Mdzs Oneshots

Silence and Whispers (Unspoken Words 1)

When Wei Wuxian first returned home, Jiang Wanyin could sense something was amiss. His brother...simply wasn't the person he used to be.

The first time he saw Wei Wuxian again after he left him on that mountain, he was with Lan Wangji. The ground had trembled beneath his brother's feet, rumbling with hunger, power radiating so strongly from Wei Wuxian as he knew it could- as it should. But something was off about his power, sinister and dark, cruelty clinging onto him for dear life. Jiang Wanyin knew his brother. This wasn't the Wei Wuxian he knew. Or he was, but different. His brother would never have chosen this path, that much he knew, the words he spoke in Cloud Recesses still reverberating through his mind, as clear as day. No way he'd have chosen this, not if he'd had a choice. And that terrified him to the core. Not just because they were facing off Wen Chao, who could take care of himself by now, but because Wei Wuxian always had a choice. But did he, truly?

If I had a choice...Wei Wuxian thought, even as pain seared through his bones. Raising his head to face Wen Chao, he ignored the concerned looks of those two behind him. I wish I did. As if he hadn't been embroiled by unspoken rules all his life, unspoken and un-raised expectations. He smiled weakly, upon hearing his brother's thoughts. I have no choice.

"What are you smiling for, you maniac?" Wen Chao's irritating voice caused Wei Wuxian's attention to snap to him. His eyes glinted sadistically. This bastard...after all he did to me, he still dares to call me the maniac? The sad smile on his face turned into a grotesque one. "What courage you have," he drawled, savouring the fear that fleeted across the worthless Wen's eyes, " to call me that after what you did to me," pausing for dramatic effect, he continued, his voice barely above a whisper,"but don't worry. I'll take good care of you."

Swiftly, he pulled out a carved, marbled flute. Lan Wangji's eyes widened in recognition, but he paid them no heed. Slowly, he raised the flute to his lips, and began to play. Every lilt was haunting, and as he played, more shadows drew towards him, towards Wen Chao, before slowly consuming him in a slow, phantom fire. Just as Wen Chao was about to scream, a swift wisp flew down his throat, suffocating him, while the other two watched in horror as his face turned purple, eyeballs almost popping out of his skull. The air reeked of burnt flesh, and the shadow eventually folded upon itself, before vanishing into nothing.

Wordlessly, he turned behind, only to find a pair of golden eyes looking intently at him. Eyes he'd missed, yearned for the days he'd spent in Nightless City. Eyes that propelled him through, along with the faces of Jiang Yanli, Wen Qing, Wen Ning and Jiang Cheng. " Wei Ying..."

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Jiang Wanyin might have been a tsundere, but he wasn't an idiot. He hadn't failed to notice the change in his golden core ever since that trip in the mountains. It'd become impossibly strong, much stronger than his own had been, and most likely would ever be. Wei Wuxian, what have you done? It didn't take too much to put two and two together.

Now, watching his brother moving elegantly, flawlessly towards the asshole on the ground, he couldn't suppress the shivers up his spine. The Wei Wuxian he knew always moved with carefree aloofness, not the careful way he did now. Helplessly, he turned to Lan Wangji, then sighed. Even after two weeks of being with the famed Hanguang-Jun, he still had no idea how to read him, nor how he was. Some days he wondered how his brother endured his stoicness, how his brother managed to coax him. But looking at the way Lan Wangji was looking at his brother, he could now confidently answer. And... "Wei Ying"

Here we go again. Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Jiang Cheng, for once, chose to stay back and observe them. Letting the drama roll out before his eyes. He did not fail to catch the lovelorn expression on his brother's face, speaking the worry his brother's once-brilliant eyes carried, finding every miniscule flaw in the near-perfect mask his brother had so painstakingly put on. The slight tremble of his hands, the way his cheeks pinked when he looked at Lan Wangji- How had he missed it earlier? How he wished to slap himself awake to see this more clearly, but Lan Wangji's open, protective eyes forced him to stay in place- the only expression he'd seen in him so far.

Why was it, he wondered as those two played out, that Lan Wangji's emotions only seemed to appear when Wei Wuxian was around?

"Wei Ying!" the Second Jade of Lan's voice cut through his reverie, his nose flaring up slightly, but even a normally blind guy like Jiang Cheng could see his genuine concern. Seeing the expressions on their faces- both their faces, he gave up and decided to intervene. "Wei Wuxian, you're finally back! Shijie has been waiting for you, so why don't we go back to Lotus Pier first?" he softened his voice this time, and silently turned to Lan Wangji, telling him to back down, at least for now. He'd be back for him soon anyway.

"Let's go, then." turning on his heel, he took one last long, bittersweet glance at Lan Wangji before stalking away. Leaving Jiang Cheng in his wake. "Wait for him."

With that Jiang Cheng left, following his brother where their carriage was idling. That's when he realised- Wei Ying acted like he was dead.

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A/N: 960 words! This is one of my stories I'm moving over from one of my other stories, A Collection of Oneshots, so it's easier for me to update. I hope you guys enjoy the new story!
Thanks again to @LittlefroggyGilmore for the idea!
I'll publish the second part soon- 😉
Feel free to comment which of the 3 stories (Insanity, Lovers of Lotus Pier, Unspoken Words) you want me to update first-