Growing Pains from Growing Family

Chapter 4: No.

Jiang Cheng didn't need to turn around to know who had entered the entrance of the dining hall. Huffing and puffing was none other than the future sect leader Jin, his own flesh and blood.

"Are you skipping class? Aren't you supposed to be learning etiquette in Lanling right now?" Jiang Cheng went for the throat as Lan Xichen placed yet another grape against his lips. One which he gladly accepted after being done scolding his nephew. If they suddenly stopped their performance the other disciples would know that something was up and so Jiang Cheng would for no other reason than to satisfy the crowd keep eating the grapes that came his way. It had nothing to do with the glint in Lan Xichen's eyes each time Jiang Cheng accepted the fruits.

"No. My teacher said I was doing well enough that I could take some time off." A big fat lie. Manners could, and should, always be improved upon there was no 'well enough', according to the Jin's strict teacher. And if Jiang Cheng didn't misremember there was also yet another test coming up some time soon where Jin Ling would show off his abilities in front of a crowd of people. A crowd which would include his uncle. Had his kid really grown up so much that his uncle's watchful eye meant nothing anymore!?

Even more important than some silly test was a very important day looming around the corner. In less than a year Jin Ling would gain the title of sect leader Jin. As such he should be busy with classes and preparations, and yet here he was nestled in between his two Lan pals about to have breakfast, in Gusu of all places. Jiang Cheng could understand the pressure he was currently under, but if he needed to see his friends he should've at least invited the two of them over to Lanling so that he could continue his studies, not travel to Gusu to mess around. This behavior was far too irresponsible and unbecoming of the future sect leader Jin.

Jiang Cheng glared at his nephew, who for once didn't even flinch. What he hadn't taken into account when attempting to threaten the Jin was that although Jiang Cheng's stare was rather menacing on its own, it was far less threatening when he was practically sitting in the lap of a man feeding him fruit. The Jin was so brave and unaffected that he dared to shout "How the fuck could you do this!?" with all of his might inside the Lan's dining hall, breaking Gusu's rules without a second thought.

Perhaps worried that the angered Jin would try something Lan Xichen wrapped a protective arm around Jiang Cheng and placed his other hand on Bichen's hilt. It was a bit over the top, but considering who he was supposed to impersonate, over the top was the way to go.

"Uncle?" Jin Ling whined as he glared at the Lan's arm, looking as though he wanted to amputate it with just his glare alone. He was pleading for the Jiang to distance himself from Lan Xichen, but Jiang Cheng wanted nothing of the sort. He had wanted this, dreamed of being in this kind of position, for years. To have Lan Xichen's body pressed up against his own allowing him to feel the Lan's warmth through the white and violet fabric of their robes was a once in a lifetime opportunity. He wasn't giving it up no matter how big of a tantrum his nephew threw.

"What? So it's okay when uncle Wei does all kinds of inappropriate things but I can't even get a hug without you finding it unacceptable?" His words weren't all a performance. Jiang Cheng wanted love as well. He wasn't an endlessly grumpy and cold loner capable of surviving without human interaction no matter how many people wanted to portray him as such. He also wanted someone to call his own, and the only thing stopping him was the fact that Lan Xichen, that bastard, had raised his standards so high that he couldn't find anyone. Sect leader Lan wasn't an option and no one else was good enough anymore.

"B-But....B-But... he's a man" Jin Ling pointed out, grasping at straws as he looked for objections to his uncle's actions. But so what if the person embracing him was a man? That didn't set him apart from his brother. Wei Wuxian's partner was also a man. Even if you took his past into account, Jiang Cheng had said a lot of hateful words about cutsleeves over the years, it was still rather laughable that Jin Ling saw more of a problem with his uncle's partner being a man than with said man already being married to someone else.

"Yes. A very handsome and attractive man" Jiang Cheng turned sideways to teasingly let one of his fingers trail down the Lan's jawline. Something he soon stopped doing as he noticed the fierce gaze Lan Xichen was giving him in return. Did he not like being touched in such a way? After the grape incident Jiang Cheng did not want to risk being so openly rejected again and so he left it at that and lowered his hand. He did not need to prove how handsome Lan Xichen was. He wasn't considered number one for nothing.

"Hanguang-jun?" After standing silent, not knowing what else to do, Lan Sizhui finally spoke up as he addressed the man who he knew as his father. Never in a thousand years would he have believed he'd find him flirting with a man other than his other dad. The most and calm and collected of the juniors' group was on the verge of tears.

"Why are all of you acting like it's the end of the world?" Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. They hadn't outright done anything egregious, out of the ordinary yes, but they still hadn't done anything which couldn't be hand-waved away in the future. "What's the big deal with us sharing breakfast together? Lan Wangji will be back in Jingshi before Wei Ying even wakes up. No harm no foul" The rumors about sect leader Jiang and Hanguang-jun would die down as soon as the actual couple showed up, just as happy and lovey-dovey as usual. All Jiang Cheng wanted was to make it into enough of a bother that Wei Ying will think twice before doing something "fun" again. That way Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen wouldn't be left to deal with the aftermath of it again and again.

"No."

"..." Everyone, including Jiang Cheng, turned to look at Lan Xichen.

"What do you mean no? That's what we decided." Lan Xichen would take Lan Wangji's place and play around with Jiang Cheng until Wei Wuxian woke up and was forced to face the reality of them having caused him trouble for the sake of having fun together. But Lan Xichen had gone rogue, he was no longer the Jiang's partner in crime and instead took charge on his own. Getting up to leave Jiang Cheng was stopped by the strong arm still embracing him.

"Let go of me" Jiang Cheng demanded, but nothing happened. "Let me go, Lan... Mphf" That fucker! Lan Xichen might be able to silence him but he could not keep him here. Pushing on the Lan's arm Jiang Cheng tried to stand up, but was soon pulled back to the Lan's side.

"Morning is not enough. Today you're mine." Lan Xichen spoke into his ear. Jiang Cheng glared back, this was not what they agreed on. And he was acting out of character, well for being Lan Xichen at least. Jiang Cheng wouldn't be surprised if this was the way his deplorable brother-in-law normally behaved. Him and Wei Ying was usually acting in a manner worthy of condemnation, this wouldn't be that far off what they would normally do.

But whether it was accurate or not didn't matter to him as he pushed back yet again, this time managing to break loose from the Lan's grip. Something which was surprisingly easy compared to last time, almost like he had let it happen. Turning around Jiang Cheng found that he was not the only one who had gotten to his feet, and with just a single step Lan Xichen closed the distance between them before throwing the Jiang over his shoulder.