Wei Wuxian frowned. His golden core had formed recently, but it was still fairly weak. The direct correlation between alcohol tolerance and core strength meant this body was still more susceptible to drunkeness than the body he had when he was sneaking Emperor’s Smile as a teenager and being intercepted by Lan Wangji.

And Lan Zhan was more than a shichen later than expected. Troubled, Wei Wuxian decided to go investigate. 

Wei Wuxian shook his head, blinked his eyes, and forced his vision to focus. He threw the window open, stepped onto the window frame, and flipped himself onto the roof of the building. Height would allow him to see further and find Lan Zhan quickly. 

A chilly breeze blew through Wei Wuxian’s hair. The world seemed to spin a little slower.  He pulled out his jade pass to Cloud Recesses and pushed some qi into the pendant. 

“Lan Zhan, ah, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian muttered, shaking his head. “Where are you, my good Lan Zhan? Did you find someone in need of help? Is that why you’re late?”

Not long after Lan Wangji had given him the pendant, Wei Wuxian found a way to sync its resonance with that of Lan Wangji’s pendant. Now, if only his damn pendant would show him where Lan Zhan was. He pushed a little more qi into the thing and it started spinning slowly, like a compass. Wei Wuxian grinned and let go. The pendant oscillated a few more times and finally pointed northwest, towards the Jin sect. 

“So you did get sidetracked on your way home,” Wei Wuxian muttered. He hopped on Suibian and flew northwest, looking for his wayward husband. 

Unfortunately, the flying was not as smooth as he had hoped. While he could still climb onto rooftops and stand upright fairly well, flying on a sword took more coordination than his inebriated state could manage. The sword yielded readily to its owner’s slight shifts of weight. Wei Wuxian wobbled in every direction, arms out and trying desperately to stay balanced as Suibian cut swiftly through the night air. Soon Wei Wuxian gave up. He clung onto the sword’s hilt, robes flapping in the wind and ponytail fluttering behind him, as Suibian carried him towards his husband. 

Did Suibian seem peeved and also a bit smug? Why couldn’t he have a less opinionated sword? It was just three bottles of Emperor’s Smile! There was no reason for the sword to get its wood all in a knot! Wei Wuxian pointedly ignored the fact that the end of Suibian’s hilt was, in fact, more or less a knot of wood. 

By the time Suibian carried its master to a pond about ten li outside of Caiyi, no trace of sunlight remained. A thin sheet of clouds drifted in front of the waxing crescent moon, bathing the land with a dim, diffuse light. Well above the water, Wei Wuxian could see flashes of Bichen’s blue light and familiar arcs of red talisman glows. A sense of chill rose from where Bichen’s blue light could be seen. Wei Wuxian shuddered, the chill dispelling most of his residual inebriation. He stepped back onto Suibian, and dropped the sword closer to the surface of the pond. If Lan Zhan needed help, he wanted to be close.

As Suibian descended through the clouds, Wei Wuxian noticed lily pads scattered over the pond’s surface, the large flat leaves rippling slowly in the night breeze. Memories of Yunmeng in the spring, sitting on the dock with Shijie and Jiang Cheng, watching the lily pads emerge from the murky depths filled Wei Wuxian’s mind. Why did Lan Zhan never tell him there was a pond full of lotuses so close to Caiyi?

A blood curdling wail brought Wei Wuxian back to the present. Lan Wangji and a spirit were exchanging blows. The spirit looked mostly human with long stringy wet hair matted across its face. The strange forked tongue sticking out of its mouth resembled the end of Zhang Fei’s Zhang-Ba Snake Spear. As its arms clawed at Lan Wangji, its head rotated and rocked with inhuman flexibility, trying to tear or bite into Lan Wangji’s flesh.

Despite the spirit’s vicious attacks, Lan Wangj remained poised. He moved as if he were dancing leisurely around the spirit, stepping perfectly in accordance to bagua patterns. Bichen swiped a few more times and the spirit became immobilized in a spirit net traced by Lan Wangji’s movements. 

Wei Wuxian tucked Suibian into his qiankun pouch and ducked behind a tree. He watched with amusement. The precision of Lan Zhan’s movements could truly be described as “textbook perfect”. Even decades later, Lan Zhan did not fail his reputation as Lan Qiren’s prized disciple. 

Lan Wangji spoke softly to the spirit, imbuing the net with his qi. The net glowed blue with Bichen’s energy and the spirit quieted. A few incantations later, the spirit’s unkempt form faded into that of a middle-aged woman. She bowed at the illustrious Hanguang-Jun and dematerialized into the night. 

Lan Wangji waited until traces of the woman’s spirit became imperceptible. He then turned around to walk towards the lotus pond. 

Wei Wuxian watched his husband’s white silhouette, mischief rising in his chest. He untied his hair, shook out his ponytail, and pulled his wind-tangled hair forward to conceal his face. A single talisman changed the appearance of his robes from pristine black and red to ragged and faded green. Suppressing a giggle, Wei Wuxian emerged from behind the tree and stumbled towards Lan Wangji. 

“Han… guaaaaaaang…. Juuuuuuuun,” Wei Wuxian croaked. He pushed qi into his step and propelled himself towards his husband. 

Lan Wangji turned in time to see a blur rush towards him. Before he could identify who or what was charging him, a thick cloud passed before the crescent moon. Lan Wangji sidestepped the figure. The figure quickly touched its foot to the ground, pivoted, and swung a fist at Lan Wangji. 

Lan Wangji parried the blow and reached for Bichen. The figure immediately tried to grab his wrist. The wind from their exchanged blows brought the scent of a familiar liquor to Lan Wangji’s nose. Lan Wangji’s brows furrowed. Emperor’s Smile? 

He pulled his hand down in an arc and redirected his attack towards the figure’s chest. The figure seemed familiar with his fighting style – easily evading the new attack, ducking around Lan Wangji – and again reached for Bichen. 

Why was the figure so keen on Bichen? Lan Wangji wondered. In frustration, he dismissed his sword into his qiankun sleeve and took two steps back towards the pond.

“Fight me,” Lan Wangji commanded, looking the figure up and down. It appeared male with mussed hair and dark robes. The overcast sky made additional details difficult to discern. The figure’s head tilted slightly. It raised its arms, placed its hands briefly into a salute with a fist pressed against an open palm and then rushed again at Lan Wangji. 

As Wei Wuxian flew towards Lan Wangji, he wondered what his husband was planning. Would the man block or evade? Did Lan Zhan see past his disguise? 

Lan Wangji stood still and allowed the figure to get close to himself. Before the figure could attack, he grabbed it by the arm, and tried to throw it into the pond. The figure, to its credit, used Lan Wangji to change its trajectory. Its legs and torso flew towards the pond and then swung around, hooking Lan Wangji’s waist, pushing both of them towards the pond. Lan Wangji moved with the figure’s force and jumped over the water. He grabbed the figure in midair, and rotated them so he was on top as they crashed through the lily pads.

Wei Wuxian’s black and red robes returned to their normal color as they hit the water. He tried to swim up but was dragged back down. He could feel one of Lan Zhan’s hands around his waist and the other move up along his back. Before he could panic, Lan Wangji bushed Wei Wuxian’s hair from his face and kissed him underwater. Realizing Lan Wangji was not fooled by his silly trick, Wei Wuxian kissed back enthusiastically. 

Once again, Wei Wuxian lamented the loss of his original body. Mo Xuanyu’s lungs were not well trained for underwater antics. The two of them ran out of air too quickly and kicked towards the surface together. 

“Lan Zhan! How did you know it was me?” Wei Wuxian asked as he sucked in air.

“You did not attack to injure or kill, knew my fighting style thoroughly, and smelled like Emperor’s Smile. Wei Ying usually plans tricks better. How much did Wei Ying drink tonight?”

“I was planning on drinking only a bottle but you were late and by the time I realized the sun had set, I had already had three bottles. That’s why I came looking for you.”

“Was Wei Ying worried?” Lan Wangji asked as they stepped out of the pond together.

“Of course I was! What if there were some terrible spirit that intercepted you? I know you’re strong but I don’t want to see you harmed.”

Lan Wangji pulled Wei Wuxian close and kissed the shorter man’s forehead. “Forgive me for worrying you.”

“What were you doing here anyway? It’s not on the way. Why have you never told me about this lotus pond? How long have you known this was here?” Wei Wuxian looked across the pond. The lily pads felt achingly familiar, reminding him of a home he would never have again.

“Since the summer after we met,” Lan Wangji answered. He paused, examining Wei Wuxian’s face. “I overlooked your not knowing. When I saw Jin Ling’s lotuses at Lanling, I was reminded of this place and decided to arrange deliveries of lotus pods with stems for later in the summer.”

“With stems? Why?” Wei Wuxian gave Lan Wangji a curious look as he used a talisman to dry off both their clothing.

Lan Wangji’s eyes narrowed slightly, “Someone once told me lotus pods with stems taste better than lotus pods without stems. I found this place when I went investigating.”

Wei Wuxian paused. A bit of sheepishness flashed on his face. He bit back a grin, and asked, “Who could that have been? They were lying. You shouldn’t be so gullible, Lan Zhan.”

“I will remember not to believe Wei Ying’s lies in the future,” Lan Wangji said, nodding solemnly. He summoned Bichen, stepped onto the sword, and headed towards Cloud Recesses. 

Wei Wuxian gaped at his husband for a few moments. As Lan Wangji’s figure grew smaller, Wei Wuxian shook himself out of his stupor, mounted Suibian, and followed his husband home. 

Notes:

The prompts were:

B. Under cover of darkness.

G. A fistfight.

L. A stolen kiss.