Work Text:
Once he has fallen asleep, Huaisang typically stays asleep until he is dragged from bed by his brother or Jiang Cheng, but tonight, he wakes, instantly alert, though long practice faking sleep allows him to remain still, nestled in Jiang Cheng’s embrace. When he realizes why he’s woken up, he’s glad that Jiang Cheng slumbers on, undisturbed.
Huaisang never met Yu Ziyuan, but the shimmering woman seated on the other side of Jiang Cheng, stroking his hair, is clearly the legendary Violet Spider.
Huaisang eases out from Jiang Cheng’s grasp, deftly substituting one of the bolsters for his presence. It won’t fool him for long, even in sleep, but it will do for a minute. Madame Yu gives him a strange look, but she bends down and kisses Jiang Cheng’s forehead and vanishes. Huaisang hurries to throw on a robe when he sees the same strange purple light now on the private deck of their quarters and hustles outside.
He stumbles to a halt in front of her, hastily straightens his robes, and bows deeply, holding the pose until he feels a phantom pressure under his arms, urging him to stand up straight.
“You are the second Young Master Nie.” Though her mouth doesn’t move, Madame Yu’s words shiver through Huaisang like a cold current in the lake.
“Yes, Madame,” Huaisang says, ducking his head -- partly out of respect and partly because despite everything he’s seen, during the war, after in his life as a cultivator and partner of Jiang Wanyin, Madame Yu is fucking terrifying!
A cold ripple of laughter washes over him.
“You are sweet.” She sits, inasmuch as she can sit, and gestures for Huaisang to sit beside her.
“You are too kind.” Huaisang sits and the ghost of his lover’s mother takes his hand. Huaisang shudders as frost crawls up his skin, but he does not snatch his hand back. Madame Yu squeezes it gently and releases him.
“You care for my son,” she says after a moment.
“I love him,” Huaisang says easily.
“Is that all?” Madame Yu studies him like one might examine the creatures under a rock, but Huaisang squares his shoulders and meets her gaze.
“It’s enough for A-Cheng.”
Madame Yu scowls. “And many people took advantage of that.”
“You did,” Huaisang agrees.
Madame Yu gapes at him, and Huaisang worries for a moment that he’s overstepped some line and brought a curse upon his head, but then he decides fuck it. These people took advantage of A-Cheng for years! They ground him down and used him as a pawn in their petty machinations, and it took years to convince Jiang Cheng of his own inherent worth. Huaisang stands up and offers Madame Yu a curt bow.
“If you’ll excuse me, it’s late and I have somewhere better to be.”
Madame Yu reaches out and grabs the sleeve of Huaisang’s sleeping robes.
“You truly love him,” she says. Her grip tightens, and Huaisang’s limbs freeze. “You would die for him, then?”
Huaisang yanks his arm free from her grip. “I’ve killed for him,” he says.
Madame Yu sits back and studies him for a moment. She nods once and vanishes.
All at once, the warmth of the late spring evening returns to the pier. The song of insects and frogs fills the unnatural silence Madame Yu brought with her, but Huaisang can’t shake the cold. He shivers, shaking, teeth clattering. He drops to his knees, struggling to catch his breath. He claws at his robes. If he can just -- if he --
“A-Sang?”
Huaisang manages to lift his head and meet Jiang Cheng’s startled gaze.
“A-Sang!” Jiang Cheng runs to his side and drops to the deck. He gathers Huaisang in his arms and holds him, murmuring soft words against his hair, until Huaisang stops shaking and can breathe normally.
“What’s wrong, love, what happened?”
Huaisang clutches Jiang Cheng.
“Bad dream,” he says. “That’s all. Bad dream.”
Jiang Cheng kisses his forehead. “Want to talk about it?”
Huaisang shakes his head. “Take me back to bed?”
“Yes, of course.” He gets his arms under Huaisang’s and helps him up. “Come on.”
Jiang Cheng tucks blankets around Huaisang and sits beside him on the mattress.
“Do you want some tea? Or I could go heat up some soup? Or--”
“No, no, just you.” Huaisang opens his arms. “Come here, please.”
Jiang Cheng slides under the blanket and allows Huaisang to shift and pull until he’s got Jiang Cheng tucked in close so he can drape an arm and a leg over him.
Jiang Cheng strokes his arm and sends a bit of warming energy through Huaisang.
“You sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
Huaisang sighs. “Are you alright?” he asks. “Just, in general?”
Jiang Cheng shifts so he can look at Huaisang. “Yeah?”
“Truly? I know it’s been years since… since everything, but--”
“A-Sang.” Jiang Cheng cups Huaisang’s cheek and kisses him gently. “Have you been worrying about that?”
“A little.”
Jiang Cheng kisses him again. “I’m fine,” he says. “Good. Great, actually, especially now that you’re here to stay for the month.”
Huaisang shifts to snuggle closer. “I can stay longer,” he says. “Would that make you happier?”
“We can talk about that in the morning.”
“I can,” Huaisang insists. “I’ll explain it to da-ge.”
“In the morning,” Jiang Cheng says. He kisses Huaisang’s forehead. “Let’s sleep, alright?”
“Mmm.”
Huaisang lays awake, hand on Jiang Cheng’s chest, as his sense of calm returns. He falls asleep himself near dawn, and the last thing he sees is his beloved Jiang Cheng’s face, lit with a pale lilac glow. He holds Jiang Cheng tightly.
They had their chances, he thinks. A-Cheng is mine now.