The Father of Your Child

A hand takes Lan Wangji’s, wraps around his wrist to bring him to his feet. Instead of recoiling. They meet, pulled together, and Lan Wangji follows, lifting his eyes. White skin and black robes, gray bone and gray smoke and silver eyes. A red ribbon and redder smile. Blinding like fire, like the sun.Lan Wangji should be terrified of the demon in front of him, repulsed by the patchwork of corpse and ghost, but instead he is drawn towards it, towards life and warmth, entirely prepared to burn if he gets too close to the sunlight before him.“You ruined my turnips. What am I going to eat now?” the wraith asks, a lilting tease to his voice that rings like a bell. He rushes forward, long nail-tipped fingers curling into claws. Smile widening into menacing playful hunger. “Perhaps I should steal your golden core and feast on you instead?”The being bursts into laughter, eyes closing as he smiles. “You’re very cute when you’re confused.” He opens his eyes to steal the breath from Lan Wangji, who can feel his ears heat from the words and the spirit’s proximity.(Or: Tam Lin but make it Wangxian. Where Wei Wuxian is a ghost story to scare children, and Lan Wangji still falls hard for him.)