Work Text:
“Adaptable. I like that.”
Huaisang tries not to admire Wei Wuxian’s work too openly around Jiang Cheng, but sometimes, there are more important things than managing his lover’s feelings. Like conspiring with Wei Wuxian to betray Jiang Cheng.
Technically, of course, Huaisang isn’t going to betray Jiang Cheng. But as he listens to Wei Wuxian explain the precise order of strokes for the characters that will turn this talisman from a mildly-inconveniencing curse to a killing curse and back, he knows Jiang Cheng won’t see it that way.
He’s going to be so angry and so hurt. But it will be emotional pain, not physical, and that is what spurs Huaisang on.
He examines the scrap of silk on the table and pokes it with the end of his paintbrush.
“And if I needed to kill someone?” he asks nonchalantly.
Wei Wuxian, too smart by half, taps the side of his nose, matching Huaisang’s insouciance.
“Well,” he drawls, “you’d have to repaint the radicals here.” He taps at the third character on the talisman. “Reversing it will first block the qi of the victim, and then this”-- he pokes the final character of the talisman -- “will cut off the body’s ability to process air.” He leans back and offers Huaisang a grim smile. “It's like drowning. It won’t be a pretty death, but it will be quick.”
Huaisang moves the talisman aside carefully and reaches for the bowl of peanuts.
“He’s going to be angry,” Wei Wuxian says after a moment.
“Oh, he’ll be furious,” Huaisang agrees. “I truly don’t know if he will forgive me.”
“Are you sure it’s worth it?”
Huaisang pours Wei Wuxian another cup of Emperor’s Smile.
“If it were Yanli-jie in their sights? A-Cheng? Tell me, Wei Wuxian, what would you do?”
Wei Wuxian’s grin turns feral.
“Oh, I’d stab the fuckers. Just gut ‘em. Maybe whistle up a tune and have a few fierce corpses tear them apart for good measure. But that’s just me.”
“Yes,” Huaisang sniffs, “well, there’s getting one’s hands dirty and there’s getting one’s hands dirty.”
“Hey, you don’t have to convince me,” Wei Wuxian says, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “This is war, and they’re fucking with your family.”
They fall silent for a few minutes as they finish off the Emperor’s Smile.
“Out of curiosity,” Wei Wuxian says as Huaisang gathers his things to go, “what if it is Jin Guangyao? Not that I’m gonna stop you, of course, only Big Brother will be sad which will make Lan Zhan sad, and I just wanna know if I should prepare for that.”
Huaisang flicks his fan open and hides his face for a moment.
“I’ll only do what needs to be done,” he says.
What he needs to do now, however, is find Jiang Cheng and make the most of the last quiet evening they’re likely to have in -- well, the last in a while. Something to remind him that the sacrifice will be worth it.