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Nie Huaisang’s second year at Gusu was better than the first for dozens of reasons, beginning with the friend he made in Wei Wuxian. Their particular brands of chaos and mischief complimented each other perfectly, and he had never laughed so much as when he was dragged into some nonsense or another with the taller boy. He was bright and fun and fascinating, and…
He was nothing in comparison to his martial brother.
During all of this, Nie Huaisang had yet to formally be introduced to him, but that did not keep him from noticing Jiang Cheng. His profile was sturdy and proud, his eyes impossibly pretty, his fingers long and elegant. Every muscle he moved was controlled, purposeful, the steps that he took having been measured out long before his feet hit the earth. He was so handsome, the type of handsome that would age like a fine wine until looking at him would be a dangerous undertaking.
Nie Huaisang wracked his mind daily for excuses to talk to him for an extended period of time, or ways to get them to spend time alone together. He tried, a few times, to strike up conversation while walking at his side as they followed behind Wei Wuxian, but every time Jiang Cheng glanced at him, he felt himself flushing and trailing off due to his nerves. There was once or twice that he could have sworn he saw Jiang Cheng smile at him, amused by his shyness, but that wasn’t enough!
Luckily, Wei Wuxian did not leave him floundering for long.
One day, the other boy insisted that Nie Huaisang meet him at the room he shared with Jiang Cheng before they headed up into the mountains to try their hand at catching fish again. Nie Huaisang approached the door with his heart thumping in his chest, smoothing out his robes and making sure every strand of hair was in place. He knocked lightly, twisting his favorite fan in his fingers as the door slid open.
Jiang Cheng blinked down at him, cocking his head to the side as he took him in. Behind him, Wei Wuxian was making a ruckus and he scrambled to get ready.
“I’ll be ready in a minute, Nie-xiong! I fell asleep—ow!” The boy yelped as he tripped over his own shoes in his haste to dress.
“Ah, don’t rush, Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang replied, a touch breathless, as he was unable to drag his gaze away from Jiang Cheng’s handsome face.
“I don’t know why you spend so much time with him,” Jiang Cheng commented dryly, taking a step back to let him in. He placed a hand on Nie Huaisang’s elbow to guide him further into the room, noticeably not letting him go even when the door closed again. “Especially after last time. He told me about how he pushed you into the water.”
“How else am I supposed to get revenge?” Nie Huaisang joked, preening and blushing under the attention.
Jiang Cheng’s lips quirked into a smirk at that. “You’ll have to catch him unawares,” he murmured, dropping his voice low and leaning in close as if they were conspiring together. “It doesn’t work if he’s expecting it.”
“Oh?” Nie Huaisang whispered, biting his lower lip and peering up at him from under his eyelashes. “Then what do you recommend?”
Jiang Cheng hummed in thought, but before he could reply, Wei Wuxian’s whining interrupted them.
“That’s not fair! You two can’t gang up on me,” he protested, casting a pout over at them. “Come on, Nie-xiong, don’t listen to grumpy. I’m ready to go now!”
Jiang Cheng’s grip tightened slightly, almost imperceptibly, on Nie Huaisang’s elbow. His jaw clenched, a tiny tick that attracted Nie Huaisang’s confused attention, but then he registered the resolve that flickered in those gorgeous eyes.
“I’ll come along today,” he said evenly, ignoring Wei Wuxian’s delighted spluttering and the thousand questions that followed as they made their way up the trails that led to the wide, crystal-clear river where it was secluded enough that they could fish without being scolded.
Nie Huaisang giggled as the brothers bickered, ducking his face behind his fan whenever Jiang Cheng cast lingering looks his way, which happened more and more frequently. Once or twice, Nie Huaisang almost thought that he upped the play-fighting just to make him laugh again, and that was a dangerous train of thought.
It didn’t seem to be that far-fetched, however, especially when Jiang Cheng stepped up behind him in the water to place his large hands on Nie Huaisang’s waist, guiding him carefully into a better position to catch fish.
“You want to stay as still as possible,” Jiang Cheng instructed, his firm chest pressed against Nie Huaisang’s back, warmth seeping between their clothes. “Let them come to you. If you chase them, they’re going to get away.”
“I see,” Nie Huaisang agreed, excitement thrumming under his skin. He let himself lean back against him, just to see what he’d do, and Jiang Cheng responded by tightening his hold on him a little more, his thumb tracing circles onto the dip of his hips. “Will you show me how to do it? After all, you’re so skilled at this…”
Jiang Cheng huffed out a quiet laugh at his phrasing, breathing out through his nose and leaning down to let his lips brush the shell of Nie Huaisang’s ear. “I think we both have a bit to learn…”
Nie Huaisang was thrilled. They continued flirting for the rest of the afternoon, and every time he pushed, Jiang Cheng pulled, responding beautifully. His fascination with the boy seemed to pay off, as the chemistry between them, once they passed that initial anxiousness, was natural. They joked and spoke in soft tones about their homes and interests, and Wei Wuxian seemed largely oblivious to what was passing between them.
Finally, it was time for them to head back to their own rooms for the night. Jiang Cheng escorted him back, waving off Wei Wuxian’s offer to join them, and they walked with their arms wound together and small smiles playing on their faces.
“Who would have known?” Nie Huaisang teased, pressing close to him. “The heir to Lotus Pier is such a charmer.”
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, elbowing him gently. “Yeah, right,” he scoffed. “You’re mistaking me with someone else.”
“I’m not,” Nie Huaisang insisted, slowing to a stop in front of his door and turning to face him. “I’m allowed to have my preferences, aren’t I?”
A strange expression crossed Jiang Cheng’s face then, and for a second, Nie Huaisang worried that he had misstepped. Instead of drawing away, however, Jiang Cheng grabbed a hold of his hand, slowly raising his knuckles to his lips.
He pressed a kiss to them, holding eye contact with Nie Huaisang the entire time. There was no brushing away the action, or disguising it as anything else. It was as blatant a statement of intent as any single action could be, and Nie Huaisang’s knees felt wobbly and weak as a result.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Nie Huaisang,” he murmured, an unspoken promise underlying his words.
“Yeah,” Nie Huaisang breathed, grinning. “See you tomorrow, Jiang Cheng.”
***
They kept things appropriate in public, of course. It wouldn’t do for the heirs of two major sects to be making fools of themselves with shameless displays of affection—at least not before anything between them was made official, anyway.
So in class, they kept up appearances, not talking or seeking each other out except for when Wei Wuxian would bring them together. It was almost like a game, the few occasions where Nie Huaisang glanced up to catch Jiang Cheng’s gaze lingering on him, the jolt of secret thrill making him hide his smile behind his fan.
It was Jiang Cheng’s choice how to begin their official courtship, as he had been the one to make that first silent statement of interest. So Nie Huaisang contented himself to wait with no small amount of eager impatience, stealing the occasional brush of fingers when they passed each other in the halls.
Jiang Cheng did not keep him waiting long. He caught him entirely off guard by appearing at his room before the sun rose, pulling a sleepy, rumpled, and protesting Nie Huaisang out into the early morning chill. The grass was damp underneath their shoes, and it was still so dark that Nie Huaisang had to cling to Jiang Cheng’s arm to keep from stumbling and being caught out past—before?—curfew.
He was too tired and ruffled to even be flustered by their touch, or the way Jiang Cheng’s warm fingers laced with his own. “Have you lost your mind?” he hissed under his breath, pout out in full force. Not that it did him any good as they began the trek up one of the mountain trails. “What are we doing so early? The Lans aren’t even awake!”
“Trust me,” Jiang Cheng answered simply, squeezing his hand.
This boy was lucky he was so handsome. In the pre-dawn light, the strong lines of his back shifted under his light robes, and Nie Huaisang was momentarily appeased by taking the moment just to look.
“You can’t even hear any birds…” Nie Huaisang muttered, before letting out an embarrassing yelp as Jiang Cheng hauled him up onto a cliff face suddenly, his big arms wrapping around Nie Huaisang’s waist to keep him steady.
“Hey!” Nie Huaisang protested, smacking his chest and nearly unbalancing them both. “This is too forward of you—”
“No,” Jiang Cheng huffed, rolling his eyes at his antics. He gestured with his chin, adding, “Look, Huaisang.”
Nie Huaisang quieted, twisting in his hold to look in the direction he gestured, and—
Oh. The sunrise was gorgeous. They had arrived at the perfect time to watch the sun crest over the horizon, bathing the wide open sky with vibrant pinks and oranges and purples, hues so vibrant that Nie Huaisang wished he had paint in those colors. The morning was quiet, the perfect temperature, a cool breeze billowing at the hems of their robes and playing with their hair without making it too chilly.
“Jiang Cheng,” Nie Huaisang breathed, unable to look away from the view stretched before him.
“It’s… a courting ritual in Yunmeng,” Jiang Cheng mumbled, his voice halting and embarrassed. Still, he rested his chin on Nie Huaisang’s shoulder, not letting him go even now that he was no longer at risk of flailing and going careening off the mountain. “Watching a sunrise together… it symbolizes a start. A beginning, I guess.”
Nie Huaisang was dangerously close to melting. He smiled, tilting his head so that he could press a lingering kiss against Jiang Cheng’s cheek. “I love it,” he whispered.
Jiang Cheng shivered, shifting so that they could look each other in the eye, though his gaze dropped down to Nie Huaisang’s lips several times. They were so close that their noses brushed, and they could feel each other’s breath gusting softly against each other’s lips. Nie Huaisang’s heart soared, and he felt limitless, swept away by the possibilities and the future he could very well have with this amazing, sweet, thoughtful, gorgeous boy.
“Do you?” Jiang Cheng asked quietly, leaning a touch closer.
“Yeah,” Nie Huaisang answered, matching his tone and arching his neck until their lips were a hair’s width apart. “I do.”
Jiang Cheng closed the distance between them, sealing their lips together in a chaste, impossibly tender kiss, his eyes fluttering closed at the action. Nie Huaisang let out a little noise in the back of his throat, pushing himself up on his toes so that he could kiss him more deeply, clutching at Jiang Cheng’s robes.
Jiang Cheng chuckled, tugging him closer, as if it was even possible. They almost went stumbling back into a nearby tree, but Nie Huaisang used the opportunity to push him against it so that he could continue chasing the addicting sensation of the drag of their lips against each other’s.
They spent ages like that, wrapped up in each other’s embrace. Nie Huaisang silently vowed, just as Jiang Cheng’s hands experimentally traveled lower, that he would court this boy in return. He would sweep him off of his feet—Qinghe style.
***
“Um… Jiang Cheng?” Wei Wuxian called from the door to their shared room, staring out at something in the hall.
“What?” Jiang Cheng asked, not even looking up from where he was meticulously sharpening his sword. They were practicing tomorrow, and it wouldn’t do if Sandu wasn’t perfect—Nie Huaisang was sure to be watching him more than doing any of his own drills.
“There’s more meat on our doorstep.” Wei Wuxian sounded absolutely baffled, kneeling down to pick up the plate of what, on inspection, was certainly some kind of game animal, prepared neatly and ready for cooking.
Jiang Cheng stared at it when it was placed on the table. “Where is it coming from?” he demanded, his brow furrowing. “We’re not allowed to have meat in the Cloud Recesses.”
“It’s not from me!” Wei Wuxian protested, his eyes wide.
“What, like I have some secret provider of…” Jiang Cheng trailed off for a moment, examining the plate and then huffing. “Quail? Or whatever?”
“It would be a shame to let it go to waste… right?” Wei Wuxian hedged after another few moments of confused silence, his stomach rumbling at the very thought of having meat and not just bland Lan food.
“Well…” Jiang Cheng began, but before he could continue, there was a knock on the door.
They looked at each other in brief panic, before Wei Wuxian called out in a too-high voice, “Who is it?”
Familiar laughter rang out from the other side of the door, clear as a bell. Jiang Cheng instinctively relaxed, getting to his feet and brushing past the other boy so that he could be the one to greet Nie Huaisang.
“Good morning, Jiang-xiong,” Nie Huaisang greeted, mirth in those beautiful eyes of his. Jiang Cheng liked him so much he could hardly breathe through it.
“Good morning,” he echoed, smitten, before clearing his throat and casting a glance over his shoulder. “We’re heading out to Caiyi Town.”
“Without me?” Wei Wuxian whined, trailing after them for a few steps. “How cruel!”
“We weren’t the ones who told you to act up in class again,” Jiang Cheng snarked, rolling his eyes.
“Have fun in detention, Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang chirped teasingly, waving over his shoulder at his sulking friend.
The moment they were out of the Cloud Recesses, Nie Huaisang hooked their arms together, leaning against his shoulder and smiling up at him. “Have you been eating well, Jiang Cheng?”
Jiang Cheng blinked, furrowing his brow and forcing himself not to get distracted by how the sun lit up the warm undertones in his hair, or the way his freckles were most evident under the soft light of day. “What? Of course I have.”
“Mm, good,” Nie Huaisang hummed, pleased, though his question was random and strange.
Their conversation was easy and natural as they continued down to Caiyi Town, until they made it to the bustling streets. It was close to noon by the time that Nie Huaisang tugged him into a restaurant, having him sit down at the best table, looking over the river and the wide open sky.
“What’s all this?” Jiang Cheng asked, only to be further caught off guard when Nie Huaisang cheerfully flagged down a waiter and ordered nearly every meal that came with meat on the menu. “Whoa. You must be hungry.”
Nie Huaisang shook his head as if Jiang Cheng was being silly, piling some of each dish that was brought out to them on Jiang Cheng’s plate. “Eat as much as you want, okay? If we run out, I’ll order more.”
“ Huaisang, how am I supposed to eat all of this?” Jiang Cheng protested, catching his wrist and running his thumb over the smooth skin there. “This is way too much. We shouldn’t be wasteful.”
Instead of getting offended, Nie Huaisang beamed, his eyes practically dancing. “Really?” His voice was delighted. “I’m so happy! I was worried that the plates that I was leaving for you weren’t enough because you would have to share them with Wei-xiong, so I wanted to get you somewhere alone.”
Jiang Cheng hummed thoughtfully, the pieces clicking into place. He shifted so that they were seated next to each other instead of across from one another, dropping his wrist so that he could wrap an arm around his waist instead. “I see,” he drawled. “This is part of Qinghe’s tradition?”
“To provide,” Nie Huaisang confirmed, his nose pink. “My ancestors are butchers, you know? And the mountains can get really cold. So it’s important to be able to provide for your—for your intended.”
“Intended,” Jiang Cheng repeated, grinning when Nie Huaisang bit his lip and ducked his head, shy. He reached to cup his chin, lifting it until the other boy would meet his eyes again. “You know… I think I like the sound of that.”
“Yeah?” Nie Huaisang was the most beautiful sight in the whole world. He was radiant, more lovely than any of the paintings or poems that he fawned over so much. “Or how about… promised?”
Jiang Cheng’s heart was doing something complicated in his chest, feeling so full it nearly hurt, his eyes stinging with the sheer insurmountable amount of joy that lit up every ounce of his being. It was such a strange feeling, to be chosen, to be so freely and willingly picked among all of the other options. To be sought after and adored, to be looked at as if he was something unique, something worthwhile.
The strangest part of it all? The confidence, the knowledge that Nie Huaisang was not lying to him about his interest, that while he was clever and could put on an act better than anyone else Jiang Cheng knew, he was sincere in this.
“What about,” Jiang Cheng suggested, leaning in to nose the side of his head and press a feather-light kiss to the tip of his ear. “Betrothed?”
Nie Huaisang’s eyes widened, his lips parting in shock. “I—Jiang Cheng, are you sure?”
He sounded so hopeful that Jiang Cheng had never been more sure about anything in his life.
“I’ll talk to my parents and to your brother,” he promised, shifting to kiss his cheek. “We’re young, but A-jie’s been engaged for longer. It’ll strengthen ties between our clans, and no one should be able to protest—your brother is still so young himself, he has plenty of time to name another heir by whatever means he chooses.”
“Mm, you want to steal me away?” Nie Huaisang mused, playful in an attempt to mask the way his own eyes were watering. He couldn’t stop smiling. “Kidnap me and bind me to your lotuses and your rivers, forcing me to an eternity of sunrises and pretty views?”
“I would never force you to do a single thing you didn’t want to do,” Jiang Cheng corrected, dropping a kiss to his nose this time. “But if I could have you, wholly, all to myself… I wouldn’t have a single thing to complain about.”
Nie Huaisang sighed, the sound speaking only of his utter contentment, and he tilted his head in an obvious request for a proper kiss. After a quick check to ensure that they were unobserved, Jiang Cheng obliged, kissing him slowly and deeply, relishing in the way Nie Huaisang responded to him so eagerly.
“Let me talk to da-ge,” Nie Huaisang eventually said, gesturing for Jiang Cheng to actually eat at least some of the food that he ordered. “At least so he knows what to expect when you approach him. And… I want to present my suit to your parents, as well.”
Jiang Cheng nearly choked on a piece of chicken. “Huaisang, my mother might bite your head off,” he warned.
“She won’t,” Nie Huaisang insisted, a fierce and determined glint in his eyes. “I’m going to marry her son, and she’s going to have to like it or get over it.”
And—well—Jiang Cheng could do nothing else as a result of that besides making sure that he actually swallowed, before diving in for another kiss.
***
Jiang Cheng stood at Nie Huaisang’s side, standing up straight and proud. The conversation with their families had gone startlingly well, and Sect Leaders Nie and Jiang were able to come to an agreement that satisfied all parties. The wedding wouldn’t happen until a year after Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan’s, but it would happen. It would become public knowledge to the cultivation community at large in no time.
Their time at Gusu had come to an end, but as part of their arrangement, they would be able to visit each other frequently, alternating between the two clans.
Jiang Cheng was sad to see Nie Huaisang go, but the overwhelming giddiness at the prospect of their future was enough to stay the tide of disappointment at their temporary parting. He was allowed to hold Nie Huaisang’s hand or arm, if he wanted to, no matter who saw them. They would need to stay appropriate, but no one could complain if they stole a cheek kiss on occasion.
Nie Huaisang lingered with him as they waited for Wei Wuxian to join them, so that the Jiangs could all leave together. Nie Mingjue had settled for shaking his head in fond exasperation and leaving him to it—they would leave when there were no more excuses for the two of them to stay.
Jiang Yanli was glowing with pride and happiness at her younger brother’s union, chatting idly with Nie Huaisang about his impending visit until Jin Zixuan appropached, moments before Wei Wuxian finally turned the corner.
Jin Zixuan greeted Jiang Yanli first, as was appropriate, before he offered a wry smile and bow to Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang. “I understand that congratulations are in order for you two.”
“Congratulations?” Wei Wuxian interrupted, approaching with a wary look. “For what?”
“...you mean you don’t know?” Jin Zixuan asked, staring at him. “How don’t you know?”
“Well,” Nie Huaisang began gently, carefully, though mischief was clearly flickering behind his veil of innocence. “It was a secret until recently. I suppose you must have been speaking to someone who knew…”
The resulting chaos was entertaining. Wei Wuxian started yelling at the implications that Jin Zixuan had been spending time unsupervised with his shijie, and Jin Zixuan flushed and spluttered about how it was impossible that he didn’t know that his own shidi was engaged—
Which was met with stunned silence, as Wei Wuxian’s jaw clicked shut and he whirled to look at Nie Huaisang, who was half-hidden behind his fan, and Jiang Cheng, who was failing at suppressing an amused smirk.
“Are you… are you two…?”
“Yeah,” Jiang Cheng replied, lifting his chin. “We’re going to get married.”
Wei Wuxian let out a tiny noise, a little bit like a tea kettle going off, before he stumbled over to cling to Jiang Yanli’s arm. “Shijie, why is everyone so cruel to me?” he wailed.
She simply laughed and patted his head. “Come on, A-Xian, let’s give them the chance to say goodbye.”
She guided him away from them, Jin Zixuan following behind hurriedly with his own intentions of bidding a proper farewell to her—Jiang Cheng didn’t mind. Nie Huaisang had told him, quietly, on a night that they sat out under the stars cuddling together, that most of Jin Zixuan’s brashness and rudeness came from the insecurities and nervousness that his marriage would end up like his parents’.
Jiang Cheng could understand that. His own parents were far from a love match, and he knew the toll that took on them as well their children. Under the encouragement of his new fiance, Jiang Cheng cornered Jin Zixuan and had a long talk with him, and it seemed like the boy really did like his sister, despite all of his claims to the contrary.
Nie Huaisang nudged his side, getting his attention and breaking him out of his thoughts. “I fully expect you to spoil me rotten,” he declared, rocking up on his toes to lean in close.
Jiang Cheng huffed, kissing him quickly to appease him and yelping when Nie Huaisang pounced, throwing his arms around his neck and kissing him properly, long enough that passing disciples started whispering, the gossip spreading like dandelion seeds on the breeze.
When Nie Huaisang pulled away, it was to grin at his stunned expression smugly, wiping his thumb over Jiang Cheng’s lower lip. “I wanted to give you something to remember until I see you again,” he said coyly, the curl of his lips mesmerizing.
“Please,” Jiang Cheng mumbled, refusing to let go of him. “You wanted everyone to know that I was taken.”
“Maybe that, too,” Nie Huaisang agreed easily, kissing the corner of his mouth one last time. “Until next time, A-Cheng?”
“Until next time,” Jiang Cheng swore.
He released him only on that promise—the promise that one day, they would never have to let go again.