Work Text:
The light of a nearby street lamp seeped in through the curtain of the dorm window. The night had fallen quiet, yet Nie Huaisang was restless, struggling to find a comfortable position in his bed. Tossing and turning for the umpteenth time, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand beside him, squinting almost painfully at the jarring screen light. 2:18 AM. No new notifications, either; even the night-owls of his friends were probably asleep. It just wasn't fair , he thought. Perhaps the sensation he was going through was some form of anxiety, but his thoughts didn’t feel like they were racing at all. Or maybe his thoughts were always like this, and he was simply used to it.
In any case, he needed to find a solution to his problem. Maybe he could find something to read on his phone until he fell asleep? There was a short story by Isaac Asimov that’s been sitting in a browser tab for weeks, waiting to be read. Unfortunately, he didn’t really feel like reading at that moment. Perhaps mindlessly scrolling through his tumblr dashboard could bore him to sleep; but alas, cursed images, exaggerated (and probably untrue) stories, and an endless sea of cats wouldn’t exactly satisfy him, either. Besides, the phone light might do more harm than good.
Out of a frustrated impulse, Huaisang sat upright and scooted to the edge of the bed, his feet touching the soft worn down carpet. A field trip to the kitchen for some water (and maybe a snack or two) should help calm his nerves a bit, right? He stood up and opened his bedroom door cautiously, very much aware of how the squeaking of the door hinges filled the entire hallway. He cringed at the sound; perhaps if he wasn't assigned the room at the very end of the hallway, he wouldn't feel as much remorse from having caused so much noise. He waited for a few moments as the dread subsided; and once enough silence confirmed that no one else had woken, he let out the tension with a sigh.
Passing by the other bedrooms wasn’t too difficult of a task, as Huaisang is naturally light on his feet, but he stopped suddenly before he could pass the door of Wei Wuxian’s room. For a moment, Huaisang entertained the thought of waking him up for the sake of having some company. After all, any snack (especially pancakes) at 2 AM sounded a lot more fun with him being there. Although, the more he thought about it, there were a lot of things that became more enjoyable whenever Wei Wuxian joined in.
Huaisang remembered earlier that night when he, his roommates, and a few other friends had gathered together to play some Super Smash Bros (as they normally did on Saturday nights). Just as Jin Ling was setting up his Switch, Huaisang had received a text from Wei Wuxian:
“Hey, we’re doing our weekly smash, right? Can you tell the others that I’ll be running a little late? I’m running a quick errand or two before coming back” .
Huaisang had replied swiftly, “yeah of course, I’ll let them know” .
Merely seconds passed before he had decided to tack on another message, “...should we wait for you to get back??”
Wei Wuxian, “Nah. Go ahead and start. I’m gonna be, like, half an hour” .
Nie Huaisang, almost hesitantly, “Alright” .
Needless to say, something about that first half-hour or so of Smash Bros. had felt a little off. Sure, there were shouts and laughter, but that feel-good energy had flickered in and out of presence, rather than staying consistently strong. That was, until the sound of a key unlocking the door had piqued everyone’s attention. The door had swung open with a kick.
“I’m hoooome!” Wei Wuxian had smiled as he carried in about six or eight loaded reusable totes (likely supplied by Lan Wangji, and also likely to be forgotten in Wei Wuxian’s car for months thereafter) while skillfully kicking the door shut behind him. Wei Wuxian had started putting away the groceries, “I got ice cream and snacks and I even brought stuff for drinks, so we can all play Mario Kart DUI later tonight if we want”. The others had cheered. Alcohol is very much prohibited from the dorms, but leave it to Wei Wuxian to be able to smuggle such a thing past the dorm guards, and even be able to hide it whenever Nie Mingjue performs his duty as an R.A. and does dorm checks.
The instant Wei Wuxian plopped onto the couch, the atmosphere had seemed to shift from laid back to bright and cheerful. He would always revel in making others laugh, and some of his jokes almost brought tears to his friends' eyes. Even Jin Ling had a hard time suppressing his own giggling. And Wei Wuxian's own smiles and laughter were so precious and full of sunshine, so full of everything that was pure and good. It was enough to make Huaisang's heart skip a beat upon seeing or hearing it.
Huaisang would hate to have to interrupt his sleep for a chance to see that again, though; but even the mere thought of those smiles and laughs sent a slight warmth to his cheeks. As much as he wanted a chance to witness them again, he didn't want to come off as needy or annoying when it came to times like these. He thought for a moment, weighing his own selfish interests with the sleep schedule of one of his best friends. That's when Huaisang realized the door to Wei Wuxian's bedroom was already ajar. Suppose he played a game with fate: quietly peek inside the room, and if he's asleep, don't bother him. Should he be awake though, definitely ask if he wants to join him for some 2 AM pancakes. It was the perfect plan. After all, it wasn't unlike Wei Wuxian to stay up an hour or two past the time he claims he goes to sleep, so maybe luck will be on his side.
Huaisang placed a hand on the door and pushed ever so gently. However, fate was not kind, as a loud metallic rasp of the squeaking door hinges filled the hallway once more. He froze in place, gasping in silence at what he just did.
Hearing the sounds of bed sheets rustling, Huaisang wanted to flee back into his room, but before he could act, he saw Wei Wuxian rise from his bed with a soft groan.
"Hello…?" Wei Wuxian rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Uh, hey..." Huaisang whispered, smiling and waving awkwardly as he hid halfway behind the open door.
"...Huaisang?" Wei Wuxian checked his phone briefly, probably to look at the time, "What's up? You alright?"
"Yeah, I just..." Huaisang averted his gaze for a moment, "I can't sleep, so I was thinking about making some pancakes, you wanna join me?"
Wei Wuxian squinted for a brief moment, and Huaisang wasn't sure if it was the phone light that got to his eyes, or if he was thinking about the pancakes. "...There's no way you're hungry though".
Huaisang was caught off-guard, "How would you know that?"
"Because, you're the one that ate the most snacks at Smash Bros earlier".
Did he really? Huaisang never ceases to be amazed at how intelligent and observant Wei Wuxian can be. It was almost scary. But the more he thought about it, the pancakes were more like an excuse just to do something with Wei Wuxian, a passing thought. Huaisang sighed in defeat.
Wei Wuxian, "...Come here. I have a better idea".
Huaisang entered his room, leaving the door ajar behind him. Just what did Wei Wuxian have in mind? A lingering thought refused to leave his nervous mind; he's read way too much fanfiction to know where something like this would lead!
Huaisang stopped at the edge of the bed, “So what’s your brilliant idea?”, sounding a bit more bold than intended.
“Well,” Wei Wuxian scooted away to the other end of the bed, patting the spot next to him, “why don’t we just… cuddle?”
Was Huaisang dreaming? Was the man whose smile made his heart flutter really suggesting they cuddle? As much as Huaisang was too embarrassed to admit it, especially during times when he felt lonely, sometimes he craved such intimacy. Leaning on someone’s shoulder, hugging, cuddling, these are all the little things that Huaisang never really received. And Wei Wuxian… He had such a charming air about him; his intellect, the handsome entirety of his face, his free spirited mannerisms, his artistic skills… It was amazing that he was still single! And now Huaisang was blessed with this golden opportunity; there was no way he could let his anxiety get the better of him at a time like this!
Regardless, he was still cautious, “Are you sure that’s alright?”
Wei Wuxian, “I mean, it’s totally normal. I’m all for it if you are”.
Huaisang nodded. Starting with one knee on the bed, then a hand, he took his time carefully climbing into bed alongside him. Perhaps the carefulness partly derived from hesitance, as if it was unclear whether or not everything was fine. Wei Wuxian probably noticed Huaisang’s nervousness, as he gave words of encouragement as the two laid down together.
"It'll be okay, just relax. Besides, I've heard this sort of thing is supposed to be good for you, because it releases a thing called… serotonin, I think? Whatever that is..."
Huaisang couldn't help but laugh a little. Wei Wuxian loved to talk; it was another one of his many charm points.
It was a tight fit for a bed that’s only meant to fit one person, but regardless, they still made it work. Huaisang, having never cuddled with someone since he can remember, was tense at first. However, Wei Wuxian’s warmth was soothing and radiating, just like the sun, and smelling faintly of grass and summer wind. Huaisang sighed the tension away and buried his face into Wei Wuxian’s chest, the friction of t-shirt against skin feeling like pure bliss. Their legs entangled underneath the blankets. Huaisang could feel an arm reach around his waist, his hand gently gliding up and down his back. It all felt so secure and comforting.
Wei Wuxian smiled, “See, this isn’t so bad, now is it?”
Huaisang could only hum in response, not feeling up to saying much of anything else.
Wei Wuxian’s hand slid upwards to pet Huaisang’s head, which eventually led to running his fingers slowly through the length of his hair. Wei Wuxian noted how soft Huaisang’s hair was, and took his sweet time enjoying the texture between his fingers. Trying to reciprocate in some way or another, Huaisang wrapped an arm around Wei Wuxian’s side, feeling up the firmness of his back before pulling himself closer into his chest. Huaisang closed his eyes and came to the revelation that this was indeed good, that people were meant to cuddle. The two of them laid in silence together for a while, until Wei Wuxian spoke up again.
“Hey, uh...”
Huaisang opened his eyes halfway, “Hm?”
“So I… kinda have a habit of hugging things in my sleep, and, since you’re here...”
It was Huaisang’s turn to smile, “That’s fine”.
A small sigh of relief, “Okay, good”.
Wei Wuxian made himself comfortable by taking Huaisang into a hug as he took in his scent. He could pick out a faint trace of mulberry, which smelled particularly nice. He exhaled slowly, his body feeling much more relaxed and limp as his eyes began to flutter closed. Nuzzling into the warmth of Wei Wuxian’s chest one last time, Huaisang’s breathing began to even out, his movements stilled. He was precious like this, Wei Wuxian realized, wondering if they’ll ever get an opportunity like this again. Both the thought and the sensation of Huaisang being in his arms was enough to lull Wei Wuxian to sleep.
The night had fallen quiet once more.