Fic-To-Read

Nie Mingjue knows what Jiang Cheng will say, even before he sits down. He guesses three years have been ample time to learn to read someone and so he’s not surprised when Jiang Cheng says “I want to leave.”

“I see,” Nie Mingjue says, because he does.

He even understands.

Theirs is not a marriage of love, even though Nie Mingjue finds himself wishing it was more and more often lately. But it is a political match, made even before Jiang Cheng or Nie Mingjue were old enough to consent to it, and their alliance was the only thing that stopped a war.

It might have saved the world they know, but feelings didn’t play a part in it.

At least at first.

“I wouldn’t—” Jiang Cheng starts but he cuts himself off. “I’m not leaving-leaving,” he then says, even though they both know he couldn’t anyway.

If it should be announced that they split, the possibility of war will be back in their lives. A divorce is not in their future, if they want it or not.

“Okay,” Nie Mingjue says, because there is nothing else to say.

He will not force Jiang Cheng to stay when he doesn’t want to.

“I’m not—” Jiang Cheng cuts off again, clearly upset with himself and his lack of words in this situation, so Nie Mingjue leans forward and takes his hand in his.

This, these small touches; they have worked hard for them and Nie Mingjue is loath to give them up.

“It’s alright, Wanyin,” he tells the other man. “I understand.”

“No, you don’t!” Jiang Cheng hotly says, the spark that Nie Mingjue loves so much in his eyes. “I don’t want to leave. I just—I wasn’t allowed to go on night hunts before we were married,” Jiang Cheng explains and instead of looking at Nie Mingjue he looks down, at their intertwined hands. “My parents feared I would die or get seriously injured and you’d call the marriage off, so I simply wasn’t allowed to. And even here—”

“You always have to go with me,” Nie Mingjue finishes for him because he sees how that could be grating for Jiang Cheng.

He knew that it would upset Jiang Cheng the very first time he went with him, but Nie Mingjue isn’t strong enough to let his husband out of his sight and night hunts are dangerous.

He was simply worried.

@angstymdzsthoughts

Sacrificial Lamb AU

Part 1 of 3(?)

The burial mounds is a dark place, somewhere even sanity left the person while they were reduced to a husk of bones and dry flesh. That place was rotten, echoing with the screams of the long dead souls. Icy wind blew there but it never crossed the border of the burial mounds as if the burial mounds was holding itself in chains with the promise of a gentry soul’s sacrifice every year.

Wei Wuxian was 12 when he heard the whispers about this. 13 when he was told that he was the chosen one.

His name was glorified as if they anticipated him to win a war. Wei Wuxian, the middle child of Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan who had been lost on the streets for a year.

He huffed at the lie his adoptive family created. He may have been young when he was brought in but he remembers his parents. Though he dares not to speak about them, at least this way he will be able to save his siblings, the only people who cared about him and fought their mother day and night, from an early death.

Sometimes he feels if this was the only reason he was taken in, to be sacrificed in the place of the blood children of Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. But life has never been kind to him, at least this death is better than the meaningless one he would have had were he to die on the streets.

——————–

He hates the pitiful glances of the people dressed in colorful robes. The ceremony will be held when the sun is at the peak. He is dressed in purple robes for the first time in his life. Madam Yu had lashed out when he had asked to wear his black and red robes for the last day of his life.

Now, his robes were a dark shade of purple, patterned with lotuses in silver thread to signify his clan. His belt was the shade of black with a simple silver ornament in the front. The only thing that was normal was the red ribbon he always wore, even if his hair was styled in a different style today.

He doesn’t know why these people took so much care to show a good face in the gentry even at this occasion.

He diverted his eyes from everyone, looking at his clarity bell hanging by his side. Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli were left in lotus pier because they were not leaving the side of Wei Wuxian even last night when he had gone to sleep, with hopes of waking up, for the last time.

The Jin clan was the most abundant one there, dressed in their golds. He had heard they were the ones who had sacrificed a child last year, an 8-year-old girl who was one of the sect leader’s bastard children.

On the left was the wen clan, standing with straight backs while their leader lounged in his seat and observed the Jiangs with interest. Wei Wuxian immediately cut off his gaze when the sect leader met his eyes.

The Nies and the Lans stood closer together, less in numbers even after being two of the five great Clans.

He almost laughed, the Lans were the only ones wearing an outfit fit for the occasion. Their white pristine robes stood out in the soup of colors the ceremony was. But they were no different, eyeing Wei Wuxian with the same emotion he had begun to hate since last week.

He spotted one Lan boy who was looking straight ahead. He followed his line of sight and found that he was the only one who was looking at the burial mounds with a straight face.

Huh? Is the Lan sect the next one? Is that boy the next one?

His mood immediately soured, the boy had such flawless skin and black hair, it would be a waste to send him to the burial mounds.

[ WangXian ; XiXian ]

–

The war is won!

Gusu is victorious!

Hanguang-wang is alive!

–

A sizeable crowd has gathered on the streets outside of the palace gates by the time Lan Wangji arrives, freshly bathed and changed out of his travel-weary and battle-worn armour into his formal robes. He dismounts as the guards approach, keeping the reins in his hand as he shows his pass; they grant him passage with a low bow, moving to the side as he leads his horse through the gates as quickly as decorum will allow.

The maids and eunuchs he passes on his way to the Hall of Mental Cultivation pay their respects with low bows and bent knees, lowering their gazes as they murmur his title with something akin to awe. He nods curtly in response but otherwise does not halt in his progress—it would not do to keep the Emperor waiting, war hero or not.

It’s been over a year since he went to war, defending Gusu’s coast against the invading forces of Dongying. The war had been harrowing and brutal and there were many times Lan Wangji where hadn’t been sure he would survive. But he’d fought on with grit and tenacity, acutely aware of his role as a member of the Imperial family to lead and inspire his troops by example. That is, until a well-aimed arrow caught him in the shoulder between the plates of his armour, and sent him overboard in the midst of battle.

He’d survived. Barely.

The doors to the Imperial study are open when he arrives, and the eunuchs kneeling on either side of the door touch their foreheads to the ground in greeting. He walks up to the eunuch standing closest to the door.

“I am here to see the Emperor,” he says.

“Yes, Wangye,” the eunuch replies.  He gets to his feet and turns to the door, raising his voice to announce: “Huangshang, Hanguang-wang begs an audience.”

They do not have to wait long for a response.

“Enter.”

NMJ bonding with child Wangji. Maybe a few times NMJ beat little LWJ in a spar and the time he knew little Wangji would one day beat him. Mostly Pre Cloud Recesses arc?

Of Few Words - ao3

The first time Nie Mingjue met Lan Xichen’s little brother, he thought he would be just like Nie Huaisang, so he picked him up and threw him.

“Mingjue-xiong,” Lan Xichen gasped, clearly horrified. “What are you doing?”

Probably something forbidden by the rules, Nie Mingjue thought, and shrugged.

Interlude

First part

I have an easy plan, I said. I have it all figured out, I said. Three parts, dusted and done, no problem at all, I said.

I think not, this story said, and proceeded to throw some unnecessary relationship drama at me.

This chapter is very NieLan heavy. Content warning for in-book level of violence.

Nie Mingjue is humming under his breath as he prepares dinner. It’s Jiang Cheng’s favourite, and while Lan Xichen had sent him a knowing look when he saw what Nie Mingjue was making, Nie Mingjue didn’t pay him any attention.

He is not spoiling Jiang Cheng. At least not since the bruises and cuts on his face have faded.

This is just because Madam Yu summoned Jiang Cheng to Lotus Pier and Nie Mingjue knows that such summons always leave Jiang Cheng unsettled and upset and he wants to do something nice for him.

It has nothing to do with spoiling him, Lan Xichen’s glances be damned.

“Get out of my kitchen if you keep looking at me like that,” Nie Mingjue eventually grumbles under his breath and it makes Lan Xichen laugh before he darts over to press a kiss to Nie Mingjue’s cheek and then he leaves.

Finally Nie Mingjue can concentrate on making their dinner.

He’s mostly done by the time his phone rings and when he sees that it’s Nie Huaisang, Nie Mingjue quickly wipes his hands before he accepts the call.

“Di-di,” he warmly says, but he tenses when he isn’t met with an answering “Da-ge”.

Something must be wrong then.

“What is it?” Nie Mingjue asks, using the tone that used to make his people quiver with fear usually, but Nie Huaisang is silent for a moment longer before he finally speaks.

“Lotus Pier is burning,” he then says and Nie Mingjue’s entire body goes cold even as his mind struggles to understand the words.

“No, it’s fine, Wanyin went there today,” he tries, but his voice is already trembling, his body clearly understanding what Nie Huaisang’s words mean even if his mind is still struggling with it.

“Da-ge, it’s burning. No one came out, there are said to be no survivors.”

“Who?” Nie Mingjue demands to know, because this is easier to think about than the fact that there are no survivors. He doesn’t pay attention to the sick feeling in his stomach. “Who did this?” he asks, even though he damn well knows who did this.

“The Wens,” Nie Huaisang predictably says and Nie Mingjue has to grab for the counter so he doesn’t collapse right then and there.

The Wens took his father and now they took his heart.

My Friend, I both hate you and love you for this prompt. Because I am so very very torn. But let me give it a go.

Naboo is a debacle. No one debates that. Qui-Gon Jinn comes back to the Temple barely alive, accompanied by his Padawan - the first Jedi in a millenia to have slain a Sith - and the powerful young boy they found on Tatooine.

At first they wait - while Obi-Wan Kenobi is considered more than deserving of Knighthood, they hold out hope that Qui-Gon will wake and perform the ceremony himself, and take Anakin on as he originally intended. It is not to be.

Obi-Wan is knighted and sent off on missions, Anakin remains in the creche - as Qui-Gon lives, it seems presumptuous to have any other Jedi take him on. But Qui-Gon may never wake, and so the more senior Masters take it upon themselves to get a feel for the too-powerful boy. Just in case.

Months later, Qui-Gon wakes.

He is in no shape to do anything more than argue with the council, but he is awake. Still, the matter of Anakin Skywalker is put off a little longer, until Qui-Gon is in a better position health wise. Besides, while he is not completely at ease in the ranks of the initiates, Skywalker has settled in somewhat - it will do no harm to wait a little longer. And it also gives some of them a bit more time to try an mitigate Jinn’s eventual bad influence.

A year after Naboo, the council requests the presence of Initiate Skywalker. The boy who faces them is so very similar and yet so very different from the child they interviewed a year earlier. Still far from emotionally balanced, but much less fearful. After all, by this stage he knows them all somewhat, and he has begun to accept that he is not going to be turned out - over the last year it has become very apparent that he cannot remain untrained, and as such the Creche Master had taken the time to explain the notion of a Padawan accepting a Master.

(They will never know how how much that notion affects Anakin. Because what slave chooses their own Master?)

And so they ask him. “Who would he choose as his Master?”

And Anakin is torn. Because this is a huge decision, and he knows it. Never before has he had the power to CHOOSE. He has to do this right. Qui-Gon Jinn freed him and brought him to the Temple. He is Anakin’s hero. It would make sense to accept him. And yet… What of the other Masters?

What about Master Billaba, who so patiently walked him through the First Forms when he worried about being so far behind his classmates? Or maybe Master Fisto, who laughs and smiles and pats him on the head and tells him not to worry, he will get the trick in time - has he considered a moving meditation, like this? Or even Master Windu, who is stern and forbidding, but UNDERSTANDS the anger that coils in his chest? And Master Koon - he’s kind and an absolutely WIZARD pilot. What should he do?

But Anakin Skywalker is a child of the Force. And all of the Masters he has encountered over the last year have told him the same thing. So he reaches out and…

The council watches as the boy raises his head and looks up at them with an unassailable sense of certainty. 

“I’m sorry Masters, but I can’t choose. Not yet. It’s not the right time.”

And it takes everything in him not to back down in the face of Qui-Gon’s sadness and the Council’s impatience, but Anakin stands firm.

The Force is speaking to him. Loud and clear.

“Not Now.”

In the end it is Yoda who breaks up the raucous arguments with a few firm taps of his gimmer stick. If the Force tells young Skywalker that now is not the time then so be it. The boy is still younger than the average new padawan, and still has some catching up to do. There is no hurry. Let him remain in the creche they shall, until the time is right.

And so they do. Except Anakin’s little demonstration along with the general increased interaction during Qui-Gon’s convalescence means that several of the Council members are seriously considering the merits of taking him on themselves. And Qui-Gon? He is determined to regain little Ani’s regard.

You can imagine the result. Anakin Skywalker becomes the envy of his classmates, as multiple senior masters court him to be their padawan. Plo Koon in particular seems to take great delight in tweaking Qui-Gon’s ire by allowing Anakin to learn to pilot the Temple ships, and Mace has spent a lot of time showing Anakin how to control his darker impulses. Kit sneaks him sweets but both he and Depa have the suspicion that they are not seriously in contention. Ironically all the attention has done wonders for his attachment issues.

Still, every time he is asked if he is ready to take a Master, Anakin will close his eyes and reach into the Force, before saying. “No. Not yet.”

Incidentally, his lack of Master has very much impeded the Chancellor’s efforts to spend time with the boy alone. After all, a Padawan is very different from an Initiate from a Jedi perspective - one is considered a semi-adult capable of assisting in basic mission duties while the other is not. The Chancellor may be their direct superior, but even he cannot order them to facilitate private audiences with a CHILD under their care. For now, he must make to with infrequent and supervised visits in which he must take care not to overstep the role of a genial man interested in the welfare of the child who saved his planet.

It infuriates him.

But anyway.

Time passes, and Anakin’s classmates start to dwindle, as they are either apprenticed (Anakin feels smug at having facilitated one of two of the matches - having Knights and Masters watching him keenly means he can try and push others in direction the Force suggests) or drawn towards alternate pathways. Anakin is nearing thirteen years of age, and he knows the time for a decision is coming soon.

But there are things he needs to make sure are in place first. Luckily, he knows who to speak to about that.

“Time then, it is, Young Skywalker?”

“Yes Master Yoda.”

“Hmm. Certain, you are?”

“Yes Master Yoda.”

“Good. Done well, you have, to follow the Force in this. Who is it, you have chosen?” 

Anakin tells him.

And the old Jedi starts cackling.

It is not long after that Anakin Skywalker stands before a large crowd of Knights and Masters (Because this? The apprenticeship of Initiate Skywalker? This is going to be the thing of temple legends and  NO ONE wants to miss out.) and asked who he would take as his master.

And Anakin Skywalker looks his choice straight in the eye as he speaks their name.

Obi-Wan Kenobi nearly faints there and then.

.

Let’s take a step back. 

When Obi-Wan Kenobi first accompanied his comatose Master back to the Temple, he had been consumed by their last conversation. The one in which he had promised Qui-Gon to train the boy. Except, those were obviously the words of a man who thought himself dying, and Qui-Gon still LIVED. When the council decides to put Anakin into the creche until things are more certain, Obi-Wan is so RELIEVED. Because while he would if he had to, Obi-Wan doesn’t feel READY to take a padawan just yet, not while he is still processing the end of his own apprenticeship, and Anakin is meant for Master Qui-Gon - Obi-Wan would never wish to steal that role while the possibility remains that the man will wake one day.

Still, he made a promise. And there are many ways to teach.

So Obi-Wan makes an effort to check in on Ani, make sure he’s settling in ok. It’s a big culture shock for the boy from Tatooine, and Obi-Wan does his best to help explain some of the things Temple raised initiates take for granted. Anakin’s  glee when he finally gets the hang of something is infectious, and Obi-Wan finds himself enjoying the time they spend together. 

When he starts taking missions as a Knight, Obi-Wan makes the effort to farewell Anakin every time he leaves, and if he can, brings him back some toy or trinket from wherever he ends up. Nothing major, but Anakin has often expressed his desire to visit every world in the galaxy one day, and he gets so excited even if all Obi-Wan has to show him is a rock he found while running for his life from upset dignitaries…

Obi-Wan thought his missions might be less exciting now he wasn’t partnered with the most infuriating diplomat in the Order. He was wrong.

When the Masters begin paying more attention to Anakin it is Obi-Wan he contacts for reassurance he is doing the right thing. After all he is listening to the Force, but what if he’s listening wrong? And Obi-Wan tells him he’s doing fine, to follow his instincts, and sorry he has to go now due to potential pirates, but maybe to take time with each of them to work out how well they connect, just in case the Force changes its mind? And it is Obi-Wan who tells him he should just confess about the incident with the door chimes, and reassures him that no one will hate him over the accident with the speeder. 

As time goes on, Obi-Wan becomes known in the Temple as the BEST source of information on the Skywalker Situation, because he has THE most up to date gossip on what Masters Jinn and Windu have decided to challenge each other with this time, or which Knight has decided to throw their hat into the ring most recently, only to find the kid too much to deal with. Obi-Wan finds himself feeling a little protective over Anakin, rolling his eyes at the latest stuff up on the part of Ani’s potential masters, and during one of his morning meditations he comes to the startling realisation that he is well and truly Attached to his young friend.

Well then.

So of course when it comes time for Anakin to make his final decision, Obi-Wan Kenobi puts on his best face and mentally tries to work out which master will have the honour of training the Chosen One. The selfish part of him hopes it’s not Qui-Gon. He adores his former Master, but time has convinced him that he would be a poor match for Anakin. And he wants what is best for the boy. 

Maybe once Anakin is safely matched to a Master of his own Obi-Wan might consider the merits of a Padawan himself. Certainly he is feeling a lot more confident in his skills that he was a few years earlier…

But then Anakin gives his name.

His.

Obi-Wan Kenobi.

So many faces are turned to face them and he can feel them all asking “Why him?” and he doesnt have an answer and…

Anakin is looking at him. Waiting. For his response.

His heart gives him his answer, but he has to be SURE this is the boy’s decision.

“Why now Anakin?”

And Anakin smiles, bright and sure.

“Because you weren’t ready before.”

Oh.

Obi-Wan Kenobi laughs then, in joyous wonder and kneels to look the boy (his student!) in the eye.

“In that case, Anakin Skywalker, I would be honoured to be your Master, if you would agree to become my Padawan.”

And the Force sings.

~~~

I hope you’re not too disappointed! I was tempted to write a Plo Koon is Anakin’s Master AU, but in my heart of hearts, I just can’t keep the Team separated! :)

LC THIS IS SO CUTE WTF

Why do you sound so surprised???!!!! I can totally write fluff! 

Just for that I’ll prove it by writing a bit more. And especially for @letslipthehounds and @princesspotpourri I’m going to see how this might have changed the universe in terms of a certain Sith.

When Chancellor Palpatine hears that Anakin Skywalker has taken a Master, he can hardly contain his joy. Oh he hides it as relief that the boy will at last progress in his chosen vocation, but in truth he is eager to take advantage of the opening the Jedi have finally shown him.

He has prepared a number of different contingencies depending on which of the esteemed Masters has won young Skywalker’s approval - should it be Windu, then he has a multitude of sly insinuations designed to make the boy buck at authority, if it is Koon then a few well placed comments about his non-human nature possibly making it difficult for him to understand a young boy’s passions would be a good start. As for Jinn.. well he need only pass on certain personal truths to raise the spectre of abandonment. In fact, he has considered the possibilities involving every member of the council, up to and including the tiny green troll.

Which is why he is completely unprepared for the announcement that Skywalker has chosen not one of the many Masters vying for his attention, but the relatively inexperienced Knight Kenobi instead.

It is… not something he had ever considered. Oh he was aware of Kenobi’s movements in the general sense - he was after all responsible for the disappointing demise of his former apprentice, and it was always a good idea to keep an eye on promising young Jedi showing signs of disaffection - but the for the most part the Knight had not done anything truly worthy of his attention. He had managed to disrupt one or two of Sidious’ less critical schemes and generally caused an inconvenient ruckus or three, but for the most part his actions had been of little consequence. Just your average new Knight undertaking their first few solo missions.

Well then. All the better. If the Jedi wish to entrust the training of the Chosen One to an untried young man unused to detecting the subtle machinations of a Sith Lord, then who was he to argue? It would just make his life easier.

It won’t take long for him to realise just how wrong he is.

Knight Kenobi is not a grief stricken young Jedi burdened with responsibilities far to early, or a callow youth burning from the sting of rejection. Knight Kenobi is a man who has spent the last three years working out who he is in the absence of his teachers. And as it turns out, he is still fundamentally the same Obi-Wan Kenobi as ever - determined, principled and self sacrificing to a ridiculous extent. All those three years have done is give him the self confidence to trust his own decisions and the skill to hide the fact that he’s about to do something reckless in the name of what is right. 

As a side note, Qui-Gon’s close call with the Sith still has Obi-Wan switching his sabre style to Soresu - he has had ample practice with his new forms thanks to several missions gone wrong. Just HOW good he his isn’t yet known to the Temple. Nor is his growing ability to talk his way in and out of problems with ease.

Which is why the Jedi Order takes the news of Anakin Skywalker’s choice with a growing sense of bewilderment. Why him? Why a newly fledged Knight? Yes, they were friends but Kenobi was barely on the books as an outside chance! 

(Yes, there was betting involved in the whole situation. Nothing monetary, favours are the currency of the Temple, but the pot was still substantial. Quinlan Vos cleaned up in the end - he put two and two together and got “Force ordained bond” after accidentally picking up one of the souvenirs Obi-Wan gave Anakin. He will never have to do senate duty again!)

But any muttering over Anakin’s decision is soon quashed by Yoda firmly announcing that he supported the match. After all, moved by the Force young Anakin was yes? Who are they, to question this? Also, he admits privately to his fellow Masters, Obi-Wan is far too careless with his own life. Even if Anakin hadn’t made the decision he did, Yoda would have done his best to push a Padawan his way in the hopes of mitigating his more reckless decisions.

Which is exactly what happens. Obi-Wan may be willing to risk his own life on a plan with only a slim chance of working, but he is not willing to risk Anakin in the same way. Anakin meanwhile, for all his extra training to deal with his emotions, is still a possessive little ball of attachment (he’s just expanded his range of Jedi he considers HIS in some form or another) and refuses to let his Master leave him behind to do stupid things. Obi-Wan is HIS Master! He CHOSE him, and nothing is going to part them now ok?

(Obi-Wan melts every time because ANAKIN chose HIM. It is hard to hold on to your low self esteem when you are reminded every day that the Orders most desired Padawan turned down half the council to become your student. He vows to live up to the task - Anakin deserves the best after all.)

This incidentally, means Palpatine has one hell of a time to even to get to see Anakin because as a thirteen year old he is considered old enough for most missions and there is no way Anakin is letting Obi-Wan go on missions alone.

And when the Chancellor DOES get the opportunity to talk to him, he finds it nearly impossible to drive a wedge between the pair because Obi-Wan is neither the hide bound traditionalist nor the radical maverick, and will openly admit his lack of knowledge. Also Anakin’s continued relationships with assorted council members mean that he is used to the idea of there being no one answer - Master Mace and Qui-Gon could and would spend hours arguing the finer points Jedi philosophy, and Obi-Wan was very helpful in explaining how they could both be correct, and wrong, at the same time.

Similarly his hope of using the “Jedi don’t care about the slaves/people in need” is undermined not only by Master Koon's  clear and educational lecture on how the Order because subordinate to the Senate, but also by the fact that Obi-Wan persuaded Quinlan Vos into taking a detour into Tatooine to check on Shmi Skywalker. Blackmail was involved.  Either way Vos returns to the temple able to reassure Anakin that his mother is free and in good health, and with an extra comm code that he surreptitiously hands off to Obi-Wan. Attachment is one thing, but Shmi was a nice lady and deserved the occasional message. It’s not like he’s at all sympathetic to the kid and his fears. Not at all.

And so in next to no time everyone knows. Kenobi and Skywalker? They’re going to be legendary. 

So, as the start into the new year, have Lan Zhan getting hounded by his brother’s groupies and despairing over Wei Ying’s compulsive flirting. :)

—

“Hello, handsome,” the woman said, smiling at Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan looked at her, and tried to remember if they had met somewhere before. She was carefully styled, wearing a tight black dress and high heels, with long hair and equally long red nails. She looked somewhat out of place in this cosy coffee shop, more like she was on her way to a fancy event than looking for a cup of coffee. It was certainly someone he would remember, if they had indeed met before. She was, however, entirely unfamiliar to him.

And if that had not been enough of a hint yet, there was a certain gleam in her eye that immediately put him on edge. Her smile was friendly, but there was something about her that made her feel not unlike a predator, smiling at her prey before she opened her mouth and swallowed it.

Lan Zhan sighed internally. Another one of his brother’s fans, he assumed.

He shook himself once, trying to get rid of the negative thoughts. It was a ridiculous thing to wish for anyway, to make a good impression on Lan Zhan’s relatives. He rarely left good impressions on first meetings, and Lan Huan was a celebrity. He must be meeting new people all the time, and probably couldn’t be bothered to remember one of Lan Zhan’s university classmates.

And why was he so intent on making Lan Zhan’s relatives like him, anyway? He still had severe doubts that Lan Zhan himself liked Wei Ying. The amount of side eye and chastisements he got from Lan Zhan was significant, though he had long chosen to understand these things as a sign of concern and love.

[ WangXian; 2767 words ]

[ part one: /post/632687951228354560/coloured-glass ]

The moment he arrives at the cave beneath the Cold Pond, he’s hit by a wave of spiritual energy so overwhelming it almost brings him to his knees. He staggers back a step and steadies himself, his eyes immediately drawn towards the crystal lamp on the stone altar in the centre of the cavern.

The last time he’d seen it with his own eyes, just over four years ago, it had been guarded by a serpent spirit, a beast sent down from the Heavenly Realm to prevent anyone from drawing near. Now that the serpent spirit has been slain, there is nothing left to guard the lamp, preventing the Demon God’s consciousness from being released—or destroyed. He realises with horror that the energy surge he’d felt upon entry into the Cloud Recesses belonged to Lan Wangji, who is now locked in a silent battle with the lamp itself, channelling all of his spiritual energy into doing exactly that.

Within the barrier, Lan Wangji is visibly struggling to hold his own; his veins are popping in his neck and his jaw is clenched as he braces against the opposing force—the consciousness within the lamp fighting for survival. Between them, bright blue light—the physical manifestation of Lan Wangji’s spiritual energy—clashes with the red lightning from the lamp, and the two intertwine where they clash, flaring out into a dome that prevents anyone from coming within ten metres.

“Lan Zhan!” he cries. “Lan Zhan, stop it! You can’t destroy the liulizhan!”

His pleas fall on deaf ears; there is no way Lan Wangji can hear him through the thrum of spiritual energy encasing him in a barrier of red lightning along with the lamp. But he has to try.

Some things don’t.

~

Lan Xichen had told himself not to worry when he and his brother had been summoned to their uncle’s chambers just as the foreign sect’s children were arrive in Cloud Recesses. Looking at him now, he’s wondering if that was a mistake. Uncle looks moments away from pinching the bridge of his nose to stave off a headache.

“I didn’t tell you earlier because I thought there was a decent chance that he wouldn’t even show up,” he sighs. “But I just received word that he’s passed through the gate. Wei Wuxian is going to be joining the guest disciples.”

It’s unusual for a rogue cultivator to be invited, but not unheard of, especially considering the friendship between Uncle and Cangse Sanren that he’s almost certain actually exists and isn’t just rumors. “Do you foresee a problem? He’s a very accomplished cultivator.”

Despite being Wangji’s age and not being allied with any sect, Wei Wuxian had made quite a name for himself. He learned to cultivate under his parent’s tutelage, had been a guest disciple of the Jiangs, traveled for several years with the famous rogue cultivators Xiao Xingchan and Song Lan, and there were rumors that he’d even somehow snuck up to Baoshan Sanren’s mountain and convinced her take him on as a pupil, although Lan Xichen thought that had to be a just rumor.

While that was all impressive, what truly distinguished him had only happened last year. Yiling had come under near constant attacks from fierce corpses and resentful energy that most cultivators had refused to deal with.

Wei Wuxian had walked into the Burial Mounds, which of course was certain death. Three months later he’s walked out, somehow still alive and only slightly worse for wear and now wearing a flute alongside his sword. He’d gathered his parents, Xiao Xingchen, and Song Lan and they’d erected a barrier of glittering resentful energy around the base of the mountain, containing all the miserable and frightful things that had plagued the area of the Yiling. It harnessed the natural resentful of the energy of the mountain and channeled it through several complicated talismans and arrays.

Copies had been sent to the heads of every sect so to avoid rumors of demonic cultivation, something that reportedly had been Wei Changze’s idea. The arrays were deceptively simply, barely different than what most sects were already using. It’s just that no one had thought to use them quite like that before. Rumors credited everyone but Wei Wuxian, which surely meant he was the one truly responsible.

They called him the Yiling Patriarch and that he was still a teenager hadn’t seemed to matter much to anyone.

“Do you really think he’s here to learn?” Uncle asks, and Lan Xichen has to concede that it’s unlikely. There is little in their cultivation classes that Wei Wuxian would not be able to learn on his own or from his many mentors. “No, that little brat is working on another invention and he wants use of the library without having to go through formal channels. Little hellion. No matter what he pulls or what mischief he starts, you mustn’t get caught up in it, understand?

Even Wangji seemed taken back at Uncle’s vehemence. They hadn’t known that Uncle knew Wei Wuxian personally, but it seems he must, to be this disgruntled. “Disliking Wei Wuxian will not stop us from upholding the Lan practice of courtesy and decorum,” Wangji says.

Uncle stares. Wangji breathes like he wants to shift his weight, but doesn’t. “I never said you’d dislike him.”

Whatever either of them have to say to that is cut off by a loud, boisterous voice outside the door shouting, “UNCLE QIREN!”

Uncle grips the bridge of his nose.

The door slams open and in comes who must be Wei Wuxian, black and white robes with hints of purple along the edge and his hair bound up in purple silk ribbon much finer than anything else he’s wearing. He doesn’t bow or pause, instead crossing the room and throwing his arms around Uncle in a hug.

Lan Xichen wonders if perhaps he hit his head and this all a dream or perhaps a hallucination.

Uncle turns a shade of red he hadn’t previously known him capable of and a vein twitches in his forehead, but he doesn’t push him away. “Wei Wuxian!”

He laughs and steps back, going into a picture perfect, formal bow. “This is from my father,” then he darts forward to yank on Uncle’s beard. Wangji’s eyes have widened in horror. “And that’s from my mother!”

Uncle rubs at his chin and glares. “Who was the hug from then?”

“Me,” Wei Wuxian says shamelessly. “I missed you, Uncle Qiren! We’re going to have so much fun, aren’t we? We should go to Caiyi so I can drink Emperor’s Smile and you can yell at me for being right in ways you don’t like, that always cheers you up.”

Lan Xichen can’t be seeing what he’s seeing. Uncle’s lips are pressed into a firm, tight line, like he does when he’s trying not to smile.

“Hi!” Wei Wuxian says, very loudly and right in front them. “You must be Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji! I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“And us you,” he says, after only a half second’s hesitation.

Wei Wuxian isn’t paying attention to him, instead focused on Wangji. “Aw, don’t look so disapproving, it’s good to keep Uncle Qiren on his toes.” Wangji’s face is in fact almost perfectly neutral. Lan Xichen can’t help but be impressed, since most of the clan elders wouldn’t have been able to pick up on that. His admiration quickly turns to horror when Wei Wuxian reaches out and uses his fingers to push his brother’s lips into a facsimile of a grin. “Don’t be mad, Lan Zhan!”

Lan Xichen has to resist the urge to gape. Using his brother’s given name like that, when they’ve just met! What’s worse is Uncle doesn’t even look surprised, just resigned.

Wangji scowls and he reaches for Wei Wuxian’s wrists, but Wei Wuxian slips away, just out of his reach, still laughing. “You’re going to have to be faster than that to catch me, Lan Zhan!”

He’s then darting out the door, which he hadn’t even closed in the first place, like he actually expects the Second Jade of Lan to go chasing after him.

Wangji takes a stop forward before remembering himself and freezing.

“Wei Wuxian!” Unfamiliar voices are calling the boy’s name. They all step outside to see a crowd of guest disciples grinning and waving.

“A-Cheng!” Wei Wuxian waves back. “A-Sang!”

He runs down the steps toward them, still grinning. “No running!” Uncle barks.

“Okay, Uncle Qiren!” Without skipping a beat, Wei Wuxian tucks his sword into his best and launches himself forward, doing continuous cartwheels down the steps even quicker than he’d been running. The guest disciples are cheering, and even Lan Xichen has to admit that it’s an impressive display of strength and balance.

Technically, there is no rule against cartwheeling in Cloud Recesses.

Uncle sighs. “The problem,” he says mournfully, “is that if I make a rule just for him, he and his mother will be far too pleased with themselves, and then he’ll just put even more effort into not breaking the rules in ways that make me add more rules.”

Better than a Mouthful of Blood

by mondengel

T, 1k, wangxian

Summary:  It happens exactly once, at a party, and never again. But Lan Sizhui will never forget it.

My comments:  Oh, dear god, go read the whole tumblr post.

This is exquisite.

13 years, BAMF lan wangji, badass lan wangji, lan wangji is DONE TAKING SHIT AND HE WILL FUCK THINGS UP, adorable juniors, jiang cheng went a step too far, @mondengel​​