Bichen was out before Wei Ying finished blinking up at the tall, tall giant, menacing and broad, with his club raised as if to hit them into next week.

Wei Ying was shoved behind Hui Gai as if he and Lan Zhan were in cahoots to protect Wei Ying first and foremost, defence being the second part of their initiative.

"Wait!" Wei Ying shuffled forward and then he grinned, tugging on Lan Zhan’s big white sleeve. "Look up there!" His sharp silver eyes had caught sight of something...

"Is that a-" Lan Zhan squinted upwards where Wei Ying was pointing.

"A nest?" Hui Gai finished, bewilderment on his face. He licked his red lips.

Wei Ying giggled at both of them.

"Yes...that's a nest...in his ear. He's no longer alive...unfortunately." It was a sobering thought.

Lan Zhan poked the giant with Bichen, and only when the sword vibrated with a clang, was he satisfied enough to put it away. Hui Gai was already at the giant's feet, his palms splayed upon his calves.

"Stone? He's been turned into stone? Or was he carved out of one to give visitors a heart attack?" He said, his red eyes shrewdly trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

Wei Ying tapped his nose thoughtfully.

"You know...all this time, I've been wondering why Dunshi has been scared of the daylight. I didn't want to ask because I wasn't sure if whatever it was, affected solely him, and I didn't want to inadvertently make him feel bad...but what if they all have this condition? What if exposure to daylight...does that?" He pointed to the giant, immortalised in stone.

Green and orange lichen was growing on his back, his shoulders braced for a show of strength, and the fiercest scowl, one to rival Jiang Cheng's worst one, was so perfectly captured upon his face, that he looked real.

His deep set eyes were hooded, but wide with anger and passion, his nose scrunched up, while his huge teeth would have glinted in the morning light had they remained calcific. His mouth was open, and his tongue was animated, as if he was in the middle of a shout before his unfortunate predicament.

He had long ears, with round lobes, and even the hairs that grew inside them had turned into stone, and those were what the birds had used as a base to build their nest.

Two little bluebirds chirped at the visitors as they walked around the base of this statue.

"I wonder what caught him unawares?" Wei Ying remarked.

"I would have thought, if this....condition applied to all them, they'd have an in built alarm system in their heads, to warn them of impending daylight. Evolution being what it is..." Hui Gai said, rapping with his knuckles on the hard surface. As tall as he was, Hui Gai could only reach up to the giant's ankle, the knot huge and knobbly.

"Well, if that's correct, then it's easy to assume that something stopped him from getting to shelter. He's facing the direction we came in..." Wei Ying leaned against the giant's foot, and then decided to simply sit down on his big toe.

"Another giant?" Lan Zhan came and stood next to him, Wei Ying's seemingly casual action having not gone unnoticed as he would have preferred.

"Maybe. We can ask Dunshi when he wakes up." Wei Ying stifled a yawn, hoping Lan Zhan wasn't looking.

But now that Lan Zhan suspected something was wrong with him, nothing could escape his eagle-eyed attention towards Wei Ying.

He offered his arm as soon as it looked as if Wei Ying was ready to stand.

Hui Gai had also been watching Wei Ying surreptitiously and he winked at Lan Zhan.

"Wait for me, I'll just be a second." He vanished in a blink.

Lan Zhan pushed Wei Ying down to sit again, while they waited.

Wei Ying didn't bother protesting, he did feel tired. But he was thinking back over the past few days, and what could have caused this to happen. In his head, he was checking off possibilities, diet being at the top of the list, since they were all eating basically the same thing. Yet he was the only one affected so far.

Hui Gai returned with a dishevelled healer, wearing the Lan Clan headband.

Wei Ying didn't recognise him, but Lan Zhan did. The newcomer also recognised Lan Zhan and bowed immediately, before glancing at Hui Gai, who motioned towards Wei Ying.

That's when Wei Ying noticed the green looking liquid in a cup held by the stranger.

"Hang on a minute!" He exclaimed, realising what Hui Gai had done. "I cannot believe you did that!" He scowled at both the stranger and Hui Gai. "There's nothing wrong with me." Wei Ying folded his arms across his chest.

"What's in that?" Lan Zhan demanded.

"Um...so this..." the newcomer began, looking up at Hui Gai.

"Hui Gai...that's my name. Demon works just as well." Hui Gai supplied with a terrifying smile, using all his pointy teeth.

The newcomer trembled. He was shaking too much to speak any more.

Wei Ying felt sorry for him, but what he had in his hands outweighed his sympathy, and he stared back in tight-lipped disapproval.

"It's a tonic." Hui Gai carried on as if this was a normal thing. "You know...it's supposed to give you energy."

"I am not drinking that." Wei Ying stated firmly, glaring at both of them. He eyed the nasty-looking concoction swirling in the cup, and he knew exactly what it would taste like.

Lan Zhan sighed. He took the cup from the disciple, thanking him for his efforts. Then he turned to Hui Gai.

"Thank you for bringing Lan Bu here. You may return him to the infirmary...and next time, just bring the tonic."

Lan Bu smiled gratefully before passing out. Hui Gai barely caught him, his finger and thumb catching his collar at the nape of his neck, like a bogie. He made a face.

"Fine...I'll go put him back."

"Mn." Lan Zhan turned around when they vanished.

Mnmn." Wei Ying protested at the look of determination in Lan Zhan’s golden eyes. "I'm not drinking that. You and I both know it tastes vile." He pursed his lips as if Lan Zhan was going to force it through them.

But Lan Zhan had another way. One that he knew Wei Ying was unable to resist.

"What will Wei Ying trade in exchange for his cooperation?" Lan Zhan kept his face still at the interested twitch on his husband's face.

"Nothing. I told you, I'm not drinking that." Wei Ying replied stubbornly.

But he was watching Lan Zhan carefully.

"I will give you a kiss if Wei Ying will drink this without complaint. Besides, what happened to your talisman for making medicine taste better?" Lan Zhan lifted a sultry eyebrow, watching him beneath thick eyelashes.

He came closer, and Wei Ying edged further into his seat. But he wasn't prepared for Lan Zhan to come and sit on his lap.

Lan Zhan was so beautiful...

His flawless skin, like polished Jade, smooth across his cheeks. His high forehead, and proud eyebrows, sheltering those wonderfully expressive golden eyes, darkening by the second.

Perfection...and so close to him...

Wei Ying couldn’t stop staring at those beautiful pink lips...he felt his resolve slipping and told himself to snap out of it. Delicious husband or no, he wasn't backing out now.

"Kisses should be free." He muttered, obstinately.

"Mn." Lan Zhan agreed easily. "Kisses are free...for good boys."

"I'm a good boy..." Wei Ying shot back.

"Uh, uh. At the moment...Wei Ying is not." Lan Zhan brought his face so close to Wei Ying, his lips only a hair's breadth away.

Wei Ying could feel his breath on his own lips and swallowed hard. Why was this so difficult? But if he gave in now, Lan Zhan would always use this trick! It wasn't fair.

So he closed his eyes.

He felt warm, soft kisses on his eyelids, and then his nose, a kiss on his forehead, one that lingered, and then kisses on his cheeks.

But none on his lips.

He tried to suppress the whine of longing that left his mouth, listening to the huff of amusement from his husband.

"Please?"

That single word had the power to have Wei Ying open his eyes immediately.

Lan Zhan never had to say that...

Or maybe Wei Ying had never given him the chance?

But he still felt awful for making him say it. Tears rose in those silver eyes, spilling onto his cheeks.

Lan Zhan gasped and put down the cup, completely unprepared for this. Never had he thought he would be the reason Wei Ying cried. His arms came around Wei Ying's shoulders, holding him close.

"I'm sorry." He apologised.

But this only made Wei Ying cry harder.

"Y-you s-said...we...we s-shouldn't say t-that..." He sobbed, feeling worse.

"I know." Lan Zhan held him tighter, feeling guilty now. "Wei Ying doesn't have to drink that...if he doesn't want to." He amended.

Nothing was worse than this, and no medicine was worth making his beloved cry.

But Wei Ying surprised him further by wiping his red eyes with even more determination and then he grabbed the cup.

"Three kisses!" He demanded, before chugging it down, and then gagging at the taste.

Lan Zhan retrieved water from his sleeve and made Wei Ying rinse out his mouth.

"I think that was more for you than me." He muttered suspiciously.

Lan Zhan cupped his face and brought their lips together, taking his time to taste his Wei Ying. His tongue traced the outer shape of Wei Ying's full red lips, and they both sighed as they came together. This explosion of need fired through their veins, electrifying every point of contact from their lips to their hearts, beating side by side. Each breath stolen, as hot lips bruised, this kiss not hard enough to convey how much they each meant to the other, and then it was Wei Ying who pulled away first, a puddle of liquid bones as he let Lan Zhan kiss his neck, biting the soft skin under his jaw.

"I love you so much..." Wei Ying sighed, trying to catch his breath back.

"As I love Wei Ying." This time golden eyes were raised to sear into silver ones, silent promises vowed forever.

*******

A/N

Dear wonderful patient readers,

Thank you so much for reading. This one is a bit longer, hehe.

That was my tribute to J.R.R.Tolkein for his giants in the Hobbit.

Have a great day everyone, especially DBDavenport8 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NANA!!!

I hope you have lots of chocolate today!!