Chapter Text
In a new relationship, it was normal for couples to be unable to keep their hands off each other. Languid morning sex, steamy shower sex, quickies over lunch breaks, and round after round throughout the night before falling asleep in each other’s arms—all that was pretty standard for two people who’d finally admitted their long held attraction for one another, more than eager to make up for lost time. But after the ‘honeymoon phase’ finally passed, naturally things in the bedroom would slow down a bit as they melded into a routine. At least, that’s what Jiang Cheng had thought.
He was wrong.
Oh, so very wrong.
The man he was currently dating, currently sleeping with on the regular, was practically insatiable in bed. It was well past the honeymoon stage of their relationship as far as Jiang Cheng was concerned, and yet, Nie Huaisang had shown no sign of slowing down his frequent advances.
He wanted it constantly.
When they woke, after they ate, before their dates, after their dates, during their dates, before they slept, in the middle of the night—
Jiang Cheng didn’t know how much more of this he could take.
Though Nie Huaisang still technically lived with his older brother, he’d spend nearly one hundred percent of his time at Jiang Cheng’s place since they started dating. The man had essentially moved into the apartment all but in name. All of his art supplies were here, his entire wardrobe, his fan collection, he’d even brought his aquarium and pet turtle, Donatello.
Jiang Cheng had the space since his best friend and former roommate Wei Wuxian had recently moved out to go live with his statue of a boyfriend, so he didn’t mind that Nie Huaisang was the one filling it.
He loved Huaisang, and he loved being able to come home to someone waiting for him.
But he also loved sleep and being fully rested.
“Huaisang,” Jiang Cheng groaned as he felt a hand slipping inside his bottoms. They were already tucked into bed for the night, but obviously his boyfriend had other plans than sleeping. He squinted at the digital clock on the nightstand and saw its blaring red LED lights read one a.m.
“You’re ridiculous.”
Huaisang giggled, “So I’ve been told.”
Jiang Cheng felt his cock stirring in interest despite himself under his boyfriend’s deliberate stroking motions beneath the thin fabric of his drawers. But he’d had a long day, and his muscles were aching in protest.
“A-Sang, I can’t fuck you, I can barely move my legs…” As much as he may have wanted to, it really didn’t seem physically possible.
“You don’t have to,” Huaisang replied quickly. His soft hands were rubbing exquisitely against Jiang Cheng’s chest and thighs, making it impossible for him to think straight.
“I can do everything. Just relax, baby.”
Jiang Cheng’s drawers were slowly peeled off, the cool air wafting in from the adjacent window raising goosebumps on his newly exposed skin.
He couldn’t stifle the moan that left his lips as a pair of warm ones wrapped around his hardening length. Huaisang’s technique was flawless as always, using his hands where his mouth couldn’t reach and sucking hard at the tip each time he bobbed his head.
Well.
Just a little couldn’t hurt, right? It felt good, and Huaisang said he’d do all the work anyways…
He let himself enjoy Huaisang’s attentions and before he knew it, he was spilling into his boyfriend’s mouth with a soundless cry. As usual, Huaisang made a show of swallowing everything down, smirking like the little vixen he was.
“Fuck,” Jiang Cheng’s head spun as he regained his breath between pants. “You’re gonna kill me.”
“No, I’m gonna ride you,” Huaisang answered, a singsongy lilt to his voice.
Jiang Cheng was tired. He was tired, but he couldn’t smother the small part of him that enjoyed watching Huaisang’s face contort in pleasure whenever the man sat on his cock. He’d seen it earlier just this morning, yet he wanted to see it again.
Maybe they weren’t out of the honeymoon phase yet after all.
The sound of a bottle cap popping open pulled him from his thoughts, and he flinched when cool, slicked up hands grasped at his softened member. Sweet apologies were murmured against his mouth before they morphed into playful nibbles tugging at his lips. He felt himself stir to life once more. Huaisang expertly unravelled a condom over his now throbbing length before applying even more lube.
“Hurry up,” Jiang Cheng urged him. He was suddenly feeling impatient to be inside his lover.
Nodding his head vigorously, Huaisang wasted no more time climbing onto Jiang Cheng’s lap. He lined himself up and seated himself down onto Jiang Cheng’s cock like a king on a throne.
It slipped all the way inside in one deliciously fluid motion, meaning Huaisang must have thoroughly worked himself open sometime earlier. The very thought made Jiang Cheng’s head whirl. It wasn’t like Huaisang didn’t work as well—how was he always so prepared down there? So ready and willing and able? Was this all he ever thought about?
Like butterflies, the thoughts quickly scattered from his mind once Huaisang began to move.
Quiet moans and the squelching noises of skin meeting skin resounded from their bedroom as Huaisang ground himself on Jiang Cheng’s cock in slow, rocking motions, his brow knitted with pleasure and his mouth slightly agape.
“Mmm, so good, so big,” he sighed with each roll of his hips. “So good for me, A-Cheng. Fuck, I love you. You’re perfect.”
Even during sex, Huaisang’s silly declarations of love and words of praise always made Jiang Cheng’s heart skip a beat, and this time was no different. He didn’t have the words to respond though, and instead moved his hands to cup his boyfriend by the ass, a silent encouragement to increase his pace.
Huaisang had no trouble taking the hint. He reached down to take himself into hand, pumping his cock in time with his sped up movements while Jiang Cheng enjoyed the show.
Huaisang was absolutely stunning. A heavy blush trailed all the way up from his chest to the apples of his cheeks. With his head bowed, the shorter man chewed at his bottom lip as he bounced and stroked himself simultaneously, his shoulder length hair billowing about from his movements. It was all too much.
Jiang Cheng felt his end nearing, and shifted his hands upward to grip Huaisang firmly by the hips, holding him still as he climaxed for the second time that night.
Huaisang then continued riding him through the sensitive stage until his own cock spurted ropes of cum over Jiang Cheng’s abdomen. With a groan, he slumped forward so their foreheads were touching, their warm breaths intermingling as they panted for air. Eventually Huaisang began to shimmy his hips upward until Jiang Cheng could slip out, causing the both of them to audibly groan. Then he settled himself into the crook of Jiang Cheng’s sweaty neck, breathing deeply and contentedly.
“Huaisang. Don’t you dare fall asleep, you’re cleaning this mess up,” Jiang Cheng said warningly.
His boyfriend grumbled something incoherent but after a moment, diligently peeled himself off of Jiang Cheng’s sticky skin, disposed of the condom they’d used, and sauntered into the en-suite bathroom to get some wipes.
Jiang Cheng was already asleep by the time he returned, but he woke up feeling nice and fresh with a clean pair of linens on and a cute sleepy boyfriend tucked into his side, so he couldn’t complain too much.
Said boyfriend had then tried holding him captive in their bed as he rose to start his day, but was ultimately thwarted by a heavy pillow being smashed over his head.
Huaisang initially refused to get out of bed himself, but was easily swayed by the promise of chocolate chip and banana pancakes.
After breakfast, Jiang Cheng hopped in the shower for a quick wash.
“Is there room for one more?” Nie Huaisang pulled back their lotus printed shower curtain and peeked inside with a coy look just as Jiang Cheng had finished rinsing his hair out.
He nodded. It wasn’t uncommon for the two of them to shower together, but Huaisang always had ulterior motives more often than not.
For a while he was good; lathering himself up and scrubbing away any of the trace remnants of last night’s fun with innocent eyes. But when those same eyes began hungrily trailing over the fading marks on Jiang Cheng’s skin, well, that’s when Jiang Cheng knew he was in trouble.
“God…Were you like this in your previous relationships too?” he asked almost deliriously once Huaisang had crowded him against the linoleum walls, kissing him silly.
As far as he knew, Huaisang hadn’t lived with any of his exes before the two of them became a couple. How the hell did he bring people home without getting killed by his older brother? Jiang Cheng had been to Nie Mingjue’s place plenty of times when they were teens and the walls weren’t very thick. Nie Mingjue could always tell when Huaisang discreetly unwrapped a measly piece of hard candy from all the way upstairs to spoil their dinners.
“Not to this degree,” his boyfriend purred. “It’s different with you. I just can’t get enough of you, A-Cheng. You drive me crazy.”
The words went straight to Jiang Cheng’s dick. He figured he couldn’t be blamed for pushing Huaisang to his knees, fisting his hand into long and dark soaked hair, and putting that filthy mouth to better use.
They barely made it to work on time.
So. This was a problem. The strangest problem he’d ever had. Granted, he hadn’t dated or slept with many people before Nie Huaisang, but none of them had wanted him all the time like this. And since Huaisang himself had said he hadn’t been this way with any of his own exes, well, Jiang Cheng would be lying if he said that didn’t excite him to some small degree. Didn’t it mean that what they had was special? That they were meant for each other?
Still.
This was a problem, regardless of how good the sex was or how nicely it stroked his ego.
Their libidos were way offbeat.
Jiang Cheng didn’t need sex everyday. In fact, he was fine with having it every other week or so. Everyday was decidedly too much. And it seemed like Huaisang needed it every other hour with how often the man accosted him.
Each time his boyfriend would initiate something, Jiang Cheng found he couldn’t bring himself to properly turn him down.
Huaisang was adorable. Huaisang was hot. And Huaisang was really, really good at sex. Stupid good. So good that Jiang Cheng had to wonder how any of his exes were stupid enough to let the man get away.
But this was getting out of hand. He was losing sleep, losing energy. His work performance was suffering. Normally he thrived under pressure, but the lack of sleep was taking its toll.
He needed to do something.
This issue was something he had no idea how to go about tackling though. Jiang Cheng initially considered going onto reddit relationship forums for advice, but he didn’t like the idea of explaining something so embarrassing to a bunch of random strangers online. After another week of poor sleep on account of Huaisang’s unquenchable sex drive, he finally caved and created a throwaway account for some answers. Half of them said they were simply incompatible as lovers and to just break up with his boyfriend, which almost had him rage typing curses in response, while the other half advised him to leave because he was being sexually abused.
That made him delete the account altogether and swear off reddit.
He was back to square one.
~💜~
“You look like shit,” Wei Wuxian’s observation was the first greeting he received when he stepped into his office the next morning.
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes at him and sat down at his desk.
“Thanks for noticing. Now what do you want.”
Wei Wuxian being in his office this early was never a good sign.
The ponytailed man placed a large takeaway cup without its lid directly onto his wooden desk, completely ignoring the glittery coaster only a few spaces away. The coaster was extremely gaudy and rather unappealing to look at, but Huaisang had made it for Jiang Cheng using resin and a silicone mould. It ultimately served its function as well as any other plain coaster would, and since his boyfriend had made it for him, he couldn’t bring himself not to use it. There were plenty of other strange doodads around his office space handcrafted by Nie Huaisang that often attracted strange or confused looks.
“What the fuck is this?” Jiang Cheng leaned over and eyed the strange concoction with a grimace. It was an ungodly sight, its contents bubbling like some evil witch’s soup.
“Coffee! They messed up my order so they gave me a free one. You can have it.”
Jiang Cheng grimaced. No way was he going to drink that shit.
When he said as much, Wuxian took the drink back with a sad frown. “See, this is why I’m getting a transfer,” he pouted over his own cup. “No one appreciates me here.”
“Fuck you.”
Jiang Cheng was pissed when he found out Wei Wuxian had decided to transfer to another sector without even consulting him first. Deep down he knew Wuxian would be an invaluable asset to the declining branch he’d chosen, and would likely be able to turn it around in no time, but it still sucked knowing he wouldn’t be able to work alongside his best friend anymore.
“You seem tired lately so I’m just checking in on you like a best friend should,” said Wuxian after gulping down the first cup of demented coffee and picking up the second. “So what’s going on with you?” He sat on the edge of the desk only to get swatted off by Jiang Cheng, resigning himself to standing pitifully.
Jiang Cheng could lie and insist nothing was wrong to spare himself the headache of Wei Wuxian trying to fix all his problems by involving himself in his personal business, but aside from Wuxian, he didn’t really have anyone else to talk to about something like this.
He might as well.
“Do you ever, uh,” Jiang Cheng cleared his throat, dreading his best friend’s inevitable reaction to his troubles. “Do you ever have a hard time keeping up with…” his face morphed into a grimace as the words came out, “…Lan Wangji?”
Wuxian raised an eyebrow at him. “You mean like, during sex?”
Jiang Cheng nodded stiffly. He couldn’t believe he was actually trying to get advice from Wei Wuxian of all people. But Wuxian and Wangji were kind of known for screwing like rabbits. And the only reason Jiang Cheng knew that was because Wei Wuxian was always blathering about his sex life loud enough for everyone to hear.
“I think they have like, pills for that,” Wuxian said. “Want me to ask Wen Qing about it?”
“Oh, for—I’m not impotent, Wei Wuxian!”
“Alright, you’re losing me here,” Wuxian crossed his arms with a confused look.
“…It’s Huaisang,” Jiang Cheng finally admitted.
“Nie-xiong? He’s impotent? Should you be telling me this?”
A vein started to bulge on Jiang Cheng’s forehead. “No one. Is impotent. I’m saying that Huaisang is too much for me sometimes.”
“Ohhh, he’s selfish in bed? Yeah, that checks out,” his friend nodded to himself.
“What? Of course not!” Jiang Cheng found himself getting defensive at the accusation on Huaisang’s behalf. Even if he preferred to let Jiang Cheng do most of the heavy lifting, it wasn’t like he never reciprocated or left Jiang Cheng feeling unsatisfied. Huaisang was a great lover, it was only that…
“It’s just that he wants sex all the time, even after he works a double shift at the art gallery! I don’t know where he gets the unlimited stamina from!” he said, exasperated.
Huaisang had flunked P.E. twice when they were in school! He was always the last to finish laps, and he could never complete a full set of push-up or sit-ups either. How the hell was he always up for two to three rounds of sex back to back?!
“Ah, I get it now. Have you tried using toys? Sometimes when I’m too tired to go again Lan Zhan has me use a—“
“Alright, good talk. Bye.” Jiang Cheng could tell this conversation was going absolutely nowhere and severely regretted ever bringing it up. He pulled out the latest reports from his files to annotate them and waved his hand in a dismissive manner. “Get out.”
“Okay, okay, no toys. So what are you gonna do about it then?”
“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you, dumbass! At first it was fun, but now I can’t keep up anymore. I just want to sleep.” He rubbed at his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
Wuxian laughed at his expense, “So basically, you’ve spoiled him rotten and now you’re regretting it.”
Jiang Cheng briefly flicked his eyes up to scowl at him. He couldn’t say anything in retaliation because the man had hit the nail right on the head.
“Jiang Cheng.” Wei Wuxian raised a pointed brow at him, a rare look of solemnity gracing his usually carefree features. “You can’t just expect Huaisang to be able to read your mind, y’know. If you keep giving into his wants every time, obviously he’s not gonna think anything’s wrong.”
He leaned forward, eyes calculating.
“Have you actually sat him down and talked to him about it? Or did you just grouse and grumble and mutter under your breath before giving him what he wanted because you don’t want to disappoint him?”
Jiang Cheng stewed in guilty silence at his friend’s words. He hadn’t actually said anything about it yet because…
“I…I tried to! He’s just—“ Jiang Cheng paused in the sentence he was writing. He couldn’t believe he was actually going to admit this to Wei Wuxian. “He’s really good at sex…like really good. The best I’ve ever had. So I end up going along with it. It’s not like I hate it or regret it afterwards, but I know I can’t keep going like this or eventually I’m gonna fall asleep at the wheel and die.”
“Well, do you want me to talk to him then?”
Jiang Cheng nearly ruined the report he was working on as his entire body jerked in revulsion. “Don’t you fucking dare say anything to him,” he hissed.
Wuxian raised his hands defensively. “Alright, alright, calm down. I still think you’re making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be, though. Lots of couples have mismatched libidos at first. Seriously, just talk to him. He’ll understand.”
Jiang Cheng nodded his head slowly, looking back down to his papers.
Wuxian slurped the last of his coffee down and tossed both empty cups into Jiang Cheng’s trash bin. “Nie-xiong…I’ve seen him come into the office a lot.”
“On his days off he likes sharing my lunch break with me,” Jiang Cheng replied absentmindedly.
His friend leaned forward with a wide-toothed grin.
“Oh yeah? So have you guys like, done it in here? On this desk?”
The sounds of heavy objects being thrown as well as inappropriate words being shouted were heard by the employees of Yunmeng Jiang Incorporated as Wei Wuxian quickly scampered out of Jiang Cheng’s office.
So.
Wei Wuxian’s advice was to talk. Something Jiang Cheng had never been good at, and likely never would be.
How the hell was he supposed to bring this up to his boyfriend?
Hey Huaisang, I know you probably think our relationship is all sunshine and roses, but I’m actually tired of having sex with you!
Huaisang would dump him if he said something like that. And then he’d find someone else who could actually keep up with him in bed.
No way was Jiang Cheng going to let that happen.
He’d spent the better half of his childhood yearning after Huaisang and now he finally had him. He wasn’t about to ruin it over having too much of him.
Too much Huaisang was decidedly better than no Huaisang.
He could adapt. He could drink more coffee. Eat more protein. Catch up on sleep in his office.
So Jiang Cheng coped, Nie Huaisang continued being a ravenous lover, and Wei Wuxian finally transferred out of the branch they’d worked together at since they were nineteen.
~💜~
Things came to a head only a couple of weeks later.
Jiang Cheng had just finished brushing his teeth, and, after spending most of his day cleaning up after other people’s stupid mistakes at his workplace, was more than ready for bed. He stepped out of the bathroom in his pyjamas, which were a pair of thin shorts and a simple T-shirt.
His boyfriend was already in bed and under the covers, playing Candy Crush on his phone. When Jiang Cheng climbed into bed next to him, Huaisang closed out of the app and tossed his phone onto the nightstand to cozy up next to him.
Which was fine.
Jiang Cheng didn’t mind cuddling. And Huaisang was a good cuddler.
Despite being a lot taller and broader than his boyfriend, Jiang Cheng was usually the little spoon.
Huaisang held him for a little while before his hands started to wander.
Jiang Cheng turned his head to tell him he was too tired tonight, but as he did so, his lips were captured into a sweet, lingering kiss.
“Mmm…You taste minty,” Huaisang smiled against his mouth. Then he dipped his head to kiss at Jiang Cheng’s jaw, shifting lower until he was mouthing at his neck, paying special attention to the spot that always made Jiang Cheng feel like he was floating. Jiang Cheng bit back a moan. He couldn’t let this continue.
“Huaisang…”
“Hmm?” His boyfriend continued his ministrations, slipping a hand up Jiang Cheng’s shirt and groping at his chest. Jiang Cheng winced at the contact.
“A-Sang…I’m not really in the mood,” he muttered. He was starting to get frustrated.
“I can fix that,” Huaisang giggled against his dewy skin. The smaller man climbed over him to press him into their soft mattress.
“A-Che—”
Jiang Cheng had had enough.
He used a firm hand to push Huaisang off of him by the chest. “Cut it out! I’m serious, I need to sleep!” he snarled. “You do this every damn night, Huaisang, for fuck’s sake! Quit acting like an animal!”
Huaisang looked back at him with round eyes, his mouth slightly parted and brows raised upward to his hairline.
“S-sorry…” He scooted away to give Jiang Cheng space, a guilty look washing over his face. “I’m sorry…”
Jiang Cheng nodded stiffly, grateful for the apology, but he rolled onto his side so his back was facing Huaisang, irritation still slightly pricking at his skin.
He could hear the sheets being shifted as the mattress dipped on the other side of the bed as Huaisang settled in himself and shut off the bedside lamp.
“…Goodnight, A-Cheng.”
Huaisang didn’t touch him again, and for the first time in what felt like months, Jiang Cheng got a full night’s rest, completely undisturbed.
~💜~
He’d finally gotten it sorted.
Granted, he could’ve handled it with a little more grace, but at least the message had still come across. Now that he’d put his foot down and Huaisang knew that they couldn’t be intimate every single damn night, he’d be able to function like a normal human being again.
The next morning, they woke early and followed their usual routine to ready themselves for work.
Breakfast was a plate of leftover pork filled baozi, which they shared over idle conversation about this and that. Usually Huaisang played footsies with him beneath the table, but today he nibbled on his food with his feet tucked up on his seat and a faraway look in his eyes. Unusual.
Even more unusual, Huaisang didn’t try to highjack his morning shower, only mentioning that he’d take one later tonight when Jiang Cheng had asked him about it as he brushed his teeth at the sink.
Once they'd dressed themselves presentably and grabbed their things, they stepped out the front door one after the other. Huaisang usually walked to his job since the art gallery was located pretty close by, while Jiang Cheng had a fifteen to twenty minute commute by car depending on traffic in the other direction.
They shared a goodbye kiss as Jiang Cheng ducked into his Honda Accord, though it was a bit more chaste than normal. Typically Huaisang would tease him a bit by pretending to get in the car like he was going to stow away to work with him; instead he smiled a strange smile and tugged his backpack over his shoulders before shuffling down the sidewalk. He didn’t even look back.
Thoughts of his boyfriend’s strange behaviour quickly left Jiang Cheng’s mind when he arrived to work. Everyone was busy preparing the necessary documents and reports to apply for a grant, so things were rather hectic.
By the time he got home, it was already dark. With everything that was going on, he’d forgotten to text Huaisang he’d be late and to go ahead and eat dinner without him. He silently hoped the man wasn’t starving waiting up for him.
As he opened the front door, the smell of cooking wafted into his nose. Huaisang…wasn’t the best cook. Left to his own devices, there was a good chance he’d burn the apartment down and then some. Jiang Cheng quickly removed his shoes and set his things aside before fast-walking to the kitchen to make sure nothing was about to catch fire.
“I don’t think I’m doing this right,” said his boyfriend who was standing at the stove, stirring a ladle around a boiling pot of what looked like soup.
He seemed to be talking with someone, which was strange since Jiang Cheng hadn’t seen any extra pairs of shoes at the front door when he came home.
“You’re doing just fine, A-Sang! All that’s left is to add a thickening agent.” The voice was slightly distorted over the phone, but he’d recognize it anywhere.
“Jiejie!” Jiang Cheng exclaimed, causing Huaisang to look up in surprise.
“Is that A-Cheng?” Jiang Yanli asked over the phone. Huaisang nodded with a smile and quickly offered his cellphone out to Jiang Cheng, who eagerly took it and looked at the screen.
His older sister was smiling back at him, looking as beautiful as ever. He hadn’t seen her in person since the new year—ever since she’d moved to Lanling to live with the stupid peacock it’s been harder and harder to find the time to meet up. It had been a while since they’d called or texted as well, which he felt immense guilt about.
“JieJie, what’s going on? Why are you both making soup?” Jiang Cheng looked around. There were opened spice jars, chopped roots and vegetables, and used measuring cups littered all over the countertops.
“A-Sang said you’ve been stressed out over work lately, so we decided to make you a nice dinner,” his sister explained. “Look how well it’s coming along; we might have another culinarian in the family soon!”
“Ahaha, I’m not so sure about that,” Huaisang laughed shyly.
Jiang Cheng looked up from the phone’s screen. “You did this for me?”
Huaisang tipped his head down and bashfully toed at the floor. “I just wanted to try and do something nice for you, that’s all.”
“I originally wanted to make pork rib and lotus root soup, but we didn’t have the right ingredients,” he added.
Jiang Cheng’s heart stuttered in his chest.
Outside of simple sliced fruits or chips and dip, Huaisang had never prepared an actual meal from scratch like this for him before. Mostly because he was banned from the kitchen, but it was obvious he really tried his best this time.
“A-Sang, next you should turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Then slowly stir in the mixture I had you make earlier. This will make it less watery.”
“R-Right.”
Huaisang returned his attention back to the stove and continued following Yanli’s instructions. Jiang Cheng stepped back and gave him a wide berth so as not to get in the way. Since Huaisang was preoccupied, he struck up another conversation with his sister.
“Jie, Wei Wuxian misses you, y’know. He was really upset he didn’t get to see you before he left for Yiling.”
Jiang Yanli smiled a sad smile, “I’m sorry. I’ve been meaning to see the both of you but I just haven’t been able to allocate the time. A-Xuan and I are still getting settled in here.”
Jiang Cheng grimaced at the mention of his sister’s boyfriend.
“We’ll all get together soon and have pork rib and lotus root soup! A-Sang will come too, right?”
Huaisang looked over at his name being called.
“M-me? Are you sure you want me there?” he asked bewilderedly.
Jiang Cheng furrowed his eyebrows at the ridiculous question.
“Of course we want you there; don’t be stupid.”
Not giving Huaisang the opportunity to say anything more, he pushed the conversation onward.
He told his sister about how his job has been treating him in between her relaying instructions to Huaisang, who diligently followed them with a crease in his brow. Yanli briefly brought up the peacock again, but Jiang Cheng quickly steered the conversation away from that sorry subject. By that point, the soup had finally looked complete.
Nie Huaisang held his phone over the simmering pot to show Yanli his work.
“Great job! Now all that’s left to do is to enjoy it!”
“I wish you were here to try it,” Jiang Cheng told her. He really missed his sister.
“I’m sure it tastes wonderful! Even though I’m not there, I can tell how much love was put into it!”
“Thank you for your time and unparalleled wisdom, Jiejie. I would have destroyed the entire kitchen without you,” Huaisang thanked her in a sagely manner.
“No problem! I’m always happy to help a family member!”
Jiang Cheng felt his chest do somersaults at the implication of Huaisang being a part of their family. He stole a glance at his boyfriend, and noticed the flush of red dusting his cheeks as he stirred the pot of soup. He couldn’t be sure if it was due to the heat of the stove or not, though.
Eventually they said their goodbyes to Yanli so they could get started on their dinner.
“Baby’s first homemade soup,” Huaisang joked as he scooped a ladle out of the pot and into two bowls. They took them to their small dining table that Huaisang had chanced upon at a vintage furniture shop and sat down to eat.
“Okay. Moment of truth.”
Huaisang held out a spoonful of broth and carefully tapped it against Jiang Cheng’s own spoon. The ridiculousness of it all made the corners of Jiang Cheng‘s lips quirk slightly upwards. It was just soup.
“Three, two, one,”
Jiang Cheng swallowed his portion down without preamble while Huaisang tentatively slurped at his.
His face went through a multitude of different emotions, before seemingly settling on something neutral.
Then he looked up to Jiang Cheng, nervously chewing at his lower lip.
“S-So what do you think…?” He looked like he was on trial for something and about to hear a judge’s verdict.
Jiang Cheng smacked his lips.
“Not bad. A little salty. Pretty good for your first try,” he answered honestly, taking another sip. He’d need to supplement it with a glass of water, but he was still genuinely impressed by his boyfriend’s hard work.
“I like it.”
At his assessment, Huaisang seemed to visibly relax, sagging into his chair with a heavy sigh of relief.
“I was so worried it was gonna be inedible and you’d hate it—your sister is a miracle worker!”
Jiang Cheng snorted a laugh. His thoughts returned to what his sister had said earlier about Huaisang being a part of their family.
A satisfied, warm feeling settled in his chest.
They were sat on their sofa now, bellies full of warm, slightly over salted soup and watching a random show on Netflix. Or, well, Jiang Cheng was. Huaisang was in the shower. After finishing the first episode he’d lamented that all that cooking had made him sweaty and gross. By the time he returned with a towel draped around his neck, Jiang Cheng was already halfway through the third episode.
“What’d I miss? Did the girl turn into a vampire yet?”
Instead of reclaiming his previous seat next to Jiang Cheng, Huaisang strangely sat himself all the way at the end of the sofa, which made absolutely no sense to Jiang Cheng.
He frowned. “No. And what’re you sitting all the way over there for? Come here,” he beckoned him over with a wave of his hand. Huaisang blinked at him before getting up and moving closer to tuck himself into Jiang Cheng’s side, smelling of both floral and herbal scents. His dampened hair and skin was slowly creating a wet spot on Jiang Cheng’s faded nightshirt, but Jiang Cheng didn’t mind. He liked feeling Huaisang’s body pressed up against his.
They sat through a couple more episodes where they both cracked sarcastic remarks about the lead character and her shitty love interests.
Eventually Jiang Cheng started to hear snoring from his left, and he looked down to see his boyfriend fast asleep.
“A-Sang,” he gently jostled him by the shoulder. “A-Sang, let’s go to bed if you’re tired.”
Huaisang’s brow furrowed and he grumbled something unintelligible as Jiang Cheng kept nudging him awake. With a lot more prodding, he finally stood and slowly padded into their bedroom with heavy steps. Jiang Cheng followed after him once he turned the television and other lights around the apartment off.
They both settled in underneath the thick duvet, and Jiang Cheng checked that his phone’s alarm was set before placing it on the nightstand on his side of the bed. Then he turned over to pull Huaisang into his arms, nosing at the man’s neck. His boyfriend hummed sleepily, snuggling into his embrace.
They fell asleep soon afterwards, peaceful and content.