Chapter Text
Wei Ying is beautiful when pregnant. Wei Ying is beautiful always, of course, but something about him when he carries a child--the softening of the jaw, the rounding out of his belly, the mellowing of his usually frenetic energy--makes Lan Wangji want to freeze time and take in every moment as if it were a beautiful eternity.
Time, of course, does not stand still, not even for those who are able to bend it to their will if the occasion calls for it. Lan Wangji sighs, takes one more look at Wei Ying's sleeping form, and gets out of bed.
The sun has yet to rise, but Heyun is as early a riser as Lan Wangji, and Lan Wangji wants to get to him before he wakes Wei Ying. Before this pregnancy, they would split their morning duties, Wei Ying having become accustomed to his family's habits. However, the pregnancy has made him tired, just like the first time. Lan Wangji does not wish to wake him needlessly.
He dresses and goes to his son. After his birth, they repurposed the far wing of the jingshi. Built a wall, installed a door, and created a nursery. Heyun is already waiting for him there, small hands clenched around the protective side of his bed as he bounces up and down, mouth pulled into a big grin. "Diedie!"
Lan Wangji walks up to him, his own smile helpless before the sight, and reaches for him. Xichen often tells him how very alike the two of them are. Even Uncle has told him that Lan Wangji's son is the spitting image of him at his age, and still, it never fails to take his breath away. Nearly three years on, Heyun's presence in their lives, his very existence, brings to mind how the chaos of the world can rearrange itself into the smallest of miracles.
Lan Wangji thought he knew what love was with Wei Ying. With Xichen, with his mother. He had no idea there was a different love altogether in the world.
"Good morning, Heyun," he says as he sets his son on his hip, knowing he may be too old for such handling but unable to help himself. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, Diedie." Heyun wraps his arms around Lan Wangji's neck and puts his face against Lan Wangji. "Why is Heyun yawning if Heyun is awake?" he asks through a yawn.
Lan Wangji walks over to the bench next to Heyun's wardrobe and sets him down. "It is because your body has not yet caught up with your mind," he explains. Heyun stands patiently and Lan Wangji begins to undress him from his sleeping clothes. Heyun raises his arms for the shirt and holds onto Lan Wangji's shoulders as he takes off his trousers. Then Lan Wangji opens his wardrobe and the ritual of dressing for the day begins. In an hour, Lan Wangji will be ensconced in a day-long meeting with his brother and uncle, preparing for the next cultivation conference, so he allows himself to indulge for a little while longer.
He wraps his son in an undershirt, then an inner robe. Heyun doesn't fight him the way he sometimes does Wei Ying, and Lan Wangji wonders if it is because the two are too similar in spirit. Heyun is curious, energetic; the only times when he stands still being right here, with Lan Wangji, and at bedtime, when the day's energy has been exhausted and he falls, like a spent whirling dervish, into their arms.
Not for the first time, Lan Wangji wonders what Heyun's sibling is going to be like. Will they be as similar to one another as he and Xichen are? Will they have the same sort of innate understanding of one another? Or will they be as fire and ice, oil and water?
Lan Wangji has his hopes, as each parent must, but it is too early to fret.
He wonders if the child Wei Ying is carrying will be a boy or a girl. Will they be healthy? Will Wei Ying be safe?
"Diedie!" Heyun spreads his arms out. "I'm dressed! Can I go to Baba now?"
Lan Wangji gives him a smile and bids him to hop down and take his hand. "Not yet, A-Yun. Wash your face and have breakfast first. Remember, Baba is tired and can't play with you as much as usual."
Heyun gives a serious nod and obediently follows Lan Wangji to the basin, which Lan Wangji fills with water from a prepared pitcher. Lan Wangji helps his son wash his face, despite knowing he is big enough to do it himself (though it's true he splashes), and then dries his face for him. Someone will have already brought their breakfast and set it outside the door.
They eat together in silence, crowded around Heyun's small table, which they have begun doing since Wei Ying's pregnancy, not wishing to wake him. When the last of his warmed congee is consumed and he has taken the proper amount of tea, Heyun wipes his hands on a napkin and chews on his lower lip, giving Lan Wangji an expectant look. That's the Wei Ying in him--impatient yet wanting to do well.
Lan Wangji smiles. "You may go to your father. I'll be right behind you."
Heyun is up and out the next moment, little feet carrying him through to the main rooms at the speed of light. Lan Wangji allows it. He rises, puts their empty dishes on the tray, leaves it outside the doorway. He makes Heyun's bed, feeling his uncle's disapproval at him doing it for Heyun the entire time he does it, then shuts the wardrobe doors.
By the time he re-enters the main half of the jingshi, Heyun has already climbed onto their bed and woken Wei Ying, who has pinned Heyun down and is busy tickling him. Heyun's giggles can probably be heard all the way at the entrance gates. Lan Wangji allows himself a moment of indulgence in simply enjoying the sight and sound before him.
Then he steps towards them. "Good morning," he tells Wei Ying, and Wei Ying's eyes are still laughing when he greets him.
“Hanguang-jun!” Wei Ying says. “I believe we’ve found a stray—do you know who this monster belongs to?”
Heyun squeals with delight, nearly standing on his head already. He is properly awake now, buzzing with excitement for the new day. This, he also gets from Wei Ying. The two of them pretend to wrestle for a while until Wei Ying falls backwards, and Heyun gets distracted by his belly. Wei Ying is six months along now, and showing properly. This time around, he began showing early, surprising them both. Lan Wangji will admit to being just as fascinated by it as their son, though probably for different reasons.
"Is this my future brother?" Heyun asks for the millionth time, ear to Wei Ying's stomach.
"Mn. Or sister," Wei Ying says once again. “Can you feel them moving around? This baby is an early riser, too.”
Heyun's eyebrows draw together in concentration, tongue slipping out between his lips. "I don't feel anything, Baba."
Wei Ying pets his head, runs his fingers through his hair. "That's all right. Soon you'll feel them. Think you'll be a good brother to them?"
"Yes, Baba!"
"Good boy." Wei Ying reaches out and tucks a strand of loose hair behind Heyun's ear. A quiet moment passes. "Well, I can certainly feel the baby, and it's pressing down on several important organs." He makes to sit up with Heyun still plastered up against him. "All right, A-Yun. Baba has to go relieve himself."
Lan Wangji finally makes his feet move and walks over to them. He helps Wei Ying lever himself up off the bed--it's unnecessary; he is not yet so big as to require assistance--and gives him a kiss good morning. Wei Ying's hair is still mussed, and he smells of sleep and their sheets. Lan Wangji is close enough that Wei Ying's belly brushes against him.
"Mmm. Good morning, husband." Wei Ying's smile is languid, pleased as a cat's in a beam of sunlight. "Now move, or I'll relieve myself on you."
With a helpless smile, Lan Wangji steps back, then looks down at Heyun and raises his eyebrows. "We forgot your headband. How did we manage that?"
Heyun's hand flies up to his forehead and his eyes grow huge. "Diedie!"
"Go and get it," Lan Wangji tells him, then begins getting ready for the day as he waits. It's Heyun, so not much time passes before he's running back, extending the ribbon in his hands towards Lan Wangji.
"Help me, Die."
Lan Wangji has Heyun trace his movements with his own hands in order to get used to the feeling. He does not remember learning how to tie his headband himself--it's an innate knowledge that comes as easily as breathing. Heyun's eyes are rolling upwards as if to see better, and Lan Wangji smiles as he ties the ribbon in the back, allowing the ends to fall.
He remembers doing this for Sizhui, the first time. His heart no longer aches with emptiness, but the feeling is never far away. He has even more to lose, now. An even bigger stake.
"Diedie, you haven't put yours on yet," Heyun tells him once Lan Wangji drops his hands and makes to stand up from his crouch. "Let me, let me!"
Lan Wangji indulges him in this, as well. He sits down properly in lotus pose, hands his son his headband, and Heyun walks around him. Lan Wangji holds on to the silver adornment while Heyun huffs and puffs behind him. He has not strung it through, and Lan Wangji has not begun to pin his hair in place, but he sits patiently and allows Heyun to practice.
"I did it!"
Lan Wangji drops his hand and mirrors his son by rolling his eyes upwards. It is an instinct, after all. When Heyun runs back to take a look at his handiwork, Lan Wangji grabs him and brings him in. That one is an impulse, and he allows himself to enjoy his son's delighted laughter and tickle his ticklish spots until they are both caught red-handed.
"Your Excellency! The frivolity!" Wei Ying crows behind them, and then he pads into view, bare-footed and undone. "Am I not invited?!" Lan Wangji looks up at him, Heyun still caught in his arms, and watches as Wei Ying slowly gets down on his knees. He reaches out a hand and Wei Ying steadies himself on it until he's on the floor, eyes sparkling.
Wei Ying is beautiful like this.
They kiss with Heyun struggling in between them, because he has exhausted his patience for standing still, but Lan Wangji wishes he did not have to let him go. In a minute, he will have to go through the motions of becoming Chief Cultivator, and miss the rest of Heyun's day in favor of planning sessions and letter writing.
Wei Ying must read the frustration on his face. He grabs Heyun around the waist, turns him around so he's facing Lan Wangji, and says, "Wish your Diedie a good day."
"Have a good day, Diedie!" Heyun spreads his arms out and the next moment, Lan Wangji is enveloped in his son's embrace, his warm face pressed up against his neck. He meets Wei Ying's amused gaze.
"Maybe we can have another qin lesson tonight," Lan Wangji suggests and Wei Ying rolls his eyes in that fond way he has.
"If you get out in time, right, Heyun?"
Heyun pulls back and nods vigorously. "I wanna learn qin!"
"There," Wei Ying says, spreading his hands. "The man has spoken. Make your uncle and brother do all the work and leave at lunchtime. You're Chief Cultivator, what are they going to do?"
Lan Wangji sighs. "You know I cannot do that." As much as he would love to.
The rest of his day is much less pleasant. He forces himself to concentrate on the work. It is an important, if tedious, business, and Lan Wangji is unused to giving something only half of his attention. Ever since Wei Ying's first pregnancy, however, he has had to work hard on giving this his all. Every day that he missed of Wei Ying's changing body, every day that he has been missing of Heyun's life, has stuck in his throat like a bone, making it hard to breathe.
"Is everything all right, Wangji?" Xichen asks once they've concluded one planning session.
He sighs inwardly, but says, "Of course."
His brother's amused glance shows he is not fooled. "Your mind is elsewhere today."
Not just today. "I am all right," Lan Wangji assures him. "Uncle will be back in a moment." That is a warning. No matter how things have shifted since Heyun's birth, Lan Wangji is wary of discussing anything close to feelings with or even around his uncle.
"Mn. All right." This means, of course, that Xichen is simply waiting for an opportune moment to carry on the conversation. In the meantime, he takes out Liebing and plays a melody. It has the intended effect of bringing Lan Wangji to the present fully.
That evening, Heyun is already asleep by the time Lan Wangji steps into the jingshi. It is quite late, and he had expected as much. He does his best to tamp down his disappointment. It must show on his face, because Wei Ying still gives him an apologetic look from his perch at the table. "I'm sorry, but I thought it best…"
"You did the right thing." Schedules are important, especially where sleep is concerned. Lan Wangji sets Bichen in its holder and slides the doors closed behind himself. There's a nip in the fresh evening air. Perhaps he will light a fire in a bit. "How was your day?"
Wei Ying shrugs, setting down his book. "Uneventful, really."
Lan Wangji finds that hard to believe and it must show on his face.
"Well, as uneventful as a day in a three-year old's company can be, so...exhausting," Wei Ying amends with amusement. "We missed you," he says softly.
Lan Wangji sighs as he lowers himself across the table from Wei Ying and leans over for a kiss. "I missed you, too." He leans in for another kiss, this time lingering. Wei Ying tastes of jasmine tea. "How are you feeling?"
Wei Ying shrugs, but his hand automatically goes to his lower back before pulling away. Lan Wangji indicates with a raised eyebrow that he saw that. Wei Ying laughs it off, then winces. "All right, so my back isn't the happiest. I'll be fine."
Lan Wangji rises and walks around until he can sit behind him.
"You really don't have to…" But Wei Ying's voice lacks conviction, and Lan Wangji does not need an excuse to touch his husband.
He kisses the crown of his head, then leans in until his chest is up against Wei Ying's back, wraps his arms around his middle and unties his robe. This really is best done in bed, and with oil, but now that he's started, Lan Wangji does not wish to stop. They discovered this helped Wei Ying during the first pregnancy, nearly too late for it to be of much use. Lan Wangji will not let this pregnancy pass without giving Wei Ying as much relief as he can.
He slips Wei Ying's outer robe off his shoulders, Wei Ying simply letting him. Then he repeats the same with his inner robe, until all that is left is Wei Ying's shirt.
Lan Wangji makes an inquiring noise and Wei Ying nods. "That, too. Please."
Lan Wangji rubs his hands together to warm them up, then tugs on the strings. Wei Ying's wrists get caught and it's a bit of an ungainly struggle, but eventually between them, they manage to slip the shirt off. Wei Ying is left in just his trousers, his robes pooling around him, waiting for Lan Wangji to touch him.
Lan Wangji massages him slowly, taking his time. He begins with the lower back, mapping the birth marks as he goes. Two at the bottom of his spine, then one on the left side just below his shoulder blade. It's odd how the pregnancy has changed Wei Ying's body, yet some things look untouched. His middle is thicker, but the ridges of his spine are still prominent, the skin there thin and smooth. Lan Wangji digs into the tight muscles with the pads of his thumbs, then uses his knuckles to unknot them. Wei Ying makes gorgeous noises, moaning and sighing in turn. When Lan Wangji finds a particularly sensitive spot, Wei Ying hisses. It's a symphony of pleasure and Lan Wangji revels in it, loses himself in it.
His own pleasure is in the giving. He leans into the touch, sending some healing energy Wei Ying's way.
"Lan Zhan." Wei Ying's sigh is heady. "Lan Zhan, come here…"
"I am here," he points out.
Wei Ying flops an arm around until his hand lands on Lan Wangji's knee and squeezes. "You know what I mean. Come here."
Lan Wangji leans in until his chest is touching Wei Ying's bare back. "I'm here." He breathes in Wei Ying's scent, the scent of home. His inhales, closing his eyes, then nuzzles Wei Ying's neck, his hair tickling Lan Wangji's nose. "I'm here, Wei Ying."
"You should kiss me," Wei Ying breathes and turns his head. Lan Wangji does. The kiss is shallow, constrained by the angle, but no less lovely for it. Wei Ying makes a pleased noise, humming against Lan Wangji's mouth. Then he breaks off, and, breath fanning over Lan Wangji's lips, says, "You should also fuck me."
Lan Wangji makes an involuntary noise before he can collect himself. "Are you sure?"
Instead of an answer, Wei Ying grabs his hand and guides it down over his stomach until Lan Wangji feels his rigid cock beneath the fabric of his trousers. "I am very sure."
The only thing Lan Wangji bothers with before he gets them into bed is taking off his headpieces. The braziers stay lit, the dinner Wei Ying had prepared for him sits untouched. He doesn't light the fire in the grate.
Instead, he undresses Wei Ying, then himself, and he fucks him slowly from behind. Wei Ying is holding onto the headboard with one hand, and Lan Wangji's hip with the other, as Lan Wangji drives into him slowly and steadily, over and over again.
"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan…"
"Wei Ying," he says in answer, as if there had even been a question. Then again, Wei Ying is the answer to most questions. Lan Wangji takes care to ensure that his grip around Wei Ying's chest is not too strong, but that is the only concession he finds himself capable of making. He loses himself in the act, his mind escaping along with his breath, nearly delirious with pleasure. Wei Ying's voice both anchors and unmoors him, and he follows it, like always, to the very edge. His own voice breaks with his climax, and he pulses inside Wei Ying, surprised to find that the whine that reaches his ears is escaping from his own chest.
He brings Wei Ying off with a handful of strokes, revels in his release. They pant in unison afterwards, himself growing soft inside Wei Ying and still loath to leave him. He kisses each of Wei Ying's shoulders in turn.
He cleans the two of them up, afterwards, taking particular pains to be thorough with Wei Ying. Wei Ying hums and flops around on the bed as much as his heavy belly will allow, his face a picture of smug satisfaction. "You're so good, Lan Zhan," he mumbles, sleep clearly doing its best to claim him. "Love my Lan Zhan, love my Lan Zhan loving me." Then he yawns, and then his eyes slip shut, and then his mouth goes slack. Lan Wangji smiles, then takes the washcloth, gets up off the bed, and slips on his inner robe.
He turns down the braziers until only a single candle burns. He sits down at the table, eats his dinner cold. He straightens up the scrolls Wei Ying had been working on and puts them to the side. He lights the fire in the grate. He meanders from chore to chore, until his feet bring him to the door and he's sliding it open and padding into Heyun's room.
Soundlessly, he enters, his eyes already adjusted to the dim. A small brazier is on, the room warm from its glow. Heyun sleeps on his back, arms flung out, mouth slack and drooling. When he was a baby, he used to sleep with his knees drawn up and his butt up, something that amused Wei Ying to no end. Now he sleeps like Wei Ying does, taking up all the space that is rightfully his.
Lan Wangji stops at his bed and extends his hand. He brushes back Heyun's hair, runs his hand lightly over his soft cheek. He stands there until his own exhaustion edges in, and then just as soundlessly, he leaves. Wei Ying is still asleep when Lan Wangji joins him. Sleep claims him a few contended moments later.
~*~
Lan Wangji is on his sixth petitioner of the day when Heyun tears into the pavilion in a flurry of white robes, hair and ribbon streaming behind him. "Diedie!" Before anyone in the packed room can even react, Heyun has run up to Lan Wangji and embraced his knee.
Lan Wangji hears Wei Ying the next moment, his voice half-exasperated, half-amused. "Wei Zhenhong, you get back to me right this instant!" He walks through the pavilion doors belly-first, his hair is coming out of its ponytail. He's red-cheeked and winded. He's the best thing Lan Wangji has seen since his work day began.
Heyun does not acknowledge Wei Ying as he looks up at Lan Wangji with sparkling eyes and a blinding smile. "Diedie! Come play with us! We're building a snowman!"
"Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan, I'm sorry!"
Lan Wangji looks past the speechless petitioner who had just asked Lan Wangji to help settle a truly idiotic squabble between himself and a neighboring clan. "It is fine," he reassures him, then looks back down at Heyun and gives him a stern look. "Diedie's working right now, Heyun. He can't come out to play."
Heyun pouts and nods. "All right, Diedie. Heyun will play alone."
"What am I, then?" Wei Ying has reached them by now. He puffs out his cheeks and pouts back at Heyun before grabbing his hand. "I'm so sorry, Lan Zhan, we're going!"
"Diedie's the best at snowmen," Heyun explains, plainly ignoring Wei Ying's tugging, and Lan Wangji feels the tips of his ears flushing from pleasure. When he glances over at his current petitioner, his eyes are as big as saucers, with everyone behind him murmuring quietly between one another. No doubt that soon enough the whole of Caiyi Town will know that Hanguang-jun, the second Jade of Lan, spends his leisure time building snowmen with his son. As far as these things go, it is not a bad bit of gossip to be on the receiving end of; however, it is also none of anybody's business.
Then again, he finds himself not caring who knows what he does with his son. In fact… "I cannot help you with the snowman," he tells Heyun seriously, "but if you would like, you can stay with me and learn about settling arguments."
Wei Ying makes a surprised noise above him and tugs on Heyun's hand again, but Heyun resists as he looks at Lan Wangji and furrows his brow. "What are arguments?"
"It's when two people have different opinions and cannot settle on a compromise," Lan Wangji explains.
Heyun nods. "Ohhh. Okay. What's compromise?"
Lan Wangji smiles, then hoists Heyun onto his lap and looks up at Wei Ying, who's watching events unfold with a rather shocked expression.
"He can stay with me," Lan Wangji tells him. "Perhaps you can rest in the meantime."
"I...are you sure?" Wei Ying sounds uncertain.
Lan Wangji nods, and Wei Ying shakes his head before leaning down and touching his hand to Lan Wangji's arm and the top of Heyun's head. "All right. Have Sizhui bring him back if he gets to be too much."
"Bye, Baba!" Heyun grins up to Wei Ying, then snuggles closer into Lan Wangji's embrace. Lan Wangji, his heart unfurling within his chest, longs to drop a kiss to the top of his head, but he has already pushed things too far for propriety.
He watches Wei Ying make his slow way out of the pavilion, hand on his lower back, then turns back to the petitioner. "I noticed," he says as if nothing untoward has taken place in the last five minutes, "that you are here alone. Where is the Yiu clan representative?"
The petitioner scowls, then quickly schools his features. "Refused to come, Your Excellency. Told me there was not a problem."
Lan Wangji nods, thinks. Finally he says, "I will have him invited to the next hearing. Please come then and I will hear you both out."
"Your Excellency, but--"
"I am sorry. I cannot make a fair judgment without hearing from him, as well." He looks past the man to the woman behind him. "Next, please. What is your petition, Madam?"
Heyun remains in his arms, restless on occasion, until Lan Wangji feels him grow into a dead weight, hears his breathing even out. It must be his naptime, then. Lan Wangji speaks lower, his petitioners follow suit, and Heyun sleeps in his arms undisturbed.
~*~
Lan Wangji knows he is being selfish, but after the ninth petitioner, not even his meditation techniques can help him focus enough to be fair and just. He's feeling extremely unfair and inordinately unjust. He cancels the rest of his day without explanation, letting those waiting know that they will be treated to tea and invited back next week.
Heyun stirs when Lan Wangji moves him off of his lap, but settles back down in his arms. At the pavilion entrance, he instructs a disciple to bring in a tea service for those left, then walks away.
Heyun is still asleep on his shoulder, his breathing loud and even, when Lan Wangji walks through the open doors of the jingshi. Wei Ying is in bed, fast asleep on his side, his face open and slack. Lan Wangji has a moment of proprietary possessiveness--anyone could walk in and see him like this, vulnerable and undefended.
Of course, it's Cloud Recesses, and it has been a long time indeed since anyone has walked into the jingshi without permission. Still, he is glad of his decision to come back. He stows Bichen in its stand, then pads towards the bed. As carefully as he can manage, he lays Heyun on Wei Ying's other side, in the middle of the bed, thus protecting him from falling off.
From his calculations, Lan Wangji has about twenty minutes until Heyun wakes. He then wonders if he should have put him in his own bed. Once he wakes, he will wake up Wei Ying, as well.
Not for the first time, Lan Wangji finds himself unsure of best practices. Three years on, he still finds ways to feel lost as a parent. He wonders if it's only him, or if Wei Ying feels similarly. Being kind and strict with children in equal measure appears to come naturally to Wei Ying, but then again, Lan Wangji has seen him run off his feet by Heyun's boisterous adventuring, too.
Lan Wangji sits at his qin, closes his eyes, lets his hands drop to his knees, and begins to meditate.
Wei Ying stirs first. Lan Wangi feels the shift in the air from sleepiness to wakefulness. He opens his eyes and meets Wei Ying's gaze. He's smiling. "You're home early," he says in a low voice. "Did he give you much trouble?"
Lan Wangji rises and walks over to sit by Wei Ying's side. He shakes his head. "He fell asleep shortly after."
"Ah," Wei Ying says, nodding and rolling over onto his back. "Nap time."
"For you both, it seems." Lan Wangji runs his hand over Wei Ying’s forehead, pushing back a stray lock of hair. Once more, he loses himself in the contemplation of Wei Ying's face. His eyes watch Lan Wangji with quiet fondness, a touch of amusement hiding in the corners. Filled out, his face has lost its dangerous edge, leaving behind a beautiful openness. Lan Wangji leans down and kisses his lips, tasting sleep. Wei Ying hums, wraps one arm around Lan Wangji's neck, brings him closer.
"How do you feel?" Lan Wangji asks. He tries his best to be careful with such questions, knowing that Wei Ying is sensitive to being perceived as weakened by his state. It is impossible to picture Wei Ying as weak in any situation, not even when he's exhausted his already depleted spiritual energy and passed out in Lan Wangji's arms.
"Good." Wei Ying stretches, cat-like, his face caught in a beam of light. His grin turns suggestive, as does his touch--his hand slides down from Lan Wangji's neck to his chest and then lower still. "In a bit of a mood, actually."
Lan Wangji raises an eyebrow. "Are you?"
It has been a little while since Wei Ying's sexual desire has been regular. There were several weeks a couple of months back when he had been aroused more than not, made only awkward by Lan Wangji's duties and their need to care for Heyun. Still, they had managed to find time to satisfy Wei Ying's suddenly abundant needs. There was no shortage of people willing to look after Heyun at Cloud Recesses, the child beloved by all who met him. Sizhui, in particular, was always eager for the job, caring for his brother with the open tenderness he exhibited towards most people in his life. Xichen, too, loved to spend time with his nephew. Thus, sometimes, Lan Wangji would come home and find Wei Ying sprawled on their bed, touching himself with quick strokes. Other times, he would walk in the door and be all but attacked by Wei Ying as he pounced on him and reached for his belt, making shockingly quick work of undoing it, then paw at him without ceremony until Lan Wangji's cock was freed and at Wei Ying's disposal. There were times, too, when Wei Ying would wake him in the middle of the night, needy noises escaping, seeking relief at Lan Wangji's hands. They would fuck frantically, always joyfully, and, it sometimes felt, ceaselessly.
Yes, those few weeks had been good for all involved. Happily, Wei Ying took, Lan Wangji gave. Then the exhaustion of pregnancy set in for real.
"Mmm. Yes." Wei Ying looks behind him, the nature of his smile changing. "I can't believe he's still asleep."
"Mn."
"Compromises must be exhausting." He turns back to Lan Wangji, eyes sliding nearly closed from the width of his grin. "Think Sizhui is busy? Can we claim pregnancy issues on my part? Maybe you came home to take care of me…"
Lan Wangji feels the stirrings of desire unfurling. "I can take care of you." He runs a hand from Wei Ying's jaw to his neck, stopping to feel the beat of his heart. "We can certainly arrange something." If it feels like the height of decadence and over-indulgence to end his day early and send his son away in order to have sex, he does not choose to examine it too closely. Wei Ying needs him. Lan Wangji is here to help.
"Baba…" Heyun shifts and opens his eyes just as Wei Ying turns towards him. Lan Wangji watches Heyun's face transform from confused to pleased to wide awake. Truly, his energy is boundless. It is good that he has woken up happy, because that is not always the case. Lan Wangji has seen him wake up as grumpy as a bear in winter, unable to soothe himself or allow anybody else to help for long enough that everybody involved winds up crying, including Lan Wangji. "Diedie! Baba!" He hops up until he's standing on the bed and Lan Wangji levels him with a look that lets him know he definitely knows better. Heyun flushes and drops down onto his butt. "Baba, do you want to build another snowman? Can we make snowballs? Can we have tea service in the snow? Do bunnies sleep in winter? What about cats? Shushu says dogs are better than cats, I've never met a cat or dog. Yesterday I thought I saw thunder but it was just a sword. Did you know Sizhui can make paper fly?"
Lan Wangji, momentarily paralyzed by all that Heyun has spilled out, watches as Wei Ying sits up, grabs his son around the middle and settles him a little awkwardly in his lap. "I think I'm a little tired for more snowman building, and the less we say about dogs the better, but we can certainly get Sizhui to play with you. Would you like that?"
"I wanna play qin with Diedie!"
Lan Wangji meets Wei Ying's gaze, a question between them, and then Wei Ying nods and says, "If you're good when you're with Sizhui and don't give him too much trouble, you and Diedie can play on his qin this evening before dinner."
"Yay!" Heyun scrambles up off Wei Ying, his foot coming perilously close to Wei Ying's stomach, then shuffles down until he's off the bed and running towards the door. "Baba? Diedie?"
"Where are you going?" Wei Ying inquires.
"Sizhui! Jingyi!"
Wei Ying laughs, then makes a move to get up, as well. Lan Wangji stills him with a hand to his knee, then stands up and goes to Heyun, extending his hand. Heyun takes one of his fingers in a firm grip. "We must ask Sizhui's permission first. Come with me."
"Wait, hang on!" Wei Ying waves at them. "His snack pouch! Can't forget that, or we're all in big trouble."
Heyun, his energy replete, hops down the stairs of the jingshi, three of his running steps to Lan Wangji's one, and babbles the entire way. Lan Wangji notes about a third of what he says, but then again, he's found that Heyun does not require a response to most of his statements. As soon as he learned to talk, Heyun has talked like his father--ceaselessly--which Lan Wangji found to be quite stressful at first. His child's mind raced ahead of his own in every way, and it was not until Wei Ying pointed out that Heyun was simply exercising his right to be heard, not seeking to communicate effectively, that Lan Wangji began to find an equilibrium with his speech. Now, on their way to find Sizhui, Lan Wangji hears all about Heyun's morning activities with Wei Ying and his wishes for the afternoon, as well as countless things unrelated to most events in his life that Lan Wangji has no hope of understanding.
Doctor Lan once pointed out how advanced Heyun's speech was for his age. Lan Wangji, having very little basis for comparison, decided that this could only be a good thing.
It takes some time to find Sizhui; however, soon after, Lan Wangji finds himself hurrying back home. Running is, of course, forbidden in Cloud Recesses, but there is no precise rule regarding fast walking.
He finds Wei Ying fiddling with some talismans. He's so absorbed in his work that he does not appear to notice Lan Wangji. His tongue is peeking out from the corner of his mouth, eyebrows drawn together. His heavy belly sits right up against the edge of the table. Soon, Lan Wangji will order more robes to be made to his specifications. If his memory serves him right, Wei Ying will get quite a bit bigger towards the end.
"Wei Ying."
Wei Ying's head snaps up and a small, private smile spreads across his face. "Success?"
He nods. "Success."
Lan Wangji slides the doors closed and when he turns around, Wei Ying is already walking towards him, his intent clear on his face. Lan Wangji meets him halfway, and their kiss turns heated instantly. He has yet to tire of this--in fact, it is difficult to imagine ever tiring of kissing Wei Ying. Kissing, touching, having. Wei Ying is a constellation of Lan Wangji's wants made flesh. He could never tire of his stars.
They kiss their way towards the bed, Lan Wangji fitting his hands around Wei Ying's middle, careful not to let him stumble as he pulls on Lan Wangji's belt and begins working on his outer layer.
"Someday," Wei Ying mumbles against Lan Wangji's lips, "it would be nice of you to just wear your shirt and trousers." Another kiss, flick of his tongue. "I understand it would scandalize the whole world." A tug and then his outer robe is off and pooled at their feet. Lan Wangji doesn't care. "But it would be convenient for me, personally."
Lan Wangji does not help Wei Ying undress him because he's busy tugging at Wei Ying's clothing, untying belts and robes, everyday movements made clumsy by the desire they have stoked between them. His want is both sudden and inexorable, but it shocks him, how quickly he's grown hard from the kiss alone. It hasn't even been that long.
"Mmm, God, I can feel you," Wei Ying breathes against him. Lan Wangji claims his mouth in another kiss in response, his hands finally succeeding at their task of disrobing Wei Ying. All that stands between them are their shirts and trousers, and shirts are easily enough gotten rid of. As for trousers…
Lan Wangji drops to his knees and fumbles with the last set of Wei Ying's ties until Wei Ying stands before him, naked and hard and glorious. Without bothering to take off the rest of his own clothing, Lan Wangji leans in and kisses Wei Ying's belly. He kisses a trail over to his hip, then gives his attention to the other side. Above him, Wei Ying is gasping. His cock jumps and Lan Wangji swallows. He will never tire of this, either.
Wei Ying has always been a physical person, someone who both needed and used touch as a way to show all manner of emotion, from interest to love to hatred. His sheer physicality--especially now; especially like this--can be overwhelming to the point of madness. Lan Wangji takes hold of Wei Ying's cock and takes the head into his mouth with no finesse, then goes down lower. Wei Ying cries out and grabs onto his head, being careful with his hair but just barely. Lan Wangji doesn't care. Wei Ying's gasping, his broken moans, his beautiful, hard cock stretching Lan Wangji's lips--those are the things he cares about.
And then, beneath the rushing in his ears, beneath Wei Ying's moans, he hears a wail, and then--
He pulls off on a gasp, whipping his head in the direction of the door. The next moment, swift footsteps and a knock, followed by another, very familiar, wail. "Hanguang-jun! Senior Wei? Hanguang-jun, Senior Wei, I'm so very sorry--"
Wei Ying swears in a manner that is definitely forbidden by several rules in Cloud Recesses, but Lan Wangji echoes his sentiment. He gasps against Wei Ying's stomach for a moment before quickly rising and meeting Wei Ying's panicked gaze. Heyun continues to cry, calling for each of them in turn, and Sizhui's voice rises in panic.
"One moment, we'll be right there!" Lan Wangji calls out, stalling for more time. Together, they manage to do up Wei Ying's trousers, then he pulls on his shirt while Lan Wangji gathers up every discarded layer of clothing and pulls it on as quickly as his hands will allow. By the time he's striding over to the door and sliding it open, they at least look more or less appropriate, even though Lan Wangji is certain his cheeks are still flushed.
Luckily, Sizhui is too preoccupied with the wailing toddler in his arms to notice anything amiss. "Hanguang-jun, I am so very sorry! We were playing and then he took a tumble and--"
"Diedie!"
Lan Wangji is already taking a red-face Heyun in his arms, absurdly feeling his forehead, then slotting him onto his hip. Wei Ying appears at his side, more or less robed, though still somewhat askew. He's the one to find out all the details from Sizhui while Lan Wangji takes his wailing son inside and sits him down on a cushion. "Now, Heyun, tell me what happened."
"I fell!" he wails. "I fell and y-you weren't th-there, and--"
"Where did you hurt yourself?"
Heyun puts a hand over the forehead, then to his knees. Lan Wangji checks out both, then sends some healing energy until Heyun's cries go from wailing to sniffling to quiet hiccups.
"I think he mostly scared himself," Sizhui says as he walks up to them and sits down. "A-Yun, I am very sorry." Sizhui looks like he scared himself, as well.
"You are not at fault, Sizhui," Lan Wangji reassures him, while Heyun continues to rub at his eyes and hiccup.
Somewhat laboriously, Wei Ying joins their impromptu circle. "Heyun, are you feeling better?"
Heyun blinks at all the adults gathered around him and pulls his hand away from his face. Snot and tears are smeared across his cheeks. He's pink and miserable, and Lan Wangji reaches for him once more just as Heyun gives another loud wail. "I'm b-better!"
"Yeah, you are," Wei Ying says, holding onto his hand. He looks amused, and definitely less scared than Sizhui.
Lan Wangji isn't sure what he looks like. He knows Heyun was never in any true danger--Sizhui is right, it was most likely more scary than painful--and yet, he hates to see Heyun cry. He uses his sleeve to sop up Heyun's tears and wipe his face clean, ignoring the shocked look Sizhui sends his way. "There," he says and tweaks Heyun's nose. "Now you're all better."
Heyun nods and takes another shuddering breath. "Now I'm better."
Wei Ying leans in and gives Heyun a big smacking kiss on the cheek. "And now you're perfect."
Heyun giggles, then, and repeats, "Now I'm perfect."
When Lan Wangji meets Sizhui's gaze, he looks calmer but still troubled. "I know I should have tried to make him feel better, but he was calling for you…"
"You're all right, A-Yuan," Wei Ying says in that dismissively caring way he has. "He's a lot when he's crying. Aren't you, my monster?" He tickles Heyun's sides and, sure enough, more giggles erupt, his usual restlessness returning with his good mood. "Aren't you the loudest, most scariest Heyun to ever cry?"
Heyun giggles and bats at Wei Ying's tickling hands, all his hurt seemingly forgotten.
Lan Wangji finds Wei Ying's gaze and Wei Ying gives him a small smile, some regret hiding in its corners. Lan Wangji nods, and Wei Ying shrugs. Their moment's passed.
Later on, Lan Wangji sits Heyun in front of his guqin and begins to play. Heyun's fingers are still too small and weak to make an impression on the strings, but he runs them lightly over the strings and listens intently. When Lan Wangji began teaching Sizhui, Sizhui was older, more ready to learn. Heyun, Lan Wangji thinks, enjoys the attention--and the music. Lan Wangji plays him the song he wrote during Wei Ying's first pregnancy, before he knew what becoming a father of an infant would even be like. Before they met Heyun.
At the time, he dared not voice his worries to Wei Ying. Wei Ying clearly shared them, believing himself to be incapable of fatherhood. Lan Wangji, who had some doubts about himself, had absolutely none about Wei Ying. No one who had ever seen Wei Ying and A-Yuan together could. In the end, they're doing well enough. Wei Ying reminds Lan Wangji to be playful; Lan Wangji reminds him of the importance of rules and routine.
"Diedie, can I go now?" Heyun never lasts more than one song, but the patience will come with time.
Lan Wangji's hands pause on the strings and he kisses the crown of Heyun's head where his bun sits. "You may."
Heyun scrambles up and, without waiting for Lan Wangji to move and let him out, squirms in between his limbs until he's free. Lan Wangji should admonish him, begin teaching him patience now, but he doesn't. Instead, he watches Heyun launch into Wei Ying's arms as the two of them come up with an elaborate game involving Heyun nearly standing on his head, and plays.
~*~
"Ayiah, Lan Zhan, I'm fine."
Wei Ying has just returned from his visit to Lan Xu with a pouch in hand. The pouch turned out to contain pills to help relieve heartburn. "Are you in a lot of discomfort?"
Wei Ying, true to form, continues to wave him off. Lan Wangji understands that he does not wish to be smothered or clucked over, but that is never his intent. Lan Wangji has no idea what it's like to carry a child. All he knows is what Wei Ying shares. This time around, Wei Ying is sharing less--more accustomed, perhaps, to the unusual set of circumstances.
Lan Wangji tries again. "What else did the doctor say?"
Wei Ying shrugs, his hands smoothing down his stomach in an unconscious gesture. "Everything is fine."
Lan Wangji has to accept this. He walks over to the table and grabs a jar of water. He pours the water into a cup, then walks over to where Wei Ying is sitting and hands it to him. "For the tablets."
Wei Ying gives him a smile, then winces as he rubs at his chest. Lan Wangji has never experienced heartburn, but Wei Ying looks to be in pain. If he won't accept Lan Wangji's help, Lan Wangji is grateful that he will, at least, accept Lan Xu's. Wei Ying does accept the water, and takes the pill, sighing as he does.
"Here, Lan Zhan. Come join me." Wei Ying takes hold of his hand and pulls. "Since we've got the time to ourselves for once." Lan Wangji raises an eyebrow, surprised, as he sits down next to Wei Ying. Wei Ying laughs and waves his hands. "Sorry, husband, but not right now. Not feeling overly amorous with my insides on fire." Lan Wangji winces inwardly on his behalf. How painful. "Talk to me, tell me about your exciting Chief Cultivator problems."
Lan Wangji sighs. It is rare that they have the jingshi to themselves, but Sizhui wanted a do-over with Heyun after the last time. It is good for Heyun to be cared for by people other than his parents, Lan Wangji thinks. Growing up, he himself had been isolated, his only company his uncle and brother. It did not, in the end, serve him well in every sense. At the time, however, he'd had no wish for anything different. Had no rubric with which to compare his life to that of others.
Heyun is different. His temperament is such that he longs for people, regardless of who they might be. It sometimes worries Lan Wangji, this openness. Cloud Recesses may be safe, but nobody is immune to heartbreak or betrayal.
"Lan Zhan?" Wei Ying's voice pulls him out of his thoughts, as it always does. "Where did you go, sweetheart?"
Lan Wangji blinks and gives him a smile. "Nowhere. I apologize."
Wei Ying gives him a curious look, but does not pursue it further, for which Lan Wangji is grateful. He does not wish to place more burdens on Wei Ying's shoulders, not now. But a part of him knows that Wei Ying would wave his concerns away. Wei Ying would say that he had been an open child, and turned out fine. Lan Wangji would wish to counter that with against all odds. He would wish to counter it with Wei Ying, you died. He does not wish to have a fight.
"When do you have to be back?"
"I am having tea with Uncle and Brother in twenty minutes' time. We will be going over correspondence."
"Scintillating." Wei Ying gives him an apologetic smile. "Anything interesting there at all?"
Lan Wangji sighs without meaning to, which makes Wei Ying laugh, not unkindly.
"I'm sorry, Lan Zhan." He takes his hands and squeezes them, catches his eye. Wei Ying's eyes are smiling, as they always are. "Stay with me until then and tell me all your troubles. I'll tell you how to make them all go away."
Lan Wangji wishes he could. Still, he talks and Wei Ying gives his answers, largely silly, filled with the sort of fantastical solutions as to be impossible, but it lightens Lan Wangji's heart to hear it. Sharing burdens with Wei Ying often does.
~*~
Jiang Wanyin comes to visit two weeks later. Between them, a tenuous truce has grown into something approaching acceptance. Lan Wangji can date it back to Heyun's birth, or perhaps earlier still: the heartstopping moment when Wei Ying fell ill and barely made it. Even in his frantic worry, Lan Wangji had known the right thing to do and called Jiang Wanyin back to Cloud Recesses post-haste. He had been the one to make the call on how often and for how long Jiang Wanyin would be allowed to sit by Wei Ying's bedside, and every time, Jiang Wanyin would insist on pushing the matter. Lan Wangji, however, had stood firm. He had not needed witnesses to his distress.
He could tell that it had grated on Jiang Wanyin, but Lan Wangji had not much cared at the time, nor does he feel the need to blame himself now. Those days had been some of the darkest of his life. He had nearly lost a husband and an unborn child. Despite it going against several Lan clan rules, Lan Wangji had let himself be selfish.
The thing that has largely allowed Lan Wangji to slowly begin accepting Wei Ying's ornery brother into their lives, however, is Jiang Wanyin's love for Heyun. The ferocity of it surprised Lan Wangji from the very beginning. Jiang Wanyin was hardly one to make amends or apologize for rash actions or harsh words. But, as Wei Ying once explained, his apologies come out in what he does later.
As soon as Heyun was born, Jiang Wanyin loved him.
It was clear even to Lan Wangji, whose heart is not big enough to forgive and forget as easily as Wei Ying can. But, as he began growing, Heyun began to love Jiang Wanyin as fiercely as he loved Sizhui and Xichen. There was no shortage of love in Heyun's heart, and Lan Wangji began learning from his son.
Jiang Wanyin enters, as he always does, with his purple-colored retinue, expression wary, still. Lan Wangji grits his teeth through those first awkward moments, made only bearable by Wei Ying's insistence on forgetting ceremony every time.
"Jiang Cheng! You made it!" In an ungainly move, he gets up off the floor and makes his hurried way towards his brother. Jiang Wanyin's expression flickers, as it always does, between them, caught in a battle of who to pay attention to first--his beaming, pregnant brother or the Chief Cultivator. Lan Wangji inclines his head in greeting, thus freeing Jiang Wanyin to do the same before clapping Wei Ying on the shoulder.
Wei Ying, true to form, grabs Jiang Wanyin for a hug. Jiang Wanyin, as usual, looks uncomfortable and worried as he hugs him gingerly back, almost as if he's avoiding coming in contact with Wei Ying's belly. Lan Wangji watches this play out with a mixture of frustration and amusement. Jiang Wanyin reminds him nothing so much as a wary porcupine, ready to spray one with his spines at a moment's notice.
"How are you feeling?" Jiang Wanyin asks once they finally pull apart.
Wei Ying waves a hand around. "I'm fine. Great! Just some heartburn." And back pain. And, Lan Wangji knows, insomnia.
He invites them both with a gesture to join him at the table for tea. Wei Ying's beaming smile loosens a knot of tension in his chest; it really is impossible to stay frustrated when that smile is turned toward him. Jiang Wanyin dismisses his retinue, who file out in a manner orderly enough to impress Lan Wangji, and follows his brother to the table.
Lan Wangji serves them as they talk. He only has a few minutes to spare before he is due back for more petitioner hearings, and he allows his mind to wander, only to be brought back at the sound of familiar names.
"How is your...how are Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi?" Jiang Wanyin asks in a voice of someone made to be polite by their mother.
"The lovebirds?" Wei Ying smiles. "Doing well. Still in the honeymoon period, after the wedding."
"It's been months!" Jiang Wanyin looks genuinely bewildered.
"Love has no timestamp, Jiang Cheng," Wei Ying tells him, leveling Lan Wangji with a look outrageous enough that Lan Wangji feels the tips of his ears heat up. Wei Ying can never resist baiting his brother, and sure enough Jiang Wanyin scowls and downs his tea like it's liquor.
Wei Ying simply shakes his head and laughs, taking a sip of his own tea. Lan Wangji chose this brew specifically, as it was recommended by Lan Xu to help soothe heartburn. It is slightly bitter, but Lan Wangji hopes that the effects will counteract the taste. As expected, Wei Ying wrinkles his nose, but takes another sip after shooting Lan Wangji a questioning glance. Lan Wangji chooses to pretend he didn't see.
"So," Wei Ying says, setting his cup down. "How long do we have the honor of hosting you?"
"A week." Jiang Wanyin, Lan Wangji knows, made this a side trip on the way to Yunmeng from Lanling. It is not a straight-forward route.
"A week, eh?" Wei Ying takes another sip of his tea, then sets the cup down decisively. "Then we better make the most of it."
~*~
Jiang Wanyin's presence in Cloud Recesses does not bring with it many noticeable changes, apart from one. He happens to be present during a visit by a delegation from the Zhu sect, and in a surprising moment of camaraderie, catches Lan Wangji's gaze and rolls his eyes. Lan Wangji interprets it as sympathy, something that gives him pause and an idea.
"Sect Leader Jiang," he says, indicating for him to come forward. "What are your thoughts on the resolution of this particular conflict?"
Jiang Wanyin shows surprise, then clenches his jaw and comes forward. How alike the brothers are in this regard, Lan Wangji thinks idly, with their emotions always so obvious on their faces. Even now, even after everything that has happened to him, Wei Ying has no ability to hide himself behind a mask. Not that Lan Wangji would ever want him to. Wei Ying's face is dear for many reasons, and one of them is that his love for Lan Wangji shows up in every movement when they are together. To this day, Lan Wangji drinks it in like a man dying of thirst.
"I believe," Jiang Wanyin says after he bows before the petitioner, "that this squabble is petty and wholly unnecessary. That you would waste the Chief Cultivator's time with this nonsense is truly appalling. Did none of you learn to work things about between yourselves as children?"
Lan Wangji blinks. Sect Leader Zhu pales, then colors, then gives Lan Wangji a deep bow. "Our apologies, Your Excellency. Sect Leader Jiang makes...an excellent point." His voice breaks a little at that. "The last thing we would wish is to waste Your Excellency's time." Then he looks back at his own delegation. Down to the last one, they shuffle uncomfortably in place. Sect Leader Zhu turns back. "We shall work this out between ourselves and the Yao sect."
Lan Wangji experiences something close to gratitude towards Jiang Wanyin, a feeling wholly unfamiliar. It gives him just enough patience to say, "Sect leader Zhu, no need for apologies. I am glad to hear that you believe yourself capable of working out this conflict. Please stay for tea."
With that, he rises and stalks out of the hall, hearing murmurs of thank you's behind him.
That night, as they're lying in bed, skin still cooling from their lovemaking, Lan Wangji says, "Your brother helped me today."
"Jiang Cheng?"
Lan Wangji smiles at the tone of surprise in Wei Ying's voice. "The very same. He could tell, I believe, that I was…" At the end of my rope. "Having some difficulties with the Zhu delegation, and he…" Sent them packing. "He was able to talk some sense into them."
"Jiang Cheng?!" Wei Ying rises up on one elbow. The look on his face is even more amusing than his tone. "Jiang Cheng helped talk sense into someone. How nonsensical were they being?"
"Oh, they were being quite nonsensical," Lan Wangji agrees. Gently, he sweeps some hair away from Wei Ying's forehead, then runs his hand over his cheek, down his neck. "But I am rather grateful to him."
This time, the look on Wei Ying's face is harder to read. It's a complicated mixture of disbelief, gratitude, and something else. "Well," he says. "Well."
"Mn."
Wei Ying leans in and kisses Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji can still taste himself on his tongue. He leans up, deepens the kiss. Wei Ying moans into it and inches closer. Lan Wangji, despite having just come not that long ago, feels himself harden and breathes in. He rolls them over without breaking their kiss, then runs his hand down Wei Ying's bare stomach, over his hip, then cups his growing erection. Wei Ying gasps and breaks off the kiss. There's a smile on his face and in his voice. "Again?"
"Again," Lan Wangji whispers, and gently spreads Wei Ying's legs.
~*~