AN:
Hello my beautiful readers. Just want to send you some love for the amazing comments you leave for me constantly. I'm not a social person. So even if I don't reply to all your comments, I read and appreciate every word you write. It feeds my creativity and motivates me to continue .. so keep posting more! Also, I'm changing my daily post time to earlier in the day (where I'm at) instead of afternoon. I hope you are all safe and healthy!
.
Healer Shi was checking Wuxian before they could leave. She placed her hand under his jaw to check his temperature for the third time just to make sure. Wen Ning watches her closely and when she repeats her check a fourth time he asks: "Everything alright?"
Healer Shi frowns a little: "His temperature is normal."
Wuxian scratches the wrap around his broken hand: "That's good, right?"
Healer Shi: "For someone with a constant low temperature.. probably not."
Wuxian sighs in frustration: "What does that mean?"
Healer Shi can sense his anxiety building up and smiles reassuringly at him: "It's nothing for you to worry about. Let's get moving before they leave us behind."
She shares a look with Wen Ning as he helps Wuxian out. This might not bode well for the smaller man.
Wuxian sat in his carriage and looked out the window while they journeyed for the last stretch to reach home. They're one day away from Cloud Recesses and he cannot believe how much he missed being there. Wei Wuxian hoped to be in the land of 4,500 rules.. who would've predicted. A shiver made its way through his body and he tightened the blanket wrapped around him. He's been feeling crappy all day but didn't want to complain and delay their return.
Jingyi switched with Taiho and was carrying something wrapped with him. He sat down and looked at the shivering man before him. He opened the wrap and took out the new coat they had replicated for Wuxian and draped it over him. It took a few seconds for Wuxian's lagging brain to understand what's going on.
He examined the coat for a minute then was surprised: "How did you fix it?"
Jingyi was barely holding in his proud smirk: "We had it replicated!"
Wuxian pulled the coat close to look at the details: "It looks exactly like my old coat! The color, the embroidery details.. even the fur lining! That's so amazing!"
Jingyi was so proud of himself: "I know. That's why I'm the favorite."
Wuxian does something that shocks Jingyi. He looks at the coat for a few more minutes then starts crying silently. He looks up with relief filled eyes: "Thank you. It.. It was a gift from father and Keeper Daozi worked hard on it.. and I got blood on it.. and it got torn.."
Wuxian was mumbling things at that point. Jingyi didn't know what to do. He expected banter, not this emotional outburst.
Jingyi moved close to pat the sobbing man to comfort him. Wuxian used his closeness to weakly pull him in for an embrace. Jingyi, like most of the disciples, were only allowed passing sniffs of Wuxian's comforting smell. This gave him full big breaths of the most satisfying feeling in the world. He would pay a year's worth of allowance if this is going to be the reward.
He was pulled out of his joy filled moment when his cheek touched Wuxian. The golden-haired man was burning up. Jingyi was used to Wuxian's cold hands so this was a surprise that immediately rang a warning bell. He pulled back to look at the clearly flushed man and placed his hands on Wuxian's cheeks to get his attention: "You have a fever?"
Wuxian blinks glassy eyes, still filled with tears: "W.. what?"
Jingyi didn't wait for him to catch up. He helped him lay down and swiftly called to stop the carriage and for Healer Shi to come examine Wuxian. Shi made her way in and placed her hand on his forehead: "How do you feel, little rabbit?"
Wuxian wipes his eyes and pulls the new coat close to keep warm: "I don't know."
Shi moves some of the sweat covered hair strands from his face: "Does anything hurt?"
Wuxian shakes his head: "I just feel tired."
Wangji entered the carriage and looked worriedly at this soul-bond: "Wei Ying, what's wrong?"
Wuxian tried to get up but Healer Shi pushed him back down: "He has a fever."
Wangji frowns and takes his soul-bond's hand. It was too warm to the touch.
Wangji turns to ask Healer Shi: "What do we do?"
Healer Shi: "We're close to Cloud Recesses. I think he can hold on until we reach there and then I'll make him some potions and examine him more thoroughly to figure out what's the problem."
Wangji nods and moves to sit next to Wuxian. Healer Shi brings him a fresh cloth and cold water to help make Wuxian feel more comfortable.
Wuxian looks at Wangji while he applies a cold compress on his forehead as they continue their way back home: "I miss our bunnies."
Wangji smiles at him: "It will snow soon."
Wuxian: "Maybe we can.. we can move them inside?"
Wangji: "They can survive the snow."
Wuxian sighs: "Jin Ling left."
Wangji nods. Wuxian: "He knew how to make Shijie's soup."
Wangji: "I can try to make it for you."
Wuxian chuckles tiredly: "Your cooking is worse than mine."
They hear Jingyi say from outside: "Nothing is worse than Treasure Wei's cooking."
Wuxian grumbles: "Ungrateful brats! I kept them alive and till this day they wouldn't stop complaining about a little bit of spice in their food."
Sizhui leans over his horse to open the window of the carriage: "Father, it was a lot more than just spice."
Jingyi: "It's so poisonous, even Wen Ning wouldn't dare to try it."
Wuxian fakes a sad look to Wangji: "They're bullying your sick soul-bond. Do something!"
Wangji turns to glare at the boys and they immediately shut the window and move away from the carriage. Wuxian smirks and moves closer to Wangji: "My hero."
Wangji smiles at him: "Rest. We will be home soon."
By the time they reached Cloud Recesses, Wuxian's fever turned his slumber into a half-conscious delirious state. He kept mumbling and moving restlessly while they tried to bring his fever down with cold compress and comfort. It was clearly not working. When they finally saw the gate, they all sighed with relief. Wangji carefully carried the feverish mate to their bed and Healer Shi rushed to make the potions and remedies needed to make him more comfortable.
After hours of force feeding him weird tasting concoctions and washing him with cold water, his fever returned to a more acceptable level. Wuxian opened his eyes to see Grandmaster Qiren by his bedside, holding his hand and gently caressing his knuckles.
Qiren smiles at him: "Welcome home."
Wuxian smiles back: "I missed you."
Qiren pulls his hand close to smell his wrist: "I missed you too. You had an eventful trip. I'm glad you were able to change the sad fate of Luxia City."
Wuxian sighs: "They didn't seem glad when I left."
Qiren: "Ignorance is a bliss. We both know those who are simple-minded cannot comprehend what's good for them even if it hits them in the head."
Wuxian shifts uncontrollably in bed: "What's wrong with me?"
Qiren pulls up the blankets covering Wuxian and tucks him in: "Healer Shi thinks it's a combination of stress and symptoms of your last healing session. The opening and closing of your energy container didn't do you any favors."
Wuxian closes his eyes in exhaustion: "It kept me alive."
Qiren smooths his hair back and says: "I'm proud of you son. Rest, we have much to discuss when you feel better."
Wuxian can feel sleep pull him away from reality. He slowly surrenders to it until things start to clear up and he is no longer dreaming..
'Wuxian found himself standing in his and Wangji's room. Things were a little bit different, but it was definitely their room. The moment he looked up and saw Wangji embracing someone he didn't recognize.. the world froze. He moved closer to take a look at the stranger. It was a woman wearing a Lan Clan band and smiling joyfully in his soul-bond's arms. Wuxian felt the ugly feeling of jealousy overpower him and the moment was broken back into action. Wangji moved back to hold the woman by the shoulders and smile at her. He said the words that he never thought his love would ever speak to another soul but him: "Always and forever." The woman smiles back at Wangji and nods. Wuxian can feel tears of frustration fill his eyes. He was forced out of his sullen mood when he sees another version of himself on the other side of the room. He was looking directly at him, skin filled with black writings. It was on his arms, his neck and every visible inch of his body. The other Wuxian looked desperately at him and tried to scream something but he couldn't hear him. Wuxian tried to concentrate on the other's lips to understand what he's trying to say.. after a few more tries he heard his voice loud and clear: "YOU HAVE TO STOP THEM!" The world around him was engulfed in flames. The occupants didn't react to the fire as the woman disappeared in a puff of green smoke, leaving a sad Wangji and a panicked Wuxian behind. The other Wuxian kept repeating his ominous warming until Wuxian couldn't take it anymore. He covered his ears, scrunched his eyes and screamed.. hoping for this nightmare to end soon.'
Wuxian shot out of bed as a silent scream died in his throat. It took him a few seconds to calm down and recognize where he was. Wangji was still blissfully sleeping next to him and the thought of him with another made Wuxian feel bitter. He didn't want to be here anymore, so he slowly stood up and made his way out the door.
.