Work Text:
Every day, Wei Wuxian bundles up A’Yuan, packs all of their junk into as few bags as possible, and trudges to the bus stop.
He does this at what he thinks is a perfectly reasonable hour—ten AM—and enjoys the only-mildly-filled bus, able to sit down with his baby in his lap and their bags by his feet. He spends the ride telling A’Yuan what they’re going to do that day, even though A’Yuan is small enough he only knows how to say a few words and definitely doesn’t understand everything Wei Wuxian tells him. But he knows ‘farmer’s market’ and ‘park’ and ‘yummy time’, and when he hears these things, he kicks his feet and shrieks in delight, a gummy smile taking over his entire face.
After the bus ride in the morning, they walk around from place to place, unless they’re really far apart, or until it’s time to go back home, and then they get back on the bus.
Wei Wuxian is lucky, really. A’Yuan loves the bus—he loves seeing all kinds of new people, as enthralled by other babies and little kids as he is by grannies. He could look out the windows the whole ride, staring wide-eyed at everything they pass. He isn’t bothered by people playing music, or the sound of the ding as people want off, or the rush of air when the doors open. He doesn’t even throw his toys or drop his pacifier or slobber on anything.
A’Yuan is truly a perfect baby.
He’s not like Wei Wuxian at all, but of course he wouldn’t be, being adopted and all. Wei Wuxian doesn’t mind it this way, the little boy’s parents were good people who just couldn’t afford to raise two children under three. They’re Wen Qing and Wen Ning’s cousins, people Wei Wuxian has known vaguely for years, and so he can see a lot of them both in his baby.
But there are times where A’Yuan shows just who’s raising him, and this particular morning is one.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, and Wei Wuxian’s parents have called him home, fussing at him for never bringing A’Yuan to meet them and insisting they come and visit for such an important holiday. He doesn’t want to deny them again, and after their car accident, they can’t travel much anymore. So Wei Wuxian tells them that he and A’Yuan will be there, and tells his clients he’ll be back after the holiday, and that’s that.
The buses are packed full of people, and no one appreciates Wei Wuxian climbing on with a baby, a heavy backpack, and a large baby bag. He smiles as he pushes his way through, trying to find somewhere to sit and coming up empty as the bus lurches into movement.
A’Yuan starts babbling, smacking his hands against Wei Wuxian’s chest in glee. He’s such a silly baby, getting motion sick on Jiang Cheng’s family’s boats but acting like the bus is his own personal roller coaster.
Wei Wuxian babbles back even as his eyes still search for a spot. Near the back doors, a young woman meets his gaze and then sees A’Yuan, and then—because sometimes the gods are kind to him—she beckons them over and stands.
“Thank you so much,” he tells her, trying not to smack anyone with the baby bag.
“Your hands are a bit more full than mine,” she jokes as she moves over. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Yeah, hah, he’s cute but he’s heavy. You’re getting so big, aren’t you?” He can’t help himself from turning his attention back to A’Yuan, his voice pitching into a baby voice.
“Big!” A’Yuan agrees. He likes that word, because lately everyone says it to or around him with tones that say it’s a good thing. (And it is, but it also makes Wei Wuxian sad, because soon enough A’Yuan will get so big he won’t want to be carried anymore. He’s not looking forward to that day.)
The lady smiles at them for a moment longer before turning to her phone, which suits Wei Wuxian fine. He likes talking to people but he also doesn’t mind just sitting and playing with his baby. It’s going to be a long, long drive.
For a while, they move smoothly through the outskirts of the city. But the closer they get to downtown, the more traffic there is, and the more time they spend stalled in the road. A’Yuan is a champ and talks mostly incoherently at one of his stuffed animals, a little brown bunny that has seen better days.
Wei Wuxian fields texts from his mother asking for updates on their location and bounces A’Yuan in his lap. He’s not paying attention to the people around them, well used to people avoiding eye contact.
It’s going fine, if a little boring. But then, A’Yuan decides he’s had enough of this nonsense and for the first time ever, throws one of his toys. Well, on a bus, at least. Wei Wuxian still remembers where he’s gotten red marks from thrown blocks.
The bunny goes flying not at the floor, but right into the lap of the person sitting next to them.
Wei Wuxian sits up, already apologizing—“I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into him!”—when he turns and looks at the man.
His words halt mid-sentence, his mouth dropping open embarrassingly. Why did A’Yuan have to throw his sticky, slobbery bunny into the lap of the hottest man to ever exist?
The man is already looking back at him, his expression flat enough that Wei Wuxian would think he was annoyed. But for some reason, he doesn’t really seem upset, the air around them relaxed if a bit stuffy from all of the people around them.
With two fingers, the man picks up the bunny, not even grimacing at the feeling of baby spit matting down the fur. To Wei Wuxian, he asks, his voice low and kind, “May I?”
“Um. What? I mean—sure, go ahead,” he says, even though he doesn’t know what the man is asking. Surely a man so beautiful would be nice to babies, and hopefully nice to those babies’ single fathers.
There’s no time to ask, though, because then the man is turning towards A’Yuan. Gently, he asks, “Is this your bunny?”
“My buh’y,” A’Yuan confirms.
Wei Wuxian boots back online enough to say, “A’Yuan, what do you say?”
A’Yuan pouts and reaches out for the stuffed animal, but Wei Wuxian takes his hand before he can reach.
“No, you say sorry. It’s not nice to throw things at people.”
It takes him a moment, but finally A’Yuan relents. He can’t pronounce ‘s’s very well yet, but he tries, telling the man, “’Awwy.”
“Forgiven,” the man says, and returns the toy with such care that Wei Wuxian has to remind himself he’s in public and cannot fawn over, profusely thank, or propose marriage to him.
Wei Wuxian just needs to be calm. He can be calm. And normal! He’s so good at being normal.
“So do you have a man? I mean a name?”
The man looks at him with clear amusement. “My name is Lan Wangji. And no, I don’t.”
“Oh good, I don’t either, except my baby, he’s my little man, haha…”
“And your name?” He—Lan Wangji—asks.
Wei Wuxian takes a second to parse the question. A’Yuan bounces and mumbles in his lap, sitting up as much as the baby carrier allows him to.
Sticking a hand out around A’Yuan’s back, he says, “Wei Wuxian, but you can call me Wei Ying if you’d like.”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji says, as if testing out the sound of his name. “It is nice to meet you.”
Wei Wuxian beams. Any frustration he might’ve had with the traffic is completely gone now, unimportant in the face of such a handsome guy.
“So,” he asks, “where are you headed?”
They aren’t going anywhere fast, so it gives Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji—who soon reveals he also has an old fashioned two-name situation and says Wei Wuxian can call him Lan Zhan—time to sit and chat.
Lan Zhan, it turns out, is also heading to see family. Unlike Wei Wuxian, he has a large family who all have a weird preoccupation with setting Lan Zhan up on dates.
“You aren’t looking forward to getting there at all, are you?” Wei Wuxian asks, shooting him a teasing smile.
Lan Zhan gives him a silent but deadly look, telling him just what he thinks of that.
Wei Wuxian bursts into laughter, and A’Yuan mimics him, little baby giggles filling the air.
“Lan Zhan is funny, isn’t he, little radish?” Wei Wuxian jostles him gently, making A’Yuan laugh some more. “You picked a good new friend!”
“Yeah! ‘End!”
When he looks over, Lan Zhan is watching them with warm eyes.
After a moment, he asks, “Where are you two headed?”
“To see my parents. They’re dying to see the baby, and keep telling me I’m a horrible child for depriving them of A’Yuan’s adorableness. Can you believe that, Lan Zhan?”
“He is very adorable.”
Wei Wuxian loves to talk about how cute his son is, and this is as good as invitation as any. He tells Lan Zhan about A’Yuan’s cute little cheeks and cute little nose and how he likes to sleep on Wei Wuxian’s chest.
Lan Zhan listens with endearing attention to detail, and Wei Wuxian knows that he’s crazy and they’ve only just met, but… there’s something about Lan Wangji that feels trustworthy.
“Do you want to hold him?”
A’Yuan is an easygoing baby who doesn’t mind being passed from one relative to the next even on the worst days. He loves people and hugs and meeting strangers.
Still, Wei Wuxian has never seen him act the way he does when Lan Zhan has him in his arms.
A’Yuan talks at him for a few minutes, pulling on his shoulder-length hair and clutching Wei Wuxian’s fingers in his other palm. Lan Zhan talks back in a soothing voice as if he’s a little grown up, and A’Yuan eats it right up, entranced by their new friend.
Eventually, Wei Wuxian gets a little antsy and says, “Should I take him back?” Who knows how often Lan Zhan holds babies, maybe his arms are getting tired, or maybe Wei Wuxian just feels lonely with an empty baby carrier strapped to his chest.
Lan Zhan’s mouth dips down for just a brief moment, short enough Wei Wuxian isn’t sure he really saw it. But then he’s lifting the baby up as if to hand him back over.
A’Yuan’s bottom lip wobbles and his eyes get big and wet. Before either of them can do anything, he tries to fling himself back into Lan Zhan’s chest.
Lan Zhan catches him with a shocked look, turning to Wei Wuxian as if he has any answers. A’Yuan has never done that, not even with Wen Ning, his most absolute second favorite person in the world.
“A’Yuan, what’s wrong? Don’t you want baba to hold you?”
“No,” A’Yuan pouts, clutching at Lan Zhan. “’End.”
It takes Wei Wuxian a minute to get what he’s saying. “You wanna stay with your new friend?”
A’Yuan nods. Lan Zhan looks a terribly sexy mix of smug and delighted.
“I guess we’re stuck together,” Wei Wuxian tells him, though it’s impossible to sound even jokingly upset. “You’ll have to tell your family you got adopted. And I’ll have to tell mine we’re a three for one deal.”
Lan Zhan cradles A’Yuan closer to him and gives Wei Wuxian very pleased eyes. “Alright. Let’s do it.”
Wei Wuxian pulls out his phone. “I’ll tell my baba to set out another plate setting for you.”
Lan Zhan hums happily and presses a tiny kiss into A’Yuan’s downy hair.
The bus has made some, but not great, progress. They still have a long way to go. Wei Wuxian finds himself far too glad for the disruption to their day, and by the way A’Yuan starts to gnaw sleepily on Lan Zhan’s jacket, he must be too.