Thread by @cicerfics

The entire concept of Omega Emperor LWJ is just 😩👌🔥

#omegaLWJseason

Shoutout to @/Xanctus_9 and @/gdnightsweetme, because now this is all I can think of.

Emperorji is not-so-subtly pushed by his advisors to hurry up and marry, so he can crank out an heir. But he has no interest in such things!

So they beg him to at least choose some alpha concubines, but he still refuses!

...Unless he sets eyes on the dashing General Wei. 👀

...That's as far as this brainworm goes for me, I'm afraid. I just like the idea of Omegaji in full imperial regalia.

I like the idea of Omegaji being pushed to hurry and conceive an heir. I like the idea of Omegaji going full Kombucha girl when he realizes WWX is an option.

And I REALLY like the idea of some imperial chancellor having to go up to General Wei and say, "Do you want to serve your country? Why, of course you do! So go put a baby in the emperor right away! *pats WWX briskly on the shoulder, then runs away*"

...And yes, OBVIOUSLY I want LQR to be involved in this.

I want to see him trying desperately to convince his nephew to produce that much-desired heir to the throne with SOMEONE ELSE.

And I want him to go fetch General Wei back from the front lines, grumbling all the while, because his nephew simply REFUSES to have a baby with anyone else.

I want to see LQR red-faced and cranky, telling General Wei that the line of succession takes precedence over all other concerns. So return to the capital at once and DO YOUR DUTY, soldier! 😡

...Wait. Upon further reflection, I don't think LQR would manage to be this straightforward.

I think he'd pace around General Wei's tent for half an hour, clearing his throat and stroking his beard. I think he'd take refuge in Poetical Allusions.

Something something, gentle spring rain atop the cloud-rimmed peaks of the highest mountains. Something something, a swelling mountain stream. Something something, a bountiful harvest next season.

WWX is just listening like

LQR: ...Thus, the 'harvest' is of the utmost importance! Do you understand?

WWX: ...

...Wait, I have more thoughts about this.

I think WWX is very confused, but willing to roll with the punches. If the Emperor WANTS to remove him from the military and put him in charge of agriculture, well...maybe that's for the best!

He's getting tired of war, and he DOES have all these cottagecore fantasies.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have a desk job in the capital. He could have a break from the battlefield, focus on his inventions for irrigation and public utilities, and maybe have his own garden! :)

WWX: ...Well! I understand what you're saying. But I am very surprised that this is what the Emperor wants.

LQR, icily: Undoubtedly. It is a great honor, of course.

WWX: Of course. *scratches chin* Well, if that's what the Emperor thinks is best, of course I won't disobey! :)

LQR grumbles, and mumbles something about 'cycles', and says WWX must hurry to the capital immediately because time is of the essence.

What he means: My nephew is due to go into heat in a matter of days. Go impregnate him while he's most fertile.

What WWX hears: Probably the heavy rains are coming soon, maybe some floods are expected, help is needed planning new irrigation systems. Go sort it out quickly before there's a natural disaster!

He's surprised to hear that everyone is in such a rush!

Wasn't anyone ELSE taking care of this stuff? Weren't there OTHER ministers in charge of these things?!

Oh, well. Maybe the last minister who held this position died suddenly? He decides not to ask questions.

He packs quickly and hurries off to the palace!

And once he arrives, he expects...you know. Boring bureaucratic stuff? Probably someone will show him to his new office and assign him some clerks or scribes? Maybe there will be some meetings to discuss aquifers and such?

Instead, a bunch of servants yank of his clothes and yeet him into a perfumed bath.

Someone brings in some new robes for him. (??). A priest comes in to hang lucky talismans on the robes. (???) To ensure that this endeavor is successful, the priest says. (????)

WWX: ...My goodness. Everyone takes the success of the harvest more seriously than I realized. This new agricultural position must be considered very important. 🤔

Once he's bathed, they tell him that the Emperor is 'nearly ready' for him.

WWX: Ah. I see. There must be a formal ceremony where he appoints me to my new position. 🤔

He puts on the new robes that were prepared for him. Then he asks...uh. Where the REST of the robes are.

The robe they gave him is just an underrobe! It's skimpy! Almost sheer! Obviously there must be more layers for a public court presenation!

But when he asks about that, everybody looks at him strangely.

The servants explain that they're bringing him DIRECTLY to the Emperor.

DIRECTLY, General Wei! They will take him down a private corridor so he can go DIRECTLY to the Emperor.

He will not see ANYONE except the Emperor. The Emperor is nearly READY for him, as they said. So General Wei doesn't need any 'additional layers'.

WWX: 😳🤔😰

Well...if he's going to be appointed to his new position in private, that's fine! No need for a big fuss in the official halls, with lots of courtiers and ministers looking on! If the Emperor wants to give him his new assignment someplace quiet, that's all right.

But doesn't he need more clothes for that? They can't possibly intend for him to speak to the Emperor in his UNDERWEAR?!

WWX has teased the Emperor a lot, of course. He got beaten for it once, when they were both young, and the emperor wasn't the emperor yet!

Everyone was very angry when WWX showed the Emperor those naughty books, even though the Emperor was only the Second Prince at the time.

But even WWX never considered parading around the imperial family in his UNDERWEAR.

(Sidenote: I decided that LXC is alive, but he abdicated the throne due to personal reasons. No, I will not be explaining this further. He's alive, he's OK, LWJ is the Emperor, and shenanigans are occurring. ✌️)

But all the servants are looking at WWX like this is completely normal, and HE'S the unreasonable one for objecting.

Maybe this IS normal? Are newly appointed ministers SUPPOSED to present themselves in their underwear? As a sign of humility and submission, maybe?!

WWX doesn't know! It just seems like everything is happening very quickly!

But he just gulps, and nods when they tell him it's time for him to go in to the Emperor.

It's been a long time since he's seen the Emperor. Almost two years. The war in the north has been dragging on and on. He left the capital not too long after the Second Prince - Lan Zhan - took the throne.

He wonders if Lan Zhan has changed a whole lot since they were boys, studying together.

Now that he thinks of it, it's very flattering that Lan Zhan considered him for this position.

Of course, WWX's skill on the battlefield spoke for itself. But government offices were usually reserved for members of the nobility. WWX definitely wasn't a noble. So it really is a big deal that he's been given such an important position!

He takes a moment to feel pleased and proud that Lan Zhan agreed to give him this job. Lan Zhan must like him more than he thought, if agreed to overlook all WWX's insolence and teasing!

And Lan Zhan must be just as noble as people say, if he ignored tradition and overlooked the fact that WWX is the son of a servant in order to promote him to a high office!

For just an instant, WWX feels very happy.

Then the servants take hold of his shoulder and shove him into a room, with murmured blessings and prayers for a 'fruitful encounter'.

Then WWX realizes that he's alone in that room with Lan Zhan...like, REALLY alone. No bodyguards or servants or ANYTHING.

Then he realizes he's not in a private office, or a small meeting hall. He's in a BEDROOM.

Then WWX takes a deep breath, and realizes he's alone with Lan Zhan - with the Emperor - who is IN HEAT.

(Pausing here to go do some work! Will try to come back later tonight to finish this off! 😅)

Some important (and publicly canvassed facts) about the infamous General Wei:

He's known to turn a blind eye if his soldiers smuggle their lovers and concubines to the front for ~conjugal visits~.

He's also known to be very liberal about allowing his soldiers to visit brothels. In fact, he often accompanies them there.

He's also very indulgent toward his friends' children. He has paid for the education/dowries of SEVERAL random children.

...Now, WWX just happens to believe that it's best to allow soldiers to blow off steam with their lovers or willing prostitutes, so they don't wind up bothering innocent villagers!

He accompanies his men to the brothels because he likes drinking and singing, and because he wants to make sure his men BEHAVE themselves. He wants to be sure they follow the brothel rules, and pay full price for their services.

He dotes on his friends' children because he likes kids. NOT because he secretly slept with his friend's spouses and fathered said children!

But...y'know. The rumor-mill is gonna do its thing, facts be damned!

Bottom line: everyone thinks General Wei is a hard-drinking, lascivious alpha who probably fathered at least ten illegitimate children already.

When LWJ declared that he would have General Wei father his child or NOBODY, the ministers grumbled.

But they supposed that at least General Wei would be up to the task. If rumors could be believed, he would certainly get the Emperor with child after just one night!

...Rumors cannot be believed. General Wei is a big fat virgin. He don't know nothin' 'bout making no babies. 😭

Oh, he knows the basics, OBVIOUSLY. You don't hang out in brothels (even in the downstairs area, where the clothes MOSTLY stay on and people just drink and sing) without grasping the basics. And he's read naughty books and everything!

But he's never been with an omega in heat...or any other time, for that matter!

The servants casually tossed him into the room, thinking he knew EXACTLY what he was there for. They thought he would know EXACTLY what to do once he saw the Emperor and caught a whiff of his scent.

But the moment WWX registers that he's alone with Lan Zhan, who is IN HEAT, he immediately whirls around and tries to sprint out of the room.

Obviously, there has been a MISTAKE here, and everybody will be very angry once they realize it!

WWX is very sure that he's not supposed to be witnessing any of this! Probably alphas are put to death for even LOOKING at the Emperor when he's in heat! Someone is definitely going to tear his eyes out if he tries to ogle Lan Zhan when he's like this!

So WWX shuts his eyes and tries to turn off his nose.

"Hey!" he yells. "Open up! I'm not supposed to be in here!"

He sounds a little congested, on account of the fact that he's trying not to breathe through his nose.

(It's not helping. It just means he can TASTE Lan Zhan's scent, and it's making him dizzy.)

He tries to yank on the door again, but it doesn't open.

(It is, of course, barred shut. Most of the servants have politely withdrawn from this entire wing of the palace.)

A couple bodyguards are stationed at the end of the hall, just to make sure no one bothers the Emperor while he's busy making the next heir to the throne.

But they're under orders not to open that door for ANYTHING. Not until the Emperor himself gives permission!

So they're just hanging out, eating snacks, and dutifully monitoring the end of the corridor for assassins. They pay no attention to the distant banging on the door. They have been told that they should go conveniently deaf for the next 48 hours.

If you hear His Majesty moaning or the headboard knocking against the wall, no you don't. 😌

So WWX is on his own! He's getting dizzier by the minute! He's already half-hard, and he's REALLY trying to pretend THAT isn't happening!

He's gazing despairingly at the door, accepting his inevitable execution for the crime of getting an erection in the Emperor's presence.

And then he feels hands on his shoulders, turning him around. And he finds himself staring into Lan Zhan's fever-bright eyes.

"Wei Ying."

"Lan Zhan," he blurts out.

Then he bites down on his tongue. Hard.

He's not SUPPOSED to call the Emperor that now. He wasn't even supposed to call him that back when he was only Second Prince, back when every body thought for SURE that First Prince would take the throne.

Wei Ying isn't DUMB. He's insolent, insubordinate, irreverent, unorthodox, and every other insult that's been lobbied his way. But he isn't DUMB.

He knows perfectly well that he never even had a chance with Second Prince, so he DEFINITELY doesn't have a chance with the Emperor.

Everyone's been talking about this nonstop, even at the front: who will the Emperor marry, when will he choose a spouse or start a harem, when will he produce the first imperial heir?

WWX has heard all the gossip, all the speculation.

He knows (EVERYBODY knows) that it will be someone from an old, established clan...someone with all kinds of money and political connections.

WWX didn't have enough of THAT sort of thing to court a prince, much less an emperor!

Which is why it's SO VERY UNFORTUNATE that Lan Zhan is here.

Right now.

Smelling like this, and calling him 'Wei Ying', and looking happy to see him.

It's extremely unfortunate, because WWX knows how to break down locked doors.

You learn that sort of thing, as a soldier!

But his knees are wobbly and his head is spinning, and Lan Zhan is ALSO wearing one of those sheer gauzy robes, and WWX can see his NIPPLES, and he doesn't even remember how to open a completely unlocked door just now.

"You came," Lan Zhan says.

And he sounds pleased. He looks pleased. His face is more relaxed that WWX has ever seen it.

He joked sometimes, at the front, that the Emperor was always very stuffy and uptight, even as a young man.

He said that all the stress of running an empire would probably make such a stuffy person old before their time. He said the Emperor would probably be gray-haired and wrinkly by the time he was thirty, just because he took everything so seriously.

He didn't really think it was true. He HOPED it wouldn't be true. He hoped the burden of sitting on the throne wouldn't weigh so heavily on Lan Zhan.

And he consoled himself that he was helping out, guarding the borders, driving off enemies with his unorthodox methods.

He was keeping everybody safe. He was keeping Lan Zhan safe. So that would be one less thing Lan Zhan would have to worry about.

But he still wondered, privately, if Lan Zhan would start to look careworn, if his beauty would fade at a young age.

It hasn't.

If anything, Lan Zhan looks even prettier than he did two years ago, when WWX knelt before the throne and received his assignment in the north.

His skin is firm and supple. His lips are flushed, swollen like he's been biting them.

His hair is swept away from his throat.

WWX wants to sink his teeth into him. It's terrible.

"Yes," he chokes. "Y-yes, of course, I came. Your uncle, he rode out to see me, and he said..."

He doesn't remember what LQR said.

He's busy staring at Lan Zhan's neck. Lan Zhan's hands are pushing the thin robe off WWX's shoulders. The room is very warm, and Lan Zhan's scent is so strong, and WWX wants to push him down on the floor and bully his way between Lan Zhan's thighs.

He doesn't remember anything that LQR said, ever.

He also doesn't remember why it would be wrong to pull Lan Zhan's legs until they're around his waist. He's sure that it IS wrong, he just can't quite remember why.

"Lan Zhan," he says, weakly. "I think, uh. I think there is a mistake here, somewhere?"

He doesn't remember what the mistake is, though. And Lan Zhan shakes his head.

"No mistake," he says.

Then he takes WWX's face in his hands and kisses him.

"Oh," WWX says, when he can breathe again.

His hands have somebody found their way under Lan Zhan's robes. They're flexing around Lan Zhan's hips, stroking his bare buttocks and thighs.

That's bad, WWX thinks. He doesn't know WHY it's bad, but this should not be happening.

"Are you sure?" he asks.

Lan Zhan starts CLIMBING him, and WWX braces reflexively to take his weight. Lan Zhan's robe winds up on the floor, next to Wei Ying's.

He's got his legs around WWX now, and he's grinding against WWX, and WWX nearly comes on the spot.

He staggers over to the bed, even though THAT feels like a mistake too.

He really doesn't know else to do, though. He WANTS to put Lan Zhan on the bed. He wants to spread him out very gently against the silk sheets, and he also wants to thrown him down as hard as he can.

He can't make up his mind, so Lan Zhan makes it up for him.

Lan Zhan rocks their bodies, toppling them both onto the mattress. WWX winds up between Lan Zhan's slick thighs, grinding against him reflexively. It takes him a whole minute to force himself to stop.

"But are you SURE?" he chokes out. "I think there's a mistake here. You should, you should find your uncle, and he'll tell you that this is a mistake."

"No," Lan Zhan says.

He's using his 'I am the Emperor, and you had better not disobey me' voice.

He had THAT voice down pat, even when he was just the Second Prince. But Lan Zhan was always good at getting his own way.

He proves that now. He leans forward and bites down hard on WWX's shoulder.

WWX whites out for a minute.

He used to think it was all nonsense, that talk about alphas coming across an omega in heat and feeling that they simply HAD to have them.

He's been in the same room with omegas who were starting to go into heat, or coming out of their heat cycle.

They smelled nice, sure. But it was never any trouble for WWX to ignore them.

One time, there was a spy at the northern front who tried to trick him by approaching him during their heat. But WWX restrained them before they could even touch him.

He kept them locked up, alone, until they finished their heat and he could interrogate them.

He laughed when his second-in-command if it had been hard to remain clear-headed. It hadn't been hard. The omega had smelled fine, but they...

Well. They hadn't been what he wanted.

But maybe it's that Lan Zhan is farther along in his heat than that omega was.

Or maybe it's the fact that Lan Zhan actually is what WWX wants, what he always wanted, even though he never had any hope of getting it.

Either way, he slips away from himself for a while.

When he comes back to himself, he's buried deep inside Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan is making noises WWX never heard before, even in the brothels.

They're noises he didn't even know Lan Zhan COULD make. But he's making them, and clawing burning stripes into WWX's shoulders and back.

WWX forgets that this is all some terrible mix-up.

He forgets that he's absolutely, positively going to be executed the moment he sets foot outside of this room.

He forgets that Lan Zhan will hate him forever, will curse his memory long after he's dead and buried in an unmarked grave in the borderlands.

His body seems to be moving on its own, just like every terribly-written filthy novel he ever read.

He's pulling out, turning Lan Zhan around. He wants Lan Zhan face-down. No, he NEEDS Lan Zhan face-down. He needs to take Lan Zhan like THAT, knot him like THAT, so he can...

So he can...he doesn't know. He can't remember.

But Lan Zhan seems to like it.

He goes on his knees willingly, mumbling WWX's name over and over again. He takes WWX's hand, presses it to his belly.

And WWX's body takes over again. He forces Lan Zhan flat against the mattress and bites his neck hard enough to draw blood.

Lan Zhan cries out, and WWX thrusts once, twice. Three times.

He doesn't remember to pull out. He can't even think of it. He wants Lan Zhan right where he has him. He wants Lan Zhan to stay right there, trapped beneath WWX's body and the mattress, so he can be knotted.

He can't remember that this is the EMPEROR he's despoiling.

And if he could remember, it wouldn't matter. He's tried so hard to make himself think of Lan Zhan as the Emperor, but he can't.

Lan Zhan is just Lan Zhan, and he's just Wei Ying.

Lan Zhan makes a noise. It's a good noice, WWX thinks. A happy noise.

It makes WWX happy, too. It makes him happy that his omega, his Lan Zhan, is happy to be knotted.

He licks the bleeding bite-mark apologetically, and Lan Zhan makes another good noise.

He wriggles around until he's got Lan Zhan settled on his side, WWX spooned up behind him, still settled deep inside his body.

It's good, WWX thinks.

He's been back to the capital twice, since he got posted to the northern border. But for the first time in years, he feels like he's finally home.

He licks Lan Zhan's neck contentedly, and Lan Zhan winds their fingers together.

Maybe he sleeps, then. Or maybe he slides away from himself again. He doesn't know.

He only knows that when he wakes up again, he's aware that a lot of time has passed. He knows that it's a day later, maybe two days later. He's sore and sticky, and covered in bite-marks.

And he remembers now.

He remembers what it means, what they just did. He remembers how big a mistake he's just made, and for a long moment, he's so horrified he can't even breathe.

(...Pausing here! This was not supposed to be this long OR this smutty, but. Uh. Here we are. 🧍‍♂️

I will come back and finish this tomorrow or Thursday! I haven't forgotten about the Foxxian thread either, don't worry! Just sit tight, I shall return!)

(*shows up several days later with a Starbucks*

Listen, I am writing this idea up, one tweet at a time, and yeeting it into the void. So if you notice minor plot/setting inconsistencies or things that have been retconned...no you don't. 😌 But yes you do. 😌 Sorry. 😌)

When LWJ wakes, he's sore and sticky.

His hips ache. His neck aches. His thighs are chafed, and he has a dim memory of Wei Ying's unshaven face buried between his legs.

He's covered in fluids he doesn't care to name. All in all, he's much filthier than an emperor should be.

He would feel disgusting, if not for the bone-deep satisfaction that spreads throughout his body. It keeps him in bed for a long time, staring at Wei Ying's sleeping face and savoring his own happiness.

He hadn't been entirely sure that Wei Ying would come.

All his ministers and councilors had taken it for granted that Wei Ying would rush to the capital as soon as he heard LWJ's request.

It was a great honor, they kept saying. A great honor, for a man without a title or any links to the nobility!

Perhaps General Wei would be dumbstruck, they said, hardly able to believe his good fortune!

But he would accept, surely. They did not doubt that for a moment.

LWJ hadn't been so sure. It had been some years since he and Wei Ying had seen each other.

And...he HAD heard that many soldiers kept lovers and concubines near their camps.

Perhaps Wei Ying had someone living with him at the front, warming his bed at night. LWJ did not know. He had been afraid to ask anyone to investigate. He hadn't wanted to know, before.

And then his ministers had accepted the idea of LWJ taking a partner from among the military leaders. It suddenly seemed possible to send for Wei Ying. But it was too late for any investigation into Wei Ying's domestic arrangements.

Uncle had promised, though.

He had promised that he would ASK Wei Ying if he were willing to do this.

He had promised that Wei Ying would not be compelled to accept, in the name of duty and loyalty.

Wei Ying would not be threatened. He would not be told that the emperor would be angry if he said no.

Wei Ying would be free to make his own choice.

...And he had chosen to come.

LWJ curls on his side, staring at Wei Ying's face, and smiles. He resists the urge to touch his belly.

It's too soon to know whether they were successful. But he is sure that they were.

Uncle will be happy. The ministers and councilors will be happy.

But their happiness is nothing compared to LWJ's. He's flooded with it, radiant with delight. He wonders whether the baby will look like Wei Ying. He wonders if the baby will have Wei Ying's laugh, his smile.

He wonders - with a slight dimming of his joy - whether Wei Ying will stay at the palace until he delivers, or if he'll need to return to the front.

He would rather have Wei Ying with him. But if Wei Ying feels it's his duty to finish the campaign himself, LWJ won't say no.

Duty is important. LWJ knows that better than anyone.

It was duty that made him emperor, after all. It was duty that led him to accept a throne he had never wanted, so his brother could marry for love.

He had not regretted his decision then.

And it's certainly very hard to regret his decision now.

Duty and pleasure have mingled together. He can fulfill his duty in producing an heir while also sharing a bed with Wei Ying. Duty does not seem like such a bad thing, just now.

LWJ reaches out, brushes a strand of hair away from Wei Ying's face. He hopes Wei Ying will want to stay.

Wei Ying wakes slowly, in gentle stages. LWJ watches him contentedly, carving each movement into his memory.

Wei Ying wiggles around for a while. He rolls over. He stretches. His nose wrinkles, twitching like a rabbit. He does not seem to like the sunlight streaming past the bed-curtains, so LWJ tries to draw them closed.

But Wei Ying wakes fully when he sits up to adjust the bedding.

He blinks at LWJ for awhile. He doesn't seem to know where he is.

Perhaps his memory is foggy, blurred. LWJ does not remember much of the last few days himself.

It takes a few seconds for Wei Ying to remember what happened.

Then, suddenly, the color drains out of his face.

"Wei Ying?"

LWJ reaches for him, alarmed.

If possible, Wei Ying pales further.

"Lan Zh-"

He begins to say LWJ's name. Then he chokes.

He lurches upright, off the bed. He's naked, covered in bruises in the shape of LWJ's mouth and hands.

But LWJ can't even enjoy that.

Wei Ying half-slides, half-falls off the bed. Then he kneels there, on the floor.

"Your Majesty."

His voice is choked, his head bowed.

LWJ feels as if the earth has suddenly tilted beneath him.

He can count on one hand the number of times he has heard that title from Wei Ying's lips.

Of course, Wei Ying went away not long after LWJ took the throne. But even his reports were informal - insultingly so, one minister mumbled - and often omitted the proper forms of address.

He did not think Wei Ying would ever address him that way again.

In public, perhaps, to appease the more conservative ministers. But even then...surely Wei Ying need not show such obeisance? Surely he need not kowtow before the emperor, when he fathered the heir to the throne?

"Wei Ying." His voice is strange and unsteady, even to his own ears. "What are you doing."

He cannot see Wei Ying's face. But he watches Wei Ying's throat work as he swallows.

"I am...awaiting the emperor's judgment."

LWJ can only stare.

His mouth is very dry. He doesn't remember the last time he ate or drank. He needs a bath, a meal, a change of clothes. Perhaps that's why his mind is working so slowly.

But he can't make sense of any of this.

He can only sit there on the crumpled, stained bedding and stare at Wei Ying.

But his silence seems to give the wrong impression. Wei Ying's shoulders hunch further, as if he believes LWJ is too angry to speak.

"I understand...I understand the gravity of my offenses."

Wei Ying's voice cracks slightly. Something inside LWJ's chest cracks, too.

"I will accept any punishment," Wei Ying finishes.

And he continues to kneel, continues to wait. As if he's a petitioner in the great hall, brought before the emperor on charges of corruption.

"Punishment," LWJ echoes.

The word is hardly more than a breath.

"I don't...I don't understand."

It is not proper for the emperor to admit to his ignorance or confusion. The emperor is meant to be infallible.

But LWJ is not the emperor now.

He is not the emperor with Wei Ying. He is only himself. And he does not understand what has gone wrong. He clutches the crumbled bedding in his fists.

"They told me to come speak to you right away." Wei Ying swallows again, visibly. "But they...the servants..."

"They must not have realized that you..."

Wei Ying lifts his chin, though he still doesn't look LWJ in the eye.

"Please don't punish them! I'm sure it was an honest mistake."

LWJ shakes his head, hoping the words will rearrange themselves and start to make sense.

"Did it come on you suddenly?" Wei Ying asks, after bewildered and agonizing pause. "Your...your heat."

LWJ stares.

"No. Wei Ying. It had been planned for weeks. I don't understand."

Perhaps Wei Ying is growing tired of hearing that. But LWJ can't help it.

It had been six weeks of tedious planning: arguments about the logistics of bringing Wei Ying to the palace, arrangements to send someone to take his place at the front, visits with the physician, strengthening teas, acupuncture, baths infused with special herbs.

Everything, to make sure that the timing of his heat was correct.

Everything, to make sure that he was as healthy and fertile as possible.

Nothing had happened SUDDENLY. And LWJ had thought his uncle might mention that: all the planning and preparation and effort.

He thought Uncle might say something about the elaborate arrangements to ensure that an heir would come quickly, and that the northern borders were not unguarded in the meantime.

"Uncle went to speak to you," he says, dumbly.

Somehow, Wei Ying seems confused by this.

"Yes."

"Didn't he...he was meant to explain."

LWJ twists the bedding between his fingers and stares down at the curve of Wei Ying's throat.

"I wanted to do it myself, but he said that would be improper. He said an intermediary was necessary. He said he would convey my request."

He had nearly suffered a stroke when LWJ suggested that they summon Wei Ying to the palace so LWJ could make the request in person.

It was, Uncle had choked out, a highly improper suggestion. Quite unthinkable, in fact. Who had ever heard of such a thing?

The emperor could not ASK someone to help him create a child! In matters concerning an imperial heir, everything must be done through intermediaries.

LWJ had given in. He knew Uncle was not happy with his choice, and it seemed prudent to let him have his way in this.

He had assured LWJ that he would deliver the request with due solemnity and propriety, with a full respect for tradition.

LWJ had accepted that. But Wei Ying meets his eyes, only briefly, and LWJ can see that he's still confused.

"He told me about the new job, sure."

"The JOB," LWJ chokes out.

WWX's brow furrows.

"Yes." He shifts uneasily. "I...I don't know why you picked me, but of course I wouldn't turn you down. I was going to try my best."

He opens his mouth to say something more. Heaven only knows what.

LWJ's head is whirling.

But they're interrupted by a soft knock on the door. LWJ pulls the sheets around himself, and reaches down to draw Wei Ying to his feet.

Wei Ying flinches, and that hurts far more than LWJ might have expected.

"Please stand," he murmurs.

He gives Wei Ying a blanket to cover himself. And Wei Ying must see the value in that, because he hastily wraps the blanket around his shoulders before the servants come in.

He doesn't sit on the bed, though. He stands awkwardly, as the blank-faced servants set out trays of food, pots of tea, fresh robes, steaming bowls of hot water.

When they're done, LWJ refuses the offer of a bath and waves them off.

"Your Majesty, the head physician wishes-"

Heat creeps up the back of LWJ's neck.

He knows what the head physician wishes. He knows that she wants to examine him, to determine whether Wei Ying's seed is likely to take root.

But he can't think of that now.

"No," he says curtly. "Not now. Later. I will send for her."

The girl bows, and she withdraws with the other servants. The door shuts behind them, and the room is plunged into silence.

Beside the bed, Wei Ying shifts from one foot to another.

"Shouldn't you...shouldn't you talk to her right away? Maybe she can fix it."

"...Fix it."

For a moment, LWJ is filled with a horror so deep that he cannot speak.

Then he realizes that Wei Ying is staring at his neck. LWJ reaches up, and his fingers pass over the scab, quickly resolving into a scar.

Embarrassment and relief surges through his body.

He had forgotten about the bite. He certainly hadn't meant to DISPLAY it to the servants, as he had done. The mark would have to be covered in public, of course. That was the proper procedure, for bonded omegas.

Uncle will be mortified when he hears that LWJ's personal attendants saw the mark.

But LWJ pushes that thought away.

Is THIS what has Wei Ying so upset? Does he think he will be punished for marking the emperor, bonding him without explicit permission?

Did Uncle tell him that such a thing was forbidden? Did he imply that Wei Ying was meant to control himself, to offer only his seed and nothing else?

It seems very likely. Uncle was always...too restrictive about such things. LWJ lets out a sigh.

"No apology is necessary."

He reaches for Wei Ying's hand, trying to soothe him. But Wei Ying flinches back again. He lets out a brief, hysterical laugh.

"No apology! Lan Zha-"

His voice falters and face shutters, and he corrects himself.

"Your Majesty. Don't you have to get married soon?"

"How can you make a proper marriage alliance, if I've already..."

LWJ reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Uncle did a terrible job of explaining the request, then. Or perhaps he let his own biases intrude.

LWJ knows his Uncle hasn't fully accepted this: the fact that there will never be anyone for his nephew but Wei Ying.

Yet if he led Wei Ying to believe that LWJ intends to have a child by him, then cast him aside for a more illustrious spouse...then Uncle must be reprimanded.

He must be reprimanded FORMALLY, in the sort of manner that LWJ has avoided out thus far of filial duty and a sense of respect.

LWJ strives to keep his voice calm, and repair Uncle's blunder.

"Wei Ying. No political marriage is necessary. I have promised to produce an heir on my own terms. In return, my councilors have agreed to set aside the question of an arranged marriage with a member of the nobility."

He thinks Wei Ying will understand, then.

He expects to see relief wash over Wei Ying's face: he has not transgressed, he has not overstepped, he has not taken something already promised to another.

A selfish corner of LWJ's heart even hopes to see Wei Ying smile.

After all, if LWJ does not need to marry a member of the nobility, then there is nothing to prevent THEIR marriage. There is nothing to prevent the consummation of the claim that Wei Ying initiated when he put that mark on LWJ's neck.

Instead, Wei Ying blanches.

"An heir," he chokes.

His eyes dart from LWJ's face to his belly, then back again.

"We didn't...but we...you..."

He has a white-knuckled grip on the blanket, and he finally sinks onto the bed, wobbly-kneed.

"I didn't...stop. In time." He gulps. "I didn't...pull out."

(Pausing here for a few hours!! I will come back to finish this later tonight!)

For a moment, LWJ is dumbstruck. The remark makes no sense whatsoever.

LWJ open his mouth. Shuts it. Opens it again.

"No," he agrees.

He speaks slowly, and very gently.

"Wei Ying. I don't understand. Why are you apologizing? Didn't you agree to this?"

Why on earth would Wei Ying think he was expected to 'pull out'? Why would he think THAT was his duty in this particular situation?

Wei Ying chokes again. His eyes grow very wide.

"AGREE to it?"

LWJ's heart sinks right down into his feet.

He cannot speak. He rises from the bed, crosses over to the table. He pours a cup of tea and drinks it.

He drinks very slowly. He is being cowardly, of course. He's clinging to the last few moments of ignorance...the last moment where he can avoid hearing something terrible.

When he has finished the tea, he sets the cup down gently.

He wants to smash it. He doesn't, because that is unseemly behavior for a member of the imperial family.

He finds his under-robes and puts them on. He tries to steel himself. Then he turns back to Wei Ying.

"Uncle was meant to explain."

His voice shakes a little. LWJ ignores that, because he cannot help it.

"He was supposed to ask you to come here and..." He feels his cheeks grow hot. "Assist me. During my heat. So that I can bear a child."

Some part of his mind still clings to the hope that there has been a simple, easily corrected misunderstanding. Some part of him still hopes that Wei Ying will laugh, and say that he understood THAT much, of course!

But the look on Wei Ying's face destroys any such hopes.

It is devastatingly, soul-crushingly obvious that this is the first time Wei Ying has heard any such proposal. Lan Wangji wants to scream. Instead, he hears himself speaking mechanically.

"He sent a message ahead. I received it. He said he made a formal request, and you agreed."

Wei Ying laughs. It's a horrible, humorless imitation of a laugh.

"Your uncle," Wei Ying says slowly, "told me he thought I should become a FARMER."

"What?!"

They spend a few moments staring at each other. LWJ doesn't know what his face looks like. But he thinks he must look as bewildered as Wei Ying.

And Wei Ying must sense his bewilderment, because he doesn't become angry. He should, of course. He should be very, very angry.

LWJ can't bear to think of it: what he has DONE to Wei Ying, what he has TAKEN from Wei Ying.

It was a mistake rather than an act of deliberate cruelty, but that excuses nothing. He doesn't know how he can ever begin to make amends. He feels sick.

"I don't..." Wei Ying's cheeks grow red. "Ah. I don't understand. I really thought...he said a lot of things about seasons and cycles...rains on the mountaintops, and flooding, and the harvest. So I thought..."

And finally, LWJ understands. He shuts his eyes.

Uncle.

Uncle, the scholar.

Uncle, who wove a reference to poetry into every other remark he made.

Uncle, who gave advice shrouded in subtle allusions and lines from obscure texts.

LXC used to laugh about it...when Uncle was not in the room, of course. He used to say that someday Uncle would run into trouble when someone - a person who HADN'T spent as much of their life in the imperial libraries as Uncle - took him literally.

He had been right, and LWJ had been so blind.

"You didn't understand?" His voice breaks. He chooses to ignore that, too. "Wei Ying. You didn't understand why you had been brought here?

Wei Ying looks distressed. He shuffles off the bed, bunching the blanket around his body.

He edges closer to LWJ, speaking very rapidly.

"I thought you wanted me to take up a position with the ministers in charge of agriculture! I've been doing some work on that sort of thing, researching crop rotation and irrigation. I couldn't imagine how you found out, but..."

"Well. I know you've got your spies, and nothing your generals do in their spare time is really a secret! So I thought-"

LWJ does the only thing he can do. He drops to his knees at Wei Ying's feet.

He has hardly hit the floor before Wei Ying squawks and snatches at him.

"Lan Zhan!"

'Lan Zhan' is better than 'Your Majesty', he thinks. He never wants to hear that title in Wei Ying's mouth again.

He never wants to hear it in anyone's mouth. He is not worthy of it.

LXC must return. He must return, and reclaim the throne. He cannot have any children with his husband, not when they are both alphas...but he can take LWJ's child as his heir.

He feels sick when he thinks of that, but it's too late to stop any of this.

He must impose upon Wei Ying in this way: by bearing the child, by submitting the child as the next imperial heir.

The wheels are in motion, and he cannot take any of it back. But if LXC can have an heir, then there is nothing preventing him from resuming the role of emperor.

He will have to accept it.

LWJ remembers the moment before his coronation, the moment his brother fixed LWJ's tasseled crown in place for the first time.

He had surveyed the effect, and smiled. He told LWJ he would be a far better emperor than LXC ever was.

How very unfortunate, that he has disappointed his brother.

But if he abdicates, perhaps Wei Ying can forgive him someday. At least he will know that LWJ understands that there is no coming back from some mistakes.

But Wei Ying takes hold of him.

He tries to pull LWJ up, tries to drag him back to his feet. LWJ lets his body go lax, staying stubbornly in a kneeling position.

"Stop it," Wei Ying gasps. "Stop it! What are you doing?!"

LWJ lowers his head.

"I must beg your forgiveness."

Wei Ying lets out another breathy, hysterical laugh.

"No, you must NOT! What are you saying?!"

He gives up on trying to persuade LWJ to stand, and sinks to the floor with him.

"Lan Zhan. Did you forget you're the EMPEROR?"

"You're not supposed to bow to anybody. Especially not me!"

His voice is very kind. Much kinder than LWJ deserves. He seems worried, rather than angry, which only makes LWJ more furious with himself.

"I am the emperor," he grits out, from between clenched teeth. "I must set an example of righteous conduct for others to follow. I have failed to do that, so I must set an example by humbly asking forgiveness from the person I wronged."

He thinks that Wei Ying WILL forgive him, and the thought fills him with despair.

If Wei Ying forgives him before he has done anything to deserve it, he's afraid that he might cast aside any lingering shreds of imperial dignity and burst into tears.

Wei Ying seizes hold of him again.

This time, he doesn't tug on LWJ's arms and shoulders. He just lifts LWJ outright and carries him back to the bed.

It is shamefully arousing. LWJ twists his hands in his sleeves to keep from reaching out for Wei Ying.

Wei Ying set him on the mattress very gently. Then he steps away, and LWJ swallows a disappointed whimper.

Wei Ying ruffles his hands through his disheveled hair and paces back and forth beside the bed.

"You stay there! Don't kneel on the cold floor. How is THAT healthy?"

He runs his hands through his hair again. One strand is curling away from his forehead, almost standing on end. LWJ wants to pull on it, and it takes every scrap of self-control to resist.

"I mean, what will happen if you get a fever and die? You have to think of these things!"

LWJ's chest clenches, and his heart drops again.

"I have," he rasps, "been thinking of these things."

Wei Ying goes very still, freezing mid-step.

"It is all that they speak of. The succession. They have asked...my uncle pleaded with me, on bended knee...to produce a child."

He had thought he had more time. LXC thought so, too.

But while there had been no particular hurry when there were two brothers who could assume the throne, the matter became more dire when one of them had already abdicated and stepped out of the line of inheritance.

For two years, LWJ tried to delay. But when Uncle knelt before the dragon throne and BEGGED his nephew to produce a child, LWJ could not turn a deaf ear. He could not delay any longer.

"They want to ensure that there is an heir to the throne after my passing."

"But I did not want any of the marriage candidates they presented to me."

The words stick in his throat. He can't tell Wei Ying now that all the candidates were inadequate simply because they weren't HIM. It would be cruel.

But Wei Ying is very still, listening.

So LWJ swallows and forces himself to continue.

"They told me I could make my own choice....select any concubines I desired, so long as the concubines were capable of getting me with child."

He presses his lips into a thin line.

"I did not want concubines."

"At last, they looked beyond the noble clans. They looked at the most skilled and powerful leaders of the military...even those descended from commoners."

LWJ stares into his lap, at his clasped hands.

"Your name was mentioned."

How can he explain it? How can he explain that it was the most transcendent moment of his life? The day of his coronation, the moment he first sat upon the dragon throne, was nothing.

But he had wanted Wei Ying for so long...wanted him without hope of getting him.

He had known that they could not marry, even if Wei Ying HAD wanted him. Wei Ying was not of a high enough rank to marry the Emperor's young brother. And then, later, he certainly wasn't of high enough rank to marry the Emperor himself.

And it was too late for LWJ to think of abdicating for love. His brother had done that already. There were no more heirs left. He had to carry on, and fulfill his duty.

And then the ministers had grown desperate, desperate enough to promise LWJ almost anything.

Any alpha he desired, any partner of his choosing. Anything, for that long-awaited heir. Even a general who had once been the son of a servant.

For the first time in years, LWJ had tasted hope.

"Uncle was meant to approach you and ask you to father my child," he murmurs.

He clenches his fists.

"I should have defied propriety and asked you myself. If you did not understand...then you did not consent to any of this. I forced you to..."

Wei Ying won't let him kneel, but he bows his head again.

"I ask your forgiveness."

Wei Ying is silent for a terribly long time. Then he huffs out a quiet laugh.

"Lan Zhan. How could you FORCE me?"

LWJ lifts his head, startled.

"My scent-"

To his astonishment, Wei Ying makes a rude noise.

"That!" He flings up his hands. "That's only a myth! Just an excuse for stupid alphas who don't want to take responsibility for themselves. Of COURSE, we can keep our hands to ourselves, even if somebody is in heat. I've done it before!"

LWJ resists the temptation to growl at the idea of Wei Ying being near another omega in heat. It is not his place to be jealous.

But once he pushes down the jealousy, he's left hollow and confused.

If his scent did not compel Wei Ying to join him in bed, then what did?

"Then...you felt you could not refuse the emperor?"

It's just as bad, of course. It's only another method of coercion. It's precisely what LWJ always meant to avoid.

But Wei Ying rolls his eyes. His cheeks are pink.

"Lan Zhan. When did I ever kiss up to you because of THAT?"

Never, he thinks.

Wei Ying teased him, taunted him, and annoyed him. Infuriated him. Helped him. Served him. Defied him.

Wei Ying has done any number of things, since they were boys studying together in the imperial library.

As a boy, he was carelessly insolent to Second Prince. Insolent, but never unkind.

As a man, he was a faithful servant to the empire and a skillful leader of his men. He did what he could to defend the borders.

But he had not always obeyed LWJ, even then.

Sometimes, he had defied an imperial order outright...and he had always been right to do it.

Whenever Wei Ying disobeyed, he always won a fresh victory and proved that the other course of action would have been a mistake.

The ministers had been outraged, but LWJ never permitted any punishment for disobedience.

The results had spoken for themselves. Wei Ying had been correct; the imperial order had been incorrect. He rescinded the orders, pleased that Wei Ying knew better than to obey blindly.

Wei Ying was never a bootlicker.

But if he did not submit to the full force of LWJ's heat out of fear of punishment or blind obedience...if he was not compelled by LWJ's pheromones...then LWJ doesn't know what to think.

He looks up. Wei Ying gives him a puzzled, gentle smile.

He reaches, slowly, for LWJ's wrist.

"Lan Zhan. Ah. Why don't you tell me why you sent for me in the first place?"

(We're very near the end, but I need a quick break. 😭 Back in an hour or so!)

LWJ's breath catches in his throat.

If he had time, he could prepare a proper declaration. Something dignified, and gracious, and poetic. Something worthy of Wei Ying.

But it occurs to LWJ that perhaps they have had too much poetry already.

If that's the case, then he can offer nothing but the simple truth.

"I do not want anyone but you," he whispers. "It cannot be anyone but you.

Wei Ying's fingers tighten around his wrist.

His eyes are very wide. He lets out a soft, incredulous laugh.

"You never LIKED me!" he cries. "Don't you remember anything about when we were studying together? You didn't like me at all!"

His laughter rises in pitch, but it isn't cruel or mocking.

He sounds - he looks - entirely overwhelmed. He looks as if he expected LWJ to say anything but this.

Somehow, that gives LWJ courage. He inclines his head, and tries to sound at least slightly dignified.

"Untrue. I simply did not understand...how to manage my feelings."

"The way you made me feel..." He digs his teeth into his lip and looks away. "I didn't know what to do except scold you."

Wei Ying holds his wrist in a bruising grip. He realizes it after a moment, and lets go. He brushes an apologetic thumb over the red marks on LWJ's skin.

LWJ stares at the marks, and hopes they will stay. He knows he will likely carry quite a few traces of Wei Ying on his body...perhaps IN his body...after this. But he wants these marks to stay, anyway.

Wei Ying lets out another quiet laugh and passes a hand over his jaw.

"Aiyah. It's like THAT?" He sways back and forth with silent laughter. "I was being punished because I was rude enough to make you like me? How is THAT fair? No, no!"

He snatches at LWJ's wrist again, holds him in place when he tries to slide off the bed.

"Don't try to kneel in apology again! I won't have it!"

LWJ's face burns with mortification. But Wei Ying's eyes are soft and kind. There's a quiet spark of hope burning in his eyes, too. LWJ clings to it.

So he sits quietly, and lets Wei Ying laugh at him.

"Well!" Wei Ying rubs his nose sheepishly. "I deserved to be scolded back then, so it's all right. But of course... you still made me lose a lot of face, you know?"

He leans forward, nudging LWJ's arm.

"Being publicly scolded by the emperor and sent off to the north!"

"And here I thought you were going to make it up to me by naming me MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE!"

He begins to laugh then. A deep, relaxed belly laugh. He laughs so hard that tears come into his eyes. There are creases there that will develop into laugh lines when Wei Ying is older.

He is always beautiful, but he's especially beautiful when he laughs. LWJ knew that already. But he's unprepared to deal with such beauty now.

He fumbles for the right words.

"I will give you the position, if you want it."

Wei Ying wipes his eyes and shakes his head.

He takes LWJ's hand again, and squeezes it. LWJ's heart gyrates.

"We'll talk about that another time! It's not what I really want, you know."

He darts a glance at LWJ's face.

"That's not what I was hoping for, all these years!"

LWJ swallows. But he won't let himself hope that Wei Ying means what he THINKS Wei Ying means. He's done too much assuming already. He's drawn false conclusions, and guessed wrong. He won't make the same mistake twice.

"Whatever you wish. If it's in my power to give it, I will."

Wei Ying's smile broadens.

"Everything's in your power, technically! You're the emperor, remember? Why do I have to keep reminding you of that?"

LWJ shakes his head.

"No," he says, swiftly. "Wei Ying. Not everything. I have no right to take that which is not given freely."

Wei Ying's smile fades, then. But he doesn't loosen his grip on LWJ's hand, and he doesn't draw back. He stares down at their joined hands in silence for a moment.

LWJ holds very still, afraid to even breathe.

"What about the things you COULD give freely? I mean to say..."

He clears his throat, and draws himself up.

Then, suddenly, he crumples to the bed. He almost topples into LWJ's lap. And he WAILS.

"This is embarrassing," Wei Ying moans. "Maybe you should send me back to the front lines. How come facing an invading army is easier than THIS?"

LWJ pats Wei Ying's head with his free hand. He's not certain what else he ought to do. His mind is whirling.

"Well."

Wei Ying draws himself up again, scowling.

"It can't be helped. After all, I already gave you a lot of things, didn't I?"

"My loyalty. Two years of my life, guarding the north."

He tugs down the blanket he's still wearing as a makeshift robe, and bares his shoulder.

"Look, I even got some scars! I'm not mad about them. They look very impressive. But that's your responsibility too."

He studies the scars, then lets out a mock sigh.

"I gave you my youthful good looks." He swallows, visibly, and speaks in a rush. "I gave you a bunch of other things too, like my heart and my virginity, so I just think you should try to give me your heart, too. To make it fair!"

LWJ realizes, too late, that he has started to cry. But it doesn't matter.

He reaches out, and takes Wei Ying's face in his hands.

"You already have it," he says.

And he kisses Wei Ying with as much passion and force as he can muster.

Everything is in confusion for a few moments.

Wei Ying surges against him like a tidal wave, powerful, inescapable. He topples LWJ against the crumpled and stained bedding. They kiss again and again.

LWJ kisses each of Wei Ying's scars, in apology. But halfway down Wei Ying's chest, LWJ pauses.

"Your virginity?" he echoes.

It sounds impossible. Much too good to be believed. How could it be true? Yet Wei Ying had never lied to him before.

Wei Ying wails again, and flings an arm over his eyes.

"Lan Zhan! Don't laugh!"

Lan Zhan isn't laughing. But there's a flush spreading down Wei Ying's throat. He wants to lick it, and it occurs to him that perhaps he can.

So he does, and Wei Ying shivers.

But Wei Ying doesn't allow himself to be sidetracked.

"I know, I know. A general of the army and a virgin! Who ever heard of such a thing? Well, I was saving myself for my emperor, all right? Is that really so wrong? I bet there are lots of people who were doing the same thing."

He lowers his arm, and scowls for a minute. Then he reaches out and twines his fingers in LWJ's hair."

"Tough luck for THEM, because they can't have you now!"

The possessiveness in his voice makes LWJ's blood sing.

He ducks his head to hide his smile.

"It is fair," he murmurs. "You also took mine."

Wei Ying's eyes darken. He seizes hold of LWJ one final time.

But this time, it isn't to lift LWJ from a kneeling position. It's to PUT him in a kneeling position, right there on the bed.

If they weren't successful in making a child during LWJ's heat, it's not likely they will succeed now that his heat has ended.

But LWJ is no mood to mention THAT. He forgets about the food cooling on the table, and ignores the soft taps on the door from the curious servants.

He lets Wei Ying's body - Wei Ying's knot, Wei Ying's love - wash away every other concern.

But when they're finished, and lying face to face again, Wei Ying grows serious.

"Hey." He toys nervously with a strand of LWJ's hair. "Were you going to have a baby ONLY to please your family and your ministers?

LWJ smiles and shakes his head.

"I was going to have a child NOW, to please them."

He leans forward, and presses a kiss to Wei Ying's lips.

"I was going to have a child with YOU to please myself."

Something in Wei Ying's eyes softens even further.

"Oh," he whispers. "Well. That's okay then!"

He chews his lip, and glances toward LWJ's belly.

"Uh. ARE you going to have a baby?"

It is much too soon to know for sure. But LWJ feels a deep surety in his bones. An instinct, perhaps. But he keeps that surety to himself for the time being. It isn't good to tempt fate, perhaps.

"Most likely," he admits. "Are you upset?"

His chest still aches when he thinks of how little choice Wei Ying was given in this.

But Wei Ying lets out a loud groan, and buries his face in the pillow.

"I'm VERY upset! This is so embarrassing!"

"People are going to think I'm illiterate because I didn't understand your uncle's metaphors!"

He lifts his head to glare at LWJ.

"Don't tell anybody that I misunderstood him so badly!"

LWJ frowns at that.

"Uncle must be sternly reprimanded," he insists. "He will not be entrusted to carry such messages in the future."

Wei Ying makes another rude noise, and rolls over to pin LWJ flat against the bed.

"Well, I hope not! Who ELSE are you planning to petition to get you pregnant?"

There is no one else. There CAN be no one else. LWJ has already made that clear.

So he bites Wei Ying's arm until he wails out that he understands, that he got the message already, Lan Zhan!

"But don't punish him," Wei Ying adds, tugging a lock of LWJ's hair. "He already thinks I'm a delinquent, I can't have him thinking I don't even understand poetry! Just let him off the hook this once."

"Come on," Wei Ying coaxes, when LWJ only scowls. "Everything worked out all right, didn't it? You didn't punish ME during those times when I went against your orders. Not if I made sure everything turned out all right!"

LWJ's scowl deepens.

"It is not the same situation. This resolution is not Uncle's doing."

Wei Ying had cleaned up his own errors and justified acting on his own judgment. Uncle had made a mess, and it was only luck that had cleared everything up.

If LWJ had been even slightly less lucky - if Wei Ying hadn't been the person he was - LWJ might have coerced an unwilling partner.

But Wei Ying just rolls his eyes.

"You said you'd give me whatever I want."

He reaches out and tweaks LWJ's nose.

"Well, I want you to get along with your uncle, and not expose my embarrassing ignorance!"

He turns, muffling his voice against the pillow.

"And also...maybe we could plant a garden, and I could finish those designs for new irrigation systems."

He pauses. Then he mashes his face further against the pillow, and his voice grows more muffled than ever.

"And...maybe we could have a few more babies after this one?"

It takes some effort to pry a red-faced Wei Ying out of the pillows. But once LWJ does, he takes Wei Ying's face in his hands again.

"Wei Ying. Will you marry me?"

It seems like the only thing to say at such a moment. But Wei Ying squeaks, and his flush deepens.

"Lan Zhan! Don't be ridiculous, I can't marry you! I'm not the right rank."

He shifts, pressing a kiss to the inside of LWJ's wrist.

"I know we can't get married. I'm only angling for an unofficial position here!"

But LWJ won't allow that.

He won't have Wei Ying as his concubine, or unofficial lover. He won't have Wei Ying retain only the title of 'General Wei of the Northern Armies'. He will have Wei Ying acknowledged to the world as the emperor's beloved husband and consort.

And he knows just how to manage it.

"That is unacceptable. Wei Ying."

He brushes a thumb over the bare spot on Wei Ying's throat."

"I am almost certainly carrying the only available imperial heir."

Wei Ying flushes gratifyingly at that, too. But LWJ isn't finished.

"They must let me marry whom I please. What will the council do if I threaten to abdicate, and elope with my husband and child to the northern borders?"

The empire could not survive a second abdication. So LWJ held the whip-hand, and he meant to use it.

If his councilors were so desperate to see him married with a slew of heirs, they would have what they wanted. They would accept his marriage to Wei Ying and the resulting children, or they would find another emperor.

LWJ did not truly care if they called his bluff. He would be happy to wander the world with Wei Ying at his side.

But he knew it wouldn't come to that. For the sake of peace and stability, the council would agree. Uncle would agree. The people would agree.

Wei Ying was well-loved among the common people. They would be glad to see him rise up, glad to hail his child as the imperial heir.

Wei Ying merely clapped a hand to his forehead.

"Ah. This is very dangerous. You've figured out how to boss everybody, even your uncle!"

He reached down, and pinched LWJ's bottom.

"I think you've gone mad with power! Well, then."

He studied LWJ's face for a moment. Then he smiled, like sunlight breaking through the clouds, and let out a sigh.

"I guess I'd better marry you and try to keep you in check!"

"Ah." LWJ sighed too, with inexpressible satisfaction. "An excellent plan."

Wei Ying would, indeed, stand at his side and help him. He would help LWJ make wise decisions, just decisions, merciful decisions. He would correct LWJ if he went astray.

LWJ knew it was true, and it made him happier than anything else.

...Almost anything. He touched his belly briefly, and let himself savor the taste of joys to come.

But Wei Ying's throat was still unmarked. LWJ had not yet returned the claiming bite. That was very wrong.

So he leaned over, and bit down until he tasted blood.

Wei Ying squealed in a manner highly unbecoming for a general, and even less so for an imperial consort. But no one came to rescue him. The servants were mysteriously absent.

So LWJ climbed on top of his husband-to-be.

They enjoyed each other for the rest of the morning...and, indeed, the rest of their lives.

👑 THE END 👑

EPILOGUE:

...Yes, LWJ emerges from the bedroom with a fresh claiming bite. Yes, he marches straight to the throne, sits down, and announces that he's going to marry WWX. Yes, he tells all WWX-antis that they can suck it.

Yes, he gives birth to baby A-Yuan, the prince and long-awaited heir to the throne, nine months later.

And yes, there are many more babies to come!

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