Work Text:
lan wangji spends a lot of time waking up when he’s not supposed to at night, staring at Wei Wuxian, watching him very carefully – is he still breathing? is he still alive? is he still really there?
does lan wangji really have a second chance to protect him?
wei wuxian looks so peaceful when he sleeps. lan wangji wonders what would happen if he touched his eyelashes, just gently, just the very tips with the pads of his fingers: would wei wuxian wake up?
did it hurt when he died, after he died? did he remember anything? did he miss lan wangji the way lan wangji had missed him, like someone had torn his heart out of his chest? wei wuxian, even in this form, his mouth is so red and his skin is so pale.
what if he can’t protect him this time. what if he goes down that same dark road and lan wangji can’t do anything but —
lan wangji feels very cold.
but – at dawn, when wei wuxian is still asleep and the warm light of morning illumines him, lan wangji looks at the soft living flush of wei wuxian’s face, and almost believes.
this time.
this time he will keep him safe.