Thread by @raeinthe

Here’s a #PregjiSeason story about post-canon LWJ trying to give his husband a baby.

In general, he and WWX try not to dwell on what might have been, and he knows that the two of them being here, now, together, IS enough.

He is entirely confident that raising a child together is not essential to their happiness.

WWX has made it abundantly clear to LWJ that the knowledge that A-Yuan survived to adulthood, that he had LWJ as a father figure, was so much more than he could ever have hoped for.

But LWJ also knows that what WWX allows himself to hope for is always significantly less than what WWX deserves.

He’s seen the look WWX gets when he hears stories of Sizhui’s childhood in the Cloud Recesses.

How happy he is to have anything to fill in the 13-year gap where he wasn’t in Sizhui’s life.

And when they’re in the Jingshi together & WWX is babbling nonsense about how LWJ is sure to get him pregnant, LWJ hears the hint of truth behind his husband’s shameless words & feels confident that, were it possible, WWX would want to bear them a child.

So LWJ begins to do some research. It is difficult and rare for a male cultivator to become pregnant, but it is not unheard of: there are a number of fairly well-documented cases, but there’s no clear how-to guide. (If Wangji is successful, he will be certain to remedy that.)

Any moment he’s not (a) night-hunting with Wei Ying, (b) holding Wei Ying in his arms and telling him how beautiful he is, or (c) sitting next to his uncle/brother during important sect-related meetings and looking intimidating,

he spends in the library, reading every account he can find of a man becoming pregnant.

He rules out the body-swaps where men bore children while in female bodies. He rules out the spontaneous pregnancies that are more like hauntings or possessions,

where the hosts gave birth to demonic children. Eventually, he finds an account of a pair of cultivation-partners-slash-husbands, who unexpectedly had a child together after being cursed by a pair of ghosts.

They had been cursed at the tomb of a couple who had desperately wished for a child of their own in life, but had died childless. In death, they granted their life’s wish to any couple who visited their tomb.

It went on for nearly a century mostly unnoticed by the cultivation sects, because most of the visitors to their somewhat-remote tomb were couples already attempting to conceive a child, looking for a bit of help.

They didn’t know they were being /cursed/ to conceive a child the next time they had sex whether they wanted one or not.

As far as LWJ can tell from the records, nothing was ever done to put the spirits to rest:

the cultivators who wrote the account didn’t see any need, the spirits weren’t in anguish and had not grown malevolent.

Although, when there is a known disturbance in an area, even if rather innocuous, it really is best practice for a cultivation sect to check up on it every few years or so. And according to the records, the tomb in question seems to be within Gusu Lan territory.

LWJ volunteers. His husband goes with him, naturally.

Now, on some level, LWJ feels like he should tell WWX he’s about to try and impregnate him. He doesn’t like the idea of having secrets from his husband.

But he also doesn’t know if this will work, and he doesn’t want Wei Ying to be sad if it doesn’t. More importantly, he doesn’t want Wei Ying to be sad /and blame himself/ if it doesn’t. He would never want Wei Ying to think he was disappointing LWJ.

So instead, after they’ve examined the tomb and made sure there’s no sign of the spirits growing vengeful, LWJ clasps his husband’s hand and asks earnestly, “would you have a child with me, if we could?”

WWX, surprised by the question, but delighted, beams at LWJ.

“Lan Zhan, I would have dozens of babies with you. As many as possible.”

It’s then that LWJ feels the curse hit, feels it take hold within him, but it’s still dormant for now. It will not activate until the next time he beds WWX

(which, if LWJ gets his way, will happen as soon as possible).

LWJ is extremely into the idea of knocking up his husband. Out of respect for the pair entombed here, he holds back from pouncing on WWX right there,

but as soon as they’re further down the road LWJ pulls WWX into a grove of trees and takes him up against a tree, and again in the grass. LWJ’s words from earlier are stuck in WWX’s brain and he babbles shamelessly about getting pregnant, egging LWJ on.

After, still buried in his husband, WWX nuzzling contentedly into his neck, LWJ feels the faint spark of energy as the curse activates. Now all he needs to do is wait.

——-

LWJ pays very close attention to his husband, watching for signs that he is with child. The symptoms are often milder in cultivators, and hard to spot early on.

Four weeks, then six weeks in, and WWX still seems the same as ever.

WWX grows curious when LWJ keeps asking him things like: are there any special foods that you want me to make? (“Anything you make is good enough for me, Lan Zhan. You always know exactly what I like.”)

Any that make you sick to think about? (“Just that bitter soup, you’ll protect me from it, right Lan-er-gege?”)

WWX knows something’s up; LWJ is not good at being subtle, to the few who know how to read him.

Eight weeks in, and LWJ is starting to think it hasn’t worked after all. And he can’t help but break down and cry silently into his pillow as Wei Ying sleeps beside him.

The tears surprise him. He had been hopeful, yes, but he hadn’t realized he would be so disappointed if it didn’t work out. And besides, he’d always been able to keep his emotions more contained than this.

He finds himself nearly in tears again a few hours later, when he goes to feed the rabbits & sees a pair of bunnies cuddled up together. And again when he walks into the Jingshi & sees Wei Ying asleep and thinks, this is my husband, he’s so beautiful, I almost didn’t have him.

LWJ starts to suspect that something might be wrong later that day, when he randomly loses his balance walking with his husband, and Wei Ying catches him. WWX is clearly concerned; LWJ never loses his balance for no reason.

“Are you sure you’re up for meeting with Sect Leader Yao today? You look like you should rest. Let your uncle deal with him.”

(Lan Qiren often asks LWJ to accompany him when Sect Leader Yao has business at the Cloud Recesses.

It’s impressive, how effective LWJ glaring silently through frustrating meetings is at speeding up tedious discussions.)

“I will be fine,” LWJ assures WWX, brushing his husband’s knuckles to his lips.

LWJ is not fine. In fact, in the middle of Sect Leader Yao ranting about some inane topic or another, LWJ suddenly feels compelled to stand up, stride out of the building, and vomit up his breakfast into some nearby foliage.

WWX is summoned to accompany his husband to see the healer. LQR stays behind to smooth things over with Sect Leader Yao, who is very offended at the timing of LWJ’s sudden illness and will not shut up about it.

LWJ tells the healer about his sudden nausea with some embarrassment; his golden core has been strong enough to ward off minor illnesses for decades now. WWX buzzes around him worriedly, chiming in to mention the dizzy spell earlier that morning.

After a brief examination the healer nods, then informs them that Hanguang-Jun’s symptoms are entirely normal for Hanguang-Jun’s condition, and should subside in just a few more weeks.

Hanguang-Jun is pregnant.

The doctor asks if they have any questions. They have hundreds of questions; LWJ doesn’t want to ask any of them. LWJ doesn’t want to have to talk to anybody but his husband right now.

He shakes his head, looks WWX in the eye, hoping he’ll understand: let’s go home.

WWX, it turns out, is not in danger of being particularly chatty right now. He is barely holding back tears, but gives Lan Zhan a small smile.

WWX takes a deep breath, says, “Nope, no questions, I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Let’s go home, Lan Zhan.”

On the way back to the Jingshi WWX is quiet for once, lost in his own thoughts. But he laces his fingers with his husband’s & doesn’t let go until they’re back home.

They undress in silence down to just their inner robes, trading kisses along the way, and lay down next to each other in the big bed. It’s still late morning, but LWJ is having a very strange day and he just needs to hold his husband.

After awhile, WWX whispers into his neck,

“Are you upset, Lan Zhan? I think… I think I might have cursed you, I’m sorry.”

LWJ startles at that. WWX goes on, “When we were at that tomb, I felt myself get hit with some kind of curse. But I didn’t want to worry you until I knew more about it.

When you stripped off my robes I saw I had a small curse mark, but you distracted me before I could get a good look! And then it was gone so I just assumed it had been a sex curse & we’d gone ahead and broken it.

But I must have transferred the curse to you.

And now you’re pregnant! It can’t be a coincidence. Is it mine? Are you mad?”

LWJ kisses WWX deeply, reassuring.

“Of course the child is Wei Ying’s. And not mad. Just surprised. But it is not your fault.”

He tells WWX about his research, his plan, the real reason for visiting the tomb.

WWX looks as though he’s finally connecting the dots of LWJ’s strange questioning the past few weeks

“Hanguang-Jun, you were trying to impregnate /me/? I know sometimes in the heat of the moment I say you should knock me up, but you shouldn’t take me so seriously. What made you so confident I was the one who would get pregnant?”

Lan Zhan’s ears go red.

“Because I… usually I am the one to spill my seed inside of you.”

WWX gives his husband a soft peck on the cheek.

“That’s where your logic falls apart, sweetheart. My insides aren’t equipped to bear a child any more than yours are. /Were/.”

WWX runs his hands through LWJ’s hair, combing it gently with his fingers.

“If you had let me know, I could have warned you it may not be predictable. I /am/ kind of the foremost expert on using curses & shady tricks to achieve one’s goals.”

WWX’s hand wanders down LWJ’s shoulders & chest. He slips it under the fabric of LWJ’s robe to rest on his flat abdomen.

“Do you still want this, Lan Zhan? Even though it’s different than you expected?”

LWJ kisses WWX again, fiercer than before. He does, he wants it so much.

// ok I’m falling asleep while typing, but I’ll be back with a bit more tomorrow 💕

Link to the top:

https://twitter.com/raeinthe/status/1492637609704759304

Once LWJ has sufficiently reassured WWX that yes, he wants a child, yes, he wants a child with him, yes, he wants Wei Ying to be the father of that child, yes, WWX gets to have this for real, he and his husband end up spending more of the day in the Jingshi than they’d meant to.

It turns out now that WWX is confident that LWJ is happy about bearing his child, he can’t help but be very, very interested in it. He wants to know how it feels. He’s tracing every inch of LWJ’s abdomen with his hands, then with his mouth. To WWX, it feels the same as always.

“I’m not convinced I knocked you up properly,” WWX says. “Better try again.”

They try a few times, and when they’re satisfied that Hanguang-Jun is good and pregnant, they fall asleep in each other’s arms and don’t wake until sunset.

When they’ve washed & are emerging from the Jingshi, they run into a concerned-looking Lan Qiren carrying a tray of broth. Of course: LWJ had narrowly escaped vomiting on a sect leader, then disappeared for the rest of the day after speaking with a doctor. Uncle must be worried.

LWJ is about to inform LQR that he has nothing to worry about when he feels his husband’s hand freeze on his arm, then starts tugging him back inside.

“Wei Ying,” he says as he follows, exasperated, fond.

“You lie by omission all the time,” WWX says, twisting at his ponytail.

“Can’t you just… let him think you’re sick? It’ll just be until the baby’s born, then our kid will be so cute Lan Qiren can’t be mad about it.”

LWJ kisses the frown off of his ridiculous husband’s face.

“Wei Ying. We are married. This does not break any rules. My uncle has no reason to complain.”

WWX raises an eyebrow. “He already hates me. If he learns I knocked up the Second Jade…”

LWJ carefully ignores the fire that starts to kindle at the thought of WWX knocking up the Second Jade, and steps back to the door, and allows LQR inside.

Uncle takes the news as well as LWJ expected. LQR may not be particularly warm toward WWX, but at this point he knows not to openly insult him. LWJ and his uncle both understand that if LWJ had to choose either his family & sect, or WWX, LWJ would choose WWX without hesitation.

(Someday, Wei Ying will understand this as well. It could take decades yet to convince him, but LWJ is up to the task.)

——

LWJ starts to show a bit earlier than is typical for a pregnancy. Granted, his pregnancy wouldn’t be considered typical. But the doctor does want to give him a closer examination, just to make sure everything seems to be progressing well. There’d been a curse involved, after all.

At this point, the doctor should be able to sense the separate life being nurtured by LWJ’s spiritual energy.

She senses one.

Two.

Three.

“Triplets.” WWX breathes, reaching reverently for LWJ’s belly.

Then, being Wei Ying in Cloud Recesses, and therefore on a mission to scandalize as many of the Lan as possible with his shamelessness, he grins and says at his normal volume,

“All our trying must have paid off, Lan-er-gege, I put two more babies in you!”

The doctor merely explains that human multiples are conceived all at the same time.

“Wei Ying,” he chides gently, giving his husband’s hand a firm squeeze.

He remembers now, at the tomb, how WWX said that he would happily have dozens of children with LWJ.

Perhaps this was the spirits’ way of helping them reach that number sooner. In that case, LWJ is relieved they’re starting small with three and he’s not pregnant with quintuplets.

(He doesn’t have much experience with infants, but he imagines he could hold a maximum of four babies at once without difficulty when they’re very small, three when they’re bigger.)

Here's diagram of how LWJ, who has never held an actual baby, imagines holding 4 babies at once.