Thread by @cerbykerby

*lies down on the floor*

I want modern AU lqr welcoming teen wwx into his home after madam yu got mad at wwx and kicked him out for the night.

because look, LOOK, lqr may be the strictest, most judgemental uncle in existence, but one thing he would never ever EVER do is abandon a child.

I just want wwx knocking on lwj's door and then startling with it's lqr who answers instead of lwj. I WANT THAT AWKWARD SILENCE.

maybe lqr is wwx's teacher. he KNOWS how much chaos wwx can create, and he absolutely loathes how wwx distracts lwj, lqr's best and brightest student.

but he will, grudgingly, admit that wwx is well-loved among his peers. surely such a child would be well-loved at home, right?

so when wwx shows up at the Lan household at 10pm, lqr nearly loses his mind with rage. it is bad enough that wwx doesn't pay attention in class and doesn't turn in his homework and bothers lwj all day, but now? here? past BEDTIME?? unacceptable. inexcusable.

"Wangji is already asleep," he snaps at wwx when wwx asks. "And you should be too. Go home, Wei Ying."

"Of course." wwx hurries off of the porch and walks away.

lqr grumbles and closes the door. some kids, honestly. what in the world was wwx thinking, coming all the way here?

lqr is about to go back to bed, but… something doesn't quite feel right. maybe he's worried that wwx will egg their house, or maybe because it's a bit cold outside, but he goes to his window to check.

and wwx is just. sitting there, on the curb, huddled into himself.

an awful thought occurs to lqr. maybe wwx just… doesn't have a home to return to, or maybe that home is no longer safe. it is not as uncommon as people think, and as a teacher, he always keeps an eye out for these things.

he opens the door. "Wei Ying."

wwx sees him and RUNS.

lqr is too old for many things. chasing after a 15-year-old at night is definitely one of them.

he does it anyways.

when he finally catches up to wwx, he drags him back to the house with a firm grip on his arm.

wwx is already spewing apologies. "Ah, Lan-laoshi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stay. I'll be going now. Just let me—"

"Wipe your shoes," lqr orders once they enter the house.

wwx shuffles his feet on the welcome mat as lqr hunts around for an extra pair of house slippers.

"Look at you," lqr scolds as he offers one of lwj's jackets. "You're wearing so little. Have you no regard for your own health? What if you catch your death of cold out there?"

wwx opens his mouth to respond, thinks about it, and just laughs uneasily instead.

lqr doesn't like that. not one bit.

still holding wwx by the arm—because his running away is still a possibility—lqr drags him into the kitchen and sits him down at the dining table. "Wait here."

there's leftover rice and vegetables from dinner, so lqr sets about making fried rice. when wwx starts to protest, lqr glares at him and says, "You will eat, or you get extra homework."

wwx eats the fried rice when it's set in front of him without further protest.

"Eat more. You need the nutrients and energy," lqr orders as he piles more vegetables in wwx's bowl. "You're too skinny. What have the Jiangs been feeding you?"

at least wwx swallows before answering, "They feed me enough, Lan-laoshi. I'm rarely hungry."

something angry rises in lqr's chest. "'Rarely' is too many. You should never be hungry. Look at A-Zhan and A-Huan; they've both grown so tall because I always feed them."

"I think that's more genetics, Lan-laoshi," wwx can't help saying.

lqr puts more vegetables in his bowl.

by the time he's finished and lqr goes to wash the dishes, there's movement upstairs. soon enough, lwj comes down the stairs.

"Shufu," he greets, voice slow with sleep. "…Wei Ying?"

"Surprise." wwx waves his hands for effect. "I'm here, for some reason."

"Wei Ying is going to stay here for the night, perhaps more," lqr declares as he stacks the bowls. "Wangji, go prepare the guest bedroom and lend him some pajamas."

lwj nods and leaves.

wwx sputters. "You don't have to—"

"I don't have to," lqr agrees. "But I will."

after handing wwx a brand new toothbrush and cup, lqr passes him over to lwj to care for the night. then he goes to bed. he has a little difficulty falling asleep, plagued by his shifting opinions and thoughts about the jiang family.

he always thought the jiangs were a decent family—a bit discordant, perhaps, as most families were—but not BAD people. jfm doesn't seem the type, and yzy is very devoted to her children.

perhaps, lqr thinks with a dropping stomach, wwx is not as well-loved as he thought.

he cannot wrap his mind around it. children should be loved and cared for. cssr and her husband were of humble origins and had no enemies. wwx himself is boisterous, but a far cry from a criminal. there is no reason for him to ever go without food or a warm bed for the night.

lqr loathes to think about what could have happened to lwj and lxc if his brother had been an only child. of course the lan family would have taken care of them, but would anyone have loved them as much as lqr does?

he cannot imagine any parent being in the same position.

cssr and wcz must be in agony in the afterlife, seeing their boy being treated like this by their so-called friends. shame on the jiang family. shame on jfm for letting this happen. jfm disgraces the memory of his friends.

that night, lqr dreams of throttling a giant lotus.

at 5 the next morning, lqr rises from bed. he meditates, does his stretches, and collects his lessons for the day. when he steps out his room, wwx is already outside. "Good morning, laoshi!" he greets.

lqr stares at him. then closes the door and reopens it just to be sure.

wwx is never on time for class, ever. why the heck is he awake at this hour?

"Good morning," lqr replies cautiously. "Did you finish your homework?"

wwx's smile falters. "Ah, I—I left my backpack at the Jiang's."

hm, lqr usually doesn't accept excuses, but he will this time.

lxc is already cooking breakfast in the kitchen and sets an omelet in front of wwx.

wwx balks. "Oh, I'm not hungry."

this time, both lqr and lwj stare at wwx until he eats every last bite of breakfast.

the car ride to school is both annoyingly endearing and anxiety-riddled. a small part of lqr likes looking in the rearview mirror and seeing three boys in the car, complete with backpack and lunchbox. mostly, he worries about what will happen when wwx meets his siblings in class.

sure enough, jc stares, shocked, as lqr walks with wwx and lwj into class. before wwx sits down at his desk, lqr pats his shoulder once and gruffly says, "If I find a single cucumber slice left from your lunch, you're writing a 10-page essay."

then he starts class.

sure enough, trouble starts at lunch. jc throws a fit once he sees that wwx brought a packed lunch.

"You're going to make everyone think that we don't feed you enough!" he yells.

"You don't," lwj says without a hint of mercy or remorse.

lqr is a proud uncle.

jc turns red, hurt and angry. "Why are you doing this?" he asks wwx. "We raised you, and this is how you repay us? If you don't come home after school, then mom is going to be mad."

"How would that be any different than how she was yesterday?" lwj retorts.

lqr is a PROUD uncle.

in the end, jc storms away, yelling for wwx to never come home if he is going to make a habit out of going to the lans if he's ever let out of the house for a few minutes. he doesn't mean it; jc rarely means anything of what he says.

but wwx's shoulders still slump.

lqr always stays a few hours after school has been dismissed to grade papers and prepare the next day's lessons. lxc and lwj usually busy themselves with their music, and they all meet up around 5pm to drive home.

to their surprise, and relief, wwx is still at school.

lqr does not ask why he's there. instead, he asks, "Did you finish your lunch?"

wwx nods, clutching the lunchbox in his hands.

lqr nods too. "Good. Get in the car, boys."

lwj and lxc climb in. wwx stays where he is.

"Any day now, Wei Ying," lqr says.

wwx gets in the car too.

It is lwj's turn to cook for dinner and he does so masterfully. He even dumps enough spices in wwx's bowl to make lqr's eyes water just by looking at it. wwx says very little, but he clears his plate of food without prompting.

"Please let me wash the dishes," he says afterwards.

lwj had already washed all the pots and pans, so all that is left are the chopsticks and bowls. lqr nods, and wwx bolts for the kitchen sink with the plates.

"Shufu, I do not think it would be good for Wei Ying to return to the Jiangs," lwj quietly tells him in private.

lqr cannot agree more. he frowns as he strokes his beard. his conscience will not allow him to blindly send wwx back to a bad home environment, but…

"He is welcome to stay," he tells lwj, "but I cannot force him to."

lwj stares at his feet and says nothing more.

the next day, jyl and jfm arrive at the lan house. jyl weeps many tears as she embraces wwx, and jfm apologizes profusely to lqr for troubling his family with wwx.

"He is no trouble," lqr says before he thinks better of it. it earns him confused looks from everyone.

nobody says wwx is trouble more than lqr does. he says it daily, almost hourly during school time. it doesn't make sense for him NOT to say it.

somewhere in the afterlife, cssr is most certainly laughing hard enough to cry.

wwx chooses to go back with the jiangs. he thanks each of the lans individually.

"You may come back whenever you'd like," lxc says kindly.

"Goodbye, Wei Ying," is all lwj says, leaving much unspoken.

lqr adjusts wwx's jacket and pats his arm. "Our door is always open for you."

the next few weeks are tense. both lqr and lwj are on edge, constantly analyzing wwx's every move and facial expression for any sign of distress. lqr has to remind lwj multiple times that kidnapping is, in fact, a crime—and lwj cannot kidnap wwx simply because he frowned once.

regardless, all seems well, and wwx is back in the jiang siblings' good graces. he laughs with them and plays during lunch and after school.

then, one day, lqr arrives home late. it is finals week, and he has a lot of work. lxc and lwj both took the bus home themselves.

when lqr exits his car, he's greeted with the sight of lwj and wwx sitting on the porch, lit only by porchlight.

"He would not come in until shufu allows him to," lwj explains.

lqr is tired. and he is angry, because the jiangs obviously haven't learned their lesson. "Go in."

wwx gets up to go inside. lqr notes, with a small sense of relief, that at least wwx is dressed warmly. lwj is attentive.

lxc serves them dinner and piles extra food on wwx's plate with a smile that wwx manages to return. "Eat up, there's plenty."

tw // implied physical abuse

wwx is near silent for a few days, and lqr swears he sees purple peeking out from under wwx's collar and sleeve. he doesn't ask about it—it is not his place to ask—but he puts healing ointment on the guest room's bedside table.

it hurts and relieves him to see the ointment slowly being used up over time.

stability. the child needs stability. and if the lans are good at anything, it's maintaining stability.

lqr continues sticking to his strict schedule and makes sure wwx lacks nothing.

slowly, wwx begins opening back up. he starts smiling again and laughing. one time, lqr comes home to wwx pelting lwj with a mudball while he's watering the garden.

lqr makes him kneel, of course. but he also lets wwx eat a huge tomato fresh off the vine.

one day, after dinner, their doorbell rings. lxc goes to answer it as lqr cleans up. right as he's in the middle of adjusting the chopsticks, lxc returns, frowning.

"It's Madam Yu," he says as quietly as possible.

but not quiet enough. wwx tenses up, his eyes wide.

lqr says, "Wangji, didn't you want to play the guqin for Wei Ying?"

lwj—smart, bright, perfect lwj—immediately catches on. "Yes, shufu." he bows, then grabs wwx by the wrist. "Come."

"But you played for me yesterday," wwx protests.

"Again," lwj insists as he drags wwx away.

with wwx successfully removed from the vicinity, lqr steels himself before opening the door.

yzy is smartly-dressed, as always. neat and proper. "Good evening, Lan-laoshi. I apologize for visiting unannounced."

"It is of little issue," lqr replies with an inclined head.

yzy waits a beat, perhaps expecting to be invited inside. lqr remains where he is, firmly blocking the doorway.

after a too-long pause, yzy speaks. "I hope A-Xian has not been too much of a burden. You have my thanks for keeping him in line."

"Keeping him in line," lqr repeats.

yzy seems to take this as agreement. "You know how he is, never up to any good. I hope he has not been too bad of an influence on your nephews. I've heard of how he harasses Lan Wangji."

normally, lqr would agree that wwx bullies lwj, but hearing it from yzy feels wrong.

"Anyhow, I will not inconvenience you any longer. Please call Wei Ying; I'll bring him home."

Home. Home is a place one always wishes to return to, not run away from.

"That will not be necessary," lqr says.

The smile on yzy's face gains hard edges.

"I believe it would be in everyone's best interest if Wei Ying remained here," lqr explains.

yzy's smile disappears. "Do not jest, Master Lan."

lqr doesn't blink. "I have not given any indication of the sort. Wei Ying will stay here."

darkness falls over yzy's face.

"Lan Qiren," she hisses, "You're not being serious, are you? You can't just take him. We're the ones who raised him. If you think you can take credit for his upbringing—"

"I think nothing of the sort," lqr interrupts. "I think only of Wei Ying's wellbeing."

"What are you're implying?" she sneers. "Surely it can't be that the Jiang family can't take care of children."

"I do not imply. I only state." lqr keeps a firm grip on the door. "Wei Ying stays."

yzy doesn't say anything. then she laughs, "So this is the righteous Lan family."

lqr bows. "Many thanks to Madam Yu for her praise. This old man cannot accept it. Now, it is getting late; Madam Yu should head home."

but yzy doesn't seem to hear him. "How noble of the Lans! How heroic!" she spits out. "He's lying, you know. He always lies for attention."

"That's not any of my concern," lqr says.

"I bet you're still in love with his mother too, aren't you? That's why you're doing all this." yzy laughs bitterly. "All this for the son of a woman who ran away with a servant.

"Madam Yu, please keep your dignity intact," lqr scolds.

"What was so great about Cangse Sanren anyways?" her voice lifts higher, more frantic. "Her beauty? Her eccentricity? Her complete lack of manners?"

"Madam Yu, Cangse Sanren is no longer with us," lqr snaps. "Speak ill of the dead at your own risk."

yzy bristles at that, her eyes aflame. "I'm warning you, Lan Qiren." she lifts a finger up to lqr's face. "When that boy brings about the destruction of your family, you will not blame us."

"Duly noted," lqr replies. "Please leave."

yzy does not leave. "And when that happens, you cannot dump him off with us." then she raises her voice louder, shouting past lqr. "Do you hear me, Wei Ying?! You had better not show your face again, you ingrate!"

lqr has had enough. "Xichen, please escort Madam Yu to her car."

"Yes, shufu," lxc says, putting on his shoes and stepping outside. he gives yzy a winning smile. "Madam Yu, if you'd please."

"Don't play cute," she snarls. "You Lans think you're so far above all others, don't you? You are not as a good as other people think you are."

lxc's smile stretches wider. "Madam Yu, I kindly remind you that your two children are enrolled in our prestigious school, at which my shufu is an esteemed instructor," he says, gently. "Both are doing very well in their studies. Naturally, they should have bright futures."

yzy is not so far gone in her anger as to be blinded by it. "Are you threatening me?" she demands.

"Heavens, no." lxc's eyes are wide and innocent. "You should be proud of their current success. Shufu is even thinking about writing Jiang Wanyin a recommendation."

lqr gives lxc a major side-eye. perhaps lxc should hang out with that meng yao kid a little less often. something tells him that the boy isn't the best influence.

yzy is silent, contemplative. an array of emotions cross her face: anger, apprehension, doubt, uncertainty.

finally, yzy gives lqr a tight, small bow. "Forgive my impropriety. I have acted rashly tonight. Please take care of Wei Ying."

lqr returns the bow. "It is no trouble. Drive safe."

he watches lxc and yzy walk out, then he turns and goes back into the house.

wwx is a puddle of blankets and pillows in lwj's room. as soon as lqr enters, he bolts to his feet. "Lan-laoshi. I heard."

lwj stands up too, from where he was seated behind his guqin. "Wei Ying can stay?"

"Wei Ying can stay," lqr confirms. "Now go wash up for bed. It's eight."

"Lan-laoshi," wwx stops him before he can leave. "I—thank you." he twists his fingers together. "This is so much. I don't know how to repay you. I can try to—"

"Absolutely not," lqr scoffs. "Just focus on your studies and growing up well. Nothing else matters."

wwx wrinkles his nose. "Nothing else?" he asks.

lqr strokes his chin. "There is one thing," he admits.

"Of course," wwx nods quickly. "Anything."

"Next time," lqr starts, "And every time…"

wwx nods again, bug-eyed.

"Eat all the cucumber slices in your lunch."

-- THE END --

Beginning of the thread!

https://twitter.com/cerbykerby/status/1399878397493317634

Epilogue: wwx lives with the lans for 3 years until he and lwj move out for college.

no, lqr is not emotional about it. not even a little bit. he keeps lwj's and wwx's rooms tidy because tidiness is a virtue and not because he desperately wishes for them to come back and visit.

the first time wwx comes back to visit, he accidentally calls lqr, "Shufu."

lqr: wtf did u just call me?

wwx: ah, I'm sorry—

lqr: what did u call me

wwx: shufu

lqr: gross

lqr: now say it again

he nearly suffers a heart attack when wangxian visit a year or so after graduation and they have rings on their fingers.

lqr: YOU'RE ENGAGED? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? OH, HOW UNFILIAL. YOU TWO WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME—

lwj: would shufu like to help plan our wedding?

lqr: yes pls

when they bring home a-yuan for the first time, lqr flies into a rage.

lqr: HOW DARE YOU

wwx: shufu—

lqr: DO U REALIZE WHAT U HAVE DONE

wwx: shufu, please, he needs us—

lqr: I DONATED A-ZHAN AND A-HUAN'S BABY CLOTHES LAST WEEK. AND /NOW/ YOU BRING ME BABY??

wwx:

wwx: ah

lqr is appeased with a shopping trip to buy a-yuan cute clothes. he carries a-yuan in his arms the whole time and lets him touch whatever the heck he wants.

"It is good for mental stimulation and helps his brain form more neural pathways," he says as a-yuan eats a price tag.