I wonder if there’s any stories that I just haven’t found- set in canon time, mind. Not modern- of WWX raising JL?
Like, JYL was obviously not entirely mentally stable when she ran into the battlefield that resulted in her death. Her precious brothers fought each other- which resulted in one with a broken arm and the other stabbed and casted out of the sect-, had to sneak out in her wedding robes to visit the brother that couldn’t be there because everyone else hated him, she had just married into a new sect, gave birth, had her husband killed on a day that was supposed to be celebrating their child, heard her brother was the one to kill him, learned that there was now a siege against said brother, and that her other brother was part of the group leading it.
Shit be crazy. But what if she brought JL with her. Maybe she unintentionally did it, like heard of the siege and rushed there regardless of what she was carrying- her baby- or maybe she did it on purpose- unable to trust those around her who kept claiming her A-Xian a bad person or thinking that his presence would calm the siege faster. She knew it would at least help calm WWX, who at that point hadn’t been able to even see his nephew let alone hold him.
Then she gets hit by a corpse. She’s now injured with a baby in her arms. WWX-and maybe JWY, depending on which version you base this is- are now trying to stop the corpses and make sure she’s alright, when she suddenly pushes JL into WWX’s arms and shoved them away, causing WWX to barely avoid getting hit by a sword but causing her to be fatally injured.
Her last words- instead of trying to tell him that she never blamed him- were instead to keep her baby safe.
WWX, also mentally unstable due to the previous incidents that he was present for now even worse because he feels like he just killed his Shijie, panics and leaves with JL. She asked him to keep JL safe, and it is not safe in a battlefield. He disappears further into the Burial Mounds- possibly picking LSZ on the way for some extra family feels, possibly not which results in LWJ finding and raising him instead- and is never found again. Alongside the never found, is WWX’s dizi and sword.
Timeskip forward- maybe at Mo Manor, maybe at Dafen mountain- a boy (or two) and his Dajiu (and dad) start helping the sects solve some wacky mysteries and ohp- looks like it’s JL and WWX. Surprise!
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Rebound
First date - tell me more, tell me more - Black velvet dress - Cloudy mornings and sweet bareness - Kiss me, you fool - Waiting in the wings - You're only falling now? - Morning dew and dances - Cannibalypse now - Blood in the water - Silver lining - The Cube - From one hell to another - Dazed and confused
Words:1990
Warnings: alcohol abuse, panic
Kelvin had been anticipating this day for a whole painful week now, torn between hope and the fear of failing inevitably. His job interview for an open mechanic position at the local garage was just around the corner but he simply couldn't shake off the nerves that had been gnawing at him for days. It was a tough time for him as his PTSD had been acting up lately, leaving him struggling to keep it under control while every little noise threw him into an unbearable state of constant panic. Every little thing seemed to set him off, even the children shouting outside while playing were too much for his brain to handle. It was frustrating, to say the least. But, there still was a glimmer of hope. You had managed to pull some strings with a doctor you worked with for many years and get Kelvin the medication he so desperately needed, including a fine working pair of seondhand hearing aids which made communicating with each other much easier. It wasn't much, but it was enough to help him get through the day without feeling like he was going to die of a panic attack at any given moment. As he stood in front of the mirror, clumsily trying to tie his tie, the impending sensation of failure crept up his neck, clawing itself deep into his mind. He had tried so many times, but his shivering hands just couldn't get it right. You passed by, ready to head out on your way out to work, noticing his struggles and walked over to him.
"Here, let me help you," you said softly, taking the tie from his hands.
Kelvin sighed wearily and slumped his shoulders.
"I can't do this," he whined, "I can't do any of this!"
Your hands paused in their tracks and you looked up, inspecting his face as your brows furrowed.
"Yes, you can, T-Bird" you said firmly, "you've come this far, and you're not going to give up now. You survived hell, you've been sober for two weeks, you've got the right pills and you're able to hear my antics again, so nothing's holding you back, my love."
Kelvin nodded, unable to hide a faint smile as he felt a tiny glimmer of hope.
"I guess you're right, as usual" he declared, straightening his shoulders, "maybe I can do this."
You smiled and finished tying his tie.
"There you go," you whispered, patting him on the back, "you look fantastic! How could anyone ever resist you while you're looking this irresistibly sexy?"
Kelvin chuckled and took one last deep breath before heading out the door with you. He was nervous, anxious but he also noticed that tiny bubble of hope in his chest. As he walked to his interview, his mind reminisced about how far he had come. And, no matter what happened, he knew he had you on his team and, hopefully, no cannibals or mutants working at the garage.
The time at work passed agonisingly slow, your eyes darting to your phone every few minutes, checking for any message of Kelvin but no matter how often you looked, no new messages were blinking up. You leaned back in your chair, a defeated sigh leaving your lips as you took the next paper from the pile, dialing the phone number on it, mentally preparing for the call with the patient's health insurance when your mobile phone suddenly rang, displaying the number of the garage.
Kelvin sat nervously in the small office room behind the workshop, his palms sweating profusely as he fidgeted with the bottom of his tie. He was struggling to find work and this was the first real opportunity that came across since the army threw him out. This job, as a mechanic in the local garage, seemed like a lifeline, a gateway to the bright future with you he craved so desperately. Jeff, the owner of the garage and interviewer was a tall, broad-shouldered old man who looked like he had seen his fair share of hard work. Kelvin answered all his questions confidently, trying to mask his nervousness and desperation. He talked about his experience in the army and how he quit to be closer to his girlfriend who lived in the very same town. Jeff seemed impressed and asked a few more questions. But then, the sudden sound of the electric torque wrench started to echo through the garage. Kelvin's body immediately tensed up, and his mind was flooded by an overload of flashbacks from his time on the island. The sound reminded him of the ferocious screeching of the monsters he had heard not too long ago when that one cannibal almost killed him and the trauma from those moments held his entire being hostage. He tried to fight it, to push through the panic rising inside him but all his logical thoughts drowned in the bellows of torturous memories. It grew to be simply too much as his words morphed into a jumbled mess and he couldn't sit still in his seat. His hands were shaking and sweat was pouring down his face. Finally, when the agony threatened to overwhelm him completely, he mumbled something about being sorry and quickly darted out the garage as if the very essence of his life depended on his escape. He could hear the owner of the garage calling after him, but he didn't stop. Jeff watched him go, a worried look of disappointment on his face. He had been impressed with Kelvin's experience and professionalism up until that point. But now, he was just another nervous wreck, another victim that was spat out the army's cruel machinery. He'd know perfectly well how that felt, remembering his own time on the battlefields of the gulf war and how he'd been discarded after he came back broken. Jeff grabbed his phone and called the person who recommended Kelvin to him.
Kelvin felt like a failure, like he couldn't even handle a simple interview, what happened to him had left him a wreck and nothing could ever fix him again. Not even you, he'd simply drown you along with him, never being able to forgive himself for doing so. He had let his past trauma get the better of him, and now he was left with nothing yet again. Maybe it was his fate to end up miserable and alone, with all what happened, he felt like he deserved nothing else. As he walked down the street heading to your home, Kelvin couldn't keep himself from the hearing the sweet call of intoxication. The unbearable weight of reality was tearing him down and, for the first time in two weeks while being alone, the recent failure took a hold of him and he instinctively grabbed the bottle of white wine in your fridge as soon he was back at your place. The panic emerging from his memories and the disappointment sang a bittersweet siren's song to him and he failed to resist. Not wanting to loose any time to finally dive into the tempting numbness, he downed the whole bottle at once, coughing bitterly at the sweet taste as he felt his mind drift off to a shamming realm of comfort. He threw the bottle in the trash, taking off his tie, unbuttoning his shirt, his body slumping down on the couch as he heard the front door open.
As you opened the door, your eyes immediately darted to Kelvin's figure on the couch, sagging shoulders, a hazy gaze traveling towards you. You took your coat off and left it along with your purse on the small table next to the entrance as you headed towards your soldier, sitting next to him.
"Are you alright ?", your hand gently rubbing his arm.
As Kelvin turned around to face you, you couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with him. He wasn't aware that Jeff had actually called you to explain how the interview went, so he wouldn't sense that you'd know already how hell broke loose during the interview. His clouded mound was currently solely obsessed with how your beauty seemed so alluringly tempting, a deep groan building up in his chest as he could feel the restraints of his growing buldge in his pants. He wanted you, he needed you, right here and now. Only the intoxicating touch of your delicate hands could relieve him from the pain he had endured today. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you close as his lips sloppily pressed on yours, his tongue trying to force its way inside your mouth. The taste of the sweet wine invaded your taste buds, the sudden realisation of what happened after the interview hitting you immediately as you pushed the soldier away.
"You've been drinking?!", you yelled, barely able to contain your rising anger despite knowing better.
"What does it matter? You're beautiful, I love you and I want you", Kelvin huffed, his hands gripping your wrists, pulling you closer again as he ran his tongue along your neck.
Disgust filled your entire mind as you wriggled to escape his hold, slapping him right on his cheek as soon as one of your hands was free. You weren't letting yourself play along with his drunken mind games, he had to realise what had happened and what tragedy seemed to unfold in this very moment. Kelvin blinked at you, startled, taking a few seconds to realise what just happened.
"You idiot!", you screamed, "why on earth did you drink again? What gave you the idea that this was the right thing to do? Answer me!"
Kelvin jumped up from the couch, his fingers buried into the fabric of your t-shirt as he hauled you up on your feet, his other hand roughly cradling your neck forcing you to look at him. You'd never seen this side of him and it frightened you deep down to your core. For a moment you weren't sure what was about to happen. You were aware that combination of his pills and alcohol could cause violent outburst, praying to all the gods you could think of to not let him hurt you in any way, fearing to break what little brightness you'd been able to retrieve in your relationship. But to your surprise the angry expression on his face washed away and his chest heaved, uncontrollable sobs bubbling up as sorrowful tears formed in the corners of his eyes.
"I-I'm sorry, I failed, failed", Kelvin fell on his knees, finally releasing the threatening hold on your t-shirt, "I'm worthless and I'll drag you down with me. I-I-I...", his words broke up, only stuttering sounds leaving his mouth.
You took a deep breath, trying to somewhat sort your fear and anger, trying to focus on being the tower of strength Kelvin so desperately needed now, even though you felt like the complete opposite. It wasn't an easy task, you had already invested a lot of your energy on trying whatever you could to keep him afloat, sacrificing whatever sanity you still possessed in the process. You kneeled down in front of him, gently caressing his cheeks.
"Jeff called me you know", you breathed, unsure whether you should talk to him about or not.
Kelvin blinked at you, his intoxicated mind trying to process the information thrown at him.
"I recommended you, I know Jeff through work, he served in the army as well and knows how the battlefield can have a toll on you, he called me explaining what happened."
"I'm so soo-o-orry!", his slurred sobs grew louder.
You held his head up, nudging the tip of his nose with yours to force his focus on back you.
"Jeff will give you a chance, you're hired, he understands", you whispered, pecking his lips, "it's gonna be ok", you repeated almost religiously as you'd be trying to convince not just Kelvin but also yourself.
Part 15 - In good hands
SotF masterlist
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