[semi-open] Lay me down let the only sound be the overflow

[zewu_jun]

Who: Lan Xichen, cultivators, and friends!
When: Around mid-month
Where: Lakeside out beyond the Wall (near the forge)
What: swimming, sitting, sighing, and shedding
Warnings: F is for friends who do stuff together.



Everyone probably has their own reasons for being at the lake. For Lan Xichen, working in the forge tends to lead to overheating (especially when he's been fighting off certain stress levels) and the nearby water provides a good way to politely cool off. Maybe you met him on his way and decided to join in or maybe you were already there. After several days this becomes a regular pattern of work followed by an afternoon soak, so it's possibly just a nice diversion when things are a bit too much to handle.

Whether it is swimming, meditating, having a snack, or just enjoying the fresh air along the bank, there are plenty of ways to share time with friends. The only possible warning will come from Lan Xichen himself if it looks like an argument is brewing--he will intervene. He came explicitly for some quiet time, so if anyone starts a fight, they'll probably have a half-naked Lan there to break them up. Maybe that's your thing.

[ooc: This log is a free for all for swimming and lake side games. All our friends are invited to tag in and tag each other. Basically, make up whatever you would like as a starter and cut in wherever if people agree! Non-cultivator friends and 4th wallers also welcome. If you need a specific prompt added, poke me at teaandreveries.]

Comments

[taciturnly]

( it’s nothing jiang wanyin ever said. it’s more like all the things he did, and didn’t do. lan wangji wasn’t ready for this darker trip down memory lane, though he’s already vowed to be as transparent as he possibly can with him, and he’s a little too tired to keep himself in perfect check.

inhaling sharp and deep, lan wangji draws back, the same pang in his chest that always surges up, whenever he’s able to gaze into his eyes. ) Sixteen years ago. ( that’s when he started disliking him, for lack of a better word, though his anger has subsided ever since, in light of recently acquired knowledge. it’s not that he doesn’t understand his step-brother’s stance, or his own anger for that matter. but he’s much too protective of wei wuxian to completely forgive.

wei wuxian gave him a life he could enjoy. jiang wanyin took his.

it’s not that simple and he knows, though he can’t find it in himself to be reasonable. so he sighs, closes his eyes, and lets his forehead lightly rest against his. ) He will behave, as will I.

[weiward]

[sixteen years ago. just those three words are a clue. with that, he knows what their disagreements stemmed from, even if he doesn't know exactly what it was. he sighs too, in such perfect unison with his bonded's that he can't help but smile. his fingers curl around the back of the witch's neck, massaging it gently with the pads of his fingers.

the scars on lan wangji's back are too healed for him to feel. but the heart doesn't heal as quickly as the skin, and he can definitely share the pain of his beloved's. he doesn't know if there can ever be true peace between his brother and his almost-husband, but he will get jiang cheng's blessing. hopefully that and the civility that the two are working on will be enough.]

Don't behave too much. [he murmurs.] Not with me, anyway.

[he rests a hand on either of lan wangji's shoulders, pressing weight there. when he opens his eyes, he'll find his bonded smiling at him...gently, but not without mischief. wei wuxian presses down, pushing him back under the water. back to the world that's peaceful, where everything is softer and more dreamlike.

he joins him there this time, swimming closer to press a kiss to his mouth.]

[taciturnly]

( with or without jiang wanyin’s blessing, lan wangji is marrying him. he’ll give up wei wuxian and everything he means to him the day anyone manages to pry him from his cold dead hands. a discussion should be had, certainly. old ghosts buried. later, when lan wangji has regained a semblance of mental peace, and when he’s done indulging himself in things he’s neglected for too long.

namely this. them. propriety easily swirls down the drain whenever wei wuxian is involved. he can’t refuse him anything. it is known. it would also be denying himself for one and what are restraints, when the real dreamlike vision here is the man whose lips delicately touch his, grin-shaped still and doing the silliest things to lan wangji’s battered heart. his own assume a similar curve, bubbles burbling as he cradles him closer and leans in for another, and another, and another. by the time his lungs start begging for air, lan wangji is still kissing him, hands around his head and fingers lost in his flowing hair. it tastes of faint brine and him, and he swallows water when his mouth opens wider, a muffled sound of relief and want bubbling up to the surface.

careful what you ask for now, wei wuxian. )

[weiward]

[he feels weightless in the water, but he always does when they kiss. wei wuxian meets him for one after another, stealing a little of his oxygen as he anchors himself to his beloved's body. there's only watery sounds around them as they slowly sink together, wei wuxian actually coming to rest on his knees.

he opens his eyes, looking up at lan wangji before his giggles send a small group of bubbles rising to the surface. clearly he's thinking of the last time he looked up at his bonded from this position, and how he'd gotten pretty good at holding his breath then. he wonders how much lan zhan can feel down here when he licks his tongue along his stomach. wei wuxian can't taste him, can't feel the warmth of his skin through the cooler water.

his lungs are starting to burn, and he kicks off the lake bottom when he starts feeling lightheaded. he stops for one more kiss, cupping lan wangji's face in his hands. his hair floats around them like the tentacles of some sea creature, like wei wuxian could turn half-merrow himself.

then he's swimming to the surface, holding his hand to pull him up with him. he gasps when they break the surface, but all he really wanted was enough breath to be able to kiss him again.]

Lan Zhan, now who's too sprightly to meditate? [he's still gasping as he turns his head, smiling at the way his lips keep traveling everywhere.] I think there's a more private spot over there.

[he nods to an area of bank hidden behind some tall marshes, out of sight of those who are just here for the sun and fresh air.]

[taciturnly]

( you can’t just. turn his own words against him, wei wuxian. meditation is so deeply buried into the dim recesses of his mind he’s fairly sure his ancestors are rolling over in their graves, but. as much as he’d like to indulge his beloved, they aren’t alone, and wei wuxian was never known to be quiet. then again, neither is he, when his bonded refuses to let him breathe, and little noises have already started bubbling in the back of his throat.

he cranes his neck to look, conflicted, wanting, reined in by a flimsy thread of propriety. his underpants uncomfortably cling to him as he clings to wei wuxian, a muffled groan that rumbles deep in his chest. it’s been a while and he’s missed him more than what should be possible, nuzzling close with a sigh when he finally yields. )

If Wei Ying wishes to be shameless… ( legs kick underwater, and he swims a little farther away, underpants left in his wake. there’s a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, subdued but wicked, and his hands roam lower down his back. ) Hold onto me. ( and he kisses him, fingers tracing the expanse of one thigh, lifting, an unequivocal invitation. )

[weiward]

[oh, wei wuxian can feel just how conflicted he is, the shape of his lover well-known and desired as it presses against him like a brand. but there's still something between them, and he feels like he's hurt them both. his playfulness started something that can't be finished here.]

Lan Zhaaan.

[he has the audacity to whine about it, clawed fingertips curling into his warm shoulders. his marks never leave a scar. lan zhan grips him hard, kisses him hard, leaves bruises all over his body, and they never last either. wei wuxian presses his face against his neck and breathes him in, trying to take comfort in the familiar scent of him. it's a bad idea, it's such a wicked idea.

lan zhan must realize it too, as he slips momentarily from his grasp, and wei wuxian is going to have to undo himself on his own fingers again, not nearly the same, never enough. it's only then that he notices the white pants floating on the surface of the water, a flag of surrender.]

Lan Zhan!

[he cries his name out this time, mouth dropped open. he's delighted and surprised, but also quick to grab the pants and hide them against his stomach. lan wangji's dignity must be preserved at all costs. he's still laughing though, eyes bright as he swims right up against him. he kisses those sweet lips, giving enough of a warning to turn heads away from them. wei wuxian throws his arms around his shoulders again, whimpering against his mouth.]

Wei Ying is yours, and he wants to be reminded.