Chapter Text
"A-Ling! You're going to be late for your first day!"
"I'm coming! Don't rush me!"
Jiang Cheng snorted in annoyance. He always felt a strange nostalgia whenever the boy took so long to get ready, as it reminded him of how the peacock used to act so long ago.
He sighed. Next month, it would be thirteen years since that terrible accident that took his sister and brother-in-law from them. It was only luck that Jiang Cheng had survived, at the cost of his eyesight.
(He still remembers the pain of feeling the glass shards piercing his eyes)
He heard his nephew rush down the stairs, petting his guide dog, Fairy, before approaching with heavy footsteps. It was something Jiang Cheng had taught him when Jin Ling was little; as he was still getting used to life without sight, he asked the boy to tread heavily so he could know where he was.
The man's hearing had improved greatly since then and it was no longer necessary, but Jin Ling continued to do so, which filled him with a warm feeling.
(Only once had Jin Ling been silent with him, after a heated argument. They both cried afterwards, Jiang Cheng because he was about to have an anxiety attack after not finding his seven-year-old nephew, and the boy because he saw the distress of the only adult in his life)
"Jiujiu," he said to his right, causing Jiang Cheng to turn his head in his direction.
He could barely make out annoying flashes of light with his eyes, so Jiang Cheng had gotten used to keeping them closed. It always filled him with sadness to realise that he would never see his nephew grow up, the thought that he would never know what his face looked like.
(He suppressed the awful sadness inside him when he saw that the faces of his loved ones had become blurred over time)
"Do you have everything?" he asked as he felt the uniform Jin Ling was wearing with his hands. The fabric was high quality, reflecting the prestige of the institution.
"Yes, jiujiu," despite sounding annoyed, the now teenager made no attempt to pull his hands away.
Jiang Cheng simply hummed before gently stroking his nephew's head. It seemed to be tied in his usual ponytail.
"Don't forget that I'll be picking you up to go to your doctor's appointment later."
"I know," his voice turned into a whimper, "You've told me five times already!"
"That way you won't forget," he snapped before his voice softened. "Pay close attention, on the first day they usually give you all the information and before you know it you only have two days left to finish a two-month job."
"Speaking from experience?" he scoffed.
"Brat," Jiang Cheng tapped his forehead. "Try to socialise this time, will you?"
"Jiujiu!" He could feel the embarrassment emanating from his body. "Ugh, really. I'm off!"
"Have a good day! Be careful!"
He heard a brief farewell before hearing the door close.
"Now it's just you and me, Fairy," the dog approached eagerly upon hearing her name.
The supposed Husky (supposed because Jiang Cheng had no way of confirming it) had been chosen by Jin Ling himself when he was seven years old. After several accidents, he had finally decided to get a guide dog.
(He buried the thought of a promise made by a naive child long ago.)
Fairy (formerly named Little Fairy by Jin Ling) was a very affectionate dog but that took her job seriously. At home, she was always playing with Jin Ling, but nothing on the street distracted her. He was very grateful to her, as she kept him company when his nephew was in class.
His parents had died in a plane crash three years before his sister. They had left them a large amount of money after their death, but Jiang Cheng had not touched any of it out of pure spite until a year after the accident that left him blind.
It was no longer just his life at stake, but his nephew's as well. So, with great regret and a poisonous feeling inside, Jiang Cheng used the money. There was enough for a moderately comfortable life until Jin Ling graduated from university, as he had decided that the money saved for him to attend university would go to Jin Ling.
He had tried to find some jobs, but no one wanted to hire a blind man who was still getting used to not being able to see and who, on top of that, didn't have an university degree. Now that school had started again, he should look for jobs again...
The dog's wet snout brought him back to reality. He felt its head rest on his lap, so Jiang Cheng began to stroke her head.
"C'mon, let's clean this place up a bit," Jiang Cheng said as he stood up.
He could only sense the dirtiness of the place, so he always asked Jin Ling to leave a note on any mess he saw if he didn't have time to clean it up.
It was something he was proud of. Many parents at the parent meetings at Jin Ling's school complained that their children never cleaned up after themselves, but Jiang Cheng had taught his nephew from an early age to clean up to help him.
The boy felt important ("This way I help Jiujiu!" he used to say) and did everything with care. Despite some teenage complaints lately, Jin Ling remained just as responsible with cleaning. Although who knows what his room was like, as Jiang Cheng had been very clear that he respected Jin Ling's space and trusted him to keep his room tidy.
(He had tried to be better than his mother, who was always rummaging through his room for anything she could find to scold him about. He didn't want to be like her)
Once he stopped feeling the dirt all over the house (he hated how long it took him to do something as simple as cleaning), Jiang Cheng got ready to go out and pick up his nephew, as the day had passed quickly.
With sunglasses and Fairy guiding him, it was clear to anyone that Jiang Cheng was blind. It had been a long time since he had last cared about people staring at him. He was blind, so what did a few stares matter? It's not like he could see them.
But as he approached the small café run by Luo Qingyang (his brother-in-law's former friend), a scream he would never forget echoed through the empty street. Jiang Cheng turned his head with a sharp movement.
"...Wei Wuxian?"
A terrified gasp echoed through the place before it stopped. Shaky footsteps approached.
"...Jiang Cheng?"