Lan Wangji had been awake for about two hours. He had meditated, prepared food, and was now sitting against the cave wall with Wei Wuxian sleeping peacefully in his arms. Earlier Lan Wangji had extracted himself from Wei Wuxian, who seemed to transform into a Kudzu vine after falling asleep. Wei Wuxian had made several unhappy whines during the process, but eventually flopped over like a starfish and fell back to sleep.

Wei Wuxian was considerably happier when Lan Wangji finished his tasks and scooped Wei Wuxian back into his embrace. Wei Wuxian had wiggled into what Lan Wangji assumed was a comfortable position, then hummed happily in his sleep. Lan Wangji gazed softly at the sleeping figure. Today they planned to attack the Xuanwu of Slaughter. Even knowing they had been able to kill it before did not ease Lan Wangji's anxiety.

The Xuanwu of Slaughter, was ferocious. It shared a likeness to the divine beast, Xuanwu, appearing to be part tortoise and part snake. When it was last active it had killed countless cultivators that had attempted to end its rampage. It was hardly a common creature one might find on a nighthunt. A large group of powerful cultivators had finally gathered to destroy the creature, only to suddenly find it had vanished. Now they knew it had gone into hibernation in this cave. Even now Lan Wangji did not think it accurate to say that it was active yet.

Lan Wangji wondered if the decision to fight it in their first lives had come from a desire to die fighting, rather than allowing themselves to waste away while praying for rescue. It had fallen asleep blocking the underwater exit, removing the option of trying to sneak past it. Wei Wuxian said that in his previous life it blocked the exit again when it died. They would still have to wait for someone to dig them out, unless they got lucky.

Lan Wangji did not mind waiting. Being alone with Wei Wuxian anywhere was a blessing that Lan Wangji would never tire of. Lan Wangji had not always understood what he was feeling around Wei Wuxian, but looking back he knew he had always enjoyed when they were able to be alone together. Wei Wuxian surrounded by other people had made Lan Wangji feel unhappy. Lan Wangji was not comfortable around many people, and they were not comfortable around him.

When Wei Wuxian was laughing and playing with a group it reminded Lan Wangji of how isolated he was. Wei Wuxian could talk to anyone, laugh with anyone, have fun with anyone. There was no reason for someone like that to bother trying to befriend someone like Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji was isolated and intimidating. He had not tried to make any friends in more than ten years, and he no longer even knew how one did such things.

When Wei Wuxian was surrounded by people it was like a barrier was between them. A barrier made out of a smiling, bickering, and laughing that Lan Wangji did not know how to compete with. When the two of them were alone there was no longer a throng of people for Wei Wuxian to pay attention to. Even though this did not change Lan Wangji's difficulty in expressing himself, it did make him feel like he could be close to Wei Wuxian. Something that he desperately wanted, but was also terrified of.

Then the incident in the Cold Spring happened. The beautiful light and warmth that was Wei Wuxian was also extinguished before Lan Wangji's eyes. Lan Wangji had learned so much since then. He had learned more about himself and much more about Wei Wuxian. He had learned how badly the world had hurt Wei Wuxian, and that likely the future would bring more.

'Wei Ying. Sometimes I wish I could take you far away, where no one would find us. This world has treated you cruelly. There are scars carved in your tears, and each one burns my heart.' Lan Wangji gazed down at Wei Wuxian. He remembered the look in Wei Wuxian's eyes when he talked about the Yin Hufu. Wei Wuxian had been so hesitant to admit that he was afraid of it. Even now Lan Wangji did not think Wei Wuxian had told him everything.

Lan Wangji could hardly blame him for that. Wei Wuxian's ability to trust had been badly damaged by his many experiences. Opening up and relying on someone else was terrifying for Wei Wuxian, and every step of progress was difficult and fragile. Lan Wangji felt honoured by how much Wei Wuxian trusted him. It was there in the way Wei Wuxian would seek him out for comfort. The way Wei Wuxian would relax in his embrace, trusting Lan Wangji with his vulnerability.

Lan Wangji only put together why Wei Wuxian had been resistant to taking medication after Wei Wuxian fell asleep the first night. He hadn't understood why Wei Wuxian would refuse anaesthetic. It wasn't until he realized that Wei Wuxian seemed to have a particularly strong reaction to such medication that it clicked. It was about feeling safe. Lan Wangji understood enough to know that Wei Wuxian had not felt safe for most of his life. Wei Wuxian had spent his life being on guard and needing to protect himself, physically and emotionally.

It made Wei Wuxian's willingness to take the medicine with such limited protest feel something like an honour. Wei Wuxian had taken something that made him feel vulnerable. It made it harder for him to be cautious of his surroundings and react to threats. He had agreed to be in that state, because of Lan Wangji. Because Lan Wangji had not wanted to see him in pain, Wei Wuxian had agreed, and in that state the first thing Wei Wuxian had chosen to do was go closer to Lan Wangji.

'Wei Ying trusts me to keep him safe.' The thought was more of a tentative hope. It seemed to be the case, based on Wei Wuxian's actions, but Lan Wangji did not wish to be too bold in his assumptions. That Wei Wuxian would seek Lan Wangji out when vulnerable, and that Wei Wuxian had willingly expressed some of his uncertainty, all supported this thought.

Lan Wangji knew that Wei Wuxian did not like talking about demonic cultivation. He did not like to talk about how he learned it. He especially did not like to mention anything that wasn't a statement of confidence. If Lan Wangji hadn't gotten to know Wei Wuxian so well, he might have thought Wei Wuxian wasn't thinking about the consequences. Lan Wangji knew better now. Wei Wuxian spent a lot of time thinking about the consequences, but if everyone was already doubting him how could Wei Wuxian express his concerns?

Lan Wangji liked to think he was doing better about reassuring Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji still worried, but he was trying to learn how to communicate his concern without making it sound like he didn't believe Wei Wuxian could do it. The fact that Wei Wuxian admitted he was afraid of the Yin Hufu meant that Wei Wuxian was trying to express his concerns with Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji knew he didn't understand everything yet. Wei Wuxian said the Yin Hufu could absorb more resentful energy than Wei Wuxian could manage. Wei Wuxian spoke about what he did in the past to mitigate this risk, but he did not say what would happen if there was more than Wei Wuxian could manage. Lan Wangji was worried. He was worried because he wanted to protect Wei Wuxian, but he wasn't sure how. Wei Wuxian would not make such a tool if he didn't need it.

"Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian's voice pulled Lan Wangji from his thoughts. Lan Wangji's gaze softened immediately when he saw Wei Wuxian looking up at him, eyes still slightly unfocused from sleep.

"Mn. I'm here." Lan Wangji replied. Wei Wuxian rubbed his eyes as he stretched.

"What time is it?" Wei Wuxian asked.

"Mid-morning." Lan Wangji replied.

"I suppose, we should get ready." Wei Wuxian said, staring up at the ceiling of the cave. "Sword to collect, monster to kill, then we just have to wait." Wei Wuxian muttered distantly.

"Eat. Meditate. Then prepare." Lan Wangji stated firmly. Wei Wuxian snorted a small laugh.

"Lan Zhan, The smell inside that shell is truly awful. If I eat, I'll just throw it up later." Wei Wuxian said with a small smile. Lan Wangji frowned unhappily.

"Meditate, two hours." Lan Wangji amended. Wei Wuxian's eyes widened.

"Two hours?! Lan Zhan, be reasonable," Wei Wuxian whined.

"Two hours, or eat and meditate one hour." Lan Wangji stated calmly. Wei Wuxian pouted unhappily, but Lan Wangji was already putting food in his hands.

"I didn't say which one I was going to pick." Wei Wuxian grumbled as he started shovelling food into his mouth. Lan Wangji felt his lips turn up in a small smile.

'Childish. Adorable.' Lan Wangji's mind supplied. He tried to simply enjoy the sight of Wei Wuxian pouting and grumbling like a little kid. Just focus on his adorable fiance and not think about how dangerous the coming fight was.

Today was the day they agreed upon. They would fight the Xuanwu of Slaughter. Even if Wei Wuxian tried to make it sound like no big deal, Lan Wangji knew Wei Wuxian was apprehensive. Adding together what Wei Wuxian had told him, accounting for Wei Wuxian's common practice of downplaying his own injuries, Lan Wangji was concerned that this fight might have nearly cost Wei Wuxian his life before. The fact that they were in a better situation this time physically only mildly assuaged Lan Wangji's fears.

Wei Wuxian was going to be using himself as bait. It was his job to lure the Xuanwu of Slaughter out of its shell enough to expose the section of hide that was more vulnerable to attack. Lan Wangji had noticed this detail when the Xuanwu of Slaughter first attacked. Arrows and swords had deflected off of its hide as though bouncing off of a stone wall, but Lan Wangji noticed a section that appeared thinner, vulnerable. He didn't have the opportunity to test his theory. The QishanWen sect cultivators had quickly become a more pressing threat.

Lan Wangji was somewhat relieved to know that this suspicion was accurate. Wei Wuxian said that they successfully decapitated the Xuanwu of Slaughter in his first life by exploiting this weakness. Lan Wangji reminded himself of this success over and over as he combined the strings of the discarded bows that had been scattered across the cave floor. Using the stalactites and rough outcroppings of stone as anchor points to create a suitable formation. Once he applied his spiritual energy the string would slice through stone like he was cutting through paper.

To kill the Xuanwu of Slaughter Lan Wangji created something akin to a spider web. Many gaps and holes between the long threads that the Xuanwu of Slaughter could stick its neck through. It was a trap, and Wei Wuxian was the bait. Wei Wuxian was confident he could lure the Xuanwu of Slaughter out of its shell and into extending its neck the way they needed. Lan Wangji hated it, but how could he talk Wei Wuxian out of it? He knew Wei Wuxian was right. This was the best plan they had, and more importantly Wei Wuxian had already seen it work once.

Lan Wangji pulled Wei Wuxian against him. Their lips collided as Lan Wangji pulled Wei Wuxian into a passionate kiss exploring and caressing every corner of his mouth. He drank in Wei Wuxian's moans as Wei Wuxian melted in his arms. Then he bit down forcefully on Wie Wuxian's bottom lip, causing Wei Wuxian to gasp. Wei Wuxian was dazed and panting as he clung to Lan Wangji.

"Lan... Lan Zhan. Wha?" Wei Wuxian attempted to string together a question between panting breaths.

"Wei Ying, must come back to me... after..." Lan Wangji couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. A soft affectionate smile graced Wei Wuxian's face. Dark beautiful eyes filled with understanding caressed Lan Wangji's face adoringly with their gaze.

"My Lan Zhan. I won't die today. What kind of fiance would I be if I left you all alone in this cave?" Wei Wuxian teased gently. He placed a gentle kiss on Lan Wangji's lips, a gentle brush of lips that made Lan Wangji forget how to breathe. "I know you will take care of me. Help me kill a monster my love." Wei Wuxian whispered softly. Lan Wangji embraced Wei Wuxian one last time before allowing his Love to step away and proceed to disappear soundlessly into the water.