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Pining. It was something Lan Wangji was oh so painfully familiar with.
See, when he was just a teenager, a boisterous youth by the name of Wei Wuxian came barreling into his life.
This ray of sunshine changed everything for him. He was rebellious, and wild, and so very, very smart. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, and he definitely wasn’t a fan of Cloud Recesses many rules. He also, for some reason, gave Lan Wangji plenty of attention. In fact, at times he seemed to even seek him out.
Their “love story of the ages,”, as Nie Huisang had called it, was full of tragedy. Most of it could be followed by the keepsakes Lan Wangji had jealously stolen off of Wei Wuxian’s person at each interaction.
And now, he found himself waiting for his husband. Again.
Once Xichen went into seclusion, Lan Wangji took up his role as head of the Gusu Lan Sect. Wei Wuxian was very supportive of this decision, so long as they agreed to go night hunting together often.
And they did. Those trips were something that Lan Wangji treasured above all else.
But then a lot of things happened, and Nie Mingjue returned from the dead. There was a lot of conflict surrounding that, and new mysteries to solve, but Xichen was so damned happy that Lan Wangji handled it without batting an eye.
One of the things he brought with him was the gift of procreation for couples of the same sex. It wasn’t an overly complicated process, thankfully. After making sure Xichen got through his pregnancy okay, Wei Wuxian immediately asked that they try next.
And now his love was off in a valley somewhere consulting with the Demonic Emperor and Ghost King that had brought them this gift, trying to confirm his pregnancy.
Lan Wangji wanted a baby. He wanted to see the best parts of his beloved husband alongside his own in a small human, just like how his nephew Yuming had turned out.
But the journey took three weeks. Even with Xichen and Mingjue going with him, he was anxious about leaving Wei Wuxian’s side. But three weeks was a long time to be away from Gusu. He knew this. And Wei Wuxian promised to head straight there and come straight back. He believed his husband, he did. But unfortunately his Wei Ying found trouble wherever he went.
He let out a sigh in the quiet of his office. He was handling the quarterly budget report. It would keep him occupied for a couple days, and give him a chance to think of something other than his beloved.
“Baba.” He looked up at the sound of his son’s voice, and his expression softened to see Sizhui holding his nephew. “Xiao Ming fell asleep watching us practice. Do you want me to put him to bed, or leave him in here?”
“You can leave him with me.” Lan Wangji said, raising his arms for the infant. His son placed him in his arms, and he once again marveled over how big of a baby he was. Sure he was already a year old, but Lan Wangji was sure that none of the Lan babies had been this big.
Must be a Nie thing.
“Thanks Baba.” Sizhui leaned down and pressed a rare kiss to the top of his head before leaving to go and join the rest of the disciples.
A’Yuan was his favorite keepsake from their love story. Their “little radish” had managed to bring some light into those dark, terrible, lonely years he was without Wei Ying. He was growing up to be such a great young man, and he was so very proud of him.
He hoped that Yuming grew up without the hardships A’Yuan had.
That night, after tucking Yuming in a basinet near his bed, Lan Wangji and Sizhui crawled into bed together.
After the first two nights of Lan Wangji not sleeping, his son realized it was because he was afraid to wake up and find out this had been a dream. So being the selfless little thing that he was, he immediately offered to keep him company.
“A-die is going to be so jealous that he missed this.” Sizhui chuckled.
“Mn.” Lan Wangji agreed, smiling at the thought of his love’s pout.
“No fair! Lan Zhan, go sleep in a different room tonight! Wait, no, on second thought, I get to be in the middle tonight!” He would whine.
“Do you think you guys will really have a baby?” Sizhui asked next. Something about the question sounded off, so Lan Wangji rolled over to look at his son. When he noticed the anxious look in his eyes, he frowned.
“Our family may gain a new member, yes.” He corrected as gently as he could. It didn’t really work because Sizhui’s expression crumbled before he quickly schooled it into a neutral one.
“I’ll move out of course. And-” Before his son could continue on with whatever things he was thinking about, Lan Wangji swiftly cut in.
“No. We can add on a bedroom. Or convert a room into one. But your room is your room. Always.” He said firmly, leaving no room for argument. Sizhui teared up, quickly sliding over to cuddle into his arms.
“Thanks Baba.” He whispered. Lan Wangji nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
“A baby will not replace you, A’Yuan. It will just grow our family. And as someone that grew up with a big brother, I can recognize how lucky I was to have Xichen. Just like your sibling will be lucky to have you.” Sizhui nodded, tightening his arms around his father.
Aside from that night, Sizhui was fine the rest of the time Wei Wuxian was gone. Yuming and Lan Wangji, on the other hand, were very, very happy to hear Wei Wuxian screaming his name the moment he stepped into Cloud Recesses.
“I’ll take him.” Lan Qiren prompted stated, taking the infant from his nephew. Not even a minute later, Wei Wuxian slammed open the door to his office, a wide grin on his face.
“I’m home, Lan Zhan!” He sang, practically skipping over to slide into his lap.
“Thank you for watching him, A’Zhan.” Lan Wangji vaguely heard Xichen say, but all he could focus on was Wei Ying kissing him breathless.
“A-die, don’t forget about me.” Sizhui’s voice was the only thing that could break them apart. Wei Wuxian pulled back with a loud, wet pop and grinned at their son.
“A’Yuan! Come see me!” He crooned, opening his arms. Once Sizhui was close enough, he practically yanked him onto his lap.
Lan Wangji looked up to find his brother watching the scene with amusement in his eyes. Yuming was happy to be reunited with his parents, and he was eagerly babbling to Mingjue from where he stood just behind Xichen.
“How was the trip there and back? Any trouble?” Sizhui was asking when he turned his attention back to his spouse. Wei Wuxian shook his head, nuzzling into the top of Sizhui’s head before releasing him.
“Nope! The most interesting part of the trip was watching Xichen and Mingjue try to sneak off each chance they got. As if I don’t know that they were going-”
“No trouble was had.” Mingjue abruptly cut him off, his cheeks growing pink. To Lan Wangji’s amusement, so were Xichen’s. Wei Wuxian laughed at them before turning and cupping his face.
“Lan Zhan!” He gasped. The dramatic flair to it had Lan Wangji falling in love with his husband all over again and he smiled, pressing their foreheads together.
“Mn.” He simply hummed. Wei Wuxian beamed, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs.
“You succeeded, Hanguang-jun. You put a baby in me!” He declared, grinning so hard it had to hurt. Lan Wangji returned it, pulling him in for a tight hug. His hand slid between them, covering Wei Ying’s abdomen.
“Welcome home, Wei Ying.” He murmured in his ear. His husband let out a watery laugh before kissing him.
“I’m home, Lan Zhan.”