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fandomweekly2021-12-17 12:11 am
curiosity) wrote in fandomweekly2021-12-17 12:11 am
Entry tags:
[#120] Trepidation (MDZS)
Theme Prompt: #120 - Technical Difficulties
Title: Trepidation
Fandom: MDZS
Rating/Warnings: T, Angst, Shouty uncle. The whole thing is tension.
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1000
Summary: When Lan Wangji arrives home, his uncle's house is dark.
Lan Wangji arrived at his uncle’s house after the normal dinner hour but before curfew. Lan Qiren still went to bed at ten, every evening. It was only seven.
The house was already dark and silent, without so much as a porch light left on for him. Frowning, Lan Wangji checked his phone but there were no new texts or voicemails from his shufu.
The message he had left, telling Shufu he would be late due to a major traffic accident had been marked as read but there was no reply. He sent a text to his boyfriend, to let him know Wangji had arrived safely. He sent another text to his brother, Xichen, asking after their uncle and explaining that the house was dark.
His boyfriend sent a kissy emoji.
His brother sent a longer reply.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Lan Wangji pocketed his phone and exited the car, retrieving his suitcase from the trunk. He let himself into the house and hung up his keys. The house was as silent inside as it looked from the outside.
“Shufu?” He called, beginning to worry. Had Lan Qiren fallen or otherwise injured himself? “I’m home.”
He quickly took his shoes off and padded down the hall, peering into every room, looking for his uncle. But the older man was nowhere to be found on the first floor. Lan Wangji sent another text to Xichen, then made his way upstairs.
Lan Qiren was not in his room. He was not in the upstairs bathroom. He was not in Wangji’s room or Xichen’s room. Lan Wangji was debating on trying the attic when he heard a noise coming from his uncle’s darkened study.
“Shufu?” He called again, genuinely concerned.
No reply. He entered the study. The large chair behind the desk turned away from the window, to face Lan Wangji. His shufu sat there, face in shadow. Foreboding coiled in Lan Wangji’s gut.
“Shufu?”
“Lan Wangji,” his uncle snapped, turning on the desk lamp. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Lan Wangji staggered back a step, he had never seen his stern uncle so angry. The older man’s face was red and his eyes blazed with emotion. Not since the death of Xichen and Wangji’s mother had Lan Wangji seen his uncle so emotional.
“Shufu?” Lan Wangji asked, confused.
“Tell me, Lan Wangji, did you think I wouldn’t find out?” Lan Qiren stood up, tucked his hands behind his back and stalked up to the younger man.
Lan Wangji stood up straight, as if he were ten years old again, waiting for his shufu to inspect his room and grade him on how well he’d made his bed and lined up his slippers with the edge of the rug. He wished, suddenly, that he’d stayed on campus for break after all.
“Well? Answer me!” Lan Qiren’s voice was a whipcrack in the still house. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Lan Wangji was silent, quickly sifting through the likely reasons for his uncle’s anger. There were not many. Only one, really, that he’d been praying to avoid.
“Nothing to say for yourself?” Lan Qiren asked, sarcasm heavy in his voice. He sneered, the light from the desk lamp casting shadows on his face as he paced back and forth in front of Lan Wangji. “Tell me, Wangji, why we are wasting so much of your inheritance to send you to a good school when you use it as an opportunity to spend the night in hotel rooms with unsuitable men!”
“Shufu,” Lan Wangji said, stunned. “What are you saying?”
“Don’t try to deny it!” Lan Qiren’s voice thundered in the room, shaking Lan Wangji’s eardrums, sending alarm ringing through his nerves. “That nice boy, Su She, he sent me an e-mail. With pictures of you with that Wen boy! How dare you, Lan Wangji? First that Wei brat and now a Wen?”
“Shufu, Wen Chao stayed with me because Su She has been harassing me all year. Last semester and this one. I did not feel safe in a room with him.” Lan Wangji had hope, for a whole second, that his uncle would believe him and understand. But that hope died before it had been properly born, seeing the ferocious scowl on his shufu’s face.
“And now you lie to me. Wangji. My once flawless nephew. How far you have fallen,” Lan Qiren turned away. “We will discuss this in the morning. I believe it will be necessary to remove you from that college. Something closer to home will suit you better, where I can keep an eye on you. Keep you away from unsavory influences.”
“Shufu, no!” Lan Wangji regretted opening his mouth but plunged on, heedless of Lan Qiren whipping around to stare at him incredulously. “I like my college. My grades are perfect and the extracurriculars suit me.”
“I did not ask,” Lan Qiren snapped. “It is my job to raise a proper young man. I will do so, young man. You would do well to remember to whom you owe filial piety. I am the only family you have left, besides your brother.”
“Shufu, please.”
“Enough. Go to bed. We’ll discuss your new arrangements in the morning,” Lan Qiren decreed. Then he paused, turning to Lan Wangji. “Give me your phone.”
Lan Wangji covered the pocket his phone resided in. He took a step back. “Shufu, no. Please listen.”
“I will hear no more lies.”
“Brother is waiting to hear from me.”
Lan Qiren advanced, one slow step at a time, hand outstretched. “I will text him in your stead. I will tell him you are having technical difficulties and all is well. He will understand. Give me your phone, Wangji.”
He didn’t know what do to. His mind spun dizzily. What could he do? Disobey? Wangji had never disobeyed Shufu, not about anything, ever. He backed up one step and then another.
What was he going to do?
Title: Trepidation
Fandom: MDZS
Rating/Warnings: T, Angst, Shouty uncle. The whole thing is tension.
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1000
Summary: When Lan Wangji arrives home, his uncle's house is dark.
Lan Wangji arrived at his uncle’s house after the normal dinner hour but before curfew. Lan Qiren still went to bed at ten, every evening. It was only seven.
The house was already dark and silent, without so much as a porch light left on for him. Frowning, Lan Wangji checked his phone but there were no new texts or voicemails from his shufu.
The message he had left, telling Shufu he would be late due to a major traffic accident had been marked as read but there was no reply. He sent a text to his boyfriend, to let him know Wangji had arrived safely. He sent another text to his brother, Xichen, asking after their uncle and explaining that the house was dark.
His boyfriend sent a kissy emoji.
His brother sent a longer reply.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Lan Wangji pocketed his phone and exited the car, retrieving his suitcase from the trunk. He let himself into the house and hung up his keys. The house was as silent inside as it looked from the outside.
“Shufu?” He called, beginning to worry. Had Lan Qiren fallen or otherwise injured himself? “I’m home.”
He quickly took his shoes off and padded down the hall, peering into every room, looking for his uncle. But the older man was nowhere to be found on the first floor. Lan Wangji sent another text to Xichen, then made his way upstairs.
Lan Qiren was not in his room. He was not in the upstairs bathroom. He was not in Wangji’s room or Xichen’s room. Lan Wangji was debating on trying the attic when he heard a noise coming from his uncle’s darkened study.
“Shufu?” He called again, genuinely concerned.
No reply. He entered the study. The large chair behind the desk turned away from the window, to face Lan Wangji. His shufu sat there, face in shadow. Foreboding coiled in Lan Wangji’s gut.
“Shufu?”
“Lan Wangji,” his uncle snapped, turning on the desk lamp. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Lan Wangji staggered back a step, he had never seen his stern uncle so angry. The older man’s face was red and his eyes blazed with emotion. Not since the death of Xichen and Wangji’s mother had Lan Wangji seen his uncle so emotional.
“Shufu?” Lan Wangji asked, confused.
“Tell me, Lan Wangji, did you think I wouldn’t find out?” Lan Qiren stood up, tucked his hands behind his back and stalked up to the younger man.
Lan Wangji stood up straight, as if he were ten years old again, waiting for his shufu to inspect his room and grade him on how well he’d made his bed and lined up his slippers with the edge of the rug. He wished, suddenly, that he’d stayed on campus for break after all.
“Well? Answer me!” Lan Qiren’s voice was a whipcrack in the still house. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Lan Wangji was silent, quickly sifting through the likely reasons for his uncle’s anger. There were not many. Only one, really, that he’d been praying to avoid.
“Nothing to say for yourself?” Lan Qiren asked, sarcasm heavy in his voice. He sneered, the light from the desk lamp casting shadows on his face as he paced back and forth in front of Lan Wangji. “Tell me, Wangji, why we are wasting so much of your inheritance to send you to a good school when you use it as an opportunity to spend the night in hotel rooms with unsuitable men!”
“Shufu,” Lan Wangji said, stunned. “What are you saying?”
“Don’t try to deny it!” Lan Qiren’s voice thundered in the room, shaking Lan Wangji’s eardrums, sending alarm ringing through his nerves. “That nice boy, Su She, he sent me an e-mail. With pictures of you with that Wen boy! How dare you, Lan Wangji? First that Wei brat and now a Wen?”
“Shufu, Wen Chao stayed with me because Su She has been harassing me all year. Last semester and this one. I did not feel safe in a room with him.” Lan Wangji had hope, for a whole second, that his uncle would believe him and understand. But that hope died before it had been properly born, seeing the ferocious scowl on his shufu’s face.
“And now you lie to me. Wangji. My once flawless nephew. How far you have fallen,” Lan Qiren turned away. “We will discuss this in the morning. I believe it will be necessary to remove you from that college. Something closer to home will suit you better, where I can keep an eye on you. Keep you away from unsavory influences.”
“Shufu, no!” Lan Wangji regretted opening his mouth but plunged on, heedless of Lan Qiren whipping around to stare at him incredulously. “I like my college. My grades are perfect and the extracurriculars suit me.”
“I did not ask,” Lan Qiren snapped. “It is my job to raise a proper young man. I will do so, young man. You would do well to remember to whom you owe filial piety. I am the only family you have left, besides your brother.”
“Shufu, please.”
“Enough. Go to bed. We’ll discuss your new arrangements in the morning,” Lan Qiren decreed. Then he paused, turning to Lan Wangji. “Give me your phone.”
Lan Wangji covered the pocket his phone resided in. He took a step back. “Shufu, no. Please listen.”
“I will hear no more lies.”
“Brother is waiting to hear from me.”
Lan Qiren advanced, one slow step at a time, hand outstretched. “I will text him in your stead. I will tell him you are having technical difficulties and all is well. He will understand. Give me your phone, Wangji.”
He didn’t know what do to. His mind spun dizzily. What could he do? Disobey? Wangji had never disobeyed Shufu, not about anything, ever. He backed up one step and then another.
What was he going to do?
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