After being consoled by his sister and eventually having to leave due to Jiang Cheng's return, (the man made a fuss about how the person he was to visit was too preoccupied with his brother), Wei Wuxian went back to the Burial Mounds, the same sentence echoing in his mind and heart as he spaced out, "Do I love Lan Zhan? Maybe I love Lan Zhan. I think I love Lan Zhan. I love Lan Zhan!"

He thought back to all the things Lan Wangji had done for him over the past few days and the past few years. In retrospect, he had liked Lan Wangji since the moment he had laid eyes on him. The incessant need to want Lan Wangji's attention, to bask in his presence, to mean something to him had always overtaken Wei Wuxian, without him realizing why.

Only now did he realise it for what it was: love. But were his feelings reciprocated? Probably not. Jiang Yanli had told him that Lan Wangji treated him differently, but it was just because Wei Wuxian got on his last nerve. Lan Wangji only tolerated him, because he had to. There was no love between the two. 

"Wei Wuxian! Stop trampling on the potatoes!" Wen Qing called out from behind him, breaking him from his reverie. 

Great. Now he was confused about the state of his emotions as well as the potatoes. What a day!

He was also still in turmoil over missing his sister's wedding as well. The Wei Wuxian of the past, who could steal into Cloud Recesses, had died when he fell into the Burial Mound. All that was left was the shell of a man, barely holding himself together. He felt like he lost everything, his purpose, his sanity and his happiness, and even the newly found love to Lan Zhan was doomed to fail and make him more miserable.

Broiling in these thoughts, Wei Wuxian went back to his cave. There, he threw himself onto his and Wangji's shared bed, and started to cry. 

Months upon months of pent up emotions were laid bare, as he wept his eyes out. His fall into the Burial Mounds, the deaths he saw and fueled during the Sunshot Campaign, the people he killed to save Wen Ning, the spirits were all hounding him, holding him accountable. The resentful spirits had been promised revenge and Wei Wuxian settling down peacefully and quelling his urge to destroy were counterproductive to their mere existence. They wanted him to use these powers, get more vengeance and take over everything that had been taken from them. Settling down and forgiveness were not the way! 

Slowly, a tendril of dark energy rose out of the ground, without his knowledge, while all these emotions and voices flooded his head and out of his eyes as more and more tears. Then one more tendril. Then two more. Four more. Eight more. Soon enough, Wei Wuxian was surrounded by a cage of dark resentful energy. 

But he didn't know. After bursting like a dam, he had no energy left in him. Completely drained, he lost consciousness, unaware of his surroundings.

***

"Wei Wuxian! Stop it! Wake up!"

"Young Master Wei! Can you hear us?"

"Can anyone reach him?"

"If only those resentful tendrils stopped attacking us!"

When returning Lan Wangji could hear screaming and shouting in the distance. Hearing Wei Wuxian's name, his blood ran cold. He rushed towards the cave, still holding a sleepy A-yuan in his arms.

At first glance, the cave was completely empty, a little too empty, it seemed completely absent of any light. Getting closer, Lan Wangji realised that it was even worse, the mouth of the cave was covered with a thick, translucent film of resentful energy. 

"What happened?"

The residents of the Burial Mounds turned towards him, faces aggrieved. 

"Young Master Lan! It's Young Master Wei!"

Wen Qing ran up to him, with Wen Ning following suit. Lan Wangji placed A-Yuan on the ground, asking one of the Aunties to take him away.

"Lan Wangji. We need to help him. He seems to be asleep inside and his resentful energy is out of control, trapping him in and keeping us out. Anyone who goes near it gets injured gravely."

She nodded to a person next to her, who was bandaged all over, but still seemingly in pain.

"Can you dispel the energy or wake him up? If this energy barrier continues expanding outwards as it has, all of us will be hit soon."

Lan Wangji hummed his agreement, and pulled out his guqin. Just as he was about to play a melody, an audible gasp spread through the crowd. 

"A-Yuan! He's inside!"

Indeed, the boy had escaped from the Aunties' side and somehow entered the cave. It was as if the barrier didn't care about blocking him, permitting him entry easily. 

A-Yuan walked up to Wei Wuxian worriedly. He tried to poke him, but got no reaction. He kept pushing him more and more, but Wei Wuxian had gone still.

"Wei Gege! Wake up! A-Yuan is scared!"

The boy kept shaking Wei Wuxian, who refused to budge. It seemed as if he wasn't breathing at all. Lan Wangji began to play the song of Cleansing urgently, hoping that nothing had happened to Wei Wuxian. 

As the energy of the barrier started stripping away, A-Yuan began to cry. 

"Wei Gege… he won't wake up… I'm sorry Gege. It's my fault for not listening to you. If you wake up, I'll give you all my toys! Wei Gege!"

The boy began pounding on Wei Wuxian's chest with his little hands, causing the barrier to shimmer. 

"Wei Gege! Do you hate A-Yuan? If you don't wake up, I'll never speak to you again!"

As the boy continued crying, Wei Wuxian stirred. He opened his eyes bleakly, inhaling strongly as if he had been holding his breath for a long time, just as the last bit of the barrier was brought down. Seeing a weeping A-Yuan on his chest, he was confused.

"En? Why is my little radish crying?"

"Gege! Why didn't you wake up?"

"Was I asleep? I don't remember going to bed..."

Lan Wangji ran into the room, and embraced the two of them. His heart was beating wildly and he couldn't think straight.

"Lan Wangji? Back already?"

"Wei Ying."

"Yes?"

Lan Wangji stopped talking, as the other people all came in, asking about how Wei Wuxian felt. He responded to everyone absent-mindedly. The entirety of his mental capacity was focused on the spot where Lan Wangji held him, making Wei Wuxian feel his heart flutter.

Granny Wen picked A-Yuan up and took him away, to soothe and feed him. Then suddenly only Wen Qing, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were left in the room.

Wen Qing took his pulse, checked his vitals with her energy and finally concluded that Wei Wuxian was over stressed. She would try to think of something to help him out better, but for now he mostly needed rest.

After she left, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were the only two left in the room. 

"Lan Zhan. What happened?"

"You lost control. The resentful spirits hurt people. You almost died…"

What? Wei Wuxian couldn't believe it. 

"No, no, no, how could that even happen? I was just upset. Why would that lead to something dangerous?"

Lan Wangji furrowed his eyebrows. 

"Upset?"

"Ahem. Just a bit?"

Lan Wangji looked at Wei Wuxian, inquiring.

"First tell me everything that happened when I was out, then I'll explain", was the unexpected answer he got instead. 

Lan Wangji suppressed a sigh and then  told him about how the power detained Wei Wuxian in the cave, keeping everyone but A-Yuan from him. 

Conversely, Wei Wuxian told Lan Wangji about his sister's marriage and how he felt emotionally tense after realizing he couldn't attend.

"Wei Ying."

"Hm?"

"You will attend. I will make sure."

Wei Wuxian felt the heat rush straight to his cheeks. 

"Lan Zhan, you don't have to. Really. I should have known, when I stood against the Cultivation World, that such a day would come. It's my fault."

"It is your sister's wedding, you will attend."

Wei Wuxian laughed helplessly. "You're such a good man, Lan Wangji. I know you'll try your best, but don't think about it too much. I'm not hopeful anyway..."

An awkward silence hung in the air. Wei Wuxian let out a longing sigh, at which Lan Wangji's brows twitched and his mouth  opened as if to say something. But at this moment, Wei Wuxian felt a cold spread from his insides and he shivered involuntarily. 

Lan Wangji seemed to swallow his thoughts and asked instead, "Cold?"

"Maybe because of the resentful energy. It generally feels very cold, almost bone chilling."

Watching him shiver, Lan Wangji said nothing and suddenly stood up and just walked out. 

Wei Wuxian was stunned. Maybe Lan Wangji was annoyed with him? Did he say something wrong? Overstep his boundaries? Did Lan Wangji see through him already and couldn't stay with a man in love with him? 

As he was thinking if he could give chase, Lan Wangji returned, blankets, winter robes and soup in hand.

The robes were very obviously Lan Wangji's, white with the Gusu Lan motif stitched on them with light blue thread. Lan Wangji carefully put the robes on Wei Wuxian, his hand skirting around the latter's waist in an impossibly soft, caressing motion, inducing more goosebumps on Wei Wuxian's skin.

"Lan Zhan! What are you doing?"

"You're cold."

Avoiding Wei Wuxian's red face, Lan Wangji then huddled Wei Wuxian up in the blankets, so tight that Wei Wuxian couldn't use his hands, and finally sat down in front of him with the soup bowl.

"Open your mouth."

"W-what?"

Lan Wangji sighed softly. 

"Let me feed you."

"Oh haha Lan Zhan, there's no need, I can feed myself! I'm not A-Yuan!"

Lan Wangji stared at him with a poker face, saying nothing, waiting patiently. Wei Wuxian guiltily opened his mouth, poking his tongue out. 

Lan Wangji fed him the soup in spoonfuls. After Wei Wuxian was finished eating, Lan Wangji wiped his lips with a handkerchief and went to put the bowls away. 

Wei Wuxian was comfortable physically, with all the blankets, but his heart still felt cold, like something was clenching it. He fell onto the bed exhausted and tried to sleep.

Since it was already past 9 at this point, Lan Wangji, after cleaning everything up, retired to the bedroom as well. He came back to find Wei Wuxian completely knocked out, fast asleep. However, he kept frowning and mumbling, "Cold!... So cold" under his breath. 

Lan Wangji's eyes softened at the sight, and joined Wei Wuxian in his bundle of blankets, hugging the man close to his chest. Earlier, when he felt no pulse from Wei Wuxian, he had almost broken down and had impulsively clutched onto Wei Wuxian the moment he woke up.

Now, only when he felt Wei Wuxian's heartbeat against his chest did he calm down. Wei Wuxian was alive. He would ensure it.

And so they fell asleep, Wei Wuxian feeling a little less cold and Lan Wangji feeling a little happier.

When morning came, it was A-Yuan who walked in on them hugging while they slept. Seeing them look so comfortable together, he decided he wanted to join their little blanket roll. He pushed himself into the blankets and between the two, quic asleep there. 

That was how Wen Qing found them when she came to check on Lan Wangji, who was supposed to wake up at 5 am like the Lan he was. Seeing the three of them in this domestic scene warmed her heart, so she forbade anyone from interrupting them, under the pretense that Lan Wangji was using potent magic to nurse Wei Wuxian.

Author's Note: You have now successfully read about 10 days worth of my hard work. Go take a nap! Finish your homework, have some water, and have a good day :)