“It wasn’t Jin Guangyao,” the patient replies, snickering.

Wei Wuxian ponders for a moment. “Surely it wasn’t Lan Xichen, then? And he frowned upon my Emperor’s Smile bottle! I always thought he would be with Jin-”

“Wei Ying!”

“Look, Lan Zhan, even Betas get frisky every now and then.”

“You’re the fucking worst, Wei Wuxian.”

“Nope!” The man grins wickedly. “Are you ready for this? Based on the sounds, I’m pretty sure it was that cocky Jin heir and his wife!”

………

Wei Wuxian’s mind record scratches. He’s lucky his suppressants do their job; else the sharp tang of his fury would immediately soak the room. Incoming like the scent of the storm he emanates, Jiang Cheng is quick to scruff the man, choking off his laughter.

“Forget everything you heard, and swallow everything you just said, or I’m going to make you,” he threatens, teeth gnashed together. Soon another man has crashed into Jiang Cheng, trying to get him to let the other patient go, and then the orderlies were trying to split them up. Amongst the brawl no one notices that Wei Wuxian has sprinted to the door and out into the hallway.

Well- almost no one. He just barely slips from Lan Wangji’s outreached hand, hurtling through the hallway. The moment Wei Wuxian sees Jin yellow, his fist swings for a nose. It connects, and Jin Zixuan is sent flying backwards. He lands three more lightning-fast hits before the orderlies tackle him to the ground.

“Your fucking audacity!” he roars, his head held firmly to the ground. “Here?! In this place?! Do you spare my sister any fucking dignity?!”

Face and nose quickly becoming as vermillion as the symbol between his brow, Jin Zixuan scowls at Wei Wuxian.

“It wouldn’t have been an issue if you hadn’t opened your peasant fucking mouth! Move!” he growls, immensely embarrassed. Jin Zixuan lets a little Alpha slip into his tone, which almost makes Wei Wuxian flatten in uncontrollable submission, except-

A guttural, feral snarl comes from behind him. A snarl that is most definitely going to grace Wei Wuxian’s deepest fantasies, as he may have just leaked into his pants a little.

Lan Wangji, held back by multiple orderlies, almost seems just as stunned by his own vehemence.

It is here that Jin Guangyao and Jin Guangshan arrive, and when he hears that his pretty peacock son has been so harmed by Wei Wuxian, Jin Guangshan flies into a rage.

“Is this the sort of facility you run?” Jin Guangshan demands. “Take this trash to solitary at once!”

Shaking his head in disappointment, Jin Guangyao nods at the orderlies, who lift Wei Wuxian up and restrain him with cuffs.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji calls, eyes swimming so full of worry that Wei Wuxian smiles to stop him from drowning in it.  

“It’s okay, Lan Zhan. I’ll be fine.”

Wei Wuxian tries to maintain his dignity as they haul him into the elevator, but his heart sinks as quickly as the floor does beneath him. When they pass into the dark hallway, an orderly commands him to strip and hands him old, used yellow scrubs. The moment one of them pulls out the straitjacket, all bets are off. His throat constricts, and his body turns to noodle with dread. Wei Wuxian instinctively yanks away, pushing the ground in front of him, kicking and screaming.

“Let me go! Let me go! I won’t put that thing on, I won’t! Just put me in the room, I don’t care, but don’t put me in that! I’m a human fucking being! Don’t do this!”

Resentment boils inside him, threatening to overflow. Just before he can use his power, pain explodes in his head. The orderly that he tripped has shot a blast of spiritual power directly in his face, similar to being punched right in the nose, and he reels from the hit.

“That was from Jin Guangshan.”

Livid, Wei Wuxian tries to jump for the corrupt orderly, but it leaves him open enough for the rest of them to capture him in the jacket. The moment it locks around him, Wei Wuxian immediately notices that the thing is packed to the brim with binding talismans and spells. He won’t be able to break out of this. They discard him none too gently into the white padded room, and he has defiance in his eyes until they make contact with Jin Guangyao’s. Jin Guangyao, who witnessed all of that, and did nothing.

For a moment, Jin Guangyao’s true face is exposed. Desperation, tinged with…hatred? Why would he hate Wei Wuxian? Embarrassing him in front of his father? Jin Zixuan was just as humiliated- though he supposes, with the men in that family, conquest feels like a birthright. The look vanishes as quick as it arrives, and sadness replaces it.

“I really am trying to help all of you, you know.”

It immediately puts Wei Wuxian on edge. Does he know?

“You could start by not locking me in here?”

With a darkly sad chuckle, Jin Guangyao slams the heavy metal door shut.  

As punishment for leaving the common room, and for defending Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji is forced to kneel and reflect inside his room for the entirety of the day, with all food brought to him while Su She eagerly stands guard in front of his open door. All day meditation is not out of the ordinary for him, given his family, but his quads and ankles still burn with the lack of movement. This was a ‘kinder’ punishment, since Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao had reasoned that he’d only acted out of genuine concern and haste.

He also had to apologize to Jin Zixuan, whom for the most part had been his only decent acquaintance in high society. It had shocked them both to have such an interaction, given that they usually got along in the same space. Lan Wangji was stoic and silent, Jin Zixuan painfully awkward and prone to foot-in-mouth incidents- neither would ever draw the other into an uncomfortable position. Still, an Alpha challenging another Alpha could lead to blood, especially if one sought dominance over the other. It was very much a faux pas in aristocratic circles.

Why did I do that?

Jin Zixuan had been rightfully shocked and angered over being attacked in the hallway, and any Alpha would get protective over anything involving their bonded significant other. But the moment he’d let that tone enter his voice toward Wei Wuxian, a horrible sound rose from his throat. All he could think, in that moment, was You will not speak to him that way.

When had he started to feel so protective of Wei Wuxian? He tries to think back through their interactions. That first meeting had been a bust- the man was still loud, still shameless, and still didn’t seem to believe in personal space. When Jiang Cheng had implied that it seemed like Wei Wuxian was scenting him, there’d been a potent mix of rage, insult, and something tenuous that had rushed straight to his groin, and he fled rather than acknowledge any of it.

He was overly chatty and had started to attend almost every morning music session.

Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, you play? A guqin? How refined, though I could expect nothing less of a man like you! What do I play, you ask?

He hadn’t asked.

I play the dizi! And since we’re here together, let’s play together! What do you mean you don’t play with others? That’s why we’re here- community! Do you think I can’t play? Lan Zhan, I’m hurt!

Lan Wangji had put his guqin to the side, choosing to study available scores. He was of the mind that, if he were just quiet, Wei Wuxian would get bored. And then he’d started to play. A chirping, happy songbird; melodies light and free carried from the dizi and Lan Wangji found himself drawn toward the noise. After a couple minutes, Wei Wuxian paused and winked at him. He had been caught, but then again, he’d been ogling like a fool- naturally he’d be. Flustered, Lan Wangji had turned away.

When he began to sit with Lan Wangji at lunch, it was unpleasant. He was used to serenity with Wen Ning, who never questioned eating in silent solidarity with him, so he couldn’t help the slight betrayal he felt at the quiet man’s sudden need to speak. He tried escaping to other tables, until one day there was nowhere to go that didn’t have a host of other people. Finally, he was forced to sit with both men and waited with a burning humiliation for Wei Wuxian to watch as poor, boring Lan Wangji had nothing to contribute. It struck deeply; the way he was fiercely afraid the man would find his presence disappointing despite having never cared about such things before.

Instead, Wei Wuxian would lean against Lan Wangji, occasionally teasing that he needed to ‘eat his vegetables so that he could be strong like Lan Zhan’. Every now and then, he’d check Lan Wangji’s direction, making sure that he was never left out. Even when Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng joined them, it didn’t feel as though Lan Wangji was being ignored. It made Lan Wangji feel… warmer, inside. Included.

The day they went to the sanctuary, he didn’t think Wei Wuxian would be able to accomplish anything- first, he kept making horrible jokes about eating the poor bunnies. It hurt Lan Wangji’s heart to even imagine. But even worse, his jeans were perfectly curved around his hips and tight under his- why would anyone wear those jeans to an animal sanctuary?! Why was he allowed to enter the facility with such form fitting pants!? It had infuriated Lan Wangji, the way he kept finding his eyes drawn to Wei Wuxian’s rump any time he squatted or leaned over, the way he drank vinegar every time Wei Wuxian flirted with all the attendants. It took full body control, avoidance, and focus on his sweet bunnies to bring himself to heel. Wei Wuxian only spoke to him once during the trip, and it was mercifully short.  

Then he’d come upstairs to a gigantic cutout of two bunnies on his door, happily revealed by Wei Wuxian. Silver eyes sparkled, caring, excited to know how Lan Wangji felt.

It was the most innocent, thoughtful thing anyone had done for him in years, and he couldn’t help his small smile. One cold shower later (he’ll get those jeans out of his head one day), he realizes that it was rude to have run away from Wei Wuxian at his door. He didn’t even say thank you, but it had all just been too emotional!

Ever since then, he’s tried to be more accepting of Wei Wuxian. The next music session he came to, Wei Wuxian began studying scores right across from him, bringing up interesting sections and discussing them. The next, he asked Lan Wangji to play for him. On and on, until eventually Lan Wangji would focus on his music, and Wei Wuxian would join, dizi and guqin. Whenever Wei Wuxian would lean against him at lunch, Lan Wangji tried not to move away. In fact, it had become habit so much that when Jiang Cheng tried to separate Wei Wuxian from Lan Wangji’s side, Lan Wangji had glared at him.

“You’re ruining the order,” he’d hissed, and he was sure he smelled a burgeoning storm as Jiang Cheng scented his displeasure. It all only made Wei Wuxian laugh about how much of a fuddy-duddy he was, and how only he had the honor of sitting by Lan Wangji’s left side. The moment de-escalated; Jiang Cheng plopped down firmly on Wei Wuxian’s left.

He was coming to realize that, as overwhelmingly physical as Wei Wuxian could be, he brought a necessary vivacity to everyone around him. When Wen Ning shyly revealed his dreams of a gardening club, Wei Wuxian had immediately hopped onto it, getting a form to sign. He then broached the idea to Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng, who both disagreed with varying levels of disgust. Wei Wuxian’s face had only fallen for a moment, and it was enough for Lan Wangji to pointedly take the paper and sign it. Using the intimidation skills he’d learned from the business world, he turned the paper to both men and held out the pen, waiting. Both ended up succumbing to the pressure. When Wei Wuxian beamed at him out in the sun, clapping his hands before happily digging in the patch, a sense of accomplishment and pleasure spread through Lan Wangji.

He likes being around Wei Wuxian, that Wei Wuxian has honored him with his favor. He likes that he doesn’t have to be anyone other than who he is, that nothing about his stern face or reticence makes Wei Wuxian not want to be around him. In fact, it makes Wei Wuxian want to know him more. He genuinely cares about how Lan Wangji feels despite hardly knowing him. He’s warm, sweet, and he gives to Lan Wangji without expecting anything back.

Wei Wuxian reminds him of…of her. Of the good memories of her, and not the one that he forces down during the darkest moments, trying to unsee what he has seen.

“I can’t believe you really reacted like that over a Beta. Don’t you know who people like you are supposed to fuck?”

The bitter words shatter his thoughts like a brick. It’s almost been the entire day, unbothered. All an annoyed Lan Wangji can think is why?

“I mean, being stupid enough to stand up for the guy willing to punch a Jin?” Su She mocks. “Doesn’t he know he’s already on thin ice here, being a demonic cultivator and all?”

There must be a noticeable twitch in Lan Wangji because Su She’s expression curls even more.

“His body’s so corrupted by resentment that they can’t even properly check for his core. He’ll likely end up going batshit within the year, and then they’ll really have to leave him in solitary. I’m curious to see what he’ll look like in a week, let alone the rest of his life!”

“A week?” Lan Wangji doesn’t mean to slip, but his worry overwhelms him and allows Su She the victory.

“Oh yeah! I’m sure when he’s got no one to annoy, it’ll all turn inward. Maybe he’ll crack, and then things could really get interesting. Just think, if he were an Omega, he might even go into heat in that cell. Heat, while in a straitjacket- imagine!”

It’s sickening, the way Su She gleans pleasure from the thought of Wei Wuxian’s suffering, especially when he lecherously licks his lips, and Lan Wangji tries to stifle a growl. Su She’s laughter only gets louder.

“Oh? What’s this? Have I upset the Twin Jade? Don’t worry- he’s just a Beta. You won’t have to worry about his little hole, he’ll be just fine.”

Lan Wangji is about to strangle this man- punishment be damned- when another voice calls out.

“Su She! Enough! If I hear you talk to or about our patients this way ever again, I will have you removed from your position and you will never hold another in this field again. Now go replace the guard in the common area!”

Lan Xichen is firm, and Jin Guangyao refuses to even acknowledge his presence. When a muttering Su She finally storms away, Lan Xichen kneels in front of Lan Wangji.

“Will you be okay on your own, er-ge?” Jin Guangyao asks, pressing a hand to his shoulder.

“I’ll be fine, A-Yao.”

With a bow, he sweeps from the room, and Lan Xichen returns a stressed gaze to Lan Wangji.

“Are you okay, didi?”

Lan Wangji does not verbally lie, and he can’t even make himself nod.

“I’m sorry for what Su She said. They were disgusting things, and I will make sure he is properly penalized.”

“A week?” asks Lan Wangji, concerns elsewhere.

Lan Xichen nods. “I’m sorry, Wangji. But he got physically violent with a visitor on purpose, the co-owner of the establishment no less, while his father was here. This sort of behavior is unacceptable.”

“His health? Is it true- about the demonic cultivation?”

“I am not supposed to discuss these things with other patients.”

Lan Wangji gives him a pleading look, and Lan Xichen fidgets.

“All I can say is that his health has to do with the reasons he’s in this facility. His body and mind have been through a lot of unaddressed traumas. We are trying to help him clear the resentment from both, so that his qi may flow properly. He just needs help returning to the proper cultivation path.”

Wei Wuxian had never shown signs of madness, at least not around Lan Wangji. He never would have thought to ask Wei Wuxian about why he was in the Orchid & Peony, and it makes Lan Wangji feels as though he’s been selfish, despite everyone keeping their status here a relative secret.  

“Wangji, if I may be direct… Do you… have feelings, for Wei Wuxian?”

Heat rises through Lan Wangji’s body, and he twists away as far as he can in his repentant position. A short chuckle leaves him even more indignant, and he glares at a smug Lan Xichen.

“I’ve seen you make more progress in his presence in one month than you did in three on your own. He makes you calmer, and happier. I’ve seen the way you look at him. I just made the connection the other day, that he was the one you used to gaze after when we were teenagers.”

“I did not!”

“You did! Your eyes would follow Wei-gongzi everywhere he went at events; you didn’t even notice that you were looking. And Wangji, I may not know much of being an Alpha, but I know you don’t growl that way at anyone over something small. You wanted to protect him. I’m just interested in understanding why.”

“He reminds me of our mother.”

Lan Xichen startles, both at Lan Wangji’s reflexive response and vulnerable look. “Wait, Wangji, I-”

“I care about him, Xiongzhang. I do not understand it myself, but I cannot help the way I feel.”

“Oh, dear. Do you think this is worth talking to A-Yao about, during your therapy sessions? I think this is an important development for you.”

“I do not want to talk to him about this.”

“Do you feel unsafe?”

Not unsafe, so much as observed. Like he’s being cut open for study. But he doesn’t want to tell Lan Xichen this- he knows that his brother values Jin Guangyao’s perspective, and he does not have any physical proof to the contrary. So, he just says nothing, and finally Lan Xichen capitulates.

“All right. Well, we will figure something out, okay? Just, for now, please behave yourself. Wei-gongzi will be back before you know it.”

Another soft lie. An excruciatingly long week passes. Everything seems dull in comparison without Wei Wuxian in attendance, and Lan Wangji is unsure how he managed this sort of life before his presence. Even the trees, tips faintly dipped in the warm colors of the beginning of autumn, seem lifeless as Lan Wangji stares out into the field.

It’s the end of the day, and the patients are heading back to their rooms when whispers start traveling amongst them.

“He’s back!”

“He looks awful.”

“I’ll do anything not to end up in solitary.”

“It’s his own fault.”

“Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen are kind to us here- he went too far.”

By the time Lan Wangji pushes back through the crowd, Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang have already beaten him to the front. When he sees Wei Wuxian, he inhales sharply.

Sallow, listless, with his long hair limp over his eyes and shoulders, Wei Wuxian is practically dragged in. The off-yellow scrubs and bare feet only add to how haggard he looks, and if Lan Wangji peers closer, purple bruising peeks from the hems of his baggy shirt.  

“Jiang Cheng,” he whispers, and Jiang Cheng is quick to grab him as the orderlies let him fall to the ground.

“We’ll go up last,” Jiang Cheng commands, waving everyone else on. Wei Wuxian collapses into Jiang Cheng’s neck, hiding his eyes, his lips quivering. Wei Wuxian considers Jiang Cheng family, so Lan Wangji’s hurt at him calling for the other Alpha is invalid, yet it still stings. He’s about to move forward when a firm hand stops him.

“I don’t think he wants you to see him like this,” Wen Ning whispers, correctly assessing the situation. “Let him get cleaned up, and then I’m sure we can see him tomorrow.”

With one final look, Lan Wangji nods. He can last one more night. Even if it hurts.

There’s a surprise the next day at first free time:

“Therapy dogs!” Jin Guangyao exclaims. There are small dogs, big dogs, fluffy dogs, and tubby dogs- it makes the entire room coo with happiness. An ecstatic Jiang Cheng leaps to the middle of the room, hugging a giant white Samoyed. It’s as if he’s an entirely different man surrounded by puppies, the way he rolls on his back with them and baby-talks them.

“What’s your name? Jasmine? Hello, Jasmine! Oh, you’re so precious! Call me A-Cheng!”

The other patients shuffle into the room, each delighted with the sweet creatures- but someone is noticeably missing, and Lan Wangji quickly finds a fond Lan Xichen observing from the door.  

“Wei-gongzi is afraid of dogs,” Lan Xichen gently explains, “and so I allowed him to go sit out in the field today. If you would like, you can join him- there is an orderly assigned nearby.”

Lan Wangji thanks him, then makes his way out of the facility. He only pauses for a moment when he sees Jin Guangyao’s eyes following him and nods his acknowledgment. Lan Wangji walks out toward the field, making his way toward the few trees near the koi pond. The energy is tranquil as he eventually finds Wei Wuxian perched in a tree, looking up into the clear blue sky. The orderly is strangely nowhere to be found.

“Wei Ying.”

His voice carries, rippling between them like a stone in a still pond. For a moment it’s as if it’s simply lost to the wind, but then Wei Wuxian slowly turns to face him. Though he’s been cleaned and wearing his black scrubs, his hair is still loose in a half-pony, and his eyes are still wild. This is possibly the most sedate Lan Wangji has ever seen him. It’s eerily beautiful, but it doesn’t suit him- Wei Wuxian should always be dynamic.

“Lan Zhan? What are you doing out here?” His voice is subdued, hardly expecting an answer.

“Here to find you.”

“Well, you found me. And I’m not going back until every single one of those hellhounds are out of that establishment.”

Lan Wangji thinks of Jiang Cheng squeezing an adorably small terrier, the closest to a ‘hellhound’ there was in the common area, and exhales in amusement.

“Where is the orderly?”

“Tempted away. As it turns out, some of them are still human. Who knew?” His voice is flat, question rhetorical.  

Hm. “Then I will stay here with Wei Ying.” He feels a little pain when Wei Wuxian scoffs, giving him a derisive look.

“Vengeful teasing? Lan Zhan, I’ve rubbed off on you. Go enjoy your mongrels,” he dismisses. When Lan Wangji sits instead, determined to show his support, Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows furrow, and he immediately jumps down to Lan Wangji’s side. He leans in close to Lan Wangji’s face, eyes suspicious.

“You… mean it? You’re going to stay here?”

“En.”

The day pales in comparison when Wei Wuxian genuinely smiles, and almost all the darkness in his expression vanishes.

“You're adorable,” he muses, laying back in the grass. “Adorable and amazing. I just can’t imagine how someone like Hanguang Jun would end up in a place like this.”

Lan Wangji’s heart thumps at the affectionate use of his title from the business world, the words adorable and amazing knocking around inside his head for a little while. Then he realizes what Wei Wuxian might be asking. 

“This is a place for us to come and rest and get the treatment we need.”

The caustic scoff he receives in response tells Lan Wangji he’s landed far off the mark.

“Treatment. Whatever. I won’t say that everybody here doesn’t have some issues that need addressing, but it’s not why we’re here.”

When Lan Wangji gives him a questioning look, Wei Wuxian shifts toward him, crossing his own legs with zealous focus.

“We’re being displaced, Lan Zhan.” He waves the wristband in front of Lan Wangji. “They don’t care about us ‘getting better’, they care about us getting back in line. That last guy who went home- he was like a robot! You know those old Victorian novels where they ‘take a trip to the country’ because one of them got pregnant or something? Yeah. That’s us. And some of us are here for worse things than others.”

It’s a sharp read of the situation, one that Lan Wangji does not fully agree with, but cannot deny the truth in.

“Xiongzhang does not think that way.”

“Xichen-ge is… different,” Wei Wuxian concedes. “I think he legitimately believes in the good work that he wants to get done here. It’s clear that he wants me to feel better. He’s even managed to get me to talk a little in therapy, which is how he found out about the dogs and the... orphan issues. But, as good a man as he is, it’s difficult to see the hard truth when you’re wearing tea rose-colored glasses.” He shrugs, before flinching so slightly that Lan Wangji isn’t sure if he should ask about it.

“Well, anyway. He still brought you here, which means you must have done something deemed problematic. Let me take a guess. You’re probably here because something you did was just so unseemly in the eyes of GusuLan that you needed to be removed while they rehabilitated your spotless image. How wrong am I?”

This time, Lan Wangji flinches. As much as he hates to be read so crudely, Wei Wuxian has hit the nail on the head. He’s long suppressed his resentment at it- his uncle has always been caught up in his image and propriety, especially as the Alpha heir to the Cloud Recesses Health Services empire. Still, it’s a little too close to home for comfort, and when he turns away from Wei Wuxian, the other leans away.

“Sorry. I bet that was too much. Here- I’ll return the favor, and you can judge me all you want. Strangely, I trust you enough not to go run your mouth.”

“I will not ‘run my mouth’, nor will I judge Wei Ying.”

“Then you’d be the first. Anyway, I’m here because I tried to invent a safe way to cultivate resentment, and it bothered some people so much that they decided to blow up my lab and kill one of my friends.”

When Lan Wangji gasps in horror, Wei Wuxian can only give him a sardonic look.

“Crazy, right? And the people that I think are behind it run this facility. Specifically, the Jin. It would explain why they brought me here despite me not having a literal penny to my name. Gets me out of the way since they couldn’t kill me. Controls me. You look like you don’t believe me, Lan Zhan, but trust- I’ve had a long week with nothing but time and torment to think about these things. Jin Guangshan is petty enough to have me tossed in solitary for a week over hurting his pretty peacock son’s face, who knows what he would do if he had proper access to resentment.”

His eyes close, and he rubs at them for a moment trying to remove whatever is behind them.

“Think about it. Wen Ning, for example. He's been through so much trauma, and he needs real treatment so that he can live the best life he can. He deserves better- his sister died demanding I make sure he survived. He’s not going to get any sort of help here, not really. Not while they have him here as a prisoner under the guise of ‘treatment’. Because that’s what it is. I don’t know what they’re doing to him when they make him go to those late-night check-ups, but all its doing is agitating him.”

Frustration roughens Wei Wuxian’s voice, and he runs another hand through his hair.

“Or Mo Xuanyu. I think about that poor guy every damn day. He hasn’t moved out of that medical ward in months. Nie Huaisang said he attempted an escape and got grievously injured, and yet no one heard anything? On these grounds? How? What and who the hell happened to damn near kill him? You want to know what he did to get put in here? I found out from one of the orderlies threatening that I’d ‘end up just like him if I tried to escape’. He found out about Jin Guangshan’s relation to Qin Su, whom by the way, has also strangely vanished from polite society after he tried flirting around with her.”

Wei Wuxian chuckles darkly. “What a brave damn fool. He should have never thought he was that safe. They called him a liar, branded him mentally unstable, and sent him here ‘voluntarily’. Naturally, Jin Guangyao ‘handled’ it. Hurt himself escaping. Ha! He deserved so much better.”

He zones out for a moment, picking at the grass.

“And Jiang Cheng? My poor shidi. He’s so convinced he’s here voluntarily, that they’re just letting things blow over so long after that bastard Wen Chao, Wang Lingjiao, and Wen Zhuliu… well, anyway, I’m not fully convinced. Why would the Jin send him away; what was there to be lost- or, knowing Jin Guangshan, to be gained- in getting rid of him? I think the bastard knows more than he’s letting on. Whatever it is, I have to figure it out.”

By the time he’s done, Wei Wuxian has moved from picking at the grass to clawing nervously at his skin, and finally Lan Wangji gently grasps his wrists to stop his erratic movement.

“And they will keep you here, because of what you know?”

With a defeated laugh, Wei Wuxian nods. “Honestly, I’m surprised they haven’t just assassinated me. All my physical research was lost in an explosion, and the rest is up here in my brain. They must know I won't tell them anything. Sometimes, I’m just so fucking tired, Lan Zhan. Tired of everything I’ve been through, all the shit I don’t want to see anymore, I just… I wish I could just stay outside, stay free…”

As he zones off once more, Lan Wangji takes the time to process everything he’s been told. At first glance, it might seem like conspiracy theories, the neurotic connections of a man who lost his mind for seven days isolated in a small cell. However, Wei Wuxian is not a fool, and he’s not insane- his mind is clear despite an unstable cultivation. Lan Wangji unconsciously finds himself pressing two fingers to Wei Wuxian’s wrist, trying to assess his meridians, when Wei Wuxian yanks his arm away.

“Nosy, much?” Offense soaks his tone. “Don’t believe me about the demonic cultivation? Do you think I’m just talking out my ass?”

I’m just worried for you, Wei Ying. “Your words have merit. I forgot that our powers are repressed. I only intended to make sure you aren’t upsetting yourself too much.”

It’s too far for Wei Wuxian, who rises in a fury.

“Upsetting myself?! They tossed me into a padded room with nothing but meals of white rice and water, and two bathroom trips a day! They straitjacketed me! Who’s upsetting who?!”

Lan Wangji rises just as quickly. “That’s not what I meant!”

“Then what do you mean! Do you think I’m weak-minded! Perhaps you would like to spend some time in that locked room with nothing but your thoughts and stress and failures to-”

“Wei Ying, I just want to help you!”

“Why?!”

“I don’t know!”

The explosion freezes them both, and for a moment neither moves until Lan Wangji takes a step back.

“I just want Wei Ying to be safe,” he pleads. “I didn’t like seeing Wei Ying taken to solitary confinement. I do not want you to feel as though you must carry these thoughts by yourself. The demonic cultivation… there has never been a time where it ended well for someone, but if you have found a way, I just want to make sure you are not overcome. I want to help you, even if that means just listening and making sure you are not ill.”

A few more moments pass, and Lan Wangji watches in relief as Wei Wuxian’s body relaxes, though he still defensively holds an arm in front of himself. It’s the most unsure he’s ever looked.  

“You sound just like Wen Qing. Nag, nag, nag.” Long-held affection and sadness lingers in his voice, but then he stretches his hands behind his head. “All right then, Lan Zhan. You better hold to what you said then. And don’t try to check my meridians anymore- you can’t anyway! I thought I had no concept of personal space, sheesh!”

The announcement sounds in the distance, and an orderly rushes out to them, out of breath. He jumps when he sees Lan Wangji, and quickly gathers himself. His hair is pointing every which way, and his shirt is on inside out.

“It’s time to go.” 

Cackling, Wei Wuxian weaves an arm through Lan Wangji’s. “We see. Thank you for the announcement. By the way, your shirt’s on backward.”

They leave the flustered orderly behind, only nearing the marble steps of the facility when Wei Wuxian leans into Lan Wangji. His weight feels nice against his side, missing after a long week.

“By the way, Lan er-gege,” Wei Wuxian teases, wiggling his shoulders as Lan Wangji stiffens at the address. “If you want to know how I bribed him- he has a secret girlfriend, one of the nurses. Had to let them get away, do a little-” He hooks a finger into another and makes an obscene squelching noise, and Lan Wangji hisses, flushing to his ears. Wickedly pleased, Wei Wuxian laughs again as he races up the stairs. He’s immediately yanked back by a furious Jiang Cheng.

“Jiang Cheng, you can just ask me for attention! You’re always pulling me around!”

“Where have you been alone with Lan Wangji?” Jiang Cheng turns his suspicious glare toward Lan Wangji, dodging when Wei Wuxian tries to pat his head.

“Lan Zhan was protecting me from all those demon dogs you love so much!”

Wen Ning, hearing the commotion, gently smiles, and Wei Wuxian grabs his hands.

“You okay, Wen Ning? You look a little tired.” Lan Wangji notices how Wei Wuxian, wan himself, steels his shoulders, trying to project strength.

“I’m all right, Wei-ge. I had my appointment last night; you know I’m usually lower energy after those.”

Now that Lan Wangji knows to look, he really begins to scan Wen Ning’s features. Because he’s so deathly pale, it’s hard to tell a difference immediately, but it is in his demeanor- he’s slower, more robotic in movement, shoulders a little slumped. As they discuss things with each other, Lan Xichen makes his way over.

“Wen Ning is feeling tired, and I think he should rest,” Lan Wangji suddenly says, and everyone turns to him in surprise.

“Are you okay, Wen Ning?” Lan Xichen is quick to check him over. “Do you want to skip exercise today? There’s no shame, we can sit in my office if you’d like.”

Wen Ning looks at Wei Wuxian, who nods encouragingly. Then he nods at Lan Xichen.

“Thank you, Lan-gongzi, Lan er- no, Lan Wangji.”

Lan Xichen looks absolutely delighted at Lan Wangji as he moves Wen Ning away from the crowd.   

“All right everyone, start heading to our next sessions please!”

They turn to Jin Guangyao, who stands politely with a smile on his face. Wei Wuxian’s expression immediately subdues when they lock eyes, and it only breaks when Lan Wangji places his hand on the small of Wei Wuxian’s back.

“Fine, I’m moving,” Wei Wuxian mutters, walking toward Nie Huaisang on the other side of the room. Jiang Cheng follows, and Lan Wangji is about to move when a small hand grasps his scrub.

“Very gentlemanly of you, to make sure Wei Wuxian is okay. I would expect nothing less from a Twin Jade.”

‘I see what you’re doing. Remember your place.’

After a short bow, Lan Wangji moves to join the others.

As energy returns to Wei Wuxian, life returns to the Orchid & Peony. During first free time, Lan Wangji listens as Wei Wuxian talks about any and everything. Sometimes, he just talks about Jiang Yanli’s visits, and how happy they make him. Other times, when he’s in a hyper focused mood, he lays out his threadbare theories about the place and about what’s going on with Wen Ning. It frustrates him to no end that he has no access to technology, and Lan Wangji constantly must talk him out of a potential office raid.

Lan Xichen has happily considered Lan Wangji to be Wei Wuxian’s ‘accountability partner’, which is something he leans upon when Wei Wuxian randomly decides to start a food fight at dinner one night. Though Jin Guangyao was intensely displeased, Lan Wangji was quick to suggest perhaps helping the chefs make meals all week to learn the value of their hard work. He even offers to help, if only Wei Wuxian could not be placed back into solitary.

It works, though he is not allowed to share in the punishment, and Wei Wuxian happily makes amends with the chefs and serves meals all week. In gratitude he makes Lan Wangji a special bunny shaped rice ball every meal (If Lan Wangji cries on the inside over how cute it is, that’s his business.)

However, some days are harder than others. Over time, Lan Wangji has realized that Wei Wuxian is hiding much more pain than he has let on, both mental and physical. Try as he might, he cannot seem to get Wei Wuxian to go to the pharmacy officially or get any other help. He does not trust anyone involved in the running of the Orchid & Peony, and therefore suffers in silence. Lan Wangji thinks that he’s been hiding something- but he’s not sure how. Nonetheless, on these difficult days, he plays him healing music to soothe him, makes sure he finishes eating, and simply allows Wei Wuxian to rest against him a little more.

This night, at second free time, that wild look is back. The silver irises glow the same color as the tempestuous night, the rain coming down and the lightning flashing in the sky. The five of them sit in a circle, discussing the successes and failures of their garden.

“The strawberries were a dream venture, but didn’t quite succeed,” Wen Ning concedes, remembering how the best they could manage were some wilted leaves and tiny bruise-red berries.

“That’s such a shame,” Nie Huaisang bemoans. “I was hoping, if they’d grown a little more, that we could convince Xichen-ge to have a little garden party.”

Jiang Cheng scoffs. Despite his misgivings, he’s become very protective of the small patch. “There were never going to be that many strawberries. The carrots are more successful, which is good- they can be used for soups. What can we plant now that might grow before the end of the fall?”

“Radishes,” Wei Wuxian blurts. They turn to look at him; unusually quiet, he’s still gazing out at the storm.

“Wei Ying?” The encouragement in Lan Wangji’s voice is enough to make him continue.

“Wen Qing would tell me about how when she was a teenager, her grandmother had to plant radishes on a small garden box on the roof in order to feed the family. She said that they would grow as long as there was good enough soil and some water.”

Wen Ning smiles, though his eyes are clouded. “I remember that. She would tell you that sarcastically whenever you complained about wanting something else to eat.”

Finally, Wei Wuxian’s silence is too much to bear, and Jiang Cheng scowls.

“What’s out there that you keep staring at? This moping is ridiculous!”

“Freedom,” replies Wei Wuxian, voice low. “The past, the future. All those existential things.”

“You sure are feeling poetic tonight, Wei-xiong.”

Suddenly, Wei Wuxian stands. “Wen Ning?”

Wen Ning stumbles up next to him. “Yes?”

“How would you like to dance in the rain?”

Startled, Wen Ning scrunches his eyebrows in confusion. “Huh?”

Jiang Cheng shoots to his feet. “No.”

Lan Wangji is not far behind. “Wei Ying?”

Wei Wuxian stretches, ignoring them. A loud crash makes everyone in the room jump, and the orderlies are quick to run to the source- a mysteriously fallen bookshelf. At the exact same moment, a buzzer goes off, and the entire glass door slides wide open, allowing the downpour to force its way inside.

Everyone begins crowding around the open door, in reverence of the frightful tempest, and Wei Wuxian is determined as he pulls Wen Ning by the arm out into the rain. Lan Wangji is right behind him, but Wei Wuxian does not see him.

“Go,” he whispers to Wen Ning, whose pupils turn a milky white. “I’ll meet you near the edge. It’s our only chance.”

And with that, Wen Ning sprints into the storm with inhuman speed. Grinning, Wei Wuxian takes off after him, and soon, everyone is running into the rain, whooping, and hollering like a bunch of children. Horrified, Lan Wangji runs into the dark night.

“Wei Ying!”

The ghost-like wind carries away his voice. No matter how much he tries, he cannot seem to spot the black scrubs in the darkness, the flashing lightning making his own scrubs shine like a beacon. Desperate, he continues to search.

“Wei Ying!”

He’s soaking wet by the time he manages to find Wei Wuxian, deep in a section of trees. He’s monitoring Wen Ning, checking him up and down and pressing his fingers to where Wen Ning’s meridians might have once been. Finally, he lifts two fingers and places them to Wen Ning’s head, closing his eyes.

“Wei Ying, what are you-”

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian demands, “can I trust you to protect me?”

A pause. “Yes, but-”

“I only need one minute, just one. Then we can go.”

Unsure of what’s happening in front of him, Lan Wangji tries to stand guard in front of the section. He can see flashes of white as the orderlies hunt down and herd the rest of the patients back to the facility. He flinches when Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning’s heads snap backward simultaneously, and a giant wave of resentment rises from Wen Ning, absorbing right into Wei Wuxian. A minute passes, and Lan Wangji gently pulls away Wei Wuxian’s hand from Wen Ning.

“Go, Wen Ning. Go!”

Without question, Wen Ning bursts from the bushes, leading the orderlies on a chase. Exhausted, Wei Wuxian holds his arms out to Lan Wangji, who pulls him close. Wei Wuxian’s lips are blue, shivering with the cold, and he squeezes tight.

Is there something wrong with his core, Lan Wangji wonders. Even with his spiritual energy suppressed, he shouldn’t be so cold…

“What were you thinking,” he demands. He’s angry, but he knows that all of this must have been for a reason. Ignoring him, Wei Wuxian continues to mutter wildly to himself.

“I knew it, I knew it was someone repressing his mind, but where even is…”

Lan Wangji shakes him. “Wei Ying!”

“I-I needed to know what he saw, and I needed to do it somewhere where they couldn’t see! The food fight didn’t work, I needed more of a distraction,” Wei Wuxian bites out, before burrowing into Lan Wangji’s neck. His lips are close to Lan Wangji’s scent gland, and the thought fills Lan Wangji with yearning. The rain falls around them, but for some reason, Lan Wangji detects a faint hint of honey and peaches.

“You smell really good,” Wei Wuxian murmurs.

They both stiffen in realization. Lan Wangji is quick to pull Wei Wuxian away and touch at his head- his ribbon is missing! Panicked, he feels around the brush for it, praying that he finds the priceless ribbon before the orderlies find them. How could he have been so reckless? It was the most important thing he owned-

“Here’s your ribbon!”

Sheepish, Wei Wuxian holds out the ribbon to him. Holds. Touches. Is touching the ribbon, which only family and significant others are supposed to touch.

Lan Wangji could faint. He quickly snatches the ribbon back, tying it securely around his forehead.

Now that that’s been settled-

“Wei Ying- how did you-”

“Raise your hands and come out right now!”

The halls are eerily quiet today, Nie Huaisang thinks, a ghost amongst the silence.

After the ‘Great Glass Door Escape’, the entire facility ends up on lockdown. Their first punishment was to spotlessly clean the common room and hallway of mud and water damage. Next, they were to kneel in penance in their rooms for two days in silence, to contemplate upon their actions. The doors are wide open, and different shifts of orderlies stalk back and forth down the two floors of rooms to make sure no one tries anything. There is nothing but water and white rice for meals. To management’s dismay, no one can prove how the door opened, but the fact remains: everyone ran outside.

Every man but one, who sensed a different opportunity, and now Nie Huaisang has been allowed free all-day access to the art room.

Now, contrary to popular belief, Nie Huaisang isn’t stupid. He’s heard the rumors about his closest friend’s cultivation method and knows that Wei Wuxian managed to do something to open that door. He’s barely cultivated a core, and even he can guess that. This suspicion is compounded during his interrogation with Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen. Of course, he simply cried how he ‘didn’t know’ and ‘didn’t understand’, and Lan Xichen had been quick to let him go before he could boohoo in earnest. Before the guilty had been herded into their rooms he managed to confront Wei Wuxian, who promised him answers if he would do two things:

“My lawyer, Song Lan, he’s coming tomorrow. Schedule with him in my place and tell me word for word what he says.”

“And tell him I said: ‘The sun is hidden by a darkness deep down that I cannot obtain.’”

After having Nie Huaisang repeat the message back to him twice more, Wei Wuxian is grabbed and tossed into his room by an annoyed orderly. His expression was twisted with anxiety, something he rarely sees on the confident man’s face.

Well, let no one say Nie Huaisang is not loyal to those who do right by him. The next morning he meets with the looming Song Lan, and they have a fairly awkward conversation until Nie Huaisang conveys the code. Song Lan hears the message with a grim countenance. Dark eyes pierce Nie Huaisang, as though debating whether he is worthy of trust. Finally, he takes a couple notes, gathers his things, and gives a short reply.

Nie Huaisang is being guided back to the art room when he passes by a window and sees a familiar yellow doctor’s coat outside, as well as a patient he’s never seen before.

“Um, actually, I have to pee!” Nie Huaisang claims, and the orderly grunts, guarding the door. Nie Huaisang dashes inside, scowling with effort as he pries open the window through the bars. Fanning away the lingering dust, the sliver reveals Jin Guangyao facing away, peering up at the muttering young punk who languidly kicks his legs off the side of the tree branch. He lacks a wristband, and it is clear he’s not intimidated by Jin Guangyao at all despite it.

“The chill is unreasonable out here, Xue Yang. You got your free time. Can we please go back inside and finish discussing this?”

Xue Yang ignores him, continuing his train of thought. “You won’t be able to prove it, unfortunately. Both spiritual energy and resentment could have caused the sort of explosion that would have kicked off the crazies escaping. Just a little bit, built up slowly and slowly and then boom! And even then, it could be blamed on a malfunction. What a simple, yet chaotically ingenious idea. Wei Wuxian wins, once again!”

Jin Guangyao’s slowly shoulders rise and fall, as though he’s exhaling deeply.

“I don’t have time for your games, Xue Yang. It is evident that whatever happened last night was a diversion. Even if we assume your memory suppression and blinding tricks work, Wei Wuxian clearly notices enough to cause a problem.” Jin Guangyao’s voice is distressed, panicked. “He was supposed to have cracked by now. I smelled the cell when he was dragged out of solitary. There is no way that he has managed to go so long without showing any signs of-”

“Maybe he’s just not as weak as you are to the presence of Alphas,” Xue Yang mocks, and Jin Guangyao’s hands tighten into fists. He hides them behind his back. “You said he’s always hanging on that boring ass brother of that lame Beta you like. Maybe he’s adjusted. Oh! Maybe they’re mated,” he teases.

Wei Wuxian? An Omega? Nie Huaisang wracks his brain- he’s only a Beta, so he would have never noticed the obvious signs. Then again, Wei Wuxian is a world-class bluffer- still, hiding it for so long had to have taken massive effort. And with Lan Wangji? Perhaps they were- mated? But when?! How scandalous, that flirt- how could he have hidden it from Nie Huaisang like this?

“Not likely. We observed Wei Wuxian’s body when he came to the facility. Numerous cuts and scars from the explosion on his arms and chest, but not a single bite mark. And the scrubs reveal the nape- the bite would be visible, especially a fresh one. Someone must have snuck him some suppressants. His lawyer? Young Madame Jin? Perhaps his cultivation counteracts it? It doesn’t matter. We’ll have to force the change, make him desperate- no one will know the wiser if he vanishes for a time.”  

“Are you done in there?”

The orderly shocks Nie Huaisang, who quickly closes the window and flushes the toilet.

“Yes, just washing my hands now!”

Painting a freshly kilned vase in the art room, Nie Huaisang quickly compartmentalizes. First, Wei Wuxian is secretly an Omega. Second, he’s likely been abusing suppressants for a long time to hide this identity. Third- if Nie Huaisang’s intuition about Song Lan’s code is correct, Wei Wuxian is about to run into trouble. Finally, Jin Guangyao and the strange man, Xue Yang, want to take advantage of that in order to obtain some knowledge from Wei Wuxian about Wen Ning, or more likely his demonic cultivation.

Not for the first time, Nie Huaisang wants a drink, and he wants to leave this dreaded, glorified insane asylum.

“A-Sang.”

Nie Huaisang nearly throws his brush at the pleasant voice, and Jin Guangyao is quick to hold his hands out in caution.

“It’s just me! No need to be alarmed!”

Pasting on a welcoming smile, Nie Huaisang lifts the brush and puts it into the small cup of water.

“How may I help you, san-ge?”

He gestures, and Jin Guangyao sits down at the table.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing, is all. It’s been a quiet day, I’m sure.”

Chuckling nervously, Nie Huaisang opens his fan. “It could have been worse- I’m glad I’m not kneeling in silence.”

“This is true.”

Jin Guangyao places a delicate hand in the middle of the table, as though reaching for Nie Huaisang.

“I wondered if there were any other reward that I might offer you. I really appreciate you doing the right thing; I know it is hard to do when the majority leans one way.”

It’s a trap, and Nie Huaisang can see that. Luckily, he’s been hedging his bets, waiting for this moment.

“Actually, yes! Could I possibly invite da-ge to come visit?”

“…Da-ge?”

“Yes! I haven’t seen him in so long, and he’s always too busy to answer my calls. I want to show him my room, and my projects- you know he always acted as if they weren’t valuable, but I know maybe this time I can prove otherwise!”

A complicated expression appears on Jin Guangyao’s face. For all that his relationship with Lan Xichen was hearts, peace, and flowers, his relationship with Nie Mingjue was that of sad memories and barely held trust. Still, it was too late to back out, and there was no reason to say no. Finally, Jin Guangyao nods.

“Okay. I’ll call him tonight.”

Nie Huaisang, triumphant, squeezes Jin Guangyao’s hand. “Thank you, san-ge!”

All the notices he’s been secretly sending to Nie Mingjue won’t be enough to explain this theory, and with the name ‘Xue Yang’ being unusually familiar, he knows needs to see his brother in person. Soon, for his own and for his friend’s sake.

Having knelt through two days’ punishment, Lan Wangji should have noticed the signs, but his mind had been occupied.

The space by his side felt uncomfortably empty while Wei Wuxian pointedly avoided him as all the men scrubbed the floors clean. Now that he’d held Wei Wuxian tightly in his arms, he didn’t like him being so far away, let alone ignoring him. Every time he attempted eye contact, the silver eyes would widen and then dart away. Now they were all in their separate rooms, kneeling, and Lan Wangji was trying to make everything make sense.

It would be a rare trait indeed for a Beta to be able to smell pheromones. Some researchers have described how an Alpha can possibly utilize enough pheromones to potentially trigger a change in a Beta, but Lan Wangji has not purposely released his pheromones while he was here, and not nearly enough by accident. The moment in the rain was a fluke; it happened because he let his guard down, so relieved to have found the other and full of desire to protect him. Even then, it was only noticeable because his forehead ribbon had been snatched from his head.

As rare and unlikely as it is, it might explain why Wei Wuxian now has a smell, because Lan Wangji isn’t delusional- in the freezing rain, there was no reason for him to suddenly smell honeyed peaches. And Wei Wuxian had acknowledged his smell as well- found it pleasant, even.

A desirous shudder runs through him at the thought of Wei Wuxian’s lips, once more at the base of his scent gland.

There is another potential reason why Wei Wuxian can smell him, and a part of Lan Wangji, growing louder and louder, wants to find out if it’s the truth. It was time to admit it to himself- he would love Wei Wuxian in any presentation, but on a primal level the idea of marking Wei Wuxian as his, of being able to form a bond made in love that would never separate them, of splaying out his legs and feeling the slick as-

“Back on your knees, Lan Wangji!”

Su She’s obnoxious command cut into his fantasy, and Lan Wangji realizes that he’s curled up on the floor, twitching, his body feverishly hot.

Why is it always this foolish man?!

He tries to sit up, his uncontrollable spasms making the venture difficult. It also doesn’t help when Su She kicks Lan Wangji back onto the floor.

“I said back on your knees! No one else here is that sick, quit the fake shivering!”

Lan Wangji glares at him, now shaking from rage and lust. Insulted, Su She nervously raises his foot to kick again when something smashes into the side of his head. A pillow.

“He’s probably about to go into rut, or are you too stupid to see it, you wannabe Alpha?”

Wei Wuxian’s tone is acrid, the defensiveness sharpened by worry. Lan Wangji immediately attunes to it.

“Wannabe Alpha? Wei Wuxian, I’ll fucking-”

“Wei Ying, don’t,” he whispers, trying to push himself back up. Furious, Su She storms away from Lan Wangji’s door, intent on violently confronting Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji launches out of the room, this time hellbent on protecting him, but other orderlies quickly and firmly detain him. Before Lan Wangji can growl his displeasure, Jin Guangyao is there, hand delicately blocking his nose. His glare is icy, forcing Su She to stand down.

“Su She, please go take your break.”

“But-”

“There are no buts. Please leave, before I have to institute any further sanctions. You’re already on thin ice with er-ge and I.” He turns to Lan Wangji, staying at a safe distance. “Wei Wuxian, please return to your room at once. Jiang-gongzi, I see your head sticking out- return to your kneeling position. Lan er-gongzi, please follow me.”

Lan Wangji turns to Wei Wuxian, who shifts from worry to shame before he slinks back into his room. The elevator ride down to the basement is silent, Jin Guangyao remaining upstairs to catch the next one down. The routine is similar enough to the first time- they push him into the room, and he expects for them to slam the door and leave him to his devices.

Instead, the food slot opens, and Jin Guangyao pulls up a stool.

“Hanguang Jun, might I have a word with you?”

Lan Wangji can only grunt in response. It is the second time his title has been used while he’s been in this place, and this time, it only feels slimy to hear.  

“I know you don’t feel comfortable speaking to me during our sessions, and I regret that. Truly, I wish to help you. I just wish I knew more about you, from your own words. Sure, I know what your brother has discussed with me, but that’s just not the same.”

“Your purpose,” Lan Wangji growls, rapidly losing patience and control.

Jin Guangyao sighs dramatically. “I’ve noticed your…goodwill, towards Wei Wuxian. He’s another patient where we want to help him so much, especially since he’s in so much imminent danger.”

Imminent danger? Lan Wangji freezes, pupils dilating.

“As I’m sure he’s discussed with you, Wei Wuxian is really an Omega.”

Despite his earlier suspicions, Lan Wangji hisses with discomfort as he feels himself solidly harden at the confirmation. Unflinching, Jin Guangyao watches him react.

“You…did not know this?” he accurately guesses. “How unfortunate. For you, and for him. I don’t mean to take away from any moment you might have had discussing this. But given Wei Wuxian’s state of mind, from both this and his cultivation…he might break at any given moment. It is unhealthy for an Omega to suppress their heat for too long, and it seems he’s been doing it for over a decade. He could get very sick, and it would be an opportune time for resentment to properly take over his mind. It may very easily crush what little spiritual energy he may have left, seeing as it so vastly outweighs it already.”

Once again distracted by his impending rut and raw anxiety, Lan Wangji does not react appropriately, and Jin Guangyao sees right through him.

“He has not discussed this with you, either. Yes, see, when he entered the facility, we analyzed him. As normal as he may seem on the outside, he is dangerously close to an event I might dare say is comparable to a Qi deviation. A long-repressed heat might be the last straw. But things could be easier, Lan er-gongzi! I don’t want to forcibly bring him into the medical ward, or worse, put him back into solitary. It might exacerbate his symptoms, the way we witnessed the first time. It would be safer if he were to… submit on his own-” Jin Guangyao watches as Lan Wangji’s pupils jump at the word- “and that is where you come in. Once you are better, perhaps you might convince him to speak to myself, or to er-ge? Or, if he tells you something that you think is important for er-ge to know, please tell.”

“What would be important to know?” Lan Wangji croaks, and Jin Guangyao’s eyes glow.

“If he were practicing demonic cultivation secretly, and where? This would allow us to step in without undue cause. I know it all sounds so horrid,” he bemoans, “but it is hard to watch a man so valuable to the world kill himself over pride.”

Kill himself.

He can’t do that.

Lan Wangji can’t let that happen.

Satisfied, Jin Guangyao stands. “Thank you for allowing me to share this burden with you, Lan er-gongzi. I know that you, your brother, and I all share in our care for Wei-gongzi, and we want to keep him from self-harm. Please let me or the orderlies know if you’ll need anything else during your cycle.”

With that, he slides the slot closed, leaving Lan Wangji to battle with crushing anxiety and overwhelming sexual tension, all centered on one man that has no idea Lan Wangji even feels this way about him. Curse Jin Guangyao for choosing to have this conversation at a time Lan Wangji couldn’t refuse it! Worst of all, Lan Wangji cannot leave. He has no choice but to sit and dwell on how Wei Wuxian could make any wrong move while he’s locked in here, could potentially harm himself with his cultivation.

Distressed, Lan Wangji takes his lotus position in the middle of the floor. Years of training fiercely fight wave after wave of impulse washes over him.

Keep your position!

Do not move!

This weakness will not be tolerated any longer!

The barbs and fury from years of conditioning usually serve as a perfect way to cool his mind and the burning itch in his skin that begs for an outlet.

Lan er-gege.

Lan Wangji’s chest jerks forward, heart practically jumping out of it. This wasn’t normal. He can’t do this. He must maintain control.

Lan er-gege, don’t you want to look at me?

Control yourself, Lan Wangji!

Lan Zhan…

This is despicable, do you want to end up like your father?!

You have to help me Lan er-gege, I need your help…

Sweating, Lan Wangji shakes his head, unfurling from his position and shoving his head into his hands. Desperate, he thinks to a place of peace. His bench! The wind blowing gently as he looks out to the koi pond in the distance.

The tree next to the pond. Wei Wuxian, reclining next to the pond, loose hair blowing in the breeze. The fresh smell of delectable peaches, dripping with sweet honey and something else, hitting him in the face. Lan Wangji breathes in the scent, warmth and desire spreading through him.

Come here, Lan Zhan.

Sit with your Wei Ying.

Wei Wuxian’s voice is light, flirtatious. He curls his fingers slowly, beckoning Lan Wangji forward. As though possessed, Lan Wangji moves closer and closer until Wei Wuxian can place his hands on either side of his face. His fingers are warm, calloused, yet gentle.

Touch me, Lan er-gege. It’s okay.

Rather than the shapeless scrubs, Wei Wuxian wears a long, thin robe of black silk, trimmed with red. It barely covers his chest and easily falls down his wrists as he pets Lan Wangji’s face. It’s tied just enough to show the broadness of his shoulders and the curve of his waist and ass. It’s exactly what Lan Wangji has dreamed of seeing him in, and his hands twitch at his sides.

Wei Wuxian smirks, taking one of Lan Wangji’s hands and placing it right between his waist and the lush curve of his bottom.  

Do you like what you see?

“Yes,” Lan Wangji gasps. His head is leaned against the side of the bed, his length thick in his hands as he lets the seductive voice croon to him.

What are you going to do to me?

I need you so much.

If you don’t tell me soon, I’ll leave-

The moment Wei Wuxian tries to pull away, Lan Wangji grabs the small of his back and pushes him into the tree, pressing close. He can feel his heat against the plump backside that wiggles temptingly against it.

Oh? You don’t want me to go?

So keep me here with you, Lan er-gege.

When Wei Wuxian’s vixen eyes flicker toward his ribbon, Lan Wangji falters.

This ribbon is a sign of self-restraint amongst our clan- do not dare sully it because you cannot control your urges!

Wei Wuxian bats his lashes, and the clan be damned- Lan Wangji removes the ribbon, quickly wrapping it around Wei Wuxian’s wrists and, holding fast to it, raises it above their heads. During one particularly bad rut, he’d fought in terror as the elders had his wrists tied to the bed- he’s unsure what this means that he feels a wave of pleasure at finally being the one in control.

Using his free hand, he reaches down to the silk robe, impatiently moving it out of the way to raise Wei Wuxian’s thigh, squeezing tight to the feverishly warm skin. This gets him a drawn-out moan as Wei Wuxian leans his head back against his chest.

Now I can’t touch myself, Lan er-gege.

Can you do it for me?

Can you take care of me?

Nodding, he reaches around to grab for Wei Wuxian’s dick, but Wei Wuxian pulls his thigh in, preventing him from reaching. When Lan Wangji growls his displeasure, Wei Wuxian laughs and tsks at him.  

More.

I want more.

And you want me to ask for more.

He’s right. If he would only let him, Lan Wangji would spoil Wei Wuxian. He wants to give the other everything he could ever think of- his love, his life, his soul, his seed. Wei Wuxian’s hands might be bound, but it’s clear that he is still in control from how his words only make Lan Wangji stiffen, awaiting every command.

Say you want to fuck me, Lan Zhan.

Tell me.

“I want to fuck Wei Ying, I want to be inside him, I want him to take me every day,” he gasps as his body contorts itself inward, reveling in how Wei Wuxian keens at his desire. He lets the ribbon go in exchange for a fistful of Wei Wuxian’s silky hair, and deftly slides into him. Fully sheathed, he thrusts, first undulating his hips slowly to adjust, then increasing his stroke. Gasping with pleasure, Wei Wuxian pleads with him between every slap of skin.  

Fuck me, Lan Zhan~

Fill me, knot me~

Make me yours~

Teetering on the edge, Lan Wangji eyes near roll back in his head when Wei Wuxian bares his neck. Exultant, Lan Wangji bites down with a growl, relishing in the high-pitched orgasm, feeling himself squeeze tight inside.

Then he opens his eyes. One hand is fisted painfully into the carpet, the other painted with thick ribbons of come. His chest is heaving, his body soaked with sweat. When he looks closer, he realizes that inside the fist clinging to the carpet is his ribbon, yanked from his head in the throes of passion.

Lan Wangji has orgasmed during rut before. It is inevitable, no matter how much the Lan elders looked down upon the ‘waste’. However, he’s never fantasized before, once too afraid and then too desensitized. But this- he could smell Wei Wuxian, hear him, he felt like he was right there. He’s never wanted someone so badly, and this- this scares him. It’s only the beginning of his rut- will it all be like this?

What he fears even more is how much he likes the idea of letting himself go. Of indulging in this fantasy. No matter how much his conscious screamed at him, told him he was failing at what he’d been taught, his subconscious- the Wei Wuxian that beckoned to him- told him it was okay. Shame fills Lan Wangji- even if he ignores his elders, Wei Wuxian is a real person, a friend- how will he look at him knowing that he’s filled with such a forceful desire? He needs time to figure things out before ever doing this again.

After showering in ice cold water, trying to bring himself to heel, Lan Wangji curls under the comforter and falls into a fitful sleep.

The icy space is vast and cavernous, glowing a faint blue from the ball of light Lan Wangji holds in his hand. The sound of rushing water is muted, and the ground hums with the power of the river. Within the ice, if Lan Wangji leans close enough, are memories. Like the light refracting off the glassy surface, the visions are brief and can be lost at a glance- but they’re there.

Memories of the day he presented as an Alpha, with looming, cold-eyed elders ‘celebrating’ the outcome. Of when he first went through a rut, screaming with both sexual agony, confusion, and embarrassment as commands of self-control were barked at him from all directions. Of getting a glimpse of his father, secluded away, of how he refused to turn Lan Wangji’s direction, demanding he leave and take his mother’s eyes with him.

There are happier memories, though those are fuzzy with the passing of time. Xichen, surprising him with large bunny ears to wear on his birthday. Of a warm embrace around he and his brother, a gentle rock as a soft voice hummed them a lullaby. Before he can watch any further, before the memories show him his mother’s eyes, there is a booming crack, followed by a sudden drop. Freezing water rises to meet him, and the frosty river drags him along its winding path. In the distance he hears a roar, and dread fills his heart.

The waterfall looms ever closer, and just as Lan Wangji is ready to steel for the drop, a long, glowing crimson ribbon blows in the wind. Taking the chance, he reaches out to grab the ribbon, swinging out over the steep drop below. He tries to slide down the ribbon, but he only makes it halfway down before it tears with an awful shredding noise, and Lan Wangji plummets the rest of the way to the middle of the deep pool.

When he opens his eyes, he shouts in horror, bubbles raising to the surface.

His brother. His uncle. His father. His mother.

Skeletons.

Their clothed skeletons, and innumerable others, scattered. His mother and brother were impaled on the rocks, through the ribs and skull. His father and uncle were amongst those sank to the bottom of the pool and covered in tangling algae and bacteria.

A heart wrenching loneliness overcomes him as he breaches the water. Why did he survive this?! Why?! Why didn’t they take him with them?

Just then, he thinks he hears a voice. What is- there! There it is again!

“Lan Zhan!”

No.

“Lan Zhan!”

No!

“Wei Ying! Wei Ying, turn around, get out, Wei Ying!”

The crimson ribbon is nowhere to be found- there’s nothing separating Wei Wuxian from the painful death awaiting him, he’ll spear on the rocks. But what can he do? He can’t stop the river’s flow! Desperate, Lan Wangji swims towards the waterfall, but it is too late. He screams as Wei Wuxian gets sucked under at the peak of the waterfall and barrels down.

His entire body jolts awake, heart pounding painfully, covered in sweat anew.

He loves him. He loves Wei Wuxian. He lusts after Wei Wuxian, wants to devote himself to him, escape with him, but if he doesn’t do something, he might not be able to save Wei Wuxian.

To put it mildly: Wei Wuxian is struggling. He’s struggling more than he has in a long, long time, and the more desperate he becomes, the closer the situation teeters toward the edge.

The smell of sandalwood still sears in his nose, and he’s torn between the righteous intent to scrub it out and the fierce craving to bathe directly in it. He’d been in the middle of trying to comprehend what he’d seen in Wen Ning’s mind, make the minute pieces click into literally anything, when the scent wafted into his room. That luscious sandalwood soaked with sweat and lust struck like a fever, and that’s when he knew things were getting critical.

His body, already weak from kneeling, nearly went boneless. It was luck that his suppressants were still working, because if not, he would have surely fallen into a heat. Just as he brought up a hand to stifle a moan, the smell went sharp with agitation and shook him from his haze. Su She was acting like a dick again. Wei Wuxian already hates the irrelevant man, but a visceral protectiveness had risen within in him, and without thinking he tossed the first thing within reach at the orderly’s head. Jiang Cheng, holding a hand over his nose and mouth to block the smell, sees Wei Wuxian do this and is near on his feet as Su She tries to charge Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji is eventually dragged out of his room, flushed, looking toward Wei Wuxian with dilated pupils rimmed with gold, gaze a potent mix of worry, distress, and lust, and Wei Wuxian is thankful for the excuse to escape, else he does something stupid like chase after him. A peripheral glance reveals a worried yet suspicious look from Jiang Cheng, and it’s enough for Wei Wuxian to force his instincts down. He can’t worry Jiang Cheng yet, he thinks. Things aren’t bad enough to call for an emergency.

That night, when they are finally allowed to wash up and go to bed, Wei Wuxian despondently checks the bottle in his secret hiding place once more- no more suppressants have magically appeared. Because he’s been taking double the required amount daily, there are now only seven pills left.

“Hurry up, Xingchen,” he mumbles.

As the last announcement is made for bed, the scratchy sound of paper catches his attention, and Wei Wuxian leaps to catch the tiny document sliding under his door.

And then feels his will crumble.

‘Currently there is no medicine for your ills. Await us.’ JGY -> Ω

They can’t get him his suppressants.

They’re essentially telling him to find a way out of the facility, however in the hell Mo Xuanyu managed (he has a tenuous couple of leads), because they can’t get him his medicine right now.

All he has left for the foreseeable future are seven fucking pills.

“Okay, all right, Wei Ying,” he whispers to himself, harried as he rips and flushes the note. He runs frantic fingers through his hair. “We’ve faced harder situations, you’re not gonna die, you’re just… going to be put in a very precarious, vulnerable spot! We just gotta attempt the impossible, that’s all! That’s what we do, we’re good at that!”

He’ll have to take the minimum to make things last- seven pills, seven days.

The worst part is that Nie Huaisang (who he must talk to) has kindly confirmed that Jin Guangyao knows he’s an Omega. It was a suspicion that had him on edge ever since his stint in solitary. It had been with utter horror that a grumpy orderly revealed he was in for a week, and not the overnight that he had planned for. Even in prison he’d never been tossed into solitary!

The bright white of the light and padding, the uncomfortable restraint of the straitjacket, and the sheer silence of being trapped with nothing but his own thoughts (and flashes of long suppressed memories of starvation) had driven him mildly insane. It had taken a deep dive into meditation to manage not to lose himself. The resentment that seeped out of his body was simply reversed back inside of him, tampered down by the unreasonable strength of the jacket.

The asshole orderlies keeping watch over him were Betas, meaning that they couldn’t smell his distinctly sour scent of distress as he consistently fought their abuse against his imprisonment. By the time he got out of solitary, his body was weak and covered in discreetly placed bruises, and the straitjacket must have been saturated in his smell. Jin Guangyao could have easily gone in and smelled it, and given his cryptic comment before the entire thing, he could believe it.

Why hasn’t he made a move? Is he waiting for me to crack, to take advantage of me being an Omega? How? What is he going to do?  

Frankly, he hasn’t felt this outclassed in years. The pharmacy was untouchable- Jin Guangyao made sure of that by attaching his office to it. The shady nurses inside are fully devoted to him, reporting every time someone arrives for their help. It had been much easier to fake any and all ails in order to swipe suppressants from the med room in the prison! In the beginning, his body had been under such stress that his cycles never happened, and by the time he’d started functioning again, no one bothered with his identity. When he started stealing pills, people assumed that he was selling them as part of the prison economy, they didn’t think he was taking them, and corruption was rife. It had been easy!

Even though Wei Wuxian has managed to figure out who can generally be tempted and who can’t, the orderlies have managed to be a solid force overall. They were mercurial at best; sometimes they might be willing to look the other way for their own ends, others seemed were authoritarian, actively ready to commit violence. There was no way to know how they’d react. As for escape, gossip from the most useful workers in the Orchid & Peony- the chefs, launders, and janitors- have revealed that all the air shafts have been barred, and all emergency exit doors are watched 24/7 by an offsite Jin security company.

Fucking Mo Xuanyu! All these questions and he hadn’t left behind a single answer! Only more problems and a stupid note!

A stupid, sentimental note that he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of. He was starting to understand how the man went nuts in this place.

Wei Wuxian was also quickly growing resentful of Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan. Why had they sent him into this scenario, and why was information so damn infrequent?! ‘Await us’, as if it were going to be that fucking easy! He was smart, but he wasn’t a- well fuck, he guesses he was a miracle worker, even if it was by chance.

Pissed off, Wei Wuxian flops into bed and glares at the ceiling.

Worst comes to worst, he’ll talk to Jiang Cheng. He’ll get a long lecture that he doesn’t need right now, but he might need his Shijie’s help if things become dire. Involving his siblings, especially now that Jiang Cheng was in a precarious position of his own with the sect and Jiang Yanli was married into the Jin, was the last thing he wanted to do.

So, Wei Wuxian has a week.

In a week, he’ll run out of pills. Once he runs out of pills, if he doesn’t use resentment his symptoms will show up. En masse right as Lan Wangji gets out of rut, and Wei Wuxian will be completely fucked (and not in the way he wants!)

He’s sure of this, because in just two days his body has reacted twice to the man despite taking double his pills- what else could happen when he runs out? Not only that, but Lan Wangji will actively be looking for answers. It will make for an uneasy conversation at best, and he trembles at the idea that their relationship might change. Will Lan Wangji feel disgust, that a pill-popping Omega was so shamelessly flirting with him and underneath him all the time? Will he think Wei Wuxian was purposely baiting him? Wei Wuxian doesn’t want to have a love based in instinct; he doesn’t want Lan Wangji to look at him as though he’s fragile, with the prejudice all Alphas have towards Omegas. He-

He really likes Lan Wangji.

And he knows that they’re only on equal playing ground here at this facility. Outside of the Orchid & Peony, he’d never be good enough for someone like Lan Wangji, but he can’t help it.

At first, he just enjoyed the idea of showing this fuddy-duddy what fun looked like, even if it meant figuring that out in the Orchid & Peony. Ever since they were little, Lan Wangji had always seemed so lonely, so sad, and then as he got older, more aloof. It seemed like a challenge, to figure out what he liked (bunnies, guqin music, sweaters made of quality fabric), what made him tick (excessive noise, small talk), and just how far Wei Wuxian could go with their skinship (the way he’d held him during the storm…he yearns for more of it).  

But then, he really started to like being around him. He liked how contemplative he was, how everything Wei Wuxian said was given equal thought despite level of seriousness. He liked how he played the guqin, created art and pulled weeds all with the same amount of focus and simmering passion. He liked that Lan Wangji felt protective of him- he hasn’t jerked off once in this place, too anxious, but if he hadn’t been in solitary, that growl might have made him slip. If there were a word for it- Wei Wuxian adores Lan Wangji. He adores his precious, rare smile; he adores the way his ears go red at Wei Wuxian’s shamelessness; the way he can call ‘Lan Zhan!’ and receive all his attention no matter what; the way no one ‘Wei Ying’ is ever the same and always filled with emotion.

He doesn’t want their relationship to change because of this.

Just as he feels the anxiety building in his chest, Jiang Yanli’s words come back to him. It was when he was newly brought into the mansion as a little boy, still afraid of loss and abandonment, and overthinking what he could and couldn’t do.

It’s okay to not have the answers, XianXian. Just get some good food, and some good rest- the answers will be there in the morning.

There’s no good food, so the best he can do is pull the covers up to his eyes and attempt at a fitful sleep.

The moment first free time begins, Wei Wuxian drags Nie Huaisang to the farthest hidden corner in the common room and sits him down.

“Tell me what you know,” he demands, crossing his arms and legs. Nie Huaisang, inscrutable, lightly fans himself.

“Wei-xiong, you’ve got a little bit of-” He waves around his head, gesturing to the wisps of resentment radiating off Wei Wuxian. Cheeky, he fans the tendrils away.

“Huaisang.”

“Tell me the truth, and I’ll tell you what I know.”

Gone is his flighty friend; a cunning agent now sits in front of him, unwilling to crack. It’s fair. Nie Huaisang has nothing to lose- Wei Wuxian is the one hiding so many secrets they’re literally seeping out of him. Frustrated, he sighs before lowering his voice to a sharp whisper.

“It’s the truth about my…” He gestures to the letter on his wristband. “I’m getting help; it was part of my deal when they sent me in. They’ve been trying to figure something out about this place, something to do with the Jin and my cultivation.” He’ll let Nie Huaisang fill in the blanks on who ‘they’ are.  

Sagely, Nie Huaisang nods. “And our red-clothed friend.”

“Yes.”

“Is that all?”

Gnawing on his lip, Wei Wuxian resists the urge to strangle his friend. “Fine! I’m forming a contingency plan. I don’t think it’ll be as easy as running through the front fucking gate.”

Nie Huaisang fans himself, frowning. “We all know what happened with Mo Xuanyu.”

“It’s the only damn thing we know about him, outside of the scandal that sent him here. What I need to know, what I think is the key to this whole thing, is just what he found out that they had to damn near kill him to silence.”

Wei Wuxian is sure that whatever it is, it ties into the tests that someone was running on Wen Ning. He’s convinced that there’s a pathway that leads to the beneath the basement, but all the emergency doors lead to the outside. Not a single stairwell goes any further past the basement, and it’s easy to see from the outside that there’s no higher floors.  

“Well,” Nie Huaisang starts. “He escaped through the air shafts.”

“Those have been barred off.”

“Yes, but he specifically ran in the direction where one of the air shafts ended. Perhaps there’s something there. As for our favorite therapist, he has another young person helping him, someone who I think knows about your cultivation style and can apply it.”

Wei Wuxian tilts his head in question. Covering his face with his fan, Nie Huaisang surreptitiously scans all around them before leaning forward.

“Xue Yang.”

Xue Yang. Xue Yang. It sounds vaguely familiar, but Wei Wuxian can’t place it. Still, it’s a step further, a final connection to something that makes sense in this damn place, so he’s grateful. Grateful…and suspicious.

“Nie Huaisang, why are you helping me?” His friend has been noticeably calm, unruffled by any of the details despite his normally frazzled self. Wei Wuxian just admitted to abusing medication, lying for years, working undercover, and trying to attempt a jailbreak- why is he not bothered?

Nie Huaisang only grins. “Wei-xiong, I’ll admit it- I too have been interested in this place. Da-ge had more than a couple concerns when he sent me here, and- well, long story short, I’m here to prove my worth.” Before Wei Wuxian can him to clarify, he raises his hand in warning. There’s an orderly glaring in their direction, suspicious. Once Wei Wuxian catches his drift, Nie Huaisang leans back and exaggerates a smile.

“Anyway, I don’t know much,” he phones in, voice light. “I only know of those sent to another institution or permanently interred, including Mo Xuanyu.”

Sent to another institution. Have been removed from the equation. “I see.”

“The most cultured of us have adapted well here for a longer time.” People of higher status or importance are left alone, everyone else is disposable.

“Red sure has been here a long time.”

“He is the Orchid & Peony’s golden case study.” They need him. “Next to you, of course.” They need you.

“Ah! I see.”

“Well, one thing I am excited about- da-ge’s coming to visit! Since he’s so close with er-ge and san-ge, he even gets to have a personal tour and sit in!” We might have a chance to figure something out while Nie Mingjue stalls.

“Oh, wow! Are you excited to see him?” Can we trust him?

“Very! Maybe, if I’m lucky, he’ll think I’m okay now. Don’t worry- even though I’ll finally be feeling better, I’ll still come visit you!” There’s a chance that I could get out of here where I’ll know more.

“I’m jealous! I sure hope you won’t forget about little ol’ me!” Make sure to keep me connected.

“I won’t. Poor Wei-ge. The Orchid & Peony would miss you so much; they want to keep you here all to themselves.” They have no intention of letting you go.  

It’s foreboding enough that Wei Wuxian leans back against the shelf, façade dropped as he falls deep in thought.

“What are you two doing over here?”

Nie Huaisang jumps, and Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes. Jiang Cheng folds his arms, scowling.

“You’re so loud, A-Cheng. I can’t talk about my embarrassing secrets in peace.”

This was another reason why Wei Wuxian didn’t want to talk to Jiang Cheng. There’s only one secret he knows Jiang Cheng has been capable of keeping; the rest, the man was an open book with his emotions.

“What embarrassing secrets? I grew up with you! I know everything there is to know about you!”

Despite his tone, it’s clear that Jiang Cheng is hurt. He must have been looking for them during free time. Cooing, Wei Wuxian wraps an arm around his waist.

“It’s okay, A-Cheng. Your big brother will come play with you now, and you even get to be player one!”

Scowling, Jiang Cheng tosses his arm off. “There’s no video games here, stop fucking with me! And you always unplugged the controller when I was player one- that doesn’t make me feel any better!”

“I did not!” Okay, it only happened once or twice. A year. “And also, look at you! Admitting that you’re sad- you’re growing up, A-Cheng!”

“Hmph! At least I talk during my sessions!” It’s a hit below the belt, and upon seeing Wei Wuxian’s grimace, Jiang Cheng tries to recoup.

“If it makes you feel any better, I heard Lan Wangji doesn’t talk in his either.”

It’s clumsy, but Wei Wuxian has always saved grace for him. “Aw, Jiang Cheng!”

“What? You and your favorite have something in common!”

“Jiang Cheng, are you pouting?”

“No! It’s just that you act like he’s so entertaining! I don’t get it. He’s not that cool.”

Jiang Cheng is so wrong, but Wei Wuxian doesn’t want to talk about Lan Wangji right now either. “Aww. Forget Lan Zhan right now. I’ll sit next to you all week for meals, okay?”

“You don’t even have a choice!”

Throughout the day, while cracking jokes and paying seemingly perfect attention, Wei Wuxian collects his thoughts. First, Wen Ning. Based off his conversation with Nie Huaisang, people had apparently been removed from the Orchid & Peony never to be seen again, though it was off record or stated as ‘normal’. Mo Xuanyu had been an exception to the rule- perhaps due to his unfortunate closeness to the Jin. Whatever Wen Ning was a part of was pivotal to the Jin (and maybe the Lan?) and this has extended his survivability. If Wei Wuxian had to guess, they are trying to preserve sample- they know that if they mess up, they won’t be able to replicate whatever experiments they’re doing without Wei Wuxian’s help.

There must be a lower level. Other than Mo Xuanyu, no one else is in the medical bay, so wherever these people were disappearing, it must be somewhere easily accessible and perfectly hidden for Jin Guangyao. But where could that door be? The pharmacy, he wonders. No- the front is made of a strong, thick glass. Anyone can look inside, and it’s recorded 24/7. It’s the main reason why Wei Wuxian hasn’t been able to just purloin some damn pills. There’s always his room, located in the ward of apartments for the orderlies and nurses, but he highly doubts that there’s something so secret in a civilian space. That leaves his main office- it’s cliché, but it makes sense. Unenterable by patients under regular means, and best known to the man that occupies it.

Next, who’s doing the experiments? After hours, Jin Guangyao could very much be a part of it. Lights out at 9pm is entirely too early for sleep, and he could be awake late into the night. Maybe he gets no sleep at all. Still, Wei Wuxian doubts that he alone would be doing the dirty work. But Xue Yang- that mystery man with the name Wei Wuxian can’t put a finger on- that would work perfectly. From what he knows, he’s young and active, and if he knows how to use demonic cultivation, it makes him a perfect candidate.

Finally, getting the fuck out of this place.

One would think that it would be easy to leave the carefully constructed ‘paradise’ of the Orchid & Peony. Outside of the large ring of tall, thick, temperate trees, it’s not surrounded by anything other than wheatgrass fields for miles. There’s only one road in and out, and it loops from the front door and around the back for monitored garbage collection. There’s no large, looming gates. The orderlies are cultivators, and their eyes are everywhere, but they don’t stand guard around the perimeter. And yet, other than Mo Xuanyu, there’s not even a whisper of anyone else trying to escape. It seems like he’s the only person who’s ever thought of this place like a prison.

Part of it, he thinks, is psychological- the cage door appears to be open, yet the animal chooses to stay. They suppress the spiritual energy of every patient, the repetitive nature of their schedules has become their entire world, and in comparison to solitary, the open facility is considered fully ‘free’. They really think they’re here for help, sent by families who want the best for them, and given the famous names attached to the location- why wouldn’t they stay? Even when their friends are ‘sent away’ for ‘more serious psychological help’, they don’t think about them.

It’s a perfectly concocted web, and it’s sickening.

Shockingly, his source on this turns out to be the co-owner himself during the next day’s therapy session. Lan Xichen is a good man, unfortunately gullible, and far more patient than Wei Wuxian could ever be. He has been by far the most useless therapy patient, and yet it’s like the man refuses to give up on him already. After a couple useless attempts at acknowledging his familial traumas, Wei Wuxian’s attention moves to a printed picture of a beaming Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao standing side by side in the field. He unpins in, tilting his head in observation.

“Question.”

It’s almost pitiful how ready Lan Xichen is for the scraps offered, the way he excitedly lifts his journal and pen. Wei Wuxian hates to disappoint- but that’s yet another type of trauma response Lan Xichen has recorded in his ‘Wei Wuxian’ manila folder.

“Yes?”

“Why aren’t there any orderlies in the field?” He hands Lan Xichen the photo, pointing to the trees in the distance. “You let us all go outside; we get so much freedom- aren’t you afraid we might scatter? It’s so strange. When I was in prison, they pointed guns at us on a regular basis, and that felt infinitely more realistic.”

Lan Xichen is quick to scribble down this note (Wei Wuxian can read ‘numbness to traumatic events’ heavily underlined from across the room), then places the picture in his lap, folding his hands.

“We are cultivators, yes? Naturally, there are extremely powerful wards around the perimeter of the establishment. If anyone touches them, it signals to every staff member that there is a problem, who is escaping, and where they are. It’s in our FAQ on the pamphlet- would you like one?”

Wei Wuxian takes the proffered pamphlet and skims through. The faint blue and gold outline shines in the image, followed by a brief explanation. He’s just finished skimming when Lan Xichen makes an inquiring noise.

“Actually- Wei Wuxian, you like talismans, yes?”

“Um, yeah?” His superior talisman work was well known and revered in higher cultivation family circles before he was arrested for demonic cultivation, and he’s even discussed this at some point with Lan Xichen while talking about the ‘happier’ parts of his upbringing. It shouldn’t be a question. The silence could be cut with a knife as Lan Xichen’s brows furrowed with concentration, pupils flicking down to his papers and back at Wei Wuxian.

“I have a couple characters here, and I was wondering if you could check them? I’ve seen them recently and they… are not as familiar to me in this orientation as I would like.”

He gestures Wei Wuxian over to his desk, laying out a couple pages with large characters scrawled across them in thick, black ink. Lan Xichen laughs at his befuddled expression.

“I thought that writing them larger might spark some understanding. It’s silly, I know.”

Lan Xichen is normally sweet, sometimes to the point of naïve, but Wei Wuxian isn’t making the expression at his writing choice. Instead, the befuddlement masks an odd, writhing combination of horror and hope. If he’s understanding these characters, or rather, what these characters are supposed to be, properly…

“This is… What is this for, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Aha! Lan Xichen’s eyebrow minutely twitches. It’s infinitesimal, a crack on an otherwise perfect poker face that 99% of the population would never notice. Jokes on him; Wei Wuxian has mastered the art of ‘Lan Wangji’- reading his brother is like reading an open book.

“Come on, doc,” He hopes he’s repressing the excitement he feels. “You asked me for my help; it might help if I have context.”

It’s enough to crack Lan Xichen’s reticence. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that… I’m not sure how to contribute, myself.  A-Yao and I have been interested in emergency transport of resources. The closest town is miles away, and after the last storm we were worried that we might have an issue. Last I went to his office, he had these out and seemed flustered upon my approach- I think he wanted to impress me, and I might have gotten in over my head trying to reciprocate.”

Lan Xichen’s ears blush a pretty pink. It must be a brotherly trait. It would fill Wei Wuxian with mirth if he wasn’t near exploding with other emotions.

“Anyway, I offered to help him think about it, and this is what we came up with. However, this isn’t my forte. I’ve always been better at musical cultivation, diplomacy, and martial arts, myself. Do you perhaps have any ideas?”

Wei Wuxian has plenty of ideas- it’s his thing, really. Problem is, he doesn’t want to tell Lan Xichen for fear that it might get back to Jin Guangyao. Because if his theory is correct, the entire game could change. Despite memorizing the characters after a couple seconds, Wei Wuxian bullshits over the pages for a little while, humming and sighing to sell that he was thinking about it. Just as he’s about the say something faux introspective, the door slams wide open. An orderly stands behind it, followed by Nie Huaisang.

“Lan-gongzi,” the orderly cries. “We’re having an issue with one of the patients right now! Please, come quickly!”

Lan Xichen is quick to stand, but Wei Wuxian hardly notices for the pressing look on Nie Huaisang’s face.

“The door will lock automatically behind us; I’m sorry Wei Wuxian, we’ll have to continue our session later!” Like the good higher-up he is, Lan Xichen is quick to rush away with the orderly. He doesn’t bother to look back as they flinch at one of Nie Huaisang’s prized fans cracking in the doorframe.

“You act like it broke your arm,” Wei Wuxian grumbles, rushing back into the office.

“I’d rather it did,” pouts Nie Huaisang. “Hurry up.”

One thing was for sure- having an ally in his investigation has made all the difference. Finally, after weeks of itching suspicion, Wei Wuxian sneaks to the wall behind Lan Xichen’s desk. The wall, plastered with patients’ art and pamphlets, has exactly one framed photo of the Twin Jades when they were little, wearing traditional garb and smiling (well, staring, in Lan Wangji’s case) into the camera. Upon being asked about it, he noticed that Lan Xichen had been unusually stingy about it. This could be because he’s proprietary about his family, or-

“I knew it!” The 1x1 foot picture hides an indentation into the wall. A small, circular, wooden door to a safe is exposed.

“Hurry up!” hisses Nie Huaisang, bouncing on his toes at the door.

Fuck! Where’s the keypad, or combination, or something to open it? Wei Wuxian is running out of time, and with a ‘fuck it’, decides to try the easiest route first. He places a hand on the small knob in the middle and presses it in. To his shock and disappointment (come on Xichen-ge! I could be a bad guy!) a series of small interlocking doors open to a cylinder hole. There are a couple manila folders inside, followed by a couple loose papers and some small packages. On top, there’s a torn piece of notebook paper with scribbled characters on it- the completed set from the desk.

“I hear him down the hall, let’s go before you get both of us tossed into solitary!”

Unsure of what else to do, Wei Wuxian shoves the paper in his pants, presses the button to close the safe, and slams the picture closed before hustling out the door. Too late for escape, they linger around the closed door as Lan Xichen strides toward them. Nie Huaisang is quick to assuage him.

“We weren’t sure if we should just walk around without an orderly, so we stayed put.”

Relief only slightly loosens Lan Xichen’s harried face as he squeezes both of their shoulders.

“I appreciate the patience. I’m only popping back in for a moment, but I think it should be okay if you just head down to the common area. Tell them to check with me, if not.” He sweeps into his office, and Wei Wuxian yanks Nie Huaisang down the hall before Lan Xichen can become suspicious.

“Okay,” he explains. “I think, if I’m right about the characters on this sheet, that Jin Guangyao is trying to transport something much larger than some emergency food. Here, let me just-”

Nie Huaisang’s eyes flicker down to his crotch, before flitting to the side. Bemused, he holds up one tentative hand. “I’m not interested in your crotch-paper, Wei-xiong. I believe you. Let me know when you confirm your suspicions.”

Wei Wuxian doesn’t believe for a second that Nie Huaisang is shallow enough to worry about where the paper has been placed. “Are you sure?”

Tips of his Cheshire grin showing over his fan, Nie Huaisang blinks blithely. “I don’t know. But I don’t know what I don’t know, so...”

The breeze is finally taking on an Autumn crisp, Wei Wuxian’s fleece Henley not enough to stop his goosebumps. The sky is a beautiful ombre, the remaining blue of day shifting into the warm orange of early evening. Voices carry over the wind, the cool temperature not enough to stop the patients from enjoying the green space. All this beauty to behold, ignored in lieu of his current tunnel vision.

He’d managed to discover which air shaft Mo Xuanyu had fallen from and traced a path from there. If he’d run straight back, Wei Wuxian extrapolated, then he’d have to come across whatever Mo Xuanyu was running toward- maybe there’d be some clues. The path took him past the koi pond and toward the thicket of trees he’d once hid in to observe Wen Ning. Only fifteen feet further looms the beautiful and overbearing ward, humming with a dangerous energy. If he looks closer, there’s still signs of damage- splintered wood, dead grass, all suddenly ending at the precipice. The disarray supports his suspicions- if Mo Xuanyu had been caught at the wall, the damage would have ended at a singular point. Instead, the grass is literally greener on the other side.

Dread sits like molten lead in his stomach, traveling down to his feet. This was it- if he was wrong, the ward would react, the orderlies would be after him, and Jin Guangyao would have every excuse to detain him once more. He’s only got three pills left, and likely wouldn’t be let out for an indeterminate time.

“Attempt the impossible,” he whispers, jumping up and down, puffing his cheeks. Worst case scenario, he knows he can wield his resentment. If they have to take him down screaming… well, it wouldn’t be the first fight to the near death he’d been in.

With a deep breath, Wei Wuxian charges the section where the dead grass ends. At first, he expects to be electrocuted, or at the very least to feel like he’s run straight into bricks. Instead, it feels as though he’s being pressed through a laminator. His fingers slide through a glossy, hot material, unable to grab yet unable to escape its grasp. Breathing is an impossibility; he can’t even try to open his mouth the pressure is so thick. Just as he thinks he’s made a terrible mistake, that his Shijie and Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji would never know how he was melted alive by a horrific ward, a freezing cold blast of air rushes into his lungs.

He falls to his knees, hissing at the bite of cold on his exposed fingers. Wei Wuxian opens his eyes, and the shock is enough to still his shivering.

Snow.

Gone is the idyllic evening of the Orchid & Peony; all around him is a thin layer of snow on the forest bed, with pine trees and jagged rock formations shooting into the heavens. Snow falls gently around him, fluttering over his skin and melting like pinpricks. The deafening chatter of his teeth does nothing to stop Wei Wuxian from smiling triumphantly at his theory being proven correct. The characters to ‘import emergency goods’, hadn’t been entirely untrue. Lan Xichen had written out the characters that he deemed most important to the talisman, trying to understand how to work with them. But the secret had lay in the full formation. All night, Wei Wuxian had run the different combinations in his head, trying to figure out just exactly what Jin Guangyao expected to transport that required a setup of this magnitude. When he’d come up with the solution, it almost seemed unreal.

The entire facility moved.

It’s a display of intelligence and power that honestly leaves Wei Wuxian in wonder, and a little bit cowed at what he’s dealing with.

“Imagine what they could do if they applied this much power and ingenuity into fixing the world’s problems, instead of trying to steal work and make the rich richer,” he murmurs, breath clouding around him. The scope of greed is astonishing, yet given Jin Guangshan’s proclivities, hardly surprising.

Unfortunately, he cannot stay here. The cold is already burning into his joints, raw in his throat. Praying that the crack in the ward works two ways, he jumps foot first back into the energy. Already, he’s coming up with a new theory. 

This time, he’s brought a jacket. Luckily, properly charmed jackets have been allocated, so it didn’t seem suspicious when he came out to ‘play’ in his. This time, an astute Wen Ning covers for him, telling Jiang Cheng that Wei Wuxian has chosen to spend his second free time with him in the art room. He only gives Wei Wuxian that look, demanding later explanation, a little too close to Wen Qing’s for comfort.

The second jump through the ward is just as physically uncomfortable, but not as unbearable as the first now that he knows what to expect. To his surprise, he doesn’t end back up in the freezing cold mountains, but this time in a forest. It is still cold, but bearable. The trees are high above him, but still reveal the gray sky with clouds that look saturated with future rain.

“It uproots,” Wei Wuxian murmurs sardonically. “Ha! Like weeds. We mere mortals mean so little, huh.”

With the ward just in sight in the distance, Wei Wuxian stretches his arms out in front of him, and focuses. Like an unused muscle, the resentment pulls at his body, tentative and straining. It lingers at the tips of his fingers, hiding as a haze around his head and shoulders. With a deeper breath, Wei Wuxian flexes his fingers once more, and the power unleashes from his reserves, given permission to flow freely for the first time in years. It churns around him, waves of energy rustling the leaves and trying to contain itself within his range.

He would never say that wielding resentment felt good, per se, but it never felt unnatural- at least not when he was in the proper presence of mind to use it. That was the ‘beauty’ of his cultivation- unlike the inherent privilege required to follow the righteous path, resentment was easily accessible. The reason that cultivators hadn’t been able to utilize it was due to the way it fiercely counteracted one’s Qi (and who was willing to give up that preciously built power, but a ‘fool’, ironically reflects Wei Wuxian). As for regular humans, the raw, furious power could easily overcome one’s better urges and quickly enable worse impulses instead. It was why he spent sleepless nights designing and testing amulets, flags, talismans- things for channeling rather than raw energy itself. As for potential medical uses- Empathy and its potential for conscience retrieval could be honed for something great! Wei Wuxian’s experience with Wen Ning did not have to be the end-all be-all.

Of course, he’d also always believed that if his research didn’t pan out, he’d lean on Wen Qing and hers. That dream had literally gone up in smoke.

In the years he’d been held in prison, and especially fighting the insidious beast that was Jin Pharmaceuticals and its royally fucked up family, he was starting to deeply question whether his intent was worth the potential harm. He only wanted to give common people access, but he’s realized that this too, came from a place of privilege. Just because everyone could create and utilize resentment did not mean they would be as self-aware as he when using it. Maybe it’s just because he’s selfish and doesn’t want to risk any more blood on his hands. It was disappointing, but given everything he’d lost, everything that was threatened- perhaps it would be better when he got out of here, to simply find the amulet and destroy it?

The resentment settles around Wei Wuxian, blood-red maelstrom resembling the deceptive slowness of a hurricane that hasn’t breached. Far from the tiny amounts he’s been utilizing, he’s got plenty of energy left. With a wave of his hand, the energy disperses like the breeze. Now that he’s warmed up, it’s on to the real hypothesis.

He’d made this discovery purely by mistake, and it’s all thanks to his beloved shidi Jiang Cheng. After an especially arduous workout, Wei Wuxian had complained about how sticky the medical ID bracelet was.

“I wish I could tear this damn thing off,” he whined, shoving his fingers underneath it to air it out. Jiang Cheng lifted his arm, staring at the state of his bracelet.

“Only you could manage to make a mess out of a spiritually infused bracelet. What the actual fuck; have you been gnawing on it? Why does it look like this?”

Pouting, Wei Wuxian yanked his arm away. “You can’t tell me that you haven’t yanked at it a couple times. It’s unbearable.”

Jiang Cheng flushes a little, running a hand through his hair. “Only once. It was while I was in rut. It kept pissing me off, and I was trying to tear it away, but the damn thing is indestructible. Not even a scratch, look.”

The wristband is in perfect condition, and Wei Wuxian has heard Jiang Cheng talk about how strong an Alpha is during rut. He wouldn’t expect it to be broken, but when Wei Wuxian considers how easily his bends and wrinkles, he’d expect Jiang Cheng’s to show a little damage. He tries to remember back to Lan Wangji’s wristband; just like everything else on the Twin Jade, it was in pristine condition.

At lunch, he checks Nie Huaisang’s wrist- there is only minimal wear and tear, closer to Jiang Cheng’s than his, but it’s enough for the idea to stick. If Wei Wuxian is correct, there might be a correlation between the strength of the wristband and the spiritual power of the wearer.

“No regrets!” he suddenly shouts, pointing a finger at his wrist and blasting the clip with a concentrated amount of power. The medical wristband flies off, the high-speed clip shooting him in the nose and sending him crumpling to the ground.

“Agh, damnit, fuck!”

Tears of accomplishment and injury burn in his eyes, and his nose pulses with every thump of his heart. In fact, if he tries just hard enough, he can practically hear Wen Qing calling him an idiot for not protecting his face first.

Okay. Correlation isn’t causation, but Wei Wuxian is willing to accept that with enough power, he can get everyone’s wristbands off. Wen Ning doesn’t have any power, and Nie Huaisang’s should come off with a little effort. The problem lies in Lan Wangji and hi- Jiang Cheng’s cores. He doesn’t want to accidentally use too much power- a stinging, hawthorn-red nose couldn’t compare to possibly ripping off their arms.

Petulant, he swipes the torn wristband and clip from the dirt. Fortunately, it’s only got one major tear down the middle where the clip used to be. With Wen Ning’s help, he’s sure he can put it back together- it’s such a forgone conclusion that they work, that no one will be searching for issues. He just needs to lay low until he can.

One pill left.

No amount of staring at the bottle with dejection or a twitching eye-level exhaustion was making more pills appear, but Wei Wuxian hasn’t let that stop him from dwelling in his singular failure over the week. So many strides forward, but absolutely zero movement on this one. He pours the pill into his hand, but anxiety stays his hand from moving to his mouth.

I need to keep it. Emergencies. I should take it, but I shouldn’t, because what if I need it later? If I take it, that’s the end- there’s no more. It’s not bad enough right now to take it. I can handle it. It’s not bad.

The sight of the empty bottle only compounds his nausea. Sighing, he places the pill on the sink stand and gets into the shower. This might be the earliest that Wei Wuxian has ever been awake of his own volition. The stupid alarm hasn’t come over the PA system (it’s a weekend, he wishes it wouldn’t at all), and the night sky was still fighting for dominance from the slowly rising sun. The gremlin that is his brain refused to let him sleep, juggling all his anxieties and dropping a stomach-churning worse-case scenario every time he closed his eyes. All he can hope is that this hot shower will calm his heart, and that maybe he can sneak into the back of the cafeteria and flirt (or beg, he’s not above it) for some of the secret staff coffee.

A noise outside the bathroom door gives him pause, and Wei Wuxian’s heart slows as he tries to listen. The alarm chirps over the system, followed by a faint ‘checks’, and he hears his front door close. That is…odd, to say the least. Perhaps the orderly had decided to have some mercy on him and not check the shower while he was in it? He could use that sort of grace. He gets dressed, and exits back into his room, noticing that his bed has been stripped bare and new sheets are folded on the end. Ah- laundry day; every weekend they switched the sheets.

Wei Wuxian picks up the fitted sheet, placing it over the mattress and- that’s strange. Maybe they changed the detergent because the sheet doesn’t smell like its normal cotton and lilac. It’s a mellower smell, reminiscent of incense. He picks up the sheet to shake it, grimacing when something moist touches his hand-

Terrified, he drops to his knees and curls in on himself, frantically covering his nose and mouth with his untainted hand.

The luscious, mouthwatering, overwhelming scent of sandalwood fills his room and crashes into his senses. He gasps, feeling himself salivate at the implication heavy scent. Blood rushes to his face and to his groin, his skin uncomfortably tight and hot, and he tightly squeezes his legs closer together fruitlessly to try to prevent the drip.

No, no, no! What is this, what the hell is going on?!

Body quaking, Wei Wuxian’s vision is blurry as he reaches out his stained hand to lift the sheet. Numerous types of telltale stains mar the sheet all over, and he sobs, balling them up and then yanking his hand away like he’s touched hot coals.

Fucking disgusting!

Who would do this?! What crazy fucker thought this was okay?!

Pill. Get your pill!

Dizzy, Wei Wuxian trips over his feet and collapses into the bathroom. As he reaches for the pill, a spine-curling cramp wracks his body, and he overshoots and rams his hand into the sink. The pill rolls down, and Wei Wuxian scrambles in horror as his last hope slides down the drain. He’s about to summon resentment to grab it when a knock hits his bathroom door.

“Checks!”

Scalding, suffocating pain bubbles in his throat, locking it in place. If the patients were allowed to grow long nails, there would be caustic blood red claw marks down Wei Wuxian’s cheeks right now, jagged from how hard he’s shaking. Swallowing the horrific wail that wants to escape his throat feels like swallowing needles, inhaling even more so.

“G-give me a s-second,” he croaks. Robotically, he turns on the water to rinse the tears off his face. Red blotches mar his cheeks, his loose hair is in disarray, his nose still throbs, and his tired eyes are harried as he tries to smile through the pain. When he opens the door, grimace substituting a grin, the orderly blinks, concerned.

“Uh. I took your sheets and replaced them. Please head to breakfast, and make sure to make your bed when you come back.”

Wei Wuxian can only squeak an affirmative and rush past him. Breakfast is uneventful, likely because he stares at his food and refuses to eat it. Wen Ning and Nie Huaisang prod at him, before deciding to leave him alone. The moment breakfast ends, Wei Wuxian sprints out of his chair, out of the common room and into the fresh air. So lost is he in his thoughts, that when someone aggressively grabs his arm, he yanks away, sick with horror.

“Hey! Wei Wuxian! What’s going on? Fuck happened to your face? You… you’re burning up and-”

Jiang Cheng’s hand vacillates in the air, unsure of what to do.

Help, Wei Wuxian wants to cry. I need help, please-

“I’m okay, Jiang Cheng, just-”

“You clearly-!”

“I wanna be alone!”

Near hyperventilation, Wei Wuxian turns and runs far into the field, a hurt and confused Jiang Cheng left in the dust. He’s so determined to get out of the Orchid & Peony, to frantically escape from whoever would violate him like this, that he doesn’t notice when he sprints past Lan Wangji.

The wind is chillier than it was a week ago, the color of autumn spread further over the leaves. Still, the open sky is leagues better than being trapped inside that cell by himself with nothing but mind-consuming desire. Lan Wangji rubs the bark of the tree near the pond, crunching his fingers as he remembers some of his fantasies.

Wei Wuxian tied to a branch. Wei Wuxian’s back to the bark, legs tight around his torso, begging Lan Wangji to spare him as he continued thrusting his body up the trunk until they came messily together.

It really was rough enough to chafe; he chastises himself for ignoring his fantasy’s pleas. He will do better if… no. He’s polluting the purest memory of the space- the day Wei Wuxian opened up to him about his true feelings on the facility, about the world around him, sharing a little bit of his past. It’s their safe, private space, and he hopes it will serve as the perfect backdrop for the conversation that they need to have.

Just then, the rustling of fast-approaching footsteps grab his attention. Lan Wangji’s mood lightens; he expects that next he’ll hear a delighted ‘Lan Zhan!’ if Wei Wuxian is approaching him with such excitement. Instead, the wind blows a wave of honey, peaches, and the sharp tang of fear his way, shattering any illusion of peace.

Wei Wuxian sprints past their tree, his eyes streaming with tears, and resentful energy oozing around his head.

“Wei Ying!”

The other man pays him no attention, barreling into the darkness of the trees. Lan Wangji’s body moves on its own, following close behind.

“Wei Ying! What’s going on? Wei Ying!” The smell of fear pulses with every cry, as if Wei Wuxian can hear him calling and he’s- running away from him?

The strange heartbreak and fear of running blind through the trees are interrupted by the massive ward, humming with intimidation. Months ago, Lan Xichen had read him the pamphlet during a bandage change; he remembers that it should immediately alert the orderlies if someone makes contact. This is what Lan Wangji should do, right? Alert the staff for help? Does he even have time to wait? A pleasant voice faintly whispering Qi deviation reverberates with every panicked heartbeat.

The distressed scent lingers strongest here, not going left or right- it’s as if Wei Wuxian has simply run through the ward and into the field beyond. An option that was not possible. Not only can Lan Wangji see through the shining ward well enough to notice a body in black scrubs, but the ward itself should be impenetrable.

The longer he dawdles, the more the scent disperses- he’ll lose it altogether soon. Steeling his nerves, Lan Wangji runs straight ahead. It takes all his years of training not to raise his hands or stop right at the edge, but he wishes he had at least covered his nose as the ward seems to suck him inside like molten glue. It seals to his skin, covering every part of him and leaving him unable to breathe. His limbs struggle, trying to gain some sense of orientation. How will he find Wei Wuxian in this miasma when he can’t even open his eyes?

Just on the precipice of pure terror, he drops onto the other side of the ward, and the strong smell hits him once more. Relieved that he’s been released, Lan Wangji takes a step forward, then inhales sharply in renewed shock.

What is going on?

Where am I?

The billowing white mist is as low and thick as the worst type of day in the Cloud Recesses. Despite this, the temperature is humid, the stickiness forcing him out of his jacket. He ties it around his waist, still blindly following Wei Wuxian’s scent. The ground beneath him is covered in a springy moss, covering rich, brown dirt underneath. A daunting, undulating crashing sound echoes from all sides.

“Wei Ying,” he whispers, feeling existentially small as he trails the muffled scent. “Wei Ying? Wei Yi-”

His calls are cut off as he trips, his left foot losing purchase as the soft dirt collapses underneath him. Alarmed, he scrambles back to sturdier ground. The steel gray ocean slams into the cliffside, tempestuous and frustrated, as though it missed Lan Wangji by a little and is raring to try again. Heart pounding, he wobbles to his feet, sniffing the air. Luckily, Wei Wuxian managed to turn away from this cliff, and has headed more inland. Lan Wangji calls out a couple times, desperation and fear solidifying in his chest like a rock.

The mist begins to clear as he searches, revealing gray skies and a stunning vision. Much too far away to swim, but looming nonetheless in its grand size, is a burbling volcano. Molten lava trudges its way down the side, colliding with the water with a constant hiss of steam. The closer Lan Wangji gets to the wonder, the more concentrated the smell gets and finally, keeled to the ground, is a shivering Wei Wuxian. The dirt in front of him is kicked up, as though he’d tripped and couldn’t bring himself to get back up.

“Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian, still shivering, turns a wide, animalistic eye toward Lan Wangji. It’s a look that demands he stop at once.

“Go away,” he mutters, face twitching.

“Wei Ying-”

“Go away!” he roars, scent bitter with fury. “Fuck, what do I have to do?! What do I have to say to just get you all to leave me alone?!”

Resentment curls around him like a protective shield, but it does nothing to hide the tears running down Wei Wuxian’s red face.

“Wei Ying, please. I’m here to help.”

Exasperated, Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes and leans his head back to the sky- the picture of torment.

“Help. Ha! I want help getting answers. I want help going home. I want this all to fucking end! If you can’t do any of that, you can’t help me.”

Lan Wangji takes a step forward, and Wei Wuxian’s head jerks toward him, eyes glowing red.

“I said stop! Don’t get any closer!”

Raising his hands, Lan Wangji freezes again. He kneels to the ground, watching Wei Wuxian flinch as he drops.

“I am not here to put you in danger. You can talk to me if you need to. I will listen. I will always listen to Wei Ying. Remember?”

He hopes to assuage Wei Wuxian, but his face crumples as Wei Wuxian sobs anew, that hard smile still on his face.

“You’re such a good person, Lan Zhan. I wish I was so good. I wish I had never come up with any of this. I wish I had just died in that crash with Uncle Fengmian and Madame Yu, or maybe when they blew up that fucking lab. I don’t want to be here anymore, I’m tired of feeling unsafe, of people wanting things from me. But I can’t be tired, Lan Zhan. They need me. I promised Wen Qing. I promised, and yet I can’t figure anything out! I need my suppressants so I can think straight!”

Wei Wuxian is practically admitting to his secondary gender and how he hid it- questions that Lan Wangji had intended to find answers to, and yet suddenly feel like a shallow and pointless victory.

“The worst part is, I’m not nearly as important as anyone thinks. I can’t even take care of myself properly right now- one stupid moment today, and my entire life feels like it’s falling apart! The one person who might have any of the medical answers is dead because I didn’t save her in time. She’s dead because I was naïve in thinking that we’d be okay, that we could change the world and prove that even us with no power or money could do something special too! I failed Wen Qing, and I’m failing her brother.” Mania flashes in Wei Wuxian’s eyes as he continues to mutter. “I don’t even know how I fixed him, and yet if I don’t figure it out or tell them how, they’ll keep experimenting on him and maybe even countless others. I’m tempted to just wreck shop and get the fuck out of here, but I’m trying not to hurt the people I love even more by going on that path again. I don’t want to have to run anymore, I want to finally do something right and good enough to just go home with the people I love, and it’s- it’s all just so damn hard!”

His voice cracks on the last word, and a surge of resentment ripples around his body as he hides his head in his hands. Wei Wuxian chokes just a little bit longer, and then he turns to look at Lan Wangji with disdain.

“I bet I look so pathetic. I hate this. Why am I bothering to tell you? What would you even care, Lan Zhan? I’m always forcing my presence on you, just like Jiang Cheng said. I’m supposed to lean on you and have faith in you, in Lan Xichen and this entire fucking place, but what could any of you possibly know about how much guilt I feel? Just…go snitch or something. I don’t care. I’ll deal with it later. Just go away.”

Defeated, Wei Wuxian curls onto his side. As quickly as it built, the resentment disperses, leaving behind a small man trying to vanish into the wind along with it. It breaks Lan Wangji’s heart- the idea that all this time, he was expecting Wei Wuxian to be vulnerable to him, not realizing that he wasn’t reciprocating. He certainly won’t leave- the memory of the water’s edge lingers at the forefront, as well as the image of Wei Wuxian slipping into the depths.

“Wei Ying. May I come sit next to you? I swear, I will not touch you unless you consent to it.”

With a sniff, Wei Wuxian gives a terse nod. Lan Wangji sits down, his hands tucked behind him.

“I cannot and will not compare the measure of guilt you feel. But I do know of guilt.” Lan Wangji inhales slowly, trying to force his body to stop shivering. “I watched my mother die.”

Wei Wuxian shoots up in concern, the fear immediately replaced by a soothing smell. Before he can speak, Lan Wangji holds up a hand. He doesn’t want Wei Wuxian to feel obligated to comfort him right now.

“To put it lightly, my mother was unwelcomed. My father adored her, wanted to be her mate more than anything, but she did not care for him. Still, when she was at her lowest and needed help, he marked her, so sure was he that they would love and support one another. By the time she died, they were living apart, and as she was considered the lesser parent, she was essentially banished to seclusion while my father was to raise us. He did not. They had a weak, painful, pointless bond, and it broke his spirit so much that she did not return his love that he secluded himself as well.”

It was common rumor, the shame of the head of the Lan family.

“We were only allowed to see her once a month, and Xiongzhang and I always made the most of it. She smelled like chamomile and gentians; soft, comforting. One day, I- I thought I could sneak away to see her. I even had a handful of flowers. I found the secret key hidden under the stair, and I opened the door. Her house was dark except for the moonlight, and I remember trying to feel my way back to her room. When I entered her room, she was on the ground. Unmoving. I thought she was asleep. But when I went to wake her, I saw her open eyes, and I saw her- her pupil-”

He shudders, unable to choke down a pained exhale. He remembers it clearly. Though her body was completely still, limbs sprawled around her, her pupil had twitched his direction. There was fading life in that eye, and there was nothing either of them could do as she sighed her last, the pupil dilating into oblivion. It was one of his biggest regrets- removing even that last moment of peace from her life.

“The only thing I remember after was people running into the room and sweeping me away. Xiongzhang said that I screamed myself hoarse, and then was in bed with a fever for two weeks while the elders handled the situation.” The hasty, shameful funeral had happened without him, a fact that broke him down for years every time he thought about it. “The reason that I am here is because I branded myself. My family has rut containment rooms similar to the ones here, but more spartan in nature. They are meant for discipline and focus- to make sure that the next Lan Alpha heir is not as weak-willed as his father was. That day was the anniversary of her death, and we always went to pay respects and clean her tomb. Instead, I was locked in, and I felt the need to escape.”

The brand had been snuck in a long time beforehand, an ideation long before an action. The alcohol had been an easy bribe from a guard, and, well-

“I understand what it is to feel guilty because of something out of your control. I don’t know how to fix it, or if we even can fix these things but… Wei Ying, if it’s something that must be done, I want to do it together. Even if we cannot, I want to be with you while we try. You are not a burden, and you are not alone.”

Tears fall onto their hands- he hadn’t even realized that, somewhere in the middle of his story, Wei Wuxian had grasped his hands, and they were both holding fast. Lan Wangji leans his head in, and finally, Wei Wuxian meets him halfway. Their first kiss is soft, tentative, and tastes of salt. It is not the fireworks moment that either of them dreamt of, not the roses and warmth that Lan Wangji would want to lavish upon him, but it is exactly what they need. As soft peach envelopes them, Lan Wangji is first to pull away, Wei Wuxian whining softly.

“How are you feeling, Wei Ying? What do you need? I will do what is in my power to help you.”

“Aw, man. I’m so sorry. That story about your mother? A brand? Lan Zhan, I can’t even- I feel like an asshole. I can’t…I can’t ask you to- not after hearing that-”

“Wei Ying. It’s okay. I wanted to tell you.”

Wei Wuxian plays with his fingers, eyes darting back and forth. “Are you sure?”

“Please.”

“Well…” Wei Wuxian takes a deep breath. “I’m scared, okay? I’m scared. Some asshole dropped a sheet in my room covered in your pheromones, sweat, and semen, and it triggered a long-suppressed heat.”

Lan Wangji recoils in horror, disgust, and mild embarrassment. Who would do something like that?

“Every time I smell you, I just… I love your smell, and it does things to me. Maybe they knew that, maybe they didn’t, but it’s a threat of violence regardless. I haven’t had a heat in years and it’s terrifying me shitless. I feel so violently exposed. I keep wanting to scent and nest and I have nowhere safe to do that because the entirety of that damned facility upsets me, but my instincts don’t care and it’s making me sick. I don’t know what to do to get through it safely because Jin Guangyao is using it against me, he knows, and I don’t want to have to give him what he wants in exchange for my own security, but it hurts! All I have to suppress it is the resentment now that I’m out of pills, but when I get too emotional, it- it’s unstable, but I can’t help how I’m feeling because of these stupid instincts…”

Emboldened, Lan Wangji takes off his ribbon, and emits his own pheromones. Appeased, Wei Wuxian melts into his arms. He reciprocates full force, allowing Lan Wangji to lay his head in his hair and bathe in more of the loving smell.

“Your instincts are not stupid; they are a part of you, and I love every part of you.”

Wei Wuxian stiffens, pulling back to stare at a blushing yet determined Lan Wangji with wide eyes.

“Lan- Lan Zhan! You can’t just say things like that! Do you- what if you’re only acting like this because of my pheromones? I can’t take the thought that you only want to be around me because of that.”

Lan Wangji takes the opportunity to kiss him once more, thumbing his cheeks affectionately. “I’m not. I loved Wei Ying when I thought he was a Beta. He could have been an Alpha, too.”

Wei Wuxian’s red cheeks bely his pleasure, but he still scoffs. “Now you’re just lying.”

“I never lie. We would just have to make some adjustments. I’m open to try anything for Wei Ying.” He blinks slowly at Wei Wuxian, watching as the other’s expression cracks into a smile, and then tosses his head back in laughter. It’s the first real smile he’s worn all day, and Lan Wangji gently smiles back.

“You’re so funny. I’ve been so worried about that, Lan Zhan. You’re taking this all too easily, I don’t get it! You’re supposed to be yelling at me, accusing me or something. That’s how all my interactions go.”

“I do not like that. I want to make Wei Ying feel safe. Secure. How will you feel secure if you always feel the need to defend yourself?” Lan Wangji protectively squeezes Wei Wuxian a little tighter, scowling into the distance. “If I knew who threatened you, weaponizing my attraction for you in such a horrible way, I-”

He stops mid-sentence, not because he cannot speak, but he’s unsure how well Wei Wuxian would take to hearing him threaten violence when he’s supposed to be de-escalating. He’s emitting enough to convey the violence he feels, but before he can apologize, the heady scent of slick permeates his nostrils. Wei Wuxian grasps both sides of his face, bringing him for another kiss. It’s delicious, needy, and when Lan Wangji moves his hands down to his waist and squeezes, Wei Wuxian moans. A thin trail of spit separates them when Wei Wuxian pulls away.

“Fuck, Lan Zhan, I liked all of that. I felt so… protected. So hot. I’m not used to that. I need more.”

A rumble of thunder rolls across the sea, reminding Lan Wangji that they are not in their own little world, but kneeling in moss and dirt in the middle of nowhere. He scans the environment, zeroing in on a cliff face in the distance that might serve as a potential shelter for now. Determined, he stands, sweeping a shocked Wei Wuxian off his feet.

“Lan Zhan! Where are we going? Back to-”

“No. Not safe for Wei Ying.”

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t showing off his strength a little bit, relishing in how Wei Wuxian blushes at his ability to lift him onto his back, carry him swiftly across the vast field, up a cliffside, and into the damp cave- all without the added strength of his core. It’s like all the false humility beaten into him over the years simply had no effect when it came to the depth of his love for the man, and it’s exhilarating. He gently lowers Wei Wuxian onto the ground, smiling when he dramatically swoons.

“Give me your jacket, Lan Zhan. I feel inspired!”

They only have two jackets, but it’s endearing the way Wei Wuxian is resolute while laying them out precisely, complete with his own rolled-up shirt as a pillow, on the ground for a small nest. When Wei Wuxian holds out his arms, truly content despite the bareness of the scenario, Lan Wangji makes a promise. Bracing around Wei Wuxian, he leans into a sensuous kiss, slowly pressing his body weight onto him.

“Wei Ying,” he whispers, breathing heavily as restless hands remove his shirt for another part of the nest. “I swear to you, one day I will make love to you on a bed softer than the clouds, in a home that I built for just the two of us.” The words rise from his soul, from a place he never realized he yearned for so deeply until this moment. He laves his tongue up Wei Wuxian’s neck, nipping at his ear. “You will never feel uncomfortable, never feel unsafe when you’re with me.”

Wei Wuxian’s back spasms, enough for Lan Wangji to pull off the dirty scrub bottoms, hastily roll them, and slide them under the small of his back. He lifts Wei Wuxian’s legs, zealously biting and sucking his way from calf to inner thigh.

“You will never worry about a heat again because if you want, we will spend them together. Whatever you need, whatever you yearn for, I will provide for you. Not because of our presentation, but because I want to. You deserve more than this.”

The fact that rolling in the mossy dirt, rain pouring outside the cliff face, is the most pleasant sexual experience either of them have ever had is a pressing issue for Lan Wangji. Even he, with his lack of prowess, knows that this shouldn’t feel as romantic as it is. Just the thought of making love to Wei Wuxian on silk sheets, treasuring the feel of each other without worry, makes him ache.

Silver eyes smolder at him, and Lan Wangji watches with groin-deep satisfaction as Wei Wuxian finally lets himself believe. Gently pressing a hand to Lan Wangji’s chest to move him, Wei Wuxian lifts himself into Lan Wangji’s lap. Tantalizing fingers make their way over to the scar, where Lan Wangji winces.

“I can cover it-”

Wei Wuxian shakes his head. “No, no! That’s not it.” Slowly, he presses his lips to the scar. Once, twice, thrice, he kisses it over and over and until Lan Wangji’s entire body relaxes into the touch.

“I don’t know or care what anyone else said about you, Lan Zhan, but I wouldn’t change a thing about you. There’s nothing weak or wrong about you. I want you to feel safe with me, too. If you’ll have me, even with all my baggage, I’ll support you all the way.”

His smile is so genuine and loving, and Lan Wangji damn near starts to cry. Instead, in a swift motion, he presses Wei Wuxian back into the ground and falls onto his dick, tongue sliding so low that he can feel dark pubic hairs tickling his cheeks.

“Oh, my- Lan Zhan, if this is what it takes- ah, fuck- to get you to respond like this, I’ll compliment you every day! I mean- fuck, yes, tongue the slit, yes- I’ll do that anyway, but like- ah, shit-”

Wei Wuxian quickly loses coherency, his babbling becoming indecent moaning as he bucks his hips into Lan Wangji’s mouth. Still thirsty, Lan Wangji slips two fingers inside of Wei Wuxian, moaning himself as he scissors inside the slick entry. Popping off of Wei Wuxian’s swelling dick, he grasps a solid handful of plush backside and lifts it just high enough to stick his tongue inside. Wei Wuxian’s resulting scream of ecstasy makes him laugh, heated breaths tickling the tender spot.

“Are you laughing at me?” Wei Wuxian huffs, smiling despite himself as his legs curl around Lan Wangji’s neck. “My entire body is fucking contorting because Hanguang-fucking-Jun is eating me out-” he pauses, another moan slipping from his lips- “and, and you’re laughing at me! Who knew you were so lewd, Lan Zhan? Where’d you learn this? I can’t be the only one you’ve done this with, there’s just no way, I don’t believe it!”

Lan Wangji moves his tongue away, chin and lips shining with slick as though it were the ichor of gods, and nods. “En. Only you.”

Honeyed peach overwhelms sandalwood within the space, Wei Wuxian’s skin becoming feverishly hot as Lan Wangji pleasures him, and just as Lan Wangji feels Wei Wuxian’s legs tighten, a bunch of anxious taps stop him in his tracks. He immediately loosens himself from the grip, wiping his mouth off as he makes eye contact. Perhaps it’s due to how repressed he’s been, but Wei Wuxian’s symptoms are much stronger than normal. If Lan Wangji weren’t aware of the signs of heat, he would worry that Wei Wuxian was sick with his current color, how dilated his pupils have become, the way he can’t seem to focus on Lan Wangji’s face.

“Lan Zhan,” he whimpers, breaths heavy. “I can feel it about to happen… please don’t leave me. Stay with me.”

“I could never leave you.”

When Lan Wangji draws a hand down Wei Wuxian’s cheek, down to his neck, a hot hand grasps his fingers. “I’m scared that I might ask when I’m out of it… please don’t… mark me. Not now… not like this… I know it’ll be hard for you, I can explain…”

Lan Wangji shakes his head. “You don’t have to explain anything. I will always honor your choices. You can trust me.”

Tears pool in Wei Wuxian’s eyes, and he sniffles. “Okay. I’m going to believe you. Thank you, Lan Zhan.”

It’s the last coherent thing he says before his entire body quakes, his arms falling, hands splayed out to his sides gripping the dirt. Lan Wangji pauses, intending to wait for Wei Wuxian to speak, when the man instantly tises, wrapping his arms around Lan Wangji’s neck and yanking him down.

“What are you doing just sitting there? Fuck me.”

He punctuates the command with a sinuous roll of his hips, Lan Wangji feeling pre-cum and slick sliding against his abs. Nodding, Lan Wangji grabs himself, hissing at his sensitivity, and lines up against Wei Wuxian. The man keens in response, wiggling his hips, and Lan Wangji has to grab his waist.

“Stay still,” he mutters, heartbeat so fast that it’s distracting. Wei Wuxian gives him a beguiling smile, arching his back.

“Make me. Fuck me into the ground, Hanguang Jun.”

The hot-blooded command is so much like his dreams that Lan Wangji is almost compelled to quickly sheath himself inside, a deep moan slipping out as Wei Wuxian slowly slides over his length. The warmth and tightness make his dick jump, and he’s already losing his own head. Trying to bring himself to heel, he rolls his hips a couple times, trying to adjust to the feeling. The way Wei Wuxian whimpers with each impact is divine, the noise as he bottoms out unforgettable, and Lan Wangji is worried that he won’t last long at this rate.

“I need more,” Wei Wuxian cries, uncaring of Lan Wangji’s plight as he tightens around him. “I need more, I want more, give me more, make me yours.”

To quote Wei Wuxian- fuck it. Flipping them over so that Wei Wuxian straddles him, Lan Wangji gives himself over to the pleasure and pistons voraciously into him. It’s a carnal sight, the way his dick disappears into Wei Wuxian, the way evidence of his pleasure bobs up and down onto Lan Wangji’s stomach.

“Yes, yes, this is it, right there, fuck me Lan Zhan, yes-”

Long black hair caresses his skin as Wei Wuxian leans forward, tonguing at his lips before kissing him deeply. Lan Wangji refuses to slow his pace, so the kiss is messy, a little hard to maintain, but it’s enough for him to feel Wei Wuxian moaning into his mouth.

“Hold me tighter, bite me, fuck, I wanna see you on me, mark me, please-”

It’s sincerely difficult to refuse what could be so easy, but Lan Wangji only growls “I can’t,” and keeps thrusting. Wei Wuxian only cries in dismay, but even that is punched out as he squeezes, hardly able to breathe at the punishing pace.

“Come on, come on, yes, yes, right there, like that, it’s so good! Fuck, please, please-”

A dark, secret part of Lan Wangji wants to do it anyway, especially with how Wei Wuxian’s whines are so tempting. Instead, he sits up and wraps a hand in Wei Wuxian’s hair, yanking it back with just enough pain to make him groan, and bites into his collarbone. Wei Wuxian sits firmly in his lap, arms wrapped around his head and neck, and begins to ride him so hard that his skin bruises where Lan Wangji holds tight. It’s animalistic, and Wei Wuxian comes with his hair pulled taut, screaming his pleasure as Lan Wangji takes over when the burning in his legs is too much to continue.

“You too, Lan Zhan, you too,” he cries, the hands on his waist bruising. “I feel it, I feel you tightening in me. Cry for me, call for me, I want it-”

Lan Wangji was already behind him, but the begging loosens his tongue, and he gasps Wei Wuxian’s name as he finishes, semen searing inside of him. His legs collapse, and Wei Wuxian falls onto his chest. For a while, there’s nothing but the sound of rain crashing into the ocean and heavy breaths. A warm hand snakes up toward Lan Wangji’s neck, a lithe body following behind. Needing no further prompting, Lan Wangji joyfully takes Wei Wuxian for the second of many times.

 Jin Guangyao’s day just started, and he’s already tired. Nie Mingjue, his gargantuan, fiercely handsome, overbearing Alpha of an ex is coming to visit today. At one point in his life, just the thought of the man standing in front him made Jin Guangyao want to drop his pants. Now it just fills him with dread, especially since Lan Xichen- Nie Mingjue’s best friend and Jin Guangyao’s current love interest- is in town for a meeting with his family. It’s just him versus the stress, today, baby! Damn Nie Huaisang and his request!

As he looks over paperwork, his phone rings. Jin Zixuan. Great. As if he needed any Jin intervention. More than anything, he wants a lifelong vacation, but Daddy Dearest didn’t believe in those for bastard children. With a sigh, he clears his throat, and answers the phone with a rousing “Good morning!”

“Morning, A-Yao!”

“How can I help you today?”

“I’m on a plane, and then I’ll be my way to the Orchid & Peony by tonight- I had a surprise for you, but it might be a bit overwhelming, so I’m calling ahead!”

Jin Guangyao swallows a groan, biting his tongue. Perhaps he was bringing Young Madame Jin- things were always better when she was around.

“Shall I prepare snacks for you and the Young Madame?”

“Nope, it’s just me.” Damnit! At least it wasn’t Jin Guangshan. “Anyway. A-Li and I have been talking about- about the treatment of Omegas in our society. She says that it is important for us to confront our prejudices and make way for a better world. She was talking about her- well, anyway, I thought about you.”

It sounds like he’s parroting everything Jiang Yanli must have said, but he’s long realized that his half-brother is just indeed this awkward.

Groundbreaking. “I appreciate your efforts.” What do you want?

“You’ll appreciate this even more- I’m gifting you the Jin share of the Orchid & Peony!”

The news shocks Jin Guangyao’s heart so hard that he has to lean back in his chair. He can hear his breath as it shakes.

“Truly?” he whispers.

“Yeah! I realize that it’s something you love, and I don’t really care about it like that. I don’t know why A-Die gave it to me, knowing full well that it was your project. If you get the paperwork on your end prepared, I can get everything signed on my end and you can sign the documents that I’m bringing. By the end of the week, it will all be yours.”

Warmth overflows from Jin Guangyao, and he finds himself tearing up.

“I… I don’t know what to say. I’m touched. I’m so grateful! This is so much grander than the new desk you gifted me.”

An uneasy, choking cough comes from over the line. “Well. You know. I care. Anyway, I will see you later! Goodbye!”

The rest of the day is surprisingly quiet! Since it’s a weekend, he’s not required to be out on the floor, so he usually focuses on patient paperwork, or balancing the books, or something else of that nature. Today it had just been a matter of signing forms, sipping tea, surfing the staff’s private internet, and praying that Wei Wuxian or Xue Yang didn’t find some way to ruin what has been such a fortuitous day.

Just as late afternoon rolls around, an orderly arrives to announce Nie Mingjue’s presence. Jin Guangyao rises to his feet. He doesn’t even bother to leave the room, only standing in front of the desk, waiting. A few moments later, Nie Mingjue strides in. Standing at near seven feet tall, the man has always struck an intimidating, regal figure, but it always gave him a sense that he could walk anywhere he wanted. It was something that Jin Guangyao both hated and envied of him.

Nevertheless, he bows, smiling widely as he gestures for Nie Mingjue to sit.

“Welcome, da-ge. A-Sang has been looking forward to your visit!”

Nie Mingjue grunts, but he doesn’t move away from his defensive position at the door.

“Is something wrong, da-ge?”

“I’ve got the paperwork prepared for Huaisang to leave. I brought you a physical copy.”

On its surface, it’s good news. Nie Huaisang has a tendency toward the dramatic, but other than some issues with his family and the pressures he felt he couldn’t live up to, there was never anything that Jin Guangyao felt was worth having him put in the Orchid & Peony. However, the suspicious glint in Nie Mingjue’s eyes seems to indicate something else that makes him stomach turn.

“This is good news, da-ge. I’m sure Huaisang is elated. Surely that doesn’t explain that furrow in between your brow.”

Nie Mingjue sucks at his teeth, and Jin Guangyao leans back against the desk. Even this isn’t unfamiliar, their classic battle positions before an argument so ingrained in him that his body moves before he does. Finally, Nie Mingjue speaks, bass voice eerily low.

“I have my suspicions about Jin Guangshan.”

“You always have, da-ge.”

“Maybe so, but they didn’t always include you.” Amongst the papers in his hand, Nie Mingjue grabs a picture and flicks it Jin Guangyao’s way, only slightly raising a brow when Jin Guangyao blithely catches it in between his fingers. He isn’t prepared for the way his heart constricts at the picture of a sneering Xue Yang, handcuffed as guards presumably drag him out of a courtroom.

Son of a bit-

“When they dragged that creepy punk out of my sight a couple years ago, I thought I’d never worry about him again. A punk who stole some privatized company technology, who poisoned herds of cattle, who damn near murdered multiple coworkers with amateur attempts at demonic cultivation, on purpose, and put my business in peril, forcing me to lean on Jin ‘kindness’- surely that man would never get out of prison. And yet, imagine my surprise when I found out that he was moved from maximum security to the Orchid & Peony.”

“We believe in rehabilitating all kinds of people at the Orchid & Peony,” Jin Guangyao gently evades.

“‘We’. That’s strange, because when I asked Xichen about it, he knew nothing about it. He was under the impression that you would be getting a new patient, soon.”

Jin Guangyao loves Lan Xichen, he really does, but that same naivete he adores serves as such a liability at times. Either way, things are clearly headed out of his control, and his patience is thin for nonsense today. He slowly makes his way behind his desk, placing the picture down on top of the facility paperwork and subtly pressing a small button underneath.

“He was too much to handle, here,” he states monotonously. “He had to be sent to a federal psych ward after he caused trouble. I had it covered up, so that er-ge wouldn’t worry too much.”

There’s a large boom as Nie Mingjue smashes his hand into the door, before storming up to the desk.

“Don’t lie to me, Meng Yao,” he hisses. “I knew that Jin Guangshan was interested in demonic cultivation, I even knew that he’d had a hand in trying to sabotage the business that my family has built over centuries, and I expected something so low of him. I plan on bringing all of that to light. But you, even though I wanted to have faith in you, I should have known that you were nothing but a slimy, power-hungry-”

His words are cut off when a giant needle stabs into his neck from behind, the clear liquid of the tranquilizer slowly injecting into his veins. Enraged, Nie Mingjue pulls it out halfway through, but it’s not enough to prevent the sudden effects, and he collapses to the floor, last of vision of Jin Guangyao’s feet, dark and hazy.

A bright light forces Nie Mingjue’s eyes open, though they are still blurred. His limbs are limp, strapped down to an upright surgery table by chains glowing red with demonic reinforcement.

What the fuck is this? Meng Yao! Meng Yao! Where are you? Release me this instant!

A slithering sound near his head runs a cold shiver down his back, but he can only barely move his head to see what is approaching. Suddenly, a gigantic, clawed paw lands in the middle of his chest, pressing down, suffocating him. It’s not real, made of thick resentful energy, and he can also feel the hidden human hand inside. His vision is starting to go blurry once again when it finally lets up.

“He’s awa-ake!” The bright light is smacked away from him, both relieving and terrifying as the crash echoes somewhere in the dark room. His jaw is snatched to his right, an impertinent grin so close that he can feel hot breath.

“Bet you thought you’d seen the last of me, huh?”

Nie Mingjue wants to recoil in horror. Xue Yang’s sweatsuit is covered in brown splotches of blood, torn in numerous places. Scars ravage his forearms, some old, some very, very new. Despite all this, he doesn’t seem to be concerned by pain at all, manic smile glowing.

“Enough, Xue Yang.”

The imp hops away, allowing Nie Mingjue to see Jin Guangyao standing in dim light. Holding his gaze, Jin Guangyao lifts up the yellow manila folder with Nie Huaisang’s release papers and sets them ablaze. Nie Mingjue’s screams are choked as Nie Huaisang’s freedom burns away in front of him.

“I’m sorry that it has to be this way, da-ge. I see now that you trusted Huaisang with me and er-ge while you tried to reinforce and protect your company. And we did our best, we really did! But… I can’t really let him leave so soon now, not after your outburst.”

With a flick of his hand, the dim white lights turn on and reveal the horrific, in-depth circle of blood surrounding Nie Mingjue. The flurry of characters in the array are ominously jagged.

“I don’t usually do this to important guests. I don’t like to kill people, and it was never my intention to. Unfortunately, I need Xue Yang. Or to be more specific, my father needs Xue Yang, and has charged me with keeping him, so I can’t let you run and tell all. Way too much is contingent upon this man’s cooperation. If I’m being honest, this all could have ended much sooner if Wei Wuxian weren’t such an issue. Of all people, the creator of the power Jin Guangshan yearns so much for has to be such a damn hero! But like I said, I don’t like to kill people, da-ge. I truly wanted this entire process to be discreet as possible.”

A strange falling noise pauses Jin Guangyao in his tracks, and he scans the room. He glances at Xue Yang.

“Be gentle.”

Xue Yang winks at him and flits away. The tranquilizer is starting to wear off, loosening the hold on Nie Mingjue’s tongue.

“How cowardly,” he hisses, and Jin Guangyao rolls his eyes.

“It’s like you don’t even listen to me. This is why our relationship didn’t work. Bravery is a privilege for the strong, da-ge. The rest of us have to scrape by on whatever means necessary. It’s why it was so easy to murder Wen Qing and the rest of the DafanWen. It’s easy to eradicate those that no one cares about. But then, get this- when all of them were supposed to die, Wei Wuxian managed to pull Wen Ning from the brink of death and escape. He cheated the system! Took strength from the weak, seemingly out of nowhere! If only we all had such chance on our side.”

It's disgusting to hear, and yet it makes so much sense. It had all been a long con- sending someone in to infiltrate his company, protecting a madman, aiding in murdering entire families, assassinating a deemed threat, essentially holding the heirs to all the great sects hostage- all for Jin power and money. Nie Mingjue simmers in self-directed wrath and regret; he should have never risked Huaisang like this.

“Don’t bemoan yourself in front of me- I feel no pity for you! What do you really get out of this, Meng Yao?”

“Stop fucking calling me-” Jin Guangyao stops, composing himself. “I get freedom, Nie Mingjue.”

“And you think your freedom is so much more valuable than everyone else’s?”

“Well,” Jin Guangyao muses, watching Xue Yang come back, dragging a large cloud of resentment behind him. Xue Yang waves it away, and a battered Jin Zixuan falls to his knees. His arms have been chained behind him, a wristband firmly around his wrist, and blood leaks from a scar over his eye. Jin Guangyao grabs Jin Zixuan’s hair at the scalp, forcing him to look into Nie Mingjue’s eyes.

“We teach our children that if they’re strong, if they work hard, they’ll have earned what they gain in life. If it’s not a lie, then… how am I any different? Have I not worked hard enough to deserve my freedom, something you all treat as a bare minimum?”

“You’re nothing but a monster.”

Jin Guangyao only sighs, finished with the conversation. Xue Yang recites an incantation, and the array begins to glow menacingly. Jin Zixuan can only watch in sickened horror as resentful creatures swarm Nie Mingjue like piranhas to prey, eviscerating him. When Jin Guangyao forcibly turns his face towards him, the unhinged expression is not much better. 

Jin Guangyao tosses his hat onto his desk, his coat somewhere to the floor, and slumps into his chair. Putting everything back in order after the mess that Xue Yang had left it was incredibly difficult, taking a couple hours to make sure every claw mark was mended and every book was put back into place. Luckily, most of the books were a façade; everything he needed to read was on his laptop, his home office, or remained undamaged.

At least the paperwork was complete.

Bone deep exhaustion welcomes him with open arms, and he’s just about to fall asleep when a couple polite knocks hit his door.

“A-Yao? Is everything okay? I was told that there was some noise back here earlier.”

A small smile cracks across Jin Guangyao’s exhausted face. “Er-ge. Nothing I couldn’t handle. Da-ge came to visit earlier, and we had a bit of an argument, is all.”

“Oh no.” Lan Xichen sighs. “What happened? Did his visit with Huaisang go okay, at least?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. He got so angry that he stormed out. I don’t know if he saw Huaisang today.”

I’m so tired.

I’m tired of lying.

I want to do something for me.

“Er-ge, I’m going to say something a little crazy. Forgive me if it’s presumptuous.”

Lan Xichen moves closer, sitting on the edge of the desk next to Jin Guangyao.

“Of course. What do you need?”

“You. To have me.”

Monsters deserve love too, right?

He knows that Lan Xichen loves him for the best him. He’s the only one that does. And right now, as they desperately tear off each other’s clothes, that’s what Jin Guangyao needs. He kisses Lan Xichen fervently, pushing him down into the chair. Without missing a beat, Lan Xichen allows Jin Guangyao to slide his dick inside his warm mouth, slick glide getting him just close enough that it won’t take much to finish.

Lan Xichen’s pants are only half off when Jin Guangyao straddles him, his hole sopping as he impales himself onto the large member. He’s merciless as he bears down, aching for the small noises of pleasure that Lan Xichen huffs. It invigorates him, gives him a sense of power that Lan Xichen falls apart under him so easily without the need for his pheromones; the way that his moaning becomes loud enough that he knows the orderlies outside the door can hear them both. He wants them to hear, he wants them to tell everyone.

“A-Yao, keep- keep doing that, I’m going to- I might scream- I’m going to-”

As they come in each other’s arms, Jin Guangyao allows the weight of the night to crash upon him, and he falls asleep in Lan Xichen’s warm lap.

It is perhaps the most flustered and off his game that Lan Xichen has ever been, the way things keep landing at his door- this time, literally. The facility has comfortably sized apartments for its co-leads, serving as a home away from home, well-furnished with a kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom to be decorated as they please. They are in another section of the second floor, located above the washrooms and facing the front of the facility. It requires card access with extra permissions to reach, allowing proper separation of work and home.

Regardless, it should not be accessible to the patients, so when Lan Xichen opens his door at 5am to his bedraggled brother cradling an unconscious Wei Wuxian, the best response he has is “Wangji, what the hell is this?”

Still, he moves out of the way so that Lan Wangji can swiftly enter the room, locking the door behind them.

“You’re covered in mud! And why is Wei Wuxian unconscious, I only- you were only gone for-”

Rambling, Lan Xichen has to stop himself, recalling that infamous Lan propriety and slowing his words. It’s just as well, as Lan Wangji looks like a lost, injured puppy, and none of his worry is going to make anything any better.

“Okay. First, go clean up. I’ll go get clothes. Both of you…clothes. Yes.”

When Lan Wangji goes to lift Wei Wuxian, Lan Xichen holds out an arm. “He can surely wash himself?”

Lan Wangji only has to blink, to pull Wei Wuxian slightly closer, and that’s when Lan Xichen realizes with boggled eyes that his forehead is bare, the ribbon tied around Wei Wuxian’s wrist.

“Very well. It seems we have a lot to discuss.”

As he makes his way to the patients’ laundry ward, nodding at the friendly night shift orderlies, he can’t help but feel both the need to laugh and cry. Last night he’d come back from a visit with his uncle and the elders- as always, they were cold, immovable, exhausting, asking about Lan Wangji’s convalescence- was he ready to return, had he mended his weaknesses, it was about time that Lan Xichen also began accepting more duties as the co-heir, and so forth. He held his ground, smiling and answering what he could, but he couldn’t have known that the lives of his two most important people would be so chaotic when he returned.

First, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were missing from the grounds- luckily, since it was a Saturday and thus a free day, the outcry was easy enough to silence. A simple offer of a day off to the orderlies involved, and no one was the wiser. He simply told everyone that Lan Wangji was being retained for some lingering rut effects, and that Wei Wuxian was receiving private therapy sessions involving his cultivation. The ward hadn’t warned anyone of anything suspicious, so he assumed that they were still on the grounds, and thus finding them couldn’t be too difficult. On the way up to alert Jin Guangyao, Su She told him that Nie Mingjue had visited that day and it ‘didn’t sound like it went well’. He’d tried to tell more, but Xichen quickly moved past the unpleasant man.  

Holding two sets of scrubs to his chest as he reapproaches his door, Lan Xichen flushes deeply. Jin Guangyao had seemed so sad, so tired… and then his bold request- to his shame, Lan Xichen had capitulated immediately. They’d only just started courting one another officially, and their first time- it wasn’t supposed to go that way! Lost in the immense pleasure, the way for a few minutes he’d been able to simply forget all his duties… he hadn’t even managed to tell his new lover what happened. He couldn’t bring himself to do so, to add more to Jin Guangyao’s plate.

So, he’d decided to handle it himself, after a shower…and had fallen asleep in his damn room, limbs like noodle and his oxytocin entirely too high. Given his upbringing, it was almost inconceivable! It was only good fortune that Lan Wangji had managed to make it all the way to him before morning checks; things could still be brought to order.

“Wangji,” he calls, knocking on the bedroom door. “I have your clothes here.”

A pale hand reaches out to retrieve the clothes, followed by a “Thank you, Xiongzhang.”

“I’ll be in the living room,” he replies. He has tea set up on the table when Lan Wangji enters the room- still ribbonless- and kowtows before him.

“I will accept all punishment as deserved.”

A sigh escapes Lan Xichen’s lips, and he slumps onto the sofa. “Please sit, Wangji.”

Obedient, Lan Wangji moves to the sofa, posture rigid as he pours them both tea. Lan Xichen takes a light sip of his, the soft taste calming his nerves.

“Where have you been?”

“In the field,” is Lan Wangji’s quick response, and Lan Xichen cuts a glance at him. He almost thinks it’s a lie, but Lan Wangji has always been honest, almost detrimentally so.

“All night?”

“En.”

It’s awkward but needs must- “And I’m assuming it wasn’t just rolling around in the dirt for fun.”

Lan Wangji’s ears blush bright red. “En.”

“Well, at least he’s a Beta, so we don’t have to worry about anything else.”

Lan Wangji blinks pitifully at him, amber eyes repentant, and Lan Xichen almost drops the cup. “Wangji.”

“We need your help, Xiongzhang.”

“Wangji, no-”

“Please, I-”

Lan Xichen cuts him off with a stern hand- the expression on his face would be considered blank, dismissive to most, but it’s scathingly livid to Lan Wangji.

“Unbelievable. Tell me everything.”

Lan Wangji is to-the-point as ever, but Lan Xichen is able to glean the most important parts of this story: Wei Wuxian is an Omega, hiding his presentation due to lifelong fear, someone had assaulted him with Lan Wangji’s post-rut bedding, and Lan Wangji chased him when he ran away. One thing led to another, and Lan Wangji slept with him during his heat. In order to hide his scent, Lan Wangji wrapped the forehead ribbon around his wrist.

“That is… I can see why he was afraid,” murmurs Lan Xichen. “To do something like that to someone, regardless of presentation… it’s cruel and frankly disturbing behavior.” Clearly both Lan have been dealing with their partners on a poorer day.

“Yes. Is there anything we can do to determine who did this?”

“The best we can do is observe Wei Wuxian, to see if there’s anyone in particular following him. He had a run-in with Su She recently, but he wasn’t on checks yesterday… still, I will be on the lookout.” Lan Xichen looks towards his bedroom door, where Wei Wuxian lays prone on the bed, freshly cleaned, and apparently still in heat. “As for him, I’m supposing you’ll need me to bring you some medicine to handle it.”

“En.”

He sighs. “To be frank, Wangji. I don’t like it. I understand the intense emotions of the moment, but I don’t like that that was how you both handled it, especially in such a risky way.” Still, he can’t talk- he’d been risky with Jin Guangyao as well. “Things could have resulted much worse than they are right now, and I am risking my own integrity even speaking to you like this here. Did you mark him?”

Emphatic, Lan Wangji shakes his head. “No. He has asked me not to, and I respect that.”

Lan Xichen can’t help his brow raise. It would have been a power move, to be marked by the heir of the Lan. To actively refuse… Then again, Wei Wuxian has always baffled him. Weeks of therapy have revealed only glimpses of the depths of trauma and decision making in a vast mind.

“We might have to discuss one of you being moved to a different facility. If he’s afraid he’s unsafe, and then with your current situation-” He cuts off when Lan Wangji kneels to the floor, hands on Lan Xichen’s knees.

“Please don’t,” he whispers. “I told him about when I found Mother.”

Today must just be a day full of big news, and Lan Xichen’s heart still hasn’t adjusted. Lan Wangji? Willingly? Told someone else about that?

“Really?”

“I love him, and I trust him. I didn’t just give him the ribbon to block his scent, I gave it to him because I want to protect him. Even without the mark, I consider him to be mine, Xiongzhang. If you take him away, I will follow. I will find a way. You may punish me in any other way you deem fit, but don’t do this.”

Now, Lan Xichen has already committed a fault by silencing the escape altogether. He can practically hear the elders berating him, beating him upon the back with a long ruler for daring to break the rules for selfish preservation.

“Does he feel the same way about you?” If this were a scenario like their father’s, if Lan Wangji is just hopelessly obsessed, it might be better for everyone in the long run to move Wei Wuxian post-haste.

“He does. I would not have touched him if he did not.” 

Lan Wangji’s voice is warm, full of love. The rules linger in Lan Xichen’s mind- as a psychiatrist, as a high-ranking Lan- but he truly loves his brother, and recognizes that this is the happiest, the most hopeful he’s been in over a decade. If Lan Wangji has opened up this much, and Lan Xichen removes that source of happiness… he might not ever get his brother back. Finally, he sighs again, expression softening.

“You will kneel for a week in repentance. Wei Wuxian will be placed in one of the heat rooms, and his information officially changed.”

Since it’s early in the morning, it’s easy enough to move Wei Wuxian down to the basement to the containment room. Lan Wangji sniffs suspiciously in every corner, checking the sheets, the bathroom, and all the toys, before removing Wei Wuxian from Lan Xichen’s arms and tucking him into the bed. A couple gentle shakes awakens the other man from his sleep, and he whimpers a little while Lan Wangji summarizes the situation. His tender eyes remind Lan Xichen of the way their mother would soothe them as they laid down for naps, a trusting look that promised she would still be there when they awoke. Eventually, Wei Wuxian falls back asleep, and Lan Wangji stands.

“Your ribbon. You’ll have to take it.”

It’s hard, but Lan Wangji accepts this, unravelling the ribbon from Wei Wuxian’s wrist. They walk back to the patients’ ward, the curious orderlies looking on as he opens Lan Wangji’s door, gesturing inside.

“I will send someone to observe your punishment by 8am. I will handle everything else.”

Lan Wangji bows, and immediately takes on a kneeling stance in the room. His brother, ever so devoted. He could only hope that it would all be worth it; Lan Wangji’s stay at the Orchid & Peony was only for a year, whereas Wei Wuxian’s was indefinite. The elders would never accept their relationship off this history alone, and given how harsh they were on Lan Wangji after their father’s indiscretions, who knew how poorly it could all go.

Perhaps he needs a nap, or a long bath, because he’s not prepared for Jin Guangyao when he opens the large doors to the administrative office, and he jumps back a little in shock. Normally, the other man isn’t in his office until the day officially starts at 7am. He’s never once been up before Lan Xichen, as far as he can recall.

“Er-ge,” Jin Guangyao purrs, holding out his hands. Still a little pressed, Lan Xichen takes his hands and squeezes. “How are you feeling?”

“There was a little bit of…early morning drama,” he admits, smiling roughly. “How are you? Did you manage to take your medicine?” This was why he was here; he knows that Jin Guangyao has Plan B on hand after last night’s escapades.

“I did. And I’m feeling amazing- my er-ge takes such good care of me. What’s going on?”

“Well,” Lan Xichen bites his tongue, promising to serve his own punishment after this lie. “Well, two things, really. One of the nurses had a bit of an… accident with one of the orderlies last night, and she’s embarrassed. She needs a Plan B pill. I was wondering if you had an extra one on hand?”

“Oh, dear,” Jin Guangyao cries. “Of course. I suppose we aren’t the only ones susceptible to passion. Give me a second.” He moves around in his desk, searching for the bottle.

“Okay.” Lan Xichen is at the door when guilt weighs him down. “Also, just so you’re in the know before the staff gets to you, I think there may be a problem with Wei Wuxian’s presentation. He might be the rare case of late blooming. I’ve moved him down to one of the containment rooms for observation. He’s hardly conscious right now, so I’ll be setting up checks on him throughout the day.”

Jin Guangyao pauses only for a moment, before Lan Xichen hears the popping of a bottle.

“That is disturbing indeed, though I cannot say I didn’t have my suspicions. I’m glad that you were able to handle not one, but two situations- and so early today! You’re such a capable man. Here you go,” he says, placing a large blue pill into Lan Xichen’s hand. “And when you’re done, hurry back- I have great news!”

Jin Guangyao beams when Lan Xichen kisses his forehead. “Thank you for your understanding, A-Yao. I’ll be back.”

Wei Wuxian can hardly see, but he can hear the heavy metal door open.

“Lan Zhan,” he mutters, only vaguely seeing the outline of a pale face with a forehead ribbon, but the face only shakes its head.

“No. Wangji is in his room. Please, I’ve brought you this medicine, and I need you to take it.” He feels his head lifted, and the press of a pill at his mouth. It’s not the small, white powder of the suppressant, more plasticky, so he assumes it must be the large, green horse pill that is Plan B- Wen Qing would smuggle them to people in the Burial Mounds, so he’s familiar enough. Never thought he’d need one.

The cool, fresh water slides down after the pill, refreshing his parched throat after a long night of Lan Wangji absolutely ravishing him just the way he’d asked. His body was sore, both from the rough handling and the cold ground, but he couldn’t ask for anything else. Especially since he knew that another wave was oncoming.

“Thanks,” he replies, and Lan Xichen nods. The door closes after him, and Wei Wuxian falls back asleep.  

A week later, Wei Wuxian sees the brightness of day and heaves a sigh of happiness. To his immense relief, the rest of the heat had been damn near bearable, not resulting in the Qi deviation he was sure would occur when he escaped the facility grounds. It seemed like Lan Wangji had handled everything, just as he promised- he’d got some god-like loving, his morning-after pill, and somewhere that his mysterious creeper couldn’t access for a week without extreme risk.

Okay, maybe he was being a bit too positive about it. It had still been pretty uncomfortable to be in that quiet room on his own, though unlike solitary he had some gentle music, food other than rice, and his arms weren’t bound. It also didn’t matter too much anyway since he couldn’t focus on too much other than searing lust. Many a toy had served as a ‘Lan Zhan’ proxy, not going nearly as deep or feeling nearly as warm but serving well enough to get him through a disgustingly explicit amount of rutting and grinding. It was just as well that the walls were soundproof, because someone might think he had an unhealthy obsession with that man’s name… and they’d be right.

The first thing he had to do once he was released was go to the pharmacy and medical room to get his information officially changed. He supposed that there was nothing Lan Xichen could do about that, especially since this could happen again. The nurse shoved a cup in his hands and told him to go pee. Thankfully there was a private bathroom, so he didn’t have to do a delayed walk of shame past all the activity rooms where everyone would be sure to notice him. When he closes the bathroom door, anxiety thickens in his throat.

It’s just a test, he thinks, trying to calm down. You took the pill earlier this week, you know you did. You’re fine. It’s just preliminary. It’s fine.

Once he’s done, he shoves the full cup into the nurse’s hand and goes to sit down on the bed. Fifteen minutes later, he’s incredibly bored- he’s never had to take a test like this before, but he didn’t think it would take this long. Mo Xuanyu’s equipment beeps, always consistent. With a quick look around, he sneaks over to peek behind the curtain. It’s a subduing sight; the poor man’s hair limp on the pillows, his skin sallow, his body atrophied. The mask over his face allowed him to breathe, the only sign he was even still living. He should be in a real hospital.

“Excuse me.”

He tosses the curtain away, moving back to the middle-aged nurse who’s holding a new wristband and some paperwork.

“Results?” he asks, trying to shove some flirtation over the worry.

“Negative,” she replies brusquely, tightening the band painfully around his wrist. The Omega symbol shines brightly, standing out from the rest of the info.

Wei Wuxian grimaces. “That’s a relief, then.” 

She has him sign a couple more forms, explaining to him that he’s been put on a list for suppressants when necessary, heavily emphasizing the ‘necessary’. They’ll also need him to come in for tests every now and then, to make sure he’s making the adjustment properly. Just as the alarm rings for lunch, she lets him go.

He’s not deaf; he can hear the whispered rumors swirling around him and his return, but he’s entirely too delighted to be free and see Lan Wangji again to care. He practically skips to the lunchroom, nudges his way into the front of the line to get his food, and scans for his table. In the distance, he sees the back of Lan Wangji’s head, sat pristinely at his expected seat, Wen Ning to his side. Before he can barrel over and draw them both into a hug, one of the orderlies stops him in his tracks.

“Patient Wei! Please sit down in your seat at its appropriate distance!”

Pouting, Wei Wuxian turns to the orderly to call back something impertinent, but the orderly slams the baton he’s holding into his hands. At the crack of contact, Wei Wuxian’s rose-colored glasses finally bleed away into a cold reality- in every corner of the room, there’s been an increase in armed guards, and all of the chairs have been moved at least a foot and a half away from one another.

“Just sit down, stupid,” a familiar voice hisses. Jiang Cheng take a seat in the chair to his right, glaring down at the table, and Wei Wuxian slowly sits. Wen Ning gives a shy smile, Lan Wangji a warm look, comforting him during this extremely icy welcome.

“Wen Ning, Lan Zhan, Jiang Cheng… what’s going on?” he whispers, poking at the bland food.

“Lockdown,” Lan Wangji murmurs, before lifting up his bowl to eat. He won’t be any help past this point, so Wei Wuxian turns to a still livid Jiang Cheng.

“No one knows what’s brought this on, and I was hoping that you’d be able to tell me something.”

“Jiang Cheng-”

“Because I know,” continues Jiang Cheng, nostrils flaring, “that he wasn’t in a rut, and you were in a heat. You think I wouldn’t notice your scent when you ran away?”

Wen Ning purses his lips but looks down at his small meal. Jiang Cheng is only being honest, his worry prevalent through his furious accusation, but something about his tone makes Lan Wangji’s face twist possessively. His eyes cut to the other Alpha, and Jiang Cheng only narrows his eyes more.

“Oh, fuck you, I’ve known him his whole life, I’d notice when-”

“Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian interrupts, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.

“Patient Wei!”

He snatches the hand back, but still continues to lean in.

“Look, you’re- you’re right. I did go into heat.” He flashes the wristband, and Jiang Cheng’s eyes widen.

“Didn’t I say to tell me if something was wrong?”

“Well, I can’t exactly control when I go into heat, Jiang Cheng!”

“You said you could!”

“That doesn’t- you-” A small ahem interrupts their hissed back and forth; Lan Wangji subtly nods towards Nie Huaisang’s seat as the flustered man collapses into it.

“Wei-xiong! You’re back!” Nie Huaisang cries, releasing one more dramatic cry as an orderly demands he quiet down. “It’s horrible, it’s all horrible!”

Wei Wuxian frowns even deeper. He’d forgotten that Nie Huaisang was potentially supposed to get out of the Orchid and Peony officially. So why is he still here?

“What happened?” he asks, pointed in his meaning. Despite all his dramatics, Nie Huaisang’s gaze is sharp as he tells his story.

“Da-ge was supposed to come last Saturday to visit me. I was so sure that he’d see I was doing well and let me out of this madhouse! But I haven’t been able to contact him at all. All I got was-” his voice lowers. “An envelope with a credit card in it from the front desk, so I know he came to the campus with the intent to see me-” to let me go- “but I never met with him.”

Jiang Cheng nods along, finally eating his own food. “The rumor is that he argued with Jin Guangyao and stormed out of the facility.”

“No one remembers him leaving,” Wen Ning comments quietly.

Wei Wuxian places his head in his hands, deep in thought. “That is… concerning. Who said he left?”

“Su She, while running his mouth about how ‘great’ Jin Guangyao ‘held his ground’, and that that’s why he owns the Jin portion of the place now.” Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes. “I don’t get that guy’s hero worship.”

“Be damned, Su She!” Nie Huaisang hisses. “Why would da ge leave without me? That’s not… It’s not…”

The entire table is tense, the cogs picking up steam in Wei Wuxian’s head when a finger runs across his hand, making him shiver.

“Patient Lan, stay in your seat!”

Lan Wangji swiftly removes his hand, but he doesn’t break his concerned gaze.

“Eat,” he gently reminds, before returning to his own meal. Wei Wuxian snorts softly, pointedly ignoring the look of happiness on Wen Ning’s face, and disgust on Jiang Cheng’s.

Right. The rice, vegetables, and soup remain untouched. Trying for a smile, he digs into the food. Not that it was ever tasty, but it truly lacks flavor today as he tries to eat under this immense new pressure. The Orchid and Peony has always been quietly suppressive, but in the week he’s been gone it has become outright oppression. He never thought he’d miss the former.

Strangest of all, there’s only two people who could have made this choice and neither seems correct. It seems a bit of an overreaction from Lan Xichen, given that he is unaware that they breached the wall. He remembers that fact well enough from Lan Wangji’s swift explanation in the heat chamber, if nothing else. The fact that the other Jade of Lan was willing to turn a near blind eye to the incident was concerning enough a motive, as much as Wei Wuxian wants to trust the man’s love for his brother. But Lan Xichen had never been unfair; to punish the entire facility for the actions of two is not his usual way of doing things.

As for Jin Guangyao, it seems an underreaction- if he knew that Wei Wuxian had escaped from the facility, he’s one hundred percent positive he’d be back in solitary, if not reduced to Mo Xuanyu’s crumbling state. Not only would he become a symbol once more of insubordination, it would be the perfect time to strike regarding his demonic cultivation. Instead, it seems like he’s been pulling damage control with whatever occurred between him and Nie Mingjue, unconcerned with Wei Wuxian at all. And now he owns the Jin portion of the place? How did that happen? It’s just… something isn’t right.

“You smell like him.”

The petulant comment jolts Wei Wuxian out of his thoughts, and he scowls at Jiang Cheng.

“What? It’s the truth. Now that you smell like anything, you smell like yourself, and you smell a little bit like him. What happened?”

When Wei Wuxian flushes but smirks, Jiang Cheng raises a hand. “Never fucking mind. I should have known.” He scowls at a red-eared Lan Wangji, who pointedly eats his food. “Of course you’d find a way to- ugh! You’re unbelievable!”

Wei Wuxian pulls him into a hug. “Oh, I love and missed you too, didi.”

“Patient Wei! This is your final warning!”