Chapter Text
Even more startled than when they started, Jiang Wanyin instantly broke the connection. He felt all the pain and anguish his future self from the memory felt, combined with his confusion and exhaustion from Memory Projection, it was just pure agony.
Lan Wangji noticed the connection broke with now only 2/3 people holding it, he also breaks his connection and sits besides Jiang Wanyin. “You ok?” He asks. He wonders how Xiongzhang would have said that. That is, if Lan Xichen ever gained the courage to ever speak again… Lan Wangji corrects himself and tries to speak like his Xiongzhang once more. “How are you feeling?”
“Do you need to even ask? Look at the kid!” Jiang Cheng crossed his arms. “Fine, we’ll stop Memory Projection for now.” Despite his words, he looked even more worried than Lan Wangji. “I know how it feels, but I need you to connect just briefly so I can make an announcement to the people of the past we didn’t die and just wanted to rest.”
His older counterpart’s bluntness contrasted Jiang Wanyin’s own conflict, it’s refreshing. He doesn’t know how exactly, but it is. “Yeah sure I can-“
Before he can get another word in, Lan Wangji already stood up and looked Jiang Cheng straight in the eyes. For a moment Jiang Wanyin thought they were going to argue, that he was the cause of the argument, but no. Lan Wangji says with the straightest face, “Can I make the announcement…”
best part is, his older counterpart looks exasperated to the most. “Fine fine, but my younger self is never getting audio access again, he will make the past question reality.”
Now completely forgetting his sorrow, Jiang Wanyin sat up and shot back “You’re talking about yourself you know!”
“Well I’m not stupid, you are.”
“I’m you!”
“Am not!”
“Am too!”
Lan Wangji sighed into his hand as if he’d seen this before, as if he’d seen his Jaing Cheng argue with Junior disciples before… (cough cough, Jingyi..) “You two, forget the announcement, they’ll figure it out. Both of you go to your room and figure it out.”
Jiang Cheng looked appalled “You’re putting me in timeout like a child!?” He crossed his arms, nudging his younger self to do the same, to which he does.
“You’re acting like one. Go on, you’re startling Xiongzhang with the noise.”
Indeed, across the hall, was a startled Lan Xichen who had just finished working on Lan Wangji’s paperwork (to LWJ’s dislike, and LXC’s insistence) and heard screaming. Like I said, LXC is heavily traumatized from a year of being with the wens. He can’t handle loud noises, much less JC yelling…
”Oh no.” Jiang Cheng groans “He’s gonna start fake crying to make me feel bad so I’ll make him soup. Soup!”
Jiang Wanyin looked even more confused. “Zewu-Jun fake cries-?”
Lan Wangji paled, as if remembering something. “Much…Much more than I would like him to…”
Lan Xichen(the older one unless stated otherwise) approached Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen on a beautiful bamboo gazebo built onto the water, Lotus and Cloud imagery everywhere. It was commissioned as a gift from Lanling (Read: JYL) as a gift for Lan Wangji’s and Jiang Cheng’s sworn brotherhood.
he sat down next to them, waiting for them to notice him.
To which they did.
“Ah Xichen-ge!” Jiang Cheng jumped, then collected himself as if he wasn’t startled by the most gentle person he knows. “You did great earlier playing along, I don’t know how else we would have gotten my younger self to not cry…”
“Yes, he’s right.” Lan Wangji says “You did great.”
”Oh I… I really didn’t do anything…” Lan Xichen said quietly. Despite knowing these 2 would never hurt him, even going to the lengths of always listening to Lan Xichen no matter what nonsense he spouts in moments of panic, he still never dared to raise his voice any higher. Last time he did he… didn’t end up well. That was with the Wen’s, he never wanted to raise his voice again.
“He…” Jiang Cheng started
“…Spoke.” Lan Wangji finished “Xiongzhang…” He said happily, “I’m happy you’ve recovered enough to do so.”
“Yah enough with the sappy stuff, let’s drink!”
”Wanyin. brother just-“
“I would love to A-Cheng”
”Xiongzhang!? You don’t even drink-“
”Huh, why’d it just go black!?”
Yanli pulled her brother to sit back down “A-Xian. It could very much be like before where the A-Cheng’s are tired”
“Shijie, Jiang Cheng isn’t even-“
As if contradicting Wei Wuxian, their Jiang Wanyin shot through the projection and collided with Wei Wuxian, both of them falling.
“I didn’t know it would- ah I’m back here!?” Jiang Wanyin jumped, then quickly collected himself again once he noticed the audience.
“A-Cheng!” Yanli was instantly wrapping her arms around her dear younger brother. “I was so worried…”
And then came Wei Wuxian “ChengCheng!!”
and then came Lan Xichen, surprisingly enough. “Jiang-Gongzi… we were really worried” and then joined the group hug Jiang Cheng was in.
a suffocating hug with how many people were there. “Ok I’m back, all of you OFF!” Jiang Cheng flailed his arms in an attempt to get them off. The 3 did not budge. Worse, Lan Xichen seemed to be holding the hug even more securely with his insane strength.
Since when did Lan Xichen even like him?? Oh goodness no does the man know about his crush on him…
Meanwhile Lan Xichen, was thinking the exact same thing. No.. does Jiang Cheng know about his crush on him?
By some miracle, the angel Yanli was, managed to pry everyone else off her little brother. Not including herself of course… she deserves this for the stress this guy caused her for the past few hours
”Ok everybody.. Zewu-Jun could you dismiss everyone? I want to have a talk with my brothers”
Nodding, Lan Xichen turned to wave and dismiss everyone off and an implied ‘copying the rules 10 times in a handstand’ as punishment if they snitched. He then smiled at his younger brother, Lan Zhan, and waved the boy over, who tried not to show how happy he was to finally be next to his brother again. Then they started walking towards the Jingshi, an entire conversation passing with just glances.
”you have a crush on Wei-Gonzi don’t you?”
”Xiongzhang-! Well you have a crush on Jiang Wanyin!”
”I do- not… oh shoot.”
And that was their most productive conversation.
“Good. A-Cheng, don’t you think you owe your sister an explanation?” Yanli said. As much as she loves her brothers, they know better than to pull stunts like what Jiang Cheng did. Who randomly touches a swirling black mass that appeared in the middle of the room?
Jiang Cheng scrambled to make one up, and Yanli just sighed and gave up on getting one. “You atleast need to tell us what happened on the other side. No, actually, tell us everything” she insisted. Not quite angry, not stern, but enough to make Jiang Cheng know that if he lied to her she would know and she would be mad.
”Aiyah ChengCheng!” Wei Wuxian swung an arm around his brother’s shoulder “You had us real worried there, I almost blew the place up! Seriously though, Tell me everything”
just as Jiang Cheng opened his mouth to respond, a new wave of memories hit him all of the sudden. “Agh-!” He clutched his head
Wei Wuxian instantly dropped his smile and held Jiang Cheng close, Yanli doing the same on the other side.
Jiang Cheng weakly held out his hand, showing that he’s alright. Of course his siblings completely ignore this and drag him to the guest room Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng are staying in.
”A-Cheng” Yanli starts, she has a million things she wants to say but she’s not sure on what. “Are you ok?” She eventually decides on. “You can tell your A-jie, and A-Xian.”
Wei Wuxian was sitting next to where they placed Jiang Cheng on his bed, uncharacteristically quiet. “Yeah…” He nods, frowning “You just collapsed back there…”
Now Jiang Cheng felt bad, really bad. He’d handle random rushes of memories in the time he’d spent in the future much better, what’s different with this one?
Probably because the second he had skin-to-skin contact with Wei Ying, he received all the memories of the Wei Ying of the future and how he… died.
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and looked at his siblings. Looking at them like this made his heart twinge. His future self was kind enough to refuse to unlock Jiang Wanyin’s access to his future self’s memories, because it was through the usage of the array that his future self’s memories leaked into his head.
Still, looking at their faces with the knowledge of the future made him want to cry, but he couldn’t cry. If he cried his siblings would riot, and last time he cried the sect of the person who made him cry had mysteriously been involved in a scandal that they hadn’t recovered from to this day.
”There’s… something I need to tell you two…”