Letting go of self-restraint 2 - All that is missing is a little one

Chapter 53

His sister's gentle urging got to Wei Ying and when Wen Qing assured him that she would be close all the time, he finally stretched his arms. The Dafan Wen doctor passed him the bundle of blankets ever so gently, adjusting the younger boy's hold on it.

The baby was surprisingly heavy for its size and he felt his hands dropping down a few centimetres; he was still somewhat weak from his long stay in the Burial Mounds, he did not yet recover fully.

He started immediately panicking. Lan Zhan could feel his rising worries, although he believed that his husband would never actually drop the baby and would do everything he possibly could to keep his nephew safe, the Second Jade wanted to be there for him. He stepped right behind his soulmate and supported his hands to alleviate the weight of the small bundle of blankets.

Wei Ying calmed down at once, finally taking his time and looking closely at the child in his arms. When his fear was gone, he realized that it felt extremely natural, like his hands were made solely for the purpose of cradling and holding precious little lives. His lips were stretched to their limits in a large smile, he knew he must have been looking silly but he could not care less at that moment.

He was marvelling at the sight; he could not believe his sister would trust him with her treasure. The Second Jade was looking down over Wei Ying's shoulder, wondering if their child would look like this after it would be born. Also for him, this was the first time seeing a new-born baby up close.

The Yunmeng Jiang sect disciple was too excited to keep quiet anymore: "Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, look! Is he not beautiful? Are all babies this precious? I..." Then he stopped abruptly, all words stolen from his mind and breath from his lungs.

The baby opened its eyes and looked directly at him; and the younger boy melted. He did not fear hurting his nephew anymore, although his hands were trembling from the strain and his legs were threatening to give up, he would carry the baby to the ends of the world if needed. He was completely lost in his nephew's gaze. The child's eyes were so big and innocent that he could drown in them.

He was not conscious of his own body anymore, but he knew his husband would not let him drop the precious child if ever his strength left him suddenly.

He kept the baby in his arms for what seemed like eternity until Wen Qing approached and gently took it away, giving it back to Jiang Yanli. As soon as the comforting weight was removed, his hands felt empty. Wei Ying did not notice he was crying until Lan Zhan came in front of him and was wiping the tears away with his thumb.

Jiang Yanli smiled at him while she gently rocked her son: "I understand, A-Xian, it is a lot. I also cried the first time I held Jiang Cheng in my arms. Babies just have this effect on people. And I cried even harder when I held Jin Ling. Children are precious, are they not?"

The Yunmeng Jiang sect disciple only nodded, overcome with emotions. He thought back to the time he was sitting on the end of the pier with a dagger in his hands and he was horrified. At that time, he did not know what he almost gave up. He knew now however, and he would never commit the same mistake again. He was already looking forward to their own little treasure. He would protect his and Lan Zhan's child with his life.

"Do not worry, Wei Ying. We will have our own precious child in only a few weeks. You will be a great parent. And if you ever start to doubt yourself again, I will be there, always. We will take such a good care of our treasure." The Second Jades reassuring words were enough for him to let his tears fall even faster. He was so incredibly happy he had such a supporting husband, he would not give it up for the world.

It took several minutes for the Yunmeng Jiang sect disciple to finally find his bearings again and for his tears to stop. He stood in the middle of the infirmary, still looking at Jiang Yanli and his nephew in haze, just taking in the sight. Lan Zhan was holding his hand, offering silent support.

The older boy was already looking forward to seeing his husband with their own baby in his arms. He knew it would be the most beautiful and precious sight he would ever see. He wanted to memorize it and store it in the innermost part of his being.

Their idyllic thoughts were interrupted by Jiang Cheng. The Yunmeng Jiang sect leader, ever so subtle with his words, said mockingly but quietly: "What are you just standing there for, all frozen. You should congratulate sister for giving birth to such a precious baby. You should not black out after just holding our nephew for a minute. You are such a weakling, get a grip." There was however no malice behind his words, it was evident he was just as overwhelmed as everyone else.

Jiang Yanli immediately stepped in, making peace between her brothers: "Now, now, A-Cheng. You were also emotional and cried when you held Jin Ling. It is just much to process for A-Xian. He will also have a child shortly, I am sure he is thinking about it as we speak, already looking forward to it."

"Shijie..." Wei Ying pouted in pretention, "I was thinking how happy you look with Jin Ling in your arms. He is such a beautiful baby, even if his father is that Peacock. He will surely take after you. Congratulations!" His smile was blinding as he could not keep back his tears anymore and they spilled once again.

His happiness of awaiting his own child was still a little dimmed by his realization that he had almost lost it due to his own actions, but he quickly pushed those negative e thoughts to the back on his mind. Instead, he preferred to focus on teasing his bright red-faced brother: "Jiang Cheng, what do I hear? You were always a cry-baby. You did not change a bit ever since we were children."

"You!" the Yunmeng Jiang sect leader tried to defend himself, but Wei Ying's tongue was faster.

"You should also hurry, I want to have at least five nephews and nieces. You would surely not let all the hard work to Shijie." The older sibling laughed playfully while dodging his brother's harmless punch and hiding behind Lan Zhan. He missed greatly this kind of bickering. It was not as if his husband was no fun, but the childish brotherly plays had a special place in his heart.

After a while of careful shuffling around – the Second Jade or Jiang Yanli would have stepped in should the pregnant boy be in any actual danger – Jiang Cheng went back to Wen Ning. The Dafan Wen disciple was completely red when his husband took his hand and proclaimed: "Of course, just you wait! Lotus Pier will be full of children shortly; we will make sure of it."

WeiYing could not fully hide his fond expression, he could see how much hisbrother loved the young Omega and vice versa. He moved closer to Lan Zhan againand wrapped himself in his husband's arms. All the running around and laughinghad tired him out; seeing Jiang Cheng flirt with Wen Ning so openly, he grewjealous and could not wait to go back to their room. He only wanted to be alonewith Lan Zhan again and take a nap next to him after some light exercise.