Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are happily married, going on night hunts with the juniors and helping people left and right all while enjoying married life. All is well.
Wei Wuxian never thought he would have a family again, and every day he is amazed at how lucky he is to have a husband, a son (and other children!), brothers, and an uncle. Life is good. If only said husband wasn’t such a worrywart. ‘Tis but a scratch!
Wei Wuxian had to be brought back to Cloud Recesses by worried juniors after a night hunt, Lan Wangji looked as if he wanted to kill the ghoul again but only managed to scare the juniors into apologizing for letting their qianbei get hurt.
‘Wait a minute! There’s nothing to apologize for, right Lan Zhan?’
‘...’
‘Right, Lan Zhan?’
‘Mn, nothing to apologize for'
So the juniors took their leave and left Wei Wuxian in Lan Wangji’s care. Wei Ying braces himself and finally speaks.
‘Say what you want to say, Lan Zhan’
‘I don’t think Wei Ying should put himself in danger’
‘So I should let the kids get hurt instead’
‘...’
‘Aiya, Lan Zhan, I know it’s not what you mean. I promise I’ll be more careful’
‘Wei Ying has made such promise before… We should rest’
‘Aiya, Husband…are we really going to bed angry?’
‘...’
‘I’m ok Lan Zhan, I’m whole and I’ll always come back to you. Always’
‘I worry’
‘I know… I know’
This is their usual argument in their blissful married life, but Lan Wangji would never stop Wei Ying. So things continue as they were, they night hunt together and alone, there are scrapes, but never something life-threatening and they come to each other for comfort. That is until it happens again. The old argument with the weight of all the others before it.
‘...’
‘It was going after our son’
‘It went after him after he arrived, you went in alone Wei Ying’
‘I was the leader of the hunt and it was my choice, it looked too powerful for them to take’
‘So you decided to go in alone…’
‘I made a choice, and I’m fine. I won’t say I’m sorry!’
‘... maybe you should!’
Wei Ying can only gasp and remain frozen in bed
‘I’ll be in the library, please rest’
Lan Wangji leaves for the day and returns to sleep, it’s tense for the next few days. They continue with their activities around each other. One afternoon, a request for help gets to the sect and the clan sends a group of cultivators and juniors to deal with it. Wei Ying joins them, leaving a note to Lan Zhan with the promise to be careful and saying he’s sorry.
When Lan Zhan sees the note, all the alarms go on in his head. Is this what breaks them? He should have said something days ago, but they are stubborn, better at communicating but stubborn still. What possessed him to get angry at Wei Ying, he was ok, and he promised to come back to him, that is enough, that should have been enough. He will ask to accompany him in the next hunt, for his peace of mind.
When he is notified of the party’s return he goes on to meet them, when he does not see Wei Ying among them he panics. Although there were no reports of injured, as they come in he sees him on Little Apple. He would know Wei Ying anywhere.
‘I’m sorry A-die…’
Wei Ying sits in the infirmary asking for his parents, Lan Qiren tells him they’re night hunting and A-Ying will stay with them for now.
‘Xian-xian is 3!’ He replies when asked. This is Wei Ying with the memories of a 3-year-old. With no fear of dogs nor the pain of losing his parents. Also, this is Wei Ying who does not know he has a family.
‘Who are you gege?’
‘I’m Lan Zhan’
After, reading the reports, multiple checkups, library research to identify the cause, and days of waiting in hope the curse reverses itself. Nothing happens. As far as they can tell the spirit is destroyed, but the curse, that last wish is too strong to break. For the looks of it, it can’t be lifted so a decision on the future of little A-Ying has to be made. Jiang Cheng had been informed by Jin Ling and he shows up to lay claim on the child. Which is met with contention by Lan Qiren and some other members of the clan as well as Lan Zhan. Although he wonders if it would be best for Wei Ying, then he remembers Jiang Wanyin’s temper.
‘No, Wei Ying is from Gusu now’
‘You really expect him to grow with all these rules?! You will smother the child, crush his spirit!’
‘And you will not?’
‘I would never hurt him’
‘You have and may do so again’
Little A-Ying attaches himself to Lan Qiren who tells him stories about his parents, Lan Wangji wants to take care of him, but his uncle assures him he can do it just fine. He has taken care of Children before. As the months pass Lan Wangji can only observe as A-ying waves at people on his way to lessons, as he naps by his uncle when they have tea. Wei Ying is there, yet he is not. One afternoon, A-ying wakes up and sees Lan Wangji quietly crying.
‘Why is Gege crying uncle?’
‘He has lost someone he loves’
‘Like A-ying’s parents?’
‘Yes’
Little A-ying gets close enough to wipe gege’s tears.
‘Don’t cry gege. Uncle said, A-Ying’s parents are always with him and I can talk to them when I visit their tablets. Maybe, you can do the same’
‘He doesn’t have a tablet and it cannot be made’
‘Oh, maybe visit the places they’ve been, like when uncle takes me to see the meadow my mother used to play in, or the field both used to spar’
‘I miss him so much’
‘It’ll be ok Gege’
The hug little A-ying gives him eases his pain a bit and he makes the decision to leave, at least for a while.
‘Where will you go?’
‘To the places Wei Ying was, uncle. I will return. Take care of him, please’
‘I know you will and don’t worry about him, this is what I should have done years ago when I heard CSR and WCZ were gone. I should have claimed their child. I know this hurts you, but is my chance to do right by him’
‘Thank you, Uncle’
‘Be well Wangji’
Lan Wangji spends some months traveling and helping where he can, news of Hanguang-jun’s actions travel fast. Lan Qiren can’t help but feel proud, even if he knows his nephew suffers.
‘Where’s gege uncle? I miss him’
‘Shall I call for him A-ying?’
‘You can do that? He won’t be mad?’
‘He will always come for you if you miss him’
‘And bring me presents?’
‘I’m sure he will’
‘Then call gege home and tell him I miss him!’
It’s easy for Lan Wanji to come back, how could he not? He comes with stories and presents for little A-Ying. He also comes with a decision made. He visits his brother in seclusion.
‘Will you tell others?’
‘Not yet, I wanted to tell you first. I hope you won’t stop me’
‘I won’t’
‘Thank you, brother, I know you haven’t always approved of Wei Ying’
‘He made you happy’
‘He still does, but I don’t think I can take it much longer’
‘Do you require assistance?’
‘I have everything I need, thank you’
‘I have to ask again, and will probably ask again later, Are you sure of this?’
‘I am brother, I can’t live without him. I’m sorry’
‘I understand, don’t do it without a proper goodbye’
‘I won’t’
Lan Wangji spends his time in the library, with the juniors, his uncle, and A-ying and with Lan Sizhui, their son. He is old enough, but to his eyes still a child.
‘Thank you for having dinner with me, I know is not the same’
‘I enjoy it, we could invite A-Ying next time and Uncle’
‘There might not be a next time’
‘What do you mean, A-die?’
He shows the array notes he prepared. ‘Wei Ying would have done this much faster than me’
‘When will you do it?’
‘Not for a few more weeks’
‘...I… I want to say I’m happy for you, but I will miss this, I miss him too… I can’t…’
What is Lan Wangji to do but hug his son and ask for forgiveness.
‘I know you have to do this and it will be wrong of me to stop you, even if I want to, I don’t want to lose another father’
‘I’m sorry’
‘I know… I know’
‘Thank you’
One afternoon Lan Wangji invites his family to the bunny meadow. Also, to try to explain A-ying his absence. After, Lan Qiren and Lan Sizhui say their goodbyes as it grows dark, and is time for little A-Ying to sleep while the brothers continue to talk after dark.
‘Bye, geges!’
As they walk he asks ‘So is pretty gege leaving again? He said he wasn’t coming back, did A-ying do something wrong?’
‘You did nothing wrong A-ying. He’s going to meet the person he loves, he told you about him remember?’
‘Um, I’ll miss pretty gege, sad gege looks like him, but is not the same and he’s always inside. Why does sad gege never come out? He came out today, but he’s mostly inside. Is he sick?’
‘He’s not sick, but he is sad and that takes time to get over’
‘Like when A-ying was sad Mama and papa were not coming back? But I went places, maybe if sad gege goes out more and goes places he won’t be sad gege anymore’
‘And you can stop calling him sad gege’
‘Lan huan!, Huan-ge, right? He said I could’
‘Yes, he’d like that’
‘I hope he leaves his house more often. I’ll miss pretty gege’
‘Remember he said he’ll get a new friend for you to play with’
‘When will he be here?!’
‘In a few days A-Ying, but you must be patient with him, he lost his mother recently, we must try to cheer him up a bit’
‘A-ying will be nice’
‘Thank you’
Lan Sizhui and the juniors take A-Ying to Caiyi for his birthday, Lan Qiren is there to supervise. Little A-Ying is having fun until they meet Jin Ling who shows up with Fairy and A-ying lets out a blood-curling scream in sight of the dog, Lan Quiren picks him up immediately and tries to calm him down. He curses Jin Ling for his oversight.
‘I’m sorry, you said he didn’t remember so I thought… he wouldn’t be afraid anymore’
‘A-Ying… Wei Ying… why are you afraid of dogs?’ Lan Qiren asks with urgency
‘A-ying thinks one bit my leg’ the boy sniffles in his arms
‘Do you remember anything else?’
‘No, A-ying doesn’t like dogs!’
The child continues to cry in his arms and the panic in Lan Qiren grows. Is Wei Ying remembering? Could he come back? Is it too late to stop Wangji?
The return to Cloud Recesses is rushed and he bans Jin Ling’s entry at least for a month. After leaving A-ying with Sizhui he heads to the Jinshi to find his little nephew in an array, barely covered with too-big clothes
‘Is Mama back?’
He lifts him and holds him. ‘I’m sorry, Wangji. She’s not coming back, but we can visit her house together. Would you like that?’
Little Wangji cries for his mother and says yes.
Zewu-jun leaves seclusion and moves to the gentian House along with his brother, he explains again and again what happened to their parents and tries to explain as best he can why he’s so big.
Lan Qiren hopes Wei Wuxian does not return. It’s been 2 years. He prays they can keep little A-Ying. For everyone’s sake.