Wen Reian

2019 years after The Long Night

Hêi’àn Palace

“What happened?!”

Jin Songcai was there before Reian had even gotten Yi-jun all the way back up, the healer immediately grabbing the King’s wrist. Reian felt a shifting of energy, Songcai stabilizing Yi-jun’s heartbeat much faster and more effectively than Reian had in the midst of his emotional hysteria.

Through painful sobs, Wen Reian was about to choke out an answer when they both heard Xie Yi-jun moan. The man was lying very crookedly in Reian’s lap, Songcai kneeling on the stairs beside them, and the King didn’t even open his eyes as he hissed, brokenly-

“Reian pushed me down the fucking stairs!”

Wen Reian huffed, resisting the urge to smack Yi-jun for worrying him like that and instead tucked his hands under the man’s arms again and proceeded to yank him up. Songcai allowed them to make it to the landing uninterrupted but then began staring at Reian with great concern…

“You’re upset-”

“Hah!”

Wen Reian lay there at the top of the stairs with Xie Yi-jun completely dead-weight on top of him, the King still mumbling and clearly wincing. Songcai’s energy was still mending the injuries he sustained, but it likely hurt-

Reian thought over Songcai’s words with grim bitterness. He was more than upset. He was livid! How many times had he explained to Lan Kai-Le that Yi-jun and Songcai were special to him?! That he loved them!! Under normal circumstances that means; don’t murder my friends!!

Reian wiped his angry tears away, helping Yi-jun sit up and then avoiding Songcai’s knowing gaze…

“Where is he?”

Reian knew Songcai meant Kai-Le. The man just threw his hands up in exasperation and then winced suddenly as his empathic connection with Xie Yi-jun started allowing him to feel all the man’s aches and bruises. The healer inside him wanted to fix the King, and was telling his body he needed to feel his pain in order to do so.

“How should I know?!” Reian huffed. “He just skittered off after trying to assassinate the King! He’s probably halfway back to Xibù Shataar by now…”

It was silly. Lan Kai-Le had been gone for maybe four, five minutes? But Wen Reian felt as if the man had vanished into thin air, leaving him stranded here with questions, like a ship adrift at sea, unmoored and untethered.

Xie Yi-jun tried to speak up again but failed, sighing and slumping back against Reian as he passed out. Wanting to laugh and cry at once, Reian gathered all his strength and tried to focus on getting the King off of him.

“We should get him upstairs,”

Reian was about to ask Songcai for help lifting his sleeping husband when he felt the healer’s hand on his shoulder. Jin Songcai was trying to ease through the shell of confusion and rage that Reian had wrapped around himself in order not to shatter. It was extremely uncomfortable trying to let something through. He didn’t want to…

“I know what you’re doing but don’t bother,” Reian bit out. “I’m too angry to even see straight, let alone start thinking about forgiving him.”

As far as he was concerned, this act was counting as a mark against Lan Kai-Le for all eternity! Hurting Xie Yi-jun?! How dare he-

“Reian…” Songcai tried again, but it was clear that it was no use.

Finally going to help him lift Yi-jun, the two of them figured out how to raise his torso and legs together and sort of shimmy their way back to their bedroom.

I can’t believe I woke him up at this hour just to give him permanent brain damage-

Reian wasn’t actually worried about Yi-jun anymore. No, Songcai and him would see to it that the King was entirely well and fine, no scratches, no brain damage. What Reian was currently biting his nails about was less what had already happened and more what the fuck he was supposed to do now!

Lan Kai-Le looked at me like I was a stranger. He ran off, and I don’t know where he went. If I even wanted to find him, or if I even could! How then would I explain to him what Xie Yi-jun and I were talking about in a way he understands? So that he also understands he is not allowed to attack him! Ever! Again!!

“Reian?”

It was Songcai. The man was sitting at the edge of their bed, having tucked Yi-jun under the covers already. Wen Reian was steaming mad, arms crossed, fuming by the door. For all of Songcai’s calming abilities, it seemed that not an ounce of Reian’s fury could be tamed…

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“Might I offer you a bit of wisdom?” Songcai said, “Just something I’ve learned over the years that might help?”

Reian frowned. “I’m not sure Lan Kai-Le can be reached by my magic. He’s not the most stable… clearly.”

Songcai smiled, “I meant as lovers. I assume that’s what you are?”

Reian huffed. He had no reason to be shy around Jin Songcai, decidedly not about anything relating to sex. The man, along with Yi-jun of course, had been Reian’s formative and only teachers when it came to that, way back in the day. What hadn’t they done?!

Nevertheless, he only offered a small nod to Songcai as confirmation. The man had Yi-jun’s hand in his, fingers gently moving across the King’s palm…

“Wanting to protect the person you love is probably the most intense feeling there is,” Songcai said softly. “I know for Yi-jun, and for myself, almost nothing comes before making sure the other is safe and cared for.”

Wen Reian had been pulled, as had happened many times before, by Jin Songcai’s gentle voice. Standing beside the bed, looking down at Yi-jun who was sleeping soundly, Songcai’s gentle touches upon his hand, Wen Rei felt a large amount of his anger fade, replaced with some new kind of numbness that also felt a lot like grief.

“Don’t you think Lan Kai-Le feels this way about you?”

Reian shrugged, “How am I supposed to know? His aura is beyond sealed, surely you feel it too.”

Songcai hummed, then said; “I don’t feel anything from him, it’s true. But whenever he is around you, his soul is very much alive, and a mirror of your own.”

Reian was startled, several questions popping up at once-

“R-really?! I… I’ve felt that before, but I thought I was imagining it. He… really is like that? Does that mean his soul could be uncovered in time?”

The blue-eyed man just smiled, “I don’t know. Maybe that would be a good thing to discuss with him-”

“You didn’t see the way he looked at me, Songcai!” Reian pouted. “He looked like I was doing something unforgivable, like he didn’t even recognize me! How should I go about finding him after all this?! What should I say?”

Songcai was staring down thoughtfully at Yi-jun’s face…

“You know I can’t answer that, Reian. But I do believe that Lan Kai-Le was only doing what he thought would protect you. Not because he is jealous, but because he can sense your confusion and hesitance about Xie and I, and Hêi’àn City.”

Wen Reian paled. “You… you know about that too?!”

Jin Songcai nodded, “Yes. And I wish I could have been a bigger help to you sooner, but it wasn’t something I could teach or tell you. You needed to find it out on your own; who and where you want to be. Wen Reian… I’m very proud of you for finding it-”

“Mother-fucker! Why can’t I move?!”

Xie Yi-jun was awake. So was his mouth, but not the rest of him it seemed. He blinked very confused eyes up at Reian, and then Songcai, who was still stroking his hand.

“Hmm? Hello dear,” Songcai smiled. “You’re okay, no broken bones.”

Yi-jun could only move his eyes-

“I can’t… move?”

Jin Songcai just nodded. “There’s a spell limiting your mobility,”

“Oh, okay- wait! What?!”

“Because,” his husband remained sugar-sweet as he said; “I know you’ll try to get up.”

The King glanced up at Reian again, who had a few tears still drying on his cheeks and was having a hard time meeting Yi-jun’s gaze.

“Wen Rei?”

He was expecting the King to ask if he was okay, or what happened, but then Xie Yi-jun sighed-

“Where is Lan Kai-Le?”

Before Reian could decide whether or not he was still mad at the hunter, he was holding his hands up and saying quite passionately;

“Please don’t be angry! Yi-jun, I’m so… sorry, but he really isn’t like this normally! I’ll talk to him, I’ll make him apologize, or you can ban him from ever returning… I just-”

When he realized Songcai and Yi-jun were both staring at him with wide-eyes, Reian blinked.

“Wha…what?”

Jin Songcai was the first to speak, “Nothing. It’s just, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.”

Oh no, what? Am I being insensitive, rude?!

Xie Yi-jun suddenly grinned, throwing Reian entirely off-balance.

“I have, see? What was I saying Jin-cai? Wen Rei’s soul lights up, like a little flame. It’s so startling, huh?”

At a loss for words, Reian instead waited until the King spoke again, and when he did, it was with such a soft tenderness in his voice that Wen Reian didn’t even bother trying to hide the fact that he was crying.

“How could I be angry at someone who makes your soul shine like this, Reian? Don’t be silly… now, enough worrying! Go find him, and then I expect you to take that boy home, wherever that may be. When you come back, and I do mean when, your room will still be here. Always-”

Because Reian couldn’t hug Yi-jun, he wrapped his arms around Songcai instead. He was still crying even as he felt the healer’s hands on his back and heard Songcai’s soft voice gently soothing him.

“Shh, everything will be okay. You know exactly where to find him.”

Reian was so… happy-

He genuinely couldn’t remember ever loving the two of them more than in this moment, as he cried;

“Thank you both so much, I will come back!”

Then Wen Reian stood again, apologizing and blushing a little at the tears he’d gotten on Songcai’s clothes, but the healer just smiled brilliantly at him and softly patted Reian’s cheek dry.

With a last look into Yi-jun’s eyes, the King’s fond smile transformed into a resolute little frown, and then the single whispered word; “Go!”

Without lingering anymore, Reian left. And instead of what he feared, instead of running away… Wen Reian was running towards.