#“I thought Jc said casual” “This IS casual for her”

[aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa69]

Idek If Cafae Latte has a fandom on here but have a Bob!!

(Close-ups under the cut)

[universalfanfic]

I just wanted to write a bit of an interesting part...

Amateur history enthusiast Peyton gets sent back in time to Ancient Rome where she's taken into the household of a centurion, Alexandrius Luthorus.

Peyton believed she was being careful. Her knowledge of historical events wasn’t something she took for granted, and it wasn’t a responsibility she carried lightly. History as she knew it literally depended on her not messing everything up or interfering in any way until she could find a way back to the future. 

But keeping track of time in the ancient present and in her own present were wildly different beasts. The Romans right now didn’t use the Gregorian calendar she was familiar with, and she had to try and recalculate just when everything was to try and keep tabs. 

It was a small risk to keep a little journal for herself. A timeline, of sorts. 

She wasn’t foolish with it. Peyton knew allowing dates and events to live anywhere but her head was a potential leak, but at the moment she didn’t feel like she had much of a choice. She couldn’t possibly keep track of everything mentally. And she was careful.

Anything she added to her notes, she wrote in code. The pages were a mashup of English words, abbreviations, and numbers. It felt safe. Despite sharing essentially an entire alphabet, the words didn't match and she’d never taught Lex any English. 

And besides. It wasn’t like she was even going to let him know the book existed. 

Which was all perfect until she walked into the room he let her stay in and found him sitting at her little desk, looking over the small, leather bound book. 

Peyton froze in place, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and it was all she could do to keep her composure. 

“What are you doing in here,” she asked. The words rolled off her tongue easily enough. Her Latin had only exponentially improved during her time in this era. Lex turned the page of her book and gave her a speculative look. 

“I was curious,” he said. “I’ve noticed you with this a few times, but never openly. It made me wonder.” 

“It’s personal,” Peyton defended. 

“It’s already impressive that you can read and write,” he commented as he returned to the book, as if she hadn’t said anything. “I didn’t realize you were into ciphers as well.” 

“It’s not a cipher.” 

“It certainly looks like one.” 

He met her eyes again in challenge this time, and Peyton pressed her lips together. She could salvage this. She had to salvage this. 

“It just my native language,” she partially lied. 

“It looks very Roman.” 

“Doesn’t everything, when you feel like you rule the world?” 

Lex laughed lightly, and Peyton itched to rip the book from his hands; to keep it far away from him. But she couldn’t let him see how important it was to her. How desperate she was to keep him from it. It’d only make him want it more. She forced the tension from her shoulders in a bid to seem casual. She hoped it hadn’t been obvious already. 

“Alright,” he said, like he was permitting her statement to stand. “What have you written then?” 

She didn’t have to fake the scoff that passed her lips. 

“They’re my personal thoughts, I’m not sharing them with you.” 

“Like I said, it looks very Roman. I may not know all your words, but you use our letters. The other peoples we’ve conquered never have.” He tapped the book with two fingers and raised his brows in question. “You write ‘JC’ often in your personal thoughts. Tell me, is that a name?” 

The question nearly destroyed her entire act, it hit so close to home. He only could have had her book a matter of minutes and already he’d zeroed in on that? Peyton quirked a brow and twisted her lips in a mockery of a smile. Like his suggestion amused her instead of terrified her. 

“I’m sure you’d like for it to be one,” she said. “We may have a similar alphabet, but that doesn’t mean the structure of our languages works the same way.” 

He watched her then looked back at the page he was currently on. 

“J-C, M-A-R,” he said. “And these lines clearly aren’t a letter. More like a designation for a middle.” 

Oh, heaven help her. He’d found her notes on the Ides of March. Of all her notes, why did he have to focus on that one?

[grewlikefancyflowers]

Okay, people blame all the miscommunication on LWJ but have they ever considered how the situation may look from his pov? WWXs enormous crush is obvious to the readers but not to LWJ. His behaviour might seem confusing from the outside pov.

I think WWX's behaviour caused LWJ a lot of confusion and frustration.

I mean, WWX flirts with him pretty much in all their interactions across both his lives*. LWJ is very aware of this because he tells him, 'If you do not have those intentions, do not flirt with others. You are doing as you please yet others will be in turmoil.' (ch.54). He's not 'in turmoil' because he's jealous that WWX had been flirting with Mianmian (or at least, that's a minor part in it). WWX flirts with girls all the time, LWJ is aware of this, he's aware of the fact that WWX doesn't feel anything towards her (or any of the others), this is precisely the thing that frustrates him, because WWX behaves this way with him too (or at least appears to, LWJ has no way of knowing that WWX actually has real feelings for him. WWX doesn't even know this).

*Notable examples of flirty behaviour in his first life since there are somehow people who miss his planet-sized crush — Constantly trying to get LWJ's attention and calling him er-gege (not inherently flirty but is when taken in the context of everything else), drawing a portrait of LWJ & winking at him, seeking him out and saying 'did you miss me~' and giving him gifts, finding LWJ in the cold spring and draping himself over the rocks and murmuring 'lan zhan' in his ear then stripping, then purposefully trying to move closer to/touch LWJ while they're both nakey, throwing flowers for him at Phoenix Mountain & in Yunmeng (while knowing he is imitating how girls behave with their crushes), pretending to faint to 'trick' LWJ into catching and holding him when he visited Yiling.

When WWX is flirting with the jiejies in Caiyi town, JC comments that he is 'flirting around again,' (which carries a double meaning because WWX had just been flirting with LWJ too), so it is evident to LWJ that WWX casually flirts with whoever. WWX seems barely aware of what he's doing, which only frustrates LWJ further,

'Lan WangJi looked at him quietly, “Do you behave in such a frivolous way towards everyone?”

Wei WuXian thought for a second, “I think so?”

Lan WangJi looked at the ground. He only replied a moment later, “How impudent!”

The word was spat through gritted teeth and tinged with an inexplicable bitterness'.

As well as that, WWX several times suggests, or outright says, that he is straight.

When he gives LWJ straight porn — '“What kind of person are you?!” “What kind of person could I be? I’m a guy!” Wei Wuxian said. Lan Wangji’s tone was cutting. “You have no shame!” “I have to be ashamed? Don’t tell me you’ve never looked at these things. I don’t believe it.” Evidently, in WWX's view, looking at straight porn is just the standard expected thing for him to do, as a guy. He evens expects LWJ to have done so too. Obviously this is comphet talking, but to LWJ is simply comes across as if the boy he's crushing on is straight, and cannot even fathom being anything else. LWJ never appears to struggle with any expectation that he should be interested in women, nor does his family find his queerness unusual, so it's probable that WWX's struggles with his sexuality are hard for LWJ realise and understand at this point, esp because he's so young and preoccupied with his own feelings.

In the cold spring scene, WWX's flirting reaches unhinged levels, he also starts complimenting LWJ, and says, '“Lan Zhan, did you figure out what I was trying to do earlier?” “No,” Lan Wangji replied. “Really, you didn’t know? I was kissing up to you so you’d be my friend.” Lan Wangji side-eyed him. “What are you trying to accomplish?”' LWJ asks WWX what exactly his intentions are, clearly he thinks just trying to be friends is not a good explanation for the things WWX does. But WWX insists he really just wants LWJ to be his friend, he says if he's his friend he'll share his porn books (btw the word used is 春宫图 which refers exclusively to het erotica), then WWX goes on to insist that girls won't like how LWJ is behaving, then tries to convince him to come to Yunmeng with the promise that there are pretty girls there. So WWX really does just repeatedly flirt with LWJ, in this situation he does not only reiterate that he is attracted to women, but also just operates under the assumption that LWJ is too. LWJ again can only reasonably take from this interaction that WWX firmly identifies as straight and isn't generally open to anything else.

(Yes bisexuality exists but I do not think characters within the text (or perhaps the text itself) have much awareness of that. Eg, it is decided based on MXY's cutsleeve behaviour that he cannot possibly be WWX, because it was widely 'known' that WWX was attracted to women. Aside from that, imo MXTX repeatedly wrote all these examples of WWX's supposed attraction to women with the purpose of it coming across to LWJ as if WWX could not possibly return his feelings because LWJ's unconditional love of him with no expectation of anything in return is a key part of his character. From a storytelling perspective there isn't really any other reason for these scenes to exist.)

And then there is that infamous scene in Xuanwu Cave when WWX strips and pulls LWJ's clothes off too, pretending that he has certain intentions, though his real purpose was obvs to help LWJ. (Also I think 'Wei WuXian took off all of his clothes and tore them to shreds, “What do I want to do? Right now, we two are the only ones here. I’m already making it so obvious— what do you think I want to do?”' (ch.54) echoes the cold spring scene — 'Wei Wuxian kicked off his boots, removed his clothes, and threw them everywhere. “I took off all my clothes and you’re still asking me what I’m doing here."' (ch.18), implying that WWX was on some level aware of how his actions came across back then, though couldn't consciously address it). The exchange ends with LWJ asking WWX not to do things like this, 'Although he knew that it was out of good will, Lan WangJi still seemed a bit annoyed, “… Can you not make this kind of joke again?!”' He's still annoyed in large part because this is not the first time WWX has pulled this exact trick, 'good will' is not all there is to it. WWX misunderstands and decides to placate him by assuring him that he is straight, '"Don’t worry—I don’t like men, I won’t take advantage of the opportunity and do anything to you.”' Unsurprisingly, this only seems to annoy LWJ further. Probably because WWX has constantly been making these types of 'jokes' and the fact that WWX seemingly has no real feelings behind them is precisely why LWJ reacts badly to it.

LWJ isn't someone who lacks empathy and understanding, when it comes to WWX he is always watching him. So, it probably does occur to him that WWX's insistence that he is straight can perhaps not be taken at face value (especially when they spend a lot of time together in WWX's second life). Actually, after the Phoenix Mountain flower throwing, LWJ is quite insistent that WWX admit to being to one who did it, 'Holding the flower, Lan WangJi seemed to be quite cold. His tone seemed cold as well, “Was it you?”' Then in Yunmeng, LWJ asks WWX why he did it 'Lan WangJi, “Why?” Wei WuXian, “Why not? I just wanted to see how you’d react to such a thing.” Lan WangJi, “Ridiculous.”' (LWJ responds here with his signature '无聊', which carries a connotation of doing something pointless, because you're so bored you have nothing else to do, which I think is reflective of how he takes WWX's flirting overall.)

So, LWJ probably considers the possibility that there is actually something more to WWX's flirting, and wants to get him to admit he does it and asks him why he does it. But I think LWJ is also hesitant to dwell on this possibility too much as he is very fearful of violating WWX's boundaries, I think he's very concerned about wishful thinking or making assumptions or inadvertently projecting his feelings onto WWX. All this is also reflected in how LWJ warns WWX several times in his second life to be aware of his actions/words ('Mark your words', 'are you sure you want to do this', 'do not fool around', 'you reap what you sow'), he sincerely wants WWX to think about what he does, he doesn't want to allow or reciprocate WWX's advances if there's a possibility he's just messing around and doesn't mean it. Basically, he really wants to avoid a situation where they do anything together for any reason other than that's what WWX truly wants.

[robininthelabyrinth]

for the prompts: NMJ/JC - Everyone with a functioning brain cell can see that JC just needs someone to tell him he’s doing a good job. And if WWX isn’t stepping up? Well, NMJ definitely will. (Preferably smut and/or fluff) Thank you! ❤️

Compliments - ao3

It started in anger, out of spite.

Traditionally, the world took this to be a bad thing, but in all honesty the vast majority of projects in the Nie sect were started that way – they inherited fiery tempers and spiteful personalities from their ancestors along with their saber cultivation traditions – and it didn’t always turn out badly. There were any number of buildings, techniques, or technological innovations in the Unclean Realm that had started life as a furious fuck you to someone and only turned into something worthwhile about halfway through, once the person involved had calmed down enough to think about what they were doing, realize they were already committed, and then shrug and carry on forward because there was no point in stopping a charge midway.

What Nie Mingjue meant was: there was precedent.

He liked to think it started with Jiang Fengmian, but if Nie Mingjue was being honest with himself, it started back in the Unclean Realm when Nie Huaisang had told him, quite casually over dinner, that he thought that the female cultivator in his class was very pretty and that he’d be happy to marry her.

“Uh,” Nie Mingjue had said, very intelligently. “Huaisang, you’re seven.”

Nie Huaisang had not seen the problem. Instead, he explained very forthrightly that it was only right that he start thinking early on about his marriage, as getting married and having children would be his great contribution to the sect on account of being useless good-for-nothing unfit for anything else –

“Wait,” Nie Mingjue said. “Who told you that?!”

Nie Huaisang claimed he had deduced it.

Nie Mingjue claimed that Nie Huaisang was full of bullshit, and also that he wasn’t good-for-nothing even if he wasn’t good at saber, and anyway even if he was a total good-for-nothing he was still Nie Mingjue’s good-for-nothing and no one had better say a single damn word against him or Nie Mingjue would bite them.

“I meant stab them!” he explained, far too late; Nie Huaisang was already rolling around laughing to the point of tears. “I have a saber. I can stab people! I’m actually very scary, you know!”

Nie Huaisang hadn’t believed him one bit and had carried on, seemingly at peace and forgetting everything, but Nie Mingjue had gone seeking advice from all of his elders and counselors and the more dependable senior disciples of his sect, abruptly terrified that he was permanently damaging Nie Huaisang by raising him the wrong way or something. Didn’t children need encouragement at that age? Weren’t they all young and tender peaches liable to be bruised at the slightest glance or young sprouts that needed to be sheltered from the harsh wind lest they grow up crooked?

Everyone assured him that children were hardier than they appeared, flexible and capable of bouncing back from just about anything. He'd pressed, though, pointing out that even the most flexible wood would eventually form a crack in the face of a vicious hurricane, and in the end they'd admitted that it was better to avoid applying too much pressure at too young an age, that a child squeezed too hard or not hard enough might develop neuroses that would hinder them in the future.

They mostly tried not to look at him when they said that, presumably thinking to themselves that Nie Mingjue was little more than a child himself and had already been subject to the worst pressures possible, which would undoubtedly result in who knows what future issues, but he hadn’t paid that part any mind. As far as he was concerned, his life was already a loss – he had sworn to take revenge for his father, to make that ancient monster Wen Ruohan pay with his life for what he had done and furthermore he'd sworn to pay back the blood debt in full before any of that burden passed to Nie Huaisang.

Letting Nie Huaisang grow up happy – that was what mattered.

Letting him be insulted when Nie Mingjue wasn’t looking played no part in that plan. If Nie Huaisang were going to be insulted, let it be by outsiders who he wouldn’t need to care about! Within their Nie sect, at minimum, he should be doted upon and honored, or else those responsible would have to explain themselves to Nie Mingjue.

Those dark thoughts still lingering in his mind, he had gone to the Lotus Pier for a discussion conference, and that, perhaps, was where it really started.

Rumor had already made the entire cultivation world aware that Jiang Fengmian had found the orphaned son of Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze, and that he had taken him into his home as his ward, allowing him to become a Jiang sect disciple – treating him almost as one of the family, even. That much was known, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise when Jiang Fengmian proudly introduced him or even more proudly showed him off, praising him to the high heavens.

What did come as a surprise was how little he praised his own son standing beside him, despite them being only a few days apart in age. It was as if Jiang Fengmian had simply forgotten that such a creature existed, much less that he had himself contributed to its spawning, and the constant looks of hope – invariably crushed – the child sent him made it clear that the present situation had been going on for some time.

Fuck you, Nie Mingjue thought, seeing red, seeing instead Nie Huaisang in his failed saber classes, struggling so desperately to keep up with the rest even though his body wouldn’t allow for it, being told he was useless and a good-for-nothing and fit for nothing but marriage. Fuck you, Jiang Fengmian.

He couldn’t say that, of course.

So instead he said, “Excellent stance,” to the child, who'd received the courtesy name Wanyin but seemed to be universally called Jiang Cheng. “Do you know the others in the set?”

Jiang Cheng, staring at him, very slowly nodded, and demonstrated them.

“Absolutely perfect,” Nie Mingjue said loudly, drawing attention to himself with his over-loud voice that everyone would automatically forgive on account on him being both a Nie and a young man. “You can see how hard you’ve worked at it, and it has paid off handsomely. You are very lucky in your son, Sect Leader Jiang.”

“…thank you,” Jiang Fengmian said, a little bemused at being interrupted. He’d been talking yet again about Wei Wuxian’s brilliance at picking up the sword again after years of living on the streets without practice, even though at the moment the smiling boy's admittedly impressive skills were still largely wild and undisciplined.

Nie Mingjue nodded, and said: “When exactly did you say the opening festivities would be starting?”

Jiang Fengmian had clearly forgotten about that in his enthusiasm, so he quickly hurried back to the actual subject at hand and the discussion conference was started in earnest.

It was almost enough to allow Nie Mingjue to forget the matter and put it behind him.

Or, it would have been, if only Jiang Fengmian hadn’t continued to insert praise for Wei Wuxian at every possible instance – it was as if he were the man’s first-born son, rather than another person’s child.

Irritated beyond belief, Nie Mingjue started complimenting Jiang Cheng every time Jiang Fengmian said something nice about Wei Wuxian, and he made sure to keep his compliments accurate: he was a hard worker, dedicated and sincere, thoughtful, clever, not overly arrogant…

“Wei Wuxian came up with his own ideas for a sword style already,” Jiang Fengmian claimed at one point. “You can see him on the training ground now, practicing it – take a look!”

Nie Mingjue picked up a stone and flicked it over with his fingers, making Wei Wuxian jump half a chi into the air and nearly fall on his ass.

“Weak foundation, and he over-commits,” he analyzed dryly, because it was true, and because no one else was saying it. He didn't make it any harsher than it had to be: he had nothing against the boy himself, of course; it was only that he knew from experience that it was much easier to be the one being complimented than the one not. “He’s got his head so high in the clouds that his feet are barely touching the ground – the weakest fierce corpse would knock him flat as a pancake with a childish style like that. He’d be better off sticking with orthodox or he’ll end up in real trouble one day.”

“Sect Leader Nie, really,” Jiang Fengmian said disapprovingly. “He’s only nine.”

“Old enough to pick up bad habits,” Nie Mingjue retorted. “Your son’s the same age and he’s as steady as a rock. If Jiang Cheng keeps going as he is, he’ll have a strong enough base to outlast the fiercest storm.”

“A rock has no imagination,” Jiang Fengmian said, and was he actually arguing that his son was inferior? Out loud, in front of outsiders? Did the man have no shame? “Mingjue, you’re young, but you must know that my Jiang sect prizes freedom and creativity as the highest virtue –”

“Would you rather build a house using a firework or a foundation stone?” Nie Mingjue asked, doing his best not to outwardly bristle at the condescendingly intimate use of his name by someone who might be technically his elder but legally his equal. “Tell me, Fengmian, does your Jiang sect’s acclaimed ‘freedom’ only allow for people to be as fluid as the river and not as steady as the earth?”

Jiang Fengmian faltered, clearly not knowing how to answer that.

Nie Mingjue raised his hands in a sarcastic salute: “As the leader of a sect whose style is based on a grounded foundation, I would be very happy if you would educate me in your wisdom. No doubt my peers would benefit as well.”

Perhaps it was at that point that Jiang Fengmian realized that his words could be misinterpreted as an insult to all the sects whose styles were less free-flowing than the Jiang – just about all of them except for maybe the Lan and their subsidiary sects, given their preference for techniques modeled on the wind over the water – and moreover that this was a discussion conference, where every word was political, and that a great deal of people were glaring balefully at him. He hastily moved the conversation onwards, and left the subject of his sons for another day.

Later that evening, Madame Yu came over to where Nie Mingjue was nursing a bowl of very fine wine that he didn’t especially feel like consuming. Before he could start worrying about the Purple Spider’s intentions, she said, voice stiff, “Your words regarding my son are too kind. His skills are still inferior; he has a great deal of progress yet to be made.”

“He’s only nine,” Nie Mingjue said, feeling mortified that she’d noticed his little temper tantrum, which he had belatedly realized was probably extremely obvious. “Anyway, I wasn't lying. He has a good foundation; he’ll be a fearsome cultivator one day, there’s no doubt. I only said what I saw.”

“You didn’t comment about Wei Wuxian,” she said. “You must have noticed his genius.”

“Geniuses don’t need to be praised overmuch,” Nie Mingjue said. He himself had been termed a genius by his teachers, and he’d hated every single moment of it – couldn’t he just be good at things without having people fall all over themselves to compliment him? He’d enjoyed it at the start, but after a while it had started to wear on him; he was expected to be a genius in all things, and being simply ordinary was suddenly seen as failing. “It’s the ones that have to work hard that do, or else they’ll be discouraged…comparing someone to another person’s child works as a spur to a certain extent, but after a while it loses its potency as a tool.”

Your husband is a fucking idiot, he didn’t say. It’s his own son! How could he speak like that about him? Shouldn’t he be holding him in his palms like a gentle flame, protecting him from the wind and rain? How can he bear to scold his son when he hasn't shown that the scolding is meant for his benefit?

“Perhaps,” Madame Yu said, but it was clear on her face that she wasn’t about to start taking parenting advice from a half-grown sprout like Nie Mingjue. “Nevertheless, your words were kind.”

She swept away after that, much to his relief. He shook his head and daydreamed about a magic tool that would make this whole nightmarish experience go by that much quicker.

In the end, it went by at the same speed it always did. It could have ended there, but Nie Mingjue kept up the habit of blatantly complimenting Jiang Cheng in future sect conferences as well, if only because it clearly irritated Jiang Fengmian – less because Nie Mingjue was praising his son and more because it was so obviously meant as an indirect critique of Jiang Fengmian’s skills as a parent or sect leader, and moreover it reminded all the other sects of that unfortunate interchange and made them less inclined to listen to him – and of course, because, well, once you’ve started a charge, you had to finish it even if you came to your senses about halfway through.

He made sure to keep it proportionate, of course, since there was nothing worse than false praise. He didn’t really mean anything by it, other than the half-formed thought that someone ought to be doing it – that the boy should know that someone looked at him and Wei Wuxian and remembered to praise him first. Nie Mingjue praised Wei Wuxian too, of course, since the boy often deserved it; it was only that he made a particular point not to forget about Jiang Cheng, either.

(He also made sure the other sect leaders saw how well the technique could be used to fluster Jiang Fengmian, an intrusion into his personal life that could be masked in perfect politeness, and several of them picked up the same tact, though less consistently than Nie Mingjue – Sect Leaders Jin and Wen, naturally, always looking for a weakness, but interestingly enough also Lan Qiren, who was normally above such petty maneuvers. Possibly he was actually just complimenting Jiang Cheng because he sincerely approved of him.)

He didn’t think much of it.

Nie Mingjue didn’t think much of it during the other discussion conferences, or when he came to the Cloud Recesses to pick up Nie Huaisang, who had – amazingly – actually managed to pass this time, although the expression on Lan Qiren’s face suggested the pass might have more to do with the other sect leader’s desire to never see Nie Huaisang haunt his classroom ever again.

“You know what, don’t tell me. Tell me….hm…how did Jiang Wanyin do?” Nie Mingjue asked, hand over his eyes as if it could forestall the headache. “He’s a bright boy, and knows how to put his mind to something when he wants. Tell me about him instead, it’ll be less depressing.”

“He’s very bright,” Lan Qiren agreed. “Very thoughtful, and very thorough. He sometimes errs towards conservatism out of fear of giving the wrong answer, but that’s just a matter of confidence; his thinking is very good. He’s very clear-sighted as long as the matter is logical, rather than emotional.”

“No surprise,” Nie Mingjue grunted. “He’ll be a sect leader worthy of respect, in his time.”

When he’s rid of that father of his dragging him down, he thought ungraciously, and he saw Lan Qiren bob his head in a sharp nod of unspoken agreement.

“All right,” he said. “I’m adequately fortified now. Tell me about Huaisang.”

Lan Qiren gave him a look of profound sympathy.

It wasn’t until much later, during the Sunshot Campaign, that it was first called to his attention – by Jiang Cheng himself, oddly enough.

“Why do you keep doing that?” he hissed, having stayed behind after one of their meetings.

Nie Mingjue blinked at him. “Doing – what?”

“You – you said – about me…!”

Nie Mingjue tried to recall what he’d said during the meeting just now. “That you – were doing an excellent job while facing much higher level of obstacles than everyone else?” he hazarded, because he had said something like that. “Or was it the bit about how if any of them had needed to rebuild their sect and fight at the same time, we’d all be doomed because they couldn’t multitask for shit?”

Yeah, it was probably that one.

“I didn’t mean any offense by referencing what happened to your sect,” he said, hoping to explain. “It was only –”

“I didn’t take offense,” Jiang Cheng mumbled. “It’s fine. I mean, it’s not fine, but – it happened, everyone knows that it happened, not talking about it isn’t going to make it not have happened. That’s not what I meant…why do you keep saying such nice things about me?”

Nie Mingjue blinked at him. “Because they’re true?”

Jiang Cheng’s cheeks flushed red. “You’ve always said nice things about me. Ever since I was a little kid – every time you saw me, at the discussion conferences, or the Cloud Recesses, or even in your letters to my father…”

He had in fact done that.

“I just want to know why. Is it – my father’s not around, you can’t be doing it just to piss him off, even though I know that was part of it. Why me?”

Nie Mingjue coughed a little, having not realized that Jiang Cheng had noticed. Or possibly even overheard, in regards to the Cloud Recesses. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept of the other person’s child,” he said, and Jiang Cheng nodded his head sharply, clearly thinking of Wei Wuxian. “You’re Huaisang’s.”

“Me?” Jiang Cheng seemed unduly vulnerable when he asked. “You compare him – to me?”

“It’s amazing he tolerated you at the Cloud Recesses,” Nie Mingjue said with a sigh. In fact, his brother had all but declared war on Jiang Cheng in absentia on account of all Nie Mingjue’s comments, only for his first letter home from the Cloud Recesses that year to be I see why you like him! He’s cute! A perfect match for you! because he’d apparently decided that Nie Mingjue had a crush on the boy.

Which he certainly hadn’t – at least not when he’d been that age, anyway. Jiang Cheng had grown up to embody every single one of the compliments Nie Mingjue had paid him when he’d been younger, especially with the maturity and natural aura of command that came to him after his personal tragedy.

“But why…you knew Wei Wuxian about as well as you knew me.”

Nie Mingjue snorted. “And that would have helped Huaisang how, exactly? If I wanted to compare him with someone who picked things up the first time they saw it, I wouldn’t need to go outside the Nie sect for that – I was also considered a genius when I was young. It’s no failing to be born without a vast and unending natural talent; Huaisang’s issue has always been his unwillingness to put in the effort.”

Jiang Cheng stared at him.

“Anyway, your father was so blinded by his adoration for Wei Wuxian that he overlooked your merits, which are different but no less impressive,” Nie Mingjue added. “As someone who was trying to figure out how to raise a child, it irritated me; I thought someone ought to make it clear to you that you were seen.”

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng said, his voice strangely hoarse. “Yes, you – you succeeded.”

He paused for a moment, meeting Nie Mingjue’s eyes intently, and then abruptly said, “I’ll be leaving,” and dashed out.

Nie Mingjue wasn’t entirely sure if that meant he should stop or not. Jiang Cheng had said he wasn’t offended…anyway, it was a fixed habit by now. He’d been doing it for over half his life! He couldn’t stop that easily! It would be like trying to stop his temper, or a charge – there was nothing for it.

Jiang Cheng would just have to live with a few compliments.

“Wow, you’re an idiot,” Nie Huaisang said when he told him about the incident, months later while he was lying in bed, recovering from the disaster that had been the end of the war. “I’ll fix this.”

“Fix what?”

“I’m going to tell him you’re dying,” Nie Huaisang decided.

“You’re going to do what?!”

“Stay in bed, da-ge! Doctor’s orders!”

The Nie sect chief doctor was an extremely terrifying person. Nie Mingjue stayed in bed.

Some time later, Jiang Cheng stormed in, face pale.

“Huaisang’s a rotten liar and I’m going to be fine,” Nie Mingjue said at once.

Jiang Cheng stopped mid-storm, and abruptly deflated. “Really?”

“Really. I would’ve stopped him, but I’m stuck in bed for the moment.”

Jiang Cheng took a seat next to him. “That sounds serious. You shouldn’t underestimate war wounds, especially given your sect’s tendency towards qi deviations...”

“Compassionate as well,” Nie Mingjue teased. “I’ll have to add that to the rotation of compliments.”

Jiang Cheng flushed red. “You’re…planning on continuing?”

“For the rest of my life, however short it might be,” Nie Mingjue said, because he was an honest person, even when it was inconvenient. He was going to explain about the habit, and the concept of stopping mid-charge, but he didn’t manage to start before Jiang Cheng grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up into a kiss.

After that, he figured that maybe explaining that part of it wasn’t necessary. He might be slow on the uptake, but he wasn’t actually stupid.

[vrishchikawrites]

There was an idea I had seen on crossdressingdeath's tumblr where JC & WWX were having an argument and then JC tells WWX that LWJ should've died in Xuanwu cave. WWX snaps at him by saying that he had wanted JZX to die as well to which JL overhears that and results in a fallout between the uncle and nephew.

I thought that idea was amazing and I needed to see it written.

(I hope crossdressingdeath or op don't mind me writing this. As always, this prompt goes in a little different direction)

"He should've died and saved all of us the trouble!"

Jin Ling stops and frowns at his Uncle's sharp words. Tentatively, he peers around the corner to see Jiujiu scowling at Wei Wuxian, his eyes flashing and posture stubborn.

And Wei Wuxian...

Jin Ling shivers, eyes going wide.

He has never seen Wei Wuxian angry. He didn't even know the man was capable of anger.

Jin Ling resists the urge to take a step back and run because Wei Wuxian looks ready to kill. His red-tinted gaze is focused on Jiujiu and his expression is almost cruel.

A sneering smile, teeth bared like a demon on the verge of devouring its meal.

"You know, Jiang Cheng, the way you talk about Lan Zhan makes one thing very clear. You've now switched to projecting your insecurities onto him." Jin Ling winces and his uncle snarls, "It would serve you better if you followed his example instead."

"You!-" Jiujiu steps forward threateningly, Zidian sparkling in response to his anger, "How dare you?!"

"How dare I?" Wei Wuxian's tongue goes razer sharp, "Unlike you, I don't stay silent when someone attacks the people I love."

Jiujiu seems to understand something from that because laughs coldly, "I never loved you! You were a bane since the very beginning!"

"Good to know!" Wei Wuxian snaps back, "Because that gives me the freedom to shove some hard truths down your throat." He takes a step forward and for the first time, Jin Ling sees ice-cold resolve on Wei Wuxian's face.

It looks remarkably like Hanguang-jun's expression.

"You forget Lan Zhan wasn't the only one I saved that day, Jiang Cheng. Where would Jin Ling be if I hadn't saved Jin Zixuan? Wen Chao ordered his men to kill both Lan Zhan and Jin Zixuan. Did you care for Shijie's heart at all?"

"Shijie would've moved on." Jiujiu snaps and Jin Ling grows cold, "She would've had children with someone -!"

"Jiang Wanyin!" Wei Wuxian sounds just as horrified as Jin Ling feels.

"You killed Jin Zixuan! You hated him before that. Don't act high and mighty now." Jiujiu says but Jin Ling is just numb. He knows his parents died under complicated circumstances.

While he isn't entirely comfortable with Wei Wuxian's role in their death, he has learned to move on. He hasn't forgiven the man, not entirely, but-

'You're a lot like your father, prickly and sensitive. You also have his heart. He was proud but he had a good heart.' Wei Wuxian had laughed, 'And there's your mother's kindness hidden there, too. You have her capacity for love. Her generosity of spirit.

You are good.'

Wei Wuxian had been the only one to say he was like his parents. Everyone said he was like Jiujiu.

To hear the same man casually dismiss his existence hurt.

"I fully acknowledge my part in it but you don't get to turn this around! Have you no care for Jin Ling?" Wei Wuxian demands, his voice is stern and concerned. "What are you doing, Jiang Cheng? I hope you haven't said anything like this to Jin Ling! That boy is your nephew!"

Jiujiu snarls, "Of course, I care about him! But what about my mother? My father? All the people who paid with their lives because you provoked and distracted the Wens! Are they less valuable than Jin Ling?"

"Jiang Cheng," Wei Wuxian breathes, "Mind your words, what are you saying?"

"I'm right!" Jiang Wanyin says and Jin Ling covers his mouth shakily, "Who cares if Jin Zixuan died then? Who cares if Lan Wangji died? What's so important about them that you were willing to risk it all? If you only had kept your head down-"

"You cruel, cowardly fool."

There's complete silence and Jin Ling swallows.

"The Wens would've attacked regardless. They wanted to setup a supervisory office. They did it already in Qinghe!" Wei Wuxian starts pacing, "Think. Think for once in your life! War was on the horizon and our response was 'let them come to us, we'll fight'. It was arrogance itself to presume we wouldn't fail. We should've prepared, we should have come up with backup plans or evacuation plans! Something. But we did nothing and we paid the price."

"You-!"

"Don't! I am ashamed of you!" Wei Wuxian's tone is sharp and grave, "It is good that we're no longer martial brothers."

Jin Ling sucks a sharp breath and watches as Wei Wuxian spins around and walks away.

"Jin Ling deserves much better than you."

Jin Ling is too shaken to react as Wei Wuxian rounds the corner and spots him. He just looks up blankly as the man's expression goes from cold disgust to horror.

"Jin Ling,"

He sounds heartbroken, somehow. Jin Ling looks beyond Wei Wuxian to see Jiang Wanyin. The man had followed Wei Wuxian to shout some more, he supposes.

He looks shocked and dismayed too. There's perhaps a touch of regret in his expression.

He doesn't care.

He stares at them wordlessly and Wei Wuxian crouches before him, placing both his hands on his shoulders, "Jin Ling- how much-?"

"I heard enough to know Jiujiu thinks I'm replaceable." He says, eerily calm.

"Don't be stupid," Jiang Wanyin says, "I didn't-"

"Just stop talking." Wei Wuxian interrupts, rubbing his hands down Jin Ling's arms comfortingly. "Jin Ling, what do you need?" He asks, raising his hands to cup his face, "How can I help?"

Jin Ling appreciates that his- his mother's shidi- doesn't ask any stupid questions or offer empty reassurance.

He appreciates that Wei Wuxian doesn't say, 'He didn't mean it,' or 'don't misunderstand.'

Jiang Wanyin absolutely meant it.

"Baba?"

They all look to see the Hanguang-jun and Lan Sizhui walking towards them. The younger Lan is clearly concerned. Even the Hanguang-jun seems a bit suspicious, glancing from Jin Ling's face to his husband's and then to Jiang Wanyin.

"Wei Ying?"

"A moment, xingan," Wei Wuxian studies Jin Ling, "What do you need, nephew?"

Jiang Wanyin hisses but Jin Ling grabs hold of that word and embraces it, holding it close to his soul.

He can choose to dismiss him. Or he can choose to reach for the hand that is offered in compassion.

"I need Jiujiu to leave." He takes a deep breath, "And I don't want to see him until I'm ready."

"Jin Ling!"

"Very well, Lan Zhan, can you drag Jiang Cheng away for me? He's being an absolute brat."

The Hanguang-jun doesn't hesitate and Jin Ling refuses to pay attention to Jiang Wanyin's protests. He just stares into compassionate silver eyes.

Eyes that haven't looked away for a single moment.

He takes a deep breath, absorbs all of that focus, and steps forward.

The scent of sandalwood incense envelopes him as his uncle hugs him back.

Even now, he isn't alone.

He needs to focus on that.

[tobi-momo]

Coming Out to the Boys as Lesbian :) (fem!reader)

Request:

Ofcofcofcofc i love this request and im glad yall keep coming to me for this😭 it makes me so happy that i can give you guys comfort

Type: Headcanon

Genre: A little angst, Fluff!, COMFORT

Pairings: NOTE THAT YOU ARE BEST FRIENDS NOT DATING (obvs?) Bakugou x Reader, Kirishima x Reader, Kaminari x Reader

Warnings: coming out, homophobic parents

Bakugou

when you come out to this man, it will probably be on accident- him probably teasing you or something because you were staring at a random guy

you said “no im staring at the girl”

he already knew tho- you didnt have to tell him

you would still freak out tho like ohmygodohmygodohmygod

he would look at you with a smirk bc you finally told him

hed be like “ya? it was fuckin obvious anyways.”

you would exhale sharply and relax a tiny bit before realizing something

“please dont tell anyone, oh my god especially not my parents they’ll probably kick me out or something” you rambled

hed look back at you like ‘wtf do you mean? why would they kick you out?’

so he asks just that.

and you tell him about your parents thoughts, feelings, beliefs on being a lesbian, or a part of the lgbtq+ community in general and he gets M A D

this man is your best friend- hes been to your house plenty of times and he knows your parents- like he never thought that they would be like this

you are gonna need to restrain this mf from actually killing your parents im not kidding

he will adopt you AJHFKD

he will make sure that you are okay to go through and this man is especially good at faking about you being straight if needed

i feel like if he finds you staring at a girl or flirting with one he would silently egg you on to go talk to her or shoot your shot (he would act like your a nuisance ab it lets be honest)

he really cares for you tho and will protect you from your mean parents

this did not make any sense? ohmygod sorry i hope you get the point sdjhsf

Kirishima

this man is shocked to say the least

he thought- he thought- he thought you were into guys???

you finally gain the courage to tell your best friend and he is SO mf happy for you but so shocked

he actually knows your parent’s beliefs and wrong opinions on being a part of the lovely community and so he is already hugging you

bc he knows it was really hard for you to do this and its still really scary to do this to literally anyone so he understand and is here for you :)

he will buy you things and make you feel comfortable to talk about these things with him

yall would be walking down the street and hed be like ‘hey look at that super cute girl!’

he would be sooo mf casual w you ab it

it would be hard for him to keep in the fact that youre gay tho- youll have to remind him a bunch to not tell anyone

will totally think hes your wing man too BAHHAH

<33 he loves you 

Kaminari

this mf didnt even hear you while he was flirting with you

and when you told him and he was listening it didnt even process LMFAO

he fucking said “aw, dang!” bc he couldnt have you omfg

then he would proceed to flirt with you after

when you tell him not to tell anyone hed be like “i can do that!” then tells LITERALLY EVERYONE IN THE CLASS

luckily the ppl in class are trustable (except for grape juice cuz *gag*) so they didnt tell anyone (m*neta is the type to be like “you just havent been with the right man yet *wink wink*)

but once you tell him URGENTLY not to tell him bc of your parents hes like “oh shit. ok” - like it finally clicks? 

he still flirts with you asf tho- what else did you expect?

he feels really bad for you so he helps you get girls hehe

he thinks hes so good at girl advice jfksjdfg but you just hear him out

he will just come up to you one day and be like “so, where we goin? i heard there’s a couple cute girls at the mall~” he wiggles his eyebrows oml such a goof

hes so cute tho and wouldnt trade you for anyone else so <3

wow i am terrible at this jc- but please enjoy hehe

tag list: @zerohawks​ @combat-wombatus​ @hitosushi​

[plan-d-to-i]

So I think I just made a JC stan/YZY apologist deactivate on Twitter 😂😂😂

I was bored and she was on my TL like "OK I know yzy is abusive but what if it actually was jfm's and the system's fault" and others were laying it on her so I joined in the fun. At 1st I was polite to her then she called me a misogynist when I said yzy wishes she was jfm's bedwarmer but he wouldn't touch her with a 10 foot pole. I decide to take the high road and let that 1st insult go, she goes on to say jfm was a bad parent for sending JC's dogs away and he should've exposed wwx to his phobia to cure him. Since I am a doctor I point out that exposure therapy doesn't always work, should be done under a mental health professional's supervision, and isn't advisable for children with severe trauma and phobia anyway. She 1st calls me a liar for saying I'm a doctor because I'm too young (I'm 26) then she says my opinion doesn't count anyway cuz I'm not a psychiatrist and that she has 3 scholarships in her field and multiple certificates. So yeah I insult her back, tell her to go f*ck herself, call her rude and a moron, and as I am typing that apparently her multiple scholarships and certifications didn't come with manners included she deactivates 😔

Some b*tches think they can insult people and they'll take it quietly lol she seriously thought she can call me a liar and mock me and my education I worked hard for and I wouldn't hit back. She's middle eastern and I'm north African (I even have my name in Arabic on the handle) I bet she got used to arguing with westerners who go crying about cyber bullying and harassment when they get insulted online and forgot that we Arabs punch back and go with the "العين بالعين و السن بالسن و البادي أظلم" motto

So yeah I think I had a fun productive evening lmao

OMG I think I know the tweet bc someone was arguing w it in MY tL and I took a screenshot of the absurdity!!!!

"How powerful are these dogs really?" It's literally a phobia what the hell is wrong with people!!?!!!

"I bet she got used to arguing with westerners who go crying about cyber bullying and harassment when they get insulted online and forgot that we Arabs punch back and go with the "العين بالعين و السن بالسن و البادي أظلم" motto"

THIS hahah. I find it so interesting how most Westerners/ Americans argue bc (for the most part) they'll be like : op this is not a personal attack. All opinions are valid. I just think none of the parents were good and like YZY didn't really treat her kids well and even though culturally it was ok for her to whip a kid I don't know that I'm ok w it. I hope this wasn't rude or anything.

foreign language comments: You stupid sick ignorant backwards piece of shit trying to excuse child abuse. Try to use the two brain cells you have in that cosmic void that is your skull for a moment before writing these things. Your mouth is talking so much shit your ass is getting jealous. [a medley]

YES. The consequence of saying something stupid, with nothing to back it up, and stubbornly sticking to it, is that people are going to let you know beyond any reasonable doubt you've said something stupid. Usually in varied and inventive ways. Not all opinions are valid. Some are just dumb, and some people could really do w hearing that.

Having said that I do enjoy the casual charm of a: "it's not too late to delete this bestie!" on occasion. 😆

[1d-discourseoftheday]

💙 Tues 5 Jan ‘21 💚

Is today's biggest story really a pair of socks I mean WHY NOT am I right, that may as well happen! With impeccable timing, as the fandom and the world went bananas about Ho-livia WildStyle (a drag queen name for the ages right there), the first of the limited edition TPWK socks that people ordered basically on blind faith (you fully couldn't tell what they were going to look like at all on the website, and now we know why lmao) have arrived with a bang: they seemed to come with either blue or pink hearts, but in fact it turns out you get one of two color combos, either pink and white or, uh: BLUE AND GREEN HEARTS. I'm not one to carry on about like jeans and a green shirt or what have you but this is a CHOICE, and if the antis don't have performative burnings of their evil larrie merch honestly WHAT is the POINT; the resale market of the limited edition socks is already booming though so there's always that option, if either side can bear to conduct business across the divide. My question is, did they really time it to play out this precisely on purpose? Unlikely tbh, but if that's a thing they're capable of I have some THOUGHTS about the way other Harry merch takes like 4 months to arrive...

Larrie socks aside however, the real discourse continues to be about you-know-what, with the players out there fanning the flames wildly. There's too much nonsense to bother with it all (the quoted sources in the articles directly contradicting each other's stories also makes it difficult) so let's just... *spins wheel*....okay I landed on 'tabloids say Harry's wedding speech talked about his girlfriend Olivia' here goes. Sjksdfjks WHY would you be talking about your girlfriend of three weeks in a speech for your close friends' wedding, OMG, how uncomfortable and inappropriate is that?? Imagine if any of this were real, that Harry ('I'd take my time and make sure a thing was serious before telling people about it', end quote, I mean that's ALSO a stunt quote (oh the layers) but just pointing out that it's contradictory) starts dating his co-worker who just got out of a huge relationship and is also a famous person with presumably an interest in privacy, and immediately the two of you get to work setting up a big reveal to happen right away (even in a weird fantasy world where any of this is real the possibility that JEFF AZOFF'S WEDDING had the paps present for any other reason than to do EXACTLY what they were told is flat impossible- what pap or celeb outlet can afford to be on Jeff's bad list?!) and then he casually writes her into his speech (a guy who's so anxious and shy about public speaking and what to say that he begs people to write speeches for him and practices endlessly) uh huh, sure Jan. There are so many things about this that are ludicrous, but more to the point, none of the things they're saying hold up to scrutiny any better than this. There just isn't any point in taking them that seriously though; Harry is a closeted artist and, just like the many queer artists that came before him who he repeatedly reminds us are his icons, he both lets us know all day every day in a million ways that he's queer, and also plays the industry game and winkingly gives the press their Straight Guy Harry fodder. You don't have to like it, or indeed anything at all in this world, but people do need to accept that whether they like it or not is neither the point nor anyone (including Harry)'s responsibility to respond to or do anything about.

Like I said I can't cover every detail but! I always have a little space for the absurd: today, our best entrant is the possibility that the whole wedding we saw was a sham– fans ask, was this public spectacle Jeff and Glenne's actual wedding? Listen if anyone would be up for it it would be this crew, and if they did stage it I'm sure they had a good laugh! Suspicion has been cast on Glenne's dress (allegedly an untailored 2018 off the rack number), the small guest list (wouldn't they just wait and have a huge event?), and the fact that they invited paps there at all. It would make the no explanation robe pics EVEN FUNNIER though if you imagine that was for our benefit but left totally unadressed (undressed). ANYWAY Don't Worry Darling filming is back in business and Harry was papped some more today, out for a casual not at all pap walk hike with a work associate and multiple items of his own merch (including an unreleased hoodie design.) On the topic of DWD, sometimes a different perspective can be interesting-- for example considering whether Harry is the point of all this at all? Or is he but a bit player in the real DWD publicity drama, an elaborate and very public dramatic reconciliation between Olivia and her ex husband? Either way, he's neither a clueless dupe, a helpless pawn, or anyone's 'boy toy', so please: can we rein in the hand wringing and pointless Olivia bashing a bit?

Let's talk about something else shall we? For example! Liam's setlist, just released for the upcoming LP Show Act 4. Look at that song selection! Fireproof! Strong!! Through The Dark!! More exciting 1D faves! Plus Slow and Home With You off his EP, NICE, singles and more, it looks awesome. The Hugo Man fragrance relaunch is less exciting, featuring the dopiest possible articles full of chat about his skin care routine (oh shucks I'm just  manly man, I don't have one at all... *names two products and refers to 'multiple moisturizers'*), trademark accidental candor (“I’m quite tired!”), and of course trying to describe a fragrance, always an entertaining gymnastics (“every time I spray it, it kind of takes me back to being on that rooftop in Berlin”), but also there are manly new pics of Lia.

A new song Niall co-wrote is coming out! The JC Stewart song, Break My Heart, will be out this Fri! Charlie Lightening posted pics from a year ago on the Walls music video set, featuring an intent Louis in the sun (and fashion voter underrated excellent Looks), and Louis commented on Dave Allen's post (“top man!”)-- the famous boxer is offering to help friends through lockdown by facetiming 3or 4 people a day for home workouts, damn, and also aww. That shitty Doncaster secondary school turned out some really sweet dudes, against all odds tbh. With Los Angeles experiencing some of the worst COVID surges we've seen since the beginning of the pandemic, Grammys organizers have elected to postpone the (already limited) ceremony. Originally scheduled for Jan 31 it is now TBA, tentatively for March. Harry's stalker, who menaced him in and near his London home in 2019, is being charged with violating his restraining order by attempting to contact Harry via social media, Global Fund for Women thanked Harry for donating, and HLDaily and other accounts were suspended for posting pap pics, always a risk, but one trick potato Jeff is on the job; HSD is back up and running, cause they can't have a proper stunt season without their most faithful mouthpieces. Niall continues to vote for himself on twitter threads about what to listen to in the New Year.

[moon-spirit-yue]

Camp Choas

(See the description if you’re confused I put it under the Camp Chaos tag)

Part 2/5

‘Maybe if I simply don’t leave my covers, Ba will forget that I even exist and I will be able to stay home,’ Raya thought as her alarm blared in her ears. “Dewdrop ignoring your alarm won’t magically make it disappear!” Benja exclaimed. ‘Well a girl can dream’ Raya thought as she rolled out of bed.

Time moved slowly for Raya as she got into her car with her Ba. She just wanted to crawl back into bed. Why is that such an impossible request? Why can’t a girl just have what she wants? Raya definitely got to camp way too soon.

Sisu bounced over to Raya the second she saw her in excitement. “Morning, Raya! How’s my bestest friend in the world doing?” Sisu asked enthusiastically. Raya gave her a deadpan stare. “How does it look like I’m doing Sisu?” Raya asked blankly. Sisu just laughed and swung an arm around Raya’s shoulder. “Aw c’mon! It’s gonna be a great day! I even got you coffee!”

Raya’s eyes sparkled at the caffeinated beverage presented to her. “Sisu have I told you how much I love you recently?” Raya asked her. “I mean it wouldn’t hurt if you said it more often,” Sisu spoke with a grin. “We should head down now, campers are coming!” Raya sighed before following Sisu down to the great amphitheater.

Just when Raya thought she was going to be mentally okay, Namaari just had to open her mouth. “Great spirits, Raya, you’re looking a little rough this morning. Those kids wear you out already?” the little binturi asked. Honestly, Raya needed to vent a little before her campers came filing in, so she just nodded at the taller girl.

“You have no idea. A small group of little girls that want something are a truly terrifying source,” Raya sighed. Namaaari chuckled. “The boys wore me out too, I can’t even deny it. Who knew a stick could cause a whole rebellion against me?” Raya had to laugh. “Not to brag or anything, but my uprising was caused by a wooden spoon,” she replied. Namaari raised her eyebrows and grinned. “Ah yes, what better creation is there in all of Kumandra than a wooden spoon?” Raya was surprised to find that she was enjoying talking to Namaari. (well, not really that surprised but we don’t have time to unpack ALL of that)

Soon enough all of the campers rolled in and the day was kicked off. During crafts was when Raya’s irritation really kicked off. A random LIT transferred into her group and the girl was literally useless! The only time she even talked was when Raya introduced herself! Other than that, total silence. She would be complaining to Sisu about this later.

Thankfully, Sisu was with Raya in the pool today with no Namaari in sight. Raya refused to acknowledge her disappointment. Cause it wasn’t there. Obviously. ANYWAYS. Raya began to casually talk smack with Sisu. “And THEN the little brat threw the bubble solution at her! I mean what! They’re just a bunch of orbys, it's not that deep girl. Ugh how did a couple of six year olds already get into beef on the second day of a one week camp” Raya groaned. Sisu cackled as Raya finished telling her about an argument the tired girl had to break up.

“Well kids find certain things to be very important. Like, life or death important. It makes things interesting,” Sisu told her. “Well these damned kids are interesting if anything,” Raya sighed as the whistle blew signalling for the kids to get out of the pool. Thankfully, there were no other mishaps during the day and the campers were sent home once more.

Unfortunately for Raya, Sisu couldn’t drive her home because she needed to pick up her little sister Amba from soccer practice. Considering the fact that her ba was the director, he had to wait and make sure everyone had left before he could head home. Raya flopped on one of the steps of the amphitheater as she waited for the last few stragglers to get picked up.

Namaari, being one of the stragglers previously mentioned, stood right above her. “You want some candy? I’m heading up and thought I should ask you as well,” she explained. ‘Were her ears a little pink?’ Raya thought. She decided not to dwell on it. “Uh yeah actually. Can you check and see if there’s any Kit Kats left?” She asked. Namaari nodded and walked back up to the office.

A couple of minutes later Namaari walked backed down, tossing the other few JCs and counselors their candy. She simply sat down next to Raya and dropped three Kit Kats on her stomach. “Did you also want this mini Hershey’s bar? I can’t figure out who wanted it,” Namaari asked Raya. The shorter girl shrugged and held out her hand saying, “Sure why not? It’s been a very long day.” Namaari hummed in agreement and handed her the bar.

After eating the mini Hershey’s bar in one bite, Raya quickly moved on to the Kit Kat bars. Since Raya isn’t a monster, she naturally breaks the KIt Kat into two pieces. The chocolate is already melted and sticks to her fingers but Raya can’t find it within herself to care. The candy was just so good that she couldn’t help but release a happy moan when the chocolate hit her taste buds.

She was pulled out of her chocolate bliss by Namaari’s mocking laughter. “I never knew you were such a messy eater, Raya. You’re getting chocolate everywhere,” Namaari grinned. Raya sighed internally. Of course this binturi would ruin her vibes. “Well I apologise for my eating habits, dep la, maybe if it wasn't already melted we wouldn’t be in this situation,” Raya snarked back. She proceeded to throw away the candy wrappers, but was still left with the matter of her sticky chocolate fingers.

Namaari noticed her dilemma and smiled a rather vicious smile. It unnerved Raya greatly. “If you need help with cleaning up, all you need to do ask,” Namaari told her. Raya was confused as Namaari brought her hand close to her face. Nothing would have prepared Raya for what Namaari did.

The taller, muscular woman brought Raya’s hand to her mouth and licked the chocolate right off.

Raya’s face was an explosion of red. ‘SHE JUST LICKED MY HAND WHAT DO I DO SOMEONE HELP ME DOESN’T ANYONE ELSE SEE THIS MADNESS!’ she cried in her head. Namaari, clearly satisfied with Raya’s reaction, grabbed her bag and walk towards her mom’s car.

“My rides here, so I’ll be seeing you tomorrow sweetness,” Namaari practically purred as she waltzed right into her Ma’s car and drove off.

“Alright dewdrop, we’re all set! I even brought you some-,” her ba noticed the look on Raya’s face. “Is everything alright, dewdrop?” he asked. Raya gulped in some much needed air.

All Raya could say was, “I wish the ground would swallow me whole.” Benja chuckled. “The kids couldn’t have been that bad,” he told her.

Oh, if only he knew it wasn’t the kids Raya was worried about

Taglist: @isitbussinjanelle

[momowoah]

Thoughts On Gossip Girl ep 9

Perfect song choice (Boys Will Be Boys)

Heard SantaCon is a real thing, my condolences for people who live in NYC

They really need an English teacher to run GG

Ok but if Nick isn't secret lawyer him adopting Julien when

I hate Scott.

"I ghosted you!"

Kate <3

The basketball scene with Obie will be in Scott's gym right?

I love Max making breakfast

Do not like Rex.

"It doesn't work like that" exactly

"Who talks to Gossip Girl?" Wdym? GG account and Nate were like besties

Audrey saying it so casually

"Again, I'm right here"

Audrey and Aki being adorable while Max is completely in love... More of that please

Davis trying so hard to pretend to be good... fck him <3

Really feel bad for Julien

"Can I see it?"

Love Keller's teacher mode

Don't like Jordan but he's still hilarious

Have literally nothing to comment on but Audrey and Aki <3

Roy did a complete loop with his personality

I love how Zoya just completely put all their issues aside to be there for J

Not even makeup or a wig?

Obie being the driver was a classic GG move, amazing

That rich but can't have tinted windows?

Their uniform looks too much like an uniform and not enough like a fashion statement.

Hate when drivers in tv shows don't look ahead with both hands holding the wheel, at least this time it didn't mean car accident

All of them coming together and taking pictures all over town was my favorite sequence so far

Audrey is cute

"Julien's ten steps ahead"

I got the part the Jamison would help Audrey with something GG related right ha (guessed everything else wrong though but whatever)

Love Roy and Max finally having an actual decent convo

"There are two people I've got to talk to" <3

I love how Audrey kept her promise in ep 4 of figuring it all out with Aki together

Don't they realize they weren't okay with kissing the two, but were okay with kissing Max? Huh?

I loved Julien's speech in the subway

Scott is evil. Really? Sending an entire city to chase down a 16-17yo?

Stop thinking Nick is secret lawyer... Nick can't be secret lawyer

If someone hears the "What's happening?" Kate is done

Max getting his heart broken while traitor plays... I am not ok

Like, he went to confess and they said they were closing the relationship

His face...

who sent the phone

who

+ I'm totally buying Obie's redemption arc bc him and JC have chemistry

++ angsty slowburn throuple? thx

[missnight0wl]

I do not care that Olivia is in the game. I have my plotline for her and I'm sticking to it. Thanks for the idea on what she looks like tho Jam City. She looks pretty similar to what I thought, except I want to give her overalls and curly pigtails.

Yeah, I imagine it’s gonna be the reaction of many players.

People who actually remembered about Olivia got impatient by now or simply lost any hope that JC would do anything with her character. So, they adopted her as their own. And I imagine that a pretty big part of people who don’t have their version of Olivia doesn’t even remember that Olivia Green was ever a part of the story. I mean, let’s be real, most casual players don’t pay attention to such details. However, it also means that they probably won’t be very excited about this reveal.

Of course, I’m certain that there are people who do remember about Olivia but just didn’t feel like coming up with their own version. That’s totally fair. Still, I think that introducing Olivia now feels… well, kind of pointless overall, to be honest.

And as I said in one of my previous posts, I’m sticking to my version of Miss Green as well.

[absentcaryatid]

A Date With Wooyoung

An ATEEZ fanfic with Wooyoung and Yunho by AbsentCaryatid

Takes place in JC world sometime after Chapter 6 and references it several times.

Much to the surprise of Yunho, the asexual reader enlists Wooyoung to help her learn about sex.

Fluff, a bit of longing, and some awkwardness, all talk and no action. 1.8K words and marginally NSFW.

~

Today you felt an unusual nervousness when sounding the buzzer at the familiar door. You stopped by the ATEEZ dorm all the time as their fried chicken delivery person and over the visits you had even become a trusted friend to all the residents. Still, this day was different, something new.

Greeting you warmly, Yunho welcomed you inside. Seeing you out of work clothes he casually asked, “Social visit this time? Some of us are going on a bike ride today. Want to join in?” His attempts to entice you concluded with a basket held aloft. “We have a picnic packed.”

“Food on a bike is a bit of a busman’s holiday for me as a takeout driver but an afternoon with you that way would be very enjoyable at another time. I am sorry to miss the opportunity but I already have a date with Wooyoung.”

“A date, really? That is a change!” The way his face lit up hopefully you realized too late the poor phrasing on your part. “I had no idea you were now open to that sort of thing.” Pausing briefly, Yunho took a hesitant gulp. “If you and Wooyoung are not exclusive… may I schedule our picnic and bike ride another day as a real date? I have wished I could take you out for some time now. It is just after our earlier conversation I never thought it was an option. The reason you would not reveal then must have changed and I am so glad.”

Ouch. This was difficult. Body frozen, your mind raced with regret. “I should not have called today a date.” Who would not want a date with a charmer like Yunho? Unfortunately for him, even perfect as he was, the answer was you. It was hard to find the right words and you hoped the let down you managed was gentle enough. “You are sweet to ask but no, romance is still not my thing, even though lots of asexuals do date looking for a partner. This is just learning about sex.”

“Ah.” Taking the decline relatively well, Yunho’s face fell but recovered quickly. “Oh! So you are going to have sex as an ace for the experience. I thought you complained he was too sexy when all you would be looking for is training wheels and all that. Of course, what you and Wooyoung get up to is your business but you once said I would be your first choice for that kind of friend.” He joked a little wistfully, “Have I missed my chance?”

You both smiled recalling that frank and humorous conversation. “No, no, no, it is not like that at all. The hands-on approach that shows up so often as a fanfic plot device is not the only way to learn about sex. And by the way, it turns out you were quite mistaken that day when you tried to pimp Wooyoung out as a learning buddy for me. He overheard the whole thing and wanted to correct the record afterward. Apparently when he told you he had helped a friend get over being a virgin it meant talking about it as a social construct. Wooyoung was a peer counselor in high school.”

“Wow, I really had the wrong end of the stick.”

“Yeah. He knows a lot and still dabbles in sex ed. We got to talking and he has some reputable web resources to recommend along with a willingness to answer any questions about what my searches turn up. So, here I am with my laptop for a study date, not a date date. Reading fanfiction has left me confused by a lot of things people get up to sexually and he thought it best to share some reliable ways to get answers.”

“Hunh, we could all probably use a dose of trustworthy information from time to time. Good to know he is someone to go to. Well, have a fun time learning.”

“Thanks, I am sure we will.”

At Wooyoung’s appearance, you settled side by side at the dorm’s dining table with the computer between you. “You are about to live on your own in college so I can skip my usual opening about learning to browse privately. Not every family approves of sex education but the consequences of not having guidance while being sexually active are too great. It is not just pregnancy and STI risks but also general healthy relationship skills so I like to encourage everyone to access information even if their family is not supportive.”

Moving on, he patiently listened to your questions fanfic brought up. Wondering if stomach bulges really happened, actual pull out method efficacy rates, and the judgmental use of ‘clean’ as an STI term were topics on your mind. What he could not say with certainty he browsed his favorite sites to answer.

“Let me leave you with some places to read on your own. For me Scarleteen is the gold standard of comprehensive sex ed with solid knowledge and written by staff from communities under discussion. I think you will really like the asexual, genderqueer, and autistic content there among other inclusive subjects. There are also chats and a message board to help find the answers you need. It is a great site aimed at ages 15 and up but useful to everyone. Let’s also put Pussypedia and Planned Parenthood into your bookmarks.”

Admiring his comfort as a sex educator, you complimented your guide. “You are very good at this, Wooyoung. You are completely at ease despite the topic. I bet you helped a lot of classmates in high school.”

A look of pride crossed his face. “I feel I did and the work was rewarding. If the idol thing had not panned out I probably would have pursued a career as a teacher, therapist, or even advice columnist. It is a good reminder to myself that I am so much more than a pretty face and hot body that can dance and sing even though that is where the praise comes from these days.”

“Don’t forget the excellent cooking. You are remembered for that now too, and as a writer though that is less known. I made sure to read through your masterlist when you sent me the link to your secret fic Tumblr. Those Jimin stories are almost as educational as our time today. Even years later I see they still gain notes and new fans. You are a man of many talents, Wooyoung.”

“Thank you, it feels good to have them recognized.”  Thinking for a moment he added, “You know, I can relax around you in a way I don’t for most other people. While I love the attention I can get for being sexy I try to turn it off around you since you are ace and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“It is appreciated.”

“Instead you remind me I am a cook, a reader and writer, and a dancer with moves beyond sexiness. I mean it, the chance to remember other aspects of my personality is a good one.”

“And you are funny. You have a great sense of humor and your banter with Yeosang is particularly good.”

“Yes, that aspect of our friendship is fun too.”

“I hope you have more people you can be fully yourself around.”

“All the guys are good for me that way, especially San, but even with him I feel the need to tone myself down at times. Somehow I don’t get that hyper around you. Being in your presence is calming the way you are so low-key.”

“Thank you for such a kind compliment, Wooyoung. The benefit goes both ways, I want you to know. Even in your subdued state I find you energizing, but even more so seeing you with the others.”

He nodded, pleased. “I am afraid that has to be it for today unless you want to ride along to my hair appointment.”

“New color?”

“Just a cut this time.”

“Oh well, the wild colors are my favorite so I will head home but I really appreciate your assistance today.” You closed the laptop and fit it into the messenger bag for bike travel.

“Anytime, you can even ask questions to my Tumblr if there is something else confusing in a story.”

“Well…, I do have a relationship question if you want to flex your advice columnist muscles.”

“Go on,” he prodded gently.

“I think one of my friends likes me at least a little.”

“I should think all your friends like you,” he quipped. “I do, a lot, for one.”

Miming hitting his shoulder, you clarified, “No, you know what I mean, romantically that is.”

Wooyoung nodded knowing about Yunho, but it would not surprise him if there were others and his advice would be the same no matter the person. “I have to say, they have good taste.”

“Thanks Wooyoung, but I do not need the buttering. You can turn off the flirtiness.”

He put his hands up. “Got it, but keep that in mind for how you treat others. Too much praise might be what is helping someone fall for you.” After the recent discussion of which member you would theoretically go to for sexual experience with a friend Yunho had gushed for days quoting the many compliments you had given him to anyone who would listen. San had mentioned seeing his roommate carefully recording the conversation as best as it could be remembered into his journal which he revisited frequently. Wooyoung judiciously decided not to share any of that information out of respect for his friend’s privacy.

“That is something to think about. I appreciate you pointing that possibility out. Back to my question though. For a few reasons I do not want to date anyone, especially in your group, but dating would make him happy. It feels bad not to want to do something so simple for his sake.”

“I think you already know the answer. You are familiar with the phrase ‘leading someone on?’ Giving whoever it is the false hope it could be real interest in dating is not a kindness. Besides, if he really respects you he would want you to listen to your own needs.”

Wooyoung sagely continued, “For most dating activities you could just do the same things together as friends, with others along if it would make it seem less like a romantic date. If he enjoys your company he will like spending time with you honestly in friendship unless he is so smitten that being around each other as friends only would be painful. Let him be the judge of that.”

You nodded in agreement at Wooyoung’s good counsel. While you loved pining in fic you did not want to see it play out in real life, especially if you were unintentionally the cause.

“If he is someone in our group he is an adult and can watch out for his own feelings, you stay true to yours.”

“Thanks, Wooyoung.”

~

Masterlist

[spicykoreantatertots]

Camp Blue Side - Part Two

Pairing: Jung Hoseok x Reader

Genre: Summer Camp AU, Non Idol AU

Rating: 18+ (eventual smut)

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: Swearing, angst, (more in future parts)

Summary: Last summer, sparks flew between you and Hoseok. He had an unforgettable smile, and you were putty in his hands. By the end of the summer, promises were made and you shared your phone number. But he never called. This summer, you're back at camp with a vengeance. Ghosted or not, you're ready for some friendly competition. He may be a Camp Blue Side veteran, but you won't back down.

Notes: This fic has been updated and is now part of the Summer of Love Collab! Please join us as we finish summer strong with seven summer themed fics!

Summer of Love Masterlist

Beta Readers: @thesoftsoobin

Banner: @sunshinejunghoseokie​

Camp Blue Side - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four

~~~~~~~

The staff parking lot is filled with cars and this year’s counselors are celebrating each other’s arrival. Each time a new car pulls up, usually honking loudly, the group cheers. Just about everyone has arrived already, Namjoon is fiddling with his clipboard and pen. Everyone should have been here by now.

Hoseok arrived about ten minutes ago. His beat up old mazda pulled up and you did your best not to look in his direction, only stealing a glance as he exited the car. The only way to describe that man is bright. Neon green shoes, rainbow tye-dye shirt, and his dazzling heart-shaped smile. 

Somehow, he was even more beautiful than you remembered. You had spent the past school year hating him, but now he’s here, in the flesh, and you just want to feel his arms around you. You tore your eyes away from Hoseok, and you felt Seokjin’s hand on your shoulder. It grounded you back in reality.

As the final car, holding Jimin and Jungkook, pulls up, half-hearted cheers ring through the crowd. Not that you aren’t all excited to see Jimin and Jungkook, but no one likes to see an angry Namjoon. 

“Hey! It’s Jimin’s fault, okay? I even got to his place early!” Jungkook jumps out of the car, hands held defensively in front of his body. Jimin, screaming his rebuttal from inside the car, is cut off by Namjoon’s announcement. 

“Now that everyone is finally here, we will give cabin assignments and you can all get settled in before dinner.” Seokjin, standing a good two feet away from Namjoon, produces a clipboard from his backpack and begins listing off the cabin assignments. Two counselors of the same gender identity per cabin. 

Of course, you already know who your cabin mate will be this year. You’ve learned a lot of privileged information by arriving early with Seokjin. 

“Margo! Hey! We’re paired up this year in Cabin 2.” You whisper, not wanting to speak over your friend. 

“Oh hey, that’s awesome! Let’s go!” Margo picks up one of her bags and you reach to grab the other. The two of you walk off to Cabin 2, making casual small talk about the past year away from Camp. 

You were stoked to see a familiar name next to yours on the cabin list. Although you and Margo barely kept up with each other over the summer, you had gotten to know her quite well the year before. She was a first year counselor, and you were only a second year. You knew what it was like to feel alone, so you tried to take her under your wing and show her the ropes. 

She ended up being a great person to talk to about your crush on Hoseok, and well now you have a lot of tea to spill. 

“And he just... never called? Or texted?” Margo asks, eyes wide in disbelief. 

“Nope.” 

“But he’s here now.”

“Yep.”

“And you’re going to be competing against him in team competitions.” 

“Exactly.” You share a devious smile.

“This is going to be an interesting summer, isn’t it?” Your cabin mate asks with a sigh.

“You bet your ass it is.”

~~~~~~~

After Margo got her belongings unpacked and stowed away, the two of you head to the Mess Hall for dinner and to catch up with your fellow counselors. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t nervous to see Hoseok and to have to explain to everyone why the two of you weren’t... together. 

But it appears that Hoseok may already be handling that himself. A group of male counselors are sitting at a table where he is recounting some tale, and they are all listening intently. 

You can’t quite make out what he is saying, but you spot Seokjin sitting at a different table with Yoongi and a young guy you don’t recognize. Must be Yeonjun, the new JC who will be co-leading Team One with Hoseok. You’ll be keeping an eye on him. Seokjin waves you over and Margo follows you. 

“What has he been telling everyone?” You hiss at the guys when you sit. 

“Well...” Seokjin starts and your heart begins to sink. You know that tone.

“He’s got a new girlfriend.” Yoongi says, ripping the bandaid off in one swift motion. It stings. “He’s been bragging about her to all the guys. She’s hot and they met at work, or something like that.” He adds. 

“Ah.” You try to breathe through the feeling of your stomach dropping out, and Margo pats your bag gently. You spent the past year hoping he would call, processing the fact that he wasn’t going to, and burning with righteous fury. And now... you just want to cry. 

But you can’t let anyone see you cry. Especially not here and not now. Hoseok may have hurt you, but you can’t let him know you’re in pain. 

“Alright everyone, while we’re waiting on our dinner, let’s pair up in our activity groups and get to know each other a little better!” Namjoon announces and the room begins to buzz as everyone finds the people they would be working with this summer. 

You look around for Margo’s twin brother, Mack. He is going to be your co-leader for Team Two this year. 

“Hey Y/N!” Mack says, extending his hand for a fist bump. 

“What’s up! You excited to crush Team Two and Team Three this year?” You may be over-enthusing to make sure you don’t seem... sad. 

“Yeah! I’m sure you are too. Especially to beat Hoseok’s team.” Gulp.

“I do love some friendly competition, haha.” You reply dryly. 

“Well aren’t you guys together?”

“Uh...” you pause, color draining from your face.

“Oh god. I’m so sorry. He was talking about some awesome girl he’s been dating. I only caught part of the conversation, I thought he was talking about you.” Mack, looking mortified, tries to explain himself.

“No, it’s okay. He ghosted me. I haven't heard from him since last summer.” You clarify. Mack looks so sorry he mentioned it.

“Well I guess we really do have to beat his team now, don’t we?” He says with a smirk.

While Mack makes some more small talk about the plan for the coming weeks, your eyes scan the room. Everyone is paired off in their little teams. Yoongi is with Xavier, his Music co-leader, Taehyung with his Arts & Crafts co-leader, but his eyes are across the room on the Lead Counselor in Training who is chatting with Namjoon and taking notes on her clipboard. You spot Hoseok all the way on the furthest side of the Mess Hall from you. He’s talking to Yeonjun, facing away from you and that feels intentional. 

When the cook, Heather, steps out of the kitchen with a large sheet pan full of pizza, the counselors cheer. Then they immediately run to get in line, but before they can be served, Heather goes back into the kitchen. 

“How are you doing?” Seokjin asks, lining up behind you.

“Fine, Jin. Just fine.” 

“So, not fine, then?” He quips, laying a hand on your shoulder. 

“He’s gotten ahead of the narrative.” You reply, but he gives you a puzzled look. “He’s already told everyone about a girl and now I just look... pathetic.” 

“You’re not pathetic, Y/N.” Seokjin replies, giving your shoulder a pat. 

Heather returns from the kitchen with a tray of side salads and a tray of desserts, a choice between a sugar cookie and chocolate pudding. 

Unsurprisingly, you can see that Hoseok has secured a spot at the front of the line. Against your will, you watch him closely. He grabs his pizza, two slices, grabs a side salad, and reaches for a pudding cup. Something in your stomach twists, and you just want to get out of there. 

“Hey, where are you going?” Seokjin asks, but you’re already out the door. 

You try to hold back tears as you walk toward your cabin. 

He used to give you his chocolate puddings. Who is he going to give it to now? Why would he pick it up if he doesn’t even like them. 

When you make it back to the cabin, you throw yourself onto your bunk and let the tears flow into the pillow. Seeing Hoseok has been harder than you anticipated. 

~~~~~~~

“Hey, Y/N, you okay?” Margo asks, tiptoeing into the cabin.

“Yeah, you should head back, isn’t everyone still hanging out?” You ask, bring your head up from the pillow. It’s dark outside already.

“Well, no. It’s kind of late. Did you eat anything?” She asks.

“Yeah, I had a protein bar.” You reply, but your stomach growls, as if to say, that wasn’t enough. Margo reaches into her bag and pulls out a package of oreos, holding it in your direction. 

You cave, holding your palm open for a handful of the cookies. Your nearly empty stomach accepts the sweet treat and settles. 

“Did everyone notice I left, they must think I’m so pathetic.” You pout. 

“You wanna know what everyone noticed?” You nod in response to Margo’s question. “Everyone noticed that Hoseok left as soon as he realized you were gone.”

~~~~~~~

CPR training is a vital part of the yearly annual counselor training. Everyone needs to know how to resuscitate and potentially save the lives of the campers. Though it is a very serious topic, it’s hard to take the CPR dummies seriously. The faceless, limbless, lifeless dolls look very much like... blow up dolls. 

“If I hear one more moan out of you guys I will dock your pay!” Namjoon shouts over the chorus of immaturity. Very suddenly, the room goes quiet, “I thought that might get your attention, now Seokjin, please continue with the demonstration.” 

“Yes sir.” Seokjin replies, holding back a smirk.

He begins pumping the inanimate heart to the beat of a song and your eyes wander to Hoseok across the room. He’s giggling and whispering something to Yeonjun. Those boys will be fierce competition. 

It’s something you thought about this morning on your run. As you were jogging on the wooded trail, you realized Mack was right, you have to do everything in your power to take Team One down. The fire of competition will get you through the sadness of Hoseok’s betrayal. And tonight, you’ll get your first shot at beating them in the game of glow in the dark capture the flag.

Standing from his kneeling position, Seokjin asks, “Alright, who is up next?”

~~~~~~~

The sun has set and the teams have been divided for a game of capture the flag. Hoseok ended up on Seokjin’s team, and although you wish you were on your friend’s team, you’re relieved you didn’t end up on Hoseok’s. 

“Okay, Y/N, you’re a runner, I want you and Ryujin to be in charge of trying to get their flag. The rest of us will try to distract their team and protect our flag.” Namjoon orders in the huddle. The huddle breaks and everyone waits for the final ray of sunlight to fall behind the horizon. 

“I’m nervous.” Ryujin whispers to you while you stretch your calves.

“Ah yeah, you probably should be.” You joke. “Listen, all you need to worry about is getting tagged. Just don’t let anyone touch you and do your best to stay hidden. If you get your hands on the flag, just sprint back to our base.”

“You make it sound easy.” She laughs.

Seokjin’s whistle sounds and you take off. Ryujin, poor girl, runs straight for the field between the two bases. A rookie mistake. You, however, have played this game before. You run to the trees on the side of the field to take cover and watch the game unfold. 

It’s hard to see, but you can just make out Ryujin’s form running around the field dodging other bodies. It looks like so far your team is doing a good job of keeping the flag safe. Namjoon tackles a member of the other team and you decide to make a run for the other team’s base while everyone is distracted. 

You can hear your heart beating in your ear as the blood rushes to your legs. You’ve almost run the whole distance of the field behind the trees when you hear something. Suddenly a pair of neon green shoes catches your eyes. Hoseok. 

Holding your breath, you take cover, crouching behind a tree and hope to god that he doesn’t come over here. If he knew it was you, maybe he would spare you both the confrontation. You count to 60, slowly, and when he doesn’t come, you decide to stand up, intending to run for their base in a hail mary attempt to win. 

But you’re cut short. Just a few feet away, Hoseok is standing, waiting. He doesn’t move at first, but after a few breaths, he takes a step, and another. You can finally make out his eyes in the darkness. It’s the first eye contact you’ve made so far.

There are no words shared between you. At this moment your mind is blank. Having your old summer fling within arms reach is overwhelming. You feel the pull to reach out to him. He’s eyes are looking directly into yours and for a moment it looks like he’s going to speak. But he stops himself, his brows furrow for a moment, and then, he runs.

~~~~~~~

After a long week of training, morning runs, avoiding Hoseok, and trying to figure out what happened between you and him during the capture the flag game, you are really looking forward to lake day. A day off from training before final camp preparations take place. The campers will be arriving in just two days. 

You are one of the first ones to show up at the beach after lunch. You wasted no time changing into your bathing suit and slapping on some sunscreen. Jungkook and Jimin, the aquatic leaders, had already arrived as well. 

Other counselors trickle in and you get to watch their interactions. It’s only been a few days, but everyone is already back into the Camp Blue Side swing of things. 

The JCs all tend to head straight for the lake, while the older counselor’s chill on the beach. You’ve opted to sunbathe for a while before cooling off in the lake. You expect Seokjin will take a spot next to you when he arrives. 

The LCT has found a spot on the sand with Yoongi and Taehyung, no surprises there. She’s delicately rubbing sunscreen on Taehyung’s back. When she finishes, Taehyung’s Arts & Crafts co leader calls him over and he puts sunscreen on her back. You’re pretty sure you can see steaming coming out of the LCT’s ears. 

Someone lets out a joyful shout as they run from the edge of the beach all the way down the dock and jump into the lake. Hoseok.

“He really is still a camper at heart, isn’t he?” Seokjin asks as he sets his towel out next to yours. 

“If you mean to say he’s a child, then I can agree with that.” You roll your eyes. He is horsing around in the water with the JCs, no wonder they all look up to him. Yeonjun, his co-leader, is trying to pull his head underwater, but Hoseok isn’t budging. 

He hasn’t changed much and it takes you back to last summer. The campers would climb all over him during lake days, and he would let them. Once the two of you had become... a thing, you would always notice that he didn’t rub in the sunscreen on his nose. It became your responsibility to make sure the lotion was rubbed in all the way. 

“Y/N, Jin! We need one more for volleyball!” Jimin’s invitation brings you back to reality. Seokjin consults you before claiming the spot. You follow him over to the net to watch the game. Hoseok is playing. 

At first, you try not to watch him, but when the game gets going, Hoseok steps up his game. He serves, he sets, he dives, it’s hard not to watch him. You notice, toward the end of the game, that Hoseok has his signature white streak across his nose. He catches you looking, but instead of looking away, you point to your nose. 

Hoseok, still looking at you, misses a ball that lands right next to him, losing the game for his team. 

“Hoseok! What the hell man?” Jimin shouts, frustrated by Hoseok’s lack of attention. 

“Sorry, sorry. I got... distracted.” Hoseok replies, picking up the volleyball. “Round two anyone?”

~~~~~~~

“All right campers, let’s give a big round of applause to Heather for cooking our dinner tonight!” Seokjin announces over the microphone. The children, hyped up on carbs from dinner, cheer loudly for the Camp chef. They all arrived just a few hours ago, descending on camp like a swarm of buzzing bees. 

You’re a bit of a nervous wreck. For some god forsaken reason, you decided that you could volunteer to give a presentation at the camper orientation, and now you’re about to have to do that. Your notecards are organized and you rehearsed your talking points with Margo twice, but it doesn’t feel like enough when there are close to one hundred people in the audience. 

“Okay, now that we’ve gone over the basic camp rules, let’s give it up for Y/N, the Team Two leader who will be discussing the team games!” Seokjin says cheerfully, stepping off the stage and handing the microphone over to you. This is it. 

“Hey everyone! Who’s excited for the team games this year?” You ask, a big smile across your face. Of course everyone, counselor’s included, cheer loudly. 

“Yeah, that's great to hear. I am also very excited. As you can tell I took a lot of notes to make sure I give you all the important info.” You joke, but there’s only a few scattered laughs. You have to tuck the microphone into your arm awkwardly so you can flip your note card over to find the right page.

“Oh well they’re out of order, so I guess...” You look out into the crowd of expectant faces. Some of the campers are already not paying attention, you’ve lost them. As always, Hoseok catches your eye. He can see you’re floundering already, and he smirks. He fucking smirks. “I’ll have to wing it.” You finish your thought and toss the notecards to the side.

You manage to get through it, even working a few jokes in here and there. And it seems like the kids are really pumped for the team activities and the competition. 

“Okay, I think next up is Jungkook with some information about water activities and lake day!” The kids cheer, the girls squeal, all too excited for Jungkook to be on stage. 

“Hey, that was pretty good Y/N!” Seokjin whispers as you step back down from the stage.

“You missed a few talking points though-” Namjoon’s critique is cut short.

“You were GREAT!” Seokjin reaffirms. 

~~~~~~~

Hushed whispers can be heard in the cabin, but it’s the first night and you’re not going to try to enforce lights out. You would probably be struggling to fall asleep either way. 

Your interactions with Hoseok thus far have been quite puzzling. He has been confusing, rude, and annoying, but what does it mean? You keep thinking about the look in his eye that night during capture the flag. You could feel a spark between you, but he almost looked pained. But he’s the one who caused your pain. 

Maybe he’s just trying to get under your skin to make sure his team wins. Well tomorrow is day one of camp, and you’ll be damned if you let him win.

~~~~~~~​

[kbuggg3]

Kian Lawley Imagine: “That’s my girlfriend!”

Imagine: When Kian and JC aren’t able to get alone time with their girlfriends, (y/n) and Chelsea, due to their new YouTube video, the girls team up and decide to mess around to try and get them back. 

*(Y/N)’S POV*

A cool breeze brushing my body caused me to stir awake slightly. I began to open my eyes, but instantly squeezed them shut as the morning light coming in from the window slightly blinded me. I rolled over so my back was facing the window and put my arm over to where my boyfriend, Kian, was sleeping, but when my arm immediately hit the mattress I knew he was already awake and probably filming with JC . I then heard a loud ��ding’ from my phone, alerting me that I had gotten a text. I rolled back over, grabbed my phone off of the nightstand, and smiled noticing i got a text from Kian. 

I gave myself a few minutes to stretch and wake up, then i got out of bed and went into the bathroom where I brushed my teeth and my hair. I went back into my room, picked out a casual but still cute outfit, and put on some light makeup. By the time I was done, the boys had finished filming the intro to their YouTube video and it was time to head to the breakfast place. I walked out of my room and saw Kian and JC staring at their wrists and Corey packing up some of their equipment to take to the restaurant. 

“Well good morning to you two,” I said laughing and JC gave me a sarcastic smile. “We literally just put these on five minutes ago and i already hate it. It hurts so bad!” I just giggled and playfully rolled my eyes at how dramatic he is and went over to Kian. He smiled as i wrapped my arms around his torso and buried my head in his chest. He went to wrap his arms around me but was immediately stopped as JC yelled at him. 

“OW, BITCH! YOU’RE HURTING MY WRIST!” Kian was laughing at his reaction until he felt a hard tug on his own wrist, causing it to sting. “OW! FUCKING JC! STOP!” He was trying to be serious but with JC having an evil grin on his face, KIan couldn’t help himself from laughing. “Why the hell did I let you drag me into this?” JC asked throwing his not cuffed hand up in defeat.

 “Wha- Bitch! It was your idea!”

“Um, no!”

“Anderson, replay the intro where he said that,” Kian said pointing at the camera. Sure enough, Anderson replayed the intro in black and white, JC’s voice loud and clear, “I was just scrollin through YouTube and saw the Dolan Twins do this challenge so i thought-” the camera zooms in on his face while he shrugs- “why not?”

“HA! See?”

“Yeah, yeah ok whatever. Let’s just go fucking eat,” JC said annoyed as he walked away from the camera. “ShOuNdS LiKe a pLan, ShTaN!” Kian said in a weird voice getting close to the camera.

*at the restaurant*

When they walked inside, everyone’s attention immediately turned Kian and JC, noticing the handcuffs that kept their hands together. Eventually they made their way past the sea of people with lingering eyes and arrived at their table. On one side of the table sat (y/n) next to Kian, Kian obviously had to sit next to JC, and JC next to Chelsea. Across from them sat Corey next to Bobby, Bobby next to Franny, and Franny next to Sebastian. Due to their very empty stomachs, it was only a few moments after the food came out until everyone finished eating, and began to sit and talk. 

(y/n) was mindlessly watching as Kian played with their intertwined fingers under the table until she heard Chelsea talking to who she thought was JC. “Hey baby, come sit on my lap.” JC sighed and looked down at his handcuffs while chuckling and shaking his head.

“Chels, I can’t baby. Me and Kian are-”

“Not you! C’mere (y/n),” Chelsea replied, opening her arms and scooting her chair back. JC stared at (y/n) with his jaw dropped as she made her way over to Chelsea with a smile on her face. “Wait! (y/nnnnnn),” Kian whined as he stuck out his bottom lip. “Sorry, Ki,” she shrugged and kissed Chelsea on the cheek causing the two girls to laugh. At first the boys just watched with confused and shocked looks on their faces until JC broke the silence.

“What the fuck just happened?”

*back home*

After running errands and hanging out at friends’ houses, the group eventually made it home at 10:00 pm. Kian and JC originally were going to sleep in Kian and (y/n)’s shared bed, but Kian felt bad so let you sleep there while the two boys shared the couch. Eventually, morning came around and (y/n) woke up to the bright morning sun light in her eyes. She yawned, stretched, then stood up, wrapping a blanket around her figure as she made her way down the hallway.

 “Kiaaaann,” she said calling out to her boyfriend. “Yeeeessssss?”

 “Do you wanna-“ JC, who was lounging on the couch next to Kian, cut her off and finished her sentence for her. “Cuddle? He can’t...” he then sighed and held up their still cuffed hands. “It’s only 7:30 and we get to take em off at 8:00.” Kian sticks his bottom lip out in a pouting manner. He hasn’t been able to cuddle with (y/n) much less touch her ever since they started this challenge. Even not being able to sleep by her side was hard for him. 

 “Oh.” Right as (y/n) finished her sentence, Chelsea walked in through the door with groceries. Suddenly (y/n) got an idea, a smirk beginning to spread across her face. “No matter. Me and Chels can just cuddle again,” she shrugged as if it was no big deal. They were best friends after all so things were the opposite of awkward for them. “Wait, again?!” Kian exclaimed standing up from his lazy position on the couch. JC soon followed after putting in his own comment. “Bitch, WHAT?!” (y/n) and Chelsea just ignored them and began to giggle. (y/n) held out her arms like what Chelsea did at the restaurant. 

 “Cheeeellllssss!” 

“(y/nnnnnnnnn)!” The two girls ran towards each other, (y/n) jumping up and wrapping her legs around Chelsea’s waist and hugging her neck tightly. Chelsea wraps her arms around (y/n)‘s torso and leaned sideways so they fell into the couch were the boys just were. While they cuddled and talked about anything and everything, the boys stand to the side still watching with annoyed looks, JC mumbling things like “What the actual fuck?/Our girlfriends left us” or Kian singing tiktok songs, “tHaT ShOuLd bE Me!” 

 At one point Chelsea jokingly put her hand on (y/n)’s ass and squeezed it causing her to laugh loudly. “Heyyyy! You can’t do that!” Kian said pointing at her hands. Chelsea cocked an eyebrow as she looked from the handcuffs and back to Kian. “You obviously can’t either.” Kian just grumbled, crossing his arms. “Don’t worry Ki. I bet you’ll get your fair share tonight,” Chelsea smirked. Kian’s eyes widened slightly as his head snapped over to (y/n) as if he were asking if it was true. But (y/n) only winked at him causing him to blush and JC to pat his back like the proud crack dad that he is. Kian ran his free hand through his hair while he tried to contain the huge smile playing on his face. 

“Well shit.”

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed my first imagine. If you have any requests just lmk and I’ll write it for you. All I need is the plot and who you want the imagine to be about (YouTuber, Actor, Movie Character, Celebrity, etc.) Thanks!

-Kbug💕

[robininthelabyrinth]

JGY (either time-traveling to fix things or normal but with an agenda of his own) figures out WWX’s golden core loss after the Sunshot campaign and “accidentally” lets JC, LXC, NMJ, and LWJ know. He claims he thought everyone knew and were just being politely quiet about the matter, how was he supposed to know it wasn’t obvious?

“I can’t tell,” Nie Mingjue said, and Jin Guangyao looked at him blankly – he hadn’t expected anyone to come after him, not after that little ‘casual’ revelation he’d just used to explode the previously perfectly nice if extremely tense gathering that they were having. “No, really. Was that your version of being nice?”

On second thought, maybe he should have expected it. He’d forgotten, he supposed, that Nie Mingjue didn’t actually care one way or another about Wei Wuxian and his demonic cultivation - he’d spoken favorably of Luo Qingyang when she’d stood up for him against the bullying of her sect, he’d refused to join in with Jin Guangshan’s demands for the Tiger Seal, and he’d only agreed to participate in the siege of the Burial Mounds because of the deaths of some Nie cultivators in Wei Wuxian’s rampage. Even then he’d led one of the smallest contingents, falling well behind the Jin and Jiang sects, and even behind the Lan.

He’d probably only brought the families of the deceased, come to think of it. He would have been shepherding them through their grief, letting anger wash them clean the way the Nie sect preferred. 

Of course, neither the siege nor the deaths had yet occurred, and even Luo Qingyang had yet to rebel in favor of the absent Wei Wuxian. It was still very early days after the end of the Sunshot Campaign, and he hadn’t yet stolen the Wen remnants away from the prisoner of war camps; Wei Wuxian was still an acknowledged young master, if a somewhat disreputable one given his demonic cultivation.

And since that was the case - why would Nie Mingjue care one bit about Wei Wuxian’s missing golden core? Or even that it could be found in Jiang Cheng’s belly instead?

The others had reacted about as he’d expected: Jiang Cheng was utterly devastated, of course, and Lan Wangji hardly better, and Lan Xichen – ever concerned for Lan Wangji – had immediately taken to fussing over everyone, even as Wei Wuxian’s attempts to deny it turned into attempts to comfort Jiang Cheng, which naturally only made everything worse.

As panicked “don’t pay attention to me” moves went, it was stunningly effective.

Except for Nie Mingjue, of course. That fucker always did ruin all of his plans.

“Maybe not, then,” Nie Mingjue said, and came to stand by him. Jin Guangyao was leaning on the railing of the balcony in Jinlin Tower, trying and failing to get his bearings: wasn’t it just yesterday that he was the master here?

Yesterday, or over a decade from now – it was all the same. Nothing in Jinlin Tower had changed.

Maybe he should have changed it more, when he had the chance.

“In that case, what were you trying to get out of it?” Nie Mingjue asked. His voice was short, volatile, suspicious, but not yet so temperamental as he was at the end – had Jin Guangyao started poisoning him yet?

He couldn’t quite remember. No memory was perfect, not in the long term – he’d go mad if he had to remember each bit of paperwork he’d ever done forever – and he’d long ago thrown those distressing things to the far reaches of his mind. What’s done was done, and that was that; there was no use in regretting. 

Of course, right now, somehow, what was done had not yet been done, and he didn’t know what to do with that.

“Meng Yao,” Nie Mingjue said. “Are you - all right?”

Jin Guangyao looked at him.

Nie Mingjue was frowning at him, uncharacteristically hesitating over something, and then seemed to decide fuck it and reached up to press a hand to Jin Guangyao’s forehead.

…what?

“No fever,” Nie Mingjue said, and reached for his hand, taking his pulse. “Let me see –”

“I’m not sick,” Jin Guangyao objected, belatedly understanding. “Why would you think I’m sick?”

“Because you’re not talking,” Nie Mingjue said, and – Jin Guangyao took offense to that suggestion. “Normally you’re the first to come up with excuses, explanations, and rationalizations.”

Well, Jin Guangyao couldn’t deny that.

“Why should I excuse my actions?” he asked, drawing his shattered dignity around him like a cloak. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

Nie Mingjue nodded. “You really haven’t. But you have reunified the Jiang sect with the Yiling Patriarch, and your father won’t be happy about that.”

His father?

Right. His father was still around at this time, and Jin Guangyao had still been bowing and scraping and running all his errands, doing all the dirty deeds in the world, thinking that he might – what? One day respect him? Regret what he’d done to his mother, perhaps?

What had he been thinking back then? It had all seemed so dreadfully important at the time, and yet now, after everything, he really couldn’t remember why.

“You’re definitely sick,” Nie Mingjue decided. “Come with me; there’s medicine in my rooms.”

“You just want to get away from all the shouting and tears and all,” Jin Guangyao muttered accusingly.

“Naturally. I have a reputation to think of, after all, and I’m a sympathetic crier.”

Jin Guangyao choked.

“The shouting is fine,” Nie Mingjue added. “I can handle shouting.”

“No, you can’t,” Jin Guangyao said. “You’re a sympathetic shouter, too.”

“I said I could handle it, not that I would make it pleasant for other people.”

Jin Guangyao ducked his head to hide (of all unexpected things) a genuine smile that threatened to surface. He’d forgotten Nie Mingjue’s strange sense of humor, too, along with all the other things he’d made himself forget. His sworn brother…he’d once been more than just a raging temper and a pair of blame-filled eyes on a decapitated head, more than a demon he lived in fear of.

“Should we do something for them?” he asked, remembering how earnestly he’d pretended to care about others during this time. “Help er-ge calm them down, maybe?”

“Xichen enjoys this sort of fussing; if he gets tired of it, he can always leave. This is a fight they need to have.” Nie Mingjue shrugged. “I’ll send Huaisang after them later. He’ll annoy them into a better mood.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works for people other than you, da-ge.”

“No one can persist in feeling bad for themselves when they’re busy yelling at Huaisang,” Nie Mingjue said with certainty, and thinking back over nearly two decades of knowing Nie Huaisang, with or without Nie Mingjue, Jin Guangyao was forced to conclude that that was probably true. “Come on, come with me. Drink some medicine, get some rest, and you can think about what you want to do next in the morning.”

Do next?

Yes, Jin Guangyao supposed he needed to think of that. But perhaps Nie Mingjue was right: it was something he could think of tomorrow, when he had time to recover from his shock, time to think, to plan. To come up with a new set of goals, ones that his impulsive reaction just now hadn’t forestalled.

Tomorrow.

[biwenqing]

Congrats on the milestone 🎉🎉🎉 if you're talking prompts, could you write either 6 or 27 as a post sunshot fic jc wants wwx safe so he arranges a political marriage, for him and whoever it is (lwj) would have to marry into the jiang sect.

Thank you so so much for sending this! I really adore this idea for an AU and I hope I did it justice. Sorry for the delay in getting it up, I hope you enjoy it! Prompt: “No one’s going to hurt you.”

Jiang Cheng kept his eyes focused on Lan Xichen. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to handle Lan Wangji's reaction to what he had to say. "He'll agree to the match because he believes he is taking our sister's place."

"He is very selfless." Lan Wangji was the one who spoke, and Jiang Cheng had to look at him. He liked to think they are friends, of a sort, having spent those three months together searching for Wei Wuxian together. "But you want this for his safety?"

"Yes," Jiang Cheng said. "I don't like what I have heard the other sect leaders say about him. Besides you, of course." And here he nodded to Lan Xichen, who gave him a pleasant smile. "I believe if he is married to someone well thought of, it will not only bring our sects closer but bring to ease some of the other's minds."

"I know many songs that may help him, and I can learn additional ones." Lan Wangji leaned forward a bit, almost seeming eager to prove himself. To prove that he could keep Wei Wuxian safe.

Lan Xichen lifted his hand to signal they both should stop for a moment. "You’re asking my brother to move to Lotus Pier, are you not?"

Jiang Cheng opened his mouth to say, yes of course but saw something in Lan Xichen's eyes that caused him to pause. He swallowed some shame for not thinking of it sooner. Here Jiang Cheng was trying to save his brother and rebuild while asking Lan Xichen to give up his brother when the Cloud Recesses were in just as much need as Lotus Pier.

He took a deep breath, and straightened, giving his words the proper attention they were due. "Yes, I am."

Lan Xichen nodded, eyes already strangely sad, before looking towards Lan Wangji. "Lan Zhan, would this be acceptable to you?"

"Yes." Lan Wangji didn't take the same time to think this over.

Ah. Lan Xichen knew that his brother would agree, no matter what was asked of him. "Would it be acceptable for Lan Wangji to travel to Lotus Pier in three months' time?" Lan Xichen asked next.

Jiang Cheng nodded. "More time can be taken, if needed for both sects to rebuild and prepare."

"Three months," Lan Wangji said, rather forcefully.

"I will need to talk to Wei Wuxian as well," Jiang Cheng said.

Lan Wangji frowned ever so slightly, "You had not already?"

"In a general concept, yes," Jiang Cheng sighed. It had been an easy conversation when he had framed it as either Jiang Yanli would need to marry or Wei Wuxian would. 

Lan Wangji was always hard to read, and now it seemed he had purposefully closed himself off. He cleared his throat though, and Lan Xichen was watching his brother in a way to signal Lan Wangji wanted to speak. Jiang Cheng wouldn't interrupt him. 

"May I be the one to tell Wei Ying?"

Jiang Cheng blinked. He was personally not looking forward to that conversation, not with how distant and strange his brother had been since his return. "Yes, that is fine with me."

Lan Wangji nodded and stood, bowed to Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng, before slipping out of the rooms.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Lan Xichen said softly once his brother was gone.

"He's in love with Wei Wuxian," Jiang Cheng stated, fiddling with his teacup.

"Yes." Lan Xichen brushed his hand against the table, just as absent. "I don't want to see my brother hurt any more than you do yours."

Jiang Cheng sighed. "I believe his feelings are returned. Or at least they were. Wei Wuxian wouldn't shut up when we were studying in Gusu. Everything was "Lan Zhan this, Lan Zhan that"." Jiang Cheng had a small laugh at a memory.

Lan Xichen gave a laugh as well. "It was the same from this side. Maybe they are rather well matched. I guess now only time will tell."

(...)

Since Wei Wuxian had woken up, he had a lot to deal with. There was a darkness lurking in this victory that it didn't have anything to do with his cultivation. He watched as the Jin seemed to pick up from where the Wen left off, stepping in like cruelly was a set of robes that fit them nicely.

He had no interest in pandering to them the way that Jiang Cheng was. Removing himself from affairs was probably the best course of action. Wei Wuxian would need to find an excuse to do the same once they returned to Lotus Pier.

There was no room for him to be the first disciple. His family was safe for now. Wei Wuxian had done what he needed to do, best to fade into the background. Too bad his mouth hadn't seemed to catch on to this logic. He couldn’t stand by what was wrong.

And then Jiang Cheng had come and presented Wei Wuxian with an issue. In their weakened state, the Jiang sect needed allies. The best way to achieve this was to marry off one of his siblings. What that now meant for Wei Wuxian, it seemed best not to think about it until he had to.

Lurking in the shadows outside of the main paths, trying to mind his own business, Wei Wuxian was surprised when he heard his name being called.

"Lan Zhan, how'd you find me?" Wei Wuxian offered the smile that felt like a mask at this point. He couldn't remember the last time he had smiled for real.

"Wei Ying is predictable." The answer was flat, but Wei Wuxian thought he might still know Lan Wangji enough to say he was joking with him.

"Ha, so mean to me, Lan Zhan." Wei Wuxian rested his hands casually on chenqing. Lan Wangji didn't seem to fear it, or him, the ways the other did.

"I come with information," Lan Wangji said instead of acknowledging Wei Wuxian's teasing.

Wei Wuxian straightened. "What is it?"

Lan Wangji seemed to weigh his next words with extra caution. "Your brother approached mine to discuss building stronger alliances."

Wei Wuxian felt as if those words didn't make sense, even if the meaning was perfectly clear. But that would mean...

Lan Wangji shifted nervously, a tick he would normally be able to hide. "You and I are to be betrothed," he clarified to Wei Wuxian’s silence

"Oh," Wei Wuxian managed. He had thought he had forgotten what it was to feel, but suddenly he had a lot of emotions to shift through. "Oh." He took a step towards Lan Wangji, taking his wrist. Lan Wangji was watching him closely, almost leaning into his space. "Lan Zhan, they can't force you to do that."

Lan Wangji showed more expression in the next moment than Wei Wuxian had ever been able to get out of him before, even in their student days. "Want to."

Wei Wuxian let out a breath. "What?"

"Not forcing me, I want to," Lan Wangji’s stare was so heavy, Wei Wuxian thought he could feel it brushing against him.

"W-what?" Wei Wuxian couldn't have heard him right. Maybe once it could have been possible, but now...

Lan Wangji turned the arm that Wei Wuxian was holding onto his wrist loosely, turning it until his hand was holding Wei Wuxian. "Want to."

"Once I thought of you as my soulmate in this life..." Wei Wuxian admitted, knowing his cheeks were hot but feeling he had to say something into the silence that followed. Even if he was a coward and couldn't meet Lan Wangji's eyes.

Lan Wangji reached out, resting a hand on Wei Wuxian's chin to tilt it back up. "I still am," Lan Wangji said the words so surely that Wei Wuxian almost believed him. But Lan Wangji didn't know what Wei Wuxian now was...

"When are we to be married?" Wei Wuxian asked as Lan Wangji took his hand away. He wouldn’t hold Wei Wuxian in place even as Wei Wuxian longed for that warmth but didn't chase it. He kept his eyes on Lan Wangji's now.

"Unsure, but I will move to Lotus Pier in three months' time."

"Aiyah.” Too soon. “We can extend that if you want."

Lan Wangji's frown grew deeper. "No. Three months. Wei Ying... Does this make you unhappy?"

"Lan Zhan, I'm not good enough for you," Wei Wuxian stepped away. "I don't want you to make this mistake."

"It is not a mistake unless it will not make Wei Ying happy."

"Lan Zhan, you are too good," Wei Wuxian turned back for a moment.

"It is Wei Ying who is this," Lan Wangji said, before bowing slightly. "I will leave you to talk to your brother. But I hope you will decide..."

The words ‘to be with me’ hung in the air between them as they parted.

[...]

It was Jiang Yanli who Wei Wuxian sought first. He didn't know what he would do if he tried to talk to Jiang Cheng right now. She listened to him as he explained all that had just happened, nodding here and there. There was a little smile that came to her face towards the end as Wei Wuxian found he had run out of words. He didn't know what else to say and didn't like the feeling. 

Jiang Yanli reached out and patted his head as if he were still little. "A-Xien, how long have you been in love with Lan Wangji?" she said, her tone almost teasing.

Wei Wuxian felt his eyes go wide.

"I know you," Jiang Yanli murmured. "Why are you so scared, a-Xien?"

"I don't want to hurt him," Wei Wuxian admitted. "Or you. Or Jiang Cheng."

"We don't want you to be hurt." Jiang Yanli took his hands in her own. She always looked so small compared to him now, and it was jarring from when they were kids. He felt like he would always be looking up to his shijie. "I believe Lan Wangji wants to help you."

"He wants to fix me," Wei Wuxian huffed. That hurt more than he wanted to say.

"No, I think he wants to help you," Jiang Yanli said as if she were coaxing him to eat the food he didn't want to as a kid. "He just doesn't have a very obvious way of showing it."

"Like Jiang Cheng."

Jiang Yanli laughed at that. "Yes, though a-Cheng likes to... express his feelings loudly."

Wei Wuxian managed a single laugh at that. “He does. I think he’s doing what’s best.”

“I think he’s certainly trying,” Jiang Yanli said. “Let people help you, a-Xien.”

[...]

Rebuilding was hard work that ate up day after day.

Before Wei Wuxian knew it, the time came to expect Lan Wangji at Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian had spent his days doing what he could to help, often going in the fields where no one would ask him to cultivate. He spent a lot less of his free time drinking than he had originally planned.

He needed to make sure everything was set up for Lan Wangji. The private rooms he had been granted were bigger than the ones he used to have. Jiang Cheng was insistent of Wei Wuxian's place on Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian should be made happy by this, but all he could feel was a hole and the ache of inadequacy.

And yet Lan Wangji wanted to marry him anyway. He had received several letters from his betrothed. The most recent one he carried with him since it had arrived:

[Wei Ying,

In five days I will follow this message to you. I bring with me some of my possessions but also a gladness in my heart to see you once again. I know you still might not believe it or even feel the same way, but I do wish to remind you.

I look forward to observing the lotuses and to spending more time with you and your family. But mostly I look forward to seeing you and I hold hope you feel the same.

Your soulmate,

Lan Zhan]

That was how he always signed.

Wei Wuxian read the words in spare moments, trying to believe them. Because there was a part of him that was excited to see Lan Wangji, that longed to see him. But the other part, the one that never wanted others to be hurt, told him to hide.

To which Jiang Yanli had told him, "You'll hurt him for sure if you hide your feelings." She was his true conscience, the only person he still felt he knew where he stood.

Wei Wuxian knew there wasn't much else he could do. If Lan Wangji was going to be taken from his home, to be stuck here with Wei Wuxian, then he needed to make sure everything was as perfect as possible. He made sure the rooms they were to share were well organized, a mix of pale purples and whites. There was a nice writing desk, open windows onto the lotuses. He wanted it to feel enough like home that Lan Wangji wouldn't resent it.

Wouldn’t grow to resent him.

[...]

"It is beautiful, Wei Ying," Lan Wangji said, as they sat across from each other. "Thank you for showing me around."

Wei Wuxian offered a smile that was almost real. It hadn't taken long for him to relax around Lan Wangji, to fall into familiar patterns of teasing and talking. "I'm glad you like it."

"Mn," Lan Wangji looked out the window. The sun was setting, making the water around the lotuses look the color of fire.

"It's my favorite time of day," Wei Wuxian murmured, looking at the way Lan Wangji's face glowed with warmth in the light. 

"Maybe there is a song to be written," Lan Wangji mused.

"I’ve never thought of that," Wei Wuxian glanced over at where chenqing rested. He knew it was more than just a weapon, but he wasn't sure anyone else did.

He was startled from his thoughts by Lan Wangji's hand on his own. It brushed against his skin, not just the clothing around his wrist. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

Wei Wuxian knew there was a change here, a change in who they were to each other. So much had changed already that it was frightening, even if it was something he expected. Yet he had always expected it would be a fracturing, going down two different paths. As he looked from their hands to Lan Wangji's eyes, he knew that he felt that change too.

He didn't pull away, didn’t listen to the part of him that begged him to. It knew that if he let Lan Wangji in, being rejected by him for the cultivation Wei Wuxian had to use, for his coreless body, would hurt that much more. But maybe... maybe... 

If Lan Wangji said he wasn't going to hurt him, he was telling the truth.

"I trust you," Wei Wuxian whispered. "But I need you to trust me."

Lan Wangji's hand tightened slightly. "I trust and will help Wei Ying."

"But I get to say when I need help," Wei Wuxian said, holding up a finger.

"Indeed," and then Lan Wangji smiled ever so slightly, and Wei Wuxian knew he had never seen anything more beautiful. "Unless your sister tells me otherwise."

"Ah!" Wei Wuxian pointed with his free hand. "Lan Zhan! You’re laughing at me!"

"No," Lan Wangji said, his eyes twinkling way too much for that to be the case. "Just finding the logical conclusion."

Wei Wuxian huffed but nodded. "Fine. But only shijie gets to overrule me! Don't listen to a thing Jiang Cheng says."

"Mn. Never have."

Wei Wuxian found himself doubling over with laughter. It was the kind of laughter that filled him where he had only felt empty for so long. A warmth pushing back the cold.