[Open RP Post]

[afterthemoment]

If you'd like to thread with Wei Wuxian outside of any games or memes, here's a place to do it! If there's a prompt or idea you have in mind, feel free to toss it at me. If a thread's going to be NSFW or contain triggering subjects, please mark it in the subject line. Other than that, go wild! Texts, emails, and other formats besides prose or action tags are welcome!

ETA: NSFW threads within, some not explicitly marked.

Comments

[abstains]

"I'm aware. I'm down here nearly every night, Wei Ying." His hand moves, draws the other man closer to his side, gaze focused on their surroundings as they walk. There were worse sections of the city of course, but this was the main one he patrolled.

The apartment itself isn't far, as he said, a rickety set of stairs the only way up and he follows Wei Ying up to the floor and then the door of the apartment. But the door is his to open and Wangji just waits behind him.

[afterthemoment]

Wei Ying used to frequent the worst areas of the Last Ward on a regular basis. Yakashbah's base in the Underground, for example. The friends he'd kept here were hardly the kind that Lan Zhan had approved of and in hindsight, he's not entirely sure he approved of them either.

Once they reach the apartment, he punches a few numbers on the keypad controlling the door.

"The code was in the folder," Wei Ying explains as he pushes the door open and heads inside.

What greets them is what appears to be a sex dungeon, complete with shabby four poster bed with built in restraints, various instruments of pleasure and pain hanging from hooks on the walls, a couple of sex swings dangling from the ceiling, and a makeshift stripper pole that looks homemade from materials stolen from a construction site. A few mannequins adorned with wigs, leather bondage gear, and masks also stand sentinel around the room. On the far wall is a battered vanity with broken and missing lightbulbs around its mirror, the flat surface attached to it littered with all manner of cosmetics and makeup kits.

"Huh, the file said he was into some kinky stuff but I didn't know this was what it meant."

Wei Ying just shrugs and strolls into the room, seemingly unperturbed.

[abstains]

The apartment is not what he'd been expecting when he'd stepped in behind Wei Ying, his gaze moving over the room slowly, taking in the details before he closed the door behind them, his expression carefully neutral.

"Find anything that may aid you in what you're looking for." There's a brief pause before he settles a hand on Wei Ying's shoulder.

"Everything you owned before is waiting for you at my residence so you don't need to take anything unnecessary from this place." Although his own view of necessary and Wei Ying's might conflict.

"Be quick."

[afterthemoment]

Wei Ying wastes no time.

He quickly starts ransacking the apartment, rummaging through drawers, checking cabinets, looking at anything and everything he can possibly find that could be of personal significance or value. He finds an unpacked suitcase in the closet and quickly starts throwing clothes, any kind of personal electronics that look like they might contain personal information. Wei Ying even checks under the bed and mattress, unearthing two things in the process: a small lockbox and what looks to be a handwritten diary of some kind. He quickly shoves both into the suitcase and wrestles it closed.

Will any of this be useful? Who knows but Wei Ying would rather not be caught here and it'd be better to go through it all in a more secure location.

Then as an afterthought, Wei Ying snatches a black velvet mask off of one of the mannequins and puts it on his face. It's better to be safe than sorry, he thinks.

"All right. I've got everything I need for now. Let's go."

Wei Ying turns to leave, suitcase in hand.

[abstains]

When he's within reach, Wangji stops him, fingers rising to touch the mask briefly before his hand drops. "Temporary." The comment is quiet before he turns to lead the way out, guiding Wei Ying back down to the street and then to where he's left his vehicle, gesturing for him to get in.

And then they're on the way, Wangji silent during the drive as he takes them through the city until they pull into the campus and into the small parking space beside his house, the building in a secluded corner of the school campus, hidden behind a fence. Then it's just a matter of shepherding him inside.

Wangji leaves his jacket on a hook before moving into the kitchen, pulling out some leftover soup to warm on the stove.

"Come and sit."

[afterthemoment]

Wei Ying chatters continuously during the drive, most of it innocuous things and comments about little changes in the scenery he notices along the way but nothing serious or heavy yet. After a while, he quiets down, rubbing his temples, a slight headache forming. Maybe it's an after effect of whatever happened before he woke up.

A wave of nostalgia washes over him when they reach the old campus and Lan Zhan's little corner house. It doesn't look like things have changed much at all. It's the same quiet, stuffy (at least, to him) campus it's always been.

Once he's inside, Wei Ying deposits the suitcase in a corner to go over later, taking off the mask and dropping it on top of it. He follows Lan Zhan's instructions, sitting down at the table. It isn't until he sees him take out the soup that Wei Ying realizes that he has no clue when this body had consumed anything.

"I wonder when this guy last ate something. Or when I last ate. I don't even remember what I had for my last meal..."

Not exactly pleasant dinner conversation but when has Wei Ying ever had a filter for the random thoughts that go through his mind?

[abstains]

There's a reason he'd selected soup and it doesn't take more than a few minutes to heat it before he pours it into a bowl before bringing it over to the table with a spoon before setting it down in front of him.

"Eat."

He leaves the pot warming on the stove before pouring them both tea from the steaming pot he'd left on the warmer bringing them back to the table and settled to sit beside him.

"After you finish, you can bathe. I have your clothes from before in the guest closet."

[afterthemoment]

"You really kept everything?"

Wei Ying starts on the soup and tea, eyes wandering to the walls. Most of the art hanging on the walls, he recognizes because he's the one that made them. There's a few that he doesn't remember doing at all but they're identical in style and compositions so unless there's someone out there forging his works for some reason, it's simply another one of those missing memories.

"Some of that guy's stuff didn't look too bad but it'd nice to wear stuff that's mine. At least, when I'm here. I'm not sure it'd be a good idea walking around out there as myself."

Another bite of soup. It's a little bland for his tastes but maybe that's a good thing for now.

"When I can afford it, I might have to look into getting a new face. I don't think this one's gonna do me much good."

Plastic surgery's improved by leaps and bounds, even on the black market. If Wei Ying looks around hard enough, he could probably find someone willing to do the job for the right price and sufficient hush money.

[abstains]

"I'll buy you new clothes tomorrow." He's not wearing anything that belonged to the owner of that apartment if Wangji has anything to say about it. But he's quiet, watching him eat until Wei Ying mentions surgery.

And then he goes still, his expression darkening as his grip tightens on his cup. His intention had been to let him finish the soup without doing anything but he has his limits.

"...No." It's very simple and straightforward, his gaze locking on Wei Ying's face before he moves, standing over Wei Ying for a moment before he leans down to kiss him, fingers grasping his chin to hold him in place for the kiss.

[afterthemoment]

The kiss catches Wei Ying off-guard, enough that he freezes for a couple of seconds, mind going blank. Then he begans to slowly respond, putting down his spoon before reaching up to cup Lan Zhan's face in his hands. His lips move carefully against the other man's, opening up slightly in an invitation to deepen it.

It's probably been a long time since they've done this, too, Wei Ying realizes. Just how long he's not sure. Suddenly, he's aware of an indescribable ache in his chest that starts driving him up and out of his seat. Experience has taught him that the only way to ease it is more contact.

[abstains]

When Wei Ying moves, he just drags him forward, pulls him against his own body without breaking the kiss. The hand on his chin moves to his hair, fingers tugging the band loose and letting it fall before he just cups the back of Wei Ying's head and deepens the kiss. His other hand settles on the small of Wei Ying's back before trailing down, fingers slipping under the edge of his shirt to brush against his skin.

And then he breaks the kiss, eyes opening to meet Wei Ying's for a long moment, his lips parting briefly before he takes a slow breath. "...It's been too long." The words are quiet, fingers twisting in Wei Ying's hair to pull his head back.

And then his mouth is on Wei Ying's throat, biting there just hard enough to leave a mark, Wangji's fingers stroking up the line of his spine

[afterthemoment]

Wei Ying's body is pliant against Lan Zhan's as it so often is in these situations, leaning needily into the man's embrace. There's an increasingly desperate edge in his response to the kiss, sighing into it when Lan Zhan undoes his ponytail. It really doesn't take much to get him going and a pleased noise escapes him when Lan Zhan pulls his head back, escalating into a lusty moan when his teeth sink into his neck.

"I can tell. It's been a really long time for you," he says, practically gasping the words. "Let's fix that, then."

The fingers trailing his spine is making Wei Ying feel all together impatient with the idea of clothes in general so he sneaks his hands up between them and begins unbuttoning Lan Zhan's shirt.

[abstains]

The sound Wei Ying makes is enough to have heat streaking down his spine, his own exhalation a ragged one before he pulls those hands away from his shirt before he takes a step back, putting that much more distance between them, if only for a moment.

"Come with me.." Because if they're doing this, he's not doing it here in the middle of the kitchen and a moment later he's moving, leading the way to the bathroom as his fingers work his shirt open, discarding it into the hamper as soon as he's inside the bathroom.

The tub will take longer to fill so he starts the shower letting it warm as he finishes with his own clothing, leaving him standing there, holding a length of white fabric in one hand as he watches Wei Ying.

[afterthemoment]

Another day in their shared past, Wei Ying might have made a show out of stripping down and teasing him but today he's tired and mainly looking for some physical intimacy and mutually shared pleasure from him. He just strips out of the black shirt, jeans, underwear, and boots he'd been wearing, depositing all of it near the hamper, and moves closer to Lan Zhan.

Wei Ying sucks at a spot on his neck while lightly tracing vague patterns across his chest as they wait for the shower to get hot, unconcerned whether or not he's leaving a mark at the moment.

[abstains]

Fingers trace up the line of his spine as Wangji tilts his head to give Wei Ying better access to his neck, a soft groan slipping from his lips. The water doesn't take long to warm and as soon as they're inside the shower stall, Wei Ying is against the wall, Wangji's mouth on his in a softer kiss than the first one, his hand sliding to cradle the back of Wuxian's head.

And it feels like he can finally breathe for the first time since he watched the light fade from Wei Ying's eyes, the day his own life ended even if he was still going through the motions. When he breaks this kiss, it's to step back, collecting a cloth and soap before he starts bathing Wei Ying, the cloth sliding over his chest.

[afterthemoment]

His emotions are starting to run wild as they always do when they're together like this. The ache has been replaced with something else now, equally intense and hard to define. Wei Ying doesn't know what to call this feeling; he never has. If he ever did, he's forgotten the name of it now. As for the feeling that always trails behind it like a poisonous snake, that one Wei Ying knows all too well.

Fear.

For a moment, Wei Ying just buries his face into Lan Zhan's bare shoulder, letting him wash his body where he wishes. Soon, this feeling of weakness will pass. It always does. But for now, he's just going to rest while the water sprays over them both and Lan Zhan takes care of him.

He's just so tired.

[abstains]

He turns his head, presses a kiss to the side of Wei Ying's head gently as his hands keep moving, the cloth sliding over his skin, his touches gentle as he focuses on spreading soap over his skin and then rinsing it. He's still then for a moment before he steps back, letting him rinse as he collects the shampoo he uses on his own hair, lathering his hands.

And then he's working it through Wei Ying's hair slowly, fingers massaging his scalp as he does, the simple act of cleaning him up doing its' own work to soothe his own need to touch, to know he's still real.

"..Stay with me." It's quiet, his fingers stilling for a moment, uncertainty in his voice that he can't quite disguise as much as he'd like to.

"...This time, stay."

[afterthemoment]

It's tempting. Every time Lan Zhan asks him to stay, a large deep inside always wants to. He always makes it sound so simple and easy, just staying with him. Just walking away from Yakashbah completely and returning to the N.S.O. like nothing had ever happened. But it's never been that easy, has it?

"You'll be a target. And you know I never fit in there. Their methods are extreme and not the best but their cause is just. They wish a world for a where people like us can be left alone and live in peace."

Or at least, that's how Wei Ying's chosen to interpret Yakashbah's ideologies. It's also an old argument, almost verbatim from the past. In fact, it's the same one he used the week before his death. Not that Wei Ying knows that for certain, jumbled as his memories are.

The massaging and washing is deeply relaxing though and Wei Ying finds himself sucking at a patch of skin just above Lan Zhan's collarbone.

"The world's not going to be able to get rid of me that easily. You'll see."

And more famous last words, punctuated by a soft bite.

[abstains]

"...You.." It's harsh the way he says that, his expression twisting for a moment before it smooths out into something closer to normal. But things have never been easy with Wei Wuxian and he'd been a fool to think he'd be enough to hold him this time. His fingers flex for a moment before he turns away, giving him time to rinse his hair.

"Wei Ying." When he finally speaks again, strain clear in his voice. "What do you remember from before you found yourself in that shack?"

[afterthemoment]

Wei Ying hadn't meant it as a rejection, not really. And in his mind, that he was still touching him after he'd said it should've made that clear. He looks a little confused by Lan Zhan's reaction, given he'd been to the one start all of this with that kiss in kitchen, but doesn't push the intimacy any further. Instead, he moves to stand directly under the spray to rinse his hair.

At his question, he frowns a little, seemingly deep in thought.

"I remember going to the lab. We were testing Styx. You know, that project we were working on? We were copying ourselves into the cloud server. It was my turn."

Maybe on another day, Wei Ying would be able to pick up on the implications of what he's saying but today is not that dead. Instead, he suddenly smiles, remembering something else that had been pleasant.

"And I went down on you that morning before I left. You tasted really good that day."

He hadn't been able to look Lan Zhan in the eye until afterward but he'd still seemed pretty pleased to start his day like that back then.

[abstains]

He can't swallow the sound he makes, his expression twisting as his hand slams into the shower wall, head dropping forward so his hair is curtaining his face, strain clear in every line of his body. Because this can't be real.

He doesn't know The thought is an ache inside his mind, his eyes closing as he takes a slow breath, then another, but it doesn't make this any easier. It's never been easy between them though, but this is different.

This is...

"....That was over 13 years ago, Wei Ying." When he finally manages to speak, lifting his head and turning finally. And his expression is haunted in a way he hates to show but all he can see right now is Wei Ying dead in his arms.

"I buried you two months later. I..." He makes a quiet choked sound, stops and forces himself to breathe.

I was...I got there too late and you ..."

[afterthemoment]

"Thirteen years...? It's really been that long?"

Without thinking, emotion and impulse taking over, Wei Ying reaches for him, the ache from before resuming. How to fix this? Can he fix this? That indescribable feeling swells up, too. Why doe he always have so many damn feelings? They're so much easier to manage when he keeps himself busy finding more and more things to do.

"I'm sorry, Lan Zhan. I didn't know and I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm still confused. I don't know what's wrong with me or why I'm like this."

Maybe it'd be a confession if the words weren't too vague to figure out exactly what it is he's confessing to but not even Wei Ying knows that. He didn't in life and he certainly doesn't in death.

"I don't know why or how I'm here. From what you said, I shouldn't be. I should still be on the server. This body must be a cyborg then. Someone must've installed me into it."

He's always had a quick, deductive mind, capable of reasoning things through with tiny scraps of information. Wei Ying sighs. This is going to complicate things with Lan Zhan, isn't it? Whether he's the same Wei Ying that apparently died in his arm or a separate entity apart from him was a topic of heated debate even among transhumanists in his time. It hadn't looked like it was going to die any time soon.

[abstains]

"Do I look like I care why you're here?" It's sharper than before even as he moves, pinning Wei Ying against the wall, gold eyes blazing in his face as his control snaps. Maybe he'll care more in the coming days but right now, all that matters is that Wei Ying is warm and alive in front of him, his hands framing the other man's face before he's kissing him again, desperation driving this kiss.

And when he breaks it.

"..When I asked you to stay...I meant with me... here.." He hadn't been talking about anything more than that. The rest could wait.

Had to wait. Because this is the only thing that matters right now.

"...Don't go where I can't follow you again."

[afterthemoment]

Lan Zhan's kissing him again, that's a positive sign. Wei Ying starts to relax again a little. If he tries hard enough, maybe he'll find a way to balance all of this while staying true to himself. He doesn't want to lose Lan Zhan over this, not after all these years, but he doesn't want to lose himself. He's digital ghost now. His self is literally all he has left. He doesn't even own a body that's completely his anymore.

Wei Ying wraps his arms around him, holding him close. The water from the shower's starting to cool a little so they're going to have to get out before long. There's words he wants to say, that he's always wanted to say. And from what Lan Zhan's said, they're thirteen years overdue.

"I love you," Wei Ying whispers, pressing a gentle kiss to his chest. Another one follows, this one even more tender. "...I'll stay. I don't know how long I'll be able to this time. But I promise you that I'll stay as long as I can."

It's all he can offer him right now. It's the most Wei Ying can give under these circumstances. Maybe that'll change someday and he'll able to settle down permanently with him in this quiet little house but there's still work to be done. He's not ready to leave the battlefield yet.

[abstains]

The words hit him like a physical blow, the sound he makes something choked almost like a sob because he'd waited longer than anyone had any right to to hear those words and something cracks inside him, the walls he'd build to hold back everything after he'd lost the one person he would have done anything to save.

"Wei Ying."

His voice is hoarse, his hands dropping finding purchase on narrow hips, the body similar but with enough differences he'd know and he does know, somewhere inside that he needs to step back, to let him settle but right now, he can't even let him away from the wall. fingers digging in hard enough to bruise.

"You.." It's softer, Wangji lifting his head, just looking at him for a moment before he lifts a hand, fingers just brushing his cheek and then he's visibly composing himself, the mask sliding back into place before he reaches to turn the water off.