this changes everything. ⟲ wangxian

2. "Home"

Take a piece of my heart
and make it all your own.
§
So when we are apart,
you'll never be alone...

"Brother Zhu! Brother Zhu!" Wei Wuxian turns to look over his shoulder, at the sound of the familiar little voice. A nine year-old boy scrambles up the hill to the fence where Ah Xian is perched, facing the sun, and is quick to grab hold of the fence as though his life depends on it. The boy is now breathless. Ah Xian smirks at him. A moment later, the boy looks up at Ah Xian and his face breaks into a grin. His eyes shine. "Brother Zhu!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Ah Xian drawls, jokingly-scolding. "Why are you running? Don't run. It'll cause you to sweat unnecessarily." He reaches out and ruffles the boy's hair, who cringes and leans away in response. The boy throws him an annoyed look, touching his hair as though to fix it. That makes Ah Xian laugh.

Brightness relights in the boy's eyes when he sees the tall man in black laughing, "Brother Zhu... my sister told me you were up here."

"Did you finish school already?"

"Uh-huh," the boy grins a toothy-grin. His name is Mingyu. His family owns a portion of the land on this side of town, and they put it to elaborate use every single day. His family is hardworking... Ah Xian is used to sitting here on the fence—or somewhere else that's out of sight—and watching the boy's dad and two of his friends farming and planting in the fields all day. Ah Xian is impressed with them.

Actually, it's more than that—Ah Xian admires them. Very much.

"Brother Zhu!"

"Yes, yes, what is it, little bunny?"

"Brother Zhu, don't call me little bunny!" Mingyu frowns, his train of thought astray. He jumps up and down, his little hands gripping the top of the fence. Finally, he remembers again that he was going to say something. "Brother Zhu! My sister says you're going to leave soon. Are you really going to leave?"

Ah Xian sighs faintly. He looks down, toying with Chenqing in one hand, carving figures of 8 in the air.

"Yes, little bunny, your sister's right," Ah Xian casts a warm grin down at Mingyu. "I really am leaving."

"Why? Where are you going to go?"

Ah Xian fiddles with his dark flute again and again, picking up speed, until finally he snaps it straight back into his palm and points it dramatically out into the setting sun.

"Into the great beyond!" He bellows in a deep voice, remembering Grand Master Lan. He cracks a tiny smirk. After a moment, he lets his hand fall back to his side, toying loosely again with his flute. A chilling warmth rides over him—a sense of freedom. "Wherever the wind takes me."

"What's in the great beyond?"

"Heaven."

"Heaven?" Mingyu exclaims. He whirls around to stare at Ah Xian, wide-eyed. "You're going to go to heaven? Already? You're a crazy person!"

"Heyy, what's that supposed to mean?" Ah Xian demands, pouting.

"I mean, why do you want to go to heaven? My sister says you only go to heaven when you.... you know...." the little boy glances away, his eyes hard and suggestive. He turns slowly back around to face Ah Xian, who watches him amusedly. "You know."

"No, bunny, I don't know. What?" Wei Wuxian prompts, his eyebrows raising in mock-curiosity. "What is so hard to say? What are you trying to say?"

"Brother Zhu, you idiot," Mingyu murmurs, which receives an entirely different reaction from Ah Xian. The cultivator's expression transforms.