Title: Nobody Walks Alone
Fandom: The Untamed (TV version)
Author: Elwen of the Hidden Valley
Characters: Lan Zhan, Zewu Jun, Wei Wuxian(passive)
Rating: G
Word Count: 900
Summary: Lan Zhan wraps a bandage.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anybody. I wish I did, 'cause they're dishy.



NOBODY WALKS ALONE

The wound is deep, but a gentle probing with finger and mind reveals that it is clean, and one any Cultivator can heal with rest. It is the blood loss that is worrying. On their journey from Jin Lintai, Wei Ying used his hand to stem the flow, but as he got weaker his grip faltered, and Lan Zhan did not always notice in time as he tried to guide them both through the air.

Now Wei Ying lies, too neat and still upon Lan Zhan's bed. He is usually a sprawling sleeper but has remained in the arranged Lan sleeping pose ever since their arrival. Only now, does Lan Zhan realise how close that pose is to the one used for a corpse. Wei Ying's breathing is light and even but his lips far too pale, making that analogy too close for comfort. Every time there is a little hitch in the otherwise steady breaths, he has to resist a panicked need to thrust his finger beneath Wei Ying's nose, to check for the outflow of air.

Lan Zhan wipes blood from his fingers, then taps a little powder onto the wound, using a finger either side, to part it to get some inside. It will speed healing and keep the incision clean. Zewu Jun exchanges the bottle for a small pad, that Wang Ji lays precisely over the hurt.

The brothers work in silence, years of companionship creating an unspoken conversation, as they work to repair the injury. If Zewu Jun is looking more closely at his brother's face, Wang Ji allows it. With hindsight he realises that Lan Xichen guessed at the attraction between Lan Zhan and Wei Ying, long before either partner understood enough to name it.

Now Zewu Jun slips onto the bed, raising Wei Ying to rest against his chest so that Lan Zhan can wrap a tidy bandage about the trim waist. Lan Zhan takes time to ensure that the raw edges of the bandage are tucked in neatly, that it is aligned precisely over the pad, that it applies just enough pressure to stay in place without causing additional pain. Such things are important when treating injuries, but that is not the only reason for his care.

Wei Ying's occupancy of Mo Xuan Yu's body has resulted in a loss of weight and an increase in muscle, to the point that Lan Zhan can almost see the old Wei Wuxian in those strong body lines, in the swagger of his walk, the set of his shoulders and animation of his face. In repose, Xuan Yu returns however, and for a moment Lan Zhan fights the urge to shake him awake, to check that Wei Ying is still in there.

Zewu Jun snaps out one of Lan Zhan's clean under shirts, and the moment is broken as the brothers fall back into their partnership, gently wrestling it onto their charge, before laying him down once more. This time Lan Zhan does not fold Wei Ying's hands upon his chest. His fingers itch to tie the shirt closed with neat bows, but they will need to check the wound again later, so he settles for smoothing the fabric and gently laying a quilt over Wei Ying's lax form.

He should stand; step away to change his own wet clothes, but he stays, eyes fixed upon the rise and fall of the quilt upon Wei Ying's chest. When he looks up some indefinite time later his brother is gone, apparently having lit several candles on the way out. Lan Zhan sighs. He once asked Xichen if he would allow him to bring Wei Ying here. He did not reply then, and Wang Ji's musings pause as he recalls his own more recent words to Wei Ying on the steps.

“WeiYing, you asked if I believed in you back then. I did not reply, but I can say this now. It is not so bad, that feeling of walking a single-log bridge into the darkness.”

Zewu Jun may not have said the words, but his actions shout out, “I am here for you, brother, whatever path you take. We will cross this chasm together.” Lan Xichen has always been there for him, except for one occasion. Despite his early attempts to throw them together, later Zewu Jun indicated that he disapproved, culminating in his standing aside as Lan Zhan was punished. After Wei Ying's reappearance Zewu Jun has continued to be reserved, and something in Wei Ying's early reticence suggests that there may have been conversations between the two that Lan Zhan is not privy to. Xichen is always too willing to defer to their uncle, often appearing weak as he walks the path of peace, so Lan Zhan wonders what has brought about this change of his brother's heart; a change which has the potential to become a serious rebellion.

His analysis is stopped as Wei Ying shifts slightly, letting out a faint gasp when the movement obviously jostles his injury. At that tiny hitch in breathing, all reason is shunted aside by emotion but Lan Zhan is much better at action than emotion. A wave of his hand and the Qin appears in his lap. Whatever anyone else's opinion or reason Wei Ying needs his help, and this time Lan Zhan is not too late. This time nobody walks alone.

END