Chapter Text
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The day is clear and without a cloud in sight, but Lan Xichen’s heart is clouded as he accompanies his uncle to Caiyi Town to address the waterborne abyss. The task would be arduous and the townspeople sure to be unhappy - but it’s the desperate way his brother had gripped Wei Wuxian's collar as he towed him away from the Waterborne Abyss that is at the forefront of Lan Xichen’s mind.
Finally unable to hold it in any longer, Lan Xichen uncharacteristically blurts out “Uncle…”
“What is it Xichen?” Lan Qiren replies, stopping in his descent and turning to give his nephew his full attention.
“It’s about Wangji…” Lan Xichen begins haltingly, trying to find the best way to phrase his thoughts, “Do you think… he has been happier lately?”
About to ask his nephew what brought on this sudden topic of discussion and at such a time, Lan Qiren opens his mouth to dismiss the observation outright, but after catching sight of the serious expression on his usually genial elder nephew’s face, pauses and reflects on the past few weeks instead. Now that it has been brought to his attention, there has been a marked (at least for someone who knows Lan Wangji) departure from his younger nephew’s usual behaviour.
“Less rigid perhaps I would say,” he muses instead, “why do you ask?”
Unsure of how to proceed, Lan Xichen steels himself and decides to just speak his mind plainly, “Forgive me Uncle, but I think it may be Wei Gongzi’s influence.”
This stops Lan Qiren dead and he all but freezes. Given what a headache Wei Wuxian has been since arriving at Cloud Recesses and the small rebellion he has inspired in the other disciples, the mere mention of Wei WuXian is enough to raise his blood pressure. He has to valiantly resist the urge to spew out an absolute denial or even an accusation of how that little devil has corrupted his beloved nephew.
“I think Wangji may like Wei Gongzi,” Lan Xichen hurriedly finishes as he watches his uncle’s face slowly turn red probably thinking about all the times Wei Wuxian has caused pandemonium at Cloud Recesses. His words cause his uncle to then turn deathly white as he processes the new information.
“Preposterous!” Lan Qiren sputters, white face turning a furious shade of red again.
Having said the most difficult piece, Lan Xichen no longer has any reason to back down in the face of his uncle’s anger and continues undeterred. “But is it really? Since Mother passed away, no one has been able to get through to Wangji, whether good or bad, except for you and me. Uncle, I know Wei Gongzi is perhaps...too boisterous and carefree at times, but he is a good person. Perhaps your past is clouding your judgment…”
“This is not up for discussion, Xichen!” Lan Qiren practically roars and turns around to storm down the rocky steps leading down the mountain, a clear signal that this is the end of this discussion.
”Do not mention this again! Focus on the task at hand and stop thinking about such nonsense.”
Sending his uncle a bland look, Lan Xichen subsides, but not before his uncle sees the bland expression morph into a stubbornness. Lan Qiren knows from experience that this simply means his nephew is biding his time, and waiting for a more opportune moment to revive the discussion.
Yet despite his own words and misgivings, Lan Qiren can not help but replay Lan Xichen’s words in his head all the way to Caiyi Town, when dealing with the Waterborne Abyss and even in the inn they rented for the night as he prepares for bed.
Like a seed that has sprouted and taken root, the thought continues to grow in Lan Qiren’s mind. Sitting in the rented rooms of the inn, Lan Qiren tries to put his mind in order before retiring to bed, but he is struggling as he finds his mind wandering to the past.
Cangse Sanren had been the bane of Lan Qiren’s existence when she had studied at the Cloud Recesses, and her son is turning out to be much the same. The horror of waking up to his fledgling beard gone still haunts his dreams to this day. He feels particularly justified in being weary of that devil’s spawn who looks so much like his mother when he smiles and gives flippant answers in class just as she once did. Mother and son both treat those lessons like some interesting oddity rather than the accumulated knowledge of generations past, meant to help guide the young in difficult times.
“You look better without it. Younger! Qiren, you should be thanking me!” had been that woman’s response when confronted by him after shaving his beard in the dead of night. In his mind, the memory is clear as day and he can still remember the peals of laughter that had spilled from her lips in the face of his rage.
Unbeknownst to all, Lan Qiren had mourned her passing. It had felt like a light had been snuffed out from the world. Over the years, it became easier to remind himself of all her failings, easier to tell himself that this is what happened to imprudent people who threw caution to the wind and leapt headfirst into danger without a thought of the consequences for themselves or others. Had that thought pattern somehow poisoned his mind against her son before he had even met him? Lan Qiren sighs heavily as he stares at the flickering flame of the candle and admits to himself that it probably did.
All that aside, is the son of a woman like that a suitable friend for Lan Wangji? That is the thought that keeps him awake as curfew ticks by. Ultimately, he admits to himself that Lan Xichen hit the nail on the head, whatever else Wei Wuxian may be and whatever faults he has, he had clearly inherited Cangse Sanren's kind heart, even if he inherited none of his father's calm. Wei WuXian’s boisterous, unruly spirit aside, the child is bright, outgoing, and lightened the mood of everyone around him, even that of his reserved nephew. So perhaps there is nothing wrong with allowing the two to continue on as they have.
But still, what does Lan Xichen want to achieve by bringing up such a topic at a time like this? Does he want Lan Qiren to be nicer to the boy? Would that make Lan Wangji happy?
Deciding there was no reason to dwell on the inner workings of his eldest nephew’s mind when the boy is sure to explain himself at some point, Lan Qiren blows out the single flickering candle by his bedside and goes to bed since it is already long past curfew. Once they finish draining Biling Lake and return to the Cloud Recesses, Lan Xichen will no doubt revive the topic and he will deal with the issue then.
Lan Qiren would live to regret this decision.
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“Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Er-Gegeeee,” Wei Wuxian sing-songs from where he is playing with the rabbits he brought to Lan Wangji a day ago. They are in the Library Pavilion, neither really wanting to move much while still recovering from being struck by the discipline rulers, but neither willing to admit such a weakness to the other.
“…Mn,” Lan Wangji acknowledges in the hopes of stopping the constant calling of his name, though in reality he is curious as to what has caught Wei Wuxian’s attention now.
“Do you think your uncle is acting weird?” Wei Wuxian asks, leaning on Lan Wangji’s desk while still cuddling both rabbits. “I mean, he hasn’t picked on me once since he and your brother came back from Caiyi Town… Do you think he’s possessed? Ill maybe?”
“Absurd,” Lan Wangji responds without even pausing in his writing.
“Come onnnnnn” Wei Wuxian whines, “he’s definitely acting weird, admit it! He hasn’t tried to kick me out of class at all and he hasn’t even yelled at me about pushing you outside Cloud Recesses and getting punished. It is not absurd, it is abnormal!”
“…”
“Lan Er-Gege, are you ignoring me?” Wei Wuxian sulks, leaning forward until he is half lying on the desk and in Lan Wangji’s space, “That’s not very virtuous is it?” Grinning wickedly at Lan Wangji’s glare, Wei Wuxian feels a glow of satisfaction suffuse him. It always feels like a great accomplishment whenever he makes Lan Wangji behave less than perfect.
“If you are not going to study, get out.”
“‘Get out’ again, do you know how to say anything else?” Wei Wuxian says with mock hurt, but the smile on his face stretches wider, contradicting his words and tone. He is having a great time now that he has managed to distract Lan Wangji from his studies, “Is that how the Lan Sect treats its guests? Even after I went and brought you gifts!” He reaches out with a finger, as if to poke Lan Wangji in the cheek in punishment.
“…” Lan WangJi can feel his hand tightening around his brush and his ears growing hot as the finger comes closer and closer. Instinctively he looks down as though that would avoid the unwanted touch and realizes the hand holding the brush hasn’t moved since Wei Wuxian started leaning on his desk, and is now leaving an unsightly blob of ink on his once pristine page, and he shouts, “GET OUT!”
“Ahahahaha, I’m going, I’m going!” Wei WuXian laughs as he leaps away from the desk and out the window, “No need to get angry! I’ll bring you something good for dinner.”
Staring at the rabbits that have been left behind on his desk, Lan Wangji can’t help but sigh, his ears are still red from some unknown emotion. Giving up the page as a lost cause, he carefully tosses it out and picks up the rabbits that are now hopping about the low desk, holding them carefully in the circle of his arms and slowly petting their soft fur. Maybe he will try to get some work done before Wei Wuxian returns with ‘dinner’. But for now the rabbits are soft and he has no pressing tasks to complete, he can afford a small break.