Chapter Text
“Wangji?” Lan Xichen stands at the gate when they arrive. “Everyone’s been worried sick. Where have you bee-“
And then he stops. And stares.
“Wei gongzi,” he manages. Wei Wuxian smiles awkwardly.
“And here I thought that we’d gotten closer than that,” he teases. Lan Xichen’s genial smile stretches into a real one.
“Wuxian-di?”
“Sounds good to me, Xichen-ge,” Wei Wuxian grins agreeably. Lan Xichen laughs lightly.
“Come,” Xichen-ge sighs. “Sit with us and start at the beginning.”
Xichen-ge leads him to a room and pours tea. It’s the type that would only ever be served to a Lan. Definitely tea, but tasting of little. It wouldn’t shock him if the Lans had stunted taste buds.
Wei Wuxian starts from what is decidedly not the beginning.
“Wen Chao threw me into the Burial Mounds. Somewhere in there my sense of self kinda sorta shattered.”
Lan Xichen, the First Jade of GusuLan, the venerable Zewu-jun, spits out his tea.
“Why?” Lan Zhan looks pained. “Why did you give Jiang Wanyin your core?”
“He needed it,” Wei Wuxian says simply. “He’s my little brother, and he needed it.”
Zewu-jun nods, a punched-out sound slipping past his lips.
“Makes sense,” he manages. Lan Zhan’s eyes widen, head snapping to face his elder brother.
“I’m a big brother, Wangji,” Xichen-ge says softly. Lan Zhan shakes his head, disbelieving.
“Speaking of elder siblings,” another voice cuts in and they turn. It’s Jin Zixuan and… and…
“A’Xian?”
Shijie.
She runs to him, propriety be damned, arms out for a hug. Awkwardly, he mimics the motion, arms out and unsure. She pauses.
“A’Xian?”
“I don’t think I remember what hugs feel like,” Wei Wuxian whispers. Shijie looks at him and there are tears in her eyes and arms around him and he’s breaking into her warm, small arms. She’s holding the pieces of him as he falls apart.
“Oh, A’Xian,” she murmurs into his hair. “You’re coming home now.”
“Yeah,” he promises. Lan Zhan rises to his feet.
“I will fly you,” he decides. And being pressed up against Lan Zhan for an indefinite amount of time? Yes, please.
“Ooh! Really! I haven’t gone flying like that in so long! You gotta pick me up, ‘kay?”
“How old are you,” Jin Zixuan wrinkles his nose at the coquettish flirting. Like that peacock wouldn’t fly an extra-long route to show it off if his Shijie asked. Idiot.
“Don’t you know? Xianxian is three!”
And his Shijie laughs and she cries and it’s at the same time.
“Three seems a little too big,” she croaks. “How about one?”
They’re going to be alright, he decides as they make haste to Yunmeng. Lan Zhan does pick him up bridal style and Wei Wuxian has exactly zero qualms about this. Lan Xichen gives him a knowing look, and he nods. They both remember that conversation in Qinghe what feels like a thousand years ago. His brother(-in-law to be) smiles widely.
Once they’re significantly far from Gusu, the peacock clears his throat.
“So… you were Yue?” Jin Zixuan is trying like the awkward bird he is to make conversation and it’s almost nice. Wei Wuxian will deign to answer.
“I mean, I never really bothered naming myself? I was more animal than human when I was The Moonlight Demon. Wei Wuxian was like… a memory? He was flashes of sensation and familiar faces. But then I joined the campaign and they called me Yueguang-jun to be polite like they weren’t the ones who named that incarnation of me too.”
“Yueguang-jun was… reserved, quiet. Until he wasn’t, and the Chifeng-zun and Zewu-jun were calling you Yue,” Jin Zixuan recalls. “People just assumed that he’d decided we were worth befriending and actually bothered to speak to us.”
“I was trying to be as unlike Wei Wuxian as possible. So nobody made the connection,” he shrugs. “But it got uncomfortable quickly.”
“It worked,” Shijie says lightly, daintily stepping from the sword to the wooden pier with endless Shijie grace. Wei Wuxian winces.
“Lan Zhan almost caught me,” he chuckles. “And now that I think of it… Nie Huisang probably knew the entire time. He definitely knew for most of it.”
“It was Wei Ying’s laugh,” Lan Zhan adds. “Thought I was dreaming.”
“I’m sorry, love,” he whispers, cupping Lan Zhan’s face in his hand. Lan Zhan leans into the touch, eyes locking with Wei Wuxian’s. They smile.
“This is the shit I have to see when we reunite?”
Jiang Cheng’s grouchy voice cuts through the conversation like a crack of Zidian. They all pause, on the edge of Lotus Pier’s docks, watching Jiang Cheng. The whip on his wrist crackles with purple light, making Jiang Cheng glow in the low light of evening. Jin Zixuan takes a step back and nearly falls into the water. Wei Wuxian is significantly less intimidated.
“Hey, can Jiang Cheng and I talk… alone?”
Lan Zhan’s grip on his waist grows tighter, concern in his eyes.
“Aiyah, baobei, stop that. We’ll be fine,” he whispers into his lover’s ear. Everyone hears it anyway.
“Gross,” Jiang Cheng mutters.
Relieved (Jin Zixuan), reluctant (Shijie), and very reluctant (Lan Zhan), they leave, two in Lotus Pier and one back to Cloud Recesses. He turns to his brother.
“I missed you.”
“I’m angry at you,” Jiang Cheng admits. “You… you didn’t ask- how could I possibly-“ Rage builds in Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian flops backwards onto the rebuilt boards of Lotus Pier. The dark sky glitters with the exact same stars. The treasures in the hall are the exact same heirlooms. But these boards have changed. They’re newer, lacking the musical creak under a full body’s sudden push. That will take longer to rebuild.
“You were dying,” he answers. “I’d rather you’d have hated me for the rest of my life than died when I had a solution.”
“I didn’t want it!” Jiang Cheng yells. “I didn’t want this- this isn’t mine. Why did you- is it because of my parents? That stupid fucking promise? Or your damned hero-complex?! Because fuck all of that! That was your core! Yours!”
“And you’re mine too,” Wei Wuxian says softly, sitting up. “You’re my little brother. I get to choose what’s more important.”
Jiang Cheng sits beside him.
“Don’t—“Jiang Cheng breathes— “don’t leave me again. And don’t do that again. I’ll break your fucking legs.”
“I don’t want to leave,” he sniffs. “Lotus Pier is the best place in the world!”
And it breaks a dam between them. Jiang Cheng punches him and then pulls him into a hug. Deciding to be merciful, he doesn’t comment on the rapidly dampening collar of his robes. He can tease Jiang Cheng about that later.
“I’ll kidnap Lan Wangji myself if it makes you stay,” Jiang Cheng mutters, muffled into his clothes. This brother of his… A’Cheng was never one for words, he showed his love like this. In blustering concern wrapped in anger and willing vulnerabilities to those who know to recognize them. It’s always been easy between them since Wei Wuxian realized how well-matched his brother’s heat is with his own lightheartedness.
“I’m sure I can convince him with… other means,” Wei Wuxian waggles his eyebrows.
“Why are you like this?!” Jiang Cheng jumps to his feet and chases after him.
“You love me!”
And he knows it.
“Who would love you?!” Jiang Cheng growls and Wei Wuxian laughs. He turns and lets Jiang Cheng crash into him with a little “oof!” When his brother disentangles himself, Wei Wuxian answers.
“You do! And Shijie! And Lan Zhan!”
“‘Fuck all knows why,” Jiang Cheng grouches. They sit at the edge of the pier for a moment, feet brushing the water.
“Why did you go?”
“Seeing my face with another person would have angered you so, ah!” Wei Wuxian tries to smile at that, and all he manages is a grimace.
“I would have rather had that than not know if you were even alive!” Jiang Cheng’s anger dies at Wei Wuxian’s melancholy.
“I wasn’t,” he says. Jiang Cheng grabs his wrist and when he finds a pulse, shakes him, demanding.
“What?!”
“I think I really did die in there, but I’m still… not completely sure what happened after that second month in the Burial Mounds,” he says. “But I’m back.”
They’re quiet for a moment before a soft sound rings as loud as a thousand gongs.
“Ge…”
“Jiang Cheng?”
“Ge,” his brother repeats, red-faced. “Don’t leave again. Even if you’re… even if you’re dead… you’d think you’d at least have the courtesy to give your family the right to bury the body.” The last bit is grumbled but the word family gives him pause.
“I’ll always come back if I’m welcome,” he swears. “Twin prides of Yunmeng, right? Sandu Shengshou and Yuguang-jun, even dumber titles than we would have thought. But we promised.”
“You-! You’d better! Where’s the filial piety to the Jiang, huh?!”
“Aaaaallll with you and Shijie, didi!”
“Who the hell is your didi, huh?!”
“You! You said so yourself!”
“Shut up! If I’m a didi then you’d better call A’Jie something a little closer than Shijie!”
Wei Wuxian tilts his head back and laughs and laughs. Oh, how good it feels to be alive!
“He’s right,” the distinctly amused voice of their sister rings out. “I think jiejie is perfect.”
They turn to see her walking up the dock. Alone.
“A’jie… where is-“
“A’Xuan is being accosted by our shidis,” she answers with a wicked Jiang clan grin. Even that looks perfect on her- she’s here and she’s alive and Wei Wuxian is definitely not holding back tears.
“He’s family, he oughta learn how it’s done,” Jiang Cheng approves.
“Jiejie,” Wei Wuxian says quietly, rolling the two syllables on his tongue. “Madam Yu would throw a fit.”
“I think she resigned herself to this, in the end,” Jiang Cheng sighs. “She made you swear to stick with us.”
They pause, remembering their last moments with her. Those hadn’t been her words, but she’s just like her son in that. She always had been prickly and sour… but she loved with the same intensity as she hated. They hadn’t understood that until it was far, far too late.
“She accepted you, in the end,” Shijie- no, jiejie- decides. “I’m sure of it. And I’m sure she’d also be pleased that we’re marrying such a prestigious gongzi into YunmengJiang for you.”
“She’d ask why we bothered,” Wei Wuxian snorts. Jiang Cheng sniffs haughtily.
“Because you don’t get to leave. I told you, I’ll kidnap the man myself if I have to,” he says. “What? Is YunmengJiang not among the Great Sects? Where’s the respect?!”
“Poor Zewu-jun, he probably wanted to make his brother his heir,” his sister giggles. “Oh well!”
“We can pay a mere brideprice,” Jiang Cheng snorts. Then he pauses, as if in thought. “Or would it be groomprice?”
“Groomprice,” jiejie decides. “I can’t wait to negotiate with Zewu-jun!”
“Oh that’s a terrifying expression,” Jin Zixuan comments, a very young and new shidi handing on his leg. He looks up at Wei Wuxian with wide eyes.
“Are you my da-shixiong?”
Oh his poor heart.
“And who is this?”
“That’s Li Xiang, new youngest,” jiejie laughs. “Now, lets pull together a proposal.”
“Can I just elope,” he groans. “Oh please, venerated jiejie of mine?” His sister, pouting, stamps her foot playfully.
“No! You’re giving me this. I always wanted to plan our Xianxian’s wedding!”
“Sh- jiejie, Lan Zhan won’t want too much formality, ah!”
“Well he’ll get it. Because if he even thinks of touching you without giving you honor…” Jiang Cheng tugs at the handle of Sandu with a… rather eager grin. It’s, quite frankly, terrifying.
“He didn’t! We haven’t slept together! Now put that away!”
Needless to say, they send the proposal gifts two days later.
Zewu-jun arrives immediately, with the Old Goat Lan Qiren and Lan Zhan in tow.
“Wuxian-di,” Lan Xichen bows. He returns it.
“Hi Xichen-ge!
“So you’re trying to pull Wangji from Gusu, huh?” It’s teasing… he thinks? But Jiang Cheng’s responding smirk is absolutely feral.
“If he wants to marry my older brother, well…”
“Lan Wangji is certainly very welcome in Lotus Pier,” jiejie says with the grin of the woman who will rule Koi Tower one day. Scary. Absolutely perfect on her! But his Shijie- his big sister is just always perfect so it makes sense!
“This is why I wanted to elope,” he whispers pointedly to Lan Zhan, who hides a laugh.
“Shameless!” Lan Qiren sputters. Their elder siblings laugh until their eyes meet. Their mouths fall into very… very political smiles. The ones with teeth even if none are displayed. Jin Zixuan takes a very cautious step backwards.
Smart man.
“These family discussions are meant to be had without you two present, so shoo!”
You know what? Wei Wuxian has decided that he doesn’t mind him.
“Let’s get out of here, Lan Zhan!”
Lan Zhan lets himself be pulled.
“How have you been?”
“Missed you,” Lan Zhan rumbles. Wei Wuxian giggles, pressing a kiss to his wrist.
“I missed you too, I’m sure Gusu’s glad to have their gem back,”
Lan Zhan tilts his head noncommittally.
“Hey, that’s your home,” he says seriously.
“Lotus Pier is your home,” Lan Zhan rebuts. This… this man.
“Ah,” he breathes. “What am I going to do with you, Lan Zhan?”
Lan Zhan lets him rest his head against his chest.
“Marry me, apparently.”
“And they don’t believe me when I say you’re funny,” Wei Wuxian pouts. “Look at you! Even have a sense of humor! What doesn’t our perfect Jade have?”
Lan Zhan presses their foreheads together.
“What I’m set to take,” he murmurs lowly.
Oh.
Well on that… on that note…
Oh, his brain’s gone and stopped. What was anything? Lan Zhan’s pretty. And his mouth is suddenly very, very dry.
“Wei Ying?”
He yanks Lan Zhan by the lapels and stares him in the eyes.
“Can I kiss you?”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan smiles, a hundred percent laughing at him but Wei Wuxian needs Lan Zhan’s lips on his yesterday .
It’s deep and hungry, devouring each other for anyone to see.
“At this rate, I’ll get addicted, you know,” he huffs a husky laugh into Lan Zhan’s flushed ear.
“Will take responsibility,” Lan Zhan teases.
“I’m expecting it,” he smiles fondly. Lan Zhan nips his ear.
“And if I get addicted?”
“The heavenly Hanguang-jun, addicted to this mere mortal? This one would be honored,” he breathes against the skin of Lan Zhan’s neck. “This one can only pray his oblations are accepted.”
“Wanted,” Lan Zhan growls and Wei Wuxian barely keeps back a groan of satisfaction.
“Da-shixiong’s being gross! Da-shixiong’s being gross with his boyyyfriend!” A shidi calls with a grin. Oh this little shit-
A crowd quickly gathers around them. Most of the shidis are new or older, what an age gap… but the youngest beams up at Lan Zhan.
“Who is this? Wow, he’s so pretty! Is this an immortal?”
“This disciple greets Hanguang-jun,” his er-shimei, Hai Haoran, bows. What a smirk she has! So naughty! He’s raised them so well!
“Hanguang-jun?” There’s a hushed whisper among the little ones. How cute!
“I’m so lucky, right?!”
“I’m the lucky one,” Lan Zhan says lowly into his hair and promptly stops his heart. The disciples titter at his reddening face. Wei Wuxian waves them off.
“Get back to your lessons, you brats! Or I’ll call a big yao for you to fight and laugh as it slobbers dirt in your hair!”
They run off laughing.
Lan Zhan’s fingers laced in his, they walk back to where a his siblings are wearing smug grins. Lotus Pier it is, then.
“You’re going to look so lovely in red,” Wei Wuxian grins.
It’s a wedding, a happy ending.
He didn’t even think he’d get to see one of his own.