#tangledwriting

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

it must have been fact

but, Jiang Cheng loved you

he wouldn’t know when it started

or how it came to be

but in this instance,

the present

right now

he sees that he loves you 

Jiang Cheng should have known better that just saying “no” wouldn’t be enough to stop his hard-headed nephew

and even more stubborn assistant (you)

the monster on tonight’s night hunt was a notoriously fierce demon dog,

blood thirsty and fearless, 

it was not a night hunt to have children in attendance

yet somehow, 

here Jin Ling was, 

you in tattered robes near by

the demon dog lunges, it’s jaws snapping wildly,

Zidan lights the forest night purple, the demon dog knocked back with a force of electricity and his own human anger,

his accompanying disciples through their demon nets on the wounded demon, making quick work of subduing it in its state

Jiang Cheng doesn’t spare a minute to check their work,

immediately turning to you and Jin Ling

“jiu-jiu! i can explain” Jin Ling is quick to stutter out when Jiang Cheng’s heavy foot steps approach both of your crouched forms

you stand up as Jiang Cheng approaches, Jin Ling clutching onto the side of your robes

“this was my fault, don’t blame A-Ling for this,” you’re quick to defend, when Jiang Cheng stares at both of you with an unreadable look in his eyes

you hold onto Jin Ling’s shoulder tightly as you continued,

“Jin Ling was worried, you were going with only a few disciples on this night hunt and though it’s a demon dog, the techniques Jin Ling has been learning at Cloud Recess have prepared him for this. we were coming to help you...” 

you don’t mean to ramble, but the words fall out of your mouth the longer Jiang Cheng stares at you with...

worry?

anger?

please not anger

you unsure emotions comes to a halt when Jiang Cheng suddenly pulls both you and Jin Ling into a tight embrace, 

and the words that he utters quickly onto the side of your cheek

*＊✿❀　❀✿＊*

Jiang Cheng

you are standing alone, watching the boats along the riverside pier,

when arms come up to wrap around you,

and you feel someone’s chin land on your shoulder,

before you can even share a word, 

there is a firm kiss pressed against the bottom of your neck,

“Jiang Cheng,” you breathe, surprise and happiness mixing together in a blissful utterance

there is a soft pause where only the wind responds with a caress of your cheek

and then you feel Jiang Cheng’s lips against the bottom of your neck, slowly making its way up,

“Jiang Cheng,” you can’t help but scold slightly, note the public setting that you both are in,

at your second call of his name, the Sect Leader spins you around to face him, 

brackets you against the wooden rail of the pier

“your fault,” Jiang Cheng tells you and you can’t help but smile at his childish words,

can’t stop him when he leans in to pull you in a deep hug, nosing at the juncture of your neck

“you smell nice,” his lips murmur against your skin

and you hug him tighter, 

glad that he loved the new scent of lotuses and lavendar etched onto your skin

*＊✿❀　❀✿＊*

Xue Yang

familiar scents, sentimentality would surprisingly be something that Xue Yang was attentive to

so when he comes to meet you at the inn hall that you both always meet at,

he is surprised 

he’d become used to the natural scent that he had connected to you, earthy and herbal from your work at your father’s medicine shop

but today,

when Xue Yang gets a whiff of something sweet, floral, and looks up to see you approaching

his eyes widen along with an interesting smirk,

“this is new,” Xue Yang comments when you both sit down at the shared table

and you give him a questioning look,

“cherry blossoms,” he notes, and you watch him take an exaggerated breath of the air around you,

“cherry blossom...” Xue Yang says 

and your eyes widen at his attention,

you had just tried a new perfume of cherry blossoms and ylang ylang

and you didn’t that it would make much of a difference

or mask the scents of all the herbs that you brewed in the medicine shop

but surprisingly to Xue Yang

somehow it had

*＊✿❀　❀✿＊*

Nie Mingjue

Mingjue sits on the bed, watching you by your vanity

the night routines that he shares with you are the most relaxing moments of his day,

he can name practically all the steps that you take by heart

which is why when you return to bed with him,

he can immediately tell that something is different

“y/n, you smell like jasmine,” Mingjue comments right away as you lay in his arms

“yes, i finished the perfume you bought me a few days earlier, we can go back to buy it again,” you tell him, 

but your surpised by Mingjue’s strong hold around you, and the gentle kiss that he presses to the crown of your head

“i like this scent, soothing,” Mingjue tells you and you smile, leaning on his chest,

“mhm,” you hum,

happy to provide this bit of care and love

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Lan Xichen

it is always the same sight,

the same blood on his hands,

the same cold hilt of the sword,

the same force of a push that sends him back, far away, falling into an abyss of darkness

it is the same image that resides in his eyes, every single time he wakes up

when Lan Xichen blinks himself awake, he can’t ignore the tears that are already rolling down his face, the lump in throat that he tries to choke down

but it still makes his breath hitch with the effort, 

as his eyes adjust to the dark, because he is now wide awake,

he feels the warmth of a small hand on his chest, 

Xichen turns slowly, eyes landing and making out the picture of your still sleeping face

Xichen’s hand finds yours, interlocks your fingers together 

your hand in his grounds him, even in your sleep

Xichen turns fully to face you, his free arm reaching out to you

he brings you to rest in his arms, comforting himself with your closeness, 

you fit into his arms perfectly,

face nuzzling into his inner robes,

Xichen leans his head against the top of your head, takes in the soft scent of you beside him, around him, always with him

with the lingering scent of the Hanshi intermixed with you, Xichen finds sleep again

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Jiang Cheng

it is a sad thought to realize,

but Jiang Cheng doesn’t remember the time before the night terrors occurred

they are not always the same sights, or fears

but they are always terrifying, unresolved,

always angry 

sad,

malicious

hateful to him

perhaps it is a mirror of his subconsciousness 

Jiang Cheng wakes up painfully,

he sits up quickly in bed,

sweat dotting his brow,

a shaking in his hands that he can’t stop,

a heart beat so erratic that he would have thought that his organs were giving up on him,

“A-Cheng,”

the sound of your voice feels distant even though you both share the same bed,

he feels the blankets rustle, he’s scared that you are leaving him, just as everyone had

just as everyone else already did

before you know it, Jiang Cheng reaches out, grabs onto your arm,

you’re pulled roughly into a tight hug,

one where Jiang Cheng locks his tense arms so tightly around you you’re nearly suffocating,

one where he buries his face into your neck

one where you feel his warm tears, drip drip drip against your skin

“you have me, i’m right here, A-Cheng

“i’m right here,”

it takes a moment, a long quiet moment

but you always patient for him, and slowly his arms around you loosen to a breathable strength, 

one that frees your arms so that they can hug him and run your hand up and down his back,

you place a featherlight kiss upon the top of his head,

hold him even as his body shakes with the silent tears that leak out of his eyes

you hold him even when dawn breaks across the horizon

you would hold him forever

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Xue Yang

he rarely feels guilty 

but Xue Yang still has a conscience

 so all the blood,

splattered, puddled, pooled into things that had to be done,

usually tucked safely away

sometimes make their appearance after a particularly hard day,

when all his energy is drained,

where Xue Yang feels the most vulnerable,

sleep passes by in a wink, if he even managed to sleep at all

which is why when he closes his eyes, 

the nightmare comes back after a long time

feels the pain rupture from his fingers all the way down his arm like the very first time,

feels the angry, the sadness churn and take him whole

Xue Yang had always been too rational to believe in spirits, but they come to him now,

all the people that he’d killed merciless

he’s begging for mercy

“Xue Yang,”

he should know better than anyone, that the dead don’t stay dead

“Xue Yang-”

you let out a startled breath when Xue Yang’s holds a knife up in defense before his eyes are even fully open

at the sight of you, Xue Yang’s own teary eyes meet your surprised stare,

he’s frozen at the sight of his blade pointed at you

but you are calm, undeterred,

gentle as you lower his hand, remove the weapon and place it to the side

your actions are slow, deliberate, even the hand that lands softly on his face

at your warm palm on his face, Xue Yang deflates against the headboard, hands coming up to over lap and hold your

little does he know that he doesn’t have to hold to you,

♥*♡∞:｡.｡　　｡.｡:∞♡*♥

Wei Wuxian

his mouth was completely uninvited from where it was right now

snagging a clean bit right off of the chicken wing that you were about to take a bite of

“oi! Wei Wuxian!” you let out a distraught shout, furrowing your eyebrows as you watch your companion lean back into the couch seat, happily eating the stolen piece of chicken

at the call of his name, Wei Wuxian barely flinches, 

seeming proud even,

“stolen food tastes way better,” Wei Wuxian comments and you roll your eyes at him, 

though you kinda get what he means

when you steal the french fry he’s about to eat right before it reaches his lips

and when Wei Wuxian lets out the same surprised call of your name, 

you only innocently smile back

♥*♡∞:｡.｡　　｡.｡:∞♡*♥

Nie Huaisang

definitely a sneaky food stealer sort of person

like you wouldn’t realize that all the food is gone until it’s actually gone

“hey weren’t there like 2 chocolates left?” you ask when you return to the couch

Huaisang only shrugs,

though out of the corner of your eye

you see his cheeks moving in an ever so slight chew

“hey! you ate one of mine!” you say

and though Huaisang wants to deny it, he has the chocolate in his mouth so he can only shake his head wildly as you attack him with prods and tickles 

♥*♡∞:｡.｡　　｡.｡:∞♡*♥

Wen Ning

don’t be fooled by his docile nature,

because there is little that he wouldn’t do for good chicken

more specifically korean fried chicken

“rock paper scissors for it,” you immediately say, when there’s only one piece of chicken left in the box

Wen Ning complies,

and though he was leading in the first 2 tries, you suddenly beat him the last two times

and a tie breaker’s needed now

“ha! paper! i win!” you yell triumphantly, 

though it doesn’t seem to matter when Wen Ning takes the last piece of chicken and pops it right in his mouth

and though your pout is cute

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

Lan Xichen

very gentle about it, because he knows that you’re only letting him wash your hair because you need the help

 a broken finger is never a fun ordeal

but luckily it is on it’s way to healing soon, with such lovely care

but anyways, back to the hair washing

all gentle and firm fingers, massaging until all the soapy suds are out

and your shampoo if wafting up to him, 

he’s especially attentive with putting the conditioner correctly and throughly in your hair

maybe because he just likes the feeling of soft strands on his fingers

and overall a great time with this man

will also offer to blow dry your hair for you as well

and you can’t ask for anyone better

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

Nie Mingjue

it will be quite the learning process with him

he’ll be frustrated first with how you’ll sit in the tub and how he’ll sit to reach the water and that takes a good 15 minutes

then the water temperature

“that’s too hot! it’ll burn your scalp” when you tell him to warm the water a little more

and then how much shampoo and how much conditioner and what not

but after that, in the settled quietness of him just rubbing the products into your hair

he’s a lot more gentle than you expect him to be

not that Mingjue isn’t gentle, you know very well his softness when it comes to you

but he massages every spot on your head (and down to your neck) as if to map every place of ease for you

you’ll probably learn the reason why some time later on

but for now,

he washes as dilligently as he can

get’s a little bit of soap into your eyes

and a bit of water into your ears

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

Lan Xichen

you have always looked beautiful teaching, that to Xichen is undeniable,

but Xichen worriedly picks up on the small tell-tale signs of your exhaustion,

the slight tremor in your hand that you hide in your sleeves,

the way that your eyes close slightly in between the short breaks when your students are reading

Xichen barely waits for the student’s dismissals to come into the hall, almost barreling into you as you try to leave

“y/n,” Xichen calls you, catching your arms

“i need to stop by the library,” you tell him, 

and he knows that you’re using the work voice with him,

“y/n,” Xichen tries again, blocking your path

he knows how important that this new teaching position at Cloud Recess is to you,

but he can’t rest easy knowing (clearly seeing) that you have not been taking care of yourself

your eyes land on Xichen’s face, and he watches your face ease a few tense lines 

“i’m fine,” you reassure, 

and Xichen doesn’t buy it for one bit,

“let me accompany you then,” Xichen tries,

and you let out a sigh, about to retort to him

perhaps the sharp way that you had looked up had been too fast

but either way, your vision suddenly tunnels

Xichen’s arms wrap around your immediately, bringing your swaying form close to his chest

your hear his sigh above you as you get your bearings back, 

slowly notice the tight, scared way that you’re holding onto his robes, 

“come back with me,” Lan Xichen tells you as his arms wrap around his shoulder in a hug,

‘time to rest, i won’t allow any more work,’ you know he means

and really you never knew your limits very well

so it’s a blessing to have someone like Xichen

how knows you better than yourself

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

Song Lan

your sword wavers, ever so slightly as you bring it back to your side

you feel tired,

“it’s completely gone,” Song Lan reassures,

 you make to nod when your vision swims,

Song Lang notices immediately, 

reaches out to grab you, pull you close to him before he could second guess himself

your knees give in fast, and Song Lan holds you upright, surprised voice breaking out into the night

“y/n,” Song Lan breathes, the warmth from your body muted, almost as if you’d been suppressing it for a while

with you leaned against him, the pin pricks of close contact move their way up his arms and shoulders

but he ignores his own discomfort, lifting your robe sleeves to the sight of red, 

small but clearly dangerous,

poison scratched onto your hand

Song Lan looks down at you, hears your strained breathing and decides that this can’t wait,

he quickly maneuvers your arms around his neck, and lifts your legs up in a quick bridal carry

“try to hold on for a few minutes, we’ll go back to the inn” Song Lan says, a reassurance that only he himself hears

your eyes fully close and your arms draped around his shoulders loosen

this close he gets a clear scent of dew and dirt from the night hunt

and a clearer scent of something so distinctively you

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

Xiao Xingchen

when your hand suddenly tightens in the crook of his elbow, 

Xingchen stops, worry churning in his stomach

perhaps he should have been more attentive to you during this long journey

had pushed to the back of his mind, 

the stumbling steps,

and late night talks

and days without a proper meal

all the days you had simply answered, “it’s okay,” to the hardships, because at the very least your didn’t have to endure it alone

Xingchen turns to you, having become much better at pinpointing exactly where you are

grabs your hand, to steady you,

steady himself

“y/n,” he calls to you 

he’s surprised by the sharp downward pull of your hand and realizes with a start that you are falling, 

Xingchen wraps his arms around you, lowering you to the ground 

the path that they are taking is deserted anyways, so he doesn’t believe many will mind that you both are stopped as you are in the middle,

“i’m sorry...just need a moment,” 

Xingchen’s brows furrow at your apology, and he reaches out to find you, hands patting slowly from your connected hands up to your shoulders,

his hand comes up to cup your face, startling slightly at the warmth there,

“why didn’t you tell me you had a fever,” Xingchen asks, later on when you both are sat in the shadow of a large tree a little ways up the path, 

“i didn’t want to delay you,” you respond honestly, voice breathy even though you are leaned in his arms 

i would wait for you, Xingchen finds himself thinking immediately,

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　Wei Wuxian　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Wei Wuxian had never quite liked to sleep early,

finding his ideas flowing the best in the late hours of the night

Wei Wuxian is used to the tightness that sometimes accompanies his eyes on long nights of scroll reading,

drafting this, drawing that

and with you to bounce ideas off,

it is easy for the hours of night to pass and blend away, 

for so much discourse and thoughts that make him wish that sleepiness were not a human feeling

but alas it is,

and when Wei Wuxian had returned to the room with a new warm brew of tea, 

with the intent of continuing his late night talk with you

he finds you fast asleep, head pillowed on arms that had finally given up the weight of holding your head up for the past hour or so

(Wei Wuxian knew you had been sleepy, but somehow, loves the sight of you almost reanimated as you talk about new to cultivation techniques and everything he had always been curious about)

Wei Wuxian is quiet when he approaches your sleeping form, tempted to shake you awake

a small probe of your shoulder, tells him that you are truly deeply, asleep

judging from the greyish hues of the sky,

it would be morning soon anyways

Wei Wuxian turns back to you, curious as to how you could possibly be comfortable

and before he really thinks about it (thinks too much about it)

he maneuvers your sleeping form into his arms,

your head falls onto his shoulder, fitting right under his chin like you were always meant to fit there, 

and your breath is soft and warm as he carries you the few short steps to place you on the bed in the other room,

Wei Wuxian watches with a funny kind of fondness when you snuggle into the pillows as he pulls the blankets higher up on your chin

finds that when he returns to sit at his table and closes his eyes

he sees you in his dreams

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　Jiang Cheng　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

above you both, the sky stretches out like a dark blanket,

bits of embedded stars glimmer 

and the world seems so vast in this moment

it is a sight to behold

and the day’s tiredness bleeds away from his shoulders,

when Jiang Cheng sits at the open port,

with you leaning close to him,

staring up at the same sky

you, the person that had always extended a hand to him,

tried to see what he was seeing,

what he meant,

the person that always met him in the middle,

even at times, when he didn’t always walk towards you

you never gave up on him

and it was a gradual but deep reassurance

that came over him like the way snow falls to the ground

“i love you,” Jiang Cheng says, a testament, a confession that finally comes out of his mouth after years and years 

Jiang Cheng says it in a bit of an absent way, only because he doesn’t know how you react,

scared that everything will change with this one step too far

but when Jiang Cheng hears nothing, and turn to the side

he only see you, eyes closed, head resting warmly on the side of his shoulder

it makes him smile despite himself, 

and although the night sky is beautiful, the changing seasons make the evening a bit colder than usual

so even though you don’t hear those words from him (yet)

you receive an action with the same meaning,

his arms coming up to gently cradle you, and carry you away from the ports back to you room,

where each step is quiet, mindful, not to wake you

and when he tucks you under the covers, it is with more care than anyone has ever expected of him

but you (only you) know

that Jiang Cheng has more than enough love

♬♩♪♩　　♩♪♩♬

Lan Wangji

obviously, Wangji is very musically talented

that is an undeniable fact

you always enjoyed watching Wangji playing on the guqin

not only because he looks so elegant, serene

but also of how beautifully he’s always been able to bring music to people

in battle, he is all precision with his notes

in healing, his melodies wash away pain like water, 

when serenading you,

well

the music that enters your ears,

always touches your heart

you can feel the amount of time that he put in to compose the music for you,

and when you find yourself singing 

with words that match the same longing

because making music together,

being in love, with one another

was what music meant to both of you

♬♩♪♩　　♩♪♩♬

Jiang Cheng

it is a hum, soft, barely there

but you have always been good at listening where Jiang Cheng goes unheard

besides it’s easy to listen for such a sound

when you are lying by the port, head pillowed on a warm lap,

where the lake side breeze and afternoon sun warms everything just right

and the air is tinged with the distant business of everything

but still quiet and peaceful enough

to feel as if in a place all your own

Jiang Cheng’s hum accompanies you in your dreamland,

not quite yet pulled into a deep sleep

but lulled enough to be relaxed, completely enamored 

Jiang Cheng rarely ever sings to you fully

he’s quite shy about his voice (reason 1)

but in the instances that he does,

the deep baritone lowness of his voice, above the splashes of water

is simply