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Jiang Cheng holds Lan Zhan's hand, and the surprising part is that Lan Zhan lets him. Wei Wuxian blinks at this while Lan Xichen withholds the urge to coo at the adorable sight of his baby brother and child version of his husband getting along.
"Let's get married," Jiang Cheng boldly says.
"Mn," Lan Zhan's ears are red.
Lan Xichen's smile becomes frozen on his face. Wei Wuxian blinks, then throws his head back and laughs.
***
Lan Zhan doesn't like the man in red and black. He's loud and breaks all of the rules. He tells Jiang Cheng this but the other boy says that there are no rules to be broken at Lotus Pier, and that's where the man came from so he doesn't know.
"You know him," Lan Zhan asks but his tone comes out flat and he wonders if Jiang Cheng will take offense to it, all of the other people in the past always gave him a judging look, upset or put out by the way he talks though he really has no clue how to fix it. So he has no friends. Jiang Cheng is his first friend and he doesn't want to lose him.
But Jiang Cheng only smiles- Lan Zhan blushes whenever this happens- at him and shakes his head. "I just have a feeling, because that's where I'm from."
"You're not loud and you don't break the rules," Lan Zhan points out. Jiang Cheng may be a bit more talkative and moves around a lot, always taking Lan Zhan's hand and pulling him places to be, but it's not annoying at all. Lan Zhan has this warm feeling inside and he likes it. He sticks his hand out and turns his head away shyly, suddenly missing the warmth of the other boy's hand and smiles a bit when the boy immediately takes his hand and swings it between them.
"Does that make me good?" Jiang Cheng asks him and Lan Zhan is startled at the tone of his voice. He sounds shy, but something else that Lan Zhan can't detect. He has trouble reading how other people feel sometimes but he thinks Jiang Cheng is no different than one of the rabbits he used to play with behind the mountains whenever his brother took him there. He feels the need to hold him and protect him from the bigger animals that might hurt him.
"A-Cheng is always good," he sincerely says, puffing up a bit. Jiang Cheng stares at him with wide eyes, and his cheeks turn red when he smiles, and Lan Zhan naturally blushes.
"A-Zhan is good to me," his friend says, and Lan Zhan makes a noise.
"Oh, so you two on your way to getting married?" An annoying voice pipes up behind them, breaking the moment, and Lan Zhan glares at the man who grins at them and throws him a wink.
Jiang Cheng scowls. "As soon as A-Niang and A-Die get here then I'll ask them, so I can marry A-Zhan."
Lan Zhan's heart beats in excitement.
"Ohoho, don't change your mind," the man says.
"I won't!" Jiang Cheng is fierce and despite his small size Lan Zhan thinks he can do anything. He stands by his to be wife's side and stares up at the man coldly, but the man continues to smile, not at all bothered. "Lan Zhan is going to be my wife, just you wait!"
Lan Zhan turns to Jiang Cheng in shock.
"You're the wife," he corrects.
"Huh? But why? You're so much prettier than me."
Lan Zhan almost passes out from the blood that rushes to his head and his ears ring from the man's pitched laughter that echoes and doesn't seem to end.
***
Jiang Cheng stares at Lan Zhan's brother, the man spends a lot of time smiling and being nice and he explains things to them gently when they don't understand anything, and-
"A-Die," he blurts out. He blushes when the man turns to him, eyes wide. He clenches his hands by his sides, cheeks burning in embarrassment and looks down shamefully.
He feels a hand take his, and he looks to the side to see Lan Zhan staring at him.
"When we get married, Xiongzhang can be your A-Die," he says.
Lan Zhan's brother makes a strangled noise but when Jiang Cheng turns to look at him, he's smiling just the same, however it's a bit too wide, seemingly forced. But he doesn't say anything so Jiang Cheng takes it as an agreement. He already has an A-Die, but he wouldn't mind having Lan Zhan's brother as another one.
(He actually pays attention to Jiang Cheng.)
He smiles shyly at the man. "A-Cheng will like to have A-Zhan's Xiongzhang as his A-Die."
When he looks at the man he sees the smile slip from his face, his heart twinges, and his eyes prick at the obvious rejection but then Lan Zhan's brother comes closer and crouches low so that they can look each other in the eye and he says softly with that serious look on his face, "I want to be A-Cheng's family in any way that I can, but I can't be your A-Die."
Jiang Cheng is disappointed but it makes sense. It seems fair and his future wife's brother is still his family, and still wants to be A-Cheng's so he isn't sad anymore. Instead he becomes happy and smiles, "Be A-Cheng's gege!"
He's always wanted an older brother!
A-Jie is the best but sometimes he also wants a brother who can protect A-Jie and play with him, too!
"That is so not fair!" The man that Lan Zhan doesn't like yells out.
Jiang Cheng ignores him, and smiles at his big brother who smiles back at him this time with his eyes curved into crescents. He blushes at the sight, and his heart races.
His hand is sharply tugged and he startles, blinking out of his daze and turns to see Lan Zhan with a pout on his lips and he looks upset. Jiang Cheng forgets about his new big brother as he grows worried about his friend.
"A-Zhan, what's wrong?"
"Change your mind," he petulantly says and Jiang Cheng deciphers what he's suggesting and furiously shakes his head.
"I want to marry A-Zhan, together we will raise all of the bunnies, and you're the prettiest one here," he reassures.
Lan Zhan seems to feel better at his words because he offers a small smile, not all that bright like his older brother's but it still makes Jiang Cheng stare in a daze.
A loud cough interrupts their moment and they both look up to see the man in red and black looking down at them for the first time ever looking serious and his hands are on his hips.
"Where am I in this happy marriage of yours? Xichen-ge is your gege, so what am I?"
Jiang Cheng feels guilty for excluding him but then he remembers that Lan Zhan doesn't like him so he scowls and says, "Who are you?"
The man gasps but it sounds dramatic. He clutches his chest. "I'm Wei Ying, Lan Zhan's and ChengCheng's amazing gege, even cooler than him," he points back to the smiling gege who sighs and shakes his head, but his expression is still gentle with amusement.
"A-Zhan doesn't like you," he points out.
Wei Ying shakes his head and bends over at the waist to peer at Lan Zhan who stares back coldly. He grins. "A-Zhan likes me, he just doesn't know it yet."
He sounds so confident that Jiang Cheng almost believes it.
Lan Zhan frowns, but Jiang Cheng notices the tinge of pink on his cheeks.
Jiang Cheng squeezes his hand and Lan Zhan turns to him. He sticks his chin up, "Change your mind?" He asks back.
His friend furiously shakes his head. "Marry A-Cheng."
Jiang Cheng smiles.
***
It's when they kiss that they change back.
"Oh my gods!" Jiang Cheng is mortified. "Why did you let us do that?"
"You two looked so happy together," Lan Xichen says, smiling and he sounds so warm and adoring that Jiang Cheng almost forgets about the humiliation he just suffered through.
He wipes his lips with his sleeve, and glares off to the side, avoiding eye contact with his own husband and a certain someone.
"We were eight years old, " he mutters in slight incredulity.
"Saying no to you is the hardest thing to do," Lan Xichen says, and Jiang Cheng pauses. When he was a child, he was somewhat shy to ask for what he wants, but when he really wants something, he can be demanding.
His heart twinges. "You watched me get married to your brother."
"I know you love me, Wanyin." Lan Xichen's eyes are mirthful and he chuckles shortly. "You and Lan Zhan were both the same age and had each other so I understand, and it was really cute."
He hears Wei Wuxian laugh as he joins them. His hand tugging his really reluctant husband along. He says cheerfully, "You and Lan Zhan were really great friends! Watching out for each other and liking each other so much-"
"Be quiet!"
Jiang Cheng is surprised that it's Lan Wangji who says it but he sounds more embarrassed than anything. His ears are flushed and he's staring down at the ground and Jiang Cheng is slightly offended by the way the other disregards him, as his heart oddly squeezes at the sight. He grimaces at his reaction. It must be the lingering effects from the child version of him who thought-
He turns away and crosses his arms.
He hears his husband coughing into his fist but it suspiciously sounds like he's laughing.
He wants to forget all about this.
(Expect he doesn't.
And neither does Lan Wangji.
The next time Jiang Cheng sees Lan Wangji alone, they stare at each other, they say nothing but they end up walking to the field together in companionable silence, and without their husbands' presence amongst them they are able to be amicable with one another as they spend time with the bunnies.
It starts to become a routine whenever Jiang Cheng is around.
It's the start of something.)
***
"A-Zhan, can you pass my hair ribbon?"
"...."
Jiang Cheng turns when he hears nothing and freezes. Realization hits him and he groans. "Huan-ge," he amends and coaxes because his husband has a stiff expression on his face. "I'm sorry, it's just a habit."
"I understand," Lan Xichen says, and he comes closer to him but he doesn't bring the hair ribbon with him, and Jiang Cheng blinks in confusion before his husband gathers his hair in a hand, but he closes his eyes when he realizes what his husband is doing. He braids Jiang Cheng's hair for him, just like he taught him to, the one thing that Jiang Cheng seemed to be better at than him. It filled him with pride and accomplishment when Lan Xichen was able to get a braid well done. Now he does it for Jiang Cheng sometimes, his hands experienced and gentle. Once it's completed, he slowly opens his eyes and blinks. He turns back to his husband, who's staring at him with dark, almost possessive eyes. He also notices that Lan Xichen isn't wearing his forehead ribbon anymore, but he had a moment ago before-
His breath hitches.
"It's been yours for a long time," Lan Xichen says quietly; his hand touching the part where the ribbon's been woven into Jiang Cheng's hair while gazing at him intensely. "But I was afraid I wouldn't have anything else to offer, so I held onto it for you."
"Lan Huan."
Lan Xichen smiles at him, "Wanyin, I'm sorry I couldn't be your A-Die."
Jiang Cheng blushes at that and goes to hug the man, burying his face in his chest. " Don't joke about that. You're A-Cheng's husband."
His husband hugs him back, laughing joyously.