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nekojitachan · 3 years

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Don’t Wanna Fall - Wangxian MDZS/CQL Fic

Okay, so this is what happens when I get stressed and feel the need to write; the mind latched on to this story. It’s basically canon-divergent (CQL/The Untamed for the most part), fix-it, and a/b/o (with some slight twists) and is all plotted out. I’d figure I’d post it here and throw up the beta’d parts on AO3.

Warnings for canon-typical violence, and more notes explaining things at the bottom.

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Wei Wuxian felt a precious sense of contentment as he sat near his sister and ate the soup she’d made; the emotion had been missing ever since the attack on Lotus Pier, and he knew it wouldn’t last long. Soon enough the sedative that Wen Qing had given him would render Jiang Yanli unconscious, and once Song Lan took her to the safekeeping of Lan Wangji and the Jins, then—then it was time to fix Jiang Cheng.

He pushed aside all thoughts on how they’d go about ‘fixing’ his brother while he finished the bowl of pork rib and lotus soup, unwilling to spoil his meal.

As soon as he set the empty bowl on the table, Jiang Yanli was quick to refill it. “You don’t have to—”

His sister gave him a stern look, her gaze shifting down to his abdomen before she shook her head. “You need to keep up your strength, A-Xian,” she chided, her voice pitched low so she didn’t disturb their brother, who was resting on the far side of the room. “You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, looking for a way to restore A-Cheng’s golden core. That’s not good… well, you need to rest.”

Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to tell her not to worry about him, but closed it a moment later without any words spoken after another stern look. For all her gentle mothering and sweet nature, Jiang Yanli was a true force to reckon with when she believed that those she loved weren’t taking care of themselves, which seemed to be the case right now. Especially since she knew that Wei Wuxian was pregnant.

He’d managed to hide that fact from everyone else, even Wen Qing, thanks to some clever talismans (desperation truly did help when it came to inspiration) and loose robes, but Jiang Yanli had been there when he’d figured out the truth, a few weeks after his return from the enforced ‘indoctrination’ at Qishan. From the time he’d spent trapped in the cave at Dusk-Creek Mountain with Lan Zhan. Just the two of them, an alpha and an omega, prevented access to the medicines which helped control their heats and ruts (as well as prevent pregnancies for omegas), so of course Lan Zhan had gone into rut after they’d killed the Tortoise of Slaughter (fighting the thing for so long probably had played some part in that), which had then instigated Wei Wuxian’s heat and….

At least it had been his dear shijie who’d found out about the baby and not Madame Yu, who probably would have thrown him out on the street with barely any clothes on his back after whipping him half to death (it wasn’t speaking ill of the dead if it was the truth), or Uncle Fengmian, who would have guilted him into naming the father so a hasty marriage could be arranged. Which really, what good would that do? Lan Zhan had barely been cognizant (hell, Wei Wuxian had barely been conscious) when the whole thing had happened, so why should his life be ruined as well?

Not that Wei Wuxian felt like his life was ruined by any means. He and Jiang Yanli had been talking about ways to get him away from Lotus Pier so he could give birth in secrecy, maybe have a trusted wetnurse look after the baby for a couple months and then he’d ‘find’ the ‘poor orphan’ and ‘adopt them’. Perhaps not the greatest plan, but it had been a work in progress.

Then the Wens had attacked Lotus Pier, and all that mattered was surviving another day.

He finished the last of the soup and smiled at Jiang Yanli, whose expression gentled into affectionate approval. “Delicious, as always. Shijie makes the best soup.”

She smiled as she poured them both more tea. “Don't you feel better now?” Her gaze once more flickered to his abdomen when he nodded, but she couldn’t ask him about his little ‘lotus seed’ since they weren’t alone. He knew she worried about the baby, one more burden she bore, one more thing to sap her strength when she needed to focus on her own health, so he gave her as bright a smile as he could to ease her concerns.

They sat together and drank tea, content in each other’s presence; Wei Wuxian fiddled with the beaded charm bracelet on his left wrist while he waited for the sedative in the incense burner to take effect. Soon enough, Jiang Yanli’s eyes, marred by dark circles from exhaustion and worry, drifted shut as she slumped down to rest her head on her arms folded on top of the table. He finished the last of the tea and waited for Jiang Cheng to rise from the bed where he’d pretended to sleep so they could gently carry their beloved sister outside, where a carriage waited to take her to Lanling.

Song Lan, sword in hand, stood beside the carriage and bowed to them once Jiang Yanli was safely tucked inside. “Young masters,” he said as he bowed.

Before Wei Wuxian could wish the man a safe journey, Jiang Cheng shoved himself forward. “We’re trusting our sister in your care. You will deliver her untouched if you value your life,” he told Song Lan with a growl in his voice.

On one hand, Wei Wuxian was happy to see the return of his brother’s spirited, alpha nature (the way he’d been before the loss of his core), but on the other… while Song Lan was an alpha and Jiang Yanli an omega, Song Lan was a respected cultivator and owed them a debt, so could be relied upon to not harm their sister. Jiang Cheng’s threat was unnecessary and a bit insulting.

Song Lan merely bowed again, his face impassive. “I swear on my life that no harm will come to Maiden Jiang while she’s entrusted in my care, from others or myself.” He paused for a moment before he asked Wei Wuxian to pass a message on to Xingchen, only to change his mind and declare the request unnecessary..

“Thank you.” Wei Wuxian bowed to the cultivator before he left, and Jiang Cheng did the same after a moment.

There was an ache in his chest as he watched Jiang Yanli leave, but Wei Wuxian knew it was for the best; she wasn’t a fighter yet would insist on the three of them remaining together despite the danger they faced. No, best that she was someplace safe, especially considering what Wei Wuxian planned to do next.

The ache was quickly replaced by anger when Jiang Cheng slighted Wen Qing as they thanked her for her care; she might be a Wen, but she had risked her life (and Wen Ning his) to provide them medical care and shelter. Wen Ning had betrayed his own clan to help them back at Lotus Pier, and so the siblings deserved their respect.

All Jiang Cheng seemed to care about was restoring his golden core.

Wei Wuxian led his brother to where Baoshan Sanren supposedly lived, a nameless mountain outside of Yiling; he took a roundabout route in order to give the Wen siblings enough time to prepare for their arrival. Jiang Cheng tried to push forward as fast as he could, but was hampered by his lack of a golden core; Wei Wuxian used his brother’s reduced stamina to rest as often as he could, his own strength impeded by his pregnancy.

Ah, lotus seed, he thought as he placed a hand on his barely swollen belly while Jiang Cheng’s attention was diverted, what a chaotic world you’ve chosen to be born into. Interesting times indeed. Despite all the bad things that had happened recently—the attack on Lotus Pier, the deaths of Uncle Jiang and Madame Yu, Jiang Cheng losing his golden core, war about to break out at any moment—Wei Wuxian couldn’t include his unexpected pregnancy in it. True, he’d always thought he’d be mated at least when he started to have a family, but he already cherished the child growing inside of him regardless of how it had come about.

His little lotus seed wasn’t an accident or mistake in his mind; Jiang Yanli accepted it, and he was certain Jiang Cheng would, too, once he found out (and yelled at him for being shameless for a week or two). That was, once Jiang Cheng had a golden core and they were somewhere safe, so Wei Wuxian could tell him the truth (and make him promise not to say anything to Lan Zhan) without adding to his brother’s burdens.

They finally reached the appropriate mountain peak almost two days laters; Wei Wuxian sent his brother on his way, blindfolded and with instructions on what to say to ‘Baoshan Sanren’. Jiang Cheng appeared apprehensive yet determined; Wei Wuxian watched him fumble his way blindly along the trail for some time before he quietly followed. When he caught up to Jiang Cheng, his brother had been rendered unconscious by a disguised Wen Qing and was being held by Wen Ning.

“Let’s get this done,” Wen Qing said as she discarded a hat draped with long, dark veils. She motioned for Wei Wuxian to follow her to where a tent had been set up; inside it were two pallets and several low tables covered with medical supplies, as well as a burning brazier.

Wei Wuxian helped Wen Ning lay Jiang Cheng onto one of the pallets then knelt on the other and watched while the Wens did a quick examination of his unconscious brother. After a few minutes, Wen Qing nodded once, which appeared to be a signal to Wen Ning to begin to remove Jiang Cheng’s upper garments.

She turned her attention to Wei Wuxian. “Are you still certain you want to go through with this, even if there’s only a 50% chance it’ll work?”

“Yes.” Nothing had changed since the last time she’d asked him that question. “It doesn’t matter to me what happens to my golden core but Jiang Cheng can’t live without one.” He saw a flicker of pain cross her face and knew she’d been affected by his brother’s apathy before being given a hope of cultivating again. “Please, go ahead with the transfer,” he begged as he bowed low to her, his thoughts filled with how he had to make things right, had to make up for not being there to protect Jiang Cheng from Wen Zhuliu in the first place.

Wen Qing made a tsk’ing sound as she rapped her knuckles on the back of his head. “Stop that, we’ve no time for your foolishness.” She gave him a narrow look once he sat up. “You know I can’t sedate you during the surgery?” At his slight nod, she held out her hand. “It’ll affect your golden core, which will lower the success rate..”

“All right.” It wasn’t ideal, but somehow he’d manage.

“Hm.” Her lips pressed into a thin line as she continued to hold out her hand; behind her, Wen Ning finished undressing Jiang Cheng then turned his attention toward them, his hands resting on top of his thighs. “I need to check your qi,” Wen Qing said, an impatient bite to the words.

Wei Wuxian hesitated; he’d been careful to not let Wen Qing lay hands on him due to his pregnancy, but it looked as if he couldn’t avoid contact any longer. He sighed as he placed his hand in hers, and tried not to flinch when her fingers pressed against his wrist.

At first, Wen Qing’s expression remained the same (slightly annoyed, which really, such a shame to see it so often on a lovely face like that), and then her dark eyes grew wide and her lips parted with what could only be astonishment. Her strong fingers bit into Wei Wuxian’s wrist for a moment, then let go so she could smack him on top of his head.

“You fool!”

“Ow! That hurt, you hit me,” Wei Wuxian whined while Wen Ning called out his sister’s name.

“You’re pregnant!” Wen Qing glared at him while Wen Ning smiled, his face bright with joy.

“Congratulations, Master Wei, that’s such good—oh!” Wen Ning ducked his head and blinked in confusion when he was smacked by his sister as well. “A-jie?”

“It’s not good news,” Wen Qing snapped, her alpha nature flaring for a moment before she let out a slow breath and controlled herself. “He should have told me he’s pregnant, because there’s no way we can do the surgery now.”

“What?” Wei Wuxian snatched at Wen Qing’s hand while he shook his head, upset at the news; what did his condition have to do with anything? “Why can’t you? I’m perfectly fine, there’s no reason you can’t—”

“Because it’ll kill the child and possibly you if I go ahead with it!” Wen Qing shook her hand free and pressed it against his lower dantian while he stared at her in shock. “There’s the fact that your body will undergo a great strain during the surgery, and then another after you lose your golden core. Even if you both survived those things… the father was a cultivator, right?” She stared at him intently as her hand drifted to rest against his curved belly. “A powerful one?” There was a knowing glint to her eyes as she spoke, yet she didn’t mention any names.

“Yes.” Wei Wuxian refused to think about Lan Zhan right then, but he could acknowledge that much.

“Yes,” Wen Qing echoed while Wen Ning stared at the both of them as if he was an owl transformed into a human. “Which means the child will be a cultivator, too. It doesn’t have a golden core of its own yet, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t benefiting from yours.” Her expression took on a bitter edge as she rocked back on her heels, her hands clasped in her lap. “I’ve seen Wen Zhuliu wield his talent. Once, he was ordered to use it against the pregnant wife of a lord who’d angered Wen Rouhan. She survived, as did the child, but the boy couldn’t cultivate. You can make decisions for yourself all you want, but I won’t be responsible for harming a child or stripping it of its future.”

Wei Wuxian wrapped his arms around his middle as he tried to digest what he’d learned. “But… but Jiang Cheng,” he said as he glanced at his unconscious brother. “What’s going to happen when he wakes up without a core?” It would be worse than before, now that he’d been given the hope of having it restored.

Wen Qing cast a worried glance at Jiang Cheng then shook her head. “Maybe we can—”

“Wha—what about me?”

Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing gaped at Wen Ning; as usual, the quiet beta had faded into the background until he’d spoken. “What about you?” Wei Wuxian asked as he toyed with the beaded bracelet on his wrist. “Do you have an idea?”

“What about giving Young Master Jiang my core?”

Wen Qing was quick to shake her head. “No, that’s out of the question, we’ll figure something else out.”

For once, Wen Ning didn’t allow himself to be cowed by his older sister. “What, A-jie? This was the only solution you and Master Wei could find, and now he can’t go through with it. You can use my core instead,” he offered as he lightly thumped himself on the chest.

“No,” Wei Wuxian said, even as a part of him wanted to accept Wen Ning’s offer, to go along with anything that would save his little brother. “I can’t let you do this.” It was too much of a sacrifice.

“Neither can I.” Wen Qing grabbed hold of Wen Ning’s shoulders and gave him a quick shake as if to make him think properly. “I know you want to help, but this… this is too much! It’s your golden core!”

“I know that,” Wen Ning said as he placed his right hand on her shoulder, his expression earnest as always. “What good has mine ever done for me?” When she made as if to argue, he shook his head. “I’m not as strong as you and the young masters, and I know I’ll never be because of… of my illness.” He pressed his left hand against his chest while Wen Qing appeared guilt-stricken by his words. “You’ve done everything you could for me, but I’ll always be like this. I’m sure young Master Jiang will take my golden core and make something useful out of it.”

“There has to be something else we can do, you can’t just give up your golden core like this!” Wen Qing sounded near tears as she argued with her brother, yet Wen Ning held firm.

“You’re the best doctor I know, probably the best there is, A-jie, and if you don’t know about it then it doesn’t exist. And you know I’m never going to achieve much with mine, so give it to Master Jiang so he can make a difference in the world. It’s what I want.”

As Wen Qing began to cry, Wei Wuxian finally found his voice. “Wen Ning… you don’t have to do this. Any debt you believe you may owe me for saving your life has been repaid.” He wanted to accept what his friend was offering, but it was too much—especially after everything the siblings had done for them in the past couple weeks.

Wen Ning shook his head, his lips curled in a gentle smile. “I want to do it, Master Wei. This way… this way a part of me will be out there fighting, will be setting right the wrongs my clan are committing.”

The fact that he spoke so clearly and fervently, without any stuttering or self-consciousness, convinced Wei Wuxian that Wen Ning meant every word. Wen Qing must have realized the same, since she sat up straight and wiped away her tears, her expression solemn as she gazed at her brother.

“Do you truly want to do this?”

“Mm!” Wen Ning nodded once.

Wen Qing closed her eyes and took a deep breath as if centering herself. “Very well, you’ll assist me while I repair Jiang Wanyin’s meridians.” She then turned to Wei Wuxian. “I’ll need your help with the second part of the surgery.”

“Yes, anything you require,” he promised, unable to believe that they were still going through with the transfer after all. When Wen Qing stood and went over to the brazier, Wei Wuxian grabbed Wen Ning by the arm. “Thank you,” he told his friend, his voice thick with emotion.

Wen Ning smiled once more. “You’re welcome, Master—”

“No, no more of that,” Wei Wuxian said as he patted Wen Ning’s arm. “We’re brother’s now, so you have to call me Wei Ying or A-Xian or gege.” He grinned when Wen Ning attempted to stutter out a denial. “How about Ying-ge?”

“Bu—but—”

“No buts!” Wei Wuxian frowned at his new little brother. “I mean it, we’re family now. Accept it.”

Wen Ning, his face mottled with red, gawked at him for several seconds before he ducked his head. “Even A-jie?”

Wei Wuxian hummed as he rubbed the side of his nose. “Well, I already have the best big sister in the world, but I suppose Shijie won’t mind if I take on another one.” He grinned when he heard Wen Qing mutter something about how she should have kept her mouth shut about his condition.

“Mm, A-jie is amazing.” Wen Ning paused for a moment before he gave Wei Wuxian a quick pat on the left shoulder. “Ying-ge.” Then he scurried over to his sister’s side while Wei Wuxian was left stunned silent at his new nickname.

Once Wen Ning was within reach, Wen Qing cradled his face between her hands and gazed into his eyes until he gave a slight nod. There was a rasp to her voice when she told him to prepare for the transfer, which disappeared when she ordered Wei Wuxian to her side so she could explain to him what she required over the next couple days. Basically, he would watch the first part of the operation to become familiar with the items Wen Qing needed, would fetch anything she asked him to, and would provide spiritual energy to her, Wen Ning and Jiang Cheng.

He quickly agreed to everything, considering that Wen Qing was doing all the hard work and Wen Ning giving up his own golden core, leaving him to do very little (relatively speaking).

Wei Wuxian had already considered Wen Qing a brilliant doctor, having read through the medical treatises she’d written and witnessing her talent first-hand. Now, he had to agree with Wen Ning’s assertion that she was the best one alive after watching her painstakingly heal the damage Wen Zhului had wrought to his brother’s meridians so Wen Ning’s core could be transplanted into his body, her concentration and control not slipping once over the long hours. He fed them both a slight stream of energy and tried not to think of his friend’s hands in his brother’s abdomen.

He tried not to think about how very soon, those hands would be in Wen Ning’s abdomen.

When it came time to remove Wen Ning’s golden core, the young man laid down beside Jiang Cheng without any hesitation, a reassuring smile on his broad face which froze in place when his sister paralyzed him with her needles. Wei Wuxian held his friend’s hand as Wen Qing cut into his flesh, the tightness around her eyes her only sign of distress.

If Wei Wuxian thought that time had passed slowly while she had worked on Jiang Cheng, it practically crawled during the hours it took for Wen Qing to remove Wen Ning’s golden core. Only the fact that the glowing sphere didn’t disperse into nothing when she quickly shoved it into Jiang Cheng’s lower belly made the muffled moans of agony from Wen Ning bearable, put to rest the thought that such a selfless young man had suffered everything for no reason.

It took a couple more hours before Wen Qing finished with everything (and finally allowed her brother to pass out); she slumped exhausted next to Wei Wuxian, who’d practically drained himself dry feeding spiritual energy to her, Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning. “Stop that,” she mumbled when he tried to give her a little more. “Think of the baby.”

“I’m thinking I won’t be any good for anyone if something goes wrong.” He groaned as he rested against the side of the tent as well. “It worked, right?” The last time he’d checked, he felt a steady pulse of qi in Jiang Cheng; it wasn’t as strong as his old core had been, but it was there. Wei Wuxian figured that for now, it was enough for Jiang Cheng to wield a sword and fly (for short distances at least), and that his brother would work hard to make it stronger.

“Yes, it worked.” Wen Qing cast a tender look at her brother. “It had to work.”

“What happens now?”

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back as if contemplating the question; Wei Wuxian got up to pour them each a cup of tea, and smiled when Wen Qing gave him a slight nod in gratitude for the drink. “Now… I’ll monitor them for a few more hours. Once he’s stable, you can leave. When he’s healed enough, I’ll let him wake up so he can go, too.”

“What about you?” Wei Wuxian frowned when she didn’t answer. “What are the two of you going to do?”

Wen Qing gave a one-shoulder shrug. “What does it matter? You got what you wanted.”

“Because I wasn’t lying when I said you’re family now,” he said as he lowered the cup of tea. “And I want to know that my family will be safe. Don’t make your didi worry about you.” He pouted for added effect.

She turned enough to look at him, her expression inscrutable, before she shook her head, a hint of a smile on her lips. “You’re incorrigible.”

“I’m adorable, brilliant and handsome, my shijie tells me that all the time.” He smiled when Wen Qing rolled her eyes at that statement.

“You’re also delusional.” When he went to complain, Wen Qing held up her hand and gave him a stern look before she glanced at their sleeping brothers. “I’ll wait until A-Ning heals, which will take longer, and then we’ll return to the Supervisory Office.”

He frowned at that and rubbed his nose. “Is that wise? What if they come looking for Wen Ning for helping us?”

Wen Qing shook her head then sipped her tea; Wei Wuxian shifted so he could lift the pot and refill her cup. “Let them come. I’ll tell them I’ve already handled his punishment.”

It took Wei Wuxian a moment to realize what she meant. “You’ll tell them that you removed his golden core for helping us.” He gazed at her in admiration, for being able to turn her brother’s sacrifice into something that would protect them both.

She nodded once. “It’s a way fo both of us to escape Wen Rouhan’s wrath without him being turned into a puppet or being tortured, and should keep him from being sent to fight.”

No one needed to know that Wen Ning had done it willingly or that Wen Qing would never treat her beloved younger brother so harshly, no one but the three of them. “We’ll still keep this a secret from Jiang Cheng.” Wei Wuxian had planned to not let his brother know about the transfer of golden cores when it was supposed to be his golden core sacrificed, and saw no reason for that to change now.

Wen Qing nodded again. “That’s likely for the best,” she said, which surprised Wei Wuxian since she’d argued differently before. “He’ll probably suspect A-Ning of some ulterior motive for giving up his core.”

Wei Wuxian didn't say anything, he merely pressed his lips together at the thought of how Jiang Cheng couldn’t see past the hatred for all Wens and realize how much the two siblings had done for them. Instead, he inhaled slowly and took the empty cup from Wen Qing’s slightly trembling hand. “Get some rest,” he told her. “I’ll watch these two for a few hours and wake you if there’s any sign of trouble. Sleep a little then you can check Jiang Cheng one more time before I go.”

It looked as if she wanted to argue, but Wen Qing was too exhausted from the golden core transfer to remain awake much longer. She examined Wen Ning and Jiang Cheng briefly then finally stretched out near her brother to sleep, unconscious within a few seconds.

Wei Wuxian brewed more tea and nibbled on a handful of dried fruit one of the Wen siblings had packed (probably Wen Ning) while he forced himself to remain awake. He would check his brother and Wen Ning every now and then, to reassure himself that Jiang Cheng’s new golden core hadn’t vanished and that Wen Ning continued to recover, then tried to distract himself with plans on what to do next.

He’d leave Jiang Cheng on the mountain with the Wen siblings to continue healing and go to Yilin to wait for him at the inn they’d agreed upon earlier. Once they both were up to it, they’d travel to Lanling to reunite with Jiang Yanli and look into the rumors of Qinghe calling the clans together for war.

Oh, and at some point Wei Wuxian would have to let his brother in on the secret about his lotus seed, but one thing at a time. He figured he’d worry about that when he was far enough along that they couldn’t fight—well, that Jiang Yanli was there to keep Jiang Cheng from throttling him then attempting to kill Lan Zhan for ‘besmirching’ his ‘honor’.

“Ah, lotus seed, it may be small but it’s a wonderful family you’ll have,” he whispered while he rubbed his belly. “Your aunt will spoil you with the best food and your uncle will fight off anyone who dares to look at you the wrong way. You certainly will be loved.” He thought about the stranger he’d met at the market in Yunmeng, right after he’d realized he was pregnant. Somehow, the woman had known about his condition when not even Madame Yu had figured it out, and had gifted him with the beaded charm bracelet he now wore on his left wrist, which she swore would provide protection to him and his child. She also had said that his child would be a powerful cultivator and that she had an old soul, the woman’s expression wistful as she talked about the unborn babe.

Wei Wuxian wasn’t one to take such prophecies seriously, but there’d been something about the woman, a quiet yet deep thrum of power to her, a reverberation of truth to her words, and a comforting sense to the bracelet, that he accepted the gift and bowed in gratitude to her before walking away. That and… well, who didn’t want to hear that their child would grow into a powerful cultivator? Not that he had many doubts of it happening, considering that Lan Zhan was the father.

“I do hope you’re a girl,” he said as he glanced at a sleeping Wen Qing. “Someone like mom to give those stuffy Lans fits.” He didn’t think that Lan Zhan would try to force any claim on the child if the truth came out, not when there was no mating bond between them nor marriage, but there would be less pressure on the Lan clan’s heir if Wei Wuxian bore a girl; they tended to favor men as sect leaders, not women.

“You’ll be Yunmeng Jiang, just like me.” Wei Wuxian smiled as he thought about a young woman robed in purple, her long hair held back with a red ribbon. Would she have grey eyes like him and his mother, or golden ones like Lan Zhan? Best if they were grey, he decided. He hoped she would have his mother’s smile, one of the few things he clearly remembered about her, and the sense of humor everyone said he had inherited from the woman.

Mostly, he wished that his child never grew up like he did, starving on the streets and all alone, orphaned at a young age. He swore he’d always be there for his child, that they would never know such grief and fear.

When he felt as if he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer, Wen Qing stirred and slowly sat up. She blinked a couple times then whirled around to her brother, her hands seeking out the pulse point on his left wrist; after a moment, she sagged in relief then continued with the examination. While she did that, Wei Wuxian brewed a fresh pot of tea.

Once she had examined Jiang Cheng as well, he handed her a cup of tea. “Everything good?”

“Yes.” Her dark eyes narrowed while she sipped the hot beverage. “Did you get any rest?” When he shrugged, she set the cup aside and snatched at his wrist, only to click her tongue after a few seconds. “You’re very low on spiritual energy and nearing the limits of your body. You need to sleep.”

“I’ll get plenty, once I get to Yilin,” he promised, even going as far as to raise three fingers by his forehead. “I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t forget that you’re responsible for more than yourself now.” Wen Qing placed a hand over his growing belly and concentrated for a few seconds before she clicked her tongue again. “What the gods were thinking by making you an omega, we’ll never know,” she said as she turned away.

“That my children will be as beautiful, clever and adored as I am,” Wei Wuxian said after he stuck his tongue at her (while her back was turned, he wasn’t stupid).

Wen Qing glanced heavenward as if beseeching the gods for patience, then shoved several things into a small bag. Once she was done, she handed it to Wuxan. “Chew on these on your way to Yilin. And be careful from now on,” she admonished, her tone harsh but eyes filled with concern, “because there’s not much else we can do for you.”

Wei Wuxian accepted the bag and gave her a deep bow. “I am eternally in you and Wen Qionglin’s debt for everything you’ve done for me and my siblings. If you need anything, you just have to ask. Anything.”

She sighed and tugged on the sleeve of his black hanfu to make him stand up straight. “I thought we were family now, there’s no need for such things.” Then she wrinkled her upturned nose. “That and it seems unnatural, seeing you act like this.”

“Aww, Qing-jie is- aiya!” Wei Wuxian stumbled backwards, away from the needles suddenly brandished in his face.

“Don’t call me that, and shouldn’t you be leaving?” Wen Qing gave him a cool look and didn’t put the needles away until he nodded.

She begrudgingly waited for him to say ‘goodbye’ to his unconscious brother then walked with him back to the trail which would lead down the mountain. Assured that JIang Cheng would be alright, as would Wen Ning, Wei Wuxian wished her ‘goodbye’ as well and went on his way. He discovered that she’d given him several small balls of herbs that tasted horrible when he chewed them, but helped push aside the exhaustion so that he made good time back to Yilin.

Still, all he wanted was to eat a good meal, have a long, hot bath and then sleep for a day or two. He thought longingly about a few jars of wine, until he felt the charm bracelet slip along his left wrist.

“The sacrifices I make for you, lotus seed,” he said as he walked, struck by a strong pang of loss yet again for Subian; if only he had his sword, he’d already be in Yilin.

If only he had his sword, maybe things would have been different when the Wens had attacked Lotus Pier.

Eventually, he finally arrived at the designated inn on the outskirts of Yilin; he was so tired, he hardly recalled much of the last half-day of travel. Perhaps that was the reason why Wen Chao found him so quickly, or maybe it was just a case of truly bad luck. All Wei Wuxian knew was that he’d barely sat down in the inn when Wen Chao, along with Wen Zhuliu, Wang Lingjiao and several soldiers, burst into the building.

He got up to run away, only to find Wen Zhuliu in his path; the man grabbed him by the front of his robes with his left hand, his right hand pressed against Wei Wuxian’s chest, before the bastard frowned and pulled the hand back to punch Wei Wuxian instead and send him flying through the air to land on top of a table. Exhausted and still drained of energy, both physical and spiritual, Wei Wuxian could do little more than curl his body in a manner to protect the child growing inside of it.

As soon as he regained his footing, one of the soldiers kicked him in the back, which knocked him onto the ground. Wen Chao, the smug asshole, trod on his right hand and taunted him, asking him why didn’t he get up and where his arrogance had gone. He was told to get back up, despite the asshole standing on his foot; eventually two soldiers had to haul him upright.

“Where is Jiang Cheng?” Wen Chao demanded to know. “What, you don't want to talk? You know you can’t save him even if you remain silent. Right now, Jiang Cheng is merely a waste. He’s no better than livestock.”

Wei Wuxian listened to the useless second son of the Wen clan insult his brother and the Yunmeng Jiang clan, as he was told to beg like a dog (a dog!) and crawl on the ground if he wanted to be let go (he knew it was a lie, did Wen Chao think he was as stupid as him?). Even Wang Lingjiao started yipping away as if she was of any importance.

Of course Wei Wuxian didn’t take them up on their ‘offer’ (blatant lie), so it wasn’t any surprise when the arrogant asshole ordered his soldiers to beat him; once again, Wei Wuxian curled up in a protective manner to protect his child as much as possible. Part of him wondered how the soldiers would react if they knew they were attacking a pregnant omega, before he decided that Wen Chao probably wouldn’t care about breaking such an important taboo (and he couldn’t risk the Wens finding out that Lan Zhan was the father).

The assault eventually stopped, only for Wen Chao to threaten Wei Wuxian as if he was anything more than a pathetic bully whose only real power lay in the weapons his father loaned out to him. There was a moment of fear when he called upon Wen Zhuliu to destroy Wei Wuxian’s core, but Wei Wuxian managed to talk his way out of it before the man moved to obey. He foolishly believed that might be improving (despite Wang Lingjiao slicing into his chest with that damn brand she never seemed to be without), before he was dragged out of outside and hauled into the air.

At first he thought they might be taking him to Qishan with the intent of throwing him in the dungeons there, but eventually Wen Chao, the pompous asshole, began talking about the Burial Mounds in Yiling. Wei Wuxian’s eyes grew wide and his heart raced when it became clear what was going to happen to him, but he was too battered and drained of energy to do more than attempt to struggle. Not a moment later, mocking laughter broke out as he was flung downward, toward the darkness and source of overpowering resentful energy that was the Burial Mounds.

Pushing all panic aside, he quickly cast a talisman for wind in an attempt to slow his descent; it worked somewhat, but he still rushed toward the ground. He tried another one, which seemed to have a greater effect (there was an odd heat around his left wrist for some reason), so he then cast his binding spell, the gleaming blue thread forming on his left wrist, which he cast out as he quickly approached what looked to be large trees. Be it by luck or the blessings of the gods, it managed to latch on to one of the tall, spindly structures. A sharp pain tore through his left shoulder when the line grew taut, but his impact upon the ground was lessened to the point that he didn’t die immediately.

No, he merely passed out.

He woke to the sound of screams, of voices calling out his names and cries of vengeance, and a wall of fierce corpses standing in the near distance. Surprised that he hadn’t been devoured by the undead creatures while unconscious, he noticed two things: that there was a glowing, pale blue circle around him and that just outside of it floated the sword he’d found inside the Tortoise of Slaughter and had placed inside his quankin pouch. Confused, battered both by resentful energies and what the Wens had done to him, Wei Wuxian managed to sit up somewhat, hunched forward as he felt for the spark of life inside of him that had been steadily growing the last few months. He almost slumped face first into the ground when he realized that his unborn child had survived everything (so far, a hysterical voice whispered in his head) by some miraculous means.

He needed to get his act together and ensure his lotus seed remained alright; that meant figuring a way to get out of the Burial Mounds alive, something no one had ever done. It was a good thing the Yunmeng Jiang clan’s motto was ‘attempt the impossible’.

He took in the bleak surroundings: the bones scattered everywhere and numerous gravestones, the mist which obscured his vision after a few yards, and a lack of sunlight which made it impossible to tell the time of day. There was the oppressive miasma of resentful energy along with the endless chorus of voices calling out to him, which he did his best to block out of his head. His right hand clutched at the bracelet around his left wrist while he attempted to concentrate, his fingers quick to find the gap from two missing beads.

Had they been broken in the fall? Or during the beating back at the inn? Wei Wuxian didn’t have much time to ponder what had happened to the charm since the intensity of the voices’ shrieking increased to a painful level, as did the pressure from the resentful energy. He struggled to fight against the insidious forces, but he didn’t have much spiritual energy.

However, he remembered that the odd sword had some sort of power to it, that it seemed tied to the ghostly voices in the Dusk-Creek Mountain cave. Or maybe he’d hit his head on something during the fall, or been kicked one too many times by those Wen bastards. The thing was, he and his unborn child weren’t going anywhere unless he did something, and right then? The sword seemed the only source of power around, which meant it might be of some help.

Or it might be one huge mistake, but Wei Wuxian didn’t have many choices available as well as a history of turning mistakes into his favor (well, mostly).

He half-crawled toward the sword and only hesitated a moment to reach past the safety of the circle (where had it come from?) for the weapon’s hilt. For a moment all was quiet, and then the screaming came back in force.

Wei Wuxian

Do you want vengeance?

Young Master Wei

Stay with us

Hurt the ones who’ve hurt you, Wei Wuxian

Wei Ying

Do you want to stay?

What about vengeance?

The voices were so loud, so constant, as were their shrieks of pain and rage. He thought some of them sounded familiar, thought they might be the dead from Lotus Pier, yet he also thought he heard Lan Zhan say his name once or twice when he dwelled on the voices calling for vengeance. By the time he reached the sword, the voices were an incoherent cacophony in his head that funneled to one thunderous question as his hands wrapped around ice-cold metal.

DO YOU WANT VENGEANCE?

For a moment, Wei Wuxian could see himself standing in the Palace of Sun and Flames, surrounded by an endless sea of Wen corpses, the heads of Wen Rouhan and his sons mounted on pikes behind him. He hungered for the vision to come true, for the Wens to pay for what they’d done to the Jiangs and the Lans… and then he felt a faint flutter in his belly and heard Wen Qing chide him to take better care of himself.

“I… I want the power to protect myself and my loved ones,” he told the voice (the sword?). “To defend them from those who would cause harm.” Who had caused harm.

VENGEANCE!

He thought of Jiang Yanli and shook his head.”I want more than that for my child!” He didn’t want someone to come after her for what he’d done, he wanted an end to the fighting. “Protection!”

Child?

A child. Home

Family

It was faint, but some of the voices seemed to be breaking off from the sword. “Yes, a child, my child. I’ll fight anyone to keep them safe, can’t you understand that?” To give them a happy, safe life.” I want to give them peace, not eternal war,” he pleaded with the sword and the voices. “I understand revenge, I want it, too, but not at the cost of my child’s peace. Help me give my child peace.”

Vengeance

Family, they took away my family

I only wanted a husband and child of my own

Wei Ying

My child was so young

Was he getting somewhere with them? Wei Wuxian gritted his teeth together, his hands long turned numb from holding onto the sword, and offered the voices (the dead) a consoling smile. “Help me, and I’ll help you,” he promised.

*******

Somehow all my italics got messed up. Grrr.

So, the a/b/o here - it’s more lowkey than in other fics, if you can’t tell, and basically comes across as how people reproduce. People don’t put down omegas as being weak or lesser, it just means they are more fertile than betas and can bear children (and so usually have a protected status, especially when pregnant). An alpha/omega pairing will produce the most offspring, but other pairings can technically produce them as well, just with less odds of success. That means no one looks down on WWX for being an omega, though they’d chastise him (and his partner) for having a child out of wedlock and for him not taking care of himself while pregnant. That’s more to deal with the value placed on family and honor than anything.

No obvious scenting, either, at least not until one is in heat/rut, and it’s considered normal for people to take daily medicine (tea or the such) to lessen the impact of them if not put them off all-together, and to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

Also, I’m probably going to skip most honorifics except the immediate family ones. I’ve only the very beginning knowledge of Chinese. Please forgive any mistakes there along with the culture, I appreciate any corrections.

And I promise, a new chapter of Casts a Shadow up this weekend!

#nekojitachanfics #mumbling into the void #don't wanna fall fic #wangxian #the untamed #mdzs #cql

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pawsnread · 4 years

Text

Untamed Fall Fest Day 7: Reunion

After decades, Lan Yi reunites with the love she had to give up in order to continue the family legacy.

This story follows @antiquecompass Jiang Cheng and the Lans, and is part of the A Long And Happy Life series.

The young woman who walked up the Nie Residence drive was tall and slender, a kind smile on her face as she took each step with purpose. Lan Yi had spent enough years as the Lan Academy headmistress to be able to identify one of the academy students on sight.

“Madam Lan,” the woman said, sinking almost instinctively into a polite, formal salute. “I’m Song Yating. Uncle Cheng asked if I would drive you today.”

Lan Yi gave her an acquiescing nod before following Yating to the waiting car.

“Jiang Cheng is your uncle?” she asked once they were maneuvering through the Boston streets.

“No,” Yating admitted. “But I’ve known Sizhui and Jin Ling since we were all kids. Our parents would take turns watching all of us, so I’ve just gotten used to calling all the adults in my life aunt and uncle.”

“I see. And where is Jiang Cheng?”

“Headmaster Lan and Sizhui asked if he would accompany them to oversee some last minute preparations for the alumni event. He sends his apologies, but would like to note that this is a better arrangement.”

“And why is that, my dear?”

“Because Baoshan Sanren is my grandmother. And she is currently waiting to see you at my parents’ school.”

Ah, now Lan Yi understood why Yating had seemed familiar to her, more so than just another academy student. There had been something about Yating’s bearing that had been nagging at Lan Yi, and now she could see it clearly; though they weren’t blood related, Yating had the confident stride in her demeanor that could only have been from being brought up under Baoshan Sanren’s strict but loving tutelage.

The traffic was light that day, and in little time they had arrived at their destination. Yating led Lan Yi into a building with a modest brick exterior, the sounds of clashing blades greeting them as they entered a wide space divided into four fencing strips. An épée match was occurring on one of the strips, the students in their white uniforms gathered around to watch, faces a mixture of delight and concentration. From the sidelines, Song Lan observed everything, arms crossed over his chest, eyes flickering left and right with the movement of the fencers.

“Hi, Dad,” Yating said, stepping to his side. Raising herself on her toes, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Is she…”

“In the office,” Song Lan replied. He tilted his chin in the direction before giving Lan Yi a polite nod in greeting.

As she followed Yating towards the glass windowed office, Lan Yi could feel her heart rate rising as she caught her first glimpse of Baoshan Sanren in almost four decades. She was still the woman Lan Yi remembered - a little older and rougher around the edges, but still full of strength and beauty as if time had slowed for her. She sat alone behind the office desk, sipping a cup of tea (Lan Yi wondered if she still favored a strong oolong) as she flipped through some book.

“Hi, Aunt Baoshan,” Yating greeted cheerfully as she entered the office. Baoshan Sanren’s face broke into a smile as Yating leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek.

“How’s my sweet girl?” Baoshan Sanren asked. “Are you getting enough sleep with the archery competition coming up? Your fathers had better be feeding you properly or I will have some words with them.” Her smile widened at Yating’s laughter; a moment later, it withered a touch as her eyes fell on Lan Yi, who lingered in the doorway.

“I’ll leave you two to talk.” After pouring another cup of tea, Yating gestured Lan Yi towards a seat. The office door closed with a click behind her as she left.

For some time they didn’t speak, sitting across from one another, two cups of steaming tea untouched before them. Despite being unable to take her eyes off of her before, Lan Yi now found herself unable to look directly at Baoshan Sanren. Her gaze strayed, flickering back to the fencing strips where Yating now stood next to Song Lan, the two of them conversing quietly.

“She said she is your granddaughter,” Lan Yi said. Mentally, she berated herself; this wasn’t how she wanted the conversation to start.

“Yating is one of many, yes,” Baoshan Sanren replied matter-of-factly.

“I heard your son had won Olympic gold years ago.”

“He did. But he…” Baoshan Sanren made a gesture in Song Lan’s direction. “…is my son-in-law.” The pair of them watched as the épée match ended, the fencers shaking hands before removing their masks. Xiao Xingchen shook his hair free, a happy smile on his face as he walked towards Song Lan and Yating. “That’s my baby boy.”

“He looks like Cangse.” Lan Yi remembered a young girl with a bright smile and equally bright dreams. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to offer her condolences when she heard of what happened to Cangse and Wei Changze - not after how things had ended between them.

“He does.” Those dark piercing eyes turned way from Xingchen and his family to finally settle on Lan Yi. “But you didn’t ask me to meet to talk about my family.”

“No, I didn’t.” Silence stretched between them again, the only sounds to be heard were the mock matches occurring on the strips. “I’m sorry,” Lan Yi said after some time.

“I don’t need an apology,” Baoshan Sanren said. There was no anger in her voice, no reproach. She sat calmly, that gaze still lingering on Lan Yi. “It’s not an apology I want to hear, A-Yi. I just want to know why.”

“You know why.”

“I’m not sure I do. You never were one to follow convention. I can understand you giving into the Elders and taking the position of headmistress. You loved that school - still do, probably. You loved those students and wanted the best for them. I know why you did your duty. But what I don’t understand is why did you…” Even after all the years, she couldn’t bring herself to say it, to ask the question that lingered between them.

Why did you let me go?

Closing her eyes, she could picture them back then. She could still see the crestfallen expression on Baoshan Sanren’s face when she told her it was over between them, the day she had to say good-bye to the beautiful fencer she had fallen in love with. That face had haunted her all through the years, and Lan Yi would never forgave herself for being the reason she saw tears in Baoshan Sanren’s eyes for the first time ever.

“I didn’t want to,” she admitted, her voice low with the slightest tremble from emotions she had been holding in. “The Elders - they told me I had a choice. Either I ended it with you myself, or they would do it for me. I was going to be headmistress one way or another, but I couldn’t be with you at the same time. They wouldn’t allow it.” Her fingers curled into fists, manicured nails biting into her palms. “Even after all that, they forced me out when all I did was try to help the students. All I wanted was to make sure they all received the education they deserved. It wasn’t good enough for them, so they forced me into retirement and replaced me like I was nothing.”

“A-Yi…”

“For a long time, I was angry. I was angry at the Elders for being such stuck up pricks who cared more about their clan reputation than the students. I was angry at them for forcing me to do things I didn’t want to do ever since I was a child. But mostly…” There were tears in Lan Yi’s eyes as she finally held Baoshan Sanren’s gaze. “I was angry with myself, for giving into them and letting you go. You were the best thing to ever come into my life - and I let you go.” Her voice faded as the tears came, ones she had been holding back for years.

Wordlessly, Baoshan Sanren stood and claimed the seat next to Lan Yi. She reached over and grasped Lan Yi’s hand, intertwining their fingers.

“You could have called,” she said softly. “You could have told me.” She didn’t flinch at the almost hysterical bark of laughter Lan Yi released.

“How could I? After leaving you, hurting you. You should be angry with me.”

“I was, but that was a long time ago. I had children to raise so I had to move on. After I heard that you were no longer headmistress, I tried to reach you. Nobody would tell me where you were. Qiren…I could see he wanted to tell me, but he never did, always dutiful to the end. I thought, perhaps, you’d come and find me. So I waited.”

“And now here we are. Maybe it’s too late for us.”

With a sigh, Baoshan Sanren gazed out the office windows. Yating had moved to a far off corner and was speaking excitedly into her phone. Song Lan had remained where he was, watching his students practice, his face a mask of stern concentration. Beside him, Xingchen leaned against him, head against Song Lan’s shoulder, his body posture relaxed and content.

“Song Lan would have waited forever for Xingchen,” she mused quietly. “He made a promise when they were at the academy to wait until Xingchen was ready, until he had fulfilled his dreams. They spent some time apart, waiting and dreaming for that day. They were lucky that it came so soon in their lives. Song Lan used to tell Xingchen ‘you’re worth the wait’.” The beginnings of a smile crossed her face as Baoshan Sanren pressed a kiss to Lan Yi’s temple. “It’s not too late, A-Yi. I’m here, and I’m ready to try again - if you are.”

She could feel the anxiety lessening, replaced with a warmth she never thought she would experience again. With a nod of her head, Lan Yi tightened her hold on Baoshan Sanren’s hand.

“Then let’s try again, Baoshan. Come with me to the alumni gathering. Let’s show those pricks how miserably they failed.”

“That’s my girl. I missed that spitfire spirit.”

Raising their clasped hands, Lan Yi pressed a kiss to the back of Baoshan Sanren’s knuckles. They spent the next few hours getting to know each other again, reminiscing about the past and catching up. It felt almost as if no time had passed, as if they were never separated. And, if they had any say in the matter - which they did, a lot to say in fact - they were not to be parted again.

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merinnan · 4 years

Text

Nevermore - Part 10

AO3 | Nevermore Masterlist

A flash of movement by the door caught Jiang Cheng’s attention as he took his seat, and he looked over to catch a glimpse of what looked to be the ends of long hair and white ribbon disappearing into the corridor. His usual frown deepening, he looked around the lecture hall to see who was skipping out on this lecture. He couldn’t see anyone missing, and a quick headcount confirmed that all of the cadets, both the ones almost through their training and the newer ones who’d arrived recently, were in their seats and paying attention to Nie Huaisang as he gestured at the screen with his fan.

With a shrug, Jiang Cheng sat back in his seat and pulled his phone out. It must have been someone realising they were walking into the wrong room, he figured, pulling up his earlier conversation with Song Zichen to send the man another message.

thx for the headsup earlier

cadets all here and accounted for

he can go suck shit if he’s looking for them now

Zichen

Glad to hear it

But if he’s got it into his head to start that again, he’s probably not going to give up

he can go fuck himself

don’t worry about it

me and mianmian have it covered

Zichen

Xingchen and I will also keep an eye on him when we can

Would you like us to tell Jingyi and Sizhui to do the same?

fuck no

jingyi’s reckless enough that he’ll just go challenge him to a fight immediately

even though he’s still on fucking crutches

tell wen ning if u see him b4 I do

Zichen

He was here maybe 10 minutes ago with Lan Xichen

We mentioned it to him and told him we’d told you about it

I’ll let him know you’d like him to help us keep an eye on his cousin

He frowned at his phone. He’d forgot that this Lan Xichen guy was supposed to arrive today, and he and Wen Qing hadn’t yet finished narrowing down a list of prospective co-pilots. All of that work on top of one class of cadets coming into the last few months of their training and another class having just begun had him completely busy, so of course now was the time the fucking Wen brothers had to start their bullshit again. They were probably annoyed their jaeger was still out of commission and looking to take it out on their juniors. Jiang Cheng gave a slight grunt of disgust as he shot off a message to Miammian letting her know that he needed to go straight to Wen Qing’s once he was done here, before glancing up at the screen.

The sight that met him was from video footage that was burned into his mind, one of the scenes that replayed in his head when he was trying to sleep, and twisted itself into nightmares. As it had four years ago, and as it had far too many nights since, the kaiju Malerax stood in front of the skyscraper that held the Shanghai offices of Jiang Corporation, reaching up with one clawed hand to rip down the purple steel lotus that was the corporation’s logo on the building that a bare minute before it had smashed that self-same fist through. More bricks and glass showered down to the ground, the building shaking again. Jiang Cheng swallowed, closing his eyes before watching the kaiju use the lotus to hammer at the jaeger trying to stop it.

Watching the place and approximate time of his parents’ deaths hadn’t been what he’d expected from a tactics lecture. He knew his mother was still alive at this point of the battle – according to the timestamps on the video footage and on his phone, this was about the point she sent him the last message he’d ever received from her. Had she already received her fatal injuries by now? That, he didn’t know, but he was sure that she knew she was going to die. He couldn’t imagine her sending the message that she had otherwise. Had his father already been killed at that point? Those were questions he both wished he knew the answer to, and hoped that he never would.

Grateful that whatever reason Nie Huaisang had for showing the cadets this footage as part of the lecture didn’t also require the sound of that battle, he opened his eyes again and looked fixedly down at his phone instead, tapping through random apps without looking at them and ignoring the lecture until the lights coming back on and the sound of movement and quiet chatter signaled that it was over.

“Wanyin?”

He looked up from his phone to see Nie Huaisang had come to stand in front of him, hiding behind his fan like usual. The man looked almost…concerned. Jiang Cheng arched an eyebrow, putting his phone away and standing.

“What, Huaisang? Make it quick, I have work to do.”

“Are you alright?”

Well…that wasn’t what he was expecting. He scowled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Nie Huaisang gave a slow, lazy few waves of the fan, but the sharp look of concern didn’t fade. “Your reaction to some of the footage I showed – I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look actually shaken before. And you’ve never switched off like that when I’m presenting new theories and tactics. You’re usually even more attentive than the cadets.”

“I wasn’t fucking…” he began to snap, then stopped, and just scowled again. “I’m fine. Just had other stuff to deal with today.” He waves a hand at the cadets filing out. “Training this lot, working out Drift matches, new pilots, Wen Xu being a fuckwit as usual, shit like that. Don’t worry about it. Look, if there’s nothing you needed me for, I’m going to be late to meet Wen Qing.”

He wasn’t, but it was a good excuse to get out of there. From the look Nie Huaisang was giving him, the other man had seen right through it, but simply gave him a small smile and a nod.

“Of course – come see me when you have a moment, though.” He glanced at the blank screen over his shoulder. “I have some more theories than what I discussed here.”

“Sure.” He cricked his neck with a loud crack. “Fuck knows when, but I’ll drop by.”

“Wanyin…”

He turned and began striding for the door. “See you later, Huaisang.”

~~~

A short while after, sprawled over one of Wen Qing’s sofas with his feet danging over the side (“Boots OFF the sofa, Jiang Cheng! And no, don’t you DARE take them off, I don’t want to smell your stinky feet.”), Jiang Cheng tossed another file onto the table after trying and failing to pay attention to its contents.

“Who was that?” Wen Qing asks, barely looking up from her screen. “And are they a yes or a no?”

“Fucked if I know yet.” He flopped his hand over his eyes. “They could be either, honestly. I’ll know for sure once I can actually see this Lan fight in person instead of just looking at his records and their records.”

“Which you will, but for now can you please make some judgements based on those records of who we should test him with? We can’t just randomly throw cadets at him and see who sticks.”

He lifted his hand and glanced over at her. She glared at him through the blue screen of text and numbers hovering in front of her, before rolling her eyes and picking up her coffee to take a drink. Reaching out, she dragged the record in front of her off of the screen, allowing the next to fill its place.

“How about Xiao Qing?” she suggested.

“No.” There’s no hesitation in his response.

“Oh? We know she’s Drift-compatible with Xiao Xingchen, and his and Lan Xichen’s psych profiles are…”

“No,” he repeats. “She and Xue Yang will make a much stronger team.”

“Xue Yang? And Xiao Qing?”

His lips pull back in a rare grin. “If they don’t fucking kill each other first, yes. Trust me.”

She gave a snort in response, her fingers flicking at the record to close it. “Only because you haven’t been wrong about a match yet.” Another flick, and the screen faded out as she took another sip of her coffee and looked at him. “Okay, spill.”

“…huh?”

“Don’t ‘huh’ me. Something happened. What is it?”

His hand flopped back over his eyes. “Nothing.” Even before the word left his mouth, he knew that Wen Qing wasn’t going to let him get away with just that – she never had, with anything, not even when they were kids. Sure enough, he heard her push her chair back and her footsteps cross the room from her desk to the sofa he was sprawled along. He should have expected the sharp jab of her finger into his shoulder, but he still flinched, dropping his hand down the side of the couch and scowling up at her.

“What was that for?”

“You know what it was for,” she retorted, crossing her arms. His scowl deepened, and she just scowled right back at him. After several long moments of trying to out-scowl each other, Jiang Cheng finally sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

“Huaisang showed a clip of the Malerax fight during the lecture,” he admitted. “The part where the bastard ripped the lotus logo off the Jiang Industries building.”

“Ah.” She uncrossed her arms, and leaned on the back of the sofa. “How did you take it?”

He snorted. “How do you think? I ended up staring at my phone and ignoring everything else. Even Huaisang noticed something was wrong.”

“How are you now?”

He strongly considered saying ‘fine’, then considered what Wen Qing was likely to do to him for outright lying to her about this. He scowled again at the thought, then shrugged.

“It threw me off a bit, but it’s not like I haven’t seen it before. I just wasn’t expecting it. I’ll be fine, I’ve got work to concentrate on, anyway.”

It was, he had to admit, kind of impressive how Wen Qing’s expression could say so much with just a twist of her lips or a raised eyebrow. He raised his hands in front of him.

“Really, Qing-jie,” he assured her quickly, using the name he hadn’t called her by since their school days. “I swear I’m okay. Let’s just get back to this, okay?” He sat up – or, at least, that’s what he tried to do. Partway up, he felt something yank against his hair, pulling him back slightly as he swore. Twisting a little, he found his hair ribbon tangled on one of the sofa buttons, and he took a moment to untangle it so he could actually sit up.

“Why do you have a sofa with those fucking buttons on it anyway?” he said, rubbing his head. He could feel the tangle in his hair caused by the ribbon and the silver lotus hair ornament it was threaded through, and started to tug them out to redo his ponytail.

“Because that’s what my office was furnished with then I got here,” Wen Qing replied. How the hell could she shrug with her voice, he wondered, moments before she slapped his hands out of the way. “You’re making it worse. Let me.”

Her fingers carefully and deftly untangled the lotus from his hair, pulling it and the ribbon free before she swiped her fingers through his hair, rather less gently combing through the tangles.

“Ouch. You’re a cruel woman,” he complained. “Why am I letting you do this to me again?”

“Because you love me,” she shot back.

“Qing-jie?” a third voice broke in. Wen Qing’s fingers stilled in his hair, and she thrust the ribbon and hair ornament into his face.

“A-Ning!” she said, her voice turning much gentler. “And this would be Lan Xichen.”

Jiang Cheng twisted around on the sofa, leaning back slightly to get a look at the man Wen Ning had brought into his sister’s office while they were both distracted. This was the jaeger pilot who was causing him and Wen Qing so much extra work, huh? The one who’d up and left for four years before coming back.

He found himself looking at a tall man, probably around his height, wearing a perfectly in-order PPDC uniform that was…actually really flattering to the muscular build. Long hair framed what was possibly one of the most stunning faces Jiang Cheng had ever seen, and he’d seen a few – his brother had taken a particular delight in showing him every single one he came across once he’d figured out what his type was.

It wasn’t until he hit the floor that Jiang Cheng realised he’d actually fallen off the fucking couch on seeing this man. But even then, the embarrassment was drowned out by a single thought.

Oh no, he’s hot.

#pacific rim #chen qing ling #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #cql #mdzs #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #gdc #fanfic #xicheng #lan xichen #jiang cheng #nevermore

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merinnan · 4 years

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Nevermore - Part 8

Even before they reached speaking distance of the people clustered around Frost Flower’s feet, Lan Xichen could tell who the jaeger’s pilots were. Their appearance wasn’t too different to anyone else here, beyond how undeniably attractive they both were, as they wore standard variations of the PPDC uniform – one in a white t-shirt with the Corps logo on it, the other in a shirt of the darkest possible blue that regulation wear came in, so dark that it was almost black. Their demeanors around their team also didn’t warrant a second glance, with both seeming to talk and interact with the crew easily, although the one in white was more prone to soft, gentle smiles while his companion’s expression was more serious.

No, it was the way that they interacted with each other that was the dead giveaway, especially to someone who had had Drift partners of their own. It was the way each obviously knew where the other was without looking, the way the one in white tossed some small item over his shoulder and the other caught it without even glancing away from his conversation with one of the J-techs.

The was that there were slight, gentle touches in passing, ones that made Lan Xichen’s heart ache to see because such unspoken affection was so familiar, and he had been mourning and missing it for so long. The way that they seemed to naturally fit together in a way that he found painful to see. Some might wonder why he found it painful to see with this pair when that same natural fit had only made him smile when it came to Lan Jingyi and Wen Sizhui, and he would wonder in turn how they couldn’t see that the answer was obvious. Lan Jingyi and Wen Sizhui were best friends. Xiao Xingchen and Song Zichen were lovers, and when he looked at the way they behaved with each other he saw his own lost partners.

It was with a small start that he realized that he and Wen Qionglin had come to a stop in front of them, and that he was now the focus of both men.

“Wen-xiansheng,” the one in white said, his voice just as soft and gentle as his expression, “how nice to see you.” His gaze flicked to Wen Qionglin briefly as he spoke, before returning to Lan Xichen, whom he then greeted with a small bow. “Xiao Xingchen.”

“Song Zichen.” The one in dark blue introduced himself almost immediately after his partner.

“Lan Xichen.” He returned the bow. “I just arrived.”

“Ah, yes, Purple Lightning’s surviving pilot,” Xiao Xingchen murmured. “We’re sorry for your loss.”

Lan Xichen felt his throat close up slightly, and all he could do for an initial response was to nod. “Thank you,” he finally managed after a few moments that felt like they stretched on forever.

“It’s a shame that we never had the opportunity to work with you previously,” Song Zichen added. “We were based out of Los Angeles before coming to Shanghai when this Shatterdome went operational. We’re looking forward to working with you now, though, you and whoever your new partner is.”

“Perhaps you have another Lan hiding behind you?” Xiao Xingchen’s eyes sparkled with quiet mirth. “To turn Shanghai Shatterdome into even more of a Lan family affair? At this rate, you’ll soon beat the Wens.”

“Says the man whose daughter is in the current crop of trainees.” Song Zichen rolled his eyes, no less amused than his partner, and Lan Xichen gave them both slightly startled glances. He’d picked both men as being no more than a year or two older than himself, not old enough to have adult children of their own. Xiao Xingchen caught his look and gave a soft chuckle.

“She’s your daughter, too,” he reminded his partner, then, to Lan Xichen, “A-Qing is our adopted daughter. Legally, at any rate. She’s more like a younger sister to us.”

“Unless she wants something,” Song Zichen added, his serious expression breaking into a fondly exasperated smile. “At which point she has Xingchen well and truly wrapped around her little finger as much as any other doting father.”

“Hush, you.” Another smile. “You’re almost as bad.”

“It’s true,” Wen Qionglin confirmed with an amused smile of his own, then gave the two Frost Flower pilots a bow. “While I’m showing Lan-xiansheng around and introducing him, do you know if Eternal Sun’s pilots are here right now?”

“You just missed them.” Song Zichen’s smile faded, replaced with a slightly disgusted frown. “Wang Liaojiao came by to whine at Wen Chao for not paying her enough attention, and he left with her shortly after that. Wen Xu then decided that he should go visit the trainees.”

“He…” There was no hiding the concern on Wen Qionglin’s face. “Didn’t anyone try to stop him?”

“It’s alright,” Xiao Xingchen assured him. “He’s going to be disappointed. None of us felt the need to tell him that all the trainees have a lecture on new anti-kaiju tactics instead of their usual free period.”

“I let Jiang Wanyin know, too,” Song Zichen added. “If Wen Xu tries hazing trainees again, then this time I’m fairly sure that Wanyin will break his legs.”

“It’s not like Eternal Sun will be ready to see action before a broken leg would heal, anyway,” Xiao Xingchen mused.

Lan Xichen just looked helplessly between the three, utterly lost by the conversation. Again, it was Xiao Xingchen who noticed first and took pity on his ignorance.

“Jiang Wanyin is the fightmaster here, Lan-xiansheng,” he explained. “Despite how irritable he appears, he’s very protective of his trainees, and doesn’t take kindly to hazing. Wen Xu is one of those types who thinks hazing is…a rite of passage. They’ve clashed over this before.”

“What my dear partner is politely not saying,” Song Zichen breaks in, “is that Wen Xu and Wen Chao were in the habit of some nasty hazing of trainees before Marshal Lan brought Jiang Wanyin in as fightmaster, and when Wanyin found out about the hazing he kicked their asses from one end of the combat room to the other before threatening to break their legs if it happened again.”

“Jiang Cheng always threatens to break people’s legs,” Wen Qionglin muttered. “It’s how he says hello.” From the nods and chuckles of the other two, Lan Xichen judged that this was not an entirely inaccurate observation. Wen Qionglin then gave another small bow. “If there is a lecture on soon, we should hurry to see if we can get there before it starts,” he said, excusing himself and Lan Xichen, “otherwise there are several introductions that will have to wait until this evening.”

“It’s been a pleasure to meet you both,” Lan Xichen tells the two men, quite honestly. They both struck him as decent people, and ones who could be relied on in the field.

“Likewise, Lan-xiansheng,” Xiao Xingchen replied, while Song Zichen nodded in agreement. “As Zichen said, we look forward to working with you.”

~~~

“Even if we don’t arrive in time to introduce you to people before the lecture starts,” Wen Qionglin was saying as they walked through the corridors from the Shatterdome’s central area to the Academy section, “if you feel up to it then you may find it useful to sit in on the lecture and hear about the latest tactics that our assault specialist has come up with.”

Lan Xichen nodded. The suggestion certainly made sense, given that he was four years behind on the developments and tactics for fighting kaiju, and those were among the things he really should catch up on before going back into combat. Before going back into the Drift. Into the Drift, where he’d undoubtedly see his lost partners again, but this time taking a stranger along with him.

That wasn’t fair, he admitted to himself almost as soon as he thought it. Whoever his new partner was might be a stranger to him now, but they wouldn’t be by the time they went into combat together. And they’d have to know each other at least a little before even attempting a Drift – no-one would ever put two complete strangers into a neural handshake.

Whatever else he might have started to think on was cut short by a loud crash, loud enough that he and Wen Qionglin both startled before peering through the door or the lecture hall. The seats were full of men and women, who were all rapidly falling silent as their attention snapped to the front and the young man standing there.

A rather attractive man, Lan Xichen was more than willing to admit to himself, even with the scowl on his face. Dressed similarly to Xiao Xingchen, but with a stronger build, and long hair tied back with a violet ribbon whose ends fluttered down his back as he moved. Behind him, a steel wastebin lay crumpled against the wall, where it had evidently just been kicked with great force.

“Now that I have your fucking attention,” the man bellowed, “you will all stay fucking quiet and listen. Next person who talks while Nie-daren is trying to talk gets their fucking legs broken, understand? Listen to him, and you might not die the first time you go into the field.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and stalked towards a seat in the front row, waving a hand at the lectern and the man standing behind it, peeping wide-eyed over the edge of a fan. “They’re all yours, Huaisang.”

Lan Xichen barely heard that last comment, however, as he had frozen at the sight of the fan. He raised disbelieving eyes up to look at the man holding it, who fluttered the fan briefly before snapping it shut and beginning to speak more words that Lan Xichen didn’t hear as he backed away from the door.

Of everything he thought be might encounter in Shanghai, finding Nie Mingjue’s little brother here was quite possibly the last thing he expected.

AO3

Nevermore Masterlist

#nevermore #the untamed #chen qing ling #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #cql #mdzs #gdc #pacific rim #xicheng #songxiao #jiang cheng #lan xichen #xiao xingchen #song lan #fanfic

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