Work Text:
***
There had been something in the air the entire day, an excitement lingering on the edge of change. The smell of dried leaves crunched under Wei WuXian’s feet as he strolled up the mountain pass, the sound of it warm and welcoming to his ears. A breeze lifted from the meadow and pushed some of the seeds from the grass to dance and drift with him before sweeping upwards to the sun streaked sky. A small flock of birds broke free from the forest, their bellies painted golden against the blue dome above him, and like the golden leaves they departed from, flicked their way into the beyond.
This is what coming home felt like.
Pausing just before the barrier, he took a moment to admire it in the fading evening light. Just beyond, embraced by its pools and eddies of red spiritual energy, was Wen Village, his village. And inside it were the people he loved. His home. Not for the last time he thanked the ancestors that he could finally call it that now. He thanked them for these past five months of change. He felt more alive than he had in thirteen years.
Following the smell of cooking, he passed through the swirling red meniscus and between looming towers of black limestone, leaning in like hug around him. The narrow path widened as it wove its way past the last looming boulder. Wei WuXian lifted his hand to pat the head of the protective stone statues at the entrance to Luanzang Hill, as he did every time he entered his home. A silent thank-you.
The red lanterns of Wen Village welcomed him back, beckoning him down the path. Quickly they were accompanied by lanterns of gold and white, painted with animals and wishes by the hands of children. In the center of the town, at the crossroads that held the barrier together, the ginkgo tree planted there was full of the children’s lanterns, glowing with the promise of the moon yet to rise. Wei WuXian could not help but smile at them. He knew SiZhui spent most of the day building these with the village kids. He could see his son’s handiwork holding each one together.
Below the tree an altar was set up with offerings from SiZhui’s harvest between two red candles; apples, pears, grapes, melons and pomelos, bowls of lotus seed pods, and chopped lotus root. At the center was a crudely carved rabbit of low quality jade. Wei WuXian pulled his lips into a sort of smirk. I have to get someone to carve a better rabbit for next year. This is. . . I cannot let Lan Zhan see this. He quickly palmed it into his sleeve before moving on.
***
Lan WangJi and Wen Ning had spent the whole day together cooking. With practiced movements they cracked the eggs into the flower, rolled up the little balls of dough, placed them in to the molds and painted them with egg white before baking. Each were filled with the lotus paste they made from that years harvest. It seemed that all of the little mud pools about Wen Village had produced more of the lovely pink blossoms than ever that summer.
“It’s because you’re here, Lan-er-gongzi. The flowers do better when SiZhui and Master Wei are happy when they care for them,” Wen Ning insisted.
“Mnn,” Lan WangJi hummed with embarrassment, the tips of his ears going flush. He did not look up from his chopping, but took the compliment from Wen Ning none the less.
They were preparing a few ducks to be roasted with with root vegetables, stuffing it with pears and grapes. This year they could even afford cassia wine and candies from town. Both were excited to see the look on Wei WuXian’s face when he found out.
“Wen Qionglin, not only do you guard the barrier, train SiZhui in the Wen fighting style, but also have proven to be an excellent cook. All of Wei Ying’s happiness cannot be attributed to me.”
He finished the last of his chopping and moved across the room to check on the broth that had been simmering away for the past few hours. It was finally turning a blush pink in the pot.
“Ah. T-thank you Lan-er-gongzi," Wen Ning stuttered over his words. He and Lan WangJi were at an impasse concerning how to address one another, each being too polite to drop any formality on the topic. “How is the pork rib and lotus root soup coming?”
“It smells almost done. I think you may have perfected the recipe Wen Qionglin. It may even be more delicious than the last time Jiang YanLi made it.” Lan WangJi was pleased at how much pride Wen Ning squirmed with at that. After all, he did not lie.
“Did Wen Qing teach you about the kitchen?” Lan WangJi inquired as continued to stir the pink broth.
“Ah. Ah, no. Sister did not like to cook.” It was Wen Ning’s turn to feel a little embarrassed. “It was Granny. She taught me when I was very young. We did that while the other boys played.”
Lan WangJi nodded in understanding. “It was the same for me. But I did not have a popo to teach me.”
He had learned by watching other Lan disciples, and plenty of trial and error. Eventually he found books in the library to guide him through other culinary practices besides those of Cloud Recesses.
“I guess neither of us were the type to have many childhood friends, w-were we?” Wen Ning said a little more forlornly than he said everything else.
“Mn. That is true,” Lan WangJi agreed. “Though, Brother was always there for me.”
“Sister was always there for me too. S-She was harsh sometimes. B-but I knew it was to keep me safe. The other kids didn’t like me. Not even as I got older. S-she would always say, ‘You are a Wen! You are are of strong blood! Don’t let them bully you!’ B-but it was no use. Besides, we’re f-from a different branch of the Wen Clan. We have different ways.”
“Mn.” Lan WangJi nodded. He continued to stir the soup while Wen Ning minded the progress of the mooncakes as they baked.
“I always did my best to support my sister. I-I don’t know if I did a good job in the end.” Wen Ning admitted as he rearranged the trays to make sure all the mooncakes received even heat.
Lan WangJi nodded. “I always did my best to support my brother. But I am here now, and have left him to run the sect on his own.”
It was Wen Ning’s turn to nod in understanding.
“It’s hard, being the s-second in the clan, isn’t it?” Wen Ning peered up at him from the ovens. “O-others think that it is easy, that we know our role and don’t have to make the big decisions. But, but, did it make you feel trapped too, HanGuang-Jun? Like you had no room to be your own person?”
Lan WangJi nodded slowly. That is exactly what it felt like.
“I didn’t know where I belonged before Master Wei took me in. I didn’t know what I wanted in life until I was here. Now, everything is easy.” If Wen Ning could smile he would have right then.
Lan WangJi nodded again. “I feel the same,” he said softly into the soup. “I feel the same.”
***
Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi sat on the roof of their abode, watching the long shadows cast by the white light of the harvest moon. Her silver glow cut shapes and patterns through the trees changing leaves, painting glowing patterns on the path below. Black streaks of shadow ran across the thatched roofs of Wen village, and the rolling slope of rice patties let off a luminous glow. Along the edge of the road, tall flowers bobbed their heads wearing crowns of white. Families had set up tables along the road as well, so they could eat outside in the moonlight together. The pleasant sounds of children playing games drifted up to their ears, some pretending to be the hunter, or Chang-e, or the jade rabbit, running around with their home made lanterns.
Lan Zhan and Wei Ying were content to just sit and be together. Between them was a small wooden table laden with the mooncakes accompanied by hot tea. Wei WuXian reclined across the slope of the roof, as he was wont to do, and watched Lan Zhan pour the tea. With the sweep of a sleeve, he lifted the pot elegantly, letting the hot liquid fall in straight lines echoing his straight posture. The moonlight caught the wisps of bang teasing each of his temples causing Wei WuXian to sigh. He was beautiful.
Wei WuXian stopped spinning Chenqing and sat up to take the first bite out of a mooncake. Eyes lifting into half moons, he immediately handed it over to Lan WangJi to try.
“Lan Zhan! This is so delicious! You and Wen Ning did a great job with the lotus paste!”
His smile deepened as Lan WangJi took a bite from the same place his mouth had just been, eyes watching him. Wei WuXian watched something flash through them as Lan WangJi chewed the egg yolk center with intent before swallowing. Then he patted his mouth with a white cloth and gave him a prim, “Thank you.”
Wei WuXian continued to admire him a moment longer before looking up. He took a moment to point to the night sky, seeking out Polaris, HouYi and the Ox.
“Lan Zhan, the moon on the night of Zhongqiu Jie is the brightest and the most beautiful. Look! You can see the rabbit.” He was pointing at the moon, but Lan Zhan was looking at the curvature of his hand.
He paused for a moment and was certain he heard someone call out A-Xian. Batting his eyes he watched as his sister’s smile fell through the stars in the cloudless black. He breathed in the moment, not caring if it was real or not. Then he came around the table to curl up close to Lan WangJi. When his fuddy duddy welcomed him with a kiss on the top of his head, he felt something he never thought he would feel again. The roundness of the moon really was for the reunion of families.
“Lan Zhan. This is perfect,” he sighed against the other’s side. “What did I do in life to deserve things to turn out like this?”
“Wei Ying made this place. Wei Ying made these people happy. So why would Wei Ying not be allowed to also be happy?”
He sighed again. What did he do to deserve this man.
“I’m glad you believe in me Lan Zhan,” he whispered. And not for the last time, “I’m glad you are here.”
“Me too Wei Ying.”
A white clad arm snuck around the back of him and squeezed. Wei WuXian let himself get lost in happiness. He was slowly learning that every time he let himself feel like this, a part of his heart would burn and throb for a moment, like being seared, and then the resentment and pain would dissipate, leaving forever. Every time his heart would get just a little bit lighter, and it would stay that way.
The quiet on the rooftop was suddenly disturbed by the squeal of children below. Glancing down, Wei WuXian noticed a parade of bobbing lights were coming down the street towards them from the center of town. The village children were all dancing and hopping on the dusty street, swinging colorful lanterns about with them. They were lead by a black clad youth playing the dizi, a red ribbon flowing from his hair tied high on his head. Between them was an ocean of grey and black rabbits, hopping and bouncing to the sound of the music. A group of children who had been playing ‘encircling the toad’ stopped splashing water on their friend and shrieked in joy at the sight of it. Forgetting all about their game, they took off after them down the street, hopping about as if they were rabbits themselves. A couple of Wen elders followed behind the parade, only half attempting to coral the children back to their families.
Wei WuXian gave his son a wave, and then turned to watch Lan WangJi’s face as his lips curled upward ever so slightly. He held onto that smallest smile while watching the grey and black rabbits hop and frolic about the streets below them, the children chasing in laughter. When a gust of wind picked up across the roof, bits of thatch came loose to dance with golden leaves and off into the night. But when the wind touched Lan WangJi’s face, something in it seemed to pull the half smile away, and his skin was left as cold as the night air.
“You miss Cloud Recesses,” Wei WuXian realized it while he said it out loud.
“A little,” Lan WangJi confessed. “Though I did not live there year round, I would think of if from time to time.” He kept looking at the moon. “Especially on this night.”
Wei WuXian suddenly remembered a story Lan XiChen told him once long ago, about a woman who was imprisoned in her hanshi and could only see her two children once a month. And after she passed, one would still visit every fifteenth day, well into his adult hood. Wei WuXian sighed for the aching heart of his HanGuang-Jun.
“Then, Lan Zhan, let’s visit. Let’s take A-Yuan to see his new friends and stay there for a while. Wen Ning could come and lead them in some night hunting. They really could use the experience.”
He gave his fuddy duddy a soft smile. He was learning that Lan Zhan needed encouragement to pursue the things he wanted. He had been like this since they were young, never saying anything directly when he wanted something.
Lan WangJi turned to look at him. “You have responsibilities, Wei Ying.” That little line had appeared between his brows.
“The Wen’s will be fine without me for a month,” Wei WuXian scoffed. When the line did not disappear he started to insist. “They really will, Lan Zhan. Let’s go to Gusu together.”
Lan WangJi said nothing for a long time and just stared at the white of the moon with the white of his face.
“Together,” he finally said at last. He tilted his head to the side to lay it across Wei WuXian’s shoulder.
Wei WuXian heard Lan WangJi let go of a small sigh when he wrapped one arm around his shoulders to pull him in close. He noticed Lan WangJi get lost in looking at the red embroidery along the sleeve of his robes, and smiled a little at his fuddy duddy. Watching the reflection of the moon fill his tea cup, Wei WuXian let his thoughts drift into a silent prayer to the ancestors.
Well, here he is. I have wanted to show him to you all for a while now. I am blessed to have him here with me. I pray that we will never part again, and our son will grow up happy. One day I promise you that we will take the bows, then the time is right. Until then, please watch over him for me.
Then he pressed his lips gently against Lan WangJi’s midnight black hair and leaned his cheek over the spot to keep the kiss safe, like a blessing on his lover’s head. And together they let themselves melt into the night, into the comfort of each other. Tea and cakes forgotten, they basked in the sound of children playing with lanterns under a full moon.
.
.
.
.