The Morning AfterThe sun had barely risen, casting a soft golden hue across the landscape, when Wei Wuxian found himself standing at the edge of the lotus lake once more. The water, still and calm, mirrored the sky, and the birds were beginning to chirp in the distant trees. The previous night's thoughts echoed in his mind. It was time to make a decision. A decision that had weighed on him for too long, swirling like a tempest, but now it had crystallized.
Wei Wuxian inhaled deeply, feeling the cool morning air fill his lungs as he braced himself for what came next. A part of him was terrified, but another part—the part that felt connected to Lan Wangji on a level deeper than anything he'd known—was ready.
Lan Zhan deserves an answer.
He turned, already knowing where to find him.
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Main Pavilion
Lan Wangji was sitting by the table, reading through some texts. His posture was perfect, unyielding as always, but there was something soft in his gaze when he looked up and saw Wei Wuxian approaching. The air between them seemed to shimmer with unsaid words, the tension from the previous days now fully tangible.
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji said quietly, his voice carrying that rare warmth that only Wei Wuxian could evoke from him. "Have you… made your decision?"
Wei Wuxian paused, his heart beating a little faster. His eyes met Lan Wangji's, and for a moment, the world seemed to disappear around them. All the uncertainties, all the complications, all the rules—none of it mattered. What mattered was that this man had stayed by his side through everything, had offered him patience and understanding, had offered him more than Wei Wuxian ever thought possible.
"I have," Wei Wuxian said, his voice steady but his hands betraying him as they trembled ever so slightly. "Lan Zhan, I… I want this. I want *you*."
Lan Wangji stood, and the mere act of it felt like an unspoken promise. His hand, warm and firm, reached out to Wei Wuxian, fingers trembling just the slightest bit as if afraid to believe it.
"Then it is my greatest honor," Lan Wangji said, his words laced with sincerity and emotion. He stepped closer, the distance between them narrowing until they were mere inches apart. "To walk this path with you."
Wei Wuxian's heart felt like it might burst, and he reached forward, lifting his hand to rest on Lan Wangji's cheek. There was something transformative in that moment—something pure. They had their differences, they had their challenges, but they had always had one another.
"I don't know how to do all this," Wei Wuxian admitted softly, a mischievous smirk on his face. "The rules, the traditions, the solemnity of everything."
Lan Wangji's eyes softened as he held Wei Wuxian's gaze, the calm certainty never leaving his own expression. "I will help you with every step. But know this: I do not expect perfection. Only your honesty."
Wei Wuxian laughed, the sound ringing clear and free. "Guess I can manage that." His grin faded into something more tender as he let his fingers trace the curve of Lan Wangji's jaw. "I've spent enough of my life running away from things that scare me. I won't do it anymore."
Lan Wangji's hand gently cupped Wei Wuxian's, holding it with a tenderness that felt as if he were protecting something fragile, yet infinitely precious. "I will never give you a reason to regret this."
In that moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. Wei Wuxian took a step closer, closing the distance completely, pressing his forehead gently to Lan Wangji's. There, in that stillness, the decision no longer seemed like a choice—it felt inevitable, as if it had always been the only path for them both.
"I don't know what will happen next," Wei Wuxian murmured. "But I know this—whatever it is, we face it together."
Lan Wangji nodded, his voice a soft whisper that vibrated with the weight of something eternal. "Together."