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It was a dizzying feeling.Wen Ning had spent quite a bit of his life struggling with situations that left him confused, troubled, and, often, without any viable answers for the questions that burned inside of him. Especially in many of his earliest years, there was a certain haziness to events that always created a struggle.Wen Ning was mostly sure that he hadn’t been born an ogre. He was also well aware that most of the ogres around him were born as ogres, and therefore, his existence was an oddity. He couldn’t explain it, and he certainly couldn’t understand it, especially since he dared not speak of it, but his earliest memories didn’t contain any horns.There was a girl, whom he thought must be his sister, and smiling people. An elderly woman who gave him lots of hugs. A man who must have been his father who taught him and his sister about herbs and medicine.The girl would fuss over him a lot. He tripped while playing and skinned his knees, and she was the first at his side, gently reassuring him and scolding him for being reckless. He remembered feeling that he wanted to be able to protect his sister someday.He remembered thinking a lot of things that seemed so scattered and distant now that he could hardly parse them as his own thoughts. Some of them seemed more like gibberish than words, but the emotions inside of them were so strong and intense that he knew there must be a meaning there.Then the memories clouded with blood. Screams. Someone trying so hard to protect him and being dragged away while eyes full of fire ate him whole. It was so painful that even now, so many years later, the agony of it felt seared inside of him like an eternal fire.He didn’t know what happened–only that when he woke up, there were horns protruding from his head and he was in a place he couldn’t recognize.Some part of him knew that those people from those foggy memories must be dead.Some part of him knew that he was changed forever.Some part of him knew that he was alone.However, words and meaning escaped him, and he wasn’t able to speak, only cry.Wen Ning didn’t know how long he spent in that place crying, tears and snot and grief intermingling until he struggled to remember what he was even so sad about. The dizzying fog of memories already becoming difficult to comprehend and harder to grasp.But an ogre found him in that field of flowers and picked him up, asking just where his parents were and not at all understanding why Wen Ning was so scared of him.Wen Ning didn’t actually know at the time what the ogre was asking. He learned years later when the story would be told about how they found their little a-Ning in that flower patch as though Wen Ning had simply grown out of the ground like a flower as well.His caretaker was a well-respected and powerful ogre named Nie Mingjue who had a younger brother just around Wen Ning’s age. In this new and strange home, Wen Ning was taught the language of the ogres and how to survive.It was a good life, if a touch confusing. By the time Wen Ning had the words to explain just what happened to him, to the extent that he understood it, he’d seen enough pregnant ogres to know that his situation was odd enough to keep quiet about.And Nie Mingjue hated humans. Most ogres did, in fact. There was bad blood there that transcended their generation. And from what Wen Ning understood of the history, it wasn’t that he couldn’t understand why either.It was just that he couldn’t risk saying anything to his new family.Truthfully, those furtive memories were so foggy that at times Wen Ning wondered if they were nothing more than a dream. A dizzying and confusing thing.It wasn’t that Wen Ning was unhappy in his new home. Nie Mingjue filled the role of brother and father, and Nie Huaisang was also a loving brother to him. He had friends and neighbors and kindness around him.But he still found himself staring down at his reflection in calm water and brushing his fingers against his crimson horns, the sensitive tip of them assuring him once more that they were a part of his body, and yet they still felt so odd.His skin was far paler than his distant memories as a child. And his hair was as inky black as the night sky instead of sunkissed brown he remembered atop his sister's head.Wen Ning’s fingers caressed the surface of the water, the ripples expanding into an eternity before his entire world shifted.A dizzying experience.A bit familiar, in a way that has his gut curling in on itself, his heart throbbing in his chest, and something like panic building inside of him.Behind his lids, he could see blood and screams and a little girl covering his body with her own and someone whispering in his ear and then–Wen Ning blinked open his eyes and blinked again.A pair of wide and excited silver eyes were locked with his own, so close that Wen Ning was forced to realize that the weight holding him down was this other person practically crawling on top of him.
He should be scared.Wen Ning was frequently scared when he met new people or his world changed too rapidly for him to keep up. And frankly speaking, even if he wasn’t a person who got spooked easily, anyone would be scared if they had seemingly teleported from the lakeside near their home to what appeared to be…A house…?Wen Ning couldn’t look away from the mesmerizing silver eyes that pinned him to the spot but in his peripherals, he could see the sort of chaos he would normally expect from Nie Huaisang’s art area. It was familiar and odd all at once.“Oh, I got the wrong one.”Wen Ning frowned, just a bit, as the stranger held his face and looked him over carefully. From this close, Wen Ning couldn’t help but notice more about him.He wasn’t human. A large fluffy tail swishing curiously behind him made that certain. But Wen Ning had no idea what sort of creature he might be. He was also inspecting Wen Ning as though he were some kind of oddity. It was frankly quite a bit rude, but there was just no malice in those curious bright eyes, so Wen Ning couldn’t help but allow the stranger to observe him.One pale hand carded through Wen Ning’s hair as though searching for something and finally, Wen Ning found his voice.“Who are you?”Those wide, fascinating eyes blinked in surprise and finally focused on Wen Ning’s face, as though really looking at him for the first time. It was quite an intense feeling, being looked at like that and Wen Ning grew even more nervous having all of that focused on him.“Fascinating.” The stranger trilled, grinning brightly at Wen Ning. “How do you know what I’m saying?”Ah. Right. None of these words had been spoken in ogre tongue and it was very uncommon for ogres to learn other languages. Wen Ning furrowed his brows, and the stranger laughed again and said something else in a tongue that Wen Ning absolutely didn’t understand.“Didn’t get that?” The stranger asked, sounding a touch disappointed but even more fascinated. “So it’s not that you have a language-spell… hmm…”“Excuse me,” Wen Ning asked, his nerves finally allowing him to squeak out something that had been bothering him the whole time, “but can you get off of me? Please?”The weight of the stranger crawling over him and touching him so casually was doing odd, fizzly things to the back of Wen Ning’s brain that he wasn’t totally familiar with, but it was definitely having an effect. Especially when he looked down and saw the firm chest that was revealed behind his loose robes.“Oh. Huh. Please , yeah?” The stranger said, as though Wen Ning’s words were the most delightfully interesting thing he’d ever heard. He pressed just a bit closer against Wen Ning, just enough to have Wen Ning’s heart leap up to his throat and whispered in what felt like a dangerous threat. “What if I don’t?”Before Wen Ning could even begin to consider how to react, the stranger pulled back laughing. He stood up and held out a hand for Wen Ning with twinkling eyes. “Only kidding. You shoulda seen your face. I didn’t know someone so pale could turn so red.”Wen Ning hesitated to accept his hand, staring at it for just a second too long.“You’re not mad, are you?” the stranger asked, pouting ever so slightly. That jolted Wen Ning out of his stupor, and he finally took the hand, heart hammering in his chest as the man pulled him to his feet with surprising strength.Getting a closer look at the room, it was certainly very different from Nie Huaisang’s art. Rather than flowers and scenery of mountains and so many paints scattered all around, the place was covered in sigils that looked like they might have been written in blood. Nonsensical text was scribbled onto countless scrolls that littered the entire place, and many strange things hung from hooks around the room’s perimeter. One looked like an onion but something else might have been a collection of poisonous herbs.“You’re really an odd one, huh.” The stranger said with a grin, pressing a hand against Wen Ning’s chest casually and standing just in front of him, seemingly not at all concerned with all the physical contact. He was only a tiny bit taller than Wen Ning but there was something intimidating about him that made him feel a bit taller yet. “Every ogre would already be turning the place upside down in an angry fit.”Wen Ning scowled at him. “That’s not true.” Sure, Nie Mingjue would have likely already cut this strange person in half for all of his rude behavior but Nie Huaisang would have probably just cried, and quite a few of his friends weren’t prone to bouts of senseless anger either.Wen Ning sometimes struggled to consider himself properly an ogre but he still felt defensive over his adopted community being stereotyped so blatantly.“Oh, you’re angry now. That’s a bit cute.” The stranger finally swept away from Wen Ning and headed to a table covered in parchment, immediately taking out his writing utensils and taking some notes. “Tell me what you think would happen then?” The stranger asked, his tail swishing behind him and nearly hitting Wen Ning in the face. Wen Ning took a step back just in time and felt that he had somehow skipped a step in this whole interaction.He didn’t even know what he was doing here and the stranger had turned his back on him, and the place the stranger had been touching his chest still tingled terribly.“Who are you?” Wen Ning eyed the tail cautiously. “ What are you? What am I doing here?”The stranger turned to look at him, surprised by the question. “Oh, I totally forgot to say. I’m Wei Ying. What’s your name?”He was so casual about it all that Wen Ning felt as though he were the strange one for being troubled by the situation. “Why did you bring me here?” Wen Ning said instead of answer and then, a beat later, he felt too guilty not to answer. “My name is Wen Ning.”Those bright silver eyes widened once more with an unknowable emotion and he turned to face Wen Ning fully again, a wide grin spread across his lips and his arms crossed over his chest. “ Wen Ning , that’s a curious name. Where’d ya get it?”Wen Ning decided he needed to stand his ground, at least a little bit, or this stranger would continue to trample over him without letting him get a word in edgewise. “You didn’t answer my question.”Wei Ying’s smile twitched in amusement and he looked Wen Ning up and down again as though still finding something fascinating there. It made Wen Ning feel a bit shy, and he was tempted to take a step back again. “I’m looking for something,” Wei Ying said. “Maybe someone, actually. You’re what came when I tried to summon it.”That was… very much not an answer that Wen Ning could understand. His brows furrowed again, and he couldn’t think of what Wei Ying would be trying to get that might summon him . He didn’t even know that ogres could be summoned like this. It was certainly magic that was above and outside of the scope of any he had heard about.This man was either a genius, a liar, or someone who came from a place where such things were possible.“Then send me back,” Wen Ning said firmly. “I’m not what you’re looking for, and I don’t want to be here.”Wei Ying winced guiltily and scratched his nose as he let out a small, nervous laugh. “Ah, well, that’s a bit complicated actually.”Wen Ning’s heart sank. Perhaps some of it showed on his face because Wei Ying hurriedly added, “Ah, no, it’s not impossible or anything. Just complicated. It’ll take a bit of time, okay? In the meantime, could you help me with my research?”It didn’t sound like the complete truth.Wen Ning couldn’t put his finger on it but something about Wei Ying’s words felt dishonest. It wasn’t anything specific and his demeanor hadn’t truly changed since the beginning but it was impossible to ignore.But it didn’t feel malicious though either.Much of the culture of the ogres relied on feelings. It was something that Wen Ning had long since grown accustomed to and something that he didn’t even think to question. Honesty was important, but intentions were also quite important.Nie Huaisang wasn’t always honest, but he did always have good intentions. This stranger gave Wen Ning a similar feeling to Nie Huaisang in plenty of ways now that he bothered to think about it. Clearly obsessive about his craft, whatever that was, a touch too casual even when a situation was serious, and something crafty hiding behind his eyes.It was probably the familiarity of someone seeming so similar to his adoptive brother that had Wen Ning hesitantly agreeing. He nodded once and hadn’t had the time to speak before Wei Ying burst out, “Great!”Wei Ying leapt forward and gave Wen Ning a hug that was definitely quite a bit more than he was expecting, that coy smile so close to Wen Ning’s face for just a moment before he pulled away. “Let me show you around!”Wen Ning spared a glance at the parchment that Wei Ying had only moments ago been so intent on, yet now he was entirely distracted with something else. Something about that was a bit… fun.Wen Ning’s lips twitched into a tiny smile despite himself.He couldn’t claim to dislike Wei Ying, even if the man was quite strange in a variety of ways and appeared to do everything at his own pace. There was just something a bit charming about the way he acted that Wen Ning couldn’t quite be mad about, even if he maybe ought to be.Wen Ning wasn’t normally a very talkative person. As a child he had been a little too shy to say what was properly on his mind, and even now, he wasn’t the best at voicing his thoughts without feeling a bit anxious over it.But he didn’t really feel that weight on his tongue right now. “Show me around?” Wen Ning asked, curious and trailing after Wei Ying.Wei Ying turned a grin at him and headed to the door. “Yep! Since you’ll be staying with me, you’ll have to know where everything is, yeah?”Wen Ning eyed the strange room full of oddities and looked back to the door, where Wei Ying bounced eagerly on his toes. He couldn’t imagine whether that doorway led outside or to a larger home, but he felt a bit of trepidation trying to imagine. Something about Wei Ying made it seem like just about anything could be hidden behind that door.“Don’t wanna?” Wei Ying asked, cocking his head curiously to one side, and his left ear drooped just a bit, as though disappointed.“No. I… want to,” Wen Ning said, heat flooding his cheeks as he looked down to the ground. Nervous again.Wei Ying filled the space in front of him, lifting his face by the chin with one elegant, clawed finger. Hesmiled softly at Wen Ning. “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”“I didn’t think…” Wen Ning said, but perhaps he had thought, because Wei Ying’s words of reassurance sent relieved warmth through him.Wei Ying lingered a moment, his thumb sweeping across Wen Ning’s cheek and sending something throbbing through his heart. “Cute,” Wei Ying announced, heading back to the door with a flounce, causing Wen Ning to positively malfunction as he tried to comprehend just what happened.Wei Ying was explaining something in a cheerful voice as he opened the door, something about introducing him to ‘the brat,’ and something about turnips. His tail was swishing with enough excitement that, despite Wen Ning’s initial trepidation about the situation, and his curiosity about the world beyond that door, all that he could focus on was Wei Ying.It was an odd moment for Wen Ning to realize just what had been tickling his thoughts ever since he first saw Wei Ying.After the world had changed so suddenly around him and he was left without a second to truly accommodate to the new feeling, he had been pinned by those sparkling eyes and that intoxicating touch.Wei Ying was dazzling.
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The eerie hills that Wei Ying called home were objectively the strangest place that Wen Ning had ever lived. He had only spent three days here thus far, and he was still largely unsure how to feel about the place.Wei Ying spent most of his time inside of the tiny shack where he did all of his research. The main house, a slightly less dilapidated shack, was where Wei Ying, his unruly apprentice, and, now, Wen Ning, all slept.The small patch of farmland that had been tirelessly tended to so that they could grow turnips was where Wen Ning was currently working.He didn’t mind helping out, in fact he’d started helping out without really checking if it was okay to do so on the second day when Wei Ying had disappeared into his research first thing in the morning without hardly a single greeting.“ Dammit .”Wen Ning winced and looked over to ‘the brat’, as Wei Ying had called him.There were only three people living in this strange patch of wilderness, surrounded by sigils that held back all sorts of creatures that lurked in the darkness provided by the trees.Xue Yang sucked on a new burn on his index finger and shot a glare back at the shack where Wei Ying was working.The child was human, so far as Wen Ning could tell, and missing his pinky finger. He also had a rancidly bad temper and never seemed to know quite how to listen to the word ‘no’.“He told you not to try to come in while he’s working.” Wen Ning scolded gently, kneeling down in front of the child as he pulled his own burn cream from his pouch. It was running low. He’d need to find new herbs in these hills or ask Wei Ying for permission to venture further outward.It struck him that he probably didn’t need to ask Wei Ying permission, but it only felt right to do so. Wen Ning was a polite person at heart.“I’m his apprentice ,” Xue Yang replied haughtily, but let Wen Ning take his hand. He still eyed Wen Ning suspiciously though, the same way he had since day one, as though preparing for the moment that Wen Ning would lash out and show his true colors. Wen Ning thought the boy might just be scared of ogres. “I should be in there too!”Wen Ning hummed noncommittally as he worked, listening to Xue Yang complain about what a shitty teacher Wei Ying was, and how keeping him out of the shack was clearly just some kind of test, and Xue Yang was definitely going to pass it today, for sure.From what Wen Ning could see of the wards guarding against anyone entering that shack, it was doubtful that it was a ‘test’.Wen Ning wasn’t entirely sure why Wei Ying was living in the middle of nowhere with this odd child. Wen Ning had been too polite to ask, and Wei Ying had shrugged Xue Yang off as ‘the brat’ and the most he’d said to Wen Ning about it was a half-hearted request to keep him out of trouble.Xue Yang scowled at Wen Ning when he’d finished his rant, unhappiness rolling off of him. “You don’t think I can do it.”Wen Ning winced. He wasn’t really good at lying, even to kids to spare their egos. Diplomatically, he opted for an adjusted honesty. “Truthfully, I don’t think that I could do it.”Xue Yang scoffed. “Well, duh . You’re just a big dumbo. I’m a genius.”Wen Ning was starting to understand why Wei Ying persistently referred to Xue Yang as ‘the brat’. It was a really apt moniker. Wen Ning was starting to seriously miss the children from the ogre village. They were all quite a bit more lovable.Still, he could see how Xue Yang’s bravado was an attempt to protect his bruised ego after failing yet again, and it was hard to see a child struggling with hurt feelings. “Maybe you could help me with something today? Because I’m a ‘dumbo’?”Xue Yang narrowed his eyes at him as though looking for a trap and then seemed satisfied with whatever he saw in Wen Ning’s expression. “Yeah, sure, whatever you want.” He crossed his arms across his chest and gave Wen Ning an imperious look. “I can help you since you’re so pathetic.”It was a struggle for Wen Ning not to roll his eyes. Still, it was actually a bit cute sometimes. This tiny human who was bone thin and utterly powerless, walking around like he was the strongest thing on the mountain. Perhaps a bit delusional but still cute.Wen Ning was just weak to children, okay? “I need help finding some herbs.” Wen Ning explained. “I’m not sure if they’re here or…”Xue Yang scoffed. “There aren’t any useful herbs on this barren bitchland. We’ll have to go down to town.” Xue Yang’s eyes darted to the shack nervously before his expression hardened. “C’mon, pack the damn turnips. We gotta sell them if we want any money for your damn herbs.”Wen Ning also looked to the shack. Wei Ying had hardly shown his face since the first day, apparently hard at work on something that was gripping his attention, and the one time Wen Ning had attempted to knock was when he also learned how much those wards could burn. He was a bit surprised that Xue Yang kept trying after the first time.Wei Ying hadn’t actually told him that he couldn’t leave, and it wasn’t like he didn’t intend to come right back. Besides, they were getting low on rice and other essentials, and soon they’d need to live off of just the turnips. Wen Ning could sell the turnips and get them more supplies.And Xue Yang was already packing up the turnips as though he intended to go alone, with or without Wen Ning, and the idea of this small child working all alone was too much for Wen Ning’s bleeding heart.So instead of saying no, Wen Ning pointed to his horns. “What about these?”Xue Yang gave him a look. “Can’t you just hide those? Gege always hides his.”Wen Ning didn’t know if that was even possible. He’d learned, from Xue Yang, that Wei Ying was some sort of fox demon but he didn’t think that ogres had the same skills. Or perhaps they did? Horns were a point of pride where Wen Ning had grown up so the idea of hiding them had never come up.Xue Yang rolled his eyes and gestured for Wen Ning to get closer. Unthinkingly obedient, Wen Ning crouched in front of the child again and was quite suddenly struck with a blunt pain on his horns that had him momentarily doubled over.“There! That should work!” Xue Yang said confidently. “Just say that they’re ornaments!”With watery eyes, Wen Ning checked what Xue Yang had done. The child had apparently crammed a straw hat so forcefully down on his head that two neat holes were created for his horns in the process.Wen Ning sighed and spent the majority of the trip down the mountain trying to explain to Xue Yang that his horns were really sensitive and having something smashed against them was painful. Xue Yang kept defensively replying, “but it worked, didn’t it?!” as though the ends always justified the means.Wen Ning gave up when they passed the boundary that marked the edge of Wei Ying’s territory, a bit surprised that Wei Ying had the spiritual strength to create a boundary so wide. He was definitely no one to be trifled with.Wen Ning felt a stab of guilt that he had taken that same person’s ‘disciple’ out of his territory without permission, and he was now about to attempt to sell these turnips without permission, and really, he should have tried to knock on Wei Ying’s door, right?Whatever remained of his guilt evaporated when he saw the village.Wen Ning’s childhood had been difficult and troubling in quite a few ways, but he could never describe it as ‘bad’. He loved his new family, he loved the idyllic peace in the ogre village, and he loved the society that he had begun to call home.But that didn’t mean that Wen Ning’s heart had stopped aching for that first home from his earliest memories. A nostalgic and painful sickness that chased him his entire life.This village wasn’t the one he had grown up in, he could tell that much even with his own faint memories as a reference, but it was human in design. It boasted all of the little things that he could barely remember from his youth that felt almost like a dream. Houses that were built for the smaller stature of humans, colorful clothing with dyes so different from those found near his adoptive village, and mouth-watering scents of foods he thought he must have surely dreamt up. Most of all were the people, small, bustling creatures at once so achingly familiar and so distinctly alien to Wen Ning as they went about their days.Subconsciously, Wen Ning adjusted his hat and winced as it rubbed against his too sore horns. He wasn’t quite as confident as Xue Yang was that this ‘disguise’ would work.He couldn’t help but remember all of Nie Mingjue’s warnings about how humans treated ogres. Couldn’t help but feel a spike of anxiety run through him as he thought of all the ways this could go badly.He hadn’t actually considered their reactions as seriously as he should have. Xue Yang accepted him unthinkingly, if not a bit apprehensively, so he thought–Wen Ning’s focus shifted from his own anxiety and down to the child. Xue Yang was sticking abnormally close to his side, eyes darting around at the people with far more apprehension than he’d ever shown Wen Ning, and fingers ever so slightly trembling. Xue Yang was still wearing the arrogant expression that seemed to be challenging the entire world to a fight, but it was tempered significantly by signs of fear practically rolling off of the child.Wen Ning could feel fear so much clearer than other emotions.A cart rattled past and Xue Yang all but hid behind him while glaring after it with badly hidden animosity.It was a bit disconcerting.Xue Yang was a bit past the age where he could be comfortably picked up by adults, probably around ten or eleven years old, but Wen Ning was strong and he didn’t really think twice about Xue Yang’s size or weight when he scooped down and picked him up. He would sometimes carry ogre children around the village while playing with them and it was practically his second nature at this point to pick up a distressed child.Xue Yang let out a squawk of indignation and flailed a moment before he realized what was happening. “What are you doing?!” He hissed.Wen Ning wasn’t quite sure how to answer that, he thought the answer was obvious, and Xue Yang’s sudden anger was unexpected. Normally kids shrieked and giggled with glee when they were picked up.“...carrying you?” Wen Ning asked cautiously, a bit worried it was the wrong answer.Xue Yang gave him an incredulous look that seemed to have a whole rant full of complaints hidden behind it but Wen Ning noticed that his hand wasn’t trembling anymore so he called it a win. “Oh my god, you’re so dumb.” Xue Yang groaned, slumping in his arms.Wen Ning adjusted his grip on the sack full of turnips and the grumpy child while he eyed the marketplace. Some people were starting to take notice of them. “Do we sell the turnips over there?”Xue Yang rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Just– just let me down, alright? I’ll show you how it’s done.”Xue Yang did indeed know how to sell turnips.It was actually a bit impressive. Also a bit scary. Half the sales seemed to be more from threatening passersby than actually convincing them that they wanted a turnip, but that was also pretty impressive considering how scrawny and malnourished Xue Yang was. Wen Ning helplessly attempted to make a few sales as well but he was mostly ignored.Although, Wen Ning did notice that the people who ignored him would often be the targets of Xue Yang’s more threatening sales. It was difficult to say if Xue Yang was doing that on purpose or not.“What the hell did I say about threatening people to buy your damn turnips?”Xue Yang cringed at the voice and Wen Ning turned to the source of it with apprehension. Thus far no one really had made any fuss about Wen Ning’s horns but most people hadn’t been looking very carefully at him, too busy trying to ignore the turnips. But someone who was actively calling them out might take more careful notice.She was tall, for a lady, and stood with her arms crossed over her chest with a severe scowl on her face. She was fixing Xue Yang with the most disapproving look. There was something about her though… something that captured Wen Ning’s attention and wouldn’t let it go. His heart pounded in his chest and he couldn’t explain why. It definitely wasn’t attraction but something else. Something familiar and painful. “And where’s that conman you live with?”Xue Yang bristled. “Wei-qianbei isn’t a conman! You don’t know shit!”The woman raised an eyebrow and snatched a turnip out of Wen Ning’s unresisting hand. “Yeah? And if he isn’t a conman, why did he take my money and then stop contacting me for a whole month?”“He’s working on it!” Xue Yang said with a lot more confidence than he ought to have considering Wen Ning knew that neither of them had any idea what went on in Wei Ying’s workshop.The woman all but rolled her eyes, inspecting the turnip critically before sighing and handing it back to Wen Ning. “At least this time none of them are rotten. Really, both of you need to be more careful about what you sell.” The woman turned her attention to Wen Ning and gave him a piercing look. “And who are you?”Wen Ning was an anxious person on his best days, but the odd feeling that this woman gave him mixed with his apprehension of the situation made it a lot harder for him to form words. He tried to speak, he really did, but all that came out at first was stuttered nonsense.The woman’s gaze softened in response, and Wen Ning was grateful for that. There was something so painfully familiar in the way she was looking at him, and it made his heart ache terribly.Before he could find his words though or she could amend her question, Xue Yang stepped between them and glared up at her fiercely. “Don’t pick on Gege just ‘cause he’s slow and stupid!”Wen Ning didn’t know whether to feel grateful or offended. It was really quite cute that Xue Yang was trying to protect him, in his own ridiculous way, but really this child might need to learn manners someday.The woman quirked an eyebrow at Xue Yang. “It’s rude to call people that. Apologize to your gege,” she said strictly and wow, she clearly thought what he’d been thinking but just… did it.The confidence with which she did the things he was thinking was also something so familiar and painful and Wen Ning really wanted to talk to her. He just didn’t know why.Xue Yang snorted in an unruly way and began to argue back with her, because of course he wouldn’t take a scolding well, and Wen Ning was just thinking that he should intervene to peacekeep when he saw a much younger child toddling across the street toward the woman and clearly saying, “Jiejie” . Neither of the humans seemed to hear but Wen Ning’s hearing was better.There weren’t a lot of carts on the road but it still made him really anxious to see the unattended child toddling where carts might get him. With one glance back at the arguing duo and then back to the child, Wen Ning made up his mind and abandoned them briefly to go pick up the child.This sweet child was unlike Xue Yang and knew exactly how to shriek with glee when he was picked up. Wen Ning was carrying him back to the pair but the woman met him halfway.“A-Yuan!” she said, taking the child gently from Wen Ning’s arms. “You’re supposed to be with nainai.” She looked back at Wen Ning, as though deciding whether she was glad about his intervention or not before she made up her mind and smiled. “Thank you.”Wen Ning tried to find his voice but all he could let out was a strained, “You’re welcome.”She smiled again, and the adorable child in her arms waved at him cheerfully. “Do me a favor and tell that crazy old fox on the mountain that I don’t want to see him or his stupid brother again until I get my money back.”Wen Ning nodded dumbly, wondering who Wei Ying’s brother was. Was she referring to Xue Yang?Before he could find the courage to ask her, she was disappearing back into the crowds.Wen Ning had an inexplicable urge to chase after her and force his voice to work.Xue Yang scoffed and nudged his side. “Don’t even think about it. Cheng-ge has been courting her for ages and she still won’t give him the time of day.”“I’m not…” Wen Ning sighed and shook his head. It was impossible to explain how he felt meeting the woman in a way that wouldn’t be misunderstood. It was probably better to let Xue Yang think what he liked. “Who’s Cheng-ge?”That at least slid things back into a sense of normalcy, with Xue Yang bursting into a rather confusing and long-winded explanation about someone who was Wei Ying’s brother but also not his brother. Or maybe Wei Ying’s friend but also not his friend. It was quite contradictory and strange but Xue Yang was talking about it all with the cheerful confidence that it was all common knowledge.It made Wen Ning want to know more about Wei Ying. Just what sort of person was he? How would he explain his relationship with this ‘Cheng-ge’ person?At the very least, the remainder of their visit to town was uneventful, and they were able to successfully restock supplies and return home before Wei Ying ever even ventured out of his shack.
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“You… went to the village?”Wen Ning wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the ever-enigmatic fox demon when he let them know about their little excursion, no less than two days after it happened because it was the first night that Wei Ying had eaten a proper meal since their return. Or, rather, Wei Ying had been eating until Wen Ning’s words had startled him into stopping, and now he was staring as though Wen Ning had said something incomprehensible.“...yes?” Wen Ning said in reply, feeling a touch self-conscious. Had he truly done a bad thing?“What about…?” Wei Ying gestured sloppily above his head for the horns.Xue Yang huffed out a sound of pride, attracting both of their attention as he went about explaining his masterful idea to hide Wen Ning’s horns. Wei Ying listened with barely concealed amusement.It really seemed less like a master and student relationship and more like Wei Ying kept the kid around because he was entertaining. Wen Ning felt a pang of pity for the child at the thought. Sure, his week spent at Xue Yang’s side had taught him that the kid was the worst type of unrepentant brat, but he wasn’t entirely unlovable.He couldn’t help but hope that one day Xue Yang’s dream of being recognized as a disciple would be realized.Wei Ying turned his attention from the gloating child back to Wen Ning, and there was an intensity to his stare that sent shivers up Wen Ning’s spine.It was difficult to fully describe the feeling. It was just that there was something about how Wei Ying looked at him that made him crave it. Those sparkling eyes seemed like they could pierce right through him and discern his deepest secrets or simply lead him on a playful adventure.Wei Ying appeared to be whimsy and intensity wrapped into one contradictory person.Wen Ning mentally scolded himself for his assumptions. He really didn’t actually know Wei Ying all that well yet. He was just imagining things.
I do want to know him more, though.
“And what happened while you were in town?” Wei Ying asked, his words deceptively playful. His eyes were still far too serious to deny how important the question was.Feeling nervous, but ever honest, Wen Ning described the entire visit to the best of his abilities. He even relayed the woman’s message and accusation, which sent Wei Ying’s eyebrows up in a momentary expression of shock.“What did you think of her?” Wei Ying asked suddenly when Wen Ning finished, and it was such a cutting question that Wen Ning didn’t have the slightest clue how to answer.Luckily, Xue Yang was there to rudely interject some insults that Wei Ying playfully scolded him over and Wen Ning was left with a momentary reprieve and a pounding heartbeat.The memory of the woman made him ache, the loss of Wei Ying’s attention left him unsettled, and Wei Ying’s attention made every part of him feel electrified.It was a complicated emotion. One that hardly faded even when he retired for the night, somehow hyper aware that Wei Ying was in just the other room resting as well.A quiet knock against the doorframe startled Wen Ning fully awake, and he realized he must have dozed off, though it was still late at night. The bright moonlight filtering in through the window allowed him to see the figure of a fox demon lazily leaning against the wall near the door.“...yes?” Wen Ning asked, heart in his throat.The fox smirked, and Wen Ning realized it was truly a fox form, nothing human about it, yet those eyes were unmistakable and familiar.A voice that felt like it came more from his own mind made the absurd demand, “Help me sleep,” and without thinking at all, Wen Ning lifted the blanket.Wen Ning awoke the next morning with a start and looked around the small room for any sign of a fox.If Wei Ying truly had visited his room last night, he’d left before morning. Though he was hard-pressed to say whether that was a dream or not. A part of him wished it hadn’t been a dream, the memory of just how soft the fur had been…“Hurry up and get out of bed, you lazy asshole!”Wen Ning sighed and sat up. Xue Yang was absolutely incorrigible. But the child was probably hungry and Wen Ning had been cooking for them both since his arrival, so the child likely expected breakfast by now.It was with some surprise that Wen Ning saw Wei Ying in the kitchen, already stirring a pot and humming cheerfully. Xue Yang could be heard cursing outside, likely on an errand.“You’re cooking?” Wen Ning asked dumbly and Wei Ying turned a bright smile toward him.Wei Ying was normally in his shack so early that Wen Ning would be lucky to even catch a glimpse of him. Somehow this felt quite special. “Wanna help?” Wei Ying asked, and there was a mischievous twinkle to his eyes that assured Wen Ning that there was more to this than cooking.Still, he was staying here for free and it was only right to help out. Besides, some hitherto undiscovered, adventurous part of his heart couldn’t help but wonder where Wei Ying’s mischief might lead.Wen Ning settled in beside Wei Ying and asked what they were cooking before pulling ingredients silently and working at his side. Xue Yang dropped by a few times, still cursing, once to bring a bucket of water and some other times to snitch at breakfast.Wei Ying was mostly silent, which seemed odd somehow, and Wen Ning could feel piercing eyes on him the entire time.Wei Ying was looking for something from him.Wen Ning privately hoped that Wei Ying would find what he wanted, if only because he simply didn’t like the idea of disappointing this person. Although he couldn’t for the life of him understand what Wei Ying might be wanting.Over breakfast, Wei Ying tittered away about little nothings. Everything from the weather to his insistence that they should try growing something other than turnips. Xue Yang hissed at him, and Wen Ning watched the bickering with a warmth in his heart.Wen Ning had been sure that after breakfast, Wei Ying would return to his shack, and so the time spent together now ought to be treasured.It was an immense shock when he went to begin his chores for the day and Wei Ying still lingered at his side.“How old are you, Wen Ning?” Wei Ying asked, resting his chin against Wen Ning’s shoulder as though it were the most natural thing in the world.Wen Ning felt heat spreading from that spot and all the way up to his cheeks. “...about twenty-five?” Wen Ning only had the roughest guess though. His childhood was too much of a blur and it was impossible to say how much time passed between being human and being found as an ogre child… but he knew that he was roughly Nie Huaisang’s age so he normally estimated from there.Wei Ying hummed thoughtfully, one hand resting far too casually on Wen Ning’s waist. Not really holding it, Wei Ying seemed to just want a place to tap his finger, and Wen Ning’s waist was in a pleasantly reachable location.Still, despite knowing what Wei Ying’s reasons probably were, Wen Ning felt even more warmth spread from the spot Wei Ying was touching.“You don’t sound sure,” Wei Ying observed, and Wen Ning tried with all his might to focus on the work in front of him. Turnips. He could focus on turnips.“My earliest memories are foggy,” Wen Ning admitted honestly.“Wouldn’t your family know?” Wei Ying pressed and his breath grazed ever so gently against Wen Ning’s neck.Wen Ning swallowed thickly. He really couldn’t think straight like this. “I was adopted.”“Hmm…” Wei Ying hummed again, the hand resting against Wen Ning’s waist fidgeting thoughtfully, and it was simply impossible not to be aware of his warmth. “Help me sleep,” Wen Ning remembered hearing in what might have been his dream, and that only made it harder not to become flustered. What would he do if Wei Ying came to his room like this? Touching him like–Suddenly Wei Ying was no longer touching him and was instead crouching near the crops, poking it curiously. “It’s looking good,” he observed, grinning up at Wen Ning.The places Wei Ying had touched felt both far too hot and far too cold now that he was gone, but the praise made an emotion simply surge through Wen Ning’s heart. “Th–thank you,” Wen Ning stuttered, looking away.He could still feel Wei Ying’s eyes on him even without seeing them.The rest of the day, and even the next few days after, went mostly the same way. Wei Ying didn’t go to his shack but instead lingered by Wen Ning’s side. Sometimes, he would touch him, in that casual way that assured Wen Ning he meant nothing by it. Still, each touch seared into his skin like a brand as Wei Ying spoke of everything and nothing, but mostly he would ask questions of Wen Ning.
“Where did you live?”
“Who did you live with?”
“What are your earliest memories?”
“What did you think of the village?”
“What do you think of humans?”
“Tell me about ogres.”
“Tell me a fond memory.”
“Tell me a terrible memory.”
All sorts of questions that Wen Ning answered honestly, albeit shyly, as he wondered just what it was that Wei Ying was searching for.Xue Yang wasn’t much help at all. Crassly cutting in at times to give his own sarcastic answers or to demand Wei Ying’s attention. Sometimes even to demand Wen Ning’s attention. The child was likely lonely, Wen Ning realized. He thought of the children from the ogre village who all had friends and the cagey way that Xue Yang eyed the humans from the village.Still, it was peaceful, even if half the time Wen Ning stayed up late into the night wondering if a fox would crawl over next to him. Some nights he could admit that he was hoping it would happen, although he wasn’t entirely sure why.Wei Ying was playful. He’d ask Wen Ning to help him catch fish and then run off if something else caught his fancy. He would complain about the turnips but never about Wen Ning’s cooking. He would bounce around the mountainside adjusting his seals as though expecting something soon, or perhaps just entertained by his own work.“What about you?” Wen Ning found himself asking after nearly a week of being assailed by Wei Ying’s seemingly random questions.“Me?” Wei Ying asked, cocking his head to the side curiously. The fox demon was reclining on a stone by a cliffside while Wen Ning tried to catch fish for dinner from the nearby stream. In the warm, spring sunlight, Wei Ying’s exposed skin looked soft in a way that constantly caught Wen Ning’s attention.After being touched so many times by Wei Ying, he sort of wanted to try doing the reverse. Though he didn’t dare to try without permission.“What about your childhood?” Wen Ning clarified, watching carefully as something in Wei Ying’s eyes flickered.Wei Ying leaned forward against his knees, watching Wen Ning with a grin that bordered on predatory. Wei Ying sometimes looked like that, as though he might just pounce on Wen Ning and eat him. It was a little unnerving but oddly not unpleasant. “Why would you want to know that?”Wen Ning felt a bit shy to admit the truth but he didn’t want to lie either. “...I want to get to know you better,” he said, his voice softer from his own nerves and looking down at the water rather than Wei Ying’s reaction.“How curious.” Wei Ying’s voice was closer now and Wen Ning looked up, startled to realize that Wei Ying was barely a foot away now. He could move with alarming stealth when he wanted to. “There’s not a lot to know. It isn’t an unusual story.”“Still…” Wen Ning felt as though in times like this, Wei Ying felt so much bigger. They were both standing in the water, but Wei Ying was mostly dry while Wen Ning was wet from fumbling around with fish; he hoped he didn’t look strange. “...I’d like to know.”Wei Ying smiled coyly at him and rested his hand thoughtfully against Wen Ning’s cheek. The same way he always touched him. So casual that Wen Ning might as well have been a wall or a table, but the touch was still so warm.
What would it feel like if he touched me with intentions?
Wen Ning wasn’t sure what sort of intentions, but he sort of wanted to find out.“You’re really cute, a-Ning.” Wei Ying grinned, pressing his forehead against Wen Ning’s and giving him a look full of an unreadable emotion. “Didja know that no one has asked me that before?”“No one asked me about my past either,” Wen Ning shot back, feeling a touch defensive. It felt like Wei Ying was playing with him somehow. What was so strange about returning a question you received?“Is that so? What a shame. They missed out.” Wei Ying grinned, and it was an odd moment for Wen Ning to lose the ability to focus on anything except for the curve of his lips.“You’re avoiding my question though,” Wen Ning pointed out, his brow furrowing. Wei Ying chuckled in response, a sound that Wen Ning could taste when it was so close.“Am I? Or am I just taking my time to answer?” Wei Ying asked playfully, finally pulling away.Wen Ning restrained himself from pulling Wei Ying close again. He wanted to feel that warmth so desperately, and the river felt so cold without Wei Ying touching him.“You’re not fair.” Wen Ning sighed, kneeling to look for fish once more. “Do you like toying with me?”“I do,” Wei Ying confessed. “But that’s only because I like you.” There was the briefest touch against the top of Wen Ning’s head, patting him gently, careful to avoid his horns, and it felt like there was intent there.The intent to say good work and I’m fond of you, and the searing need of it left Wen Ning momentarily breathless.Just for the briefest moments as he pulled away, Wei Ying’s finger grazed against the top of his horn, and Wen Ning lost his balance and fell in the water.Wei Ying was happy to help him out, laughing joyously the whole way, and maybe the embarrassment was worth it to see that unfiltered joy on Wei Ying’s coy face.It was well after dark that Wen Ning got his answer finally.He hadn’t been able to sleep, not with memories of the day running through his thoughts and his heart pounding a mile a minute, so he decided to sit just outside on a rock and stare up at the stars.“I lost my parents when I was four.”Wen Ning startled at the voice and looked up to the rooftop where Wei Ying was reclined, casual as anything.“It’s not an unusual story. After that, I was homeless for a while and then my father’s old friend found me.”Wen Ning listened as Wei Ying described distant memories in a detached and casual way that made it seem as though they had no hold on him. As though he was immune to the pain found in them.Wen Ning couldn’t help but think that hidden pain was precisely why Wei Ying chose to ‘take his time’ in answering.It wasn’t a long story. Small details about a turbulent household, some beloved siblings, a complicated falling out, and a wistful sigh as Wei Ying looked up at the stars like they held all the answers he needed.Wen Ning really wanted to give Wei Ying a hug.“I’m sorry,” Wen Ning said when he was sure that Wei Ying was done.“Why?” Wei Ying sounded genuinely curious.“I pushed you to talk about something painful…” Wen Ning said.There was an odd silence before Wei Ying hopped down from the roof, landing deftly in front of Wen Ning and looking down at him curiously.“I never do anything I don’t want to,” Wei Ying said, leaning over so they were nearly nose-to-nose. “Surely, you’ve noticed that about me by now.”“I have,” Wen Ning admitted. “But I think you wanted to appease me, not to talk about those memories.”Surprise flickered in Wei Ying’s eyes, and an expression far more vulnerable than Wen Ning had seen before also briefly passed across his handsome face. “You’re observant.”“I told you. I want to know you better, so I pay attention,” Wen Ning said, softly, his own nerves building again and his cheeks feeling too warm.“Cute,” Wei Ying said, a finger resting with intent against Wen Ning’s chin. “You’re a very cute person, a-Ning. Did you know that?”Breathless and unable to even think of words, Wen Ning simply shook his head dumbly and got a tinkling laugh from Wei Ying.And then Xue Yang came out and threw rocks at them both while yelling at them for waking him up. None of the rocks actually hit, but Wei Ying pretended one did so that he could scare the poor child into feeling guilty.Wen Ning watched their normal antics while he tried to calm down his still pounding heart.For a moment, with Wei Ying staring at him under the moonlight with such a vulnerable expression, Wen Ning couldn’t think of anything but what it might be like to kiss Wei Ying.What it might be like to be kissed by Wei Ying.It was an intoxicating thought that wouldn’t leave him, even after Xue Yang chased a cackling Wei Ying back to bed, and Wen Ning lay down on his own cot with something red hot throbbing through his veins.He couldn’t sleep a wink that night.
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They weren’t keeping a close eye on Xue Yang.In fairness, they never did. Wen Ning wasn’t sure about the dynamic between Xue Yang and Wei Ying. He did try to care for the kid as much as possible, a natural inclination for Wen Ning, but Xue Yang wasn’t an easy child to care for either.Xue Yang would come and go as he liked, he never listened to what he was told to do, and he liked to push boundaries with the odd belief that everything around him was a ‘test’. One that he intended to defeat rather than pass.Wen Ning already had an idea that Wei Ying let Xue Yang run free due to the near week spent without Wei Ying leaving his shack but it became even more clear after Wei Ying was spending most of his time in the outside world.Wei Ying didn’t mind or tend to Xue Yang the way you would expect someone to care for a child under their guardianship. They squabbled, often more like siblings than anything resembling parental. Wei Ying sent Xue Yang on errands, and Xue Yang liked to make a nuisance of himself, but for the most part, they lived separate lives.Wen Ning had been far too flustered over the attention that Wei Ying was paying to him to really think too hard about the long stretches of time when it was just the pair of them. In his defense, Wei Ying was very distracting, and Xue Yang really wasn’t his responsibility.But the end result was that neither of them had been keeping an eye on the unattended child.There were dozens of excuses one could make for it. Xue Yang was certainly old enough to take care of most of his own needs. Xue Yang was difficult and bratty and unpleasant. Xue Yang had already learned how to take care of himself long before he’d even met Wei Ying, and therefore shouldn’t be treated like other children. Xue Yang fought against any authority and had a twisted perception of the world. Xue Yang wasn’t cute like the children in the ogre village or the little boy from the village down the mountain. Xue Yang didn’t ask for help and rarely accepted help. Xue Yang wasn’t related to either of them and therefore, not really a responsibility for either of them.They were excuses.Some of them Wen Ning wouldn’t have truly accepted, but he might have thought in passing, and some of them Wen Ning had come to believe despite his normal responsible nature. It had just seemed natural, in that tiny home in the wilderness, to simply accept that Xue Yang could come and go and no one needed to mind him.Wen Ning and Wei Ying had been out picking herbs together in a valley not so far away from home when Wei Ying stiffened, his eyes widening and a curse slipping through his lips. He didn’t bother to explain anything before sprinting back in the direction of home, Wen Ning hot on his heels with worry in his heart.Wen Ning hadn’t even thought about Xue Yang.He’d seen Wei Ying look so uncharacteristically upset and all he could think was that he needed to be there for Wei Ying, whatever the problem might be. It was more instinct than thought.When Wei Ying made a beeline for the open door of the shack, something in Wen Ning’s heart sank, but he still didn’t think of Xue Yang.It wasn’t until he saw the blood that he thought of Xue Yang.The boy was collapsed on the floor, bleeding, covered in burns, and surrounded by what looked like Wei Ying’s notes. He was breathing, but only barely, and something caught in Wen Ning’s heart at the sight.He should have known better.Of course Xue Yang would keep trying to get inside, even if it was dangerous. He was constantly trying to prove himself to Wei Ying, and he’d decided in his childish mind that this was the ultimate way to do so. Of course Xue Yang would be more desperate than ever to do so, given that for the last two weeks Wei Ying’s near-complete attention had been directed at Wen Ning and that left the child without his only caretaker. Of course Xue Yang was a child, and no matter how unpleasant the boy could be, neither of them should have been so careless about his safety.Wen Ning was knelt by the child’s side before a single syllable had escaped Wei Ying’s lips, assessing his injuries. Xue Yang was unconscious and covered in far too many cuts. He’d apparently decided to force his way through some of Wei Ying’s more vicious traps. Or perhaps the child had really just been caught unawares.He was alive though, and that was the important part.The burns on his arms were the most serious. If Wen Ning didn’t tend to them properly then the child could lose movement or feeling in his limbs. He was already pulling out his medical supplies and cutting away Xue Yang’s clothes to work when he heard Wei Ying’s confused whisper.“How did he get in here…?”It wasn’t just that Wei Ying asked that, it was that slight hint of being genuinely impressed that got under Wen Ning’s skin. Because suddenly he was very angry.“Does it matter?” Wen Ning asked curtly. “You knew he wanted to. Why’d you make the wards so dangerous?”Wen Ning didn’t look up at Wei Ying, regretting his words just a bit. It wasn’t really Wei Ying’s fault but it also was .Because in a stupid way, Xue Yang had been right . This was the way to get Wei Ying’s attention and finally impress him. But it should have never come to this.Wen Ning let out a shaky breath, focusing on his work rather than Wei Ying’s telling silence.“He wants to be your disciple.” Wen Ning said, a lot less heated, but still feeling so angry as Xue Yang made a pained whimper in his unconscious state.“But he’s not and I never told him he could be.” Wei Ying’s response was reasonable. True even. From what Wen Ning had seen, Wei Ying had never even tried to give the child false hope for it. He noted that Wei Ying knelt beside the boy, looking troubled and pained.Something sharp twisted in Wen Ning’s heart as he accepted that he wasn’t just mad at Wei Ying.Wen Ning had known it was a hopeless endeavor, but he hadn’t put any serious effort into dissuading Xue Yang. And he’d been happily watching the sun kiss Wei Ying’s beautiful hair while they picked herbs while this silly, ridiculous kid nearly got himself killed.“He just came on his own.” Wei Ying continued, gently holding onto one of Xue Yang’s only unburnt fingers while he let Wen Ning tend to the injuries. “Showed up one day and announced that he was going to be my disciple.”That sounded like something Xue Yang would do. Wen Ning still felt wretched.There were older scars under the new injuries. Some that Wen Ning had noticed before and some that had been hidden from view. Some he’d just never bothered to look too closely at.“If you weren’t prepared to care for him, you should have found someone else to do it.” Wen Ning said, although his tone was already softening. He wasn’t an angry person by nature and he knew it was just as much his own fault as it was Wei Ying’s.It was just that somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear what Nie Mingjue would think of this whole situation. Nie Mingjue who cared for a child with no background like his own son and always protected everyone in the village with a ferocity. A person who never took time for himself, never made a selfish decision, and always abided by his moral code even at great personal cost.Nie Mingjue would be ashamed of him for neglecting this child, and that thought just hurt .“Hey, he’ll be okay.” Wei Ying pressed a hand to Wen Ning’s shoulder and those words made him feel most wretched of all.Wei Ying thought he was a good person who was worried about this injured child, and he was–Wen Ning was terrified that they would be too late treating him, that the treatment would be flawed, or that something awful would happen and Xue Yang wouldn’t open his bright red eyes again to say something stupid or bratty. That he’d no longer be there to make a menace of himself.But his first concern had been about himself. About how people would be ashamed of him. About his responsibilities. He wasn’t a good person. He was selfish.Tears burned the corners of Wen Ning’s eyes as his thoughts spiraled miserably, but he forced them away to focus on his work.It didn’t occur to Wen Ning that it was natural to think about all those things when a person you care about is injured. To think about everything, not just the fear. He just felt wretched and selfish and like Wei Ying didn’t realize what an awful person he was.“I mean it, he–” Wei Ying’s voice caught in a strange way and Wen Ning finally looked up from his work. Wei Ying’s own eyes looked a little misty. “He’s really tough, ya know? It’ll be okay.”Oh.Wen Ning felt better, in a really odd way. It was strange and terrible, but knowing that Wei Ying was upset too just helped somehow. Which was even more selfish; why would he want Wei Ying to hurt? But just knowing that he wasn’t alone made everything a bit better.Wen Ning’s hands steadied, and he finished stitching the deeper cuts and bandaging the burns. They could probably move Xue Yang to the house now, although it was worrying Wen Ning that the kid still hadn’t regained consciousness.“He’s a really stupid kid too. Just what did he think he was doing?” Wei Ying grumbled, brushing a hair out of Xue Yang’s face. “Seriously, what was he…” Wei Ying’s voice trailed off and Wen Ning didn’t pay it too much mind as he was searching for anything he might have missed. “ Son of a bitch–” Wen Ning startled, looking up at Wei Ying who was now quite hurriedly drawing symbols around Xue Yang’s prone body. Cursing the entire time, and all but elbowing Wen Ning out of the way. “I can’t believe him– fuck , why would he…? Fucking stupid –”“What? What’s going on?” Wen Ning asked, finally taking in the totality of Wei Ying’s shack to try and understand. He’d only been here once, and briefly, so he couldn’t really say if anything was out of place. He assumed that the writings that were around Xue Yang’s body had been Wei Ying’s notes, but upon closer inspection it didn’t look like Wei Ying’s handwriting.Wen Ning’s heart sank again.“What did he do?”Magic was dangerous, especially for humans. Many of the things that Wei Ying could do with ease by mere nature of being a fox demon would be impossible for a human to achieve. It was one of the reasons that it made so much sense for Wei Ying to reject him as a disciple.But also, Wen Ning was at least versed enough to know that most of the things in this room weren’t ‘easy’ things. They were complex, innovative, and dangerous even for someone like Wei Ying to attempt.Wei Ying didn’t answer, and Wen Ning instead tried to feel Xue Yang’s energy. He’d been so focused on the child’s physical health that he hadn’t even considered what was happening to him spiritually.“Just–just stay quiet!” Wei Ying sounded somewhere between aggravated and panicked and something else that Wen Ning didn’t recognize. Wen Ning obeyed, but it was harder than he cared to admit.It probably didn’t take more than a minute or two. Wei Ying was fast and resourceful, and this was all his own magic. But the time seemed to stretch for an eternity as Wen Ning watched the odd symbols spring to life while Xue Yang’s body looked so lifeless in the middle of all of it. He wondered if this was how Wei Ying had felt when it had been Wen Ning at work.It was a terribly helpless feeling.He regretted snapping at Wei Ying even more, and he planned to apologize when he got the chance. He wanted to apologize to Xue Yang too.Maybe if he hadn’t berated Wei Ying, Wei Ying might have noticed something else was wrong earlier.Energy sparked in the room, and Wei Ying let out another curse, drawing something else while he grit his teeth but it seemed as though he wasn’t getting what he wanted. Worry filled Wen Ning all over again as he felt the energy build and build in the room until it was stifling.A dizzying feeling that was almost a bit familiar, but instead of the feeling of being dizzy, it was like watching someone else be dizzy.Wen Ning’s stomach turned.“The little shit actually–” Wei Ying let out a yelp as a symbol burned him and then the energy clustered together with a snap .In the center of the room, where there had once only been one prone body of a child, there were now two children. The second child was awake though, looking very disoriented, and when he looked up, Wen Ning instantly recognized the boy.“A-Lan?”Wei Ying let out a loud sigh of relief, and Wen Ning took that as permission to approach, kneeling in front of the children while he assessed the second one for injuries.Song Lan looked confused and his eyes were unfocused. He was a boy from the ogre village, a few years older than Xue Yang and always respectful. He lived with his grandfather and was the definition of a good child. However, the boy sometimes struggled to express emotions.“...Ning-ge?” Song Lan’s voice sounded so disoriented, but something relieved filled his face before he collapsed against Wen Ning, unconscious.Wen Ning looked to Wei Ying for explanation, but the fox demon was busy looking over Xue Yang’s handiwork with a pinch in his expression and something undeniably impressed in his eyes.Wen Ning still really hated that Xue Yang had been right, that this was the way to ‘prove himself’, but he could also understand why it would be impressive. Sort of. He wasn’t totally clear about what happened.Wei Ying explained it after they’d brought the children back to the house, carefully laying them both down next to each other and leaving them to heal. Xue Yang looked a lot less pale, which was good.“He was trying to summon an ogre, obviously.” Wei Ying said with an eyeroll, carefully tapping some characters on a piece of parchment. “It’s the most recent thing I’ve been working on, so it makes sense he’d find it first. Stupid of him to try at all…”Wen Ning couldn’t help but agree. This sort of summoning magic was unheard of. It was impressive that a fox demon like Wei Ying could pull it off but certainly impossible for a human.“The thing is, the little shit succeeded.” Wei Ying rubbed his nose, a bit of a nervous habit when he was thinking. Sometimes when he did it, Wen Ning wanted to hold his hand. He often wanted to hold Wei Ying’s hand though. “He even made adjustments to my work, adjustments to my work, can you believe that? So that it would even be possible for him–” That… was actually quite impressive. Wen Ning’s eyes drifted to the room where the child was resting. Wei Ying was certainly a genius, but perhaps Xue Yang was something quite special as well. “Anyway, the trouble is that he just–he doesn’t have enough energy inside of him for something like that, so the spell was just sucking it out of him–”Wen Ning’s heart dropped. “Is he…?”“He should be… okay.” Wei Ying winced. “I had to adjust a few things to fix it.”There was something guilty in Wei Ying’s tone that told him that there was certainly something about this that Wen Ning wouldn’t like. He just hoped the boys were both okay.“What did you adjust?” Wen Ning asked and Wei Ying grimaced, also looking in the direction of the room.“So, you know the ogre kid, right?” Wei Ying asked, sounding like he was trying to hide nerves beneath mischief. “Do you think he’d get along with Xue Yang?”Wen Ning considered Song Lan’s serious personality. His discomfort being touched or near germs. His difficulty expressing himself and his heartbreak when he was often misunderstood. His rule-abiding heart and sincere dedication to whatever he’s been told.Wen Ning winced and shook his head.They couldn’t be more opposite, and they were also opposites in a way that would certainly clash.“Ahh… that’s unfortunate.” Wei Ying stood up and rifled through a cupboard, pulling free some alcohol and cups for them both. “So, I might have… maybe bound their souls together because otherwise they’d both die, and now they can’t actually ever leave each other or like, death.”Wen Ning would have spit if he’d been drinking at that moment. “You what… ?”Wei Ying poured some for Wen Ning first, smiling somewhat apologetically. “It was all I could think of at the time. With Yangyang’s limited energy, the kid wouldn’t have been able to get pulled here in a, uh, whole state. But I couldn’t stop the ritual, and it wouldn’t accept my energy either. Think of it this way, we almost had two dead kids and now we have two live kids!”Wen Ning’s thoughts spiraled about just how he was going to explain this to Song Lan’s grandfather. Oh no, the elderly man was probably already so worried and what about Song Lan’s future? What about Xue Yang’s?There was a sound coming from the other room that quickly went from confusion, to bickering, to arguing and what sounded like the prelude to a physical fight. Wei Ying took a long swig from the bottle as Wen Ning hurriedly got up to check on the pair of them.It was definitely going to be louder around here.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was a bit alarming how quickly Wen Ning adjusted to his new normal.As predicted, Song Lan did not get along with Xue Yang at all, and the feeling was entirely mutual. The news that they wouldn’t be able to send Song Lan home soon, or potentially ever, had also struck the child quite harshly.But Song Lan was a steadfast and determined boy, so he didn’t let the situation keep him down. He did spend a lot of his time hiding behind Wen Ning to avoid having to deal with Xue Yang, but that also meant that Wen Ning had company while he tended to the small garden, gathered herbs, caught fish, and performed other daily tasks that Wei Ying used to do with him.Which was nice. Wen Ning had missed Song Lan, along with everyone else from home, and it was nice to have someone familiar nearby. Song Lan was also very reliable and patient, which was a sharp contrast to Xue Yang, who was more liable to throw rocks than to communicate properly.Wen Ning smiled at the child as he accepted the firewood that Song Lan had diligently gathered, careful not to touch Song Lan in the exchange, because he knew how much that bothered him. Song Lan’s face would have looked entirely stoic to those who didn’t know him, but Wen Ning could see the soft gratefulness there.From Wei Ying’s shack, the sounds of chaos could be heard. Both ogres directed their attention to the structure with matching frowns.Wei Ying had finally started to pay Xue Yang some mind, although mostly that meant dragging Xue Yang to the shack with him so he could ‘keep an eye on this stupid punk,’ and then the pair of them would get up to positively explosive chaos together. Wen Ning would freely admit that the combination worried him.He also felt selfish.Wen Ning knew that Xue Yang was a kid and needed attention, and it was a good thing that they were… bonding? He hoped it was bonding, at least. And he was grateful that Song Lan was here during this time as well. But still…Wen Ning couldn’t help but miss all the time he’d spent with Wei Ying while they had been watching their respective young proteges.It was such a selfish thing that Wen Ning couldn’t help but chastise himself for it, but he really wanted to have some time together, just him and Wei Ying. They definitely couldn’t leave the children alone together, though. Xue Yang and Song Lan got along like oil and fire; there might be literal bloodshed by the time they returned. And besides that, Wen Ning had already learned his lesson about leaving a child alone so that he could indulge in……indulge in what exactly?Wen Ning wasn’t sure how to put a name to the weeks spent together with Wei Ying. Only that a part of him wanted it to never end. He couldn’t help it. There was just something about Wei Ying that made him always want to be nearby.Song Lan was nice, a bit of home at his side and a sweet child, but the pleasant silence with Song Lan just didn’t give him the same type of happiness he’d had while listening to Wei Ying talk about anything and everything.He was happy spending time with Song Lan, but it was just… a different type of happiness than the one he felt with Wei Ying. The happiness with Wei Ying was unique, special; Wen Ning had never felt this way around anyone else, and he didn’t know quite the words to explain it. Only that it was addicting and lovely.“Ning-ge.”Song Lan’s sudden tense voice dragged Wen Ning out of his thoughts, and he turned his attention to the woods where Song Lan was staring tensely.Wen Ning didn’t know how he didn’t notice it before. He really must have been lost in his thoughts.Carefully, Wen Ning stood between Song Lan and the woods as he waited for the odd energy to get closer. It was something strong, probably around as strong as Wei Ying, although Wen Ning couldn’t quite feel what it was.He heard the cursing before he saw the approaching figure.“That goddamn asshole–did he make a new ward just for–who the fuck are you?”Wen Ning moved even more protectively in front of Song Lan as he glared at the approaching demon, he could practically feel the animosity sparking off of him like electricity, and he was strong enough to be dangerous. Wen Ning calculated his odds of defeating him while protecting Song Lan and he didn’t like his odds. Someone who was strong enough to break through Wei Ying’s wards without even a scratch–“A-Cheng!” Wei Ying’s voice filled the air before the cursing man’s eyes widened, and he let out another string of curses as Wei Ying all but jumped into his arms. “You didn’t tell me you were coming!”“You–!” The man looked purple in the face and tried to push Wei Ying off of him. Wen Ning felt an instant dislike. Here he was, spending all his time miserably thinking about how nice it would be to have Wei Ying’s attention again, and this person who had Wei Ying’s attention, touch, and affection was trying to push him off ? “Why the hell are there ogres here? What the fuck are you doing?”Wei Ying pouted hugely, letting himself be pried off and grinning back at Wen Ning. “You seriously wouldn’t believe me if I told you– but , I think it’s good news for you!”“...how exactly is this good news for me?” the man asked, glaring dryly at Wei Ying and getting absolutely no reaction. Wen Ning fidgeted in place, chancing a peek at Song Lan to ensure the boy wasn’t scared. He looked more curious than anything.Song Lan hadn’t seen a demon before Wei Ying, so this was only the second time in his life he’d met one. If Song Lan were a tactile child, Wen Ning would have pat his head gently.Xue Yang suddenly burst from what seemed like nowhere and kicked the man hard in the shins. His injuries were healing nicely but he was definitely still a bit too injured to be picking fights with demons. Nevermind that he shouldn’t be doing such things period.“Son of a–” the man cursed, and Xue Yang cackled.“Told you not to come back, old man!” Xue Yang shot back.Wen Ning noted the familiarity and his brain finally caught up to the situation. This was clearly the not-brother that Wei Ying had such a complicated relationship with. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that at all. He still couldn’t help the dislike that emerged seeing Wei Ying hug him like that.He also couldn’t help the way he wished that Wei Ying would hug him instead.“You have perfect timing, a-Cheng!” Wei Ying said, practically skipping to Wen Ning’s side and wrapping an arm around his shoulders that made every nerve in Wen Ning’s body set on fire. “I have some business in town with a-Ning here, and we need a babysitter!”“A what ?!” Jiang Cheng cried out just as a gust of wind surrounded them both and Wen Ning felt his feet leave the ground.“Thanks, a-Cheng!” Wei Ying called out to his cursing not-brother and startled children before turning a wink to Wen Ning. “Ready to go?” He asked in a mischievous whisper that was just for Wen Ning.Wen Ning’s heart just about leapt to his throat. “What about…?”“Don’t worry about it, a-Cheng is great with kids.” Wen Ning moved his arms so that he had one firmly wrapped around Wen Ning’s waist, holding him close. But Wen Ning could feel the magical wind around them and knew that Wei Ying didn’t actually need to hold him like this.He was holding Wen Ning because he wanted to.Wen Ning swallowed thickly and nodded, sending one last worried look to the ground below and the distantly cursing not-brother, and he just felt–He felt special .In all the ways he’d felt sad and insecure watching Wei Ying jump to hug Jiang Cheng, he was feeling secure and happy and like he was right where he belonged to be here in Wei Ying’s arms.It was an intoxicating feeling that he could easily get drunk on.Wei Ying’s eyes were lit with sunlight, and his smile was as bright as the sky around them. As bright as the weightless happiness of being hugged so close to Wei Ying’s warmth.They dropped to the ground just outside of Wei Ying’s wards but still a short walk from the village, Wei Ying keeping an arm wrapped around Wen Ning’s waist even after they touched the ground.Wei Ying’s hand was so firm against his side that it sent sparkling feelings shooting through his heart.“A-Ning.”Wen Ning turned his attention fully onto Wei Ying who was wearing an uncharacteristically serious expression. Something in his heart dipped a bit at the sight, both because he didn’t like it when Wei Ying didn’t look happy but also because he felt a strange sting of I should have known .Wei Ying played at being spontaneous without a care for anything else, but everything he did had meaning. Wen Ning could admit that he didn’t always understand the meaning, but it was clear that Wei Ying wouldn’t do something as dramatic as running away with Wen Ning like that if there wasn’t a reason.It was a silly thing to be disappointed by, but somewhere in Wen Ning’s heart, he’d hoped that the ‘reason’ was simply that Wei Ying wanted to spend time with him just as much as Wen Ning wanted to spend time together.It was a silly feeling that Wen Ning fought down. He could do this.“Yes?”Wei Ying’s grip tightened just a bit as he walked toward the bustle of the village. “Have you thought about what I was looking for when I summoned you?”Wei Ying was avoiding the issue. Something clicked in Wen Ning’s head. Whatever he’d been looking for, Jiang Cheng knew and would have told Wen Ning. Wei Ying wanted to tell him himself.That was actually a bit nice. Wen Ning felt some of the disappointment fade, and he let himself be guided to a candy stall, thinking about whether they should bring some home for Song Lan and Xue Yang.“No,” Wen Ning said truthfully. “I did wonder, but I didn’t have any ideas.”Wei Ying turned a weak smile to him, and the look in Wei Ying’s eyes genuinely caught him off guard. He looked… nervous.“Do you want to know?” Wei Ying asked.Wen Ning hesitated. Somehow, he wasn’t sure anymore. He felt from this interaction that he should know but what if it was something he didn’t want to know? And why had Wei Ying kept it from him all this time?A small weight collided with his leg and Wen Ning looked down to see the smiling face of a-Yuan hugging his thigh. “Hi!” the child greeted, cheerful and adorable.“Hello again.” Wen Ning softened, picking up the boy and looking around the market for the woman from last time. “Did you wander away once more?”The boy gave him a toothy grin and nodded with enthusiasm. Wen Ning turned to look at Wei Ying so he could ask where the child lived and found his face pinched up in conflict before Wei Ying hid it all behind a smile.“You’re gonna worry your jie that way,” Wei Ying teased, pinching the child by the cheeks fondly. “Then she’ll take it out on me, ya know.”A-Yuan giggled, and it was clear they had a good relationship. Why had the woman been so insistent that Wei Ying was a conman last time though?“Wei Ying…” Wen Ning started but Wei Ying turned a strained smile to him and shook his head.“A-Ning.” Wei Ying turned back to the stall, paying for some candy just for a-Yuan. “Do you remember your family?”Wen Ning’s heart raced in his chest and he tried to find words but somehow he just felt breathless.He’d told Wei Ying quite a bit about his childhood but not–not everything. As far as Wei Ying should know, Wen Ning’s earliest memories should be when he was found in that flower field.A-Yuan shrieked with delight when handed his candy, and Wei Ying smiled softly at Wen Ning.“Would you like to meet your sister?”Wen Ning forgot how to breathe.It was lucky that Wei Ying was right there because he might have accidentally dropped a-Yuan if Wei Ying hadn’t been there to scoop the child out of his arms and bounce him there playfully, as though the words he’d just spoken hadn’t been shattering.“How did you…” Wen Ning never told him about the distant memories of a sister.Wei Ying smiled at him and this time Wen Ning realized why the entire thing felt so off.Wei Ying was nervous. Truly nervous. As though there was something that scared him lurking around the corner and that alone was enough to scare Wen Ning, but his words were just so much that Wen Ning couldn’t even think to comfort Wei Ying the way he normally might want to when he saw such a dependable and strong person looking shaken.“She never stopped looking for you, ya know,” Wei Ying began, walking down the street and leaving Wen Ning to follow. “No matter what anyone said, she wouldn’t believe that you were dead. She wouldn’t give up. I admit I wasn’t so optimistic; I thought I’d be bringing home bones for her to bury, not a living person.”Wen Ning struggled to keep up. His mind racing and his heart trembling in his chest.“When you came, I thought I must have messed up somehow. At least at first. Then I thought maybe you were someone who met him and took his name. But no–after checking over and over again–” Wen Ning thought to all the time Wei Ying spent cramped up in the shack. “–you were definitely her brother. Whole and unharmed, just a bit different. Can’t imagine why you changed, I’ve never heard of something like that before, but you’re still you and that’s the important part, yeah?” Wei Ying turned a smile back toward him, and Wen Ning wanted to speak.He wanted to ask why Wei Ying didn’t tell him sooner.He wanted to ask if he was really sure.He wanted to ask why Wei Ying’s smile still looked so sad.He wanted to ask where they were going, but then he heard the sharp voice of the woman from before and Wen Ning’s heart stuttered to a stop.When he compared her to the fuzzy memory of his sister, somehow it all just clicked.She was approaching Wei Ying with a lecture on her lips and ready to take back a-Yuan – Wen Yuan? – and she’d barely noticed him but she was–Brave and smart and confident and protective and everything he remembered in so many little and amazing ways that Wen Ning’s eyes couldn’t help but fill with tears.The word spilled out of his lips without any real intention.“...Jiejie…?”Despite how softly he’d spoken, he managed to grab her attention. She looked confused and annoyed at first; some stranger she’d met once just called her sister in such a childish way, but then her expression turned to concern when she saw the tears already beginning to spill down Wen Ning’s cheeks.Her eyes widened, and she shot a look at Wei Ying; though brief, whatever she saw there confirmed it.She looked back to Wen Ning with impossible emotion brimming in her own expression.In three long strides, she’d reached him and wrapped her arms around him in a crushing hug.It was wordless. Neither of them knew what to say. How to feel. Wen Ning had hardly ever dared to hope he’d see his family– his sister – again, and now she was here, and he could hug her with his own trembling arms.Wen Ning heard some confusion around them but he couldn’t pay it any mind, just held his sister in a hug and knew in his heart this was real.She hadn’t stopped looking for him.That thought alone broke his heart.He’d stopped. Given up. He thought that even if he came back home that no one would want him now that he was an ogre, and he was scared that he’d only ever return to graves.But she looked for him.She made Wei Ying find him.More burning tears seared out of him as Wen Ning let out a muffled sob. “ Jie .”Wen Qing held him tighter, and he remembered just what it was to be held by her. Remembered all the times she’d protected him and fussed over him and cared for him.How could he have met her and not known ? But still–still, he’d known. Just a little. Somehow his heart had known.Through misty eyes, Wen Ning managed to see Wei Ying over her shoulder. He was still holding Wen Yuan, looking so lost but happy, and Wen Ning couldn’t decide if he wanted to get mad at him for keeping this secret or if he just wanted to pull Wei Ying into a hug as well.He opted instead to mouth “thank you” at him. Wei Ying’s eyes widened and softened, smiling sweetly at them both, and that was okay. Good, even.Wen Ning breathed in a shuddering breath and pulled back just enough to give his sister a watery smile. “I’m home,” he said, and watched her face burst into a smile of her own, her regal face blotchy with tears and her lips trembling as though she couldn’t quite believe it.“Welcome home,” Wen Qing said softly, pressing a hand against his face. “I’ve missed you, a-Ning.”Wen Ning really couldn’t ask for anything more.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Wen Ning would be hard-pressed to come up with a more chaotic period in his life.He had just been reunited with his long-lost family, all of whom were always eager to have him over and didn’t even seem to care in the slightest about him being an ogre now. He was responsible for two children who couldn’t get along if their lives depended on it, and their lives very much did depend upon it. He now had a very surly acquaintanceship with a demon who had apparently been trying very hard to propose to his sister for some time now, but Wen Ning really didn’t know how to talk to his potential future brother-in-law, and he really wasn’t sure he wanted to because of the aforementioned surliness. And then there was Wei Ying.Wei Ying wasn’t exactly distant, per se, but he also wasn’t quite the same.It was like Wei Ying had become a lot more clingy overnight, but he was also constantly pushing Wen Ning to spend more time with his family. The push and pull of it all was starting to really confuse him.Wen Ning would be working on the garden when out of nowhere, Wei Ying would wrap his arms around him and hold him ridiculously tight while whining about wanting Wen Ning to do this or that for him. Usually something like “come fishing with me” or “I wanna eat your cooking,” but then the next moment, Wei Ying would be escorting him down the mountain and depositing him with his family before leaving without a word.It was deeply confusing.At the very least, aspects of his life that kept him so busy also helped with other problems. His sister and family were more than happy to help keep an eye on Song Lan and Xue Yang when Wen Ning didn’t have the time, and Jiang Cheng was also willing to offer up his time to help, which was quite a surprise for Wen Ning. When he and Wei Ying had returned from meeting his sister that first time, Jiang Cheng had been covered in scorch marks and had apparently spent most of the day tied up or chasing after the kids— well, mostly after Xue Yang. Song Lan was the one who untied him.How a powerful demon managed to get tied up by a human child was a mystery that Wen Ning still pondered.Luckily, both of the children got along well with a-Yuan, so that helped ease matters too.It reminded Wen Ning a bit of the childhood that he barely remembered, but also a lot of the years spent in the ogre village. Often when Nie Mingjue was busy, other villagers stepped in and helped to care for Wen Ning and Nie Huaisang. The community was more like a family to him than neighbors. He still missed them dearly.That was another problem that was troubling Wen Ning. How and when could he return home? If nothing else, he needed to find a way to let them know what had happened to Song Lan and that he was safe. But he also missed them.A part of him wished they could all just be here and happy. Another part of him winced, knowing that there was a hatred and fear toward humans in the village. He didn’t know how or if his two families could ever connect, and that hurt.It was just a lot.Wen Ning had dropped off the boys with his sister already, spotting Jiang Cheng on his way over just as he left. He wondered just how often Jiang Cheng came over to his sister’s with the excuse of ‘helping to babysit’. From the embarrassed look on Jiang Cheng’s face as they passed each other, probably fairly often.Wen Qing hadn’t told him if she felt anything for Jiang Cheng, and he hadn’t actually seen them together all that often. But he also knew that his sister was a firm person. If she didn’t want Jiang Cheng to be there, he wouldn’t be allowed to come at all.He ought to ask her about that when he had the time. Mostly when they’d talked, they’d just spent time filling the void of years by talking about all the things they had done and seen. Talking about family, about how they missed each other, about what they lost and what they wanted in the future. But things like interpersonal romantic relationships had hardly come up.A flush came to Wen Ning’s cheeks as his thoughts immediately drifted to Wei Ying when he thought about ‘romance’.He tried to shake it off; it would be rude to place Wei Ying in some category of romantic hopes. That wasn’t their relationship…Wen Ning’s shoulders slumped, and something painful stabbed in the chest at the thought.Which hardly made any sense. He knew that they weren’t in a romantic relationship. That much was clear. And he certainly knew that Wei Ying wasn’t the sort of person who would ever look at him like that. And Wen Ning…Wen Ning’s eyes widened and his steps stuttered to a halt. He’d only made it about halfway up the mountain but he hardly thought he could make another step with how startling the realization was. Heat flooded to his cheeks, and his heart throbbed in his chest; he wondered just how he’d missed it before.
I’m in love with Wei Ying.
How had it happened? When? It felt like each day his heart had longed more and more to be closer to Wei Ying, and now– now the thought of being separated was so painful.It occurred to Wen Ning for the first time that it was strange that he continued to live on the mountain with Wei Ying. When his family had welcomed him back with open arms, they’d offered him a room to stay in but he’d politely declined. At the time, he’d said that he needed to take care of Song Lan and, by extension, Xue Yang, but……but hadn’t he just left them down there so that he could go back up to spend time with Wei Ying alone?Wen Ning buried his face in his hands, embarrassment overtaking him completely. His sister had given him such a look when he’d made his choice, but he’d just thought she was disappointed. She had to know . Oh no, this was so embarrassing.Wen Ning nearly wanted to cry.When he thought of his excuse for leaving the boys today, he felt even more shame creep up his neck. He’d told them that he needed to catch fish with Wei Ying .That was an activity that he could have absolutely included them in. But he hadn’t wanted to because he wanted to be alone with Wei Ying and to see him wet, with his robes rolled up and–
Oh no, I’m a pervert!
Wen Ning really was going to cry now. He’d justified it to himself that Wei Ying had been saying he wanted to, but it was really only because he liked the way it felt when Wei Ying would stand behind him and guide him to catch a fish with his back pressed up against–
I need to apologize to Wei Ying. I’m the worst.
The absolute worst part was he didn’t want to apologize. What he wanted to do was continue climbing the mountain, crawl into Wei Ying’s arms, and beg him never to let him go.It was such a shameful thing.“A-Ning?”Oh no, oh no , Wen Ning flinched at the sound of Wei Ying’s familiar voice, and he wanted to die a little bit when he heard Wei Ying approaching and felt his entire body tingle with the anticipation of being touched.“Are you okay? Did something happen?” Wei Ying’s voice was tinged with worry and Wen Ning could feel his fingers hovering just over his shoulder.
Touch me, please touch me.
Not trusting his voice to say anything sane or acceptable, Wen Ning just shook his head and buried his face further into his hands.“A-Ning.” Wei Ying’s voice had a mischievous lilt to it that made pleasant shivers crawl up his spine. “Are you embarrassed?”How was it that Wei Ying could read him so well?Wei Ying’s fingers grazed softly against his shoulder, crawling toward his neck and making Wen Ning go slightly insane.“What happened? Who made you feel like this?” There was something sharp in the corners of Wei Ying’s mischief, something protective, and it made Wen Ning’s heart do all sorts of funny things. Especially with how Wei Ying’s fingers were crawling up his neck playfully.Wen Ning shook his head again. He really was going to cry if Wei Ying kept this up. Cry and admit that he was a terrible person who had been looking at Wei Ying lustfully when all Wei Ying had ever been was a dear friend to him.Wei Ying’s second hand wrapped possessively around his waist and pulled him in close. Drawing a gasp from Wen Ning and causing his entire ability to think to simply disappear into nothing. Now, there was nothing but the warmth of Wei Ying’s body pressed up against his own. “A-Ning. I won’t know what’s wrong if you don’t tell me.”“I’m a bad person,” Wen Ning confessed, his voice wobbling with his own rapid heartbeat. His hands trembled against his hidden face.“Who told you that?” Wei Ying’s voice was sharper this time, definitely dangerous. Wen Ning tried not to think about how much he liked that. The idea that Wei Ying wanted to protect him. Oh goodness, he was an even worse person than he thought.Wen Ning shook his head again, but this time the gesture was so close to Wei Ying that he could feel Wei Ying’s cheek against his knuckles. Just how close were they? Wen Ning dreaded peeking past his own fingers to find out.He might really have a heart-attack.“A-Ning. C’mon, please look at me. What’s wrong?” Wei Ying was so cute when he pleaded. Wen Ning was going to die. Definitely going to die. Why did Wei Ying have to be so cute?He peeked from behind two fingers and saw Wei Ying’s beautiful silver eyes focused so entirely on him. Like he was the only thing in the world that mattered. It was enough to make Wen Ning’s eyes sting with unshed tears.
I want him to look at me like that forever.
He was so selfish. He just wanted to have Wei Ying’s attention all to himself, and he was even willing to inconvenience other people to get it. It wasn’t like Wei Ying even wanted him back. Oh, he was such an awful person.“A-Ning,” Wei Ying said, gently crawling his fingers up to Wen Ning’s hand and lacing his fingers through Wen Ning’s, tugging gently to reveal Wen Ning’s hidden face. His other hand stayed tightly secured around Wen Ning’s waist. There was something just so painfully soft in his eyes. “Please.”Wen Ning swallowed thickly. It wasn’t fair to Wei Ying not to just tell him. Wei Ying certainly wouldn’t be holding him so close and so preciously if he knew all of the indecent thoughts that Wen Ning was having. It was like lying to him not to tell him when Wen Ning was getting so much from just this touch that Wei Ying wasn’t feeling.Wei Ying had been such a precious and kind person. Someone who reunited him with his family. Who took care of him and spent time with him. Someone who let him do whatever he wanted and treated him so sweetly. It wasn’t fair to lie to him like this.“I… I’m a bad person,” Wen Ning repeated, completely unable to think of a better way to explain the situation.Wei Ying’s brow knit together in confusion, and he gave Wen Ning’s hand a gently encouraging squeeze. “Yeah? Why is that?”“I… I didn’t leave a-Yang and a-Lan with Jie so that we could go fishing.” Wen Ning said; the confession made him scared, and he closed his eyes.Wei Ying caressed their joined hands with his thumb. “Why then?” he asked. Wen Ning, despite all of his ability to read emotion, couldn’t tell what Wei Ying was feeling.It was scary.He realized what he was really scared of. He didn’t want to be rejected. He didn’t want to lose what they had together. He didn’t want Wei Ying to ever let him go.“I did it because… because I wanted…” Wen Ning fought back tears again, he could do this. He needed to be honest. If Wei Ying rejected him, that was all the more reason he needed to come clean. “I wanted to spend time together. Just us.”Wei Ying’s body stiffened so much that Wen Ning’s fear doubled. His heart sank fearfully and he just couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes.What if Wei Ying was disgusted with him?What if the reason Wei Ying always tried to make him spend more time with his family was because he was sick of him?“Yeah?” Wei Ying’s voice was unreadable, and Wen Ning realized it was his own fear. He couldn’t even begin to see other people's emotions beyond his terror. “Why does that make you bad?” Something soft and firm wrapped around Wen Ning’s back, and he realized that it was Wei Ying’s tail.Something to hold him impossibly closer to Wei Ying.That realization gave him the courage to open his eyes, and his breath caught when he saw Wei Ying’s face.His cheeks were pink, his eyes were dark with something– wanting –and his lips were so impossibly close.“B… because I want…” Wen Ning definitely didn’t know how to breathe, much less how to speak with Wei Ying looking at him like that.“You want?” Wei Ying encouraged, pressing his forehead against Wen Ning’s and licking his lips hungrily. Wen Ning thought he might really be eaten for a moment.“I want… to… be with you?” Wen Ning’s face was burning, and he could swear that Wei Ying was having fun at his expense. Wei Ying was really quite mischievous and absolutely shameless sometimes.“I don’t see what’s wrong with that,” Wei Ying said playfully, trailing one hand up Wen Ning’s spine in a way that hand Wen Ning’s knees going weak. “How could that make you a bad person?”“It’s… selfish. And you…” don’t want me died on Wen Ning’s tongue. It felt like an impossible statement to make when Wei Ying was looking at him like that. He was losing his mind. Wen Ning’s thoughts stuttered, and his heart throbbed and something like hope curled up inside of him. “Do you… do you want me?”He needed to hear it. He absolutely couldn’t believe it unless he heard the words from Wei Ying. Or at least, that’s what he thought.But instead of answering, Wei Ying swooped in and claimed his lips in a powerful and possessive kiss, pushing past his lips, swallowing Wen Ning’s gasp of surprise, and eagerly tasting him with an enthusiasm that was impossible to fake.Wen Ning felt faint.Wei Ying wanted him. Really wanted him.An embarrassing mewl pearled from between Wen Ning’s lips, and Wei Ying ate that up too, holding him so close that all he could feel was Wei Ying’s body pressed up against his own and oh , Wei Ying really wanted him.Wen Ning was absolutely drunk on the feeling. On the thought. His heart throbbed in his chest, and he wanted to scream with emotion that was over-taking him and–
It felt so good.
The way that Wei Ying was tasting him, nipping at his lips, and claiming his mouth– Wen Ning was dizzy when Wei Ying pulled away, heart slamming in his chest and his eyes locked on Wei Ying’s own.Desire, affection, longing, happiness– it was so easy to see it all in Wei Ying’s eyes now that his heart wasn’t clouded with fear.It was an addicting expression. Wen Ning wanted to have Wei Ying look at him like that forever.It was also really embarrassing.Wen Ning let out a pathetic sound and buried his face in the crook of Wei Ying’s neck, feeling Wei Ying laugh playfully while holding him so impossibly close.“What’s wrong, a-Ning?” Wei Ying teased, nuzzling against the top of Wen Ning’s head and brushing against his sensitive horns in a way that really did make Wen Ning’s knees quake.Oh goodness, this was too much.“Thank you,” Wen Ning squeaked out, but that only made Wei Ying laugh again, squeezing Wen Ning’s hand gently.“What’s there to thank me about?” Wei Ying nuzzled against him, kissing his hair in a way that enabled Wen Ning to feel the curve of his smile. “Thank you for getting the brats out of our hair so we can have an afternoon together~”“A-Lan is not a brat,” Wen Ning argued back, and Wei Ying’s body shook with a laugh.“Not going to defend poor Yangyang, I see,” Wei Ying teased, and then he kissed one of Wen Ning’s horns .The sound that Wen Ning made in response was absolutely shameful.“I thought you might like that,” Wei Ying said smugly. Wen Ning lifted up his face to look at Wei Ying, because the mischief in his voice meant it was only going to get worse.“You’re awful.” Wen Ning could hear the pout in his own voice. Wei Ying simply liked to tease him way too much and it simply wasn’t fair how easy it was to get him flustered. The problem was that Wen Ning really didn’t mind that much. Especially when Wei Ying was looking at him like that.“Am I? Do you still want me even if I’m awful?” Wei Ying said, playfully loosening his grip.Wen Ning took the initiative and dragged Wei Ying into another kiss as his answer.
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In the days that followed their confessions, Wei Ying and Wen Ning spent every moment they could touching, tasting, learning.Hungry kisses and fervent touches stole Wen Ning’s breath away, and his heart swelled with incomparable happiness in those moments of sweet words and sweeter kisses.It was a bit like a game.Wei Ying would pull him away from his work and press him against a tree with those sweet lips and his sweeter smile. Another day, he’d hug Wen Ning from behind and kiss a line up his neck while he was cooking and the children could be heard elsewhere. At other times, he’d pick Wen Ning up and dance with him on the wind, never bemoaning Wen Ning's clumsy feet. A moment of sudden affection might come when Wen Ning wasn’t quite expecting, moments before Wei Ying admitted a quiet confession whispered just for Wen Ning’s ears alone.Sometimes they were small or silly. Words like “I love the way your smile tastes” or “you’re my favorite experiment.” Sometimes they were intense and lustful, “I want to feel inside of you” and “when you make that sound, it’s hard to control myself.” And sometimes, they were snippets of a conversation that they had yet to commit to, “I was scared you’d leave but I knew I had to let you go.” Wei Ying’s smiles were enigmatic, and he always seemed to act on impulse, but there was still so much of him that he kept to himself. Wen Ning craved it when he heard those words. When he could know, for a moment, that Wei Ying truly wanted to share those words with him.It made him feel special in a way that was undefined but addictive.It was such a happiness that Wen Ning couldn’t dream of asking for more.Still, there was something just a bit more that Wen Ning couldn’t help but ache for.The way that Wei Ying’s touch sometimes lingered on his lower back. The way that he could feel how much Wei Ying wanted him pressed up against him. The way Wei Ying’s eyes raked over his body, dark with an emotion that threatened to consume him.Wen Ning wanted and wanted, but he didn’t dare ask for more than Wei Ying was willing to give him. Everything already felt too miraculous for words, and he was quite happy. It was just–Wen Ning’s own voice woke him up, an unfamiliar moan pearled from his own lips that jolted him awake. Before he even opened his eyes, he felt the weight above him that caged him in and the familiar smell of the man he loved just inches away.Wen Ning opened his eyes slowly, heart pounding in his chest as he saw the look on Wei Ying’s face.“...what…?” Wen Ning asked, unsure just how this situation came to be.“Couldn’t sleep,” Wei Ying said, perhaps a bit too fast, his forehead resting against Wen Ning’s. “So I wanted to look at you.”“Oh,” Wen Ning said, a slow and sleepy smile taking over his face. He spread out his arms warmly, invitingly, before he spoke. “Sleep with me?”Wen Ning didn’t think too much about his words. He wasn’t quite thinking. He was still only half awake and a part of him wondered if it was another dream, like the times Wei Ying came to him in the form of a fox and asked for help sleeping. He still didn’t actually know if those were dreams or not, but Wei Ying never mentioned them during the day so he assumed.Wei Ying let out a choked sound and hid his face in the base of Wen Ning’s throat, his lips pressed against his pulse in a frustrated kiss. “You have no idea what you do to me,” Wei Ying practically growled. It was unusual to see Wei Ying look so frustrated. He was such a free spirit. When he even had the thought of wanting to do something, he simply did it. The idea that he was restraining himself for any reason was new and oddly endearing.Wen Ning hugged him gently as he woke up more, the feel of Wei Ying’s lips was so real, as was the weight of his body.Wen Ning’s brow furrowed. “...why’d I make a sound?” If Wei Ying had just been looking at him, how had he woken up at all?“I kissed you,” Wei Ying confessed, his voice rumbling nicely against Wen Ning’s skin and his teeth grazing there with the threat to bite. “I looked at you and I couldn’t help it.”“Oh. That’s okay then,” Wen Ning said, feeling light and happy. The idea that Wei Ying wanted to kiss him that badly, even in the middle of the night, was precious. He wanted to hold onto it. Maybe he could be allowed to do the same to Wei Ying on some nights? That sounded really nice actually. To just kiss each other whenever.Wei Ying let out a wretched sound that was somewhere between a moan and a growl. “When you say things like that, you make it sound like you’d accept anything I do to you.”“I would,” Wen Ning answered unthinkingly. He blinked in surprise at his own words. They were true, definitely true, no matter what Wei Ying chose to do, Wen Ning couldn’t imagine any opposition inside of himself. Still, it was quite a heavy thing to realize. The implication burst off of Wen Ning’s tongue as well. “I trust you.”This time Wei Ying made a sound that was practically a whimper. His teeth sank just the tiniest bit into the sensitive base of Wen Ning’s neck and it felt good and scary, and Wen Ning swallowed a strangled sound in response.“How am I supposed to control myself when you say shit like that?” Wei Ying licked the bite mark gently, and it sent shivers all along Wen Ning’s spine. He wanted Wei Ying to bite him more. To bite him everywhere.“Have I ever asked you to control yourself?” Wen Ning asked, his voice trembling with need.Perhaps those were the magic words to satisfy whatever question was torturing Wei Ying, because instead of groaning again, he stole Wen Ning’s lips in a powerful kiss, pressing him down to the bed and devouring his mouth as though he meant to eat Wen Ning whole.It was too much. It wasn’t enough. Wen Ning let out a whimper when Wei Ying rocked their hips together; he felt Wei Ying’s desire press up against his own, only clothes separating them.“ A-Ning ,” Wei Ying said his name reverently, like he was something precious, something to be held onto, something he loved. He trailed scorching kisses from Wen Ning’s lips down his neck where he bit down again, right where the first mark still ached.Wen Ning let out a yelp, his hands flying to Wei Ying’s head to– hold him there? Pull him away?– He didn’t know, he just held on for dear life as Wei Ying trailed biting kisses lower and lower, peeling away Wen Ning’s sleeping robe, devouring his newly exposed chest, and finally reaching one dark nipple.Wen Ning’s spine arched in surprise and need as Wei Ying’s tongue circled the sensitive nub.“ Ah …!” Wen Ning was pulling Wei Ying’s hair now, and he hadn’t even realized it. He forced himself to let go, but Wei Ying only teased his nipple more in response. One of Wei Ying’s hands slid inside of the folds of Wen Ning’s robes and went lower and lower until Wen Ning had to stifle a scream because Wei Ying touched him there .Wen Ning felt Wei Ying smiling against his skin, trailing more biting kisses along his chest.“Don’t hold it in,” Wei Ying chastised, trailing more kisses across his sternum. “I want to hear your voice.”“B… but…” Wen Ning tried to remember exactly why it wasn’t a good idea for him to be loud in the middle of the night, but he couldn’t come up with any reason. Not with Wei Ying’s hand lazily caressing his cock and Wei Ying’s bright eyes pinning him down like that.As though he couldn’t help himself, Wei Ying moved up to claim Wen Ning’s lips in another searing kiss, this one swallowing all of Wen Ning’s desperate moans as his skilled hand continued to work his aching cock teasingly.Wen Ning could cry. It felt so good, but Wei Ying was clearly just teasing him, and he wanted more . He wanted so much more. He wanted to make Wei Ying feel good too. He wanted them to feel good together. He wanted .Wei Ying pulled away from the kiss, and Wen Ning could not help but try to chase it, letting out a miserable little whimper when Wei Ying was too high for him to reach easily. Wei Ying smiled down at him. “You’re so cute, a-Ning,” he said, kissing Wen Ning on the nose.“P… please,” Wen Ning moaned. He didn’t even quite know what he was asking for, but he hoped that Wei Ying would know. Wei Ying always looked like he knew what to do.“So sweet.” Wei Ying moved up, kissing the base of Wen Ning’s horn and making him let out another broken moan in response. “My a-Ning.” Wei Ying licked a strip up his horn, and Wen Ning’s back arched again, this time because he was close to cumming with just that.He couldn’t come yet. He wanted– he wanted to feel Wei Ying. He wanted them to be pleasured together .Unaware of his struggles, Wei Ying nipped at Wen Ning’s horn and tightened his grip on his cock, and Wen Ning screamed with pleasure as he hit his climax, Wei Ying grinning against his horn.Tears burned the corners of Wen Ning’s eyes and he sniffled, causing Wei Ying to look back at him; his pleased expression collapsed into concern. “A-Ning?”“I… I didn’t make you feel good,” Wen Ning whimpered miserably, barely fighting back tears. “I wanted– I want –”Wei Ying kissed him again, swallowing the words and making him feel so much better now that he could feel the reassuring pressure against him, his heart hammering in his throat as Wei Ying pressed down against him.“A-Ning,” Wei Ying said teasingly, nipping at his bottom lip. “Who said that we were done?”Wen Ning blinked away tears and made a sound of quiet confusion before he felt Wei Ying’s fingers move away from his cock, down further to press against– “ Ah –!” Wen Ning felt something slimy on Wei Ying’s finger, pressing impatiently inside of him while Wei Ying smiled against his lips.It felt strange. It felt good. It made him want to scream.Wei Ying ate his screams in another kiss, pressing his finger deeper inside, and of course Wei Ying would have a plan. Wen Ning felt a bit silly for doubting him now. Wei Ying was a happy hedonist, and it was one of the things that Wen Ning couldn’t help but love about him.Wei Ying trailed more bites along the unmarked side of his neck as he pressed in a second finger and now– now Wen Ning felt the stretch .“Wa–wait, I don’t–” Wen Ning wasn’t sure how to feel about it, it didn’t really hurt, but it was just a lot and his heart was throbbing in his chest as he tried to find the words.“Shh, it’s okay,” Wei Ying said comfortingly against his pulse, licking another fresh bite that made Wen Ning keen with pleasure. He pressed his second finger deeper inside. “It’ll feel better soon.”Wen Ning swallowed. He trusted Wei Ying wholly and completely, and it really didn’t feel bad or anything. “O… okay.” Wen Ning barely managed to say that much before a feeling like no other wracked his body, and he let out another strangled scream.Wei Ying was touching him somewhere inside, and it was– it was so much, too much, everything, and so unbelievably good. Wei Ying bit his nipple softly in the moment, letting Wen Ning breathe, the sensation electrifying him. And then Wei Ying pressed that place inside again , this time harder, and Wen Ning thought he’d die.“Good, you’re being so good for me.” Wei Ying said sweetly. “You’re such a good boy.”The praise coiled up inside of Wen Ning and made him feel so good, maybe even better than that spot that Wei Ying pressed again. It made him feel perfect, precious, loved. Wen Ning clenched around Wei Ying’s fingers and realized belatedly that he was close to coming again, and he didn’t even remember getting hard.“Perfect. My a-Ning, so good for me.” Wei Ying trailed loving kisses closer to his cock, and Wen Ning could practically feel Wei Ying’s breath against his cock as he pushed in a third finger.Wen Ning was going to lose his mind.Wei Ying kissed the tip of his cock, licking it playfully as he abused that sensitive spot inside of him with all three fingers. Impatiently tasting Wen Ning’s precum and pushing him further and further.Wen Ning was going to cry.“Please, please –”“Please what, a-Ning?” Wei Ying asked playfully, looking up at him with those dark eyes full of desire, and there was just nothing more important than Wei Ying in that moment. Wen Ning wanted to have this with him forever. “You have to tell me what you want.”“Inside me–” Wen Ning practically sobbed. “I need you inside of me– please .”As if to cruelly mock him for his sincere pleas, Wen Ning was suddenly so empty inside. Wei Ying’s fingers were nowhere, his heart throbbed painfully in his chest, and he couldn’t see anything past his own unshed tears.“Good boy.” Wei Ying’s voice calmed his flayed nerves, and Wen Ning blinked away the tears as he felt Wei Ying position his legs over his shoulders. “You’re so good for me, a-Ning.”Something hard and blunt was pressing against his rim, and Wen Ning didn’t have the time to wonder what it was before Wei Ying pressed completely inside of him in one smooth motion, groaning with pleasure and looking down at Wen Ning with a raw desire that left him breathless.He was so full . Wei Ying’s cock was so much bigger than his fingers, and the stretch of it was nearly painful, but also so good. Wen Ning could nearly sob in relief that he was finally giving Wei Ying pleasure the way that he had been pleasured. He wanted to be good; he wanted to make Wei Ying feel good; he wanted to be filled with– “Ah–!” Wen Ning arched his back as Wei Ying pulled nearly out of him before thrusting quickly back inside, hitting that same sensitive spot as before, but this time with more strength and more –. Wen Ning couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think; his entire world faded away into pleasure as Wei Ying fucked into him at a ruthless pace that didn’t give him time to adjust.It was just at the edge of pain, but much like how the bites had been painful, every ache was soon followed up by so much pleasure that Wen Ning didn’t mind at all. He just wanted to feel it unceasingly forever. He wanted Wei Ying to keep going. He wanted more . He’d become so selfish, and he couldn't help the way he wept and begged Wei Ying to give him more, and Wei Ying always gave him what he wanted.Wei Ying’s own voice was thick with pleasure. Sweet words trickled out of him as easy as breathing. Telling Wen Ning over and over just how good he was, how precious, how perfect, and Wen Ning really did cry, overwhelmed by it all.Wei Ying folded him nearly in half to lean in and kiss his tears away, and Wen Ning took the chance to steal a kiss himself, nipping desirously at Wei Ying’s bottom lip.“Love you,” Wen Ning couldn’t help but whimper into his lips, and he saw the moment that Wei Ying’s eyes widened. His cock swelled inside of Wen Ning and his pace became all the more brutal. Wei Ying’s hips snapped up with enough force to send Wen Ning’s body up the length of the bed.“I’m gonna–I’m gonna– ahhh–! ” Wen Ning tried to warn Wei Ying before he came again, but he barely managed that much before he was cumming, but Wei Ying was still thrusting into him with such desire. His world spun around him as the overstimulation hit, and he squirmed beneath Wei Ying’s weight.Wei Ying’s thrusts stuttered erratically, and he dragged Wen Ning into a burning kiss as he buried himself deep inside and released his spend.The heat spreading inside of him had Wen Ning whimpering against Wei Ying’s lips, and he couldn’t think or breathe. He needed to kiss Wei Ying in order to live, and he needed the way that Wei Ying’s arms wrapped possessively around him as though he were the most important thing in the world.“Me too,” Wei Ying said softly against his lips. “My a-Ning.”Something Wen Ning didn’t know he even needed uncoiled happily in his chest, and he wrapped his arms around Wei Ying and cuddled against his warmth while they both caught their breath, still connected with Wei Ying’s softening cock inside of him.It was only when they were lying side by side with Wen Ning’s head pillowed comfortably on Wei Ying’s chest that he realized why he shouldn’t have been so loud. His eyes widened.“The kids!”“Are in the village,” Wei Ying chuckled, kissing the base of his horns in a way that sent shivers up his spine. “I got rid of them before I went to you.”Wen Ning’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as he peaked up at Wei Ying’s mischievous grin. Perhaps the evening wasn’t nearly as spontaneous as it seemed…That wasn’t a terrible problem though. Wen Ning could admit that he quite liked how cunning Wei Ying could be.“And since they won’t be back until morning…” Wei Ying said, licking Wen Ning’s horn suggestively, “I still have plenty I would love to do with you, a-Ning.”Ah, his beloved was a cunning fox indeed.Wen Ning giggled.
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Wen Ning’s life was an ever-changing landscape, but he found that he couldn’t actually hate the changes.He had hated being separated from his family when he was a child, but he had sincerely loved his new family in the ogre village.He’d been apprehensive about his unexpected summoning to Wei Ying’s side, but he now adored every moment they spent together.He didn’t quite know how to feel about his guardianship of Xue Yang and Song Lan, but for all that the pair of them fought, they were ultimately good children who deserved time and affection– something Wei Ying was getting better at giving them, too.He hadn’t expected to meet his birth family again, but being able to hug his sister and meet his baby cousin and spend time with all of his uncles and aunts and extended family was one of the happiest aspects of his new life.His life was ever-evolving and ever-changing at a dizzying pace, but he was realizing more and more that he sort of liked it.So when Wei Ying woke him up eagerly with news of a “surprise just for you, a-Ning. Close your eyes~” he was a bit apprehensive, but he dutifully closed his eyes and felt Wei Ying kiss him softly before tugging him in the direction of his shack.Wei Ying had been spending the past two weeks working on something in there. Sometimes he let Xue Yang work with him, and sometimes he was there alone, but Wen Ning was aware that his beloved was definitely up to something.A tiny hand took Wen Ning’s empty one, and he had to resist opening his eyes when he felt Xue Yang begin to pull him too. He nearly stumbled, and he heard Song Lan chide Xue Yang for being thoughtless.The pair predictably began to bicker, and Wen Ning couldn’t help but chuckle. These people were so beloved.He honestly couldn’t think of a single way that his life could be better.“Open your eyes, a-Ning!” Wei Ying said eagerly, hugging him from behind and resting his head against his shoulder.Wen Ning did so and stared in confusion at a large rock placed near Wei Ying’s shack. It was new; there certainly hadn’t been a boulder there yesterday, and the rock was covered in all sorts of symbols that he really didn’t understand.Wei Ying giggled, apparently delighted by Wen Ning’s confusion, and kissed his cheek. “Touch it,” he encouraged, practically giddy with excitement. Wen Ning noticed that the children weren’t bickering anymore either, peering out from behind them to look at the strange rock, too.Wen Ning reached out, touched the cool surface of the boulder, and felt a familiar dizzying feeling sweep over him. He took a startled step back and watched with wide eyes as the symbols glowed and he could faintly smell the familiar scent of–“...home.” Wen Ning said, shocked to his core.Wei Ying giggled happily and nodded against him while Song Lan made a surprised gasp. Wen Ning looked down at him and saw he’d recognized the smell too, his eyes locked on the boulder as though it held all of life’s secrets.“Yep!” Wei Ying announced, letting go of Wen Ning so he could stand by the boulder and pat it proudly. “If you touch it for ten seconds, you will find yourself back in the ogre village! Home, safe and sound!”Song Lan let out a strangled sound that very much vocalized some of what Wen Ning was feeling.But… his brows furrowed and he looked at Wei Ying, worry and pain at the idea of having to choose only one family filled him. He couldn’t leave Wei Ying, his sister, or his family here, but he also couldn’t imagine never returning home to his brothers. Never seeing any of his beloved family in the village again.Wei Ying smiled softly and reached out to caress Wen Ning’s cheek. He opened his lips to say something, but the sound was interrupted by Xue Yang making a frustrated growl.“You bastard!” Xue Yang kicked Wei Ying sharply in the shins and got a yelp from the powerful demon. Wen Ning looked down at the child in surprise and was even more shocked to see that Xue Yang’s eyes looked watery. “Fuck you!”And the child was off like a bullet into the treeline. Not allowing anyone a moment to reply. Wei Ying winced. “Damn, that brat hits hard. What the heck is wrong with him?”Song Lan shifted uneasily, his eyes moving from the boulder to the treeline, and Wen Ning understood the conflict in the boy’s eyes, though he was surprised to see that Song Lan felt it too. He would have thought the boy was eager to go home and never see Xue Yang again. Certainly he hadn’t expected Song Lan to worry about where Xue Yang might have gone or why he was upset.Wei Ying noticed his unease and chuckled. “It’s not going anywhere.”Song Lan sent one more conflicted glance to the boulder before he headed into the woods after Xue Yang, a bit faster than Wen Ning would have expected. Wei Ying snorted and shook his head.Wei Ying turned back to Wen Ning and smiled sweetly at him. “I wouldn’t make you choose, a-Ning. The portal goes both ways, and it’ll remain open for as long as you want it to.”Wen Ning didn’t know it was possible to love this wonderful person more than he already did. He pulled Wei Ying into a kiss, gentle and sweet and happy while he nearly cried just knowing that he could have it all and Wei Ying would help him.It was the most secure happiness he’d ever felt.Wen Ning pulled away before long though, despite Wei Ying’s pout, and gestured to the trees. “Let’s find out why a-Yang is upset.”Wei Ying rolled his eyes. “When is Yangyang not upset?” Despite his words, Wen Ning could tell he was a bit worried as well. Holding hands, they headed off together.It didn’t take long to find the boys. The pair were already fighting again. Though it was an odd fight.“Leave me alone, you stupid gross ogre! I don’t wanna see you ever again!”Considering Xue Yang’s normally creative ability to come up with both insults and threats that bordered on obscene, hearing him say something as tame as ‘stupid gross ogre’ was actually more of a cause for concern than anything else.“No.” At least Song Lan was predictably short with his words, although it was odd that he was refusing. Normally when Xue Yang insulted him and told him to go away, Song Lan was more than happy to storm off.Wen Ning’s brows knitted in concern when he saw that Xue Yang had managed to climb up a tree and was throwing whatever he could down at poor Song Lan. Song Lan currently had an unspecified fruit impaled on his horn, which had to be painful and uncomfortable for Song Lan in particular. It really was a wonder Song Lan hadn’t left Xue Yang to his fit.“A-Yang,” Wen Ning said, arriving at the base of the tree next to Song Lan, making the younger ogre jolt in surprise. Odd that he hadn’t even heard their approach.Xue Yang threw something at Wen Ning’s head, but Wei Ying caught it deftly, eyeing the sullen child for a moment before hopping up the tree with ease. He quickly captured a squawking, enraged Xue Yang in his arms and carried him down.“What’s wrong?” Wen Ning asked when Xue Yang struggled out of Wei Ying’s arms and looked ready to run again.Xue Yang glared at him, and oh, his eyes were red and puffy; he’d definitely been crying. Wen Ning wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Xue Yang cry, even when he’d been so terribly injured after the summoning incident. It was a bit alarming actually.“If you’re going to leave, just leave!” Xue Yang kicked out a leg but didn’t actually hit Wen Ning. “I don’t need either of you and–” Xue Yang’s voice broke, and oh , it clicked.Wen Ning knelt down in front of the child and pulled him into a hug. “I’m not leaving, a-Yang.”Xue Yang tensed in his arms and seemed for a moment like he might struggle away again.“I’m going to visit home but I’d never leave you. I love being here. This place is home to me now.” Wen Ning continued, feeling as Xue Yang’s tension evolved into trembling, and the boy sank into his arms.It was a bit surprising for Wen Ning. He hadn’t realized that Xue Yang was attached to him at all. The child was still always so grumpy and bratty and troublesome, so realizing that his presence meant something to the child had his heart aching.“...what about Song Lan?” Xue Yang asked after a long silence, his face hidden in Wen Ning’s shoulders.“Ah.” Wen Ning looked to Wei Ying thoughtfully, as they’d never actually explained the tangled souls issue to the children. Only that they had to stay together for the time being, something that Xue Yang tried to avoid, but Song Lan generally obeyed reluctantly. In Wen Ning’s eagerness to go home, he’d forgotten that Song Lan couldn’t go anywhere without Xue Yang.Wei Ying shared his thoughtful expression, but it was, surprisingly, Song Lan who answered.“I will visit,” he said stiffly, not looking at anyone. “I need to go home to my grandfather, but if I can come back, I will.”Some invisible tension faded out of Xue Yang’s shoulders, but Wen Ning was surely the only one who could notice it while he was holding the boy. Huh, that was surprising to know too. Xue Yang was terribly dishonest about how much he cared about people; that was perhaps something that they should work on.“I think,” Wen Ning said gently, picking up a squawking Xue Yang and smiling at the other two. “We should go home and have something to eat while we discuss things.”They’d need a way for Xue Yang to safely visit the ogre village or a way that the pair of them could be separated without risking either of their lives. They could obviously be a distance from one another without risk, but from here to the ogre village was definitely too far. They’d also need to explain the soul issue to the boys and maybe explain to Xue Yang that throwing things is not an appropriate method of communication. Again.The child disentangled himself from Wen Ning’s arms and walked ahead in a huff, Song Lan following shortly after and leaving Wen Ning with a thoughtful optimism for the future.Wen Ning smiled to himself, leaning his head against Wei Ying’s shoulder as they walked back home and thought about all of the wonderful things that the future held.“I’ll have to introduce you to my family,” Wen Ning said, a touch of mischief in his tone.“Ah? I’ve met them,” Wei Ying replied, wrapping an arm over his shoulder. The boys were having a very strange not-conversation a few paces ahead of them.“No, my Mingjue-ge and a-Sang.” Wen Ning’s smile only grew, and he felt a touch giddy at the thought. He’d been nervous for a long time about how he would face them when they met again. What he would say. How he would apologize for disappearing. How he’d explain what he really was. But somehow with Wei Ying at his side like this he couldn’t help but think that it would all be okay.Couldn’t help but think about how Nie Mingjue wouldn’t like Wei Ying one bit but would begrudgingly approve when he realized how well Wen Ning was treated. How Nie Huaisang would surely tease them both and how the whole village might be curious to meet a fox demon. He nuzzled against Wei Ying and thought about a future where his family was even bigger and his world was full of his loved ones.“Huh…” Wei Ying said. “Do ya think they’ll like me?” There wasn’t actually anything nervous about Wei Ying’s tone, he was far too shameless for anything like that, but he did sound just a touch off-balance. As though it never occurred to him.Wen Ning grinned and pulled Wei Ying down into another slow and meaningful kiss.It was dizzying to learn that he was surrounded by even more love than he realized, and it was gratifying to have Wei Ying just a bit unbalanced for once as Wen Ning playfully didn’t answer his questions.They had each other and every opportunity to find more happiness together.It was just easy to be happy with this captivating person at his side.In the months to come, maybe they’d come and go from the ogre village so often that there would never be an opportunity to feel homesick. Wen Ning would introduce Wei Ying to his precious family and friends back home and help him explain things to Nie Mingjue. Maybe they would be more accepting of humans and Wen Ning could even introduce his two families together. Maybe Wen Qing and Nie Mingjue would get along with their intense personalities and ethics. Maybe he’d be able to show Wei Ying all of his favorite places and share just a bit more of his heart with him.In the years to come, maybe they’d go to see Wei Ying’s family and learn about a beloved nephew that he’d only heard about in passing. Maybe Jiang Cheng would manage to convey his heart properly and Wen Qing might give him the time of day. Maybe Wen Ning could see the beautiful place where Wei Ying grew up and share memories together and learn more about him. Maybe Wen Ning could hold his hand while he faced those difficult moments.In the future to come, maybe they’d see the children grow into strong and capable people who wouldn’t need such careful guidance. Maybe Xue Yang could learn how to be kinder and more honest. Perhaps Song Lan would find more patience for their unfortunate connection. Maybe they would even develop a friendship. Maybe Wen Ning could help or at least be there for them when times were hard. Maybe he could talk to Wei Ying about how silly they were when they were boys and listen to Wei Ying laugh and talk about all the ridiculous nonsense they got up to and they would still be together, just like this, holding hands and happy.It was a future that Wen Ning really could be excited about, but more than anything else, he felt joy to live in the present with such beloved people.