#none of his friends will explain to him why lan zhan seems cold

[happypeachsludgeflower]

Modern day Wei Wuxian fake dates Wen Qing for one reason or another and, to Wei Wuxian’s absolute bafflement, Lan Zhan is being weird about it.

[queenofmoons67]

Canary

Summary: Jin Guangyao is fond of Nie Huaisang and doesn’t want to kill him—even when he’s discovered some of Jin Guangyao’s deepest darkest secrets.

Or, in which Wei Wuxian finds more than just Nie Mingjue’s head in Jin Guangyao’s vault.

Characters: NHS, LXC, WWX, LWJ, JGY

Wei Ying’s paperman hurried through the mirror after Jin Guangyao.

In the weeks since Mo Xuanyu had brought him back, he had mostly just been hanging out in the cultivation world drinking, taking care of the odd night hunt, and spying on his old friends and family.

It had been on one such spy trip that Wei Ying had first become suspicious of Jin Guangyao. His nephew, Jin Ling, had hesitantly inquired after the health of one of his other uncles—none other than Mo Xuanyu himself. That wouldn’t have been enough on its own to make Wei Ying suspicious, but then Jin Guangyao had smiled pleasantly and lied with no hesitation about how he had received a letter from Madam Mo just the other week about how well they were doing.

Since then, Wei Ying had been doing everything he could to investigate Jin Guangyao, but it was hard when he had almost nothing to go on. It was time, he’d decided, to go straight to the source.

Using the distraction of a Discussion Conference in Koi Tower, he had stashed his body in an empty guest room, and gone to hang out in Jin Guangyao’s rooms. Hours had passed with nothing found before Qin Su appeared, trying to talk to Jin Guangyao about why he refused to even touch her once they were in private. When her husband just turned away instead, Qin Su had left, face stony—and that was when things started getting interesting with the mirror reveal.

Wei Ying drifted through the air after Jin Guangyao, and when the man finally came to a stop by the back wall, he hurried to a bookcase just a few feet away, fitting himself up against it and peering around the corner.

If he had a jaw, it would have dropped.

Jin Guangyao wasn’t alone anymore. There was a figure sitting crosslegged on a small bed and leaning against the wall he was chained to, talismans plastered around him that had kept him from view when Wei Ying first entered.

The figure had a soft voice, and Wei Ying found himself leaning forward to listen to their conversation.

“Back early, San-ge? Did something happen?”

Jin Guangyao scoffed as the figure raised his head and smiled. “Don’t pretend like you care, A-Sang. We both know—”

Whatever Jin Guangyao said was lost behind the mirror when Wei Ying darted back the way he had come, flying recklessly down the halls. He couldn’t risk Jin Guangyao moving the man before he could return with help.

Nie Huaisang was supposed to have died five years ago, so how come he was chained up in Jin Guangyao’s secret room?

<line break>

Nie Huaisang whirled to face the entrance as it banged open. He hastily put down the papers he’d been going through and adopted a weak smile—but it was too late. Jin Guangyao stared at him, hand already drifting up and ready to draw his sword.

“San-ge!” Nie Huaisang cried, blinking tears into his eyes. “You’ll never believe—”

“A-Sang. Why are you going through my desk?”

“I—I needed your help, but you weren’t here, so I thought—”

“You thought wrong,” Jin Guangyao interrupted, voice flat. “You shouldn’t be here, A-Sang.”

“San-ge—”

“Why did you have to poke your nose where it doesn’t belong?” Jin Guangyao sighed, even as he stepped forward one smooth movement at a time and Nie Huaisang backed up until his back pressed against the desk. “I like you, A-Sang, I do. You’re my brother; I don’t want to kill you.”

“It’s a pity Da-ge didn’t warrant the same feeling,” Nie Huaisang spit. Giving up his ‘headshaker’ routine as lost, he dashed forward, shoulder tucked to ram past his once-brother and already drawing breath to shout—

He only caught a glimpse of Hensheng’s flat blade before it collided with his head.

<line break>

Wei Ying, back in his physical body, knocked on the door of a guest room he had noted earlier.

“Hanguang-jun!” he called. “Lan Zhan! I need your—help.” Wei Ying blinked up at the blank-faced Lan.

“Yes?”

Shaking himself, Wei Ying grabbed Lan Zhan’s wrist and dragged him towards Jin Guangyao’s rooms. “There’s no time to explain,” he panted. “But Jin Guangyao has Nie Huaisang locked up in—”

“Nie Huaisang is dead.”

“I thought so too! But that was definitely him—” Wei Ying jerked to a stop as Lan Zhan refused to take another step. “Lan Zhan—”

“Who are you? Why should I trust you?”

Wei Ying stared up at his old friend and enemy. Lan Zhan didn’t seem angry; his brow was wrinkled, yes, but Wei Ying thought it was in confusion. “I…”

Why should Lan Zhan trust him? True, they had been friends once, and Wei Ying still trusted Lan Zhan to the point that he’d been the first person he’d run to for help tonight—but to Lan Zhan, he was still just strange Mo Xuanyu at best, and the Yiling Patriarch at worst.

“Because you’re Hanguang-jun,” he finally said. “You help people, even if that means going where the danger is. Is now any different?”

For a moment, Lan Zhan just looked back at him. Then he nodded. “Mn. Show me where Nie Huaisang is.”

<line break>

Nie Huaisang didn’t look at Jin Guangyao when he heard him step through the mirror and into the room.

He didn’t look at him when he heard him moving around, or when he checked that the chains were tight and intact.

He didn’t look at Jin Guangyao when he put fresh food and water in front of Nie Huaisang and quietly urged him to eat while picking up the untouched plate.

For the first week he was in Jin Guangyao’s mirror, Nie Huaisang never looked away from the curtains hiding his Da-ge’s head.

<line break>

Lan Xichen turned the corner to his room to settle in for the night, only to collide with something moving fast. The person cried out, stumbling back, and Lan Xichen reached out quickly to steady the smaller figure.

“Are you ok—Mo Xuanyu?” He asked, surprised to see his sworn brother’s half-brother. “What are you doing at Koi Tower?” Are you even allowed here?

“Mo Xuanyu?” a familiar voice asked, and Lan Xichen looked up, startled, to see Wangji narrowing his eyes at the man.

“My name,” Mo Xuanyu said hastily. “No time, sorry Zewu-jun! Lan Zhan, Nie Huaisang!”

“Mn,” Wangji nodded, following Mo Xuanyu down the hall and leaving Lan Xichen to stand alone, heart thundering and staring after them. Had—had they said Nie Huaisang?

<line break>

Nie Huaisang rested his head on the cold stone wall behind him and studied the ceiling. In the years since he’d been stashed away as just another one of Jin Guangyao’s secrets, he had tried just about everything he could think of to escape—not that there was a lot, when you were chained up in a pocket dimension that almost no one knew existed.

His best chance had been when a young man started coming in and studying various papers. Jin Guangyao had put up talismans around Nie Huaisang’s corner, though, and no matter what Nie Huaisang did, he couldn’t catch the boy’s attention and make him realize there was someone else there.

And now, even that chance seemed to have vanished. The man hadn’t been back in weeks.

“It’s just you, me, and Da-ge now, huh,” Nie Huaisang said, rolling his head to the side and studying the Ghost General.

<line break>

Lan Xichen caught up to Wangji and Mo Xuanyu outside of A-Yao’s rooms, Mo Xuanyu clearly posed to knock down the doors.

“Wangji!” Lan Xichen cried. “What’s happening? Do you—you think that A-Sang is in A-Yao’s rooms? But—” he shook his head, bewildered “—but why? A-Sang has been dead for years!”

“Did you see him die, Zewu-jun?” Mo Xuanyu asked, voice soft and so unlike the man Lan Xichen remembered, despite how his question rocked him. If A-Sang wasn’t dead, then—

Taking a deep breath, Lan Xichen forced himself to look at the issue logically. “No, I didn’t. I was at Cloud Recesses, and A-Sang was visiting A-Yao here. He was overwhelmed with work, so A-Yao—A-Yao thought that a night hunt might help him clear his head. It was supposed to be a small one, so they only took a handful of disciples with them, and…” And A-Sang’s body was burned beyond recognition.

“Nie disciples, too? Or just Jin disciples?”

Lan Xichen blinked. “A-Yao never said,” he said slowly. “I just assumed… why wouldn’t A-Sang have taken disciples with him?

“Unless it was a cover story.”

Mo Xuanyu nodded once, face open. He was sympathetic, but also clearly eager to move on.

If A-Sang was actually in there, then Lan Xichen understood why. If he wasn’t, A-Yao would understand.

Stepping forward, Lan Xichen cut the door down himself, then stood back and let Mo Xuanyu lead the way.

If A-Sang wasn’t dead, then Lan Xichen had abandoned his didi.

<line break>

Nie Huaisang gaped at the path of destruction trailing to the mirror, and likely continuing outside of it. The Ghost General had just ripped his chains from the wall and dragged them after him, not caring how they crashed into everything.

Nie Huaisang was mostly just thankful the destruction hadn’t included his own bed, but… but there was a part of him, not yet drowned out by the long days spent chained up, that had hoped if the Ghost General escaped, he would take Nie Huaisang with him. Even if the fierce corpse was just an empty vessel after all that Jin Guangyao did to him, Nie Huaisang had liked to think they were friends. They had been each other’s only decent company for years, after all.

“Not counting you, Da-ge,” Nie Huaisang laughed. “But you are just a head.”

Lying down and still looking at where the Ghost General had been just a few scant minutes ago, for the first time in a long time, Nie Huaisang wished for one of his old fans—for the comfort of it tapping against his palms and chin; for the distraction it would provide; for the swish as it opened and gave him something to hide his tears behind.

“We’re going to be here forever, Da-ge,” Nie Huaisang sobbed.

<line break>

The room was empty, but Mo Xuanyu crossed it swiftly, heading straight for a large mirror against the back wall—and then through it. Wangji and Lan Xichen shared a look of alarm and hurried after him.

A wall of sound hit Lan Xichen the moment he stepped inside the mirror; Mo Xuanyu had grabbed a sword from a stand and was using its sheath to block A-Yao and Hensheng’s ringing blows.

Lan Xichen could have excused that. They were intruding, after all, and Mo Xuanyu had been banished from Koi Tower—A-Yao had a right to defend himself. But A-Yao was avoiding the space behind himself, despite Mo Xuanyu pressing the advantage. It was like there was an invisible line that A-Yao couldn’t cross.

And maybe there was.

Lan Xichen and Wangji hurried forward, Wangji going to help Mo Xuanyu and Lan Xichen ignoring everything but that invisible line.

There were shouts around him, A-Yao calling for him to stop, Mo Xuanyu taunting A-Yao—even the voice of Wangji, quiet yet cutting, telling A-Yao to let them through.

Lan Xichen just kept moving until the moment his foot stepped where A-Yao had refused to, and the blank wall in front of him gave way to a small, shouting figure.

“—here! I’m here!”

He broke off even as Lan Xichen stopped, both of them staring.

The figure was chained to a wall,  his clothes brown and black instead of green and gold, and his hair pulled back into a messy topknot that lacked its usual braids. He was thin and pale in a way that spoke of years inside and a lack of even the small amount of exercise he used to do. He was crying.

“Er-ge!”

“A-Sang!” Lan Xichen surged forwards, sweeping him into a hug and making sure to restrain his strength even as A-Sang tucked his face into Lan Xichen’s shoulder.

They were both crying now, their robes damp with tears, and Lan Xichen forced himself to take in great, shuddering breaths of air. He couldn’t lose himself to crying, because A-Sang needed him. A-Sang needed him, and Lan Xichen was finally there.

“I’ve got you,” he said. “I’ve got you, A-Sang.”

<line break>

Nie Huaisang clung to Lan Xichen as tightly as he could, tears blurring his vision—but he still tilted his face out of Lan Xichen’s robes just enough to keep his eyes fixed on the fight in front of him. Though he didn’t think Jin Guangyao would harm their second brother, he had thought the same about Da-ge. He wouldn’t risk taking his eyes off Jin Guangyao for as long as Lan Xichen had his back turned to him.

And, he admitted to himself, the satisfaction of watching Jin Guangyao find himself backed into a corner burned white-hot inside him.

He had wanted this for so long.

What would he do, Nie Huaisang wondered, when he was free from that want? Free from Jin Guangyao? The Nie Sect had surely gotten along fine without him, as he’d at least left instructions for a close cousin to take over as leader. They might not even want him back.

He didn’t know if he wanted to go back, anyway. He had had enough of stone walls to last him a lifetime, and while the Unclean Realm had its nature, going back would mean submitting himself to responsibilities once more.

Maybe he could wander the cultivation world, painting fans and listening to birds. Or maybe, Nie Huaisang thought as Lan Xichen’s arms tightened around him at the sound of Lan Wangji stabbing Jin Guangyao through the heart, the Lans would welcome him at Cloud Recesses. He could paint fans and listen to birds there, after all. It could be a form of quiet retirement—though not too quiet that he would remember this room.

Closing his eyes on Jin Guangyao, Nie Huaisang buried his face fully into Lan Xichen’s robes and let himself relax in the arms of his er-ge.

<line break>

if you're wondering: WWX and LWJ leave LXC and NHS to their reunion, and talk by themselves. it doesn't take long for WWX to make a certain facial expression--or hum a certain tune--and LWJ quickly realizes what's up.

[if-found-return-to-gusu]

Save it for  a Rainy Day (pt. 1)

So I guess I may as well talk about what happened since I’m doing fuckall else. 

Last night I was a couple blocks away from the HBC when it just starts POURING. Like no warning. Just DOWNPOUR. 

Well it’s more than an hour walk home from the cafe even without torrential downpours. So I actually did something logical for once and hoofed it back to Lan Zhan’s. I was just going to wait out the storm or call a cab or something. Didn’t want to bother him too much.

I walked the few blocks back but by then I was just soaked through. Every bit of me. 

Why do you feel so much more WET when you’re wearing clothes in the water than you do naked? Like how is that a thing?

Oh it was miserable

And worse it was COLD. Ugh.

He slopped up to Lan Zhan’s apartment and knocked. Yes I know he gave me a key but it’s not my place. I don’t want to just barge in when he was most likely settling in for the night. 

He looked both surprised and alarmed to see me, but I think the alarm might actually have just been because I was so WET and not because it was me. Which is a relief.

I said “Hi” awkwardly and he quickly ushered me inside to drip in his entry way. 

He immediately went off to get me some towels because he is the nicest person in the world. I tried to apologize for disturbing him but he wouldn’t hear of it. 

“I’m glad you came back. I was actually about to come looking for you.”

I took a proper look at him now that my sodden hair was pulled away from my eyes and saw that he actually did look ready to go out. He had some waterproof looking shoes and jacket on. 

Was he really that worried about a little bit of rain?

Of course he is. See above: Nicest person in the world.

“Oh. Um… Thanks. You didn’t have to go through that trouble though. I would have been fine regardless,” I say despite the fact that the rain was alarming enough to make me turn around and seek shelter. I don’t think he bought it because he gave me one of his /looks/. 

I laughed awkwardly, still dripping. “Ahem.. ah.. Anyway… Um.” 

Very eloquent, Wei Wuxian. Smooth as butter. I coughed again. 

“Sorry for turning up like this anyway. Do you mind if I wait out the rain here? Or no wait I can just call an Uber or something. That’ll be fine. I won’t bother you too long.”

The look came back. The look that tells me I’m being utterly ridiculous. 

He seemed to hesitate, but then reached out to take my hand to pull me further inside. I yelped a bit in protest- I didn’t want to drip on everything! - but he ignored me. 

“ I do not think that the weather will let up any time soon. You can stay here tonight,” he said, his voice holding none of the hesitation his hand had shown earlier. 

We stopped outside of the bathroom where he requested that I wait a moment. He disappeared into his room for a moment and came back holding the same black robe from the spa day (do not say date. It was not a spa date. It was just a day. Between friends. Uuuugh why is this so hard???). 

“Leave your clothes outside the door and I will wash them while you take a shower,” he said. He gave me no room to argue as he all but pushed me into the bathroom. 

That was the point where I posted yesterday. Just sitting there trying to collect my wits about me. 

I will say, as strange as it is being naked in someone else’s home, I was glad for the shower. I was still so cold and the shower helped a lot. 

I kinda wished the robe was a bit longer when I wrapped myself up in it after I got out. Beyond the fact that my ankles were a bit cold (the bunny slippers that were provided helped a lot), I was just very aware that I was actually like

Naked naked this time. 

(My underwear had been soaked through so they were with the rest of my clothes. )

Eventually (after posting again) I finally got out of the shower to seek out my savior. 

I found him in the kitchen making me dinner

Because of course I did. 

There was a mug of hot chocolate on the counter already waiting for me. I stared at the steam for a moment before I came back to reality and announced myself. Lan Zhan looked up at me with a soft look that is his version of a light smile. 

“You haven’t eaten yet?” I asked. It was late for him to be cooking now. I know he usually eats right away after work.

“Mn,” he confirmed with a soft hum. “I was worried.”

“Oh Lan Zhan,” I sighed as I tried to ignore how that made my heart flip. “You worry about the silliest things. “

He looked sideways at me for a moment before he responded. “Yes Wei Ying is silly sometimes, but well worth worrying about.”

ARRGHH

WHO SAYS THAT

WHO FUCKING SAYS THAT???????

;ALSDJF;ALSKDJFAL;F

HE WAS SO FUCKING SMUG ABOUT IT TOO THAT DICK

A;LSFJK;DKLFJA;SKLFL

Ugh. 

Well after recovering from that mortal wound I glowered at him while he pretended not to notice me glowering at him. 

As he continued to feign ignorance I decided to move closer until my head was basically resting on his arm.

He looked at me with that even stare of his and asked me what I was doing. 

“Causing problems on purpose,” I answered. “What are you cooking?”

“Dinner”

Oh I’ve been a bad influence on this man. 

This time I got to give HIM a look which made him huff out the impression of a laugh before he answered properly. “I have congee cooking in the pressure cooker,” he explained. “I am making chicken for you to go with it.”

As if to emphasize his point, he reached for more chili to put in the pan with the chicken, causing a delicious aroma to float into the room. 

“Ooh! I can’t wait!” I said. And, deciding it was better not to lean on someone who is dealing with hot things, I moved away to let him cook in peace.

The rest of the evening wasn’t too terribly eventful. We ate dinner together (Delicious) and finished just in time for my clothes to be dry. 

He gave me some pajamas to change in to now that I had clean, dry (warrmmmm) underwear, and we settled in to watch movies for the night. 

In all honesty… I’ve been exhausted lately. Must be stress. Pretending you’re not in love with someone who means the whole world to you is just so draining! Fuck. 

So

I started to drift off. 

I didn’t manage to drift off entirely though. I was still cold. Didn’t want to complain. 

Maybe Lan Zhan could sense it though? Because he shifted me around after a while so that I was leaning against him. 

My feet were still cold but he was so warrmmmmm. 

He slid his arm around me and started playing with my hair. Did he know I was awake? Did he think I was sleeping? Did he even realize he was doing it? Did he care it was still damp from the shower?

I very nearly fell asleep for real then. I was just so comfortable. And I missed him holding me like this. So much. I decided to be greedy and just enjoy it. 

Does that make me a bad person? 

Probably. 

The movie we’d been watching ended finally and I was about to reveal myself as being secretly awake when he shifted. And. He kissed my forehead. 

It was the lightest brush of lips against my skin but I can still feel it there. Just as I can with all the innocent kisses I’ve managed to collect. I can still feel them all. 

And then

Without so much as a grunt of effort,

He just hoisted me up into his arms and carried me to the guest room. 

Damn them muscles.

He set me down and tucked me in so carefully. But when he turned to leave

Ugh.

I don’t know. 

I must have been more asleep than I thought and the part of my brain that lets me NOT BE A GOBLIN must have been shut down. 

I just whined and made grabby hands at him. I didn’t want him to go

So I just made like a toddler and made actual grabby hands at him. 

Fuck

I’m so lame.

Ah. well it worked I suppose. He hesitated for a second,then climbed into bed with me. I remember feeling his arms slide around me and I snuggled in, greedy for my stolen moments. 

I shouldn’t have done that. But I did. 

I’m so selfish. 

I remember him mumbling good night before I fell asleep properly. 

Ugh. Sleep. 

I’m sleepy. I think I’m going to nap and type up the rest later.