#kinda made me want to swerve and do a modern yanqing au... maybe another time :3

[biwenqing]

wen qing birthday prompts! any of the following would be lovely, please and thank youuu! #1 with jyl (fave ship!), #8 with lwj (friendship, one my of my fave brotps), #66 with wwx (friendship, also one of my fave brotps), #4 with wen ning. thank you!

Thank you so so much for these prompts! Gosh they are all so good, but I went with the first one because I haven’t written these two together in a while and I miss them! This is a bit of an AU because I want them to have their happy endings. Prompt: “I’ll never forget you.”

The summer day was bright and warm, even in the mountains of Gusu. The area they were in was shaded by the trees and there was little chance of anyone seeing them. Jiang Yanli had taken that as freedom to shrug off the outer layers of her robe, and Wen Qing was finding it a lot harder to focus on their sparing.

"You're going easy on me now," Jiang Yanli teased, the tip of her practice sword nearly against Wen Qing's throat. "I'm not going to be able to strengthen my core if you don't try."

"Of course," Wen Qing cleared her throat, looking away from Jiang Yanli's waist. She was immediately confronted with the way that the other woman's under robe hung open just a little. Wen Qing turned and went back to her side of the clearing. "Let's go again."

Twirling back, she found Jiang Yanli grinning. "Or do you want to take a break? You look flushed."

That only made Wen Qing blush more. She was able to control her expression at least to be carefully neutral. "I did find some cold springs further up in the hills?"

"Oh, a-Ying mentioned something about those!" Jiang Yanli gathered up her clothes but didn't put them back on. "That sounds perfect right now."

Wen Qing picked up the practice swords and made her way towards the path. Jiang Yanli caught her arm, looping her own through it and leaning close. Despite their level of activity, she still smelled like lotus blossoms and sharp tea. A bead of sweat trickled down her neck and collar bone, before slipping further. Wen Qing turned her focus back to the path below their feet. It could be rocky after all.

Her thoughts weren’t so easily swayed. Wen Qing had been ordered to observe and find the secrets of the Cloud Recesses. Instead, her mind had become a collection of the ways Jiang Yanli smiled and what she said her favorite foods were. How she looked in the early morning light and through crossed blades. The sound of her laughter when her brothers did something particularly ridiculous.

And now, the sound of the sigh she made as she sunk into the cold water. 

The feeling of the tug of her hand, slipping in Wen Qing's own, so that Wen Qing joined her. 

Jiang Yanli swam and played in the water as if it were second nature to her. Wen Qing allowed herself a moment to watch, before sinking below the surface, cooling her heat on her cheeks. 

...

When it came time to leave the Cloud Recesses, Wen Qing didn't know what to say. She avoided Jiang Yanli, slipping close only to tie a message onto her sword. She hadn't known the best words to use, so she left a single sentence and hoped Jiang Yanli would understand.

[I’ll never forget you.]

She didn't think she would ever see Jiang Yanli again, and it was best not to say too much. This piece of the truth would do.

...

It turned out she had been wrong and she did see Jiang Yanli once more. Around the little bubble of her home, it felt like the end of the world. Wen Qing knew her uncle's intentions, knew well the cruelty of her cousins. But there had never anything she could do without putting Wen Ning in danger.

Jiang Yanli understood this when Wen Qing had whispered the confession. They were in a room beside where Jiang Cheng lay, Wei Wuxian close to his side. Of course, Jiang Yanli knew what it was to have to weigh options and make hard choices.

Reaching out, Wen Qing caught Jiang Yanli's hand, holding it tighter than she normally would allow herself. But the comfort of the soft palm against her callused one was something she needed.

It was apparently something Jiang Yanli needed as well. She moved from where she sat across from Wen Qing to settle at her side. Jiang Yanli rested her head on Wen Qing shoulder, and Wen Qing wrapped her arms around her. As Wen Qing felt Jiang Yanli's silent tears soak through her robe, she knew she was going to have to do something.

It was a relief to decide this, and she held Jiang Yanli tighter. It was clear none of them were safe.

...

It was a few days since Jiang Yanli left, when Wen Qing and Wen Ning came back home after having helped Wei Wuxian be an idiot, that Wen Qing found a little note tucked under her pillow. It quoted back, 'I'll never forget you.'

A promise that could be made, even in a world descending into war. Wen Qing read the words and vowed that if there was next time, they wouldn't part.

...

Wen Qing could feel the blood under her nails, the way her hair and filth stuck to her neck. The soldiers around her were equally tired and they didn't have a shift working with the wounded to look forward to the way she did. More Wen troops had laid down their arms though, seeing Wen Qing fighting beside Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan. It saved casualties on both sides, something she was grateful for every day.

It was things like this that let her know she had made the right choice.

Jiang Yanli hurried towards her as soon as they entered the camp. She gave her brother a smile, before gently taking Wen Qing's hand. In the tent they had taken to sharing, Jiang Yanli had prepared hot water so Wen Qing could clean off as best as she was able. Jiang Yanli helped her with everything, as she changed into the robes she used when tending to patients. Her sword was set down next to where Jiang Yanli's rested.

As she reached for her medicine bag, Jiang Yanli caught her arm. "You're hurt."

Wen Qing blinked, looking down to see that there was some fresh blood beginning to stain the fabric. She thought back to the battle, but it was always so hard to keep track of what happened. Any confrontation seemed to be over in a moment but while when she was in it, each second stretched out to an hour.

"It wasn't, that is your not-"

Wen Qing shook her head. "It wasn't one of the poisoned ones, I know that much."

"Well, sit, let me patch you up." Jiang Yanli gently pushed her to sit on one of the sleeping mats. She took Wen Qing's bag, gathering everything she needed while Wen Qing rolled up her sleeve. The cut wasn't deep, but it started to throb now that she was aware of it.

As Jiang Yanli carefully cleaned and then bandaged the wound, Wen Qing couldn't help a little smile. "You've gotten very good at this."

"Thank you," Jiang Yanli glanced up through her lashes. "I have been thinking maybe once this is done, we could travel and help those far from any doctors."

Wen Qing felt a warmth wash through her. "Just the two of us?"

"Yes," Jiang Yanli was smiling now, Wen Qing could hear it even if she couldn't see it. "If no little brothers follow us, that is."

Wen Qing knew she had a matching smile, and it felt more real than any she had in a long time. Even a laugh bubbled up. "Okay."

"Okay?" Jiang Yanli gently tugged the sleeve back down before looking up at Wen Qing. Their faces were so close together now, it wouldn't take much to...

"Let's do it," Wen Qing found herself saying. "When the war is over, let's travel and do good. Together."

Jiang Yanli nodded, before leaning forward. Wen Qing found she liked kissing Jiang Yanli's smile as much as she liked seeing it.