marlowemuses | I'm allied to the winter, but don't you get clever

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I'm allied to the winter, but don't you get clever

The demon realms are vast and subterranean, a realm of endless night. Magic lays thickly through the realms, seeping down from the resentful dead in the mortal world above and rising up from the depthless chasms below, that endless dark from which no one has ever returned.

The inhabitants are fewer than most humans believe, and most of them care only for their own hunger and desperation. In the death forests and murky swamps of the realm await many monsters who desire only prey, and who store up resentful energy for centuries in order to get their chance to burst into the human world and feast. Those few inhabitants who are more sentient are petty creatures, too driven to by their desperation to survive and perhaps, one day, escape. Rifts between the worlds are rare, and usually one-way except for the great old monsters who can store up vast quantities of resentful energy.

This is the world that Wei Wuxian has tamed.

Once, he was a human from the world above. The rifts between worlds opened for him and cast him here. He does not know why, and he does not care. The world above discarded him. He has no further interest in it.

With will and determination, this place can be shaped. Instead of storing up all the resentful energy he can in order to bridge the worlds, he uses it liberally to craft a palace for himself. He coaxes the lesser demons into cooperation, and because he does not ask for any share of their resentful energy pools, they are willing to aid him in his strange habits of building houses and growing crops. He spends the energy to plant the seeds, and the demons who have come to obey him help to tend the strange, broad-leafed plants that grow.

He has no idea how long he has been here. His palace pleases him, his servants obey him in all things that do not cost resentful energy, and the inventions he has created draw in resentful energy in fountains, enough to guarantee him a wide array of loyal allies. Years have passed, he suspects, and perhaps centuries will pass in this manner. He does not want for more. There is nothing more to want, as far as he knows.

“My lord, a captive.” His servant bows to them. Most of them were humans, too, long ago. This place has warped them as it has warped him—his eyes glow red and a pair of curling horns grows from his head, along with the black claws that tip each of his fingers—but most still remember their lost humanity, which separates them from the ravenous monsters who lurk throughout the realms. Wei Wuxian suspects that even the monsters were once humans. Over the course of centuries, they will all become warped beyond recognition.

He does what he can to protect his people for a little longer, and to help cling on to their humanity. Their best defense is in cooperation, and because of this his scouts bring in any wanderers they find, anyone still recognizable as human.

The one before him is clearly a new arrival. No hint of demonic energy warps the serene beauty of his features, and Wei Wuxian has never seen one such as him in this place. He might be an immortal, even a celestial being, but he has fallen here, and he will be helplessly weak until he learns to use the demonic and resentful energies to warp this world to his will. Cultivator magic does not work here.

“Bring him food,” Wei Wuxian commands, approaching to gaze down upon his newest subject. “You look like you got lost. This is the demon realm. How badly did you fuck up in order to come here?”

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The pull on his collar is uncomfortable, yet he has endured worse than this. He would die to be with Wei Ying and not regret it. That, more than anything, had convinced him of his love for the other man. An emotion that ran that deep should be endless and selfless - though being selfless hurts more often than not.

Maybe he is miserable too. No, he must be. He can't remember what being happy - truly, freely happy - felt like. However he must have been close - once - whenever he was near Wei Ying. His Wei Ying.

Wincing, he closes his eyes, head bowing sadly, tiredly.

"You are him. Memories or not." Lan Zhan turns slightly and grabs his robes, beginning to get dressed again - if only to distract himself temporarily.

Wei Wuxian keeps hold of the leash for a moment, though it pulls taut when Lan Zhan goes to get his robes. He considers pulling him back, refusing to let him dress. Keeping Lan Wangji vulnerable in nudity helps to protect Wei Wuxian a little from his own vulnerability. Instead, he lets go.

He wants to crumple to the floor, overwhelmed by his own emotions. Love isn't something he knows how to endure, and it certainly isn't something he's capable of returning. He wants to be gathered up in Lan Zhan's arms again, kissed again, even though he doesn't deserve this affection and can't reciprocate it. Kissing him back would be an empty lie, and there is enough empathy remaining in him to hate that thought. He can tolerate Lan Zhan believing he is this man, but he cannot truly be him. Wei Wuxian is no longer a person, only a determined force of survival. There is nothing left to love.

Sooner or later, Lan Wangji is going to realize that. He'll accept that his lover is only a hollow shell, a heartless demon incapable of genuine emotion. And then he'll leave.

The thought is wrenching, and it combines with all the other thoughts and facts that Wei Wuxian can't even begin to cope with. He can't bear for Lan Wangji to lose this faith, this love, and yet he knows for a certainty that he will.

Defenses already badly cracked, Wei Wuxian turns toward the door, intending to try and leave. He needs to find a way to hide his vulnerability, and he can't do that in Lan Wangji's presence.

The sudden loss of tension concerns him and he hurries in his task, dressing swiftly, tying the fabric closed around his waist. His gaze never leaves Wei Ying and he can sense the danger before the other man turns to the door. He is in motion in the blink of an eye, his arms slipping around Wei Ying's waist, holding his back against his chest. His heart is beating so hard that he is sure it can be felt, but he doesn't try to hide it.

"Stay with me."

Lan Zhan fears what will become of Wei Ying if he walks out of that door. He has already convinced himself of so much and fallen further than any Cultivator ever has, but he will never give up hope.

"Wei Ying..." he breathes against the other man's ear, "Stay."

This time, the word is an open, unashamed plea.

Wei Ying's trembling as those warm, solid arms come around him, holding him tight. He leans back into it without thinking. He can't bear to push this away, not now. He feels like he's going to fall apart, and he lost the ability to push Lan Zhan away when he decided he wanted to keep Lan Zhan no matter what.

He needs this warmth, this strength, and he leans harder against that broad chest, letting most of his weight fall against Lan Zhan's body. His trembling grows worse, but he keeps his mouth shut and refuses to acknowledge it. The fingers of one hand curl gently around Lan Zhan's wrist, thumb caressing over the curve of bones beneath the skin.

He can bear Wei Ying's weight - he has done so before. All of his Lan training has strengthened his body and when he feels the other man resting against him, he bends down and lifts him fully off of the ground. Then he carries Wei Ying to the bed without saying a word, laying him down among the pillows.

Lan Zhan joins him, pulling their bodies close, their foreheads touching. His fingers trace over Wei Ying's features, trailing down his neck and resting over the heart beating in his chest. Tilting his head, he kisses along the other man's jaw, taking his time.

Wei Ying has been missed. Intensely.

The sweetness is almost unbearable when Wei Wuxian has been so cruel to him, but he has no strength to refuse this. Completely pliant, he allows himself to be held and caressed. His trembling eases a little at the gentle touches, starting to calm.

He doesn't deserve this, and he knows that it is stolen. The love that someone else earned is being spent upon him. It is the most vile wrong for him to accept it.

Though he is the emperor of this little kingdom, he has lost all control of the situation. All of his attempts have failed.

Hooking his finger under Lan Zhan's collar, he hold it taut for just a moment, and then he thumbs open the latch. He doesn't remove the collar, just leaves it there, wagging slightly as it hangs open.

He barely notices that his collar is unlatched; it doesn't matter. Lan Zhan is too distracted with kissing over Wei Ying's face, reminding him of human touch. This seems important - vital. He has to remind him what he left behind - the warmth of human interaction. Of love.

With one graceful motion, he straddles the other man and works open the fabric covering Wei Ying's chest. As he moves, the collar slips free, falling off with a soft sound. He ignores it, searching for the scar on the demon lord's chest.

"I won't hurt you."

Wei Wuxian just nods a little, jaw tense and mouth shut. He knows that Lan Wangji won't hurt him physically. Even if he tried, it's easy to heal minor wounds here.

But that doesn't make the wary look leave his eyes as Lan Wangji handles him. He lays where he's put, letting his hands rest by either side of his head as Lan Wangji opens his robe.

There's a brand mark on his chest, above his heart. He doesn't know where it came from or what significance it has.

"Kiss me again." He feels untethered, and he wants more of those kisses to ground him.

A small, sad smile curves his lips upon seeing the brand. There it is. He can't recall where it was received or why, but the man he loves is marked precisely like this. His fingertips trace around the burned skin and he loosens his robe, revealing he has an almost identical mark on his chest.

"Yes." Lan Zhan presses him against the bed, initiating a deeper kiss, chasing away the demons that haunt them both. He will give Wei Ying peace - if only for a little while.

Wei Wuxian reaches for him this time, returning the kiss with desperation. He still doesn't believe that he's the true subject of all this devotion, but he's ready to start reaching for it. The brand on his chest that he'd forgotten because it meant nothing to him, it's the mate to the one on Lan Zhan's chest. He doesn't know what that means, but it's not something he can deny. Wherever they're from in the human world, something marked them the same way.

"Lan Zhan," he murmurs, soft and breathless when the kiss breaks for a moment. He licks his lips, tasting the lingering traces of the kiss. "Okay. So maybe there's a chance that I'm the one you love." He rolls his eyes as he says it, intentionally overdramatic, and then pretends to pout about being proved wrong. It's a much gentler joking around than his earlier mocking defense, and this time the joke is at his own expense.

He lets his robes fall, pooling around his waist while they kiss. Wei Ying is wearing entirely too much and he unties the sash at his waist, beginning to free him from all of the fabric. However the kiss takes precedence because he can feel the desperation - and he meets that emotion with steady, unflinching love. He has no regrets about journeying to hell for the love of his life.

"Mm?" he bows his head and kisses down Wei Ying's bare chest, making a sound that rumbles with amusement. The pout is kissed with immense tenderness and he brushes their noses together.

"I'm sorry you had to wait." Lan Zhan dips his hands beneath the fabric and caresses Wei Ying's body slowly, carefully.

Wei Wuxian's heart flutters when he says that, and he bites down on his own lower lip, overwhelmed by his feelings. He doesn't deserve someone who loves him enough to say such a thing. He's not sure anyone is a good enough person to deserve that kind of love. I'm sorry you had to wait. He believes it, and believes that Lan Zhan would have gladly sacrificed anything to have spared him the waiting.

The gentle touch warms him, awakening his skin and making him long for more. He's relaxing quickly, letting himself forget everything that exists outside of this bed.

"Wei Ying," he murmurs, carefully testing out the name. "Hm. I like it better when you say it."

"You are meant to lead, but you are immature." he smiles briefly, almost teasingly, before his attention is captured by the exquisite body he discovers underneath the soft fabric, "Wei Ying... From Wei, which means 'tower over a palace gateway' and Ying, which means 'infant'."

An infant leader, then, or one with the innocence of a child. In some regards anyway. Not in this. Lan Zhan nuzzles his lips and his nose against the other man's belly, kissing slowly downward.

"Wei Wuxian... 'To have no envy.' You never had time for envy; you were too busy doing what you thought right." he hums as he kisses a line across Wei Ying's hips.

Wei Wuxian props himself up on his elbows as Lan Zhan moves lower, trailing sweet, teasing kisses over his belly and hips. He still doesn't believe this is real and doesn't feel it's right to accept it, but he can't refuse or hurt Lan Zhan any more than he already has.

"I'll only disappoint you," he warns, still trying to get Lan Zhan to let go of this certainty of his, this faith that Wei Wuxian is someone worth loving. It cannot be true, and Wei Wuxian does not want to betray Lan Zhan by letting him pursue a lie.

He rests his cheek against a hip, glancing up at Wei Wuxian from under dark lashes. The words are foolish to him; he has chosen to be with this man. Disappointment and regret have nothing to do with the equation. Now sorrow, on the other hand, might. His heart aches with each kiss and that feeling intensifies at the warning.

"You will remember because I'm here." Lan Zhan brushes his lips against the head of Wei Wuxian's cock, circling it with his tongue, "I know you."

Wei Wuxian's heart pounds as he looks down at Lan Zhan like that, cheek against his hip, eyes dark with emotion, lips so close to Wuxian's weeping cock. He can barely focus on the words while Lan Zhan is gazing at him like that, but then Lan Zhan's mouth is on him, warm and wet against sensitive flesh, and he moans, hips lifting before he can stop himself. "Lan Zhan."

It's all too good to be true, but Lan Zhan knows him, loves him, and wants to give him pleasure. Wuxian doesn't have the strength to try again to stop this. "Lan Zhan."

He has no self-control, no reason to hold back or to stop. The sound of his name encourages him and he makes sure that their gazes are locked as he slowly takes Wei Wuxian's cock into his mouth. His tongue licks at the tender flesh eagerly and his eyelids flutter closed. He has no experience in this, but he is enthusiastic and passionate, loving his soulmate, his hands gripping Wei Wuxian's thighs.

"Mmm..." he hums as his head begins to bob, his mouth creating a gentle rhythm as he sucks along his lover's shaft.

It's like nothing Wuxian has ever felt before. He keens at the feeling of Lan Zhan's mouth surrounding him, sinking down at him with generous licks of that tongue.

"Lan Zhan," he gasps, sliding a hand into Lan Zhan's hair so that he can touch. The grip on his thighs grounds him and turns him on all the more, and yet he desperately wants more contact. Reaching for Lan Zhan's hand, Wei Wuxian bats and tugs at him, whining a little until he can weave their fingers together. "Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan."

The grip on his hair makes him moan, his senses overloaded with the taste, feel and sound of Wei Wuxian. He never knew anyone could be so addicting and his love for the other man intensifies. It takes him a moment to understand what Wuxian seeks, but when their fingers slide together, their palms clasped, he can't help smiling for a moment.

Quickening the pace of his attentions, taking in as much of his lover's shaft as he can, Lan Zhan sets his sights on giving him as much pleasure as possible. He wants to drive out all of the pain and anguish - if only for a few moments.

Wei Wuxian grips his hand tight, moaning as Lan Zhan swallows him deep, head moving faster. It feels incredible, and Wei Wuxian knows that he's undeserving of this, but it's everything he needs. He yearns for attention and pleasure, needs to belong, and Lan Zhan won't let him refuse love. "Lan Zhan," he gasps, wanting more of him, wanting to know that Lan Zhan will continue, that he'll stay. He needs to know that he can keep this, but he can't bear to ask for it. "Lan Zhan."

Yes. A thousand times yes. His eyes open and he does nothing to hide the love, the longing and dazed arousal within those depths. He has no regrets falling from Earth to the Underworld; he has no regrets following this, the love of his life. His soulmate. It doesn't matter if he has horns or talons - Lan Zhan is not confused.

Squeezing Wei Wuxian's hand, he groans and sucks harder, losing himself in being with him, holding him against his lips and tongue. How can he ever let him go? He can't. This man is his.

Whimpering as he nears the edge, Wei Wuxian grips his hand tight, clinging to him as he slips into the sensations. "Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan," he begs, gasping and crying out as he spills himself into his lover's mouth, giving himself over entirely to Lan Zhan's care and love.

Eyes low-lidded as he sinks back into the bed, Wei Wuxian tugs at Lan Zhan's hand, reaching his other hand toward him so that he can draw Lan Zhan close and cling to him, still murmuring his name over and over. "Lan Zhan."

Wei Wuxian's grip is returned, firmly - now that he has him, Lan Zhan is not relinquishing him to anyone or anything. His mouth devours as much of his lover as he can, sucking and toying with the tender flesh with his tongue. Any space of skin left untouched is stroked by his free hand, his fingers squeezing the base of his lover's cock gently.

When the hot spray touches his tongue and the back of his throat, he immediately swallows it, making this part of Wei Wuxian his. He whimpers and releases his lover, panting. The desire to be close is intense and he rises to lay beside Wei Wuxian, drawing him into his arms and burying his face against his neck.

Edited 2020-03-11 05:29 (UTC)

"Lan Zhan," Wei Ying pants, hugging tight to him in return and tangling their legs together. Lan Zhan has won him utterly. Wei Ying can no longer hold out against this kind of selfless love, and he is unwilling to let go of his Lan Zhan or to allow anything to hurt him ever again. "I believe you. I trust you. If you say I am your Wei Ying, then I know it to be true."

A deep sense of peace - of belonging - descends over him and he draws Wei Ying closer still, kissing his forehead.

"It is true. I fell because I was looking for you." Lan Zhan strokes over his lover's arms and his back, expression tender, "I will never lose you again."

Their souls are one; being away from Wei Ying is worse than breaking his arm or his leg. Lan Zhan needs him.

Edited 2020-03-14 10:38 (UTC)

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