[♪♫♬]

[one_note]

[after Yi City and the second time Wei Wuxian gets Lan Wangji drunk, it takes about a day for them to reach the Garden of Annual blossoms. this curious incident takes place in the space of that day.

outside of appeasing the corpse pieces they've been collecting each night, it's not uncommon for Lan Wangji to take the time to practice on the guqin. he doesn't play entire songs, since he's not trying to interact with any spirits at the moment, but safely broken-up sections of Inquiry and Empathy (was Empathy always a musical technique? it is in this timeline, shut up) and the other songs he uses for battle hum through the walls of the rest stop they've paused at on the road.

it's partway through a passage of Empathy that there's a notable shriek of strings, and then silence; when Wei Wuxian goes to check, he'll find Lan Wangji half-collapsed over the instrument, his breathing harsh and a strange fluctuation of energy around him.

a qi deviation...? oh no.]

Comments

[weiyingdown]

[looking between both Lan Wangji's before leaning over to his and whispering]

I can distract him while you grab him?

[one_note]

[oh...my god]

Mm.

[weiyingdown]

[LOOK THIS IS A GOOD PLAN!!

since qi deviation Lan Wangji has his eyes closed, he sneaks closer as quietly as he can with the intent of drawing his notice away from Lan Wangji.

he doesn't say anything to catch his attention, but he does pull out his bamboo flute and play a cheeky three second melody]

[one_note]

[qi deviation Lan Wangji's eyes snap open -- they're so bloodshot they look almost purely red -- and he's moving toward the sound with terrifying speed and immediacy. oh shit]

[weiyingdown]

[immediately moves backwards to keep some distance between them, trying to keep an open tunnel behind him so that he won't be cornered. "dodge and don't get caught" seems like a good plan here]

Lan Zhan, Lan Wangji, you don't have to look at me like that. You have my undivided attention.

[one_note]

[growls, closing the distance entirely too fast]

Wei Ying.

[the saner one is trying to circle around to help, but there's not a ton of room to maneuver, actually,]

[weiyingdown]

[despite being told that Lan Wangqi won't kill him, it sort of feels like he will? the hair on the back of his neck stands up, and he takes a few more skips backwards and tries to duck around Lan Wangqi to avoid getting stuck against a wall]

[one_note]

[no you are getting BODILY WALLED, young man. Lan Wangqi grabs for both his wrists and the trailing ribbon]

[weiyingdown]

[guess what: getting walled while you are still tipsy does not help your coordination at all. he's not expecting the full force of it, and the back of his head smacks into the wall hard enough to get a yelp out of him.]

--Ow!

[since his hands are pinned, he sweeps his feet at Lan Wangqi's in an attempt to knock him off balance in turn]

[one_note]

[it's like hitting a tree. he may have miscalculated his odds here.

Lan Wangqi stares with incredible bloody intensity at his face. he is like three inches away. the rest of his body, pressed up against Wei Wuxian's, is fever-hot. his hands are holding Wei Wuxian's wrists against the wall on either side of his head.]

...

[weiyingdown]

[in retrospect it seems more understandable that Lan Wangji got beaten up by Lan Wangqi when he appears to be chiseled out of solid rock.

he leans back, or as far back as the wall will let him. which is less than an inch.]

...Calm down, Lan Zhan. Aren't you embarrassed that I, of all people, have to tell you to calm down?

[one_note]

[leans down and kisses him, hard enough to hurt.]

1/??

[weiyingdown]

[please hold, wei wuxian is not here at the moment]

[weiyingdown]

[keep holding]

[weiyingdown]

[KEEP HOLDING]

ok done

[weiyingdown]

[he doesn't do anything as he tries to let his brain catch up with what is happening, the shock clear in his wide eyes. his body very much needs to breathe, though, and when he starts feeling lightheaded and his lips feel far too bruised and numb, he reaches up to pat Lan Wangqi's shoulder to let him have some air.]

[one_note]

[Lan Wangqi jerks back a bit and coughs blood on him instead, because that's when Lan Wangji completes sneaking up on him from behind and just. stabs him.]

[weiyingdown]

[sorry he's not going to be super helpful with that at the moment, his brain is getting oxygen back into it again but that's not helping anything make more sense]

...Uhm.

[one_note]

[Lan Wangji pulls Bichen out and sheathes it. Lan Wangqi topples sideways to the ground with a thud.

that was weirdly anticlimactic for a final bossfight]

Ridiculous.

[weiyingdown]

[opens and closes his mouth a few times, absently rubbing at his bruised lips and trying to think of something to say]

Lan Zhan, isn't it a little cliched to hide your sexual frustrations under your bed like this?

[nailed it]

[one_note]

[Lan Wangji's expression shutters like an iron gate.]

...go back to the Jingshi, Wei Ying. I will clean up.

[weiyingdown]

Hey, don't dodge the question!

[stepping around Lan Wangqi's body to grab Lan Wangji's wrist]

Shouldn't you explain what that was just now? Or are you saying all of it was just the result of your qi deviation?

[his voice trembles at the last part, despite his obvious efforts to keep it steady]

[one_note]

[Lan Wangji is also trembling, faintly, under his hand]

Think for yourself.

[weiyingdown]

If I think the wrong thing, are you going to tell me?

[one_note]

[his eyes flick sharply to the one on the floor]

I am not the same as him.