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Jiang Cheng is hurting all over. Taking a breath hurts more than he ever thought possible and holding his glass is much more difficult than it has any right to be with how his hands are shaking from the pain. But despite how much pain he is in, despite how his vision fades in and out again and again, he can’t leave.
His parents made it abundantly clear that if he has time to ‘act out’ he has time to attend this function for the Jiang Company.
So he showed up—cracked ribs, shiner, concussion and all, like his parents demanded—only to keep to a dark corner, also like his parents demanded.
Not even Jiang Yanli’s make-up skills can hide how bad he really looks, it seems, and his parents are not pleased.
Jiang Cheng bitterly watches how his father introduces Wei Wuxian to some of their business partners, and even from afar it’s clear that Wei Wuxian neither knows who these people are nor cares to be introduced.
Madam Yu glares at Jiang Cheng from across the room, clearly indicating that she noticed the same and that it should be Jiang Cheng who gets introduced this night.
There’s an accusation in her glare and Jiang Cheng refrains from rolling his eyes, simply because it would hurt too much.
As if he went out to get into a fight, he bitterly thinks. As if he did this on purpose.
Instead of tracking his father’s and Wei Wuxian’s way through the room, Jiang Cheng turns slightly away and takes a sip of his water.
The contact with the glass hurts his split lip and when he grimaces at that, pain laces through his head.
He just can’t win today, it seems. Jiang Cheng sighs and slumps against the wall. Standing is quickly becoming much more arduous than he would like and he mentally calculates how long he has to stay before he can slink away without igniting more of his mother’s ire.
At least another hour, he guesses and right now he would give about anything for a chair.
Jiang Cheng is subtly looking around, in hopes of finding a corner that would also allow him to sit for just a second, when he sees Nie Mingjue walk up to him.
He’s a sight for sore eyes, even if Jiang Cheng still doesn’t know what Nie Mingjue does at these functions.
It’s not like he has his own company or keeps any relations with the Jiang Company. But still, the Nies are invited to every official gathering that happens, and not even Wen Ruohan or Jin Guangshan dare to exclude them.
Jiang Cheng tries for a smile when Nie Mingjue gets closer, but it’s difficult with his split lip and he’s sure it’s more of a wince than anything else in the end.
And Nie Mingjue does not seem too pleased about it.
“Mingjue,” Jiang Cheng greets when he comes to a stop next to him and he’s overly aware of the way Nie Mingjue musters him.
“Wanyin,” he gives back once his eyes touched on every visible wound and Jiang Cheng fights the urge to squirm under his gaze.
“You look like shit,” Nie Mingjue says then and Jiang Cheng barks out a laugh.
He regrets it almost immediately when it jostles his cracked ribs and the pain leaves him gasping for breath. Jiang Cheng feels unsteady on his feet and to his chagrin he sways hard enough that Nie Mingjue’s hand shoots out to steady him.
“Careful,” Nie Mingjue says, his hand warm and heavy on Jiang Cheng’s hip, but he hits another one of the many bruises littering Jiang Cheng’s body and Jiang Cheng can’t suppress the flinch.
“I’m sorry,” he weakly says when he sees how Nie Mingjue works his jaw in anger but he doesn’t take his hand away.
He relieves enough of the pressure that it’s only a comforting gesture and no longer hurting Jiang Cheng though.
“How bad is it?” Nie Mingjue asks, clearly still enraged, but strangely enough Jiang Cheng doesn’t feel threatened at all.
He doesn’t deal well with anger—never has, even though it’s his own go-to emotion most of the time—but Nie Mingjue’s anger feels protective and always has.
It’s probably one of the reasons Jiang Cheng fell for the other man.
“In which order do you want it in? Alphabetical or from head to toe?” Jiang Cheng wryly says and a shudder runs down his back when Nie Mingjue’s face darkens.
“Most painful to least,” he finally gives back and Jiang Cheng sighs.
“Three cracked ribs, concussion, split lip, a shiner, several cuts and bruised all over,” he lists off and with everything he says Nie Mingjue’s face clouds over more.
“Internal injuries?” he asks, his voice clipped and short and Jiang Cheng snorts.
“Probably not. My parents wouldn’t allow me to get checked out, fearing I’d miss this lovely evening, but if I had any I doubt I’d still be standing right now,” he gives back and feels Nie Mingjue’s hand spasm on his hip, though he’s still mindful of his previous reaction.
Jiang Cheng very pointedly does not mention that he’s mostly standing because of all the pain killers he took, his body hurting too much all over to go without, and he’s not even sure he would notice if he was bleeding internally at the moment.
“What happened?” Nie Mingjue asks, leaning in close and whispering the question directly into his ear, causing a shudder to go down Jiang Cheng’s back.
“What do you think?” Jiang Cheng rasps out, trying desperately to get his reaction under control, and Nie Mingjue’s eyes immediately fall to Wei Wuxian. “Yeah,” Jiang Cheng breathes out. “He antagonized the wrong people. Again,” Jiang Cheng bitterly adds, because this is not the first time something like this happened.
It’s just the first time it’s this bad. Usually Jiang Cheng is a lot better at running away and at staying out of sight when Wei Wuxian is in one of his moods, but it simply didn’t work out yesterday.
Wei Wuxian had expressed his regret at not looking around and waiting for Jiang Cheng but it means little, if Jiang Cheng is being honest.
Wei Wuxian had laughed the entire time they ran away, had thrown taunts over his shoulder again and again, even as Jiang Cheng hissed at him to stop and when Wei Wuxian had decided to split up, Jiang Cheng had already known the outcome.
He has never been a fast runner, not like Wei Wuxian, and everyone knew it, too.
It was an easy decision for their pursuers.
Nie Mingjue leans impossibly closer, his lips almost brushing the shell of Jiang Cheng’s ear and Jiang Cheng can’t help but to sway into the contact. Nie Mingjue is warm and reassuring and safe.
“Who did this to you? Who is responsible?” Nie Mingjue whispers and Jiang Cheng closes his eyes at the tightly controlled fury in his voice.
Jiang Cheng knows what they say about the Nie’s. They are butchers.
Except that no one seems to know what exactly it is they butcher, because it certainly isn’t for any business that sells meat. And them being simple butchers would neither explain the almost fearful respect everyone has for them, nor their continued invitations to these kinds of gatherings.
There are rumors of course; people who claim that the only things the Nies butcher are humans—some claim they only go after bad people, some say the Nie’s are an old mafia clan, some say they kill indiscriminately—but no one could prove anything yet.
Still, Jiang Cheng can guess what’s going to happen once he tells Nie Mingjue exactly who is responsible and he finds that he doesn’t care.
Wen Ruohan is just shy of being a mafia boss as well and his sons certainly behave like they are the heirs to one. This is not the first time they beat someone up, and Jiang Cheng has seen weapons on them often enough to believe it when people whisper about another opposing businessman simply disappearing.
So Jiang Cheng really couldn’t care less about their fate.
“Wen Xu and Wen Chao,” he finally says and feels more than he hears how Nie Mingjue takes a deep breath.
“Alright,” he says, finality in his voice.
When Nie Mingjue leans close to press an achingly soft kiss to Jiang Cheng’s temple tears burn in his eyes.
“Be careful,” Jiang Cheng chokes out, suddenly afraid that Nie Mingjue might get hurt or worse but Nie Mingjue gives him a reassuring smile.
“Always,” he promises and with one last careful squeeze of Jiang Cheng’s hip, he’s gone.
~*~*~
It’s two days later when news breaks that Wen Xu and Wen Chao died in terribly tragic, unrelated accidents on the same day.
Jiang Cheng snorts when he hears about that, because no one can be dumb enough to believe that it’s just a coincident but of course this is how the Nies apparently get away with murder.
Not that Jiang Cheng is complaining.
What does come as a surprise though, is Wei Wuxian.
He shows up unannounced around midday and he’s uncharacteristically fidgety, even for him.
“Do you want to come in?” Jiang Cheng asks with a frown when Wei Wuxian knocks instead of just barging in like he normally does, but Wei Wuxian continues to hover at the threshold.
“No, no, that’s alright,” he says, his voice high and Jiang Cheng gets the distinct impression that he’s trying to stealthily look around.
“What do you want then?”
“I just—I want to—Nie Mingjue is not here, right? Or Nie Huaisang?” he asks in a rush and Jiang Cheng arches an eyebrow at him.
“No, they are not. Should they be?”
“No! I mean—” Wei Wuxian clears his throat “—no, that’s fine. I’m just here to say sorry.”
His expression makes Jiang Cheng believe that it hurts him to say it but he couldn’t care less.
“For what?” he asks for clarification because Wei Wuxian has never apologized to anyone.
“For getting you hurt like this. For always starting shit without thinking about the consequences and leaving you to deal with it. I’ll—try not to do that anymore, so please don’t tell on me anymore,” he rushes out and Jiang Cheng’s second eyebrow joins the first.
“Did something happen?”
“Of course not,” Wei Wuxian says with a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head, a dead giveaway that something did happen.
And Jiang Cheng can guess what.
“Okay. Thank you then,” Jiang Cheng slowly says, unsure what to do in face of this unusually nervous Wei Wuxian.
“I’ll leave you be then, have a nice day!” Wei Wuxian rushes out, his voice just a bit too loud and before Jiang Cheng can get his composure back, he leaves.
Jiang Cheng stares after him, before he shakes his head and goes back into his apartment. He gets his phone and types out a message.
Come for dinner he types, not even making it a question and even though Nie Mingjue doesn’t answer him, Jiang Cheng trusts that he read it.
He gets started on dinner feeling happier than he has in a while.
~*~*~
There’s a knock on Jiang Cheng’s door at six pm sharp and if his injuries would allow it Jiang Cheng is certain he would skip over to the door. As it is, he contents himself with hurrying to the door, a smile already on his face.
He is not at all surprised to find Nie Mingjue on the other side of it, though he is confused to see the serious look on his face.
“Mingjue?” he asks, unsure what might have put that look there.
“You’re not stupid,” Nie Mingjue says and it’s the most accusing and baffling thing anyone has ever said to him.
“Depends on who you ask,” Jiang Cheng gives back, completely taken off guard and Nie Mingjue seems displeased with his answer.
“You are not stupid,” he repeats again and Jiang Cheng gives him a careful smile.
“I like to think so, yes,” he admits and Nie Mingjue huffs.
“You know what I did. Why are you inviting me for dinner?”
Jiang Cheng blinks at Nie Mingjue.
“Of course I know—did you think I wouldn’t want anything to do with you after?” he asks for clarification because that puts the already tender—and way too short—kiss to his temple into new light.
“Why am I here?” Nie Mingjue asks instead of answering Jiang Cheng’s question and Jiang Cheng has a hard time understanding that Nie Mingjue is nervous.
Jiang Cheng didn’t think that was possible but it only endears Nie Mingjue more to him—not that he needs that—and Jiang Cheng smiles at him.
“You’re here for dinner,” he says and then boldly steps right into Nie Mingjue’s space, reaching up to tug Nie Mingjue’s head down until he can kiss him.
Jiang Cheng only aimed for a little peck to make his intentions clear but once his lips touch Nie Mingjue’s he finds it hard to pull back again. Nie Mingjue seems to have a similar problem because his hands migrate to Jiang Cheng’s waist and back and keep him right in place.
To Jiang Cheng’s dislike, Nie Mingjue puts an end to the kiss when Jiang Cheng nibbles on his lower lip, but before Jiang Cheng can worry that he did something Nie Mingjue didn’t like, he presses his thumb to Jiang Cheng’s still split lip.
“You’re still hurt. This is as far as it will go,” Nie Mingjue decides but he softens his words with a kiss to the arch of Jiang Cheng’s cheekbone.
“For now,” Jiang Cheng gives back, not even ashamed to hear how breathless he sounds and Nie Mingjue chuckles.
“For now,” he agrees, dropping another kiss to Jiang Cheng’s forehead.
“Fine. Dinner should be ready anyway,” Jiang Cheng says and takes the opportunity to take Nie Mingjue’s hand.
“I’m starved.” There’s a twinkle in Nie Mingjue’s eyes that lets Jiang Cheng know that he’s talking about more than just dinner and it makes Jiang Cheng just a little bit hot under the collar.
Still, he leads Nie Mingjue into the kitchen and they wordlessly set up the table, working contentedly beside each other.
It’s only when Jiang Cheng ladles some food into Nie Mingjue’s bowl that he speaks again.
“Do you not care?” Nie Mingjue asks, his gaze intent on Jiang Cheng, who puts his own bowl down for now.
Jiang Cheng already contemplated that question all afternoon but the answer is still as simple as it was the first time he asked himself that.
“No.”
“You sound so sure. What if next time it’s someone you love?” Nie Mingjue wants to know and Jiang Cheng takes that question just as seriously.
“I don’t know,” he admits, because the thought that Nie Mingjue could come after his sister or even Wei Wuxian makes him uneasy. “I guess we’ll have to cross that bridge when we get to it. But—I trust you. I always have. Despite the rumors that are floating around everywhere.”
“And despite what they say about me out loud. The butcher of the Nie clan.”
“About both of you,” Jiang Cheng corrects him and still can’t find it in him to mind.
He grew up with these rumors and yet both Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang have never been anything but kind to Jiang Cheng. They were kind to him when his family wasn’t, they gave him a home when his own wasn’t one and they gave him support when his family was trying to tear him down.
Not once in all these years did the Nie brothers give him a reason to fear them.
“Yeah, Huaisang can be a bit vicious, too,” Nie Mingjue easily agrees, but his eyes are glued to Jiang Cheng to gauge his reaction.
“As if I didn’t know that,” Jiang Cheng snorts, because honestly, he would rather face a wild and starved animal than Nie Huaisang’s ire.
“Okay,” Nie Mingjue says and then, much lower “that’s good then.”
To Jiang Cheng it sounds like Nie Mingjue might have expected another outcome and it prompts Jiang Cheng to get up and walk around the table.
Nie Mingjue tracks his every movement but he still seems surprised when Jiang Cheng slides into his lap.
“Wanyin,” Nie Mingjue warningly says and Jiang Cheng sighs.
“I know, I’m still hurt. But this is important.” He puts his arms around Nie Mingjue’s neck and looks straight at him. “I love you. I don’t care what you do and I am thankful for what happened to Wen Xu and Wen Chao. And Wei Wuxian, I guess, because he wouldn’t apologize without prompting.”
“He was here, then?” Nie Mingjue asks, a small smile playing around his mouth.
“Didn’t you tell him to come?”
“I was busy. I let Huaisang handle him,” Nie Mingjue admits and Jiang Cheng laughs.
Of course Nie Huaisang would scare the shit out of Wei Wuxian.
“Thank you,” Jiang Cheng whispers and brushes his lips over Nie Mingjue’s, conscious to keep the contact light enough to not aggravate his wound.
“Always, my heart,” Nie Mingjue gives back, his voice just as low and Jiang Cheng knows that he means it.
With Nie Mingjue, he is always safe.