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It is said that the mark of your soulmate will appear on your hand the day that they turn 18. Not everyone’s soulmate ends up being who they marry. Jiang Cheng had watched his mother sharing tea with Madam Jin enough times when he was young to notice the matching mark of a snake wrapping around a flower stem that was on both of their hands. Of course many soulmates did end up together, He had been a witness to Wei Ying receiving his only to realize over breakfast that Lan Wangji had the perfect match on his hand. How Wei Ying had tackled the other man would be a memory Jiang Cheng would be hoping to forget for the rest of his life. But that didn’t change that Jiang Cheng was now 25, running his own sect, and still hadn’t gotten his own.
For as long as he could remember he was always excited at the prospect of having a soulmate. Someone who would walk through life with him, who would love him unconditionally, someone who wouldn’t leave him.
As a child Jiang Cheng had wanted Wei Wuxian to be his soulmate. The other boy was flighty and caused chaos wherever he went but he was Jiang Cheng’s friend, his brother. If they had been soulmates, that would mean that Wei Wuxian would never leave him, he would stay in Lotus Pier forever and be with Jiang Cheng. He hadn’t even cared if they ever ended up loving one another romantically. A platonic soulmate was just as good as a romantic one. But even Jiang Cheng couldn’t deny that Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are two opposites that balance as a perfect whole.
When Yanli spoke of Soulmates growing up she always made them sound so romantic, two people bound to find one another by fate. When her mark appeared and tied her to Jin Zixuan, despite how terrible he had treated her in the past, Jiang Cheng stopped keeping stock in the romanticness of it all. How could fate allow two soulmates to be so at odds with one another? Then the two of them fell in love and Jiang Cheng found himself all the more confused about his feelings about it all.
Most people found him odd, the Sect Leader who has reached the age of 25 and still didn’t have his soul mark. It wasn’t entirely uncommon for soulmates to hold an age gap, there were many men that were in their 30s before they received their mark, but it also wasn’t a surprise for those people to fall in love and start a family with someone else, sure that their soulmate was platonic. Jiang Cheng, for some reason or another, found it wrong to even entertain the idea of falling in love with someone else.
Many of the other sect leaders had suggested he take Wen Qing as his wife, especially when YunmengJiang had taken in the remnants of her sect after the war. Jin Guangshan had even gone so far as to suggest that that would be the only way to ensure the Wen’s truly were part of the Jiang Sect. However, Jiang Cheng knew A. that Wen Qing had already found her soulmate in the form of one of Jiang Sect’s young healers and B. that Wen Qing preferred the company of Women over Men. He wouldn’t force someone to marry him, not after having watched the unrest in his parents marriage. No, Jiang Cheng wanted to marry for love, and his soulmate would love him, no matter if it took 10 more years to find them.
~
Wen Yuan had mystified people for a far different reason. For as long as he could remember he had a soulmark. According to his grandmother it appeared when he was only 3 years old, right in the middle of the war. They hadn’t really had time to think about it as they were displaced from their homes and held by the opposition, in fact he hardly thought about the black mark on his hand until he was already settled in Yunmeng with his family. He and many of the other orphans of the war were raised in Lotus Pier together. He had never thought that having a soulmark at a young age was odd until an older child asked him “Why do you already have a soulmark? Your soulmate must be a cradle robber.” when he was 7.
Wen Ning had found him hiding in the forest crying and rubbing at his soul mark four hours later.
“Uncle, why do I have my soul mark already?” He remembered asking as he was pulled into his familiar warm embrace.
“Because your soulmate is 18 already. Just means that they’re already waiting for you. There isn’t anything wrong with that.”
“But, They’re so much older than me.”
“Love doesn’t know age, sweet boy. Do you feel odd because Granny is so much older than you?” Wen Ning asked with a smile.
“No…”
“Then you shouldn’t worry. Having a soulmate just means that you are forever destined to have your life intertwined with theirs, if you do end up falling in love with them, that’s what was meant to be. But, sometimes they’re just meant to be your family, or your friend forever.” The sadness in Wen Ning’s eyes causes A-Yuan to look down at his uncle’s hand, covered in a glove.
“Uncle, why don’t you ever show anyone your soul mark?”
“Because I already know who it’s for, and...that’s enough for me.” Wen Ning says with the same sad smile before standing and carrying Wen Yuan on his hip. “Let’s get you back, Granny has been so worried.”
From then on Wen Yuan wasn’t sure what to think of his soulmark. Objectively he thought it looked nice, a sparrow resting on a flowering branch, but he wasn’t sure what to believe. Wen Qing was happy with her soulmate, the two women were both quiet about their love unless you looked in their eyes. Granny Wen told A-Yuan about how she and his grandfather had been in love for many many years until the war. He watched Brother Wei and Brother Lan and their public displays of affection. Yet, he also saw Uncle A-Ning, saw how he would sit alone sometimes staring down at his hand with a sad resignation on his face. It wasn’t until he, now with the courtesy name Wen Sizhui, was 12 that someone else asked about his soulmark.
He had recently started training the sword with the other cultivators, working on building up his golden core. Every day he would don his blue and purple disciple robes and be led through their daily training. Under Uncle A-Ning’s careful tutelage he was quickly becoming accomplished with a bow, but he still struggled with the sword.
Struggled enough to garner the attention of his sect leader it seems.
“Wen Sizhui! Get that sword up, now!” Sect Leader Jiang’s voice was rough and loud, causing Wen Sizhui to jump slightly before he tried to correct his form.
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
It was later after training had ended and he was placing his sword into place on the wall with the other disciples when he felt a large shadow at his back. Turning to find the scowling face of Jiang Wanyin was not exactly something that filled him with glee.
“Keep your sword, I want to show you something.” His tone was emotionless, not angry, but definitely not friendly. Wen Sizhui just followed wordlessly as they went back to the training ground. He was surprised when Sect Leader Jiang shucked off the cape on his back, pulling Sandu out of his belt and standing next to him. “Watch my arm, notice where I’m placing weight and tension, and more importantly, where I am not.”
Wen Sizhui watched Sect Leader Jiang as he ran through the drill they had been practicing just before, the smooth lines and arcs of his sword accentuated as it glimmered in the setting sun. His movements were exact and practiced, easily beating any of the other disciples' work from the day. The way he channeled his aggression into the precise movements was beautiful in Wen Sizhui’s eyes.
“So?” Sect Leader Jiang turned back to him, placing Sandu back into its sheath at his belt with practiced ease.
“I...I’m sorry Sect Leader I don’t really understand.” Wen Sizhui replied tentatively, wincing when Jiang Wanyin groaned.
“Alright, go through the drill, I’ll have to point it out to you directly.”
He pulled his sword up and started going through the drill, letting his mind settle on the movements, trying to pull his focus onto the drill instead of the judgemental eyes of his Sect Leader.
“Stop, there.” He jumped slightly when one of The Sect Leader’s large hands settled on his shoulder, the other on his elbow. “Notice the tension here, in your elbow, hold it there, watch my arm.”
The Sect Leader completes the same piece of the drill, A-Yuan drawing his attention to the Sect Leader’s elbow and shoulder. His eyes widen slightly when he notices how loose they are, the movement uninhibited, helping him to move into the next position.
“You need to keep your elbow and shoulder looser, all this tension you’re carrying is only holding back your fluidity.” Sect Leader Jiang’s hands returned to their position on Wen Sizhui’s arm. “It also is causing more pain for you, you’re working these muscles more than you need to, which will only lead to you having more troubles down the line. Here, loosen, let me hold some of the weight.”
Wen Sizhui found himself blushing as Sect Leader Jiang led his arm through a few of the movement’s showing him exactly how much tension he needed, much less than he had been using.
“Ok, now try it on your own.” The Sect Leader took a step back, watching.
Wen Sizhui tried again, keeping his focus on the tension in his arm, instead of making sure his movements were exactly perfect.
“Yes! Better!” Sect Leader Jiang clapped once before he walked back over, patting Wen Sizhui on the shoulder. “Obviously not perfect, but, I would rather you mess up a few movements while you learn them with proper form than have you create bad habits.”
“Thank you Sect Leader.” Wen Yuan said bowing slightly.
It was when he had been putting his gear away that his sleeve had rolled up enough to see the mark that extended from below his thumb onto his wrist.
“How old are you, Wen Sizhui?” he turned to see Sect Leader Jiang standing there as well, his eyes trained on the bird on Wen Yuan’s hand.
“12, Sect Leader.”
“How...How long have you had your mark?...if you don’t mind me asking?” The Sect Leader almost seemed tentative, something A-Yuan had never seen.
“Uhm...I’ve had it for as long as I can remember...Granny Wen said that I got it when I was 3.” Wen Sizhui said, looking at the Sect Leader’s jaw instead of into his sharp eyes.
“Oh, that is...very young.” The Sect Leader’s voice seemed...sad, almost. “Right, well, good work today, keep practicing like I showed you.”
Wen Sizhui barely had time to get out a “Yes, thank you again Sect Leader” before the man had walked away briskly. Wen Sizhui found himself imagining the heat of the Sect Leader’s hands on his arm for the next few days, how it had made him feel...embarrassed wasn’t quite the word. Yet, he had been unable to keep himself from blushing.
It was a few days later, after his 13th birthday had passed, when he figured out why. He was sitting out near the training grounds helping Granny Wen to remove Lotus seeds from their pods after a day of training when his eyes were drawn to the training field. Sect Leader Nie had come to visit to discuss some trade matters with Sect Leader Jiang, and they must’ve concluded their talks. The two men were down to just training robes, showing the strong lines of both their bodies. But, Wen Sizhui found his gaze firmly situated on Sect Leader Jiang.
The fluid and quick movements as he sparred with the elder Sect Leader were mesmerizing. The way his sword would gracefully counter the more aggressive attacks from Sect Leader Nie. Wen Sizhui found himself unable to look away. His eyes focused on the way that Sec Leader Jiang’s hands grasped his sword, how the muscles in his arm moved where the sleeve of his robe was pushed over his forearm. He found himself watching as a trail of sweat rolled down from the Sect Leader’s temple, over his strong jawline, until it disappeared under his collar. Wen Sizhui sat back in shock when he realized that he had just thought about what it would be like to follow that path with his lips.
...did he...was he...attracted to his Sect Leader?
Being unable to process that in any capacity Wen Sizhui quickly said his apologies to Granny before hurrying away. His brain was unable to forget the images of Sect Leader Jiang as he went in search for a distraction.
~
Jiang Cheng sighed as he looked down at the letter sitting atop his desk, a folded invitation covered in blue silk sitting under it. The letter was partly from Sect Leader Lan, informing Jiang Cheng that GusuLan would once again be accepting disciples from other clans to come to attend training with the elders of the Lan clan. He had known that the rebuilding of Cloud Recesses had been completed not much after they had finished rebuilding Lotus Pier, but this was still the first he had heard of Lan Qiren wanting new students again. The other part of the letter was from Wei Wuxian, his sworn brother telling him that he would like to request Jiang Cheng make the trip with his chosen disciples so that he may spend a few days catching up with himself and Lan Wangji.
Jiang Cheng set the letter back down, standing from his hunched position over his and stretching his arms and shoulders. He passed the disciples standing outside his door and kept walking until he was standing at the training grounds. His most senior disciple was leading the rest of the disciples through their daily drills, giving Jiang Cheng an opportunity to catalogue the Junior disciples in his mind.
There were a few that he knew had no business going to a place like GusuLan, their inability to follow rules would only lead to them being a bad example. Actually, now that he was truly thinking about it, there was only really one Junior disciple that he felt could actually benefit from the particular rigidity of the Lan clan. His eyes settled on where Wen Sizhui was standing at the front of the line of Junior disciples. The teenager had improved in leaps and bounds over the last 2 or 3 years, his sword work rising to meet the skill of his archery and talisman work. He had quickly improved from a disciple that settled near the bottom of the pack to one that was actively helping some of his peers. Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride at that.
“Wen Sizhui!” He shouted over the sounds of training, “Come with me.”
The rest of the disciples jumped slightly as they noticed their Sect Leader standing and watching them, though most quickly recovered and turned their focus back to their training. It was only when Wen Yuan had started quickly walking towards him that Jiang Cheng began his trip back towards his desk, Wen Yuan following behind. The Teenager stood perfectly in front of his desk until he settled and turned to speak to him.
“Your skill has greatly improved over the last few years.” He started, smiling slightly when he noticed Wen Sizhui’s shoulders move up imperceptibly in pride.
“Thank you Sect Leader Jiang.” His head lowered in respect.
“I have received an invitation from Sect Leader Lan for any of our disciples that would like the chance to go to Gusu and study with Elder Lan. I was wondering if you would be interested?”
“Me? Really? But, I..what about shixiong Lian or…” Wen Sizhui looked genuinely shocked.
“Your Shixiong has implied to me that she would rather not attend, and as I am not going to force any of you, I agreed. However, I think that you could benefit from the Lan teachings, you seem to thrive in a learning environment with regulations and rules. And I thought that you might like the opportunity to learn more about their musical techniques...since you seemed so interested in Second Young Master Lans playing last time he visited.” Jiang Cheng recalls how the teenager has swamped Lan Wangji with question after question, leading Jiang Cheng to think he should pull him away from the man until Wei Wuxian had shook his head informing him that Lan Wangji was apparently fond of Jiang Cheng’s young disciple.
“Yes!...I mean...thank you Sect Leader, for thinking of me.” Wen Sizhui’s burst of excitement brought an actual smirk to Jiang Cheng’s face, growing into an actual smile as the teenager's posture settled back into its perfect form from before.
“So you would like to go?”
“Yes, thank you Sect Leader, I would be honored to represent the Jiang Clan.”
“Good. We will leave for Gusu in a week, please have everything prepared for your departure by then.”
“Yes, Sect Leader, I will.” Wen Sizhui’s bow was low, his sword held between his hands.
“You may return to training.”
The day of their departure Jiang Cheng smiled as Wen Sizhui hurried up next to him in his disciple’s robes. They would be taking a few more disciples with them that had asked to attend, a few older than Wen Sizhui and a few peers his own age, one in particular that Jiang Cheng knew had the potential to cause many problems. Well, he supposed that as long as Wen Sizhui was around to keep track of them it wasn’t the end of the world.
They arrived in GusuLan a few days later, Jiang Cheng rolling his eyes when Wei Wuxian was standing to greet them at the gate, a wide smile on his face.
“A-Cheng!” Jiang Cheng had a moment to breathe before his sworn brother wrapped around him in a tight hug. He pushed him off after letting himself enjoy the embrace for a moment.
“Could you possibly control yourself? Or are you completely incapable of that?” Jiang Cheng grouses, glaring at Wei Wuxian.
“Oh, yes yes, my apologies Sect Leader Jiang, of course Sect Leader Jiang.” Wei Wuxian bows with completely improper posture, his tone mocking and sarcastic. Jiang Cheng just rolls his eyes.
“Get up you idiot.”
“Ha, did you miss me A-Cheng?” Wei Wuxian throws an arm over his shoulders as he nods to the disciples trailing behind Jiang Cheng. “Come on all of you, I’ll show you to your quarters.”
“Of course not.” Jiang Cheng grouses, shaking off the arm around his shoulders.
“Awww, not even a little bit? Your Shixiong leaves you to get married to his soulmate and he can’t even get a smile from his shidi?” His tone is teasing as he leans into Jiang Cheng’s personal space.
“Not when his Shixiong is setting a terrible example.” Jiang Cheng says with a teasing glare, letting it drop after a moment for a smirk. “Why exactly are you even being allowed to greet the incoming disciples? Shouldn’t they leave that to someone a little more...Lan?”
“For everyone else? Yes. Lan Zhan let me be the one to wait for you,” Like the devil, the man mentioned appears out of nowhere, moving to walk beside Wei Wuxian.
“Jiang WanYin.” He bows his head slightly as they walk the path further into Cloud Recesses.
“Lan Wangji.” Jiang Cheng returns with a similar nod.
“So, how are the disciples? Who’d you bring with you?” Wei Wuxian lowers his voice, sparing a glance back at the younger cultivators behind them. “I notice you have far more than the one you mentioned originally.”
“Yes, there were a few more that requested to come.”
“Ah, so which one is the one you wanted to come?”
Jiang Cheng turns slightly to see where Wen Sizhui is walking in the first row of Disciples, his posture perfect though you can notice the excitement in his eyes.
“First row, the shortest one.” Jiang Cheng replies back to his brother, “Wen Sizhui, Wen Ning and Healer Qing’s cousin.”
“Oh, I’ll make sure to keep an eye on him.” Wei Wuxian notes with a nod, “How are Healer Qing and Head Disciple Ning?”
“They’re well, A-Ning is ensuring that the disciples don’t grow lazy in my absence, though he sends his regards.”
No one had been more surprised, save Wen Ning himself, than Jiang Cheng when he had decided to make the man his head disciple. He should hate any of the Wen’s with all of his soul for what their clan did to his own. But, he found it hard to hold a grudge against Wen Ning, Wen Qing, and their family. They were not fighters by nature. So, when Wen Ning had performed the best out of all of his elder recruits, Jiang Cheng found it easy to name him as the Jiang Clans Head Disciple. Now, years later, he was the closest confidant Jiang Cheng had at Lotus Pier. Plus, the younger man was a nice counterpoint to his own aggressive teaching style.
They fell into a companionable silence as they approached the turn towards the guest disciple quarters.
Jiang Cheng stayed for 3 more days, letting Wei Wuxian bug him and also keeping an eye on his disciples for their first days of class. He mentioned briefly to Lan Wangji that Wen Sizhui had taken a particular interest in his guqin, and received a nod in acknowledgement. But, after those 3 days he headed back to Lotus Pier.
~
Wen Sizhui was 16 now as he was approaching the end of his year of study in GusuLan. Sect Leader Jiang had been correct in his theory of Lan Clan being a good learning environment for him. The rigidity of the schedule was a bit hard to get used to in the first few months, but now he welcomed the regularity.
The elders had been very happy with his growth as a student, offering their compliments to him and to Sect Leader Jiang. Sizhui had tried to ignore how his heart skipped when he received a letter from the Sect Leader telling him that he was proud of the good work he had been doing. Over the past 3 years he had resigned himself to his little crush on Sect Leader Jiang. Many times he tried to convince himself it was just merely an appreciation of the older man’s skill and efficiency as a leader. But, it was hard to agree with that conclusion when he found himself imagining what it would feel like to have the Sect Leader’s body pressed against him, to feel his hands on his skin and feel his lips against his own.
He had also managed to let that little crush slip to his new best friend over contraband wine one night (Given to Jingyi by a “reliable source”). Lan Jingyi was about the least ‘Lan’ Lan that Sizhui had ever met. He was loud and spoke his mind, had a tendency for mischief and was very fond of playing pranks. But, he had never looked down on Sizhui just because he was a Wen (like some other clan disciples had), nor had he even spared a glance towards his soulmark.
It was nice to have a friend he could depend on, not that he had never been close with any of the other Jiang Clan disciples, he had, it was just different with Jingyi. More than once he had found himself laying in his bed looking at his soul mark and wondering why Jingyi couldn’t have been his soulmate. At least with him he knows he would’ve had a very happy life, filled with entertaining one another on night hunts.
“So, are you excited to see Sect Leader Jiang today?” Jingyi’s teasing voice pulled him from his daydreams as they sat in Hanguang Jun’s rabbit field. Sizhui pet the rabbit seated in his lap as he turned to glare at his best friend.
“Will you stop with that, I told you that in secret months ago and you still haven’t let it go?”
“Haven’t let go of the fact that you’re harbouring a serious crush on your Sect Leader? Yeah no.” Jingyi said, knocking shoulders with him, smiling. “I just...I don’t really get what you see in him, he’s so..grouchy.”
“Not...not all the time.” Sizhui said in a shy tone, keeping his focus on the rabbit in his lap.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man wear anything less than a scowl.” Jingyi reclined back, sending an accessing gaze Sizhui’s way.
“Well, you aren’t from YunmengJiang, you’ve only seen him when he’s come to Gusu and he is...not very fond of Gusu.”
“Ha! Not very fond of Gusu or not very fond of Master Wei’s teasing and Hanguang Jun’s everything?” Jingyi said with a smirk.
“This is gossiping Lan Jingyi.” Sizhui said in a teasing tone. “Should I go tell Hanguang Jun that you need to write rules again?”
“Low blow Wen Sizhui, low blow.” Jingyi said sitting up, “Fine, I won’t ask anymore about your little crush.”
“We should probably head back, the Sect Leaders are supposed to be arriving before too long to collect their disciples.” Sizhui said, gently setting the rabbit in his lap back onto the grass.
“Of course,we wouldn’t want to be late.” Sizhui chose to ignore Jingyi’s teasing tone, “You will write to me though, right?”
“At least once a month.” Sizhui said with a smile.
“Once a week.” Jingyi said in reply, “Can’t have you forget your best friend when you go back home.”
“Of course, Jingyi.” Sizhui said with a small smile.
Sect Leader Jiang was the last to arrive at Cloud Recesses, citing a high volume of sect matters needing his attention for YunmengJiang holding the next Cultivation conference that caused him to leave early. He hardly spared a hello to the Jiang Disciples before he had been pulled into a conversation with Sect Leader Nie and Master Wei.
Sizhui sat perfectly during their last meal all together, smiling when Jingyi subtly handed all of his carrots to him. His eyes kept sliding over Jingyi’s head to focus on Sect Leader Jiang. He seemed more agitated than usual, the line between his eyebrows deep. He was still courteous and calm but Sizhui could see that there was some extra tension in the way that he was holding his shoulders.
After he had said his goodbyes to Jingyi, Master Wei, and Hanguang Jun, Sizhui quickly followed the other disciples to where Sect Leader Jiang was waiting near the stairs down the mountain. Sizhui was surprised when he found himself on their journey back next to Sect Leader Jiang.
“Wen Sizhui.” Sect Leader Jiang said in acknowledgement, “Sect Leader Lan was very impressed by you, thank you for representing our sect well.”
“Thank you Sect Leader Jiang.” Sizhui hesitated before continuing, “I apologize if I am overstepping, but is everything alright Sect Leader? You seem stressed.”
“It’s..thank you for your concern Sizhui, I am alright. It’s mostly just preparations for the conference.”
“Is it not going well?”
“No, everything is fine. Just, it will be the first time that YunmengJiang is hosting the conference since the war.”
“Oh, that is...a lot of pressure.”
“I just...I find myself worried over every little thing. Wen Qionglin told me that I was being...overly aggressive towards our staff before I left. I suppose I haven’t quite shaken the idea that the stress is making me into an unreasonable person, making my behavior rather unbecoming of a Sect Leader.”
“But you’re a great Sect Leader! We all know that!” Sizhui found himself saying far too quickly, blushing slightly when he realized.
“Well..thank you.” Sect Leader Jiang bowed his head slightly. “But, I rather believe Master Wen was correct in his evaluation.”
“Well, then you should just focus on...finding more beneficial ways to relieve your stress.” Sizhui said quickly, not thinking of any potential connotations for his words. Which is why when Sect Leader Jiang sputtered and looked at him in shock he rethought and then started blushing even more. “Oh! that’s...I didn’t mean for...to imply...that’s...I didn’t…”
“It’s...It’s alright Sizhui, your words just caught me off guard. I understand you didn’t mean anything...untoward by them.” Sect Leader Jiang said with a small smile, “Though perhaps you should make an effort not to accidentally make comments of that nature to your Sect Leader, it would not be appropriate.”
“No..no of course not. I apologize to Sect Leader Jiang. It was merely a slip of words.” Sizhui said, feeling how hot his face was, he also tried to ignore how Sect Leader Jiangs almost rejection made his stomach drop.
They continued their journey focusing on much lighter subjects, Sizhui trying to ignore how much he enjoyed having Sect Leader Jiang’s attention on him. It wouldn’t do for his crush on the elder man to grow, especially when he knew that any advances would not be welcomed.
When they returned to Lotus Pier things were normal, Uncle Wen Ning complimented Sizhui on his growth in training, he impressed Auntie Wen Qing with his ability to play the guqin. He wrote letter after letter to Jingyi. Completed his daily training. Life continued on as it always did.
~
It was a normal winter day when Jiang Cheng looked down at his hand and had to resist the urge to scream. There sitting on his hand was a soul mark. He was 33 years old and had finally gotten his soul mark. What unsettled him was that he knew this mark. The sparrow resting gently on a flowering branch was a mark he had seen many times in the last 6 years, as he would correct Wen Sizhui’s form, as the younger man would bow to him. How had fate decided that his soul mate should be his own disciple?
Wen Sizhui had only improved in his standings of their clan after his return from Gusu two years prior. His sword skills were almost as impressive as his skill with a bow and arrow. He had also been taking fortnightly guqin lessons from Lan Wangji, who would appear with Wei Wuxian in tow exactly every two weeks. He had also begun helping Wen Qing in the infirmary, quickly picking up much of the knowledge. He was even quickly becoming Jin Ling’s closest confidant. A relationship that Jiang Cheng would gladly encourage as he felt that Wen Sizhui was a fantastic role model for his sometimes rather pompous nephew. He had even thought that perhaps Jin Ling was harbouring a little crush for the elder teenager. But now that seemed too cruel.
Was Wen Sizhui really his soulmate?
His thoughts were disrupted by a knock at his door.
“A-Cheng?” The voice of his sister pulled him back into the real world, reminding him that her and his nephew were visiting.
“Yes Jiejie?” Jiang Cheng called out, reaching over to grab a robe to pull on.
“A-Ling is wondering if his JiuJiu would like to join us for breakfast?”
“Ah, yes...I’ll be there in a few moments.”
“Alright, we’ll be in my quarters.”
As his sister’s steps got further away he sat back down on his bed, looking at the mark on his hand. Sighing as he shook his head, there would be no one better than Yanli to talk to about this. Jiang Cheng quickly got himself ready for the day, taking the extra time to make sure he looked presentable. He then walked the quick trip over to his Sister’s rooms. Knocking before entering he stepped in and smiled when the small limbs of a teenager squeezed around his stomach.
“Jiujiu!” Jin Ling’s voice was loud and excited, “Mom said that I can train with the other disciples today! Can I bring my bow?”
The 15 year old was one of the brighter points of Jiang Cheng’s life. He always looked forward to the times when Jin Ling would be coming to visit him. He was especially cherishing this trip because he knew it wouldn’t be too long before Jin Ling went to spend a year in GusuLan. He might even be tempted to go spend time with Wei Wuxian just to have an excuse to see his nephew.
“You may, though, remember that you are in charge of picking up your own arrows, A-Ling.” Jiang Cheng reprimanded as they sat down for breakfast, “My disciples are not your servants.”
“Ugh, I know that. It was one time, and I was like 9, please stop bringing that up.” Jin Ling whined.
“Stop whining, A-Ling.” Yanli said with a smile, nudging her son towards his breakfast. “Eat.”
“Yes, mom, sorry mom.”
Jiang Cheng tracked the exact moment that both his sister and Nephew noticed the new mark on his hand.
“Oh! A-Cheng! It finally came in!” Yanli said with a bright smile, grabbing Jiang Cheng’s hand and turning it.
“Why do you have the same mark as Sizhui?” Jin Ling asked in confusion, his voice getting an edge of hurt.
Jiang Cheng sighed, closing his eyes slightly as he looked between his sister and his nephew. There went the suspicion that his nephew was harbouring a crush. Now he was pretty sure he was, based on how he asked that.
“It..ah showed up this morning.”
“Sizhui...as in Wen Sizhui? Is it his birthday today?” Yanli asked, looking between her brother and her son.
“Must be...A-Ling is correct, it is a match to Wen Sizhui’s. I’ve seen it enough times to recognize it.” Jiang Cheng sighed, taking a deep drink of tea, almost wishing it was something stronger.
“But...he...you and he...we...no.” Jin Ling said, looking between Jiang Cheng’s hand and his face.
“A-Ling….” Yanli reaches a hand over to comfort his son, sighing when he shakes it off his shoulder.
“What do you want me to say, Jin Ling? You knew that he had a soulmark. You knew that there was someone out there who would get one for him eventually, and that it wouldn't be you.”
“But I didn’t know it would be you! Didn’t know that it would be...so now I have to watch the person that I love be with my uncle? Why does fate hate me?” Jin Ling yelled and then transitioned quickly into whining, near tears.
“Oh honey, fate doesn’t hate you. You’ll find who you’re meant to be with someday, this happens. Ask your uncle, he had a crush on A-Xian until they were teenagers.”
“Jiejie!” Jiang Cheng groaned, “I did not!”
“Oh you did. ‘A-Jie, do you think A-Xian and I could be soulmates? I think I’d like us to be’.” Jiang Cheng groaned again at his Sister’s impersonation of his voice.
“Really?” Jin Ling was now smiling widly, like he found the idea highly entertaining.
“Oh shut up.” Jiang Cheng smiled slightly when Jin Ling just pouted and sat back to eat.
“So, are you going to tell him, A-Cheng?” Yanli asked, looking down at the mark atop his hand again.
“I mean...I feel like I should. But, I just...I don’t think that we’re..compatible with one another like that. Wouldn’t he be terrified to even try to be with his Sect Leader? What if we’re meant to be platonic soulmates like Mom and Madam Jin?”
“Oh A-Cheng, if you still think that Mom and Madam Jin were strictly platonic…”
“They weren’t?” Jiang Cheng looked back over his memories of the two of them, of how they spent more time together than with their husbands.
“Just, tell him. See where it goes. Who knows, you might be surprised.” Yanli’s voice was warm and placating.
“I’ll talk to him. But, I don’t know that I’d be ready to be...romantically involved until we knew one another better.”
“Well, then tell him that. I doubt he’s going to object. He’s just finding out his Sect Leader is his soulmate. Be gentle with him, A-Cheng.” Yanli presses her hand over his, giving it a squeeze.
“What, you think I’m just going to dump that on him? Of course I’ll be gentle.” Jiang Cheng said with a grimace, returning to his food.
It was later after training when he finally sent a disciple to fetch Wen Sizhui, knowing the younger man would most likely be done with his responsibilities for the day. He had struggled all day with a plan for how to tell the younger man, settling on honesty being the best idea and just being forthright with it. It was only when he heard a quiet knock that his heart rate sped up.
“Come in.” He called out, trying to keep his expression even when Wen Sizhui stepped in.
“Sect Leader Jiang,” Wen Sizhui bowed, “You requested to see me?”
“Yes, why don’t you come take a seat, we can have some tea?” Jiang Cheng settled at the table in his rooms, pouring a glass for Wen Sizhui before he poured one for himself.
“Um...thank you Sect Leader Jiang.” Wen Sizhui took the cup offered to him and sipped at the hot liquid, turning his gaze back up to Jiang Cheng.
“So, first I guess I should say Happy Birthday? 18, that’s a rather..ah..big year.” Jiang Cheng cursed himself for how nervous he sounded, looking down at where Wen Sizhui’s fingers were holding his tea cup.
“Oh...thank you Sect Leader Jiang...did..did ah Master Wen tell you?” Wen Sizhui said in a shy tone.
“Ah, no, he didn’t...Listen, before I tell you this, I want to promise you that I will never do anything that you don’t want…” Jiang Cheng dragged his eyes up to Wen Sizhui’s, noting for the first time how his eyelashes curled thick around his wide eyes.
“Oh..Ok…” Wen Sizhui sounded clearly confused before he pushed on, reaching down and pulling off the bracer on his left arm. Jiang Cheng then pulled his sleeve up, turning his hand to show Wen Sizhui the mark on his hand.
“I know because this showed up on my hand this morning.”
Wen Sizhui dropped his cup of tea, thankfully empty. His hand moved back up to cover his mouth, his eyes looking between the mark on Jiang Cheng’s hand and his own where he had exposed it. Jiang Cheng took a chance and moved his fingers over the mark on Wen Sizhui, pulling the hand over to touch it’s match.
“I know that this is...rather complicated...with you being my subordinate, and with me being quite a bit older than you. But, I would...like us to get to know one another better? If you’d be amenable?” Jiang Cheng tried to stop the full body shiver he had as Wen Sizhui’s fingers trailed over the mark on his hand, tracing the branch and each feather. “Sizhui?”
“Oh! yes...I..that would be..good.” Sizhui said looking up at Jiang Cheng shyly through his lashes.
“I was thinking that maybe we could start having dinner in each other’s company? Learn more about one another?” Jiang Cheng let his thumb trail over Sizhui’s own mark, smiling at the younger man.
“I’d...I’d really like that, Sect Leader Jiang” Sizhui said, moving his fingers up to tangle with Jiang Cheng’s.
“You...you can call me by my birth name when we’re alone...if you’d like.” Jiang Cheng said.
“Only if you call me by mine, Jiang Cheng” Sizhui said with a smile.
“Wen Yuan.” Jiang Cheng liked the feel of the name on his tongue.
“Could I...could I kiss you, Jiang Cheng?” Sizhui’s question surprised him, thinking that this young man would be unable to even imagine his sect leader in that way.
“You...you want to kiss me?” Jiang Cheng found himself saying before he could think about it.
“Yes...I...I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’ve had a..crush on you for a while, and now that I know you’re my...soulmate…” Sizhui’s tone is tentative, his face heating with an attractive blush. Jiang Cheng tries to control how his head spins at the thought of the teenager having admired him in that way.
“Let’s just, take it slow, ok? This is all very new, to both of us. And, I...I wouldn’t want us to do something that we’d regret down the line.”
“You think I’d regret kissing my soulmate?” The hurt in Sizhui’s eyes was enough that Jiang Cheng wanted to take it back, but he also knew that this man was newly 18, that he didn’t understand what he wanted, ruled by hormones and the idea that his childhood crush just told him they were soulmates.
“No, I just...let’s get to know each other better. If you still want to pursue a...romantic relationship with me in a few years, then we’ll talk. Ok?” Jiang Cheng squeezed the hand that was clasped in his own in reassurance.
“Oh...ok…”
“I just want you to be sure about, Wen Yuan. Sure about me.” Jiang Cheng let his thumb rub over the skin on the back of Sizhui’s hand.
“Ok, well, I’ll do that then, Jiang Cheng.” Wen Sizhui’s tentative smile was enough to brighten all of the nervousness that was held in his mind.
“Good, so..would you have dinner with me?” Jiang Cheng smiled when Sizhui nodded.
~
Sizhui found himself feeling frustrated a few months after his 20th birthday. Over the past two years he had been living his teenage fantasy, in a way. His soulmate was none other than his Sect Leader, the man who had filled his more...intimate, fantasies since Sizhui even had the idea to have fantasies of that nature.
He was frustrated because his soul mate never let them do anything beyond the most chaste of touches. They would hold hands as they walked through town looking at different vendor stalls, they would cuddle after dinner in Sect Leader Jiang’s rooms, Sizhui had even found himself reaching out to the older man for the comfort of a hug if he had had a particularly bad day. But, no matter how much he insisted he wanted it, Jiang Cheng would not allow them to take any further steps. He would turn his head away from Sizhui’s lips if he tried. The chaste forehead kisses he had started giving Sizhui were not helping either.
The time they spent together had only made Sizhui’s crush grow until he was sure that he was in love with the stubborn older man. He loved sitting with the Sect Leader while he finished paperwork, just cuddled in his embrace and enjoying his presence. He loved the long conversations they would get into over anything, their favorite foods, their favorite memories, training exercises, he even loved the moments when they would bicker. Jiang Cheng being stubborn and obstinate about something that made it far too easy to needle him about.
Realising his feelings only made Sizhui more frustrated. He wanted Jiang Cheng’s soft touches to dig in more, for him to lean down and capture Sizhui’s lips in a kiss. He would lie awake at night and imagine all the ways that Jiang Cheng could touch him with his calloused hands. It was not helpful for sleeping.
But, now that he was 20 he decided that he had had enough. He was going to seduce his soulmate if it was the last thing he would do.
So, his plan had hatched. First, he had his nightly dinner with the Sect Leader, making sure to act as normal as possible. Sizhui didn’t even complain too much when Jiang Cheng dropped a kiss on the top of his head after their meal telling him that he would see him in the morning because he had to do some things before he could head to bed. Sizhui just smiled and said goodnight before he snuck back to Jiang Cheng’s rooms, knowing the elder man was in his study. Sizhui busied himself with his plan in the main room, as quiet as possible.
The nervous feeling in his stomach grew, but his need to go further pushed him to continue. Sizhui quickly undid his hair, leaving it loose over his shoulders before he pulled off his outer robes, setting his boots aside. Dressed only in the thin silk of his inner robe and pants he took a deep breath.
Looking into Jiang Cheng’s study he was unsurprised to find him hunched over his desk, brush flicking across the paper in smooth strokes as he wrote on the parchment. The line between his eyebrows was more present than normal, which meant he could only be writing to one or two people. Either he was writing an increasingly annoyed reply to Jin Guangshan or Wei Wuxian. Sizhui smiled as his soulmate took a deep sigh, his hand running over his face, leaving a small trail of black ink on his cheek. He took that as his opportunity to run across the doorway, as silently as possible and slip into Jiang Cheng’s bedroom.
As he slipped the door shut he looked around curiously, he had never been in the Sect Leader’s bedroom, Jiang Cheng thinking it would be inappropriate, though Sizhui doubted most people would agree with him. Who should be allowed to see your bedroom if not your soulmate? Sizhui smiled as he moved around, letting his hand drift over different trinkets and ornaments. He smiled when he noticed the hair piece he had given Jiang Cheng for his birthday last year was prominently seated on top of his dressing table, the Sect Leader wore it often.
As Sizhui moved to sit down on the large bed he thought about what he planned to do. He felt nerves prickling at the thought of being..intimate...with Jiang Cheng, but he found that he was mostly excited about it. He had only ever seen the Sect Leader without his robes once, and it had hardly been in any sort of circumstance Sizhui would like to repeat. Jiang Cheng had returned from a Night Hunt with Wei Wuxian deeply injured, both of them had been caught off guard and ended up with stab wounds in rather vital areas. Wei Wuxian had been worse off than Jiang Cheng so he had stepped back and let Wen Qing deal with that. But, he had taken care of Jiang Cheng.
He had been flustered at the view he had of Jiang Cheng’s naked form but he was a doctor at that point, not his soulmate. It also helped that Jiang Cheng was so exhausted and in pain that he had promptly passed out.
But that wasn’t the kind of naked he was wanting from Jiang Cheng. No, he wanted him to acknowledge the tension that had been building, wanted to feel his skin pressed against his own, to finally feel what it was like to have those lips against his own. He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Jiang Cheng’s heavy steps in the hall. He settled himself into what he hoped was an attractive way before the door opened, Jiang Cheng stepping in with a shocked look. Though Sizhui could see the way his eyes trailed hungrily over his body, the form fitting nature of his under robes accentuated everything.
“A-Yuan? What...what are you doing here?” Jiang Cheng’s hand reached out for a moment before it settled back at his side.
“You told me to tell you in a few years if I was still sure I wanted this, wanted you…” Sizhui stood up, walking up to Jiang Cheng and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I’m sure. I want you A-Cheng...need you.”
“A-Yuan…” Jiang Cheng sighed, his hand instinctively moving up to settle on Sizhui’s waist.
“I need you, A-Cheng….I...I love you.”
“A-Yuan..” The smile on Jiang Cheng’s face was enough to steal the nerves from Sizhui’s stomach. “...really? I...I love you too, I just wasn’t sure that you..wanted this anymore.”
“A-Cheng, kiss me please.” Sizhui said, feeling tears prick at the corners of his eyes. “Please.”
He closed his eyes and Jiang Cheng’s other hand settled on his jaw, turning his face up. The first press of Jiang Cheng’s lips against his was soft and sweet. The second was longer, a bit more passionate and took Sizhui’s breath away. His other hand drifted up to run through Jiang Cheng’s hair at the base of his neck, letting out a little moan when Jiang Cheng’s tongue traced his lower lip. They pulled back breathing hard into each other’s space.
“Wow…”
“My sentiments exactly.” Sizhui said with a wide smile.
“I...wow, that…” Sizhui smiled at Jiang Cheng’s seeming inability to speak full sentences.
“Will you take me to bed A-Cheng?” Sizhui asked, pressing himself impossibly closer to Jiang Cheng.
“Yes, yes, my love.” Jiang Cheng reached down and picked him up under his knees, carrying him over and gently depositing him on the bed. He settled his own body over Sizhui’s after he kicked off his boots. “I..I never thought that I’d get to see you like this, you look so beautiful, my love.”
“You’re so...mmmm don’t say those things.” Sizhui said feeling himself blushing as Jiang Cheng held him close, their faces inches apart.
“Why not, my love?” Jiang Cheng asked, pressing kisses to his face.
“It’s...it’s so embarrassing.”
“Well then I guess I should keep telling you if it makes you blush like this, you look so beautiful when you blush, my love.”
“Unnn do you have to call me that, too?” Sizhui asked, leaning his head into Jiang Cheng’s neck to hide his face.
“Mmm you don’t like it?”
“No, I love it...I just…”
“Hey,” Jiang Cheng pulls back his head to look into his eyes, “I love you, no need to feel embarrassed. Now, I’d really like to kiss you again, and then sleep? I don’t think you’re ready for more than that today.”
“Ok,” Sizhui said with a small smile, looking up into the warmth of Jiang Cheng’s eyes. “I...I want to do more, but, you’re probably right.”
“We’ll get there, love. Just...let it happen naturally. I think I’d like to see you walk down the aisle before we get too far, as well.”
“Did you just...are you seriously proposing while we’re in bed?” Sizhui asked incredulously.
“No...just letting you know it might be coming soon.” Jiang Cheng said with a satisfied smile before pecking Sizhui on the lips, “You’d look so beautiful in red and gold my love.”
Sizhui feels himself blush even more,imagining for himself what Jiang Cheng would look like dressed in wedding finery.
“You’d look pretty good in red too.”
Jiang Cheng just laughed, leaning forward and catching SIzhui’s lips again. They laid there for a long while, trading lazy kisses, their tongues twining against one another. By the time Jiang Cheng pulled back his lips were tingling pleasantly.
“Let me get ready for bed, love. I think I’m going to enjoy waking up with you next to me.”
“Me too.” Sizhui said with a smile, feeling it grow when Jiang Cheng settled the blanket over his body, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
~