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It’s a slow thing, coming to know Jiang Wanyin.
While one can easily know Wei Wuxian in the peaks of his voice and the undercurrent of genius that follows everything he does, Jiang Wanyin is not so easy. He doesn’t speak as easily as his shixiong, sometimes taking pauses to mull over important thoughts. He doesn’t smile often, only seems to scowl, really. He does not search out anyone besides his siblings, nor does he easily approach strangers. He does not start conversations, nor interject himself into ongoing ones, and will only speak first when it comes to scolding Wei Wuxian.
All this intrigues Nie Huaisang, in that they are reminiscent of his own brother. Nie Mingjue in the throes of his teens, awkward and bumbling and quiet. Nie Huaisang may have only been a child at that time, but he remembers having to often intercede and guide his brother through more delicate social situations.
So perhaps it is nostalgia, or perhaps it is humor, which drives Nie Huaisang to attach himself to Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin.
It’s both a quick and slow thing, coming to know Nie Huaisang.
Wei Wuxian makes many, many friends in the Cloud Recesses. Even amongst the stodgy Lans, he finds a few disciples who will smile at him and allow the smaller of his indiscretions. To Jiang Cheng’s surprise, there are even a few Jin disciples who seek out Wei Wuxian’s company.
The point is that there are so many people who flit in and out of Wei Wuxian’s orbit that, frankly, it is difficult for Jiang Cheng to keep track of all the names and faces. In the end, he has to keep to the most common visitors, those who seem to want Wei Wuxian past his exuberance and instead for his genuine company.
The most reoccurring of these people is Nie Huaisang. The many rumors surrounding the boy made it easy for Jiang Cheng to match his name to a face, even before a proper introduction is made. He’s more fat than muscle, as flighty as the birds he collects, covered head to toe in ornamentation that does not fit the Nie sect. What makes him memorable, however, is the easy way he fits himself by Wei Wuxian and, by proxy, Jiang Cheng’s sides.
Jiang Cheng thinks he knows Nie Huaisang in an instant. He is every bit the lazy sect heir the rumors made him out to be. Rather than work on assignments, Nie Huaisang would much prefer to work on paintings or poetry. Rather than learn all he can and should about the cultivation world, Nie Huaisang has instead memorized a long litany of birds and how best to catch them. Rather than wield his saber, Nie Huaisang finds any lame excuse to skip training and trade porn.
Jiang Cheng doesn’t mind his company, though. For all that he is an enabler to Wei Wuxian’s bullshit, Nie Huaisang is also a steady, constant encourager to Jiang Cheng. He is quick to compliment Jiang Cheng’s sword forms, his dedication to his sect, his calligraphy, the way his hair shines in the early morning sunlight…
Jiang Cheng didn’t think he was so weak to flattery. Yet here he is, eagerly awaiting the next thing that’ll garner Nie Huaisang’s praise.
Jiang Cheng thinks he knows Nie Huaisang in full. But then there is one night that starts in an argument with Wei Wuxian. By the time Jiang Cheng realizes he has gotten lost in the backwoods of the Cloud Recesses, he can’t remember what he was fighting about or why he was arguing with Wei Wuxian. Maybe it had something to do with Lan Wangji, maybe it was something about Wei Wuxian’s conduct, maybe it was something as stupid as Wei Wuxian sneaking in chili oil from Caiyi. Regardless, Jiang Cheng is lost. His heart is hammering in his chest as fear takes over anger and he has to, he has to, find his way back soon.
Nie Huaisang finds him trying—failing—not to cry. And completely in spite of the silly, lazy, clueless boy Jiang Cheng has known, Nie Huaisang comforts him. Quietly, Nie Huaisang dabs at the tears with his sleeve and pulls Jiang Cheng in for a hug. He doesn’t ask a thing, doesn’t accuse him of any wrong, doesn’t do a thing besides being a steady presence at Jiang Cheng’s side.
“How did you know I was here?” Jiang Cheng asks when he has calmed down.
“Simple,” Nie Huaisang answers, taking Jiang Cheng’s hand and leading him carefully down the stone path. “I followed the water. You’re from Yunmeng—rivers are home to you.”
Falling in love with Nie Huaisang is a quick thing, after that.
Falling in love with Jiang Wanyin is a slow thing. But if Nie Huaisang has to pick a starting point, it would be when Jiang Wanyin approaches him alone, red in the cheeks, smaller and tenser than Nie Huaisang has ever seen him and asks—
“May I court you?”
It is not the first time somebody has tried to court Nie Huaisang. He has had callers since before puberty, starting with children who knew no better, to young cultivators hoping to secure a position with him, to flings who fell farther than Nie Huaisang wanted them to. Everyone so far has been met with rejection.
But Jiang Wanyin is different. He is cute like this. Nie Huaisang wants to see more of this trembling, blushing Jiang Wanyin. So he answers—
“Yes, Jiang-xiong. I think I would like that.”
They don’t make the courtship official, not yet. They’re still in Cloud Recesses, still learning in Gusu. Jiang Cheng readily agrees with Nie Huaisang that it would be best to test the waters before announcing anything to their respective sect leaders.
So they don’t tell anybody, not even Wei Wuxian. Whenever they are left to their own devices (a common occurrence, given Wei Wuxian’s inability to not cause mischief), they find secluded spots to hold hands and talk. In the safety of Nie Huaisang’s rooms, they practice kissing. In the lecture hall, when Lan Qiren isn’t looking, the two trade glances and hold up notes for the other.
Jiang Cheng cannot get enough. On the night Nie Huaisang found him, Jiang Cheng saw a part of Nie Huaisang he’s sure very few people know—a part that reads people like a book, a part that is equal parts clever and kind. Jiang Cheng wants to see more of it, wants to see how much of the true Nie Huaisang he can glean. But, more than any of that, he wants Nie Huaisang. Holding his hand is exciting, kissing him electrifying. He looks forward to trading jokes with him, to sharing glances with him across a room, to knowing what it is to be wanted in somebody’s arms.
He wants everything Nie Huaisang can give him. He wants every second with Nie Huaisang. He wants Nie Huaisang, in every version, in every layer.
Before Nie Huaisang knows it, he is in deep. When Sect Leader Jiang comes to retrieve Wei Wuxian, Nie Huaisang is terrified, irrationally, that he will take Jiang Wanyin as well. When the sect leader leaves with only one boy in tow, Nie Huaisang is relieved. He knows he probably shouldn’t be, because Jiang Wanyin is sad to see his shixiong go. But, nonetheless, all he can think about is how excited he is to have more time with Jiang Wanyin.
He should probably feel bad about that. But he doesn’t.
Some months into their secret courtship, Nie Huaisang writes a letter to his brother, declaring his intentions towards the Jiang sect heir. He knows he should wait a bit longer, maybe even do this in person, but Jiang Wanyin makes it hard for him to think straight. When he agreed to this secret courtship, it was out of a desire to play with Jiang Wanyin, to see more of him as a blushing mess. He certainly didn’t expect to fall as hard as he did.
But now he does everything he can to get a smile out of Jiang Wanyin, because he adores the way his eyes light up. He paints the other boy without him knowing, because he wants to record every second of the joy Jiang Wanyin sparks in him. He wants everything Jiang Wanyin can give him. He wants every free moment he has to be spent with Jiang Wanyin. He wants Jiang Wanyin and only Jiang Wanyin.
It may be an obsession. But he knows it is infatuation. And he wants to see it through to the very end.