"LAN ZHAN!" Wei Ying is shouting.

Lan Zhan can only feel pain and intense hunger, and as his canines grow so fast in his mouth, he tries to bite himself on his bottom lip, like before.

Only this time, no blood comes out.

Lan Zhan panics, and he would have moved, left, done something...but Wei Ying tackles him onto the bed.

It's so unexpected, that at first, Lan Zhan doesn't know what to do!

Doesn't Wei Ying know how dangerous this is? For him?

Lan Zhan is seconds away from throwing him off, when the most delicious, tantalising, tempting smell hits his nose, and he groans.

It's Wei Ying.

Somehow, his body has identified Wei Ying as food.

It's such a frightening thought, and then Wei Ying is shoving his wrist under Lan Zhan's nose and shouting at him.

"Drink! Drink, you stupid Fuddy Duddy! I told you! I told you to fucking tell me!"

And when Lan Zhan opens his eyes, all he can see is Wei Ying dashing away at the tears on his face, and he's confused, because why is Wei Ying upset?

And then as he gasps, Wei Ying takes his chance and shoves his finger into Lan Zhan's mouth, scraping it on his extra sharp canine, and cutting it so easily, he doesn't even register the pain, because his only thought is to provide nourishment for Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan doesn't think; he latches on and sucks, finding immediate relief.

And then, he's disgusted with himself.

How could he do that to his Wei Ying?

As fast as he can, he removes Wei Ying's finger from his mouth, swiping his tongue over the tiny cut before letting go of his hand. Then he picks Wei Ying up from where he's straddling him, and places him carefully to the side before standing up.

His actions were gentle but a direct contrast to the wild storm raging on his insides.

Muscle memory makes him take deep breaths to try and calm himself down, and Lan Zhan squeezes his eyes shut, overcome with that wave of protection he always feels for Wei Ying...but this time, the disappointment in himself follows swiftly behind.

Again, he asks himself, how could he have drunk from him? The person he was supposed to protect? Doesn't he love Wei Ying?

Before he can spiral into these whirlwind thoughts, two warm arms come around his body and he feels the soft but firm weight of Wei Ying's body, hugging him from behind.

"Listen to me."

Wei Ying's voice washes over him like a soft breeze, calming and fluid. Settling.

"I know you're blaming yourself right now, but honestly, there's no need. This doesn't change who we are, just because our relationship is a little bit different. You didn't hurt me...at least, not then." He continues in that soothing voice.

It's meant to calm, to reassure, but Lan Zhan picks out his last words.

"If not then...then when?" He cannot stand the thought of harming this beautiful, generous man.

"I am still hurt because you don't trust me."

Lan Zhan whirls around so fast, clutching Wei Ying's shoulders and looking into pained silver eyes, still brimming with tears. His hair is loose and soft, and all Lan Zhan wants to do is hug him close and bury his nose in it, in Wei Ying's neck.

"I do!" Lan Zhan insists.

Wei Ying is already shaking his head.

"If you did, you would have told me that you were hungry AND-" Wei Ying gives him a scathing look to stop him from interrupting him, "and then you refused to bite me! Do you have any idea how helpless that makes me feel?" He's poking Lan Zhan's chest with every word he's spitting out, as anger rises to the surface from the ashes of sorrow.

"I can't do it! I can't do it, Lan Zhan! To watch you suffer....it's beyond me." He wrenches out of Lan Zhan's grip, pacing away until he suddenly stops.

Lan Zhan is watching him, and a thought rises in the back of his mind: when does he ever not look at Wei Ying? If he's anywhere close, Lan Zhan's eyes will seek him out. And when Wei Ying turns around, the look in his eyes is chilling.

He's made a decision.

And he's trying to be brave about it.

Lan Zhan feels cold all over, suppressing a shudder.

He knows he's crossed a line, and now he doesn't know how to make it better.

"Tell me now. Is it always going to be like this? You, refusing to feed even though you're in so much pain, and me having to force you into drinking?" Wei Ying chokes back a sob and turns to fully face him. "If that's the case, then pack your bags and get out. Because I'm telling you right now, I'm not built that strong. I-I c-can't do it-" He covers his face with his hands and cries.

Lan Zhan has already wrapped his arms around him, holding him even while Wei Ying tries to fight him off, but Lan Zhan only holds him tighter.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" It becomes a chant whispered against soft, dark hair.

But no matter how warm Wei Ying is, Lan Zhan still feels cold.

Those words...so cruel and yet so necessary. Lan Zhan needed to hear them, in order to see how much he was hurting Wei Ying.

Their situation was unique, but there was still hope for them. They could make it work, they were going to make it work, Lan Zhan thought with determination.

And then he's hit with inspiration.

He makes Wei Ying sit down on the edge of the bed. Crouching in front of him, Lan Zhan wipes away the rest of his tears.

"Wait here." He says, not budging until Wei Ying nods slowly.

Lan Zhan goes to the cupboard where he's had to hide the candy that he bought for the kids, but there's something in here which will help.

He realises he's still shaking when he can't open the packet on the first try. He puts it down and grips the edge of the countertop, willing himself to calm down. This isn't the end, it can't be. He tells himself, breathing deeply to try and mimic the way to stop his own panic.

He knows how hard it was for Wei Ying to say those words, and yet he did, for them. Lan Zhan knows he has to do better, but more importantly, he has to convince Wei Ying that he understands this, and even more crucially, Lan Zhan has to follow through.

This time when he tries to open the packet, it's much easier. He gets what he came for, tidies up after himself and returns to his beloved.

Wei Ying is pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes, and Lan Zhan can see that he's trembling too.

"Open your eyes, my Wei Ying." Lan Zhan is shocked that his voice came out so calm and level.

Considering what he's doing.

Wei Ying opens his gritty eyes and now, he's the one who's shocked.

Lan Zhan is holding out a candy ring towards him, and he's down on one knee.

This is a proposal.

Oh.

"You silly man!" Wei Ying wails, slapping at his chest. "You can't win me over with a ring...no matter how cute it is." His tears have returned and it's a mix of helpless amusement and exasperation.

"It's more than just a ring." Lan Zhan tells him. His voice is serious enough to make Wei Ying go still.

"What do you mean?" He whispers back, utterly undone.

"I mean, I am offering this ring as a token of my promise to you. I will never make Wei Ying feel like that again. I will say, when I need him. Without fail." Lan Zhan vows. "Does Wei Ying accept?"

Wei Ying's gorgeous eyes are wide as silver discs, mirrors reflecting his beautiful soul. So far, he hasn't blinked once.

"So...it's not a marriage proposal..." he hedges, now with a sly grin.

"It's a sort of marriage proposal...what if it was?" Lan Zhan argues back, seconds away from doing something else...

"But you didn't say the exact words, did you? I believe you were missing the main word..." he pretends to scratch his nose.

Lan Zhan is not a patient man, when it comes to Wei Ying.

The growl starts at the back of his throat.

A spark of mischief flares on Wei Ying's face, and he beams in retaliation.

"I have to think about it, you know. You can't just spring something like this on me, so suddenly. Think about my poor heart!" He says, cheekily.

"I am thinking of Wei Ying's heart...amongst other parts of him." Lan Zhan flirts back, suddenly realising that he has his own power, judging from the scandalised look in Wei Ying's eyes.

"So shameless, Gege!" He pretends to swoon, and that's it.

Lan Zhan pounces.

He peppers kisses all over Wei Ying's face, and his hands move just as fast, and suddenly Wei Ying is trying not to shriek with laughter.

Oh...Wei Ying is ticklish.

Lan Zhan files that away for future reference and stops, just to be able to look down at him, as Wei Ying tries to recover from the onslaught. His face is tenderly pink, emphasising a neat row of freckles scattered across his nose and overlapping slightly on both of his cheeks.

Wei Ying looks radiant and alive, and here. And for now, happy with him.

It's so easy to fall into the tempestuous sea of his eyes, so much easier to fall in love with him all over again.

Wei Ying whines and covers his eyes, and Lan Zhan hugs him closer, knowing that he came this close to losing Wei Ying forever.

This time when they kiss, it's deeper, more meaningful, and a balm to their inner wounds. When Lan Zhan looks down at him, asking him for permission, and Wei Ying nods urgently, he begins to worship Wei Ying's body with tongue and teeth, until he's a mess of pent up need.

Lan Zhan will never risk them again.

*********

In the morning, Wei Ying stretches and wakes himself up.

One golden eye opens lazily to watch him.

"Did you mean it, Lan Zhan?" Wei Ying whispers, and Lan Zhan knows exactly what he's talking about.

"Mn, of course. Does Wei Ying doubt? And," he rolls over so that Wei Ying is trapped underneath him. "Wei Ying hasn't answered yet." He accuses.

"I will." Wei Ying says, letting his hands wander. His thoughts follow and he purses his lips. "I do have a question for you, though."

"Mn?"

"Well, when I went up there..." Wei Ying shudders at the terrible memory.

"What did you see?" Lan Zhan is all business now, peering down at him with an intensity.

Wei Ying describes everything he saw.

"I just don't understand why JingYi's room was so tidy, or why that medicine was there, you know? I mean, just going off what A-Yuan's like, and he's the best boy, but even his room is sometimes a little bit messy...but that room gave me chills, my love. I can't understand it. And then why was that medicine in his room, of all places?" Wei Ying chews his lip, thoughtfully.

It seemed that the more they found out, instead of answering any of their growing list of questions, they only gathered more, one more puzzling than the last.

"And another thing..." Wei Ying looks at him uncertainly.

"Wei Ying can tell me anything. We are betrothed now." Lan Zhan grabs his hand and kisses the place where a candy ring sits awkwardly.

"I never agreed! And when did you put that on me?" He sounds deliciously affronted. "You waited until I passed out, didn't you? You waited until you did your love juju and then put it on when I couldn't say no!"

"Think of it as a practice run." Lan Zhan tells him, kissing his cute, scrunched up nose. "Because we will marry. It's just a matter of time. Now, what's your question?"

Wei Ying sighs, and tells him about the kitchen up in apartment 613. He didn't leave out a single detail.

"So, my question is this: if there was that much blood, and trust me, it was all over the place...so how come you couldn't smell it?" Wei Ying reaches up and twirls a lock of Lan Zhan's hair around his finger.

"I do not know. But ever since the continuous traffic outside our door, I was trying to tune out all the noise. Do you think I inadvertently suppressed all my senses? Accidentally?" Lan Zhan thinks about it.

"Maybe? It's so hard to tell. And this may sound silly, but I got a really bad feeling while I was there. It's difficult to describe, because I've never felt anything like it before, like I dunno, by me standing in the doorway of all that carnage, I was pushing up against an invisible barrier. Maybe that part's just in my head, though."

They're silent for a few minutes.

"Yesterday...when talking to Officer Todd...Wei Ying referred to A-Yuan as our son..." Lan Zhan says.

He did not forget it, so affected by Wei Ying's casual mention of something so meaningful to him, to them.

"Did I?" Wei Ying asks, softly. His hand drifts up to cup Lan Zhan's face. "But if I did...that's because you are...just like me, with him. You cook for him, you give him hugs when he needs them...you look after him. And...and I think you love him as much as I do. So really, there's no difference, is there?"

There's nothing more to say except to hug him.

This giving, loving man has accepted Lan Zhan into his family, and there's nothing Lan Zhan can give him in return for that monumental trust.