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When Jiang Cheng comes home and finds Wei Wuxian waiting for him, he instantly feels ambushed. Wei Wuxian doesn’t just come by to chat, not anymore. He only comes when he wants something or if he wants to accuse Jiang Cheng of something and he’s not in the mood for neither.
“What do you want?” Jiang Cheng asks, hefting his bag over his shoulder. He doesn’t want to deal with Wei Wuxian right now so he doesn’t even pretend to be nice.
“Jiang Cheng, you have to stop,” Wei Wuxian says and for once in his life he’s serious.
“What are you using my full name for? What happened to Chengcheng?” Jiang Cheng wants to know even though he hateshasdifhates when Wei Wuxian calls him that but this is strange.
“Chengcheng is for my sweet little didi, who never did anything wrong in his life,” Wei Wuxian says and Jiang Cheng notices for the first time that Wei Wuxian is keeping a very deliberate distance from him.
“And what did I do wrong now?” Jiang Cheng asks, raising an eyebrow at Wei Wuxian who makes a face at him.
“Jiang Cheng, people are going missing in your area.”
It catches Jiang Cheng so off guard that he freezes up.
“Yeah?” he finally asks. “I have heard. And?”
“And? Are you seriously asking me that?” Wei Wuxian almost yells at him and Jiang Cheng reflexively looks around to see if anyone is watching.
“Look at you. You’re so scared to draw attention to yourself.”
“Because this is my neighbourhood and I don’t want anyone gossiping about me,” Jiang Cheng shoots back. “What are you even implying?”
“What’s in your bag?” Wei Wuxian asks and Jiang Cheng frowns in confusion.
“My gym clothes?”
“Let me see,” Wei Wuxian demands and walks up to Jiang Cheng as if he wants to wrangle the bag out of his hands to look inside.
“Get the hell away from me,” Jiang Cheng hisses out and shoves Wei Wuxian away before he can touch his bag. “I have no obligation to show you my dirty gym clothes, and neither do I want to. What the hell has gotten into you?”
“It’s you, isn’t it?” Wei Wuxian asks and he seems as serious as Jiang Cheng has ever seen him.
“It’s me? What is me?”
“The one responsible for all these disappearances?”
“Are you seriously accusing me of murder right now?” Jiang Cheng wants to know and he can’t believe the audacity Wei Wuxian has.
“What other explanation is there?”
“I don’t know. But do you really think me capable of murdering someone?”
“Look at you,” Wei Wuxian says and points at Jiang Cheng. “You have always been so goddamn angry. Uncle Fengmian says you’re not good with emotions either. And you are sociable enough but you don’t have any friends. Those are all like the warning signs of a psychopath. Of someone who is capable of murdering someone.”
“So you googled this,” Jiang Cheng sighs out and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Do you even listen to yourself?”
“I do, and I know that I am right. Jiang Cheng, you have to stop. What if the police eventually catches up to you? You have to think about your family.”
“Clearly my family is doing enough thinking for all of us,” Jiang Cheng bites out and shoulders past Wei Wuxian. “And the police cannot catch up to me, because there’s nothing to catch up to! I haven’t killed anyone!”
“Then won’t you think about Mingjue-ge? What is he going to say once he finds out?”
“There is nothing to find out,” Jiang Cheng repeats and finally unlocks the door. “Now get the fuck out of my sight before I call the police on you for slander.”
“Yeah, right, as if you’d risk them looking more closely into you,” Wei Wuxian mutters and once Jiang Cheng is in his own home, he turns back around to him.
“There is nothing I have to hide,” he very seriously tells Wei Wuxian and then closes the door right in his face.
“My heart? Is something wrong? I heard voices,” Nie Mingjue asks, coming around the corner, a worried look on his face.
“It’s fine, my soul,” Jiang Cheng sighs out but of course Nie Mingjue is not fooled.
“You’re worked up and hurt. What happened?”
“Wei Wuxian happened,” Jiang Cheng tells him and falls forward into Nie Mingjue’s embrace. “He thinks I’m the serial killer that’s been going around.”
“He thinks what?” Nie Mingjue sounds hurt and scandalized on Jiang Cheng’s behalf, and this is only one of the many reasons why Jiang Cheng loves him so.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he calls the police on me one of these days. He googled signs of a psychopath and now he thinks himself to be an expert. He probably thinks I have bloody clothes in my bag right now.”
At that Nie Mingjue snorts.
“You should have just thrown your sweaty gym clothes right in his face.”
Jiang Cheng mulls that over for a moment before he groans. Of course Nie Mingjue is right.
“Ugh, what are we going to do about him?” Jiang Cheng finally asks, slinging his arms around Nie Mingjue’s middle.
“Nothing, as long as you don’t want to. I am voting for calling the police on him should he slander your name like that again. You were out on the driveway. Anyone could have heard.”
“I told him the same,” Jiang Cheng says with a sigh and moves away from Nie Mingjue. “Let’s not talk about this anymore. Dinner?” he asks, batting his eyelashes at Nie Mingjue who laughs and leans down to kiss the tip of Jiang Cheng’s nose.
“Only because I love you so,” he gives back and finally gives Jiang Cheng a real kiss.
The evening definitely is looking up, despite Wei Wuxian’s interference.
~*~*~
“Are you expecting someone?” Jiang Cheng asks when it rings on their door early in the morning.
“No. You?” Nie Mingjue gives back, still drinking his coffee and so that leaves Jiang Cheng to get up and actually get the door.
He half expects Wei Wuxian to be on the other side—he is under no illusion that their fight is over yet—but he was not quite prepared to come face to face with the police.
“Officers,” he weakly says and then yells into the house: “The idiot really did it!”
“Who did what?” Nie Mingjue asks, his voice gradually coming closer and he comes to a surprised stop when he sees the officers.
“I see you expected us,” one of the officers says and Jiang Cheng turns his attention back to them.
“My brother accused me of being the serial killer who’s going around and he threatened to call the police on me. He usually does what he says, so it was only a matter of time.”
“If you know why we’re here, you surely aren’t against answering a few questions, right?”
It’s a stupid question, because Jiang Cheng wants to do nothing more than slam the door in their face but he forces a smile on his face and moves to the side.
“Please do come in. I hope you don’t mind me being a little bit miffed, but you would probably be too if your own family accuses you of murdering people.”
“Who is this?” the other officer asks and Jiang Cheng looks at Nie Mingjue.
“My husband, Nie Mingjue.”
“We’d like him to stay for this.”
“Is this going to be an interrogation?”
“We just have a few questions, I’m sure you won’t mind answering.”
“Right,” Jiang Cheng forces out and only relaxes when Nie Mingjue puts his hand on the small of his back.
“Please, this way. Would you like anything to drink? Coffee, tea?” Nie Mingjue asks, polite where Jiang Cheng struggles right now and it allows him to take a few deep breaths until he feels marginally calmer.
“Nothing, thanks, this won’t be long. The accusations your brother brought up against you have to be taken seriously, I’m sure you understand.”
“I do,” Jiang Cheng nods, even though he’s still boiling with rage. “I hope you in turn understand that I am hurt and angry right now, because my own brother thinks me capable of all these horrible murders.”
“Understandable,” the officer shortly says and then gets out a notepad. “So, where were you on the night of the fourth?” he gets right into it and Jiang Cheng has to wreck his brain.
“Here, your calendar,” Nie Mingjue suddenly says, handing Jiang Cheng his calendar and Jiang Cheng gives him a thankful smile. “My husband is busy and usually can’t keep track of everywhere he has been but he’s almost meticulous in writing his appointments down,” Nie Mingjue explains to the officers and takes a seat next to Jiang Cheng, handing him a cup of tea.
“Thanks,” Jiang Cheng says and briefly squeezes his knee. “On the night of the fourth,” he then mutters as he turns the pages to find the right day. “I had a five pm appointment and then went to get take-out for us. We had a quiet night in, watching Knives Out,” Jiang Cheng says and turns the calendar to show the officers.
“Can we?” one of them asks and takes the calendar out of Jiang Cheng’s hands when he nods.
“You go to the gym often,” the other one remarks and Jiang Cheng shrugs.
“I struggle with anger issues, as my therapist will tell you as well, and working out helps. I keep a strict schedule with that.”
“It doesn’t hurt that it makes him look fantastic,” Nie Mingjue chimes in and it’s so scandalizing that Jiang Cheng unwinds for a minute.
“Mingjue!”
“Do you have proof of this?” the officer interjects and Jiang Cheng turns back around to them.
“I paid with card at the take-out place and my appointment surely will tell you as well that we did in fact meet but for the movie—” he trails off with a shrug.
“I can only give you my word that we did in fact watch it,” Nie Mingjue says and presses a kiss to Jiang Cheng’s head. “We went to bed soon after and no, we do not have proof of that, either.”
“I see,” the officer with the calendar says and turns a few pages back. “Here it says you were away on a business meeting for an entire weekend?” He points to a page and Jiang Cheng leans over to check what he wrote down.
“Oh yeah, we met with representatives of Gusu Lan to work on our new collaboration. It’s not fit for the public, yet, so I apologize for not giving you details, but Lan Qiren will be happy to confirm that I was present the entire weekend.”
“Mh,” the officer says and turns another few pages.
Jiang Cheng realizes that he’s checking ever night where someone disappears and Jiang Cheng wonders what he’s going to do if he’s not satisfied.
How do you even prove something you didn’t do?
“And here?”
“My nephew stayed over,” Jiang Cheng confirms with a nod. “He will tell you as well, we spent the entire evening together.”
“I left to see my own brother that night, just before you ask,” Nie Mingjue chimes in and the police officer waves him off.
“Your alibi won’t be necessary, and I think we heard enough here as well. I’m sorry for the inconvenience but we have to follow every possible lead we get with this and your brother was very convincing, and even though the few leads we have do not point in your direction at all, we had to take this seriously.”
“Yeah, he is like that,” Jiang Cheng says with a nod. “He has always been the more charismatic of us two, and you’re just doing your job, so of course I understand.”
“Thank you for your understanding,” they say and get up. “That will be all.”
“Oh, sure. If you do have any more questions, you know where you can find us,” Nie Mingjue says with a smile and brings them to the door, for which Jiang Cheng is grateful.
He’s still too angry over this whole situation to remember his manners.
“I can’t believe he did this,” Jiang Cheng hisses when Nie Mingjue come back. “Just imagine what the neighbours must be thinking about us right now!”
“Let’s forget about the neighbours, okay, you don’t like most of them anyway. How are you feeling?” Nie Mingjue asks, soothingly rubbing his hands up and down Jiang Cheng’s arms.
“I’m fucking furious,” Jiang Cheng snaps at him and then immediately cringes.
Nie Mingjue really does not deserve his ire.
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s alright, I know you’re stressed. You want to continue with breakfast or do you want to go work out?”
“I want to work out,” Jiang Cheng decides, because he feels restless with all this anger inside of him. “And then I want to talk to my therapist.”
“Okay, I’ll call him, you go work it all out,” Nie Mingjue says and drops a kiss to the top of his head. “And I’ll be right here, for whatever you need, alright?”
“I love you,” Jiang Cheng sighs out and briefly rests his forehead against Nie Mingjue’s collarbone.
“I love you, too, my heart. Now off you go,” he decides and pushes Jiang Cheng towards their bedroom to get his gym clothes.
Jiang Cheng is really beyond lucky to have him.
~*~*~
“I’m going to kill him,” Jiang Cheng hisses, hanging up the call with the police.
“What happened now?” Nie Mingjue asks, taking him into his arms.
“He called the police again, asking them to further investigate me, insisting that I must have something to do with all the murders.”
Nie Mingjue hums.
“What are you going to do about it?” he finally asks and Jiang Cheng slumps in his arms.
“I don’t know,” he admits, though deep down he does know.
“I have a proposition,” Nie Mingjue says after a moment and Jiang Cheng sighs, because he was expecting this.
“Tell me,” he says, even though he’s certain he knows that Nie Mingjue is going to say.
“You’re away for the upcoming weekend, another meeting with Lan Qiren for the collaboration.”
“Yes.”
“And I am due to stay with Huaisang again, lest he forget that he has an older brother who likes to nag at him.”
“Yes,” Jiang Cheng says again, pressing his face more tightly into Nie Mingjue’s shoulder.
“And Wei Wuxian is going to go stay with Wangji in their remote love-nest again.”
And there it is.
“Isn’t it too conspicuous? He’s been accusing me all the time, if he disappears now—” he trails off but Nie Mingjue only kisses his head.
“I told you again and again that you don’t have to worry, Huaisang and I have this under control. He’s been in the neighbourhood all this time, making himself a perfect target. And our alibis are going to be waterproof. You know I wouldn’t do it otherwise.”
“Will you frame Lan Wangji?” Jiang Cheng asks and feels Nie Mingjue freeze in his arms.
So he hasn’t thought about that yet.
“That could actually work out perfectly. Xichen has never liked Wei Wuxian either and as long as we don’t connect it to the other murders he would certainly be amenable to assist us, claiming it will be a lesson for Wangji,” Nie Mingjue slowly says and drags Jiang Cheng into a deep kiss. “You’re amazing my heart.”
“Just don’t make a mess of your clothes again, alright?” he sighs out. “I loved that green shirt you ruined.”
“I know,” Nie Mingjue mournfully says. “I’ll take better care.”
“Okay,” Jiang Cheng nods. “Then you can do it.”
It makes Nie Mingjue perk up.
“Finally,” he mutters and Jiang Cheng thinks fondly back to how long Nie Mingjue has held off on killing Wei Wuxian simply because Jiang Cheng didn’t want him to.
“That’s my anniversary gift to you, so you better not expect anything else,” Jiang Cheng sternly tells him but he completely melts when Nie Mingjue gives him a huge smile.
“Best husband ever,” he decidedly says and Jiang Cheng huffs out a laugh.
He hopes that after this he can enjoy some peace and quiet with Nie Mingjue again.