Chapter Text
The first time Jiang Cheng meets his betrothed he is… less than impressed.
Like his sister, he had also been arranged to be married, seemingly before he was even born. While Yanli was promised to Jin Zixuan because of the close relationship between their mothers, Jiang Fengmian had proposed that his second-born child wed within the Nie Clan in order to foster goodwill between the two clans, furthering the bonds between the Five Great Sects.
Jiang Cheng had known about this his whole life, however, marriage didn’t really matter when you were 10 years old. And it hadn’t really mattered. Until he met Huaisang.
While he had been vaguely aware that someone would be visiting Lotus Pier for some reason at some point, meaning he and Wei Wuxian were sternly reminded to be on their best behavior, he still managed to be caught off guard. He and Wei Wuxian had been fooling around with practice swords in the courtyard outside their shared room, slashing and poking at each other while playfully egging each other on. Their laughter echoes through the courtyard in the mid morning sun, and it isn’t long before they hear someone calling.
“A-Cheng! A-Xian!” Yanli’s voice travels over to them and they turn to see their sister approaching, bringing with her a boy that neither of them recognize. She finally stops in front of them, a smile on her face as she gestures for the boy to come out from where he hovers nervously behind her. “A-Cheng, A-Xian, this is Nie Huaisang. He and his brother have come all the way from Qinghe to visit us, and Father wanted me to bring him to meet you.”
The boy that stepped out to stand next to Yanli was, well, small. The smile on his face was thin, not reaching his eyes, not able to hide the latent anxiety that poured off of him in waves. Aside from that, Jiang Cheng noticed the boy was rather decorated. Small braids ran through his hair, up into his long ponytail with all sorts of glittering beads and clasps throughout. His pale green robes are interwoven with silver threads, with delicate trims and subtle embroidery. The only things out of place were the paintbrush hanging from his belt and the paper fan he grips tightly in one hand.
“Hello,” Nie Huaisang greets, waving with one hand, and when he speaks Jiang Cheng notices that he’s missing a few baby teeth, which honestly just makes him look a little goofy. What a strange little boy who’s come to visit them, Jiang Cheng thinks to himself. And he can’t, for the life of him, figure out why. What’s this kid doing here?
Yanli continues to make introductions for them, not at all unused to the social awkwardness of young boys. “Nie Huaisang, these are my brothers, Jiang Cheng—Jiang Wanyin, your betrothed—and Wei Wuxian—Wei Ying.” Jiang Yanli truly has a gift. Her words are so soft and soothing, able to put anyone at ease, causing Huaisang’s smile to become a little more genuine. Her demeanor is so nice, it takes a few moments for Jiang Cheng to truly understand what the hell she just said.
Betrothed.
This was the person he was going to marry? Like any 10-year-old boy, marriage was just a passing thought, and now it was staring him right in the face. He had given very little thought as to what his future spouse would be like but, he had always just assumed, well… that it would be a girl? Dad was married to a girl, after all. Jiang Cheng hadn’t ever even considered the fact that two boys could get married. This delicate-looking ball of pure worry in front of him, this boy, was the last thing he could have imagined.
Without thinking, a simple “what” makes its way out of his mouth, not a question, but, rather, a demand. A small scowl had unknowingly appeared on his face, holding a level of snark that was way beyond his years. His sister gives him a reprimanding look, a serious expression that hardly ever graces her features, and Wei Wuxian casually elbows him in the side. Jiang Cheng turns to glare at him, and then does his best to remove the baffled look from his face, maybe even managing a tight smile.
“Nice to meet you,” he directs at Huaisang, who looks confused but nods ever so slightly at him. Wei Wuxian doesn’t even waste time beating around the bush. “Want to play swords?” The wooden practice sword in his hand points jovially toward the newcomer, who looks at it like it’s going to bite him.
“Um, well, I’m not very good at swords.” Jiang Cheng is somehow not even surprised at Nie Huaisang’s answer, rolling his eyes the smallest, tiniest bit, in hopes that A-Jie doesn’t see.
Huaisang’s hesitation does little to dampen Wei Wuxian’s determination. “Wanna keep score? You can watch and tell us who won and stop Jiang Cheng from cheating.” Jiang Cheng shoots his brother an indignant look, letting out an annoyed huff. Huaisang seems to consider this, before nodding slightly.
“Okay,” he says, opening the fan in his hand, made of paper pleated over thin pieces of wood, and fans himself just a little. The painting on the front of it, Jiang Cheng notices, is of a landscape, with a tree on one side and a pond stretching out behind it, covered in fallen leaves. It’s simple, but pretty, he decides off-handedly. He finds himself wanting to ask about it, but before he can, Wei Wuxian yells in excitement and leads Huaisang over to a comfortable spot to sit and watch them spar. Yanli follows them, and Jiang Cheng lets out a groan before trudging over as well.
———
It had been shocking, to say the least, to meet Huaisang’s brother, Nie Mingjue. The two couldn’t have been more different. The older Nie brother was massively tall, mature, and imposing. His demeanor, so serious, made him seem much older than his 16 years. His dark silver robes were plain, yet impressive, with a light virescent sheen to them, and at his waist, instead of a sword, he carried with him a giant saber. The only thing larger than the man, or the weapon he carried, was the chip he seemed to carry on his shoulder. And the only thing that linked the two brothers together, as far as Jiang Cheng could tell, were the small braids tied into each one’s hair.
Jiang Cheng’s first impression of the Nie Sect Leader is diminished, though only minimally, as the two families dine together that first night. As Huaisang tells his brother about his day, Mingjue seems to genuinely listen, and even cracks a few smiles throughout the meal. Despite this, Jiang Cheng still resolves that he doesn’t ever wish to get on Nie Mingjue’s bad side.
Later that night, Wei Wuxian tells Jiang Cheng something he overheard at dinner as he was returning to their room. Apparently, Nie Mingjue had only recently become Sect Leader following the death of his father on a night hunt. The reason behind the Qinghe Nie Sect’s visit to Lotus Pier was some sort of boring diplomatic thing. Sect Leader business. “It must be hard for Nie Mingjue and Huaisang to suddenly be on their own.” Jiang Cheng is a bit caught off guard by Wei Wuxian’s somber tone, something so different from what he had come to expect from his brother. “We should make Huaisang feel welcome here, then maybe he’ll be happier.” Jiang Cheng doesn’t really know what to say, so he nods at his brother as he tucks himself into bed.
It turns out, cheering up Nie Huaisang is easier said than done.
The second day is just as awkward as the first, with the added bonus of Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng suddenly knowing about Huaisang’s family tragedy but not knowing what to do about it. As the three of them try to come up with a game that all three of them can play, Huaisang nervously fidgets with his fan, opening and closing it in quick succession. Jiang Cheng, for the life of him, can’t figure out what the other boy even has to be nervous about. They’re just talking! The repetitive action of the other boy makes Jiang Cheng grit his teeth in irritation.
Wei Wuxian, to his credit, keeps steaming straight ahead, determined to find the right game. “Hmmm,”—fan opens—“let’s see,”—fan closes—“OH! I know”—fan opens—“we could”—fan closes—
“CAN YOU KNOCK IT OFF!? It’s so annoying!”
The words come out loudly, without warning, and even Jiang Cheng is surprised by his own outburst. Huaisang’s eyes go wide, his other hand coming up to grip his fan close to his chest. His mouth becomes a thin line, wobbly, like he’s trying to keep from crying. “I-I’m sorry, I…” The attempt is noble, but Huaisang can barely even get through two words without his eyes watering, and before they know it, he’s turning tail and running away.
Crap.
“Nice going,” the words come just before the hit that Wei Wuxian lands on his shoulder, an actual punch with force behind it.
“You just made your future husband cry.”
——
Jiang Cheng gets an earful from Wei Wuxian, and then another, less spiteful earful from Yanli. He gets it. He knows he messed up by screaming in Huaisang’s face instead of just, you know, asking politely. It’s not the first time his volatile temperament has gotten him in trouble like this.
“A-Cheng, don’t you think you should go apologize?” The suggestion from his sister seems obvious, but the idea of actually doing that makes him feel a little bit sick. He’s in no hurry to be emotionally vulnerable in front of someone he just met yesterday, never mind his future spouse. Jiang Cheng lets out a frustrated groan where he sits, the hem of his robes being absolutely battered by the way he wrings them through his hands.
“Yeah, Jiang Cheng, you should go say sorry before he calls off the marriage. You’ll bring dishonor to the whole Sect. And Nie Mingjue might actually kill you.” Wei Wuxian’s tone is teasing, but fear actually runs through his heart at the thought of pissing Nie Mingjue off. Plus there’s the fact that if he ruins this union between the two Sects, he’ll draw even more ire from both his mom and dad, and he gets enough of that as it is.
“Fine! I’ll go, so you can stop… dramatizing,” he grumbles, arms crossed over his chest. But he hesitates for a moment, mentally preparing himself for the task ahead.
“Do you want us to come with you?” Jiang Cheng shakes his head at Yanli after a moment. He didn’t want his siblings hanging over his head as he did this. It would only make the situation that much more insufferable.
It takes him quite a while to find the other boy, having wandered around much of Lotus Pier, looking for anywhere a small, sad boy could have tucked himself into. After a while of wandering aimlessly, he finds the other boy in a place so obvious, he feels stupid for not having checked here first. He blames his nerves, having unconsciously steering him away from the awkward situation he was so dreading.
Nie Huaisang sits on the steps leading up to the guest quarters, arms crossed and resting on his knees, head pillowed in his arms. Tear tracks stain his round face, and he still looks a bit weepy, his gaze directed to the ground so glumly that Jiang Cheng feels the guilt in his stomach intensify ten-fold. Just as he is about to approach Huaisang and apologize for being the biggest jerk on the face of the planet, the sound of footsteps approaching causes him to flinch and quickly scurry behind a corner. Coward.
The footsteps belong to the elder Nie brother, who sighs quietly to himself, running his hand down his face in a gesture that reeks of exhaustion. The pressures of being a teenage Sect Leader must be difficult, Jiang Cheng remarks, suddenly feeling a surge of respect for Nie Mingjue. The way he carried himself in front of others didn’t give away any of the stress that Jiang Cheng could see now.
As his eyes land on his younger brother sitting alone in front of their quarters, surprise, and then concern overtake Nie Mingjue’s features. “A-Sang?” he calls softly, approaching his brother, but before he can reach him, Huaisang runs to him. The small boy traps his brother in a clinging hug, burying his face into the impeccable robes as his shoulders begin to shake with a new wave of tears.
Huaisang mumbles something so quiet and pitiful that Jiang Cheng can just barely make it out. But he does, and he wants to punch himself in that moment. Turning around, Jiang Cheng flees back to his room, knowing that if he approached Huaisang now, Nie Mingjue would probably kill him instantly.
He spends the rest of the day locked up in his room, face buried in his hands as he mentally (and audibly) berates himself. Despite all the terrible things he manages to think about himself, none of them even come close to feeling as bad as he felt hearing Hie Huaisang’s words, which repeat over and over in his head.
“He doesn’t like me.”
“He doesn’t like me.”
“He doesn’t like me.”
————
First thing the next morning, Jiang Cheng leaves his room, determined not to chicken out this time. He had slept miserably, unable to get the fact that he was a terrible human being out of his head. Huaisang hadn’t been at dinner the previous night, his brother explaining that he hadn’t been feeling well. Jiang Cheng could have sworn the older Nie brother had been looking straight at him as he said this, and a not-so-subtle shiver had passed through his bones.
He had spent the night tossing and turning (and ignoring Wei Wuxian’s chastising him), and now he was exhausted yet determined to set things right. His robes are a bit rumpled, his hair a bit disheveled, but his heart was in the right place now, and that was all that mattered to him. As he approaches the guest quarters, Jiang Cheng hesitates around the corner once again. Nie Mingjue was leaving, talking quietly to an attendant, once again the picture of stoicism. He waits a while, just to be safe, and then approaches the door, knocking on it tentatively.
A few moments pass and he tries knocking again. “Nie Huaisang?” His voice is even as he tries very hard not to let any irritation creep into his tone. After another few moments, Jiang Cheng hears a soft shuffling sound. The door slides open just the tiniest bit, revealing a Nie Huaisang who looks like he had gotten just as little sleep as Jiang Cheng had gotten last night. The smaller boy blinks out at him in surprise, a question posed on his lips as his brows furrow. Before that question can be asked, however, Jiang Cheng lets the floodgates open.
“I wanted to apologize.” The words are fast, frenzied yet serious as he looks Nie Huiasang dead in the eye. “I… have a short fuse. I know I do, and sometimes I just say things without meaning to, and end up hurting people’s feelings. Hurting your feelings,” he clarifies, and Huaisang’s frown deepens a bit, almost as if he’s about to protest, but Jiang Cheng powers on. “I yelled at you without thinking because I was annoyed, I guess. I’m annoyed that you’re nervous because I want—we all want you to have a good time here. If you’ll let me try again, I promise I won’t yell and I’ll do my best to make you happy and ease your worries.” He finishes triumphantly, words sounding resolute and surprisingly kind, almost as if rehearsed (they were). It feels good to have apologized, he supposes, but he also kind of wants to set himself on fire right now.
Huaisang stares at him, not saying anything at first, which makes Jiang Cheng feel less sure of himself. “Is… is that okay?” His traitorous voice cracks at the end of the sentence, and his face seems warm all of a sudden. He looks down at his feet, embarrassed.
A gentle laugh sounds in front of him, and he looks up to see Huaisang covering his mouth with his hand. “Yes,” he says, the traces of sadness leaving him as he nods.
“That would very much be okay.”
Jiang Cheng lets out a sigh of relief, matching Huaisang’s small grin as he takes the other boy’s hand and leads him off to find Wei Wuxian.
As the days go by, the boys spend more and more time together, and Nie Huaisang manages to come out of his shell bit by bit. Jiang Cheng would be lying if he said he had much to do with it, when in actuality, it’s Wei Wuxian who provides most of the encouragement. They were able to find games that Huaisang could actually take part in, showing him around Lotus Pier and taking him to all their favorite places.
While sitting down one day, snacking on some scallion pancakes, Wei Wuxian tilts his head toward the fan Huaisang set down on the table. “A-sang, did you paint that?” He asks, mouth still full of food. Jiang Cheng snorts, both at his brother’s terrible manners and the fact that somehow he and Huaisang were suddenly the best of friends or something. Huaisang hesitates before answering, no doubt still feeling the sting of being yelled at over the same fan, no matter how many days had passed. Jiang Cheng pretends he doesn’t notice and shoves his pancake ungracefully into his mouth.
“I did actually, but it’s not very good.” A small smile appears on his face as he opens the fan up delicately. “It was actually my first time painting one, and I was trying to get it to look like one I had seen in some fancy shop while traveling, but it’s all wrong. I really am an ametuer,” he finishes, ducking his head a little. While Yanli and Wei Wuxian assure him that his painting is wonderful, Jiang Cheng frowns.
“Why are you like that?” he asks, obviously displeased. Huaisang looks up at him with wide, startled eyes, and his siblings both look worried to see where this is going. “You’re so quick to put yourself down all the time! Don’t you see how talented you are? Stop doubting yourself!”
The three of them look at him with various levels of shock on their faces, and Jiang Cheng feels so uncomfortable that he quickly stuffs another pancake in his face. At this, Wei Wuxian starts cackling, almost bent in half where he holds his own stomach. “Good job, Jiang Cheng. That was almost a compliment!” He chokes this out between laughter, and Yanli laughs too, but it’s a lighter sound. From where he sits between them, Huaisang is practically beaming, his face red and his smile holding a hint of something Jiang Cheng can’t quite describe.
“Thank you, Jiang Cheng,” he mumbles, laughing a bit nervously as he fans himself. Wei Wuxian pats Huaisang on the back, and soon that vein of conversation is over, leaving Jiang Cheng relieved. And maybe just a little bit pleased that he could make Nie Huaisang smile like that.
———-
The week comes to an end, and so does the Qinghe Nie Sect’s visit. Jiang Cheng finds himself standing on the pier with his family to see their visitors off. He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel a tad bittersweet. Now that Huaisang was leaving, there would be one less person to keep him from strangling Wei Wuxian when his antics got too exhausting.
Nie Mingjue and Jiang Fengmian salute each other, the younger bowing deeply in respect. “Thank you for all your help and hospitality, Sect Leader Jiang.” The older Nie brother looks somehow more at ease than he had at his arrival, like the chip on his shoulder had become just a little bit smaller. Jiang Fengmian good-naturedly waves a hand, saying he would always be willing to help out the Qinghe Nie Sect when they needed it. After all, they were going to be family some day.
Speaking of, Nie Huaisang was currently receiving a hug from Jiang Yanli, as well as a small bundle of snacks for his travels home. He thanks her, and then moves on to say goodbye to “A-Xian,” as he had hesitantly taken up calling him after some insistence. The two hug fraternally, and Jiang Cheng pretends he wasn’t listening to the encouraging words Wei Wuxian murmurs to his new good friend as they part.
When it came to Jiang Cheng’s turn, Huaisang stands in front of him, looking like he wants to say something but doesn't know how. Jiang Cheng is about to hold out his hand for a handshake, when Nie Huaisang surges forward. A paper is pressed into his hands as he receives a quick kiss on the cheek, and before he can react, Huaisang turns and flees, following his brother onto the boats that would carry them home without looking back.
He watches the boats become smaller and smaller as they sail away until they disappear into the horizon line, and only then does he look down at the paper in his hands. On the crisp paper was the view in front of him, the waters and flora of Lotus Pier painted in bright colors. When he had shown Nie Huaisang around their home, he had mentioned that this was his favorite spot, and apparently the other boy had taken it to heart. The quality of the painting was amazing, the colors vibrant and beautiful. It must have taken Huaisang hours to paint this, and seeing how they spent most of the days together, he could only imagine the small boy slumped over a table late at night, painting diligently until the morning hours. In the bottom corner of the page, small, neat writing spelled out “thank you.”
Jiang Cheng was touched, obviously. Not that he would ever admit it.
The painting was hung over his bed, so that he could study it every day, noticing a new brush stroke or detail each time he looked. The fond memories of the Qinghe Nie Sect’s visit kept him grounded in many a storm, during many an outburst. He would think of Nie Huaisang, about how he had wanted to make him happy, and he would feel better.
It was because of this that Jiang Cheng slowly realized that marriage, as it turned out, might matter quite a bit after all.