#NH fanfiction

[himatauzumaki]

chapter two is up! read here :)

CATALYST

all is fair in love and war, but what if love creates bad blood?

hinata: “i’m used to waiting but every single day im regretting without realizing it. you came to me so easily, so it’ll be easy to leave me.”

based off of the slow burn socmed au i created years ago, catalyst is heartbreak, burnout, hope, betrayal, and love.

if you’re curious, here’s the original.

read on ao3: link

[itsjaywalkers]

i don't want anybody else touching you

E | jegulus | 44k | part 4 of nothing happens

“No,” James drawls. “I know you two are… together.” He can’t help but grimace as the word falls from his lips, not surprised by the roll of eyes it drags out of Regulus. “But that doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change us. You still belong to me.” Regulus’ eyebrows shoot up, and he does a double take, a mix between a huff and a snort escaping his mouth. Still, James doesn’t miss the way the blush on his face, mostly born out of anger, turns brighter and spreads lower, covering his neck and the part of his collarbones that’s peeking out of his shirt. “I don’t belong to anyone,” Regulus says, voice going all high and airy. James has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his smile at bay. “And if I did, it wouldn’t be to you.”

[puck-luck]

16 of hearts with nico hischier please🥹 (quinn as backup🙏)

warnings: oral fem!receiving, lots of relationship banter, references to unprotected p in v

wc: 340

You press a hand to your chest, monitoring its rise and fall.

Nico continues lapping at your cunt lazily, being gentle after bringing you to your peak. He ignores your clit, something you’re grateful for, because there’s no way you can handle the zapping pleasure of another orgasm so soon.

“How do you feel?” Nico asks. He traces his tongue along your folds, occasionally laying it flat and lathering your entrance.

“Gooey,” you reply. 

Nico chuckles, pulling away from your pussy and pressing his lips together. “Gooey,” he repeats. “Sounds like I’ve done my job.”

“Mm, you have, and now we can finish going about our day,” you say, acting coy. You know that Nico’s grown hard just from eating you out. You know it because he was grinding against the bed just before you came. You forcibly struggle against Nico’s grip, attempting to close your legs and leave him high and dry.

“Hey,” Nico interjects with a laugh. He settles his hands against your hips and pushes them back into place. “Get back down here, we’re not done yet.”

“No?” You ask, faux-incredulously. “We’re not?”

“Absolutely not,” Nico says. He pushes himself up like he’s doing a push-up, then comes level with your face. He kisses you, sliding his tongue into your mouth. When he pulls away, he continues. “I still have to come, baby. I want to do that while I’m inside you.”

You wrap your arms around his neck, nuzzling his nose with your own in an Eskimo kiss. “Aren’t you greedy,” you tease.

“Very,” Nico says. “But I think you’ll enjoy it just as much as I will.” He grinds his cock against your hip, precum trailing across your skin.

You bite back a smile. “You think so?” You ask.

“Yeah, I think so,” Nico plays along.

“I don’t know,” you hum noncommittally. “You’ll have to prove it to me.”

“Aha,” Nico drones, reaching down so he can align himself with your core. He pushes his tip inside you, rolling his hips forward. “Say less, baby.”

[abitchandabastard]

runaway

when sam ran to stanford, dean didn’t make a real effort to stop him. it’s what sam needed, dean knew it. it’s safer that way. dean could keep an eye from a distance, could keep him out of everything while making sure he’s safe and sound. despite that, it wasn’t his goodbye. his arms were wide open, always, ready for baby brother to run back to him. dean knew sam needed to run away but he also knew one day, sam would run right back to him.

[thirteenis-myluckynumber]

Wedding vows

Man, choosing a gif is harder than I thought *cries*

Pairing: Nie Huaisang x f!reader

Word Count: 4856 words

Warnings/tags: fluff, just love all around, Chinese wedding ensues, suggestive content, smut, this one is nsfw minors dni

Notes: (C/N)-your clan's name, (Y/N)-your name

A/N: This is the 2nd part of Proposal. You can read this is as a stand-alone, but some context might be lost. I can't believe its done, have a feast, dears!

Special thanks to this post, for providing information about Chinese weddings. I did take some liberties, but at least I did it knowingly.

It's been almost a month now that you were living in the Unclean Realm. Your brother agreed, begrudgingly at first, to let you go before the wedding because he saw how painful it was for you to stay away from your soon-to-be husband. In the end, he saw it was the right decision to let you get used to your new home beforehand.

Just one week before the wedding basically everything was turned upside down in the Unclean Realm. Both you and Nie Huaisang took part in the planning as there were no close relative of his who could take on the task. He, of course, had an exceptionally good eye for decoration, and while he was busy with clan leader's stuff, you coordinated the disciples and servants when needed.

You quickly got used to the almost colourless picture of the Unclean Realm and appreciated the calmly elegant black-grey-silver colours of your new home. The vivid red and gold decorations of the upcoming wedding, hinted with a little bit of silver, almost felt weirdly out of place now. As you entered the main hall to check on the servants' progress before retiring for the night, you stopped in awe at the entrance. Almost everything was in place now, only some adjustments were needed here and there. A huge smile spread across your face, as you couldn't help but imagine yourself entering the hall on Huaisang's arm, dressed in beautiful red and every guest's attention on you.

Speaking of Huaisang, you wondered what he was doing, as you haven't seen him all day. You decided to check on him before returning to your chambers. As you passed down the hallways, the servants were busy lighting some lanterns for the night. The sky already started to darken, and they politely greeted you as you passed them by. The guards also haven't paid attention to you, you were allowed to move freely, and they quickly got used to your presence after you moved in.

When you approached Huaisang's door, you knocked lightly to let him know of your presence but didn't actually wait for him to open the door himself. With guards present, his door was unlocked so you figured he hasn't retired for the night yet. You entered and instantly noticed his sitting form by the desk. He seemed to be completely engrossed in something, which you assumed was official documents. A light, calming incense could be smelled in the air of the warmly lit room. As you stepped closer, you noticed the not-so-neatly scattered papers on the table and some even around it on the ground. You also noticed a brush and ink, probably for writing letters. His usual fan also sat discarded on the edge of the table. Yes, he was definitely working all day, you concluded.

You stepped next to the table on his left side and shot a quick glance at the paper in front of him. It was clearly clan business. He only became aware of your presence in that moment, and he looked up at you with a tired but happy smile playing on the edge of his lips.

"Miss (C/N), it's so good to see you! Only you can make this miserable day better!"

"Oh, Huaisang, I'm sorry you had to work all day! I stopped by the main hall, and everything is almost completely ready now. You should check it out tomorrow. What's all this anyway?" You asked gesturing at the scattered papers all around his desk.

"You wouldn't believe it! Almost all of this are letters offering support, inquiring about accommodation, or asking for details about the banquet. There are also official papers about finances and clan politics. And I have to sort these out before the wedding! Why does everybody want a piece of me?"

"Hmm, I think," you pretended to think hard while you sat down next to him on the ground, "you are quite a catch."

He let out a disbelieving sound, but you continued, counting on your fingers.

"You are wealthy, the leader of one of the four big clans, a clever and intelligent man, you are a very talented artist, you have great taste in clothing, you do what you need to but don't meddle in other's business, you are funny and kind. Oh, and have I mentioned exceptionally handsome?"

"Ahh, stop, stop, stop, stop!" He protested, nose scrunched up and hands held out in front of his chest.

You let out a short laugh because of his adorably childish attitude and turned your body so you were sitting face to face now. You reached out and grabbed his hands. So warm and soft, they fit perfectly into yours.

"I'm serious," you said looking into his eyes.

And he believed you. His face straightened out, his eyes searching yours, lips parted only a tiny bit in awe, but you couldn't help but notice. He also noticed where you were looking, his eyes wandering down to your lips in turn. When your eyes met again, you could see the question in his eyes and you leaned closer to him, a barely noticeable movement. But that's all he needed. The next moment he leaned in, and his lips were on yours, hands moving around your waist to pull you closer. You gasped, one hand touching his chest for purchase, the other reaching up to cradle his cheek. His kisses were slow and sensual.

"I don't think you should praise me this much. I might become overly confident," he whispered into your lips between kisses.

"Well, surely we don't need another peacock."

You let go of each other's lips and burst out laughing, your foreheads touching the whole time.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

The day of the wedding arrived quickly. As you were getting ready with help of your maids, you listened to the commotion outside as guests continued to arrive. Everyone had to settle in their temporary rooms and led to the main hall where the wedding will take place. Once everyone was here the ceremony started while food and drinks were being prepared by the servants for the following banquet.

You were quite nervous because basically the whole cultivation world will witness your union. At least the other three big clans, the Lanling Jin, the Gusu Lan and the Yunmeng Jiang were obviously invited, and some of the smaller clans too thanks to your side. Jiang Wanyin was Huaisang's old friend, while Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao were Nie Mingjue's sworn brothers so you were sure they will be attending. Lan Wangji apparently made up some excuse, so he didn't need to come and if you were honest, you liked it this way. His achievements certainly deserved respect, but he was famously uninterested in, even disgusted by celebrations which involved lively music and drinking.

Putting on the wedding dress was the quickest part of the whole procedure as braiding your hair in the Nie style and preparing your make-up took a few hours. Finally, your head was covered with a red veil to complete the look. Soon you were being led out to meet your husband the entrance of the main hall. Nervousness rose in your chest, but it subsided somewhat when you arrived. You were signaled to stop, and you felt warm hands gently wrapping around yours.

"Huaisang?" Your words came out as barely a whisper because somehow you felt like the wedding atmosphere shouldn't be bothered by talking.

"I'm here," he answered in kind and squeezed your hand a little as reassurance before wrapping a soft red silk ribbon around your wrist. It was to ensure you won't trip as you could barely see anything through your veil, and it also symbolised your union.

You only noticed the soft music and light chatter in the background when you started to walk up the few stairs leading to the main hall. But the hushed voices completely stopped when you stepped into the hall. Thankfully you knew how the room was prepared, so you remembered that you only had to take a few steps before you reached the pillows placed on the ground for you to perform your bows. Huaisang also made sure to make measured movements and helped you the best he could in signalling when you needed to stop walking and kneel down.

Being led by Huaisang while you almost couldn't see anything felt strangely romantic to you, like he was the only person in the whole world you could trust and to whom you could give complete control over yourself. This vulnerability felt frightening at first as you could feel every guest's eyes on your back, like realizing a dangerous predator is stalking you in the forest. But soon your senses focused completely on Huaisang. You could almost feel his warmth radiating through the cloth that bound your hands together.

You bowed in sync, first to pay respect to Heaven and Earth, second to Huaisang's parents, and finally to each other. You stood up and felt your legs shaking from relief and happiness. You were married! You still couldn't believe it. Soon you heard the commotion as your guests stood up and drank a cup of liquor to your marriage. One by one they approached you to congratulate you and wish you health and happiness. Huaisang held your hand in his and you could feel his palm was sweaty from nerves, but you didn't mind. You thanked the guests for their well-wishes and also said farewell. You recognized some of the voices and you were glad that your husband will be taken care of by people like Lan Xichen and Jiang Wanyin during the banquet.

The few hours you spent alone, sitting in silence on your now shared bed in Nie Huaisang's room felt like a relief after the ceremony. So far everything went well, you completed the wedding without any mishaps, and you hoped that everything goes smoothly at the banquet too. Time flew by surprisingly quickly while you meditated. Your focus was disturbed by muffled voices coming through the closed door. When it slid open, you could hear the finishing sentences of the two people's conversation outside.

"Don't be nervous. Everything will be fine," you recognized the soft and calm voice of Jin Guangyao.

"Thank you, San-ge," replied Huaisang, and closed the door behind him as he stepped into the room.

He didn't move for a few seconds and the anticipation in you grew stronger and stronger. You were patient the whole day, but now you just wanted to finally see him, see him in his wedding robes. He walked closer, ever so slow, hesitation palpable. In the dim light of the candles, you could see his silhouette when he stepped in front of you. You felt it when he finally grabbed your veil at the sides and with a quick motion, he lifted it up, letting it float down to the floor.

You were not one of those old traditional couples in the sense that you already knew each other before the wedding. Yet now, when both of you finally looked at each other, it felt like seeing a heavenly being for the first time. Wide eyes, lips parted you marvelled at each other's beauty. He has seen you in your dress during the ceremony, but your face adorned with tasteful make-up and your hair decorated with jewelry, braided specially to signify you were now the wife of a Nie took his breath away. You, on the other hand, had to take in his full visage. His red robes, with gold and black woven in, were of a thinner material than his usual attire, so it perfectly accentuated his snatched waist and wide shoulders. The guan in his hair were gold and it had a bolder style than his usual silver ones, just like the braids. When your gaze stopped at his face your breath hitched in your throat because of the open love and desire you saw in his eyes.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he finally spoke, his voice low.

"I...," you had to clear your throat after not speaking for such a long time, "we should drink the alcohol," you managed to say, standing up and walking to the table nervously.

You poured the fine liquor into two small cups and handed one to Huaisang. He took it gently and waited for you with his arm held out. You joined him, holding your own cup, and you intertwined your arms as you drank the alcohol with one gulp. When you finished you looked at each other, arms still linked and smiled, feeling the tension of the day leaving your body. You almost knocked your heads together as you wanted to put the cups down back on the table at the same time.

"We should sit down," he suggested, but the suggestion sounded like a tentative question.

You nodded your head. He must be tired after entertaining your guests, you thought. Luckily, he was not drunk so his friends must have kept a close eye on him. He could also direct some of his qi to get rid of the alcohol, but that also exhausted him after a while. You knew what was expected of you on your wedding night, but you didn't want to pressure him if he felt too tired after such a long day.

So, you sat on the edge of your bed in silence for a few moments before you felt his hand reaching out for yours. You flicked your gaze over where your hand rested on the bed between your bodies. His hand was not much bigger than yours but still big enough to cradle yours, and you always marveled at how soft and warm they felt. You noticed how his other hand were playing with the jade pendant hanging from his belt and you moved your free hand to gently lay on his thigh. You intended to soothe his nerves, but the moment your hand connected with his leg, you felt his muscles twitch. You looked up into his eyes and what you saw made your breath quicken. His dark brown eyes looked almost completely black now as his pupils widened. For a split second his gaze moved down to your mouth, and you did the same in return. You noticed how his lips relaxed, opening only the slightest amount and you found yourself wanting to kiss him so bad. When your gazes met again, he leaned towards you slowly, still holding your gaze, gauging your reaction.

And your lips connected.

It felt like fireworks exploded between you. You felt how his hand pushed yours into the mattress as he leaned in closer, his body weight shifting to his arm between you. His other arm sneaked around your waist to pull you closer, as he always did when you were kissing, only this time the kiss was different. It was much more forceful, brave, and charged with desire.

When you let go of each other's lips for a moment, both of you were breathing hard.

"I love you so much. You are the best thing in my life," he breathed into your lips, and you swore you saw his eyes shining.

"I love you too, I love you-," you said in return, the last syllable muffled as he captured your lips again.

Sitting with your feet on the ground while your body turned towards him started to feel uncomfortable, so you moved to sit on his lap, not letting go of his lips or hand for a second. When you settled your weight on his thighs, he moved his hands to your cheeks at first, then moved them down to your neck, tracing your collar bones with his fingers. You grabbed onto his robes and let go of his lips with a sigh. His hands moved away immediately, thinking his touch were unwelcome.

"Don't stop. It... felt good," you said nervously and smiled shyly at him.

This time he moved his hands to your waist, where the sash held your garments together.

"May I?" He asked seriously, his voice trembling a little.

You gulped and nodded your head rapidly. His touch was featherlight, you almost couldn't feel it when he reached for the opening of your sash and carefully removed it. The material of your robe loosened, and he moved to remove your outer garment entirely. You realized you were sitting on the skirt, so you needed to stand back up if you wanted to remove the whole thing.

"I need to get up to get this out of the way," you said to him when he freed your arms and only your undershirt remained on the upper half of your body.

You quickly realized that part of his nervousness came from the fact that he didn't want to scare you away, so you warned him of your intentions beforehand. He nodded and reluctantly let go of you as you stood up from his lap.

The room was warm, but you still felt a slight chill as your outer robe descended to the floor. The coldness faded when you looked into Huaisang's fiery gaze and the air suddenly felt impossibly hot as he stepped closer to you. His hands moved to your shoulders, gently caressing them and slowly moving towards your chest. Your breath quickened, his light touches searing hot through your thin undergarment. A shiver ran through your whole body as his hands gently cradled your soft breasts and he sucked in a sharp breath when your nipples hardened under his thumbs.

"Please, Huaisang, I want to feel your touch on my skin!" You felt a little embarrassed about how whiny your voice sounded, but you wanted to show him how much you wanted his touch.

He leaned in to kiss at your jawline and neck while his hands deftly removed your undergarments. As your clothes pooled around your ankles, he took a step back to admire your naked body. You suddenly felt self-conscious, and your hands instinctively moved to cover yourself up. Huaisang noticed it and took your hands into his to stop you.

"Don't be shy. I still can't believe I've managed to get myself such a beautiful and intelligent wife" he said, looking into your eyes the whole time.

You wanted to say something witty and clever, but the moment felt too sincere for it, so instead you answered:

"Don't forget that I wanted to be yours."

He stepped closer to you again, his mouth finding yours. He kissed you like a drowning man, never wanting to let go of you. His hands roamed over every part of your body he could reach and you wanted to finally touch his skin too. Your hands tugged on the lapels of his dress, signalling you wanted it off. He broke the kiss when he felt a more insistent tug.

"Take it off!" You managed to breath out and he chuckled at your insistence.

"You want more of me, huh?" He asked with that cocky self-assurance he only used with his closest friends back at Cloud Recesses.

You crossed your arms across your chest with a defiant look and you must have looked funny standing like that while being stark naked. But it worked, and Huaisang looked at you as if he were saying "Fine, fine," and reached for his belt. The strength gradually left your arms as you watched him undress, and by the time he only had his white underrobe on, your arms were hanging by your side.

When he moved to remove it too, you couldn't just stand there anymore and stepped in front of him, grabbing onto his hands. Your sudden movement startled him a little as his focus were completely on his clothes. You reached for the cloth that bound his underrobe together and undid it slowly, looking into his eyes the whole time. He moved his hands out of the way and followed the path of yours with his eyes as you reached up to his shoulders, pushing the light fabric down.

And he stood there only in a pair of white trousers, chest bare, skin like pristine jade, accentuated by his dark hair cascading down his back. You couldn't help but marvel at his beauty. As a healer you saw many men and women in various stages of undress, mostly injured soldiers. At those times your interest was not particularly focused on their looks, but you remembered how strong and muscular they were. Now, as you were looking at your husband's bare upper body, you realised that you never really found them attractive. Compared to them Huaisang had a soft body, but his chest was nicely toned and you could see the lean muscles of his arms.

You reached up and traced his collar bones with your fingers then moved downwards and stopped on his chest. You could feel how strong and fast his heart was beating under your right palm. His skin was so soft, smooth and warm, you couldn't help but tenderly caress the shape of his pecs, noticing how his small nipples stood at attention from your touch, much like yours before. You slowly slid your hands down to his stomach, following the made-up path of the cute little moles that were scattered everywhere on his skin. You felt the muscles tensing under the skin of his stomach as you went even lower, stopping where a soft patch of dark hair disappeared under the band of his underpants. As you ran your fingers over his happy trail, loving how the soft hairs tickled your fingertips, you heard Huaisang biting back a whiny moan. Your eyes moved back to his face and oh, what you saw took your breath away. He bit down on his lower lip, eyebrows furrowed, as he watched with half-lidded eyes where your hands were going.

You moved your hands out of your line of sight and your gaze lowered past the waist of his pants. He was already hard enough to form a nicely visible tent in his pants. You realised there was no turning back if you took the next step and it scared you a little, but also made you incredibly excited. You wanted it and you wanted him, but it still surprised you how boldly you reached down and caressed him lightly through his pants. This time his moan was deeper, more guttural, and he almost literally fell on you as he rested his forehead on your shoulder. Your knowledge was mostly medical about how the male body worked, so the late-night conversations with your already married friends came in handy. You felt proud about how much your touch affected Huaisang. Your next caress was a little firmer and you felt him twitch under your palm. Gathering his every strength, Huaisang stepped back and pulled you towards the bed.

"(Y/N), please, it's been too long, and I fear I won't last long if you keep this up. I want all of you tonight. Can I show you how much?"

"Okay," your voice was barely a whisper, and you let yourself being laid down on the bed.

Huaisang quickly got rid of his remaining garments and carefully removed the intricate guan, now only a black silk ribbon keeping his hair together. As he climbed on top of you, you instinctively opened your legs to make room for him as he rested his weight on his elbows next to your shoulders. This way he was the only thing you could see, but there was nothing else you wished to see at this moment. A large amount of his long hair fell over his shoulders and caressed your cheeks. He was so beautiful as a soft smile played on his lips and you reached up to kiss him. It quickly turned heated and Huaisang soon left your lips in order to kiss all over your face and neck. Then he moved lower and grabbed one of your breasts with his hand while he occupied his mouth with sucking on the other nipple. Your sighs of pleasure encouraged him to move his hand lower while his mouth kept playing with your nipples.

At first your hips shied away from his touch but when his deft fingers found the most pleasurable spot between your legs you couldn't bite back a moan. His mouth left your breasts as he moved to carefully watch your reaction while his other hand kept your legs in place.

"You are doing amazing, you are so wet already," he praised and slowly pushed his index finger inside you.

"Huaisang...," you moaned his name as you watched his finger disappear inside you.

This was something you already tried yourself on lonely nights but the fact that it was his finger made the experience completely different and so much better. He moved his finger slowly in and out of you and when you felt like you couldn't take it anymore, he removed his hand. You whined at the sudden loss of contact, but he moved back on top of you and kissed the complaints off of your lips.

"Are you ready?" He asked, and you were never this sure about anything in your life.

"Yes, I want you, please."

He reached down and guided his cock to your entrance, rubbing it over your wetness, using your combined arousal as a lubricant. Even this little delay and the feeling of his hot member so close to where you wanted it made you squirm. He was looking into your eyes the whole time and you saw how he had to fight he urge to close them when he started to finally push inside you. He was slow and careful, and when he was fully seated inside both of you stopped to catch your breaths. The stretch was unfamiliar but not unpleasant. You moaned when you felt his cock twitching and your insides tightened around him in response. Now it was his turn to let out a shaky breath as he let his forehead rest against yours. He simply couldn't hold his composure anymore, so he slowly started to pull out and push back again. At first you felt a tiny prick of pain, but it soon faded and was replaced by pure pleasure. And he was quick to react to your signs, so when you reached up and grabbed onto his hair to find support, he knew he found that special spot. Soon you were a moaning mess, being so close to your release and he was no different, his skin shining from sweat and strands of his hair sticking to his cheeks and neck.

"a-Sang!" You repeated over and over, and finally hearing you calling him that, it was enough to push him through the edge.

He sealed your lips in a desperate kiss, one of his hands reaching down to rub your clit, his other arm shaking from the effort of keeping his body from fully collapsing on top of you. The feeling of his desperate thrusts, his hand on your most sensitive spot and his shaky moans calling your name finally triggered your orgasm. You felt your inner walls clenching impossibly tight around him and you desperately clawed at his back, not really caring at that moment if you were leaving marks on his skin.

He collapsed on top you, the last of his strength leaving his body as both of you tried to catch your breath. Your vision slowly cleared, and the ringing disappeared from your eyes as you subconsciously caressed his head and shoulders. He burrowed his head into the crook of your neck, and you swore you could hear him practically purring like a cat.

The air in the room slowly started to dry off the sweat from your bodies and it soon made you both shiver. Huaisang rolled off of you with a series of unintelligible whines and went to fetch a cloth to clean yourselves up. He wetted it with the prepared warm water and carefully cleaned your most sensitive spots. He couldn't help but leave some lazy kisses around your hips and thighs in the process and the feeling of his gentle touches were almost enough to lull you into sleep.

He quickly cleaned himself up too and climbed back into the bed next to you, pulling the luxurious covers over your naked bodies. You moved to lay your head on his chest, positioning your ear over his heart, its steady beating made you feel completely safe. He sneaked his arms around you, pulling you even closer. You looked up at him and you smiled at how his hair was a complete mess now, yet he looked so handsome in the faint glow of the candlelight, his eyes shining with so much love you thought your chest will explode because of it.

"Thank you, tonight was incredible," you said as you drew small patterns on his chest with your fingers.

You swore you could see his ears redden even in the faint light, and you planted a soft kiss on his pecs before you fully relaxed in his arms.

"I love you a-(Y/N), get some sleep now," you heard him say before you fell into a blissful sleep.

THE END

ps. I have a half written morning-after snippet, let me know if you are interested and I'll finish it.

[gravitywonagain]

Can't Cheat Death While You're Digging Your Own Grave; Part 4

Continued from [1][2][3]

What if Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian were closer? Sworn brothers, even? What if NHS visited WWX in Yiling?

Prompt from the wonderful @shiranai-atsune

[T (for now?), implied Wangxian, 1.4k, 4/?]

~

To say that the ambush was uneventful would technically be a lie. There were events. Upsetting ones, too. 

Nie Huaisang’s heart leapt into his throat and his feet froze to the ground when the Ghost General jolted abruptly -- a motion faster than sound -- and caught an arrow that was aimed for the center of Wei Wuxian’s chest. 

He wasn’t sure whether it was the Ghost General’s sudden movement or the attack on Wei Wuxian’s life that had Nie Zonghui reaching for his dual sabers, but the effect was the same once he’d seen the arrow clenched in the undead man’s fist. Nie disciples that had been trailing at a respectable distance flowed around them like water. Grey and green robes flared their allegiance loud and clear so that even the pompous ass up on the cliff could not be mistaken over such a declaration of protective intent. 

The idiot didn’t take the hint and started calling out Wei Wuxian for cursing him. He opened his robes, too, which was a disturbing sight, even without the curse-mottled flesh. 

It would take too much effort for Nie Huaisang to roll his eyes in a way that would be visible to Jin Zixun and the couple hundred disciples would actually be able to see, so he kept it small. Just a little look between himself and Wei-xiong. 

He and Wei-xiong had been engaging in a pleasantly light back-and-forth regarding the superiority of weasel hair over squirrel hair in calligraphy brushes -- Wei Wuxian was wrong, there was a significant difference in quality using the former -- when they were very rudely interrupted by Jin Zixun’s completely predictable attack. 

His friend wasn’t even a little bit shaken by the arrow aimed at his chest. Or the hundreds of arrows still aimed at him from up on the cliffs. Annoyed maybe, like Nie Huaisang was, at being interrupted or at being proven right by this random Jin cousin of all people. But he just smiled at Nie Huaisang’s eyeroll, a sideways grin that reminded Nie Huaisang of passing porn back and forth over peanut shells and jars of Emperor’s Smile. 

Wei Wuxian looked like he wanted to yell something back at Jin Zixun’s inane accusation, but Nie Huaisang beat him to it. It was better if he handled this. Better if it came back on the Nie directly. Better if Nie Mingjue’s useless brother was the one who insulted Jin Guangshan’s favorite nephew. 

There was a short back and forth between Jin Zixun and Nie Huaisang that roughly amounted to the former repeating variations of, “But he cursed me,” and the latter counting through all the ways he could think to politely say, “Nobody cares.” 

Nie Huaisang knew Wei Wuxian hadn’t cursed Jin Zixun because sometime in the middle of that back and forth, Wei-xiong leaned over to him and asked, very sincerely, “Who the fuck is this guy, again?”

Also, Wei Wuxian wasn’t exactly a man of subtlety. Or of half measures. Nie Huaisang was fairly convinced that if Wei Wuxian had cursed someone with one hundred holes in their chest, the holes would spell out his name, or list out their transgressions in order of most annoying to him, specifically. 

But none of that mattered in reality. Jin Zixun was convinced Wei Wuxian had done it, and Jins tended to become intractable when their ego was at stake. Probably, Jin Zixun had built himself up in his own mind as the nemesis of the Yiling Patriarch. Disabusing him of that notion would get them nowhere, so Nie Huaisang, instead, said, “He is under the protection of Qinghe Nie. You can take it up with my brother.” 

That seemed to shut Jin Zixun up quite nicely. 

Wen Qing, standing in front of her brother like she could protect him -- the probably immortal and incredibly powerful sentient fierce corpse -- from the world, looked shocked that such a lazy threat had actually worked. But, then, she’d never been on a battlefield with Da-ge, so Nie Huaisang could forgive her her surprise. 

The Jin disciples and, curiously, Lan disciples up on the cliffs began to retreat back toward Koi Tower. Jin Zixun lingered for a moment. But then his cousin came flying in on his sword, yelling at him from the air. 

Which was also curious. 

Nie Huaisang decided to ponder the timing of that more later. 

So while there had certainly been events that took place, the whole of the matter was finished within moments and nothing but bluster had actually come of it. Well, bluster and the dubious satisfaction of having their suspicions -- and their precaution -- validated. 

After a blubbering explanation from Jin Zixun and a much more coherent and succinct one from Nie Zonghui, Jin Zixuan agreed to escort his cousin back to Koi Tower himself and to relay the situation to Da-ge. Jin Zixun paled, possibly recalling Da-ge’s war face. The two of them left swiftly after that, the one’s reproof drowned out by the other’s whimpering. 

Predictably, Da-ge met them at the foot of the stairs when they arrived. He exchanged a quick few sentences with Nie Zonghui as he fretted, in his way, over Nie Huaisang. Gruff words to make up for gruff hands that had to refrain from touching and grabbing and patting him down to verify he was still in one piece while they were in public. (He was sure Da-ge was going to make him account for every inch of his skin later -- if not for scrapes and bruises, then surely for curse marks.) It was annoying, but sweet in Da-ge’s way. 

It was also to their benefit, so Nie Huaisang leaned into it, whining loudly to his brother and sect leader about how scared he’d been when Jin Zixun shot at Wei-xiong. 

He made sure to call Wei Wuxian “Wei-xiong” or “Xian-di” as often and as overtly as possible. Their intention to swear brotherhood should have been well known in Lanling by then, if his gossip mill was doing their job correctly, and if anyone but a Lan had been paying attention. But it was still important to reinforce the idea for the eyes and ears they’d captured with their dramatic arrival. 

Nothing damning showed on Jin Guangshan's face as he welcomed the Nie, Wei Wuxian, and two Wens into his banquet hall, but then, Nie Huaisang hadn't really expected it would. Jin Guangshan had been at his games much longer than Nie Huaisang had even been alive. They would just have to make sure to keep a close eye on Wei Wuxian and his Wens. It wouldn't be good to let them get separated, picked off one by one, and used against each other.

A quick glance around the room showed Lan Wangji paying very close attention to their little party. Lan Xichen, too, probably interested to know what his own disciples had been up to and why they were following Jin Zixun of all people. He departed his circle of delegates to corner San-ge. But Lan Wangji's gaze was fixed on Wei Wuxian.

Nie Huaisang watched him closely from behind the theatrics of his fluttering fan. He knew Wei-xiong was besotted with Lan Wangji. (He'd known before Wei Wuxian did, though it was nice that he'd figured it out on his own sometime since the lectures.) But, while he'd known Lan Wangji for much longer, the Second Jade's face was much more difficult for him to read. He didn't know whether Lan Wangji's continuous pestering of Wei Wuxian during the Sunshot campaign was born of worry or of actually, very Lan-like disdain for the kind of things Wei-xiong had been up to around then.

Was this close attention now worry for a man held in high regard? Or was it apprehension directed at an enemy of orthodox cultivation? Nie Huaisang was rather annoyed to discover that he couldn't tell.

Regardless, many eyes in the room were on them. Many afraid, many concerned, and many confused. It would be helpful if he and Wei-xiong could do their ceremony immediately. But that would be far too rude, which would, of course, harm their cause more than help it.

They could make it three days, Nie Huaisang was sure of it. Each of them were highly competent individuals. Capable of great feats and great focus when required.

Whether or not their opposition would catch them out somehow, well. That remained to be seen.

~

Tag list: @greywake (if anyone wants to be added for updates, let me know!)

[theywantedplayer]

please be gentle and you’re doing so well with andrei?

MasterList

PromptLists

SMUT!!!!!

“Please be gentle” you mumbled out to Andrei

It was your first time having sex and you knew your boyfriend Andrei knew what he was doing. You knew he could take care of you.

“I know baby, I know” He responded softly kissing your lips 

It took a couple of minutes for you to get used to Andrei’s size and when you did he moved slowly making you whimper at the burning feeling in your core. You held onto his arms squeezing your eye’s shut until the burning feeling started to make you moan in pleasure.

“God your doing so well baby” He teased kissing your cheek 

“Andrei” You whimpered out throwing your head back

You yelped at the feeling of his thumb being pressed up against your clit, Your face started to heat up at the fact that you were mess on your boyfriends cock and he was just staring down at you smirking and kissing your face softly 

“Feels good? He teased nipping at your neck 

You started to chant Andrei’s name like a prayer as you came 

“Fuckk” You breathed out looking up at your smirking boyfriend 

“Fuck your gorgeous” He complemented you kiss you again “You got one more in ya?” he tried 

[the-writer1988]

HEALTH UPDATE

Hello, faithful readers, I just wanted to give you all an update since @tangledbea let you all know I had been hospitalised with pneumonia and needing oxygen support.

I am now back home! It's been a horrible week. I am battered and bruised from countless needles and cannulas. I am a walking pharmacy with the amount of drugs I am on still.

I just want to give a little context. I am 37, and I am on immunosuppressants due to kidney transplant, which I had in 2006 when I was 18. I've never been hospitalized before for pneumonia, and it is a horrible thing to get. It can affect anyone, and it came on so quickly.

If you are unwell, struggling to walk upstairs, shortness of breath, chest pain, check your oxygen levels! Mine were 88%, and this is life-threatening.

I did get worse before I started to get better. I needed high-flow rate oxygen, and then just normal oxygen before being weaned off completely.

The NHS in the UK doesn't get enough praise. They deserve so much more than they get.

Going forward, I am recovering at home for a time before I return to work. (funnily enough, I am an NHS worker myself), and in that time, I plan to get back into writing. Between The Kisses has not been forgotten. I may concentrate on other fics during my recovery period but once I feel able, BTK will become a main focus again!

~ the-writer1988~

[neon-crayons]

I have an idea for a MDZS fic, semi-AU/semi-cannon compliant.

Instead of plotting alone, NHS brings LWJ into his scheme, having long since figured out he was in love with WWX and using that knowledge to convince him to help him.

Their brothers having been close friends allowed the two to meet often and claim a friendship of their own after NMJ's death.

LWJ assisting NHS in manipulation MXY into using the Demonic Sacrifice Ritual, teaching him how to find the Intel the secs still held on WWX's old works and encouraging him to learn Demonic Cultivation, preparing his body for WWX to use upon his return.

LWJ would be very Yandare coded, being oddly protective of MXY once he and NHS decide to make him WWX's new vessel, part of him already considering the boy his beloved, long before his soul is returned to the mortal realm.

And poor MXY not understanding why someone like LWJ would be so interested in him, but still soaking up his praise and attention until he's eventually expelled from his sect and sent home.

[leveneficor]

roommate au sangcheng plot

thinking abt them, the trio wei wuxian, jiang cheng and nie huaisang

nhs being the one with the worst grades in college and his brother taking away his allowance

but that doesn't solve anything, until the nmj scares him and kicks him out of the house so he can mature

jc moved out of the house because he couldn't take his abusive mother on top of him anymore and of course ww went after him so they could share an apartment

but ww barely sleeps there since he started dating the weirdo lz

and the nhs shows up at his door with a crying face "da-ge hates me"

its very easy to ignore the confusing feelings he feels around his friend knowing that his friend would come home and he would be at peace afterwards

but living with him 24/7 with the second most insistent person ignoring personal space he knew wasn't going to work out

[phoenixcatch7]

Read too much mdzs last night and had a dream where wwx got resurrected into his original body a few years ahead of schedule and secretly joined an anti demonic cultivation spy squad focused on rehabilitation founded by lxc (whether or not he knew he was taking on wwx was unclear).

It was pretty hush hush, but lsh knew about it and joined as soon as he reached majority, becoming a valuable member working under wwx. Jc was also a member but ran a separate squad, handling long term imprisonment and dead or alive captures, and he didn't know about wwx.

Lwj didn't know at all, but after a few years he ended up on a separate mission in the same village as wwx: the ghost of a baby or a ghost mimicking a baby that caused hallucinations. Wwx and lwj started having flashbacks about raising lsh, and that led to the reveal. Lxc had realised too late that they were in the same place and rushed over, but it was too late. Lsh was very pleased, overall.

I remember vividly the final scene of everyone gathered at the foot of the gusu gates, lsh holding wwx's hand and the twin jades standing in front of the gate in spring sunshine.

[dumbclowngiggles]

Ich hab grad seit langem den Fehler wieder gemacht auf Markus Söders insta zu schauen und ich konnte einfach legit meine Gehirnzellen verfaulen spüren

Ich pack das legit nd das der BAYERISCHER MINISTERPRÄSIDENT is (obwohl außer die Grünen und Vegane Würstchen zu haten das seine ganze personality is).

[aleki-lives-here]

Me, whenever I want to handwave some magical effect needed for the plot: Wei Wuxian did it.

He's such a perfect character for this, too, you can't question it.

Why did Wei Wuxian do that? Well, he hadn't slept in three days and only eaten turnip and bad wine soup for months, so it just kinda happened. He blacked out and has no clue how or why. He saw the ghost of plot conveniences reach out to possess him and decided to just vibe with it.

He's the perfect excuse for magical plot shenanigans.

[satan-chillin]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Nie Huaisang & Nie Mingjue, Lan Yuan | Lan Sizhui & Nie Huaisang Characters: Nie Huaisang, Nie Mingjue, Lan Yuan | Lan Sizhui Additional Tags: Temporary Amnesia, Crack Treated Seriously, Lan Yuan | Lan Sizhui is a Wen, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, aroace characters, Platonic Relationships, Misunderstandings, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fake Marriage Series: Part 7 of Third Sun Summary:

“You’re my husband.”

On paper, Huaisang was supposed to clarify. We're technically brothers. And I say technically because we're also, technically, time-travelers but not in the conventional ways. We were brothers in our original time, and now that we are not in this new one, being married largely solved our original problems.

Huaisang’s smile was beatific when he said instead, “I am.”

In hindsight, it probably would have been easier to have told the truth at the very start.

let's pretend that my return to the Third Sun series 2 yrs+ later has always been a masterplan a la NHS to show a meta time skip

[thirteenis-myluckynumber]

Proposal - Nie Huaisang

Pairing: Nie Huaisang x f!reader

Word Count: 1669 words

Warnings/tags: none i think, the events leading up to the wedding, fluff

Notes: (C/N)-your clan's name, (Y/N)-your name

A/N: I planned this to be a one-shot but I got carried away, so the actual action *wink wink* will happen in the next chapter.

I did some completely unnecessary research for this (my adhd ass basically got distracted) but nothing specific. My cultural knowledge is from the show so I'm sorry for any possible mistakes regarding culture. This is my first time writing The Untamed. Also English is not my first language.

Part 2

You met Nie Huaisang at one of the cultivation meetings Jin Guangyao held in Carp Tower. You were a member of one of the smaller clans, so you didn't attend such gatherings in general. That one time your older brother insisted for you to come, as there were some issues to be discussed which might need your expertise as a healer.

During the many battles of the Sunshot Campaign, you actively participated in the healing of wounded soldiers, so many members from the bigger clans also knew you. So it was no wonder they were all pleasantly surprised to see you there at the meeting. After the greetings and toasts you were free to mingle, and almost everyone greeted you with a pleasant smile and grateful eyes. You also greeted them politely, asking about their family and health.

After a while you noticed that Zewu-jun were looking at you, wanting to invite you over to where he was standing with his brother Lan Wangji, Jin Guangyao and another finely dressed young man. As you walked over Lianfang-zun excused himself to greet the other guests. You turned to the remaining three men with a smile, and they bowed to you in return.

"(C/N)(Y/N). It's so nice to see you. What brings you here?" Lan Xichen asked with a small smile on his lips.

"Apparently, Lianfang-zun requires my help with something. And I took the chance to reunite with old acquaintances."

Lan Wangji stared at you in his usual way, not showing any of his emotions. You also wanted to ask what brought him here, but with a curt nod to you and his brother he also excused himself. Finally, you turned to the man now standing next to Lan Xichen. You had an attention to detail, so only a quick glance was enough for you to notice his handsome face and elegant clothing however, you didn't remember meeting him before.

"It's nice to meet you, Master...," you trailed off somewhat nervously as you didn't know how to address him.

He appeared lost in thought for a moment as he seemed to ever so slightly jump at your words. Still, he quickly schooled his expression into a calm and dignified look, but you could still see his nervousness underneath.

"I am Nie Huaisang. Pleased to meet you Lady (C/N)," he said as he bowed to you again, holding his fan in his hands.

As you realized your previous mistake, you were quick to return his bow.

"Ahh, please excuse my rudeness Clan Leader Nie."

He didn't seem offended at all as he glanced at you with a small smile, which appeared to be sad to you. You knew the story of his ascension to clan leader, after all his brother's death was still a widely discussed topic between cultivators. You also heard the various mean stories about Nie Huaisang himself, in which cultivators often referred to him as the Head Shaker or Good-For-Nothing. Stealing another glance at the man, he didn't seem quite as incompetent to you as these stories described him. He might not carry a sword and appear generally nervous, but you could also see the intelligence in his eyes. Right when you wanted to ask him about the situation in Qinghe, your brother called out to you to return to your tables. You exchanged bows with the two men again and returned to where your clan was sitting. However, you didn't seem to think about anything else that day but the handsome and mysterious Clan Leader Nie.

In the upcoming weeks you had the chance to meet with Nie Huaisang many more times, at political meetings and at night hunts too. You were not one to attend often, but as time went by you became more and more interested in the leader of the Nie Clan. As far as men go, he was the first one with whom you could always stir up meaningful conversations about various topics, not just politics or war. As someone who were always interested in music and arts, you found it exceptionally refreshing to listen to him talk about his passions, especially painting and his favourite fans. Looking at him, it always made you happy to see him quite relaxed during your conversations. After a while he even became bolder and started to show you his beautiful smile and laugh and you had to realize, that you, at the same time, started to fall in love with him.

Your brother always had a watchful eye on you two and he always let you know when he thought you spent enough time in the company of the clan leader. You understood his reasoning of course, so you always rejoined your family after a short conversation with Nie Huaisang.

After a few such meetings though, you started receiving gifts from him. At first you didn't know from whom they came from, but one time a messenger, who delivered some letters to your brother, handed you a neatly packaged hand-painted folding fan. It was the most beautiful thing you have ever seen, and you instantly knew who it was from. As you carefully traced the intricately painted lines on the fan with your fingertips your heart was beating so hard you felt it might jump out of your chest at any moment.

The next week your brother informed you that Clan Leader Nie requested a lunch with him and that you should also attend. Despite his reputation, everyone in your home made sure the preparation for the lunch were going smoothly. Everyone seemed excited to host such a high-ranking cultivator in your home. To say that you were nervous when the day finally arrived was an understatement. Actually, you thought you were never this nervous before.

During the lunch you were actually becoming calmer until your brother finally steered the conversation toward the actual meaning of the whole thing.

"Clan Leader Nie, may I ask the reason of your visit?" Your brother inquired after you exhausted all the general conversation topics.

Nie Huaisang seemed rather nervous too during the whole lunch, but looking at him now you were worried he might actually faint. Good thing you are a healer, you thought. For a few moments he sat there completely silent and almost motionless. Only his hands fiddling with his closed fan revealed his emotions. He looked up at your brother and opened his fan to hide behind it. The longer he spoke the quicker his hand moved the elegant accessory, and it seemed his face got redder by the minute.

"Clan Leader (C/N), as you probably noticed, we became quite well-acquainted with your sister. I would like to believe we became rather close even in the past few weeks. And you didn't seem opposed by my advances either. What I mean by all this is that...," he trailed off, even his ears were bright red by now. He appeared to be steeling himself for his next words. Finally he reluctantly lowered his fan and looked at you with frightened but hopeful eyes. God, you just wanted to hug him at that moment. But you couldn't, so you mustered your most encouraging smile and nodded at him. You were certain your cheeks were also red at that point. Nie Huaisang looked straight into your brother's eyes and said:

"I would like to ask for your permission to take your sister as my wife."

When he finally said it, it seemed like a huge stone was lifted off of his shoulders. His posture became more relaxed, but the fan opened again, only at his chest though, not covering his face. Now it was your turn to nervously glance at your brother. His face didn't show anger or disgust, only deep contemplation, which was a good sign, you thought.

"Clan Leader Nie, I am honored you think so highly of my sister. I have to say however, your bad reputation is not something I can ignore..."

"Gege!" You exclaimed, looking at your brother shocked and scared. Thinking back, you never thought your brother believed all those mean rumors about Nie Huaisang because he was just as good at reading people as you were.

"Meimei, let me finish," your brother said not even looking at you, a slight warning in his voice.

"Clan Leader Nie, as you said, I never opposed your relations with my sister. You seem to me an honorable man, and you never behaved inappropriately around her. But you have to understand, my sister's future depends on me. That's why I brought up your reputation. They say you are incompetent, but that's not what I see. I think you are very good at this whole political game. All I ask of you is to take care of my sister and don't let her reputation be ruined."

As he finished speaking you instantly turned to Nie Huaisang, who seemed to freeze, only his eyes turned impossibly big. His mind probably stuck to the same thought as yours, because that meant your brother actually agreed, right?

With his next sentence, he confirmed your suspicions: "I accept your proposal. If my sister agrees, she is yours."

You could only nod your head furiously as Nie Huaisang stood up and bowed deeply to your brother in thanks.

"Clan Leader (C/N), I assure you, your sister's happiness will always be my top priority. I will take care of her until my last day," Nie Huaisang said, his voice shaky.

As he straightened up, you could see his eyes glistening with unshed tears and you couldn't hold yourself back anymore. You basically jumped up, walked around the table and grabbed his shaking hands.

"I would love to be yours, Nie Huaisang," you said squeezing his hands.

He looked at you with that self-assured half smile you loved so much, and which he showed so rarely these days, but it always signaled some kind of mischief.

You didn't notice your brother looking at you two with a fond look on his face.

To be continued

[gravitywonagain]

Can't Cheat Death While You're Digging Your Own Grave; Part 3

Continued from [1][2]

What if Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian were closer? Sworn brothers, even? What if NHS visited WWX in Yiling?

Prompt from the wonderful @shiranai-atsune

[T (for now?), implied Wangxian, 2k, 3/?]

~

Wei Wuxian:

“How much do you know about the Saber Path, Wei-xiong?”

There’s a change in his friend as he asks the question. Nie Huaisang prefers to be seen as someone who is flighty and unaware. He never makes definitive statements, nothing anyone could pin to him as his own opinion; he doesn’t like to appear to know things. 

But now, Wei Wuxian is cut by the sharpness in his friend’s eyes. 

“Uh… I know it’s strong,” he says. “Very yang focused, active.”

“Did you know it kills its practitioners?”

Wei Wuxian blinks. “Early deaths of Nie sect leaders do seem to be a pattern.” 

“I thought,” says Wen Qing, next to him, “that was mostly about… ah, temperament.” 

It’s a delicate way to put it. But Wei Wuxian is pretty sure this isn’t the time for delicate. 

“She means that they always seem to go out in a blaze of idiotic glory on some epic nighthunt.” 

Nie Huaisang does not appear offended on his ancestors’ behalf. He remains sharp, rigid. The blade of a saber he always keeps sheathed. Voice hard as steel. 

He says, “My father died at home when my brother cut him down to protect my mother and me from his final rage. After his saber broke, he deteriorated. It was,” he pauses, clears his throat. It’s a raw kind of sound, wet and red, but he remains calm and cold. “It was difficult to watch. I still don’t understand what happened to him. But our doctors called it a qi deviation.”

“I see.” 

“Nie-er-gongzi, may I ask,” Wen Qing seems to be struggling to phrase her question but finally settles on, “may I see your saber?” 

When Nie Huaisang smiles at her, it’s discordantly soft. Gently amused. “Oh, I doubt my saber will tell you very much, Wen-daifu. I do not cultivate with it.” 

“How much do you know about the Saber Path, Nie-xiong?” Wei Wuxian asks. 

“Not a lot, to be honest.” 

Nie Huaisang flicks his fan open then, retreating back behind a vapid smile as if his candor has reached some limit and he must rest a moment. It’s an oddly placating kind of gesture. Like Wei Wuxian is someone who needs to be coddled or pacified. It irks. Sits wrong, stringing a tension between his shoulders where there wasn’t any before. 

“I believe you,” he says. “But you still haven’t answered my previous question. What is the cost, Huaisang?” 

The fan flickers back and forth as Nie Huaisang seems to consider how exactly to arrange his words. 

Usually he doesn’t take this long. Usually he walks people through a conversation he’s rehearsed in his mind, choreographed and memorized. At least, when he wants something. And maybe the pause itself is strategic, but Wei Wuxian knows his friend well. It seems… careful. Which only twists the band between Wei Wuxian’s shoulders tighter. 

Finally, Nie Huaisang snaps his fan closed. He deliberately meets Wei Wuxian’s eyes and says, “You’ll have to study it.” 

It would be misleading to say that this is what Wei Wuxian had been afraid of. The idea would have had to occur to him first, for him to fear it. But it is tangential to his fear. Connected. 

“Ah…” Wei Wuxian rubs his palms against the rough fabric of his robe. He glances over to Wen Qing, who meets his gaze with the anxiety in her own. “Nie-xiong…” 

“You don’t have to… cultivate it,” Nie Huaisang says, far too knowingly. Wei Wuxian’s eyes jump to his friend’s face, but Nie Huaisang presses on, “Just. Just study it. Fix it.” 

They’re going to have to address that at some point. Probably. Because just how the fuck-- No. Not now.

“Fix it?” Wei Wuxian asks with no small amount of incredulity. No small amount of curiosity either. “I can’t-- I know I helped you pass your exams during the lectures but--” His brain is already beginning to circle around what he knows of the Saber Path. Yang-focused, prone to qi deviation -- or at least something like it. 

Nie Huaisang must see it in his face, because he smiles, a little fiercer this time, and says, “You can. You think about cultivation in ways that other people can’t even imagine. Look at what you built during the war!” 

“You’ll recall,” Wei Wuxian says, raising a pointed eyebrow, “that not many people are very pleased with what I built during the war.” 

Wen Qing, with a bit more wariness adds, “And some are extremely greedy for it.” 

“Also true.” 

“Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang huffs. “False modesty will get us nowhere.” 

Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes. “Yes. I’m smart. But this…” He flaps his hands uselessly. 

“This is new. A challenge,” Nie Huaisang grins, and Wei Wuxian hates that it works on him. “And you’ll be tackling it inside a library. With insulation. And on a full stomach.” 

The Wens, aside from Wen Qing, are all outside the cave somewhere. Tilling corrupted soil, washing clothes with barely cleansed water, gathering any scraps of cloth they can find to sew into blankets and coats as the winter looms near. 

Wei Wuxian looks toward the strained sunlight that brightens the mouth of the cave. He bites a strip of cracked skin from his lip. His leg bounces under the table. 

When he turns back, Nie Huiasang is watching him closely. He’s letting Wei Wuxian see how closely he’s watching, which counts for something here. Between them. He needs this. He’s almost begging them for it. And when has Wei Wuxian ever been able to turn down someone in need of his help? 

“Chifeng-zun has agreed to their safety?” he asks. An insane question in any other circumstance. 

“He has.” A similarly insane answer. 

That Nie Mingjue would willingly shelter Wens is almost as unbelievable as the Wens all surviving this winter in the Burial Mounds. But that’s the thing, isn’t it. Their options are severely limited. And if Wei Wuxian wants to keep them safe, he must consider any that are open to him. 

He nods and asks, “What else?” 

The vapid smile returns. “I don’t know what you mean.” 

“Huaisang.” 

Nie Huaisang shakes his fan at him. “You sound eerily like Da-ge when you do that, did you know?”

He’s avoiding the question. “It’s bad, then.” 

“It’s…” he trails off for a moment, but has the decency to look guilty when he nods and says, “permanent.” 

Wei Wuxian huffs, exasperated. He’s so fucking tired of games. 

Nie Huaisang sets his fan down on the table. Presses his fingers against the surface until his knuckles bulge with it. Then he says, “You’ll have to give up the Yin Tiger Seal.” 

“To whom?” Wen Qing asks, the question quick to her tongue, like she already knew this would be the request. 

She probably did. Wei Wuxian probably should have known, too. But he’d thought, of all people… 

“No,” he says.  

“Wei-xiong--” 

“No, I’ll do it,” he amends. “But I won’t give it to anyone.” 

“Wei Wuxian.” Wen Qing’s voice is sharp with warning. Pointed and precise like her needles. Because she knows what he’s thinking now, too. 

“Qing-jie. It’s the only way we do this.” 

“You don’t know it won’t kill you.” 

It won’t matter if it does, he doesn’t say. Instead, maybe more bullheaded than necessary, he bites out, “Luckily, I’ll have a library at my disposal.” 

Wen Qing’s jaw tightens like she heard him anyway. 

“Ah, Wei-xiong?” Nie Huaisang flutters his fan, blocking the lower half of his face, exactly like he used to during their tutoring session when Wei Wuxian would go off on some borderline esoteric tangent about cultivation theory. 

It’s so familiar that Wei Wuxian almost laughs aloud with the nostalgia in his chest. 

“When?” he asks. 

“When what?” Nie Huaisang returns. 

“When will I need to give it up?”

Nie Huaisang’s eyebrows dip together. “I don’t--”

“If your brother will allow me to hold onto it --” unlikely, but, “fuck, if he’ll lock it away for me -- Tight, safe even from himself. He's more suspicious of Jins than any of the other clan leaders,” he trails off, considering. But Nie Huaisang taps his fan and Wei Wuxian finishes, “I can figure out how to destroy it. Safely.” 

That seems to take Nie Huaisang by actual surprise. His fan pauses, mid sway, then shivers back into motion, faster and far less even. “Destroy it?” 

“Completely,” Wei Wuxian says with a confidence he forces into his throat. 

He needs to be confident in this. He needs to be sure he can destroy it, otherwise… Otherwise none of this will matter anyway. 

Nie Huaisang hums, considering. He folds the fan and taps it against his lips. “We can probably make that work.” 

Something like relief breaks in Wei Wuxian’s chest. A breath he hadn’t been holding. He wants to reach for Wen Qing’s hand, but she probably wouldn’t appreciate the gesture in front of their guest. 

He takes a deep breath. Waits for Wen Qing’s tiny nod. And says, “Okay.”

“Okay?” asks Nie Huaisang, hope shining too bright to be false in his eyes. 

“If you can guarantee the safety of the Wens,” says Wei Wuxian, “we’ll go.” 

Wen Qing inhales, pauses, inhales again, and says, “Nie-er-gongzi…”

“Yes, Wen-daifu?”

She still seems to be gathering her words, but Nie Huaisang waits patiently. His fan is still, his smile gentle again. 

She tilts her head, eyes calculating, and says, “There will be political backlash for this.”

“Ah, yes. I suppose there is one last thing I’ll require of you, Wei-xiong.”

Wei Wuxian waits, annoyed, but also dazed. He’s not entirely sure that any of this is really happening. It’s too good. Even if there is yet another condition. 

Nie Huaisang smiles -- smiles, not a grin full of mischief or a calculating quirk of the lips -- and says to Wei Wuxian, “Become my sworn brother.”

Wei Wuxian’s face reacts before he can tell it not to. His jaw drops open, his brow furrows, his eyes search his friend for the joke, for the punchline, for any hint that he’s not serious about this. When he doesn’t find one, he yells, “Huaisang!” 

“What?” asks Nie Huaisang, fan flapping back and forth over an exaggerated pout. “I didn’t realize it was so detestable a concept.”

“You cannot swear yourself to Yiling Laozu.”

“We’re not getting married.” 

Wei Wuxian scoffs. “We kind of would be, and you know that.”

“So what? You’re a war hero. And an incredibly powerful cultivator.” 

A glance to Wen Qing offers no help. Her lips are softly curled and her eyes are unfocused, like she’s imagining Jin Guangshan’s face when Wei Wuxian is pulled out of his reach for good. Or maybe just the spectacle of Yiling Laozu swearing himself to Nie Huiasang, the most unassuming figure of the highly ranked gentry. 

“I don’t have a core,” Wei Wuxian blurts out, “which you seem to have figured out somehow.” 

Nie Huaisang looks very smug and says, “Nothing in the ceremony requires a golden core.” 

“I’m a servant’s son.”

“Meng Yao is a prostitute’s son. Wei-xiong, I really don’t understand what the problem is here?”

“He has self-esteem issues,” says Wen Qing. Which is just-- 

“I--? What? I’m incredibly full of myself, ask anyone.” 

Wen Qing catches his eyes and glares. But he isn’t lying. 

It’s not self-esteem he has issues with. It’s other people risking themselves for him. Reputation means everything in this world, all three of them know that. And Nie Huaisang’s reputation is far from spotless. He does not need it raked over the coals by being associated with Wei Wuxian. 

But then. It’s not for him. Or not just for him. It’s for Nie Mingjue. It’s for the Wens. 

It-- Damnit, it could work, too. 

This time when he looks at her, Wen Qing looks back. It’s in her eyes: his acquiescence. He can see it there, taunting him. She knows him too well. She knows him better than anyone, it seems, even himself. 

“In front of everybody?” he asks, a whine more than anything. 

Nie Huaisang’s smile gets wider. Victorious. “That is generally how it’s done, yes. I’m planning it for your nephew’s 100 days ceremony.”

“That’s quick,” says Wen Qing. 

“It’s necessary.”

“I’m impressed.”

Nie Huaisang winks, “Don’t tell anyone.” 

“And Nie-zongzhu is just-- fine with that?” Wei Wuxian asks, some last token protest before he has nothing left. 

“He understands the complexity of the situation. And the… Jin Guangshan of the situation.” 

“Ah.” 

“Yeah.” 

Wei Wuxian blows out all the air in his lungs. It’s not a lot, but it gives him several seconds to collect himself. Then, finally, he says, “Alright, let’s do it.” 

He’s not sure who looks more satisfied, Nie Huaisang or Wen Qing. He ignores the strange ease that settles into his own gut at the idea of it. At a path forward that isn’t a single-log bridge in the night. It’s… nice, he thinks. To have somebody else to help him across the river, to help him help the rest of them cross safely to the other side. 

It’s a new feeling. A new lightness. 

He’s sad, suddenly, that it didn’t come from someone else. Someone who has been his candle in the dark since they were teenagers. 

And then he is abruptly guilty for that feeling, and he shakes it off, letting his mouth run instead. 

“How does this sworn brotherhood thing work, anyway? Am I siblings with my sworn sibling’s siblings? What about their sworn siblings and those sworn siblings’... siblings?”

He ran out of steam at the end a little bit, and “siblings” now more resembles a jumble of sounds than it does a real word. But then Nie Huaisang sighs and says, “You will still be allowed to marry Wangji-xiong,” and Wei Wuxian feels all of the blood in his body rush into his cheeks. 

“Good,” he nods, with every ounce of dignity he has left. It’s not a lot. “That’s all I need to know.”