Work Text:
"Ridiculous," Jiang Cheng says to no one in particular the moment he steps into the room.
It's not a room in Lotus Pier. That would've made things infinitely easier, but no; this is a guest room on the property of some small sect whose name Jiang Cheng has almost forgotten already and it's miles and miles away from Yunmeng.
Jiang Cheng thinks about how it took him three whole days to arrive here, and how it will take at least three more to wrap up this "mission". It's not even a real mission - it's diplomacy to strengthen relationships between the sects and unify them all against the Wen clan.
He grits his teeth, both hands balled into fists. He could have spent the time at Lotus Pier instead, rebuilding his home after the siege. He should have stayed there, really.
" Ridiculous, " he grumbles again.
"It's not for long."
Jiang Cheng looks up, frowning hard at Nie Mingjue.
"It's for too long," he gripes, even though he's already starting to unpack the few things he brought with him. Nie Mingjue makes no move to leave, so Jiang Cheng straightens and shoots him a look. It's a little softer than the frown from before. "Why are you still here?"
Nie Mingjue slides the door shut behind himself and simply says: "I was told this was my guest room."
Jiang Cheng stares at him for a long moment, disbelief written all over his face. But Nie Mingjue is not one to make stupid jokes, Jiang Cheng knows that - and after a long beat of stunned silence, Jiang Cheng starts laughing.
" Ridiculous, " he repeats through his laughter and tension bleeds from his shoulders. A faint, faint voice that sounds all too much like Wei Wuxian tells him to treat this as vacation. To relax . So Jiang Cheng allows himself to let his guards down, knowing that right now, he's safe to do so with Nie Mingjue by his side.
Nie Mingjue can't help but smile as well, a faint little thing, uncharacteristically soft. Then he steps over, closer and wraps his arms around Jiang Cheng, who melts into him. It's a good thing they're alone. No one would believe it if they saw Yunmeng Jiang's prickly sect leader this docile.
"Do you think they know?," Jiang Cheng mumbles into Nie Mingjue’s chest. His voice is full of amusement; an emotion that has been painfully absent lately. Nie Mingjue is glad to hear it. He thinks about the question and settles on: "I do not believe they know of our courtship. This is likely a genuine accident due to poor planning. You have seen how nervous that sect leader was."
Jiang Cheng sighs as he nods. The Zhang sect (hah, he did remember the name) is small and weak and there isn't much they can offer to the great alliance of sects against the Wen clan - but nonetheless, they promised manpower in return for protection.
It's not the best deal but Jiang Cheng and Nie Mingjue both know they can't really afford to be picky in times like these.
But those are things to think about for another day, when the realities of this war they're fighting come closer once again. Right now, wrapped up in each other, those looming shadows seem far away.
Jiang Cheng steps back again. He is still smiling faintly. They both go on about their nightly routine and truly, it's all well and good - until Nie Mingjue slides the door to the bedroom open and finds…
"There's only one bed?!" Jiang Cheng sounds incredibly affronted as he makes his observation. He's blocking the door, but Nie Mingjue is tall enough to see past him despite that. The somewhat small room does only have one bed, though to be fair, it is quite big.
Jiang Cheng angrily mutters to himself. It's endearing, to say the least, to see him comfortable enough to even do that. Nie Mingjue doesn't know how to put into words what it makes him feel but he likes seeing it. He likes seeing the trust Jiang Cheng decided to put in him.
Not for the first time, he thinks that he can't wait for this damn war to be done and over, so that they can hold a great wedding ceremony. It could double as a celebration of victory. Or maybe it'll just be weeks of celebration leading up to their wedding.
" Honestly ," Jiang Cheng goes on, pulling Nie Mingjue back from his thoughts. "What if we weren't courting? They don't know we are , yet this still happened. What would we have done then?"
Nie Mingjue steps into the room, following after Jiang Cheng, a bemused smile ghosting over his lips. He knows that answer. He doesn't even have to think very hard about it.
"We still could've shared," he says. It's a little funny to watch Jiang Cheng stiffen, then turn away as though trying to hide his face. What he doesn't know (and what Nie Mingjue will never tell him) is that the back of his neck also goes red when he blushes.
He steps close again. Jiang Cheng is warm when he puts his arms around him, back to chest. While Jiang Cheng isn't short by any means, Nie Mingjue is quite a bit taller still. It creates the perfect height difference for Jiang Cheng to fit exactly into Nie Mingjue’s embrace.
"Imagine we weren't courting," he says quietly. There's no harm in indulging in a silly little fantasy; who knows when they'll get such a rare moment of peace and quiet all to themselves again. Jiang Cheng makes a soft noise.
His voice is tinged with amusement when he replies: "I wouldn't have shared a bed with you."
Nie Mingjue has expected that answer. He still presses on. "But what if the Zhang sect didn't have any other option available?"
"I would've slept outside."
"Mhm. What if it were raining?"
Jiang Cheng makes another soft noise of barely suppressed laughter. "This is ridiculous to think about," he complains but Nie Mingjue can hear the smile in his voice. Truly, he can't remember the last time Jiang Cheng has been so… happy. The current situation hangs heavy over all of their heads but Nie Mingjue himself and Jiang Cheng are both on the front lines most of the time. It's nice they get a break now, however small.
" Fine, I'll indulge you. I would have kicked you out of the bed, probably," Jiang Cheng answers and he's laughing again, shaking with it right here in Nie Mingjue’s arms.
Then he turns, looking so young and so beautiful and so, so happy, and Nie Mingjue couldn't have stopped himself from kissing that laughing mouth even if he'd tried. Jiang Cheng stills for a moment, then leans into the kiss.
It's sweet and warm and perfect.
It's home .