Mdzs Oneshots

there were two of us

There were two of us, Wei Wuxian thought, as water scorched through his lungs, searing into every pore of his. The icy cold water bit into his skin, setting his body aflame as he hesitated. There were two of us.

Warm fingers threaded through his, tapping against the inside of his wrist almost absentmindedly. Tap, tap, tap. One tap for please, two taps for hold me, three for I love you. I love you, the words burned at the back of his throat, like the tears in the back of his eyes, the bitter taste of bile on his lips, as he felt the tide pull him, close and closer to the end. I love you. He tapped quietly back, ignoring the sting of saltwater in his eyes as he pried them open, eyes quickly searching for something, searching for someone. Only to find gilt eyes staring back at him, half-dazed but alive. So this is it. The end of everything they'd been living for. The exams, the dates. The stolen moments behind walls, the whispered comfort and the quiet kisses. The end of anything and everything, amounting to nothing at all.

Wei Wuxian imagined he could recite the quiet whispers, the unspoken dreams, even as the cold, unforgiving liquid filled him, cradling every crevice of his skin. Staring hopelessly at the boy across from him, he couldn't help but imagine where it began.

I was afraid, he wanted to say, even as the water on his lips weighed his tongue down. I was terrified.
It was hard to put it into words, the unsettling anxiety that'd settled over him the moment they'd stepped on the ferry, the moment they'd set sail. I didn't know what to tell you, he thought, I didn't know how to tell you. How to tell him that the quiet life they'd planned together would soon be ruined, how to tell him that he'd have to leave soon. Not if his own volition, but Mdm Yu's. I didn't even get to tell you, he thought wistfully. Didn't get to tell him the truth. About the seemingly random bruises, the soft tears. The truth behind the quiet late-night conversations, just to hear muted breath across the screen, because in the very least, it'd mean he was alive. But part of him guessed that Lan Zhan had known anyway, even as he quietly wiped his tears away, holding him gently in the dark.

Maybe it was better off this way. Wei Wuxian couldn't say he was surprised when the ship started sinking, when everything started going to hell. I want to live, he'd thought when everything went into chaos, the emergency sirens going off on the boat. I want to live.

But even that decision had been wrenched from him, from them, when they were shoved overboard with no safety jacket, let alone a small ship for survival. He'd floated for as long as he could, until he'd plunged underwater. Lan Wangji followed soon after, unwilling to let go.

Tap, tap. Pause. Tap. Strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer, even as water gave way beneath them, thrusting them further. Smiling softly, he turned to look at Wangji, his heart warming in spite of the freezing waters that surrounded them. His eyes traced over gilt eyes and a soft smile, one reserved solely for him. Ebony hair streaked with soft strands of gold, ones that reminded Wei Wuxian of glittering stars against the dark, blank canvas of the sky, seeped in inky navy. Eyes that looked at him as if he was the sun, as if he hung the moon.

Lan Zhan, he mouthed, ignoring the way water sank into his lungs, collapsing them further. Lan Zhan, I love you. Gilt eyes widened in quiet warning, but then it came. Tap, tap, tap.
-----
8 letters, 3 words. I want to be able to tell you that, before we leave.

Lan Wangji didn't believe in fate. He hadn't ever since he was a child, not since his mother passed away. Hadn't believed in it when his mother came home crying, her clothed bloodied and torn. Hadn't believed it when Gege stood by, whispering quiet nothings into his ears, trying to shield him from the sound of bodies slammed against the walls, from the doors ripped off their hinges. From the violence and gore that'd become a part of their lives, a quiet constant.

Until even the sound of bone splitting flesh became normal to him. He felt dead, like he'd been ripped apart slowly, the emotions ebbing out of him, and all he felt was numb. Like he was wandering aimlessly, walking through a dream, where nothing and everything was real.

Until he met him.
Wei Wuxian had stumbled in like a whirlwind in his life, a sliver of a mischievous grin and a gleam of crimson and grey, like he couldn't quite decide what to be. But the moment Lan Zhan looked into his eyes, he was certain. For the first time in a decade. This was the man he wanted to live his life with.

It didn't matter in what way, not at first. It didn't matter if they were acquaintances or friends, maybe even a little more, as long as he had Wei Ying next to him. Then something seemed to switch. Love came slowly, then quickly, consuming him so rapidly that Lan Wangji couldn't even pinpoint where it begun. Was it the first flutter of butterflies in his stomach when he saw Wei Wuxian, smiling so brightly back at him? Or was it the way his heart warmed looking at the younger boy the first time they'd met, while he was helping a toddler up? Or maybe the first time he'd felt the back of his ears burned up when Wei Ying leaned in, their lips barely apart- but whatever it was, Lan Wangji was certain of one thing.

Wherever Wei Ying went, he would follow.

The big was a shining beacon in the glistening dark that has long since become his life. Lan Zhan spent so long drifting in the dark that when he caught his first glimpse of light, he clutched on to it tightly, refusing to let it out of his grasp. I won't let go.

And blissfully, the younger boy stayed, something that Wangji hadn't expected. He'd become so used to people drifting in and out of his life for so long that faces started to blur, people melding into one another without a constant, his own face becoming but a blur in the mirror. But Wei Ying became his constant. Always there if he needed, always present. It didn't matter if he'd had a bad day, or a fortunate break, just the thought of his soulmate alone made his day, made him smile.

Wei Ying made everything worthwhile. So maybe even as water drowned them, dragging them deeper and deeper beneath, it'd all be worth it.

Gently, Wangji pushed a stray strand of waterlogged hair behind Wei Wuxian's ears, smiling fondly at him before diving down to take one last kiss.

Soft lips pressed against his, mouthing sweet-nothings and I-love-yous just as his own did, the words playing over and over again on the tip of his tongue as tears streamed down his face, any trace of them swept away by the ocean. I love you. And finally, finally, Lan Wangji felt his heart burn for the first time.

And as darkness, swarmed, their fingers still intertwined, the story rewinded.

There were two of us,
To have and to hold from this day forward,
for better or for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish;
from this day forward til death do us part.

Now there were none.

-------
A/N: 1303 words! Okay, this was a mess- (once again, not supposed to write this, but it was kind of a challenge to myself to write a really short Oneshot...which I've kind of failed at, but it's fine- ) this was supposed to be a small slip of an idea I've had earlier this year- and chocolatewithtea. Here's the slip I told you about, Jie Jie- :) ❤️ It's honestly really messy, but it was fun to write for a while - I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thank you guys so much for reading! I can't believe this is part 88 of the whole book, even with some of my random poems or blurbs- it's a bit odd to think exactly how long it's been since I've started this story- it'll be 3 years in a few months, and it's somehow still going, thanks to you guys- once again, thank you guys so much for reading, feel free to vote or comment! ❤️