More Than This Provincial Wife by Apprenticed Magician
More Than This Provincial Wife
by ApprenticedMagician
T, 5k, Wangxian
Summary: "It might not be so terrible, you and I. It’s not like I want a miserable marriage. I’d make you happy, if you told me how.” Lan Wangji weighed his offer, golden gaze assessing for a long time, until he bowed his head low and very politely said, “Thank you, Wei Wuxian, but I doubt I can ever return the favour.” // The negotiations surrounding the Lan and Jiang's marriage alliance encountered a few snags in the beginning. Kay's comments: Very cool merpeople AU where Wangxian are arranged to get married! The Untamed characterization of Wangxian, but Mama Lan is around and looking out for her son, who still struggles to communicate his intentions clearly, but he gets there eventually! Really loved the world-building in this. Excerpt: He hadn’t thought the Arctic’s surface would be any different from home, but upon breaching his senses were battered under a ruthless assault. The air was much colder and the north wind sharp, freezing the water between his gills and piercing down his entire throat until he choked on nothing but winter. It was unseasonably bright thanks to the icebergs and snowbanks that reflected the setting sun, hurting his light-sensitive eyes no matter where he turned. And it was noisy this side of the surface – not just from waves, but from screeching birds that circled above him and a pack of land animals that lurked nearby, barking to each other over some commotion on the shore, which made Wei Wuxian dart away in fright, despite his unseeing eyes. Startled and panicked, he ran blindly into several rocks, which bruised his skin and jolted him off his intended course to return to Gusu. Eventually he regained enough wit to dive back beneath the surface, down and down and down, further down until the depths returned him to a quiet dark, where he could breathe, calm down, and rub his burning eyes in peace. Or so he thought. “Breaching the surface at daylight is forbidden,” said a deep voice, startling Wei Wuxian into a yelp and a flail that tripped him back into a body bigger and taller than his own, with a firm and solid core despite the layer of blubber that padded it warm.
pov wei wuxian, alternate universe, merpeople, merperson wei wuxian, merperson lan wangji, arranged marriage, mutual pining, first meetings, getting to know each other, misunderstandings, angst with a happy ending, strangers to lovers, madam lan lives
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@apprenticedmagician
