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disastermages · 3 years

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I was talking to @agendratum earlier and I realized that I’ve never written anything with jin ling even tho I love him

“Uncle Jiang says that you punched my father once.” Jin Ling says, and Wei Wuxian almost jumps. When did this kid get so good at sneaking around?

“I punched your father twice.” Wei Wuxian clarifies, leaning back and holding a single finger up and grinning as if he were giving a lesson. He’s not even trying to hide the fact that he’s starting to love it when Jin Ling seeks him out, he’s already shuffled to the side and patted the spot right next to him, though whether or not Jin Ling decides to sit next to him is his own choice.

“How come? When I asked my uncle he only told me that I should ask you.” Jin Ling sits down, but leaves a few inches between them, just enough room to get up and run away in case Wei Wuxian were to say something especially embarrassing or shameless. Jiang Cheng used to do the same thing.

He doesn’t answer right away, he’s pretending that he has to think about it, grabbing up the jar of wine next to him and taking a sip thoughtfully. “The first time, your father said he didn’t want to marry your mother, the second time he insulted her.” Wei Wuxian had gone back and forth about telling Jin Ling the truth, but if he didn’t hear it from him, who would he hear it from?

When Wei Wuxian looks back at his nephew, Jin Ling is frowning in a way that’s wholly his father, his eye brows knit together. “You’re lying.” Jin Ling decides, his hands clutching his robes so tight his knuckles turn white.

“Am I?” Wei Wuxian asks with a grin, there’s his brother again.

“My father loved my mother, he built her a lotus pond just to show it.”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t disagree with that, he’d been long gone and in Yiling by the time the peacock had gotten it in his head that Jiang Yanli was a goddess walking in the mortal world, but even he’d heard the great love story of the second Lotus Pier.

“Your father did love your mother,” Wei Wuxian confirms, setting his wine off to the side and sitting up again, “but only after he offended her twice and ran away from her once.” Jin Zixuan wasn’t likely to come back from the dead to defend himself, so Wei Wuxian doesn’t stop himself from telling the whole truth, or as much of it as he cared to remember. “Shouldn’t your Uncle Jiang be the one telling you this story?”

Silence wraps around them like a too warm blanket, but Wei Wuxian doesn’t rush Jin Ling, he only looks over at him every few seconds to make sure his face isn’t so red that he looks as if he’s about to topple over.

“Uncle Jiang doesn’t like talking about my mother, it’s too hard for him.” Jin Ling’s voice is soft now, his fingers shaking as he lets go of his robe, but he doesn’t make a move to smooth it out where it’s wrinkled. “I stopped asking when I was little.”

The words are arrows through Wei Wuxian’s chest. How many times had Jin Ling asked Jiang Cheng for stories about his parents? How many of those requests were shot down or indulged, but just barely?

Wei Wuxian should shorten the hems of Jiang Cheng’s robes for this.

“He tried for a while, but he just looked sad, so I stopped asking.” One long moment passes and for half of it, Wei Wuxian thinks about reaching out and putting a hand on Jin Ling’s shoulder, but he stops himself. Jin Ling wasn’t like Sizhui, he might not want to be touched, especially not by him.

“Your mother had a crush on your father.” Wei Wuxian offers, though it sounds paltry, even coming out of his own mouth, still, he watches Jin Ling perk up at the scrap of information, his eyes getting wide and bright, just like his mother.

“Really?” Jin Ling shifts closer to him now, turning his knees towards Wei Wuxian as he nods.

“A big one, Jiang Cheng and I couldn’t believe it at first, but she liked him so much and he didn’t even know it!” The smile is coming back onto Wei Wuxian’s face again, his elbows coming to rest on his knees. He’d already mourned for his sister after he’d been brought back by Mo Xuanyu, the least he could do is tell stories about her to her son, but someone else would have to tell Jin Ling stories about his father, someone who had a better opinion of him than either Wei Wuxian or Jiang Cheng ever had.

The idea hits him and a grin spreads across his face before he can stop it. “A-Ling, has anyone ever taken you to meet your Auntie Luo?”

#the untamed #mdzs #mdzs fic #wei wuxian #jin rulan #wei ying #jin ling

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disastermages · 4 years

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this fic is almost entirely @agendratum‘s fault, so this one is for them

Wangji had been pining and pouting ever since he'd come back from his assignment with the Yin Iron. It went unnoticed by the rest of their sect members, but Lan Xichen couldn't tune it out, not when Wangji took to playing his guqin for hours on end. He'd replay parts of the same, nameless song over and over, changing notes and melodies and refusing his brother's help whenever Lan Xichen offered to play it with him.

He'd asked why, of course he'd asked why, but his brother had only looked off to the side and refused to say a word. Lan Xichen had started watching him carefully then. What could be so bad that Wangji couldn't tell him? They'd always told each other almost everything, hadn't they?

The revelation doesn't come until Nie Huaisang comes visiting with his brother half a month later.

Nie Huaisang's question had been a simple one, he'd asked if Wangji had heard much from Childe Wei lately, but it was his tone of voice and the darkening of Wangji's ears that had given the answer away.

"Wangji," Lan Xichen had said, his eyes gentle as he sits across from his brother in the Jingshi, "It's fine if you have a crush on Childe Wei." That, at least, had gotten Wangji's attention, though it nearly made him drop his cup.

"It's to be expected, really." Lan Xichen says quickly, setting down his own tea and refusing to break eye contact. "Childe Wei has quite the personality, I can understand how you might be drawn to it." He'd been trying to do his brother a kindness, his own disastrous conversation with their uncle about love and feelings at the front of his mind. He'd thought he'd been more subtle about his own crushes, but he'd still been held back in class one day. Uncle had almost been clinical about it, and when he'd noticed the same thing in his brother, he'd promised their uncle that he would handle it.

But now Wangji looked pale, all except for his ears.

"I don't." Wangji says, and Lan Xichen cocks his head to the side.

"You don't have feelings for Childe Wei?" Lan Xichen asks the question carefully, though he doesn't hide the confusion on his face. His brother would certainly deny himself the things he wanted, but he wouldn't lie. Not to him.

"I do not wish to talk about this." Wangji clarifies and Lan Xichen smiles. That had been along the lines of what he'd expected, and he lets it go for the moment, it wouldn't do either of them any good if he were to keep pushing.

For the next few months, Lan Xichen doesn't get another opportunity, Wangji is either getting over his feelings towards Childe Wei, or he's becoming much more careful about how obvious he is.

Lan Xichen begins to wonder about the extent of Wei Wuxian’s own feelings, Nie Huaisang had made it sound as if they had been joined at the hip while he'd helped with Wangji's assignment.

During his time at Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian had certainly tried to attach himself to Wangji, but Lan Xichen had seen him rebuffed every time. He'd driven Wangji to distraction, a distraction that he'd needed but Lan Xichen hadn't been able to point out to anyone. Perhaps Childe Wei had only been interested in a friendship with Wangji and that's why his brother had been hesitant about admitting his feelings. If Lan Xichen were in his place, he might be terrified of losing a friend too.

Lan Xichen stops and sighs for a moment. He wouldn't know Wei Wuxian’s feelings on the matter unless he personally asked him, and it would be rude to assume anything.

Shaking his head, Lan Xichen continues onto his meeting with his uncle. There were worries beyond his brother's love life to be concerned with.

"It's necessary for you to go to Yunmeng." Uncle says finally, his tone lighter now that they were no longer hosting guest disciples. Normally, the idea of having to sit through meetings just for the sake of rehashing old trade agreements would sound like torture, but now, Lan Xichen would have a better reason to endure it.

"Could I take Wangji with me uncle?" Lan Xichen tries to ask nonchalantly, as if a plan wasn't forming in his mind already.

Lan Qiren pauses and eyes his nephew, hand already reaching for his beard. "Time away might be good for Wangji." Lan Qiren admits, he'd also noticed the change in Wangji's behavior, but he'd only nodded when Lan Xichen had given him a look.

"You may take him with you."

Lan Xichen smiles, "Thank you, Uncle."

Wangji is coming out of the library when Lan Xichen finds him, a stack of books in his hands that he won't allow him to see the titles of.

It doesn’t matter, Lan Xichen decides, instead he gestures for Wangji to follow him, folding his hands behind his back. “I’m leaving for Yunmeng in a few days.” Lan Xichen tells his brother while they walk, forcing himself not to look over at him, he had to play casually. “Nothing to be worried about, just some trade agreements that need looking over after such a long time.” Lan Xichen allows himself to peek at his brother once out of the corner of his eye only to see Wangji’s face set in stone as he stares straight ahead.

“I thought, perhaps, that you might like to come with me, you haven’t left Gusu since you got back.” Lan Xichen continues, choosing his words carefully. “You might even get to see Childe Jiang and Childe Wei while you’re there, the three of you are friendly, aren’t you?”

There’s the most subtle twitch in Wangji’s eyebrows that makes him smile. It wasn’t a complete lie to act as though he were ignorant of his brother’s friendships. Wherever Childe Wei went, Childe Jiang was sure to follow, though when he’d returned, that had seemed like a source of frustration to Wangji.

“What do you think, Wangji? I hear that Lotus Pier is especially beautiful this time of year.” Lan Xichen asks as they stop in front of the Hanshi, watching his brother carefully. His grip on Bichen had tightened, and Lan Xichen could tell he was considering just walking away without answering, but then his brother surprises him again.

“If Brother wishes for me to accompany him, then I will go.” Wangji inclines his head as he speaks and Lan Xichen knows that his plan succeeded, even if he had been caught.

“I will inform Uncle.” Wangji says as he turns to leave, books held tighter against his chest now, but Lan Xichen stops him.

“No need, Wangji, I’ve already gotten permission from Uncle.” Lan Xichen puts a hand on his brother’s arm as he speaks, barely able to conceal his amusement when he sees the shift from confusion to anger on Wangji’s face. Lan Xichen hadn’t been caught after all.

Wangji says nothing else, but nods his head before he hurries away, though Lan Xichen thinks he can see the tips of Wangji’s ears turning just the slightest shade of pink. Lan Xichen chuckles as he walks into the Hanshi, his steps just a little quicker with excitement.

Lan Wangji is hardly speaking to his brother by the time they leave for Yunmeng. He would’ve gone if Xichen had simply asked, but he’d resorted to trying to trick him into it. For what? Lan Wangji wondered if he’d really been that obvious or if something else had given him away.

He’d thought he’d done a better job of keeping it to himself after Xichen had brought it up to him that day in the Jingshi, he’d even managed to force himself to stop thinking about Wei Ying for a day and a half afterwards, but it hadn’t been enough.

He still saw his smile in the back of his mind, still heard his too loud laughter echoing off the halls of Cloud Recesses, and he still felt the tether of spiritual energy that Wei Ying had made around his wrist. He’d thought he’d been careful with those thoughts, but he hadn’t been careful enough if his brother decided to take him to Lotus Pier with him like this.

Lan Wangji stares at the bottom of their boat, he’d once told Wei Ying that he would never go to Lotus Pier, but that had been before they’d fallen into Lan Yi’s cave and long before Wei Ying had invited himself on Lan Wangji’s assignment with the Yin Iron. Wei Ying wouldn’t hold those words against him would he?

No, Lan Wangji decides, it wouldn’t be in Wei Ying’s nature to hold something like that against him. If he truly didn’t want Lan Wangji there, though, he would simply assist his brother before they went back to Gusu. It was what he was being brought along for, and it was what he would do if he could do nothing else.

Sect Leader Jiang is waiting for them as they arrive at the docks of Lotus Pier, a smile on his face while Wei Ying and his siblings stand just behind him. Lan Wangji’s heart is in his throat and his grip on Bichen grows tighter.

He’d expected that he would have a few minutes before he would see Wei Ying again. A few moments to make himself look presentable, maybe, or a few moments to try and find something to say after they’d been separated for so long, but as Xichen comes to stand beside him, Lan Wangji realizes he hadn’t thought of a single thing.

“Childe Wei looks excited.” His brother points out, smiling at him even as Lan Wangji refuses to look at him. Lan Xichen had tricked him, and Lan Wangji hadn’t forgotten that just because Wei Ying had looked right at him and smiled.

In all the months they’d been apart, Lan Wangji’s mind hadn’t been able to perfectly recreate that smile, looking at it now was like looking at the moon on a clear night. Lan Wangji nearly stumbles as their boat comes to a stop, but he still manages to step onto the dock after his brother, bowing to Sect Leader Jiang, though his eyes are still on Wei Ying as he comes up from it. His mouth feels dryer than it had when they’d watched Xiao Xingchen and Song Zichen walk away together.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying whispers, coming up next to him and pressing their shoulders together as they walk, “did you come because you missed me?” There’s laughter in Wei Ying’s voice that almost stops Lan Wangji in the middle of the path, but he forces himself to keep walking. Of course Wei Ying could say something like that so easily.

Lan Wangji wants to say yes, wants to tell Wei Ying that he missed him, but the only thing that comes out is, “I came to assist my brother.” Lan Wangji wishes he could be half as shameless as Wei Ying.

Wei Ying seems to deflate a bit when Lan Wangji doesn’t say anything else, his face pulling into an exaggerated frown that Lan Wangji had only seen when Wei Ying was teased. It pulls at the corners of his mouth.

Lan Wangji spends three days out of their week in Yunmeng helping his brother, pretending he doesn’t hear him when Lan Xichen suggests for the fourth morning in a row that he should find Wei Ying and Jiang Wanyin, telling him that he should see his friends once before they have to leave.

Lan Xichen doesn’t give him a choice in the matter when he sees Wei Ying on their way to the Sword Hall.

“Childe Wei!” He calls out, smiling in the face of Lan Wangji’s glare as Wei Ying comes over, a smile of his own bright enough to make it impossible for Lan Wangji to look away from it. “Wangji has been helping me go over the old trade agreements with your uncle since we got here, but I’m afraid he hasn’t had the chance to see much of Lotus Pier.” Lan Xichen says, ignoring any kind of nonverbal form of communication Lan Wangji tried to send him.

There was no way that Xichen would actually send him alone with Wei Ying, not after Lan Wangji had told him nearly everything, he couldn’t.

“I hope it wouldn’t be an imposition to ask you to show him around.” Xichen’s voice is full of graciousness, but Lan Wangji can hear the mischief lying just underneath all of it. His brother knew exactly what he was doing. Lan Wangji wouldn’t forgive him for this.

He doesn’t hear Wei Ying agree, all he feels is Wei Ying’s hand wrapping around his wrist before he’s pulled along behind him, he hardly gets the chance to turn and see his brother waving at them as they leave.

Wei Ying doesn’t let go of his hand until they reach the marketplace, and even then, he stays close enough that their fingers brush. Lan Wangji tells himself that it’s to keep them from getting separated while they walk, he almost believes it.

The marketplace in Lotus Pier is somehow noisier than the one in Caiyi Town, or maybe Lan Wangji just wasn’t used to it yet, either way, he stays as close as he reasonably can to Wei Ying, peering over his shoulder to look at the trinkets that catch his attention long enough to make them stop.

Some of them make Wei Ying smile, and Wei Ying’s smile does strange things to Lan Wangji’s heart and stomach. He waits until something else catches Wei Ying’s attention and then he buys the things that had made him smile the brightest.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says after they’d been walking for close to an hour, tugging him closer to the dock by his hand, “let’s take a boat out on the lake.” There’s something in Wei Ying’s eyes that makes it impossible for Lan Wangji to do anything but nod his head and follow along.

Wei Ying gets into the boat first and helps Lan Wangji in after, their hands lingering in each other’s before they settle into the boat, Lan Wangji on one end and Wei Ying on the other rowing until they sit in the middle of the lake.

The sun wraps warm fingers around Wei Ying as he pulls the oars up out of the water, making him look even more beautiful, the word is already on Lan Wangji’s lips as Wei Ying stands up and reaches for his own belt. “What are you doing?” Lan Wangji demands, snapping himself out of whatever trance he’d been put in while his ears burn. He pushes himself further back against his half of the boat, eyes moving frantically between Wei Ying’s hands and his face.

“Don’t you remember Lan Zhan? I told you I would pick lotus roots for you when you visited Lotus Pier, but I can’t swim in my robes, they’ll get all muddy.” There was sound logic in that, but Lan Wangji wasn’t sure if he would survive Wei Ying stripping right in front of him in broad daylight.

“Wei Ying doesn’t have to.” Lan Wangji says, forcing himself to look at the water instead. Was that why Wei Ying brought him out here? Just to fulfill some promise that Lan Wangji had rejected months ago? Guilt fills his throat and he nearly reaches for the oars to row the both of them back to the dock, but then Wei Ying is on his side of the boat, sitting so close their knees are touching.

When Lan Wangji finally looks up again, Wei Ying is still in his clothes, but his face is much closer and a little sadder now, Lan Wangji thinks, but he still smiles.

“I wanted to.” Wei Ying explains, rubbing at the back of his neck and not looking at Lan Wangji. “I’ve been trying to think of places to take you and things to show you since you got here, but I couldn’t think of anything you wouldn’t call boring. Shijie was the one who told me I should bring you out here.” There’s a nervous laugh on the tail of Wei Ying’s words, his eyes less sad now.

Wei Ying had spoken to Jiang Yanli about him? He’d asked her for advice, it sounded, but why?

“I really like you a lot, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says and Lan Wangji’s heart stops in his chest, his mouth falling open just a little bit, “I wanted to have fun with you before you left.”

Oh, Lan Wangji thinks, those were words he’d been too afraid to utter even to himself, that he liked Wei Ying, that he wanted to spend time with him.

“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji says, forcing the words past his throat, he needs to tell him, he has to.

“It’s fine, Lan Zhan, if you don’t feel the same,” Wei Ying interrupts and Lan Wangji wants to scream, “I couldn’t expect something like that from you.”

Lan Wangji grabs onto Wei Ying’s wrist, squeezing it tightly as the words finally come. “I like Wei Ying very much.” Lan Wangji says, and it doesn’t feel like it’s enough, but what would’ve been? Would it have been enough to tell Wei Ying that he’d thought of no one else but him since he’d returned to Cloud Recesses? Would it be enough to tell Wei Ying that he sees his smile in the back of his mind every night before bed?

Wei Ying derails that train of thought perfectly by calling his name, and Lan Wangji looks up, the word beautiful is on his tongue again. Wei Ying glows golden in the fading sunlight, brown eyes illuminated as he stares back at Lan Wangji.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says, his voice quiet and careful as if they were sharing a secret, “can I kiss you?”

“Please.” Lan Wangji answers, pulling Wei Ying forward by his wrist, wanting him closer now than he’s ever allowed anybody before.

Their first kiss is clumsy, lips brushing against each other and hands not quite sure what to do as Wei Ying half stands and half kneels in front of him. It lacks any of the artistry Lan Wangji had read about in the poems he’d taken out of the library, but it didn’t lack the passion.

“I missed you.” Wei Ying says when they finally pull apart, his hands are still on Lan Wangji’s chest and Lan Wangji dares not move them.

“I missed Wei Ying too.” Lan Wangji confesses, reaching up and dragging his thumb over Wei Ying’s swollen bottom lip.

He missed Wei Ying so much.

#the untamed #mdzs #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wei ying #lan zhan #lan xichen is a meddlesome older brother and we love to see it

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