Work Text:
The morning sun filtered through gauzy curtains, soft and golden, warming the edges of the nursery where Sect Leader Lan Xichen stood like a statue.
He’d only meant to check in.
Really.
But there Jiang Cheng was again, sitting on the low cushioned bench by the window, robe already shrugged off his shoulders, cradling their baby against his chest. Jingyi was making soft little snuffling noises as he fed, cheeks round and pink, one chubby hand resting trustingly against Jiang Cheng’s breast.
And Jiang Cheng? Hair half-up and loose around his shoulders, his skin glowing in the morning light, his sharp eyes softened with sleep and warmth and motherhood?
He looked devastating. Lethal. Holy.
Lan Xichen forgot how to breathe.
"You're drooling again, Sect Leader," Jiang Cheng said without looking up.
"I'm not—" Xichen swallowed, trying to remember how words worked. "That is—I'm simply admiring—"
"Don’t make it worse," Jiang Cheng muttered, shifting Jingyi to his other side with practiced ease. "You walk into this room every day like you’ve never seen a man feed a baby before."
"I haven’t," Lan Xichen said truthfully. "Not like this."
"You're a father. This is our child. I’m your husband."
"Exactly," Lan Xichen said with too much feeling.
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes at him over Jingyi’s downy head. “Lan Xichen.”
Lan Xichen took one step forward. Then paused. “Can I sit with you?”
Jiang Cheng sighed—long-suffering, fond, a little embarrassed. He nodded toward the bench beside him.
Lan Xichen sat carefully, reverently, as if he might disrupt the moment with a breath too loud. Jingyi let out a pleased coo and kicked his feet against Jiang Cheng’s ribs.
"He’s getting stronger every day," Xichen said softly, brushing one finger along the baby’s silky hair.
“He nearly kicked me in the bladder yesterday,” Jiang Cheng said dryly. “Remind me to never do this again.”
“You say that every morning,” Xichen murmured, smiling.
"And yet you keep showing up with that look on your face like I’m a divine miracle instead of a sleep-deprived, milk-stained mess."
"You are a divine miracle," Lan Xichen said without hesitation.
Jiang Cheng snorted. “Romantic idiot.”
The door creaked open slightly, and a young Lan disciple peered in, clearly about to speak—then froze at the sight of the tender tableau inside.
“I—I’ll come back later!” he squeaked, face blazing red as he backed out.
“Was that for the morning meeting?” Jiang Cheng asked, arching a brow.
Lan Xichen looked unconcerned. “They can wait.”
“They can’t.”
“I outrank them.”
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes so hard it was a miracle they stayed in his skull.
Jingyi finished nursing and gave a small, satisfied burp. Jiang Cheng adjusted his robes with the casual efficiency of a man who had long since accepted that modesty was dead in the name of parenting. Lan Xichen watched him with rapt attention.
"Still drooling."
"You're beautiful," Xichen said helplessly.
"You say that while I'm leaking."
"I'm not wrong."
Jiang Cheng looked at him, flushed, tired, glowing, and sighed again—but this time he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Xichen’s cheek.
“You’re lucky you’re pretty.”
Lan Xichen smiled, eyes warm as he gently took Jingyi into his arms. The baby blinked sleepily and then yawned wide enough to make both parents melt on the spot.
“I’m the luckiest man alive,” Lan Xichen murmured, rocking their son.
Jiang Cheng shook his head again, muttering, “Idiot.”
But he was smiling.
-----
Jiang Cheng looked half-dead and completely done with the world.
Lan Xichen took one look at the dark circles under his husband's eyes, the twitching muscle in his jaw, and the wild, desperate look he gave the cradle like he was considering leaving Jingyi in there forever—and made a decision.
“I’ll take him,” Xichen said gently, stepping forward.
Jiang Cheng looked at him like he’d just offered him a golden talisman and a month’s vacation. “You will?”
“I have a sect meeting this morning. I’ll bring him with me. You can nap.”
“You’ll what?”
But Xichen was already lifting their squirming son into his arms with practiced grace. “We’ll be fine.”
“Lan Xichen,” Jiang Cheng said slowly, skeptically, clutching the edge of the doorway like it might protect him from the absurdity to come. “He’s a baby.”
“I’ve noticed,” Xichen said serenely.
Ten minutes later, Lan Qiren was already rubbing his temples.
“I thought I made it very clear—babies do not belong in internal sect strategy meetings.”
Lan Xichen adjusted his grip on Jingyi, who was currently babbling happily at a stack of reports as if they were enchanted talismans.
“Yes, Uncle, you did. But Jiang Cheng is exhausted. Jingyi and I are quite content.”
“I am not content,” Lan Qiren muttered. “Your son is attempting to eat my ink stone.”
Sure enough, Jingyi had wriggled halfway across the table and was gnawing determinedly on the corner of Lan Qiren’s calligraphy set, drool pooling impressively beneath his chubby cheeks.
Lan Xichen retrieved him with an apologetic hum. “We don’t eat that, my little moonflower.”
Jingyi let out a delighted squeal and smacked his father in the face.
Lan Qiren inhaled deeply. “Perhaps we should reconvene—”
Then Jingyi started crying.
Full-lunged, red-faced wails that echoed off the pristine white walls of the meeting room with impressive volume.
Lan Xichen bounced him gently. Nothing.
He tried the toy shaped like a bunny. No luck.
He even tried a round of whispered poetry, but Jingyi only got angrier, as if to say, This is not what I asked for, Father.
And then—oh no.
Jingyi twisted in his arms, sniffling furiously, and tried to latch onto Lan Xichen’s chest.
Lan Qiren made a sound of pure horror.
Lan Xichen stood up immediately, cradling Jingyi’s head. “Well. That’s my cue.”
“Clearly!”
When he returned to their room, Jiang Cheng was still curled up in bed, face buried in a pillow.
He cracked one eye open as Xichen came in.
“Jingyi tried to nurse from me,” Lan Xichen said mildly, as if this wasn’t a declaration of utter chaos.
Jiang Cheng blinked at him. “I leave you alone for one hour.”
“He was inconsolable.”
“You have no milk.”
“He doesn’t care,” Xichen said solemnly.
Jiang Cheng held out his arms wordlessly. Jingyi practically dove into them, still sniffling. Within seconds, he latched on and settled with a content little sigh.
Lan Xichen knelt beside the bed and leaned over, pressing a kiss to Jiang Cheng’s cheek, then one to Jingyi’s head.
“You are both my entire world,” he said, voice low and reverent.
Jiang Cheng hummed, already half-asleep again. “You’re not allowed to bring him to meetings anymore.”
“But he made a very compelling case for new border patrol arrangements,” Xichen teased, curling up behind him and resting a hand on his waist.
Jingyi kicked him in the ribs.
---------
Lan Xichen was humming quietly as he dried his sleeves for the second time that evening. Across the room, Jiang Cheng stood with his hair coming loose from its tie, soaked through the front of his robe, glaring murderously at the small culprit.
“You little brat,” Jiang Cheng muttered as Jingyi giggled in the water and splashed again with the strength of a child who very much wanted both of his parents to suffer.
“Xichen,” Jiang Cheng barked. “Help.”
Xichen held back a laugh. “He only wants you.”
“He only wants chaos.” Jiang Cheng looked down at his very naked, very slippery son who was now trying to stand up in the shallow bathwater and scream like a warhorn. “You’re the one who said we should bathe him tonight.”
“I didn’t realize that meant literally all three of us in the tub.”
“Well, he refuses to sit unless I’m in here, and he cries if you’re not in the room. So now I’m soaked and your son is winning.”
Jingyi squealed and kicked up another wave of water. Jiang Cheng’s braid was drenched.
With a soft sigh and a fond smile, Lan Xichen began untying his sash.
“Wait, what are you—no. Lan Xichen. Don’t you dare—”
But it was too late. Robes fell to the floor in a graceful heap and Lan Xichen stepped into the already cramped bathing tub, seating himself behind Jiang Cheng and gently wrapping both arms around him and Jingyi at once.
The baby immediately beamed and plopped down between them, delighted.
“This is not a three-person tub,” Jiang Cheng hissed.
“It is now,” Xichen said serenely, resting his chin on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “You smell like lotus soap and baby shampoo.”
“I smell like wet cloth.”
“You smell like home,” Xichen corrected, and Jiang Cheng instantly turned red.
Jingyi took that moment to slap both his tiny palms on the water and shout something that sounded suspiciously like “FIGHT!”
Jiang Cheng looked to the ceiling like he was praying for strength. “We’re raising a demon.”
“We’re raising our demon.”
Their demon splashed again and then reached both arms up, demanding to be cuddled.
Xichen helped lift him to Jiang Cheng’s chest, where he promptly flopped over like a wet dumpling and sighed dramatically.
“Tell me again how this was your idea,” Jiang Cheng grumbled.
Lan Xichen, fully cuddling both wet husband and wet baby now, nuzzled into the curve of Jiang Cheng’s neck.
“I’ll never stop being grateful for it,” he whispered.
Jiang Cheng muttered something too soft to hear—but he tilted his head a little to rest against Xichen’s and pressed a quiet kiss to Jingyi’s wet hair.
The tub creaked a little under the weight of love.
--------
It was the rarest kind of morning—quiet.
Sunlight slipped softly through the window lattice, casting warm gold across their tangled blankets. Jingyi was fast asleep, one tiny foot shoved into Lan Xichen’s side and one drool-damp fist curled into Jiang Cheng’s collar.
Xichen, half-awake and full of sleepy affection, had his arms wrapped around both of them.
“You’re so warm,” he murmured, pressing his nose into the curve of Jiang Cheng’s neck.
“Your son is a furnace,” Jiang Cheng replied, voice raspy with sleep. He was awake, but only barely.
“He’s perfect.”
There was a pause, then Xichen whispered, “I want another.”
Jiang Cheng blinked once. Twice. “...What?”
But Lan Xichen was already drifting off again, still smiling.
He didn’t bring it up again.
Which meant Jiang Cheng couldn’t stop thinking about it.
All morning, as Jingyi chewed on everything in reach, and then spit mashed lotus root all over Lan Qiren’s robes (Jiang Cheng pretended not to laugh)—it sat there in the back of his mind, warm and confusing.
Another.
He kept glancing over at Xichen, who was utterly serene, bouncing Jingyi in his arms as if he hadn’t casually dropped that comment like a firework into Jiang Cheng’s brain.
Finally, when Jingyi was napping (on Xichen, as always), Jiang Cheng set down his tea and sat across from his husband with narrowed eyes.
“You were serious,” he said.
Xichen blinked. “About…?”
“This morning. You said you wanted another.”
Lan Xichen’s expression softened instantly. “Ah. That.”
“That,” Jiang Cheng repeated flatly.
“I did,” Xichen said simply. “But only if you want that too. If not, I’m content. I already have everything I need.”
Jiang Cheng opened his mouth. Closed it. Looked toward the nursery. “He’s already… a lot.”
“He is.”
“And I barely sleep when he’s teething.”
“I know. You do so much for him. For us.”
“I—I don’t know if I can do that again so soon.”
“You don’t have to.” Xichen reached for his hand. “There’s no pressure. I just—when I see you with him, when I hold both of you—I think, if our family grew, it would be even more wonderful.”
Jiang Cheng was quiet for a long time.
Then, softly, “Do you really think we’d be good at it again?”
“I think we already are,” Xichen said with a smile. “But even if we fumble, we’d do it together.”
Jiang Cheng stared down at their joined hands. Then he exhaled.
“Maybe. One day.”
A brighter smile bloomed on Xichen’s face. “That’s all I hoped to hear.”
“But not until he stops chewing everything like a baby fox,” Jiang Cheng added, glaring toward the nursery door.
“Of course,” Xichen agreed. “We must survive this one first.”
From the other room came the faint sound of Jingyi knocking over something wooden with a delighted screech.
Jiang Cheng groaned into his hands. “I take it back. One is already too many.”
Xichen just laughed and stood to go check on their gremlin.
--------
“Jingyi, no—!”
Too late. The scroll rack tipped with a crash and half of Lan Qiren’s carefully sorted documents spilled across the floor in a chaotic flurry of fluttering pages and toddler giggles.
Lan Qiren froze mid-step. “No! Not again—”
From behind the door, Jiang Cheng sighed deeply. “I told you to hold his hand.”
“I was holding it,” Lan Xichen said, very calmly, with one hand still extended helplessly toward where his son had just yeeted himself into the archive room like an overexcited duckling. “He let go.”
Jingyi popped back into view with his arms full of scrolls. “Baba, look! Snakes!”
“Those are not snakes, those are annotated correspondence logs,” Lan Qiren said through clenched teeth.
Jiang Cheng strode in, scooped Jingyi up, and set him on his hip with all the weary grace of a battle-worn general. “What do we say when we break into Great-Uncle’s study and destroy valuable records?”
“Uhhh…” Jingyi blinked his big brown eyes and grinned. “Oops?”
Lan Xichen covered his mouth. Jiang Cheng groaned.
“Zewu-jun,” Lan Qiren said, voice tight, “your son—”
“Yes, Shufu,” Lan Xichen said, bowing slightly. “He is a work in progress.”
Jiang Cheng looked down at the squirming toddler on his hip. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“I’m the cutest,” Jingyi declared proudly.
No one could argue with that.
Later that night, Jingyi had tired himself out terrorizing the elders and fallen asleep on a pile of cushions in their bedroom, tiny mouth open, hair sticking to his forehead, arms flung out like he was claiming the whole bed.
Jiang Cheng was brushing his hair in the mirror when Lan Xichen leaned over from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder.
“He said you swore today,” Xichen said, voice full of amusement.
Jiang Cheng froze. “I did not.”
“You said—and I quote—‘You little hell spawn’ when he put a beetle in Lan Qiren’s tea.”
“I was being accurate.”
“He ratted you out immediately,” Xichen murmured, chuckling into Jiang Cheng’s neck. “‘Baba said a bad word but it was funny.’”
Jiang Cheng groaned and set the brush down. “We are not having another.”
“But think of how much more chaos—”
“Exactly.”
Xichen smiled against his skin. “He does need a sibling to share the blame with.”
“Wei Wuxian already suggested six names.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“‘Little Chaos,’ ‘Even Littler Chaos,’ and ‘Baby Chengcheng,’” Jiang Cheng deadpanned.
Lan Xichen wheeze-laughed.
Jiang Cheng sighed and reached for his sleeping son, pulling the blankets over him. Jingyi made a happy little noise and curled closer.
And Jiang Cheng… melted a little.
“He’d be a good gege,” Xichen said softly, resting a hand over Jiang Cheng’s.
Jiang Cheng didn’t answer right away.
But later, when Xichen was dozing and Jingyi had snuck into his arms again, Jiang Cheng whispered to the darkness:
“…Maybe.”
---------
It was a normal morning. Jingyi had dumped all of his building blocks into Lan Qiren’s meditation pond (“He said he wanted peace and quiet,” Jingyi explained), and now he was curled up in the sunroom, drawing very serious, unrecognizable scribbles that he insisted were “me, Baba, Daddy, and a big fish.”
Jiang Cheng was pretending to read a report beside him.
Pretending, because in reality, he was watching Jingyi hum to himself with his tongue sticking out and feeling something stupid and warm swell up in his chest.
He tried to fight it. He really did.
But later, after lunch, while Lan Xichen was reorganizing scrolls in his study and Jingyi was down for a nap, Jiang Cheng stood in the doorway, arms crossed tightly—and blurted out:
“I think we should have another one.”
Lan Xichen looked up, blinking. “Another…?”
“Baby.” Jiang Cheng scowled, as if daring him to laugh. “You said you wanted one. So. I’m saying yes. So do something about it.”
Xichen stared.
Jiang Cheng’s scowl deepened. “Why are you looking at me like that—?”
But suddenly Xichen was there, crossing the room in two steps and wrapping his arms around Jiang Cheng with the kind of warmth that knocked the breath out of him.
“I’m just—happy,” Xichen said into his shoulder.
Jiang Cheng awkwardly patted his back. “Yeah, well. Don’t cry. I’ll change my mind if you get weird.”
Xichen definitely laughed wetly at that.
They stayed there for a long moment, swaying just slightly.
“Should we tell Jingyi?” Xichen asked eventually, pulling back to look into his husband’s face.
Jiang Cheng smirked. “Let’s wait. If he finds out he won’t let either of us sleep until he meets his ‘baby sibling best friend.’”
“...Fair.”
They didn’t say anything more.
But Jiang Cheng laced their fingers together and let Xichen rest his head on his shoulder, and it felt like the beginning of something new again. Something warm. Something right.
---------
It started subtly.
Jiang Cheng thought he was just tired. Maybe he hadn’t eaten enough. Maybe the sun had been too hot that day. Maybe—
“Is my baby sibling going to sleep in my room or yours?” Jingyi asked casually at dinner, chewing on a steamed bun.
Jiang Cheng froze mid-bite. “...What?”
Lan Xichen glanced up from pouring tea. “What did you say, Jingyi?”
“My baby sibling,” Jingyi repeated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “The one that’s in Mama’s tummy.”
There was a long pause.
Lan Xichen blinked. “Ah.”
Jiang Cheng scowled. “Don’t humor him. He’s been listening to Wei Wuxian’s stories again.”
Jingyi shrugged and took another bite. “Uncle Wei said when you love someone a lot and kiss and cuddle and make mama sounds, then sometimes you get a baby.” He tilted his head. “You made a lot of mama sounds last week.”
Lan Xichen choked on his tea. Jiang Cheng looked ready to die.
“Go wash your hands,” Jiang Cheng ordered, red-faced.
“Okay!” Jingyi chirped, skipping away.
Jiang Cheng groaned and let his head thunk against the table. “We are never letting him visit Lotus Pier unsupervised again.”
The next morning, Jiang Cheng was throwing up before he’d even finished brushing his hair.
He leaned against the basin, groaning. “No. No. This is a cold. Or food poisoning. Not again—”
Lan Xichen appeared behind him, calmly rubbing his back. “Should I call the healer?”
“I swear to every ancestor—”
But of course, they did. And of course, the healer bowed and said warmly, “Congratulations, Zewu-jun, Sect Leader Jiang. You’re expecting.”
Jiang Cheng didn’t react at first.
Then he scowled deeply and muttered, “...I’m going to kill that child.”
Lan Xichen blinked. “Which one?”
“The prophetic one.”
Later that afternoon, Jiang Cheng flopped dramatically onto their bed, face-down in a pillow.
Jingyi climbed up beside him and patted his shoulder. “It’s okay, Mama. I already picked out a name.”
Jiang Cheng cracked an eye open. “Oh really?”
“Yup! ‘Jingjing’ if it’s a girl. ‘Jingyi the Second’ if it’s a boy.”
Lan Xichen coughed violently in the corner.
“I’m going to regret this,” Jiang Cheng muttered. “But how did you know I was pregnant?”
Jingyi gave him a look that was far too smug for a three-year-old. “Because I’m awesome.”
Jiang Cheng stared. “That’s not a reason.”
“Yes it is,” Jingyi insisted proudly.
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes and pulled his ridiculous, prophetic, chaos child into a hug.
“…I liked it better when you didn’t talk.”
“I love you too, Mama!”
Lan Xichen smiled softly, watching the two of them tangle together in a warm pile of limbs and sarcasm.
“Should we tell Wei Wuxian?”
Jiang Cheng groaned. “Let me throw up at least five more times before he gets involved.”
-------
Jiang Cheng’s second pregnancy wasn’t harder, exactly.
It was just… louder.
“Mamaaaa, you’re not supposed to lift heavy things!” Jingyi cried in horror when Jiang Cheng tried to move a scroll basket. “I’ll do it!”
“You’re three,” Jiang Cheng deadpanned. “You can barely lift your own butt.”
Jingyi gasped, scandalized. “You said butt!”
Xichen, entering the room with fruit slices and a hydration tonic, gently kissed Jiang Cheng’s temple. “He’s right. About the lifting, not the… butt.”
“Don’t you start.”
Jingyi waddled over, carrying exactly one scroll with both arms and his whole soul. “See? I’m helping.”
“You’re a menace,” Jiang Cheng muttered. But he smiled and ruffled his hair anyway.
Xichen took “stay ahead of the curve” very seriously.
He scheduled the healer for regular visits. He fluffed pillows every time Jiang Cheng so much as sighed. He carried him to bed once, bridal-style, which ended in Jiang Cheng bonking him in the forehead with a pillow while hissing, “I’m pregnant, not porcelain!”
Jingyi kept trying to give the baby nicknames through Jiang Cheng’s belly.
“Hello, Bubbles,” he whispered one morning. “It’s me. Your favorite sibling.”
“We are not naming it Bubbles,” Jiang Cheng said flatly.
“But Bubbles is cute!”
“You’re lucky you weren’t named Noodle.”
Jingyi gasped. “I like Noodle!”
“Of course you do.”
A few weeks later, they invited Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji over for dinner.
It went as expected. Jingyi screamed “Shufu!” and launched himself into Lan Wangji’s arms. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng bickered for five solid minutes before hugging. Lan Xichen smiled patiently through it all.
Then came the moment of doom.
“Try this, A-Cheng,” Wei Wuxian said brightly, passing him a dish. “Your favorite. Red bean and lotus root—you used to steal mine at Lotus Pier.”
Jiang Cheng glanced at it, then paled. “Ugh. No. Get that away from me.”
Wei Wuxian paused, blinking. “Wait… the last time you were pregnant, you wouldn’t eat that either.”
Lan Wangji slowly turned to look at Lan Xichen, who froze mid-sip of tea.
Wei Wuxian gasped. “You’re pregnant again?!”
Jingyi beamed. “I KNEW FIRST!”
Xichen looked sheepish. Jiang Cheng groaned and put his face in his hands.
“You little traitor,” he muttered.
Wei Wuxian was already halfway to climbing over the table. “When were you going to tell me?! And also—A-Cheng, seriously, that explains why you looked like you were going to stab the lotus root.”
“I still might stab you,” Jiang Cheng grumbled, ears pink.
“Awwww,” Wei Wuxian cooed. “That means I get to knit another ridiculous baby outfit!”
“No.”
“I’m thinking little buns! Or tiny swords—”
“No!”
Lan Wangji nodded solemnly. “Buns with swords.”
Jiang Cheng stared at the ceiling. “Why did I marry into this madness.”
Xichen smiled and kissed his cheek. “Because you’re soft underneath all that growling.”
“I will growl harder.”
“You say that,” Xichen murmured, holding his hand under the table, “but you’re holding my hand and letting me rub your belly with the other one.”
“…Shut up.”
----------
Jiang Cheng was in labor.
The healer had been called. The room was prepared. Jingyi had been briefed very seriously by Lan Wangji on how to be quiet, respectful, and helpful.
So of course, he immediately started climbing a cabinet to “get the soft towels Mama likes.”
Meanwhile, Lan Xichen—sect leader, revered cultivator, calmest man in the room on any normal day—was absolutely not okay.
“Maybe I should be in there,” he said for the sixth time, pacing.
Wei Wuxian threw a grape at his head. “No, you’ll hover and flail and cry, and Jiang Cheng will throw something at you. Again.”
“I just want to support him!”
“You tried to support him last time and ended up sobbing into the curtains while he screamed that you were ‘useless and too pretty to look at.’”
Xichen looked vaguely betrayed. “He said that?”
Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. “He meant it. In love. But also rage.”
From the room beyond the screen, Jiang Cheng shouted, “I CAN HEAR YOU, YOU BASTARDS!”
Xichen made a distressed noise and tried to stand again.
Wei Wuxian jabbed a finger at him. “You sit your beautiful ass down, Lan Xichen, or so help me I will hit you with a sandal.”
Lan Wangji silently handed him a sandal.
“Thank you, Hanguang-jun.”
Jingyi peeked around the doorway, towel draped over his head. “Mama says the baby’s coming really fast!”
Xichen jumped to his feet. “I have to go—”
Thunk!
Wei Wuxian actually nailed him in the chest with the sandal. “STAY. DOWN.”
Xichen collapsed dramatically into a cushion, cradling the sandal like a wounded soldier. “I’m suffering.”
“You’ll be more than suffering if you interrupt Jiang Cheng mid-contraction.”
“...He’ll kill me.”
“Exactly.”
When the cries finally came, Jingyi was the first one at the door, clutching the towel like a hero.
Then the healer opened it and nodded.
“You may come in.”
Xichen teleported.
Jiang Cheng looked exhausted but triumphant, cradling a tiny, red-faced baby wrapped in cloud-patterned blankets.
“You’re late,” he grumbled at his husband.
Xichen’s eyes immediately filled with tears. “I missed it?”
“You wouldn’t have,” Jiang Cheng muttered, “if Wei Wuxian hadn’t pelted you with footwear.”
Wei Wuxian, unapologetic: “You’re welcome.”
Jingyi climbed up carefully, wide-eyed. “They’re so small.”
“This,” Jiang Cheng said, “is your sibling. Not Bubbles.”
Jingyi made a face. “But Bubbles is so cute!”
The baby sneezed.
Xichen immediately melted into goo. “That was the most perfect sound in the world.”
“Your favorite sound is sneezing now?” Jiang Cheng asked.
“When they do it? Yes.”
Wei Wuxian beamed, reaching out to gently poke the baby’s foot. “So, names?”
Jiang Cheng gave Xichen a long look. “We are not naming them after any ancient ancestor of yours with fifteen titles.”
Xichen pouted.
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” Jiang Cheng said.
Then he sighed, closed his eyes, and leaned into Xichen’s shoulder.
Jingyi looked up at Wei Wuxian. “Does this mean I get to help raise them?”
Wei Wuxian grinned. “Yes, and I already regret it for everyone involved.”
--------
Lan Xichen sat in the nursery, cradling the baby swaddled in a cloud-soft blanket. His eyes shimmered like they might leak rivers. He stroked a tiny hand with a trembling finger and sniffled.
Jiang Cheng leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching him with the faintest twitch of amusement.
“Can you please stop crying? You’re making me look like the unfeeling one.”
Xichen blinked, blinking back tears. “I just—It’s all so small and perfect. I didn’t expect—”
“You didn’t expect?” Jiang Cheng snorted. “I’ve been pregnant twice, breastfed Jingyi, and I have a toddler who calls himself ‘Bubbles’ and two other kids running around. I’m done being the emotional wreck here.”
Xichen sniffed and wiped at his eyes. “But you handled it like a champ. You’re always so strong.”
Jiang Cheng smirked. “Strong and exhausted.”
Xichen’s lip trembled again. “I just want to hold them forever.”
Jiang Cheng finally pushed off the doorframe and came over, sitting beside Xichen with a tired smile. He wrapped an arm around his husband’s shoulders.
“Hey, softie. You’ll have plenty of time for that. For now, you’re the emotional one, and I’m the one who has to chase after three tiny tornadoes.”
Xichen leaned into him. “I love that about you.”
Jiang Cheng gave a long-suffering sigh and glanced at the baby peacefully sleeping in his arms.
“Well, at least one of us is good at crying on cue.”
----------
Jingyi sat on the floor, quietly building a tower of blocks while his baby sibling slept in Lan Xichen’s arms across the room. He watched the little bundle—so small and peaceful—and a flicker of something prickled his chest.
“Why does the baby get all the cuddles?” Jingyi whispered, stacking another block.
Jiang Cheng noticed the slight pout and sat down beside him. “What’s on your mind, Jingyi?”
The boy hesitated, then shrugged. “I dunno. Baby gets all the milk and snuggles. I’m just… little.”
Jiang Cheng smiled softly and pulled him close into a warm hug. “You’re never little to me. You’re my first, my strongest, and I love you just as much. But sometimes babies need more milk and snuggles because they can’t do much else.”
Jingyi pressed his cheek to Jiang Cheng’s chest. “But I wanna do cuddles, too.”
Jiang Cheng chuckled. “Then let’s make tonight all about you. You and me. No distractions.”
He gently took the newborn from Lan Xichen, who nodded gratefully and quietly slipped out of the room to give them space.
Jingyi’s eyes lit up as Jiang Cheng pulled out a soft blanket and laid it down.
“Cuddle time,” Jiang Cheng declared.
Jingyi snuggled into his mama’s side, arms wrapping around his neck. “Mama, sometimes I feel like a little shadow. Like everyone’s looking at the baby and I’m just... here.”
Jiang Cheng brushed his hair and kissed his temple. “It’s okay to feel that way. You’re not a shadow, Jingyi. You’re a light all on your own. And you always will be.”
Jingyi smiled shyly. “I like that.”
They spent the evening talking softly—Jingyi babbling about his day, his favorite games, and the silly faces he makes to make mama laugh. Jiang Cheng listened patiently, responding with gentle words and quiet laughter.
By the end, Jingyi’s little worries had melted into contentment, his sleepy eyes fluttering closed as he lay nestled against his mama’s warm heart.
Jiang Cheng whispered, “No matter how many babies come, you’ll always be my first and my favorite.”
Jingyi mumbled, “I love you, Mama.”
Jiang Cheng smiled and tightened his hold. “I love you too, little shadow-light.”
----------
The warm sunlight spilled into the courtyard where Jingyi and little Yuan chased each other in gleeful circles, their laughter ringing through the air like music.
Wei Wuxian sat nearby, half-watching the kids while fidgeting nervously. Lan Wangji was quietly tending to some scrolls but occasionally glanced up with a gentle smile.
Jiang Cheng sat on a bench, cradling the newest baby in his arms, rocking gently. He looked over at Wei Wuxian, noticing the familiar awkwardness dancing in his eyes.
Finally, Wei Wuxian cleared his throat. “Jiang Cheng… can I tell you something?”
Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow but smiled. “Shoot.”
Wei Wuxian’s cheeks tinted pink. “Because you’ve been through it, like… all of it, and you had the baby… I guess it gave me baby fever. And… well… I’m pregnant too.”
Jiang Cheng blinked, then coughed to hide a laugh. “You’re what now?”
“Pregnant,” Wei Wuxian repeated, voice dropping to a shy whisper. “With twins.”
Jiang Cheng let out a long, slow whistle. “Good luck with two newborns and a chaotic toddler.”
Wei Wuxian smiled sheepishly. “Thanks, I’ll need it.”
Jiang Cheng smirked, eyes crinkling with fondness. “Welcome to the club. And don’t think I’m letting you off diaper duty.”
Wei Wuxian laughed, reaching for Jingyi’s hand as the boys tumbled over in a fit of giggles.
Lan Wangji finally looked up and said softly, “We will all need lots of rest.”
Jiang Cheng glanced at the peaceful baby in his arms, then the noisy, joyous chaos around him—and then back at Wei Wuxian.
“We got this,” he said simply.
And somehow, that made everything feel a little easier.
----------
Jiang Cheng sank into the soft armchair, finally letting his body relax after the whirlwind of the day. Lan Xichen sat beside him, a quiet smile playing on his lips as he brushed a hand gently over Jiang Cheng’s tired hair.
For five blissful minutes, the world was still. No crying babies, no chasing toddlers, no dishes clattering in the kitchen.
Just the soft sound of their breathing, the warmth of each other’s presence.
Lan Xichen leaned his head on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder, sighing contentedly. “Maybe this is what heaven feels like.”
Jiang Cheng smiled tiredly. “If heaven has chaos, I’m good.”
Suddenly, a soft whimper broke the silence.
Jiang Cheng’s eyes snapped open. “Jingyi?”
Lan Xichen stood, already moving toward the nursery.
Jingyi’s small frame was curled up in his bed, eyes wide and shimmering with tears from a nightmare.
“Mama…” the little voice whispered, voice trembling.
Jiang Cheng was at his side in an instant, scooping Jingyi up into a warm, soothing hug.
“It’s okay, little shadow-light. Mama’s here.”
Jingyi buried his face in Jiang Cheng’s neck, trembling fading into quiet sobs.
Lan Xichen smiled softly as he joined them, wrapping an arm around both.
“Nightmares don’t stand a chance against this family.”
Jiang Cheng kissed Jingyi’s damp hair. “Come on, let’s get you cuddled and back to sleep.”
Five minutes of peace might have been short, but their family’s love was endless.
------------
Jiang Cheng settled into the armchair with Jingyi curled up in his arms, the little one’s tiny hands clutching at his shirt as his eyelids fluttered.
“Shh, it’s okay, little shadow-light,” Jiang Cheng whispered softly, rocking him gently. “Mama’s right here. No bad dreams now.”
Jingyi nuzzled his cheek against Jiang Cheng’s collarbone, breathing slowing as he relaxed completely into the warmth and safety.
Lan Xichen sat nearby, quietly watching with a soft smile, occasionally brushing Jingyi’s hair back from his forehead.
Jiang Cheng hummed a low, soothing tune, the room filled with the peaceful sounds of a family wrapped in love.
Slowly, Jingyi’s breathing deepened, the nightmares forgotten as he drifted into a calm, restful sleep, safe in his mama’s arms.
---------------
The first light of dawn filtered softly through the curtains as Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen lay tangled together, eyes half-closed, savoring the rare luxury of a few more minutes to themselves.
Jiang Cheng’s fingers absently traced gentle patterns on Lan Xichen’s arm. “Just five more minutes,” he murmured.
Lan Xichen nodded sleepily, leaning his head against Jiang Cheng’s shoulder.
Suddenly, the newborn fussed softly from the cradle nearby.
Before the baby could wail, a small voice whispered, “Psst, Mama and Baba are sleeping. Big brother is here.”
Jingyi appeared at the foot of the bed, eyes shining with responsibility.
He tiptoed over, gently rubbing the baby’s back and softly humming a lullaby.
The newborn quieted almost immediately, settling into Jingyi’s comforting presence.
Jiang Cheng stifled a laugh, burying his face in Lan Xichen’s chest.
Lan Xichen caught the sound, smiled, and tucked his face into Jiang Cheng’s hair to hide his own grin.
“Big brother Jingyi,” Jiang Cheng whispered, “saving the day again.”
Lan Xichen nodded, eyes warm. “Our little hero.”
For a few moments longer, they all stayed wrapped in quiet love, the perfect start to a busy day ahead.
-----------
Sunlight streamed gently through the window as the household slowly stirred to life. Jiang Cheng, still half-asleep, carried the newborn to the nursery, while Lan Xichen prepared breakfast with calm efficiency.
Jingyi raced around the room, chasing after a rolling ball and occasionally darting over to check on his baby brother or sister.
“Big brother Jingyi, can you help me with the bottles?” Lan Xichen called with a soft smile.
Jingyi nodded eagerly, climbing onto a stool to hand over the clean bottles.
Jiang Cheng returned, cradling the sleepy newborn, and handed the baby to Lan Xichen.
“You got this,” Jiang Cheng murmured, wiping sleep from his eyes.
Lan Xichen smiled warmly and began feeding the baby, who gurgled happily.
Jingyi plopped onto the floor with his toys but kept glancing up, occasionally asking questions about the babies, while Jiang Cheng rubbed his tired eyes, smiling softly at the organized chaos.
Breakfast soon filled the air with comforting scents, and the family, though busy and a little sleepy, moved through the morning wrapped in love and laughter.
-----------
The door creaked open, and the familiar, gentle voice of Jiang Yanli filled the room. “Hello! Is anyone home?”
Jiang Cheng’s head popped up from wiping a highchair, eyes widening in surprise and then softening with joy. “Yanli?”
Lan Xichen looked up from holding the newborn, a smile spreading across his face. “You’re here.”
Jingyi’s face lit up as he spotted the new visitor. “Mama Jiang Yanli!”
From behind her, a lively little boy dashed forward, his bright eyes filled with curiosity. “Big brother Jingyi!” Jin Ling called, rushing to meet him.
The two toddlers immediately began a whirlwind of giggles and tumbling, chasing each other around the room, turning the quiet morning into a playful storm.
Jiang Yanli stepped inside, arms open as she approached Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen. “I wanted to come by and see my family.”
Jiang Cheng’s smile was warm but a little tired. “You always know when we need you.”
Lan Xichen gently handed the newborn to Yanli, who cooed softly, cradling the tiny baby. “You have quite the lively household.”
Wei Wuxian popped his head in from the kitchen, grinning mischievously. “Looks like things just got a lot more interesting.”
Jiang Yanli laughed softly. “I hope you all have enough energy for the day.”
Jiang Cheng exchanged a glance with Lan Xichen, then shrugged with a fond smile. “We’ll manage.”
The house buzzed with the sounds of reunion, family, and love—the perfect kind of surprise.
---------
The lively noise of Jingyi and Jin Ling playing filled the room as Jiang Yanli watched Jiang Cheng carefully.
She noticed the dark circles under his eyes, the way he rubbed his temple when Jingyi’s laughter got a little too loud.
With a gentle smile, she stepped closer and laid a hand on his arm. “Jiang Cheng, you look exhausted.”
He glanced at her, hesitation flickering in his tired gaze.
“Go,” she said softly but firmly. “I’ll take care of the kids. You need to rest.”
Lan Xichen nodded in agreement, setting the newborn safely in a crib nearby. “Yanli’s right. You deserve a break.”
Jiang Cheng sighed but allowed himself to be led gently to a quiet room.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yanli expertly managed the two toddlers, turning chaos into fun with calm patience and warmth only a big sister could have.
She sang softly, told stories, and even managed to get the little ones to sit down for a snack without too much fuss.
Later, when Jiang Cheng woke, the house was still buzzing, but he felt a little lighter, knowing Yanli had everything under control.
----------
Jiang Cheng slowly opened his eyes, the soft morning light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, everything was quiet—too quiet.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed two pairs of bright, curious eyes staring at him.
Jin Ling and Jingyi sat at the edge of the bed, their little faces filled with wonder and anticipation.
The moment they realized he was awake, their eyes lit up, and without hesitation, they scrambled onto the bed.
Jiang Cheng barely had time to smile before they both snuggled close—Jin Ling burrowing into his side, Jingyi resting his head on Jiang Cheng’s chest.
“Morning, Mama,” Jingyi whispered sleepily.
“Good morning, big brother,” Jin Ling grinned.
Jiang Cheng wrapped his arms around them both, heart full.
“Looks like I’m not getting out of bed anytime soon,” he murmured, laughter and love mingling in his voice.
---------
Just as Jiang Cheng settled deeper into the cuddles, the soft creak of the door caught their attention.
Jiang Yanli stepped in quietly, a gentle smile on her face and a tray in her hands laden with steaming tea, fresh fruit, and warm buns.
She paused for a moment, taking in the sight of Jiang Cheng nestled between Jin Ling and Jingyi, all of them tangled in a heap of warmth and love.
“Good morning, sleepyheads,” she said softly, setting the tray down on the nearby table.
Jingyi looked up with a sleepy smile. “Mama Yanli!”
Jin Ling wriggled closer to Jiang Cheng. “Breakfast!”
Jiang Yanli chuckled, pulling a chair close. “I thought you all might need a little fuel to start the day.”
Jiang Cheng smiled tiredly but gratefully, feeling the care of his sister wash over him.
“Thanks, Yanli,” he said, voice thick with affection.
As the kids happily reached for the food, the room filled with quiet chatter and the comfortable hum of family.