Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian’s body trembled uncontrollably as he watched the news on the TV, watched as fire completely engulfed the Jiang’s family private jet. A thick, menacing plume of black smoke could be seen rising high above into the clouds behind the reporter on the screen who was confirming that two people have been pronounced dead.
Somewhere in the distance, the house phone rang incessantly but Wei Wuxian couldn’t move, he could hardly even breathe as the reporter’s words became nothing more but gibberish in the static of his mind.
What was supposed to be the annual Jiang family vacation had quickly turned into an absolute nightmare, and this was only the beginning of the hell that was to come.
Jiang Fengmian was dead.
Yu Ziyuan was dead.
His shijie—oh, his precious shijie—was in a coma with a massive brain injury and burns all over her body from the chest down. It was a miracle that she had even survived, and the only reason Jiang Cheng had been spared the same fate was due to a business meeting he had attended the day prior to the accident. He had instead taken a flight from his location to the Jiang’s usual vacation spot to save himself time and an extra unnecessary trip to their home city, Ningbo.
And apparently the fires hadn’t stopped with just consuming the plane—no, that would have been too merciful. In the following months, Wei Wuxian’s and Jiang Cheng’s lives go up in flames, too.
With the death of the two heads of Jiang Enterprises, the company quickly began crumbling as investors and shareholders pulled away, their business and continued-growth mindsets wary and uncertain of Jiang Cheng’s ability to run the company successfully.
The shareholders and investors soon ended their negotiations, and to keep the company afloat, Jiang Cheng had decided to sell as much as he could: the estate, the cars, family heirlooms and precious jewelry—everything.
Anything to save his parents legacy.
It didn’t matter however. It wasn’t enough, and in the end, both him and Jiang Cheng were on the streets renting cheap motels, destitute and broke as the money Jiang Cheng had made from selling everything went to pay the company debts, company maintenance, the exorbitant company bills, and the many employees who were already leaving and looking for other jobs.
Devastation cemented itself through Wei Wuxian who could only watch from the sidelines as his brother tried his best. He didn’t know how to help Jiang Cheng other than to be there for him.
Yu Ziyuan had never let him learn the ins and outs of the company business, saying it was a family business—alpha business, to be exact. Nothing that Wei Wuxian had to concern himself with.
Things took a turn for the worse just a few months later.
With the death of his parents, with shijie in the hospital fighting for her life, and his failure to maintain the company alive, Jiang Cheng became a shadow of his former self.
Wei Wuxian watched on as Jiang Cheng filled his days by spending all his time with shijie at the hospital. The beeping of her heart monitor being the only thing that brought the alpha some respite.
It didn’t matter how much Wei Wuxian tried to soothe his brother by trying to scent him or provide comforting words, the light in Jiang Cheng’s eyes dimmed regardless, and when they received notices for past due bills and Jiang Cheng had no outward reaction other than to crumple the various pieces of mail and chucking them to the floor, Wei Wuxian knew he had to do something.
He found himself filling countless job applications, taking as many jobs as possible to keep them afloat—to keep them fed, to keep them clothed, to keep some semblance of their crumbling sense of sanity.
It’s how he found himself working three jobs to cover rent, bills, and whatever other expenses that seemed to pop into existence out of thin air.
Exhaustion ran deep in Wei Wuxian’s bones, it coiled around his every limb, and every morning that he would get up for work before sunrise—knowing he wouldn’t come back home and lay in bed until the late hours of the night—his body protested his every attempt at movement, but he mustered just enough willpower to get up everyday to go to all his jobs even when he felt on the verge of collapse.
In the meantime, Wei Wuxian tried his best to support Jiang Cheng in all the ways he could. He did everything he always did at the Jiang estate: he cooked, cleaned, made sure their small apartment was tidy and that there was food on the table—but none of it mattered.
Nothing would bring back life into Jiang Cheng.
And to make matters more tedious, Jiang Cheng had stopped scenting Wei Wuxian, leaving the omega to begin suffering deprivation symptoms.
Without proper scenting or bonding with those Wei Wuxian considered his pack, the more the symptoms festered and worsened, but Wei Wuxian was adamant in keeping his troubles to himself as he was wont to do. There was no need to trouble Jiang Cheng with his neediness, especially when the alpha was already going through so much.
And if things weren’t already strained, the doctors told Jiang Cheng and him that shijie would receive better care in Shanghai—at a premier private hospital.
That meant they had to pay a hefty sum of money every month, but refusing better care for their sister was out of the question. Shijie would receive the best care no matter the price.
So, shijie had been summarily transferred to the hospital in the heart of Shanghai. The hospital was sequestered amidst the giant, bustling, and expensive city and with it came the giant city medical bills that they could hardly keep up with.
The small wages from his three jobs wasn’t enough to cover food, rent, medical bills—Wei Wuxian didn’t even have money for himself.
“Fuck.” Wei Wuxian grimaces as the bags under his eyes have become more pronounced.
I look like death.
His appearance worsened with each passing month, but there wasn’t enough time in Wei Wuxian’s busy days to fully worry about.
He should have worried about it—he was suffering severe headaches and chest pains from the lack of scenting—but he couldn’t afford to give his health the time of day when the mail full of bills kept piling.
It happened quietly.
Jiang Cheng had snapped.
It was past midnight when Wei Wuxian finally got home.
“Jiang Cheng…?” Wei Wuxian called out tentatively.
Wei Wuxian stopped in his tracks, his aching feet protesting as he smelled the air—alpha distress clung to the molecules, the taste of it bitter on his tongue.
He walked through the dark apartment, hissing and yelping in pain when he stepped on broken glass that crunched underneath his weight. Wei Wuxian reached over to the light switch, turning the buzzing light on only to be met with an absolute disaster.
Bottles of alcohol were smashed around everywhere, and the little bit of furniture that came with the apartment was broken—wood splintered, leather torn, cushion stuffing coated the wooden floor like snow. The entire place was an absolute wreck, as if a typhoon had formed within their little abode and had made a playground out of it.
Wei Wuxian’s scent soured, his aching body drooped at the thought of how long it would take him to clean all this. The place was uninhabitable.
Wei Wuxian’s tired, sleep-laden eyes gazed down, and he cursed when he saw his blood seeping onto the floor. He hobbled over to the small kitchen, thankful that he had had the forethought to have clean, washed rags available for cleaning.
Wei Wuxian picked the glass off his feet, thankful that none had gone too deep. The cuts would be bothersome for the next few days. He can already feel the way they’d burn and tear open since he was on his feet all day.
Once his feet have somewhat stopped bleeding, Wei Wuxian walked through the apartment. The only noise he heard was the constant hum of the oscillating fan, the air from it pushed against the blinds and making them sway and letting some light of the night spill into the apartment.
Wei Wuxian set his red tote bag down and quietly made his way to the bathroom where light was shining from underneath the door. He knocked softly, trying his best not to frighten his brother.
“Jiang Cheng, I’m home… We don’t have to talk about the mess, ya’know…” he spoke quietly, only to be met with silence. Wei Wuxian’s heart quivered. “Um, can you please answer me…” he knocked on the door, his heart fluttering with anxiety the longer Jiang Cheng delayed. “I brought dinner from work. I got you glazed pork chops and fried rice…”
A stream of silence continued to stretch onward.
Wei Wuxian tried again and again, knocking over and over on the door until he was slamming his whole body onto the wooden barrier.
At this point he was crying, desperately calling his brother’s name—
Jiang Cheng’s silence was deafening.
Once he managed to pry the door open, Wei Wuxian cried out the sight that greets him.
He didn’t know how he did it…but he had managed to call an ambulance.
Jiang Cheng had completely lost himself to his grief and anguish, and he had been alone too much, agonizing over his thoughts.
Wei Wuxian should’ve been there. He should’ve taken care of Jiang Cheng better.
His deprivation symptoms do not abate regardless of the circumstances—in fact, they only worsened.
In the following days, Jiang Cheng was treated at a local hospital and summarily put in a mental health facility for feral alphas. It was a dingy facility not well suited for the likes of his brother, so Wei Wuxian had him transferred to a much better private wellness center—once again adding another hefty bill to himself.
Now the weight of it all solely landed on him, and his siblings were depending on him not to fail or fall.
He kept pushing, working all his jobs, barely having the time or appetite to eat, barely sleeping because his schedule didn’t allow for much rest. He was barely alive, but it didn’t matter, he had to keep going even if his omega sensibilities grew tired and fraught from the abuse he was putting his body through.
He hadn’t been scented in so long, and the few times he could visit his siblings, he didn’t want to distress them with his soured scent. Shijie couldn’t be touched anyway because of her burns, and Jiang Cheng was too haywired or angry to accept touch. His brother was more beast than human right now.
Wei Wuxian pushed onward, telling himself that he would be fine, that he wasn’t weak, that he couldn’t fail his shijie or Jiang Cheng—but his body had reached its limits.
While stocking merchandise at his job, Wei Wuxian passes out, hitting his head hard on the floor.
When he later woke up, he was surrounded by the sterility one can only find in a hospital. He’s hooked up to an IV, his heart monitor beeped and all he could do was stare blankily at the wall before him. His silver eyes roamed over the room.
He was alone.
Terribly and completely alone.
He wrapped his arms around himself as the alpha doctor tending to him admonishes him—as if that’s what he needed at this moment—and tells him his body is exhausted, malnourished, and dehydrated.
No shit, Wei Wuxian muttered internally.
The doctor asked Wei Wuxian why his scent had gone sour and muted, he asked if he'd gotten scented—and Wei Wuxian didn't feel like explaining the tragedy of his life and only shook his head.
The doctor droned on and on about the importance of scenting and nesting on an omega's health, and Wei Wuxian only half listened.
He’s never nested before. He’s never had any nesting materials. Yu Ziyuan said he needed to earn them, and since he was a bad omega—a wrong omega as she had explicitly put it several times when she would punish him—he didn’t deserve any materials to begin with.
The one time he had tried nesting it had sent him into a fit of rage and panic as it felt wrong—wrong, wrong, wrong.
Wei Wuxian sighed as the doctor recommended nesting material as if they’d fit into his already tight and—let's be honest—nonexistent budget.
The only thing Wei Wuxian had clung to all this time for comfort was a scarf he had snatched from shijie’s room before the estate was sold. The silky fabric had held her lotus and cream scent on it, as if the fine and luxurious threads had been nurturing her scent. Smelling it had helped soothe him—until it had gone stale.
Now with Jiang Cheng gone, too, he had nothing for comfort. Wei Wuxian’s arms wrapped tighter around himself, and the more the doctor talked, the more his skin itched. He wanted to get out of here, but he had no other option other than to smile—more like grimace—at the doctor until he was discharged.
Days passed by, and he showed up to work as if nothing had happened. He couldn’t afford to not get paid for any missed days. Soon he’d have to pay for shijie’s treatment and by the end of next month he’ll have to pay for Jiang Cheng’s.
As if things couldn’t get worse, he comes home only to find a late rent payment notice on his door. He had five days to pay with money he didn’t have, or he’d have to vacate the apartment and sleep on the streets.
“Shit, shit, shit….” A wave of nauseating dizziness washed over Wei Wuxian, and he opened the door as the room started spinning.
He passed out once more on the kitchen floor.
Later when he woke up in the middle of the night in a panic, he wracked his brain on ideas on how to stay afloat.
He needed money. He needed it now. Which meant that he had to ask someone to lend him money, which meant he had to go into debt with someone…
This was the only option he had. There was no other way.
Further into the future he’d reprimand himself for going to the worst person possible for money, but he couldn’t completely blame himself or his naivety. He had been desperate. Desperate enough to contact one of his old filthy rich classmates—Wen Chao.
It was the biggest mistake and headache of his life.
“And when we come back for payment, Wei Wuxian, you better have it,” Wen Chao had said, his stupid face twisting with a wicked smile as he gave Wei Wuxian’s body a once over.
Wei Wuxian hid a shiver in disgust, delighted when the slimy alpha finally walked away.
He’d been given enough money and he was finally able to cover rent, bills, and the medical expenses for the private facilities shijie and Jiang Cheng were at for the month.
Everything was going smoothly—until it wasn’t. Until he was short on the thousands of yuan he owed to Wen Chao for the first payment with a compounding interest, meaning he owed more and more than what he borrowed each payment.
Now all of his money was going towards payments for medical bills and to the loan shark Wen Chao turned out to be.
He began defaulting on all his bills and medical expenses in trying to keep Wen Chao off his back.
His life had turned into a living nightmare of his own stupid doing.
Wei Wuxian was accosted by Wen Chao and his men nearly everyday, threats on his life became the daily norm, and he lived every moment of his life in constant fear.
His scent had permanently become sour from the stress, and his heart was always racing with the thought that anytime he walked the streets, he would be grabbed and taken to an undisclosed location and be dealt with.
And as if to prove him right, one night while walking towards the train station to head back to Ningbo after visiting his shijie, he found himself pinned against the hood of a car, surrounded by several big men—all alphas—who watched on as Wen Chao slapped him hard, asking him where his money was.
The whole ordeal was humiliating, his face was now bruised and stinging as he’s thrown onto the ground like a pesky afterthought.
“You’re a pretty omega, Wei Wuxian. There are…several ways you could repay me.” Wen Chao laughed as he looked at him with interested, heated eyes.
Disgust coursed through Wei Wuxian’s veins, the taste thick and pervasive on his tongue as he considered it out of fear, but even the thought of sleeping with a vile, filthy man as Wen Chao caused him great distress.
“I’ll pass,” he spit out through gritted teeth. It only earned him a kick to the chest that had him falling completely flat on his back on the sidewalk.
“You’re very mouthy for a beggar. Anyone else and they’d be dead on the spot.”
“I’ll get you your money, Wen Chao,” Wei Wuxian said while glaring at Wen Chao, ignoring the man’s words and pressing a cool hand to one of his stinging cheeks.
“When, Wei Wuxian? Soon you’ll be two months behind, and with the accumulating interests—” Wen Chao looked away, his lips puckered as he did mental calculations “—you’ll be owing me more than 94,000 yuan.”
Fuck.
Wei Wuxian was so fucked. How was he going to get Wen Chao all this money?!
“Tell me, pretty flower, how are you going to repay me, hm? You think your paychecks from your little gigs will be enough?” The alpha grabbed ahold of him, his hands squeezed his arms hard and painfully and it felt wrong. The alpha’s touch felt disgusting, as if he were being scorched with acid.
“Let—me—go.” Wei Wuxian fought back.
“How about you become my omega as payment, hm? Warm my bed—“ Wen Chao never finished his sentence, Wei Wuxian kicked the alpha between his legs and pushed him away.
He made a break for the hospital entrance not too far away where plenty of cameras and witnesses would be, hoping that that would be enough to thwart or deter Wen Chao and his men.
Wei Wuxian heard the many footsteps racing after him as he made his way into the quiet lobby, and when he turned to look behind him, he caught his own distressed scent.
Wei Wuxian navigated the familiar corridors, and when he saw the elevators, he made a beeline toward them. If he could make it to another floor, maybe he could use the fire escape to exit the building.
He turned down a hallway and once he reached the elevators there he smashed the elevator button repeatedly, his finger incessant as if that would make the metal doors open quicker.
In the future, he’d tell himself how lucky he was that he chose this specific elevator, on this specific floor, at this specific hour, because when the doors opened, standing there in all their glory were none other than Lan Wangji, Lan Xichen, and Lan Qiren.
Honeyed golden eyes widened briefly at the sight of him, and Wei Wuxian was starstruck at the sight of the handsome alpha. In fact, he was so starstruck that he forgot why he was even waiting for the elevator.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said his name with what Wei Wuxian thought could be an air of disbelief, and it made Wei Wuxian shiver at hearing that deep voice.
It had been so long.
“Wei Wuxian!” One of the men yelled his name, and Wei Wuxian clambered into the elevator without a second thought. It was too late for him, he thinks as his life flashed before his eyes. Wen Chao and his men had caught up to him and he was going to get dragged away.
Wen Chao appeared at the elevator, breathless and pissed off, blocking the metal doors with his arms and preventing them from closing.
Wei Wuxian ephemerally imagined the door closing and ripping Wen Chao’s arm off.
Wen Chao took one look at the occupants in the elevator with Wei Wuxian, and he froze right where he stood.
An arm slid around Wei Wuxian’s waist and he found himself tightly pressed against Lan Wangji’s body, as if the alpha was protecting him.
“Accosting an omega on our territory… Not a bright choice, Wen Chao,” Lan Qiren said, his eyebrow raised, displeased.
“He owes me—!” Wen Chao tried grabbing him.
“Do not touch him,” Lan Wangji commanded, his strong sandalwood scent—with a tinge of iron—overpowered the small elevator as he hugged Wei Wuxian closer, tighter.
Wen Chao immediately backed away as if the alpha command had affected him.
Wei Wuxian felt so safe.
“Might I suggest you be more careful in the future when scaring an omega on our territory,” Lan Xichen said pleasantly, a smile played on his lips but his words felt like it held a darker meaning. “You know we don’t take kindly to omega abuse.”
A gentle hand grabbed ahold of his chin, and Wei Wuxian found golden eyes examining his bruised face.
“Did he do this to you?” Lan Wangji asked in a hushed tone, his jaw clenched as he waited for Wei Wuxian’s confirmation. Wei Wuxian looked down and nodded.
“He owes me money! I was simply asking for what is mine,” Wen Chao seethed. “This isn’t over, Wei Wuxian! Consider yourself lucky. I know where you live!”
“And now the boy threatens,” Lan Qiren sighed, bored. “You have never been the brightest, Wen Chao,” he chided. “Perhaps if I spoke with your father, he would be able to provide an explanation as to why you are in our territory, disrespecting me and my nephews.”
Wen Chao blanched, and he promptly moved away from the elevator doors. The three Lan alphas moved out with Wei Wuxian still held securely in Lan Wangji’s arms.
“Uncle, look.” Lan Xichen directed his eyes to Wen Chao’s entourage of men who were all drenched in Wei Wuxian’s distressed scent.
Wei Wuxian bit his lip to hide the smug smile of satisfaction trying to play on his lips at the look of fear plastered on Wen Chao’s stupid face.
“Wei Ying, were you being chased by them?” Lan Wangji asked him, his tone gentle and patient.
Wei Wuxian nodded and hugged Lan Wangji tighter. He chirped in distress for emphasis, too, and Lan Wangji crooned lowly just for him to hear before momentarily letting him go and grabbing Wen Chao by the front of his shirt. “Seek him again and you will be dealt with.”
“Wen Chao, it would be wise not to tarnish the thin relations between the Lan and Wen,” Lan Xichen warned.
Wei Wuxian watched as Wen Chao withered as Lan Wangji stared him down. He wasn’t sure what was going on.
They were talking about territories? What did that even mean…?
Wei Wuxian’s scent soured once more at the commotion, and Lan Wangji finally took him away as his brother and uncle stayed behind to deal with the aftermath of his confrontation.
He didn't know how exhausted and mentally drained he was until he realized he was shaking like a leaf, his eyes heavy and teary.
Lan Wangji hugged him once more, and Wei Wuxian instinctively nuzzled his face into Lan Wangji’s shoulder seeking comfort and breathing in that familiar yet strange sandalwood scent. It reminded him of old times—of library study sessions, of whispered conversations, of an alpha that had been cold and indifferent back then.
Back then Lan Wangji’s scent had been that of comforting, slightly sweetened sandalwood, but now it had mutated for some reason. It was still that soothing sandalwood but with a more smoky touch, like that of metallic smoke—sharp and lethal like the aftermath of gunfire—and with a hint of iron like blood.
“I’m sorry,” Wei Wuxian said, his jaw tight and teeth nearly chattering as his emotions ran high. “I thought I was done for…”
“No need for apologies. You are safe, Wei Ying.” For now, Wei Wuxian thought dejectedly, and as if to add insult to injury, his tummy decided to growl impossibly loud and long right there in front of the alpha. He hadn’t eaten anything in almost two days.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” Wei Wuxian’s face burned hot as he sheepishly laughed.
Lan Wangji huffed, his eyes raking over Wei Wuxian’s face. “Would you like to accompany me for dinner at my house?”
Wei Wuxian’s lonely heart thumped away. How could it not when the man who saved him from certain death was offering to feed him.
It reminded him of the olden ways—of alphas courting omegas by feeding and providing for them their necessities in order to prove themselves worthy. Most of those customs and traditions had been done away with.
Wei Wuxian noticed that those eyes never left him, that Lan Wangji still hadn't let him go, and with the last shred of energy he had left, he nodded.
Once they broke away from each other's embrace, Lan Wangji guided him towards a lavish car parked by the entrance. Lan Wangji opened the door for him, gently guiding him into the car. There, the exhaustion from the last few days hits Wei Wuxian all at once and he’s out like a light.
Dinner was a quiet affair of whispered words and tender attentiveness. Wei Wuxian swore that his thumping heart was the loudest thing in the room with the way Lan Wangji was so uncharacteristically gentle with him.
Lan Wangji sat close to him, cutting the big steak on his plate into smaller pieces for him, pouring his drinks for him, and being so attentive with him.
The omega within him preened at the attention. He wasn’t used to it. His existence was usually relegated to the background—especially when he had been in the presence of Yu Ziyuan.
She had hated when shijie or Jiang Cheng showed him any attention, and she had had a habit of reminding him of his place within their home.
He was a servant's son, and a servant he became as if he had been taken in to solely fill his late father’s shoes.
Wei Wuxian couldn’t help the little purrs that escaped his lips when Lan Wangji tended to him. It was vexing how the man who had hated him back in the academy, who treated him so coldly back then, was now treating him so tenderly.
The omega within him wanted to yip and purr louder, but he willed himself to stay as quiet as possible under the attention. He remembered that Lan Wangji had always berated him for making noises during the lunches Lan Wangji would begrudgingly accept to have with him.
After dinner, Lan Wangji was pulled away for some matters and Wei Wuxian was momentarily left alone in the quiet living room of such a large home.
The sound of running water outside settled his mind, and without meaning to, when he sat on the cozy, seemingly unused couch, he drifted off into a much needed deep slumber.
When Wei Wuxian finally woke up, he had been placed in a guest room and onto the comfiest bed he’d ever slept on.
Sunlight poured in through the expansive floor-to-ceiling window and bounced off a beautiful blue tapestry of some painting hanging on the wall.
Wei Wuxian looked at his watch, yelping loudly and jumping out of the bed when he realized that he had slept through the whole night and morning, and that he was disastrously late for his first shift at the supermarket!
He ran to the bathroom in the room—ever grateful for the guest toiletries already there—and he got ready in record time. Once done, he shoved his limbs through his clothes and rushed out of the room at breakneck speed.
He looked around for the front door, swiftly walking around with his pair of socks and shoes in hand, barefoot.
He made his way through the modern home. Through luxurious, pristinely made cement floors and walls and floor-to-ceiling windows; through corridors softened by wooden slats and mini bonsai trees. The place was so lovely but so damn complicated to find the way out!
Wei Wuxian turned down a hallway, and there—outside in the inner courtyard—in all his pristine glory, was the alpha that made his little heart quiver. Standing there on the edge of a drop off overlooking a pond, Lan Wangji stood there looking so handsome and so lonely.
He looked remarkably dashing in tailored, dark slacks and a button up long sleeve shirt that probably cost as much as a year’s, or more, worth of rent for him.
Wei Wuxian tried being quiet in his approach, but it seemed that Lan Wangji’s “Wei Wuxian radar” had sensed him, and those golden eyes locked onto him.
He swallowed nervously, willing his heart to calm down underneath such an intense and intimidating gaze.
“Morning!” He greeted Lan Wangji, smiling softly, hoping that he hadn't offended Lan Wangji for falling asleep in his home uninvited.
“Good morning, Wei Ying. Did you rest well?” Those golden eyes raked over his body and lingered momentarily at his feet. Wei Wuxian squirmed, face burning as Lan Wangji continued looking at his feet.
“Mhm! The best sleep I’ve had in a looong time!” his voice wobbled.
Lan Wangji studied him for a moment, and Wei Wuxian melted when Lan Wangji gently cupped his cheek and softly swiped a thumb underneath his eye. “You still look tired,” he said quietly, a little frown on his face.
“Three jobs will do that to you—hehe,” Wei Wuxian’s skin was covered in gooseflesh at the simple touch.
Wei Wuxian couldn’t remember the last time he had been touched so gently. Perhaps when shijie had hugged him before leaving for that forsaken family trip. His omega was so starved for touch that a simple graze of his cheek made him want to purr.
Wei Wuxian’s eyes watered at the thought of his shijie, but he willed away the tears. He wouldn’t want to burden Lan Wangji with them.
“Three jobs?” Lan Wangji asked.
Wei Wuxian cleared his throat, swallowing down the lump that had formed there. “Yeah… I’ve had to pick up as many shifts as I can since Jiang-shushu and Madam Yu died. Their company collapsed so it’s been a little rough…” A little was an understatement. “But I’ve been holding on, ya’know. Trying my best to be there for my siblings.”
“My condolences, Wei Ying. I had not heard of their passing until this morning.”
Wei Wuxian, “I’m surprised, it was all over the news seven months ago.”
Lan Wangji was silent before quietly responding. “My apologies… My mother died around the same time,” Lan Wangji looked down at the large koi fish pool below. “Regardless…it was a failure on my behalf not to have remained aware your situation.”
“No, Lan Zhan! It’s okay, you were grieving and probably very busy! My condolences, I’m sorry to hear about your mother…” Wei Wuxian tried to placate Lan Wangji.
“If I had known, I would have searched for you. I would have helped you before… You would not have had to reach out to Wen Chao.”
Wei Wuxian stood there stunned.
What?!
“You would have?” Wei Wuxian asked, his omega preening.
“I still can.”
Wei Wuxian’s heart beat faster against his chest just as it had last night during dinner.
Was this the man who had hated him when they were younger?!
“What—What do you mean?”
“I will pay off your debts with Wen Chao, and whatever amount of money you need is yours.”
Lan Wangji’s gaze was intense, and Wei Wuxian withered slightly at being at its receiving end.
There was no way Lan Wangji would offer something so casually without wanting something in return.
Wei Wuxian had pieced a few clues together since reconnecting with him. Lan Wangji was of high status—dangerously important if he was talking about territories yesterday, and as Wei Wuxian glanced around discreetly, there were a few armed guards around the compound.
And the one thing that stood out most was the silver ring on his finger. It looked like a dragon or a viper, and if Wei Wuxian was correct, it meant Lan Wangji wasn't just some rich guy—no. It meant he was a powerful man you didn’t want to mess with. The type of man who could fix many problems with blood.
The man standing before him was familiar, yet unfamiliar. Suddenly, he was frightened of what this powerful man could want from him, and Wei Wuxian was overcome with nervous jitters, his hands began to sweat. Did Lan Wangji want him to become a hitman for him? A bodyguard? Or simply work for him doing whatever tasks are asked of him?
He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to do with such a handsome, terrifying offer, so instead of asking about it like a normal person would, he instead said, “I, um, I have to go to work…”
Lan Wangji stared at him momentarily before huffing swiftly and signaling to a man, and when a beta approached, Lan Wangji spoke in that deep, relaxed, authoritative voice.
“Su She, take him where he needs to go. Keep watch over him, and do not let anyone get near him. Keep him safe.”
“Yes, sir,” Su She affirmed.
Wei Wuxian felt a tightening below, his pussy throbbed and his face reddened with embarrassment at how much it turned him on to be considered like this.
No one had ever treated him this way.
Lan Wangji tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear and looked at Wei Wuxian without a word. Wei Wuxian couldn’t suppress the shiver that courses through him, the frisson that wracked his body, nor stop the little trickle of slick that soaked his underwear.
Lan Wangji smelled the air, noticing his reactions, and he cupped Wei Wuxian’s face gently, but Wei Wuxian swore that those golden eyes were molten, laced with desire.
Wei Wuxian swallowed thickly.
“They will bring you back here when you leave work. We will talk then,” Lan Wangji murmured softly, and Wei Wuxian pushed his face onto the hand on his face.
Wei Wuxian could only wordlessly nod.
Lan Wangji gently guided him through the courtyard, through his home, to the driveway with sleek black sedans with dark tinted windows.
Ever so the gentleman, Lan Wangji helped Wei Wuxian climb onto the leather seats and buckling him in. They parted ways, murmuring a quiet see you later to each other before Lan Wangji closed the door, and when the car drove down the winding driveway, Wei Wuxian turned around and watched as Lan Wangji grew tinier and tinier the further he got away.
Lan Wangji did the same until the trees obscured them from each other.
Wei Wuxian never even noticed the sharp, poisoning, and intense glare from his driver.
Later that night, he arrived safely back at Lan Wangji’s home. His shifts hadn’t been too stressful thankfully, and no one had accosted him. Wen Chao and his men were nowhere to be seen, and now all that he had to do was talk with Lan Wangji about his proposal.
When the car pulled up to the driveway, Lan Wangji was already there waiting for him. A tiny laugh escaped Wei Wuxian’s lips, it looked like Lan Wangji hadn’t moved from the same spot since this morning.
Always a gentleman, Lan Wangji opened the door and offered a warm, welcoming and helping hand to get out of the car. Wei Wuxian noticed how Lan Wangji’s hand engulfed his own and it sent a secret thrill down his spine.
Gods, Wei Wuxian realized with a nervous thrill that he still had a huge crush on Lan Wangji. The years had not changed that fact.
“Are you hungry?” Lan Wangji implored. He still hadn’t let go of his hand.
Wei Wuxian shook his head. “I’m okay, I ate some snacks at work.”
A frown formed on Lan Wangji’s face, but he made no other comment. He simply led him to what he assumed was his office.
Wei Wuxian looked around the home as they walked through its corridors, appreciating the warm lighting. It truly brought warmth to the cold concrete interior.
They made it to a portion that broke away from the main house, and when they arrived at the office, Wei Wuxian’s greeted by the sight of an expansive room. Forgoing the two story plan of the main house, this office was its own separate building.
The office had concrete walls on one side for privacy and they were decorated with shelves, books, and artifacts. More elaborate tapestries hung from the walls, some almost as long as the walls themselves, and in the center, next to the glass windows, sat a rich, dark, wooden mahogany desk with two dark burgundy seats situated in front of it.
The other half of the room had high floor-to-ceiling windows facing the big lake behind the property with the dense forest down a slope. Soft, warm lighting reflected into the room and made the space feel cozier, and one window was slightly ajar, making one of the many floor to ceiling white linen curtains billow gently.
In between everything, was a living room with a large sectional with an elegant, slightly fuzzy carpet. Several couch cushions lined the sofa, and Wei Wuxian had the urge to throw himself on it and doze off. He loved falling asleep on couches.
Lan Wangji guided him to one of the seats in front of the desk, and Wei Wuxian eyed a carafe on Lan Wangji’s desk and before he could say anything, Lan Wangji was pouring him water from it.
“Thank you,” he said before downing the water before him. He was nervous about what Lan Wangji was going to say to him.
Lan Wangji sat down at his desk and set some paperwork aside before speaking. “I read about what happened with the Jiangs,” Wei Wuxian looked at Lan Wangji, he believed he saw softness in those eyes and his throat tightened. “I would like to hear what has happened since their passing from you… How have you been, Wei Ying?”
That question was a catalyst to his tired, broken soul.
No one had asked him how he’d been fairing all these months, and it was as if the floodgates had been opened, tears poured from his eyes and he found himself sobbing very quietly.
Lan Wangji quickly rounded his desk and crouched down in front of him. Lan Wangji held his hands and patiently waited for him. Wei Wuxian had an incessant urge to throw himself at Lan Wangji, to hug him but he decided not to. Lan Wangji never liked being touched—that much he remembered from their shared youth.
But Wei Wuxian really needed a hug.
It had been months since he had been held, since he had felt the touch of another person. To most people it would be a pesky nuisance, but to an omega, going so long without touch, without scenting—it was detrimental.
Before he could compartmentalize and explain away his feelings and needs, Lan Wangji reached out and fully embraced him. Wei Wuxian found himself engulfed in his arms as he cried and clung to the man before him, greedily breathing in his strange sandalwood scent—the only scent he recognized from the past that had always soothed him.
Not even shijie’s scent comforted him now. With all the medicine and the procedures she’s endured with the burn treatment and skin grafting, her scent had become nearly undetectable, and Jiang Cheng was too far away and too far gone for him to even consider asking him to be scented.
“You’ve been alone,” Lan Wangji murmured tenderly, and Wei Wuxian could only nod his head. Lan Wangji’s embrace tightened and Wei Wuxian reveled in the touch. Some primal part within him was soothed at the touch, and as the minutes passed by, he went soft and quiet.
“I’m sorry,” he lamented as he looked at the wet spots on Lan Wangji’s shirt.
“There is no need for apologies.” Lan Wangji holds him tighter before letting him go and sitting in the chair next to him. This seemed more personal, more inviting for him to disclose everything that had happened.
Wei Wuxian finally told Lan Wangji everything. From the day of the accident to losing everything, to having to find jobs, to finding Jiang Cheng in that bathroom, almost cold and gone, to going to Wen Chao for money and up until now.
He didn't tell Lan Wangji about his health. There was no need to.
Lan Wangji’s brows furrowed and his fists clenched tightly as Wei Wuxian spoke about Wen Chao’s treatment, but Wei Wuxian didn't think much of it.
“I owe him so much money.” Wei Wuxian’s shoulders drooped. “I thought maybe he wouldn’t charge me so much, but he wants all my money. I don’t think I can pay him back…” I’m dead, Wei Wuxian lamented.
How was he going to make sure that shijie received the state of the art treatment she’s been receiving if he died? Or Jiang Cheng’s mental health treatment at the resort wellness center?
He was failing his siblings and whenever Wen Chao finally got him, there would be no one left to save them. No friends, no investors, no shareholders—just the remaining two Jiangs left all alone in the world to fend for themselves.
Wei Wuxian put his face in his hands, the gravity and weight of it all was like a boulder on his back. Heavy and defeating.
“I will pay off your debts,” Lan Wangji said in that deep, alluring voice.
Wei Wuxian lifted his face off his hands, and Lan Wangji’s eyes were focused on him, and somehow those already lethal eyes were even more intense.
His tongue was frozen in his mouth for a moment.
"And…what do you want in return?" Wei Wuxian swallowed nervously as those golden eyes held him captive—as if he were prey, as if he were about to be devoured whole.
Lan Wangji was silent, his eyes studying Wei Wuxian and he felt his jaw tighten with anticipation. His hands were sweating profusely and his heart was threatening to explode out of his chest.
When Lan Wangji opened his mouth, his next words making Wei Wuxian’s heart drop.
"Bear my child, Wei Ying. I will take care of you and our baby.” Wei Wuxian didn’t move, didn't breathe, he could only let the words ricochet like a ping pong ball between both sides of his skull.
“I will also cover your siblings' medical expenses as well," Lan Wangji adds as if it was no big deal.
Lan Wangji…wanted a baby…with him?! Lan Wangji, the man who couldn’t stand him when they went to the same academy all those years ago?!?
The one who had looked at him with so much disdain, so much contempt. Lan Wangji who had left the academy under mysterious circumstances and everyone had sworn it had been because he couldn’t stand Wei Wuxian.
Even Jiang Cheng had said the same thing!
At that time Wei Wuxian had had the biggest crush on the older boy, and the only way he could get his attention was to tease and pester him, and when he had left without so much as a single thought or word for him, his little heart had broken.
And it wasn’t that he was unfamiliar with being a nuisance to people—many had told him how annoying he was to be around, and he simply took those jabs in stride. He didn’t let that get him down even if they did hurt, but in this moment he couldn’t help but be thoroughly confused at the request.
The man who hated and detested being around him wanted to create a bond with him as payback? This would ultimately tie him and Lan Wangji for life, having a child together would be a bond between the two that not even death could erase.
Lan Wangji didn’t look away from him as he processed his request, and Wei Wuxian felt a shiver of fear run down his spine as he thought of the very important reason why accepting this deal was a bad idea…
He’s gripped by a wave of fear, his heart fluttering wildly like a panicked butterfly in his chest as Lan Wangji’s words repeated once more in his head.
He was like an insignificant bug trapped in the spider's web—afraid and about to be devoured by the predator.
…Just what am I getting myself into?! Wei Wuxian cried in his head!
He swallowed nervously, willing the granola bar he ate this morning for breakfast to stay put in his belly. He can feel it trying to fight its way up his throat as his stomach flipped with fear.
Lan Wangji looked at him, waiting for his answer—those light eyes unwaveringly sharp and lethal. This man was not someone you said no to. Especially some poor beggar like him.
He needed this. He needed help. He had to pretend that he could do this for his siblings sake. Shijie needed the best doctors for the damage done to her body, and Jiang Cheng needed the best mental health treatment from the trauma of what had happened.
If he had to lie to Lan Wangji in the meantime, then he would do it for them.
Sometimes you had to do what you had to do to get by.
Sometimes…that meant lying.
Wei Wuxian finally found his voice, and it came out nervous and slightly high-pitched.
“Do you need an heir or something?” Wei Wuxian asked in a joking manner, trying his best to stop his heart from racing away.
Lan Wangji’s honeyed, molten eyes pierce him in place. Gods, they were as beautiful as they were intimidating. “Yes, I do.”
“Oh.” Wei Wuxian glanced down to the floor. Well, shit.
After a moment, Wei Wuxian finally spoke, “I will do it, but just so you know Lan Zhan, getting pregnant can take a while! So—So don’t expect it to happen immediately!” He tried jesting and teasing to lighten the mood and hide his nerves just like he did with him so many years ago when he’d get flustered because of his crush on Lan Wangji.
“Of course,” Lan Wangji’s face softened but didn't betray any emotion whatsoever. “I will see to it that you are well taken care of.”
Wei Wuxian tried smiling, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He clenched his fists to hide their shaking, and he hoped that the ever-observant Lan Wangji wouldn't notice his trembling.
Wei Wuxian had to take advantage of Lan Wangji for as long as he could, he had to lie and pretend, and hope to the gods in heaven that his secret wasn’t found out—that he couldn’t get pregnant!
That he was an infertile omega.
The Jiang family doctor said that Wei Wuxian would never be able to have babies of his own…
Minutes go by and tea is brought in for them. A herbal blend of sweet and soothing chamomile and vanilla with a side of honey to mix in. Wei Wuxian drank the hot tea and simultaneously gulped down his fear alongside it.
His armpits were sweaty and he's pretty sure that his sweat was soaking through his jeans and onto the nice chair. He wouldn’t be surprised if his ass print remained on the seat after he stood up…
Lan Wangji informed his maids and appropriate employees to begin preparing a room for him to stay in, and in the meantime he sat stiffly in Lan Wangji’s office.
If Lan Wangji could sense his nervousness, he said nothing of it. In fact, the man had said nothing else after he had agreed to the deal.
Aiyah, Lan Zhan, some things just never change, hm?
Wei Wuxian observed the man through his lashes as he sipped the last of his tea. Lan Wangji had definitely…grown out more. He was even more handsome than the last time he had seen him at the academy.
His jaw was sharp and chiseled, eyebrows set handsomely low and in a slight frown as he studied some paperwork. Those golden eyes moved as they read and Wei Wuxian was captivated once more by Lan Wangji’s beauty; his lonely little heart quivering in his chest.
“So, um, when will I start going to the clinic?” Wei Wuxian asked tentatively in an attempt to break the silence.
“Clinic…?” Lan Wangji slightly frowns looking at him.
“Yeah, like IVF? You know where you give them your stuff and then they insert it in me… When do you want me to go and get the procedure done?”
Lan Wangji sighed and gave him an intense stare and Wei Wuxian swallowed nervously as he watched the man get up. He was so tall—taller than him, broad shouldered and so, so intimidating.
“Wei Ying, there seems to be a misunderstanding.” Lan Wangji paused. “I do not intend to use a clinic for insemination.” Lan Wangji approached him while he was still sitting in the chair. Those strong arms caged and trapped him like caught prey—which, technically, he was.
Wei Wuxian shivered as Lan Wangji softly ran his nose along his temple and towards his ear before speaking in that deep, smooth voice. “I will personally get you pregnant, Wei Ying.”
Wei Wuxian’s heart lurched and he softly gasped at the implication…
Lan Wangji was going to fuck him.
Lan Wangji was going to get him pregnant by personally fucking a baby into him.
Lan Wangji was going to be fucking him all the while he couldn’t get pregnant.
Lan Wangji breathed him in. “Tell me when we start... But remember, Wei Ying—” Lan Wangji tucked a strand of hair behind his ear “—once we start, I will have you anytime and anywhere I please. I fully intend to have you with child as soon as possible.”
Wei Wuxian’s eyes connected with Lan Wangji’s and he couldn’t breathe. They were so close, their faces barely a hair's width apart, and if he wanted to he could close the distance and kiss Lan Wangji’s gorgeous lips.
Wei Wuxian didn’t miss the way Lan Wangji stared down at his lips, too.
For one split moment, Wei Wuxian thought to himself how had it come to this? How had he ended up in this situation?
And more importantly, what was he going to do when he couldn’t get pregnant and the truth was eventually revealed?
Shijie and Jiang Cheng were depending on him, and most importantly, Lan Wangji was a dangerous, dangerous man. What was going to happen once he found out Wei Wuxian was lying to him?
Wei Wuxian shivered in fear.
That was an answer he didn’t want to know.