Chapter Text
It was a bright, sunny day. The gentle breeze carried the scent of lotuses through the air. The sound of chatter filled the air. Wei Wuxian smiled as he looked out at the lake full of lotus flowers. “WEI WUXIAN!” He turned around to see a very angry Jiang Cheng storming up to him, covered head to toe in pink roses. “Yes?” Wei Wuxian asked innocently. Jiang Cheng stops in front of him and promptly pushes Wei Wuxian into the lake. “HEY! What was that for?!” Wei Wuxian spit out a mouthful of water. “That’s what you deserve for filling my room with pink roses! LOOK! I have pink petals EVERYWHERE!” Jiang Cheng already had a pile of petal gathering at his feet. Wei Wuxian burst out laughing.
“I see you got my lovely morning surprise!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed as he dragged his body onto the pier. “I always thought you looked good in pink!” Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes and pushed Wei Wuxian back into the water, but not before being dragged into the water with him. Both men surfaced, and Wei Wuxian spit a mouthful of water into Jiang Cheng’s face. “Why you–” he was cut off by a splash of water in the face. When he wiped his eyes clear, he saw Wei Wuxian howling with laughter. Jiang Cheng splashed water right back at him, and the two went back and forth for about five minutes before a soft voice interrupted their little water fight.
“If you two are done playing, I have a nice, hot bowl of lotus and pork rib soup ready for each of you.” Both men turned to see Jiang Yanli standing on the pier, smiling down at the two of them. “Jie!” “Shijie!” The two swam towards the pier and clamored out of the water. With a snap of their fingers, both men were instantly dry, and rushed over to hug their sister. “When did you get here? Why didn’t you tell us of your arrival? We would’ve properly prepared for your visit!” Jiang Cheng beamed. Jiang Yanli giggled. “I wished to surprise you two.” The three pulled back from the hug. “MOM! When are we going to eat?” A whiny voice came from behind. The three adults turned to see Jin Ling rushing up to meet them, Fairy not far behind him. Wei Wuxian paled. “JIANG CHENG!!! SAVE ME!!!”
He rushed and climbed up Jiang Cheng back, despite Jiang Cheng’s protests. “A-Ling, what have I told you about Fairy when we are at Lotus Pier?” Jiang Yanli quirked an eyebrow as she looked down at her son. Jin Ling stopped and ordered Fairy to wait outside the entrance. He turned and greeted Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. “Jiu jiu, Dajiu. Sorry about that.” Jin Ling has a sheepish look on his face. “Ha ha, don’t worry about it. No harm done.” Wei Wuxian climbed off Jiang Cheng and went over to ruffle his nephew’s hair. “No harm done?! What about my back?!” Jiang Cheng exclaimed, hitting Wei Wuxian’s arm. “OW! That hurt!” Wei Wuxian whined as he rubbed his arm.
“Alright, enough you two. Your soup’s getting cold.” Jiang Yanli turned back and headed inside, Jin Ling trailing behind her, excited to eat some of his mom’s delicious soup. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian smiled and ran towards the door. Suddenly, Wei Wuxian felt a chill down his spine. He stopped and turned around quickly, eyes scanning his surroundings for anything suspicious. Jiang Cheng halted and turned to look at his brother. “Hey, what are you looking at?” Wei Wuxian didn’t hear him. Jiang Cheng repeated himself two more times, but Wei Wuxian still didn’t answer him. His eyes kept roaming around, trying to find the source of that unease. Jiang Cheng walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, which jolted Wei Wuxian back to reality. “Huh-what?” Wei Wuxian blinked. “I asked you what you were looking at.” Wei Wuxian blinked before shaking him off. “Oh-ah nothing. Just wanted to look at the scenery a little more, you know?” Jiang Cheng furrowed his eyebrows, clearly unconvinced.
“Aw, A-Cheng, are you worried about your shixiong?” Wei Wuxian laughed as Jiang Cheng’s cheeks turned slightly red. “Pfft-you wish!” He punched Wei Wuxian’s arm before sprinting towards the door, laughing. Wei Wuxian squawked in outraged and ran after him, but not before looking back one more time, then quickly following his siblings inside. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something, or rather, someone was watching him.