It takes a lot to get Lan Wangji’s head out of his book when he’s riding the bus on his way to campus. And this? This is a lot.
He’d been engrossed in a book of poems and had closed his eyes to savor a line when the bus stopped to pick up some more passengers. When he opens his eyes again, a pretty, college-age girl is boarding the bus, sliding her card through the machine at the front. Lan Wangji has seen lots of pretty girls, so this is not remarkable. He is about to put his nose back in his book when she moves aside and the most beautiful boy Lan Wangji’s ever seen enters behind her.
At first, to Lan Wangji, he looks like a bird. A hummingbird, maybe, because he’s humming here and there—saying something to the bus driver that makes her laugh, eyes lighting up when the girl beckons him to an open seat, chatting amiably with her as the bus lurches to life and continues down the road. There’s something almost elfin about his features. Sharp nose, pretty angled eyes, a long sheaf of black hair tied into a high ponytail behind him. It’s not jut his face that reminds Lan Wangji of a bird. He’s slender, small-boned, but still clearly masculine. Lan Wangji would like to hold him in the palm of his hand, stroke his hair like you would stroke a baby bird’s feathers. Watch him sing.
The book falls useless between Lan Wangji’s thighs. Poetry is forgotten. Lan Wangji stares.
As he talks to the girl, this beautiful boy glances around curiously at the bus around him. His eyes are dark, and they dart around as though trying to take in every detail at once. For a terrifying instant, those eyes land on him. But then they are gone again. Lan Wangji is glad. He doesn't want to disturb a bird in the wild.
Then, the boy’s gaze is on him again. And this time it stays, for two endless seconds.
Thankfully, that glance, too, is short-lived, and he returns to looking at and chatting with the girl, who must—must!—be his girlfriend, although they don’t hold each other or lean in the way Lan Wangji has seen lovers do on campus. What girl wouldn’t want to be the girlfriend of this rare bird? Lan Wangji doesn’t know why this irritates him, but it does. He picks up the book where it lies limp and shuffles the pages, trying to find where he left off.
Movement in his peripheral vision. Lan Wangji looks up. The beautiful bird is getting out of his seat, speaking one last word to the girl, and—what?—is heading to the back of the bus where Lan Wangji sits. A flood of panic comes over Lan Wangji, like when he was at that violin recital at age 10 and his violin was hopelessly out of tune. Don’t let him notice me. Don’t let me be perceived.
No such luck. The boy stops right in front of Lan Wangji’s seat and locks eyes with him. “She’s cute, isn’t she?” he says.
He might well be speaking Arabic for all that Lan Wangji understands these words. “What?”
“Mianmian.” The boy hooks a thumb forward, toward his companion. “I saw you looking at her. She’s available, you know. If you like, you can come up and I’ll introduce you. She’s a sweetheart."
The boy thinks he was staring at his friend. This realization dawns on Lan Wangji slowly, a sluggish sunrise. “No, thank you,” he says.
“Okay,” says the boy sunnily. “Thought I’d ask. Have a good one!”
And he turns with a flourish and heads back to his seat.
The bus stops again, Lan Wangji’s jerked forward in his seat. The shock breaks him out of the daze he’d fallen into. The boy talked to him! Lan Wangji got to hear his voice! A lovely, musical tenor. His vowels were resonant and clear. Crisp consonants. He danced through the words as much as spoke them.
Delight soars through Lan Wangji, and then he attempts to remember what he said.
Lan Wangji was caught staring. Which couldn’t be helped because he was staring. Was, and still is, because his eyes have remained fixed, stubbornly, on this boy since the moment he turned his back. Lan Wangji is not used to having such little control over his body. But his eyes keep telling him this boy is a feast, and he must drink him in for as long as he can. After all, once the bus arrives at his stop, or theirs, he will likely never see him again.
Somehow this feels like impending doom.
The boy glances back at him once more in mid-conversation with Mianmian. Who is not the boy’s girlfriend, and that’s a relief. Lan Wangji is not entirely sure why. His brain is racing to catch up to his heart and his fascinated eyes.
Leaning in toward Mianmian, the boy says something that makes her laugh, and then he glances again toward the back of the bus and Lan Wangji. When their eyes meet, he offers a blinding smile. He says one more thing to Mianmian, and then he’s up again, making his way to Lan Wangji’s seat one more time.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to introduce you?” he says sunnily. “You’re staring pretty hard.”
Lan Wangji is, but not at Mianmian. His eyes are full of this wild bird, so close, and his hands itch to reach out and move his hand across the collarbone that juts out from his loose T-shirt, just to see what his skin feels like there.
Oh. He wants to touch. That’s new. Lan Wangji doesn't think he’s ever felt such a strange urge before. His mind is still scrambling to find out what it means.
“You know,” the boy says, “most people would find that creepy.”
Lan Wangji takes in a tense gulp of breath. He had been so enthralled, he hadn’t thought abut what the boy would think of his staring. He forces some words into his throat. “I was not—”
“Oh, I know you’re not,” the boy says. “I can tell. Mianmian thinks so too.” Had Mianmian also turned to look at him? Lan Wangji hadn’t noticed. “It’s really okay if you want to meet her. You look kind of nervous, but she’s good with it. Wei Ying, by the way.” And wonder of wonders, this boy holds out his hand for a handshake.
Lan Wangji’s brain, already running like molasses, shudders to a halt entirely. He gets to touch?
“Lan—” What is his name? Lan Wangji has momentarily forgotten. “Lan Zhan.” His hand slips into Wei Ying’s and this is the most perfect second of his life.
Wei Ying is warm.
Which is to say, he’s real.
This boy who had appeared to Lan Wangji like a bird, like some otherworldly creature, has a warm body and a name. Wei Ying.
Wei Ying’s gaze flutters down to the book in Lan Wangji’s hand. “Are you a student?” he asks. “Mianmian and I are at Gusu. The campus is really nice, but the grading’s strict. I’m surprised they even let me in.”
Lan Wangji’s heart is racing. Now that Wei Ying is a real person, Lan Wangji had better act normal around him. “I, too.” he says. “Gusu.” He could have strung that together a bit more artfully.
Wei Ying leans against the pole to steady himself as he gazes at Lan Wangji. “Oh, really? Sweet. Maybe we’ll see you in classes one of these days.”
If Lan Wangji had Wei Ying in his class, he might never hear a word the professor says. “Perhaps.”
“What are you studying? What is that? Poetry?” Wei Ying leans forward to take a look at the book. “I freaking love poetry. Especially the dirty kind.” He laughs, and Lan Wangji catches his breath at the beautiful sound of it. “Are you a literature major?”
“No,” Lan Wangji says, and his brain is awake now, thank God, even though every half-second his heart skips several beats. “I’m in the music program.”
“Oh, wow!” Wei Ying’s eyes widen. “Wow, I’m so jealous. I’m in social sciences. Mianmian, too. Some of the classes are so awfully boring. But that’s what you’ve gotta do to be a social worker. I’m gonna help people for a living.”
Wei Ying has warm skin, and a name, and a purpose. Lan Wangji has never before had the urge to just reach up and pull a man into his lap before, but it would be so nice if he could.
“Well, I better get back to Mianmian. This bus ride is so long. Why is West Campus housing like in the next town over? Argh. See you, Lan Zhan!”
And then Wei Ying is scampering back to his seat just in time to reclaim it before another patron can take it away.
With his brain fully working again, Lan Wangji takes a moment to summarize what’s happened. Physically, he knows this is attraction. He’s attracted to Wei Ying. It feels, though, like so much more than that. He can’t find a word that encompasses the enormity of how he’s felt ever since Wei Ying got on the bus. He knows it’s not love, because love is something you build and that comes with time, but crush feels like an inadequate word for this much emotion.
He may not have a word for what he feels, but he knows what he wants. He wants to follow Wei Ying off the bus. Into his boring social science classes. Into the quad, where Lan Wangji wants to layer his body over Wei Ying’s and kiss him in the grass. He wants to feel Wei Ying’s weight on him, and sleep beside him, and have him there every day when Lan Wangji wakes up. This boy with whom he’s exchanged maybe a few dozen words. This much wanting is not a crush. Whatever it is, it has completely swallowed him up.
As he watches, still helpless to look away, Wei Ying chats with Mianmian. They both look back toward him quite a bit. And then Mianmian says something, tilting her head, that makes Wei Ying stop and sit there with his mouth hanging open. He looks at Lan Wangji. He looks at Mianmian. The two talk for another minute.
A familiar building catches Lan Wangji’s eye as the bus passes it. Oh no. Lan Wangji’s stop is coming up. Pretty soon he’ll have to take his eyes off Wei Ying and exit, and while he may meet him again on campus, he may not. Ever. It’s too tragic for Lan Wangji to stand. He clenches a fist around his poetry book.
He’s so busy contemplating the sorrow of this moment that he almost misses the fact that Wei Ying is heading back to talk to him again. Wei Ying’s cheeks are slightly rosy, and he’s all the more appealing for it.
“Hey, uh, Lan Zhan,” he says, “Mianmian thinks maybe you weren’t staring at her. You were staring at me.” His cheeks flush all the more. “Is that … is that true?”
Heat rises to Lan Wangji’s own face in answer. Without thinking to, he nods.
Wei Ying just stares at him for a moment, a taste of Lan Wangji’s own medicine, and he deserves it, he’s made this Wei Ying so uncomfortable. He should have had better control of himself. He should never have--
“Give me your hand,” Wei Ying says. And then, when Lan Wangji doesn’t move, he repeats it.
Lan Wangji holds out his hand, not sure what to expect.
Wei Ying grabs him by the wrist, pulls out a ball-point pen, and scrawls a phone number across Lan Wangji’s palm.
“Call me,” he says with a smile.
And he runs to the front of the bus, Mianmian rising and following behind him, as they reach Lan Wangji’s stop.
Lan Wangji is too stunned to move and misses the stop entirely.
That’s okay, though. He can always walk from the next stop. It’s not so far. The only thing he regrets is being unable to follow Wei Ying further. He has his number, though. And he has time.
Wei Ying. A wild bird. And now, Lan Wangji holds the means to catch him, right here, in the palm of his hand.
these fics contributed greatly to both my understanding of LWJ and my love for his character. I hope by the end of this list, you'll love him as well!
(Remember to leave a kudos or comments so these authors know their work is appreciated.)
The Price of Old Wishes by SoManyJacks @somanyjacks - MDZS-verse (E) Chose not to Warn. 67k, Complete
I love this fic. So much. It's a near canon-compliant MDZS retelling, and when I tell you that I gained so much new pespective of Lan Wangji's behavior from MDZS, I'm really under-stating it. Often I grow bored with fics that closely follow canon, but that was definitely not the case with this fic. There's a lot of new scenes that could plausibly exist in canon, or are canonical but are told so differently due to the perspective shift, that it captures the attention all the way to the end. WWX and everyone else in the cast are also fantastically written. It is tagged for CQL, but I honestly don't remember seeing any influence from the Untamed. Not JGY-friendly however, be aware.
well-met by warlight by wukuiyuxin @betweencrossedblades - MDZS/CQL (NR) CNW. 2k
Nothing suits Lan Wangji's POV and his poetic eloquent speech better in an English fic than the ENTIRE FIC being written in GERMANIC BATTLE POETRY. This fic is a gorgeous retelling of MDZS canon, full of emotion and beautiful imagery. It is a fic you can't help but read aloud for its meter. This is a work I would bookbind, frame, etc., etc.
They also have substack to follow if you like their poetry. <3
The Quiet Silvergrass & The Frosty Moon by naomimae - MDZS/CQL (M) Graphic Violence. 10k, Complete
"in which Lan Zhan is punished for showing Wei Ying the Lan Ancestral Hall, and they work through the aftermath together."
Oh sweet hurt&comfort with established, post-canon WangXian softness, how i love thee. LWJ's complicated relationship with rules and his uncle, and learning how to better rely on his loving spouse makes for a great fic.
Tether by Annerb @annerb-fic - CQL-verse (M) MCD. 255k, Complete
In which "Lan Wangji gets hit with a curse that requires Wei Wuxian to stay in close proximity at all times. Everything only gets more complicated from there."
One of my favorite fics. It really delves into relationships between characters, attachment styles and what it means to love and want to be loved, mental health issues like PTSD, depression, and recovery. Also has some some great head-canons on how WWX's cultivation works and how WWX survived the Burial Mounds, and a good canon-divergent happy ending. Warning for the miscommunication between WangXian, though - it may make you want to tear your hair out.
I exist as I am, that is enough by fantasmagorie @thatpoisonouswave - MDZS (G) NAW. 2k, Complete
"During the archery competition at Nightless City, Wei Wuxian removes Lan Wangji's forehead ribbon. Lan Xichen deals with the aftermath."
Tagged for CQL as well, but it's MDZS canon compliant. This fic is a really lovely missing-scene type fic, with LWJ coming out to his brother. A great read for hurt/comfort and twin jade feels.
the language of flowers and silent things by Reverie (cl410) @i-like-plan-m - MDZS/CQL (T) NAW. 143k
Fic series AU in which LWJ can hear lies. Canon-divergent, very good, soft fic from LWJ's pov. He makes friends, deepens his understanding about the world and about others different from him, and finds love.
rather cruelly used and rather reserved by x_los - CQL-verse (M) NAW. 13k, Complete
"In the month between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian leaving Yi City and their attending the cultivation conference in Lanling, Wei Wuxian discovers a locked room in the Jingshi. It is a mystery that clever and curious Wei Wuxian is doing everything in his power to avoid solving."
Lovely character study, especially given the way Madam Lan and Qingheng-jun haunt LWJ's narrative. I love when a fic gets into Lan trauma lol
Blossom by triedunture - CQL-verse (E) NAW. 26k, Complete
"A Cherry Magic AU where Lan Wangji is cursed in the years following Wei Wuxian's death, and what happens when he returns."
Don't be fooled by the cherry magic AU premise; the grief and angst in this fic is exquisitely done. It totally re-contextualized for me what it meant for WWX to choose the "single-log bridge" in his first life and leave people behind, Jiang Cheng included.
since i (livinginaworldofnoise on ao3) have written a probably absurd number of wangxian fics with bizarre formats, i am going to make a list of all of them to pin so i don't forget they exist!
mdzs fully epistolary fics (no normal prose):
if you ever feel alone, don't: college group chat
i don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me: among us game chat log (ongoing indefinitely)
you gotta help me; i'm losing my mind: reddit posts
cookin' up a storm, piece of cake: baking blog comment section trolls
whether i'm gonna curse you out or take you back to my house, i haven't decided yet: neighborhood HOA online forum posts
whether i'm gonna flip you off or pull you into the closet, i haven't decided yet: HR violations via work emails and slack messages
everybody thought you were so insane: ratemyprofessors posts
even if it's handcuffed, i'm leaving here with you: traffic court transcript
darling, all of my wrongs led me right to you: college newspaper corrections emails
dear reader, if it feels like a trap, you're already in one: tax evader vs. tax collector letters
my flight was awful, thanks for asking: college study abroad program student essay excerpts
could end in burning flames or paradise: couples counseling therapist notes
you could write a book on how to ruin someone's perfect day: misuse of the library reference desk chat for mischief and mayhem
me and my ghosts, we had a hell of a time: multimedia hockey au told through broadcast transcripts, social media posts, news articles, etc.
it’s all fun and games ’til somebody loses their mind: roommates au in texts, apartment rules, post-its, and whiteboard messages
from you, i'd buy anything: facebook marketplace listings and chat messages
one for the money, two for the show: wangxian terrorizing jiang cheng via finance podcast transcript
i don't need no presents: mdzs characters writing letters to santa
whether i'm gonna be your wife or gonna smash up your life, i haven't decided yet: canon-divergent letters as madam yu and lqr negotiate wangxian's marriage
no turning back once we're connected: craigslist missed connections posts
got no shame: posters on the wall of shame (ficlet)
everybody hears the story that they wanna: kpop-style social media au (ongoing)
if love is just a waste of your time, why not waste it on me?: cake order form + emails
a poet trapped inside the body of a finance guy?: linkedin shitposts
mdzs fics with an epistolary element incorporated:
don't threaten me with a good time: great british bake-off au with social media reaction chapters
we're dancing around the kitchen: worst cooks in america au (crossover mdzs/tgcf) with social media reaction chapters
i don't wanna lose, i don't wanna lose this with you: survivor reality show au with social media elements (ongoing)
other fandoms:
i know he's crazy, but he's the one i want: tgcf reddit posts
you make me a complete mess: tgcf group chat
he really knows me, which is more than they can say: tgcf newspaper articles
i don't have to be your shrink to know that you'll never be happy: tgcf couples therapy notes
outside they're pushing and shoving; you're in the kitchen humming: tgcf yelp reviews of xie lian's bakery
i've got my money on things going badly: hualian terrorizing mu qing via finance podcast transcript
no one understands the chemistry we have: word of honor reddit posts
i can fix him (no really i can) (or maybe i can't): word of honor couples therapy notes
i have many questions, no answers: r/therapists posts based on my 3 couples therapy aus
your endless nights deserve a loud ovation: stray kids college newspaper chatfic (ongoing)
In the modern world, the Lan Clan builds skyscrapers and the Nie family runs a global meat-processing empire. While many things have changed, some things never will: Wei Wuxian is still obsessed with a certain Second Jade of Lan (Corp), and Lan Wangji is still helplessly, silently captivated by the only man capable of shattering his legendary restraint.
Set against the backdrop of a high-tech cocktail lounge in the clouds, Wei Wuxian uses his skills behind the bar to pester and tease his way into Lan Wangji's heart. It starts with a tasting glass and ends with a confession that Gusu will never forget. A potent mixture of sweet napkin bunnies, outrageous drunken behaviour, and a dash of scandalous spice—this story offers something for everyone.
Rating: Explicit
Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationship: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian
Characters: Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Nie Huaisang, Su She | Su Minshan, Nie Mingjue, Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao, Jin Zixuan, Lan Qiren, Xue Yang | Xue Chengmei
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon-Typical Behavior, Bartender Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Pianist Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, First Kiss, Drunk Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Flirting, Misunderstandings, Recipes, Fluff and Angst, Shameless Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, University Student Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, University Student Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Flirting With Cocktails, Location: Cloud Recesses (Módào Zǔshī), But Reimagined As The Cloud Recesses Cocktail Bar..., Where Lans Are Still One Cup Lightweights, Drunken Shenanigans, The Cloud Recesses Rabbits (Modao Zushi), But Not As We Know Them..., Original Cocktail Recipe To Follow, Mutual Pining, Jealous Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, mixology, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Bites, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Has a Fear of Dogs, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Has an Angry Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Kink, Biting Kink, Attempt at Humor, Eventual Smut, First Time, Top Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Bottom Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Self-Lubricates, Suffering Lan Qiren, Lan Qiren Metaphorically Qi-Deviates, Xue Yang | Xue Chengmei is a Little Shit
Language: English
Series: Part 8 of A Punderful Collection of Food and Drink Fics
If you want to start the prompts early, please send me a message and I will reply with the schedule, if you want to wait, September 12th is when the full schedule will be available for everyone and during the week of the event the prompts will be posted daily.
What is it:
Have you ever seen Groundhog day? The premise is a man wakes up on the same day (Groundhog day) every day, but each day he does something different which does not affect the other loops he goes through, he's the only one who remembers what he does each loop. All kinds of crazy things happen before he finally escapes and that's pretty much what this event will be! You write a fic every day set in the universe your personally selected time loop will exist in, whether it be a single day they relive or more, additionally there will be prompts that you can add into the fic of the day. How the characters in your fic react to your choice of prompt is completely up to you!
How will it work:
I will pin a post that includes the event schedule along with the authors who want to participate. I will make posts for each fic that's posted for the event and a collection on AO3.
How to participate:
All you need to do is look at the schedule and post your fic with the corresponding choice from a list of prompts on the correct day.
To be featured on this blog, you can send me your AO3 (or Tumblr if you want to post the fics here instead) username and a brief intro to your universe for readers to check out! I will add it all to a pinned post. Links to the series will be included after the start of the event.
{for example:
Author name. Title of series (optional). Small summary about the universe i.e the type of au (canon modern fantasy etc...), length of time loop (day week year etc...), and which characters will be looping, link to AO3 page or Tumblr if using that instead} the link to fic/series will be added after posted by author
What Ships/Genres/Ratings are allowed:
ANY AND ALL. Genuinely this Event is to explore the affects a time loop has on the world and the people both in and outside of it. Whether that be a canon ship, a rare pair or even the junior quartet! Heck, it could even be from Sect leader Yao! Whoever you want in the loop is acceptable. Any genre is acceptable. Any rating is acceptable. Any AU is acceptable, Modern AU, Canon or even something else, write your heart out! This event is to explore the many ways a time loop can be written~
How long will it be/When will it happen:
The Event length will be one week (7 days), the length may get extended if there is enough interest. The exact date of the Event is September 14th to the 20th.
If you have any other questions please let me know and I will answer the best I can!
My wangxian ‘porn with some plot but plot is a strong word for it’ fic has cracked 6000 hits on ao3 yay! If you like burial mounds era bottomji but leaning more into the soft mutual pining vibes than the dark YLLZ stuff, this fic might be for you…
