Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had been experiencing a rare period of peace and solitude when the visitor arrived. It was not as if Jin Ling had not been to the Cloud Recesses before, but this was the first time he had arrived without his new husband, Lan Sizhui, in tow. The first thought that spread through the two elders’ minds was that something bad had happened to Sizhui. There was seldom a time in the last few years when the two were separate. Although this temporarily threw the two into a panic as they rushed to greet the boy, they noticed that Jin Ling was not in any sort of hurry. If anything, Jin Ling looked… pissed off.
“Where’s Sizhui?” Wuxian asked as he rushed forward, not bothering to greet Jin Ling directly.
At the mention of his partner’s name, Jin Ling frowned and exhaled hotly through his nose.
“Who cares?” he huffed.
This reaction was strange, to say the least. A hint of a frown crossed Wangji’s face.
“What happened?” he asked, eyeing Jin Ling carefully.
Jin Ling huffed again.
“That Sizhui is fucking selfish!” Jin Ling replied.
‘Selfish’ would probably be the last word anyone would use to describe the saint-like Sizhui. Wuxian and Wangji exchanged a glance.
“What do you mean he’s selfish?” Wuxian asked.
Jin Ling crossed his arms tight over his chest, looking like the 15-year-old he was when Wuxian had first met him.
“He just… Ah!” Jin Ling yelled.
Something had obviously occurred between the two. Wuxian rolled his eyes.
“So you got into a fight?”
“It was his fault!”
“Why did you come here?” Wuxian asked.
At this, Jin Ling froze, flustered. He looked at his feet.
“I… I don’t know… I just wanted to get away,” he admitted.
“You didn’t think to go to Lotus Pier?”
Jin Ling kicked at the ground.
“My uncle would beat me if I showed up there…”
Wuxian raised his own hand.
“What, you think I won’t? Fighting with A-yuan… The nerve”
Jin Ling rose his hands to his head but didn’t flinch.
“Can’t I just stay for a bit?”
“No.”
It was Wangji who answered. Wuxian was surprised at his answer. Although Wangji was tough, he was usually soft for the kids. The colour drained out of Jin Ling’s face momentarily, then he turned bright red.
“What do you mean I can’t stay? Aren’t you like my parents in law now?” Jin Ling exclaimed.
“Where do you expect to stay? The dorms? Like anyone wouldn’t beat you to death after hearing you fought with Sizhui. Plus, you won’t even tell us what you fought about!”
Wuxian stood his ground against the smaller Jin Ling, daring him to argue.
“Well, where am I meant to go?” Jin Ling said, now furious at these two as well as his husband.
Wuxian shrugged.
“Figure it out yourself!”
He grabbed Wangji, who promptly shook off his arm, and retreated inside. Jin Ling stood, shocked and angry, for a few moments, considering what to do. The sensible move would be to go hire a room at an inn nearby, but Jin Ling wasn’t feeling particularly sensible. Besides, after fighting with his husband and now with Wangji and Wuxian, Jin Ling felt rebellious. His rebellion had him sneaking past the buildings of the Cloud recesses to a broken down, secluded area. Jin Ling approached the almost silent cottage that he had only visited once before. As he stood outside the door, he began to question his decision. Before he could knock, a voice called weakly from inside.
“Is that young master Jin?”
Jin Ling froze. How had Lan Xichen been able to tell it was him? Cautiously, as if approaching the den of a ghost, Jin Ling pushed the door open and poked his head inside. Surprisingly, the weak and withdrawn Lan Xichen was sitting up in his bed.
“I didn’t expect to have a visitor…”
He smiled weakly at Jin Ling, though there was something else behind his smile as if there was some sort of cruel irony to the situation. Jin Ling suddenly felt extremely nervous. Although they had once mourned the passing of his uncle together, they had no other connection. He suddenly felt very stupid for coming here.
“I heard the wedding was beautiful, congratulations again,” Xichen spoke softly.
Jin Ling’s face grew hot, remembering why he was here.
“Ah… thank you… Zewu Jun…” he stammered.
Xichen gazed at him curiously, face calm but tired. Meeting his gaze, Jin Ling couldn’t hold it anymore.
“Zewu Jun could I please hide here for a while?” he blurted.
Xichen frowned.
“Here? Why on earth would you want to stay here?”
Jin Ling’s lip quivered.
“I… I had a fight with Sizhui and I came here to get away… and I don’t know why I came here… It was so stupid… but Hanguang Jun won’t let me stay but I can’t go home yet and… and… I thought maybe…”
He struggled to get the words out but as he did Xichen’s face softened.
“Wangji is probably just upset you fought with Sizhui. He cares about him deeply. But… I suppose that maybe…”
“I can stay?” Jin Ling asked quietly.
“If you do not mind the floor. You will only be eating my leftovers, but I don’t tend to eat much.”
Jin Ling looked at him gratefully, sitting down on the floor.
“Thank you.”
A few days after Jin Ling’s appearance at the gates of the Cloud Recesses, yet another unexpected guest arrived. This time it was a fuming Jiang Cheng followed by a puffy-eyed Sizhui. Seeing Sizhui, both Wangji and Wuxian rushed forward. Wuxian grabbed onto Sizhui but Sizhui didn’t say anything. He turned to Jiang Cheng.
“Jiang Cheng, why is Sizhui with you?”
Jiang Cheng glared at him impatiently.
“He came to Lotus Pier, bawling his eyes out, trying to apologise to me.”
Wuxian frowned at Sizhui who sniffled slightly.
“It’s all my fault,” he said weakly.
“I’ve told you, nothing’s you’re fault, now shut up!” Jiang Cheng snapped.
Wuxian’s gaze snapped to Jiang Cheng.
“Do you know what happened?” he asked.
Jiang Cheng exhaled sharply.
“Apparently Sizhui invited that ghoul Wen Ning to Koi Tower.”
Both Wangji and Wuxian froze in shock. Was it possible that Sizhui was in the wrong? Despite being Sizhui’s last ‘living’ relative, Wen Ning was also the one who had killed Jin Ling’s father. Inviting him to Koi Tower was certainly insensitive.
“Sizhui! Didn’t you think things through?” Wuxian scolded.
Sizhui sniffed again but didn’t answer. Jiang Cheng huffed.
“That’s not the issue. My nephew agreed to him staying. Apparently, the issue was that Sizhui actually wanted to spend time with his ghost cousin, and my stupid nephew got jealous.”
“I should have paid Jin Ling more attention!” Sizhui argued.
Wuxian and Wangji exchanged glances. This “fight” must be the stupidest thing either of them had heard. Jiang Cheng turned to Wangji.
“Where is my nephew?”
Wuxian frowned.
“He left days ago, he isn’t here.”
Panic entered Sizhui’s eyes.
“Yes, he is,” Wangji said.
This was news to Wuxian, who in confusion finally let go of Sizhui.
“Well, take me to him!” Jiang Cheng ordered.
Wangji hesitated for a moment but then agreed, leading the group away.
When they reached the old, overgrown building, Jiang Cheng looked around in disgust and confusion. Wangji motioned for the group to stop where they were and continued to the door.
“Jin Ling,” Wangji spoke calmly.
At first, there was no answer, so Wangji tried again.
“Come out.”
Reluctantly, the slightly tired-looking Jin Ling slipped out of the room. Jiang Cheng’s chest puffed. Ignoring Wangji’s wishes he stepped forwards.
“What do you think you were doing, hiding in a place like this alone! Come! Apologise to your stupid husband.”
Jin Ling, after meditating on the subject for several days, turned to Sizhui. Without a word, Jin Ling stepped forward and embraced him. Sizhui understood immediately and hugged him back with one arm, trying not to cry again.
“How did he even survive alone in this stupid empty cottage anyway?” Jiang Cheng huffed.
“It’s not empty,” Wangji spoke.
Jiang Cheng glared at him, confused.
“He wasn’t alone,” Wangji continued.
“What do you mean?”
Jiang Cheng pushed past him to open the door, and Wangji didn’t stop him. As soon as he saw what was inside he dropped to his knees.
“What...” he choked.
Noticing Jiang Cheng from his spot on his bed, Xichen smiled weakly at the man he had not seen in three years.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he said, not moving.
Jiang Cheng couldn’t move from shock, staring at the withering figure of his colleague of thirteen years.