#graduate student lan wangji

[wangxianficrecs]

our shadows fall away like dust by lamusadelils

our shadows fall away like dust

by lamusadelils

T, 4k, Wangxian

Summary: Lan Qiren's best PhD student drops out of his class. Lan Qiren will not have it. Kay's comments: A very heart-warming story about Lan Qiren helping Wei Ying out of a troubling situation, talking openly with Lan Zhan about their relationship and past mistakes and accidentally ending up as Wangxian's matchmaker! Every now and then, I'm in the mood for some good!Lan Qiren and supportive!Lan Qiren stories and this one scratches the itch, delivering wonderfully without feeling out of character! Excerpt: An hour and some calls later, it is established that Wei Ying can stay with a friend of Lan Qiren's nephews. The Nie boy, as decadently irresponsible as he is, has enough space for a guest without being cramped. Pampered boy. So that's one problem down. Lan Qiren can help Wei Ying secure a scholarship. Won't be difficult, with his good track record. He may be disruptive and full of cheek, but he always delivers excellence when it counts. Maybe that's what always exasperated Lan Qiren about him. Wei Ying mentions he may want to come out, live on his own terms, if he's gonna be on his own now. Lan Qiren is absolutely livid that the boy's family would send him away for a gender thing, in this day and age!

pov lan qiren, modern setting, modern no magic, good parent lan qiren, supportive lan qiren, trans wei wuxian, matchmaker lan qiren, professor lan qiren, good uncle lan qiren, coming out, family feels, found family, college/university, graduate student lan wangji, graduate student wei wuxian, misgendering, @lamusadelils

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(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

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1. Hi! Can you help me look for this fic (cause its been months since the last time I read it) wherein WWX is LWJ’s husband and he is teaching in gusu wearing gusulan robes? I remember students likes wwx that one sect leader went to Cloud Recesses to insult wwx for seducing his son.

Btw, the fic includes photos of WWX wearing gusulan (white robes) (I think they got the image where Xiao Zhan was Shi Ying)

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2. Hi! Can you help me find these 2 fics. Thank you very much

A) Twitter thread fic wherein nyancheng went to book signing of his fav author zewujun.  I remember after the book signing, lxc reach out his hand for handshake and when they shakehands, bolts were felt and they went into heat/rut. Apparently they are soulmates. Nyancheng was embarrassed because his ears and tails pop out due to heat. (I actually forgot lxc animal trait)

B) Modern Au where in wwx is in the airport with police and ambulance because apparently wwx plane went missing for 13 years (???). The people in the plane (including wwx) thought that they have been in the plane for few hours but outside the plane, its been years. Wwx didn’t even aged up while his family (including lwj) aged up

2B)

看客散去唯你我不忘 | the world forgets but i still remember you by prettyxianxian (T, 11k, wangxian, modern, manifest au, flashbacks, multiple POV, angst w happy ending, hurt/comfort, everyone lives au, insecurities, JC & WWX reconciliation, good parent YZY & JFM)

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3. Hey! I hope you guys are doing great and resting in the midst of everything in life and updating this blog as well. Unfortunately, I fear I'm here to add to your burdens 😅

So I was looking for this fic. I remember it being set in the Canon era where Wei Wuxian is just extremely intelligent, and he goes on this  whole tirade about how he came to the conclusion concerning the waterborne abyss witht the use of talismanic theory in the library while Lan Wangji makes the charcoal for him to write and at the end Wangji is just so fascinated by Wuxian while the latter is like, "sorry for unloading that whole thing on you" kind of vibe. 

I can't seem to remember what the name is. I was looking for it in my history, and it's just so difficult when it's just that kne scene you remember. Do you suppose you could help my misery. Thank you in advance. @poetic-writes

FOUND? 🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 663k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement)

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4. Hi! I'm looking for a fic where wwx is a musician in university living in this huge dorm. He sometimes hears beautiful piano music (lwj) coming from somewhere in the building but he doesn't know where. They start to play music together and don't know each other's identities. They don't find out each other's identities until graduation or something. @its0nnetflix

FOUND? sounds like through a window softly by impossibletruths (T, 14k, wangxian, modern, college/university au, music au, neigbors, graduate school, music as a love language) on AO3 except that LWJ is a violin player

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5. okay, i once started reding a wangxian fic that was based on another fic called "the simplest way forward" and it was like this, wangxian were roommates and someone dropped Yuan off at their door and that's all i remember because i didn't finish it and now i can't find it, help me please and thank you <3 @akutamichan

FOUND? so take my hand (take my whole life too) by cicer (E, 92k, WangXian, Modern AU, Accidental Baby Acquisition, oh my god they were roommates, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, this fic is not about trauma, it’s about the yearning, slowburn)

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6. hi! i was looking for an E rated sbwy gym fic where wwx thinks of him and lwj as really good gymbros. one point theyre at a smoothie(?) place where wwx says hes glad they started seeing each other (as friends) but lwj interprets it as romantic. jc had said wwx was feminine when theyre were 14 or smth and so wwx has a mild complex abt it. i rmbr wwx has an old flip phone and nhs makes a joke how wwx is rich enough to buy a new smartphone instead, also when lwj sends photos it takes forever to load in. i think lwj did soundtracks for movies too? and wwx mentions watching those movies for him. sry thats all i rmbr! i believe its possibly deleted, and if so does anyone have it downloaded?

#6 has been privated I think 😓

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7. For the next fic finder I was wondering if you could help me find two specific Hogwarts AUs?

- Moved to a YiZhan FF/ITMF post

The second one is really vague and I’m sorry for that but I remember a WangXian fic where Wei Wuxian is part Veela and maybe he’s a Slytherin or Hufflepuff? I can’t seem to remember anything else besides there being a focus on Wei Wuxian’s volatile nature and battle prowess due to his Veela blood. He may have also killed a guy, or at least severely harmed some guy in self defense. I loved their world building and I’m so upset that I’ve lost both of them. Thank you for the help in advance.

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8. Hey! Been following for a while and enjoying all the finders and recs from this page!

I have a request though, I'm trying to look for this fiction where wei ying is a general (i think) and lan zhan is a dragon, and there's a war between all sect, with the lans, the nie, and wen on one side, against the jin and jiang on the other. There's also animal shifters among the gentry where I think the jiang might be water birds?? I can't quite remember. The jiang and Jin end up defeated and the others win. Wei ying.is also a genius tactician and is respected by the other side of the war. I can't remember the name of the fiction and I'm desperate to find it. I think it's a completed fic too

Many thanks if you find it! (And could you tag me so I definitely see the post this request shows up if its found?? I forget things easily) @elderredraccoon​

FOUND! Crossing Paths by Ilona22 (M, 21k, wangxian, shapeshifter au, graphic depictions of violence, war between sects, war crimes, not JC friendly, happy ending)

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9. Hi! I'm looking for a WangXian fic where WWX and LWJ go back in time but WWX goes back a very long time before his birth. He holes up in the Burial Mounds and becomes notorious as the YLLZ. He's also pretty depressed I think? When WWX realizes that LWJ is born he storms into the Cloud Recesses and demands LWJ's hand in marriage -- LWJ is only 12 (I think) at this point and LQR and LXC are horrified but LWJ agrees without their input (he still has his original memories). WWX starts out just treating LWJ like a child he's very fond of but when LWJ gets older and becomes an adult, they resume a sexual relationship and I think WWX comments on how they're slowly shifting their dynamics from Kind Mentor WWX/Young Mentee LWJ to Bratty Bubbly WWX/Calm Dominant LWJ. I remember really liking this fic but I don't remember what any of its tags were or whether it was a single fic or a series of one shots etc etc. I would appreciate the help! @sssrha​

FOUND? An Unusual Betrothal by ahealthydoseof (G, 74k, wangxian, time travel, age difference, immortality, BAMF WWX, younger LWJ, older WWX, misunderstandings, fluff & crack, worried parents, rabbits, food, non-sexual intimacy, murder, fix-it of sorts, developing relationship, humor, arranged marriage, jealousy, friendship, family feels, dysfunctional family, fatherhood, angst, hurt/comfort, mentor WWX, natural disasters, sworn brotherhood, serious injuries, kissing)

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10. Looking for a fic, please help! the wens had won the war years ago. I only remember a scene where lan wangji and the juniors were in a shop or restaurant of some sort and wen xu comes in and intimidates lan wangji to where the juniors defend him. He thanks them later saying it’s hard for him to deal with wen xu. (he had lan wangji in captivity during the war, lan wangji still has Nightmares about it). I don’t remember where wei ying is or if he “died”. Thanks!!!!

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11. Hello! I'm looking for 2 fics that I have wanted to rec on ITMFs so many times but just can't find! Both are canon divergent, not modern au.

A) it is a sort of eldritch wwx. He was eaten by a demon that like. Consumed his memories and wanted to be wwx? And then he gets back to sunshot, vomits up wen chaos teeth, has sex with lan zhan and also eats cows whole? Its a good one!

B) this one I remember just one scene. It is post sun shot, a confrontation at the jin banquet with yllz wwx. Yu Ziyuan is alive and checks his core in public and realizes he is coreless (i really think its her! But maybe someone else...). This might have been schemed by wen qing? Fix it after this point i think. @absurdlyadmiredarmchair​

11A)

FOUND! You are what you eat by deliciousblizzardshark (E, 17k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Eldritch WWX, Horny LWJ, Body Horror, Possession, of a sort, Cannibalism, kind of, Mild Gore, Teeth, Fluff and Humor, Smut, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Monster sex, Switching, Light BDSM, Rimming, Self-Lubrication, Seriousness treated Crackily, Implied/Referenced Torture, Dead WWX)

11B)

FOUND! seldom all they seem by Fahye (E, 24k, wangxian, canon divergence, arranged marriage, or rather arranged betrothal, weapongrade thirst)

not found Yearning for Miles by Murahi (M, 378k, WangXian, LQR/SiSi, Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Slow burn, Mutual Pining, seeing the future) There is a scene like this quite far into the fic. It's chapter 64 to be precise 😊

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12. anyone know of a fic where wwx falls into the wen treasure room after sunshot, it's the only thing i remember about it

I don't know what the fic for #12, but I think I've read it before and Wen Qing & Wen Ning show a group of people onto the Wen throne room through a back door, and WN had to open it as it could only be opened by a male Wen. There was a big Wen family tree on the wall of this secret entrance.

FOUND! Better Things to Do with a Flute in Wartime by Anonymous (E, 365k, MingXian, WangXianJue, Sunshot Campaign, Fix-It, Magical Healing Cock, Dual Cultivation, mild Dom/Sub, Undernegotiated Kink, Golden Core Reveal, Breathplay, Choking, Painplay, Subdrop, Topdrop, Major Character Injury, Canon Divergence, What-If, Temperature Play, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Fisting, Spanking, PTSD, Trauma, Self-Harm, (in the pursuit of cultivational badassery) Something similar happens in chapters 43-45

Not FOUND! ❤️ Gentians in bloom by teawater (M, 251k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, AU after cold spring, Political Marriage, Dysfunctional Family, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, LQR bashing (not really), POV Multiple, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Eventual Happy Ending, BAMF WWX, JC is actually a lot better than canon, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, YZY bashing (again not completely)) the one mentioned with the wen family tree is, in chapter 33

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13. Hi 

Firstly, I want to say thank you, this blog is awesome, and I have found so many good Fics to read as well as find ones that I have lost or forgot to bookmark. 

Secondly, I would like help to find a fic, from what I remember Wei Ying was drunk on the rooftop when someone approached. In his drunken state, he thinks it was Lan Wangji that showed up so he goes on saying things like are you here to punish me again. He also asks why Lan Wangji hates him so much, but the whole entire time it was actually Lan Xichen he was talking to. I think it takes place after he got punished for drinking in Cloud Recess, and then something happens and he almost falls off the roof but Lan Xichen catches him. Lan Wangji had apparently witnessed the whole thing and tried to apologize but Lan Xichen coldly tells him the apology should be given to Wei Ying instead when he wakes up. 

Again, thank you so much in advance. 

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14. Hi 👋,  for the next fic finder - im trying to find a fic i saw awhile back. I cant remember too clearly but i think lwj got separated from the lan clan when he was young and found himself in a brothel. I remember when he was young - he only had to clean etc but as he was growing,  his good looks started getting noticed. I think he also asked someone to curse him so he looks hideous or something. 

Please help me find this 🙏.  Thank you so much 🌸

FOUND? Turn Left by kianspo (M, 204k, WangXian, NieLan, Canon Divergence, Fix-It of Sorts, Friends to Lovers, eventually, references to child sexual abuse, not main characters,  Neurodivergent LWJ, Slow Build, Lán Family Feels, specifically, Twin Jades of Lán Feels, lwj-centric, Twin Jades of Lán Dynamics, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies)

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15. hi! i’m looking for a fic that’s gone missing! it’s a modern au, where lan zhan and wei ying are strangers that are matched by a hotel and are going to spend wei ying’s heat together. it’s supposed to be a hotel where u can safely share a heat without the threat of pregnancy but they throw that out the window and just spend it together. oh! it’s a smut fix lol. but yeah that’s about it. hopefully u can find it, i randomly thought ab and could not find it anywhere :’) 

random detail: lan zhan’s cello fingers were pointed out @alt-stay

FOUND! Lucid by lazulink (E, 9k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O Dynamics, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Assigned Heat Partners, Strangers to Lovers Speedrun, Scenting, Nesting, Knotting, Mating Bites, Cunnilingus, Rimming, Humiliation, Blow Jobs, Breeding Kink, Spanking, Consensual Non-Consent, Consensual Somnophilia, Breathplay, Loss of Virginity, Light Dom/sub, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, PWP, Intersex Omegas, Under-negotiated Kink, Implied Future Mpreg)

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16. Strange one again, I'm looking for a fic that mentions the situation at Lotus Pier is made harder by the fact that JFM has his servants, YZY has hers, but because they're so separate, nobody knows whether his servants outrank hers or whose orders take precdence, and how WWX gets tangled in it. Pretty sure it's a Lan commenting on the disharmony, but not 100%.

FOUND? Alliance AU by Ilona22 (E, 17k, wangxian, ABO, arranged marriage, intersex omegas, canon Jiang family dynamics, not JC friendly, matchmaking, night hunts) is 'Lotus Pier' Ilona22 is the third fic in their Alliance AU. It's an ABO series, and the bit about the separate household is from the perspective of a servant there witnesses happy Wangxian at the Lotus Pier markets

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17. Hi! For your next fic finder can I please request this wangxian time travel fic where LWJ goes back to where WWX just reappeared after the burial mounds and LWJ asks him to marry him and WWX takes it as a joke??? thank you! @iyo-luv

FOUND? Lan Wangji's Prank by shiroakuma (E, 23k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, everyone lives au, pining, golden core reveal, YLLZ WWX, first kiss, first time, love confessions, wangxian get happy ending) hi!! so, for the last fic finder, #17 might be "Lan Wangji's Prank" by shiroakuma? i say might bc lwj asks to court wwx, not marry, but this is the only fic that came to mind when i read the request <33

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18. So I’m looking for a specific fic that I know is on ao3, can’t remember the name of the story nor the author though.

And that’s after looking through my history on ao3 for over an hour.

All I really remember from it was that it was short, like one to ten chapters long.

(And yes I do consider 10 chapters short)

It took place in cloud recess study arc, jiang Cheng punched or got into a physical fight with Jin Zixuan, in the classroom if I remember correctly.

Wei wuxian was injured. Somehow, story could be after the waterborne abyss.

Oh and the Jiangs asking WWX why he didn’t defend Yanli. Despite the fact he’s injured on the floor. @ravenwithwings​

FOUND! If only you knew (what goes on in my mind) by makexianxianhappytoday (G, 7k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, angst w/ happy ending, not Jiang friendly, protective LWJ)

Not FOUND! No Refunds, Satisfaction Guaranteed by la_muerta (E, 20k, WangXian, Robots & Androids, Childhood Friends, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Rimming, Come as Lube, Semi-Public Sex, Light Bondage, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Dom/sub Undertones)

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19. Hello! I’m trying to find a fic where lan zhan orders a sex robot/android and wei ying goes to deliver it but there’s a problem with getting it up to the apartment so he goes to the apartment to talk to lan zhan and lan zhan mistakes him as the robot and wei ying for some reason decides to go along with it? Please help I can’t seem to find it anywhere! 🙏💜 @rainingkittens​

Not FOUND! Heartspots & Human Things by flowerofgusu (E, 17k, wangxian, major character death, modern, romance, falling in love, angst w happy ending, with a twist, grief/mourning, versatile wangxian, eventual smut, demisexual LWJ, tragedy with a twist, tenderness, second chances, learning to love again, sex robot WWX, morally grey NHS)

FOUND! No Refunds, Satisfaction Guaranteed by la_muerta (E, 20k, WangXian, Robots & Androids, Childhood Friends, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Rimming, Come as Lube, Semi-Public Sex, Light Bondage, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Dom/sub Undertones)

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20. hello! thank you for your help. I'm looking for a modern au fic where wwx was in an abusive relationship with wen chao (or wen zhuliu? one of the bad wens). all I remember is that a-yuan was wen chao's biological child and wwx wanted to protect him so he suffered the abuse for years and when wen chao went to prison wwx adopted a-yuan. hopefully someone recognizes

FOUND! how to make your dad fall in love with your high school teacher in five steps; the complete and bulletproof guide by ravenditefairylights (T, 90k, wangxian, modern, coffee shop au, nonbinary LSZ, hurt/comfort, trauma, past abuse, past domestic violence, healing, hurt WWX, found family, hospitalization, therapy, single parent WWX, pining, teacher LWJ, unreliable narrator, chronic pain, queer platonic relationship, genderfluid WWX, autistic LWJ, fluff & angst)

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[tavina-writes]

Can we hear more about summer sugar?

OH! This is one of the fics in the WangXian (and others!) modern academia AU that I keep pushing around bc I don't want to think seriously about which wave of immigration each of these families happen to be in. Summer Sugar is set in the summer that WangXian get together (the one right after their first year of graduate school) and is the second in the series.

The other two in that series are called "Wine on the Water" (The first one, where Lan Wangji meets Wei Wuxian, who is his uncle's newest graduate student by the family pool) and the other one. Which is a Nie brothers fic. Called:

[canes-venatici200]

Modern Prompt with Cultivation:

Lan Jingyi was running out of ideas and didn’t know what else to do. He really wanted to go to the same Cultivation Academy as his best friend Wei Yuan but his Baba Wei Wuxian wasn’t so convinced. Cloud Recesses was one of the most prestigious Cultivation Academies of the country and the one Wei Yuan and him got acceptance letters from but it it seems more likely Wei Yuan wasn’t going. They had even went to Wei Yuan’s relatives Wen Qing, Wen Ning and Wen Popo to ask them to convince Wei Wuxian to give permission but to their absolute shock they actually agreed with him and the story they told wasn’t pretty.

According to them the Academy only accepted students from families with very strong backgrounds in the Cultivation World. And because Wei Wuxian came from an orphanage but was a prodigy in cultivation with a scholarship he was looked down upon by the students and the teachers. He was often given punishments upon the simplest things that many other students could get away with just because of who their parents are. Many teachers would pick on him in class to test whether he should be there. And lastly he left the Academy because he was accused of cheating by a Jin and many rumors were circulating about him being Jiang Fengmian’s bastard by Jiang Fengmian’s son himself. He almost didn’t get his license for cultivating but was accepted in Yiling Academy and was first in his year when he graduated and he even ended up meeting the Wens there.

Upon hearing this Wei Yuan and him didn’t have the heart to keep pushing and became subdued. Wei Wuxian arrived and told Wei Yuan that he just doesn’t want him to suffer like he did. Lan Jingyi was about to give up when he got an idea and told them they he needed to make an important phone call. He calls his uncle, one of the most important teachers in the academy and his idol and meekly tells him about the situation.

Lan Wangji having the idea of who Lan Jingyi was talking about told him that he’ll be arriving in a few hours and clicks fast.

After arriving at Yiling with his heart beating fast he knocks at the door of an apartment. Upon the door opening he comes face to face with Wei Ying who he hasn’t seen in thirteen years and his breath catches.

In the end Wei Wuxian let’s Wei Yuan go because Lan Wangji convinces him to become a teacher in Class Recesses to keep an eye on things and because he doesn’t like to see his son without his friends and sad. And Lan Wangji totally didn’t want to keep his Wei Ying close. 😉😉

[daswarschonkaputt]

I saw “lwj doesn’t like jyl” in your wip list and I’m so intrigued, would you tell us a bit about it?

ah this ask is so old now, idk if you're still interested, but sure, i can talk about it.

so, fandom seems fairly set on the fact that lan wangji hates jiang cheng. like, i feel like no-one's arguing that fact. but i see a lot of lan wangji getting along really well with jiang yanli, which i think is... yeah, fair enough, but my brain was like, okay, let's explore a universe where he hates her too. why does he hate her? what does he hold against her? how justified is that hate? is it pettiness? or does he have a genuine grievance? how does he moderate this, given that wei wuxian definitely still loves her?

content warning under the cut for discussion of child abuse, in line with what we see of yzy's treatment of wwx in canon, but applied to a modern setting.

around the time i was musing on this, i read a modern au of mdzs that had wwx as the victim of horrific child abuse in the jiang household, and the fic was sort of about him reconnecting with jiang cheng and jiang yanli years down the line. (don't ask me which it was, because i do not recommend it.) and i was looking at that premise, and i was like, hmm. i could do something with this.

the more i worked on it, the more it started to feel like a jiang yanli character study, almost. her strengths and flaws and regrets became a central part of the fic. i really wasn't interested in doing the slash fic demonising women thing. i wanted to write her with depth and sympathy, whilst also demonstrating her flaws (that wei wuxian would be blind to).

here's a few bits:

the opening scene of the fic:

JIANG CONGLOMERATE STOCK PRICE REACHES TEN YEAR LOW FOLLOWING CONCLUSION OF LIBEL CASE Read: After the Yunmeng People’s Court ruled today against Yu Ziyuan, wife to chairman Jiang Fengmian of the Jiang Conglomerate, stockholder confidence in the company dropped, leading to their lowest share price in nearly thirteen years.

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY ISSUE APOLOGY TO WEI WUXIAN, SCHOLARSHIP AND ENROLMENT REINSTATED Read: Tsinghua University has issued a written apology for the “hasty” sanctions they issued against post-graduate student Wei Wuxian, who has been the subject of a month-long libel case from his former family.

“I LIVED EVERY DAY BELIEVING I WOULD WAKE UP TO DISCOVER HE WAS DEAD.” – TESTIMONY FROM JIANG DEFAMATION CASE REVEALS HORRIFYING REALITY OF CHILD ABUSE IN HOUSEHOLD Listen: Leaked audio from the Jiang Family’s defamation case details the horrific physical abuse inflicted upon the defendant, Wei Wuxian.

YU ZIYUAN ARRESTED FOR AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, ATTEMPTED MURDER; FACES UP TO TWENTY YEARS IN PRISON In Photos: As Wei Wuxian attempts to escape the crowd following his decisive victory against the Jiang Family, Yu Ziyuan’s exit from the court is interrupted by Yunmeng Police.

--

Staring at the sky When all of this started, I was so mad about what Wei Wuxian was doing. I was convinced he was a white-eyed wolf, and he was lying just to get back at a family he’d ended things badly with. I was right there with all my classmates, trending #expellweiwuxian all across weibo. Now that we know the truth, I’m so deeply ashamed. Wei-xiaozhang, I’m so sorry!!

Paralysed by the flow of time I don’t think I’ve ever listened to something that made me quite as upset as Dr Wen’s testimony in the #JiangDefamationCase. To think about her as a young med student, stranded across the country from him, trying her best to keep him alive, yet knowing it could all be for nothing if Yu Ziyuan had a bad day and killed him… And the fact that it was her that kept records of his injuries and abuse – evidence that Wei Wuxian had thrown away himself – just in case he ever needed it… It makes complete sense that when he finally ran from the Jiangs, he ran to her. Wei Wuxian, marry that girl before someone else does!

Three for free and two for too Fuck everyone in the Jiang Family who covered up the abuse that was happening. Fuck every single member of their staff who saw what was happening and stayed quiet to keep their job. And above all else, fuck Yu Ziyuan.

Three for free and two for too Prison’s too good for that bitch.

--

Jiang Yanli thinks of her life in moments, most often.

Part of it, she knows, is due to the tumultuous nature of the household she grew up in. There was a thick tension that sat heavily over their house, even when A-Xian wasn’t mouthing off in front of their mother. There were so few moments of unabashed joy that Yanli clung to them all the harder – and just let the other memories slip away.

There was one, when she was seven: the day she met Jiang Wuxian. He’d been tiny and bright-eyed – untrusting but eager for affection. She’d loved him the moment she saw him.

Then, another, at eighteen: a little tipsy, hiding from the crowds at her parents’ Lunar New Year party, when Jin Zixuan looked at her like he finally saw her, and the caught her mid-laugh with an impulsive kiss.

Twenty, legs weak as she walked to the altar. Twenty-two, with Jin Ling in her arms for the first time, tiny and precious and utterly untainted.

The most important moment, though, the one that turned her life on its head, happened three days after her marriage to Jin Zixuan.

They were on their honeymoon. He’d taken her to dinner at an exorbitantly expensive restaurant – even after a year of dating Zixuan still liked to posture. The evening is dimmed somewhat by alcohol; Yanli is a consummate lightweight, and she and Zixuan had already split a bottle of champagne in their hotel room before surfacing for food. She can’t remember exactly what she said, but it’d been something like—

“If my mother knew I was ordering steak, she’d slap me.”

It wasn’t intended to be anything more than a careless remark. She’d said things like that before, and her friends had never made it seem like something terrible. At most, she expected a little light teasing about watching her figure. Maybe a shallow smile.

Zixuan gave her neither. “Is that why you always order a salad when we go out?”

Jiang Yanli had blinked. “Ah,” she said without meaning to. The deviation from the expected script threw her. “That is…” She didn’t want to misrepresent anything to Zixuan, but she couldn’t think of a way to explain herself without making his misunderstanding worse. “You know me. Kind of a glutton. My mother just—well, someone has to watch what I eat, or else I’d never have fit into my wedding dress.”

“Kind of a—” Zixuan cut himself off. “Yanli,” he said, “you’re—you’re tiny. You eat like a bird. I always—you should eat more. I don’t care if I have to buy you an entire store’s worth of new dresses. I just want you well.”

Yanli looked down at the dinner settings in front of them and felt her mouth go dry. She shouldn’t—Zixuan was being—perfect, as always. It was nice. But for some reason, his words made her feel—agitated. Uncomfortable. Like there was something treacherous to be found in his kindness.

“I am well,” she said, at length. “Please,” she reached across the table to lay one of her hands over Zixuan’s. “A-Xuan. It was just a joke. Forget I said anything.”

Jin Zixuan turned over his hand and laced their fingers. “If your mother were here,” he said, very serious, “her hand would never even get close to your face. Even if I had to take the blow for you. So order whatever you want.”

In retrospect, it was such a small thing. It shouldn’t have mattered. But it—struck something, deep and fundamental to her very being. Her hand would never even get close to your face, echoing around her head for days, weeks, afterwards. It was the first time she had ever thought to consider her mother as anything other than an absolute authority. It was the first time anyone had ever suggested that they might protect her from her.

She thinks about it a lot.

She thinks about it when she holds Jin Ling, and wonders if there will ever come a time when A-Xuan will have to protect their son from her. She thinks about it when she visits Jiang Cheng each year, on the anniversary of Wuxian’s disappearance. She thinks about it in quiet moments, when her hands are occupied with laundry or housework, and her brain is able to spiral out and play with words like abuse and childhood trauma.

And she’s thinking about it now, stood on the steps of Yunmeng’s People Court, watching A-Xian try to fight his way through a crowd of reporters. Her hand would never even get close to your face. Yanli’s father is collapsed on the ground beside her. Jiang Cheng is arguing with the police officers leading their mother away. Zixuan is back home with their child – a courtroom is no place for a toddler.

Her hand would never even get close to your face.

It had been so easy for Zixuan to make her feel safe. She wasn’t living at home anymore. She was married. Her husband was wealthy enough to take care of them without any help from her family.

She can’t imagine—

Her hand would never even get close to your face.

—how much more difficult it must be, to make Jiang Wuxian feel safe.

There’s a clatter behind them and Jiang Yanli turns her head slightly, to catch sight of a young woman rushing down the steps after A-Xian. Yanli recognises her. This is Wen Qing. She testified for A-Xian.

Yanli watches her place her tiny body between A-Xian and the press. Wen Qing stretches her arms out, forcing her way back, giving A-Xian space. She says something sharp and short to A-Xian. When he nods, she grasps his hand, and she forces her way through the crowd, A-Xian following in her wake.

Yanli watches them both until they’re completely swallowed by the mass of cameras and microphones.

“Jiejie, say something.”

Yanli’s attention snaps back to A-Cheng. Both her brother and two police officers are looking at her expectantly. “Oh,” she says after a beat. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”

Jiang Cheng growls. “They’re saying we can’t follow them to the police station to talk to Mom,” he says. “And I said they’d be hearing from our lawyers.”

Oh, A-Cheng, Yanli sighs internally. Always so convinced of his own righteousness. “We should take Dad home before dealing with any of that,” she says gently. “Gentlemen, am I to presume you are members of the Yunmeng Police Precinct?”

“Yes, ma’am,” one of the officers says.

Ma’am. How ridiculous. I’m not even 30. “Then we know where to send our legal team,” she says easily. “A-Cheng, we can get Mom out of jail later. For now, can you help me with Dad?”

“They had no right to—”

“A-Cheng,” Yanli says, stronger this time. “I can’t lift him on my own.”

Jiang Cheng cuts himself off. He looks between their father and the police officers, hesitating, before he sighs, and kneels down to hook his hands under their father’s arms. “It’s okay, Dad,” he says. “Come on. We’ll get it sorted out.”

Yanli looks around them – at the teeming mass of reporters, barely held back by their security team, at the place where just moments ago, A-Xian had staggered out of the courthouse, victorious but no less wrecked for it, at the police car pulling away with their mother in handcuffs—

Yanli looks at it all, and can’t help but feel that this is the kind of mess that can’t really be sorted out.

and the little snippet that inspired the entire fic:

(cw for discussion of injury, and fairly horrific child abuse)

(context for this scene: wei wuxian is sick, and as such has to cancel on lunch with jiang yanli. when she hears he's sick, she makes him soup, and brings it by his apartment.)

“Oh,” Jiang Yanli says, looking at the kitchen. “This is…”

Lan Wangji follows her gaze, not entirely certain what she’s noticing in particular. He has chopping boards out, piled with vegetables he was in the middle of preparing, when Yanli arrived. There’s a pot of stock simmering on the stovetop, and a steamer that’s half-filled with dumplings.

Jiang Yanli smiles helplessly. “I guess I never expected either of you to be able to cook. A-Cheng’s hopeless, and the less said about my husband in the kitchen the better. And A-Xian… I guess I don’t know anymore. Does he cook?”

Wei Ying doesn’t so much cook as he attempts to kill his tastebuds – and his husband – with spice.

Jiang Yanli hovers inside the kitchen door. Lan Wangji watches her, quietly.

“I understand,” she says at length, “why you don’t like A-Cheng. He is rude to you. I—he hasn’t figured out yet, which parts of our mother’s teachings he wishes to keep. Please be patient with him.”

Lan Wangji’s fingers pause on the knife. He does not say what he is thinking, that he has little sympathy for the plight of Jiang Wanyin. That it is simple to him: a woman who beats a child under her care is not one who he would listen or obey in any circumstance.

It isn’t his place to say such things.

“So, I understand, why you avoid us,” Jiang Yanli goes on. “But – I am not my brother. I have no quarrel with your relationship with A-Xian. You have been – good for him. So I hope – I hope we can be friends. For A-Xian’s sake,” she adds, “if nothing else.”

Lan Wangji looks down at the knife in his hands. It is sharp, and expensive, and he should not be holding it for this conversation. He places it down on the table.

“Thank you for your care,” Lan Wangji says. “Wei Ying will appreciate the soup. But we cannot be friends.”

She blinks at him. “Why not?”

“I dislike you.”

His blunt statement seems to have staggered her. She blinks, again. Tilts her head. “I—what?”

“We cannot be friends,” Lan Wangji repeats, “because I dislike you.”

“Oh,” Jiang Yanli says. “Mr Lan, I’ve never – if I’ve done something to offend you—”

Lan Wangji’s eyes fall to the Tupperware in her hands. “It is not what you have done,” he says, “but what you have not.”

Jiang Yanli follows his eyes to the empty soup containers she’s holding. “I—I don’t understand,” she says.

“When Wei Ying was thirteen,” Lan Wangji says, “Yu Ziyuan flayed the skin from his back. Doctor Wen still has photos saved from the incident. I have seen them. It is no understatement to say that Wei Ying is lucky to have survived – had the wounds become infected, he would have likely died. You brought him soup.”

Left unsaid are the events that prevented that: that Wen Qing had stolen prescription antibiotics from the pharmacy where she worked, risking her job; that Wen Ning had spent every penny of his savings on a plane ticket across China and taped the blister packs of pills inside a hollowed out workbook, that was slipped to Wei Ying under the premise of make-up work; that Wei Ying himself had applied ointment to his wounds with a cotton pad taped to the end of a ruler, unable to reach the network of lacerations stretching across his entire back.

“I – I always have,” Jiang Yanli says. “It makes him feel better, when he’s sick.”

She doesn’t get it.

“Yu Ziyuan left him lying in the dirt,” Lan Wangji says. “He had to crawl up the stairs to his room because he could not stand up without passing out from the pain. He vomited when he reached for his first aid kit, because it had been placed on the top shelf of his wardrobe by a maid. And you brought him soup.”

Wei Ying loves her for it, even now. Jiang Yanli, his jie-jie, who always brought him soup when he was sad. She is untouchable in Wei Ying’s eyes.

Lan Wangji will never forgive her for it.

“You were in a position to help him, long before I even knew what was wrong,” Lan Wangji says. “You moved out, went to university, met your husband – and for four years, you never said a word. How many times did you come back home and make soup? How many times did you see your mother’s cruelty written across Wei Ying’s body – and how many times did you choose to do nothing?

“I saw signs I didn’t have the knowledge to interpret, and I hate myself for never speaking up. It is my greatest regret, that I didn’t have the courage to end Wei Ying’s suffering even – one year, one month, one day earlier. But you knew all along. And you made him soup.”

[kachawo]

Random Things I’ve Done as MDZS Characters:

Lan Wangji: Almost started a fight because a random student mistook my silence for insult, gratefully saved by a classmate that knew I wasn’t a good talker. Later that day, she said I had a really mean expression on my face and it might’ve been the reason why the person got pissed.

Wei Wuxian: Thought I woke up late, forgot my I.D, my transportation fare, and left the house with missed-matched socks. It turns out I indeed, was not late—in fact, literally earlier than half my classmates.

Lan Sizhui: Repeatedly apologized for an accident I didn’t start, and even though I was the one who got hit. (It really hurt)

Lan Jingyi: Confidently telling my group mate the answer to our quiz’s question that was actually very very wrong. (It was so embarrassing)

Jin Ling: Got upset that no one listened to my advise on how to treat a nosebleed, accidentally punched the person who had the nosebleed and they still didn’t listen to my advise.

Ouyang Zizhen: Got caught writing fan fiction during my AP tests and had to listen to my teacher read out the shit I wrote. Safe to say that after I graduated I made sure to never show my face to that teacher again.

Wen Ning: Was given the wrong order in a milk tea shop and instead if telling the barista, I left the milk tea on a table and left the shop with out anything. Ended up wasting money.

Wen Qing: I went to the hospital thinking I might have skin asthma but was diagnosed with a heart problem. I kept going back for check ups because I was sure they misdiagnosed me, they did misdiagnose me. I had skin asthma.

Mo Xuanyu: Got misgendered the very first day of class, even though I wore a skirt. (Unknowingly triggers the genderfluid in me)

Jiang Cheng: Barked back at a dog because it annoyed me.

Nie Huaisang: During the Christmas Exchange Event I got a request that said they wanted a specific brand of wallet. I bought them a wallet. That was different from the brand they wanted. And put candy inside as compensation.

Jin Guangyao: Convinced a teacher I belonged to his class (I was in fact, not from his class) after I accidentally entered during a lecture, was too embarrassed to leave, so I took a seat and answered his questions when he wanted me to.

Lan Xichen: Commuted by myself for the first time and ended up lost, 7 divisions away from home.

Xiao Xingchen: Fell in love with a boy and finding out years later that boy was now in rehabilitation for handling dangerous weapons.

(also) Nie Huaisang: Had an attack before passing out even though I ran no longer than 50 meters.

(also) Wei Wuxian: Stared at a dog for so long that it got jittery and attacked me, my sister cried the whole car drive to the hospital because I was bleeding from my forehead.

(also) Lan Jingyi: Got admitted to the hospital because I hit my head on a sharp rock. Cause of injury: my butt missed the seat of a swing and sent me tumbling backwards.

(also) Lan Sizhui: Didn’t understand the concept of a class donation and gave all my cash because I thought they asked for it. I didn’t eat lunch that day.

__________

After compiling this I just realized that I’m not a very interesting person.

[ellieffect]

ANGST AU

"Sometimes life is enjoyed so much that we forget it has an end..."

A sigh escaped Wei Wuxian's lips. The rocking chair sways under the lush tree in the garden.

The weather seems perfectly balanced with Wei Wuxian's emotions. Small leaves are blowing due to the autumn breeze.

ChengQing is held on his lap, right on top of the bunny blanket given to his by his little A-Yuan— a not-so-little one—who is about to graduate from college.

A smile appears on his lips, memories flood him. He has had a good life, more than he expected to receive.

The first time, because he was distracted, he walked into the wrong classroom, finding a student playing the grand piano.

As time went by, he got to know this golden-eyed man better. Lan WangJi, his... Lan Zhan.

Their meetings and dates, their travels and their struggle to cement their relationship in the most satisfying way.

Support during his college entrance. The adoption of A-Yuan when he was only months old. His son's first day of school and his family moments. Everything is unforgettable for him.

And most importantly...the unconditional love from him during Lan WangJi's illness, the strength and encouragement Wei Wuxian gave him. Everyone has the chance to have a partner, however, not everyone can have the chance for true and everlasting love.

《Wei Ying.... I love you. I have only loved you in my whole life, I love you and will love you.》

Wei Wuxian still remembers what a sea of tears it was when his husband's tired, weak voice professed his undying love to his.

《Lan Zhan, my good Lan Zhan...don't say such things, I know you can get out of this soon...please don't say that..... I love you too much. I love you too much, you...it can only be you..... I will love you forever...please.》

And the rest is history that Wei Wuxian wishes to leave behind.

A stage that doesn't feel right to touch. His heart is not yet ready to remember everything that happened.

Wei Wuxian, in his fifties, feels that life and happiness are too short and temporary...

Some leave earlier than they should and others stay to continue on their way, alone.

Leaves fall due to the strong wind. Wei Wuxian picks up his ChengQing and places it against his lips.

A melody begins to play, one that only he and his beloved husband knew perfectly.

A familiar figure approaches. He can hear footsteps in the grass despite his nearsightedness.

He reaches into his lap for the glasses and puts them on. Wei Wuxian smiles at the person and receives the glass of lemonade.

—Baba, just the way you like it.

Sizhui places the tray on the wooden table and joins in to enjoy the view.

—Aiyo...this little guy is going to make me cry.... -He murmurs, slowly sipping the liquid.

—Baba... A-Die...he...

Wei Wuxian stops drinking the lemonade. The taste of the drink isn't so sweet anymore.

—He always wanted you to be happy Baba, please I don't want you to isolate yourself from everyone...my uncle Jiang Cheng is still asking about you and...

—I will visit them soon...

Wei Wuxian clears his throat and doesn't dare to look up, he has said the same thing so many times that even he can't believe his words.

—A-Die always...

—He always wanted me to be happy A-Yuan...Lan Zhan told me to be very happy, but...How can I be happy without him?—The lenses of the glasses blur and tears flow easily.

Life is so light that it can be taken anytime and anywhere... so unfair, thinks Wei Wuxian.

—L-Lan Zhan I'm h-happy...—He tries to smile as he wipes away the tears that come again, but fails in the attempt.—I can't... not without you...

[untamedho]

Students of Song and Seeds by DizziDreams

Lan Wangji had two goals when he arrived at Gusu University, where he would be studying Illusion Magic in the university's acclaimed Music program:

Graduate with honors.

Do not acquire a soulmate.

It should be easy. Lan Wangji was a good student, and should be able to achieve top marks if he studied hard. As for the issue of a soulmate...well, Lan Wangji was careful. Careful to keep people at a distance. Careful not to touch. He had spent a lifetime learning to avoid the casual brush of fingers or bumping shoulders with inattentive strangers.

But Lan Wangji had forgotten the promise he had heard Brother extract from his friend over the holiday: "I'm worried. Even Wangji needs friends. Keep an eye on him for me next year.”

Perhaps Lan Wangji had hoped it was forgotten. That the loud, intrusive young man was the type to forget promises, and that Lan Wangji would be able to get through his first year in peace.

It was a hope that crumbled away as Wei Wuxian walked into Lan Wangji's history class and plopped into the seat next to him with a beaming smile and a delighted laugh.

"What are the odds, xiandi?" Wei Wuxian said. "It looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

Read on AO3

[warriorgardener]

March 4th

Wei Wuxian knelt down on the sidewalk in front of the kindergarten. “A-Yuan…” The toddler was distracted by a grasshopper so Wei Wuxian turned his face back with his hands and gently squished his cheeks, which were not as chubby as he wished they were. “A-Yuan, pay attention. Do you want ice cream?”

“Yes!” He threw his hands in the air in wild approval, waving them as if about to take flight from excitement alone.

“Okay, listen up. I need you to go inside and say ‘Gege, are you single?’, can you remember that?”

“What’s a single?”

“That’s not important. Just remember to ask him and tell me what he says, okay? Then we’ll get ice cream.”

A-Yuan nodded brightly, but then his smile faded into a grave expression out of place on such a tiny face. “It’s okay. I don’t need it, Xian-ge.”

Wei Wuxian’s heart pinched. Wen Yuan had not experienced ice cream since his birthday last year and the happy memory was still engraved in the forefront of his thoughts. Using it to bribe him at a time like this was already a little cruel, but faced with such altruism, Wei Wuxian’s guilt multiplied. He swore to himself that he really would bring home ice cream no matter what.

“Don’t be silly! You need ice cream to grow big and tall like me! I’m going to go get it right now. Go on, don’t be late.”

A-Yuan’s grin returned in full force. He ran towards the school doors. With his oversized backpack, he looked like a turtle waddling at full speed to win some kind of race. Wei Wuxian huffed a little laugh.

A tall, imposing man wearing a light blue apron appeared at the doorway to help him take off his backpack and coat. Although his face was as unyielding and stern as always, he let A-Yuan hug his legs and even patted his head once before guiding him inside. Their eyes met briefly, and the warm feeling in Wei Wuxian’s chest fluttered.

If only that stuffy Lan Wangji treated him with the same solitary ounce of sweetness he seemed to reserve for his students! With how willfully childish he acted around Lan Wangji, he thought some of that faint nurturing instinct would be sure to apply to him as well, but it only seemed to irritate him. Ah well, teasing Lan Wangji was fun. That’s why he wanted A-Yuan to ask such a thing, right? That was the only reason.

***

That ice cream almost got Wei Wuxian killed. It was one of the few things that was impossible to go dumpster diving for, so he went into a grocery store out of the way from their neighborhood, stuffed two ice cream bars into his jacket (damn near freezing his nipples off) and walked out. After that, he was in the clear and relaxed a bit, sticking to the alleys as he leisurely headed back towards the kindergarten to pick up his kiddo. It wasn’t easy to keep Wen Yuan in school, but he got fed well there and it kept him out of his hair long enough for Wei Wuxian to scrape together a living. Besides, Wen Yuan was already top of his class! He was the first one to learn his alphabet! He could probably graduate high school no problem, even go to college on a scholarship, and then maybe Wei Wuxian would be able to tell himself that he hadn’t failed in raising him.

Lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t seen the men smoking in the alley, never mind recognized them as “old friends” from his brief stint as a cardsharper. Needless to say, they weren’t happy to see him. Nor were they inclined to use their words so much as their fists. It took several blows for Wei Wuxian to finally recover his wits, fight back and make his escape. Just to be safe, he took an even more roundabout way to the kindergarten.

His throat burned with every step. His feet dragged. He stopped once to heave into someone’s unfortunate hedge, though there was not much in his stomach to come up. Once A-Yuan’s school came into view, he started running. No cars were parked by the entrance. The playground was empty. Wei Wuxian realized he was very, very late. His heart plummeted into his stomach. What if someone reported him for—for—shitty parenting, or something? What if A-Yuan was taken away from him? What if A-Yuan went home by himself? Would they allow something like that? Fuck the school system! How could they let a little boy walk all the way home like a sad little turtle?

His footsteps echoed through the empty hall, the walls covered with scribbled drawings and macaroni art. He knew exactly where Wen Yuan’s classroom was and slowed down as he neared it. A faint conversation came through the cracked door. Wei Wuxian hurriedly tried to put himself together. Without a mirror, it was hard to tell if he was presentable or not, but he straightened out his clothes and combed his hands through his hair.

“What’s a single?”

“It means there’s only one.”

“Are you a single teacher?”

“No,” said the voice patiently. “There are other teachers.”

“Oh…my mama is a single.”

“Wei Ying is not a mother…for several reasons.”

“He’s mine though.”

Wei Wuxian stopped frantically wiping the blood from his scraped knee and burst into the room before the conversation could get any worse. “A-Yuan! I’m late, I’m sorry—Lan Zhan, I’m really sorry.”

The two of them were sitting at a children’s table, Wen Yuan on an appropriately small chair and Lan Wangji on a less appropriately small chair. They seemed to be having some kind of tea party. The plastic scoops of ice cream on the table made Wei Wuxian sick all over again. He patted down his jacket. The ice cream bars in his pockets were squished and melted. Even with that small task, he had failed.

Wen Yuan bolted out of his chair so fast that it fell over.

“Don’t run,” Lan Wangji said mildly, but of course the boy didn’t listen.

He ran straight to Wei Wuxian and hugged his leg. “Xian-ge, you got hurt!”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “I tripped! Like Lan Zhan said, you shouldn’t run inside. I fell right on my face, hahahaha!” He swallowed and finally summoned the courage to look at Lan Wangji, hoping he wasn’t angry enough to call the cops.

Lan Wangji carried a dark expression he had never seen before, something adjacent to irritation but not quite. In the same patient, unerring tone, he ignored Wei Wuxian to speak to Wen Yuan, who looked like he did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Go wash your hands and we will put some bandaids on your mama.”

How could Lan Wangji say such a thing with a straight face?! Wei Wuxian was stunned speechless as A-Yuan happily ran out of the room to do as he was told. Lan Wangji immediately advanced on him.

“I can explain,” Wei Wuxian said. Without realizing it, he had backed himself against the wall. “I mean—I was telling the truth about tripping! Lan Zhan, cut me a break just this once. I’ll never be late again.”

Lan Wangji’s icy, unperturbed gaze lowered to Wei Wuxian’s lips. He anxiously rubbed them with the back of his hand. A small streak of blood came away. Dammit.

“Listen, it’s complicated, but—“ He swore under his breath. Why did he even try? No one could understand, certainly not someone so unerringly perfect as Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji held his chin, turning his face to each side, inspecting the red marks and scrapes in judgmental silence. Wei Wuxian was caught off guard by his close proximity, mesmerized by the length of his dark lashes and the dark eyes that looked him over inch by inch.

His gaze lifted, piercing Wei Wuxian through the heart. “Who did this to you?”

His low voice sent a shiver through Wei Wuxian, who immediately had to fight off gay thoughts. Thankfully, he was saved from having to respond, as A-Yuan bolted back into the room at that moment.

“I’m ready to be a doctor!”

The two of them separated quickly, almost guiltily. But as Wei Wuxian took a place at the tiny table in an equally tiny chair, letting Lan Wangji clean his scrapes with antiseptic and letting Wen Yuan clumsily apply bandaids anywhere he pleased, he couldn’t stop thinking about those words, that voice, the anger in his eyes that was not, as he was beginning to realize, directed at him this time.

Maybe Lan Wangji…Wei Wuxian shook his head at himself. No, certainly not. But just in case…

“Hey, Lan Zhan, are you single?”

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

Professor Lan, Babysitter Extraordinaire

I've had this one-shot sitting in my drafts untouched since August, but I saw that today (1-12) is Lan Sizhui's birthday, so I thought it was as good an excuse as any to pull it back out and finish it up for a birthday tribute ^_^ I didn't quite make it before midnight in my current time zone, but it's still the 12th somewhere!

[AO3][Masterpost]

--

Lan Wangji doesn’t typically pay much attention to the eddies and streams of students that pass through the halls of the old Music building. The comings and goings of the students aren’t of much interest to him so long as his (very) small contingent of Classic Guqin students make it to the studio on time, and as long as no one makes too big of an interruption during his larger music history lectures.

This afternoon wouldn’t really be all that different were it not for the extremely unusual fact that he himself is running late. Late by his own standards at least - his office hours begin in 5 minutes and while normally he would already be ensconced behind his desk to review essays or his graduating student’s rough composition, he is instead still walking down the hall while a few stray students linger, though lectures should already be started. Their chatting passes around him without making any sort of lasting impression - right up until he spots the unfairly attractive man from his history lectures.

He’s in some degree of disarray, which is unfortunately not unusual for him - but he’s also clearly distressed, which is new. Wei Wuxian is a seemingly carefree sort of man who laughs at everything (even when inappropriate to do so, on occasion) and can usually be found grinning from ear to ear. Lan Wangji has never heard him sound like this, upset and pleading in equal measure.

“Come on he’s better behaved than over half the first years! What’s the big deal?!” Lan Wangji finds a spark of concern flashing brief and hot in his gut and he frowns a bit as he turns his steps in Wei Wuxian’s direction. For all his disorder and misbehavior, Wei Wuxian is not downright disrespectful to anyone who doesn’t give him a reason to be, certainly he’s not usually so aggressively argumentative with anyone, let alone a professor. Something must be wrong for him to be speaking like this.

“I do not allow children in my classroom, Mr Wei,” Lan Wangji overhears as he draws nearer and..children? Is this professor calling Wei Wuxian a child? He’s older than the vast majority of the student body - Lan Wangji’s age, in fact - and such an insult would be unthinkable from any one of the teaching staff. “You may return once you find a suitable solution.”

“Can’t you allow it just this once?!”

The door clicks shut solidly without an answer, but then again it’s not as if one is necessary when the dismissal is that clear. Lan Wangji is just about to continue approaching when he suddenly finds himself on the receiving end of a dark, wide-eyed stare from a very tiny person perched on Wei Wuxian’s hip, opposite from the direction of his approach and therefore hidden by Wei Wuxian’s shoulders until the toddler had turned his head to look.

Ah. Children.

Or, more precisely, a single child with big doe-eyes and soft dumpling cheeks, little eyebrows currently scrunched together in confusion or displeasure, he’s not sure.

“Baba?” The child asks, abandoning staring at him to turn to Wei Wuxian and tug on a piece of hair hanging loose from his sloppy bun. “Did I get you in trouble?”

“No! No baby you didn’t, I promise,” Wei Wuxian reassures instantly with a nuzzle to the top of the child’s head and Lan Wangji’s heart melts into a gooey puddle. Which is new. And not entirely pleasant.

“Wei Ying,” he calls before he has to endure any more of watching Wei Wuxian being so gentle and kind with the child who is as unfairly adorable as the man holding him. The man whips around to face him and Lan Wangji absently hopes that the child is used to being dizzy. “What is wrong?”

“Ahhhh hah Lan-laoshi!” He calls because he knows it bugs him, though Lan Wangji is certain he doesn’t understand why it does, which can only be a good thing. “Nothing’s wrong! Everything is totally fine, I’ve got it all under control!”

It’s a terrible lie and so Lan Wangji doesn’t bother replying, he simply looks pointedly at the toddler still amusing himself with Wei Wuxian’s hair and then back up at the other man who instantly deflates with a huff.

“I don’t have anybody to watch A-Yuan today,” he admits with a grimace and another almost thoughtless nuzzle against the child’s hair. “And so I thought to myself, ‘hey I’ll just bring him along with me, all he wants to do after lunchtime is nap or sit quietly to draw or play with his toys so it’ll be fine,’ and then spoiler alert, it’s not fine according to some people with sticks shoved sideways up their asses-“

“Baba.”

“Sorry baby, I’ll put something in the swear jar when we get home, okay? Don’t tell your Auntie Qing. But anyway the long and short of it is I guess I’m missing this lecture,” he sighs with a glance at the door behind him. “No big deal, just means I get to have extra time with my radish!”

The child - A-Yuan, it would seem - splutters out a giggle as Wei Wuxian punctuates his exclamation with a loud raspberry on his cheek and Lan Wangji has the strangest sensation of jealousy, though of what he’s not sure. He distracts himself by taking a glance at just whose lecture hall they’re on the wrong side of, and his lips press into a line without his permission when he sees.

“Professor Bourke does not forgive absences. They are factored into your final mark.”

“Baba down please,” A-Yuan requests politely as Wei Wuxian grimaces and the man is quick to bend down and help A-Yuan stand up under his own power. Lan Wangji can’t help but watch him as he steadies himself and then tips his head back comically far to keep staring up at him with those wide eyes, one of his index fingers tucked into his mouth against his teeth.

It is perhaps because of this, paired with his entirely inappropriate interest in Wei Wuxian (and perhaps a smattering of academic justice), that he blinks down at A-Yuan - who blinks back up at him with a growing smile - and offers, “I could watch him for you in my office.”

“Ah?!” Wei Wuxian exclaims. Lan Wangji forces himself to stop blinking back and forth with A-Yuan to look at Wei Wuxian again, though he can’t quite manage to force his expression back into his typical stoic mask before he does. He can feel the softness around his eyes, the barest uptick at the corners of his mouth, and any hope he may have had of smoothing it away is promptly shattered by the double whammy of Wei Wuxian grinning at him like the morning sun and A-Yuan suddenly clamping onto his leg to hug him and grin equally as wide up at him.

“My office hours have begun. I could watch over him to ensure his safety while you attend your lecture.”

“A-Yuan baby don’t hug him, some people don’t like that remember?” Wei Wuxian is quick to tut, reaching out as if to pull the child away from him. Lan Wangji rests a hand on top of the boy’s head to keep him close as his little hands clench tighter in Lan Wangji’s trousers.

“It is fine, I do not mind. You should attend your lecture if at all possible.”

“~Lan-laoshi~,” Wei Wuxian teases with that infectious grin of his. “So dedicated to education! Aiyah…fine! A-Yuan, can you hang out with Lan-laoshi for a bit?”

“Yes!” A-Yuan agrees far too easily with a resolute nod against his leg. Wei Wuxian tuts again but he unslings his bag from his shoulder quickly to pull out his usual ratty notebook and a half-chewed pen before thrusting the threadbare thing at Lan Wangji, who takes it automatically.

“He’s got snacks and his sketchbook and a couple of quiet toys in there, and he can go to the bathroom by himself if you take him to it, and he likes to ask questions in new places, and-“

“Wei Ying.”

“Right! Okay! God this is so weird. A-Yuan this is Lan-laoshi, be good for him please, he’s very nice. I’ll come pick you up as soon as I’m done, okay?”

“Okay Baba,” A-Yuan says and then - so quickly it’s a surprise that his passing doesn’t make an audible swishing noise like a cartoon - Wei Wuxian darts into the lecture hall, leaving Lan Wangji alone with the scruffy bag and the not-nearly-as-scruffy toddler.

Lan Wangji looks down at the boy, who looks back up at him, and he’s still far too adorable for his own good. “Your father is perhaps too trusting,” Lan Wangji remarks, thinking with a jolt of fear that it would be all too easy for someone with bad intentions to just snatch the boy up and take him away now that he’s the sole person responsible for the child’s safekeeping. A-Yuan seems to consider this for a long moment before he nods resolutely in a way that tells Lan Wangji he has no idea what he means. “May I carry you?” he adds as he shoulders the bag. A-Yuan is quick to let go of his leg to reach up instead, so Lan Wangji reaches down to pick him up under his arms and hoist him onto his hip where he settles heavily like a sentient sack of potatoes.

“Lan-laoshi?” A-Yuan asks, testing the name out slowly on his youth-clumsy tongue while Lan Wangji continues his interrupted walk down the hall to his office.

“Yes, A-Yuan?”

“Why can’t I go with Baba?”

“The teacher who uses that room does not allow children to attend his class.”

“Why not?”

Lan Wangji blinks and pauses his instinct to tell the unvarnished truth. He had seen the way Wei Wuxian had been quick to reassure the boy that it wasn’t his fault Wei Wuxian couldn’t attend his lecture, and Lan Wangji suddenly thinks the man wouldn’t appreciate it if he were to inform his child of the real reason he wasn’t allowed (which would be simply because he exists), and in doing so expose the fib.

“You have not yet taken the classes you need to attend before that course. It would be unwise, you would not understand the material.”

“Oh,” A-Yuan agrees with a sagely nod, the mystery apparently solved to his satisfaction. “Like when Baba says I have to eat my vegetables and nuggets for a long time before I can have ice cream because I’ll like it more that way?”

Close enough, he supposes, and offers a quiet, “Mn.”

“Do you like vegetables, Lan-laoshi?”

“Yes.”

“You eat them lots?”

“Yes. They are healthy.”

“Baba makes vegetables that don’t taste good but I eat them anyway because Baba makes all his food with love, he says so, and I think it’s prob’ly good to eat food that has love in it.”

Lan Wangji certainly hadn’t woken up this morning prepared to have his heart stolen away by a toddler with sweet eyes and chubby little hands that grip tightly at his collar for stability, but he can’t honestly say that he’s upset about it. The fact that the child seems to be Wei Wuxian’s is…complicated (selfishly he had dreamt - rather foolishly as well - that the man was single, though to find that he likely isn’t doesn’t come as any sort of surprise). For one single moment, briefer than the space of a heartbeat, he thinks about stealing little A-Yuan for himself. The child sits comfortably on his hip. It’s been longer than Lan Wangji can quickly recall since he last had another person in his arms, and A-Yuan’s warm, trusting weight is absurdly comforting. He is, naturally, immediately alarmed by the momentary desire and pushes it resolutely away in favor of readjusting his hold to one arm around A-Yuan so he can open the door to his office and close it carefully behind them.

“Down please, Lan-laoshi,” A-Yuan says very politely. Lan Wangji obliges, squatting down to help the child find his footing before he stands again and takes the bag off his shoulder to look inside it. A-Yuan steps away immediately to begin exploring, obviously curious about the new space.

“A-Yuan please be careful as you look at that,” Lan Wangji calls calmly as the boy reaches towards one of his more decorative (and painfully expensive) antique guqins on its display shelf. “It is a special instrument. You may touch it gently.”

A-Yuan’s voice is chipper and cheerful as he agrees, “Okay Lan-laoshi!” Lan Wangji watches him out of the corner of his eye; had Wei Wuxian been given such an instruction, he would have replied with cajoling and teasing until he was satisfied with how pink Lan Wangji’s ears were, and then he’d do what he wants anyway. Lan Wangji expects something similar from the child the other man is raising, but the boy is shockingly well-behaved considering the wild nature of his father. He pats one palm so lightly against the wood it barely makes a sound and strokes the same spot with his fingertips a few times before he withdraws, apparently satisfied. Lan Wangji returns to examining the contents of the bag, mentally categorizing them before he sets the bag aside on the spotless surface of his desk.

“Would you like any of your snacks?” he asks, figuring he should at least attempt to feed the boy.

“May I have cookies?”

When A-Yuan turns that wide, guileless look on him Lan Wangji’s hand twitches towards the bag as he finds himself fully prepared to give him anything he asks for with that sweet little face. He pauses after a moment though and his gaze turns knowing - not that he expects A-Yuan to be able to read him.

“You have cut fruit and vegetables, you may have those first if you are hungry.”

A-Yuan sighs gustily while he pulls a face that Lan Wangji has seen on Wei Wuxian’s handsome features far too many times - typically when Lan Wangji announces an assessment.

“I don’t need a snack yet Lan-laoshi,” he reportswith a mournful little pout that nearly breaks Lan Wangji’s resolve yet again. He’s never been so thoroughly manipulated in his entire life, but what’s truly strange is how very much he doesn’t mind.

“Mn.”

Lan Wangji carefully removes the food from the bag to set on his desk and then he passes the bag to the boy so that he can have his choice of entertainment from inside it. Content that A-Yuan has been properly attended to for now, he moves to settle behind his desk and open the drawer containing his guqin students’ compositions to begin dutifully copying them, with his own suggestions and notes included in the margins.

Wei Wuxian had clearly been telling nothing but the truth when he’d reassured him that A-Yuan is a quiet, self-contained child. He settles himself happily enough on the small couch nestled under the window perpendicular to Lan Wangji’s desk, seemingly content to draw in his little sketchbook with a pack of crayons that he appears to be very conscious of not spilling. Lan Wangji glances up to check on him after a while to find that he’s actually nodded off into a nap, his head slumped forward until his chin is resting on his chest. Lan Wangji’s neck aches in sympathy and he stands immediately to take the crayon from his slackened hand and the sketchbook from his lap so he can carefully guide him to lie down properly. He goes easily, snuffling a little but remaining utterly limp and heavy while Lan Wangji helps him rest his head on the throw pillow he keeps on the couch. That odd urge to just…keep the child hits him again just as strongly as the first time. Lan Wangji shoves it forcefully away and sets the sketchbook and crayons within A-Yuan’s reach for when he wakes again.

Lan Wangji returns to his desk to continue his copying, keeping quiet so as not to interrupt A-Yuan’s nap. Not that he ever really makes much noise of course, but he’s particularly aware of every rustle of paper or creak of his chair, each noise snapping his attention to A-Yuan to make sure he’s still sleeping undisturbed. He finishes his copying without any nap-related incidents, and he sets himself immediately to the task of beginning his suggested revisions, losing himself in imagining the melody, the emotions behind it, what he knows each student would like to convey with their pieces. It’s fiddly work, which he actually quite enjoys, and though he’s not exactly unaware of A-Yuan on his couch, he does zone into his task rather thoroughly as time goes on. Thoroughly enough, in fact, that it’s quite the surprise when he suddenly finds himself with his lap full and very little idea of how it was accomplished.

“A-Yuan,” Lan Wangji asks, though in his surprise it comes out as more of a flat acknowledgement.

“What are you drawing Lan-laoshi?” A-Yuan asks around a yawn as he takes Lan Wangji’s free arm to wrap both of his own around it and rest his cheek on his bicep. It’s fine, Lan Wangji truly doesn’t need his heart anyway, A-Yuan may have it.

“I am writing music to help my students.”

“That doesn’t look like music!” A-Yuan giggles and Lan Wangji finds himself smiling faintly in response. Of course Wei Wuxian’s child would be dangerously charming. Like father, like son.

“What should music look like?”

“Hmmmmmm…” A-Yuan drags his hum out long and slow as he leans back and kicks his feet, seeming to give the question genuine consideration. “I dunno! Nothing, maybe!! Baba just plays it, he doesn’t look at it.”

“Mn. Your Baba is skilled. What he does is called ‘playing by ear’. Would you like to tell me what you think this means?”

“Hmmmmmmmm… Baba likes to play things we hear, like birds outside and the songs I make up when I play,” A-Yuan states and Lan Wangji smiles ever so slightly again.

“Mn. It is a very interesting skill he has.”

“That’s because Baba is the best!” A-Yuan’s assertion comes with an extra kick of his feet; Lan Wangji dutifully holds him still so he doesn’t end up overbalancing and tumbling off his lap.

“Would you like to know how this becomes music?” he asks for lack of being able to think of anything better to do. He doesn’t even know if A-Yuan is old enough to know how to read yet, and even if he is then guqin notation is surely still well above his level - but in his relatively limited experience that usually doesn’t stop children from being insatiably curious.

“Yes please Lan-laoshi,” A-Yuan chirps. Lan Wangji picks up a relatively simple page and begins explaining things to A-Yuan as best as he can think of for someone of his age level, speaking succinctly and patiently whenever A-Yuan asks him questions.

Through some cruel twist of fate, Wei Wuxian finds them while Lan Wangji is humming the melody for A-Yuan, following the notation with his fingertip to show him how it becomes music, in the very loosest sense.

“Lan-laoshi,” a familiar voice drawls from the doorway, smirk already clear, and Lan Wangji’s ears go hot. He rolls his chair back to let A-Yuan scramble down from his lap with a happy cry of, “Baba!”

“Wei Ying,” he greets as if nothing is out of the ordinary. He takes a moment to straighten the papers on his desk and only then does he stand and turn to face the pair where A-Yuan is once again perched on Wei Wuxian’s hip, looking quite happy to be there.

“You never hum for me,” Wei Wuxian pouts, which Lan Wangji had unfortunately expected he would do. “Now you’ve made me jealous of my own son.”

“No jealousy, Baba. No envy,” A-Yuan says with the tone of a child repeating something he’s heard many times. Lan Wangji looks at the child in mild surprise as he defines Wei Wuxian’s name.

“That’s right, radish, no jealousy.” Wei Wuxian ruffles his hair and then sets him down again. “Go put your sketchbook away baby, time to go.”

“ ‘Kay!”

Lan Wangji watches A-Yuan cross the office to begin carefully putting his sketchbook and crayons back in the backpack, concentration evident in all the smooshed-up lines of his round face. When Lan Wangji faces Wei Wuxian again the man is watching him with a knowing look in his eyes and Lan Wangji briefly panics that he somehow knows about the moments of weakness in which he’d contemplated kidnapping.

“Thanks for watching him,” Wei Wuxian begins before things can get too awkward.

“No need.”

“No, I really appreciate it. He normally stays with one of my roommates when I’m in class but Wen Ning isn’t feeling well and his sister Wen Qing is his doctor so they’re both at the hospital today. I don’t have cash laying around for a babysitter so-“

“Wei Wuxian, you do not have to explain. It was no trouble, he is a very pleasant child.”

“Glowing praise,” Wei Wuxian teases with that smile that makes Lan Wangji’s heart do a little flip that can’t possibly be healthy.

“Baba, can I have cookies?” A-Yuan chirps from next to Lan Wangji. He glances down at the child and his seemingly-guileless eyes, but he has to wonder if he chose the moment Lan Wangji was praising his behavior to ask for a treat on purpose.

“That depends on if Lan-laoshi already caved and gave you some.” Lan Wangji turns back to his desk to pick up both snack bags Wei Wuxian had packed, both still full.

“He requested them before his nap. I offered him the vegetables, which he declined.”

“You were able to stand up to that face? Color me impressed. Sure baby, you can have the cookies, it’s been a weird day and you’ve been extra good.” Lan Wangji looks down at A-Yuan again to find the boy grinning up at him and honestly how could Lan Wangji not smile gently right back at him? He opens the appropriate bag carefully and then hands it down to A-Yuan, who takes it with a polite, “Thank you Lan-laoshi.”

“You’re pretty good with him,” Wei Wuxian praises as A-Yuan carefully fishes out a cookie to start munching on, seemingly content to hang out for the time being. “You wouldn’t happen to have kids of your own..?”

“A nephew,” Lan Wangji replies, unable to help but smile again in his usual barely-there way as he thinks of his sort-of-cousin, sort-of-nephew and all his boundless chaos. “He is much more…energetic than A-Yuan.”

Wei Wuxian surprises him with a delighted laugh that even seems to surprise him as well. “Ohhh ‘energetic’, huh? I was described as energetic quite a few times in my childhood, I know what that’s code for. Well, should you ever happen to be watching your nephew and he needs to run off some of that extra energy just ah…let me know?”

There’s a tentative hope and perhaps a bit of vulnerability in Wei Wuxian’s expressive gaze, which he’s somehow managing to convey from under his eyelashes despite the fact that they’re the same height and that shouldn’t be possible. And Lan Wangji doesn’t lie, which is why he’s never claimed to be above caving to such lethal tactics.

“Mn,” he agrees with a decisive nod. He promptly grows warm all the way down the back of his neck when Wei Wuxian smiles happily enough to crinkle the corners of his eyes.

“What do you think, baby? Want to play with Lan-laoshi’s nephew, ahh…?”

“Jingyi.”

“Wanna play with Jingyi sometime?”

“Okay Baba!” A-Yuan agrees easily, and Lan Wangji is bowled over once again by a surge of affection for the boy that’s strong enough it should probably be alarming.

“Good. Well that’s settled, and on that note we’d better get going. Thanks again for today, Lan Zhan.”

“No need,” Lan Wangji repeats smoothly in hopes of hiding the way it somehow makes him blush even harder to hear Wei Wuxian use his family name so genuinely, as opposed to calling him ‘laoshi’ in that flirty way he has. He sees them both to the door and gives A-Yuan one final (gentle) ruffle of his hand through his hair before the pair walk off down the hall hand in hand.

Lan Wangji has his phone out to dial his brother before they’ve even disappeared around the corner. Time to desperately beg to borrow his new nephew for a play date.

He staunchly ignores the knowing tone in his brother’s voice once he explains what he needs, though the raucous laughter from Nie Mingjue in the background at his expense is a little more difficult not to react to.

“It is important that Jingyi begin making friends here to feel more settled,” Lan Wangji sniffs, the reproach aimed more at his oldest brother-in-law, as he is apparently on speakerphone and can therefore scold as he pleases.

Though the comment had been aimed at Nie Mingjue, it’s of course Lan Xichen, the peacemaker, who replies. “It is important, yes. Thank you for finding such a sweet boy for him to befriend, Wangji. Hopefully it will prove fruitful for everyone involved.” Under the sound of Nie Mingjue’s continued laughter, it seems like Jin Guangyao is trying to get their partner to stop teasing him, and so Lan Wangji makes his excuses and ends the call so as not to be involved in such exhausting antics any longer than strictly necessary.

In the end, though, all of his family’s teasing is worth having to put up with; less than a year later, Lan Wangji gains a husband and a son in one fell swoop, and then he figures Nie Mingjue can laugh at him all he wants, considering his plan worked even better than he had hoped. (It also doesn’t hurt anything that they’d managed to have both Lan Jingyi and Wen Yuan participate in the ceremony, making their marriage automatically superior to anyone else’s).

[morifinwes]

wangxian fic rec list!

aka in which i read fics, write some recs down for aamna and share them!! they're all wangxian fics and uhh @yibobibo i hope you'll like them!!

modern

wolf devours playboy bunny by @greenteafiend (5K, werewolf!lwj, getting together, idk if anyone needs to know that but there's nudity just not uhh explicit)

Lan Zhan has wanted Wei Ying as long as he has known him, and the worst part is that he thinks Wei Ying could want him back.

Too bad he could never in good conscience let himself go there—Wei Ying has a debilitating fear of all things canine, and once a month, Lan Zhan is the exact, precise thing that Wei Ying’s nightmares are made of.

Aka, Lan Zhan is a werewolf.

between the lines by @jywait (19K gaming au!!!, i'm always down for a good gaming au, lwj is the best aksks he's such a good boy)

☆yilingpatriarch☆: pls...give me some face, help me fight these monsters...I'm gonna die

Bluetooth: no.

"You have died." The screen said, and Wei Wuxian threw his hands up in frustration.

resonant frequencies by chinxe (15K, college au, fake dating au, tw mention of cheating but it's brief and no one was cheated on i promise)

In which Wei Wuxian decides that the best way to deal with being in love with Lan Wangji is to pretend to date him for three weeks.

It goes about as well as can be expected.

drift compatible by windoworwhatever (5K, poetry, fluff, drunkji, getting together, college au)

"It was just a fact of life. The sky was blue, university stipends for graduate students working in TA positions barely covered rent, bisexuals cuffed their jeans, Lan Wangji had a massive crush on Wei Wuxian, and spent his time pining and writing research papers about gay subtexts in ancient poetry."

OR

Lan Wangji is in love with Wei Wuxian, and everybody knows, except Wei Wuxian.

the bunny next door by detailsinthefabric (43K, this is mostly fluff and very light angst, and they were neighbors!!!, rabbits!!, aka wangxian's bunny children, this is... so cute i just have to rec it)

Lan Wangji did not know what he was doing. He did not know what he was going to say. He was frozen in place, puzzling over the situation. Maybe he had made the man uncomfortable, which is why he wanted to leave? But his tone had still been so friendly—maybe…

“Would…” he paused, swallowed, forced the last words to come out of his suddenly parched mouth, “would you let me pet him?”

-------------------------------------

Lan Wangji, who doesn't know how to socialize and whose icy demeanor scares everyone away, lets down all his defenses when he meets the bunny next door...oh, and also its owner, Wei Wuxian.

leading tone by silencemostofall (32K, everyone is a music student? or something like that akskk, curse fic, tw panic attacks, tw child abuse, small scene of drunkji, wwx has low self esteem, bro this was so painful to read)

The first time you touch someone you're fated to love, you leave a mark on their skin. If they will love you in return, they'll mark you where you touched them. The deeper the color, the deeper the connection.

Wei Ying has no marks at all.

public places, private thoughts by leahelisabeth (for the love of camelot) ( 8K, cherry magic au, getting together with like... immediate upgrade to fiance status, the author is wrong i crave good wangxian cherry magic aus even tho i haven't even watched cherry magic)

Wei Wuxian had heard the story of course. It had made its rounds through his high school and followed him into his college days. He didn’t think there was any possibility it was true. Virginity was a social construct, invented by creepy old men to exercise dominance over women. The idea that a simple lack of sexual activity before the age of thirty could give one magical powers was absolutely ludicrous.

Wei Wuxian believed this until the morning of his thirtieth birthday.

AKA the Wangxian Cherry Magic AU that absolutely nobody asked for.

i'd be all right (if i could see you) by @thirtysixsavefiles (16K, this was nice, i read this at 6am but it was cute, (while writing this post i must admit i don't remember anything but 6am-me said it's good))

The younger Lan brother is something of an enigma on campus; while Lan Xichen can sometimes be seen in the company of other graduate students or conducting a seminar, Lan Wangji appears to spend all his time in class or in the library. He doesn’t drink. He doesn’t smoke. He doesn’t attend social events. He doesn’t do anything for fun, as far as Wei Wuxian can tell, and it’s driving Wei Wuxian just a little bit up the wall.

Or, Wei Wuxian convinces Lan Wangji to come to a house party, and then they're assigned to the same group project. Wei Wuxian tries his best, but he is not in possession of all the facts.

axe on leg by itszero (4K, i still don't get why wwx did that but it was nice seeing him jealous for once, jealous!wwx, lwj i love you....)

Wei Wuxian pressed his face into his pillow and screamed. He paused to take a few deep breaths, partially hindered by the pillow, and listened to the sounds of Nie Huaisang slurping his iced coffee, from his seat on Wei Wuxian's desk chair.

Having caught his breath, he resumed his screaming and did not stop at the sound of his dorm room door opening.

"What's wrong with him?" He heard his brother, Jiang Cheng, ask.

The slurping stopped. "He's an idiot."

"He's always been an idiot. Why is he bothered about it now?"

"He forced Lan Wangji to go on a date," Nie Huaisang replied, shaking the ice cubes in his drink.

"Okay and…?"

"With someone else." The slurping resumed.

Wei Wuxian, in all his glorious dumbassery, convinces his boyfriend to go on a date with someone else.

these two most powerful by @stiltonbasket (4K, amnesia, wangxian with children!!!, aksksk this was adorable, dadji!!)

When Lan Wangji went to bed last night, he was alone in a tiny guest room with nothing but the howling of the wind in the mountains and his own lonely thoughts for company.

 

But when he opened his eyes in the morning, Wei Ying was asleep beside him.

 

(In which Lan Wangji loses twenty years' worth of memories after a night-hunt gone wrong, and his life as a doting father and husband continues without a hitch somehow.)

good things come to those who wait [but i ain't in a patient phase] by @cerlunas (4K, getting together, pining lwj)

Lan Wangji can't take it anymore.

 

“I love you”, he says, and god, it feels terrifying. “I’ve been in love with you for a long time.”

“Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian starts, but Lan Wangji doesn’t want to hear it.

He grabs his cup and drinks everything. He doesn’t know what face Wei Wuxian is making at him right now, and it’s okay. 

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian repeats louder, but it’s too late. He is already falling asleep.

Or, even after 13 years, Lan Wangji is still in love with his best friend. Maybe it's time to open up.

wei ying, will you marry m- oh my god he swallowed the ring! by selene210 (2K, marriage proposals, crack, marriage proposals but.. they go wrong)

“A ring?”

And indeed it was. The ring Lan Wangji was going to propose to Wei Ying with. That the man had now choked on.

“You swallowed it.”

“It was in my soufflé! Why did you put a ring in my soufflé Lan Zhan- oh. oh”

of glittery valentine's cards by @soft-fics (3K, valentine's day, this was adorable aksk, a-yuan best boy!!)

Lan Zhan didn't want to know what his best friend had planned for Valentine's Day; his heart would simply not be able to handle it. When his son tells him that he made Wei Ying a Valentine's Day card, though, Lan Zhan decided to bring it over anyway.

of coffee and white tea by @soft-fics (9K, fluff, lwj doesn't like coffee, wwx buys him coffee, then they switch drinks, again and again and again, the staff ships it lmao, tbh jc shouldn't have done that like wtf)

For the fourth time this week a stranger orders him a cup of coffee. Lan Wangji wonders how exactly to tell this man to stop ordering him coffee he doesn't even like. Turns out, buying the other white tea and switching drinks is not the best way to go about it

canon setting

on the importance of restraint (or lack thereof) by nixthothou (4K, in which sizhui snaps, i love that boy, no like seriously he's the best boy)

Lan Sizhui does not usually find himself in the company of Sect Leader Jiang.

Suffice to say, Lan Sizhui's feelings toward him are conflicted.

lan wangji is wei wuxian's baby by lilycs (3K, i was craving fluff while reading this, lwj my beloved, drunk!lwj)

Lan Wangji gets drunk from barely a cup of alcohol, becoming a whiny baby and asking his husband for cuddles.

one of our own by glitteringmoonlight (8K, wei wuxian & lan sect, 5+1 things, in which they learn to love him, they're all part of the wwx protection squad lead by lwj, wangxian isn't the focus but !!! THIS)

Times change, but some people remain the same.

The Lans are nothing, if not aware of this.

For one of their own, they will stand against the world.

Or, 5 times the Lans defended Wei Wuxian, and the 1 time he was there to see it happen.

so why not crack your skull when the mind swells by @greenteafiend (13K, love curse, post cql canon, curses, getting together, fluff, so much fluff, lwj tries to talk about his emotions!, lwj pov)

Lan Wangji detects the curse trying to curl through his heart meridians like smoke. A love curse, then. It must have been cast remotely somehow to have found him in his bed in Cloud Recesses. No matter. Lan Wangji crushes it easily, enveloping it in his spiritual energy, and then squeezing. Curse averted, Lan Wangji closes his eyes and goes back to sleep. He thinks no more of it.

Two days later, Wei Wuxian arrives in Cloud Recesses.

Or, Wei Wuxian is cursed to feel terrible pain when he and Lan Wangji aren’t touching.

i started from the bottom / now i'm rich by x_los (57K, time travel, fix it, jealous lwj, crack treated serious, god this is so good tho, wwx/wrh & wwx/jgs but like as a joke and it doesn't really happen, but it has its purpose!!)

“First, you get the money. Then you get the power, respect - hos come last.”

 

Wen Qing traps Wei Wuxian in the Demon Slaughtering Cave, but Wei Wuxian isn’t interested in being the beneficiary of the Wen Remnants’ noble sacrifice. His efforts to free himself accidentally send him back to the beginning of the Sunshot Campaign. Coreless but armed with demonic cultivation, knowledge of the future and his wits, Wei Wuxian takes advantage of this opportunity to come out on top of both the war and its aftermath—before either has a chance to happen—by marrying and swiftly burying the cultivation world’s worst men.

Lan Wangji is confused, hurt, and uncomfortably aroused by Wei Wuxian’s improbably elaborate series of Sect-themed bridal negligees.

lead me on through by mrsronweasley (55K, they're in love your honor, arranged marriage but they don't know to whom, basically wwx & lwj want to practice kissing which then goes beyond kissing but not the whole way y'know, lxc the best wingman tho)

"Who do you think your betrothed is?" Wei Wuxian asks, sprawling out in front of Lan Zhan and enjoying the prim thinning of his lips at the question. He shouldn't be sprawling—they're in the library, for one, and Lan Zhan is studying, for another—but he can't help himself. Wei Wuxian is a sprawler.

"I do not believe this to be of importance," Lan Zhan responds, without turning his gaze away from his book.

"What!" Wei Wuxian sits up. "How can you say that? Of course it's important! This is the person you'll be with for the rest of your life, Lan Zhan."

[vrishchikawrites]

Reverse transmigration wangxian where LWJ who cultivates to immortality found an old summoning array where mxy fails to summon wwx but the whole thing with JGY still got revealed. LWJ in his grief summons WWX in our modern world, and the rest is up to you :) Maybe get WWX some therapy and loving family and how different modern days people are

This one is a bit angsty and has vague descriptions of sex. Modern AU.

“The Tragedy of Wei Wuxian - The Man Behind the Legend”

Lan Wangji caresses the title of the book with a thumb, eyes tracing a name he has always held close to heart but hasn’t heard for a long time.

“We all know of Wei Ying, courtesy Wuxian as Yiling Laozu. He’s one of the first to cultivate successfully with ‘resentful’ energy. His theories and papers helped us develop a greater understanding of yin energy, Qi deviation, and resentful spirits. He was a visionary, a man ahead of his time, someone who thought outside the box and looked for solutions instead of sticking to the norm. He’s also the first known person to donate his Golden Core.”

Wangji looks away for a moment, remembering Wen Ning’s snarling face and Jiang Wanyin’s rage, denial, and guilt.

“But we don’t talk about what brought that great visionary down. Society, as it did with many great thinkers, turned against him. In his youth, Wei Wuxian was one of the most accomplished cultivators of his generation. No one knows exactly what happened for him to develop the so-called ‘Ghostly Path’. His loss of the Golden Core may have been a factor, but the actual circumstances are shrouded in mystery.

What follows after the War of the Five Great Clans, known as the Sunshot Campaign, is nothing short of a tragedy. Wei Wuxian saw injustice happening and decided to fight against it. Society tore him up for it. At that time, all actions against him were justified and considered righteous. Those actions don’t stand up to scrutiny under the modern lens. Like all great and radical thinkers, Wei Wuxian ideals made him the enemy and that led to this tragic death, along with the murder of innocent war prisoners he sought to protect. There are unconfirmed reports of there being a child among the Wens.”

Wangji’s eyes flicker over to a picture frame sitting on his desk, an image of Sizhui and Jingyi smiling up at him through the glossy image. They’re well, he knows. Last he heard from them, they were in South Korea and having a great time.

Sizhui must not know of this book or he would’ve called immediately, always so concerned about his a’die.

“It was later revealed that hunger for power and political maneuvering led to his death. When we study the historical records, it is obvious that the man was pushed into the corner and was forced to retaliate. Unfortunately, no one cared about his fate-”

“I did,” Wangji whispered to himself, thinking back on silver eyes in an indistinct face. He loved - still loves Wei Ying - but the physical aspects of him have long since faded from his memory. He sometimes remembers Wei Ying’s laugh. Sometimes, he dreams of his smile. He doesn’t recall what Wei Ying sounded like, only remembering his tone when he said ‘Lan Zhan.’

And yet, Lan Wangji hasn’t forgotten love.

He reads the book in silence, going through all 375 pages of it without pausing to eat or sleep. It tells the story of Wei Ying in stark, blunt terms. There are a few facts missing or erroneous. He wasn’t the adopted child of the Jiangs. There was certainly no unrequited love between Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli.

There’s very little mention of him. According to this book, Lan Wangji is a mere footnote in Wei Wuxian’s life; a childhood acquaintance, a disapproving comrade, and later a man who unraveled the truth because he pursued justice.

“He was just 23 years old when he died,” Wangji lingers over that statement, “23-year-olds are barely adults. They hold the promise of a bright future. They have so much potential inside of them. At 23, some people graduate from college, some take up their first serious job. At 23, young people fall in love and maybe form a life-long bond. Wei Wuxian became a key player in a big conflict at 17, he donated his core at 17. At 17, we still have children in high school. Our seventeen-year-olds aren’t even allowed to drink or drive. Our seventeen-year-olds are still protected and sheltered by their parents.

That is perhaps the biggest tragedy of Wei Wuxian’s life. He was only allowed to live a carefree life for seven years, from the day he was taken off the streets to the day the YunmengJiang Sect was attacked. After that and until his death, his life was marked by war, strife, betrayal, and persecution.

A visionary, a hero, a brilliant mind, dead by what most would consider suicide.” Wangji’s breath hitches and he takes a moment to collect himself, the sentence ringing in his head.

“He deserved better.”

---

He deserved better, Wangji thinks as he walks sedately towards his library.

There had been a glimmer of hope, all those years ago when Mo Xuanyu attempted to resurrect Wei Ying, but when he failed to do so, Wangji felt something shatter in him.

Whatever Wei Ying had done had completely destroyed his soul. His precious, noble soul. One that was formed for justice and kindness.

He deserved better.

He knows what he must do.

---

An immortal’s Golden Core has immeasurable power. It is the result of several hundred years of Cultivation and diligence. Wangji is more powerful than most, having survived through war, strife, grief, and loss.

An immortal’s Golden Core can also be an ingredient.

‘Draw the talismans shown below in the blood of your heart. Pin them in eight directions, north, northwest, west, southwest, south, southeast, east, and northeast. Sit in the exact center of this circle and sacrifice half of your cultivation to the being you wish to summon.’’

Wangji’s heart and hands are steady as he draws the talismans from blood drawn directly from the artery. He pins them in all eight directions and sits down in the middle, his hands moving elegantly to summon his Qi. He breathes in and breathes out, sinking into meditation with habitual ease.

It will work.

It has to.

The room floods with Resentful Energy.

---

He deserves better.

Wangji feels torn apart in ways he has never experienced before. The ritual summoning carves something out of his chest and drags it away. His mouth floods with blood and his body weakens alarmingly.

But it doesn’t matter.

Wei Ying.

---

Wei Ying is more beautiful than Wangji remembers. He is bloodsoaked, covered in cuts and bruises, saturated with Resentful Energy, but he’s alive.

And he’s beautiful.

Wangji stumbles to his feet, shakily walking into the bathroom to fetch some warm water. He walks back, his arms feeling the weight of the bucket like they have never carried such weight before. With every step that he takes towards Wei Ying, his heartbeat spikes up a little. He doesn’t know if he chose the right time. He doesn’t know if Wei Ying’s spirit had shattered before his death and dying had just been the aftermath.

Maybe Wei Ying’s body is here and not his soul.

Wangji cannot bear thinking about it.

With weak, shaking hands and the taste of blood lingering in his mouth, he slowly reaches forward. Layer by layer, he removes Wei Ying’s clothes, his fingertips tingling because his beloved’s body is warm.

He deserves better.

With aching tenderness, he wipes Wei Ying clean, removes all blood, grime, and mud from his body.

Wei Ying doesn’t stir.

---

There’s a gentle touch against his cheek. It is strange enough to wake him up because few people dare touch Lan Wangji. Slender fingers tap once, twice, almost playfully and Wangji knows who it is even before he opens his eyes.

Like a sun emerging from the horizon, Wei Ying appears before him, his smile bright and questioning.

“Wei Ying,” He breathes and Wei Ying nods, eyes a sparkling silver. There is so much beauty in that face that he can’t help but reach forward. Ignoring Wei Ying’s surprise, he cups his face and leans forward pressing his forehead against his beloved’s.

Wei Ying is still for a long moment, but he moves eventually, setting hands on Wangji’s shoulder. He doesn’t push him away, just huffing in soft amusement.

“Wei Ying,” He whispers, closing his stinging eyes, “Forgive Wangji for his selfishness.” He says, “I summoned you.” I summoned you without asking, knowing you wouldn’t desire it.

Wei Ying huffs again and that’s when it strikes him.

He pulls back and looks at his beloved in concern, scanning his eyes, face, neck, and chest quickly, his heart racing.

Why wasn’t Wei Ying speaking?

---

“You’re right in suspecting that his spirit sustained some sort of injury even before he was… killed.” Lan Jingyi says softly, pulling away from the sleeping Wei Ying, “There’s nothing physically wrong with him, Hanguang-jun, please don’t worry! His spirit just needs a little bit of time to recover.”

Wangji nods gratefully as he watches Sizhui lean over Wei Ying, his expression full of wonder and desperate happiness. As Sizhui’s cultivation grew, he started remembering more things from his childhood. They have never spoken on the matter of Wei Ying, but Wangji knows his son remembers more than he did when he was a child.

“Now, please let me check you.”

He levels a sharp look at the younger man but Lan Jingyi is no longer the adoring and naive student Wangji taught all those years ago. He’s a strong, accomplished cultivator and an avid researcher.

Lan Jingyi ignores him cheerfully and checks his core, stepping into Wangji's personal space without a care.

He narrows his eyes at the steely glint in the boy's eyes.

"I know you love him, Hanguang-jun," Lan Jingyi says, "And love is worth a life." They're immortals, life has little meaning for people who have lived for centuries, "But I wonder if the Wei Wuxian that you so adore will be happy about you risking your life for him."

Wangji's eyes flicker towards Wei Ying, who looks exhausted even in his sleep. "He deserved better."

Lan Jingyi is silent for a moment before he speaks, "Sizhui and I read the book on our flight back. Everything was horrible, I'm not surprised that his spirit sustained so much damage. But it is almost entirely intact now. It shows how much he wants to live, Hanguang-jun."

It's a relief.

---

Wei Ying can't speak but his presence is still loud. He rests for a few weeks to recover from his injuries. During that time, Wangji spends most of his days moving from Wei Ying's bedside to the library and back again.

His beloved has an insatiable hunger for knowledge. He wants to know everything about the modern world.

Every morning, Wangji is confronted with a bright face with sparkling eyes waving a book or a scroll in his direction.

Wangji hasn't experienced such liveliness in centuries. The very air of his home glows with Wei Ying's vitality. Wei Ying's body recovers quickly and soon the man is out of bed and following Wangji around.

His heart feels too big for his chest.

By all appearances, Wei Ying is perfectly content. He walks around Cloud Recesses, visits Caiyi Town, and is happy to watch the sunset with Wangji every evening.

That had been Wangji's wish when he performed that summoning.

He wanted Wei Ying to have another chance to live free and happy.

Looking at him now, Wangji wants to reach out, cup that cheerful face, and pepper kisses all over it. He wants to kiss those fluttering eyelids, smooth cheeks, sharp jawline-

That soft, smiling mouth.

Wangji is an immortal. He has endless patience. He can wait for Wei Ying to come to him.

He must wait.

---

The modern world fascinates Wei Ying. His beloved looks at everything from tall buildings to food stalls with wide, stunned eyes. Cloud Recesses and Caiyi Town are still relatively untouched by the passage of time, but Wei Ying has free access to the internet and has learned how to use it within two months of his arrival.

Wangji doesn't restrain him.

He just watches as Wei Ying, his brilliant and enthusiastic love, learns to thrive in his new world.

His voice has still not returned but that doesn't seem to bother Wei Ying. He is delighted to learn that there's a way to communicate nonetheless.

He starts learning sign language and Lan Wangji, with patient and steady hands, practices with him.

---

Lan Sizhui follows Wei Ying around with quiet affection and aching tenderness. He's much older than Wei Ying now, but he remains their son in spirit. He treats Wei Ying like a senior, with respect and adoration.

His Wei Ying notices, of course. At first, he finds the situation quite strange but Wei Ying isn't stupid.

'Lan Zhan,' He asks, 'Who is Sizhui?'

Wangji brings his fingers up and replies, 'He's your a-Yuan. I went looking for you but found him instead.'

Wei Ying's eyes widen and he spins around, running out of the room to seek Sizhui.

Wangji follows sedately and when he finds his love and his son, they're embracing while crying tears of joy.

---

'Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!'

Wangji huffs under his breath and carefully sets his brush down, tucking the scroll away before turning to meet bright silver eyes.

Wei Ying leans forward with an eager expression, 'Do you know where Suibian is?'

Wangji nods, 'In storage. I was able to retrieve it from the Jin Clan.'

'Can I have it?'

Wangji rises smoothly to his feet and leads Wei Ying to storage where both Suibian and Chenqing.

Wei Ying only glances at Chenqing for a moment before reaching for Suibian with a desperate expression.

Suibian, a blade that has remained sealed since Jiang Wanyin unsheathed it once, easily reveals itself again.

Wei Ying spins around eagerly and looks at him with pleading eyes.

As Wangji is able to deny Wei Ying nothing, he reaches for Bichen and they immediately head for the training grounds.

It has been a long time since Wangji has really used Bichen to its full capacity. With half of his core pulsing within Wei Ying, they're almost evenly matched.

Wangji has not fought in ages but Wei Ying is still a Cultivator. The spar is fast-paced and thrilling. Wangji acquaints himself with Wei Ying as his love becomes reacquainted with his sword.

Wei Wuxian had been one of the best swordsmen of his generation. He has lost none of his elegance and skill. Wangji presses him and Wei Ying laughs soundlessly, twirling around him in white GusuLan robes, bright and joyful.

He breaks Wangji's heart and mends it at the same time.

---

Wangji has missed Wei Ying for hundreds of years.

He can't resist the urge to touch. He keeps it chaste and respectful but his hands have a mind of their own in Wei Ying's vicinity.

When they're out and about, Wangji guides Wei Ying with a hand on his back. It becomes natural to grasp his love's elbow if he wants Wei Ying's attention.

His touches can easily be dismissed as gestures of friendship by most. But Wei Ying knows him.

'er-gege,' Wei Ying's smile is sweet, 'Wei Ying is cold.'

Wangji's eyes flicker over to the lit fire briefly before landing on his love, 'Are you feeling well?' He asks in concern, reaching forward to place the back of his hand on Wei Ying's forehead.

His beloved laughs and nods, leaning into the touch with a sly smile, 'I'm well, just cold.'

Wangji feels a stir in his chest at the intent look in Wei Ying's eyes. Hesitantly, he cups Wei Ying's cheek in silent question.

Wei Ying nuzzles his palm, his eyelids fluttering close gently.

Desperation and elation flood him and Wangji sucks in a sharp breath. He moves in a blur, lifting Wei Ying off his seat and placing him on his lap.

Wei Ying gasps and giggles, his tall, strong body seeming to almost shrink as he cuddles close. Wangji wraps both arms around his love and squeezes him tight, rocking them gently as he is assaulted with painful love.

"Wei Ying, Wei Ying, Wei Ying," He chants in Wei Ying's hair, holding him so close, it feels like there's no part of him not touching his love.

When Wei Ying turns to him with a smile in his eyes, Wangji doesn't hesitate to lean forward, bringing their lips together in a long-awaited kiss.

He presses Wei Ying back against the crook of his elbow and tastes his silent laugh on his tongue.

Wangji has never felt so blissful and complete.

---

Jingyi convinces Wei Ying to go to therapy.

Eager to learn and curious, Wei Ying agrees.

He returns from every session with a thoughtful expression.

Months pass but his voice is still lost.

---

They make love and Wei Ying mouths the words he wants to speak. He smiles, sobs, laughs, and pouts as Wangji takes him apart bit by bit.

Wangji has never known such pleasure. He loses himself, drowning in Wei Ying's scent and finding heaven in his body.

He enjoys feeling smooth skin. He sinks his fingers into Wei Ying's silken hair. He tastes the sharp edge of his jaw. He bites. He drives in and takes ownership of Wei Ying's pleasure.

He presses his mischievous sprite into their bed and doesn't hold back, centuries of love pouring out of him.

---

A combination of therapy and Wei Ying's natural approach to life makes his recovery quick. Within a year, he's well-adjusted and happy.

He laughs at almost everything. The first time they fly, the first time they visit an amusement park, the first time they go to an aquarium.

He laughs and Wangji starts noticing the color of his voice returning to it.

Wangji is grateful for what he has. He's grateful that Wei Ying is back, safe, and happy. He is grateful that Wei Ying is unharmed.

But he cannot lie to himself. He misses Wei Ying's voice.

---

"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan,"

Wangji almost misses it, as engrossed as he is. He presses in deep and feels a shiver of pleasure race down his spine. Wei Ying's fingers curl around Wangji's nape and his lips caress his ear.

"Lan Zhan,"

He stills.

Wangji takes a deep, bracing breath and pulls back a little, balancing on his arms to peer down at his lover.

Wei Ying is a vision. His cheeks flushed, his eyes wide and dark with passion, his lips bitten red from Wangji's kisses. His long hair is scattered and wild, a tangle of glossy strands across Wangji's pillow.

"Lan Zhan,"

Wei Ying's lips move and a voice accompanies that movement. It is slightly hoarse, somewhat weak, but it is still the voice he barely remembers.

Heat flares in him and he sinks deeper, pulling a sharp gasp from Wei Ying.

He spends the entire night filling their room with that precious voice.

---

Wei Ying doesn't ask questions. He doesn't ask why Wangji did what he did. He doesn't ask how he did it. His beloved has always been perspective and he understood Wangji's desperation from the moment he woke.

He reads the book that triggered it all and laughs, "Aiya, they make me out to be some sort of martyr for justice." He says fondly, for he is very fond of the modern world.

Sizhui is sitting at his feet, eyes closed in bliss as Wei Ying gently combs his hair, styling it into an intricate braid.

"They're not wrong, though." Jingyi can never sit straight and he has forgotten all of his Lan teachings over the years. He has his legs thrown over the arm of his chair and his head is dangling over another arm, his hair sweeping the floor as he nods.

Ridiculous.

"I never asked to be glorified in such a way." Wei Ying protests with a chuckle.

"Baba should be grateful no one knows about his resurrection." Sizhui pipes up, "At least, you don't have to deal with modern stans."

Wangji arches a brow at the word and Wei Ying laughs, already more accustomed to the Internet language than Wangji is. "Oh, heaven forbid!"

"But listen, you and Hanguang-jun have the greatest love story ever, you could write a book about it, Wei-quanbei!"

Wei Ying tilts his head to the side and Wangji urges him to consider it with a subtle nod. Wei Ying is happy but he's never content to be idle. The modern world doesn't need cultivation, but perhaps it can benefit from their stories.

---

‘Once you summon successfully, you belong to this being for all eternity as payment for the one wish they may grant. Half of your core will live within them. If they die, you die. If they live, you live. If they hurt, you hurt. If they become corrupt, you become corrupt.

You will sacrifice immortality, but not the eternal bond. Every time you are reincarnated into this world, you will be tethered to the being.

Beware.

Wangji tucks the scroll away, sealing it so that it is never discovered again.

He has no regrets.

[superiorjello]

The Untamed Not Me AU

The Twin Jades are Black and White, obviously. Lan Qiren took Xichen away to Russia when they were small because of the twin connection and has trained him to be a diplomat. Wangji stayed behind in Cloud Recesses with their father, but he ended up butting heads with him over how their mother was treated before she died and he ran away. He stayed with an old family friend, Meng Yao, for a while, but eventually joined a gang and got his own place.

Lan Wangji is the leader of the group, but Wei Wuxian and he are close and Wei Ying's brilliant mind helps him plan. Wen Qing's family own an old warehouse in Yiling that's left empty as a tax write-off, so they use that as a base with no one the wiser. Jiang Cheng joined their merry band to tear down the Wen who killed his parents, and Nie Huaisang is an artist driven to their cause by the Jin who employed his brother and whose negligence (at best, malice at worst) left Nie Mingjue crippled.

Wei Wuxian is completely oblivious to Lan Wangji's crush on him, instead trying to pair his friend up with MianMian, a dancer friend of his and Jiang Cheng's sister. Yanli is an art student and grafitti artist that supports their cause, but her brothers are determined to keep her out of their illegal activities.

Wangji discovered that Meng Yao was up to some shady shit, and starts investigating his connections with the Jin by himself.

When Xichen comes back to the country after graduating college, he's only just started to meet some of Lan Qiren's government friends for dinner (Sect Leaders Yao and Ouyang among them) when he has an episode. After going to the hospital to be checked over, he gets a call from old friend Meng Yao telling him his brother is in the hospital, in a medically induced coma to help him recover from massive injuries, including a freshly-flayed back. He convinces Xichen to masquerade as his twin and infiltrate his little gang to try and find out who hurt Wangji.

He's hilariously bad at it. He hasn't seen his brother in a decade. Wangji was never one for many words, but he's apparently become much ruder than he used to. He also wears entirely white, none of the blues that they both used to wear, he's got several piercings in his ears, and he rides a massive motorbike that he named Bichen.

On Xichen's first night with the gang, they burn down one of Wen Chao's vacation houses. They see someone on the third floor as they're leaving, and Xichen runs in to save them but gets turned around in the smoke and Jiang Cheng ends up saving him. Huaisang does save the interloper, and it ends up being Mo Xuanyu, an internet-famous grafitti artist (who works for the Jin, but hates them).

Xichen starts spending a lot of time around Jiang Cheng, because since he and Wangji never got along before, he doesn't expect anything from Xichen (Xichen finds acting like Wangji to be exhausting- why can't his brother just be nice to people?). Except now they DO get along, and Jiang Cheng is very confused by it all.

Xichen also starts to see the cracks in the shining political world he was raised in, the darkness beneath starting to become more and more evident as he sees the world through his brother's eyes. He eventually tells his uncle where to stuff the Lan legacy, and leaves home- joining the gang full-time and letting his identity as Xichen fade.

Both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian start to figure out that Wangji isn't Wangji, though coming at it from different sides. Wuxian is used to how Lan Zhan treats him, the reverence and care he showed silently. Now that is has become polite indifference, he misses it terribly. For Jiang Cheng, being actually able to stand the guy when before all he wanted to do was punch his face has clued him in.

Everything coming into the open is messy and uncomfortable, but the Twin Jades work everything out, and in the end everyone's got a boyfriend and the Jin and Wen both take massive hits to their reputations, so it works out.

Bonus cql plot to add: a-Yuan, Wen Qing and Wen Ning's orphaned cousin. They don't trust him with the rest of their family, so Wen Ning brings him by the warehouse pretty often, and Wuxian and Wangji adore him. The kid can somehow tell that Xichen isn't Wangji, but he can also tell that Xichen doesn't mean any harm and accepts him as an uncle.

[featherfur]

Modern au where the Gusu trio meet in college because Jiang Cheng managed to scare everyone else away and Wei Wuxian and Nie Huisang need cheap rent.

Jiang Cheng the fashion designer who refuses to let Wei Wuxian out of the house looking like a gremlin because cha’boy believes in sweatpants supremacy. He will and HAS made them clothes by hand, if Wei Wuxian is going to look like a goth out of 2007 then he’s going to look damn good. Nie Huaisang knows how to look good but he and Jiang Cheng get into arguments about clothing types constantly

Wei Wuxian is actually a musical prodigy who wants to be a teacher and is trying desperately to teach both Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang how to play literally anything. He’s going to school for engineering though because he’s poor and it’s hard to make it in the music industry and teachers don’t get paid well. (Rich kids JC and NHS have already set up a bank account so anytime WWX does something nice for them they drop in 200 bucks, it builds up fast, when he graduates they’re just going to drop all the money into his bank account and run so he can’t give it back)

No one knows what Huaisang is even doing besides annoying his brother. He says he’s an art student but he literally never leaves the house or does any art on a computer or anything and he’s constantly awake, almost as bad as WWX. NMJ invades their house constantly and JC was upset for all of two seconds before he realized the sexiest man he’s ever seen was in his living room. WWX and JC happily say he can visit whenever, NHS wants to die. (His job is literally “annoying little brother” on the Nie LLC paperwork but he’s actually basically NMJ’s secretary who scares the shit out of the shareholders because one tried to screw over NMJ and NHS secretly leaked every bad decision the man had ever made, no one touches da-ge)

Lan Wangji is their neighbor who saw and heard Wei Wuxian playing at the local park for a bunch of kids and fell in love and has been very awkwardly trying to say hello and has no idea the reason WWX keeps running away is because he recognized world renowned Celloist Lan Wangji and he’s dying because LWJ is hotter than he thought and he needs to go cry on NHS’s shoulder at his inability to flirt.

(They finally talk and LWJ brings his brother over for dinner at WWX’s insistence. JC and NHS say LWJ can visit anytime he wants if he brings his brother, WWX realizes why NHS wanted to die when they invited NMJ to visit. JC doesn’t have to suffer that because he only has Yanli and he wants her to visit whenever she can)

[giraffeter]

Their teachers all know by now to watch their class rosters with a sharp eye, but it’s no use — there are only so many Advanced and AP classes available each semester, and only one orchestra. By junior year, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have 4 out of 6 classes together every day.

On their own, they’re great students. Wei Wuxian is clever, creative, and either “a constant disruption to his fellow students” or “a joy to have in class discussions” depending on how comfortable a given teacher is at having their authority challenged.

Lan Wangji is hardworking, trustworthy, consistently the first to hand in every quiz. He’s been first-chair violin since his sophomore year which wins him many enemies in the strings section but no one can argue with his performance.

Together, they’re a full-blown nightmare.

When they were freshman, many a teacher thought to sit them together, hoping Lan Wangji’s quiet politeness and Wei Wuxian’s willingness to actually raise his hand and answer a question would rub off on each other.

Now all their teachers know: if you challenge Wei Wuxian on an outlandish statement, you better be prepared for Lan Wangji to deliver a devastating four-word remark undermining your entire point.

If you push too hard for Lan Wangji to share knowledge with the class, you better be prepared for Wei Wuxian to pull some attention-grabbing stunt (the thing with the hydroflask was probably MOSTLY not on purpose, but still).

Once they start DATING, forget it — 3 different orchestra-trip chaperones quit in tears and/or disgust after the trip to regionals, and the director has to scramble to find replacements.

It’s the first graduation ceremony in school history where the co-valedictorians shared a lengthy open-mouthed kiss onstage in between thier two speeches. The principal is retiring.