prompts / continuations.

[fennu]

Comments

[fennu]

You have a brother and a nephew.

[ A-Ling could have been the heir to the Jiang sect, were he not already the Sect Leader of the Jin Sect now. Despite the complications, there are more options open to Lan Xichen than Jiang Cheng.

Still, he lifts his cup. ]

[lanclan]

There are not many years between myself and Wangji, he knows he will not become Sect Leader and ... neither does he desire it. Sizhui is family, but he cannot inherit this particular position. Too much in Cloud Recesses is tied to recognition of blood.

[ Aiya softly crosses his lips, sipping his tea. ]

[fennu]

I understand completely, then. The necessity of a child isn't one I had concerned myself with when I was younger, but now...

[ Once upon a time he had thought he might marry someone he cared for, but now? It is different. ]

[lanclan]

You are younger, you have more time.

[ Unlike old man Xichen here, creaky-boned and covered in dust! ]

[fennu]

[ That actually sparks a laugh out of him, almost a shocked noise. ]

The difference in our ages is barely anything!

[lanclan]

[ Jiang Cheng's laughter makes his smile warm, eyes crinkling fondly at him. ]

I will have to wear a veil soon to hide all my wrinkles ...

[fennu]

If that is the case then I will have to excuse myself from society for my own.

[ But he is glad, at least, that Xichen is smiling; there's a swell of fondness in him for it. ]

[lanclan]

Where?

[ He leans an arm on the table, giving Jiang Cheng a once-over with a flit of lashes, bolder than he has been yet with a hint of his former confidence. ]

I see nothing uncomely.

[fennu]

[ Oh.

Xichen has always been handsome, of course, rated highest in single men, but having that angled at him is different. His cheeks go warm immediately and he shakes his head. ]

Soon! Not yet. But I may have frown lines.

[lanclan]

How distinguished.

[ How red can a Yunmeng Jiang get? Let's see. ]

[fennu]

[ Painfully red, apparently, since his first instinct is to try and turn his head away and look somewhere else, completely flushed. ]

A kind way of saying old!

[lanclan]

Wanyin.

[ Is he going to have to get the smelling salts, should a Sect Leader faint? Maybe. There aren't that many years between them but he feels a lot older with Jiang Cheng blushing furiously and, refreshingly, not using it to act cute or charming. ]

Wanyin, look at me.

[fennu]

Xichen, you -

[ He huffs a little, unused to the attention or the embarrassment, but he’s stubborn if nothing else and his head turns back. ]

[lanclan]

[ He is waiting with patient dark eyes and a gentle, forgiving smile. ]

Have some more tea.

[ Xichen will pour. ]

[fennu]

[ A menace to society. ]

Yes. Thank you.

[ It gives him a way to hide his face behind his hand as he drinks. ]

[lanclan]

[ A menace who watches him, still. It's not illegal. ]

Wanyin. [ His smile widens. ] It sounds nice to say.

[fennu]

You’re one of the few to say it.

[ He’s trying to calm down, but those eyes are distracting. ]

Most people forget the courtesy.

[lanclan]

[ Names are a way to show affection for Xichen, he likes that Jiang Cheng is open to less formal addresses too. ]

Zewu-Jun is all I hear. It was a relief, at first.

[ And a little sad to have lost the one person who would talk to him like he was more than a figurehead. ]

[fennu]

And yet I never hear Sandu Shengshou.

[ People are odd. And often rude, truthfully. He sighs. ]

We can remain Wanyin and Xichen, then.

[lanclan]

Hmm. Stirring the pot between the two of us would seem the way to go then, if only to make sure our ears are working properly.

[ Mischief brews in his eyes as he tries and fails to keep his smile down. Leaning forward to break the rules and slouch, chin in a hand, Xichen watches him steadily and it's a warning of the tease to come. ]

Sandu Shengshou. Wanyin. [ His smile broadens before he can subdue it by biting his lip momentarily and he breathes out in a rush, ] Jiang er-ge.

[ Wei-ge may have been becoming the norm in Cloud Recesses as of late, after protests he was "still the eldest" despite his new body. It doesn't stop Xichen's cheeks from turning pink now like the snow touched them for too long as he watches his friend, but this is fun. Who needs alcohol? Yet.

He could go on, but he waits for that line to be crossed by however playful Jiang Cheng is feeling. ]

[fennu]

I always thought Wei Wuxian was the one more suited to that sort of engagement.

[ Jiang Cheng is well aware that he takes after his mother, angry and severe and serious, a little too brittle to be well loved. His brother never thought that, of course, and neither did his sister, and he cherishes those memories as a sharp relief to his own pain and heartache.

The tease is met with a flicker of his eyes, though, and he huffs a noise, shaking his head and trying not to be too embarrassed.

Is this forward of the two of them? Maybe, but it’s not as if there’s anyone here to scold them. They’re two sec leaders - they can talk as they like, however they like. ]

You can never allow Wei Wuxian to have me known as er-ge, Xichen. He would never allow me relief.

[ It still sours him a little that he’s ‘Jiang Cheng’ to his brother now, rather than… ]

He might even forget that I am a-Cheng to my closest.

[lanclan]

I would not throw you to the fox that way.

[ Like a chicken squawking as Wei Wuxian joyfully tossed it around, no. He wouldn't want to embarrass Jiang Cheng or make him want to flee. ]

A-Cheng. [ It's only murmured to as not to be rude, soft enough to clearly taste it on his tongue. His lashes flutter on his cheeks as he looks down, a sadder smile canting on his lips. ] I was A-Huan, for a time.

[ No more, though. ]

[fennu]

A terrible fate indeed. Thank you.

[ He watches - the softness, the flutter, the way he can almost see Xichen’s heart wobble and ache, and he recognises the pain. To be betrayed by someone you loved dearly is a terrible curse indeed. He understands that.

Shaking his head, he tries not to fall into that embarrassment again. ]

You could be a-Huan again.

[lanclan]

[ The way he glances up without moving, looking at him intently. Jiang Cheng was right, they didn't need alcohol; this exchange feels exactly the same as being light-headed. ]

To you?

[fennu]

[ He feels drunk. It’s been a while since he let himself imbibe like that, but surely this is similar to that feeling. He also feels a little queasy, if only because he’s nervous. ]

Perhaps. If it is the preference we agree on.