Wei Wuxian, The Hateful

Family - Part 1

I forgot to mention, Jiang Cheng DOES remember Wei Wuxian - remember, in this AU Jiang Cheng did NOT kill him, and since Yanli isn't dead, he doesn't have any major reasons to hate him, except sheltering (innocent) Wens and his new cultivation path. Oh- and I guess the death of his parents, if you want to count that.

However, after his impromptu death, Jiang Cheng, laden with regrets, appears to have forgotten him, as any mention of his name sends him into a full on state of panic-and-sadness. Therefore, his mind forces him not to remember to avoid this.

I hope this explains; it'll be important for the next part ;)

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A young boy can be seen - and heard - running towards his parents location. He ducks and weaves past disciples going about their day, stopping only once to accept a sweet that was offered to him. For being so young, he is rather fast, golden robes billowing behind him as he sprints.

At some point during his marathon, he runs past two other people; one, the younger, is about his age and wearing grey robes with red and white lining - the fabric appears to have been torn from another outfit based on how it is a patchwork mix of different grey-scale shades. The older man does not appear human - he has greying skin and dark eyes, with grey robes to match. These two appear to be playing some form of tag together, but when the golden-robed boy sprints past them, they share a look and begin booking it after him.

Laughter can be heard echoing down the hallways, alerting the parents of the children's arrival. Smiling, the male stands from his lotus position; just in time, as two small children run into his embrace, the grey-skinned man entering shortly afterwards. Soon, a woman joins them in the room.

"A-Ling, what are you holding?" The woman asks, smiling as her son hugs her legs. "Oh! A pretty bird gave me this letter. It's addressed to A-Die." The man, placing the grey-clad child into the arms of the other present male, moves over and crouches down. "Well, may I see it?" He asks, comically raising an eyebrow and looking at his son. The child giggles, passing the slightly crumpled parchment over, before running back to his companions and leaving the room with them.

"Husband, what is it?" The woman asks, coming to stand by his side as he frowns. "I'm not sure, Yanli, but this is Xichen's handwriting." He carefully tears open the letter, eyes scanning the neat curls of Xichen's writing. After getting to a certain point, he gasps and staggers slightly, being held up by his wife.

"Zixuan, what's the matter? What does he say?" She asks, partially hungry for the knowledge and partially worried about what put her husband in such a state. "Yanli. Oh gods, Yanli." He says, taking her gently by the shoulders and hugging her.

"What? What is it?"

"Yanli, they got through to him. They've spoken to Wei Wuxian."

~

Lan Xichen showed up on his doorstep.

Figuratively, of course.

Jiang Cheng had recieved a message from Lan Xichen about him visiting Lotus Pier, but he didn't expect him to show up barely an hour after recieving said message.

Nevertheless, he had welcomed him in, and was now sitting with him at a low table drinking tea. Shame; he could do with some alcohol right now.

"Wanyin (is that correct?), I'll get straight to the point." Xichen spoke finally, placing his cup down. His interest was piqued.

"We've spoken to and seen Wei Wuxian."

Almost instantaneously, Jiang Cheng felt his chest contract as painful memories came flooding back to him. The cup he was holding shattered, the shards cutting into his hand. He paid it no mind; he was more focused on gripping the sides of his head, smearing the blood from his hand over his face. The memories just kept coming. He could faintly make out someone calling his name and gripping his arm.

He just let the darkness overtake him. He would be awoken by nightmares anyway.

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A bit short, and I apologise. 'Family' will be 3 parts: This is part 1, part 2 will be mostly Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen interacting, and part 3 will be the actual reunion.

Quick question: Do you guys want XiCheng as a ship? Wei Ying sees both as brother figures, but cares about their happiness (because he's Wei Ying. That is my only answer.)

Please leave your thoughts!

Happy Reading! ♡