high mountains and flowing water
by Rose Thorne
Disclaimer: I don't own the mdzs characters.
Wen Ning is tired.
As the backup guitar player and social media manager for the band, he was intimately familiar with the way they were viewed. Especially since Wei Wuxian (guitar) and Lan Wangji (bass) had taken to having mid-concert moments where their instruments spoke to each other, their players extremely into it to the point where they often stopped for intermission almost on top of one another.
Most social media users thought they hated each other, but a small contingent of fandom, the ones who wrote RPF, which Wen Ning would never admit to reading, doing a cache purge when he did, were convinced they were fucking.
He spent some concerts wishing they would, if only because the tension in the air caused by both of their unknowingly requited crushes was almost palpable. They'd progressed to the point where sometimes there was sex in the air.
Really, he'd signed up for a jam band, not this.
And then one night it did happen, Lan Wangji dragging Wei Wuxian into his dressing room. Even if anyone wanted to pretend ignorance, the loud sounds and Wei Wuxian's cackling narration left little to the imagination.
They were mussed but thankfully clothed by the time it was time to get back on stage, and the sexual tension that one might cut with a knife was more in the background.
When Ning thought it would get better.
But no, that was far too optimistic. The idiots both thought it was just sexual for the other, neither quite confident enough to make a move beyond sex.
And so the pining made its way into the music.
Jie, the band manager, only thought it was hilarious and used it to promote. Lan Xichen (trumpet) was the same, certain they'd figure it out before they actually had sex on stage. Nie Huaisang (keyboard) feigned ignorance if it was brought up, but the music indicated amusement. Jiang Cheng (drums) just got angry about it, soothed only by Jiang Yanli's assurances they'd figure it out eventually. Not that the anger didn't come out in the drums. Jiang Yanli (vocals) wasn't innocent, her interviews subtly encouraging the social media fervor.
Only Jin Zixuan (saxophone) was innocent, truly baffled by it all and no longer able to talk to either of them.
He swore he might confront the both of them if it didn't get better, but he knew he was too much of a coward—already he'd tried to talk to Wei Wuxian only to be glared into silence by Lan Wangji's jealous glare.
He wondered if he should just write his own RPF just to get out his own frustration in a way that didn't add to the bullshit on stage.
If something didn't happen to cut the UST on stage, he might lose his mind.
This kind of poured out. I wrote it on Tumblr.
Just a little one-shot that hopefully stays a one-shot.
Edit: This was inspired loosely by watching a Japanese jam psychedelic band's concert (Kikagaku Moyo) though that wasn't sexual.
Note that sometimes nmj comes in with the trombone, Xiao Xingchen with the cello, and Song Lan with the bassoon. Lwj can play harp and wwx can play flute, and they're eventually known for classical duets as well.