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rosethornewrites · 1 year ago

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Fic: illuminate the world

Relationship: Jiāng Yànlí/Jīn Zǐxuān

Characters: Jīn Zǐxuān, Jiang Yanli, Lan Yuan | Lan Sizhui, Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Wēn Qíng, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Nie Huaisang, Nie Mingjue

Additional Tags: Introspection, Jīn Zǐxuān Tries, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn Protection Squad, Ethics, Mentioned Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Mentioned Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Life Debt, Repaying Debt, Mentioned Mèng Yáo | Jīn Guāngyáo, Cultivation Sect Politics, Honor, POV Jīn Zǐxuān, POV Third Person, Podfic Welcome

Summary: After the events of chapter 24, Jin Zixuan must consider the request to swear siblinghood and the entire situation, including the actions of his own clan.

Notes: See end

First fic: the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break

Second fic: Honor Good People

AO3 link

———————

Jin Zixuan wasn’t unaware that he was kept in the dark about certain things; too many conversations had stuttered to a halt when he entered rooms for him to be ignorant of that reality. He’d always told himself he didn’t want to know what his father was up to, having learned unpleasantly at a young age about his father’s more salacious inclinations.

But standing in the Burial Mounds between his wife and the sentient fierce corpse of a man who had died by his clan’s hands, watching a toddler melt down in abject terror at the sight of his zhushazhi, screaming for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji—calling them Diedie and Baba, with implications he wasn’t able to immediately comprehend—he couldn’t ignore the signs he’d been seeing in the months since the war.

He could only let A-Li wipe the mark of his clan away, hoping in vain that it would calm the child, and then let himself be ushered away by his xiao jiuzi as the man who was his jiuzi tried to comfort the boy, only to be greeted by the sight of civilians and the elderly in a clearing with some ramshackle huts.

Koi Tower had always been a place where one had to watch their step, and he’d spent a lot of his childhood learning not to show his emotions or trust anyone through bad experiences, but he hadn’t thought it could sink to the level of throwing children, civilians, and the elderly into labor camps for no crime but their family name.

He wished the corruption of his clan stopped there, but he met a woman who showed him a peony branded on her body as Mianmian would have had a sun burned into her face if not for Wei Wuxian, and heard tales that turn his stomach about the callous treatment and deaths of all children but the little boy who was rightly terrified of him—a little boy who was apparently his zhizi through A-Li, the adopted son of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji who as it turned out were married.

If that were all, it would have been easier to handle, but then Jiang Wanyin told him exactly how far Wei Wuxian would go for family, that he’d found a way to give him his own jindan after his was melted by Wen Zhuliu… and had not intended to tell him, instead resigned to suffering silently and becoming the enemy of the jianghu repaying Wen—Wei, rather, now Wei—Qing and Wei Ning for sheltering them and performing the surgery by saving their family. Or he would have, had Lan Wangji not discovered the truth and decided he would not stand for it, instead confessing they’d somehow been married since they were fifteen, which confusingly he hadn’t told Wei Wuxian until he determined it could be used to protect him and…

“They’re disgustingly in love,” Jiang Wanyin muttered, shaking his head, “and I guess it didn’t even occur to my idiot brother that was why he was obsessed with Lan Wangji.”

“They are also not quiet about it at all, so now there are silencing talismans engraved on the cave wall that get activated every evening,” Wei Qing added.

She had rejoined them in time to explain the core transfer after finishing a session of musical healing cultivation on Wei Wuxian, something she and Lan Wangji had invented.

And that was significantly more than Jin Zixuan wanted to know, ever, about his jiuzi—thinking about his surgically-removed jindan was hard enough, and Wei Qing had blessedly not gone into much detail but his imagination was enough—but he didn’t dare protest under the circumstances.

“I would prefer not to know certain things about my brother,” Lan Xichen said, blessedly, and the discussion moved on.

So Wei Wuxian’s act of liberating the labor camp and all that had followed was due to a life debt for rescuing Jiang Wanyin—Jin Zixuan had to reconsider his view of Wei Ning as timid given that he’d drugged Wen Chao and his men to do so—sheltering them following the razing of Lotus Pier, and performing the transplant surgery. Which, according to Jiang Wanyin, was at least in part because he felt he owed a debt to the Jiangs, which turned his stomach because he could see A-Yao feeling he had to do whatever their father wanted out of a perception of owing the Jin for finally recognizing him. Wei Wuxian had felt he owed his very jindan, though Jin Zixuan was certain from seeing him defend his siblings it was also a measure of the depth of his love for them.

Wei Ning’s actions, arguably treason, had been prompted by Wei Wuxian simply being kind to him, which was amazing in and of itself and made clear his values.

Jiang Wanyin and A-Li, upon learning of this debt, had decided to also shoulder the burden with him, as had Lan Wangji in marrying him.

Nie Huaisang believed he should also shoulder some of the burden because of his own life debt—Wei Ning had helped him escape from the Wen indoctrination after the rest of them had been left for dead at Muxi Mountain. Otherwise he would have been a valuable prisoner to keep Chifeng-Zun out of the war effort.

The argument, which was somewhat tenuous if only because it required he agree, was that he too owed a life debt through A-Li because she had been sheltered along with her brothers, and thus the eight of them should swear siblinghood. Jin Zixuan saw no need to disagree, as without them his wife may not have survived, and that was enough for him.

“A-Li’s debt is my debt,” he said as soon as Jiang Wanyin paused to take a breath.

Given that this likely went against his father’s wishes, his decision could be unfilial, but life debts transcended that in his eyes.

The bright hope that his words sparked in those gathered around him, A-Li’s like the sun, only confirmed he’d made the right decision. Even Zewu-Jun and Chifeng-Zun.

Jin Zixuan abruptly realized why—Fuqin couldn’t move openly against Wei Wuxian if he was his heir’s sworn brother, and so he and these refugees would gain more protection.

He didn’t regret the decision. Perhaps it was the fact that he had grown up seeing and trying to ignore the rot at Jinlin Tai and couldn’t deny that he could absolutely believe that it had sunk so low as to do the things that had been done at that labor camp, could believe his own cousin Jin Zixun would sell women from the camp to brothels, and could still see little Wei Yuan wailing in abject terror at the sight of his zhushazhi every time he closed his eyes that made it easier to dismiss any doubts he might have.

Wei Wuxian was a war hero whose ill treatment since the war was distasteful, and it disgusted him that his clan was violating its own motto through vilifying him—darkening rather than illuminating the world. Jin Zixuan had stood in battle with him during the Sunshot Campaign and now knew more of the price he had paid to help them win it. Further, he had done his utmost to protect A-Li from him when he was an absolute boor.

Becoming his sworn brother would be an honor and the right thing to do.

More importantly A-Li loved her brother and wanted to protect him, wanted him home so he could heal.

That was enough for him.

———————

Nie Huaisang’s already started on the propaganda, as you can see, pushing his tale of Wen Ning letting him escape. I’m not sure Nie Mingjue completely believes him, but under the circumstances he’s not going to question it. But are there hints of the Headshaker in his rewriting the narrative to suit his needs?

The Jin clan motto is “opening the doors toward wisdom and aspiration; illuminating the world with the vermilion light,” which is referred to in the title.

Glossary:

baba = dad (informal)

diedie = dad (informal)

fuqin = father (formal)

jindan = golden core

jiuzi - wife’s younger brother

xiao jiuzi - wife’s youngest brother

zhizi - younger brother’s son, can apparently also refer to wife’s younger brother’s son?

zhushazhi - zhusha is cinnabar, and with zhi it becomes cinnabar mole

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wangxianficrecs · 1 year ago

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💙 A-Ying Lives Alone by DizziDreams

💙 A-Ying Lives Alone

by DizziDreams

T, WIP, 33k, Wangxian

Summary: Lan Qiren approaches, trying not to frown as he looks down at the young boy in his strange clothes. “Young man, are your parents at work? They should not have left you home alone without a caretaker." "No, shushu!" The boy shakes his head vigorously, large eyes growing wide. "A-Ying lives alone!" Kay's comments: This story is based on the Japanese manga series/TV series Kotaro Lives Alone and it's absolutely heart-wrenching. In the beginning, we follow modern AU Lan Qiren, who is trying his best to raise his nephews and also care for their mother, who is in the hospital right now. Enter, little A-Ying, who introduces himself as the new neighbor and gifts him two loquats. Soon, he realizes, that little A-Ying seems to live all alone and tries to understand what the litte boy's circumstances are as he also has to balance his own problems. It's just. So much hurt/comfort, my poor little heart. Of course, A-Zhan and A-Ying are immediately taken with each other and it's just. How can I best describe this? This story feels like a tender heartbreak, like someone delivering your bad news while hugging you tightly. There are also so many sweet moments and I'm just so invested and so worried, not just for A-Ying, but for all the various characters who inhabit the apartment complex where the main part of the story takes place. And when I say this story is heart-breaking, it's definitely the good kind of heart-break and I can't wait to see where this story goes next and learn more about who left A-Ying all alone and why. Excerpt: Lan Qiren approaches, nodding to Nie Mingjue cordially, before he turns to A-Ying. “Young man, are your parents at work? They should not have left you home alone without a caretaker." "No, shushu!" The boy shakes his head vigorously, large eyes growing wide. "A-Ying lives alone!" "What?" Nie Mingjue's voice is gruff, but his manner is kind as he crouches down to the boy's level, meeting him eye-to-eye. "A-Ying. Where are your parents?" A-Ying's smile falters as his eyes dart from Nie Mingjue, to Lan Qiren, to the floor, and then back to Nie Mingjue. He pins his smile back in place, the effort behind it making something in Lan Qiren's chest tighten. A-Ying leans forward to whisper in Nie Mingjue's ear, and Lan Qiren leans in to hear as well. "Mama and Baba are on a mission!" he announces in a carrying whisper. "They’re spies! A-Ying lives here until they come back!" "Is that so?" Nie Mingjue looks sideways at Lan Qiren, no doubt seeking his guidance. But Lan Qiren isn't sure what to say. He doesn't know what to make of this. He straightens, looking past A-Ying into the apartment. It's sparsely furnished, with no decorations. But it seems to have the essentials, and it is well maintained. There are no piles of dishes or trash, no indication of pests or difficult living. Lan Qiren looks down at A-Ying again. He looks healthy, though Lan Qiren knows that looks can be deceiving. And there are some small signs of hardship that Lan Qiren had failed to notice that morning: the boys hair is a little overgrown, and there are stains on his clothes that look as though they have been there for a while. Within the home, an alarm begins to ring. "Ah!" A-Ying jumps. "I have to go. It’s time for Huluwa! Goodnight, shushu! Goodnight da-ge!"

wip, wip rec week, pov lan qiren, pov granny wen, pov alternating, good uncle lan qiren, kotaro lives alone, good sibling nie mingjue, fluff and angst, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, found family, modern setting, modern no powers, podfic available, character death, lan family feels, granny wen, children, child wei wuxian, child lan wangji, child abandonment, child lan xichen, child wen qing, child wen ning, @dizzi-dreams

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

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sectleaderlan · 10 months ago

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Very few understand Lan Wangji like his older brother and very few would know how much pressure was put on him to give a death sentence, to sway his hand to kick Lan Zhan from the Sect. The number of lashes would have killed anyone that was not of their heritage, that was not as gifted in cultivation and him, and Wangji & Qiren. The elders were out for blood and even Shifu had said to him punishment must be given. They were still rebuilding in many ways from when the Recess's had burned this outright display had the elders in arms. Wangji had hurt several of them.

Being Sect Leader meant having to do the things he did not want to do or hated doing. He refused to allow anyone else to hurt Wangji, he would do it because never would he allow another to deliver harm. There had been tears when he had done it, he could barely see what he was doing but he gave the whipping as he had been forced and he also sent several elders to other sects for "diplomatic reasons" which meant Lan Xichen wanted them no longer in the recesses.

As he had not allowed anyone else to cause him harm. He sent those that would tend him away with a stern look. Few had ever seen Lan Xichen so solemn or so angry. They always assumed it was because his brother had disobeyed but it was not that. It was what had been done. No one else would have survived the lashings and he felt like they were out to kill his brother. His family, His blood. No matter what the Second Jade, did or did not do. He would always love and take care of him. He immediately added rules to the Wall about death being banned in the Recesses, this would never happen again.

There was unusual seriousness in the normally calm exterior of his brother. As he sat tending his wounds. He cleaned them so they would not infect. He used a numbing powder, though the deepness of the wounds in some places had him angry all over again. He had seen this behavior before; he had asked them all when they had demanded the sentence what would they do for their fated one? Other believed the Wei Wuxian had bewitched the young man. Xichen would have done the same in a heartbeat. They wanted blood though not reason, and after the Sunshot Campaign he was tired of blood.

"I am sorry Wangji." he said, "I went back myself and I searched." he said softly. "There was no sign. There is a wide belief that Sect Leader Jiang did the deed himself." he would never lie to his brother because that would be wrong. This was the rumor in the cultivation world.

Skilled hands went over his brother's back he added the healing salves but this was permenant there would be no healing of it. He could make sure he survived and the he would heal. He had expressed his feeling he had encouraged the two to spend time together. He had protected their privacy, and he would have ancestors knew…allowed him to bring Wei Wuxian back to the Cloud Recesses if he would have come. It felt like a replay of their mother and father maybe they could not escape that fate.

"When the worst of his fever is done, I will bring him here." he said "He still cries for his baba, XiaoXiongdi." perhaps their shared pain, loss and hurt could ease each other.

There is peace and it is a thing held together by strands right now. If they knew the child of the Yiling Patriarch still lived, that he was Wen they would likely call for his blood. It chilled him. Little A-Yuan was small for his age, tiny infact. He bore wounds on his body from time in the Wen Camps, he was consumed with fever, and cold. He was recovering but he was so weak. Xichen could not stomach sending a baby who was innocent of any form of atrocities save being born to a Sect with a leader who had lost his mind to death.

He reach for the clean wrapping and began to work again.

The First Jade knew. He had heard the sobs of the little boy. He had brought Lan Niye to see to him the elderly healer was the best in the Sect when it came to fevers and fighting such thing. Her cultivation had been long dedicated to others. "He is improving inch by inch." he answered his brother he could read the words between that his brother did not say. His hands remained stilled he knew who the little boy was, he knew because of the clothes, because of the black and red robes wrapped around him. "Lan Yuan." he said "Will be accepted fully into the sect." he promised him. "When he is well enough, he will be fitted for Lan Robes, and he will be given a family ribbon." where Xichen could do little else for his Xiongdi. "He will be yours you will have to weather the questions that follow."

He had the power to do this. He was Sect Leader and even Shufu would not question him. He might resist or dislike the idea. He had hated hurting Wangji yet he did it. Honor demanded it.

"You do not have to plead your case XiaoXiongdi" the whisper came as soft as the plead.

@guqinstrings

-ˋˏ🌥 ┈┈ @sectleaderlan inquired ; patch, sender patches up receiver's wounds.

THE SILENCE OF THE JINGSHI was practically deafening, the low burning incense that had been lit about half a time ago mixed with a copper tangy scent. The two figures in the room sat together, one topless and the other’s white pristine robes stained a dark red already. From where they sat, the only movement and sound was the careful movements of the older one behind the injured one, the emotions between the two conflicted and complicated.

Honestly, he had thought they would leave him here after everything. Perhaps they intended to, but his brother was unwilling to allow it. Yet, he had allowed what they did, did he not? Thirty-three lashes, it’s a rather unusual punishment. Even to someone like Lan Wangji, whose cultivation is perhaps the best amongst their peers, is it still not a death sentence? Those first few days after, he can barely remember them. At some point during the lashing, he doesn’t remember the others. They didn’t make him count, that was perhaps a mercy.

Lan Wangji thinks at ten they finally managed to make him break his silence, at fifteen the pain had become too much, at twenty everything starts getting fuzzy with his memory. But what he does remember? Is Lan Xichen’s face when he came to see him that first day, and the day after when he told him Wei Wuxian was dead.

Dead. Dead. Dead.

A steady blink and he curled his hands into fists where they rested over his thighs, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself a bit more. Again, he failed to protect him, again he hadn’t done enough, again he lost him. This time though, there was no finding him. There was no trying to make things right. There was no fixing this. He’d confirmed it himself, having dragged his beaten and bloodied body up there, searching for any sign. He was gone, consumed by his own Fierce Corpses. They say it was a fitting death. They say Jiang Wanyin struck him down.

The incense wore out, his gaze briefly flickering over toward the burner before lowering back down to his lap. He can still feel his brother carefully tending to the wounds, as if they were the problem and not everything running through Lan Wangji’s heart and head.

A steady breath is taken in and as he watches his lap a few words finally manage to start to form his mind. “Xiongzhang.” His brother’s hands pause briefly, the only cue he gets that the other heard him. It’s hard not to when it’s so silent in here. Lan Wangji could whisper and other would hear him. “A-Yuan.” The boy he had brought back, the injured, fever riddled child that had been hidden away, wrapped in Wei Wuxian’s outer robe. “You can’t…” tell anyone who he is. That he’s a Wen. That Lan Wangji brought him from the Burial Mounds. “Not even Shufu.”

They’ll kill him. Just like they did Wen Qing and Wen Ning. Just like they did Wei Wuxian.

That boy is the only thing he has left to cling to. The only thing that matters now. Even at the risk of his own life he would protect him.

“Please.”

#Verse I. Main #guqinstrings #Lan Zhan #(( I hope this worked I might have teared up writing it ))

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shanastoryteller · 3 years ago

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Happy Halloween! Whatever you want with The Untamed

a continuation of 1 2 3 4

This is somehow all going worse than Wei Yuan had feared, which is almost impressive.

Uncle Wanyin swings his sword away from them, but now it's pointed to their parents. Baba and Mama put their hands on their hips in unison, which means Uncle Wanyin is in some Big Trouble.

"Who are you really?" Uncle Wanyin demands. "Reveal your true faces!"

"Yanli?" the Jin cultivator repeats, which seems really presumptuous of him, actually.

Some of Mama's ire softens and she smiles at him, warm and soft and like she knows him.

"Don't fall for it, it's not them," Uncle Wanyin says harshly.

Baba rolls his eyes. "Oh, it's a rough day when I have to agree with the peacock. It's us. Who else would it be? Do you get a lot of people running around pretending to be us?"

"Peacock," the Jin cultivator repeats, and now the three cultivators are all giving Baba strange looks that Wei Yuan isn't sure he likes.

"Just kidding, he's broken. Are you going to repeat everything? Should I start calling you echo?"

"A-Xian," Mama sighs. "Be nice."

"Wei Ying," says the Lan cultivator, and wow, these people are comfortable being awfully familiar with their parents.

Baba brightens. "Hi Lan Zhan!"

At least three of the Lan cultivators choke.

"Wei Ying?" repeats one of the Jin cultivators who'd been silent this whole time. "You're the Yiling Patriarch!"

Several of them step forward, drawing their swords. The Jiang disciples do the same, except their facing the Jin rather than Baba, which seems like a good sign.

Baba whistles, low and piercing and the sound surrounding all of them. Black smoke billows around the cultivators, twining around their ankles and wrists and holding them in place. "Steady," Baba says, eyes narrowed.

"You couldn't do that before," Uncle Wanyin says, face pale, and at the very least he's lowered his sword. He sort of looks like he's going to pass out, so that's not much of an improvement.

"Well, it's been thirteen years," he says reasonably. "I've been practicing."

"Enough of all this," Mama says, striding forward towards them and stepping beside them to wrap an arm around each of their shoulders. "You're all making terrible first impressions. A-Ling, A-Yuan, this is your Uncle Wanyin." She then shifts them to face the Jin cultivator. "A-Yuan, this is your Uncle Zixuan. A-Ling, this is your father."

"A-Yuan?" the Lan cultivator repeats, his eyes finally leaving Baba to focus on him, but Wei Yuan isn't paying attention to that right now.

The Jin cultivator is Jin Zixuan.

He's Mama's husband and A-Ling's father.

#shout out to april7159 for having hilarious tags on the previous part of this #ask and ye shall recieve #kinda #asks #anon #prompt answers #prompts are closed #untamed

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my-random-mdzs-thoughts · 2 years ago

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HEY!!

Wei Wuxian's first game he played was Minecraft. Why? Because the first YouTuber he watched had a really calm voice and he liked what the man was able to build. So, he was able to ask his parents to let him built it at least on his phone. It's cheap enough and he still gets to be able to build stuff!!

As he grows up and gets a stable job, he is able to build himself a descent gaming PC. Of course his first game, he downloads is Minecraft. The buildings he makes get more and more detailed and he tries to find the limits of the game and his building skills. He gets surprised by the game and himself every day.

Does he follow in his favorite YouTubers foodsteps? No. He doesn't have the voice to do what he did. Wei Wuxian knows he doesn't have to do the same things as him. His building, planning and rambling while planning is most likely fun enough but still, it doesn't feel right!

So he leaves the thought for now...

He adopts A-Yuan. Wen Ning is old school friend, who is the only one that stayed in contact with him and still loves to come over and watch him simply build things. A-Yuan's parents...didn't want him and have told him to wait in the parking space in front of the youth help center that Wen Ning works in. He wanted to talk to a youth on the bench like he most of the time does, when they want to talk with him. Only, their was a kid sitting on that same bench with a big bag next to it.

The youth help center is not the right place for a three year old...so Wen Ning brings him to the closest orphanage he trusts and has worked with before. Right after he was at his sisters private doctors office. The kid is a bit malnourished and shows signs of neglect. Somehow he is still a quite happy kid, if a bit clingy but if he was neglected then that makes sense. So yeah, Wen Ning, after talking with the kid some more, is sure that Wei Wuxian and A-Yuan would be a good match.

The kid loves is baba from day one!

Wei Wuxian had made him a small little doll out of some fabric, a simple little ghost. Telling A-Yuan that he can give it a name and with the fabricmarkers he brought along he can give it a face. If he does that, it will become his friend and will protect him from bad thoughts.

A-Yuan loves his ghost friend, he loves his baba, loves his new grandparents that gush over him and Wen Ning is always welcomed with two big smiles instead of one now, when he comes to visit.

The only problem that A-Yuan has are the nightmare's and recently also night terrors. Wei Wuxian doesn't know how to help him at first. Wen Qing tells him to make sure A-Yuan gets enough sleep and a sleeping schedule, also to make sure that when he falls asleep he is relaxed and feeling safe.

Wei Wuxian try's. Reading him nice and easy bedtime stories, staying in bed until he fell asleep and having a bedtime routine that slow's down their evening after dinner time. Still, A-Yuan either wakes from a nightmare and they stay up together. He stays with him, hugs him, comforts him. At this point A-Yuan's bed looks like a cocoon or a nest, with all the blankets and plushies there to help him sleep. He made a nightlight for his little radish out of fairylights and some cotton. Creating a sky with clouds on the celling. The lights having been programed to have diffrent colour combo's depending on which sky view calms his child down the most that night. Even a stupid air defuser that defuses scents...at least the sandalwood smells nice...Wei Wuxian will have to ask Wen Ning from who he got the idea for the defuser with that scent. Other day, one thing at a time.

♫•*¨*•.¸¸♪

Wei Wuxian had to pick up his little radish up from daycare today. He had fallen asleep while drawing something and when they noticed he showed already signs of a nighmare. So the caretaker called him, after they woke him up he started crying for his baba. Wei Wuxian got off of work immediately and was at home with A-Yuan in record time. He got the same talk he already had from Wen Qing but this time without having asked about it. Plus, it sounded like they think he is overwhelmed with the care of A-Yuan. Assholes...just because he is a single dad doesn't mean THAT'S the reason why A-Yuan has nightmare's. He is the only dad bringing his kid there...he'll find a new daycare for his little radish, one that doesn't have such old shitty view on parenting.

To calm A-Yuan down and make sure his child knows "you did nothing wrong, you hear my little radish". He sits him on his lap and plays Minecraft. First he isn't sure but the moment A-Yuan see's his butterfly garden he had made with all the butterfly's he could find. Using the cape to fly around with them, A-Yuan felt already a bit better. After that, Wei Wuxian continues his rebuild of the Himeji castle he has been working on for the last months and telling A-Yuan the history of it and the folklore about it. He is so concentrated that he doesn't realise when A-Yuan fell asleep in his lap, head resting on his left arm. He lets A-Yaun sleep together in his bed for this one time. No nightmare's and no night terror's, A-Yuan wakes up before his baba and has so much energy for the first time. He us so happy and wakes Wei Wuxian up with the happiest giggle and strongest hug an three year old can accomplish.

Wei Wuxian gets an idea. It's a good one, a really good one. As he gives A-Yuan to Wen Ning for the day, because there is no way he lets him back to that shitty daycare, he goes to work on his idea. His smart little radish is suspicious why his baba hands him to Wen Ning, when it is Wei Wuxian's free day and they usually go into the woods to just walk around and get icecream after. He doesn't mind though, Wen Ning promised to do it with him, so all is good. Baba is at home when they get back. Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning promised with a pinky promise and you never break a pinky promise.

Wei Wuxian finishes his brilliant idea in record time. The location is made ascetically to perfection, music picked befitting the mood and sounds he remembers A-Yuan relaxing with. When A-Yuan gets home with somehow having icecream in his hair, they fall into their little evening routine. The only thing that changes is, Wei Wuxian tucks him into bed, he has not just the fairytale book but also a tablet with him. He plugs the tablet so it is charging on A-Yuan's nightstand and pulls up YouTube. Going on the new account he made just for this and clicks on the only video on the account this far. A-Yuan's eyes are fixed on the screen as he see's is a comfortable looking home made by his baba in Minecraft. The video just shows one engle of the house interior. A soft lit room with a big stone brick fireplace, with a painting on top. The fire moving and creating small clouds of smoke that travels out of the fireplace, up through the chimney. He can make out some more lamps lighting the room in a soft orange glow. A big long window to hte left of the video lets him see outside, showing that the house is a wood cabin. It is raining outside the wood cabin, which creates the sound of rain hitting a wooden roof. The sound is hushed, giving one the feeling of a warm blanket or hoodie around oneself. The rain is not the only sound though, there is also relaxing music playing. A piano humming the main melody, slow and low with occasional higher notes to give it a care free feeling. String instruments come in softly to hug you in a short but sweet embrace. Every now and then the music will quiet down to let the rain pull you unter the blankets even more, before coming back in and adding lightness to it all.

A-Yuan's shoulders and breathing relax and even out respectively as he take in the pretty image his baba had build him. Wei Wuxian lets his son make himself comfortable, ehile he makes sure that the video is full screen and the tablet's brightness as low as it can go. Then, just as softly as the music, he starts telling the story he picked to go along with the video. A-Yuan is asleep in no time at all. Checking the video on more time, the time is only on fifteen minutes. So still nine hours and forty-five minutes left of it. He hopes his little radish can sleep with this and will wake up to it in the morning, not in the middle of the night this time.

Wei Wuxian stays up a little longer to finish up on the Himeji castle, until it is normally around the time A-Yuan gets his nightmare's but when he goes to check, his little radish is still perfectly sleeping. The soflt music and rain still playing next to him on the nightstand. The light of the video and nightlight above him lighting up his peaceful face. The sandalwood a pleasant smell in the air, maybe the next video can have sandalwood tree's in it and guqin playing. How knows, all he knows is that he wants to follow his son into the land of dreams.

So he closes the door of A-Yuan's room with care and tiptoes to his own room across the hall and lets himself fall into bed. He'll ask Wen Ning tomorrow how gave him the sandalwood scent defuser, so he can thank them personally.

...

Okay, so I just wanted to make a post about Wei Wuxian make these relaxing Minecraft music and rain for 10 hours video's. Not...make a drabble fic...but yeah. I used one last night to fall asleep and when I woke up, I just baba Wei Ying and little radish A-Yuan go! Tell everyone! So there you have...uh..this!

I didn't proof read any of this..so if there are mistakes, to come for me. If you like it, good. You're welcome! (*˘︶˘*).。.:*♡

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i-like-plan-m · 4 years ago

Note

Could you do a modern au with famous parents Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji and baby a-yuan being adorable and being loved by their fans?

this was fun, thank you! [Posted to Ao3]

The video was short and packed with Wei Ying’s rapid-fire chatter, a response to his recent fan-selected award after a landslide of votes had catapulted him to the top of a long list of very accomplished actors. He’d spent the last hour trading off between screaming into a pillow and wandering around in dazed disbelief until Wen Qing, acting in her capacity as his agent, had bullied him into making a quick thank you video.

Wei Ying kept it quick and crammed as much of his gratitude and excitement into it as he could, though he was careful to keep the screen confined to the office space Lan Zhan had designed for him. It was a live video, since that seemed to be what fans preferred these days, so he angled the camera carefully away from anything incriminating.

And by incriminating he meant “any sign that Wei Ying had a life outside of acting.”

The door was closed, and the room held no identifying pictures or objects. Wei Ying had come to treasure his privacy, and was fierce about protecting the details of his personal life out of the hands of his thousands of fans. Enough that no one outside of their families even knew they were friends, much less married with a son.

Lan Zhan, of course, hated the riot of noise and flashing lights that accompanied Wei Ying anywhere in public. As one of the foremost violinists in this hemisphere, he had his own level of fame, but his fans were less likely to screech like a banshee upon seeing him. And they had A-Yuan to protect now, and keeping him out of the spotlight was the safest way to do so.

His oversight was not locking the door. A rookie parenting mistake.

A-Yuan burst through the door like the Kool-Aid Man about ten seconds into Wei Ying’s final thank you speech, his damp hair sticking up in downy tufts and his little body swamped by one of Wei Ying’s softest threadbare t-shirts.

“Baba!” He shouted at the top of his tiny but incredibly powerful lungs. “There’s a bird in the house!”

Wei Ying watched the dismay cross his face in real time on the phone screen, followed by alarm when his son’s words finally registered. “There’s a what in the house?” He asked as he whipped his head around, the live stream momentarily forgotten.

“A bird!” A-Yuan said excitedly, hopping over to him when the shirt got tangled around his feet. Wei Ying scooped him up before he tumbled face-first to the floor. His son gripped his shirt and leaned in until their noses were nearly touching, eyes wide and bright over the commotion. “Can we keep it?”

There was an angry shriek from the kitchen that suggested the bird would not appreciate such an invitation.

“Where is your dad?” Wei Ying asked instead of answering, phone shoved hastily into his pocket when a crash sounded in the house.

“He’s hiding Popcorn and Jelly Bean,” A-Yuan reported. Wei Ying’s smile was fond; of course Lan Zhan would stash the bunnies safely away. “He told me to wait for him, but I didn’t want you to be scared! It’s okay to be scared, though,” he said earnestly, his little face solemn and so reminiscent of Lan Zhan that Wei Ying had to stop and shower kisses all over his face.

“When’d you get to be so smart, huh?” Wei Ying asked when A-Yuan was breathless with laughter and squirming so much he nearly dropped him.

“Baba,” he complained, flopping over his shoulder with a huff. “That’s what you said.”

“Ha! Of course you’re smart, then, if you’re learning from me!”

“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan’s low voice had him turning and tightening his grip on A-Yuan when he wriggled happily at the sight of his other father.

“I hear we have an intruder,” Wei Ying said, grinning widely at his husband.

Exasperation crossed Lan Zhan’s face. “It flew in by mistake,” he said, but then he glanced at A-Yuan with a wry smile.

“By mistake, huh?” Wei Ying bounced his son in his arms, grinning when A-Yuan giggled and fisted his hands in his shirt to cling to for balance. “And what, pray tell, were you doing when this bird wandered into our home?”

A-Yuan blinked big, dark eyes at him with utter innocence. “Playing!”

“Mhm. And what were you playing?” Wei Ying leaned cautiously around the corner to peer into the kitchen, wincing when the unfortunately large bird spotted him and screeched furiously.

“Um.” A-Yuan thought for a moment. “The bunnies wanted to see outside.”

“Did they?” Wei Ying asked, trading a glance with Lan Zhan, who then scowled at the bird now stabbing its beak angrily at the plants on top of the cabinets.

A-Yuan nodded seriously. “Yes, they told me.”

“So you took the bunnies onto the balcony?” Wei Ying prompted.

“They aren’t allowed outside unless someone is with them,” A-Yuan repeated, which, okay, at least he remembered some of the rules. They’d have to work on ensuring he understood the rules were for him, not their fuzzy little pets. “I carried Jellybean outside so she could see the clouds! One looked like a dinosaur, baba. She wanted to see.”

“Oh, well, in that case.” He had a good idea of what had happened here. The ‘not going outside without someone to watch you’ rule had somehow been transferred into ‘you can go outside alone as long as you’re watching the bunnies,’ because that was the logic of a four year old.

“And then the bird?” Lan Zhan asked, clearly also aware of the chain of events that had led to them cowering in the hallway as a baffled and irate bird rushed around their kitchen in a destructive-sounding temper tantrum.

A-Yuan cuddled closer to Wei Ying as though sensing an impending punishment. Wei Ying rolled his eyes; Lan Zhan would fold in a heartbeat under that big-eyed stare, and it would be left to Wei Ying to remind them both why humans under three feet tall weren’t allowed on the balcony alone.

“The bird wanted to play with Jellybean,” A-Yuan said. Wei Ying’s jaw dropped.

“The bird wanted to play with Jellybean,” Lan Zhan repeated slowly.

“Yes! It flew down super fast! And it landed right beside me! Then we went inside, because Popcorn was all alone, and the bird came inside to see him too!”

“Okay,” Wei Ying said in a strangled voice, and it took a heroic effort to keep the laughter at bay. “A-Yuan, why don’t you go check on the bunnies, okay? We’re going to go help the bird get back home.”

A-Yuan craned his neck around to peer into the kitchen. “It sounds pretty mad,” he said doubtfully.

“We will talk to it,” Lan Zhan assured him, and they waited until A-Yuan had scampered out of sight to stare at each other with wide eyes.

“Oh my god. Oh my god.”

Lan Zhan pinched the bridge of his nose. “The bunnies were almost eaten.”

“Our son was almost traumatized for life,” Wei Ying said, choking on a laugh. “Lan Zhan, he almost witnessed a double homicide on our own balcony.” He wheezed with laughter, clutching his ribs.

“We will install higher locks,” Lan Zhan said grimly.

“Either that or buy a baby backpack leash,” Wei Ying agreed, and grinned widely at Lan Zhan’s sigh. “I’m just saying, the kid is going to keep on growing. He’s too smart for his own good, too.”

“What do we do about the bird?” Lan Zhan asked, absently stroking a hand along Wei Ying’s spine when he leaned against his side.

“Hell if I know. Maybe Wen Ning will know what to do. He knows things like this, right?”

“He is a vet,” Lan Zhan said dryly. “I should hope so.”

“I’ll call him,” Wei Ying decided. “We should probably feed him while he’s over here. As payment, you know. Not many friends would come wrestle with a wild bird on a Friday night for us.”

“I think the bird would object if I tried to cook,” Lan Zhan said, surly. He made a sound of distress. “Wei Ying, it’s in the pantry.”

“It’s deciding what it wants for dinner, Lan Zhan. Better pay attention or it’ll go for the bunnies again!” Lan Zhan looked at him, appalled, and he couldn’t bite back the tide of laughter.

“Ridiculous,” Lan Zhan muttered.

“You married me,” Wei Ying pointed out. “No take backs.”

Lan Zhan softened like he did every time Wei Ying brought up their marriage. Pressed a kiss to his forehead and agreed, “No take backs.”

And then a moment later— “But leave the bunnies out of this.”

His Lan Zhan was so soft hearted, Wei Ying thought, so full of love he could burst.

“Yeah, yeah, I know where I rank,” Wei Ying said, entirely teasing. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, still grinning up at Lan Zhan as his husband gave an exasperated sigh.

The grin fell right off his face at the sight of his phone screen, which was open. And recording. And so full with rapid-fire comments that the actual video screen was barely visible.

“Oh no,” he said. “Oh no. Lan Zhan.”

“What’s wrong?” Lan Zhan asked, glancing worriedly at him and then down to the screen when Wei Ying couldn’t tear his eyes away from it.

Wei Ying looked up slowly, so guilty he felt sick with it. “It’s been recording this whole time,” he whispered.

He must have looked really bad, because Lan Zhan ignored the phone entirely and pulled him close, holding one of Wei Ying’s palms flat against his chest and breathing slowly and deliberately until he matched his own breathing to Lan Zhan’s. The familiar routine soothed the edges of anxiety that were rapidly blooming into a panic attack, and he swallowed hard and dropped his forehead against Lan Zhan’s shoulder until he could think straight.

“I’m—“

“No apologies,” Lan Zhan reminded him in a murmur so low against his ear that the phone couldn’t have picked it up. “It was an accident. We knew this wouldn’t last forever, and I’m not ashamed of you or A-Yuan. It’s okay Wei Ying.”

“But I fucked up,” Wei Ying mumbled into his neck, clinging like A-Yuan after a bad dream.

“You had an intruder to welcome,” Lan Zhan said, amused. Wei Ying risked a glance up and found that Lan Zhan was smiling, not even a hint of worry on his face.

“Might as well run with it, I guess,” he said with a hesitant smile.

Lan Zhan pressed a kiss to his hair. “Might as well.”

Wei Ying smiled for real now, bright and unrestrained as he lifted the camera away from the floor. “Uh. Hi, everyone! Wow, there are a lot of you. Lan Zhan, this is like, triple the people who were watching it at the beginning. I think I’m offended.”

“Wei Ying.”

“Right, right. So… surprise!” He laughed at a few of the comments, and then they winced in tandem at the loud bang and squawk from the kitchen. “There’s another surprise for all of us tonight, it seems. Look who showed up and just let herself right in!” He flipped the camera around just in time to catch the bird’s beady eyes glaring at them from atop the fridge.

“Can you believe this?” Wei Ying slipped into his usual stream-of-consciousness chatter, free hand tucked into Lan Zhan’s as the pitter patter of little feet trotted down the hall towards them, announcing A-Yuan’s return.

He segued into talking about his husband and son, hesitant at first from years of absolute silence on the topic. Half an hour, a miraculously unscathed Wen Ning and a freed bird later, Wei Ying ended the video and set his phone aside, feeling a little wrung out from the evening’s events.

His phone buzzed. “Jiang Cheng wants to know why we’re trending on twitter. Ha! Get a bird stuck in your house and maybe you’ll become a twitter sensation, A-Cheng!”

He glanced over at A-Yuan, who had his face pressed to the glass door to the balcony in a futile search for the bird. “Time for that talk?” He asked, nudging Lan Zhan with a pointed nod.

Lan Zhan looked shifty. “The bunnies weren’t actually hurt.”

“So… a lecture about the dangers of balconies, but not about the bunny jailbreak and near-execution?”

“That seems fair.”

Fair. Yeah, right. Lan Zhan just couldn’t handle a few distraught tears from their child who absolutely realized this weakness and happily exploited it. “You realize we’re a couple of suckers, right?”

Lan Zhan shrugged. “I’m okay with it.”

Yeah, Wei Ying thought, giving in with a sigh. So was he.

#prompts #asks #the untamed #mdzs #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #a yuan #wen yuan #lan sizhui #parents lan wangji and wei wuxian #wen ning #celebrity au #modern au #modern universe #2020cumdump

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justkeeptrekkin · 4 years ago

Note

Object Permanence prompt idea: literally anything involving Mingjue + the baby

this has been in my mind rent-free for months

***

A photo sits framed on the mantelpiece. A little boy with a great, dimpling smile, blowing out the sparkling number four candle of his astronaut birthday cake.

“Was that the doorbell?”

“Yes-- I’ll get it.”

A photo sits framed on the mantelpiece. It’s smaller than the other, the size of a polaroid. A father looks down at the top of his seven month old son’s head, in the middle of telling him a quiet story. He hadn’t noticed the camera. They share the same dimples.

“Baba-- can I get it? Can I get it?”

“On this occasion, yes.”

A photo sits framed on the mantelpiece. The boy’s other father carries him on his shoulders at Disney world. Their smiles are different, but the affection for the person taking the photo is clear in both of their eyes.

“I’ll get it!”

“Can I get it with him, shufu?”

“Can I answer the door?” “Let’s answer it together!”

“This isn’t your house, dummy!”

“OK-- baby, don’t run down the stairs--”

“I’ve got it-- oh, hi shufu!”

Meng Yao is in the middle of an excruciating conversation with Wei Wuxian (most of them are) when the doorbell rings. He’s really rather relieved to move from the kitchen to the hall, cradling a glass of homemade lemonade and ignoring Wei Wuxian’s muted complaints.

“I don’t want to talk to Lan Zhan about it. What if he isn’t ready? I mean, one kid is tiring enough and...”

“Communication is the cornerstone of any relationship,” Meng Yao returns with a smile.

“Oh, as if you can lecture me on that-- hi, da-ge.”

Three little boys open the door to reveal Nie Mingjue. The first little boy clings onto him in an enormous hug. The second one whoops and starts dancing and striking rock-star poses. The third starts running circles around him.

A-Xing, A-Ling, and A-Yuan. They make quite a trio. Meng Yao supposes that being friends practically from birth will do quite a lot to solidify a friendship.

“Da-ge.”

“We’re done,” Nie Mingjue says gruffly.

“You knew the door was unlocked,” Meng Yao replies. “You could have come straight in.”

Nie Mingjue allows the boys to poke him and clamber over him. Jin Ling is trying to push him into the house, hands against his back and sneakers scuffing on the front doorstep uselessly. “Xichen is just finishing up. And I didn’t want to tread in sawdust and mud. You nearly lobotomized me for that last week.”

“Wait-- finishing up what? What’s shufu finishing up?”

“I told you! The dads are trying to organise a surprise party for A-Xing.”

“LingLing, you probably shouldn’t have…”

“It’s ok, A-Yuan, I’d figured it out already. Uncle Wei Wuxian was all awkward and weird about it today.”

Meng Yao observes this conversation. The three boys crane their necks to view the two parents. Meng Yao then turns his cool gaze to Wei Wuxian, who’s rubbing the back of his neck.

“Aha… what was I supposed to do? He’s inherited your puppy dog eyes and he was asking me all these questions and I-- didn’t know what to do. I didn’t tell him anything! Just, yeah. Was weird and awkward. Stop glaring, what was I meant to do?”

“Lie,” Meng Yao replies easily. “You lie to children.”

“Hey!”

“He doesn’t mean it.”

“No. He does. Baba says white-lies are the cornerstones of relationships.”

Looking at Meng Yao with mock horror. “Oh does he now?”

Meng Yao clears his throat and clicks his fingernails against his glass. “I believe you said Lan Xichen was ready for us?”

Nie Mingjue purses his lips and quirks his brows: yep.

“Uncle Mingjue! Shufu-- why are you so dusty?” Nie Mingjue is uncle to everyone despite bearing no family relation to any of the children. Jin Ling continues to push him by the back as they walk outside to the front lawn. “What’s this dusty stuff?”

“Sawdust.” Lan Yuan skips ahead. “Sawdust. From saws.”

“Is sawdust wood?” Cheng Xing asks contemplatively. “Can you have sawdust if it isn’t wood?”

A very good question, as most of A-Xing’s questions are. Meng Yao walks behind the boys, Wei Wuxian slinking sheepishly by his side. “Perhaps that’s something we can look up later when we go back inside.”

“Wait--”

A-Xing stops. He looks at Nie Mingjue with a gently baffled look that is absolutely inherited from Lan Xichen, regardless of the lack of Lan genetics. “Why are we going through the gate to the back garden?”

Nie Mingjue folds his arms and hums conspiratorially. (Jin Ling pokes his bicep with a furrowed brow.) “Well. Your dads have worked very hard to keep that a surprise.”

Meng Yao clears his throat politely-- a slight intended for Wei Wuxian, who covers his face in shame.

“I didn’t tell him, I promise,” he says behind his hands. “It’ll still be a surprise.”

At this moment, Meng Yao measures the confusion on his son’s face turning to amusement. A-Xing has inherited all the good traits from Lan Xichen. (Then again, does he have any bad ones?) He is handling this air of mystery without any concern or anxiety. Whilst Meng Yao abhors surprises, A-Xing adores them. He trusts his parents, Meng Yao realises.

Stepping over to his son, Meng Yao offers his hand. It’s getting a bit embarrassing for A-Xing to be holding his fathers’ hands, but neither of them care right now, in front of family. “Let’s go take a look together. Maybe Nie Mingjue’s just playing a particularly cruel prank on you.”

A-Xing beams up at him and laughs. “This is so weird. You’re so weird.”

“I am so weird,” Meng Yao agrees.

They step through the little private alleyway beside the house and into the back garden. So far, there is nothing new to see; the monkey puzzle tree that the boys like to climb, which A-Xing fell from last year and fractured his wrist in the process; the peony bed at the end of the lawn; the little, carved wooden sign for the pet hamster who passed away last year; the Frisbee that’s been collecting water for about two weeks now, and that Meng Yao hasn’t moved because it’s turned into a bird-bath and Lan Xichen likes has gone mushy over this.

“Where’s dad?” A-Xing asks, swinging their arms between them.

“Ah, well--” Wei Wuxian adds mystical hand gestures, “perhaps we should explore a little further and solve that particular mystery?”

A-Yuan beams. He runs over to his father and hugs him. Lan Yuan is a very affectionate child, far more than A-Xing of A-Ling. The other boys have known him long enough that they don’t find it unusual. Wei Wuxian, to this day, still appears a little tearful whenever he receives an impromptu hug.

“You’re weird, too,” A-Yuan mutters into Wei Wuxian’s stomach.

They venture to the end of the garden. Wei Wuxian makes a show of peering over the fence with a hand shielding his eyes.

Nie Mingjue climbs over the style. “Are you following or not?” he demands of Wei Wuxian.

“Ooooo! What could possibly be in there? Hmm? What could possibly be in the little patch of woods between A-Xing and A-Yuan’s houses?”

“The little patch of woods that A-Yao spent an awful lot of money and time blackmailing the estate agents into selling to me for half price,” Meng Yao mutters to himself.

“Oh look. Could I possibly see your dad in the near distance, A-Xing?”

A-Xing is already climbing over the style. A-Yuan is clambering over the fence, offering a hand to A-Ling who swats it away with a scowl. Meng Yao watches the three children gambol into the woods. Nie Mingjue follows at a slow saunter, brushing his hands on his jeans.

“This is going to blow their tiny minds,” Meng Yao says.

Wei Wuxian whistles. “It really is.”

Cheng Xing is a little shorter than both Jin Ling and Lan Yuan. Nonetheless, he sprints ahead, and his two friends flank him. And there-- Meng Yao spots his partner crouched in the leaves, packing away the toolbox and stretching his shoulders. He’s been working all afternoon with da-ge, tanned and limber in a white tshirt.

“WOAH!”

“Is that--?”

“TREEHOUSE! TREEHOUSE! IS IT OUR TREEHOUSE? IS IT MY TREEHOUSE? CAN WE GO IN?”

“DID YOU MAKE THIS?”

“HOW DO WE GET UP? LOOK, A LADDER!”

“THIS IS SO COOL--”

Jin Ling is clambering up the ladder. A-Yuan tugs him gently by the t-shirt and tells him to get down since it’s technically a birthday present for A-Xing, not him, and he should be the one to go up first. But A-Xing is hugging his dad with ferociously tight little arms, and Lan Xichen is laughing quietly to himself, stroking the top of his head.

“You should thank shufu, too. He built most of it.” He gives Meng Yao a small smile, the smile that still melts him even now, eight years later. “I held up lots of heavy planks of wood.”

“So impressive,” Meng Yao grins. He kisses his boyfriend on the cheek. “Very impressive. Isn’t baba impressive?”

“Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank youthankyouthankyouthank--” A-Xing hugs Nie Mingjue, who smirks. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthank--”

“Why don’t you go and try it out,” Lan Xichen says.

The boys scrabble up the ladder. A-Yuan is a little older than the other two, and whilst he never abuses this authority, A-Xing and A-Ling treat him with the respect of a wise elder. They therefore listen to A-Yuan’s words of caution climbing the tree, advice about watching their footing and not going too quickly.

The four men at the bottom of the tree peer up at the platform three metres above. It’s shrouded in leaves, branches, a lovingly carved roof (trademark Nie Designs) and fairylights. The boys are babbling in hushed, awed tones, interspersed with laughter and childish squeals.

“I think this was a good choice,” Lan Xichen remarks a little dreamily. Meng Yao lays his head on his shoulder and feels it rise and fall with his sigh. “This is going to make them happy for years.”

“You know when they’re teenagers they’re going to use it as their sordid den,” Wei Wuxian says. “Like, they’re going to go there to like, talk about girls or boys or both or neither and like, make low, grunting caveman noises about how much they hate us.”

“Well. They’ll need a safe place to do such a thing,” Meng Yao admits.

Nie Mingjue grumbles. “Without you running into A-Xing’s room, swatting him with a broom or your shoe at the slightest hint of hormones.”

Lan Xichen laughs.

Meng Yao stares at them all. They’re all laughing.

“I would never,” he argues. Peering up at Lan Xichen with wide, imploring eyes. “You know I would never.”

“Of course not, love.” Lan Xichen plants a consolatory kiss on his forehead. “We just know that you’re very protective of our son.”

“Of course I am. Of course I’m protective. Gege, why are you laughing? Do you think I’m such a bad father, gege?”

Nie Mingjue pinches his nose. Wei Wuxian is cackling.

“No, A-Yao. You’re the best father in the world, and A-Xing knows it.”

“He’s referring to the fact that you tried to get a child expelled for kicking over his mud-pie in nursery.”

“And if they’d let me on the board of governors, justice would have been served.” There’s also the fact that he admitted to Lan Xichen, face buried in his chest, that he doesn’t want A-Xing to be a smelly teenager. He’d wept. Proper, sobbing cries. Is it awful that Meng Yao wants him to be wide-eyed and adorable forever and ever, and if Meng Yao knows that no one will ever be good enough for their son and-- and how is he meant to let some snotty-nosed teenager take him to the cinema or a terrible fast-food restaurant on a first date?

Lan Xichen had said his distress was both understandable and endearing. Thing is, Meng Yao is only partially putting it on. He really is heartbroken by how fast A-Xing is growing.

The three boys erupt into laughter from the treehouse.

“I want another baby.”

Meng Yao says it before any coherent thoughts go through his head and have a chance to wrangle the sentence back into its box. Wei Wuxian gasps. Nie Mingjue looks genuinely shocked.

Lan Xichen shifts beside Meng Yao and looks at him with parted lips.

“I’m sorry?” he croaks.

This time, he knows exactly what he’s saying. He looks Lan Xichen dead on and says in his most business-like, I’m-putting-my-foot-down voice: “I want another baby.”

The birds sing overhead. The boys laugh in the treehouse, out of sight. Meng Yao’s friends stare, open-mouthed. He looks at Lan Xichen and waits.

Lan Xichen smiles.

#my writing #xiyao #jgy #lxc #lan xichen #jin guangyao #meng yao #Object Permanence Prompts #mdzs #the untamed

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stiltonbasket · 4 years ago

Link

In which Wei Wuxian needs a break, Jiang Cheng is smitten, and Xiao Xingchen finally makes his way to a safe haven.

Unfortunately for Wei Wuxian, twenty-five-year-old father of two and co-owner of Lotus Pier Bakery, his days always start at four o’clock in the morning.

Right after his alarm rings, he showers (sometimes) brushes his teeth (if he remembers to) and combs his hair (if he can’t get away with wrangling it into a messy braid, which works for three days out of every five) before stumbling down the stairs to the kitchen, where he spends the next two hours mixing pastry dough and preparing enormous rows of stuffed baozi. After the buns and pastries are done—and pastry is always finicky, even for him—he takes out his pans of bread dough and bakes until his hands are numb from kneading and mixing, right before whipping up a sponge batter and making four different flavors of cake with it: plain, chocolate, a green tea sponge that is ridiculously popular despite only smelling like tea (though it’s still a good cake, as proven by his sister’s fondness for it) and strawberry. He also puts on a pot of lotus and pork rib soup, since the bakery serves meals during lunch and provides a free cup of soup with every order.

At seven-thirty, he hears the sleepy sounds of his brother moving about on the second floor, going about his own preparations for the day. Jiang Cheng’s morning responsibilities include getting himself ready, making sure Wei Wuxian’s six-year-old-son (an actual ray of sunshine, brought to life in the shape of a boy called Wen Yuan) is dressed and packed for school, and giving baby Xiao-Yu his first bottle before the breakfast rush begins.

Wei Wuxian’s children are utter delights, though, so he counts that part as one of the many privileges that come with being an uncle to the two most precious baby boys in the world.

“There’s also A-Ling,” Jiang Cheng says grumpily, when he comes down with shaving foam still stuck to his ears and A-Yu wriggling in his arms. “And I don’t have to change his diapers, Wei Wuxian.”

“It’s only once a day,” Wei Wuxian coaxes. He grabs the baby from Jiang Cheng and gives him a smacking kiss on the nose, his heart melting all over again as Xiao-Yu tries to imitate him and ends up licking his face instead. “How’s the most perfect baby in the universe doing today, baobei?”

Xiao-Yu only babbles at him, since he only just passed his tenth-month birthday and can’t really manage speech outside of the occasional “baba,” (directed at Wei Wuxian, of course) or the odd “mama,” which is also directed at Wei Wuxian because he is, as he tells everyone who asks him out and then runs the second he explains, very much a single father. Parenthood’s very bad for the dating scene, but he’ll gladly remain single for the rest of his life to make sure he can give his best to A-Yuan and Xiao-Yu.

Not that any of them but Yanli ever thought about anything like romance or marriage, after the Jiang estate burned to the ground with their parents in it and left them dependent on a family friend’s charity for the next year and a half.

A-Yuan comes bounding into the kitchen five minutes later, dressed in a tidy little button-up and neat grey shorts with a backpack strapped to his shoulders. “A-Die!” he cries, flinging his arms around Wei Wuxian’s waist and nuzzling against his stomach until his father bursts out laughing at how much it tickles. “A-Die, I’m ready. What do I get for lunch today?”

“First things first,” Wei Wuxian tells him, as A-Yu observes them through the mesh walls of his playpen with one chubby finger in his mouth. “Did you and your shushu finish all your breakfast!”

“Mm, we did! Shushu made eggs!”

“Then you can go pick out one of the buns in the cooling rack for you, and one for A-Ling. And two for your peacock uncle, since he always eats too much.”

Once A-Yuan makes his choices—a soft baozi with mushrooms in it for him, and and a green onion pastry with tomatoes for Jin Ling—Wei Wuxian fills up two tiny thermoses with hot soup and then fills up A-Yuan’s Spiderman water bottle, which is completely covered in the rabbit stickers he hoards every time someone takes him to the doctor’s office.

“Lunches packed,” Jiang Cheng drones, starting up the various drinks machines behind the bakery counter as A-Yuan grabs his cousin’s lunchbox and tries to pack it himself. “I am now going to make coffee. And tea. And milk tea, since my elder brother is a cruel, cruel man.”

“The McDonalds down the street would have put us out of business if we hadn’t started serving bubble tea,” Wei Wuxian scolds. “And Wen Qing likes the way you cook the tapioca, so don’t even complain.”

He leaves Jiang Cheng blushing in front of the gargantuan coffee-maker and hustles A-Yuan out through the little door that separates the staff-only area from the dining room just before a large, expensive car pulls up just outside the sign in the window that reads Lotus Pier Bakery.

“It’s Peacock-uncle,” A-Yuan pipes up, still amazed by the sight of Jin Zixuan’s luxury sports car, as if he doesn’t ride to and from school in it every day. “And A-Ling, and Auntie!”

Yanli breezes in half a second later, pouncing on A-Yuan the moment she crosses the threshold and covering his face with kisses. “Good morning, Yuan-bao,” she sings, as A-Yuan turns into putty in her arms and tucks his face against her shoulder. “Are you ready for school?”

“I’m always ready,” he informs her, before proudly displaying the two lunchboxes hanging from his elbow and the brown-paper bag held carefully in one hand. “See, I packed A-Ling’s lunch, all by myself! And Peacock-uncle’s!”

“Peacock-uncle’s going to be hungry again by lunchtime,” Jiang Cheng calls, sticking his head up over the espresso maker. “And he’ll be here at noon with the rest of the Jin crowd, just wait.”

“A-Yuan won’t be here at lunchtime,” Wen Yuan says peacefully. “A-Yuan will be at school.”

After that, Wei Wuxian gets A-Yuan settled in his booster seat, squeezes A-Ling, and waves at his brother-in-law with Jiang Yanli until the car vanishes down the street, leaving Yanli to put up her hair and march back into the kitchen to start cooking for rush hour.

“A-Cheng, you’ve got the drinks and the registers covered, right?” she asks, before grinning from ear to ear as a young woman with a badge clipped to her shirt comes in and stares at Jiang Cheng across the counter until his face looks more like a roasted beet than anything remotely human. “Good morning, Wen Qing!”

“I’ll take my usual coffee order and a spinach roll,” Wen Qing says, sending a short, small smile at Yanli—which is more than anyone else except Jiang Cheng ever gets, because Wen Qing is a medical resident with no sympathy for anyone but her patients, A-Yuan, and inexplicably Wei Wuxian’s bad-tempered brother, who loses most of his senses whenever she walks into Lotus Pier and only gets them back about an hour after she leaves.

“You’ve just missed A-Yuan,” Wei Wuxian complains, stocking the display case next to the cash register. “He kept asking when we could see you yesterday, you know.”

“I’ll try to get up earlier tomorrow,” she yawns, carefully not paying attention when Jiang Cheng overturns a box of sugar packets in an effort to wrap up her spinach roll as neatly as he can. “Or you could video call me at night, when those of us who aren’t bakers are most active. Like normal people do.”

“I go to bed at eight o’clock like an old man, thank you very much,” he sniffs. “My schedule’s murder on my old lifestyle—”

“You mean spending all night gatecrashing sorority parties like you used to back in college?”

“—and I have children to look after,” he finishes sagely. “Do you want soup, too, Wen Qing? I can throw in a free bowl.”

“We won’t make any money that way,” Jiang Cheng scolds him, providing a wonderful show of hypocrisy as he hands Wen Qing a cup of coffee with three protective sleeves on it to make sure she doesn’t burn her hands, a heat-safe straw jammed down the side, and a warm paper bag containing at least one more fresh pastry than Wei Wuxian remembers her ordering. “Here. Good luck today, Miss Wen.”

Wen Qing tosses a mouthful of coffee down her throat and then turns to stare at Jiang Cheng.

“If it weren’t for you and your perfect coffee,” she says, “I would have dropped out years ago.”

And then she strides out the door and climbs back into her car, leaving Jiang Cheng dumbstruck in her wake as Wei Wuxian doubles over and screams with laughter until he cries.

“Stop that,” Jiang Cheng mutters, when Xiao-Yu’s adorable baby giggles ring out alongside his father’s. “Look, now Xiao-Yu’s doing it.”

“He knows denial when he sees it,” Wei Wuxian tells him. “Honestly, A-Cheng. A-Yu’s just trying to help!”

The rest of the day goes on much as days at Lotus Pier Bakery usually do; happily, but so very busily that Wei Wuxian ends up staggering back upstairs for a second shower with Xiao-Yu when the lunch rush ends. The eatery serves coffee and baked goods from opening to closing, and is open for dine-in restaurant meals from eleven to two-thirty; Yanli does most of the cooking, while Wei Wuxian does the prep work, and Jiang Cheng handles the take-out baked goods sales and the drinks and helps wait tables until time comes to wipe down the tables in the dining area after the lunch customers finally finish eating—and the result of it all is that all three of them are so drained that they can hardly keep their eyes open, especially after dealing with parties bigger than about four or five.

“How is it only three-thirty,” Wei Wuxian moans, slumping wearily over the counter with Xiao-Yu tied to his back when Jin Zixuan comes by to drop A-Yuan off and pick Yanli up later that afternoon. “I want to sleep, A-Jie.”

“Have you looked into getting any more part-timers?” his sister asks, pressing a cool, soft hand to his cheek. “I know Xue Yang’s doing well, but he only comes three times a week.”

“A-Yang’s a gremlin,” Wei Wuxian dismisses. “And he barely talks, it scares the customers. I was thinking of having someone move into your old bedroom, but of course it isn’t so easy with Yuan-bao and A-Yu here.”

“What about Wen Ning?” Jin Zixuan suggests, absentmindedly turning A-Yuan upside down and swinging him back and forth while Jin Ling begs for a turn on his other side. “A-Yuan’s his cousin, and he dotes on A-Yu, so it could work out, couldn’t it?”

“Not until he finishes his degree. And he’s got a job lined up after that, so there wouldn’t be any point,” Jiang Cheng shrugs. Wei Wuxian and his siblings all went to college, graduating with degrees in dance performance, mechanical engineering, and economics, in order of age—but then the fire came along and ruined everything about a year before he and Jiang Cheng were set to graduate, and all the three of them wanted to do after that was spend as much time together as they possibly could, so they ended up opening the bakery instead. “And we don’t know anyone else well enough.”

“Well, something will turn up,” Yanli soothes him, tiptoeing up to kiss his forehead and then Wei Wuxian’s before lifting A-Ling into her arms. “Promise me you’ll get some rest, A-Cheng. And A-Xian, you have to promise, too.”

“We promise,” they say dutifully, before watching her leave with her husband and son.

Letting her go doesn’t seem half so bad these days, since they know how loved she is at home, and that she’s always going to come back to them in the morning.

“She’s right, you know,” Jiang Cheng sighs, after a long pause. “We really do need to get some new staff, or we’ll run ourselves into the ground.”

“I’ll start making ads tomorrow night,” Wei Wuxian promises, sending A-Yuan upstairs for his afternoon nap and dearly wishing he could go have a nap, too. “Let’s get through the rest of the day, and then I’ll put in a call to the printers’ so we can put up flyers.”

___

As it turns out, however, the answer to their quandary comes about two hours later, after Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng put the “closed” signs in all the windows and shutter the blinds behind them. Jiang Cheng is just about to unroll the blinds on the reinforced glass doors when he takes in a sharp breath and shouts for Wei Wuxian, who comes rolling out of the dining room in five seconds flat before trotting over to stand beside him.

“Is it just me,” he says, “or is there someone staring at me outside?”

Wei Wuxian looks. There definitely is someone outside, dressed in shabby, misshapen clothes and holding a dark little bundle to his chest, and that someone looks more than a bit familiar.

Almost, he realizes, like a certain long-absent member of his family, from whom he has not heard anything in the past two years save for three very hurried phone calls.

“No way,” he breathes, unlocking the door and running out into the street just in time for the someone to fall straight into his arms and burst into tears. “Xingchen!”

#wangxian #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #nielan #chengqing #wen qing #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #jin zixuan #my fic #modern au #wuxian versus world: bakery style

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onceinabluehanguangjun · 4 years ago

Text

into you like a train (3/5)

warning: minor mention of a past injury

previous | next

ao3

The next day passed in silence.

No rambunctious man came knocking on the door and Lan Zhan took this as a sign that he could actually finish grading his papers. He sipped his tea and made sure he ate and kept his mind busy until night. He didn’t let himself think about Wei Ying until he was in bed again and his face wouldn’t leave Lan Zhan alone. He was good looking and kind and probably thought Lan Zhan was too weird to speak to.

Which was fine. Normal. It happened.

The day after that, though, Lan Zhan decided to go on a walk and attempt to enjoy himself since he would only be here for a couple more days. There were tons of paths around the cabin and the snow was beginning to melt, so it wasn’t as cold. He bundled up nonetheless and put in only one of his earbuds so he could still be aware of his surroundings.

It was going pretty well and he managed to feel relaxed despite the fact he was in the middle of nowhere. He supposed it helped that he’d met Wei Ying and learned how tight-knit this community was. It felt safe to wander around in. Which is the mindset he had up until he heard rustling in the trees and something rammed onto his leg before latching on.

His first instinct was to kick whatever it was away from him, but he thankfully had the foresight to look down first and managed to stop himself once he realized it was a child. Lan Zhan stared down at it as he caught his breath and the child stared back with wide, tearful eyes.

“What…” he trailed off, blinking down at it. Only that apparently didn’t sit well with the child because it immediately started crying. So much for relaxing.

He had about a full five seconds to worry about being accused of kidnapping before he heard another voice.

“A-Yuan!”

Within a few seconds, Wei Ying burst through the trees and skidded to a stop once he saw the child in question, catching his breath. He spared Lan Zhan a glance before he walked up and pried the child off his leg, hiking him onto his hip.

“What did I say about running off in the woods like that?” Wei Ying scolded.

“Don’t,” the child, A-Yuan, whined out. Wei Ying sighed and shook his head.

“Yeah, don’t, so don’t do it. You could run into a wolf that’ll snatch you up and steal you away and you’ll have to live in a cave and become a wolf yourself. Is that what you want, to become a little wolf-man?” Wei Ying told him, poking him in the stomach. A-Yuan gasped and dramatically hid his face in Wei Ying’s shoulder.

“No wolf!”

“Then don’t run away from me,” Wei Ying told him, “I should get you a leash.”

Lan Zhan blinked between the two, trying to make sense of it. Wei Ying, the drunken primary school teacher who makes pastries at the crack of dawn and goes grocery shopping for candy and energy drinks and spent hours with him a couple of nights prior, had a little boy. Was there anything this man could do that wouldn’t throw Lan Zhan off?

“I’m sorry, again, he gets excited when he sees animals in the woods and runs off sometimes,” Wei Ying said to him, laughing slightly. It wasn’t the big boisterous laughter from before though, it was a little uncomfortable. “I’m really ruining your vacation, aren’t I?”

Lan Zhan swallowed softly and thought about his brother’s words. Maybe it was fate. Maybe he wasn’t annoying him.

“No,” Lan Zhan said. Wei Ying blinked in surprise and then his smile broke out into the real thing.

“Good,” he said, carefully putting A-Yuan back down. He immediately latched onto Wei Ying’s leg and looked up at Lan Zhan with big, piercing eyes. Lan Zhan had never really been around children that little before, not since he was one. Even the kids he student taught were much older. “If it makes it any better, he only hugs the legs of people he likes. So at least we know he has taste.”

“He’s yours?” Lan Zhan asked despite his better judgment. Wei Ying put a hand on A-Yuan’s head and puffed out his chest dramatically.

“I gave birth to him,” Wei Ying said. Lan Zhan blinked and the other man divulged into laughter. “By proxy, of course.”

So he was married or perhaps had a girlfriend. That meant it didn’t matter whether Wei Ying was aesthetically pleasing or not. For some reason, that didn’t make Lan Zhan feel any better.

“Tall gege,” A-Yuan said, pointing up at Lan Zhan. Wei Ying grabbed his hand to stop him from pointing at him.

“Yes, very tall gege. Giant gege. Skyscraper gege,” Wei Ying said, winking at Lan Zhan as if they had some sort of inside joke, “Isn’t that right, Gege?”

Lan Zhan blinked and felt his ears grow warm, his hand clutching his phone a bit tighter at the tone of his voice. Wei Ying laughed, but he didn’t mention anything about Lan Zhan’s reaction if he noticed.

“Mn,” Lan Zhan hummed. Wei Ying smiled so brightly his eyes squinted and he scrunched up his nose. It was overwhelmingly cute in a way Lan Zhan had no idea how to handle.

“But let’s just call him Zhan-gege,” Wei Ying said. A-Yuan nodded. “Alright, well, I don’t want to bother you anymore and I promised this one lunch, so,” Wei Ying said, getting a better grip on A-Yuan’s hand so he couldn’t run away again, “It was nice seeing your face again, Lan Zhan.”

“Mn.”

Lan Zhan stayed still as Wei Ying went to walk away, but A-Yuan seemed to root himself into place with his eyes on Lan Zhan. It was a little awkward and disjointed, the two of them silent and just blinking at each other. Wei Ying snorted.

“A-Yuan, come on,” he said. A-Yuan looked up at him and then back to Lan Zhan and then looked back up to Wei Ying before waving at him to come down. Wei Ying smiled and crouched down, letting A-Yuan lean close to his ear.

“Zhan-gege’s all alone,” he not-so-quietly whispered. Lan Zhan instantly felt uncomfortable at that, but Wei Ying didn’t seem to think it was an accusation. He just rolled his eyes.

“Some people like taking walks alone,” Wei Ying explained, “Shushu does that all the time.”

A-Yuan looked back to Lan Zhan and then leaned to whisper again. “Zhan-gege eats lunch all alone?”

Wei Ying looked up to Lan Zhan for a moment. He seemed to be trying to say something with his eyes alone, but Lan Zhan didn’t know him well enough to translate.

“A-Yuan, let’s not bother him, okay?”

“But he needs a friend,” A-Yuan said, insisting like Wei Ying clearly wasn’t understanding. Lan Zhan was beginning to feel like this child was given a script directly by his big brother to guilt him into spending more time with Wei Ying.

Wei Ying sighed and stood up straight, looking at Lan Zhan. He looked so grown with A-Yuan there, it was a weird juxtaposition from the lively and childish man he’d seen every other time. It was intriguing.

“Feel free to say fuck off, but would you like to join us for lunch?” Wei Ying said, giving a small smile as he reached up to scratch the back of his neck, “No hard feelings if you don’t want to, but I thought I’d ask.”

Lan Zhan swallowed softly and looked down to the little boy who was looking up at him with big, pleading eyes. He thought about Wei Ying saying how most of the children up here don’t venture down the mountain for most of their lives, they don’t meet new people very often. He thought about his own childhood, how his uncle had kept them under strict rules to keep them in line and kept them away from others, and how that probably led to him being so inept at social interaction. Maybe… Maybe he could convince himself he was helping.

“Okay,” Lan Zhan agreed. Wei Ying’s eyes widened and then he smiled, looking so completely and utterly thrilled. It made Lan Zhan’s stomach hurt, honestly. Just… not in a bad way.

“Ah, it’s A-Yuan’s little face, isn’t it? Hard to say no,” Wei Ying said, reaching down to squeeze A-Yuan’s face in his hand. “Well, let’s go.”

Lan Zhan awkwardly followed them, listening to them both talk like it was just easy to rattle off a conversation like that with no fear of rejection. A-Yuan would ask a question and Wei Ying would immediately have an answer, regardless of if it made sense or not.

“Baba, what’s that?”

“Ice, you know that.”

“Why?”

“Because the snow is melting.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s getting hotter.”

“Why?”

“Because the temperature is never the same, changes every day.”

“Why?”

“Climate change, probably.”

“Oh.”

Lan Zhan thought about when he was little and if his uncle had allowed him to ask why that much. He couldn’t imagine that he had, especially since unnecessary noise wasn’t allowed. A-Yuan clearly didn’t have that rule as he asked questions and, when he didn’t have anything to ask, he would hum a little song he made up as he led the way.

Wei Ying bobbed his head along to the song, approving of it and not scolding if it was off-key or annoying. He just let it happen. Lan Zhan immediately felt his heart clench as he thought that he was probably a very good father.

“Zhan-gege,” A-Yuan said, looking up to Lan Zhan all of the sudden. It scared him a little. What if he didn’t have answers like Wei Ying? “Do you know my song?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Wei Ying cut in.

“Shh, Baba, don’t interrupt big kids,” A-Yuan said, eyes wide as if he was truly scandalized. Wei Ying smiled and looked over to Lan Zhan, miming a zipper over his lips. “Zhan-gege?”

“Which one?” Lan Zhan asked slowly. A-Yuan took a deep breath and sang a little tune about the snow falling. Simple, childlike, wordy.

“And it hits the ground and it sticks to the grass and the trees and the stuff,” Wei Ying sang along, leaning towards Lan Zhan and nudging his shoulder. Lan Zhan’s face felt warm.

When A-Yuan finished, he looked up to Lan Zhan.

“I don’t know it,” he admitted, “But I can learn.”

A-Yuan nodded like that was a valid response which was exciting enough, but the look on Wei Ying’s face made Lan Zhan feel like he was short-circuiting. It was something that seemed to be sheer adoration and soft and warm and for him. It was too overwhelming and Lan Zhan turned his eyes to the ground.

“Zhan-gege,” A-Yuan continued.

“Mn?”

“Wanna see the snowman me and Baba made?” he asked. Lan Zhan looked at Wei Ying who was already pulling out his phone as if to find pictures.

“Sure.”

“Baba,” A-Yuan said, reaching up for his phone, “I can do it.”

“Oh, you can?” Wei Ying teased before handing it to him. They both watched as A-Yuan carefully held the phone and went to the pictures, finding it easily. “Guess you can.”

“Zhan-gege,” A-Yuan said again, reaching up to him with expectant, grabby hands.

Lan Zhan looked to Wei Ying for permission and he held his hands up like he wasn’t a part of the equation. A-Yuan continued to wait patiently to be picked up until Lan Zhan did his best to do just that. When Lan Zhan looked over to Wei Ying for approval, all he got was the man smiling forward and continuing his walk.

“See, look,” A-Yuan said, showing him the pictures of him with a snowman with a smile that seemed to be a direct imitation of Wei Ying’s.

“Mn.”

He slid to the next picture which was a selfie with Wei Ying, A-Yuan, and the snowman. A-Yuan started to tell him about it with a sea of breathy, disjointed sentences that only made a little bit of sense. Lan Zhan nodded along and it was enough. He was beginning to think that children were much easier to be around than adults. They didn’t require that much input.

Before Lan Zhan even knew it, they were towards the bottom of the mountain and at a little restaurant. It was a part of the same circle of shops that the tea house was and was probably a way for the people on the mountain to make money. A-Yuan pointed excitedly at a fish tank the moment they walked inside the restaurant.

“Zhan-gege, look!”

“I’ll get a table,” Wei Ying said, leaving Lan Zhan with a toddler on his arms and an allegedly mesmerizing fish tank. He tried not to be overwhelmed by that responsibility.

“Hi, fishy,” A-Yuan cooed, his voice soft as he reached out. Lan Zhan caught his hand before he could touch the glass.

“That scares them,” he explained. A-Yuan nodded thoughtfully.

“Sorry, fishy,” he not-so-quietly whispered, “Zhan-gege, Zhan-gege, Zhan-gege.”

“Hm?”

“What’s its name?”

“I’m not sure,” Lan Zhan answered honestly. A-Yuan pouted for a moment.

“Can I name them?” he asked. And Lan Zhan didn’t see why not.

By the time Wei Ying came to lead them to the table, they’d compiled the names Fluffy, Fire, and Fins for three of them. Fire (a bright orange goldfish) was only allowed to be said in an angry voice, of course. He was a little sad to say goodbye, but he waved at them nonetheless. And, yes, Lan Zhan was convinced that children were better than people at that point.

Lan Zhan put A-Yuan down in his chair and he sat politely, eyes focused on the screen of Wei Ying’s phone. He opened some game on it and was immediately entranced. Which left Lan Zhan to have to make conversation with Wei Ying.

“He likes you,” Wei Ying reiterated, smiling, “He’s usually shy.”

Lan Zhan didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying said, tilting his head, “What do you like to eat? We’ve talked so much and I’ve never seen what you eat.”

Lan Zhan didn’t think they’d spoken that much all.

“I don’t eat meat,” Lan Zhan said softly, “But that’s my only restriction.”

“Ah, okay, okay, I can work with that!” he said excitedly, looking through the menu. Lan Zhan blinked and grabbed his own menu, carefully opening it. He wasn’t sure if Wei Ying was planning on finding him something or not.

And, honestly, it was a relief when Wei Ying did order for him and Lan Zhan didn’t have to worry about it.

“So, Lan Zhan, how do you like it here?” Wei Ying asked.

Lan Zhan thought about it for a moment. It was quiet and peaceful, which was good. The people, so far, were nice enough. All of his panicking so far was his own fault. Really, the only bad thing was that it wasn’t home.

“It’s nice.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought when I first moved here. I promise it grows on you a whole lot more the longer you stay. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Wei Ying said decidedly, smiling as he looked over to his son. When his eyes came back to Lan Zhan, he leaned forward and made that face like they had an inside joke again. “Well, I’d like to travel more, but don’t tell him that.”

“Gusu is nice,” Lan Zhan said slowly, “Child friendly.”

Wei Ying raised an eyebrow and sat up straight. “Lan Zhan, is that an invitation?” Lan Zhan’s eyes drifted anywhere but at him, desperate to seem casual. It wasn’t an invitation. Or, at least, he didn’t think it was. “I’m teasing! Yes, I’ve been to Gusu, it’s nice. The liquor there is the best I’ve ever had.”

“I don’t drink,” Lan Zhan said. Wei Ying’s eyes widened a little and he laughed.

“Oh, then why did you put up with me?!” Wei Ying asked, laughing enough to get A-Yuan to look up at him, “You’re far too kind, Gege.”

Lan Zhan waited for a moment to try and gauge if the question was meant to be rhetorical or not. When Wei Ying didn’t say anything further, he decided it wouldn’t be terrible to answer either way.

“I didn’t want you to be cold,” he said‒if only because it sounded much better than saying he didn’t want him to die and freeze to the front door. For his part, Wei Ying smiled so wide his eyes formed little crescents and he gave that blissful little hum that made Lan Zhan feel at home.

It took Lan Zhan until the food came before he realized that probably wasn’t a good feeling to have for a man who was probably in a committed relationship with a son who also happened to live two hours away from his home.

And yet…

“Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, try this,” Wei Ying said, leaning over the table with a spoonful of whatever sort of congee he’d gotten. His fingertips touched the bottom of Lan Zhan’s chin and he found himself opening his mouth and letting Wei Ying give him a taste. It was strange and his eyes scanned the room once he sat back, expecting judging eyes to be on them. Instead, no one was phased. “Good?”

“Mn.”

“Baba, my turn,” A-Yuan said, opening his mouth wide. Wei Ying laughed softly and got a spoonful of A-Yuan’s own meal before shoveling it into his mouth carefully.

“Good, A-Yuan?”

“Mhm!” A-Yuan said, nodding as he did his best to chew with his mouth closed. Lan Zhan found himself grateful for that. He hated the sound of people eating.

“Try yours,” Wei Ying urged, eyes shining as he gave his attention back to Lan Zhan. The more he kept his attention on him, the more he found himself rather okay with it. Maybe even preferring it. That was strange.

Still, Lan Zhan looked at his own meal of what seemed to be primarily tofu and beans. It wasn’t too different from what he’d feed himself, maybe a bit more red-tinted than he’d typically choose. He grabbed his spoon to take a bite and‒

“Do you like it?” Wei Ying asked. Lan Zhan froze a bit as his mouth started burning. He swallowed it nonetheless, but he was sure he wasn’t subtle enough when he immediately grabbed his glass of water. Wei Ying just laughed. “There’s no way that’s spicier than mine!”

And maybe it wasn’t and Lan Zhan had simply been too distracted to notice that time.

“Let me try,” Wei Ying suggested, opening his mouth in a childish way that seemed to mimic A-Yuan more than anything. Lan Zhan, despite the burning in his mouth, found himself fighting a smile.

In the most out of character move he’d ever make in his life, Lan Zhan found himself taking a spoonful of his meal and feeding it to the man across the table. He was sure his face was on fire, but Wei Ying didn’t notice as he tilted his head left to right as he weighed if it was hotter than his or not.

“Hmmm,” Wei Ying hummed, “It’s definitely not hotter than mine, but, if it’s too hot, you can switch with A-Yuan.” Lan Zhan stared at him with a blank expression which just got Wei Ying laughing. “I’m teasing!”

“Zhan-gege,” A-Yuan called, reaching over with a spoonful of his food.

“Be careful,” Lan Zhan said mindlessly as he scooted the chair in a bit more so he wouldn’t fall, still taking the bite he was offered. A-Yuan smiled all bright and sweet. “It’s very good.”

When he looked back to Wei Ying, he got that soft little look again that made his heart beat a bit oddly in his chest. He turned his eyes down to his food so he didn’t have to focus on it.

“If it’s too hot, we can ask for something else,” Wei Ying offered. Lan Zhan shook his head. There were a lot of things he’d rather do than send his food back for something else, including skydiving or giving a speech in front of the entire country.

“I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Wei Ying said, voice teasing and sweet.

For the first time in his life, a meal wasn’t silent. Sure, Lan Huan had loud meals with his friends sometimes, but never ones that included him like this. A-Yuan and Wei Ying both kept him in conversation, a constant stream of ‘Gege’ all meant to make sure he knew he was being spoken to. It was better than going on a walk by himself.

Lan Zhan ended up paying despite protests from Wei Ying‒”I invited you!” “You paid for tea.” “That’s not at all the same amount of money as a meal for three!” “Mn. Too late.” “Lan Zhan!”‒and they left to head back home. A-Yuan was a bit quieter this time and Lan Zhan almost asked if something was wrong, but Wei Ying beat him to it.

“Come here,” Wei Ying told A-Yuan, crouching down in front of him. Lan Zhan watched as he used his sleeve to wipe his nose and then fixed his little scarf around him, tucking it into his jacket. “You want me to carry you?” A-Yuan shook his head which earned a raised eyebrow from Wei Ying. “You want to walk?”

“Zhan-gege,” A-Yuan said, holding his arms up to him.

“Eh, A-Yuan, let’s not bother Gege, okay? He carried you already,” Wei Ying said.

“I don’t mind,” Lan Zhan offered. Wei Ying looked up at him.

“Aiya, Lan Zhan, if you keep this up, how am I supposed to let you leave?” he teased. Lan Zhan decided any answer he had to that wouldn’t be a good one and instead just picked up A-Yuan. “You’re smiling again.”

Lan Zhan ignored him again, letting A-Yuan lay his head on his shoulder as he continued to walk. Wei Ying laughed and kept up the pace.

“Are we just going to Jiejie’s cabin?” Wei Ying asked. Lan Zhan looked at him over A-Yuan’s head.

“I can walk you home if you’d prefer.”

Wei Ying just smiled at him and shrugged. “Either way, I don’t mind. Whatever means I get to bother you longer.”

“You don’t bother me,” Lan Zhan said. I bother you, he didn’t say.

"I keep telling you, Lan Zhan, I'm very annoying," Wei Ying teased, though Lan Zhan was beginning to think they weren't jokes. Maybe they had more in common than he originally assumed.

"Mn, as am I."

"No, you're not, you're perfect," Wei Ying laughed. Lan Zhan kept his eyes forward.

"Then so are you."

Wei Ying took a deep breath, loud enough for Lan Zhan to notice, and let himself laugh it off. Again, Lan Zhan couldn’t help but notice how much his presence was a welcome one. In fact, he didn’t want him to leave. The only other person with who he’d felt so comfortable was his brother. It was strange.

Was this the way Lan Huan felt about everyone?

“Did he fall asleep that quickly?” Wei Ying asked softly, leaning close to check A-Yuan. Lan Zhan craned his neck to see he was indeed sound asleep, eyes closed and breaths even. The adoration Lan Zhan felt was only broken by the close proximity of Wei Ying’s breath on his jaw. “I can take him.”

“Wouldn’t that wake him?”

“Maybe, but he was just being a brat when he wanted you to carry him. Don’t feel obligated to,” Wei Ying insisted. Lan Zhan shrugged carefully.

“I don’t mind.”

Wei Ying’s fingers grazed his spine as he put some space between them again and A-Yuan’s presence was the only thing that kept Lan Zhan from shivering. It still covered his body in chills that didn’t make sense. He looked over to Wei Ying again and noticed the way the sun shined through the trees and seemed to capture him perfectly. Maybe aesthetically pleasing was too modest for him.

“Ah, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying said, sighing loudly as he threw his arms out. Lan Zhan nearly shushed him so he wouldn’t wake A-Yuan, but the boy didn’t even stir and he had to assume he was accustomed to a father that spoke this much. “You are far too much.”

“Too much?” Lan Zhan asked carefully.

Wei Ying looked at him, exasperated almost. That almost sick feeling knotted in his stomach all over again.

“You watch over me when I get drunk and nearly ruin your vacation, you entertain me when I talk at you for hours, and now you’re entirely unphased and kind to my kid? I’m only one man, Lan Zhan, and you’re simply too good to be true,” Wei Ying stated. His tone of voice sounded like he was complaining, but his words and his smile told an entirely different story. Lan Zhan had no response.

“Mn.”

Wei Ying laughed that warm laugh of his and it led into a groan, his head tilting back. His face was flushed a deep red. This time, it was clear it had nothing to do with the cold or alcohol. Lan Zhan couldn’t take his eyes off him.

“What are you doing to me?” he asked. It was a question Lan Zhan was convinced was rhetorical. Wei Ying was in a relationship with a child and lived on his mountain that people never moved away from‒Lan Zhan had done nothing to mess with any of that. It wasn’t a real question.

So Lan Zhan didn’t answer and they finished their walk to the cabin.

Wei Ying used the key to unlock the door and Lan Zhan took A-Yuan to the bedroom without thought, laying him on the neatly made bed. He carefully moved the blankets to cover him up and Wei Ying grabbed the pillows to make a barricade between his son and the edge of the bed.

When they found themselves back in the main room, Lan Zhan found himself face to face with this man who was somehow both the most comforting and most anxiety-inducing man he’d ever met. Wei Ying stared right at him, not wavering from eye contact even a little. Lan Zhan waited for him to speak first.

“My adoptive mother doesn’t like me,” Wei Ying said. It came out of seemingly nowhere, but Lan Zhan stayed silent. “She’s convinced herself that her husband had an affair and that I’m the product of that affair, so she takes it out on me. Always has, probably always will no matter what. It’s fine. But… When I got a bit older, I learned it didn’t matter what I did because she would hate me no matter what. So I spiraled. Got kicked out of boarding schools, isolated myself, lost contact with my siblings, was just reckless and caused a lot of collateral damage. Got in a fight one night and Wen Ning tried to save my ass, but he got pushed and slammed his head on the edge of a concrete slab. He was unconscious for days because of brain swelling. And even then, he and his sister picked me up, dusted me off, brought me home, and helped me to get my shit together. I’m still trying to make up for the trouble I caused, but… Anyway, that’s why I was so drunk I couldn’t stand it. Anniversary of the day I nearly got my best friend killed, so, you know. Bad coping, whatever.”

Lan Zhan blinked a few times and he took in the words he was saying. Honestly, the drunk version of him didn’t seem like the type to get into fights. But, then again, maybe that spoke of his progress. He hadn’t seemed like that since he met him, either. He was kind and friendly and a good father.

“Date number two, so there’s your answer,” Wei Ying offered, voice a bit softer. It was only then that Lan Zhan realized he should’ve probably responded.

“Date number two?” Lan Zhan echoed instead of anything relevant. Namely, because every date he ever recalled had been uncomfortable and awkward and, so far, the two “dates” he’d had with Wei Ying had only gotten awkward when he realized they were dates. Wei Ying smiled and let out a breathy laugh, shrugging.

“Or something, I guess,” he said, still searching Lan Zhan’s face for something, “I stopped drinking every other night of the year, though, just so you know. And-and one day I plan to stop drinking on that day, just, so, like, you know you’re not getting into something toxic. If you want to get into something at all, that is. With me, I mean. Like, a thing.”

Wei Ying spoke a lot, often in circles, and yet that was the first time Lan Zhan hadn’t quite understood.

“I’m sorry?” he said.

“You still like me, right? That’s what I’m asking,” Wei Ying simplified. Lan Zhan found himself nodding before he could even really think too much about it. It earned him that bright smile as Wei Ying relaxed a bit more. “Good. Cool. Awesome.”

“Mn.”

Wei Ying stood there, his fingers tapping against his thighs as he looked at Lan Zhan. It was almost distracting, but, considering Lan Zhan’s sole focus was on him anyway, it didn’t really matter. Still, his eyes went to them, watching the way his hand moved. Did he do that before? Instinctually, Lan Zhan’s thumb rubbed between his fingers.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying said. Lan Zhan’s head lifted to look him in the eyes again, but he didn’t even get to see what his name was called for before lips were on his.

Lan Zhan had never been kissed before. He’d gotten close to it, but he usually stopped them with polite declines. This one, for some reason, he wasn’t so eager to decline. The whole process seemed to slow his brain down. Wei Ying’s lips were warm and comforting, similar to his voice and his laugh and his smile. It was fitting and safe and maybe Lan Huan was onto something when he tried to tell him how nice it was to have someone to kiss.

Wei Ying broke the kiss only a few moments after it started, keeping it chaste and experimental and it took a few seconds for Lan Zhan to open his eyes again. When he met his gaze, Wei Ying was smiling at him in the most hesitant way he’d seen since he met him.

“Was that alright?” Wei Ying asked. Lan Zhan nodded once before he remembered that there was a whole child right in the next room.

“Aren’t you married?” Lan Zhan asked. Wei Ying’s eyes widened in shock and confusion.

“What? Where did that even‒Oh, A-Yuan, no. No, no, no. I’m single. Very single. So single,” Wei Ying insisted, nervous laughter bubbling out of him, “Ah, Lan Zhan, I can’t believe you let me carry on that way thinking I was married, how shameless.”

Lan Zhan’s face grew hot at that, feeling a bit ashamed now that he thought about it. Perhaps he should ask that question earlier next time instead of letting what he thought was a married man insist they were going on dates. If there was a next time, that is. He didn’t really anticipate that happening considering it took so many years for Lan Zhan to even find this one person.

“He’s adopted. When I first moved here, I got really close to one of the older women who had lived upon this mountain her whole life. She raised A-Yuan, but when she died, I took him on full time. Sort of. It’s sort of a communal thing, really, but he calls me Baba and spends most nights sneaking into my bed, so he’s basically all mine,” Wei Ying explained, his normal teasing air coming back. He reached forward to nudge Lan Zhan, but kept his hand on his arm. “You’re silly.”

“I’m not‒”

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying laughed, his hand sliding down to Lan Zhan’s. He grabbed it and squeezed tight. Lan Zhan’s heart was slamming into his chest and his head was spinning and his stomach was tied in knots and yet he wanted none of it to stop. “Ask me anything and I’ll give you the answer. I’m sorry I confused you.”

Ask me anything, Wei Ying said. Lan Zhan swallowed as that sentence looped in his mind and he thought about, well, everything. Everything his brother told him, everything he’d read in stories and seen in movies, everything he’d never felt before, everything he’d convinced himself were lies. And yet here he was, wanting to kiss this man again simply because it felt nice. That was overwhelming and he decided he would think about it later instead.

Which, in itself was impressive.

“Can you kiss me again?” Lan Zhan asked instead of asking something about Wei Ying’s life. He’d learned a lot in the last few minutes, more than he’d learned in the many conversations he’d had with him before. He could take a break, couldn’t he?

Wei Ying smiled bright and nodded, leaning into him.

“You have no idea how badly I’ve been waiting to hear that.”

#wangxian #wangxian fic #lan wangji #wei wuxian #wen yuan #the untamed #mdzs #my fic

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biwenqing · 5 years ago

Text

no knead to worry

Sometimes your dads drunk text you pictures of bread~

Inspired by this post of Untamed Texts from Last Night

Teen | Words: 1184 | ao3

"What's that face mean?" Jingyi asked, drawing Sizhui's attention away from his phone.

"My dad just texted me..." Sizhui said, passing the phone over. "I think he's drunk and shopping for... bread?"

Jingyi laughed, passing the phone on to Zizhen while Jin Ling leaned over his shoulder, "Your dads are so cool."

"No they aren't, my uncles are lame as hell," Jin Ling said, though there was a smile playing around his mouth.

"Oh another message came through," Zizhen said and gave a dreamy sigh. "Oh my god, oh my god, both your dads are there! Drunk bread shopping? Can you say relationship goals."

Jingyi snatched the phone back, cackling. "They want to know what kind of bread you want, Sizhui."

Sizhui held out his hand and the phone was put back in it. Sure enough, there were a few more pictures, including one blurry selfie of his dad throwing a peace sign while his baba held up a loaf that looked like a rabbit. He quickly texted back he wanted to bunny bread and then sent a follow-up text reminding them to pay for the bread. Putting his phone in his pocket, he grabbed his controller back up.

"We can play again? Great," Jin Ling said, flipped back to the start menu. "Who's ready to get wrecked on the Rainbow Road, motherfuckers!"

Auntie Yanli shouting, "Language!" from somewhere in the house sent them all laughing while Jin Ling huffed in annoyance.

***

"A-Yuan says he wants the bunny bread!" Wei Ying said, skipping over to Lan Zhan. It was late, so there weren't many people. The few employees were too tired to care that he and his husband may have had some beverages before deciding to go shopping, as long as they behaved themselves.

For Lan Zhan, some beverages meant maybe half a glass of wine. The little grocery store around the corner from their home had been his focused destination, though Wei Ying wasn't entirely sure as to why until Lan Zhan asked him to send pictures of the bread to Sizhui.

Lan Zhan nodded, picked the bread back up, and began to move towards the door. Wei Ying snagged his elbow, laughing as he saw Sizhui's next text. "He also wants to remind us to pay for the bread."

Lan Zhan frowned, looking down at his hands. "Why would he say that?"

"Because you're always one glass of wine away from petty theft," Wei Ying giggled, reaching into Lan Zhan's back pocket to pull out his wallet. "Come on, let's pay for this and then get home. I have I feeling you will be crashing soon." Wei Ying, after all, had over a decade of experience with his husband's tolerance (or lack thereof) to alcohol and Lan Zhan followed a pretty predictable pattern.

"Mhm," Lan Zhan sighed, but let himself be led over to the cashier. Wei Ying recognized her.

"Hi a-Qing! This your summer job?" Wei Ying smiled as she accepted the bread Lan Zhan handed her.

"Yes, my fathers thought it would be "good experience."" She managed the air quotes even as she scanned the bread. Wei Ying was impressed. "But I didn't want to work at the co-op they always shop at."

"Of course not, that'd be embarrassing." Wei Ying nodded seriously, trying to stop his grin at predictable teenage behavior. He opened Lan Zhan's wallet that was still in his possession and pulled out the needed cash to pass it over.

Xiao Qing shrugged, opening the register and counting out the change in a bored manner. "Here. You want a receipt?"

"Nah, I think we're good." Wei Ying grabbed the bread with one hand, his husband's elbow with the other before Lan Zhan could try and buy (or steal) the Peeps he was now eyeing. "Thanks! Say hi to your fathers for us!"

Lan Zhan followed as Wei Ying let them out into the warm evening. It was beautiful, still smelling slightly of the rain that had been falling hours earlier. Lan Zhan almost started heading away from their home, before Wei Ying tugged him back towards him.

"Come on, let's get you to bed," Wei Ying said, moving to take Lan Zhan's hand and pressing a kiss to the back of his knuckles.

"Want to wait for a-Yuan," Lan Zhan protested and pouted.

"You know it's a Friday night, he'll probably just ask to sleep at a-Ling's because then Shijie will spoil him and make her famous pancakes in the morning," Wei Ying pointed out. "We can save the bread for his lunch."

Lan Zhan hummed in agreement, accepting Wei Ying's argument. He swung their hands slightly and was now distracted by this. It wasn't long till they were home, the little place they bought together a few years after adopting a-Yuan. Wei Ying carefully guided them around the flowerpots filled with vegetable plants on the front step and through the front door.

Wei Ying gently deposited Lan Zhan on the couch before going into their kitchen to place the bread and get some water. Helping Lan Zhan drink most of the glass, he was surprised when his husband tugged him onto his lap, pressing his face into Wei Ying's shoulder.

"Going to fall asleep right here?" Wei Ying asked softly, setting the cup aside. He pressed a kiss to the top of Lan Zhan's hair before reaching up and gently taking out the ribbon holding it back.

"Mmm," was the sleepy response. "Missed you."

"While I went to get water?" Wei Ying chuckled but began to run his fingers through Lan Zhan's hair.

"Mph. Your laugh is like a lullaby," was his husband's response before Lan Zhan drifted asleep.

Wei Ying stayed where he was for a moment longer, before carefully standing. Picking Lan Zhan up and carrying him was made a little easier as Lan Zhan curled closer to Wei Ying's warmth. Placing Lan Zhan in their bed, Wei Ying crawled in as well before Lan Zhan could start reaching for him. Pulling the blanket over them both, Wei Ying happily became entangled with his husband before falling asleep himself.

***

Sizhui quietly slipped into the house, waving at Auntie Yanli as she waited in her car to let her know he was good. He found the kitchen light still on, the warmth spilling into the hall. Sure enough, there was the loaf of rabbit-shaped bread, set down on the table next to Dad's keys. Turning off any other lights and making sure the door was locked, he headed to his room.

"A-Yaun, is that you?" He heard as he tried to tiptoe past his parents' room.

"Yes, I'm home," Sizhui said, peaking in the door.

"What time is it?" Dad asked. Baba was clearly sound asleep, his back to the door.

"Almost 11, I’m back before curfew," Sizhui assured with a smile.

"What a rebel, home before curfew after spending the evening at your cousin's," Dad’s laughter was sleepy. “Glad you’re home safe.”

"Me too,” Sizhui said before pulling the door closed behind himself. “Night!”

"Night a-Yuan, love you! Sweet dreams of your bunny bread!"

#wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #lan sizhui #wangxian family #my fic #juniors #lan yuan #a qing was invited to play mario kart but she had to work... she'll hang with them another time #also i am unsure if i like #xiao qing or song qing better for her last name so i will probably be switching that up in the future #but this fic is about drunk bread shopping because you love your son so much he needs special bread!#this is soft and fluffy and silly and a fun time to write

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