Male Reader inserts

not my slave || jiang cheng

{fluff, angst}

source: grandmaster of demonic cultivation, 魔道祖师, the untamed, 陈情令
~
It took a while for (Y/n) to be able to sit up and stand, much less walk. That hua tu bing whatever had did quite a number on him. Slowly but surely, though, it was righted with lots of practice and hard work and patience from both (Y/n) and Jiang Cheng. When (Y/n) had gained enough strength to hobble around without tripping over his feet or robes, that was when Jiang Cheng allowed (Y/n) to walk without being escorted by Jiang Cheng's hand. It was strange to move around without a gentle grip steering (Y/n) this way and that, and Jiang Cheng's hands felt empty. But it was fine. (Y/n) was a grown man (basically a yeye, as Jin Ling had said). He could walk and do things just fine by himself.

Most things, actually. (Y/n)'s golden core was still weak and healing so he couldn't do much besides be a sickly housewife. He couldn't go on night hunts with Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling, so he was stuck making sure the estate was alright and even offering to help the servants clean and cook. It was often that Jiang Cheng would come back from a night hunt to see that (Y/n) was out with the maids helping put up laundry lines or washing rice outside with the cooks or learning to cook and chop vegetables. It was so beautifully domestic that Jiang Cheng could've cried.

Sometimes (Y/n) would even read documents to Jiang Cheng that the sect leader hadn't had time to get to, what with watching over Jin Ling (especially now that he was a teenager), even though (Y/n) wasn't all that great at reading. Just knowing that Jiang Cheng wouldn't come home to another empty estate made him so much happier. Most times away from Lotus Pier made him wish he was back unless (Y/n) was there with him. He felt he understood Wei Ying's sudden aversion to staying in one place with Lan Wangji. Home was wherever (Y/n) was.

The two had talked about getting married after the hua tu bing ordeal, consulting both Yunmeng and Gusu physicians to ensure that (Y/n) wouldn't have to worry about the sickness coming back. Although they'd been overjoyed to find out that (Y/n) had a 99.9% chance of never getting hua tu bing ever again, his golden core was permanently warped. He wouldn't be able to conduct any form of cultivation any more - his body wouldn't be able to handle the strain. Jiang Cheng had offered to stop cultivating in order for them to grow old together, but (Y/n) insisted that Jiang Cheng didn't have to stop just for him. They'd grow old together anyway, Jiang Cheng would just outlive him by several hundred years. That didn't sit well with him though. So Jiang Cheng had him and his shixiong get married as soon as (Y/n) was able to get out of the bed and bow without falling over. (Y/n) had been ecstatic - he was always excited like some little puppy when it came to his shidi.

When Wei Wuxian showed up with Lan Zhan, Lan Sizhui, and Wen Ning at the ceremony that was only supposed to be him, (Y/n), and Jin Ling, Jiang Cheng couldn't help sending (Y/n) a look. (Y/n) had only beamed in response. Jiang Cheng wouldn't admit it, but he was grateful - he had missed Wei Ying, no matter how vehemently he denied it. They all enjoyed the small feast that proceeded after the acceptance of another uncle under Jin Ling's belt.

However, after their marriage and the year after the sickness went on, (Y/n) started looking drastically older. Light wrinkles lined the corners of his mouth and eyes, grey strands flowing through his long hair, and his bones acting a lot more often. It was scary how quickly the body started to die without the presence of an active golden core. It terrified Jiang Cheng how old his shixiong and husband was. And yet he still insisted on doing physical labor around the house, even though the maids and servants were right there. He wasn't sure how to bring it up with (Y/n) - that he wanted him to stay more domestic and lazy, like a spoiled housecat, instead of laboring like a farmer's housewife.

"Aiyah, A - Cheng, can you pass me my reading glasses? I don't think I'm reading this character right." Jiang Cheng delicately passed the small wire rim glasses over to his husband, who perched them on his nose with a squint. He still gave a small hiss, Jiang Cheng almost able to see the cogs turning in (Y/n)'s head as he tried to make sense of the radicals. Jiang Cheng leaned over to see the contents of the letter, chin resting in his propped palm.