#personally I think it’s Jiang Cheng because he’d be visibly trying so hard but have such toxic vibes

[andhumanslovedstories]

#I feel like I’m baiting wwx but cmon you cannot tell me he’d be worse at improv comedy than all the other people listed #personally I think it’s Jiang Cheng because he’d be visibly trying so hard but have such toxic vibes #I say this as a jc supporter: it would be rough to watch #the untamed #mdzs #lwj would also suck real bad to be clear

[robininthelabyrinth]

Prompt~ hoping you'll like it ♥️

Things between the Nie brothers are not always nice and happy, they fight, just like any other pair of brothers, and sometimes things are said, sometimes these things are heavy and painful. Sometimes they're said in the wrong moment (maybe at the eve of a battle? Sunshot campaign?) and huaisang doesn't know what to do with the broken look his brother gives him before leaving the unclean realm. Because what if he doesn't return? What if the last thing he said to him was how much he hated the man he became?

Labyrinth - ao3

“But I didn’t mean to wish him away!” Nie Huaisang cried out.

“That’s really too bad,” the goblin king said, looking pleasant and humble and charming the way he always did, even in his cape of glittering gold and high-browed hat. “I wish there was something I could do for you, but the rules are the rules. You wished him away, and I took him.”

“Aren’t you supposed to only take babies?” Nie Huaisang demanded.

“Your brother’s enough of a crybaby to count, it’s close enough.”

“It is not!” Nie Huaisang wrung his hands. “You don’t understand, the last thing I said to him was that I hated him! Meng Yao, please!”

“It’s Jin Guangyao,” the goblin king corrected. His smile looked a bit strained. “Listen, do you think I’m happy about this? He’s my sworn brother! I’m only doing what I have to –”

“Oh, save it for Lan Xichen,” Nie Huaisang growled. “Show me the labyrinth already.”

“You’re going to face the labyrinth,” the goblin king said. His voice was very polite, and yet still expressed significant doubt. “You.”

“Yeah, me!”

“You remember that it goes ‘through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered’, right? Not ‘through a nice teacher and a forgiving grading system’?”

“Yeah, well, your father is a fragging aardvark. Let me at the labyrinth already!”

-

“You know what,” Nie Huaisang said thoughtfully. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

The life-sized animated puppet blinked at him. “You – don’t want my help?”

“Nope. I’m good.”

“You haven’t even gotten into the labyrinth yet!”

“It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t have a chance to get in,” Nie Huaisang said, patting around his sleeve and pulling out a fan. “So I’m just going to walk over and beat at the wall till something happens.”

The puppet followed him, staring blankly. Quite a change from his original apologetic ‘I’m sorry, I’m busy with my own things, I really can’t help you, also it’s too dangerous and you shouldn’t go’ response.

“You were blackmailing me to help you just a moment ago,” the puppet said after a little. “Don’t you need a guide?”

“Listen, I’m bad at memorizing things and I’m a little useless, but I’m not actually dumb,” Nie Huaisang said, fanning himself. “Jin Guangyao is a demon of the mind above all else, and the labyrinth is supposed to be ‘fair’ – which means, more than likely, that the labyrinth is a reflection of the subconscious, specially tailored to each person’s strengths and weaknesses. And that means that you, who sound exactly like Lan Xichen, are almost certainly a set-up sent by Jin Guangyao to ‘reluctantly’ aid me and then betray me.”

“Uh,” Lan Xichen-the-puppet said. “My name’s Hoggle, actually.”

“Whatever makes you feel better, er-ge…A-ha!” Nie Huaisang beamed at the gates that automatically opened. “Perfect!”

-

“Oh, don’t go that way,” the worm said. “Never go that way. And are you sure you don’t want to come in for a cup of tea?”

“No time,” Nie Huaisang said. “Thanks a lot – wait.”

The worm blinked at him.

“You’re a pretty attractive worm, in a slimy sort of way,” Nie Huaisang said, frowning at him.

The worm blinked again. “Why, thanks!”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Is your name Su She, by chance?”

“Definitely not!”

“Mm. Oddly vehement of you. Never mind. Just, quick, could you tell me exactly why do I not want to go that way?”

-

“I don’t suppose straight ahead is an option?”

The hands-faces stared at him.

“I’m just saying, I feel like most of my problems so far have come from the fact that I decided to accept the whole concept of turns. It seems like a mistake.”

“…it’s a labyrinth,” another set of the hands said. “You have to make turns!”

Nie Huaisang shook his head mournfully. “I should’ve brought Baxia or something and just – ZIP. Gone straight through. You know what I mean?”

“I’m dropping you in the oubliette regardless of your decision,” the first set of the hands said. It sounded a bit like Sect Leader Yao. “Just so you know.”

“My life is so hard,” Nie Huaisang sighed. “So hard! Do you know what it’s like to be overlooked by everyone? Do you know how hard I have to work at being this useless?”

“Drop him,” the set of hands that sounded like Sect Leader Ouyang said, and the set of hands that sounded like Sect Leader Yao said, “Yes. Now!”

Down Nie Huaisang went.

-

“I can take you back to the beginning of the labyrinth,” Lan Xichen offered.

“What, and waste all that time? I have a time limit, er-ge!”

“It’s better than being stuck in an oubliette. That’s where they put people to forget about them, you know.”

Nie Huaisang’s eyes filled with tears. “You want to forget me, er-ge? You think I’m useless, don’t you? A good-for-nothing, who’ll never amount to anything –”

“Please don’t cry.”

“ER-GE! WHY DON’T YOU LOVE ME!”

“Please stop crying!”

-

“So what’s the point of you?” Nie Huaisang asked the Wise Man with the Talking Hat.

“Not everyone exists to contribute to your storyline,” the Talking Hat snapped at him. “Some of us’ve got our own problems. Now hand over the candy!”

“Don’t be mean,” the Wise Man said. He had a white cloth over his eyes, and was smiling like he found the hat funny.

“Awww, but daozhang…!”

“Different plotline entirely, I guess,” Nie Huaisang decided. “Probably just here as a foil. Shall we keep going, er-ge?”

“I can’t believe you scammed me to get out of the oubliette,” Lan Xichen mumbled. “I can’t believe…”

-

“Oh, leave him alone, he’s just sensitive!” Nie Huaisang snapped.

“Am not!” the upside-down creature snarled, curled up on itself and trying to hide from all those that had been hitting him. Its fur was a vivid sort of purple. “Go away!”

“Don’t you have some sort of special power to help you here,” Nie Huaisang asked him as he tried to get him down before the goblins came back with weapons. “Rocks, maybe?”

“…lightning?”

“Well then get to it, will you?” Nie Huaisang frowned. “Wait. Lightning, constantly being tormented, terrible at communication, and purple? You’re Jiang Cheng, aren’t you?”

“…maybe.”

“Well then get down faster! I need to copy someone’s notes here!”

-

“Leave me aloooooooone!” Nie Huaisang howled, running away from the measuring snake.

-

“Wow,” Lan Xichen said, holding his cheek. “You kissed me.”

“You saved me from the snakes,” Nie Huaisang said. “Can we focus on how we’re in this awful stinking bog?”

“It’s not that bad!” a voice piped up. “I don’t smell anything!”

Nie Huaisang turned to stare, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course you don’t,” he said. “I bet the total absence of a sense of smell helps when you eat spicy food, Wei-xiong.”

“There’s nothing wrong with spicy food!”

“You’re short,” Nie Huaisang informed the small goblin-like creature with the big grin and the red ribbon in its hair. It looked vaguely fox-like, or possibly like certain large breeds of rabbit.

“Why you..!” Wei Wuxian crossed his furry little paws over his chest. “Just for that, I’m not going to help you.”

“Uh-huh,” Nie Huaisang said. “Really. That’s awful…oh no! A dog!”

Wei Wuxian jumped high into the air. “A dog?! Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan! Save me!”

Much to Nie Huaisang’s surprise, a furry dog immediately darted out of nowhere – only Wei Wuxian didn’t seem afraid of it, but rather hid behind it, teeth chattering.

Truly, Nie Huaisang reflected, the eyes of love are blind.

“I think the ‘dog’ is gone now,” he said. “Your brave and noble Lan Wangji must’ve scared him away.”

Wei Wuxian’s head popped out from behind dog-Wangji. “Well, Lan Zhan is really cool…hey. Are you trying to manipulate me?”

“Is it working?”

“No!”

“So you won’t help me?”

“No!”

“Not even if it means you get to figure out a really tricky puzzle?”

“No – wait. A puzzle?”

“I can’t believe this is going to work,” Lan Xichen muttered from behind Nie Huaisang. “I mean, I can. But also…Wangji…I love you, but you could do so much better than this.”

-

“Ugh,” Nie Huaisang said. “I’m so thirsty.”

“Have some Emperor’s Smile,” Lan Xichen said, offering a jar.

“Amazing,” Nie Huaisang said, accepting it and taking a swing. “I had my doubts, you know, but you’re actually good for something after all, er-ge –”

-

The golden bird was Nie Huaisang’s favorite.

He’d worked so hard to bring it back to his aviary – it couldn’t be forced, he knew; it would play along at first but in the end it would turn on you and bite you. It had to be coaxed with gentleness and kindness, approached indirectly so as not to spook it, convince it that you really did mean well – that you were harmless, that it had no reason to fear you. It was arrogant, too, proud of its shining feathers and ashamed of the brown plumage of its chick days, which still remained visible on its tender underbelly. Ironically, that was Nie Huaisang’s favorite part of it, the soft and gentle part; it might not be as pretty as the gold, but it felt more genuine.

Nie Huaisang smiled as he brushed the beautiful feathers, and the golden bird allowed him. He felt cherished, treasured. So what if he had to hide all the sharp parts of himself to get this close?

It was fine. He didn’t like to be sharp.

He wanted to be soft. Soft and gentle, careless and free, relaxed and without effort, good for nothing –

Wait.

No!

-

“It’s all junk,” Nie Huaisang hissed at the pile of burning fans, tears in his eyes. “I want my da-ge!”

-

“You’re all right!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed, helping pulled Nie Huaisang up.

“Huaisang-xiong,” Jiang Cheng said, looking relieved. “You’re back.”

“We have to go to the temple beyond the Goblin City,” Nie Huaisang said, teeth gritted together. “We have to. I won’t let that bastard…we’re going to go there and throw all his damned tricks right in his face!”

“Just us?” Wei Wuxian asked. “I mean, I’m awesome, Lan Zhan is fantastic, and of course Jiang Cheng is great, too, but…uh…there’s a lot of goblins in the city.”

“We’ll sneak in,” Nie Huaisang said. “He thinks he’s sidelined me entirely – he thinks I’m useless. He won’t be expecting me to get this far.”

“I can get help,” Jiang Cheng said. “I have friends.”

“…not to be rude, Jiang-xiong,” Nie Huaisang said. “But – really?”

-

“You know what,” Nie Huaisang said, eyeing the pile of rocks following Jiang Cheng around, each one painted with a name. One of the names was yellow. Two were in white, with forehead ribbons. “This is fine. I feel like it says something really rude about my empathy for and interest in our junior generation, or lack thereof, but you know what? I don’t care. It’s fine.”

-

“You saved me,” Nie Huaisang said blankly, looking at Lan Xichen, who shrugged, abashed. The remains of the mechanical temple guard were scattered all over. “Over – him?”

“Huaisang –”

“No,” Nie Huaisang said, holding up his hands. “Don’t. Don’t…I don’t want to hear you talk.”

Lan Xichen’s head dropped down and he looked at the ground. “You knew from the beginning what I was like,” he murmured. “I never tried to hide it –”

“I forgive you for being what you are,” Nie Huaisang told him, and Lan Xichen looked up at him, startled and pleased. “I forgive you for not having the backbone to stand up against Jin Guangyao for me – or for da-ge. For being willfully blind for so long, for needing someone else’s proof of his ill-intentions, for always picking him first, for never trusting me…I forgive you, even if you’d never forgive me for the same.”

He dashed away the angry tears in his eyes.

“I just wish this wasn’t a fucking metaphor.”

-

Nie Huaisang left the fighting to the people who knew what to do – Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng, even the rock-juniors – and went to the temple at the center of the city alone.

Some things, he knew, needed to be done alone, even if it was the type of alone when you were surrounded by other people. Even when those other people stood by his side and made him promise that if he needed them, he would only need to call. Some things…

“I want my da-ge back,” he said to the maze of stairs.

“Then go and find him,” Jin Guangyao replied, looking smug, and Nie Huaisang had to go up and down all those fucking stairs, because Jin Guangyao was nothing if not predictable with his trauma, looking all over, looking for –

Looking for pieces.

“It’s just a metaphor,” he whispered to himself, ignoring how tears were streaming down his face. “It’s just – I need to put him back together, it’s fine. I’m not too late – I’m not too late –”

-

Jin Guangyao held Nie Mingjue’s head in his hands, blinded and gagged and bound with talismans, pulled out of whatever oubliette he'd shoved it into to forget about what he'd done. “Beware, Huaisang,” he said, still smiling. Always smiling. “I’ve been generous up until now, but I can be cruel.”

Nie Huaisang laughed, scoffing. “Generous? What have you done for me that’s generous?”

“Everything! Everything you’ve wanted, I’ve done – I cared for you, I gave you attention, I got you out of work, doing your schoolwork for you and coming up with excuses to get you out of saber training. I gave you presents, fans and pretty clothing, and when that brute of a brother of yours tried to take them from you, I rescued you. And then I even managed your sect for you, answered all of your questions, any time you had – Huaisang, I’m exhausted trying to live up to your expectations of me. Isn’t that generous?”

Nie Huaisang bared his teeth. “Half of those are burdens that only fell on me because of you. Why should it matter to me that cleaning up your own mess and satisfying your own guilt is hard? Why should I pay such a price when all I wanted was to be your friend? When all da-ge wanted was to be your friend? How dare you, Meng Yao!”

“Huaisang…” Jin Guangyao shook his head mournfully. “Huaisang, the last step here is to say the words to break the spell. But you were never good at memorization, were you?”

Nie Huaisang bit his lip until he drew blood.

“Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered,” he said. “I have fought my way here to the temple beyond the goblin city –”

“Huaisang, stop! Look at what you’re risking here. You know how everyone loves me – do you think anyone will forgive you for taking me down, for tricking them all? You’ll be all alone!”

I already am, Nie Huaisang thought.

“My will is as strong as yours,” he said. “And my kingdom is as great…”

His voice trailed off.

“I ask for so little,” Jin Guangyao said beseechingly, convincingly, looking just like he always did, like the man who'd been their friend. “Just let me fool you, and you can have anything you want. No responsibilities, no stress, a life of your own. You can even have Lan Xichen, if that’s what you want…”

What’s the last line, Nie Huaisang thought, hating himself for being such a poor student, for cramming things into his mind without any order, for never being able to retain a single drop of it no matter how hard he tried. What is it? Why can’t I ever remember?

“It’d be so easy,” Jin Guangyao crooned. “Much easier than this. Just fear me, love me, believe me, and I’ll be your slave.”

Sharp teeth in a false smile.

Nie Huaisang shook in terror. He couldn’t – his da-ge needed him – he couldn’t be afraid, couldn’t be a coward, couldn’t be good-for-nothing – couldn’t let Jin Guangyao win – couldn’t let him –

That was it.

Nie Huaisang raised his head until his eyes met his enemy’s.

Sensing something wrong, Jin Guangyao’s eternal smile dimmed, and he began to step forward, reaching out, but it was too late.

“You have no power over me,” Nie Huaisang declared, and the world within a world collapsed.

-

Nie Huaisang opened his eyes.

-

Nie Huaisang sat in his desk in the Unclean Realm, trying to amuse himself by trying to figure out what exactly he’d eaten the night before that had given him such bizarre dreams. It was not successful, on account of him being alone.

Alone, just as he had been every night, and every day as well, since the success of his scheme at the Guanyin Temple.

Just as the dream-Jin Guangyao had threatened.

It wasn’t that Nie Huaisang regretted what he had done – the dream was clear enough about that; he’d do it all again in a heartbeat if he had to. But in the dream he’d been working alongside his former friends, with Lan Xichen betraying but then returning to him, with Wei Wuxian dragging Lan Wangji around, with stone-faced Jiang Cheng and the rather interchangeable junior squad behind him…and in his dream, in the end, they’d let him go to take his revenge, telling him that if he needed them for any reason, he could just call.

Just call, and they’d come back to him. Instead of turning from him in disgust, they’d stand by his side…

“Stupid subconscious,” Nie Huaisang mumbled to himself. “What do you expect? That I'd write to them and say ‘for no real reason at all, I find that I rather need you’?”

Silence answered him.

“Well, I do,” he said with a sigh, putting his chin on his hands. “Does that make you happy? I do need you.”

“You do?” Wei Wuxian’s voice rang out, and Nie Huaisang jumped nearly out of his skin. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”

Nie Huaisang turned, staring: it was Wei Wuxian at the door, the human version of him, and of course there was Lan Wangji right before him, and Jiang Cheng, and the (still mostly interchangeable) juniors, and – and even Lan Xichen, who Nie Huaisang was sure had gone into seclusion with no intent to leave.

“What are you doing here?” Nie Huaisang squeaked. And why hadn’t any of his sect disciples warned him?

“We just bullied our way though the door before anyone could stop us,” Wei Wuxian said cheerfully, answering the unspoken question first. “As for the rest – it turns out that I had the strangest dream the other night, really, truly bizarre, and obviously I had to tell Lan Zhan all about it, except it turned out he had a strange dream too.”

Nie Huaisang’s jaw dropped. “But –”

“I felt da-ge’s qi woven into the labyrinth,” Lan Xichen said quietly. “I thought it’d have long ago dissipated or been locked away, but – it was there, in every stone, in every turn. Every obstacle that didn’t really hurt you, every goblin that was more silly than scary…he was there. It was unmistakable.”

Nie Huaisang swallowed. The story of the labyrinth, baby-stealing wish-granting goblin king and all, had been one that Nie Mingjue had told him as a bedtime story, when he'd been a child in need of comfort; he hadn’t thought of it in years before last night. “But…why…?”

“Because Chifeng-zun has a demented sense of humor?” Jiang Cheng suggested, looking irritated.

“Jiujiu means that he hasn’t had that much fun in years, and also that you should throw a party,” Jin Ling said. “You are hosting all three of the sect leaders of all the other Great Sects. Also, why were we rocks?”

“Uh, no idea,” Nie Huaisang said. “Da-ge’s weird sense of humor, no doubt! Anyway, did you say party? I can do a party!”

He rushed out of the room, calling for his servants, calling for them to bring food and wine and tea, and as he did, he looked out of the window – a golden bird was flying away, looking hunted as if something was chasing it, and even as he watched, it crossed the borders of the Unclean Realm and suddenly dissolved into a fizzle of golden dust.

Nie Huaisang put his hand on the stone wall, and felt a familiar echo.

A very familiar echo.

“Oh,” he said, to his servants, feeling somehow simultaneously sheepish and filled with joy. “And while you’re at it, can you bring me my saber? I seem to have – misplaced it…”

#mdzs #nie huaisang #jin guangyao #lan xichen #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #lan wangji #su she #sect leader yao #sect leader ouyang #xiao xingchen #xue yang #my fic #my fics #labyrinth

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 26 part one

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning! Spoilers for All 50 Episodes! 

I’m Coming Up So You Better Get This Party Started

The Lans arrive just in time to see Cousin Jin Zixun hassling Su She, and they wonder how he has the fucking nerve to come to a party that they are also invited to. 

Su she was invited by his new best friend Jin Guangyao, who deploys a full-on charm attack, wrapping Su She permanently around his little finger. 

Smoother than the Lanling weather that’s how he holds himself together Watch out, he’ll charm you 

Jin Guangyao grew up with women who earned their living by being charming, pleasant, and hiding their true thoughts from their clients, and he appears to have mastered this useful skill set. With Su She, he exudes confidence and authority, allowing the lesser man to bask in his attention.

With Zewu Jun he deploys helplessness and embarrassment, effectively controlling a man with much greater power than his own.

Lan Xichen confronts him about Su She's presence, and Jin Guangyao pretends he didn't know that Su She was ex-Lan. This seems super unlikely, given that JGY is good at collecting information that he can use to fuck with people, and also that he sheltered Lan Xichen from the Wens directly after Su She betrayed him.

Lan Xichen seems like he doesn't believe what JGY is telling him but then he decides to drop it, passive-aggressively saying that since JGY is uninformed, he's not guilty. Lan Xichen is actually assuming a lot here about his right to tell Jin Guangyao who to invite and who to shun, but JGY doesn't push back. Lying is so much simpler.

(more behind the cut!)

Su She wins for most unintentionally sarcastic-seeming toasting expression.

Jiang Cheng, Party Animal

Jiang Cheng arrives at the party, bringing his Jiang retinue and his bad temper. He super obviously casts around to try to find Wei Wuxian, who already told him he probably wasn't coming to the party.

Jiang Cheng is that guy who only comes to a party because the girl he likes said she was thinking about going, and then he spends the whole party saying "hey have you seen Mei Lin? She said she was going to be here but I don't see her."

Jin Guangyao formally congratulates Jiang Cheng on the Jiang clan's success in the hunt, and Jin Guangshan toasts him. As always, Jiang Cheng reacts to praise from authority figures like it's rain in the desert, smiling from ear to ear. He says that the Jiang Clan will donate the prey from the hunt to the other gentry clans. ...what?

Are we seriously saying that when these dudes go night hunting it's not just to remove dangerous bad stuff, it's for profit? 

Like, do they eat monsters? Wear their fur? Make leather from their skin? Carve jewelry from their claws? Is Jiang Cheng wearing a purple monster's skin right now? (There will be an art prompt at the end of this post)

Meanwhile, check out the way Nie Huaisang is looking at Jiang Cheng, wow.

Forecast: Hazing

Having gotten the single pleasant part of the banquet over with, it's time for the Jins to pick on the Lans. Cousin Jin Zixun goads Lan Xichen into taking a drink with him, knowing that this is (mostly) against Lan rules. Jin Guangyao tries to stop him by saying, hilariously, that it's bad to drink and fly on a sword, but CJZX waves this away and keeps pushing, saying that if Lan Xichen won't drink, it's an insult to him.

A random cultivator who is definitely on the Jin payroll backs him up, saying that teetotaling is for losers, and Captain Blowhard boisterously agrees. Loudly agreeing with powerful people is the Yao clan's signature martial arts skill.

Jin Guangyao looks embarrassed and helpless, which is, as mentioned before, his own signature skill. But he's just playing his own part in this piece of theater; everything happening at this party (so far) is happening for the benefit of the Jin Clan. Cousin Jin Zixun is an ass, but he's not actually a loose cannon, and Jin Guangshan is clearly enjoying the Lans' discomfort.

Why? This entire party, the hunt, everything he's done since the end of the Sunshot campaign, has been designed to increase and consolidate his power. His main goal is to get the Yin Tiger seal, but reducing the status of the Lans is also a good move for him. The Lans have been the strongest opponents to the use of resentful energy, and worked the hardest to conceal and contain the Yin iron in the past. If he wants to use resentful energy as part of his own cultivation, he needs them to chill. 

So this is a bit of a test; will they comply with the will of the larger group in order to avoid conflict, or will they refuse, which will allow him to label them as iconoclastic weirdos?. 

Lan Xichen takes a long look at his brother, who is expressing all sorts of emotions while keeping his face very very still. 

At a guess, he is thinking that this entire party is bullshit, that his brother's willingness to play along with these assholes is bullshit, that being viciously beaten for having a single drink in his life was bullshit, that Wei Wuxian not being here right now is bullshit.

Lan Xichen picks the "go along, get along" path, having his drink and using his magic skill of anti-intoxication to neutralize it, as he'd done previously when drinking with Wei Wuxian. 

Cousin Jin Zixun picks on Lan Wangji next, and since he cannot magically or even non-magically tolerate alcohol, there is a real risk to his reputation if he drinks. But Lan Wangji breaks rules when he feels like it, not when people tell him to. He pointedly ignores the offered drink while Lan Xichen looks worried. 

The rest of the party guests have a wide variety of reactions, none of them helpful, to these shenanigans. Jin Guanshan's son and heir watches with calm interest as the power dynamics play out.

All of this is actually not great strategy for the Jins. The Lans don't play little social games to gain power, because all that time they spend not drinking, not gossiping, and not doing other stuff? Is spent cultivating and practicing sword and musical battle forms. The Lan Bros are overwhelmingly powerful as individuals, and embarrassing them won't change that.

It's moot, ultimately, because Wei Wuxian chooses this moment to arrive.

Darkness Visible

Wei Wuxian actually made a big impressive stair-climbing entrance to Jinlintai a few minutes ago, with camera work echoing Lan Wangji's stair climb at the Wen Indoctrination Bureau from several episodes back. 

But nobody was around to see that, other than us, and when he appears at the party it's in stealth mode; he steps into the frame from out of nowhere, and drinks Lan Wangji's unwanted drink.

Lan Wangji responds by looking at him like this for the next several minutes.

Wei Wuxian doesn't have time for their usual sport of Extreme Gazing, though; he came for a reason, which is to find and rescue Wen Ning. He gets right to it, asking Cousin Jin Zixun where he's keeping him.

Jiang Cheng, who is the king of worrying about the wrong fucking thing, jumps up to try to stop Wei Wuxian from talking. Like, seriously, he's ok with the Jins trying to take his clan's special extreme weapon, but he's not ok with his head disciple being rude in order to fulfill a whopper of a life debt--Jiang Cheng's life debt, in particular--or being rude in order to preserve the clan's independence.

Jin Guangshan decides this is a good moment to bring up the Yin tiger amulet. Wei Wuxian pushes back, hard, pointing out exactly what Jin Guangshan is doing. He says he's setting himself up to be a new Wen Ruohan. 

Lan Wangji pays close attention to Wei Wuxian's reasoning here, and so does Nie Mingjue, unless he’s just trying to mask his confusion. 

Jiang Cheng is too busy being horrified to listen, apparently. Or he just doesn’t agree, preferring to be reduced to a secondary authority, rather than defy a primary authority.

Wei Wuxian is, of course, all about independence; he was literally born to be a rogue cultivator, despite being dubbed “patriarch” himself, not long after this. 

Let’s Go Crazy Let’s Get Nuts

Wei Wuxian gets tired of the scene and decides to lose his temper. He makes a show of being enraged, and he genuinely is angry, but I don't think he's out of control, this time.  

He acts like he's out of control in order to scare everyone, but he makes his points very clearly, reminding everyone that he has power they don't have, that he's good at killing, that he's not patient, and that his teeth are nicer than everybody else’s. 

Everybody in the room freaks out to one degree or another--except Jin Guangshan, who is apparently too pissed off to be scared.

It's hilarious that Jin Guangshan thought he was going to get Wei Wuxian to hand the Yin Tiger amulet over by creating a complex system of social pressure against him. Wei Wuxian's favorite way of responding to social pressure is to escalate it into violence, regardless of the consequences; he's been doing that at least since Gusu Summer School and probably a lot longer. Jin Guangshan should know this, given how many beatings his son has taken from Wei Wuxian over the years.

Wei Wuxian does a fantastically sexy scary, theatrical countdown, and Cousin Jin Zixun caves in and gives him the information he wants. It's worth noticing that even under threat of death, CJZX doesn't comply until he visually checks in with his clan leader. He’s genuinely a bad person, yes, but he’s a loyal soldier, which is what most of these clans value most. 

As soon as he gets what he wants, Wei Wuxian is perfectly, smugly, in control of himself again. Everyone in the room is still stunned and afraid, so Jin Guangshan has achieved that much, at least; nobody likes Wei Wuxian having the Yin tiger seal now, including Jiang Cheng. 

As he leaves, Wei Wuxian has one of those conversations with Lan Wangji in which everything is said in glances in the course of a couple of seconds. 

WWX: I love you, I have to leave you; I've got some shit to take care of and I won't be coming back to all of this. 

LWJ: I love you; I'm probably going to have to fight you; your funeral is going to be so upsetting

Wei Wuxian turns away from everyone, and you can see the weight settling on his shoulders, as he contemplates the choices he just made and the choices that are still ahead of him. 

Jin Guangshan, for the first and only time, loses his temper in front of everybody, literally flipping a table because he's so mad about what just happened. 

Art prompt: Jiang Cheng wearing an outfit made of a Chinese mythical creature. Bonus points if it’s a qilin. Bonus bonus points if Zhang Qiling (from DMBJ/Lost Tomb franchise) is standing next to him looking grumpy while Jiang Cheng wears an outfit made from a qilin. 

Soundtrack: Get This Party Started by Pink, Charm Attack by Leona Naess, Let’s Go Crazy by Prince. 

#the untamed #the untamed gifs #wangxian #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #my gifs #learn to count the yiling way #1900 words

[nillegible]

It wasn't supposed to hurt him. Ouyang Zizhen had used the talisman before, on his sister and his sister's idiot fiance (Now he was her fiance. Before the talisman, he'd just been a shixiong who absolutely refused to confess his feelings to her). In retrospect perhaps it was unkind. A talisman that was meant to force you to confess what you were hiding from the other person? Jiujiu would have smacked him for even thinking about using it.

Jin Ling would punish himself if it would help, would do anything, to snap the talisman, or to get his stupid uncle to just say his stupid secret, because right now?

Right now, his uncle is choking on his secret, literally forcing it down by strength of will alone while Wei Wuxian flutters around desperately, trying to destroy the talisman and Hanguang Jun plays his guqin. The spiritual energy from the Lan musical technique is so heavy that Jin Ling's skin buzzes with every note, and it's even more concentrated on the three older cultivators, visible threads of it sparking over their skin.

Jiujiu still looks like he is in agony, breaths harsh and ragged, choking, his face screwed up, twisted, awful.

"Jiang Cheng please, please, just spit it out, I don't care what you still blame me for, I don't care just say it," Wei Wuxian begs, but it's no use, his uncle shakes his head no, and Jin Ling covers his own mouth to stifle a sob. He hadn't listened when Jin Ling begged, either.

It's such a simple talisman, so terribly simple a compulsion that it's not meant to be fought or broken. Powered by the strength of the secret and the spiritual energy of the person it was affixed to… Jin Ling hadn't known it was possible to even try.

"Jiang Wanyin," says Hanguang Jun. He has to say it again to get his uncle's attention. "Let me help." His uncle stares blearily for a few moments, then nods again. Abruptly, even the gasping choked off noises break off, and Jin Ling rushes closer, but he's okay. He's still okay, slumping a little and leaning onto Wei Wuxian in exhaustion, but alive.

"Wei Ying," says Hanguang Jun, and apparently that means something to his other uncle, because Wei Wuxian immediately turns his attention back to paper he'd been scribbling on, and continues.

It takes Wei Wuxian a full hour more to break the compulsion, for his uncle to collapse sideways like a broken puppet onto him, and cough up mouthfuls of blood while Wei Wuxian rubs his back. "Thank you, Hanguang Jun," says Jiujiu.

Then he looks up at Jin Ling, who is frozen in place, not sure if he should run or fall to his knees and apologize, and holds out a hand. Jin Ling throws himself forward and hugs his uncle sobbing his apologies. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry."

“Stupid,” Jiujiu says, voice hoarse, but he doesn’t let go of Jin Ling until he falls unconscious, and Wei Wuxian disentangles him from the half embrace – Jiujiu’s other arm was clutching Wei Wuxian’s robes, tightly – and lifts him into his arms.

“He’ll be okay, right?” asks Jin Ling, a bit pathetically. This was all his fault, after all.

“Jiang Cheng will be fine,” says Wei Wuxian.

When Jin Ling thinks back to this moment, he will realize that Wei Wuxian sounded oddly broken, not just tired.

*

It turns out that Jin Ling had actually ruined everything. He’d been sure that his uncles cared for one another, he’d watched the weird way they held each other at arm’s length but seemed desperate for more, and only wanted to help them out. Whatever it is they were keeping a secret couldn’t be worth it right? Wei Wuxian was back from the dead. He was, not Jin Ling’s mom or dad or anyone else. Jin Ling had only wanted them to make the most of it.

Instead, all Jin Ling does is show Wei Wuxian that Jiujiu has some giant terrible secret that he would rather tear his lips bloody trying to suppress than admit to, and Wei Wuxian seems to give up. He’s cautious around Jiujiu after that, He’s polite. And that only makes Jiujiu angrier and frostier in turn.

This is not what had happened to Ouyang Zizhen’s sister and her husband! (They’d gotten married in the spring, Jin Ling had even gone to their wedding.)

Perhaps Jin Ling should have considered what would happen if the secret was a bad one.

“Would you tell me?” asks Jin Ling. He’s treading on dangerous ground here. Jiujiu hasn’t punished him for the stunt ( “You’re a Sect Leader now, brat, you pick your own consequences,” he’d said, and Jin Ling had assigned himself a lot more make sure Jiujiu is recovering okay missions, whenever he could make the time) and he doesn’t want to remind him to.

“Of course not,” he snaps, Zidian sparking in hollow threat on his finger. At least he scowls? When Jiujiu isn’t busy being angry, he’s been strangely melancholy, recently. Jin Ling hates that, too.

*

It’s Hanguang Jun that Jin Ling approaches in the end. Oddly, he’s the one who’s angriest at him, Wei Wuxian had just waved off his apologies and asked him to introduce him to the maker of the talismans, and never mentioned it again.

“I really am sorry,” Jin Ling tells him. “I want to know how to fix it.”

Hanguang Jun is silent for a long time, and Jin Ling braces himself for dismissal, to be told he can’t, that it was his fault in the first place, he should stay away from Hanguang Jun’s husband.

“It is hard to speak when you are afraid,” Hanguang Jun observes. Which, what? Yes, of course. But why now? Jin Ling nods uncertainly. “Why should Jiang Wanyin be afraid of Wei Ying?”

Oh. Huh? “He’s not, he’s never…” Jin Ling trails off, uncertain. He’d grown up secure in the knowledge that Uncle Jiang would protect him from the evil Yiling Patriarch. That he wasn;t afraid of him. Things were apparently far more complicated than that, but Jiujiu had never been afraid of Wei Wuxian. So why wouldn’t he tell the secret. What did he think his secret would do, that hasn’t happened already? They barely even look at each other anymore! Hanguang Jun just keeps his steady gaze on Jin Ling, waiting for an answer. “Um. He was afraid… to hurt him?” asks Jin Ling.

He gets a slight nod in affirmation.

“You’d think Senior Wei would know all the awful things already,” Jin Ling says, quietly. Wei Wuxian’s life kind of sucked.

“Sometimes, it isn’t the terrible things that hurt,” says Hanguang Jun.

Jin Ling peers at him closely. “Does Hanguang Jun know my uncle’s secret?” he asks.

“No,” he says, and explains nothing further. “And Wei Ying does not.” He looks up then, over Jin Ling’s head, towards the door. “Wei Ying does not need to know, if he trusts Jiang Wanyin.”

Wei Wuxian laughs, lightly. “Who would have thought Lan Zhan would be defending Jiang Cheng some day, hm?”

“He’s right, Wei Qianbei,” Jin Ling hurries to say. “Jiujiu cares for you. He says awful things, he’ll say, ‘You’re a stupid brat, who raised you, I should break your legs’ but he doesn’t mean any of it. Except maybe the stupid part.”

Wei Wuxian laughs again, then drops a hand to Jin Ling’s head. “I know, A-Ling,” he says, the name sounding so fond when he says it. “He’s my brother, and that part of him hasn’t changed.”

“He hasn’t changed,” says Jin Ling, fiercely. Jiujiu is the only constant in Jin Ling’s life, he wouldn’t just become something else.

“He has though,” says Wei Wuxian softly. “He’s all grown up, now. The last time I saw him, he was little older than you. And look at him now, keeping secrets from his shixiong.”

“I don’t believe he ever called you that,” says Jin Ling, because his nose is sour and he doesn’t want to cry.

“No, no, you’re right, he didn’t,” says Wei Wuxian, a little more cheerfully.

*

They put themselves back together slowly. Wei Wuxian makes an effort to reach out again, far more determined this time. With some pointed nudging from Jin Ling, Jiujiu tries his best to meet him half way.

It’s not easy. There is. There is so much between them that Jin Ling will never understand, broken promises and dead family, and debts that can never be repaid.

It shouldn’t be possible, to put all of that aside and start anew. Especially not for Jiujiu, who held his grudges forever, and didn’t quite believe in second chances.

They had once been the twin prides of Yunmeng though.

They don’t care that it shouldn’t be possible.

They do it anyway.

[Inspired by this post because holy shit I love Yunmeng Pride reconciliation fics so incredibly much, but it’s not always about divulging that secret really, is it? I just wanted to write one which is definitely about that secret but also not if that makes any sense. I’m not sure if I succeeded, if I confused you I apologize.]

#jiang cheng #wei wuxian #jin ling #yunmeng shuangjie #yunmeng brothers #yunmeng shuangjie reconciliation

[bettydice]

I didn’t expect you to be lonely (too)

Xicheng, Modern AU, JC&WWX reconciliation, E-Rated 

[Read on AO3]

Chapter 3

Saturday

Jiang Cheng gets up early the next day, opens his window, clothes his eyes, breathes in the cold air, then says: “Fuck.”

Today, Jiang Cheng will meet with Lan Xichen again. After everything that happened yesterday. Him crying. Lan Xichen being understanding and nice and wonderful. Both of those things are going to be issues. The crying is an issue because Jiang Cheng did eventually feel that promised catharsis. He could sleep a little better, dream a little lighter after letting it all out for once. Maybe it wasn’t so much the crying as Lan Xichen being fucking nice about it afterwards. Taking care of him… Which is a problem, because Jiang Cheng can’t have such things. But he wants it.

He wants to talk with someone about it, but he can’t talk with his sister, because she’d be enthusiastic about Jiang Cheng expressing interest in someone and encourage him to pursue it, which is not the advice he wants. This is the kind of thing he’d talk with Wei Wuxian or Nie Huaisang about. But he can’t talk with Wei Wuxian - for obvious reasons.

And Nie Huaisang…

Jiang Cheng opens his messenger and scrolls through his conversation history with Nie Huaisang. There’s a bunch of party invites from Nie Huaisang, all unanswered by Jiang Cheng. Further up, there’s “What, are you going to ignore me too?” and “You’re a fucking idiot, Jiang Cheng.”

It’s true, he’s a fucking idiot. And everyone knows it. Yet they aren’t the ones who stopped replying first. They aren’t the ones who just assumed that if Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng stopped talking, it meant they’d have to stop talking to Jiang Cheng too. He is the one who did that.

The day goes by horribly quickly, so very soon he finds himself lying on Lan Xichen’s massage table again. Lan Xichen smiles at him and wraps him up as though nothing’s ever happened. The unwrapping and the following massage go by without any incident this time. Well, at least without a crying incident. Jiang Cheng does let out what could be considered almost a moan at one point but Lan Xichen only asks, “Painful?”, and Jiang Cheng nods instead of saying what he actually thought, which was: “No, it felt fucking amazing, your hands are magical, put them all over me.”

Once he’s dressed again, Lan Xichen takes a few minutes to go through some stretches for his neck and shoulders with him, so he can do them at home. A few very embarrassing minutes, during which Lan Xichen shows him how far a normal person can tilt and turn his head, and Jiang Cheng demonstrates that he’s not even half as flexible.

After, Lan Xichen invites him to the living room for tea again. Jiang Cheng wants to ask whether this is something he does for all his clients, but it’s better he just assumes so, even if it’s not true.

“How are the bunnies today?” Jiang Cheng asks as soon as he sits down. Bunnies should be a safe topic - right?

“Great! I seem to have offended neither. Do you… do you want to meet Cloud today?” Lan Xichen asks haltingly as though Jiang Cheng would ever say no to that.

“I’d love to!”

A few minutes later, they’re sitting on the floor, each with a bunny in their lap. Cloud had eyed him suspiciously for a while, but when she realised Jiang Cheng was very happy to provide her with attention and petting, she allowed him to do just that.

“You should feel honoured that she accepted your presence this quickly.” Lan Xichen nods at Cloud, amusement crinkling the skin around his eyes.

Jiang Cheng looks down at the bunny, who has her eyes closed while Jiang Cheng rubs her head. “I do. I actually read up about that yesterday, how bunnies have a high sense of… well, manners basically. I didn’t know that!”

Lan Xichen straightens up when he hears that, visibly excited. “It’s true! I also find it very fascinating. Though I think Cloud has an usually unpronounced sensitivity for such things. Or maybe she’s just realised she’ll get treats that way. My brother and I have a spreadsheet where we collect all of the bunnies’ - mostly Cloud’s - rules.”

Jiang Cheng looks at Lan Xichen to see whether he made a joke or whether such a spreadsheet actually exists. It seems to be true, he can detect no hint of a joke in Lan Xichen’s eyes or in his smile. Jiang Cheng laughs. “I’d be interested in reading that. I wouldn’t want to accidentally offend Cloud by not stroking her head enough, or too many times.”

Lan Xichen blinks at him a few times without saying anything. Uhm, has he said something wrong?

“I didn’t mean you have to show me,” Jiang Cheng rushes to say. He’s probably being too pushy, implying he’d spend more time with Cloud. He’s just a client, he shouldn’t assume such things. “Just uh…”

“Oh, no, of course.” Lan Xichen shakes his head, his gentle smile back on his face. ”I don’t think Wangji would mind. In fact, I know he’s already tried to get your brother to read it.”

Jiang Cheng really needs to learn how to stop showing a reaction whenever Wei Wuxian is mentioned. He quickly plasters on a smile, tries to smooth his frown.

Lan Xichen doesn’t seem to have noticed him tensing up and leans forward, whispering conspiratorially: “Cloud actually bit your brother a while ago. Nothing bad, just a warning. I think he was too enthusiastic in petting her.”

Wow, amazing. That’s… yes, that’s exactly the kind of information he needed to hear today. Jiang Cheng snorts a laugh. “Of course. I wouldn’t have expected anything else.”

Lan Xichen laughs softly as well, then cocks his head. “Is it okay if I mention your brother? I know your relationship seems to be a bit… strained… at the moment.”

Jiang Cheng grimaces slightly, then tries to hide it by lowering his head to focus extra hard on petting Cloud. “It’s fine. I have feelings about that whether or not anyone mentions Wei Wuxian.”

As soon as he says that, he realises how true it is. He’s such an idiot. Making his sister walk on eggshells around him. Why? For what? It doesn’t make a difference. Even if nobody says Wei Wuxian’s name for a week, he still misses him every day.

Lan Xichen nods, as though he knows exactly what Jiang Cheng means, humming his agreement, but not saying anything.

“Wei Wuxian was here then?” Jiang Cheng eventually asks. He can’t help himself.

Lan Xichen doesn’t know that Jiang Cheng never directly asks about Wei Wuxian, so he doesn’t react surprised and answers readily. “He comes by sometimes with Wangji. He’s very excited about the bunnies, but I’m afraid Cloud isn’t his biggest fan. Jade tolerates him.”

Jiang Cheng knows it’s silly to feel smug about Cloud sitting peacefully in his lap whereas she bit Wei Wuxian, but he’s done sillier things, so he’ll let himself count this as a win. “You’re a very smart bunny, aren’t you?” he whispers to Cloud. She rubs her chin on his thumb and he continues stroking her.

“We used to have a dog, but Wei Wuxian is deathly afraid of dogs, so we had to give it away. My mother didn’t allow us to have other pets. She said dogs at least had a purpose.” Jiang Cheng doesn’t know why he said that. Just like he never mentions Wei Wuxian, he also never talks about his mother. He blames it on Lan Xichen’s soothing presence - he feels like he could tell him anything and it would be okay.

“Why would animals need another purpose than existing?” Lan Xichen frowns as though he’s actually offended. Jiang Cheng is suddenly glad he won’t ever be able to meet his mother, because he can’t stand the thought of his mother saying one of her mean things that cut straight to the bone in the presence of Lan Xichen.

And isn’t that thought just a can of worms on top of a boiling volcano? Better not get any closer.

“No idea. Look at you, Cloud, you’re so cute. Nothing else is needed, right?” He lifts her up a little and smiles at her. When he looks back to Lan Xichen, he finds him staring at him again. Is he holding her wrong? He’s always making sure to support her hind legs and -

Cloud pees on him.

"Fuck!" Jiang Cheng stares at the bunny in horror, who only stares back at him as if daring him to do anything. While she fucking pees on him! But there is nothing he can do, is there? Standing up or putting down the bunny would only make things worse - he doesn’t want to ruin Lan Xichen’s beautiful hardwood floor. So he just… keeps holding her and lets her pee on his shirt and jeans. Fucking hell.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry! Don't move! I'll -" Lan Xichen jumps up, bunny still in his arms, and rushes out of the room. Then he rushes back, plucks Cloud from Jiang Cheng’s arms and brings the bunnies back to the balcony. Jiang Cheng can hear him say: "That was very rude of you! We'll talk about it later!” If he wasn’t currently covered in bunny pee, he might find that adorable.

While Lan Xichen hurries across the flat to get cleaning supplies, Jiang Cheng is just sitting on the floor, bunny pee soaking his shirt and jeans, trying not to move. All in all, he thinks, it’s an improvement over yesterday.

Lan Xichen returns with kitchen towels and normal towels and wet wipes. They both begin patting Jiang Cheng down, but… well, it’s pee.

“I’m really, really sorry. I… you should take a shower. I’ll give you a change of clothes and of course I’ll wash yours.” Lan Xichen keeps apologising and feels so obviously bad about the whole situation that Jiang Cheng in turn can’t even be mad anymore. He agrees to the shower and fresh clothes, because 1. he’s covered in pee and 2. he wants Lan Xichen to stop feeling guilty.

In the bathroom, Jiang Cheng feels like an intruder. He’s standing naked in Lan Xichen’s shower, right next to his shampoo (a very pretty and expensive looking bottle with jasmine fragrance), using his shower gel (a matching set with the shampoo). He’s going to smell like him, wear his clothes. As though… Nope, not like a boyfriend. He shouldn’t even think that. He’s just someone that got peed on by a devious bunny.

When he returns to the living room, everything is clean and tidy again. Lan Xichen is sitting on the couch, drinking tea, and lifts his head when Jiang Cheng enters the room. He starts smiling, then freezes… simply looks at him, head to toe. Probably because Jiang Cheng looks ridiculous, sleeves too long, pant legs drowning his feet.

Jiang Cheng’s neck feels hot anyway and he clears his throat. "Can you promise me to never tell Wei Wuxian about this?"

"Jiang Wanyin, nobody will ever hear a word about this," Lan Xichen solemnly promises.

Jiang Cheng sits down on his chair and sighs. Lan Xichen puts down his teacup and their eyes meet. For a second, neither of them moves. Then, Lan Xichen’s lips twitch, one corner of his mouth drawing up. Yeah… it actually is fucking funny. A laugh bubbles up Jiang Cheng’s throat and bursts out of him. Lan Xichen soon joins him. His laugh is bright and clear and probably the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard.

"I guess Cloud doesn't like me after all." Jiang Cheng decides to fall back on the Safe Topic, instead of staring at the marvel that is a laughing Lan Xichen.

"Oh, on the contrary! It can be a territorial thing. It's quite possible she's just claimed you. I saw that she rubbed her chin on you earlier. She definitely thinks you belong to her in some way."

"That's… I guess I should feel honored I got peed on?"

"Absolutely. There are people who'd be jealous of your status." Lan Xichen laughs and gives him a little wink. Jiang Cheng thinks this is very unfair to his feelings.

"So… What does belonging to a bunny entail? Any duties I have to fulfill? Cleaning out her cage or feeding her hay?"

"She's quite high maintenance, so it'll be all of those things. Many petting sessions will be required of you, too."

"I can do that." He knows Lan Xichen is just joking, but he certainly wouldn’t mind coming over often to spend some time with Cloud.

“She’ll be pleased, but won’t show it.” Lan Xichen laughs.

“Ah, well, I suppose it’s something we have in common.”

“You do?”

Jiang Cheng doesn’t know how to react. Has Lan Xichen not noticed how… well, how Jiang Cheng is or is he too polite to mention it? His confusion seems genuine though.

“Uhm, yes.”

Lan Xichen blinks, taken aback, then laughs awkwardly and takes a sip of his tea. Well done, Jiang Cheng, you fucking idot.

After a few seconds of horribly awkward silence, Lan Xichen clears his throat. “Would you... Do you want to stay for dinner again? It’s the least I could do after... I’m sure Cloud would be pleased to have you around longer, too. You could feed her a post-dinner treat later. Of course I’ll drive you home, too. You don’t have to take the subway in these clothes.”

Jiang Cheng nods, a little stunned. This is unexpected. “Oh, thank you. I’m sorry, I feel like I’m always troubling you and taking up your time...”

“Not at all, not at all! If anything, I’m imposing on you. It’s always nice to have company for dinner.” Lan Xichen smiles, completely genuine and sincere, though there’s an undercurrent of nervousness Jiang Cheng can’t really make sense of. “I’m afraid there’ll be no amazing soup today, though - just a plain vegetable stir fry. Would that be okay?”

“Oh, yes, sure. Anything is fine, really.”

“Right, I’ll... go prepare then.” Lan Xichen clears his throat again, stands up, gestures towards the kitchen, then walks in said direction.

“I’ll help!” Jiang Cheng follows him quickly, seeing no reason not to spend this time together while he has the opportunity.

A few minutes later, Jiang Cheng is sitting at Lan Xichen’s dinner table, chopping vegetables. Lan Xichen has turned on the radio and is humming along to the music, even though he keeps saying he doesn’t know the songs. Jiang Cheng... falls in love a little more.

Soon, the delicious smell of the stir fry fills the kitchen. Jiang Cheng has missed this. He’s always liked cooking with other people, hates cooking on his own. When he’s visiting his sister, he sometimes helps her prepare dinner, but lately he’s usually been playing with his nephew while Jiang Yanli is in the kitchen. And his visits have grown fewer, haven’t they. Because he’s afraid to run into Wei Wuxian. Which is stupid. (Like pretty much everything Jiang Cheng does.)

It’s nice to sit here in this kitchen, chatting while cooking, knowing he’ll share this meal with someone.

It’s bittersweet, of course, because this is a rare exception. There won’t be a repeat performance. Lan Xichen feels bad Jiang Cheng got peed on by his bunny. After his sessions are over, they’ll probably not see each other again. Well... what if this boyfriend of Wei Wuxian is something permanent... what if Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian actually make up eventually... he might see Lan Xichen at his sister’s for dinner or...

Fuck, he can never see Lan Xichen when Wei Wuxian is around, his brother would know. Instantly. His stupid smirk would unfurl on his face and he’d make insinuations and Jiang Yanli would catch on and say things like “Lan Xichen really is handsome, isn’t he” and ... wait, she already said that on the phone. How did she know? No, she was just stating a fact, she wasn’t...

“Would you like something to drink? I made some lemon water earlier.”

“Sure, thank you,” Jiang Cheng quickly accepts, happy to be distracted from his musings.

Lan Xichen pours him a glass of lemonade. Jiang Cheng nods his thanks, takes a sip and... starts choking immediately.

Lan Xichen looks alarmed, gets up and rubs his back while Jiang Cheng tries not to die.

"I'm okay… Ugh… everything… Fine!"

Lan Xichen keeps rubbing his back until Jiang Cheng looks up at him and Lan Xichen hastily returns to his chair.

"Ah… Is it too sour? I added more lemon juice this time. Wangji let me know Wei Wuxian found it a bit bland, so I thought -" Lan Xichen takes a sip and crinkles his nose, the most displeased he's ever looked. "Oh. Oh, that's very… I'm sorry."

"Of course it's Wei Wuxian's fault again," Jiang Cheng murmurs. Lan Xichen laughs, thinking he made a joke, and Jiang Cheng can't help but laugh too.

The food tastes delicious. Lan Xichen lines up a bunch of herbs and spices in front of him, because "We Lans usually eat our food pretty bland, I'm afraid. Sensitive stomachs". Jiang Cheng doesn't want to be rude, so he only adds a little bit of pepper. It tastes fantastic, and he tells Lan Xichen so.

After dinner, Lan Xichen drives him home again. Jiang Cheng could get used to this. To all of this. Drinking tea, snuggling bunnies, having dinner together. Seeing Lan Xichen every day. They agree to set the next session for Wednesday, however, so this time he’ll have to wait a few days.

"Thank you again, for dinner today and yesterday. And the clothes. And driving me home." Jiang Cheng turns to Lan Xichen, who is already looking at him, hands still gripping the steering wheel.

"Oh no, I really don't mind. Thank you for indulging me."

Indulging… that's quite the word choice. Jiang Cheng doesn’t really know what to say to that, so he gets out of the car, waves and returns to his flat.

Jiang Cheng spends the next couple of days realizing once again his life is really sad. The time with Lan Xichen has been the nicest thing to happen recently and it’s basically a doctor’s visit. Sort of.

On Tuesday, Lan Xichen writes him a message, asking him to postpone the next session. He writes back, “No problem!”, but wasn’t prepared for the extent of his disappointment.

The disappointment continues during his classes that day, because he hates them all. They’re so fucking boring and he does not care about his stupid ‘business’ degree whatsoever. Yet he keeps on going, keeps learning this bullshit, because… He’s too afraid to quit. And what else would he do? He wanted to do it for his dad, wanted to do what was expected of him. Even though his father never expressed the wish that Jiang Cheng should work in his business, probably never even thought he’d be good enough for that.

And now it all doesn’t matter anyway. Someone else is CEO and Jiang Cheng really, really does not want to work there. They could sell their shares, as Jiang Yanli has suggested often. And then what...

This is what he’s mulling over, forehead thunderous, headache equally as thunderous, wishing for a soothing massage and tea with Lan Xichen, stomping through the halls of the university building when…

Nie Huaisang.

He sees Nie Huaisang around uni, occasionally, but usually, Jiang Cheng turned around and fled, before Nie Huaisang could spot him too.

This time, there’s no escape. There’s no one else in this hallway. Nie Huaisang is looking straight at him.

They both stand still for a few seconds, simply staring.

“Jiang Cheng.” Nie Huaisang’s eyebrows rise slowly, as does one corner of his mouth.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t know what to do.

“Are you not running away this time?”

Fuck.

Nia Huaisang approaches him slowly, as though he’s still expecting Jiang Cheng to bolt. To be fair, he desperately wants to.

“How are you?” There, he’s the first to speak. That’s a good thing, right?

“How am I?” Nie Huaisang scoffs, then shakes his head and sends a very, very fake smile his way. “Well, I’m wonderful. Thank you for asking after a whole fucking year.”

Jiang Cheng clenches his entire body. Fuck. “Fuck, I’m sorry! I had to say something!”

Nie Haisang stares at him… then he laughs. “So, are you over it?”

“What-”

Nie Huaisang cocks his head and scoffs. “Come on.”

“I… I’m working on it, okay?!”

“Well, that’s something.” Nie Huaisang narrows his eyes for a second, then shrugs. “Come on, let’s go grab a drink.”

“It’s 2 p.m.!”

“Exactly.”

Nia Huaisang takes him by the hand and drags him out of the building. Jiang Cheng follows as in a daze. He feels like he missed a step going down the stairs, stomach jumping weirdly.

They end up in some kind of fancy ass lounge that is very much Nie Huaisang and very much empty, because it’s fucking 2 in the afternoon. Nie Huaisang greets the bartender like an old friend, while Jiang Cheng stuffs his backpack under the table, since it looks terribly out of place here. Nie Huaisang only has his phone with him. How has he not flunked uni yet? Has he taken notes even once?

Jiang Cheng orders a water, but Nie Huaisang laughs and orders them two cocktails.

“Don’t worry, Cheng-Cheng, my treat.”

Jiang Cheng has so many feelings about hearing his hated nickname he doesn’t even yell at Nie Huaisang that he’ll set his Gucci purse on fire if he calls him that again. Nie Huaisang of course notices the absence of any threats, and grins.

“Reunited and it feels so good, eh?”

“Shut up.” Jiang Cheng scowls but he can’t help but smile a little, too.

“So… How’s life?”

“Uhm… it’s… well…”

“I figured.” Nie Huaisang replies, as though one look at Jiang Cheng tells him all he needs to know about his miserable life.

The waiter brings their gigantic, colourful cocktails and a glass of water for Jiang Cheng. Nie Huaisang toasts him (‘To day drinking’) and Jiang Cheng tries a sip. It’s… tasty.

“This actually tastes very good, I can’t even taste the alcohol.”

“Because yours doesn’t have any, you dipshit. Do you think I want to have to deal with your maudlin drunk ass later? No thank you.” Nie Huaisang gives him a look. His eyebrows are still too powerful - they only need to twitch a little and Jiang Cheng feels seen and judged for what has been seen.

“Hey, I cried one time when I was drunk! One time!”

“You mean you only remember one time.”

“Whatever.”

Nie Huaisang takes a sip from his bends straw, then says, very casually: “So… have you talked to Wei Wuxian?”

“No.”

“Are you going to?” Nie Huaisang isn’t even looking at him, he’s playing with the fruit skewer of his cocktail. Jiang Cheng is grateful for that.

“... I’m thinking about it.”

“Alright,” is all Nie Huaisang says, nods, then changes the topic. “So, how are your massages going?”

“What the fuck? How do you know about that?”

“I have my sources.” Nie Huaisang smirks. “So? Is it relaxing? Getting worked over by Xichen-ge?”

Jiang Cheng chokes. He wasn’t even drinking anything, he’s choking on his own spit. “Fuck… ugh… why… why do you have to say it like that!?”

“No reason.” Nie Huaisang bats his eyelashes and takes a sip of his drink. “Is he loosening you up?”

Jiang Cheng buries his face in his hands. “Please don’t… I can’t believe I… Ugh.”

“My, my, why is your face so red?"

"No fucking reason, Huaisang."

"Mhm, do you still have a crush on him?"

Jiang Cheng puts his head on the table. Nie Huaisang cackles.

The next time he sees the waiter, Jiang Cheng waves him over and orders shots.

An hour or so later, they’re leaving the lounge and Jiang Cheng has put his arm through Nie Huaisang’s to support him while walking. Huaisang drank so much, he needs someone to lean on. Huaisang. Jiang Cheng can lean on Huaisang. A-Sang. Didi. A-di. Sang-Sang.

“This is why I didn’t want you to drink,” Nie Huaisang whines as he leads them over to a park bench. When did they enter the park?

“You’re the one who drank!”

“And you’re the one who got drunk!”

“Hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey. No. I’m not.” Jiang Cheng tips his head back. “I’m just a little tired.”

“Whatever you say. Anyway, I’m not gonna drag you all the way to your flat, I’m not getting all sweaty for you. So either we sit here until you sober up or I’ll call you a cab or something.”

“I am sober.” Jiang Cheng whips his head up to glare at Nie Huaisang and… his world spins a little. “Mostly. Fuck.”

Nie Huaisang grins at him. “Or I could call Xichen-ge to come pick you up.”

“Do you think he would come?!” Jiang Cheng asks. Fuck, he really is drunk, isn’t he? “I mean… Don’t you dare! He has better things to do, why would you… also, I wouldn’t want that. To see him. Outside.”

There, he totally saved that.

“Riiiiiiight. So, on a scale of one to ten, how badly do you want to make out with him?”

“Twelve.” Fuck. “I meant… Just in a… theoretically, you know? Like, if I were someone else and… Do I, Jiang Cheng, want to make out with Lan Xichen? I mean, yes, but no, I meant no… more like, would I, a human being, make out with Lan Xichen? Of course the answer is yes, because I am a human being, you know? But me, personally, Jiang Cheng… that’s, that’s something different, like if I were not also a human being, you know? So, there. That’s your answer!”

“Sweetie, you have it bad, don’t you?” Nie Huaisang, unlike Lan Xichen, has no problem with making super clear when he thinks you’re pitiful.

Jiang Cheng drags his hand down his face and sighs. “I don’t have it. I don’t have anything. This is no different. Just… I’m just weak and lonely and he’s nice and warm.” Jiang Cheng puts his elbows on his knees and buries his face in his hands. Suddenly, all energy leaves him. It’s true. He doesn’t have anything at all. No one.

“Oh no, here we go…” Nie Huaisang mumbles next to him.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t reply, because he’s too busy trying not to cry. What is wrong with him these days?

Suddenly, a warm hand comes to rest on top of his head. Starts stroking his hair.

“Jiang Cheng, listen to me.” Nie Huaisangs voice is calm and serious. That’s very rare. “You may be lonely, but you’re not alone. There are many people who love you, who miss you.”

Yeah, now he’s crying. Fuck.

“Xian-ge misses you, too.”

“What if he doesn’t? What if I’ve ruined it forever?” At least he’s not sobbing this time.

“You haven’t.”

Huaisang keeps stroking his hair. Jiang Cheng wants to tell him to stop, it’s embarrassing, he’s not a child, he’s…

“Why are you even here, with me? Shouldn’t you hate me?” He presses his hands closer against his face, too scared to look at Nie Huaisang.

“A-Cheng. Nobody hates you. Nobody. Least of all Wei Wuxian.”

“I hate me.” There, he said it. It’s the truth. Then he starts sobbing.

Nie Huaisang keeps stroking his hair until he’s calmed down. Why does he keep doing this? Completely losing it in front of other people? First Lan Xichen, now Nie Huaisang…

“I told you that you’re a maudlin drunk. You didn’t believe me.”

Jiang Chang can’t help but laugh. It sounds pitiful through the sobs, but it’s a laugh.

“Even more reason to get over yourself and call Wei Wuxian. You’ll find that he doesn’t hate you after all and maybe you can hate yourself less after.”

Nie Huaisang sounds so… pragmatic. As if it really was that easy. Maybe it is. Jiang Cheng wipes his face with his sleeve and finally dares to look at him.

Nie Huaisang gives him an understanding smile, a sincerity that lasts only for a second. Then he grins. “Damn, you look awful.”

“Thanks ever so much.” Jiang Cheng has to laugh again.

Nie Huaisang wipes a few more tears from his face, also using Jiang Cheng’s sleeve. “Don’t worry, you’re still pretty.”

“What a relief.” Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes. But he’s also grateful to Nie Huaisang. For being himself. For being here. “A-Sang, I…”

“Oh no, no way. Don’t do that to me. We’re going to forget this ever happened, okay? I didn’t see anything, you didn’t hear anything.”

Jiang Cheng pulls him close and gives him a crushing hug.

“Hey, what did I just say?!”

“I missed you,” Jiang Cheng mumbles into Nie Huaisang’s hair. There’s an awful lot of hair, some getting into his mouth. Nie Huaisang won’t be happy about that.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake… Just don’t cry on my shirt, I have a hot date this evening.”

Jiang Cheng eventually returns to his flat, mostly sober. It’s not even time for dinner yet and he feels as though this day has had 36 hours.

Nie Huaisang Cheng-Cheng all sober now? just wanted to say if you like Xichen-ge then you don’t have to do it quietly you’re very sweet when you’re in love don’t worry you deserve it, too just go for it if you reply to this message, I’ll kill you

#Xicheng #The Untamed #cql #mdzs #Jiang Cheng #Lan Xichen #Jiang Cheng/Lan Xichen #Nie Huaisang #Modern AU #bunnies #To Meet You verse #betty drabbles

[tanoraqui]

[Part 1] [Part 2]

[now all on AO3!]

As Nie Huaisang pulls his horse to a halt, as he clumsily dismounts and begs his san-ge to speak with him in private and they walk off to the side of the road together, Nie Huaisang’s eyes down and his fan covering most his face in embarrassment, he thinks very quickly, and decides faster. He’d promised himself he would do that, next time something like this happened

Here is some of what he thinks:

if the lifeblood of Qishan was power and the heart of Qinghe is strength, then the vital spark of Lanling is appearance. Nie Huaisang has always admired this, even yearned for it - imagine being born to a sect in which it was okay to just sit around and look pretty! Sure, they go a bit overboard with gilt, but who wouldn’t, if they had the money? QingheNie has a fortress in the mountains; LanlingJin has a golden tower overlooking one of the biggest ports in the empire, trade and art and culture all within reach

Conversely, they also thrive on secrets - the dark side of golden, glittering appearance. They’re not so different from QishanWen like that, because information is power. That’s why gossip is a thing 

Nie Huaisang has no particular reason to distrust Jin Guangyao, personally. He’s always been very kind to Nie Huaisang, bringing him lovely new fans and paints and a beautiful finch one time. Da-ge doesn’t trust him, for reason of some things JGY did in the war, but da-ge has such high standards for conduct that it’s a miracle he trusts anyone after the Sunshot Campaign. (And it’d help if he told NHS anything about those alleged untrustworthy “things”...) Wen Qing doesn’t trust him, but in fairness, it was her side that he betrayed. That could sour anyone. Even putting aside the possibility that she’s deliberately sowing discord for some devilish Wen reason. 

Admittedly, anything that Nie Huaisang says to him will almost certainly get back to Jin Guangshan, unless it’s of a truly personal nature - and perhaps even then. Secrets and gossip and power, after all, and it doesn’t take a genius to see that Jin Guangyao is desperate to please his father

even if the old bastard doesn’t deserve it an inch

So the question is, what is Nie Huaisang comfortable having known, and to whom? What does he want to appear as, to whom? And what is he willing to risk coming to light?

He thinks very fast, and soon as they’re well-out of earshot of his disciple-assistants and newly acquired Wen grandmother, he flings himself into Jin Guangyao’s arms, wailing. 

(it’s a little difficult, because Jin Guangyao is one of the few men Nie Huaisang knows who’s shorter than he is.) 

“San-ge, it’s not my fault! It’s all gone wrong! I just wanted to get out of saber practice, but then Wen Qing told da-ge something completely different, and then she made be get a baby, and - ”

The whole story comes out, in stops and starts mixed with helpless, hapless sobs. Nie Huaisang downplays Wen Qing’s successes with his brother, or at least mostly ignores them. He mentions A-Yuan’s nightmares only so far as they inconvenience himself, doesn’t comment on the Wens’ state of life at all, and generally exaggerates every terrible and bewildering situation he’s found himself in since he first happened to glance at Jiang Yanli at Phoenix Mountain

He figures Jin Guangyao probably sees through at least 20% of it, but that’s okay - that’s only deep enough to pierce the outer layer of overdramatics, which are mostly embellishments of the truth anyway, and maybe judge that Nie Huaisang has a soft heart for a cute kid

it’s a very cute kid, okay. NHS saw Nie Mingjue sneaking A-Yuan a piece of candy once. No one is safe

he doesn’t tell Jin Guangyao that

Nearly an hour later, Jin Guangyao peels Nie Huaisang gently off of his (now quite tear-damp) shoulder and smiles at him. It’s gentle, sympathetic, and the only thing it seems to be hiding is a laugh

Nie Huaisang is 99% sure of this assessment. Fortunately, he’s free to let his relief show, along with some healthy trepidation

“I won’t tell da-ge,” Jin Guangyao says, and there’s barely any humor to be seen dancing in his eyes. It’s really impressive, now that Nie Huaisang is learning what to look for.

“Really?” Nie Huaisang sniffles. “I just- He tries so hard, you know. I don’t want to disappoint him, not really.”

it really is all about using the truth. if it wasn’t so stressful, it’d be an incredible high

“Of course not.” Jin Guangyao squeezes him gently by the shoulders. “What is a san-ge for, if not to look out for his littlest brother?”

Nie Huaisang could definitely make a crack about his height smiles shakily and flings his arms around JGY’s shoulders again. “Oh, thank you! Thank you for your help!”

Jin Guangyao hugs him back gently and efficiently, then starts to tug him back to the waiting horses and by-now-dismounted companions. “Go on, get your A-Yuan’s granny back to Nie Sect and get yourself a good night’s sleep. I’ll make sure they’re both marked correctly as requisitioned for labor in Qinghe”

Nie Huaisang thanks him several more times, wiping away his tears like someone who just remembered that he’s not supposed to appear so weak in public. Jin Guangyao waves goodbye as he mounts his sword and flies away, and Nie Huaisang waves back, and then he and his assistants and his newly acquired A-Yuan’s Granny ride home

[they’re never going to be relevant again but I want you all to know that in my mind, these two dumb bastards are brothers with rhyming names, like, Xi Ping and Xi Ying or something. RIP Xi Ping and Xi Ying and their eardrums after NMJ reams them out for helping NHS do something stupid again]

And then...

they actually have peace for several months. 

Oh, the cold war between Jing and Jiang - or more accurately, between Jin and Wei Wuxian - is still brewing like fine tea, and Nie Huaisang finds himself paying more attention than usual to the gossip about it, because Wens come up as often as not. They're the prime example of the destructive power of the Stygian Tiger Seal, after all. And NHS has four of them living in his house, now

the gossip spikes deliciously when Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan get engaged, though it somehow neither eases nor increases the tension in either side

{the timeline is rubbish anyway, so it’s whatever’s convenient for this fic, thank you very much}

Nie Sect’s physicians are too proud to let Wen Qing take over their infirmary wholesale, but they don’t hesitate to consult with her on pretty much everything. Wen Ning turns out to be pretty fun to play checkers with, whether he lets Nie Huaisang win or gets invested enough to actually put up a good fight. Despite Granny’s addition to the orphan-caring staff, A-Yuan still slips away most days and follows Nie Huaisang around like a particularly persistent curse-construct. On the plus side, he’s learning how to be patient enough that the bolder birds will sit on him as readily as on Nie Huaisang himself, and he painted an entirely acceptable butterfly the other day.

Oh, and the veins in Nie Mingjue’s neck are only visible when he shouts, now, and enough time has passed that he’s forgotten about Nie Huaisang’s earlier, rash promise to practice saber for an extra half hour each day. Or maybe he’s just resigned to the fact that such promises never last. This is truly the best timeline!

And then the worst happens, out of the blue yet in retrospect inevitable: Nie Mingjue has a severe qi deviation

He’s coming back from a meeting in Lanling, which wasn’t so much a discussion conference as Jin Guangshan calling a handful of sect leaders together to bitch about the Wei Wuxian and the Tiger Seal again. Wen Qing is in the infirmary, setting a young disciple’s broken leg. Nie Huaisang is in his bedroom, trying to write an ode to snowflakes that, read aloud, is a single tone off from a recitation of curse words for the entire poem. They both hear the shouting from the main courtyard

Wen Qing has a doctor’s reflexes; she leaves the leg to an assistant and arrives in the courtyard in time to watch Nie Mingjue collapse out of the air. The disciples who accompanied him to Lanling are there to catch him, ease him down gently, but Baxia clatters to the ground

Nie Huaisang sees it from his window. By the time he gets there, his brother is laid out flat and Wen Qing and the Chief Physician are snapping clipped phrases at each other as they assess his status, in the mode of emergency responders everywhere

the Chief Physician doesn’t like Wen Qing, doesn’t like Wens, but he can respect her medical talents. Both sentiments are mutual - Wen Qing has a much more comprehensive skillset, but if there’s anything Nie healers know, it’s how to handle qi deviation

qi deviations are difficult and dangerous to treat - the spiritual energy starts cascading through a cultivator’s body, untamed and harmful, and adding soothing energy may help but it may make it worse, or even cause the chaos to spread to the would-be healer

{I actually have no idea how any of this works, and will henceforth be making up my own worldbuilding}

Nie Mingjue’s eyes have rolled back in his head, bleeding, and he shakes like a leaf in the wind, incongruous to the warrior who led attacks on the Nightless City itself. Who held his brother like a guarding stone wall at their father’s funeral. Nie Huaisang cannot breathe

they get him stabilized enough to move up to the infirmary. Someone eases up their grip on Nie Huaisang’s body so he could follow (he won’t remember until later that he was being held back)

It takes four hours to stabilize him fully (unlucky). His golden core tries to collapse three times, his heart stops twice, and his fucking saber tries to attack them once, seemingly of its own initiative. Several other healers join in as needed, even Wen Ning - he’s always been good at getting seizing patients to still. Wen Qing rates it below the 39-hour golden core transfer with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, in terms of worst surgeries of her life, but above nearly everything else, including the emergency liver transfer where the girl turned out to have all her organs on the opposite side and a side order of demon-induced pneumonia

Nie Huaisang has been sitting in the corridor outside, on the floor. Someone's put a cloak on him. He looks up when they exit, forgetting how to breath again.

“He’s unconscious,” says the Chief Physician, who is probably some sort of distant uncle/cousin. “But he should wake. He will wake,” he corrects. 

Wen Qing takes a deep breath. “We need to talk somewhere private.”

By the time Nie Huaisang has at least gotten to see his brother, get proof that he’s still breathing, the First Disciple has joined them as well (I mean, that position is sure as hell not held by NHS). Her name is Han Xiaoshi and she’s built in the same mold as the sect leader: tall, broad, wields her saber like a third hand. She leans against the closed door of the Chief Physician’s office while the Chief Physician - let’s say Nie Fengji - gives a slightly less brief explanation of the sect leader’s current state. 

(it’s not good. he’s in a semi-medically induced coma. he is bleeding neither blood nor spiritual energy. he...should wake, in his own time, if they continue to carefully feed his healing energy)

(if he wakes within three days, he will be fine. for now)

Nie Huaisang’s blood pounds hot and panicked in his ears; an unthinking fan covers his face. 

they all turn to Wen Qing, who wanted privacy. 

Wen Qing soothes hands over her skirt, still blood-flecked, and lifts her chin calmly. Addresses the First Disciple more than anyone. “Before I begin, would you please put a guard each on my bedroom and the apothecary, and my brother’s room as well?”

“What? Why?” asks Nie Huaisang, bewildered. Han Xiaoshi echoes more sternly

She smiles thinly. “I’d rather not be accused of trying to assassinate Chifeng-zun.”

Nie Huaisang’s blood turns cold

“Keep talking,” says Han Xiaoshi

Here’s what Wen Qing explains: there’s an herb grown on the same volcanic slopes into which the Nightless City is set, a grass that absorbs so much yin energy from the volcano that it carries it over into anyone who consumes the stalks, offsetting the natural balance of their spiritual energy. A closely guarded inner clan secret. It can allow for rare, advanced cultivation techniques (including demonic ones)...or it can spark a fatal qi deviation the next time the user tries to do anything spiritually strenuous. Like flying from Carp Tower to the Unclean Realm

“It’s almost impossible to detect in the blood,” she finishes. “But I recognize the pattern of its effects.” Her hands are clasped loosely in front of her. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find some planted in a place that draws suspicion to A-Ning or myself.”

“Who else would know about it?” Nie Huaisang demands, trembling even as the ice is settles into his veins 

“Someone who was close to Wen Ruohan,” she says calmly

they all know who she means

(oh, how she wants to tremble, too, too aware of every sword in the room that could be turned against her. Aware of A-Yuan and Granny and Wen Ning, her brother in the corridor just outside, and how it still hasn’t been a year since Wen blood ran in the flagstones of this castle. But Wen Qing has never been one to shake)

“There’s something else I should say,” she admits, to Nie Huaisang more than anyone. “I don’t actually know much about qi deviation - I’ve had a crash course, obviously, and I’m not a fool, but I’m mostly been treating it as a blood pressure problem - ”

“Obviously,” the Chief Physician scoffs

“ - but my Uncle Six is a true expert. Wen Zhichen - he was friends with your aunt, Huaisang-gongzi; your older sister, Fengji-shifu [the previous Chief Physician, killed in battle in the fifth month of the Sunshot Campaign]. If anyone can wake Nie-zongzhi, it’s him - ”

she could have said this earlier, could have said it weeks ago, or even from the start - but she had Wen Ning to think of before anyone else, and then A-Yuan who was too young to have accumulated crimes even as a Wen...

Wen Qing had once noted that the second son of Nie had likely never felt fear, true fear, in his life. That’s not true anymore. His brother is unconscious in the next room over and it’s not sure if he’ll ever wake. And it’s consequences catching up with him again, for real this time, this maybe-first time - was it the Wens, villainous duplicitous Wens that he brought into their home himself? Was it someone else, equally traitorous, suspicion roused to a killing intent by something Huaisang did himself?

People do a lot things when they’re feel fear deep down to their souls. They scrape and bow; they make bargains they shouldn’t, accept costs they can’t. They bend or they break

Nie Huaisang is a fop by preference, but it turns out that he breaks like a Nie

He shoves Wen Qing against the wall, hand on her throat. “Tell me this isn’t a trick. Tell me this isn’t some fucking ploy to get more Wen-dogs into my home, so you can finish killing my brother.” He shakes her, drops the fan to put his hand on the saber he's terrible with (it still hums eagerly for blood.) “Tell me.”

“I am,” she gasps

There is a tableau. Then Nie Huaisang drops her and strides for the door. “Shijie, put guards on her rooms, her brother’s, and Granny’s,” he snaps to Han Xiaoshi. “Don’t let anyone enter. Gather the Wens all in the third guest bedroom and keep them there - make sure A-Yuan has some paints to keep him quiet. And I’ll need your two fastest - no, those with the best strength and endurance in flight - ”

“Nephew - ” says the Chief Physician, and “Young Master,” says the First Disciple, a little impressed and a medium dubious

the closest Nie Huaisang has ever gotten to this commanding before was the early days of the Sunshot Campaign when there were no battle lines to hide behind yet, when he sometimes followed Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji as they tore across the country and directed the clean-up of their wake

“The best strength and endurance,” he repeats over them. The fan stays on the floor. “We’re flying to Qishan - we’ll be back with an extra expert for you in a couple days, Uncle. In the meantime, you can have Wen Qing if you need her, but otherwise they all stay in the third guest room.”

It takes a full day to fly to the Wen settlement in Qishan, at Nie Huaisang’s best pace. Starting already late in the afternoon, full of anger and terrified panic in equal measure, it’s beyond late by the time they near - and all but the anger has simmered away. Nie Huaisang lets them settle near the nearest halfway decent city instead, forces himself to lay on the ground and try to sleep, and sends one of his disciples out to buy the nicest fan they can find. He left so fast, he forgot to pick one up again

When they land in the filthy little town just after dawn, he stumbles off his sword more than lands (he is genuinely tired, at least) and runs to hammer on the door of the supervisory office, all terror and panic. “Jin-guniang! Jin-guniang! Help, help! It’s me, Nie Huaisang! I need - ”

“What?!” The captain yanks the door open (she sleeps above the office) and he very much does fall into her arms

“Ah, you have to help me!” He’s disheveled with flight and weepy with tears. “Wen Qing poisoned my brother and now he won’t wake up, so I have to find her sixth uncle - ”

“What - Nie Huaisang, what? Is she threatening - that Wen-bitch - ”

“No, no, we beat up her brother until she said - please! He’s the best at qi deviation, even Uncle Physician admitted it - ”

make sure to have Wen Ning beaten up just enough to look good, he notes in a small, back corner of his mind. in case there are spies in the castle. I’d have spies, if I could

“Okay, okay!” Jin Qixian ushers him into the office, half-holding him up. “Let me check the list of residences - sit down, Huaisang-gongxi, someone will brew tea...”

[five minutes later...]

“A different camp?” Nie Huaisang cries, fluttering his new fan in dismay

“They needed a healer...” Jin Qixian says apologetically. “But you just wait here, I’ll send someone - ”

“No, no,” Nie Huaisang gets to his feet, shaking his head. Happy to let the exhaustion of a 10-hour flight and 4 hours fitful sleep in the woods show, and the desperate helplessness that’s really not hard to fake. “I have to- Da-ge is counting on me - ”

He waves off all her attempted reassurances, bullheaded with anxiety, and accepts an officially sealed note of authority with babbling gratitude, and...

[about an hour and a half later...]

the other town the remnants of the Wen sect and soldiers have been relegated to is more of a city, really - cramped and filthy, where the other one was merely destitute and filthy. Families living all in one room or worse, and it’s okay because they’re only home to sleep; the fields are already filled with everyone old enough to work. They probably do need healers, because there’s not enough attention being paid to waste management. But - 

“What do you mean, he’s gone?” Nie Huaisang demands more sharply than he’d intended

Focus, A-Sang. It’s Nie Mingjue’s voice in his head, always, as though this was just another hated saber practice

“I’m sorry, Young Master Nie,” says the disciple in charge of this place - Jin Guangchao, another stray cousin. does everyone in that family spread seed like a watering can? “There was an incident a few days ago - ”

“He’s dead?” Nie Huaisang wails, sinking to ground

“No!” Jin Guangchao looks a little disgusted at his helplessness, but bends down to pull him up anyway. “Jin Zixun came around on an inspection and that one you wanted, he was impudent. Jin Zixun ordered him sent to the work camp at Qiongqi Pass.”

mother of fucking fucker [meaning Jin Zixun; meaning the whole situation]. the man probably made eye contact and that overbearing asshole - 

“That’s so far away!” Nie Huaisang whined, staying limp, crying into his fan

“Nie-shixiong, it is on the way - ” one of his disciples offers uncertainly (poor bastards - he’s really yanking them around. They’re not sure if they’re helping a con or offering real support)

“We’ll get him back to Chifeng-zun, and get Chifeng-zun back on his feet,” says the other, slipping her arm under his and pulling him to his own feet. “Come on, you’ll see”

(whether it’s for the con or not, Nie Huaisang appreciates it. They’ve never been this genuinely nice to him before)

there’s a conversation in the air halfway to Qiongqi Pass. It goes like this:

“Nie-shixiong, we have to rest. You have to rest.”

[gritted teeth] “I’m fine.”

“You’re going to fall off your sword.” (Liu Lifang, the older woman)

“Then you’ll carry me, won’t you? We’ll already have Wen Zhichen - we’ll double up.”

“Your, uh, dramatics - ” (Zhao Huandi, younger, male - there aren’t a lot of Nies, in Nie. There’s a lot of guest cultivators. There’s a lot of turnover.)

“Will be just as good, if not better, when I’m fainting from spiritual exhaustion.” [slightly bitter, mostly factual] “Don’t worry, I won’t deviate - I don’t use my saber enough for that.” [definitely exhausted] “We don’t stop.”

The work camp at Qiongqi Pass has all the bully-filled charm of Jin Qixian’s town and all the overworked labor je-ne-sais-quoi of the other one, and it’s started raining so there’s a really nice note of despair. If Nie Huaisang had any room left in his brain, he would mourn the beauty of the frescos being destroyed, grand and glorious works of art even if their glory was that of the Wens

he slides off Liu Lifang’s sword in the middle of the densest group of workers, cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Hey! Wen Qing’s Sixth Uncle, Wen Zhichen of DafanWen! Nie Sect requisitions you!”

the prisoner-workers all shrink away; an inspector hurries over. “Hey, who are you - ”

“You will respect Second Master Nie Huaisang,” snaps Zhao Huandi, hand on his saber while Nie Huaisang starts to cry on cue for the third time that day, and god, either they’re really getting it or he’s just blessed with a sect full of perfect straight men.

“Please,” Nie Huaisang begs, leaning on his disciple and waving the letter from Jin Qixian. “I need a healer - that healer, it’s my brother, he’s been poisoned - ”

they’re real tears of exhaustion. maybe he should have let them talk him into a rest

(Da-ge will be fine, he knows, he insists to himself and the world. He was stable 24 hours ago and Nie Huaisang left him with the most competent people he knows)

the inspector has no idea what to do with him and neither does the Chief Inspector, really, when he rides up. That’s perfect - it means their half-hearted objections are easy to push past

they’re still shit at actually helping, because they don’t know a single person in this goddamned work-prison, and all the Wens just shy away, or pick up a pickaxe and try to keep working if anyone comes too near. The inspectors seem to regard this as ideal

Nie Huaisang honestly doesn’t care right now, but he does notice

Finally Nie Huaisang has wailed loudly enough up and down the valley that one prisoner hesitantly steps forward and admits to being the Dafan Wens’ Sixth Uncle. He has Wen Ning’s ears and Granny’s eyes and the same needle callouses as Wen Qing, so Nie Huaisang calls it a day

except they still have to fly back to the Unclean Realm, a flight of six hours unburdened

Nie Huaisang’s groan is entirely genuine

Wen Qing has taken to pacing by the time the Chief Physician comes to fetch her, personally, from the third guest bedroom. Night has come and gone and come again; A-Yuan and Granny are both asleep in the bed and Wen Ning is lying beside them, though she can tell he’s only pretending to sleep to make her feel better. What a good boy. 

Sixth Uncle is sitting by Nie Mingjue’s bed in the infirmary, eating soup. There’s a couple Nie disciples in the room as well, one sending a slight stream of energy into Nie Mingjue and one simply watching the Wen, a hand on his saber hilt 

(no one’s told her if they’ve searched her or anyone else’s rooms, yet; if they found anything)

“Keep sitting and eating!” snaps Nie Fengji, the Chief Physician, before Sixth Uncle can leap up at the sight of Wen Qing. “I need you talking qi balance, not falling over again.” He mutters under his breath, “People can’t even work if you let them get so weak - can’t trust a Jin to do anything with care.”

She sinks to her knees to hug her uncle instead - and notices a cot that’s been brought in to sit beside Nie Mingjue’s, its occupant also as still and wan as the grave.

“Huaisang!” She springs to her feet. “He didn’t - ”

“Exhaustion. The boy overworked his golden core and passed out.” Nie Fengji pushes her back with a roll of his eyes. “Bullheaded as their father, the both of them.”

He rolls up his sleeves and nudges the attending physician out of the way, to take over easing calming energy into Nie Mingjue without a single quiver in the stream. “Now, you two prove to me why I should trust any sort of Wen.”

To be continued...but Part 4 really will be the last, so, that’s p good actually. By my standards of mis-estimation of how long a piece of writing will be. And it’ll definitely be a short one! Unlike this Part 3, which is...*checks* 4.5k WTF.

#mdzs #the untamed #nie huaisang #wen qing #jin guangyao #a bunch of OCs who i named by mashing together random syllables and i'm not checking if any of them are real names bc it's 3am #ALSO wildly made up as i went: how to address anyone with any sort of title #just went with my gut #so like...apologies if i wildly messed up

[queenmorgawse]

bang bang, there goes your heart

here’s some modern / espionage au sangcheng as a somewhat belated birthday gift for @hua-lian !! once again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JY, ilysm and i hope you enjoy this. <3 ( read on ao3 + end notes )

For the eighteenth time in the span of twenty-four hours, Jiang Cheng asks himself how the hell he ended up here — stuffed in a janitor’s closet, with his heart racing in his chest and about two inches of breathing room between his face and Nie Huaisang’s.

It begins, as all disastrous stories do, with a dare from Jiang Cheng’s idiotic brother.

“You wouldn’t have the guts.”

“Like hell I wouldn’t.”

In retrospect, it really is laughably easy to get Jiang Cheng to do anything, especially when your name is Wei Wuxian and even a slight smirk from you can be enough to send him spiraling downward into an ocean of spite. It’s like they’re eight, not twenty-eight.

The mission isn’t even anything complicated. Get in, socialize, wheedle the right information out of the right people, plant a few cameras and microphones here and there, get out. ( Wei Wuxian is not actually dumb enough to suggest they pull this kind of stunt during an assignment that requires their full focus, much as Jiang Cheng hates to admit it. )

“You’ve got to go together anyway, don’t you?” His brother flutters his lashes at him, and any charitable thought towards him Jiang Cheng might have entertained immediately vanishes from his head. “Why not as a couple?”

“What am I getting out of it?” Jiang Cheng grits out. After twenty years of knowing each other, he’s learned to exploit an opportunity when he can.

“If you do it, Lan Zhan and I will do it next time we have to be undercover together,” Wei Wuxian declares, and Jiang Cheng snorts.

“With you? Like he’d let you.” If he’s being honest with himself, he’ll admit that one was mostly to get a rise out of the other. Lan Wangji will definitely let him pass as his fake boyfriend, fiancé, husband, whatever he asks of him, a fact obvious to all but the interested party.

Whatever. It’s not the point. If they go, Wei Wuxian might finally clue in on Lan Wangji’s feelings, and then Jiang Cheng will (hopefully) be free of his oblivious pining. What’s one evening of pretending against that?

“Fine!” he snaps, and Wei Wuxian’s face lights up. “I’ll do it, but only if Nie Huaisang agrees.”

“I doubt he wouldn’t,” the other retorts, intently checking out his own nails. “You’ve got to change your personality for this thing, which is clearly your most disagreeable trait, so once that’s done, anyone would jump on the chance of going on a not-date with you.”

Jiang Cheng launches himself across the desk at him.

-

The evening even started out well. No one even glanced twice at their forged invitations, the appetizers weren’t half bad, and Nie Huaisang clearly charmed at least one of the targets they were supposed to. Everything goes exactly according to plan, until Jiang Cheng spots an unfortunately familiar set of faces across the room and swears under his breath.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he says with the most convincing smile he can, crossing the room and tugging at Nie Huaisang’s elbow. “Darling,” the pet name leaves a strange taste on his mouth, though not an unpleasant one, “can we walk out for a minute? Family emergency.”

The lady across from them makes sympathetic noises and waves away Nie Huaisang’s apologies. Jiang Cheng watches him deliver a few more carefully chosen lines about how sorry he is and how he’ll be delighted to bask in the light of her company again when their business is taken care of before he lets himself be led away.

“What is it?” Huaisang asks the moment they’re out of earshot.

Jiang Cheng jerks his chin towards the entrance, where a commotion is visibly kicking up some metaphorical dust. “Wen Chao, some new girl of his and Wen Zhuliu just got here.”

Nie Huaisang’s eyes widen. “What? Qishan didn’t notify us.”

“When do they ever tell us anything important?”

“...Good point. What do we do?”

Jiang Cheng only hesitates for a fraction of a second. “Lie low, tell the boss so they can take it up with Qishan themselves, and follow what they’re doing on the cameras we already placed. Wen Chao won’t give a shit about the Five’s agreement, he’ll definitely be an asshole and expose us if he recognizes us.”

He doesn’t voice the more pessimistic possibility : that this is indeed something none of the other four central offices know of, and Qishan Wen has its own agenda in sending its own agents here without warning them. It could be nothing, just Wen Ruohan’s usual pride in assuming he doesn’t have to notify anyone else of his will if he doesn’t want to, or - knowing the Wen patriarch - it could be suspicious.

It’s not Jiang Cheng’s place to decide. The best he can do is not compromise their mission, report to the higher-ups, and comply with what they’ll do.

“I hate them so much,” Nie Huaisang sighs, and though his tone is merely annoyed, Jiang Cheng is reminded of Nie Mingjue’s usual fits of rage whenever Qishan’s central office is involved.  

“Ditto,” Jiang Cheng echoes. They exchange an exasperated look, several years’ worth of disagreement flashing through their heads, before Jiang Cheng sighs and offers Nie Huaisang his arm again. Together, they sweep out of the ballroom unseen.

-

For such a majestic place, the museum certainly lacks spacious, empty rooms. Oh, Jiang Cheng does not doubt that there are offices aplenty in parts of the building that aren’t accessible to the public, with locks that would be laughably easy to pick, but the only cameras they’ve managed to place so far have a ridiculously small range. Which leads them here, now ⎯ crammed together in a closet, with the light of Jiang Cheng’s phone between them and not much room for anything else.

He’s uncomfortably aware of Nie Huaisang’s presence, from his quiet breathing to the flowery smell of his cologne. When he tries to move, they knock together once again, an awkward tangle of limbs in the dark.

Nie Huaisang takes a sharp breath.

“That is indeed a gun in my pocket,” Jiang Cheng hisses before he can add anything.

He must have gotten it right, as in the glare of his screen, the other’s mischievous look turns into one of disappointment. “Jiang-xiong, if you ruin my jokes before I even get the chance to tell them, what am I to do?”

“Get a better sense of humor,” he snaps back, ignoring the flush creeping up his neck at the way Nie Huaisang’s lashes cast delicate shadows on his cheeks.

“How rude.” Jiang Cheng can feel him tilting forward. Deliberately closer, he tells himself. He’s just teasing you. Still, it’s hard to keep his thoughts in order when Nie Huaisang quite literally leans on his chest, his face now just a breath away from Jiang Cheng’s. “Don’t I even get an apology?”

Maybe it’s because of his nerves. Maybe tension has been running through him like electricity through a wire for the past hour, and something had to take the edge off. Or maybe it’s the warm weight of the arm Nie Huaisang has slung around his neck, his general proximity, and the fact that Jiang Cheng has kissed him once at a drunken college party and lived from that point onwards with the knowledge that perhaps, just perhaps, he wanted to do it again.

Regardless of the reasons why, here is what happens : Jiang Cheng tilts Nie Huaisang’s chin up and presses his mouth against his.

Nie Huaisang makes a little surprised noise and goes boneless in his arms. It only lasts an instant ⎯ before Jiang Cheng can overthink his decision and jerk away, Huaisang is the one grabbing him by the collar and bringing their lips together again. They crash against the back wall of the closet, Jiang Cheng’s arm coming up around the other man’s waist to brace the fall.

“Jiang Cheng,” Nie Huaisang breathes, like he’s discovering it for the first time. Jiang Cheng finds he likes the way it sounds on his tongue, soft and breathy, like something to be held dear rather than carelessly thrown around.

He should say something. Explain. Ask him, is that alright?, even though it must be, given the enthusiasm with which Nie Huaisang reciprocated, tell him he’s been thinking about this an embarrassing lot. But Jiang Cheng has never been good at juggling with words, especially when they matter as much as they do now, so instead, he runs his fingers through the loose strands escaping from Nie Huaisang’s bun and kisses him again.

He loses track of time ⎯ the only thing that matters then is the warm touch of Nie Huaisang’s lips on his jaw, on his neck. He makes a sound he would be way too embarrassed to let anyone here in different circumstances, but Huaisang doesn’t point it out, only seems to take it as encouragement.

Then Jiang Cheng’s earpiece, so far carefully tucked under his hair, crackles, and both of them are brutally jerked back to reality.

“A-Cheng?” Jiang Yanli’s voice on the other end of the line instantly sobers him up. “Are you alright? We reached Qishan’s office and demanded an explanation, they should be removing their agents now.”

Next to him, Nie Huaisang has also recovered, as straight-faced as someone who was not making out in a random closet just a few seconds ago. He swipes Jiang Cheng’s phone out of his hand and flips through the cameras before nodding his assent. “Gone,” he confirms. “Or at least I can’t see them anymore.”

“Good. Do they know we were there?”

Jiang Yanli chuckles. “Not your names, no. I wish I was there to watch them try to figure out which of the guests were Lotus agents.” She pauses before her voice turns serious again. “Coast’s clear. Go do what you have to do. I sent Nie Huaisang some convenient excuses in case you need to explain what took you so long.

“Thank you, A-jie,” Jiang Cheng says, just as Nie Huaisang echoes with thank you, miss Jiang.

“Good luck, you two.” He can almost feel the smile in her voice before the earpiece goes silent again.

The atmosphere is awkward as they step out of the closet into a mercifully deserted corridor and fix up their clothes. Jiang Cheng’s collar is somewhat rumpled, and he knows without looking his hair must be a mess.

He catches Nie Huaisang looking at him, an amused glint in his golden eyes. “What?”

“You’ve got lipstick on your neck,” Huaisang says dismissively. “Better clean that up quickly.” He taps a finger against his lips (now somewhat smudged themselves), then seems to take pity on Jiang Cheng and pulls a packet of wet wipes out of seemingly nowhere.

“Thanks,” he mutters. The first wipe comes out stained with a dark shade of red.

If he’s blushing, and Nie Huaisang is watching, he might as well end himself here and now.

“We are not talking about this,” is what Jiang Cheng finally settles on. He pairs it with a withering glare, for good measure.

“No, we’re not,” Nie Huaisang agrees, then winks. “Not before I take you out for dinner for real.”

Not for the first time tonight, and - he has a feeling - probably not for the last, Jiang Cheng is left speechless.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #sangcheng #jiang cheng #nie huaisang #kim's fics #hua-lian

[robininthelabyrinth]

Lan zhan was trasformed into a dog during a nighthunt and now wwx has to find a solution.

He's distraugh, terrorized, but that's Lan zhan, his husband, the love of his life, he would never hurt him, but even knowing all that his mind is still irrationally screaming at him to run, that it's not safe.

And he feels stupid, his husband is the one cursed, and he can't comfort him, he's so selfish for him to need comfort right now.

Other people don't understand this, they'd ask him why is he being so difficult, why couldn't he try to behave normally.

Just people realising how hard Is for him and not using It as a comic relief would be awesome.

Maybe an external pov? Whatever you'll do will be awesome anyway <3

sequel to this fic (LWJ turned into a puppy)

“Oh, fuck off,” Jiang Cheng shouted, and Wei Wuxian, sitting on his bed and still shaking, lifted his head like a dog that just caught an enticing scent.

Probably not the best metaphor to use at the moment. Or at all, really.

Either way, Jiang Cheng was angry at someone, and that was usually a pretty good distraction from, well, just about anything. At least, it had been when they were younger, but that was because Jiang Cheng being angry was usually the prelude to Jiang Cheng doing something stupid which was, in turn, the prelude for a whole bunch of trouble.

Wei Wuxian could use some trouble to distract himself with.

Though – now that he thought about it, he couldn’t quite figure out why Jiang Cheng was doing here, in the Cloud Recesses, much less why he was angry.

He inched towards to the door to try to hear the voices, that had dropped down to a murmur.

“It’s none of your fucking business, that’s what it is,” Jiang Cheng was saying, very rudely. “How long did Hanguang-jun manage without him? He’s not dead or even injured. Temporarily inconvenienced at best.”

Wei Wuxian flinched.

Right.

They were talking about – that.

It wasn’t Lan Wangji’s fault that the water had turned him into a dog. It wasn’t even his fault for getting into it at all; he’d been against it entirely, with Wei Wuxian pushing to try it out – he’d only been indulgent as he always was, loving and cherishing Wei Wuxian too much. If anything, it could be argued that it served Wei Wuxian right for what had come out of there.

(Large and covered in shaggy fur, with wickedly large teeth to bite and strong legs to give chase, pointed snout and ears to better uncover any place he might hide -)

He’d fled, of course. Right back to the jingshi, and as he’d expected Lan Wangji had been considerate enough not to follow him – except the effects of the pool apparently took some time to wear off, and it might be days before…

He’d promised Lan Wangji every day. He hadn’t meant to break his word so quickly.

But he just couldn’t.

Obviously that was what was being discussed outside: how Wei Wuxian ought to be comforting his husband, who’d had his very humanity snatched away from him, rather than huddling inside their shared home; how it was ridiculous for him to be afraid when it wasn’t even a real dog, it was Lan Wangji, who would never harm him.

How he was just being stupid –

“It’s not stupid!” Jiang Cheng bellowed, almost as if he’d heard Wei Wuxian’s thoughts. “Are you completely brainless? Has Teacher Lan decided to give up on teaching anything useful? It doesn’t have to make sense! Fear doesn’t make sense!”

“But –” Some very brave and very unfortunate person decided to try to speak. “To have courage is to overcome your fears –”

“You’re a grown man, what do you know?” Jiang Cheng sneered. “It’s easy to speak of courage when you’re tall and strong, and hard when you’re small and weak – the injuries of childhood are the deepest and most lasting, just as memories are the most visceral when they are from the days when you didn’t know how to hold yourself separate. Do you really think the Yiling Patriarch is a coward? Do you not remember what he did for you, for all of you, at the Burial Mounds, using his own life to draw away the threat?”

Silence.

“So what if he’s afraid of dogs?” Jiang Cheng continued. “That’s his business, not yours!”

A familiar crackle – Zidian being unfurled.

“Anyone who wants to make something of it can come consult with me first!”

Footsteps, retreating rapidly, and then a very familiar tread, heading his way – Wei Wuxian pulled away from the door just moments before Jiang Cheng yanked it open, face red with irritation.

“The people here are stupid,” he told Wei Wuxian without any greeting. “I don’t know how you put up with it.”

“Habit,” Wei Wuxian said on automatic, and then pasted on a grin, though judging from Jiang Cheng’s expression he wasn’t doing a good job of it. “Anyway, aren’t you being hypocritical? You were the one who used Fairy against me…”

“That was because I was trying to torture you!” Jiang Cheng exclaimed, as if that was somehow a defense. “I wasn’t disrespecting you over it!”

…oddly enough, that did make Wei Wuxian feel better.

“Why are you here, anyway?” he asked, and Jiang Cheng shot him a look as if he was stupid. “For me?”

“Idiot,” Jiang Cheng grumbled. “Of course I’m here for you. Didn’t I say I’d protect you from them?”

He’d been very small at the time. Wei Wuxian hadn’t thought he’d remembered.

“Not that you care. I ought to have adopted a dozen dogs, it would’ve served you right…”

Jiang Cheng hadn’t adopted a single dog in the entire time Wei Wuxian had been dead. Even Fairy, Jin Ling’s beloved husky, had been a gift from Jin Guangyao, not Jiang Cheng.

Wei Wuxian abruptly felt warm.

“You’re not here to bully me into seeing Lan Zhan, are you?” he asked.

“Of course not! Like I want to spend any more time with that ice block than I need to!”

“Xichen-da-ge says he’s very adorable right now. All fuzzy pointy ears and big waving tail,” Wei Wuxian said, because he might be mortally afraid of dogs but tormenting his shidi was always the number one priority. “Like a poof ball, he says. And soft!”

Jiang Cheng visibly wavered.

“Shut up,” he said.

“You’d probably try to stick your face into his belly –”

“Hanguang-jun? Never! Not even if he was the softest, fluffiest, warmest, cutest…what was I saying?”

Wei Wuxian started giggling uncontrollably.

Yes, he thought happily: Jiang Cheng’s trouble really was the best sort of distraction.

#mdzs #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #my fic #my fics #betterthan-2-nothing

[robininthelabyrinth]

how about song lan/jiang cheng and a happy ending, please? 💖 thank you for sharing all your amazing fics with us!

Untamed

As they travel towards the Unclean Realm, Xue Yang bound and carefully watched at all times, Xiao Xingchen naturally gravitated towards Wei Wuxian, sharing stories about the woman that had been Xiao Xingchen’s shijie and Wei Wuxian’s mother. Jiang Cheng, distinctly aware that if Cangse Sanren had not died that Wei Wuxian would be – at best – a familiar stranger, kept his distance from that discussion.

At first, he tried to distract himself with Nie Huaisang, but apparently Nie Huaisang had exceeded his quota for interacting with other people in a given day and wasn’t interested in anything other than a long nap in the carriage (Meng Yao, who had been recruited for use as a pillow, had shot him an apologetic look over his head), so Jiang Cheng had to find something else to do. If he wasn’t occupied, he felt useless, like he was intruding somewhere he oughtn’t be.

Somehow, he ended up walking alongside Song Lan.

“It’s an honor,” he said, feeling stupid and awkward. “Your name is – renowned, and your ambition to start a sect based on merit is very impressive.”

“On friendship,” Song Lan said, and Jiang Cheng blinked. “A sect based on friendship. Merit implies that you must have skills or talents that render you deserving of a place; the sect I dream of would have a home even for those whose only skill is in delighting others with their company.”

“That sounds nice,” Jiang Cheng said, feeling unwontedly wistful. Sometimes it felt like he spent his whole life trying to win enough merit, to demonstrate his value, to manage to justify having been born as his father’s son – trying, and failing, while all merit flowed naturally and effortlessly to Wei Wuxian.

He couldn’t even imagine a sect where that wasn’t necessary.

“You would be a good fit,” Song Lan said, and Jiang Cheng turned to him with wide eyes. “You care deeply for your friends.”

“I – I do,” Jiang Cheng said, stuttering over his speech. “I’d do anything for them.”

“Even if they didn’t do anything for you?”

“Why should they have to do anything for me?” Jiang Cheng asked, puzzled, and Song Lan nodded as if he’d said the right thing on the first try without straining, which might be the first time that had ever happened to him.

Suddenly feeling deeply moved, Jiang Cheng acted recklessly: he strode forward and turned to face Song Lan, stopping in his path and careful not to touch him – he would’ve just grabbed his arm if he were Wei Wuxian, but he’d noticed that Song Lan seemed to dislike too-close contact, even from Xiao Xingchen who was as close to him as a brother, and he didn’t want to offend.

“I’d like to be your friend,” he said, bold and brave the way a Jiang should be, and then promptly ruined it by coughing and looking down and muttering, “I mean, that is, if you want. No big deal.”

Song Lan looked at him thoughtfully. It made Jiang Cheng nervous, feeling like he was about to be rejected, but on the other hand it also felt kind of – nice, in some fashion, to know that there were other people in the world who had to think about what they were going to say, who didn’t have a ready answer for everything sitting on the tip of their tongues like Wei Wuxian always did.

“I would be honored to be your friend, Jiang Wanyin,” Song Lan said when he finally did speak, and then he smiled.

There are those that say that the smile of a solemn man was the most beautiful thing in the world, and after having seen it with his own eyes Jiang Cheng was inclined to agree.

A moment later, as if by unspoken agreement, they both turned and continued to walk along the road to Qinghe. They did not speak further on that subject, turning to others, but it was comfortable and evening the way almost nothing in Jiang Cheng’s life was.

When they finally said farewell, he had no regrets.

Later, much later, when so much had happened that Jiang Cheng could no longer recognize himself and fate led them to meet once more, this time at the house in which Wen Qing was hiding them, Jiang Cheng chased after Song Lan again: he called out from his window after him just as he was about to set out.

“Jiang Wanyin?” Song Lan asked, coming forward to him with a frown. For some reason, his eyes seemed not quite right for his face even though Jiang Cheng couldn’t quite put his finger on why. “I thought you were still asleep.”

“Comatose, you mean,” Jiang Cheng said mirthlessly. “One of the needles got bumped, and I woke up a little earlier…are you all right? I didn’t hear much, but – you got injured?”

“My eyes,” Song Lan said, which accorded with what Jiang Cheng thought he’d heard. “They’re better now, though.”

Jiang Cheng nodded. “I’m probably going to die,” he said, trying for a matter-of-fact tone but he was pretty sure that he mostly ending up sounding scared. “And even if I don’t, I’m – I’m not going to be able to – to do anything. For you. I’d be totally useless.”

Song Lan looked taken aback, and then visibly softened when he realized what Jiang Cheng meant. “I told you before,” he said. “It’s friendship, not merit. You don’t need to do anything at all.”

That in all likelihood, Song Lan would never found that sect of his went unspoken between them.

It was just the way of things. Like Jiang Cheng probably dying the second the Wen sect finally caught up with them and found him, useless and weak as he was, without the golden core that he’d worked so hard on all his life. 

You couldn’t change things like that.

“Anyway, there are still Jiang sect disciples out there,” Song Lan said, and to Jiang Cheng’s surprise he offered his hand out to him. “You will gather them and reawaken your sect from the ashes.”

Jiang Cheng wet his lips. He wouldn’t, of course; he wouldn’t be able to, not without a golden core, without cultivation, without hope.

And yet…

He was useless. He should just die and be done with it, not linger around to act as a burden other people.

And yet –

Jiang Cheng reached out and clasped Song Lan’s hand with his own.

“If I don’t, I’ll come find you and join your sect,” he said, only half-joking. Who else would take him as he was now? “But if I do as you expect, gathering them up and re-establishing the Jiang sect…in that case, you come find me, all right?”

“Find you?” Song Lan asked, now truly surprised. “For what?”

“You said that friendship doesn’t have to be about merit,” Jiang Cheng said. “But just because it doesn’t have to be doesn’t mean you can’t bring merit into it. If you’re my friend, I’ll want to do things for you, if I can. If you can do something for me, then why can’t I do something for you?”

Song Lan thought about it.

“All right,” he said at last, and squeezed Jiang Cheng’s hand before letting go. “It’s a deal, my friend. Now lie back down and let me put the needle back into place for you. You need to rest.”

Jiang Cheng’s chest hurt – in a completely different way from his missing golden core and the scars from the whipping he’d received – and he nodded, retreating through the window.

“Don’t forget,” he said, lying down and letting Song Lan reach up to his forehead with the needle. “You have to let me help you, or else it’s not equal. All right?”

“I understand,” Song Lan said.

Maybe he did, because later still, when all the world had changed once again and Jiang Cheng wasn’t anything like the man he remembered himself being – after he’d gone up a mountain and come down renewed, had led an army and re-started his sect, had lost his martial brother and then his sister and then his martial brother a second time over, this time for good, and was helping raise his nephew during the half-year that he’d begged the Jin clan to allow him – after all that, Song Lan really did come to him.

“My friend,” Jiang Cheng said, clinging onto his arms a little too tightly. He’d almost forgotten that Song Lan existed in the wake of everything, had forgotten that there were still people out in the world who he called friend and who called him the same in return. “My friend, you’re here.”

“I said I would be,” Song Lan said, and hesitated. “I have a favor to ask. You said…”

“A favor? Anything. Well, within reason, of course.”

Song Lan nodded.

“I’m looking for Xiao Xingchen,” he said. “I thought I could find him on my own, but all this time has passed, and I still don’t know where to look. I thought – maybe –”

Jiang Cheng had power at his fingertips. He could order a search party – could order dozens – could set a bounty and have every cultivator and every common person in the whole of Yunmeng keeping their eyes wide open for someone of Xiao Xingchen’s distinctive description.

“Let me come with you to search,” he said instead. “Jin Ling goes back to Lanling next week, and I’ll be at loose ends for six months, bullying everyone in my sect with my temper.  They’d be happy to the back of me for a while. We can pick up where you left off.”

Song Lan smiled at him.

It was as beautiful as it had ever been.

Jiang Cheng felt his chest grow tight – he’d thought once that it was hurt he was feeling, but it wasn’t, it wasn’t hurt at all – and he coughed, not sure how to verbalize all of his feelings or even if they would be welcome. Maybe one day.

“Well,” he said brightly, forcing his way through the embarrassment. “Where had you stopped searching? We’ll start there.”

“There was a mountain path,” Song Lan said. “The road sign said that the next place to stop was a place called Yi City.”

“Yi City,” Jiang Cheng said. “Hardly auspicious, but I don’t see why we can’t give it a shot. And with me by your side, if Xiao Xingchen is there or if someone who has seen him is – we’ll find him. See who’ll stop us!”

#mdzs #jiang cheng #song lan #my fic #my fics #watercolour-carnations

[robininthelabyrinth]

I don't know if you ship ChengXian, but maybe a soul mate au for them with a happy ending please?

1

They figured out that Wei Ying’s parents had died, and Wei Ying left alone, when Jiang Cheng’s fingers started scabbing over.

After all, that’d been the agreement: Jiang Fengmian would consent to his wife’s proposal to engage his eldest daughter to the Jin sect’s heir, and in return she would agree to allow him to bind his best friend’s son to his own the way he and Wei Changzhe had once been bound, before the latter dissolved it in order to marry. 

A soul binding contract, allowing the wounds incurred by one to be shared with the other – a life-saving panacea, halving the severity of the injury by splitting it among two people’s bodies.

It was supposed to be for Jiang Cheng’s benefit, or so Jiang Fengmian had said, but the more his father went out to search for the missing Wei Wuxian – because it had to be his fingers that were so cold that they nearly froze, his nails that were breaking off as he scrabbled for food, his palms that were scraped raw by landing too-hard against the earth – the more Jiang Cheng thought that it was actually for him.

The other persons’ child.

Jiang Cheng didn’t mind, though. He forced himself to eat twice as much as he needed at meals, thinking about how the way he still lost weight he couldn’t spare, but his father forced him to eat even more than that, more and more until his mother threatened to beat him with Zidian if he even suggested another spoonful. He carefully bandaged his fingers and stayed inside, not risking any injury that might spread to Wei Ying’s body, anything that might be the difference between life and death for him.  He took warm baths and wrapped himself in blankets to try to pass along what warmth he could in winter, huddling in his bed with Jasmine, Princess, and Lovely so they could add their warmth, too, licking his fingers whenever they hurt.

When his father finally came back with Wei Ying in his arms, Jiang Cheng was so happy to finally have a chance to meet the boy who was going to be his best friend, just like their fathers had been.

It was nearly all ruined when Jiang Fengmian sent Jiang Cheng’s puppies away, citing Wei Ying’s fear – the contract couldn’t survive hatred, would break at once if one of them ever really hated the other – but in the end Wei Ying came to him and whispered that he remembered little tongues licking his fingers, that maybe these dogs weren’t so bad, and maybe they could go find them again…maybe even together?

That was when Jiang Cheng knew that every bit of effort he’d put in all those years was worth it.

2

It was hard to tell which one of them got into more scrapes when they were younger, Wei Wuxian in his recklessness or Jiang Cheng in trying to keep up with his friend, so they got into the habit of patching each other up as quickly as possible before either Jiang Fengmian or Madam Yu could see – depending on who they encountered first, one of them would get blamed, and neither of them wanted to see that.

Madam Yu sometimes talked about arranging a marriage for Jiang Cheng so that he wouldn’t be burdened by the soul-contract any longer, but Jiang Fengmian refused, insisting that his son pick his marriage for himself, and Jiang Cheng was quietly relieved: he didn’t want to trade in Wei Wuxian for some girl he didn’t know.

Even when Wei Wuxian began to outpace him, being more skilled, more talented, more charismatic – even when people started saying he understood the Jiang sect motto better, that he would be a better sect leader, that he was Jiang Fengmian’s true heir –

Jiang Cheng didn’t care. Wei Wuxian would stand by his side, always, and that was worth a sacrifice.

A little pain in the body, a little pain in the heart, it was all the same.

They were by each other’s side in the Cloud Recesses, they were by each other’s side in the Nightless City, they were at each other’s side as they fell into the cave and came up against the Xuanwu –

And then Jiang Cheng had to be the one to go, while Wei Wuxian had to be the one to stay.

Jiang Cheng clutched his bleeding arm and ignored his burning chest as he hiked back to Yumeng from Qishan, running as far as he could and walking the rest until his feet started bleeding and then he stopped, because he couldn’t let Wei Wuxian face the Xuanwu with bleeding feet, could he?

“Don’t listen to your father,” Wei Wuxian told him after he’d been rescued, when Jiang Fengmian had praised Wei Wuxian and ignored everything Jiang Cheng had done. “I know what you did for me.”

He touched his ribs, which had ached with the exertion, and his feet that were so tired, his stomach that been filled with ill-tasting weeds from the side of the road, that old concern about Wei Wuxian starving rearing its head again, filled and filled until the point that Wei Wuxian had tasted bile that wasn’t his own –

Yes, Wei Wuxian knew that Jiang Cheng loved him.

3

One of the Wen guards slapped Jiang Cheng in the face when he captured him, laughing at their newest prisoner, and only a few streets away Wei Wuxian coughed up blood in response. He didn’t realize then what had happened, but when he returned to find Jiang Cheng gone…

Jiang Cheng would never in his life tell Wei Wuxian what he had done for him, but Wei Wuxian touched his jaw, thought of the timing, and put two and two together.

“It was supposed to be for you, idiot,” he said, wiping the tears from his eyes as he made his way back towards the Lotus Pier as quickly as possible. “It was supposed to protect you – why do you always insist on protecting me?”

Wei Wuxian went as quickly as he could, but he didn’t have his sword and didn’t dare try to find another; his progress was slow, and slowed further by the night he spent screaming up into the stars as the discipline whip fell on Jiang Cheng’s shoulders and chest.

By the way Wei Wuxian suddenly felt terribly sick, empty inside, and didn’t know why until he rescued Jiang Cheng.

(Wen Chao, Wang Lingjiao, Wen Zhuliu…Wei Wuxian vowed that they would all die horrible deaths, every one of them, for what they did to his shidi – to his Jiang Cheng. How dare they..!)

“Remember not to fidget too much,” Wei Wuxian called with a fake smile on his face as Jiang Cheng started his way up the mountain in Yiling, blindfolded and hopeful and believing in Wei Wuxian’s words the way he always had. “Don’t forget: when you get back down, we’ll have matching scars.”

4

“I refuse,” Jiang Cheng said, and turned away from Wei Wuxian. “I will not kick you out of the Jiang sect. I don’t care if Jin Guangshan is angry over what you did – I will not do it.”

“Be sensible for once, Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian said. “This is shijie’s marriage we’re talking about, and the Jiang sect’s well-being! The stupid things I’ve done are on my head – they shouldn’t drag anyone else down.”

“It’s not a matter of dragging it down – you wouldn’t say that I should abandon the sect because of my failures, would you?”

“What? No. Of course not –”

“Well, the Jiang sect’s as much yours as it is mine.”

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. “Jiang Cheng –”

“It is,” Jiang Cheng snapped. “And if you don’t know that by now, you’ll never figure it out, will you?”

He stormed off.

Wei Wuxian stared behind him for a long time, twisting his fingers together. “Oh,” he said, thinking about how Madame Yu would often declare that she was every bit the mistress of the Jiang sect as Jiang Fengmian was the master. “Oh – Jiang Cheng –”

But in the end, what had to happen had to happen.

5

“I’m his uncle. Do you have any last words?”

Wei Wuxian turned around, back going cold – that voice was Jiang Cheng, his A-Cheng, A-Cheng who he’d left behind and all alone.

Jiang Cheng who had run straight to him in secret as soon as the siege of the Burial Mound was planned, still clad in mourning clothes from the Nightless City and covered in the dust of burying Jiang Yanli, whispering in Wei Wuxian’s ear desperately that he had to run, he had to escape, that if he could only get out of the encirclement that Jiang Cheng hide him, he’d find a way, they’d find a way, I can’t lose you too –

Wei Wuxian had looked his lover in the eye and lied to him again as he’d lied to him before: he told him to go gather up his Jiang sect cultivators, as many as he could, and join the siege, told that he’d be able to claim Wei Wuxian for his own sect and demand the others stay out of his family business, told that it would all work out all right.

All lies.

The cultivation backlash had already begun at that point, building deep inside Wei Wuxian’s dantian that no longer had a golden core to help hold it back, and he knew there would be no escape for him. Better that his death serve some purpose in clearing Jiang Cheng’s name.

Now, back in the present, Wei Wuxian slowly turned on his heel.

Jiang Cheng was even more beautiful than he’d been when they were young. He had finally settled into his adult body, well-proportioned and strong; his entire being sufficed with an aura of power – with Sandu at his side and Zidian on his hand, he was every inch the sect leader he had always been meant to be.

But that wasn’t what took Wei Wuxian’s breath away.

Jiang Cheng’s clothing was high-necked and his sleeves were worn tight to his wrists – but there was still enough flesh visible for Wei Wuxian to see the silvery scars that were peppered throughout his skin, little flecks that shone in the light of the moon from every meridian he had.

As if his body had been torn apart by a thousand fierce ghosts, a cultivation backlash fierce enough to kill no matter how much it had been divided between two bodies.

Jiang Cheng must have refused to release the soul-binding contract until the very end, even as it nearly dragged him into the abyss at Wei Wuxian’s side.

“A-Cheng…”

“Who are you to call my uncle that?” Jin Ling cried out, furious, and he flung out his sword; Wei Wuxian was so shocked that he barely remembered to dodge in time, the sharp end of the blade cutting a thin line in his cheek as it passed him by. “You madman! I can’t believe I was nice to you once –!”

Jiang Cheng held his hand.

At first Wei Wuxian and Jin Ling both thought he was calling for silence, but then Jiang Cheng moved his hand to touch his own face – his cheek, where a thin line of flesh had opened up, and blood dripped down.

“…A-Xian?”

6

“I’ve heard so much about you, shishu!” Jin Ling said later, when they were back in the Lotus Pier, his eyes shining as bright as stars. “Jiujiu’s told me all the stories – I even know how to make Mother’s soup, he said that was your favorite! Do you want to try some?”

Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure how he’d manage to eat soup, even his shijie’s special one, given that Jiang Cheng showed no inclination to release his hand now or forever, but he smiled and nodded and watched as Jin Ling ran away to the kitchens.

“You’re not angry at me?” he asked, not for the first time. To think that Jiang Cheng had never released the soul-binding contract, even when Wei Wuxian had been a ghost, even when his soul had been recalled into a body not his own…

“I’m furious,” Jiang Cheng replied. “The only way you can make it up to me is to stay with me forever.”

#mdzs #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #jiang fengmian #jin ling #my fic #my fics #worst possible soulmate au for these two #Anonymous