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Wen Xu likes to think that their meeting was inevitable. That fate aligned the day he'd been sent out on that hunt in Yiling. That he was meant to spot Wei Ying in that alleyway, meant to throw him that spare baozi, meant to let him trail behind their hunting party like a wary little duckling, just out of sight of the elders leading the hunt.
If Wei Ying hadn't been haunting his steps that day, Wen Xu would have died on that night hunt. The ghost that had killed every single one of his shixiongdi would have devoured him whole if Wei Ying hadn't pulled him into that hollowed out tree, into that hidden space just big enough for the two of them.
(Wei Ying had been so small then, but he hadn't even flinched when the ghost prowled by, searching for them. He'd just pressed his finger to his lips and smiled, his voice so quiet Wen Xu could barely hear. "Don't worry," He'd whispered, "Even dogs can't find me in here.")
It was easy, after they'd made it back to town the next morning, to convince Wei Ying to come with him back to the Nightless City. All it had taken was two warm buns and a handful of candied ginger, and Wei Ying had taken his hand and let Wen Xu lead him wherever he wished.
It was even easier to convince his father to take Wei Ying in, to give him a home, to give him a place where he could grow. To make him family, once his father saw the same bright potential Wen Xu had witnessed the day they met. Wei Ying was quickly moved into a room in the main family wing, just down the hall from Wen Xu's chambers, and gifted fine sun-embroidered robes that Wen Xu picked out himself. A brother, in all but name. Wei Ying trained with them, dined at their table, shared in their father's expectations, just as he would if he were truly Wen Ruohan's son.
His father started referring to Wei Ying publicly as his child barely a year after they took him in, but it's only made official after Wei Ying makes his first debut into the Jianghu — by winning QishanWen the crown title in archery during a key discussion conference.
Wen Xu cannot help the pride that burns in him when Wei Ying joins them on the dais after, his table set close to Wen Xu's own. All of the assembled clans have borne witness the might of QishanWen today, and his didi shines right in the center of it all.
Wei Ying sneaks down their shared hall that night, slipping into Wen Xu's chambers with long-practiced ease. It is a rare thing for the two of them spend an evening apart these days, and on a night like this, when Wei Ying comes to him brimming with energy, Wen Xu delights in spending most of the evening tiring him out.
Tonight, they end up sparring on the mat in his bedchamber, a silencing talisman pasted on the door.
"Did you see that last shot I made today? Two with one arrow, just like you showed me." Wei Ying laughs as he dances out of Wen Xu's reach. He's always been lithe and quick - a perfect combination for archery, but less suited to matching the bulk of muscle Wen Xu has cultivated, especially when they're in close quarters like this.
Wen Xu pins him easily, once, twice, and — by the third time, Wei Ying is flushed, his chest heaving with effort. The fourth time, Wei Ying swipes low, sends Wen Xu off balance enough to knock him down, and by the time he registers what's happened, Wei Ying is panting above him, one foot planted on Wen Xu's chest to keep him down.
For a moment, Wen Xu simply watches him — his didi looks radiant grinning down at him, his lips parted and shining.
He really does adore him, doesn't he? If Wen Chao had been this bold, Wen Xu would have already snapped his ankle, not another thought spared. But he lets Wei Ying linger here, in this liminal victory.
"Got you, gege," Wei Ying breathes, and something warm shoots through him in an instant, curling in Wen Xu's gut.
It takes less than a second for him to hook Wei Ying's leg and have him spread beneath him, his full weight pressing into Wei Ying's back to keep him pinned.
He's breathless when he laughs once more, turning his head to the side to meet Wen Xu's eye.
"So mean to your Wei Ying." He says. "I thought I was your favorite? You should be nicer to me."
Wei Ying wiggles in his hold, his wrists blushing red where Wen Xu holds them steady at his sides, undaunted by his half-hearted struggling.
Such a brat. Wen Xu thinks, unbearably fond.
He leans down, careful when he brushes the bare hint of his lips against the shell of Wei Ying's ear. Just a small taste, a tease. Wei Ying isn't ready yet, for all of this to escalate into what Wen Xu wants it to be - but he will be, soon.
(Wei Ying said he wanted to be his bride when he was younger, after all, and it would be cruel of Wen Xu to break a promise like that after all these years.)
Wei Ying stills, and the only movement between them is the steady rhythm of his breath, the frantic beat of his pulse under Wen Xu's fingertips.
"You did well today," Wen Xu says, and he feels Wei Ying relax, finally yielding beneath him, like this is what he'd been after all along. There is a soft weariness in Wei Ying's gaze when he pulls back, and a smile on his lips when Wen Xu gathers him in his arms.
"Gege's proud of me, then?" Wei Ying laughs into his neck, his arms looped loosely over Wen Xu's shoulders.
"I am always proud of you." He feels Wei Ying still against him, and then bury his face resolutely in Wen Xu's hair, a soft grumbling sound muffled in the quiet between them.
How cute.
He's far too old for this kind of treatment now, but Wen Xu carries him back to his room all the same. As he settles Wei Ying into bed, his didi's fingers curl around his wrist — a small tug, an invitation. Wen Xu takes it without hesitation. He slides under the covers, and Wei Ying burrows into side, content to be tucked safe in his arms for the night, right where he belongs.