lastjinstanding | Brothel meme continued

Brothel meme continued

Continued from here

Jin Ling had really hoped he'd have A-Yuan at his side for this, but he didn't blame the sweet man for being ill one bit. In fact, he really enjoyed holding him as they finished traveling up to Lotus Pier. He sends servants off the boat to arrange a discreet delivery of his ill and subdued guest to private chambers following Ling's disembark. He instructed only Fu Geming to carry A-Yuan with Liling.

Sadly, after that, he had to leave his pets in his servants care. Squaring his shoulders, he stepped onto the pier. He bowed humbly to all of his relatives and gave them each a proper greeting- or in Wei Wuxian's case, a cheeky one.

He was brought into the main hall and given the seat next to Jiang Cheng's throne. Wei Wuxian was seated beside him with Lan Wangji at the next seat. And yes, Wangji had been offered the throne but had chosen to stay at Wuxian's side. It was Jiang Cheng's wedding, after all.

Jin Ling is happy sitting to a nice cup of tea and some wine after a long day of travel with promise of dinner coming.

~~~

"Jin-Guniang, is the young master Zheng in this room?" A young, unfamiliar male voice asks. "I have some medicine I wish to offer if you'd announce me."

"Of course. Let me ask for you," Liling says in a warm tone. She knocks on Yuan's door and peeks in. She smiles when she sees him awake. She comes in and shuts the door behind her. "Zheng-gongzi? How are you feeling? A friend of Jin-zongzhu from the Lan Clan is here to offer you some medicine. Would you feel up to seeing him?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This was.. really annoying. He's been dying to see the beautiful man and suddenly he was here. Now there were all these servants and Nie disciples about.

"I am. Though I did have a delicate matter that came up yesterday I am hoping to discuss with you later in private. I would be interested to hear your thoughts. I have missed how you say 'I don't know' to things." He smirks.

Okay so maybe he wasn't being entirely polite in front of others.

~~~

Jingyi clears off a spot on a mat for Yuan to sit and pats it. He takes a seat next to him and waits, curious what's going on in his head. He can see a lot of emotions floating around in there but just what has him reeling right now, he isn't sure.

"It's okay, A-Yuan. You've nothing to be sorry for. Is there something I can help you with? Or.. something in particular you're having trouble adjusting to." He glances around again wondering just what it was. "Are the rooms too small? I'm sorry we have to share them. They think it's better for us to have someone supporting us like a roommate and I really have seen it help, especially newer disciples. Usually roommates become really close friends. You're Hanguang Jun's son though so if you want, I'm sure I can get permission to give you your own space."

Huaisang flicks open his fan, looking at Jiang Cheng over the top of it as he blinks at him with wide eyes, turning on his very best headshaker naivety - if Jiang Cheng was going to bring it up, Huaisang would give him it full force.

"Oh, well, if it's something important perhaps we should discuss it now? I really don't know what help I can be but my people can rest up after their travel and we can go and discuss this matter?" He suggest innocently.

~~~

Yuan sits, smiling softly at his new friend's careful consideration - he really is very sweet.

"No I'm happy to share with you, really, and the rooms are lovely," he reassures firmly "it's going to sound so silly, it's just... you mentioned a qin being made for me. It's... I'm just getting used to so many more things being open to me, to not coming with a price. I don't have to second guess everything anymore."

He shrugs helplessly, wondering if it sounded as silly as he thought it did, but Jingyi's been so kind to him he wanted to give the truth.

It is so difficult to keep a smile off his face, which would just ruin his reputation as a curmudgeon. What is wrong with him? This is just like last time they were together and he hadn't been drinking yet today. It hadn't been like this before, but that was back when he thought Huaisang was in love with his brother. Now that he knew otherwise and having the man here after they'd spent far too short a time together at Lotus Pier, it was all he could do to keep this charade going long enough to get rid of these other people.

He gestures to one of the Lanling servants. "Please, escort Nie-zongzhu's men to their guest rooms and get them whatever they need." He rises to his feet and gestures for Huaisang to join him. "So long as you aren't too tired from the journey yourself, Nie-xiong, let's go somewhere we can discuss matters more privately." Like, his own guest suite, that may also have tea, wine, steamed buns, other pastries, various snacks in case things had gone this way.

~~~

"A price?" Jingyi is dumbfounded as he listens. It never occurred to him before, being the son of a gentry family and then a disciple, that there would be a cost to any of this. He remembers when Wei Wuxian, as Mo Xuanyu would point out things like this to them over the years and it always caught him by surprise. He didn't mean to, but he was rich and had never experienced what it was like to be without anything he wanted or needed.

"But the house you worked for, didn't they buy you the things you needed?" He asks unaware of the ignorance in his question. "Ji- er, um.. I heard you played the qin before. Didn't they pay for your lessons? I don't understand."

He definitely didn't think it was silly, but it was so foreign, he didn't fully understand it! He was trying to though.

"Of course," Huaisang inclines his head politely, following Jiang Cheng to his suite as his men are shown out.

When they arrive and he sees the spread already laid out, he hides a smile behind his fan and then pretends to look shocked.

"Why, Jiang-zongzhu, look at all this! Were you expecting company?" He asks, as though entirely innocent of the fact that he is the company.

~~~

Yuan smiles sadly at the question - Jingyi's innocence was so endearing, and he hated to have to give him such harsh reality checks all the time.

"Yes, Madame would get me what I needed, or wanted - like the qin, and lessons - but those things cost her money, and so she would take that money out of what I earned. The more things I asked for, the more money I would owe. It adds up to a debt that must be paid if I ever wanted to leave..."

And that makes him worry, too, because in all the excitement he doesn't actually know if that's been taken care of, or if Madame is going to come looking. Not that she knows where to find him, but she'll go to Lanling to bother Jin Ling about it, and now he's concerned about that, it's the last thing Jin Ling needs right now... he'll need to speak to his parents about it later.

He chuckles at the tease and rolls his eyes. "I was, but you will have to do until they arrive. Think you can entertain me that long?" He steps closer and reaches into his robes' sleeve. Drawing out a small gift, wrapped in a silk cloth, he passes it over. "A-Sang, I've missed you."

Inside the bundle is a gold necklace with a gold and jade pendant with the words 'Little Nightingale' on it.

~~~

Jingyi's eyes widen as he listens with growing horror. "W- was she.. was the debt even fair? Like how would you even know? She could make up whatever number she wanted and say you owed some crazy number. You just.. you just had to pay it? So.. all of that time.. you weren't really working for you, you were working off this debt?" Yuan was sleeping with people just to pay back some arbitrary debt?

He reaches out and takes Yuan's hand. "No! I know this is hard to adjust to, but no. You won't have to pay the Lan Clan back for anything except with gratitude and respect which we both know you'd already do anyway. There's no keeping scores or.." He gets up and opens one of the chests. He pulls out a small purse and hands it over to him. "This is yours." He has no idea how much is in it, but he has a couple of them. Which.. how sad is that? He has a couple of money purses and doesn't even know how much is in them!

"I'm sure I can think of something," Huaisang agrees with a flutter of his fan, though he snaps it shut and tucks it in his belt in order to take the gift, eyes already shining with gratitude. He opens the cloth and looks at the pendant with a delighted gasp, tracing his fingers over the lettering.

"A-Cheng, it's beautiful." He says, immediately fastening it around his neck, the silk wrapping falling forgotten to the floor as he flings himself at the other man, throwing his arms around his shoulders and kissing him soundly.

"I've missed you too."

~~~

Yuan shrugs helplessly - technically, he's right, he wouldn't know, Madame could have said he owed anything, it's not like he really had any idea how much instruments and tutors and robes cost, not to mention the daily costs of housing and feeding him and the others.

"Essentially, yes," he confirms. From what some of the other said, he didn't think Madame was too unreasonable, certainly better than some brothel owners out there, but none of them really knew how accurate her numbers were.

He smiles softly at the reassurance, taking the offered purse with confusion.

"Jingyi I- it's okay, you don't have to-" he sighs softly, giving up and tucking the purse away in his sleeve "thank you."

He takes Jingyi's hands and squeezes them reassuringly.

"It's better now. I know that. And I'm so glad to have you as my friend, Jingyi, I hope you know that."

Wanyin is ready to go into some more preamble, like maybe telling Huaisang about the origins of the necklace, or some other unimportant thing when his arms are abruptly filled with gold and black robes and a beautiful man. He lets out a surprised but very pleased laugh before he embraces the man more properly and returns the kiss eagerly. His hand smooths down Huaisang's back as he lets one kiss melt into two, then three.

He crouches a bit, as his hand slips further along Huaisang's hip and thigh to sweep the smaller man from his feet. With a wolfish grin, he carries the Nie sect leader to a couch covered in pillows. He sits down and settles Huaisang in his lap. "Just how much?" He practically purrs.

~~~

Jingyi can't stand what he's learning about prostitution! He thought the worst part was sleeping with people you didn't know but- okay that still might be the worst- but this was a bad part too! How does someone handle the fact there are these kinds of places in the world controlling people? They should all be shut down! Except.. what would happen to people like Yuan if they didn't even have that job? Life was hard.

It makes him smile when Sizhui takes the money. It's such a simple thing and it might not even mean anything, but maybe if he had some money that was never taken away from him it might help. It might feel more real than telling him if he ever needs money to just ask one of the elders and they'll just hand it to you.

"I do! And I know you're just getting used to this, not that you can't. It's okay to think we're weird!" He snickers. "You know, Wei-qianbei used to hate it here! When he first came back to life, he was brought here and he cried at the gate because he thought it was so boring here. He's obviously gotten over it and loves it here now but it takes time to adjust."

Huaisang gasps against his lips as he's lifted off his feet, arms tightening around Jiang Cheng's shoulders to hold himself up - not that he thinks it's really necessary, he's pretty sure the other man could carry him anywhere he wanted. He settles comfortably in Cheng's lap and brings his hands round to his chest, curling into the collar of his robe.

He smiles sweetly at the question and leans in to whisper, close enough that his lips brush against Jiang Cheng's ear as he speaks.

"Why don't you check if I've followed your instructions, Jiang-zongzhu?"

~~~

Yuan giggles a little at the thought of his father crying over how boring it was - it didn't seem boring to him, it seemed fascinating. Peaceful, serene, beautiful - but not boring, not at all.

"I think he would love anywhere a-die was." he comments lightly, thinking about the way his parents look at each other, the overwhelming love they obviously have for one another.

Although speaking of his parents... he bites his lip thoughtfully.

"Jingyi... downstairs... those disciples we met. It seemed like they weren't saying something..."

[ooc: Sorry! I'll hit up Jiang Cheng's half in the next tag or two! Sunday = family day and I'm running short on time.]

Jingyi snickers. "That part's a long story! But he was really crazy around here for a while. He was purposefully trying to scandalize Hanguang Jun and make him kick him out of Cloud Recesses! It was terrible at the time but now looking back, it's really funny. It also was confusing since he was in the body of a known insane person. Do you know who Mo Xuanyu was?"

His humor fades though at the question. He knows how sensitive Yuan is about his place here, but he also doesn't want to lie to him. "Um.. well.. people uh.. we may have noticed- er not we- but some of the disciples have noticed how similar you look to one of your dads and it's um.. it's not the one we were expecting." He runs a hand along the back of his neck.

"I thought maybe Wei Wuxian had you with one of the Wen clan members? But.. it was Hanguang Jun, wasn't it?" He can't meet Sizhui's eyes as he asks. He knows it's not fair and that Hanguang Jun is so much more than whatever mistake this was in the past (which turned out to be something wonderful!) but, it was a little bit of realizing his hero wasn't maybe as great as he thought he was.

_{[No worries! <3]}

Yuan shakes his head - he isn't sure he's ever heard of Mo Xuanyu. Honestly he has so many questions about Jingyi's explanation, but he decides to save them for later - or maybe ask Wei Wuxian himself to tell him the story of what happened. He still only knows the version that spread around, and that is lacking in details and pretty biased.

Besides, he's more interested in what else Jingyi has to say. He frowns in confusion as the other boy stammers through his explanation - why would he look like either of them, he was a Wen. His memories were fuzzy but he knew that much, he's pretty sure, Wei Wuxian had just adopted him.

"No, that's- I was an orphan when baba took me in, my parents had already died, I wasn't... neither of them are..." he trails off, though, because did people really think he looked like Hanguang Jun? How could he, when there's no way they were blood-related? "...I don't think..."

What if they were, though? What if there had been an indiscretion with one of the Wens, and Yuan had been the result? Was that why Wei Wuxian had wanted to raise him in the first place? Why Hanguang Jun was so eager to have him back, why he'd put himself in the role of father so instantly, without even hesitating, even though they'd only met once before?

Jingyi will be happy to sit down and tell him more of the story in greater detail. Some of these stories were wonderful! He wishes Zizhen was still here, he loved old Mo stories too.

"Yeah but.. I mean.. you've been told a lot of things haven't you?" Jingyi asks as gently as he can. If Hanguang Jun didn't know or hadn't recognized him, then he would be a Wen and a Lan bastard, just like Mo Xuanyu.

He sighs. "I don't mean to make anything even more confusing for you and I don't know if I believe any of this myself. I've never known Hanguang Jun to lie about anything ever. He's never.. he's done some things that were wrong before but he's the most honest person and has the most integrity. But.. he's had some dark spots in his life and a lot of them were around when Wei Wuxian died. So maybe it's not totally unreasonable to think he slipped before then too? I don't know. I just know they're really, really good people. Both of them. And they love you and isn't that what matters?"

"Yes.. yes of course that's what matters," he nods, and there is a certainty in his words but it's equally clear the implication has rocked him somewhat. He just doesn't know what to make of it - from what he knows of his father, he understands Jingyi's faith in him, and fathering a bastard just doesn't seem like the kind of thing he'd do.

But the thought is there, niggling at the back of his mind, and he doesn't know what he needs to do to make it go away beyond confronting his parents, and he isn't so sure about doing that.

"I do wish my presence here wasn't causing such rumours, though," he admits with a sigh "It seems even without revealing the truth I'm causing scandal..."

Wanyin turns his head to catch Huaisang's naughty mouth in a kiss again, hungry and needy. He has been longing for what he'd foolishly let leave him what felt like months ago (even if it was a few days? a week? He wasn't sure). He wants to show his lover in every kiss how sorry he was still for what he knew the man had had to endure after they'd made love the first time and

He tugs loose Huaisang's sash and pushes back his top robe. He runs his hand down along silk covered legs till he finds the hems of Huaisang's skirts. Slipping his hand underneath, his lips curl at the edges when he touches bare ankles. He watches the beautiful face as his hand glides along hot, bare skin, moving upward, seeking the hem of trousers he knows he won't find. He loves these legs. Everyone had some aspect of the human body that drove them wild and he could spend the rest of his life worshiping Huaisang's feet, ankles, calves, and thighs. Where they joined was, of course, incredibly erotic and the ultimate goal but he was quite happy enjoying his skin below the waist in the meantime.

The fact he got that and the rest of him was pure bliss.

~~~

Jingyi nods, understanding that this must be incredibly difficult. There wasn't much he could do or say about it since he really didn't know either. Although, he could say encouragement about Sizhui's life at this point, where someone was from mattered, even if it was just for their own sense of self.

"Oh please," he says trying to make light of it. "You're the most interesting thing that's happened in quite a while. Even if you showed up without even the slightest interesting thing about you, you'd still be causing rumors! It's against the rules to talk behind people's backs but we're only human. And don't worry, mostly it's just your brothers being curious. Like I said, it doesn't change anything. Like whatever Hanguang Jun did or didn't do doesn't change anything. He's the highest ranking individual in all of the cultivation world."

Truly, the fact that Jiang Cheng actually wants him, that he doesn't regret their drunken liaison, is everything he needs to forgive the other man instantly. He wonders if it's pathetic to want someone so badly, but he decides that as long as Jiang Cheng keeps kissing him he doesn't much care. After everything he's been through, everything he's sacrificed - everything they've both sacrificed - he isn't about to let go of this.

He smiles at the feel of warm, calloused hands sliding up his bare legs. He's been waiting for this moment, this touch, ever since he dressed this morning, has spent all day feeling the brush of silk against his skin and wanting. He lets go of Jiang Cheng briefly so that he can let his outer robe slide from his shoulders to pool on the ground behind him, leaving him in just his inner robe and the thin top that would be accompanying trousers as a base layer, were he wearing any.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." he admits.

~~~

Yuan laughs slightly, feeling some of the tension and worry fall away in the face of Jingyi's humour. He's so glad to have a friend like him at his side, this would be so much harder to bear without him.

"You're right." he agrees. The rumours will die down eventually and in the mean time he can just ignore them and focus on his studies - he's got a lot of catching up to do, after all.

If it was pathetic than at least it was mutual. As should be clear by Wanyin's hands stroking his skin and kissing him breathless should attest. There had been a time when he remembers falling in love with Wen Qing. He'd respected her so greatly and had pined for her, but whether it was because he was younger or that he hadn't gotten a taste of her like he had Huaisang, there hadn't been a passion, a need like this. Perhaps if there had or if she'd encouraged his feelings even to a fraction of how he felt wanted as a person and as a man by the sect leader he could've been dramatically influenced to behave differently.

It didn't matter now. That was the past and as lovely as women were to Cheng, Huaisang was lovelier. A female was sweet but A-Sang was sweeter. It wasn't that he preferred men or even particularly liked men in this sense. It was just Huaisang. For that reason alone, when he is urged on, Cheng sets him on the couch next to him and slides off. He does something he's never in his life thought he'd feel compelled to do. He kneels before Huaisang, pushes his skirt up to his waist, spreads his knees, takes his cock in his hand, and runs the flat of his tongue straight up the bottom side. A second later, he licks the tip into his mouth and gives a gentle suck.

~~~

"Yeah, so don't let them bother you. I've been talked about so many times too. I'm not the most .. uh.. 'typical' Lan, you know? So I've gotten in trouble a little more often than any other lead junior." He shrugs. Whatever! He helped with Wei Wuxian's stuff so, he was a favorite.

"Anyway, um.. can I ask you one more question about that thing we were talking about with Zizhen?" He asks glancing at the door. Knowing Yuan was going to say yes, he doesn't even bother waiting. "How do I get that um.. the oil stuff that Hanguang Jun and Wei Wuxian have? How do I get him to come back here instead of going home after visiting.. you know?"

Huaisang actually pouts when Cheng lifts him off his lap, but then suddenly he's kneeling in front of him and that's... unexpected. Even more unexpected when his skirts are pushed out of the way and surely, surely Jiang Cheng is not about to do what it very much looks like he's about to do.

Then there's a tongue on his dick and gods it makes Huaisang's toes curl. He fists his hands in the bunched up fabric of his robe and moans as those lips wrap around him.

"A-Cheng" he breathes, spreading his legs wider as an encouragement.

~~~

Yuan thinks about what his father told him, about the essential things one should stand for as a Lan, and he thinks Jingyi is absolutely a Lan - a little trouble here and there didn't mean anything if you represented the core values, in his opinion (and, clearly, his father's) and Jingyi had that in spades.

He does nod encouragingly at the question, smiling slightly when it comes.

He happily tells him the kind of places one might purchase or find such things, and even briefly explains what other oils or lotions can be used in a pinch, but the other question gives him pause for a moment as he considers it.

"Ask him." he says simply "He's going to send news, right? So when that arrives, write back to him and say you hope he can stop by before he goes home, because you miss him and you want to see him."

He lets Huaisang's cock slip from his mouth with a delightfully lewd pop and grins up at his lover. He leans upward to steal a kiss, wrapping a hand around the temporarily neglected dick and stroking it. "You've always been on my mind A-Sang. Thinking of you has been getting me through every day here."

He sinks back down and kisses along Huaisang's inner thighs, nipping at his tender skin lightly. As he gets near the center, he moves to take as much of the other man in his mouth as he could. He had a large mouth, but he hasn't done this before. He hums a note of satisfaction letting the vibration of his throat tease the other man.

Stealing the last trick up his sleeve- currently- he set a small jar under the couch and began striping out of his own robes. Alas, he hadn't been walking around sans pants like this lovely fellow, but he'd be sure to make it up to Huaisang.

~~~

"We might have to find someone to do that for us. We can't really be seen buying something if it's.. for such an obvious purpose like that." He knows it probably sounds silly to Sizhui, especially given his background that even buying something as simple as what's essentially massage oil could be seen as so indecent a Lan disciple couldn't do it. He wonders just how Wei Wuxian and Hanguang Jun get their oil if it has such a provocative purpose.

He really is so innocent sometimes!

Jingyi smiles at the idea and asks, looking a little uncertain. "You don't think that'd be selfish after how much time he's already been here and Lanling? I know he doesn't love being home but.. it's still his home. He has to want to be there at some point, right?"

Huaisang buries his fingers in Jiang Cheng's hair when he leans up to kiss him and he kisses back hungrily. He gives him a soft, loving smile at those words - that's what really floors him, truthfully, the emotion. If Jiang Cheng just wanted to fuck him, well, he wouldn't say no, but there's something overwhelming about the fact that this is more than just animal lust or a need for the warmth of a willing body.

"My Wanyin," he murmurs "how I have longed for you..."

He does not just mean over the last few days.

He slides his fingers out of Cheng's hair when the other man sinks back down, not wanting to pull if he got too lost in the sensations. He doesn't even notice Cheng getting the oil out, his attentions having earned a flurry of gasps and moans that had Huaisang's head dropping back and his eyes closing in pleasure.

~~~

Yuan considers their options for a moment before nodding.

"Leave it to me, I'll get you some." He promises. He wonders how much trouble he'd be in if he took his ribbon off in order to put on some of his other robes and sneak into town, but decides to consider less risky options first, he doesn't want Jingyi to feel guilty if he gets in trouble doing a favour for him.

He doesn't voice his first thought, which is that no young man would ever turn down a chance to get laid - especially by the person he loves - no matter how homesick he was. Instead he smiles softly, encouragingly.

"Not selfish, I'm sure he wants to see you as much as you want to see him."

Jingyi can't thank Sizhui enough again for the advice and shows him around some more. He shows him the bunk room and an area for quiet meditation. After that he takes him outside to see the main hall and then over to the library since Sizhui didn't get to see it properly with all the distress of the day before.

By then the dinner bell is ringing and it's time for Sizhui to brave.. the dinner hall. Jingyi stays at his side and whispers a couple of quick rules to him as they head in. No talking while they eat, but they can talk before and after. They can't have more than three bowls of rice, but if you have more than one bowl you get looks of disapproval.

As they come in a whole gaggle of boys of varying ages in matching white robes swarm around. It's all extremely disciplined with much less talk and excitement than a normal group of youth would be. Still, Jingyi spends the whole time before they get served their bowls introducing Sizhui to people, though he keeps promising he just has to call everyone 'Lan-xiong'. "Or you know, 'qianbei' if they look old!"

~~~

Jin Ling had spent a good portion of the morning talking with Zizhen before he had to sleep again for a couple hours. His guest had the option to stay with him again or not, but if he stayed he got snuggled up against again.

When he woke again it was late afternoon and he asked Liling to check on his uncle if he wanted to join them for something to eat, even if it was just dessert. She was thrilled Ling had something of an appetite again so she rushed off to get his uncle and honey cakes.

As they sat on the bed playing cards, he looks up when Liling comes back. She has a very weird look on her face but a large platter of food with her. He frowns. "What's wrong? Did you talk to Jiujiu?"

"Uh.. no.. um.." She sets the platter on the bed near them with a towel underneath to keep any crumbs or spills off the blankets. "He.. he was busy?" He glances at Zizhen and Jin Ling, her face starting to color.

"Busy?" Jin Ling asks. This was his uncle they were talking about so...

"He was um.. enjoying someone's company. In his bedroom."

Jin Ling chokes on the cup of water he just put to his lips. "What??"

Yuan takes everything in with interest, starting to build up a better mental picture of where everything is - the quicker he can find his way around Cloud Recesses, the better, he doesn't want to embarrass himself again. The library fascinates him now that he actually gets a chance to look at it - he's never seen so many books in one place, and he suspects he'll be spending quite a lot of his free time exploring here.

The dining hall is intimidating, but he just sticks by Jingyi's side and tries his best to follow all the rules he's being told, mimicking the way the other disciples are acting.

He smiles and greets everybody he's introduced to, though as Jingyi suspects he is hopelessly lost with everybody's names. He bites back a laugh at the comment - he's so glad to have Jingyi at his side, because he feels like an awful lot of people are staring at him.

~~~

Zizhen finds he doesn't actually mind taking a nap with Jin Ling curled up at his side. There's nothing inappropriate about it, it's just warm and comfortable and he's happy to give that kind of comfort to his friend when he clearly needs it - he knows they'd both rather be snuggled up to other people, but it's kind of nice to be able to have that closeness as friends, in Zizhen's opinion. He suspects it won't last after Jin Ling's feeling better.

He looks up when Liling enters, noting the look on her face as well - she seems so flustered by something and he's honestly intrigued.

He pats Jin Ling on his back when he chokes, but really he's in just as much shock and he's almost doing it on autopilot. Jin Ling's uncle just broke off the wedding to his cousin, how could he have taken somebody to his bed so soon?

"...who is it?" he asks slowly, and he doesn't know whether he's appalled on his cousin's behalf or just really, really interested. Who else is even here? Or is it a Jin?

It was hard to say if this was the new norm or if Jin Ling was going to return to a more distant routine once he was better. After witnessing Zizhen's friendship in action in a very real way, they'd crossed a threshold very few had with the young man. Very, very few. Like.. his jiujiu, maybe. Yuan. It was a very small list.

There are so many questions in Jin Ling's mind over this news he doesn't know where to start. Fortunately, Zizhen was mentally more with it than he was, because he settled on the best question.

"Well.. uh.. I didn't really see. I hadn't meant to overhear anything but I called and I thought he just hadn't heard me, so I opened the door." She looks terribly guilty. "I'm not sure who the man was but.." It had been passionate! She let out an awkward giggle. "A- at least I can report that your uncle seems to be very good at what he does?"

"OH MY GOD LILING!" Jin Ling cries, covering his face with his hands. A man? His uncle was sleeping with a man?

~~~

As they're heading back to the dorms, Jingyi pauses. "Are you going back to the Jingshi or are you going to stay with us tonight? You're welcome if you'd like." He leans forward and whispers. "You won't have to worry about anyone.. 'welcoming someone home' in middle of the night!" He snickers and goes red as he jokes about it.

As if Lan Zhan and Wei Ying hadn't been taking advantage of Sizhui being gone today for such things already.

Zizhen can't help it, he bursts out laughing - he does at least put a hand over his mouth to try and stifle it but honestly seeing Jin Ling so appalled is kind of hilarious.

Maybe that explains why sect leader Jiang hadn't wanted to marry his cousin, though why he'd wait until the last possible minute to call off the wedding is a bit of a mystery. There has to be something going on here!

"What colour were his robes? Wait, he probably wasn't wearing any, was he?" he muses out loud "Have there been any more visitors arrived recently, Liling?"

~~~

Yuan giggles at the joke. He thinks he probably should move into the dorms, it's only going to make him seem even more out of place if he doesn't stay with the other disciples.

"I'll check with a-die and baba if they mind me staying in the dorms," he says, though, in case his fathers don't want him to "I need to go back to the Jingshi to get some of my things anyway."

Now that he has the place to store things in the room he's going to share with Jingyi, it makes sense to move them so they're not cluttering up the Jingshi.

"I DON'T WANNA KNOW! LALALALALA!" Jin Ling shrieks in a overly dramatic way that only kids thinking about their parents doing it can pull off.

Liling looks at Zizhen with a devious little smile and says, "Black and gold. And 'I. Don't. Know.' is here who he is." She winks.

"He's doing the Headshaker?!" Apparently someone could hear after all! "I'm hallucinating! This has to be a dream. It's that charm! This sounds just like an Uncle Wuxian trick!" There was just no way his uncle was sleeping with Nie Huaisang!

~~~

"Yeah and they might want to celebrate that you made it through your first day as a Lan disciple! Sometimes parents give presents! Of course that's usually candy since they're this big." He makes a gesture to how little the regular baby juniors are on their first day and giggles.

"You would make such a cute baby junior! We should go hang out with a class tomorrow!"

Zizhen is trying so hard not to laugh at Jin Ling's dramatics - it's not just the amusement of it, it's the sheer joy of him being so awake and energetic that he can yell dramatically.

"If you're hallucinating, we're all hallucinating, though I don't know why your uncle would make a charm that did that." Zizhen points out through his poorly-contained giggles.

"You know, Nie-zongzhu has become a lot more competent in recent years, the Nie sect is doing very well and, actually, as matches go..."

He's definitely just messing with his friend now, but he's not wrong.

~~~

Yuan laughs, but he can't deny the way the comment makes his heart ache for what could have been, for what might have changed if Hanguang Jun had found him all those years ago.

"If I have time," he agrees, he'll be starting his own instruction tomorrow after all, and he's got so much catching up to do it's a fairly rigorous schedule, but he does get some breaks and it would be quite nice to see the younger classes in action.

It hasn't occurred to Jin Ling yet just how much better he feels today than the last several. He'd gotten through a night without any nightmares or fevers and he had a good friend. Things had improved considerably in a very short period of time.

"Nie-zongzhu is a moron! My Jiujiu deserves someone way better than him!" And yes, it's true, Nie Huaisang proved to some that he wasn't actually as stupid as his xiaoshu, Jin Guangyao, thought he was but the man still acted like a helpless twit. How on earth did his uncle find that appealing? "Maybe he's just easy.."

His uncle was a man after all. Ew.

~~~

"Right right! Alright well off with you! Your day will start early tomorrow. If you're not used to it, it'll be a very short night, trust me!" Jingyi shoos Sizhui affectionately toward his home before heading for the dorms himself.

Lan Zhan waits with the image of patience at the Jingshi, but his husband knows it's fake tonight. There's a whole bowl of candies on the table because, of course, he knows the tradition with the candy and he's not letting his son miss out on it. He's had to swat Wuxian's hand away from it four times in the last hour.

Finally to calm his nerves, he's resorted to playing the qin.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject