#when will tumblr user viterbofangirllovestheuntamed write the actual hug scenes for us #haven’t we suffered enough #haven’t we earned it
@evakant Ask and you shall receive! ^_^
The air was as still as a tomb as three unnaturally silent boys sat around the small table, tea untouched. Lan Jingyi finally shifted. “He’s… he’s been gone a long time…”
“Not that long,” Ouyang Zizhen murmured, his attempt at reassurance somewhat falling flat due to the tremor in his voice.
Jin Ling scowled, a perfect imitation of his uncle. “Jiujiu didn’t— well, I didn’t expect him to react so badly!”
“Maybe it’s because of Wei-qianbei,” Zizhen offered.
“But they made up ages ago!” Jin Ling yowled in frustration, throwing his hands up into the air.
Jingyi’s mouth twisted in displeasure. “Maybe it’s because of his beef with Hanguang Jun.” He blew a strand of hair out of his face. “The two most badass adults I know, and they hate each other! My life sucks so hard.”
Jin Ling kicked the other boy under the table, eliciting a yelp and a brief scuffle that Zizhen hadn’t even attempted to quell yet before Lan Sizhui entered the room. Three pairs of eyes instantly focused on him, the instant relief of his reappearance immediately drowned in further worry as they took in his appearance.
Sizhui’s perfect posture and immaculate calm had been replaced with staggering steps and a stunned expression topped off by a thousand-lǐ stare. Jingyi leapt to his feet and gently ushered his friend to the remaining empty cushion. Sizhui allowed himself to be herded like a sleepwalker, unsteadily sitting and not reacting when Zizhen pressed a warm cup of tea into his hand. Jin Ling was on his knees, leaning halfway over the table. “Are you… what happened?!”
“Did Sandu Shengshou yell at you?” Jingyi thundered, muttering something poisonous-sounding under his breath about how Hanguang Jun had been right after all.
“He…” Sizhui blinked slowly, then continued. “He hugged me.”
A dead shock fell over the room. “HE WHAT?!” screeched Jin Ling.
“It was…” Sizhui vaguely lifted his arms, teacup in his hand apparently forgotten as he searched for words. “Arms. Arms everywhere. Tight. Warm. A chin over my shoulder, I think? Almost couldn’t breathe. Like being wrapped tight in a thick, warm, tight, warm blanket.” His glassy gaze unfocused further. “It just… kept going…”
The silence that followed this speech was broken by a strange, seething screech. Of all people, it was coming from Ouyang Zizhen. “I can’t believe this!” he complained, his face dark with outrage. “I cannot believe that Sizhui got a Jiujiu Hug before I did! The absolute nerve of that man! I was the one that reached out to him first— I gave him my sister’s sweet egg buns recipe— and this is the thanks I get?!”
“Yeah,” Jingyi echoed unhelpfully. “I mean, even I got tossed in the lake… I mean, it’s not a hug, but his arms— well, hands— did make contact with me.”
That strange, escaping-steam screech sounded from Zizhen’s mouth again, and he bolted to his feet and stormed out the door.
The fuss had shaken Sizhui from his stupor, and the three remaining boys scrambled after in horror at whatever it was Zizhen was about to do.
What he was about to do, apparently, was holler at the top of his longs at Sect Leader Jiang as the latter was making his way to his office. “SANDU SHENGSHOU! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!”
The man started and whirled around, Zidian crackling to life on his hand. But as Ouyang Zizhen stomped up to him, hands on his hips and glowering, the older man’s expression grew flabbergasted and befuddled, not unlike as if a duck had suddenly come up off the lake and started angrily quacking at him. “This is an outrage! After everything I’ve done for you!”
“What the fuck…” he muttered, still staring at Zizhen in disbelief.
“I ask you every time I visit about how your headaches are doing! I remember all of your disciples’ birthdays! I shared my sister’s secret sweet egg bun recipe with you because you expressed an interest in it! AND LAN SIZHUI GETS A HUG BEFORE I DO?! Is this the chivalry of one of the Great Sects?!?”
Jiang Cheng pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering tiredly under his breath. “Kid…”
“I thought we had a special rapport!” Zizhen bawled. “I though we were moving towards a meaningful relationship of mutual understanding—”
“KID!” Jiang Cheng interrupted, beginning to sound alarmed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about and trust me, I understand you the least among you four brats!”
“You don’t like meeee!” Zizhen wailed, hands coming up to cover his face, unheeding of the quiet but fervent “fuck” Jiang Cheng hissed. “You hate me after all! After the recipe and everything, after all our nice chats, and I don’t even mean enough to get a Jiujiu hug!”
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Jiang Cheng growled in exasperation and yanked Zizhen into his arms. The bawling stopped abruptly, but a few shaky sniffles and whimpers continued as the boy burrowed his face into the man’s chest. “Do not get snot on my robes,” he warned, but absently began rubbing the other’s back.
The boy shuddered and melted into Jiang Cheng’s arms. For his part, Jiang Cheng stared straight ahead, dead-eyed and long-suffering.
But he didn’t stop the hug.
After a moment, Zizhen nuzzled closer. “You smell good.”
“Okay you’re done,” Jiang Cheng responded immediately, pulling him away firmly though not ungently. Zizhen wiped at his reddened face and puffy eyes, and Jiang Cheng absently produced a handkerchief from his sleeve. The awkward atmosphere was instantly broken by Jingyi skipping up and holding his arms out wide with a shameless, expectant grin.
Jiang Cheng groaned. “What? You too?”
Jingyi attempted a pout— attempted, because he couldn’t manage any sort of innocent face to save his life. “Sandu Shengshou, you’re not gonna leave me the only one who didn’t get a hug, are you?” His eyes glinted. “I’ll tell Hanguang Jun!”
Zidian crackled. “The hell you will!” Jiang Cheng snapped, wrapping his arms around Jingyi.
The boy wheezed. “Sandu Shengshou!” he croaked. “Not so tight! I wasn’t really gonna tell, I promise!”
“You’d better fucking not,” he snarled, but relaxed his arms slightly. From within the embrace, Jingyi gave a little “oo!” followed by “this is really nice” and “actually, Sandu Shengshou, can you squeeze really tight again? I’ve had this knot in my back…”
Jiang Cheng’s arms flexed again and a distinct crack was heard. Jingyi let out a noise then went boneless. “That’s it,” he burbled, slurring like a drunk. “I live here now.”
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. “You most certainly do not. Get off, I have work to do.”
“Nope!” Jingyi chirped, wrapping his legs around Jiang Cheng like a tree.
“Lan Jingyi!” Jiang Cheng barked, then sighed with annoyance. He took two steps to the edge of the walkway and pivoted until Jingyi was suspended over the water. “You have until the count of zero.”
Unable to contain himself any longer, Jin Ling lurched forward and yanked Jingyi off. “That’s enough, he said! GET OFF itsmyturn…” The sullen mutter was ultimately smothered as nephew buried himself into uncle’s arms.
Jiang Cheng’s exasperated expression softened, a quiet happiness in his eyes. Jin Ling had proclaimed himself too big for hugs for a long time, only recently beginning to accept them again. Jiang Cheng was not inclined to look that gift horse in the mouth, especially after the events two years ago. Still, he harrumphed and thew a very unconvincing glare at Sizhui. “This is all your fault.”
Sizhui gave him a beatific beam. “This nephew begs pardon from his Shushu.”
(h/t to @lanjiangs‘s tags for the suggestion as to how this must inevitably end!)
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