Before long, Wei Ying found himself drifting back, the whisper of words still drifting in his mind, skirting around the edges. I can do this. It'll be fine. Sometimes it felt like he was skirting between the lines of sleep and disaster, between oblivion and consciousness, like a waking man between dreams, between slips. The thought of what was to come still terrified him, but he imagined warm hands surrounding him, the heavy whisper of words like a circlet charmed around his head.

The moment you believe in yourself is the moment you need to start living.

You'll be okay. All you have to do is just believe. I'll be there with you every step of the way. You can do this.

You're enough. You're worth more than you know, Wei Ying. Believe me. He felt something on his skin, like little fingers brushing his tears away. Tears he didn't even know existed. The voice sounded oddly familiar, as if he was looking through a frosted glass window, but the face blurred before him, leaving the imprint of eyes blazing in gold. They looked familiar, adrift to Lan En's, but there was something so different to them that Wei Wuxian couldn't quite place, as if staring at it through a distorted mirror. But something about them made the small knot in his stomach ease slightly, the phantom of touch like feathers on his hands, squeezing him tightly.

Who are you? He wondered. And what are you to me?

He couldn't be sure of it just yet, but something about him told him whoever he was, mattered.

Whether it was because he mattered to him or to someone else, was a different matter.

But for now, he held onto the words, to the lingering feeling of warmth encasing his heart, emboldening it.

Before long, he was shaken awake roughly. "Wei Ge! It's time to wake up!" Nie Huaisang's voice cut through blissful oblivion, dragging him up. Wei Wuxian stirred slightly, blinking. Though Nie Huaisang continued shaking him.

"A-Sang ah, you can stop shaking him now." Da-Ge said. He sounded far away, probably from where the door was. Not that Wei Wuxian could tell, not when his vision was still blurry.

"Okay, Da-Ge." but somehow, hands were still on his shoulders, shaking him slightly. Huaisang... After a while, his vision finally cleared, and Huaisang dropped his hands. Wei Ying sat up, while Huaisang plopped down beside him, combing through his hair with his fingers. "Wei Ge, what do you want to do today?" He asked chirpily, but Wei Ying could still trace the concern in his voice.

What I have to do today...the thought of what was to come rose to the top of his mind again, and he felt the familiar bite of acid rising up his throat again, though he tried biting down on it. I can do this, he thought. I can-

" I'm going to meet Yu Ziyuan later today," the words fell out of his mouth before he knew it. For some reason, they reminded him of something he'd heard of, a long long time ago. Fear worked in its contrary ways. However long you ran, gear would sink its roots into you, talons into your skin. It was what you chose to do with it that mattered, whether you let it control you, or controlled it.

At that, Nie Mingjue's head snapped up. "You're going...where?"

"Didn't you just get out, Wei-Ge?" Huaisang asked softly, the fingers in his hair freezing where they were.

Wei Wuxian swallowed, his eyes darting around the room. "I did, but...I need to meet her to get something from her,"

Even as the words left his lips, he found them almost as absurd as he had in the beginning, even though some tiny part of him told him otherwise. You did what you had to. Nothing else. Maybe people would sell themselves for lesser. And if you hadn't left...

There wasn't anyone who didn't know it was best not to incur the Spider's wrath. Too late, he thought bitterly. But they all knew she'd only make an exception for one thing.

Her family.

Half of his mind cursed him for using them as leverage and the other half simply chuckled.

Did I have a choice?

You do, you always do.

But I wanted out. And what she stole from me back.

Then you've already made your choice.

At this, Nie Mingjue's brows furrowed. He leaned back against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "What could you possibly need to take from that bitch?"

For a moment, Wei Wuxian wasn't quite sure if he was to sputter or laugh at Nie Mingjue's name for her. They were Yu Ziyuan's rivals, of course, but for him to put it so bluntly-

Then again, Nie Mingjue had always been straightforward. That's one of the things Wei Wuxian found he admired in him, a stark contrast to Huaisang's archaic and love for elliptical terms. They were like two sides of the same coin, but as much as Wei Wuxian trusted them, he was no stranger to the darkness they carried. The calculated gazes, the schemes they played. He was no stranger to them, not after Yu Ziyuan, but he couldn't help but wonder: What would it be like to do that? Not just the scheming, but the execution.

It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, only for another to come crashing down when he realised. Will I be able to do it? Hesitating, he looked up to meet both pairs of eyes. "I...need to get my family's legacy back."

For a few minutes, all Wei Wuxian could hear were sharp intakes of breath. His best friend glanced up at him, his hands falling back to his sides. Nie Mingjue walked towards the bed, bending down to sit on the floor. For a moment, Wei Wuxian fretted over the possibility of him staining his jeans. The guest room at the Nies had long since become his second home, and it had also been a while since he swept the floor, given...well, everything.

Since he ended up doing school part time, thanks to Yu Ziyuan's frivolous demands. Making him run her errands, forcing him to learn how to cover his tracks or hers for her, the past year had been...busy, to say the least. He couldn't count the number of brush-ins he'd had this year, and brush-ins were a mild word for the tip of the iceberg that he'd been put through.

But if he went to it, back to the beginning...he had a feeling he'd never get out.

"So..." Huaisang's voice broke the reverie, "you're going to get the Wei Empire back?"

Wei Wuxian leaned back, propping himself against the bedrest. For a moment he felt like pulling the blanket up to his chin, the same way his parents used to do when he was with them. Ma...Ba... "Whatever's left of it," he replied tersely, "I'm not sure what Yu Ziyuan has done to it. And even if I do get it back, what am I going to do?"

Nie Huaisang's eyes looked at him confusedly. "You can't be thinking of selling it, right? Not that Da-Ge would mind, but it's your parents' legacy. "

And I know how much they mean to you. Was what he didn't say.

"I know," grey eyes danced out of the window. The sky was a glittery azure blue, a stark contrast to the storm in his heart. "I'm just...not sure what to do with it. If I can even lead it."

The idea would probably have been preposterous to him just a few months ago.

Then again, so had standing up to Madam Yu, and look where he was now?

Familiar fingers threaded through his fingers, squeezing them tightly. "You can do this, Wei Ge. If anyone can do it, it'll be you. If you want, Da He can even try to help you. Right, Da-Ge?"

He attempted to nudge his brother, but all Nie Huaisang succeeded in doing was knocking his head.

"Ow! What did you do that for?" Mingjue complained, but his brother's steely glare kept him from saying anything else. Remind me never to mess with Huaisang...

He rubbed his head, wincing slightly. "But yes. We'll try to help you, okay? Of course, no promises on financial support, but we can help with other things. I can train you, if you want,"

He said the words so casually that Wei Wuxian's heart almost dropped. It wasn't easy to get an internship at the Nie company, much less have the Head offer to train you. To an outsider, no less.

It was almost unheard of.

Wei Wuxian felt his heart pounding against his chest again as he thought, before he finally let out a "Yes, please. And thank you so much,"

To his surprise, Nie Mingjue smiled. Wei Wuxian wasn't sure if it was light that was playing a trick on his eyes or something, but he could have sworn he saw his eyes soften, the way it usually only did with his brother. "There's no need for that, Wei Wuxian. You're my brother's best friend, and by extension, a friend of mine. I know you're independent, but just remember,"

"You don't have to do things alone."

Wei Ying found himself at a loss of words at that. It was as if each one struck a chord in his heart, a reminder to him that no, he didn't live on a one-man island, and he had people he could turn to.

No matter what.

"Still, thank you. To both of you."

"It's nothing, really." Nie Mingjue yawned, getting up from where he sat. "And my legs are dying. Pancakes for breakfast, anybody?"

"Me, me!"

Finally, Wei Wuxian broke into a smile.

There were no fairy tales,
There were no fables
Nothing was probable
Only bearable
Yet whatever it was,
it came haunting.
To some knowing was fairly daunting
To love with no regrets,
When things are off the bets.
Stay there for as long as you can,
For that love is as hard as sand.
A love that can last is a love worth having,
But one that never does is not always worth losing.

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A/N: 1700 words! We're on the 8th chapter somehow. I'll be honest, I've no clue if I'll be able to update over the next few weeks, and this storyline...was entirely unexpected to me. What do you guys think of this chapter? Feel free to comment! And thank you so much for reading! ❤️