Work Text:
Jiang Cheng didn't need to open his eyes to know that somehow he wasn't in his room.
He couldn't hear the sound of the gentle waves of the lake that flowed under the pier where his room was, lapping against the supporting structures. He also couldn't hear the faint tinkling of the bell that Jin Ling made for him as a birthday present years ago—and that Jiang Cheng hung by his bedside, because the bell somehow soothed him more than his own with built-in spiritual energy.
Jiang Cheng doesn't despair about things anymore. He is long past the age of making rash decisions, of reacting before thinking. At any other time, Jiang Cheng would have immediately opened his eyes, stood up, causing a commotion; today, however, he just took a deep breath and tried to listen before showing that he was awake.
Aside from the sound of a slightly more aggressive wind than usual, Jiang Cheng didn't hear much. He smelled different things, different from the smell of wet earth and lotus flowers, but they were unusual enough that he couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what he was smelling. Nothing sounded really dangerous either, and Jiang Cheng couldn't feel the common, dangerous miasma that would otherwise make him extremely alert.
If anything, Jiang Cheng didn't feel anything evil at all. He knew he was protected.
Jiang Cheng decided that there was probably nothing really dangerous around, but even before he could open his eyes, a gong sounded and startled him—he instinctively opened his eyes then, and when he stared at the room he was in, he almost decided to go back to sleep. .
He was in Cloud Recesses, undeniably. The problem was Jiang Cheng didn't remember falling asleep there.
There was also something else Jiang Cheng hadn't really noticed before that had now become terribly prominent. When he got up and walked past a mirror, the figure Jiang Cheng saw was not the same figure he was used to seeing every day. That is, the person he saw in the mirror, the body he stared at, is not his body, or at least not anymore.
Jiang Cheng stared at his fifteen-year-old self in the mirror, and decided that obviously something was very wrong. He just needed to find out how exactly that happened.
As has often happened in Jiang Cheng's life, or at least it used to be that way, it was Wei Wuxian who realized that there was something wrong with him.
The truth is, Jiang Cheng wasn't really ready to see Wei Wuxian again, much less in his original body. Jiang Cheng and he never really reconciled, and after so many years, their relationship kind of fell apart naturally. It got to the point where Jiang Cheng genuinely didn't care much for Wei Wuxian's presence, and so he remained until he appeared there in that world.
This does not immediately mean, however, that Jiang Cheng is completely immune to this kind of situation. It's strange, and he's surprised that he reacts to this once-familiar face not with anger but with nostalgia. After getting used to Mo Xuanyu's face, Jiang Cheng started to forget how Wei Wuxian used to be. But here, clearly as he was before, it was strangely uncomfortable to face Wei Wuxian and actually see him.
It was as if a part of Jiang Cheng's head was opening up, as if he was molding himself into something that no longer belonged to him. And perhaps the expression of unease was really apparent, because Wei Wuxian didn't take long to rush over to him and ask if something was wrong.
Jiang Cheng didn't answer him — he didn't know exactly what to say to Wei Wuxian. From what he had noticed during his time there, there was nothing of Jiang Cheng that had been brought up from his other reality, the future or the past (or wherever he came from). Absolutely nothing, not even the golden core. Jiang Cheng went to the library, looked through books, unfinished manuscripts, and even then the only answer he found was extremely unsatisfactory.
He probably died in his other reality, and that wasn't really a reincarnation, but it was close enough. The idea of having died was not scary for Jiang Cheng, he had absolutely already prepared for it, especially when he chose not to cultivate to immortality. He had also prepared Jin Ling for this, and the boy always made sure to assure him that everything was fine, that if Jiang Cheng ever died, Jin Ling would be fine.
Jiang Cheng only believed this when Jin Ling had his third child, and even then it still took him a few years to actually depart if death really brought him to this other reality.
The concept of death genuinely wasn't scary at all to him, but it turns out that Jiang Cheng didn't really expect to die and be reborn in the body of a fifteen-year-old version of himself living through similar events in his past life.
If anything, it seemed really contradictory.
But even though many things were similar to Jiang Cheng's reality, many things were also different. The first one was, not surprisingly, Wei Wuxian. He looked terribly more mature, or at least more mature than Jiang Cheng remembered him at that age. With a different world view, perhaps. Something in him was changed, that was for sure.
Another difference was the lack of the Wens. Jiang Cheng hasn't seen a single Wen, just as he hasn't heard any disciples speak of them. Even when he asked, no one really knew what sect this was. Jiang Cheng was relieved, but it was still strange. It's not that he would want things to repeat themselves, but without the threat from the Wens, he didn't really know what to expect.
If the war wasn't going to happen, then what was the future of that reality? What if something worse happened? The possibilities were endless, and Jiang Cheng genuinely didn't know if he should be desperate, or thankful that things were apparently okay for now.
“A-Cheng?” Wei Wuxian poked him in the ribs, and, unaccustomed to his own body, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but let out an embarrassing cry.
"What do you want?" Jiang Cheng turned to face him, frowning.
Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows, surprised by Jiang Cheng's reaction.
“You skipped classes today and Grandmaster Lan wasn't happy about it. I had to cover for you!”
Jiang Cheng stopped himself from rolling his eyes. It was still… Weird to look at Wei Wuxian. He didn't really feel angry or anything like that, because that life where they were partners, they were close, it really felt far away, and Jiang Cheng is no longer able to really feel sorry for those two boys they left behind, but still, it was weird.
"I had to do something else." Jiang Cheng shrugged, turning his back to Wei Wuxian again.
Apparently he didn't like that at all, because Wei Wuxian put his hand on Jiang Cheng's shoulder and squeezed it harder than necessary, “Hey, you've been really weird today!”
“No— Just let me go!” Jiang Cheng stood up, walking away from Wei Wuxian, eyes slightly wide, “I need a break.”
It was bizarre, really. Because Jiang Cheng knew that this wasn't necessarily his life, or at least it wasn't fifteen years ago, and the existence that was in that body was slowly starting to merge with his own existence now. He could remember things , things that weren't memories that used to belong to him, but from that Jiang Cheng whose body he now inhabited. Smiles, laughter, tears, fights different from the normal ones — this was a life that wasn't his.
And Wei Wuxian was present at all these moments, and he was terribly the same, yet terribly different. Because he himself was different, and even in the earliest memories of that body, Wei Wuxian already behaved differently. He spoke more clearly, and seemed to lean more towards Madam Yu's side, supporting her in certain matters, going against Jiang Fengmian. Jiang Cheng didn't remember Wei Wuxian ever saying that he disagreed with his father.
In fact, Jiang Cheng couldn't remember ever seeing that strangely cold gaze that Wei Wuxian directed at Jiang Fengmian. And the fact that Madam Yu apparently got along with him, for some reason, only made it all the more awkward.
Jiang Cheng wondered if this was how Wei Wuxian felt when he too came to inhabit a different body. If he too felt confused, and lonely, and afraid.
In desperation to flee from Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng walked a long way. Or at least enough to not see any more disciples around, enough to get close to the source of a small cold waterfall, as most things are in Gusu Lan. Jiang Cheng sat by the water, let his fingers touch the icy, crystalline spring, took a deep breath.
“Jiang Wanyin?” And for the second time that day, he was terribly scared.
Lan Wangji looked the same. Not that Jiang Cheng could really notice any difference, because he felt for Hanguang-jun the same way he felt for Wei Wuxian—nothing at all. Even so, there was a certain different glint in Lan Wangji's eyes, and Jiang Cheng couldn't really tell what.
“L-Lan-gongzi.” Jiang Cheng stood up, bowed quickly.
Lan Wangji studied him for a few seconds, and then he frowned a little.
"You shouldn't be here."
“I just came here to unwind a little, I have a headache.” Jiang Cheng lied, clearing his throat. Somehow, he felt that Lan Wangji knew it was a lie even though he didn't really have the ability to perceive these things since they were never close, “But I understand that it's a forbidden area, so I will withdraw, Lan-gongzi .”
“Not forbidden,” Lan Wangji corrected, “only dangerous. We cannot allow students of other sects to travel this far.”
"I get it." Jiang Cheng nodded, “Then, if Lan-gongzi will allow me, I will go back to my room.”
"I'll keep you company." Lan Wangji offered, and Jiang Cheng really didn't remember him being even the least bit helpful at the time he was studying at Cloud Recesses.
“It’s not necessary, Lan-gongzi, please, I wouldn’t want to disturb you!” Jiang Cheng said, smiling crookedly, but Lan Wangji stubbornly denied it.
"You're not bothering me." he said, and approached Jiang Cheng, gently guiding him away from the water.
He and Jiang Cheng returned to the guest wing in silence, and Lan Wangji's subtle hand never left Jiang Cheng's back. The strange thing was that none of the disciples looked really surprised, and if any of them had anything to say about this strange display of affection, none of them said anything. Jiang Cheng wasn't really used to it, but he didn't really know what to do or how to react without scaring Lan Wangji.
Were they somehow close in that universe? But that just wouldn't make sense. Jiang Cheng still didn't seem to have his most recent memories, but he didn't really think he had anything in common with the Second Jade of Lan. However, Wei Wuxian didn't really seem to have anything in common with Lan Wangji either, and look how they ended up.
“Wanyin.” Lan Wangji said as soon as they arrived at his room, and Jiang Cheng's eyes widened as he heard a worried tone in Lan Wangji's voice, "Are you okay?"
Oh, so they must be minimally close, somehow.
"Yeah." Jiang Cheng cleared his throat, gently pulling away from Lan Wangji, “Just a headache.”
Lan Wangji frowned, and only then did Jiang Cheng realize that he himself could only notice the difference in Lan Wangji's expressions because, for some reason, Jiang Cheng instinctively knew where to look.
Bizarre. They had never been remotely close before, and after what happened to Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji seemed to hate him. And then, when they became mere acquaintances, when decades had passed, Jang Cheng and Lan Wangji didn't even seem to care that each other existed. Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji did, in fact, treat each other cordially, but they never seemed to have any kind of feelings for each other after the years have passed.
Jiang Cheng couldn't remember the months they spent looking for Wei Wuxian, the camaraderie, Lan Wangji's anger, and the envy he felt of him. After a while, after years, the anger began to drain from him, and Jiang Cheng finally reached a state of complete disinterest. Maybe it helped that he decided to move on with his life after getting a tough talk with one of the healers, after realizing he couldn't hold on to these things because eventually anger wouldn't serve as fuel anymore.
And it all happened this way: in seventy years, Jiang Cheng no longer cared about Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. And they probably didn't care about him anymore either—if they ever cared at all. So having that kind of contact again was weird, confusing. Jiang Cheng just didn't know how, couldn't remember how, to deal with Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.
"I'm going to my room now, uh, to get some rest." Jiang Cheng smiled awkwardly, already walking away, “See you later, Lan-gongzi.”
Before Lan Wangji could protest, Jiang Cheng slammed the door in his face. He absolutely didn't want to deal with any of it.
Avoiding the two of them proved more difficult than Jiang Cheng thought.
Talking harshly didn't really push them away, it just seemed to make them both more worried. Jiang Cheng couldn't skip classes either, because that was too suspicious, so he forced himself to attend all of them even though he already knew very well everything that was being taught. The only good part of it was that during class, the two of them couldn't upset him, or at least not as much.
Lan Wangji was still looking at him silently, intensely, and Wei Wuxian was still catching Jiang Cheng's attention whenever he could, trying to talk to him or just playing with him even though Jiang Cheng didn't respond to any of these attempts. The worst thing was that the people around them noticed their failed attempts, just as they noticed Jiang Cheng's volatile mood, and yet they didn't really seem surprised — if anything, people seemed to be enjoying this situation.
Jiang Cheng still hadn't found a way to return to his reality, or just stop existing in the one he was in. If he was really dead as he had predicted, then there didn't seem to be anything to be done, but even so, Jiang Cheng was still looking for an answer. It's not that he didn't necessarily want to be there, but Jiang Cheng was anxious about the uncertainty of a future he couldn't really see. And worse than that, part of him was still afraid; fear of seeing his parents, fear of seeing Jiang Yanli, and of losing it all again.
Even though a lot of time had passed, Jiang Cheng didn't want to go through all that again. If he could somehow avoid that possibility, then he would.
“Oh, Jiang-xiong!” Nie Huaisang found him, again hiding behind some pillars.
For some reason, Jiang Cheng found himself in Nie Huaisang's company a lot more than usual. Knowing Nie Huaisang's extensive ability to lie, deceive, as well as his great intelligence, it was clear that Jiang Cheng was acting more carefully than usual, however Nie Huaisang did not prove to be someone to be feared; if anything, he was the only person capable of not angering Jiang Cheng right away.
“Are you hiding again, Jiang-xiong?” Nie Huaisang crouched down beside him, smiling, “Are Wei-xiong and Lan-xiong bothering you?”
"Not exactly. I just wanted to be alone.” Jiang Cheng cleared his throat, a little awkwardly.
It was incredibly weird to be back in a fifteen-year-old body. It looked like he had lost all his confidence.
Nie Huisang looked like he was enjoying himself, “Jiang-xiong, did you guys fight?”
Jiang Cheng grimaced. This question, despite having nothing to do with what he was thinking, was actually funny. Jiang Cheng couldn't even count on his fingers the number of times he's had a fight with Wei Wuxian—both in his past life and this one, apparently—and Lan Wangji always seemed to be irritated with him somehow anyway.
“No, we didn't fight. I just—I just need some time.” Jiang Cheng admitted, frustrated.
"Hmm." Nie Huaisang grumbled, nodding, “You could ask Grandmaster Lan for some free time, maybe he'll let you go back to Lotus Pier for a few days. We both know how much he adores you, he sure as hell wouldn't have a problem."
Jiang Cheng frowned, strangely horrified at the thought of Lan Qiren somehow having some kind of affection for him. Not that Jiang Cheng disliked him or anything, in fact, he always looked up to Lan Qiren, even if he didn't approve of Lan Qiren's restrictive methods. It was just weird, with the mindset he had, to have that kind of contact with Lan Qiren, who in another life he could already treat as an equal.
"I wouldn't want to go home." Jiang Cheng said. Going home meant having to face other people he didn't feel ready to see yet, and he would much rather deal with Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji than acknowledge the existence of his parents and older sister.” And Wei Wuxian would probably invent a story to come back with me, so…”
Nie Huaisang nodded, "That's true." he grumbled, looking thoughtful, “Jiang-xiong, maybe if you explain to them the reason for your estrangement from them, they might end up giving you some space.”
Jiang Cheng thought about that too, but he just didn't know how to explain to them what was happening without being labeled a madman, and there was a part of Jiang Cheng that didn't feel right to expose himself like that either. He wanted to keep things in balance, so saying out loud that he believed he had died and was now reincarnated some time later in another body of his just felt wrong.
"I'll work it out eventually." Jiang Cheng muttered wearily, "I don't know why they insist on getting on top of me like that, they've never acted like that before."
Nie Huaisang frowned.
“Jiang-xiong, Wei-xiong was always chasing after you!”
“Well, yes.” Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, “But that's because he's insufferable and needs to annoy me. And he is my shixiong, too.”
“But Lan-xiong has also gotten very close to you recently, hasn't he? Before, when we came here, I really thought he hated you, but then over time you became such good friends! Lan-xiong has always stayed in your and Wei-xiong's presence ever since!”
Jiang Cheng held back a sigh. He didn't remember those recent memories yet, so he couldn't really comprehend how close they all were. Furthermore, it was still strange for Jiang Cheng not to see Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji together all the time. Even though they still didn't have anything, Jiang Cheng got used to seeing them as a single unit, so it was just confusing.
"I don't know." Jiang Cheng said, genuinely tired, “I wish they would just stay together and forget about me.” he grumbled, annoyed.
Nie Huaisang raises his eyebrows in surprise, but then he smiled, hiding his mouth behind his fan.
“Ah, Jiang-xiong, you will be fine.” he muttered, touching Jiang Cheng's shoulder gently.
Somehow, Jiang Cheng felt that he had gotten himself into trouble.
Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji only became more insistent. But for some reason, Jiang Cheng knew that there was something different about their behavior.
It started subtly, so subtly that Jiang Cheng barely noticed at first. Wei Wuxian, when he managed to find Jiang Cheng in Cloud Recesses because the boy was always hiding now, started saying strange things. He didn't actually mention a distant life where they were once close, though Jiang Cheng had the vague impression that he seemed to know something — as if he knew that Jiang Cheng wasn't his Jiang Cheng.
And then, suddenly, Lan Wangji simply stopped staring at him intensely. In fact, Lan Wangji stopped looking at him, stopped even acknowledging him. Jiang Cheng considered this a victory for a few days, certain that he had finally managed to make one of them give up chasing him—and what a surprise that the Second Jade of Lan, so stubborn, was the first to give in! But after a few days, just as suddenly, Lan Wangji simply started chasing after him again, this time looking even more determined.
Jiang Cheng just thought they were weird, or at least weirder than usual, but little by little things started to change. Jiang Cheng could see Wei Wuxian eyeing him warily, as if he expected some kind of conflict at any moment. Lan Wangji, on the other hand, seemed to face Jiang Cheng as if he were looking for a challenge, and how difficult it was for Jiang Cheng to avoid giving him it.
It started after Jiang Cheng trained his forms, like any other day, like any other training. He didn't know what this had possibly awakened in the two of them, and part of Jiang Cheng honestly didn't want to know either.
“A-Cheng!” Wei Wuxian screamed, despite knowing that it was against the rules, and hugged him so tightly around the waist that Jiang Cheng almost gasped.
"What do you want?" he complained, trying to free himself from Wei Wuxian.
“What I really want is some alone time with you, Lotus Pier and fresh watermelons.” Wei Wuxian said in a dreamy tone, and Jiang Cheng had to suppress a shiver as Wei Wuxian laughed right into his neck, “But what I want now is for you to accompany me, I need to talk to you.”
Jiang Cheng frowned, but decided not to give him an opening. "I can't, I'm busy."
Wei Wuxian's smiling expression immediately dropped.
“B-But, A-Cheng! You haven't even spent time with me lately, and Lan Zhan also commented that you've been ignoring him. Did we do something wrong? We were doing so well, and all of a sudden you—”
“I just want some time!” Jiang Cheng said, perhaps more gruffly than usual, “You two have never needed me before among you, why are the both of you suddenly insisting on my company so much?”
Wei Wuxian's eyes widened, and despite Jiang Cheng's harsh words, he seemed to have heard exactly what he wanted—or expected—because a wistful little smile appeared on his face at that very moment.
“A-Cheng, if you were jealous of me and Lan Zhan, you should have just told us! We would have directed much more of our attention to you!” Wei Wuxian quickly reverted to an agitated and flirtatious personality.
Jiang Cheng felt his face heat up. How shameless were the implications of Wei Wuxian, as if they were a couple or something! Of all the things Wei Wuxian had said, that was definitely the most unbelievable. Jiang Cheng knew Wei Wuxian very well despite the years between them, and yet he never expected that he would use something so embarrassing to get a reaction out of him.
“Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng roared, genuinely outraged.
“Aiya, if only you had warned me!” Wei Wuxian said, and taking advantage of Jiang Cheng’s clear indignation, was able to push him out of the room, “Lan Zhan will be so glad to know that our precious shidi—”
“W-Who is your shidi?”
“...Was just jealous and feeling neglected! He will love giving you all the attention in the world!”
Jiang Cheng genuinely didn't know what to say. Although he had gotten slightly used to the more intense advances of those two, that didn't necessarily mean he was ready to deal with the kind of approach that Wei Wuxian decided to use. Worse than that was the way his body was reacting to those words!
Being a teenager was completely terrible! Jiang Cheng was feeling warm all over, and he didn't even remember having so many hormones clouding his judgment. He didn't remember all the details of his life after he got older, but Jiang Cheng sure as hell wouldn't overreact to anything like that teenage body did. He felt betrayed by himself!
And Wei Wuxian, the terrible shixiong, somehow seemed to know exactly what Jiang Cheng's problem was, because that way he managed to corner him perfectly. Even though that day Jiang Cheng had escaped before Wei Wuxian could find Lan Zhan, now he knew that just like them, Jiang Cheng was also at the mercy of the physical things of the earth.
And if there was one thing that Wei Wuxian did best, it was playing dirty when necessary.
Despite efforts, Jiang Cheng proved to be a worthy opponent. It took almost a month for Wei Wuxian to corner him in Lan Wangji's presence, and by now Jiang Cheng had surely realized that they were doing their best to have a moment alone with him.
Which is not to say they didn't continue to cherish all the moments they had alone with Jiang Cheng. Most of the time, Lan Wangji was the one who was able to find him quickly, and even when Jiang Cheng found an excuse to leave and be alone, Lan Wangji managed to dodge his efforts and stay by Jiang Cheng’s side.
It became common to have the Second Jade of Lan fussing over him. Jiang Cheng at first found it extremely irritating and awkward, but slowly his heart softened towards Lan Wangji — which was genuinely terrible, because as he grew accustomed to and enjoyed Lan Wangji's presence, Jiang Cheng realized that they did indeed have a lot in common, and that Lan Wangji's presence was not as suffocating as Wei Wuxian's presence can get.
This is not to say, however, that Jiang Cheng was enjoying the whole situation. While he was much more aware of their presence and the empty neutrality of another life had almost completely left him, Jiang Cheng still remembered enough of the past to unconsciously seek to avoid the same mistakes in the present. He knew that in the end neither of them would stand by his side, not as friends, not as anything else.
It was this thought that made him withdraw from them most of the time, that made Jiang Cheng quite neutral to them again. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji seemed to notice this change every time, but Jiang Cheng had made choices for this new life that was now his, and one of them was to preserve himself and try to be happy, even a little, even through selfish choices. He didn't care if he hurt a few people along the way, because after all, in the end, those people would eventually surely forget about him.
Jiang Cheng was happy with what he had planned. When they returned to Pier Lotus, he would abdicate his position as heir. His mother would certainly be furious, but Jiang Cheng didn't intend to embarrass her any further either. After in fact he was nothing for the sect anymore, Jiang Cheng would try to live life as a cultivator rogue, or maybe get a job at an inn.
He knew that he was a young master accustomed to many comforts, and that even after the war, when he had nothing left and had to survive on the bare minimum, he still cultivated many habits of a spoiled child, but Jiang Cheng was determined to learn to live anyway as long as it didn't hurt him too much.
He would miss many things, of course, most notably Jin Ling—who had not yet been born, but who would no doubt be born—but Jiang Cheng had no intention of repeating any steps from his past life, even though he too would have missed being a sect leader. Maybe eventually he'd come home again after some time, come back to visit his parents if they would have him, but nothing more than that. Jiang Cheng had no intention of living an empty life again.
Even so, the day when Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji managed to corner him together came, and Jiang Cheng found himself terribly ashamed of having fallen into such a simple trap.
They used a rabbit to lure him. A little black rabbit, nothing more than a baby rabbit that slept on his lap, and because of that Jiang Cheng felt guilty and couldn't run away from the two of them when he was found.
“Chengcheng!” Wei Wuxian hugged him sideways, sitting almost on top of Jiang Cheng “What a surprise to see you here!”
Lan Wangji wasted no time either, sitting on Jiang Cheng's other side, so close that his shoulders were pressing against each other.
The rabbit immediately opened its eyes, perhaps with the commotion and arrival of a noisy Wei Wuxian, and jumped away from Jiang Cheng's lap, hiding among the bushes. It was almost as if fate was also working against him.
“What are you—” Jiang Cheng started to complain, really frustrated that he had missed the chance to spend time with the adorable animal, when Wei Wuxian interrupted him.
"We know who you are."
Said in any other tone, that phrase would have sounded silly. It was clear that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji knew who he was, that was no secret, but Jiang Cheng wasn't stupid. From the way they both looked at him, as well as the growing tension between them, the furtive glances, the small clues, Lan Wangji's insistence and desperation to prove himself to him, Wei Wuxian's persistence to make Jiang Cheng understand that he was much loved—to Jiang Cheng, it was obvious that they knew who he was.
Not their Jiang Cheng. Or maybe their Jiang Cheng exactly.
“Jiang Wanyin.” Lan Wangji touched his wrist, not hard but tremblingly “It's you, isn't it?”
Jiang Cheng's eyes widened uncertainly. What did it matter who he was? Who were they? In the end, if they knew exactly what had happened in that other life, why were they insisting on continuing to stay with him? Shouldn't they be together, as they once were?
“What does it matter?” Jiang Cheng said aloud, equally shaky.
It was as if a sparkle came back into their eyes, and seconds later, Jiang Cheng was buried under them, being hugged to the point where he couldn't breathe.
“We found you!” Wei Wuxian yelled, his face buried in Jiang Cheng’s neck, “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, we found him!”
"We found him." Lan Wangji confirmed, keeping them all together.
Jiang Cheng gasped, tried to break free of them and, noticing his uncomfortable movement, the two of them moved, but just enough for Jiang Cheng to be able to breathe. When he opened his eyes and took a deep breath, Jiang Cheng saw Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji still on top of him, the two of them staring at him as if he was somehow their lifesaver.
Weird .
"I don't know if I understand." Jiang Cheng grumbled, unable to say anything else.
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian exchanged a glance, and then turned to him. Wei Wuxian smiled.
"A-Cheng, what I'm going to tell you might be a little surprising, but you have to promise to listen to me."
Jiang Cheng thought about denying it, thought about pretending that none of that had happened, but he knew it would be much easier to just face those two at once and then be left alone, so he agreed.
It was Lan Wangji who spoke first.
“Jiang Wanyin, this is not the first time you have been reincarnated.”
It went something like this: Jiang Cheng actually died of old age, a long time ago. But he didn't just reincarnate in that life. He's been reincarnated countless times, and Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have only met him a few times—which Jiang Cheng assumes is a miscalculation on their part, because they've apparently reincarnated a lot more than he has and have no idea of the numbers anymore. — and in all of them Jiang Cheng never remembered them.
And although this has become more common in recent reincarnations, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji don't always remember each other either. They usually start having the memories around the age they form a golden core, sometimes later than that. And they don't always necessarily grow up in cultivation worlds, and they aren't always young masters either. Things change, sometimes they change a lot, sometimes not so much. That's just another one of the reincarnations that not many things have changed.
The one who initially started looking for him was Wei Wuxian. Out of guilt, perhaps, or just out of longing. Having Jiang Cheng around and not being able to talk to him when remembering everything they had once been to each other was strange, so he started to get closer, started spending time with him. And even though Jiang Cheng didn't remember, Wei Wuxian tried not to care, because Jiang Cheng was with him.
When Lan Wangji began to remember more easily and more constantly, he and Wei Wuxian obviously got together, but Wei Wuxian was not willing to stop looking for Jiang Cheng — and that certainly didn't please Lan Wangji, or at least not at first because later, when he realized that the Jiang Cheng they met didn't remember them, Lan Wangji started to ignore him in order to be able to stay with Wei Wuxian.
Lan Wangji always knew that there was a part of Wei Wuxian that Jiang Cheng was the only one able to complete, and there wasn't enough love he could give that could make Wei Wuxian forget. Because of that, because of Wei Wuxian's undeniable happiness at having Jiang Cheng close by, Lan Wangji put his negative feelings aside and remained neutral.
But that didn't last long. Wei Wuxian had apparently always made a point of involving Jiang Cheng in their adventures, and slowly Lan Wangji softened to his presence. So much so that somehow, at some point, they all got together in the past.
Perhaps it was impossible to avoid this. Lan Wangji came to know during these lifetimes a part of Jiang Cheng that only Wei Wuxian knew. The boy from Lotus Pier, the boy who loved dogs, the boy who would do anything to protect the loved ones around him. Wei Wuxian states that the moment Lan Wangji understood was the moment Jiang Cheng did everything to save him as if Lan Wangji was the most important person in the world to him.
This was a talent that Jiang Cheng apparently had. To make all the people for him feel, in some way, special and loved.
Jiang Cheng didn't remember those lifetimes, of course, but Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji remember very well all the moments, all the lives really, they spent together after that one. They initially felt guilty, because the Jiang Cheng they once knew would certainly not harbor any similar feelings for them, but those Jiang Cheng didn't know, so Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji ignored that aspect in favor of having him around.
Until the day that homesickness for the Jiang Cheng they had once met really overpowered Wei Wuxian, and he began to tell stories to Lan Wangji. It didn't help that at times they were reincarnated in lives similar to the original, marked by war, battles, where everything was very similar and yet very different. In time, it was as if Lan Wangji also desired that Jiang Cheng, as if he understood better what had happened, as if he had finally seen him.
Lives later, he and Wei Wuxian shared the undeniable feeling of adoration for Jiang Cheng, which then turned to jealousy, and then to understanding, to compassion, and then, finally to…
"Love?" Jiang Cheng shouted in disbelief.
The little rabbit hiding in the bush seemed to be startled by Jiang Cheng's scream and ran away. Both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji blushed terribly.
“You see, th-things happened suddenly! And it doesn't help that you're terribly cute when you're angry, a-and Lan Zhan and I… Lan Zhan and I really appreciate you, Jiang Cheng.”
Jiang Cheng blinked in disbelief.
“Jiang Wanyin, we understand that this is all… too much.” Lan Wangji, ever rational, said, “And we don't expect you to forgive us. Me and Wei Ying, since we realized that you might remember that life, we talked and decided that we would like to tell you the truth, but that's all. We don't expect you to do anything, or that you feel obligated to stay with us from now on.”
Not knowing exactly how to proceed, Jiang Cheng tried to broach a more tranquil topic, “And how did you find out that I could have remembered that life?”
“It was in training. You were trying to fight with both hands.” Wei Wuxian pointed out, “No previous Jiang Cheng has done this, not so soon, not without having received Zidian before. Why would you try to fight with Zidian at such a young age, having never had contact with the spiritual weapon before?”
"And you're not subtle either." Lan Wangji added, smiling minimally as if he was making fun of him. Lan Wangji, teasing someone! "You sometimes said disconnected things, as if you were talking about a different life, about things that didn't happen or would still happen."
“We started watching, and suddenly things started to make sense. Of course, we weren't sure, but we needed to try.” Wei Wuxian looked at Lan Wangji with a smile, “I-I'm glad you remember us, Chengcheng, even if it's not such good memories. I just— I just feel good to have you back in this world.”
It's like a part of me has returned, it goes unsaid.
Jiang Cheng nodded, still processing everything he'd heard. He didn't really know what to do, "And now that you know who I am, what do you expect from me?"
"Nothing." Lan Wangji calmly replied, “We are just glad you are here.”
"And the others?" Jiang Cheng decided to ask “Do they know, do they remember?”
Wei Wuxian shrugged, “Not everyone remembers, not everyone reincarnates with us. It happens in one lifetime or another. I realized that constancy grows eventually, and that recently we have remembered each other more than ever before.” Wei Wuxian points to Lan Wangji “It wasn't like this before, at least. Maybe there's a reason, I don't know.”
Jiang Cheng certainly didn't know a reason for this to happen either. Not that it mattered. He had other things to deal with at the moment.
"I don't know." Jiang Cheng muttered, not looking at either of them, “Maybe, in this life, we shouldn't… be together.”
He saw Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji falter, but they didn't retort or try to make him rethink that decision.
"Alright." Wei Wuxian whispered “It’s okay, A-Cheng.”
Jiang Cheng went to sleep that night with the same strangeness inside his body as when he woke up. Knowing the truth hadn't made him any calmer.
Months passed, Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian returned to Yunmeng Jiang.
Jiang Fengmian still didn't care for him, and Madame Yu was still constantly criticizing him, but Jiang Yanli was kind—and for some reason, Jiang Cheng thought she remembered.
He went ahead with the plan and abdicated his position as heir. Madam Yu kicked him out of the sect as soon as she listened to his wishes, but Jiang Cheng saw her try to convince him to give up on that idea moments later. But Jiang Cheng was determined, and he really didn't want to go on with such a life, not anymore.
He traveled, helped people. Wei Wuxian also did not become head disciple, Jiang Yanli married Jin Zixuan and had three children, Lan Wangji left Gusu Lan. Madame Yu and Jiang Fengmian received an heir, another heir, and Jin Yanli would kill them if they treated her youngest son like they treated Jiang Cheng—so they learned a way to be less critical, at least.
Jiang Cheng eventually started living in a small house on the edge of Yunmeng, near a beautiful lake. Even though he enjoyed traveling and seeing the world, Jiang Cheng was a very simplistic man, and he always appreciated the beauty of having a home.
As he was tending to the vegetables, he heard footsteps and looked up.
Two figures stared at him in the distance.
Jiang Cheng smiled.
Before Wei Wuxian could burn the rice again, Lan Wangji took over the kitchen. Wei Wuxian, with a pout on his lips, turned to Jiang Cheng, who was watching them silently with a smile on his face.
"That's not fair." Wei Wuxian grumbled.
"It's Wanyin's birthday." Lan Wangji argued “He deserves to eat something that won't kill him.”
Wei Wuxian gasped, shocked. Jiang Cheng laughed.
“Lan-er-gege, you are so mean!” he hurried away from Lan Wangji, practically sitting on Jiang Cheng’s lap, who hugged Wei Wuxian’s waist, “A-Cheng, you didn’t even defend me!”
Lan Wangji glared at him over his shoulder as if daring Jiang Cheng to stand against him. Jiang Cheng laughed even harder.
It took a while to accept them again. And even more time to consider them romantically. But Jiang Cheng eventually came to two conclusions: it was a new life, and he should do whatever he wanted, even if his wishes didn't make sense, and that if he didn't try something different, he probably wouldn't feel satisfied anyway. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were patient with him at first, and since then they have been together in the little house that Jiang Cheng built.
It's funny being with them. Funny because Jiang Cheng has never felt so loved, even in this curious way. Sometimes Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian seem to compete for him, and they don't mind playing dirty with each other. They adore him, and Jiang Cheng tries to reciprocate the feeling as best he can, although he still doesn't know how to express himself properly. But they don't care, because they've spent previous lives understanding him, searching tirelessly for him.
Jiang Cheng still wants to do other things, still wants to discover new worlds, wants to learn new cultures, find new treasures. He still has a lot to teach his nephews, he has a lot of people to meet, but for now he is content with the small two-room house, the two lovers who tenderly devour him and monopolize his heart and the simplicity of just being Jiang Cheng.
He hopes that in the next life they can do something similar, and even if Jiang Cheng doesn't remember, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji will look for him anyway.
"Here." Lan Wangji puts the food on the table after he finally finishes tidying up the mess that was in their small kitchen, encourages Wei Ying to sit next to Jiang Cheng, not on his lap.
They eat in silence, and at the end they sing happy birthday to Jiang Cheng. Lan Wangji presents him with half of his Gusu Lan ribbon, as the other resides with Wei Ying, and Wei Ying handed him a bell that he himself spent days making and stressing over the format.
Jiang Cheng smiles and tells them that that night, because they took such good care of him, the two of them can do whatever they want with him.
Wei Ying and Lan Zhan take him to bed immediately.