#significanceofmoths | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jadevalentine-writes · 4 years

Note

wangxian + surprises

Hello @significanceofmoths ! I hope you enjoy this! I had a lot of fun working on it. :) If you send me your AO3 name (either DM or as a comment to this post) I will gift it to you on there as well.

Thank you again for providing the prompt! <3 I love you.

Rating: M

Words: ~3900

Author’s Note: This takes place in the post-canon world of The Untamed. WangXian are happily married for about 5 or so years and living their best lives in Cloud Recesses. <3

Lan Wanji was the best at surprises.

Whether they were small - like hiding jars of Emperor’s Smile under the floorboards of the jingshi - or large - like raising A-Yuan as his son while Wei Wuxian was dead - he was simply the best. Regardless of the size, they always made Wei Wuxian smile and feel warm with love.

Not that it was a competition, but Wei Wuxian was trying to get better at surprises, if only to ensure that Lan Wangji felt the same warmth and love that he always did. He started small by leaving little notes in the sleeves of Lan Wangji’s robes to make him smile during the long days he spent listening to the issues of others as chief cultivator. They were random messages on small scraps of paper where Wei Wuxian mused “Isn’t Sect Leader Yao annoying?” or proclaimed with gentle ease “I love you” because no matter how often Wei Wuxian said or wrote it, it never seemed like enough. It would not matter how many years they were married, Wei Wuxian always wanted Lan Wangji to know that he was loved.

One warm summer day, Wei Wuxian decided he would try his hand at cooking dinner again as a surprise. He had been banned from the kitchens due to an earlier attempt that nearly set them ablaze, but he felt enough time had passed that he would be let back in. That and he felt his intentions were pure. Everyone in Gusu Lan knew how hard Lan Wangji worked in the role of His Excellency. The least Wei Wuxian could do was ensure that Lan Wangji had more than the bland mush the Lans passed off as food to look forward to after an exhausting day of listening to petty complaints and weighing in on matters far beneath him.

As far as Wei Wuxian was concerned, the only thing that should be beneath Lan Wangji on a daily basis was, well, Wei Wuxian. It was a grave injustice to Wei Wuxian that this was not the case.

After waking up at his usual luxurious hour of wu and taking his sweet time physically getting out of bed, Wei Wuxian pulled his hair half-back with his favorite red ribbon, which was threadbare and faded, and assembled his dark robes into some sort of presentable order before heading to the kitchens. He left a note on the door of the jingshi, alerting those who may come looking for him as to where he was. Granted, likely the only people who would look for him were Lan Wangji, who was preoccupied all day, and Lan Sizhui, who was rarely at Cloud Recesses nowadays, but Wei Wuxian did not like to make them worry.

After picking at scraps leftover from lunch and helping the disciples clean up the kitchen, Wei Wuxian got to work. He rolled up his sleeves and pulled the spices he kept squirreled away in the jingshi out of his qiankun pouch, lining them up in an order only he knew on the counter. He moved easily about the kitchen, unperturbed by others as he left trails of flour and uncooked rice in his wake.

Wei Wuxian had been planning this meal in his head for a few weeks, but always felt that it should warrant a special occasion. It was not until Lan Wangji had shown up one evening last week with a basket of fresh loquats - yet another surprise - that Wei Wuxian had determined that a homemade dinner could qualify as a surprise. Wei Wuxian was so wrapped up in his cooking that he hardly noticed a disciple hovering near the edge of the counter until he cleared his throat and drew Wei Wuxian’s attention.

“Wei-gongzi,” the young Lan disciple interrupted, bowing low.

Wei Wuxian, elbow deep in flour, blew hair out of his and tossed his head to one side with a grin.

“That’s me!”

The disciple was not one that Wei Wuxian recognized, which was not surprising considering the size of the youngest class currently at Cloud Recesses. However, the disciple seemed nervous, as though it was his first time seeing Wei Wuxian this close. Unfortunately, years of marriage to His Excellency did little to dispel the fear that bedtime stories of the Yiling Laozu had cultivated in any child born before Wei Wuxian was resurrected.

“Uh, um…” the disciple glanced around the kitchen, at the two bubbling pots and the flour on Wei Wuxian’s robes and in his hair. “Uh, His Excellency wanted you to know that he...he will not be available for dinner tonight.”

Oh.

Wei Wuxian plastered a large smile on his face while inside he wilted. Perhaps there was a reason why Lan Wangji was better at surprises. He, at least, seemed to have luck on his side.

“That’s okay,” Wei Wuxian said with what he hoped was not too forced of a bright tone. “May I inquire as to where His Excellency will be dining tonight?”

The disciple nodded quickly. “He will be in the library.”

Wei Wuxian raised a brow. Then his lips curled into a devilish smirk. Now that he could work with.

“Thank you,” Wei Wuxian said with a small nod. “You may return to your duties.”

The disciple bowed and at least had the manners to hold his sigh of relief until he left the kitchen proper.

The idea Wei Wuxian had was definitely going to catapult this dinner into a high ranking surprise. He hummed their song as he finished making dumplings and then set about cleaning up as the rest of the dishes cooked. When the kitchen disciples came in to cook dinner, they avoided Wei Wuxian’s wake expertly. When everything was done, he quickly packed the food and necessary utensils into a tiered basket, dusted as much flour from his robes as he could, and started across the compound.

Most disciples were at dinner, the evening bell having tolled as Wei Wuxian cooked, so he did not run into anyone as he made his way to the library. It was for the best considering that once he arrived, he found Lan Wangji had cast a silence ward around the building.

Ah, Lan Zhan must really not want to be bothered, Wei Wuxian thought. He almost felt bad when he dispelled the ward with a flick of his hand before stepping inside and shutting the door behind him, replacing the ward with one of his own for good measure.

The library would always remind Wei Wuxian of the summer lecture that was held in Cloud Recesses in another lifetime. It was the summer before everything changed. Lan Wangji and him were so young then, Wei Wuxian sighed in reflection. So young and so ignorant, of not only each other but of the world in general. Everything was simple in comparison when you did not have to worry about war and exile and death.

As Wei Wuxian rounded a curve in the library pavilion he pulled up short. Lan Wangji was seated at what Wei Wuxian would always refer to as The Supervision desk in the center of the room, neat stacks of letters and documents crowded around him on both the desk and the floor. It was the same desk a younger Lan Wangji once stoically sat at while watching a younger Wei Wuxian pretend to copy the Lan Clan’s then only three-thousand rules.

Wei Wuxian smirked. Some things never changed.

“Surprise!” Wei Wuxian called softly, taking a step forward while lifting the basket in his left hand.

Lan Wangji’s amber eyes flicked immediately from whatever letter he was reading in Wei Wuxian’s direction. Wei Wuxian almost stumbled in the path of the intense gaze until Lan Wangji’s eyes softened and the one corner of his mouth curled as he said his favorite thing.

“Wei Ying.”

If Wei Wuxian could phase out of his body under that warm gaze, he would have everytime Lan Wangji said his name.

“Hello, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian grinned as he set the basket next to the desk. “I heard you were not going to be available for dinner tonight, so I decided to come to you. And more important,” Wei Wuxian knelt and nudged the basket towards Lan Wangji, “I brought food.”

Lan Wangji furrowed his brow. “Food in the library-”

“-is forbidden, I know,” Wei Wuxian finished, waving his hand as he pulled the lid off the top tier of the basket. “Just looks like you’ll have to punish me later, eh, Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian winked as he moved a pile of papers over on the desk.

“Mn,” was all the verbal response Lan Wangji provided, but Wei Wuxian could feel his honeyed gaze travel from his face to his feet and back again as he started to bustle around the desk and lay out dishes. Lan Wangji did not have to say anything. Wei Wuxian knew what kind of punishment he was thinking of, and it was difficult to call it a punishment when it was extremely enjoyable for the both of them.

Pushing thoughts of future “punishments” aside, Lan Wangji started to assist with clearing the desk as Wei Wuxian unloaded the rest of the dinner. Once all the dishes were laid out and Wei Wuxian was sprawled next to Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian pointed out each of the dishes.

“And this is for me, of course,” Wei Wuxian said, waggling the small vial of chili oil and placing it near his bowl. “Because although I did season the food, I did not want to make everything too spicy. I’m respectful of your sensitive palate.”

Lan Wangji, who had been listening attentively, gave Wei Wuxian a soft smile, the one where if you blinked you would miss it, but when spotted it gave Wei Wuxian vertigo.

“Wei Ying...thank you.”

“Of course, my love.” Wei Wuxian grinned as he spooned rice into Lan Wangji’s bowl. “You slave all day for the betterment of the cultivation world. The least your husband can do is make you dinner every now and then.”

Wei Wuxian felt a slight pressure on his knee as Lan Wangji squeezed it gently.

“Husband,” Lan Wangji repeated softly.

Wei Wuxian grinned giddily and ignored the heat that rushed over his face. “Yes, sweetheart, now eat! You can’t write letters to Sect Leader Yao about his ridiculous agricultural policies without strength.”

They ate in companionable silence for about two incense sticks worth of time before Wei Wuxian mused aloud, tapping his chopsticks on his chin, “Do you remember when you destroyed that fine piece of literature I showed you when we were younger?”

Lan Wangji paused briefly while dipping a vegetable dumpling in a small bowl of mild sauce before nodding.

“It wasn’t even mine, you know,” Wei Wuxian teased before shoving a dumpling in his mouth. After he swallowed he added, “It was Nie Huaisang’s.”

Lan Wangji snorted. “I see. Almost makes me happy I never gave you the replacement then.”

Wei Wuxian paused, his bowl of rice held near his mouth. “What?”

Lan Wangji pushed his empty dishes lightly away from him and put a pile of blank paper in their place.

“I bought a replacement copy. I felt...guilty for destroying it.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes were wide and his mouth was still hanging open over the rice bowl in his hand, his chopsticks poised near his mouth. He shook himself slightly and cleared his throat.

“Um, do you still...have it?”

Lan Wangji paused briefly in grinding his ink stick into the inkwell. “Yes.”

Wei Wuxian was too curious to stop now, his mouth far ahead of his brain.

“Did you...read it?”

Lan Wangji did not even stutter as he held his right sleeve with his left hand and rolled his brush into the inkwell. “Yes.”

Wei Wuxian drew in a sharp breath and whispered, “Did you think of me?”

Lan Wangji’s gold gaze met Wei Wuxian’s silver stare.

“Always.”

Wei Wuxian’s face broke into a smug grin. Now that was a surprise.

“Laaan Zhaaan!” Wei Wuxian teased as he set down his rice bowl. Lan Wangji continued to write on a fresh page, the only tell of the content of their conversation the pink tips of his ears and the slight curl of his lips.

After Wei Wuxian finally finished his rice and began packing up the basket he asked with an innocent bat of his eyelashes, “Sooo...where is it hidden?”

Lan Wangji leveled him with a blank stare. “Why? Do you have a need for it?” His tone was even but Wei Wuxian caught the underlying meaning. Is what we do not good enough?

“Oh, sweetheart, I mean nothing by it,” Wei Wuxian consoled with a grin as he knelt next to Lan Wangji. “I just wanted to know for...future reference. You know...to...keep things...exciting.” Wei Wuxian smiled wide, his eyes crinkling as he leaned with his hands on Lan Wangji’s left thigh.

“Mn. It’s always exciting with Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said evenly as he turned his head towards Wei Wuxian, his chin tilted upward.

Wei Wuxian giggled and placed a quick kiss on his lips. “Oh, Lan Zhan. I love you.”

“Mn.” The sound came from Lan Wangji’s throat and Wei Wuxian felt him trail his left hand to his waist, prompting Wei Wuxian to lean back.

“Ah, I should...let you work,” Wei Wuxian sighed, a small furrow between his brow as he took Lan Wangji’s hand in both of his own and ran his thumbs along the back of it. “But I’ll stay up and wait for you.” I’ll always wait for you.

Lan Wangji exhaled sharply through his nose, which was as close to an irritated sigh as he would allow while still technically working as His Excellency. He turned back to the desk and the many piles of papers.

“I don’t know how long I will be.”

Wei Wuxian pressed his lips to Lan Wangji’s temple, overlapping with his forehead ribbon. “Take your time, my love. You know I have plenty to entertain myself with.”

Lan Wangji gave him a dark look out of the side of his eyes and Wei Wuxian quickly stood, else his libido would get the better of them both and the neat piles would be shoved aside haphazardly. He picked up the tiered basket, blew Lan Wangji a kiss, and retreated to the library entrance. If he swayed his hips more than usual because he could feel Lan Wangji’s eyes tracing his movements, that was between him, Lan Wangji, and the dust motes in the library.

After Wei Wuxian cleaned the dishes in the kitchen and returned them to their rightful locations, he returned to the jingshi. It was a clear, warm night, and although he usually busied his evenings by tinkering with talismans, he decided some star gazing was in order. He retrieved a half-finished jar of Emperor’s Smile from under the floorboards and made his way to the front porch of the jingshi. He sprawled on the steps to watch the sunset, the sky of Cloud Recesses dappled with red, pink, orange, and yellow before fading to purple and black. As the sun finally passed below the horizon, the stars blazed forth against the void of the sky.

Wei Wuxian nursed the remainder of the jar of Emperor’s Smile, his alcohol tolerance severely diminished after giving away his golden core, and enjoyed the warm feeling in his muscles and the lightness in his head. He eventually settled on his left side, his head propped up with his hand and elbow as he counted the evening bells. When Lan Wangji was not back by the ninth one, he grew a bit worried. Lan Wangji had skipped dinner on rare occasions, but was always back by the compound curfew. Wei Wuxian had half a mind to go check on him in the library and decided that if he was not back by the tenth bell, he would go drag him home. Or, likely failing that, at least keep him company until his worth was finished.

Unfortunately, sometime between the last drops of the Emperor’s Smile and the tenth bell, Wei Wuxian fell asleep. He woke sometime later to the sound of soft steps on the gravel and stone walkway that led to the jingshi.

Wei Wuxian opened his eyes and sucked in a sharp breath, his body taunt like a bow string as his senses prepared for danger. Upon recognizing his surroundings, his pulse slowed and he let out a breath of relief as a figure came into view under the entrance of the jingshi’s courtyard.

“I thought you may have retired for the evening,” Lan Wangji said softly as he walked across the courtyard, white and blue robes glowing resplendently in the moonlight.

Wei Wuxian sat up, rubbing the kink in his neck as he tried, and failed, to hide a yawn. “I am very much awake. What time is it?”

“A little after midnight,” Lan Wangji said, stopping at the foot of the jingshi steps. He smiled warmly and extended his left hand, which Wei Wuxian readily took to pull himself up.

“How are you even functioning at this hour?” Wei Wuxian asked after he retrieved the empty jar of Emperor’s Smile from the porch and followed Lan Wangji inside.

“I can stay awake when I put my mind to it,” Lan Wangji replied as he lit a few candles in the jingshi.

Wei Wuxian chuckled and wore a wry grin. “Well, I know that. I’m just surprised the work of the chief cultivator held your attention for so long.”

“Mn.”

Wei Wuxian stretched his arms over his head, his shoulders popping. “So, do you want a bath or…”

Lan Wangji was already in their bedroom, standing in front of the chest of drawers and pulling pins out of his headpiece. “I will forgo a bath this evening. I can always bathe in the morning.”

Wei Wuxian rubbed his temples. “Lan Zhan, you won’t even have five hours of sleep-”

“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji turned and started to untie his outer robe belt. “I’ll be fine. Let’s go to bed.”

Wei Wuxian did not need to be told twice. He helped Lan Wangji disrobe, as he always did, peeling off belts and layers and carefully folding them for laundering or storage. When he was down to just his thin inner robe, Wei Wuxian would reverently untie Lan Wangji’s forehead ribbon and fold it gently on the top of the dresser. Wei Wuxian disrobed much more haphazardly, usually leaving his robes in a pile as he stripped down to just his pants. Lan Wangji was a veritable furnace, and with the warm summer evenings, Wei Wuxian preferred as few layers as possible when sleeping. Luckily the juniors, particularly Lan Jingyi, stopped barging into the jingshi unannounced in the small hours of the morning, which saved everyone a lot of face.

As Wei Wuxian sat in the bed and braided his hair in an attempt to keep it tidy while he slept, Lan Wangji stretched out next to him. Once Wei Wuxian was done with his braid, he crawled into the crook of Lan Wangji’s arm and snuggled against him, twining their legs together. It was their nightly ritual, as Wei Wuxian would often fall asleep on Lan Wangji’s chest but wake throughout the night curled on his side with his back towards him, while Lan Wangji remained motionless on his back.

“I love you,” Wei Wuxian whispered, pressing a kiss to Lan Wangji’s neck.

“I love you,” Lan Wangji answered, extinguishing the candles in the jingshi as he wrapped his left arm around Wei Wuxian’s bare shoulders. “Thank you for dinner. It was a lovely surprise.”

Wei Wuxian grinned and nuzzled the top of his head under Lan Wangji’s chin. “I’m trying to get better at surprises,” he admitted quietly.

“Mn?”

Wei Wuxian raised his head, wanting to see Lan Wangji’s face in the moonlight. “You spoil me with surprises, Lan Zhan. I wanted to try to do the same. It almost did not work out when a disciple told me you were going to work through dinner, but luckily I’m a quick thinker who also has no regard for the rules of Cloud Recesses.”

Lan Wangji’s lips curled into a slight smile as he placed his hand over the one Wei Wuxian had lying on his chest. “Wei Ying deserves to be spoiled,” he said simply after a few moments.

Wei Wuxian wiped his other hand over his face in embarrassment. “Ah, Lan Zhan, that was not my point! You deserve to be spoiled too.”

“I know,” Lan Wangji said softly as he gently pulled Wei Wuxian back into his arms, “but you deserve it more.”

“So unfair,” Wei Wuxian grumbled as he relaxed against Lan Wangji’s chest once more. “My husband is so unfair.”

Lan Wangji chuckled and kissed the crown of Wei Wuxian’s head. “Mn. You suffer a great injustice. I will make it up to. Perhaps with a surprise?”

Wei Wuxian groaned and rolled away from Lan Wangji.

“Goodnight, Lan Zhan.”

Wei Wuxian felt the bed shift as Lan Wangji moved, his warmth suddenly cloaking Wei Wuxian’s back. Long but gentle fingers moved Wei Wuxian’s braid to one side as Lan Wangji pressed a gentle kiss to the back of Wei Wuxian’s neck.

“Goodnight, Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji whispered, his breath warm in Wei Wuxian’s ear.

Wei Wuxian smiled, enjoying the small shiver that Lan Wangji’s breath against his neck elicited, as Lan Wangji settled on his back on his side of the bed. He fell asleep listening to the Lan Wangji’s deep, even breathes, thinking himself so lucky to have a zhiji such as him.

***

When Wei Wuxian woke up the next morning, he felt a strange warmth against his back. He was curled on his left side, as usual, but he felt a strange weight along his waist as well. Once he opened his eyes, he found that the weight curled along his waist and stomach was an arm. Specifically, Lan Wangji’s arm.

Wei Wuxian started, as it was close to wu hour, and Lan Wangji should have been up several hours ago. He turned to face him and began to whisper, “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, wake up my love! It’s almost lunch. You’ve overslept!”

Lan Wangji eyelids fluttered open, his gold eyes warm in the mid-morning light. “Mn. It was intentional.” He then yawned and pressed a sleepy kiss to Wei Wuxian’s forehead. “I took the day off.”

Wei Wuxian froze, his eyes wide. “You what?”

“I figured I’d spend the day with my husband,” Lan Wangji explained. Then his mouth split into a grin, one that made Wei Wuxian feel warm for all the mischief that it promised. “Surprise.”

Wei Wuxian grinned then pressed a hard kiss to Lan Wangji’s lips. Wei Wuxian had no doubt that no matter how hard he tried, one thing would remain certain: Lan Wangji was the best at surprises.

#significanceofmoths #prompts #prompt request #30 followers #30 follower prompt request #wangxian #wei wuxian #wei ying #lan wangji #lan zhan #the untamed #the untamed fic #the untamed fanfiction #the untamed fic rec #the untamed fanfiction rec #the untamed post-canon #jade valentine #jade valentine writes

37 notes · View notes