[pfsb] happy halloween!

[acrookedpath]

It's that time of year again.

The inn is bustling. All manner of strange outfits have been donned (some more willingly than others). Lanterns flicker ominously in the corners, pumpkins stand sentry at either end of the bar, and every order comes complete with a handful of wrapped candies.

And -- if you're Wei Wuxian -- Madam Bar has also gifted you with an enormous array of tiny cakes, each one with a little candle stuck in its center. His second birthday at the inn has arrived, and he could not be more pleased.

(He's also wearing a red T-shirt that reads, simply, I'M THE CHAOS. Just like last year, he has set his mild confusion aside in favor of delight at the bounty Madam Bar has given him.)

Comments

[acrookedpath]

With a long, watery sigh, he loosens his grip on Lan Zhan, but stays tucked close to him.

"Ah, I hope I will not cry so hard the next time she leaves," he says. He scrubs the heel of his palm over his eyes. "I know she is not out of reach. But..."

[lightamidchaos]

“But it is hard,” he says, softly. “When you have lost her, before.”

[acrookedpath]

"Yes."

He lays a hand on Lan Zhan's arm: a silent, unconscious comfort offered.

[lightamidchaos]

His embrace tightens, just lightly. He allows himself to breathe in the scent of Wei Ying’s hair, to feel the warmth and weight of his body in his arms.

“We will find a way. To allow her to stay,” he murmurs, after a moment.

[acrookedpath]

He nods, stroking his thumb back and forth over Lan Zhan's arm gently, absently.

"It was so strange this time," he murmurs. "I heard her voice, and smelled her perfume, without any attempt to contact her. And once I lit incense and drew the sigil of the Seventh House in blood -- "

A tiny, shaky smile.

"She was here."

[lightamidchaos]

“I am glad.” He is, truly.

[acrookedpath]

"So am I." Very soft. "I only hope we do not have to wait a year to see each other again. I think this day -- this past night, the holiday -- might have been part of it as well."

[lightamidchaos]

“It may have. We can ask Madam Bar.”

He breathes, deep and steady. Wei Ying is here, and safe. Jiang Yanli was here and safe, and will be again. The Black Rabbit kept its promise; there was no harm given them, and his own core is now restored. All is as well as it can be.

“You will not have to wait a year. We have found ways before; there must be others.”

[acrookedpath]

"I hope so," he whispers.

Settling his hand more comfortably on Lan Zhan's arm, he glances up at him again. "How is your back?"

[lightamidchaos]

“Better.” He reaches to brush a lock of hair back from Wei Ying’s face.

“I hope I did not worry you too much.”

[acrookedpath]

He cracks a tiny smile, leaning into Lan Zhan's touch.

"A little," he admits. "It has been a while since it has hurt that badly, that suddenly, eh? But at least it did not linger."

[lightamidchaos]

“It did not,” he promises. It was worth the pain, every second of it, to see them so happy together.

“I am fine.”

[acrookedpath]

"Good," he murmurs. "And you know I will be happy to tend to your back should it grow worse again."

He stretches a few more inches to peck Lan Zhan on the lips.

[lightamidchaos]

He makes a soft sound and kisses him back, gently, but thorough and lingering.

[acrookedpath]

Wei Wuxian shivers, sinking into the kiss as if into a warm bath. When they drift apart, he does not press for more; only sighs, in soft contentment, and rests his head on Lan Zhan's shoulder.

His headache is diminishing. His eyes still burn, but no fresh tears seem to be arriving. Should he try to sleep? The coffee, limited though it was, has not entirely worn off yet.

[lightamidchaos]

"Are you tired?" he asks. He runs one hand lightly up and down Wei Ying's arm, holding him comfortably in the curve of his other arm.

[acrookedpath]

"Mm. A little," he says, with the smallest shrug -- nothing that would disturb Lan Zhan's embrace. "I suppose I should try to sleep."

He nudges Lan Zhan, lightly.

"And so should you. You did not even have any coffee to help you stay awake this whole night!"

[lightamidchaos]

"If you wish," he says, mildly. "Your gift can wait until tomorrow."

[acrookedpath]

He blinks. Slowly, his eyebrows rise.

"I have even more gifts waiting for me?"

[lightamidchaos]

“Of course,” he says, just as mildly as before.

[acrookedpath]

"Lan Zhan."

His small smile begins to grow, as he pokes Lan Zhan in the side with one fingertip.

"You know that I am too curious for my own good. Now that you have said that, I cannot help but ask."

[lightamidchaos]

“Mn,” he says, untroubled by the poking. “Wait.”

He presses a kiss to Wei Ying’s hair and gets up. Lan Wangji crosses the room and retrieves a cloth-wrapped package from behind the privacy screen, where it rests on the chest, and brings it back to him.

[acrookedpath]

Wei Wuxian's eyes -- still red-rimmed, a little, from his earlier tears -- light up at the sight.

"What could this be?" he says with a laugh, accepting the bundle. It feels soft, a little heavier than he expected, and takes up most of his lap when he settles crosslegged to unwrap it.

[lightamidchaos]

“Open it and see.” He watches as the wrappings fall away and the contents are revealed. The shop had done well in their packaging and folding, as they had in their crafting.

The winter-weight outer robes are made of heavy, lustrous silk dyed the deepest black possible, such that the natural patterns in the fabric pick up the light and play like shadows over its surface. In contrast, the deep red inner robe is of pure, fine silk, soft to the touch and a caress against the skin.

[acrookedpath]

Wei Wuxian pulls in a quick breath, staring in wonder at the robes.

"Lan Zhan..." He skates his fingers over the silk, watching the light shift and turn to shadow as he presses down on the fabric. He has not held robes this fine (Lan Zhan's excluded!) in years, let alone owned them. He brushes the collar of the outer robe aside to get a better look at the inner robe, and before he realizes it, his smile has grown so large that his cheeks ache.

He looks up.

"These are incredible. Where did you find them?"