Work Text:
Jingyi approaches him first.
“Senior Wei?” Jingyi’s face is an alarming shade of red. “Could you help me with something?”
Wei Wuxian knows that Jingyi is far too embarrassed for this to be an academic query, but he pretends not to notice his discomfort. “Having trouble with that banishing talisman again?”
Jingyi shakes his head. He opens and closes his mouth several times, wringing his hands around the hilt of his sword.
“Just spit it out, Jingyi.”
“I really like this girl.”
He all but shouts it in Wei Wuxian’s face. Well, Wei Wuxian supposes he asked for that.
“Help!” Jingyi squeaks, and hides his face in his hands.
“And then he said,” Wei Wuxian later recounts to Lan Wangji, “since I had somehow managed to ensnare the great Hanguang-jun that I must be full of devious ways to make someone fall in love.” And sure, that’s not exactly what Jingyi said but it was close enough. Besides, Wei Wuxian is enjoying the look of amused disbelief on Lan Wangji’s face far too much to correct himself.
“Mm.” Lan Wangji looks back down at his book.
“So what am I supposed to tell him, Lan Zhan? I can’t say I’m an idiot and I have no idea what I’m talking about half the time. I think he sort of looks up to me. No idea why.”
Lan Wangji sighs and meets his eyes again. “Jingyi does look up to you. You are brilliant and a wonderful teacher.” He shifts his sleeve back and pours Wei Wuxian a generous cup of wine. “You should tell him to figure it out for himself.”
“Lan Zhan! So heartless. My poor little junior needs my counsel and you say such things. No wonder when I asked him why he didn’t come to you for advice he said he couldn’t possibly because you’re Hanguang-jun.” Wei Wuxian sniffs at him before swallowing down the wine. Jingyi had also said but he married you, as if anyone could have done that. Wei Wuxian leaves that part out of his retelling.
Lan Wangji returns to his reading again and Wei Wuxian pouts. So he’s all alone in this. That’s fine, he can do it himself. Like all problems, he needs to start by gathering all pertinent data. He needs to research.
~0~
The inter-clan night hunts were Jin Ling’s idea. He tabled it at the last discussion conference and Lan Wangji immediately agreed, much to the disgruntlement of the other sect leaders who had been bellowing at Lan Wangji for hours on end to get even a small comment on any of their proposals.
“That’s because their proposals are stupid,” Wei Wuxian said later that night in the jingshi while he rubbed the tension out of his poor husband’s shoulders.
“Mm,” Lan Wangji agreed. “And self-serving.”
The inter-clan night hunts were anything but. They served everyone’s best interests, creating friendships and harmony that had been direly needed amongst the sects for decades.
Wei Wuxian was beginning to worry that that harmony was more easily disrupted than he had thought.
He was pretending to pay attention as a Yao sect disciple complained about the broken strap on his hat, but he was actually watching Qin Chunyu, Jingyi’s potential paramour. She swept elegantly through the clearing until she noticed Sizhui cleaning his guqin. When he saw her watching him he leapt to his feet to offer her a polite bow in greeting. A wide smile broke across her face and she nodded back. Uh-oh .
“But of course she likes Sizhui, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian whines at his husband in the dark of their bed two days later. “How could she not? Sizhui is the smartest, kindest, handsomest boy. But he and Jingyi are best friends. This is the sort of thing that could ruin a friendship, Lan Zhan.”
“Could it.” Lan Zhan does not sound nearly worried enough. He tugs some of the blankets away from Wei Wuxian.
“Of course it could—Lan Zhan, just imagine if, say, Nie-xiong had liked me when we were teenagers. Wouldn’t you have wanted to punch him in a fit of jealousy?”
“I already wanted to.”
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian tries to sound aghast amidst his giggles. “What did poor teenaged Nie-xiong do to deserve your punches?”
“Took your attention from me.”
“Oh. Really ?” Wei Wuxian finds he likes this new information far more than he should. There is no more discussion of teenage love drama for the rest of the night.
~0~
Jin Ling is pacing in front of the inn with something clutched in his hands. He looks as though he’s talking to himself. Wei Wuxian stifles his laughter just as Jin Chan approaches his cousin and makes a grab for the box in Jin Ling’s hands. Jin Ling growls something too low for Wei Wuxian to hear before he swats Jin Chan away and stomps inside. Wei Wuxian is proud of how far Jin Chan flies before smacking into a wall. It’s nice when his nephew takes his advice.
Later while his group of juniors are resting, dotted through a field taking a breather after killing a particularly ornery yao, Wei Wuxian sees his nephew with the same box in his hands. He walks up to Sizhui and shoves it roughly into his chest. “Here,” he says, loud enough to carry over to where Wei Wuxian is sitting.
Sizhui seems confused as he stares down at the box. “Thank you?” he calls back as Jin Ling rushes away. Ah, young love.
“Candy, Lan Zhan. He gave our Sizhui this fancy, gaudy Jin candy. And he was so awkward about it. Oh God, he is his father, the poor child.”
Lan Wangji picks up a rabbit and snuggles it against his chest. “Mm.”
“Are you listening to my tale of woe here, husband? Jingyi likes Qin Chunyu, but she likes Sizhui, and so does Jin Ling apparently. But who does Sizhui like? Who knows?”
“Hopefully he has enough sense to stay away from the entire mess,” Lan Wangji says. He rubs a finger between the rabbits ears. He is so not helpful.
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian whines. “What should we do? Our juniors.”
Lan Wangji gives him a look. “I’m sure they will somehow survive this horrible tragedy,” he says. Because he is that mean.
~0~
Jin Ling comes to him second.
“Da-jiu,” he starts, because that’s what he says when he’s trying to butter Wei Wuxian up. “I need your help.”
Wei Wuxian nods at him and continues to twirl Chenqing. He knows what his nephew wants his help with, but subtlety is key.
“Do Lans even like candy?” Jin Ling huffs and kicks a rock into the bushes. “They are probably forbidden to have sweets like they’re forbidden every other fun thing.” He crosses his arms over his chest and pouts like the big baby he is.
“Ah, Jin Ling.” Wei Wuxian puts on his best sage advisor voice. “Just because things are forbidden does not mean that Lans don’t like them.”
Jin Ling screws up his face. He looks like a confused kitten. “Even Hanguang-jun?”
“Especially Hanguang-jun.” Wei Wuxian stops twirling Chenqing and points it at him. “It’s the quiet, reserved ones who are the most romantic.”
“Huh.” Jin Ling tilts his head as if considering. “That’s exactly what Zizhen said.” And then he just wanders away.
“Good talk!” Wei Wuxian calls after him. He doesn’t receive any response. Ungrateful brat.
“And then guess what happened, Lan Zhan?”
Lan Wangji gives him a look and places a bamboo shoot into his mouth, chewing slowly.
“Aiya, no talking during meals, I know, I know. But Lan Zhan, the next time I saw Sizhui he was staring into the depths of an even larger and more ostentatious box of candy with a look of utter confusion on his face. When something doesn’t work the first time, who tries the exact same thing only bigger and uglier and more gold? Who does that? Only a Jin, that’s who. Ugh . My poor Shijie’s son has to be a Jin his whole life. What will become of him?”
Lan Wangji swallows the last bite of his meal and takes a slow sip of tea. “Wei Ying.”
“Lan Zhan,” he whines back. That wasn’t even a Wei Ying he can decipher. “These children are hopeless. Who in their right mind tries to romance Sizhui with stupid candy? I said romantic. Doesn’t that say poetry or music or…?”
“You gave me pornography when we were their age. The height of romance.”
“Sarcasm, Lan Zhan? When I need your help with our children? And we both know what an idiot I was back then.”
Lan Zhan’s pretty lips twist up into a sardonic smile. “Yes, back then.”
Wei Wuxian lets his mouth fall open in outrage. He is outraged.
“Next time Sizhui is gifted with an even larger box of candy, do bring some back for me. You know what a sweet tooth I have.” Lan Zhan’s tongue pokes out of his mouth and slowly wets his bottom lip. Okay, maybe Wei Wuxian is not so outraged after all. He pounces.
~0~
Ouyang Zizhen is a nice boy, but God does he cry a lot.
Wei Wuxian pats him on the back as he blubbers against his shoulder. “What should I do, Senior Wei? Come spring, my life as I know it will be over.” Zizhen lets out a wail that would scare off even the most resentful of spirits.
“Zizhen, Zizhen. I’m sure it can’t be that bad.”
“It is! My father is going to arrange a marriage. A marriage! He said I’m the sect heir so I can’t just go off and marry anyone I want. He said they have to be appropriate .” He drags out the last word like appropriateness is the bloodiest, most painful death sentence. “What would you have done, Senior Wei? What would you have done if someone tried to keep you from Hanguang-jun? You wouldn’t have just rolled over and taken it.”
Rolling over and taking it is something he specializes in when it comes to Hanguang-jun, but he certainly isn’t about to say that to a child.
“Well, I kind of died, so it never really came up at the time.You know, when we were your age I mean.”
That just makes Zizhen cry harder. Wei Wuxian’s robes are so wet he may as well be standing outside in a torrential downpour.
“Senior Wei, that’s so horrible! Poor you, and poor Hanguang-jun, how devastated he must have been!”
“Yes, yes, everything was terrible there for a while. But it’s fine now, isn’t it? No need to dwell on the past. And you aren’t going to die, Zizhen. Many people have very happy and successful arranged marriages.”
“It feels like dying, Senior Wei, since it will kill my most cherished dream.”
He pats Zizhen on the back some more, hoping to avoid a fresh wave of tears. “And what dream would that be?”
“I want to find love. I want an all-consuming romance. I’m sure you wanted the same at my age.”
When he was Zizhen’s age, what he wanted was for no one else he cared about to die, but it seems like a dark aside to their current conversation. Especially after the mention of his own death eliciting such tears. He should probably listen to Lan Zhan and stop joking about those things. He should stay upbeat for the children.
“Spring you said, yes?”
Zizhen nods and wipes a hand over his leaky eyes.
“Well, there you go. We still have lots of time.”
“Time, Senior Wei?”
“Right. Time for you to have that epic romance. You have the experience you’ve wanted, and afterward I’m sure your father could be persuaded to approve the match if the person you meet is appropriate.”
Zizhen perks up. “Appropriate? You think I might meet someone like that?”
“Sure. I mean, you go on night hunts with cultivators from all the sects. Someone is bound to catch your fancy one of these days.”
That garners a smile. “Right. You’re so wise, Senior Wei. I knew it was a good idea to come to you.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure,” Wei Wuxian says. He straightens out the soppy shoulder of his robes.
Zizhen hums thoughtfully. “You know, I have met a really nice girl who is a powerful cultivator.”
“Have you?” He can feel the wetness all the way through three layers to his skin. He tries not to grimace.
“Yeah, I have. You’ve met her. Do you think my father would consider Qin Chungyu an appropriate match for me?”
Oh fuck.
“No, not her. Probably—definitely not her.” Zizhen’s eyes are beginning to shine again. Distraction, distraction … “You know, I did notice that pretty Nie disciple with all the… the braids…” God, they all have braids. Maybe it’s time he does as Lan Zhan says and learns their names. “She always compliments your talismans. And she is Nie Huaisang’s cousin, you know. Definitely appropriate for a sect heir’s spouse.”
Zizhen nods, contemplating. “Nie Zhuyi. She is very impressive with her sabre. She killed that boar for us when we were all hungry on the mountain in Qinghe that time, too. That was so nice of her.”
Wei Wuxian can’t hold back his grimace this time, not at that memory—the entrails and everything she’d cut out of it. Yeck. Luckily Zizhen’s eyes are glazed over dreaming of the potential for romance with the Nie girl and he doesn’t notice.
He comes out of his daze and wraps Wei Wuxian in a sudden hug. “Thanks, a-die! I mean, Senior Wei.” He bows deeply, face red. “I’m going to go see if Nie Zhuyi is around.”
“He called me a-die, Lan Zhan. How cute is that? Although, maybe I should be offended since I have met his actual father and I do not want to be mistaken for that man.”
“Mm.” Lan Wangji doesn’t look up from the letter he is writing. “That facial hair would not suit you.”
“Lan Zhan! Surely as my husband you must think I would look nice in any style or with any amount of facial hair.”
“I suppose.”
Wei Wuxian huffs at him. “Just for that, I’m going to grow a very stupid beard. A spite beard. It will scratch at all of your soft, pretty skin.”
Lan Wangji hums again. “I do not think you are able to grow a beard, Wei Ying, but you are of course welcome to try.” His mouth is curling at the corners as he signs his name at the bottom of the scroll.
“Lan Wangji, you take that back!”
His husband looks at him at last. “And if I refuse?”
“Then I will be forced to grow an even pointier, scratchier, and more spiteful beard. How abused your poor skin will be.”
“I may be forced to stop kissing you.”
Wei Wuxian gasps. “Lan Zhan, you wouldn’t?”
Lan Wangji’s eyes go soft and he reaches across the table to cup a hand around Wei Wuxian’s jaw. “Of course not. I will always kiss my Wei Ying, no matter how large and spiteful his imaginary beard might be.”
“Lan Zhan!” He is distracted from his outrage by his husband’s quiet laughter.
~0~
“Senior Wei?” Sizhui is so polite, smiling up at him with his round little cheeks. His smile looks so much like Wen Qing’s that it makes Wei Wuxian want to cry sometimes. He pets his hair instead.
“What is it, A-Yuan?”
“Um… do you know why Jin Ling keeps giving me this fancy candy?” He pulls a third and even more gilded box from his sleeve and holds it out for inspection. “I thought he wanted me to share them with the group because he was too shy to do it himself, but the last time when he saw me giving some to Qin-guniang he got so angry.”
Wei Wuxian barely refrains from groaning. Barely. Jin Ling is even more hopeless than his father was. Wait—
“Qin-guniang? You mean Qin Chunyu?”
Sizhui nods. Oh shit, he must like her too. Poor Jingyi. Poor Jin Ling.
Only one way to find out.
“Do you, um, like Qin Chunyu?”
Sizhui smiles again. “Oh sure, she’s a great cultivator. She saved both me and Zizhen with her quick thinking in Baling last month.”
Wei Wuxian hums like he’s agreeing. “But do you maybe like her, like her? Perhaps?”
Sizhui’s face reddens immediately. “N-no,” he stutters. “Why would you think that, Senior Wei?”
“Oh, I’ve just seen the two of you talking a few times.” While I was doing reconnaissance for Jingyi.
Sizhui shakes his head so quickly Wei Wuxian worries he will make himself dizzy. “No, no! She is the one who always comes to speak with me. I don’t— And besides, she mostly wants to talk to me about Jingyi.”
“Huh.” Now that is interesting. Wei Wuxian takes the box of candy that Sizhui is still holding out. He slides the top off and selects a particularly shiny piece and pops it into his mouth. It tastes like honey and abhorrent amounts of wealth. “Have you told Jingyi?”
“No.” Sizhui blinks in confusion. “I didn’t think it was important.”
“Could be, could be.” Wei Wuxian rubs a hand over his chin and pretends to be nonchalant even when he’s dancing with joy inside. Maybe one friendship can survive this looming disaster. “Maybe mention it to him. You know, quietly.”
Sizhui nods. “Okay, Senior Wei.” Sizhui bows and turns to rejoin the others. Such a polite boy. Wei Wuxian pops another candy into his mouth and contemplates how it’s possible for candy to taste expensive. And ah, shit, he forgot to ask how Sizhui felt about Jin Ling.
“They are very gold aren’t they?” Lan Wangji eats one of the candies.
“Disgustingly,” Wei Wuxian agrees. He eats another piece anyway. “At least they aren’t medicinal though.” The last cake he’d eaten from the Cloud Recesses kitchens was garnished with some medicinal herb or another. He shudders at the memory.
Lan Wangji has joined him on this night hunt with the junior disciples, finally able to drag himself away from his duties for a few days. Wei Wuxian much prefers staying at inns when his husband is with him. The bed always feels so lonely when he’s by himself. Plus they can share the candy spoils of Jin Ling’s disastrous courtship attempts without Wei Wuxian having to drag the voluminous box all the way back to Gusu.
“So, there is some progress in the right direction, even though the appearance of yet another box of candy may have hinted otherwise.”
“Progress?” Lan Wangji begins removing his elaborate guan as he starts preparations for bed.
“Yeah, with the kids and the potential disaster of them all liking the same people.”
Lan Wangji gives him a look. A look that says did we not decide the best course of action was not to take action at all?
Wei Wuxian ignores the look. “So I think Qin Chunyu might return Jingyi’s affections after all. It appears she may have been hovering around Sizhui for information about Jingyi. There’s no accounting for taste I guess.”
“Jingyi is one of your favourites,” Lan Wangji reminds him.
“Playing favourites is against the rules, Lan Zhan.”
“And yet.”
“And yet you do it all the time, Hanguang-jun.” Wei Wuxian steals the piece of candy his husband is reaching for, to be a brat.
“Mm. And you.”
“Scandalous lies. How dare you besmirch the good name of the Yiling Laozu.”
“I would never.” Lan Wangji leans forward and presses his lips to Wei Wuxian’s. The kiss is chaste for the first moment, then Lan Wangji suddenly deepens it and uses his tongue to swipe the candy out of Wei Wuxian’s mouth. “Mm,” he says, sucking on the stolen candy. “Tastes better this way.”
“Thief.” Wei Wuxian pretends to be disgruntled but he’s secretly impressed. He loves it when Lan Wangji resorts to such underhanded tactics. “You should definitely do a handstand as punishment. Preferably after you’ve finished undressing.”
“Wei Ying, behave,” Lan Wangji says, but he’s smiling.
“Oh, Lan Zhan, but that won’t be fun for either of us and you know it.”
Everything turns out to be very fun indeed.
~0~
“Lan Jingyi, Qin Chunyu, Lan Sizhui, Jin Rulan, Ouyang Zizhen and Nie Zhuyi, you will go with us.”
Wei Wuxian waits until the kids have all vanished into the forest ahead of them. “Aw, Lan Zhan.” He cuddles up to his husband’s side. “You do care.”
“Care about what?”
“It’s all the kids in the, you know, love entanglement.”
Lan Wangji gives him a look and shakes his head before picking up his pace so that he outstrips him. Wei Wuxian smirks at his retreating back. Lan Zhan can pretend all he wants, but Wei Wuxian knows he did it on purpose. His husband is far too meticulous and observant to miss something so obvious, especially when Wei Wuxian has been pestering him with the information for weeks.
“I knew you loved our many children,” Wei Wuxian calls after him. He doesn’t get a response and that is a response in and of itself. He laughs quietly and follows after the group.
They are in Nie territory, so the kids let Nie Zhuyi take point. Jingyi looks at Lan Wangji as if for his opinion on this decision and is rewarded with a small nod of approval. The wide smile that breaks over his face makes Wei Wuxian turn a laugh into a cough. He watches Qin Chunyu also noticing Jingyi’s smile, and how her pale cheeks pinken before she abruptly looks away. Lan Wangji has noticed this turn of events as well. When Wei Wuxian gives him a thumbs up, he sighs deeply.
“Someone should head out and see if that weird green light has disappeared from around the village while we clear out this snake nest,” Nie Zhuyi says. She watches Wei Wuxian as she gives the order, her gaze questioning.
“Definitely,” Wei Wuxian agrees, “great idea, Nie-guniang.”
“Sizhui and I will go,” Lan Wangji says. “We will survey the village perimeter from above and then return to help.”
Lan Zhan and Sizhui mount their swords and head off, and Wei Wuxian turns to the nest of measuring snakes, readying to remove the warding talisman so the kids can have at them.
And have at them they do—the writhing, hissing mass doesn’t last long against the weapons of five young disciples eager to prove themselves.
Wei Wuxian makes a face at what’s left of them before Nie Zhuyi sets them alight with a fire talisman. “Aw, I almost feel bad killing the little ones,” he says, “they’re sort of cute.”
Jin Ling shakes his head. “What is wrong with you, Wei Wuxian,” he grumbles.
“Ah?” Wei Wuxian readies his whiniest and most annoying tone of voice. “Jin Ling, what happened to Da-jiu, huh? I’m only Da-jiu when you want my advice on how to court Sizhui, is that it? How selfish.”
Jin Ling’s face twists in all directions as though unsure whether to display embarrassment or rage. But before he can begin his oncoming tirade, Jingyi interrupts.
“What was that? Jin Ling is trying to court who now?”
Zizhen stops helping Nie Zhuyi burn the pile snake corpses and turns to them. “You have some explaining to do, Jin Ling,” he says. Nie Zhuyi and Qin Chunyu look very interested in these explanations as well.
Jin Ling turns his red face toward his friends and splutters. “What? I— I wasn’t trying to court Sizhui! I was trying to thank him for helping me with some sect business… he kind of told someone off for me—you know, politely—and since then I’ve had way less trouble dealing with all the riff raff at Jinlintai. Why would you think—?”
This is all very confusing to Wei Wuxian. All of these kids and all of these crushes, and the most wonderful kid of all doesn’t have any admirers? “So let me get this straight—none of you have a crush on Sizhui?”
The group stops glaring daggers at Jin Ling and breaks into uproarious laughter, Jingyi slapping his own thigh and snorting. “Oh, Senior Wei,” says Qin Chunyu, sounding like she’s speaking to a toddler, “everyone has a crush on Sizhui.”
Zizhen nods, wiping at his leaking eyes. “Have you met Sizhui?” he asks.
Well, that makes more sense.
“We all decided since everyone likes Sizhui, no one would try to court him. Leave him to choose who he likes for himself,” Nie Zhuyi adds.
Wei Wuxian stares. He doesn’t know what to make of them. They laugh harder.
“But Jin Ling has apparently broken our pact, so he will be punished. Thank you for letting us know,” Jingyi says. He gives Jin Ling a menacing look.
“I did not! Look, I don’t even like Sizhui. You’re all crazy!”
“Jin Ling?” Sizhui has returned with Lan Wangji. His eyes are wide and hurt when he emerges from between the trees. “I thought we were friends.”
Jin Ling flounders. “What? Of course. Of course we’re friends. They were trying to tease me that I liked you. Like I wanted to marry you or something.” He says the last part more quietly while watching his feet kick at the pine needles that blanket the forest floor.
“Oh.” Sizhui’s face is red. “Well that’s just silly.” He laughs lightly and all the kids get dreamy looks on their faces. How had Wei Wuxian never noticed that before?
“Come on, Sizhui,” Jingyi says. “Of course he likes you. Like I told you, everyone does.”
Sizhui blinks at Jingyi. “Stop teasing,” he says. He shakes his head.
“You never believe me,” Jingyi continues. “Senior Wei, help me out here. I’m sure there was someone who all the disciples had a crush on when you were a junior.”
Wei Wuxian opens his mouth to say his memory isn’t good enough to recall something so trivial, but Lan Wangji speaks up first.
“It was Wei Ying, of course,” he says.
Wei Wuxian splutters. “Lan Zhan, that is not true!”
Lan Wangji raises one perfect eyebrow. “Nie Huaisang, Luo Qingyang, Yu Zihong, Yao Yuling, Liu Shiwen, Fan Manyu, Wang Zhendong, me .”
“They did not—Lan Zhan all those people did not harbour crushes on me back then! Well, besides you. But you married me.’’
“They did. I was paying very close attention.”
“Lan Zhan!”
The kids are laughing at him again. His face is so hot he can just imagine how red it must be. Lan Wangji looks very pleased with himself.
“I don’t even remember who most of those people are,” he mutters.
“Ouch, Senior Wei,” Jingyi says.
Wei Wuxian ignores him. “But Nie-xiong did not—”
“Followed you around everywhere and did anything you said,” Lan Wangji says.
“Well Mianmian definitely did not—”
“She and her friends used to giggle about you all of the time while they were guest disciples.”
“Lan Zhan, interrupting is against the rules!”
“I will be sure to copy Conduct while doing a handstand when we return to the inn.”
Remembering the last time Lan Zhan did a handstand in their inn room, Wei Wuxian turns improbably more red. “Yes. You, ah, you do that.” He clears his throat. Lan Wangji looks even more pleased with himself. “And even though it was twenty years ago, you shouldn’t have been eavesdropping on poor Mianmian, Lan Zhan. Have you no shame?” Now it’s Wei Wuxian’s turn to be smug. Serves his husband right for embarrassing him in front of their children.
“Eavesdropping was unnecessary. They were not quiet about it. In fact, no one was. How you did not notice is a mystery, Wei Ying.”
“How I didn’t notice? Lan Zhan, I was—Well, I guess I was only paying attention to you, wasn’t I?” He mumbles the last part. He has no reason to be embarrassed about his teenaged obsession with his own husband, but he didn’t even realize what that meant at the time, and he feels a bit stupid about it.
“Aw, Senior Wei, that’s so sweet!” Zizhen has a hand pressed against his own chest. He looks teary-eyed again. Oh no . Time to leave. Wei Wuxian is already dirty enough, he doesn’t need to be soaking wet on top of that.
“Lan Zhan, ah, let’s go back to the inn, yes? Let the kids finish cleaning up. I think everything is all in line here.”
Lan Wangji gives him an amused look before pulling him onto Bichen . “Don’t dawdle, children!” Wei Wuxian calls down as they ascend. Jin Ling is too busy dodging the dirty looks of his peers to yell after him that he isn’t a child.
He feels Lan Wangji’s warm breath against the side of his neck. “So Wei Ying has finally decided to mind his own business in this matter?”
“Me? Lan Zhan, when have I not minded my business, eh? I always mind my business. Those crazy kids can figure that mess out on their own. That’s what I’ve been saying all along.”
“Hmm.” Lan Wangji’s belief in him sounds dubious at best. Best to change the subject. Safer that way.
“Lan Zhan, I feel disgusting. And so hungry! Let’s order a nice hot bath and lots of good things to eat. But not boar, because I’m having flashbacks to the last night hunt we did here in Qinghe with the kids and Nie-guniang’s boar and that smell—I don’t think I could stomach it.”
Lan Wangji hums again. This time it sounds like agreement. Wei Wuxian can work with that.
~0~
Five months later a letter bearing the Baling Ouyang crest is delivered to the jingshi.
“The Ouyang family is happy to announce the betrothal of our son, Ouyang Zizhen, to Nie Zhuyi of the Qinghe Nie sect. We would be most honoured by the presence of his Excellency at the wedding of our only son. His Excellency’s advice on this matter was most helpful and we are well pleased to be gaining Nie-guniang as a member of our family and clan…” Wei Wuxian trails off where he was reading the letter aloud to Lan Wangji. “Your advice, ah Lan Zhan? What happened to leaving the kids to sort it out for themselves?” He gives his husband a smug smile. He knew Lan Wangji loved those kids too much not to meddle.
Lan Wangji gives him a look but does not elaborate. He can’t have that.
“Lan Zhan—”
“Ouyang-zongzhu asked what I thought of the match and I said I approved. Nie Zhuyi is from one of the Great Clans and the relationship could only prove advantageous for Baling Ouyang. And she is a good cultivator and friend, and would bring much happiness to his son.”
“Aw, Lan Zhan, that’s really sweet of you, you know. Zizhen—”
“Has already wept his gratitude onto the sleeve of my travelling robes.”
Wei Wuxian snorts a laugh. “That kid sure can weep.”
“Mmm.”
Wei Wuxian, smiling to himself, pours his husband a cup of tea. It’s crazy that Zizhen is getting married. He’s just a kid! But they likely all will within the next few years.
“Who do you think will be next? Jingyi? I can’t imagine Jin Ling finding a match—that kid is too much like Jiang Cheng. He will definitely need our help if he’s ever to get married—”
“Wei Ying, no more meddling.”
“Lan Zhan! Not even—”
Lan Wangji stops him with a look from over the rim of his teacup. Wei Wuxian huffs at him and takes a long swallow of wine. No more meddling. As if. As if he could stop himself when it involves his best kids. When it involves his best kid. He grins, smelling impending victory, and pokes Lan Wangji’s shoulder with one finger.
“Not even if it’s to secure Sizhui’s happiness, Lan Zhan, hm? What if something might go terribly wrong and our little A-Yuan is sad, even then?”
Lan Wangji sits up impossibly straighter than he was already sitting and sets his cup on the table with a light clink. “It is not the same when it is Sizhui.”
“Ah, Lan Zhan will break his rules for our own child, is that it?”
Lan Wangji hums his agreement. “Wei Ying did birth him from his own body after all.”
Wei Wuxian chokes on his mouthful of wine, laughing. “Lan Zhan!” He giggles at the pleased look on his husband’s face at his own joke. “Ah, it makes me a bit sad though. They are all growing up. We might have to start a second brood of little ones, eh, Lan Zhan?”
Lan Wangji nods very seriously. “We must get started right away.” Then he gets up from the table and drags his laughing husband toward their bed.