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The first sound that Jiang Cheng hears that morning is the sound of a pot breaking, or perhaps “morning” is still too early of a term for what time it was. He swiftly sits up in bed, reaching for his sword, Sandu. A quick irritated and tired glance out a nearby open window, the first sign that something was amiss, reveals that the sun had not yet begun to rise. His head whips into the direction of broken ceramic being crushed further under nervous feet. A closer inspection reveals that the mysterious intruder inside his room is none other than Wei Wuxian. It was still way too early to be dealing with this.
Without even attempting to listen to what his brother had to say for himself, Jiang Cheng lays back down in bed, intending to go back to sleep. But Wei Wuxian apparently has other plans, regardless of how Jiang Cheng may feel about the matter.
He begins by saying, “So I went out to get us some Emperor’s Smile,” and Jiang Cheng actually groans in irritation because he has a feeling that he knows where this is going, “and I encountered the stone cold-faced Lan Wangji, so I may have drank both jars in a smartass attempt to not be reported.”
Yep, Jiang Cheng is not dealing with this right now. He snuggles a little into his blanket, trying to show Wei Wuxian that he simply isn’t interested and should just go to bed. And then what he said began to process in his mind. Jiang Cheng sits back up, frustrated but accepting of the fact that he won’t be going back to sleep anytime soon before turning to his brother, squinting and letting out an agitated, “What?”
He isn’t quite yelling because it’s fucking early in the morning, and while he normally wouldn’t mind, if his brother truthly said what he thinks that he did, yelling would not be the best option, despite how much he wants to right now.
“How the fuck do you even manage that?” The words are out of his mouth before he can’t even try to stop them. Jiang Cheng blames his tired mind. A part of him truly doesn’t want to know because to be honest his brother just manages to do the most impossible of things sometimes, some of which, Jiang Cheng has no desire to repeat.
Before Wei Wuxian even has a chance to respond, Jiang Cheng cuts him off by saying, “You know what? I don’t even want to know.” Jiang Cheng pinched the bridge of his nose in a show of irritation, “Just- Just go to bed.”
Wei Wuxian frowned slightly, before smirking, probably at the fact that Jiang Cheng decided not chew him out for getting in trouble, but to be honest, Jiang Cheng found it hard to care about at this hour.
Shorty after he closed his eyes, the last thing that he heard was the sound of Wei Wuxian’s feet shifting along the bamboo mat flooring, signaling his departure.
——-
The next morning, Wei Wuxian ended up receiving a punishment from Lan Qiren for his infracture. It seems like Lan Wangji had truly seen Wei Wuxian like he said and reported him for the incident. Jiang Cheng is not terribly surprised at that fact, especially if Lan Wangji has truly seen him breaking even one of the literally thousands of rules hand-carved on The Cloud Recess’ stone wall. Lan Wangji being well known for being the most upstanding study in the recess’ only would have made it more surprising if Lan Wangji didn’t report Wei Wuxian. Perhaps the punishment would teach him a thing or two about discipline. Jiang Cheng highly doubts that it will though.
As a result, Jiang Cheng finds himself with quite a bit of free time. Over the years, Jiang Cheng has somehow come to rely on Wei Wuxian’s annoying presence in his life. He didn’t really know how much time he spent with him until he was not there to spend it with him. It is an eye opener, really, that he needs to find something to do that doesn’t involve him in some way.
Jiang Cheng looks around, not quite sure where to start on quite an adventure.
He decides to start by leaving the Cloud Recesses, maybe go visit Caiyi City in search of something to do. Before leaving he stops, taking a moment to enjoy the quiet. The birds are chirping loudly in a sing only they understand. The wind blows gently, rustling the leaves just as gently to make a beautiful sound that goes along well with the chirping.
After deeming that enough was enough, he begins his descent down the large number of stairs leading from the Cloud Recesses to Caiyi City. Despite how many steps there are, Jiang Cheng is not deterred; he has time to kill afterall.
Once he reaches the bottom, he makes his way into town. He walks along the main road, mostly just taking in everything going on. Often times, Jiang Cheng has never taken the time to properly appreciate Caiyi City, probably due to the fact that he spends so much time trying to keep his brother out of trouble. Now though, he has the time to take in everything; the delicious smell good cooked food, the sound of water sloshing from the boats going up and down the canal, people going to and fro, each with their own task for the day in mind. They are already a step ahead of him in that regard.
Now that he was here, what should he do?
On his left, he could see a group of kids playing along the river bank. That would just be too pathetic of him. Playing with a group of kids? Jiang Cheng scoffs quietly to himself, before marching onward.
On his right, there are an older woman and what looks like a young child fighting to lift a box filled to the brim with fish. He glances around, looking for anyone else who may be able to help them, but when he comes up empty, he decides to approach them. Somewhat discreetly, he lifts the box up and out of both of their arms. Awkwardly, he asks, “W-where to?”
For a moment, both of them just kind of stare at him, as if in disbelief that a random stranger may choose to help them. People these days.
Despite their bewilderment, he reiterated his question, somewhat irritated now. “Where to?” Jiang Cheng raises his eyebrow expectantly. Finally, as if snapped from their stupor, the young child points to the stack of boxes that they were piling up in the corner of the shop, “Over there.” They’re voice was quiet, somewhat meek, and cracks bit, even when only speaking two words. For some reason that just irritates him more but he chooses not to comment on it, knowing that mentioning it would lead nowhere.
After putting the box down where the child said, he glances around the shop that he is currently standing in. The walls look like they need are in desperate need of repair, and the roof appears as if it may fall in any day now. The front counter for selling whatever-it-was-that-they-sold is broken and the wooden boards that it is made from appear to be rotting out, probably from long-term exposure to the warm humid air. He is tempted to just forget about it all, but a cursed thought crosses his mind. Why not? It isn’t as if any of the disciples would willingly pay too much attention to this particular pair of villagers, and they are unlikely to tell people that they do not know about their good fortune if he did.
This particular part of town is where he chooses to spend his free afternoon the next day as well, only this time, he came with some replacement roof tiles and nails. At first, the granny and child wanted to refuse Jiang Cheng’s help, but he would not take no for an answer; he can’t sleep at night knowing the conditions that they are working in. When it came down to it, Jiang Cheng does it in the name of his sleep, a precious commodity when living at the Cloud Recesses where everyone is expected to be up at five and sleep at nine.
Day after day, he would return, bringing something else with him every time, and before he knows it, he’s helping them sell as well. It isn’t as if they cohearce him into it either, which it a surprising fact to anyone who hears it, but rather that he insists on it with a facade of disinterest, and soon, he let him. Over time, he finds himself growing somewhat attached to the old granny and child, whose name he later learns is A-Lin. Sometimes, he even stays behind after he is done working on the structure and helps manage the store front at times. It’s a surprisingly enjoyable experience.
All of that changes one day when Jiang Cheng happens to notice a couple of disciples from the Cloud Recesses walking down that very street. He recognizes one of them as Lan Xichen, Lan Wangji’s older brother.
Not that Jiang Cheng has any particular beef with Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng certainly doesn’t know what he would do if he knew that Jiang Cheng is spending his afternoons helping two residents in Caiyi City. If word got out, Jiang Cheng would lose face for sure.
He very discreetly steps away from the front counter, hoping that Lan Xichen or either of the two disciples haven’t noticed him yet. Jiang Cheng works hard to ignore the weird looks that A-Lin and Granny are giving him as him moves to hide behind one of the stacks on boxes. He presses a finger to his lips in a shushing motion to tell them to be quiet about his presence. It would not be good if the disciple's notice him hiding in his place behind the boxes, as it would only make him more suspicious.
Jiang Cheng jerks in surprise at hearing someone speak to Granny and A-Lin from the front of the counter; his voice is rich and smooth, “Hello, I’m sorry to bother you.” At the sound of the stranger’s voice, Granny steps up to the counter.
She replies to him in a strained, grainy voice, “Yes. How may I assist you today?”
He replies in a gentle tone that would woo any fair maiden, “What’s the price of seaweed today?” Jiang Cheng resists the urge to shift his position from behind the stack of boxes to see if he can get a peak at which of the disciples is currently talking.
Jiang Cheng tunes out to the conversation, much more interested in who’s talking than what they are saying. Carefully, he shifts his position from behind the boxes. By accident, he shoved one of the boxes over a little bit, causing the stack to wiggle slightly. Fuck.
Just then, he hears the voice saying goodbye, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps. He lets out a sigh of relief, glad to have not been discovered.
———
The next time that Jiang Cheng sees Lan Xichen, he can’t help a small moment of panic. Even if he is sure that he didn’t see him, a small part of him still worries that maybe he did. But then he reminds himself that no one had said anything about it the next day, or the day after that. Not that he really thought Lan Xichen to be the type to gossip. If anything, there is probably a rule on the wall that forbid it.
Still, he can’t help the nerves that he feels when around him. It feels like he knows a special part of him that no one else does. Which… is actually accurate. Why does that prospect make his heart beat so fast though?
“Jiang Cheng. I hope you are well today,” Lan Xichen smiles, in his typical thoughtful way. Jiang Cheng has no idea how he can be so cheerful.
Jiang Cheng clears his throat and nods his head in greeting, “Lan Xichen.” He fidgets slightly, unsure of how he should act around him.
If he truly seems like he doesn’t know about the Caiyi City incident, then Jiang Cheng shouldn’t act any differently.
Lan Xichen pauses for a moment, seeming to contemplate his words before he says, “Your Shidi seems to have truly upset Uncle Qiren this time. He has given him an entire month of copying as punishment.”
This is not news to Jiang Cheng; he’d heard about the intensiveness of the punishment from Wei Wuxian himself, however, the man himself seems quite unfazed by it. In fact, Jiang Cheng would almost say that he is gleeful when talking about it, which is kind of gross in and of itself. Wei Wuxian seems to be somewhat obsessed with Lan Wangji, which is kind of strange, but he isn’t going to question it.
“Wei Wuxian often does whatever he wants to,” Jiang Chengn leaves out the part about how he couldn’t stop Wei Wuxian if he tried. Wei Wuxian has always been the better brother at almost everything, and that leaves a sour taste in his mouth. He doesn’t hate his Shidi, but at times, he wishes that he could be better than him at something.
That response seems to garner a laugh from Lan Xichen, “I guess that is very true. He is certainly a free spirit, that brother of yours.” For some reason, that comment makes Jiang Cheng feel a small surge of jealousy, like he’d drank a cup of vinegar straight from a bottle. It made him want to gag.
Jiang Cheng doesn’t quite address Lan Xichen’s statement, or rather, he doesn’t quite know how, “I must be going.” Without waiting for Lan Xichen to respond, he swiftly walks away and down one of the many stone pathways that run through the Cloud Recesses.
Why did he get so jealous? Is It because it was his brother that made Lan Xichen laugh? It was weird. He decides to not think of it again.
———
A few days past, Jiang Cheng finds a mysterious red pouch on his supper plate. He’d only been gone for a moment to use the restroom. And when he returns, he finds a red pouch. It takes everything he has in him to suppress the blush that threatens to show on his face.
Jiang Cheng doesn’t really know much about courtship, but he does know that a red pouch is a sign of the beginning of courtship. Discreetly, He picks it up from his plate and hides it in the sleeve of his robes. He would deny it if any claimed that he is running; He is only walking swiftly.
His mind is working overtime though, trying to figure out who would even decide to court him. Jiang Cheng is notorious for having a long list of requirements for his future partner. It has been the reason for many people steering clear of him in the romantic sense for many years. Yet despite that, someone has chosen to court him. Maybe they have put the pouch on the wrong plate mistakenly? Or perhaps they have somehow mistaken him for someone else? Both possibilities seem equally unlikely but it is the only thing that he can think of.
He wanders somewhat aimlessly. It’s too late to return to Caiyi City, but a bit too early to good to bed. Well, perhaps he could go to his room. Just because he’s in his room, doesn’t mean that he needs to sleep right away.
Jiang Cheng makes his way to his room, not quite in a rush, but with definite speed. He is curious as to the contents of the red pouch, as they often contain a gift from the giver to the recipient. Perhaps that would have a clue as to who would dare.
The moon is high in the sky, signaling that it is currently in the beginning months of the year, before most of the time shifts have begun. The bright moonlight light his path, allowing him to see the road in front of him without the need of a lantern.
If one looks closely, they can see shapes in the stars above, giving direction to the lost and a place for wishes amongst the hopeful. It is a beautiful night with just a couple of clouds in sight. Yet, despite this, Jiang Cheng pays its beauty little mind, his focus instead on one little bag.
Once he settles into his room, sitting on the floor, he pulls out the incriminating little red bag. Gently, he pulls the sides open. At first, he isn’t quite sure what he is looking at. They appear to be seeds of some kind.
After pulling one out and giving it a good sniff, he recognizes them. Loquat seeds, most likely from Lotus Pier if the particularly soft shell told he anything. Jiang Cheng could think of no one who would do such a thing. It is strange, considering how specific it is. It is not that gifting seeds and grain were uncommon as courtship gifts, but considering the extra connection that he has with Loquat seeds, it seems unlikely that the bag was intended for anyone else than himself. The mystery just seems to get harder to figure out with each piece of the puzzle that he finds.
He does not sleep well that night.
—————-
So Jiang Cheng does some digging on courtship rituals, because if he’s going to be in one, he needs to know what to expect. If someone wants to court him, he doesn’t truly care that much (except for the fact that he cares very much) about it. It is awkward to enter the library looking for scrolls on such a topic though. Mostly due to the fact that it would appear as though he is the one courting someone.
So as discreetly as possible, Jiang Cheng begins searching. As he discovers, he learns that there are quite a few ways that one may court another but one sticks out to him. A courtship including a red embroidered bag(1). In this courtship, a young person would leave a red bag to show their choice of courtship, and if the recipient chooses to take the bag, they are showing acceptance of the invitation.
Instantly, he feels his blood run a little cold. Inadvertently, he apparently accepted this person’s invitation of courtship, and Jiang Cheng doesn’t even know who this person is. Whoever they are, Jiang Cheng is going to find them and-
And what?
Break their legs? They are trying to fucking court him; he can’t break their damn legs.
According to the scrolls, there isn’t much left for his admirer to do. The steps for the scroll that he read are already complete except for one. The scroll mentions that now that he’s accepted the invitation, they are supposed to meet somewhere, most likely so that they can get to know one another.
But Jiang Cheng isn’t interested in courting someone, or meeting with them just because it is the next step. If they want to move their courtship further, Jiang Cheng isn’t going to be accommodating, much less easy about it.
If they want to meet, they can come to him.
Satisfied with the results that he has, Jiang Cheng, he puts all of the scrolls back, remembering where he’d found the most useful one.
And with that, he leaves the library a little more confident than when he entered.
What Jiang Cheng does not expect to see, is another gift on his doorstep, almost quite literally this time. When he had been returning to his quarters for the night (because the Cloud Recesses has a fucking ridiculously early rise and curfew time), he’d almost stepped on it due to the dimly light hallway. Awkwardly, he bends down to pick it up, a cloth parcel with he-does-not-know what inside.
He brings it into his room, looking both ways before to see if anyone has seen him with it. When he spots no one, he steps inside, parcel carried carefully under one arm. Just like the night before, Jiang Cheng sits down in roughy the same spot before laying the parcel down on the ground to better examine it. It appears plain on the outside, having been wrapped in normal cloth, probably so it would appear much more natural being set on his doorstep.
Left with nothing else to do but open it, he does just that. Somewhat gently, and with what many might say is out of character for him, he pulls on one of the hanging strings from the bow that is holding it all together.
White and blue are to be seen wrapping around the object, although at first, he is not quite sure what he’s seeing. He pulls more of the packaging to the side before pulling the gift out. It was a hair pin for a bun. It was made of some sort of metal, although he doesn’t quite know which. The decorative part of the pin has a few purple gemstones in the end in the shape of a lotus. It is not quite something that he would normally wear, but for a special individual, then perhaps. He would never admit that though. For some reason, the thought of being with someone in that way brings a blush to his cheeks.
For a moment, he just sits there with a blush, blinking in confusion before setting the pin to the side, next to the bag of loquat seeds. If there is any doubt about whether these gifts are for him, it no longer exists, because there truly is no one else that they could think that they may be for, except for Wei Wuxian. But they would have known that Wei Wuxian wasn’t at dinner that night, along with the fact that they sleep in separate quarters. Are they truly that stupid? Or did they expect him to deliver the gifts to Wei Wuxian for them? If they did, Jiang Check wouldn’t do it. He isn’t their postman.
Pushing the confusing line of thoughts from his mind, he prepared himself to lay down for bed. Even if he does agree that getting up at 5 is a god awful time, he wouldn’t do anything that may come back on Lotus Pier. After all, Wei Wuxian gets in enough trouble for the both of them.
When he opens his eyes, the sun is barely shining through the window. Groggily, he drags himself from the too-comfortable-to-be-sane bed sheets in favor of dressing for the day that has yet to truly begin. A frown is on his face, he knows it, but he puts in little effort to change that. To be frank, he is still low-key angry that Lans wake up this early in the morning. It’s unsightly, and down right frustrating at times. No one needs to wake up at such an ungodly hour.
As he grumbles to himself, agitated about the early hour, he goes about getting ready for the morning, despite how much he desires to just say ‘fuck it’ and crawl back under the covers. Just as he’s about to walk out the door, he pauses, stopping to look over at the pin still sitting on the table next to the pouch of seeds. For a moment, he contemplates. Should he… wear it? It’s dumb, and the person who gifted it to him obviously doesn’t know Jiang Cheng very well. And yet...
Normally, he wouldn’t wear this kind of thing, but he feels an abnormal desire to in that moment. Quickly, he steps over to the table and picks up to pin. Before he can second guess himself, he quickly presses it into his hair bun and spins around to leave out.
—————-
Caiyi City is just as busy as any other day that he’s been there, the only difference being that A-Lin and old Granny are in a much better spot than they were a couple of weeks ago. There is no doubt that Jiang Cheng’s assistance played a hand in the transformation; in fact, he’d helped with some of it quite literally. But to the point, A-Lin and old Granny have become one of the better sellers of fresh produce and seaweed on the street, and although perhaps he is biased on the matter, he would never admit it aloud.
Over the past couple of weeks, Jiang Cheng has truly began to ‘fit in’ with them, and even he can’t deny that. He’s even got his own spot to sit in at times, when he is there and there is nothing to do except wait. It is surprising to him just how peaceful he finds their company, and just the average spirit of the city.
The constant hustle and bustle was truly something to get used to. At first, he had found the constant noise and chatter to be irritating, but with each passing day, to changes to be something that he enjoys to listen. In fact, the times that he spends night hunting or just alone sound too… quiet, and now like they are out of place.
But still, there are moments of boredom, and this is one of them. Jiang Cheng finds himself sitting it what has become ‘his chair’ leaning back, with his head supported by his interlocked hands on his neck. Shiftly uncomfortably from sitting in the same position too long, his hands slip, sliding up to brush again the pin in his hair.
The reminder of its presence makes him blush, the memory of the split second decision that he made to wear it comes to mind. Why did he even bother putting it in his hair in the first place? There truly is no point. Jiang Cheng has no intentions of actually accepting this person’s courtship, the fact that he already technically had accepted it by taking the bag be damned.
Yet still, he can’t help but wonder once again. Who would be willing to court him? Anyone who truly knows him would know that he wouldn’t take well to the idea, and Jiang Cheng isn’t exactly some shy blushing maiden that could be wooed with gifts or words. He is strong, upstanding, and not that easy. Maybe some people view him as stuck-up or something, but the truth is that he just doesn’t have the patience to deal with the world.
Apprehensively, he slowly pulled the pin from his hair, sitting up straighter to look it over closely, closer than before. The pin has a silver body, and is quite cool to the touch. There is a small braid pattern etched into the main section of the pin, but just enough so that it doesn’t get caught on any hair when it is pressed into a tight bun.
Following the braiding pattern up leads to a decal on one side that is shaped like the silhouette of a side profile of a small lotus flower. The petals are colored with tiny beautiful purple gemstones that match surprisingly well to his sect’s traditional colors, showing that his secret admirer certainly is ohservate, not that this knowledge helps him to figure out just who it might be.
He isn’t sure how long his sits there, staring at the pin in a sort of daze. Jiang Cheng isn’t sure how to feel about the whole situation, making him feel more confused and conflicted then he ever remembers feeling in his life. It is the first time that he ever remembers wishing that Wei Wuxian was here for him to get some advice, or at least talk about it a bit. He reminds himself that even if Wei Wuxian was here, he’d be of so little use outside of mocking him. So, instead, he struggles in silence.
—————-
When another gift shows up, he is quite annoyed. Who ever is doing this, is beginning to get on his nerves. Jiang Cheng wasn’t looking for any romance or anything at the moment and a part of him wishes that he could just tell them that he isn’t interested. The funny part is just how impossible that is when he doesn’t know who they are. How… irritating.
It is sad how he has a routine now. There’s a specific spot that he sits, wrapped parcel set on the table in front of him, in order to open and examine its contents. This instance is no different; settling down in the cursed spot, he angrily tore at the cloth wrapping the parcel.
It’s contents shocked him into silence. Whatever he’d been expecting, it isn’t this.
Suddenly nervous, he reaches into the wrapping material and pulling out the gift. A flash of white and blue could be seen as a cultivation dagger comes out.. At first glance, he mistakes it for one of those from a Gusu Lan disciple, but upon closer inspection, he realizes that the wrapping for the handle is two purple and blue ribbons alternating the color of the sky and night, with powdery grey striping along the edges. It is beautiful, however, anyone who actually knows Jiang Cheng would never buy him such a thing, much less gift it as a courtship invitation. Cultivator weapons are not something gifted lightly, and in that moment, the gravity of the situation truly dawned on him.
It unsettled him how he failed to notice someone admiring him from afar this much. How could he be so blind? Is he truly that oblivious to such matters of the heart? The concept agitated him, as if it served to purposely make him feel more inadequate than he already does.
Despite his irritation, he continues to look over the dagger. It comes with a beautiful scabbard, one carved with many details and then painted softly for depth. Many of the depictions towards the top are of grey puffy clouds, an obvious reference to the Gusu Lan symbol, which then changes to Loquat pods and Lotus flowers. The colors are soft, and gentle. Along one side of the scabbard, there is an inscription that reads, “To the one I must protect.” He speaks the words aloud as he reads them.
Instantly, he can feel himself blushing, embarrassment and a bit of anger taking over the forefront on his mind. Who thinks that he needs protection? He can handle himself just fine in combat, and anyone who actually knows him, would already know that. They must be dense and dumb, he decides, unable to come up with any other explaination.
For a moment, he just holds the knife with a gentle grip. It feels… right in his hands. Even if it is a bit of an odd gift to give, Jiang Cheng feels like it is the perfect one for him, which only serves to further show himself just how blind he has been to those around him.
When he sleeps that night, it is with a heavy heart and discontent in his chest.
When he leaves the next morning, he leaves behind the knife on the table. Jiang Cheng isn’t quite ready to carry it with him yet; not when he doesn’t know who’s ‘protection’ he’d be accepting.
—————-
The air that day is clean, surprisingly so, with it being the beginning of the middle of the year, right when the heat truly begins to pick up. And just like any other year before it, the heat and humidity has been growing with every day. And yet, today has been a strange chilly day, but it is not unwelcome considering the wave of heat that is sure to come. Even today, Jiang Cheng could feel the signs of a warm summer yet to come, but at the very least, it is still somewhat enjoyable outside, whereas in a couple of weeks, it no longer will be.
Despite his best efforts, he is unable to forget about the latest parcel, it’s purple lotus and blue cloud design frozen in his mind like ice from a cold blizzard. Anxiously, his foot moved up and down as he tries to push the image from his mind, but even if it wavered, it comes back just as strong every time, crystal clear like a freshwater pond in spring.
The silver working on the blade and hilt are nothing less than perfect, and the thought of someone putting so much thought and care into such a purchase makes his squirm in discomfort. How blind must they be to go to such lengths?
Somewhat anxiously at the thought of someone being so-- so blinded that they would go so far. Never has he ever thought that he would be in this situation, and if not for his pride, then maybe he would ask A-jie for her advice. But he is too prideful to even think about that possibility, much less put it into motion. So, he finds himself sitting in his chair at A-Lin and Granny’s place, thinking and thinking, way more than he does at any other time. Jiang Cheng is more of a do-and-then-ask type of person, rather than a think-it-through type, meaning that doing this much thinking about anything like this is so far from character, that he’d deny ever doing it if anyone were to ever accuse him of it.
Unable to push the crystal clear memory from his mind, he angrily stomps his foot on the ground a bit in frustration. Irritated that someone can make him break so far from his normal routine, Jiang Cheng has a sour expression on his face, as if someone has made him swallow a lemon. Love is for maidens and screwballs like his brother, who doesn’t really care much about anything that actually matters.
Jiang Cheng really has no interest in such things, much preferring a good night hunt to daydreaming creepily about someone else and ‘the family that you could build.’ Wei Wuxian’s fail-attempts at flirting with women makes him throw up a bit in his mouth. What if this is Wei Wuxian playing some elaborate joke on him?
Now thoroughly disturbed by that thought, Jiang Cheng stands, his chair sliding back on the cracked stone floor with a loud screeching noise. He knows that A-Lin is looking over at him, probably wondering about what Jiang Cheng may be thinking about, but he pays it no mind; the child can’t make him talk, and he won’t.
Frustrated, he walks out and into the street, wanting to be or do something else for the first time in weeks. His peace would end soon, as Wei Wuxian is certain to be done with his punishment at some point, assuming he doesn’t do anything to make it prolong it. Although,Jiang Cheng would not be surprised it he does so, with how often he talks Jiang Cheng’s ear off into the night about ‘Lan Zhan’ this and ‘Lan Zhan’ that. More than once, he has had to throw him out just to get a good night’s sleep.
He walks down the street with angry steam powering his legs. There is even a small cloud of dust that he kicks up from moving so fast and harshly. Before he knows it, he finds himself far down the street, and he finds himself at the large body of water that passes through Caiyi City. The water moves slowing, a gentle breeze just scraping the surface, causing small ripples to form and flow through it. As there commonly is in Caiyi City, there are quite a few boats on the water, some fishing, others transporting goods, and a few just enjoying the nice weather. On one of the boats is Lan Xichen, alone for once. In the entire time that Jiang Cheng has known of him, he’s never seen him alone like this.
The sun shines down like a small spotlight, drawing his focus to him. Jiang Cheng looks on and then stronger gust of wind blows through, making Lan Xichen’s hair flow in the wind, and for a moment, he could feel his heart beating faster, not that he’d ever admit it, not even tohimself.
Lan Xichen somehow seems happy, despite the fact that he’s currently alone. Or perhaps, is it for that exact reason that he is? Thinking back, there are not many times that Jiang Cheng has seen him by himself, with not even Lan Wangji by his side. Not that Jiang Cheng is watching him closely, though.
Just then, Lan Xichen turns to face in Jiang Cheng’s direction, and he couldn’t help but feel slightly bad, as if he’s been caught doing something that he shouldn’t be. For a moment, he’s frozen in place, the weight of his gaze pinning him on that spot.
Jiang Cheng shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts. What is wrong with him? This is unlike him. Irritated, he turned away, a frown on his face as evident as a hurricane on a clear day. He stomps away with one more thing on his mind.
He hears people angrily call out to him as Juang Cheng shoves his way through a small crowded street. Everything was fine until someone decided to court him. Ever since then, Jiang Cheng has been troubled, and frustrated. Why him out of everyone else?
Jiang Cheng has never been known for being the nicest person around, so it wouldn’t be because of some kindness that he has bestowed onto someone, if anything, he’s only been belligerent towards others. The idea of not knowing whom, when, or why just bugs him to no end, and at this point, he can probably commit murder for the ability to know.
There’s sounds of angry and irritated people calling out behind him, but he ignores it, knowing that they’re probably upset at him, and he doesn’t care about them. He continues to move forward at a fast pace, and he doesn’t stop until he feels a hand on his shoulder, pulling him around.
The breath is knocked from his chest when he sees Lan Xichen is the one who’d pulled him back. Shock probably evident on his face, Jiang Cheng stares at him, frozen still and unable to move. His muscles are tense as he waits to see what Lan Xichen wants, giving him a chance to say whatever it is that it seems that he wants to say.
For a moment, they just stare at each other, but then Jiang Cheng’s irritation won out. Angrily, he grit out, “What do you want?” It is probably meaner than it needs to be, but he can’t take it back now.
A minute passes, and then another. Finally, he can see the other man’s beautiful lips curling up in a smile. Jiang Cheng watches in awe and surprise as Lan Xichen reaches up to behind his own head. When it pulls away, Jiang Cheng has little time to process the fact that Lan Xichen has his forehead ribbon in his hand, and then, he’s wrapping it around Jiang Cheng’s wrist like an improvised bracelet.
So many emotions fly through him in that moment, and before he knows it, he’s rushing down the street again in a sad and desperate attempt at escaping the situation. It is a poor way to handle it, but Jiang Cheng’s mind has flown out of his body when he saw the ribbon in question.
When he finally stops for air, it’s in his own room. In his desperation, he’d managed to enter the Cloud Recesses and located his room all the while, his mind working on overdrive to pick up the pieces of his broken sanity. There is no doubt in his mind that this means that Lan Xichen is the one— The one who’s been giving him these courting gifts.
As that thought began to sink in, he slipped into his seat, his head resting in his hands as he propped his elbows on the hardwood of the table in front of him. He stays that way for a while, trying to reconcile this new information, before pulling away, his hands moving instead to form fists. At the slide a strip of soft fabric along the inside of his arm, he looks down at the innocent strap of fabric.
He stares, transfixed as it somehow makes the whole situation just that much more real. At the reminder, he looks over at the dagger sitting on the other side of the table from him. There’s no denying it’s beauty either. Once both of them are both visible, he can see the similarities between them; the clouds, the color of the sky, and the depictions of the wind.
It dawns on him in that moment that the dagger is more than just beautiful, it has also had a lot of time and thought put into it as well to have such clear, crisp details. Mainly, Jiang Cheng just feels confused. Why him? Why would Lan Xichen, a man that Jiang Cheng has barely spoken to, want to court him, much less... marry him?
Just then, he hears a knock on the door. The sound shocks him from his thoughts. He clenched his fists tightly, before standing to make his way over to the door. He stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath to regain some of his composure. He opened to door to see Lan Xichen on the other side, panting as if he’d run a 5 Li*. It dawns on him that he probably ran here, and the thought of that makes Jiang Cheng flush in embarrassment.
Ashamed of running away like a little kid, Jiang Cheng awkwardly shifts in place, before leveling him with a glare, “What… “ He swallows, before asking the question that has been eating at him since the very beginning, “W-why… me?” He hates how his voice shakes, but he presses onward, “I— I don’t know you, and you don’t know a thing about me.” He looks away, uncomfortable under the Lan Xichen’s gaze.
Lan Xichen seems to take pity on him, and finally regains his breath enough to speak, “I know that you’ve helped those people.” And at that, Jiang Cheng feels his heart sinking, “What?”
He begins to clarify, “The young child and older women in Caiyi City,” he pauses, seeming unsure for a moment, before continuing, “You helped them fix up their place, and then more. You act as if you don’t care about others, but the truth is that you do care. Jiang Wanyin is kind and just has trouble expressing his emotions.” Lan Xichen took a step closer to Jiang Cheng.
“Jiang Wanyin still has it on,” he says, his hand coming up to wrap around Jiang Cheng’s wrist, the one with the baby blue Lan Sect forehead ribbon. Jiang Cheng feels himself blush, looking over to the side in irritated embarrassment, “S-shut up.”
His heart is beating fast in his chest, his blood rushing in his ears. Jiang Cheng’s hands shaky with nerves, which is stupid because he is never nervous. This is so ridiculous, why can’t he remain calm? Glancing to look back over towards Lan Xichen, he looked him straight in the eye to try and show he is not intimidated, because he’s not, damn it, “S-so you’re serious? About this?”
“Completely,” Lan Xichen replies, no doubt detectable in his voice or manner. His eyes are strong, not quivering or wavering in the slightest. He’s serious.
“Okay,” He finds himself saying the words before he even has the chance to even consider them, and the second that he does, his first thought to himself is— ‘What the fuck?’ Did he just agree to Lan Xichen’s courtship?
But then, he thinks again, maybe it's worth giving a chance.
—————- End —————-