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Chapter Text

Lan Qiren arches one eyebrow as Lan Wangji kneels on a mat, head bowed and eyes staring at the floor before him.

"Uncle, I have chosen my intended mate," Lan Wangji says. "I wish to be granted permission to court them."

"I am not your Sect Leader, Wangji. If you wish to discuss the matter of your future mating as the second son of this sect, this conversation should be held with him."

Lan Wangji's scent thickens briefly before dying down. Lan Qiren takes a sip of his tea to calm his nausea.

It has been over two years since Lan Wangji has presented and still the glands at his throat spew an overload of pheromones as his body adapts to his new presentation. There is a faint sheen of sweat at his temple where the last vestiges of his rut are present but not a hindrance to his tasks as the second young master. Had his knuckles not been white and the veins protruding, Lan Qiren would have found his restraint commendable.

It took his own brother some handful of years before he could master his own Alpha impulses. In the end, his impeccable control had been lost once he found his One.

Regardless, he still reeks, and a part of Lan Qiren who registers Lan Wangji as his last pup mourns that he's growing up so quickly.

"Father is in seclusion. There are none I would have chosen to discuss this subject matter with."

Lan Wangji looks up at him, eyes stubborn.

Immediately, Lan Qiren fears the worst. He is grateful that Lan Wangji has made friends during his involvement within their sect's study program, truly . He will accept them as his nephew's future mate even if they are… peculiar and aggravating in nature. Nie Huaisang would be adequate if he balanced his scholarly desires with the needs of his sect and was not sloppy with his cultivation. Wei Wuxian could be decent had he been adequately trained instead of left to fumble through his impulses by his overindulgent Sect Leader. But he imagines having to barter Jiang Fengmian for his ward and the following months – years – of having to be in the proximity of not one but two rutting Alpha mates with high cultivation in his home and the thought alone is enough to make him faint of heart. If they were in any way similar to what Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen had been like at the beginning of their courtship – the destruction would be endless. His woes are cut short when Lan Wangji speaks up again.

"The mate I have chosen is the Jiang heir," Lan Wangji states easily, as if mating the second pup of the most fearsome Omega of Lan Qiren's generation was as simple as a non cultivator union. An Omega who will surely flay any of her children's suitors if they are not to her standards.

Jiang Wanyin is smart, a dedicated student and the one with the most potential to carry Yunmeng Jiang to further avenues, and only marred by the follies of youth. He is prone to the mischief of his martial brother but understands the difference between disrespect and self enjoyment. He is beautiful and deadly as revered by his maternal family.

He would be ideal, were he not viciously guarded by his family from marital pursuits.

"Wangji," Lan Qiren starts after some time once his shock dims, "do you understand what you are asking for?"

Lan Wangji nods once.

"You are certain of this?"

"Mn," he stares past his uncle's shoulder, "will accept no one else."

Lan Qiren watches his nephew. He strokes his beard then sips his tea.

"And if he denies your advances? Takes another as his mate? Bears their pups?"

Lan Wangji stills. His countenance darkens, and for a moment, Lan Qiren is nineteen again seeing his feral brother rut into his bloodied wife in front of all the Lan elders and the corpse that was once his teacher.

"Jiang Wanyin will have me or none at all."

He purses his lips then places his cup down. "I see." Lan Qiren stands and leaves to the back of his room.

Lan Wangji watches him go to the bookcase where a collection of rudimentary level books on how to care for wind instruments sit on a middle shelf. His uncle plucks them off one by one, revealing a shallow box with Gusu Lan engravings hidden behind it. With his free hand, he pulls out sachets of loose tea leaves with smells ranging from near odorless to that of oolong and osmanthus. By the time Lan Qiren has placed the books back and hidden the box, there are eight in total taken to Lan Wangji and placed in his open hands.

Fertility tea. Heat inducers. The characters are handwritten and burned atop its respective pouch, familiar in a way Wangji has seen from missives and letters shared to his family from other clan members within Cloud Recess, all cloaked to smell and taste like their intended copy. It would surely be enough to fool even a veteran Yu poison master.

"You have two types of teas in your possession. One is to be taken by the object of your affections to induce a heat and the other must be ingested to increase one's own fertility. Taken concurrently, they will encourage a higher chance of a successful impregnation," Lan Qiren says cupping Lan Wangji's hands before leaving him to sit back in his spot. "Since you've approached me with the intention of being a pair no matter the cost, I take it you understand the weight of this task and its repercussions if you are caught… The Jiang Clan are fiercely protective of their Omega pup; Chief Cultivator Wen is considered fortuitous for only having lost his youngest son after Wen Chao's forced bonding attempt." He narrows his eyes, and with a firm voice tells Lan Wangji, "neither I nor Xichen will protect you if you fail."

"Thank you, Uncle. I will not disappoint you." Lan Wangji tucks the tea into his sleeve and bows his head deeply in acknowledgement, his hair a dark curtain over his back and cheeks.

He thinks of Jiang Wanyin. Pictures his life spent beside the soft heart and sharp face of his beloved. Of his shy, almost demure-like reactions whenever he is bestowed with Lan Wangji's stilted adoration. Imagines being the recipient of the worst of his temper, resembling the fearsome lightning storms that leave devastation in its wake. Jiang Wanyin is most beautiful when he is shown love. He would be a doting mother, strict when the situation calls for it as needed when raising Yunmeng-Gusu children. He deserves to be pampered. Spoiled.

Bred .

He thinks of the sounds Jiang Wanyin will make when Lan Wangji feasts on his spit-slicked, wet cunt. It's not fair that Lan Wangji has only managed a small taste – the soaked undergarments from Jiang Wanyin's heats during his stay in Cloud Recess are akin to crumbs for a starving man. When Lan Wangji fucks into him for the first time, he wants to feel Jiang Wanyin's folds flutter around his cock as it reshapes his insides – until his womb readily drinks in his seed. He wants to hear Jiang Wanyin weep in sweet agony as his rim clings to Lan Wangji's knot while their babies feed from his milk-heavy breasts.

His heart beats against his ribs like the whipping winds of Gusu Lan's winters. His teeth ache, mouth empty where it should be latched onto Jiang Wanyin's mating gland. His scent once again bleeds into the room at his excitement.

Lan Qiren cannot hide his disgust quickly enough. He covers his nose and mouth with a lightly perfumed cloth to repel the onslaught of Alpha pheromones and waves Lan Wangji away with clear dismissal. He does not mention penning Lan Wangji's decree of courtship, too overwhelmed by the stench of young love, but Lan Wangji trusts that his uncle will have it ready to be sent out by tomorrow's daybreak.

Lan Wangji leaves with little embarrassment, the whites of his robes swishing behind him as he steps out onto the mountain. Near the cluster of flowers underneath his uncle's windowsill are the bunnies Wei Ying gave him, though now multiplied from spring births. They follow him with each step down the winding paths towards his own quarters.

With careful fingers, he smooths over the ribbon on his forehead. Restraint , Lan Wangji reminds himself. He will have his mate in his arms soon enough.

Chapter Text

A frustrated sigh leaves Jiang Cheng as he deposits another painting of a young Alpha from a minor sect into a burning bowl plastered with fire talismans. Besides his folded legs are stacks of unopened courting letters with a similar premise: a painting of the besotted cultivator complete with empty, floral promises of devotion and political networking.

Through the flames, Jiang Cheng can feel his mother's disapproval at his theatrics. It's not entirely unwarranted as he had asked his mother and father to tentatively open up courtship offers. But rather than consider the Alphas, Betas, and Omegas daring enough to send him a proposal following a public execution conducted by his parents, he finds himself dumping more and more letters into the fire with growing agitation.

The stench of his displeasure wafts into his mother's quarters.

"Has my son finally decided on a match?" Yu Ziyuan asks plainly as she brushes over her lips with some potted Rouge. In the privacy of her own room, she is removed of her scowl and excess jewelry donning only zidian, a pair of amethyst earrings, and a simple jade hairpin. "Or have you finished making a mockery of yourself in my presence?"

Jiang Cheng withers under her reproach but obeys his mother's silent command. The fire is put out quickly and replaced with Yu Ziyuan's preferred incense. Like an obedient son, he sits close to her and pours her a cup of osmanthus tea.

She takes a sip, careful not to smudge the color on her lips, and waits.

"Mother, if I may," Jiang Cheng starts, a frown so similar to Yu Ziyuan's own that it makes her heart ache, "I wish to make my own offer of courtship to a person of my choosing."

At her silence, Jiang Cheng dares to peek up at her only to be greeted with her calculating eyes. It prickles against his skin but he remains unwavering, steel in his spine as he utters his next sentence:

"There is a high ranking Alpha cultivator who is passionate and kind," Jiang Cheng says, and soon he finds himself unable to stop, "he has a quiet disposition – a man of strict rules and order with eyes as deep as Yunmeng lakes. He helps others and never expects anything in return – even when it would benefit him the most, and his heart is so big because he cares so much, and–" he smiles, a touch shy, "I want him to be mine."

Yu Ziyuan puts down her cup and the resulting clink echoes through her quarters.

Her Omega pup, her A-Cheng that once hid in his mother's nest during his first heat not three years ago because the changes in his body had become too much to bear alone, has succumbed to infatuation.

Regrettably, Yu Ziyuan knew it was only a matter of time.

Regardless of the Lan Sect's intentions, the intermingling of Sect heirs and disciples fostered a secondary, quieter feature that'd been used to mitigate advantageous relations. Her son's devotion to his studies remained the same since his return from Gusu Lan. But their reunion also revealed Jiang Cheng's sudden interest in joining his parents' discussions regarding his future mate. It became apparent how their time apart had affected his sensibilities when he began releasing a sickly sweet scent at the mention of maybe being allowed to oversee his matchmaking process.

With Wei Wuxian's expulsion from Cloud Recess and Jiang Yanli's attention diverted towards her broken engagement, the absence of the two Alphas created a clear gap in their family's defenses.

And far too many were willing to tempt fate by touching the Jiang pup.

(Wen Chao's impaled, sun-bleached skull has long since been picked away by scavenger birds. It dangles freely on the Lotus Pier entrance gates.)

Still. The thought of her A-Cheng even lifting a finger to ask someone to mate him makes Yu Ziyuan sick to her stomach.

"Who is it, then, that has my son thinking himself low enough to beg for courtship?"

Jiang Cheng, expecting this response, thins his lips.

"This son would like to pursue the Lan Clan's second young master."

He bites back his own smile when his mother pauses in consideration.

In the eyes of his mother, Lan Wangji should be the perfect match for her son. He is of high renown with little scandal attached to his name, devastatingly handsome, and likely would not attempt to usurp Jiang Cheng's claim as heir if they married.

And it would make him so, so happy.

"I take it your father is already aware of this."

"We discussed it in detail." His father had been inconsolable for the better part of the afternoon but Jiang Cheng does not mention that to his mother. "He said your word is final." 

"No."

Jiang Cheng jolts out of his skin staring at his mother's soured face.

" Mother , I– Please, your son asks you to reconsider–"

"A-Cheng," his mother's tone is a balm on a fresh bruise, "you will not risk sullying your reputation by chasing an Alpha with no declaration of intent from his side." Her eyes flit from a dark mass by the translucent screen door of her entryway back to Jiang Cheng. "There are many eyes watching Yunmeng Jiang right now; the death of the Chief Cultivator's son and the ending of your sister's engagement has placed you in a precarious position that must be handled with care."

Her face grows serious. Zidian crackles on her finger.

"Are you choosing him of your own free will?"

To his own surprise, Jiang Cheng does not squirm under her gaze. "Yes."

"Your feelings… are they mutual?"

"Yes," he answers.

His mother hums lightly. The skirt of her hanfu swishes against his legs as she stands up. Yinzhu and Jinzhu leave their spots in the shadows to stand by her. 

"Wait until his letter has reached your father's desk," she decides. Her hand caresses the top of his head, scenting him efficiently, before walking towards the door.

It is as much of an acceptance as she is willing to give. Jiang Cheng's disappointment is palpable but he won't push his mother lest she rejects Lan Wangji in his entirety. She has done more for less.

"Fengmian," Yu Ziyuan calls out. The door opens and the poorly hidden blotch turns into the smiling face of her husband. For a moment, her face warms at the sight before resuming its usual cool disposition. "I have something to attend to but I will meet you in your quarters when I finish. Will you please escort our pup to his room?"

The Alpha musk emanating off his father is hell on his senses. How the Spiders haven’t broken their mask of indifference is a mystery to Jiang Cheng. If he were younger, he'd probably get away with pettily plugging his nose and closing his eyes, but he has the unfortunate luck of bearing witness to his mother melting in response to father’s ‘ of course, my lady, ’ as he leans down to nip at her neck.

By the time Jiang Cheng can breathe in fresh air again, they've already separated from his mother and her handmaidens. Outside, their shoulders brush against each other’s as the sounds of their boots on hardwood blends into the background.

Jiang Fengmian breaks their comfortable silence, voice soft like his sister’s. "Tell me, A-Cheng, can I trust that Gusu Lan’s second young master will take good care of you?"

Jiang Cheng looks up at his father. Despite himself, a blush makes its way across the high points of his cheeks.

Lan Wangji's hands had always been gentle when he'd helped Jiang Cheng with his work in the library pavilion, letting their fingertips graze when handing each other books. He was patient – did not let Jiang Cheng walk away without reproach and understanding after taking the brunt of his temper when emotions became too much. His smiles were rare but never wasted, given when Jiang Cheng would fluster under his quiet sweet talk. Lan Wangji despised being teased, but he would never get mad despite the blotches of red coloring his ears and neck. He was prim and proper as expected of a Lan Cultivator.

Jiang Cheng can't wait to see him fold.

Since Wei Wuxian was forced out of Cloud Recess, Jiang Cheng found himself… toeing the line between what was appropriate for an unchaperoned Omega and his own desires now that his family had been distracted.

Perhaps it was cruel of him to approach Lan Wangji during the throes of his pre-heat asking to be housed in the Lans' heat quarters instead of seeking an Omega like Grandmaster Lan. To let the Alpha catch the scent of his sopping wet, fertile pussy before leaving him to spend his heat alone. Maybe Jiang Cheng had been a bit mean when he'd accidentally dropped some of his soiled undergarments by the thatch of grass Lan Wangji most frequented while heading to the washrooms. If only he hadn't done that for every single one of his heats during his time in Cloud Recess, especially after smelling his own slick on Lan Wangji's face during their brief spars.

But how else was Jiang Cheng going to ensure that Lan Wangji would pursue him when the time came for it?

"He will," Jiang Cheng says truthfully. There’s never been a moment where he believed Lan Wangji would treat him without care. "No one else can compare."

Jiang Fengmian's smile hardens, just a little.

A possessiveness rivaling that of his wife's ripples through him at his son's euphoria. The baby that once nested in his lap has finally grown up. Is this what Yu Ziyuan's mother felt watching her daughter kneel at her feet demanding acceptance of Jiang Fengmian's proposal? Had she experienced a similar despair when learning their A-Li had already grown to the size of a peach pit in her belly?

They stop in front of Jiang Cheng's room, but neither make a move to leave.

Reaching into his sleeve, Jiang Fengmian pulls out a shallow, long box of no special markings and hands it to his son. Jiang Cheng moves to open it but is stopped by the shake of his father's head.

"As much as I'd like to believe it, I am not someone of great patience – your mother less so, and both you and A-Li seem to have inherited our bullheadedness," he says. "Certain traditions require a bit of time but there are occasions where one must induce pressure to achieve what we want."

His father raises a hand to pat Jiang Cheng's cheek.

"A-Xian has informed me that your intended has an affinity for incense. Perhaps this gift will assist you with your courtship as it once did mine."

Jiang Fengmian bids his son goodbye and only leaves towards his own room when Jiang Cheng shuts his door.

He shakes the box lightly, it makes a slight noise, then opens it.

Within the box is a cluster of lotus scented incense sticks wrapped with parchment paper and twine. It looks innocuous enough, and the smell is strong like the flower during the height of its season. Jiang Cheng almost puts it away but his father’s cryptic words have him pausing. Pulling them out of its box, he shakes it again and a small tab comes loose. A note with unfamiliar handwriting flutters to the floor face down. He picks it up, thumbing at the design of lotus pods before turning it over and reading a brief description of the incense’s purpose and properties.

With steady hands, Jiang Cheng places the rut inducers back into place then sits at the edge of his nest where he fiddles with the note, folding it, unfolding it, then folding it again.

Accepting someone’s courtship did not guarantee that their union would be a permanent one. Either of them, Lan Wangji or Jiang Cheng, could change their minds but not without it affecting the public's perceptions of their characters. There have been instances where either person in a pair has annulled pursuit for whichever reason specific to their circumstance but the reception to it was entirely dependent on their notoriety. According to his father, gossip surrounding Lotus Pier after Wei Wuxian’s Omega father left his own courtship to elope with his Beta mother tarnished some of the good deeds Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze had done, and it had taken years for it to be salvaged.

It would be difficult for Lan Wangji to rescind his decision if he were already with child.

The muscles of his tanned chest are firm, the planes of his stomach hardened from training and swimming. He imagines his breasts becoming plump, dark nipples pebbled and wet with milk at the sound of his baby crying. Of his stomach heavy and distended and Lan Wangji’s long, boney fingers pressing into it to feel their pups kick. His hips would get wide; it’d make it so much easier for him to carry pouting, stone-faced toddlers across Lotus Pier.

Jiang Cheng’s clit throbs and his cunt gushes. A burble of slick dampens his inner thighs at the thought of a knot filling him with Gusu children.

He wants it.

He wants Lan Wangji.

In his home. In his nest. He wants Lan Wangji wearing lilac robes and a nine petal Lotus guan. He wants to keep the pale ribbon from his forehead, have Lan Wangji tie it permanently to his wrist, his ankle, wherever Lan Wangji can see it as he takes this Omega however he pleases– Wherever he pleases. Have the indentations of Lan Wangji’s teeth adorn his neck. Have them raise their kids with the knowledge of Yunmeng lakes and Gusu mountains.

Jiang Cheng sequesters the box out of reach in the least likeliest place Wei Wuxian or any of his family’s servants might find it.

When , because it’s only a matter of time before Lan Wangji’s courtship letter arrives in Lotus Pier, the Alpha is asked to visit in order to sort out the details of their union, it would be beneficial for them to spend their time together.

They could share a meal or two. And if Lan Wangji is amenable, some incense with their tea and snacks would be nice.