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Lan Wangji caught his limp beloved, lifting him up into a princess carry.
“What are you doing?!” Jiang Cheng felt that letting his brother be carried like that was insulting. Even if he didn’t understand what kind of relationship the two shared, he couldn’t let his brother be slighted.
Lan Wangji glared and dismissed his existence as if he was but a speck of dirt on the road. Jiang Cheng felt his anger flare. He rose from the place he had been thrown to, his fury raging in his wake. But his sister spoke first.
“Second Young Master Lan? Is A-Xian alright?”
Give it to his sister to get the priorities right. Wei Wuxian had been acting strange, and it would seem that this man would know more about it. Jiang Cheng wasn’t really worried. His brother had a strong golden core for all it was worth, and since the man was still breathing without a gaping hole in his body, he was sure Wei Wuxian would live.
His sister did not gain a piercing glare. Instead, she got the polite gentleman the Jade was known to be.
“Yes. I believe so. But please, allow me to take him to the healers”
“Of course, We will-“
“I will speak with my uncle to allow you access. Uncle would not allow a delegation to enter without the invitation.”
Jiang Cheng was pissed. “My brother is a part of this delegation too!”
Jiang Cheng was ignored. His sister spoke up once more.
“I understand. But please allow me or my brother to come along with you”
Lan Wangji nodded at Jiang Yanli, and turned around to enter Cloud Recess. The disciples guarding the door to Cloud Recess had their tongues tied, eyes so wide that they might pop out. Stopping the Second Jade of Lan was not a thought that crossed their currently fried minds.
Jiang Cheng paced around the entrance of Cloud Recess alone, both of his siblings gone with the white clothed cultivator. Soon a senior disciple came to take them to their quarters, but Jiang Cheng did not see his siblings there. He had a responsibility to take care of the disciples with him as the Sect Heir of Lotus Pier, so he could not leave them alone. He paced around the area, looking more and more like a mad man.
The sun was retiring when his siblings came back. His sister was keeping a small distance from his brother, who was hanging onto the sleeve of the Second Jade of Lan. The man’s face was so stoic and impassive, which made him wonder if he imagined all the emotion on it just a couple of hours earlier. The lack of reaction didn’t seem to faze his brother as he leaned heavily onto the other man. His brother looked weary. Wearier than when he was done with a bad night hunt, wearier than when he was done being punished by his mother.
Jiang Chengs’ worry took over the anger he had for the Second Jade. He was jealous too, how come his brother leaned on this man for comfort, than either of the two siblings he grew up with?
Wei Wuxian finally spoke.
“Let’s go inside, we have a lot to talk about”
Once they were inside, Wei Wuxian set up privacy talismans all over the room. Jiang Cheng did not understand why, but he kept his mouth shut. Jiang Yanli had set up a table with tea. Lan Wangji had taken a seat while his brother flit around the room setting up barriers. Lan Wangji sat serene and upright, like Jade carved statue.
Jiang Cheng sat next to his sister, because he felt like he would need support after hearing whatever the two had to say to them. Wei Wuxian finished his thing and came to sit right next to the Jade, knees almost touching. Jiang Chengs’ eye twitched in silent protest, but he had, a second ago promised silently to his sister that he would not explode.
“So uh- this is going to sound absurd, but I need you to trust us”
“Of course A-Xian” Yanli took her XianXians’ hand in hers across the table, hoping to assure him.
Wei Wuxian smiled softly at her, then looked at Jiang Cheng.
“It’s going to sound like utter nonsense Jiang Cheng, but I need you to trust me”
“Of course I trust you, you dipshit”
Lan Wangji frowned, but Jiang Cheng cared nothing for the man.
Yanli retracted her hand, looking at Wei Wuxian seriously. “Tell us”
Wei Wuxian nervously looked around to meet Lan Wangjis’ steady gaze. He did not expect Lan Zhan to hold his hand, gently pressing to give assurance. Wei Wuxian felt his presence comforting. He sighed out a breath he didn’t knew he was holding.
“So, we kind of are from the future”
Jiang Cheng ogled at his brother. Clamping his mouth shut to not allow the barrage of curses he wanted to spew. It allowed him to notice that his brother was not kidding, the Jade even less, and that his brother genuinely looked nervous.
“Ho- how?” His sister managed the words he couldn’t
“It’s a long story, but were not joking.”
Jiang Yanli’s face blanched.
“Why?”
Wei Wuxian flinched at his sisters’ question.
“There’s going to be a war” the Jade intercepts.
Jiang Cheng sucked in a breath. “With the Wens?”
The Jade nods in response. Jiang Cheng notices that Wei Wuxian leans further onto the Jade, seemingly unconsciously seeking comfort.
“What happened?” Jiang Cheng realizes that it must’ve been bad, because Wei Wuxian flinches, the pain in his eyes more providing more proof than what any words may convey. Jiang Cheng had never seen his brother so weak. Wei Wuxian would never allow himself to show any kind of pain. If Jiang Cheng didn’t believe the whole ‘from the future’ story, he believes it now, because he’d never seen his brother flinch like this before.
“You believe us?” Wei Wuxian asked with wonder in his tone.
“Of course A-Xian” Yanli smiled softly at Wei Wuxian and it seemed enough for him to calm down.
“What happened?” Jiang Cheng repeated.
Wei Wuxian looked at his brother, felt the warmth of Lan Zhans’ hand on his, and told the tale from the beginning. Lan Wangji helped fill in about what happened around him that was related to Wei Wuxian and the Jiangs. When it came to the part about Jiang Cheng losing his core, he skipped it. Lan Wangji did not know about it after all. When it came to the part about him being thrown into the Burial Mounds, he decided to reveal a half truth.
“Wen Chao found me at the tea shop we agreed to meet. Wen Zhuliu was with him. I was thrown into the Burial Mounds once the creep had his fun. I- I cultivated Resentful Energy for three months in that place.”
“You what?!” Jiang Cheng was not really angry with Wei Wuxian but at everything that happened. He just wasn’t the best at conveying emotions. He didn’t expect his brother to flinch and push himself away. Jiang Cheng felt a cold Icy glare pierce him, but the gaze turned towards his brother worried and concerned.
Wei Wuxian finally spoke again after minute taken to recollect himself.
“I did say that Wen Zhuliu was there yes? I did say that he was the core-melting hand…”
Lan Wangji sucked in a breath that was more than audible in suddenly quiet room.
“Oh A-Xian!” Yanli hit the cap at her capability to hold in after listening to everything her brother said. She stood up and walked over to cradle her brother like she used to when he would have nightmares about dogs.
Wei Wuxian let himself cry again at the familiar embrace. He felt Lan Zhans’ hand losing its grip on his, so he immediately clasped his hand to prevent it. Wei Wuxian didn’t know how much re-assurance it brought to the Jade, who was contemplating everything he said to his beloved previously about his choice of cultivation, and how much pain it might have brought him. Lan Wangji felt unworthy of holding Wei Wuxians’ hand so when Wei Wuxian clasped his hand so tightly that his beloveds’ knuckles were turning white, he felt relief wash over him, to know that Wei Wuxian did not care for his hurtful words.
Wei Wuxian continued on with his tale, only pausing at the time his sister died, and then continues onward to how he loses control, up until the part he jumps off the cliff and uses the last of his powers on a talisman that he didn’t think would work. He avoided the part about Lan Wangji, and about Jiang Cheng trying to kill him.
“So why is he here?” Jiang Cheng asks, trying hard not to think too much about everything else his brother said.
“Because Wei Ying did not explain everything”
“Lan Zhan” Wei Wuxian tries to plead.
For the first time, the Jade ignores his brother.
“I don’t know if Wei Ying noticed but you were not the only one controlling the corpses. There were two flutes playing. You likely did not lose control, but was made to lose control. Your sister dying to save you affected your strong hold, and likely made it easier for you to be controlled.”
Jiang Cheng felt relieved for reasons he couldn’t explain. “But that still doesn’t explain why you’re here”
“I’m here because I jumped after him”
Jiang Cheng; “………….”
Jiang Yanli; “……….”
“I must leave now, curfew will begin soon, Maiden Jiang should I escort you to the female quarters?”
“Ah, no, thank you. I will stay with my brothers for a bit longer”
The Jade bowed and left, leaving the siblings to themselves.
“So” Jiang Yanli breaks the silence. “He jumped after you”
Wei Wuxian nods, trying to keep the heat off his face. He doesn’t succeed very well.
“You like him?” Wei Wuxian freezes, and his siblings don’t know what to say. He nods in confirmation after a while, his face turning a shade of red close to the ribbon in his hair.
“Alright, what do you think we should do A-Xian?”
Jiang Cheng clamps his mouth shut, to not let anything hurtful drop from his mouth. He noticed that Wei Wuxian flinched terribly to the offhanded remarks he made, that his brother would usually ignore.
“Lan Zhan would want to tell his brother. So that first… and Shijie I- I didn’t think the talisman would work, I haven’t really planned anything. We should all get together and talk about what to do. We’re too young right now, we don’t have any kind decision making power or any kind of power in general. We’ll have to talk to Teacher Qiren and or Uncle Jiang.”
“It’s okay A-Xian, everything will be alright. We’ll figure this out. I’m going to go now, rest well. I’ll come see you early morning. Alright?”
“Yeah Shijie. Alright” Wei Wuxian hugged her sister before she left.
Jiang Cheng had not spoken for a long time, and it was making Wei Wuxian nervous. But Jiang Cheng came over to where Wei Wuxian was about settle down to sleep.
“you- you want to sleep together?” Wei Wuxian asked hopefully. He missed his brother. For Jiang Cheng; they were never separated but for Wei Wuxian they only met a couple of hours ago at the siege after a long time, and his brother had blamed him completely for his sister’s death. Wei Wuxian missed the times when his brother would allow him to sleep on his bed on days when he had nightmares about dogs.
Jiang Cheng sat down on the bed huffing “Not sure if your Lan Zhan will like it”
Wei Wuxian blushed and Jiang Cheng felt relieved that his brother was no longer making that pained expression. If Wei Wuxian was bad at comforting others, Jiang Cheng was horrible at it. So Jiang Cheng imitated what his brother did for the Jade earlier that day and pat his back.
“You did your best”
Jiang Cheng did not comment on the amount of tears Wei Wuxian shed.