#bren writes

[suchasoftersin]

college au.

Wei Wuxian is sitting at the dining room table like he’s never learned how to sit in a chair. His legs are hooked over the armrest, spine draped dramatically over the back.

“Sit normally,” Jiang Cheng says, typing on his phone without looking up.

“Chairs are an oppressive social construct,” Wei Wuxian retorts. 

Nie Huaisang hums thoughtfully from the couch. “I feel like you say that every time you sit in one.”

Wei Wuxian laughs and tries to sit up but his head jerks back with a sharp little tug. His eyes go wide.

Jiang Cheng catches the movement from the corner of his eye and looks up. “What.”

Wei Wuxian carefully lifts one hand and pats at the back of his head, feeling hair and wood together. “Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian raises his voice, trying to call down the hall.

Jiang Cheng narrows his eyes and stands, walks over, and crouches down behind Wei Wuxian’s chair. He takes in the scene: long strands of dark hair neatly threaded between two narrow wooden slats, caught perfectly at the worst possible angle.

“Your hair is woven into the chair. This is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done,” Jiang Cheng says flatly. “I need you to know that.”

Wei Wuxian grins, “You say that every time.”

“And I mean it every time,” Jiang Cheng snaps. “No one told you to keep outdoing yourself.”

Nie Huaisang peers over Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “Should I get scissors?”

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng says. 

“No!” Wei Wuxian cries. 

Lan Wangji appears silently, emerging from the hallway. He looks down and takes in the situation. 

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian pouts. “I’m stuck.”

“I see that.” Lan Wangji crouches, fingers already reaching with careful precision. “Do not move,” he says.

Wei Wuxian immediately nods. “I won’t even breathe.”

“You’re still breathing,” Jiang Cheng mutters, arms crossed as he watches. 

Lan Wangji gently gathers the trapped strands, untangling them one by one. His touch is light and methodical. He pauses when Wei Wuxian hisses softly “Sorry,” Wei Wuxian says automatically. “That one was my fault.”

Lan Wangji adjusts, slower now. Wei Wuxian tilts his head just enough to look at Lan Wangji upside down. “You’re very good at this.”

“I have practice,” Lan Wangji says quietly. Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes. 

Nie Huaisang looks interested and asks, “Practice?”

Wei Wuxian grins, all teeth. “I get stuck a lot,” He explains proudly.

“A normal person wouldn’t be bragging about that,” Jiang Cheng snaps. 

Lan Wangji frees the last strand and straightens. He steps back. “You may move now.”

Wei Wuxian immediately flops forward, hair cascading free, and spins in the chair to face him. “Lan Zhan,” he says sincerely, “you saved my life.” Lan Wangji shakes his head in response.

Nie Huaisang watches Wei Wuxian grin up at Lan Wangji, eyes bright, and he feels like he really is watching a romcom in real life.

[brennacedria]

Thursday Bangers 7/10!

Heya! I’m hosting this week for @woundedsoul12! Here’s this week’s lyric:

Baby, you're all that I want When you're lyin' here in my arms I'm findin' it hard to believe We're in heaven –Heaven, Bryan Adams

Show me some fluff!

I went with Alistair and my Elissa, “Homecoming:"

~~~~~~~~~~

10 Cloudreach, 9:37 Dragon Alistair, I have to go. I’m sorry for not waiting for you, but if I did you’d insist on coming along and I have to do this alone. Keep an eye on Denerim for me, and don’t let Eamon declare me dead or try to make you remarry or anything. If anything happens to me, you’ll know; otherwise, know that I will come home to you. But not until I have a cure for us both. All my love, Lissa

Alistair sat alone in the throne room of the palace in Denerim, turning the letter over in his hands, just as he’d done so many nights for almost eight years. He’d thought for certain that she’d come home when the Breach opened, but that crisis came and went with no sign of her, just like so many years before and after it. 

But there’d been no word otherwise, either, and so he continued to wait. Every night, after the day’s audiences and reports and other work, after supper, after a bath and after rereading the novels she always loved, he returned to the throne room and waited. Some day, some night, she’d come in through those doors. Dirty, weary, but home.

The bells chimed midnight, and Alistair yawned. He never got much sleep, but he knew she’d be angry with him if he didn’t try. He stood and stretched, then blew out the few candles and made his way toward his chambers. Not tonight, then. He headed to his rooms, ready to sleep and start waiting again the next day.

He hadn’t yet reached the door to the royal apartments, but he could see that it was cracked. Almost too tired to care, he groaned to himself and pulled the dagger from his belt. He probably should have called for a guard to accompany him, but didn’t bother. Pushing the door open slowly he scanned the parlor, only to find it empty. He checked each of the adjoining rooms, and all were likewise clear. Putting away his dagger, he shook his head in resignation and headed for the bedroom. He almost expected–

Her.

She was there, crouched down and stoking the fire. Her once gleaming armor was pitted and rusted, stained with Maker knows what. Her hair was sawed off even with her chin, but was just as rich a black as before. Her face was thin–so very thin–but when she saw him her eyes lit up and she flew into his arms, the fire forgotten, sobbing with joy.

“Lissa?”

“It’s really me,” she laughed through her tears. “I’m home. I’m really home.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Gentle tags for everyone! @mythals-whore @serensama @tarasmom @becausedragonage @davrinsleftpectoral @kai-dimir @fiberpunk027 @tkwritesdumbassassins @blackwall-my-tiny-husband @obsessed-with-book-boyfriends @fireheartedpup @bonesandivy @notyourmamasdeerbat @griffongrey @master-of-the-elements @chaoslifeforme @carrieing0n @serstolas @beachhotdog @nirikeehan @basedonconjecture @redheadsramblings @in-the-drowning-deep @sandcastlekings @serialsforbellara @libdibs @zennihilation @chaosherald @eiluned @waxlyricaloperaticmoon @grand-crow @otterpocketz @thatgaymerguyb @biowaredisasterbisexual @officialnostradamus @dags-over-caravans @picathartidae @arcaneschemes @babydinosaur930 @rat-spit-village @thrilmalia @guacamolleee @fenrelmercar @jenn2d2 

AND YOU <3

[timewillreveal]

one moment, he felt normal- the usual, nothingness and subtle tingle of static he was so familiar with nowadays. the next one, he could feel texture for the first time in years, and decided he loathed it.

it all felt so tight, and he knew for a fact it wasn't his clothes (these were too big for him, actually) but the skin suit that suddenly compressed his <st>static</st> bones and muscles in place.

it took a few seconds, to figure what was happening, and react accordingly. more than that, to get used to a corpse that should've been buried decades ago.

and yet, there wasn't any sign of decomposition. He doesn't know if that's better or worse (at least he'd have a excuse for the unease this event set on him, were he a decomposed corpse).

taking in the environment, –a disheveled hotel room– he looked for a mirror, or any surface slightly reflective, truly.

however

all he found

were shards

-----

[suchasoftersin]

college au.

It’s roughly eleven at night when a sharp, startled noise echoes down the hallway, immediately followed by a groan. Jiang Cheng sighs, already irritated, and drags himself out of bed. He cracks his door open. The hallway is dark - of course it is because it’s eleven at night, Jiang Cheng internally rolls his eyes.

He takes a few steps forward before his foot collides with something solid. “What the fuck?”

“Oof,” Wei Wuxian wheezes, the sound punched out of him on an inhale, “Oh my god.”

Jiang Cheng freezes, then nudges the obstruction again, less forcefully this time, “Why are you on the floor?”

Before Wei Wuxian can answer, there’s a second noise close to a yelp. “Hey!” Nie Huaisang squeaks. “Watch it!”

Jiang Cheng turns his glare downward towards the voices even though he can’t actually see anything through the dark. “Why the fuck is anyone on the floor?”

Nie Huaisang quickly defends himself, “Don’t yell at me, I had to pee. He was just there and I tripped.” 

“Well move, you’re a traffic hazard,” Jiang Cheng replies, fighting the urge to softly kick in his direction again.

“I was camping,” Wei Wuxian says weakly.

“That is not an answer,” Jiang Cheng replies as he flicks on the hallway light. Wei Wuxian is sprawled out on a pile of blankets and a pillow like he gave up halfway through building a nest. One arm is thrown dramatically over his eyes. Nie Huaisang is next to him but is now sitting up.

Jiang Cheng stares as he crosses his arms. “Why are you sleeping in the hallway.” 

Wei Wuxian know it’s a rhetorical question just by the tone his brother uses. He groans, “I’m not sleeping. I’m displaced.”

“From what.”

“My bed,” Wei Wuxian says, lowering his arm to glare at the ceiling. “Something spilled. I don’t even know what it was. It was wet and suspicious and I refuse to investigate further.”

Nie Huaisang nods sympathetically, “Valid.”

“So your solution was the floor.” Jiang Cheng closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Not even your own floor.” His tone is exasperated and he doesn’t open his eyes to look at Wei Wuxian again as he braces himself for the answer.

“I was thinking about my options,” Wei Wuxian says. “I can’t remember the last time I vacuumed my floor so there’s definitely doritos. You know when all that’s left is the little pieces at the bottom and you have to-”

From the living room doorway, Lan Wangji appears. His hair is loose, his expression calm, and his eyes go immediately to Wei Wuxian. “What happened?” Lan Wangji interrupts Wei Wuxian’s monologue.

Wei Wuxian pauses to look at him, “My bed betrayed me.”

Lan Wangji steps closer, surveying the blankets, the pillow, the general mess of it all. “You can clean it in the morning.”

“Do not encourage him,” Jiang Cheng says, moving his hand away from his face to cross them over his chest again. 

Lan Wangji ignores him. He bends slightly and offers Wei Wuxian his hand, “Come.”

Wei Wuxian blinks up at him, “Where?”

“My room.”

Jiang Cheng immediately straightens, “Hold on-”

“It’s late,” Lan Wangji says evenly, “He cannot sleep here.” The rebuttal dies in Jiang Cheng’s throat because that’s what he’s been saying this entire time.

Wei Wuxian’s face lights up instantly. He takes Lan Wangji’s hand without hesitation and lets himself be pulled to his feet. “Lan Zhan,” he says, delighted, “You’re my hero.”

Lan Wangji gathers the abandoned pillow and blanket quietly, hands them to Wei Wuxian, and guides him down the hall with a hand on his shoulder. As they reach the bedroom, Lan Wangji opens the door and steps aside, letting Wei Wuxian enter first. The door shuts softly behind them.

Nie Huaisang, still standing in the hallway, watches and whispers, “we’re already to the sharing bed phase.”

“Didn’t you have to pee?!” Jiang Cheng snaps. He exhales through his nose and continues, “I’m going back to bed.”

[suchasoftersin]

still college au. they’re definitely ✨ not dating ✨

Nie Huaisang is seated at the far end of the living room, invested in his phone, while Lan Wangji sits on the couch, upright with a book open in his hands. His posture is perfect, spine straight, ankles crossed neatly. He hasn’t moved in at least ten minutes and Nie Huaisang would think he was dead if he didn’t turn the page of his book every so often.

Wei Wuxian comes in a moment later and immediately flops down beside him, half sprawled, half draped against the cushions like a ragdoll. He dramatically sighs to nothing in particular.

Nie Huaisang watches over the top of his phone, invested in this now. His eyes shift between Lan Wangji’s unwavering expression to Wei Wuxian’s grin.

After not getting the reaction he wanted, Wei Wuxian decides to switch tactics. “Lan Zhan.” Lan Wangji does not look up and another second passes. “Lan Zhan.” Nothing. 

Nie Huaisang’s phone dips a little as he watches more openly now.

“Lan Zhaaaan,” Wei Wuxian sings this time, dragging it out and positive that can’t be ignored. This time, he reaches up and pokes a finger directly into Lan Wangji’s cheek. Lan Wangji still doesn’t look up. He does, however, turn the page of his book. 

Nie Huaisang’s eyebrows climb toward his hairline.

Without warning, Wei Wuxian rolls right off the couch in one fluid motion. He slides down and then forward, slipping neatly between Lan Wangji’s knees. The cushions dip slightly under the added weight as he plants his hands on either side of Lan Wangji’s hips, arms braced, body effectively boxing him in.

He leans forward until his face is pressed right into the narrow space between Lan Wangji’s arms, completely blocking his view of the book.

“Lan Zhan, hi!” Wei Wuxian beams, smiling like he’s just won a bet and is delighted by it.

From this angle, Nie Huaisang can clearly see Lan Wangji’s expression: unamused. Lan Wangji’s eyes narrow just slightly, jaw tightening, the faintest crease forming between his brows. He does not shove Wei Wuxian away. He does not speak. He does not even try to move the book. He simply looks down at Wei Wuxian, unimpressed and entirely used to this.

Wei Wuxian stays there, grinning up at him like this is exactly where he belongs. 

Nie Huaisang is really starting to question where the line between friends and lovers blurs and if Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are over that tipping point.

[suchasoftersin]

Can you tell banter is my favorite thing to write?

Everything goes dark at once.

“What the hell?” Jiang Cheng says, somewhere down the hall.

Wei Wuxian blinks at the sudden absence of light, then immediately grins. “Ooooh. Spooky.”

“Don’t,” Wen Qing says from the kitchen. “Absolutely don’t.”

Nie Huaisang’s voice floats in from somewhere down the hall. “Okay, I’m just going to say this right now: if anyone jumps out at me, I’m slapping them.”

Wei Wuxian laughs. “That feels like a challenge.”

“Wei Ying.”

Lan Wangji says his name calmly, from very close by. Close enough that Wei Wuxian jumps anyway.

“Oh, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian says, hand flying to his chest. “Where did you come from?”

“I was standing here.”

From somewhere down the hall comes a loud thump.

“Ow,” Nie Huaisang yelps, “why is there a laundry hamper here?”

“It’s always there,” Jiang Cheng calls.

“Well it shouldn’t be!”

Wei Wuxian starts toward the direction he heard Lan Zhan’s voice come from, arms outstretched dramatically. “Lan Zhan, my beloved, I’m coming to save you.”

Lan Wangji’s hand catches his wrist before he takes more than two steps.

“There’s a chair,” he says.

Wei Wuxian stops short. “Hey, I was supposed to save you.” He whines.

Another crash from down the hall.

“I HATE THIS HOUSE,” Nie Huaisang declares. “WHY ARE THERE SO MANY WALLS.”

Wen Qing sighs, having made her way to the living room that’s quickly becoming the meeting spot. “You’re… in a house.”

“I AM TEAM TOO MANY WALLS!” Wei Wuxian yells and then starts laughing. Lan Zhan is still holding his wrist to lead him through the dark.

Jiang Cheng appears out of the darkness like an annoyed ghost. “Why are you all yelling?”

“Because,” Nie Huaisang says faintly, “I just slapped a lamp I thought was a person.”

Lan Wangji steps forward, steady and unbothered, navigating the dark like he’s memorized the floor plan - which, honestly, he probably has.

“Everyone stop moving,” he says.

They do.

There’s a pause then Wen Qing says, “Why did that work?”

“Because he sounds like authority,” Wei Wuxian replies.

Lan Wangji ignores him. “Phones. Flashlights.”

A few seconds later, soft beams of light cut through the dark. Jiang Cheng squints at the sudden brightness.

Nie Huaisang exhales shakily. “Okay. Okay. No more surprises.”

Wei Wuxian beams his flashlight under his chin. “Boo.”

Nie Huaisang trips backward immediately, slamming into Jiang Cheng.

“WEI WUXIAN,” Jiang Cheng roars.

“I didn’t jump out!” Wei Wuxian protests. “I was standing right here.”

Lan Wangji reaches out, gently pushes Wei Wuxian’s phone down so the light isn’t in anyone’s face.

“Behave,” he says.

From somewhere near the couch, Nie Huaisang mutters, “I’m never sleeping tonight.”

[suchasoftersin]

I have this college au where WWX, LWJ, JC, and NH all share a house. it's like 80% messing with each other and NH gets a lot of it. not sorryyyy.

Wei Wuxian crouches behind the corner, using the stairwell as cover. His knees are bent, weight balanced on the balls of his feet, one hand braced against the wall to keep himself steady. 

He hears footsteps - light, unassuming, distracted. A soft shuffle. The faint rustle of fabric. Wei Wuxian bites back a grin and waits, counting in his head, timing it juuuuust right.

“BOO!”

Nie Huaisang shrieks. It is not a dignified sound. It is high-pitched and panicked, a sharp yelp that echoes down the stairwell, immediately followed by him flailing backward and nearly dropping everything in his hands.

“WEI WUXIAN!” he wails.

Jiang Cheng, standing a few feet away, bursts out laughing so hard that he has to grab the railing for support. “OH MY GOD,” he manages between gasps.

Wei Wuxian doubles over, cackling. “You should’ve seen your face!” He laughs.

“I think I saw my ancestors,” Nie Huaisang says dramatically, pressing a hand over his heart like he’s about to faint.

Still laughing, Wei Wuxian spins around to celebrate-

-and walks directly into Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian screams. It’s loud. Sharp. Entirely instinctive. He jerks backward so fast he nearly trips over his own feet, heart slamming against his ribs.

Lan Wangji blinks. That’s it. No other reaction. His eyes widen just slightly, hands still resting neatly at his sides, posture perfectly composed. He isn’t sneaking. He isn’t hiding. He isn’t trying to scare anyone. He has simply arrived.

Jiang Cheng completely loses it. He sinks down onto his knees, still clutching the railing with tears in his eyes.

Nie Huaisang collapses against the wall, wheezing. “KARMA!!” he yells between breaths.

Wei Wuxian points accusingly at Lan Wangji, his other hand pressed firmly to his chest as he tries to calm his racing heart. “Do your feet even touch the ground?!” he demands, voice pitched somewhere between awe and mock outrage.

Lan Wangji frowns slightly, clearly confused.

“I need to put a bell on you,” Wei Wuxian continues, still panting. “A warning system. Something. That was terrifying.”

Lan Wangji looks genuinely perplexed. “…I was walking.”

“That’s worse!” Wei Wuxian cries. “That’s so much worse.”

Jiang Cheng finally manages to stand, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. “You deserve that.”

“Absolutely deserved,” Nie Huaisang adds, carefully avoiding eye contact like one more glance might send him into another fit of laughter.

Wei Wuxian shoots them both a deeply betrayed look. Jiang Cheng just snickers in response.

He glances back at Lan Wangji, who is still standing there, calm and unmoved, like he hasn’t just caused a near-death experience.

“You’re lucky you’re pretty,” Wei Wuxian pouts.

Lan Wangji stiffens. Jiang Cheng howls. Nie Huaisang starts laughing all over again. Wei Wuxian exhales shakily, still catching his breath, and grins despite himself.

Worth it.

[suchasoftersin]

hyperfixation means I wrote over 200 pages of an arranged marriage au that I'm not sure I'll ever post. so here's a sample anyway lol