Footsteps resounded through the room as Wangji rushed forward. A spy had been caught a while ago, who'd revealed another person in the room where Wen Chao was, with grey eyes and inky black hair. His heart jumped in hope as he stepped closer, a gnawing feeling seeping into his soul. It was an irresistible urge to run, to sprint forward to meet whoever was there. But he knew deep down that it was only one person he was looking for. Wei Ying. He paused for a moment, letting the name flow back into his head, to overfill his mind with memories, with hopes that had long been partially shattered.

But Lans were nothing if not persistent, and Wangji clung on to hope the same way a moth was drawn to flame. Dangerous and sinister, but brimming with trepidation. He ignored the brash footfalls and screams of the Angry Purple Fly behind him, (yes, he knew the other would defend it as shouting, but the sheer pitch and shrill fear in his voice made it screaming to Wangji, no matter how much he defended it) Swinging the already broken door open, he rushed in, hope etching it's way into his heart. As he stepped in, darkness seemed to shroud him in wisps, slipping past and in front of him. The air in the room was heavy, a dense weight against the previous opulence of the room, dripping in gaudy gold and jewels. Now, the walls were torn bare, starting to rot from within, just like the hearts of the owners that had slept in its place.

"Wei Ying?" Wangji's voice echoed through the room, wavering slightly in the dark. His heart bloomed with hope seeing the familiar silhouette. Only it had grown willowy, thin and frail. He could barely make out the other's face, but something in his magic buzzed in excitement, yearning for the other.

"Lan Zhan," the voice that answered was everything and nothing like the voice that Wangji had grown familiar with. It was shadowy and husky, fractured in its depths, nothing like the overflowing joy that had traced it simply months ago. But something to it seemed more real, more true, than it had been months ago. More earthy, in a way. The loftiness in his voice was long gone. Wei Ying turned to face Lan Zhan, looking at him with eyes that gleamed crimson, unlike the silvery sparkle that glittered. His gentle face was harder now, Traced over by blades that formed a large gash on the left side of his face, half-faded in its pinkish white glory. Brown and reddish bits painted his face, splattering across them like a canvas. "What are you doing here?"

Looking for you,Wangji wanted to say, but anxiousness sat on his heart like a butterfly, flapping its damp wings against the drowning abyss of his heart. The words wormed their way out of his chest, travelling up to his mouth, but they seemed to die in his throat as his eyes danced over the other. The purple robes Wei Wuxian had worn were replaced by simple robes of crimson and onyx, but they hung loosely on him, the way he could have sworn robes that size didn't before. Though, he agreed that the colours fit him better. He'd always seemed out of place in the purple robes of Jiang, however regal they were. He didn't value opulence, after all. Or royalty. Only loyalty to those he loved. How Wangji hoped to be one of them, keeping the idea of him in white robes in his mind.

Wei Ying tapped his foot impatiently at the other's ogling. "I'm waiting…"

"I came here to find Wen Chao," Wangji answered. But keen grey eyes seemed to cut through him, raising an arched brow as if waiting for the true answer. Wangji's heart dropped "I came here to find you."

For a moment, time seemed to pause, with nothing between the two of them except the air that fell before them. Gold melded with smouldering silver, breaths catching before Wei Ying looked away, an odd grin circling his face. "Though so, " he muttered, "I've been waiting for you, too."

But before either of them could respond, another barged into the room, breaking the door along the way. As burned wood clattered to the ground, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but whisper under his breath. "Waste of a perfectly good door."

The faint scent of unforgiving lotus filled the room, followed by a clatter of swords. Jiang Wanyin's eyes widened in surprise as they beheld his brother's form, his mouth slackening wide open. "I thought you were dead…"

Wei Wuxian's smile was bittersweet, his silvery crimson eyes hardening again, nothing like they were just moments ago. His voice was like a blade dripping in honey, drenched in salt, prepared to slice through flesh with crippling slowness. "Didn't you? A surprise is a surprise, I guess."

Wanyin's eyes traced further behind him, to the prone body on the floor. If he had a second blade in his hand, it would have decapitated his foot a long time ago. Eyeballs were gouged out, blood trailing behind bloodied nerves. No inch of skin was spared, marred with numerous gashes that seemed to have salt rubbed in. The scent of saltwater filled his senses, and crimson robes seemed scorched to the ground, crumbling into ashes, parted. Only to reveal a cleanly disemboweled torso, as well as a blunt stub where a certain body part should have been. The body was mangled beyond repair, safe for the few words carved on his back.

'Wen Chao, the despicable bastard. May you rot in hell, you fucking son of a bitch.'

Jiang Cheng's eyes seemed to pop out of his head along with his jaw, which crashed into the ground. To Wei Ying's surprise, Lan Wangji started chuckling, head thrown back. An odd sense of pride filled him, seeing joy, however sinister, light up his gilt features again. Gilt gleamed in the dark, a grotesque glow to them, that made Jiang Cheng's blood shiver. He stumbled back, eyes growing wider in disbelief at what was an abomination before him. "W-What.." he stuttered,"have you monster done?"

The guttural laugh Wei Wuxian gave out could send millions shivering for years. "Why me? I haven't done anything except return the favours he has done to others over the years."

"You're despicable," the fear in amethyst eyes hardened with fury. "How dare you do such unspeakable things? It's enough to kill him, and we thank you for that, but you shouldn't get to torture him. That's crossing the line! How dare you do that and take away all the glory?"

The last sentence slipped past his mouth unknowingly, and he covered his mouth in surprise. Shit. I wasn't supposed to say that.

Gilt eyes narrowed, shooting daggers at him as Wangji shifted near the other. An unspoken threat lay behind their stances, like panthers languishing in the fields, waiting to ambush their prey.

Wanyin was scared shitless. But he stood his ground."Y- you've done nothing these last few months. Nothing but run around like the coward you are. Like the monster you are."

Wei Ying turned around, stepping away from the stranger that had stood before him. Cold flooded his veins, and he found himself laughing mirthlessly. "You try to condemn me, Jiang Wanyin? You dare to condemn me? What have you been doing these few months?"

"I-I"

"Yeah, I bet you can't answer me, can you? I've been doing nothing these few months? I'm sorry, but for your information, the Wens didn't go missing over the last few months by magic! It was me, fucking hell. Me! Not you. None of your stupid operations worked, okay? I've been clearing up after you for months! Nie Mingjue had to make me follow you to help you just so you could do your damned tasks!" Wei Ying snapped, crimson overflowing in his eyes.

"W- wait- you were there?" Jiang Cheng paled, his mind coiling back to what he'd done.

"Yes, you son of a bitch. I heard every fucking conversation you had, and I've never been more embarrassed to be your brother. " Wei Ying was fuming by now.

"The audacity of you to diss me and play me off like I'm some kind of fucking toy. Some disposable piece of jewellery. Hell, even jewellery would have been more useful to you than me, the way you talked about me. Is that really all I am to you?"

"No-I-" but the argument died at Jiang Cheng's lips, and the fear in his eyes only served as a reminder of one thing. I fucked up. I fucked up big time. The disdain in Wei Wuxian's eyes spoke volumes. "I can't believe I ever trusted you, Jiang Wanyin. I can't believe I ever let you treat me that way. I'm tired of it. Have you even bothered to ask after me, all these months? Or was I just some kind of wasted afterthought to you?"

For the first time in his life, Jiang Cheng's voice seemed to fail him, faltering as his raised arms fell to his sides numbly. I really messed up this time. If he heard everything…then there's nothing worth saving. Bitter words that tumbled out of his mouth fell back into his head again. Every slur, every insult, all directed towards the person standing before him, the brother he'd been sworn to. But he was now nothing but a trophy to him, a tool he could use and dispose of. He'd changed, Wanyin realised. And so did he.

Lan Wangji stepped closer to Wei Wuxian, wiping away the tears brimming in his eyes, draping a shoulder over him. "You're not a monster, " he whispered. "Wei Ying means more to me than anything else. I love you." 

"I love you too." Wei Ying's eyes fluttered shut, looking away from the boy he'd once deemed a brother.

"That was all I was to you, wasn't I?" His voice sounded so constricted, like a snake being held by its neck, strangled and suffocating. Suddenly, his voice seemed small against the harsh torrent of the world before him. "You'd pretend to use me, love me. Then leave me alone."

Lan Zhan intertwined his fingers with Wei Ying's, pulling him closer to him. Jiang Cheng could hear him whispering softly to Wei Ying, but he couldn't quite make out the words. His heart crashed, in a way. The sheer reality of everything dragging its way up to meet him. And he found himself staring at the ugly, brash rock he called his heart, only it was mangled and crushed.

"I hate you, Jiang Wanyin. I don't want to see you ever again." Was all Wei Wuxian manged to choke out, before walking out of the door, with Wangji beside him.

Jiang Cheng's knees clattered to the ground, unleashing an ocean of tears behind. As the other two walked away, walked forward, to their future destinies, deep into the night.

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A/N: finally, an update! So you guys know I'm still alive, somehow- this is a present to bhava_siri! All the best, Jie- Love you! And also, thank you NebulusCharlie. And DBDavenport8, I hope this will make your day- oh, and- finally, our 60th chapter! (I think-) thank you guys so much, love you! ❤️