Chapter Text
Huaisang doesn't expect to see Jiang Wanyin the next day. So honestly it's a suprise when he receives a knock on the door of his chambers after resigning himself to a quiet day inside organising his new wares from yesterday's shopping trip. It's even more befuddling to him when he pulls open the door and is met with the sight of a disgruntled Jiang Zongzhu standing in front of him with a woven basket gripped in his left hand.
"My disciples have exiled me from my office again." He says before Huaisang can even say anything.
Huaisang snorts,"What?" That was, unexpected- but rather amusing honestly.
"Those brats think because they managed once that they can pull it again." Jiang Cheng huffs, and Huaisang thinks that if it were not for the basket in his left hand he most certainly would have crossed his arms.
"Is the Sect motto not attempt the impossible?" He teases the man.
"I'd hardly count sending the Sect leader out with a picnic basket as some impossible feat." Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes and scoffs.
"Why not?" Huaisang questions him.
Jiang Cheng fixes his gaze on Huaisang before his lips quirk up "Well I'm standing in front of you with a picnic basket for one, A-Sang."
"Jiang Xiong has got me there, I suppose." Nie Huaisang hums in agreement, tilting his head to the side "So what does Jiang Xiong want with this one?"
Jiang Cheng smirks and lifts the basket up. "Will you save this one the shame of having a picnic alone?"
Nie Huaisang smiles warmly, a picnic with Jiang Xiong! "Of course! Let me get my fan!"
He dashes calmly walks back into his room to grab pick a fan for the day. He spends a few minutes searching through his collection before he finally decides on one, a crane painted upon a white and blue background. He plucks it in his hand, checks his reflection in the mirror once quickly and sets out to return to his friend outside.
Jiang Cheng is waiting for him outside, leaning against a pillar again, his basket in hand. He looks up on hearing Huaisang's return and straightens, stepping away from the pillar and towards Huaisang.
"Ready to go A-Sang?" He asks, offering his arm
"This one is ready." Huaisang nods, reaching forwards to take it.
⊹˚. ♡🕊️♡˚.⊹
They walk around the dock of Lotus Pier; arm in arm as Jiang Cheng leads Huaisang to a little secluded patch of greenery on the outskirts of the structure, there's a willow tree, providing a spot of shade- a momentary reprive from the hot southern sun.
"Hold this," Jiang Cheng pushes the basket into his hands, "Let me just set this out to sit on." He shakes out a long roll of cloth that unravels from it's tightly coiled shape to it's full length and lays it flat on the grass.
He sits down on it and gestures for Huaisang to join him-he does. Huaisang folds his legs and sits beside Jiang Cheng, basket still in hand.
"Just a disclaimer, this one has no idea what his disciples put in the basket so therefore takes no responsibility if it turns out to be horrendous, and the same goes if it turns out to be good." Jiang Cheng tells him
Not wanting to take credit if it's awful? How shallow Jiang Xiong! And not wanting to take credit even if it could be wonderful? Also, how very like you.
"Alright then, A-cheng." Huaisang grins cheekily "You won't take credit if it's goo. You won't take credit if it's bad. Let's open it up! This one is quite hungry! My stomach is practically rumbling!"
"What rumbling?" Jiang Cheng mutters under his breath with an affectionate eye roll as he reaches for the basket. He opens the top and Huaisang peers over in curiousity.
"Peking Duck Pancakes! And mung bean cakes!" Huaisang exclaims cheerfully "Your disciples have good taste, A-Cheng!"
"Hmm." Is all he offers in return, pulling out the food.
Huaisang shakes his head, this man. Just accept the praise on your disciples behalf will you?. "Pass me a mung bean cake please Jiang Xiong?"
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
Huaisang sits there looking like a heavenly being. His large rounded doe-like eyes, his hair the dark brown of freshly ground cloves, the fair pallor of his skin that seems to glow in the midday sunshine, the slender curve of his wrist as he holds the fan in his lap. Every part of him looks elegant . He looks,ethereal . But then again, he's always been beautiful to Jiang Cheng.
Even with the sauce on his lip (Why are you looking at his lips?-He repriminds himself) from the pancakes. He reaches thoughtlessly out to wipe it off before he catches himself. What was he doing? He didn't even have a handkercheif to justify himself! He's about to try and cover up his action when he notices something, a little movement in the length of Huaisang's hair.
"Huaisang." Jiang Cheng says upon realising, "Don't move."
"What? WHy?" Huaisang moves immediately and Jiang Cheng has to resist the urge to roll his eyes and sigh
"There's a spider in your hair." He tells him calmly "Stay still so I can take it o-"
"A SPIDER!??!?!" Nie Huaisang immediately stands up and starts shaking "WHERE??!!? JIANG CHENG GET IT OFF!!! GET IT OFF ME!!!"
Jiang Cheng watches at the spider clings for dear life onto the strands of Huaisang's hair. It's limbs moving almost as frantic as Huaisang's as it tries not to get flung off.
"Calm down!" Jiang Cheng exclaimed, looking up at him "I'm trying."
The spider leaps off it's position in his hair and lands-
"JIANG XIONG I CAN FEEL IT ON MY NECK!!! IT'S GOING TO BITE ME!" Huaisang wails loudly "JIANG CHENG I'M GOING TO DIE!" The spider sits at the base of his neck, perfectly still compared to it's earlier flailings.
"No you are not A-Sang!" He protests "Just sit down and let me take care of it."
Just then the spider choses to start crawling painstakingly slowly up Huaisang's neck. He wimpers and nods his head, sitting down in front of Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng carefully reaches for the spiderand quickly flicks it away, his finger brushes against the underside of Huaisang's chin-
Huaisang lets out a short burst of laughter and Jiang Cheng pauses a moment to figure out if it's nervous or hysterical. Or maybe...
"A-sang are you ticklish?" He asks curiously
"What? No?" Huaisang replies quickly
"So it wouldn't tickle if I did -this" He reaches for him and tickles Huaisang's ribs
"AH!" Huaisang bats his hands away "Stop-Ha- it Haha!"
"You are ticklish!" Jiang Cheng states with glee.
Huaisang shakes his head and tries to protest. "This one is not!"
"Well I suppose that means this one should test it again then?" Jiang Cheng asks knowingly, reaching for Huaisang again
"No-HA-ST-" Huaisang giggles and whacks Jiang Cheng with his fan "Jian-HAHA-ST-ST-HAHAHAHA." He grabs onto Jiang Cheng's robe and tries to tickle him back.
It doesn't work because-
Jiang Cheng is impervious to tickling. He always had been. And even if he wasn't- a childhood with Wei Wuxian's antics would have made ANYONE Tickle-proof.
He continues to tickle Huaisang, taking small pride at the other's pink laughing face as he gasps for breath between giggles.
Huaisang collapses backwards onto the ground and brings Jiang Cheng down with him in a huge toppling mess.
They both freeze, Huaisang looks up at him wide-eyed from where he's framed within Jiang Cheng's arms and black hair that falls like a curtain down off his head. He gasps heavy, still recovering from being tickled, a strand of brown hair sticks to his lip and his breath puffs up into Jiang Cheng's face. His heart thudded in his chest and he felt a heat rise to his face.
What was he doing?
This was improper! Huaisang was a guest! He couldn't go around manhandling and throwing him like some thug! He was sect leader Jiang! There was social ettiquite to be followed! As to not end up in situations like this! Which were indecent! What would the rumours say?!? Sect Leader Jiang Attacked Nie Gongzi?!?!?! Nie Mingjue would have his head!!!
He leans back and sits on his heels, offering a hand to Huaisang.
"Are you okay?" He asks hesitantly, Please let him be okay. Jiang Cheng knew he was strong, and if his father was anything to believe-too forceful. Nie Huaisang was delicate, soft like the petals of a lily, what if he'd harmed him in some way? Huaisang had hit the ground Hard.
"Yeah." Huaisang shakes his head, dazed as he takes the proffered hand. "Yes I'm fine A-Cheng."
"This one appologises,"He says diplomatically, using all of his sect heir formal training "I shouldn't have acted so familiar."
"What-No!" Huaisang exclaims in confusion, for once in his life scrambling for words. "No-no it's fine! I was just startled."
"Still, I shouldn't have done that." Jiang Cheng pushes. "It wasn't proper. This one will n-"
"Nonsense!" Huaisang slaps his hand with the fan, startling him "We are Friends! Friends- Jiang Xiong! We were close back in Cloud Recess and I would like to be close friends again! And that means no appologising for being open with me! In fact I encourage it! Be as familiar with me as you want! I have enough to deal with deciphering my brother! I do not want to have to wheedle emotion out of you!"
Nie Huaisang... didn't harbour a grudge against him for that? He wanted to be close friends again? He encouraged Jiang Cheng to be familiar?
(His heart skips a beat at that.)
Jiang Cheng is, perplexed? He sits there silently for a moment and Huaisang sighs.
"Appologies for my outburst." Huaisang puts his hands together and bows "This one just wants you to treat him like a familiar friend. That is all."
"Okay." Jiang Cheng agrees to that quickly, surprising himself. "I'll treat you familiarly then A-Sang."
"Good." Huaisang beams at him "Now let's continue this picnic, we still have plenty of food to finish do we not?" He holds out a Mung bean cake as a peace offering
Jiang Cheng lets out a short laugh and reaches to take it.
⊹˚. ♡🕊️♡˚.⊹
Nie Huaisang had feared that he'd overstepped with his outburst. That Jiang Cheng would've taken offense to his words. He cringes at how...blunt he'd been. Not to mention him friend-zoning himself,
The words 'We are Friends! Friends- Jiang Xiong!' Ring through his mind and he grimaces. Well, if there was any chance of more, Huaisang has probably ruined it with his silly words trying to fix the situation.
He's been dazed about the situation, sure. Who wouldn't if they were so closed to the stupidly attractive man that was Jiang Wanyin??? He has been so close, close enough for Huaisang to reach up and claim his lips- if he dared. But he didn't- because Huaisang was a big fat coward when it came to love. Jiang Cheng had been so close that Huaisang could feel the man's arms pressing down on the edges of his hair, it was truly a miracle Jiang Xiong had not noticed how fast his heart had been pounding- or if he had, been so kind as to not mention it and expose Huaisang.
Huaisang had been worried that despite Jiang Cheng's agreement to being close friends, the man secretly harboured a disapproval or newfound dislike of him and would perhaps avoid him for the remainder of Huaisang's stay- which would be a good while yet and make the rest of this trip completely unbearable for him.
He's pleasantly surprised- and wholeheartedly relieved when he crosses paths with him the next day and it truly seems as though there is no ill will between them.
Over the next few days Huaisang finds himself meeting up with Jiang Wanyin frequently. A servant at his door, asking for his presence on Jiang Xiong's behalf, a certain sect leader just sitting down beside him in the dining hall, even Jiang Cheng himself to personally invite Huaisang for dinner. Mostly for lunch but sometimes for dinner or breakfast.
And before he knows it-
they're already in the start of next week.