It was late afternoon when Wei Ying ran into the library, the brightest smile on his face, and unintentionally breaking numerous rules, just by being himself.

He wriggled onto Lan Zhan's lap, and only after making himself comfortable, did he speak.

"XiChen-Ge is sending the ducklings into the next town over, to collect a dodgy artifact."

Lan Zhan is mesmerised by his vitality.

This man is so beautiful, his soul so, so good that it shines out from every nook and cranny on his body.

"And Wei Ying is going with them?"

Wei Ying is delighted with his husband; rarely does he have to explain things in detail.

Lan Zhan just knows.

Wei Ying nods eagerly, the strength of his smile brightening with every second.

"I just came to tell you because I'm going to miss you. We might have to stay overnight if there's a delay, and I didn't want you to worry. And to give you this."

His lips slant over Lan Zhan's mouth, stealing his breath and replacing it with a myriad of butterflies in his stomach.

Kissing Wei Ying was so exciting!

There really were no words to describe how he felt every time Wei Ying gave him this gift, and of course, Lan Zhan made sure that Wei Ying knew exactly how much he was loved in return. With his heart beating out of his chest, blood racing downwards, and goosebumps instantly making him shiver, Lan Zhan kissed him back.

Wei Ying was so warm and light and beautiful, here in his lap. His arms were full of the soft weight of him, leaning closer and practically melting against this wonderful feeling. His gorgeous silver eyes were closed right now, savouring this enticing moment, and both of them knew it could not go further right now.

But they could save up their longing, banking on the moment they reunited.

Trips away from each other were infrequent, but sometimes necessary, though XiChen-Ge tried to make it not so. This time, Lan Zhan wasn't able to accompany them, but he knew Wei Ying was going to look after the juniors, and that he could look after himself perfectly well.

Only, Lan Zhan was going to miss him so much!

It would be a hard time for both of them, no matter how busy they each were.

There was something comforting about knowing Wei Ying was somewhere in Cloud Recesses, even if he wasn't directly in Lan Zhan's line of sight.

When Wei Ying leans back, lips a little fuller for his enthusiasm in appreciating his husband, his diamond eyes are sparkling brightly, the silver specks standing out like stars in the midnight sky.

Lan Zhan's willpower is being severely tested.

He wants nothing more than to take Wei Ying back to the Jingshi and show him a happy time, but they have to wait. Hopefully, whatever they are tasked with will have a speedy outcome.

Wei Ying's smile falters when he sees how hard Lan Zhan is trying to smile.

There's the faintest trace of a crease between his brows, before his lips turn up at the corners. But Wei Ying has learned that Lan Zhan's mouth isn't the only indication of his happiness; the gold lies in his beautiful eyes.

His expression softens just for Wei Ying.

It isn't even that, it's more of a feeling. This look is reserved for himself alone; Wei Ying hasn't seen Lan Zhan give this gift to anyone else ever, before.

His lovely molten eyes become ever so gentle and he places the warmest kiss on Wei Ying's forehead.

"Be careful."

Those two words have a sobering effect on the younger, excitable man, and whereas before, he might have replied with an offhand comment, something flighty and comical, now his face becomes so much more serious.

The implications of those two words makes him shiver in response, for they are both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing for Wei Ying and the ducklings to return safe and unharmed, and a curse for whoever tries to prevent that from happening.

A promise to unleash hell on those that wished harm upon his family.

Wei Ying has no doubt that even going through a violent, dark killing spree, Lan Zhan would remain as beautiful as the White Jade he is named after, his robes as immaculate as the first snows of Gusu, while he elegantly and precisely rids the earth of scum, dispatching them to the gates of the Nether world without a qualm.

Lan Zhan is beauty personified.

And Wei Ying beams, the brightest smile yet just for his husband.

He knows he's the luckiest man in Gusu, heck, in the world because he gets to come home to Lan Zhan.

And then he's gone, just like that.

His absence causes a void in Lan Zhan's mind.

He tries to continue marking the papers in front of him, but his mind simply won't cooperate now.

It wants to think about Wei Ying and his lovely eyebrows.

The elegant arch perfectly framing his tumultuous eyes, like the sea at night, moonlight glinting off the surface. And how much love resides in those brilliant orbs, when he looks at Lan Zhan.

Wei Ying has a hundred different smiles, all of them meaning something different. And it is to be expected when the owner is as captivating as each one.

Some are polite, as if Wei Ying is trying for patience.

That one Lan Zhan sees most when Wei Ying has to deal with unpleasant people, such as Sect Leader Yao.

Somehow, he always seems to seek out Wei Ying, who actively avoids him like a rash. And then of course, Lan Zhan has to intervene because why should Wei Ying have all the fun, when a few choice, scathing remarks will remove the stain on the Cultivation world for a few days?

It's worth it just to see the radiant smile of relief on his husband's face, and when they start kissing, he can just imagine the apoplectic look on the cabbage of a man, as he realises that both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan would far prefer to make out than talk to him.

He has to imagine it, because whenever Wei Ying touches him like that, Lan Zhan's eyes close automatically, just to experience all of his feelings fully, accentuating each pulse of his heart as it beats for his beloved.

Every sense is heightened, elevating Lan Zhan's mind to one that is devoid of anything not consisting of Wei Ying, or pertaining to him.

Wei Ying becomes his world and everything in it, a glorious presence of love and all it's facets. A celebration of the best thing in his life, and an opportunity not to be missed.

Of course he'd rather have that compared to anything else.

Then, there's the tight polite smile that appears when Wei Ying is talking to his brother.

Such times used to be difficult, fraught with uncertainty because Lan Zhan never knew if the Jiang Sect Leader would hug Wei Ying, or pull a sword on him. He was quite unpredictable in that area.

It wasn't Wei Ying's fault, though.

One never knew what Jiang WanYin would find incendiary, and one inevitably found out quickly, soon enough.

Then, there's the genuine warmth that Wei Ying shows to his Xiongzhang. XiChen has always ever been a staunch supporter of theirs, and the friendly affection Wei Ying receives from his XiChen-Ge is reciprocated between the two of them openly.

There is trust, fondness and a sincerity to be found amongst loved family members, and they both are demonstrative of their feelings.

That smile is Lan Zhan's second favourite.

Wei Ying doesn't have to be on guard with his XiChen-Ge; he can relax and just be himself.

The same cannot be said about whenever Wei Ying comes into contact with Uncle Qiren.

Like clashing magnets, their relationship is full of opposing admiration, one filled with mutual irritation. Wei Ying would never admit to it, Lan Zhan knows. But he can see the aimed mischievousness in that particular smile, and sometimes, he thinks Uncle deserves it.

After all, a husband should fully support his husband; it is the foundation of any great marriage. And Lan Zhan was determined to make theirs the best.

Wei Ying's ability to defend himself against unwanted comments continually amazed Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan rarely attended Cultivation conferences, mostly because he loathed them, and the people attending them, but sometimes it was necessary. XiChen could do a lot of things, but splitting himself in two was not one of them, and Lan Zhan understood that.

And it was always, always Wei Ying who came to save him.

Actually, by coming up to Lan Zhan and warmly laughing, wrapping his arm around Lan Zhan's waist and draping himself all over his husband, Wei Ying was saving the offender.

Otherwise, Lan Zhan was pretty sure he would get himself uninvited from all future social gatherings in a heartbeat.

Banned, even.

The smile that Wei Ying wears in that moment is full of sympathetic caring when aimed at him, and switching to a cold, frosty glare when looking at the person who dared to speak to Lan Zhan.

That smile definitely becomes much tighter.

Lan Zhan even swears there might have been a flash of red in those beautiful, gorgeous normally granite eyes.

But that's neither here nor there.

Sometimes, Lan Zhan likes to provoke such protagonists into saying something that Wei Ying won't be able to bear, because then he gets to see his lovely husband in action, and that's a sight worth seeing!

He can simply look at his husband's beautiful face while he exacts revenge on the poor unsuspecting soul, looking ravishingly hot while he does it.

Lan Zhan would feel guilty, but he knows about karma. If the person hasn't done anything to warrant Wei Ying's ire in this life yet, it's only a matter of time.

Some people know just how to breathe wrong.

And when Wei Ying sees the bunnies?

Lan Zhan has never seen such naked delight!

Lan Zhan loves the bunnies, white fluffy balls of fun and love and joy, in all their floofiness, soft and cuddle worthy beyond comparison.

But when he goes to visit with Wei Ying, he can barely look away from the delighted wonder on his face. His lovely silver eyes curve up to crescent moons, and his nose twitches much like the tiny perfections they have come to play with.

Living in Cloud Recesses is busy work and who can blame Wei Ying for lying down in the grass then? Not Lan Zhan.

Neither do the bunnies, who welcome his slumbering body by crawling all over him, creating the best mass of Wei Ying + bunnies = love × infinity ♾️ ❤️ .

Wei Ying falls asleep with the softest smile on his face, devoid of all stress and tension.

He is as perfect as a blooming flower perfuming the air around him, soft when he needs to be, and strong enough to withstand the stiffest breeze. Each petal of the beautiful flower is perfect, like all the different parts of his Wei Ying, and Lan Zhan loves all of him.

Love seems quite a small word for what he feels with Wei Ying.

Comparatively, it is like a grain of sand to the whole of Mother Earth.

"Didi?"

The sound and the calling of his name jolts Lan Zhan back to reality.

XiChen is walking towards him, carrying a candle.

Numerous lit candles are helping him see the way, though Lan Zhan hadn't been the one to light them.

It is quite dark.

When did the night happen?

Lan Zhan looks around in a daze.

"I saw the candles from outside; it's past curfew." XiChen tells him, watching Lan Zhan stand up.

He's stiff from sitting in one position all this time, and the Lans do not get pins and needles, but this time it's close.

Lan Zhan notices his brother staring at the piles of unmarked papers still on the desk.

Has he been lost in thoughts about Wei Ying since he left?

It seems so, and yet Lan Zhan cannot bring himself to regret it. And having to return to the Jingshi when it feels cold and bereft because the one who makes it a home isn't there, suddenly feels odd.

Dutifully, he walks beside his brother in a comfortable silence and they part ways in their usual quiet bows.

No need to speak when silence will do.

But Lan Zhan is missing his husband terribly.

Sleep, when it comes finally after tossing and turning for a long while, is plagued with bad dreams and unsettling images. Lan Zhan wakes suddenly more than once and sweating profusely. He's not used to sleeping alone anymore, and the presence of a warm husband in his bed is much missed.

He decides to rise even earlier than his normal time of five, and after completing his daily rituals of meditation and exercises, he goes to the library to finish yesterday's work.

He cannot wait until Wei Ying returns.

**********

Lack of sleep and his heart being elsewhere make concentrating very hard. Lan Zhan does exceptionally well all the way until past lunchtime, when he forces himself to eat something.

His plain white rice reminds him of Wei Ying's red chilli sauce drowned equivalent, and he smiles, remembering Wei Ying's smile, really a grimace, at having to eat plain food.

They now have a standing order for a regular supply to reach the Jingshi every week.

That excited smile on Wei Ying's face was one of pure glee, and Lan Zhan had received a face full of sloppy kisses in return. Although those should have been administered before the mouthful of hot rice.

But every kiss was worth the soul-sucking burn...

He can't wait until Wei Ying returns today. He had received a butterfly telling him that, and one consecutively each hour, like a countdown.

He lights one incense stick after another religiously, sitting next to a busy Uncle Qiren marking his own papers.

Lan Zhan is supposed to be reading but the characters swim in front of his eyes, unfailingly rearranging themselves to read Wei Ying's name. It's all over the page, wherever he looks, but there's one thing missing.

Lan Zhan picks up the brush and dips it into the black ink, and remedies what he sees as a great travesty: he draws a big heart around Wei Ying's name.

It's his heart, and it's all the bigger because it contains Wei Ying inside it.

"WANGJI! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? THAT BOOK IS HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD!"

Lan Zhan is startled.

Before he can respond, there's a flurry of hurried light footsteps.

Uncle Qiren's words go unheard, because Light of His Life!! Wei Ying chooses that singular moment to return.

His arrival interrupts Uncle Qiren from his tirade, and miraculously, the ancient text disappears in the moment that Wei Ying bows, grabs Lan Zhan and they leave, all within a few seconds.

Uncle Qiren isn't even sure if he saw what he saw, or whether it was the trauma of seeing the pig return for his prized cabbage.

He must have imagined it...?

********

Back in the Jingshi, Wei Ying pushes Lan Zhan onto their bed and suddenly they're kissing.

It is everything Lan Zhan could possibly want, everything that means the world to him, here in his arms.

Wei Ying only pulls away when he tastes salt.

"Sweetheart! Why are you crying? Was Uncle being mean to you?"

Lan Zhan shakes his head.

The tears won't stop, but he doesn't want his husband to get the wrong idea and go off to slaughter possible victims by mistake.

He manages to say one word: happy.

All of Wei Ying goes soft, melting against him.

This smile is blinding, with the power of a thousand suns.

This smile is his, all for Lan Zhan.

It is brilliant, it is real and it is a hundred percent Wei Ying.

His smile isn't just a smile; it's Wei Ying's smile.

Wei Ying says, "I'm home now."

***************

A/N

Dear Beautiful Readers,

A little WangXian fluffy goodness early in the morning because it's April Fool's Day, and I'm a fool for them.

I'm going to prank everyone that crosses my path today, including the customers, NO MERCY!!!

But I'm sweet to you guys because you're sweet and kind to me!!

Happy April!

Charlie