singlelogbridge | Inbox: Ximilia

（ he blinks, and looks out over the valley, shrouded in mist. distantly, other mountains stretch for the heavens, but none stand so tall as the one they are on.

at length — ）

Very well.

（ though it's said with all the enthusiasm of a man ascending the gallows. he gestures for wei wuxian to precede him, at the very least. ）

[Doing his best to contain his excitement, Wei Wuxian carefully climbs aboard the dragon, the creature's hide immediately warming him with its body heat as he finds a place to sit. Despite his attempt to keep his cool, he keeps shooting Itachi elated looks and then letting his gaze wander back to the mountains and temple around them. Itachi has said he won't fall, but he does instinctively seek out handholds to grip.

It's likely that effusive thanks will only irritate Itachi so he bites back the continued spill of thanks that wants to pour from his lips and instead begins chattering in anticipation.]

I still can't believe this is happening. And this is even better than underwater. Did I ever tell you that when I used to ride the sword, I could do all sorts of tricks and flips? I love being in the sky.

Unsurprising.

（ there is that sense about him, that kinship with the flight's freedom. itachi's mouth twitches downward at one corner, but he does step out aboard the dragon as well, sinking down into a seated position a reasonable distance away from wei wuxian with one leg drawn up so his foot can remain flat against it.

staying on its back is a matter of will more than chakra control in this place, but it is habit to ensure he has a foothold regardless. ）

Command it. It will listen to you.

[He tosses one more grin at Itachi over his shoulder, and then turns back to the dragon, leaning forward and holding on.]

Let's go. As fast as you can! [Almost as soon as the words have left his mouth, the dragon unfurls itself from where it'd been curled in the air, springing into motion with a graceful ease that belies the power behind the movement. It rises in a spiral at a near vertical angle, and Wei Wuxian whoops loudly when it abruptly switches direction, hurtling downwards through the clouds at a frightening pace.

The force of the wind brings tears to his eyes, and he holds on as laughter scarcely makes it past his lips.

If it was joy Itachi wished for his friend to experience, the evidence of it is more than written across every inch of his body and his heart flutters with it in a way it hasn't in years.]

（ mentally, he edits the sensations his own mind experiences. he has no especial dislike of heights, but the nausea of the loops and whorls the dragon performs in aerial acrobatics are not his favourite thing, and he curtails them. likewise, he does not appear affected by the wind — not a hair out of place, clothing oddly still in the wind.

instead, he spends the entirety of the time watching wei wuxian. his expression is — unusual, for him, gently soft and fond. that joy is contagious, and even though it does not crack the wall of his composure, he seems not to protest overmuch that it has at least eroded it a touch.

contentment is not something that comes to him easily, but its warmth suffuses him in the high, cold air of ancient mountains.

but he will not speak or interfere — letting wei wuxian decide how high, how fast, how far. he'll obligingly fill in the details he'd left at a soft distant blur should they approach any distant points, but he is otherwise only a silent passenger. ）

[It's better than riding the sword. So much better. In Itachi's Tsukuyomi, he doesn't have to worry about holding on with his spiritual energy the way he used to, and with his friend's assurance he knows he won't fall. It leaves him free to be even more reckless than he might have been and he urges the dragon on into various spins and loops, occasionally throwing a grin over his shoulder to check in on his friend.

He isn't surprised to find Itachi far less exuberant than him, but it's obvious that he's enjoying it on some level, and so he returns to guiding the dragon on and up, letting out the occasion "whoop" of delight.

At one point, Wei Wuxian leans forward and wraps his arms as far as he can around the dragon's body, closing his eyes and reveling in the warmth that seeps into his skin. The warm body beneath him contrasted with the cool breeze rushing over him reminds him of the way it felt to crawl out of a cool lake and sun himself on the docks of Lotus Pier.

He is utterly pleased and content, and smiling so hard it hurts.]

（ they continue in this fashion for some time. day gives way to twilight, to the jewelled night, and by the time wei wuxian indicates he is done, they are returned to the ancient temple. itachi uses shunshin to retreat, and is standing in the same place as when he left, as if he had not accompanied wei wuxian on the dragon at all.

the dragon gives the other man one final, affectionate nudge before it alights, disappearing into the dark mist. ）

Is there anything else you wish to do in this realm?

Anything else? [Wei Wuxian asks, incredulous, and soft laughter blooms from his throat, the blush of light windburn on his cheeks lending an even more boyish happiness to what is already overflowing from him. He shakes his head.]

No. There's nothing else I could ask for. [The warmth inside of him spills out into a bright smile and he reaches over to clasp Itachi on the shoulder—brief for his friend's sake, but affectionate all the same.]

If you tell me not to thank you for this, I'm going to shove you off one of these cliffs. And don't even start with your "as if you could," I'm very resourceful!

[His smile softens.] Thank you, Itachi.

[He'd needed this. Not the grand gesture or the adrenaline rush, even if those were wonderful too, but the reminder that there were people here who cared for him.]

（ he doesn't protest, exactly, but the only sound wei wuxian gets out of him is a contemplative 'hm'.

when he ends tsukuyomi, they are left sitting on the shabby hotel room floor, and he rises to wipe away the blood that always follows use of the mangekyō. if wei wuxian cares enough to chance a look at the clock on the wall, it will be as itachi told him prior — no time had passed at all. ）

[Looking to the clock is in fact the very first thing Wei Wuxian does, and he huffs in quiet amazement to see it's exactly as Itachi has described. The blood gets a glance as well, but he's too familiar with his own powers to say anything about it.

Instead he only grins softly at his friend and then rises from his seat. Despite the fact that it feels as if he's been sitting for ages, his muscles don't ache or feel tired at all.]

I haven't had that much fun in...in longer than I can remember. I'm going to go and grab some food now. Would you like to join me?

No.

（ he shakes his head faintly, but it's not exactly a dismissive no, at least. ）

But we will speak later.

Alright. I'll see you later, Itachi.

[And with one warm last smile, he's gone.]

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timeline tweak activate: thread happened still on mission

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