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Nie Huaisang always spent the week leading up to the Qixi Festival making sure to be particularly difficult. He made sure to do his best to sigh loudly and in the most forlorn way possible, garnering pitying looks from anyone who happened to pass by. He would pause in his weaving, feeling the motivation drain from his fingers as he held the clouds in his lap. Then, when his brother would pass by, he would heave another heavy sigh.
"Stop that," Nie Mingjue said with no real ire in his voice. "It's been a thousand years. Surely you're used to it by now."
Although Nie Huaisang was purposely being petulant, he couldn’t help but feel offended at his brother’s callousness. Even if Nie Mingjue leaned towards the “tough love” spectrum of comforting loved ones, he could at least show some sympathy.
“Even after two thousand years or three thousand years, I won’t stop missing him,” Nie Huaisang said bitterly.
He yanked a shimmering thread from the loom where he was tasked with weaving endless clouds. Ever since he was young, Nie Huaisang was considered unremarkable and untalented—unable to live up to his family’s martial legacy. Until the Jade Empress herself had happened upon Nie Huaisang creating a tapestry with heavenly threads, all Nie Huaisang had to his name was a pretty face.
After discovering his talent, Nie Huaisang was lauded as one of the most talented weavers across the heavens and never had a shortage of admirers or suitors. Heavenly beings would line up to admire the way he would weave clouds across the sky, imbuing them with delicacy and an artisan’s eye.
Nowadays, Nie Huaisang asked his brother to chase away any suitors or visitors that didn’t have genuinely serious business for him. When approached by those seeking his favor, Nie Huaisang played dumb, hiding his face behind his fan with a shrug. He had no interest in seeing anyone else, for he had already given his heart to someone he couldn’t have.
Nie Huaisang stared out the window over the heavens. The clouds glowed in the bright sunlight, but despite the summer sun, it wasn't particularly warm. Everything in the heavens was perfectly acclimated for the heavenly beings while the mortals below sweat under the summer heat, as if to convince them that there was nothing for them in the mortal realm. Everything was perfect here, after all, why would Nie Huaisang ever be tempted to go down to Earth?
"A-Sang, aren't you hot?"
Nie Huaisang sat gracefully on the ox cart, fanning himself slowly as they made the journey back to Jiang Cheng's farmland. Yes, he was a bit warm, but it was nothing a heavenly being like him couldn't handle after shedding his outer robes.
It must be unbearable to a human, though, Nie Huaisang thought to himself as he watched Jiang Cheng shed his inner robe and threw it into the ox cart. With one hand on the reigns and another on a water gourd, Jiang Cheng took a huge gulp of water. Nie Huaisang watched as a rivulet of water streamed from the corner of his mouth and trailed down across his collarbone. When Nie Huaisang forgot to answer his question, Jiang Cheng turned around to throw a concerned look over his tanned shoulder, giving Nie Huaisang a beautiful view of the muscular expanse of his husband's back.
“A-Sang?” he repeated.
Nie Huaisang squeaked nervously and hid behind his fan. "I-I might be a little thirsty," he muttered, peeking over the top of his fan.
"Da ge, do you think he misses me?" NIe Huaisang asked, voice barely above a whisper.
"A thousand years of marriage cannot be lost that easily," his brother said, but Nie Huaisang could see the way Nie Mingjue's brows furrowed together fiercely and his lips pursed together, like he was stopping himself from saying something he shouldn't.
Nie Huaisang knew what his brother was saying. For anyone to hold onto their feelings for so long was nothing short of a miracle. It was one thing for heavenly beings, but humans were fickle creatures. And, ultimately, even after reaching immortality, wasn't Jiang Cheng still human?
"Huaisang,' Nie Mingjue said in warning.
Nie Huaisang was pulled out of his thoughts and gasped when he saw that he had wrinkled the soft cloud he had been weaving in a tight grasp. He had half a mind to tear it in half in front of the Jade Empress herself before he thought better of it and smoothed out the wrinkles with a delicate touch. He had already faced her wrath once and she had already been lenient—he did not want to face it again.
Nie Huaisang sat up from his seat, setting his weaving aside. “I’m going out for a walk,” he said, not asking for permission so much as letting Nie Mingjue know. Before his brother could object, Nie Huaisang set out for the gardens.
The heavenly gardens was beautiful in the glow of the sunset. The grand marble structures were painted a beautiful pinkish gold and stood high and mighty overhead. Nie Huaisang continued along a perfectly paved path, not a stone out of place.
Distantly, he remembered that it was normally raining around this time of year in the mortal realm. Nie Huaisang couldn’t say he missed the way the water clung to his skin in the summer heat, or the way the humidity would ruin his hair. In the heavens, he had never had to deal with unideal weather conditions, where rain was always cool and refreshing and the sunlight was always mild and warm. But he did miss when he and Jiang Cheng would get caught in the rain, and Jiang Cheng would scold him for complaining, only to throw his outer robes over Nie Huaisang’s head before they both ran for cover, laughing the whole way.
The memory made Nie Huaisang’s chest throb painfully. He held a hand over his heart, letting out a slow breath. He had hoped that taking a walk would get his mind off of the approaching festival, but every year the same thoughts kept coming to him. Would this year, after a thousand years, finally be the year where Jiang Cheng would finally get fed up with waiting to see his love for only one night only to wait an entire lunar cycle for the cycle to repeat? What if Jiang Cheng had met some pretty young master or maiden and fell in love again? His A-Cheng was a catch, after all—he could take his pick of whoever he wanted, why settle for a man he could only see once a year?
Nie Huaisang continued down the path, passing very little people along the way. Around this time, many heavenly beings would sneak down to the mortal realm to take part in the festival, donning their human masks and dancing among mortals like they were one of them. Nie Huaisang missed the days when he was young and could venture into the human world whenever he pleased, but he never tried to hide his heavenly aura, and had flaunted it like it had been something to brag about.
“Are you a fairy?”
Nie Huaisang looked over his shoulder from where he had been bathing in the spring, smiling at the way Jiang Cheng’s ears had turned red at the sight of Nie Huaisang’s bare skin. Jiang Cheng was looking away out of politeness, but every once in a while his eyes would dart over to Nie Huaisang, then away again.
Nie Huaisang giggled, approaching the bank and raising himself out of the water with newfound boldness. He leaned over to one side to wring the water out of his hair. “Not quite, but you’re close,” he answered
Jiang Cheng looked over to Nie Huaisang and squawked indignantly at his nakedness. Quickly, he threw off his outer robes and thrust it towards Nie Huaisang. His whole face turned so red, Nie Huaisang was afraid he would pass out.
“Don’t just come out of the spring like that—don’t you have any decency?” Jiang Cheng scolded him. “What if someone sees you?”
“ You saw me,” Nie Huaisang pointed out. “A few times now.”
Nie Huaisang thought Jiang Cheng couldn’t turn any more red, but apparently he was wrong. The human quickly covered his face with his hand. “I-I didn’t see anything!” he objected.
Nie Huaisang laughed as he carefully put on Jiang Cheng’s robes. The robes were too big for his frame and too warm for the weather, but they smelled like Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang immediately pressed the sleeve to his nose. “That’s too bad,” he muttered from behind the sleeve.
“What?” Jiang Cheng asked, finally looking up when he saw that Nie Huaisang was decent.
“Do you know what happens if you see a heavenly being naked?” Nie Huaisang asked.
Jiang Cheng’s adam’s apple bobbed in his throat, and his eyes grow wide. “What?’ Jiang Cheng asked, clearly trying to keep his voice steady.
“You have to take responsibility,” Nie Huaisang said. And before Jiang Cheng could ask him to clarify, Nie Huaisang pressed their lips together and sighed when Jiang Cheng wrapped his arms around his waist like they belonged there.
It was getting dark.
As moon rose in the sky, the clouds seemed to sparkle with starlight. Nie Huaisang couldn’t help but hold his breath, his stomach twisting uncomfortably as he waited at the edge of the heavenly realm. He could hear the telltale sounds of the magpies approaching, feathers fluttering in the wind as they lined up at the edge.
Even as his heartbeat drummed loudly in his ears and his grip on his fan grew so tight that his knuckles were turning white, Nie Huaisang gave the magpies a kind smile. “Thank you for your help again this year,” he said politely.
As if acknowledging him, the magpies began to line up, pressed tightly together to create a long bridge that Nie Huaisang couldn’t see the end of. He took one step onto the bridge, his hands shaking as he began his walk.
Every year, Nie Huaisang told himself that he wasn’t allowed to run to the end of the bridge, no matter how excited he was, no matter how badly he just wanted to know if his husband awaited him at the end. For someone like Nie Huaisang, who had always looked for the easiest way out, his display of patience was a remarkable feat. HIs footsteps felt heavier with every step, but he reassured himself that at the very least, if no one was waiting for him at the end of the bridge, he could at least keep some of his dignity.
Somewhere along the stretch of bridge, the weather had begun to change. The first drops of rain that fell upon Nie Huaisang’s face startled him so badly he actually squeaked in his surprise. Before he knew it, the warm rain was soaking through his clothes and weighing down his hair. With his hand held uselessly over his head, Nie Huaisang continued his walk. He squinted through the downpour, looking for any sign of his love, even the smallest hint of violet in the black night.
Nie Huaisang crossed the peak of the bridge at the halfway point, and as he walked on, his footsteps became heavier. HIs bottom lip trembled with worry—normally he would have met with Jiang Cheng around the halfway point. Could his worries have been true after all?
Nie Huaisang wasn’t sure when he had stopped walking, but when he had finally noticed, he dropped to his knees. HIs heart clenched painfully in his chest and water streamed down his tears mingling with the rain.
Nie Huaisang missed him. Waiting every year was hard enough, longing for Jiang Cheng’s touch, for the sound of his voice, only to have his fill for the span of a single night. To think that he might never hear Jiang Cheng call for him again, for him to hold Nie Huaisang close, was more pain than Nie Huaisang could bear.
NIe Huaisang had always been easy to bring to tears, and this moment was no exception. He buried his face in his knees and sobs spilled from his lips before he could stop them. In the back of his mind, Nie Huaisang scolded himself. He truly must have looked awful, with his clothes completely soaked through and rubbing his eyes like a child, face splotchy and red from crying.
In his self-loathing, Nie Huaisang missed the sound of footsteps coming up the magpie bridge.
“A-Sang?!”
It took Nie Huaisang a moment to register the call, and before realization dawned on him, he felt a pair of firm hands on his shoulders. Nie Huaisang lifted his head up, and his heart almost stopped at the sight in front of him.
Jiang Cheng’s handsome face with filled with concern, his eyebrows knitted together and his lips pulled into a frown. His lips parted and the voice that came out only made Nie Huaisang sob even harder.
“Are you okay?” Jiang Cheng asked, He lifted one hand to Nie Huaisang’s cheek and gave him a quick once over for any signs of pain. “Are you hurt? Did something happen?”
As the rain poured around them, Nie Huaisang took a moment to stare at Jiang Cheng, unsure if the person talking to him, holding him, was real. Jiang Cheng’s violet clothes were soaked through and his the fringe of his wet hair clung to his cheeks. Out of the corner of his eye, Nie Huaisang spotted a red umbrella, open and tossed to the side. Jiang Cheng’s brows were furrowed and his face was stern. Anyone who didn’t know better would think that he was angry, but Nie Huaisang recognized the way Jiang Cheng worried his lips, his blue eyes wide as he held Nie Huaisang with shaking hands.
Nie Huaisang cupped Jiang Cheng’s face in his hands, and one thousand thoughts poured into his brain at once. He had so many questions to ask, so many things to say, and he only had one night to say them all.
But instead, Nie Huaisang just wailed. “You made me wait for so long!”
He threw his arms around Jiang Cheng’s shoulders. His arms shook as he held Jiang Cheng close, pressing his face into Jiang Cheng’s neck, afraid that Jiang Cheng would disappear if he let go.
“What are you crying for?” Jiang Cheng asked in that stern voice of his, almost as if he were reprimanding him. But Jiang Cheng’s fingers brushed gently through Nie Huaisang’s wet hair, and his arm curled tightly around Nie Huaisang’s waist. Even over the thundering of the heavy rain all around them, Nie Huaisang could hear the way Jiang Cheng’s voice shook with emotion. “I’m here now, aren’t I?”
“I’ve waited for so long,” Nie Huaisang whined. He pulled away from Jiang Cheng’s shoulder, keeping his arms were still wrapped around his neck. Nie Huaisang felt his heart swell in his chest, and a delighted giggle spilled past his lips as Jiang Cheng tried to away the tears that stained Nie Huaisang’s cheek. “Can’t you just play along and spoil your husband for a moment?”
Jiang Cheng’s lips curled into a soft smile as he looked at Nie Huaisang. It was unfair, really, how handsome one human could be. Nie Huaisang had spent his whole life surrounded by heavenly beings, all born to be beautiful and skilled, but a once-mortal cowherd was the one who had stolen his heart.
But as Jiang Cheng reached back to peel one of Nie Huaisang’s hands off of his shoulder and pressed his lips against the heavenly weaver’s knuckles, Nie Huaisang knew that he would never want his heart to belong to anyone else.
“I missed you, too,” Jiang Cheng said, voice shuddering against Nie Huaisang’s knuckles. “And if spoiling my husband all night is what he wishes, I’ll do anything for my A-Sang.”
Nie Huaisang’s face flushed red. “Did you become more forward in the past year? What happened to my embarrassed and charming cowherd husband?”
Jiang Cheng smiled against Nie Huaisang’s knuckles. “This husband is holding back on a year’s worth of affection, so you’ll have to make do with me attending to all of my spousal duties in one night,” he said.
Nie Huaisang giggled. “I can see your ears turning red, A-Cheng,” he said, laughing harder as Jiang Cheng quickly looked away quickly.
“A-anyway, aren’t you cold?” Jiang Cheng stammered, quickly taking off his outer robe to throw it over Nie Huaisang’s shoulders. The gesture was rather silly, Nie Huaisang thought, since they were both already totally soaked, but it warmed Nie Huaisang’s heart. Jiang Cheng pulled the hem of the robe in towards Nie Huaisang’s body, his fingers slipping under the cloth to straighten the collar before trailing up to Nie Huaisang’s cheeks.
Jiang Cheng brushed his thumb against Nie Huaisang’s cheekbone, and the weaver leaned into the touch, his eyes fluttering shut at the sensation of rough fingertips sending shivers up his spine.
Ah, Nie Huaisang thought. It’s you. It’s really you.
“Husband,” Nie Huaisang began, his voice low. He was almost inaudible in the roar of the rain. “Are you really going to spoil me tonight?”
“I’ve been waiting all year to,” Jiang Cheng answered softly.
Suddenly, between the two of them, the heavy summer rains did not exist. Nor did things like time or realms—even the bridge between them seemed to disappear. Nie Huaisang clasped his hands together behind Jiang Cheng’s neck and leaned in close.
“First, why don’t you give this husband a hello kiss?” he asked.
Nie Huaisang barely finished his sentence before Jiang Cheng pressed their lips together, and their bodies melted together as if they were one. And if they kissed for a few moments too long—well, the night was still young, and the festivities had just begun.