#but i will answer the wangxian tomorrow hopefully!
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Hualian "you give me butterflies."
this is SO SOPPY it is the anthesis of the fics i should be working on ajhdkls but also i’ve been meaning to write a variant on this theme for like a week so ty for prompting me <3 <3
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Over the centuries, Xie Lian has acquired a certain practiced skillset at dealing with admirers. It’s embarrassing to admit aloud, but he’s not unaware that he’s often considered handsome. Growing up, everyone fawned over the beautiful crown prince, and even with his calloused scrap collector hands and bones weighed down with too many centuries, he still sometimes finds flowers thrust into his hands or looks cast his way up through demure lashes.
Even if he had ever wanted to act on such things, he still tries to live according to the strictures Guoshi ingrained in his mind. He hates to presume even when the compliments seem obvious, and it would be embarrassing for the other person if they really did feel for him and he turned them down too sharply. Often, he leaves quickly enough that there’s nothing to worry about, but when he lingers, he presses aside the peony blooms of romance with the stubborn bough of friendship. Even the most determined flirts are eventually discouraged by his insistence on making friendship out of their overtures.
One by one, they always eventually accept defeat and retreat to chase after someone else. After so many centuries, he has enough experience to write a book that could counter every matchmaker’s advice: How to Stave Off Marriage and Romance for Eight Hundred Years.
And then, all at once, there is Hua Cheng.
“Ah gege is so strong, where would this San Lang be without his protection?” Hua Cheng remarks shamelessly after Xie Lian gently nudges a bee away from his exposed arm.
“Look, gege, even the flowers are bashful in front of your beauty,” he says when they pass through a field of bell orchids with their pale blooms all downturned.
“Gege carries the whole Heavenly Court on one palm,” he mutters, mutinous, after Feng Xin and Mu Qing drop by in their shoddy disguises.
He fills each day with such shameless, sincere flattery and absurdity that Xie Lian has to fight not to bury his burning cheeks in his palms. He hasn’t been subtle from the start, back when he still disguised himself as a careless wandering youth, and Xie Lian hasn’t treated him any differently than all the others before. He doesn’t want to mislead Hua Cheng, especially not when he sincerely enjoys and appreciates his company so much.
And yet—Hua Cheng seems content. He doesn’t ever press for more, doesn’t seem to expect anything from his relentless flirting. At night, they share the bamboo mat, but he curls onto his side with a polite gap between the two of them while Xie Lian lies awake, staring at the ceiling and trying desperately to make sense of what he wants.
He likes Hua Cheng. He likes his clever, biting humor, and his earnest delight and praise. Likes how he so readily settles into the physical labor of this humble shrine and so happily fits himself to Xie Lian’s battered and bizarre life. He likes their conversations spinning far off into the night, and he likes the comfortable silences that settle between them when they sit on the porch of the shrine and share a bowl of jujubes. He likes the laughter that steals out of both of them when they wind up in an impromptu contest of who can spit the pits furthest.
“Gege is too generous with this San Lang,” Hua Cheng remarks one afternoon, leaning his chin on his hand and grinning carelessly up at Xie Lian even as his voice tips toward self-deprecation. “How do you keep such patience?”
They’re sitting by the edge of the river, both stripped down to their inner layer to cool off after helping in the fields all day, and in the golden light, all Hua Cheng’s edges seem layered in gold. His smile is bright and cheerful, crinkling up his eye in a way that makes him look boyish and carefree. Xie Lian swallows, his throat tacky, and looks away with a little laugh.
“Ah nonsense,” he says. “This San Lang is so good to me. I’m the one who should wonder at your patience.”
“Gege deserves everything,” Hua Cheng says, his voice still light but absolutely sincere. “And he gives this lowly one a place to stay and a bed and his cooking. What could this San Lang possibly give back?”
The light dapples the forest floor in fluttering patches of gold, dancing and flickering with the breeze. Xie Lian kicks his bare feet in the water as he struggles to find an answer that doesn’t give away too much. The truth is, Hua Cheng is the dearest companion Xie Lian has had for so long that he’s forgotten whether all friendships feel like this in the beginning. He doesn’t think so. It feels special somehow, precious in a way he can’t quite name.
Light glints in the corner of his vision, and he looks up to catch a wraith butterfly lifting up from Hua Cheng’s long fingers to drift lazily over to him. He reaches out a hand to catch it, a smiling pulling across his lips. Hua Cheng had seemed baffled when Xie Lian insisted the little creatures were cute and lovely, but he still sends them over to Xie Lian occasionally, as if he’s afraid to reach out himself but can let the little fragments of light do it for him.
The butterfly perches on Xie Lian’s palm, its wings pulsing lazily and brushing his fingers with soft skitters of spiritual energy. Looking at its gentle glow, Xie Lian can feel his smile soften and warm into something too revealing, but he doesn’t stop himself. He has his answer.
“You give me butterflies,” he says, lifting his gaze from the pulsing wings to Hua Cheng’s warm regard.
#givemeunicorns#asked & answered#hualian#tgcf#my writing#this was v fun to write#thank you <3 <3 <3#imma go draw xie lian dying now#but i will answer the wangxian tomorrow hopefully!
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“I hit you with my car and was the only one to visit you in the hospital” AU Prompt for Wangxian, if you like?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
---
When Wei Ying woke up, he had to blink a few times to adjust his vision to the bright glare of the lights overhead, momentarily blinding him. Something was weird. This definitely wasn’t his own bedroom, whose lighting was rather dim and most definitely off when he was sleeping.
He blinked a few times more and then turned his head to examine the room he was in.
It took him far too long to understand what he was seeing, but once his brain actually started processing it, there was no doubt. He was in a hospital room, complete with barren walls and the strong smell of disinfectant. But he had no memory that could explain why he would be waking up in a hospital bed. In fact, now that he thought about it, he had no idea what he’d been doing before he’d woken up here, or even what day of the week it was.
Impatient to have his questions answered, he tried to wriggle around and slip out of bed, but his body felt oppressively heavy, and his vision started to swim as soon as he lifted his head off the pillow.
Exhausted and distressed, he fell back into bed. What the hell had happened to him? Why was he feeling so terrible?
Just that moment, the door of the hospital room opened, and a nurse stepped in.
“Oh, you are awake,” she said. “Good.”
She moved up to the bed and started to check his vitals – or harass him, Wei Ying couldn’t really tell which one it was. She was probably around fifty and had a distinct aunt-y vibe that made Wei Ying lay still on danger of getting stabbed with a needle.
“Do you know why you’re here?” she asked, after she had apparently determined that he was conscious and held it together enough for conversation.
“No,” Wei Ying croaked, and immediately started coughing. His throat felt terribly dry.
The nurse went to his bedside table, where a cup and a pitcher of water had been placed, and filled the cup for him. Then she made him drink.
“You’ve been in a traffic accident,” she told him without ceremony. “You got hit by a car and had to be brought here in an ambulance.”
Shit. Could that be true?
He didn’t remember any of that.
“I don’t remember,” he told the nurse.
“Honey, it’s probably better if you don’t,” she said, patting him on the arm absent-mindedly. “That’s your brain protecting you. You’re also on painkillers right now,” here, she pointed at one of the drips that went into his arm, “and they tend to make your brain a little foggy. You only need to focus on getting better right now.”
That wasn’t particularly comforting to Wei Ying. He’d been lying here, doing–
“My work!” he suddenly remembered.
“Oh, don’t you worry about that!” the nurse said, shaking her head. “I think that nice Mr. Lan has taken care of all that.”
She checked her watch.
“It’s almost time for him to visit, too. Such a nice young man, if only youngsters nowadays were a little more like him.”
She sighed, patted Wei Ying’s arm again, and then left, hopefully to tell someone else that he had gained consciousness again.
Wei Ying sighed and stared at the ceiling. He wasn’t sure what the nurse had meant with “that nice Mr. Lan,” because he didn’t know anyone with the last name Lan. Certainly no one who would visit him at the hospital. Had she gotten his visitor’s name wrong? He tried to think of a different possibility, but couldn’t think of anyone. Wen Ning was away. And Jiang Cheng still wasn’t speaking to him, not to mention that no one in their right mind would ever call Jiang Cheng a ‘nice young man’ if they had spent more than 30 seconds in his presence.
He wasn’t kept in suspense about the identity of his visitor for very long, though. Only minutes after the nurse had left, the door opened again, and through came a man that Wei Ying had never seen in his life. He would have definitely remembered meeting him, Wei Ying was sure, because the man was a devastating combination of tall, handsome and well-dressed. Very memorable. Even in his current drugged-up state.
The man hesitated for one small moment when he saw Wei Ying looking at him, but then continued his progress through the room with a measured pace, finally arriving at Wei Ying’s bedside. He did not speak, but silently placed several items onto Wei Ying’s bedside table. Wei Ying saw a book, what looked to be some healthy snacks, as well as… his phone? It looked terribly beaten up, but a traffic accident might do that to a phone. He should probably be glad if it still worked.
The stranger must have noticed the direction of his gaze, for he finally opened his mouth.
“I have taken the liberty of contacting you place of work.”
“Thank you,” Wei Ying said, sending the stranger an ironic smile. “What I’d rather like to know, though… who are you?”
The stranger bowed slightly, as if to apologise for his rudeness.
“Lan Zhan,” he said. “I was the one… who hit you with my car.”
“Oh, I see,” Wei Ying said, several things suddenly becoming clear to him. “This is a ‘I’m feeling guilty’ visit. Don’t worry about that. It’s fine. I’ll be out of here in no time.”
The stranger, Lan Zan, frowned at Wei Ying’s words.
“It is not guilt that has made me come here,” he said.
Then he was silent again. Wei Ying waited for a moment, but when nothing else happened, he raised his eyebrows at Lan Zhan, encouraging him to go on. Lan Zhan looked as if he’d rather do anything else than open his mouth again, but eventually, thanks to Wei Ying’s pathetic wheedling, he conceded.
“The one responsible for your accident was the driver who suddenly came out of a side street and nearly ran you over,” Lan Zhan explained. “You ended up in front of my car because you were trying to escape his path of collision. He also crashed into my car, nearly hitting you a second time. I have no guilt to speak of, but I am grateful that you survived. I was worried, however, when your family could not be contacted.”
“Oh, uh, well,” Wei Ying stuttered. “Honestly, that shouldn’t be any concern to you. I’ll be fine. My family… well, it doesn’t matter.”
“Your family should care for you if you are injured.”
There was a stubborn set around Lan Zhan’s mouth, and Wei Ying suddenly found himself smiling. He wasn’t sure if he should call it fortune or misfortune, but this Lan Zhan was clearly an incredibly stiff man with very strict notions of propriety, to the point where he involved himself into the affairs of others.
“Ah, Lan-gege,” Wei Ying sighed. “Not to say I’m not very grateful for your help, which I am, but let me assure you that you have officially fulfilled your obligations and are free to leave. You have already done more than I can ask for. If it is as you say, I have no ill feelings towards you. Feel free to go on with your life, and sorry about the car. I think I need to sleep again, I feel very tired.”
He was, in fact, feeling very tired, and it was getting harder to keep his eyes open by the minute.
Lan Zhan seemed to realise that that was the case. He said his goodbyes, but before he left the room, he announced, “I will come again.”
Wei Ying wanted to object, but Lan Zhan was already gone, and Wei Ying’s eyes were closing.
---
The next few days passed in the monotony of sleeping, check-ups by doctors and nurses, terrible hospital meals, and occasional visits from Lan Zhan.
As handsome as he might have been, at first Wei Ying really didn’t want Lan Zhan to come back again. He quickly learned to be grateful for his frequent visits, however. Staying in the hospital was extremely boring, even with the books that Lan Zhan brought him, and everything was much better once he trained Lan Zhan to bring him spicy snacks.
After a few excessively boring days in bed (more than he cared for, certainly), he was finally allowed to walk around a little in order to regain his strength, and Lan Zhan would take him outside into the garden whenever he visited. Wei Ying was extremely grateful for that, since the nurses didn’t allow him to go alone.
Wei Ying quickly learned on their little excursions that Lan Zhan rarely spoke, but was an extremely attentive listener who would prove said attention in the most unexpected moments. It was almost shocking sometimes; Wei Ying would ramble on about something, and Lan Zhan would suddenly say one thing or another that made clear he had been paying attention when most people would have tuned out already. It was… flattering, to say the least. To have someone pay attention to him so much. Definitely something Wei Ying could get used to.
Lan Zhan was also very attentive to Wei Ying’s physical state. More than once, when Wei Ying felt his own strength lagging, he suddenly found Lan Zhan’s hand at his elbow, steadily and unobtrusively making sure that he didn’t fall over his own clumsy feet. Lan Zhan seemed to know that he needed support almost before Wei Ying himself realised it.
Normally, he would complain about being thought a weakling, but if Wei Ying were honest, he would admit that sometimes, he really needed the support. And well… he couldn’t really bring himself to mind being spoiled by a handsome man. If he were really honest, he would confess that he simply liked Lan Zhan’s hands on him, and any excuse that provided him with an opportunity was good enough, even if he had to play up his weakness.
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying said when they were on one of their garden excursions one day, eating little cups of mango panna cotta that Lan Zhan had brought with him today on a bench. “I will be released tomorrow. You don’t have to visit me here any longer after today.”
“Hn,” Lan Zhan agreed. “What time?”
“Around ten, I think? Why do you ask?”
“I will pick you up.”
Wei Ying sighed deeply and swallowed the last spoonful of dessert.
“Lan Zhan, ah, Lan Zhan. I can ask a friend to pick me up. You shouldn’t do so many things for me. If you are too nice, people will end up misunderstanding. Well, I will end up misunderstanding. You wouldn’t want that to happen, now would you?”
He directed his best salacious grin at Lan Zhan.
“Nn,” Lan Zhan replied noncommittally. “I will pick you up.”
Wei Ying stared at Lan Zhan for a moment. Could it be that Lan Zhan was that thick? That he didn’t realise what Wei Ying was getting at? Did he have to spell it out for Lan Zhan? That he meant misunderstanding in the sense of kissing and possibly getting naked with each other?
“Lan Zhan, I’m serious,” Wei Ying complained, tugging at Lan Zhan’s sleeve to make him look at him properly. “I will misunderstand.”
Lan Zhan looked at him, and it struck Wei Ying again how beautiful Lan Zhan’s eyes were. He had thought that Lan Zhan was pretty much expressionless when they first got to know each other, but that had been patently untrue. His perpetually serious eyes were the source of so much deeply felt emotion. Everything Lan Zhan felt, he felt with his entire heart. So when Lan Zhan looked at him, Wei Ying automatically felt his pulse speed up and his cheeks start to grow hot. That was the effect Lan Zhan had on anyone he really directed his attention towards.
“I will pick you up,” Lan Zhan repeated once again. Stubbornly, insistently. Mulishly.
Without breaking their line of sight even once. Just serious. And steady.
“Oh,” Wei Ying whispered.
Oh. Lan Zhan didn’t want him to misunderstand. Lan Zhan wanted him to understand.
Wei Ying shot up from the bench they had been sitting on and walked over to the trash can close by, to throw away his empty cup of panna cotta. Lan Zhan followed him, throwing his own cup into the trash. As he did it, he looked about as disquieted as Lan Zhan ever did, but right now, Wei Ying was unable to handle anything.
Could he be right? Did Lan Zhan – that Lan Zhan –
As he stood there, he slightly tilted to the side – and there he was, Lan Zhan was right at his side, steadying him. But right now, Wei Ying didn’t want to be steadied. He leaned further into Lan Zhan’s side, putting most of his weight on Lan Zhan right until his head a found a home in the crook of Lan Zhan’s neck.
“Ah, Lan Zhan,” he sighed. “Taking advantage of the weak and injured, I see. Do you always flirt like that? Picking people up at the hospital?”
He looked up at Lan Zhan and smiled.
Lan Zhan didn’t answer, but one of his arms most definitely found its way around Wei Ying’s waist, holding him securely to Lan Zhan’s side. It was… intimate.
It was answer enough.
“This is the part where you’re supposed to say ‘No, Wei Ying is the only one for me,’” Wei Ying pouted.
“Wei Ying is the only one for me,” Lan Zhan intoned seriously.
Wei Ying had to bury his face in his hands and scream a little.
“You can’t say things like that out of the blue!” he complained. “My poor, beaten body won’t be able to take it!”
Then he peeked out between the gaps between his fingers, up at Lan Zhan.
“Say it again.”
(When Lan Zhan picked him up the next day, he received a kiss for his efforts.)
(One kiss, or many.)
(Who was going to count.)
#kuro writes#the untamed#wei wuxian#lan wangji#wangxian#mdzs#mdzs headcanons#well not really#sweat#enter21
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Futures Past pt 20 / on AO3
(posting early this week because I might not have time tomorrow)(also, because of the upcoming xisang week, I’m not sure yet if I’ll update this fic next week)
With some help from Su She, Nie Huaisang gets his wangxian ship sailing.
Nie Huaisang guiltily twisted his hands as they left the classroom, already half crying as Wei Wuxian finished retelling his first day of punishment with Lan Wangji.
"I really am so sorry, Wei-xiong!" he lamented. "I really wish I could help you. Maybe if I could find a way to copy part of the rules for you and pass them to you…"
"Lan er-gongzi would surely notice," Meng Yao softly objected. "And then you'd both be punished again."
"Aren't you busy enough with your own punishment anyway?" Jiang Cheng huffed. "You'll be lucky if you can even attend your music lessons with all that extra homework you were given, right?"
With a miserable sigh, Nie Huaisang nodded. Cheating was more work than he'd thought, and he'd have to find a better way to do it if he were to pass that year. Though really, it had been Lan Wangji’s fault for joining the lectures, which he hadn't done the previous year, and also Wei Wuxian's for taunting Lan Wangji by looking at him. Of course Lan Wangji had gotten curious, and he'd noticed the cheating, and…
For some reason, Lan Qiren had decided that Wei Wuxian was the instigator in this business, so he'd been punished the hardest. But Nie Huaisang had been given a lot of essays to write, and he didn't dare to ask Lan Xichen to help, fearing to be scolded for his dishonesty. Meng Yao and Jiang Cheng, who hadn't cheated at all, offered little sympathy and even less help, the first because he was still catching up, the second because he didn't feel like it. Hopefully Su She might give a hand, if Nie Huaisang cried a little.
"It's really not so bad," Wei Wuxian said carelessly. "I won't say that first afternoon in the library with Lan Zhan was fun, he's even more boring than his uncle, but I think I can entertain myself. I bet before the month is over, I can get him to break his self control. Now that'd be fun!"
Nie Huaisang stopped on his tracks and grabbed him by the arm, not a trace of tears in his eyes.
"Wei-xiong, why do you have to antagonise him so much?"
"Why wouldn't I? I'd like to be his friend, but he's too stuck up. Pissing him off is the next best thing."
Baffled by that logic, Nie Huaisang looked at their two friends. Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, while Meng Yao was trying his best not to smile.
"Wei gongzi is like that, don't question it too much. He likes to tease people, and thinks everyone understands it's meant in a friendly manner."
Judging by the tone of his voice, Meng Yao himself had been a victim of that friendly teasing, and that perhap it hadn't gone so smoothly between them. That would explain why Meng Yao seemed to prefer Jiang Cheng's company, who was less fun to have around, but also a little quieter when he wasn’t shouting at Wei Wuxian.
Personally, Nie Huaisang preferred Wei Wuxian out of the three, but was getting a little annoyed at him right at that moment.
While Jiang Cheng and Meng Yao went their way to enjoy their freedom for the rest of the day (they would waste it studying, they seemed the type), Nie Huaisang decided to accompany Wei Wuxian all the way to the library, so they could chat a little. He still had a plan to put in motion, orders from his future self to obey, and his own natural desire for fun to satisfy.
“I don’t understand why you’re like that with Lan Wangji,” Nie Huaisang said as they took the longest path possible toward the library, trying to keep his tone casual. "If you want to be his friend, there are better ways. Why don't you talk to him nicely?"
Wei Wuxian did not even hesitate. "I've tried, and he ignores me."
That was sadly true, as Nie Huaisang had seen a few times. It didn’t help that Wei Wuxian naturally sounded like he was trying to tease people, even when he was sincere. He was so fun to have around that most people didn’t mind it, but for someone like Lan Wangji...
"Well maybe if you apologised to him?" Nie Huaisang suggested.
"I've tried that too, but he thinks I'm insincere.”
"Because you are!" Nie Huaisang pointed out, fighting a smile.
Wei Wuxian just laughed, but that was an answer in itself.
"Please, at least don't make him any angrier," Nie Huaisang pleaded. "He'll never be your friend otherwise!"
Hearing him get so distressed about that, Wei Wuxian stopped in his tracks, his expression more serious than Nie Huaisang had ever seen so far. He was a little scary like that, something about his height and the shape of his eyes making him look cold and distant when he wasn’t grinning and laughing.
"Listen, Nie-xiong,” Wei Wuxian said in a voice that had lost some of its warmth. “I want to be his friend, sure. I think there's something interesting about him, definitely. I’d really like it if I could be close to Lan Zhan, and given the chance I’ll do it for sure. But if he only becomes friends with me because I start acting like someone I'm not, then we're not really friends, and it's not worth the effort."
“Wei-xiong, I didn’t expect you to be wise like that,” Nie Huaisang whispered, a little awed.
“Only you would find that wise,” Wei Wuxian mocked, and Nie Huaisang found that he could breathe a little more easily now that the other boy was laughing again. “If Jiang Cheng heard me, he’d say that my personality is too awful for anyone to like me! And Meng Yao would say something about compromises. I’m pretty sure they’re the wise ones, but I just don’t feel like acting so seriously.”
Nie Huaisang grinned, a little envious of such a bold way of living. He was not always likeable, according to a lot of people (himself included, when it came to the man he was supposed to become), and so he would never have expected people to fully like him as he was. Nobody except his brother, who had little choice in the matter, and maybe Su She who probably felt like he couldn’t be too picky when it came to friends, and… well, Lan Xichen seemed to like him as he was, too, but that was just because he was so nice.
It was so bold of Wei Wuxian to expect to be fully accepted as he was. But then again, Lan Wangji also wasn’t the sort to make efforts to get others to like him, so at least they had that in common.
As they arrived near the library, the topic had to be dropped. Wei Wuxian, with a grimace of fake agony, went inside to sit with Lan Wangji, while Nie Huaisang had the pleasant surprise of finding Su She about to leave the library, and free to spend some time with him. Lan Wangji had asked for his help to put some order in a section of the building while waiting for Wei Wuxian to arrive, and Su She couldn’t decide if he was flattered or annoyed that the request had been made to him rather than another disciple.
Su She ranted about that for a little bit as they walked away from the library, before complaining about his classes, and then about a letter from his mother who wanted him to send home some talismans because she was still convinced their house was haunted even thought he’d visited during winter and hadn’t noticed anything amiss. Nie Huaisang listened, and even reacted here and there, but couldn’t quite focus on his friend’s problem that day. Su She noticed of course, and asked what hung so heavy on his mind that he couldn’t even laugh at his description of a clearly fake haunting.
“I might have a silly question to ask you,” Nie Huaisang replied. “But please, don’t make fun of me for it. It’s kind of important, and I think you could really help me.”
“That sounds very worrying, but fine, ask me.”
"How would one seduce a Lan?"
Su She gave him such a long, serious look, that Nie Huaisang started feeling he’d rather have been laughed at after all.
"So you're finally doing something about Lan gongzi?” Su She asked. “About time, it was getting annoying how clueless you are. And, well, if you want my opinion…"
"Oh, no, this is about Lan Wangji, not Xichen-gege!"
Su She stopped walking and fell silent for a moment, his expression turning complicated. He looked as if he’d eaten a very sour lemon that also happened to be moldy, all while there was a cut in his mouth.
"Lan er-gongzi? Really?"
"Yes. See, I think Wei-xiong and him could be good friends,” Nie Huaisang quickly explained, startled by that strong reaction, “so of course I want to help. But they're the two most difficult people in the world, you know? Xichen-gege is helping, but a second opinion never hurts."
"Ah, it's just that," Su She said, instantly relaxing.
He resumed walking away from the library, and Nie Huaisang followed.
"Well, yeah. Why did you think I needed help about Xichen-gege?"
Su She hesitated, and even opened his mouth a few times to say something. Eventually he frowned and shrugged.
"If you're too stupid, it's not my problem,” he said. “Let's talk about those other two instead, since you’re so preoccupied. Aside from being equally good at fighting, what do they have in common?"
Nie Huaisang crossed his arms on his chest and shook his head.
"Nothing at all."
Su She nodded.
"Then I guess they need to fight again. Maybe in public."
"You think that'd help if they had an audience?" Nie Huaisang wondered.
"No idea,” Su She said with a wicked grin, “but I'd like to see Lan er-gongzi in a fight that makes him break a sweat."
Nie Huaisang poked him in the ribs.
"Mean. But… Wei-xiong can be pretty full of himself,” he admitted. “I guess I'd also like to see if he's as good as he thinks. How to get them to fight though?"
They’d reached a more isolated part of the Cloud Recesses, a small garden that rarely saw much use, just at the border to the wilderness. They found a bench, and after removing some dead leaves they sat there to continue chatting in peace.
"In two days, you get a day off from lectures, right?” Su She asked. “Get your Wei-xiong to the training grounds after lunch. Lan er-gongzi is always there at that time on a free day, and I'll do my best to be as well. It'll be pretty easy to get them to spar."
"Su-xiong you're just the best!” Nie Huaisang exclaimed, hugging his friend who barely even grumbled against such effusions. “What would I do without you?"
"You'd be less efficient for sure. Now can we talk about something less boring than Lan er-gongzi?”
“Yes, yes! Tell me more about your parents’ haunting, I’ll really listen now! If it’s not a ghost, then what is it?”
Pleased to return to a more fun subject, Su She started discussing his theory about some wild cats and a few squirrels that he suspected to have found their way into the currently disused ‘haunted’ room, and talked about it with such indignation that Nie Huaisang was soon in tears from how hard he laughed.
-
Although nobody had been warned of the duel to come, a small crowd had quickly assembled around the training grounds once it became understood that Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were having a friendly fight. They were both reputed to be insanely skilled after all, and rumours about their first duel under the moonlight had spread fast.
So far, Nie Huaisang had to admit that both boy's reputation was deserved. If anything, they were both more talented than he would have expected. They exchanged blows and parried them as if it were easier than breathing, making for a beautiful show. Su She, who stood on Nie Huaisang's right at the very edge of the training grounds, appeared consumed with admiration and envy. He'd fallen silent a while ago, and perhaps regretted this fight he'd helped organise.
On Nie Huaisang's left, Jin Zixuan was almost as upset, just a little better at concealing it.
"I can't believe such talent has been wasted and given to the world's most obnoxious person," he complained as Wei Wuxian dodged a blow.
"Apparently, that's also Lan Wangji’s opinion," Nie Huaisang cheerfully replied. "But I think he's warming up to Wei-xiong now."
Lan Wangji, after a moment of surprise at the way Wei Wuxian had avoided his attack, lunged at him again with renewed vigour.
"Yes, I can see they're on their way to becoming best friends," Jin Zixuan sneered. "Well, that's getting boring. I was hoping to see Wei Wuxian put in his place, but now he's just going to be more insufferable. I'll see you later, Nie gongzi."
He left, but the spot next to Nie Huaisang didn't remain empty for very long. Lan Xichen quickly made his way there. Nie Huaisang immediately smiled at him, but unlike the rest of them, Lan Xichen didn't appear to pleased by the show.
"Huaisang what's going on here?" he asked. "What are they fighting about? Did something happen?"
"Oh they're just fighting for the sake of it!" Nie Huaisang cheerfully explained, only for Lan Xichen to look even more distressed.
"Wangji got into a fight without reason? How?"
Alerted by his tone, Su She tore his eyes from the fight and gave Lan Xichen a quick bow.
"Lan gongzi needs not worry. They're not actually fighting, this is only a friendly spar."
"Yes, we thought it'd be good for them, so we made it happen," Nie Huaisang confirmed. “I think it’s going great! Wei-xiong looks like he’s having the time of his life!”
Reassured that no rules were broken and no serious harm was intended by either party, Lan Xichen finally properly looked at the ongoing duel. He observed the two fighters for a moment before eventually nodding.
“Wangji too is enjoying this,” he said after some consideration. “I’m glad for him. It is so rare for him to get an opponent of his level. Other juniors are rarely a match, and adults won’t spar with him because they don’t want to lose to someone so young. You had a good idea, Huaisang.”
“Oh, that wasn’t even my idea,” Nie Huaisang replied, beaming. “It was Su-xiong who suggested it, and who asked to see them spar.”
Lan Xichen turned his attention to Su She, who appeared a little uncomfortable. Nie Huaisang realised, a little late, that scheming to make people fight, even in a friendly manner, was probably against some of Gusu Lan rules.
“I am glad you have such a good friend helping you set your plan in motion,” Lan Xichen said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Still, don’t drag him into too much mischief. I would be very disappointed in you, Huaisang, if you caused Su-shidi to get in trouble. He’s worked so hard to prove himself to our teachers, let’s not ruin his efforts just because you like to have a little too much fun.”
“Of course not!” Nie Huaisang exclaimed. “Su-xiong, you wouldn’t let me cause you real problems, right?”
“I only agree with Nie gongzi’s ideas if they don’t contradict the rules,” Su She confirmed, bowing again toward Lan Xichen. “And I wouldn’t let Nie gongzi do anything dangerous or ill-advised. Lan gongzi can be at peace, I won’t let anything happen to his friend.”
Lan Xichen smiled stiffly.
"I know I can trust Su-shidi to take good care of Nie gongzi. I am… quite happy to leave him in your hands, where I know he'll be safe."
It was a rather odd way to say that, and there was something a little too cold in Lan Xichen’s tone which did not quite please Nie Huaisang. But Su She himself seemed unbothered, so this might just have been Nie Huaisang imagining things. It was probably just that Lan Xichen still remained doubtful regarding Lan Wangji’s potential friendship with Wei Wuxian, which had to affect his mood.
But things really were going quite well. In fact, they were going much better than Nie Huaisang had hoped. After fighting a little more, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian eventually stopped when a Lan teacher approached them to explain that he needed the training grounds for his own class. There didn’t appear to be a clear winner between them, as far as Nie Huaisang could say. Later, when he asked Su She, his friend gave his more expert opinion that although they had completely different fighting styles, they were equals in strength and capacity. It would be interesting, he said, to see them fight side by side instead of against each other.
For now though, they politely bowed to each other, and Wei Wuxian, grinning more brightly than Nie Huaisang had ever seen him yet, asked if they might train together again in the future.
It was quite funny to see Lan Wangji’s conflicted expression. On one hand, Wei Wuxian was nearly a criminal in his eyes, who had disrespected his uncle, broken many rules, and cheated during an exam, all of which was unforgivable and marked Wei Wuxian as beneath his consideration. But at the same time, this looked to have been a very fun sparring session, Lan Wangji had been forced to use all his skill to keep up with his opponent, and that was something too precious to be easily dismissed.
At a loss, Lan Wangji turned to look at his brother, hoping for guidance. Lan Xichen, in turn, only briefly glanced at Nie Huaisang before nodding at his brother with an encouraging smile.
“Behave in class,” Lan Wangji ordered with a slight frown, before turning away.
Wei Wuxian looked disappointed by what he must have mistaken for rejection, but Nie Huaisang saw that answer for what it was and ran to his friend to explain that Lan Wangji had, in fact, very warmly agreed to fight him again.
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Omg!! I love your new piece, it depicts grief more realistically. Lwj of course cannot be the same and happily forgets 13 years of grief. I can’t wait to read the finished piece. And if your muse strikes, please write a fluffy, funny modern au piece of wangxian to see how lwj’s love changes or deepens or evolves without grief.
Thank you so much, and I’m sorry it took me forever to answer this! First, I want to preface this by saying that I don’t think that there is wangxian for me without grief. I think grief played a pivotal role in LWJ’s feelings towards WWX and if he hadn’t experienced true loss, he probably would have been content to be WWX’s best buddy for the rest of his life lol
That being said, I did write something stupid because I thought it seemed like a good idea in my dream:
--
Wangji isn’t eavesdropping.
He isn’t.
His stupid classmates are just talking loudly. He can’t help but to hear them.
He can’t.
A small crowd of boys are gathered around Wei Ying’s desk - because Wei Ying is bright and fun and popular - and Wangji is sitting alone, revising his notes and definitely not paying attention to their conversation, because he doesn’t care.
He doesn’t.
“I heard Nie Huaisang from class 2A is gay,” one of the boys says. The other boys around him snicker and elbow each other.
“You think that’s true?” one of them asks, he shivers dramatically, “I guess I should steer clear of him.”
The boys all laugh, and Wangji sneaks a peak behind him to see if Wei Ying is laughing as well. He’s relieved to find that he’s not. Wei Ying looks bored, his face in his hands, staring blankly out the window.
Wangji is relieved that Wei Ying isn’t laughing and he doesn’t know why. But he is. Relieved.
“The Nie’s are freaking rich though,” another boy says, “I’d totally do him if he let me drive one of his cars - did you see what he rolled up in today!?”
“Gross,” another boy laughs, “What if he wanted to do you?”
“Ew, no way!”
They all laugh again, and Wangji looks back again to make sure Wei Ying isn’t laughing too. He doesn’t quite understand why it’s so important to him, but he feels unspeakably relieved to see that Wei Ying isn’t laughing along with the others.
Wei Ying stands up suddenly and kicks his chair in. The force knocks the laughing boy off his desk.
“What do you think Wei Wuxian?” one of the boys asks, still snickering.
Wangji isn’t eavesdropping. He’s not, he’s not, he’s not. And he doesn’t care what Wei Ying says. He doesn’t.
“Mm, I think Nie Huaisang is rich and handsome and way more fun than you lot,” Wei Ying says easily, walking towards the door.
“Wait where are you going?” the boys ask.
“To talk to Huisang’s brother!” Wei Ying responds brightly, a huge smile on his face. “I’ll let him know that you guys will apologize to Huaisang, okay? Hopefully he goes easy on you.”
With that he walks out of the classroom, whistling a song that makes the tips of Wangji’s ears go hot.
The boys dumbly stare at each other, still crowded around a now-empty desk.
“Wait who’s Huaisang’s brother?” one of them asks.
“Nie... Nie...”
“Nie Mingjue.”
There’s a split second of silence before they all start running out of the classroom, falling over themselves comically.
“Wei Wuxian!” they yell out desperately, limbs flailing in their rush to catch Wei Ying. “Please - we were just! Please! Wei Wuxian!!”
---
Wangji isn’t waiting for Wei Ying at the gate.
He’s just standing there to admire the view... of the houses across their school. They’re nice houses. It’s nice to admire them.
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying says, throwing an arm across Wangji’s shoulders. “You ignore me all day at school but here you are, waiting for me! I’m getting mixed signals here, Lan Zhan.”
Wei Ying laughs delightedly and his breath is warm against Wangji’s cheek.
“I do not... ignore you,” Wangji says, desperately hoping that Wei Ying thinks that the redness of his ears is from the cold.
“You totally do,” Wei Ying says, “But it’s okay. I’ll forgive you since you wait for me.” He removes his arm from Wangji’s shoulders and Wangji pretends he doesn’t miss the warmth.
They start walking, side by side, and Wangji doesn’t count how many times their arms brush together - he doesn’t.
“Did you really talk to Nie Mingjue?” Wangji asks lightly. Just to make conversation - not because he cares.
“You heard that?” Wei Ying asks. He sighs and shakes his head. “Idiots - all of them. I can’t wait to graduate this stupid school.”
They are idiots, but Wangji isn’t in any hurry to graduate. Wei Ying has big dreams. He’ll probably leave their city after they graduate and only come back for holidays and...
Well, Wangji isn��t in any hurry. He likes walking home with Wei Ying after school. Even if he has to deal with idiots all day.
“I didn’t talk to Mingjue,” Wei Ying continues, “But they did apologize to Huaisang.” He smacks Wangji on his arm and laughs brightly. “You should have seen Huaisang’s face, Lan Zhan! He was so confused!”
Wei Ying’s laugh and bright and beautiful and Wangji gives himself a honest moment to admire it. His fingers tingle strangely and he has this sudden desire to press his thumb against the corner of Wei Ying’s lips and...
“You should be careful,” Wangji says, trying to reign himself back down to reality. “They’re idiots but they can be... cruel.”
Wangji remembers what those idiots had been like before Wei Ying came to their school. Quiet and shy Wen Ning, whose only defender was his ninety pound older sister and whose only sin was that he was poor and timid.
Wangji had known what the boys were doing was wrong - and he had told them. But the school administration had done nothing and it was against the rules to fight, so what could Wangji do?
It was against the rules.
It was against the rules and Wangji had been content with that until Wei Ying had transferred to their school.
Wei Ying, smart and charismatic and more than ready to break every rule. He had been the bane of Wangji’s existence at first. An annoyance Wangji could not understand. The rules were simple. Why was Wei Ying so eager to break them?
Wangji didn’t understand - and if he’s honest, he barely understands now. But Wei Ying had taken one look at Wen Ning, had seen Wen Ning being pushed around only one time, and decided enough was enough.
Wangji can still remember how Wei Ying’s jaw felt in the palm of his hand, as Wangji dabbed medicine on his cheeks and the corner of his lips. Can still remember the way Wei Ying’s fingers felt in his hand as Wangji dabbed ointment on his bloody knuckles.
“You’ll be suspended,” Wangji had said softly, afraid to say what he really felt. Afraid to admit that he was sorry that he didn’t join Wei Ying in his fight.
Wei Ying had smiled at Wangji then, and maybe that was the moment Wangji had...
“Will you miss me, Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying had asked mischievously.
And Lan Zhan didn’t answer then, because it was against the rules to lie.
Wei Ying had been suspended, and those idiots had been hospitalized. Wangji had been nervous when they all came back, but maybe it was because those idiots were true idiots, or maybe it was because Wei Ying was handsome and charismatic and undeniable, but after they all came back to school, the idiots began following Wei Ying around like some stupid fan club.
It surprised Wangji how quickly the opinions of those idiots changed, but he was grateful for it then.
Remembering it now makes a strange nervousness creep up in his stomach.
If those idiots can change their mind so quickly... Their current good opinion of Wei Ying might...
“Ehh, what do I care about those idiots. They have fewer brain cells than I have fingers,” Wei Ying says. He knocks his shoulder to Wangji’s. “You worried about me, Lan Zhan?”
Wangji resolutely looks forward and does not answer because lying is against the rules.
Wei Ying snickers and knocks his shoulder against Wangji’s again. “We’re not at school, Lan Zhan, you’re not allowed to ignore me.”
“I do not ignore you,” Wangji answers instead.
“Then eat lunch with me tomorrow. I’m tired of eating with those idiots.”
Lunch? With Wei Ying?
But...
“They... do not like me,” Wangji says stiltedly, feeling awkward and uncool and everything Wei Ying isn’t.
“We don’t have to eat with them! We can eat together - just us. Or maybe with Wen Ning too, if I can find him,” Wei Ying says excitedly.
It really isn’t a good idea and Wangji really should say no. It’s enough that Wei Ying walks with him after school. It’s enough that their houses are close enough together that they can even walk to school together. It’s enough. It’s enough.
Wei Ying’s reputation might... suffer, if he’s known to be close friends with Wangji... who is uppity and a known rule follower and no fun at all to be with...
“I use my lunch time to revise my notes,” Wangji says, and it isn’t a lie. He does revise his notes...
Wei Ying wilts dramatically, puffing his cheeks and pouting his lips like a child. Wangji doesn’t find it at all adorable. He doesn’t.
They’re almost home now and Wangji has to consciously move his feet so that they don’t slow down.
They stop in front of the gate to Wangji’s house, Wei Ying turns to face him.
“Should I open the gate for you, young master?” Wei Ying asks playfully.
“Boring,” Wangji replies. It’s not cute. It’s not.
Wei Ying smiles widely up at him and Wangji has to remind his hands to remain at his side. They’re not allowed to grab Wei Ying’s perfect face and bring it close to Wangji’s. They’re not.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says.
“Tomorrow,” Wangji nods, trying his best not to sound too eager.
“Try to revise all your notes today so you can eat lunch with me tomorrow, okay?”
Wangji turns and opens the gate instead of replying.
“Try, okay!?” Wei Ying yells after him.
Wangji walks up the steps to his door and only then does he allow himself to turn and watch Wei Ying walk away.
Tomorrow.
He doesn’t plan to eat lunch with Wei Ying tomorrow but...
But he does revise all of his notes.
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Sangcheng Time Travel Fixit Outline Part 1: The Cloud Recesses
I finally figured out how this (17 page!) outline ends! Now posting can begin! Every day until I’m finished, I’ll post the next section of the outline. The goal is that it reads as, like, not!fic - and if you’ve ever chatted with me about fic, this format will be *very familiar* to you. There’s nothing explicit, though there is (semi)detailed references to *how* I’d write sex between two characters (Sangcheng, Wangxian)
Both narrative pieces that I’ve written and posted also have their homes on this outline. You can find them linked below. (Links are currently to the original tumblr post. AO3 links will be added once I’ve posted)
Enjoy!
This fic takes place in the Untamed/CQL verse with some minor details cherrypicked from the books - namely the fact that Wangxian are not only deeply in love, but very horny for each other.
We begin immediately post-canon, when Jiang Cheng drags Nie Huaisang back to Lotus Pier from the events of the Guanyin Temple.
This scene establishes where their relationship is, currently: two friends who had crushes on each other during their time in the Cloud Recesses, who drifted into a loose friends-with-benefits situation that petered out around the time Nie Huaisang became sect leader.
There were moments over the years where it might have happened started up again, but Jiang Cheng was grieving and has never met an honest emotion he couldn’t turn into anger and Nie Huaisang had begun to plot and couldn’t risk anyone being that close to him. There was mutual pining, but I’m not sure either of these delightful idiots knew recognized it in themselves
Jiang Cheng has *questions* and Huaisang has *answers* and he will get them…tomorrow. He’s tired and mostly just wants to drink with a friend he thought he lost - actual friends being a bit thin on the ground for both of them.
They are both tired, raw, and a bit bloody. They both need a night to lick fresh wounds (of both kinds). Jiang Cheng is reeling from purging (mostly) the poison from his relationship with Wei Wuxian (which might have left him with no relationship, and he doesn’t know what to DO with that), and Nie Huaisang has just completed a grand plan a decade in the making in a bloody, terrifying way that nearly killed everyone. It could have gone so wrong, but it worked, but people know and he doesn’t know what to DO with that, but he’s coming to realize that for all of his planning, he never figured out what to do *next*
They fall into bed together, for that kinds of “I need to feel something and you’re alive but also here but also hot” sex. Never underestimate the inherent homoeroticism of wound care
I feel like their relationship could be, like, reverse wangxian in that they fuck BEFORE *I would happily die for you but instead I will live for you* love
“Sangcheng Time Travel Fixit Chapter 1” (Tumblr | AO3)
They wake up the next morning…AT THE CLOUD RECESSES (bum bum BUM)
I thought about having them wake up in Lotus Pier/Qinghe but then I decided to limit their emotional upheaval – in other words, Jiang Cheng needs some therapy before he meets his parents again, and I like the drama of Nie Huaisang having to spend the summer in Gusu while his (still living!) brother is back home…with MENG YAO still a trusted aid!
Jiang Cheng is conflicted because his brother is his brother, right there, 16 and carefree and concerned because Jiang Cheng is staring at him and it’s freaking out and he’s beginning to “worry, Jiang Cheng, do you need to visit the infirmary?”
His core is his own, weaker than it was the night before, but stronger than he remembers and *familiar* which makes him wonder if he was as weak as he thought he had been. He then stops thinking that way, because it raises more questions that he’s not ready to face yet.
He knows Jin Ling doesn’t exist yet, and his hand feels *bare* without Zidain, but if he doesn’t have it, it’s because his mother *does* and that means Lotus Pier hasn’t burned, they haven’t fallen to war and *A-Jie is alive!* and he had grieved for all of them, moved on, but none of that matters when she’s sleeping in the girl’s dormitory!
Nie Huaisang wakes and *screams* into his pillow because he had *passed* these courses, damnit, was this his punishment for the lengths he went to avenge his brother? Then, of course, he realizes the that not only is Mingjue alive, but (since this is CQL canon), Meng Yao is *right there.* He didn’t even have a full day to process everything he’d done, and here the universe was, throwing Meng Yao in his face, and one that had not yet done any of the terrible things that eventually lead to his downfall.
It doesn’t take long for him to adapt, thinking “well, I wanted a new project.”
He is nearly late to class because he’s caught up in his initial scheming – there isn’t much he can do while stuck in Gusu, but he can begin building a network, making connections…
I want a moment later when Jiang Cheng is concerned that the scheming isn’t actually good for Nie Huaisang because it’s not giving him a chance to process anything, but the plan will also hopefully keep Jiang Cheng’s family alive, so he’s not going to look too closely at that. He’ll be there to help Nie Huaisang pick up the pieces, after. He was *good* at rebuilding, after all.
Nie Huaisang meets with Jiang Cheng an Wei Wuxian, slipping easily back into the role of his flighty teenage self, but lets the mask slip when he sees Jiang Wanyin watching from behind Jiang Cheng’s eyes. He’s not surprised when Jiang Cheng corners him after Wei Wuxian is dragged off by Lan Wangji for punishment.
Obligatory observation of how oblivious they all were to WangXian’s whole deal, with a side of “man everyone is so damned young. We were children!”
They disappear into the backwoods to talk away from possible prying ears and agree to do what they can to make things better. This will, later on, be something cited to convince people (perhaps even themselves) that they were dating for longer than they realized.
Jiang Cheng has a moment’s doubt about taking a more active role in Nie Huaisang’s plotting because he has a tendency to break delicate things, but then Nie Huaisang points out that he didn’t break Lotus Pier (not delicate) or Jin Ling (debatable, he’s as angry as I am), and Nie Huaisang trusts him, so he can trust himself. (which may be the moment when Nie Huaisang realizes Jiang Cheng’s desperate need for validation. This absolutely gets brought back during sex becuase Jiang Cheng’s praise king is visible from *space*)
Nie Huaisang rolls out the broad strokes of his plan, and Jiang Cheng is appalled that it will take years. “Wanyin, I waited ten years to kill one man that I knew personally. This is a *lot more complicated*”
Jiang Cheng agrees to it, because of course he does, but also because there really isn’t much they can do right now (Because Jiang Cheng doesn’t view “making connections” as a *thing* to be done. It’s something that happens or doesn’t. Nie Huaisang looks very sad when he admits that, but Jiang Cheng doesn’t quite understand why).
This means, of course, that they have an excuse, nay, a *reason* to act like the teenagers they *look* like rather than the grown men they *are.*
“You were an old man when we were teenagers the first time, Wanyin. You know what’s coming. All the more reason to have fun *now*”
“What’s coming is why I – and you – need to train. Don’t make that face at me. I’m not your brother, those puppy eyes won’t save you. I said don’t-- *sigh* fine!”
The plan is, of course, to unite the heirs of the sects as best they can to give Nie Huaisang connections he can manipulate later for information, moves, etc. Which means making real friends. Which means befriending Jin Zixuan. Lan Wangji (with bonus get-WangXian-together-now-because-13-years-of-pining-was-painful-to-witness). And Wen Qing/Wen Ning. I’m also going to include MianMian and Jiang Yanli because there needs to be more girls in this story. Girls who *live*
There could be some drama of the “does Jiang Cheng like Wen Qing??” variety, but I think that’s mostly something the others speculate on. I think by this point in his life, he likes Nie Huaisang more. Wen Qing is okay with this, as I stan lesbian Wen Qing.
During this time, they begin an actualfax friend group.
Wen Ning blossoms with friends his own age. This goes a long way with bringing Wen Qing to their side, and will lead the way to her going to Nie Huaisang for help later rather than Wei Wuxian. He’s smart and wise, just shy
Jiang Cheng looks at Jin Zixuan and realizes that the boy is a lot like Jin Ling in that, being raised in Koi Tower means that he doesn’t actually know how to person – it’s all artifice. He realizes that Jin Zixuan’s disdain about his A-Jie has actually nothing to do with her personally, and he’s mostly terrified/angry about an arranged marriage and doesn’t want to become his father. Behind the front, he’s actually romantic and thoughtlessly kind when he’s allowed to be, just a little dim/sheltered
“Why Is He Here” (Tumblr | AO3)
Jin Zixuan knows about Meng Yao – it caused an argument big enough for him to finally notice, and tells them that he’d like a brother – and it’s so wistful that it has Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian looking at each other, and Nie Huaisang contemplating adjusting his plans to *rehabilitate* rather than *kill* Meng Yao. He’d killed him once, after all, and it didn’t feel exactly like he’d expected it to
Jin Zixuan does not know about Mo Xanyu, who had just been born. Nie Huaisang basically tells him (where there’s one, there’s many) and Jin Zixuan is officially looking so he can offer assistance.
Lan Wangji is clearly sublimating his epic boner for Wei Wuxian into anger/self-flagellation, and for the first time since he was a child, he’s questioning the rules and it’s not a comfortable process (hence following it more severely in self-defense). He doesn’t know how to bend the way Lan Xichen doesm and the subject of his gay awakening is *oblivious.* Still, once he’s nudged in the right direction (and Wei Wuxian is hit by a clue-by-four) he does begin to walk that single-plank bridge with Wei Wuxian, he shows a very critical view of blindly following orders (what is black, what is white?), a bitchy/wicked sense of humor, and a softness for fluffy things. In other words, we get a Lan Wangji more willing to buck convention earlier in life.
Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng also spend time together – at first it was because of planning/being the only adults in their group, but then it was because they really, actually like each other. They begin “dating” without quite realizing it – studying together, painting and poetry and fashion (look at JC’s clothing, he’s as much of a clothes horse as Nie Huaisang. I want them to go shopping together, wearing jewelry and lacquered nails. Bonus points for Jiang Cheng in makeup, even if it’s just because Nie Huaisang wants to paint him), sparring (Nie Huaisang has to basically relearn how to fight with his fans as he picked it up later in life) – but also kissing.
Like lots of kissing. A lot of it is surprisingly chaste because I’m keeping the whole “savor your childhood” thing, but I think once they cross back over into mutual orgasms, that tends to take lead.
This includes praise kink, service top!Huaisang, power bottom!Jiang Cheng, topping from the bottom (Huaisang). Why? Because Jiang Cheng needs to let go and Nie Huaisang needs to have control.
I also like “weak for a Nie” Huaisang, so there might be some of that surprising!strength.
Wei Wuxian clearly finds out (about the kissing), but it leads to them being an authority he actually listens to when they tell him “you want to bug Lan Wangji so much because you want to kiss his face.” (so, When Lan Wangji listens to Jiang Cheng and flirts back rather than getting angry – WangXian may actually fuck in the library)
This means, of course, that Wei Wuxian doesn’t punch Jin Zixuan and get sent home. This means the engagement stays (and may get pushed forward because of the looming war). This means Lanling Jin is better allied with Yunmeng Jiang and (at the will of the first Madame Jin) the Jins will march if Lotus Pier is attacked.
Of course, Wangxian are hardly discrete. They are found out and *WANGJI ADMITS THAT THEY’RE ALREADY MARRIED* because they still wind up in the Cold Pond Cave. Even Nie Huaisang is taken by surprise as that’s not something that ever went public. (This has the benefit of also putting the Yin Iron into play because action plot!). This leads to the announcement of Wangji’s public wedding to Wei Wuxian at the end of summer, which means Jiang Fengman (and Yanli) arrive not to take Wei Wuxian home but to negotiate the marriage contract.
This brings the Clan Heads together (all but the Wens – Wen Qing is already there, after all, and the Wens are less concerned with keeping up appearances.)
Nie Mingjue brings back Meng Yao, which means Jin Zixuan sees when their father snubs him, so Jin Zixuan steps up and makes an overture of friendship. For the few weeks that they’re there, Meng Yao is brought into the friend group (Jiang Cheng always forgot they were about the same age) which limits his exposure to Lan Xichen.
Lan Xichen is fine with this because it means he gets Nie Mingjue all to himself. That’s right – this is also a Nielan fic. Boom.
Meng Yao has already been snubbed, and is desperate to prove himself (and failing that, make Jin Guangshan eat it), but he’s taken aback by Jin Zixuan’s earnestness. He’s also not yet released Xue Yang – the wedding interrupted those plans.
Nie Huaisang all but throws himself at Nie Mingjue, who is a bit confused because Nie Huaisang *passed* Lan Qiren’s lessons, so there’s no reason for him to act a fool. (He hugs him tightly anyway. He’s his baby brother, after all.)
Nie Huaisang teases Nie Mingjue about Lan Xichen (he’s going to encourage that relationship) and introduces him to Wen Qing (which goes less well, but it is a wedding and Mingjue is in a good mood. It helps that they bond being older siblings).
Before they leave, Mingjue asks Huaisang if he should be sending a formal proposal to Jiang Cheng Lotus Pier on Huaisang’s behalf. Huaisang is shocked that Mingjue would even consider such an outrageous— “besides, Wanyin is to be sect leader, Da-ge. The proposal should come from him!”
(Part 2) (Part 3)
#the untamed#sj writes the untamed#the great sangcheng time travel fix it fic project#sangcheng#fic update#background wangxian#time travel
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Hi Aamna,
Phew! Then I will be safe and I will start reblogging stuff while the TikTok song (‘don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious’) plays in the background and hopefully you won’t find out who I am *muahahaha* lol
You know I think if we had had more of the characters POV’s I think we would get more information and we would understand them more without being so judgmental of many of them. I know we saw a few POV’s but not that many to get a complete picture into their real feelings. I know that I would have gotten so many questions answered lol
It’s interesting to know how cultures are so different when it comes to how they show affection, however, for us that grew up in it its something so normal and even if you explain it to others many won’t understand it because they didn’t live it. Like my culture has this thing of using insults as affection we still say I love you and give hugs but is always follows by an insult. Don’t know why but is such a normal thing that if you ask anybody of my culture they will agree. (Oh wow I just notice I derail again lol back to what we were talking)
Okay, I have to admit I am terrible at remembering titles and so on, so I will have to search through my history until I find it. I remember it was a Wangxian so I hope that’s okay. Hopefully I will have the link by tomorrow.
I swear fan fics have help me so much when I show or movie ends up so bad that just left me pulling my hair in frustration and despair at the terrible ending or the way some of the characters were mistreated and writers never disappoint because there will always be that one writer that is fast to fix the injustice. I am so thankful for writers.
It’s funny that you bring this up or maybe it was fic and I am mixing stuff again I don’t know how many times I have left wondering if it’s something I read in a fic or it was actually part of canon but then after reading so much fic I find myself dissatisfied with canon and I can’t bring myself to reread the original content. I think I read about something similar about immortals somewhere as well but like you don’t remember where it was, I think but don’t quote me on this I think it was said in ‘Ten Miles of Peach Blosom’ of how immortals don’t meddle on humans lives. But what if she did come and help Wei Wuxian and that’s why he was able to survive the Burial Mounds when others had died before.
The more that I think about it the more I am liking the idea of Jian Yanli as Sect Leader, damn she sure knew how to put anyone in their place with a few quiet words and she didn’t let no one push her around. Well except her mom but when it counted for her to speak up she did and I think that even when people think she was a quiet mouse she had claws when it counted.
What do I think about the Yi City arc and it’s characters? Well I honestly love that arc but it sure broke my heart when Xiao Xingchen killed himself I think in that moment just a tiny moment you could see Xue Yang being that lost child once again, lets face it the boy was evil but there’s was something that made you feel bad for him as well. (But then again I can’t hate the character because the actors played such a great Xue Yang that I can’t help myself but love him lol) SongXiao is such a beautiful ship but its so heartbreaking, I sometimes wish that MXTX would give us an update of them. Like did Song Lan manage to restore Xiao Xingchen soul back? Dammit I want a happy ending for them too and maybe they can adopt a reincarnation of Xue Yang and A-Qing and give them the happy life that they always wanted deep down.
This question comes from us talking about that Wen Qing fic so today question is: What are your top five favorite mdzs fics you have read? What did you like about them?
Your C.C Blue 🌸
Hi blue!! Hope you and the kids are well 💛 oh yeah definitely! POVs change the whole situation. Since I'm currently reading tgcf there are a few cases about the situation being completely different than what everyone thought was the case and it totally shifts the viewpoint. You may sympathise with someone you scorned literally a single page before. (that's probably a message for life too haha!)
It's okay I love learning about new cultures and traditions. We have something similar here too, especially with old people they'll insult you to show their love it's really hilarious :D
It's more than okay, I mostly read wangxian fics. Like even if it's about other characters it's imp to me that wangxian are there together or not lol. Ahh I havent seen that one, but I'm only a newbie in cdramas lol, cql was my first one. But oh yeahh that could be a possibility,, somebody should write a fic on this fnfjf
I know :(( song lan is just travelling alone now with the broken pieces of xxc :( but sometimes I look away and think that the yi city characters are one small happy family and it's all an illusion and momentarily happiness but that's okay dhfkf XD it's really not I'm just I'm denial lol.
I love reading fics where xue yang takes wwx as his master or wwx finds xue yang and raises him as his disciple along with A-yuan and mxy, its just that idea is top tier. I love thinking about wwx forming his own sorta sect where he picks up orphans and helps them.
I have so many fics I love sjfjjf everyone's so talented here I love it.
1. The Murder of crows by cerbykerby which is based on my fav trope of wwx forming his own sect and teaching the young like I mentioned above. I never read wips cause I tend to read fics in one sitting usually or like in a day max lol but this was just so good I am willing to wait patiently for every update:D everyones characterization, the dialogues, the story, its perfect! wwx's obliviousness wangji's longing, and sizhui—best boy!
2. Live from New York by varnes I read this one recently and it's SNL but with cql and oh God the longing kills you, they're both pinning for eachother like idiots and refuse to see that the other loves them back. But the author creates such an amazing world they're wonderful!
3. and so my heart beats wildly by lily_winterwood. Djfj I keep saying this for each one of them but is definitely one of the best ones. Modern cultivators-HungerGames style au. I love the world building, the way the author paints every scene, for dialogues. 10/10
4. tempo rubato by Spodumene
It's a highschool au and probably no definitely my favourite one. Literally you can see the growth of the characters (*spoiler*) after years you can see that. It's just so so good
5. 总有一天; a place to hide (can’t find one near) by yiqie.
This one is I have a lot of feelings about this because I read it during a very bad week. It's a really heavy fic like if you ever read it please look at the warnings beforehand. But I have to say reading it and reaching the end it made my chest tighten less and it made me feel like I could breathe easier. (Ik this must sound dramatic but its the truth, the utter relief and hope I got at the end I think this helped me alot in that week and I'll always treasure this)
Ahh this got long 😅 thank you for always asking such wonderful questions tho I love recommending fics to read or just expressing my love for them :D. Wby? What are yours?
#also im so sorry this took so long i actually answered this in bits throughout the day cause i wasnt feeling so well#blue!!!#mdzsnetcc
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Wangxian Redux
Wangxian Redux
by celestial-mdzs
942 words
(click on linked title to read on ao3)
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What just happened?
All the juniors stare openly as Wei Wuxian looks around in confusion, no doubt disorientated after being sent into the… future? And is that Lan Wangji from the past as well? Does this mean that… their seniors have become their peers?
Wei Wuxian had been teasing Lan Wangji in the Cloud Recesses when a blinding flash overtook his senses and he woke up in the middle of the forest, with foreign faces staring at him. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, he spots a familiar figure, face lighting up with relief.
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian beams, giggling when he hears a soft huff of exasperation from the other. Yes, this was most definitely the Lan Zhan he had been teasing not even ten minutes ago.
Lan Wangji doesn’t bother the bubbly man with an answer, choosing to face the unfamiliar people instead. “Excuse me, where are we?”
Lan Sizhui is the first to snap out of his stupor, smiling a tad bit awkwardly, saying, “We’re in the middle of a night-hunt.”
Wangji doesn’t even bat an eyelash at the lack of information, nodding seriously. “Wei Ying and I will assist you in the night-hunt, then.”
“Why am I with a bunch of Gusu juniors? And who’s this Jin punk? Where’s my sect disciples?” Wei Wuxian shoots question after question in Lan Sizhui’s direction, who smiles politely as he refuses to answer the questions. Was he even allowed to say anything about the future to them?
Jin Ling rolls his eyes at the annoying man. “Shut up, would ya?”
Just like that, Wei Wuxian’s attention is diverted, turning to Jin Ling for information. “Wow. Are you related to that peacock Jin Zixuan? You sure look like him! Anyway, what’s with all the Gusu stuff?”
When the rest of his questions are still left unanswered by the juniors, Wei Ying gives up and returns his attention to past Wangji, who had been frowning the entire time he was pestering the juniors for answers.
Wei Ying babbles on and on for the next few minutes as the group proceeds with the night-hunt, trying to get a reaction out of Lan Zhan, to no avail. The juniors give each other almost pained looks as they watch the one-sided conversation. Even Senior Wei wasn’t this talkative on their night-hunts! Mostly because he’s too busy exchanging glances with his husband, but eh. Details.
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying shouts for the umpteenth time, “Lan Zhan! Give me your ribbon, I'll do the night-hunt with my eyes covered!”
Past Lan Wangji looks scandalised, taking an unconscious step back, looking away as he says, “Ridiculous.”
“Is this really the feared Yiling Patriarch?” Jin Ling mumbles, growing more annoyed by the minute. “Sizhui, can you put the silencing charm on him?”
Sizhui doesn’t answer and Wei Wuxian isn’t deterred, moving closer, beaming as he calls out, “Lan Zhan! I’m very capable, you know? Want me to… show you?”
“Get lost!” The other practically shouts, even though the volume of his voice doesn’t increase significantly. His ears have turned bright red and his grip on Bichen tightened, looking like he’s trying to restrain himself. Wei Wuxian giggles, clapping his hands in glee at the reaction he’s been gifted.
He then moves uncomfortably close to Lan Zhan, winking as he says, “Lan Zhan…”
And Wei Wuxian is silenced.
Jin Ling’s jaw drops, eyes wide as he watches the duo. These are the Sunshot Campaign heroes? Jin Ling doesn’t think he can ever look at his uncle Wei the same way ever again.
Jingyi is hiding his laughter behind his sleeve, surprised to see this side of their Hanguang-Jun. The Hanguang-Jun he knew would never silence Wei Wuxian in a million years, but this one, who seemed calm and collected, was riled up by an unruly and wild Wei Wuxian. Honestly, Jingyi is having the time of his life, night-hunt forgotten. How could he be bothered with it when he just heard Hanguang-Jun say, ‘get lost’?
“Oi, can you stop being so disgusting? It’s enough that you two are married,” Jin Ling finally snaps, absolutely done with the two’s shenanigans.
Everyone pauses. The juniors because, shit, were they allowed to reveal these kinds of things? And past Wangji and Wuxian because, what? They’re married?
Sizhui wants someone to knock him out, if he’s honest. He steps between past Wangji and Wuxian before they decide to have a brawl or something, smiling sweetly as he says, “Young master Wei, it's only a night-hunt, there’s no need to blind yourself. Second young master Lan, our targets are some fierce corpses roaming in these woods. Please be civil and alert.”
Just as he finishes speaking, Wen Ning appears from between the trees, dishevelled as always. He stops in front of past Wei Wuxian, “Young master Wei, the corpses will be easy enough for the juniors to handle alone.”
At this moment, the spell has also worn off, so instead of replying, past Wei Wuxian asks, “Wen Ning? What happened to you? Why do you have…”
Wen Ning blinks slowly, looking over to the juniors, trying to convey his confusion through his expressionless face. He was gone for maybe one incense stick. What happened while he was gone?
Sizhui wants to cry. “Young master Wei, young master Lan. Let’s head back to our inn. We can continue the night-hunt tomorrow.”
Hopefully, our seniors come back tomorrow, is what he doesn’t say, for he doesn’t think he can handle this any longer.
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give my a work a like/reblog if you liked it? maybe a comment? xD
also if you’d like to hang on discord, my user is: z y || 💙#0830
my ao3
my marvel tumblr blog is @celestial-irondad
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