#or maybe wwx just grows them every once in a while when he’s being a clowned on | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

Note

CQL-verse! The characters have the same age gaps between them as their actors and actresses! Wwx and Jyl are the same age, jc is 5 years younger than them. Lxc is 3 years younger than wwx&jyl and lwj is 3 years younger than him. Nmj is two years older than wwx&jyl and nhs is 8 years younger than him and the same age as lwj. (1/2)

Meng Yao is 2 years older than nhs and jzx is 2 years older than MY. I'm leaving the Wen Sibs out of this because otherwise WN would be the same age as wwx and WQ would be 4 years younger than him. But hey! If you want to go with that, go crazy! I was thinking more of Yunmeng Sibs focus, but I will be happy with anything! (2/2)

ao3

Untamed

Nie Mingjue hated the Wen sect to the point of death and war, but he had always had trouble hating sad and gentle Wen Ning.

Wen Ning was technically his peer – there were only two years between them in age – and therefore capable of the same sorts of responsibilities and duties towards righteousness as Nie Mingjue, meaning that he ought to hate him as much as all the rest. But at the same time, Wen Ning was only part of the main branch family indirectly, a ward of Wen Ruohan; he was constantly suppressed and even tormented by Wen Chao, the eldest son of that family. If anything, it seemed almost as if he’d been brought into the family just to act as the family’s scapegoat, the inferior copy that was so hapless that he made that self-indulgent hedonist Wen Chao appear somewhat competent in contrast.

Nie Mingjue couldn’t imagine treating any of his own cousins that way.

He and Wen Chao were often compared, both being about the same age, and their young brothers were of similar age as well, both of them only fourteen; this juxtaposition made sure that every single person in the cultivation world talk of them in the same breath. Nie Mingjue always came out the better in the comparison, and Wen Xu the same for his, which in the minds of most people balanced out, but which caused Wen Chao no end of rage. He knew he couldn’t take out his anger on the talented Wen Xu and so took out on poor Wen Ning instead.

Nie Mingjue hated the Wen sect.

He did not hate Wen Ning.

Wen Ning, who should not be here.

“Please,” Wen Ning said, nearly in tears, as he threw himself down to the floor in front of Nie Mingjue. He’d burst into the room in the inn Nie Mingjue was staying at, the guards that no sect leader could do without no matter what they wanted following close behind in alarm until Nie Mingjue had waved them off with a gesture; he’d been panting so hard that he’d only just now caught his breath. “Please help this useless older brother do one good thing with his life.”

Alarmed, Nie Mingjue reached out and caught Wen Ning by the shoulders, pulling him to stand and even forgetting himself enough to reach forward with a sleeve to dab away the tears staining the other man’s face.

“What is it?” he asked, feeling anxiety curdling in his gut. He’d spoken with Wen Ning before during the discussion conferences, both when he was younger and even, in a few stolen moments, after he became sect leader; he knew Wen Ning had a steady personality, if a weak one from all the bullying he endured, and that he was not given to unnecessary hysterics. If he could tolerate Wen Chao’s endless torment with a faint smile and a don’t worry sect leader Nie once you’re used to it it’s more funny than anything else, then what could make him act like this? “What is that you need help with? I do not understand.”

Wen Ning looked tired. He always had, his health had always been poor, but now it seemed worse than ever; there were circles under his eyes, and Nie Mingjue had no idea how he’d managed to get away from the Nightless City to come find him. The town he was currently in was close to the border the Qinghe Nie shared with Qishan Wen, but it was still an effort, especially for someone like Wen Ning. He might be a member of the Wen family by name, but his freedom was significantly curtailed, and it wasn’t only because he was sickly.

“My little sister is going to be attending the lectures at the Cloud Recesses,” Wen Ning said.

“The - Lan sect lectures?” Nie Mingjue repeated blankly. It was a stupid thing to say; of course it was the Lan sect’s lectures, who else would give lectures at the Cloud Recesses? And yet, at the same time – “The Wen sect hasn’t gone to them in generations.”

“Sect Leader Wen asked A-Qing to look for something,” Wen Ning said. “I don’t know what. He talks to her more than he talks to me, when she’s treating him with acupuncture and other such things – he only wants blood relations treating him now, so she’s passing along what she can do, the doctors all say she’s talented – he told her something, I think, but I don’t know what, he doesn’t talk to me…and she doesn’t talk to me, either.”

“She’s sixteen, they’re like that,” Nie Mingjue said, trying to offer comfort, but he didn’t like the sound of that – Wen Ruohan growing reliant on the medical skills of a teenager, talking with her as if she were an adult…it didn’t speak well to the Chief Cultivator’s state of mind. “So she’s going to go spy on them?”

“She is. And maybe more. There’s – there’s something back in the Nightless City, something Sect Leader Wen is refining in order to increase his power. Whatever it is, it’s powerful and evil.” Wen Ning looked paler than usual, somehow. “It was something that was kept in a cave near our village when we were younger, once. Sect Leader Wen took it away to study, and it made something go crazy, I got hurt, and my parents – anyway, it doesn’t matter. I can’t go near it without losing my senses, so I really don’t know anything about it. But I know that Sect Leader Wen only has a piece – and the Lan sect has another.”

Lan Xichen had never mentioned such a thing, but then again, he wasn’t really old enough that Nie Mingjue would expect him to know everything about his sect – he was after all a full five years younger than Nie Mingjue, three years younger than Wen Ning; he was still only seventeen, having only just graduated from his uncle’s classes the year before. He was only very technically sect leader, in the same way Nie Mingjue had only been technically sect leader after his father’s death, although unlike Lan Xichen Nie Mingjue had fought his way to step up to the task for real early on. He himself was only barely considered an adult at the age of twenty-two; it was no surprise that in the Lan sect, which had Lan Qiren to rely on, Lan Xichen might not know it all.

Or perhaps he knew, and simply didn’t say. Each sect was entitled to its secrets.

“What are you thinking?” Nie Mingjue asked.

“I’m thinking that my sister is constantly afraid for me, even though she’s younger than me,” Wen Ning said solemnly. “I’m thinking that she will break her own principles into pieces to protect me. I’m thinking that she’ll find whatever it is, or find a hint to it, and then Wen Chao will take his forces to burn the Cloud Recesses to the ground in search of it.”

Nie Mingjue could see that.

He didn’t want to, but he could.

“My brother is attending those lectures,” he said blankly. Nie Huaisang was there right now. He could be in danger – no, he would be in danger. Nie Huaisang wasn’t a good cultivator, and at fourteen, he was just a baby. Nie Mingjue had sent Meng Yao with him, nominally as his attendant, but in fact to get the benefit of the classes himself and also bully Nie Huaisang into actually learning something – he’d brought Meng Yao into the Nie sect after Jin Zixuan, full of guilt over how his father had treated a boy only two years his junior, had sent him a letter beseeching him for help following Meng Yao’s public and humiliating rejection from Jinlin Tower – but Meng Yao was only sixteen, of age with Wen Qing; what could he really do?

Moreover, sending Wen Qing and not Wen Xu, even though Wen Xu was the same age as Nie Huaisang and Lan Wangji, indicated that Wen Ruohan didn’t want his more promising son to get involved in whatever it was that he was planning, or maybe in whatever consequences followed. If Wen Chao really were to try something violent, they couldn’t afford to have a weakness already there…

“I need to get A-Qing out of the Wen sect,” Wen Ning said, and Nie Mingjue turned to look at him in shock. “Permanently. I’ve begged her to go, but she won’t leave me, she won’t leave our family of the Dafan Wen, but she has to. Something bad is going to happen soon. I know it. I don’t mind trading my life for hers, but she has to live.”

“Is there any way you can go to the Cloud Recesses as well?” Nie Mingjue asked, his mind already racing. He’d long ago given up on helping Wen Ning because he knew the other man wouldn’t turn traitor against his family, being an upright and filial child, but if his family had reached such a depth of corruption as that, then it was only right to leave them behind. If Wen Ning was finally accepting that, maybe there was something he could do. “You’re sensitive to the – whatever it is. Right? Maybe Wen Qing can suggest bringing you around to help her find her way to it.”

“How would that help?”

“It gets you somewhere safe, while I can rescue Dafan Wen – without a threat to you or to them, your sister would have no reason to insist on staying,” Nie Mingjue said, though it wouldn’t be him, exactly, that did the rescue – he’d need a firm alibi lest Wen Ruohan use it as an excuse to start something with his Nie sect. He might have prepared for war as much as he could, but the Wen sect was still stronger; if war broke out, he needed to make sure that he had the moral high ground.

Luckily, Wei Wuxian, that walking calamity of a head disciple of Yunmeng Jiang, had of late developed the habit of wandering over to visit various other sects, including Qinghe (and Nie Mingjue in specific), at his leisure, and no one ever would think to blame him for such a strange thing as a subsidiary sect of distant Wen sect cousins disappearing.

After all, Wei Wuxian had no reason to know or care about the Dafan Wen, and everyone knew he abjured politics completely, violently and repetitively, so as to make no mistake about anyone who might otherwise see him as competition for the Jiang sect’s true heir, Jiang Cheng. The five-year gap between their ages kept them from being compared – you couldn’t expect a child, and at fifteen Jiang Cheng was still very much a child, to keep up with an adult just turned twenty like Wei Wuxian – but there had always been whispers given everything with Cangse Sanren, and Wei Wuxian had had to work very hard to put a stop to them.

Wei Wuxian’s wandering habit had started back when he’d been trying to find Jiang Yanli a new fiancée to replace the engagement he’d broken by fighting with Jin Zixuan, however shameful it was for him to fight with a boy two years his junior. It was for that that he had come to Qinghe to meet Nie Mingjue, leading to them hitting it off as friends despite Nie Mingjue expressing that he had absolutely no interest in getting married to Jiang Yanli, or indeed to any nice young lady at all; then, in turn, Nie Mingjue had brought him to the Lan sect to meet Lan Xichen. They’d gotten along as well, although the most notable outcome of that visit had been little Lan Wangji developing a crush on his elder brother’s new friend while Wei Wuxian remained blissfully oblivious. His wanderings had continued even after Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan had found their way back to each other, affianced once again through their own choice rather than their parents’.

Said parents had not yet been informed of this new situation, as they were waiting for the right time to mention it. Or perhaps more accurately, the right situation to exploit with it…

Now, Nie Mingjue thought. Now was the time. It would work perfectly.

And not just as a distraction.

“Are you sure…?”

“I am,” Nie Mingjue said. “Whatever it is, Wen Ruohan must be kept from obtaining all of the pieces; he’s already too powerful, and more power will only make him more arrogant. I’ll speak with Lan Qiren. Once I take the Dafan Wen back to the Nie sect, your sister will be able to testify to whatever it is that she was asked to search for, which will give Lan Qiren the evidence he needs to get his sect’s approval for retaliatory measures. Moreover, using Wei Wuxian to help me will force Jiang Fengmian to support me as well; there’s no way he’d ever refuse to back him to the hilt.”

“The Jin sect –”

“Will join us,” Nie Mingjue said, thinking of Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan’s yet-to-be-announced engagement. Once Jin Guangshan realized that he would be pulled into the same boat as the rest of them whether he wanted to or not, any resistance he had would crumble like a structure made of sand being beaten down by the tide. “They won’t have a choice. Is there anything else I should know?”

“There’s a child,” Wen Ning said, biting his lips. “Around the same age as your brother or my sister, or maybe the Jiang sect heir, I don’t know, around that. He helps Sect Leader Wen with whatever he’s doing.”

“A child helps him?”

Nie Mingjue didn’t like the sound of that.

“I don’t know. Some secret his family knows, I think…his surname is Xue.”

Nie Mingjue frowned.

“I don’t know much about him,” Wen Ning added. “Only that he has some history with the Yueyang Chang clan. Bad history.”

“That’s a good start,” Nie Mingjue said. He realized that he hadn’t yet released Wen Ning’s shoulders, and gave them a small squeeze before doing so. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will do everything I can to help you.”

Wen Ning looked at him with admiration in his eyes, making Nie Mingjue feel a little hot under the collar.

“Thank you, Chifeng-zun,” he murmured, and Nie Mingjue shook his head.

“Call me by name,” he said, and tried to smile. “You’ll be here a lot in the future, if all goes well.”

Nie Mingjue hated the Wen sect, but he didn’t hate gentle and sad Wen Ning.

He didn’t hate him at all.

#mdzs #nie mingjue #wen ning #my fic #my fics #count your age #I know you said Yunmeng focus but this is what came out #sorry #full list of ages on the ao3 page

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vrishchikawrites · 3 years

Note

If you're still taking small prompts

Wwx is found by XXC instead of JFM ( handwaves the ages). He grows up as a rogue cultivator ( maybe meets BSSR). He meets JFM who offers him a disciple position and wwx joins just for kicks ( hey, of xxc will start his own sect, someone must know how it actually works)

He takes none of YZYs BS

Wei Wuxian likes to keep his life interesting and by most people's standards, it has been. After all, few people can claim to be born to an immortal cultivator's disciple. Fewer still can claim to be adopted by another such disciple.

Wei Wuxian's life has been full of adventure and that has shaped his personality. When he parts ways with Xiao Xingchen at seventeen, he chases new experiences. He roams the lands as a rogue cultivator, helps people in need, annoys prissy sect disciples, flirts with a particularly enchanting Lan, and has fun.

When he stumbles upon the Jiang Sect heir and companions in trouble, he quickly disposes of the threat. Wei Wuxian then carries the heir and ushering the disciples back to the safety of the Lotus Pier.

That certainly proves to be an experience.

"I looked for you," Jiang Fengmian says as soon as things are settled, "Your parents were my friends."

Not just friends, Wei Wuxian figures that out within the first few days of his stay. His father was the Head Disciple and his mother... well, obviously Jiang Fengmian had been somewhat smitten by her.

When Jiang-zongzhu asks him to join the sect as a disciple, Wei Wuxian feels like he owes it to his father to at least try. It would be a fun experience too.

"I'd like to try it out," He says but he doesn't commit. He fully intends to help his uncle set up his own sect but he figures spending a few months in an actual sect environment would help.

The first time he hears the words 'son of a servant' sneered at him by the Madam's retainers, he brushes it off. He's a free man and an established cultivator in his own right. He doesn't need anyone's validation.

If bloodline meant anything, he wouldn't be able to wipe the floor with Jiang Cheng every time they sparred.

Being a part of a sect also means he gets to see his pretty Lan more often. Though his pretty Lan does seem a tad bit disappointed that he joined another sect.

Maybe he should've given the Lans a chance?

It isn't long before he takes on the role of a teacher instead of a student out of sheer frustration. Either the Jiang disciples are incredibly sheltered or the leader is unforgivably lax. They have great martial prowess but don't know how to apply their skills in practical situations.

Good steel but blunt edges.

Wei Wuxian sharpens the disciples with ruthless efficiency by taking them on Nighthunts regularly. Jiang-zongzhu indulges him, asking his Head Disciple to help Wei Wuxian.

Yu-furen disapproves.

Oh, how much she disapproves.

Wei Wuxian feels the bite of the whip once, when he isn't paying attention and is reprimanding a clumpsy disciple.

Just once and he retaliates.

Zidian is a first-class spiritual weapon but Suibian is more than a match. Madam Yu is an accomplished cultivator, but Wei Wuxian is more than a match.

He catches Zidian with Suibian and twists his blade sharply, trapping the whip. With his Golden Core blazing and his sword ringing with spiritual energy, he keeps the whip locked and stares Yu-furen down.

You see, Wei Wuxian is a rogue cultivator. He is a blade forged and sharpened in the wilderness. He has never spent a day sheltered by a rich sect or loving parents. While his uncle loves him, he also doesn't coddle him.

Hunting yao, banishing ghosts, walking for several li every day, practicing inedia regularly, meditating for several hours in harsh conditions almost every day... all of these trials have honed his cultivation.

No sheltered, sect-raised disciple can really match him.

When Madam Yu tries to pull Zidian back, he doesn't budge.

"Wei Wuxian!"

"Yu-furen," He nods cordially, "I see you're upset." His tone becomes smooth and formal, "And I can certainly help with whatever upsets you. But you need to speak, I can't guess."

"How dare you take disciples out on Nighthunts, take Jiang Cheng out on dangerous excursions, without my permission."

Wei Wuxian tilts his head to the side, shifting Suibian subtly to adjust for her tugging. "I was under the impression that Jiang-zongzhu was the leader of this sect. I have his permission."

"I am his mother!" She snarls, "And I don't trust Fengmian's bastard-"

Wei Wuxian twists his blade and Zidian sputters, its bright purple lightning faltering for a bit.

Madam Yu falters with it, watching her prized weapon with wide eyes.

"I am the son of Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren." He says in a cheerful tone that betrays none of his ire. Suibian's glowing red wrath does it for him, "And I belong to no one else."

"a-Xian," He glances at Jiang-zongzhu and releases the damaged whip with an elegant roll of his wrist.

Later, in a private meeting, Jiang-zongzhu gently asks him not to undermine Yu-furen's authority in such a public setting.

He also accepts his punishment for damaging such a priceless tool.

But Wei Wuxian is no servant and he doesn't let them fit him into that mold. He stays for six months, dodges all attempts to suppress him, doesn't accept any punishment that isn't his due, and leaves.

The next time anyone from the Jiang Sect sees Wei Wuxian, he is dressed in neat dark blue robes with a sash that indicates his status as a Head Disciple of Xiao Xingchen's new sect. He is shamelessly flirting with the Second Jade of Lan but carries himself with so much confidence and power that no one dares to reprimand him for it.

He never was and never will be suppressed.

#wei ying #wei wuxian #short prompts #anti yu ziyuan

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gusu-emilu · 3 years

Text

Ship: Wei Wuxian / Wen Ning

Summary: Wei Wuxian gives Wen Ning a heartbeat, but not in the way either of them expected.

Rated T, No Warnings Apply

POV Wen Ning, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, references to WWX's poor health, First Kiss, Pining, Cuddling, Presumably Unrequited Love, or more accurately: whatever these two have going on, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, and the inherent homoeroticism of necromancy

Ch. 1/2, 6k, read on AO3 above or on Tumblr below

Wen Ning has always known that Wei Wuxian is not someone to hesitate.

The moment Wen Ning enters the Demon Subdue Palace after packing up the last sack of turnips, Wei Wuxian grabs his wrist.

“Come look!” He tugs Wen Ning deeper into the cave, slender fingers wrapped around Wen Ning’s wrist. He grins at Wen Ning over his shoulder. “I’ve made some more demonic devices, probably my best batch yet. I’d like to see the impersonators down in the town copy these!”

Wen Ning steadies his balance, not fully recovered from Wei Wuxian suddenly whisking him away.

Wei Wuxian has never hesitated to touch him. Wen Ning still isn’t quite used to it, having grown up in a family of doctors whose every touch felt calculated, and among clansmen more focused on war and strength than friendship. Clansmen who rarely respected him, never mind showed him affection.

Even now, he exists in a constant state of volatility due to his outbursts of resentful energy. Every family member in the Burial Mounds is careful around him, even A-Yuan at times.

But not Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian is entirely different. Has always been different.

The first time they spoke, Wei Wuxian had already been comfortable with casual touch. Wei Wuxian hadn’t hesitated to lay hands on him to adjust his archery posture—steady hands he can still imagine on his upper arm and around the side of his ribs, friendly pressure like a heavy quilt, as Wei Wuxian comforted and praised him.

Then the war began, and Wei Wuxian choked him in Lotus Pier—furious, merciless hands like paws of a frightened animal. Wei Wuxian hadn’t hesitated then, either. He would’ve fully choked Wen Ning had he not held back enough to let him speak.

Then the war ended. Now Wei Wuxian uses him as an armrest, fixes his hair, arranges talismans on him, even once tried to pick him up and carry him as a joke. (He'd been a bit too weak to manage it for long. Wen Ning hadn’t thought that part was funny.) Now he drags Wen Ning around by the hand, all without hesitation.

Had Wei Wuxian hesitated before raising him from the dead?

Wen Ning isn’t sure which answer would comfort him.

“Take a look at this one,” Wei Wuxian says as he places a stone tablet in Wen Ning’s hand. A faint black cloud winds around the tablet, the smoke’s path tracing the red fulu writings carved into its surface. “Still pretty weak, but I’m getting closer to replicating yin iron with just regular stone.”

Wen Ning glances back and forth between the tablet and Wei Wuxian’s tired but enthusiastic smile. His eyes are bright with joy, but dark circles frame them. He hasn’t eaten much in the past few days, instead focusing relentlessly on his experiments, despite needing to save energy to heal the stab wound from Jiang Wanyin.

But Wen Ning still hasn’t figured out how to make him rest. Maybe admiring the new batch of demonic devices will help calm his inventive frenzy.

He nods, giving a small smile at Wei Wuxian. “That’s good.”

“Weak yin iron will be much easier to use. Better for small applications here and there, less dangerous…” Wei Wuxian squats by the scattered piles of demonic cultivation tools and notes, rummaging through to find another invention, the tablet already forgotten.

The black cloud around the tablet continues to swirl, small wisps seeping into Wen Ning’s skin. The tablet feels more like a block of dust than like stone, but despite his dulled senses, he notices…something else. A second sensation.

A throb.

“Wei-gongzi?”

“Yeah?” Wei Wuxian says, squinting at a page of especially messy notes.

“Does…does this have a pulse?” The stone continues to throb weakly, more of a resonance than a physical sensation, its aura cold like resentful energy.

Wei Wuxian looks up from the papers, one eyebrow raised. “It’s still doing that?” He stands and takes the tablet, examines it. “Hm. This might be good! I’ll have to find out what flow pattern of resentful energy caused this.”

Wen Ning closes his hand. Strangely, he wishes for the tablet to still be pulsing against his palm. It had felt kind of pleasant, if disturbing. “Resentful energy can create a heartbeat?”

“Well, it’s not exactly a heartbeat. But yes, if channeled the right way.”

“…Does that mean I have one?” Behind his back to prevent Wei Wuxian from noticing, he presses three fingers to the inside of his wrist, where years ago Jiejie had taught him how to read the flow of his blood. A black vein of resentful energy now covers those lifeless pulse points. “I’ve never felt it.”

Wei Wuxian turns the tablet between his hands thoughtfully. “No…you don’t have a heartbeat.” Then he grins, one of those sly grins that crosses his handsome face slowly, as if an idea has rushed into him so quickly that he needs to pace his smile just to contain it. Wen Ning doesn’t like those grins, because they make something flutter inside him.

“At least, not yet!” Wei Wuxian adds. “Do you want one? I could figure something out—”

“No, it’s okay. I’m fine without one.” The last thing Wei Wuxian needs is another project to stay up all night for—least of all an unnecessary project that Wen Ning requested by accident. Wei Wuxian has done enough for him already.

“I’m serious!” Wei Wuxian says. “It shouldn’t be too hard. I can test it right now.” He trails a finger over the blood-red writing on the tablet and mutters a few words under his breath. The black smoke around it thickens. “Just something temporary, to see if the idea works.” He steps closer.

Nervousness immediately jolts through Wen Ning. It’s unfortunate that death has muted the nerve endings in Wen Ning’s skin but has done nothing to quiet his anxious mind, which is always at both its most overactive and sluggish around Wei Wuxian.

Wen Ning watches the tablet’s red markings begin to glow, watches Wei Wuxian’s expression harden to a chiseled concentration.

“Come here,” Wei Wuxian says.

If Wei Wuxian’s hunch works, Wei Wuxian will ignore his health until he finishes developing the method to give Wen Ning a permanent heartbeat. If it fails, Wei Wuxian will still ignore his health, this time trying until he finds a different method.

It’s best to not let him try. To give him a firm “no.”

But Wen Ning has never been good at those. Especially when it comes to Wei Wuxian.

He has also never been good at lying to Wei Wuxian. Although he must do so for the sake of Wei Wuxian’s health, it’s hard to admit that he doesn’t miss his heartbeat.

He misses many small details of his body. Jiejie had taught him the ways of Dafan Wen medicine, made him attuned to the evidence of life in himself. He knows how fast his heart rate is supposed to be while lying in bed, knows which pressure points she once worked at to calm his anxiety, knows the irregularities of the breaths he no longer takes.

He used to like his heartbeat, his breath, their soothing rhythm as he fell asleep. It was comforting to understand that much about himself, to follow this evidence of life, when in childhood a piece of his soul had been snatched and left the rest of him a puzzle.

Now the lack of this evidence of life feels like a testimony against him.

Wei Wuxian could return some illusion of life to him. Would be happy to do so.

Selfishly, Wen Ning wants him to try. Being a walking experiment has its unsettling moments—more accurately, a constant hum of discomfort—but there is something morbidly enchanting about letting Wei Wuxian mold him into whatever he envisions. Into the magnum opus of a genius.

An even more selfish part of him wants to beg Wei Wuxian to try, because how symbolic would it be for Wei Wuxian to restore his heart, of all things…

“Wen Ning?” Wei Wuxian asks softly.

“Okay,” he answers, and instantly regrets it.

Wei Wuxian smiles again, this time the smile he saves for when he is about to tinker with the Ghost General. Wen Ning has learned all of his smiles by now, and he still doesn’t believe that there is one specially for him. But Wei Wuxian gives him that reassuring nod, the warm curve of his lips, the eager yet slightly rueful glint in his eyes, and Wen Ning can only recall seeing that expression the previous times Wei Wuxian rewrote pieces of him.

Wei Wuxian explains exactly what he’s going to do and how the resentful energy will flow. Wen Ning nods, and Wei Wuxian rests a hand on Wen Ning’s chest—casually, moving without hesitation, like always. “It won’t actually restart your heart. Just give the illusion of a pulse for a few minutes.” He furrows his brow as his focus intensifies. “That is, if it works.”

The feeling of Wei Wuxian’s hand on the center of his chest is stabilizing, yet it sets Wen Ning’s mind into disarray, despite how many times he has felt this before.

Wei Wuxian closes his eyes, preparing to reroute the resentful energy inside Wen Ning.

A cool stream of energy enters Wen Ning. Growing colder, gushing rapidly—

Freezing—

Then over almost instantly.

Wei Wuxian opens his eyes. “Feel any different?”

Wen Ning feels a bit dizzy, which is new. He hasn’t experienced vertigo since becoming a fierce corpse. But that fades quickly, and soon he is left with only the feeling of thick fabric pressing against his chest where Wei Wuxian’s hand rests.

He shakes his head. “Do…do you feel anything?”

Wei Wuxian shifts his hand, presses harder against Wen Ning’s chest. Waits, then sticks three fingers in the groove of Wen Ning’s neck, and that feels nice. Wen Ning almost wants to hold his hand there—

“No. I guess it didn’t work.” Wei Wuxian sounds much more tired than before. He removes his hand.

“That’s okay. I don’t need a heartbeat.”

“You want one though, yeah?” Wei Wuxian begins sifting through the inventions scattered across the cave, perhaps looking for another device, perhaps just hunting for kindling to spark an idea.

Wen Ning had been too selfish by agreeing to this. Who knows how long Wei Wuxian will research this now?

“I don’t want you to start another project,” Wen Ning says, and the faint thread of anger in his voice is stronger than he intended, even though that anger is mostly directed at himself. It's been harder to control his emotions since resentful energy began feeding them.

Wei Wuxian looks up, startled. Then he grins and gives a small laugh. “Are you turning into your jiejie now? Bossing me around…”

The joke only strengthens Wen Ning’s resolve. It reminds him that he can invoke Jiejie’s authoritativeness. He has never been good at following in his sister’s footsteps, but calling upon her immovability is almost as effective at steeling him as resentful energy. “You should sleep or come help us outside instead of always working in here.”

Wei Wuxian rubs his eyes. “I know, I know. You’ve all told me many times.” He seems to regret the slight bite in his tone. He tends to snap once in a while, the effect of stress lashing out from behind his mask, but it always dissolves as quickly as it appears.

“I’ll listen to you,” Wei Wuxian says, gently this time. Wen Ning feels a wave of relief. But then Wei Wuxian smirks and adds, “For now. I really do have some theories I want to test.”

“But—Wei-gongzi—”

Wei Wuxian rises to his feet and walks over to him. Stands and looks at him for a while, then says, almost murmurs, “I have enough projects for myself.” He tucks a strand of hair behind Wen Ning’s ear, and Wen Ning nearly melts. “Let me do something that’ll make you happy.”

This is bad. Very bad.

Wei Wuxian isn’t even telling the truth. His projects are all for the protection of Wen Ning’s family, not for himself. But the fond touch, combined with the sweetness in Wei Wuxian’s voice, is already enough to make Wen Ning bend.

He would much rather take care of Wei Wuxian than be taken care of. But if he weren’t worried about being a bother, he would tangle his hair just for Wei Wuxian to run his fingers through it, to twirl and comb and braid it the way he unravels and reorders the resentful energy inside Wen Ning.

“You really don’t need to. Getting a heartbeat was just an idea,” Wen Ning mumbles.

“And a good idea! We all need more comforts around here, don’t we?” Wei Wuxian nestles three fingers in the groove of Wen Ning’s neck to search for a pulse again, his brow knit in thought. Despite himself, Wen Ning can’t help but be glad that he can feel that touch a second time.

When Wei Wuxian experiments on him, the tugs and surges of resentful energy don’t exactly feel good. It’s like ice cracking under his skin, leaving shards that poke out of him. Or like the bony hand of a skeleton yanking at his insides, ripping him apart and rattling the pieces around.

The pain and discomfort frighten him. Remind him of what Wei Wuxian is capable of. What Wen Ning is capable of.

Yet he finds enjoyment in the fear, in the icy fingers of resentful energy, because those are the shadows of Wei Wuxian’s hands on him, reshaping him.

And before Wei Wuxian experiments on him…that feels too good. The doting—almost loving—attention, the careful examination, mumbled words, soft touches…

Wei Wuxian pulls his hand away and brings it to his own throat. His glance darts around the cave as he seems to calculate something in his mind.

Then he grabs Wen Ning’s hand and presses Wen Ning’s fingers into his neck. The sensation comes delayed, but Wen Ning feels it.

A pulse. Wei Wuxian’s pulse.

Wei Wuxian continues looking around the cave and thinking, as if this is just another ordinary step in a routine. But to Wen Ning, this is—this is—have they ever done something this intimate? How can Wei Wuxian let him feel the rhythm of his pulse, of his life force, and act like it’s nothing?

Somehow that makes it even more intimate, that Wei Wuxian doesn’t seem to mind…

Wen Ning counts the beats to himself.

Too slow. Not by much, but Wei Wuxian’s heart rate is too slow for his age, his size.

Wen Ning would make a mental note to tell Jiejie, but he knows she’s already aware. Wei Wuxian’s health has been deteriorating since he stepped back into the Burial Mounds.

“Wei-gongzi?”

“Mn?”

“I…I have a different idea.”

Wei Wuxian lifts Wen Ning’s hand from his neck, but doesn’t let go. He smiles. “What’s that?”

“You can just give me the tablet.” Wen Ning looks down at the slab of stone, thin black wisps of smoke swirling around it. “I can feel its heartbeat.”

“You don’t want your own?”

He shakes his head.

Wei Wuxian playfully taps the back of Wen Ning’s hand a few times. Four times, to be exact. Wen Ning can’t help counting. “That heartbeat isn’t very human, though.”

Neither am I, Wen Ning wants to say, but he knows Wei Wuxian will scold him if he does. “It would be more than enough,” he says instead.

“You’re going to make the Yiling Laozu feel like a fraud if you let him give you scraps and call it ‘more than enough.’” He sighs and glances down at the tablet. “But you can take it until I come up with something better.”

“Then…is there something that you don’t think is a scrap?”

Wei Wuxian brings Wen Ning’s fingers to his neck again, and the warm pulse hums through his fingertips. “Well, there’s my heartbeat.” He winks. “I’d still call that a scrap, though.”

“No it isn’t,” Wen Ning blurts.

Wei Wuxian raises his eyebrows. Then his expression turns thoughtful. “Would you rather keep feeling mine?”

Wen Ning doesn’t reply, but he knows his face says everything. Not even rigor mortis can hide the answer.

“Forget about that useless rock, then.” Wei Wuxian pats his chest. “I’ll be your heartbeat for now.”

Wen Ning is sure that if he still had blood flow, he would be flushed. Panicked energy begins to twitch inside him. “N-No, it’s okay—”

“You don’t want my finest craftsmanship, and you don’t want my scraps! What am I going to do with you?”

“Nothing,” Wen Ning answers quietly.

“Yes, something.” He takes Wen Ning’s hand and tugs him toward the slab of stone he uses as a bed. “Hm. How should we do this? Maybe—”

“Wei-gongzi,” Wen Ning says, exasperated. He likes that Wei Wuxian never hesitates, never slows down—it’s attractive, in a frustrating kind of way—but it often leaves Wen Ning in the dust with his mind still sputtering and struggling to function.

“Alright, sit here.” Wei Wuxian gestures toward the bed. “If you want to,” he adds.

It’s pointless to ask if Wen Ning wants to. He wonders if Wei Wuxian knows that he doesn’t need Chenqing or yin iron to make him do just about anything.

Suddenly filled with dread, a dread that he is going to like this too much, he steps forward and awkwardly sits down on the edge of the bed.

“Perfect,” Wei Wuxian murmurs. He taps Wen Ning’s knee twice. “Spread your legs.”

Now Wen Ning is certain that he would be flushed if he were alive. “S-S-Spr—what?”

“Hey.” He smirks and points a finger at Wen Ning. “Who taught you to have thoughts like that? Don’t worry. I just need you to make room for me.”

Wen Ning gets out some garbled form of “okay” and spreads his legs, creating enough space for Wei Wuxian to sit on one of his knees.

Which Wei Wuxian does.

Sit on his knee.

He also wraps his arms around Wen Ning’s neck and pulls him closer until his cheek touches Wei Wuxian’s chest.

“I can’t do all the work myself.” He cups Wen Ning’s chin. “You have to move too.”

Wen Ning swallows—by habit, since he doesn’t really need to do that anymore—and positions himself so his ear rests over Wei Wuxian’s heart. He can’t feel Wei Wuxian’s heartbeat through the robes, but the gentle sound of thum, thum seeps into him right away.

Warmth, too. A lot of warmth.

“Good?” Wei Wuxian hums.

Wen Ning makes a small noise of contentment in the back of his throat. He fiddles with his hands in his lap, trying and failing to find a good place for them that isn’t Wei Wuxian’s legs. “I hear it.”

“Only hear it?”

He opens his mouth to object, but he knows that Wei Wuxian will spot the lie before it leaves his lips.

Wei Wuxian opens the collar of his dark outer robes and lets Wen Ning rest his head on the thin red inner garment.

Even warmer. Softer.

He can feel Wei Wuxian’s heartbeat.

He hasn’t felt something like this since he was a child. It’s…not what he expects.

Jiejie had taught him how to take a person’s pulse. How to place three fingers on each wrist and find the six pulse positions corresponding to the meridians of the body, to identify the different types of pulses—their depth, width, length, strength. How sometimes the pulse feels like beads rolling along a table, while other times it feels like the crisp pluck of a guqin string, and so on, each revealing secrets of the body, guiding how to best heal the patient.

All that knowledge had once been exciting. It seems mundane, now.

The medical analogies for a pulse at the wrist, Wen Ning realizes, don’t work to describe what a heartbeat from the chest feels like when it’s pressed against his cheek.

It’s like wading in a warm stream, sunshine beating on him. The gentle lap of current, its smooth rhythm—thum, thum—like the most natural and simple form of expression.

Wen Ning wishes Jiejie had instead taught him how to decipher a person’s soul by listening to their heartbeat, because with this strange, steady language reverberating in his ear, it almost seems possible.

“Now?” Wei Wuxian asks.

Wen Ning doesn’t make a sound this time.

He counts Wei Wuxian’s heartbeats and tries to guess how many fit into a minute. They remain like that, long after Wen Ning loses count, with Wei Wuxian’s warm body in his lap. They both relax, and Wei Wuxian’s heartbeat eventually fades into Wen Ning, like it’s his own.

His awareness returns when he notices Wei Wuxian’s heartbeat slowing even more. He pulls away, immediately missing the comforting solidness of Wei Wuxian’s chest, and looks up to see a calm, drowsy expression on Wei Wuxian’s face. His eyes are heavy-lidded and almost fully closed.

“We’ve been telling you,” Wen Ning says softly. “You don’t sleep enough.”

Wei Wuxian rubs his eyes. “You really are becoming bossy.”

“I just want you to take care of yourself.”

“You and your jiejie are like a pair of vultures. Circling me when I’m weak and picking at me!” He gives a wan smile and reaches around Wen Ning’s back to rub his shoulder. “But I appreciate that you care about me.”

Wen Ning absorbs the feeling of Wei Wuxian stroking his shoulder, the thrum of Wei Wuxian’s heartbeat still lingering in his ear. “I appreciate that you care about me, too,” he mumbles.

He’s not sure if Wei Wuxian hears, but figures he knows anyway.

* * *

The next day, Wei Wuxian lets Wen Ning listen again.

And the day after.

And the day after that.

It becomes a pattern, as reliable as the beat of Wei Wuxian’s heart. Wei Wuxian is more likely to skip a meal or lose a night of sleep than he is to shirk his self-proclaimed “heartbeat duty,” and Wen Ning begins to wonder if Wei Wuxian likes it as much as he does.

Then Jiang Wanyin and Jiang Yanli show up in Yiling.

That night, Wei Wuxian drinks like he wants to waterboard himself.

He forgets about heartbeat duty after that. Wen Ning lets him.

* * *

Two weeks later, Wen Ning brings a medicinal draught Jiejie prepared to the Demon Subdue Palace. The sun outside sank long ago, leaving behind deep blues and browns that bleed into the entrance of the cave. A single candle flickers on a rock shelf in the cave wall, illuminating the craggy wall and the floor strewn with bits of metal and wood and crumpled talismans.

Astoundingly, Wei Wuxian is not hunched in the corner scribbling away. He’s in bed scribbling away, his sleeves rolled up and his tied-back hair slightly disheveled the way they are when he digs in the mud pond for the lotus pods that won’t grow.

He hadn’t come out to farm since the day before. Wen Ning wonders if he’s fixed his sleeves or his hair since then.

Wen Ning steps over as quietly as he can manage with his clumsy feet and waits beside the bed, holding the draught with both hands and feeling a faint sensation of its warmth. “Wei-gongzi?”

Wei Wuxian presses the wooden end of his brush into the corner of his mouth. “Do you know how to make a Spirit-Attraction Flag attract only ghosts of a certain age?”

“…No.”

“Mn. I—wait—” He cuts off and draws what looks like disjointed pieces of an array scribbled in the margins around rejected brushstrokes.

Wen Ning lets him write for a while, then says, “My jiejie made this for you to drink.”

“And why,” Wei Wuxian asks without a pause in his writing, “is she spending resources on me instead of saving them for A-Yuan and the others?”

“You need medicine, too. Because your stab wound still hasn't healed, and—and Jiejie says your body still isn’t used to not having a gold—”

Wei Wuxian abruptly stops writing. Wen Ning clamps his mouth shut, and wishes he hadn’t said anything.

With a lack of pleasure that he fails to hide, Wei Wuxian scribbles a few more things, then stands up, slices a cut in his finger, and begins trailing red lines on a Spirit-Attraction Flag. “I’m going down the mountain to test this.” He looks over at Wen Ning with a softened expression and walks out of the cave.

Wen Ning doesn’t need him to say that it’s an invitation to follow. He always accompanies Wei Wuxian down the mountain. He’d rather Wei Wuxian sleep, but at least leaving the Burial Mounds always puts him in a better mood.

After they pass through the final protective array and the forest around the path begins to change from grim black leafless trees to green trees shaded blue by moonlight, Wei Wuxian seems to relax. But instead of testing the flag in the clearing where he usually does, he continues walking.

They reach the edge of the forest. A few clouds in the sky hide some of the stars, but the moon is out, a bright half of a silver coin. They pass the town from a distance, still close enough to see amber dots of light from the few lanterns lit at this time of night, but far enough that even Wen Ning’s sharp vision can’t discern clear shapes of the buildings. Wei Wuxian stares at the town once in a while, as if he can see something in the muddied blocks of light.

They enter a different patch of forest and stray just far enough inside for tree branches to reach across the sky again.

Wei Wuxian holds up the flag and examines it.

He lowers the flag to his side.

“Wei-gongzi,” Wen Ning says quietly.

“Yes?”

“Did you…”

He trails off when Wei Wuxian begins slowly rolling up the thin canvas. “I think I just wanted to go for a walk,” he says. “I’ll let the spirits rest today.” He sets the folded flag on a large rock and sits on the ground, his back against the stone, looking out at the plains and town from the recesses of the forest.

“I like walking with you,” Wen Ning says, and sits beside him.

Wei Wuxian usually buries his sorrow in his projects, in the crop fields, in his games with A-Yuan. This aimlessness is the closest glimpse Wen Ning sees of Wei Wuxian’s true state of mind. Wei Wuxian ensures that he is alone whenever he truly lets in his sorrow, but Wen Ning accompanies him during the times when he comes close. As if Wei Wuxian wants him to see—wants someone to see—but refuses to reveal everything.

No one else but Wen Ning has sat next to Wei Wuxian while he draws portraits for no particular reason (he never shows them to Wen Ning, but Wen Ning can guess whom he draws), no one else has slept across the cave from him while he mumbles in his sleep, no one else has wandered down the mountain at night with him.

Wen Ning doesn’t know if he should feel privileged or worried that Wei Wuxian lets him see this much.

He doesn’t think he deserves to know Wei Wuxian’s deepest thoughts, but he wants Wei Wuxian to pass more sorrow onto him, let him shoulder some of the pain. Wen Ning’s heart is dead, he can take it.

“Wen Ning,” Wei Wuxian says. He smooths his robes, adjusts his fitted sleeves. “I haven’t done heartbeat duty in a while, have I?”

“You don’t need to.”

“Maybe I want to.”

Wen Ning looks down at his knees, but Wei Wuxian scoots closer.

With their backs against the rock, Wei Wuxian hugs him in, rests his hand on the side of Wen Ning’s head, cradling him against his chest. Wen Ning tucks his arms away, trying not to touch Wei Wuxian, but Wei Wuxian takes one of his hands.

“It’s okay,” Wei Wuxian says.

Wen Ning waits a moment, wishing he had proper breath to steady himself, then carefully wraps his arms around Wei Wuxian, nestling close to his slender frame.

It feels different this time. Not because their position is different, or because Wuxian’s heartbeat is any faster or slower, stronger or weaker.

There is no purpose this time. It isn’t for Wen Ning to experience sensations more fully. It isn’t for Wei Wuxian to find comfort.

They are just two bodies cast aside from life, bodies that struggled to catch each other during their fall until they landed in each other’s embrace.

Holding Wei Wuxian feels as natural as his heartbeat, as inevitable as each thrum beneath where Wen Ning rests his head.

And just as fleeting.

Wei Wuxian is more alive than any person he knows, yet is wasting away more each day, having given up everything to protect the Dafan Wen.

And Wei Wuxian is not his. Only one thing ties them together: they have each made the other into a member of the living dead.

With whom did it start? Was it Wei Wuxian, who brought Wen Ning back as a fierce corpse, or was it Wen Ning, who held Wei Wuxian down as his core was removed? Or was it the world that did this to both of them?

But despite the thread of shared death that ties them together, Wei Wuxian could break that connection if he wanted to.

Wen Ning is bound to his family, bound to this unnatural body, bound to Chenqing's laments. He can never reenter the world.

But Wei Wuxian...

One day, Wei Wuxian may have the chance to belong in the world again. With his shidi and shijie, with Lan Wangji.

Wen Ning will always be banished to the margins of the world.

“How long are you going to live with us?” Wen Ning finds himself asking.

Leaves rustle quietly in the forest, clouds disappearing above their heads to reveal more stars against the dark liquid sky. An owl hoots questioningly far behind them.

“Until tomorrow,” Wei Wuxian says. “Ask me again tomorrow, and I’ll tell you again.”

“I can’t ask you that every day.��

“Then don’t ask me at all.” He strokes Wen Ning’s hair, over the back of his head and down his back. “I’m not leaving.”

Wei Wuxian continues playing with Wen Ning’s hair, running his fingers through it, stopping occasionally to work out a tangle. Not for the first time, Wen Ning wishes he could feel touch more strongly. He had dreamt of moments like these as a teenager, gentle caresses from Wei Wuxian, impossible moments. He hadn’t realized he would receive them one day after they had given up their lives for each other.

“When do you think we’ll get our next visitor?” Wei Wuxian asks. “Think I can make that Spirit-Attraction Flag into a Guest-Attraction Flag?” He chuckles. “We can hang it at the ridge. People will be drawn from miles to come talk to us. Tell Uncle Four to get lots of fruit wine ready." He fiddles with the sleeve of Wen Ning's robe. "I’ll have you test out the flag. Wear it like a cloak, and go walk around Yiling to see how many friends you make.”

“I can barely get anyone to buy turnips from me.”

“Change of plans, then! I’ll make a Customer-Attraction Flag, and we’ll finally be rich.”

Wen Ning smiles. “What are we going to buy once we’re rich?”

“Toys for A-Yuan.” Wei Wuxian rubs across Wen Ning’s shoulders, back and forth. “Every toy in Yiling.”

“We should buy every toy in Lanling, too.”

“That’ll need a lot more money. We’ll have to grow bigger turnips.”

“A giant one.”

“A single giant turnip?” Now there is real laughter in Wei Wuxian’s voice. “I’ll have to plant you as the seed to grow something big enough. Don’t tell your jiejie. Although she might figure it out when you disappear, and meanwhile a turnip the size of the Burial Mounds takes over Yiling.”

“I still won’t tell her.”

Wei Wuxian makes a low humming sound. “I can always count on you.”

Wen Ning melts more into Wei Wuxian’s embrace, surrounded by his warmth.

“Too bad that no matter who we bury in the lotus pond,” Wei Wuxian says with a sigh, “those plants still don’t want to sprout.” This time he doesn’t rub Wen Ning’s back or fiddle with him while he talks.

He’s never said something like that about the lotus crop without following it up with a confident proclamation—But when have I ever not achieved the impossible?, They’ll poke their heads out soon!, My lotus flowers will be the biggest you’ve seen, just wait!

He’s never left hanging the chance that the lotus crop might not grow.

Wen Ning waits for the cocky remark, but it doesn’t come. “They’ll sprout if you’re the one growing them,” Wen Ning suggests, filling in the declaration that Wei Wuxian missed.

“…Yeah.”

Wen Ning’s stomach sinks. He looks up. Wei Wuxian smiles at him and guides him to rest against his chest again.

“It’s only been two weeks. They might take a while,” Wen Ning says, his face nearly turned into Wei Wuxian’s robes.

“I’ll just cheat and make a Lotus-Attraction Flag.”

“I’ll help you.”

“Of course you will. You’ll also help me with the flag for attracting guests to marvel at the beauty of our lotus pond!”

Guests again.

Wen Ning knows that Hanguang-Jun had visited on the day his consciousness returned. Jiang Wanyin and Jiang Yanli had met with Wei Wuxian soon after. Both left marks on Wei Wuxian.

Is he thinking about them?

Wishing he had warmth of his own to give Wei Wuxian, Wen Ning hugs him tighter. He's not sure if they lower to the ground in one movement or slowly slide down, but eventually they lie on their sides, facing each other, arms tight around each other. Wei Wuxian’s heartbeat speaks, and Wen Ning listens.

I’m lonely, it whispers. I’m so lonely.

Who is there in the Burial Mounds for Wei Wuxian to feel the same affection toward as he feels about Hanguang-Jun? Or to provide the same comfort as the company of his siblings?

Everyone in the Burial Mounds has tried their best to provide the support of a new family for Wei Wuxian. He has even called them his family. But try as they might, how could the Dafan Wen replace his shidi and shijie?

The shidi and shijie Wen Ning helped Wei Wuxian save, only to steal him away from. He knows that it was Wei Wuxian’s choice to lead the Dafan Wen to the Burial Mounds and live with them, but would he have made that choice if he had never formed a relationship with Wen Ning and his sister? The thought makes guilt churn in his stomach.

“Wei-gongzi?”

Wei Wuxian runs his thumb in gentle circles over Wen Ning’s shoulder. “Yes?”

“Is that something you want?” He pulls away from Wei Wuxian’s chest to look up at him, though not quite into his eyes. “Guests?”

“Don’t take that all so seriously. If guests come, would they be as good of a drinking buddy as Uncle Four, or as good of a storyteller as Granny, or as energetic as A-Yuan? They couldn’t compete.”

“But you meant it,” Wen Ning says, surprised at the force in his own voice, quiet as it is. “I’ll help you bring guests here.”

Wei Wuxian smiles and brushes his thumb over Wen Ning’s cheek, the touch warm and soft like hushed words. “You’re already too good to me. Don’t worry about me.” He sighs and looks up at the sky. “Each of us will have things we want, but can’t have. It’s just part of living.”

Wen Ning, too, looks up at the star-studded sky through the dark silhouettes of trees. The full shapes of the constellations are broken up, but he can picture which stars are waiting behind the black hands of tree leaves.

As he follows the disjointed forms of the constellations, he decides that he will relieve Wei Wuxian’s burdens.

He is not sure at what moment he makes the decision, but it settles into his bones and becomes his purpose for the night.

Not just for the night. For as long as Wei Wuxian is by his side.

The day Wen Ning’s consciousness was restored, he had heard A-Yuan singing a song about walking the “single-log bridge.” Curious, Wen Ning had asked where A-Yuan learned the song.

“Xian-gege,” had been the answer. The song’s lyrics had been about Wei Wuxian walking alone into darkness.

Wen Ning will not let him walk alone.

If Wei Wuxian wants to walk the single-log bridge, Wen Ning will carry him across it.

“Will you tell me about them?” Wen Ning asks.

“About what?”

“The things you want, but can’t have.”

* * *

Thank you for reading! Next chapter is coming soon. If you enjoyed this fic, come visit me on AO3!

#ningxian #mdzsnet #theuntameddaily #wen ning #wei wuxian #mdzs #cql #the untamed #mdzs fanfic #cql fanfic #the untamed fanfic #mdzs fanfiction #cql fanfiction #the untamed fanfiction #emilu creations #emilu fics

62 notes · View notes

stiltonbasket · 3 years

Note

Please write a follow up for the laughing soulmates au! WWX growing up thinking his true chance at love was gone before he knew what he lost, oh man oh man.

Wei Wuxian was ten years old when he first began wearing mourning.

“Jiang Fengmian,” Madam Yu hissed, when she returned to Lotus Pier after a brief vacation in Meishan to find her adopted ward practicing his sword forms wearing robe of the palest, most dirt-resistant white linen that money could buy. “What is Wei Ying doing in white? Where are his red robes? Or his purple ones?”

“It has been more than four years since he felt his soulmate laugh,” Jiang-shushu replied--calmly, but with a low, challenging hum to his voice that meant his mind was firmly made up. “He has decided to wear mourning for them.”

“He is a child,” Yu-furen retorted. “He never met his soulmate, and if you are encouraging melancholy in the boy before he even comes of age, then--”

“His manner has not changed, San-niang. He laughs as much as he always does, and attends to his studies with diligence. Surely allowing him to honor his mingding zhiren’s passing would be no trouble to you?”

“Me? What trouble is it to me? As long as he does his duties and doesn’t disgrace our family, what should I have to say about it?”

And with that, she swung her long purple train behind her and stalked off to her private pavilion, leaving Wei Wuxian to finish his drills on the training field and pretend he had not heard.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about how quickly his adoptive parents settled the argument about his mourning clothes, even if such a thing would never have happened during his first few years in Yunmeng. The whole world changed when he realized his soulmate was dead, and Madam Yu’s refusal to punish him or scold him in any way (she only ever took out her frustrations with him on Jiang-shushu, and even that never lasted longer than a few minutes) was hardly the strangest alteration Wei Wuxian had to come to terms with. His tutors tried to go more easily on him, Jiang Cheng was always gentle with him, and Yu-furen never protested when he got the same treats and privileges that her own children did--and of course, Shijie doted on him more than ever, though that was more out of love than pity. Even the vendors on the streets of Lufeng plied him down with sweets and snacks before he had a chance to steal them, to the point where he had to stay home when his shidis went to raid the market because all their ill-gotten spoils would be free of charge if he went along with them.

“You’d better stay back and help Jiang-shijie with the kites,” one of his junior brothers told him once, while Jiang Cheng promised to bring back his favorite strawberry tanghulu from the candy-seller near the blacksmith’s workshop. “It takes all the fun out of it if you go, Wei-shixiong! We don’t even get to steal anything!”

And now, even Lan Zhan treats him like something made of glass, something that could break if spoken to harshly, and Wei Wuxian is sick of it. It’s different when Jiang-shushu does it, because Jiang-shushu’s soulmate is dead too, and it’s different when Madam Yu does it because she thought she would never have one until Yanli-shijie was born--but Lan Zhan has a soulmate who makes him happy, and he treats Wei Wuxian with the deference due a widow whose husband was barely cooling in the grave.

Lan Qiren just treats him like a loud, unpleasant slug, though, so at least that’s some comfort.

“You know, you could stop wearing mourning,” his brother says, when Wei Wuxian pours out his woes in their shared guest quarters that evening. “You’ve been wearing it for the past eight years, Wei Wuxian. Even widows don’t do that. Of course Lan Wangji treats you like a trembling flower, he thinks your heart is broken.”

“It’s not broken,” Wei Wuxian protests, more than a little offended. “I miss my soulmate, but I’m not pining into the grave like some bereaved maiden!”

“How’s Lan Wangji supposed to know that?” Jiang Cheng returns. “You look all tragic every time we pass those girls in the Caiyi river market to make them give you free food! Lan Wangji saw you do it, twice! He didn’t even scold you for flirting because you looked so sad!”

Wei Wuxian scratches at his nose and pouts; because Jiang Cheng is right about that last one, but Wei Wuxian isn’t going to give him the satisfaction of admitting it.“But what am I supposed to do to make him treat me normally?” he wails, screaming into his pillow. “He’s already seen me wearing white before the rules made me do it, and he’s already seen me tear up at one of the loquat vendors because it was evening and the evening was my fated one’s favorite time of day--”

“Was it?”

“Huh?”

“Was evening their favorite time of day?”

“They used to laugh a lot in the evenings, so I guess it must have been,” Wei Wuxian shrugs. “Or maybe they just got really excited about dinner. But forget about that--how am I going to convince Lan Zhan that I’m fine, and show him that he doesn’t have to walk on eggshells around me?”

“Break more rules,” his brother suggests. “Then he’ll punish you, and he’ll have such a good time doing it that he’ll forget why he ever tried to ignore your nonsense.”

“Tried that already,” Wei Wuxian says dismally. “All he did was ask Shijie to make me soup, because I had to be in distress if I couldn’t see the merit of obeying the sect edicts for the sake of my own betterment.”

Jiang Cheng winces. “Barge in on him in the cold springs?”

“I did that too! All he did was turn his back and tell me that I shouldn’t expose myself in public, even if I was so honorable in my grief for my fated one that I would never do anything untoward, or entertain the forwardness of others.”

“Entertain the forwardness of others?” His brother frowns. “What does that even mean?”

“Beats me. Hey, do you think I should ask Nie-xiong for help?”

Jiang Cheng yawns. “Why not? What’s the worst that could happen?”

“I don’t see why this is supposed to work,” Jiang Cheng mutters, about a week later. He and Nie Huaisang are hiding in the bushes near the library pavilion, keeping an eye on the open door--and Wei Wuxian is sitting inside, writing out all the lines Lan-xiansheng assigned him under Lan Wangji’s supervision. “Lan Wangji didn’t even react to Wei Wuxian stripping in public.”

“The cold springs are hardly public, Jiang-xiong,” Huaisang says vaguely. “And I swore it would work! You should trust me!”

And indeed, scarcely five minutes later, they hear the loud, splintering crash of a table being overturned, and Wei Wuxian comes pelting out of the library with ink splashed all over his robes and torn paper stuck in his hair--and Lan Wangji is hot on his heels with his hand on Bichen’s hilt, roaring Wei Wuxian’s name like a younger version of his uncle as they speed towards the lanshi.

“Wei Ying!” Lan Wangji screeches. “How can you--I trusted--shameless!”

“I warned you, Lan Zhan! Should I lend you another one?”

“What have we done?” Jiang Cheng moans, when the two boys finally move out of earshot and vanish down the stony path. “This is all your fault, Nie Huaisang.”

“I know,” Nie Huaisang laughs, sweeping his fan across his lips. “Don’t worry, Jiang Cheng. I’ll take full responsibility.”

#wangxian #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #my fic #soulmate au

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tanoraqui · 4 years

Text

tanoraqui

Still thinking about an au in which for some reason WWX and the Wens are left to just live peacefully on the creepy death mountain - some detente wherein they don’t leave the mountain ever and in exchange no one tries to visit ever. Borders patrolled by corpses and sect disciples. So A-Yuan grows up raised kind of collectively but mostly by WWX and Wen Qing (the one most likely to tell WWX that he’s doing it wrong), and learns healing-focused spiritual cultivation AND demonic cultivation, and then at some point starts sneaking out to be the terrifying force of righteous kindness he was always going to be

tanoraqui

Righteous kindness but also, like, having picked up WWX’s cavalier confidence (or at least some of the ability to fake it) and Wen Qing’s general attitude of Do No Harm But Take No Shit

Like IMAGINE

tanoraqui

In this au, despite the strict border-by-mutual-agreement that’s the only reason somehow no ones tried to attack, LWJ sneaks in like one a year so he and WWX can make eyes at one another but not actually say anything ever, and Wen Qing and LXC are both EXHAUSTED bc both their dumb little brothers (WWX is a sibling by adoption now don’t @ me) mope for like a week after EVERY SINGLE TIME THIS HAPPENS, and it’s been /over ten years/.

tanoraqui

Meanwhile Jiang YanLi and JZX are FINE, and JYL somehow keeps up some sort of correspondence with WWX - or at least, he’s faithfully managed to send a birthday present for Jin Ling every single year, and every time, JYL makes her son write a thank-you note and bribes some series of people to get it smuggled back to Yiling

tanoraqui

...which means, honestly, that Jin Ling is probably wildly curious about his uncle the evil demonic cultivator kept trapped within the terrible ghost mountain by the forces of Good and Right, and WILL sneak out one day to try to visit. Optimally, obviously, at the same time Wen Yuan is sneaking out to see the non-mountain world

tanoraqui

The optimal plot is that Wen Yuan ropes Jin Ling into helping him set up WWX and LWJ, because he, too, is exasperated at this point, and Jin Ling ropes Wen Yuan into arranging like a parent trap reunion for the Jiang siblings, and obviously there are monsters and undead to complicate it all

tanoraqui

They kind of acquire Lan Jingyi somewhere, somehow. He’s having a blast

There is a 100% chance that the first Adult(TM) to find them is Wen Ning and they just kind of rope him into whatever the hell is going on at the time

...you know what, I think this is just a good au where JGY fucking died at some point

tanoraqui

Maybe someone threw him down the stairs again and he just broke his fucking neck. WWX is still vilified but between Jiang Cheng not really wanting to attack and Jiang (Jin?) Yanli being AGGRESSIVELY against it, and dragging JZX along with her, they’re left in peace.

tanoraqui

Oh man and Jin Ling has YOUNGER SIBLINGS in this...

Hey for u: Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing can accidentally happen while the Teens are trying to get everyone else to meet

Today at 8:42 AM

@professorsparklepants

I love this it's so goddamn wacky

tanoraqui

I just want teenager-based shenanigans ft. surprisingly competent teenagers and all the adults running around like chickens with their heads chopped off

professorsparklepants

Jingyi: why are you two more calm about this than the literal adults

Wen Yuan: have you met my dad?

tanoraqui

Also to be clear it is not at all hard to convince Wen Ning to join Team: Teenage Shenanigans, bc literally ANYONE in the Burial Mountain village would probably be down if you were like, “we’re engaged in a conspiracy to make Wei Wuxian fucking admit that he’s in love with that Lan guy who visits a couple times a year”

professorsparklepants

"This is my father, and this is his sugar daddy."

tanoraqui

I kinda wanna say he goes by “Wen Yuan” more often bc he’s 100% the baby of the entire remaining Wen clan there, but his adult name or w/e it’s called IS Wen Sizhui, because WWX asked LWJ if he had any suggestions and LWJ said this while maintaining eye contact

professorsparklepants

OH MY GOOOOOOD

tanoraqui

They meet LXC and he figures out what’s going on in like 4 minutes, despite the teens’ best attempts at obfuscation, and instead of calling anyone’s parents is like, “okay, I’m in”

professorsparklepants

#1 wingman...

tanoraqui

Jin Ling and Wen Yuan are definitely both traveling under false names, too? Wen Yuan obviously can’t admit to being a Wen and Jin Ling is making a privileged but slightly helicoptered teen’s rebellious bid for freedom

professorsparklepants

His dad is panicking at home and Yanli is like "boys need their freedom :)"

I saw a post forever ago about how Yanli would be the most hands off parent & Zixuan is an only child who would panic every time his kid fell down

tanoraqui

With a side order of “my mother is the only one who’ll say nice things about the Yiling Patriarch and she always looks sad when she does so I’m going to sneak into the Burial Mountain and either drag him out to see her or force my parents to come get me”

professorsparklepants

"I'm gonna beat up the Yiling Patriarch" "why" "he made my mom sad" "okay proceed"

tanoraqui

^ actual real conversation with WenYuan

professorsparklepants

A-Yuan then repeats the same thing to Wen Qing and she has the exact same answer, verbatim

tanoraqui

Side note: Wen Yuan has never been scared of the undead in his entire life, and probably this will lead to getting into severely life-threatening situations when he doesn’t have more backup than 2 other teenagers

professorsparklepants

Oh absolutely

professorsparklepants

He's so used to tuning out the sound of sentry corpses that one jumps on him and almost punches his lungs out

tanoraqui

Also what if he took WWX’s sword, so he looks like a proper normal cultivator - honestly, what if WWX gave him the sword when he turned 12, or whenever one customarily gives a child a sword in this world. He also has a flute stashed in his robe somewhere but he does know how to use both

tanoraqui

But also, while obviously it’s very important that this is the sword he inherited from his father, it’s never OCCURRED to him to, like, strongly associate it with WWX, in terms of “this would be a recognizable weapon”? Chenqing the flute, obviously, but WWX just left the sword on a shelf all the time

professorsparklepants

He's very good at fooling people into thinking he's a normal rogue cultivator until he busts out the flute

LOL YES

tanoraqui

So the first time someone looks at him and is like, “That is WWX’s sword” he achieves, like, “Who’s Morales? [NOT THAT DUMB]” levels of blank-brained

professorsparklepants

It like, doesn't even occur to him that this stick named whatever will be recognizable to people until it actually happens

"this is the Yiling Patriarch's sword!" "... I've never heard of him"

tanoraqui

“What sword?”

professorsparklepants

KDJAKSNJS

tanoraqui

“Oh, THIS sword? I...found it. In a stream.”

tanoraqui

Also...at some point...once the teens have admitted their identities to one another...and possibly gotten into a couple other increasingly public shenanigans...they run into a bunch of concerned people searching from the Jin or even Jiang sect - JC being there would be PERFECT - and Jin Ling is like, “aaahh, no, I don’t want to be dragged home... kidnap me.”

WY: what?

JL: pull out the flute, summon a couple corpses, shout that you’re the dread son of the Yiling Patriarch, and pretend to kidnap me

WY: ...yeah okay

AND THEN THEY DO THAT

professorsparklepants

The dumbass energy...... off the CHARTS

tanoraqui

They’re 15 and neither of them has ever faced consequences but in...actually not too different ways

They’re 15 and neither of them as ever faced consequences nor most of the real world

Oh my god is Lan Jingyi the most sensible person here

They’re going to DIE

professorsparklepants

JXHAKAJAKKQHSJA

JC and Yanli immediately see through this probably

"dumbass kid just doesn't want to go home. I'll break his legs."

tanoraqui

I think Yanli does but I have minimal faith in JC’s ability to think logically at any time

He’s still angry at WWX for leaving

professorsparklepants

Stomps to Yiling to demand his nephew back & wwx's like "lol, A-Yuan left two months ago"

Okay my shift is starting later

tanoraqui

/snort

Though, bold of you to assume that WWX isn’t also running around anxiously somewhere like “oh god, oh no, my son is missing; I must find him”

professorsparklepants

Sizhui is a responsible boy, I don't think he would leave without telling at least ONE person where he was going

tanoraqui

Ok but it was Wen Qing who thinks it’s good for WWX’s health to stop brooding and go run around like a headless chicken instead, optimally if he runs into his totally-not-a-boyfriend-Hahahaha-why-would-you-say-that

Alternately it was, like, Granny, which, ditto

No one on this mountain is going to stop WWX from going out to cause trouble and hopefully get laid, is my point

tanoraqui

Also, the cultivation world has been basically at peace for 13 years and the reason is that this is an ideal AU where JGY is dead and whenever trouble starts to stir politically, NHS and JYL meet eyes across the room and mentally Rock Paper Scissors over who has to manipulate everyone into calming the fuck down

Neither of them actually wants this job; they’re just good at it and recognize both those aspects in each other

professorsparklepants

LOLOLOL

That is.... so goddamn in character

tanoraqui

concept: JYL and NHS are friends and no one else understands it, or attributes it to JYL just being that nice, bc NHS still generally acts useless

professorsparklepants

Nhs actively wants to be useless and life is conspiring to make sure he can't

tanoraqui

a little less dramatically useless, but why ruin a good thing when you're having fun and it's useful

professorsparklepants

Lol

tanoraqui

but JYL fucking identified him as Actually Competent one time when he couldn't hide it, so now sometimes they get tea together and bitch about politics and stupid people

professorsparklepants

He's the only person who can correctly identify when she's talking shit about people, because it's VERY subtle and her brothers & husband are too busy thinking she hung the moon to notice

tanoraqui

JYL striding into Nie sect HQ (whatever it's called) and tossing her coat over a chair. "You would not BELIEVE what my brothers are doing now."

NHS: *probably knows, because he's found that the minor investment of effort in maintaining a very good spy network pays major dividends in helping him avoid greater work* *immediately sits up and pours her a cup of very expensive tea* Oh, girl, dish.

professorsparklepants

Question: are they also friends with lwj...

tanoraqui

yes but he's obviously not invited to hte political gossip sessions

professorsparklepants

I'm trying to imagine lwj making eye contact with them at some meeting his brother dragged him to and both of them struggling not to break into hysterics

tanoraqui

but they both know that he sneaks into Yiling to visit WWX a few times a year, and every single time, JYL sits him down within a couple weeks and aggressively debriefs him as to her brother's condition

professorsparklepants

I'm sure she tried to get him to take treats in

tanoraqui

for sure

it's hopeless, though, bc there's no really predicting WHEN he'll go? It's basically just "every 4-6 months when LWJ's resolve breaks"

professorsparklepants

Too bad she's not a stress quilter instead of a stress baker

tanoraqui

she gets him to go at an actual arranged time, bearing pork soup, like once, for WWX's 30th birthday or something

professorsparklepants

tanoraqui

omg lit brain: LWJ of course is hte WORST for getting gossip, but JYL has pieced together a reasonable amount about the people her idiot baby brother (#2) is now living with. And she's mildly despairing as to idiot baby brother #1's ongoing refusal to get married and have an heir or three. So she, if not actively connives, then certainly siezes the first available opportunity to set Jiang Cheng up with Wen Qing

tanoraqui

basically, this au is PEAK romcom

tanoraqui

...also, for max happiness, i'd like to think that WWX made some strategic raids to rescue additional Wen refugees and bring them back, so there's a properly populated village and they didn't all just die

professorsparklepants

!!!

Good... Good thoughts

Good because 1. more people die and 2. The Yiling Patriarch will attack your village and steal your people away!

tanoraqui

(romcom being exclusively adults-focussed; the teens initiate it all but Jin Ling and Wen Yuan are both so delighted to have an Additional (But Cooler) Family Member that they comfortably cousinzone each other instantly)

professorsparklepants

*nice*

tanoraqui

...i feel like i keep characterizing Jin Ling as an only child, when really he ought to have a small horde of siblings

maybe they just...couldn't conceive more. shit happens. pregnancy is hard.

professorsparklepants

That happens sometimes

#mdzs #the untamed #ficlet #my fic #lan sizhui #jin ling #lan jingyi #(not actually here much; rip)#wen ning #wei wuxian #lan wangji #jiang yanli #nie huaisang #lan xichen #wen qing

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zhuilingyizhen · 3 years

Note

zhuilingyizhen coffee shop au

I remember I saw someone say that wn always owns a coffee shop in these AUs, and to that I say, yeah pretty much. (ft. wangningxian and jyl x jzx x wq)

Wen Ning owns a cute little coffee shop! He supports his baby cousin, Wen Yuan, for the first couple years.

Wen Qing runs her own practice, for children though, across the street, and three very frequent customers happen to be two Jins & a Jiang, if you get who I’m talking about. 0-0

jl and wy (turned lsz later, long story) probably played a little together as kids but it’s not super important

Anyways, wn’s coffee shop probably burns down or something in a series of arson attaccs against the Wen family. Wq’s practice doesn’t get destroyed though, and she gets some help from a certain extremely rich couple who used to go to her.

But wn is super worried bc his wittle bb cousin is gone 0-0

And then a Yuan runs off and falls into a river and dies.

Jk jk, he almost dies! And loses his memory. He’s about 6 at the time, btw. Some stranger (COUGH WWX COUGH) finds this little baby dRowNinG and saves him, bc ofc only wwx would be suspiciously near a river in the middle of nowhere.

Wwx takes keeps him for a couple days, but realizes that he has no clue how to parent, so he takes him to the Lan orphanage.

(Yes, the Lans run an orphanage and you can take this hc from my dead, cold hands.)

(Seriously, I have so many ideas for this. Ask me.)

(Dw this is still a coffee shop AU!)

Anyways, wwx takes him to his just-a-friend, lwj. Lwj looks at this child and looks at wwx.

He also has no clue who this child is.

But he really goes and named him “to long for”, staring right into wwx’s eyes.

Wwx skips away to annoy his brother or something. Idk.

So lqr, running this orphanage, takes lsz in. He also gives lwj a look when he finds out what this child was named, but... shush.

Since he’s in an orphanage, he takes the Lan name. He also meets Lan Jingyi, who is maybe 7 if this happens after August?

Ljy’s mom was not very good.

Meanwhile wn is crying his eyes out bc his bb cousin probably died in the fire and now he’s sad and it’s all his fault & :(((((

Ofc, being the amazing, bamf older sister she is, wq refuses this response.

She makes wn come work for her now, so yay! They have one less person to support, so it don’t as bad but,, but,, WEN YUAN IS DEADDD :((((((((((((((((((

So sad.

Anyways, jl probably asks once why that kid he used to play with is gone. They attend the funeral, but wn is always on da lookout for anyways who fits the description of lsz.

jl doesn’t remember him that well anyways, so oof. His parents lowkey like wq but jzx is a shy bastard and wq is uselessly gay for jyl so this won’t end up well.

But since this is a lsz-centric coffee shop AU...

Lsz grows up under the amazing teaching of lqr, probably learns an instrument or two from lxc, gets parented w/bunnies by lwj, and uselessly crushes on ljy. Like he does.

And then time skip to him in college, and he wants to start a coffee shop bc it reminds him of his childhood, that he doesn’t remember.

But yeah. Coffee shop AU.

Oyzz, who is jl’s friend goddamnit let jl have friends both his parents are alive, drags him to every coffee/tea shop in the area bc he has an obsession with good drinks. Which eventually leads them to lsz’s cozy little tea shop.

It’s moderately popular, sometimes ljy will sing for entertainment (bc yesss 🥺) and it’s pretty good! Lsz is out of college (so 22, bc he didn’t take a masters) and started the shop, ljy’s doing god knows what (maybe signed a record deal w/ someone who went to the cafe and heard him singing? a dumb luck sorta thing. Or perhaps lxc has a production company :eyes:)

but ljy sometimes helps out or just hangs around the shop.

Anyways, oyzz likes his voice a big lot, befriends ljy, and now jl has to go there every weekend bc he’s whipped for oyzz.

He also gets to watch oyzz and ljy be big gay for each other, so yeah. Huh. jl sorta befriends lsz, bc ofc he does. They’re both a lil sad, but fun!

Also, jl and wn are pretty close now bc jl has wayyyyy too many uncles.

Lsz doesn’t remember wwx, but lwj sure as hell does.

Surprisingly, wwx and wn, going out on a not-date, as just-friends, end up going to the tea shop & wn is surprised at how similar it looks to his coffee shop from all those years ago.

wOw whAt a cOinCidEncE!

jl probably recommended it to wn and wwx, bc ofc he did.

Matchmaker extraordinaire, I say. Jyl and jzx are just 🥺 so proud of their child

But they’re also uselessly crushing on wq, who isn’t usually oblivious but thinks it’s just a doctor-patient transaction.

side plot: wq and jyl go out one night and end up sleeping together and the next morning jzx makes them tea & breakfast and then casually asks how it was and jyl says “it was great” while wq chokes on her tea & is very confused:tm:

Yeah, they get together bc I love background ships.

But wn is kinda sus at how similar it looks. He thinks maybe they went to his coffee shop before, and orders tea. But then he sees the one barista and thinks “wait a second...”

Bc the barista (lsz) looks scarily familiar, he just doesn’t know why. Oyzz is just over in a corner sipping his bubble tea.

One day, after the tea shop closes and the junior quartet are the only ones left, and lsz asks to speak to jl. Alone.

Ljy and oyzz are looking at them like 👀 👀 but they leave together to go to some bookstore or something, idk.

So now lsz and jl are alone. They’re sorta friend-acquaintances, but now jl’s a little confused as to why tf lsz wants to talk to him.

Lsz explains that jl seems familiar (coughiwonderwhycough) and says that he lost his memory at a young age and that wwx found him. jl is starting to put the puzzle together.

Lsz basically asks him out on a date, but neither of them know or think it’s a date, so jl agrees.

They both go there seperate ways, and when oyzz and ljy find out the next day, they realize that they’re going on a date.

Ljy is very excited for lsz!! But what is that pain he feels—

Ofc, they stalk jl and lsz on their date, bc they are stupid and don’t realize they might have feelings for them. At least they realize their feelings for each other. Ljy & oyzz get together!! :))

They’re also oblivious though so they don’t notice a Ling & Sizhui’s :/

Wn ends up taking over the tea shop so lsz can go off and get his masters

Eventually the junior quartet stumble into a relationship ! Hopefully ! it’s really quite a mess until sizhui gets a dna test taken at wn’s request. found family turned actual family is an old trope, but one we will accept <3

#mdzs #zhuilingyizhen #wangningxian #xuanliqing #mdzs juniors #jin ling #lan jingyi #lan sizhui #ouyang zizhen #wen ning #wen qing #lan qiren #lan xichen #too lazy to tag sry #mdzs hcs #anon #asks #addy answers asks #coffee shop au

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neverdoingmuch · 3 years

Text

now hear me out,,, an au where lan wangji is an editor who works for an erotica publisher and wei wuxian is essentially chuck tingle. (also lwj writes romance novels on the side)

wei wuxian didn’t plan to write erotica he wants to make that really clear, he was actually studying like biomed or something equally “oh wow my parents can brag to the other parents about this”

but, as frequently happens in wwx’s life, he got drunk with nhs, like really drunk and they woke up the next morning with a laptop on the floor beside them and loose paper strewn everywhere

they don’t really remember what they were doing or thinking last night but they’ve both drawn a bunch of really shitty and weird porn (the less said about the anthropomorphic version of wen chao’s pet turtle the better) and wei wuxian has like 20,000 words of an erotica story on his laptop

when he starts reading it, at first he’s like haha what the fuck this is so weird but then it turned out to be really good??? and nhs blushed at some of the ~sexy~ scenes so that’s how wwx knew he was writing the good stuff

anyway they’re sitting there, eating their hangover food and wei wuxian goes so uh my story was good right? and nhs is like yeah it was, top stuff i would buy it and wei wuxian goes what if i actually wrote it,,, haha just kidding,,,,, unless?

and in his defence he doesn’t actually write anything for the story for another like three months but then he finds himself in the middle of exam season and he’s like fuck it stress relief let’s write some erotica

he finishes the book and his exams (which he does well in but whatever) and then spends his summer holidays editing the book

when he comes back, he slaps down a paper copy on nhs’ desk and is like i finished it. nhs, thinking he meant his latest lab write up, opens it up to a random page and starts reading it out loud which was a Mistake

he trails off mid-sentence, and whips around to glare at wwx with all the wrath he can muster. it’s raunchy nhs says and just read it wwx tells him so nhs does

like 2 hours later nhs turns to him and says if it wasnt for you and the librarian staring at me the whole time i definitely would’ve felt something and wwx is like so it’s good? and nhs is like fuck yeah it is but i dont get what you want from me?

pretty much wwx passed out after exams, slept for like 20 hours and then woke up and went i should publish this and decided that nhs should draw the cover art.

nhs agrees of course and a month later wwx self-publishes bc there’s no way he can walk into a publishing house with his porn and not just combust on the spot and he decides to go by the name yiling patriarch

wwx clicks the final button to upload the fic and nhs just toasts him and goes yknow what,, this is the closest you’ve ever gotten to having sex and i’m proud of you

wei wuxian is the man who guarded his first kiss for the first twenty years of his life for someone special,,,, wwx definitely wants his first time to be special and there’s no way he’s putting out for someone he doesn’t think is important & despite having dated before, he’s never gotten close enough to someone to go yeah let’s do it so our boy is still a virgin

so wwx’s entire erotica writing inspiration comes from porn, nhs’ way too in-depth answers as to how his latest date went and uh more porn

wwx blusters about a bit bc how is he meant to respond to that and nhs is like maybe you’ll finally move on from reading those trashy romance novels and read something more exciting and wwx is like how dare you call them trashy!! hanguang-jun is a master of the romance novels!! he understands the heart in a way that no other person has ever!!

and nhs just chugs a bunch of wine and is like yeah hon okay, do you still blush when the main characters hold hands? and wwx is like no! of course not! (it’s a lie, he blushes a lot)

so nothing really happens with the book at first and wwx forgets about it for the most part but then he wakes up one morning and he’s got an extra like RMB 1000 (i dont actually know much about currency so it’s roughly $200 if my quick interneting is legit)

wwx is like wtf? and once he finds out it’s from his novel he’s doubly like wtf? but then he finds out that someone had purchased his book and did a dramatic reading on youtube bc wwx decided that regular erotica was boring and decided to make it satirical or whatever and people loved it??

he’s got nothing better to do so he just goes hm yeah remember that Author i dated who had an “incredible idea that would absolutely amaze The Critics and helped explore his own convoluted mind” let’s make something of that and he writes another book kinda mocking that idea in a very horny way.

he publishes it and someone writes a review of his two books on their blog and now he’s actually starting to get popular - he’s got more money from those two books than he did by working at the local cafe for the whole week

wwx is poor and broke and semi-disowned anyway by this point so he goes fuck it and spends every moment he’s not studying writing erotica.

he publishes another like five books by the time the year is out (i know the maths isnt working here but this is a book world where wwx can just do that via the power of loneliness and friends who egg you on)

also?? he varies his books. some of them are porn parody things a la chuck tingle and some of them are genuine porn and one book was just him writing a recipe book but making it sound as horny as possible

by the time he’s published his like 8th book or so he starts getting reviews that are critiquing his book and most of them boil down to the fact that he needs an editor or something

he ends up asking nhs for help and he’s like oh sweet my brother’s boyfriend works for a publisher who does that sort of thing

cloud recesses actually specialises in erotica and i hate the idea that lqr has spent years reading and editing erotica but sacrifices must be made

(side note that i know nothing about the writing or publishing process so pls don’t judge me too harshly)

wwx goes in with his latest manuscript and ends up arriving like ten minutes late, he rushes into the room sweaty and hot, takes one look at the guy sitting on the other side of the desk, flushes an even brighter red and runs back out of the room. he checks the plaque on the door and walks back in slowly and goes hm i didnt expect you to be so hot

cue lan wangji

lwj has always enjoyed being an editor. what do editor do specifically? idk? edit? regardless, he enjoys it.

while most of the time he’s happy working from this side of things he also likes writing

lwj fucks. he deserves it tbh. but, while he’s had a tonne of one night stands and fuckbuddies, he’s never actually dated someone. so the fact that he’s writing romance novels under the pseudonym hanguang-jun makes his friend jzx laugh a lot

he tried writing porn once and he just couldn’t do it. it was always too clinical or vague and lacked any actual passion bc he was always going oh okay mc sucks a dick but the guy i slept with last week was like a 6.4/10 when it came to sucking dick so maybe mc should also be bad at it or whatever and it just ends up falling apart,,,, but romance he can do

as an editor lwj has pretty high standards for good erotica but he’s really found himself enjoying yiling patriarch’s work even though he’s clearly just been editing himself so when the guy sent cloud recesses an email asking whether they’d be interested in his latest book lwj was ecstatic.

he also didnt expect wwx to be so hot

anyway,,, we now get to enjoy a week of lwj thinking that wwx is super hot but even more annoying and then him deciding that annoying is hot and now wwx is just absolutely amazing and wwx is just panicking the entire time

i want my publisher to rail me so hard wwx texts nhs and nhs just responds has he read the bdsm scene with the alien who has a tentacle dick and a knot yet? and wwx is like no??? nhs just goes shame, it will give him so ideas for if you ever grow a backbone and just ask him out

they publish one book together and nothing happened between them the entire time other than yearning and horniness,, of the heart and body.

when wwx realises this means that he won’t get to see lwj again he immediately writes a new book and like a month later he’s back in lwj’s office, lying on his couch while whining about the cafeteria prices at university

lwj is very enamoured by the fact that wwx is writing erotica and studying biomed bc wow

they do this for like another three books and wwx’s eroticas evolve from here’s a dinosaur man fucking a politician while a mary sue watches on to be like here’s a dinosaur man with black hair and golden eyes and a stern look to his face fucking a politician while a mary sue watches on

and hanguang-jun’s latest book?? i dont want to say that this au’s version of wangxian is hanguang-jun finally finding inspiration to write porn (his muse is wwx of course) and writing the most amazing porn with feelings and plot novel ever,, but it is.

wwx read it five times in the first week and when nhs finally tried to read it he was like uhhh wwx are you a narcissist, the love interest is exactly like you? and wwx is like ??? no???? he’s nothing like me??

anyway one day wwx gets called into lxc’s office and lxc is like so i’ve read your latest book (not the dinosaur man, a serious one with like normal people and not overly humorous thank fuck but still full of lwj yearning) and wwx is like okay? and lxc goes yes, see i was worried that you didn’t care very much for my brother but after reading your book i’m not so sure and wwx gets the weirdest shovel talk ever which is interspersed with like compliments for his porn writing skills

anyway lxc accidentally mentions that lwj writes books too and before he can take it back wwx is like who??? and lxc is like are you fucking stupid?? you told lwj to his face that you loved his books,,, he broke his theme of tender romance to write kinky sex with a character that’s a lot like you and wwx is like .,,,,,,,,, hanguang-jun??? HANGUANG-JUN???!!

lxc barely manages to confirm it before wwx is sprinting out of his office and across to find lwj.

regretfully for everyone else, lwj is in the lobby so thirty people get to hear it when wwx comes in and shouts LAN ZHAN!! back then, i really wanted write porn about you! ... i think i have actually? but i want to write porn about you and i want to be able to do the research to make it accurate! and i also want to go on dates and hold hands and feed each other food! and i love you a lot!

lwj is dying inside bc his brother’s bf is there, his uncle is currently waiting for the elevators and a whole bunch of staff are also there but also wwx likes him??? dinosaur man was lwj??

he goes over and they make out for a really long time right there in the middle of the lobby but no one wants to get between them when they’ve been pining for so long

after that they start dating and they do all the romantic stuff but also,, let’s just say that the next book wwx publishes is a lot more creative than all of his previous books

and they become some writing power couple with horniness of the heart and body and sometimes wwx will be like hey lwj i don’t really know how the logistics of this sex scene will work and lwj will be like we could try it out ourselves? and wwx just pats him on the head and is like im sorry but you dont have enough dicks for it to work ),: better luck next time

#mdzs #modao zushi #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #im so sorry everyone #i just got the idea and it wouldnt leave me alone #cql #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #have i read any erotica? no. have i read any chuck tingle? also no. am i an editor? no #so this is gonna be very shit #this is why people should be sending me prompts instead of me just writin shit myself #nsfw-ish?

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wangxianfics · 3 years

Note

Hi, sorry to bother but do you have any fics where wwx gets adopted by someone else, It would be great if its hualian from tgcf or maybe Bingqiu from svsss thank you!

Hi @euphoria3me!

Here’s all the MXTX Verse Crossover Adoptions of WWX fics we know of :

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

Bingqiu & Hualian-Adopted!WWX :

Way Back by Little_Dimples (20K, Teen)

(Crossover, De-Aging, Kid!WWX, Hualian-Adopted!WWX, Bingqiu-Adopted!WWX, Time Travel, Family Dynamics, WWX has a lot of dads, Action/Adventure, Curses, Gods, Everyone Loved Wei Ying)

In which Wei Wuxian gets turned into a child- gets thrown through three different universes and ages up in each of them but still manages to find his way back to Lan Zhan.

Detailed comment here

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Bingqiu-Adopted!WWX :

A Guide on Parenting a BL Novel Protag by BingQiu by anatheme (75K, Not Rated, WIP - 17/20)

(Bingqiu-Adopted!WWX, Fix-It, No System, Fluff, Crack, OC bingqiu and moshang kids who play vital roles in fucking up the plot and raising wwx, Pining!WWX, Oblivious!WWX, Misunderstandings, Crush to Best Friends to ???, Soft Sweet Tender Wangxian, Kinda Royalty AU but not focused on it)

First, find the protagonist. Second, adopt him. Third, provide the protagonist with the loving and supportive family he deserved. Fourth, face slap the villains away before canon timeline happened because canon was already an angsty shitshow. Fifth, let the protagonist meet the main lead and watch their romance bloom in real life.

Thousands of years passed after the conclusion of the main storyline and Cang Qiong Mountain Sect's disbandment, their tales had long been forgotten and only tidbits remained as new sects rose to replace them.

While enjoying their happy ending without the SYSTEM blaring out orders and deducting points left and right, it should be easy for experienced transmigrator and already a parent to three Immortal Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu and his husband, Demon Emperor Luo Binghe, to raise a baby A-Ying whom they saved from the streets.

'Til the Sun Grows Cold by xnemone (73K, Mature)

(Bingqiu-Adopted!WWX, Pre-Canon for MDZS, Post-Canon for SVSSS, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Mutual Pining)

Long after Cang Qiong Sect was burned to ashes and the world had all but forgotten demons, there lived an immortal who had not ascended to the Heavens and a Demon King who stood beside him. They taught a small sect, powerful in their few numbers in a world where a new reign of great sects conquered the region. Though they did not hunt for title and gain as the four great sects did, their name held weight to the kingdom’s people. Those protected by Master Shen and Lord Luo live lives free of fear.

When the child raised as the lords’ own son is sent abroad to appease a tyrant, there is little anyone can do but pray for mercy on those who would dare hurt a hair on little Wei Wuxian’s head.

His fathers are not the forgiving type.

@aniimone

[New Mission – Parenting] by Forgotten64 (90K, Mature, WIP - 18/?)

(Bingqiu-Adopted!WWX, Post-Canon for SVSSS, Kid!WWX,Found Family, OP!WWX)

Centuries have passed by and Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe are living peacefully up in the mountains. The once proud and strong peak sects no longer exist but have been replaced by cultivation sects. One day when the two immortals wander down their mountain into a small village is when Shen Qingqiu hears a voice he hasn’t heard in years. The annoying Google translate voice of the System!

[New Mission: The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation… Do you accept?]

In which Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe obtain a child known as Wei Ying. Chaos ensures

Destined by KNBSnkLover (35K, Explicit, WIP - 7/9)

(Canon Divergence, Drabble Collection, Modern AU, Fantasy, AU, Soulmates AU, Reincarnation, Sibling Incest, Angst)

A series of drabbles featuring Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe as the adoptive fathers of Wei Wuxian. In each and every lifetime, Wei Wuxian is welcomed into a loving home and fated to be their son. However, it seems like that Wei Wuxian is also destined to be with Lan Wangji in every reincarnation as well. Regardless of the universe, can Wei Wuxian's fathers accept Lan Wangji's love and possessiveness of Wei Wuxian, no matter where that possessiveness may lead them?

{Some stories will feature Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji as brothers} Ratings will vary per story from G to E.

Inspired by [New Mission – Parenting] by Forgotten64.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Hualian-Adopted!WWX :

A Morning of Fallen Stars by constellationqueen (100K, Mature)

It's common knowledge in the Heavens that gods are not supposed to interact with humans outside of answering prayers, and they're definitely not supposed to show up in person and talk to a child. But Xie Lian isn't afraid of breaking rules that he's already broken, so he does it anyway. In fact, he takes it one step further and brings the child home.

Basically, Wei Wuxian's parents died in a night hunt when he was five, but he ends up being adopted a year later by a god and his ghost king husband, so it's not all bad.... In fact, it's probably better than it should be.

(Welcome to one of the rare times I try to avoid angst as much as possible. Wei Wuxian deserves happiness and I will give it to him.)

*~discontinued after chapter 15/outline summary of the remainder in chapter 16~*

@xiielian

Love Like You by HisRedEmpress (72K, Teen, WIP - 10/15)

(Hualian-Adopted!WWX, Post-Canon for TGCCF, Kid!WWX, Found Family, Love At First Sight, Heavenly Officials and Ghost Kings alike wrapped in Wei Ying's fingers,

Wei Wuxian is spoiled, much more than jiejie's betrothed, Jin Zixuan. The difference between the two is Jin Zixuan is arrogant about it, while Wei Wuxian is oblivious to the boundless extent he can get away with everything he does.

Jiang Cheng is so thankful Wei Wuxian sees him and jiejie as his family.

With that, Jiang Cheng can be assured that if Wei Wuxian decides he wants to have the world, he and jiejie will sparingly be safe when his Supreme Ghost King father and Heavenly Martial Emperor father, not to mention his other Ghost King uncle and grandfather, heavenly official uncles and aunts plus wrath level ghost uncles and aunts, would turn heaven and earth upside down just to give him what he wants.

(or the one where baby Wei Ying is adopted by Hualian)

let this soul be your whisper by merthurlin (19K, Teen, WIP - 5/?)

(Hualian-Adopted!WWX, Post-Siege of the Burial Mounds, Post-Canon for TGCF, Kid!WWX, Found Family)

“I think…” Xie Lian says slowly, not taking his eyes off the bag. “I think I knew this person. Who this soul used to be.”

He can hear Hua Cheng suck in a breath. “Gege, maybe it’s better if you don’t—“

But Xie Lian ignores him, and reaches out with one trembling hand to touch the bag. A second passes, and then another, and Xie Lian almost lets out a breath in relief, before he feels something in the bag reaching back.

“A-Ying?”

Once upon a time, Xie Lian took in an orphan, and gave him a home and a family. Twenty years and a godhood later, he finds he still has more in him to give.

#euphoria3me #mdzs #tgcf #svsss #bingqiu #hualian #kid!wwx #adoptionsofwwx #hualianraised!wwx #bingqiuraised!wwx #masterpost #intotthemxtxverse #crossover

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alice-in-wonderart · 4 years

Note

your scenarios are so cute!! could you please do one of jiang cheng having a crush on someone he thinks likes wwx (but they don’t, he’s just dense)? 💞

Shiiiiii- I absolutely LOVE this idea! It was so much fun to write and I had a blast trolling AngryPurpleMan™️. Honestly, JC living a lowkey comedy sitcom lifestyle is the quality content we all need. I present you, the most dense-tastic man on Earth learning how to emotion properly for the first time. 🙌

P.S. I hope he isn't too OOC

The Art of Jealousy

He knew better than to let his emotions get the best of him. Yet for some reason you had him in the palm of your hand. Not just him, but his heart. He had never before felt something as strong as every heartbeat around you. He would hear it in his head, feel it down his spine.

How utterly unfair life could be.

Jiang Cheng was a difficult person to deal with. It didn't take a genius to realise it. Hell, even he knew it. And he never really minded, that is until he met you. Kind and compassionate, strong and level-headed, intelligent eyes, quick wits, and frankly - a billion more qualities he had grown to...fancy, as he'd call it reluctantly. It took a war and some serious trauma on his side to realise, that maybe love wasn't a COMPLETE waste of time, and that maybe he would be allowed to experience it...not.

Jiang Cheng was a difficult person and he knew it. He also knew, that his brother Wei Wuxian was charming and funny, good-looking and of course - a ginormous flirt. He also knew people enjoyed jokes and flirting. And he was well-aware those weren't his strongest suit. But as he stayed from a distance, watching you laugh cheerfully at one of Wei Wuxian's trillions of ingenious jokes, his arm wrapped around your shoulders, he so wished he could be like that.

Of course, that you'd fall for that idiot. Who wouldn't? Although in his opinion, that would be abysmal, who was he to judge? That's right. Who was he to have a say in this? Yet he kept on wishing you'd turn to him instead, laugh with him instead, hug him instead, look for HIS company, HIS opinions. And with each longing stare your way, he'd get increasingly angry - at himself, at you and above all, at Wei Wuxian.

What he failed to notice during his bouts of rage were the longing stares you threw right back at him, and the knowing looks Wei Wuxian would give you. You'd told him a while back about your growing fondness of the Jiang sect leader and, as the great best friend he was, he'd vowed to help you win over his burning heart. In actuality, Wei Wuxian already suspected, that his brother had also harboured a certain attraction towards you, all he needed was a little bit of solid proof.

And god, you try everything. Cooking him something? He found the two of you before it was ready and got angry he wasn't invited. (though he denied that reasoning) Buying him something? He was in an exceptionally bad mood all day. (totally not because you went to the market with Wei Wuxian.) Drinking tea with him and just talking? Duty called and he had to go to work. Accompanying a night hunt? Jiang Cheng had to monitor Jin Ling and just as you were about to be attacked, Wei Wuxian (ofc) came to help. (JC just has 0 luck.) Clearly, it wasn't working out.

Currently you were in the middle of your plan to make him confess 'notice you'. Or rather, Wei Wuxian's plan. You weren't all that aware of it. And as Jiang Cheng angrily scowled at the two of you, he knew he was succeeding.

The younger brother couldn't stand it anymore. That shameful display of digusting affection made him want to carve his heart out and throw it right at you. Instead of throwing a scene, however, he decided for once to be the bigger person and *totally not in a demonstrative manner* walk away - an action both WWX and you noticed immediately.

Returning to his private study, he plopped on his chair, trying his darn hardest to stop himself from destroying his surroundings. Futile. In a sudden wave of anger, he pushed all of his scrolls and documents off his desk, letting them scatter around the room. His mind was screaming at him, but his heart was louder. He was done with wasting time on these foolish emotions. Who needed love anyways? It only makes you weaker. He wasn't about to embarrass himself with such stupid feelings.

His thoughts were interrupted, when there was a small knock on the door. "Who is it?", he asked sternly. He wanted to be alone. "It's me, Y/N." And just like that his tough act crumbled. "What do you want?"

"May I come in?"

"Yes."

Stepping inside, you were met with a clearly fuming Jiang Cheng, sitting amongst a few dozen scattered scrolls and sheets of paper. He averted his gaze away from you, as he crossed his arms.

"So? What do you want?" the harshness in his voice made your own anger rise, but no - you had it all under control.

"I think we need to talk about something important. But A-Cheng, what happened here?" you gestured to the scrolls.

"If it's that important, why don't you go ask Wei Wuxian for help? Or just go bother anybody else, but me." There it was - that childish jealousy Jiang Cheng has always had. He didn't want to sound as mean as he did, but his anger got the best of him. And deep down he knew, that he was going to regret it. But he was going to think about it later.

"Because it has nothing to do with him." You felt your voice tremble. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. "You know, nevermind, forget what I said.."

Jiang Cheng's heart was drowning in pain and guilt. Yet the more he felt it, the more defensive he became.

"Yeah. Now leave. I have work to do and I'm pretty sure your lover is looking for you."

What? You moved closer, standing right in front of him. "My what? Jiang Wanyin, what are you even talking about? What lover???" But then it dawned upon you. Was....was he jealous? Was he acting like that, because of jealousy?

His cheeks reddened as he finally looked at you. "As if it isn't obvious. You and Wei Wuxian spend every second together. It's so obvious it hurts, damn it. So don't play s-"

He was interrupted by you pulling him in by the robes and leaving a sweet kiss on his thin lips. You were right - he was jealous. And currently, he was so stunned he almost forgot how to breathe. Once you pulled away he nearly fell back. His face was now beat red, eyes wandering over your face, lost in the disarray that was his mind.

"A-Xian and I aren't lovers. We're friends. He was helping me try to confess...to you. You're the one I fell in love with." Suddenly you felt very small under his gaze, as you muttered the last of your confession.

And in that very moment, Jiang Cheng's entire world came crashing down like a tsunami. It was...him? Actually him? Not Wei Wuxian, not anybody else - but him? All this time?

"Wha-" He didn't know how to respond. He had yelled at you, nearly sent you away all for nothing. And suddenly realization hit him. You had just kissed him. He gathered himself as much much as possible, nerves practically wrecking him on the inside.

"If that is true, then...You idiot-" Instead of finishing his sentence, he just sighed, before pulling you in for another kiss. Wrapping an arm around your waist and burying the other in your hair, he whispered against your lips.

"Be mine."

"I already am"

"Good."

You decided, that for the time being you wouldn't mention his jealousy. After all, who'd ruin such a wonderful moment?

"You were jealous, weren't you?"

*Pterodactyl screeching in denial*

Or maybe not.

Thank you for reading~

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peekbackstage · 3 years

Note

AU WWX & AU LWJ, what is your head cannon on their relationship dynamics. Who would have made the first move, who would have confessed and etc.

I’m guessing that this question is about my previous AU post about an alternate universe where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are idols! This post is probably going to be a little ridiculously embellished, because why not.

In this universe, which is an AU version of our modern day world, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are the two biggest pop stars in China. While they fall in love while working on their series of critically acclaimed collaborations, they actually met many years before as trainees.

Upon meeting at a joint training camp held by Gusu Lan Entertainment, Lan Wangji decides that Wei Wuxian is quite possibly the most infuriating fool he has ever had the misfortune of meeting. After all, for a trainee from Yunmeng Jiang Entertainment, Wei Wuxian seems to lack all manners and decorum, loses the security badge required for entry into the Gusu Lan Arena, and to add insult to injury, seems determined to break every single rule Gusu Lan Entertainment expects their artists to follow.

(Lan Wangji does not understand how Wei Wuxian is considered the most talented trainee Yunmeng Jiang has to offer. Clearly, there are better trainees. He does not have high hopes for the boy.)

Wei Wuxian, on the other hand, finds Lan Wangji -- no, Lan Zhan, since that’s actually his real name, not his stage name -- to be an endless source of entertainment. He’s not entirely sure why Lan Zhan is determined to never have any fun in life. (He’s not even sure if Lan Zhan knows what “fun” is.) He’s even more determined to find out, though.

(Lan Wangji is not impressed. He is, however, extremely confused.)

In any case, at some point during the training camp, Wei Wuxian decides that he will be Lan Zhan’s friend, regardless of whether or not Lan Zhan wants him as a friend.

(Lan Zhan has never actually had a friend. It’s all very strange to him.)

This is not supposed to be a fic, so I’m not going to include too much more backstory exposition here. Mostly, I wanted to offer some history before we get to the main course!

So, now we are a few years in the future, and Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have both debuted. They aren’t megastars yet, so Gusu Lan Entertainment and Yunmeng Jiang Entertainment decide it might be a good idea to have their two budding idols work on a collaboration together, kind of like the Kangta & Vanness collaboration from 2011. Or Jun Ho and Van Ness, from 2012. (In fact, Van Ness Wu’s collaborations seem like a pretty good business model to copy.)

During this process, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji spend many late nights working closely together. Unlike other idols, they actually write their own music, and even play their own instruments. They’re exceptionally talented musicians, and they discover just how well they complement one another during this time.

[Insert some cheesy line about how their souls speak to one another through music, because this is The Untamed AU.]

(It’s around this same time that Wei Wuxian starts to notice how distractingly handsome Lan Zhan is. He really has no right being that handsome. It’s rude, really.)

They end up writing and recording enough songs to release an EP together. It’s all very productive.

(It’s during this time that Lan Wangji realizes that he can’t seem to stop looking at Wei Wuxian -- correction, Wei Ying. He curses his treacherous eyes, which keep finding their way back to the ridiculous curl of Wei Ying’s mouth.)

[Insert an absurd amount of unfulfilled sexual tension, largely caused by a certain Wei Wuxian growing increasingly, outrageously flirty, much to Lan Wangji’s complete dismay.]

At some point, Wei Wuxian kinda-sorta accidentally gets Lan Zhan drunk. He really didn’t mean to. It sort of just happened. He discovers that Lan Zhan is kind of hilarious when he’s drunk. So he makes it a habit of occasionally convincing (or tricking) Lan Zhan into have drink.

On a particularly hot summer night, after an entire day spent rehearsing choreography for the music video they are supposed to shoot the next day, Wei Wuxian once again manages to get Lan Zhan drunk. He kind of accidentally may have gotten himself drunk in the process. And maybe sort of accidentally ends up in Lan Zhan’s lap. He really didn’t plan for that to happen. It sort of just does, along with all the relatively rated-M stuff that happens after that.

Afterwards, he panics, not unlike his counterpart in MDZS, cuz apparently, this is apparently Untamed-AU-meets-MDZS-AU.

Wei Wuxian tells Lan Zhan that this is just the sort of thing that guys sometimes do together, and not to take it too seriously, then immediately runs off, because of course he does.

It’s all very dramatic.

[Insert even more dramatic internal monologue.]

Fast forward to the next day. It is now the big day of their music video shoot.

Wei Wuxian gets there early, and arrives alone. Lan Xichen, who has no real reason being on set but who I need to put on the set because plot, is quite surprised to see Wei Wuxian on the set without his brother, especially considering that in recent weeks, they pretty much had become inseparable.

One thing leads to another - I really don’t know how - but Lan Xichen is the best wingman ever and ends up more or less telling Wei Wuxian what a dumbass he is for not really understanding Lan Wangji’s feelings, because come on. Literally every single person on both teams know that Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian have been making eyes at each other like no one’s business.

And of course, once Lan Wangji arrives on set, Wei Wuxian does what Wei Wuxian does best and declares, in front of everyone on set, that he really, truly deeply is in love with Lan Wangji. Remember, we are in Untamed-AU-meets-MDZS-AU land now, and apparently I’ve decided that this is now a retelling of the story through idol land.

In any case, Lan Wangji is overcome with emotion and there is a dramatic embrace.

The director of the music video sees all of this and decides to rewrite the script, right there on the spot. He tells the lead actress who they were supposed to both be pining over that she no longer will be playing a love interest.

The music video for their first collaboration song drops. The song itself is renamed WangXian. It’s filled with “socialist brotherhood” (aka censored gay love) scenes of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji together.

Pandemonium ensues. The single breaks records upon release. Youku’s site actually crashes because so many people are trying to watch the music video. WangXian instantly becomes the #1 trending hot search. CP speculation explodes overnight. It only gets worse when the BTS footage is released.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Beijing, Wei Ying is sprawled on the couch, playing a video game on his phone, while Lan Zhan makes them dinner as Wei Wuxian’s cat rubs against Lan Zhan’s leg. It’s all very domestic.

As for their relationship dynamics, I don’t think it would be all that different from the way they are in the show! They’re Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, after all. Where one goes, the other is sure to follow.

#the untamed #wangxian #mdzs #cql #the untamed au #au wangxian #idol wangxian #mdzs au #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wei ying #lan zhan #hehe this was fun #ask #Anonymous #peek answers

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robininthelabyrinth · 4 years

Note

Prompt: a continuation of you NMJ/WWX ficlet. LWJ chaperones their courtship meetings while desperately pining, torn between proposing to WWX himself and not wanting to jeopardize WWX and the Wen's chance for safety. Either NHS or NMJ are well aware of his crush. Thank you for writing for this rarepair! I love all your stuff

continuation of this fic

Lan Wangji knew that duty sometimes – often, even – called for sacrifice. Personal sacrifice. It was something he had long ago accepted: to be good, sometimes one had to suffer.

And oh – how he was suffering.

He’d been at Qinghe when Jiang Cheng had arrived with his proposal, visiting alongside his brother in a way he tended not to do if the visits were to Koi Tower instead of the Unclean Realm; he’d waited outside while they’d had a discussion between sect leaders, more than happy to absent himself from the trouble –

His brother had explained it all, after, and had asked him if he would consider acting as a chaperone.

A chaperone to Wei Wuxian, who would be marrying – Nie Mingjue.

“He’s not a cutsleeve,” Lan Wangji had blurted out, then checked; the expression of those around him indicated that his tone had remained indifferent and above it all, stating a mere fact that didn’t relate to him, and only his brother’s eyes started to widen a little.

His brother had always understood him too well.

“He’s not not a cutsleeve, anyway,” Jiang Cheng had said with a shrug. “He indicated he was willing – and it’s better than the alternative. My Jiang Sect can’t defend him right now…it would be very good if you would agree to be chaperone, Hanguang-jun. Not only is your reputation flawless, you would add the implicit support of the Lan sect; it would give it additional legitimacy.”

“I’m not sure –” Lan Xichen had started to say, but Lan Wangji had known that he was only refusing because he’d just realized that Lan Wangji wouldn’t be happy to see Wei Wuxian marry another, that he’d wanted – that he’d –

“I’d be happy to go,” Lan Wangji had said at once.

“I wouldn’t have anyone else,” Nie Mingjue had said, and that had been that, no matter how Lan Xichen tried to talk to him about it later.

He hadn’t wanted to talk.

There was nothing to talk about. The Lan sect was still rebuilding the Cloud Recesses – they, like the Jiang Sect, couldn’t afford to shield someone so inconvenient as Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Patriarch.

Inconvenient. It was a good word for Wei Wuxian: he was very inconvenient. Inconveniently appearing in Lan Wangji’s thoughts, in his dreams, in his heart –

It didn’t matter. The Lan sect couldn’t stand against the entire cultivation world for him, and so even if Lan Wangji were willing to do so, it wasn’t a good match. And that was that.

And now he was here, at Yiling, and Wei Wuxian kept talking about it.

About – him.

Nie Mingjue.

Lan Wangji sincerely respected the man: he was a brilliant cultivator, an awe-inspiring swordsman, an effective and admired sect leader, a just and upright man with solid principles that he never backed down from. He was skilled in virtually all of the six arts – music excluded, as he couldn’t play an instrument to save his life, but it really wasn’t fair to hold being born half-tone-deaf against him.

Wei Wuxian didn’t talk about any of that. No. That would be too easy – Lan Wangji would agree with him, and that would be fine.

No, what Wei Wuxian wanted to talk about, apparently, was the man’s body.

“– and his arms. Did you see his arms?”

“En.” Lan Wangji hoped his admission that he had, in fact, observed that Nie Mingjue had arms would be enough to forestall Wei Wuxian.

It was not.

“Magnificent, aren’t they? Big as a tree branch. He went out for saber training earlier in that outfit, didn’t he, the tight one without armor to cover them up; maybe he’ll swing by this way on his way back and we’ll see them again…”

Lan Wangji wanted to die.

“I never knew I liked arms so much before, you know? I’ve only been noticing lately – you have excellent arms yourself, actually – huh! These robes really cover a lot, don’t they? But in fact your arms are quite sturdy –”

Wei Wuxian was touching him. Lan Wangji pulled away as quickly as he could, which was probably not as quickly as someone else could.

“Oh, Lan Zhan, why do you always ruin my fun? It wasn’t as if I was stripping you down, I was just feeling them through the robes; even you can’t object…object to…”

Wei Wuxian trailed off, staring at something over Lan Wangji’s shoulder.

Lan Wangji turned.

Nie Mingjue had, in fact, taken this route back from his training. However, he was no longer wearing the tight robes – old ones, clearly designed for use during training – and was, in fact, not wearing anything on the top half of his body at all, the robes bunched up on his arm and clearly messy with mud and dirt; someone must have played a prank or something, to judge by the irritated look on his face.

Not that Lan Wangji was spending a lot of time looking at the man’s face.

Not when there was so much else to look at: sloped shoulders, a collarbone, rich supple flesh glistening with the slightest sheen of sweat –

Wei Wuxian was right about Nie Mingjue’s body being very nice, he found himself thinking to his horror – why was he thinking about this, he’d gotten over this years ago – and he shook his head and turned back to Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian, who was staring at him with a growing grin.

That was not good.

“You like him!” Wei Wuxian declared and no, no, this was not happening. “You think he’s attractive.”

“No,” Lan Wangji said firmly, and sat down, determined to ignore Wei Wuxian.

Predictably, it went about as well as any of his previous resolutions to ignore Wei Wuxian.

“How long has this been going on? When did you first start noticing him?”

“No.”

“Tell me! When did it start? How long has this gone on?”

I was six, he picked me up with one arm and told me I was a good boy and later that night I asked Brother if I could marry him and Brother thought I was joking but I wasn’t and then when I got older I had spring dreams about him right up until I met you.

“No,” Lan Wangji said again.

“‘No’ isn’t ‘I don’t’,” Wei Wuxian crowed, far too delighted by this revelation of Lan Wangji’s inappropriate interest in Wei Wuxian’s future husband. “You have to tell me, please. I’m dying of curiosity. You of all people had a crush! On Nie Mingjue! I have to know everything! Please, you have to tell me, I’ll do anything!”

“What is anything?” Lan Wangji asked, because his voice was a traitor that did things without consulting his mind, and anyway this would be just like that time in the cold spring where Wei Wuxian had offered him ‘benefits’ and it turned out he meant that he’d introduce him to girls…

The next thing Lan Wangji knew, Wei Wuxian had thrown himself into his arms, disregarding all propriety. “I don’t have anything you want,” he wailed, and that was the most wrong thing that had ever come out of Wei Wuxian’s mouth. “You have to give me a hint, I can’t live without knowing, Lan Zhan…!”

That, of course, was when Nie Mingjue walked in.

Lan Wangji froze at once. This was horrifically inappropriate – not merely as a breach of etiquette, but of principle. He’d known from the beginning that he was the wrong man to stand chaperone for Wei Wuxian, but he’d agreed regardless, thinking that he could force himself to be righteous; he’d even convinced Lan Xichen that it would be better for him to feel the sting of the loss all at once, from close by. And what was he doing instead?

Allowing Wei Wuxian to clamber all over his lap as if he were an especially affectionate monkey.

In front of his future husband.

He opened his mouth to say – something. Anything.

Nothing came to mind.

“Huh,” Nie Mingjue said, his voice low and amused. “Huaisang has been handling the details of all of this, but he really should have mentioned it if I was going to be marrying both of you.”

Lan Wangji blinked.

“…no?” he said. It was both hesitant and a question, neither of which he meant for it to be.

“I think you mean yes,” Wei Wuxian said, looking as though it were his birthday and New Years all at once and he’d just been given every present he’d ever dreamt of as a child. Lan Wangji could very nearly sympathize with the feeling. “That’s a wonderful idea!”

It was a terrible idea.

For…reasons.

None of which were coming to mind right now, but Lan Wangji was certain they existed.

Didn’t they?

#mdzs #lan wangji #wei wuxian #nie mingjue #jiang cheng #lan xichen #my fic #my fics #everyone in this fic is so thirsty #wangxian #lan wangji/wei wuxian/nie mingjue #mostly lan wangji/suffering #notdexterousatall #pasttime with good company

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spaceskam · 3 years

Note

Hello! For Title Tuesday, how about 33 and wangxian, since I recently fell into this ship and am still swooning and desperate for more! Thank you, love everything you do!

thank you! and thank you for waiting a week too! I’ll add the ao3 link whenever I get the chance to post it over there, I hope you like it!

title tuesday instructions

tags: cql canon, post-canon, a bit of sad and lonely WWX

33. an uncomfortable month [ao3]

When Wei Wuxian came back to Cloud Recesses, he’d been excited.

He missed Sizhui and Wen Ning and having a reliable place to sleep and bathe, but mainly he missed Lan Zhan. He’d been so excited to hang on him again, to trick him into staying up past curfew by talking for hours and it was simply rude to fall asleep while someone was talking, to catch those moments when he smiled. He missed them together, whatever that meant and in whatever capacity he was allowed to have it in.

However, he hadn’t expected it to be so… weird. Awkward, maybe, was a better word. Lan Zhan was, for the most part, the same, but he was always so busy and so Wei Wuxian had to entertain himself. To make matters worse, apparently, people thought he was the great Hanguang-Jun’s ward. At first it’d been funny, but now it was simply annoying.

“Lan Zhan,” he whined, pouting and squishing his face against Lan Zhan’s arm. He didn’t slow down his pace or even accommodate Wei Wuxian’s affections, so he took the hint and stood up straight. He rolled his shoulders, shaking away that little bud that was beginning to blossom inside him that did nothing but remind him that he was unwanted. He was hoping to get rid of it before he couldn’t ignore it. “Lan Zhan, what did you tell them? I’ve told three separate people that I’m not your ward and not a single one of them believed me.”

“Mn.”

“Mn,” Wei Wuxian mimicked, rolling his eyes, “What does that mean?”

“I have said nothing to anyone about my relationship to Wei Ying,” he said.

“Yeah, including me,” Wei Wuxian grumbled softly. Lan Wangji tilted his head slightly in his direction as if listening and Wei Wuxian managed a laugh, petting his arm. “I’m teasing, Lan Zhan. So, what, do I just let them think that? What if rumors start about my age, though? Aren’t wards much younger?”

“Let them come to their own conclusion,” Lan Zhan said firmly. Wei Wuxian’s face felt warm at the implication. Though, maybe there were no implications and his mind was just a bit naughty.

His mind had definitely been awfully naughty these days.

“So, you won’t mind what they say when I stay in the Jingshi long past curfew?” Wei Wuxian asked. Lan Zhan didn’t answer which meant he didn’t mind. Wei Wuxian leaned closer. “But what will they say if I don’t leave at all?”

Lan Zhan came to a halt, turning to him. Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened a bit, shocked he was getting that much of a reaction. Lan Zhan hadn’t really given him much of a reaction since he came back. It was all very cordial. Plain. Wei Wuxian never overstayed his welcome at the Jingshi because of it, regardless of how much he wanted to take a nap in his bed again. It was much warmer than the guest rooms.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan said, staring at him. His eyes slowly grazed over his face and then further down and Wei Wuxian felt a bit lightheaded. “Are your rooms not satisfactory?”

“No,” he said. Lan Zhan blinked and then nodded before Wei Wuxian’s brain processed anything at all. “No! I mean, yes, I mean, they’re fine. Fine.”

Lan Zhan took a slow, even breath. “Wei Ying.”

“I suppose I was under the impression that I would be staying in the Jingshi,” Wei Wuxian said slowly, stupidly, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t know how long Lan Zhan planned to let him stay here, but it couldn’t be too much longer. “You know, like we did last time.”

“Wei Ying was here under pressing circumstances last time,” Lan Zhan pointed out, his eyebrows pulled together just enough to show his confusion. It was such a small change from his normal expression that Wei Wuxian barely caught it. “Wei Ying deserves a space of his own for however long he will be here.”

And it was so sweet that Wei Wuxian didn’t have the heart to tell him that he didn’t really mind sharing if it meant sharing with Lan Zhan. In fact, he’d much rather that. If they were in the same room, then they would at least see each other every day without Wei Wuxian having to hunt him down.

But Lan Zhan had been very thoughtful and Wei Wuxian smiled.

“Oh. I suppose I misunderstood,” he said. Lan Zhan blinked slowly and he took a step forward.

“Wei Ying can stay as long as he desires. And he can have whatever he desires. If he wishes to stay in the Jingshi, he is welcome,” Lan Zhan said. Wei Wuxian nodded slowly in understanding, but his cheeks just started to grow warm and he found himself laughing for no reason. It wasn’t funny. He did it anyway.

“Silly Lan Zhan, you don’t want to give me your house! I am just a ward, don’t you remember?” Wei Wuxian laughed. Lan Zhan blinked, but then nodded his head once.

Lan Zhan continued to walk and Wei Wuxian followed as they made their way to the open courtyard where young disciples were practicing sword forms. They were all around 13 or 14 and greeted Lan Zhan with a warm ‘Hanguang-Jun’ and then quickly averted their eyes from Wei Wuxian. They hadn’t done that before he left, even when they knew he was the Yiling Laozu. He put a little more space between him and Lan Zhan, just to be safe.

The days continued on like this, Lan disciples averting their eyes and Lan Zhan just being eerily calm. Not to say he wasn’t always calm, but he seemed almost sedated. Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure how to handle that. He would press his luck and stay later in the Jingshi, but he was never told to leave even as Lan Wangji went about his business to prepare for bed. It was like he didn’t care about anything but work. Wei Wuxian felt like he’d missed a step.

“A-Yuan!” Wei Wuxian called, walking a bit faster than was Lan appropriate to catch up with him. He was the only one who’s behavior made sense. Sweet and righteous and adorable.

“Wei-qianbei,” Lan Sizhui said warmly, bowing politely. Then he stood up, paused a moment, and went in for a short hug. That was another thing that made sense. He always gave him hugs when no one else was around. Wei Wuxian gave them freely right back.

“A-Yuan, could I ask you something? Between you and I, of course,” Wei Wuxian said, trying to keep his voice diplomatic as they continued to walk. It made him smile so big his eyes turned into little crescents. Adorable, truly.

“Yes, Wei-qianbei, anything.”

“Did something happen while I was gone? The Lans have never been exactly fond of me, but viewing me as Hanguang-Jun’s ward and being too awkward to even look my way is definitely new. Did a rumor about me spread? I haven’t heard any,” Wei Wuxian said, tapping his nose thoughtfully. He’d tried to come up with reasons and failed each time. “Even your Hanguang-Jun has been weird.”

“Ah,” Lan Sizhui said, giving a tense little smile and looking away quickly as his cheeks began to burn red. Wei Wuxian stopped walking, putting his hand on his arm.

“A-Yuan,” he said, using the same tone of voice he’d used when he would tell him to spit out whatever he’d shoved in his mouth 16 years ago now. It was enough to make him tilt his head back in Wei Wuxian’s direction.

“Hanguang-Jun just… made it very clear that you were not to be disrespected,” he said carefully. Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What does that mean?”

Lan Sizhui pushed his hair off his neck and looked around. Wei Wuxian put his hands on his hips and waited for an explanation. Hanguang-Jun had been acting strange as well. What the hell could he have possibly done?

“Have you been to the Jingshi?” Lan Sizhui asked quietly.

“Of course I have.”

“Then have you not… noticed?”

“Noticed what?”

Lan Sizhui’s face flushed again and he shyly looked at Wei Wuxian which only furthered his confusion. He went to the Jingshi nearly every day. Had he missed something that obvious?

“Perhaps you should ask Hanguang-Jun. It doesn’t feel like my place to say,” Sizhui said. Wei Wuxian scrunched up his nose and sighed.

“Everything is so difficult around here,” he said, earning a small smile from Sizhui. Wei Wuxian reached out to smooth his forehead ribbon carefully. “Fine, I suppose I’ll ask.”

“Alright, Wei-qianbei.”

“Once I straighten that, we’ll address this Wei-qianbei nonsense. Am I not worthy enough to be your Xian-gege anymore?” Wei Wuxian asked, enjoying the sound of his laughter. That made sense. If A-Yuan was laughing and smiling with him, then things couldn’t be that bad. He was sure of it.

“Alright, Xian-gege.”

Wei Wuxian spent his day as normal as he could, though he was already prepared to pack up if need be. He would ask Lan Zhan what he’d missed and see what he said, but he didn’t want to be in a place where everyone wouldn’t even look his way anymore. It was too uncomfortable.

He didn’t want to leave Lan Zhan and he wouldn’t if he didn’t have to, but it was beginning to feel like he had to.

As the day began to wind to an end and it was around the time that Lan Wangji would be retiring to the Jingshi, Wei Wuxian made a point to beat him there. He let himself in and took a look around, trying to notice if there was anything amiss. Nothing stood out.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan said as he entered in complete silence. Wei Wuxian spun around to face him, smiling as innocent as he could.

Lan Zhan eyed him skeptically, not buying it for a moment and yet not calling him out either. It was little things like that that reminded him that Lan Zhan was a grown man now and not a hot-headed teenager. Not that he’d ever admit he was hot-headed, but still.

“Lan Zhan! I was waiting for you, let’s eat,” Wei Wuxian said, coming close and plucking the tray of food out of Lan Zhan’s hands. He brought it to the table and knelt on one side. Lan Zhan was still watching him closely as he placed Bichen on its stand and came closer.

Lan Zhan knelt at the other side of the table and poured tea for the both of them. Wei Wuxian smiled in his gratitude and downed it. They ate in silence which seemed to be an immediate warning flag for Lan Zhan if the way he was staring said anything. Granted, Wei Wuxian never listened to that particular Lan rule before.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan said softly as their meal ended. It was around the time he usually started moving around the room to prepare for bed. And it was the night he usually took a bath, so typically he would go to the other side of the privacy screen and disrobe while Wei Wuxian talked through his body lighting on fire from the inside. “Is there something wrong?”

“Ah, why would something be wrong?” Wei Wuxian laughed. Really, he just wasn’t quite ready to ask what happened after he left to travel last time. What had made all the Lan disciples look away and spread rumors that he was a ward. He still couldn’t get over that. A ward! How could they possibly think he was a ward?

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan repeated.

Wei Wuxian sighed and let his shoulders sink a bit, his eyes going anywhere but in Lan Zhan’s direction as he fiddled with his robes. It shouldn’t be so hard to ask.

“Lan Zhan,” he said, “What changed while I was gone? I asked A-Yuan, but, you know, just like his Hanguang-Jun, he’s all too respectful to tell me what is yours to say. So all I ask is what happened to make everyone avoid me. More than they avoided me when they knew I was just the Yiling Laozu which, honestly, is impressive.”

Lan Zhan stared at him for a long moment and Wei Wuxian would’ve thought he was just annoyed by the question if not for the way his ears were slowly burning brighter and brighter with each breath. Wei Wuxian tilted his head.

“Lan-er-gege, what did you do?” Wei Wuxian asked, a bit of teasing in his voice if only to lighten the tension.

“My sect will be ordered to stop avoiding you. I apologize for their lack of respect,” Lan Zhan said. Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes.

“Aiya, Lan Zhan! You know that isn’t it! Now, tell me,” Wei Wuxian said. Lan Zhan took a deep breath and stared at him. Wei Wuxian pushed himself up on his knees and walked on them over to him. He sat down right beside him, their knees nearly touching. “Is it something bad? Would it be easier for me to leave?”

That got his attention and Lan Zhan looked at him quickly, his eyes sharp and determined. They both knew Lan Zhan wouldn’t keep him here if he didn’t want to, but Wei Wuxian felt a rush of warmth at the idea that Lan Zhan would still give a lot to make him want to be here. To feel welcome in his home. That was nice.

“Alright,” Lan Zhan said, his hands clutching his robes, “I had a larger bed constructed.”

“Ah?” Wei Wuxian breathed, eyebrows coming together in confusion. He looked over his shoulder to the bed and, yes, maybe it was a bit larger than when he slept in it last, but it wasn’t that much larger. Just… big enough for two. “You’re… getting married?” Wei Wuxian asked slowly, dread poking at his gut and against those quiet sounds of ‘you’re not welcome, no one wants you here’ pried into his mind.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan breathed, looking some mix of fond and exasperated. Wei Wuxian could hear his heart in his ears.

“What does a larger bed have to do with me?” he asked. Lan Zhan slowly closed his eyes. Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened when he realized what the Lans were thinking, what they must be assuming he and their brilliant Chief Cultivator were doing in that large bed. “Ah! And they’re calling me a ward? Is that to save their own thoughts? How shameless of them, Lan Zhan.”

“And not shameless of me?” he asked, tilting his head. Wei Wuxian blinked and then nearly melted.

“Oh. Lan Zhan,” he teased, gently pushing his shoulder. Wei Wuxian’s insides were similar to the way he felt when he knew he was naked behind a privacy screen‒entirely on fire to the point he was almost dizzy. “Were your disciples not just assuming, Lan Zhan? Well, that would explain why A-Yuan got so flustered when I asked. Ah! You are shameless. But, don’t worry, shamelessness looks very nice on you.”

Lan Zhan’s smile slowly appeared and that was nice. Similar to A-Yuan’s, if Lan Zhan was smiling then nothing could ever really be wrong.

“Then why would you give me my own quarters? And why would you act so scandalized when I asked why I wasn’t living in the Jingshi? Lan Zhan, you’re terrible at courting!” Wei Wuxian pointed out. However, saying the word courting out loud when he was speaking about the two of them made a little too obvious what was going on and he leaned closer to Lan Zhan to keep his mind busy. “And still your disciples were thinking things that hadn’t even happened yet.”

“Yet?” Lan Zhan asked, ignoring his questions that were honestly rather important. But, well, he could get those answers later he supposed.

“Yet,” Wei Wuxian repeated, eyes scanning his face. He was so handsome. All of those naughty thoughts that Wei Wuxian had shoved away out of respect came back to the surface very quickly. “Lan Zhan.”

When Wei Wuxian found himself sprawled half-naked on the bed within the Jingshi, he didn’t finally notice the size difference.

#wangxian #wangxian fic #wei wuxian #lan wangji #the untamed #my fic #title tuesday #thekissxxx

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zhuhongs · 3 years

Text

Upon rereading tgcf, one of the biggest complaints I have is how lackluster all the extra chapters were. literally none of them were good and all contained rlly gross and harmful sentiments (like the amnesia one which.. yea.. or all the things implying xl should get pregnant for hc thus equating gay relationships with hetero ones and playing into the wife thing and just GOD I HATE MXTX)

There were a lot of little plot points i wish that had been further elaborated on more in the extras as opposed to hualian being ... like that. I had enough. Like mdzs had actaully good extras (minus the incense burners) that were nice side stories that elaborated more on the characters. Like the hook one with the juniors was so cute and i loved seeing them grow more. Or the lotus pod extras omg.. im such a lotus pod extra stan. those were so cute and gave us a lot of good insight into just how lovestruck lwj was during the times when he didn’t see wwx. mxtx should've stuck to those sorta extras in tgcf but NOOO. SO I have a list of so many other more interesting things those chapters couldve been spent on like:

A resolution on He Xuan’s revenge and his character arc. Bc its implied He Xuan is still hanging out and watching over sqx and that taking revenge didn’t fully satisfy him bc ok.. yea shi wudu is dead but he xuans family will never come back. Now what does he have to live for?? i wish we couldve seen a look into his life during the entire ordeal. like a chapter from his perspective while he was posing as Ming Yi and maybe a look at a conversation btw he xuan and the real ming yi or a chapter after SQX was banished to see what he’s doing now. Also what did he xuan owe hua cheng money for anyways?? Like ik not every little thing has to be explained but I Want to Know. PLEASE more goth boyfriend content now I just wanna see him :,((

a better resolution of yin yu and quan yizhens storyline. im still mad abt how that plot point was split btw books 3 and 5 when it was rlly out of place and there were other more pressing plot matters and it just rlly deserved more time. Also i thought yin yu died!?!?!? but apparently one of the extras says he’s alive and man... i;m not reading any more of the extras to see that, give me a full yin yu and quan yizhen chapter.. fuck.

a day in the life of the guoshi fangxin or general hua PLEASE especially like one where hua cheng was SO CLOSE to meeting xie lian but had no clue that xie lian was there at the time but the two did smth that inadvertantly helped the other and they still were connected even though they hadnt met omg pls that’d be so nice. like imagine Hua cheng catching a glimpse of the guoshi in public in yong’an while he’s trying to follow some lead that points to xie lian or maybe following a lead to capture qi rong bc he said he knew qi rong was a part of the yong’an stuff and originally thought the guoshi was one of qi rongs pawns. like can you IMAGINE him getting so close. but at the last second he did smth small that impacted xie lian. like they bumped into eachother on the street or smth. god i’d go crazy

OR vice versa.. like a day in the life of the young ghost king hua cheng. Like again, one of my biggest issues was that hua cheng just knew everything and its never really explained how he got all of that info. like yes he’s been alive very long and has eyes and ppl working for him everywhere but like... how did he build that network?? I’d love to see a chapter of young ghost king hua cheng travelling around trying to learn as much as he can abt the world and how it can help bring him to xie lian. and the two maybe are in the same kingdom for a bit and they don’t meet exactly but hua cheng stops some fight or something and helps xie lian indirectly or maybe xie lian is performing on the street in some costume and hua cheng doesn’t recognize him and smiles and gives him a coin or smth. idk i’m just dying for any sorta extra chapter or fic like that. i’m honestly so tempted to write my own but i cant write

also!! we’ve seen how xie lian picks up people down on their luck near him and show them kindness (like banyue, lang ying, xiao ying, he tried to with san lang but we know how that ended lmao) so i’d love to see another little vignette of him doing that on his travels and how every person he meets teaches him smth about life and being a good person and idk, i just think it’d be rlly sweet. i love this facet of his character and feel like we didn’t see enough of it towards the end.

ALSO hua cheng only seems to respect one heavenly official besides xie lian and thats yushi huang.. i assume thats mostly bc she was the only one to help xie lian and let him use the rain master hat to bring water to yong’an. I was thinking maybe when he was a new supreme he had run into trouble and maybe was picked up by the rain master and helped him heal and in return he promised to help protect her village from harm in the future. Like i know a heavenly official wouldn’t cooperate with a ghost like that but yushi huang is different and doesn’t really care about the heavens so i think she would protect him if he could do something to benefit her village. ik this is kinda far fetched but when he first became a supreme I’m sure a bunch of ppl probably tried to mess with him and didn’t rlly believe him to be undefeatable bc he hadn’t proved himself yet also i doubt all his power came overnight. he had to learn how to use it once he escaped the kiln. and some group probably thought they could weaken him somehow. I’m thinking maybe a rlly well formed group of ghosts actually caught him off guard once and he had to retreat and was picked up by the rain master and stayed with her and learned from her a bit. i think it’d be a cool concept also i just rlly want more yushi huang content and i’m on their friendship agenda bc he rlly did seem to actually respect her when she first appeared and i think it’d be cool if the two had some history together.

Also idrc if this was addressed I couldve missed it But!! Did xie lian ever tell Hua cheng that the reason he got the curse shackles and was banished again in the first place wasnt bc jun wu wanted to punish him, but because he requested it. And specifically requested it bc he felt guilty abt letting wu ming take the human face disease and disperse for his sake. So he took the shackles and descended to atone for that?? Bc I dont recall hua cheng learning that bc his soul was already dispersed at that point so it didnt follow him and xie lian didnt say anything so uhhh... someone should tell hua cheng that. Like I dont think xie lian rlly said how much hua cheng meant to him and didnt show him he was loved in grand ways. Like xie lian did always care for bc in other ways but I think if hua cheng learned abt this on screen it wouldve been such a great moment and I'm rlly surprised mxtx didnt address this iirc!?!? Like imagine jun wu telling Hua cheng this in the kiln bc xie lian wouldnt say it himself. Imagine how cool that would be.

Also a small thing adding into the whole young ghost king Hua cheng stuff. Its implied and p much stated that hua cheng isnt his real name. That he likely doesnt have a real name bc his parents died? (It's not clear. I'm still mad at mxtx for not making his childhood clearer). So I'd like to see when and why hua cheng chose that name for himself. The new tgcf ending song kinda hints at its meaning with the lyrics "for you I'd fill a city of flowers" as xie lian is the flower wielding martial god so it's probably inspired by that. Also xie lian saved hua cheng from leaping off the city walls but I'd love to hear him say it bc the implication of his name didnt dawn on me for quite a bit and I dont know if everyone made the connection. Again I sure as hell didnt. So itd be cool to see a chapter that takes place in his past after just ascending as a supreme

Overall I rlly think tgcf had a lot more potential to be even better and a lot of that comes down to fleshing out the side characters and letting hualian have more of a storyline independent of one another. like i know the appeal and message of tgcf is that through love, people can overcome anything, but fuck man. i just wanna see what these two (mostly hua cheng) where like in the absence of each others presence. Part of what I really liked abt mdzs is that we got to see that longing develop btw wangxian when the two weren’t together and how they thought about each other and did things in thei others spirit bc they knew the other wouldve done the same thing. but whatever, mxtx was too consumed by her own unhealthy idea of what devotion and true love looks like but still. i rlly think the extras couldve helped the story be better rather than be fujoshi fuel that i try to bleach from my mind -_-

#tgcf #🐌.txt #long post #text heavy #god its 1am im queuing this for the daytime bc i need yall to read this and scream with me bc these wouldve been such better extra chapters #oh fuck this is 1.3k words ajfaskjfklasfjksd #i should just write my own extras at this point now.. fuck mxtx

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