heck it, shapeshifting crowxian and the game for the Yiling patriarch’s hand in marriage!!!

Lan Wangji is just outside of Yiling, netted in its forest’s shadows, when he learns of the Game.

He’s in the middle of an internal debate—does he rest in Yiling or press on?—when he hears a loud and vicious shout.

“You stupid fucking creature!”

A small frown immediately pulls at his face and he presses forward to where the peace of the forest is being shattered. Upon arrival, he finds two men, disheveled and irate, facing a decaying tree.

“Get down from there!” The taller of the two snaps, waving his sword.

Cultivators, Lan Wangji assumes, although he doesn’t quite recognize their robes. Perhaps a smaller sect within Yunmeng.

He waits for them to notice him. When they do, the hackles on both men rise and the braver begins to threaten him.

“We found it first! You better back off!!”

It? Lan Wangji thinks. He moves his gaze to the tree and a thin thread of surprise pulls at him when a night black crow stares back at him.

“That’s the Yiling Patriarch’s bird and we found him first!”

The crow turns to them with an indignant caw, and lifts a bloody foot.

Lan Wangji’s frown deepens. The taller takes a step forward with his sword to attempt a new threat but Lan Wangji cuts in.

“Why did you attack this animal?”

“It’s part of the game, gongzi!” The smaller replies quickly, flinching at his friend’s scowl. “Whoever catches it wins!”

“Wins?” Lwj echoes. The smaller nods his head frantically.

“He wins the Yiling Patriarch’s hand in marriage!”

Lwj has heard of him. Nicknamed The Crow during the Sunshot Campaign. He moved like a ghost in black robes and a was a key figure in winning, tho no one knew his name.

“Why did you attack it?” Lan Wangji repeats. Both men look thrown off.

“To catch it, gongzi,” one says slowly. “It’s very clever and quick, so we set a trap to pin it down.”

And that wins you a hand in marriage? Ridiculous. Lwj begins to walk forward, ignoring their spluttering

Before he’s even reached them, they’ve scampered off, with token threats thrown behind them.

Ridiculous.

Lan Wangji looks at the bird. The crow stares back at him. He offers his hand and it caws a loud protest.

“You are hurt” he explains “I wish to help.”

The crow brandishes its wings at him but lwj does not relent. “I have no wish to marry your master. I have some ointment for your leg.”

The crow tilts it head & studies him & lwj, trained as he is with his rabbits, works to make his edges as smooth as possible. He is no threat.

The crow hops slowly towards him. Careful. Lwj continues to let himself look as open as possible until the bird finally breaks from the tree to land on his hand.

“Hello” he greets, manners drilled into him. “I am Lan Wangji”

Their eyes meet and he swears it’s amused with him.

He bandages the small wound diligently, careful to avoid the small key hanging around its neck that earned him a nip the first time he brushed it, and offers him a small bit of food and water before standing to part with it. The crow blinks at him when he says goodbye. And then—

“Caw!” It cries loudly when he turns away. Turning back, lwj finds it hobbling pathetically towards him, wings outstretched in a manner that made them seem broken and unusable. Lan Wangji knows it flew earlier so, why...

“Caw!” It cries again. Pecking at the bottom of his robes

Automatically, lwj reaches down and lifts the bird to his chest, careful of its wound.

“I am going to Yiling.” The bird stares. Lwj is at a loss. “Did you wish to join me?”

A soundless caw, beak agape. Ah.

“You’re hungry.” He guesses. Correctly he assumes when it settles down.

He walks slowly to town, not wishing to upset the crow in his arms, who bores of the scenery quickly and takes to pecking at Lan Wangji’s robes. “Behave” he chides, but he is ignored so he allows it to nip his finger.

Once in town, lwj is at another loss on what to feed it, but

That is quickly handled when the crow begins to shout loudly near a potsticker stand, to the amusement of the crowd around him. It’s not exactly what lwj was expecting, but he’s already quite sure the crow is more than a regular corvid so he relents.

However, when it pecks at him for ordering a vegetarian and is relentless in attacking the vendor’s spice rack, lwj is firm.

“Spice is not good for animals.”

He pays the vendor and retreats off to a quiet area, all while the crow sulks in his arms. (It still eats most of them)

As night begins to stretch over them, the crow makes no effort to free itself from lwj. It trills when it wants attention and pulls at lwj’s robes when it wants to see something advertised by the vendors. As lwj’s moves about the bustling market, he earns more than a few looks.

“Is that the Yiling patriarch’s bird?” He hears amongst hushed murmurs. He covers the key with one hand, apologizing when the bird huffs at him.

“To protect you” he explains “I will not steal it”

Eventually hai shi is close to arriving and lwj finds an inn to settle at.

He bids the crow goodnight and startles when it leans forward to nuzzle his chest before taking off into the black sky. A tiny pinprick of loneliness creeps into lwj’s heart, it’s been many months since he’s had any sort of companion, so he sits in the moonlight until sleep calls

The next morning, lwj moves through town and learns more about the Yiling patriarch through their loud gossip. He’s a figure both revered and feared and lwj quickly learns many ppl vie for his hand in order to shackle it. Lwj may not know the man, but this still bothers him.

Marriage should not be a prison.

He also listens to their chatter looking for information on another man, but as it is in every town, he has no success. Gathering enough supplies to last him till the next village, lwj sets off.

Only for a black blur to pull at his headpiece

He lifts one hand to stop the assault instinctively, but the attack continues, the crow from yesterday adamant in pulling at the delicate silver pieces placed neatly in his hair. With a huff of his own, lwj lightly swats the bird and it comes down to land on his hand.

In its claw, it holds a new hairpin, delicate and simple but beautiful and clearly handmade. Lwj accepts the gift with quiet gratitude and the bird hops back to his shoulder, more gently pulling at his headpiece now.

Lwj almost smiles.

“Let me”

He swaps the pins and the bird preens as if it had been given the gift instead. It takes the old piece in its beak and caws around it, pleased with the trade.

Its wound looks to be completely healed but lwj still gives it a solemn warning in regards to those who hunt it

“You must take care, of both him and yourself” he tells the bird who regards him curiously. “Marriage is important.”

The crow caws smth that sounds like an agreement so lwj relaxes. It then makes a similar whine from the night before when lwj tries to leave

Although its charade does not work as easily as it did before. But lwj still finds himself conceding and allows the bird to lead him back to Yiling.

He’s given what seems to be a small tour, to local vendors and inns and the odd stall selling alcohol that lwj firmly declines

The crow takes quickly to his shoulder, pecking and pulling on his whims and twice stealing shiny baubles he gifts to lwj, despite the scolding he receives. Many eyes follow them, but no one seems brave enough to question why the patriarch’s bird has attached itself to him

The day passes quickly, lwj forgetting how pleasant it is to have a companion, & the smallest spark of joy fills lwj as the bird continues to make a small nuisance of itself. demanding food, attention, his finger to nibble
Inexplicably he’s reminded of wei ying & his heart hurts

They separate when night meets them once more, and lwj allows himself to briefly pet down the crows back.

“This is goodbye. I will be leaving Yiling tomorrow”

The crow stares up at him imploringly & shuffles forward with a soft caw.

“Thank you for your company”

The crow doesn’t seem like it wants to leave but something in the sky catches its attention and it takes off in a flurry of feathers. Lwj lets out a slow breath and tries to abate the loneliness that washes back in.

He has to keep moving. He’s still looking.

The next morning falls into place like the morning b4 but this time, when lwj makes to leave Yiling, a familiar black bird comes for his forehead ribbon instead.

“You—!” Lwj starts, before the ribbon somehow falls free, its delicate knot untying easily and slipping into the sun

A headpiece lwj could forgive but /this/

He takes after the bird, who waits for him at every third tree and caws its amusement at his frustration. He can’t do anything to harm it but he is debating some sort of talisman when the crow breaks away quickly and lwj stumbles onto

A lake expanding far into the horizon. Songbirds sing and insects chatter around him as the sun spreads its warm rays across them all.

It’s beautiful.

He turns to the crow, standing several feet off of him and the lake’s edge, lwj’s ribbon still caught in his beak

They look very pleased with themself. Lwj steps forward and the crow hops back. He sighs.

“Forehead ribbon is sacred. I need it back.”

Another hop and a side eye. Lwj holds firm. He will /not/ fight a crow.

“Please.”

Once it seems the crow will not give in, lwj digs into his sleeve and pulls out a crimson red ribbon. It was originally meant for—no matter. He can buy another.

“Let’s trade” he offers the crow, whose attention has to be dragged away from the ribbon. “This can be yours instead”

The crow eyes him but slowly does hop forward enough that lwj can kneel and take back his forehead ribbon with a thank you. He ties it back with a practiced ease as the crow watches before taking the red ribbon and tying it in a loose bow around the crows neck

(With one edge low enough it could be pulled off if the crow so wished)

“You look very handsome” he tells the crow once he’s finished and the crow gives an awkward jerk, staring at him with dark unblinking eyes. Then, with a loud caw, it rushes to the sky and behind lwj

Lwj tries to turn to face it—had he upset it?—but the bird refuses it, shouting and flapping to keep out of sight. Eventually lwj tires and stands still and only then does the crow return to him, landing on his left shoulder.

It caws again when he tries to face it, so lwj

Politely keeps his gaze turned away. After a quiet moment, he feels the claws move in closer and the lightest nuzzle against the side of his head.

Ah. They had been embarrassed. The very idea is strangely cute so lwj allows it to give his flustered gratitude in peace.

Once it’s calmed, lwj lifts one hand to gently stroke down its back. “You’re very welcome.” He murmurs, finally able to turn to it. The crow stares with a wistful look and then leans forward to nudge at lwj’s temple.

“Would you like me to keep you company again today?”

A nod

“Alright.”

He should be moving on but surely one more day won’t... his heart clenches.

But he’s already made a promise.

The day is tranquil, so lwj pulls out his guqin and settles near the edge of the water lapping at the lakes edge. The crow flutters about him, landing

On his leg, shoulder, in his lap, but never on the guqin itself, which lwj is grateful for.

They spend a lovely morning together, lwj practicing his many songs and the crow sometimes listening, sometimes flying off in order to bring him small presents.

A sprig of berries,

A pretty flower, and even an earring without its pair. Lan Wangji thanks him solemnly for each gift, placing two gently into a pouch for safe keeping. He’ll press the flower later and keep the earring, but he shares the berries between them (once he’s made sure their safe)

Once afternoon hits however, their easy companionship hits a snag. It’s starts when they finish a small lunch that lwj had packed and then decided to share, when lwj is delicately tapping at mouth with his handkerchief and the crows hops up onto his leg, the key dangling

From his neck in an inviting way. Lwj stares at him. The crow hops forward again, more insistent as it bares its neck. The offer plain to see.

‘Take the key. It is yours’

A small breath catches in lwj’s throat. Oh.

“Thank you,” he begins, “but I cannot accept this.”

Perhaps the crow believes this to be false modesty as it gives an annoyed huff and pecks at his hand, pulling it closer towards its own body.

Lwj curls his fingers in tight.

“I’m sorry. But I cannot marry your master. I—“ a breath. “I am already in love with another.”

It’s the first time lwj has admitted this aloud. Not even to his brother has he said such things, although he knows his brother is likely already aware.

Lwj left Gusu the moment the war ended, searching for a ghost. Searching for a man rumoured to be long gone.

He won’t give up

The crow startles and goes very, very still, its small black beak still holding desperately to the only finger of lwj’s it could grab.

A faint wash of despair catches lwj.

“I am sorry” he repeats “I hope you can find someone for him”

The crow all but spits his hand back

It breaks from him in a huff but doesn’t move far, and instead paces before him with irritated steps. How a bird can manage so much emotion in so little movement is truly marvel.

Lwj waits for the bird to calm, but instead it grows more restless and when an ideas grabs it,

The crow all but shouts at him, pecking at his leg—stay here, lwj can almost here it say, I will be back—before it takes off for the burial mounds looming in the distance.

Is it fetching its master? That would be an awkward meeting. But lwj remains where he is. He said he would

When the crow returns, instead of the Yiling patriarch, it brings a collection of paper talismans it drops in lwj’s lap.

‘Look’ it is saying ‘look at what my master can give you.’

They’re well made, lwj can tell, and theyre something he’s never seen before. A self made talisman

“Your master is very intelligent” he agrees. “But still, I cannot marry him.”

The crow gives an annoyed caw and takes back to the sky. Lwj arranges the talismans in a neat pile. He doesn’t not expect to keep a courting gift if he refuses the marriage, its better they return.

Next, the crow arrives with a painting, with gorgeous strokes detailing what is like the view from the top of the burial mounds. It is well done, and with good form but,

“I see he is well educated and talented. But I still cannot marry him.”

The crow looks exasperated

He jumps up to peck at the hairpin from before, likely made by the patriarch himself.

‘Look at the gifts he could bestow on you’ he hears in the crows desperate pecks. Lwj’s heart pulls. This crow must love his master very much

“I’m truly sorry”

Lwj takes the crow in his hand

“But my heart already belongs to another. It would be unfair for me to marry him.” The crow gives a small sad sound, and moves forward to cuddle in lwj’s chest. Lwj allows himself to hold it close. “I truly hope you will find someone that is perfect for him”

The crow laughs

(Weakly and as best a crow can, but lwj knows the sound.)

They part, with one final touch and one final peck, and lwj’s heart feels so heavy when he watches it fly away. Too heavy to carry much farther, so he concedes for another night, and returns to an inn once more

Lwj has a quiet dinner, ignoring the whispers and stares he receives as he’s been long since accustomed to them—although this attention , he knows, is more likely due the Yiling patriarch and his crow.

“Did he lose favour?” He hears someone ask. Lwj grips his chopsticks tight.

“Better for us!” Another scoffs “do you know what kind of power the patriarch could give us?”

Lwj removes himself from the restaurant, paying for a meal he only half eats.

No one here cares for the patriarch, only for what he can give them. Lwj wishes it could be different

When he goes to bed, he finds himself staring out his window, looking for a flash on wing in the moonlight. But none comes and he lets himself fall asleep—fifteen minutes late.

The next morning he makes his third (fourth?) attempt at leaving Yiling.

Once more he fails

But not because of the crow. It as he’s walking through the market stalls, unfortunately at the peak of the morning rush, that something catches the bottom of his robes and tugs. He looks down, expecting a dog or, wildly, the patriarch’s crow

Two wide brown eyes meet his

It is a child, barely older than two, maybe three, and as soon as they catch his attention, they attach themself to his leg like a burr. Lwj blinks, at an utter loss.

He tries to tug himself free and has no success; the child clings harder and tears begin to well in their eyes

Oh, oh no.

“Don’t cry” he says, rather helpless & somehow still firm but this only worsens the panic collecting in the child’s face. They must be lost—is their family around? Maybe... lwj looks up, searching for a worried looking parent fretting about the stalls

“Want... gege”

Lwj desperately wishes he knew who that was. Especially when the panic finally breaks on the child’s face and he begins to wail.

A crowd begins to close around them, whispers of “a father?” “Not a very good one! His poor boy is sobbing!!”

“I’m not,” lwj tries but—

“A-DIE....”

The child’s cry renew with interest and the crowd grows more restless with him the longer he refuses to carry him. But, this is not... how can he...

“Oh there he is!” Someone calls, breaking through to kneel in front of them both “I’ve been looking for you!!”

It’s a man, who lwj doesn’t recognize, who wears dull green clothes and a flimsy sword at his waist. Lwj’s eyes narrow. The child attached to him clings harder.

“This is my friends son, I can bring him home” the man says, smiling at lwj.

Something in his face reads of deceit.

“Want gege” the child repeats, one hand tangled in lwj’s robe, one hand shoved in his mouth.

“I’ll bring you to him” the man says, all teeth. The child does not seem to believe him. Something protective flares in lwj’s chest and he finally leans down to scoop the child up

“I will bring him” he says firmly. His glare narrows when the man tries to argue so his refusal doesn’t last long

The man leads him outside town, shooting annoyed glances every so often. The child has calmed tucked into lwj’s neck

“Xian-Gege?” He asks quietly

“I will find him”

They’re nearing the edge of the forest and the suspicion in lwj grows. He hesitates and it’s then he catches sight of someone very familiar—the crow who somehow wears a look of terror.

Its gaze jumps between lwj and the child in his arms and then he hops, forward and back

Lwj doesn’t know why, but he breaks away quickly and quietly from the man ahead of him and moves towards the crow, who flutters his wings and begins to lead him down another path.

The child also perks up, once he sees him, “gege!!!” He says excitedly. “Xian-gege!!”

“Hush,”

Lwj whispers into the crown of his head, wary of those who might be listening, “we are going to meet him.”

He never heard of the patriarch having a child, but he trusts the crow more than the man.

They reach the bottom of the burial mounds, avoiding the more common route, and

Part way up, lwj is met with a frantic looking woman.

“A-Yuan!” She cries when she sees them, rushing forward to steal him out of lwj’s arms “never do that again.”

On the tree besides them, the crow seems to breath a sigh of relief. Lwj inclines his head awkwardly

“Thank you”

Lwj shakes his head. Protecting a child requires no thanks. The woman’s gaze flicks between him and the crow, and she seems to read smth he cannot as she gathers a-yuan in close and murmurs, “say thank you to the gongzi” which he does, sweet and shy

Lwj shakes his head again

“Stay safe” is all he says before he he heads back down. The boy cries, “xian-gege!!” As he goes, which is explained when the crow comes to land on lwj’s shoulder. Xian-gege, is that what he calls him?

“Gege needs to speak with gongzi, he’ll be back” the woman assures him

A-yuan pouts, but allows himself to be carried away. Soon, it is just the two of them and a whistling wind.

“I did not know the patriarch had a child” he says. The crow stares at him for a moment & then nods. Lwj feels a grim sense of understanding—the other man must have...

The crow hops into his arms, that cradle him instinctively, and nudges back into lwj’s chest. Lwj strokes down his back once, & feels his heart clench when the bird pulls at his hand once more.

‘Take the key’

Finally, lwj relents.

“I will meet with him. But I promise no more”

Lwj’s heart has belong to a mischievous smile bathed in moonlight for over seven years now. But he feels as if he owes the crow this much.

He takes the key in hand and gently pulls it from around the crows neck. However, the moment the key is removed there is a sizzling pop and

Lwj finds himself with an armful of human, a human with night black, languid and loose, with night black robes, dusted and worn, and—and—

“Hello, lan zhan”

Lwj’s breath stops in his throat. His heart clambers loudly in his chest.

He...

Wei Ying looks up from where he had been tucked into lwj’s neck and smiles and, oh, lwj isn’t sure how he’s gone this long without seeing the beautiful curve of wwx’s mouth

“I’ve missed you” wwx says and lwj’s doesn’t know when he moves but one of his hands is already cradling

Wwx’s face, wei ying who leans into the touch, who nuzzles his palm. Lwj is quite sure he’s dreaming, he has to be.

“Wei ying” he says, rather helplessly. Wei ying just smiles

“Hello” he repeats

“Wei /ying/“ lwj says, much more affected, before pulling wwx back into his arms

Wwx laughs and it’s still so beautiful and his arms grip lwj just as tight. Lwj doesn’t know how his heart used to function without being pressed against wwx like this. He finds himself murmuring wwx’s name like a mantra, his vocabulary lost but he doesn’t care. He needs no

Other words. Eventually they pull apart, barely and lwj returns to cradling wwx’s face with one hand, the other held fast to the man’s waist

“The Yiling patriarch?”

“That’s me” Wwx says w a laugh into lwj’s palm. “They gave it to me after I stole the wen remnants from the jins”

Lwj remembers this. If the remnants held a child, he has no doubt as to why Wwx did it.

“The game?” He asks w a frown & wwx laughs louder.

“Just smth fun to get ppl to leave me alone” he looks up w a sly smirk “im very popular you know”

Lwj does not doubt this. He still huffs

His next question is quieter.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“In the war I need the cover, and then after...” he bites his lip “it seemed like everyone had moved on”

“No” lwj tells him, cradling him with both hands now. “Never”

None of them had moved on.

Not Jiang Wanyin, who still looks to his side for a brother long gone, who keeps a room prepared for a body never there. Not Jiang Yanli, who still places an extra bowl of soup at an empty chair. Not lwj, still searching after five long years.

None of them had moved on at all

Wwx covers one of lwj’s with his own and presses in close, eyes closed tight w emotion. They’ve never been this close for so long—lwj can’t believe it took them this long. He never wants to let go again

The key feels cool on his hand

“I won” he says, almost like an afterthought

Wwx blinks at him and then looks at the key lwj offers him as he repeats, “I have the key”

Wwx gives a weak chuckle and reaches for it, “oh, don’t worry, I know you don’t want to marry the Yiling patriarch”

Wwx’s hand closes over lwj’s

“No” He agrees “I want to marry Wei Ying”

Wwx’s gaze snaps to him, mouth agape.

“Lan zhan don’t tease” he says w a strained voice. Lwj nuzzles at his temple.

“Not teasing. I want to marry wei ying”

“But you’re in love w someone else!!”

“Yes. And no. I am in love with wei ying.” He stares into his wide eyes “always”

Wwx’s response is a strangled sort of sound and a messy kiss against lwj’s mouth. It’s beautiful.

“Don’t tease me like that!” He says, eyes shining and mouth bright “lan er gege you’re so mean to me”

Lwj hums neither an agreement nor a denial and give him a delicate kiss back.

“Marry me, lan zhan” wwx pleads against his mouth “I’ll have no one else; the Yiling patriarch will accept no one else”

“Yes” lwj agrees with a sigh, his own eyes growing damp. Seven years of yearning, five years of searching, how can he say anything else? “Yes I will marry you”

They collect the wens (after lwj buys them lots of food for one final feast) and go home to lotus pier where lwj hands over “the crow” to Jiang Cheng who nearly cries when wwx reveals himself from under a hood and does very much punch him and hug him for a long time

Jiang Yanli very much cries and also doesn’t let go of wei ying for a Long Time. They all work together to clear the wens name, lwj is NOT allowed to share a room w wwx “he’s your fiancé ?!?!” Much to their mutual disappointment :(

Lwj returns to Gusu (briefly) but eventually

They are properly married ;v; and they swap between lotus pier and Gusu and it’s very cute listening to lqr and jc “not fight” over who gets to host the couple when :’)
A-yuan lives w them!!! Their son!! Most of the wens stay at lotus pier taking odd jobs

And they all live happily ever after!!!!!

Ty for reading this!!! Sorry for the length ;0; I hope U love crowxian just as much as I do!! ;v;