Chapter Text
He should have been more careful; he shouldn’t have caved in so easily. But how could he possibly resist when A-Sang looks at him that way? With that hopeful doe-eyed look on his face.
“Just one kiss, A-Cheng. Just one goodbye kiss,” he says, placing his hands on his shoulders and gently rubbing them. “Just one. I’ll be very upset if you don’t kiss me,” and he lowers his eyes, strategically, as a slight frown is forming on his face.
“A-Sang… here? It’s simply unreasonable,” Jiang Cheng responds, trying to convince, most of all, himself. After all, his resolve not to give into temptation is faltering with every second of this little performance put on by Huaisang.
“Would you really leave me like that?” he pleads, dragging every syllable out until his voice pitifully snaps. “All upset?” and he looks at him again, with those eyes glistening in the dim light of street lamps no less pitifully.
Jiang Cheng’s resolve barely withstands the onslaught of such cunning and this time it is him who has to lower his eyes in a desperate attempt to resist.
“Your brother, A-Sang…” he tries to explain but stumbles as soon as his boyfriend’s hand slips from his shoulder and settles on his cheek in a feather-light touch, urging him to meet his eyes again.
“My brother is at work, A-Cheng.”
“You… should have started with that!” he cries out, irritated.
And this very moment marks the crushing defeat of his willpower by a sly smile that lights up Huaisang’s face.
“You should have seen yourself. Tried so hard not to give in,” he giggles. “How could I have possibly resisted the… ah…”
Jiang Cheng interrupts him with a kiss. Startled, A-Sang trembles, but a mere second later he starts kissing him back with all the possible fervor. Fervor, caused by none other than his triumphant victory in that little battle between them.
“Ah… finally…” breathing heavily, A-Sang whispers in between the kisses. “…finally you gave in… ah…”
“You talk too much,” Jiang Cheng cuts in, still wounded by the overwhelming defeat at his boyfriend’s hands, and deepens the next kiss, trying to force Huaisang into silence.
The abrupt babbling ceases, gradually shifting into no less abrupt moaning that sends chills down his spine one after the other as pleasant vibrations from A-Sang’s moans thrill his lips. Just to think he was resisting that so adamantly? Seems idiotic to him now. His hands are already settling on Huaisang’s waist, pulling him in as close as physically possible, while his boyfriend’s hands are grabbing his shoulders with such desperation as if he might fall should he loosen his grip even for a moment.
In that truly captivating melody of A-Sang’s erratic moans and his own blood pounding in his temples, Jiang Cheng nearly misses a strange noise on the side. He cracks one eye open, lazily looking around, and sees the entrance door swinging open.
“What the…” a harsh male voice is what he hears next.
His blood goes cold immediately. There’s only one person this voice could belong to… Jiang Cheng doesn’t even have the time to allow panic consume him fully, when Huaisang, taken by surprise, practically jumps out of his skin. The next thing he feels is pain spreading all over his face as his boyfriend’s forehead crashes into his nose with a loud crack, settling into a dull ringing in his head.
He jumps back lightning-fast and, breathing heavily, shifts his startled eyes between Huaisang and his brother and back. A-Sang stares at him with a horrified look, and even his brother’s face twists into something resembling confusion. He doesn’t understand what he’s done to warrant such reactions, until he feels something sliding from his nose down his lips and the telltale metallic taste of blood claims his tongue.
“A-Cheng, I’m so sorry, I…” begins Huaisang, but…
“Get him inside the house! Don’t just stand there!” his brother interrupts him.
“Yes, yes! Of course…”
A-Sang darts to his side, gently loops his hand around his elbow, soothingly caressing his forearm, and then lightly pulls Jiang Cheng towards the door. Jiang Cheng, still confused to hell and back, puts on little to no resistance as he’s being led inside the house.
His brain doesn’t register what’s happening around him. He’s in a daze as they enter the living room. Huaisang guides him to sit down on the sofa. And the daze starts letting go of him as the soft fabric sinks in under his weight.
With a quick “I’ll be right back!” Huaisang darts off somewhere, and Jiang Cheng comes back to his senses just as quickly from the sheer fear of being left alone with… In a fit of panic, he is tempted to give into the urge to run after him. He lifts his head and leans forward, when…
“Keep your head down!” …Huaisang’s brother commands, his loud voice making the ringing in his ears even worse. He hurries to do as he was told out of sheer panic.
He comes up to him – Jiang Cheng barely manages to keep his distress from showing – and hands him a couple of tissues.
“Wouldn’t want you to stain our floors,” he grinds out.
Jiang Cheng accepts the tissues and puts one to his nose, all while praying to whatever deity that’s listening for Huaisang to come back as soon as possible. His brother probably wouldn’t try to punch someone with a bloody nose, but still…
“So you are…” his brother addresses him again, and Jiang Cheng could swear his heart tried to jump out of his chest that very moment. He tries his best to keep his cool, so that he could at least hear what’s being said to him and not just the overpowering beating of his stressed out heart.
But his prayers have been answered, it seems. His saving grace comes, at last, in a form of Huaisang running into the room, rescuing him from having to hold a conversation with his brother. Wouldn’t be much of a conversation anyway, he thinks. Even if he managed not to lose the train of thought, he would still have to manage answering. In a state that he’s in that would certainly be problematic.
“A-Cheng, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to,” Huaisang’s on his knees in front of him in a second, his hand’s already on his cheek, stroking it gently.
“It’s fine… I had worse.” he manages a coherent sentence, barely gathering his thoughts.
“There, put it to your nose.”
There’s an icepack in his other hand, holding it out to him.
“Thanks.”
He takes it and, once again, does as he’s told. His skin stings a bit as the cold from the icepack spreads all over his nose, but not a moment later he lets out a satisfied breath, as it works its way into placating the pain. A relieved smile graces Huaisang’s lips and his hand moves up to Jiang Cheng’s temple, busying itself with stroking his slightly disheveled hair there. Jiang Cheng allows himself to close his eyes, enjoying the seemingly never-ending stream of soothing touches.
“That’s it. Everything’s alright,” he hears Huaisang’s voice and its calm tone plummets him into relaxation.
And that’s how he spends the next few minutes: listening to his boyfriend’s reassurances spoken in that soft voice of his and basking in the gentle cadence of caresses he showers him in. His previously ragged breath evens out, so does his erratic heartbeat, and even his nose doesn’t hurt as much anymore. He finally gathers the courage to open his eyes. A-Sang’s still smiling at him calmly. Jiang Cheng manages a smile in return. Huaisang puts away the bloodied tissues, as they are no longer needed, and a slightly melted icepack too. But just as he opens his mouth to say something to him…
“Well, how’s he?” …his brother chimes in, and the harsh tone of his voice shatters the bubble of tranquility around them.
“A-Cheng, it’s fine.” Huaisang reassures him once again, taking notice of his panic, and turns to his brother. “He’s already feeling better.”
“Can’t he speak for himself?”
“Dage!”
“I’m okay!” Jiang Cheng blurts out in one breath and even looks up at him cautiously.
“Great,” frowning as he speaks, Huaisang’s brother studies him carefully. “So… you are my didi’s recent hobby.”
“Dage, he’s my boyfriend, not my hobby.” Huaisang points out, arms folded in irritation. Not that his brother takes any notice of it, too busy scrutinizing Jiang Cheng.
“Boyfriend, hah?” he grumbles, dragging out that word as if it’s personally offended him. “Even better… Well then, tell me your name, boyfriend. Or should I call you A-Cheng like didi does?” he scoffs.
“Dage!” Huaisang cries out, scandalized.
“Easy, didi. I’m just kidding,” he answers, completely unfazed by Huaisang’s outrage.
Jiang Cheng, meanwhile, having gathered all the courage he had left, stands up and, barely managing to keep a neutral face, comes up to Huaisang’s brother.
“Nie Mingjue.”
He holds out his hand.
“Jiang Cheng,” he introduces himself, trying to conceal the traitorous tremor in his voice, and, finally, holds out his hand in return.
Nie Mingjue, without breaking eye contact, shakes his hand, gripping it tightly. Too tightly. For a moment he thinks he heard his bones crack. He hopes it’s just his imagination playing tricks on him. Still, Jiang Cheng grits his teeth so as not to let out a sound under the pressure of Mingjue’s grip of steel and, in a second, the torture is over, at last. His hand is free.
“Nice to meet you,” Jiang Chend adds, with a shaky smile, hoping to make this at least a little less awkward.
Mingjue lifts his eyebrow, skeptically, and, looking him up and down, just as skeptically, says “Not sure I can say the same yet.”
The smile basically evaporates from his face.
“Dage’s kidding again, A-Cheng,” Huaisang chimes in, grabbing his hand. “Isn’t that so, dage?”
And he turns his eyes, darkening with a not so hidden threat, to him.
“We’ll see,” Mingjue shrugs. “It’s already getting late. Isn’t that so, young man?” he says, looking at Jiang Cheng pointedly.
The implication, accompanied by that specific look, couldn’t be any clearer. He’s no longer welcome. Not welcome by Mingjue, at least. Having to say goodbye to Huaisang evokes a pang of disappointment in his chest and triggers an instinct to push back against such injustice. But he’s not in the position to make demands. Not in Mingjue’s presence anyways. He’s hostile enough to him as it is. Pushing against him won’t do Jiang Cheng any favors in the long run.
“Yes…” which is why he agrees. “I should probably get going.”
“Yes,” Mingjue nods. “Didi, show your …boyfriend… out, would you?” He glances at him, still obviously displeased, one more time. “See you later, Jiang Cheng.”
He barely has the time to respond: Huaisang, still holding his hand, is already pulling him to the door.
Stepping onto the porch, they are finally alone. Being outside of Mingjue’s hearing and seeing range feels freeing. Relief washes over Jiang Cheng as soon as fresh air hits his lungs.
“A-Cheng, I’m so sorry it turned out that way. I swear I didn’t know he came home earlier today. And I’m sorry for your nose too.”
“I’m not upset, A-Sang,” he reassures him. “But I’ll definitely need some time to… sort that whole thing out in my head.”
“I’m sorry for dage’s attitude too. That was certainly uncalled for,” Huaisang sighs. “He overdid himself this time. He’s so getting a telling-off of his lifetime for that one,” he adds as his expression twists into something quite menacing. Despite himself, Jiang Cheng starts feeling sorry for Huaisang’s brother.
“It’s fine.” He puts his hands on Huaisang’s shoulders and holds them gently, basking in the warmth of his soft skin. “Meeting your brother couldn’t have gone worse, but it might still get better.”
He doesn’t believe what he’s saying, not a bit. But his words seem to have a calming effect on Huaisang and that’s what matters. His boyfriend’s harsh expression melts into its usual softness.
“Yes! You’re right! Not to mention, when he gets to know you he’ll see how much better you are than all of my exes put together,” he exclaims, already feeling much more hopeful.
Jiang Cheng can’t help smiling at his optimism.
“Alright, I gotta go. Thank you for taking care of me.” He leans in and leaves a soft kiss on his forehead.
“You don’t need to thank me for that, silly!” he responds, closing his eyes in pleasure.
“See you tomorrow, A-Sang.”
“See you tomorrow, A-Cheng.”
He smiles at him one last time and steps inside the house. As soon as the door closes behind him, Jiang Cheng finally allows himself to cuss out to his heart’s content. Not as loudly as he wants, though. Wouldn’t want anyone in the house to hear. Especially Mingjue. Or he can kiss his approval goodbye. And he plans on getting it! For A-Sang’s sake. For his own too.
With that thought, he turns around and heads home. There was a whisky bottle in the fridge that Wei Wuxian hasn’t finished off by some miracle. In the light of this evening’s very unfortunate events, he definitely needs a drink.