Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian had spent his life trying to be unnoticeable, choking back his own aspirations and abilities to keep from rocking the fragile boat that was the Jiang Household. Like most things Wei Wuxian applied himself to, he was good at it. So good they didn’t even notice when he moved out of the back garage (a move he suggested himself) and into a tent in the woods. Because no one was going to notice him living in the woods.
Largely because they were outside the Barrier, meaning the woods were filled with shades and specters. During the day, only those in the company of cultivators went outside the barriers. During the night? Well it was just Wei Wuxian, his tent and the things that went bump in the night.
It did mean no one would see the barrier array Wei Wuxian invented to protect himself. It was a shame really, it was a work of beauty. Wei Wuxian doubted the Heir to the Barrier himself could do any better. One glance at it and the College of Cultivation would promote Wei Wuxian to the elite class in a heartbeat. Of course that would never happen, because then all that work to be unnoticeable would be for nothing.
And Wei Wuxian was fine with that. He didn’t need to be part of the elite class to be a cultivator. Sure, the elite class got first dibs on their placement post graduation but there were plenty of jobs! Wei Wuxian would be able to find one where he could spread his wings without rocking the boat. He’d even be able to get his own apartment then, and he could kiss his tent goodbye.
It was with that warm thought that Wei Wuxian marked off another day on his calendar, only 180 days left. He yawned as he curled up, the nylon of his sleeping bag rustling. It wasn’t the ideal nest, but it was what he had to work with. He shuffled a few pieces of his clothing around, before making sure he had his snacks and water nearby. He still technically had a day before his heat was supposed to start, but they’d come early before.
“Are you sure you should do this?” A long drawl called from the zippered door of Wei Wuxian’s tent.
It belonged to a lanky being stretched out, propping one arm up on the box behind them. They wore black, from the combat boots and jeans to the black turtle neck and hanfu robe they had styled as a coat. The only color was the long red tassel earring hanging from one ear. They’d braided their hair to show it off, the cascade of its deep silver black locks falling over their other shoulder. Their red phoenix shaped eyes watched Wei Wuxian’s every move.
“I told you, not only did I reinforce the barriers with cloaking.” Wei Wuxian huffed as he curled up. “But they’re set up to pull from you instead of me, so my heat won’t cause them to fluctuate. I’m as safe as I was in the Jiang Garage.”
“We’ve never stayed out here during the day.”
“I know Suibian,” Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. “See the cloaking addition in my previous comment.”
“We didn’t get to test it.”
“I know,” Wei Wuxian sighed as he laid back into his nest. “Ideally I could have gotten a test run, but we’re out of time.”
“Which is why we should go back to the garage.”
“Suibian, you're a sword not a shield, so stop being so protective.” Wei Wuxian quipped back.
“Technically I’m a spirit.”
“Spirit of a sword,” Wei Wuxian stressed the last word. “My sword, in case you forgot.”
“Like you’d let me forget.”
“Well, forgive me for thinking my sword would be more supportive of my choices.”
“I would be, except apparently the universe gave me all the self preservation you lack.” Suibian snorted back. “At least get a hotel room.”
“It’s not going to be-” Wei Wuxian broke off as an alarm sounded in his mind. From the way Suibian jerked to their feet, proof Wei Wuxian had successfully redesigned the barrier to include Suibian on sound notifications.
“Nothing can get through them?” Suibian arched an eyebrow at Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian merely threw a scowl at them as he dove through the zippered door. The crisp night air filled his lungs as he rolled to his feet. His eyes were already scanning for the barrier breach, only to find none. He splayed his hand against the ground, a pulse of energy lighting up the array.
Only to show it unbroken.
Wei Wuxian’s brow furrowed. If his array was unbroken, what was the alarm from? His head whipped as he heard the snap of undergrowth. His eyes narrowed, the darkened forest sharpening as he focused.
“It’s coming from the direction of our former encampment,” Suibian spoke, materializing over Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. As with the spirits and specters, they made no sound when they moved.
“I must have missed deactivating the alarms,” Wei Wuxian murmured.
“Makes me wonder what else you might have forgotten.”
“Aiyah,” Wei Wuxian huffed with a glare. “I told you, nothing is getting through my-”
The words died on his lips as something flew over their heads and crashed into his tent. Wei Wuxian stared for a moment, his mouth open.
“Nothing?” Suibian smirked.
“I built defenses against every evil creature I could think of,” Wei Wuxian glared as he reached for a talisman tucked in his back pocket. He slowly approached his now crumpled tent. Specters and spirits were ruled out, unless they were wicked strong they couldn’t unconsciously interact with items in this world. Including crushing tents.
“Clearly you missed one,” Suibian hissed.
“Just,” Wei Wuxian broke off with a huff. “Shut it.”
Suibian disappeared with a roll of their eyes, leaving Wei Wuxian to approach the tent on his own. He carefully lifted a piece that was covering the creature. Only for a laugh to break from his lips as he saw what had crumpled his tent. He’d forgotten a creature alright.
Human!
Wei Wuxian couldn’t make much out as the man was face down. However, it was clear from the white robes that he was a cultivator. His long black hair was in a braid, a white ribbon stark against the dark locks. Wei Wuxian swore to himself at the sight of the ribbon. He kept his talisman ready as he turned the body over.
And looking back at him was the Heir to the Barrier himself, Lan Wangji.
“Shit,” Wei Wuxian swore as he heard more crashing through the forest. The whole ground seemed to shake as Wei Wuxian heard the thudding footsteps. Whatever the Heir to the Barrier was fighting, it was big.
And now it was headed this way.
Wei Wuxian’s wrist flicked, sending the talisman soaring out into the night. He felt it catch, just for a moment before it was broken. He gritted his teeth as he fished out another talisman, this time a light source. It flew off into the night, crashing into the creature and bursting into dozens of butterflies.
Butterflies that illuminated…a turtle?
Wei Wuxian had to blink a few times to make sure that was what he was seeing.
It was a giant turtle, reeking of negative energy. Wei Wuxian eyed his array, he’d set it up to repel negative energy in general he hadn’t planned for something this large. In theory his array could take it, but Wei Wuxian wasn’t eager to test it. All he could do was pray he’d done his cloaking addition right.
He fished out another talisman to keep at the ready as he stared down the turtle. His own heartbeat was nearly as loud as the turtle's footsteps. Its head swiveled on its long neck, but it didn’t seem to be able to see the butterflies. It was getting closer, but from the angle it was going to go past Wei Wuxian’s encampment.
Wei Wuxian jumped as he heard a low groan. His eyes widened as his head whipped back to the turtle, finding its scaly head trained perfectly in his camp's direction. Wei Wuxian made a mental note.
Giant turtle; imbued with negative energy- poor sight but excellent hearing.
For a glimmering moment he hoped the turtle wouldn’t head this way. It shattered as the turtle’s body followed its head, its thudding steps picking up speed. Wei Wuxian gritted his teeth as he splayed his hand out, trying to look for any sign the turtle wasn’t headed for his barrier.
Ultimately he had to concede it was.
“Suibian!” He called. After a moment of tearing canvas, the sheath of Suibian hit his palm. Wei Wuxian sent the talisman in his other hand soaring towards the turtle, a crackle of energy flaring around the turtle's body as it tried to hold him.
Wei Wuxian knew it would hold it, but he didn’t need it to hold. He just needed a few moments to draw Suibian from its sheath. He knew his array by heart, taking the three and a half steps forward and plunging Suibian into the reinforcement point. He let his energy flood into the blade. It made the array glow red, the color flooding up to tint the dome of the barrier red.
The turtle crashed against it like it was a shockwave. Wei Wuxian gritted his teeth as he dug his heels in, the array flashing as he flooded more energy into it. The fact the turtle didn’t break through on the first attempt gave him hope. His barrier could withstand this. He just had to keep it fed.
The crunching of leaves made Wei Wuxian’s head whip to the side. His eyes widened as he saw Lan Wangji on his feet. His blade was drawn, glowing a soft blue. His attention was on the array, as if examining it for weak points.
“Forget about it,” Wei Wuxian gritted out, the array pulsing as he sent another wave in as the turtle reared back. This time when he hit, he didn’t glance off. Instead the energy wrapped around his head, bending under the force. It bounced back the moment it gave up.
“The barrier will not hold.”
“It will,” Wei Wuxian snapped. He watched the turtle rear back again and settled further into his stance to brace for impact. “You take one more step closer to my barrier and I’ll let this thing eat you.” He snapped as he saw white out of the corner of his eye.
He spared a full glance, finding Lan Wangji’s attention focused on the turtle. His own attention was forced back to it as it slammed against the barrier again. It started to bend, but another wave of energy forced it back. Just as Wei Wuxian could catch his breath, he saw that white from the corner of his eye again.
“Don’t you dare,” He hissed.
“The barrier will fail.”
“It will if you cross through it with a spiritually charged sword,” Wei Wuxian huffed. He adjusted his grip on Suibian’s hilt as he saw the turtle shift. Wei Wuxian grit his teeth as the shell loomed closer. His barrier would hold. It had to.
As long as this idiot didn’t fuck it up.
“Suibian!” Wei Wuxian shouted. Suibian rose from the blade like a mist, their hands settling over Wei Wuxian’s in a pulse of energy. The red of the array took on a more silvery tone.
“Got it,” Suibian confirmed. Only then did Wei Wuxian release the blade, his body hurtling towards Lan Wangji.
“I told you to not fucking go for the barrier,” They tumbled into the dirt, but only for a moment. A blast of energy pushing them apart.
Wei Wuxian growled as he rolled back up to his feet. Lan Wangji was already up, no doubt using his own energy blast to his advantage. Still, there was a wariness to him now as he regarded Wei Wuxian. He didn’t have time to focus on it, as the large shell of the turtle went slamming into the barrier.
“Suibian!” Wei Wuxian flew forward, his hands grasping lower down the blade as he added his own energy to the flow.
“The shell must have more negative energy imbued in it,” Suibian gritted out. Any further discussion was lost as they had to focus. The barrier glowing almost neon from how much they were charging it with.
Wei Wuxian flinched as a hand covered his.
“What are you-gahh” Wei Wuxian broke off with a gasp as energy as cold as ice flooded through him. He hurried to cycle it through his system, expelling it out and into the barrier. The barrier flared purple for a moment, the turtle pushed back.
Wei Wuxian gasped for breath as he slowed the energy flow, eyeing the turtle for its next move.
“It won’t give up,” Lan Wangji murmured. “And you can’t keep this up all night.”
“Watch me,” Wei Wuxian shot back. Despite his bravado, he could feel the sweat dripping down his back. He eyed the turtle. Its hulking body was already readying itself for another shell attack.
He heard a huff from Lan Wangji as he walked away. His head craned as he moved towards his tend.
“What are you doing? That’s my tent!” He demanded as Lan Wangji grabbed one of the ropes.
“Its shell is impenetrable,” Lan Wangji sliced the rope off. His sword was sheathed as he began to wind it around his hands. “We need to draw its head out and attack its neck.”
“Or we wait until it tires out,” Wei Wuxian shot back. “My barrier will hold.”
“I need you to distract it, then I can lasso its neck.”
“I’m a bit focused on the barrier right now,” Wei Wuxian huffed, only to startle as Suibian’s hands lifted off of it. “What are you doing?”
“Being a distraction,” Suibian slid through the barrier.
“Traitor,” Wei Wuxian glared.
“We both know you can’t hold it, not right now.” Suibian dropped their voice. The reaction was instant in the turtle. Its head is swiveling to the front again. Wei Wuxian gritted his teeth, cursing his oncoming heat. If he was at 100% this would be a different story. “Come on, you ugly beast.” Suibian taunted the turtle. Their form took on weight, crunching the leaves beneath his feet.
Wei Wuxian’s jaw tightened as he saw the turtle’s head rear back. It struck out as fast as a snake, but Suibian was faster. They vanished in the blink of an eye, meaning the turtle’s head slammed into the barrier. Wei Wuxian adjusted his energy flow, allowing the head to bend the barrier inward.
“You gonna lasso this thing or what?” Wei Wuxian snapped at Lan Wangji.
A moment later, a string of bright blue energy wrapped around the indentation caused by the turtle. The moment it started to tighten, it sliced through the barrier. Wei Wuxian let it fall, pulling Suibian from the earth in a smooth motion as he darted forward. The long neck stretched, and there at the base of the long neck Wei Wuxian saw a shift in the scales. Flooding the rest of his energy into Suibian, he struck.
Wei Wuxian danced away from the turtle, its last few heartbeats painting the ground with its thick black blood. Wei Wuxain groaned as he flicked Suibian, sending the blood on the blade flying off. He didn’t care where it went, since his barrier was destroyed regardless.
“You are welcome,” Lan Wangji regarded Wei Wuxian after a moment of silence. His tone clear that he was offended Wei Wuxian didn’t offer his thanks.
“Welcome?” Wei Wuxian scoffed as he stalked forward. “Yes, thank you for destroying my tent and my barrier. Now I’m going to have to see what I can salvage and go find a new campsite in the dark!”
“You shouldn’t be out here in the first place.”
“Says who?”
“The barrier is around the city for everyone’s safety,” Lan Wangji’s jaw tightened. “To be caught outside it after dark is asking for death.”
“Just because you say it doesn’t make it so,” Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes as he moved towards his tent. “I’ve been out here for months and perfectly safe.” He started to sort.
“The turtle corpse would say otherwise.”
“That turtle was going to walk by my campsite until you groaned and gave away our position!”
“It would have smelled you regardless.”
“Do you not see the remains of what was a glorious barrier?” Wei Wuxian gestured to the ground.
“If you had it dampened for sound, smell and sight why did it hear me groan?”
“That’s-” Wei Wuxian broke off. That was a damn good question. He’d directly translated the blocking talismans in, why hadn’t they worked? Maybe it was their placement in the array? Technically they were made for rooms with solid walls, but the barrier was technically a wall of solid energy. When he tested it, the area had vanished. He hadn’t had a good way to test the sound and smell part, largely since Suibian was his sword's spirit so Wei Wuxian could always hear them. It wasn’t like they had a smell either. “So maybe my additions weren’t perfect! Excuse me for not getting it right on the first try!”
“You-” Lan Wangji broke off. “First try?”
“I’d like to see you to do better,” Wei Wuxian huffed as started shoving his nest into his backpack, before having to roll up his sleeping bag. As for the tent?
Well, they weren’t meant to be fallen upon. Or summoning a sword out of. The canvas would be easy enough to repair, but the tent poles were a different matter. Still, it wasn’t like he could just go and buy a new one.
“You’re an omega.”
Lan Wangji was suddenly so close that Wei Wuxian could feel the breath on the back of his neck.
“Wow, ever heard of personal space?” He danced away. His hand goes up to clamp over the back of his neck.
“What class are you in?” Lan Wangji demanded. “Which family are you a part of? What-”
Wei Wuxian let out a sigh of relief as Lan Wangji froze.
“Thanks Suibian,” He exhaled. Suibian merely nodded from behind Lan Wangji, their hand still pressed to Lan Wangji’s back with the talisman.
“He’s pretty strong,” Suibian murmured, dropping their hand. “We better move fast.”
Wei Wuxian quickly bundled up the rest of his tent, his skin prickling the whole time. He glanced at Lan Wangji once, his mouth running dry as he saw the gold eyes trained on him. Goosebumps broke out across his skin. He didn’t worry about tidiness, merely bundling the rest of the tent in his arms.
He didn’t look back at Lan Wangji.
“How long do you think we have?” Wei Wuxian murmured to Suibian as they started to walk.
“Five minutes?” Suibian exhaled.
“He’s that strong?” Wei Wuxian paled. Suibian nodded.
“I don’t like the way he started looking at you the moment he realized you were an omega,” Suibian added, glancing back. “I suggest we fly.”
“Well, guess you got your wish after all,” Wei Wuxian muttered. “It’ll have to be the garage until I can get this tent fixed.” He paused when he heard nothing from Suibian. He looked over, finding Suibian looking back at Lan Wangji. “What’s wrong?”
“I just have a bad feeling.”
“Great,” Wei Wuxian muttered as Suibian vanished. Wei Wuxian pulled the blade from its sheath, stepping aboard. “Nothing ominous about that.”