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Two figures stood parallel to one another. One was clad in white and blue robes, and the other in purple. The only sounds were the rustling bushes from the startled forest animals rushing off into the distance to avoid whatever conflict was about to occur.
“A-Cheng,” the man in white called out to him in a sweet tone.
“Lan Huan.”
Jiang Cheng held his cold expression, refusing to look away while swinging his tail back and forth in warning. There was absolutely no way he was going to let him do whatever he wanted. Charm and smiles weren’t going to work on Jiang Cheng. He wasn't going to be fooled. It was ending right here and now.
He let out a low growl, backing away with each step Lan Xichen leisurely took forward.
He had been trying to pursue Jiang Cheng for some time now and was utterly rejected no matter how many times he would try and try again. It was quite obvious that the word “no” wasn't part of his vocabulary.
It wasn't anything real. It wasn't an emotional attachment. Anything stirring between the two of them was only for the sake of their families arranging deals between the two clans.
Why was Lan Xichen so intensely set on making it something more?
Jiang Cheng was utterly frustrated.
The leaves crunched underneath their shoes and the moonlight flickered through the treelines, Lan Xichen’s golden gaze becoming that much more threatening when it lit up in the darkness.
Jiang Cheng felt his back hit something hard and looked back at the large tree, allowing Lan Xichen to close the distance and corner him.
His hands locked Jiang Cheng in place on either side and he leaned down slightly. “A-Cheng, please don't run away. Lets talk, okay?”
Jiang Cheng did not want to talk. “Leave me alone.”
His ears fell back and he took Jiang Cheng’s hand in his. “I'm serious. I just want to explain everything.”
“What the hell is there to explain?” Jiang Cheng snapped, yanking his hand away and hissed. The man sighed softly. “Alright, I know you're mad at me. I know you don't like any of this and I don't blame you. But I'm being honest, I really do love you.”
The purple leopard straightened his back and got his face closer, then said sarcastically “Oh really? Since you're oh so gentle and nice, is that why you had to wait until we were in the company of both our families? If you really loved me, then you wouldnt be so fucking artificial in front of everyone. You wouldn't have kept everything about Jin Guangyao from me. None of this shit would have happened.”
Lan Xichen’s face darkened and he chuckled with a simple “oh” before touching Jiang Cheng’s cheek with his palm. “I would never dare mistreat my beloved A-Cheng. I think you have the wrong idea.”
He turned his face away from the bunny.
Beloved?
There was no chance Jiang Cheng was going to hear anything he had to say.
He tried to slip under Lan Xichen’s arms, but he was easily caught of course. “You're so hasty, mn? I'm sorry, but I need you to listen this time. Bear with me.”
Like hell he was gonna stay here!
He had already embarrassed himself in both of their families by charging out earlier after Lan Xichen announced his “love” for Jiang Cheng.
Being locked up in this position was too shameful.
Running out of options to get out of this situation, he did what was in his survival instinct. What he knew best.
He bit Lan Xichen.
He winced in pain when the sharp canines dug into his arm and pleaded, “Now now, there's no need for biting…”
Jiang Cheng wasn't about to let go just because he asked nicely though. His teeth dug in and refused to let go. He was a locked up tiger that finally had taken its chance to strike.
The keeper can feed and feed the wild animal, raising it the same as a house cat, but it's still a tiger after all. It will eventually lose its cuteness and scavenge to viciously tear every inch of meat off the hand that feeds it until there is nothing left.
Because of this fact, Jiang Cheng felt entirely humiliated.
Here he was, the future sect leader and a leopard, being cornered by a little bunny. His parents would click their tongues and shake their heads in disappointment, ashamed of their own son being entirely useless. He couldnt even defend himself for fucks sake.
“A-Cheng, please listen to me.” Jiang Cheng clamped down harder and he trembled, but continued on, “I love you more than anything in this world. I promise you that. I am not one to lie.”
Another sharp pain prodded at his flesh; he continued.
“I announced it in front of our families because to me, it is an honor to introduce those intimate feelings in a way that expresses them for what they really are. I don't want to hide my feelings for you. They arent simple, nor are they light.”
And again. Lan Xichen’s eyes began to mist over, yet he didn't cry out.
“I didn't keep Jin Guangyao’s wrongdoings from you. I simply did not want to believe that my own sworn brother would have done what he had done.”
He glared at Lan Xichen and laid out a muffled rebuttal through his teeth: “If thats so, then you still lied. Refusing to acknowledge his wrongdoings is a lie in itself.”
Lan Xichen went silent and gave a wan smile.
No matter how angry Jiang Cheng got at him, his smile never seemed to go away. It reminded him of Wei Wuxian and stirred a relentless burning fire of rage within him.
How could he just act as though nothing happened?
He softly assured “If that is true, I will hold myself accountable. You may see to my punishment yourself if you don't believe me.”
The Lan Clan did not take their words lightly.
It was one of the important rules upheld mostly truthfully by the Twin Jades. He indeed knew that Lan Xichen had never lied once in his life, as he was an honest man, but Jiang Cheng was angry and tired.
What's the point if he was just going to get hurt again?
That's what he was most afraid of.
Growing up with their engagement, Jiang Cheng was neither fond nor hateful in his feelings towards Lan Xichen when they did spend time together. He was far less dull than Lan Wangji while still remaining barely too strict to make it any fun to be around him. They still got along really well though and he taught Jiang Cheng all sorts of different things when they did see each other, but it was never enough for Jiang Cheng to get a feel of what type of person Lan Xichen really was.
Later on down the line, they eventually began to spend more time with one another, gradually becoming more romantically entwined, but never anything intimate. It always boiled down to hand holding or cuddling. Jiang Cheng still wasn't convinced by this arrangement though, and became far distant after Wei Wuxian’s betrayal.
No matter how hard Lan Xichen tried, as gentle and sincere as he was, there was no getting through to him. There was a brick wall between them for so long.
Jiang Cheng’s mouth unconsciously had let go in his thoughts and his eyes dropped to Lan Xichen’s arm. Thescent of blood was like a flooding salty stench Jiang Cheng’s nose. He hesitantly looked back up at Lan Xichen despite wanting to cover himself in reflex. His eyelashes were downcast and looked like they were on the brink of tears while his body was trembling.
Jiang Cheng’s rage slowly dissipated.
He reached out and cupped Lan Xichen’s cheek in his hand, the warmth transfering as he lovingly leaned into Jiang Cheng’s touch.
He softly asked “Lan Huan, tell me honestly. Why?”
“Why what?” Lan Xichen gently hummed back.
“Why? Why do you care so much? What's the point in trying for me? Can't you just find someone else?”
He closed his eyes and rested his hand on Jiang Cheng’s, then honestly said “When you're here, I feel like I don't have to pretend. You're right, I'm artificial, but that's because of who I am. I'm the elder brother of the Lan Sect, I have to look like I've got everything under control for them. If I'm not in control, what hope would those who look up to us have?”
Jiang Cheng’s heart tightened and he averted his gaze.
His own image of those around him was brought on by them. It wasn't his own fault that people had gone against their word and formed that icy wall surrounding his heart to protect it, but it wasn't Lan Xichen’s either. The two of them had their own burdens to carry, he just hadn't wanted to think about that until now, as selfish of a thing as that was.
Jiang Cheng spent every day of his life listening to the endless arguments between his parents about him and Wei Wuxian. Who's better, who's more worthy, who's the one to show for the Jiang Clan name?
All of those questions weighed down on his shoulders.
Lan Xichen spent his time being fiercely disciplined under the leadership of his uncle, Lan Qiren. Any mistake he made was seen as a disgrace to every forefather who had founded the sect in all of its glory. He was forced to kneel down obediently and recite those three thousand rules no matter how much pain he was in.
If his knees began to collapse underneath him and shake, he should continue while he lay helplessly on the cold hard ground.
If his voice became hoarse from repeating the same words for hours, he just had to scream them instead.
Jiang Cheng inhaled deeply and took Lan Xichen’s arms in his hand, sitting him down and gently licking at the wounds he had left behind. His tail wrapped around Lan Xichen’s back.
Lan Xichen perked up and he gave a small smile. He reached over and scratched behind Jiang Cheng’s ear and he couldn't help purring.
Maybe he had been a little too hard on Lan Xichen up to this moment. It wouldn't be half bad to give someone in his life a chance again for once if he really meant every word he said.
“A-Cheng,” he called out.
Jiang Cheng looked up at him, seeing a peculiar look in his eyes. “A-Cheng, I really love you. I want you to be mine. Will you please let me make you mine?”
“…just what exactly do you mean by that?”
“Well…” a shy pink flush drew in at the ends of his ears and he leaned down close, whispering quietly in his ear.
Jiang Cheng froze.
He couldn't be serious…
Right here…
But the look on Lan Xichen’s face didn't appear like he was lying.
Lan Xichen, in fact, looked extremely sincere in his request. “If you don't want to, I won't do anything against your will.”
He sighed and said “It's not that… I just… that's a big commitment to make.”
Jiang Cheng stared at this man in front of him. His long black hair appeared entirely too neat for the situation they were in at this moment, but he was beautiful. The serene air around him was not something that could simply be ignored. It was like looking up at a god. He always knew this fact.
His eyes dropped and his trembling lashes fell over them, the light color peeking through the space between them nervously.
Finally having come to terms with it, Jiang Cheng lifted his head up and crawled on top of Lan Xichen. “If we are going to do something like this… can we at least do it in a proper place?”
Lan Xichen shook his head very seriously and wrapped his arms around Jiang Cheng’s neck, letting them loosely drape. “I want to know if you really mean it. It has to be right here and now so I can make sure you're not lying to me.”