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Wei Wuxian slid open the door to the Jingshi and slipped inside. It was before dawn; the birds had only just begun to wake up, letting out an occasional peep to warm up for their predawn chorus. Holding his boots in one hand, he tiptoed over to the bed. Lan Wangji was still asleep. His black hair was splayed across the pillow, and his forehead ribbon was draped over the headboard. Wei Wuxian smiled a little to himself. It was rare for him to get to see his husband wake up. As usual, it was only because he was coming at the day from the other side.
As he quietly put down his boots and set aside Chenqing, he heard the blankets rustle.
“Wei Ying?”
Lan Wangji had turned his head to look at him. Wei Wuxian smiled at him and sat down on the edge of the bed. In the gray light of predawn, he could just make out the slight crease between Lan Wangji’s eyebrows. “I’m awake before you are,” he teased. “Look at you, sleeping in.”
Lan Wangji started to sit up, but Wei Wuxian placed a hand on his chest. “Ah, Lan Zhan. I’m just teasing. I think you’re the first Lan awake.”
Lan Wangji let out a little breath. He ignored Wei Wuxian and sat up. “How did it go?” He raised a hand to Wei Wuxian’s cheek, then ran it down his shoulder.
“Just fine. A-Yuan is really becoming quite the leader. I caught one of the juniors calling him Senior Lan.”
Lan Wangji ran both hands over his chest, and his back, none too subtly checking for injuries. Wei Wuxian leaned into his touch. “Were you hurt?”
“No, no, I hardly had to do anything! I just sat back and watched. There is no need for that.” But he didn’t push away his husband’s hands; he knew that Lan Wangji had to reassure himself, sometimes, that Wei Wuxian wasn’t hiding a secret injury from him. That Wei Wuxian was really there, alive and well.
Lan Wangji hummed. Apparently satisfied with his exam, he dropped his hands. Then he started to pull back the sheets.
“What are you doing! Aiya, Lan Zhan, I really was joking. It’s too early for a Lan to be awake. You should go back to sleep.”
“You need a bath.”
“Are you saying I’m stinky? Is that what you say to your husband when he returns from a fierce battle?”
“I like how Wei Ying smells when he’s stinky.”
He laughed. “Shameless! Lan Zhan, what would your uncle say if he heard you.” He lay himself across the bed and propped himself up on one elbow, pinning Lan Wangji’s legs beneath him. Lan Wangji looked at him, unperturbed. “Why don’t you let your husband draw his own bath? Do you think I’m not strong enough to do it myself?”
“I should take care of my husband.”
Wei Wuxian had not expected him to actually respond. He fell onto his back and groaned, covering his face with his hands. “Lan Zhan! How can you say such a thing.”
“It is true.”
“Then what about me? Should I not take care of my husband?” Wei Wuxian dropped his hands from his face and risked another look at Lan Wangji. The grey early morning light was getting stronger. Now he could see that Lan Wangji looked…tired. The shadows under his eyes could no longer be mistaken for a trick of the light. His shoulders were almost slumped. Wei Wuxian sat up, his voice suddenly quiet with concern. “Lan Zhan, I’m serious. Did you not sleep well last night?”
He expected a denial. But Lan Wangji only looked away. “I…do not sleep as well when you are not here.”
His heart clenched. He often could not sleep at night, even in his husband’s arms, and so he had gotten in the habit of taking the juniors out on night-hunts. He knew that Lan Wangji always worried a little bit when he was gone, but it had not occurred to him until now that it might keep him up at night.
“Ah, Lan Zhan,” he said softly. He stood up and unfastened his belt. His husband watched him as he took off his outer robe and dropped it on the floor. “Scoot over. I want to get in bed.”
Lan Wangji obligingly slid over—closer to the edge, as if he were about to get out, Wei Wuxian noticed. Muttering about stubborn husbands under his breath, he climbed over him and sat against the headboard. He patted his lap. “Now, put your head here.”
“I should get up,” Lan Wangji said, but he lay down on his side and rested his head in his lap.
“I refuse to take a bath. I want to be stinky forever. What else is there for you to do?” He smoothed a hand over his hair. He could feel his husband beginning to relax under his hands. “Teaching?”
“Mn.”
“That can wait. Let someone else handle that for you, for once.” Wei Wuxian ran his fingers through the long strands of his hair to gently comb them. It was so smooth, but heavy, like water. “Besides, your first class isn’t for at least two shichen, right?”
“Mn.” Lan Wangji’s eyes slipped closed. Wei Wuxian smoothed his hair back from his forehead and tucked it behind his ear. “Wei Ying should sleep.”
“I’m not tired yet.” He could feel it beginning to pull at his bones, but the excitement of the night-hunt still thrummed under his skin. He focused on the steady, light touch of his husband’s breath, the rise and fall of his chest. “I’ll sleep soon.”
The birds had begun their chorus for real, the Lan’s usual wakeup call, but Lan Wangji did not stir. Wei Wuxian smiled down at his sleeping face. The golden glow of the sun began to break into the sky, and the color brought a glow to Lan Wangji’s cheeks and the pink back to his lips. “You can always ask, Lan Zhan,” he said softly as he ran his hand through his husband’s hair. “If you knew how happy I was right now, you would always ask.”
When Lan Wangji woke, the sun was well in the sky. Golden light spilled across the floor of the Jingshi. Wei Wuxian had curled up under the covers at some point. His sleeping face was pillowed on his arm right next to Lan Wangji’s. A bit of hair was stuck in his mouth, and it fluttered as he breathed. Lan Wangji gently pulled it free and tucked up behind his ear. His heart felt so full. He realized he was smiling softly.
Lan Wangji rested a hand on Wei Wuxian’s hip and pulled him a little closer. He closed his eyes. Wei Wuxian was right; everything else could wait.