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fandomweekly2021-10-10 02:10 am
curiosity) wrote in fandomweekly2021-10-10 02:10 am
Entry tags:
[#088] Skeleton (MDZS)
Theme Prompt: #088 - Regrets
Title: Skeleton
Fandom: MDZS
Rating/Warnings: G / Angst
Word Count: 1,000
Summary: Following the same clues, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng end up on the same night hunt. But Wei Wuxian realizes they are on entirely different pages.
“Is this really how our relationship is going to end?” Wei Wuxian dodged the animated skeleton.
“You said leave it all in the past,” Jiang Wanyin retorted, smashing the thing to smithereens with Sandu. “I left it.”
"I didn't mean us!” Wei Wuxian protested, snatching the edge of his robes away from grasping, boney digits and bonking a naked skull with Chenqing.
Jiang Wanyin wasn’t impressed. “And yet, that’s exactly what you said.” He released Zidian and turned the advancing horde of bones to dust. “That’s exactly how you act.”
They listened, panting harshly from the hours-long battle, waiting for the next wave of attackers. But nothing appeared. The fight was over, finally.
Jiang Wanyin shot off a flare before he did anything else.
“Are you injured?” He recalled Zidian and gave Sandu a quick wipe with an oiled cloth.
He held his hand out, snapping his fingers when Wei Wuxian didn’t move fast enough. “Wei Wuxian, are you injured?”
“No.” Confused, Wei Wuxian handed Chenqing over.
Only to stare as Jiang Wanyin produced another cloth and a long rod. He cleaned the flute with practiced motions. As he must have done for years. Wei Wuxian got his flute back, the tools vanishing up Jiang Wanyin’s sleeves. He gave Wei Wuxian a hot bun.
Then turned away to begin searching for answers in the detritus that remained. The Yunmeng Sect Leader wore a frown of concentration as he worked, shifting piles with the toe of his boot. Occasionally he crouched down to sniff or taste something.
Wei Wuxian could only stare. And eat his bun.
His brother had refused his offer of kinship. But had then turned around and cleaned his flute for him, had given him a bun. It didn’t make any sense.
“I don’t think this is the work of a demonic cultivator,” Jiang Wanyin announced, standing and approaching Wei Wuxian again. His scowl was more menacing than it had been before. “I think it’s a - ”
He went spinning backwards, dodging the sword glare that sliced the ground between where he’d been standing and Wei Wuxian. Both of them looked up to see Lan Wangji descending from the sky, as elegant as any Heavenly Official.
The Chief Cultivator landed in front of Wei Wuxian, Bichen upraised. “Do not dare approach him.”
Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes. “If I wanted to harm him, I wouldn’t have just spent the last four hours saving his ass. But sure, I’m the bad guy.” He stalked away, to the cluster of Yunmeng disciples that had come to ground a short distance away.
Wei Wuxian watched as Jiang Cheng’s disciples leapt to follow his orders and the Jiang Sect Leader, himself, went back to examining the surviving bits of skeleton. Something in his guts felt very weird. Like he was seing Jiang Wanyin for the first time.
“Lan Zhan, he wouldn’t hurt me.” He looked at Lan Zhan, who was busy fussing over him, checking for injuries.
“He has before.”
“Jiang Cheng just saved me. And then cleaned my flute,” Wei Wuxian said, confused by the whole thing, still. He looked at Chenqing, bewildered. “And gave me a bun.”
“Wei Ying is hungry?”
Lan Zhan pulled a bit of travel bread from his sleeve and offered it to Wei Wuxian, who took it and shoved it in his mouth with a muttered thank you. He didn’t understand anything that was happening.
“Jiujiu!” A golden streak arrowed through the sky and came to an abrupt stop in front of Jiang Cheng before anyone else could even move.
But Jiang Cheng had already opened his arms to receive Jin Ling, who threw himself into his Jiujiu’s arms. Jiang Cheng hugged the boy even as he began to scold.
“Didn’t I train you better than this, A-Ling? Look at you, a Sect Leader yourself and crying like a baby. I’m perfectly fine,” Jiang Cheng grumbled, holding Jin Ling’s chin and wiping his face for him. He smoothed down the boy’s fly-away hair, disheveled from hasty flight and straightened his robes.
Jin Ling didn’t even protest or whine, he just clung to Jiang Cheng and let his jiujiu dote on him. Wei Wuxian was so confused. Something went *ping* in his heart when Jiang Cheng gave Jin Ling a bun too, and made the boy eat it.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji looked around. “Why were you here?”
“Vendor in Caiyi reported dancing skeletons,” Wei Wuxian replied, unable to tear his gaze away from Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling. “I thought it was a demonic cultivator. Naturally, Jiang Cheng showed up after hearing the same rumor. Turns out it was several dozen dancing skeletons.”
“Wei Ying stopped them?”
Wei Wuxian shook his head, giving Lan Wangji an annoyed look. “Jiang Chegn stopped them. The flute had no effect.”
That seemd to startle Lan Wangji, which, fair. Wei Wuxian was startled too.
“We should return to Cloud Recesses and research,” Lan Wangji decided.
“I want to stay and help the Yunmeng disciples clean up the area, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian countered. “Maybe we’ll learn something.”
“Unlikely.” But Lan Wangji didn’t say anything else. He merely moved to the nearest pile of suspicious looking bits and began to study it.
Wei Wuxian walked right over to Jiang Cheng and tugged on his sleeve. “Jiang Cheng, thank you for saving me.”
“That’s Sect Leader Jiang, to you,” Jiang Cheng reminded him. “And it was what any honorable cultivator would have done, Wei-gongzi. I am honored to be of assistance.”
The words were correct but the tone was distant. Clipped. Jin Ling glared at Wei Wuxian and tugged on Jiang Cheng’s arm. “Explain to me what happened, Jiujiu, in case this happens in Lanling.”
Jiang Cheng bowed to Wei Wuxian and walked away without another word. Wei Wuxian bowed too, not missing the way the Yunmeng disciples watched him and Lan Wangji.
It was an unsettling feeling, knowing he was considered a threat to someone he loved like a brother. It hurt.
Title: Skeleton
Fandom: MDZS
Rating/Warnings: G / Angst
Word Count: 1,000
Summary: Following the same clues, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng end up on the same night hunt. But Wei Wuxian realizes they are on entirely different pages.
“Is this really how our relationship is going to end?” Wei Wuxian dodged the animated skeleton.
“You said leave it all in the past,” Jiang Wanyin retorted, smashing the thing to smithereens with Sandu. “I left it.”
"I didn't mean us!” Wei Wuxian protested, snatching the edge of his robes away from grasping, boney digits and bonking a naked skull with Chenqing.
Jiang Wanyin wasn’t impressed. “And yet, that’s exactly what you said.” He released Zidian and turned the advancing horde of bones to dust. “That’s exactly how you act.”
They listened, panting harshly from the hours-long battle, waiting for the next wave of attackers. But nothing appeared. The fight was over, finally.
Jiang Wanyin shot off a flare before he did anything else.
“Are you injured?” He recalled Zidian and gave Sandu a quick wipe with an oiled cloth.
He held his hand out, snapping his fingers when Wei Wuxian didn’t move fast enough. “Wei Wuxian, are you injured?”
“No.” Confused, Wei Wuxian handed Chenqing over.
Only to stare as Jiang Wanyin produced another cloth and a long rod. He cleaned the flute with practiced motions. As he must have done for years. Wei Wuxian got his flute back, the tools vanishing up Jiang Wanyin’s sleeves. He gave Wei Wuxian a hot bun.
Then turned away to begin searching for answers in the detritus that remained. The Yunmeng Sect Leader wore a frown of concentration as he worked, shifting piles with the toe of his boot. Occasionally he crouched down to sniff or taste something.
Wei Wuxian could only stare. And eat his bun.
His brother had refused his offer of kinship. But had then turned around and cleaned his flute for him, had given him a bun. It didn’t make any sense.
“I don’t think this is the work of a demonic cultivator,” Jiang Wanyin announced, standing and approaching Wei Wuxian again. His scowl was more menacing than it had been before. “I think it’s a - ”
He went spinning backwards, dodging the sword glare that sliced the ground between where he’d been standing and Wei Wuxian. Both of them looked up to see Lan Wangji descending from the sky, as elegant as any Heavenly Official.
The Chief Cultivator landed in front of Wei Wuxian, Bichen upraised. “Do not dare approach him.”
Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes. “If I wanted to harm him, I wouldn’t have just spent the last four hours saving his ass. But sure, I’m the bad guy.” He stalked away, to the cluster of Yunmeng disciples that had come to ground a short distance away.
Wei Wuxian watched as Jiang Cheng’s disciples leapt to follow his orders and the Jiang Sect Leader, himself, went back to examining the surviving bits of skeleton. Something in his guts felt very weird. Like he was seing Jiang Wanyin for the first time.
“Lan Zhan, he wouldn’t hurt me.” He looked at Lan Zhan, who was busy fussing over him, checking for injuries.
“He has before.”
“Jiang Cheng just saved me. And then cleaned my flute,” Wei Wuxian said, confused by the whole thing, still. He looked at Chenqing, bewildered. “And gave me a bun.”
“Wei Ying is hungry?”
Lan Zhan pulled a bit of travel bread from his sleeve and offered it to Wei Wuxian, who took it and shoved it in his mouth with a muttered thank you. He didn’t understand anything that was happening.
“Jiujiu!” A golden streak arrowed through the sky and came to an abrupt stop in front of Jiang Cheng before anyone else could even move.
But Jiang Cheng had already opened his arms to receive Jin Ling, who threw himself into his Jiujiu’s arms. Jiang Cheng hugged the boy even as he began to scold.
“Didn’t I train you better than this, A-Ling? Look at you, a Sect Leader yourself and crying like a baby. I’m perfectly fine,” Jiang Cheng grumbled, holding Jin Ling’s chin and wiping his face for him. He smoothed down the boy’s fly-away hair, disheveled from hasty flight and straightened his robes.
Jin Ling didn’t even protest or whine, he just clung to Jiang Cheng and let his jiujiu dote on him. Wei Wuxian was so confused. Something went *ping* in his heart when Jiang Cheng gave Jin Ling a bun too, and made the boy eat it.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji looked around. “Why were you here?”
“Vendor in Caiyi reported dancing skeletons,” Wei Wuxian replied, unable to tear his gaze away from Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling. “I thought it was a demonic cultivator. Naturally, Jiang Cheng showed up after hearing the same rumor. Turns out it was several dozen dancing skeletons.”
“Wei Ying stopped them?”
Wei Wuxian shook his head, giving Lan Wangji an annoyed look. “Jiang Chegn stopped them. The flute had no effect.”
That seemd to startle Lan Wangji, which, fair. Wei Wuxian was startled too.
“We should return to Cloud Recesses and research,” Lan Wangji decided.
“I want to stay and help the Yunmeng disciples clean up the area, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian countered. “Maybe we’ll learn something.”
“Unlikely.” But Lan Wangji didn’t say anything else. He merely moved to the nearest pile of suspicious looking bits and began to study it.
Wei Wuxian walked right over to Jiang Cheng and tugged on his sleeve. “Jiang Cheng, thank you for saving me.”
“That’s Sect Leader Jiang, to you,” Jiang Cheng reminded him. “And it was what any honorable cultivator would have done, Wei-gongzi. I am honored to be of assistance.”
The words were correct but the tone was distant. Clipped. Jin Ling glared at Wei Wuxian and tugged on Jiang Cheng’s arm. “Explain to me what happened, Jiujiu, in case this happens in Lanling.”
Jiang Cheng bowed to Wei Wuxian and walked away without another word. Wei Wuxian bowed too, not missing the way the Yunmeng disciples watched him and Lan Wangji.
It was an unsettling feeling, knowing he was considered a threat to someone he loved like a brother. It hurt.