#aces-low

This is a modern au. 

The party was in full blast behind him, but Wei Wuxian felt none of the joy. He was braced against the cold February air, the snowy landscape was a diamond encrusted view in the moonlight. The balcony of the hotel ballroom was high enough that the wind cut through every layer of his clothing, but this was better than the bone chilling numbness that the night brought. The champagne glass in his hand was like a dead weight, but Wuxian held onto it like an anchor, keeping him grounded on the dark balcony. 

A noise behind made him turn away from the landscape around him. Lan Zhan came to stand right next to him, dressed impeccably in a navy suit. Lan Zhan may be a man of few words, but he was the personification of grace, fit for royalty, unsuited to be around the likes of Wei Wuxian. He fixed his best, most charming smile and turned to the left. “Hey Lan Zhan.”

“Wei Ying.” 

Wei Wuxian had to bite his lip to not close his eyes at the sound of that voice, saying that name. 

He unstuck his tongue from the roof of his mouth, feeling heated despite the chilly air. “How did you know where to find me?” 

Lan Zhan hadn’t turned around to look at him yet, which was the only saving grace so far. “Wei Ying is hard to miss,” Lan Zhan’s voice was even as always, but Wei Wuxian heard the warmth still. This was going to be harder than he thought. 

“Congratulations on your return home, by the way,” he side-stepped the dangerous comment. “I hear you’re going to be the new COO for Gusu Tech.”

“Mn.”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t stop the rambling. “Must be great to come back home and work with the family, right?” He fiddled with the champagne glass, reluctant to drink in front of Lan Zhan, even though he felt parched. “Your brother must be happy to have you back, right?”

“Mn. Brother is happy,” Lan Zhan turned his intense gaze towards him, “I’m also happy to return.” 

Nervous laughter bubbled up, and Wei Wuxian had to take a sip of champagne to stop himself. “That’s great, Lan Zhan! That’s super great! And your uncle said you are, and I quote finally ready to settle down. He looked very happy about your decision.” There were too many greats in that sentence, but Wei Wuxian couldn’t care right then. “I’m also very happy for you, you know. Lan Zhan deserves someone wonderful in his life, someone to love him forever.” 

Lan Zhan’s gaze softened and the slight shift closer to him made Wei Wuxian’s breath catch a little. He could smell the subtle sandalwood and bergamot mix that was Lan Zhan’s signature scent. Wei Wuxian’s head swam a little. He tried to sip the champagne but apparently the glass was empty. 

“I would have someone in my life,” Lan Zhan spoke softly, moving forward to take the champagne glass out of Wei Wuxian’s hand, and hold it in his. “If Wei Ying is willing.”

Oh. 

Oh.

“Lan Zhan,” he whispered. 

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan whispered back. 

The February air stood no chance against the heat of the kiss.

times they are a-meme-ing   ( accepting! ) 

5.   top five favorite things not available in their canon verse

Tattoos are way more socially acceptable now than they were in the 40s, okay? When WWII vets came home from service, they’d have to hide their ink, because it made traditional family folk cringe. Now, not only are tattoos super common, they’re cool. You bet Joe has at least three (each meaningful to him in their own way  ---  one’s a bird on the inside of his wrist for his Ma, one’s a compass pattern stretching along his shoulder, and one’s a celtic knot on his hip, just below the waist of his pants. He really wants more.)

Collecting fish can be a whole hobby now? They have aquariums devoted to the care and raising of fish? As a kid, Joe had a little aquarium tank in his room, and he was super devoted to it. Passionate fish dad. No, he doesn’t have them anymore, but sometimes he’ll pass by the fish store in the mall and just kind of smile at all the little buddies in there.

Barbecue grills keep getting better. You know Joe Toye can grill a mean steak.

Earphones. Sure, they don’t always work, because some people play their music too damn loud in public places  (talkin’ to you, Luz)  but it’s a treat not to be constantly subjected to other peoples’ obnoxious musical tastes. When Joe wants to listen to something in public, it’s no one’s business but his own.

Definitely not something he talks about, and not something he’s taken advantage of  ---  yet  ---  but a lot of the stigmas surrounding mental health care are evaporating. It’s becoming more and more socially acceptable to go for therapy; people have more resources to deal with trauma, and less inhibition about seeking those resources out. Joe’s never gone to a therapist himself, but...  someday he might want to, and it’s always good to know that door is open. 

13.  show us what their last ‘sent’ text message is from five different text convos.

sent  >>  luz :    if u send me one more spongebob meme at 2am i swear to christ

sent  >>  bill :    so just go to couples zumba with frannie and then she’ll  agree to couples boxing with u, it aint complicated bill

sent  >>  tab :   so if i wanted to volunteer at the shelter...  how would i do that?

sent  >>  CURRAHEE!!  groupchat :    pranks are always funny til someone gets punched in the face huh

you had no choice

Joe was wheeling his wheelchair down an otherwise deserted hallway when he found Bill, hopping along, one arm braced against the wall. He had left his wheelchair behind, far enough that he couldn’t get to it easily.

“You got a death wish, Bill?” Joe asked. “The hell are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m walking!” Bill looked over his shoulder. “Gotta keep strong, don’t I?”

“And what if you fall? You’ll crack your dumb skull open. No one’d find you, you’d just lie on the floor for hours.” Joe rolled closer to Bill. “C’mon, quit it.”

“Or what?” Bill asked.

In reply, Joe wrapped his arms around Bill’s waist and pulled him into his lap. Bill was off balance enough to go easily. “Or that.” He kissed Bill quick, taking advantage of the empty hallway. 

“That’s not really a punishment, you know.” Bill kissed him back, curling closer to him. 

23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it.

Ok, we were just chatting about OT4 so I’m going to say the regatta!au that @puckindeep helped me concoct.  It’s an AU, but I really worked crazy hard to keep it in character and make each of them come to polyamory in the way that made sense for those characters.  

27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries?

ugh, honestly?? WHAT a fuckboy. can’t believe you’d even ask me what i think of them tbh BUT since you have done (the audacity of it honestly) then lemme tell ya this: 

I can’t believe you don’t know about ACES-LOW smh let me educate you 

Ally was the first HBO war mutual I ever had, and since the moment I began following I was blown away by her. Always so kind and supportive, going above and beyond in her willingness to check on her friends when they’ve had a bad day. She’s cheered for me through my ups and downs, and always had something positive to say when I needed it. Honestly, I consider her to be one of my closest mutuals and friends. 

She also!! is in love with Joe Toye and tbh, anyone who loves Joe Toye is good in my book, but Ally really really loves him, and the coolest part is, she truly understands him. We’ve spent hours screaming at each other about Joe (and any other Joe Toye-related things), and I’ve personally spent hours crying and smiling over her wonderful fics, because guess what!! She’s also a crazy talented writer. I adore her work SO MUCH. And she’s not in fandom for notoriety or fandom fame, either. She’s in fandom because she loves it, which makes loving her so gloriously easy. 

Other things you should know about Ally: she’s intuitive, passionate, beautiful, creative, empathetic, and HELLA SMART.