#when he confesses his love to wwx he echoes the words he just said

[admirableadmiranda]

Hello

I wonder did lan wanji know that wei wuxian does not remember anything or was it slowly finding out and how did lan wanji feel about especially his confession not being remembered because that is really sad but yea how did it make him feel or whether he even knew it and only knew when wei wuxian confessed later on.

Sorry if it sounds choppy.

Hello Anon. I apologize in advance for you have hit upon something that really annoys me in this fanbase. I will answer your question first and then rant a little bit. Rest assured that I am not angry at you, just tired of this fanon.

Lan Wangji definitely knows that Wei Wuxian doesn't remember things for certain in chapter 25 when he offers to carry Wei Wuxian as Wei Wuxian once did him, and responds as follows:

EXR chapter 25: Malice

"After a moment, Lan Wangji responded, "But you have also carried me on your back before." Wei Wuxian, "Did such a thing ever happen? Why don't I remember?"

Lan Wangji answered in an indifferent tone, "You never remember such things."

Wei Wuxian, "Everyone says that I have a bad memory. Alright, fine. Anyways, I'm not letting you carry me on your back."

From this conversation, we know that this is really not an unusual thing, and as we go through the book we see that Wei Wuxian really does have a pretty bad memory, he forgets things that he has done for others easily, as well as given the very fact that Lan Wangji never brings up A-Yuan till the end I think he can tell that Wei Wuxian both does not remember and is not ready to handle that information. In addition, Lan Wangji is a pretty intelligent man. It takes him about a day to figure out that Wei Wuxian is hiding from him as well and then he plays along for anywhere from a week to nearly a month of Wei Wuxian pretending that they don't know each other, because while he may not understand why yet, he knows that Wei Wuxian does not yet feel safe around him.

Once they are actually talking again there is little indication that he is bothered in any way by what Wei Wuxian may or may not remember. If anything, all signs point to him being incredibly happy that Wei Wuxian is alive again. He has spent thirteen years in a world in which the man he loved was not only dead, but he couldn't even openly mourn him in any way. Society condemned him and he did not have the power to do anything to change that. And as far as he knew that was the world he would live in until at best Wei Wuxian reincarnated into a hopefully brighter future where he would be able to live and not be immediately targeted for death again. Wei Wuxian coming back to life is already more than he ever thought would happen and now they get to spend all their time together and be best friends. This is more than he ever thought he would get to have, why would he not be absolutely over the moon with this?

For most of the time he has been in love, he has never expected his feelings to be returned and this doesn't really change, nor does it change anything between them. He is so happy to have what he has now. If Wei Wuxian is alive in the world again, that is enough. If they can finally be friends, that is more than enough. And Wei Wuxian returning his feelings and wanting to be with him, well that's so far beyond what he has ever hoped for that having this returned brings him to tears and then shortly after to actual laughter. Laughter that shocks everyone. So being sad that Wei Wuxian doesn't remember the cave...doesn't really enter into it. What does not remembering part of one of the worst days of Wei Wuxian's life compare to the fact that he was dead and despised for thirteen years and is now alive again.

But (and here's where we get to the rant) there is no actual indication in text that Lan Wangji ever confessed his love. What we gather of that time that is completely gone from Wei Wuxian's memory is that Lan Wangji rescued him from the battlefield and hid him in a cave to try and heal and protect him from the cultivation world that has turned on him for protecting the Wen Remnants. Wei Wuxian is literally catatonic, he can't remember anything, Lan Xichen's account of him two days later is that all he's able to say at the time is "get lost". Lan Wangji is not an idiot. This is not the time to confess his love, nor do I think that Lan Xichen just happened to show up at the first point in two days that he would have done that. Modaozushi definitely has some convenient plot timing, but it's pretty careful about when it uses it. That would be a really unlikely quirk of fate that this is the moment he shows up.

Two of my friends were kind enough to translate what Lan Xichen says in that moment from the original book for me too since this line has apparently come under debate.

Chapter 100, as very kindly translated by @jiangwanyinscatmom and @meliorismmint so I could make my point.

他将你教走藏在洞中那时,如何对你说话,如何看着你,哪, 怕是赔了靠了,都不可能会不明白他是什么心思, 所以我叔父才怒不可遇.

"When he had hidden you in that cave, the way he spoke to you, the way he looked at you, anyone could see what he felt for you, that was why my shufu was so furious."

What part of this says a confession? What part of this says that Lan Wangji was saying I love you to a man who is incapable of responding? After a hundred chapters with a man who is canonically known to show no emotion on his face or in his voice, who hid his love from even his brother that knew him best, what this is telling me that for the first time this is when anyone knew of what he felt, because he is emoting, trying to reach Wei Wuxian. This is not a confession of love, this is desperately trying to reach out to someone who has withdrawn into his mind from the absolute clusterfuck that is the last week he has lived. Lan Wangji is not a fucking moron, he would not go "Oh this is the perfect time to confess my love and find out if he loves me." Wei Wuxian just watched the cultivation world turn on him, including his former sect leader, and then his shijie die to save his life. Lan Wangji was there for almost all of it. It is an insult to his intelligence and his character to suggest that he would do such a thing.

This is also coming from the person that has literally known him all of his life, who in CN fandom is known as brother reader specifically because he can see what no one else can, and is also busy having a screaming melt down at Wei Wuxian because of behind the scenes reasons that could be having played evil music on himself, could just be held in feelings of anger for thirteen years, but regardless he is downright nasty in this rant so really we should take his indications on this with a grain of salt because at no other time in the book has he spoken like this, so why do we assume what is said in anger to be absolute truth? We know for a fact that there are two characters who scream whatever they feel is right in the moment over and over in the book, and often times their words contradict each other in the same sentence. We know that the music that killed Nie Mingjue, the very same music that Lan Xichen said he would test on himself, made him incapable of accepting anything that upset him in the slightest, sending him from 1-11 on the rage meter including screaming at people things to hurt them. Why do we take a flawed reading of his words that Lan Wangji confessed? Neither the situation nor the characters suggest it.

If there is a time that he confessed his love and had it denied, it would be in the Xuanwu cave, where he sung the song he wrote while Wei Wuxian was floating in and out of consciousness. But even then both of them are pretty convinced by that point that the other doesn't and won't like them. That is five years before Nightless City and the supposed "confession."

I know I can't change the entire fanbase's mind. But I can at least yell at it a bit as to how I really don't understand why this came about and at least in the book, there is nothing to support it. It is fanon that annoys me and an argument that I will keep having.

Sorry you ended up getting the ranty side tonight, Anon. Unfortunately I've seen this touted as text to blame Wei Wuxian too many times, when it is neither text nor something that Lan Wangji would ever blame him for. And tonight I just no longer had the energy to sigh and ignore.

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break, ch. 15

Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Wēn Qíng, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Characters: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Wēn Qíng, Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, Granny Wēn, Lán Yuàn | Lán Sīzhuī, Wēn Remnants, Wen Meilin (OC), Fourth Uncle, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén

Additional Tags: Pre-Slash, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Secrets, Crying, Masks, Soulmates, Truth, Self-Esteem Issues, Regret, It was supposed to be a one-shot, Fix-It, Eventual Relationships, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, wwx needs a hug, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Filial Piety, Handfasting, Phobias, Sleeping Together, Fear, Panic Attacks, Love Confessions, Getting Together, First Kiss, Kissing, Boys Kissing, Family, and they were married, Bathing/Washing, Hair Braiding, Hair Brushing, Feels, Sex Education, Implied Sexual Content, First Time, Aftercare, Morning After, Afterglow, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Torture, Scars, Eventual Happy Ending, Hand Jobs, Chronic Pain, Biting, Conversations

Summary: The conversation continues, and the Jiang siblings react.

Notes: This chapter was hard to write, but I finally got there! Lots of dialog, which had to be balanced. Updates are slow. Life is busy. Lots of responsibilities, and non-productive insomnia. Honestly, the most research I did for this chapter was on family and martial family names.

AO3 link

Chapters:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

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Wei Ying’s words only seem to echo in the courtyard, their gravity giving them weight that feeds the illusion. The Jiang siblings stare at him, looking concerned but puzzled. 

“But you found her,” Jiang Wanyin says slowly. “She restored my core.”

“I never found her,” Wei Ying says, looking at his bowl on the table rather than his brother. “I didn’t know what to do, A-Cheng—you wanted to die!”

The words are said in a rush, with remembered grief. For once, Jiang Wanyin seems struck dumb, and Lan Wangji is glad of it—Wei Ying needs no interruptions. Already his posture is defensive. 

“I looked for a way. Went through Wen Qing’s whole library. And I found a theory.”

His voice breaks at the last word, and Lan Wangji squeezes his hand, letting Wei Ying know he is here for him. He knows this reminds his husband of the decision he made, to what for most would seem like an impossible choice. 

“A-Xian, what theory?”

Jiang Yanli, despite her makeup, looks wan and afraid. 

“In her papers. Treatments she’d theorized,” Wei Ying clarifies. “It was the only place I found any options. And I didn’t know what else to do.”

He’s stalling, but inadvertently drawing out the pain. Lan Wangji squeezes his hand again, unable to resist the urge to comfort him. 

Zidian sparks and Jiang Wanyin glares, his patience spent.

“What did you do?” he hisses. 

Lan Wangji is fairly certain they’ve already realized and are hoping they’re wrong. He rubs the back of Wei Ying’s hand with his thumb. 

“It was a theory about core transplants,” Wei Ying says. 

The shifting of emotions on Jiang Wanyin’s face makes his understanding clear. Jiang Yanli’s brows furrow, her expression one of confusion. 

“Tell me you didn’t,” he hissed. “Please tell me you didn’t.”

Wei Ying flinches—he can tell him no such thing, at least not without lying, because he did. Instead he silently holds his free wrist out to Jiang Wanyin, as he had only days before with Xichen, inviting him to see the truth himself. 

The Jiang sect leader recoils, physically leaving his seat and backing from the table, his face a mask of horror.

“No,” he whispers, his voice hoarse.

And so it is Jiang Yanli who reaches forward, sends her qi through Wei Ying’s meridians, and finds the emptiness where his core once sat. Lan Wangji can tell the moment she realizes, as tears spill over, cutting furrows in her makeup. 

Wei Ying immediately panics, pulling his hand from Lan Wangji’s grip, dabbing at her face with his sleeves.

“Shijie, you’ll ruin your dress. It’s okay, don’t cry.”

“It’s just a dress,” she says, her voice hitching. “And it’s not okay, Xianxian. Why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you let us help you? You’ve been suffering for so long and…”

She lets out a sob so deep it seems like it comes from her soul. Wei Ying lets out a little distressed noise, his hands fluttering helplessly, as though he wants to hug her but fears sullying her wedding dress. 

“Wei Wuxian, why?” Jiang Wanyin asks, his chest heaving as he fights his emotions. “I didn’t ask you to do that!”

He’s still standing backed away from the table, unwilling or unable to come closer. 

“You wanted to die,” Wei Ying says helplessly. “You said if you couldn’t avenge Lotus Pier alive or dead you’d rather be dead. You’re my brother—what else could I have done?”

Lan Wangji knows there is more, implied—after losing so much, how could Wei Ying stand to lose his brother? How much family could he stand to lose, losing his parents young, and then his entire martial family with the fall of Lotus Pier?

“I’d rather lose my golden core than that,” he finally whispers. “You could rebuild the sect with my core.”

“You could’ve rebuilt the sect with your core,” Jiang Wanyin retorts with a scowl.

Wei Ying smiles, but it’s a twisted, broken thing. 

“No. I’ve always been whatever the gentry decides I am: the worthless son of a servant overreaching, sect leader’s secret bastard, weapon of war, and now Yiling Laozu. No one would accept me rebuilding the Jiang sect, even without the demonic cultivation, A-Cheng. I’d be a usurper at best, never taken seriously.”

“You would’ve proved them all wrong!” Jiang Wanyin protests. 

Wei Ying shakes his head. 

“Nothing will ever be enough. I’d never be able to restore the Jiang sect to its full glory. Only you could do that, A-Cheng.”

“He is correct,” Lan Wangji interjects when it looks like Jiang Wanyin might argue over it. “They have never accepted him, even after he helped win the war. Wei Ying has never been thanked or shown respect, only belittled and vilified. He would never have been permitted to be sect leader.”

Jiang Wanyin frowns at that but doesn’t try to argue. He cannot deny the truth. 

“If they knew I took you to Wen Qing and you had died in her care, they’d say I killed you myself for power, that I worked with the Wens to destroy Lotus Pier, even. I’d have been executed, and shijie would be all alone and without a sect.”

There’s a touch of bitterness in his husband’s voice, and Lan Wangji touches his elbow, just to remind him he is there for him. 

“Lotus Pier was my fault, so I guess they’d be part right,” Wei Ying mutters, the naked grief in his voice heart-wrenching. 

Lan Wangji wonders if perhaps Wei Ying’s difficulty after the war was being in a place filled, at least metaphorically, with the ghosts of those for whose deaths he felt responsible. He had, by his own admission to Xichen, spent much of the time following the war drunk, until he liberated the work camp, using it as a way of coping with his trauma—from the fall of Lotus Pier, from the surgery, from Burial Mounds, from the resentful energy, from the war…  All of it. 

Perhaps rescuing these people has been his way of trying to even the scales on a debt that isn’t truly his. 

“A-Xian, it wasn’t your fault. They were always going to attack Lotus Pier,” Jiang Yanli protests. “A-Niang would never have tolerated a supervisory office in our home.”

She’s still crying, and Wei Ying mops at her face so her tears won’t ruin her dress. Her eyes seem to search his face, desperate for a sign he believes her. 

“It was never your fault,” she insists.

Wei Ying swallows hard. 

“Madam Yu said—”

“A-Niang was wrong,” Jiang Wanyin snarls. 

“And I know a-die told you to protect us, but who was going to protect you?” Jiang Yanli asks.

When he avoids her gaze, she reaches forward to cup his cheek. 

“We didn’t protect you. You’d been whipped with zidian and lost your home, too, but you’re the one who took care of us. No one took care of you, but you’re our brother, my sweet didi.”

Wei Ying’s breath hitches, and instinctively Lan Wangji pulls him close, holds him from behind gently, hopes he can take strength from the embrace. It’s not a full embrace, the position awkward, more of a press of chest against back, his hand a light pressure on his hip, but it seems to help, regardless. It takes a few moments for Wei Ying to compose himself enough that he is willing to release him, and during that time Lan Wangji avoids looking at his siblings, not wishing to see their reactions. 

A-Yuan is abruptly tugging on Wei Ying’s robes.

“A-Die sad? A-Die need a hug?”

Somehow Wei Ying manages a smile for the boy and pulls him up on his lap.

“Ah, my sweet son. That’s exactly what a-die needs.”

The child is happy to oblige, and then he lets Wen Ning take him back.

“You told him to call me guma, not shigu,” Jiang Yanli points out softly. “A-Cheng called him zhizi, not shizhi. And you told him to call A-Cheng shushu, not shishu. You know you’re our brother.”

She sounds almost forlorn, a sharp contrast from her fire when she claimed him as her didi on Phoenix Mountain to Jin Zixun.

Jiang Wanyin takes a step toward the table. 

“Lotus Pier is rebuilt, and so is the Jiang sect,” he interjects. “You’re coming back. I’m giving it back. We’ll undo it.”

The offer is startling, something Lan Wangji didn’t expect from him, and the soft gasp from Wei Ying tells him it is a surprise to him as well. Wei Ying shakes his head. 

“I don’t think it’s possible,” he says tiredly. 

“Why the hell not?!”

He seems almost affronted by the rejection. Lan Wangji can feel Wei Ying shiver, knows he’s struggling. His husband has had to have so many difficult conversations in quick succession, and this one is the hardest so far. And the offer to return the golden core seems to have thrown him. 

“Scarring,” Lan Wangji answers for him, remembering Wen Qing’s words. 

Silence reigns for a moment, the Jiang siblings looking upset, clearly wanting more detail. 

Wei Ying speaks haltingly, tells the tale he hasn’t told Lan Wangji, of being caught in the tea house in Yiling, of trying to escape, of Wen Zhuliu punching him right in the lower dantian, his stitches tearing at the impact. Of being beaten by Wen Chao’s men and burned by Wang Lingjiao.

“I had to get them to leave Yiling,” he said. “If they caught you coming down the mountain, it would’ve all been for nothing. I thought they’d toss me in a cell in Qishan. I didn’t expect Burial Mounds.”

Much of the rest of the story is the same as he told Xichen, this part having been omitted before likely to avoid having to talk about the Core-Melting Hand. This time, though, he also talks about the sword from the Xuanwu cave, the one filled with resentful energy, how it helped him survive Burial Mounds, that he crafted the seal from it during the war to help win it. Not, as the rumors suggested, from Xue Yang’s still-missing piece.

Much of this is new information to Lan Wangji, painting an even clearer picture of how incredibly impossible the odds were against Wei Ying’s survival. 

Wei Ying continues to dab at his sister’s face with his sleeve as he talks, keeping her makeup from running onto her dress as she cries. In the quiet that follows, her soft crying seems to echo in the courtyard.

A-Yuan vocalizes that she needs a hug, and Wen Ning murmurs softly about her special dress that needs to be kept clean. 

“Later,” Wen Ning says, and A-Yuan is assuaged. 

Jiang Wanyin has, during the course of the telling, returned to the table to sit heavily. The customary pinched expression normally on his face is gone, his anger drained away for the moment. 

“All those times I harassed you about your sword, about carrying it and polishing it,” Jiang Wanyin whispers, his voice choked. 

“It’s too heavy for me to wield for more than a minute or so,” Wei Ying says hollowly. “Even to polish it.”

He had taken joy in his cultivation and even having given it up willingly, Lan Wangji knows it’s still something that hurts him deeply. He himself remembers the joy of crossing swords with him on the rooftop, what feels like a lifetime ago now. Bittersweet, never to happen again. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jiang Wanyin finally asks. “You convinced me to expel you from the sect, dammit. Why would you tell Lan Wangji and not us? After he wanted to take you back to Gusu for punishment!”

“He did not tell me until I discovered his golden core was missing,” Lan Wangji says.

Wei Ying is guiltless in that, and he will not let him be blamed. 

“I wished to take him to Gusu for protection and healing, not punishment,” he adds. 

Lan Wangji could see, throughout the war, that Wei Ying was suffering, that something was wrong, had wanted desperately to help him. He wonders if Jiang Wanyin is partly behind Wei Ying’s misconceptions about that, and tries not to be peeved—how much heartache could have been prevented? 

“Wei-g-gongzi did not intend to t-tell anyone,” Wen Ning contributes. 

His voice is sad, with a hint of disapproval for Wei Ying’s decision to withhold it. A-Yuan seems to decide he, too, needs a hug, throwing his arms around the fierce corpse’s neck. 

“Then how do you know?” Jiang Wanyin demands. 

“Wen Ning assisted Wen Qing with the core transplant,” Wei Ying says before Wen Ning can answer. “They were the only people who knew, until Lan Zhan found out.”

He does not, Lan Wangji notes, tell how, clearly sparing Wen Ning more ill-placed ire from Jiang Wanyin. It feels odd to be grateful his husband was injured, but without it, he might have walked away, down the mountain, ignorant of Wei Ying’s suffering. 

“Is that why you stayed, Lan-er-gongzi?”

Jiang Yanli’s gaze is level despite her tears, her eyes sharp, and Lan Wangji feels as though she is weighing him still. 

“En,” he answers simply. “I could only help him if I stayed.”

He had known for some time that his uncle was unlikely to help Wei Ying heal, that hiding him in Gusu would stifle him and destroy him just as it had destroyed his mother. Lan Wangji could continue to walk away, or he could stay. 

“And the marriage?”

Lan Wangji isn’t quite certain what she is asking—perhaps the reason he told Wei Ying of the handfasting?

“It could protect him, even if it was simply political.”

She smiles, but it’s tight. 

“No, I mean would you have told him, if you hadn’t learned?”

He doesn’t need time to consider the question; he assumed Wei Ying would reject him, as he had rejected the prospect of coming with him to Gusu. He had miscommunicated and misunderstood. 

“No,” he says, welcoming her judgment, as he judges himself. “I expected it would be a burden to him, unwelcome.”

Wei Ying startles at the admission, glancing at him. Lan Wangji hates that he sees guilt in his expression over the misunderstanding, runs his hand across his shoulder to comfort him. 

And realizes when his husband’s eyes go a little glassy that he’s run his hand over the hidden bite mark. 

How could he have thought this would be unwelcome?

Jiang Wanyin snorts, and Lan Wangji’s ears burn at the sense of being seen doing something illicit.

“The way he mooned over you? Talked about you all the time.”

He sounds long-suffering, as though Lan Wangji should have been aware of Wei Ying’s regard. Now, of course, he can see nothing else. But before...

“And then after the war, he didn’t,” Jiang Yanli murmurs.

After Wei Ying had survived Burial Mounds and come out scarred and afraid. 

“When I told him, Wei Ying tried to convince me he was unworthy,” Lan Wangji says. “I disagreed.”

Wei Ying tried to push him away before, when they were reunited after his disappearance, and Lan Wangji now knows it was out of a belief that he would somehow taint him.

“He feels himself unworthy of protection and love,” he adds.

A troubled look passes over Jiang Wanyin’s face, and Jiang Yanli just looks sad.

“That would be a-niang’s influence again,” she says softly. “A-Xian, we should have protected you better.”

Wei Ying shakes his head as though to deny their culpability, and she takes his hands. 

“No, A-Xian. She was wrong about your worth, and I hate that she cut you and A-Cheng down so much.”

Jiang Wanyin looks uncomfortable, and Lan Wangji doubts it’s because of his sister’s lack of filial piety. 

“She always compared me to you,” he grates after a moment. “I was never good enough, because you were better. And now you’ll always be better.”

Lan Wangji bristles on Wei Ying’s behalf, but his husband speaks first. 

“I didn’t do it to compete with you, A-Cheng,” Wei Ying says tiredly. “What the fuck was the point of competing when you were dying? I just wanted you to live.”

“And what about you?” Jiang Wanyin retorts. “What about your life? You think I want it to be a competition, you asshole? You told me to abandon you, but you wouldn’t tell me the truth! You keep trying to throw yourself away!”

Wei Ying cringes, and Lan Wangji returns to holding him, his own anger fizzling out as he recognizes the feelings behind Jiang Wanyin’s. 

“You didn’t expect to live this long, did you?” 

The Jiang sect leader’s tone implies it’s not really a question but a realization, and Wei Ying’s flinch implies he’s right. Lan Wangji can’t stop his hold from tightening on Wei Ying, Jiang Wanyin’s words making him feel ill. 

He has known his zhiji didn’t expect to live as long as he has, but neither of them has spoken of it. Wei Ying managed to survive Indoctrination and the Xuanwu, the fall of Lotus Pier and massacre of most of his adopted clan, the removal of his golden core, the fall and entrapment in Burial Mounds, the war… Lan Wangji hates that Jiang Wanyin is right in this, and hates even more that Wei Ying has faced so many situations that could have killed him. 

“You keep protecting other people, but you won’t let anyone protect you!”

Jiang Wanyin is practically panting in anger.

“You always need to be the hero, Wei Wuxian! But all the heroes die!”

He sounds dangerously close to tears, and his words send a jolt of dread through Lan Wangji—just the idea of Wei Ying dying sends his stomach plummeting. He can feel Wei Ying shiver against him. 

Jiang Yanli lets out a long breath, trying to compose herself. She gives Jiang Wanyin a warning look, and he scowls, looking away but clearly making an effort to calm down. 

“We can only move forward,” she says. “A-Xian will just need to learn to let us protect him.”

“He is learning,” Lan Wangji tells her. 

She manages a watery smile.

“When you’re hurt, it hurts us, Xianxian. Please let us help you.”

Wei Ying seems beyond words, and just nods. A tremor runs through him, and Lan Wangji knows he’s exhausted what energy he had left for the day with this conversation. His sister seems to sense this. 

“A-Xian, you look tired.”

Again, Wei Ying only nods, but Lan Wangji is of the opinion there should be no more secrets. 

“He was nearly possessed by a resentful spirit a few days ago,” he supplies. 

Jiang Yanli gasps, and he tries not to be pleased that she will want to fix this, too. It will strengthen her resolve. 

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying protests, but it seems more of a token protest. 

“Fortunately, xiongzhang was visiting. He calmed it with Liebing. There are now talismans where we sleep.”

“It tried while he was sleeping?” Jiang Cheng almost demands. “Is it still so dangerous there?!”

“I fought her,” Wei Ying murmurs, almost petulant. “She was liberated in the end.”

“Not the point, Wei Wuxian!”

“A-Cheng,” Jiang Yanli scolds. “We can talk about this later. I need to change so we can go with him and talk to Wen Qing. I expect she will have more to say about it, as well.”

“J-jiejie needs some items from the market, so we need to b-buy them before we go back,” Wen Ning offers.

Jiang Yanli nods firmly.

“Then we’ll meet you in the market. And then I’ll be finally able to get a hug from my zhizi.”

A-Yuan beams at her, already recognizing himself as her nephew, and she stands and shakes out her cloak to don it. Jiang Wanyin packs the tureen back in the basket.

“Get this idiot to eat the rest of his bowl,” he says gruffly. “He’s too fucking skinny.”

“A-Cheng, language,” Wei Ying says almost automatically. 

“Jiang-shushu said a bad word?” A-Yuan asks.

Jiang Wanyin looks almost panicked for a moment, then frowns.

“Yeah, yeah, Jiang-shushu said a bad word. Don’t be like Jiang-shushu.”

He gestures to the boy, who immediately climbs off Wen Ning’s lap and runs over, latching onto his leg, and he reaches down and rubs A-Yuan’s head affectionately. 

“Get your a-die to eat the rest of his soup before he goes shopping, okay?”

A-Yuan nods emphatically, happy to be given such a task, then rushes to his a-die’s side, climbing up onto the seat Jiang Yanli vacated.

Jiang Wanyin stares at Wei Ying for a long while. 

“We’ll fix this. We’ll figure something out,” he says heavily. “I owe you.”

Wei Ying shakes his head, obstinate. 

“You don’t. I owed the Jiang sect everything.”

That proclamation doesn’t seem to sit well with his brother, who scowls.

“No. No debts between family. It’s not a debt I owe, and you didn’t owe me your Golden Core. It’s what you deserve as my brother. I let Jin Guangshan’s stupid mind games get to me.”

Jiang Yanli, back in her cloak, her wedding robes and headdress hidden, approaches him and touches his elbow, murmurs his name. Jiang Wanyin glances at her, and nods, taking the basket from her. 

“We’re the Twin Heroes of Yunmeng, Wei Wuxian, and our sect motto is to attempt the impossible. We’ll find a way.”

Jiang Wanyin sweeps out of the courtyard with Jiang Yanli, and Lan Wangji can’t help but wonder if he spends his free time planning dramatic exits. 

Wei Ying releases a long breath, sagging against him the moment they’re gone. 

“Always needs to have the last word,” he murmurs. 

It’s almost a mirror of what Lan Wangji is thinking, and he can’t help a huff of amusement. Wei Ying turns to him with a tired smile.

“Aiya, all that was missing was a cape for him to swish dramatically.”

Lan Wangji has seen some of those capes, and can easily imagine such a thing. 

“Wei Ying also has a flair for the dramatic,” he comments.

“Yeah, but I have style,” he retorts with a snort. 

He turns to the soup, thankfully not needing prompting. Lan Wangji had expected it would have gone cold by now, but it’s still steaming. Likely the scent aroused Wei Ying’s hunger. He suspects the bowl has a talisman affixed to or carved onto the bottom, meant to keep the contents warm. Somewhat extravagant, but it allows his husband to enjoy hot soup even after all the arguing, so he is grateful for the forethought. 

They will have some time, he knows. Jiang Yanli’s robes are intricate and will need to be removed with care to avoid damage, and the headdress will also be complex to remove. She will need to wash the makeup from her face as well. 

Time enough for Wei Ying to finish eating, to dawdle a little while shopping to account for the exhaustion he undoubtedly feels, to take a breath before more difficult conversation. 

They have time, a gift Wei Ying apparently didn’t expect to have, and Lan Wangji will work to ensure he has much more. 

The Twin Prides, after all, now have the support of the Twin Jades.

[rosethornewrites]

Friday & Saturday T & G reading

The usual

Finished

Tumblr:

Cultivation baby A-Yuan, the confession, by @stiltonbasket

In your own home, by @bloody-bee-tea

Teen:

Lan Qiren, Baby Whisperer, by Liebing

Lan Qiren settled the little boy on his hip and gave him a stern look. “Hello, A-Yuan, there is to be no crying in my class,” he said firmly.

A-Yuan finally fell silent and blinked up at Lan Qiren with interest.

“Very good,” Lan Qiren praised and handed the boy a baby carrot seemingly from nowhere.

OR

Wei Ying has to bring his son to class, and Lan Qiren is not going to waste a perfectly good free grandchild…

you could've done so much more (if you only had time), by makexianxianhappytoday

“Lan Zhan. Do you trust me?” He asked, giving Lan Zhan one last chance. He didn’t know which answer he hoped to hear, but he knew that Lan Zhan, his bright, lovely, and foolish Lan Zhan would never fail him.

“Yes.” Lan Zhan choked out, his back drenched in red, as his eyes blinked furiously. “Wei Ying, I would trust you with my life. Even before, and now, you are my soulmate.”

basically, what if WWX manages to hear the confession at that random cave where LWJ fought with the 33 Lan Elders & decides to....redo everything by going back into the past?

Yes, always, by NonAquaticOctopus

"Wei Wuxian hopes that Lan Zhan will be there, too, but he doesn’t text to find out. If he learns he isn’t coming— the Lans are distant friends, but not close enough to guarantee attendance— then Wei Wuxian will not be strong enough to avoid turning home right now. And he can’t afford to miss this party, not if he wants the rest of the holidays with Auntie Yu to be pleasant this year.

Wei Wuxian steels himself for a long day. Tomorrow, today will be forgotten, he lies to himself, like he can trick his brain into ever not ruminating on a bad day. He’s so used to pretending to others that he finds the past inconsequential that he often goes mindlessly through those words, even though they’re false. He holds his head up determinedly and ignores how his veins feel calcified. The hollow nausea in his stomach hasn’t gone away."

aka, wei ying has a really shitty day. luckily, he also has lan zhan.

Let It All Burn, by makebelieveanything

Lan Wangji stopped looking for Wei Ying three months ago, when his brother and the rest of his sect insisted that he was needed on the front lines of the Sunshot Campaign. So he's stayed on the front lines, but they are still losing, so they look for help where they can find it - from the new demonic cultivator who has sprouted up in the Burial Mounds. The Yiling Laozu.

or

The canon divergence AU where Wei Ying never leaves the burial mound and Lan Wangji is a little insane and feral when he thinks he's lost his chance.

When the Strongest Spring Blooms, by harborshore

Sometimes when Lan Zhan wakes up, he thinks it was a dream. That Wei Ying is still gone. That all that awaits him today is another day that is just like the rest, and that if Sizhui or Jingyi are not around, there will be little to bring him joy.

But then he remembers.

Timely, by apathyinreverie

“Who are you?” Wei Wuxian is demanding darkly, his expression light, almost playful, but an abyss of shadows coiling in his eyes, “And what exactly have you done with my husband?”

Husband, Lan Zhan thinks, a proprietary thrill echoing deep within his chest.

(Or, a younger Lan Zhan finds himself thrown into the future. He tries to go unnoticed. He isn’t particularly successful.)

Tangible, by apathyinreverie

Lan Zhan is furious... Or something like it, at least.

Or, the story of how Lan Zhan discovered the one, reliable way for shutting up Wei Ying.

this i need to save, by TheRealFailWhale

Staring out at the rain wasn’t particularly exciting, so he turned away from it, looking instead into the house that he shared with his husband.

With Lan Zhan

For the MDZS Mixtape Exchange 2022, inspired by the song "Switching Off" by Elbow

backlogged dreams, by insane_falcon

Lan Wangji has already used up this life's miracle--he got a little extra time with Wei Ying before he passed on. All he has left are memories and a dream Wei Ying had.

General:

WangXian and moonlit lakes..., by Ladycroft4evr (19th in a series)

Honeymoon is almost over...Jinlintai looms closer than ever. Wei WuXian makes a wish, Lan WangJi of course grants said wish 🥰...And so we have WangXian on a moonlit lake, one more evening of just the two them, moonlight, and a boat ride on calm, quiet lake waters ❤...

the passing of seasons, by tennssi

It wasn’t Jin Zixuan whom the Ghost General killed during that fateful encounter on LuanZang Hill. It was Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian spends the passing seasons endlessly searching for Lan Wangji’s soul, while others spend the years trying to heal his.

Haze Memories, by xBlythx

Wei Wuxian chases his lost memories and Lan Wangji can just stay by his side as he tries to deal with the void left in his soul.

Don’t make me wait too long, by Song_of_Storms

I will tell him. This year. I will tell him this year.

[It's Wei Ying's birthday. Lan Wangji is finally going to tell him how he feels.]

All I Have Left, by InTheGreySpaces

Lan Zhan steals a moment to visit the rabbit hollow.

Its Only Fair, by nagitazer

Back when Wei Wuxian lived in Lotus Pier he promised to walk Yanli down the aisle when she got married, once the time finally came and he was unable to Yanli visited him before the wedding so he could see what she would look like on her wedding day. That day she said she'd consider the promise kept if she got to walk him down the aisle on his wedding day. Wei Wuxian laughed at the time but said he'd that if the day came he'd be honored.

Much had happened since that day, but still it's only fair he visits her before his wedding as well. So here he was, Wei Wuxian had been holding up his clothes so they wouldn't get dirty on the way to her grave. She deserves to see them only in the best condition after all.

TL;DR Wei Wuxian visits Yanli's grave to show her what he'll be wearing on his wedding day

socked feet, by wearing_tearing

“A-Yuan,” Wei Wuxian stops in his tracks and asks, “where are your shoes?”

finding a long lost friend, by MarbleGlove (2nd in a series)

The painting was a puzzle. It was a portrait of the Sunshot Campaign leaders as they had truly been, drawn by someone who must have been there. It was a painting by an artist who knew the people well and yet was blind to the political repercussions of being too truthful. It was a beautiful painting and XiChen was glad to have it but also knew it would need to be moved to the forbidden section of the library soon.

a long journey home, by MarbleGlove

Home is a place of acceptance. It's not always easy to get there, but it's worth the miles and the years.

After his time at Cloud Recesses, Wei Sizhui returns home and Lan Zhan accompanies him.

Because you loved me, by baxia

Suddenly, he thinks of something. He doesn't need to tell his uncle about this, and especially not now. It's far too personal, and the idea of saying those words out loud is terrifying to even think about.

And yet, he aches to tell him. It washes over him, the mortifying desire to be seen, to be known for what he truly is. To share this part of himself with someone he values. It's stupid, it's reckless, but he has long lost all reason. With a deep breath, he gathers his courage. “I'm gay.”

or; exhausted and frustrated, lan zhan comes out to his uncle on a whim. it goes really well.

And off we go to Lanling..., by Ladycroft4evr (20th in a series)

Quiet morning in the Jingshi; WangXian struggle with the fact that they have to leave their little cozy bubble and go take care of murder mysteries and scheming sect leaders again, for it is finally THE day WangXian depart for the Cultivation conference at Lanling Jin...

foliage, by antebunny

Wei Wuxian surrenders in Nightless City. Jin Guangshan, knowing that he's coreless and weaponless, organizes a night hunt with 1,000 Jin disciples where Wei Wuxian is the prey.

He shouldn't have underestimated Wei Wuxian.

Scenes From Three Winters, by LtLJ (2nd in a series)

"What?" Jingyi stopped short, almost tripping on the step. He didn't know either disciple well, as he had been away so much over the past year night hunting. He supposed by "them" the guard didn't mean Sizhui or any of the juniors. Jingyi jerked his thumb back at the two figures in dark robes behind him. "This is Senior Wei Wuxian. He's our night hunting teacher. You have to know that. We had a problem with a bad curse, and he's injured and Senior Wen Ning is helping him."

Adamant, the guard said, "He is not allowed in until the first snow."

***

This story takes place before, during, and after the previous story in the series, "hills and rivers are waiting"

So Comfy, you don‘t notice, by Ravi_doing_a_think

Checking the clock on the wall, he still has time until his husbamd gets back, so he takes A-Yuan out of his stroller. Sitting himself and his son onto the sofa. A-Yuan positioned onto one of his thighs, he is about to play with him when his phone scares the daylights out of him. Not remembering that he had put it into his pant pocket. He takes out his phone with one hand and the other holding onto A-Yuan, to see which text vibrated. Out of habit he started to use his food to rocket the stroller back and forth. To keep A-Yuan calm as his attention was on the phone, like he always does when he is on the phone.

Just Nie Huaisang posting about his boyfriend being embarrassed over something he has done. Putting away his phone and realizes that SHIT A-Yuan is not in his stroller!

Love Persevering, by piecrust (2nd in a series)

Before the Twin Jades of Gusu, there was the Jade Dragon. Qingheng-jun was talented and handsome and kind and - and Qiren was proud to be his brother.

Bells, by Befallings

For the Untamed Winterfest 2019 Prompt 17: Bells

Unfinished

Teen:

Darkest time, by LilacNeko

Lan Wangji dies and the cultivation world is left to live with the aftermath.

Relentless, by nirejseki

“Why are we even here?” Wen Xu groused.

“Yeah! That’s right! Why are we here?” Wen Chao immediately chimed, very obviously taking his cues from his elder brother – much to the latter’s irritation, judging by his immediate scowl.

Lan Qiren knew that he needed to pick his next words very carefully. With recalcitrant students, a teacher only had a few opportunities to really connect with them. If he allowed them to dismiss him or categorize him as an enemy at this early stage, it would be an incredibly uphill battle to gain enough respect in order to teach them anything, and in this case, given the strength of their background and the fact that this little teaching session was both likely to be short and definitely completely unauthorized, it would quite possibly make it completely impossible to ever get through to them.

“You are here,” Lan Qiren said solemnly, each word slow and thoughtful, “because your father is an ass.”

(a story of kidnapping and falling in love, reluctantly)

Bright Voice Roughly Rendered Softly Silent, by Preludian_Staves

The fight between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian after the Fall of Lotus Pier goes differently, changing the course of events that should follow, but now don't.

Lan Wangji goes looking for the boy that captured his heart. (Also known as Wei Wuxian goes to the Gusu Lan earlier than in canon)

With You, For All Our Lives, by Starlight143

In an attempt to secure a good future for her daughter Cangse Sanren betrothes Wei Ying to Lan Zhan. When they die this one action changes everything.

General:

Cabbages, by dreaming of your qin (sherleigh)

In which Lan Qiren gains a son-in-law.

Mid-Youth Crisis, by baxia (2nd in a series)

Gulping, he reaches out to take the book from his hands and stares some more at the boy as he sits down on the chair he pulled out. “Hi! Do you mind if I sit here?”

Lan Zhan looks at the boy, at the chair that he now occupies, and back at the boy. “You're already sitting.” Fortunately, his voice does not come out as a pathetic, squeaky thing.

The boy throws his head back and laughs, too loud for the place they're in. Lan Zhan's glare does not shut him up and only makes the boy laugh harder. “Sorry, sorry!” The boy wipes around his eyes, trying to quieten his giggles. “I just saw that you were sitting alone and thought I should say hi. You're new, right? I'm Wei Ying!”

or; transferring schools has turned lan zhan's life around in a way he would have never thought. he's not complaining.