Chapter Text
Jiang Cheng is having a weird day.
Not a bad day – a weird day.
The small mystery next to him shifts a little, slumping to lean against him just a tiny bit.
Wei Wuxian had definitely gone to his room last night as a fully grown man, Jiang Cheng was sure of that. Wei Wuxian had definitely gone to bed as an adult… but… when Jiang Cheng had gone into his room this morning, annoyed at how long Wei Wuxian was sleeping in, he had found… this little… creature instead…
This child…
It’s definitely… strange.
Jiang Cheng places a hesitant hand on the little shoulder and watches curiously as the little body shocks upright again.
“It’s… okay,” Jiang Cheng mumbles, feeling faintly embarrassed for some reason. He pulls the body closer to him, so that he can lean against Jiang Cheng. “You can lean on me if you like.”
The small child – Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng has to remind himself – stays where Jiang Cheng places him, leaning stiffly against Jiang Cheng, his little hands clasped together nervously between his legs.
Had Wei Wuxian been like this when he first came to Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng wonders, trying to remember what Wei Wuxian had been like all those years ago. He can’t really remember a time before Wei Wuxian and after… after, all he remembers is a cheeky brat who always got Jiang Cheng in trouble. Laughing and running and… and not at all like this meek boy next to him.
Jiang Cheng sighs. He doesn’t know what to do with kids like this. Jin Ling had been a fire cracker – not much different from how he was now. He would run around Lotus Pier ordering this and that and throwing tantrums one second and demanding to be picked up and carried around like a little prince the next. Jin Ling had been so… easy.
Jiang Cheng doesn’t know how to handle this little, quiet Wei Wuxian who seems too frightened to even rest his little head on Jiang Cheng’s arm.
Jiang Cheng sighs again. Hanguang-jun will know what to do. Jiang Cheng had sent a butterfly as soon he had found this little boy instead of Wei Wuxian. It would normally be a day’s journey to get to Lotus Pier from Cloud Recesses, but knowing Hanguang-jun, he was probably flying at unimaginable speeds to see his… cursed husband…? Oh, whatever.
A little growl pulls him out of his internal crisis.
He remembers then that Wei Wuxian hasn’t eaten! It’s almost noon and Wei Wuxian hasn’t eaten! Oh god, he’s going to be murdered by Hanguang-jun for starving his baby… husband? Oh whatever, he’s going to be murdered.
“You must be hungry,” he says, standing up, “let’s get you something to eat.”
Wei Wuxian looks at him hesitantly, fear carefully concealed in his big eyes. “I… I don’t have any money,” he says, something like embarrassment flushing across his face. He stands up then too, quickly dashing down the steps to Jiang Cheng’s surprise. “Um… Sorry zhongzhu… Wei Ying doesn’t know how he got here but… um… Wei Ying has no family; no one will come looking for Wei Ying so Wei Ying can go now…”
And before Jiang Cheng can even process what this little kid is saying, Wei Wuxian dashes off.
Jiang Cheng stands there for a second or two just… what the fuck?... before WHAT THE FUCK? kicks in and he jumps down the stairs after Wei Wuxian.
“Wei Wu – Wei Ying! Wei Ying!” he calls out, looking around wildly. How can little kids disappear so fast, oh god, Hanguang-jun is going to murder him! “Uh… I’m your family! You have to stay! Wei Ying!”
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Why hadn’t he explained the situation to the kid before? Why, why, why, why, oh gods, why?
“Wei Ying! Come back!”
It takes maybe an hour to find Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Cheng doesn’t think he’s ever been so scared in his life. For that one hour all he could think about was that little body lying flat on the water or sobbing in a ditch or kidnapped by bad men or – oh god, he doesn’t even want to think of all the possibilities – it was the worst of his life!
His heart finally stops pounding in his chest when he sees Wei Wuxian on the street. Wei Wuxian is watching some dogs in the alley feasting on some trash.
Jiang Cheng takes a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm down before preparing himself to catch the little boy who will undoubtedly start running the opposite direction of the dogs, and towards him.
One breathe, two breathe.
Fuck.
What is Wei Wuxian doing?
Before Jiang Cheng can even take his third breathe, he watches Wei Wuxian run right at the fucking dogs.
What. The. Fuck?
Jiang Cheng races down the street and into the alley. Wei Wuxian’s little body is in the middle of the pack of dogs, valiantly fending them off with one hand and shoving trash into his mouth with the other.
Jiang Cheng kicks the dogs away and scoops up the little ruffian.
“What do you think you’re doing!?” he scowls, heart beating rapidly in his chest. He can’t remember the last time he was this out of breath. He feels almost dizzy. “You run away from dogs! Not towards them!”
Wei Wuxian is shoving the trash he had grabbed into his mouth and he… he… he’s sobbing.
Jiang Cheng tries to calm down. Tries to lessen his scowl. He gently pulls Wei Wuxian’s hand from his mouth.
“Don’t eat that,” he says gently, “I’ll get you food – good food.”
Wei Wuxian just looks at him, fat tears falling from his huge eyes. “Dogs are so scary,” he wails, “Wei Ying was so scared!”
He tries to stuff the remaining trash in his fists into his mouth, but Jiang Cheng stops him. “Stop!” Jiang Cheng says sharply, “Spit out whatever you have in your mouth, right now!” Jiang Cheng puts his hand in front of Wei Wuxian’s mouth, motioning at him to spit the trash out.
Wei Wuxian looks at him for a few seconds before whatever expression on Jiang Cheng’s face convinces him to listen. He wails as he spits out the trash, as if he’s losing something precious.
Jiang Cheng throws the chewed garbage back onto the street and wipes his hand off on his robes. He wipes Wei Wuxian’s face with his sleeve. “If dogs are so scary, why did you run at them!” he chides, wiping at the unending stream of tears that are falling, “You could have gotten hurt.”
Wei Wuxian drops his head onto Jiang Cheng’s shoulder and bawls, great heaving sobs that make passerby’s stare sympathetically at Jiang Cheng.
“Shh,” Jiang Cheng hushes, patting Wei Wuxian on the back soothingly. He walks out of the alley and back towards the Sect Residences. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m here. Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here.”
Wei Wuxian is only sniffling by the time they get back to the residences. Sniffing and trembling in Jiang Cheng’s arms.
It’s… strange to call him Wei Wuxian. It’s hard to reconcile the Wei Wuxian he knows and… and this… this baby. This baby who fits so easily into the crook of Jiang Cheng’s arm, this baby who runs towards dogs and cries so sorrowfully. Had Wei Wuxian ever cried like this when he first came to Lotus Pier? Jiang Cheng can’t remember… How had his father handled Wei Wuxian?
“Wei Ying,” he says, as gently as he knows how, “You must not run from me, okay?”
“Sorry,” Wei Wuxian whimpers, his breathe hiccupping with post cry shudders, “Wei Ying didn’t know…”
Fuck.
“Uh… It’s not your fault… I should have explained,” Jiang Cheng says, feeling stupid for explaining himself to a toddler. Stupid and guilty and ugh – emotions.
Jiang Cheng bathes Wei Wuxian himself, washing the garbage off of his hands and face. Washing the tears and snot off.
There are bite marks on Wei Wuxian’s little arm, and Jiang Cheng feels actual rage.
He might start hating dogs himself, he thinks.
Wei Wuxian, for one, seems delighted by the water, cupping the water in his little hands and smiling as it falls down through his fingers. He smiles up at Jiang Cheng, childish glee carefully tampered inside. “It’s warm!” he breathes.
Jiang Cheng runs wet fingers through Wei Wuxian’s hair. This Wei Wuxian is so cute. So unlike the annoying man-child he grows up to be.
“Does Wei Ying like baths?” Jiang Cheng asks, brushing all of Wei Wuxian’s hair back with wet fingers.
Wei Wuxian leans into Jiang Cheng’s touch and chortles, seemingly unable to help himself.
“Is this baths?” he laughs, splashing some water about, “Is this baths!?”
He keeps laughing as if he’s saying something funny and it’s so cute Jiang Cheng can’t physically take it. He’s reminded of Jin Ling as a baby and he misses the chubby little tyrant so much it aches.
Wei Wuxian cups some of the water in his hands and this time he brings it towards his mouth as if to drink it.
“No, no, no, no, no!” Jiang Cheng says, pulling the offending hands away, “No drinking the bath water.”
Wei Wuxian cackles and falls back helplessly, forcing Jiang Cheng to hold onto him to keep him upright. “But it’s warm!” he says, “Like tea! Wei Ying tea!”
Ugh, Jiang Cheng is keeping this little boy. He will raise Wei Wuxian right this time. No war, no demonic cultivation, no weirdo husband.
“It’s not tea,” Jiang Cheng chuckles, unable to help himself. “It’s bath water. Repeat after me, bath water. Used for cleaning little boys – not for drinking.”
They get out of the bath relatively unscathed. Jiang Cheng wraps Wei Wuxian’s wounds and clothes him in some of Jin Ling’s old clothes, that he had never gone around to getting rid of. (Call him a sentimental bastard, whatever!) He has no shoes that fit Wei Wuxian so he just puts socks on those little feet and carries him.
Wei Wuxian wraps his arms around his neck this time, holding onto Jiang Cheng like a lifeline.
A table of food has already been set in Jiang Cheng’s room when he walks in. He sits with Wei Wuxian on his lap.
“Meat!?” Wei Wuxian breathes, eyes going wide at the display before him.
Jiang Cheng breaks off a chunk of meat with his fingers and puts it in Wei Wuxian’s mouth. He spoons up some congee and feeds it to the little boy. It’s so satisfying to feed little children, he thinks. He remembers doing the same for little Jin Ling. Jin Ling had been so picky when he was a kid – hating chicken and pork and anything not mushy. It had been torture to try to get that kid to eat a vegetable, any vegetable.
Wei Wuxian isn’t picky – or if he is, he sure doesn’t show it. He eats everything Jiang Cheng gives him obediently, his little cheeks ballooning out as he chews.
“You can eat like this, every day, so no more trash, okay?” Jiang Cheng says, rubbing his knuckles over those soft cheeks. They look like little meat buns. So cute.
Wei Wuxian turns his head to look up at Jiang Cheng with big eyes. “But Wei Ying has no money…” he says, blinking up apologetically at Jiang Cheng.
“Luckily, I have tons of money,” Jiang Cheng says, rubbing those soft baby cheeks with his fingers. “I have lots and lots of money so you don’t have to worry about it, okay?”
Wei Wuxian’s little brows furrow, as if making some complicated calculation in his little head, and he nods just a little.
Wei Wuxian takes maybe five more bites of food before he starts sagging on Jiang Cheng’s lap. He leans side to side, obviously struggling to keep his eyes open. His little mouth is chewing on his food valiantly, but his fight with sleep is obviously a losing battle.
Jiang Cheng lifts him up and turns him so that his head is laid on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. He pats Wei Wuxian’s back gently, standing up and bouncing a little. It’s instinctual almost.
“It’s okay,” he murmurs, “go to sleep.”
Wei Wuxian turns to burrow his face into Jiang Cheng’s neck and sighs before falling completely asleep.
Ugh, Jiang Cheng wants a baby. Jiang Cheng wants all the babies.
Jiang Cheng lays down with Wei Wuxian on his bed. He can’t really do anything else, because Wei Wuxian’s little hand is fisted tightly on his robe, and Jiang Cheng doesn’t really have the heart to pull himself away from those little fingers.
Was this really what Wei Wuxian had been like when he first came to Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng wonders, wracking his brain trying to remember.
The Wei Wuxian of his memory has always been a force of nature, running this way and that way and changing everything around him with the sheer force of his presence alone. It’s… almost impossible to reconcile this docile little boy with the Wei Wuxian of his memory.
Hanguang-jun arrives while Wei Wuxian is asleep and Jiang Cheng has to slip himself out of Wei Wuxian’s sleep-lax grip to go and greet him.
“Wei Ying– “ Hanguang-jun says, forgoing any sort of greeting.
“He’s fine,” Jiang Cheng says.
“Where is he?”
“Sleeping.”
Hanguang-jun just stares at him for a couple of breathes and Jiang Cheng gets the familiar sense that Hanguang-jun is only enduring his presence because he’s Wei Wuxian’s brother.
He gets the sense that if he were anyone else, Bichen might be at his throat already.
“Where,” Hanguang-jun says finally, an order more than a question.
Jiang Cheng sort of wants to deny him. He’s the Sect leader after all, does he really have to answer to Hanguang-jun? This is his territory! His terf! Hanguang-jun should really be more polite… Show more respect…
Jiang Cheng hears the creak of Bichen’s sheath in Hanguang-jun’s hand.
“Follow me.”
Jiang Cheng isn’t fucking scared of Hanguang-jun, okay? He’d rather not fight – it would be traumatic for little Wei Wuxian to watch his future(?) husband getting his ass kicked.
They’re almost to his room when he sees Wei Wuxian run out. Wei Wuxian looks around, something desperate and scared about him, before he locks eyes with Jiang Cheng.
He doesn’t make a sound but he runs at Jiang Cheng, his sock clad feet slipping a little underneath him. Jiang Cheng leans down to catch Wei Wuxian in his arms and lifts him up. Wei Wuxian’s arms circle around his neck and hold onto him. He’s trembling a little, Jiang Cheng realizes.
“What’re you so scared for,” Jiang Cheng chides softly, “I’m right here.”
Wei Wuxian sighs and slumps into Jiang Cheng’s embrace. “Not scared,” he lies valiantly, “Where’d you go?”
Jiang Cheng turns. Hanguang-jun is looking at him questioningly. Ugh, it feels so good to have one over Hanguang-jun.
“Someone came to visit you, Wei Ying,” Jiang Cheng says, “say hi to Hanguang-jun.”
Hanguang-jun’s eyes widen slightly at that – the biggest reaction Jiang Cheng has ever gotten from him.
“Hello, Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian says shyly, half his face still hidden in Jiang Cheng’s neck.
“What did you do?” Hanguang-jun hisses at Jiang Cheng.
“Nothing!” Jiang Cheng defends hotly. If anything! Wei Wuxian probably accidently did this to himself! “He just… was like this when I found him this morning!”
Hanguang-jun just stares at him with those strange eyes of his as if he doesn’t believe Jiang Cheng.
Figures.
Jiang Cheng feels Wei Wuxian shift in his arms. “Did Wei Ying do something wrong?” Wei Wuxian asks, whispering the question into Jiang Cheng’s ear.
Jiang Cheng turns to look at him and Wei Wuxian is looking up at him, his little hands still cupped over his little mouth and ugh, fucking hell. Wei Wuxian did nothing wrong. Has done nothing wrong in his entire life. Actually being turned into a child is probably the most right thing he’s ever done.
“No,” Jiang Cheng says, tapping his head against Wei Wuxian’s. He turns to look at Hanguang-jun. “Right, Hanguang-jun? Wei Ying has not done anything wrong. Right?”
Hanguang-jun’s eyes soften as they turn to look at Wei Wuxian. “Wei Ying has done nothing wrong,” he confirms.
Wei Wuxian leans back onto Jiang Cheng, seemingly pleased with the answer. He watches Hanguang-jun with careful eyes. “Hanguang-jun came to see me?” he asks, his hands pointing towards his chest. For some strange reason, he seems delighted by Hanguang-jun. His eyes shining as he stares at him.
Annoying. Even as a child, Wei Wuxian is obsessed with Hanguang-jun.
Hanguang-jun nods. “I came to see you, Wei Ying.”
Wei Wuxian chuckles, hiding his face in Jiang Cheng’s neck again shyly. “Okay, bye,” he says, laughing still.
Hanguang-jun’s face falls at that.
Yes, yes, yes! What a good kid.
“What do you mean, bye?” Jiang Cheng asks, trying not to sound too pleased, “You don’t want to see Hanguang-jun more?”
“No,” Wei Wuxian says, sneaking glances back at Hanguang-jun, laughing to himself as if everything is funny. What a weird kid, Jiang Cheng thinks fondly.
“Why?” Jiang Cheng asks, fighting against the desire to smile. Hanguang-jun is getting his heart broken here! It would be rude to smile. Rude to gloat… yeah… “He came all the way here just for you!”
Wei Wuxian laughs and shifts so he can cup his hands over his mouth again and whisper into Jiang Cheng’ ear. “He’s handsome.”
No.
No. No, no, no, no!!!!
Jiang Cheng turns sharply and holds Wei Wuxian’s head so he can’t sneak glances at Hanguang-jun anymore. He narrows his eyes at Hanguang-jun.
“I think we should keep him like this,” he says, “I think you should go.”
Hanguang-jun narrows his eyes at Jiang Cheng, Bichen’s sheath creaking in his hand again.
“I’ll contact you once he’s 20. If he still likes you then, you can marry him again.”
“Jiang Wanyin…” Hanguang-jun breathes dangerously, ‘I’ll take him with me to Cloud Recesses. The healers will take a look at him – see if this is a… curse of some kind.”
“This obviously isn’t a curse,” Jiang Cheng says, “It’s a present. A present for me. It’ll probably wear off… maybe… so just calm down.”
“Jiang Wanyin…”
Wei Wuxian squirms in Jiang Cheng’s arms. “I don’t want to go,” he whispers, “Can’t I stay here? I’ll be good!”
Hah! Take that, Hanguang-jun! Wei Wuxian doesn’t want to go to stupid Cloud Recesses.
“Wei Ying doesn’t have to go anywhere he doesn’t want to,” Jiang Cheng says, “Right, Hanguang-jun?”
Hanguang-jun’s eyes narrow at him and Jiang Cheng can almost feel the rage coming off him in waves. “Of course,” he grinds out, “Whatever Wei Ying wants.”
Ugh, this is the best. The next time he has negotiations with Gusu, he’s bringing baby Wei Wuxian. Talking to Hanguang-jun is so much easier with baby Wei Wuxian around.
“I’ll reside at Lotus Pier until Wei Ying… grows up.”
Wait, what?
No!
“We don’t have any free rooms available,” Jiang Cheng says.
“I’ll take the room Wei Ying was using.”
“Uh… but that’s Wei Ying’s room.”
“We can share.”
“That’s… unacceptable… for The Excellency,” Jiang Cheng says, wracking his brain for more excuses.
“It’s fine. I’ve shared a room with Wei Ying for 10 years now.”
“He’s a child!” Jiang Cheng gasps, taking a step back and covering Wei Wuxian’s ears protectively.
Hanguang-jun actually rolls his eyes.
“Jiang Wanyin,” he breathes, “Wei Ying is my husband and a member of the Gusu Lan Sect. If he is not back by tomorrow, I will take him with me to Cloud Recesses.”
Ugh, fucking annoying Hanguang-jun.
“But he’s the worst Lan Sect member ever,” he responds weakly, “He’s broken all the rules at least 7 times.”
“He’s Wei Ying,” Hanguang-jun replies back, like that explains everything.
Ugh.
“Fine,” Jiang Cheng concedes, because Hanguang-jun is right. It does explain everything, “but Wei Ying is sleeping with me tonight.”
Jiang Cheng walks (not runs) back to his room before Hanguang-jun can say anything else.
They end up having to go to Cloud Recesses the next day because Wei Wuxian, does in fact, not grow up overnight. Actually, it takes Wei Wuxian 3 months to return to his adult form and he comes back just as suddenly as he had gone.
Jiang Cheng puts him down for a nap and a few hours later a fully grown Wei Wuxian comes out.
It’s really the saddest, most sudden goodbye of Jiang Cheng’s life, and to make things worse, Wei Wuxian has no memory of the time he spent as a child.
Hanguang-jun seems delighted though.
Watching Wei Wuxian and Hanguang-jun be all lovey-dovey has never once made Jiang Cheng want to get married, but after Wei Wuxian grows back up, he starts going to marriage meetings.
Jiang Cheng needs babies, he realizes. He needs babies in his life.
A wife will be nice, he’s sure of that. But, he remembers Wei Wuxian's little hands, grabbing onto the sleeve of his robes. The soft way he liked to rest his head on Jiang Cheng's shoulder. The way he laughed at the most random things, throwing his head back as if it was just too much to keep the laughter inside, and yeah, a wife will be nice, but a baby will be nicer.