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thecarelessvoice · 9 months

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Back here after a loooooong time.

Watched the longest promise, had multiple break downs. SY is gorgeous, fuck we don't deserve his elegance. Also ZY is such a good character and their chemistry and story was *chef's kiss.

Saw an edit on twitter of SY and WY being twins. Had another break down. Came up with this disastrous and silly AU. (A mix of cql and mdzs novel) (Feel free to use it 😁)

When Baoshan Sanren took little Shi Liu to her mountain, she gave her the courtesy name Cangse and officially dubbed her as her disciple.

Years later Cangse Sanren gave birth to a twin, Shi Ying was born first, easily getting calm when put into changze's arms, named after her mother's maiden name. Then a minute later came wei ying, hollering and bawling his eyes out. Named after his father. It took a while for him to calm down in cangse's arms.

When changze asked her why the character for wei ying's first name was different than shi ying's she laughed and said he was the youngest, so of course he is my "baby".

They had four happy years together until fate decided to take away the twins parents from them.

The twins waited a year in the streets of yilling, starved homeless but having each other as company. Until one day shi ying went to find food for them but didn't return.

The rest of the story happened the same.

In the battle of nightless city wei ying jumped off the cliff ready to die, but then later he opened his eyes staring at his face looking back at him.

Later Shi ying told him that when he went to get food for them all those years ago, dogs attacked him and he was injured badly, when he finally gained his consciousness, he was told that he was brought in to the mountain by their mothers master baoshan sanren. It took two years for him to convince her to look for wei ying but by the time she went back to yilling wei ying was gone.

Shi ying then swore to become a powerful cultivator like their parents and to help people, he eventually managed to reach immortality and baoshan sanren left him the mountain and ascended to godhood. He got married to another discipline named zhu yan. He told wei ying his wife and had a similar personality to wei ying so they became fast friends :).

I guess then wei ying told him about his life and what he went through and shi ying helped him develop another core and told him he would be by his side if he ever wanted to revenge but wei ying told him there's no reason for him to get back to the cultivation world.

13 years later when a curse appeared on wei ying's arm, the twins, with zhu yan accompanying them, went to mo village together to solve the mystery of the mo manor.

Then lan zhan dealing with the fact that apparently we ying is alive(??) And has a twin brother(??) Who's literally second in power compared to immortal(now a heavenly official/god??) baoshan sanren (also shi ying is so much like him based on his manners that shufu would qi deviate again if he learns cangse sanren had another son), and tries to get along with his brother in law.

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twodaysintojune · 4 years

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Arranging Weddings

The Untamed / Mo Dao Zu Shi / The Grandmaster of Diabolic Cultivation

WangXian, background XiCheng, warnings - None

Find me at AO3

It had not even been a month since the passing of Jin GuangYao and Lan XiChen was not feeling better at all. If things kept on going that way he might head into seclusion soon rather than half ass all of his work like he was doing right now. He was never feeling like doing anything and right now he was feeling it even less since he had to stand his uncle's outrage for the eleventh time at nine in the morning.

"... Anything could happen to WangJi at any moment and we don't even know where they are right now! The inconceivable, utter disrespect to the most basic premises of morality! He did not only stick his cut-sleeveness on my WangJi but he also… he also forced him to elope! Just like that! Can you believe it XiChen!? The shame he has forced on our Sect by dropping off the last sense of decency by not getting married!???"

Lan XiChen wondered for a moment if it was wise to remind his own uncle of rule number seventy five on the wall of rules: "Causing Noise is Prohibited" to satisfy his own pettiness or if his uncle was in need of another cup of tea before any kind of smart backlash when both men heard a coughing coming up from the exterior of the room.

Lan XiChen beamed as much as his proper upbringing could allow. Standing still and quite elegantly poised, like the Sect Leader he was, was Jiang WanYin.

"Sect Leader Jiang! What a pleasant surprise! We didn't expect you until…" Lan XiChen turned to look at the hour and realized his own mistake of letting his uncle rant for literal hours now "oh, Oh. Please forgive me, Sect Leader Jiang. I have failed to properly receive you at the appointed hour."

"Please, no need to apologize, Sect Leader Lan, Master Lan Qiren." Jiang WanYin bowed to both men as appropriate to the occasion "I would have waited without a problem for you but I must admit your conversation got me quite intrigued. Is master Lan Quiren implying that he wouldn't have that much of an issue with a pair of cut-sleeve relationship were they properly married?"

Lan Qiren scoffed. "I admit that would be a great start."

Jiang WanYin's smile widened wildly for just a glimpse in a way that reminded Lan XiChen of those moments he knew he had the winning hand during the few times they fought together at the Sunshot Campaign. A thing that made him excitedly anticipate the great Sandu Shengshou's upcoming actions.

"I am quite relieved to hear of this. If that is the case, Master Lan Qiren, there's a proposal I would like, no, I would love to discuss with you."

---

Wei Wuxian was somehow splayed on top of Little Apple, looking at the increasingly brightening sky while Lan WangJi was pulling the reins, walking towards the closest city after being travelling through the mountainside a couple of days.

"Ahahahaha oh Lan Zhan, my Lan Zhan, did you really see that grave digger's face when all the corpses around him began to rise? Ahahahaha~"

Lan WangJi smiled warmly at his husband's figure. How could he deny him of such pleasures when they brought him so much happiness? Especially when it meant they were doing good. Keeping the spirits to their proper rest.

When they arrived at the city, the place was bustling with energy despite being so early in the morning but it was not the usual one from a large place like this, there was some sort of effervescence and giddiness in the way everyone behaved that both men felt was just a tad bit too excited.

Being a naturally curious person, Wei Wuxian asked the nearest steamed buns stall owner.

"Excuse me, Ma'am" he took a couple of buns while Lan WangJi was already taking out the money to pay. "Can you tell us what is going on that the city is so excited about?"

"Oh my boy! Haven't you heard!?" Said the owner, almost jumping on her heels as if she had just been waiting for someone to ask "The leaders of the Lan and the Jiang sects are getting married!"

Wei Wuxian paled and felt like he had suddenly become a walking corpse while he heard a couple of coins dropping to the floor by his side. He forced a smile on his face.

"Surely that's… that's not right? Is it not, maybe, a pair of disciples?"

"Oh, no, no, no. If it was that they wouldn't be announcing it to the whole world, would they? Just look at the announcements board at the plaza! If you can't trust this old hag, then you can surely trust an official document."

Wei Wuxian somehow brought up a more charming smile "My dear lady, I could never not trust someone that has so much more experience that I can ever dream of"

The old lady cackled while receiving the coins Lan WangJi had picked up again "oh my, you're such a flirt. Here, have another bun for the ride."

Wei Wuxian thanked her and turned around with his mouth open only to see that his man was well beyond him, already walking towards the plaza. He ran towards him and reached the board.

There, in the middle of it all, was a very official looking paper with celebratory imagery surrounding the edges of the announcement.

"It is with great pleasure to announce that the leaders of the Jiang and the Lan sects are organising a wedding to be held in Lotus Pier during the auspicious upcoming new moon of the month of Xin Si at sunset where they expect to celebrate a wedding that will tighten up the relations between both regions of Gusu and Yunmeng. All blessings for the grooms to wed."

The announcement ended with a beautiful seal that joined both sects imagery, a lotus flower floating over a cloud.

Wei Wuxian read the thing three times before anything made any kind of sense and then one time more.

"The upcoming moon of… oh heavens, Lan Zhan. That is in eight days!!! This is… We cannot stay here! We have to stop this nonsense wedding!"

Lan WangJi was looking at his soulmate with a stern glare that was completely agreeing with Wei Wuxian's exclamation.

"Mn."

Soon enough, they were running to the stable where they had left Little Apple and began their journey towards Wei Wuxian's old home.

---

The day arrived, the whole city of Yunmeng was dressed for the celebration, people wandering excitedly throughout the streets, waiting for the announcement that the marriage was completed. Inside of Lotus Pier, two fine figures in relatively simple red robes were alone, kneeling already at the ancient hall, just waiting for the exact hour. A red veil covering the head of one of them.

"After knowing you through all these years and battles, I have to be honest and say that I know I shouldn't, but I am still impressed about your boldness. Sect Leader Jiang."

Jiang WanYin laughed "Turns out I'm not only good at slashing things, eh?" He winked at the elegant face behind the veil. "Also please call me Jiang WanYin, I hope we're well past certain formalities after this."

The veiled man snickered "Very well, then please do call me Lan XiChen. I'd feel quite saddened if you felt there was any need for formalities with me as well, Jiang WanYin."

Jiang WanYin smiled brightly at the man by his side.

A couple of minutes passed when Lan XiChen began to fidget.

"Are you sure they will come?"

"Oh trust me, I don't know about your HanGuang-Jun but Wei Wuxian will definitely be here. And if he is here…"

"Then WangJi is going to be here as well."

Jiang WanYin nodded in agreement. As if they had summoned the chaotic couple, they heard a commotion starting on the Swords Hall.

"It's the Yiling Patriarch and HanGuang-Jun!"

"Somebody stop them!"

Both men heard the sounds of blades and general fighting getting nearer at each second, sometimes yells of pain.

"Will your disciples be alright, Jiang WanYin?"

"Are you kidding me? They were ecstatic when I told them they would be able to test their skills against the Second Jade of Gusu-Lan. Not that they're anywhere near him but that will help them assess their own strengths."

Lan XiChen snickered. Soon enough, the commotion was right behind them and suddenly the doors of the Ancient Hall burst open and in came Wei Wuxian and Lan WangJi.

"JIANG CHENG!"

"XIONGZHANG!"

The pair in red stood up from their kneeling position and turned to look at the newcomers.

"Ah, my dear WangJi! How auspicious that you managed to arrive in time!"

"Yeah, we would have had a real problem if you didn't show up."

The couple at the doors looked at each other in shock and then glared at their counterparts while approaching them. Wei Wuxian fisted Jiang Cheng's robes and pulled him forward while Lan WangJi almost fell on Lan XiChen's arms, almost imperceptibly glazed eyes.

"Can you tell me what sort of nonsense this is!?"

"Xiongzhang, please!"

Both men in red gave their brothers a smile, albeit one would have been considered saintly while the other devilish. Suddenly, the doors of the Ancient Hall closed once more, startling Wei Wuxian and Lan WangJi. They turned around and saw, appalled some very well known faces.

"HanGuang-Jun, Senior Wei, I'm really glad to see you're well."

"I mean, not like we actually cared but…"

"Oh, don't be a liar! You're the one who wanted to see Senior Wei the most!"

"Can we get going with this? We'll be late for the banquet at this rate."

Before he was able to completely understand what the junior quarter was doing there, Lan WangJi heard his brother.

"Please forgive me WangJi, we cannot afford more stalling, you are indeed a little bit late."

And just like that, he clearly sensed how his spiritual energy was blocked by his own brother's hand.

"Alright, you can take him, Jiang WanYin."

"Gotcha!" Exclaimed the man while leaning forward and carrying a very startled Wei Wuxian like a potato sack and jumping through the threshold that the juniors had opened once more, disappearing through the hallways.

"W… Wait a second! What are you doing!? Lan Zhan! LAN ZHAN SAVE ME!!!"

"WEI YING!!!"

Lan WangJi did his best to get away from his brother's grasp while the frantic screams of his lover moved away from them but it was impossible without his spiritual energy. He turned to look at his brother, a pair of tears menacing to roll over his cheek.

"Now, now, don't look like that, let's go get you changed and refreshed, you'll be able to see him soon."

Unable to do much more, he allowed himself to be guided through another hall towards a guestroom with a sigh, shoulders slightly falling.

"Tche, what's all the drama for? It's not like they're gonna be apart forever."

"Look who's talking, Mistress."

"You-!"

"Please guys, let's not do this right now."

"Yes! A wedding is a very important occasion!"

Chided by his brother, Lan WangJi took a quick bath and began to dress himself in layers of increasingly dark blue without paying too much attention but stopped when he finally noticed the outer garment his brother, now properly dressed with his best silver and light blue robes, was providing. He had in his hands a deep red robe accented with dark blue and silver embroidery reminiscing of clouds around the edges that was to be matched with a dark blue, almost black sash. He looked at the clearly elegant garment in awe and then turned to look at Lan XiChen.

"Xiongzhang, this…"

Lan XiChen gave him a soft smile, already holding a comb. "Come on, dress up, let your big brother do your hair."

Lan WangJi's eyes widened up in comprehension. He felt his ears burn when he finished dressing himself and sat down.

"Xiongzhang, I'm sorry. I thought, we thought…"

Lan XiChen let out a soft chuckle.

"We know." Lan XiChen began to brush softly WangJi's hair.

Both men got lost in the process of brushing and hairstyling, reminiscing childhood days where the older man took care of the younger in the same way. Lan XiChen sighed while pulling up the hair for the bun after being done with the brushing.

"You know WangJi, I'm really glad I'm able to be here for you today."

Lan WangJi frowned. "Xiongzhang?"

It was barely a whisper but that didn't stop Lan XiChen to feel the worry.

"I'm going into seclusion WangJi… Don't move, you'll ruin the bun…" Lan XiChen sighed once more "Maybe one of the reasons I agreed to this mad scheme was precisely because I did not want to miss this particular day and knowing how erratic your movements can be I was not sure if I was going to be here otherwise."

Lan WangJi looked downwards, faintly blushing, feeling his brother fix the decorative pins.

"Which is why I also wanted to tell you…" Lan XiChen grabbed Lan WangJi's forehead band,and began to arrange it on the hairstyle he had fixed, oddly out of place in the middle of so much red and dark blue. "That I don't really have much to tell you about the importance of treasuring your soulmate, since I saw you learn that lesson yourself." Lan WangJi saw a tear trailing down his brother's cheek through the mirror. "...But I can tell you that I am happy for you. And no matter where you go from now on, I hope your travels bring you nothing more than bliss and joy. And that I support you, today and tomorrow and all the years to come."

Lan WangJi felt a knot on his throat.

"There, it's done. Let's go back to the Ancient Hall. I'm sure your future husband is there already."

Lan WangJi stood up and turned to look at his brother. Lan XiChen smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Ready?"

Lan WangJi looked at his brother for a second and threw himself at him with a hug. Lan XiChen hugged him back a little startled and felt more than heard his little brother's soft sniffle. He hugged him tighter.

"I love you too."

---

Lan WangJi walked inside the Hall once more. He was shocked when he saw his uncle standing there as well. Feeling overwhelmed, he walked towards him and bowed. The old man scoffed and shooed him towards the altar. Lan WangJi nodded and turned towards the center of the room.

The perfect figure of his husband to be was already kneeling in front of the altar, not slouched or slant but immaculately poised. Bright red gown speckled with gold and lavender motifs of lotus flowers in both the sash and the veil. His face was barely visible but his body showed he was clearly moved. He knelt down by his side.

"Wei Ying"

His voice had been but a breath but Wei Wuxian had heard him alright. He turned towards him with the brightest smile.

"Look at this Lan Zhan," he whispered "We're finally in front of them… Do you… do you think shijie would have given us her blessing? And Uncle Jiang? And Madam Yu?"

Lan WangJi gave him the softest smile yet.

"Mn."

Wei Wuxian took in a deep breath. Clearly trying to restrain the tears that were already rolling through his face and nodded. Unable to say a thing, very unlike his usual character.

The ceremony went incredibly fast after that. Both Jiang WanYin and Lan XiChen said a couple of words as the ones preceding the ceremony, Jiang WanYin dressed in proper purple, navy and gold robes. The grooms exchanged bows, too short and surprisingly not embarrassing from Wei Wuxian, too long and incredibly bold from Lan WangJi, and then prostrated three times as per the tradition.

The juniors, the ones acting as witnesses standing behind were all tearing by the end. Jin Ling had been the first to be noticed but Lan JingYi's teasing was not really effective since he was crying as well.

The banquet had been a success. The entire city was celebrating the newlyweds after all so the noise and celebration was everywhere. Around nine, the newlyweds finally bid their goodnight and stepped away from the hall in the middle of catcalling and whistles that Wei Wuxian encouraged, absolutely elated after three bottles of wine. Being carried bridal style by his now very official husband.

The following day they were caught by the juniors before they could run away on Little Apple once more and received a thorough scorn from Jin Ling who screamed at them something about being already married and not seeing the point of acting like a pair of runaway, wanted criminals anyway and that Wei Wuxian better go see him at LanLing or else he would definitely hunt him.

Meanwhile, Jiang WanYin was supervising that not a place had been left uncleaned, with Lan XiChen by his side.

"Are you sure you're not gonna say goodbye?"

"If I say goodbye now, Wei Wuxian won't need to come back later." Jiang WanYin said matter of factly "What about you? I don't see you at the backdoor of Lotus Pier right now."

"I already said all that I needed. Now I feel like I can finally go into seclusion."

Jiang WanYin eyed his counterpart carefully and scoffed.

"You don't approve of that."

"Obviously Not. You're saying it like you're about to die."

Lan XiChen laughed tiredly.

"You're being dramatic."

"All I'm saying is that this seclusion thing is not going to work for you at all. If you don't come out of your personal coffin after a year I'll come raise you from the dead."

Lan XiChen gave out a tired scoff but said nothing more about it. After all, there was no way Jiang WanYin would know him better than himself.

"I'll take that as your permission."

Finished the man by his side, ending the conversation.

Both leaders kept on supervising the cleansing of the whole Lotus Pier and making sure it went back to its usual state while, on another side, a figure in black mounted on a donkey waved goodbye to a bunch of sniffling teenagers while a figure in white pulled softly the donkey's reins.

#wangxian #xicheng #wei wuxian #lan wangji #jiang cheng #lan xichen #fake wedding #mdzs fanfic

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chapitre7 · 4 years

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Alexandria Chapter VI

The Untamed [陈情令] | Mo Dao Zu Shi [魔道祖师] fanfiction

Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Yīng | Wei Wuxian (Wangxian)

Time Travel/Sci-Fi AU

Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V

Read on AO3

“Wei Ying.”

He starts. Fear is a resilient feeling; no matter how much you try to beat it and mask it, it always takes you, in one manner or another. It is definitely present there, in those wide, white doors.

“Are you ready?”

He’s not. He wants to take Lan Zhan’s hand, never minding Lan Xichen standing right behind them or the men that wait on the other side. They can look as they have been looking all this time, trying to read him like a book. He’s not a book, and they know. Perhaps that is worse.

He nods. Lan Zhan carries a package in one arm while the other is rigid, stretched out like a guqin string. They both need a lifeline but keep it invisible in an exchange of looks. Perhaps the same song plays inside of them as they step forward, a song of intimacy, a song of clarity. It matters not; they enter the meeting room like warriors, with unfaltering steps.

“Wangji, what is the meaning of this?”

They waste no time, and Wei Ying fights the impulse to flinch. Lan Zhan — or rather, Lan Wangji, mouth down-turned, serious and unaffected, doesn’t sit down or really move from the end of the oval desk that is closest to the door. He keeps his gaze locked with the man on the other end, and Wei Ying has been in enough battles to recognize the tension of a duel.

“I believe I have already expressed my intentions in my request for this meeting.”

“To permanently leave the facility?” A different director splutters. “Wangji, you’ve lived and studied here your entire life! What about rebuilding the Library Pavilion? We were led to believe that’s your life’s work.”

“I will continue to look for all the works that will rebuild the Library Pavilion the closest to what it once was. But I cannot stay here any longer.”

“Lan Wangji, you are a historian, trusted with the history of this city. What need would you have to roam outside? Are you not too old for this kind of rebellion?”

“History happens as we speak, and you have taught me how it constantly repeats itself. Sitting here with books brings us nothing.”

Wei Ying, a couple of steps behind him, follows the exchange with surprising ease. But even if he was still his old self and couldn’t understand the words, he’d be able to understand the disbelief in the older men and how swiftly Lan Zhan rebukes them. Had he practiced his speech, anticipated their arguments? He always proves to be greater than Wei Ying’s last perception.

“Uncle.”

The man in his direct line of vision merely blinks, slowly, maybe even narrows his eyes. His facial expressions are so minimal, so calculated, that Wei Ying isn’t surprised they’re related.

“Allow me to work as an envoy of Gusu. Our knowledge bears more meaning if it can reach farther than these walls, and teach better than virtual data. We may have the sharpest minds, but if we stay locked inside our laboratories, then for what use is our research?” He places the package down on the desk, his hand lying on top of it with importance. “Not one of us has lived outside for years, too afraid of losing this place again, but are we not losing ourselves?”

“And as you so eloquently put in your mail, you intend to make him your collaborator?”

Lan Zhan’s uncle motions to Wei Ying with his chin, making him shiver with the cold indifference of the gesture. The older man doesn’t even spare him a glance.

“He’s a subject, Wangji, and above all, he’s not one of us. Just because you’ve been indulging him with a mimicry of our time, it doesn’t mean he’s finished his adaptation. He’s uneducated and unfit for modern life, and should remain here until he’s properly civilized.”

The depth of his rejection isn’t lost on Wei Ying. He can’t help but shrivel, eyes downcast and filling with stubborn tears he cannot hold back. It’s shame that creeps up his spine, and anger and outrage, and above all, the words that he wants to say in his defense but can’t. He is a subject. And he has no idea how to live outside these walls, but doesn’t eagerness count? Doesn’t courage? People are still the same. Keeping themselves reined, and trying to rein others’ spirits. But still... Still...

“Do you suppose I would come before you if I had not discerned his capabilities myself?”

Wei Ying looks up, wide-eyed, and he isn’t sure if it’s the words or the tone that makes all of the directors lean back against their chairs as if only barely avoiding contact with a blade. His uncle remains impassive, if only for a slight narrowing of his time-worn eyes.

“I suppose you biased. As I feared you would be.”

Lan Zhan sighs, a minimal gesture, but before Wei Ying can throw caution to the wind and take a step towards him, he’s opening the package that he brought (and that Wei Ying had forgotten about) and throwing copies of a thin book to the middle of the desk where all the directors can see.

“I can assure the board of directors that I would not make baseless propositions. Wei Ying is a person,” a hiss between teeth, “and if living with him after all this time didn’t convince you, might this be the proof you need?”

They hadn’t discussed their method of convincing the board beforehand so Wei Ying is thrown off balance when he sees one of his drawings of Yunmeng’s lotus ponds on the cover of the book the directors now flip through. He’s unaware that he’s moving until Lan Zhan’s arm comes in contact with him, blocking him from bumping into the desk. The nod Lan Zhan gives him is both an answer and a reassurance, so when Lan Qiren looks up — the man supporting the dreams of every researcher in the facility, who coddles them like they’re his own children, Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen’s uncle —, Wei Ying is emboldened enough to make himself known, to stand like the honorable disciple he grew up being.

“If you’ll allow me to study in this facility’s name, I will not make you lose face. I will align my past teachings with the new and I will breakthrough and I will share that knowledge with the people, in the manners of Lan Wangji’s choosing. So please, consider our request.”

Wei Ying bows, and out of the corner of his eye, he can see Lan Zhan doing the same. The room is deadly still, only the sound of pages marking the passing of minutes, anticipation running through his veins. They only look up when Lan Qiren clears his throat, and it’s then that Wei Ying notices the far-away look in the directors’ faces, almost like a kind of spell was lifted from them and they were just starting to understand the world again, through the content of those books. Wei Ying can sympathize, but just vaguely; only if it meant he and Lan Zhan got through them. Lan Qiren looks as sharp as ever, but the lines between his brows are deep.

“We will summon you once we have made our decision. You are dismissed.”

They bow again, in perfect synchronicity, and leave the ever-white room with its elders behind closed, tall doors. The Cloud Recesses may have lost their three thousand rules but difficult men would always lead them, it seemed. Perhaps that’s true for all sects and clans and families, however they were governed now. Wei Ying exhales, long and noisy, head falling against Lan Zhan’s shoulder.

“Lan Zhan, I have newfound admiration for you. You have to deal with them all the time? You withheld your reports from them for months? And you always remain unfazed?”

Wei Ying feels an almost imperceptible move of his shoulder before he says, “I’m used to it.”

He has to chuckle at that. Lan Zhan keeps proving to be bolder than he last assumed, never ceasing to amaze him, and the thought brings him back to, “Wait, you didn’t show me that book before. Is it...?”

Lan Zhan stretches a hand out to Lan Xichen, who Wei Ying had failed to notice was still waiting for them, and the smiling brother offers the book he was carrying. Wei Ying had assumed it was one of the thick research books Xichen is always holding but sure enough, it is a copy just like the ones Lan Zhan all but threw at the directors. Lan Zhan takes it and places it in his hands and although it’s thin, although it’s white with the only exception of his drawing — his Yunmeng —, he feels the weight of it when he reads the words on the cover, traces the characters with his fingertips.

A Brief History of the Age of Cultivation, by Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.

“I didn’t know you’d make physical copies...”

He can see some of his favorite poems as he flips through, peppered in-between the chapters they wove together, as well as a couple written by Lan Zhan, but attributed to both of them.

“Lan Zhan.”

His voice strains, and overwhelmed, he brings the book up, to cover his face and the tears that threaten to fall. Lan Zhan, kind and patient and wonderful Lan Zhan, takes hold of his wrist to bring it down, to look into his eyes with open fondness.

“Wei Ying is one of us. It’s only right that he’s part of our history.”

He throws his arms around Lan Zhan’s neck. He may not be a renowned monarch or a timeless figure, but in Lan Zhan’s arms, under his care, he feels important. Wei Ying vaguely registers Lan Xichen chuckling and the sound of his heels walking away, and still he holds Lan Zhan, sighs content into his shoulder. Anxiety melts away until there’s only them, their firm hold onto each other, and the relentless future.

With his name engraved by Lan Zhan’s, Wei Ying feels both of them immortal.

“Can I sleep and wake beside you everyday?”

They are.

They do.

***

He’s with him again. Brother has often encouraged him to make friends, share correspondence with Gusu’s contacts across the land, beyond the notes of lost books, but instead of a friend his age, he acquaintances himself with the man inside the ice. As if they could converse inside his head, talk about the things they’ve both seen. Were the skies once clearer, the stars so bright you could trick yourself into thinking you could touch them, if you reached high enough? Was the ocean bluer, did the birds sing different songs? Logic dictated no, but mother used to say time once flew at a different pace, and Lan Wangji preferred to see the past with her eyes. In the library he lived his duty, every book speaking with uncle’s voice and trust. There, in that laboratory with that unnamed man, mother was all around him. He surrendered to a wonder that was more than his own, and ached with longing for a time that would never happen again.

“Were you happy?”

The man, perceived dead, cannot answer him. Wangji, who likes to think he’s asleep, wonders if he’s still dreaming in his own frequency, away from the inexplicable present.

“Do you think I can be, too?”

The words, fragile, barely whispered, turn into fog against the glass protecting the ice. Where they came from, not once thought, Wangji wouldn’t be able to answer. But once spoken, they’re real, and he thinks that maybe he’s the one caged, while the other is free.

Lan Wangji walks away, leaving his doubts and fears and questions with the man on the ice. Outside that lab, he back is straight, composed, and made to be relied upon. Not at all cracking, not at all lacking.

He’ll come again.

***

When Wei Ying reaches the entrance hall of the Qishan Observatory, he sees Lan Zhan surrounded by dazzled kids. They all speak at once, excited voices coming together in a shrill cacophony, yet Lan Zhan raises a hand and addresses one of them at a time. Wei Ying crosses his arms, leans against a pillar and watches, his ever-present smile feeling full of too many emotions to name. Lan Zhan, for all his quiet demeanor, inspires the imagination and eagerness of children with his lectures, and there’s not a single day where he’s not at a different school in Qishan, or even Yiling, speaking of the romantic history of noble sects that helped the poor, following into a present where science and thought help uncover a wondrous future. So many tools have changed in this world where people’s essence remain the same and yet, there’s still light. Wei Ying had lost sight of it in his last life, but he doesn’t look away now. He can’t.

With a lopsided smirk, he pulls a paper from the inner pocket of his jacket. Pulling at his spiritual energy, his core now just a calm lake barely stirred, he conjures dozens of golden butterflies that dance around the children who scream with surprised delight, jumping and attempting to catch the wings of Wei Ying’s cultivator heart.

The gold reflects on Lan Zhan’s eyes when he looks up at him, but they’re not strong enough to make the brown of his irises shine like a fire on an autumn night. Ah, Lan Zhan surely must have a dormant core too, Wei Ying thinks not for the first time, and his strength shows in his gaze, sometimes too strong that others have to look away, overwhelmed, but Wei Ying always meets him half-away, himself weak, enraptured. That must be what it is, but not only that, there’s more. Wei Ying wouldn’t insult him by being ignorant of it, ever-present in all of his gestures, in how he offers his hand as Wei Ying runs and bumps into him, gladly taking it.

“Teacher Wei!” The kids call him, no matter how many times he’s told them he’s no teacher.

“Now, now, I’m afraid I have to steal Lan Zhan from you, we’re both really hungry! Behave yourselves and don’t monopolize him after lecture!”

Wei Ying is too old to play with children, the elders from the Gusu mountains would surely throw at him if they saw him now, but he runs and waves and laughs with them anyway. Lan Zhan joins him, or indulges him, same difference no matter which way he looks, their hands clasped, fingers intertwined, the two of them stepping in the same frequency on the road home.

Nights in Qishan are still bright with an orange hue, almost like the sun refuses to set and the stars refuse to be outshined. Wei Ying inhales deeply in the new world, head held high, never looking down, trusting Lan Zhan to keep him on the right path and catch him if he falls.

“Lan Zhan,” he calls, voice always melodic with his name. “Are you happy?”

“Yes.”

Not even skipping a beat. Wei Ying huffs a laugh, a little breathless from his own antics.

“Me too. Let’s make sure to tell uncle all about it.”

“Mn.”

They’re just two more in the Qishan crowd, but Wei Ying feels big, elated like he hasn’t been in...

Well. It’s time he stops counting.

***

“They’re going to defrost him?”

There’s a complicated whirlpool of emotions in his middle when his brother nods. He clenches his hands into fists, looking at the man safe inside his chamber of ice and glass. It’s a violence against his peace, and a violence against his own sanctuary with the stranger who’s not so strange anymore. Powerless against the decisions of the board, he lingers in the gallery at the side of the laboratory when the first buttons are pressed, but leaves before the procedure is over. It was a foolish thought to cling to the subject like he once clung to the rabbits that roamed the woods outside of the facility when he was young and cared for. Mother and the rabbits are gone now, and he’s too old to play replacements.

Foolish. He’s desperately foolish.

The news that the man is alive don’t hit him as hard as the screams do, or as the sight of him being pinned down and sedated. He bites down on his tongue to fight the need to yell at them all, these men who studied all their lives and still thought it would be a good idea to bombard him with sensory overload just because they were too curious to be properly thoughtful. A subject. What a tasteless joke.

“I’ll do it,” he tells his brother when he holds a handkerchief to the blood that drips down his chin, the pain in his tongue not registering. Brother is the most concerned he’s ever looked since Wangji was seven and they were both orphaned, but he also hasn’t felt a purpose like this ever since he stood before the ashes of what was once his home. “I’ll take care of him.”

“Wangji, they might not deem you fit for the job.”

Where others might see cold hostility, Xichen sees a kind of hurt that is recognizable in animals. So he sighs, raising his hands in a sign of patience and peace.

“I’ll talk to them. I’ll do what I can.”

So Xichen takes the subject — the man — into his own hands. Out of his own suggestion, as a way to placate the board and his brother both. And when Xichen is sure he’s safe, after they confirm that mother’s lessons will allow Wangji to communicate better with him than any other person in the facility, he enters that room with a restless heart. He can’t project any of his own feelings onto the man, that desperate need to belong, to be needed, so when he sits in front of him, he vows to listen.

The man’s eyes glow hazel against the whiteness of the room, still a little wide after weeks under his brother’s care. His lips are parted, after he left out a small “Ah” at the sight of Wangji. Are they taking good care of him? Are they doing everything they can? Can’t they see how lost he is, after he’s lost everything he’s ever known?

“How do you feel?” Wangji asks, instantly off the script the board had given him.

The man’s eyes widen more still, a smile gracing his features for the first time as he leans forward.

Wangji leans back against the natural brightness of him. He looks more beautiful than the first time Wangji laid eyes on him, and all the times he practiced a conversation with him inside his head.

“I can understand you!”

He nods, crossing his legs and looking down at his notes, intent not on writing anything down but on fighting the urge to smile back. Now there’s a voice that can talk back to him, clear, accented, and memorable. Mother would have been fascinated. Wangji feels warm and resolute.

I’ll take care of you.

#The Untamed #Mo Dao Zu Shi #Fanfiction #Wangxian #Lan Wangji #Wei Wuxian #Alternate Universe: Science-fiction #alternate universe: time travel

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