Lan Zhan waited for Wei Ying to speak.

Up until now, he had been looking at his own hands and wondering why it was taking him so long to say something...anything...

But his head snapped up at the sniffling.

Big fat teardrops were falling from beautiful silver eyes, like crystals raining down.

Lan Zhan couldn't take that at all.

He quickly gathered up the emotional man and held him close, listening to the synchronised beating of their hearts.

"I'm sorry...I...was sure..." But had he been? Really sure that Wei Ying was going to say yes?

The damp patch on his shoulder only increased in size and now, Lan Zhan was even more worried.

Why hadn't he said anything?

He began to hum softly, the tune that he had wanted to play for Wei Ying ever since he had composed it.

Slowly Wei Ying calmed himself down. The hand stroking his hair helped so much, soothing his tired mind. Of all the ways this day could have begun, he was pretty sure being proposed to was nowhere near the top of the list.

"Does Wei Ying not want to be?" The question was asked fearfully.

Did Wei Ying want to get married? Had he ever thought about it?

Sure, in the long hot summer evenings when a smile in the right direction could get him sweet loquats for free...but anything other than that just wasn't on the horizon...

And he knew Lan Zhan loved him, as he loved Lan Zhan...but there was a worry in his mind.

"It's not that I don't want to get married." He started off saying.

"So Wei Ying doesn't wish to marry me?"

There was so much hurt resting inside those difficult words, that Wei Ying immediately stopped leaning on Lan Zhan. He saw those wet golden eyes and knew he had made a terrible mistake.

"No...no, that's not at all what I meant! Please, Lan Zhan...please, will you hear me out?" His thumb wiped away those extra tears threatening his own happiness, because how could he be happy if Lan Zhan was not?

He leaned forward and kissed Lan Zhan’s forehead and then, not content with that, he kissed those hot dusky eyelids, one at a time, followed by kisses on either cheek.

"Lan Zhan my love, you will have to be very patient with me. Is that okay?"

"Mn. Anything for Wei Ying."

Wei Ying stared, mesmerised by the flashing in those golden eyes, of determination and love, so strong and pure, it was humbling.

"I can wait until Wei Ying is ready." He added, this time earnestly.

Now that he was sure Wei Ying had not intended to hurt him at all, that it had been accidentally, it made this so much easier.

A patience he didn't know he had, grew within the deepest recesses of his mind, letting him be calm.

"Can you hold me?" Wei Ying asked, looking up at him through thick lashes.

"Mn. Wei Ying never has to ask. My arms are ever open for him." Lan Zhan wrapped them around Wei Ying's slim body, thinking when he could start feeding him properly.

Wei Ying settled closer, already feeling so much better.

Lan Zhan’s wonderful fingers were doing their magic, relaxing his body so he could think.

"All my life...I was never sure of my place...After my parents died...I mean, they went out and never came back. Do you see?" He carried on talking, trying to get his point across. "See, even them leaving me was full of uncertainty, and it was only when Uncle Fengmian came and found me, that's when he said they weren't...they weren't coming back. For a long time I was worried that they didn't want me anymore. I had no idea that they had died. And then...when I was living in Lotus Pier...you know, I always had to prove myself."

Lan Zhan listened to him talk, letting the words out. He had promised to be patient and he was going to do just that. Wei Ying’s words weren't even bitter, that was the sad thing. Matter-of-fact as if what had happened to him was normal, as if it could happen to anyone at any time.

"I worked my way up to being Head Disciple because I thought that Uncle Fengmian would be proud of me...and Madam Yu might actually start to like me. I know now, that it wasn't possible, would never be for her, but I tried my best, you know?"

"Mn."

"So my staying, became dependent on how well I did there. In my head, I could only stay with a roof over my head, eating their food and drinking their water...if I was good enough. The moment that I wasn't...they could toss me out like trash. I really believed this...even now."

Lan Zhan felt his own eyes becoming wetter, but he held onto Wei Ying with a fierceness that he hoped translated into a dependable love, everlasting and unquenchable. Wei Ying needed him right now.

"And then, I realised I had made a worse mistake. By my achievements exceeding Jiang Cheng's...I was hated even more, and it was just by luck, that Jiang Cheng did not hate me...otherwise...otherwise I'm not sure what would have happened to me. And they made him suffer too, in other ways. Anyway...the thing is, I can't go back there...and I don't know where to go. And I'm scared...because I don't want you to ask me that question.... unless you're sure. And I don't want it to be dependent on anything else either."

"Mn?"

Lan Zhan reached over for the cup of water, holding it at Wei Ying's mouth until he drank it all. But he refilled it and made Lan Zhan also drink.

"I mean...living here...is it dependent on me marrying you? If we become Cultivation Partners...I..." He choked back a gasp, his thoughts too tumultuous to voice.

"Wait." Lan Zhan told him quickly, waiting until he had Wei Ying’s full attention.

"Cultivation Partner means only US. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan. If Wei Ying wishes to marry me. If he does not, Cloud Recesses is still open for him. Both are not dependent on each other. I would never do that to you." Lan Zhan took a deep cleansing breath. "I love Wei Ying. Love does not depend on any reason, any thing. It just is." He smiled gently and kissed Wei Ying's trembling lips, hoping to reassure him. "Someone once said they wanted to be the person who sat on my broken fence and ignore it, because they wanted to admire the flowers in my garden. Mn?"

Wei Ying nodded, letting the tears fall by themselves now.

"I want to plant more flowers in your garden, and I want Wei Ying to plant flowers in mine too...in fact, if we got rid of the fence, because it is broken anyway...we could have a bigger garden for both of us. Just ours. We can look at our flowers all the time, whenever we want to."

"Plant flowers?" Wei Ying giggled softly.

Lan Zhan made a face.

"I think you're missing the point. It's a metaphorical garden." Wei Ying laughed again, softly.

Lan Zhan stubbornly pouted.

"Lan Zhan! Lan Zhaaan! How can I resist you when you do that?" Wei Ying sneaked in another kiss.

Lan Zhan smiled back at him, happier because Wei Ying wasn't upset any longer.

Their arms wrapped around each other, holding the other tightly.

"I...I want to be your Cultivation Partner." Wei Ying said, softly.

"Wei Ying should think about it." Lan Zhan told him cautiously.

The last thing he wanted was for Wei Ying to feel pressured into accepting his proposal.

Wei Ying should always be free. And happy.

"You know, when we were sending each other letters back and forth...I often wondered at our connection. Your first reply was so terrible, I could see this assignment as just being taxing on my brain..." Wei Ying smiled against his neck.

Lan Zhan was enjoying the small puffs of warm air that came from his mouth. It was...comforting.

"But then...you kind of just bloomed...I mean...you started telling me all about your life, just bits and pieces really, and I kind of got the idea about you, the shape of your thoughts created this person...and I think I fell in love with you a little bit." Wei Ying hugged him, his arms coming to hold Lan Zhan more securely.

"Mn. Suibian...I like him a lot." Lan Zhan admitted. "Easier to write my thoughts than to voice them."

"Yeah, I get it. Me too...I finally had someone to talk to...someone who really got me, you know what I'm saying? In Yunmeng...it seemed like I was constantly reassuring people..." Wei Ying thought back to his life from just a few months ago.

His Shijie was the one mostly worried about him, and this was all the time. Whether he ate, whether he was getting enough sleep, just mostly about his wellbeing, and Wei Ying hated seeing the pity in her eyes whenever she would talk with him. So his enforced cheer had begun earlier in his childhood, smiles meant for distraction, talking about anything and everything except his situation.

And Jiang Cheng....Jiang Cheng was a whole epitaph on complicated. He tried his best, and it was never good enough, not for his mother, and certainly unremarkably for his father. Of course this was going to have a detrimental effect on him.

Wei Ying found that having to reassure him was a whole other form of care. It wasn't acting, because Wei Ying was sincere in wanting to make his Shidi feel better, but that and his facade for his sister...it was taking its toll on him in a personal way.

The shackles of his past life fell away as he realised that he didn't have to go back. All of these issues, of him not going back to Lotus Pier, and now having a new home, and a husband...a Cultivation Partner...who had chosen him...they were unrelated, if he wanted them to be.

He could stand on his own two feet as a proud Cultivator with no need to prove himself for any other gain than personal satisfaction.

It was freeing...to let himself absorb this.

He kissed the soft skin of Lan Zhan’s neck, revelling in the shudder this caused, the tightening of strong arms around his torso, and he giggled, doing it again.

Lan Zhan growled.

He grabbed Wei Ying's chin and kissed him thoroughly, biting down on that plump bottom lips, swiping it with his tongue before sucking on it like an orange slice. His Wei Ying was delicious.

Wei Ying loved this side of Lan Zhan. He was being kissed as if Lan Zhan was desperately trying to show him how much he loved Wei Ying...and it felt like a balm, a soothing feeling that washed away his hurts.

Lan Zhan wanted him.

And if he was honest with himself, Lan Zhan was all he wanted.

Somehow they managed to lie down, with Lan Zhan lying on top of Wei Ying. They were still kissing and only when Wei Ying gasped for breath did Lan Zhan move slightly away from his mouth. Wei Ying could be kissed anywhere...after all.

"Lan Zhan...my love...let's get married. I want to be your Cultivation Partner...I want you to be mine." He whispered, his cheeks pink with a rosy blush.

Lan Zhan stopped his ministrations and stared into brilliant silver eyes shining with excitement. Wei Ying always looked beautiful...but right now, with the sunlight casting a magical glow on his face, he looked breathtaking.

His hair was an ebony halo around his head, his red ribbon entwined in Lan Zhan’s fingers...and he was so bright...such a shining star to look at that Lan Zhan felt a twinge in his heart.

His lips found Wei Ying's in the sweetest kiss of all and this time, it went on for longer.

"I love you so much..." Wei Ying told him earnestly.

"Mn. Love Wei Ying." The fire burning in those golden eyes belied the calmness with which the words were spoken.

Then he was yanking Wei Ying up and tying his hair into a beautiful ponytail, straightening his robes and fixing his belt until Wei Ying looked presentable. He quickly did the same for himself within minutes, before taking Wei Ying's hand and pulling him into another warm kiss.

Then he started marching them out of the infirmary.

"Lan Zhan...where are we going?" Wei Ying panted after him, not being able to catch his breath.

Lan Zhan didn't answer because they were close to their destination and it would be self-explanatory.

Outside the infirmary, the sky was a deep blue, and fragrance of sweet flowers was all around them. Joy and happiness blooming in his heart, Lan Zhan pulled Wei Ying into another heartwarming kiss, ending in a bite.

The path to the Hanshi was short, filled with twittering little birds and unsteady bumblebees flitting between scented flowers, and haphazard butterflies searching for nectar. Yet the only thing Wei Ying saw was the stones paving the way to the Sect leader's home because this Lan Zhan was not a patient man.

He rapped on the door of the Hanshi, and it was opened seconds later by an equally impeccable Lan XiChen. He beamed when he saw them both.

"Good morning Didi, A-Xian!" He flung the door open wide and let them in.

"We want to get married." Lan Zhan told him, as soon as they sat down.

He was holding hands with Wei Ying, who was mortified at how casual Lan Zhan sounded, and he buried his red face in Lan Zhan’s shoulder. Lan Zhan kissed the top of his head and turned back expectantly towards his brother.

XiChen was pouring tea into three cups at the time, and because he had been expecting this sort of announcement from his brother sooner or later, he carried on unphased.

"Congratulations!" He replied, warmly, smiling at both of his guests. "When did you want to do this?" He asked seriously.

Wei Ying narrowed his eyes at the Sect Leader.

XiChen continued to smile and drank from his cup without missing a beat.

"Zewu-Jun...you...you...knew! Didn't you?" Wei Ying accused him, but he was also smiling.

"Knew what, exactly?" He asked smoothly.

But his brother was now glaring at him too.

"Mn. Wei Ying is correct. Xiongzhang...knew."

Two puppies were staring at him indignantly.

It was time to soothe ruffled fur.

"Hold on, you better explain first, and then I can tell you the truth. So what it is that you think I know?" He asked calmly.

"You knew he was going to ask you about...about being Cultivation Partners!" Wei Ying first pointed at Lan Zhan before pointing at XiChen.

"Xiongzhang knew about Bichen and Suibian." Lan Zhan replied shrewdly. His golden gaze was laser sharp.

"Alright...alright, listen up you two. Firstly, A-Xian...if I may call you that?"

Wei Ying nodded, linking arms with Lan Zhan.

"WangJi came and told me he wanted to ask you...only last night. But, as he hadn’t actually asked you yet, I did wonder when he would get around to it. I am happily surprised that it's sooner than I expected, but happy nonetheless." He explained.

"You did?" Wei Ying was staring at Lan Zhan, his silver eyes big with shock.

Lan Zhan cupped his cheek with his free hand and kissed him deeply.

"Mn. It is all I want."

Wei Ying blinked back tears, smiling and he would have gone in for another kiss but they were interrupted.

"And it was when I asked to see your sword, A-Xian. It is engraved with the word, Suibian...I just put two and two together. Nothing wrong with that."

"You knew then? Then?" Wei Ying asked, thinking back.

"When did Xiongzhang ask about Suibian?" Lan Zhan asked Wei Ying, turning his body towards him.

"About a couple of weeks into our arrival in Cloud Recesses." Wei Ying admitted.

"A couple of weeks?" Lan Zhan glared at his brother meaningfully. "And Xiongzhang did. Not. Say. Anything?"

"Oh, I only just thought about it. You know, when I picked up the swords yesterday night...I suddenly remembered you showing me your letter." XiChen beamed, knowing that his carefully worded answer was not a lie.

"You showed our letters?" Wei Ying turned back to Lan Zhan, raising a brow.

"Just the one." Lan Zhan emphasised. "I did not know what to make of Wei Ying's Suibian."

Wei Ying was about to be affronted at the invasion in privacy, but Lan Zhan’s admission had him melting instead. He batted his eyelashes at Lan Zhan, whose heart stuttered painfully in response.

"Oh, I can show you exactly what to do with my sword..." He replied, waggling his brows.

They were lost in their own little world and it took XiChen clearing his throat loudly three times before either noticed him.

"I think, we should wait until this issue with Madam Yu is resolved fully, before planning a date." He said.

"The next day?" Lan Zhan asked, hopefully.

Wei Ying giggled.

Lan Zhan thought it was the most beautiful sound. His eyes were full of wonder as he looked at Wei Ying's beautiful face.

"Maybe a week later. It will take a little longer to order clothes and all that. There will be preparations to make." XiChen explained.

"How long do you think...about...um..." Wei Ying was nervously looking around, his eyes darting from the table in front of him to his and Lan Zhan’s joined hands.

Lan Zhan squeezed their palms together, wanting Wei Ying to know he was not alone.

"The other sects will want to witness it. Nie MingJue is already here, as is Jin GuanShan...we only have to wait until Wen Rouhan arrives. Hopefully no one will contest what happened. Jiang Fengmian will also be arriving soon. Then we can decide."

"Alright." Wei Ying hated the shakiness in his voice.

"Wei Ying does not have to take part if he does not want to." Lan Zhan told him, taking their hands and kissing the outside of Wei Ying's palm.

"I'm afraid that's not true. A-Xian may be called upon as a direct victim of her abuse. They may even ask to see his...injuries." XiChen quickly intervened. "It's important that you know. Just in case."

Wei Ying nodded, lost in thought.

The rest of the meeting was spent catching up on Clan affairs, and then Wei Ying was being tugged upwards to leave.

A bunch of carefully tied hyacinths were thrust under his nose suddenly and he snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at the beautiful flowers and sank his face right in their centre, taking a huge whiff of their fragrance. His nose came away covered with sticky pollen.

"Someone said we should appreciate flowers while they are in their prime." Lan Zhan told him, wiping his face for him.

"I'm sorry, I've been distracted...haven't I?" Wei Ying breathed in the deep perfume, feeling significantly happier. "What is it about flowers that makes us so delighted with them?"

They were sauntering back to the Jingshi hand in hand, with Wei Ying taking the occasional whiff and holding out the bunch of flowers under Lan Zhan’s nose too, now and again.

"It is because they have such a short span of life, yet they do their best. Their sole purpose is to bloom. They are beautiful to look at, give with the perfume they offer, and make my heart glad. Like my Wei Ying." Lan Zhan gathered him close, hugging him tightly. "I want you to know, you have made me very happy. Even if Wei Ying decided against marriage, this one would have followed you around Cloud Recesses. No doubt."

Wei Ying breathed deeply, the fragrance of hyacinths mixing with sandalwood to make him dizzy with joy.

"Maybe I would be the one following you around." He giggled, trying to make light of his words, but his own heart felt lighter, freer than a bird soaring into the blue skies.
"Thank you for asking me. You're such a catch, I hope you know that."

"No way...Wei Ying is the catch!" Lan Zhan protested, before kissing his temple. "And for me, there will never be anyone else. Ever."

Wei Ying blushed and kissed his cheek. "For me, too. Only you, my love."

**********

A/N

So this one was going to be epic...and then I thought, let's throw caution to the wind, live like a free bird...so here you go. One more to go, hopefully by Monday...

And a big box of my chocolates arrived today, so there's plenty of incentives...hehe.

Enjoy, my lovely readers, you all are the best!

Charlie.