Work Text:
Wei Wuxian is building a Lego pirate ship with a-Yuan in the playroom (no food, creativity toys preferred). He considers this a blameless activity.
Nonetheless, when Wen Qing enters the room he gets an absolutely soul-withering glare before a-Yuan turns around and her expression warms for him.
"Mama, we're building my pirate ship," a-Yuan tells her proudly.
"Is something up?" Wei Wuxian asks warily. "I thought you were at the hospital today." She'll be stopping work until the baby's born quite soon, but it isn't yet - unless something's gone wrong.
Wen Qing gives him a minute shake of her head and listens to a-Yuan telling her about their Lego plans.
"That sounds wonderful," she finally tells him. "I'll see you when I get home from the hospital, all right?" She bends to kiss his hair.
Wei Wuxian follows her out of the room. "Seriously, is -"
She holds up a hand. "The baby is fine. I just wanted to check in with a-Yuan and a-Shen to remind myself that the end result of this is worth it." She gestures towards her belly.
"What's wrong?" She looks... tired.
"Nothing, really. I'm just not sleeping well. As soon as I go to bed the baby kicks off a private rave. I'll see you tonight." She turns and walks briskly away.
Wei Wuxian returns to a-Yuan, thinking.
~
He makes a plan.
By evening his plan has been somewhat modified in accordance with Lan family principles of calm and meditative attention to mindful living and Lan Zhan-specific principles of ludicrous excess.
Wei Wuxian really doesn't think the Lan mansion needed a new meditation room. There already is a meditation room (no talking, don't disturb the rock garden), but now the room that had, at some point, been some sort of cold storage before refrigeration was invented (rules unknown, Wei Wuxian had never been in there) is a second meditation room, because Wen Qing runs warm in her third trimester and it's on the side of the house that never gets full sun, with windows overlooking flowerbeds and the stream that runs through the garden.
It didn't have windows before today. It's amazing what can be done if you're willing to throw enough money at it, apparently.
The decor is beautiful and the daybed has more pillows than seems like it should be convenient, there are artfully-concealed spotlights to show the garden to good effect even after dark, and the masseuse is only too happy to be paid ten times her usual hourly rate to be waiting all evening in the Semi-Informal Parlour (refreshments permitted for guests only, no loitering) in case her services are desired.
When Wen Qing returns home from the hospital a light meal is ready - she's at the light meals and frequent snacking stage, the baby isn't leaving much room for things like food. While Lan Qiren was commanding the hasty installation of a nonetheless-perfect meditation room (Wei Wuxian would have thought he'd object to sudden and significant changes to the house, but of course Lan Qiren is not only a member of Team Think Of The Baby, Wei Ying, he is the captain and coach) Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan spent the entire day carefully balancing entertainment and naps to see to it the boys were at their absolute sweetest when their mother came home.
They're already fed and freshly bathed, so everything is aligned for Wen Qing to enjoy her time with her children before they're tucked into bed and Wen Qing - eyeing them suspiciously as it happens, but Wei Wuxian doesn't really blame her - is ushered into the new meditation room.
"I regret that it is not all it should be," Lan Qiren says. "There have been some unfortunate delays."
"He's getting things flown in from overseas," Wei Wuxian whispers.
"And it's taking far too long," Lan Qiren grumps. "I asked Professor Duanmu whether this could have a harmful impact on the baby, and he said that no research had ever been conducted on the influence of orchids on antenatal development. A shameful oversight."
Wei Wuxian is quite pleased to see Wen Qing's lips twitch. They'll send Professor Duanmu a gift basket later. Lan Qiren's demands for extremely obscure or impossible information about childhood development are frequent, and the poor man is starting to seem very tense about them.
Wen Qing is often resistant to "wasting time" on unnecessary relaxation or general pampering, and the degree to which she's been having a hard time lately is evident in how she doesn't even protest the suggestion of taking the evening to just rest. She even lets the masseuse arrange the pillows in complicated ways to support her body well enough for a massage.
"There's only so much you can probably do," Wen Qing tells her. "I think at least half my backache is the baby practicing kick technique on my spine."
"I had considered that," Lan Zhan says gravely, and steps out of the room briefly, returning with a guitar.
Wei Wuxian is so very grateful that Wen Qing has always been indulgent of Lan Zhan's intense devotion to her unborn children.
One could almost argue excessive, he thinks, as he realises why for part of the afternoon he was alone with both of the boys. Apparently Lan Zhan was finishing a new song, because the notes he plays are unfamiliar.
"Lan Zhan," he hisses. "Did you write another lullaby?"
He nods. "This child does not have one," he says, as if it's obvious, and Wei Wuxian allows himself to collapse gently face-forward to the floor.
Lan Zhan's children's album was dedicated to both of the boys, but there were, he'll admit, songs that were clearly for one or the other. Of course Lan Zhan would think that those songs weren't appropriate for their third child. The new baby should have brand new songs that have never been sung for another child. Obviously. Everyone knows songs show wear and tear and are unhygienic if reused.
Lan Zhan sings, soft and gentle.
Rest, little one, the night is coming soon
The sun will go to bed, to rest
To give way to the moon
Sleep sweet
Sleep soft
So long as the stars will shine
I'll love you, baby mine
Lan Zhan, Wei Wuxian thinks, is such a sap.
But he keeps singing, sweet and earnest, and then Wen Qing sighs gently.
"I think it's asleep," she says. "Finally."
Lan Zhan smiles.