#super short one shot about junior disaster gays - ace coded as usual | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

twistedappletree · 10 months

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TYPE: One-shot (bite sized!)

JURISDICTION: It’s feelings realization, your honor.

PAIRING: Jin Ling/Lan Sizhui

SIDE CHARACTERS: Lan Jingyi, unnamed town girls

ELEMENTS: Town setting, canon universe, first kiss, Jin Ling POV, internal monologue, awkward juniors being awkward because feelings are confusing~

•

He doesn’t ask what’s wrong with himself because it’s obvious now—why he doesn’t know how to talk to girls, why it bothers him to see Lan Sizhui so natural at it, why it hurts so much to walk away from him.

Stupidly perfect, charming Lan Sizhui.

•

In which Jin Ling is bad at feelings, Lan Sizhui’s ‘people-pleasing’ is mistaken as flirting and both discover the magic of (young and awkward) communication.

{ AO3 }

🍁

Jin Ling doesn’t know how to talk to girls.

In fact, he’s better at scaring them away more than anything. Lan Jingyi doesn’t know how to talk to girls either, which makes Jin Ling feel better knowing there’s someone equally as hopeless as him—and let’s face it, it would be devastatingly embarrassing if Lan Jingyi out of all people were better at courting than him.

The thing is, no matter how much Lan Jingyi sucks at talking to girls, he still seems to enjoy it.

Jin Ling doesn’t.

And because of this, he feels like there’s something wrong with him beyond terrible social skills. That’s why, when he sees Lan Sizhui easily talking to girls as though it’s second nature, he experiences a crushing mix of jealousy and despair.

Jealousy because he’s better than Jin Ling at something? Maybe. Despair for the same reason? Possibly. But Jin Ling doesn’t even like talking to girls, or other people in general, so this reasoning doesn’t quite make sense.

They’re at the docks of a new town, going through the same routine as usual: a flock of girls their age oohs and ahhs at the young cultivators of the esteemed Lan clan, then swarms Lan Sizhui in particular—all batting eyelashes and playful smiles as they bombard him with questions.

And Lan Sizhui, a gentleman to a fault, humors them, laughs with them, matches their smiles in all the right ways at all the right times, making the group of pretty young girls swoon.

But it isn’t fair because Lan Sizhui’s smile could make anyone swoon, including Jin Ling—Wait, he thinks, What?!

Jin Ling glances at Lan Jingyi who definitely isn’t swooning and, instead, is dreamily staring at (and salivating over) the contents of a nearby food stall.

The fishermen are tending to their catches, the shopkeepers are peddling their wares, the children are chasing each other around the docks. No one is swooning over Lan Sizhui’s handsome smile except the girls… and Jin Ling.

He digs his nails into his hand to bring himself back to his senses. What the hell is wrong with me?

One of the girls makes Lan Sizhui laugh—a beautiful, carefree, genuine laugh—and Jin Ling’s heart drops.

Stupidly perfect, charming Lan Sizhui.

•

The three young cultivators stop at a tea house, still accompanied by the giggling group of girls who insist on showing them around.

They take their seats inside and Jin Ling scrunches his nose at the way the girls strategically position themselves on both sides of Lan Sizhui. Not even Lan Jingyi is given the chance to claim a seat next to his best friend.

Lan Sizhui graciously pours everyone tea while the girls argue about who gets to pour his. Lan Jingyi clings onto the conversation by telling unprompted jokes and Jin Ling tries to drown out the noise by lazily resting his cheek on his fist and staring at the wall.

Half an hour goes by in what seems like seconds and Jin Ling hasn’t spoken a word. No one seems to notice his silence or the very clear boredom and annoyance plastered on his face.

He suddenly stands up and smooths his hands over his robes. “I’m going for a walk.”

“Wait,” Lan Sizhui calls, his face swimming with something Jin Ling can’t quite place. Worry? Anxiety?

“I’ll go with you,” he says, trying to stand up but the girls suddenly whine and paw at his robes, tugging him back down to his seat.

Jin Ling rolls his eyes at the pathetic sight. “Don’t bother. I won’t be gone long anyway.”

Lan Sizhui frowns and Jin Ling doesn’t understand why. Surely, if Wei Wuxian were here, he’d be egging the Lan boy on, telling him how proud he is, how Lan Sizhui is such a heartbreaker (because my god, is he ever).

Without another word, Jin Ling reluctantly tears his gaze from Lan Sizhui, walks out of the tea house and into the street. His head pounds, his heart aches, the world drains of color.

He doesn’t ask what’s wrong with himself because it’s obvious now—why he doesn’t know how to talk to girls, why it bothers him to see Lan Sizhui so natural at it, why it hurts so much to walk away from him.

Stupidly perfect, charming Lan Sizhui.

•

Jin Ling sits on a crescent moon bridge in a spacious garden, idly dipping a cattail stalk into the pond below and watching as a colorful spectrum of koi fish nip at what they think is food.

The town’s bustle and noise is muffled enough that he can finally hear himself think. No one else is in the garden but him and he hopes it stays that way.

The problem is, he doesn’t know what to think about. He doesn’t know if thinking is even worth it.

All he knows is that he wants to be alone. He hates to be alone. He hates him. He wants him. He wants, he hates, he—

“Young Master Jin?”

The cattail falls into the pond and Jin Ling’s chest fills with light. He looks up at Lan Sizhui, at his starlight skin shaming the sun, at his soft, downturned lips parted with visible worry, at his raven hair dusting the top of his gentle amethyst eyes.

He hates him.

“May I sit?” Lan Sizhui asks, a sheepish smile on his face.

No, Jin Ling thinks as he looks back down at the pond and scoots over. Lan Sizhui sits next to him and curiously stares down at the koi fish.

“Where’s your entourage?” Jin Ling asks, trying to sound as disinterested as possible.

“Oh,” Lan Sizhui smiles, “I left them with Jingyi at the tea house.”

Jin Ling huffs, his bangs fluttering forward like a curtain. “I can’t tell if that’s a blessing or a curse.”

A soft chuckle escapes Lan Sizhui’s lips, low and sweet like chimes in the wind. Jin Ling draws his knees up to his chest and plants his chin between them, hugging his shins.

He wants him.

“They didn’t seem to mind,” Lan Sizhui assures, “And I was worried about you. I wanted to find you and apologize—“

Jin Ling snaps his head up and stares at him. “Huh? For what?”

“For neglecting you at the tea house,” Lan Sizhui frowns, regret flooding his voice. “I was trying to be polite to the girls, but…” He thinks for a moment then shakes his head. “That’s not an excuse to ignore my friends. I’m sorry.”

Jin Ling wants to keep being angry but his heart betrays him. Because Lan Sizhui is looking directly into his eyes, because his apology is earnest and true, because he’s genuinely afraid he hurt Jin Ling’s feelings.

And he did. He did.

So why can’t Jin Ling stay mad at him? He’s horrified by the words that seem to subconsciously spill out of his mouth. “It’s okay.”

But it’s not okay and they both know it. Lan Sizhui knows it by looking at Jin Ling, and Jin Ling knows it by the way Lan Sizhui makes him feel like his heart’s been thrown into a furnace full of fireworks.

He hates him.

“You talk to a lot of girls,” Jin Ling quietly mumbles, almost hoping Lan Sizhui won’t hear him. “Don’t you like any of them?”

Lan Sizhui’s a bit taken aback by the question but ponders it for a moment before replying, “It’s important to show others courtesy and respect. When someone talks to me, I acknowledge them because it’s the polite thing to do.”

“Lan sect rules?” Jin Ling teases.

Lan Sizhui laughs. “Human rules.”

Jin Ling suddenly wonders if maybe he’s not bad at talking to people. Maybe he’s just bad at being human.

“If you really want to know,” Lan Sizhui starts, “I can’t like someone in… that way if I’ve only just met them. I have to be friends with them first.”

Heat invades Jin Ling’s cheeks and he hugs his knees tighter while recalling Lan Sizhui’s words from earlier: ‘That’s not an excuse to ignore my friends.’

Could he mean…? Maybe…?

Jin Ling mentally curses at himself. Don’t be stupid. “Then… do you like any of your friends?”

You absolute idiot.

Lan Sizhui blushes and Jin Ling can’t look at him because if he looks at him, he’ll crack and say too much and ruin everything and—

“Yes,” Lan Sizhui answers.

He wants him.

“And… and I hope he likes me too.”

He.

The silence between them is deafening, terrifying, revealing. The type of silence words can’t fill but actions can.

It’s too much and Jin Ling caves. He’s looking at him now. Amber eyes burn in the violet reflection of Lan Sizhui’s intense, hopeful stare.

Stupidly…

Their fingers touch and a fire ignites.

Perfect…

Warm breath against skin, time slows down.

Charming…

Their lips meet and the world stops.

Lan Sizhui.

He loves him.

{ 🖤 }

#fell asleep before I could post this here too OOPS lmaooo #super short one shot about junior disaster gays - ace coded as usual #mdzs #the untamed #jin ling #lan sizhui #zhuiling #mo dao su zhi #lingzhui #mdzs fanfic #mdzs fanfiction #one shot #ao3 #apple fics 🍎#my fics #mdzs junior trio #lan jingyi #mdzs juniors #precious juniors #aspec writer #demisexual LSZ #happy ending bc I can’t write anything tragic about them or I’ll actually die #a little bit different than my usual style btw #just felt like playing around and experimenting ~✨#fanfic #fan fiction #ficlet #mini fic #LSZ having immaculate rizz without even trying is the funniest shit to me idk LMAO #meanwhile poor JL is having a crisis because what the heck are even feelings 😭

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