#yet another obligatory fix-it (almost everybody) lives fic

[rose-tinted-vision]

Fic: 浮生若梦 | life is like a dream

Fandom: The Double (墨雨云间)

Relationship(s): Xiao Heng & Wen Ji & Lu Ji, Xiao Heng/Xue Fangfei

Summary:

Wen Ji peers at the couple, humming in thought, “have you prepared any baby names, then? How about Yue’er? or Xin’er?”

loosely based off this edited ending! | read on ao3

The sound of metal against whetstone was the only thing that occupied their camp, the harsh sounds mingling with the buzzing of mosquitoes that pierced the night air. The area was otherwise silent, with the three of them too exhausted to speak, much less do anything beyond the bare essentials.

“How long have we been out here?” Wen Ji caves first, hunched over his knees as he sharpens his sword. 

“Three weeks. You should know,” Lu Ji says, stoically cleaning the blood off his blades– they would just get stained again the next day, as it had been the last few days, but the repetition helped. 

It helped him to focus his mind, focus on something other than the exhaustion in his bones that was starting to hinder his movements, focus on something that was not the amount of times Wen Ji and their zhujun had nearly died earlier today.

It was a given that the war was tiring, more draining than what they were accustomed to. Their opponents this time weren’t some two-bit criminal who hardly knew how to fight– these soldiers were trained, well versed in their own martial arts, and they were heavily outnumbered, with their numbers declining with each passing day. 

Their zhujun had sent word for reinforcements, but who knew whether they would survive until then?

“Three weeks…” Wen Ji repeats slowly, “is that considered lucky? The army of Dai doesn't seem to be slowing down.”

“Idiot, are you scared of dying?”

“Of course not! Who's scared of death?” Wen Ji declares with his chin raised defiantly, which Lu Ji meets with an impassive stare. 

Wen Ji wasn't fooling anyone– not them, at least– they could see the fear written all over his posture, plain as day. But who wasn’t afraid of death? And if they died here, there would be no one to collect their bodies, no one to bring them back home. It was an understandable fear, and a commonly shared one. 

The silence between them stretches, with neither Wen Ji or Lu Ji backing down from what had evolved into a staring contest, until their zhujun shifts, clapping both of them on the back as he declares, “I promised my furen that I'll survive. So naturally, we'll survive.” 

…who were they to disobey their zhujun?

“Understood.”

—

So they hack, they slash, and they raze their enemies to the ground, never once straying too far from each other's sight.

There had been one too many near misses, some that Lu Ji was nearly too late to save them from– his hair might be greying from all the stress, if it wasn't already– he sees the exhaustion mirrored on his companions faces, and he doesn’t know how much longer he can hold on, with his arms only growing heavier with each shichen that passed.

(Lu Ji knows that he might not survive this war.

That was something he has made his peace with, oddly enough. The only regret he had would be that he wouldn't be able to protect zhujun and Wen Ji anymore).

He cuts down another two, dodges another three, and considers the merits of giving in to the fatigue beckoning him to death’s arms. He very nearly does give in to the temptation of sleep, when– 

“That's the army of Zhao’s flag!” Wenji shouts over the clamour, nodding towards the southeastern direction.

Sure enough, like rays of light piercing through the blanket of dreary clouds obscuring the clear blue sky, steadily approaching them were troops carrying the flag of the Zhao army, with Situ Jiuyue fearlessly leading the charge. 

The new addition rightfully scares the Dai army, who scramble to regroup, retreating by one li before the pressure of their reinforcements. It isn’t an overwhelming swoop, or an end to the battle, but it was a reprieve nonetheless. 

“My brother says we can’t spare any more men,” Jiuyue says regretfully, before looking their zhujun over, “Xiao Heng, are you injured anywhere?”

“No.”

“Good, don't let yourself get injured. I don't have much poisons with me.”

“Fine, you’re only asking him, are you?” Wen Ji says with a snort, “he is–” 

Lu Ji elbows him, fully aware of what he was about to say next. Trust the idiot to be so tactless– who didn’t know how Jiuyue felt towards their zhujun? To flaunt their zhujun’s marriage in the face of their saviour was just thoughtless, too thoughtless. 

“This one thanks the Princess for her help. Our Emperor should be reaching in a day,” their zhujun tells Jiuyue, before turning to address them at large, “just hang on until then.”

“Understood,” Lu Ji answers with a bow. The reinforcements would boost their troop’s morale temporarily, which gives them a chance to turn the tides. 

They would survive.

—

“You have no idea, niangzi,” Wen Ji cackles, expertly dodging his zhuren’s lethal fan that had immediately come flying at him, “zhujun looked so cool, picking up your jade pendant and holding it between his teeth! Just like a real general!”

“Eleven lashes,” zhujun says, catching his fan with a flourish as he perches on the side of his furen’s chair. 

(Lu Ji winces– that might cause Wen Ji’s injuries to reopen– they hadn't completely healed yet, it being a mere week since their return from the borders).

“I’m complimenting you!” Wen Ji protests, “and niangzi likes hearing of how dashing you were out there anyway.”

“Make that twenty-two,” zhujun drawls, raising a brow in warning, “or do you want thirty?”

Lu Ji shares a look with Fangfei niangzi, who gives him a knowing smile– he doesn’t know whether he should be scared or not, considering how scary she could be– he had bore witness to the entire play that she put on, after all.

(He briefly wonders how much she had seen, how much she knew.

She’s like a mind reader! Wen Ji had once exclaimed, after witnessing another of her brilliantly executed plans).

“Aiya, fujun, I was the one who asked Wen Ji to share more stories,” Fangfei says, slipping an arm around his waist, “and it was nice to hear about how you fearlessly took down so many soldiers of Dai.”

“You’re going back to acting again?” their zhujun smirks, seeing through her at once. 

But the fondness in his gaze is palpable as he looks at his wife, who had rest her head against his chest, smiling coquettishly at him– and that was Lu Ji’s cue to get out of the yard, dragging Wen Ji along with him– he did not want to play audience to whatever they liked to get up to together.

—

This time, it was their turn to watch as their zhujun and his furen put on a show, taking on the role of enamoured lovebirds exploring the night markets hand in hand.

“What do you say, how long until we become uncles?” Wen Ji lands silently beside him, failing to properly stifle his wince– he’d likely landed on his bad ankle which hadn’t properly healed yet– one of their spoils of war. 

Lu Ji himself had a shattered wrist bone, but that had healed faster than Wen Ji’s broken ankle, because unlike the fool, he knew how to properly rest instead of overworking his injured arm. 

“A year,” Lu Ji replies, continuing to silently shadow their zhujun. Word was that bandits had entered the city disguised as vendors, looking for an opportunity to cause chaos and set up their racketeering business. He’d spotted a few suspicious individuals earlier and taken note of their stall location– but their priority tonight was the furen’s protection– those thugs they could deal with later. 

“A year? You think they’ll move that quickly?” Wen Ji asks, scandalized, “I was going to give it at least two years, and that is the very least!”

“Are you blind, or just dumb?” Lu Ji deadpans, gesturing to the besotted couple below, who were clearly struggling to maintain their propriety in public. 

Their zhujun had offered his furen a spun sugar candy in the shape of a cat, leaning in to whisper something (no doubt improper) into her ear, which had her flushing a bright red. Lu Ji can only let out a long-suffering sigh as Wen Ji giggles at the scene. He had thought them more proper than that, but he’d underestimated the rush of being newlyweds, he supposed. 

Wen Ji peers at the couple, humming in thought, “have you prepared any baby names, then? How about Yue’er? or Xin’er?”

Of course he had prepared one. But he wasn’t going to tell the blabbermouth that.

(It proves to be not useful, when their niangzi announces her pregnancy a few months later, which catches the both of them off guard. They had clearly underestimated how far gone their zhujun was.

Turns out, they had already agreed to name their kid Tong’er).

[moodymodaozushi]

MDZS Fanfic Recs! #2

January 2020

Cryptids are not Permitted in the Cloud Recesses by crossdressingdeath [Ongoing]

Wei Wuxian hadn't actually intended to end up in the Cloud Recesses after the siege of the Burial Mounds. He certainly hadn't intended to become an urban legend. And yet, here he is.

(Or, Wei Wuxian flees to the Cloud Recesses after the siege and accidentally becomes the local cryptid. As one does.)

What if Wei Wuxian had survived the Siege of the Burial Mounds? What if he agreed to go back to Cloud Recesses with Lan Wangi? Basically, Wei Ying becomes a cryptid that wreaks havoc in the once peaceful lives of the Lans. This dish comes with a side of “more angst than originally anticipated” - crossdressingdeath. 

Instead of rabbits, I’ll give you this by Bloodcoral [Ongoing]

Self-indulgent fix-it, where Lan Qiren is a better, more emotionally intelligent uncle/father figure and Lan Xichen is the big brother that will bring his brother anything he likes, even if its another person…aka Lan Xichen tries to get Wei Wuxian to agree to marry Lan Wangji at the beginning of canon and thus changes the course of history.

What if Wangxian...didn’t...just jump straight to marriage for once? Well, almost. If fics where everybody lives/nobody dies are your bread and butter, then this is for you. You’re welcome! Please come cry with me. 

Love Jingyi by Peura2714 [Ongoing]

Everyone knew that Lan Shizui was Yiling Patriarch's and Hangguan-jun's well loved and appreciated son. And everyone knew that the couple was very fond of juniors in general.

But when, and more importantly HOW, did Jingyi become their kid??

Or: four times Wifi and LWJ showed they love their second son and one time Jingyi returned the favour.

Do you love Jingyi? Can you not find nearly enough Jingyi-centric content. Then this is the fanfiction for you! Post-canon Jingyi feels with angst, fluff, and everything in-between to soothe that Jingyi shaped hole in your rec list.

Double Trouble by SirenAlpha [Ongoing]

“Who are you?” the man asks.

“Who are we? Who are you?” Jiang Cheng pops off at him because his immediate reaction to anything is anger.

The guy doesn’t react to the screaming. Wei Ying starts trying to figure out how they can get away from this crazy guy with a sword when he can already out pace them when he suddenly recognizes him past the old fashioned hanfu and the extra hair. “Lan Zhan?” he asks, wondering when his roommate got into cosplaying period dramas.

Despite Jiang Cheng immediately blaming him, Wei Ying swears he had nothing to do with them falling through a ceiling and crash landing next to xianxia versions of themselves.

The obligatory time travel fix-it fic (that will soon become a trend in these lists), this time with a twist. DIMENSION TRAVEL. What could possibly be better than modern AU MDZS characters, being dumped into canon MDZS verse? Well, read on to find out!

It’s Not The Destination (But The People You Save Along The Way) by Arcxus [Ongoing]

Wei Wuxian died.

Wei Wuxian died, twice over.

Once, when his golden core was gifted to his dear Shidi. Twice, when he sacrificed himself to destroy the Stygian Tiger Seal.

And unfortunately, death is not a kind thing, not to a human mind already wrought with pain and grief and regrets.

So when Wei Wuxian opened his eyes, in a body made by magic and shadows and the sacrifice of one Mo Xuanyu, it was understandable, then, that he returned somewhat… other.

And somehow, this makes all the difference.

Wei Wuxian becomes a God. Of Death. That is all. Oh, and Mo Xuanyu gets to live!!!