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“Jingyi?“ Jiang Cheng calls out as he walks into Lan Jingyi’s room.
Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen had a very, very long talk about Lan Xichen’s otherness and now Jiang Cheng wants to tell Lan Jingyi hat he knows about them, and whenever Lan Jingyi is at Lotus Pier, he’s free to be who he really is there as well.
He would never admit it out loud, but he took quite the liking to Lan Jingyi and his loud mouth and his unapologetic behaviour. He knows he favours him amongst the disciples that are not Jin Ling, but Jiang Cheng can’t and won’t change that.
And Jiang Cheng wants him to know that he accepts Lan Jingyi completely.
Except, when he enters the room he’s met with a form so completely different from Lan Xichen’s that he stops dead in his tracks.
“What the fuck!” he yells out and stumbles back, because those sure are a lot of jaws on one relatively small form and he isn’t sure just how friendly it is.
Very friendly, he realizes, when the form compresses into the familiar shape of Lan Jingyi.
“Sandu Shengshou,” Lan Jingyi whispers, voice small and he hunches in on himself, takes a few steps back from Jiang Cheng.
“Holy ancestors, is that what you look like?” Jiang Cheng blurts out because Lan Xichen did not mention that they didn’t all look the same.
“I’m sorry,” Lan Jingyi says and makes himself even smaller. “I’m not dangerous, I promise, Sandu Shengshou, please don’t think of me as a threat.”
“What did I say about using that title?” Jiang Cheng wants to know on autopilot and he finally shakes the surprise off.
“To not use it,” Lan Jingyi mumbles and then bows towards Jiang Cheng. “This disciple apologizes.”
Jiang Cheng shudders with the formality in this words and he swiftly walks forward, intends to bring Lan Jingyi out of the bow, but Lan Jingyi scrambles back, presses against the wall and won’t meet Jiang Cheng’s eyes.
“I never hurt anyone,” he rushes out and Jiang Cheng stops in his tracks.
“What do you think I’m going to do, Jingyi?” he asks carefully as he takes a step away from Lan Jingyi.
“I don’t know,” Lan Jingyi whispers, and he wrings his hands in front of his chest.
“I know that none of you Lan’s are humans,” Jiang Cheng tells him. “Xichen told me, a week ago.”
“Oh,” Lan Jingyi breathes out, but he doesn’t relax. “I’m sorry you had to find out about my form this way,” he then tacks on.
“It would have been nice to know that not all of you look like Xichen, that was quite the surprise,” Jiang Cheng admits, because he expected all of them to look like Lan Xichen.
Especially since Lan Xichen never mentioned any other forms.
Jiang Cheng hopes Lan Jingyi will relax now, but he doesn’t.
“Jingyi,” he says and Lan Jingyi jerks under his voice. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just me,” he mumbles, so lowly that Jiang Cheng can barely hear him.
“It’s just you what?” he asks for clarification.
“It’s just me who is different,” Lan Jingyi says and Jiang Cheng is horrified to hear how choked up he sounds. “Just me who won’t fit. I’m sorry you had to see, I’ll make sure it won’t happen anymore.”
“Jingyi,” Jiang Cheng softly says and carefully walks closer until he can put his hand on Lan Jingyi’s shoulder, who is shaking under his hand.
“I was just surprised. Xichen didn’t mention other forms, and I got used to his eyes already. It was a surprise,” he reiterates, but he can tell that Lan Jingyi isn’t reassured.
He decides to just fuck it and pulls Lan Jingyi into a hug. The boy is shaking in his arms and Jiang Cheng just holds him tighter.
“Of course you would be special in both your forms,” Jiang Cheng whispers and he must have said the right thing, because Lan Jingyi clings to him.
“You’re not disgusted?” he asks, voice horribly wobbly, and Jiang Cheng pushes him away to look him in the eyes.
“I am not disgusted,” he seriously tells him. “It was a surprise, and I’m sorry that I reacted badly.”
“I’m sorry you had to see,” Lan Jingyi mumbles but Jiang Cheng shakes his head.
“No, I’m not. I want to know these things. I want to know you,” he tells him and it seems that slowly, Lan Jingyi starts to believe him. “I came here to tell you not to hide at Lotus Pier. If you are with me or Xichen, you can take your form.”
“Even though I’m so different?” Lan Jingyi wants to know and Jiang Cheng sighs.
“Especially because you are different,” he says. “You’re not human. You shouldn’t have pretend to be one.”
“But I’m not like them, either,” Lan Jingyi mumbles and Jiang Cheng wonders if he needs to have words with Lan Qiren, or gods forbid, even Lan Xichen.
He will if they made Lan Jingyi think he’s worth less for being different.
“And I am not like you,” Jiang Cheng says, though he’s aware that it’s a poor comparison. “I’m not like Wei Wuxian or Lan Sizhui or even anyone else at Lotus Pier, either. No two humans are the same, and it would surprise me if two of your kind were the same.”
Lan Jingyi is quiet for a long moment and Jiang Cheng lets him think.
“None of them has mouths like I do,” he eventually brings out and Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes at that.
“Well, their loss if they can’t eat,” he gives back and it startles a laugh out of Lan Jingyi.
Though it does make Jiang Cheng curious.
“Is that why you always eat so much?” he wants to know and is horrified to see that Lan Jingyi shrinks in on himself again.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to eat so much, I know I take more than the normal ration, I’m sorry.”
Jiang Cheng takes a few deep breaths, wonders again just who here he needs to beat up for making Lan Jingyi think like this, before he pushes it all away for a later time.
“Jingyi, you should always eat as much as you need. Do we not give you enough? You have to let me know so I can make sure you get enough food until you’re no longer hungry.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose,” Lan Jingyi brings out.
“Family can’t impose,” Jiang Cheng blurts out and only realizes what he has said when Lan Jingyi turns wide eyes on him.
“What?” he breathlessly asks and Jiang Cheng decides to just fuck it.
He can’t take it back, won’t take it back and make Lan Jingyi think that he didn’t mean it. He can deal with a little bit of embarrassment. Lan Jingyi shouldn’t have to deal with a lie.
“I said, family can’t impose.”
“But I’m not,” Lan Jingyi says with a frown. “I’m not family.”
“Aren’t you?” Jiang Cheng asks. “You are aware that Xichen sees you as his adopted son, right?” Jiang Cheng asks. “And I’m sorry I’m not so good with showing emotions, but I do consider you family.”
“It always felt like you singled me out,” Lan Jingyi admits and Jiang Cheng sighs.
“I’m sorry about that, but you’re the only Lan disciple I actually more than care for,” he says and then curses his inability to just tell the boy he loves him.
He has the same problem with Jin Ling.
“I didn’t know that,” Lan Jingyi says with a happy blush and Jiang Cheng vows to do better from now on.
“You do now, so no more pretending, okay? If you need something at Lotus Pier you just ask.”
“Alright,” Lan Jingyi agrees and then darts in for a hug again. “Thank you for not hating me,” Lan Jingyi whispers and Jiang Cheng returns the hug.
“Who do I have to fight for making you think that? Do I have to fight my own cultivation partner?” he wants to know, but before he can answer, said partner storms into the room.
“Jiang Cheng, I forgot to say—,” Lan Xichen starts, but he trails off when he sees Jiang Cheng and Lan Jingyi in a hug.
“That he’s special in every way?” Jiang Cheng wants to know. “Yeah, I already figured that one out myself.”
“I can see that,” Lan Xichen says and then eyes the hand Jiang Cheng still has on Lan Jingyi’s shoulder, even after they part. “And I can also see that you don’t mind,” he says with a small smile and something in Jiang Cheng relaxes.
“So I don’t have to fight you?” he asks and while Lan Xichen stares at him in confusion, Lan Jingyi laughs.
“No, you don’t have to fight him,” he tells them. “Zewu-Jun is the only one who was never put off by my form.”
“What did I say about the title?” Lan Xichen asks and Jiang Cheng laughs at the déjà vu that sentence brings on.
“To not use it,” Lan Jingyi mumbles and then takes a step closer to Jiang Cheng before he carefully asks: “Do you really consider me to be your adopted son?”
He’s nervous, they can both tell, and Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng share a look in the silence that question leaves behind, until Lan Xichen walks forwards and takes Lan Jingyi’s hands in his.
“I’m sorry I never told you, but I do.”
Orphans are typically raised by the sect as a whole, and it’s not unusual to not have adopted parents. Wei Wuxian was different, because he didn’t have a sect, but Lan Jingyi does. So of course he wouldn’t have assumed anything.
Instead of an answer Lan Jingyi throws his arms around Lan Xichen’s neck, who promptly slings his arms around Lan Jingyi as well.
Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng share another look, before Lan Xichen smirks at him. Before Jiang Cheng can take a wary step back, Lan Xichen already pulled him into the hug as well.
Lan Jingyi makes a little sound of surprise, but he doesn’t complain, and really, there are worse fates than hugging the man Jiang Cheng loves and the kid he sees as family as well.