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When Lan Xichen wakes up, he is confused. It’s still night out, that much is clear, but the sleep still tugging at him tells Lan Xichen that it is long before his usual time.
He lays in bed for a few seconds. He hopes to maybe just fall asleep again, though it is highly unusual for him to wake up in the middle of the night like this. At first he attributes it to the fact that he’s in an unfamiliar place; he’s not used to the constant soft noise the water makes in the background, but he got used to that rather quickly.
Lan Xichen has been in Lotus Pier for the last week at least, after Jiang Cheng has invited him to his newly rebuild sect. Lan Xichen has agreed more than happily, completely in awe of the things Jiang Cheng has accomplished in a relatively short time.
It’s more than clear that Jiang Cheng is still in all kinds of pain over the loss of his sect, and more recently his sister and brother not to mention that he suddenly has to look after his baby nephew, but he’s doing the best he can for his people anyway and Lan Xichen has nothing but respect for that kind of pure stubbornness. Not even to mention the willingness to put his own needs back for the sake of his people.
Lan Xichen always suspected that Jiang Cheng would make a great Sect Leader one day, no matter what his mother and father always seemed to think, but to see him flourish like that and overcome every single hurdle that was thrown his way like this; that’s a surprise even to Lan Xichen.
Lan Xichen is brought out of his musings when a soft voice reaches him; just a distant murmur in the air. It’s not the water, that much is clear because it is too melodious, but Lan Xichen can’t quite make out the words.
He suddenly remembers every tale of sirens he has ever read and wonders if maybe here, in Lotus Pier, some sirens have settled down.
They are rumoured to take to the sea, but Lan Xichen wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that Lotus Pier managed to attract a few ones as well.
Lan Xichen thinks it might be rather stupid to believe in tales like that, but still, he gets out of bed and throws his outer robe over his sleeping clothes. He’s awake anyway. It doesn’t hurt to check it out. Maybe he’ll get lucky and catch a glimpse of one.
It would certainly make for quite the tale to tell, Lan Xichen thinks.
He silently leaves his room, and slowly walks out towards the piers. Lan Xichen is not quite familiar with the layout of Lotus Pier yet, not how he is with the hallways in Jinlingtai or Qinghe, but he’s steadily making progress in that.
He’s confident that one day he’ll be able to walk around here without hesitation as well.
When he reaches the piers, he follows the soft voice that is still ringing out over the water, but when he rounds another corner he is entirely unprepared for the sight that greets him.
Jiang Cheng is standing at the end of the pier, clad in simple sleeping robes, and he’s walking up and down, bouncing a sniffling Jin Ling on his arm. And he is singing to the boy, his voice soft and low, but clear enough to ring out over the water and carry.
Lan Xichen stops dead in his tracks and keeps still, not wanting to disturb Jiang Cheng or upset Jin Ling again. The boy is clearly fighting sleep, but the steady movement of Jiang Cheng and his lullaby are doing wonders in dragging him to sleep anyway.
It’s not long before Jin Ling settles in Jiang Cheng’s arms, but still he doesn’t stop; he keeps walking up and down, gently bouncing Jin Ling but his voice tapers off, falling to nothing more than a soft whisper, before eventually that stops as well.
Jiang Cheng seems to hold his breath for a few seconds, but Jin Ling doesn’t wake up again and Jiang Cheng presses a relieved kiss to his head before he turns around only to freeze in surprise when he sees Lan Xichen.
Jiang Cheng seems tired, Lan Xichen notices, and where he was soft and unguarded just a few seconds again, he quickly wraps his Sect Leader aura back around him. Lan Xichen immediately misses the softer version.
“I’m sorry I woke you up,” Jiang Cheng mutters, voice pitched low so he doesn’t upset Jin Ling again, but Lan Xichen shakes his head.
“It’s fine,” he gives back just as softly. “I didn’t know you could sing.”
“I can’t,” Jiang Cheng tells him as he passes him, and Lan Xichen takes it as invitation to follow him. “It’s not a skill I have.”
“I would beg to differ,” Lan Xichen says because the sweet singing voice has been enough to make him believe a siren was calling out for him.
Not that he’s going to tell that to Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng scoffs at that, which makes Jin Ling squirm in his arms and Jiang Cheng throws a scathing glance at Lan Xichen, who immediately presses his lips together. Still, Jiang Cheng doesn’t tell him to go away, so Lan Xichen continues to follow him until they reach his room.
Lan Xichen isn’t quite daring enough to follow Jiang Cheng into his private quarters, but he hovers at the doorstep and watches as Jiang Cheng puts down Jin Ling, who continues to sleep for now. Jiang Cheng hesitates a few moments, before he joins Lan Xichen back outside.
He doesn’t pull the door close all the way and then simply sits down on the ground opposite of his room.
“Would you sit down already, I’m going to get a crick in my neck, staring up at you,” he mutters with his eyes closed and Lan Xichen quickly settles down beside him.
“You’re doing a wonderful job, caring for him,” Lan Xichen tells him.
Jiang Cheng eyes him like he’s waiting for the punchline of that statement but Lan Xichen simply holds his gaze.
“If you say so,” Jiang Cheng finally says and Lan Xichen smiles at him, even though Jiang Cheng turns his head away from him.
They sit in silence for some time, before Jiang Cheng sighs.
“I’m just waiting for the day where he gets tired of the lullaby I sing him. I only know the one,” he admits and he stares down at his hands.
“We have some collections of lullabies in the Cloud Recesses,” Lan Xichen tells him. “If you want, I can bring them here and play them for you, so you know the melody,” he offers.
He is entirely unprepared for the surprised look this gets him.
“You would do that?” Jiang Cheng asks, and he seems to wait for the other shoe to drop, or for Lan Xichen to laugh at him.
It makes Lan Xichen wonder when Jiang Cheng last got any help from anyone else. It’s not a very pleasant thought.
“Of course I would,” Lan Xichen honestly tells him. “And if you need help with anything else you just have to ask.”
Jiang Cheng scrutinizes him for a few moments before he finally nods.
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome,” Lan Xichen replies and then, because now that Jiang Cheng is all relaxed and the dark shadows under his eyes stand out even more, he adds “We also have some calming songs, if you should ever need some.”
“I don’t think I’m receptible to those,” Jiang Cheng gives back with a clearly suspicious look on his face but Lan Xichen simply shakes his head.
“I don’t mean you any harm. They are calming and nothing else. They work really well on fussy babies.”
“Jin Ling has every right to be fussy,” Jiang Cheng says and it’s clear he’s daring Lan Xichen to say anything else.
“He has,” Lan Xichen admits. “But you have a right to sleep, too. If you don’t want me to play them for him, I can send someone else, if you would like to.” Lan Xichen hesitates for a second and then decides to just be honest. “You seem exhausted. You deserve some rest, too.”
“I don’t think I even remember what rest is,” Jiang Cheng mutters under his breath and Lan Xichen’s heart goes out to him.
“Would you like me to hum something for you?” he asks and he counts it as a victory that Jiang Cheng doesn’t immediately gear for a fight again.
“I can’t sleep. Jin Ling—,” he starts but Lan Xichen doesn’t let him finish.
“Is asleep right now. And I will be here. I will wake you if he starts to wake up,” he promises Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng clenches his jaw and Lan Xichen is sure he’s going to refuse the offer, when all the fight goes out of him.
“Please,” he mumbles so softly Lan Xichen only hears it because he’s been waiting for it and Lan Xichen immediately starts humming one of the many songs he knows.
He doesn’t use any spiritual energy because it’s clear that Jiang Cheng is ready to fall asleep where he sits and it really doesn’t take long for him to go soft with exhaustion. Lan Xichen doesn’t stop his humming, but he does adjust his position, and slightly nudges Jiang Cheng so he falls more heavily against him.
“I shouldn’t,” Jiang Cheng mutters, more asleep than awake at that point and Lan Xichen carefully nudges him again.
“You should,” he tells him and Jiang Cheng stills against him before he seems to make a resolution.
“This is your fault,” he says and it sounds more like a warning than anything else.
Before Lan Xichen can ask what exactly his fault is, Jiang Cheng slides down completely and rests his head in Lan Xichen’s lap, body stretched out in a lazy sprawl.
Lan Xichen freezes for a moment, before he settles one hand on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder and gently cups his head with the other one.
“Sleep,” he tells him and starts his humming again.
Jiang Cheng goes heavy and boneless in his lap and it’s not long at all before he is deeply asleep.
Lan Xichen doesn’t quite know how he’s supposed to explain this to anyone if a disciple should find them like this, but he also doesn’t intent do wake Jiang Cheng up before the sun rises or before Jin Ling wakes up, whatever comes first.
Jiang Cheng deserves at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep and Lan Xichen will make sure he gets them.