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“Sect Leader Jiang!!!” Lan Xichen calls out at the sight of Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng forces his eyebrows together as he concentrates at the man in the distance, increasing his pace to reach the man because being called that loudly surely means urgency. “Why are you here?” He asks when they are a couple feet away. “Is something wrong?”
“Well, I was looking for you!!!”
Jiang Cheng flinches at the magnitude of Xichen’s voice, eyes widening with alarm. “We were supposed to meet at the —” he utters, bewildered by the enthusiastic man before him.
“Should I not have come here?!” Xichen interrupts. “Well, I’ll head back there instantly!!!” Lan Xichen turns on his heels and moves with long strides, walking with resolute steps down the long corridor.
A chuckle, a huff of disbelief escapes Jiang Cheng and he stares until Xichen makes a turn and disappears out of sight. Quickly, Jiang Cheng chases after the man, curiosity and panic mixed in his veins.
When he reaches the pavilion they were supposed to meet at, Xichen is sitting at the table, pouring himself another cup of—
What is he pouring?
Jiang Cheng rushes over and pulls the cup away, causing Xichen to startle. He picks up the bottle on the table and sniffs. A string of curses leave his mouth upon realisation.
He’s the genius who had replaced the plum juice with alcohol, thinking it would help him get through boring meetings. And now—
Jiang Cheng looks at Xichen with dread.
The other man is gawking at him with a hand over his mouth. After a moment, his hand falls away and “Sect Leader Jiang!!!” Xichen exclaims.
It startles Jiang Cheng so sharply that he curses again.
“You said a forbidden word!” Xichen blares. “You said many forbidden words!!!”
“Shhh!” Jiang Cheng leaves the cup and bottle on the table and attempts to grab at the man, respect and manners be damned. “People are going to hear you,” Jiang Cheng reprimands, palms held out to catch the man like he’s some sort of chicken running wild.
“Well, of course they’d hear me, I’m speaking!!!” Xichen explains, so helpfully .
“Shhh! Your uncle might hear you.”
Xichen eyes are instantly blown wide. “My uncle?!!!”
“ Yes , your uncle.”
“Where is he?!!!”
“He is asleep, you are going to wake him by talking so loudly.”
“No!!! Then, we have to be very quiet!!!”
Jiang Cheng can’t help the laugh that escapes, even Zewu-jun is afraid. But it is useless, the alcohol is more powerful.
“We should hide!!!” Xichen suggests happily.
“Yes,” Jiang Cheng agrees. “I know a place.”
Xichen brightens and rises with excitement, eagerness written all over his face.
“Come with me,” Jiang Cheng says and starts walking. Xichen thankfully follows him closely. Though that only lasts for a short while before his focus falls away and he is distracted by the fishes and lotuses and literally anything in his view.
It is a long walk from the pavilion they are on to the guest quarters, Jiang Cheng realises with an awful feeling in his throat. There is no way to get him there with the amount of noise he’s making. Even his gasps of admiration are loud, Jiang Cheng never knew that to be possible.
The hallways are fortunately quiet on the weekend nights, most of the disciples have returned home for the week, attendants are off enjoying their time in the town entertainments. The only ones left are most likely the disciples accompanying the Elder Lan Qiren and his dear drunk nephew.
Jiang Cheng presses his hands to his cheeks, knocking his forehead against a wooden pillar with stress as he hears the way Lan Xichen is very exuberantly standing in the shallow pond - that covers most of the residence - and dragging his long robes across the water to watch it ripple. He is at least quiet for once. The silly man had climbed over the handrail in the swiftest motion - he is an accomplished cultivator after all - and dashed straight into the water. When Jiang Cheng asked what he was doing, he replied, shaking a closed fist wildly, “I caught a star!!!”
He didn’t even end up figuring out that he in fact did not catch a star because he was very quickly distracted and entranced by the sway of his robes in the water. With a big sigh, Jiang Cheng pulls himself away from the pillar and climbs over the handrail himself. If they can’t make it through the hallways then he’ll just have to improvise. He approaches Lan Xichen slowly and wraps a hand around one of the extended arms that are busy swaying side to side so that his sleeves glide across the water.
Xichen stays mesmerised by it and Jiang Cheng manages to get them through a considerable amount of the pond, navigating around the buildings without too much difficulty other than the bottom of their robes getting increasingly soaked and muddy. They are getting closer to the guest quarters, Jiang Cheng notes with slight relief.
But all good things must come to an end.
“Sect Leader Jiang!!”
Jiang Cheng startles and looks around, making sure no one is in the hallways surrounding them. Then he turns to Xichen who is gaping at him with eyes that shine too brightly for such a late night.
“You are holding my hand!!”
Jiang Cheng looks at his hand, somehow surprised that he is actually doing that, even though he had consciously made that decision a few moments earlier. He quickly loosens his grip and leaves Xichen’s hand to fall away. He retracts his hand and wraps it around his own wrist instead, slowly scrutinising Xichen to see where his attention lies.
It is on him.
“Why did you let go?!!” Xichen asks with a proper frown. “It felt nice!!”
Jiang Cheng has no reply for the man, absolutely none. Xichen takes big steps in the water, causing water to splash as he closes the space between them. “You should do it again!!” he commands and puts his hand out.
There is not enough time to process what is happening when the man shakes his hand impatiently, so Jiang Cheng wraps his hand around Xichen’s wrist one more time and tucks away the feeling that is stuck in his throat to unravel at a different time.
He turns around and starts walking again, the distance between them and the guest quarters now seem to be even further.
“Sect Leader Jiang!!”
Jiang Cheng turns back, exasperated, “What is it now?!”
“You should hold my hand instead!! It feels nicer that way!! Have you never held someone’s hand?!!”
“Alright, alright! Just quit yelling.” Jiang Cheng replies, adjusting his hand to grip Xichen’s. “There, happy?”
Xichen nods at him with a pleased smile, clasping his hand firmly around Jiang Cheng’s.
“Can we go now?” Jiang Cheng asks, frowning.
“Go where?!” Xichen says, entirely puzzled.
“Go to bed, obviously.” He rolls his eyes.
Xichen pulls away with a gasp, both hands over his mouth. Another loud call of Sect Leader Jiang comes out.
Jiang Cheng idly thinks he’ll never be able to hear his title without thinking of this.
“What do you mean by that look?!” Jiang Cheng scowls. “It is past your bedtime, do you not know that?”
Xichen, forever quick to trust, looks up at the sky and gasps. “You’re right!! We should hurry!!” He moves quickly, splashing water and mud onto Jiang Cheng as he approaches him and takes his hand this time. He drags Jiang Cheng across the pond with no time wasted and comes to a stop when he can’t seem to figure out the corridor that blocks their way.
Jiang Cheng huffs a laugh out of amusement, “What will you do now, Zewu-jun?”
Xichen turns to him with a genuinely confused face that almost makes Jiang Cheng feel bad. Almost, because he hears footsteps and chatter approaching. Jiang Cheng hauls Lan Xichen into an obscure corner, forces the man to crouch while he does the same and puts a hand over Xichen’s mouth.
Xichen stares at him, blinking densely as he tries to catch up with what’s happening. Then he starts to smile behind Jiang Cheng’s hand, nodding a little like he gets it. He doesn't, Jiang Cheng soon finds out, when Xichen puts a hand to his mouth instead. Jiang Cheng can’t stop the snort that bubbles out because this man is the head of Gusu Lan, the sect with thousands of rules and are known for their grace?
In any other circumstances, sure. No wonder Lans aren’t allowed to drink, their entire sect would collapse.
Jiang Cheng pulls away when there are no more noises and is thankful whoever that was didn’t come remotely near them because they would have been given away in a short moment. They may have crouched low enough to hide in the gap between the flooring and the pond below but their blue and purple robes stick out like a sore thumb. He pulls Xichen to his feet and sighs, looking around for any witnesses and a plan to get out of the pond.
Xichen, however, places his hand onto his mouth again.
Jiang Cheng groans, muffled behind the palm, “What are you doing?”
“Smile!!” Xichen says. “You smiled when I did this earlier!!”
Jiang Cheng’s eyes grow wide, realising how much nearer they are to quarters that most likely have people in them and shushes Xichen with a palm again.
“Smile!!” Though his voice is much softer when muffled, it is no solution. Jiang Cheng stretches his lips into something he could possibly call a smile and Xichen pulls his hand away quickly, humming a satisfied note when he does see a smile.
“I want to see more!!”
“If you want to see more, come with me.” He whispers. “ Very quietly .”
Xichen nods earnestly.
Jiang Cheng takes them where the water will allow - because they are way too wet and dirty to be allowed back on pristine, polished floors - circling the outside of the buildings that brings them not much closer to the guest quarters. After 4 dead ends, Jiang Cheng stops and rubs at a temple, mentally trying to work out an escape route.
He gets a couple of taps on his shoulder from a slender finger. Xichen leans in like he wants to whisper, Jiang Cheng follows, leaning in to hear.
“Are you having a headache?!!”
It is nowhere near a whisper. Jiang Cheng winces and puts a hand over his ear, a useless attempt to soothe the damage done on his inner ears.
“ Yes ,” he hisses. “ I am now .”
Xichen pulls his hand away and claps them together, “I know what to do !!”
He is off in less than a split second, running towards a cluster of lotuses away from the buildings. He hums loudly when he reaches, a finger tapping on his chin as he looks at them. Then he yanks one out, splashing mud on himself, and hurries to another cluster of lotuses.
Jiang Cheng runs after him, somehow having more difficulty with his robes than Xichen. He suppose the man still has part of his elegance intact. Xichen turns to him when he arrives, holding a bunch of lotus pods and one lotus flower in his arms. He smiles widely, jaw slack as he offers Jiang Cheng the lone lotus flower.
Jiang Cheng takes it with a frown, hesitating and anxious as to what this may end up leading to.
Xichen busies himself with the lotus pods, picking at it unsuccessfully, frowning with loud whines when it doesn’t seem to budge under his clumsy fingers.
Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes, reaches with experienced fingers and gets one out immediately.
“Oh!!” Xichen gasps. “That’s how you do it!!” He picks the stray seed and holds it out to Jiang Cheng. “Young Master Jin said to feed you lotus seeds when you are having a headache.”
Jiang Cheng snorts at the realisation. “That was a long time ago,” he informs. “ Young Master Jin was a silly little 5 year old then.”
He was in the middle of an outburst then, a whole section of the village was attacked, leaving many injured. He yelled and yelled at his disciples until tiny Jin Ling came running with lotus pods taller than the boy himself and offered it to him. Speechless, Jiang Cheng takes it with a mouth clamped shut. Jin Ling, a know-it-all even at that age, proudly announced to the whole crowd to give his jiujiu lotus pods when they see the caterpillars under the skin of his forehead. Jiang Cheng scooped him up along with the lotus pods and left the area immediately, face red with embarrassment rather than fury. Still, when Jin Ling asked if he did the right thing, he replied with a soft yes, you did well . He guesses Jin Ling did not stop carrying that silly advice around.
He puts his palm, “Put it here.”
“No!! Young Master Jin said to feed!!” Xichen exclaims.
“He didn’t mean it literally.”
“Feed!!” Xichen reiterates and Jiang Cheng gives in with a sigh.
The bitterness hits him instantly, causing him to grimace and groan for relief.
“Not good??!!” Xichen exclaims and starts plucking for more, offering them to Jiang Cheng earnestly.
He sighs and accepts all of them with an open mouth, deep in thought, until finally managing to map out a path that leads them safely inside without leaving a bunch of traces. It is to his private pier dock, the water should be shallow enough around the edges.
“Better?!!” Xichen asks when Jiang Cheng stops accepting the seeds he offers.
Jiang Cheng nods, “Let’s return inside now.”
Xichen claps happily, dropping all the lotus pods down in the process. “Young Master Jin will be very pleased to know.”
“Sure, that is what is important.” Jiang Cheng says and extends his hand out. The fact that he expects Xichen to take it willingly and that he actually does is an afterthought that sends a skip through his heart when they are coursing through slightly deeper waters, nearing his quarters.
Xichen gasps loudly behind him, mouth falling open as a smile breaks, “Where are we?!! This place is beautiful!!
Jiang Cheng huffs a breath of amusement and relief - now that they are far enough from any ears - as he leaves Xichen’s hand and heaves himself onto the deck. He sits on the edge - making sure his soaked garments hang above the water to drip - and tugs Xichen by his shoulder, tapping the space next to him. “It is something, isn’t it?”
Xichen does the same with loud breaths and a gaze that doesn’t leave the moonlight, “It is not something, it is lovely!!”
Jiang Cheng only allows a slight chuckle, “You are right, it is lovely.”
Xichen gasps a little, mumbling to himself not very softly before he turns to Jiang Cheng, “Ten!! That is the tenth time you’ve agreed with me!!”
“Ten?” Jiang Cheng repeats. “Only ten? You must be mistaken.”
“Not only ten!” Xichen counters, prideful. “It has been at least ten occurrences in the entire time we have been acquaintances !!”
Jiang Cheng frowns, “That’s nothing to be proud of, is it?”
Xichen’s jaw drops, gawking at him for a moment. “I’ll have you know, I am ahead of any other sect leader!! Sect Leader Yao is still at zero!!” He states proudly.
Jiang Cheng snorts. “What have you been paying attention to in Discussion Conferences, Zewu-jun?”
Xichen hums happily regardless, tapping his fingers against the wooden deck. Jiang Cheng reaches for a scoop in the bucket of water he usually uses after a swim, gently pours it over his garments and then Xichen’s, to get rid of the mud.
Suddenly, Xichen jolts and points, “A fish!!”
“There are many fishes.” Jiang Cheng replies, unconcerned.
“There are??!!” His eyes are blown wide as he looks at the water below, bending so far he nearly slips into it if it were not for Jiang Cheng’s quick grasp onto his robes.
“Where do you think you’re going,” Jiang Cheng scolds, pulling him upright.
“I want to say hello !!” Xichen says as he quickly rises to his feet. “Can you call them here??!”
Jiang Cheng scowls, feeling ridiculous, “Do I look like a fish whisperer to you?”
“What would a fish whisperer look like ??!!”
There is no winning with this man. Jiang Cheng closes his eyes with irritation and stands too, grabbing a bowl of fish food nearby.
He flings a handful across the water and in no time the fishes swarm, jumping around the deck.
Xichen gasps in awe, clapping in admiration. “You are the fish whisperer!! A very good one!!”
Jiang Cheng scoffs, feeling foolish that he is somewhere deep down considering the praise.
“What are their names?!!”
“Names?”
“They must have names!!”
Jiang Cheng shrugs and points vaguely at the fishes. “Princess, Love, Jasmine, Angel—” he pulls whatever that pops into his head.
“You named them so well!! Those are very good names and lovely to call out!!”
Xichen goes on a long showcase of how their names ring beautiful, pronouncing them loudly for the night to hear.
Jiang Cheng rests himself on a nearby stool and leans on an elbow.
The man is talking to fishes!
Never in his life will he have the chance to see such a sight again so he lets it play out, lets Xichen’s robes leave a wet trail as he paces around, looking at the fishes, until it turns only somewhat damp.
Xichen’s gaze must return to the bright moon because he suddenly jumps and turns to Jiang Cheng, “My curfew!! I have to go!!”
He moves his feet quickly, goes straight for Jiang Cheng’s quarters and closes the door behind him. Jiang Cheng would laugh if it weren’t for the fear that Xichen would seal him out of his own room.
He enters the room too and almost bumps into Xichen, who is still standing by the door, clearly puzzled. “Did you renovate, Sect Leader Jiang?!! It looks different from usual!!”
“Uh,” Jiang Cheng contemplates the outcome of telling him it is not the guest quarters and knows it will result in a bigger disaster. “Yes, it was renovated.”
“It was very well executed!! It seems cozier!!”
“You should try the bed, that’s particularly cozy.” Jiang Cheng suggests. “It is coincidentally bed time, too.”
“It is?!! Did they ring the bell??!”
Jiang Cheng groans, remembering that detail. “You missed it.”
“I did?!?! It must be very late!!” Xichen says and goes to the window, “But there are lights!!”
With a flick of his wrist, Jiang Cheng wipes out the lit candles along the hallway visible from the window and the ones in the room.
“ There . Now, time for bed .”
He hears the damp shoes and robes move in the darkness, then a plop, presumably Xichen dropping on the bed.
He huffs a laugh, smiling where no one could see with disbelief. If he hadn’t thought Xichen was absolutely charming, this would have tipped the entire scale.
Jiang Cheng falls asleep on a semi-comfortable low chair and Xichen is gone by the time morning comes shining through the windows.
;
Lan Qiren turns slightly when he notes Xichen approaching him. His expression is solemn. “Something happened last night,” he says with a deep frown.
Xichen swallows thickly, stomach twisting into another knot, “Something?”
“Look at the ponds, it must have been an animal, a dog perhaps?”
Xichen walks further to join his uncle at the edge of the pavilion, eyes widening with horror as he takes in the sections of ruined ponds.
“This is why we do not keep pets,” Lan Qiren says sternly.
Xichen only hums a small note in response.
They make their way to breakfast with graceful steps but Xichen feels very much graceless as he sees all the damage done and recalls all he said.
“Sect Leader Lan, Elder Lan.”
Jiang Cheng enters his line of sight with a bow and it takes everything in Xichen to not collapse onto the floor kneeling with an apology. He bows deeper instead.
“Sect Leader Jiang,” he greets while his uncle greets with a calm good morning .
The slight smile that emerges on Jiang Cheng’s face doesn’t go unnoticed by both men as he walks past and leads them to one of their many sitting rooms.
Lan Qiren slows his steps a little as they walk, giving Xichen a look. “He is in a good mood,” he comments in a whisper, “We should bring up the increasing transport charges.”
Xichen nods despite feeling very apprehensive, he does not have the face to demand anything with the situation he’s caused.
“It is a shame what happened to the ponds,” Lan Qiren comments after a relatively smooth discussion and both parties have stamped the agreement. “Were the residential barriers breached by wild animals?”
Xichen tries very hard not to choke on his tea, a warm blush rising to the tips of his ears. He hopes his uncle sitting next to him does not notice a thing.
Jiang Cheng, however, sitting opposite them, sees everything .
“There was no breach, it was a pet,” Jiang Cheng informs without even a blink.
Xichen gapes at him, but Jiang Cheng only spares a short glance before he hides a smile behind his teacup.
Lan Qiren tips his head slightly to Xichen, conveying an I told you so .
“I had no idea you had a pet.” Lan Qiren says.
“Yes, it is rather recent.”
“It should be trained well to be allowed inside residential areas, this one seems like quite a handful.” Qiren advises.
Xichen wants to interfere with a benign ‘ it’s not any of our business’ .
But Jiang Cheng speaks instead, “It is kind of a handful, but nothing I can’t manage.”
Their eyes meet for another brief moment, both blushing before turning away with a cough.