Wen Reian
2019 years after The Long Night
Riyèrì
It wasn’t too hard to guess where Lan Kai-Le was. At first, Reian was a little hesitant he’d be able to find him, as he couldn’t feel the man’s presence like he would have been able to with Yi-jun or Songcai, but the more he thought about it, the more Reian remembered that on more than one occasion, Lan Kai-Le had found him when he was nowhere near.
My best bet is letting him find me again, and then praying I can make him stay long enough to explain myself…
After walking for more than half the day, deep into the forest where they’d first met, between Hêi’àn City and the border of Xibù Shataar, Reian was more than a little startled when he found not just one, but several familiar faces!
The Wanderers… they might have seen Kai-Le!!
“Reian?!”
It was their clan leader. Wen Reian spotted them washing clothes by a slow-moving stream, and as he approached, a little girl came forward and hugged him around the waist.
“Well, hello there!” He smiled.
The child’s soul was unmistakable. It was A’Ma, the girl he’d healed all those months ago with a weak heart. She was strong and healthy now, as fluttery as a butterfly…
“What brings you out here?” Her father smiled, several of the others also turning their heads to look over.
Reian breathed a deep sigh of relief, hoping they might be able to at least point him in the right direction. From there, he’d just have to rely on Kai-Le’s over-protective tendencies again…
“I’m looking for the man who was with me, Lan Kai-Le? Have you seen him?”
It was a bit of a long shot, yes. But then the chief’s eyes widened-
“The mercenary?”
Despite himself, Reian nodded. Sending the question out through their little group, the chief quickly asked everyone and concluded that no one had seen the man. Disappointed but hardly shocked, Wen Rei thanked them and was about to leave, when A’Ma suddenly took his hand and tugged.
“Go this way, Reian…” she said, pointing.
He blinked, “That way? What’s that way?”
The little girl smiled, “When A’Bei’s ball rolls downstream, we find it when we look in those bushes, like someone’s leaving it there. It’s a game…”
That was when Reian noticed the young boy lingering close by. The same boy Lan Kai-Le had returned a toy to once, as gently as one could imagine.
He’s nearby, playing games with children. That’s definitely him!!
Giving A’Ma’s hand a quick squeeze and thanking her, Reian immediately took off. He followed the river, watching as it grew wider and deeper and eventually traveled slightly north. It was when he came upon what seemed to be a beaver’s dam several minutes away, that Reian paused.
That’s too small to be a dam. And why would there be one in the middle of nowhere? This is no place for beavers… but it is a place where Lan Kai-Le might decide to build something to retrieve little kids’ toys-
I love that man…
Reian decided to wait. He sat on the bank of the river and tried to be as still as possible. He wished he could have somehow asked A’Ma or A’Bei to throw the ball one more time, to maybe lure Kai-Le out, but the more Reian thought about seeing the hunter again the more he worried. He still had no idea what to say to him, or if Lan Kai-Le would even listen.
Almost like clockwork, about thirty minutes later, Reian blinked. He watched as a little blue ball floated gently downstream and got stuck in the dam. No more than a moment later, there was the sound of branches rustling from somewhere nearby, and then silence…
Reian stood. He looked around. He hesitated calling Kai-Le’s name, just in case he might run away, but the hunter didn’t run. Golden eyes peered down at him from where Lan Kai-Le had nestled himself among the trees, and Reian considered the fact that the man looked oddly similar to some sort of predator. But Reian didn’t run either.
Lan Kai-Le looked hesitant to come down but he was still eyeing the ball, so Reian went and got it, soaking his boots and the hem of his robes as he fished it out. When he climbed out of the river again, Lan Kai-Le was there on the other side of the bank. Staring at him.
Reian wanted to run there, to hold him and be home. But it wasn’t that easy. Swallowing his fears of what was to come, the healer offered the toy out and said very carefully;
“Will you let me explain?”
When Lan Kai-Le didn’t so much as blink let alone respond, Reian tried again, probably getting far too ahead of himself.
“Kai-Le? Please, I miss you-”
Gasping in surprise, Reian was suddenly being snatched up in both arms by the hunter, who had leapt across the river to him without so much as a sound. And then Wen Rei was blinking, feeling warmth all over him, Lan Kai-Le’s familiar hot breath on his cheek, his nose on Reian’s neck… only for the man to growl softly and pull away.
“You smell like him.”
Left reeling, Reian only had a bit of time to process Kai-Le’s words before the hunter was turning away.
“What, I-”
He’s not even going to let me talk? That’s it?! I don’t think so…
Reian glowered, then took a deep breath. Before he could convince himself to be rational and attempt something else, he’d already gotten a running start and then was launching himself into the deepest part of the river.
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Everything was freezing cold and bubbles, and the sounds of splashing and coughing, before Reian realized Lan Kai-Le had dove in after him and dragged him up.
That was not really my intention but I suppose it works-
Sputtering and wiping water off his face clumsily, Reian stared at Kai-Le, who was holding him up against his body as the water flowed past them, ripples still swaying from where Reian had jumped in. Voice as soft as the wind, Reian whispered-
“There, now I don’t. Happy?”
Suffice it to say Kai-Le got the point. The hunter dragged him out of the water like a soaking wet kitten that had lost its way. Reian felt absolutely demoralized as he was fished out by his collar, and then had Kai-Le pinching at his skin trying to warm him up.
“Ow! Cut it out, would you?!” Reian huffed.
Lan Kai-Le leveled a truly devastating glare at him, and Reian fell silent. He let the man ring out his hair, Kai-Le even going so far as to take off his own outer-robes (which added, were also freezing cold) and drape them over Reian’s shoulders.
He shivered, “Kai-Le… enough of this. Please, can you listen?”
The hunter pouted. “Listen to what?”
Finally, some words!!
“Listen to me. How many times have I told you that Yi-jun is my best friend? That he and Songcai mean a lot to me, and that I love them?”
Reian watched as Lan Kai-Le stiffened when he heard their names. Before he could sulk away again, Wen Reian grabbed his hand firmly and laced their fingers together.
“Please, stay. Please, let me finish.”
All over Kai-Le’s face was hurt and confusion. Reian knew that it would be difficult trying to convince him to accept Yi-jun or Songcai while he still had doubts. Reian knew what he had to do, he just wasn’t sure how to go about it.
“I understand why you’re upset...” he began, keeping his voice gentle and trying to remind himself that he had to do this one step at a time.
I have to explain myself before I tack onto that, why it is never under any circumstances EVER okay to push people down the stairs, or out of windows-
“You saw me with… him, and misunderstood-”
Suddenly Lan Kai-Le turned those eyes directly on him. Reian couldn’t move.
“I’m not stupid, Wen Reian. Don’t treat me like that. I saw you together. And you… you love him.”
“There are many different kinds of love, for example-”
Reian brought Kai-Le’s hand up to his lips and softly kissed the back of it. The hunter blinked, watching every move.
Wen Rei blinked, “I’m sorry if I ever treated you like you didn’t understand. I’m sorry if I ever made you think you were less than, for any reason. Kai-Le, the reason I was with Yi-jun that night was because I was saying goodbye to him.”
The man was staring at their hands linked, expression void of anything Reian could see, so he kept going, hoping he was making sense…
“I’ve been trying for so long to fully understand my feelings. Once you joined the equation, everything balanced out. What I want, who I want to be… it feels so easy with you. Lan Kai-Le, I want to tell you how happy I am that we met. I don’t regret anything, even finding each other how we did. I really… want you.”
…to be in my life, but hopefully that’s obvious-
The hunter seemed to frown, still looking down at their hands. Then Reian felt Kai-Le’s fingers squeezing back and his heart did a little leap.
Now, maybe he’ll follow me. And I can finally show him what I mean…
“Lan-Le?” Reian used his nickname gently, and the man’s golden eyes suddenly flew to his, Kai-Le’s lips parting.
Wen Reian swallowed, “The past couple months I’ve been gone a lot, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Can I show you what I was doing?”
He gestured for the man to follow him, and to his surprise, Kai-Le did. Reian only had a little bit of trouble navigating from where they were, but as soon as he began seeing the trees getting thicker, branches more full and the tell-tale sign of a certain type of lichen on the bark, he knew they were close.
Lan Kai-Le was still holding his hand, and Reian glanced back at the man’s face as they walked. Kai-Le stared at him, so openly. So much trust. Wen Reian wanted to drop everything and hug him right here, shower him with kisses and thank him for not disappearing forever, but hopefully there was time for that later.
“I kept thinking about something I could do for you, or give to you, that would be meaningful and explain how I feel.” Reian said a little shyly.
After all this, I’m really getting nervous now?! Tough luck Wen Rei…
“Kai-Le, remember when I told you how I wanted to wrap you up in light, and keep you safe and sheltered from any pain?”
“Mmn,”
Reian smiled. “I was thinking about what you’ve told me of your childhood, and your parents’ farm, where you grew up. It hurt my heart every time I imagined you out there on your own, without a roof over your head, or anyone by your side. But when I asked what you wanted most in the world, you said me. So, how can I give you myself, along with everything else I believe you deserve; a home and safety and companionship? That was when I started building it…”
Wen Reian stopped walking when he saw the chimney through the trees. He turned to Lan Kai-Le, heart pounding in his chest as he nodded.
“That’s why I was saying goodbye. Welcome home, Lan-Le.”
The hunter’s golden eyes were staring past Reian, toward the little wooden cottage that Reian had spent the better part of two months building from the ground up. After making the plans for it whilst Kai-Le was in Xibu Shataar to fetch A’Qin, Reian briefly considered asking Yi-jun or even Song-jun for help, but had quickly come to the conclusion that this was to be his and Kai-Le’s home, and he needed to make it on his own.
Reian didn’t wait to say anything more to the man, he pulled Kai-Le along and right up to the front door…
It was simple; a little cube-shaped cabin containing only a single room. Reian had almost lost his mind chopping all the wood, and beyond sweat and tears there was an awful lot of his blood involved, but every time Reian looked at the thing he felt like he was home, and saw the future he wanted to continue building here.
Lan Kai-Le was staring at the door, which Reian was happy he’d made tall enough to fit the hunter’s height. That would certainly be awkward if it was too short-
Because Kai-Le wasn’t moving, Reian reached forward and opened the door, gently coaxing the man inside. The interior was what Reian was especially proud of. He’d tried to make it clear that it wasn’t just him living here; a huge, inviting-looking bed pushed over in the right corner, a space for both of them…
A table with two chairs under the window by the door, and a large bearskin rug he’d lugged all the way from his bedroom over the course of a sweaty afternoon, so it could take up space in front of the small wood burning furnace he’d somehow managed to place in the corner. Yes, it was sparse. It was quickly made, and made by someone who’d never built a house, but Reian was somehow convinced that he’d built a sanctuary. A place as special as the island near Wúmeng; hallowed ground…
If he wants to, if Lan Kai-Le will accept this, I want to make this ours. Our home, where we can come back to and rest. Where we can heal-
Reian had long since known Kai-Le was a man of few words, but he was really hoping for some sign now, even a little nod of approval would be enough. As Kai-Le stayed silent, just staring, Reian grew overwhelmed with worry, and eventually came to stand in front of the hunter, going to hold both of his hands. Reian was almost shaking!
What can I do? What can I say, to make him see that this is genuinely all I want? To be with him, and exist like this, as we really are? I’ve never felt more like myself than when I am with him. I’d be so honored if he felt the same-
Reian drew Kai-Le’s gaze to him once more with a nervous but hopeful smile.
“Lan-Le?” He tried again, “Do you know what this means?”
He watched the man swallow thickly, then Kai-Le’s eyes flickered to Reian’s mouth.
Desire pooled sharp and sudden in his belly, watching the way the man was breathing now. Reian very carefully examined and measured his next words before he said them.
“It means… you can have me.”