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Nie Mingjue wakes up to kisses being dropped all over his face and he figures that’s a pretty perfect way to wake up. He smiles before he even opens his eyes and he gets rewarded for that by a soft kiss to the lips.
“Morning, birthday boy,” Jiang Cheng whispers, right before he snuggles in close again and Nie Mingjue slings his arms around him and buries his smile in his hair.
“Morning,” he roughly gives back with a very content sigh.
They stay like that for a few minutes before Nie Mingjue tries to get a look at the clock. Granted, this is only his second birthday with Jiang Cheng but last year they had visitors over for brunch and Nie Mingjue would hate to get caught like this by anyone.
“What are you doing?” Jiang Cheng grumbles, clearly half asleep again and Nie Mingjue drops an apologetic kiss to the top of his head.
“Shouldn’t we be getting ready?” he asks and Jiang Cheng huffs.
“No.”
“No?” Nie Mingjue repeats and he can’t deny the little sting that gives him.
He had thought that with Jiang Cheng now by his side his birthday would be different but maybe he was a little bit hasty in his assumptions.
“Stop your worrying,” Jiang Cheng immediately says, lifting his head to glare at Nie Mingjue before he reaches out to smooth out the little wrinkle that no doubt formed between his eyes. “Huaisang and your friends will be over for lunch. Late lunch. Potentially early dinner.”
It’s enough to already make Nie Mingjue laugh again, though he still doesn’t completely understand.
“So no brunch?”
“Oh, we’ll be having brunch. Late brunch, potentially, because I am just too comfy.” He snuggles deeper into the bed as he says it and Nie Mingjue has to admit it, he’s right. It is really damn comfy.
“Alright,” he agrees and pulls Jiang Cheng into his arms again.
“We both have the day off on your birthday. Usually that never happens; it certainly never happens for me. But I’m intent on enjoying as much time with you as I can today, and so we’re going to stay in bed until we feel like eating and we won’t get up a minute before that. Huaisang and your friends can have you after a lazy start in the day,” Jiang Cheng explains and presses a kiss to Nie Mingjue’s collarbone. “Good?”
“Perfect,” Nie Mingjue replies, because really, what else is there to say for him.
Waking up with Jiang Cheng in his arms, having all the time in the world for a perfectly lazy, cozy morning is already one of the best birthday gifts Nie Mingjue could wish for and he hopes to always spend his birthday like this.
“Mh, good. More dozing then,” Jiang Cheng decides and pats Nie Mingjue’s pec, before he clearly drifts off again.
And Nie Mingjue stays awake a while longer, simply to bask in the moment but eventually the warmth of the bed and the warmth of the beloved body in his arms makes him drift off as well.
Nie Mingjue wakes up again when Jiang Cheng tries to wriggle out of his grasp.
“No,” he almost whines and Jiang Cheng laughs, which is enough to make warmth unfurl in Nie Mingjue’s belly.
He does love it so when Jiang Cheng laughs.
“Let go of me, you oaf,” he chides him, the mirth still evident in his voice and Nie Mingjue petulantly shakes his head.
“No, come back here, I was warm and comfy.”
“Your stomach was growling,” Jiang Cheng informs him, and now that Nie Mingjue pays attention to something else than Jiang Cheng he notices his hunger as well.
“Still no,” he then decides and Jiang Cheng gently bonks him on the head.
“Let me up so I can prepare brunch for the birthday boy,” he says and then leans over Nie Mingjue to check the clock.
Nie Mingjue takes the opportunity to press as many kisses to Jiang Cheng’s shoulder as he can.
“Lunch, more like,” Jiang Cheng then says with a sigh. “So early dinner with the family,” he decides and moves away from Nie Mingjue much more forcefully now.
“Come on, let go of me,” he laughs out when Nie Mingjue clings to him as hard as he can and Nie Mingjue shakes his head, though he can’t quite hide his smile.
“I was warm.”
“And now you’re not,” Jiang Cheng sighs out, even as he puts the blanket back around Nie Mingjue. “Let me make lunch. You stay here and keep the bed warm and then we can eat in bed, how does that sound?”
“Dreadfully lonely,” Nie Mingjue decides after a long moment and sits up, still keeping a hand on Jiang Cheng, simply because he can.
“I’ll be just in the kitchen,” Jiang Cheng says even as he shakes his head, so he clearly knows he already lost this.
“I think I would enjoy staying with you in the kitchen more than being alone in bed,” Nie Mingjue tells him and leans in to capture Jiang Cheng’s lips in a kiss.
“You know you don’t get to help, right?” Jiang Cheng asks, just to make sure, as if Nie Mingjue would ever dare to help in the kitchen ever again.
He learned his lesson with that one very early on in the relationship.
“But we’d get to spend time together,” Nie Mingjue shoots back and he can tell the exact moment Jiang Cheng gives in because his face goes all soft.
“Fine. Fine, you win. Come on then, before the rumbling of your stomach wakes the entire world.”
Just as he says it his own stomach grumbles very audibly and Nie Mingjue can’t help it, he simply has to burst out into laughing.
“Shut up,” Jiang Cheng hisses, a charming blush on his cheeks and Nie Mingjue steals yet another kiss.
He thinks if he gets to kiss Jiang Cheng forever, he could die a very happy man.
“Lunch is not only for me then,” he then decides and finally swings his legs out of bed.
It’s not really cold in his apartment but it is noticeably colder than in bed and a shudder runs down his back even as he gets up and quickly puts on some socks.
“You do not get a choice on what’s for lunch today,” Jiang Cheng informs him as he pulls on one of Nie Mingjue’s sweatshirts and Nie Mingjue’s heart feels so full that he’s almost afraid it’s going to burst right out of his chest.
“Alright, my heart,” he softly says and takes Jiang Cheng’s hand in his, loathe to stop touching him even just for the short walk to the kitchen.
“Sit and behave,” Jiang Cheng orders him when they reach their destination and Nie Mingjue very obediently sits, but he already knows that he won’t be able to do the second one.
Jiang Cheng clearly knows what he’s going to make for them because he strides through the kitchen with purpose, but every time he passes by Nie Mingjue he gets stopped for a kiss or five.
“Stop that,” Jiang Cheng huffs out after the fourth time it happens but Nie Mingjue only smiles unapologetically at him.
“You shouldn’t look so kissable then,” he tells him and steals another kiss before Jiang Cheng can find his words.
“I’m in a sweatshirt,” Jiang Cheng complains, clearly not understanding what could possibly be kissable about that and Nie Mingjue nods smugly.
“My sweatshirt,” he explains and Jiang Cheng sighs.
“Okay, fair,” he then allows and leans in for one more kiss before he hurries back to the stove.
Nie Mingjue doesn’t think their food is burning—not yet—but he knows not to take it too far. Jiang Cheng can be quite furious if things in the kitchen don’t turn out like he wants them too and Nie Mingjue is not aiming to ignite his anger today.
Still, Jiang Cheng has to suffer through a kiss every now and then and going by the small smile on his face whenever it happens he’s not suffering too much.
Nie Mingjue is so lost in his own bubble of happiness that it takes him much longer than it probably should have to notice that Jiang Cheng gets more nervous the closer their lunch is to being ready.
“Is everything okay, my heart?” Nie Mingjue asks, because he can’t help the little stab of worry in his chest even as Jiang Cheng smiles at him.
“Yes, everything is fine.”
It doesn’t quite seem fine to Nie Mingjue but Jiang Cheng readily leans in for kisses even after this, so Nie Mingjue simply hopes that it can’t be that bad. And that Jiang Cheng will tell him when he’s ready.
It seems that moment arrived when he puts Nie Mingjue’s plate in front of him, because instead of sitting down Jiang Cheng tells him “One moment,” and hurries out of the kitchen.
Before Nie Mingjue can even ask what’s going on Jiang Cheng is back already and he has a white envelope in his hands.
“Happy birthday, my soul,” he says as he hands Nie Mingjue the envelope and he pulls him in for a heated kiss and still, Nie Mingjue can tell that he’s nervous.
“What is this?” he asks once they part, weighing the envelope in his hands and it’s clear that there’s something solid inside.
“A bit of a selfish gift,” Jiang Cheng gives back, almost rushed and now that makes Nie Mingjue more curious than ever.
Jiang Cheng is not one to be selfish, so Nie Mingjue opens the envelop as fast as he can. And he blinks, just a little bit confused, when a key falls into his hands.
“I already have a key to your apartment,” he says, turning a questioning glance at Jiang Cheng, who is pressing his lips together as he nods.
“Yes, you do. It’s more of a—” he cards his fingers through his hair, clearly looking for some courage and Nie Mingjue immediately reaches out for him. Jiang Cheng takes his hand and even gives him a small, fleeting smile for it. “It’s a symbolic gift, I guess,” Jiang Cheng finally finishes his previous sentence and Nie Mingjue nods, even though he doesn’t quite understand.
“For what?” he asks, fearing that dragging this out for much longer would only make Jiang Cheng more nervous.
“I want you to move in. With me. It doesn’t have to be my apartment, or yours—we can look for a new one if you want—but I just. Move in with me.”
“Yes,” Nie Mingjue immediately says with no hesitation at all and he honestly couldn’t imagine a better gift than this. “Of course I’m going to move in with you, my heart, wherever you want.”
“Yeah?” Jiang Cheng asks as if Nie Mingjue’s answer comes as a surprise to him and Nie Mingjue simply has to have him in his arms right this instance, so he gets up, pulling Jiang Cheng up along with him.
“Come here,” he whispers as he pulls Jiang Cheng into his arms. “I love you. I love you so much, you have no idea. Of course I want to move in with you. That’s the best birthday present ever,” he mutters into Jiang Cheng’s hair, who presses even closer at his words.
“I know we didn’t really talk about it yet—” Jiang Cheng starts as if he still has to explain himself, as if Nie Mingjue is not over the moon about this.
“My heart, stop. Yes. I already said yes. There’s no need for you to worry. I love you. Of course I want to live with you. I want to spend every morning with you like today.”
“I doubt we’ll always get the luxury of staying in bed for this long,” Jiang Cheng whispers even as he leans back to look with sparkling eyes at Nie Mingjue.
“I don’t need that luxury,” Nie Mingjue tells him as he cups his cheek. “I just need to wake up with you in my arms every day. That’s all I want.”
“You are such a sap,” Jiang Cheng whispers out and it doesn’t sound at all like a complaint. “I want the same,” he then admits and buries his face in Nie Mingjue’s chest again. “Of course I want the same.”
“I love you,” Nie Mingjue tells him because what else is there really to say.
“I love you,” Jiang Cheng immediately gives back and by the time their stomachs remind them of the reason they are out of bed, their food is cold.
Jiang Cheng grumbles about that a bit, clearly thinking cold lunch is ruining the day for Nie Mingjue but he couldn’t be more wrong about that.
Nothing could ruin the best day in Nie Mingjue’s life.